1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:03,600 Welcome To The River. City Church podcast and a 2 00:00:03,608 --> 00:00:07,700 message by our lead. Pastor Jason Powers our prayer 3 00:00:07,700 --> 00:00:11,100 is that this message would Inspire and encourage you, build 4 00:00:11,100 --> 00:00:13,300 your faith. And point you to the 5 00:00:13,300 --> 00:00:18,200 life-changing love of Jesus, may you enjoy the goodness of God as 6 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:36,400 you follow him today, Happy your Mama's Day to all of 7 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:39,000 you. Hey listen, this is an 8 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:40,300 opportunity really to talk about. 9 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:43,800 I love your mama's day because there was a long time in my life 10 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:48,600 where I was not I certainly would not have been in a church 11 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:53,300 on Mother's Day and so and I was kind of obnoxious about it, like 12 00:00:53,300 --> 00:00:56,100 I've told you a little about this but here's the deal, I have 13 00:00:56,200 --> 00:01:00,500 a mom who really loves Jesus and there was a time where she was 14 00:01:00,500 --> 00:01:03,300 the only one in my house who really love Jesus. 15 00:01:03,300 --> 00:01:07,100 And so one day we were she was at she went to this church, I 16 00:01:07,100 --> 00:01:11,000 wasn't there and there was a missionary there and his name 17 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:12,400 was John Palmer. And it was funny. 18 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:15,800 He was this little African-American Swiss man who 19 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:20,000 He's a missionary to Jamaica, which is so this weird like kind 20 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:22,800 of deal, but he was like this big, what I ended up getting to 21 00:01:22,808 --> 00:01:25,500 meet him later, and my mom went up and it was, it may have been 22 00:01:25,500 --> 00:01:27,300 a Mother's Day, whatever, and she just broke down. 23 00:01:27,300 --> 00:01:28,800 She's like, my kids aren't following Jesus. 24 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:30,000 My husband is not following Jesus. 25 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:32,200 Everybody, I knows running away from Jesus, right? 26 00:01:32,300 --> 00:01:34,800 And he looked at her, he said, oh, this little joyful me. 27 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:39,900 Oh the prayers of a mother are intercontinental ballistic 28 00:01:39,900 --> 00:01:44,000 missiles and it was like it planted in her brain and so 29 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:47,800 listen, here's the deal. If you're praying for your 30 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:53,500 child, please don't stop as a child who is in the Kingdom 31 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:56,900 because of a mother who didn't stop praying, please don't 32 00:01:56,900 --> 00:01:59,700 please don't stop praying for your children because we need 33 00:01:59,700 --> 00:02:05,500 that mothers, who who your mother's and waiting, please 34 00:02:05,500 --> 00:02:07,000 don't stop praying for your children. 35 00:02:07,100 --> 00:02:09,300 The Lord knows how to give good gifts. 36 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:12,000 I'd talked with a couple right after first servers that, waited 37 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:16,800 10 years for their child, and she was broken and Grieving and 38 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:19,700 whatever had given up, she was happy to show me her 39 00:02:19,700 --> 00:02:22,200 eight-month-old, son, that the Lord had blessed with her. 40 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:24,900 And so I just say, look, the Lord is good and I make no 41 00:02:24,900 --> 00:02:26,400 promises. I do not do that. 42 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:28,700 I am not the Lord that will shock some of you. 43 00:02:28,700 --> 00:02:31,600 Right. I do not know what his good and 44 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:35,300 perfect will is but I know that his will is good and perfect. 45 00:02:35,300 --> 00:02:38,800 And so I'm grateful that you shared Mother's Day with us. 46 00:02:38,900 --> 00:02:40,800 And I'm glad that you're here. So let's pray. 47 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:42,600 Lord. Thank you for all your goodness 48 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:48,100 and Grace. and as we come today, we remember the journeys that 49 00:02:48,100 --> 00:02:53,500 got us here. And we remember our unbelievable 50 00:02:53,500 --> 00:02:56,400 need for grace and whether that Grace shows up as the prayers of 51 00:02:56,400 --> 00:03:00,400 a mother, or a faithful friend, or a midnight encounter with you 52 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:03,400 or whatever it might be, you just thank you for all the grace 53 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:08,300 that you draw us with. and we ask today father that we would 54 00:03:08,300 --> 00:03:12,300 receive that Grace be different because of it we give you 55 00:03:12,300 --> 00:03:17,000 permission to enter and to change our hearts Love us. 56 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:19,800 Well, father, and help us to love each other and your name 57 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:21,700 and for your glory. Amen. 58 00:03:23,100 --> 00:03:25,600 Because we believe that we have Grace, we have received his 59 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:29,600 goodness, our confession as his church is, we are badly broken. 60 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:33,200 Yes, you are Grace and peace to you. 61 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:35,700 I have to say that that confession just continues to 62 00:03:35,700 --> 00:03:37,900 bear fruit in my life. I think you know sometimes the 63 00:03:37,900 --> 00:03:40,600 danger would literally that's like our kind of like Protestant 64 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:42,000 attempt at liturgy. Right? 65 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:44,200 And the problem with liturgy sometimes can be that it just 66 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:46,300 gets wrote, right? Like it just becomes a thing. 67 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:48,800 You saying that you do and sometimes it's like that 68 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:51,800 sometimes you go right but there are other times during the week 69 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:53,600 or wherever it is where you just go. 70 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:56,400 Oh my goodness. I need that and badly broken. 71 00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:59,200 Deeply love is one of those ideas for my life. 72 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:01,800 That just comes back to me different ways, right? 73 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:05,800 A different lens that different kind of prism show that than 74 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:09,600 otherwise the first time I encountered, the idea that I 75 00:04:09,608 --> 00:04:11,800 remember, it kind of sticking out to me, was in a book by a 76 00:04:11,808 --> 00:04:14,400 guy name is a Franciscan priest called Brendan Manning. 77 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:18,100 The guy was a hot mess. Like you read his biography and 78 00:04:18,100 --> 00:04:21,600 it's a hot mess but because of his messiness Brennan, Manning 79 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:24,700 had a grasp of Grace that was compelling and he wrote a book 80 00:04:24,700 --> 00:04:27,900 called the Ragamuffin gospel and he wrote and I wrote it down and 81 00:04:27,900 --> 00:04:32,600 say this, right? Good news for bedraggled beat up 82 00:04:32,700 --> 00:04:36,500 and for the bedraggled beat up and burnt out. 83 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:42,300 And when I encounter that book, I was that, and I needed that. 84 00:04:42,300 --> 00:04:44,900 And what's interesting is, I stand here today and the 85 00:04:44,900 --> 00:04:50,100 Temptation is to say, I needed that Reich and as if I'm not 86 00:04:50,100 --> 00:04:52,900 bedraggled right, I just don't have as much hair as I used to. 87 00:04:52,900 --> 00:04:58,300 So it's harder to spot. We don't like to be ragamuffins, 88 00:04:58,800 --> 00:05:03,300 we like we're OK in this room generally nodding to the Idaho? 89 00:05:03,300 --> 00:05:06,500 Yes, we're ragamuffins not in any specific sense. 90 00:05:06,500 --> 00:05:08,900 Not because like there's anything in us and is actually 91 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:12,500 ragamuffin e. We like the idea of being 92 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:15,600 unwrapped them of a not bedraggled well-put-together 93 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:18,800 home that you know, hair combed for those who have it and iron, 94 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:20,800 you know, shirts pressed and all of those things. 95 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:24,400 But that would not have been the crowd gathered around Jesus, in 96 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:26,800 Matthew chapter 5. I've we saw a couple of weeks 97 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:29,800 ago, we started looking at this Sermon on the Mount and we see 98 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:33,400 Jesus is teaching about life and and the kingdom and what it 99 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:37,600 meant and we saw that it really was rooted in, Jesus is identity 100 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:40,400 and his history. He was directly descended. 101 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:42,500 And he made it went to Great Lengths to show that he was 102 00:05:42,500 --> 00:05:46,700 descended from some pretty. What we would call Shady people 103 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:50,000 and Jesus like, oh no, she's not Che, that's Aunt, a marble which 104 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:51,500 is the best. We love her, right? 105 00:05:51,500 --> 00:05:54,700 And so we have this, we have this Jesus walking or talking 106 00:05:54,700 --> 00:05:57,400 about this King, And then he goes and he would touch people, 107 00:05:57,400 --> 00:05:59,700 he would heal them. And he would say you used to be 108 00:05:59,700 --> 00:06:04,700 excluded, you used to be broken. But now your whole you used to 109 00:06:04,708 --> 00:06:08,400 be excluded and unclean but I have now Touch of, you're not 110 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:10,200 unclean. You are healed and so they're 111 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:12,100 like I need more this guy, right. 112 00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:14,800 So they start following him and they start going in. 113 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:17,500 Jesus draws a crowd of these ragamuffins. 114 00:06:17,500 --> 00:06:20,200 Jesus draws a crowd and listen when I say ragamuffin. 115 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:23,000 The Temptation is, we want to think they're ragamuffins like 116 00:06:23,100 --> 00:06:25,300 us, right? Like, not really rag. 117 00:06:25,500 --> 00:06:28,500 A muffiny right? But no, they were they've been 118 00:06:28,500 --> 00:06:30,300 excluded. They were left out the entire 119 00:06:30,300 --> 00:06:34,700 kind of system was built to keep them away so that the religion 120 00:06:34,700 --> 00:06:37,200 so that God's presence and the temple would look nice and neat 121 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:38,400 and buttoned up and clean. Right? 122 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:41,300 But Jesus looks around and says man they're following us so I 123 00:06:41,300 --> 00:06:44,700 guess I better tell them about the kingdom I best I guess I 124 00:06:44,700 --> 00:06:47,400 better introduce them and so they all gather around him, all 125 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:49,700 these ragamuffins on this hill and they're sitting up there. 126 00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:53,900 And Jesus starts talking about, hey, You poor in spirit and 127 00:06:53,900 --> 00:06:55,500 they're looking around, they're like oh here it comes again. 128 00:06:55,500 --> 00:06:58,200 He's about to yell at us or tell us what God's mad at us because 129 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:03,000 you poor in spirit, you're blessed and they're like wait 130 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:06,200 what? Hey, you who are grieving and 131 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:11,000 mourning right now listen in the Kingdom, there's blessing in 132 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:14,100 that because in the Kingdom you find comfort and so these 133 00:07:14,100 --> 00:07:16,200 ragamuffins start going, oh my gosh. 134 00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:17,300 Yes, I love that. Right. 135 00:07:17,300 --> 00:07:21,300 And so he begins to articulate and for the rest of Matthew, 5, 136 00:07:21,300 --> 00:07:24,500 6 and 7. It's all begins with and it's 137 00:07:24,500 --> 00:07:27,400 rooted in this idea that there is a kingdom blessing. 138 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:30,900 That's not for who. We might think it is, it's an 139 00:07:30,900 --> 00:07:34,900 upside-down topsy-turvy, kind of Kingdom, but it's significant 140 00:07:34,900 --> 00:07:38,200 that the people gathered around Jesus on that day would have 141 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:41,700 been raggedy and he confronts us, as Jesus is teaching it. 142 00:07:41,700 --> 00:07:45,900 Confronts us with this idea that God shows his grace to the world 143 00:07:45,900 --> 00:07:48,500 through ragamuffins. That's it. 144 00:07:49,100 --> 00:07:53,300 The reason that we know that there is such a A thing as Grace 145 00:07:53,300 --> 00:07:56,500 in this world is because at some point in time there was a 146 00:07:56,500 --> 00:08:01,400 ragamuffin who became the recipient of that Grace and so 147 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:04,100 they're all gathered around Jesus on that Hill. 148 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:07,400 I notice, right? Like you think about if you had 149 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:11,100 asked anybody kind of, at the time, tell me about Jerusalem, 150 00:08:11,100 --> 00:08:13,100 they would have talked about the temple and its Splendor. 151 00:08:13,300 --> 00:08:15,900 And they would have talked about really how herod's Temple the 152 00:08:15,900 --> 00:08:17,400 temple. The second temple at the time, 153 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:19,600 really? Just paled in comparison with 154 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:22,000 Solomon's Temple, which went way back. 155 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:26,100 Jerusalem is the place where all of God's people come and they 156 00:08:26,100 --> 00:08:28,600 are made, right? And so, it talk about sacrifice, 157 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:32,700 and the law, and the Pharisees, and Jesus, this raggedy crowd 158 00:08:32,700 --> 00:08:35,100 around and grabbing their dirt in their hairs, all messy. 159 00:08:35,100 --> 00:08:37,900 And they've been traveled and their Road weary on that. 160 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:39,299 And Jesus looks at him right there. 161 00:08:39,299 --> 00:08:44,500 And he says, you ragamuffins, you're the salt of the earth. 162 00:08:45,700 --> 00:08:47,900 And they would have been like, bro, nobody's ever said that to 163 00:08:47,900 --> 00:08:50,700 me before nobody's ever talking to them. 164 00:08:50,700 --> 00:08:55,200 Now, most of the sermons about salt of the earth have salt of 165 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:56,800 the earth, the light of where we're going to get down to 166 00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:59,400 second with most of the sermons and messages and TJ. 167 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:01,800 I've heard that talk about salt. They want to focus a big deal 168 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:02,800 on, right? Like, like on. 169 00:09:02,900 --> 00:09:06,000 Oh well, what a salt do salt is a preservative salt is online. 170 00:09:06,100 --> 00:09:08,400 Jesus doesn't talk that much about that, right? 171 00:09:08,500 --> 00:09:10,900 So you can preach about that if you want, but it's not really in 172 00:09:10,900 --> 00:09:13,300 the text Jesus sense, because here's the deal, does anybody? 173 00:09:13,700 --> 00:09:17,200 Eno, what salt does? Good. 174 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:18,500 Okay good. We're gonna there, right. 175 00:09:19,900 --> 00:09:21,500 A good way to study. Like, if you want to get into 176 00:09:21,500 --> 00:09:23,600 scripture and you want to study and really get to the heart of 177 00:09:23,608 --> 00:09:26,200 it, a good thing to do is ask, like, what's the question 178 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:29,300 inherent? Like, what's the question in the 179 00:09:29,308 --> 00:09:32,600 story that the author is reading or that the speakers from? 180 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:34,800 So, what is she said? She says you're the salty or now 181 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:36,800 notice the question, what's the question behind this? 182 00:09:37,500 --> 00:09:41,200 But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made 183 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:44,300 salty again, it is no longer good for anything except to be 184 00:09:44,300 --> 00:09:46,100 thrown out and trampled underfoot. 185 00:09:46,100 --> 00:09:48,400 So everybody knows what saltiness is and Jesus says 186 00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:50,900 you're the salt of the earth. But what's the quadrate says but 187 00:09:50,900 --> 00:09:53,900 worry that don't that you don't become unsalted that you don't 188 00:09:53,900 --> 00:09:55,700 lose your saltiness on the question should be. 189 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:56,700 You should be asking right now is it? 190 00:09:57,400 --> 00:10:01,500 Well how does that happen? How can we lose our saltiness? 191 00:10:02,300 --> 00:10:07,100 Well table salt, right. Sodium chloride, right? 192 00:10:07,100 --> 00:10:11,200 That it's really stable, you just get it wet, you just get 193 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:13,100 salty, water, the water gets salty, right? 194 00:10:13,900 --> 00:10:16,500 So how does salt loses its saltiness? 195 00:10:16,500 --> 00:10:19,600 Well, they didn't have like salt mines where they would do Get 196 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:21,700 pure salt most in the first century. 197 00:10:21,700 --> 00:10:24,500 They gathered their salt from thing called a salt marsh, 198 00:10:24,500 --> 00:10:26,700 right? Kind of salty, kind of brackish 199 00:10:26,700 --> 00:10:29,400 water and so they would get it. And the deal was the salt from 200 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:35,300 the salt, marsh would be more or less salty dependent on how many 201 00:10:35,300 --> 00:10:40,800 other things were in the salt. We call those impurities. 202 00:10:41,500 --> 00:10:44,800 So the determination of a of the saltiness of salts comes down to 203 00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:47,300 impurities. Now if I stood in a church room, 204 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:50,100 hypothetically speaking, imagine that it was a In the morning, I 205 00:10:50,100 --> 00:10:52,600 was standing on the stage talking to a congregation, and I 206 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:56,100 asked the crowd, what do impurity? 207 00:10:56,200 --> 00:10:59,600 What does impurity mean for us? What would we say? 208 00:11:00,700 --> 00:11:05,000 Well sin. We all know sin rights in is 209 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:07,600 that behavior. Since that thing writes in his 210 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:12,300 back talking, your parents, send his stealing sin is lying, sin 211 00:11:12,300 --> 00:11:13,600 is doing all of those things, right? 212 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:16,200 And are we sure about that? Like, we're sure like we know 213 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:19,700 it's in sin, is when I see that person doing that, That thing 214 00:11:19,700 --> 00:11:21,800 and it's bad. I want to tell him because it's 215 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:24,600 bad, right? Well actually, biblically 216 00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:26,300 speaking. That thing that we see that? 217 00:11:26,300 --> 00:11:29,700 We look at that, we point on is actually a little further down 218 00:11:29,700 --> 00:11:32,700 in the process. If you look at James chapter 1, 219 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:36,100 says this, right? Each person is tempted when they 220 00:11:36,100 --> 00:11:39,900 are dragged Away by their own evil desire and enticed. 221 00:11:39,900 --> 00:11:49,000 And then, After desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin 222 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:52,600 and sin when it is fully grown, gives way to death. 223 00:11:52,700 --> 00:11:58,400 What if the church rightfully? So has had this big thing about 224 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:01,400 Sin and said look sin is bad and we know that it caused a wreck. 225 00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:06,700 But what if the problem is we've been going at it the wrong way 226 00:12:06,700 --> 00:12:11,300 the whole time what if were yelling at tomato plants 227 00:12:11,300 --> 00:12:15,600 forbearing, NATO's, I want squash. 228 00:12:16,700 --> 00:12:19,500 You got a plant squash to get squash. 229 00:12:19,500 --> 00:12:22,400 You got to go back before the fruit. 230 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:26,000 You got to go to the idea. So what's an impurity? 231 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:29,300 What's impurity thought I knew? Just go well, maybe some kind of 232 00:12:29,300 --> 00:12:32,500 like sexual behavior. Maybe that is is impurity and 233 00:12:32,500 --> 00:12:34,700 you may be right, but here's the problem. 234 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:39,000 What if the problem before that? Ever bears fruit into that 235 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:41,400 behavior? What if the idea behind all of 236 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:44,900 these sins and all of these things that draw some way is a 237 00:12:44,900 --> 00:12:49,600 kingdom idea that we say no to desire. 238 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:51,500 What if the problems in our life is that? 239 00:12:51,500 --> 00:12:56,800 We desire things that don't lead to Kingdom blessing the word 240 00:12:56,800 --> 00:13:01,400 beatitude just means blessing. See, I think the problem that 241 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:02,700 you can look at these go, there's center, right? 242 00:13:02,700 --> 00:13:06,500 Like, I think it begin with the idea that we would rather be 243 00:13:06,500 --> 00:13:09,900 famous than poor in spirit. And so when we have an 244 00:13:09,900 --> 00:13:12,500 opportunity to be poor in spirit and to lean in at we just go, 245 00:13:12,500 --> 00:13:16,400 no, thank you. Jesus said, you're blessed when 246 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:19,400 your mourn because you will be comforted and you said I would 247 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:23,100 rather have the blessing of not morning than of being comforted 248 00:13:23,100 --> 00:13:25,000 and just goes. Yes, what happens. 249 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:28,600 Then is we begin to bottle up and hide away what it really 250 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:33,500 means to be human? One more and we want to be 251 00:13:33,500 --> 00:13:35,400 happy. I want to feel good. 252 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:37,600 I want to have this. And so in those moments where I 253 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:40,400 do more than what do I do? Maybe I take a drink, maybe I 254 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:42,800 spend a dollar, maybe I work too much. 255 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:45,500 Maybe I go to that place where they tell me what my identity 256 00:13:45,500 --> 00:13:47,900 is. Maybe I Linger on that online, 257 00:13:47,900 --> 00:13:51,000 Facebook conversation with my high school girlfriend, who 258 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:54,100 loves to tell me how wonderful and smart and talented, and 259 00:13:54,100 --> 00:13:55,500 handsome. I am to write. 260 00:13:55,500 --> 00:13:59,500 And so we linger over these things over these ideas when 261 00:13:59,500 --> 00:14:01,700 Jesus says, no, the real blessing. 262 00:14:01,900 --> 00:14:03,700 Eternal, blessing, long line. Blessing is in. 263 00:14:03,700 --> 00:14:06,200 Yes, you can be blessed even when you're poor in spirit 264 00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:08,900 because you receive a kingdom, that's not just about this 265 00:14:08,900 --> 00:14:10,900 place. In this moment, you can be 266 00:14:10,900 --> 00:14:13,700 blessed when you mourn because when your mourn, someone will 267 00:14:13,700 --> 00:14:16,100 come for you. If it's the king, there is Jesus 268 00:14:16,100 --> 00:14:18,900 or it's a neighbor or it's a church, you can be comforted in 269 00:14:18,900 --> 00:14:22,900 your morning and we miss that because what we desire doesn't 270 00:14:22,900 --> 00:14:27,800 lead to the kingdom things that we want, they draw us away from 271 00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:30,400 the kingdom and what happens is what Jesus things. 272 00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:32,600 Like he says, you're the soul, The Earth, right? 273 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:35,900 But don't lose your saltiness. When we stop choosing the 274 00:14:35,900 --> 00:14:39,000 kingdom of God. For the kingdom of Jason, we 275 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:44,200 begin to lose our saltiness and we begin to lose our impact and 276 00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:46,900 what it looks like is what is unsalted. 277 00:14:46,900 --> 00:14:51,300 I like if I have a roast beef, seasoned with salt and you take 278 00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:52,800 take the salt out. What does it taste? 279 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:57,200 Like, just roast beef, kind of bland gross, roast beef. 280 00:14:57,500 --> 00:15:00,700 What if the problem is that everybody who wants to taste, 281 00:15:00,700 --> 00:15:03,600 Grace can? Not get any at the church. 282 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:07,200 Because we've lost right? And now here's the thing. 283 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:09,300 Like someone's are going. Yeah, I can tell them, Sinners 284 00:15:09,300 --> 00:15:10,200 preacher. Whoo. 285 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:12,200 Get it right. He goes on with this other 286 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:15,000 metaphor. You and again, these are the 287 00:15:15,008 --> 00:15:17,200 ragamuffins, man. These are the, these are the sat 288 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:19,200 upon spat upon ratted on the bedraggled. 289 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:21,600 This is all their shiny says, you are the light of the world. 290 00:15:22,300 --> 00:15:24,300 A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 291 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:27,800 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. 292 00:15:28,100 --> 00:15:30,500 Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to 293 00:15:30,500 --> 00:15:32,900 everyone in the house in the same way. 294 00:15:32,900 --> 00:15:37,000 He says, let your Your light shine before others. 295 00:15:37,100 --> 00:15:40,200 So what is the light, right? So that they may see your what 296 00:15:40,500 --> 00:15:44,500 good deeds and glorify your father in Heaven. 297 00:15:44,500 --> 00:15:48,000 And so, we got this, what is it like, what are the good deeds, 298 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:51,200 right? Like when we think Jesus talking 299 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:53,300 in a religious context, Rings it so good. 300 00:15:53,300 --> 00:15:58,300 DJ, yeah, we don't even drink or smoke or chew or hang out with 301 00:15:58,300 --> 00:16:00,800 people that do and we vote the right way. 302 00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:03,000 And we're doing all the right things and we're following the 303 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:05,500 rules and look how good we are. Let me just tell you the people 304 00:16:05,500 --> 00:16:08,900 that were listening to Jesus. They understood that they knew 305 00:16:08,900 --> 00:16:12,400 that kind of goodness, we call them Pharisees and what happened 306 00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:15,800 was the Pharisees, the ones who were good, they kicked them out. 307 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:18,800 The people that Jesus was talking to on this mountain, 308 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:21,800 they didn't they weren't of the mind that, you know, the most 309 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:24,600 well-behaved people in culture, the most well-behaved people in 310 00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:28,300 our society, they tend to be really nice and accepting of us. 311 00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:32,500 To the ragamuffins they thought of the temple, right? 312 00:16:32,500 --> 00:16:36,100 They thought of the sacrifices and they thought that they were 313 00:16:36,100 --> 00:16:40,500 excluded because of the good ones because of the Pharisees 314 00:16:40,500 --> 00:16:46,900 because of Good ones. So what kind of good deeds is he 315 00:16:46,900 --> 00:16:50,500 talking about what I would suggest and say is the Good 316 00:16:50,500 --> 00:16:54,300 Deeds, that Jesus is talking about our compassion? 317 00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:58,600 Do you mean here's the deal. Get the gospel of Matthew and 318 00:16:58,600 --> 00:17:02,000 whatever by Lydia's and go through the entire bat book, 319 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:05,099 read it slowly. See how many times the word 320 00:17:05,099 --> 00:17:09,900 compassion shows up and who it is, aimed and directed towards, 321 00:17:10,300 --> 00:17:14,000 you'll probably be shocked. I know I was, I know I am. 322 00:17:14,099 --> 00:17:16,099 Here's what that means for me. Here's what it looks like. 323 00:17:16,099 --> 00:17:19,800 You may or may not have heard there was a supreme court leak 324 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:22,300 this week. A very important duck. 325 00:17:22,300 --> 00:17:23,900 Can you feel the tension in the room? 326 00:17:23,900 --> 00:17:25,500 Suddenly? Did you feel it, right? 327 00:17:27,700 --> 00:17:31,200 Here's why that's so tense because in this room, half of 328 00:17:31,208 --> 00:17:35,100 the people think a great victory for righteousness was one. 329 00:17:36,500 --> 00:17:39,700 Other people in this room. Think a great victory for 330 00:17:39,700 --> 00:17:43,800 Darkness was one. And we're all here in the same 331 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:46,600 room and you know why we're all here in the same room this week 332 00:17:46,900 --> 00:17:49,100 because we all believe that God is on our side. 333 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:52,500 And we all believe that God is doing the right for us and 334 00:17:52,500 --> 00:17:55,900 finally some of us like finally Justice and someone's finally 335 00:17:55,900 --> 00:17:58,400 Injustice and finally all that, and here's the deal, like look, 336 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:02,400 I got to say, I don't think I've ever been up like I'm a I'm a 337 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:04,900 pro I've guy, right? I believe it. 338 00:18:04,900 --> 00:18:06,300 But here's the thing. Do you know what my right and 339 00:18:06,300 --> 00:18:08,600 some of you in here, just like I don't go to church because I but 340 00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:11,400 listen, you know what my overwhelming experience and my 341 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:14,500 kind of during this week was sadness. 342 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:19,600 Not because of the decision but because I know probably about 343 00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:23,000 half of the people that I know and love deeply and dearly are 344 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:27,100 grieving this week and they think a great evil has been 345 00:18:27,100 --> 00:18:27,900 done. Guess what? 346 00:18:27,900 --> 00:18:30,600 I don't, I don't I don't think that. 347 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:33,500 But you know what? At the bottom of the line at the 348 00:18:33,500 --> 00:18:39,100 bottom line of it all that is not about abortion that is about 349 00:18:39,100 --> 00:18:43,600 compassion. Do I have the ability to see and 350 00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:48,900 know and care about somebody? Believe something fundamentally 351 00:18:49,100 --> 00:18:54,800 different than me if we don't have that ability or grow in 352 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:57,600 that ability to be compassionate to people that are even 353 00:18:57,600 --> 00:19:01,500 fundamentally different from us. We really are no different than 354 00:19:01,500 --> 00:19:05,700 any other cultural division among people Republicans. 355 00:19:05,700 --> 00:19:08,000 Democrats Libertarians how you want to slice it up? 356 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:12,600 How do you want to divide it up? If we are, I am with and for my 357 00:19:12,600 --> 00:19:15,500 camp, and God is with, and for my camp. 358 00:19:15,500 --> 00:19:19,200 And We my camp, we are Pharisees. 359 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:23,400 See division is typical in the world. 360 00:19:23,900 --> 00:19:26,800 There's nowhere in this world that you can go where you won't 361 00:19:26,800 --> 00:19:31,100 find people dividing over really important things. 362 00:19:32,900 --> 00:19:36,200 But what if the kingdom isn't about that? 363 00:19:36,300 --> 00:19:40,700 And what if the thing that Jesus was talking about, wasn't just 364 00:19:40,700 --> 00:19:43,600 being good, doesn't feel dangerous to talk about that in 365 00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:46,500 a church. Doesn't feel dangerous, right? 366 00:19:46,500 --> 00:19:50,400 So these ragamuffins are standing there and they've been 367 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:54,200 on the outside for a long time. And now, Jesus starts talking 368 00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:56,900 about you, you're the one. Hey, you're the one that's 369 00:19:56,900 --> 00:19:58,600 getting. Listen, the world's looking at 370 00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:00,600 you guys, right? The kingdom is about, you guys 371 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:03,400 is gonna and they start thinking about and they And guess what 372 00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:05,400 I'm going to do. As soon as I get on top boy, on 373 00:20:05,400 --> 00:20:07,100 the Pharisees man. Ain't get nothing. 374 00:20:07,500 --> 00:20:09,500 That's kind of the thing. I think that's maybe like, on 375 00:20:09,508 --> 00:20:10,800 this side, right? There's this whole. 376 00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:13,100 Yeah, well, it's our turn now is, I'm right? 377 00:20:13,100 --> 00:20:14,400 Well, yeah, I guess what, everybody? 378 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:16,300 Yeah. Well now we're power and finally 379 00:20:16,300 --> 00:20:18,600 rights are prevailed and we're gonna do the right things and 380 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:20,100 we're gonna stand and we're gonna hold, right? 381 00:20:20,100 --> 00:20:23,100 And so everybody's like, woo! Yeah, cuz that's what happens 382 00:20:23,100 --> 00:20:24,700 when we get on the up-and-up, right? 383 00:20:24,700 --> 00:20:26,800 When the tables turn, and we're on the top again. 384 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:29,200 Now, we're going to fix everything in the best way to 385 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:32,500 fix everything is by making sure that they don't get back up on 386 00:20:32,500 --> 00:20:33,900 top. Topless and I grew up in my 387 00:20:33,900 --> 00:20:36,800 house, right? And my chore growing up was 388 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:38,900 vacuuming. Do you know how many times I 389 00:20:38,900 --> 00:20:44,300 have vacuum since I've been a grown man in a homeowner zero. 390 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:48,500 Do you know why? Because by God, I vacuumed the 391 00:20:48,500 --> 00:20:52,700 floor growing up. I will not write I have. 392 00:20:52,700 --> 00:20:55,300 So this is kind of the mindset that with gum like I've 393 00:20:55,300 --> 00:20:58,800 suffered. And now I'm on top and I am 394 00:20:58,800 --> 00:21:02,600 winning and I am doing. Listen, the ragamuffins thought 395 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:04,000 when they thought about the temple, they thought of 396 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:07,900 exclusion, they thought of the law and the rules, which really 397 00:21:07,900 --> 00:21:10,300 is whatever these issues, like what's the law. 398 00:21:10,300 --> 00:21:12,200 Like, what's the rule, what do we have to? 399 00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:14,500 They would at this, the Ragamuffin, say what it looked 400 00:21:14,500 --> 00:21:17,100 at the law and said, know what the law does is it keeps us out? 401 00:21:17,100 --> 00:21:20,300 Thanks, we don't have any any interest in the law. 402 00:21:20,300 --> 00:21:22,600 We don't have. Any interest in what's going on 403 00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:25,600 and we live in a similar tension. 404 00:21:26,700 --> 00:21:30,600 If we're Christians, we want to honor God, we want to be a 405 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:33,400 blessing to God. We want to do it, right? 406 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:37,000 And so the question then becomes, which rules must 407 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:40,600 someone which rules must everyone, which rules must 408 00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:47,400 anyone follow to get in? What are the rules that really 409 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:50,400 matter and what are the rules that really aren't? 410 00:21:50,500 --> 00:21:53,000 Well, here's the The idea we've already said that God shows off 411 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:54,800 the ragamuffins, right. Well, here's the thing about 412 00:21:54,800 --> 00:22:01,000 ragamuffins, ragamuffins glorify God, by living, let me write 413 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:06,000 that get this right, living by Grace, within the law. 414 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:15,500 That's really not what either side wants to hear ragamuffins 415 00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:19,700 glorify God by living by Grace, within the law. 416 00:22:19,900 --> 00:22:22,700 Let me make a case, okay? Look at the things that Jesus 417 00:22:22,700 --> 00:22:26,400 said, because you've got a bias, the law is good and right. 418 00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:32,700 And must be unflinchingly. Observed or the law is old, and 419 00:22:32,700 --> 00:22:34,800 it is archaic. And it is, certainly significant 420 00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:37,100 and important, but we can take it into account, we can reason 421 00:22:37,100 --> 00:22:38,700 the right. Like book, we have this This 422 00:22:38,700 --> 00:22:40,400 idea, right? Well let's look at the things 423 00:22:40,400 --> 00:22:43,600 that Jesus said, did Jesus say should be terrible and to put a 424 00:22:43,608 --> 00:22:46,300 bunch of scriptures up. John chapter 10, 10, we read 425 00:22:46,300 --> 00:22:48,500 this right Tintin. The thief comes to steal and 426 00:22:48,500 --> 00:22:51,200 kill and destroy. Jesus said I have come that you 427 00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:53,400 may have life and have it to the full. 428 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:56,000 If you go back to some older translations, I have come that 429 00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:59,800 you may have Abundant Life file that away. 430 00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:02,800 Jesus is desire. His stated purpose in your life 431 00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:05,800 is that you would have an Abundant Life, Matthew chapter 432 00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:08,300 11, come to me, all you who are weary and heavy burden. 433 00:23:08,500 --> 00:23:12,100 And I will give you rest. Jesus is, can give you an 434 00:23:12,100 --> 00:23:15,700 abundant life and rest, right? John 3:16 God. 435 00:23:15,700 --> 00:23:18,300 So loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever 436 00:23:18,300 --> 00:23:21,500 believes in him, will not perish but have eternal life. 437 00:23:21,500 --> 00:23:25,800 So here's God's desire and plan. In wish for you, are you ready? 438 00:23:25,800 --> 00:23:31,200 This is what God wants for you. Abundant Life, centered and 439 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:36,200 built on this deep satisfied. Rest that lasts. 440 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:41,100 It's forever. That's what he wants for you and 441 00:23:41,100 --> 00:23:45,700 he says this, don't think I've come to abolish the law. 442 00:23:46,700 --> 00:23:52,400 I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them in God's 443 00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:58,500 eyes and in God's mind, the law doesn't do what I may think it 444 00:23:58,500 --> 00:24:02,900 does. Jesus sees the law as giving us 445 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:06,400 life. This is part of John 10:10. 446 00:24:06,900 --> 00:24:08,800 The good life that Jesus gives us. 447 00:24:08,900 --> 00:24:11,600 It is John 10:10, right? He doesn't give us life without 448 00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:14,500 the light and say Hey you won the really good things, the 449 00:24:14,500 --> 00:24:17,900 really good things alive, then you just need to ignore all 450 00:24:17,900 --> 00:24:21,200 rules and all limits. I feel like that at the buffet 451 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:24,100 sometime, right? Like if I'm going to be really 452 00:24:24,100 --> 00:24:26,800 happy, I can't eat all of the food. 453 00:24:27,400 --> 00:24:30,600 That never works. Does it? 454 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:34,900 And the same way. Guidelines. 455 00:24:34,900 --> 00:24:38,500 Boundaries rules, they're good. So look at what Jesus then 456 00:24:38,500 --> 00:24:40,900 against his right. So because now we're in, really 457 00:24:41,100 --> 00:24:43,700 we're in trouble. You said I have not come to 458 00:24:43,700 --> 00:24:47,500 abolish the law and some of us are in here going to write about 459 00:24:47,500 --> 00:24:49,100 time. But listen, isn't there? 460 00:24:49,100 --> 00:24:52,300 Something in us that once Jesus to not abolish the law because 461 00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:56,200 we've been really, really, really working hard to just keep 462 00:24:56,200 --> 00:24:59,700 all of it. Don't we want Jesus to just go? 463 00:24:59,700 --> 00:25:01,600 Yeah Jason, you're doing it right. 464 00:25:02,100 --> 00:25:04,300 Everybody else are not doing it. Like you, they're not they're 465 00:25:04,300 --> 00:25:07,300 not doing it right. He says I didn't come to abolish 466 00:25:07,300 --> 00:25:08,700 the law of come to fulfill it now. 467 00:25:08,700 --> 00:25:10,200 Notice this no notice the language. 468 00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:11,200 You're ready? Verse 18. 469 00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:14,400 Jesus says, truly I tell you that until Heaven and Earth 470 00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:16,800 disappear, not the smallest letter or the least stroke of a 471 00:25:16,808 --> 00:25:19,300 pen will by any means disappear from the law. 472 00:25:20,900 --> 00:25:24,900 But notice what he says. Anyone who sets aside, one of 473 00:25:24,900 --> 00:25:27,200 the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly. 474 00:25:27,200 --> 00:25:29,500 Now notice what does he does, he say about position and the 475 00:25:29,508 --> 00:25:33,800 kingdom, anyone who sets aside and teaches others accordingly 476 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:38,500 will be called outside of the Kingdom will get excluded, from 477 00:25:38,500 --> 00:25:41,500 the kingdom will be left out. No, it just says, they'll be 478 00:25:41,900 --> 00:25:46,000 least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever practices and 479 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:49,800 teaches, these commands will be called great in the Kingdom of 480 00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:52,400 Heaven. See the law isn't so much an 481 00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:55,100 entrance. Exam, the idea of the law is not 482 00:25:55,100 --> 00:25:57,200 to get people in or keep the people out. 483 00:25:57,208 --> 00:26:01,100 The law isn't like some secret password, right? 484 00:26:01,100 --> 00:26:06,500 The law is how we experience the joy of the kingdom. 485 00:26:06,500 --> 00:26:09,600 And you think I've lost my mind? Here's what I'm telling you. 486 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:13,800 Do you know how to have a wonderful amazing marriage? 487 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:19,400 Put God first, don't cheat on him or her. 488 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:23,500 Don't slander their name and say, bad things about About them 489 00:26:23,500 --> 00:26:27,400 to your friend. All of those are neatly tucked 490 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:30,800 within the law. Like let's take the Ten 491 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:33,200 Commandments, right? Are the Ten Commandments? 492 00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:37,200 Some like overwhelming moral code? 493 00:26:37,900 --> 00:26:40,000 Hey everybody. Since you're all going to be 494 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:43,900 living together now, can you not steal each other's stuff? 495 00:26:44,500 --> 00:26:48,200 Right now, shalt not steal. Everybody's like well, thought 496 00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:49,700 you were gone. I thought you were good now. 497 00:26:49,700 --> 00:26:51,500 Yeah. Hey, since you're trying to have 498 00:26:51,500 --> 00:26:54,900 a society and a culture Can you not like sleep with each other 499 00:26:54,900 --> 00:26:57,200 spouse and seduce people all the time? 500 00:26:57,800 --> 00:27:01,600 I thought we were free God. I thought this was about freed 501 00:27:01,900 --> 00:27:05,000 from yeah, right. Listen, The Ten Commandments 502 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:07,400 law, it's hardly some overwhelming more. 503 00:27:07,500 --> 00:27:09,500 Now, listen, somebody out there is like, you might be just going 504 00:27:09,500 --> 00:27:12,400 like, yeah. Well, what about that mixed 505 00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:14,400 Fabrics? Like I'm wearing mixed Fabrics, 506 00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:17,100 like cotton and Denim and, you know, and all that. 507 00:27:17,100 --> 00:27:19,100 So yeah, what up big? You can't have can't have 508 00:27:19,100 --> 00:27:21,300 shellfish, okay? Real quick lesson, there's three 509 00:27:21,300 --> 00:27:24,200 kind of areas within the law, right? 510 00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:25,900 There's the ceremonial law, right? 511 00:27:25,900 --> 00:27:29,000 Which was all about how you come to worship, right? 512 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:32,300 You gotta clean like this and you gotta wash your hands and 513 00:27:32,300 --> 00:27:35,400 you gotta bring a Eyes on the center and do you know who that 514 00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:36,600 was for? Was that for God? 515 00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:38,600 No, that was for us. That was for you. 516 00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:40,800 Do you know why? Because you could go off of the 517 00:27:40,808 --> 00:27:45,100 sacrifices and you could know for sure that you stood, right 518 00:27:45,100 --> 00:27:48,800 before God's, the reason for the ceremonial law was so that you 519 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:50,600 could have relationship with God. 520 00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:54,800 That's the ceremonial law has been fulfilled by Jesus on the 521 00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:59,900 cross. Then there's the judicial law, 522 00:27:59,900 --> 00:28:01,700 right? That says, oh, you have to Stone 523 00:28:01,700 --> 00:28:03,400 people. Oh, you're like, yeah, you have 524 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:05,400 to kill him. Well, the good news is we don't 525 00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:08,600 live in first-century Syria and in Palestine, right? 526 00:28:08,600 --> 00:28:11,000 So we don't have to do. You know why we don't have to 527 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:16,000 Stone adulterers anymore because Jesus Paid the price so that 528 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:18,100 they could be forgiven and start over. 529 00:28:18,100 --> 00:28:22,700 So that, that doesn't have to be the last thing in their story. 530 00:28:22,700 --> 00:28:25,700 See the ceremonial law, the judicial law, all of those 531 00:28:25,700 --> 00:28:27,800 things, they were fulfilled by Jesus. 532 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:29,300 We can look at them and go and listen. 533 00:28:29,300 --> 00:28:31,300 Here's the point side note, this isn't the sermon. 534 00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:33,700 Do you know what all those things were for so that 535 00:28:33,700 --> 00:28:37,300 everybody in the world would go. Those Israelites are weird, man. 536 00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:43,000 Like they just stand out, you could almost say they're like a 537 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:46,600 city on a hill, right? Like everywhere they go, we 538 00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:51,000 can't stop noticing what they're like and what they're about. 539 00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:57,000 We have we're different, we're known by Jesus and his moral law 540 00:28:57,100 --> 00:29:02,300 isn't to punish us. It's not to hinder us Is free. 541 00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:07,700 I bought my wife a card for this morning. 542 00:29:07,700 --> 00:29:10,300 Do you know why? Because it's Mother's Day. 543 00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:14,300 She's not my mom, right? You know, I bought her a card 544 00:29:14,700 --> 00:29:18,900 because man, I love her a lot and I want her to be happy. 545 00:29:19,400 --> 00:29:22,600 Now, if I can let you in on a secret here, don't tell her, 546 00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:23,500 right? Don't tell her that. 547 00:29:23,500 --> 00:29:25,000 I said this, she's not in here atlases. 548 00:29:25,500 --> 00:29:27,800 I really hate all those Hallmark holidays. 549 00:29:27,800 --> 00:29:31,100 I think they're all dumb ass T of Father's Day for sure. 550 00:29:31,100 --> 00:29:31,600 Definitely. Right. 551 00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:33,400 Like I get that right. So but you know what? 552 00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:36,000 Happens when I go to Natalie and I, you know, Mother's Day is 553 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:37,400 really just a dumb Hallmark holiday. 554 00:29:37,400 --> 00:29:40,000 It's not really something. It doesn't go well for me and 555 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:42,600 also, it doesn't go well for her. 556 00:29:45,100 --> 00:29:47,900 And I know Mother's Day is in on the Gregorian calendar but you 557 00:29:47,900 --> 00:29:52,800 know what, I really love my wife and any opportunity that I can 558 00:29:52,800 --> 00:29:55,500 give something to make my wife happy? 559 00:29:55,800 --> 00:29:58,900 It's worth it. That's what the law says. 560 00:29:59,100 --> 00:30:02,300 Hey, I know you are like a bunch of rabbits and you want to just 561 00:30:02,300 --> 00:30:05,100 meet with everybody but can you just like keep it to one person? 562 00:30:05,800 --> 00:30:08,300 Can you just like love? Like just just one person. 563 00:30:08,300 --> 00:30:10,900 Hey, I know you are like, you know, the like the monkeys. 564 00:30:10,900 --> 00:30:12,900 Are you gonna grab everything that you see in touch? 565 00:30:12,900 --> 00:30:14,600 How about this? How about just keep it to your? 566 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:17,300 How about you don't take other people's stuff, right? 567 00:30:17,300 --> 00:30:19,000 How about you don't gossip like bear, false. 568 00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:21,300 Witness, how about you don't talk about other people to all 569 00:30:21,300 --> 00:30:23,200 of that, right? And that's what, that's what 570 00:30:23,200 --> 00:30:24,200 did. So now we're getting, like, 571 00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:28,200 okay, we've got this, this idea, you will be called least in the 572 00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:31,400 Kingdom, but we still haven't talked about getting in, right? 573 00:30:31,400 --> 00:30:35,000 Like like how do we get in? What are the laws, the rules 574 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:37,700 that we have to keep to get into the kingdom? 575 00:30:37,700 --> 00:30:39,400 That's what I want to know. What Jesus tells us. 576 00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:42,400 In verse 20 says, I tell you that unless your righteousness 577 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:45,700 surpasses that of the Pharisees, or the teachers will, You won't 578 00:30:45,700 --> 00:30:47,900 even enter the kingdom of heaven. 579 00:30:47,900 --> 00:30:50,800 And some is right now are like, yeah, which are the rules that 580 00:30:50,800 --> 00:30:53,300 surpass surpass. Are you ready? 581 00:30:53,300 --> 00:30:57,100 Are you listening surpassing the righteousness of the Pharisees 582 00:30:57,100 --> 00:31:03,100 does not mean quantity is not easy to surpass it in be better 583 00:31:03,100 --> 00:31:07,800 at the laws and their you need a different kind of righteousness. 584 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:14,300 He's not talking about He's not talking about being like the 585 00:31:14,300 --> 00:31:18,200 Pharisees talking about the degree of your loves, the law 586 00:31:18,300 --> 00:31:22,100 allows us to live well with others to live well with God. 587 00:31:22,100 --> 00:31:25,300 So when he says, unless your righteousness surpasses that of 588 00:31:25,300 --> 00:31:29,100 the Pharisees, He says, you got to have a different way of 589 00:31:29,100 --> 00:31:32,000 understanding. What goodness means? 590 00:31:32,500 --> 00:31:35,700 You got to raise the bar. You got to stop just talking 591 00:31:35,700 --> 00:31:38,500 about like like as if everybody's Behavior was the 592 00:31:38,508 --> 00:31:41,300 thing because what we're always going to listen, when 593 00:31:41,300 --> 00:31:45,300 righteousness is the measure of when behavior is the measure of 594 00:31:45,300 --> 00:31:48,800 righteousness, we get into all kinds of screwy, kind of 595 00:31:48,800 --> 00:31:53,500 situations, right? We'll fight, and we'll divide 596 00:31:53,500 --> 00:31:57,300 over, which spiritual gifts are active, right? 597 00:31:57,300 --> 00:32:00,200 All you can do that, or I will fight over there, and we won't 598 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:04,900 say anything about greed or gossip, right? 599 00:32:05,700 --> 00:32:11,200 Will fight tooth and nail that we are known about our position 600 00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:15,600 on gay marriage, and we are silent on divorce and 601 00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:19,300 pornography, and what Jesus is saying is that's not the 602 00:32:19,300 --> 00:32:21,600 picture. That's not the king. 603 00:32:21,700 --> 00:32:24,700 Mm, that's not what always. He says, unless your 604 00:32:24,700 --> 00:32:28,900 righteousness isn't just about checks on a ledger sheet, you 605 00:32:28,900 --> 00:32:34,800 just can't go, you can't get in. Grace. 606 00:32:35,700 --> 00:32:37,800 So now you're just like oh great Jason just through every 607 00:32:37,800 --> 00:32:40,000 Universe was no I'm not a Universalist like what I'm 608 00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:42,400 saying is Grace, right? We talk because that's what 609 00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:45,000 we're talking about. Grace does not mean that 610 00:32:45,000 --> 00:32:49,600 whatever you want is okay. Grace does not mean that 611 00:32:49,600 --> 00:32:56,600 whatever I want is okay. Grace means you are not 612 00:32:56,600 --> 00:33:02,300 different from me. Grace means you're gay and I'm 613 00:33:02,300 --> 00:33:05,800 straight. And don't we all need Jesus? 614 00:33:06,900 --> 00:33:10,200 Grace is you think women can teach in church? 615 00:33:10,200 --> 00:33:15,200 And I don't and I do I think it's there in the Bible, we can 616 00:33:15,200 --> 00:33:17,600 talk about it. Yeah, listen so like and so you 617 00:33:17,600 --> 00:33:19,900 think that and I don't think that and say but at the end of 618 00:33:19,900 --> 00:33:22,700 the day Jesus knows someday. We should talk to him. 619 00:33:22,700 --> 00:33:26,000 Let's ask Him about that. But for right now everybody's 620 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:32,600 watching Everybody's watching and they're far less shocked by 621 00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:35,500 this behavior, that behavior than the way that we let our 622 00:33:35,500 --> 00:33:38,600 behaviors towards each other separate us and keep us from 623 00:33:38,600 --> 00:33:40,900 each other. That's not a city on a hill, 624 00:33:41,200 --> 00:33:45,900 that's like an alley fight. Let's stop fighting in the 625 00:33:45,900 --> 00:33:50,000 alleys. Let's believe that we all need 626 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:52,500 Grace. So that when someone says hey I 627 00:33:52,500 --> 00:33:54,100 think that things have sinned your one-man. 628 00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:58,300 When somebody tells me I got some sin, you know, I can just 629 00:33:58,300 --> 00:34:02,200 say like you don't know the half of it, you don't know the string 630 00:34:02,200 --> 00:34:05,000 of thoughts that went through my head to get me to that point. 631 00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:07,100 Would you believe that this behavior is actually the 632 00:34:07,100 --> 00:34:09,300 sanitized version of the behavior that I was about to do, 633 00:34:09,300 --> 00:34:12,000 right? Because boy, don't we need 634 00:34:12,199 --> 00:34:16,199 Grace. Don't we need a place in the 635 00:34:16,199 --> 00:34:19,800 world where blessing doesn't just come from my ability to do 636 00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:21,000 it. All right? 637 00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:23,100 All the time, and that's what Jesus does. 638 00:34:23,100 --> 00:34:24,600 You know, why Jesus makes about Grace? 639 00:34:24,900 --> 00:34:27,800 Because he loves you and I say, love, I get, I think I get this 640 00:34:28,699 --> 00:34:30,000 minute said it. Make this point Kingdom 641 00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:34,900 righteousness, is wrapped up in the law of love, and I've 642 00:34:34,900 --> 00:34:40,800 agonized a lot about I get I've heard. 643 00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:44,400 I've heard you know that guy talk about love a lot, I do and 644 00:34:44,400 --> 00:34:46,600 so that can be like, you know, kind of squishy at the. 645 00:34:46,900 --> 00:34:51,300 I try to figure out like, I don't think we know What 646 00:34:51,300 --> 00:34:53,800 Biblical love looks like because it is easy to think that it's 647 00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:56,100 squishy and that somehow if we just loved him, he just had it 648 00:34:56,100 --> 00:34:58,300 love all the time that we're just gonna it, everybody's gonna 649 00:34:58,300 --> 00:34:59,500 be able to do whatever they want. 650 00:34:59,500 --> 00:35:05,100 I think that's a really bad idea of love, love is the cross. 651 00:35:06,700 --> 00:35:09,700 Listen, there is nothing more costly in your life than love 652 00:35:09,700 --> 00:35:12,500 because love demands everything of you for another person who 653 00:35:12,500 --> 00:35:14,400 are may or may not even appreciate it. 654 00:35:14,800 --> 00:35:16,300 See that's what Jesus did literally. 655 00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:19,700 The Roman Empire was Killing Jesus and his response was 656 00:35:19,900 --> 00:35:21,800 forgive them for, they don't know what to do, what they're 657 00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:23,300 doing. You know, it's interesting about 658 00:35:23,300 --> 00:35:26,000 the crucifixion of Jesus, literally like crucifixion was 659 00:35:26,000 --> 00:35:28,000 like the crucifixion and road building. 660 00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:30,500 Like that's what the Romans were awesome at. 661 00:35:30,500 --> 00:35:32,900 So when Jesus says, they don't know what they're doing, I look 662 00:35:32,900 --> 00:35:34,500 at him go. It sure, seems like they know 663 00:35:34,500 --> 00:35:38,700 what they're doing. Jesus didn't just see some 664 00:35:38,700 --> 00:35:40,700 outward expression. Jesus saw the people that he 665 00:35:40,700 --> 00:35:45,100 created the love that he placed in the way that he loves them 666 00:35:45,600 --> 00:35:47,900 and righteous and you think well you got to make the case look. 667 00:35:47,900 --> 00:35:49,600 Okay, I'm just going to read up here. 668 00:35:49,600 --> 00:35:52,000 Okay, Deuteronomy 6 4, & 5 Deuteronomy. 669 00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:54,100 This is them on the Israelites, on the edge of the promised 670 00:35:54,100 --> 00:35:54,900 land. They're about to go in. 671 00:35:54,900 --> 00:35:56,800 Moses is telling them what's really important. 672 00:35:56,800 --> 00:35:58,400 What does he say? Do we get that up on 673 00:35:59,100 --> 00:36:00,800 Deuteronomy? 6, 4 & 5. 674 00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:02,200 Here we go. Hear o Israel. 675 00:36:02,200 --> 00:36:03,800 The Lord Our God. The Lord is one. 676 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:04,700 Love. The Lord. 677 00:36:04,700 --> 00:36:06,300 Your God with all your heart. With all your soul. 678 00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:08,500 Soul and with all your strength, he didn't say be good. 679 00:36:08,500 --> 00:36:11,100 He said, love God, that's first, love God, that's it. 680 00:36:11,100 --> 00:36:12,400 That's what you got to do. What's the next one? 681 00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:14,500 We go to a little bit Leviticus 19. 682 00:36:14,500 --> 00:36:17,200 Now, this is really the book of the law, right? 683 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:19,400 Verse 1. When you reap the Harvest of 684 00:36:19,400 --> 00:36:22,300 your land, don't read to the very edges of your field or 685 00:36:22,300 --> 00:36:23,900 gather the gleanings of your Harvest. 686 00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:27,500 Is there another one? Don't go over your Vineyard a 687 00:36:27,508 --> 00:36:28,900 second. Timer pick up the grapes that 688 00:36:28,900 --> 00:36:31,100 have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the 689 00:36:31,100 --> 00:36:33,400 Foreigner and you just go but they're my grapes. 690 00:36:33,400 --> 00:36:36,200 And you know what? God says, no, they're not. 691 00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:40,800 They're in my land, the land of milk and honey, their my grades 692 00:36:40,800 --> 00:36:43,700 and I don't want you to eat them all Fatiha. 693 00:36:43,700 --> 00:36:44,800 Sorry? Right. 694 00:36:47,600 --> 00:36:50,900 So God goes right out and he says, listen, I want you to 695 00:36:50,900 --> 00:36:54,400 build into your kingdom. Love for people who don't have 696 00:36:54,400 --> 00:36:57,200 enough and then it goes down to verse 18, and what does he say? 697 00:36:58,900 --> 00:37:01,200 Don't seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone. 698 00:37:01,200 --> 00:37:03,700 But love your neighbor as yourself. 699 00:37:03,700 --> 00:37:05,200 And what did Jesus say in Matthew? 700 00:37:05,200 --> 00:37:08,700 Chapter 23, verse 37 of 40. Someone asked him, what's the 701 00:37:08,708 --> 00:37:10,600 most important law? And it says, love God. 702 00:37:10,600 --> 00:37:14,400 He said those two verses. Love God and love your neighbor. 703 00:37:14,500 --> 00:37:17,000 That's the Law of the Kingdom says the law whole law and 704 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:21,500 Prophets is some in this. And the idea is you can't be 705 00:37:21,500 --> 00:37:24,900 right with God if you're wrong with your neighbor. 706 00:37:25,900 --> 00:37:28,100 And Jesus even clarifies that because, you know, I live in a 707 00:37:28,100 --> 00:37:30,000 pretty good neighborhood where it's a pretty, you know, we all 708 00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:31,500 kind of look the same talk. The same thing. 709 00:37:31,500 --> 00:37:34,400 The same was I he says, Jesus goes further and says we're 710 00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:36,700 going to talk about. He says your neighbor is your 711 00:37:36,700 --> 00:37:41,100 enemy. We cannot be right with God, if 712 00:37:41,100 --> 00:37:43,900 we are wrong with our enemies. Now, listen how they respond to 713 00:37:43,900 --> 00:37:47,100 us, is up to them. But how we respond to them, is 714 00:37:47,100 --> 00:37:48,900 up to us. So what do we do? 715 00:37:49,900 --> 00:37:53,100 How do we tackle this, right? Because we're talking about the 716 00:37:53,100 --> 00:37:55,200 kingdom and this long, the rule the kingdom will. 717 00:37:55,200 --> 00:37:59,300 In Matthew chapter 4, verse 17. Jesus said repent because the 718 00:37:59,300 --> 00:38:04,200 kingdom of God is here. So as we Orient Our Lives to 719 00:38:04,200 --> 00:38:08,300 this Kingdom law of love, the way that we do it the way that 720 00:38:08,300 --> 00:38:12,200 it happens, the way that it comes is through, repentance 721 00:38:12,900 --> 00:38:15,700 repentance is not a once and for all who I repented I became a 722 00:38:15,708 --> 00:38:18,500 Christian or upended. Repentance is a moment-by-moment 723 00:38:18,600 --> 00:38:22,400 s by And sometimes Pizzazz posture before God. 724 00:38:22,400 --> 00:38:24,200 So what do we need to? Repent of first thing? 725 00:38:24,200 --> 00:38:27,000 We need to repent of his self-righteousness. 726 00:38:28,200 --> 00:38:32,300 Self-righteousness says, I am good, therefore, everything that 727 00:38:32,300 --> 00:38:35,800 I do is, okay. The message for the 728 00:38:35,800 --> 00:38:38,500 self-righteous is your badly broken. 729 00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:43,500 You are you're badly broken, you heard people, you wound people, 730 00:38:43,500 --> 00:38:46,000 you do the right like sure. You like that was the Pharisees 731 00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:48,400 right self-righteousness. Here's the thing that I want to 732 00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:49,900 tell you, here's the thing that you've got to know. 733 00:38:49,900 --> 00:38:54,200 It's like Your Purity. The reason Jesus wants you to be 734 00:38:54,200 --> 00:38:56,700 pure is not so that he'll love you more. 735 00:38:58,900 --> 00:39:00,900 You cannot make. Jesus love you more and you 736 00:39:00,900 --> 00:39:02,800 cannot make Jesus, love you less. 737 00:39:02,800 --> 00:39:05,500 Do you know what Jesus wants you to be pure? 738 00:39:06,300 --> 00:39:08,100 Because he cares about your spouse? 739 00:39:09,300 --> 00:39:11,900 Single people even your future one. 740 00:39:15,100 --> 00:39:17,400 He really cares about that Purity matters. 741 00:39:17,700 --> 00:39:21,200 Ask any marriage that has been ruined or destroyed by 742 00:39:21,600 --> 00:39:23,500 infidelity or pornography or whatever. 743 00:39:23,500 --> 00:39:26,900 It matters it makes difference self-righteousness. 744 00:39:28,300 --> 00:39:31,700 Says I am the definition of, right? 745 00:39:31,800 --> 00:39:36,800 So if you are different from me, you are wrong and we can all 746 00:39:36,800 --> 00:39:38,100 find, right? Like it's like, we're talking 747 00:39:38,100 --> 00:39:39,900 early, we can all find ways to point in here. 748 00:39:39,900 --> 00:39:43,700 It's like, yeah, they defended slavery in the 19th century with 749 00:39:43,700 --> 00:39:45,300 the Bible, there's all kinds of things, right? 750 00:39:45,300 --> 00:39:47,700 So we just don't know, I'm right, because I'm right. 751 00:39:47,700 --> 00:39:50,100 That self-righteous when we have to repent of that. 752 00:39:50,100 --> 00:39:52,200 And the way we repent of that is daily. 753 00:39:52,500 --> 00:39:56,800 I am badly broken and desperately in need of Grace. 754 00:39:56,900 --> 00:39:59,700 Now, that's a very dangerous. Dangerous place to get apart 755 00:39:59,700 --> 00:40:03,300 from the love of God. So we also need to repent of 756 00:40:03,300 --> 00:40:05,000 legalism. We need to repent of 757 00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:07,500 self-righteousness that says, I'm a lawn to myself, and we 758 00:40:07,500 --> 00:40:10,900 need to repent of legalism, which says, that God loves me 759 00:40:10,900 --> 00:40:13,900 because I am good enough that I am acceptable because of the 760 00:40:13,900 --> 00:40:15,800 law. And not only am I acceptable it 761 00:40:15,800 --> 00:40:17,600 because I'm acceptable because of the law. 762 00:40:17,700 --> 00:40:21,000 If you are different from me, in any way, you are not acceptable. 763 00:40:21,100 --> 00:40:25,000 And the idea that you might be acceptable to God and also me be 764 00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:27,500 acceptable to God when we are so different. 765 00:40:27,500 --> 00:40:30,300 That's Much to take that is too much to handle. 766 00:40:30,300 --> 00:40:34,300 So, what we do is we say no, legalism says, I'm right, and 767 00:40:34,300 --> 00:40:35,900 you're wrong. But listen to what I'm going to 768 00:40:35,900 --> 00:40:38,000 quote out of the English Standard Version, right? 769 00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:44,600 Romans 10:4 says, this for Christ is the end of the law for 770 00:40:44,700 --> 00:40:48,100 righteousness. He doesn't say Christ, is the 771 00:40:48,100 --> 00:40:50,400 end of the law and he doesn't say Christ is the end of 772 00:40:50,400 --> 00:40:52,700 righteousness. He said, Christ is the end of 773 00:40:53,100 --> 00:40:57,000 the law for righteousness. Folks, you cannot behave your 774 00:40:57,000 --> 00:40:59,600 way into God's good. Grace's, you cannot make Jesus 775 00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:03,100 happy with you by being really good and by being really mad at 776 00:41:03,100 --> 00:41:05,200 people who are really wrong For Those. 777 00:41:05,200 --> 00:41:07,400 Whom you might say, if you've ever found yourself saying, 778 00:41:07,600 --> 00:41:11,700 well, how can a person who believes this be a Christian 779 00:41:12,100 --> 00:41:17,000 because salvation is not about where you stand on this. 780 00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:22,800 Can gay people, go to heaven? Listen, going to heaven isn't 781 00:41:22,800 --> 00:41:26,000 about who you have sex with going to heaven, is about what 782 00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:28,700 you do with Jesus. Where does he come in your life? 783 00:41:28,700 --> 00:41:31,100 Do you listen to him? Do you follow him, do you love 784 00:41:31,100 --> 00:41:31,900 him? Do you need him? 785 00:41:31,900 --> 00:41:36,000 Do you listen to him? See salvation is about a 786 00:41:36,008 --> 00:41:38,600 relationship with Jesus. And it's about bringing all of 787 00:41:38,600 --> 00:41:41,900 our Brokenness are bad Brokenness, into the love of God 788 00:41:41,900 --> 00:41:45,300 and letting him deal with it, and letting him love us and 789 00:41:45,300 --> 00:41:47,000 letting him deal with things and guess what? 790 00:41:47,100 --> 00:41:49,700 He made a deal with I sarcasm and I want to deal with your 791 00:41:49,700 --> 00:41:52,700 sarcasm at all. He may want to deal with my 792 00:41:52,700 --> 00:41:54,900 greed and not even talk to you about greed, right? 793 00:41:54,900 --> 00:41:57,500 Because he knows you got an identity thing that you need to 794 00:41:57,500 --> 00:41:58,900 learn that you need to deal with that. 795 00:41:58,900 --> 00:42:00,400 You need. You just need to know that 796 00:42:00,400 --> 00:42:02,900 you're loved and once you deal with that, then he'll start 797 00:42:02,900 --> 00:42:05,900 doing it. But here's the thing, you do not 798 00:42:05,900 --> 00:42:10,300 work for me. I am not your master Jesus is, 799 00:42:10,400 --> 00:42:13,400 and Jesus has decided that the law of the kingdom is going to 800 00:42:13,408 --> 00:42:15,900 be loved. It's going to be Grace, right? 801 00:42:15,900 --> 00:42:20,000 The last thing we do is we walk in Grace, Romans 3:23, all have 802 00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:21,800 sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 803 00:42:21,800 --> 00:42:24,100 You need to be very intentional and deliberate as a spiritual 804 00:42:24,100 --> 00:42:27,600 discipline about making sure that you insert your name there. 805 00:42:29,100 --> 00:42:34,900 I Jason Christopher Powers fall short of the glory of God. 806 00:42:34,900 --> 00:42:39,400 Not just previously. But today all have sinned and 807 00:42:39,400 --> 00:42:42,900 fall short of the glory of God Romans 5:8. 808 00:42:43,600 --> 00:42:47,300 God demonstrates his own love for us in this while we were 809 00:42:47,300 --> 00:42:52,400 still sinners Christ died for us and then Jesus said, follow me. 810 00:42:53,400 --> 00:42:56,200 If we have a problem with Sinners, the way that we deal 811 00:42:56,200 --> 00:42:59,800 with them, is the way that Jesus dealt with them, he died for 812 00:42:59,800 --> 00:43:03,300 them. And we're to give our lives to 813 00:43:03,300 --> 00:43:07,000 those who are far away from Jesus, not to fix them up so 814 00:43:07,000 --> 00:43:10,700 that they're okay to him, but by bringing them 10 so that they 815 00:43:10,700 --> 00:43:13,400 can feel and experience his love. 816 00:43:13,400 --> 00:43:16,400 And the crazy thing is Romans, 8:1 says that there is now 817 00:43:16,400 --> 00:43:20,000 therefore no condemnation in Christ Jesus. 818 00:43:21,100 --> 00:43:23,900 We were guilty but now we're not. 819 00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:28,000 And so Jesus isn't condemning people than shouldn't his church 820 00:43:28,000 --> 00:43:33,300 also not condemn people and in Matthew chapter 10, Jesus has 821 00:43:33,300 --> 00:43:35,500 his 12, the 12, disciples, and he said him. 822 00:43:35,500 --> 00:43:37,400 And he said, I want you to go to all the places and I want you 823 00:43:37,408 --> 00:43:39,000 to, but don't go to the Samaritans yet. 824 00:43:39,000 --> 00:43:40,800 Don't go to the, don't go to the Gentiles yet. 825 00:43:40,800 --> 00:43:44,500 But this last thing he says freely you have received freely. 826 00:43:44,500 --> 00:43:48,000 Give you've received a kingdom for free and what he's saying is 827 00:43:48,000 --> 00:43:49,500 Peter? Do you think you earned this? 828 00:43:50,400 --> 00:43:52,700 Peter that day when you were standing on the boat, do you 829 00:43:52,700 --> 00:43:56,800 think it was your behavior, your legal righteousness? 830 00:43:56,800 --> 00:43:59,000 That made me come find you on the boat? 831 00:43:59,200 --> 00:44:01,900 Or do you think Peter that I saw something in you that went 832 00:44:01,900 --> 00:44:06,000 beyond all of that other stuff? What if we start seeing that in 833 00:44:06,000 --> 00:44:08,500 people? What if we start seeing that in 834 00:44:08,500 --> 00:44:11,300 each other? See, Jesus didn't say that. 835 00:44:11,300 --> 00:44:13,800 You could be Salt and Light. He didn't say, hey, if you try 836 00:44:13,800 --> 00:44:16,000 really hard he said, hey if you vote the right way, hey, if you 837 00:44:16,000 --> 00:44:18,300 get over that addiction, hey, if you do that, he didn't say, if 838 00:44:18,300 --> 00:44:20,000 you do all of that, then you could be sold online. 839 00:44:20,200 --> 00:44:24,400 Said, you are salt and light. And so the question is, what do 840 00:44:24,400 --> 00:44:30,700 people taste on you? Is it salt the points people to 841 00:44:30,700 --> 00:44:34,300 Jesus? Or is it bitter angry? 842 00:44:34,300 --> 00:44:37,600 Is it wounded and hurtful and unrepentant? 843 00:44:38,700 --> 00:44:43,700 People said Jesus said, you're a city on a hill, people will see 844 00:44:43,700 --> 00:44:46,400 your good deeds. So what are your good deeds? 845 00:44:46,400 --> 00:44:49,700 What does that look like? Do they see you giving grace to 846 00:44:49,700 --> 00:44:53,200 the bedraggled to the beat up to the burnout? 847 00:44:54,400 --> 00:44:57,700 See what Jesus didn't do, is stand on a Mountaintop and lower 848 00:44:57,700 --> 00:45:01,600 the bar, Jesus stood on the Mountaintop and he raised the 849 00:45:01,600 --> 00:45:03,600 bar. So, high that there's only one 850 00:45:03,600 --> 00:45:06,900 person in all of history who could reach it and it was him. 851 00:45:07,000 --> 00:45:10,900 And the reason he did that, It's so that we could never say that 852 00:45:10,900 --> 00:45:17,100 that's the main thing so that we could all say we're here by 853 00:45:17,100 --> 00:45:24,300 Grace because we serve a God who loves us more than our capacity 854 00:45:24,300 --> 00:45:28,500 to hold it or fathom it. That's the kingdom. 855 00:45:29,300 --> 00:45:35,100 That's the system that is the world into which we have been 856 00:45:35,400 --> 00:45:37,900 invited. So Jesus, I pray that you would 857 00:45:37,900 --> 00:45:41,400 give us To walk well, in this world to live well, with you and 858 00:45:41,400 --> 00:45:43,800 with others. And Jesus, I have to confess. 859 00:45:44,200 --> 00:45:47,300 I struggle with both license and legalism. 860 00:45:48,600 --> 00:45:52,000 I both give to people too much credit and not enough credit. 861 00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:55,600 I give myself both too much credit and not enough credit 862 00:45:56,000 --> 00:46:00,900 because Jesus I am badly broken. And by faith, I believe, I am 863 00:46:00,900 --> 00:46:03,200 deeply loved. And so I prayed Jesus, that I 864 00:46:03,200 --> 00:46:06,000 would not walk out into this world. 865 00:46:06,600 --> 00:46:11,000 Forcing an issue or an agenda. That is not yours. 866 00:46:12,800 --> 00:46:19,200 May your kingdom come into my life and into this church and 867 00:46:19,200 --> 00:46:25,800 into your church as it is in heaven, Jesus, we ask in your 868 00:46:25,800 --> 00:46:29,600 name and for Butte for your beautiful Sovereign righteous 869 00:46:29,600 --> 00:46:32,000 Glory. We ask amen. 870 00:46:32,800 --> 00:46:35,800 Thank you for joining us today. River City Church is all about 871 00:46:35,800 --> 00:46:38,500 experiencing and expressing God's love in our lives and 872 00:46:38,500 --> 00:46:40,400 community. And we hope that you've been 873 00:46:40,400 --> 00:46:43,600 able to experience that today. As grateful as I am. 874 00:46:43,600 --> 00:46:46,200 That you've spent this time listening in this morning, this 875 00:46:46,200 --> 00:46:49,800 podcast is no substitute for full participation in a local 876 00:46:49,800 --> 00:46:52,200 church. I love it when River City people 877 00:46:52,200 --> 00:46:55,400 listen to other pastors, but it is those who show up week after 878 00:46:55,400 --> 00:46:58,400 week Faithfully, giving their support and time and resources, 879 00:46:58,400 --> 00:47:01,800 that make all of this possible. If we can help you get connected 880 00:47:01,800 --> 00:47:05,200 to a local church, pray for you or support you in any way. 881 00:47:05,500 --> 00:47:08,000 Click the link in the description and let us know if 882 00:47:08,000 --> 00:47:10,100 you'd like to financially support the ministry of River 883 00:47:10,100 --> 00:47:11,800 City. Click the give link on our 884 00:47:11,800 --> 00:47:13,200 website. Site in the description. 885 00:47:13,500 --> 00:47:16,100 Don't forget to subscribe and don't forget to share this with 886 00:47:16,100 --> 00:47:18,200 your friends. Thanks so much for listening. 887 00:47:18,400 --> 00:47:21,400 May the Lord bless, and keep you in all Grace and peace. 888 00:47:12,300 --> 00:47:15,000 Site in the description. Don't forget to subscribe and 889 00:47:15,000 --> 00:47:16,800 don't forget to share this with your friends. 890 00:47:17,000 --> 00:47:19,800 Thanks so much for listening. May the Lord bless, and keep you 891 00:47:19,800 --> 00:47:21,400 in all Grace and peace.