1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:02,720 The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:07,320 According to Mark, Jesus withdrew with his disciples to 3 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:12,160 the sea, and a great crowd followed from Galilee and Judea 4 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:17,760 and Jerusalem and Idumea, and from beyond the Jordan and from 5 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:22,360 around Tyler and Sidon. And when the And when the great 6 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:27,600 crowd heard of all that he was doing, they came to him, and he 7 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:31,560 told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of 8 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:36,920 the crowd, lest they crush him. For he had healed many, so that 9 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:40,960 all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. 10 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:46,160 And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before 11 00:00:46,160 --> 00:00:49,280 him and cried out. You are the Son of God. 12 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:53,320 And he strictly ordered them not to make him known. 13 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:59,560 And he went up on the mountain, and called to him those whom he 14 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:05,200 desired, and they came to him. And he appointed 12 whom he also 15 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:10,200 named apostles, so that they might be with him, and he might 16 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:15,160 send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. 17 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:19,320 He appointed the 12 Simon to him. 18 00:01:19,320 --> 00:01:24,560 He gave the name Peter, James the son of Zebedee, and John the 19 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:28,160 brother of James, to whom he gave the name Bouana. 20 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:33,520 Guess that is son of Thunder, Andrew and Philip and 21 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:38,080 Bartholomew and Matthew and Thomas and James, the son of 22 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:44,400 Alphias and Thaddeus and Simon the Canonian and Judas Iscariot 23 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:48,320 who betrayed him the Gospel of the Lord. 24 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:52,720 Would you pray with me? Lord, we open our hearts to you. 25 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:57,480 As those early disciples followed you, Lord, let us also 26 00:01:57,560 --> 00:01:59,600 follow you. I pray, Lord, that you would put 27 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:04,680 us in a community of grace where we can be rightly challenged and 28 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:07,760 invited further up and further in to become like you, to become 29 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:11,080 friends with you, and also to share in your holy and good 30 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:12,400 work. We pray this in the name of 31 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:16,200 Jesus, Amen. Well, please be seated and you 32 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:19,840 can turn your your Bibles or your bulletins to mark chapter 3 33 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:22,840 as we continue our series. Simply Jesus. 34 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:34,400 Well, my first few experiences of Chicago were as a tourist was 35 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:37,280 years ago. And I wonder if you could guess 36 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:40,760 some of the places that I went to experience Chicago. 37 00:02:42,640 --> 00:02:45,960 Yeah, Navy Pier, which is classic mistake. 38 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:52,280 I didn't know any better. You probably didn't know any 39 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:53,840 better either when you first went there. 40 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:58,720 Giordano's. I didn't know. 41 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:06,440 I went to Ed to Bevic's. You know, where they insult you 42 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:08,400 and I this. I thought this is Chicago. 43 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:13,160 The Sears Tower. Still called Sears Tower, the 44 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:17,400 observatory there, if the bean had existed at that time, 45 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:19,960 probably would have gotten a picture with friends and it 46 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:23,000 would have been my Chicago experience. 47 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:27,800 I did get it. It was, it was Chicago. 48 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:30,880 It was a taste of it. It was an experience of it. 49 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:37,160 Kind of on the surface I was a tourist, but I had not yet 50 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:41,440 become a neighbor. Becoming a neighbor here was a 51 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:44,440 much longer process. It was a bigger commitment. 52 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:50,680 It was it was days and years and weeks and a long process, not 53 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:53,680 just moments. Becoming a Chicago neighbor, 54 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:55,080 what does that mean? What did that mean? 55 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:58,600 It means shoveling the sidewalk on a morning like this in the 56 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:02,360 winter and then in the summer. It means bringing a side dish to 57 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:05,880 your neighborhood block party. And it means finding and 58 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:08,880 supporting the offbeat restaurants and grocery stores. 59 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:13,400 And it means learning how to drive with the perfect blend of 60 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:17,240 like, you know, kindness and aggression. 61 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:21,240 You know, you have to learn this over time. 62 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:25,480 It's not just sampling the city, but actually learning how to 63 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:29,520 serve the city. And in Mark's gospel, he's going 64 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:34,320 to show us two different ways of responding positively to Jesus. 65 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:37,960 And one really is at that tourist level, there's these 66 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:41,880 crowds that show up for an experience of Jesus, a touch 67 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:44,480 point, a taste, and that is positive. 68 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:47,720 Yet a lot of people get stuck there. 69 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:51,440 That's their, that's their, that's their experience of 70 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:53,840 Christianity. It's on the tourist level. 71 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:59,240 But the adventure really begins in the second-half of the text 72 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:03,360 here, which is the neighbor level, where Jesus calls us to 73 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:09,040 be with him, to be friends with him and, and to share deeply in 74 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:13,000 his life and to to let him shape us over a long period of time 75 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:16,960 until he can entrust his Kingdom to us. 76 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:22,000 And Mark Fried, we're going to see that Jesus heals the crowds, 77 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:27,200 but he forms the disciples. And Jesus is always inviting us 78 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:31,280 to go beyond the crowd level into the discipleship level. 79 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:36,280 Not every Chicago tourist should become a Chicago neighbor, but 80 00:05:36,280 --> 00:05:40,160 everyone who experiences any good positive touch point with 81 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:43,600 Jesus is invited to be shaped by him into discipleship. 82 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:47,520 And I just want to be clear that today all of us are invited up 83 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:52,160 the mountain to the level of discipleship formation in Jesus. 84 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:56,120 We'll talk a little bit about what that might mean for us, but 85 00:05:56,120 --> 00:05:59,560 before we do, let's consider that first group, the crowds. 86 00:06:00,840 --> 00:06:04,280 And as we look at verses 7 and 8 of Mark chapter 3, I want you to 87 00:06:04,280 --> 00:06:07,920 just take special notice of all of the uses of the Word. 88 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:10,520 And can you notice all of the uses of the Word? 89 00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:17,440 And in verses 7 and 8, Jesus withdrew with his disciples to 90 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:20,320 the sea. This is the Sea of Galilee. 91 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:24,640 This is his base of operations in the center, as it were of his 92 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:27,480 popularity. He withdrew with his disciples 93 00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:30,480 to the sea and a great crowd followed. 94 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:34,360 This is a very unique word for crowd in Mark's Gospel. 95 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:38,400 This is the highest and and most populated sort of word that he 96 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:39,960 could use for the number of people. 97 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:43,920 And they went from from Galilee, which is up north to Judea, 98 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:47,520 which is an entire region in the South in which Jerusalem is, is 99 00:06:47,520 --> 00:06:51,160 housed. So Galilee and Judea, verse 8 100 00:06:51,280 --> 00:06:57,280 and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from 101 00:06:57,280 --> 00:07:00,360 around Tyre and Sinon. So some of the northwest sort of 102 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:02,400 communities are, are, are traveling. 103 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:06,320 And so some of you here, you're familiar with the geography of 104 00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:10,280 Palestine and you know, like this is a massive area, 105 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:14,040 especially where there's no like cars, there's there's nothing 106 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:17,240 but traveling on foot or traveling via animal. 107 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:22,600 This is a massive crowd. This is a very diverse crowd as 108 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:25,320 well. They're North and South and NW 109 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:27,520 diverse backgrounds, walks of life. 110 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:31,120 There are thousands and thousands of people all 111 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:34,800 converging around one person. They all want to get to 1 112 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:37,080 person. Why? 113 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:41,600 Well, Mark says when the great crowd heard all that he was 114 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:44,280 doing, all that Jesus was doing, they came to him. 115 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:48,000 When they heard what he was doing, they, they came to him. 116 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:52,720 And what they were hearing about him was that he was healing 117 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:55,200 people with all kinds of sicknesses. 118 00:07:56,400 --> 00:08:00,160 And he was also setting people free from, from all kinds of 119 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:03,560 unclean spirits, otherwise known as demons who were, who were 120 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:07,440 tormenting people. And these two realities were 121 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:12,360 constant deep pain points for people in that day. 122 00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:15,920 There was no modern medicine at that time. 123 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:21,720 Life expectancy right now in the year 2026 in the US is around 78 124 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:24,160 years old. In the time of Jesus's day, it 125 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:28,080 was between 20 and 40 years old, brought down especially by 126 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:31,280 infant mortality. But there was a lot of people 127 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:34,520 who are just, you know, from young to old, extraordinarily 128 00:08:34,679 --> 00:08:38,880 sick and suffering and from every different level. 129 00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:41,559 You have spiritual, you have psychological, you have psych, 130 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:47,320 psychiatric, you have physical. And what's happening is Jesus is 131 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:51,600 restoring people into wholeness and he's setting them free. 132 00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:57,040 And if you or I were living at that time, and if you or I had 133 00:08:57,040 --> 00:09:01,960 any kind of like physical, psychiatric, spiritual, sort of 134 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:06,520 death is taking over us and we could get to Jesus, we'd be in 135 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:10,240 this this crowd, You know, if we had any way of getting healing, 136 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:13,040 we would get there to we would want to converge on this one 137 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:19,560 man. Pain points of life get us 138 00:09:19,560 --> 00:09:21,560 moving somewhere. We want change. 139 00:09:21,560 --> 00:09:24,640 Things can't stay the same. And I would say that the pain 140 00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:28,160 points of human existence is one of the reasons why people turn 141 00:09:28,160 --> 00:09:31,400 to spirituality and religion. And it's one of the reasons why 142 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:34,720 people turn to Jesus and they begin to pray and they begin to 143 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:37,760 consider whether or not God could do something for them 144 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:42,240 through Christ. These people want relief and you 145 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:45,520 know, you don't see Jesus in this text responding to the 146 00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:49,200 demands with a criticism. He doesn't say you shallow 147 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:52,040 consumers, what are you doing here? 148 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:53,720 All you care about is your healing. 149 00:09:55,520 --> 00:09:57,400 The fact is that Jesus came for them. 150 00:09:57,400 --> 00:10:00,840 He he makes space for them. Verse 9 shows us the 151 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:02,640 accommodations that he makes for them. 152 00:10:03,280 --> 00:10:07,360 And he, Jesus told his disciples to have a boat ready for him 153 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:10,480 because of the crowd, lest they crush him. 154 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:16,680 You can imagine right off of the like little tiny lapping waves 155 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:20,840 on the Sea of Galilee, about maybe 10 feet off or so, 15 feet 156 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:24,240 off, there's a fishing boat, maybe one of the fishing boats 157 00:10:24,560 --> 00:10:28,080 that Jesus's disciples would use for the fishing excursions. 158 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:30,680 And now it's repurposed as a healing station. 159 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:35,840 And Jesus sets up on the boat, maybe with a, a space for 1/2 a 160 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:38,080 dozen people or so to, to be around him. 161 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:42,920 Maybe folks to, you know, help carry people on the boat and and 162 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:46,640 hold them as Jesus is performing healings and delivering them 163 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:51,240 from unclean spirits. The water forms a bit of a Moat 164 00:10:51,800 --> 00:10:55,200 so the crowds can't just crush on to Jesus. 165 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:58,800 They have to maybe form a line. Perhaps we don't know, but 166 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:02,040 perhaps they form some kind of a line. 167 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:03,720 And I don't like it's like Midway airport. 168 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:05,760 People are like cutting in line or something like that. 169 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:09,920 But but they make their way through the waters and they get 170 00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:13,360 up on the boat and there's a lot of intensity there. 171 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:17,200 Verse 10, they're, they're pressing around to touch Jesus, 172 00:11:17,560 --> 00:11:22,720 they're trying to touch him. And we just imagine like there's 173 00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:26,920 a, there's a lot of energy here. There's a lot of intensity here. 174 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:30,360 If if any of you've been in a crowded situation where everyone 175 00:11:30,360 --> 00:11:35,040 wants the same thing, maybe it's a concert, maybe it's Black 176 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:40,480 Friday shopping, we don't know, a limited edition item. 177 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:45,760 Everyone wants that. It's not the most personal 178 00:11:46,120 --> 00:11:50,040 tender kind of a moment. It's it's real pushy. 179 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:53,600 It's real Chevy and you need some crowd control. 180 00:11:55,160 --> 00:11:58,680 It's worth saying that there's something transactional about 181 00:11:58,680 --> 00:12:01,960 these crowds. They want to touch Jesus almost 182 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:06,680 like he's a magician with special powers that they can 183 00:12:06,680 --> 00:12:09,480 access. They want a touch point from the 184 00:12:09,480 --> 00:12:11,840 Lord, not necessarily an imprint. 185 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:14,080 And those two things are different. 186 00:12:14,560 --> 00:12:17,360 Something on the surface they want to change, something 187 00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:21,400 physical they a pain they want to go away, something spiritual 188 00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:23,360 they want to change. That goes a little bit deeper, 189 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:28,040 But they want a touch point, not an imprint per SE. 190 00:12:29,560 --> 00:12:33,080 That choice will come later. Jesus nevertheless gives them 191 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:37,000 what they saw at verse 10. He had healed many. 192 00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:42,520 He healed many and just imagined the thousands of people getting 193 00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:46,760 healed at all the different levels that you can imagine, the 194 00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:51,640 sicknesses they brought, wholeness, people walking in 195 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:55,000 freedom, people crying tears of joy for the first time, 196 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:57,400 thousands of people getting a touch from Jesus. 197 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:01,480 And it was especially for them. It was kind of a resurrection of 198 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:04,960 life. We can imagine it. 199 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:08,680 People jumping out of the boat where Jesus healed them, 200 00:13:08,760 --> 00:13:13,080 swimming to shore, shaking the water out of their hair, crying 201 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:16,920 for joy for the first time, dancing with their friends. 202 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:19,560 A woman limping in pain now dancing with her friends. 203 00:13:20,480 --> 00:13:24,560 Or what about a child who couldn't speak after he is 204 00:13:24,800 --> 00:13:27,280 healed by Jesus? He's laughing with his parents. 205 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:28,880 His parents are throwing him in the air. 206 00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:34,680 Or troubled man who hasn't slept a full night's sleep in years. 207 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:38,520 Finally, that very night after the touch from Jesus, he sleeps 208 00:13:38,520 --> 00:13:42,080 for 10 hours without any torment, waking him up in the 209 00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:45,600 middle of the night and his life has changed forever. 210 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:49,560 And imagine being a part of this and seeing this like thousands, 211 00:13:49,560 --> 00:13:52,880 maybe 10s of thousands of people just changed and healed. 212 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:55,880 Earlier on in Mark's gospel, there was an all night healing 213 00:13:55,880 --> 00:13:57,960 service at Peter's mother in law's house. 214 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:01,400 The whole village came from all the way from sundown all the way 215 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:03,320 to sun up. It's like the new dawn of the 216 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:05,920 Kingdom of God is coming. What it like? 217 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:07,640 We would never forget this moment. 218 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:10,920 We would not want to ever forget this moment. 219 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:15,720 Jesus wouldn't want us to forget this moment, this era where the 220 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:18,880 healing king has come and God's Kingdom is here and darkness is 221 00:14:18,880 --> 00:14:21,240 getting rolled back and everything in us would want to 222 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:24,040 just bottle it up and be like, let's just stay here. 223 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:27,280 Let's just keep this rolling. Let's invite the whole world. 224 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:34,600 Jesus was here for it. Jesus is still here for it 225 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:38,000 because he loves saving people. He loves helping people. 226 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:41,440 So what are the pain points, friends, that are bringing us to 227 00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:43,720 Jesus? What are the pain points that 228 00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:48,000 get us like praying again with passion, like putting skin in 229 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:52,960 the game with God? What longings got us here this 230 00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:54,440 morning? I mean, it's like how cold is it 231 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:55,480 out there? How snowy it is? 232 00:14:55,640 --> 00:15:00,560 Somehow we got ourselves here. Was there a pain point that got 233 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:04,600 you here, that got you moving? What longings get us to like 234 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:08,600 open the scriptures with some hunger and some and some 235 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:12,040 passion? What what pain points get us 236 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:16,000 gathering with people in in a group of group of strangers 237 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:18,440 we've never met before and being like, I want to be in community 238 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:21,200 with you. Is it loneliness? 239 00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:24,840 Is it physical sickness or or ailments? 240 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:29,640 Is it a a painful conflict? Is it spiritual emptiness that 241 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:32,520 we've we're left in from city life or overwork? 242 00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:34,480 Is it just the basic things of life? 243 00:15:34,560 --> 00:15:36,640 We just need food. We just need money. 244 00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:38,560 We just need protection from danger. 245 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:43,200 We just need a job. You know, The thing is guys, I 246 00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:47,480 still pray for these things. Like every day I pray give us, 247 00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:49,200 give us this day Our Daily Bread. 248 00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:54,000 I bring, I bring surface touch points to Jesus all the time. 249 00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:58,440 I'm still in the crowds, and Jesus is still finding me in 250 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:00,400 those crowds, and he's still healing me and he's still 251 00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:02,520 helping me and He's still providing for me, and he could 252 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:07,400 do the same for you. Truth be told, I still want that 253 00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:09,720 healing touch. I still want that special moment 254 00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:12,880 on the Sea of Galilee. I still want the heavenly 255 00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:17,760 consolations where I know Jesus is speaking to me and leading me 256 00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:21,040 and encouraging me. Oh, it's awesome. 257 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:25,320 And I want it for you too. I want it for more people and 258 00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:30,000 the Northside of Chicago and all all over this city, not just 259 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:32,040 from our church, but from all the churches that preach the 260 00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:35,400 gospel. Oh, I want revival and 261 00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:37,960 deliverance from danger. I love a spiritual high. 262 00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:39,640 There's nothing wrong with a spiritual high. 263 00:16:39,640 --> 00:16:41,120 There's nothing. We need them. 264 00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:44,080 We need to sometimes have a spiritual dream where Jesus 265 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:47,920 speaks to us. Sometimes we need someone to 266 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:51,400 speak a prophetic word that they had no idea what we're going 267 00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:53,000 through and they spoke something deep. 268 00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:56,680 Deep that they would have never known, but God knew and he told 269 00:16:56,680 --> 00:16:58,680 them to tell us. Sometimes we need stuff like 270 00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:01,480 that, but it just doesn't stop there. 271 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:08,560 Sometimes we take the benefits without without blessing Jesus, 272 00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:10,400 and sometimes we don't even know it's him. 273 00:17:11,319 --> 00:17:12,560 You know it. It's interesting. 274 00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:16,480 The irony is that in this passage, the only ones in the 275 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:20,680 crowd to recognize Jesus's true authority and identity are the 276 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:23,760 unclean spirits. They're the only ones with the 277 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:26,319 correct theology. Verse 11 and 12, whenever the 278 00:17:26,319 --> 00:17:29,720 unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried 279 00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:32,600 out. You are the Son of God, and he 280 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:34,960 strictly ordered them not to make him known. 281 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:38,880 Jesus strictly ordered them. Hey, you are not the messengers 282 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:45,120 here. So the unclean spirits in this 283 00:17:45,120 --> 00:17:48,440 text are. They are in a grotesque way. 284 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:51,000 They're speaking through the people that they have possessed, 285 00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:54,520 and they're using the voice to say the words. 286 00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:56,280 You are the Son of God. They're using the bodies of 287 00:17:56,280 --> 00:18:01,400 these people to kneel down before Jesus, and Jesus silences 288 00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:04,560 the unclean spirits. They're not supposed to talk. 289 00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:06,400 They're not supposed to be controlling. 290 00:18:06,720 --> 00:18:08,600 He would. He would cast them out. 291 00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:11,760 In other parts of Mark, we see Jesus consistently, repeatedly 292 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:15,280 delivering these poor individuals from the unclean 293 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:19,240 spirits. It's worth saying too, that 294 00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:24,240 Jesus is not going to build his long term strategy on their 295 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:27,840 confession. They are unworthy messengers of 296 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:31,920 his identity. Their theology was accurate, but 297 00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:35,080 they were unworthy. Jesus came actually to form 298 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:38,960 people who could confess that he was God's Son, with their life, 299 00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:46,160 with their obedience, with a true and good confession. 300 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:49,560 And that doesn't happen overnight. 301 00:18:51,160 --> 00:18:55,000 Jesus wasn't building his long term strategy on crowds and 302 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:58,200 popularity. He didn't come to make an 303 00:18:58,200 --> 00:19:00,640 impression, He came to make an imprint. 304 00:19:01,360 --> 00:19:04,120 He didn't come to boost spiritual tourism. 305 00:19:04,280 --> 00:19:07,520 He came to make disciples. And in a world that loves to 306 00:19:07,520 --> 00:19:10,840 scale up, Jesus seems inclined to scale down. 307 00:19:11,360 --> 00:19:16,000 Which leads us to the second, more or more arduous, more 308 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:21,800 challenging, more satisfying, more personally impactful 309 00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:26,160 section of our text. And Mark starting in verse 13. 310 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:31,880 This is the disciples here and and he, Jesus went up on the 311 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:36,080 mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came 312 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:40,760 to him. This is Jesus's small batch 313 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:42,880 strategy for building his Kingdom. 314 00:19:43,880 --> 00:19:47,200 He separated from the crowd and he went up a mountain. 315 00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:53,360 He went a higher way, a higher call, an upward climb to be with 316 00:19:53,360 --> 00:19:56,560 his father and he invited others to join him. 317 00:19:56,760 --> 00:20:00,760 He identified a small group of people that he desired to be 318 00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:03,320 with. He saw them, he saw something in 319 00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:06,560 them like I want to shape you, I want to form you, I want to give 320 00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:10,220 responsibility to you. I want us to be friends, Co 321 00:20:10,220 --> 00:20:13,200 workers and I want you to inherit my Kingdom. 322 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:16,360 That's pretty special. He saw them, he wanted them. 323 00:20:16,360 --> 00:20:19,840 He invited them up and they said yes. 324 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:23,920 Wow. They said yes to the upward 325 00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:28,080 climb, to the upward call. Do you think you would have said 326 00:20:28,080 --> 00:20:29,760 yes, or that I would have said yes? 327 00:20:31,480 --> 00:20:34,400 Notice how relational this is? Verse 14. 328 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:38,600 He appointed 12. He appointed 12, whom he also 329 00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:42,640 named apostles. That is sent once so that they 330 00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:46,120 might be with him. This is relational. 331 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:48,640 It's a call to friendship with Jesus. 332 00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:53,040 He wants to share his life with us and for us to share our life 333 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:58,240 with him over the next, you know, three years. 334 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:01,360 He would share a lot of mundane moments with his disciples. 335 00:21:01,360 --> 00:21:04,200 Breakfast, lunch and dinner. You know, they would, they would 336 00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:06,960 walk a lot. They would kind of sleep in the 337 00:21:06,960 --> 00:21:09,200 same dwelling places most of the time. 338 00:21:09,360 --> 00:21:12,440 There was a lot of things that you would experience in a close 339 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:14,880 community. Highs and lows, laughing and 340 00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:19,720 crying, feasting and hunger, praying and playing, conflicts, 341 00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:23,400 OK, awkward moments, beautiful moments, tender moments. 342 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:28,080 And with every moment Jesus would impart something very 343 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:31,520 personal from his, from himself to his disciples. 344 00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:33,360 Same imprint he had from his Father. 345 00:21:33,360 --> 00:21:36,360 He would give to the to the ones he wanted to be with. 346 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:40,200 And it wasn't just this 12, it was it was others that were not 347 00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:42,600 part of the 12, but they were nevertheless formed and shaped 348 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:44,680 by Jesus like Mary Magdalene and others. 349 00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:50,120 These people would not be tourists in Jesus Kingdom. 350 00:21:50,120 --> 00:21:55,640 That wasn't their approach. They would be, they would be 351 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:58,320 neighbors. They they wouldn't just be 352 00:21:58,320 --> 00:22:01,360 consumers of Jesus's ministry, just receiving all the 353 00:22:01,360 --> 00:22:03,520 blessings. They would actually be providers 354 00:22:03,520 --> 00:22:07,040 of it and it would be a blessing for them to pass the blessing 355 00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:11,440 on. Verse 4, second-half of verse 14 356 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:15,600 describes this. He, you know, he appointed them 357 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:20,000 and he might send them out to preach and have authority to 358 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:24,520 cast out demons. Now this too is, is relational 359 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:27,160 because they're going to share in his work. 360 00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:32,280 They they actually going to join him in his work of restoring the 361 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:35,120 world to wholeness one person at a time. 362 00:22:35,400 --> 00:22:38,760 And they'll become givers, not just receivers of ministry. 363 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:42,640 They'll be the ones to announce that Jesus is Lord throughout 364 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:45,720 the Roman Empire. That took guts for them to do 365 00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:48,360 that. They would be deployed to heal 366 00:22:48,360 --> 00:22:52,160 people to to cast out demons, to push back the darkness. 367 00:22:52,280 --> 00:22:55,600 They would be deployed, guess what, to make other disciples 368 00:22:56,200 --> 00:23:00,080 to, to form imprints of other people like John Mark who wrote 369 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:01,520 this gospel. Isn't that cool? 370 00:23:03,120 --> 00:23:08,360 The guy who wrote this text was a disciple of Peter, who was a 371 00:23:08,360 --> 00:23:11,560 disciple of Jesus, and the work continued. 372 00:23:11,560 --> 00:23:15,720 Small batch strategy. Jesus trusted them with his life 373 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:18,240 and mission. In the course of three years, he 374 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:21,920 made the deepest imprint possible on their souls. 375 00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:24,040 Guess what? There was no shortcuts. 376 00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:31,680 There were no shortcuts to a messy, complex, wonderful, 377 00:23:31,840 --> 00:23:36,720 painful personal process, and it's the best imprint that 378 00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:40,520 anyone could make. Notice the names that Jesus 379 00:23:40,520 --> 00:23:46,960 gives in verse 16 and 17. He appointed the 12 Simon, to 380 00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:49,280 whom he gave the name Peter, which means rock. 381 00:23:50,120 --> 00:23:53,040 Verse 17, James, the son of Zebedee, and John, the brother 382 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:56,720 of James, to whom he gave the name, the very auspicious name 383 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:04,640 Boadrenese, that is Sons of Thunder, kind of feels like a 384 00:24:04,640 --> 00:24:08,320 teasing name, a little bit like a, you know what I mean, rock. 385 00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:11,760 I would probably prefer rock than Boander. 386 00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:18,040 It's hard to pronounce anyway, from the jump. 387 00:24:18,080 --> 00:24:20,040 Jesus could always see something in Simon. 388 00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:24,040 You're a rock. You're called to be a rock. 389 00:24:24,920 --> 00:24:30,160 He could see in Peter just a very special and unique future 390 00:24:31,360 --> 00:24:32,800 like Peter. One day you're going to be a 391 00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:36,520 strong and humble leader. You're going to be a rock for 392 00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:41,320 the early church through her first few years of of existence, 393 00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:44,120 which are going to be like, it's going to be like a, like a, like 394 00:24:44,120 --> 00:24:46,560 an earthquake or a storm, but you're going to be a rock for 395 00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:50,120 the early church. So he named him rock. 396 00:24:50,120 --> 00:24:55,200 He named him Peter. But to become that rock, there's 397 00:24:55,200 --> 00:24:58,400 no shortcuts for Peter. He had to go through a 398 00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:02,920 three-year process where he would be melted down into like 399 00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:07,520 molten lava, you know, and he would have to be reforged. 400 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:11,200 He would have to fail before he could stand. 401 00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:16,880 He had to be exposed before he could represent Christ to the 402 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:19,040 world. He had to go through the process 403 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:23,480 where he saw his own immaturity and his own instability and his 404 00:25:23,480 --> 00:25:26,400 own fear. And he also had to see how just 405 00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:30,600 how loved he was through Jesus and how unconditional Christ's 406 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:32,960 love for him was through the cross. 407 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:36,640 He had to see that first. He had to fail at life, fail at 408 00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:41,160 leadership with Jesus at his side as his friend, encouraging 409 00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:45,680 him, coaching him, and he had to just be humble enough to just go 410 00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:49,000 through it all. And the the same is true for 411 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:51,160 James and John. You know, Sons of Thunder, 412 00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:56,280 probably a personality trait flaw, family flaw, something 413 00:25:56,560 --> 00:26:02,360 anger. But we know about John. 414 00:26:02,360 --> 00:26:05,080 He became the beloved disciple. He became very affectionate. 415 00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:10,240 He became a shepherd to the early church, very special guy. 416 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:14,480 And that was a transformation process for him too. 417 00:26:17,520 --> 00:26:19,960 I do you ever wonder if Jesus sees something in you? 418 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:23,760 Do you? I've wondered that too. 419 00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:27,840 What do you see in me, Jesus? And I just want to assure you 420 00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:30,320 this morning, he sees something in you. 421 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:34,840 And you know, even Revel, the Book of Revelation written by 422 00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:39,920 John, says that the Lord has a special name for each one of us 423 00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:42,720 who who call him Lord. It's written on a Whitestone. 424 00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:44,320 We'll find out what that name is later. 425 00:26:44,920 --> 00:26:47,200 Maybe along the way we'll get a hint of what that looks like. 426 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:51,280 All that to say, Jesus sees something in each one of us, and 427 00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:54,200 it's part of his call for us to follow him. 428 00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:58,520 And there's no shortcuts. There's a painful, complex, 429 00:26:58,520 --> 00:27:01,360 messy process for us to become disciples. 430 00:27:01,640 --> 00:27:05,600 We learn what our name is, what our role is, what our call is. 431 00:27:08,560 --> 00:27:11,040 He works with all types and backgrounds. 432 00:27:11,560 --> 00:27:16,960 At verse 18 and 19, we see a different set of Anne's Andrew 433 00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:20,880 and Philip and Bartholomew and Matthew and Thomas and James the 434 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:24,520 son of Alpheus and Thaddeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas 435 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:27,880 Iscariot who betrayed him. That's quite a list. 436 00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:32,760 You know, Some of these people were doubters, like Thomas. 437 00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:36,000 Others were zealously confident, like Simon the Zealot. 438 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:41,240 Not Simon, who was called Peter somewhere outgoing like Andrew. 439 00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:43,600 He was a big evangelist. Like you got to meet Jesus and 440 00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:46,120 you got to meet Jesus. And others of these were type B 441 00:27:46,120 --> 00:27:47,920 leaders. They were not in the spotlight. 442 00:27:47,920 --> 00:27:52,120 We, we hear very rarely about them, you know, and even Judas 443 00:27:52,120 --> 00:27:55,720 is on this list. And I'm sure Jesus saw something 444 00:27:55,720 --> 00:27:57,800 in him. And the invitation for, for 445 00:27:57,800 --> 00:28:00,240 Judas was, was to become a disciple of Jesus. 446 00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:05,840 You know, so this is like there's an uncertainty to, to, 447 00:28:06,120 --> 00:28:09,920 to the, to the call. We don't have to say yes at the 448 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:12,480 beginning and we don't have to say yes at the end, but the 449 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:18,880 invitation is there. And guys, this was the plan. 450 00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:22,920 The crowds weren't that. The crowds looked so impressive 451 00:28:23,640 --> 00:28:28,560 and it was impressive and special, but this like was the 452 00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:29,960 plan. This is digging down to the 453 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:34,720 foundations of our life through Christ and friendship and 454 00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:39,360 community and formation and suffering and highs and lows and 455 00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:42,560 being known and loved into the future and the name God has for 456 00:28:42,560 --> 00:28:45,080 us and how he's calling us. That's the plan. 457 00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:54,720 He healed the crowds, but He hewed the disciples, He fed the 458 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:56,600 multitudes, but He formed the few. 459 00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:00,360 He gave them a higher call, not to be better than the crowds, 460 00:29:00,560 --> 00:29:03,720 but to serve the crowds, to make disciples of the crowds. 461 00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:07,800 And what a tragedy would have been for these 12 men, to these 462 00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:12,160 12 individuals and others with them, to stay with the crowds 463 00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:14,920 and to pass up the invitation to climb the mountain. 464 00:29:15,360 --> 00:29:18,920 I wonder if we were to ask them, Peter, James, John, Mary 465 00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:24,320 Magdalene, etcetera, like what were the stakes of climbing that 466 00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:26,920 mountain or not? What would they say? 467 00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:30,960 Like if we did you have any idea of what you were getting into 468 00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:34,160 when you climbed up the mountain with Jesus that fateful day? 469 00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:37,920 Maybe they would say this, look, I didn't know that it would 470 00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:42,000 eventually lead to the cross and I ran away from the cross at 471 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:47,240 first, but then I embraced it because I, I saw that it was the 472 00:29:47,240 --> 00:29:49,600 way of life. It was God's gateway of life. 473 00:29:49,600 --> 00:29:52,920 So I just, I eventually I ran there, even though I ran away 474 00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:55,440 the first time. Maybe they would say I didn't 475 00:29:55,440 --> 00:29:58,600 know how much immaturity and hurts and sins would come to the 476 00:29:58,600 --> 00:30:01,120 surface. I also didn't know how deeply I 477 00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:05,440 was loved and forgiven until they did come to the surface and 478 00:30:05,440 --> 00:30:08,640 I saw the patient tenderness in Jesus's eyes. 479 00:30:09,240 --> 00:30:10,680 Maybe they would say this. I didn't know how much 480 00:30:10,680 --> 00:30:14,320 responsibility I would end up carrying, but I also didn't know 481 00:30:14,320 --> 00:30:16,880 how thrilling it would be to see people set free. 482 00:30:18,280 --> 00:30:21,720 Maybe they'd say, I'm glad I took that first step up the 483 00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:24,040 mountain, even though I had no idea what it would lead to. 484 00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:28,160 But it was just that first step. Here's the way we become 485 00:30:28,160 --> 00:30:32,640 disciples of Jesus, my brothers and sisters, We pray Jesus lead 486 00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:36,360 me up that mountain and then we follow him. 487 00:30:36,360 --> 00:30:39,000 There is that. The thing is that like going the 488 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:42,600 next step with the Jesus is not going back down to the Sea of 489 00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:46,720 Galilee to repeat the special spiritual experience that we 490 00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:50,360 once had, to relive that era where we felt close to God. 491 00:30:50,360 --> 00:30:54,520 That's not the future for us to become disciples of Jesus. 492 00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:59,200 It's wonderful and we can thank God for it, but that's not God's 493 00:30:59,320 --> 00:31:02,680 future for us. The future is not down into 494 00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:04,800 nostalgia. The future is up into 495 00:31:04,800 --> 00:31:10,000 discipleship. It's an upward climb. 496 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:13,760 It's a holy challenge. It's tonight, the right next 497 00:31:13,760 --> 00:31:17,200 step. What might that look like for us 498 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:21,000 here at Emmanuel in 2026? You know, one way, one very 499 00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:24,760 simple countercultural way, is to begin to make space for 500 00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:28,920 friendship in our life with Jesus in Chicago. 501 00:31:29,080 --> 00:31:33,080 The ambient climate is not going to encourage us in that 502 00:31:33,080 --> 00:31:36,600 direction. We will fill every spare moment 503 00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:40,520 with work, projects, productivity, voice memos, 504 00:31:40,520 --> 00:31:42,400 podcasts, fun times with friends. 505 00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:44,840 Like all these things, we will Max out our time. 506 00:31:44,840 --> 00:31:48,280 We will have no space to hear the voice of Jesus and it just 507 00:31:48,280 --> 00:31:50,200 take friendship, as you know takes time. 508 00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:52,440 Do we want to be friends with Jesus? 509 00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:53,960 I mean, that's a very basic thing. 510 00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:57,280 Do we want to listen to him, work with him, do life with him 511 00:31:57,280 --> 00:31:59,920 is a very basic question. So one of the ways that we make 512 00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:05,040 space for Jesus to climb up the mountain is to just take time, 513 00:32:05,240 --> 00:32:09,800 find a time where we can just be with him, to meditate on 514 00:32:09,800 --> 00:32:12,960 Scripture, to take time in silence devoted to him. 515 00:32:15,040 --> 00:32:17,600 Our discipleship team is actually, we have a discipleship 516 00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:18,840 team at Emmanuel. This week. 517 00:32:18,840 --> 00:32:22,160 They met and they've been designing classes and 518 00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:25,080 experiences for us to learn how to practice this. 519 00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:27,680 In fact, I heard a rumor that Father Samuel is going to teach 520 00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:30,000 a course on Colossians, the book of Colossians. 521 00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:32,760 There's going to be other courses, how to read the Bible, 522 00:32:32,760 --> 00:32:34,480 how to pray. There's going to be some amazing 523 00:32:34,520 --> 00:32:36,680 what we had one yesterday on the Book of Common Prayer. 524 00:32:37,880 --> 00:32:40,080 So space for Jesus. Another way of climbing the 525 00:32:40,080 --> 00:32:44,040 mountain is joining a community of friendship with others who 526 00:32:44,040 --> 00:32:48,000 are becoming friends with Jesus and grow in your discipleship 527 00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:50,920 with them. It might mean not just coming on 528 00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:53,280 Sundays, but joining a city group that meets throughout the 529 00:32:53,280 --> 00:32:58,240 city throughout the week and seeking to grow like Christ with 530 00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:01,040 them as well. Or maybe even a smaller group of 531 00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:03,120 peers who will challenge us in our faith. 532 00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:06,760 I've heard talk of what's called triads to other people who are 533 00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:10,080 also like following Christ together and being shaped into 534 00:33:10,080 --> 00:33:17,320 Christ's image. And when, not if, but when our 535 00:33:17,320 --> 00:33:21,280 stuff comes up and we get close enough to other people and the 536 00:33:21,280 --> 00:33:24,160 Lord. Where our immaturities rise to 537 00:33:24,160 --> 00:33:26,200 the surface. Or when our weaknesses rise to 538 00:33:26,200 --> 00:33:29,280 the surface. Or when our unmet desires rise 539 00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:32,600 to the surface and we're just frustrated that we're forgiven, 540 00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:36,200 loved, encouraged, and called up to face our fears, to have the 541 00:33:36,200 --> 00:33:39,760 right next conversation, to embrace a new spiritual 542 00:33:39,760 --> 00:33:43,320 discipline, To watch and pray with Christ, To fast and pray 543 00:33:43,320 --> 00:33:46,360 during Lent. Whatever the case might be, we 544 00:33:46,360 --> 00:33:48,280 just keep taking the next step of discipleship. 545 00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:52,360 You know, one of the things I appreciate most about Emmanuel 546 00:33:52,360 --> 00:33:57,640 Anglican is that this has always been a church filled with people 547 00:33:57,640 --> 00:34:01,240 who want more discipleship actually, than we can offer. 548 00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:04,600 Most of the time. There's a supply and demand like 549 00:34:05,400 --> 00:34:08,920 issue here to quite frankly, that we're that we're seeking to 550 00:34:09,320 --> 00:34:13,400 to correct. We actually, I'm so honored and 551 00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:18,159 blown away by the hunger I see and hear about from from you, 552 00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:22,320 from the church about wanting to be shaped, wanting to grow, 553 00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:25,000 wanting community, wanting to know what does it look like to 554 00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:28,120 follow Christ authentically, richly and deeply in the city of 555 00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:30,000 Chicago Because it's not easy, right? 556 00:34:30,719 --> 00:34:32,920 But you want to. That's why you're here. 557 00:34:35,199 --> 00:34:40,040 And in 2026, I see Emmanuel Anglican forming people of every 558 00:34:40,040 --> 00:34:44,880 age into deeper discipleship and beyond. 2026 too, but starting 559 00:34:44,880 --> 00:34:51,480 this year, more intentional deep formation of of youth and people 560 00:34:51,480 --> 00:34:54,920 just getting started in their careers and people in midlife 561 00:34:55,199 --> 00:34:58,080 and people in the golden years and every, every age, people 562 00:34:58,080 --> 00:35:01,720 getting formed and shaped to be disciples of Jesus. 563 00:35:04,880 --> 00:35:09,680 The thing is that there's no shortcut to Chicago experiencing 564 00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:13,160 the kind of healing we saw at the Sea of Galilee in Mark 3. 565 00:35:13,360 --> 00:35:16,240 There's no shortcut to getting there without us climbing the 566 00:35:16,240 --> 00:35:18,320 mountain. We got to climb the mountain 567 00:35:18,320 --> 00:35:19,960 first. We got to climb the mountain. 568 00:35:19,960 --> 00:35:22,600 Even as we share the gospel, even as we push back the 569 00:35:22,600 --> 00:35:25,800 darkness, even as we pray for justice in our city, even as we 570 00:35:26,080 --> 00:35:28,280 seek to integrate our faith and our work. 571 00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:31,800 There's no shortcut to discipleship for those things to 572 00:35:31,800 --> 00:35:35,840 happen. Jesus is still calling people up 573 00:35:35,840 --> 00:35:42,000 the mountain, not to impress him, but to be with him, not for 574 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:45,040 touch points, but for a deep imprint. 575 00:35:47,240 --> 00:35:52,840 Not for a moment, but for a lifetime and beyond. 576 00:35:52,840 --> 00:35:57,200 Why friends, it's because of who we are. 577 00:35:58,520 --> 00:36:01,160 We're not tourists, we're neighbors. 578 00:36:01,480 --> 00:36:05,000 And let's become disciples of Jesus starting this morning and 579 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:07,880 follow him up the mountain in the name of the Father, Son, and 580 00:36:07,880 --> 00:36:08,920 Holy Spirit, Amen.