1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,333 2 00:00:01,375 --> 00:00:11,375 [music] 3 00:00:13,292 --> 00:00:17,667 What do you think about the church? 4 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:23,375 Do you love the church? 5 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:34,542 Do you serve the church? 6 00:00:40,083 --> 00:00:45,042 When you see the church, what do you see? 7 00:00:52,792 --> 00:00:57,792 Jesus loves his church. 8 00:01:04,333 --> 00:01:09,000 We are the church. 9 00:01:13,417 --> 00:01:14,833 Well, Mars Hill, Jesus loves us. 10 00:01:14,917 --> 00:01:17,500 Amen? And we see it. 11 00:01:17,542 --> 00:01:21,792 We see the evidences of Jesus' love all over Mars Hill Church, 12 00:01:21,833 --> 00:01:25,792 and I have a great joy today that I get to present to you 13 00:01:25,833 --> 00:01:29,792 some of the fruit of this past year. 14 00:01:29,833 --> 00:01:32,292 And what we see in the New Testament, as Paul, 15 00:01:32,333 --> 00:01:34,667 and John, and others write letters to churches, 16 00:01:34,750 --> 00:01:36,250 they give specific updates. 17 00:01:36,333 --> 00:01:38,583 How's it going, what is God doing, 18 00:01:38,667 --> 00:01:40,667 and where is there more opportunity. 19 00:01:40,750 --> 00:01:43,875 And in that same spirit, we like to notify the church 20 00:01:43,958 --> 00:01:45,875 of how things are going. 21 00:01:45,958 --> 00:01:48,583 That includes monthly updates for all of Mars Hill 22 00:01:48,667 --> 00:01:50,000 if you're new. 23 00:01:50,042 --> 00:01:52,250 In one sense, we're 1 church, in another sense, 24 00:01:52,333 --> 00:01:55,167 we're 14 local churches scattered across 25 00:01:55,250 --> 00:01:59,833 4 different states, and pregnant with 5 more churches, 26 00:01:59,875 --> 00:02:02,375 hopefully to be birthed in about a year. 27 00:02:02,458 --> 00:02:04,500 And what we like to do is give 28 00:02:04,542 --> 00:02:06,792 a global update for how Mars Hill is doing, 29 00:02:06,833 --> 00:02:09,000 and then also allow the lead pastors of each 30 00:02:09,042 --> 00:02:11,958 local church to give a local update for how things are going 31 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:14,167 at that particular location. 32 00:02:14,208 --> 00:02:16,292 And our fiscal year, our budget year, 33 00:02:16,333 --> 00:02:19,167 runs from July through June, so we just finished our 34 00:02:19,250 --> 00:02:22,583 fiscal year, and those who are administratively gifted 35 00:02:22,667 --> 00:02:26,375 and allow us to steward the resources that God has given us, 36 00:02:26,458 --> 00:02:29,000 have put together a final year-end report, 37 00:02:29,042 --> 00:02:31,500 and I'm really excited to share it with you. 38 00:02:31,542 --> 00:02:34,000 Before I get into the details, let me just say, 39 00:02:34,042 --> 00:02:36,792 we have just completed the greatest year in the history 40 00:02:36,833 --> 00:02:40,000 of Mars Hill Church, any single way you measure it: 41 00:02:40,042 --> 00:02:42,167 number of people, number of baptisms, 42 00:02:42,250 --> 00:02:43,792 number of Community Groups, 43 00:02:43,833 --> 00:02:45,375 number of people in Community Groups, 44 00:02:45,458 --> 00:02:46,875 number of Redemption Groups, 45 00:02:46,958 --> 00:02:48,500 number of people in Redemption Groups, 46 00:02:48,542 --> 00:02:50,583 number of weddings, number of children, 47 00:02:50,667 --> 00:02:53,167 number of services, number of locations. 48 00:02:53,208 --> 00:02:56,083 Whatever variable you would take a look at, 49 00:02:56,167 --> 00:02:58,333 it's the highest it's ever been. 50 00:02:58,375 --> 00:03:00,792 In the 15 years of Mars Hill Church, 51 00:03:00,833 --> 00:03:03,875 we've just completed the greatest year we've ever had, 52 00:03:03,958 --> 00:03:05,833 and I can say with full confidence, 53 00:03:05,917 --> 00:03:08,333 it's firstfruits and there's much, much more to come. 54 00:03:08,417 --> 00:03:11,083 So, I want to start by saying thank you, Lord Jesus, 55 00:03:11,167 --> 00:03:14,667 for loving Mars Hill Church. 56 00:03:14,750 --> 00:03:18,000 And I want to thank you who love Mars Hill Church, 57 00:03:18,042 --> 00:03:21,042 and some of Jesus' love is coming through you as you give, 58 00:03:21,125 --> 00:03:23,875 as you serve, as you pray, as you care. 59 00:03:23,958 --> 00:03:26,750 I'll give you some of the particular updates. 60 00:03:26,833 --> 00:03:29,667 Here are some of the evidences, most recently, of God's grace. 61 00:03:29,750 --> 00:03:32,167 In the month of July, we had our first ever 62 00:03:32,250 --> 00:03:33,583 Mars Hill student retreat. 63 00:03:33,667 --> 00:03:36,042 A couple hundred students went up to Malibu, Canada, 64 00:03:36,125 --> 00:03:39,333 80-plus students made a profession of faith 65 00:03:39,417 --> 00:03:41,167 and gave their lives to Jesus Christ, 66 00:03:41,250 --> 00:03:43,292 and we rejoice in that. 67 00:03:43,333 --> 00:03:46,292 And Pastor Tim Gaydos, our lead pastor at Mars Hill Downtown, 68 00:03:46,333 --> 00:03:49,792 preached, the band Citizens from Mars Hill U-District 69 00:03:49,833 --> 00:03:52,875 led worship, it was a combined, collaborated effort 70 00:03:52,958 --> 00:03:54,792 among all of our churches. 71 00:03:54,833 --> 00:03:58,083 And I think what meant, perhaps, the most to me was the fact 72 00:03:58,167 --> 00:04:01,250 that some of our more affluent churches gave to help 73 00:04:01,333 --> 00:04:04,250 some of our more urban and poorer churches, 74 00:04:04,333 --> 00:04:06,875 which is exactly how it's supposed to go. 75 00:04:06,958 --> 00:04:09,833 And what we saw was there were a number of students who, 76 00:04:09,917 --> 00:04:11,667 quite frankly, couldn't afford to go, 77 00:04:11,750 --> 00:04:13,667 many of them from Mars Hill Rainier Valley, 78 00:04:13,750 --> 00:04:16,333 which is the most diverse zip code in America. 79 00:04:16,417 --> 00:04:19,167 And a number of those students, they don't have fathers, 80 00:04:19,250 --> 00:04:21,375 and some of them are living at the shelter 81 00:04:21,458 --> 00:04:23,167 of the Union Gospel Mission 82 00:04:23,208 --> 00:04:25,667 along with their mother, and they didn't have the means 83 00:04:25,708 --> 00:04:29,667 to attend the retreat, and so people from other 84 00:04:29,750 --> 00:04:32,500 Mars Hill churches gave above and beyond 85 00:04:32,542 --> 00:04:37,000 to scholarship every single student that applied to attend 86 00:04:37,042 --> 00:04:41,292 but could not afford to attend, and so no one got left out, 87 00:04:41,333 --> 00:04:44,167 and many of those are the kids who met Jesus. 88 00:04:44,208 --> 00:04:45,958 And though they don't have a father, 89 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:47,792 they have God as their Heavenly Father, 90 00:04:47,833 --> 00:04:50,458 and, in addition to their mom and perhaps siblings, 91 00:04:50,500 --> 00:04:53,042 now they have Mars Hill Church as their family, 92 00:04:53,125 --> 00:04:56,250 and we praise God and rejoice that we had a part to play 93 00:04:56,333 --> 00:04:58,667 in that, and thank you who gave and served. 94 00:04:58,750 --> 00:05:00,500 It was our strongest giving year ever. 95 00:05:00,542 --> 00:05:03,167 You were more generous than you have ever been, 96 00:05:03,208 --> 00:05:06,083 and we want to rejoice in the fact that we did have 97 00:05:06,167 --> 00:05:07,583 a very strong giving year. 98 00:05:07,667 --> 00:05:10,792 We met our budget projections and we also made some 99 00:05:10,833 --> 00:05:13,875 significant cutbacks to live within our means 100 00:05:13,958 --> 00:05:16,500 and to live lean so we can give generously 101 00:05:16,542 --> 00:05:18,167 toward the work of the gospel 102 00:05:18,250 --> 00:05:19,958 and the expansion of the church. 103 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:23,667 And a church is a family, but like every family, 104 00:05:23,708 --> 00:05:27,750 a church needs a home, and so a church building doesn't, 105 00:05:27,833 --> 00:05:30,042 in and of itself, constitute a family, 106 00:05:30,125 --> 00:05:32,583 but a family does need a home, and for us, 107 00:05:32,667 --> 00:05:34,667 we're praying for more real estate, 108 00:05:34,750 --> 00:05:38,292 because our families are growing and we have other families 109 00:05:38,333 --> 00:05:41,042 that we want to start, other Mars Hill churches. 110 00:05:41,125 --> 00:05:44,167 So, if you would join me in prayer, around your meals, 111 00:05:44,250 --> 00:05:46,667 with your family, in your Community Groups. 112 00:05:46,750 --> 00:05:50,083 Just off the top of my head, I know that Pastor Sutton Turner, 113 00:05:50,167 --> 00:05:53,083 your executive pastor, is negotiating deals for 114 00:05:53,167 --> 00:05:56,500 Mars Hill Everett, as they've outgrown their kid's space, 115 00:05:56,542 --> 00:05:59,333 Mars Hill Downtown, as they're at five services having outgrown 116 00:05:59,375 --> 00:06:01,542 their facility as well, 117 00:06:01,625 --> 00:06:04,875 in negotiations for Mars Hill Orange County, 118 00:06:04,958 --> 00:06:08,792 also in negotiations for Mars Hill Federal Way, 119 00:06:08,833 --> 00:06:11,042 also hoping, trusting, praying 120 00:06:11,125 --> 00:06:13,583 that we'll be able to open Mars Hill Tacoma, 121 00:06:13,667 --> 00:06:15,292 Mars Hill Renton, 122 00:06:15,333 --> 00:06:18,167 Mars Hill Kirkland/Bothell-ish, 123 00:06:18,250 --> 00:06:20,958 and so lots of real estate negotiations in play, 124 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:23,667 in addition to others that I'm sure that I've forgotten. 125 00:06:23,750 --> 00:06:27,000 But, just be in prayer for that, that we would have the space 126 00:06:27,042 --> 00:06:30,292 to see more people come to church and come to Jesus. 127 00:06:30,333 --> 00:06:33,042 Other things you could pray for: as a church, 128 00:06:33,125 --> 00:06:36,375 we have a number of community neighborhood events, barbecues, 129 00:06:36,458 --> 00:06:38,792 people getting together, loving their community, 130 00:06:38,833 --> 00:06:40,792 getting to know their neighbors. 131 00:06:40,833 --> 00:06:42,875 There are still a number of those forthcoming, 132 00:06:42,958 --> 00:06:45,667 as well as baptisms scattered throughout the various cities. 133 00:06:45,750 --> 00:06:48,583 We have 16 church planters through Mars Hill Global that 134 00:06:48,667 --> 00:06:51,292 are being funded and sent out this summer to plant churches 135 00:06:51,333 --> 00:06:52,958 throughout Ethiopia. 136 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:55,083 We're also funding church planters in India, 137 00:06:55,167 --> 00:06:56,792 as well as elsewhere. 138 00:06:56,833 --> 00:06:59,292 And we've got our first National Resurgence Conference 139 00:06:59,333 --> 00:07:00,750 coming up in October. 140 00:07:00,833 --> 00:07:03,333 The Resurgence website is now one of the most trafficked, 141 00:07:03,417 --> 00:07:06,542 if not the most trafficked Christian website there is, 142 00:07:06,625 --> 00:07:09,542 and we have a big event, particularly focused on 143 00:07:09,625 --> 00:07:12,375 equipping leaders and helping raise up more leaders 144 00:07:12,458 --> 00:07:13,958 for Mars Hill. 145 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:15,792 It will be in Orange County, California. 146 00:07:15,833 --> 00:07:17,667 Who doesn't want to go there in October? 147 00:07:17,750 --> 00:07:19,167 Ninth and tenth. 148 00:07:19,250 --> 00:07:21,667 We're praying for 3-plus thousand people. 149 00:07:21,750 --> 00:07:24,167 I have the joy of teaching and welcoming men like 150 00:07:24,208 --> 00:07:26,583 Pastor Rick Warren, Pastor Craig Groeschel, 151 00:07:26,667 --> 00:07:29,042 who's probably got the largest church in America, 152 00:07:29,125 --> 00:07:31,333 as well as Pastor James MacDonald, 153 00:07:31,417 --> 00:07:33,500 a dear friend of mine from Chicago, 154 00:07:33,542 --> 00:07:36,083 Pastor Greg Laurie, whose Harvest crusades have ministered 155 00:07:36,167 --> 00:07:38,000 to 4 1/2 million people. 156 00:07:38,042 --> 00:07:40,667 We're talking about some of the most significant Bible teachers 157 00:07:40,750 --> 00:07:43,958 and pastors on the earth today, and we're really honored 158 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:47,292 to welcome them along with others, and a guy named Lecrae, 159 00:07:47,333 --> 00:07:49,958 who's a great musician and artist, 160 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:52,458 and he's actually an elder candidate in one of our 161 00:07:52,500 --> 00:07:55,167 Acts 29 churches, and my wife and I have gotten time 162 00:07:55,250 --> 00:07:56,583 with he and his wife. 163 00:07:56,667 --> 00:07:59,083 They're great, we love 'em, and so we're bringing together 164 00:07:59,167 --> 00:08:01,667 a bunch of world-class experts to help others increase their 165 00:08:01,708 --> 00:08:03,667 influence and fruitfulness for the Lord Jesus, 166 00:08:03,750 --> 00:08:05,083 so pray for that. 167 00:08:05,167 --> 00:08:08,000 Here's the financial update, June versus May. 168 00:08:08,042 --> 00:08:11,167 What tends to happen is, in the summer, things go down, 169 00:08:11,250 --> 00:08:13,292 at least if you're in the Northwest. 170 00:08:13,333 --> 00:08:16,750 This mysterious ball of joy and heat shows up in the sky 171 00:08:16,833 --> 00:08:21,583 occasionally, and so people just run outside to look at this 172 00:08:21,667 --> 00:08:25,667 magnificent, unique, never-before-seen object. 173 00:08:25,708 --> 00:08:28,667 And what happens, then, is they tend not to go to church, 174 00:08:28,750 --> 00:08:32,000 they tend not to go to work, they tend to just sort of 175 00:08:32,042 --> 00:08:33,750 shut down for a few months. 176 00:08:33,833 --> 00:08:37,167 And so for us, the summer months tend to be sort of downtime: 177 00:08:37,250 --> 00:08:39,083 attendance is down, giving is down. 178 00:08:39,167 --> 00:08:40,833 Not this year. 179 00:08:40,917 --> 00:08:47,000 God is doing something unusual and unexpected. 180 00:08:47,042 --> 00:08:49,875 So, I guess Jesus is cooler than the sun. 181 00:08:49,958 --> 00:08:51,792 That's awesome. 182 00:08:51,833 --> 00:08:54,792 So, in May, the percentage of adults who gave any amount 183 00:08:54,833 --> 00:08:57,917 to Mars Hill Church was 47%. 184 00:08:58,000 --> 00:08:59,708 In June it went up to 49%. 185 00:08:59,792 --> 00:09:02,000 Thank you to those of you who are giving. 186 00:09:02,042 --> 00:09:04,375 The average dollar amount 187 00:09:04,458 --> 00:09:08,167 per adult attender a week went from $35 to $41, 188 00:09:08,250 --> 00:09:11,458 which meant people who were giving got more generous, 189 00:09:11,500 --> 00:09:14,792 and we're very glad for those of you who are helping to support 190 00:09:14,833 --> 00:09:16,333 Mars Hill Church. 191 00:09:16,417 --> 00:09:18,250 Jesus loves the church, 192 00:09:18,333 --> 00:09:20,167 and his love comes through your generosity. 193 00:09:20,208 --> 00:09:23,000 The number of [giving] households from May to June went up from 194 00:09:23,042 --> 00:09:24,750 4,800 to 5,300. 195 00:09:24,833 --> 00:09:27,167 And this is what's particularly unusual: weekly attendance 196 00:09:27,250 --> 00:09:30,667 went up by 600 from May to June, and again, 197 00:09:30,708 --> 00:09:33,375 that tends to be a downtime for us, and we're growing. 198 00:09:33,458 --> 00:09:35,583 As we get ready for Esther in the fall, 199 00:09:35,667 --> 00:09:38,750 we'll be in the Book of Esther, and then we're gonna get into 200 00:09:38,833 --> 00:09:41,500 the Book of Ephesians in January with a major trade book 201 00:09:41,542 --> 00:09:44,083 and a full campaign forthcoming in the new year. 202 00:09:44,167 --> 00:09:47,542 So, we're loving the Jesus Loves His Church series. 203 00:09:47,625 --> 00:09:50,167 It's an effort to get you plugged in, Community Groups, 204 00:09:50,208 --> 00:09:52,292 leaders, deacons, elders, members, 205 00:09:52,333 --> 00:09:54,792 everybody on board as we get ready for the fall, 206 00:09:54,833 --> 00:09:57,167 which tends to be our real growth period: September, 207 00:09:57,208 --> 00:09:59,792 October, November, sort of levels off for the holidays, 208 00:09:59,833 --> 00:10:03,500 and then we have a major growth surge, historically, in January. 209 00:10:03,542 --> 00:10:06,667 But, this is the strongest we've ever been. 210 00:10:06,708 --> 00:10:11,167 We have 600 Community Groups, 8,000 people in them, 211 00:10:11,250 --> 00:10:14,250 the services are full, people are meeting Jesus. 212 00:10:14,333 --> 00:10:16,167 This past year alone, we had 213 00:10:16,250 --> 00:10:20,042 1,300 people baptized, as many people are coming to faith 214 00:10:20,125 --> 00:10:21,792 in Jesus Christ. 215 00:10:21,833 --> 00:10:24,792 I want to say thank you Jesus and thank you Mars Hill, 216 00:10:24,833 --> 00:10:27,292 and God loves a cheerful giver, and as you give, 217 00:10:27,333 --> 00:10:28,667 give cheerfully, right? 218 00:10:28,750 --> 00:10:30,833 God's doing great things and we're greatly honored 219 00:10:30,917 --> 00:10:32,542 to be a part of that. 220 00:10:32,625 --> 00:10:34,292 Lastly, how to give. 221 00:10:34,333 --> 00:10:36,833 During the offering portion of our service, 222 00:10:36,917 --> 00:10:40,458 which will be at the end of the sermon, you're welcome to give. 223 00:10:40,500 --> 00:10:43,667 You can give cash, you can give by check, 224 00:10:43,708 --> 00:10:46,667 you can fill out the giving envelope and it will give you 225 00:10:46,708 --> 00:10:48,667 some ways that you can give as well. 226 00:10:48,750 --> 00:10:51,833 You can go online to MarsHill.com and you can give 227 00:10:51,917 --> 00:10:54,583 through debit card, credit card. 228 00:10:54,667 --> 00:10:58,000 You can set up a recurring gift through ACH, 229 00:10:58,083 --> 00:11:01,292 kind of like you would when you pay other bills or fees. 230 00:11:01,333 --> 00:11:04,542 You can set it up so that it regularly deducts so that you 231 00:11:04,625 --> 00:11:06,583 don't miss any of your tithes and offerings. 232 00:11:06,667 --> 00:11:09,667 And as well, you're welcome to take the envelope home and send 233 00:11:09,750 --> 00:11:12,667 in your gift in addition to the collection of the offering. 234 00:11:12,708 --> 00:11:15,375 And if you're new, or you're not a Christian, you say, 235 00:11:15,458 --> 00:11:16,792 "What do I give?" 236 00:11:16,833 --> 00:11:18,500 Here's what we want you to give. 237 00:11:18,542 --> 00:11:21,250 Give us your information so we can know who you are, 238 00:11:21,333 --> 00:11:24,250 so we can love you, pray for you, follow up with you, 239 00:11:24,333 --> 00:11:27,000 and get you plugged into the church and talk to you about Jesus. 240 00:11:27,042 --> 00:11:28,667 If you're new and/or not a Christian, 241 00:11:28,750 --> 00:11:30,083 ultimately that's what we want. 242 00:11:30,167 --> 00:11:33,292 More than your money, we want to give you a loving relationship 243 00:11:33,333 --> 00:11:36,167 with the church through the love of Jesus Christ. 244 00:11:36,208 --> 00:11:38,667 And so, if you let us know who you are, 245 00:11:38,708 --> 00:11:40,667 then we can welcome you into our family. 246 00:11:40,708 --> 00:11:43,375 For those of you who are Christian and Mars Hill Church 247 00:11:43,458 --> 00:11:45,000 is home, give generously, cheerfully, sacrificially, 248 00:11:45,042 --> 00:11:48,250 as we get ready for, I believe, what will be the biggest year 249 00:11:48,333 --> 00:11:51,875 we've ever had, starting this fall, and I'm really excited. 250 00:11:51,958 --> 00:11:54,667 So, that being said, I'm going to go ahead and pray, 251 00:11:54,750 --> 00:11:57,500 and we'll get into the sermon today, 252 00:11:57,542 --> 00:11:59,208 but I hope that encourages you. 253 00:11:59,292 --> 00:12:01,042 Does it not? 254 00:12:01,125 --> 00:12:03,875 Does that encourage you? 255 00:12:03,958 --> 00:12:05,667 I mean, I don't know about you. 256 00:12:05,750 --> 00:12:07,250 You look at the political landscape, 257 00:12:07,333 --> 00:12:08,792 you look at the financial landscape, 258 00:12:08,833 --> 00:12:10,583 you look at your personal finances, 259 00:12:10,667 --> 00:12:12,583 you look at corporations, and it's not, "Hey! 260 00:12:12,667 --> 00:12:14,500 It's the best it's ever been!" 261 00:12:14,542 --> 00:12:16,667 It is here, because Jesus is alive. 262 00:12:16,750 --> 00:12:18,167 Amen? 263 00:12:18,250 --> 00:12:19,667 And so we're pretty fired up. 264 00:12:19,750 --> 00:12:22,375 If not, your wood's wet. We're glad to have you anyway. 265 00:12:22,458 --> 00:12:23,792 Alright. 266 00:12:23,833 --> 00:12:25,792 Father God, thank you, thank you, thank you 267 00:12:25,833 --> 00:12:28,542 for the best year in the history of Mars Hill Church. 268 00:12:28,625 --> 00:12:30,042 Lord Jesus, you love your church. 269 00:12:30,125 --> 00:12:33,542 You love this church, and we see your grace on us, 270 00:12:33,625 --> 00:12:35,750 and we say thank you and we love you, 271 00:12:35,833 --> 00:12:37,875 and we want to see more people meet you. 272 00:12:37,958 --> 00:12:39,958 We want to see more churches get planted, 273 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:41,958 we want to see more lives get changed. 274 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:45,333 We want to see those who know you come to know you better 275 00:12:45,417 --> 00:12:47,792 and enjoy you more fully. 276 00:12:47,833 --> 00:12:50,375 Lord Jesus, thank you that I have an opportunity 277 00:12:50,458 --> 00:12:52,000 to teach the Bible. 278 00:12:52,042 --> 00:12:54,083 I've got the best job on earth. 279 00:12:54,167 --> 00:12:56,333 Thank you that I don't need to create truth, 280 00:12:56,417 --> 00:12:59,083 I only need to communicate the truth that you have 281 00:12:59,167 --> 00:13:01,083 already revealed. 282 00:13:01,167 --> 00:13:02,833 So, Father, as I open the Scriptures, 283 00:13:02,917 --> 00:13:06,167 please send the Holy Spirit to anoint my words and to open our 284 00:13:06,250 --> 00:13:09,750 ears so that we can hear from Jesus, in whose name we pray. 285 00:13:09,833 --> 00:13:12,042 Amen. Alright. 286 00:13:12,125 --> 00:13:14,667 Here's what I want you to do: think with me about 287 00:13:14,750 --> 00:13:17,167 the best meal you've ever had. 288 00:13:17,250 --> 00:13:18,667 And not too long. 289 00:13:18,708 --> 00:13:21,667 Eventually you gotta come back and hear the rest of the sermon, 290 00:13:21,708 --> 00:13:23,042 but think about it. Okay? 291 00:13:23,125 --> 00:13:25,042 And I asked this question to my family, 292 00:13:25,125 --> 00:13:27,542 because meals at the Driscoll house are a big thing. 293 00:13:27,625 --> 00:13:30,458 My wife, Grace, our oldest daughter Ashley, amazing cooks. 294 00:13:30,500 --> 00:13:33,167 I know looking at me, you're saying, "I can't tell." 295 00:13:33,208 --> 00:13:34,667 I know. 296 00:13:34,750 --> 00:13:36,875 I know you can't, but they are amazing cooks. 297 00:13:36,958 --> 00:13:38,292 They are amazing cooks. 298 00:13:38,333 --> 00:13:39,667 World-class. 299 00:13:39,750 --> 00:13:42,167 I don't even like to go to restaurants anymore because 300 00:13:42,250 --> 00:13:43,958 the food at my house is better. 301 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:45,333 It's better. 302 00:13:45,417 --> 00:13:47,542 And sitting down at the table with my family, 303 00:13:47,625 --> 00:13:49,542 it's a sacred moment, it's a big deal. 304 00:13:49,625 --> 00:13:51,292 And so, sometimes, too, when we travel, 305 00:13:51,333 --> 00:13:54,083 we get the real grace of God to travel sometimes, 306 00:13:54,167 --> 00:13:57,500 we'll go out for a big meal and try to create a great memory 307 00:13:57,542 --> 00:13:58,875 around a meal. 308 00:13:58,958 --> 00:14:02,000 What's your best meal memory? 309 00:14:02,042 --> 00:14:05,375 I was asking the kids and Grace recently, and I think for us, 310 00:14:05,458 --> 00:14:07,292 it was in Turkey. 311 00:14:07,333 --> 00:14:09,958 We were in Turkey together, and our Turkish tour guide said, 312 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:12,875 "I'm going to take you to the best meal of ever! 313 00:14:12,958 --> 00:14:15,000 The best meal of ever!" 314 00:14:15,042 --> 00:14:17,542 And he took us to the best meal of ever. 315 00:14:17,625 --> 00:14:19,083 It was amazing. 316 00:14:19,167 --> 00:14:20,833 It was, like, at this lady's house 317 00:14:20,917 --> 00:14:22,333 out in the middle of nowhere. 318 00:14:22,417 --> 00:14:24,167 She grew everything on property, cooked it. 319 00:14:24,250 --> 00:14:25,958 She just set it out family style. 320 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:27,333 You didn't get to order. 321 00:14:27,417 --> 00:14:29,083 She cooked whatever she wanted to cook, 322 00:14:29,167 --> 00:14:32,083 and everything she cooked was amazing. 323 00:14:32,167 --> 00:14:36,792 What's your best meal of ever? 324 00:14:36,833 --> 00:14:39,292 And usually, there's three variables: 325 00:14:39,333 --> 00:14:41,583 the space, the physical location. 326 00:14:41,667 --> 00:14:44,667 Like, if you're in a place with a clown outside, 327 00:14:44,708 --> 00:14:47,750 and high school kids in uniforms are cooking it and serving it 328 00:14:47,833 --> 00:14:51,083 with a spork while you sit in a booth that is nailed to 329 00:14:51,167 --> 00:14:53,875 the floor, that's not the best meal of ever, right? 330 00:14:53,958 --> 00:14:56,083 Because the atmosphere is not right. 331 00:14:56,167 --> 00:14:58,625 So, there's atmosphere and then there's company, 332 00:14:58,667 --> 00:15:00,667 who you eat it with. 333 00:15:00,750 --> 00:15:03,375 Was it a holiday meal, was it at your grandma's house, 334 00:15:03,458 --> 00:15:04,792 your mom's house? 335 00:15:04,833 --> 00:15:06,167 Where was it? 336 00:15:06,250 --> 00:15:08,167 And then, perhaps, most important, 337 00:15:08,250 --> 00:15:12,667 for the best meal of ever, is who you eat it with. 338 00:15:12,750 --> 00:15:15,333 Family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, 339 00:15:15,417 --> 00:15:20,792 maybe it was the first date and that friendship started. 340 00:15:20,833 --> 00:15:25,500 What's your most memorable meal ever? 341 00:15:25,542 --> 00:15:30,250 And here's why I want you to emotionally connect with this. 342 00:15:30,333 --> 00:15:33,167 Two things happen when we have a meal. 343 00:15:33,208 --> 00:15:38,833 Number one, we're enjoying our friends, and number two, 344 00:15:38,917 --> 00:15:41,500 we're welcoming people to become our friends. 345 00:15:41,542 --> 00:15:42,875 Right? 346 00:15:42,958 --> 00:15:44,875 This is why the Bible talks about fellowship. 347 00:15:44,958 --> 00:15:49,500 That's where God's people eat meals and do life together 348 00:15:49,542 --> 00:15:51,333 as friends. 349 00:15:51,417 --> 00:15:53,792 The Bible also talks about hospitality. 350 00:15:53,833 --> 00:15:56,500 That literally means the welcoming of the stranger, 351 00:15:56,542 --> 00:15:59,292 so you're taking people you don't know yet and you're having 352 00:15:59,333 --> 00:16:02,000 a meal with them because that's an act of friendship. 353 00:16:02,042 --> 00:16:04,583 That's saying, "Come to my house, sit at my table, 354 00:16:04,667 --> 00:16:07,792 and we'll start to build a friendship." 355 00:16:07,833 --> 00:16:10,875 And so, when we eat meals, what we're really doing is 356 00:16:10,958 --> 00:16:13,042 making friends. 357 00:16:13,125 --> 00:16:15,667 That's why, even in Corinthians, Paul says there's one guy, 358 00:16:15,750 --> 00:16:19,500 he's in habitual, unrepentant, sexual sin. 359 00:16:19,542 --> 00:16:21,583 They called it tolerance, diversity, had a parade, 360 00:16:21,667 --> 00:16:23,250 there was rainbows involved. 361 00:16:23,333 --> 00:16:25,583 It was all very complicated, but it was nasty. 362 00:16:25,667 --> 00:16:30,167 So, what Paul said was, "Don't eat with that man. 363 00:16:30,208 --> 00:16:31,792 Don't eat with that man." 364 00:16:31,833 --> 00:16:33,500 Why? 365 00:16:33,542 --> 00:16:36,167 Because he says he's a Christian, 366 00:16:36,250 --> 00:16:39,792 but he's not repenting of sin, he's living in open, 367 00:16:39,833 --> 00:16:44,167 defiant rebellion, so let's not pretend like he's a good friend 368 00:16:44,250 --> 00:16:46,500 of God or a good friend of yours. 369 00:16:46,542 --> 00:16:50,500 Let's have him eat some meals alone for awhile and see if 370 00:16:50,542 --> 00:16:53,042 he doesn't come to his senses, come to repentance, 371 00:16:53,125 --> 00:16:57,083 come back to the Lord, and come back to the church. 372 00:16:57,167 --> 00:17:00,875 Christians should eat with non-Christians and should eat 373 00:17:00,958 --> 00:17:04,000 with Christians who are repentant, but eating with 374 00:17:04,042 --> 00:17:06,792 Christians who are unrepentant who want the benefits 375 00:17:06,833 --> 00:17:09,500 of Christianity while living in open rebellion, 376 00:17:09,542 --> 00:17:12,333 that's intolerable to the Lord. 377 00:17:12,417 --> 00:17:15,500 And so, as we look at the Bible, there's a lot of meals, 378 00:17:15,542 --> 00:17:17,458 feasts, festivals. 379 00:17:17,500 --> 00:17:19,292 A lot gets done. 380 00:17:19,333 --> 00:17:23,583 Jesus' first miracle is a meal and it's at a wedding. 381 00:17:23,667 --> 00:17:25,875 And over, and over, and over in the Bible, 382 00:17:25,958 --> 00:17:28,500 you're going to see meals eaten. 383 00:17:28,542 --> 00:17:31,250 Some are eaten with God, some are eaten without God, 384 00:17:31,333 --> 00:17:34,083 and there are multiple ways that people will encourage 385 00:17:34,167 --> 00:17:36,375 and exhort you to examine Scripture. 386 00:17:36,458 --> 00:17:39,375 Some will say as we read the story line of the Bible, 387 00:17:39,458 --> 00:17:41,583 we should do so with the lens of covenants. 388 00:17:41,667 --> 00:17:44,292 Others would say we should look at it with the lens 389 00:17:44,333 --> 00:17:47,333 of dispensations or epochs, periods of time. 390 00:17:47,417 --> 00:17:50,000 One way to examine the Scriptures is to look at 391 00:17:50,042 --> 00:17:55,500 the meals, a series of meals eaten with and without God, 392 00:17:55,542 --> 00:17:59,917 and that culminates in the Christian meal of Communion, 393 00:18:00,042 --> 00:18:03,500 also called the Lord's Supper, the Lord's Table, the Eucharist. 394 00:18:03,542 --> 00:18:06,542 It goes by different names according to your tradition 395 00:18:06,625 --> 00:18:10,250 and heritage, but it's about a meal being eaten 396 00:18:10,333 --> 00:18:13,167 with God and his people. 397 00:18:13,250 --> 00:18:15,792 And when we eat, we are to eat as Christians, 398 00:18:15,833 --> 00:18:19,542 as friends of the Lord and friends of others, 399 00:18:19,625 --> 00:18:22,833 friends with those who know the Lord, and friends 400 00:18:22,917 --> 00:18:26,000 who we are inviting to get to know the Lord Jesus. 401 00:18:26,042 --> 00:18:28,750 So, what we're going to do, we're going to look from 402 00:18:28,833 --> 00:18:30,292 Genesis to Revelation. 403 00:18:30,333 --> 00:18:33,083 We'll do so before breakfast. 404 00:18:33,167 --> 00:18:36,375 We're not going to go all night, but we're going to look at 405 00:18:36,458 --> 00:18:40,375 five meals, and the first meal is forbidden fruit, 406 00:18:40,458 --> 00:18:43,833 and it is the first meal eaten without God in Genesis 3. 407 00:18:43,917 --> 00:18:46,792 So, most of you are likely familiar with the story. 408 00:18:46,833 --> 00:18:48,875 God creates our first parents, Adam and Eve, 409 00:18:48,958 --> 00:18:50,333 in his image and likeness. 410 00:18:50,417 --> 00:18:53,083 He puts them in this perfect, amazing garden. 411 00:18:53,167 --> 00:18:56,333 How many of you not only love good meals, you love to cook, 412 00:18:56,417 --> 00:18:59,500 and the ideal situation would be your own organic, 413 00:18:59,542 --> 00:19:02,750 fantastic garden? 414 00:19:02,833 --> 00:19:04,667 That's where he puts them. 415 00:19:04,708 --> 00:19:06,542 He puts them in a garden. 416 00:19:06,625 --> 00:19:09,250 That means it has all of the fruits, and the vegetables, 417 00:19:09,333 --> 00:19:10,792 and the herbs. 418 00:19:10,833 --> 00:19:14,083 Everything you could imagine for just feasting and celebration. 419 00:19:14,167 --> 00:19:18,042 And what God tells them is, "You can eat anything you want 420 00:19:18,125 --> 00:19:21,000 "in this magnificent garden, with one exception, 421 00:19:21,042 --> 00:19:23,542 "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 422 00:19:23,625 --> 00:19:25,875 "Do not eat from that tree. 423 00:19:25,958 --> 00:19:28,500 Do not partake of that forbidden fruit." 424 00:19:28,542 --> 00:19:30,250 That's what God says. 425 00:19:30,333 --> 00:19:32,792 Now, some people's view of God is that God essentially 426 00:19:32,833 --> 00:19:35,292 creates life as a law garden with a grace tree, 427 00:19:35,333 --> 00:19:37,333 meaning, the answer's no to everything, 428 00:19:37,417 --> 00:19:40,500 and there's only a thing or two that you really get to do. 429 00:19:40,542 --> 00:19:43,500 The way God created the world, it was a grace garden with 430 00:19:43,542 --> 00:19:45,042 a law tree in the middle. 431 00:19:45,125 --> 00:19:48,375 Tons of freedom and joy with one thing that was forbidden. 432 00:19:48,458 --> 00:19:54,167 And what happens is Eve has a conversation with Satan. 433 00:19:54,250 --> 00:19:56,583 He's the serpent, he's the enemy. 434 00:19:56,667 --> 00:19:59,667 Revelation 12, Revelation 20 says that this serpent, 435 00:19:59,708 --> 00:20:03,375 this dragon who comes to have a conversation with her, 436 00:20:03,458 --> 00:20:05,083 it's Satan. 437 00:20:05,167 --> 00:20:06,500 It's the enemy of God. 438 00:20:06,542 --> 00:20:08,667 It's a rebellious angel. 439 00:20:08,708 --> 00:20:12,167 And what he invites her to do is to partake of forbidden fruit. 440 00:20:12,250 --> 00:20:14,250 And the Bible says that Adam, her husband, 441 00:20:14,333 --> 00:20:15,958 was a passive coward. 442 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:18,375 He was there with her, complicit to the whole thing, 443 00:20:18,458 --> 00:20:21,292 and they partook of the fruit, the forbidden fruit. 444 00:20:21,333 --> 00:20:23,667 As a result, they received a sin nature. 445 00:20:23,708 --> 00:20:25,583 God came searching for them, 446 00:20:25,667 --> 00:20:27,667 they hid from one another and God. 447 00:20:27,708 --> 00:20:29,292 They blamed each other. 448 00:20:29,333 --> 00:20:30,958 God had to clothe their nakedness. 449 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:32,792 They were kicked out of the garden, 450 00:20:32,833 --> 00:20:37,083 they were separated from eternal life, they experienced death. 451 00:20:37,167 --> 00:20:39,875 By the next chapter, their two sons are fighting 452 00:20:39,958 --> 00:20:42,375 and one kills the other. 453 00:20:42,458 --> 00:20:46,458 We inherit a sin nature, Romans 5:12-21 says, 454 00:20:46,500 --> 00:20:49,667 and 1 Corinthians 15:45 says, "from Adam." 455 00:20:49,708 --> 00:20:53,583 Because of their rebellion, we all die. 456 00:20:53,667 --> 00:20:55,792 Does it seem like a lot, that eating fruit 457 00:20:55,833 --> 00:20:57,917 would result in that? 458 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:01,083 Say, really? You took the wrong thing out of the fridge and 459 00:21:01,167 --> 00:21:04,500 every human being in the history of the world has a sin nature, 460 00:21:04,542 --> 00:21:08,250 is hell-bound, and dies? 461 00:21:08,333 --> 00:21:11,667 It's not just about eating a meal, 462 00:21:11,750 --> 00:21:14,833 it's about picking a friend. 463 00:21:14,917 --> 00:21:18,000 What Adam and Eve were doing is saying, 464 00:21:18,042 --> 00:21:20,292 "We choose not to be friends with God. 465 00:21:20,333 --> 00:21:22,375 "We choose to be friends with Satan. 466 00:21:22,458 --> 00:21:25,583 "We choose to disobey God and obey Satan. 467 00:21:25,667 --> 00:21:27,667 "We're pushing God out of our lives 468 00:21:27,750 --> 00:21:29,833 and we're inviting Satan in." 469 00:21:29,917 --> 00:21:34,000 We don't just eat meals, we worship, 470 00:21:34,042 --> 00:21:37,000 and sometimes eating is worshiping. 471 00:21:37,042 --> 00:21:39,000 That's why Paul says in the New Testament, 472 00:21:39,042 --> 00:21:41,500 "For some people, their God is their stomach." 473 00:21:41,542 --> 00:21:45,875 Eating is a form of worshiping, and when we eat a meal, 474 00:21:45,958 --> 00:21:50,250 we're not just choosing a food, we're picking a relationship. 475 00:21:50,333 --> 00:21:52,500 That's why Christians pray before their meals. 476 00:21:52,542 --> 00:21:54,167 "Lord Jesus, thank you. 477 00:21:54,250 --> 00:21:55,875 We welcome you." 478 00:21:55,958 --> 00:21:57,500 That's why some Christian traditions, 479 00:21:57,542 --> 00:22:00,083 they pray after the meal, specifically thanking God 480 00:22:00,167 --> 00:22:03,833 for the things they enjoyed most about the meal. 481 00:22:03,917 --> 00:22:07,500 Eating is a very sacred thing. 482 00:22:07,542 --> 00:22:09,458 It's a worshipful thing. 483 00:22:09,500 --> 00:22:12,833 And what happens in Genesis 3 is that a meal is eaten without 484 00:22:12,917 --> 00:22:18,083 God, and a friendship is forged in rebellion against God, 485 00:22:18,167 --> 00:22:20,792 and then the promise is made that Jesus will come 486 00:22:20,833 --> 00:22:26,000 and he will make all things new and better. 487 00:22:26,042 --> 00:22:29,542 What happens then is they are kicked out of the Garden of Eden 488 00:22:29,625 --> 00:22:32,000 and they're cast away from the tree of life, 489 00:22:32,042 --> 00:22:34,167 because had they partaken of the tree of life, 490 00:22:34,250 --> 00:22:38,583 they would have lived forever in sin, separated from God. 491 00:22:38,667 --> 00:22:41,667 So, it was an act of grace that God kicked them out. 492 00:22:41,750 --> 00:22:44,500 Well, this family grew to be the nation of Israel, 493 00:22:44,542 --> 00:22:49,167 the story continues, and from one of the descendants, Abraham, 494 00:22:49,208 --> 00:22:51,750 comes a nation called Israel. 495 00:22:51,833 --> 00:22:56,167 And the nation of Israel, under famine--again, a lot of the Bible 496 00:22:56,250 --> 00:22:59,500 centers around this idea and theme of meals, 497 00:22:59,583 --> 00:23:01,250 and feasting, and eating. 498 00:23:01,333 --> 00:23:03,083 Famine hit and there was no food, 499 00:23:03,167 --> 00:23:05,875 so God's people took refuge in Egypt. 500 00:23:05,958 --> 00:23:09,958 There they were for about 440 years, 501 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:12,542 and there was a succession, a series of pharaohs. 502 00:23:12,625 --> 00:23:15,833 These are kings that are worshiped as gods. 503 00:23:15,917 --> 00:23:18,083 Some of the pharaohs were kind to God's people, 504 00:23:18,167 --> 00:23:19,583 some were cruel. 505 00:23:19,667 --> 00:23:22,458 Well, it culminated with a most cruel pharaoh. 506 00:23:22,500 --> 00:23:25,000 He was abusive and harsh to God's people, 507 00:23:25,042 --> 00:23:27,167 he mistreated them, he abused them. 508 00:23:27,208 --> 00:23:29,875 He did not want them to worship their God, 509 00:23:29,958 --> 00:23:32,458 he wanted them to worship him as God. 510 00:23:32,500 --> 00:23:37,000 And so that brings us to meal number two, the Passover. 511 00:23:37,042 --> 00:23:40,042 We read of this in the next book of the Bible, Exodus, 512 00:23:40,125 --> 00:23:42,292 also written by Moses. 513 00:23:42,333 --> 00:23:45,667 And if you want to study this further and discuss this in your 514 00:23:45,708 --> 00:23:48,083 Community Group, go to Exodus 12 and investigate it 515 00:23:48,167 --> 00:23:49,667 for yourself this week. 516 00:23:49,708 --> 00:23:53,458 For purposes of time, let me give you a summary. 517 00:23:53,500 --> 00:23:57,167 What happened was God raised up a guy named Moses to confront 518 00:23:57,250 --> 00:23:59,833 this king named Pharaoh, 519 00:23:59,875 --> 00:24:02,583 and Moses came on behalf of the Lord. 520 00:24:02,667 --> 00:24:04,458 So the Lord would tell him, 521 00:24:04,500 --> 00:24:06,458 "Go to the Pharaoh and tell him this," 522 00:24:06,500 --> 00:24:09,667 and what we see over, and over, and over is that God is, 523 00:24:09,708 --> 00:24:12,875 through Moses, very gracious to the Pharaoh, 524 00:24:12,958 --> 00:24:16,000 and every time that Moses comes to him, in some varying way, 525 00:24:16,042 --> 00:24:19,000 he says, "You're not the real God. 526 00:24:19,042 --> 00:24:21,292 "You're just a man. 527 00:24:21,333 --> 00:24:24,583 "The real God, the God who made the heavens and the earth, 528 00:24:24,667 --> 00:24:27,458 "he's displeased with your behavior. 529 00:24:27,500 --> 00:24:29,333 "You're mistreating, abusing people. 530 00:24:29,417 --> 00:24:32,292 "You've enslaved them and taken away their dignity. 531 00:24:32,333 --> 00:24:36,000 "Those are God's people and he loves his people, 532 00:24:36,042 --> 00:24:40,167 "and so God wants you to stop pretending that you're God 533 00:24:40,208 --> 00:24:44,333 and to release his people to be free to worship him." 534 00:24:44,417 --> 00:24:46,667 And this is a few million people, 535 00:24:46,750 --> 00:24:51,000 massive economic loss for the Egyptians and the Pharaoh. 536 00:24:51,042 --> 00:24:54,250 Repeatedly, the Pharaoh says, "No, 537 00:24:54,333 --> 00:24:58,083 "I will not release God's people from slavery and bondage. 538 00:24:58,167 --> 00:25:00,583 They're mine, not his people." 539 00:25:00,667 --> 00:25:04,500 And every time, God sends Moses, promising a succession 540 00:25:04,542 --> 00:25:06,000 of plagues. 541 00:25:06,042 --> 00:25:08,667 "Let them go or the river's going to turn to blood. 542 00:25:08,708 --> 00:25:12,375 "Let them go or you're going to have a serious bug problem. 543 00:25:12,458 --> 00:25:15,375 "Let them go or there's going to be some sort of consequence. 544 00:25:15,458 --> 00:25:18,250 "Your crops are all going to die in the field. 545 00:25:18,333 --> 00:25:20,167 You're going to see." 546 00:25:20,208 --> 00:25:22,542 And over, and over, and over, God tells Moses, 547 00:25:22,625 --> 00:25:24,333 "Okay, I'm upping." 548 00:25:24,417 --> 00:25:26,333 You look at it like a dimmer switch. 549 00:25:26,417 --> 00:25:27,833 "I'm upping the consequences." Right? 550 00:25:27,917 --> 00:25:29,833 "It's gonna get worse, it's gonna get worse, 551 00:25:29,917 --> 00:25:31,667 it's gonna get worse," and another opportunity. 552 00:25:31,750 --> 00:25:33,667 Every single time, Pharaoh says no. 553 00:25:33,750 --> 00:25:37,667 What you see in the Exodus is sometimes it says that God 554 00:25:37,750 --> 00:25:39,542 hardened Pharaoh's heart. 555 00:25:39,625 --> 00:25:43,250 Sometimes it says that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. 556 00:25:43,333 --> 00:25:45,750 And the truth is, both happened. 557 00:25:45,833 --> 00:25:49,667 God was nice, loving, gracious, patient, and kind to Pharaoh, 558 00:25:49,750 --> 00:25:52,583 and that only made him more angry, more bitter, 559 00:25:52,667 --> 00:25:55,167 more self-righteous, more stubborn. 560 00:25:55,250 --> 00:25:56,875 You ever met somebody like that? 561 00:25:56,958 --> 00:26:00,875 You ever been somebody like that? 562 00:26:00,958 --> 00:26:07,250 Pharaoh says no and Egypt starts to suffer judgment from God, 563 00:26:07,333 --> 00:26:11,792 and then it culminates with the final plague. 564 00:26:11,833 --> 00:26:14,083 "If you don't let God's people go, 565 00:26:14,167 --> 00:26:16,292 "death will come to every home in Egypt, 566 00:26:16,333 --> 00:26:21,458 and the firstborn son in every household will die in a night." 567 00:26:21,500 --> 00:26:24,292 Pharaoh hardens his heart. 568 00:26:24,333 --> 00:26:28,083 God's being so patient, so gracious. 569 00:26:28,167 --> 00:26:33,167 Pharaoh's being so stubborn, so hard-hearted. 570 00:26:36,458 --> 00:26:38,167 When we read the story, 571 00:26:38,250 --> 00:26:40,375 we've got to see that we're all like Pharaoh. 572 00:26:40,458 --> 00:26:44,167 We need a heart change. 573 00:26:44,250 --> 00:26:47,667 Death comes to Egypt. 574 00:26:47,750 --> 00:26:50,167 God's Word comes to pass. 575 00:26:50,250 --> 00:26:53,292 It says you could hear the mourning in the nation. 576 00:26:53,333 --> 00:26:56,458 Imagine tomorrow--alright, I'm a firstborn son. 577 00:26:56,500 --> 00:26:58,833 My son Zac is a firstborn son. 578 00:26:58,875 --> 00:27:02,250 Some of you are firstborn sons and you have firstborn sons. 579 00:27:02,333 --> 00:27:05,500 Imagine tomorrow we wake up and every firstborn son 580 00:27:05,542 --> 00:27:09,500 in our nation is dead. 581 00:27:09,542 --> 00:27:14,667 It's a massive day of national mourning. 582 00:27:14,750 --> 00:27:18,167 The funeral parlors can't handle the body count. 583 00:27:18,250 --> 00:27:24,042 They can't dig enough holes to get rid of the sons, 584 00:27:24,125 --> 00:27:27,625 because the wage for sin is death, 585 00:27:30,167 --> 00:27:32,958 and there's one exception. 586 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:37,667 Through Moses, God allows a provision that life 587 00:27:37,750 --> 00:27:42,167 would be spared, but it requires faith. 588 00:27:42,250 --> 00:27:45,292 And sometimes in the Bible, faith is an inward conviction, 589 00:27:45,333 --> 00:27:47,875 sometimes it's an outward action. 590 00:27:47,958 --> 00:27:52,042 Sometimes you can tell who has faith by what they do. 591 00:27:52,125 --> 00:27:54,875 So, what happens in the Exodus, God says, 592 00:27:54,958 --> 00:27:58,375 "Demonstrate your faith in me by taking a lamb without defects, 593 00:27:58,458 --> 00:28:01,875 "spot, or blemish, showing sinless perfection, 594 00:28:01,958 --> 00:28:04,333 "and this lamb is going to be a substitute, 595 00:28:04,417 --> 00:28:06,167 "because the wage for sin is death. 596 00:28:06,208 --> 00:28:09,167 "Without the shedding of blood, there's no remission of sin. 597 00:28:09,250 --> 00:28:12,667 "And every family needs to gather, and in faith, 598 00:28:12,708 --> 00:28:18,083 "slaughter that innocent, clean animal, take the blood, 599 00:28:18,167 --> 00:28:22,500 "go outside, and literally paint the entryway to the home, 600 00:28:22,542 --> 00:28:26,875 "showing, 'We trust in the God of the Bible. 601 00:28:26,958 --> 00:28:30,000 "'We know that everybody's a hard-hearted sinner. 602 00:28:30,042 --> 00:28:32,958 "'We know that sin results in death, 603 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:35,667 "'and we know that apart from the grace of God, 604 00:28:35,708 --> 00:28:39,875 we too shall suffer just condemnation.'" 605 00:28:39,958 --> 00:28:43,750 And God says, "As death comes through the nation, 606 00:28:43,833 --> 00:28:50,375 "we'll see the homes that, in faith, had a substitute 607 00:28:50,458 --> 00:28:56,167 "die for their sin, that those homes are covered by that blood, 608 00:28:56,208 --> 00:28:57,833 and that the wrath of God--" 609 00:28:57,875 --> 00:28:59,333 What we're talking about friends, 610 00:28:59,375 --> 00:29:02,083 is the wrath of God. Some of you are in unrepentance, 611 00:29:02,167 --> 00:29:03,500 rebellion, and sin. 612 00:29:03,542 --> 00:29:07,000 You're living in the path of the wrath of God, 613 00:29:07,042 --> 00:29:10,167 and many in that day did, and they didn't think that God 614 00:29:10,250 --> 00:29:13,542 would deal swiftly or justly with them, and he did. 615 00:29:13,625 --> 00:29:17,500 And some of you are dangerously close to experiencing 616 00:29:17,542 --> 00:29:19,083 the wrath of God. 617 00:29:19,167 --> 00:29:22,083 You live in the path of the wrath of God. 618 00:29:22,167 --> 00:29:25,500 But I want you to hear this: there was a way for them to 619 00:29:25,542 --> 00:29:29,250 escape the wrath of God, as there is a way for you to escape 620 00:29:29,333 --> 00:29:31,083 the wrath of God. 621 00:29:31,167 --> 00:29:33,292 In faith, 622 00:29:33,333 --> 00:29:37,583 that blood could be shed by a sinless substitute, 623 00:29:37,667 --> 00:29:43,000 and through faith, God's wrath would literally pass over you. 624 00:29:43,042 --> 00:29:46,292 That's where we get Passover. 625 00:29:46,333 --> 00:29:50,250 So, in the homes that had faith in the God of the Bible as 626 00:29:50,333 --> 00:29:53,792 demonstrated with the act of the sacrifice, death didn't come. 627 00:29:53,833 --> 00:29:55,458 Life came. 628 00:29:55,500 --> 00:29:56,875 There wasn't mourning. 629 00:29:56,958 --> 00:29:58,500 There was rejoicing. 630 00:29:58,542 --> 00:30:00,167 There wasn't a funeral. 631 00:30:00,250 --> 00:30:03,292 There was a party. 632 00:30:03,333 --> 00:30:05,250 And from that time on, 633 00:30:05,333 --> 00:30:07,375 in a month called Nisan--it's around 634 00:30:07,458 --> 00:30:09,958 March or April if memory serves me correct, 635 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:13,375 depending upon how the calendar was established year to year-- 636 00:30:13,458 --> 00:30:16,250 every year, God's people celebrated the feast 637 00:30:16,333 --> 00:30:17,750 of Passover. 638 00:30:17,833 --> 00:30:19,667 You ever heard of it? 639 00:30:19,750 --> 00:30:22,083 That's what it is, that's what it was, 640 00:30:22,167 --> 00:30:23,542 because God did liberate them. 641 00:30:23,625 --> 00:30:25,167 Pharaoh did let them go. 642 00:30:25,250 --> 00:30:26,958 He eventually tried to track them down 643 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:28,458 and God closed the Red Sea, 644 00:30:28,500 --> 00:30:30,458 and drowned the soldiers, and spared his people. 645 00:30:30,500 --> 00:30:33,542 And then they eventually did get to their promised land back 646 00:30:33,625 --> 00:30:38,958 home, and every year, God said, "Don't forget how I save you. 647 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:42,333 "You're powerless. You're in slavery. 648 00:30:42,417 --> 00:30:45,167 "Your sin is like a pharaoh that rules over you. 649 00:30:45,250 --> 00:30:47,500 "You're hard-hearted and stubborn. 650 00:30:47,542 --> 00:30:49,333 "You deserve to die. 651 00:30:49,417 --> 00:30:51,292 "But I've made a provision that through faith, 652 00:30:51,333 --> 00:30:53,542 "and the substitute, and the shedding of blood, 653 00:30:53,625 --> 00:30:56,667 "the wrath can be passed over, poured out on someone else, 654 00:30:56,750 --> 00:30:59,333 and you can be spared." 655 00:30:59,375 --> 00:31:02,583 So every year, God's people would gather for Passover. 656 00:31:02,667 --> 00:31:04,583 And you can read it in the Exodus, 657 00:31:04,667 --> 00:31:06,167 but God gave specific instructions. 658 00:31:06,250 --> 00:31:07,667 It's a bit of a manual. 659 00:31:07,750 --> 00:31:10,167 Do this, don't do that. Say this, don't say that. 660 00:31:10,250 --> 00:31:11,583 Here's how it's to go. 661 00:31:11,667 --> 00:31:14,500 If memory serves me correct, they did this every year 662 00:31:14,542 --> 00:31:17,875 for 1,440-some years. 663 00:31:17,958 --> 00:31:23,500 Let's just say over 1,000 years, every year, every Jewish family. 664 00:31:23,542 --> 00:31:25,958 It's like Christmas or Thanksgiving. 665 00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:28,333 It's a huge feast, it's a big meal, 666 00:31:28,417 --> 00:31:31,083 and it's theological in nature. 667 00:31:31,167 --> 00:31:35,333 They're saying, "How does our God save us?" 668 00:31:35,417 --> 00:31:41,458 By substitution, by shedding of blood, by a lamb, 669 00:31:41,500 --> 00:31:45,583 and our faith in a slaughtered lamb. 670 00:31:45,667 --> 00:31:48,000 And then comes Jesus. 671 00:31:48,042 --> 00:31:50,167 You ready for this? 672 00:31:50,208 --> 00:31:52,833 Jesus shows up, he's beginning his public ministry. 673 00:31:52,917 --> 00:31:56,167 His cousin John looks at Jesus. 674 00:31:56,250 --> 00:31:58,583 Here's what he says. 675 00:31:58,667 --> 00:32:01,167 John 1:29: 676 00:32:01,208 --> 00:32:04,333 "...the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" 677 00:32:04,417 --> 00:32:07,000 Early on in Jesus' ministry, it's publicly declared. 678 00:32:07,042 --> 00:32:08,792 "There he is! 679 00:32:08,833 --> 00:32:11,542 "There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins 680 00:32:11,625 --> 00:32:13,333 "of the world! 681 00:32:13,417 --> 00:32:16,000 "Here's the true Passover. Here's the true Israel. 682 00:32:16,042 --> 00:32:19,500 "Here's the true substitute. No sin. 683 00:32:19,542 --> 00:32:21,500 "He's without spot or blemish. 684 00:32:21,542 --> 00:32:23,083 "He's going to be our substitute. 685 00:32:23,167 --> 00:32:24,792 "He's going to die in our place. 686 00:32:24,833 --> 00:32:26,333 "He's going to shed his blood. 687 00:32:26,417 --> 00:32:30,000 Through faith in him, the wrath of God will pass over us." 688 00:32:30,042 --> 00:32:33,667 If you're here or hearing this and you're Jewish, 689 00:32:33,708 --> 00:32:36,292 Passover is about Jesus. 690 00:32:36,333 --> 00:32:39,667 Passover is preparatory, anticipatory. 691 00:32:39,750 --> 00:32:42,375 It's a sign pointing to a greater reality, 692 00:32:42,458 --> 00:32:44,167 Jesus Christ, 693 00:32:44,208 --> 00:32:47,875 the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. 694 00:32:47,958 --> 00:32:51,333 You may eat Passover but if you don't do so in faith, 695 00:32:51,417 --> 00:32:54,750 all you're doing is Genesis 3 again, 696 00:32:54,833 --> 00:32:59,500 a meal without God. 697 00:32:59,542 --> 00:33:01,667 1 Corinthians 5:7, here's what Paul says: 698 00:33:01,750 --> 00:33:04,500 "For Christ," our what? 699 00:33:04,542 --> 00:33:06,875 "Our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." 700 00:33:06,958 --> 00:33:09,792 This is all about the cross of Jesus. 701 00:33:09,833 --> 00:33:12,667 Without spot or blemish, without sin or defect, 702 00:33:12,750 --> 00:33:15,333 Jesus goes to the cross, substitutes himself, 703 00:33:15,417 --> 00:33:18,083 dies in our place for our sins. 704 00:33:18,167 --> 00:33:19,792 That's why, today, friends, 705 00:33:19,833 --> 00:33:21,667 we didn't have you bring a sacrifice. 706 00:33:21,750 --> 00:33:25,167 The sacrifice has been given, Hebrews says, "once for all." 707 00:33:25,208 --> 00:33:27,875 It's not about signs and symbols. 708 00:33:27,958 --> 00:33:31,542 It's about Jesus, our substitute and Savior. 709 00:33:31,625 --> 00:33:33,875 We don't need to offer sacrifices. 710 00:33:33,958 --> 00:33:36,167 Jesus has died once for all. 711 00:33:36,250 --> 00:33:38,750 He's our Passover Lamb. 712 00:33:38,833 --> 00:33:44,500 He's the fulfillment of over 1,000 years of meals. 713 00:33:44,542 --> 00:33:47,875 So, in Revelation 5:12, at the end of history, the culmination, 714 00:33:47,958 --> 00:33:51,583 the apex, the eternal entry point, what happens? 715 00:33:51,667 --> 00:33:54,667 God's people, every tribe, language, tongue, nation, 716 00:33:54,750 --> 00:33:57,458 "all peoples," it says in Revelations 5. 717 00:33:57,500 --> 00:34:00,250 Here's what they sing: "Worthy is the Lamb," and that's Jesus, 718 00:34:00,333 --> 00:34:01,667 "who was slain." 719 00:34:01,708 --> 00:34:06,042 Jesus is our Passover. 720 00:34:06,125 --> 00:34:08,375 Do you get that? 721 00:34:08,458 --> 00:34:10,167 Jesus is our Passover. 722 00:34:10,250 --> 00:34:12,167 Now, let's keep going. 723 00:34:12,208 --> 00:34:14,667 Jesus lives his sinless life. 724 00:34:14,750 --> 00:34:17,500 He's preaching, teaching, healing, casting out demons, 725 00:34:17,542 --> 00:34:22,250 and then it comes time for the Passover. 726 00:34:22,333 --> 00:34:25,792 Jesus, obeying the Scriptures, Jesus says this in Matthew 5, 727 00:34:25,833 --> 00:34:28,292 "Don't think that I've come to abolish the Scriptures, 728 00:34:28,333 --> 00:34:29,667 "the Law, and the Prophets. 729 00:34:29,750 --> 00:34:31,167 I've come to fulfill them." 730 00:34:31,208 --> 00:34:33,375 Jesus fulfills everything that was promised, 731 00:34:33,458 --> 00:34:35,250 prophesied, predicted 732 00:34:35,333 --> 00:34:37,292 in the Old Testament regarding him. 733 00:34:37,333 --> 00:34:41,375 It's Passover season, so Jesus is going to celebrate Passover, 734 00:34:41,458 --> 00:34:45,375 as the fulfillment of the expectation. 735 00:34:45,458 --> 00:34:48,458 So, that leads us to meal number three, the Last Supper. 736 00:34:48,500 --> 00:34:51,667 Matthew 26:26-28. 737 00:34:51,708 --> 00:34:53,292 "Now as they were," what? 738 00:34:53,333 --> 00:34:54,667 They're eating. 739 00:34:54,750 --> 00:34:56,083 It's a meal. 740 00:34:56,167 --> 00:34:58,667 Again, we eat our meals with God or without God. 741 00:34:58,750 --> 00:35:04,500 Here's Jesus, as God, eating a meal with his disciples. 742 00:35:04,542 --> 00:35:08,292 "Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it, 743 00:35:08,333 --> 00:35:10,333 "gave it to the disciples, and said, 744 00:35:10,417 --> 00:35:13,583 'Take, eat; this is my body.'" 745 00:35:13,667 --> 00:35:18,000 Okay, now, you and I, reading this, because we're not Jewish, 746 00:35:18,042 --> 00:35:20,292 because we've not been celebrating Passover 747 00:35:20,333 --> 00:35:23,333 our whole lives with our parents and our grandparents, 748 00:35:23,417 --> 00:35:28,083 most of us are Gentiles, our mind ceases to be absolutely 749 00:35:28,167 --> 00:35:30,667 exploded at this point. 750 00:35:30,750 --> 00:35:33,750 But what here, Jesus is doing is changing over 751 00:35:33,833 --> 00:35:36,500 1,000 years of history. 752 00:35:36,542 --> 00:35:39,167 No one ever said this. 753 00:35:39,250 --> 00:35:42,667 This was altogether new. 754 00:35:42,708 --> 00:35:47,000 In the history of God's people, no one ever--you didn't say this 755 00:35:47,042 --> 00:35:50,667 at Passover! 756 00:35:50,750 --> 00:35:53,167 Jesus did. 757 00:35:53,208 --> 00:35:56,000 And let me say this before I explain the significance 758 00:35:56,042 --> 00:35:57,667 of what he's articulating. 759 00:35:57,750 --> 00:35:59,667 Some of you would say, "I like Jesus. 760 00:35:59,750 --> 00:36:01,958 I think he's a nice guy, a moral teacher." 761 00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:06,500 Don't reduce Jesus into someone he's not. 762 00:36:06,542 --> 00:36:10,375 Receive him as he is or reject him as he is, 763 00:36:10,458 --> 00:36:14,500 but he is who he is. 764 00:36:14,542 --> 00:36:19,750 And here's what he's saying: "I'm God. 765 00:36:19,833 --> 00:36:22,875 "I'm the fulfillment of prophecy. 766 00:36:22,958 --> 00:36:25,083 "The whole Old Testament's about me. 767 00:36:25,167 --> 00:36:27,083 "Passover's about me. 768 00:36:27,167 --> 00:36:29,167 "Everybody who's gathering in all their homes 769 00:36:29,250 --> 00:36:30,792 "across the nation today, 770 00:36:30,833 --> 00:36:32,167 "and they're all celebrating, 771 00:36:32,250 --> 00:36:34,833 it's about me and I'm here." 772 00:36:34,917 --> 00:36:37,583 He takes the bread and he says, "This is my body." 773 00:36:37,667 --> 00:36:39,792 Here's what I want you to remember, Mars Hill. 774 00:36:39,833 --> 00:36:45,000 Every time you have a piece of bread, remember Jesus' body, 775 00:36:45,042 --> 00:36:48,083 broken for me. 776 00:36:48,167 --> 00:36:51,500 Jesus' body broken for me. 777 00:36:51,542 --> 00:36:53,875 He went to the cross, substituted himself. 778 00:36:53,958 --> 00:36:55,667 He suffered. 779 00:36:55,708 --> 00:37:01,458 God became a man, suffered physically in his body for me. 780 00:37:01,500 --> 00:37:03,167 That's what Jesus is saying. 781 00:37:03,250 --> 00:37:04,667 No one ever said that. 782 00:37:04,708 --> 00:37:06,292 You weren't supposed to say that. 783 00:37:06,333 --> 00:37:07,667 God wrote a book. 784 00:37:07,750 --> 00:37:11,083 In the book he said what to say, he didn't say to say that, 785 00:37:11,167 --> 00:37:17,333 but now here, God comes and God fulfills Passover. 786 00:37:17,417 --> 00:37:20,667 Do you understand the significance of this? 787 00:37:20,750 --> 00:37:22,375 The story continues. 788 00:37:22,458 --> 00:37:26,083 "He took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, 789 00:37:26,167 --> 00:37:29,333 saying, 'Drink of it, all of you, for this is my,'" what? 790 00:37:29,417 --> 00:37:34,042 "Blood." Who says this? 791 00:37:34,125 --> 00:37:37,000 Who says this? 792 00:37:37,042 --> 00:37:39,042 Well, why should we drink? 793 00:37:39,125 --> 00:37:41,875 He says, "Well, it's poured out for many for the," what? 794 00:37:41,958 --> 00:37:44,167 "The forgiveness of sins." 795 00:37:44,250 --> 00:37:46,292 Here's the bottom line. 796 00:37:46,333 --> 00:37:47,667 We're sinners. 797 00:37:47,750 --> 00:37:49,333 You're a sinner, I'm a sinner. 798 00:37:49,417 --> 00:37:50,750 We're all like Pharaoh, hard-hearted, 799 00:37:50,833 --> 00:37:53,958 want to be our own God, disagree, let me do what I want, 800 00:37:54,000 --> 00:37:56,875 don't impose on my life, this is my perspective, my values, 801 00:37:56,958 --> 00:37:59,708 my kingdom, I'm in charge. 802 00:37:59,792 --> 00:38:04,083 Jesus comes, says, "No, you're a sinner. 803 00:38:04,167 --> 00:38:08,042 "You got a hard heart and you need a new heart. 804 00:38:08,125 --> 00:38:10,833 You need your sins forgiven." 805 00:38:10,917 --> 00:38:12,500 Only God can forgive our sins. 806 00:38:12,542 --> 00:38:14,583 I think it's in Psalm 51, David says, 807 00:38:14,667 --> 00:38:16,667 "Against you only, Lord God, have I sinned." 808 00:38:16,750 --> 00:38:20,667 Our sin is against God, so only God can forgive us, 809 00:38:20,708 --> 00:38:23,667 and here's what Jesus says: "I forgive sin." 810 00:38:23,708 --> 00:38:26,042 This is a claim to be God. 811 00:38:26,125 --> 00:38:29,375 On another occasion, I think it's in Mark's gospel, they say, 812 00:38:29,458 --> 00:38:31,583 "This man commits blasphemy. 813 00:38:31,667 --> 00:38:33,167 "He claims he can forgive sin. 814 00:38:33,250 --> 00:38:35,000 Who can forgive sin but God alone?" 815 00:38:35,042 --> 00:38:36,583 The answer is nobody. 816 00:38:36,667 --> 00:38:39,000 Here Jesus says, "I'm God, I forgive sin. 817 00:38:39,042 --> 00:38:41,500 "The Old Testament's about me, Passover's about me, 818 00:38:41,542 --> 00:38:43,875 "the bread's about me, the wine's about me. 819 00:38:43,958 --> 00:38:45,958 "Broken body, shed blood. 820 00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:49,333 I am the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." 821 00:38:49,417 --> 00:38:52,542 Let me say this: that's true or false. 822 00:38:52,625 --> 00:38:56,667 He's God without sin who takes away the sins of the world, 823 00:38:56,750 --> 00:38:59,792 or he's not. 824 00:38:59,833 --> 00:39:05,667 At Mars Hill Church, we deeply, continually, sincerely, 825 00:39:05,750 --> 00:39:11,583 passionately believe that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes 826 00:39:11,667 --> 00:39:15,375 away the sins of the world, that he's our Passover, 827 00:39:15,458 --> 00:39:17,333 that he's without spot or blemish, 828 00:39:17,417 --> 00:39:19,833 that he's our substitute, that he's God among us, 829 00:39:19,917 --> 00:39:25,000 that his body was broken and his blood was shed, and in him, 830 00:39:25,042 --> 00:39:29,500 through him, for him, by him alone 831 00:39:29,542 --> 00:39:31,667 is there forgiveness of sin. 832 00:39:31,750 --> 00:39:37,500 That's what we believe. 833 00:39:37,542 --> 00:39:41,000 So, when we take Communion, it's about who? 834 00:39:41,042 --> 00:39:42,458 Jesus! 835 00:39:42,500 --> 00:39:45,667 And I need you to know this 'cause at so many churches, 836 00:39:45,750 --> 00:39:47,500 they either don't take Communion, 837 00:39:47,542 --> 00:39:50,583 or they take it and don't tell you what it's about. 838 00:39:50,667 --> 00:39:56,167 Now, Jesus says some things here that are hard to understand. 839 00:39:56,208 --> 00:39:58,958 He says, "This is my body, this is my blood." 840 00:39:59,000 --> 00:40:03,750 Here's the question, and I'm gonna see if we can get 841 00:40:03,833 --> 00:40:07,250 the toothpaste back in the tube theologically on this, right, 842 00:40:07,333 --> 00:40:09,250 because what happens is, Jesus says this, 843 00:40:09,333 --> 00:40:11,792 and then all these interpretations come out. 844 00:40:11,833 --> 00:40:14,500 And the question is, did he mean that literally? 845 00:40:14,542 --> 00:40:17,500 How many of you have heard you can't take the Bible literally? 846 00:40:17,542 --> 00:40:19,583 Every time somebody says that, I ask them, 847 00:40:19,667 --> 00:40:22,375 "Do you want me to take you literally or--?" 848 00:40:22,458 --> 00:40:25,167 I mean, I had a debate in college with one guy, 849 00:40:25,208 --> 00:40:27,167 and this was kind of a public thing. 850 00:40:27,208 --> 00:40:29,667 And he was like, "You can't take the Bible literally." 851 00:40:29,708 --> 00:40:31,375 I said, "So, you don't like ponies?" 852 00:40:31,458 --> 00:40:33,083 He said, "That's not what I said." 853 00:40:33,167 --> 00:40:34,833 I said, "Well, that was my interpretation." 854 00:40:34,917 --> 00:40:37,542 The whole point was you want to be taken literally. 855 00:40:37,625 --> 00:40:41,792 You want to be taken literally and so does God. 856 00:40:41,833 --> 00:40:43,167 Okay. 857 00:40:43,250 --> 00:40:45,667 So, at Mars Hill, do we believe you should take 858 00:40:45,750 --> 00:40:47,083 the Bible literally? 859 00:40:47,167 --> 00:40:48,583 Yes or no? Yes. 860 00:40:48,667 --> 00:40:50,083 But, there's two kinds of literal. 861 00:40:50,167 --> 00:40:51,500 Okay. 862 00:40:51,542 --> 00:40:54,000 So, I know it's summertime, you're not supposed to be 863 00:40:54,042 --> 00:40:55,750 in class, and you're like, "Oh no." 864 00:40:55,833 --> 00:40:57,167 Okay. No, no, just listen. 865 00:40:57,208 --> 00:40:58,500 There's plain literal and figurative literal. 866 00:40:58,583 --> 00:41:01,083 We do this in the Bible and all other literature 867 00:41:01,167 --> 00:41:02,500 and conversation. 868 00:41:02,542 --> 00:41:05,667 So, if I tell you, "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse," 869 00:41:05,750 --> 00:41:07,458 yes or no, I want a horse? 870 00:41:07,500 --> 00:41:08,833 No. 871 00:41:08,917 --> 00:41:10,583 If you bring me a horse, I'll say, 872 00:41:10,667 --> 00:41:12,083 "That's--no, I wanted a cheeseburger." 873 00:41:12,167 --> 00:41:13,500 You know? 874 00:41:13,542 --> 00:41:14,875 But you'll say, "Oh! 875 00:41:14,958 --> 00:41:16,292 You're a hypocrite." 876 00:41:16,333 --> 00:41:20,958 "No, I'm--I'm using a metaphor, you know? 877 00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:24,583 And you're being religious and no fun at all and--" 878 00:41:24,667 --> 00:41:27,958 Okay. So, we use metaphors, right? 879 00:41:28,000 --> 00:41:31,833 We use analogies and similes and modes of talk, 880 00:41:31,917 --> 00:41:34,667 and it doesn't mean we're not communicating a literal truth. 881 00:41:34,708 --> 00:41:38,083 A figurative communication can still articulate a literal truth 882 00:41:38,167 --> 00:41:39,500 in a poetic way. 883 00:41:39,542 --> 00:41:41,042 I'll give an example. 884 00:41:41,125 --> 00:41:43,792 I've used it before, but my daughter, Alexie, she's amazing, 885 00:41:43,833 --> 00:41:45,667 and sweet, and I totally adore her. 886 00:41:45,708 --> 00:41:48,042 And she's sort of poetic and gets arty 887 00:41:48,125 --> 00:41:49,500 with her words sometimes. 888 00:41:49,542 --> 00:41:52,500 So, she looked at me one day with her big blue eyes. 889 00:41:52,542 --> 00:41:54,500 She looks just like Tinkerbell, or she says, 890 00:41:54,542 --> 00:41:55,875 "Tinkerbell looks like me." 891 00:41:55,958 --> 00:41:59,125 And she said, "Poppa Daddy, I love you as big as the sky 892 00:41:59,167 --> 00:42:01,375 and as deep as the ocean." 893 00:42:01,458 --> 00:42:05,042 What I didn't say was, "7.4 billion cubic feet?" 894 00:42:05,125 --> 00:42:06,458 See? 895 00:42:06,500 --> 00:42:08,167 I don't know how big it is. 896 00:42:08,250 --> 00:42:09,583 I've never really measured it. 897 00:42:09,667 --> 00:42:13,000 I understood she loves me with everything. 898 00:42:13,042 --> 00:42:14,875 You get that? 899 00:42:14,958 --> 00:42:16,958 So it is in the Scriptures. 900 00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:19,792 So, our view is assume it's plain literal. 901 00:42:19,833 --> 00:42:21,583 "Jesus died." You know what that means? 902 00:42:21,667 --> 00:42:24,875 Dead. Okay? 903 00:42:24,958 --> 00:42:26,292 What about in the Greek? 904 00:42:26,333 --> 00:42:28,667 Dead. 905 00:42:28,750 --> 00:42:32,583 When it says something in a poetic way, 906 00:42:32,667 --> 00:42:34,292 it's still literal, 907 00:42:34,333 --> 00:42:37,042 but it's articulated in a creative fashion 908 00:42:37,125 --> 00:42:39,167 to articulate a literal truth. 909 00:42:39,208 --> 00:42:41,958 So, we assume plain literal, and if it doesn't make sense, 910 00:42:42,000 --> 00:42:43,333 we go to figurative literal. 911 00:42:43,417 --> 00:42:46,292 Okay, here's the big theological war. 912 00:42:46,333 --> 00:42:49,083 How literally do we take Jesus' words? 913 00:42:49,167 --> 00:42:51,667 Because how many of you were raised Catholic? 914 00:42:51,750 --> 00:42:54,083 Okay. Glad to have you. 915 00:42:54,167 --> 00:42:55,542 Okay. 916 00:42:55,625 --> 00:42:58,500 I was raised Catholic and I was an altar boy, 917 00:42:58,583 --> 00:43:01,875 and I assisted the priest in serving Communion. 918 00:43:01,958 --> 00:43:04,833 And I didn't fully understand it and I don't blame anybody 919 00:43:04,917 --> 00:43:06,500 but myself. 920 00:43:06,542 --> 00:43:08,250 I didn't do my homework, I guess. 921 00:43:08,333 --> 00:43:09,667 But, the Catholic Church teaches, basically, 922 00:43:09,750 --> 00:43:11,292 a position called transubstantiation, 923 00:43:11,333 --> 00:43:13,792 and that is that the elements literally, 924 00:43:13,833 --> 00:43:17,292 actually become the body and blood of Christ, and so Jesus 925 00:43:17,333 --> 00:43:20,583 is, in some sense, getting recrucified every Mass 926 00:43:20,667 --> 00:43:22,583 by the priest. 927 00:43:22,667 --> 00:43:24,000 Okay? 928 00:43:24,042 --> 00:43:26,583 What that means is if you eat the elements, 929 00:43:26,667 --> 00:43:29,792 I guess you're eating Jesus, and so in the early church, 930 00:43:29,833 --> 00:43:32,583 the word got out, "They're all cannibals! 931 00:43:32,667 --> 00:43:35,083 "Yeah, they get a guy and they eat his body 932 00:43:35,167 --> 00:43:36,500 "and drink his blood. 933 00:43:36,542 --> 00:43:38,167 "It's like a zombie horror film. 934 00:43:38,250 --> 00:43:40,083 "It's just--it's Scooby Doo spooky, 935 00:43:40,167 --> 00:43:41,875 "that whole Christian thing. 936 00:43:41,958 --> 00:43:43,750 "Whatever you do, don't go. 937 00:43:43,833 --> 00:43:45,500 "They're gonna put barbecue sauce on you 938 00:43:45,542 --> 00:43:47,500 "and your mom will never see you again. 939 00:43:47,542 --> 00:43:52,875 It's a horrible place to be." You know? 940 00:43:52,958 --> 00:43:56,583 Then there's another position held by Lutherans, Anglicans, 941 00:43:56,667 --> 00:43:58,333 and others. 942 00:43:58,375 --> 00:43:59,833 It's consubstantiation. 943 00:43:59,875 --> 00:44:01,958 They would use the language of real presence. 944 00:44:02,000 --> 00:44:05,042 And it's not that the elements of bread and wine literally 945 00:44:05,125 --> 00:44:07,083 become the physical body of Christ, 946 00:44:07,167 --> 00:44:09,792 but--I'll use the language to make sure I get it right-- 947 00:44:09,833 --> 00:44:11,875 Jesus is really present, quote, 948 00:44:11,958 --> 00:44:16,000 "in, with, and under the forms of bread and wine." 949 00:44:16,042 --> 00:44:19,458 So, there's sort of a mysterious presence of Jesus surrounding 950 00:44:19,500 --> 00:44:21,792 the elements, though it's not his actual, 951 00:44:21,833 --> 00:44:24,375 physical body and blood. 952 00:44:24,458 --> 00:44:27,167 Third position, from a guy named Huldrych Zwingli. 953 00:44:27,250 --> 00:44:30,667 Kindergarten was probably horrible for that guy. 954 00:44:30,708 --> 00:44:34,708 "Okay, write your name!" 955 00:44:37,542 --> 00:44:43,667 So, Huldrych Zwingli, he came up with the position basically 956 00:44:43,750 --> 00:44:46,792 called memorial feast, where he says, 957 00:44:46,833 --> 00:44:49,167 "You know, it's not Jesus' literal body and blood. 958 00:44:49,208 --> 00:44:52,667 "He's not physically or even spiritually present. 959 00:44:52,708 --> 00:44:54,292 "It's a memorial feast. 960 00:44:54,333 --> 00:44:55,667 "It's a remembrance. 961 00:44:55,750 --> 00:44:57,083 It's a looking back." 962 00:44:57,167 --> 00:45:00,167 So, in the Catholic Church, it's hugely important that you 963 00:45:00,208 --> 00:45:01,667 take Communion every week. 964 00:45:01,750 --> 00:45:03,667 In the Lutheran/Anglican Church, it's really important you 965 00:45:03,750 --> 00:45:05,083 take Communion every week. 966 00:45:05,167 --> 00:45:07,292 If you're in a church that's from the tradition 967 00:45:07,333 --> 00:45:08,792 of the interpretation of Huldrych Zwingli, 968 00:45:08,833 --> 00:45:10,542 it's not that big of a deal. 969 00:45:10,625 --> 00:45:12,750 Those of you who were raised Baptist, you're like, 970 00:45:12,833 --> 00:45:14,458 "Yeah, we took Communion once, I think. 971 00:45:14,500 --> 00:45:17,167 "They gave us a little thing with juice and a cracker 972 00:45:17,250 --> 00:45:20,167 "that was older than me, and I don't why we did it, 973 00:45:20,250 --> 00:45:22,750 but it definitely wasn't filling or satisfying." 974 00:45:22,833 --> 00:45:25,583 Or if you come from a more Charismatic/Pentecostal 975 00:45:25,667 --> 00:45:28,083 tradition, you do Communion once a week--or rather than 976 00:45:28,167 --> 00:45:31,292 once a week, you do it once a month or once a year, 977 00:45:31,333 --> 00:45:32,667 or once every presidential election. 978 00:45:32,750 --> 00:45:35,667 I mean, it's not a big deal. It doesn't happen a lot. 979 00:45:35,750 --> 00:45:38,167 Now, for those of you who have a church background, 980 00:45:38,250 --> 00:45:39,583 what was it? 981 00:45:39,667 --> 00:45:41,292 You say, "Yeah, we never took Communion, 982 00:45:41,333 --> 00:45:44,667 "or I don't remember it, or we took it every week, but it was, 983 00:45:44,750 --> 00:45:47,458 "you know, a little bit more of a mysterious supernatural--or it 984 00:45:47,500 --> 00:45:50,458 "was, you know, Catholic, and it was for the forgiveness of sins 985 00:45:50,500 --> 00:45:52,958 "and we're killing Jesus again, and it's like a funeral. 986 00:45:53,000 --> 00:45:54,333 You're supposed to be sad." 987 00:45:54,417 --> 00:45:55,750 What was it? 988 00:45:55,833 --> 00:45:58,500 At Mars Hill Church, we believe this is to be interpreted 989 00:45:58,542 --> 00:45:59,875 figuratively. Okay? 990 00:45:59,958 --> 00:46:01,458 I'll give you some other examples. 991 00:46:01,500 --> 00:46:03,458 Jesus says, "I'm the vine. You're the branches." 992 00:46:03,500 --> 00:46:04,833 Does he have leaves? 993 00:46:04,917 --> 00:46:06,833 Do you think if you looked at him, you're like, 994 00:46:06,917 --> 00:46:09,375 "Dude's got a lot of leaves"? 995 00:46:09,458 --> 00:46:11,375 No, because that's a figure of speech, right? 996 00:46:11,458 --> 00:46:12,792 A great one. 997 00:46:12,833 --> 00:46:14,500 Jesus says, "I am the door." 998 00:46:14,542 --> 00:46:17,000 If you lifted up his toga, would you see hinges? 999 00:46:17,042 --> 00:46:18,375 Yes or no? 1000 00:46:18,458 --> 00:46:20,083 No, there's no hinges. He's hinge-free. 1001 00:46:20,167 --> 00:46:24,375 Figurative literal, Mark was right, okay? 1002 00:46:24,458 --> 00:46:27,875 You get my point though, right? 1003 00:46:27,958 --> 00:46:30,167 So, when he says, "This is my body. 1004 00:46:30,250 --> 00:46:33,750 This is my blood," figure of speech. 1005 00:46:33,833 --> 00:46:36,667 But our position falls in the line of interpretation of a guy 1006 00:46:36,750 --> 00:46:40,375 named John Calvin, who my second son is named after. 1007 00:46:40,458 --> 00:46:44,792 And Calvin's view is that God's people should regularly partake 1008 00:46:44,833 --> 00:46:47,167 of Communion, so we do every week. 1009 00:46:47,208 --> 00:46:49,875 Jesus says, "Do this in remembrance of me," so we do. 1010 00:46:49,958 --> 00:46:53,167 And that when we partake, it's not literally Jesus' body 1011 00:46:53,250 --> 00:46:57,167 and blood, but he is present, not so much in the elements, 1012 00:46:57,208 --> 00:46:59,708 but in the presence of the Holy Spirit. 1013 00:46:59,792 --> 00:47:03,167 That when God's people are filled with the Holy Spirit and they 1014 00:47:03,250 --> 00:47:07,167 gather as God's family, and Jesus is honored, 1015 00:47:07,208 --> 00:47:10,583 and remembered, and celebrated, and sin is repented of, 1016 00:47:10,667 --> 00:47:14,083 and the cross of Jesus Christ is adored, 1017 00:47:14,167 --> 00:47:18,042 the Holy Spirit is really present with God's people, 1018 00:47:18,125 --> 00:47:21,042 and it's a sacred moment for the family to honor 1019 00:47:21,125 --> 00:47:23,000 our big brother, Jesus. 1020 00:47:23,042 --> 00:47:24,667 That's what we believe. 1021 00:47:24,750 --> 00:47:27,500 It's more than just a looking back and a memorial feast, 1022 00:47:27,542 --> 00:47:30,792 but we're not gonna recrucify Christ every Sunday, 1023 00:47:30,833 --> 00:47:34,000 because Hebrews says, "Once for all, his blood was shed, 1024 00:47:34,042 --> 00:47:35,667 his life was given." 1025 00:47:35,750 --> 00:47:37,875 So, the way we do it at Mars Hill, 1026 00:47:37,958 --> 00:47:39,292 it's two different ways. 1027 00:47:39,333 --> 00:47:40,792 On Sundays, every service, or Saturday, 1028 00:47:40,833 --> 00:47:43,292 or whatever time we may be gathering for church service, 1029 00:47:43,333 --> 00:47:44,667 we take Communion every week. 1030 00:47:44,750 --> 00:47:48,250 And we put it in the middle of the service so that God's Word 1031 00:47:48,333 --> 00:47:50,167 is proclaimed, and then there's a response. 1032 00:47:50,250 --> 00:47:53,167 And that's where, if you're not a Christian, you turn from sin, 1033 00:47:53,250 --> 00:47:57,333 trust in Jesus by faith, and you partake of Communion 1034 00:47:57,417 --> 00:48:00,792 as an act of faith, as a demonstration of faith. 1035 00:48:00,833 --> 00:48:03,750 And we get out of our seats and we do it together, 1036 00:48:03,833 --> 00:48:07,000 remembering Jesus got out of his grave and one day we'll get out 1037 00:48:07,042 --> 00:48:10,167 of our graves, and together we'll be with him forever. 1038 00:48:10,250 --> 00:48:12,667 And we take Communion every week in that form, 1039 00:48:12,750 --> 00:48:15,042 in addition to Community Groups. 1040 00:48:15,125 --> 00:48:17,292 And there's over 600 groups with over 8,000 people. 1041 00:48:17,333 --> 00:48:19,375 We'd love you to get into one! 1042 00:48:19,458 --> 00:48:21,833 And what Community Groups do, they study the Bible, pray, 1043 00:48:21,917 --> 00:48:24,667 they do missions, reaching their community, they do service, 1044 00:48:24,750 --> 00:48:26,500 helping those in need and the poor, 1045 00:48:26,542 --> 00:48:28,667 and they often times also have a meal together, 1046 00:48:28,750 --> 00:48:30,792 and that's a Communion meal. 1047 00:48:30,833 --> 00:48:33,000 That's a Communion meal. 1048 00:48:33,083 --> 00:48:36,625 We also serve wine and juice because of conscience. 1049 00:48:36,667 --> 00:48:39,000 Some people struggle with alcoholism in their backgrounds, 1050 00:48:39,042 --> 00:48:41,167 so we'll offer both so that you can live 1051 00:48:41,250 --> 00:48:42,875 according to conscience. 1052 00:48:42,958 --> 00:48:45,708 And we'll have bread, and we're--I think we even have 1053 00:48:45,792 --> 00:48:47,625 gluten-free bread. 1054 00:48:47,667 --> 00:48:50,125 I mean, it's the day we live in. You know? 1055 00:48:50,167 --> 00:48:52,125 I guess some people, if they have gluten, 1056 00:48:52,167 --> 00:48:55,333 they blow up like a puffer fish and we got to rush them 1057 00:48:55,375 --> 00:48:57,000 to the hospital, and it's a thing. 1058 00:48:57,083 --> 00:48:59,208 So what we do is we have gluten-free bread, 1059 00:48:59,292 --> 00:49:01,500 and I'm sorry, I know your sandwiches are terrible. 1060 00:49:01,542 --> 00:49:03,250 One day, you'll get a resurrected body 1061 00:49:03,333 --> 00:49:05,458 and an awesome sandwich and it'll be all better. 1062 00:49:05,500 --> 00:49:09,375 Until then--until then-- 1063 00:49:09,458 --> 00:49:11,333 Jesus is not the gluten-free bread of life, 1064 00:49:11,417 --> 00:49:13,375 but you do what you gotta do. Right? 1065 00:49:13,458 --> 00:49:15,542 So, you do what you gotta do. 1066 00:49:15,625 --> 00:49:18,083 So, we allow you to partake according to conscience 1067 00:49:18,167 --> 00:49:22,167 and conviction, and that's all following the Last Supper of 1068 00:49:22,250 --> 00:49:26,583 Jesus, and the early church started this kind of Communion. 1069 00:49:26,667 --> 00:49:29,958 And so, that goes to meal number four. 1070 00:49:30,000 --> 00:49:32,375 And let me say this: as God's people take Communion, 1071 00:49:32,458 --> 00:49:33,792 what we're showing is, 1072 00:49:33,833 --> 00:49:35,875 "I'm friends with Jesus and his people." 1073 00:49:35,958 --> 00:49:38,583 You can't be a Christian and not connected to the church. 1074 00:49:38,667 --> 00:49:40,375 I don't get this. 1075 00:49:40,458 --> 00:49:43,375 This is like a dad with five kids who adopts a kid, 1076 00:49:43,458 --> 00:49:46,583 and that kid says, "He's my dad, but I don't have any siblings 1077 00:49:46,667 --> 00:49:48,333 and I'm not part of the family." 1078 00:49:48,417 --> 00:49:49,792 It's all together. 1079 00:49:49,833 --> 00:49:52,792 God's a Father, adopts you, you're now part of a family. 1080 00:49:52,833 --> 00:49:54,667 You got brothers and sisters. 1081 00:49:54,750 --> 00:49:57,542 I don't get this solo, independent, me-Jesus, 1082 00:49:57,625 --> 00:49:59,958 podcasting and rebelling Christianity. 1083 00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:01,333 It doesn't make sense. 1084 00:50:01,417 --> 00:50:03,042 The Bible knows nothing of it. 1085 00:50:03,125 --> 00:50:05,750 If you're connected to God, you're connected to his people. 1086 00:50:05,833 --> 00:50:09,500 And when we partake in Communion in service or in homes together, 1087 00:50:09,542 --> 00:50:12,250 what we're doing is we're doing it together saying, 1088 00:50:12,333 --> 00:50:14,500 "I'm friends with Jesus, and I'm friends with you, 1089 00:50:14,542 --> 00:50:16,500 and I'm part of the family." 1090 00:50:16,542 --> 00:50:18,375 And this happened in early Christianity. 1091 00:50:18,458 --> 00:50:21,167 It says in Acts 2 that when the Christians started gathering, 1092 00:50:21,208 --> 00:50:22,875 they would meet from the temple courts, 1093 00:50:22,958 --> 00:50:24,583 big meetings like we do for services, 1094 00:50:24,667 --> 00:50:27,375 and from house to house, which is like our Community Groups. 1095 00:50:27,458 --> 00:50:29,167 We're just trying to do it biblically. 1096 00:50:29,208 --> 00:50:31,125 And here's what we read in Acts 2:42: 1097 00:50:31,167 --> 00:50:33,000 "They devoted themselves." So, this is ongoing. 1098 00:50:33,083 --> 00:50:35,500 It's habitual, it's common, it's regular. 1099 00:50:35,583 --> 00:50:37,333 "To the apostles' teaching." 1100 00:50:37,375 --> 00:50:39,625 First thing, what's the Bible say? 1101 00:50:39,667 --> 00:50:41,000 "Fellowship." 1102 00:50:41,083 --> 00:50:44,000 This is where Christians hang out and get to know each other. 1103 00:50:44,083 --> 00:50:45,417 And you know what? 1104 00:50:45,500 --> 00:50:47,417 You're going to drive each other crazy, right? 1105 00:50:47,500 --> 00:50:50,417 Some of you come in here, and let me just tell you, 1106 00:50:50,500 --> 00:50:51,833 this isn't heaven. 1107 00:50:51,875 --> 00:50:53,333 This is Mars Hill Church. 1108 00:50:53,375 --> 00:50:56,000 In heaven, Mars Hill Church is gonna be so much better. 1109 00:50:56,083 --> 00:50:58,917 Until then, you're gonna annoy each other because now 1110 00:50:59,000 --> 00:51:00,375 you're in a family. 1111 00:51:00,458 --> 00:51:02,167 Any of you come from a family? 1112 00:51:02,250 --> 00:51:04,250 What did your family do? Annoy you. 1113 00:51:04,333 --> 00:51:06,667 What did you do? Annoyed your family. 1114 00:51:06,708 --> 00:51:08,042 Okay? 1115 00:51:08,125 --> 00:51:11,042 So think of it this way: we're all going to Dad's house 1116 00:51:11,125 --> 00:51:13,250 for a big party, feast, and in the way, 1117 00:51:13,333 --> 00:51:15,875 we're all in a station wagon annoying each other, okay? 1118 00:51:15,958 --> 00:51:18,667 That's called life. Okay? 1119 00:51:18,708 --> 00:51:22,000 So let me reduce your expectations for Christianity. 1120 00:51:22,042 --> 00:51:23,458 You say, "They're annoying me. 1121 00:51:23,500 --> 00:51:25,667 "They drive me crazy and they're just booger-flickers, 1122 00:51:25,708 --> 00:51:28,167 and annoyers, and wedgie-givers." 1123 00:51:28,250 --> 00:51:30,000 Welcome to the family of God. 1124 00:51:30,042 --> 00:51:31,583 Welcome to it. 1125 00:51:31,667 --> 00:51:33,292 And that's fellowship. 1126 00:51:33,333 --> 00:51:35,417 When the Bible says fellowship, it doesn't mean perfect, 1127 00:51:35,500 --> 00:51:38,000 reconciled relationship, we wear matching sweatshirts, 1128 00:51:38,083 --> 00:51:41,208 we ride a tandem bike on the way to Bible study while quoting 1129 00:51:41,292 --> 00:51:43,208 Leviticus to one another and singing songs from 1130 00:51:43,292 --> 00:51:44,625 "The Sound of Music." 1131 00:51:44,667 --> 00:51:46,000 That's not what it means. 1132 00:51:46,083 --> 00:51:49,000 What it means is you're gonna annoy me, I'm gonna annoy you. 1133 00:51:49,083 --> 00:51:51,792 If we kill each other, we'll see each other in heaven. 1134 00:51:51,833 --> 00:51:55,083 That's fellowship. Okay? 1135 00:51:55,167 --> 00:51:57,125 "And to the," what? 1136 00:51:57,167 --> 00:52:00,875 "Breaking of bread, having meals together and praying." 1137 00:52:00,958 --> 00:52:03,583 I'll tell you the easiest way to build a friendship with 1138 00:52:03,667 --> 00:52:05,458 somebody: have a meal and pray together. 1139 00:52:05,500 --> 00:52:06,833 Eat together, pray together. 1140 00:52:06,917 --> 00:52:08,583 Like, let's say you're here, you're married, 1141 00:52:08,667 --> 00:52:10,083 you're not getting along. 1142 00:52:10,167 --> 00:52:12,500 Eat together, pray together, your friendship will grow 1143 00:52:12,542 --> 00:52:17,542 because God always blesses those kinds of connecting moments. 1144 00:52:17,625 --> 00:52:19,375 You're struggling with your friends, 1145 00:52:19,458 --> 00:52:21,333 try to resolve it over a meal. 1146 00:52:21,417 --> 00:52:24,333 Start it, end it, bathe it in prayer. 1147 00:52:24,417 --> 00:52:26,375 That's how things get worked out relationally. 1148 00:52:26,458 --> 00:52:28,750 But, what do they do? They break bread. 1149 00:52:28,833 --> 00:52:32,000 And so, for us, here's what we would say to you: 1150 00:52:32,083 --> 00:52:34,417 if you're a Christian, take Communion on Sunday. 1151 00:52:34,500 --> 00:52:37,833 If not, become a Christian, take Communion on Sunday. 1152 00:52:37,875 --> 00:52:39,500 Get in a Community Group. 1153 00:52:39,583 --> 00:52:41,208 If you're not in a Community Group, 1154 00:52:41,292 --> 00:52:44,417 let us know and we'd love to plug you in to a group. 1155 00:52:44,500 --> 00:52:46,917 And for those of you who are in Community Groups... 1156 00:52:47,000 --> 00:52:48,833 eat something. 1157 00:52:48,875 --> 00:52:50,208 Okay? 1158 00:52:50,292 --> 00:52:51,917 We're not big on legalism and rules. 1159 00:52:52,000 --> 00:52:54,125 I don't know where the legalism committee is, right? 1160 00:52:54,167 --> 00:52:55,667 No dancing, no fun, no smiling. 1161 00:52:55,750 --> 00:52:57,167 Whoever's on the legalism committee, 1162 00:52:57,250 --> 00:52:59,167 I wish they'd make rules like this: eat. 1163 00:52:59,250 --> 00:53:00,667 Okay? 1164 00:53:00,708 --> 00:53:03,375 If you're gonna pick a rule, pick a good one, like 1165 00:53:03,458 --> 00:53:05,167 grill, barbecue, something awesome, four desserts, 1166 00:53:05,250 --> 00:53:07,167 because dessert's awesome. 1167 00:53:07,250 --> 00:53:10,500 And what I would encourage you is this: this week, 1168 00:53:10,542 --> 00:53:14,000 think about, who do I need to invite over for a meal? 1169 00:53:14,042 --> 00:53:16,958 Family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, enemies. 1170 00:53:17,000 --> 00:53:19,375 How many of you, you don't even know your neighbors? 1171 00:53:19,458 --> 00:53:20,958 Invite them over for a meal. 1172 00:53:21,000 --> 00:53:22,958 When they ask why, say, "You know what? 1173 00:53:23,000 --> 00:53:25,167 "This is what the kingdom of God is like. 1174 00:53:25,208 --> 00:53:28,333 "It's like a big meal, and Jesus loves us, and he loves you, 1175 00:53:28,417 --> 00:53:31,625 and we love you, and what would you like to eat?" 1176 00:53:31,667 --> 00:53:34,000 If they're vegan, cook vegan. 1177 00:53:34,042 --> 00:53:36,333 If they like steak, kill something. 1178 00:53:36,375 --> 00:53:40,417 Whatever it is, love them, serve them, welcome them, 1179 00:53:40,500 --> 00:53:42,000 practice hospitality. 1180 00:53:42,042 --> 00:53:44,167 For those of you who are in Community Groups, 1181 00:53:44,250 --> 00:53:45,583 great time of year. 1182 00:53:45,667 --> 00:53:48,333 Barbecue, have people over, go to the park, make it awesome. 1183 00:53:48,375 --> 00:53:50,333 Make it awesome. 1184 00:53:50,375 --> 00:53:53,000 And it's an act of worship. 1185 00:53:53,083 --> 00:53:55,708 It's to the glory of God and the good of others. 1186 00:53:55,792 --> 00:53:58,917 It's showing that God is loving and good to us like a Father 1187 00:53:59,000 --> 00:54:01,458 who loves a family and brings them together for dinner, 1188 00:54:01,500 --> 00:54:04,958 and we want other people to meet our Dad and to join our family. 1189 00:54:05,000 --> 00:54:06,333 Amen? 1190 00:54:06,417 --> 00:54:08,792 So, as we partake, we look back as we eat. 1191 00:54:08,833 --> 00:54:11,792 And every time you eat, I want you to remember the meal 1192 00:54:11,833 --> 00:54:13,792 in Genesis 3 that was eaten without God. 1193 00:54:13,833 --> 00:54:16,333 I want you to remember Passover. 1194 00:54:16,417 --> 00:54:18,583 God's people, every year for over 1,000 years, 1195 00:54:18,667 --> 00:54:20,250 waiting for Jesus. 1196 00:54:20,333 --> 00:54:22,458 I want you to then think about the Last Supper. 1197 00:54:22,500 --> 00:54:25,000 Jesus came, Jesus lived, Jesus died. 1198 00:54:25,042 --> 00:54:26,500 We get to dine with him. 1199 00:54:26,542 --> 00:54:28,667 I want you to think about the early church. 1200 00:54:28,750 --> 00:54:32,083 It grew and flourished through meals, friendship with God 1201 00:54:32,167 --> 00:54:35,000 and friendship with one another. 1202 00:54:35,083 --> 00:54:40,500 Here's a scary word of caution: 1203 00:54:40,583 --> 00:54:42,833 there's a church in Corinth. 1204 00:54:42,875 --> 00:54:45,417 It's not a great church. 1205 00:54:45,500 --> 00:54:47,292 They're getting drunk, they're suing each other, 1206 00:54:47,333 --> 00:54:49,625 they're sleeping together, they're hiring prostitutes. 1207 00:54:49,667 --> 00:54:52,417 One guy's sleeping with his mother or mother-in-law. 1208 00:54:52,500 --> 00:54:56,125 Heads or tails, nasty. 1209 00:54:56,167 --> 00:54:58,875 They call it pluralism, diversity, openness, tolerance, 1210 00:54:58,958 --> 00:55:00,500 they had a parade, a magazine, 1211 00:55:00,542 --> 00:55:02,583 a website, a whole Facebook group, 1212 00:55:02,667 --> 00:55:04,333 and, you know, they had shirts. 1213 00:55:04,417 --> 00:55:07,500 I mean, it looked very official, but God was very unhappy, 1214 00:55:07,542 --> 00:55:10,333 and he said, "You're not repenting. 1215 00:55:10,417 --> 00:55:12,958 "You're claiming to love me and then you're disobeying 1216 00:55:13,000 --> 00:55:15,083 "everything I say. 1217 00:55:15,167 --> 00:55:17,292 You're a bunch of rebellious, bratty kids." 1218 00:55:17,333 --> 00:55:19,167 My translation. 1219 00:55:19,250 --> 00:55:21,833 So then, through Paul, God speaks to them, 1220 00:55:21,917 --> 00:55:26,000 and here's what he says about Communion: "Whoever, therefore, 1221 00:55:26,042 --> 00:55:28,458 "eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord 1222 00:55:28,500 --> 00:55:29,833 in an unworthy manner." 1223 00:55:29,875 --> 00:55:32,833 So, let me say this: there's a worthy and an unworthy way. 1224 00:55:32,875 --> 00:55:35,000 In our day of pluralism, tolerance, diversity, it's, 1225 00:55:35,083 --> 00:55:36,500 "Oh, no, no, we're all--" Nope. 1226 00:55:36,583 --> 00:55:38,917 There's worthy and unworthy. There's right and wrong. 1227 00:55:39,000 --> 00:55:41,208 There's obedient and disobedient. 1228 00:55:41,292 --> 00:55:44,208 There's qualified and disqualified. 1229 00:55:44,292 --> 00:55:47,000 God's grace doesn't just forgive our sin. 1230 00:55:47,083 --> 00:55:49,500 God's grace empowers us to put our sin to death 1231 00:55:49,583 --> 00:55:52,500 because Jesus died for it. 1232 00:55:52,583 --> 00:55:56,167 Some of you are partaking in an unworthy manner. 1233 00:55:56,250 --> 00:55:59,667 You're in open rebellion and sin. 1234 00:55:59,750 --> 00:56:02,375 You come to church with your girlfriend and take Communion 1235 00:56:02,458 --> 00:56:04,375 and then go home and sleep with her. 1236 00:56:04,458 --> 00:56:08,167 That's an unworthy manner. 1237 00:56:08,250 --> 00:56:11,375 "Will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 1238 00:56:11,458 --> 00:56:13,083 "Let a person examine himself, then, 1239 00:56:13,167 --> 00:56:15,792 and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup." 1240 00:56:15,833 --> 00:56:17,167 Here's what he's saying. 1241 00:56:17,250 --> 00:56:20,167 Some of you will say this: "You can't judge me!" 1242 00:56:20,208 --> 00:56:22,167 Then judge yourself. 1243 00:56:22,250 --> 00:56:26,042 If you judge yourself, then no one else will have to judge you. 1244 00:56:26,125 --> 00:56:29,417 You will see your own sin, folly, rebellion. 1245 00:56:29,500 --> 00:56:31,708 You'll come clean with God and his people. 1246 00:56:31,792 --> 00:56:33,917 You'll say, "You know what? I got a problem. 1247 00:56:34,000 --> 00:56:35,333 "I need help. 1248 00:56:35,375 --> 00:56:38,833 I need God's grace and God's people to help me fix my sin." 1249 00:56:38,875 --> 00:56:42,708 That's humility, it's integrity, it's honesty, 1250 00:56:42,792 --> 00:56:45,292 so that you don't have to partake in a way 1251 00:56:45,333 --> 00:56:47,375 that is unworthy. 1252 00:56:47,458 --> 00:56:50,417 Before you take Communion, do you examine yourself? 1253 00:56:50,500 --> 00:56:52,000 Do you examine your life? 1254 00:56:52,083 --> 00:56:54,000 Do you consider your sin? 1255 00:56:54,042 --> 00:56:56,208 Do you take a moment and ask, "Holy Spirit, 1256 00:56:56,292 --> 00:56:58,208 "your job is to convict me of sin. 1257 00:56:58,292 --> 00:56:59,708 "Let me know anything that's amiss, 1258 00:56:59,792 --> 00:57:02,292 "and I want to get this right and I'm sorry. 1259 00:57:02,333 --> 00:57:04,500 "If there's anybody here I need to reconcile with, 1260 00:57:04,542 --> 00:57:05,875 "let me go apologize. 1261 00:57:05,958 --> 00:57:08,083 "Is there anything that would keep me from partaking 1262 00:57:08,167 --> 00:57:09,833 in a worthy manner?" 1263 00:57:09,917 --> 00:57:12,500 God always answers that prayer. 1264 00:57:12,542 --> 00:57:18,375 God never looks at a humble child and willing heart 1265 00:57:18,458 --> 00:57:21,500 and says, "Well, I won't help you or speak to you." 1266 00:57:21,542 --> 00:57:23,875 God never responds that way. 1267 00:57:23,958 --> 00:57:27,167 He's a good Dad. 1268 00:57:27,208 --> 00:57:29,833 Judge yourself. 1269 00:57:29,875 --> 00:57:31,875 Stop judging others. 1270 00:57:31,958 --> 00:57:33,833 Judge yourself. 1271 00:57:33,875 --> 00:57:36,125 Stop being so frustrated with those who judge you. 1272 00:57:36,167 --> 00:57:38,125 Judge yourself. 1273 00:57:38,167 --> 00:57:40,667 You say, "Well, what happens if I don't do that? 1274 00:57:40,750 --> 00:57:43,000 My girlfriend is cute." 1275 00:57:43,083 --> 00:57:47,000 "For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats 1276 00:57:47,083 --> 00:57:50,000 "and drinks judgment on himself. 1277 00:57:50,083 --> 00:57:53,500 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have," what? 1278 00:57:53,542 --> 00:57:54,875 "Died." 1279 00:57:54,958 --> 00:57:56,833 Plain literal or figurative literal? 1280 00:57:56,875 --> 00:57:59,500 This is a real funeral. 1281 00:57:59,583 --> 00:58:02,333 Imagine that on a Sunday, people are coming up for Communion, 1282 00:58:02,417 --> 00:58:03,750 dying. 1283 00:58:03,833 --> 00:58:06,250 You have to step over the body to take Communion. 1284 00:58:06,333 --> 00:58:09,000 You're like, "You know what? I'm gonna pray a little more. 1285 00:58:09,042 --> 00:58:10,500 I'll be back in a minute." 1286 00:58:10,542 --> 00:58:13,667 Now, some of you here say, "That's very unloving, 1287 00:58:13,750 --> 00:58:16,083 "very unkind, very mean. 1288 00:58:16,167 --> 00:58:18,000 That's very harsh of God." 1289 00:58:18,042 --> 00:58:20,375 No, it's actually very loving, very gracious, very kind, 1290 00:58:20,458 --> 00:58:23,875 because God treats his people like he treated Pharaoh, 1291 00:58:23,958 --> 00:58:29,083 begging, pleading, waiting, upping the consequences, 1292 00:58:29,167 --> 00:58:33,417 and eventually you get so hard-hearted that you both know 1293 00:58:33,500 --> 00:58:35,708 you're not gonna repent. 1294 00:58:35,792 --> 00:58:42,000 Now, what happens to a church that doesn't protect holiness? 1295 00:58:42,083 --> 00:58:47,500 Well, it leads to meals being eaten 1296 00:58:47,583 --> 00:58:50,000 like Genesis 3. 1297 00:58:50,042 --> 00:58:53,000 "I want sin, and I want Satan." 1298 00:58:53,083 --> 00:58:56,125 And when we partake, we partake publicly. 1299 00:58:56,167 --> 00:58:59,333 It's your way of saying, "I personally belong to Jesus, 1300 00:58:59,375 --> 00:59:02,083 and I personally am part of a people that belong to Jesus." 1301 00:59:02,167 --> 00:59:03,958 I'll give you an example. 1302 00:59:04,000 --> 00:59:05,500 I was new to ministry. 1303 00:59:05,542 --> 00:59:07,833 I was a brand-new Christian, pretty new to ministry, 1304 00:59:07,917 --> 00:59:10,333 was interning at a church, just getting started. 1305 00:59:10,417 --> 00:59:14,375 I mean, I didn't have any church evangelical background at all, 1306 00:59:14,458 --> 00:59:17,750 and because I was part of the staff, I was not yet an elder. 1307 00:59:17,833 --> 00:59:21,000 I wasn't ready for that kind of leadership. 1308 00:59:21,042 --> 00:59:24,500 I knew, though, through staff meetings that we had a situation 1309 00:59:24,542 --> 00:59:28,583 in the church where there was a man who was married with kids, 1310 00:59:28,667 --> 00:59:31,958 said he was a Christian, had been in the church for years, 1311 00:59:32,000 --> 00:59:34,542 a lot of people knew him, had been committing adultery 1312 00:59:34,625 --> 00:59:37,583 on his wife with another woman in the church. 1313 00:59:37,667 --> 00:59:40,167 Moved out of his wife's house, abandoned his kids, 1314 00:59:40,250 --> 00:59:43,083 went to move in with his girlfriend, 1315 00:59:43,167 --> 00:59:48,583 and would attend the same service as his wife and kids. 1316 00:59:48,667 --> 00:59:51,292 So, the mom and the kids would be in one row, 1317 00:59:51,333 --> 00:59:55,458 and this guy sometimes would sit in front of them with his arm 1318 00:59:55,500 --> 00:59:59,833 around his girlfriend in church. 1319 01:00:01,542 --> 01:00:03,292 I'll never forget the Sunday 1320 01:00:03,333 --> 01:00:05,542 where they were serving Communion. 1321 01:00:05,625 --> 01:00:08,375 The devastated wife and the crying children came up 1322 01:00:08,458 --> 01:00:11,500 for Communion, and this guy got up with his girlfriend 1323 01:00:11,542 --> 01:00:14,000 to go take Communion, and the whole church was watching. 1324 01:00:14,042 --> 01:00:16,792 Everybody--I mean, a lot of people know what's going on. 1325 01:00:16,833 --> 01:00:19,167 What do you do? 1326 01:00:19,208 --> 01:00:21,458 Do you pull out the, "Oh, don't judge anybody. 1327 01:00:21,500 --> 01:00:22,875 "That's an alternative lifestyle. 1328 01:00:22,958 --> 01:00:24,292 "Who are we to judge? 1329 01:00:24,333 --> 01:00:26,042 We believe in openness, tolerance, and diversity." 1330 01:00:26,125 --> 01:00:27,875 Or, do we believe in love? 1331 01:00:27,958 --> 01:00:30,583 Loving God, loving his Word, loving that woman, 1332 01:00:30,667 --> 01:00:34,125 loving those children, loving that man who's put himself in 1333 01:00:34,167 --> 01:00:36,875 the path of the wrath of God, and loving that woman 1334 01:00:36,958 --> 01:00:40,000 who's an adulterer and being used by a horrible man, 1335 01:00:40,083 --> 01:00:43,125 and herself doing a horrible thing. 1336 01:00:43,167 --> 01:00:47,125 I remember standing back thinking I don't know what 1337 01:00:47,167 --> 01:00:49,167 I'd do now. 1338 01:00:49,250 --> 01:00:51,125 I mean, it's public, everybody's watching, it's church. 1339 01:00:51,167 --> 01:00:52,833 What do we do? 1340 01:00:52,875 --> 01:00:55,833 The elders did a good job, a magnificent job. 1341 01:00:55,875 --> 01:00:58,292 As he came forward, one of the elder's looked him 1342 01:00:58,333 --> 01:01:01,000 right in the eye and said, "No way. 1343 01:01:01,042 --> 01:01:04,167 There is no way you're taking Communion." 1344 01:01:04,208 --> 01:01:06,833 He set the elements aside, got the man and the woman, 1345 01:01:06,917 --> 01:01:10,042 walked them out to the foyer, rebuked them for their sin, 1346 01:01:10,125 --> 01:01:14,667 called them to repentance, cut them off from the Lord's table, 1347 01:01:14,750 --> 01:01:19,458 and it was beautiful because God was honored. 1348 01:01:19,500 --> 01:01:21,500 The woman got her dignity back public, 1349 01:01:21,542 --> 01:01:26,333 and the children learned Jesus loves you and he hates what your 1350 01:01:26,417 --> 01:01:30,500 father is doing, and there is an authority above your father 1351 01:01:30,542 --> 01:01:34,208 named Jesus, and he's not okay with this. 1352 01:01:34,292 --> 01:01:37,208 I rejoice that the church did that, 1353 01:01:37,292 --> 01:01:39,500 and I'm sure there would have been complaints. 1354 01:01:39,583 --> 01:01:41,333 "Oh, you know, it's a cult. 1355 01:01:41,375 --> 01:01:42,708 "It's church discipline. 1356 01:01:42,792 --> 01:01:44,917 They're over the line. They're trying to control." 1357 01:01:45,000 --> 01:01:50,917 I'm sure a lot of things were said, but it was beautiful. 1358 01:01:51,000 --> 01:01:53,500 It was beautiful. 1359 01:01:53,583 --> 01:01:56,917 That's exactly what Paul was talking about. 1360 01:01:57,000 --> 01:01:59,625 He's not talking about those of you with an incredibly tender 1361 01:01:59,667 --> 01:02:02,792 conscience and you forgot to use your turn signal on the way 1362 01:02:02,833 --> 01:02:04,750 to church and you're shaking taking Communion, 1363 01:02:04,833 --> 01:02:09,000 thinking you're going to be kindling. 1364 01:02:09,042 --> 01:02:11,458 What he's talking about is those of you 1365 01:02:11,500 --> 01:02:13,333 who are like Pharaoh. 1366 01:02:13,417 --> 01:02:17,833 You're just hard-hearted, defiant, self-righteous. 1367 01:02:17,917 --> 01:02:20,875 You're your own little god with your own little kingdom, 1368 01:02:20,958 --> 01:02:24,083 and you show up here and say, "The king has spoken. 1369 01:02:24,167 --> 01:02:25,875 "Serve me. 1370 01:02:25,958 --> 01:02:28,833 "I want everyone to think that I belong to Jesus while I 1371 01:02:28,917 --> 01:02:30,917 disobey him publicly." 1372 01:02:31,000 --> 01:02:34,000 The answer is, "Not at Mars Hill Church." 1373 01:02:34,083 --> 01:02:36,708 If you come to repentance, you're welcome. 1374 01:02:36,792 --> 01:02:39,583 What we see in 2 Corinthians is this actually worked. 1375 01:02:39,667 --> 01:02:42,625 The guy who was denied Communion, 1376 01:02:42,667 --> 01:02:45,167 he came to repentance, and in 2 Corinthians, 1377 01:02:45,250 --> 01:02:47,667 we see him restored to the church, back in fellowship, 1378 01:02:47,750 --> 01:02:49,208 having meals with people. 1379 01:02:49,292 --> 01:02:50,917 So, the point is never punitive. 1380 01:02:51,000 --> 01:02:53,917 It's corrective, but if you continue to rebuke God with your 1381 01:02:54,000 --> 01:02:57,625 behavior, he could take your life as a consequence. 1382 01:02:57,667 --> 01:02:59,583 So, here's what I want you to do. 1383 01:02:59,667 --> 01:03:03,500 Before you take Communion, judge yourself, examine yourself, 1384 01:03:03,542 --> 01:03:05,750 repent of your sin. 1385 01:03:05,833 --> 01:03:08,167 It's a serious and sober thing. 1386 01:03:08,250 --> 01:03:10,500 It's also a wonderful and glorious thing. 1387 01:03:10,542 --> 01:03:14,875 The fifth meal, the Wedding Supper of the Lamb. 1388 01:03:14,958 --> 01:03:16,792 This is awesome! 1389 01:03:16,833 --> 01:03:20,500 History, the Bible, it opens with a meal eaten without God, 1390 01:03:20,542 --> 01:03:24,500 the most tragic, horrific, painful meal in the history 1391 01:03:24,542 --> 01:03:28,500 of the world, the meal that has destroyed everything, 1392 01:03:28,542 --> 01:03:33,333 has in every way contributed to every evil, suffering, 1393 01:03:33,375 --> 01:03:37,417 injustice, and funeral in the history of the world. 1394 01:03:37,500 --> 01:03:40,417 And then the last book of the Bible, Revelation, 1395 01:03:40,500 --> 01:03:43,000 it ends with another meal. 1396 01:03:43,083 --> 01:03:47,667 A meal of not death, but life; not damnation, but salvation; 1397 01:03:47,750 --> 01:03:52,083 not condemnation, but forgiveness of sin; 1398 01:03:52,167 --> 01:03:57,125 not weeping and mourning, but laughing and rejoicing; 1399 01:03:57,167 --> 01:04:00,250 not famine kicked away from the garden, 1400 01:04:00,333 --> 01:04:03,500 but feasting in the presence of the garden 1401 01:04:03,542 --> 01:04:06,292 where the tree of life appears again 1402 01:04:06,333 --> 01:04:09,000 and we partake together forever in the presence 1403 01:04:09,042 --> 01:04:10,583 of the Lord. 1404 01:04:10,667 --> 01:04:13,083 How many of you love a good party? 1405 01:04:13,167 --> 01:04:15,333 Who doesn't love a good party? 1406 01:04:15,417 --> 01:04:18,042 Heaven is awesome, and what it is, 1407 01:04:18,125 --> 01:04:20,875 it's the resurrection of the dead, just like Jesus rose, 1408 01:04:20,958 --> 01:04:26,625 and a new earth, no sin, no sickness, no death, 1409 01:04:26,667 --> 01:04:28,500 and it's a party. 1410 01:04:28,583 --> 01:04:30,667 Who doesn't like a good party? 1411 01:04:30,750 --> 01:04:34,500 See, I think every person who watches the Food Network, 1412 01:04:34,583 --> 01:04:36,917 deep down, wants to get saved. 1413 01:04:37,000 --> 01:04:40,375 That's what I think. 1414 01:04:40,458 --> 01:04:42,833 What they're longing for is the perfect meal, 1415 01:04:42,875 --> 01:04:45,500 with the perfect environment, and the perfect guests, 1416 01:04:45,542 --> 01:04:47,417 where it's all fantastic. 1417 01:04:47,500 --> 01:04:49,083 Here it is. 1418 01:04:49,167 --> 01:04:53,917 Here is the culmination of all of human history. 1419 01:04:54,000 --> 01:04:56,583 Here's the Food Network dream. 1420 01:04:56,667 --> 01:04:59,333 Revelation 19:6-9, "Then I heard what seemed to be the voice 1421 01:04:59,375 --> 01:05:00,792 of a great multitude." 1422 01:05:00,833 --> 01:05:03,000 There's gonna be a lot of people in heaven, 1423 01:05:03,042 --> 01:05:04,667 a lot of people that Jesus loves, 1424 01:05:04,750 --> 01:05:06,458 a lot of people that Jesus saves. 1425 01:05:06,500 --> 01:05:09,167 "Like the roar of many waters and like the sound of 1426 01:05:09,250 --> 01:05:10,583 mighty peals of thunder." 1427 01:05:10,667 --> 01:05:12,000 There's enthusiasm. 1428 01:05:12,042 --> 01:05:14,500 You ever been to a concert where it's all quiet, 1429 01:05:14,542 --> 01:05:17,000 and then the band comes on, and then it culminates 1430 01:05:17,042 --> 01:05:19,583 and it gets loud and exciting. 1431 01:05:19,667 --> 01:05:22,208 Or it's a sporting event, somewhere other than Seattle, 1432 01:05:22,292 --> 01:05:25,333 where they win! 1433 01:05:25,375 --> 01:05:29,625 And everybody's awaiting like this is gonna happen! 1434 01:05:29,667 --> 01:05:35,417 That's not how we--anyways, it's gonna be great. 1435 01:05:35,500 --> 01:05:39,333 And then it gets quiet, and then the athletes come out, 1436 01:05:39,375 --> 01:05:42,500 and the place roars to life! 1437 01:05:42,583 --> 01:05:44,375 That's the kingdom of God. 1438 01:05:44,458 --> 01:05:47,125 It's the resurrection of the dead. 1439 01:05:47,167 --> 01:05:50,125 Everybody, here comes Jesus! 1440 01:05:50,167 --> 01:05:51,792 Our faith is sight. 1441 01:05:51,833 --> 01:05:54,208 There he is! He is alive! 1442 01:05:54,292 --> 01:05:56,500 He is good! He is God! 1443 01:05:56,542 --> 01:05:59,667 He does love us! He's smiling! 1444 01:05:59,750 --> 01:06:03,375 His nail-scarred hands are out to embrace us! 1445 01:06:03,458 --> 01:06:05,792 He's seated us at a table! 1446 01:06:05,833 --> 01:06:07,542 It's amazing! 1447 01:06:07,625 --> 01:06:09,375 Moses and my grandpa! 1448 01:06:09,458 --> 01:06:12,292 Wow! 1449 01:06:12,333 --> 01:06:15,000 Where to start? 1450 01:06:15,042 --> 01:06:17,167 We're gonna eat! 1451 01:06:17,208 --> 01:06:20,042 Jesus has set it all up and he's picked up the tab. 1452 01:06:20,125 --> 01:06:22,625 They call it grace. 1453 01:06:22,667 --> 01:06:25,333 "Crying out, 'Hallelujah! 1454 01:06:25,375 --> 01:06:27,708 For the Lord our God Almighty reigns.'" 1455 01:06:27,792 --> 01:06:29,708 The kingdom of God is a huge feast. 1456 01:06:29,792 --> 01:06:31,333 It's a huge party. 1457 01:06:31,375 --> 01:06:34,125 It's for God's people to be together, forever, with him. 1458 01:06:34,167 --> 01:06:35,833 Forever! 1459 01:06:35,875 --> 01:06:37,500 It's amazing! 1460 01:06:37,583 --> 01:06:40,708 Our view of the kingdom of God is so small. 1461 01:06:40,792 --> 01:06:43,833 That's why Christians don't have fun. 1462 01:06:43,875 --> 01:06:46,208 We don't eat and drink well. 1463 01:06:46,292 --> 01:06:51,333 Nobody accuses us of throwing too many parties. 1464 01:06:51,375 --> 01:06:54,333 Jesus got in trouble, didn't he? 1465 01:06:54,375 --> 01:06:57,917 "He's always going to parties with the wrong kind of people 1466 01:06:58,000 --> 01:07:00,167 "that he loves. 1467 01:07:00,250 --> 01:07:02,458 They're not like us." 1468 01:07:02,500 --> 01:07:05,083 Yeah, they're fun. 1469 01:07:05,167 --> 01:07:07,833 They're the kind of people, if you get them straightened out, 1470 01:07:07,917 --> 01:07:09,333 they would actually appreciate an invitation 1471 01:07:09,417 --> 01:07:10,750 to this kind of event. 1472 01:07:10,833 --> 01:07:13,083 Get the lampshade off their head, find their pants, 1473 01:07:13,167 --> 01:07:15,375 you know, get them straightened out. 1474 01:07:15,458 --> 01:07:17,875 They actually could be fun at the real party, 1475 01:07:17,958 --> 01:07:22,208 and the real party's a party without sin. 1476 01:07:22,292 --> 01:07:25,833 The story continues: "Let us rejoice and exult." 1477 01:07:25,875 --> 01:07:27,333 That's be happy. 1478 01:07:27,375 --> 01:07:29,833 So, practice this at your dinner table. 1479 01:07:29,875 --> 01:07:32,500 Eat good food, drink something nice. 1480 01:07:32,542 --> 01:07:35,000 When your kids come up, "Dad, can we have dessert?" 1481 01:07:35,083 --> 01:07:36,417 "Yes! Yes! Yes! 1482 01:07:36,500 --> 01:07:38,708 "Have two. Jesus is alive! 1483 01:07:38,792 --> 01:07:40,875 "We're practicing. Okay? 1484 01:07:40,958 --> 01:07:45,875 We're practicing." 1485 01:07:45,958 --> 01:07:47,875 "For the marriage of the Lamb has come." 1486 01:07:47,958 --> 01:07:50,083 What's the best wedding you've ever been to? 1487 01:07:50,167 --> 01:07:52,167 Isn't a wedding awesome? 1488 01:07:52,250 --> 01:07:54,125 Everybody gets together. 1489 01:07:54,167 --> 01:07:55,792 It's, "Oh, they love each other!" 1490 01:07:55,833 --> 01:07:58,375 and "They're smiling!" and "They're together!" 1491 01:07:58,458 --> 01:08:00,458 and "What does God have for their future?" 1492 01:08:00,500 --> 01:08:02,875 History ends with a wedding party. 1493 01:08:02,958 --> 01:08:05,083 Jesus' ministry starts with a wedding party, 1494 01:08:05,167 --> 01:08:07,500 and history ends at a wedding party. 1495 01:08:07,542 --> 01:08:09,000 What's more beautiful than a wedding? 1496 01:08:09,042 --> 01:08:11,750 And the portrait here is like Jesus is like a groom 1497 01:08:11,833 --> 01:08:13,500 and the church is like a bride, 1498 01:08:13,542 --> 01:08:16,000 and it all ends when the groom comes to take 1499 01:08:16,042 --> 01:08:18,583 his bride to his heavenly kingdom, and they celebrate. 1500 01:08:18,667 --> 01:08:22,083 Like every girl who grows up reading fairy tales and princess 1501 01:08:22,167 --> 01:08:24,875 novels, and dressing up, and waiting for a guy to come 1502 01:08:24,958 --> 01:08:29,875 save the day, she really has biblical longings. 1503 01:08:29,958 --> 01:08:32,667 She has the heart of the church, and she's looking for 1504 01:08:32,708 --> 01:08:34,667 someone like Jesus. 1505 01:08:34,750 --> 01:08:36,958 And Jesus loves his church. 1506 01:08:37,000 --> 01:08:39,083 Ephesians 5 says, "Christ loved the church 1507 01:08:39,167 --> 01:08:41,167 and he gave himself for her." 1508 01:08:41,250 --> 01:08:44,083 It's beautiful. 1509 01:08:44,167 --> 01:08:45,792 "And his Bride has made herself ready; 1510 01:08:45,833 --> 01:08:48,250 "it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, 1511 01:08:48,333 --> 01:08:49,667 bright and pure." 1512 01:08:49,708 --> 01:08:51,833 Some of your translations will say she's wearing white. 1513 01:08:51,917 --> 01:08:53,375 Why does the church wear white? 1514 01:08:53,458 --> 01:08:54,792 Because we're sinless, spotless, 1515 01:08:54,833 --> 01:08:56,292 we're better than everybody else? 1516 01:08:56,333 --> 01:08:57,667 No. 1517 01:08:57,750 --> 01:09:01,750 Because Jesus not only forgives sin, Jesus makes people clean. 1518 01:09:01,833 --> 01:09:03,833 See, in the Old Testament, people would sing 1519 01:09:03,917 --> 01:09:05,333 the Psalms of Ascent, 1520 01:09:05,417 --> 01:09:07,833 and they'd go up to the temple to worship God 1521 01:09:07,917 --> 01:09:09,250 and they'd all wear white. 1522 01:09:09,333 --> 01:09:11,250 Friends, we're all gonna wear white in heaven. 1523 01:09:11,333 --> 01:09:12,958 It's going to be a crazy-looking party. 1524 01:09:13,000 --> 01:09:14,458 Billions of people wearing white. 1525 01:09:14,500 --> 01:09:15,833 Clean, clean, clean, clean, 1526 01:09:15,917 --> 01:09:17,333 clean, clean, clean, clean, clean. 1527 01:09:17,417 --> 01:09:21,792 Righteous in Christ, forgiven in Christ, made new in Christ. 1528 01:09:21,833 --> 01:09:24,667 I don't care who you are, I don't care what you've done. 1529 01:09:24,750 --> 01:09:27,667 There is no kiddie table at this party. 1530 01:09:27,708 --> 01:09:29,667 "Oh, you were dirty and you were nasty. 1531 01:09:29,708 --> 01:09:31,542 You did that, you sit over there." 1532 01:09:31,625 --> 01:09:33,375 There is no kiddie table. 1533 01:09:33,458 --> 01:09:36,583 Nobody's wearing gray, kinda clean, kinda not clean. 1534 01:09:36,667 --> 01:09:39,542 Everybody's wearing white, totally clean, 1535 01:09:39,625 --> 01:09:42,958 because Jesus died, all of your sin was forgiven, 1536 01:09:43,000 --> 01:09:47,042 his righteousness was traded for your condemnation, 1537 01:09:47,125 --> 01:09:49,542 and the result is God's people wear white. 1538 01:09:49,625 --> 01:09:52,042 And ladies, hear me on this. 1539 01:09:52,125 --> 01:09:55,083 I don't care what you've done, if you're in Christ and 1540 01:09:55,167 --> 01:09:59,875 repentant, on your wedding day, wear white, because in Christ, 1541 01:09:59,958 --> 01:10:01,583 you're what? 1542 01:10:01,667 --> 01:10:03,458 You're clean. 1543 01:10:03,500 --> 01:10:04,875 You're clean. 1544 01:10:04,958 --> 01:10:06,583 There's no condemnation in Christ. 1545 01:10:06,667 --> 01:10:08,250 There's no shame in Christ. 1546 01:10:08,333 --> 01:10:09,750 There's no guilt in Christ. 1547 01:10:09,833 --> 01:10:13,167 There no filth in Christ, and you're gonna see it, 1548 01:10:13,250 --> 01:10:15,167 you're gonna feel it, you're gonna know it, 1549 01:10:15,250 --> 01:10:19,167 you're gonna love it, and you're gonna see Jesus face-to-face. 1550 01:10:19,208 --> 01:10:21,500 Sounds amazing, doesn't it? 1551 01:10:21,542 --> 01:10:26,208 Zephaniah 3 talks about there'll be entertainment at this party. 1552 01:10:26,292 --> 01:10:29,625 Don't you love it when there's a great party, awesome people, 1553 01:10:29,667 --> 01:10:34,500 perfect food, nice setting, and then a band? 1554 01:10:34,583 --> 01:10:36,833 What a nice surprise. 1555 01:10:36,875 --> 01:10:40,583 Zephaniah 3 says that "the Lord himself will rejoice 1556 01:10:40,667 --> 01:10:43,208 over us with song." 1557 01:10:43,292 --> 01:10:46,208 At some point in this meal, Jesus is going to stand up, 1558 01:10:46,292 --> 01:10:50,833 we're all going to stop talking, and he's going to sing. 1559 01:10:50,875 --> 01:10:54,208 He's going to sing. 1560 01:10:54,292 --> 01:10:56,833 There'll be times that we sing to him. 1561 01:10:56,875 --> 01:11:00,958 There'll be a time when he sings over us. 1562 01:11:01,000 --> 01:11:03,792 "For the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 1563 01:11:03,833 --> 01:11:06,583 "And the angel said to me, 'Write this: Blessed are those 1564 01:11:06,667 --> 01:11:12,167 who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" 1565 01:11:13,833 --> 01:11:16,542 Blessed are you, Mars Hill! 1566 01:11:16,625 --> 01:11:19,583 Blessed are you Mr. and Mrs. 1567 01:11:19,667 --> 01:11:21,708 Blessed are you. 1568 01:11:21,792 --> 01:11:23,500 Blessed am I. 1569 01:11:23,583 --> 01:11:25,375 Blessed are we. 1570 01:11:25,458 --> 01:11:27,208 Because why? 1571 01:11:27,292 --> 01:11:30,917 We've been invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb. 1572 01:11:31,000 --> 01:11:34,167 Today, the Lord Jesus gives you an invitation. 1573 01:11:34,250 --> 01:11:37,125 He says, "Turn from your sin, trust in me. 1574 01:11:37,167 --> 01:11:39,500 "I invite you to be my friend. 1575 01:11:39,542 --> 01:11:41,583 "I invite you to eat with me. 1576 01:11:41,667 --> 01:11:45,125 "I invite you to rise with me and my people. 1577 01:11:45,167 --> 01:11:49,292 "I invite you to a seat at my table, to feast with me, 1578 01:11:49,333 --> 01:11:52,625 "to be loved by me forever. 1579 01:11:52,667 --> 01:11:54,417 "I invite you to be forgiven. 1580 01:11:54,500 --> 01:11:56,333 "I invite you to be made new. 1581 01:11:56,375 --> 01:11:58,208 "I invite you to be made clean. 1582 01:11:58,292 --> 01:12:00,042 "I invite you to wear white. 1583 01:12:00,125 --> 01:12:02,167 Blessed are you who are invited." 1584 01:12:02,250 --> 01:12:04,583 You're all invited to the Lord Jesus, 1585 01:12:04,667 --> 01:12:09,542 but like every invitation, you have to respond. 1586 01:12:09,625 --> 01:12:15,375 You have to turn from sin and trust in him by faith, 1587 01:12:15,458 --> 01:12:19,000 that it is his blood that covers you so that the wrath of God 1588 01:12:19,042 --> 01:12:23,000 would pass over you, that you would get a new heart in 1589 01:12:23,042 --> 01:12:27,125 the place of your hard heart, that you would partake, then, 1590 01:12:27,167 --> 01:12:33,417 of Communion as an outward demonstration of faith in Jesus, 1591 01:12:33,500 --> 01:12:36,125 that you would do so among God's people, 1592 01:12:36,167 --> 01:12:39,792 showing that you're not just reconciled to the Father, 1593 01:12:39,833 --> 01:12:42,125 but you're adopted into the family, 1594 01:12:42,167 --> 01:12:44,875 and you're partaking it saying, "I am a sinner, 1595 01:12:44,958 --> 01:12:48,208 "and Jesus is my Savior, and I rejoice in his broken body 1596 01:12:48,292 --> 01:12:50,333 "and shed blood. 1597 01:12:50,375 --> 01:12:53,625 "He's alive and well, and I know one day I will see him 1598 01:12:53,667 --> 01:12:56,125 "face-to-face, and until that day, 1599 01:12:56,167 --> 01:13:00,167 "I want to eat all my meals and live all my days as his friend, 1600 01:13:00,208 --> 01:13:04,083 with his people, so that we can rejoice together, forever." 1601 01:13:04,167 --> 01:13:05,792 Amen? 1602 01:13:05,833 --> 01:13:08,375 I'm going to pray. Father God, 1603 01:13:08,458 --> 01:13:11,875 I love preaching the Scriptures. 1604 01:13:11,958 --> 01:13:15,667 God, this is, for me, an act of worship. 1605 01:13:15,708 --> 01:13:18,583 I am so glad that I get to teach the Bible. 1606 01:13:18,667 --> 01:13:24,500 God, I love--I love the hero that Jesus is. 1607 01:13:24,583 --> 01:13:27,625 I love the way the story of the Scriptures is told, 1608 01:13:27,667 --> 01:13:30,708 that it's all about Jesus. 1609 01:13:30,792 --> 01:13:35,875 God, I thank you that there's a party that is perfect 1610 01:13:35,958 --> 01:13:39,917 and lasts forever, and we're invited. 1611 01:13:40,000 --> 01:13:44,500 God, some of us have never been invited to anything incredible, 1612 01:13:44,583 --> 01:13:47,000 and you invite us. 1613 01:13:47,042 --> 01:13:50,417 Lord Jesus, I thank you that you'd pick up the tab. 1614 01:13:50,500 --> 01:13:54,500 You forgive sin, you create the kingdom, you give righteousness, 1615 01:13:54,542 --> 01:13:56,792 you set the table. 1616 01:13:56,833 --> 01:13:58,917 I pray for my friends. 1617 01:13:59,000 --> 01:14:01,833 I ask you, Holy Spirit, please give faith to those 1618 01:14:01,917 --> 01:14:03,500 who don't have it. 1619 01:14:03,542 --> 01:14:07,000 Please give repentance to those who fight it. 1620 01:14:07,042 --> 01:14:09,292 Please take out the hard-hearted, 1621 01:14:09,333 --> 01:14:14,792 stone nature and replace it with a loving heart and a new nature. 1622 01:14:14,833 --> 01:14:20,708 And Jesus, we confess that sometimes we have eaten in sin, 1623 01:14:20,792 --> 01:14:26,417 we have drunk in sin, we have welcomed Satan, 1624 01:14:26,500 --> 01:14:29,500 we have tolerated evil. 1625 01:14:29,583 --> 01:14:34,167 Lord Jesus, you have so much more and so much better. 1626 01:14:34,250 --> 01:14:38,167 We invite you, Lord Jesus, as we now partake today, 1627 01:14:38,250 --> 01:14:40,333 and throughout the week. 1628 01:14:40,375 --> 01:14:46,833 Please, as we eat our meals, as we empty our cups, 1629 01:14:46,875 --> 01:14:51,500 as we live our days, to live in light of that day when we see 1630 01:14:51,583 --> 01:14:56,500 you face to face, when we put on white, 1631 01:14:56,583 --> 01:15:02,375 when we sit at your table, and we rejoice in your grace, 1632 01:15:02,458 --> 01:15:08,167 and we sing of your goodness, and then we're silenced 1633 01:15:08,250 --> 01:15:11,875 to listen to you pour more grace on us yet again, 1634 01:15:11,958 --> 01:15:13,667 as you sing over us. 1635 01:15:13,750 --> 01:15:15,958 Amen.