WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:04.139 About 100 years ago, scientists ran an unusual 00:00:04.139 --> 00:00:07.620 experiment. They gathered participants for this 00:00:07.620 --> 00:00:11.699 study and had them wear special goggles that 00:00:11.699 --> 00:00:16.460 flipped their vision upside down. Maybe in high 00:00:16.460 --> 00:00:19.320 school you wore drunk goggles a couple weeks 00:00:19.320 --> 00:00:22.039 before prom because the police wanted to teach 00:00:22.039 --> 00:00:25.600 you what it was like to drive impaired. This 00:00:25.600 --> 00:00:27.760 was kind of like that. They put these upside 00:00:27.760 --> 00:00:30.579 down goggles on these people. And so when they 00:00:30.579 --> 00:00:33.140 first put them on, as you can imagine, everything 00:00:33.140 --> 00:00:36.679 was disorienting. When they walked, it was crazy. 00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:39.759 When they tried to pick up a fork to eat food, 00:00:39.859 --> 00:00:42.259 they couldn't quite find their mouth with the 00:00:42.259 --> 00:00:44.539 fork if they found the fork. It was all very 00:00:44.539 --> 00:00:47.280 disorienting. Walking across the room felt impossible. 00:00:47.500 --> 00:00:50.560 And the reason is, is because the brain couldn't 00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:54.079 process what it was seeing and how it was seeing 00:00:54.079 --> 00:00:56.939 it. But something strange happened after a few 00:00:56.939 --> 00:00:59.200 days of these participants wearing the goggles. 00:00:59.320 --> 00:01:02.340 You could probably imagine their brains adapted. 00:01:02.799 --> 00:01:05.319 And so after a few days, they eventually learned 00:01:05.319 --> 00:01:07.680 how to walk. They learned how to eat and function 00:01:07.680 --> 00:01:10.319 normally. I even saw some pictures and videos 00:01:10.319 --> 00:01:13.480 of these participants learning how to ride a 00:01:13.480 --> 00:01:16.760 bike with these goggles on. And some of you are 00:01:16.760 --> 00:01:18.359 probably thinking, I can't ride a bike without 00:01:18.359 --> 00:01:20.980 goggles on, much less with my vision impaired. 00:01:21.079 --> 00:01:23.840 But they learned their brains adapted to this 00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:28.920 new way of seeing things with their vision upside 00:01:28.920 --> 00:01:33.640 down. See, when they finally removed the goggles, 00:01:33.760 --> 00:01:39.180 though, something else surprising happened. The 00:01:39.180 --> 00:01:42.500 real world, the world that was normal, the world 00:01:42.500 --> 00:01:45.989 that was natural, that was real, felt upside 00:01:45.989 --> 00:01:49.230 down because their brains had adapted to this 00:01:49.230 --> 00:01:55.750 new way of seeing things. And we know that sometimes 00:01:55.750 --> 00:02:00.329 when we spend so long adapting, to a certain 00:02:00.329 --> 00:02:03.829 way of things. We spend so long in one set of 00:02:03.829 --> 00:02:06.689 circumstances. We spend so long in one place 00:02:06.689 --> 00:02:09.909 and one time and one setting and one circumstance. 00:02:10.050 --> 00:02:13.330 And what happens in our life is we become adapted 00:02:13.330 --> 00:02:18.870 to the wrong orientation. We become adapted to 00:02:18.870 --> 00:02:23.849 what is upside down. In a lot of ways, that's 00:02:23.849 --> 00:02:26.259 what happens spiritually. We live in a world 00:02:26.259 --> 00:02:28.960 that trains us to value certain things. The world 00:02:28.960 --> 00:02:31.919 around us tells us that status matters. It tells 00:02:31.919 --> 00:02:34.500 us that recognition matters, that comfort matters, 00:02:34.620 --> 00:02:37.300 that success matters, that security matters. 00:02:37.419 --> 00:02:39.479 And that's what's normal. That's what's real. 00:02:39.680 --> 00:02:43.259 And so we have adapted our world, our view of 00:02:43.259 --> 00:02:46.849 our world to that. And after living in that system 00:02:46.849 --> 00:02:49.530 long enough, it feels normal. But when we listen 00:02:49.530 --> 00:02:52.509 carefully to Jesus, when we watch the way Jesus 00:02:52.509 --> 00:02:55.449 lived, when we listen to how he taught, we see 00:02:55.449 --> 00:02:59.349 that Jesus teaches something surprising. And 00:02:59.349 --> 00:03:01.889 that is that the values of his kingdom are completely 00:03:01.889 --> 00:03:06.330 different than this world. They're so different 00:03:06.330 --> 00:03:11.129 that they almost feel upside down. They feel 00:03:11.129 --> 00:03:14.590 unnatural. They can feel kind of disorienting. 00:03:14.969 --> 00:03:17.590 Maybe that's why when someone becomes a Christian, 00:03:17.650 --> 00:03:20.069 when they start following Jesus, they feel like 00:03:20.069 --> 00:03:22.870 their life is kind of upside down, like things 00:03:22.870 --> 00:03:25.110 aren't as they're supposed to be. And they wonder, 00:03:25.150 --> 00:03:27.650 why am I struggling? Why do I not have the status? 00:03:27.770 --> 00:03:30.349 Why do I not feel as secure? And it's because 00:03:30.349 --> 00:03:34.750 the way of Jesus is not normal. It is unnatural. 00:03:35.090 --> 00:03:39.080 It is upside down. See, last week we talked about 00:03:39.080 --> 00:03:41.759 the costly way of following Jesus. You know, 00:03:41.800 --> 00:03:43.919 Jesus calls his followers to deny themselves. 00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:46.879 He calls them to take up their cross, to give 00:03:46.879 --> 00:03:50.199 up the securities of this life. He tells us that 00:03:50.199 --> 00:03:53.759 following him isn't casual. It's not something 00:03:53.759 --> 00:03:55.599 that's going to be convenient. It's not going 00:03:55.599 --> 00:03:58.099 to be something that is secure. It's not going 00:03:58.099 --> 00:04:03.740 to be safe. It's going to cost us. And later 00:04:03.740 --> 00:04:06.240 in that same chapter, we see some people, they 00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:08.800 want to follow Jesus, but they only want to follow 00:04:08.800 --> 00:04:11.800 him if it doesn't disrupt their priorities. If 00:04:11.800 --> 00:04:13.860 you were here last week, you remember there was 00:04:13.860 --> 00:04:16.220 the man that wanted to go bury his father. He 00:04:16.220 --> 00:04:18.560 wanted to go settle things, right? And then you 00:04:18.560 --> 00:04:20.319 had the one who he wanted to go home and tell 00:04:20.319 --> 00:04:23.600 everybody goodbye. And you had these different 00:04:23.600 --> 00:04:26.899 examples of people that wanted their way first 00:04:26.899 --> 00:04:29.000 and then they would follow the way of Jesus. 00:04:29.079 --> 00:04:31.420 But Jesus says, none of that can come before 00:04:31.420 --> 00:04:35.339 me. You have to follow me first. Your priority 00:04:35.339 --> 00:04:38.199 has to first be the kingdom of God. It cannot 00:04:38.199 --> 00:04:41.360 be second. It cannot be third. It cannot be first 00:04:41.360 --> 00:04:44.920 and a half. It has to be first. As Ricky Bobby 00:04:44.920 --> 00:04:49.759 would say, if it's not first, it is last. Following 00:04:49.759 --> 00:04:55.120 Jesus has to be. First, Jesus makes it clear 00:04:55.120 --> 00:04:59.399 that discipleship, being an apprentice of Jesus, 00:04:59.560 --> 00:05:04.819 requires total commitment. It requires everything 00:05:04.819 --> 00:05:08.180 in us. It requires everything about us. It requires 00:05:08.180 --> 00:05:11.600 all of our time. It requires all of our energy. 00:05:11.839 --> 00:05:14.639 It requires all of our focus. It requires every 00:05:14.639 --> 00:05:17.939 dollar we have, every house we have, every mile 00:05:17.939 --> 00:05:21.040 on our car. Being an apprentice, a disciple of 00:05:21.040 --> 00:05:26.160 Jesus requires all of us. And I think that should 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:29.680 be pretty easy to give considering he gave all 00:05:29.680 --> 00:05:34.449 of himself. But it raises a natural question 00:05:34.449 --> 00:05:37.810 for us. What does that life actually look like? 00:05:37.829 --> 00:05:41.709 What does the life of a disciple actually look 00:05:41.709 --> 00:05:44.170 like? Because we live in a world where it is 00:05:44.170 --> 00:05:47.670 really hard to consider the idea of giving up 00:05:47.670 --> 00:05:50.610 security, right? We live in a world that it makes 00:05:50.610 --> 00:05:52.949 it really hard to give up the idea of having 00:05:52.949 --> 00:05:57.170 this sound future. It makes it hard to not want 00:05:57.170 --> 00:05:59.709 the success, to not want the status, to not want 00:05:59.709 --> 00:06:02.870 the things that we have. But what Jesus calls 00:06:02.870 --> 00:06:05.889 us to is to say, all that I have, Lord, is yours. 00:06:06.550 --> 00:06:09.170 And everything that I am, Lord, is yours. But 00:06:09.170 --> 00:06:12.430 what does that look like? Well, if we truly follow 00:06:12.430 --> 00:06:17.410 Jesus, even when it costs us, it should shape 00:06:17.410 --> 00:06:20.350 the way we live. In Luke chapter 10, we start 00:06:20.350 --> 00:06:23.009 to see the answer of what that looks like. And 00:06:23.009 --> 00:06:25.389 what we see is that life in the kingdom of God, 00:06:25.529 --> 00:06:28.089 it operates by a completely different set of 00:06:28.089 --> 00:06:31.699 values. It is not operating on the same values 00:06:31.699 --> 00:06:33.360 of this world. It's funny, this morning we were 00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:35.180 talking, I was talking with Claudia about the 00:06:35.180 --> 00:06:37.699 difference between Apple and Android. When you 00:06:37.699 --> 00:06:40.579 get an iPhone, it is a lot different than an 00:06:40.579 --> 00:06:43.040 Android. Your iPhone does not operate on the 00:06:43.040 --> 00:06:45.500 same operating system as an Android and vice 00:06:45.500 --> 00:06:47.800 versa. And that's what it's like when you live 00:06:47.800 --> 00:06:50.120 in the kingdom of God, you are operating on an 00:06:50.120 --> 00:06:54.889 entirely new system. So let's look at Luke chapter 00:06:54.889 --> 00:06:57.709 10 together, starting in verses 25, and we'll 00:06:57.709 --> 00:06:59.670 read through 37 together. If it's underlined, 00:06:59.709 --> 00:07:01.310 I'd like for you to read it with me if you feel 00:07:01.310 --> 00:07:04.089 comfortable doing so. And behold, a lawyer stood 00:07:04.089 --> 00:07:06.769 up to put him to the test, him being Jesus, saying, 00:07:06.949 --> 00:07:09.990 Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 00:07:10.389 --> 00:07:13.269 He said to him, What is written in the law? How 00:07:13.269 --> 00:07:15.829 do you read it? And he answered, You shall love 00:07:15.829 --> 00:07:18.050 the Lord your God with all your heart and with 00:07:18.050 --> 00:07:20.370 all your soul and with all your strength and 00:07:20.370 --> 00:07:22.870 with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself. 00:07:23.430 --> 00:07:26.009 And he said to him, You have answered correctly. 00:07:26.430 --> 00:07:30.629 Do this and you will live. But he, desiring to 00:07:30.629 --> 00:07:33.670 justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my 00:07:33.670 --> 00:07:37.009 neighbor? And Jesus replied, A man was going 00:07:37.009 --> 00:07:39.329 down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among 00:07:39.329 --> 00:07:42.029 robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, 00:07:42.329 --> 00:07:45.439 leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest 00:07:45.439 --> 00:07:48.019 was going down that road, and when he saw him, 00:07:48.100 --> 00:07:51.639 he passed by on the other side. So likewise a 00:07:51.639 --> 00:07:53.839 Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, 00:07:53.939 --> 00:07:57.040 passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, 00:07:57.120 --> 00:07:59.839 as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when 00:07:59.839 --> 00:08:03.379 he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him 00:08:03.379 --> 00:08:06.120 and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. 00:08:06.279 --> 00:08:08.740 Then he set him on his own animal and brought 00:08:08.740 --> 00:08:11.600 him to an inn and took care of him. And the next 00:08:11.600 --> 00:08:14.459 day he took out two denarii and gave them to 00:08:14.459 --> 00:08:17.000 the innkeeper, saying, Take care of him, and 00:08:17.000 --> 00:08:19.579 whatever more you spend, I will repay you when 00:08:19.579 --> 00:08:22.500 I come back. Which of these three do you think 00:08:22.500 --> 00:08:25.019 proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among 00:08:25.019 --> 00:08:28.600 the robbers? He said, The one who showed him 00:08:28.600 --> 00:08:32.539 mercy. And Jesus said to him, You go and do likewise. 00:08:33.929 --> 00:08:36.330 You see, the story begins with a lawyer asking 00:08:36.330 --> 00:08:38.669 Jesus a question about eternal life. And he was 00:08:38.669 --> 00:08:40.309 trying to trap Jesus. He wanted to get Jesus 00:08:40.309 --> 00:08:42.070 in trouble. And so he asked him, what do I have 00:08:42.070 --> 00:08:44.929 to do? What does it take to have eternal life? 00:08:45.190 --> 00:08:47.210 Eventually, the conversation turns to the command 00:08:47.210 --> 00:08:52.169 to love your neighbor, which caused the lawyer 00:08:52.169 --> 00:08:55.929 to ask, well, who is my neighbor? Because I live 00:08:55.929 --> 00:08:57.590 next door to some people that I don't know that 00:08:57.590 --> 00:08:59.990 I like. too much. I live next door to some people 00:08:59.990 --> 00:09:01.970 that play their music a little too loud. I live 00:09:01.970 --> 00:09:03.990 next door to some people that make my house smell 00:09:03.990 --> 00:09:05.850 bad because they like to smoke weed all night. 00:09:05.970 --> 00:09:07.830 I live next door to some people that park in 00:09:07.830 --> 00:09:11.970 my grass and tear up my lawn. I live next door 00:09:11.970 --> 00:09:13.750 to some people that don't have the same religious 00:09:13.750 --> 00:09:16.250 beliefs as I do, that don't see the world the 00:09:16.250 --> 00:09:18.049 same way that I do, that don't love my country 00:09:18.049 --> 00:09:20.090 the same way that I do, that don't believe the 00:09:20.090 --> 00:09:23.269 same things that I do. So Lord, who is my neighbor? 00:09:24.870 --> 00:09:28.830 In other words, Where do the boundaries of my 00:09:28.830 --> 00:09:34.389 responsibility end? Who do I have to love? Who 00:09:34.389 --> 00:09:37.309 do I have to show kindness to and show compassion 00:09:37.309 --> 00:09:40.250 to? And Jesus answers with this story. He says 00:09:40.250 --> 00:09:42.029 there was a man, he was traveling from Jerusalem 00:09:42.029 --> 00:09:44.470 to Jericho, and on his journey, he was attacked, 00:09:44.710 --> 00:09:47.590 he was robbed, he was left for dead. And as he's 00:09:47.590 --> 00:09:50.129 lying there in his probably a pool of blood, 00:09:50.230 --> 00:09:57.039 beat up, almost dead, a priest walks on by. A 00:09:57.039 --> 00:10:01.259 Levite walks on by. And what Jesus is saying 00:10:01.259 --> 00:10:05.240 there is these religious men, these followers 00:10:05.240 --> 00:10:09.799 of God, they walk on by. Both people who should 00:10:09.799 --> 00:10:13.820 know the law. Both people who should love their 00:10:13.820 --> 00:10:16.759 neighbor. But they pass by on the other side 00:10:16.759 --> 00:10:20.320 of the road. And then Jesus introduces the most 00:10:20.320 --> 00:10:23.679 unlikely hero imaginable in this story, a Samaritan. 00:10:24.539 --> 00:10:27.200 Somebody that... would not have been a friend 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:31.059 of this Jewish man. Somebody that doesn't follow 00:10:31.059 --> 00:10:34.240 the way of God as the Jews follow the way of 00:10:34.240 --> 00:10:36.779 God. This is somebody that the Jews would look 00:10:36.779 --> 00:10:39.960 at as a villain in every sense of the word. But 00:10:39.960 --> 00:10:44.539 guess what the villain does? He stops. He is 00:10:44.539 --> 00:10:49.480 the one who stops. This man who is seen as religiously 00:10:49.480 --> 00:10:52.919 corrupt and socially despised is the one who 00:10:52.919 --> 00:10:56.809 stops. Let's read about the Samaritan again. 00:11:03.210 --> 00:11:15.470 Do you notice what happens? This Samaritan sees 00:11:15.470 --> 00:11:17.509 the man, and he doesn't just see the man, but 00:11:17.509 --> 00:11:20.460 he feels compassion. for this man. He sees him, 00:11:20.539 --> 00:11:23.080 and unlike those who pass by before, he doesn't 00:11:23.080 --> 00:11:26.820 just walk on by. He walks toward him. He goes 00:11:26.820 --> 00:11:31.600 to this man in distress. He sacrifices his time. 00:11:31.899 --> 00:11:35.580 He sacrifices his resources. He gives up his 00:11:35.580 --> 00:11:40.179 comfort, all for a total stranger. This is not 00:11:40.179 --> 00:11:43.659 convenient. This isn't assumed kindness. This 00:11:43.659 --> 00:11:48.779 is costly and unexpected love. Because the kingdom 00:11:48.779 --> 00:11:54.899 of God turns expectations upside down. The people 00:11:54.899 --> 00:11:59.220 who should have helped didn't. And the person 00:11:59.220 --> 00:12:02.379 that nobody expected, the person that nobody 00:12:02.379 --> 00:12:06.000 would have given the credit for, he stops and 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:12.460 becomes the example of loving my neighbor. And 00:12:12.460 --> 00:12:15.820 then Jesus asks a very powerful question. Which 00:12:15.820 --> 00:12:19.970 of these proved? to be a neighbor. Which of these? 00:12:21.169 --> 00:12:23.809 Was it the priest? Was it the Levite? Was it 00:12:23.809 --> 00:12:26.230 these religious men who knew the way, that knew 00:12:26.230 --> 00:12:28.750 the law, that knew what the commands were, that 00:12:28.750 --> 00:12:31.590 are the ones who are supposed to follow and worship 00:12:31.590 --> 00:12:36.269 and serve God? No. And the lawyer has to answer 00:12:36.269 --> 00:12:40.870 this question. He has to be the one to say, it 00:12:40.870 --> 00:12:45.330 was the one who showed him mercy. It's funny, 00:12:45.370 --> 00:12:47.269 he couldn't even bring himself to say it was 00:12:47.269 --> 00:12:53.789 the Samaritan. Can I give you a really controversial 00:12:53.789 --> 00:12:58.190 way to put this? This would be like the Republican 00:12:58.190 --> 00:13:03.389 having to say it was the Democrat. And vice versa. 00:13:03.909 --> 00:13:08.210 This is like the Democrat saying it was the Republican. 00:13:08.710 --> 00:13:11.179 Do you know what I mean by that? This shouldn't 00:13:11.179 --> 00:13:13.200 be controversial. It means the person I disagree 00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:15.779 with, the person that I despise, the person that 00:13:15.779 --> 00:13:17.899 I'm on the other side of the aisle with, they're 00:13:17.899 --> 00:13:21.860 the one who did the good thing. Because truth 00:13:21.860 --> 00:13:23.960 be told, people on every side of every aisle 00:13:23.960 --> 00:13:27.490 can do the good thing. And so what Jesus says 00:13:27.490 --> 00:13:29.230 is which one of these proved to be the neighbor? 00:13:29.330 --> 00:13:31.549 And the man couldn't even bring himself to say 00:13:31.549 --> 00:13:33.590 the Samaritan. He just says the one who showed 00:13:33.590 --> 00:13:36.490 him mercy. And what Jesus says then is go and 00:13:36.490 --> 00:13:40.470 do likewise. In other words, forget what side 00:13:40.470 --> 00:13:43.509 you are on. Forget who you like. Forget who you 00:13:43.509 --> 00:13:47.929 dislike. And just love people. Just show mercy. 00:13:48.149 --> 00:13:55.799 Just do good. Just love your neighbor. even when 00:13:55.799 --> 00:13:59.659 you disagree with them. And immediately after 00:13:59.659 --> 00:14:01.720 the Good Samaritan story, Luke records another 00:14:01.720 --> 00:14:04.440 moment that shows how different Jesus' values 00:14:04.440 --> 00:14:07.960 are. I want us to look at Luke chapter 10, verses 00:14:07.960 --> 00:14:11.259 38 through 42. Now as they went on their way, 00:14:11.320 --> 00:14:13.840 Jesus entered a village, and a woman named Martha 00:14:13.840 --> 00:14:17.019 welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister 00:14:17.019 --> 00:14:19.779 called Mary who sat at the Lord's feet and listened 00:14:19.779 --> 00:14:23.039 to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with 00:14:23.039 --> 00:14:25.759 much serving. And she went up to him and she 00:14:25.759 --> 00:14:28.360 said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has 00:14:28.360 --> 00:14:31.299 left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help 00:14:31.299 --> 00:14:33.879 me. But the Lord answered her, Martha, Martha, 00:14:34.100 --> 00:14:36.919 you are anxious and troubled about many things, 00:14:37.179 --> 00:14:40.860 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the 00:14:40.860 --> 00:14:43.519 good portion, which will not be taken away from 00:14:43.519 --> 00:14:49.100 her. Martha is busy serving while Mary is just 00:14:49.100 --> 00:14:51.279 sitting around listening to Jesus' teachings. 00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:55.779 How dare Mary? Martha's working hard to care 00:14:55.779 --> 00:14:59.220 for Jesus to make sure that him and his guests, 00:14:59.360 --> 00:15:01.480 that they have what they need. Mary, however, 00:15:01.620 --> 00:15:03.399 she's just sitting at Jesus' feet listening to 00:15:03.399 --> 00:15:06.019 his teachings. Martha becomes frustrated. She 00:15:06.019 --> 00:15:09.440 asks Jesus to tell Mary to help. But Jesus gently 00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:14.679 corrects her. Martha, Martha. And he says, Mary 00:15:14.679 --> 00:15:18.840 has chosen the good portion. You see, the world 00:15:18.840 --> 00:15:21.539 celebrates busyness. The world celebrates productivity, 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:25.440 sometimes even in ministry. It's a, what are 00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:27.360 you doing? What have you done for me lately? 00:15:27.559 --> 00:15:30.059 What have you done to show that you're doing 00:15:30.059 --> 00:15:31.899 what you're supposed to be doing? What kind of 00:15:31.899 --> 00:15:33.960 hours are you putting in at work? What kind of 00:15:33.960 --> 00:15:36.480 accomplishments have you made? What kind of promotions 00:15:36.480 --> 00:15:39.240 have you got? Are you doing enough? And the world 00:15:39.240 --> 00:15:41.759 celebrates that. It encourages that. But what 00:15:41.759 --> 00:15:44.460 Jesus reminds us is, is that the most important 00:15:44.460 --> 00:15:48.360 thing is being with him. In the kingdom of God, 00:15:48.460 --> 00:15:51.720 relationship with Christ matters more than impressive 00:15:51.720 --> 00:15:55.500 activity. And that is not to say that service 00:15:55.500 --> 00:15:58.519 is bad. That is not to say that we just sit around 00:15:58.519 --> 00:16:01.100 listening to sermons all day. That is not to 00:16:01.100 --> 00:16:04.440 say that we just sit at home and we just contemplate 00:16:04.440 --> 00:16:07.100 and we just think about what Jesus wants us to 00:16:07.100 --> 00:16:09.639 know. That's not what he's saying. But what he's 00:16:09.639 --> 00:16:14.399 saying is do not put productivity over relationship 00:16:14.399 --> 00:16:18.600 with Jesus. Service is good. But the relationship 00:16:18.600 --> 00:16:23.529 with Jesus has to be our anchor. And then later 00:16:23.529 --> 00:16:27.210 in Luke 13, we see Jesus heal a woman who she's 00:16:27.210 --> 00:16:32.110 been suffering for 18 years. And a problem that 00:16:32.110 --> 00:16:35.190 we've seen before pops up again. Do you know 00:16:35.190 --> 00:16:37.830 what the problem is? Jesus healed this woman. 00:16:38.210 --> 00:16:40.690 But the problem isn't that he healed her, although 00:16:40.690 --> 00:16:42.649 I'm sure the religious leaders didn't like that. 00:16:43.149 --> 00:16:46.289 The problem is that Jesus healed her on the Sabbath. 00:16:46.850 --> 00:16:50.250 Again, Jesus is going against the religious tradition. 00:16:50.429 --> 00:16:52.529 He's going against the grain. He's not following 00:16:52.529 --> 00:16:55.110 their ordinances for what you do and don't do 00:16:55.110 --> 00:16:56.950 on the Sabbath. And so the religious leaders, 00:16:57.009 --> 00:16:59.490 they're again more concerned about rule breaking 00:16:59.490 --> 00:17:01.809 than they are about the well -being of this woman 00:17:01.809 --> 00:17:05.109 who's been suffering. And Jesus exposes the problem. 00:17:05.349 --> 00:17:07.250 I want you to look at what Jesus says in Luke 00:17:07.250 --> 00:17:11.529 chapter 13, verses 15 through 16. Then the Lord 00:17:11.529 --> 00:17:15.069 answered him, you hypocrites. Let's read that 00:17:15.069 --> 00:17:19.130 one again. Then the Lord answered him, you hypocrites. 00:17:19.390 --> 00:17:22.190 Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his 00:17:22.190 --> 00:17:25.710 ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it 00:17:25.710 --> 00:17:28.529 away to water it? And ought not this woman, a 00:17:28.529 --> 00:17:30.970 daughter of Abraham, whom Satan bound for 18 00:17:30.970 --> 00:17:33.769 years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath 00:17:33.769 --> 00:17:38.650 day? They show compassion to their animals on 00:17:38.650 --> 00:17:40.880 the Sabbath. They're willing to make sure that 00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:43.980 their animals don't go hungry or that they don't 00:17:43.980 --> 00:17:46.259 go thirsty. They're willing to make sure that 00:17:46.259 --> 00:17:48.480 their animals have what they need. But heaven 00:17:48.480 --> 00:17:53.279 forbid the Son of God heal a woman of her infirmities 00:17:53.279 --> 00:17:58.880 on the Sabbath. We care so much about these certain 00:17:58.880 --> 00:18:02.019 things. But what Jesus says is that in the kingdom 00:18:02.019 --> 00:18:07.299 of God, we value caring for people. over honoring 00:18:07.299 --> 00:18:13.400 man's systems. Can you think of some people that 00:18:13.400 --> 00:18:16.759 need to be cared for? That because of the priorities 00:18:16.759 --> 00:18:22.359 we have set, they go uncared for. Because of 00:18:22.359 --> 00:18:24.940 the things that we've convinced ourselves are 00:18:24.940 --> 00:18:27.960 our priorities, these people go uncared for. 00:18:28.599 --> 00:18:31.680 There's people in our community that need... 00:18:31.920 --> 00:18:34.599 care, that need love, that need compassion, that 00:18:34.599 --> 00:18:36.339 need to be showed mercy. There are people in 00:18:36.339 --> 00:18:39.740 this room that need that, but we are so concerned 00:18:39.740 --> 00:18:42.880 with what we've got going on or what we think 00:18:42.880 --> 00:18:46.319 is important that we just leave them be to continue 00:18:46.319 --> 00:18:49.880 to suffer because that's not the priority right 00:18:49.880 --> 00:18:54.720 now. I think I've told you the story. I was driving 00:18:54.720 --> 00:18:57.259 the kids to school one day and I was driving 00:18:57.259 --> 00:18:59.599 back and I thought I had enough gas to make it 00:18:59.599 --> 00:19:01.259 to Ingalls to get gas because, you know, the 00:19:01.259 --> 00:19:03.380 fuel points, you got to use those, right? So 00:19:03.380 --> 00:19:05.359 I thought if I can make it to Ingalls, gas will 00:19:05.359 --> 00:19:08.440 be so much cheaper. So I'm driving down the road 00:19:08.440 --> 00:19:11.259 and guess what happens on the highway? This dum 00:19:11.259 --> 00:19:15.500 -dum runs out of gas. So I get out and of course 00:19:15.500 --> 00:19:17.279 I don't have a gas can. So I get out, I go to 00:19:17.279 --> 00:19:19.660 the gas station. Long story short, a guy helps 00:19:19.660 --> 00:19:22.799 me. I don't know the guy from Adam. He just offers 00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:25.740 to help me. He goes home, gets his gas can, comes 00:19:25.740 --> 00:19:29.660 back. I mean, I paid for the gas. I did my part, 00:19:29.779 --> 00:19:33.619 right? But he lets me use his gas can. He drives 00:19:33.619 --> 00:19:36.160 me back to my truck. And while we're talking, 00:19:36.420 --> 00:19:39.420 I was like, man, I just really appreciate it. 00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:42.119 Most people wouldn't stop and help somebody like 00:19:42.119 --> 00:19:44.859 me. And I was like, honestly, I wouldn't have 00:19:44.859 --> 00:19:47.279 stopped. And he said, you know, I'm just a real 00:19:47.279 --> 00:19:49.279 believer that you can never be too busy to help 00:19:49.279 --> 00:19:53.690 people. Come to find out, this man is a preacher 00:19:53.690 --> 00:19:56.630 here in town. So if you're wondering about a 00:19:56.630 --> 00:20:02.170 church to go to, that might be your guy. I'm 00:20:02.170 --> 00:20:04.690 not telling you his name or where he's a preacher. 00:20:04.750 --> 00:20:06.809 But I thought that was a really good point because 00:20:06.809 --> 00:20:08.490 guess what? He had something to get to. He had 00:20:08.490 --> 00:20:10.509 a meeting to get to, and he was late to that 00:20:10.509 --> 00:20:12.789 meeting because he needed to help me because 00:20:12.789 --> 00:20:17.670 you can never be too busy to help people. You 00:20:17.670 --> 00:20:22.289 can't. In the kingdom of God, We care more about 00:20:22.289 --> 00:20:26.170 people than we do honoring our systems. And then 00:20:26.170 --> 00:20:28.349 in Luke 14, we see Jesus. He's attending this 00:20:28.349 --> 00:20:30.430 dinner where something catches his attention. 00:20:30.670 --> 00:20:33.930 He notices the way that people are being seated 00:20:33.930 --> 00:20:37.650 at a feast. Let's read Luke 14 verses 7 through 00:20:37.650 --> 00:20:40.589 11 together. Now he told a parable to those who 00:20:40.589 --> 00:20:43.750 were invited. When he noticed how they chose 00:20:43.750 --> 00:20:46.710 the places of honor, saying to them, When you 00:20:46.710 --> 00:20:49.029 are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do 00:20:49.029 --> 00:20:51.569 not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone 00:20:51.569 --> 00:20:54.029 more distinguished than you be invited by him. 00:20:54.430 --> 00:20:56.869 And he who invited you both will come and say 00:20:56.869 --> 00:20:59.490 to you, Give your place to this person. and then 00:20:59.490 --> 00:21:01.549 you will begin with shame to take the lowest 00:21:01.549 --> 00:21:05.069 place. But when you are invited, go and sit in 00:21:05.069 --> 00:21:07.430 the lowest place, so that when your host comes, 00:21:07.609 --> 00:21:11.289 he may say to you, Friend, move up higher. Then 00:21:11.289 --> 00:21:13.150 you will be honored in the presence of all who 00:21:13.150 --> 00:21:15.930 sit at the table with you. For everyone who exalts 00:21:15.930 --> 00:21:18.910 himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself 00:21:18.910 --> 00:21:23.970 will be exalted. Jesus tells them, Instead of 00:21:23.970 --> 00:21:27.579 trying to sit in the most honorable place, choose 00:21:27.579 --> 00:21:31.140 the lowest place. Instead of trying to make yourself 00:21:31.140 --> 00:21:34.420 feel like you are better than, put yourself in 00:21:34.420 --> 00:21:38.640 the place of the least. Why? Because in God's 00:21:38.640 --> 00:21:42.819 kingdom, the path upward starts downward. You 00:21:42.819 --> 00:21:45.180 have to lower yourself. We used to sing this 00:21:45.180 --> 00:21:47.599 song at camp all the time. Humble yourself in 00:21:47.599 --> 00:21:49.720 the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up. 00:21:50.799 --> 00:21:53.200 But we live in a society that says you need to 00:21:53.200 --> 00:21:55.839 be the best. It was funny, on the first day of 00:21:55.839 --> 00:21:57.579 Easton's T -ball practice, he walked up to his 00:21:57.579 --> 00:21:59.400 coach. He said, hi, my name's Easton, and I'm 00:21:59.400 --> 00:22:04.980 the best baseball player ever. If I was the coach, 00:22:05.019 --> 00:22:09.000 you'd be batting ninth. We tell ourselves we've 00:22:09.000 --> 00:22:11.119 got to be the best. We tell ourselves we've got 00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:13.039 to have the most. We've got to have the nicest. 00:22:13.220 --> 00:22:15.000 We've got to look the best. We've got to sound 00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:18.000 the best. We've got to feel like we are the highest. 00:22:18.299 --> 00:22:21.599 We've got to be in positions of acclaim. We've 00:22:21.599 --> 00:22:23.859 got to be notable. We've got to have all of this 00:22:23.859 --> 00:22:26.000 status. We tell ourselves this and that's what 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:28.700 the world tells us. That is what Satan has been 00:22:28.700 --> 00:22:30.779 telling us from the beginning. The first lie 00:22:30.779 --> 00:22:33.160 he told was, if you eat this, you'll be like 00:22:33.160 --> 00:22:36.730 God. In other words, if you do this, you can 00:22:36.730 --> 00:22:39.769 be as high as the creator of the universe. And 00:22:39.769 --> 00:22:42.750 we tell ourselves that, and that is a lie that 00:22:42.750 --> 00:22:45.430 leads to destruction. When you sit up high, you 00:22:45.430 --> 00:22:48.089 will fall. But if you lower yourself, you will 00:22:48.089 --> 00:22:52.430 be exalted. The kingdom of God starts downward. 00:22:54.349 --> 00:22:59.009 Those who exalt themselves will be humbled. And 00:22:59.009 --> 00:23:01.869 those who humble themselves, they'll be exalted. 00:23:02.559 --> 00:23:05.740 The world tells us to climb higher. It tells 00:23:05.740 --> 00:23:09.039 us to chase. It tells us to go after. It tells 00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:12.299 us to try to achieve. And I'm not saying achievement 00:23:12.299 --> 00:23:16.200 is bad. I'm just saying it cannot be your measuring 00:23:16.200 --> 00:23:21.299 stick. The promotions, whatever. The bank account, 00:23:21.519 --> 00:23:25.720 whatever. The status, whatever. It does not matter. 00:23:26.299 --> 00:23:31.440 You have to be humble. Then Jesus gives another 00:23:31.440 --> 00:23:34.539 surprising command in Luke 14, verses 12 through 00:23:34.539 --> 00:23:37.920 14. He also said to the man who had invited him, 00:23:38.119 --> 00:23:40.440 when you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite 00:23:40.440 --> 00:23:42.299 your friends or your brothers or your relatives 00:23:42.299 --> 00:23:44.980 or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you 00:23:44.980 --> 00:23:47.799 in return and you be repaid. But when you give 00:23:47.799 --> 00:23:51.140 a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, 00:23:51.279 --> 00:23:54.160 the blind, and you will be blessed because they 00:23:54.160 --> 00:23:57.160 cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the 00:23:57.160 --> 00:24:03.750 resurrection of the just. Don't invite your friends. 00:24:04.789 --> 00:24:08.910 Don't invite your relatives. Don't invite the 00:24:08.910 --> 00:24:12.730 rich. Don't invite the powerful. Don't invite 00:24:12.730 --> 00:24:15.069 the people that are like you, the people that 00:24:15.069 --> 00:24:17.690 are in your same social status. Don't invite 00:24:17.690 --> 00:24:22.549 those people. Invite the poor, the hurt, the 00:24:22.549 --> 00:24:26.529 needy. You know, I referred, I told you that 00:24:26.529 --> 00:24:29.509 the gospel of Luke is sometimes referred to as 00:24:29.509 --> 00:24:33.109 the social justice gospel. And I also said that 00:24:33.109 --> 00:24:35.650 that shouldn't be a controversial phrase. It's 00:24:35.650 --> 00:24:42.009 just about being just to those who need it. This 00:24:42.009 --> 00:24:46.509 is it. It's this upside down way of viewing life. 00:24:47.150 --> 00:24:52.230 It's inviting the needy to the table. And do 00:24:52.230 --> 00:24:57.269 you know why all of this matters? Because this 00:24:57.269 --> 00:25:01.180 is what Jesus has done. I mean, this is the gospel. 00:25:02.779 --> 00:25:05.700 If I could sum it up, the kingdom of God practices 00:25:05.700 --> 00:25:08.480 unfair generosity, and that's underlined. Will 00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:10.519 you say that with me? The kingdom of God practices 00:25:10.519 --> 00:25:15.099 unfair generosity. Did we deserve the generosity 00:25:15.099 --> 00:25:19.160 of Jesus to give his life for us? No. Did we 00:25:19.160 --> 00:25:21.740 deserve... the unfair generosity of Jesus to 00:25:21.740 --> 00:25:24.339 come down from heaven to live and squalor among 00:25:24.339 --> 00:25:28.519 sinful men like us? No. Do we deserve the grace, 00:25:28.519 --> 00:25:30.660 the mercy, the compassion, the forgiveness that 00:25:30.660 --> 00:25:35.700 Jesus offers us? No. It is unfair. fair generosity. 00:25:36.140 --> 00:25:38.599 And that's what the kingdom of God is. It is 00:25:38.599 --> 00:25:41.859 this upside down kingdom. It does not care about 00:25:41.859 --> 00:25:44.359 status. It does not care about power. It does 00:25:44.359 --> 00:25:46.839 not care about security. It does not care about 00:25:46.839 --> 00:25:49.579 what the world tells us matters. It only cares 00:25:49.579 --> 00:25:52.720 about loving those who need love the most. And 00:25:52.720 --> 00:25:55.319 guess what? We need love more than anybody. We 00:25:55.319 --> 00:25:57.380 need forgiveness more than anybody because we 00:25:57.380 --> 00:26:04.329 are filthy rags. We are broken people. We. are 00:26:04.329 --> 00:26:08.250 the poor. We're the needy. We're the broken. 00:26:09.509 --> 00:26:12.609 We're the ones who need this unfair generosity 00:26:12.609 --> 00:26:16.349 of Jesus. You see, when you step back and you 00:26:16.349 --> 00:26:18.549 look at Luke 10 through 14, you start to see 00:26:18.549 --> 00:26:21.670 a pattern of this upside down kingdom. Or as 00:26:21.670 --> 00:26:24.170 people would say about a place that I'm from 00:26:24.170 --> 00:26:26.130 in Mississippi, and maybe they say it about this 00:26:26.130 --> 00:26:30.950 hillbilly mountain country, it's backwards. It's 00:26:30.950 --> 00:26:33.720 a... It's stuck in a time that doesn't exist 00:26:33.720 --> 00:26:37.279 anymore. You know, we talk about the good old 00:26:37.279 --> 00:26:39.539 days where everybody cared for their neighbor 00:26:39.539 --> 00:26:42.940 and where everybody loved everybody and everybody 00:26:42.940 --> 00:26:45.319 took care of everybody. I remember hearing stories 00:26:45.319 --> 00:26:47.740 about the great blizzard of 93. I love hearing 00:26:47.740 --> 00:26:51.720 these stories. And I was like, man, I bet there 00:26:51.720 --> 00:26:53.720 was a lot of people that went without and that 00:26:53.720 --> 00:26:56.119 died and, you know, had a lot of issues. And 00:26:56.119 --> 00:26:59.440 someone was telling me, no, this community stepped 00:26:59.440 --> 00:27:02.559 up. And people were taking their tractors around 00:27:02.559 --> 00:27:05.180 town to make sure people had firewood and to 00:27:05.180 --> 00:27:06.960 make sure people had what they need and to get 00:27:06.960 --> 00:27:09.940 people to safety. And it made me think about 00:27:09.940 --> 00:27:12.240 after Hurricane Katrina when my entire hometown 00:27:12.240 --> 00:27:15.839 was decimated and people from all over the country 00:27:15.839 --> 00:27:19.799 came to help our hometown, to help all of these 00:27:19.799 --> 00:27:21.599 people that didn't deserve their help, that didn't 00:27:21.599 --> 00:27:23.940 know them from Adam, to help these people that 00:27:23.940 --> 00:27:26.380 had just been, their community was destroyed. 00:27:27.099 --> 00:27:29.759 They did not have to help them, but they did 00:27:29.759 --> 00:27:33.380 because that's what it means to help your neighbor, 00:27:33.519 --> 00:27:36.900 to love your neighbor. And that's what the kingdom 00:27:36.900 --> 00:27:39.680 of God is. It's this backwards. It's this stuck 00:27:39.680 --> 00:27:42.660 in a time that doesn't exist anymore, period. 00:27:43.900 --> 00:27:47.660 See, the world values status, but Jesus values 00:27:47.660 --> 00:27:52.420 humility. The world protects its time and its 00:27:52.420 --> 00:27:55.259 comfort, but Jesus calls us to a sacrificial 00:27:55.259 --> 00:27:59.279 love. The world seeks recognition, but Jesus, 00:27:59.299 --> 00:28:03.640 he honors and recognizes quiet service. The world 00:28:03.640 --> 00:28:07.200 gives when it benefits us, but Jesus calls us 00:28:07.200 --> 00:28:11.220 to give when it costs us. And we have to realize 00:28:11.220 --> 00:28:14.799 something very important. The reason following 00:28:14.799 --> 00:28:20.980 Jesus is costly, the reason it is hard, the reason 00:28:20.980 --> 00:28:23.920 it's not easy, the reason it is something that 00:28:23.920 --> 00:28:28.700 Jesus says is a narrow, way. The reason following 00:28:28.700 --> 00:28:31.599 Jesus is costly is because his kingdom operates 00:28:31.599 --> 00:28:34.339 by completely different values than this world. 00:28:34.960 --> 00:28:37.119 It's on a different operating system. It's an 00:28:37.119 --> 00:28:41.039 upside down worldview. You see, when Christ's 00:28:41.039 --> 00:28:44.839 followers operate like this, it disrupts the 00:28:44.839 --> 00:28:46.299 way of the world. This is why the world doesn't 00:28:46.299 --> 00:28:49.579 like it because it changes everything and it 00:28:49.579 --> 00:28:52.279 messes up their flow. It messes up their system. 00:28:53.579 --> 00:28:55.920 When Christ's followers operate like this, it 00:28:55.920 --> 00:28:58.519 disrupts everything that the world has going. 00:28:58.740 --> 00:29:01.859 I often refer to how the early church in the 00:29:01.859 --> 00:29:04.000 book of Acts, they were able to completely flip 00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:07.400 Rome on its head, not because they got in positions 00:29:07.400 --> 00:29:10.039 of power, but because they lived a life that 00:29:10.039 --> 00:29:12.619 was so humble, was so meager that the world looked 00:29:12.619 --> 00:29:14.619 at them and said, how are they so happy when 00:29:14.619 --> 00:29:17.500 everything around them stinks? How are they able 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:19.920 to have joy when they are literally being hunted 00:29:19.920 --> 00:29:24.819 and murdered? Everything around them says your 00:29:24.819 --> 00:29:30.160 life is not safe and it is not fair. They were 00:29:30.160 --> 00:29:33.700 able to change an entire nation, a powerful dynasty, 00:29:33.920 --> 00:29:39.940 because they simply lived the Jesus way. And 00:29:39.940 --> 00:29:43.460 I ask you, if we lived like the Good Samaritan, 00:29:43.599 --> 00:29:47.480 if we invited people to our feasts like Jesus 00:29:47.480 --> 00:29:50.000 tells us to, if we would sit in the places... 00:29:50.269 --> 00:29:52.930 of lowliness instead of trying to find places 00:29:52.930 --> 00:29:56.390 of honor, if we would heal and take care of people 00:29:56.390 --> 00:29:59.579 when it... cost us or when it disrupted our systems, 00:29:59.680 --> 00:30:02.660 if we would live like Jesus, if we would live 00:30:02.660 --> 00:30:04.599 a life that says everything I have, Lord, is 00:30:04.599 --> 00:30:07.640 yours. It is not mine. Everything that I am is 00:30:07.640 --> 00:30:10.680 yours, Lord. I am not my own. I live in a way 00:30:10.680 --> 00:30:12.559 that is completely different than this world. 00:30:12.680 --> 00:30:16.940 I live the upside down way of Jesus. If we lived 00:30:16.940 --> 00:30:19.640 like that, if this church lived like that, could 00:30:19.640 --> 00:30:24.730 we change the world? Yes. Let me ask that again. 00:30:24.849 --> 00:30:28.150 If we live like that, could we change the world? 00:30:29.789 --> 00:30:37.069 So why don't we? Why? Why are we content to just 00:30:37.069 --> 00:30:41.269 sit here? And we have a personal Jesus and we 00:30:41.269 --> 00:30:44.029 have the Jesus that helps us, but not the Jesus 00:30:44.029 --> 00:30:47.779 that compels us to go and do. I read a quote 00:30:47.779 --> 00:30:50.019 the other day, or I heard it in a sermon. It 00:30:50.019 --> 00:30:52.200 said, we as a church, we've gotten so content 00:30:52.200 --> 00:30:54.480 with the come and see that we forget about the 00:30:54.480 --> 00:30:59.359 go and do. Jesus is calling us to go live a life 00:30:59.359 --> 00:31:02.900 that looks different, that looks different from 00:31:02.900 --> 00:31:05.259 this world, that looks like something that when 00:31:05.259 --> 00:31:07.319 people see us, they say there's something wrong 00:31:07.319 --> 00:31:11.420 with that guy. Or better yet, they say, what 00:31:11.420 --> 00:31:14.819 happened? Where'd Wyatt go? I don't recognize 00:31:14.819 --> 00:31:17.240 that guy. Where'd Curtis go? I don't recognize 00:31:17.240 --> 00:31:19.259 that guy. Where'd Claudia go? I don't recognize 00:31:19.259 --> 00:31:21.940 her. Where'd Kay go? I don't recognize her. They 00:31:21.940 --> 00:31:24.880 call us, Jesus has called us to live a life that 00:31:24.880 --> 00:31:28.660 is unrecognizable from this world that disrupts 00:31:28.660 --> 00:31:33.859 man's systems. Because that's what Jesus did. 00:31:35.180 --> 00:31:38.519 That's what the church did. And that's what we 00:31:38.519 --> 00:31:42.130 have been called to do. We've been called to 00:31:42.130 --> 00:31:45.549 live in this gospel -centered, upside -down kingdom 00:31:45.549 --> 00:31:48.410 because the upside -down kingdom that we live 00:31:48.410 --> 00:31:52.049 in begins with the upside -down grace of God. 00:31:52.869 --> 00:31:55.309 I heard it in a song once. When's the last time 00:31:55.309 --> 00:31:57.589 you heard a story about a hero dying for the 00:31:57.589 --> 00:32:03.150 villain? Jesus died for people that did not deserve 00:32:03.150 --> 00:32:09.009 his life. He died for people. that would willingly 00:32:09.009 --> 00:32:12.670 put him on a cross, that would willingly cheer 00:32:12.670 --> 00:32:15.650 for him being beaten, that were okay with him 00:32:15.650 --> 00:32:20.549 being murdered. He died for those people. And 00:32:20.549 --> 00:32:23.410 I don't know about you, but I know for a fact 00:32:23.410 --> 00:32:28.130 that I am undeserving of his grace. I'm undeserving 00:32:28.130 --> 00:32:34.509 of his mercy. Because I sin every day. I do things 00:32:34.509 --> 00:32:38.470 every day. that drive the nails deeper in his 00:32:38.470 --> 00:32:42.150 hands. I do things every day that I know bring 00:32:42.150 --> 00:32:48.109 a frown to the face of God. Yet, because of his 00:32:48.109 --> 00:32:54.450 upside -down grace, he died for me, and he promised 00:32:54.450 --> 00:32:58.069 a home for me. And you know what's really cool 00:32:58.069 --> 00:33:02.869 about that home? I may be living in humility 00:33:02.869 --> 00:33:06.529 here. I may not have all the nicest things, I 00:33:06.529 --> 00:33:08.950 may never be wealthy. In fact, I know for a fact 00:33:08.950 --> 00:33:12.710 I'll never be wealthy. I may never have the comfortable 00:33:12.710 --> 00:33:15.309 retirement. I may never have the nicest house. 00:33:15.470 --> 00:33:17.990 I may never have the nicest cars. I may never 00:33:17.990 --> 00:33:21.329 have the most secure life. And it may lead to 00:33:21.329 --> 00:33:23.269 my death one day, and I'm okay with that. Do 00:33:23.269 --> 00:33:28.230 you know why? For the same reason Stephen was 00:33:28.230 --> 00:33:31.589 okay with his death in the book of Acts. Because 00:33:31.589 --> 00:33:34.069 when that day comes, I will be able to look to 00:33:34.069 --> 00:33:38.079 heaven. And I will see that it was all worth 00:33:38.079 --> 00:33:43.740 it. Because there's a life waiting for me where 00:33:43.740 --> 00:33:46.440 everything that I had ever wanted, everything 00:33:46.440 --> 00:33:49.440 that I went without in this world, all the status 00:33:49.440 --> 00:33:51.460 that at one point I probably thought I wanted, 00:33:51.539 --> 00:33:56.559 all of those things, I'll have those. Because 00:33:56.559 --> 00:34:01.779 God loved me enough that when I was still a sinner, 00:34:01.960 --> 00:34:07.339 he gave his life for me. So it is not too much 00:34:07.339 --> 00:34:11.239 for me to ask myself, can I give my all for him? 00:34:11.860 --> 00:34:16.960 Can I look different in this world for him? Because 00:34:16.960 --> 00:34:20.739 it is not my own life. These things I have are 00:34:20.739 --> 00:34:23.340 not my own things. That's what the world wants 00:34:23.340 --> 00:34:26.400 me to think. But what Jesus says is if you'll 00:34:26.400 --> 00:34:29.300 sacrifice it now, you'll be blessed 20 times 00:34:29.300 --> 00:34:34.070 over in the future. And that's not prosperity 00:34:34.070 --> 00:34:38.650 gospel. That is the kingdom on display. So let 00:34:38.650 --> 00:34:44.030 me ask you, which kingdom? Who do you serve? 00:34:45.050 --> 00:34:48.510 Who do you live for? Are you living for the kingdom 00:34:48.510 --> 00:34:50.690 of God that looks differently or are you living 00:34:50.690 --> 00:34:52.949 for the kingdom of yourself? And let me ask this, 00:34:53.050 --> 00:34:55.269 are we living for the kingdom of God or are we 00:34:55.269 --> 00:34:58.170 living for the church of Christ? Are we living 00:34:58.170 --> 00:35:00.000 for the kingdom of God? Are we living for the 00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:01.900 town of Blairsville? Are we living for the kingdom 00:35:01.900 --> 00:35:04.119 of God? Are we living for America? Are we living 00:35:04.119 --> 00:35:06.219 for the kingdom of God? Or am I living for the 00:35:06.219 --> 00:35:09.400 kingdom of Donovan? Are you living for the kingdom 00:35:09.400 --> 00:35:16.380 of yourself? Who do we serve? And that's a question 00:35:16.380 --> 00:35:19.579 we all individually have to ask. That's a question 00:35:19.579 --> 00:35:23.780 that we as a church family have to ask. What 00:35:23.780 --> 00:35:27.019 are we doing? Who are we doing it for? What way 00:35:27.019 --> 00:35:31.239 are we living in? For those of us, for those 00:35:31.239 --> 00:35:33.219 of you that are not already walking with Christ, 00:35:33.440 --> 00:35:35.639 you haven't started this journey. You haven't 00:35:35.639 --> 00:35:37.559 given your life to him. You haven't turned it 00:35:37.559 --> 00:35:40.320 over for Jesus to take hold of your life. The 00:35:40.320 --> 00:35:43.699 invitation is not merely for us to admire Jesus's 00:35:43.699 --> 00:35:46.739 teachings. It's not merely to admire him as a 00:35:46.739 --> 00:35:48.980 good healer, as a miracle worker, as a prophet. 00:35:49.139 --> 00:35:52.539 It is to submit your life to him as the savior 00:35:52.539 --> 00:35:57.760 of the world, as the redeemer. And for those 00:35:57.760 --> 00:36:00.849 of us, who have given our lives to Christ, but 00:36:00.849 --> 00:36:03.929 maybe have not been living in the way of Jesus. 00:36:04.010 --> 00:36:08.469 I want to ask you, are we living by the values 00:36:08.469 --> 00:36:12.030 of Jesus' kingdom, or have we adopted the values 00:36:12.030 --> 00:36:16.849 of the world around us? Can I tell you, I think 00:36:16.849 --> 00:36:20.929 I know the answer. And I think you know it too. 00:36:23.389 --> 00:36:28.679 Can I ask you, could we please change? Could 00:36:28.679 --> 00:36:32.699 we please start living like Jesus? Start looking 00:36:32.699 --> 00:36:37.099 upside down. Can we start operating on a new 00:36:37.099 --> 00:36:40.699 system? You know why the world hasn't changed 00:36:40.699 --> 00:36:44.219 for the better? Because the church stopped doing 00:36:44.219 --> 00:36:48.880 its job. Do you know why my family may not be 00:36:48.880 --> 00:36:51.599 where it needs to be? Because I stopped doing 00:36:51.599 --> 00:36:56.840 my job. Do you know why the world still is suffering? 00:36:58.250 --> 00:37:01.909 Because the church stopped doing its job. I want 00:37:01.909 --> 00:37:04.570 to be like the preacher across town. He says, 00:37:04.590 --> 00:37:06.389 I'm not too busy to stop and help this complete 00:37:06.389 --> 00:37:10.590 stranger. So what if I'm late for church? So 00:37:10.590 --> 00:37:13.289 what if I'm late for work? So what if I'm late 00:37:13.289 --> 00:37:15.150 to the practice? So what if I'm late for school? 00:37:16.869 --> 00:37:19.320 I want to be like... the person that says, so 00:37:19.320 --> 00:37:21.400 what if I don't have the nicest things I gave 00:37:21.400 --> 00:37:23.780 to that nonprofit? And now because I gave to 00:37:23.780 --> 00:37:25.900 them, they're able to help hundreds of kids. 00:37:26.159 --> 00:37:28.159 So what if I don't have the most comfortable 00:37:28.159 --> 00:37:30.760 house? I can say that I live the life that served 00:37:30.760 --> 00:37:33.360 the poor and that served the needy. So what if 00:37:33.360 --> 00:37:35.820 I don't have what the world says is success? 00:37:38.039 --> 00:37:43.840 I lived for the kingdom of God. I walked in the 00:37:43.840 --> 00:37:47.230 Jesus way, in a way that was costly. So church, 00:37:47.309 --> 00:37:50.289 I'm asking us, whether you have started walking 00:37:50.289 --> 00:37:53.130 with Jesus or maybe you started walking with 00:37:53.130 --> 00:37:54.670 him and you slowed down a little bit and you 00:37:54.670 --> 00:37:57.769 need to catch up, wherever you're at, whatever 00:37:57.769 --> 00:38:02.170 you need, I want you to take this with you. And 00:38:02.170 --> 00:38:07.010 this is the invitation. If you honestly feel... 00:38:07.289 --> 00:38:09.369 Like you need prayer, like you need support, 00:38:09.489 --> 00:38:11.429 like you need comfort, or you're ready to give 00:38:11.429 --> 00:38:14.070 your life to Jesus. As I say it often, the water 00:38:14.070 --> 00:38:16.130 is ready. I don't actually know if the water's 00:38:16.130 --> 00:38:18.309 ready, but I promise we can get it ready, okay? 00:38:19.210 --> 00:38:21.170 And if not, there's a creek somewhere we can 00:38:21.170 --> 00:38:24.670 figure it out. But I want to leave you with this. 00:38:25.570 --> 00:38:29.469 When we live the way of Jesus, the Jesus way, 00:38:29.590 --> 00:38:33.190 the world gets a glimpse of the kingdom of God. 00:38:34.529 --> 00:38:36.590 Have you ever seen something that was so amazing 00:38:36.590 --> 00:38:39.809 that you just wanted to keep seeing it? For me, 00:38:39.809 --> 00:38:42.690 it was the movie Free Willy. I'll watch that 00:38:42.690 --> 00:38:44.309 movie any day of the week. I love that movie. 00:38:44.869 --> 00:38:46.570 I saw it when I was a little kid. It was the 00:38:46.570 --> 00:38:48.210 coolest thing in the world. And guess what? I 00:38:48.210 --> 00:38:52.349 can't get enough of it. When the world sees what 00:38:52.349 --> 00:38:56.030 Jesus' kingdom really looks like, I promise they 00:38:56.030 --> 00:38:58.389 won't be able to get enough of it. They'll talk 00:38:58.389 --> 00:39:02.130 about it. They'll want to be a part of it. But 00:39:02.130 --> 00:39:05.309 it starts with us living in that way. So this 00:39:05.309 --> 00:39:09.010 morning, wherever you're at, the invitation is 00:39:09.010 --> 00:39:11.929 yours. Please come now as we stand and as we 00:39:11.929 --> 00:39:12.090 sing.