1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,440 So as Ashley shared, we're continuing our sermon series 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:07,000 through the story, the grand story arc of Scripture. 3 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:09,720 So for the past six weeks we have been exploring the major 4 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:14,000 themes of the Old Testament. But today we finally get to turn 5 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:18,000 the page to the arrival of Jesus, the Son of God, the 6 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:19,840 Messiah. I kind of like that deserves a a 7 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:21,520 cheer. Does that feel exciting to you 8 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:23,160 all? Feels exciting to me. 9 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:25,400 I get to talk about our Messiah today. 10 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:27,720 Messiah just means Savior. So you'll hear that word a lot 11 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:31,200 this morning, but this is the moment where all of the pieces 12 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:34,880 of the story come together and the greatness of God's plan and 13 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:38,280 his love for humanity is put on full display. 14 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:41,960 So since we've started the sermon series, the story, I 15 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:45,080 found myself kind of referencing my own background in 16 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:47,480 storytelling pretty often, just like thinking about different 17 00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:50,360 things that I learned. My undergraduate degree was in 18 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:52,360 screen writing. And so one important 19 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:57,280 storytelling tool that I learned is called Plants and Payouts. 20 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,480 So it works something like this. Basically the writer introduces 21 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:04,239 the detail kind of early on the story, maybe that may or may not 22 00:01:04,239 --> 00:01:07,760 seem important at the time, but at a later point in the story, 23 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:11,640 that detail turns out to be pivotal to what happens next. 24 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:16,640 So one example that came to mind is from Finding Nemo. 25 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:19,240 I had to pick an older movie where it was OK for me to spoil 26 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:22,440 the ending. So in Finding Nemo, a young 27 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,560 clown fish named Nemo is captured and he's put in this 28 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:28,600 fish tank where these older wiser fish basically teach him 29 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:30,760 like how to survive fish tank living. 30 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:35,000 So for example, if their human owner tries to use a net to 31 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,440 remove one of the fish, all of the fish like crowd into the net 32 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:41,720 at once and they all swim down in the same direction until the 33 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:44,240 human drops the net and then all the fish are free. 34 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:48,360 So it's a fun scene, but it may not seem significant at the time 35 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:53,000 until the climax of the movie when Nemo remembers this 36 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:56,800 technique and uses it to free like our forgetful friend Dory, 37 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:59,720 who we all love in like a school of like hundreds of other fish 38 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:01,760 from being captured by this fishing boat. 39 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:06,440 So this idea that is planted earlier in the story is paid off 40 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:10,479 by the end. This pattern is also found 41 00:02:10,479 --> 00:02:13,640 throughout the Bible, especially as we shift from the Old 42 00:02:13,640 --> 00:02:17,760 Testament to the New Testament. So through the story of Israel 43 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:21,440 and the words of God's prophets, a bunch of promises and 44 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:26,000 predictions have been planted, and now they're about to be paid 45 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:28,280 off. So another way to look at this 46 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:32,320 is the Old Testament introduces a number of problems that need 47 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:34,680 to be resolved. So they're kind of four 48 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:36,480 essential problems that we've been talking about through the 49 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:38,480 sermon series. Let's review them really 50 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:41,080 briefly. So problem number one is the 51 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:45,920 problem of broken identity, and this goes back to the story of 52 00:02:45,920 --> 00:02:49,240 creation and the fall. Humanity was created with a 53 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:53,320 beautiful purpose, to reflect God's image and to partner with 54 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:57,080 God in caring for this world and helping it to flourish. 55 00:02:57,720 --> 00:03:01,560 So what went wrong? Well, instead of relying on God, 56 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:04,400 humans tried to seize control. Instead of reflecting the 57 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:08,400 goodness of God, humans chose selfishness and rivalry and 58 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:10,520 blame. And that is the nature of sin, 59 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:13,920 that we reject God in his ways and we follow our own egos 60 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,440 instead. So problem #1 is that humanity 61 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:21,360 is God-given goodness has been distorted and even damaged by 62 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:25,000 sin. Problem #2 is the problem of 63 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:28,040 unfulfilled promises. And this goes back to the story 64 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:30,760 of God's promise to Abraham, that through Abraham's 65 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:33,680 descendants God would raise up a people who would be a blessing 66 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:36,320 to the whole world. So what went wrong? 67 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:40,840 Abraham's family, the ancient Israelites turned from God and 68 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:43,880 became corrupt. They perpetuated injustice and 69 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:47,520 they pursued false gods. So Israel is left to face the 70 00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:49,720 consequences. They are conquered by a foreign 71 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:52,040 nation and they are taken into exile. 72 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:54,880 So problem #2 kind of asks this question. 73 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:59,520 How can God keep his promise to bless a people who are actively 74 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:04,440 rebelling against him? Problem #3 is the problem of 75 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:07,840 unrighteous kings. This goes back to the story of 76 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:10,360 Israel's lineage of kings, starting with Saul and then 77 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:12,320 David. And basically God has promised 78 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:15,880 that from the line of David will come a new king who is uniquely 79 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:19,079 wise and righteous, and his throne will be established 80 00:04:19,079 --> 00:04:21,279 forever. So what went wrong? 81 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:26,000 So far every king of Israel has been deeply flawed, and many 82 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:30,040 even lead Israel into idolatry, so the worship of false gods. 83 00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:34,120 And now at the Old as the Old Testament closes, the Last King 84 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:37,200 has been deposed and Israel is ruled over by its enemies. 85 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:41,200 So problem #3 is that this hope of a good king in an everlasting 86 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:43,640 Kingdom seems completely out of reach. 87 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:48,400 And lastly, problem #4 is this problem of separation from God. 88 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:51,080 And this goes back to the stories of Exodus and exile. 89 00:04:51,280 --> 00:04:54,120 The first time Israel lived in captivity, they were slaves in 90 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:56,200 Egypt. But God powerfully delivered 91 00:04:56,200 --> 00:04:58,400 them. And not only that, God made this 92 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:01,240 new promise that if they lived according to His Word, His 93 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:04,720 presence would dwell among them. So what went wrong? 94 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:08,640 Well, we heard how the Israelites rebelled and rebuilt 95 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:09,880 against God like again and again. 96 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:13,480 And because God is holy and righteous, he cannot be an 97 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:16,200 intimate relationship with the people who are actively choosing 98 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:18,400 unrighteousness and unjustice again and again. 99 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:22,040 And so as Israel goes into exile, God's presence also 100 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:25,280 withdraws from them. So problem #4 is this kind of 101 00:05:25,280 --> 00:05:27,600 distance and disconnection from God. 102 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:31,440 So as the Old Testament comes to a close, this is where we find 103 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:35,680 ourselves facing these problems of broken identity, of 104 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:39,080 unfulfilled promises, unrighteous kings, and 105 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:44,880 separation from God himself. But amid all that darkness, a 106 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:49,320 light shines out, and it starts with God sending prophets to 107 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:52,040 speak words of hope over his people. 108 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:56,240 So the prophet Isaiah predicts the coming of a Savior who will 109 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:59,520 pay for humanity's sins. And Isaiah says this Savior will 110 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:01,600 be pierced for our transgressions. 111 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:03,480 He will be crushed for our iniquities. 112 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:07,880 And by his wounds we are healed. And the prophet Jeremiah reveals 113 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:10,560 God's plan to change the hearts of humanity. 114 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:13,720 God says, I will put my law in their minds and write it on 115 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:15,840 their hearts. I will forgive their wickedness, 116 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:18,480 and I will remember their sins no more. 117 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:23,160 The prophet Daniel anticipates God establishing A righteous 118 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:26,600 king on the throne of David. David declares or Daniel 119 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:28,920 declares. His division dominion is an 120 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:32,440 everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his Kingdom 121 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:34,400 is one that will never be destroyed. 122 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:38,360 And the prophet Ezekiel, he sees this vision of God bringing his 123 00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:41,200 people out of exile and returning to dwell among his 124 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:44,120 people. And God says, I will give you a 125 00:06:44,120 --> 00:06:47,920 new heart and a new spirit. I will put within you, I will 126 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:51,120 remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of 127 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:53,560 flesh. And I will put my sanctuary 128 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:56,080 among them forever. My dwelling place will be with 129 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:58,480 them. I will be their God and they 130 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:02,360 will be my people. So these are the promises that 131 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:05,920 God's people are clinging to as they live in exile, as they as 132 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:09,080 they suffer, as they, as they wait, that God will make a way, 133 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:12,960 that he will give his people a renewed identity, that he will 134 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:16,120 fulfill his promises of blessing, that he will establish 135 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:19,120 A righteous king, and that he will restore humanity's 136 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:22,680 relationship with himself. So this is kind of the hope that 137 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:25,400 is that is cutting through the darkness like the sun on the 138 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:27,680 edge of the horizon. And this is where we find 139 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:29,800 ourselves as a New Testament opens. 140 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:33,120 So centuries have passed. Israel has been oppressed by 141 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:36,840 foreign rulers, first Babylon, then Persia, then Greece and now 142 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:39,480 Rome. But people continue looking to 143 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:42,720 scripture and seeing the words of the prophets being fulfilled 144 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:46,720 slowly 1 by 1. And so this era of Jesus arrival 145 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:50,560 is already full of expectation. The era is like buzzing with 146 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:53,760 anticipation that the Messiah is coming soon. 147 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:58,560 So I was trying to think of like a modern day illustration that 148 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:01,480 kind of captures the energy and the excitement that would have 149 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:04,840 characterized Jesus time. And the only example I could 150 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:09,920 think of is the vibe when Taylor Swift announces a new album. 151 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:14,240 So I don't identify as a Swifty, although I do really like some 152 00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:16,680 of her albums. But my Instagram algorithm has 153 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:19,040 decided that as a millennial woman, I obviously want to be 154 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:20,880 spammed with Taylor content nonstop. 155 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:24,360 So This is why it works as an illustration. 156 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:27,960 So when a new album is announced, you have like, tons 157 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:31,160 of people who are like, all in can't stop talking about it, 158 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:34,280 like radiating this fervent energy into the air. 159 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:37,520 And all the enthusiasts are like, looking to past albums and 160 00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:40,080 interviews and like searching for clues and like trying to 161 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:42,360 predict what the new album is going to be like. 162 00:08:42,919 --> 00:08:46,440 And then you have people who are like, like, Swift Agnostic, 163 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:48,400 right? Like, they're not actively 164 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:50,760 anticipating her new album, but they are hearing about it 165 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:54,360 constantly and maybe becoming curious in spite of themselves. 166 00:08:54,560 --> 00:08:56,040 You know, like, everyone's so excited about this. 167 00:08:56,040 --> 00:08:59,240 Maybe I should be too. And then you have the haters who 168 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:01,960 refuse to believe that the album will be any good and just want 169 00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:05,160 people to shut up about it. So that's the full range. 170 00:09:05,280 --> 00:09:09,200 And this is not unlike the energy that you would have felt 171 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:11,960 throughout 1st century Israel, just like, amplify it by like 172 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:15,560 10,000, right? So people are like, decoding the 173 00:09:15,560 --> 00:09:18,560 Old Testament prophecies and like doing the math. 174 00:09:18,560 --> 00:09:20,840 And many believe that the Messiah would come within their 175 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:23,480 lifetime. And there were whole movements 176 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:26,760 within the Jewish community that predicted that the present age, 177 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:30,480 which is marked by sin and suffering, was coming to an end. 178 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:33,680 And one Bible commentator says that the enthusiasm and even the 179 00:09:33,680 --> 00:09:37,400 fanaticism around the Messiah had reached a fever pitch. 180 00:09:37,560 --> 00:09:41,280 So people were, like, ready and waiting for a new era to come. 181 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:44,320 So imagine this. So you're living in ancient 182 00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:46,160 Israel. You're surrounded by this, like, 183 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:49,120 messianic fever and these predictions that salvation is 184 00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:52,160 coming soon. And one Sabbath day, you go to 185 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:53,760 synagogue. So kind of like a church 186 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:55,160 gathering, kind of like the one we're in now. 187 00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:58,760 And it turns out that the guest teacher is Jesus of Nazareth. 188 00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:02,560 And so this is his hometown. And he's returned amid, like, 189 00:10:02,560 --> 00:10:04,680 all sorts of rumors that he's been traveling throughout the 190 00:10:04,680 --> 00:10:08,520 countryside teaching these, like, wild and beautiful things 191 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:10,560 and working miracles and healing people. 192 00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:14,800 And so all eyes are on Jesus as he picks up the scroll of the 193 00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:17,560 prophet Isaiah, and he reads these words. 194 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:22,760 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to 195 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:26,240 proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim 196 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:30,200 freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, 197 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:34,280 to set the oppressed free, and to proclaim the year of the 198 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:39,040 Lord's favor. The next part of the story kind 199 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:41,960 of seems to play out in slow motion, like Jesus rolls up the 200 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:46,680 scroll, gives it back to the attendant, sits down and looks 201 00:10:46,680 --> 00:10:49,640 out at a room full of people just watching and waiting. 202 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:55,640 And then Jesus says, today the Scripture has been fulfilled in 203 00:10:55,640 --> 00:11:00,720 your hearing, meaning the era of healing and freedom and wide 204 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:05,920 scale transformation begins now. And what happens next is 205 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:09,240 fascinating because at first the people are flattered. 206 00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:12,600 Like here's this man rumored to be a prophet coming back to his 207 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:15,880 hometown and declaring that God is fulfilling these beautiful 208 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:18,360 promises. Salvation for the poor, freedom 209 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:21,600 for the captive, sight for the blind, this new age of peace and 210 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:23,640 prosperity. What great news. 211 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:28,320 But then Jesus challenges them by referencing these two Old 212 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:32,240 Testament stories where God sends a prophet to Israel, but 213 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:35,920 they reject God's prophet, and so God sends the prophets to 214 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:38,560 bless foreigners or Gentiles instead. 215 00:11:38,560 --> 00:11:42,320 And when the people in the synagogue hear this, they are so 216 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:45,760 furious that they drive Jesus out of town and try to throw him 217 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:47,600 off a Cliff. Like, isn't that insane? 218 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:49,440 When's the last time that someone made you angry enough 219 00:11:49,440 --> 00:11:50,760 that you tried to throw them off a Cliff? 220 00:11:50,920 --> 00:11:54,440 Don't answer that, but the tension and like the extreme 221 00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:57,400 reactions kind of paint a picture of what the rest of 222 00:11:57,440 --> 00:12:01,560 Jesus ministry will be like. So as Jesus continues teaching 223 00:12:01,560 --> 00:12:04,720 about God's Kingdom and and healing the sick and casting out 224 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:07,960 demons and offering forgiveness from sin, more and more people 225 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:13,240 praise and venerate him and more and more people strongly oppose 226 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:17,000 him and plot against him. And sometimes people who 227 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:19,920 passionately declare that they're all in on Jesus will 228 00:12:19,920 --> 00:12:23,120 suddenly feel challenged by one of his teachings and walk away. 229 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:26,760 Isn't that confusing? Like, hasn't everyone been 230 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:29,880 waiting and praying and longing for the Messiah? 231 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:32,520 And here is this man who has extraordinary insight into 232 00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:34,600 Scripture and the ability to perform miracles, and he's 233 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:36,760 meeting kind of all the prophetic words about the 234 00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:39,240 Messiah. What is stopping them? 235 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:41,680 What's stopping the people who have, who have studied God's 236 00:12:41,680 --> 00:12:45,920 promises and hoped in God's promises, from receiving Jesus 237 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:51,720 as their savior and their king? There's this old meme or it's 238 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:54,720 kind of like, I guess like a format of a meme and it's called 239 00:12:55,120 --> 00:12:57,520 expectations versus reality. Maybe you've seen them. 240 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:00,600 So like for example, on one side you'll see someone's like 241 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:04,240 idealistic expectations, like say like a like a perfect hyper 242 00:13:04,240 --> 00:13:06,960 realistic birthday cake shaped like a tropical island. 243 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:11,320 It has like a working waterfall and on the other side is cold, 244 00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:13,800 harsh reality. So what it might look like if 245 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:16,560 you or I tried to make that cake, like it looks like a 246 00:13:16,560 --> 00:13:19,160 tropical iron like island after a meter hit it. 247 00:13:19,160 --> 00:13:21,920 And they're like waterfall is just like a blue trickle of dye 248 00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:23,280 like running down the side, right? 249 00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:28,320 Expectations, reality. The people in Jesus Day are 250 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:31,920 facing their own expectations versus reality conflict. 251 00:13:32,680 --> 00:13:36,800 On one side is there a vision of what they think the Messiah 252 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:40,400 should look like, what he should do, what he should say, and on 253 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:44,640 the other side is the reality of who Jesus is and what he has 254 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:47,840 come to do. And when the sides don't match, 255 00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:52,160 you get disillusionment and rejection of Jesus and even 256 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:55,640 violent animosity. And we see this even among like 257 00:13:55,640 --> 00:13:58,680 the leaders and teachers of Israel at the time, there were 258 00:13:58,680 --> 00:14:02,080 these 4 influential groups that held very different views on the 259 00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:04,440 Messiah and different beliefs about God's Kingdom. 260 00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:06,560 And I think that these are worth naming because they actually 261 00:14:06,560 --> 00:14:09,560 tell us a lot about where this kind of doubt in opposition 262 00:14:09,560 --> 00:14:11,880 stems from. So we're going to do a quick 263 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:14,760 montage of introductions, kind of like, I don't know what movie 264 00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:16,960 I'm thinking of where there's like like a bunch of villains 265 00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:19,120 that each just kind of get a quick cameo and it tells you 266 00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:20,280 what they're all about and what they do. 267 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:21,120 Anyway. We're going to do that. 268 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:26,680 So as we do, just notice if any of these viewpoints or attitudes 269 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:29,640 feel familiar to you. So first we have the Pharisees, 270 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:32,960 the religious rule keepers, and their big concern was that 271 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:35,040 people aren't taking Scripture seriously. 272 00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:39,480 And their strategy was to invent a system of very specific rules 273 00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:43,000 around ritual purity and personal holiness and observance 274 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:45,800 of God's law. The Pharisees believed that if 275 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:48,520 people follow these rules, God would see that they were living 276 00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:53,160 faithfully and the Messiah would finally come #2 We have the 277 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:56,360 Sadducees, the kind of aristocrats and the politicians. 278 00:14:56,640 --> 00:14:59,600 Their big concern was their own social status and security. 279 00:14:59,960 --> 00:15:02,760 Most of them were wealthy and even held roles as judges and 280 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:05,640 priests. Their strategy was to play nice 281 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:09,000 with Rome, to kind of secure favor with the powers that be. 282 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:12,160 So the Sadducees were not interested in the Messiah 283 00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:16,000 because the Messiah meant change and disruption, and that would 284 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:18,160 get in the way of the prosperous lives that they've built for 285 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:23,120 themselves. 3rd, we have the Essenes, the holy hermits. 286 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:26,280 So their concern was their own holiness and adherence to God's 287 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:28,720 law. Their strategy was to retreat 288 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:31,520 from society to kind of create their own community out in the 289 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:34,280 desert and to follow their own religious practices. 290 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:37,960 So the Essenes believe that the Messiah was coming soon and that 291 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:39,560 their own piety was what mattered. 292 00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:41,880 So they did not concern themselves necessarily with the 293 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:45,200 fate of others. And the last group are the 294 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:48,160 Zealots, who are the radical revolutionaries. 295 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:52,320 Their big concern was Rome, like the nation that was oppressing 296 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:55,720 their people, and their strategy was to fight back or die trying. 297 00:15:56,240 --> 00:15:59,560 At one point, Zealots even assassinated fellow Israelites 298 00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:03,360 who opposed their war with Rome. So the Zealots believed it was 299 00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:07,280 their job to take back power by force and pave the way for God 300 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:12,160 to establish a new king. Now, all four of these groups 301 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:14,520 have one important thing in common. 302 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:19,520 None of them recognized God when he was walking in their midst. 303 00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:23,200 Or in the Essenes case, they didn't meet the Messiah. 304 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:25,560 They said they were waiting for it because they retreated from a 305 00:16:25,560 --> 00:16:28,760 broken world and Jesus stepped right into that broken world to 306 00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:32,440 heal it. The Kingdom that Jesus ushered 307 00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:36,280 in was not the Kingdom many people expected or even wanted. 308 00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:39,960 And after all, if you are, you know, building your life and 309 00:16:39,960 --> 00:16:43,760 your worldview around values that God does not share or a 310 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:46,920 posture that does not reflect God's heart, how will you 311 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:51,880 recognize him when he appears? So, friends, this is a lot more 312 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:55,560 than just a history lesson. These groups reflect ways that 313 00:16:55,560 --> 00:16:58,560 we still try to approach the problems of the world today. 314 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:01,920 Like the Pharisees, we try to force people to change by 315 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:04,920 shaming them, maybe by shaming ourselves by reminding people of 316 00:17:04,920 --> 00:17:08,599 the ways they don't measure up. Like the Sadducees, we focus on 317 00:17:08,599 --> 00:17:11,520 our own security and success instead of addressing the 318 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:13,880 problems around us. We fixate on making sure we have 319 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:16,880 what we need to feel secure and in control. 320 00:17:17,839 --> 00:17:20,680 Like the Essenes, maybe we run away from the world and kind of 321 00:17:20,680 --> 00:17:22,880 distance itself ourselves from its problems. 322 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:26,560 And maybe we try to invest in our own growth and our holiness, 323 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:28,920 but we neglect the call of God to love our neighbor as 324 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:31,800 ourselves. Or, like the zealots, we look 325 00:17:31,800 --> 00:17:34,880 for an enemy and we identify them as the cause of all of our 326 00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:37,000 problems. And we declare war, assuming 327 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:40,160 that if we can just take back power, all of our problems will 328 00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:43,640 be solved. Do we see ourselves in any of 329 00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:47,880 these postures, Maybe all of these postures, depending on the 330 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:50,320 day? Each of these groups was 331 00:17:50,320 --> 00:17:53,680 convinced that they had the truth, that they knew what the 332 00:17:53,680 --> 00:17:56,960 Messiah in his Kingdom was all going to be about, or just that 333 00:17:56,960 --> 00:17:59,400 he didn't exist. But they were all wrong. 334 00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:03,640 And because they clung to these false ideas about who God is, 335 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:06,800 they opted into counterfeit kingdoms. 336 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:10,880 Kingdoms built on religious rule keeping or social status and 337 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:15,040 influence or isolation and self protection or militant might. 338 00:18:15,680 --> 00:18:17,600 They believe that if you were just rigid enough in your 339 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:21,000 religion, or if you just climb the social ladder, or if you 340 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:24,000 just fled from a broken world, or if you just waged battle 341 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:25,920 against your enemies, you would be saved. 342 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:29,800 And does any of that actually sound like good news? 343 00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:37,760 To me, it sounds exhausting. Friends, Jesus didn't come to 344 00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:41,920 tell us how to save ourselves. He came to bring us good news. 345 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:46,080 And that good news is that Jesus is the rightful king and he is 346 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:48,680 building a different kind of Kingdom. 347 00:18:49,480 --> 00:18:51,840 And we see this reflected all throughout the Gospels and how 348 00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:54,680 Jesus taught, how he lived, how he ministered to people. 349 00:18:54,960 --> 00:18:58,080 Instead of elevating his own status, Jesus pushes back 350 00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:01,720 against authorities who enable corruption or oppress others. 351 00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:05,400 Instead of shaming us into righteous living, Jesus frees us 352 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:08,240 from bondage to sin by shedding his own blood. 353 00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:12,440 Instead of retreating from society, Jesus goes to the poor, 354 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:15,240 to those in need, to the least of these, and he heals their 355 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:18,480 diseases and casts out demons and restores their wholeness. 356 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:22,440 Instead of going to battle with Rome, Jesus inhabits the hearts 357 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:25,640 of anyone who puts their trust in him, whether Jew or Gentile. 358 00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:29,200 He gives us the gift of his presence because he's not just 359 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:33,080 like a king on a distant throne. He's Emmanuel, God with us. 360 00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:37,680 So if the Kingdom we are seeking, if what we, you know, 361 00:19:37,680 --> 00:19:43,160 invest in and build towards is not characterized by justice and 362 00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:47,760 freedom and healing and intimacy with God, I think we have to ask 363 00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:51,280 ourselves, is Jesus in it? Because God's Kingdom is a 364 00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:55,400 reflection of his character. The way Jesus lived flowed out 365 00:19:55,400 --> 00:19:59,040 of who he is and his Kingdom is not just about or it just 366 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:01,840 doesn't, doesn't depend on us just kind of reforming the 367 00:20:01,840 --> 00:20:04,800 infrastructure of society. Jesus focuses on our hearts, 368 00:20:05,120 --> 00:20:08,160 what we desire the most. Or to put it another way, what 369 00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:11,280 do we worship? Because Jesus knows that when 370 00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:15,480 our allegiance shifts, transformation will follow and 371 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:19,600 He is after deep personal soul level change. 372 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:22,440 God's Kingdom is made-up of people with transformed and 373 00:20:22,440 --> 00:20:26,400 transforming hearts, and the Kingdom of God, which we hear 374 00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:28,800 and talk about again and again, it's really just a place where 375 00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:32,360 the goodness and love of Jesus has its full expression. 376 00:20:33,320 --> 00:20:36,520 And there's a reason why those who believed that they had power 377 00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:39,880 or who desired to seize power did not see Jesus for who he 378 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:43,520 was. But the outcasts, the lepers, 379 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:47,520 the prostitutes, the tax collectors, the socially shunned 380 00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:50,880 sinners, they did. Because these people did not 381 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:53,040 have illusions about their own self-sufficiency. 382 00:20:53,320 --> 00:20:55,240 They did not have like a 10 point plan for their own 383 00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:57,880 salvation, and they were not grasping for control. 384 00:20:57,960 --> 00:21:01,600 They were simply desperate. They knew they needed a savior. 385 00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:05,480 And This is why Jesus identifies the poor and the marginalized as 386 00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:08,160 ready to receive the Kingdom. Because they want Jesus to be 387 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:10,520 king. They see his goodness, his 388 00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:13,520 kindness, his mercy towards them, and they fall to his 389 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:15,400 knees. Their knees because what they've 390 00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:17,480 been longing for has finally come. 391 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:20,280 And there's for them. There's no conflict between 392 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:23,440 expectations versus reality. Jesus is what they want and who 393 00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:28,480 they've been waiting for. So as I was writing the sermon, 394 00:21:29,360 --> 00:21:33,640 I found myself thinking about my first experiences ever telling 395 00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:36,680 people about Jesus. I became a Christian when I was 396 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:40,080 in college, when I was an undergrad, and at the time, I 397 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:42,640 mean still, none of my close family members were are a 398 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:44,080 Christian. My parents aren't Christian. 399 00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:47,200 At the time, very few of my friends were Christian. 400 00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:51,680 And I remember first telling like my mom and my uncles and my 401 00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:54,760 roommates and my classmates that I believed in Jesus now. 402 00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:58,160 And most of them, you know, had questions. 403 00:21:58,320 --> 00:22:01,320 Some of them had strong objections and push back, some 404 00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:05,040 of which was really hard for me. But as I look back and kind of 405 00:22:05,040 --> 00:22:08,080 re like recount those conversations in my mind, I also 406 00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:11,680 noticed something else. Most of what they had to say 407 00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:14,920 centered on ideas. Like they had questions about 408 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:18,560 how my ideas had changed. Like, you know, I used to think 409 00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:20,360 this, but did I believe in that now? 410 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:23,240 You know, did I now? Did I think of everybody as 411 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:25,600 sinners? Did I believe this and that 412 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:27,880 about sexuality? Did I have a different view on 413 00:22:27,880 --> 00:22:31,000 this political topic? And sometimes, depending on what 414 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:33,640 it was, they wanted to convince me that my old ideas were better 415 00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:37,840 or that their ideas were better. If I had noticed this pattern 416 00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:41,120 back then, I might have had a different response. 417 00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:46,760 I might have been able to say, you know, this isn't really 418 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:51,160 about ideas for me. I mean, yes, a lot of my ideas 419 00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:54,560 have changed or maybe are changing, but I'm not a 420 00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:57,320 Christian because I was captivated by new ideas. 421 00:22:58,160 --> 00:23:03,000 I'm a Christian because I felt lost and confused about life. 422 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:07,880 So I went looking for the truth, like the actual universal truth 423 00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:11,680 with a capital TI went looking for the truth and I met a 424 00:23:11,680 --> 00:23:14,960 person. I'm a Christian because I met 425 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:19,040 Jesus, or he met me, and he's the best thing that ever 426 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:20,720 happened to me. And I know that sounds weird 427 00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:22,120 because he's not here in the flesh. 428 00:23:22,120 --> 00:23:24,720 Like I can't invite him over for dinner so you can interview him. 429 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:26,920 But he's as real to me as the breath in my lungs. 430 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:29,760 And since I've met him, I've experienced real love and 431 00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:33,920 acceptance and forgiveness and healing and freedom and change. 432 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:38,160 And I don't really know how to explain how it happened, but if 433 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:40,480 this was happening to you, you'd probably have some new ideas 434 00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:44,480 about what was true too. And I, I couldn't articulate it 435 00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:46,960 as clearly back then, but that is my story. 436 00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:50,080 And when I read the New Testament, I find a bunch of 437 00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:53,360 other people who have very similar stories, people who have 438 00:23:53,360 --> 00:23:56,760 these powerful encounters with Jesus and they're no longer 439 00:23:56,760 --> 00:23:59,840 preoccupied with like, you know, strong arming other people and 440 00:23:59,840 --> 00:24:02,560 to behaving a certain way or like, who is in power and what's 441 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:04,800 my social standing? They're just in awe. 442 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:09,280 They're like, I don't know what to tell you, except no doctor 443 00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:11,080 could heal me, but Jesus healed me. 444 00:24:11,920 --> 00:24:14,200 I was trapped in my own sin, but Jesus freed me. 445 00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:17,560 I was hiding in my shame, but Jesus told me everything I ever 446 00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:19,200 did. I was blind. 447 00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:23,480 But now I see those are the testimonies of people 2000 years 448 00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:25,360 ago, and those are the testimonies of people today. 449 00:24:26,040 --> 00:24:29,760 He healed me, He freed me, He forgave me, He changed me. 450 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:33,600 And if you met him, and if you really saw him for who he is, 451 00:24:33,680 --> 00:24:35,160 you would believe He's the Son of God too. 452 00:24:36,600 --> 00:24:39,680 This is what the Kingdom of God is like. 453 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:43,920 Jesus is a king for those who are broken and hopeless and 454 00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:46,760 outcast and betrayed and longing for a better world. 455 00:24:47,520 --> 00:24:51,760 He is God Almighty who is powerful enough to calm a storm 456 00:24:51,760 --> 00:24:54,480 or heal a lifelong illness with a single word. 457 00:24:55,800 --> 00:25:00,440 But he is also gentle and lowly enough to visit a 19 year old 458 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:07,440 girl sitting in an ICU room because her mother is sick and 459 00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:10,800 she's alone and she needs somebody to comfort her. 460 00:25:12,280 --> 00:25:13,800 Because that's where I met Jesus. 461 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:16,760 And that's the kind of king that we need. 462 00:25:18,120 --> 00:25:21,960 Not one who rules by force, or who strong arms us with laws, or 463 00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:24,640 who elevates the mighty and ignores the weak. 464 00:25:25,720 --> 00:25:29,480 We need a king like Jesus who meets us in our hour of darkest 465 00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:34,920 need and becomes our hope. So this is what? 466 00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:37,520 Thanks friends. Unfortunately, we're about to 467 00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:40,280 close. This is my this is my invitation 468 00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:41,640 for you today. I'm going to I'm going to 469 00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:43,560 Createspace for you to do business with Jesus. 470 00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:45,280 This is the most important thing this morning. 471 00:25:45,280 --> 00:25:47,440 This is more important than anything I've said because I'm 472 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:49,480 describing to you who you can encounter. 473 00:25:49,480 --> 00:25:51,400 We're going to Createspace for you to encounter him right now, 474 00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:56,920 if you haven't already. My invitation for you today is 475 00:25:56,920 --> 00:26:00,680 maybe challenging, but also maybe deceptively simple. 476 00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:05,680 Let Jesus be King in your life, friends. 477 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:11,920 No politician, no influencer, no counselor, no love interest, no 478 00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:14,160 church leader can become your hope. 479 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:19,040 Only Jesus can hold your whole life safely in his hands and 480 00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:23,080 offer you real healing and restoration, a future and a 481 00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:25,320 hope. He's the only good and righteous 482 00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:29,520 King whose Kingdom has both arrived and is still unfolding. 483 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:32,560 So wait on him. He's everything we've been 484 00:26:32,560 --> 00:26:35,800 waiting for. So we started our time together 485 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:38,120 by talking about plants and payouts, right? 486 00:26:38,120 --> 00:26:41,200 How all the predictions and promises of the Old Testament 487 00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:44,400 find their fulfillment in Jesus. So here's where it all comes 488 00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:48,080 together. What was true 2000 years ago is 489 00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:51,240 true today. Jesus is inviting you to come to 490 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:54,480 him, to leave your past behind and to follow Him. 491 00:26:54,960 --> 00:26:58,600 And so as we close, first I want you to just listen to this list 492 00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:00,280 of invitations. I'm going to read several of 493 00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:03,520 them. There are these truths about who 494 00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:08,360 Jesus is and what he can do and just take hold of the one that 495 00:27:08,360 --> 00:27:10,840 you sense. God's Spirit is speaking to you 496 00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:16,000 today. So today, if you've lost your 497 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:20,120 sense of identity, if you feel broken or ashamed of who you 498 00:27:20,120 --> 00:27:23,520 are, let Jesus make you a new creation. 499 00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:31,800 If today you feel the weight of your mistakes and failures, let 500 00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:35,000 Jesus lift your burdens and cleanse you of your sins. 501 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:42,440 If today you feel fearful about your future, let Jesus show you 502 00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:46,120 that He is the covenant keeper and His promises never fail. 503 00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:52,360 If today you feel trapped in patterns from your past or 504 00:27:52,360 --> 00:27:56,200 baggage from your family of origin, let Jesus rescue you 505 00:27:56,200 --> 00:28:02,720 from bondage and set you free. And if today you're feeling 506 00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:07,160 alone in the world and in the challenges that you face, let 507 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:11,040 Jesus fill you with his Spirit and be Emmanuel to you, the God 508 00:28:11,040 --> 00:28:12,480 who is always with us.