The clash with Ultimate Authority
Series: Jesus' Authority
Speaker: Chris Jones
Date: 15th April 2012
00:00:00 --> 00:00:01 It's a story some of you may have heard before.
00:00:01 --> 00:00:04 It was written by a preacher in the 1950s
00:00:04 --> 00:00:05 and it's been quoted in a number of places.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:07 It says,
00:00:07 --> 00:00:10 On a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks often occur,
00:00:11 --> 00:00:13 there was once a crude little life-saving station.
00:00:15 --> 00:00:18 The building was just a hut and there was only one boat,
00:00:18 --> 00:00:22 but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:25 With no thought for their own comfort,
00:00:25 --> 00:00:30 they went out day and night tirelessly searching for the lost.
00:00:31 --> 00:00:33 Some of those who were saved
00:00:33 --> 00:00:35 and various others in the surrounding area
00:00:35 --> 00:00:38 wanted to become associated with the station
00:00:38 --> 00:00:43 and gave of their time, money and effort for the support of the work.
00:00:44 --> 00:00:47 New boats were bought, new crews trained
00:00:47 --> 00:00:50 and the little life-saving station grew.
00:00:52 --> 00:00:55 Some of the members of the life-saving station
00:00:55 --> 00:00:58 were unhappy that the building was so crude and poorly equipped.
00:00:59 --> 00:01:02 They felt that a more comfortable place should be provided
00:01:02 --> 00:01:06 as the first refuge of those safe from the sea.
00:01:07 --> 00:01:09 They replaced the emergency cots with beds
00:01:09 --> 00:01:12 and put better furniture in the enlarged building.
00:01:14 --> 00:01:15 Now, the life-saving station
00:01:15 --> 00:01:18 became a popular gathering place for its members
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 and they decorated it beautifully
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 because they used it as a sort of a club.
00:01:23 --> 00:01:27 Fewer members were now interested in going to sea
00:01:27 --> 00:01:28 on life-saving missions,
00:01:29 --> 00:01:33 so they hired lifeboat crews to do this important work.
00:01:34 --> 00:01:38 The life-saving motif still prevailed in the club's decorations
00:01:38 --> 00:01:42 and there was a liturgical lifeboat in the room
00:01:42 --> 00:01:44 where the club's initiations were held.
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 About this time, a large ship wrecked off the coast
00:01:49 --> 00:01:53 and the hired crews brought in boatloads
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 of cold, wet and half-drowned people.
00:01:56 --> 00:01:58 They were dirty and sick.
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 The beautiful new club was in chaos,
00:02:02 --> 00:02:05 so the property committee immediately had a shower house
00:02:05 --> 00:02:08 built outside the club where victims of shipwrecks
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 could be cleaned up before coming inside.
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 At the next meeting,
00:02:14 --> 00:02:16 there was a split among the club membership.
00:02:17 --> 00:02:21 Most of the members wanted to stop the club's life-saving activities
00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 for being unpleasant
00:02:23 --> 00:02:27 and a hindrance to the normal social life of the club.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:32 Some members insisted upon life-saving as their primary purpose
00:02:32 --> 00:02:36 and pointed out that they were still called a life-saving station.
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 But they were finally voted down
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 and told that if they wanted to save the lives
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 of all the various kinds of people
00:02:44 --> 00:02:46 who were shipwrecked in those waters,
00:02:46 --> 00:02:49 they could begin their own life-saving station.
00:02:50 --> 00:02:50 So they did.
00:02:52 --> 00:02:53 As the years went by,
00:02:53 --> 00:02:56 the new station experienced the same changes
00:02:56 --> 00:02:57 that occurred in the old.
00:02:57 --> 00:02:59 It evolved into a club
00:02:59 --> 00:03:02 and yet another life-saving station was founded.
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 History continued to repeat itself
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 and if you visit that sea coast today,
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 you will find a number of exclusive clubs along that shore.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16 Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters,
00:03:17 --> 00:03:18 but most of the people drown.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:26 In Mark 10, verse 45,
00:03:26 --> 00:03:30 Jesus declares that his life and ministry
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 is one of service.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:37 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served,
00:03:37 --> 00:03:38 but to serve
00:03:38 --> 00:03:42 and to give his life as a ransom for many.
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 Jesus tells us that he came to rescue many people.
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 His coming was a life-saving mission.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:55 Now we were preaching a short message
00:03:55 --> 00:03:56 over the next three weeks
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 from Mark chapter 11 and 12
00:03:58 --> 00:04:01 and as you read these chapters
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 and I'd encourage you to do it at home,
00:04:03 --> 00:04:04 it doesn't take long,
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 you get a strong sense
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 that Jesus has come on the scene
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 and he has disturbed a very comfortable club.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 And for the leaders of that club,
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 he has become a source of threat
00:04:18 --> 00:04:19 and annoyance
00:04:19 --> 00:04:22 and from their point of view,
00:04:22 --> 00:04:23 he doesn't understand their history,
00:04:24 --> 00:04:25 he doesn't care about their culture,
00:04:26 --> 00:04:27 he doesn't understand their place
00:04:27 --> 00:04:29 and he doesn't understand their authority.
00:04:31 --> 00:04:33 And he is not a voice to be listened to,
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 he is a problem to be dealt with.
00:04:35 --> 00:04:39 From Jesus' point of view,
00:04:40 --> 00:04:44 they do not understand God's purposes for his world
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 and the place that they have with regard to them.
00:04:48 --> 00:04:53 And so, there is this huge clash of authority.
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 Now the early part of Mark's gospel
00:04:57 --> 00:04:59 is a series of stories about Jesus
00:04:59 --> 00:05:00 which beg the question,
00:05:00 --> 00:05:01 who is this man?
00:05:01 --> 00:05:05 Who is this man that teaches with this authority?
00:05:05 --> 00:05:08 Who is this man that even the demons obey him?
00:05:08 --> 00:05:10 Who is this man who stills the wind
00:05:10 --> 00:05:11 and the waves with a word?
00:05:12 --> 00:05:15 Who is this man who claims to have authority
00:05:15 --> 00:05:16 to forgive sins?
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 Who is this man who raises the dead?
00:05:21 --> 00:05:24 And Mark tells one story after another
00:05:24 --> 00:05:26 and he brings us to a turning point
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 in chapter 8, verse 27.
00:05:28 --> 00:05:31 Jesus is travelling with his disciples
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 and he asks the question,
00:05:34 --> 00:05:35 who do people say I am?
00:05:37 --> 00:05:38 What's the gods?
00:05:38 --> 00:05:40 What's everybody saying about me?
00:05:43 --> 00:05:44 And the disciples say,
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 well, some people are saying you're John the Baptist
00:05:46 --> 00:05:47 and others are saying you're Elijah,
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 one of the prophets that died a long time ago.
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 But he doesn't leave it there.
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 He fingers the disciples personally.
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 He eyeballs the lot of them.
00:06:01 --> 00:06:02 What about you?
00:06:03 --> 00:06:04 Who do you say I am?
00:06:10 --> 00:06:11 And Peter answers,
00:06:12 --> 00:06:13 you are the Christ.
00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 You are the king.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:20 And he's absolutely right.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:25 But Jesus commands the disciples
00:06:25 --> 00:06:26 not to tell anyone about him.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:29 And there's a good reason
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 the disciples now have to learn
00:06:31 --> 00:06:35 how this king is going to exercise his authority.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 They've recognised who he is,
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 but they have no idea
00:06:41 --> 00:06:42 how this king is going to reign.
00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 And Jesus now begins to teach his disciples
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 what his kingship will mean
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 and how his authority will be exercised.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:53 And it says in chapter 8,
00:06:53 --> 00:06:53 verse 31,
00:06:54 --> 00:06:55 he began to teach them
00:06:55 --> 00:06:56 that the Son of Man
00:06:56 --> 00:06:57 must suffer many things
00:06:57 --> 00:07:01 and be rejected by the elders,
00:07:02 --> 00:07:03 the chief priests,
00:07:03 --> 00:07:04 and the teachers of the law,
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 that he must be killed
00:07:07 --> 00:07:09 and after three days rise again.
00:07:09 --> 00:07:14 It's the first time in Mark's Gospel
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 that Jesus mentions
00:07:16 --> 00:07:17 his rejection
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 and his death.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 So you get to chapter 11
00:07:24 --> 00:07:25 where we are this morning
00:07:25 --> 00:07:26 and Jesus has taught
00:07:26 --> 00:07:27 about his rejection
00:07:27 --> 00:07:28 and his death
00:07:28 --> 00:07:29 on a number of occasions.
00:07:30 --> 00:07:31 It's getting closer.
00:07:33 --> 00:07:34 Verse 1 says
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 that they were approaching Jerusalem.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 It's the first time
00:07:38 --> 00:07:39 that he's been in Jerusalem
00:07:39 --> 00:07:40 in Mark's Gospel.
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 He rides into the city
00:07:43 --> 00:07:43 on a donkey,
00:07:43 --> 00:07:44 the crowd giving him
00:07:44 --> 00:07:45 a ticker tape parade.
00:07:46 --> 00:07:46 They welcome him
00:07:46 --> 00:07:47 with palm branches.
00:07:49 --> 00:07:50 They rejoice in his coming
00:07:50 --> 00:07:51 in the name of the Lord.
00:07:52 --> 00:07:53 They're looking for the promises
00:07:53 --> 00:07:53 of God
00:07:53 --> 00:07:54 to their great king David
00:07:54 --> 00:07:55 to be fulfilled.
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 The king makes his authoritative entry
00:07:58 --> 00:08:00 into his capital city.
00:08:00 --> 00:08:01 It's late in the day
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 and then he leaves again
00:08:03 --> 00:08:04 and stays the night
00:08:04 --> 00:08:05 just across the valley in Bethany.
00:08:06 --> 00:08:09 Mark 11 verse 15
00:08:09 --> 00:08:10 tells us that Jesus
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 returned the next day.
00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 He came into the temple courts.
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 He wrought havoc.
00:08:18 --> 00:08:19 He drove out everybody
00:08:19 --> 00:08:20 who was buying and selling.
00:08:20 --> 00:08:21 He turned over the tables
00:08:21 --> 00:08:22 of the money changers
00:08:22 --> 00:08:24 and those selling doves.
00:08:24 --> 00:08:25 Gentle Jesus,
00:08:25 --> 00:08:25 meek and mild.
00:08:27 --> 00:08:28 Can you imagine
00:08:28 --> 00:08:28 what would happen
00:08:28 --> 00:08:29 if I left church this morning,
00:08:30 --> 00:08:31 go down into Westfield,
00:08:31 --> 00:08:31 into Myra
00:08:31 --> 00:08:33 and start turning over the tables?
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 I will be in court
00:08:35 --> 00:08:36 in North Sydney
00:08:36 --> 00:08:37 on Monday morning.
00:08:39 --> 00:08:40 I'd get a reaction.
00:08:43 --> 00:08:45 Jesus is incensed.
00:08:46 --> 00:08:47 He quotes the scriptures.
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 My house will be called
00:08:49 --> 00:08:50 a house of prayer
00:08:50 --> 00:08:51 for all the nations.
00:08:51 --> 00:08:54 And then he adds,
00:08:55 --> 00:08:56 and you have made it
00:08:56 --> 00:08:57 a den of robbers.
00:09:03 --> 00:09:05 He's passionately distressed
00:09:05 --> 00:09:06 at the commercialisation
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 of the house of God.
00:09:08 --> 00:09:12 And even more so,
00:09:13 --> 00:09:14 he is disturbing the club.
00:09:16 --> 00:09:17 For the Jews,
00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 the temple was the symbol
00:09:19 --> 00:09:20 of their own cultural identity.
00:09:23 --> 00:09:24 Jesus is picking up
00:09:24 --> 00:09:26 on God's promise to Abraham
00:09:26 --> 00:09:27 of all the nations
00:09:27 --> 00:09:28 being blessed through him.
00:09:28 --> 00:09:29 The temple was meant
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 to be a place of blessing
00:09:31 --> 00:09:32 to the world
00:09:32 --> 00:09:33 where all nations
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 could come to meet with God.
00:09:35 --> 00:09:40 And they do not touch him
00:09:40 --> 00:09:41 with a finger
00:09:41 --> 00:09:42 when he does these things.
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 But they set their minds
00:09:47 --> 00:09:48 on a course of action.
00:09:48 --> 00:09:49 Verse 18, chapter 11.
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 The chief priests
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 and the teachers of the law
00:09:54 --> 00:09:55 heard this,
00:09:55 --> 00:09:56 and they began looking
00:09:56 --> 00:09:57 for a way to kill him,
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 for they feared him.
00:10:00 --> 00:10:02 Because the whole crowd
00:10:02 --> 00:10:04 was amazed at his teaching.
00:10:05 --> 00:10:08 And so the die is cast,
00:10:08 --> 00:10:09 the scene is set
00:10:09 --> 00:10:10 for a great contest
00:10:10 --> 00:10:11 which is centred around
00:10:11 --> 00:10:12 the person
00:10:12 --> 00:10:14 and the authority
00:10:14 --> 00:10:15 of the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 Who's in charge?
00:10:17 --> 00:10:18 Who's calling the shots?
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 Where does real power lie?
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 In verse 27,
00:10:25 --> 00:10:26 Mark tells us
00:10:26 --> 00:10:27 that Jesus again
00:10:27 --> 00:10:28 returned to Jerusalem
00:10:28 --> 00:10:28 the next day.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:30 He's walking
00:10:30 --> 00:10:31 in the temple courts
00:10:31 --> 00:10:32 and he's confronted
00:10:32 --> 00:10:33 by the people
00:10:33 --> 00:10:34 that he's been
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 teaching his disciples
00:10:36 --> 00:10:36 will be the ones
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 who will reject him.
00:10:39 --> 00:10:40 They are the ones
00:10:40 --> 00:10:41 who the day before
00:10:41 --> 00:10:43 determined amongst themselves
00:10:43 --> 00:10:44 that they would find
00:10:44 --> 00:10:44 a way to kill him.
00:10:45 --> 00:10:47 The chief priests,
00:10:47 --> 00:10:48 the teachers of the law,
00:10:49 --> 00:10:49 the elders.
00:10:52 --> 00:10:53 It is a very prestigious
00:10:53 --> 00:10:54 gathering.
00:10:54 --> 00:10:58 The groups taken together
00:10:58 --> 00:10:59 were known as
00:10:59 --> 00:11:00 the Sanhedrin
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 or the Jewish ruling council.
00:11:03 --> 00:11:04 The chief priests
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 were the senior temple priests.
00:11:06 --> 00:11:07 The teachers of the law
00:11:07 --> 00:11:08 were the leading
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 Pharisee scholars.
00:11:10 --> 00:11:11 They were the Bible teachers.
00:11:12 --> 00:11:12 The elders
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 were the lay aristocrats,
00:11:14 --> 00:11:15 prominent leaders
00:11:15 --> 00:11:16 among the Jews.
00:11:16 --> 00:11:19 And so Jesus
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 has stepped into
00:11:21 --> 00:11:22 an open confrontation
00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 with the senior
00:11:24 --> 00:11:24 religious
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 and political leaders
00:11:26 --> 00:11:26 from amongst
00:11:26 --> 00:11:27 the Jewish people.
00:11:28 --> 00:11:29 He has confronted
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 the establishment,
00:11:31 --> 00:11:32 those in control,
00:11:32 --> 00:11:33 and they are determined
00:11:33 --> 00:11:34 to kill him.
00:11:38 --> 00:11:39 And they do
00:11:39 --> 00:11:40 what they didn't do
00:11:40 --> 00:11:41 the day before.
00:11:41 --> 00:11:42 They confront Jesus
00:11:42 --> 00:11:43 in public.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:45 And in verse 28,
00:11:45 --> 00:11:46 they say,
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 by what authority
00:11:47 --> 00:11:48 are you doing
00:11:48 --> 00:11:49 these things?
00:11:49 --> 00:11:49 Who gave you
00:11:49 --> 00:11:50 the authority
00:11:50 --> 00:11:51 to do this?
00:11:54 --> 00:11:56 And it's a trap
00:11:56 --> 00:11:59 because as soon
00:11:59 --> 00:11:59 as he says
00:11:59 --> 00:12:00 God's authority,
00:12:01 --> 00:12:01 they will have
00:12:01 --> 00:12:02 a basis
00:12:02 --> 00:12:03 for accusing him
00:12:03 --> 00:12:03 of submitting
00:12:03 --> 00:12:04 to a different king
00:12:04 --> 00:12:05 and then they would
00:12:05 --> 00:12:06 be able to call
00:12:06 --> 00:12:07 for his execution.
00:12:08 --> 00:12:09 And Jesus knows
00:12:09 --> 00:12:10 it's a trap
00:12:10 --> 00:12:11 and Jesus turns
00:12:11 --> 00:12:12 to them and says,
00:12:12 --> 00:12:12 let me ask you
00:12:12 --> 00:12:13 a question.
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 Verse 30,
00:12:15 --> 00:12:16 John's baptism.
00:12:18 --> 00:12:19 Was it from heaven
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 or from men?
00:12:21 --> 00:12:22 Tell me.
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 He snookers them.
00:12:27 --> 00:12:28 If you know the game,
00:12:28 --> 00:12:29 they've caught
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 and they won't
00:12:31 --> 00:12:32 answer him.
00:12:33 --> 00:12:35 And their reasoning is,
00:12:35 --> 00:12:35 look,
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 if we say he's from heaven,
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 Jesus will say,
00:12:37 --> 00:12:37 well,
00:12:37 --> 00:12:39 why didn't you believe him?
00:12:39 --> 00:12:41 And they didn't dare
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42 say he was from men
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 because they feared
00:12:43 --> 00:12:43 the crowd
00:12:43 --> 00:12:44 because all the people
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 believed that John
00:12:45 --> 00:12:46 was a prophet of God.
00:12:46 --> 00:12:47 The crowd would rise up
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 against them
00:12:48 --> 00:12:49 if they said that.
00:12:50 --> 00:12:51 And so they said,
00:12:52 --> 00:12:54 we don't know.
00:12:59 --> 00:13:00 And Jesus answered,
00:13:01 --> 00:13:02 neither will I
00:13:02 --> 00:13:04 answer you.
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 Calls them at their own game.
00:13:09 --> 00:13:12 They were unwilling
00:13:12 --> 00:13:12 to say.
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 They had an opinion.
00:13:13 --> 00:13:14 They didn't believe
00:13:14 --> 00:13:15 John and they didn't
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 accept his authority.
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 They don't believe
00:13:18 --> 00:13:18 in Jesus
00:13:18 --> 00:13:19 and they don't
00:13:19 --> 00:13:20 accept his authority.
00:13:20 --> 00:13:21 They haven't got
00:13:21 --> 00:13:22 the guts to say it.
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 For all their religiosity,
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 they're unwilling
00:13:25 --> 00:13:25 to believe.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 They've made
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 a conscious decision
00:13:29 --> 00:13:30 to reject
00:13:30 --> 00:13:30 the authority
00:13:30 --> 00:13:31 of Jesus.
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 They are religious
00:13:32 --> 00:13:33 and they are
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 unbelievers.
00:13:36 --> 00:13:36 Josh Short
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 comes at night.
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 He's one of our
00:13:38 --> 00:13:39 young ministry interns.
00:13:39 --> 00:13:40 His dad's a minister
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 in Vancouver
00:13:41 --> 00:13:41 in Canada
00:13:41 --> 00:13:43 and a few years ago
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 I heard Josh Short's
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 dad speak
00:13:45 --> 00:13:46 to our ministers
00:13:46 --> 00:13:47 here in Sydney
00:13:47 --> 00:13:49 and he
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 and his congregation
00:13:50 --> 00:13:52 including J.I. Packer
00:13:52 --> 00:13:52 which I think
00:13:52 --> 00:13:53 this is a badge
00:13:53 --> 00:13:53 of honour
00:13:53 --> 00:13:55 have been kicked
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 out of the Anglican
00:13:56 --> 00:13:57 Church in Canada
00:13:57 --> 00:13:59 only recently.
00:13:59 --> 00:14:01 And for a number
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 of years
00:14:02 --> 00:14:02 David Short
00:14:02 --> 00:14:03 was persecuted
00:14:03 --> 00:14:05 by his diocesan
00:14:05 --> 00:14:05 bishop.
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 The bishop
00:14:07 --> 00:14:08 had no confidence
00:14:08 --> 00:14:08 in him
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 because he preached
00:14:09 --> 00:14:10 the scriptures
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 as the word of God
00:14:11 --> 00:14:12 and he called
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 people to live
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 in relationship
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 to Christ.
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17 But the bishop
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 has walked away
00:14:18 --> 00:14:19 from the scriptures.
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 He endorses
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 immoral relationships.
00:14:23 --> 00:14:25 He ordains clergy
00:14:25 --> 00:14:26 who are openly
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 and unashamedly
00:14:27 --> 00:14:28 immoral.
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 His theological
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 college runs
00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 courses in shamanism
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 and the tarot.
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 But the bishop
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40 is a great
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 civic leader
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 who wears
00:14:42 --> 00:14:42 the purple
00:14:42 --> 00:14:44 and is probably
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 revered by many
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 in his community
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 because he has
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 a human touch.
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 Lives like
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 an unbeliever.
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 And appallingly
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 applies a teaching
00:15:00 --> 00:15:00 that actively
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 leads people
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 away from Christ.
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 He does not
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 submit to the
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 authority of
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 the Lord Jesus
00:15:07 --> 00:15:07 Christ.
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 It's not just
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 unbelieving bishops.
00:15:12 --> 00:15:13 Unbelief comes
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 close to home.
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 When we reject
00:15:16 --> 00:15:16 the authority
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 of Jesus
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 to rule our lives
00:15:18 --> 00:15:18 when we say
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 no to him
00:15:19 --> 00:15:21 when we sit
00:15:21 --> 00:15:21 in church
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 hearing the words
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 of Jesus
00:15:23 --> 00:15:23 without any
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 intention of
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 submitting to them
00:15:25 --> 00:15:28 when we know
00:15:28 --> 00:15:28 what the scriptures
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 say and we are
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 unwilling to
00:15:30 --> 00:15:30 obey
00:15:30 --> 00:15:33 we try to
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 create a bit
00:15:34 --> 00:15:34 of space
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 to do
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 what we want
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 for a while
00:15:37 --> 00:15:39 maybe try
00:15:39 --> 00:15:39 a forbidden
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 relationship
00:15:40 --> 00:15:42 hold back
00:15:42 --> 00:15:42 on time
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 or money
00:15:43 --> 00:15:43 that we
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 ought to
00:15:44 --> 00:15:44 give to God
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 refuse
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 to forgive
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 the person
00:15:48 --> 00:15:48 that we know
00:15:48 --> 00:15:49 that we have
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 to because
00:15:50 --> 00:15:50 Jesus has
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 forgiven us
00:15:51 --> 00:15:57 you might be
00:15:57 --> 00:15:57 a person
00:15:57 --> 00:15:58 who has
00:15:58 --> 00:15:58 heard the
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 call of
00:15:59 --> 00:15:59 Jesus
00:15:59 --> 00:16:00 many times
00:16:00 --> 00:16:02 and you
00:16:02 --> 00:16:02 might be
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 one of those
00:16:03 --> 00:16:03 people
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 who really
00:16:05 --> 00:16:05 don't need
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 convincing
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 that he is
00:16:07 --> 00:16:07 real
00:16:07 --> 00:16:09 you know
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 that he is
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 you've weighed
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 the evidence
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 maybe you
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 felt great
00:16:15 --> 00:16:15 conviction
00:16:15 --> 00:16:18 but you
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 have not
00:16:19 --> 00:16:19 been willing
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 to count
00:16:20 --> 00:16:20 the cost
00:16:20 --> 00:16:22 and take
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 the risk
00:16:23 --> 00:16:23 of submitting
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 to his
00:16:24 --> 00:16:24 authority
00:16:24 --> 00:16:27 you know
00:16:27 --> 00:16:27 Jesus is
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 true
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 yet you
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 remain
00:16:30 --> 00:16:30 unwilling
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 to trust
00:16:31 --> 00:16:31 him
00:16:31 --> 00:16:34 that is
00:16:34 --> 00:16:34 an expression
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 of
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 unbelief
00:16:36 --> 00:16:42 in chapter
00:16:42 --> 00:16:42 12
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 Jesus
00:16:43 --> 00:16:43 continues
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 to confront
00:16:44 --> 00:16:44 his
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 questioners
00:16:45 --> 00:16:47 he tells
00:16:47 --> 00:16:47 a parable
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 which they
00:16:48 --> 00:16:48 know
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 is against
00:16:49 --> 00:16:49 them
00:16:49 --> 00:16:51 Jesus
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 actually
00:16:52 --> 00:16:52 takes an
00:16:52 --> 00:16:52 old
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 testament
00:16:53 --> 00:16:53 story
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 from
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 Isaiah
00:16:55 --> 00:16:55 chapter
00:16:55 --> 00:16:55 5
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 and he
00:16:56 --> 00:16:56 updates
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 it
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 to explain
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 the current
00:16:59 --> 00:16:59 conflict
00:16:59 --> 00:17:01 in Isaiah
00:17:01 --> 00:17:01 it's a
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 parable
00:17:02 --> 00:17:02 of the
00:17:02 --> 00:17:02 vineyard
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 this
00:17:03 --> 00:17:03 vineyard
00:17:03 --> 00:17:03 it's
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 loved
00:17:04 --> 00:17:04 it's
00:17:04 --> 00:17:04 tended
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 it's
00:17:05 --> 00:17:05 fertilised
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 it's
00:17:06 --> 00:17:06 protected
00:17:06 --> 00:17:06 from
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 wild
00:17:07 --> 00:17:07 animals
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 it's
00:17:08 --> 00:17:08 watched
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 over
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 and it
00:17:10 --> 00:17:10 never
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 produces
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 a decent
00:17:12 --> 00:17:12 crop
00:17:12 --> 00:17:12 of
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 anything
00:17:13 --> 00:17:15 and in
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 Isaiah
00:17:16 --> 00:17:16 5
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 the garden
00:17:17 --> 00:17:17 is
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 Israel
00:17:18 --> 00:17:18 and Judah
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 the people
00:17:19 --> 00:17:19 of God
00:17:19 --> 00:17:21 and the
00:17:21 --> 00:17:21 gardener
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 is God
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 and he
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 looks for
00:17:24 --> 00:17:24 righteousness
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 and justice
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 amongst his
00:17:26 --> 00:17:26 people
00:17:26 --> 00:17:28 and he
00:17:28 --> 00:17:28 sees only
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 bloodshed
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 and hears
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 only cries
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 of distress
00:17:32 --> 00:17:35 and in the
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 end God's
00:17:36 --> 00:17:36 justice
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 will be to
00:17:37 --> 00:17:37 destroy the
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 garden
00:17:38 --> 00:17:38 that has
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 only produced
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 bloodshed
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 instead of
00:17:41 --> 00:17:41 justice
00:17:41 --> 00:17:43 and cries
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 of distress
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 instead of
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 righteousness
00:17:46 --> 00:17:49 in
00:17:49 --> 00:17:49 in Mark
00:17:49 --> 00:17:49 in Mark 12
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 when Jesus
00:17:50 --> 00:17:50 picks up
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 on this
00:17:51 --> 00:17:51 story
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 and tells
00:17:52 --> 00:17:52 it again
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 it's
00:17:53 --> 00:17:53 similar
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 but
00:17:54 --> 00:17:54 different
00:17:54 --> 00:17:56 a whole
00:17:56 --> 00:17:56 series
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 of people
00:17:57 --> 00:17:57 are sent
00:17:57 --> 00:17:57 by the
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 owner
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 of the
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 vineyard
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 to collect
00:17:59 --> 00:17:59 the rent
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 and the
00:18:00 --> 00:18:00 tenants
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 beat them
00:18:01 --> 00:18:01 up
00:18:01 --> 00:18:01 and they
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 shame
00:18:02 --> 00:18:02 some
00:18:02 --> 00:18:02 and they
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 kill
00:18:03 --> 00:18:03 some
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 and they
00:18:04 --> 00:18:04 reject
00:18:04 --> 00:18:04 the
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 authority
00:18:05 --> 00:18:05 of the
00:18:05 --> 00:18:05 owner
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 of the
00:18:06 --> 00:18:06 vineyard
00:18:06 --> 00:18:06 by
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 rejecting
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 every
00:18:08 --> 00:18:08 messenger
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 that he
00:18:09 --> 00:18:09 sends
00:18:09 --> 00:18:09 to them
00:18:09 --> 00:18:13 and finally
00:18:13 --> 00:18:13 the owner
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 sends the
00:18:14 --> 00:18:14 son that
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 he loves
00:18:15 --> 00:18:15 and he
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 says they'll
00:18:16 --> 00:18:16 listen to
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 him
00:18:17 --> 00:18:17 they'll
00:18:17 --> 00:18:17 respect
00:18:17 --> 00:18:17 him
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 and the
00:18:18 --> 00:18:18 tenants
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 make a
00:18:19 --> 00:18:19 greedy
00:18:19 --> 00:18:19 grab
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 for
00:18:20 --> 00:18:20 ownership
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 kill
00:18:21 --> 00:18:21 the
00:18:21 --> 00:18:21 son
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 claim
00:18:22 --> 00:18:22 the
00:18:22 --> 00:18:22 vineyard
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 as
00:18:23 --> 00:18:23 their
00:18:23 --> 00:18:23 own
00:18:23 --> 00:18:27 and what
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 Jesus
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 has just
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 done
00:18:29 --> 00:18:29 is give
00:18:29 --> 00:18:29 an Old
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 Testament
00:18:30 --> 00:18:30 history
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 lesson
00:18:31 --> 00:18:31 the
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 people
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 of God
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 have
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 rejected
00:18:33 --> 00:18:33 one
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 prophet
00:18:34 --> 00:18:34 after
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 another
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 including
00:18:36 --> 00:18:36 the very
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 last
00:18:37 --> 00:18:37 one
00:18:37 --> 00:18:37 John
00:18:37 --> 00:18:37 the
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 Baptist
00:18:38 --> 00:18:40 and now
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 they are
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41 in the
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 process
00:18:42 --> 00:18:42 of rejecting
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 not just
00:18:43 --> 00:18:43 a prophet
00:18:43 --> 00:18:45 but God's
00:18:45 --> 00:18:45 dearly
00:18:45 --> 00:18:45 loved
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 son
00:18:46 --> 00:18:48 and if
00:18:48 --> 00:18:48 the parable
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 ended
00:18:49 --> 00:18:49 there it
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 would be
00:18:50 --> 00:18:50 a tragic
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 story
00:18:51 --> 00:18:51 it would
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 appear as
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 though evil
00:18:53 --> 00:18:53 had triumphed
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 over good
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 injustice
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 over justice
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 but not
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 so
00:18:58 --> 00:19:00 the owner
00:19:00 --> 00:19:00 of the
00:19:00 --> 00:19:00 vineyard
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 will have
00:19:01 --> 00:19:01 the last
00:19:01 --> 00:19:01 word
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 and you
00:19:02 --> 00:19:02 see it
00:19:02 --> 00:19:02 in verse
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 9
00:19:03 --> 00:19:03 chapter 12
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 he will
00:19:04 --> 00:19:04 come
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 and kill
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 those tenants
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 and give
00:19:07 --> 00:19:07 the vineyard
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 to others
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 the rejected
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 son will
00:19:10 --> 00:19:10 become the
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 keystone
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 that holds
00:19:12 --> 00:19:12 the whole
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 show together
00:19:13 --> 00:19:15 and the
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 leaders respond
00:19:16 --> 00:19:16 to Jesus
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 parable
00:19:17 --> 00:19:17 in verse
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 12
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 they looked
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 for a way
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 to arrest
00:19:21 --> 00:19:21 him
00:19:21 --> 00:19:23 because they
00:19:23 --> 00:19:23 knew
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 that he
00:19:24 --> 00:19:24 had spoken
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 this parable
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 against them
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 but they
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 were afraid
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 because of
00:19:29 --> 00:19:29 the crowd
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 so they
00:19:30 --> 00:19:30 left him
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 and they
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 went away
00:19:32 --> 00:19:35 and so
00:19:35 --> 00:19:35 in the
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 immediate
00:19:36 --> 00:19:36 context
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 Jesus
00:19:37 --> 00:19:37 is heading
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 to death
00:19:38 --> 00:19:38 and apparent
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 defeat
00:19:39 --> 00:19:41 yet the
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 parable
00:19:42 --> 00:19:42 foreshadows
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 that his
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 death
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 will not
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 be the
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 end of
00:19:45 --> 00:19:45 the matter
00:19:45 --> 00:19:47 the owner
00:19:47 --> 00:19:47 of the
00:19:47 --> 00:19:47 vineyard
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 will come
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 and he
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 will destroy
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 those who
00:19:51 --> 00:19:51 have rejected
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 his son
00:19:52 --> 00:19:54 they reject
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 his authority
00:19:55 --> 00:19:55 when they
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 reject his
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56 son
00:19:56 --> 00:20:02 and it's a
00:20:02 --> 00:20:02 tough bottom
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 line
00:20:03 --> 00:20:03 but the
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 judgment
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 of god
00:20:05 --> 00:20:05 will come
00:20:05 --> 00:20:07 and it
00:20:07 --> 00:20:07 will be
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 fierce
00:20:08 --> 00:20:08 against
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 those who
00:20:09 --> 00:20:09 reject
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 his son
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 but his
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 judgment
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 will not
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 be whimsical
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 and harsh
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 it won't
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 be the
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 act of
00:20:16 --> 00:20:16 an
00:20:16 --> 00:20:16 unfair
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 despot
00:20:17 --> 00:20:17 it will
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 be an
00:20:18 --> 00:20:18 act of
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 justice
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 it will
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 be the
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 result of
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 the rejection
00:20:22 --> 00:20:22 of his
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 authority
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 it will
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 come after
00:20:25 --> 00:20:25 all the
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 warnings in
00:20:26 --> 00:20:26 the world
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 it will
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 come to
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 men and
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 women who
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 continue to
00:20:30 --> 00:20:30 reject the
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 much loved
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 son of god
00:20:32 --> 00:20:32 sent into
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 our world
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 it will
00:20:34 --> 00:20:36 come because
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 they reject
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 his authority
00:20:38 --> 00:20:41 and so
00:20:41 --> 00:20:41 right through
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 mark's
00:20:42 --> 00:20:42 gospel
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 mark tells
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 one story
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 after another
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 establishing
00:20:45 --> 00:20:47 jesus authority
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 as king
00:20:48 --> 00:20:50 and the
00:20:50 --> 00:20:50 passage this
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 morning is a
00:20:51 --> 00:20:51 confrontation
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 with the
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 religious
00:20:53 --> 00:20:53 establishment
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 the club
00:20:54 --> 00:20:57 and i could
00:20:57 --> 00:20:57 leave the
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 message there
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 and i could
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 say look
00:20:59 --> 00:20:59 jesus is
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 king
00:21:00 --> 00:21:00 he is
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 lord
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 in terms
00:21:02 --> 00:21:02 of the
00:21:02 --> 00:21:02 parable
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 of the
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 vineyard
00:21:04 --> 00:21:04 he is
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 the very
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 last word
00:21:06 --> 00:21:06 from god
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 there will
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 not be
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 another
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 one
00:21:08 --> 00:21:08 he is
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 god's
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 much loved
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 son
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 and if
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 we do
00:21:11 --> 00:21:11 not
00:21:11 --> 00:21:11 listen
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 to him
00:21:12 --> 00:21:12 there will
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 be no
00:21:13 --> 00:21:13 other
00:21:13 --> 00:21:17 but i want
00:21:17 --> 00:21:17 to press
00:21:17 --> 00:21:17 further
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 and say
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 that this
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 is much
00:21:20 --> 00:21:20 more than
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 a power
00:21:21 --> 00:21:21 struggle
00:21:21 --> 00:21:24 the battle
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 is really
00:21:25 --> 00:21:25 interesting
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 but what
00:21:26 --> 00:21:26 is at stake
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 is priceless
00:21:27 --> 00:21:31 the battle
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 between jesus
00:21:32 --> 00:21:32 and the
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 religious
00:21:33 --> 00:21:33 leaders
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 in the
00:21:34 --> 00:21:34 end is
00:21:34 --> 00:21:34 about
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 people's
00:21:35 --> 00:21:35 souls
00:21:35 --> 00:21:39 the king
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 has not
00:21:40 --> 00:21:40 come to
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 big note
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 himself
00:21:41 --> 00:21:43 and for
00:21:43 --> 00:21:43 self
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 aggrandisement
00:21:44 --> 00:21:48 he has
00:21:48 --> 00:21:48 come on
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 the most
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 extraordinary
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 rescue
00:21:51 --> 00:21:51 mission
00:21:51 --> 00:21:53 he's god's
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 much loved
00:21:54 --> 00:21:54 son who
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 comes as
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 a slave
00:21:56 --> 00:21:56 to rescue
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 us
00:21:57 --> 00:21:59 it just
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 demonstrates
00:22:00 --> 00:22:00 to us
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 that god
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01 loves us
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 god is
00:22:02 --> 00:22:02 wonderfully
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 kind to
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 us
00:22:03 --> 00:22:05 and his
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 heart is
00:22:06 --> 00:22:06 to see
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 men and
00:22:07 --> 00:22:07 women and
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 boys and
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 girls brought
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 into the
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 safety of
00:22:11 --> 00:22:11 his kingdom
00:22:11 --> 00:22:16 the club
00:22:16 --> 00:22:18 the religious
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 establishment
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 had lost
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 the vision
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 for why
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 they were
00:22:22 --> 00:22:22 there
00:22:22 --> 00:22:26 they thought
00:22:26 --> 00:22:26 that they
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 were upholding
00:22:27 --> 00:22:27 god's purposes
00:22:27 --> 00:22:30 they had
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 the temple
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 humming
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 and they
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 were making
00:22:33 --> 00:22:33 a motza
00:22:33 --> 00:22:35 and the
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 temple services
00:22:36 --> 00:22:38 looked fantastic
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 and the
00:22:39 --> 00:22:39 priests looked
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 magnificent
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 in all their
00:22:41 --> 00:22:41 gear
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 the liturgy
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 was rich
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 the oldies
00:22:44 --> 00:22:44 were happy
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 the young
00:22:45 --> 00:22:45 loved to be
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 there
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 the music
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 was both
00:22:48 --> 00:22:48 contemporary
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 and it was
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 ancient
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 and the club
00:22:51 --> 00:22:53 was an exciting
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 place to be
00:22:54 --> 00:22:58 and the
00:22:58 --> 00:22:58 club
00:22:58 --> 00:23:00 had moved
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 the killing
00:23:01 --> 00:23:01 of its
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 founder and
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 owner to the
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 main item
00:23:04 --> 00:23:04 on its
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 agenda
00:23:05 --> 00:23:14 the main
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 item on our
00:23:15 --> 00:23:15 agenda must be
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 the purposes of
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 god's king
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 the lord jesus
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 christ
00:23:18 --> 00:23:22 he did not
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 come to be
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 served but to
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 serve and to
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 give his life
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 as a ransom
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 for many
00:23:27 --> 00:23:30 and the
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 agenda for us
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 becomes to
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 proclaim the
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 glory of god's
00:23:34 --> 00:23:34 king
00:23:34 --> 00:23:39 i do not want
00:23:39 --> 00:23:39 to put you on
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 a guilt trip
00:23:40 --> 00:23:43 but i do want
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 to ask you in
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 the same way as
00:23:45 --> 00:23:47 i ask myself
00:23:47 --> 00:23:50 do you care
00:23:50 --> 00:23:50 about the
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 lost
00:23:51 --> 00:23:55 do you care
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 about the
00:23:56 --> 00:23:56 outsider
00:23:56 --> 00:24:00 i sat at the
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 rugby league at
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 brookvale oval last
00:24:02 --> 00:24:02 night thinking
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 about people
00:24:03 --> 00:24:07 it's really easy
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 to be judgmental
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 about the number
00:24:09 --> 00:24:09 of cans of
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 twoies and
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 jim beam going
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 down all
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12 around
00:24:12 --> 00:24:15 and to
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 think about
00:24:16 --> 00:24:16 people and
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 their relationships
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 and the
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 families without
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 wedding rings and
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 all the things that
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 you see and the
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 drunk man hugging
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 one woman after
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 another
00:24:24 --> 00:24:28 that was last
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 night brookvale
00:24:28 --> 00:24:30 oval and that
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 was me wrestling
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 with my feelings
00:24:32 --> 00:24:35 or over the
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 fence my next
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 door neighbours
00:24:36 --> 00:24:39 my buddhist
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 neighbours who
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 have only just
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 begun to talk
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 to in the
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 last couple
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 of months after
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 being there for
00:24:45 --> 00:24:45 nearly two
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 years
00:24:46 --> 00:24:49 without christ
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 they are lost
00:24:50 --> 00:24:55 and christ
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 does want us
00:24:56 --> 00:24:56 to proclaim
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 him
00:24:57 --> 00:24:59 and i think
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 if i go next
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 door and try
00:25:01 --> 00:25:01 to do that
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 with my taxi
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 driver neighbour
00:25:03 --> 00:25:03 under the
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 bonnet of his
00:25:04 --> 00:25:04 car i don't
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 think if i do
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 that cold it
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 will work
00:25:07 --> 00:25:12 so i think
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 i want to
00:25:13 --> 00:25:13 pray for
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 them
00:25:14 --> 00:25:17 and i want
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 to pray for
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 opportunities to
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 get to know
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 them
00:25:20 --> 00:25:23 and i want to
00:25:23 --> 00:25:23 think about how
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 maybe i might
00:25:24 --> 00:25:24 show some
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 kindness to
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 them
00:25:26 --> 00:25:28 and i'm
00:25:28 --> 00:25:28 wondering if
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 a plate of
00:25:29 --> 00:25:29 chocolate chip
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 cookies cooked
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 by kerry
00:25:31 --> 00:25:33 might be a way
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 of showing
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 appreciation for
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 the work that
00:25:36 --> 00:25:36 they've just
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 done fixing
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 our boundary
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 fence
00:25:38 --> 00:25:43 so i'm
00:25:43 --> 00:25:43 wondering if
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 developing
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 relationship like
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 that would
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 lead to
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 opportunity down
00:25:48 --> 00:25:48 the track to
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 share something
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 of what i
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 believe or
00:25:51 --> 00:25:51 even to invite
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 them to
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 something special
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 that happens
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 here at church
00:25:54 --> 00:25:58 and dream a
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 bit more
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 what if lots
00:26:00 --> 00:26:00 of us were
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 living like
00:26:01 --> 00:26:01 that some
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 of you are
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 but what if
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 lots of us
00:26:04 --> 00:26:04 were
00:26:04 --> 00:26:07 engaging our
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 friends and
00:26:08 --> 00:26:08 our neighbours
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 with the love
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 of christ
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 we would
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 move beyond
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 being like a
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 club we
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 would be
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 impacting our
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 community we
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 would be
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 showing that
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 we treasure
00:26:19 --> 00:26:19 the lord
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 jesus in our
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 concern for
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 the lost
00:26:21 --> 00:26:25 jesus engaged
00:26:25 --> 00:26:25 in a massive
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 power play
00:26:26 --> 00:26:32 and he would
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 seem to lose
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 when he died
00:26:34 --> 00:26:37 but his
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 death was
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 the ransom
00:26:39 --> 00:26:41 price for
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 yours and
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 for my
00:26:42 --> 00:26:44 sins and
00:26:44 --> 00:26:44 they are
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 many
00:26:45 --> 00:26:49 so i don't
00:26:49 --> 00:26:49 think it
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 matters if
00:26:50 --> 00:26:50 we are
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 older and
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 conservative
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 younger and
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 wanting radical
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 change
00:26:55 --> 00:26:58 we must
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 not be a
00:26:59 --> 00:27:01 club in
00:27:01 --> 00:27:01 a new
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 generation
00:27:02 --> 00:27:04 that has
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 lost its
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 vision for
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 saving souls
00:27:06 --> 00:27:09 may god so
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 bless us
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 that saint
00:27:11 --> 00:27:11 paul's might
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 be a church
00:27:12 --> 00:27:14 with a
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 people whose
00:27:15 --> 00:27:15 ministry
00:27:15 --> 00:27:17 brings many
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 people to
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 safety in
00:27:19 --> 00:27:19 christ
00:27:19 --> 00:27:21 amen