1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,333 2 00:00:01,333 --> 00:00:02,833 All right Mars Hill. 3 00:00:02,833 --> 00:00:06,000 This sermon is going to cost you. 4 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:08,333 This is going to be a hard one. 5 00:00:08,333 --> 00:00:13,333 It's going to be an hour of real emotional investment. 6 00:00:13,333 --> 00:00:16,167 I'm going to ask you not to check your iPhone app, 7 00:00:16,167 --> 00:00:20,333 return your e-mail, surf the Internet, text. 8 00:00:20,333 --> 00:00:22,333 Just hang with me for an hour. 9 00:00:22,333 --> 00:00:27,500 My hope is that as a result of God's grace, this hour together 10 00:00:27,500 --> 00:00:31,500 would have a massive impact on every hour that God 11 00:00:31,500 --> 00:00:34,333 would give you to live for the rest of your life. 12 00:00:34,333 --> 00:00:37,500 And Jesus, the most loving person who has ever lived, 13 00:00:37,500 --> 00:00:42,167 is going to have some hard words for us and for you today. 14 00:00:42,167 --> 00:00:47,667 We find them in Luke 12:49-13:5 15 00:00:47,667 --> 00:00:51,167 in a section that is about Jesus and repentance. 16 00:00:51,167 --> 00:00:55,167 And so if you would find that place in your Bible and give me 17 00:00:55,167 --> 00:00:58,167 an hour of your attention, I'll pray for us 18 00:00:58,167 --> 00:01:00,500 and we'll see what he would have for you. 19 00:01:00,500 --> 00:01:04,333 Lord Jesus, I thank you that you're a truth teller 20 00:01:04,333 --> 00:01:06,667 and a grace giver. 21 00:01:06,667 --> 00:01:10,667 That you tell us the truth so that we might know exactly 22 00:01:10,667 --> 00:01:14,000 who we are and exactly what is before us 23 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,500 and exactly what is asked of us. 24 00:01:16,500 --> 00:01:18,833 And we thank you that you're a grace giver. 25 00:01:18,833 --> 00:01:23,667 Your grace forgives our sins and it empowers an obedient life. 26 00:01:23,667 --> 00:01:28,667 And so Lord Jesus as we open the Bible to hear your words, 27 00:01:28,667 --> 00:01:36,000 things that you while on the earth said, it's a sacred thing. 28 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:38,500 We don't take it lightly or for granted. 29 00:01:38,500 --> 00:01:43,167 We ask, Lord God, for the emotional and mental energy 30 00:01:43,167 --> 00:01:45,333 to consider every word of Jesus, 31 00:01:45,333 --> 00:01:48,167 in whose name we pray, amen. 32 00:01:48,167 --> 00:01:55,667 We'll start in Luke 12:49-53 where Jesus talks about passion. 33 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:57,833 Here's what he has to say. 34 00:01:57,833 --> 00:02:00,667 He says, quote, "I came to cast fire on the earth, 35 00:02:00,667 --> 00:02:02,500 "and would that it were already kindled! 36 00:02:02,500 --> 00:02:05,167 "I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great 37 00:02:05,167 --> 00:02:08,000 "is my distress until it is accomplished! 38 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:11,833 "Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? 39 00:02:11,833 --> 00:02:16,667 "No, I tell you, but rather division. 40 00:02:16,667 --> 00:02:22,167 "For from now on in one house there will be five divided, 41 00:02:22,167 --> 00:02:25,167 "three against two, and two against three. 42 00:02:25,167 --> 00:02:27,000 "They will be divided, 43 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:29,667 "father against son and son against father, 44 00:02:29,667 --> 00:02:33,667 "mother against daughter and daughter against mother, 45 00:02:33,667 --> 00:02:37,167 "mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law," 46 00:02:37,167 --> 00:02:40,167 kind of saw that one coming, 47 00:02:40,167 --> 00:02:44,333 "and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." 48 00:02:44,333 --> 00:02:49,333 Division, Jesus says, is a mark of his ministry. 49 00:02:49,333 --> 00:02:52,500 And he talks here about fire. 50 00:02:52,500 --> 00:02:56,000 What in the world is Jesus talking about? 51 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:59,667 When Jesus speaks of fire, he's talking about passion, 52 00:02:59,667 --> 00:03:04,667 enthusiasm, zeal, commitment, devotion. 53 00:03:04,667 --> 00:03:09,833 People will talk about having a fire in their gut for something. 54 00:03:09,833 --> 00:03:13,667 Being fired up for someone or something. 55 00:03:13,667 --> 00:03:19,000 Fire here speaks of the Holy Spirit giving us 56 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:22,833 the kind of passion that Jesus had. 57 00:03:22,833 --> 00:03:27,000 Jesus was God become a man during his earthly life, 58 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,667 now he's returned to his heavenly kingdom. 59 00:03:29,667 --> 00:03:34,500 And while on the earth, he was filled with a fire, a passion, 60 00:03:34,500 --> 00:03:38,667 a zeal, a commitment, a devotion. 61 00:03:38,667 --> 00:03:43,500 And he says that his passion is ultimately 62 00:03:43,500 --> 00:03:46,167 to complete his mission. 63 00:03:46,167 --> 00:03:51,167 His mission was to live without sin and to die on the cross 64 00:03:51,167 --> 00:03:57,667 in our place for our sins that it might glorify the Father 65 00:03:57,667 --> 00:03:59,833 and do good for us. 66 00:03:59,833 --> 00:04:03,833 So that then he could baptize us, following his resurrection, 67 00:04:03,833 --> 00:04:07,167 with the same kind of fire. 68 00:04:07,167 --> 00:04:08,500 Jesus does just that. 69 00:04:08,500 --> 00:04:11,333 He goes to the cross, he suffers, he dies, he rises. 70 00:04:11,333 --> 00:04:14,833 He conquers our enemies of Satan, sin, death, hell, 71 00:04:14,833 --> 00:04:16,500 and the wrath of God. 72 00:04:16,500 --> 00:04:19,667 He ascends back into heaven and in the sequel to this book 73 00:04:19,667 --> 00:04:23,167 of Luke, the book of Acts, penned by the same author, 74 00:04:23,167 --> 00:04:26,833 the Holy Spirit descends upon the church, and resting above 75 00:04:26,833 --> 00:04:31,500 the Christians are something like flames of fire. 76 00:04:31,500 --> 00:04:34,500 That as the Holy Spirit indwells us, 77 00:04:34,500 --> 00:04:40,333 we become set aflame with a passionate love for Jesus. 78 00:04:40,333 --> 00:04:42,833 It's a fire that burns within us. 79 00:04:42,833 --> 00:04:45,167 That's the metaphor. 80 00:04:45,167 --> 00:04:50,667 And so this passion, this flaming fire of devotion, 81 00:04:50,667 --> 00:04:54,667 it leads to both excitement and endurance. 82 00:04:54,667 --> 00:04:58,833 We're excited about Jesus and the things of Jesus. 83 00:04:58,833 --> 00:05:00,833 And there is an endurance. 84 00:05:00,833 --> 00:05:05,333 There's a long life of obedience, and devotion, 85 00:05:05,333 --> 00:05:09,333 and commitment, and followership toward Jesus. 86 00:05:09,333 --> 00:05:14,667 But, Jesus warns us, not everyone will respond favorably 87 00:05:14,667 --> 00:05:18,500 to our passion. 88 00:05:18,500 --> 00:05:24,833 That, in fact, we will have, as he says, division. 89 00:05:24,833 --> 00:05:31,500 That as we are devoted to Jesus, some are opposed to Jesus. 90 00:05:31,500 --> 00:05:35,000 As we are devoted to a lifestyle that honors Jesus, 91 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:39,167 some are opposed to our lifestyle which honors Jesus, 92 00:05:39,167 --> 00:05:41,167 and we are not to be rude. 93 00:05:41,167 --> 00:05:42,667 We are not to be mean. 94 00:05:42,667 --> 00:05:46,333 We are not to be self-serving or haughty or proud or religious. 95 00:05:46,333 --> 00:05:51,000 But invariably, you need to know that if you are passionate 96 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:54,667 about Jesus, you will experience division, conflict, 97 00:05:54,667 --> 00:05:57,167 and strife in your life. 98 00:05:57,167 --> 00:05:59,167 It's inevitable. 99 00:05:59,167 --> 00:06:03,000 Jesus experienced it and so will you. 100 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:05,500 And he says that this will include conflict 101 00:06:05,500 --> 00:06:08,000 with your family. 102 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:11,333 That is some of the most painful, difficult, 103 00:06:11,333 --> 00:06:15,667 complicated conflict that there can be. 104 00:06:15,667 --> 00:06:19,000 With your parents, with your siblings, 105 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:21,167 with your own children. 106 00:06:21,167 --> 00:06:24,667 That's what Jesus says. 107 00:06:24,667 --> 00:06:27,667 How many of you have found this to be true? 108 00:06:27,667 --> 00:06:29,667 The more devoted you are to Jesus, 109 00:06:29,667 --> 00:06:32,500 the more complicated some of your relationships become 110 00:06:32,500 --> 00:06:34,500 with those people who are closest to you. 111 00:06:34,500 --> 00:06:36,500 Family, friends, coworkers. 112 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:42,667 See, Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, the life. 113 00:06:42,667 --> 00:06:45,000 No one comes to the Father but through me." 114 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:47,500 There's only one way of salvation and that means that 115 00:06:47,500 --> 00:06:50,500 all other religions are wrong. 116 00:06:50,500 --> 00:06:52,667 Jesus also spoke of hell more than anyone else 117 00:06:52,667 --> 00:06:54,167 in the whole Bible. 118 00:06:54,167 --> 00:06:57,167 Hell is real and lots of people are going there. 119 00:06:57,167 --> 00:06:59,333 Jesus often had arguments with religious people 120 00:06:59,333 --> 00:07:03,500 because he thought religion was ridiculous. 121 00:07:03,500 --> 00:07:09,833 He also told sinners to repent of sin and to stop in a life 122 00:07:09,833 --> 00:07:13,833 of disobedience and folly. 123 00:07:13,833 --> 00:07:19,833 Now if you actually believe this, and articulate it, 124 00:07:21,833 --> 00:07:24,500 someone's not going to like it. 125 00:07:24,500 --> 00:07:27,000 Someone with your last name is not going to like you. 126 00:07:31,667 --> 00:07:35,000 So what do you do? 127 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:37,167 What do you do? 128 00:07:37,167 --> 00:07:39,333 And for how many of you, 129 00:07:39,333 --> 00:07:42,000 this has been a real, painful experience, 130 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:45,167 this is not just a theological treatise. 131 00:07:45,167 --> 00:07:52,000 This is an emotional cost. It's hard. 132 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:58,167 It's hard to stay passionate, zealous, fired up toward Jesus. 133 00:07:59,500 --> 00:08:04,833 Sometimes those we're in community and relationship with, 134 00:08:04,833 --> 00:08:09,000 and this can be the full gamut, from those who are 135 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:13,500 very religious to those who are very anti-religious. 136 00:08:13,500 --> 00:08:17,500 They tend to both oppose gospel-centered, grace-loving, 137 00:08:17,500 --> 00:08:22,833 Jesus-following people. 138 00:08:22,833 --> 00:08:26,833 They will express their division, their hostility, 139 00:08:26,833 --> 00:08:31,833 their animosity, with two things: criticism and ostracism. 140 00:08:31,833 --> 00:08:35,667 Criticism, they will say some negative things about you, 141 00:08:35,667 --> 00:08:37,667 perhaps even to you. 142 00:08:37,667 --> 00:08:41,667 They will criticize you or ostracize you. 143 00:08:41,667 --> 00:08:43,500 They don't call. 144 00:08:43,500 --> 00:08:45,333 You're no longer included in those conversations. 145 00:08:45,333 --> 00:08:47,500 You're not invited to those events. 146 00:08:47,500 --> 00:08:49,000 "Hey, how come I didn't know?" 147 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:50,667 "Oh, we didn't invite you." 148 00:08:50,667 --> 00:08:52,333 "Oh. 149 00:08:52,333 --> 00:08:55,333 "It looks like my place has shifted in the relationship 150 00:08:55,333 --> 00:08:59,833 and the community in the family." 151 00:08:59,833 --> 00:09:05,333 I've been in this job long enough to see painful, 152 00:09:05,333 --> 00:09:11,000 innumerable examples of exactly what Jesus is saying. 153 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:14,833 Now Jesus is telling us this not to discourage us, 154 00:09:14,833 --> 00:09:19,500 but to instruct us and inform us and prepare us. 155 00:09:19,500 --> 00:09:23,333 "This is how it's going to be." 156 00:09:23,333 --> 00:09:26,500 I know of devoutly religious families in other nations 157 00:09:26,500 --> 00:09:29,333 committed to other religions who have literally told their 158 00:09:29,333 --> 00:09:32,833 children studying here in the States and attending Mars Hill 159 00:09:32,833 --> 00:09:37,833 who have become Christians, tell their own children, 160 00:09:37,833 --> 00:09:40,000 "You're not allowed to come home. 161 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:44,333 We never want to see you again. We've disowned you." 162 00:09:44,333 --> 00:09:47,667 I know that at least one person at Mars Hill, while still alive, 163 00:09:47,667 --> 00:09:52,500 in another nation their devoutly religious family held a funeral 164 00:09:52,500 --> 00:09:55,500 and declared them dead 165 00:09:55,500 --> 00:09:59,000 because they had converted to Christianity. 166 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:02,667 I know of some people who are afraid to return home because 167 00:10:02,667 --> 00:10:08,667 their family is not beyond what is called an honor killing. 168 00:10:08,667 --> 00:10:13,000 If they return home they will be deemed an infidel and killed 169 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:15,667 because of their love for Jesus. 170 00:10:15,667 --> 00:10:18,500 These are people who will never see their family again unless 171 00:10:18,500 --> 00:10:21,500 their family repents and become Christian. 172 00:10:21,500 --> 00:10:24,500 I know of people whose family have turned their back on them, 173 00:10:24,500 --> 00:10:26,667 who criticize them. 174 00:10:26,667 --> 00:10:30,167 I know personally hundreds of single people whose own family 175 00:10:30,167 --> 00:10:32,833 are making fun of them for trying to stay pure until 176 00:10:32,833 --> 00:10:36,000 marriage, wanting to get married instead of just living 177 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:37,833 and sleeping together. 178 00:10:37,833 --> 00:10:40,667 I know hundreds of women whose own family have really opposed 179 00:10:40,667 --> 00:10:42,333 them and mocked them and maligned them 180 00:10:42,333 --> 00:10:45,333 because they have children or they want to be mothers 181 00:10:45,333 --> 00:10:50,833 and they want to have a family. 182 00:10:50,833 --> 00:10:54,333 I know families in which the parents have really pressured 183 00:10:54,333 --> 00:10:57,667 one of the children who is a Christian to tolerate other 184 00:10:57,667 --> 00:11:00,000 religions and diversities and, 185 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:02,000 "Can't you just keep it to yourself?" 186 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:05,000 and, "Isn't faith a private matter?" 187 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:07,000 What they're essentially saying is, 188 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:09,000 "We will welcome you providing you don't bring 189 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:11,667 "your friend Jesus with you. 190 00:11:11,667 --> 00:11:14,500 "If you bring your friend Jesus with you, then feel free 191 00:11:14,500 --> 00:11:18,167 not to come and feel free not to speak." 192 00:11:18,167 --> 00:11:20,500 I've had some people in this church actually told 193 00:11:20,500 --> 00:11:23,000 by family members, "When we ask you how you're doing, 194 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:26,000 "we don't want to hear about God, we don't want to hear 195 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:28,500 "about church, we don't want to hear about ministry. 196 00:11:28,500 --> 00:11:33,667 Talk about something else. We don't want to hear it." 197 00:11:33,667 --> 00:11:36,667 And under these circumstances Jesus is forewarning us 198 00:11:36,667 --> 00:11:39,000 that this fire, this zeal, this passion, 199 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:44,500 well, it would be like certain people are just always trying 200 00:11:44,500 --> 00:11:49,333 to throw water on your fire. 201 00:11:49,333 --> 00:11:52,500 The goal is to get your flame to be as small as possible, 202 00:11:52,500 --> 00:11:56,500 perhaps extinguish it altogether. 203 00:11:56,500 --> 00:11:59,833 How many of you, right now, there are people in your life, 204 00:11:59,833 --> 00:12:02,500 it's just a bucket of water? 205 00:12:02,500 --> 00:12:06,167 Every chance they get, it's criticism, ostracism. 206 00:12:10,167 --> 00:12:14,333 Should you say or do anything wrong, they immediately jump 207 00:12:14,333 --> 00:12:20,333 on the opportunity to point out your hypocrisy. 208 00:12:20,333 --> 00:12:25,667 Jesus tells us that to become a Christian is to be set aflame 209 00:12:25,667 --> 00:12:31,000 with a never-ending passion for God and the things of God 210 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:35,833 and that those who do not share that passion will invariably 211 00:12:35,833 --> 00:12:41,000 keep trying to put water on that flame. 212 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:45,167 And this is a sobering word. 213 00:12:45,167 --> 00:12:49,833 It should not be a discouraging word but it's a sobering word. 214 00:12:49,833 --> 00:12:54,833 To really contemplate what cost you're willing to pay to maintain 215 00:12:54,833 --> 00:12:58,667 a red-hot devotion to Jesus. 216 00:12:58,667 --> 00:13:00,500 Some of you already have settled 217 00:13:00,500 --> 00:13:04,500 for a very small flame of passion for Jesus. 218 00:13:04,500 --> 00:13:07,500 You've tried to find that sweet spot to where all your family 219 00:13:07,500 --> 00:13:11,000 and friends affirm you, maybe Jesus still accepts you. 220 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:15,167 The flame is not out but it's as small as possible. 221 00:13:15,167 --> 00:13:21,500 And maybe it's private and not public. 222 00:13:21,500 --> 00:13:26,167 How do you keep yourself hot? 223 00:13:26,167 --> 00:13:27,667 Motivated? 224 00:13:27,667 --> 00:13:32,500 Passionate toward Jesus? 225 00:13:32,500 --> 00:13:36,833 I would submit to you that a regular practice 226 00:13:36,833 --> 00:13:39,833 of the spiritual disciplines is the way. 227 00:13:39,833 --> 00:13:42,000 I'll give you an example. 228 00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:45,500 I'll give you a short, brief list as it were. 229 00:13:45,500 --> 00:13:49,333 Some of you would ask, "As my passionate commitment to Jesus 230 00:13:49,333 --> 00:13:51,333 may be waning in certain seasons," 231 00:13:51,333 --> 00:13:54,667 and we all experience this, "What is the secret to sort 232 00:13:54,667 --> 00:13:57,500 of reignite that flame of passion toward God?" 233 00:13:57,500 --> 00:14:00,333 Well, the truth is there's no secret. 234 00:14:00,333 --> 00:14:05,167 There's just habitual obedience in a number of areas. 235 00:14:05,167 --> 00:14:07,500 And it starts in community. 236 00:14:07,500 --> 00:14:09,333 Now I don't know about you. 237 00:14:09,333 --> 00:14:12,167 I was a city boy, raised in the city. 238 00:14:12,167 --> 00:14:14,167 Didn't camp. 239 00:14:14,167 --> 00:14:16,833 I didn't know how to make a fire. 240 00:14:16,833 --> 00:14:19,333 And then Gracie and I were married between our junior 241 00:14:19,333 --> 00:14:20,833 and senior year of college. 242 00:14:20,833 --> 00:14:26,167 We rented a basement apartment for $250 a month. 243 00:14:26,167 --> 00:14:28,500 And we couldn't afford the electric heating bill 244 00:14:28,500 --> 00:14:30,667 because we were college broke. 245 00:14:30,667 --> 00:14:32,667 There was a fireplace so we decided, 246 00:14:32,667 --> 00:14:37,833 "We'll make fires and that will heat our home." 247 00:14:37,833 --> 00:14:41,167 The problem was I didn't know how to make a fire. 248 00:14:41,167 --> 00:14:44,667 One of the first fires I tried to make, I put a log in, 249 00:14:44,667 --> 00:14:47,000 surrounded it with paper, I set it on fire. 250 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:51,833 The paper burned, the log laughed. 251 00:14:54,167 --> 00:14:57,667 And there was no fire. 252 00:14:57,667 --> 00:15:01,167 So I got lighter fluid. 253 00:15:01,167 --> 00:15:03,667 Incentive. Motivation. 254 00:15:03,667 --> 00:15:08,167 Like the Holy Spirit, just put that on the flame. 255 00:15:08,167 --> 00:15:11,000 But eventually I was out of lighter fluid and the log 256 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:16,833 still wasn't on fire and continued laughing at me. 257 00:15:16,833 --> 00:15:19,500 Then I realized, "Oh, I'll need a little kindling." 258 00:15:19,500 --> 00:15:22,667 So let's call these kinds of spiritual disciplines, 259 00:15:22,667 --> 00:15:25,000 these are kindling. 260 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:27,500 This helps to stoke a fire and keep it going. 261 00:15:27,500 --> 00:15:29,333 And what I learned very quickly was, 262 00:15:29,333 --> 00:15:33,333 you need to stack the logs together, right? 263 00:15:33,333 --> 00:15:36,000 And once you stack the logs together with the right 264 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:38,500 kindling, once you light the kindling then the kindling heats 265 00:15:38,500 --> 00:15:42,333 up into a set of coals and then the kindling as coals 266 00:15:42,333 --> 00:15:44,667 starts to heat up the logs. 267 00:15:44,667 --> 00:15:48,833 And then the logs, if they're appropriately stacked, 268 00:15:48,833 --> 00:15:52,333 they burn off of one another. 269 00:15:52,333 --> 00:15:56,333 You get a fantastic flame that burns for a long time 270 00:15:56,333 --> 00:16:00,833 and generates a lot of sustaining heat. 271 00:16:00,833 --> 00:16:03,000 And your wife will snuggle with you. 272 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:06,833 That's what I learned about making a fire. 273 00:16:06,833 --> 00:16:09,833 The Christian life is like that. 274 00:16:09,833 --> 00:16:13,333 The spiritual disciplines here, it's like kindling. 275 00:16:13,333 --> 00:16:15,833 It gets the fire started. 276 00:16:15,833 --> 00:16:19,667 Turns into good, hot coals to keep it burning. 277 00:16:19,667 --> 00:16:23,500 And community is stacking the logs together. 278 00:16:23,500 --> 00:16:26,833 It's Christians in relationship, in friendship, 279 00:16:26,833 --> 00:16:31,167 in what we call community groups, stacking together. 280 00:16:31,167 --> 00:16:34,833 Saying, "You know, all by ourselves, eventually, 281 00:16:34,833 --> 00:16:40,833 perhaps not long at all, a single log ceases to flame." 282 00:16:40,833 --> 00:16:43,333 How many of you have noticed this? 283 00:16:43,333 --> 00:16:48,000 You could take a flaming log that's red hot underneath, 284 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:54,833 fully heated up, remove it from the stack, isolate it. 285 00:16:54,833 --> 00:17:01,000 Before long it's down to embers, it's smoldering, it's dark. 286 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:03,000 And the flame is extinguished. 287 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:06,667 You, friend, are like that. 288 00:17:06,667 --> 00:17:08,833 You will continue to burn 289 00:17:08,833 --> 00:17:12,667 if you have enough kindling and community. 290 00:17:12,667 --> 00:17:16,167 Without kindling there won't be coals to keep you hot. 291 00:17:16,167 --> 00:17:20,667 Without community eventually you will be extinguished. 292 00:17:20,667 --> 00:17:23,167 Your passionate zeal and devotion to Jesus 293 00:17:23,167 --> 00:17:25,667 will wane until it ends. 294 00:17:25,667 --> 00:17:28,333 And how many of you this has been your story? 295 00:17:28,333 --> 00:17:31,667 The hottest seasons of your life with God have been those 296 00:17:31,667 --> 00:17:36,500 in community and the coldest seasons in your life spiritually 297 00:17:36,500 --> 00:17:39,500 have been alone? 298 00:17:39,500 --> 00:17:41,667 It's true for us all. 299 00:17:41,667 --> 00:17:45,833 It's why God said, "It's not good to be alone." 300 00:17:45,833 --> 00:17:50,500 And so the kindling, Scripture, it's reading the Bible. 301 00:17:50,500 --> 00:17:52,833 It's how God talks to us. 302 00:17:52,833 --> 00:17:55,000 It's also reading good Christian books 303 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:57,167 that help us understand the Bible. 304 00:17:57,167 --> 00:18:01,333 It's prayer, which is talking to God. 305 00:18:01,333 --> 00:18:05,667 Maybe even about the fact that you're alone. 306 00:18:05,667 --> 00:18:12,167 Or there's a lot of water on your wood right now. 307 00:18:12,167 --> 00:18:14,500 It includes worship, which is a lifestyle, 308 00:18:14,500 --> 00:18:18,000 but it's also coming together on Sunday as the church 309 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:19,833 and it includes singing. 310 00:18:19,833 --> 00:18:23,000 And the way we've even organized our service, I'll admit, 311 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:25,833 it can be awkward and you have to grow into it. 312 00:18:25,833 --> 00:18:30,167 Because I will rebuke you for an hour and then expect you 313 00:18:30,167 --> 00:18:32,167 to sing joyfully. 314 00:18:34,333 --> 00:18:38,500 It's because, for us, a rebuke, a correction, an instruction, 315 00:18:38,500 --> 00:18:42,833 is not a condemnation, it's an invitation. 316 00:18:42,833 --> 00:18:44,833 It's God saying, "This is a problem. 317 00:18:44,833 --> 00:18:47,333 I'm here. Let's work on it." 318 00:18:47,333 --> 00:18:52,167 And singing and responding is running to God, saying, 319 00:18:52,167 --> 00:18:54,333 "Thank you for being willing to help me. 320 00:18:54,333 --> 00:18:57,833 I am willing to have your help right now." 321 00:18:57,833 --> 00:19:03,167 And so there's a sense of passionate urgency. 322 00:19:03,167 --> 00:19:05,500 It includes giving because as Jesus has already said 323 00:19:05,500 --> 00:19:08,167 in Luke 12, where your heart is your treasure is. 324 00:19:08,167 --> 00:19:11,500 If you want your heart to be toward God and the things of God, 325 00:19:11,500 --> 00:19:14,333 then give your money toward God and the things of God 326 00:19:14,333 --> 00:19:15,833 and your passion will follow. 327 00:19:15,833 --> 00:19:18,000 It includes serving. 328 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:23,000 Finding people and places in which you could be of assistance 329 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:25,167 and make a contribution and help. 330 00:19:25,167 --> 00:19:27,167 "Who can I help? What can I do? 331 00:19:27,167 --> 00:19:28,667 Where can I serve?" 332 00:19:28,667 --> 00:19:31,500 And that helps us to grow in our appreciation that our God 333 00:19:31,500 --> 00:19:35,833 is a humble God and Jesus is a God who serves us. 334 00:19:35,833 --> 00:19:37,167 This includes obedience. 335 00:19:37,167 --> 00:19:42,500 This is doing what God said even when you don't feel like it. 336 00:19:42,500 --> 00:19:45,167 I had this situation with Gideon last night. 337 00:19:45,167 --> 00:19:46,500 He's four. I said, "Gideon, 338 00:19:46,500 --> 00:19:48,833 you need to sit there and eat your dinner." 339 00:19:48,833 --> 00:19:50,667 He said, "I don't feel like it." 340 00:19:50,667 --> 00:19:53,833 I said, "Well, I didn't say that I want you to feel 341 00:19:53,833 --> 00:19:56,667 "like eating your dinner. 342 00:19:56,667 --> 00:19:58,333 What did I say?" 343 00:19:58,333 --> 00:20:00,333 He said, "You said to eat my dinner." 344 00:20:00,333 --> 00:20:03,833 Okay for some of us that's as simple as it is with us and God. 345 00:20:03,833 --> 00:20:05,333 God says, "Obey me." 346 00:20:05,333 --> 00:20:07,333 And we say, "I don't feel like it." 347 00:20:07,333 --> 00:20:09,333 And God says, "You can still obey me." 348 00:20:09,333 --> 00:20:11,167 And obedience keeps us from harm. 349 00:20:11,167 --> 00:20:12,667 Obedience keeps us from danger. 350 00:20:12,667 --> 00:20:14,500 And sometimes in the act of obedience 351 00:20:14,500 --> 00:20:17,500 our heart comes around and we feel differently. 352 00:20:19,500 --> 00:20:22,000 And lastly it's evangelism, which is talking 353 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:23,667 to non-Christians, building relationships with 354 00:20:23,667 --> 00:20:26,000 non-Christians, loving and serving non-Christians. 355 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:28,167 If you're not a Christian, we love you. 356 00:20:28,167 --> 00:20:31,000 We are so honored, sincerely, and glad you're here. 357 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:32,833 Everything on the Web site's free. 358 00:20:32,833 --> 00:20:34,667 Download anything that looks good. 359 00:20:34,667 --> 00:20:36,500 Get a free copy of the Bible. 360 00:20:36,500 --> 00:20:39,500 If on the way out you pass the bookstore and you say, 361 00:20:39,500 --> 00:20:41,500 "That book answers a lot of my questions." 362 00:20:41,500 --> 00:20:43,500 If you'll read it, we'll pay for it. 363 00:20:43,500 --> 00:20:46,000 Tell them, "Pastor Mark said he'll pick up the tab 364 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:47,333 "for my book. 365 00:20:47,333 --> 00:20:49,333 I'm not a Christian and I'll read it." 366 00:20:49,333 --> 00:20:53,000 I'll pay for it. We're glad to have you. We love you. 367 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:55,000 And for those of us who are Christians, 368 00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:59,167 being around non-Christians helps to remind us that 369 00:20:59,167 --> 00:21:02,500 to be separated from God and his people and to grow cold 370 00:21:02,500 --> 00:21:07,167 and to live as if we didn't even belong to or know God, 371 00:21:07,167 --> 00:21:10,167 well that's not something that our deepest desires 372 00:21:10,167 --> 00:21:11,833 really long for. 373 00:21:11,833 --> 00:21:14,500 Do you remember what it was like to be a non-Christian? 374 00:21:14,500 --> 00:21:17,667 Can you imagine what it would be like to live life apart 375 00:21:17,667 --> 00:21:19,333 from God and his people? 376 00:21:19,333 --> 00:21:21,000 So number one is passion. 377 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:25,333 Number two, Jesus speaks of a sense of urgency. 378 00:21:25,333 --> 00:21:28,333 In Luke 12:54-59, "He also said to the crowds, 379 00:21:28,333 --> 00:21:31,500 "'When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, 380 00:21:31,500 --> 00:21:33,333 "'"A shower is coming." 381 00:21:33,333 --> 00:21:34,667 "'And so it happens. 382 00:21:34,667 --> 00:21:37,167 "'And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, 383 00:21:37,167 --> 00:21:39,333 "'"There will be a scorching heat," and it happens. 384 00:21:39,333 --> 00:21:43,500 "'You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, 385 00:21:43,500 --> 00:21:46,500 "'but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? 386 00:21:46,500 --> 00:21:49,167 "'And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 387 00:21:49,167 --> 00:21:51,333 "'As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, 388 00:21:51,333 --> 00:21:54,667 "'make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you 389 00:21:54,667 --> 00:21:57,667 "'to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, 390 00:21:57,667 --> 00:21:59,333 "'and the officer put you in prison. 391 00:21:59,333 --> 00:22:01,333 "'I tell you, you will never get out 392 00:22:01,333 --> 00:22:03,333 until you have paid the very last penny.'" 393 00:22:03,333 --> 00:22:04,833 Jesus herein speaks of two things: 394 00:22:04,833 --> 00:22:06,167 the weather and judgment. 395 00:22:06,167 --> 00:22:08,167 We'll deal with weather first. 396 00:22:08,167 --> 00:22:10,167 Jesus is saying that some people 397 00:22:10,167 --> 00:22:13,333 are far too concerned about the weather. 398 00:22:13,333 --> 00:22:15,500 Now think about it. 399 00:22:16,333 --> 00:22:18,000 Nothing has changed. 400 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:22,167 When you get a phone, the one app you don't even need 401 00:22:22,167 --> 00:22:25,167 to download is the what app? 402 00:22:25,167 --> 00:22:26,667 The weather app. 403 00:22:26,667 --> 00:22:28,167 They just give you that one 404 00:22:28,167 --> 00:22:31,167 because they know everyone wants it. 405 00:22:31,167 --> 00:22:33,500 The rest you have to choose for yourself. 406 00:22:33,500 --> 00:22:36,000 That one everybody gets. Why? 407 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:40,500 Because everybody wants to know the weather. 408 00:22:40,500 --> 00:22:42,500 Why? 409 00:22:42,500 --> 00:22:44,500 Why do people want to know the weather? 410 00:22:44,500 --> 00:22:47,167 In that day they would track the wind and they'd look 411 00:22:47,167 --> 00:22:50,500 at the clouds and that was their version of the weather app. 412 00:22:50,500 --> 00:22:52,500 They're trying to figure out what the weather's 413 00:22:52,500 --> 00:22:54,000 going to be like. Why? 414 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:57,500 Because you want to prepare for the future. 415 00:22:57,500 --> 00:23:03,000 And what Jesus says is some of us are almost obsessively 416 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:07,333 interested in the weather in anticipation and preparation 417 00:23:07,333 --> 00:23:12,333 for our future, and we don't even get ready for eternity. 418 00:23:12,333 --> 00:23:15,500 Are you going to heaven or hell? 419 00:23:15,500 --> 00:23:17,333 You say, "I don't know. 420 00:23:17,333 --> 00:23:20,167 But I know what the temperature will be tomorrow." 421 00:23:20,167 --> 00:23:24,167 It is okay to know what the temperature will be tomorrow, but 422 00:23:24,167 --> 00:23:29,833 that is not the most important future you need to prepare for. 423 00:23:29,833 --> 00:23:32,833 Forever is a long time. 424 00:23:32,833 --> 00:23:36,333 Heaven and hell are real. 425 00:23:36,333 --> 00:23:42,167 You will die and live forever somewhere. 426 00:23:42,167 --> 00:23:45,500 And so you need to prepare for eternity. 427 00:23:45,500 --> 00:23:48,833 And isn't it true that so much of our life is filled with 428 00:23:48,833 --> 00:23:53,667 inane, mundane conversations about the weather? 429 00:23:53,667 --> 00:23:56,500 I mean, we have the most ridiculous conversations 430 00:23:56,500 --> 00:23:59,500 about the weather because we're nervous and we don't know 431 00:23:59,500 --> 00:24:02,833 what else to talk about, right? 432 00:24:02,833 --> 00:24:04,500 People say the craziest things. 433 00:24:04,500 --> 00:24:08,833 I mean, "Well, it's very hot out today." 434 00:24:08,833 --> 00:24:12,667 "Is that why I'm sweaty? 435 00:24:12,667 --> 00:24:15,500 "Oh. Thank you. 436 00:24:15,500 --> 00:24:20,000 "That explains a lot. 437 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:24,167 "I am sweaty and I am hot. 438 00:24:24,167 --> 00:24:29,667 "Perhaps because it is hot. 439 00:24:29,667 --> 00:24:35,500 You're a genius, yes you are." 440 00:24:35,500 --> 00:24:38,500 "It's very wet outside today." 441 00:24:38,500 --> 00:24:42,333 "That would explain why I'm wet. 442 00:24:42,333 --> 00:24:46,500 "I was inside. I was dry. 443 00:24:46,500 --> 00:24:51,333 "And then I went outside and I got wet. 444 00:24:51,333 --> 00:24:55,333 "It could be because it's wet out. 445 00:24:55,333 --> 00:24:57,333 That could be it." 446 00:24:57,667 --> 00:25:00,667 "Oh, are you ready for the winter?" 447 00:25:00,667 --> 00:25:03,667 Nobody ever asks, "Are you ready for hell? 448 00:25:04,667 --> 00:25:07,667 "It's going to be hot. 449 00:25:07,667 --> 00:25:11,000 "You might sweat. 450 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:13,333 There's no flip-flops." 451 00:25:13,333 --> 00:25:15,333 Forever's a long time. 452 00:25:15,333 --> 00:25:18,500 We tend to divert our attention. 453 00:25:18,500 --> 00:25:22,333 We tend to distract ourselves from thinking about long-range 454 00:25:22,333 --> 00:25:28,167 planning for an eternal future by short-term planning 455 00:25:28,167 --> 00:25:31,000 for an immediate future. 456 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:32,833 Some of you check your weather app 457 00:25:32,833 --> 00:25:34,500 more than you check your heart. 458 00:25:34,500 --> 00:25:37,333 Some of you are prepared for the seasons with your wardrobe 459 00:25:37,333 --> 00:25:40,500 but you're not prepared to stand before God and give an account 460 00:25:40,500 --> 00:25:44,000 and live forever somewhere. 461 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:46,167 It's true, isn't it? 462 00:25:46,167 --> 00:25:49,167 So what Jesus says is if you're someone who's trying to figure 463 00:25:49,167 --> 00:25:54,333 out what to wear tomorrow, don't overlook forever. 464 00:25:54,333 --> 00:25:58,667 Number two, he talks about judgment. 465 00:25:58,667 --> 00:26:01,333 Here's the hard, cold, sad, truth: 466 00:26:01,333 --> 00:26:04,167 You're going to die. 467 00:26:04,167 --> 00:26:06,000 We all sin. 468 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:07,667 The wage for sin is death. 469 00:26:07,667 --> 00:26:09,333 We all die. 470 00:26:09,333 --> 00:26:13,667 That day will be our proverbial day in court. 471 00:26:13,667 --> 00:26:16,167 You're going to stand before God and give an account 472 00:26:16,167 --> 00:26:19,333 for your whole life. 473 00:26:19,333 --> 00:26:22,500 We're all guilty. 474 00:26:22,500 --> 00:26:26,333 Our thoughts, our words, our deeds, our motives; 475 00:26:26,333 --> 00:26:29,833 what we have done, what we have failed to do, 476 00:26:29,833 --> 00:26:34,000 will all come to accuse us, testify against us, 477 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:37,167 ultimately leading to our eternal condemnation, 478 00:26:37,167 --> 00:26:39,667 sentencing to hell. 479 00:26:39,667 --> 00:26:44,333 I want you to emotionally feel that reality. 480 00:26:44,333 --> 00:26:47,500 And what Jesus is saying is if you're going to get prepared 481 00:26:47,500 --> 00:26:51,500 for the weather, get prepared for the judgment. 482 00:26:51,500 --> 00:26:55,500 Whether it's hot or cold tomorrow is not nearly 483 00:26:55,500 --> 00:27:01,667 as significant as whether you go to heaven or hell forever. 484 00:27:01,667 --> 00:27:04,500 So get ready for that day in court, 485 00:27:04,500 --> 00:27:07,500 that day when you stand before God. 486 00:27:07,500 --> 00:27:11,167 And he uses this interesting parable or analogy. 487 00:27:11,167 --> 00:27:17,333 Let me apply it to you personally and individually. 488 00:27:17,333 --> 00:27:20,333 Let's say that you have committed a horrible crime. 489 00:27:20,333 --> 00:27:23,333 You have done something atrocious. 490 00:27:23,333 --> 00:27:25,667 And you are guilty. 491 00:27:25,667 --> 00:27:27,333 And everyone knows you're guilty 492 00:27:27,333 --> 00:27:30,000 and the evidence is incontrovertible. 493 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:33,000 You hire the best attorney and you ask, "What can I do?" 494 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:36,333 And he just tells you, "Nothing. 495 00:27:36,333 --> 00:27:40,333 "Prepare yourself for sentencing. 496 00:27:40,333 --> 00:27:44,500 "Get yourself emotionally ready for the consequences. 497 00:27:44,500 --> 00:27:47,333 "You're going away forever. 498 00:27:47,333 --> 00:27:49,667 "There's nothing I can do for you. 499 00:27:49,667 --> 00:27:52,333 "You're guilty. Everyone knows it. 500 00:27:52,333 --> 00:27:54,667 "Nothing will change it. 501 00:27:54,667 --> 00:27:57,667 This is a doomed case." 502 00:27:57,667 --> 00:28:00,667 I want you to feel that. 503 00:28:00,667 --> 00:28:04,667 Imagine, as your day is approaching, 504 00:28:04,667 --> 00:28:08,167 and the weightiness of your transgression has settled into 505 00:28:08,167 --> 00:28:11,500 your soul and you've got your sleepless nights 506 00:28:11,500 --> 00:28:13,500 and your panic-filled days. 507 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:17,667 And then suppose, according to Jesus' analogy, 508 00:28:17,667 --> 00:28:19,667 you get a letter in the mail. 509 00:28:19,667 --> 00:28:22,333 And you get that feeling in your stomach because the return 510 00:28:22,333 --> 00:28:26,000 address is the person that you committed the crime against. 511 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:28,667 "Oh man, dare I even open it. 512 00:28:28,667 --> 00:28:30,833 What might they say?" 513 00:28:30,833 --> 00:28:34,000 You open it up and there's a letter. 514 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:38,333 And it starts with, "I love you. 515 00:28:38,333 --> 00:28:41,667 "And I'm worried about you. 516 00:28:41,667 --> 00:28:46,167 "And our day in court is coming. 517 00:28:46,167 --> 00:28:49,833 "And I know what's going to happen to you. 518 00:28:49,833 --> 00:28:53,000 "And so I have decided I would like to pursue you 519 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:59,333 "and forgive you and cancel any punishment or debt 520 00:29:00,667 --> 00:29:05,333 "or obligation that you have toward me. 521 00:29:05,333 --> 00:29:08,000 "And I'm worried about your emotional well-being so I'd like 522 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:13,000 "to build a friendship with you and help you recover from this. 523 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:16,833 "And I think there's a way for your future life 524 00:29:16,833 --> 00:29:20,333 "to not look like your past life. 525 00:29:20,333 --> 00:29:23,833 "My guess is right now a lot of your family and friends have 526 00:29:23,833 --> 00:29:29,833 "disowned you, so I would like to be your family and your friend. 527 00:29:29,833 --> 00:29:34,000 "And so I'd really like to meet with you before we go to court 528 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:38,833 "because once we stand before the judge and the gavel 529 00:29:38,833 --> 00:29:41,667 "is hammered upon the desk, there's no turning back 530 00:29:41,667 --> 00:29:43,500 "and there's nothing we can do. 531 00:29:43,500 --> 00:29:46,167 "But it's not too late. Let's meet. 532 00:29:46,167 --> 00:29:48,000 "Let's reconcile. Let me forgive you. 533 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:52,000 "Let me bless you and serve you and help you. 534 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:55,167 "And this is so important to me that I'll meet with you 535 00:29:55,167 --> 00:29:58,000 "whenever works for you. 536 00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:00,667 "I've cleared my whole schedule and whenever you're ready, 537 00:30:00,667 --> 00:30:02,667 "I'm gonna come and meet with you. 538 00:30:02,667 --> 00:30:05,167 "You don't even need to come and meet with me. 539 00:30:05,167 --> 00:30:06,667 I'll come and meet with you." 540 00:30:06,667 --> 00:30:08,833 Can you imagine receiving that letter? 541 00:30:08,833 --> 00:30:11,667 "Are you kidding me? I'm going to get my life back? 542 00:30:11,667 --> 00:30:14,667 "My enemy is going to become my friend? 543 00:30:14,667 --> 00:30:18,667 "They're going to cancel all my debts? 544 00:30:18,667 --> 00:30:21,333 They're going to give me a whole new life." 545 00:30:21,333 --> 00:30:24,333 That's Jesus' analogy and let me tell you something. 546 00:30:24,333 --> 00:30:29,167 This is that letter. This is that letter. 547 00:30:30,500 --> 00:30:34,333 This is that letter. 548 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:40,500 We've sinned against God. 549 00:30:40,500 --> 00:30:44,000 We're all going to die and have our proverbial day in court. 550 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:46,500 There's no hope for any of us. 551 00:30:46,500 --> 00:30:49,667 And Jesus says, "I'll die for your sin. 552 00:30:49,667 --> 00:30:51,667 "I'll cancel your debt. 553 00:30:51,667 --> 00:30:53,833 "I'll pay your obligation of death. 554 00:30:53,833 --> 00:30:56,333 "I'll pursue you and love you as a friend. 555 00:30:56,333 --> 00:31:00,667 "Please talk to me before it's too late. 556 00:31:00,667 --> 00:31:03,500 "Please talk to me before you're standing before the judge 557 00:31:03,500 --> 00:31:06,833 on the day of eternal sentencing." 558 00:31:06,833 --> 00:31:11,667 Jesus here is compelling you toward a sense of urgency. 559 00:31:11,667 --> 00:31:14,000 Some of you say, "That doesn't make any sense." 560 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:17,667 We've had to learn a very important word in the Bible 561 00:31:17,667 --> 00:31:19,167 to explain this kind of action. 562 00:31:19,167 --> 00:31:21,833 It's called grace. 563 00:31:21,833 --> 00:31:26,500 It sounds almost too good to be true that God would do that. 564 00:31:26,500 --> 00:31:29,167 In Christ that's exactly what he does. 565 00:31:29,167 --> 00:31:34,333 That Jesus dies for our sin, that he rises as our savior, 566 00:31:34,333 --> 00:31:37,333 that he pursues us as friends. 567 00:31:37,333 --> 00:31:39,667 That he cancels our debt. 568 00:31:39,667 --> 00:31:41,833 That he changes our life. 569 00:31:41,833 --> 00:31:47,167 And he gives us a new life that never ends. 570 00:31:47,167 --> 00:31:50,667 And some of you don't have any sense of urgency. 571 00:31:50,667 --> 00:31:53,833 The messing around with God, playing around with God, 572 00:31:53,833 --> 00:31:57,000 occasionally dropping into church or praying a little bit 573 00:31:57,000 --> 00:32:00,167 or reading the Bible but truthfully you haven't really 574 00:32:00,167 --> 00:32:03,667 settled things with Jesus. 575 00:32:03,667 --> 00:32:08,500 You're not really prepared to stand before the judge. 576 00:32:08,500 --> 00:32:12,333 Your accounts are not cleaned out. 577 00:32:12,333 --> 00:32:15,000 You've not really confessed your sin and repented of your sin 578 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:18,333 and given it to Jesus and trusted in him by faith 579 00:32:18,333 --> 00:32:22,667 and worked on that reconciled relationship with him. 580 00:32:22,667 --> 00:32:26,667 And what he would tell you is this, "Do not delay. 581 00:32:26,667 --> 00:32:28,167 Do not delay." 582 00:32:28,167 --> 00:32:31,500 That he's willing to meet with you right here, right now, today. 583 00:32:31,500 --> 00:32:36,167 Isn't that fantastic? 584 00:32:36,167 --> 00:32:38,833 Passion, urgency. 585 00:32:38,833 --> 00:32:40,833 For what? 586 00:32:40,833 --> 00:32:43,667 Passionate urgency for what? 587 00:32:43,667 --> 00:32:47,000 Jesus' third point is that our passionate urgency 588 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:51,333 should be for repentance. 589 00:32:51,333 --> 00:32:54,000 He says it this way in Luke 13:1-5, 590 00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:56,500 "There were some present at that very time who told 591 00:32:56,500 --> 00:32:57,833 him about the Galileans," 592 00:32:57,833 --> 00:33:00,167 and Jesus himself was from the region of Galilee, 593 00:33:00,167 --> 00:33:02,833 "whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 594 00:33:02,833 --> 00:33:05,333 "And he answered them, 'Do you think that these Galileans 595 00:33:05,333 --> 00:33:07,667 "'were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, 596 00:33:07,667 --> 00:33:10,000 "'because they suffered in this way? 597 00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:12,167 No.'" 598 00:33:12,167 --> 00:33:14,667 Emphatically, "'No, I tell you; 599 00:33:14,667 --> 00:33:17,667 but unless you,'" what's the word? 600 00:33:17,667 --> 00:33:21,333 "'Repent, you will all likewise perish. 601 00:33:21,333 --> 00:33:24,833 "'Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell 602 00:33:24,833 --> 00:33:28,500 "'and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders 603 00:33:28,500 --> 00:33:32,000 "'than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 604 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:33,500 No!'" 605 00:33:33,500 --> 00:33:38,333 Emphatically, "'No, I tell you; but unless you,'" what? 606 00:33:38,333 --> 00:33:41,000 "'Repent,'" there's our word again, 607 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:43,000 "'you will all likewise perish.'" 608 00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:44,667 Here's what Jesus says. 609 00:33:44,667 --> 00:33:51,667 Every human being has two options: repent or perish. 610 00:33:51,667 --> 00:33:56,000 Repent or perish. 611 00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:58,500 People don't even talk about repentance anymore. 612 00:33:58,500 --> 00:34:02,333 Preachers don't even preach repentance anymore. 613 00:34:02,333 --> 00:34:05,833 Christians don't even discuss repentance anymore. 614 00:34:05,833 --> 00:34:10,833 There are a few exceptions, but repentance is not popular. 615 00:34:10,833 --> 00:34:12,333 You know what is popular? 616 00:34:12,333 --> 00:34:19,000 Self-love, self-esteem, self-help, self-actualization, 617 00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:22,000 not repentance. 618 00:34:25,833 --> 00:34:31,000 "Repentance," Jesus says, "is the only alternative 619 00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:34,833 to perishing." What does he mean by perishing? 620 00:34:34,833 --> 00:34:40,167 Dying and going to hell to suffer eternally forever 621 00:34:40,167 --> 00:34:43,000 as a just consequence of sin 622 00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:46,500 against a holy and righteous God. 623 00:34:46,500 --> 00:34:51,000 Now, in saying this, I know some of you immediately, 624 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:55,333 you will think, "Ah, I don't know if there is a God. 625 00:34:55,333 --> 00:34:57,333 "I don't know if there is a hell. 626 00:34:57,333 --> 00:34:59,667 I don't know if you're right." 627 00:34:59,667 --> 00:35:02,167 Let me submit this to you. 628 00:35:02,167 --> 00:35:06,833 If I am wrong and there is no God and there is no heaven and 629 00:35:06,833 --> 00:35:11,667 there is no hell and I from my heart of hearts love and serve 630 00:35:11,667 --> 00:35:16,167 Jesus, repent of my sin, and trust in him, 631 00:35:16,167 --> 00:35:21,167 I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. 632 00:35:21,167 --> 00:35:23,833 If you are wrong, you have nothing to gain 633 00:35:23,833 --> 00:35:26,833 and everything to lose. 634 00:35:26,833 --> 00:35:29,833 You have nothing to gain and everything to lose 635 00:35:29,833 --> 00:35:33,500 if in fact you are wrong. 636 00:35:33,500 --> 00:35:36,667 You're gambling with hell. 637 00:35:36,667 --> 00:35:38,833 You're gambling with God. 638 00:35:38,833 --> 00:35:42,333 You're gambling with your eternal destiny. 639 00:35:42,333 --> 00:35:46,667 Repent or perish. 640 00:35:46,667 --> 00:35:50,167 Some of you say, "But there are pastors who affirm my lifestyle. 641 00:35:50,167 --> 00:35:52,833 "There are churches who would tell me that all religions are 642 00:35:52,833 --> 00:35:56,000 "the same and that all gods are the same and that all paths 643 00:35:56,000 --> 00:35:57,833 lead to the same place." 644 00:35:57,833 --> 00:36:04,000 And I would tell you, "Those pastors may be perishing." 645 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:06,667 You can be a preacher and go to hell. 646 00:36:06,667 --> 00:36:09,000 You can be a pastor and go to hell. 647 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:11,500 You can be a theologian and go to hell. 648 00:36:11,500 --> 00:36:14,333 You can be a writer, an author, a thinker, 649 00:36:14,333 --> 00:36:19,333 a scholar, and go to hell, if you don't what? 650 00:36:19,333 --> 00:36:21,833 Repent. 651 00:36:21,833 --> 00:36:26,333 So this word is very important, is it not? 652 00:36:26,333 --> 00:36:28,500 Of all the words in our language, 653 00:36:28,500 --> 00:36:33,000 perhaps this word "repent" is among the most important 654 00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:36,833 and Jesus here uses it twice in five verses. 655 00:36:36,833 --> 00:36:39,333 And he's echoing the Old Testament prophets 656 00:36:39,333 --> 00:36:44,167 who repeatedly, emphatically, and clearly called for what? 657 00:36:44,167 --> 00:36:47,667 Repentance. Repentance. 658 00:36:47,667 --> 00:36:52,333 Emotionally this is going to be very hard for you. 659 00:36:52,333 --> 00:36:55,500 Don't leave me emotionally. 660 00:36:55,500 --> 00:36:59,500 Don't check out mentally. 661 00:36:59,500 --> 00:37:02,167 And don't start thinking about all the people who need 662 00:37:02,167 --> 00:37:04,667 to repent because they've sinned against you. 663 00:37:04,667 --> 00:37:08,833 Think of your own sin first. 664 00:37:08,833 --> 00:37:13,500 So many people don't even know what the word "repent" means. 665 00:37:13,500 --> 00:37:15,833 This hit me some years ago, I was writing for 666 00:37:15,833 --> 00:37:19,167 a major newspaper, a column that they'd asked me to write, 667 00:37:19,167 --> 00:37:21,833 and I was talking about someone who had become a Christian 668 00:37:21,833 --> 00:37:25,333 and they had repented of certain behaviors in their lifestyle. 669 00:37:25,333 --> 00:37:29,833 And the editor for this faith-values-religion-spirituality section 670 00:37:29,833 --> 00:37:31,333 called me up and they said, 671 00:37:31,333 --> 00:37:33,667 "Pastor Mark, we need you to rewrite the story." 672 00:37:33,667 --> 00:37:35,333 I said, "Well, what do you need?" 673 00:37:35,333 --> 00:37:38,333 And they said, and they were not a Christian, they're very nice, 674 00:37:38,333 --> 00:37:41,500 they said, "We have no idea what you mean by the word 'repent' 675 00:37:41,500 --> 00:37:43,667 and our readers won't either." 676 00:37:43,667 --> 00:37:46,333 Wow. 677 00:37:46,333 --> 00:37:52,667 The truth is, repentance is not a common word in our language. 678 00:37:52,667 --> 00:37:55,333 It's not even something that Christians use very often, 679 00:37:55,333 --> 00:37:57,667 and when we do, we oftentimes don't define it, 680 00:37:57,667 --> 00:38:01,833 we just use the word, not knowing what it means. 681 00:38:01,833 --> 00:38:05,667 It's a very important word. 682 00:38:05,667 --> 00:38:09,500 It means to change one's life course or direction. 683 00:38:12,333 --> 00:38:13,833 You're going towards sin. 684 00:38:13,833 --> 00:38:15,667 You turn around and go toward God. 685 00:38:15,667 --> 00:38:17,833 You're going toward death and you turn around 686 00:38:17,833 --> 00:38:19,500 and go toward life. 687 00:38:19,500 --> 00:38:21,500 You're going toward folly and you turn around 688 00:38:21,500 --> 00:38:24,500 and go toward wisdom. 689 00:38:27,167 --> 00:38:29,833 Repentance is not something that you do 690 00:38:29,833 --> 00:38:32,167 to just become a Christian. 691 00:38:32,167 --> 00:38:37,500 It's what you also do to grow as a Christian. 692 00:38:37,500 --> 00:38:42,000 Christianity is in some ways divided around something called 693 00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:45,667 the Protestant Reformation. 694 00:38:45,667 --> 00:38:48,667 Now, I don't mean to get into all the issues of Catholicism. 695 00:38:48,667 --> 00:38:50,167 I was raised Catholic. 696 00:38:50,167 --> 00:38:52,833 Altar boy, went to Catholic school for a few years. 697 00:38:52,833 --> 00:38:55,833 There are some Catholics who love Jesus. 698 00:38:55,833 --> 00:39:00,333 But I'm a Protestant and I agree with the criticisms 699 00:39:00,333 --> 00:39:05,167 of the Protestant Reformation against Roman Catholicism. 700 00:39:05,167 --> 00:39:09,000 And the Protestant Reformation was an effort to correct 701 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:11,333 or to bring to repentance some errors 702 00:39:11,333 --> 00:39:13,333 within the Catholic Church. 703 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:18,500 And it culminated around a man named Martin Luther. 704 00:39:18,500 --> 00:39:21,167 He had previously been a Catholic monk 705 00:39:21,167 --> 00:39:23,833 and scholar and theologian. 706 00:39:23,833 --> 00:39:26,500 And then in studying the Bible he realized that the church 707 00:39:26,500 --> 00:39:31,667 had some false teaching and some bad doctrine and some error. 708 00:39:31,667 --> 00:39:34,667 And so he wrote something called the 95 Theses. 709 00:39:34,667 --> 00:39:37,167 It was basically 95 points of error that the church 710 00:39:37,167 --> 00:39:40,000 needed to repent of in order to be consistent 711 00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:43,000 with the teaching of the Bible. 712 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:46,000 And he posted this on something called the Wittenberg Door. 713 00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:48,833 It was like a bulletin board in that day. 714 00:39:48,833 --> 00:39:51,167 It was where issues of culture and theology 715 00:39:51,167 --> 00:39:54,500 were posted for discussion. 716 00:39:54,500 --> 00:39:59,000 And that is seen by some as the opening salvo 717 00:39:59,000 --> 00:40:03,000 of the public issue of the Protestant Reformation. 718 00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:05,833 And the opening line on the 95 Theses of Martin Luther 719 00:40:05,833 --> 00:40:09,000 was incredibly important. 720 00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:12,167 And he said this, quote, "All of a Christian's life 721 00:40:12,167 --> 00:40:17,833 is one of repentance." 722 00:40:17,833 --> 00:40:24,500 The Christians are not the nicest people, 723 00:40:24,500 --> 00:40:28,000 the most consistent people, the most generous people, 724 00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:34,667 the most winsome people, but by God's grace we should be. 725 00:40:34,667 --> 00:40:40,333 The true mark of a Christian is repentance. 726 00:40:40,333 --> 00:40:43,833 And so Jesus here is talking about the two options 727 00:40:43,833 --> 00:40:46,667 that are set before you today. 728 00:40:46,667 --> 00:40:49,167 Repent or what? 729 00:40:49,167 --> 00:40:51,167 Perish. 730 00:40:55,667 --> 00:40:59,833 And they come to him and they ask him questions. 731 00:40:59,833 --> 00:41:03,500 And he comments on two issues in the day because when we're 732 00:41:03,500 --> 00:41:07,333 not diverted with the weather, we're diverted with the news. 733 00:41:07,333 --> 00:41:09,833 And that tends to be all that we chat about. 734 00:41:09,833 --> 00:41:14,333 We ignore weighty, eternal things so we can talk 735 00:41:14,333 --> 00:41:15,833 about the weather and the news. 736 00:41:15,833 --> 00:41:18,000 And they bring to Jesus a noteworthy, 737 00:41:18,000 --> 00:41:20,000 newsworthy event in that day. 738 00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:25,667 These two events that Jesus speaks of are not mentioned 739 00:41:25,667 --> 00:41:29,333 anywhere else that we have in record historically. 740 00:41:29,333 --> 00:41:31,667 The only thing we know is what Jesus says, 741 00:41:31,667 --> 00:41:34,333 so the details are scant. 742 00:41:34,333 --> 00:41:37,167 And the first is where apparently it was Passover 743 00:41:37,167 --> 00:41:40,500 season, when sacrifices were made because the wage for sin is 744 00:41:40,500 --> 00:41:44,833 death, and in the sacrificial system there would be a temple 745 00:41:44,833 --> 00:41:48,333 where God's presence was. 746 00:41:48,333 --> 00:41:51,000 And there would be priests who were like mediators between 747 00:41:51,000 --> 00:41:53,833 people and God, ultimately foreshadowing Jesus 748 00:41:53,833 --> 00:41:56,333 our great high priest. 749 00:41:56,333 --> 00:41:59,333 And they would bring their animals as substitutes 750 00:41:59,333 --> 00:42:02,500 symbolizing, foreshadowing, Jesus the Lamb of God 751 00:42:02,500 --> 00:42:04,667 who takes away the sins of the world. 752 00:42:04,667 --> 00:42:07,000 The whole old covenant system was all foreshadowing 753 00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:11,000 the forthcoming of Jesus as its fulfillment. 754 00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:14,833 And the worshiper would bathe themselves, cleanse themselves, 755 00:42:14,833 --> 00:42:18,000 they would put on white, they would ascend up to the mount, 756 00:42:18,000 --> 00:42:20,000 singing songs of worship. 757 00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:22,333 They would bring their substitutionary sacrifice, 758 00:42:22,333 --> 00:42:24,667 which was an expensive gift. 759 00:42:24,667 --> 00:42:26,667 They would confess their sins to God. 760 00:42:26,667 --> 00:42:28,500 They would acknowledge that they were sinners. 761 00:42:28,500 --> 00:42:31,000 They would demonstrate their repentance by offering 762 00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:35,000 the animal that it might be slain, its blood shed 763 00:42:35,000 --> 00:42:37,000 in their place for their sins. 764 00:42:37,000 --> 00:42:40,167 And he says that as these repentant worshipers of God 765 00:42:40,167 --> 00:42:44,667 were doing that, Roman soldiers apparently broke in and they 766 00:42:44,667 --> 00:42:49,667 slaughtered people who were worshiping so that their blood 767 00:42:49,667 --> 00:42:51,667 comingled with the blood of the sacrifices 768 00:42:51,667 --> 00:42:53,667 that they were offering. 769 00:42:53,667 --> 00:42:59,167 This would be akin to our own day, God forbid, 770 00:42:59,167 --> 00:43:02,000 that we were serving Communion at Mars Hill Church, 771 00:43:02,000 --> 00:43:05,000 we had the wine or juice, depending upon conscience, 772 00:43:05,000 --> 00:43:07,667 that represents the shed blood of Jesus, 773 00:43:07,667 --> 00:43:10,500 and as we were taking it showing that we belong to Jesus 774 00:43:10,500 --> 00:43:13,833 and we're humble by the grace of God and repenting of our sin 775 00:43:13,833 --> 00:43:20,333 by the grace of God, someone massacred members of our church 776 00:43:20,333 --> 00:43:25,500 and the Communion servers fell and the Communion wine spilled 777 00:43:25,500 --> 00:43:28,333 and the blood of the members comingled with the blood 778 00:43:28,333 --> 00:43:31,000 of the Communion wine. 779 00:43:31,000 --> 00:43:32,667 It's a massacre. 780 00:43:32,667 --> 00:43:34,333 It's a tragedy. 781 00:43:34,333 --> 00:43:37,167 It's a travesty. 782 00:43:37,167 --> 00:43:43,167 And they come to Jesus and they ask him a question about this. 783 00:43:43,167 --> 00:43:47,167 And Jesus also comments about a second tragic event. 784 00:43:47,167 --> 00:43:50,000 Apparently a construction project, an accident, 785 00:43:50,000 --> 00:43:51,500 at the pool of Siloam. 786 00:43:51,500 --> 00:43:54,667 It was a sacred and holy place and Jesus is going to do 787 00:43:54,667 --> 00:43:57,000 miraculous ministry there before long. 788 00:43:57,000 --> 00:43:58,833 And apparently they were constructing, 789 00:43:58,833 --> 00:44:00,667 according to Jesus' words, a tower. 790 00:44:00,667 --> 00:44:06,833 So this is building some religious monument or building 791 00:44:06,833 --> 00:44:10,500 at a place that was well traveled by God's people. 792 00:44:10,500 --> 00:44:12,333 And as the construction workers are working, 793 00:44:12,333 --> 00:44:16,667 apparently the tower fell and Jesus tells us 18 people died, 794 00:44:16,667 --> 00:44:21,167 tragically and suddenly. 795 00:44:21,167 --> 00:44:23,667 And here's what happens, friends. 796 00:44:23,667 --> 00:44:26,167 We try not to deal with death. 797 00:44:26,167 --> 00:44:29,000 We try to ignore it. 798 00:44:29,000 --> 00:44:33,167 You can eat your vitamins, you can go vegan, you can buckle up, 799 00:44:33,167 --> 00:44:35,167 and drink bottled water. 800 00:44:35,167 --> 00:44:37,667 You're still going to die. 801 00:44:37,667 --> 00:44:41,167 You're all going to die. 802 00:44:41,167 --> 00:44:45,000 Some of you will die many years from now. 803 00:44:45,000 --> 00:44:47,333 Some of you may not make it through today. 804 00:44:47,333 --> 00:44:49,333 I hope that's not a prophetic word, 805 00:44:49,333 --> 00:44:52,500 but some of you may not make it through the day. 806 00:44:52,500 --> 00:44:57,667 And some of you will die tragic deaths like these people did. 807 00:44:57,667 --> 00:44:59,500 You won't see it coming 808 00:44:59,500 --> 00:45:03,500 and you'll die unexpectedly and suddenly. 809 00:45:03,500 --> 00:45:04,833 You are a sinner. 810 00:45:04,833 --> 00:45:06,333 Sinners die. 811 00:45:06,333 --> 00:45:08,500 You will die. 812 00:45:08,500 --> 00:45:11,167 And you don't know when. 813 00:45:11,167 --> 00:45:15,833 And these people died tragically. 814 00:45:15,833 --> 00:45:19,167 And they come to Jesus with their question, 815 00:45:19,167 --> 00:45:22,167 "Why did this happen?" 816 00:45:22,167 --> 00:45:24,167 And this is what happens when tragedy comes. 817 00:45:24,167 --> 00:45:27,333 We try to not deal with death. 818 00:45:27,333 --> 00:45:30,833 We try to ignore it as much as we are able. 819 00:45:30,833 --> 00:45:34,333 Someone's sick, put them in the home, put them in the hospital, 820 00:45:34,333 --> 00:45:36,333 put medication in their body. 821 00:45:36,333 --> 00:45:38,667 Make them go peaceably. 822 00:45:38,667 --> 00:45:40,667 Make them go painlessly. 823 00:45:40,667 --> 00:45:42,333 We don't want to see it. 824 00:45:42,333 --> 00:45:45,167 When they do die, let's dress them up in nice clothes, 825 00:45:45,167 --> 00:45:48,167 put them in a nice box, make them look as if perhaps 826 00:45:48,167 --> 00:45:50,667 they were almost still alive. 827 00:45:50,667 --> 00:45:56,000 Let's grieve a little bit, shut the box, and move on. 828 00:45:59,333 --> 00:46:02,333 And then tragedy happens. 829 00:46:02,333 --> 00:46:06,667 And in this day it was the massacre of the worshipers 830 00:46:06,667 --> 00:46:10,667 and it was the death of the construction workers. 831 00:46:10,667 --> 00:46:18,500 They come to Jesus and they ask him questions. 832 00:46:18,500 --> 00:46:23,833 And the first thing that Jesus does is he refutes karma 833 00:46:23,833 --> 00:46:28,500 because karma is stupid and dumb and wrong. 834 00:46:28,500 --> 00:46:31,167 And it leads to cruelty and not compassion 835 00:46:31,167 --> 00:46:32,833 in moments of suffering. 836 00:46:32,833 --> 00:46:35,833 It just does. 837 00:46:35,833 --> 00:46:38,667 Karma teaches that good things happen to good people 838 00:46:38,667 --> 00:46:42,167 and bad things happen to bad people. 839 00:46:42,167 --> 00:46:44,667 And there are stupid preachers, karma preachers, 840 00:46:44,667 --> 00:46:47,500 in that day who are saying, "Well, good things happen 841 00:46:47,500 --> 00:46:50,000 "to good people and bad things happen to bad people 842 00:46:50,000 --> 00:46:52,167 "and all the worshipers got slaughtered 843 00:46:52,167 --> 00:46:54,833 "and the 18 construction workers died. 844 00:46:54,833 --> 00:46:57,667 "They must have been bad people. 845 00:46:57,667 --> 00:46:59,167 "Thankfully we're alive. 846 00:46:59,167 --> 00:47:02,000 That means we're good people." 847 00:47:02,000 --> 00:47:04,500 Is it true that good things happen to good people 848 00:47:04,500 --> 00:47:06,667 and bad things happen to bad people? 849 00:47:06,667 --> 00:47:11,000 Or sometimes do bad things happen to pretty good people? 850 00:47:11,000 --> 00:47:15,000 Now, we're all sinners, 851 00:47:15,000 --> 00:47:18,333 but in the case of those who were murdered worshiping, 852 00:47:18,333 --> 00:47:21,667 these are believers who are going to temple. 853 00:47:21,667 --> 00:47:25,167 They probably walked dozens, hundreds of miles carrying 854 00:47:25,167 --> 00:47:29,000 their sacrifice, underwent ritual purification, 855 00:47:29,000 --> 00:47:33,333 walked up the mount, went to the temple for the Passover, 856 00:47:33,333 --> 00:47:37,667 publicly confessed their sins, made a generous offering, 857 00:47:37,667 --> 00:47:40,167 and were asking God for forgiveness 858 00:47:40,167 --> 00:47:42,667 when they got murdered. 859 00:47:42,667 --> 00:47:45,667 That doesn't seem fair. 860 00:47:46,667 --> 00:47:49,500 That doesn't seem fair. 861 00:47:49,500 --> 00:47:53,000 That doesn't seem like they're the bad people. 862 00:47:53,000 --> 00:47:55,500 They're sinners but they're not doing anything wrong. 863 00:47:55,500 --> 00:47:58,000 They're doing exactly what God asked them to do 864 00:47:58,000 --> 00:47:59,833 and they got murdered while doing it. 865 00:47:59,833 --> 00:48:01,667 What about the construction workers? 866 00:48:01,667 --> 00:48:04,000 They were serving God. 867 00:48:04,000 --> 00:48:07,000 This would be like us starting a campus and the volunteers all 868 00:48:07,000 --> 00:48:09,667 show up to prepare the building and the roof collapses 869 00:48:09,667 --> 00:48:13,167 in and 18 volunteers get killed. 870 00:48:13,167 --> 00:48:17,500 You'd be very upset if some stupid karma preacher said, 871 00:48:17,500 --> 00:48:22,000 "Well, they must have been bad people because bad things 872 00:48:22,000 --> 00:48:25,333 only happen to bad people." 873 00:48:25,333 --> 00:48:27,500 Who's telling us this? 874 00:48:27,500 --> 00:48:29,167 Who is? 875 00:48:29,167 --> 00:48:30,667 Jesus. 876 00:48:30,667 --> 00:48:33,167 Good person or bad person? 877 00:48:33,167 --> 00:48:35,833 Um, he's God. 878 00:48:35,833 --> 00:48:39,500 So let's say that in the good category 879 00:48:39,500 --> 00:48:41,333 there's actually one person. 880 00:48:41,333 --> 00:48:42,667 His name is Jesus. 881 00:48:42,667 --> 00:48:46,167 In the bad category there's everyone else. 882 00:48:46,167 --> 00:48:49,333 Does anything bad happen to Jesus? 883 00:48:49,333 --> 00:48:51,667 Yeah. 884 00:48:51,667 --> 00:48:55,667 The best person is going to suffer the worst fate. 885 00:48:55,667 --> 00:49:01,000 He's going to get murdered on a cross, betrayed by his friend, 886 00:49:01,000 --> 00:49:06,500 abandoned by his other friends, executed by his enemies. 887 00:49:06,500 --> 00:49:12,000 Jesus absolutely obliterates the folly of karma. 888 00:49:12,000 --> 00:49:15,333 The best person suffers the worst fate. 889 00:49:15,333 --> 00:49:17,000 So the first thing Jesus says is, 890 00:49:17,000 --> 00:49:22,500 "When you see suffering, don't ask the wrong questions." 891 00:49:22,500 --> 00:49:25,167 Don't ask, "Why God? Why them? 892 00:49:25,167 --> 00:49:27,500 "What happened? Are you not just? 893 00:49:27,500 --> 00:49:29,667 "Are you not good? Are you not sovereign? 894 00:49:29,667 --> 00:49:31,833 "Are you impotent? Are you evil? 895 00:49:31,833 --> 00:49:34,333 Do you not care? Do you exist?" 896 00:49:34,333 --> 00:49:39,833 When tragedy happens and death is absolutely thrust before us 897 00:49:39,833 --> 00:49:44,667 and we can't avoid it because it's in the news, we need 898 00:49:44,667 --> 00:49:49,667 to be careful not to ask the wrong questions. 899 00:49:49,667 --> 00:49:55,167 We don't always know what God is doing. 900 00:49:55,167 --> 00:49:58,333 We live by faith, not by sight. 901 00:49:58,333 --> 00:50:01,500 We get some of our questions answered in this life 902 00:50:01,500 --> 00:50:05,333 but the Bible teaches elsewhere that we know in what? 903 00:50:05,333 --> 00:50:07,000 Part. 904 00:50:07,000 --> 00:50:09,833 We see? Dimly. 905 00:50:09,833 --> 00:50:14,167 One day when we're with Jesus on the other side of resurrection 906 00:50:14,167 --> 00:50:16,667 all the questions will be answered. 907 00:50:16,667 --> 00:50:18,500 We'll see it all clearly. 908 00:50:18,500 --> 00:50:20,000 We'll know it all fully. 909 00:50:20,000 --> 00:50:23,833 Until then, we live by faith, not by sight. 910 00:50:23,833 --> 00:50:26,667 God doesn't give us answers to all of our questions. 911 00:50:26,667 --> 00:50:30,167 He gives us Jesus. 912 00:50:30,167 --> 00:50:34,500 Someone who has suffered and died and risen to take away 913 00:50:34,500 --> 00:50:38,833 our sin, give us new life, and get us to the kingdom 914 00:50:38,833 --> 00:50:40,833 where it all makes sense. 915 00:50:42,000 --> 00:50:44,500 Are you ready to die? 916 00:50:44,500 --> 00:50:46,500 You're going to die! 917 00:50:46,500 --> 00:50:49,333 Friends, you're going to die. 918 00:50:49,333 --> 00:50:51,667 Are you ready to die? 919 00:50:51,667 --> 00:50:53,667 So you say, "I will get ready." 920 00:50:53,667 --> 00:50:55,667 You do not know when you will die, 921 00:50:55,667 --> 00:50:57,667 so get ready right now 922 00:51:00,667 --> 00:51:06,500 so that whenever death comes for you, you're ready. 923 00:51:06,500 --> 00:51:09,833 And it's repent or perish. 924 00:51:09,833 --> 00:51:11,667 And repentance is this. 925 00:51:11,667 --> 00:51:17,000 Repentance is because Jesus died for my sin, by faith in him, 926 00:51:17,000 --> 00:51:22,167 by grace from him, I can put my sin to death. 927 00:51:22,167 --> 00:51:26,833 You kill your sin as it killed Jesus. 928 00:51:26,833 --> 00:51:30,167 You don't minimize it. You don't hide it in shame. 929 00:51:30,167 --> 00:51:32,667 You don't excuse it. You don't tolerate it. 930 00:51:32,667 --> 00:51:35,500 You don't nurture it. You don't embrace it. 931 00:51:35,500 --> 00:51:42,000 You don't defend it. You kill it. 932 00:51:42,000 --> 00:51:46,833 Jesus died for it so that we might put it to death. 933 00:51:46,833 --> 00:51:50,167 That is repentance. 934 00:51:50,167 --> 00:51:55,167 And repentance involves three things. 935 00:51:55,167 --> 00:51:57,500 I'll share them with you in closing. 936 00:51:57,500 --> 00:52:01,333 What is true repentance? 937 00:52:01,333 --> 00:52:06,333 It is confession, contrition, and change. 938 00:52:06,333 --> 00:52:10,167 It is the mind, the emotions, and the actions. 939 00:52:10,167 --> 00:52:15,833 True repentance takes the whole person. 940 00:52:15,833 --> 00:52:22,000 Confession is in the mind agreeing with God. 941 00:52:22,000 --> 00:52:24,667 What you previously did not consider to be a sin, 942 00:52:24,667 --> 00:52:27,833 as you read the Word of God, you realize it is a sin 943 00:52:27,833 --> 00:52:29,167 and you confess it. 944 00:52:29,167 --> 00:52:31,000 "You are right, I am wrong. 945 00:52:31,000 --> 00:52:33,167 "This is unacceptable. 946 00:52:33,167 --> 00:52:37,333 It needs to die." 947 00:52:37,333 --> 00:52:39,500 It's the mind changing. 948 00:52:39,500 --> 00:52:42,167 "Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world. 949 00:52:42,167 --> 00:52:45,167 Be transformed by the renewing of your," what? 950 00:52:45,167 --> 00:52:46,667 "Your mind." 951 00:52:46,667 --> 00:52:53,833 Some of you need to read more Bible and listen to less culture 952 00:52:53,833 --> 00:53:02,500 and agree with God that the way you're thinking is unacceptable. 953 00:53:02,500 --> 00:53:05,833 It's inexcusable. It's intolerable. 954 00:53:05,833 --> 00:53:12,167 It's incorrigible. It's unhelpful. 955 00:53:12,167 --> 00:53:15,167 And that leads to your mouth. 956 00:53:15,167 --> 00:53:19,333 And out of your mouth comes words like this: "I'm sorry. 957 00:53:19,333 --> 00:53:22,333 "I'm wrong. It was evil. 958 00:53:22,333 --> 00:53:25,000 "It's not your fault. There's no excuse. 959 00:53:25,000 --> 00:53:28,000 "I have no one to blame but myself. 960 00:53:28,000 --> 00:53:29,833 "I stole. I lied. 961 00:53:29,833 --> 00:53:32,333 "I cheated. I committed adultery. 962 00:53:32,333 --> 00:53:34,500 "I hurt you. I was bitter. 963 00:53:34,500 --> 00:53:38,667 "I was angry. I was self-righteous. 964 00:53:38,667 --> 00:53:42,833 I'm guilty." 965 00:53:42,833 --> 00:53:46,333 Without adding the word "but." 966 00:53:46,333 --> 00:53:47,833 "But you deserved it. 967 00:53:47,833 --> 00:53:49,333 "But I had a bad childhood. 968 00:53:49,333 --> 00:53:51,167 "But I didn't know better. 969 00:53:51,167 --> 00:53:54,000 "But I tried my--" No, no but! 970 00:53:54,000 --> 00:53:58,500 Just a period. 971 00:53:58,500 --> 00:54:00,333 No excuse making. 972 00:54:00,333 --> 00:54:03,667 No blame shifting. 973 00:54:03,667 --> 00:54:07,333 Some of, you so struggle to say those words to God 974 00:54:07,333 --> 00:54:10,500 and to those you've sinned against. 975 00:54:10,500 --> 00:54:13,833 And fathers, husbands, let me say this. 976 00:54:13,833 --> 00:54:16,000 You are the family leader. 977 00:54:16,000 --> 00:54:17,500 You go first. 978 00:54:17,500 --> 00:54:20,000 You don't just demand that your wife and children repent. 979 00:54:20,000 --> 00:54:22,667 You repent first. 980 00:54:22,667 --> 00:54:27,000 Leaders set an example. 981 00:54:27,000 --> 00:54:29,333 I'll give you an example from the Driscoll home. 982 00:54:29,333 --> 00:54:31,667 Yesterday I was home with Grace and the kids. 983 00:54:31,667 --> 00:54:33,000 It was fantastic. 984 00:54:33,000 --> 00:54:35,000 We're all sitting around the table playing games. 985 00:54:35,000 --> 00:54:38,000 I don't really like games but I like Grace and the kids 986 00:54:38,000 --> 00:54:40,333 and they like games so I was playing games. 987 00:54:40,333 --> 00:54:42,333 I don't remember what game we were playing. 988 00:54:42,333 --> 00:54:44,333 I don't know how to play any games. 989 00:54:44,333 --> 00:54:45,833 I always lose. 990 00:54:45,833 --> 00:54:48,500 That's why they like me to play games with them. 991 00:54:48,500 --> 00:54:51,167 And we're playing the game, and as is usually the case 992 00:54:51,167 --> 00:54:53,833 where I get in trouble, I thought I was cute, 993 00:54:53,833 --> 00:54:56,333 and so I said something that I shouldn't have said. 994 00:54:56,333 --> 00:54:59,500 No, I didn't curse, but I said something I shouldn't have said. 995 00:54:59,500 --> 00:55:01,667 And immediately my adorable 7-year-old daughter, 996 00:55:01,667 --> 00:55:05,667 who absolutely loves me, and tucked me into bed last night 997 00:55:05,667 --> 00:55:10,167 by giving me a kiss and singing me a song that she wrote for me 998 00:55:10,167 --> 00:55:15,000 about why she loves her Daddy, 999 00:55:15,000 --> 00:55:22,167 she immediately said exactly what I had just said. 1000 00:55:22,167 --> 00:55:24,667 And I looked at her and I said, "Honey, 1001 00:55:24,667 --> 00:55:27,333 "you shouldn't say that and Daddy shouldn't have said that. 1002 00:55:27,333 --> 00:55:29,500 "And Daddy sinned and Daddy was wrong. 1003 00:55:29,500 --> 00:55:31,833 "And kids, I apologize. 1004 00:55:31,833 --> 00:55:34,333 "And your Daddy's a sinner and man, 1005 00:55:34,333 --> 00:55:37,500 "I should not have said that and by the grace of God 1006 00:55:37,500 --> 00:55:39,000 "I won't say that again. 1007 00:55:39,000 --> 00:55:43,500 "And I'm asking you not to say it because it's wrong 1008 00:55:43,500 --> 00:55:49,333 and your daddy was wrong." 1009 00:55:49,333 --> 00:55:52,500 The mind and the mouth confessing, 1010 00:55:52,500 --> 00:55:54,833 "Guilty." 1011 00:55:54,833 --> 00:55:56,500 Number two, it's contrition. 1012 00:55:56,500 --> 00:56:02,667 This is your emotions and your expressions. 1013 00:56:02,667 --> 00:56:07,667 How many of you, you will acknowledge your sin, 1014 00:56:07,667 --> 00:56:14,833 but you don't seem really bothered by it? 1015 00:56:14,833 --> 00:56:19,333 The truth is that if you don't seem troubled by it, destroyed, 1016 00:56:19,333 --> 00:56:24,000 devastated, disturbed, people wonder if you really mean it 1017 00:56:24,000 --> 00:56:26,833 when you confess it. 1018 00:56:26,833 --> 00:56:29,333 I'll give you two examples, painful examples, 1019 00:56:29,333 --> 00:56:32,667 extreme examples from counseling. 1020 00:56:32,667 --> 00:56:35,500 I'll never forget the day a husband and wife were meeting 1021 00:56:35,500 --> 00:56:40,167 with me and he confessed to adultery to his wife 1022 00:56:40,167 --> 00:56:43,833 with me present with them. 1023 00:56:43,833 --> 00:56:47,833 And he said, "I'm sorry. 1024 00:56:47,833 --> 00:56:51,667 "I hate to break this to you. I committed adultery. 1025 00:56:51,667 --> 00:56:54,000 I've broken our covenant." 1026 00:56:54,000 --> 00:56:57,167 But the way he said it was like, "Pickles are on sale, 1027 00:56:57,167 --> 00:57:00,167 two jars for a dollar." 1028 00:57:00,167 --> 00:57:02,333 He just said it like that. 1029 00:57:02,333 --> 00:57:05,333 Wasn't crying, wasn't disturbed, wasn't troubled. 1030 00:57:05,333 --> 00:57:09,667 No contrition at all. 1031 00:57:09,667 --> 00:57:12,500 Separate occasion, a husband and wife, I was meeting with them, 1032 00:57:12,500 --> 00:57:15,833 and she had committed adultery and she was going to confess it 1033 00:57:15,833 --> 00:57:20,000 to her husband with me in the room to help them. 1034 00:57:20,000 --> 00:57:22,667 And she was literally bent over. 1035 00:57:22,667 --> 00:57:27,500 She was sobbing bitterly, breathing heavily. 1036 00:57:27,500 --> 00:57:31,000 This woman had tears rolling out of her eyes. 1037 00:57:31,000 --> 00:57:35,000 She had snot falling out of her nose. 1038 00:57:35,000 --> 00:57:37,667 She told her husband, "I hate to tell you this. 1039 00:57:37,667 --> 00:57:39,667 "I have slept with another man. 1040 00:57:39,667 --> 00:57:41,333 I have committed adultery." 1041 00:57:41,333 --> 00:57:45,333 She actually hyperventilated and threw up. 1042 00:57:45,333 --> 00:57:48,500 Even if you were deaf and didn't know what was going on 1043 00:57:48,500 --> 00:57:51,167 in the conversation, just seeing her, you would know 1044 00:57:51,167 --> 00:57:54,500 that she was devastated by something. 1045 00:57:54,500 --> 00:57:56,167 That's contrition. 1046 00:57:56,167 --> 00:57:59,167 That's emotion and expression. 1047 00:57:59,167 --> 00:58:02,500 That's not just knowing that you are a sinner. 1048 00:58:02,500 --> 00:58:07,667 That is feeling that you are a sinner. 1049 00:58:07,667 --> 00:58:11,500 And ultimately it includes change. 1050 00:58:11,500 --> 00:58:17,500 It's all three: confession, contrition, and change. 1051 00:58:17,500 --> 00:58:20,167 This is a change of will and works. 1052 00:58:20,167 --> 00:58:22,167 You want to stop. You want to change. 1053 00:58:22,167 --> 00:58:24,333 You want to learn. You want to grow. 1054 00:58:24,333 --> 00:58:25,833 You want to be different. 1055 00:58:25,833 --> 00:58:28,333 You want the future not to look like the past. 1056 00:58:28,333 --> 00:58:29,833 You don't want to go back. 1057 00:58:29,833 --> 00:58:34,000 By the grace of God, you want to keep going in a new direction 1058 00:58:34,000 --> 00:58:35,667 of life with Jesus. 1059 00:58:35,667 --> 00:58:38,333 And this leads to new works. 1060 00:58:38,333 --> 00:58:40,167 You work to make godly friends. 1061 00:58:40,167 --> 00:58:43,167 You work to read the Bible and good books. 1062 00:58:43,167 --> 00:58:45,000 You work to be humble. 1063 00:58:45,000 --> 00:58:46,500 You work to be repentant. 1064 00:58:46,500 --> 00:58:48,500 You work to show your love. 1065 00:58:48,500 --> 00:58:50,500 You work to apologize. 1066 00:58:50,500 --> 00:58:53,667 You work to be changed by the grace of God. 1067 00:58:53,667 --> 00:58:57,667 You're always working on it. You're always working on it. 1068 00:59:02,333 --> 00:59:05,500 Some of you just say, "I'm sorry," 1069 00:59:05,500 --> 00:59:08,000 don't feel much, and do it again. 1070 00:59:08,000 --> 00:59:11,167 That's not repentance. 1071 00:59:11,167 --> 00:59:15,167 Repentance... 1072 00:59:17,667 --> 00:59:19,833 it's confession. 1073 00:59:19,833 --> 00:59:22,500 It's contrition. 1074 00:59:22,500 --> 00:59:26,333 It's change. 1075 00:59:26,333 --> 00:59:29,167 And I'll close with this. It's a gift. 1076 00:59:29,167 --> 00:59:31,167 Repentance is a gift. 1077 00:59:31,167 --> 00:59:32,667 Friends, not everybody gets to repent. 1078 00:59:32,667 --> 00:59:34,333 Non-Christians, you don't get to repent. 1079 00:59:34,333 --> 00:59:37,333 You have to repent to become a Christian and then you can 1080 00:59:37,333 --> 00:59:39,833 repent to grow as a Christian, but repentance is only 1081 00:59:39,833 --> 00:59:41,667 made possible through Jesus. 1082 00:59:41,667 --> 00:59:45,333 And apart from Jesus there is no repentance. 1083 00:59:45,333 --> 00:59:48,000 There's only perishing. 1084 00:59:48,000 --> 00:59:49,833 For those of us who are Christians, 1085 00:59:49,833 --> 00:59:52,333 what a great gift this is. 1086 00:59:52,333 --> 00:59:54,500 Repentance is a great gift to give. 1087 00:59:54,500 --> 00:59:58,167 Give the gift of repentance. 1088 00:59:58,167 --> 01:00:00,833 Tell people who you are. Tell people what you've done. 1089 01:00:00,833 --> 01:00:04,500 Tell God who you are. Tell God what you've done. 1090 01:00:04,500 --> 01:00:07,000 And for this to be of any help to you, 1091 01:00:07,000 --> 01:00:10,167 pick one thing that the Holy Spirit is right now impressing 1092 01:00:10,167 --> 01:00:14,667 and highlighting upon you and apply the doctrine 1093 01:00:14,667 --> 01:00:17,500 of repentance to that thing. 1094 01:00:17,500 --> 01:00:19,000 The thing that's killing you. 1095 01:00:19,000 --> 01:00:20,500 The thing that killed Jesus. 1096 01:00:20,500 --> 01:00:26,333 The thing that you need to kill by the grace of God. 1097 01:00:26,333 --> 01:00:31,000 Receive the gift of repentance and gift the gift of repentance. 1098 01:00:31,000 --> 01:00:33,833 Free people from their self-loathing 1099 01:00:33,833 --> 01:00:35,667 and blame and bitterness. 1100 01:00:35,667 --> 01:00:39,333 Free people from their bewilderment and confusion. 1101 01:00:39,333 --> 01:00:41,000 Repent. 1102 01:00:41,000 --> 01:00:42,500 Own it. 1103 01:00:42,500 --> 01:00:44,167 Take it off of their shoulders. 1104 01:00:44,167 --> 01:00:49,167 Give it all to Jesus and let them go free. 1105 01:00:49,167 --> 01:00:52,833 Now is your opportunity to repent. 1106 01:00:52,833 --> 01:00:54,833 The room will be silent and awkward. 1107 01:00:54,833 --> 01:00:57,500 This sermon has been long. 1108 01:00:57,500 --> 01:01:01,333 To some degree I'm sure for you it has been exhausting 1109 01:01:01,333 --> 01:01:05,167 and uncomfortable and troubling. 1110 01:01:05,167 --> 01:01:10,500 I love you and I want good for you and I hope that this hour 1111 01:01:10,500 --> 01:01:12,333 would change every hour that God 1112 01:01:12,333 --> 01:01:15,833 would give you for the rest of your life. 1113 01:01:15,833 --> 01:01:18,833 Father God, I pray against the enemy, his servants, 1114 01:01:18,833 --> 01:01:21,333 their works, and effects. 1115 01:01:21,333 --> 01:01:24,833 I thank you Lord Jesus that you have died so that sin could be 1116 01:01:24,833 --> 01:01:28,167 put to death and that you have risen that eternal life 1117 01:01:28,167 --> 01:01:30,333 could be granted. 1118 01:01:30,333 --> 01:01:33,333 God, we confess, hard words produce soft people 1119 01:01:33,333 --> 01:01:35,667 and soft words produce hard people. 1120 01:01:35,667 --> 01:01:38,833 Jesus, we thank you for the hard words because they come from the 1121 01:01:38,833 --> 01:01:43,333 mouth of the one who has loved the best and therefore are good. 1122 01:01:43,333 --> 01:01:48,000 Holy Spirit, help us to receive Jesus' words and to obey them, 1123 01:01:48,000 --> 01:01:51,500 that we might receive the gift of repentance and give the gift 1124 01:01:51,500 --> 01:01:56,333 of repentance to others, not just once but every day. 1125 01:01:56,333 --> 01:01:59,167 In Jesus' name, amen.