1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:04,200 Well, good morning. If you have your Bibles, you can 2 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:08,680 already turn to Mark 9. I'll be starting at verse 2 and 3 00:00:08,680 --> 00:00:11,320 going through the whole chapter as we continue our series 4 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:14,360 through the Book of Mark. But because of the length of 5 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:17,640 this chapter, I won't be going through the entire chapter at 6 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:19,480 once. Instead, I'll be zooming in on 7 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:24,120 certain portions and getting closer as we go through it. 8 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:27,680 So far in the Book of Mark, we've seen many miracles and 9 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:30,880 miraculous signs. And right before Chapter 9, we 10 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:34,040 see Jesus give the call to discipleship that whoever would 11 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:37,680 come after him must deny themselves, take up their cross, 12 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:41,040 and follow him. A bold statement that highlights 13 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:44,280 the significance of having faith to follow Jesus. 14 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:47,640 And that's one of the main ideas that I see in this chapter, the 15 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:51,600 lack of faith by the people, whether it's the disciples or 16 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:54,720 the religious leaders. Many times, as we'll see, Mark 17 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:57,040 writes of the people not understanding. 18 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:00,280 According to a research poll that I read on the Internet, 19 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:04,200 about 85% of the world's population claims to identify 20 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:08,240 with a religion. 85%. That number surprised me. 21 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:10,640 Before I looked it up, I would have thought maybe 50. 22 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:15,320 But 85 seems high to me. That means that 5.8 billion 23 00:01:15,320 --> 00:01:18,440 people in the world claim to have faith in something 24 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:20,560 apparently greater than themselves. 25 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:25,840 Of those 5.8 billion, 2.3 billion, or roughly 30% of the 26 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:29,400 world's population, claim to have a Christian faith. 27 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:32,240 But what does it mean to have faith? 28 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:35,280 It's one thing to say you have faith, but another thing 29 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:38,000 entirely to act as if it were true. 30 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:41,720 So if I'm going to say that you should have faith in Jesus, then 31 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:44,600 it would naturally help be helpful to describe what faith 32 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:46,680 is. As many of you have probably 33 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:49,840 heard before, faith is defined well in the book of Hebrews. 34 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:53,560 Chapter 11, known as the Hall of Faith, starts with now. 35 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:56,960 Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of 36 00:01:56,960 --> 00:01:59,880 things not seen. In other words, it means 37 00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:03,160 believing in something. But simply believing in 38 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:05,840 something doesn't make it real. If that were the case, the 39 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:08,080 Toronto Maple Leafs would have a lot more Stanley Cups than they 40 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:10,800 do. But James, in his letter, writes 41 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:13,720 that even the demons believe in God, and they shudder. 42 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:15,920 And so faith is more than just believing. 43 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:19,960 Faith is to commit to action. Again, going back to James, he 44 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:23,280 writes for as the body is apart from, for as the body apart from 45 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:27,480 the Spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. 46 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:31,040 So to have faith in God then means to believe that he exists 47 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:33,040 and that he is who the Scriptures say he is. 48 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:36,720 Not a God of our imagination or a God that we shape to our own 49 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:40,080 lifestyle, but the holy and triune God of the Bible. 50 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:44,640 And then after having believed in him, to bear fruit or to act 51 00:02:44,640 --> 00:02:47,800 in keeping with repentance. That is what it means to have 52 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:50,280 faith in God. It doesn't have to be a perfect 53 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:51,960 understanding. And as we'll see later, that 54 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:54,560 there can even be doubt mixed in together with faith. 55 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:58,160 But ultimately, faith is belief with action. 56 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:02,440 There's a scene in a popular TV show, The Office, where these 57 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:05,520 two characters, Michael and Dwight, are driving around to 58 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:08,760 deliver gift baskets. Their trip has been unsuccessful 59 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:11,720 and they're feeling unsure of what to do next. 60 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:14,840 While driving, Michael's GPS alerts him to turn right. 61 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:18,120 Michael, following the guidance of the GPS, proceeds to turn 62 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:21,240 right and is headed directly down a boat ramp into the lake. 63 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:24,680 Dwight pleads with Michael, yelling it can't mean that this 64 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:28,880 is a lake toward, to which Michael confidently replies the 65 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:33,200 machine knows, while spoiler Michael drives his car straight 66 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:36,000 into the lake. Now, I don't generally take a 67 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:39,720 life advice from sitcoms, but there's some truth behind that 68 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:41,800 humor. Michael puts his faith in 69 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:45,480 following the voice of the GPS. He believes the machine, and to 70 00:03:45,480 --> 00:03:48,840 his credit, or maybe to his demise, he fully commits to 71 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:51,720 action by driving his car straight into the lake. 72 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:55,640 He had more faith in that machine than in his employees. 73 00:03:55,640 --> 00:03:58,960 Sitting in the passenger seat, Michael didn't know what to do. 74 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:02,280 But in that moment, he chose to follow the wrong voice. 75 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:06,320 On a more serious note, we could ask ourselves that question when 76 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:09,120 we don't know what to do next. Do we lack faith? 77 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:12,120 Do we put our faith in something that is a lie? 78 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:15,480 I think it's fair to say that always having faith is not an 79 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:18,720 easy thing to do. Life gets hard, life gets messy, 80 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:22,360 and in those hard times, it's tough what to do next, or what 81 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:24,280 specifically to put our faith in. 82 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:27,640 It can create overwhelming anxiety to try to figure it out 83 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:30,640 on our own. Generation Z, or those born 84 00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:35,120 between 1997 and 2012, have been dubbed as the anxious 85 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:38,160 generation. But it's not just my generation 86 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:41,840 that's anxious and struggling. Anxiety is widespread among all 87 00:04:41,840 --> 00:04:46,160 generations, and a lack of faith in difficult times is common to 88 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:49,000 all people. But today, as we look at Mark 9, 89 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:52,480 we'll see that because Jesus is the Son of God, we should have 90 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:57,800 faith to follow him. And more specifically, I want to 91 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:00,240 look at three things that we should have faith in. 92 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:03,960 We should have faith in the person of Jesus, the power of 93 00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:06,400 prayer, and the path of discipleship. 94 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:09,000 But before we do that, let's open in prayer. 95 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:14,320 Lord, you are the one true God, and there is no other. 96 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:17,400 We thank you for your inspired word to us that is beneficial 97 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:20,760 for training and righteousness, and we ask for clarity and 98 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:23,600 understanding as we look deeper into your word. 99 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:25,880 In your name we pray. Amen. 100 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:29,800 So with that, let's begin reading in Mark Chapter 9, 101 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:34,960 verses 2 to 13. And after six days, Jesus took 102 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:37,640 with him Peter and James and John and LED them up a high 103 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:40,600 mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before 104 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:44,200 them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no 105 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:46,960 one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them 106 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:49,640 Elijah and Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 107 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:53,360 And Peter said to Jesus, Rabbi, it is good that we are here, let 108 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:56,240 us make 3 tents, one for you and one for Moses, and 1:00 for 109 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:58,800 Elijah. For he did not know what to say, 110 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:01,840 for they were terrified, and a cloud overshadowed them. 111 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:04,280 And a voice came out of out of the cloud. 112 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:07,240 This is my beloved son, listen to him. 113 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:10,560 And suddenly looking around, they no longer saw anyone with 114 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:13,240 them but Jesus only. And as they were coming down a 115 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:15,800 mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen 116 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:17,960 until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 117 00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:21,000 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what 118 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:22,720 this rising from the dead might mean. 119 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:25,720 And they asked him, What do the scribe say? 120 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:28,600 Why do the scribe say that first Elijah must come? 121 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:31,840 And he said to them, Elijah does come first to restore all 122 00:06:31,840 --> 00:06:33,880 things. And how is it written of the Son 123 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:36,280 of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with 124 00:06:36,280 --> 00:06:38,800 contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has 125 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:42,040 come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is 126 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:45,120 written of him. So we should have faith in the 127 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:48,240 person of Jesus because of his divine nature. 128 00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:51,920 The Transfiguration caused Jesus to become radiant, intensely 129 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:54,000 white. It was a time when Jesus is 130 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:56,200 heavenly and holy nature shone through. 131 00:06:56,640 --> 00:06:59,520 And this was in part to show Peter, James and John that Jesus 132 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:02,120 was without a shadow of a doubt the Son of God. 133 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:04,920 They had confessed to this and followed him because they 134 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:07,160 believed in it. But this was to give them a 135 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:10,640 greater understanding of Jesus being fully man and fully God. 136 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:13,800 Verse 4 says that Elijah appeared on the mountain and 137 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:17,400 they were talking with Jesus. If you remember 2 Sundays ago, 138 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:21,400 Pastor Jake was preaching on the first part of Mark 8 and Jesus 139 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:23,840 was walking with the disciples and he asked them, who do people 140 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:26,120 say I am? And his disciples responded 141 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:29,480 saying some said John the Baptist, others said Elijah, and 142 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:32,440 others said one of the prophets. And then Jesus asked them, but 143 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:35,440 who do you say I am? To which Peter confidently 144 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:39,080 replies, You are the Christ. Then a short time later what we 145 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:41,560 read today, Peter's on the mountain and he sees Elijah 146 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:44,360 standing next to Jesus. I think it's remarkable that 147 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:47,600 Peter first believed and had faith in a divine nature of 148 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:50,880 Jesus and then it was proven to him a short time later on the 149 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:53,360 mountain. But then we see in verses 5 and 150 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:57,160 6, Peter's still terrified and in his fear he doesn't know what 151 00:07:57,160 --> 00:07:59,480 to do. He wants to say something, but 152 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:02,600 he misses the significance of the situation by trying to 153 00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:05,840 figure it out on his own. It reminds me of a time that I 154 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:09,600 was ice fishing with some guys and my little nephew and we were 155 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:11,680 all talking about something or another and my nephew was 156 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:13,640 desperately trying to get his dad's attention. 157 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:17,120 And after getting his attention and after a few minutes of MMMS 158 00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:21,440 and ahs and MMM, he finally said, I don't know what to say. 159 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:25,240 He saw everyone else talking and I think he just wanted to join 160 00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:27,920 in, but he really didn't know what to say. 161 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:31,280 His dad very kindly said to him, it's all right son, you don't 162 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:34,240 always have to say something. And in this case, I think Peter 163 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:35,799 could have used a similar reminder. 164 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:39,480 He was quick to act, but slow to understand and slow to listen. 165 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:43,720 Proverbs 1728 says even a fool who keeps silent is considered 166 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:46,040 wise. When he closes his lips, he's 167 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:48,720 deemed intelligent. I think it may be. 168 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:51,640 And I think many times that we would do well to remember. 169 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:53,520 We don't always have to say something either. 170 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:56,840 We might have honest intentions, but are we trying to follow our 171 00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:59,880 own way or do we have faith to wait on Jesus? 172 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:03,160 Jesus demonstrated that He is worthy of us, putting our faith 173 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:05,800 in Him by revealing His divine identity. 174 00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:09,560 And to add to that, in verse 7, God's the Father spoke in a 175 00:09:09,560 --> 00:09:13,360 voice through the cloud, confirming that Jesus was his 176 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:15,520 son. So we see another reason for 177 00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:18,600 having faith in the person of Jesus is because of His sonship 178 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:21,800 to God the Father. God gives them the simple and 179 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:25,040 important instruction. Listen to him, of course, 180 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:27,160 meaning to Jesus. You would think that this would 181 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:29,920 be the final thing needed to secure the faith of these three 182 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:32,520 disciples. They saw a glimpse of the glory 183 00:09:32,520 --> 00:09:36,240 of Jesus and hear audibly the voice of God the Father 184 00:09:36,240 --> 00:09:38,280 confirming that Jesus is His Son. 185 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:41,760 But as we will see, they still had moments where their faith 186 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:44,200 was lacking. When the voice finished 187 00:09:44,200 --> 00:09:46,480 speaking, they found themselves alone with Jesus. 188 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:49,040 Peter wanted Elijah and Moses to stay. 189 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:51,560 After all, they were big figures in the Jewish faith. 190 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:55,400 But only Jesus remained. Jesus is greater than both 191 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:59,840 Elijah and Moses, and I read a commentary describing Elijah as 192 00:09:59,840 --> 00:10:03,440 representing the prophets and Moses representing the law, and 193 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:07,600 Jesus came to fulfill both. It's it's a reminder to us that 194 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:11,280 Jesus is greater than any teacher, and those that reject 195 00:10:11,280 --> 00:10:14,920 Jesus reject the Father. 1 cannot say that I serve God and 196 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:17,800 not give equal worship to Jesus as the Son of God. 197 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:22,320 God the Father confirms Jesus as his son to the disciples by 198 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:25,000 saying this is my son. Listen to him. 199 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:28,480 And then in verse 9 we see something that Jesus does 200 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:31,080 multiple times. He foreshadows his death and 201 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:33,520 resurrection. And it's another reason why we 202 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:36,480 should have faith in the person of Jesus because of his rise 203 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:39,000 from the dead. Verses 9 to 10 read. 204 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:41,600 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to 205 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:44,920 tell no one what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen 206 00:10:44,920 --> 00:10:47,000 from the dead. So they kept the matter to 207 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:49,680 themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might 208 00:10:49,680 --> 00:10:52,960 mean. The disciples question this 209 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:56,040 rising from the dead because they didn't know what was going 210 00:10:56,040 --> 00:10:58,000 to happen. They weren't thinking that 211 00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:00,840 Jesus, this guy that performed all the miraculous signs, would 212 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:03,280 be killed. But they had to have faith in 213 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:06,320 following Jesus, even though they didn't know the outcome. 214 00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:10,760 The disciples were blessed with being a being, given a glimpse 215 00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:14,440 of the glory of Jesus and they witnessed many of his miracles, 216 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:16,120 but they didn't know the whole story. 217 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:19,520 As Christians living today, we have also been given a glimpse 218 00:11:19,520 --> 00:11:22,560 of the glory of Jesus through the writings in the Bible, a 219 00:11:22,560 --> 00:11:25,600 collection of 66 books that either point to Jesus coming, 220 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:29,040 talk about Jesus life on earth, or write about Jesus second 221 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:31,720 coming. And like the disciples that were 222 00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:34,240 left on the mountain with that were left on the mountain with 223 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:37,720 only Jesus, we too are commanded to listen to him. 224 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:41,080 We too are followed, are called to follow that command. 225 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:45,040 Where we differ from the disciples of that day is that we 226 00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:47,880 do know what it means when Jesus speaks about the Son of Man 227 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:50,720 rising from the dead. We know that Jesus died for his 228 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:53,720 sins, and because of his death we have access to God the 229 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:56,120 Father, an advocate here on earth. 230 00:11:56,880 --> 00:12:00,480 If we know that, then, and we believe that, then an 231 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:03,680 appropriate response would be to trust in Jesus, To trust him 232 00:12:03,680 --> 00:12:05,720 when, like Peter, we don't know what to say. 233 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:08,440 To trust him when everything in our mind and our body is 234 00:12:08,440 --> 00:12:09,640 screaming. To just give up. 235 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:12,240 And how often don't we feel that way? 236 00:12:13,080 --> 00:12:16,400 Most fear reactions can be summed up into a fight, flight 237 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:20,000 or freeze response. When we face hardships, it's 238 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:22,600 easy to follow fall in one of those categories. 239 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:25,800 To fight. To go full force, eyes closed, 240 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:28,760 swinging wildly, trying to take down what's ever in front of us. 241 00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:33,520 To freeze, To be so terrified, to make no movements at all. 242 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:37,160 To be paralyzed by the fear of action or to flight. 243 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:40,160 To run away from it all, To attempt to leave our problems 244 00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:42,360 behind us and hope that they don't catch up with us. 245 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:44,800 But thankfully, we have a fourth option. 246 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:48,240 Instead of flight, fight, flight, or freeze, we have 247 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:50,840 faith. Faith in the person of Jesus who 248 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:54,560 died on the cross for our sins. Faith in the Son of God who will 249 00:12:54,560 --> 00:12:56,920 one day come back and wipe away every tear. 250 00:12:57,280 --> 00:12:59,480 That is a person worthy to have faith in. 251 00:13:00,640 --> 00:13:02,920 But like most things, that's easier said than done. 252 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:05,600 Doubting is common. And because of that, we should 253 00:13:05,600 --> 00:13:07,480 have faith in the power of prayer. 254 00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:12,160 Let's continue reading Mark 9, verse 14 to 22. 255 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:15,520 And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great 256 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:18,120 crowd around them and the scribes arguing with them. 257 00:13:18,680 --> 00:13:21,600 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly 258 00:13:21,600 --> 00:13:23,040 amazed. And they ran up to him and 259 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:25,280 greeted him. And he asked them, what were you 260 00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:27,440 arguing about with them? And someone from the crowd 261 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:29,760 answered him. Teacher, I brought my son to 262 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:31,160 you. For he has a spirit that makes 263 00:13:31,160 --> 00:13:33,320 him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it 264 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:36,040 throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes 265 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:38,320 rigid. So I asked your disciples to 266 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:40,000 cast it out, and they were not able. 267 00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:43,440 And he answered them, O faithless generation, how long 268 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:46,280 am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? 269 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:49,320 Bring him to me. And they brought the boy to him. 270 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:52,000 And when the Spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the 271 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:54,960 boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about foaming at the 272 00:13:54,960 --> 00:13:57,440 mouth. And Jesus asked his father how 273 00:13:57,440 --> 00:13:59,000 long this had been happening to him. 274 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:02,920 And he said from childhood and has often cast him into the fire 275 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:04,600 and into the water to destroy him. 276 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:08,320 So we should have faith in the power of prayer. 277 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:12,640 We see how in these verses, how prayer prepares your heart. 278 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:16,400 Mark writes how there's an angry crowd of scribes, and these 279 00:14:16,400 --> 00:14:19,720 scribes are a class of scholars who teach, copy and interpret 280 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:22,800 the Jewish law. They're basically experts in the 281 00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:24,200 law. And they could, they would have 282 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:26,800 most likely studied the law from a young age under the 283 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:30,360 supervision of a rabbi. They were responsible for 284 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:32,720 preserving the scriptures and explaining it. 285 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:36,720 And Jesus was a threat to them. They were hostile against them 286 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:39,880 because Jesus didn't fit into what their predefined view of 287 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:42,920 what the Messiah would be and how he would uphold the law. 288 00:14:43,600 --> 00:14:47,080 Instead of being legalistic, Jesus cared for the outcasts. 289 00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:50,760 This caused Jesus popularity to rise, which anger the scribes 290 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:53,480 even more because it threatened their own authority. 291 00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:56,680 Not to mention Jesus rebuking the many times in front of the 292 00:14:56,680 --> 00:14:58,840 people as hypocrites and broods of Vipers. 293 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:02,160 These scribes knew the law, but they missed Jesus. 294 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:04,360 They had prepared for a different Messiah. 295 00:15:04,760 --> 00:15:07,720 And so they are arguing with the disciples about this boy who is 296 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:10,880 possessed by this evil spirit. They say that the disciples were 297 00:15:10,880 --> 00:15:13,760 not able to cast out the demon. And later on in, in the next 298 00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:16,120 verses, we'll find out it was due to a lack of prayer. 299 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:18,320 But Jesus doesn't mince his words. 300 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:20,760 He answers them out by calling out their faith. 301 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:24,720 Oh, faithless generation. And not only was this directed 302 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:26,960 at the scribes and those in attendance, but it was also 303 00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:30,560 directed at the disciples. The disciples were not prepared 304 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:33,600 in that moment to deal with the Spirit because of a lack of 305 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:35,880 prayer. They didn't know what to do next 306 00:15:35,880 --> 00:15:37,960 because they hadn't been faithful in prayer. 307 00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:40,960 The scribes and the sick went to the disciples with the same 308 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:43,440 expectations that they had of Jesus. 309 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:46,520 And similarly, if we are followers of Christ, people will 310 00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:49,120 look to us to see what Jesus is like. 311 00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:52,480 Prayer prepares our hearts for those moments. 312 00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:55,200 It can prepare us to have an answer to the faith that we 313 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:58,800 have, or it can prepare us to be calm when facing opposition. 314 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:03,040 So prayer prepares your heart, but it also reveals your heart. 315 00:16:03,680 --> 00:16:06,320 Let's continue reading verses 22 to 24. 316 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:09,520 The Father had just come. The father had just said that 317 00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:12,160 his boy was sick from childhood and that the evil spirit had 318 00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:15,080 tried to destroy him. And picking up from there, he 319 00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:18,600 says, but if you can do anything, have compassion on us 320 00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:21,880 and help us. And Jesus said to him, if you 321 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:25,040 can, all things are possible for the one who believes. 322 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:28,000 And immediately the father of the child cried out and said, I 323 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:33,160 believe, help my unbelief. His Father is desperate, like 324 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:36,200 the leper that came to Jesus in Mark One and says if you will, 325 00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:39,240 you can make me clean. The Father had some faith that 326 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:42,440 Jesus was able to help. He begs for compassion and for 327 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:44,960 Jesus to help him. Mainly he was looking for 328 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:47,680 physical healing. The word of Jesus had travelled 329 00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:50,520 around and this man was desperately wanting his Son to 330 00:16:50,520 --> 00:16:53,400 be healed. Jesus responds by repeating this 331 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:55,160 man's phrase and expounding on it. 332 00:16:55,720 --> 00:16:58,840 Jesus knew this man's heart, but his cry for help clearly 333 00:16:58,840 --> 00:17:02,960 revealed it. If you can, Jesus picked up on 334 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:05,920 that small amount of doubt and was calling for the father of 335 00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:08,839 this boy not to just look for him, look to him for physical 336 00:17:08,839 --> 00:17:12,480 healing, but for faith and trust and who he was. 337 00:17:12,839 --> 00:17:16,240 One writer put it this way, if you can, Jesus said to him, 338 00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:18,280 everything is possible for the one who believes. 339 00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:21,000 It is not if I can, but if you can. 340 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:24,440 It's important to note, though, that Jesus isn't saying that the 341 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:27,079 power of miracles is only available to those with strong 342 00:17:27,079 --> 00:17:29,120 faith. False teachers will say that it 343 00:17:29,120 --> 00:17:32,800 was always God's will for you to be healed, or a lack of faith is 344 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:34,560 the reason for your circumstances. 345 00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:37,320 But that's not true. The Bible tells us that when we 346 00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:40,200 pray, we are to pray with God's will and mind and not our own. 347 00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:43,000 It says that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts 348 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:46,720 are higher than our thoughts. We cannot make God do anything, 349 00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:49,200 nor can we stop God from doing anything. 350 00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:52,720 But here Jesus sees the Father who brought his Son, and he 351 00:17:52,720 --> 00:17:55,080 challenges him to trust and believe. 352 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:58,680 The Father cries out, I believe, help my unbelief. 353 00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:03,800 I believe, help my unbelief. This father was honest. 354 00:18:04,120 --> 00:18:07,400 He wasn't proud, but instead he was humble and vulnerable. 355 00:18:07,760 --> 00:18:11,240 He revealed that yes, he did have some faith to believe, but 356 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:14,760 it was small. He needed help from Jesus to be 357 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:18,720 able to trust in Jesus. He needed help to have faith in 358 00:18:18,760 --> 00:18:20,880 Jesus. And I think this is something 359 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:23,960 that we get confused often. There's nothing else in life 360 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:27,000 that we expect to be experts in the first time we do it. 361 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:29,120 The same goes for our Christian faith. 362 00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:32,240 We don't need to have all the answers when we come to Jesus. 363 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:36,360 The man had genuine doubt, but Jesus met him there and called 364 00:18:36,360 --> 00:18:39,600 him to grow in faith. Jesus does the same for you and 365 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:42,640 for me too. We'll never reach expert faith 366 00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:46,040 on this side of heaven, but the goal is to continually grow in 367 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:50,240 faith and in obedience. And then lastly, in verses 25 to 368 00:18:50,240 --> 00:18:53,000 29, we see that prayer protects your heart. 369 00:18:54,080 --> 00:18:56,800 Verses 25 to 29. And when Jesus saw the crowd, 370 00:18:57,480 --> 00:19:00,280 saw that a crowd came running together, He rebuked the unclean 371 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:04,120 spirit, saying to it, You mute in death spirit, I command you 372 00:19:04,120 --> 00:19:06,280 come out of him and never enter him again. 373 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:10,200 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came 374 00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:12,960 out and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them 375 00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:15,760 said he is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand 376 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:18,800 and lifted him up and he arose. And when he had entered the 377 00:19:18,800 --> 00:19:22,080 house, the disciples asked him privately, why could we not cast 378 00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:24,440 it out? And he said to them, this kind 379 00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:28,360 cannot be driven out by anything with, but out by anything but 380 00:19:28,360 --> 00:19:31,360 prayer. Here we see Jesus cast out the 381 00:19:31,360 --> 00:19:34,200 unclean spirit. And when his disciples asked why 382 00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:37,000 they couldn't cast it out, he says it can only be driven out 383 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:39,520 by prayer. It seems confusing because 384 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:42,920 earlier on Jesus had given authority to the disciples to 385 00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:46,120 cast out demons. And so it begs the question, why 386 00:19:46,120 --> 00:19:49,600 couldn't they cast this one out? The disciples had authority, but 387 00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:52,320 it was only through Jesus that they had this authority. 388 00:19:53,320 --> 00:19:56,120 They couldn't do it on their own or by their own strength. 389 00:19:56,600 --> 00:19:59,760 John 15, five says I am the vine, and you are the branches. 390 00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:03,480 Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much 391 00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:06,520 fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 392 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:09,640 The disciples may have needed to spend more time in prayer, 393 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:13,360 abiding in Jesus, to be reminded that it is Jesus alone that 394 00:20:13,360 --> 00:20:15,280 grants the ability to do anything. 395 00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:19,280 Time and prayer protects your heart from selfish desires and 396 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:21,520 helps you align your will to God's will. 397 00:20:22,240 --> 00:20:24,760 So what do our prayers reveal about our hearts? 398 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:28,760 Do we pray honestly, admitting our shortcomings and asking for 399 00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:31,320 help? Or do we use prayer as a safety 400 00:20:31,320 --> 00:20:33,400 net in case our own plans don't work out? 401 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:36,800 Doubt is common, but we can see that there's a different 402 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:39,880 response to the Father's doubt and the doubt of someone like 403 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:43,360 Zechariah and Luke 1. We find the account of Zechariah 404 00:20:43,360 --> 00:20:46,800 and his wife Elizabeth. Zechariah is visited by an Angel 405 00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:50,760 and told that his wife will bear him a son, but he doubted what 406 00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:53,280 the Angel said. He assumed that him and his wife 407 00:20:53,280 --> 00:20:56,560 are too old to have a son and he doubted God's ability and he 408 00:20:56,560 --> 00:20:59,400 asked for a sign. In response to this doubt. 409 00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:01,640 He was made mute until the child was born. 410 00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:05,240 But in the case of this father, the Father is honest with Jesus. 411 00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:08,000 He says he believes, but he also needs help. 412 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:11,640 Jesus responds to the Father with compassion to him and his 413 00:21:11,640 --> 00:21:15,120 Son, while at the same time calling for the man to trust him 414 00:21:15,120 --> 00:21:18,000 fully. So applying that to our lives, 415 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:21,040 we need to have faith in the power of prayer, even during 416 00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:23,960 times of doubt. Prayer prepares your heart. 417 00:21:24,160 --> 00:21:27,080 By praying every day, we are equipping ourselves for battle. 418 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:30,400 There's a common saying that says all we can do now is pray. 419 00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:33,240 But prayer shouldn't be the last thing we do, It should be the 420 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:35,960 first. Prayer reveals our heart. 421 00:21:36,040 --> 00:21:39,240 Just like the Father brought his six Son to Jesus, we can bring 422 00:21:39,240 --> 00:21:42,280 anything to Jesus. Our worries, our fears, our 423 00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:44,920 doubts. If we come honestly and humbly 424 00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:48,560 knowing that Jesus is God and we are not, we can bring all our 425 00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:51,560 cares to Him. And prayer protects your heart. 426 00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:54,520 Praying for God's will to be done and not our own will keep 427 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:58,360 us focused on God's plan and not our own selfish desires. 428 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:03,280 Faith then begins with Jesus, is sustained by prayer, and 429 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:04,960 ultimately it leads us somewhere. 430 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:09,040 So finally, we should have faith in the path of discipleship. 431 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:12,840 If we have faith in the person of Jesus and faith in the power 432 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:15,960 of prayer, what does that faith look like in real life? 433 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:19,080 As mentioned earlier, faith is more than just simply believing 434 00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:21,440 in something. It requires A commitment to 435 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:25,360 action. Looking at verses 33 to 37, 436 00:22:25,360 --> 00:22:28,920 we'll see that one step in the path to discipleship is to walk 437 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:33,600 humbly picking up at verse 33. And they came to Capernaum, and 438 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:35,920 when he was in the house, he asked them, What were you 439 00:22:35,920 --> 00:22:38,840 discussing on the way? But they kept silent, for on the 440 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:41,160 way they had argued with one another about who was the 441 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:43,480 greatest. And he sat down and called the 442 00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:45,360 12. And he said to them, If anyone 443 00:22:45,360 --> 00:22:48,560 will be first, he must be last of all and servant of all. 444 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:51,320 And he took a child and put him in the midst of them. 445 00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:54,800 And taking him in his arms, he said to them, Whoever receives 446 00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:57,880 one such child in my name receives me, and whoever 447 00:22:57,880 --> 00:23:00,640 receives me receives not me, but him who sent me. 448 00:23:02,120 --> 00:23:04,880 The disciples are still not grasping, fully understanding 449 00:23:04,880 --> 00:23:07,880 what Jesus is teaching. Just prior to this, Jesus 450 00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:09,520 foretells his death and resurrection. 451 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:12,000 And the disciples didn't get it, but they remain silent. 452 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:15,120 And now when Jesus asked them what they were discussing, they 453 00:23:15,120 --> 00:23:17,720 remain silent again, possibly out of shame. 454 00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:21,120 But also, Peter had been rebuked by Jesus very sternly, as we 455 00:23:21,120 --> 00:23:23,840 heard last week, and so they might have been fearful of that 456 00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:26,320 as well. However, knowing what they were 457 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:29,200 talking about, Jesus gives them this profound statement. 458 00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:32,800 If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant 459 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:34,680 of all. That's quite different than 460 00:23:34,680 --> 00:23:38,040 arguing who is the greatest. Jesus flips it around. 461 00:23:38,360 --> 00:23:41,480 The Kingdom of Jesus, as has been said by many as an upside 462 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:45,120 down Kingdom, meaning that what people think is great in this 463 00:23:45,120 --> 00:23:47,960 life has little to no significance in the Kingdom of 464 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:49,920 heaven. And what is missed or forgotten 465 00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:52,840 in this life often matters to Jesus. 466 00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:56,600 This is further exemplified by Jesus taking a child and saying 467 00:23:56,880 --> 00:24:00,240 whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and 468 00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:04,160 whoever receives me receives not only me, but him who sent me. 469 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:08,000 Jesus teaching that following him means caring for people 470 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:11,520 others overlook. It's an attitude of humility and 471 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:13,760 service. Having faith in the path of 472 00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:17,000 discipleship means being OK without status, without the 473 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:20,720 fame, but rather walking humbly to serve others first. 474 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:24,440 And another step in the path of discipleship is to walk 475 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:27,640 together. Let's read verses 38 to 41. 476 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:31,160 John said to him, Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons 477 00:24:31,160 --> 00:24:33,880 in your name, and we tried to stop him because he was not 478 00:24:33,880 --> 00:24:36,760 following us. But Jesus said, do not stop him. 479 00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:39,840 For no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able 480 00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:41,800 soon afterwards to speak evil of me. 481 00:24:42,880 --> 00:24:45,240 For the one who is not against us is for us. 482 00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:48,160 For truly I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to 483 00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:51,800 drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his 484 00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:54,640 reward. As Christians, we should strive 485 00:24:54,640 --> 00:24:57,920 for unity with fellow believers and walk together. 486 00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:01,200 There comes a time to call out false teaching or to no longer 487 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:04,160 fellowship with one another, but that should never be the first 488 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:06,280 option. We shouldn't be looking for 489 00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:08,760 areas of disagreement from the get go. 490 00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:12,600 The world has enough opposition to the Gospel already, and 491 00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:14,720 that's the point that Jesus is making here to John. 492 00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:18,240 As one commentator said, John still wanted to draw lines to 493 00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:20,440 determine clearly who's in and who's out. 494 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:23,720 But Jesus says not to stop the man because John didn't really 495 00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:25,920 know him. John claimed that he wasn't 496 00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:29,440 following them, but really he didn't know, and neither do we. 497 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:32,760 We need to leave that judgement to God, who knows the hearts and 498 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:36,640 motives of every person. But we are responsible for our 499 00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:39,920 own sin, and because of that we should walk in repentance. 500 00:25:40,520 --> 00:25:45,040 Reading verses 42 to 50, Whoever causes one of these little ones 501 00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:47,840 who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a 502 00:25:47,840 --> 00:25:51,040 great millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown 503 00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:53,600 into the sea. And if your hand causes you to 504 00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:56,200 sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter 505 00:25:56,200 --> 00:25:58,680 life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the 506 00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:01,680 unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to 507 00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:04,120 sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter 508 00:26:04,120 --> 00:26:06,800 life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 509 00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:10,120 And if your eye causes you to send tear out, it is better for 510 00:26:10,120 --> 00:26:13,320 you to enter the Kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes 511 00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:17,000 to be thrown into hell where the worm does not die and the fire 512 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:20,240 is not quenched, for everyone will be salted with fire. 513 00:26:20,600 --> 00:26:23,800 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will 514 00:26:23,800 --> 00:26:26,920 you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves and be 515 00:26:26,920 --> 00:26:30,440 at peace with one another. Having faith in the path of 516 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:34,000 discipleship means walking in repentance daily. 517 00:26:34,640 --> 00:26:38,120 These are sobering verses. Jesus does not take sin lightly, 518 00:26:38,120 --> 00:26:41,200 and neither should we. Again, we see the deep care and 519 00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:44,400 protection that Jesus has for the little ones, the vulnerable, 520 00:26:44,800 --> 00:26:47,960 illustrating that the idea of drowning is preferable to 521 00:26:47,960 --> 00:26:51,120 causing a little one to sin. Whether the little 1 is a 522 00:26:51,120 --> 00:26:54,120 physical child or just someone weaker in the faith, the 523 00:26:54,120 --> 00:26:57,240 consequence for causing them to sin is severe judgement. 524 00:26:57,880 --> 00:27:01,000 And just as severe is that, and just as severe as the judgement 525 00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:04,560 for our own sin. Jesus is using hyperbole here to 526 00:27:04,560 --> 00:27:06,960 emphasize the seriousness of sin. 527 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:10,000 No, he isn't actually calling for people to remove the parts 528 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:11,520 of the body that cause us to sin. 529 00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:13,800 And if that were the case, we wouldn't have much of A body 530 00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:16,440 left at all. But he is calling for drastic 531 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:19,600 action to remove the things that cause us to sin. 532 00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:23,320 And sin doesn't live in our hands or eyes or our feet. 533 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:27,240 Sin is in our very nature. It is only through Jesus and the 534 00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:30,600 sacrifice on the cross that we can go from a sorry center to a 535 00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:35,600 forgiven St. Walking the path of discipleship 536 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:38,480 through repentance will strengthen our faith in Jesus 537 00:27:38,480 --> 00:27:42,080 and it will help us see others as sinners also in need of a 538 00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:44,600 Savior. Jesus final words in this 539 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:47,800 portion of his writing are to be at peace with one another. 540 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:50,560 This sums up the path of discipleship well. 541 00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:54,000 It is not a path we walk alone and so we are told to be at 542 00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:57,800 peace with one another. If you're a sports fan, you've 543 00:27:57,800 --> 00:27:59,760 no doubt heard of the acronym GOAT. 544 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:03,360 GOAT. It stands for greatest of all 545 00:28:03,360 --> 00:28:05,720 time. You'll often hear about debates 546 00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:09,280 about who is the real GOAT and why such and such player is or 547 00:28:09,280 --> 00:28:12,720 isn't deserving of such a title. It seems like it even gets into 548 00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:15,040 the athletes head because they start calling themselves the 549 00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:19,280 GOAT and they get angry when other people call themselves the 550 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:21,920 GOAT. It seems a bit silly, right? 551 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:26,520 But how often don't we as churches or as churchgoers do 552 00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:29,640 the very same thing? We're the greatest. 553 00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:31,120 We're the only ones that do it right. 554 00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:34,840 We might not say those words, but are we secretly in 555 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:37,960 competition to be the greatest in a category that Jesus doesn't 556 00:28:37,960 --> 00:28:40,960 care about? Having faith in the path of 557 00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:44,240 discipleship means to trust in Jesus and follow him first 558 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:46,440 without worrying what others are doing. 559 00:28:46,960 --> 00:28:49,760 It means to walk humbly and not to think of ourselves as better 560 00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:52,640 than the rest, but to care for those that the rest don't. 561 00:28:53,800 --> 00:28:56,560 It means walking together in unity with fellow believers and 562 00:28:56,560 --> 00:28:59,880 working together to further God's Kingdom and not our own. 563 00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:03,240 When John says we saw someone casting out demons in your name 564 00:29:03,240 --> 00:29:06,680 and we tried to stop him because he was not following us, it made 565 00:29:06,680 --> 00:29:08,640 me think of some of the things that we would say today. 566 00:29:09,360 --> 00:29:11,640 Lord, we saw them hold different end times views. 567 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:13,520 Lord, we saw them quoting Calvin. 568 00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:15,720 We tried to stop them because they weren't in the same 569 00:29:15,720 --> 00:29:18,160 denomination. We tried to stop them because 570 00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:22,240 they weren't like us. We are called to make disciples 571 00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:25,360 of Christ, not of us. Don't get me wrong, there's time 572 00:29:25,360 --> 00:29:27,640 and a place to discuss the finer points of theology. 573 00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:29,720 But what are we doing with Jesus? 574 00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:33,520 If our theology causes us to be arrogant and rude and treat 575 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:36,960 others as less than, if our theology causes us to look down 576 00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:40,240 at fellow believers out of a sense of superiority, then we 577 00:29:40,240 --> 00:29:44,520 have missed Jesus entirely. Instead, our faith in Jesus and 578 00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:47,920 the path of discipleship should cause us to walk humbly together 579 00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:50,400 and in repentance with fellow believers. 580 00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:53,200 Micah 6-8 brings it all together. 581 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:57,360 He has told you, oh man, what is good and what does the Lord 582 00:29:57,360 --> 00:30:01,240 require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and 583 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:06,360 to walk humbly with your God? Something I think about often is 584 00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:09,600 this idea of legacy. What is left behind when you're 585 00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:11,920 gone? Recently, in the past months, I 586 00:30:11,920 --> 00:30:14,360 had the privilege of sitting down with fathers of different 587 00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:18,680 stages and different ages, and I had a question for each father. 588 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:20,840 And that was, What do you want your legacy to be? 589 00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:24,160 What do you hope your kids will say about you at your funeral? 590 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:27,560 What will they remember about you to tell their own kids? 591 00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:30,480 Each father I asked had a thoughtful and meaningful 592 00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:32,960 answer, and it seemed like they cared about what their legacy 593 00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:35,200 would be. But you know what no one said? 594 00:30:35,880 --> 00:30:38,240 I want them to Remember Me for how much money I had. 595 00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:41,680 I want them to Remember Me for my cool car collection or how 596 00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:44,680 good I was at sports. Granted, I didn't talk to any 597 00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:47,360 multimillionaires or professional athletes, but I 598 00:30:47,360 --> 00:30:50,480 think the point remains that legacy is far greater than fame 599 00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:53,160 and fortune. Every physical thing will 600 00:30:53,160 --> 00:30:56,520 eventually fade away, but a legacy of faith will remain 601 00:30:56,520 --> 00:31:00,280 forever. Matthew 619 to 21 says do not 602 00:31:00,280 --> 00:31:03,680 lay up for yourselves treasures and treasures on earth, where 603 00:31:03,680 --> 00:31:07,040 moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but 604 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:09,840 lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth 605 00:31:09,840 --> 00:31:12,440 nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and 606 00:31:12,440 --> 00:31:14,760 steal. For where your treasure is, 607 00:31:14,800 --> 00:31:18,720 there your heart will be also. Where is our treasure? 608 00:31:19,640 --> 00:31:22,800 Is it in our jobs, our money, our friends, our family? 609 00:31:23,560 --> 00:31:25,960 Are we storing up treasures for ourselves here on earth or are 610 00:31:25,960 --> 00:31:27,440 we laying up treasures in heaven? 611 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:31,400 And please don't hear me wrong. Here's wealth is not a sin, it's 612 00:31:31,400 --> 00:31:34,360 a huge blessing. Paul, writing to Timothy, says 613 00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:37,400 that anyone who doesn't provide for his household has denied the 614 00:31:37,400 --> 00:31:39,400 faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 615 00:31:39,800 --> 00:31:43,440 So it's not about the amount that you have, but rather where 616 00:31:43,440 --> 00:31:46,840 is your treasure? There's a story of a young man 617 00:31:46,840 --> 00:31:51,040 by the name of William Borden. He was born in 1887 into a very 618 00:31:51,040 --> 00:31:53,440 wealthy family. His family ran US very 619 00:31:53,440 --> 00:31:55,960 successful dairy business, which gave him access to many 620 00:31:55,960 --> 00:31:57,720 privileges and expensive schooling. 621 00:31:58,160 --> 00:32:00,840 And at the age of 16, after he graduated high school, he was 622 00:32:00,840 --> 00:32:02,960 gifted by his parents a trip around the world. 623 00:32:03,440 --> 00:32:06,720 William travelled to Asia, the Middle East, in Europe and 624 00:32:06,720 --> 00:32:08,960 during this trip he became increasingly aware of the 625 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:12,520 poverty of so many people and he felt a calling to become a 626 00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:16,000 missionary. In his letter to his mother he 627 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:18,520 wrote I have so much of everything in this life and 628 00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:21,160 there are so many millions who have nothing and live in 629 00:32:21,160 --> 00:32:23,840 darkness. I know it is no easy thing to 630 00:32:23,840 --> 00:32:27,280 serve the Lord but others have been enabled to do so and there 631 00:32:27,280 --> 00:32:30,800 is no reason why I should not. Many that knew him at the time 632 00:32:30,800 --> 00:32:33,480 said that it would be a waste of opportunity and he would be 633 00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:35,600 throwing his life away to become a missionary. 634 00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:38,480 In response to this it is reported that William wrote 2 635 00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:42,360 words in his Bible. No reserve when he came back 636 00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:43,920 home. He went on to study at Yale 637 00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:46,600 University where he led Bible studies and prayer groups that 638 00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:50,640 started with two people and grew to over 301 of his friends. 639 00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:53,600 Wrote that William was a great example to me of one who seemed 640 00:32:53,600 --> 00:32:57,360 to realize that he must be about his father's business and not 641 00:32:57,360 --> 00:32:59,400 wasting time in the pursuit of amusement. 642 00:33:00,240 --> 00:33:03,240 He went on to study at Princeton Seminary and after he graduated 643 00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:06,120 Yale and Princeton. He was offered many high paying 644 00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:09,440 jobs and after turning them down to the disappointment of his 645 00:33:09,440 --> 00:33:11,920 father, to focus on his call to missionary work. 646 00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:15,520 It is said that William wrote two more words in his Bible, No 647 00:33:15,520 --> 00:33:18,400 retreat. William felt the specific 648 00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:21,280 calling to reach the Muslim people in China with the Gospel. 649 00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:24,320 He went to Egypt to study the language in preparation for his 650 00:33:24,320 --> 00:33:28,000 trip, but while he was there he contracted meningitis and one 651 00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:31,840 month later, at only 25 years of age, he died from the illness. 652 00:33:32,440 --> 00:33:35,080 But it's reported that before he passed away, he wrote two more 653 00:33:35,080 --> 00:33:39,360 words in his Bible. No regrets, no reserve, no 654 00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:43,120 retreat, no regrets. William Borden did not seek a 655 00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:46,280 life of comfort and pleasure, but saw it to be obedient to 656 00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:48,480 God. That's where his treasure was, 657 00:33:48,840 --> 00:33:52,000 not in his family's wealth, but in using that wealth as a means 658 00:33:52,280 --> 00:33:54,560 to bring the gospel to those that had not heard. 659 00:33:55,040 --> 00:33:58,000 William had faith to follow God even when he didn't know what 660 00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:00,840 the outcome would be. He embodied what Jesus said, 661 00:34:00,840 --> 00:34:03,520 that if anyone would be first, he must be last of all and 662 00:34:03,520 --> 00:34:05,920 servant of all. And again, what Paul wrote to 663 00:34:05,920 --> 00:34:10,639 Timothy in First Timothy chapter 619 to 17, it says, As for the 664 00:34:10,639 --> 00:34:13,360 rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor set 665 00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:17,040 their hopes on uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly 666 00:34:17,040 --> 00:34:19,040 provides us with everything to enjoy. 667 00:34:19,440 --> 00:34:22,239 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous 668 00:34:22,239 --> 00:34:26,120 and ready to share, thus storing up treasures for themselves as a 669 00:34:26,120 --> 00:34:29,840 good foundation for the future so that they may take hold of 670 00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:34,080 that which is truly life. The question then is, do we have 671 00:34:34,080 --> 00:34:37,840 a faith like that, a faith in God that sets a good foundation 672 00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:41,440 for the future generation? When our time comes, will will 673 00:34:41,440 --> 00:34:44,320 we be able to say that we lived a life of no reserve, no 674 00:34:44,320 --> 00:34:48,360 retreat, and no regrets? As as Christians we are called 675 00:34:48,360 --> 00:34:51,360 to live our lives and faith to Jesus. 676 00:34:52,040 --> 00:34:54,600 If Jesus were physically present with us like he was with the 677 00:34:54,600 --> 00:34:57,520 people in the book of Mark, would he look at us and say, oh 678 00:34:57,520 --> 00:35:01,960 faithless generation, have you given in to the trials and 679 00:35:01,960 --> 00:35:04,880 temptations of this world? Do you feel like throwing in the 680 00:35:04,880 --> 00:35:08,800 towel and calling it quits? Is your sin causing you to doubt 681 00:35:08,800 --> 00:35:11,840 the goodness of God in those times of hardships? 682 00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:14,040 We can echo the words of that desperate Father. 683 00:35:14,280 --> 00:35:17,360 Lord, I believe help my unbelief. 684 00:35:18,720 --> 00:35:21,560 Or maybe you've never put your faith and trust in God, and if 685 00:35:21,560 --> 00:35:23,360 that's the case, I would encourage you to do it. 686 00:35:24,080 --> 00:35:26,920 The good news of Jesus that he died on the cross for our sins 687 00:35:26,920 --> 00:35:28,520 and three days later rose to life. 688 00:35:29,040 --> 00:35:32,440 It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who 689 00:35:32,440 --> 00:35:35,200 believes. We all deserve death, but faith 690 00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:37,280 in Jesus brings you from death to life. 691 00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:40,680 It is transformative not only for you, but also for future 692 00:35:40,680 --> 00:35:44,680 generations as well. So maybe that be our goal, to 693 00:35:44,680 --> 00:35:47,680 live our life of faith, to live a life of faith that at the end 694 00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:50,480 of our life we will be able to say with Paul, I have fought the 695 00:35:50,480 --> 00:35:53,680 good fight, I have finished the race, I've kept the faith. 696 00:35:54,160 --> 00:35:59,480 Let's pray. God, you have proven your 697 00:35:59,480 --> 00:36:01,720 faithfulness to US time and time again. 698 00:36:02,440 --> 00:36:05,200 Today we read how you revealed the glimpse of your glory to the 699 00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:08,680 disciples and through their writings to us as well. 700 00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:13,080 But one day we will see fully. And I pray that as we wait for 701 00:36:13,080 --> 00:36:16,040 that day, we will be a faithful generation. 702 00:36:16,640 --> 00:36:20,120 A generation that seeks to make your name great and not her own. 703 00:36:20,800 --> 00:36:23,560 A generation that serves others and worships you. 704 00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:27,360 All this we pray in Jesus name, Amen.