1 00:00:00,620 --> 00:00:03,270 Hey, friend, welcome to another episode of the podcast, whether 2 00:00:03,280 --> 00:00:06,130 you are watching us as we were sitting here recording this with 3 00:00:06,140 --> 00:00:09,370 coffees and Bibles and other things in hand got work, work 4 00:00:09,380 --> 00:00:12,770 like work. So grateful to be able to do 5 00:00:12,780 --> 00:00:17,930 this and it almost started praying there and I'm just like, 6 00:00:17,940 --> 00:00:19,870 it's I love. I just love that we're 7 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:21,460 appropriate. I know, I know, I just love that 8 00:00:21,470 --> 00:00:24,190 we're able to do this and have conversations that we really 9 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:27,190 hope and pray are are helping you have conversations. 10 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:32,200 So, you know, admit 100% like podcasting feels like very much 11 00:00:32,290 --> 00:00:38,620 1 directional and it, it's not intended to be that, right? 12 00:00:38,630 --> 00:00:40,190 Like we're having a conversation. 13 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:42,820 We know that you're listening to this and maybe you listen to it 14 00:00:42,830 --> 00:00:45,770 with a, a small group of people. Maybe you listen to it ahead of 15 00:00:45,780 --> 00:00:48,070 conversations and then have conversations with a small 16 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:50,900 group. But also we know that people are 17 00:00:50,910 --> 00:00:55,490 listening on your commutes and as you are doing various things 18 00:00:55,500 --> 00:00:57,890 day-to-day. So here's the challenge for you. 19 00:00:57,940 --> 00:01:01,130 Don't let this end here with just listening. 20 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:05,010 Allow this to challenge you to have conversations. 21 00:01:05,019 --> 00:01:07,070 And I would put it this way this week because we're talking about 22 00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:10,770 prayer conversations with someone else, another human 23 00:01:10,780 --> 00:01:14,330 being in conversations with God. So try to have two other 24 00:01:14,340 --> 00:01:16,910 conversations about some of this stuff this week. 25 00:01:16,960 --> 00:01:21,810 And the other layer is that we, you know, your sermon this past 26 00:01:21,820 --> 00:01:24,950 Sunday clearly sparked something because there has been 27 00:01:24,960 --> 00:01:29,030 conversation happening. When I opened up my questions at 28 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:31,670 courtrightchurch.org inbox, there was a couple questions 29 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:34,040 there, three questions there that were like significant 30 00:01:34,050 --> 00:01:37,010 questions that are like. And so that's another layer of 31 00:01:37,020 --> 00:01:40,780 this conversation is that, you know, if you are like, hey, I 32 00:01:40,790 --> 00:01:44,980 don't agree with you on this or this feels weird to me, like 33 00:01:45,030 --> 00:01:47,380 being able to name that and and dialogue about. 34 00:01:47,390 --> 00:01:50,440 It so. So I think sometimes I think 35 00:01:50,450 --> 00:01:53,400 sometimes people assume that pastors exaggerate their 36 00:01:53,410 --> 00:01:55,210 stories, especially on opening points. 37 00:01:55,220 --> 00:01:58,240 So for the last two weeks, I have said that this like the 38 00:01:58,250 --> 00:02:00,720 topic of prayer. I get more questions on prayer 39 00:02:00,730 --> 00:02:04,470 than I get about anything else. And I think some people would 40 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:06,840 hear that be like, yeah, you're just saying that maybe you get a 41 00:02:06,850 --> 00:02:08,960 lot of questions. But do you know, Yeah, is it 42 00:02:08,970 --> 00:02:11,320 really actually more than everything else? 43 00:02:11,390 --> 00:02:16,080 And I just, I think it's it's perfectly fitting that that's 44 00:02:16,090 --> 00:02:18,680 not this in this case, that is not an exaggeration. 45 00:02:18,830 --> 00:02:22,000 And and we got, you know, we've we've received a lot of 46 00:02:22,010 --> 00:02:23,520 questions. So thanks for sending in your 47 00:02:23,530 --> 00:02:25,640 questions this week. We love that we have a starting 48 00:02:25,650 --> 00:02:28,200 place that we already know you're thinking of. 49 00:02:28,630 --> 00:02:29,820 So we're going to hop into those. 50 00:02:29,830 --> 00:02:36,600 But Luke 18, the parable of of these two, these two guys who 51 00:02:36,610 --> 00:02:39,610 are praying really it's, you know, it's a parable light, I 52 00:02:39,620 --> 00:02:42,230 would call it. But it is a story about two 53 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:45,330 people who are praying very different prayers in very 54 00:02:45,340 --> 00:02:47,970 different ways. And the challenge is to think 55 00:02:47,980 --> 00:02:51,130 about the way you pray and for us to think about the way like 56 00:02:51,140 --> 00:02:54,670 for me to think about the way I. Pray and in in both of these 57 00:02:54,900 --> 00:03:01,270 past two passages on prayer there like the, the section 58 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:07,520 starts off with like Jesus, Jesus kind of sharing the point 59 00:03:07,530 --> 00:03:09,720 of why he's about to share these, these stories about 60 00:03:09,730 --> 00:03:11,860 prayer, right? Like, so it's like the first one 61 00:03:11,870 --> 00:03:13,970 Jesus told the tables of parable to show them they should, they 62 00:03:13,980 --> 00:03:16,360 should always pray and not lose heart, not give up. 63 00:03:16,470 --> 00:03:20,600 And then for this one, to some who were confident of their own 64 00:03:20,610 --> 00:03:23,290 righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this 65 00:03:23,300 --> 00:03:27,740 parable like, so, so like we get the framing for exactly why 66 00:03:27,750 --> 00:03:30,430 Jesus is, is sharing these parables right off the get go, 67 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:31,920 which is kind of interesting. Yeah. 68 00:03:31,930 --> 00:03:33,960 And so I think it's helpful to know, and we're reading from 69 00:03:33,970 --> 00:03:37,440 different versions here, but I really like the way this 70 00:03:37,450 --> 00:03:42,220 translation opens the parable. So he also told this parable to 71 00:03:42,230 --> 00:03:46,520 some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous. 72 00:03:46,830 --> 00:03:50,020 So I think that there's, you know, I read this version and I 73 00:03:50,030 --> 00:03:52,120 go, wait a second, we're not supposed to trust that we're 74 00:03:52,130 --> 00:03:54,260 righteous. Hold on, right. 75 00:03:54,270 --> 00:03:57,380 Am I supposed to question my, like, salvation until the day I 76 00:03:57,390 --> 00:03:58,770 die? Like, am I supposed to die with 77 00:03:58,780 --> 00:04:02,820 the fear of God, like literally shaking in my boots of, you 78 00:04:02,830 --> 00:04:04,480 know, how this thing is going to turn out? 79 00:04:04,650 --> 00:04:08,680 And then I read this translation, I go, oh, OK, uh, 80 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:12,130 to some who trusted in themselves that they were 81 00:04:12,140 --> 00:04:15,230 righteous. And so it, it just gives a 82 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:17,990 little bit different of a nuance that Jesus is really speaking 83 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:23,910 here to people who have chosen to trust in themselves to do 84 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:27,210 what only God can do. So right standing with God and 85 00:04:27,220 --> 00:04:31,380 ultimately right standing with others with people can, I 86 00:04:31,390 --> 00:04:35,170 believe only come via right standing with God. 87 00:04:35,180 --> 00:04:39,090 And that is given that is a gift, it is imparted. 88 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:40,600 It is not something that we earn. 89 00:04:40,700 --> 00:04:42,850 It is something that causes us to work. 90 00:04:42,860 --> 00:04:46,150 For sure it is hard. But this is, you know, what we 91 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:51,180 talk about is the righteousness of Christ that is earned by the 92 00:04:51,190 --> 00:04:54,970 life and actions, death and resurrection of Christ being 93 00:04:54,980 --> 00:05:00,530 given to the believer. So then the response is how odd. 94 00:05:00,540 --> 00:05:04,610 I live my life in response to what what Jesus has given to me, 95 00:05:04,620 --> 00:05:07,120 what God has given to me. And I think so many of us get 96 00:05:07,130 --> 00:05:10,140 this, get this twisted. And I don't mean that in like a 97 00:05:10,150 --> 00:05:13,420 mean way. I just think that it can be bent 98 00:05:13,470 --> 00:05:20,680 so even subtly that we go, yeah, but I know that people don't 99 00:05:20,690 --> 00:05:22,280 treat me that way. Hmm. 100 00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:25,440 So what do I need to do? That sounds too good to be true. 101 00:05:25,770 --> 00:05:28,940 Like, what do I need to, what do I really need to do to earn this 102 00:05:28,950 --> 00:05:30,300 thing? And. 103 00:05:30,430 --> 00:05:31,940 And so that's how this guy's praying, right? 104 00:05:31,950 --> 00:05:36,980 And so then we get a whole lot of messiness in these two 105 00:05:36,990 --> 00:05:39,380 prayers and some really good questions. 106 00:05:39,470 --> 00:05:43,130 So just to sort of recap, so these two men when they go to 107 00:05:43,140 --> 00:05:46,160 the temple, right, which is I think noteworthy, especially 108 00:05:46,170 --> 00:05:50,010 with the, the proximity for, for a couple of these, for the, for 109 00:05:50,020 --> 00:05:52,910 the ways in which they position themselves in the temple. 110 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:57,210 And, and so the, the Pharisee kind of praise is fairly like 111 00:05:57,220 --> 00:06:00,030 arrogant prayer, which you argue is almost not a prayer. 112 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:03,470 Like it's, it's more just like, I'm just talking to myself, you 113 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:08,150 know, and then this tax collector who stood at a 114 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:11,510 distance, he could not even look up to heaven, but beat his 115 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:15,050 breast and said, God have mercy on me, a Sinner. 116 00:06:15,220 --> 00:06:20,700 So the first question that they came up was, how do we square 117 00:06:20,710 --> 00:06:25,770 the humility of the tax collector standing far off with 118 00:06:25,780 --> 00:06:29,540 the command of God that we see in Scripture to approach the 119 00:06:29,550 --> 00:06:31,950 throne of grace with boldness. So we see that in Scripture that 120 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:35,510 like, hey, like we can, we can ask God bold things. 121 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:39,200 We can come before God and and, you know, not, not demand of 122 00:06:39,210 --> 00:06:42,780 God, but that we can approach God with a sense of, of 123 00:06:42,790 --> 00:06:47,020 confidence, right. And and so the the writer of 124 00:06:47,030 --> 00:06:49,300 this question appreciates that parables and sermons can't cover 125 00:06:49,310 --> 00:06:51,540 everything, which is that's yeah, absolutely. 126 00:06:51,850 --> 00:06:55,300 But it's, it's a it's a worthwhile conversation around 127 00:06:55,310 --> 00:06:59,820 like, OK, humility. Was the tax collector being 128 00:06:59,830 --> 00:07:03,340 humble or something else? Yeah, let's talk about. 129 00:07:03,350 --> 00:07:07,820 It yeah, I don't think that the tax collector is on the surface 130 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:12,570 just simply standing off by himself as an act of humility. 131 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:17,410 I think it would probably be closer to like a shame response 132 00:07:17,420 --> 00:07:23,140 in someone. So there's varying discussion on 133 00:07:23,150 --> 00:07:30,240 where this tax collector would have been, but very likely he is 134 00:07:30,410 --> 00:07:36,460 in the location within the temple that the the Gentiles 135 00:07:36,470 --> 00:07:38,940 would have. So the court of the Gentiles, 136 00:07:38,950 --> 00:07:42,520 Yeah, the court of Gentiles is as if you were a Gentile as far 137 00:07:42,530 --> 00:07:48,150 into the temple as you could go. So you know it, it very much 138 00:07:48,220 --> 00:07:54,420 carries this tone that he is excluding himself from the place 139 00:07:54,430 --> 00:07:58,010 where he ought to be. Like because you like the 140 00:07:58,020 --> 00:07:59,370 Jewish? Right, likely Jewish. 141 00:07:59,380 --> 00:08:02,930 Yeah. And you know, but by virtue of 142 00:08:02,940 --> 00:08:07,510 his chosen occupation, his saying, well, I kind of, you 143 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:11,920 know, self selected my self out of community. 144 00:08:12,220 --> 00:08:16,810 And so I think that the tax collector is in my mind modeling 145 00:08:16,820 --> 00:08:20,750 more of a shame response to the choices that he's made and the 146 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:25,130 life that he lives. Then he is modeling good healthy 147 00:08:25,140 --> 00:08:27,590 humility. So CS Lewis has this great what 148 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:29,960 about humility? He says humility is not thinking 149 00:08:29,970 --> 00:08:33,820 less of yourself. Humility is thinking of yourself 150 00:08:33,830 --> 00:08:37,200 less. So it is a quantitative thing, 151 00:08:37,210 --> 00:08:41,030 not a qualitative thing. Humility isn't about beating 152 00:08:41,039 --> 00:08:45,580 yourself up and OHS, woe is me and you know, nobody likes me, 153 00:08:45,590 --> 00:08:47,690 everybody hates me. Going to the garage to get worms 154 00:08:48,550 --> 00:08:51,480 and like. Shout out to Worm theology. 155 00:08:51,490 --> 00:08:53,840 Right. That kind of that kind of 156 00:08:53,850 --> 00:08:58,200 response is, is I think a much more and I'll say this 157 00:08:59,050 --> 00:09:01,950 carefully, like natural shame response. 158 00:09:02,010 --> 00:09:05,660 Hmm. So I see the I see the tax 159 00:09:05,670 --> 00:09:13,120 collector as recognizing the depth of his life choices and 160 00:09:13,170 --> 00:09:15,500 where that would have placed him before God. 161 00:09:16,140 --> 00:09:19,790 So. So I think that in that way, 162 00:09:20,830 --> 00:09:25,100 what he is doing is actually exceptionally bold. 163 00:09:25,290 --> 00:09:27,620 Hmm. So the fact that he's standing 164 00:09:27,630 --> 00:09:32,280 far off means that he sees himself as excluded from the 165 00:09:32,290 --> 00:09:35,060 covenant people of God. He's got no right to be there. 166 00:09:35,130 --> 00:09:40,060 He has no right to approach God. He has no right to ask God what 167 00:09:40,070 --> 00:09:43,270 he's about to ask him. That's how he views himself. 168 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:45,410 And yet he still does so actually think. 169 00:09:45,420 --> 00:09:48,010 It's a very bold move that this this guy makes. 170 00:09:48,020 --> 00:09:49,690 He's like. Twisting it on his head. 171 00:09:49,700 --> 00:09:51,580 I love it. He's like, I know, I know 172 00:09:51,590 --> 00:09:56,060 exactly what what I've done, but the only chance at this that 173 00:09:56,070 --> 00:09:59,860 I've got is if you have mercy on me, Like I can't fix this on my 174 00:09:59,870 --> 00:10:02,900 own. I can't, I can't change, you 175 00:10:02,910 --> 00:10:06,440 know, enough of the things to make everything right. 176 00:10:06,510 --> 00:10:11,840 Only you can. And so in that way, really, I 177 00:10:11,850 --> 00:10:15,280 think what a lot of what a lot of writers write about this 178 00:10:15,290 --> 00:10:20,110 parable is that it is foreshadowing righteousness 179 00:10:20,620 --> 00:10:23,940 earned by Christ on the cross through his death and 180 00:10:23,950 --> 00:10:27,050 resurrection. That has much more to do than 181 00:10:27,060 --> 00:10:28,650 just simply by being about prayer. 182 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:31,410 That this, this is this is Jesus teaching about prayer. 183 00:10:31,460 --> 00:10:35,450 And this is Jesus foreshadowing the way in which all of 184 00:10:35,460 --> 00:10:38,770 salvation history is going to unfold because of his death and 185 00:10:38,780 --> 00:10:42,090 his resurrection. So you see all of salvation 186 00:10:42,100 --> 00:10:44,900 history immediately present here, right? 187 00:10:44,910 --> 00:10:48,990 You get the worldview that says I've got to earn the right for 188 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:51,190 salvation, I've got to work toward it. 189 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:55,290 I've got to have all my life figured out and I'm going to do 190 00:10:55,300 --> 00:11:00,390 all the things outwardly that I can, and yet inwardly the gospel 191 00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:02,170 says, hey, you can still be a mess. 192 00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:05,950 And then you've got this guy who on the outside can't figure any 193 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:10,480 of it out and has made some very devastating choices for his own 194 00:11:10,490 --> 00:11:13,700 life and for others has turned his back on his own people, 195 00:11:13,790 --> 00:11:16,480 excluded from community, excluded from religion. 196 00:11:16,490 --> 00:11:20,080 So that's the other piece that I think we lose here is that 197 00:11:20,090 --> 00:11:24,700 religion in in our day and age has become so insanely 198 00:11:24,710 --> 00:11:30,490 privatized that we think, oh, you can, you know, if you're 199 00:11:30,500 --> 00:11:33,710 excluded from one community, you go and find another community. 200 00:11:34,180 --> 00:11:36,850 Even like, you know, even if you've done nothing wrong and 201 00:11:36,860 --> 00:11:39,610 you're excluded because of everything's going on over 202 00:11:39,620 --> 00:11:42,330 there, like even if you self exclude, you can just go find 203 00:11:42,340 --> 00:11:44,060 another community. You go find another church man. 204 00:11:44,070 --> 00:11:46,210 Like this happens all the time. Like, listen, I don't like the 205 00:11:46,220 --> 00:11:47,750 music over at this church, so I'm going to go come here. 206 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:49,490 You said something that offended me, so I'm going to move to that 207 00:11:49,500 --> 00:11:50,680 church. And like, you know, we get 208 00:11:50,690 --> 00:11:53,060 people who shared. Around never happen. 209 00:11:53,180 --> 00:11:56,370 Listen. Listen topic for another day. 210 00:11:56,420 --> 00:12:00,230 But but we we have this capitalistic, like consumerist 211 00:12:00,300 --> 00:12:05,020 mentality when it comes to religion that says I get to be 212 00:12:05,090 --> 00:12:09,500 the deciding factor, the agent in which community I'm involved 213 00:12:09,510 --> 00:12:11,240 in and to the degree that I'm involved. 214 00:12:11,250 --> 00:12:14,100 And if I don't like this, I'm going to go find what I do like 215 00:12:14,110 --> 00:12:16,900 over here and listen like for some of that, I think there's 216 00:12:16,910 --> 00:12:18,560 some beauty in that. I think there's beauty in the 217 00:12:18,570 --> 00:12:21,340 fact that not all churches are cookie cutter and that there is 218 00:12:21,350 --> 00:12:25,320 a church like if listen if the way we do music with a band and 219 00:12:25,330 --> 00:12:27,610 drums. If if that's not a place where 220 00:12:27,620 --> 00:12:30,990 you can genuinely stand and worship God, lift in the name of 221 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:35,000 Jesus, then I'm grateful that there's a church down the road 222 00:12:35,130 --> 00:12:38,380 where you can. But I think the the mentality is 223 00:12:38,390 --> 00:12:41,770 it's so insanely privatized that you are the 8. 224 00:12:41,780 --> 00:12:47,250 You are the deciding agent that we miss for this guy. 225 00:12:47,260 --> 00:12:52,070 For this tax collector to be excluded by his community is to 226 00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:56,790 be excluded religiously. So for like the 1st century 227 00:12:56,850 --> 00:13:01,950 collectivist Jew, this would be like you would be just you would 228 00:13:01,960 --> 00:13:04,030 not have a religion. Basically like you would be 229 00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:05,630 removed from your religion entirely. 230 00:13:05,640 --> 00:13:08,190 Right. And, and, and absolutely like 231 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:15,500 removed from any means of like experiencing the salvation of 232 00:13:15,510 --> 00:13:20,430 God through any of the ritual practices. 233 00:13:20,440 --> 00:13:23,400 Excuse me. So you know, this, this guy know 234 00:13:23,410 --> 00:13:26,560 he can't, you know, he knows he can't even go into the place 235 00:13:26,570 --> 00:13:29,960 where he ought to be. And, and so I, I think it's 236 00:13:29,970 --> 00:13:36,770 actually a much more bold request of God then it is 237 00:13:36,820 --> 00:13:41,110 anything else, because he realizes that he can't, he's got 238 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:45,690 nothing and that his only hope is not in himself, but it is in, 239 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:49,580 is in God. And so I, I do think like it's, 240 00:13:49,590 --> 00:13:52,450 it's a beautiful foreshadowing of, of the gospel, which would 241 00:13:52,460 --> 00:13:56,240 say there's nothing you can do to earn this and you are going 242 00:13:56,250 --> 00:14:00,480 to exhaust yourself trying. The only hope that we have is 243 00:14:00,490 --> 00:14:03,010 forgot to be merciful on us. And that's, that's the hope of 244 00:14:03,020 --> 00:14:06,240 it. So, yeah, so I see him. 245 00:14:06,250 --> 00:14:09,260 I see him reflecting some shame. I don't necessarily see him 246 00:14:09,270 --> 00:14:13,660 reflecting in this moment, humility in in a healthy way, 247 00:14:13,730 --> 00:14:16,790 but I do see him speaking exceptionally boldly. 248 00:14:17,700 --> 00:14:22,550 So I wouldn't misconstrue his his distance as not being bold. 249 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:28,040 I I think it actually probably represents greater boldness. 250 00:14:28,290 --> 00:14:31,320 There there's a lot of subversion in this parable where 251 00:14:31,330 --> 00:14:33,620 where Jesus is flipping things on its head. 252 00:14:33,690 --> 00:14:36,440 And and I think he does that even in the way that I would 253 00:14:36,450 --> 00:14:42,360 imagine the for for Jesus to say that this guy praying this 254 00:14:42,370 --> 00:14:48,960 prayer who is the least likely candidate goes home justified. 255 00:14:48,970 --> 00:14:52,390 Yeah, you know, goes home as the one who is, who is put in right 256 00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:54,830 relationship with God, right. Like that. 257 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:59,900 I, I would imagine, would be bold and shocking unto itself in 258 00:14:59,910 --> 00:15:02,890 that way for the hearers. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. 259 00:15:02,900 --> 00:15:05,710 So everybody, everybody's looking around at what's 260 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:09,870 happening, assuming that the Pharisee is the one walking 261 00:15:09,880 --> 00:15:14,030 away, justified, and the tax collector is the one walking 262 00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:16,670 home, not justified. Now Jesus is telling a story. 263 00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:20,150 So you can picture Jesus telling a story and people listening and 264 00:15:20,160 --> 00:15:23,560 then anticipating a specific outcome, and then that outcome 265 00:15:23,570 --> 00:15:27,690 being exactly the opposite. They're going ohk, OK, OK, So 266 00:15:27,700 --> 00:15:29,620 what does it communicate about the Kingdom of God, right? 267 00:15:29,630 --> 00:15:34,900 Like this is, this is a Kingdom where the, the more you attempt 268 00:15:34,970 --> 00:15:43,100 to raise yourself, U exalt yourself, the lower down you 269 00:15:43,110 --> 00:15:45,690 actually become. And, and I think that that's 270 00:15:45,700 --> 00:15:48,600 just like a, that's just a statement that Jesus is making 271 00:15:48,610 --> 00:15:53,130 like, like the harder you try, the worse it's gonna go, right? 272 00:15:53,140 --> 00:15:55,760 Like, so this would be like, I'm in this battle right now with my 273 00:15:55,770 --> 00:15:59,270 bathtub that I broke. So the tub was drained. 274 00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:00,360 Like this this. Isn't a parable. 275 00:16:00,410 --> 00:16:01,640 No, this is this. This is not. 276 00:16:01,650 --> 00:16:04,760 Well, this is I guess sure it could be, but it's also based in 277 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:07,260 this is currently what's happening in my life. 278 00:16:07,690 --> 00:16:10,840 So, you know, pray for me because I've got three daughters 279 00:16:10,850 --> 00:16:14,760 and one bathtub and the bathtub, the bathtub was clogged, right? 280 00:16:14,770 --> 00:16:16,480 Like I'm learning this about like, I don't have a lot of 281 00:16:16,490 --> 00:16:18,160 hair, OK, I don't have a lot of hair. 282 00:16:18,170 --> 00:16:21,060 Some people in my family do. And so the tub was clogged. 283 00:16:21,070 --> 00:16:22,870 The drain was clogged and I needed to fix it. 284 00:16:22,880 --> 00:16:25,790 So I did that. I fixed like I, I was, you know, 285 00:16:25,800 --> 00:16:28,330 cleaning the drain out and needed to remove the actual 286 00:16:28,340 --> 00:16:31,220 drain because it's got a hair trap in it and I needed to pull 287 00:16:31,230 --> 00:16:33,430 that whole thing out. Well, it's a little bit too 288 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:36,490 corroded and so I used the tool to unscrew the drain and I 289 00:16:36,500 --> 00:16:40,030 snapped the hair catcher in the bottom. 290 00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:42,880 So now I got to get the drain out, but the tool to get the 291 00:16:42,890 --> 00:16:46,150 drain out didn't work. So that's a drain removal tool. 292 00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:49,870 So now there's something called a drain extractor tool that I 293 00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:54,400 had to go and get also so that I can abstract the broken drain, 294 00:16:54,550 --> 00:16:57,140 and I'm just hoping that the whole thing doesn't end with me 295 00:16:57,150 --> 00:17:00,420 having to replace my entire bathtub. 296 00:17:00,850 --> 00:17:04,420 And, Rabbi Grant, what's the point of this parable? 297 00:17:04,430 --> 00:17:06,960 I. Have lost my point entirely 298 00:17:07,849 --> 00:17:10,400 gone. Entirely gone. 299 00:17:13,490 --> 00:17:15,960 Fantastic. OK, so here's here's the point. 300 00:17:15,970 --> 00:17:19,520 Here's the point. The harder you try, the further 301 00:17:19,530 --> 00:17:24,359 away you're going to get, right? And and the harder I'm trying to 302 00:17:24,369 --> 00:17:27,500 fix this stupid tub, the further away I've gotten. 303 00:17:27,510 --> 00:17:30,620 I've done that before from. From fully functional tub, 304 00:17:30,670 --> 00:17:32,600 right? So I just think that like our 305 00:17:32,610 --> 00:17:36,500 human inclination is to try and when it doesn't work, when you 306 00:17:36,510 --> 00:17:39,730 meet resistance, you try harder. And then when you meet 307 00:17:39,740 --> 00:17:42,120 resistance, you push harder and you break that, you break the 308 00:17:42,130 --> 00:17:46,080 drain and then you're buying more tools and hopefully not a 309 00:17:46,090 --> 00:17:48,760 brand new bathtub. But I think that's, so that's 310 00:17:48,770 --> 00:17:52,920 what I want people to hear about the big picture, you know, sin, 311 00:17:52,930 --> 00:17:55,940 salvation, Kingdom of God in its arrival. 312 00:17:56,410 --> 00:18:00,340 What's the point to the thing? The point is that I think this 313 00:18:00,350 --> 00:18:04,220 parable, while talking about prayer also is pointing us 314 00:18:04,230 --> 00:18:08,200 toward the fact that there's no amount of hard work that will 315 00:18:08,210 --> 00:18:12,340 earn the Kingdom on your behalf. But the good news is that God 316 00:18:12,350 --> 00:18:14,460 wants to generously give the Kingdom. 317 00:18:14,790 --> 00:18:16,260 And what does he say we need to do? 318 00:18:16,270 --> 00:18:18,330 We need to ask. And that's what this, that's 319 00:18:18,340 --> 00:18:20,140 what this tax collector is doing. 320 00:18:20,250 --> 00:18:24,130 So we get the one guy, the Pharisee, he's not asking for 321 00:18:24,140 --> 00:18:26,730 anything. There's no dependence, there's 322 00:18:26,740 --> 00:18:29,540 no request made of God. He's like, thanks for all of 323 00:18:29,550 --> 00:18:31,550 these things. My life is perfect. 324 00:18:31,620 --> 00:18:34,610 God, how lucky are you to have me and the tax, the tax 325 00:18:34,620 --> 00:18:37,670 collector standing off, He's the one who actually asks God for 326 00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:41,340 the thing. And so that's, you know, we just 327 00:18:41,350 --> 00:18:46,070 talking elsewhere about ask. Continue asking, keep asking and 328 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:48,890 be bold in your asking and God will give you the Kingdom. 329 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:52,070 So that's what this this tax collector experiences. 330 00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:55,660 He asks boldly, and God gives him what God promises to give 331 00:18:55,670 --> 00:18:56,540 him. Hmm. 332 00:18:58,310 --> 00:19:02,400 So continuing on with that, because that obviously that, you 333 00:19:02,410 --> 00:19:05,080 know, we talked about how that would have been quite the, you 334 00:19:05,090 --> 00:19:09,690 know, quite the disruption for the hearers to hear that this 335 00:19:09,700 --> 00:19:12,640 tax collector is the one who goes home justified. 336 00:19:14,190 --> 00:19:17,550 And then at the end, Jesus says, I tell you that this man 337 00:19:17,610 --> 00:19:20,770 referring to the tax collector rather than the other went home 338 00:19:20,780 --> 00:19:24,500 justified before God for all those who exalt themselves like 339 00:19:24,510 --> 00:19:28,980 the fairs he was doing will be humbled and those who humble 340 00:19:28,990 --> 00:19:32,010 themselves will be exalted, right. 341 00:19:32,180 --> 00:19:35,310 And and so I want to talk a little bit about that word 342 00:19:35,320 --> 00:19:36,830 exalted. That was the second question 343 00:19:36,840 --> 00:19:39,550 that came in was that that can feel a little bit weird. 344 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:41,730 Like I can feel a little bit kind of almost like icky of 345 00:19:41,740 --> 00:19:46,980 like, well, I'm going to I'm going to humble myself so that I 346 00:19:46,990 --> 00:19:49,430 can be exalted. Like, and I don't even know what 347 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:50,940 that means. Like does that mean like I'm 348 00:19:50,950 --> 00:19:54,140 going to like be put on a pedestal and praise like? 349 00:19:54,210 --> 00:19:55,440 I hope not. I sure. 350 00:19:55,450 --> 00:19:57,060 I sure. Because that's awkward. 351 00:19:58,330 --> 00:20:03,130 And so then because you could imagine that slipping into then 352 00:20:03,140 --> 00:20:06,450 that person who has been exalted turning in, you know, turning 353 00:20:06,460 --> 00:20:07,710 prideful, right? Yeah. 354 00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:11,710 I could imagine a scenario where there's someone who, you know, 355 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:14,390 someone who sort of started at the lowest of the low and then 356 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:17,390 they make their way to the top and then they become who they, 357 00:20:17,460 --> 00:20:20,730 you know, never wanted to be. Like, think about someone who, 358 00:20:20,740 --> 00:20:22,410 you know, like, went to the top of the food chain. 359 00:20:22,420 --> 00:20:24,840 They become a billionaire and all of a sudden they're the 360 00:20:24,850 --> 00:20:27,330 least humble person on Earth, Right? 361 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:29,570 Which often happens. That does happen, yeah, for 362 00:20:29,580 --> 00:20:32,190 sure. So this is like the cyclical 363 00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:34,910 nature of parables. You could just keep reading it. 364 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:38,630 So, you know, everyone for everyone who exalts himself will 365 00:20:38,640 --> 00:20:41,170 be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. 366 00:20:41,180 --> 00:20:44,190 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves. 367 00:20:44,260 --> 00:20:45,530 Right. Like, you could just go right to 368 00:20:45,540 --> 00:20:47,170 the right to the top again, like. 369 00:20:47,180 --> 00:20:49,510 OK, well, I guess I missed it. Yeah. 370 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:56,070 So this, this word exalted is like, this is where some work is 371 00:20:56,080 --> 00:20:59,050 is helpful. And yeah, you know, admittedly 372 00:20:59,060 --> 00:21:01,090 you can't do all this on a Sunday and then a sermon. 373 00:21:01,100 --> 00:21:03,890 But that's why we do this. Like this is the exact reason 374 00:21:03,900 --> 00:21:07,010 why we love having these conversations for this reason. 375 00:21:07,020 --> 00:21:11,470 So exalted, I think carries this. 376 00:21:13,490 --> 00:21:18,510 Yeah, put on a pedestal, like lifted up, like I almost picture 377 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:21,980 like, you know, somebody, somebody's when they're exalted, 378 00:21:21,990 --> 00:21:25,800 it's like, well, you get like a royal or like a king, like a 379 00:21:25,810 --> 00:21:29,030 dudes gotta wear a crown and like jewelry and robes, right? 380 00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:30,580 Like that's where that's where my head goes. 381 00:21:30,810 --> 00:21:32,700 It's like I. Don't think about Jesus being 382 00:21:32,710 --> 00:21:34,240 exalted. Yeah, like. 383 00:21:34,250 --> 00:21:36,750 I forget that I don't like, don't put a robe on me, right? 384 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:38,600 Like you'll never catch me wearing a gown to preach. 385 00:21:38,610 --> 00:21:40,740 And it's like, forget it, it's not happening. 386 00:21:42,260 --> 00:21:44,510 But we have that tradition. What kind of within the church 387 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:51,590 right of, of raising certain people up, maybe in in improper 388 00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:54,760 ways or in unhelpful ways? Pastors. 389 00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:56,490 Yeah. Political figures. 390 00:21:56,540 --> 00:22:04,060 The word there whoops, so literally means to raise up and 391 00:22:04,190 --> 00:22:07,000 just to temper the word a little bit, because I do. 392 00:22:07,010 --> 00:22:09,380 You read this and you go, well, what does that mean? 393 00:22:09,470 --> 00:22:11,940 Everybody who humbles themselves will be exalted. 394 00:22:12,230 --> 00:22:14,560 I guess if I humble myself, I can be exalted too. 395 00:22:14,570 --> 00:22:19,070 Well, so it's actually the same word that John uses in the 396 00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:22,900 Gospel of John to talk about Jesus being raised up on the 397 00:22:22,910 --> 00:22:27,100 cross. So that should take a little bit 398 00:22:27,110 --> 00:22:29,660 of the wind out of your sails. OHS. 399 00:22:30,430 --> 00:22:32,840 I thought I felt it right. I felt that. 400 00:22:32,850 --> 00:22:37,000 Yeah, like so when when Jesus is raised so so John talks about 401 00:22:37,010 --> 00:22:39,020 Jesus being raised up on the cross. 402 00:22:39,030 --> 00:22:40,280 That's the word that's used hoops. 403 00:22:40,290 --> 00:22:44,010 So, and part of that is just that that's the word that means 404 00:22:44,020 --> 00:22:47,210 to raise up, but part of it is that that's the word that's 405 00:22:47,220 --> 00:22:51,630 being used. And so when Jesus again, just to 406 00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:56,200 add to the foreshadowing of Jesus's death, um, we, we know 407 00:22:56,210 --> 00:22:59,440 that this, this parable is about prayer and we know that this 408 00:22:59,450 --> 00:23:02,520 parable is foreshadowing Jesus's death and his resurrection. 409 00:23:02,530 --> 00:23:05,980 Well, what's the same word used to talk about Jesus being raised 410 00:23:05,990 --> 00:23:10,260 up to new life hoops. So, so the same word that John 411 00:23:10,270 --> 00:23:14,360 uses to talk about Jesus dying on a cross, literally being 412 00:23:14,370 --> 00:23:15,820 raised up on a cross. Whoops. 413 00:23:15,830 --> 00:23:18,820 So is also used by John and then later by Peter. 414 00:23:18,830 --> 00:23:21,560 So Peter is giving this sermon where he says that Jesus is 415 00:23:21,570 --> 00:23:24,990 exalted. He says he exalted Jesus is and 416 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:29,460 that same hoops. So, so when the early church was 417 00:23:29,470 --> 00:23:34,010 wrestling out what this means, like when the they're, they're 418 00:23:34,020 --> 00:23:41,410 really referring to being raised up in, in his death and then 419 00:23:42,180 --> 00:23:47,470 also being raised up in his new life, resurrected life and Jesus 420 00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:51,830 being exalted, raised up where he, you know, the creed says 421 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:55,840 sits at the right hand of the father, same word in all of 422 00:23:55,850 --> 00:23:59,740 those instances. So I think it, that helps temper 423 00:23:59,930 --> 00:24:05,790 the, the reality of it because it, it carries this, I think 424 00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:11,910 very significant meaning for you and I for listeners, which is, 425 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:17,720 yes, it's talking about being raised up, but really I think 426 00:24:17,730 --> 00:24:21,720 what Jesus is talking about is being raised up into Kingdom 427 00:24:21,730 --> 00:24:24,730 life. So this means identifying what 428 00:24:24,740 --> 00:24:26,330 Jesus is death. It means identifying with his 429 00:24:26,340 --> 00:24:27,790 new life. It means identifying with the 430 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:31,230 Kingdom. And so it's, it's not like this 431 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:35,180 isn't like a, well, if you humble yourself, you're going to 432 00:24:35,190 --> 00:24:38,950 get the A1 position, right? Just, you know, if you're 433 00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:44,270 humble, humble yourself, you then will be given exactly what 434 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:47,510 you want in life. Like that's not what Jesus is 435 00:24:47,520 --> 00:24:49,250 saying. Jesus isn't saying that you will 436 00:24:49,260 --> 00:24:51,250 be exalted. It's not even saying that you 437 00:24:51,260 --> 00:24:55,470 will be exalted by human beings, by people. 438 00:24:55,680 --> 00:24:59,360 He's so you know, it's, it's not Jesus isn't saying if you humble 439 00:24:59,370 --> 00:25:01,710 yourself in a group of people, they're going to see that and 440 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:03,590 they're going to raise you up and they're going to honor you 441 00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:07,240 and glorify you. No, he's saying the work that 442 00:25:07,250 --> 00:25:13,660 you have to do, we have to do me is to humble yourself like 443 00:25:13,670 --> 00:25:16,570 that's So I think it's helpful also to look at where Jesus puts 444 00:25:16,580 --> 00:25:22,450 the sub, like the subject who's who's acting on these things. 445 00:25:22,640 --> 00:25:24,050 That's my role. That's my my. 446 00:25:24,060 --> 00:25:28,050 My role is to humble myself and not to exalt myself or to put 447 00:25:28,060 --> 00:25:30,090 myself in a position where I'm going to be exalted. 448 00:25:30,100 --> 00:25:32,150 Nor is it others roles. Yeah. 449 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:34,170 To exalt you, Yeah. Or to exalt me. 450 00:25:34,220 --> 00:25:35,820 Yeah. It is to humble ourselves. 451 00:25:36,010 --> 00:25:41,310 And so I think that as we do that, what what we're doing in 452 00:25:41,320 --> 00:25:44,310 greater and greater measure is identifying with the raising up 453 00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:49,830 that Jesus lived, the raising up on the cross to die with in in 454 00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:54,600 in perfect humility, right? The being raised up to new life 455 00:25:55,260 --> 00:25:58,400 and the being exalted and sitting at the right hand of the 456 00:25:58,410 --> 00:26:00,910 Father. So you know my role, your role, 457 00:26:00,980 --> 00:26:04,670 listeners role is to humble ourselves because as we humble 458 00:26:04,680 --> 00:26:07,450 ourselves, we identify more with the life and teaching and 459 00:26:07,460 --> 00:26:10,410 example of Jesus. Yeah, and even in his raising. 460 00:26:10,420 --> 00:26:16,670 Up this passage has so much more kind of like salvific context to 461 00:26:16,680 --> 00:26:20,610 it than I ever thought before. We kind of were looking at it 462 00:26:20,620 --> 00:26:23,210 like in our, you know, sermon prep last week and during the 463 00:26:23,220 --> 00:26:24,890 sermon and even now as we're talking. 464 00:26:24,980 --> 00:26:28,790 And so I'm even just connecting this idea of being exalted 465 00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:33,450 potentially to the idea of, of this tax collector being the man 466 00:26:33,460 --> 00:26:35,240 who went home. Justified, right? 467 00:26:35,250 --> 00:26:38,840 But there is, there's gotta be a connection there between the, 468 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:42,280 the, the salvific language being used. 469 00:26:42,290 --> 00:26:44,520 Yeah, yeah. Yeah, so he what Jesus is saying 470 00:26:44,530 --> 00:26:46,460 is that this this man went home saved. 471 00:26:46,510 --> 00:26:49,200 Yeah, right. Like to use kind of modern 472 00:26:49,270 --> 00:26:51,740 language like he got saved do met Jesus. 473 00:26:51,810 --> 00:26:54,140 Yeah, right. Like this is this is what he 474 00:26:54,150 --> 00:26:56,700 went home in right standing with God. 475 00:26:57,190 --> 00:27:02,460 And so I think it's meant to change the way we pray, um, 476 00:27:02,470 --> 00:27:05,770 because prayer has everything to do with salvation and the work 477 00:27:05,780 --> 00:27:07,320 that God is doing in my life, in your life. 478 00:27:07,330 --> 00:27:09,500 What? So even just to expand a little 479 00:27:09,510 --> 00:27:13,930 bit more, right, Christians for a long time have talked about 480 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:17,600 two different things when it comes to, I'm using air quotes 481 00:27:17,610 --> 00:27:20,480 here, salvation. So we've talked about 482 00:27:20,490 --> 00:27:25,990 justification and sanctification and you can and and this is a 483 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:31,550 very simplistic view of those things, so much so that it's 484 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:33,530 flawed. OK, so caveat. 485 00:27:33,540 --> 00:27:36,490 But you for the caveat. We talk about justification as 486 00:27:37,260 --> 00:27:42,110 the like a moment of salvation. Now I think we are all filled 487 00:27:42,120 --> 00:27:46,460 with moments, plural, of repentance and turning and 488 00:27:46,470 --> 00:27:48,980 turning again, right? This is an ongoing thing. 489 00:27:49,030 --> 00:27:51,670 But the to to the point of these words, the churches typically 490 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:55,930 talked about justification as being a moment of imparted 491 00:27:55,980 --> 00:28:01,060 righteousness, the moment where you are made clean, made right 492 00:28:01,120 --> 00:28:03,970 with God. And different theologians talk 493 00:28:03,980 --> 00:28:06,870 about it in different ways. Carl Bark talks about being 494 00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:10,110 woken up to the reality of Jesus death and resurrection. 495 00:28:10,120 --> 00:28:12,950 We become awake to who we really are and who God really is. 496 00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:17,770 So there's a, there's, there's an instant, right? 497 00:28:18,140 --> 00:28:19,550 So maybe that's a prayer that you've prayed. 498 00:28:19,560 --> 00:28:22,430 Maybe that is like working toward a recognition of your own 499 00:28:22,440 --> 00:28:26,960 sin and need for God and an outside Savior acting upon 500 00:28:26,970 --> 00:28:30,110 yourself. But like again, very, very basic 501 00:28:30,120 --> 00:28:33,630 view of of justification, the moment where you are made right 502 00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:36,010 with God, where God's righteousness, where Jesus is 503 00:28:36,020 --> 00:28:42,690 righteousness is given to you. Sanctification is this ongoing 504 00:28:42,700 --> 00:28:46,790 lifelong work of being made into to a greater measure the 505 00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:50,880 likeness of Christ. So that work never ends. 506 00:28:51,820 --> 00:28:53,490 Paul's got language like now we see him part. 507 00:28:53,500 --> 00:28:55,580 But then I shall see fully. Now I know in part. 508 00:28:55,590 --> 00:28:57,410 Then I shall be known fully, right? 509 00:28:57,500 --> 00:28:59,510 Or know know fully just as I am known fully. 510 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:01,470 So, so there's, there's language. 511 00:29:01,480 --> 00:29:07,560 We've got language around this within the church and again, 512 00:29:07,570 --> 00:29:10,340 very simple view of it for today. 513 00:29:11,410 --> 00:29:16,220 But like you can talk about this righteousness here as this man 514 00:29:16,230 --> 00:29:20,100 walking away justified because that's that's the language that 515 00:29:20,110 --> 00:29:23,320 is made right. He is justified before God. 516 00:29:23,330 --> 00:29:26,770 He is his. His standing has been declared 517 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:32,150 clean, even on good terms. However you would like to 518 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:34,870 describe the thing. So yeah, the the whole thing has 519 00:29:34,880 --> 00:29:36,670 everything to do with it. Now what I was gonna come back 520 00:29:36,680 --> 00:29:38,590 around to is prayer has everything to do with our 521 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:42,700 salvation life because it's in prayer where God gets to do the 522 00:29:42,710 --> 00:29:48,180 hardest work of sanctification. Saying hey like this is how you 523 00:29:48,190 --> 00:29:52,040 become greater and greater made into the image of Jesus. 524 00:29:52,770 --> 00:29:56,180 And, and justification is, is all the work of God and 525 00:29:56,190 --> 00:29:59,220 sanctification is this weird, sort of like we're doing a 526 00:29:59,230 --> 00:30:03,400 little bit of our thing, but God is still the actor in, in our, 527 00:30:03,410 --> 00:30:06,420 in our sanctification. I was just reminded of his first 528 00:30:06,430 --> 00:30:10,080 lesson, Onians 5, which says May God himself, the God of peace 529 00:30:10,090 --> 00:30:11,890 sanctify you through and through. 530 00:30:11,900 --> 00:30:14,580 Like just the idea that like, hey, this is God, this is God 531 00:30:14,590 --> 00:30:16,980 still doing that work. We've got we've got a role to 532 00:30:16,990 --> 00:30:20,100 play in it, but we've still got doing the work prayer. 533 00:30:20,110 --> 00:30:24,330 And prayer is the way that God will often reveal the thing that 534 00:30:24,340 --> 00:30:25,800 hey, like, hey, I'm gonna show you something. 535 00:30:25,810 --> 00:30:27,900 It might be uncomfortable. It might be a little bit, you 536 00:30:27,910 --> 00:30:30,640 know, it might make you feel like you need to change some 537 00:30:30,650 --> 00:30:32,860 things in your life. Yeah, yeah, God is going to do 538 00:30:32,870 --> 00:30:35,530 what God is going to do. Like I, I wrestled this out. 539 00:30:35,540 --> 00:30:38,310 You're like, I had a line where where I think in in one 540 00:30:38,320 --> 00:30:40,850 iteration of the line, I said God can't do anything with a 541 00:30:40,860 --> 00:30:44,050 prayer that says, God, how great am I, right? 542 00:30:44,060 --> 00:30:46,530 Like, you know, how lucky are you to have me? 543 00:30:46,540 --> 00:30:49,600 And I changed that line in conversation, right? 544 00:30:49,860 --> 00:30:53,810 Like you, you brought this up in preparation, which is like, you 545 00:30:53,820 --> 00:30:55,840 know, God is going to do what God is going to do. 546 00:30:55,910 --> 00:31:00,720 And and so to say God can't do something is to put a limitation 547 00:31:00,730 --> 00:31:03,920 on God that doesn't exist. So I think it changed it to to 548 00:31:03,930 --> 00:31:08,080 say, you know, God won't do very much with a prayer that says, 549 00:31:08,170 --> 00:31:10,560 you know, how great am I? How lucky are you to have me? 550 00:31:10,630 --> 00:31:12,140 I, I just believe that to be true. 551 00:31:12,670 --> 00:31:15,700 God can do everything with a prayer that says, God, be 552 00:31:15,710 --> 00:31:18,140 merciful to me, have mercy on me. 553 00:31:18,190 --> 00:31:21,260 I, I know that I need you. And I think the prayer is just 554 00:31:21,270 --> 00:31:24,830 the practice of showing up and reminding ourselves that we need 555 00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:25,910 God. Hmm. 556 00:31:25,950 --> 00:31:30,410 I mean, there are a lot of things that prayer is, but at 557 00:31:30,420 --> 00:31:32,950 present, the posture, the position that we put ourselves 558 00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:35,280 in for God to do his best work, Yeah. 559 00:31:35,980 --> 00:31:40,010 That's good. So one final question, and this 560 00:31:40,020 --> 00:31:42,710 is this is an interesting place, I think for us to to close out. 561 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:46,910 So the writer asks as I reflect on listening to someone this 562 00:31:46,920 --> 00:31:50,730 week who just keeps missing out because they really don't see a 563 00:31:50,740 --> 00:31:55,210 place for God in their life. I find that I can pray and thank 564 00:31:55,220 --> 00:31:59,870 God that I have him and am not like them with their rejection 565 00:31:59,880 --> 00:32:03,540 of God, which, you know, in this person's view is compounding 566 00:32:03,550 --> 00:32:05,200 their misery that all the things are going through. 567 00:32:05,210 --> 00:32:06,600 It's it's really making them struggle. 568 00:32:06,610 --> 00:32:08,190 The fact they don't have God in their life. 569 00:32:08,840 --> 00:32:12,350 And, and so just providing a little bit of insight on, on 570 00:32:12,360 --> 00:32:16,610 that perspective of like, how do we, how do we pray in a way that 571 00:32:16,620 --> 00:32:20,740 that like doesn't other people like, because the way, that, the 572 00:32:20,750 --> 00:32:23,060 way that the Pharisees praying, he's othering the, the, the, 573 00:32:23,070 --> 00:32:25,620 the, all the people that are, that are lesser than him, right? 574 00:32:25,630 --> 00:32:27,660 That are less morally upright than him. 575 00:32:28,310 --> 00:32:31,620 But like, how do we pray in a, in a, in a way that feels 576 00:32:32,370 --> 00:32:35,380 appropriate for when we know like, hey man, like I God, thank 577 00:32:35,390 --> 00:32:39,180 you for the grace in my life. And also, I pray that that 578 00:32:39,190 --> 00:32:42,400 person would have it, you know? Yeah, I think you answered the 579 00:32:42,410 --> 00:32:44,380 question. Yeah, I think that's, I think 580 00:32:44,390 --> 00:32:49,300 that's exactly it, right. So I would say think about like 581 00:32:49,310 --> 00:32:53,290 a three tier hierarchy here. Think about like 3. 582 00:32:55,030 --> 00:32:58,700 You know, it's it's not like a game of like a good, better, 583 00:32:58,710 --> 00:33:02,030 best. But but let's talk about, I 584 00:33:02,040 --> 00:33:06,900 think, you know, great place to start and to land and to end in 585 00:33:06,910 --> 00:33:13,860 prayer is gratitude. I think what gratitude is at its 586 00:33:13,870 --> 00:33:22,870 core is, is being, is practicing being thankful for what someone 587 00:33:22,880 --> 00:33:25,390 else has done in your life, right? 588 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:28,830 Like it's I don't know that it's gratitude to be thankful for 589 00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:32,620 what you've done, right? Like, I don't know that that's 590 00:33:32,970 --> 00:33:35,460 so. So are there instances for sure? 591 00:33:35,470 --> 00:33:39,060 Can we, you know, split hairs and find certain circumstances 592 00:33:39,070 --> 00:33:45,560 maybe, you know, avoid sort of real hard, definitive, absolute 593 00:33:45,570 --> 00:33:47,820 language? But, you know, I think at its 594 00:33:47,830 --> 00:33:52,100 core, one of the ways that my prayers of gratitude have 595 00:33:52,170 --> 00:33:57,230 changed is in the language. So you know, I heard someone 596 00:33:57,240 --> 00:34:01,250 talking about and I, I don't remember who this is, but I 597 00:34:01,260 --> 00:34:07,130 heard somebody talking about how sometimes we can start gratitude 598 00:34:07,180 --> 00:34:09,190 from a self centred place by accident. 599 00:34:09,260 --> 00:34:13,429 I'm thankful for, I'm thankful for this. 600 00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:18,170 I am thankful for that. I am thankful that and you know, 601 00:34:18,179 --> 00:34:21,500 that's really what this prayer that was taught does. 602 00:34:21,510 --> 00:34:24,130 You highlighted all the eyes. I am thankful, right? 603 00:34:24,139 --> 00:34:27,670 Yeah. And so for a long time, I prayed 604 00:34:27,679 --> 00:34:29,489 that way. I'm thankful. 605 00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:36,380 So what's wrong with that? Well, on the surface, nothing my 606 00:34:36,389 --> 00:34:41,280 prayers sound more like God. Thank you for right now and and 607 00:34:41,290 --> 00:34:43,460 it was like convicting to hear this person talking about it 608 00:34:43,469 --> 00:34:46,310 because you know, in their mind it was to start with. 609 00:34:46,320 --> 00:34:48,120 I is to miss them, miss the boat. 610 00:34:48,130 --> 00:34:50,540 Right on what gratitude is. Change the subject. 611 00:34:50,690 --> 00:34:53,739 God, thank you for thank you for this. 612 00:34:54,030 --> 00:34:56,540 So I think that there's a way to be grateful for what God is 613 00:34:56,550 --> 00:35:00,120 doing in your life that doesn't just circle back on yourself 614 00:35:00,130 --> 00:35:02,500 necessarily, but that is genuine gratitude. 615 00:35:02,510 --> 00:35:05,390 Like gratitude is so powerful, but genuine gratitude for what 616 00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:10,910 God is doing in your life. So I think that's one, right? 617 00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:18,400 2 would be allow that prayer of gratitude to shape the way you 618 00:35:18,410 --> 00:35:23,170 pray for others. O God, thank you for what you 619 00:35:23,180 --> 00:35:29,230 have done in my life. And because I've experienced it, 620 00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:32,130 I know how desperately this person needs to experience it. 621 00:35:32,300 --> 00:35:37,510 So would you do the same thing for him, for her, as you've done 622 00:35:37,520 --> 00:35:41,500 for me? Like they need you desperately. 623 00:35:41,700 --> 00:35:44,890 So I'm praying on their behalf for you, for you to move. 624 00:35:44,950 --> 00:35:48,130 Hmm. That is a that's a good prayer. 625 00:35:48,320 --> 00:35:49,790 That's not the prayer of the Pharisee. 626 00:35:49,840 --> 00:35:52,790 Yeah. Um, so this is first. 627 00:35:52,860 --> 00:35:56,160 It is acknowledging entirely what God has done in your life, 628 00:35:57,050 --> 00:35:59,520 and it's acknowledging that there are others who also 629 00:35:59,530 --> 00:36:01,920 desperately need God to move in their lives too. 630 00:36:02,150 --> 00:36:09,480 What it's not is 3 Tier 3 God, I thank you that I'm not like that 631 00:36:09,490 --> 00:36:16,240 person because I think even in even even if it is like even if 632 00:36:16,250 --> 00:36:18,260 you're you've, you've you're praying it because you're 633 00:36:18,270 --> 00:36:21,620 thankful that you know and experience God's love and grace 634 00:36:21,630 --> 00:36:24,270 in ways that somebody else does. I just think that automatically 635 00:36:24,280 --> 00:36:31,120 what you've done is create this like defining line between you 636 00:36:31,130 --> 00:36:32,420 and this other person. Yeah. 637 00:36:33,210 --> 00:36:38,500 And it puts you on the good and right and correct side and then 638 00:36:38,510 --> 00:36:40,870 on the wrong side. So you know, like if this 639 00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:45,470 person's listening and I hope they are, I would just say be 640 00:36:45,480 --> 00:36:51,230 very, very careful as to who is the subject in your prayers and 641 00:36:51,240 --> 00:36:57,530 of your prayers and who is acting right and what is the 642 00:36:57,540 --> 00:37:04,600 language around me and you insider outsider. 643 00:37:04,640 --> 00:37:08,170 Like I do think it's natural to be like OHT, like I could not 644 00:37:08,180 --> 00:37:11,340 imagine what my life would be like if I did not have Jesus. 645 00:37:11,350 --> 00:37:13,970 Well, flip that around got things that I don't need to 646 00:37:14,020 --> 00:37:18,910 Hmm's and it is right and good to be praying for other people. 647 00:37:19,120 --> 00:37:22,650 So I think that would be the last thing I would say is your 648 00:37:22,660 --> 00:37:27,250 prayers of gratitude shouldn't make you dwell more on what you 649 00:37:27,260 --> 00:37:31,190 have. They should make you dwell more 650 00:37:31,360 --> 00:37:36,450 on what God is doing and what you long for God to do in others 651 00:37:36,820 --> 00:37:38,950 lives. That's that's a good, that's a 652 00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:41,710 really good thought, because I think that maybe another, 653 00:37:41,720 --> 00:37:45,570 another angle on it could be that we, you know, we pray for 654 00:37:45,660 --> 00:37:49,250 things like God, Thank you for protecting me from, you know, 655 00:37:49,320 --> 00:37:53,000 this scenario or like, you know, because we could so easily, you 656 00:37:53,010 --> 00:37:55,150 know, but for, you know, like there's kind of a bit of a 657 00:37:55,160 --> 00:37:57,240 cliche now, but like, but for the grace of God, I could be 658 00:37:57,250 --> 00:38:01,600 like that person, right, which can also other that, you know, 659 00:38:01,610 --> 00:38:04,260 those people as well. But there is a sense in which 660 00:38:04,270 --> 00:38:05,830 it's good to pray. Like I got thank you for 661 00:38:05,840 --> 00:38:08,630 protecting me from that. You know, maybe that that person 662 00:38:08,640 --> 00:38:10,870 that I almost married, that could have been a disaster for 663 00:38:10,880 --> 00:38:15,570 my life, right? Like, like there, there's I'm 664 00:38:15,580 --> 00:38:20,600 not that's not a real life example, but like there's 665 00:38:20,610 --> 00:38:23,060 probably some people who are like, man, that I, you know, 666 00:38:23,070 --> 00:38:27,100 like dodged a bullet. Thank you, Lord, Yeah. 667 00:38:27,770 --> 00:38:31,990 So so let me give you a an actual like a real world example 668 00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:37,370 from my childhood. I can remember my, my dad 669 00:38:37,380 --> 00:38:42,440 praying at dinner time and praying this like almost the 670 00:38:42,450 --> 00:38:47,850 same prayer every night. But it was a prayer that that 671 00:38:47,920 --> 00:38:53,030 began by saying like, thank you for what you have provided for 672 00:38:53,040 --> 00:38:59,120 us and help us to be mindful of those who do not have what we 673 00:38:59,130 --> 00:39:00,540 have. Hmm. 674 00:39:00,580 --> 00:39:05,550 And so it's, that's not a prayer that says, ah, there's a whole 675 00:39:05,560 --> 00:39:09,250 lot of people hungry out there. God thinks we have food, right? 676 00:39:09,320 --> 00:39:11,910 That's backwards. It's a prayer that first 677 00:39:12,040 --> 00:39:16,400 acknowledges and honors and is is thankful toward God. 678 00:39:16,460 --> 00:39:19,850 God, thank you for what we have. Sometimes that was food. 679 00:39:19,860 --> 00:39:22,530 Sometimes the pair was food. Sometimes with the prayer was 680 00:39:22,600 --> 00:39:25,410 family and community. Sometimes the prayer was a warm 681 00:39:25,420 --> 00:39:29,470 place to live and be and have our existence like to grow up. 682 00:39:30,770 --> 00:39:35,840 And then he would always turn and and pray and help us be 683 00:39:35,850 --> 00:39:38,480 mindful of those who go without these things tonight. 684 00:39:38,650 --> 00:39:41,240 So whether that's without a place to like a warm place to 685 00:39:41,250 --> 00:39:44,320 sleep, whether that's those who go without community and 686 00:39:44,330 --> 00:39:47,240 meaningful relationships, whether that's people who go 687 00:39:47,250 --> 00:39:50,700 without food often many of those same things at the same time. 688 00:39:52,030 --> 00:39:54,600 And I always like as a kid, I'm like, really, you're gonna make 689 00:39:54,610 --> 00:39:56,680 me think about this right before I eat. 690 00:39:56,750 --> 00:40:00,200 Now I feel bad about what I'm eating and like the like, but 691 00:40:00,210 --> 00:40:02,560 man, I'll tell you that prayer, like it stayed with me. 692 00:40:02,570 --> 00:40:05,180 And I find myself praying it more and more now as I have 693 00:40:05,190 --> 00:40:08,080 kids. And, you know, I think about the 694 00:40:08,090 --> 00:40:12,140 way that I pray, teaching them how to pray and how to be and, 695 00:40:12,150 --> 00:40:14,800 and how to position yourself toward other people. 696 00:40:14,810 --> 00:40:16,500 And I find myself going back to that. 697 00:40:16,510 --> 00:40:19,400 You know, you reach a point in your life where like you're 698 00:40:19,410 --> 00:40:21,400 you're. You just go. 699 00:40:21,470 --> 00:40:23,640 I guess my parents were right about more than I wanted them to 700 00:40:23,650 --> 00:40:27,220 be. Right, well, I love, I love the 701 00:40:27,230 --> 00:40:29,670 way that that like kids can catch on to those things like 702 00:40:29,680 --> 00:40:31,500 you reflecting. That's cool because even for, 703 00:40:31,510 --> 00:40:34,840 for my daughter, like we, you know, often we'll pray 704 00:40:34,850 --> 00:40:36,800 especially like in the cold winter months, you know, like 705 00:40:36,810 --> 00:40:39,760 something similar where we're like, God, God, thank you so 706 00:40:39,770 --> 00:40:43,190 much that we have a warm house and God, we pray for those that 707 00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:46,080 don't that, that God you would help you would help them to find 708 00:40:46,090 --> 00:40:48,250 shelter in place. Like all the things like, and 709 00:40:48,260 --> 00:40:51,220 there there's something that's like almost an unintended good 710 00:40:51,230 --> 00:40:54,030 consequence where we're often I hear her talking about like I 711 00:40:54,040 --> 00:40:55,790 was talking with my friends the other day and we're going to 712 00:40:55,800 --> 00:40:57,930 like, when we're older, we're going to start a hotel that's 713 00:40:57,940 --> 00:41:00,240 going to be just free for anyone who needs to stay there. 714 00:41:00,250 --> 00:41:02,560 And I'm like, and I nearly started crying one time because 715 00:41:02,570 --> 00:41:04,410 I was like, Lord, like, that's so beautiful. 716 00:41:04,420 --> 00:41:07,220 The way in which you're at work in her life just turned like 717 00:41:07,230 --> 00:41:10,860 encouraging her to like to be the answer to to the prayer, you 718 00:41:10,870 --> 00:41:12,540 know? Yeah. 719 00:41:12,590 --> 00:41:15,820 So I think that's, I mean that's as as practical as I can make it 720 00:41:15,830 --> 00:41:18,240 today. I I do think be grateful for 721 00:41:18,250 --> 00:41:20,680 what God is doing, not for what you are doing. 722 00:41:21,150 --> 00:41:24,920 And be grateful for what God is doing good and allow your 723 00:41:24,930 --> 00:41:28,880 prayers and allow the way you pray to shape your posture 724 00:41:28,890 --> 00:41:33,090 toward others so that you are asking on their behalf and 725 00:41:33,100 --> 00:41:37,880 praying for them and incorporate that into your prayer life. 726 00:41:37,890 --> 00:41:39,910 I think I think that would be a prayer to pray. 727 00:41:39,960 --> 00:41:43,550 That's a great place to end. Yeah, so we hope that this 728 00:41:43,600 --> 00:41:46,430 podcast has helped you in some way Have another conversation. 729 00:41:46,440 --> 00:41:49,570 So have one conversation with somebody in your life and go and 730 00:41:49,580 --> 00:41:52,440 have a conversation with God. Please know that we're praying 731 00:41:52,450 --> 00:41:55,430 for you and we look forward to seeing you in the next episode.