1 00:00:04,030 --> 00:00:08,010 Good morning, good morning. Hey, if you are new or visitor 2 00:00:08,020 --> 00:00:11,850 guest just testing out church special welcome to you. 3 00:00:12,040 --> 00:00:16,530 My name is Grant and I'm one of the pastors here at KPC and it's 4 00:00:16,540 --> 00:00:18,290 good to be with you and it's good to be together. 5 00:00:18,300 --> 00:00:21,970 We are in a moment going to open up Luke Chapter 7. 6 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:26,590 Luke is a gospel one of the books that accounts for and of 7 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:30,550 Jesus's life. It's kind of like a like a 8 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:34,490 documentary or a biography of many of the events of Jesus 9 00:00:34,500 --> 00:00:41,110 life, this one written by Luke and we're 7 chapters in to 10 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:44,520 working our way through the entire book of Luke. 11 00:00:44,530 --> 00:00:48,550 So to some of you who are jumping in, you, you may you 12 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:53,430 know, you may think that's not very far and you'd be correct 7 13 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:56,600 And like we've been here for a while, but this is one of the 14 00:00:56,610 --> 00:00:58,890 things that I love about the church. 15 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:03,350 And I don't know if I think about it this way all of the 16 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:04,620 time. I don't know if maybe if you 17 00:01:04,700 --> 00:01:07,480 have thought about it this way or not, but there aren't many 18 00:01:07,490 --> 00:01:12,010 places in my life that encourage me to slow down, right? 19 00:01:12,020 --> 00:01:16,410 And if you've seen me move, it's usually not slowly. 20 00:01:17,500 --> 00:01:22,710 Having three kids at the various ages that they are also 21 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:26,700 encourages me to move quickly. Maybe you've had that 22 00:01:26,710 --> 00:01:27,910 experience. Maybe if you grew up with 23 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:31,670 siblings, you had to eat quickly because you're like, if I want 24 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:34,370 seconds, I got to get the first down fast because, you know, 25 00:01:34,380 --> 00:01:38,140 competition. But there aren't many places in 26 00:01:38,150 --> 00:01:41,500 my life that that encourage me. And maybe you feel the same way 27 00:01:41,510 --> 00:01:45,420 to slow down. And I love that this would be a 28 00:01:45,430 --> 00:01:51,620 place like that that encourages us to slow down and to breathe 29 00:01:51,630 --> 00:01:58,120 slowly and maybe a little deeper and to feel your feet on the 30 00:01:58,130 --> 00:02:04,280 floor, your backs into the seat, maybe to feel your heart beating 31 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:10,120 and even to slow down. Because works probably not gonna 32 00:02:10,130 --> 00:02:15,380 tell you slow down the highways aren't you're driving, everybody 33 00:02:15,390 --> 00:02:21,610 flying past you. So I love that as we gather, one 34 00:02:21,620 --> 00:02:25,410 of the things we get to do is interrupt all of that and slow 35 00:02:25,420 --> 00:02:27,870 down. So I'm going to read through the 36 00:02:27,920 --> 00:02:32,790 opening verses of Chapter 7 after we pray together, and I'm 37 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:36,450 going to do it hopefully slowly if I can manage it. 38 00:02:37,610 --> 00:02:39,920 And then we're going to work our way through these verses because 39 00:02:39,930 --> 00:02:42,070 I think there's something pretty powerful to say to us. 40 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:50,950 And I hope that you can settle into that, can slow yourself 41 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:58,730 into it. Let me pray, God, thank you for 42 00:02:58,740 --> 00:03:03,160 your life and for your love. Thank you for your presence with 43 00:03:03,170 --> 00:03:05,680 us. Yeah, thanks for that. 44 00:03:05,910 --> 00:03:11,300 Your invitation is to a slowed down way of living and moving 45 00:03:11,310 --> 00:03:14,630 and being. And thank you for rhythms and 46 00:03:14,640 --> 00:03:17,430 habits and even disciplines that encourage us to do it. 47 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:21,830 Thank you that gathering together is one of those habits 48 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:26,640 and routines and even disciplines that invites us to 49 00:03:26,650 --> 00:03:31,930 slow down and to listen. And so, God, I pray that you 50 00:03:31,940 --> 00:03:36,970 would speak to us not because we managed to do things like in the 51 00:03:36,980 --> 00:03:41,520 exact right way. So you know you answer, but 52 00:03:41,530 --> 00:03:44,030 because that's your heart and that's your intention and 53 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:47,840 inclination toward us, toward those you created and love. 54 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:54,200 So God, slow us down. Let us hear your spirit. 55 00:03:55,090 --> 00:04:00,640 Let us listen to these words, be it for the first time or for the 56 00:04:00,650 --> 00:04:04,380 100th time. Yeah, they're pretty. 57 00:04:04,390 --> 00:04:08,490 We would hear you in this, in your heart, toward each one of 58 00:04:08,500 --> 00:04:09,550 us. I pray these things in the 59 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:12,780 strong Name, the name of Jesus, Amen. 60 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:22,970 So, Luke writes, when Jesus had finished saying all this to the 61 00:04:22,980 --> 00:04:26,510 people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 62 00:04:27,140 --> 00:04:32,150 There a centurion servant, whom his master valued highly was 63 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:37,200 sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and 64 00:04:37,210 --> 00:04:42,680 sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal 65 00:04:42,750 --> 00:04:46,820 his servant. When they came to Jesus, they 66 00:04:46,830 --> 00:04:51,900 pleaded earnestly with him. This man deserves to have you do 67 00:04:51,910 --> 00:04:56,670 this because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue. 68 00:04:57,510 --> 00:05:02,450 So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house 69 00:05:02,460 --> 00:05:06,550 when the centurion sent friends to say to him, Lord, don't 70 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:10,290 trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under 71 00:05:10,300 --> 00:05:13,780 my roof. That is why I did not even 72 00:05:13,790 --> 00:05:16,110 consider myself worthy to come to you. 73 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:23,480 But say the word, and My Servant will be healed, for I myself am 74 00:05:23,490 --> 00:05:27,290 a man under authority, with soldiers under me. 75 00:05:28,210 --> 00:05:33,540 I tell this one go, and he goes, and that one come, and he comes. 76 00:05:34,050 --> 00:05:36,670 I say to my servant, Do this and he does it. 77 00:05:37,730 --> 00:05:41,650 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to 78 00:05:41,660 --> 00:05:46,090 the crowd following, he said, I tell you I have not found such 79 00:05:46,100 --> 00:05:52,650 great faith even in Israel. Then the men who had been sent 80 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:56,230 returned to the house and found the servant. 81 00:05:56,300 --> 00:06:01,510 Well, soon afterward Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his 82 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:04,730 disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 83 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:08,670 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried 84 00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:14,790 out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a large 85 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:16,620 crowd from the town was with her. 86 00:06:17,350 --> 00:06:22,540 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her, and he said 87 00:06:22,550 --> 00:06:26,060 don't cry. Then he went up and touched the 88 00:06:26,070 --> 00:06:30,500 beer they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. 89 00:06:31,940 --> 00:06:35,420 He said. Young man, I say to you, get up. 90 00:06:36,330 --> 00:06:41,150 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to 91 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:43,920 his mother. They were all filled with awe 92 00:06:43,930 --> 00:06:47,150 and praised God. A great prophet has appeared to 93 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:50,050 us, they said. God has come to help his people. 94 00:06:50,790 --> 00:06:53,760 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the 95 00:06:53,770 --> 00:07:01,970 surrounding country. And so for for each of you, for 96 00:07:01,980 --> 00:07:07,630 each of us, whether you come today to Scripture skeptical or 97 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:10,750 wondering, curious, with a little bit of faith mixed in 98 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:17,890 with doubt or full faith, boldly declaring, if you've ever asked 99 00:07:17,900 --> 00:07:22,340 God for something, if you've ever wondered if he would speak 100 00:07:22,350 --> 00:07:24,050 to you, I think these verses are for you. 101 00:07:25,290 --> 00:07:28,280 And if you've wanted to ask God for something, if you've come to 102 00:07:28,290 --> 00:07:31,260 him and you're not quite sure how to do it, you don't know 103 00:07:31,270 --> 00:07:33,110 how, these verses are also for you. 104 00:07:34,260 --> 00:07:38,170 And if you've ever been afraid to ask God for something, I I 105 00:07:38,180 --> 00:07:42,490 think these verses are equally and also for you. 106 00:07:42,700 --> 00:07:45,170 When Jesus had finished saying these things, this is how it 107 00:07:45,180 --> 00:07:46,690 begins. When Jesus had finished saying 108 00:07:46,700 --> 00:07:50,580 all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 109 00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:53,210 So have you been tracking with us? 110 00:07:53,220 --> 00:07:57,030 Jesus has been teaching and he's taught quite a bit. 111 00:07:57,390 --> 00:08:00,210 He has spoken words about the Kingdom. 112 00:08:00,220 --> 00:08:03,870 He has sat with his disciples, some of whom he called apostles, 113 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:08,410 with the crowds who had gathered to unveil the Kingdom of God, to 114 00:08:08,420 --> 00:08:14,740 say this is how the Kingdom is, how it looks like, what it means 115 00:08:14,750 --> 00:08:16,870 to be a part of the Kingdom of God. 116 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:19,660 It's not a this is what it will be like. 117 00:08:20,860 --> 00:08:25,200 It's not a if you can all manage to do this, then it will be 118 00:08:25,210 --> 00:08:29,300 here. He says this is how the Kingdom 119 00:08:29,350 --> 00:08:32,850 is. This is what it is like to live 120 00:08:32,860 --> 00:08:34,720 inside the Kingdom. So we talked about the Sabbath, 121 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:38,390 and he's just finished saying all this to the people who are 122 00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:41,240 listening. All of this is a whole lot of 123 00:08:41,250 --> 00:08:43,580 teaching. It's teaching about the Sabbath. 124 00:08:44,740 --> 00:08:46,870 It's Jesus calling the 12 apostles. 125 00:08:46,940 --> 00:08:48,510 It's all of the sermon on the plane. 126 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:51,210 It's blessing to those who are hungry, who are poor, who are 127 00:08:51,220 --> 00:08:53,330 grieved, hated, excluded, insulted. 128 00:08:53,340 --> 00:08:58,680 Its woes to those who are rich. Warnings of grief to those who 129 00:08:58,690 --> 00:09:03,500 are well fed, laughing, well spoken of, who are rich, he 130 00:09:03,510 --> 00:09:06,170 says. Love your enemies, bless those 131 00:09:06,180 --> 00:09:08,100 who curse you, pray for those who persecute you. 132 00:09:08,110 --> 00:09:09,820 Turn the other cheek, give your shirt. 133 00:09:09,830 --> 00:09:13,420 Also, don't judge, don't condemn, stop judging, stop 134 00:09:13,430 --> 00:09:15,520 condemning. Just don't have anything to do 135 00:09:15,530 --> 00:09:18,720 with it, he says. Choose your teacher wisely. 136 00:09:18,790 --> 00:09:21,740 Be ones who forgive and give extra measures. 137 00:09:21,750 --> 00:09:25,400 Be ones who bear good fruit. Choose your Kingdom wisely, he 138 00:09:25,410 --> 00:09:28,200 says, and build your entire life around it. 139 00:09:28,270 --> 00:09:31,420 His teachings touch on a lot of different things. 140 00:09:31,490 --> 00:09:34,480 Jesus finishes saying all of this to the people. 141 00:09:34,490 --> 00:09:39,500 And then he entered Capernaum. This is an intention. 142 00:09:39,550 --> 00:09:41,600 There's intentionality here. There's connection. 143 00:09:41,610 --> 00:09:44,640 And, and what I want us to see just from the very beginning by 144 00:09:44,650 --> 00:09:49,580 way of entering into these two stories of healings is that for 145 00:09:49,590 --> 00:09:54,370 Jesus, they're not separate, they're not distinct, They're 146 00:09:54,380 --> 00:09:59,190 not, I'm going to say the words about the Kingdom and then I'm 147 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:02,060 going to go and I'm going to live my life and see what 148 00:10:02,070 --> 00:10:04,620 happens. Jesus speaks words about the 149 00:10:04,630 --> 00:10:07,100 Kingdom. This is how the Kingdom is. 150 00:10:07,110 --> 00:10:09,640 This is what it looks like, This is how you live into it. 151 00:10:09,730 --> 00:10:15,380 And then he simply continues living out what he has just 152 00:10:15,430 --> 00:10:16,970 spoken. There's no difference. 153 00:10:16,980 --> 00:10:20,500 There's no disconnect between Jesus speaking the Kingdom and 154 00:10:20,510 --> 00:10:25,840 Jesus doing the Kingdom things, living the Kingdom life. 155 00:10:25,850 --> 00:10:30,940 He enters Capernaum, he carries the Kingdom with him, and as he 156 00:10:30,950 --> 00:10:33,250 goes, we're going to see a couple of significant things. 157 00:10:33,260 --> 00:10:38,110 Today we get to see what the Kingdom is like in fleshed 158 00:10:38,120 --> 00:10:41,260 housed in a human body, in action. 159 00:10:42,470 --> 00:10:47,810 But it's also gonna confront sickness and death and it's 160 00:10:47,820 --> 00:10:51,750 going to include a Gentile or someone who is considered at 161 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:55,230 that time a complete outsider to the will and act and move of 162 00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:58,180 God. So it's going to confront 163 00:10:58,190 --> 00:11:01,440 sickness and death and it's going to include those who are 164 00:11:01,450 --> 00:11:04,580 historically excluded. So he goes, we're having said 165 00:11:04,590 --> 00:11:06,730 all of this finished the teaching, people who are 166 00:11:06,740 --> 00:11:10,180 listening, Yantis Capernaum, their centurion sermon servants 167 00:11:10,190 --> 00:11:14,040 on sermon who his master valued highly was sick and about to 168 00:11:14,050 --> 00:11:15,810 die. So sick not only sick, he is 169 00:11:15,820 --> 00:11:18,700 sick unto death. He's sick at the brink of death. 170 00:11:18,790 --> 00:11:24,920 The centurion heard of Jesus and then sent some of the elders to 171 00:11:24,930 --> 00:11:30,660 the Jews, or of the Jews to him, saying, Come and heal Jesus. 172 00:11:30,670 --> 00:11:37,420 Would you come and heal his? My servant, the centurion was is 173 00:11:37,470 --> 00:11:41,360 a middle ranking officer stationed in Capernaum. 174 00:11:41,370 --> 00:11:43,870 He's a gentile. He's non Jewish. 175 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:46,060 This is a way to think about it. He's a Roman citizen. 176 00:11:47,070 --> 00:11:51,880 Here's the reality of somebody in this position of centurion in 177 00:11:51,890 --> 00:11:54,010 Capernaum. He probably typically the person 178 00:11:54,020 --> 00:11:58,140 in that position wouldn't have liked the people around him very 179 00:11:58,150 --> 00:12:01,780 much, wouldn't have liked the people that he was ruling or 180 00:12:01,790 --> 00:12:06,050 that he was controlling. Chances are, actually, he would 181 00:12:06,060 --> 00:12:09,930 have despised the local people and devalued them. 182 00:12:10,220 --> 00:12:13,630 They wouldn't have felt much different about him in return. 183 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:17,770 That was the general relationship between these 184 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:22,610 commanding officers, these centurions, and the people that 185 00:12:22,620 --> 00:12:25,670 they were tasked in subduing and ruling. 186 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:29,530 He, the centurion, was part of the Roman occupation in Galilee. 187 00:12:29,580 --> 00:12:32,530 He was an occupier, They were occupied. 188 00:12:33,020 --> 00:12:36,370 He was a symbol of oppression. They were the oppressed. 189 00:12:36,500 --> 00:12:40,730 He was a reminder of their lack of freedom that they lived with 190 00:12:40,740 --> 00:12:43,370 every single day. He commanded the soldiers that 191 00:12:43,380 --> 00:12:48,880 kept them in line, that reminded them of their place. 192 00:12:48,890 --> 00:12:51,560 He was, for lack of a better word, their enemy. 193 00:12:51,570 --> 00:12:55,820 Or should have been. And they were his enemy. 194 00:12:57,200 --> 00:12:59,250 And so here's one of the reasons why there's no disconnect. 195 00:12:59,260 --> 00:13:06,560 Jesus has just said love your enemies and pray for those who 196 00:13:06,570 --> 00:13:11,600 persecute you. And immediately Jesus goes and 197 00:13:11,610 --> 00:13:15,620 encounters one who would have been considered an enemy, one 198 00:13:15,630 --> 00:13:24,560 who persecuted the people where the rubber meets the road for 199 00:13:24,570 --> 00:13:29,030 life inside the Kingdom. Except that we're told this man 200 00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:33,210 wasn't an enemy. He wasn't their enemy, and and 201 00:13:33,220 --> 00:13:36,350 they weren't his enemy. The Centurion had come to love 202 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:41,370 and respect the people, not despise them and and they had 203 00:13:41,380 --> 00:13:46,270 come to respect him and to not live in fear of him. 204 00:13:47,320 --> 00:13:50,610 This centurion, he's heard about Jesus likely simply just because 205 00:13:50,620 --> 00:13:53,190 he lived in Capernaum and worried about Jesus is 206 00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:55,530 spreading. In Luke chapter 5, there's an 207 00:13:55,540 --> 00:13:59,590 opening line that said word about him spread and they were 208 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:01,950 sending to him people who were sick and demon possessed. 209 00:14:01,960 --> 00:14:04,270 He healed them. So word about Jesus is 210 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:06,670 spreading. People are hearing, including 211 00:14:06,680 --> 00:14:10,080 this centurion. People knew who Jesus was. 212 00:14:10,240 --> 00:14:14,470 They saw what he could do. And so this man, like many of 213 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:19,470 them, does the same thing. He sends the sick to Jesus only 214 00:14:19,480 --> 00:14:23,990 in his case he sends people to Jesus asking if he would heal 215 00:14:24,140 --> 00:14:28,260 the sick servant. There's some level of faith in 216 00:14:28,270 --> 00:14:31,390 this centurion. In fact, in my Bible, this story 217 00:14:31,460 --> 00:14:36,630 is not called Jesus Heals the Centurion, Servant or servant. 218 00:14:37,430 --> 00:14:40,050 It's called the faith of the Centurion. 219 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:45,750 This is a story about faith and and so the centurion he sends 220 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:52,260 for Jesus, he sends these messengers on his behalf to 221 00:14:52,270 --> 00:14:57,390 bring Jesus back to where he was staying to heal the servant. 222 00:14:58,950 --> 00:15:02,500 I love this line. When they came to Jesus, they 223 00:15:02,510 --> 00:15:13,430 pleaded earnestly with Him. On the one hand, I think you 224 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:19,190 want friends like this. You wanna be a friend like this? 225 00:15:20,260 --> 00:15:23,810 You want friends who will go to Jesus on your behalf and plead 226 00:15:24,740 --> 00:15:28,140 with Him. One of the things that I so 227 00:15:28,150 --> 00:15:30,920 appreciate about our church and our church culture, and it's 228 00:15:30,930 --> 00:15:35,180 growing and it seems to be contagious, is the way in which 229 00:15:35,190 --> 00:15:37,710 we pray for others on their behalf. 230 00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:42,320 The way in which you pray for others on their behalf every 231 00:15:42,330 --> 00:15:43,930 Sunday morning. Just as one example, there are 232 00:15:43,940 --> 00:15:46,150 many every Sunday morning as I'm praying and preparing and 233 00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:48,640 rereading and sometimes rewriting sermon messages and 234 00:15:48,650 --> 00:15:50,540 trying to just tweak little points and how is this going to 235 00:15:50,550 --> 00:15:52,120 sound and how is this going to land? 236 00:15:52,130 --> 00:15:56,310 And praying through all of that movement toward the service. 237 00:15:56,920 --> 00:16:00,150 And as our bands are gathering and tuning instruments and 238 00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:02,550 warming up and practicing and praying their way through, 239 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:05,490 preparing to lead us in worship, there's a group of people who 240 00:16:05,500 --> 00:16:12,350 meet in one of the rooms to pray and who prey on your behalf 241 00:16:13,100 --> 00:16:15,740 about all that will happen this morning. 242 00:16:15,980 --> 00:16:18,530 About everything that takes place from the moment your foot 243 00:16:18,540 --> 00:16:21,910 hits the the the pavement on our property until the moment you 244 00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:28,150 leave and beyond, people are praying on your behalf that you 245 00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:33,150 would encounter God. That as God shows up, that we, 246 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:36,450 each one of us, would do the work necessary to to calm and 247 00:16:36,460 --> 00:16:42,270 centre and still ourselves so that we can be met by Jesus. 248 00:16:45,670 --> 00:16:50,720 Everything we do on a Sunday morning soaked in prayer. 249 00:16:50,730 --> 00:16:53,730 None of it, I'm convinced, worked without prayer. 250 00:16:54,710 --> 00:17:00,390 Maybe more urgently is the way in which you many of you, pray 251 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:07,579 for one another during times of crisis, illness, sickness and 252 00:17:07,589 --> 00:17:11,290 even death. The way in which words spreads 253 00:17:11,380 --> 00:17:16,190 and prayers happen on behalf of others. 254 00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:19,589 The centurion, he has a a servant who is sick and he is 255 00:17:19,599 --> 00:17:20,910 about to die. That's what we're told. 256 00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:23,190 And so he sends these Jewish elders to go and, and to 257 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:25,980 persuade Jesus to come in to heal the the servant. 258 00:17:25,990 --> 00:17:29,450 They are ones who on his behalf are pleading to Jesus. 259 00:17:29,460 --> 00:17:34,920 Jesus come and heal him, they're pleading on the servants behalf. 260 00:17:34,930 --> 00:17:40,040 Jesus come and heal him. And there are moments in your 261 00:17:40,050 --> 00:17:45,560 life where you need this kind of friend or intervention, where 262 00:17:45,570 --> 00:17:50,970 somebody drags you to Jesus or goes on your behalf in an 263 00:17:50,980 --> 00:17:57,070 attempt to bring Jesus to you and pleads to him on your behalf 264 00:17:57,930 --> 00:18:05,890 for him to come and heal you. You need ones in your life who 265 00:18:05,900 --> 00:18:11,700 will plead with Jesus on your behalf for God to show up and do 266 00:18:11,710 --> 00:18:15,540 the thing that He is capable of, forgot to heal and amend and to 267 00:18:15,550 --> 00:18:17,960 restore and bind together what is broken. 268 00:18:18,950 --> 00:18:21,660 What the Church for centuries have called prayers of 269 00:18:21,670 --> 00:18:26,140 supplication and prayers of intercession, prayers that are 270 00:18:26,150 --> 00:18:35,040 given on your behalf. But on the other hand, when I 271 00:18:35,050 --> 00:18:39,860 read this, I see these these people come to Jesus and they 272 00:18:39,870 --> 00:18:44,170 plead earnestly with him. But this is their prayer, He 273 00:18:44,180 --> 00:18:49,910 says. This man deserves to have you do 274 00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:54,130 this because he loves our nation and he has built our synagogue. 275 00:18:56,790 --> 00:19:01,980 They plead with Jesus based on the merit of the centurion, what 276 00:19:01,990 --> 00:19:05,580 he has done for them. They say he loves our nation. 277 00:19:05,650 --> 00:19:09,590 He's built our synagogue. He's acted with love and 278 00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:12,610 kindness toward us. He's provided us with a place of 279 00:19:12,620 --> 00:19:14,650 worship. He respects our religion and our 280 00:19:14,660 --> 00:19:17,730 culture. Therefore, God, would you do 281 00:19:17,740 --> 00:19:21,330 this? Would you do this for Him? 282 00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:26,710 And so as much as we need to be ones who go and plead with God 283 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:29,990 on others behalves, and as much as we need others to go on our 284 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:32,910 behalf and to plead with God, God, would you do this? 285 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:37,340 I wonder if we can fall into the same relationship with God that 286 00:19:37,350 --> 00:19:42,890 these first messengers do and think that maybe if we rack up 287 00:19:42,900 --> 00:19:46,210 enough points, then then God is gonna do the thing. 288 00:19:46,220 --> 00:19:49,390 We ask. If we can list enough things 289 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:52,330 that we've done and that we've completed inside of the week, 290 00:19:52,340 --> 00:19:55,800 then maybe, just maybe, God will answer my my prayer on Sunday 291 00:19:55,810 --> 00:19:57,930 morning. If finally I just I show up to 292 00:19:57,940 --> 00:20:02,510 church and I do the thing, then maybe God will answer me if. 293 00:20:03,410 --> 00:20:09,270 I can rack up enough points or we do the like Visa credit card 294 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:14,350 approach to prayer, right? So the like if this then that 295 00:20:15,030 --> 00:20:23,920 like God, if you do this then I will owe you and then maybe I 296 00:20:23,930 --> 00:20:28,550 will do that God, like if you do this for me, then I will what 297 00:20:28,560 --> 00:20:31,580 does it sound like? Then I will live my life in a 298 00:20:31,590 --> 00:20:35,200 certain way. Then I will commit to a certain 299 00:20:35,210 --> 00:20:37,580 thing. Then I will give a certain 300 00:20:37,630 --> 00:20:41,490 amount. Then I will do certain things. 301 00:20:41,500 --> 00:20:44,930 Insert whatever bargaining chip you may try to use. 302 00:20:45,500 --> 00:20:49,980 We think we need to earn the response we want from God. 303 00:20:50,020 --> 00:20:53,590 But here's where I love how Jesus acts. 304 00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:57,560 Says so. Jesus went with them. 305 00:20:59,250 --> 00:21:02,540 That was it. There's no like intervening 306 00:21:02,550 --> 00:21:03,900 sermon. There's no message. 307 00:21:03,910 --> 00:21:06,280 There's no hey, wait, like you gotta get this thing correct 308 00:21:06,290 --> 00:21:07,760 first. I'm gonna do this, but let me 309 00:21:07,770 --> 00:21:11,740 tell you why Jesus just goes and says, So Jesus went. 310 00:21:14,630 --> 00:21:19,240 We see Jesus as love and we see Jesus as compassion for them, 311 00:21:19,250 --> 00:21:23,100 for the servant who is sick, for the centurion. 312 00:21:23,890 --> 00:21:25,730 I don't think Jesus is convinced. 313 00:21:25,740 --> 00:21:29,460 Like, OK, I mean, he's done Tell me again this he's built a a 314 00:21:29,470 --> 00:21:31,820 synagogue. And you know, how is he acted 315 00:21:31,830 --> 00:21:35,260 again toward you? And has he acted with love and 316 00:21:35,270 --> 00:21:37,460 kindness? Like he doesn't chronicle a 317 00:21:37,470 --> 00:21:39,920 whole list or check things off a box. 318 00:21:39,930 --> 00:21:44,700 He simply goes, and I think he goes because what do we see many 319 00:21:44,710 --> 00:21:47,040 times in Scripture? He goes because he has 320 00:21:47,050 --> 00:21:51,540 compassion on them. It's a line repeated over and 321 00:21:51,550 --> 00:21:57,130 over again. Jesus goes with them where he 322 00:21:57,140 --> 00:22:00,050 was not far off from the house when the centurion sent friends 323 00:22:00,060 --> 00:22:02,910 to say to him, Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not 324 00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:05,000 deserve to have you come under my roof. 325 00:22:05,650 --> 00:22:09,700 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come 326 00:22:09,770 --> 00:22:14,420 to you. But say the word and my servant 327 00:22:14,470 --> 00:22:18,020 will be healed. So Jesus is on his way. 328 00:22:18,030 --> 00:22:21,140 He's going. He is in the process of doing 329 00:22:21,150 --> 00:22:25,220 what this centurion has begged him to do, which is heal the 330 00:22:25,230 --> 00:22:27,940 servant. And the centurion sends a second 331 00:22:27,950 --> 00:22:29,280 group. And this second group is 332 00:22:29,290 --> 00:22:31,630 fascinating to me. AOK friends. 333 00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:33,780 So he's sending another group. He's sending this time a group 334 00:22:33,790 --> 00:22:37,250 of friends to say to Jesus, Lord, don't trouble yourself. 335 00:22:38,430 --> 00:22:41,460 I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 336 00:22:41,470 --> 00:22:45,590 That's why I didn't even consider myself worthy to come 337 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:50,050 to you. And so I wonder if another error 338 00:22:50,060 --> 00:22:55,670 or another false belief that we can act in as we approach God is 339 00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:58,010 in some ways the opposite of the first. 340 00:22:58,060 --> 00:23:02,510 Not a let me show you how worthy I am, but in a you know what? 341 00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:08,700 I don't even deserve a second thought and and I wonder if we 342 00:23:08,710 --> 00:23:14,060 can fail to pray and ask and request and plead on our behalf 343 00:23:14,070 --> 00:23:18,420 on others behaves out of shame and guilt because we don't feel 344 00:23:18,430 --> 00:23:23,300 worthy like God's not gonna pay attention to us. 345 00:23:25,310 --> 00:23:29,520 Says don't trouble yourself. I don't deserve it, but then we 346 00:23:29,530 --> 00:23:35,190 get this beautiful statement, he says. 347 00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:43,590 This say the Word and my servant will be healed. 348 00:23:45,230 --> 00:23:50,420 See this This belief in his worthiness or unworthiness 349 00:23:50,430 --> 00:23:53,610 doesn't waver the Centurion's faith. 350 00:23:54,730 --> 00:23:58,070 If anything, it emboldens him. He says listen, just say the 351 00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:05,970 word and he will be healed. I think the centurion recognizes 352 00:24:05,980 --> 00:24:10,520 Jesus as authority, even over sickness and death. 353 00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:15,610 He believes that it's not the touch of Jesus that will heal, 354 00:24:15,620 --> 00:24:17,670 it's Jesus doesn't need to show up. 355 00:24:18,630 --> 00:24:23,910 All he needs to do is speak the Word and his servant will be 356 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:28,360 healed. I like to read this story and we 357 00:24:28,370 --> 00:24:31,290 won't read it, but I like to read it in parallel with Jesus 358 00:24:31,300 --> 00:24:36,190 raising Lazarus from the dead. Because in that story, Jesus is 359 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:39,210 sent for. Lazarus is his friend, his good 360 00:24:39,220 --> 00:24:43,910 friend, and he has sent for. Lazarus is sick, he's dying, and 361 00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:46,890 Jesus stays. It's this really odd passage. 362 00:24:46,900 --> 00:24:48,270 Jesus, we're going to get there eventually. 363 00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:52,670 Jesus stays there and then a couple days go by and then he 364 00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:55,730 goes. Lazarus in those days has died. 365 00:24:55,860 --> 00:24:59,750 And what is the one thing that Jesus is confronted? 366 00:24:59,820 --> 00:25:07,040 Yes, he, he's he, he comes. Lazarus is dead and and marries 367 00:25:07,050 --> 00:25:13,540 there and they say if you had been here, if you had been here, 368 00:25:14,310 --> 00:25:17,640 Jesus goes into that tomb, he speaks a word and Lazarus comes 369 00:25:17,650 --> 00:25:22,900 out of the grave. So yes, Jesus's presence is 370 00:25:22,910 --> 00:25:25,280 important and powerful, but Jesus needs to speak the word. 371 00:25:25,290 --> 00:25:26,740 He doesn't need to be there in this century. 372 00:25:26,750 --> 00:25:30,820 And he recognizes that authority that Jesus has over all of the 373 00:25:30,830 --> 00:25:32,560 created order. And to your right puts it like 374 00:25:32,570 --> 00:25:33,780 this. He says this faith isn't 375 00:25:33,790 --> 00:25:35,650 abstract. It's not an abstract belief 376 00:25:35,660 --> 00:25:37,860 about God or the learning of dogmas. 377 00:25:37,870 --> 00:25:41,100 It is the simple, clear belief that when Jesus commands that 378 00:25:41,110 --> 00:25:42,900 something be done, it will be done. 379 00:25:43,630 --> 00:25:46,830 He regards Jesus like a military officer like himself, right with 380 00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:48,920 authority over sickness and health. 381 00:25:48,990 --> 00:25:52,340 If Jesus says that someone is going to get well, they will. 382 00:25:52,390 --> 00:25:58,580 What could be simpler? He says, Except I read this and 383 00:25:58,590 --> 00:26:02,180 I go, yeah, the centurion is a gentile. 384 00:26:03,490 --> 00:26:08,760 Where does his faith come from? He didn't have the cultural 385 00:26:08,770 --> 00:26:11,820 memory or the religious tradition of Israel. 386 00:26:11,830 --> 00:26:15,290 He didn't have a framework for understanding Jesus as Messiah 387 00:26:15,300 --> 00:26:19,420 and Savior and all of what that meant for him to heal and to 388 00:26:19,430 --> 00:26:23,670 raise up dead to life. He, the centurion, didn't have 389 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:26,040 the stories. He didn't grow up in church or 390 00:26:26,050 --> 00:26:30,390 synagogue. He was an outsider, but we're 391 00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:34,940 told he had great faith. He had heard about who Jesus was 392 00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:42,080 and what Jesus could do and trusted that Jesus would do it. 393 00:26:42,840 --> 00:26:46,830 He saw God's authority at work in Jesus and believed that it 394 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:53,080 could be for him too, that all of what Jesus represented and 395 00:26:53,090 --> 00:26:57,340 brought and brings into the world could also be for him. 396 00:26:59,130 --> 00:27:02,190 You don't need to have grown up in the church, or have a 397 00:27:02,200 --> 00:27:05,710 cultural memory of Christianity, or think yourself to be perfect, 398 00:27:05,720 --> 00:27:10,430 or rack up a list of credits to your name to understand that 399 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:19,050 Jesus is for you, too. But we do need to see Jesus's 400 00:27:19,060 --> 00:27:24,980 authority as absolute, the centurion. 401 00:27:24,990 --> 00:27:29,280 He risks his name, his career, potentially his life, because he 402 00:27:29,290 --> 00:27:33,480 saw that God's ultimate authority was at work in Jesus 403 00:27:33,930 --> 00:27:37,500 and he recognized that that authority, God's authority in 404 00:27:37,510 --> 00:27:41,560 Jesus, excuse me, was greater than the authority that had been 405 00:27:41,570 --> 00:27:45,000 given to him by Rome. He trusted that Jesus could do 406 00:27:45,010 --> 00:27:49,660 something that no emperor or Caesar could do, that he could 407 00:27:49,730 --> 00:27:56,290 heal the sick with a word. And so I wonder if, like this 408 00:27:56,300 --> 00:28:00,860 Centurion, we need to risk a little more in the way we pray. 409 00:28:02,820 --> 00:28:06,910 I wonder if we need to pray prayers that are a little less 410 00:28:06,980 --> 00:28:11,600 safe because I don't know about you, but I like, I catch myself 411 00:28:11,610 --> 00:28:14,620 praying these prayers and some of these prayers, they sound 412 00:28:14,630 --> 00:28:17,120 like this. God, would you please do this? 413 00:28:17,230 --> 00:28:20,420 I'm gonna beg, I'm gonna plead, I'm gonna sit here and I will 414 00:28:20,430 --> 00:28:22,590 pray. Would you do this? 415 00:28:24,040 --> 00:28:31,590 But only if you want to. And then we plead with God and 416 00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:36,270 say, like, if only if you, if only you will God, would you 417 00:28:36,280 --> 00:28:40,580 heal him? Would you do it if you are able 418 00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:45,920 God free me from if you just maybe could, if I could 419 00:28:45,930 --> 00:28:50,910 inconvenience you for a second. Listen. 420 00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:53,250 Like the reality of prayer is that not every prayer is going 421 00:28:53,260 --> 00:28:57,010 to get answered. Anybody who has prayed for 422 00:28:57,020 --> 00:28:59,330 longer than one prayer will be able to tell you that. 423 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:03,030 And I think to myself, like, thank God for that. 424 00:29:04,140 --> 00:29:09,580 Sometimes my prayers shouldn't be answered the way I want, and 425 00:29:09,590 --> 00:29:12,400 absolutely prayers are only answered the way God wills them 426 00:29:12,410 --> 00:29:15,160 to be answered. Yes, that's true. 427 00:29:15,610 --> 00:29:18,500 But I think the danger is that we pray those prayers not 428 00:29:18,510 --> 00:29:23,120 because we ultimately and absolutely believe that God will 429 00:29:23,130 --> 00:29:27,410 do it if He wills. We pray those prayers to keep 430 00:29:27,420 --> 00:29:31,920 ourselves safe and to distance myself from an outcome that I 431 00:29:31,930 --> 00:29:35,020 don't want. Because if I pray and then I 432 00:29:35,030 --> 00:29:37,960 said, but if you will, that's a safe prayer for me because I can 433 00:29:37,970 --> 00:29:41,580 dismiss whatever happens if I don't like it or if it doesn't 434 00:29:41,590 --> 00:29:43,940 happen, if it's not answered in the way I want it to be 435 00:29:43,950 --> 00:29:46,160 answered. I remember praying for a kid and 436 00:29:46,170 --> 00:29:49,100 this kid was 8 years old and he had had cancer since he was 6. 437 00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:52,910 And we prayed and we prayed and we prayed and we prayed and we 438 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:57,220 prayed for this kid to be healed and eventually that that kid 439 00:29:57,290 --> 00:29:59,930 died. And it's with Jesus. 440 00:30:01,660 --> 00:30:03,440 And we wrestled with that reality. 441 00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:09,580 And how teach us? How do we pray bold prayers that 442 00:30:09,810 --> 00:30:16,690 aren't safe for me to pray and also surrendered to the absolute 443 00:30:16,760 --> 00:30:23,510 authority of Jesus. Because again, the reality is 444 00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:27,130 not every prayer is going to be answered the way you want. 445 00:30:29,190 --> 00:30:32,980 But I think our task, if you call yourself a follower of 446 00:30:32,990 --> 00:30:40,410 Jesus, is to pray boldly. Jesus sees the faith that's of 447 00:30:40,420 --> 00:30:45,450 the centurion, the faith of of an outsider, of a Gentile, of 448 00:30:45,460 --> 00:30:50,190 one who has his own authority, has his own mechanisms and 449 00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:53,710 pathways to attempt to heal this servant. 450 00:30:53,820 --> 00:31:01,780 And he sees his bold faith and his bold request for Jesus to, 451 00:31:01,790 --> 00:31:07,090 with a word, heal him. And then it says, when Jesus 452 00:31:07,100 --> 00:31:11,480 heard this, he was amazed. He was amazed. 453 00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:17,280 Jesus is amazed by the man's faith. 454 00:31:18,230 --> 00:31:22,630 He's amazed at him. Turning to the crowd following 455 00:31:22,640 --> 00:31:24,730 him, he said. I tell you I have not found such 456 00:31:24,740 --> 00:31:30,210 great faith even in Israel. The ones who have the stories 457 00:31:31,460 --> 00:31:35,880 and the cultural memory and the faith handed down generation 458 00:31:35,890 --> 00:31:38,100 after generation. Then the men who had been sent 459 00:31:38,110 --> 00:31:40,260 with him returned to the house and found the servant. 460 00:31:40,270 --> 00:31:47,980 Well, I find it interesting that Jesus doesn't even speak the 461 00:31:47,990 --> 00:31:52,030 word. He doesn't say be made well. 462 00:31:53,790 --> 00:31:55,420 What does he say? I tell you, I've not even found 463 00:31:55,430 --> 00:31:59,300 such great faith even in Israel. And they return, and the servant 464 00:31:59,310 --> 00:32:03,870 is healed. So yes, Jesus can speak a word 465 00:32:04,760 --> 00:32:07,220 and they can heal. But Jesus doesn't need to speak 466 00:32:07,230 --> 00:32:12,720 a word and he can still heal. The healing is significant. 467 00:32:14,590 --> 00:32:16,740 Don't get me wrong, the healing is significant. 468 00:32:16,750 --> 00:32:21,110 Jesus is love and compassion, is for the sick, and moves him to 469 00:32:21,120 --> 00:32:23,960 heal the sick. But the point that we are meant 470 00:32:23,970 --> 00:32:29,870 to see here that Luke is really trying to shape for us is to see 471 00:32:29,940 --> 00:32:33,150 the faith of the Gentile centurion. 472 00:32:33,640 --> 00:32:37,810 What ought to encourage us who are curious about faith in Jesus 473 00:32:37,820 --> 00:32:40,750 but who didn't grow up in the church, is the faith of the 474 00:32:40,760 --> 00:32:42,630 centurion. Well, not to challenge us who 475 00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:46,310 did grow up in the church with the stories and the songs and 476 00:32:46,320 --> 00:32:50,770 the prayers, is the faith, the bold faith of the centurion, the 477 00:32:50,780 --> 00:32:55,060 faith that recognizes Jesus, faith to ask boldly and trust 478 00:32:55,070 --> 00:32:58,710 that Jesus is who he says he is, that he will do what he says he 479 00:32:58,720 --> 00:33:01,620 will do and that he is Lord of the world. 480 00:33:01,630 --> 00:33:03,600 Again, NT right? And one of his commentaries, he 481 00:33:03,610 --> 00:33:06,100 says, he says this is the question like is Jesus Lord of 482 00:33:06,110 --> 00:33:08,620 the world, the entirety of it, all of it or not? 483 00:33:09,070 --> 00:33:11,740 Because if he is, then it's game on. 484 00:33:17,040 --> 00:33:23,360 Finished with, if this works, our last story. 485 00:33:24,440 --> 00:33:26,530 Soon afterward Jesus went to a town called Maine, and his 486 00:33:26,540 --> 00:33:28,930 disciples in a large crowd went along with him. 487 00:33:29,160 --> 00:33:32,030 As he approached the town gate. A dead person was being carried 488 00:33:32,040 --> 00:33:35,750 out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a large 489 00:33:35,760 --> 00:33:37,390 crowd from the town was with her. 490 00:33:37,720 --> 00:33:47,040 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her, and he said 491 00:33:47,050 --> 00:33:50,540 don't cry, his heart went out to her. 492 00:33:51,210 --> 00:33:56,370 This story is different. At first glance, there's no 493 00:33:56,380 --> 00:33:59,470 faith. So we've just had this big 494 00:33:59,520 --> 00:34:02,750 healing, this big story of a miraculous healing, all of it 495 00:34:02,760 --> 00:34:07,350 centred around faith, bold faith, bold request of Jesus. 496 00:34:07,360 --> 00:34:10,639 And here we have no faith seemingly present. 497 00:34:11,500 --> 00:34:13,719 No one sends messengers to Jesus. 498 00:34:14,570 --> 00:34:17,350 No one asks Jesus to raise the dead man. 499 00:34:17,989 --> 00:34:22,139 No one pleads on his behalf. No one lists out everything that 500 00:34:22,150 --> 00:34:25,260 this mom has done. Jesus, would you please come and 501 00:34:25,370 --> 00:34:27,860 heal like this is her only son? Would you do it? 502 00:34:27,949 --> 00:34:36,270 No one pleads on his behalf. The widow now alone, no family. 503 00:34:36,420 --> 00:34:41,560 No one trusts that Jesus can do what he says except Jesus 504 00:34:41,570 --> 00:34:46,710 himself. When the Lord saw her, his heart 505 00:34:46,760 --> 00:34:51,940 went out to her and he said, don't cry again. 506 00:34:51,949 --> 00:34:55,370 This is Jesus's compassion on full display. 507 00:34:55,420 --> 00:34:58,630 This is the generous life giving over abundance. 508 00:34:58,640 --> 00:35:01,870 Push back the darkness. Blessed are those who mourn now. 509 00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:10,120 Way of the Kingdom on full display, the story concludes. 510 00:35:10,130 --> 00:35:14,480 Then he went up and he touched the beer they were standing on, 511 00:35:14,490 --> 00:35:17,290 or they were carrying him on and the bears stood still. 512 00:35:17,630 --> 00:35:23,330 He said with the word young man, I say to you, get up. 513 00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:27,570 The dead man sat up and began to talk and Jesus gave him back to 514 00:35:27,580 --> 00:35:29,740 his mother. They were all filled with all 515 00:35:29,750 --> 00:35:32,210 and praise God, a great prophet has appeared among us when they 516 00:35:32,220 --> 00:35:36,580 said God has come to help his people. 517 00:35:37,870 --> 00:35:40,030 There's a couple different ways of translating that line. 518 00:35:40,040 --> 00:35:43,470 God has come to help his people, and one of those ways is quite 519 00:35:43,480 --> 00:35:47,130 literally God has visited his people. 520 00:35:48,150 --> 00:35:51,820 And that might not make as much sense to us today as it did to 521 00:35:51,830 --> 00:35:55,480 people in Luke's time that he was writing to the way in which 522 00:35:55,490 --> 00:35:58,240 he's crafting this story. Because God has visited his 523 00:35:58,250 --> 00:36:00,240 people, His Old Testament language. 524 00:36:00,310 --> 00:36:04,140 This is the language of God coming to save and rescue and 525 00:36:04,150 --> 00:36:08,070 restore and redeem, coming to bring life to his people. 526 00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:11,780 It's not just like God shows up and then leaves and nothing 527 00:36:11,790 --> 00:36:15,340 changes, as God has visited with purpose and intention His people 528 00:36:15,350 --> 00:36:19,120 to do the thing that He says He will do. 529 00:36:24,330 --> 00:36:29,400 Excuse me? God still visits his people. 530 00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:40,810 God visits you to lift you up and to restore you, to heal and 531 00:36:40,820 --> 00:36:45,250 to bring life. Because the Kingdom of God isn't 532 00:36:45,260 --> 00:36:50,100 just breaking into the world. The Kingdom of God is breaking 533 00:36:50,110 --> 00:36:57,700 into your world. I wonder, though, if sometimes 534 00:36:57,710 --> 00:37:03,360 we create lives that are too noisy to hear when God does 535 00:37:03,370 --> 00:37:08,390 visit. I wonder in the midst of the 536 00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:12,550 busyness and the chaos, we lose an ability for quiet 537 00:37:12,560 --> 00:37:18,680 contemplation and prayer. And ultimately prevent ourselves 538 00:37:18,690 --> 00:37:22,530 from hearing when God does show up. 539 00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:30,060 And So what I want to do this morning is read that last story 540 00:37:30,070 --> 00:37:35,330 again, slowly and quietly, and I want to provide a little bit of 541 00:37:35,340 --> 00:37:42,910 space for you to pray and wonder and ask and listen for God to 542 00:37:42,920 --> 00:37:47,760 show up. Only instead of listening and 543 00:37:47,770 --> 00:37:52,180 hearing and seeing God show up for this widow and her dead son 544 00:37:52,190 --> 00:37:56,420 and raising her dead son back to new life and giving him back to 545 00:37:56,430 --> 00:38:00,600 her, I wonder if you can listen for where God might be showing 546 00:38:00,610 --> 00:38:04,950 up in your life. And I wonder what it might look 547 00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:08,730 like for you to allow God to show up in whatever situation 548 00:38:08,740 --> 00:38:15,710 and circumstance that is leading toward death, Right? 549 00:38:15,720 --> 00:38:18,460 It could be literal death and grief. 550 00:38:19,700 --> 00:38:22,460 It could be sickness and fear. It could be anxiety and 551 00:38:22,470 --> 00:38:25,130 depression. It could be addiction and shame. 552 00:38:25,140 --> 00:38:27,170 It could be relationship and brokenness. 553 00:38:27,300 --> 00:38:30,250 It could be life changing decisions decisions and and 554 00:38:30,260 --> 00:38:32,750 paralysis like analysis paralysis. 555 00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:36,190 It could be mundane and wrote. It could be messy diapers and 556 00:38:36,200 --> 00:38:38,530 sleepless nights. It could be loneliness and 557 00:38:38,540 --> 00:38:40,530 isolation. It could be hospital visits and 558 00:38:40,540 --> 00:38:43,670 unknown futures. It could be sin and darkness and 559 00:38:43,680 --> 00:38:47,280 death. There could be any day of your 560 00:38:47,290 --> 00:38:55,180 life because Jesus's desire is to break in and to disrupt and 561 00:38:55,190 --> 00:38:59,240 to shape and to form and to build and to rebuild and to 562 00:38:59,250 --> 00:39:03,280 mend, to heal, restore, bring life. 563 00:39:04,630 --> 00:39:09,040 Jesus's desire is to break in, and So what I hope we can do is 564 00:39:09,050 --> 00:39:11,800 pause. Quiet. 565 00:39:13,420 --> 00:39:19,440 Pray in the silence and plead with God to boldly show up as we 566 00:39:19,450 --> 00:39:46,390 read. Soon afterward, Jesus went to a 567 00:39:46,400 --> 00:39:50,190 town called Maine, and his disciples and a large crowd went 568 00:39:50,200 --> 00:39:54,030 along with him. As he approached the town gate, 569 00:39:54,040 --> 00:39:58,050 the dead person was being carried out, the only son of his 570 00:39:58,060 --> 00:40:03,460 mother and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town 571 00:40:03,470 --> 00:40:08,270 was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart 572 00:40:08,340 --> 00:40:12,950 went out to her and he said don't cry. 573 00:40:16,950 --> 00:40:20,420 Then he went up and touched the beer they were carrying him on. 574 00:40:21,650 --> 00:40:26,170 The bearers stood still. He said. 575 00:40:27,910 --> 00:40:36,370 Young man, I say to you, get up. The dead man sat up and began to 576 00:40:36,380 --> 00:40:40,210 talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. 577 00:40:41,670 --> 00:40:44,290 They were all filled with awe and praised God. 578 00:40:45,100 --> 00:40:48,050 A great prophet has appeared among us, they said. 579 00:40:48,960 --> 00:40:54,940 God has come to help his people. This news about Jesus spread 580 00:40:54,950 --> 00:40:58,040 throughout Judea and the surrounding country. 581 00:41:00,570 --> 00:41:01,020 Amen.