1 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:07,840 We really do love the church and we love what God's doing in the 2 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:10,840 church. And last week there was an 3 00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:16,160 amazing word that was brought by James. 4 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:20,880 He spoke about the path of life and how we shepherded into the 5 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:23,240 presence of God, into his purposes. 6 00:00:23,240 --> 00:00:27,440 And when we get to a point where we say the Lord is my Lord, 7 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:32,800 where there's a personal relationship that starts with 8 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:37,440 Jesus, we come to a place where we see him as our refuge, our 9 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:40,760 counsel, our authority. We come under his authority. 10 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:43,520 And as a result of that, our lives are completely different. 11 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:48,040 And I loved just hearing what James had to say. 12 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:50,560 And I was just praying through the week and I kind of felt like 13 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:54,000 this morning. I want to carry on with the 14 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:55,840 theme of that. But instead of speaking about 15 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:59,640 the path of life, which is about our lives and in relationship to 16 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,880 God, but actually to speak about the path of discipleship, should 17 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:06,680 I maybe get the other night? OK, this is good. 18 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:12,400 All right, wonderful. So the path of discipleship, we 19 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:16,160 are commissioned by God. We are commissioned by Jesus to 20 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:18,720 make disciples. There's like a green light from 21 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:23,960 heaven that green lighters go, go and make disciples of all 22 00:01:23,960 --> 00:01:26,800 nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and 23 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:31,240 the Holy Spirit, teaching them all of what I've obeyed taught 24 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:33,440 you and that they would obey that. 25 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:38,360 And so there's, there's a heavenly commissioning over our 26 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:42,280 lives and to disciple people is, is not the easiest thing in the 27 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:46,280 world, but it's something that we are commissioned to do. 28 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:49,280 And God helps us in this. And Jesus is probably the best 29 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:52,760 example that we could ever find of how to disciple. 30 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:57,160 And the account of the two disciples on the Rote Emmaus is 31 00:01:57,440 --> 00:01:59,000 what I would like to read this morning. 32 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:06,080 And to just draw a few things that Jesus shows us as to how we 33 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:08,240 actually go about discipling others. 34 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:11,120 Because our Christian walk is not just about us and God. 35 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:17,040 It's about how we are to be God's hands and feet towards 36 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:19,600 others who are needing to be discipled. 37 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:23,480 And when we disciple one another and when we disciple people into 38 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:27,440 this beautiful relationship, and then we start to see God's work 39 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:29,920 through His church, which is how He works. 40 00:02:29,920 --> 00:02:34,840 He wants to work through us. So here we go reading from Luke 41 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:40,040 24 from verse 13. It says now that same day two of 42 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:43,440 them were going to a village called Emmaus about 7 miles from 43 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:45,440 Jerusalem. They were talking with each 44 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:48,360 other about everything that had happened. 45 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:53,120 So that same day as the day of Jesus resurrection, so it's the 46 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:56,320 weekend of his crucifixion. And and so they talking about 47 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:59,560 this and they're walking to Emmaus from Jerusalem. 48 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:02,480 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, 49 00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:06,720 Jesus himself came up and walked along with them, but they were 50 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:11,080 kept from recognizing him. He asked them, what are you 51 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:13,040 discussing together as you walk along? 52 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:15,720 They stood still, their faces downcast. 53 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:20,120 One of them, named Cleopas asked him, Are you only a visitor to 54 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:23,920 Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there 55 00:03:23,920 --> 00:03:26,320 in these days? What things? 56 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:30,360 He asked about Jesus of Nazareth, they replied. 57 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:34,360 He was a prophet, powerful in Word and deed before God and all 58 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:38,400 the people, the chief priests and all our rulers handed him 59 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:41,400 over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him. 60 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:45,640 But we had hoped that He was the one who was going to redeem 61 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:48,400 Israel. And what is more, it is the 62 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:50,840 third day since all this took place. 63 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:53,760 In addition, some of our women amazed us. 64 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:56,920 They went to the tomb early this morning but didn't find his 65 00:03:56,920 --> 00:03:59,840 body. They came and told us that they 66 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:02,880 had seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 67 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:07,120 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it's just 68 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:10,800 as the woman had said. But Him they did not see. 69 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:14,960 He said to them, How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to 70 00:04:14,960 --> 00:04:17,079 believe all that the prophets have spoken. 71 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:20,839 Did not the Christ have to suffer these things, and then 72 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:25,120 enter His glory? And beginning with Moses and all 73 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:29,080 the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the 74 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:33,320 Scriptures concerning Himself. As they approached the village 75 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:36,560 to which they were going, Jesus acted as if He were going 76 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:39,120 farther, but they urged him strongly. 77 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:43,520 Stay with us, for it is nearly evening, the day is almost over. 78 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:48,320 So He went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with 79 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:53,160 him, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and began to give it 80 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:56,400 to them. Then their eyes were opened and 81 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:59,520 they recognized him, and He disappeared from their sight. 82 00:05:00,280 --> 00:05:03,280 They asked each other. Were not our hearts burning 83 00:05:03,280 --> 00:05:07,080 within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the 84 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:11,080 Scriptures to us? They got up and returned at once 85 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:13,920 to Jerusalem. There they found their leaven 86 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:17,320 and those with them assembled together. 87 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:21,840 And saying, it is true, the Lord has risen and has appeared to 88 00:05:21,840 --> 00:05:24,680 Simon. Then the two told what had 89 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:29,080 happened on the way and how Jesus was recognized by them 90 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:32,600 when he broke the bread. Amen. 91 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:35,720 An amazing passage, an incredible account. 92 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:42,480 But what we see is there's two followers of Jesus who have lost 93 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:46,200 complete hope. They've lost hope, and then hope 94 00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:48,680 is restored. By the end of the account, hope 95 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:50,320 is restored and they have hope again. 96 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:53,880 Part of the problem was that their hope was in something 97 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:58,080 immediate and temporal. But what Jesus did on the cross 98 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:00,560 was not immediate. It was ultimate. 99 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:03,440 It wasn't temporal, it was eternal. 100 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:07,120 And so this realization came upon them that what we were 101 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:12,760 hoping for something immediate and temporal, which by virtue of 102 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:16,280 Jesus being crucified was like, Oh my goodness, we thought he 103 00:06:16,280 --> 00:06:19,160 would be this conqueror. He would be this Messiah that 104 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:22,120 would, you know, sort out the Romans and, and deliver us from 105 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:25,160 oppression. But by the end of the story, 106 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:28,400 they realize actually Jesus was doing something far greater. 107 00:06:28,840 --> 00:06:33,640 And so hope is restored in them. And the story starts with him 108 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:38,080 walking away from Jerusalem and it ends with him walking to 109 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:41,320 Jerusalem. And Jerusalem was always a, a, a 110 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:44,960 symbol of the presence of God, the presence of God and the 111 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:48,960 purposes of God. So it starts with him walking 112 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:51,640 away from the presences, the presence and the purposes of 113 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:53,840 God. And it ends with him walking 114 00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:58,400 towards the presence of God and the purposes of God and this 115 00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:01,840 incredible discipleship that happens by Jesus. 116 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:04,360 We see this almost like progressive elements. 117 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:06,240 I wouldn't want to say that there's like a script and 118 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:09,320 there's like, here's the manual, but certain things that Jesus 119 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:13,280 does is just incredible to see. And so I want to just work 120 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:15,240 through some of those this morning. 121 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:19,520 But the first thing that we see is that Jesus walked along with 122 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:22,960 him. It says in verse 15, as they 123 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:25,280 talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus 124 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:28,400 himself came up and walked along with him. 125 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:35,480 Now, that at face value might not seem like much, but here's 126 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:39,920 what's important for us to see. What Jesus does is that he walks 127 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:46,840 on their Rd. in their direction. He doesn't walk in a way where 128 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:50,160 he's like, you know, have you ever bumped into someone who's 129 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:52,960 like Christian police? You know, you're on the wrong 130 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:54,720 side of the road, you're moving in the wrong direction. 131 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:57,920 Can I just stop you there? He doesn't do that. 132 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:01,040 He walks along with them. He respects their journey. 133 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:03,240 So they're confused, they downcast. 134 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:05,880 He doesn't try and counter it. He doesn't try and stop them. 135 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:07,960 It's like, oh, I'll walk, I'll walk along with you. 136 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:13,760 I love that about him. How are we doing in that regard? 137 00:08:16,280 --> 00:08:20,400 I want to like ask that question of myself because sometimes we 138 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:23,400 get so quick in wanting to give people an answer. 139 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:27,840 We're so quick in wanting to correct where we see people are 140 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:32,360 moving in the wrong direction and where people are maybe 141 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:34,400 moving away from the presence of God. 142 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:37,000 Like let's just give them the right answer right now. 143 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:39,760 Like we've got the answer. Like I'm just burning to get no, 144 00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:42,799 actually there's something of a respecting their journey and a 145 00:08:42,799 --> 00:08:46,320 walking along with them. I think the question we got to 146 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:50,720 ask is what are we hoping for? I'll give you the answer. 147 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:54,080 It's conviction. We want a conviction of heart. 148 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:58,320 Like we want people who are moving in the wrong direction 149 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:01,920 must have a conviction of heart. If if you become the Christian 150 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:04,480 police, all you're actually introducing is confrontation, 151 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:09,440 not conviction. So we, we want to allow a 152 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:13,160 walking along with people in a way that God doesn't work in 153 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:15,360 their hearts. He brings conviction. 154 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:17,880 Why must we be the ones to confront? 155 00:09:18,680 --> 00:09:27,080 Let's walk along with them. I had a, a Barber that I, I went 156 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:32,280 to regularly for a season. He was a very interesting young 157 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:36,280 man. He had rather distasteful and 158 00:09:36,280 --> 00:09:39,000 dark tattoos all over. I have to say distaste, 159 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:42,080 distasteful and dark because nowadays if you just say tattoos 160 00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:45,640 doesn't mean anything but distasteful and dark tattoos. 161 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:50,800 He had one, I mean, he's his one arm was just completely black. 162 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:54,560 It was like he had dipped his arm in ink and, and it was just 163 00:09:54,560 --> 00:09:56,040 black like from his shoulder all the way down. 164 00:09:56,040 --> 00:10:00,240 And he had these earplugs, you know what those, Yep, like they 165 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:02,800 put it in the lobe of the ear like it was almost like the size 166 00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:08,000 of an Oreo, like these plugs. And he was delightful. 167 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:12,240 I absolutely loved him. And so I would go regularly and, 168 00:10:12,240 --> 00:10:16,200 and he was a very highly opinionated strong view. 169 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:18,480 I mean, he was very young, but he thought he knew everything 170 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:22,080 and, and he would share his views and talk about life. 171 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:25,520 And, and I felt like there was so many times where I wanted to 172 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:29,800 say, no, that's not right or actually, can I just help you 173 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:31,920 there? But I felt almost like a 174 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:36,200 heavenly restraint on that. And, and it was just in God's 175 00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:39,520 grace that I was able to just sit there and listen to him. 176 00:10:39,520 --> 00:10:41,040 And they're not asking questions. 177 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:43,120 I love how Jesus asked his questions. 178 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:46,080 Like what things? What are you guys discussing? 179 00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:50,720 Like, you know, the stuff of the weekend and, and what happened 180 00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:54,680 these things. Jesus was the one that was 181 00:10:54,680 --> 00:10:59,280 crucified and here he's saying what things if anyone knows what 182 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:02,440 happened that weekend, he does and yet he's asking what things. 183 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:05,800 And so asking questions is important. 184 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:10,480 And, and, and, and so like the one day I walked in there and 185 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:13,840 he's, he had taken his earplugs out because I don't know, you 186 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:15,000 have to give it a break or whatever. 187 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:19,760 So these like little dangling earlobes and I was like, Hey, 188 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:21,880 put, put your plugs back in. You're putting everyone off 189 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:23,120 calamari. What's going on here? 190 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:27,200 Like these things, there's no, this is not going to work. 191 00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:29,360 I can't focus. I'm looking at you in the 192 00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:31,520 mirror. It's just anyway. 193 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:35,440 So what I realized about him is that as much as he knew all 194 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:38,840 these things or thought he knew all these things, he didn't have 195 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:42,280 any hope. He had no hope. 196 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:45,400 And all of his strong opinions and all of the things that he 197 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:50,320 was trying to search and talk about was his attempt to find 198 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:53,280 answers and, and he just wasn't finding them. 199 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:57,240 And, and so I just said to him one day, but I think you're 200 00:11:57,240 --> 00:11:58,760 sitting with the wrong world view. 201 00:11:59,920 --> 00:12:02,680 You have a secular world view. And I, and I think you must 202 00:12:02,680 --> 00:12:04,520 start thinking about a biblical world view. 203 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:06,320 And he was like, what does that mean? 204 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:11,240 I said, well, a world view is, it's, it's what you come to when 205 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:15,400 you answer the questions of origin and morality and meaning 206 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:17,400 and destiny. And if you're not using the 207 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:21,080 Bible to answer those questions, then you're drawing the answers 208 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:23,840 from what the world gives you. And that's a secular worldview. 209 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:28,640 And he was like, wow, OK, so tell me more about how do I get 210 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:31,840 the answers from the Bible? But you see, when that happened, 211 00:12:32,400 --> 00:12:34,480 I had already been walking along with him. 212 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:39,040 I mean, not literally, I was sitting, but there was a journey 213 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:42,600 like we were, we were we were building a relationship. 214 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:45,160 I was allowing him to be on his journey. 215 00:12:45,680 --> 00:12:48,520 And when it came to the time where I felt like a prompting of 216 00:12:48,520 --> 00:12:52,720 God, and it's like he was open. So respect the journey. 217 00:12:53,640 --> 00:12:59,200 You see, we can't expect a change from them if there's not 218 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:02,800 a change in them. Like sometimes we're looking for 219 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:06,080 behavior change, like you must act like this and you must do 220 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:09,360 that. But how's that possible if 221 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:10,680 there's not a change from within? 222 00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:15,040 So like if there's not a change inside, don't expect a change on 223 00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:17,280 the outside. Just respect their journey. 224 00:13:19,080 --> 00:13:24,360 The second thing that we see is that Jesus explained to them, it 225 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:27,120 says did not the Christ have to suffer these things? 226 00:13:27,120 --> 00:13:30,120 This is Jesus speaking. He proclaims the gospel and then 227 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:33,080 into his glory and beginning with Moses and all the prophets, 228 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:36,440 he explained to them what was said in all the scriptures 229 00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:40,560 concerning himself. You see, Jesus believed in the 230 00:13:40,560 --> 00:13:45,080 word of God. I mean, I would love to see the 231 00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:50,040 playback of those two hours of walking or however long it was 232 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:53,960 that they were on that road because it's so amazing that 233 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:56,120 Jesus was actually speaking in the third person. 234 00:13:57,240 --> 00:13:59,440 Like they didn't recognize him. They were kept from recognizing 235 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:02,960 He's speaking to them and explaining Scripture in their 236 00:14:02,960 --> 00:14:05,000 eyes, not as Jesus, but as this man. 237 00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:08,560 And he's referring to Jesus in Scripture. 238 00:14:09,680 --> 00:14:13,040 And he would go there. Why would he go to Scripture? 239 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:19,880 I mean, he's so unconventional and I love that about him. 240 00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:25,080 I mean, if it was me and, and like, I was in those shoes, like 241 00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:26,240 I wouldn't have done it like that. 242 00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:29,120 I mean, what, what, what is it that they're needing to see? 243 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:30,920 They're needing to see that Jesus is alive. 244 00:14:31,480 --> 00:14:34,520 They needed to see all of what Jesus said is valid and true. 245 00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:37,560 That's what they needed to see. I mean, I would have just said, 246 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:39,800 like, hey, guys, have you got any water? 247 00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:47,720 I can turn it into wine maybe you know is there a fig tree 248 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:53,240 nearby Just curse it any elements anyone pulled a hemi or 249 00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:57,640 can I can I pray for you like Jesus doesn't go there. 250 00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:02,960 What does he do He opens up the word of God because he believes 251 00:15:02,960 --> 00:15:07,440 the word of God is powerful and and and opening up scripture 252 00:15:09,640 --> 00:15:11,800 another. I want to honor RAW, you know, 253 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:18,160 because if, if we think of Rory, most of you who know him would 254 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:22,200 say he's an open heart. He's got an open wallet. 255 00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:24,240 But I want to tell you something. 256 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:29,280 He has an open Bible and that's why he has an open heart and an 257 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:32,040 open wallet is because he has a revelation from because we're. 258 00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:36,280 But I've sat in meetings with him, from board meetings to 259 00:15:36,560 --> 00:15:39,600 moments of correction with people and counsel and heard the 260 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:42,520 stories of when he is sitting next to someone on a plane. 261 00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:49,480 And it's like Romans 8I rule. It's just, can we just, you 262 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:53,520 know, like, who are we to think we've got the answers, the word 263 00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:55,680 of God? And I want to thank you for 264 00:15:55,680 --> 00:15:59,280 making the word of God so important in everything you do 265 00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:02,880 and in your life. And it's been a, it's been a 266 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:09,240 tremendous example for me. And so the example of Jesus and 267 00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:13,440 the example of many among us, we can see the power of God's word. 268 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:18,840 You know, there was a couple that came and met with us about 269 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:22,520 10 years ago and they got our number. 270 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:24,160 This is when we're still living in Pretoria. 271 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:27,000 They got a number from someone, I think in the church. 272 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:32,400 I'm not really sure, but they were having marriage woes. 273 00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:36,240 And that's putting it lightly. We were sitting on our patio and 274 00:16:36,600 --> 00:16:39,760 talking or we started talking, but then it became more of like 275 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:42,680 mudslinging and Anthony and I were just sitting there keeping 276 00:16:42,680 --> 00:16:44,000 quiet. And this was like going 277 00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:46,320 backwards and forth between these two and. 278 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:48,760 And I was thinking, what do we say at a time like this? 279 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:52,160 You know, I mean, I'm not even thinking like, how do I counsel 280 00:16:52,160 --> 00:16:55,400 them to have a happy marriage? I'm just like, how do I counsel 281 00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:57,360 them, you know, to stop them from killing one another? 282 00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:00,320 This is. Yeah, yeah. 283 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:05,960 Just tell them to keep quiet. But I I sat there and I was 284 00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:08,839 thinking and I could see on my wife's face because she 285 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:11,720 oftentimes looks at me with this look that I know. 286 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:15,920 It's like you say something, you know, you should say something 287 00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:19,319 now. And I just kept quiet and I was 288 00:17:19,319 --> 00:17:21,599 listening and listening. And while I'm listening, I'm 289 00:17:21,599 --> 00:17:23,520 also praying. So I'm like listening to what 290 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:25,920 they saying, but I'm also like, Lord, I'm trying to listen, like 291 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:26,560 what do I do? Yeah. 292 00:17:26,560 --> 00:17:28,920 And I just thought that God say go get your Bible. 293 00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:31,800 It's a little bit of a big should have already been there. 294 00:17:31,800 --> 00:17:35,000 But anyway, excuse myself on the table and I go get my Bible. 295 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:37,840 Come back, open it up. Ephesians 5 And I said, I just 296 00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:41,520 want to read this quickly. And so the passage on marriage 297 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:45,880 and I and I just read submit to one another out of reverence for 298 00:17:45,880 --> 00:17:47,640 Christ. And I just keep reading. 299 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:49,840 Ephesians 5 all the way to the end. 300 00:17:50,720 --> 00:17:54,400 And and when I got to the end and I stopped and I looked up 301 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:59,440 and what had happened is it had just gone completely silent. 302 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:03,880 The mudslinging had stopped. And when I stopped reading, it 303 00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:06,360 didn't start again. And we all just sat there 304 00:18:06,360 --> 00:18:09,800 looking at one another. And then the lady said to me, 305 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:18,520 please don't stop. So by 11:00 that night, we got 306 00:18:18,520 --> 00:18:24,800 to Revelation and and I was just very, I was very glad that I 307 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:27,920 didn't go to Genesis 2 to read that passage. 308 00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:31,440 It would have been a long night. But anyway, so but basically 309 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:34,480 what I'm saying is that there was a moment where they just 310 00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:36,960 said the word of God actually needs to come into our lives, 311 00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:41,760 like the Bible was opened and we need to submit ourselves to the 312 00:18:41,760 --> 00:18:47,680 authority of Scripture. And so they, that was 10 years 313 00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:52,000 ago and recently Antoinette got messages from her because 314 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:56,440 they'll ended up coming into this house and being a part of 315 00:18:56,560 --> 00:18:59,640 what's happening here, but submitting themselves to the 316 00:18:59,640 --> 00:19:03,520 preached word of God, submitting themselves to the Bible being 317 00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:05,640 opened over and over and over again. 318 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:11,200 And, and the message was to let us know that the son of, I think 319 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:15,920 probably about 1928 got baptized that morning, You know, so 320 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:22,080 here's a family that was on the verge of breaking up and much 321 00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:25,760 pain and heartache and, and the word of God gets open and, and 322 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:29,160 it just gets read and they're like, please don't stop. 323 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:32,600 We need more of this. We need to just, and so Jesus 324 00:19:32,600 --> 00:19:34,760 opens up scripture in this incredible way. 325 00:19:35,120 --> 00:19:39,920 I mean, I, I'd love to know, like what he said, because he 326 00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:42,200 proclaims the gospel. He says, did not know that the 327 00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:45,120 Christ had to suffer. He helps them with this, You 328 00:19:45,120 --> 00:19:48,480 know, they refer to him as Jesus of Nazareth, You know, no longer 329 00:19:48,480 --> 00:19:51,200 calling him Rabbi and no longer calling him Messiah. 330 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:55,320 It's like Jesus of Nazareth. He says the Christ, did you not, 331 00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:58,760 did you not know that the Christ, the Messiah had to 332 00:19:58,880 --> 00:20:04,120 suffer and then enter his glory? And then he like he opens up 333 00:20:04,120 --> 00:20:06,600 Scripture, you know, and it's like all the books that Moses 334 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:10,320 read, all the books that Moses wrote and, and and the prophets 335 00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:13,240 and, and I don't know, but you probably started in Genesis 3. 336 00:20:13,240 --> 00:20:20,360 But the first Messianic promise and and it says that speaking to 337 00:20:20,360 --> 00:20:24,720 the the serpent, you know he will he'll crush your head, you 338 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:28,000 you'll bruise your heel. And how Jesus would have 339 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:31,280 potentially spoken about like what happened with Jesus on the 340 00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:36,600 cross was the bruising. But in the bruising, the 341 00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:41,360 crashing happened. And, and all the topology and 342 00:20:41,360 --> 00:20:44,400 the, and the shadows, the four shadows of Scripture, the, the 343 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:49,840 Passover lamb with the Exodus and Abraham and Isaac and all of 344 00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:52,680 these amazing pictures pointing towards and how he must have 345 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:55,480 opened up the Scripture to them and shown them all these things. 346 00:20:55,480 --> 00:20:59,560 And, and I mean all the promises, you know, the Old 347 00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:01,240 Testament, all the promises made. 348 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:03,680 And then in New Testament, all the promises kept. 349 00:21:04,360 --> 00:21:07,800 If you want to kind of just view Scripture in those kind of like 350 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:10,840 promises made, promises kept. And yes, Jesus saying, OK, here 351 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:13,120 was this promise. You remember this prophecy, 352 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:17,920 remember about like that it said he would be born in Bethlehem 353 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:21,200 and, and that he would be born of a virgin. 354 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:23,400 And, and these two guys must have been like, yeah, yeah, it 355 00:21:23,760 --> 00:21:27,560 was Bethlehem, remember? I mean, he grew up in in 356 00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:31,480 Nazareth, but he was born in Bethlehem and born a virgin. 357 00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:33,840 OK, So that makes a lot of sense now, because there was that 358 00:21:33,840 --> 00:21:36,640 whole thing with Joseph and Mary and no one really knew what to 359 00:21:36,640 --> 00:21:38,840 make of it. And but it's still kind of like 360 00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:41,400 this unknown thing. But, and Jesus is just opening 361 00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:46,640 up Scripture and that his ministry would begin in Galilee 362 00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:51,240 and and the prophecy of Zechariah and that he, the king, 363 00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:54,200 would bride into Jerusalem on a donkey. 364 00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:59,160 They're like, what? Yeah, he came riding in on a 365 00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:03,240 donkey. And I mean, I love how Jesus 366 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:05,720 would have just been connecting all the dots for them. 367 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:13,440 I mean, he wouldn't have done it in the moment, right? 368 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:19,120 It's not like if someone bumped into him and said, you know, so 369 00:22:19,120 --> 00:22:21,000 where did you grow up? He's like, oh, I grew up in 370 00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:23,720 Nazareth, but I was actually born in Bethlehem, as per the 371 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:26,840 prophet Micah. And it's like he wouldn't have. 372 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:30,080 If he came riding on a donkey, you wouldn't have been to his 373 00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:32,080 disciples. Like, it's Zechariah 9. 374 00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:36,400 It's like what's happening now, Zechariah 9. 375 00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:41,160 He wouldn't have, right? So they would have known all of 376 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:43,920 this Old Testament scripture. And yeah, he is just connecting 377 00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:47,640 all the dots and they're just realizing it's him, it's him, 378 00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:50,320 it's him. And he came riding in on the 379 00:22:50,320 --> 00:22:54,560 10th day of Nissan, which is five days before Passover, which 380 00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:57,960 is the day that you would select your spotless lamb. 381 00:22:58,280 --> 00:23:01,080 And on the day that they would select their spotless lamb for 382 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:03,720 the Passover would be the day that he would enter into 383 00:23:03,720 --> 00:23:05,960 Jerusalem. Behold the Lamb of God. 384 00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:13,960 Choose your lamb and how the religious leaders were trying 385 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:19,280 their best for that crucifixion to happen on any other time but 386 00:23:19,280 --> 00:23:21,720 Passover. And as much as they try, they 387 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:25,400 couldn't get it right. Because He died the same time 388 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:29,360 that Passover was taking place and that He would be raised on 389 00:23:29,360 --> 00:23:31,480 the festival of first fruits. Why? 390 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:34,840 Because He was the first fruits of all those who believe in Him. 391 00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:39,000 Because those who believe in Jesus will all be raised with 392 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:45,040 resurrection glory. God is over everything and Jesus 393 00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:49,680 opens up scripture and as He opens up scripture, their hearts 394 00:23:49,680 --> 00:23:53,400 are set ablize. I love how they say, did not our 395 00:23:53,400 --> 00:24:00,000 hearts burn not when we recognized Him? 396 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:04,720 Did not our hearts burn when He opened up the Scriptures for us? 397 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:09,480 You know how encouraging that is because that means we can just 398 00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:14,000 open up Scripture. People might say, oh, I'll 399 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:17,520 believe when I see Jesus. You know, when I when, when, 400 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:19,480 when there's something really tangible. 401 00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:22,600 Or, you know, what better evidence would there be if Jesus 402 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:27,640 had to walk into the room? And Jesus himself keeps them 403 00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:32,160 from recognizing him And they think they're just chatting to 404 00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:35,840 an ordinary man and he opens up Scripture and it's like, oh, 405 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:37,800 it's burned as he opened up Scripture. 406 00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:40,080 We need to be people of the Bible. 407 00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:45,920 I feel like too many Christians are just various Christians we 408 00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:49,280 know. A few verses I want to say we 409 00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:52,560 should be averse to being averse Christian. 410 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:57,640 We need to be Bible Christians. We need to know God's word. 411 00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:01,400 We need to open it up. Live with the Bible open. 412 00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:09,640 It's not like a whole bunch of stories in a collection of one 413 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:15,200 book. It's one story, many books that 414 00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:19,040 makes up this one story. But perfection, separation, 415 00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:23,960 incarnation, transformation, consummation, it's one story. 416 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:28,000 It's God's redemptive story. It's one story, and it's the 417 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:33,800 cosmic redemption for those who would put their faith in Jesus 418 00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:35,680 that they would have eternal life. 419 00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:38,080 One story. Can we open up Scripture? 420 00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:47,760 Just like Jesus did not come without clever answers, the next 421 00:25:47,760 --> 00:25:49,160 thing we see is He stays with him. 422 00:25:52,520 --> 00:25:55,200 But they urged him strongly stay with us, for it is nearly 423 00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:59,080 evening, the day is almost over. So He went in to stay with him. 424 00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:06,320 He didn't just stay for dinner, He stayed with him on the road. 425 00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:11,840 And before that, he stayed with him for three years, equipping 426 00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:13,960 and, and through all of what he said. 427 00:26:15,560 --> 00:26:17,880 They're still confused. They still don't get it. 428 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:21,720 You give me 3 weeks with someone who just doesn't get it and I'll 429 00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:26,040 be like, whatever, dude. Three years. 430 00:26:26,040 --> 00:26:30,800 He stays with him. You see, discipleship is not a 431 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:37,880 moment, it's a process. It's not an event, it's an 432 00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:40,720 authentic working of God in people's lives. 433 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:45,400 And so we stay with people. When we stay with people, we see 434 00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:49,600 how how what God gives us and our lives start to have an 435 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:52,720 impact on their lives and how people can come into community 436 00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:56,240 and see something of a revelation of God and how that 437 00:26:56,240 --> 00:26:58,480 changes their hearts and their lives. 438 00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:01,440 And that spiritual formation that happens over a period of 439 00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:04,240 time starts taking amazing effect in people's lives. 440 00:27:04,240 --> 00:27:08,400 But we've got to stay with them. Are you staying with anyone? 441 00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:15,240 Like, is there staying aspect to your walk as you disciple other 442 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:19,760 people? There was a voice note that I 443 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:23,880 got earlier this year in April. Another couple that we 444 00:27:24,440 --> 00:27:31,520 interacted with, that was about 16 years ago and they just 445 00:27:31,520 --> 00:27:33,560 recently got married. But like early in their 446 00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:36,520 marriage, it was like potentially on the rocks and a 447 00:27:36,520 --> 00:27:40,280 friend of his said, no, but you must go to that church. 448 00:27:40,280 --> 00:27:41,560 Like it's just behind where you live. 449 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:42,880 They were living here in Olympus somewhere. 450 00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:46,560 And it's like, that's that tent. So he he looked it up and he 451 00:27:46,560 --> 00:27:54,920 find and we got chatting and he came and joined a marriage 452 00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:56,760 course that that was being offered here. 453 00:27:57,160 --> 00:28:00,840 Got into life group. And then in the voice note, he 454 00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:05,840 mentions all the names of the life group leaders that had a 455 00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:09,360 profound impact on his life as as he just, you know, kind of 456 00:28:09,360 --> 00:28:11,880 journeyed with God and as they journeyed with God through this 457 00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:14,160 like process of healing and recovery. 458 00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:18,360 And but how people stayed the course with them, Martinus and 459 00:28:18,360 --> 00:28:24,000 Sonia, Klopper, Luther and Sam and just people that just 460 00:28:24,360 --> 00:28:26,280 journeyed with them, stayed with them. 461 00:28:28,360 --> 00:28:30,760 And he, his daughter happened to get baptized here as well. 462 00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:32,760 That was the reason for him sending the voice night. 463 00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:36,280 And he sends me this photo of him and his daughter in the pool 464 00:28:36,280 --> 00:28:38,840 right there. And on this massive display, 465 00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:42,600 this incredible picture of the two of them and the lyrics of 466 00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:45,040 the song that was being played in that moment where the photo 467 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:47,560 was taken said this. But you chased us down in 468 00:28:47,560 --> 00:28:52,280 merciful pursuit, you see, because God chases us down, but 469 00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:55,440 he does it through us, through the church. 470 00:28:55,760 --> 00:28:59,520 And the staying power of Jesus must become the staying power of 471 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:06,200 our lives. Where we stay with people, He 472 00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:08,960 stays. You know, Jesus faced so much 473 00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:12,160 opposition, but he choose. He chose to stay. 474 00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:15,800 He was betrayed by a friend, but he stayed. 475 00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:24,080 He was denied, but he stayed. He was falsely accused, but he 476 00:29:24,080 --> 00:29:28,600 stayed. He was whipped, beaten, mocked, 477 00:29:29,200 --> 00:29:32,080 but he stayed. At any point in time he could 478 00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:35,880 have called on the heavenly host and it would all been over. 479 00:29:36,520 --> 00:29:39,520 But he stayed. And he faced the brutal 480 00:29:39,520 --> 00:29:46,200 crucifixion and he stayed by we people who stay, stay the course 481 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:49,880 with people who are in need of shepherding and discipleship, 482 00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:54,640 which leads us into the next point, which is at the table 483 00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:58,240 with him. When he was at the table with 484 00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:01,120 him, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to 485 00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:05,320 them. You know, the Lord's Supper is 486 00:30:05,320 --> 00:30:10,840 this most lavish display of incredible sacrificial love 487 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:16,040 because it's a representation of Jesus body that was broken for 488 00:30:16,040 --> 00:30:18,360 us and his blood that was spilt for us. 489 00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:23,360 He shed his blood, lost his life so that we could have life. 490 00:30:24,480 --> 00:30:28,800 What sacrificial love, You know it costs to be at the table with 491 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:34,680 them and discipleship costs. Salvation is free and we thank 492 00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:37,280 Jesus for that. You don't earn it, you don't 493 00:30:37,280 --> 00:30:40,880 achieve it, you just receive it because it's a gift of grace. 494 00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:44,160 But when you come into this relationship and you hear the 495 00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:47,760 commissioning of God, go and make disciples of all nations. 496 00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:49,760 There is great cost attached to that. 497 00:30:51,840 --> 00:30:55,840 And are we willing to have something of sacrificial love 498 00:30:55,960 --> 00:31:00,360 being put on display as we walk along with them, open scripture 499 00:31:00,360 --> 00:31:03,280 with them, stay with them because it's costly? 500 00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:10,080 I made a Methodist pastor that we were invited to this like a 501 00:31:10,080 --> 00:31:12,520 retreat. It was advertised as like this 502 00:31:12,520 --> 00:31:14,720 rest. You know, a bunch of pastors 503 00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:17,160 come and just have a time of rest in Franchuk. 504 00:31:17,160 --> 00:31:22,320 I mean, who would say no? So for a time of rest because 505 00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:26,240 you need to rest. We have like a few days in 506 00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:30,600 Franchuk, but when we get there, we realize this is a silent 507 00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:34,480 retreat. And I was like, Oh my goodness, 508 00:31:35,240 --> 00:31:37,000 this is not going to go down well. 509 00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:40,200 But anyway, they had a bell and they rang this bell every time 510 00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:44,440 it was like AQ for lunch or tea or, and every time they rang the 511 00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:49,480 bell, I'd shot, I scream, but I just, I couldn't handle it. 512 00:31:49,480 --> 00:31:50,960 I don't think I'm going to be invited back. 513 00:31:50,960 --> 00:31:54,400 But anyway, we, we're there and I'm asking this question, Lord, 514 00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:57,320 why are we here? How did I get this wrong? 515 00:31:57,320 --> 00:31:58,560 Did I read this invitation wrong? 516 00:31:58,560 --> 00:31:59,760 Like, well, what am I doing here? 517 00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:04,880 And then we met this young man who's a Methodist pastor who 518 00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:08,720 pastors 2 churches, one in Poland and one in Franchuk. 519 00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:11,680 And he starts to talk to me about what's happening in his 520 00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:17,080 life and just how he is really struggling, feels completely on 521 00:32:17,080 --> 00:32:20,360 his own. And his two boys are struggling 522 00:32:20,360 --> 00:32:24,280 with health issues with their eyes and their ears and needing 523 00:32:24,280 --> 00:32:26,160 treatment. And he doesn't have the finances 524 00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:28,880 for it. And, and as he's talking, I just 525 00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:31,080 felt like I'd say This is why you're here. 526 00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:36,440 And he's desperate for just someone who he can lean on and 527 00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:39,320 like a some kind of mentor or whatever. 528 00:32:39,320 --> 00:32:42,120 But like, so he's voicing all these things and I'm like, OK, 529 00:32:42,120 --> 00:32:44,640 do I say yes to this? Because I know this is going to 530 00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:46,920 cost. This is going to cost me. 531 00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:49,480 If I say yes, it's going to cost me. 532 00:32:51,920 --> 00:32:54,560 But I fault in God, This is why you're here. 533 00:32:57,280 --> 00:33:01,920 So we sit at the table and lastly we see they got up and 534 00:33:01,920 --> 00:33:06,720 returned. They got up and returned at once 535 00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:10,840 to Jerusalem. There they found the 11 and 536 00:33:10,840 --> 00:33:13,760 those with them assembled together saying it is true. 537 00:33:13,760 --> 00:33:16,680 The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon. 538 00:33:17,280 --> 00:33:21,080 What an amazing turn around. So Jesus disciples, these two, 539 00:33:21,080 --> 00:33:25,040 and we see this incredible turn around, this change of posture, 540 00:33:25,240 --> 00:33:29,720 no longer downcast. Now they have a position like a 541 00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:34,760 posture of purpose. There's a change of language. 542 00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:40,040 Not we had hoped, Jesus of Nazareth. 543 00:33:41,160 --> 00:33:45,320 No, the Lord has risen. And of course, the change of 544 00:33:45,320 --> 00:33:47,600 direction. Now they're not moving away from 545 00:33:47,600 --> 00:33:49,920 the presence of God. They're moving to the presence 546 00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:54,120 of God and the purposes of God. You know what the one amazing 547 00:33:54,120 --> 00:33:59,960 thing about that moment is? As Jesus wasn't there, He 548 00:33:59,960 --> 00:34:01,320 disappeared before that happened. 549 00:34:02,760 --> 00:34:12,199 And we must know that when a change happens in someone, when 550 00:34:12,199 --> 00:34:16,120 transformation takes place, that is a work that only God can do. 551 00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:20,840 Only God can bring repentance. Only God can turn a heart. 552 00:34:21,159 --> 00:34:24,639 Only God can be the one who would bring this change of 553 00:34:24,639 --> 00:34:27,679 posture, change of language, change of direction. 554 00:34:28,400 --> 00:34:30,560 Only God can do that work on the inside. 555 00:34:31,280 --> 00:34:35,199 And that's sacred ground. That's not ground that we we 556 00:34:35,199 --> 00:34:37,280 dance on. Look what I did. 557 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:42,679 We step away. So we walk along with them 558 00:34:43,719 --> 00:34:46,000 because revelation precedes transformation. 559 00:34:47,920 --> 00:34:51,040 We explain to them because open Bibles, open hearts. 560 00:34:53,440 --> 00:34:56,440 We stay with them because discipleship is an unfolding 561 00:34:56,440 --> 00:35:00,800 process, not an event. And we sit at the table with 562 00:35:00,800 --> 00:35:04,040 them because there's this temporal cost that we get to 563 00:35:04,040 --> 00:35:07,920 bear, but just know it will be met with eternal reward. 564 00:35:11,280 --> 00:35:15,640 And when they get up in return, we don't take the credit for it. 565 00:35:15,720 --> 00:35:19,520 We give God all the glory and there is the path of 566 00:35:19,520 --> 00:35:21,800 discipleship that I believe God gives us. 567 00:35:21,880 --> 00:35:28,960 Jesus models for us and may we be disciples bringing others 568 00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:31,240 into the presence and the purpose of God. 569 00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:32,440 Amen.