1 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:11,030 Turn this on. Grant gave his full endorsement 2 00:00:11,040 --> 00:00:15,090 for me to wear this the whole time, but I just, I told him I 3 00:00:15,100 --> 00:00:16,830 was like, I just I don't think I can do it. 4 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:20,090 I just you know, anyway, so but just needed to just needed to 5 00:00:20,100 --> 00:00:26,200 represent just needed to represent, right morning. 6 00:00:26,210 --> 00:00:28,080 My name is Justin. I serve as one of the pastors 7 00:00:28,090 --> 00:00:30,520 here at Court Rights and it is a privilege to be with you. 8 00:00:30,530 --> 00:00:32,420 As always. I just want to give a quick 9 00:00:32,430 --> 00:00:35,880 shout out before we before we go any further. 10 00:00:35,950 --> 00:00:42,090 Yesterday, in addition to a ball game, there were some people out 11 00:00:42,150 --> 00:00:47,260 at Bruce and Kathy Dunks Farm out in the country there getting 12 00:00:47,270 --> 00:00:57,350 out of the earth, something like 3400, 3800 lbs of potatoes. 13 00:00:57,640 --> 00:01:03,470 So yes, I just, I just want to give a shout out to people who 14 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:10,610 were working like no other in like the random 27° October 15 00:01:10,620 --> 00:01:13,010 heats. Yeah. 16 00:01:13,020 --> 00:01:17,030 So just a I'm, we're so thankful for this year's harvest and we 17 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:19,270 will continue to provide some updates in that way. 18 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:23,570 But just what a what a blessing that will be to the many mouths, 19 00:01:23,580 --> 00:01:25,790 the hundreds of mouths that that will go to feed. 20 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:29,580 So thank you Lord. Alright, so for those who 21 00:01:29,590 --> 00:01:34,110 haven't been around, we are working section by section into 22 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:35,730 the gossip through the Gospel of Luke. 23 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:38,570 And today we are starting Luke chapter 10. 24 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:41,870 Today's a longer reading. I'm giving you a warning now. 25 00:01:41,930 --> 00:01:45,900 And at first glance, some of these sections may not seem like 26 00:01:45,910 --> 00:01:51,790 they interconnect the way that some others do, but I actually 27 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:54,530 think we're going to see some fascinating connections as we go 28 00:01:54,540 --> 00:01:57,350 along here. So just hold with me as we go 29 00:01:57,360 --> 00:01:59,190 through. But just as a as a little bit of 30 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:03,190 a backdrop, last week Pastor Grant preached a very 31 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:08,530 challenging passage where Jesus not so gently encouraged his 32 00:02:08,539 --> 00:02:12,990 followers to go all in. He said that's not always gonna 33 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:17,320 be comfortable, that is going to disrupt our comfort zone, that 34 00:02:17,330 --> 00:02:20,690 it may involve sacrifice, that it may look differently than 35 00:02:20,700 --> 00:02:24,100 some of our pre supposed assumptions about what it takes 36 00:02:24,110 --> 00:02:28,640 to follow Jesus. But today, in this passage, we 37 00:02:28,650 --> 00:02:32,030 get to see a little bit of the payoff of that, the resulting 38 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:38,610 joy that comes from a life lived as a disciple for Jesus. 39 00:02:39,430 --> 00:02:45,020 Before we read, though, let me pray as you guide us, God by 40 00:02:45,030 --> 00:02:50,440 your word and by your spirits, that in your light we may see 41 00:02:50,450 --> 00:02:54,170 lights, that in your truth that we would find wisdom, and that 42 00:02:54,180 --> 00:02:59,250 in Your will discover your peace through Jesus. 43 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:01,930 Amen. Amen. 44 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:07,180 So this is Luke 10 starting at verse one. 45 00:03:09,190 --> 00:03:11,440 I'll try to follow it in both spots here. 46 00:03:11,450 --> 00:03:17,640 So after the lawyer, after the Lord, appointed 72 others and 47 00:03:17,650 --> 00:03:21,350 sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place 48 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:25,320 where he was about to go, He told them the harvest is 49 00:03:25,330 --> 00:03:28,300 plentiful, plentiful, but the workers are few. 50 00:03:28,530 --> 00:03:32,020 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to go to send out 51 00:03:32,150 --> 00:03:36,840 workers into his harvest field. Go. 52 00:03:37,450 --> 00:03:40,540 I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 53 00:03:40,610 --> 00:03:44,700 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals, and do not greet anyone 54 00:03:44,750 --> 00:03:50,250 on the road when you enter house. 55 00:03:50,300 --> 00:03:53,870 First say peace to this house. If someone who promotes peace is 56 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:56,110 there, your peace will rest on them. 57 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:59,730 If not, it will return to you. Stay there eating and drinking 58 00:03:59,740 --> 00:04:03,200 whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. 59 00:04:03,340 --> 00:04:07,130 Do not move around from house to house. 60 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:12,970 When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to 61 00:04:12,980 --> 00:04:16,029 you. Heal the sick who are there and 62 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:18,370 tell them the Kingdom of God has come near to you. 63 00:04:18,420 --> 00:04:22,570 But when you enter a town and and are not welcomed, go into 64 00:04:22,580 --> 00:04:27,230 the streets and say even the dust of your town we wipe from 65 00:04:27,300 --> 00:04:30,810 our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this. 66 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:33,370 The Kingdom of God has come near. 67 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:38,070 I tell you it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom 68 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:46,800 than for that town. Woe to you, Chorazin, Woe to 69 00:04:46,810 --> 00:04:50,660 you, Bethsaida, for if the miracles that were performed in 70 00:04:50,670 --> 00:04:53,340 you had been performed in Tyre inside, and they would have 71 00:04:53,350 --> 00:04:56,780 repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 72 00:04:58,790 --> 00:05:03,290 No, sorry, but it will be more bearable for Tyre inside and at 73 00:05:03,300 --> 00:05:06,500 the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be 74 00:05:06,510 --> 00:05:10,290 lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. 75 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:15,630 Whoever listens to me. So whoever listens to you 76 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:18,630 listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me, 77 00:05:18,700 --> 00:05:22,150 but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me. 78 00:05:23,130 --> 00:05:27,660 The 72 returned with joy and said, Lord, even the demons 79 00:05:27,710 --> 00:05:35,740 submit to us in your name, He replied, I saw Satan fall like 80 00:05:35,790 --> 00:05:39,020 lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to 81 00:05:39,030 --> 00:05:43,500 trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all of the power 82 00:05:43,510 --> 00:05:45,420 of the enemy. Nothing will harm you. 83 00:05:45,470 --> 00:05:48,580 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but 84 00:05:48,590 --> 00:05:52,070 rejoice that your names are written in heaven. 85 00:05:54,860 --> 00:05:57,910 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, I 86 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:01,110 praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you 87 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:03,970 have hidden these things from the wise and learned and 88 00:06:03,980 --> 00:06:05,370 revealed them to little children. 89 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:10,050 Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. 90 00:06:12,860 --> 00:06:15,740 All things have been committed to me by my Father. 91 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:18,520 No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one 92 00:06:18,530 --> 00:06:22,090 who knows who the Father is except the Son, and to those 93 00:06:22,100 --> 00:06:24,450 whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 94 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:27,520 Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, Blessed are 95 00:06:27,530 --> 00:06:30,850 the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many 96 00:06:30,860 --> 00:06:34,310 prophets and kings wanted to see what you see and did not see it, 97 00:06:34,940 --> 00:06:37,770 and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. 98 00:06:38,900 --> 00:06:45,410 This is the way of the Lord. There's something amazing about 99 00:06:45,420 --> 00:06:49,960 a plan coming together, you know, whether it's maybe 100 00:06:49,970 --> 00:06:52,660 something you've been preparing for for a long time and that 101 00:06:52,670 --> 00:06:54,240 thing just finally comes to fruition. 102 00:06:54,250 --> 00:06:57,680 Maybe like a a remote camping trip that required a lot of 103 00:06:57,750 --> 00:07:01,700 mapping and planning out or a cross country road trip or a 104 00:07:01,710 --> 00:07:04,420 business plan or whatever that looks like for you. 105 00:07:04,850 --> 00:07:08,020 For, for us, Lindsey and I, a few years ago, a number of years 106 00:07:08,030 --> 00:07:10,760 ago now, we planned a trip to New York City. 107 00:07:10,890 --> 00:07:13,020 Now, it wasn't like a romantic getaway or anything. 108 00:07:13,030 --> 00:07:17,020 It was more of a pilgrimage for my foster brother, who had 109 00:07:17,030 --> 00:07:21,540 partially grown up in Brooklyn. Now for me, as the primary 110 00:07:21,550 --> 00:07:25,300 driver of this trip, Lindsey did not want to drive in New York 111 00:07:25,310 --> 00:07:27,420 City. And I don't blame her. 112 00:07:27,570 --> 00:07:29,370 I was nervous but ready to do it. 113 00:07:29,470 --> 00:07:32,880 And also, we had a stick shift at the time, and I really, 114 00:07:32,890 --> 00:07:36,560 really did not want to do that, but I did it anyway. 115 00:07:36,610 --> 00:07:41,520 But what I did was leading up to the trip, I went on a Google 116 00:07:41,530 --> 00:07:45,690 Maps and I went outside of the city where we were on on route 117 00:07:45,700 --> 00:07:47,700 to where we're going. And I went down to Street View 118 00:07:47,770 --> 00:07:51,120 and I went down the route all the way through to the parking 119 00:07:51,130 --> 00:07:53,350 garage. Like I knew exactly where we 120 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:56,600 were going to the point where as I was driving, I maybe do this 121 00:07:56,610 --> 00:07:58,140 three or four times before we left. 122 00:07:58,210 --> 00:08:00,870 And as I'm driving, I'm like, oh, I've been here before. 123 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:03,120 This is great. I know, I know exactly where I'm 124 00:08:03,130 --> 00:08:05,840 going. And because this analogy is 125 00:08:05,850 --> 00:08:08,540 about plans coming together, I don't actually have anything 126 00:08:08,550 --> 00:08:10,420 dramatic to reports. I did it. 127 00:08:10,890 --> 00:08:14,760 I drove into the city and I, I parked my car and we left it 128 00:08:14,770 --> 00:08:16,840 there for five days and then we left. 129 00:08:17,530 --> 00:08:19,830 I'd nailed it. It's great. 130 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:23,490 Hopefully you have some stories like that too, where you just 131 00:08:23,500 --> 00:08:26,280 like you, you planned the thing and it went off without a hitch. 132 00:08:26,290 --> 00:08:28,870 It doesn't happen often for me, but it happened in this case. 133 00:08:30,850 --> 00:08:36,169 In Luke 10, we see Jesus's plans coming together all the way back 134 00:08:36,179 --> 00:08:39,590 in Luke 4, Jesus is announcing the kingdom's arrival. 135 00:08:39,659 --> 00:08:43,590 He is, He's announcing freedom for captives and healing for the 136 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:46,650 sick, for God's Kingdom to be made known on earth. 137 00:08:46,740 --> 00:08:50,050 And initially he starts this small movement, initially just 138 00:08:50,060 --> 00:08:52,070 with him. He's going around and he's 139 00:08:52,260 --> 00:08:55,410 healing people from evil spirits and from their illnesses. 140 00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:57,880 He's proclaiming the Kingdom. And then he picks up some 141 00:08:57,890 --> 00:09:01,540 disciples along the way. It starts with the 12. 142 00:09:01,790 --> 00:09:04,780 And then they travel together and they do and see lots of 143 00:09:04,790 --> 00:09:08,020 mighty works and they get glimmers of insight into who 144 00:09:08,030 --> 00:09:10,360 Jesus is. And then Jesus at the beginning 145 00:09:10,370 --> 00:09:15,140 of Luke Chapter 9, sends the 12 out on a mission very similar to 146 00:09:15,150 --> 00:09:19,140 what we see today in Luke 10, almost as a little bit of like a 147 00:09:19,150 --> 00:09:24,080 beta test, a trial run to see if these disciples who are of 148 00:09:24,130 --> 00:09:29,470 dubious skill can hack it and they stick the landing. 149 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:31,870 They do it. They have these, you know, weird 150 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:34,750 fits of competition afterward and the the infighting and the 151 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:36,960 judgment and the misunderstanding of Jesus and 152 00:09:36,970 --> 00:09:38,840 all the different things. But they're like they're doing 153 00:09:38,850 --> 00:09:40,050 the thing. It's happening. 154 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:43,970 But here we're in Luke 10 and Jesus is sending out not just 155 00:09:43,980 --> 00:09:48,470 12, but 72. The plan is starting to come 156 00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:51,030 together. The Kingdom, the good news of 157 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:56,250 Jesus Christ, the Messiah is being spread across the region. 158 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:00,090 Now you may notice depending on your translation, if you were 159 00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:03,660 reading from a certain translation, it may say not 72, 160 00:10:03,670 --> 00:10:08,700 it may say 70. The number is ultimately 161 00:10:08,710 --> 00:10:10,560 regardless of whether it is 72 or 70. 162 00:10:10,570 --> 00:10:12,780 I could get into lots of the reasons why, but I would bore 163 00:10:12,790 --> 00:10:16,740 you the numbers ultimately recalling back to the elders 164 00:10:16,810 --> 00:10:19,840 that Moses appointed all the way back independent Duke. 165 00:10:20,370 --> 00:10:24,940 If you read Numbers 11, you see Moses commissioning the 70 + 2 166 00:10:24,950 --> 00:10:26,880 more who stayed back at the camp. 167 00:10:27,450 --> 00:10:30,880 So 70 or 72 depending on how you count. 168 00:10:30,890 --> 00:10:33,800 And that's the way some of the scholars and interpreters have 169 00:10:33,810 --> 00:10:35,200 have understood this over the years. 170 00:10:35,270 --> 00:10:37,620 I just if that in case little things like that are ever like a 171 00:10:37,630 --> 00:10:39,180 stumbling block for you. I don't want that to be 172 00:10:39,190 --> 00:10:42,060 stumbling block for us to enter into this text. 173 00:10:43,170 --> 00:10:48,900 The point remains, however, that the mission is expanding 6 times 174 00:10:48,910 --> 00:10:51,790 the amount of people are being sent out on mission. 175 00:10:54,260 --> 00:10:56,780 This much larger group of disciples are going out in 176 00:10:56,790 --> 00:11:00,640 groups of two in in community, in solidarity to support one 177 00:11:00,650 --> 00:11:03,480 another, and they're gonna cover a lot of ground here. 178 00:11:03,830 --> 00:11:08,680 The good news of the Kingdom is spreading to the nations, and 179 00:11:08,690 --> 00:11:11,280 the speed is picking up. It's accelerating. 180 00:11:11,530 --> 00:11:15,270 This little ragtag group of disciples are growing. 181 00:11:16,530 --> 00:11:19,760 Now. Jesus's instructions for these 182 00:11:19,770 --> 00:11:23,180 disciples here are very similar to what you see in the in in 183 00:11:23,190 --> 00:11:26,400 Luke 9. You know, they're told to let me 184 00:11:26,410 --> 00:11:30,170 just see if I can find it here. Maybe it's not on this one. 185 00:11:30,180 --> 00:11:32,270 Sorry. They're told to pack lightly. 186 00:11:32,360 --> 00:11:35,510 They're told don't bring extras. Receive the hospitality that 187 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:37,830 people give you. They said, don't go looking for 188 00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:39,350 bigger and better places to stay. 189 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:40,850 Don't go where you're not welcome. 190 00:11:40,860 --> 00:11:43,150 Just move on. Proclaim peace. 191 00:11:43,160 --> 00:11:47,490 He says, Shalom to all who visit, Heal the sick. 192 00:11:47,540 --> 00:11:49,290 Eat what they put in front of you. 193 00:11:49,380 --> 00:11:53,250 This is a big one where they might not have been following 194 00:11:53,260 --> 00:11:56,390 all of the kosher dietary laws that Jews would have followed. 195 00:11:56,440 --> 00:11:58,040 And he says, just eat what's in front of you. 196 00:11:58,050 --> 00:12:01,300 So there's some peril in what he's asking them to do. 197 00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:05,750 He tells them not to greet anyone on the road, which is 198 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:09,010 kind of the one extra thing we see here in Luke 10 that feels a 199 00:12:09,020 --> 00:12:13,580 bit like what's happening here. It's not out of rudeness, but 200 00:12:13,590 --> 00:12:16,080 urgency. In this culture, if you greet 201 00:12:16,090 --> 00:12:18,940 someone on the road, you're staying with them for hours, 202 00:12:19,010 --> 00:12:20,920 right? So it's not just like, hey, how 203 00:12:20,930 --> 00:12:22,640 are you? It's not that kind of greeting. 204 00:12:22,690 --> 00:12:25,500 Greetings could take hours. And Jesus knows that the time is 205 00:12:25,510 --> 00:12:27,960 short. This mission cannot wait. 206 00:12:28,010 --> 00:12:33,880 Jesus has his eyes set toward Jerusalem and he wants them to 207 00:12:33,890 --> 00:12:37,770 be single minded in their urgency of this mission. 208 00:12:38,810 --> 00:12:42,480 And whether people receive or reject this message, I want you 209 00:12:42,490 --> 00:12:46,750 to notice something to the people who receive it, he says. 210 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:51,450 The Kingdom of God has come near to you and to the people who 211 00:12:51,460 --> 00:12:54,240 reject it. It's the same message, he says. 212 00:12:55,030 --> 00:13:00,860 The Kingdom of God has come near same message. 213 00:13:00,870 --> 00:13:03,540 Whether people receive or reject it is up to them. 214 00:13:05,510 --> 00:13:07,140 The Kingdom of God has come near. 215 00:13:08,150 --> 00:13:09,660 I wanna linger on that for just a second. 216 00:13:09,670 --> 00:13:12,750 That phrase. It's easy because we don't think 217 00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:15,620 in terms of kingdoms so much in our world today. 218 00:13:15,910 --> 00:13:18,630 We don't think about that. But I want to just think about 219 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:23,780 it as the Kingdom of God coming near means that the fullness of 220 00:13:23,790 --> 00:13:27,500 God's presence is being made manifest on earth. 221 00:13:27,910 --> 00:13:30,940 This is a message of hope for people who did not have hope. 222 00:13:31,190 --> 00:13:35,240 This is freedom from sin. This is relief for the 223 00:13:35,250 --> 00:13:39,040 imprisoned or the enslaved. This is healing for the sick, 224 00:13:39,050 --> 00:13:42,660 the injured, or the possessed. This is justice where there has 225 00:13:42,670 --> 00:13:46,200 been injustice. This is a writing of wrongs. 226 00:13:46,270 --> 00:13:50,520 This is God's peace reigning on earth. 227 00:13:52,260 --> 00:13:57,270 Jesus tells the 72 to proclaim peace to anyone who will receive 228 00:13:57,280 --> 00:13:57,590 it. Now. 229 00:13:57,600 --> 00:14:00,790 Peace here, peace that in the way that Jesus uses it is the 230 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:04,210 Greek word he reigned, which is the exact same word that you 231 00:14:04,220 --> 00:14:07,050 would use in Hebrew, the word Shalom. 232 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:11,170 The word Shalom, peace, wholeness, completeness. 233 00:14:11,460 --> 00:14:15,900 This is the message of the Kingdom, to proclaim it brings 234 00:14:15,910 --> 00:14:20,280 life and hope and peace. And yes, alongside that it 235 00:14:20,290 --> 00:14:24,500 brings a measure of justice and judgment and correction. 236 00:14:25,630 --> 00:14:30,960 Because when things are not at peace, when there is not Shalom, 237 00:14:31,050 --> 00:14:34,550 when there is not wholeness or fullness, that means there's 238 00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:36,490 something wrong. It means there's something 239 00:14:36,500 --> 00:14:42,290 missing. And so some villages receive 240 00:14:42,300 --> 00:14:44,490 this Shalom of the Kingdom of God and others do not. 241 00:14:44,580 --> 00:14:47,570 And the places that did not receive this message of the 242 00:14:47,580 --> 00:14:50,510 Kingdom of God are in a sense heaping judgment upon 243 00:14:50,520 --> 00:14:54,190 themselves. And Jesus compares. 244 00:14:54,290 --> 00:14:57,700 This is intense. So Jesus compares these cities, 245 00:14:57,710 --> 00:15:02,090 the cities that will not accept. He compares them to Sodom. 246 00:15:05,900 --> 00:15:08,430 Sodom was guilty of a lot of things. 247 00:15:08,900 --> 00:15:12,360 They were guilty of pride. They were guilty of apathy for 248 00:15:12,370 --> 00:15:14,870 the poor. They were and even threatening 249 00:15:14,910 --> 00:15:18,860 sexual violence toward messengers of God. 250 00:15:20,060 --> 00:15:25,030 This would have been a jarring and striking comparison, but in 251 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:29,370 many ways a fitting one. As Jesus sends these two 252 00:15:29,380 --> 00:15:31,570 messengers, there's again they're being sent two by two. 253 00:15:31,580 --> 00:15:34,980 There was 2 messengers that entered into Sodom, 2 angels of 254 00:15:34,990 --> 00:15:37,130 the Lord. And these two messengers of God 255 00:15:37,140 --> 00:15:39,190 are being sent into these various cities. 256 00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:44,690 And he says, if they do not accept you, their fates is like 257 00:15:44,700 --> 00:15:47,950 solemn. And if you reflect a little bit 258 00:15:47,960 --> 00:15:52,280 more on that, God in that scenario, in that story, is the 259 00:15:52,290 --> 00:15:55,100 one who ultimately enacts judgments and justice on those 260 00:15:55,110 --> 00:15:57,000 places. And so it's another reminder 261 00:15:57,090 --> 00:15:58,770 that when that doesn't happen, move on. 262 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:05,480 Judgment and justice is not for us to fully enact. 263 00:16:06,310 --> 00:16:09,580 Don't waste your precious energy on trying to convince those who 264 00:16:09,590 --> 00:16:14,950 see who seek to do you harm. Now Jesus's most sharp critiques 265 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:18,100 here and right here is one of those woes, which is again, not 266 00:16:18,110 --> 00:16:20,650 really language we use, but it's it's kind of fun to say 267 00:16:20,660 --> 00:16:26,170 sometimes woe to you are those who have heard this message. 268 00:16:26,180 --> 00:16:29,410 So and he uses, he says, Chorazin, Bethsaida and 269 00:16:29,420 --> 00:16:31,710 Capernaum. And they've heard the message 270 00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:35,500 and rejected it. They have seen with their very 271 00:16:35,510 --> 00:16:42,850 eyes what God is doing and yet they refuse life in this 272 00:16:42,860 --> 00:16:45,490 Kingdom. Jesus says that the Gentile 273 00:16:45,500 --> 00:16:48,210 village, villages that have never heard this message before, 274 00:16:48,260 --> 00:16:52,600 that they would be better off. They will be better off then 275 00:16:53,330 --> 00:16:55,540 these cities that have heard but rejected. 276 00:16:56,930 --> 00:16:59,420 And honestly, that's a mirror for us. 277 00:17:01,780 --> 00:17:04,930 We too have seen God's goodness and faithfulness. 278 00:17:04,940 --> 00:17:07,960 We have been recipients of God's generous generosity and 279 00:17:07,970 --> 00:17:11,060 blessing. We've known the beauty of 280 00:17:11,150 --> 00:17:13,530 Christian community, and perhaps some of us have even known the 281 00:17:13,540 --> 00:17:17,460 beauty of healing. And we still turn away at times. 282 00:17:18,910 --> 00:17:23,589 This call is to keep turning back toward the life that we 283 00:17:23,599 --> 00:17:28,850 know is good for us in Christ. And perhaps the sharpest 284 00:17:28,860 --> 00:17:32,060 judgment here is that Jesus says that these villages reject the 285 00:17:32,070 --> 00:17:34,220 disciples. They are rejecting Jesus, and 286 00:17:34,230 --> 00:17:36,950 therefore they are rejecting God. 287 00:17:37,020 --> 00:17:39,310 Jesus wants the people to that. He wants people to know this 288 00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:42,030 incredible gift. He wants them to experience the 289 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:46,790 the joy of the Kingdom. But he's not going to force or 290 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:49,890 coerce it. But they need to know that they 291 00:17:49,900 --> 00:17:54,600 are rejecting the very God that they claim to follow. 292 00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:02,520 So when the 72 return, they've gone and they've done the thing. 293 00:18:02,650 --> 00:18:07,840 They're bursting with joy. They're bursting with joy, says 294 00:18:07,850 --> 00:18:14,460 they returned with joy and they say, Lord, even the demons 295 00:18:14,530 --> 00:18:16,580 submitted. I want you notice that even the 296 00:18:16,590 --> 00:18:19,440 demons. So Jesus didn't even talk about 297 00:18:19,450 --> 00:18:21,080 demons. He didn't even mention that he's 298 00:18:21,090 --> 00:18:23,880 like, he's like, go heal the sick, go proclaim peace, go 299 00:18:23,890 --> 00:18:25,340 proclaim the Kingdom, do all this. 300 00:18:25,510 --> 00:18:30,540 And they're like, we did all of that plus this. 301 00:18:30,610 --> 00:18:32,520 It's amazing. So like, that's why they're so 302 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:36,820 overwhelmed with what God did through this mission. 303 00:18:38,260 --> 00:18:42,690 Their joy tells us that they did the thing, that God showed up in 304 00:18:42,700 --> 00:18:47,240 a profound way. And it's in light of their 305 00:18:47,250 --> 00:18:51,160 success that we can make a little bit better sense of what 306 00:18:51,170 --> 00:18:54,820 Jesus says here. Because if you're anything like 307 00:18:54,830 --> 00:18:59,440 me, when you read this, you're like what? 308 00:19:01,410 --> 00:19:05,770 He replied. I saw Satan fall like heaven. 309 00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:09,970 Well, out of context, yeah, it's it seems kind of weird. 310 00:19:09,980 --> 00:19:12,690 It seems a little random, but what he's describing here, what 311 00:19:12,700 --> 00:19:17,210 Jesus is saying, he's not describing a past description of 312 00:19:17,280 --> 00:19:21,170 Satan's fall, which you can read about if you read in Ezekiel and 313 00:19:21,180 --> 00:19:24,520 Isaiah. And he's not just describing 314 00:19:24,530 --> 00:19:28,280 like a future eschatological reality that you read about in 315 00:19:28,290 --> 00:19:31,730 the Book of Revelation at the end of the Scriptures, but he's 316 00:19:31,740 --> 00:19:36,670 talking about a current reality of what is happening in the wake 317 00:19:36,680 --> 00:19:40,630 of the great success of these missionaries going out and doing 318 00:19:40,640 --> 00:19:44,230 the thing. Darkness is being pushed back, 319 00:19:44,570 --> 00:19:49,600 light is breaking through, evil is being trampled on. 320 00:19:49,610 --> 00:19:52,130 Scorpions and snakes. That's a little bit of a 321 00:19:52,140 --> 00:19:55,850 metaphor going back to going back to Moses, where Moses tells 322 00:19:55,860 --> 00:19:59,620 the people that they are able to overcome even the scorpions and 323 00:19:59,630 --> 00:20:01,550 snakes. It says that they can be 324 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:04,650 trampled upon. Evil is being trampled upon. 325 00:20:07,050 --> 00:20:09,560 Snakes here are also probably referenced back to Genesis 326 00:20:09,570 --> 00:20:14,720 chapter 3 where you describes this, this image of the serpent 327 00:20:14,770 --> 00:20:18,920 and the serpent being trampled on by the by the seed of Eve. 328 00:20:20,740 --> 00:20:23,930 Light is breaking through, Evil is being trampled upon. 329 00:20:23,940 --> 00:20:28,170 The power and goodness of the Kingdom is prevailing. 330 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:33,430 Something cosmic, something behind the veil is taking place 331 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:36,670 here. But Jesus warns them, don't 332 00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:41,370 become too enamored. So he says this, do not rejoice 333 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:48,710 that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are 334 00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:54,980 written in heaven. Rejoice because you know and are 335 00:20:54,990 --> 00:20:58,020 known by the God of the universe. 336 00:20:58,030 --> 00:21:01,310 He says make the first things. The first things makes the most 337 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:03,890 important things the thing that you focus on. 338 00:21:03,940 --> 00:21:06,360 Don't focus on the signs. Those are good, those are 339 00:21:06,370 --> 00:21:10,360 beautiful, those are great. Focus on the fact that you are 340 00:21:10,370 --> 00:21:14,810 known by the God of heaven. That's a good reminder. 341 00:21:18,620 --> 00:21:22,810 And then Jesus himself rejoices. He's full of joy through the 342 00:21:22,820 --> 00:21:24,770 spirits. The word that's used there is 343 00:21:24,780 --> 00:21:26,850 different than the disciples rejoicing. 344 00:21:27,220 --> 00:21:30,910 It's this exuberance. I love to think of Jesus that 345 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:33,730 way. He praises God the Father that 346 00:21:33,790 --> 00:21:37,430 the Kingdom is being revealed through unlikely sources, 347 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:42,310 unlikely scenarios, unlikely people, children, outsiders, 348 00:21:42,500 --> 00:21:48,180 uneducated, uncouth people. Those that the world overlooks 349 00:21:48,330 --> 00:21:51,620 are often the ones that God uses. 350 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:58,170 This is grace. Faith is not about intellect or 351 00:21:58,180 --> 00:22:02,320 credentials. It's about an openness to the 352 00:22:02,330 --> 00:22:07,120 things of God. If you're anything like me, at 353 00:22:07,130 --> 00:22:12,780 times I can OK, this is this might feel like a bit of a 354 00:22:12,820 --> 00:22:15,800 dichotomy because you, if you've known me for a length of time, 355 00:22:15,810 --> 00:22:18,280 I'm a I'm a guy who tends to wear my heart on my sleeve a 356 00:22:18,290 --> 00:22:22,050 little bit. I can be emotional, but when it 357 00:22:22,060 --> 00:22:25,590 comes to like theology, I can get very in my head. 358 00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:29,370 I can get very cerebral. Maybe you are that way as well 359 00:22:29,380 --> 00:22:31,650 that you start thinking about, well, what about this 360 00:22:31,660 --> 00:22:33,720 contradiction? What about these different 361 00:22:33,730 --> 00:22:35,890 things happening here? What about all of these 362 00:22:35,900 --> 00:22:39,190 challenges that we face when we look at this concept in 363 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:41,580 Scripture, right? How many of you are a little bit 364 00:22:41,590 --> 00:22:43,410 more like that? Yeah. 365 00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:45,850 Like there's, there's probably a lot of you that and whether 366 00:22:45,860 --> 00:22:47,470 you're willing to raise your hand or not, that's OK. 367 00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:52,120 You don't have to. There is a challenge for those 368 00:22:52,130 --> 00:22:53,620 of us that are like that sometimes, though. 369 00:22:54,410 --> 00:23:00,110 There's a challenge for us where we can sometimes miss the awe 370 00:23:00,120 --> 00:23:04,600 and wonder factor if we only live in our heads. 371 00:23:06,970 --> 00:23:10,080 William, William Barclay, he puts it like this. 372 00:23:10,210 --> 00:23:17,370 He says Christianity does not mean knowing about Christ, but 373 00:23:17,380 --> 00:23:23,730 knowing Christ, and to do that requires not earthly wisdom, but 374 00:23:23,740 --> 00:23:36,600 heavenly grace that preached to me this week, the childlike 375 00:23:36,610 --> 00:23:40,460 faith, one that experiences all and wonder, one that rejoices in 376 00:23:40,470 --> 00:23:44,560 God's Kingdom coming, one who trusts and follows the words of 377 00:23:44,570 --> 00:23:49,100 Jesus. They truly know and are known by 378 00:23:49,150 --> 00:23:52,600 Christ. And then at the end here, Jesus 379 00:23:52,670 --> 00:23:54,610 pulls the disciples aside. We're not sure. 380 00:23:54,620 --> 00:23:57,480 It doesn't say whether it's the 12 or all 72. 381 00:23:57,580 --> 00:23:59,930 It's a little bit doesn't say. So we're not sure. 382 00:23:59,940 --> 00:24:04,680 But he pulls the disciples aside and he tells them how blessed it 383 00:24:04,690 --> 00:24:10,340 is that they are seeing what the prophets and the King's longed 384 00:24:10,410 --> 00:24:12,870 to see for centuries in centuries. 385 00:24:12,940 --> 00:24:17,390 They longed for the moment that is happening right now. 386 00:24:17,400 --> 00:24:22,200 For them, the Kingdom breaking in God is doing something new 387 00:24:22,210 --> 00:24:28,960 before their very eyes. So there are three connected 388 00:24:28,970 --> 00:24:32,190 ideas that I want us to see from this passage. 389 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:35,370 Firstly, that the in the Kingdom of God there is joy. 390 00:24:35,950 --> 00:24:37,240 We've already talked with that a little bit. 391 00:24:40,590 --> 00:24:45,700 Secondly, that this joy is rooted in knowing and being 392 00:24:45,710 --> 00:24:55,180 known by God, by Jesus, and that as we are known and as we know, 393 00:24:55,250 --> 00:25:00,540 we as disciples of Jesus gather and are sent out and then 394 00:25:00,550 --> 00:25:03,880 gathered and sent out again. There's a rhythm to what is 395 00:25:03,890 --> 00:25:06,930 happening here, so I want you to see the movement that's 396 00:25:06,940 --> 00:25:09,190 happening with this. So in the Kingdom there is joy. 397 00:25:09,260 --> 00:25:15,270 There is joy in hard things. For the 72 disciples, there is 398 00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:18,760 joy as they get sent out of their comfort zones. 399 00:25:19,450 --> 00:25:22,620 Think back to last week, the end of Luke Chapter 9, where Jesus 400 00:25:22,630 --> 00:25:27,200 is calling people to be all in, to lean in, to get 401 00:25:27,210 --> 00:25:31,040 uncomfortable. This here in Luke 10 is what it 402 00:25:31,050 --> 00:25:36,040 means to be all in and to not pursue comfort above all else. 403 00:25:36,050 --> 00:25:39,680 And for the disciples who live this out, there is this immense 404 00:25:39,690 --> 00:25:43,310 joy. They get to see God at work. 405 00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:44,930 They get to see the Kingdom at hand. 406 00:25:45,020 --> 00:25:51,320 They get to see Jesus. It's good to know that there is 407 00:25:51,330 --> 00:25:56,520 joy and celebration on the other side of being all in. 408 00:25:57,880 --> 00:26:03,130 We can be assured that it is worth it as we participate in 409 00:26:03,140 --> 00:26:08,670 the life of the Kingdom, in the life of the body of Christ, as 410 00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:12,010 we help others experience freedom. 411 00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:14,510 We can be a light in people's darkness. 412 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:19,150 We can feed the hungry as we care for the least of these, as 413 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:21,350 we enter into one another's lives. 414 00:26:21,360 --> 00:26:23,830 To be there for one another, to support one another, to 415 00:26:23,840 --> 00:26:25,660 challenge one another when needed. 416 00:26:26,360 --> 00:26:30,750 As we give of ourselves, as we work toward a posture of 417 00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:34,430 generosity. As we love one another and love 418 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:39,110 our neighbors and even love those who would speak out 419 00:26:39,120 --> 00:26:42,560 against us or curse us, there is joy in that. 420 00:26:43,710 --> 00:26:47,650 And even though it costs a lot, it was worth it. 421 00:26:48,690 --> 00:26:50,880 That's what we're seeing with what's happening with these 422 00:26:50,890 --> 00:26:55,290 disciples. But Jesus reminds us, as I said 423 00:26:55,300 --> 00:27:00,310 earlier, he don't get enamored with what you can do for the 424 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:04,860 Kingdom. Rejoice that you belong to the 425 00:27:04,870 --> 00:27:07,930 King. Don't get enamored with what you 426 00:27:07,940 --> 00:27:12,270 can do for the Kingdom. Rejoice that you belong to the 427 00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:16,140 King, knowing and being known by Jesus. 428 00:27:16,450 --> 00:27:18,570 This is what it means when we talk about our mission statement 429 00:27:18,580 --> 00:27:25,140 of being rooted in Jesus. This is to know and be known. 430 00:27:26,770 --> 00:27:29,220 Paul says these words in Philippians. 431 00:27:29,510 --> 00:27:33,900 He says I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing 432 00:27:33,910 --> 00:27:41,580 worth of knowing Christ, knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose 433 00:27:41,590 --> 00:27:45,710 sake I have lost. So he's lost a whole lot of 434 00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:48,820 things. He's lost so, so much, and yet 435 00:27:48,830 --> 00:27:51,620 he finds it, this joyful experience. 436 00:27:51,970 --> 00:27:56,760 I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in 437 00:27:56,770 --> 00:28:00,060 him. I want to know Christ, yes. 438 00:28:00,150 --> 00:28:01,640 I'm just going to underline all those. 439 00:28:01,650 --> 00:28:04,940 I want to know Christ, yes, To know the power of His 440 00:28:04,950 --> 00:28:08,080 resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like 441 00:28:08,090 --> 00:28:12,600 Him in His death, and so somehow attaining to the resurrection 442 00:28:12,610 --> 00:28:16,420 from the dead. And we're gonna get to you in a 443 00:28:16,430 --> 00:28:20,040 moment. Experience that as well as we 444 00:28:20,350 --> 00:28:25,380 partake in communion, knowing and being known by Jesus. 445 00:28:25,390 --> 00:28:29,230 This is what roots us. We are not simply workers in the 446 00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:33,250 harvest. We are beloved children whose 447 00:28:33,260 --> 00:28:40,040 names are written in heaven. And as we gather each week, we 448 00:28:40,050 --> 00:28:43,300 remember this. We are gathered by Grace and we 449 00:28:43,310 --> 00:28:46,930 are sent out with purpose. And that's the one final piece. 450 00:28:46,940 --> 00:28:51,090 I wanna draw our attention to this rhythm of gathering and 451 00:28:51,100 --> 00:28:55,300 sending. So the 72, they spend time with 452 00:28:55,310 --> 00:28:57,400 Jesus beforehand. Jesus gives them the pep rally, 453 00:28:57,410 --> 00:28:58,760 he says, Here's your marching orders. 454 00:28:58,770 --> 00:29:01,410 Here's what I want you to know before you go out. 455 00:29:02,850 --> 00:29:06,170 And they receive encouragements and instruction, and then they 456 00:29:06,180 --> 00:29:09,520 are sent out to live it out. And then they come back and they 457 00:29:09,530 --> 00:29:13,300 regroup and they unpack their successes and their failures and 458 00:29:13,310 --> 00:29:18,000 they spend more time with Jesus. This is a mirror for our lives 459 00:29:18,010 --> 00:29:24,030 and both as individuals and as the body of Christ, that there 460 00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:28,890 are micro rhythms and macro rhythms, big scale rhythms of 461 00:29:28,900 --> 00:29:33,570 being with Jesus and being sent out by Jesus. 462 00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:36,510 The micro rhythms are these little daily moments like you 463 00:29:36,520 --> 00:29:40,150 see Jesus do throughout the Scriptures where Jesus withdraws 464 00:29:41,900 --> 00:29:47,670 to be still, to listen, to pray for many of us to be, to read 465 00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:51,640 the scriptures, to just sit and listen to God. 466 00:29:53,110 --> 00:29:57,460 And then we allow Jesus to Commission us out to our day. 467 00:29:57,470 --> 00:30:01,240 Or maybe if you are someone who does that more at night to kind 468 00:30:01,250 --> 00:30:03,920 of decommission us out of our day and into the next. 469 00:30:06,700 --> 00:30:10,030 Then there's this macro rhythm of the gathered church, that we 470 00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:13,510 are a gathered people. We gather and we worship and we 471 00:30:13,520 --> 00:30:18,110 sing and we learn and we grow and we are with one another. 472 00:30:18,420 --> 00:30:20,870 And then what do we do at the benediction? 473 00:30:20,880 --> 00:30:24,930 We send people out. You are sent out into your 474 00:30:25,790 --> 00:30:30,240 lives. This weekly rhythm is so crucial 475 00:30:30,290 --> 00:30:34,720 for our souls. You know, I have lots of pastor 476 00:30:34,730 --> 00:30:39,860 friends who have done like kind of experimental church plants. 477 00:30:39,970 --> 00:30:44,140 And often what happens is they start to say we're only going to 478 00:30:44,150 --> 00:30:46,000 gather as a church once per month. 479 00:30:46,350 --> 00:30:49,280 And I, and I don't say this to like deride them. 480 00:30:49,290 --> 00:30:52,340 I think I love many friends that I love and cherish deeply. 481 00:30:52,350 --> 00:30:55,030 But often what they do is they say we're going to gather as, 482 00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:57,000 as, as, as a church community once per month. 483 00:30:57,010 --> 00:30:58,690 And then we're going to do little things throughout the 484 00:30:59,980 --> 00:31:06,100 almost every time what I see happen is a year or two goes by 485 00:31:06,110 --> 00:31:08,620 and like actually people want to gather every single week. 486 00:31:08,690 --> 00:31:11,130 It's like there's something about that. 487 00:31:11,290 --> 00:31:15,460 There's something amazing about the the rhythm of our weak and 488 00:31:15,470 --> 00:31:19,300 then gathering again to be together as the body of Christ 489 00:31:19,350 --> 00:31:20,780 and the methods are going to look different. 490 00:31:20,790 --> 00:31:23,000 The ways in which people do it is going to look very different. 491 00:31:23,050 --> 00:31:25,020 Sometimes it's in a house church, sometimes, sometimes 492 00:31:25,030 --> 00:31:27,260 it's in a small group, whatever that looks like. 493 00:31:27,310 --> 00:31:32,250 But there is something about the weekly rhythm of gathering. 494 00:31:34,290 --> 00:31:39,740 At the centre of this rhythm of gathering and sending is the 495 00:31:39,750 --> 00:31:43,110 communion table, which we will celebrate in a moment. 496 00:31:44,120 --> 00:31:48,410 Communion is in some ways this rhythm in a tangible form. 497 00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:55,930 We gather around Christ's table, receiving the bread and the cup, 498 00:31:55,970 --> 00:32:01,190 Jesus body and blood, and we're reminded that we are known and 499 00:32:01,200 --> 00:32:05,430 loved and then nourished and filled with joy. 500 00:32:05,440 --> 00:32:09,050 We are sent out again into our homes, into our workplaces, our 501 00:32:09,060 --> 00:32:13,720 neighborhoods, to proclaim the Kingdom of God has come near. 502 00:32:15,740 --> 00:32:23,670 So with joy we gather and we go. We are known and we make him 503 00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:27,710 known. This is the rhythm of the 504 00:32:27,720 --> 00:32:34,170 Kingdom of God. Let me pray for us, God. 505 00:32:34,180 --> 00:32:40,360 Thank you for these 72 disciples who went before us to reveal the 506 00:32:40,370 --> 00:32:45,190 coming of your Kingdom. Thank you that as the Kingdom 507 00:32:45,200 --> 00:32:50,710 continues to break in, you are pushing back the darkness in us, 508 00:32:51,600 --> 00:32:57,050 in our world. God, would you fill us with joy 509 00:32:57,870 --> 00:33:01,380 as we continue to see you at work, but more importantly, as 510 00:33:01,390 --> 00:33:08,250 we know, as we are known fully and deeply by you and by your 511 00:33:08,260 --> 00:33:11,210 Spirit, would you continue to gather us together as we are 512 00:33:11,220 --> 00:33:14,170 sent out each week? Amen. 513 00:33:15,230 --> 00:33:15,560 Amen.