1 00:00:02,400 --> 00:00:06,720 Good morning. This is always a really weird 2 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:08,880 view for me. I'm so used to seeing all of the 3 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:12,840 back of your heads because I sit in the sound booth most of the 4 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:15,560 time, but it's good to see all your smiling faces. 5 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:19,240 So, morning. Like Cole said, we've been here 6 00:00:19,240 --> 00:00:22,640 for a while. My wife Carly and I have been 7 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:26,240 here for the past seven years. If I have not crossed paths with 8 00:00:26,240 --> 00:00:28,160 you yet, please come find me after. 9 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:32,520 I'd love to change that up. I'm also sorry if my family took 10 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:36,000 any of your seats this morning. They're taking up a few rows. 11 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:39,960 I did promise I'm not going to embarrass them too much, so I'm 12 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:42,880 not going to point it out. You know where you normally sit. 13 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:49,600 I did, however, get approval to embarrass one member of my 14 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:53,120 family, my mother. She's always so gracious with 15 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:57,040 me. But if you end up hanging out 16 00:00:57,040 --> 00:00:59,880 with my mom ever, or see her after, you might start hear some 17 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:02,800 stories about me. Chances are they are all true, 18 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:07,920 unfortunately for me. But there was a story that I 19 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:12,880 felt was particularly important for our passage today, or at 20 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:15,760 least it applied. So she likes to tell the story 21 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:18,400 of when I was my oldest son's age, So anywhere from three to 22 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:21,120 five. I was at that age. 23 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:25,640 I really loved shoes. Not just any shoes. 24 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:28,960 They had to be my shoes. OK, that could be light up, be 25 00:01:28,960 --> 00:01:34,120 whatever most kids do. Most most kids get obsessive 26 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:36,360 about one thing. And yes, I'm trying to justify 27 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:40,040 myself here, but it just really liked my shoes. 28 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:44,400 And it became a problem because when my mom would take me and my 29 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:47,840 older, of my two younger sisters to the store, she'd pop me out 30 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:52,360 and say, OK, you need to follow me now so we can get what we 31 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:54,800 need done. Well, a few minutes, a few steps 32 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:59,800 in, I'd be walking along and be like, Oh yeah, I got my cool 33 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:04,920 shoes on today. Now most kids are smart enough 34 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:10,280 to just stop and do this. I'm not that smart. 35 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:15,600 I kept walking in a parking lot. You can see how this would 36 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:18,280 become an issue. But a few steps. 37 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:21,280 A few more steps in. I'm just looking at my shoes, 38 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:25,000 minding my own business, and right into somebody's side 39 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:31,360 mirror multiple times. This is I wish that I could say 40 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:34,600 I learned I did not. This was, if the stories are 41 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:38,600 true, quite a while. There was just a nice big old 42 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:44,680 red Welt on my forehead. I don't have much recollection 43 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:49,080 of this. You can probably guess why, and 44 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:51,560 I wish that I could say that this is no longer an issue. 45 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:54,120 It's not. It's still an issue. 46 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:58,120 My parents, being the great parents that they are, actually 47 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:00,200 bought me a new pair of work boots this year. 48 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:03,200 They are the same ones that I've been wearing for the past three 49 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:05,120 years. These ones just don't look like 50 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:09,040 they got in a fight with an angry wood chipper and my first 51 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:12,480 day walking into work. Does anybody want to guess what 52 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:17,520 I'm doing? These are nice. 53 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:21,760 I'm going to mess these up so bad. 54 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:25,880 Pretty sure my Co workers were all looking to see if I was 55 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:31,280 looking for my last brain cell. Keep that image in mind for you 56 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:34,760 looking at your shoes. It will come in play later. 57 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:37,640 We've got a lot of ground to cover this morning. 58 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:42,360 I've got I think 14 verses, so a lot. 59 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:47,000 But I'm excited to see what God has for us in this. 60 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:49,440 We've already actually covered a lot of where I'm going to go 61 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:52,320 this morning, so it's not going to be new. 62 00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:59,200 But I'm hoping that what I have this morning will allow you to 63 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:02,600 see Jesus more clearly and out of love, follow him more 64 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:07,040 closely. So if you are able, either in 65 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:10,000 body or mind, would you go ahead and stand as we open God's word 66 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:13,520 together? I am going to be reading Mark 67 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:18,880 10/17/31 Seventeen through 31, excuse me, and we're going to be 68 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:21,560 reading out of the NET. It will be on the screen behind 69 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:23,040 us. There are bibles in front of you 70 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:27,880 if that's easier for you. Now as Jesus was starting out on 71 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:31,880 his way, someone ran up to him, fell on his knees and said good 72 00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:35,080 teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? 73 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:38,280 Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? 74 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:42,200 No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments. 75 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:45,760 Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not 76 00:04:45,760 --> 00:04:48,280 give false testimony, Do not defraud. 77 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:51,600 Honor your father and mother, the man said to him. 78 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:56,120 Teacher, I've wholeheartedly obeyed all of these since my 79 00:04:56,120 --> 00:05:00,040 youth. As Jesus looked at him, he felt 80 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:06,520 what church love for him and said you lack one thing, go sell 81 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:09,440 whatever you have. Give the money to the poor, 82 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:11,600 meaning you will have treasure in heaven. 83 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:16,520 Then come and follow me. But at this statement the man 84 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:19,720 looked sad and went away sorrowful, for he was very rich. 85 00:05:20,840 --> 00:05:24,160 Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples how hard 86 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:26,920 it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God. 87 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:29,880 The disciples were astonished at these words. 88 00:05:29,880 --> 00:05:33,720 But again Jesus said to them children, how hard it is to 89 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:37,440 enter the Kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go 90 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:40,160 through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the 91 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:43,600 Kingdom of God. They were even more astonished 92 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:46,080 and said to one another than who can be saved. 93 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:49,720 Jesus looked at them and replied, this is impossible for 94 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:54,000 mere humans, but not for God. All things are possible for God. 95 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:56,960 Peter began to speak to him, looking. 96 00:05:57,280 --> 00:05:59,480 Look, we have left everything to follow you. 97 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:01,840 Jesus said, I tell you the truth. 98 00:06:01,840 --> 00:06:05,040 There is no one who has left home, or brothers, or sisters, 99 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:08,480 or mothers, or father, or children or fields, for my sake 100 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:12,360 and for the sake of the gospel, who will not receive in this age 101 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:15,880 100 times as much Holmes, brothers, sisters, mothers, 102 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:19,920 children, fields, all with persecutions and in the age to 103 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:24,560 come eternal life. But many who are first will be 104 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:28,440 last and the last first. You guys can be seated. 105 00:06:32,840 --> 00:06:34,440 Dear Lord, we thank you for this morning. 106 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:37,160 We thank you for the opportunity to sit under the preaching of 107 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:41,440 your word. Lord, I have a lot that I feel 108 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:46,080 like I could say, but they're just words. 109 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:50,920 And like we sang this morning, if you are not here, I don't 110 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:55,080 want to be. Please use this in whatever way 111 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:59,720 you see fit. Amen, right. 112 00:06:59,840 --> 00:07:02,600 Pretty common passage, right? We at least most of us have 113 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:05,000 heard of it. I did poll my coworkers. 114 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:07,840 Most of them are not Christians, and most of them actually knew 115 00:07:07,840 --> 00:07:11,640 what the story was as well. Right away we're introduced to 116 00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:15,400 the main character. He's rich, he's young, and he 117 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:17,160 comes before Jesus with a question. 118 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:19,360 But there's something missing, isn't there? 119 00:07:20,760 --> 00:07:23,280 What's his name? Anybody. 120 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:27,000 Anybody want to give him a name? Is I? 121 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:30,040 He got a name for him. He's preoccupied. 122 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:33,400 Sorry, Fred. We'll go with Fred. 123 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:38,840 I like it. So there's no name. 124 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:42,280 Not in any of the other gospels either. 125 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:46,880 No account of this story. He's got no origin story, no 126 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:48,800 outward appearance that needs fixed. 127 00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:52,280 Nothing. Nothing to tie him even 128 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:55,440 concretely to the timeline of Jesus he's just mentioned here. 129 00:07:56,120 --> 00:08:00,120 Now whether that's because the disciples didn't think it was 130 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:01,920 important that we knew who he was. 131 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:03,760 They didn't actually catch his name. 132 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:07,520 Something that's important to realize when you see a character 133 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:12,520 without name is that the author. So John Mark in this case wants 134 00:08:12,520 --> 00:08:15,240 us to see ourselves in this person. 135 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:20,400 He's almost holding up a mirror and saying, hey, this is you. 136 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:26,280 And he's not allowing for what CS Lewis would call 137 00:08:26,280 --> 00:08:31,200 chronological snobbery, which is this idea that because we're 138 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:36,520 here, they're there, we have time between us. 139 00:08:36,520 --> 00:08:38,120 We know the beginning, the middle and the end. 140 00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:42,320 So we assume that, OK, we know this, we're not gonna make the 141 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:45,440 same mistakes. John Mark does not allow for 142 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:48,240 that, he says. You're still gonna make this 143 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:50,560 mistake. Learn from it. 144 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:55,840 And if you've been with us for the past few months, as we've 145 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:58,240 been going through Mark, almost a year now, isn't it? 146 00:08:59,920 --> 00:09:02,440 This isn't a new concept. We're reminded of this pretty 147 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:05,880 often, but that is important. So hold on to that as well as we 148 00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:12,440 go forward. So back to our guy, Fred. 149 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:16,400 So we're introduced to this man and we find out that he's 150 00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:18,840 wealthy, he's young and he knows the law. 151 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:21,320 We can assume a couple of things. 152 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:26,280 We can assume a couple of things about from these descriptions. 153 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:30,920 Option A, his family has handed around generational wealth to 154 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:35,440 him to inherit. Or Option B and this one is the 155 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:36,520 one that resonates a little more. 156 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:39,480 Personally, he worked hard, pulled himself up by his 157 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:43,240 bootstraps, and God has blessed his laborers with excess. 158 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:46,880 We don't really know. Both are plausible. 159 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:52,080 But he comes up to Jesus and he says in verse 17, Good teacher, 160 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:54,200 what must I do to inherit eternal life? 161 00:09:56,080 --> 00:09:58,440 There's a lot in that question, but let's bring it into the 162 00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:00,840 current era. What he's asking is essentially 163 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:04,280 the same thing that each one of you and I is asking on a daily 164 00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:08,280 basis. Jesus, what do I need to do to 165 00:10:08,280 --> 00:10:14,280 get the good life? And Jesus being Jesus sees right 166 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:18,960 through that question. Almost seems as though Jesus has 167 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:20,680 had enough of the pleasantries though, right? 168 00:10:20,680 --> 00:10:22,080 It's like, why do you call me good? 169 00:10:22,920 --> 00:10:28,760 Seems like a little bit of an odd response, but he has a point 170 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:32,320 to it and he has a reason, and he addresses it for a reason. 171 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:36,320 Why do you call me good? Don't you know that only God is 172 00:10:36,320 --> 00:10:39,080 good? Immediately Jesus reminds us of 173 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:41,800 our humanity and he actually aligns himself with us. 174 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:46,520 He does not claim to be God. He does not claim that which is 175 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:50,000 rightfully his, which is He has God, so he is good. 176 00:10:51,680 --> 00:10:54,560 But he wants to remind us of our humanity. 177 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:58,080 He wants to remind us of what happened in Eden, that because 178 00:10:58,160 --> 00:11:03,400 of our sin we are all marred by it for the rest of eternity. 179 00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:11,160 Unfortunately without him. Sorry, my notes are all over the 180 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:12,800 place this morning. I should have organized a little 181 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:16,760 better. Let's go to verse 19. 182 00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:19,960 Just doesn't stop there. You know the commandments. 183 00:11:19,960 --> 00:11:23,120 Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not 184 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:26,520 give false testimony, do not defraud and honor your father 185 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:31,680 and mother. Now, you guys have all been in 186 00:11:31,680 --> 00:11:34,480 church for a while. You know that that list is 187 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:36,960 enough for us to fail pretty quickly. 188 00:11:38,280 --> 00:11:40,360 It just is. Especially if we've been hearing 189 00:11:40,360 --> 00:11:42,160 what Jesus had been teaching at this time. 190 00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:47,840 He breaks each of those down. So what is he doing as he's 191 00:11:47,840 --> 00:11:51,160 somehow now pointing to the law and saying, Oh no, this can get 192 00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:53,920 you in front of God. Absolutely you can be getting in 193 00:11:53,920 --> 00:11:58,920 front of God because of this. No, what he's actually doing is 194 00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:01,880 he's starting to peel off the layers and the rich regularly 195 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:02,960 doesn't seem to quite get it yet. 196 00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:06,800 We we probably don't, if we look at it just on face value, but 197 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:11,040 it's going to start peeling back those layers piece by piece. 198 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:14,080 Verse 20, the young man responds. 199 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:17,400 Teacher, I have wholeheartedly obeyed all of these things since 200 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:23,800 my youth. Now when I read this as I was 201 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:27,680 preparing, started to try and imagine what this guy sounds 202 00:12:27,680 --> 00:12:29,760 like a little bit since we don't know much about him. 203 00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:35,320 And when I read this, what I hear, and it just feels like 204 00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:39,160 there's a layer of honest to goodness, tired in that, in that 205 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:41,360 sentence. And I wonder if you can hear it. 206 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:46,840 Jesus, I'm doing everything that I can. 207 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:51,680 There are a lot of laws, and I'm keeping all of them. 208 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:55,680 I'm an upstanding citizen. I'm caring for the widow and the 209 00:12:55,680 --> 00:12:59,720 orphan, serving when I'm needed, tithing the prescribed amount 210 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:01,840 and more, caring for my neighbors. 211 00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:06,920 I can do this. Just give me one thing that 212 00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:14,600 proves that my efforts are worth it, that resonate with anybody 213 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:19,760 coming to church on Sunday morning and fighting for joy 214 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:22,680 while realizing there's a mountain to climb when we get 215 00:13:22,680 --> 00:13:26,800 back to work this week, or even a mountain to climb When you get 216 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:30,440 back home this afternoon. Trying to meet all of the 217 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:33,720 expectations that you have for yourself everywhere you go, 218 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:36,440 along with the expectations that everybody else has for you. 219 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:42,920 So I'm an electrician, for those of you who didn't know, and 220 00:13:42,920 --> 00:13:46,880 being a blue collar guy in the trades, this is actually the 221 00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:49,800 biggest trap that I fall into on a weekly basis. 222 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:53,720 And it's this trap that says that I can earn my spot before 223 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:58,560 God If I work hard enough, if I do enough quiet time, if I kill 224 00:13:58,560 --> 00:14:02,440 enough of my sin, pray often enough, serve every opportunity 225 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:07,720 in the right ministries, preach a good enough sermon, I might be 226 00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:12,680 able to squeak into God's favor. All of those things are good 227 00:14:12,680 --> 00:14:15,560 things, and they are actually worthy of your time. 228 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:18,640 But church? If they are the currency that 229 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:21,920 you are using to buy your ticket in front of the throne, you will 230 00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:26,280 find that you are bankrupt every time, every time. 231 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:33,800 These things that we do are only the symptoms of our faith. 232 00:14:33,800 --> 00:14:38,760 They are not the price to attain it, and I know that you all know 233 00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:41,800 that as well. But our actions often proves 234 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:46,240 otherwise, don't they? We go home late from work again 235 00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:49,880 because we think a few more hours on the paycheck will make 236 00:14:49,880 --> 00:14:51,680 it worth it. So we don't feel like we're 237 00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:55,200 drowning because God helps those who help themselves first, 238 00:14:55,320 --> 00:14:59,840 right? We go to another solitude 239 00:14:59,840 --> 00:15:03,040 retreat because we feel like a little bit more time with God 240 00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:07,200 will make up for all the time that we've spent avoiding him on 241 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:11,880 our daily lives. We give all of our time and 242 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:17,760 effort to the church with no boundaries and at the expense of 243 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:21,360 our families, because that's what a good Christ follower 244 00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:26,800 would do, right? I think that the worst part of 245 00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:31,440 that, though, is we can see that car mirror coming and we still 246 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:35,440 run into it. We still are trying these things 247 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:37,440 and expecting that we can avoid it. 248 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:39,000 We're expecting a different outcome. 249 00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:45,320 Even if it's subconscious or we put a churchy spin on it, many 250 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:47,640 of us are still trying to earn it, no matter how much we 251 00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:50,320 verbally acknowledge that. That isn't how it works. 252 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:55,560 But as we were reminded this morning, thank God there is 253 00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:56,880 grace and hope. Amen. 254 00:15:58,360 --> 00:16:00,880 Jesus doesn't leave him there and he's not going to leave us 255 00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:03,640 there either this morning. This is where the loving and 256 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:08,960 gentle scalpel comes in and Jesus uses it to separate and it 257 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:13,000 hurts but it's good. Verse 21 As Jesus looked at him, 258 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:18,600 he felt love for him and said you lack one thing, go sell 259 00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:21,320 whatever you have, give the money to the poor and you will 260 00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:25,080 have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me. 261 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:30,280 Jesus is about to do open heart surgery. 262 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:35,200 Jesus response is not something that this man or we can actually 263 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:37,960 do to inherit the Kingdom. If you guys go sell all that you 264 00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:40,520 have, you're going to have treasure in heaven. 265 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:44,600 He says that, but it's not going to get you there. 266 00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:46,320 There's still something more to it. 267 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:52,000 It is practical in nature what Jesus is saying. 268 00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:57,200 Remember, Jesus did not come to abolish the law, only to 269 00:16:57,200 --> 00:16:59,240 complete it, so it is still important. 270 00:16:59,880 --> 00:17:02,800 The practical is what he is using to get to the spiritual, 271 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:05,520 and this is a chance for all of us to get our eyes off of our 272 00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:09,000 feet and look up. Our efforts in the practical 273 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:11,520 will point us in the right direction, but they will not 274 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:18,400 carry us home and family. This is where the truth gets a 275 00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:20,560 little uncomfortable. Most of you know this, but it's 276 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:22,200 still uncomfortable when we look at it. 277 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:28,040 If you haven't realized yet in your walk, Jesus makes claims of 278 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:32,240 absolution on all of us. Loyalty claims, and he makes 279 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:35,440 them in every area of our life. Here's what I mean. 280 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:40,880 He says that he is either our king or we are nothing. 281 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:43,760 Jesus can't be added to our lives. 282 00:17:43,760 --> 00:17:46,280 He is either our life or we do not have life. 283 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:50,720 He's it. I'm not talking about just 284 00:17:50,720 --> 00:17:53,360 discussing Jesus. Every opportunity that we get ad 285 00:17:53,360 --> 00:17:56,440 nauseam. Talking about how our lives need 286 00:17:56,440 --> 00:18:02,280 to be so saturated and infused, so incredibly secure in him and 287 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:06,520 what he has done. That every decision, every 288 00:18:06,520 --> 00:18:10,720 relationship, every thought, every ounce of our being is 289 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:16,280 submitted and carried out imperfectly through the lens of 290 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:20,920 our love for our King. And that's what Jesus is getting 291 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:23,760 at here. He opens this man's chest and 292 00:18:23,760 --> 00:18:30,840 puts his finger on the problem. He doesn't go into some diatribe 293 00:18:30,840 --> 00:18:34,320 about how it's not possible that this man has ever fully 294 00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:37,400 accomplished the law. We know it's not possible. 295 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:41,280 He did too. But he also doesn't pretend like 296 00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:44,560 that law is actually going to get him anywhere near his goal. 297 00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:53,000 He reaches in and lovingly says, hey, there's something sitting 298 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:57,640 on my throne. He does this with overwhelming 299 00:18:57,640 --> 00:18:59,960 love and care, but it's still uncomfortable. 300 00:19:01,640 --> 00:19:04,400 If we apply this to our lives today, it's almost as if he's 301 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:08,080 saying, hey, everything you have is in the way. 302 00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:15,400 Give it up. Imagine this with me for a 303 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:17,520 second. You're the rich young ruler, and 304 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:20,200 you have this life that you've built around you and you've 305 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:22,480 worked hard for it. You've poured hours of blood, 306 00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:28,360 sweat and tears into everything. You've prayed for, one thing and 307 00:19:28,360 --> 00:19:34,040 one thing alone. Could be a career, could be your 308 00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:44,400 home, your children, all of it. And he says, this is in the way. 309 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:50,720 It's not me. How do we respond to that? 310 00:19:55,320 --> 00:19:58,280 I think most of us can see a lot of times that wool white knuckle 311 00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:00,760 hold on to it screaming, no, this is mine. 312 00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:07,520 But we have an example in Abraham and Isaac, don't we? 313 00:20:12,040 --> 00:20:16,520 Abraham trusted that even though God was asking him for his one 314 00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:23,080 son, the only son that he would ever have with promise, back. 315 00:20:25,120 --> 00:20:29,960 And he trusted him and trusted that God is the God who keeps 316 00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:34,960 promises. And I see how most of the time I 317 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:37,480 respond, I respond with no this is mine. 318 00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:42,200 This is the one thing I get. This is what I want, even if 319 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:46,720 it's the one thing that I've wanted, or one thing in a long 320 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:48,600 list of things that I'm fighting for, right? 321 00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:58,440 Keep moving forward. We see what will happen on our 322 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:01,240 own power, because even though Jesus has opened the hearts of 323 00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:04,800 light, he still gives each of us the opportunity to choose him 324 00:21:05,120 --> 00:21:11,520 over our things in verse 222. But at this statement, the man 325 00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:14,960 looked sad and went away sorrowful, for he was very rich. 326 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:21,840 He walks away. We're left wondering what will 327 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:24,600 become of him. Will we turn around and take up 328 00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:28,000 the invitation anyway? Will he walk away from his faith 329 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:30,640 entirely because what he's being asked is too hard? 330 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:37,200 As I've read this over and over again, there's a lot of me that 331 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:41,560 just hopes that he turns around. He realizes that all of his 332 00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:45,280 stuff is just going to rot and rust and burn and not last and 333 00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:48,720 go to somebody else. Even that the one thing that's 334 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:51,360 standing in front of him is actually the only thing that 335 00:21:51,360 --> 00:21:55,960 will last at the end of the day. And there is actually hope for 336 00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:57,640 that. We don't, like we said, we don't 337 00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:01,240 know who he is. We don't know how the story 338 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:02,840 ends. That could still be a 339 00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:07,880 possibility, but left to our own devices, without the Holy 340 00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:11,160 Spirit, we do see how we will react. 341 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:15,600 We will walk away, we'll keep our eyes down on our shoes, and 342 00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:17,680 eventually we will walk right into traffic. 343 00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:23,200 The passage gets kind of clunky right here because there's this 344 00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:27,400 weird transition, and I've been really looking on a way to tie 345 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:29,320 this up nicely. There's just, there's not. 346 00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:31,880 It's it's awkward. It's painful. 347 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:36,800 Fred just walks away without a word and everyone is left 348 00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:41,840 standing in stunned silence. Because what What do you do? 349 00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:46,240 You just walked away, but Jesus isn't done. 350 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:50,040 Verse 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples how hard 351 00:22:50,040 --> 00:22:51,960 it is to enter the Kingdom of God. 352 00:22:52,960 --> 00:22:55,000 The disciples were astonished at these words. 353 00:22:55,000 --> 00:23:00,400 But again, Jesus said to them children how hard it is to enter 354 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:04,040 the Kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go 355 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:06,640 through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the 356 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:10,320 Kingdom of heaven. So they were astonished saying 357 00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:17,640 to one another who can be saved. Jesus did open heart surgery on 358 00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:20,280 this man, but he's not done. He actually turns the mirror on 359 00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:24,480 his disciples. He makes the next cut and holds 360 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:28,440 the mirror up to them as well. How hard it is to enter the 361 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:34,480 Kingdom of God. Christian life is hard, and 362 00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:38,720 actually Jesus would argue that it's impossible without him. 363 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:43,960 Jesus doesn't shy away from what happened and he doesn't 364 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:47,120 sugarcoat the truth either. Jesus tells his disciples in 365 00:23:47,120 --> 00:23:50,520 more words that there is no hope in our efforts. 366 00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:54,560 The rich, or even just those who seem to be blessed with the 367 00:23:54,560 --> 00:23:57,560 Kingdom in this life don't have a chance on their own. 368 00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:02,560 Our odds are so small that it would actually be easier for a 369 00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:06,520 camel to be shoved through the smallest doorway in the universe 370 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:11,080 in one piece than for us to earn our way into the into God's 371 00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:16,240 presence. So what's the point? 372 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:21,880 Why even try? If those who have seemed to earn 373 00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:25,760 God's favor here don't have a chance, then what hope do we 374 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:28,920 have? Disciples are actually asking 375 00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:32,360 the same question of Jesus, but they have another layer on top 376 00:24:32,360 --> 00:24:33,960 of it. That's even harder for us to 377 00:24:34,120 --> 00:24:36,600 understand. What hope do we have? 378 00:24:36,720 --> 00:24:40,080 We are God's chosen people. You're saying that there isn't a 379 00:24:40,080 --> 00:24:42,360 chance? It's impossible. 380 00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:47,800 Look at his response. This is impossible for mere 381 00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:52,120 humans, but not with God. All things are possible with God 382 00:24:53,760 --> 00:24:55,520 left to the law. In our own efforts, doing all 383 00:24:55,520 --> 00:24:59,120 the Christianese things that we do will give us a moral life. 384 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:02,000 It will make us look really good on the outside. 385 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:04,240 It will even actually point us in the right direction. 386 00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:10,200 Laws there for a good reason. But it's not going to get us 387 00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:12,680 anywhere. It's not going to reanimate 388 00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:16,920 this. Our dead hearts, and sadly, no 389 00:25:16,920 --> 00:25:20,680 matter what we try to cram into them, none of that will either. 390 00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:23,720 We need to get our eyes off of our shoes. 391 00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:28,360 Thank God we are not in a completely and utterly hopeless 392 00:25:28,360 --> 00:25:31,120 state. It is impossible for us. 393 00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:37,520 We've established that it's impossible for us, but it is not 394 00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:42,320 impossible for God. Our salvation, our entrance to 395 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:45,680 the Kingdom, is solely dependent upon him and what he 396 00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:48,840 accomplished. Jesus reminds us of the most 397 00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:52,280 fundamental part of our entire faith, and we actually said it 398 00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:53,360 this morning. In liturgy. 399 00:25:53,840 --> 00:25:57,440 It's grace. It is by grace and grace alone 400 00:25:57,440 --> 00:26:01,800 that we will see God. The disciples don't fully 401 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:05,760 understand this yet. There's several miles of walking 402 00:26:05,760 --> 00:26:09,320 before they get to Calvary where they will start to understand. 403 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:11,600 But we do know the end of the story. 404 00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:15,000 And yes, I understand we talked about not doing chronological 405 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:17,680 snobbery, but I'm going to breaking my own rules this 406 00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:20,680 morning. Church. 407 00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:27,040 We know the truth, and the truth is that we are in desperate need 408 00:26:27,040 --> 00:26:28,640 of reminding of this every morning. 409 00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:32,200 At least I know that I am. His mercy is new every morning. 410 00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:39,040 His Grace is new every morning. But His grace in what the truth 411 00:26:39,040 --> 00:26:42,440 of the matter is that works, will earn our salvation for us. 412 00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:51,440 They just aren't ours. There's a pastor that I admire, 413 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:53,240 so I cannot take credit for that. 414 00:26:54,040 --> 00:26:58,080 He reminded me of that, and it's helped me attempt to wrap my 415 00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:01,800 brain around grace. We are saved by works. 416 00:27:02,200 --> 00:27:06,240 They're Jesus's works. In fact, the only thing that you 417 00:27:06,240 --> 00:27:09,040 and I contribute to our salvation is the sin that held 418 00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:11,520 him to the cross where he paid for it. 419 00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:14,880 I can't do it. You can't do it. 420 00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:19,400 He did it. We are saved and made secure by 421 00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:23,480 the work of Jesus. When we place our faith solely 422 00:27:23,480 --> 00:27:29,360 in Him, not in our own efforts. When we do place our faith in 423 00:27:29,360 --> 00:27:35,880 Him and Him alone, our failures are made into victory. 424 00:27:37,680 --> 00:27:41,800 The grave that we live in is turned into a garden. 425 00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:49,640 Our sins, all of them are forgiven. 426 00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:54,280 And when I say all of them, I mean past, present and future 427 00:27:56,200 --> 00:27:59,360 because of the love of God for us and because of where Jesus is 428 00:27:59,360 --> 00:28:01,520 heading. In Mark 10, we're given the 429 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:06,160 righteousness, the perfect nature, the perfect track record 430 00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:12,080 of Jesus, and we are brought into the family of God and 431 00:28:12,080 --> 00:28:13,880 called Children of the Most High. 432 00:28:20,360 --> 00:28:25,640 He did it, and because of him all things are possible, even 433 00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:28,800 and most specifically, turning dead sinners into living, 434 00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:33,240 flourishing children, Dirk reminded us last week. 435 00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:39,440 And it hit home. God does this and he delights to 436 00:28:39,440 --> 00:28:46,680 do it and he does it again and again and again, joyfully and 437 00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:52,480 happily. There's a whole nother section 438 00:28:52,640 --> 00:28:55,480 that I am not going to get to today because I think that 439 00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:57,960 that's probably where we're going to land the plane this 440 00:28:57,960 --> 00:29:03,000 morning a little bit. But for those of you who are in 441 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:09,560 here saying, OK, I'm giving up and I'm following Jesus, He sees 442 00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:14,880 you and he says that you're going to get it back 1000 times 443 00:29:14,880 --> 00:29:19,200 more. When you get a chance. 444 00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:24,120 This week, read through 20 verses, 28 through 31. 445 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:26,560 There's beautiful promises in there for each of you. 446 00:29:29,040 --> 00:29:32,240 But there is a word of warning that I do have with that because 447 00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:38,880 I know my propensity. When you read those promises, 448 00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:42,720 remember that the things he is going to give you are not the 449 00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:48,120 reward, he is. The things he's going to give 450 00:29:48,120 --> 00:29:53,440 you back in tenfold are just icing on the cake. 451 00:29:54,520 --> 00:29:58,240 They're going to make following him easier and more loving, but 452 00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:02,920 they are not the reward. In closing today I do have some 453 00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:05,160 application and I did want to get back around to the story. 454 00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:09,320 So it makes a little bit more sense when I would run into the 455 00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:13,440 side mirror of a car, or just a car as a kid, my mom, being the 456 00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:18,840 loving parent that she is, would do what any loving parent does. 457 00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:23,080 She'd come back, kneel down and make sure I was OK, probably 458 00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:27,640 giggling a little bit because we did this again. 459 00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:31,240 OK, but she would remind me of something. 460 00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:35,680 Chad, stop looking at your shoes. 461 00:30:36,720 --> 00:30:40,400 I know that they're really cool, but you need to get your eyes 462 00:30:40,400 --> 00:30:43,880 off of your shoes and follow me, because that is what will keep 463 00:30:43,880 --> 00:30:48,080 you safe. And this is actually what I 464 00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:51,040 think Jesus is saying to us this morning in this passage. 465 00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:54,360 Yes, there's a lot more. I have a notebook full of what I 466 00:30:54,360 --> 00:30:57,080 would call red string on where this passage goes. 467 00:30:57,160 --> 00:31:02,440 We can nerd out about it at some other time, but this right here, 468 00:31:05,800 --> 00:31:11,520 it's so easy for us for me to be distracted by the things, the 469 00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:15,680 good things in life. Get your eyes up and on. 470 00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:21,840 Jesus, your steps to follow him are important, but not as 471 00:31:21,840 --> 00:31:25,040 important as the finished work that he did. 472 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:29,440 So thought experiment for each of you. 473 00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:32,520 Imagine with me for a second your favorite pair of shoes. 474 00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:37,400 Go for it. Brand new, out-of-the-box, first 475 00:31:37,400 --> 00:31:40,040 time wearing them. Yes, much like I did the other 476 00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:43,480 day. These shoes are actually the 477 00:31:43,480 --> 00:31:48,120 life that God has given you. They are a gift. 478 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:53,840 They are not the gift. As we move to follow Jesus, 479 00:31:53,840 --> 00:31:56,920 there are going to be times that we look down and get so focused 480 00:31:56,920 --> 00:32:00,560 on our shoes that we forget to follow Him and it will lead us 481 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:04,480 to run into things. Sometimes it'll lead us in the 482 00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:08,560 wrong direction, and all the time it leads us closer to 483 00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:11,440 danger. Get your eyes off your feet, 484 00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:16,920 repent and follow him. Looking at my own life, there 485 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:22,560 are actually times that my shoes have actually gotten in the way 486 00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:25,040 of me taking another step to follow Jesus at all. 487 00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:33,240 In those times like me, you probably will need to rip them 488 00:32:33,240 --> 00:32:36,320 off and run after him with no shoes on. 489 00:32:38,320 --> 00:32:41,360 So I actually put idea or boots on that idea. 490 00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:45,120 These are some of the ways that my shoes have gotten in the way 491 00:32:45,120 --> 00:32:48,120 of me following Jesus. This list is in no way 492 00:32:48,120 --> 00:32:50,360 comprehensive, and it is left vague for a reason. 493 00:32:50,360 --> 00:32:55,200 I'd love to talk about it at some point, but I don't have the 494 00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:58,440 time to fully elaborate on all of them. 495 00:32:59,080 --> 00:33:03,280 So here we go. If our pursuit of joy and 496 00:33:03,280 --> 00:33:10,720 contentment in Jesus has turned into the pursuit of joy in spite 497 00:33:11,080 --> 00:33:16,680 of Jesus, take off your shoes, repent, and follow him. 498 00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:20,880 He is our reward, not the happy feelings of doing the easy 499 00:33:20,880 --> 00:33:26,320 things that he asks of us. If our theological worldview has 500 00:33:26,320 --> 00:33:30,160 caused us to resort to tribalism and caused us to treat others in 501 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:35,760 an unloving way, take off your shoes, repent and follow him. 502 00:33:36,640 --> 00:33:41,760 Theology did not create God, and in reality it's a stick figure 503 00:33:42,480 --> 00:33:48,760 drawing of who he actually is. If our social causes have 504 00:33:48,760 --> 00:33:52,480 prohibited us from extending the same grace and mercy that we 505 00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:58,480 have received in Christ to both our friend and our enemy, take 506 00:33:58,480 --> 00:34:01,080 off your shoes, repent, and follow him. 507 00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:05,840 In Jesus all things will be made new. 508 00:34:05,920 --> 00:34:08,800 Amen. And the Kingdom will be 509 00:34:08,800 --> 00:34:11,560 restored. These things are not going to 510 00:34:11,560 --> 00:34:13,800 happen because of us. They're going to happen because 511 00:34:13,800 --> 00:34:18,719 of him. I did debate on this last one, 512 00:34:18,719 --> 00:34:22,560 but I'm going to do it anyway. We're moving into another 513 00:34:22,560 --> 00:34:26,360 politically heavy year. Tensions are high already, which 514 00:34:26,360 --> 00:34:32,880 is fun if our political party causes us to see any other human 515 00:34:32,880 --> 00:34:38,719 being as anything less than the very image of God, no matter our 516 00:34:38,719 --> 00:34:41,840 disagreements on good things to disagree with. 517 00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:46,239 Take off your shoes, repent, and follow him. 518 00:34:47,719 --> 00:34:52,239 Remember that our politics, no matter how important, are not 519 00:34:52,239 --> 00:34:55,639 going to save us. But Jesus will, and he is 520 00:34:55,639 --> 00:34:59,960 returning someday to do it this week. 521 00:35:01,120 --> 00:35:04,000 My challenge to you is take some stock of your life, both 522 00:35:04,280 --> 00:35:11,520 internal and external. Follow your money and follow 523 00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:13,760 your things. Because a lot of times that will 524 00:35:13,760 --> 00:35:17,120 tell you where your heart is and whether your eyes are on your 525 00:35:17,120 --> 00:35:21,000 feet or not. Taking internal stock, I would 526 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:23,920 actually encourage you to get with your fighter group or 527 00:35:23,920 --> 00:35:27,200 community group, or even just with the Holy Spirit by 528 00:35:27,200 --> 00:35:30,360 yourself. That may look like getting away 529 00:35:30,680 --> 00:35:32,680 for some time and praying with an open journal. 530 00:35:34,240 --> 00:35:36,760 It may also look like asking your fighter group what they see 531 00:35:36,760 --> 00:35:40,200 you struggling with the most, what they see that may have 532 00:35:40,200 --> 00:35:45,480 climbed up on Jesus's throne, and then asking and praying 533 00:35:45,480 --> 00:35:47,560 together that God would dethrone it. 534 00:35:48,840 --> 00:35:51,480 Be gutsy for the Kingdom. It's worth it. 535 00:35:55,120 --> 00:35:58,400 Look at your life. Pray earnestly for the Holy 536 00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:01,840 Spirit to show you if there is anything sitting on Jesus's 537 00:36:01,840 --> 00:36:05,440 throne. If there is, and last 538 00:36:05,440 --> 00:36:09,120 encouragement is actually the same as before, dethrone it 539 00:36:09,320 --> 00:36:12,920 while there is time. Get your eyes off of your feet. 540 00:36:13,680 --> 00:36:18,840 Repent and follow him. Jesus, Thank you again for just 541 00:36:18,840 --> 00:36:21,280 the opportunity that you've given me to stand up here this 542 00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:25,840 morning for. Thank you more for your grace, 543 00:36:29,240 --> 00:36:32,360 Lord. In my life that is the one 544 00:36:32,360 --> 00:36:36,600 constant that has been there, and it is the only reason that I 545 00:36:36,600 --> 00:36:41,720 can stand here today. Whereas we go through this week. 546 00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:44,760 I pray that we would fall more deeply in love with you and that 547 00:36:44,760 --> 00:36:49,520 that would cause us to chase after you with everything that 548 00:36:49,520 --> 00:36:49,960 we have.