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Tragically, Luke 4
records the rejection

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of Jesus in Nazareth.

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It is not something
that just happened.

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It's something that
continues to happen.

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For example, the place in
which I am standing is

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a large marketplace.

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There were many merchants
and vendors

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who were out selling
their wares.

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The entire area was filled
with tourists and shoppers

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and passers-by until I
heard something that

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I've never heard in my life.

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It was in fact a Muslim call to
prayer right here in Nazareth.

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We're in the middle of Ramadan,

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the high holy month
for those who are Muslim.

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And the call for prayer went
out and the shops closed

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and the people left and most
went for washings.

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We saw some of the men trying
to cleanse themselves--

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of course something
that only Jesus can do.

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Their efforts are futile to
try to cleanse themselves.

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And from there proceeding to
mosques for time of prayer

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and gathering and this
entire area is vacant

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and the church is locked up.

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Not only was Jesus rejected
in Nazareth, he is rejected in

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Nazareth and the first recording
of the rejection of Jesus is

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found in Luke chapter 4.

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He tells us beginning
in verse 22,

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"And all spoke well
of him and marveled

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"at the gracious words that
were coming from his mouth.

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"And they said, 'Is not
this Joseph's son?'

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"And he said to them, 'Doubtless
you will quote to me

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"this proverb, 'Physician,
heal yourself.'

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"What we have heard
you did at Capernaum,

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do here in your hometown as well.'

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And he said,
'Truly, I say to you,

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"'no prophet is acceptable
in his hometown.

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"'But in truth, I tell you there
were many widows in Israel

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"'in the days of Elijah, when
the heavens were shut up for

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"'three years and six months and a
great famine came over all the land,

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"'and Elijah was sent to none of
them but only to Zarephath,

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"'in the land of Sidon,
to a woman who was a widow.

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"'And there were many lepers
in Israel in the time of

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"'the prophet Elisha,
and none of them was cleansed,

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but only Naaman the Syrian.'

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"When they heard
these things,

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all in the synagogue
were filled with wrath."

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Again, the synagogue is
underneath the church behind me.

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"And they rose up and drove him
out of the town and brought him

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"to the brow of a hill on which
their town was built,

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"so that they could throw
him down the cliff.

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But passing through their
midst, he went away."

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[music]

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Howdy, Mars Hill.

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We are in Luke 4:22-30.

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If you're new, one of the things
we like to do is go

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through books of the Bible.

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We love the Bible at Mars Hill Church
and we learn about Jesus

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from the Bible and so we like
to go through books of the Bible

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and help you learn the
Bible for yourself.

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Community groups also help you
to learn the Scriptures and to

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be on mission with and
for and like Jesus.

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And today, you're gonna get to
learn about Jesus as a prophet.

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He is God and he came into
human history as a man,

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and he came to preach
and to prophesy.

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That's part of his ministry.

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So I want to give you a bit of
information about the prophets.

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The Bible has a
succession of prophets.

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They are, in fact, the
authors of Scripture.

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And a prophet is someone
who is hand-chosen by God.

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Unlike a priest who has to come
from a certain family line

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and go through certain training
and pass certain exams,

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prophets are just
appointed by God,

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the Holy Spirit is
upon them.

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They oftentimes don't
walk out of institutions.

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They walk out
of the woods.

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They serve God alone.

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They are often fearless.

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Some of them do have
massive depression

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because of the rejection
they suffer.

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The call in a prophet's
life is very intense.

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They say hundreds of times
in the Old Testament,

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"Thus saith the Lord."

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They speak on behalf of God.

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They're communicators for God.

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Some prophets were preaching
prophets and they had scribes

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to record their words.

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Others were writing prophets.

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Some were both.

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And these men were rejected
because they would come

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to God's people
and they would say,

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"You're in sin.
You're in rebellion.

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You need to repent."

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And the old Puritans were fond
of saying that the same sun

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that melts the
ice hardens the clay.

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And the prophets would
thunder God's Word

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and some people's hearts
would melt:

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"I am in sin.

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"I am in rebellion.

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"I am in folly.

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"I do need
to repent.

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I do need to return
to the Lord."

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And others, their
hearts would harden.

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They'd become more religious
and contentious and self-righteous,

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ultimately putting
the prophet to death.

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And so Jesus, in the tradition
of the prophets, comes preaching.

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He is loved by some,
hated by many,

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and ultimately
would be put to death.

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The great prophet
of the Old Testament is Moses.

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And what we see
in Deuteronomy chapter 18

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is a section of Scripture where it
speaks about prophets and prophecy.

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And there, God reveals to Moses
that there is a way to test true

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and false prophets.

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And you need to know this,
that there are false prophets.

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They prophesy lies.

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They're empowered by
Satan, not the Holy Spirit.

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They found religions.

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They found ideologies
and spiritualities

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and they lead people astray.

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The question is, well,
how do you know who is true

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and who is false for
those who claim to speak

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and serve on behalf of God?

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And the qualifications in
Deuteronomy 18, I'll summarize

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them for you, but you can read
them for yourself and discuss

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them with your community group.

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Part of it is that a true
prophet always preaches

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that which comes to pass.

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A true prophet is 100%
correct all the time.

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And a false prophet
is hit or miss.

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And so, as we come
to the Scriptures,

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we learn that we need
to be very judicious and discerning.

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Can't believe every teacher,
every preacher, every book.

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Some are true, some are false.

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Some are true prophets,
some are false prophets.

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Some are sent by God,
some are sent by Satan.

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And so Moses lays out, or God
through Moses lays out this

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criterion between two true and false
prophets, and then he says,

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"I'm sending another prophet,
a capital P Prophet.

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"The Prophet.

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"The Messenger.

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"The Spokesman.

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He's coming."

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He's talking ultimately
about the Lord Jesus Christ.

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And that he is coming
into human history

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and he will proclaim the truth.

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And so from that moment forward,
there was this anticipation

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and expectation for
the coming of Jesus.

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God would come into human
history as a prophet himself.

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And in the meantime, there
were a succession of prophets,

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major and minor prophets
in the Bible.

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They were sent on behalf of
God as ambassadors of God

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and spokesmen of God and
representatives of God

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so that if you rejected the prophet,
you were rejecting God

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because it was in fact God
who sent them.

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And Jesus comes, and we've
learned in Luke's Gospel

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that he's God become a man.

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He's Emmanuel, God with us.

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He's the capital P Prophet.

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He's the messenger.

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He's the spokesman.

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He's the one.

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We learn that he grew
in wisdom, stature,

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and favor with men and God,
that he loved the Scriptures,

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that he grew up in a small, rural town
called Nazareth, that he was baptized

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in the Jordan by his
prophet cousin, John,

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that the Holy Spirit
descended on him,

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anointing and appointing
him for public ministry

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that included preaching
and teaching the Scriptures.

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He was led by the Holy Spirit to
be tempted by Satan and tested

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for 40 days and he never sinned.

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In Jesus' whole life, alone
of all human lives, is without sin.

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And then Jesus begins
his public ministry.

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We read that he is
preaching and teaching.

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We saw in the first
half of Luke chapter 4

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that he is--not to be disrespectful,
I've got to be careful--

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but Jesus is a bit
of a rock star.

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He is this young, fiery
evangelist, preacher,

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prophet, teacher;
winsome, authoritative, compelling.

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And so he goes on tour.

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And he is going from
synagogue to synagogue.

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These are like the old
covenant churches,

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where God's people would gather
for Scripture and preaching

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and teaching
and song and prayer.

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And the synagogues are
full in this rural area.

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It's around Galilee.

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It's a rural area,
small towns, farmers,

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simple folks, illiterate people.

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He's not in
the big city yet.

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That'll come later
in Luke's Gospel.

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And he's going from synagogue
to synagogue and the crowds come.

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And these towns were not big;
dozens, hundreds of people.

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And so the synagogues are small.

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But they're packed and
everybody's captivated

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by this young, fiery preacher,
Jesus of Nazareth.

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And the tour continues
and the fame spreads

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and he heads toward Nazareth,
his hometown.

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The town where
he grew up.

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Small, little town.

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People living in
400, 500, 600 square foot homes,

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animals living under
part of that dwelling,

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one well for the whole town.

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Not a big place,
not a big deal.

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But here comes
the favorite son.

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Here comes Jesus.

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He's coming home to Nazareth.

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And he's going to show
up at the synagogue

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and he's going to preach
on the Sabbath day.

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It's going to be
a Saturday for them.

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And as was his custom,
we are told in Luke 4,

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He opened the Scriptures, he
unrolled the scroll of Isaiah,

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He reads from Isaiah 58 and 61,
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me.

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"He has anointed me to preach
good news to the poor,

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"to bring sight to the blind,
to set the captives free.

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This is the year of
the Lord's favor."

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And he rolls up the scroll
and he looks them in the eye

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and he says, "Today, these
Scriptures are fulfilled

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in your hearing.
I'm here."

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And then there's the
response of the people.

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We pick that up
in Luke 4:22-24.

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"And all spoke well of him and
marveled at the gracious words

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"that were coming
from his mouth.

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"And they said,
'Is not this Joseph's son?'

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"And he said to them,
'Doubtless you will quote

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to me this proverb,'"
or proverbial saying

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from their town.
"'Physician, heal yourself.'

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"What we have heard
you did at Capernaum,

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"do here in your
hometown as well.'

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"And he said, 'Truly, I say to
you, no prophet is acceptable

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in his hometown.'"

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At first, Jesus is well
received, as the prophets often

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are before they're rejected,
exiled, and executed.

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And they said, "Jesus,
this is amazing.

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"You're such a
great communicator.

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What an amazing
communicator Jesus is."

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Everyone's held captive,
hanging on his every word.

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And then it dawns on them,
"Isn't this Joseph's son?

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"Didn't we see him grow up?

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"Didn't he play on our
kid's little league team?

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"I knew Jesus when he
was just a little guy.

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Saw him go through puberty."

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These are people who
grew up with him.

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They've known him.

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These are family, friends,
relatives, neighbors.

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They're gonna have a very hard
time receiving him as Lord, God,

244
00:11:35,062 --> 00:11:37,079
Savior, Christ, and Prophet.

245
00:11:37,083 --> 00:11:41,038
How many of you,
you understand that?

246
00:11:41,092 --> 00:11:45,058
It's amazing how
Jesus tells them,

247
00:11:45,067 --> 00:11:46,083
"I'm not done preaching my sermon.

248
00:11:46,092 --> 00:11:48,050
"Don't get all excited yet.

249
00:11:48,058 --> 00:11:50,079
I haven't offended you."

250
00:11:50,083 --> 00:11:52,075
Every good sermon has
a point of offense.

251
00:11:52,083 --> 00:11:56,017
A really good
sermon has multiple.

252
00:11:56,050 --> 00:11:57,083
Jesus says, "Oh
yeah, you love

253
00:11:57,092 --> 00:12:01,088
that I'm home
and the synagogue's full."

254
00:12:02,004 --> 00:12:04,075
But a prophet is without
honor in his hometown.

255
00:12:04,083 --> 00:12:08,017
"You're going to reject me."

256
00:12:08,088 --> 00:12:09,075
Now let me say this.

257
00:12:09,083 --> 00:12:11,079
This is principally true.

258
00:12:11,083 --> 00:12:14,062
Prophets are without
honor in their hometown.

259
00:12:14,067 --> 00:12:18,017
Every time I do consulting at
another church or organization,

260
00:12:18,021 --> 00:12:20,096
I always ask them, "Hey, do you
guys know what an expert is?"

261
00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:21,067
They say, "What?"

262
00:12:21,075 --> 00:12:23,088
I say, "A guy from out of town."

263
00:12:23,096 --> 00:12:27,079
That's always an expert because
you tend not to listen to the

264
00:12:27,083 --> 00:12:29,017
people that
are closest to you

265
00:12:29,021 --> 00:12:31,029
or respect the people
that you know the best.

266
00:12:31,033 --> 00:12:34,021
The old adage is true
that familiarity, indeed,

267
00:12:34,029 --> 00:12:36,017
does breed contempt.

268
00:12:36,025 --> 00:12:38,008
And it happens.

269
00:12:38,017 --> 00:12:39,050
Now, sometimes it's reasonable.

270
00:12:39,058 --> 00:12:41,092
Like, if you hung out with me a
lot, you would respect me less

271
00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:44,033
because you would see
I'm a work in progress

272
00:12:44,042 --> 00:12:47,000
and it is obvious and evident.

273
00:12:47,008 --> 00:12:49,025
And what I would say is when
you're dealing with spiritual

274
00:12:49,033 --> 00:12:52,017
leadership: your community group
leader, your redemption group

275
00:12:52,021 --> 00:12:54,029
leader, deacons, elders,
people that are serving

276
00:12:54,033 --> 00:12:57,054
in various teams at the church,
the closer you get to them,

277
00:12:57,062 --> 00:13:01,000
the proclivity will be for
you to respect them less.

278
00:13:01,004 --> 00:13:03,079
Now, if you see some big sin
in their life, let us know.

279
00:13:03,083 --> 00:13:06,046
But if it's just because
they're a work in progress,

280
00:13:06,050 --> 00:13:08,054
don't think that they're Jesus.

281
00:13:08,062 --> 00:13:10,050
They just work for him.

282
00:13:10,058 --> 00:13:11,038
Alright?

283
00:13:11,046 --> 00:13:12,029
They're not perfect.

284
00:13:12,033 --> 00:13:13,058
They're a work in progress.

285
00:13:13,067 --> 00:13:16,088
And we all need to be humble,
repentant servants being honest

286
00:13:16,096 --> 00:13:19,075
about our failures, faults,
and flaws and our shortcomings,

287
00:13:19,083 --> 00:13:23,021
but people still need to respect
spiritual authority because what

288
00:13:23,029 --> 00:13:26,083
can sometimes happen
is that disrespect is

289
00:13:26,092 --> 00:13:29,067
to your own destruction.

290
00:13:29,075 --> 00:13:33,029
And what can happen is you don't
want to repent because

291
00:13:33,033 --> 00:13:35,096
spiritual authority will say, "You
know, I love you and I see this

292
00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:37,058
in your life and I need
you to work on this

293
00:13:37,067 --> 00:13:40,042
or acknowledge this or do this
or stop doing that."

294
00:13:40,050 --> 00:13:42,062
And the first thing is, you get
religious and defensive and say,

295
00:13:42,067 --> 00:13:44,062
"Well, you're not perfect
and I know you well enough

296
00:13:44,067 --> 00:13:46,004
that I see things in your life."

297
00:13:46,012 --> 00:13:49,012
And you become very critical
trying to find ways to reject

298
00:13:49,017 --> 00:13:51,004
their service of you.

299
00:13:51,012 --> 00:13:53,050
That's to your own destruction.

300
00:13:53,054 --> 00:13:57,046
Need to be humble, receptive,
teachable, submissive.

301
00:13:57,050 --> 00:13:59,021
And with Jesus, there's
no excuse at all.

302
00:13:59,029 --> 00:14:00,050
It's not like they can
look at him and say,

303
00:14:00,058 --> 00:14:02,050
"Well, who are you
to tell us what to do?"

304
00:14:02,054 --> 00:14:03,088
"I am the maker of
Heaven and Earth.

305
00:14:03,096 --> 00:14:05,079
That is my resume."

306
00:14:05,083 --> 00:14:06,050
Alright?

307
00:14:06,058 --> 00:14:09,004
And they can't look at Jesus
like they would look at me,

308
00:14:09,012 --> 00:14:11,038
or you might look at me and say,
"Well you know, here are these

309
00:14:11,046 --> 00:14:14,050
things I have with Mark or
whatever elder or leader it is.

310
00:14:14,054 --> 00:14:17,088
I see these imperfections,
quirks, sins, eccentricities."

311
00:14:17,096 --> 00:14:20,017
You can't look at Jesus and say,
"You know, I just don't trust

312
00:14:20,021 --> 00:14:25,000
the guy 'cause I see, I see
things that are not right."

313
00:14:25,004 --> 00:14:28,017
All you see is the glory of God.

314
00:14:28,021 --> 00:14:31,008
So the rejection of Jesus is
indicative that sometimes it's

315
00:14:31,017 --> 00:14:36,000
not just that you can't respect
certain spiritual authorities,

316
00:14:36,008 --> 00:14:38,017
but sometimes even if it's good
and godly authority,

317
00:14:38,025 --> 00:14:40,050
you could still reject them.

318
00:14:40,058 --> 00:14:42,067
And sometimes it's just a
reflection of your own heart,

319
00:14:42,071 --> 00:14:44,079
that you're stubborn,
hard-hearted, religious,

320
00:14:44,083 --> 00:14:48,000
self-righteous, or simply don't
like the counsel you've been

321
00:14:48,008 --> 00:14:49,092
given so you'll push back.

322
00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:51,058
And Jesus says, "That's
what's going to happen because

323
00:14:51,067 --> 00:14:53,054
"familiarity breeds contempt.

324
00:14:53,062 --> 00:14:56,000
A prophet is without
honor in their hometown."

325
00:14:56,008 --> 00:14:58,004
So be gracious with your
community group leader.

326
00:14:58,012 --> 00:15:00,008
Be gracious with your
redemption group leader.

327
00:15:00,017 --> 00:15:03,067
Be gracious with those
in spiritual authority.

328
00:15:03,075 --> 00:15:04,075
They're not perfect.

329
00:15:04,083 --> 00:15:05,079
They're not Jesus.

330
00:15:05,083 --> 00:15:07,000
And if people are going
to criticize him,

331
00:15:07,008 --> 00:15:12,062
imagine how easy it is
to take a crack at them.

332
00:15:12,067 --> 00:15:13,083
He continues.

333
00:15:13,092 --> 00:15:16,012
The tone in the room is
changed at this point.

334
00:15:16,017 --> 00:15:17,004
"Yay!

335
00:15:17,012 --> 00:15:18,029
Jesus is here!"

336
00:15:18,033 --> 00:15:21,025
Huge crowd, big
day, celebration.

337
00:15:21,033 --> 00:15:23,092
"Oh, he's getting kind
of stern with us."

338
00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:26,017
What next?

339
00:15:26,025 --> 00:15:32,075
We read in Luke 4:25-26,
"But in truth," that's "amen."

340
00:15:32,083 --> 00:15:34,092
That's in agreement with God.

341
00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:37,000
"I tell you, there were many
widows in Israel in the days

342
00:15:37,004 --> 00:15:39,067
"of Elijah, when the heavens
were shut for three years

343
00:15:39,071 --> 00:15:42,083
"and six months," a famine and a drought,
"and a great famine came

344
00:15:42,088 --> 00:15:46,046
"over all the land, and Elijah was
sent to none of them but only to

345
00:15:46,050 --> 00:15:51,050
Zarephath, in the land of Sidon,
to a woman who was a widow."

346
00:15:51,054 --> 00:15:53,000
Jesus looks at them and says,

347
00:15:53,004 --> 00:15:54,046
"I'm going to take you
to the Old Testament."

348
00:15:54,050 --> 00:15:55,050
He's a Bible teacher.

349
00:15:55,054 --> 00:15:57,096
Jesus is a Bible teacher.

350
00:15:58,000 --> 00:15:59,054
Now, some of you are going,

351
00:15:59,062 --> 00:16:02,021
"Who? What? Where?"

352
00:16:02,029 --> 00:16:03,079
It's in 1 King 17.

353
00:16:03,083 --> 00:16:05,000
So we'll go there.

354
00:16:05,008 --> 00:16:07,046
We're going to read
a lot of Bible.

355
00:16:07,050 --> 00:16:08,033
Isn't that great?

356
00:16:08,038 --> 00:16:11,038
'Cause faith comes by
hearing the Word of God.

357
00:16:11,046 --> 00:16:13,067
We love the Bible at Mars Hill.

358
00:16:13,075 --> 00:16:16,000
We're really excited
about the Bible.

359
00:16:16,004 --> 00:16:17,008
It's all true.

360
00:16:17,017 --> 00:16:18,004
It's all good.

361
00:16:18,012 --> 00:16:20,067
It's all from God
through the prophets.

362
00:16:20,071 --> 00:16:22,083
And if it's in
there, it's for us.

363
00:16:22,088 --> 00:16:25,008
We don't worship the Bible,
but we learn about the God

364
00:16:25,017 --> 00:16:27,033
we do worship from the Bible.

365
00:16:27,042 --> 00:16:29,000
So I'm gonna have this
great pleasure today.

366
00:16:29,008 --> 00:16:31,038
I get to read a lot of Bible.

367
00:16:31,046 --> 00:16:33,008
I had somebody after
the last service say,

368
00:16:33,017 --> 00:16:34,012
"That's really cool.

369
00:16:34,017 --> 00:16:35,033
You get to read a lot of Bible."

370
00:16:35,042 --> 00:16:36,096
It is.

371
00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:37,083
It is.

372
00:16:37,092 --> 00:16:39,054
I'm actually very
excited about that.

373
00:16:39,062 --> 00:16:42,075
So, 1 Kings 17:8.

374
00:16:42,083 --> 00:16:44,062
Mars Hill, do you
love the Bible?

375
00:16:44,067 --> 00:16:45,046
(congregation)
Yes.

376
00:16:45,050 --> 00:16:46,067
We do, don't we?

377
00:16:46,071 --> 00:16:47,017
We like this book.

378
00:16:47,021 --> 00:16:51,000
This is the book that God wrote,
so this one's our favorite.

379
00:16:51,004 --> 00:16:51,083
So here it is.

380
00:16:51,092 --> 00:16:55,071
1 Kings 17:8:
Drought and famine.

381
00:16:55,079 --> 00:16:57,033
God is judging his people.

382
00:16:57,038 --> 00:16:58,071
They're being horrible
and God's like,

383
00:16:58,079 --> 00:17:00,058
"Well, how about
no rain, no food?

384
00:17:00,067 --> 00:17:04,054
Will that cause you to pay a
little bit of attention to me?"

385
00:17:04,062 --> 00:17:05,033
And here's what happens.

386
00:17:05,038 --> 00:17:06,088
"Then the Word of
the Lord came to him."

387
00:17:06,096 --> 00:17:08,067
And this is how
the prophets work.

388
00:17:08,075 --> 00:17:10,017
The Word of the Lord
comes to them.

389
00:17:10,025 --> 00:17:12,021
The Holy Spirit
comes upon them.

390
00:17:12,029 --> 00:17:13,096
It's a revelation miracle.

391
00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:16,062
God's going to speak
through him.

392
00:17:16,067 --> 00:17:19,025
God says, "Arise.
Go to Zarephath,"

393
00:17:19,033 --> 00:17:21,050
same place
Jesus is talking about.

394
00:17:21,058 --> 00:17:23,083
Here we are,
"which belongs to Sidon."

395
00:17:23,092 --> 00:17:27,075
Are those friends of God's people
or enemies of God's people?

396
00:17:27,083 --> 00:17:29,000
Enemies.

397
00:17:29,008 --> 00:17:31,096
This is not a people group that
loves the God of the Bible,

398
00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:33,054
worships the God
of the Bible.

399
00:17:33,062 --> 00:17:36,050
They have a different
God named Baal.

400
00:17:36,058 --> 00:17:41,021
Just so you know, different
religions have different gods.

401
00:17:41,029 --> 00:17:44,017
Baal is different
than Yahweh.

402
00:17:44,021 --> 00:17:47,067
Mohammed is different
than Yahweh.

403
00:17:47,075 --> 00:17:50,058
We worship the God
of the Bible, Yahweh.

404
00:17:50,067 --> 00:17:52,083
Jesus Christ.

405
00:17:52,088 --> 00:17:54,079
That's who we worship.

406
00:17:54,083 --> 00:17:56,083
Some people say, "No, all
religions worship the same God."

407
00:17:56,092 --> 00:17:58,038
No, they don't.

408
00:17:58,046 --> 00:18:03,029
Some religions worship this demon,
some religions worship this demon,

409
00:18:03,033 --> 00:18:05,038
and we worship the Creator
of Heaven and Earth.

410
00:18:05,046 --> 00:18:07,088
And I don't say that arrogantly,
I say that truthfully,

411
00:18:07,096 --> 00:18:10,071
that demons will masquerade
with spiritual power,

412
00:18:10,079 --> 00:18:15,062
empowering false prophets, false
teachers, false apostles

413
00:18:15,067 --> 00:18:19,033
to create false religions
and to teach false doctrines

414
00:18:19,042 --> 00:18:22,008
to lead people astray
into destruction

415
00:18:22,017 --> 00:18:26,067
in this life and eternal death
and damnation in the life to come.

416
00:18:26,075 --> 00:18:30,088
We are not spiritual
relativists and pluralists.

417
00:18:30,096 --> 00:18:32,075
We're Christians.

418
00:18:32,083 --> 00:18:34,088
And when Jesus says, "I am the
way, the truth, and the life,

419
00:18:34,096 --> 00:18:40,033
and no one comes to the Father
but by me," we agree with him.

420
00:18:40,042 --> 00:18:41,038
We say, "He's not a liar.

421
00:18:41,046 --> 00:18:43,012
He's a truth teller."

422
00:18:43,017 --> 00:18:46,038
And he's not just a religious
leader, he's a savior.

423
00:18:46,046 --> 00:18:52,021
And here, Jesus is disorienting his hearers,
saying, "They worship Baal.

424
00:18:52,029 --> 00:18:53,029
Remember the story
of Elijah?"

425
00:18:53,033 --> 00:18:55,021
He's telling God's
people, "They worship Baal.

426
00:18:55,029 --> 00:18:56,021
"That's the wrong god.

427
00:18:56,029 --> 00:18:57,017
"That's a demon god.

428
00:18:57,025 --> 00:18:58,017
"That's a false god.

429
00:18:58,025 --> 00:18:59,038
"That's another religion.

430
00:18:59,046 --> 00:19:01,092
That's the other team."

431
00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:03,096
Very disorienting to
these religious people.

432
00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:08,042
Where could he
be going with this?

433
00:19:08,079 --> 00:19:10,017
"Arise,

434
00:19:10,021 --> 00:19:13,083
"go to Zarephath, which belongs to
Sidon, the worshipers of Baal,

435
00:19:13,092 --> 00:19:14,079
"and dwell there.

436
00:19:14,083 --> 00:19:18,004
Behold, I have commanded
a widow there to feed you."

437
00:19:18,012 --> 00:19:22,062
Just so you know, a widow is as low as
it gets on the socioeconomic order.

438
00:19:22,067 --> 00:19:24,050
Husband dead,
she's got a little kid.

439
00:19:24,058 --> 00:19:25,096
You'll meet him in a moment.

440
00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:27,071
This means she's
destitute poor.

441
00:19:27,079 --> 00:19:29,021
She doesn't own land.

442
00:19:29,029 --> 00:19:30,025
She can't own land.

443
00:19:30,033 --> 00:19:31,088
She can't vote.

444
00:19:31,096 --> 00:19:34,067
Earning an income is
almost impossible.

445
00:19:34,075 --> 00:19:36,088
She's dependent on
charity, the equivalent

446
00:19:36,096 --> 00:19:40,025
of the Old Testament food bank
just for survival.

447
00:19:40,033 --> 00:19:43,017
And when you get your food from
the food bank and it doesn't rain

448
00:19:43,021 --> 00:19:46,050
for three years and there's a famine
and a drought and you're last

449
00:19:46,058 --> 00:19:51,088
in the provision line,
you are in dire straits.

450
00:19:51,096 --> 00:19:54,079
She's the lowest of the low and
she's a pagan and she worships

451
00:19:54,083 --> 00:19:57,000
the wrong god and she's
on the other team

452
00:19:57,008 --> 00:19:59,050
and she lives in
the wrong nation.

453
00:19:59,058 --> 00:20:03,000
This gal has nothing going for her.

454
00:20:03,008 --> 00:20:06,000
But you're going to see that
God loves her and he's gracious.

455
00:20:06,004 --> 00:20:07,050
See, God's always the hero.

456
00:20:07,054 --> 00:20:09,042
We'll keep reading.

457
00:20:09,050 --> 00:20:10,054
"So he arose and went.

458
00:20:10,062 --> 00:20:12,067
And there he came to the
gate of the city and behold."

459
00:20:12,075 --> 00:20:15,012
See, the Bible's funny.

460
00:20:15,017 --> 00:20:15,088
Oh, behold!

461
00:20:15,096 --> 00:20:16,067
A widow!

462
00:20:16,075 --> 00:20:17,042
Haha.

463
00:20:17,050 --> 00:20:18,079
Because God said,
"Go there.

464
00:20:18,083 --> 00:20:20,062
There'll be a widow."

465
00:20:20,067 --> 00:20:25,000
And you get there, there's
a widow, 'cause God's in control.

466
00:20:25,008 --> 00:20:27,083
And he says funny little
things like "Behold."

467
00:20:27,092 --> 00:20:30,038
[congregation laughing]

468
00:20:30,046 --> 00:20:32,029
That's pretty cool
right there.

469
00:20:32,033 --> 00:20:33,050
"Behold."

470
00:20:33,054 --> 00:20:34,033
Oh!

471
00:20:34,042 --> 00:20:36,033
A widow.

472
00:20:36,038 --> 00:20:39,017
"Was gathering sticks."

473
00:20:39,021 --> 00:20:43,067
You know you're poor when you
don't even have your own sticks.

474
00:20:45,029 --> 00:20:46,092
"And he called to her and
said, 'Bring me a little water

475
00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:48,050
in a vessel that I may drink.'

476
00:20:48,054 --> 00:20:50,071
And as she was going to bring
it, he called to her and said,

477
00:20:50,079 --> 00:20:52,067
'Bring me a morsel
of bread in your hand.'"

478
00:20:52,071 --> 00:20:53,067
Bring me bread?

479
00:20:53,071 --> 00:20:54,050
What's she got?

480
00:20:54,054 --> 00:20:56,071
Nothing.

481
00:20:56,079 --> 00:20:59,033
"And she said, 'As the
Lord your God lives.'"

482
00:20:59,038 --> 00:21:02,075
She agrees with
my previous statement.

483
00:21:02,083 --> 00:21:04,054
She says,
"Your God."

484
00:21:04,062 --> 00:21:05,083
See, that's not her God.

485
00:21:05,088 --> 00:21:08,000
She doesn't say "Our God."

486
00:21:08,008 --> 00:21:09,004
Your God.

487
00:21:09,012 --> 00:21:10,079
Her god is probably Baal.

488
00:21:10,083 --> 00:21:13,058
Your God is the God of the Bible.

489
00:21:13,067 --> 00:21:16,046
So she says, "You want me to
bring you water and food?

490
00:21:16,050 --> 00:21:23,075
I will do that out of respect for
your God, but your God is not my god."

491
00:21:23,083 --> 00:21:27,000
"I have nothing baked, only
a handful of flour in a jar

492
00:21:27,004 --> 00:21:29,050
"and a little oil in a jug.

493
00:21:29,058 --> 00:21:32,075
And now I am gathering a couple of
sticks," obviously to make a fire,

494
00:21:32,083 --> 00:21:35,062
"that I may go in and prepare
it for myself and my son,

495
00:21:35,067 --> 00:21:42,062
that we may eat it and die."
How poor is this woman?

496
00:21:42,067 --> 00:21:44,067
I want to thank you for being
really generous on Haiti

497
00:21:44,075 --> 00:21:48,000
and God's opening our hearts
to be more generous, I believe.

498
00:21:48,004 --> 00:21:51,004
My trip to Haiti was
amazing, life changing.

499
00:21:51,012 --> 00:21:52,062
Definitely want to help people.

500
00:21:52,067 --> 00:21:55,033
The world is a totally
different perspective to me.

501
00:21:55,038 --> 00:21:57,012
Here's the one big idea.

502
00:21:57,017 --> 00:21:59,017
We're the rich people.

503
00:21:59,025 --> 00:22:02,075
When you read the rich people in
the Bible, don't say, "I'm not rich.

504
00:22:02,083 --> 00:22:05,096
I only have a 2G connection
and I take the bus."

505
00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:07,067
[congregation laughing]

506
00:22:07,071 --> 00:22:09,046
You're rich.

507
00:22:09,050 --> 00:22:10,054
You are rich.

508
00:22:10,062 --> 00:22:11,096
Her issue is starvation.

509
00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:13,079
Our issue is obesity.

510
00:22:13,083 --> 00:22:15,050
We're the rich.

511
00:22:15,058 --> 00:22:17,021
See, we say, "But I
live in an apartment."

512
00:22:17,029 --> 00:22:19,079
It beats the tarps
that I saw in Haiti.

513
00:22:19,083 --> 00:22:21,008
You're rich.

514
00:22:21,017 --> 00:22:22,050
We are the rich.

515
00:22:22,058 --> 00:22:27,062
We are the fat consumers
of the world.

516
00:22:27,067 --> 00:22:28,033
Okay?

517
00:22:28,038 --> 00:22:31,079
And the most struggling
among us still live

518
00:22:31,083 --> 00:22:36,050
at a very high level compared
to those in the world.

519
00:22:36,058 --> 00:22:41,050
Compared to those in the world, when
the Bible speaks of the rich, that's us.

520
00:22:41,058 --> 00:22:44,000
We always think of somebody else.

521
00:22:44,008 --> 00:22:46,067
Doesn't matter how much you
make or how well you live,

522
00:22:46,071 --> 00:22:48,083
you always think "Yeah, rich?

523
00:22:48,092 --> 00:22:51,042
That's that other guy."

524
00:22:51,050 --> 00:22:58,042
The truth is, we're the rich to whom
much is entrusted, much is expected.

525
00:22:58,050 --> 00:23:01,062
We see our lives in
perspective here to this woman.

526
00:23:01,067 --> 00:23:03,038
No husband.

527
00:23:03,046 --> 00:23:09,042
Destitute poverty, pagan
nation, worships a demon god.

528
00:23:09,050 --> 00:23:11,071
Hasn't rained for years.

529
00:23:11,079 --> 00:23:15,033
Famine and drought cover the land.

530
00:23:15,042 --> 00:23:19,033
Her small son is very skinny.

531
00:23:19,038 --> 00:23:21,050
He's starving to death.

532
00:23:21,054 --> 00:23:23,004
He's malnourished.

533
00:23:23,012 --> 00:23:24,067
Do you see him?

534
00:23:24,075 --> 00:23:27,000
She is skin and bones.

535
00:23:27,004 --> 00:23:31,050
Anything that she has,
she gives to her young son.

536
00:23:31,058 --> 00:23:34,088
She is down to a bit
of oil, a bit of flour.

537
00:23:34,096 --> 00:23:36,083
That's all she has.

538
00:23:36,088 --> 00:23:40,008
She has no food.

539
00:23:40,017 --> 00:23:44,083
She's going to make the equivalent
of a bit of bread or a few crackers

540
00:23:44,092 --> 00:23:49,038
and the prophet shows up and says,
"I would like to eat that."

541
00:23:49,046 --> 00:23:52,083
[congregation laughing]

542
00:23:53,067 --> 00:23:54,092
Right.

543
00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:59,067
How many of you at this
point would be like, "No.

544
00:23:59,075 --> 00:24:02,083
"You are a foreigner from
a different country.

545
00:24:02,092 --> 00:24:06,033
"You are of a different religion.

546
00:24:06,038 --> 00:24:09,025
"And I am a widow
and he is an orphan.

547
00:24:09,033 --> 00:24:11,021
Get a job."

548
00:24:11,029 --> 00:24:13,046
[congregation laughing]

549
00:24:13,050 --> 00:24:16,050
"And bring us something to eat."

550
00:24:17,071 --> 00:24:21,054
It seems like he's
being rude, isn't he?

551
00:24:21,071 --> 00:24:23,083
I mean, this is seemingly rude.

552
00:24:23,092 --> 00:24:26,096
He's not being rude,
he's inviting her to faith.

553
00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:29,088
And faith requires believing
in what we do not see,

554
00:24:29,096 --> 00:24:33,000
trusting in the promises of God.

555
00:24:34,088 --> 00:24:37,017
"And Elijah said to her,
'Do not fear;

556
00:24:37,025 --> 00:24:39,096
"'Go and do as you have said.
But first make me a little cake

557
00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:42,042
"'of it and bring it to me,

558
00:24:42,050 --> 00:24:45,025
"'and afterward make something
for yourself and your son.

559
00:24:45,033 --> 00:24:48,033
"'For thus says the Lord, the God
of Israel, "The jar of flour

560
00:24:48,038 --> 00:24:50,088
"'"shall not be spent, and the
jug of oil shall not be empty,

561
00:24:50,096 --> 00:24:54,054
until the day that the Lord
sends rain upon the Earth.'"

562
00:24:54,062 --> 00:24:57,008
And she went and she
did as Elijah said."

563
00:24:57,017 --> 00:24:58,021
You know what faith is?

564
00:24:58,029 --> 00:25:01,004
Obeying God.

565
00:25:01,012 --> 00:25:03,029
And see, here God is
speaking through Elijah.

566
00:25:03,033 --> 00:25:05,075
The Word of God is coming
through the servant of God.

567
00:25:05,083 --> 00:25:10,008
Faith is obeying.

568
00:25:10,042 --> 00:25:13,083
Does she have any reason to believe
that if I give him my food,

569
00:25:13,092 --> 00:25:17,017
I'll have food forever?

570
00:25:17,038 --> 00:25:20,050
How many of you, if I told that to you
right now, you're starving to death,

571
00:25:20,058 --> 00:25:22,004
you're homeless, you're
living in the park,

572
00:25:22,012 --> 00:25:24,046
devastation has come,
famine has come,

573
00:25:24,050 --> 00:25:27,033
you're down to a Lunchable
and I come up to you and say,

574
00:25:27,038 --> 00:25:28,096
"Give that to me
and the Lunchable

575
00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:35,008
will magically reappear itself
by the Lunchable fairy forever."

576
00:25:35,046 --> 00:25:41,021
How many of you would eat the
Lunchable and not share the Lunchable?

577
00:25:41,029 --> 00:25:44,083
What she says is,
"You can have it."

578
00:25:44,088 --> 00:25:46,025
She's generous.

579
00:25:46,033 --> 00:25:48,067
She's kind.

580
00:25:48,071 --> 00:25:50,096
You know, statistically,
the most generous

581
00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:53,000
people are
the most poor people.

582
00:25:53,008 --> 00:25:54,071
Do you know that the poorer
you are statistically,

583
00:25:54,079 --> 00:25:57,038
the more you give
to church and charity?

584
00:25:57,046 --> 00:26:01,017
The richer you get, the greedier
you become, statistically.

585
00:26:01,025 --> 00:26:05,075
This woman is giving
almost everything she has.

586
00:26:05,083 --> 00:26:08,042
She's very generous.

587
00:26:10,017 --> 00:26:15,038
"The jar of flour
was not--" Oh, verse 14.

588
00:26:15,046 --> 00:26:23,062
God promises that her oil will
magically--not magically--miraculously.

589
00:26:23,067 --> 00:26:24,046
Get the word right.

590
00:26:24,050 --> 00:26:25,046
That's another team.

591
00:26:25,050 --> 00:26:29,017
Ours is the miraculous team.

592
00:26:31,017 --> 00:26:35,083
Miraculously, the oil
and the flour would,

593
00:26:35,092 --> 00:26:38,012
by God's provision, just
like the manna in the wilderness

594
00:26:38,017 --> 00:26:41,079
for the Israelites,
it would just keep appearing.

595
00:26:41,083 --> 00:26:43,054
"And she went
and did as Elijah said.

596
00:26:43,062 --> 00:26:46,000
And she and her household
ate for many days."

597
00:26:46,008 --> 00:26:47,046
This gal started
putting on weight.

598
00:26:47,050 --> 00:26:49,000
She's on a high-carb diet.

599
00:26:49,004 --> 00:26:51,067
It went really well for her.

600
00:26:51,071 --> 00:26:55,083
"The jar of flour was not spent,
neither did the jug of oil become empty,

601
00:26:55,092 --> 00:27:00,054
according to the Word of the
Lord that he spoke by Elijah."

602
00:27:00,062 --> 00:27:05,000
This gal started to believe
in the God of the Bible,

603
00:27:05,008 --> 00:27:08,017
that God is loving and gracious
and compassionate and kind.

604
00:27:08,025 --> 00:27:11,079
And that even if you're a poor
widow in a foreign country,

605
00:27:11,083 --> 00:27:15,033
worshipping a demon god, he
still knows you and he loves you

606
00:27:15,038 --> 00:27:19,029
and he cares for you
and he comes for you.

607
00:27:19,033 --> 00:27:23,096
What a wonderful God that is.

608
00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:25,071
And some of you would say,
"I love these stories

609
00:27:25,079 --> 00:27:28,033
where it's hard
and then it's good."

610
00:27:28,042 --> 00:27:30,021
And you know what it is?

611
00:27:30,029 --> 00:27:32,062
It's then hard again.

612
00:27:32,067 --> 00:27:34,088
And that's life.

613
00:27:34,096 --> 00:27:37,050
"After this, the son of the woman,
the mistress of the house,

614
00:27:37,054 --> 00:27:41,042
became ill. And his illness was so severe
that there was no breath left in him."

615
00:27:41,050 --> 00:27:43,017
Her son died.

616
00:27:43,025 --> 00:27:44,079
It's all she's got,
Mars Hill.

617
00:27:44,083 --> 00:27:48,046
Can you see him?
Little boy. Dead.

618
00:27:48,050 --> 00:27:51,042
I've got a 4-year-old,
an 8-year-old, a 10-year-old son.

619
00:27:51,050 --> 00:27:56,000
One of those boys dies,
part of me dies.

620
00:27:56,004 --> 00:27:57,000
He dies.

621
00:27:57,008 --> 00:27:58,075
This is all she's got.

622
00:27:58,083 --> 00:28:02,054
She's got no affluence,
she's got no husband.

623
00:28:02,062 --> 00:28:05,096
She's got this little boy.

624
00:28:06,012 --> 00:28:11,017
"And she said to Elijah, 'What have
you against me, oh man of God?'"

625
00:28:11,025 --> 00:28:12,096
See, she doesn't
understand God yet.

626
00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:16,083
Something bad happens
and she immediately blames God.

627
00:28:16,092 --> 00:28:18,033
"Why did God
do this to me?

628
00:28:18,042 --> 00:28:20,025
What do you
have against me?"

629
00:28:20,033 --> 00:28:27,000
The answer is that not everything
that happens is God punishing you.

630
00:28:28,012 --> 00:28:30,021
"'You have come to me to
bring my sin to remembrance

631
00:28:30,029 --> 00:28:32,088
and to cause
the death of my son.'"

632
00:28:32,096 --> 00:28:35,050
See, she doesn't understand that
ultimately a savior is coming

633
00:28:35,054 --> 00:28:38,058
and that he will die in her
place for her sins and that God

634
00:28:38,067 --> 00:28:41,092
will punish him
and not her.

635
00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:44,017
She doesn't
understand God yet.

636
00:28:44,021 --> 00:28:46,017
Some of you still
don't understand God.

637
00:28:46,021 --> 00:28:51,008
God corrects and chastens and
disciplines us, but if we are in Christ,

638
00:28:51,017 --> 00:28:53,008
He does not punish us.

639
00:28:53,017 --> 00:28:56,046
He punished Jesus in
our place for our sins.

640
00:28:56,050 --> 00:28:58,046
That punishment has
already been taken care of.

641
00:28:58,050 --> 00:29:02,008
She doesn't understand
the God of the Bible yet.

642
00:29:02,017 --> 00:29:04,071
"And he," meaning Elijah,
"said to her, 'Give me your son.'

643
00:29:04,079 --> 00:29:06,083
And he took him from her arms."

644
00:29:06,088 --> 00:29:07,092
Can you see it?

645
00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:09,033
This is a little boy.

646
00:29:09,038 --> 00:29:10,083
My ten-year-old son,
buddy Zac.

647
00:29:10,092 --> 00:29:12,017
He's big enough to carry.

648
00:29:12,025 --> 00:29:14,021
Calvin, who's eight,
he's big enough to carry.

649
00:29:14,029 --> 00:29:16,058
Gideon, four,
old enough to carry.

650
00:29:16,067 --> 00:29:22,017
I can't fathom carrying
a dead son in your arms.

651
00:29:22,021 --> 00:29:26,096
She is devastated and
distraught and discouraged.

652
00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:31,008
And Elijah carries her son "into
the upper chamber where he lodged."

653
00:29:31,017 --> 00:29:32,042
Isn't that amazing?

654
00:29:32,050 --> 00:29:35,050
She allowed Elijah
to live with her.

655
00:29:35,054 --> 00:29:37,008
She gave him a room.

656
00:29:37,017 --> 00:29:40,083
Mars Hill, I want you to see
the generosity of this woman.

657
00:29:40,092 --> 00:29:45,000
She houses the man of
God, feeds the man of God.

658
00:29:45,096 --> 00:29:47,083
"And laid him on his own bed.

659
00:29:47,092 --> 00:29:50,046
And he cried out to the Lord."

660
00:29:50,050 --> 00:29:54,033
Elijah loves the Lord and he's
devastated at the death of the boy.

661
00:29:54,038 --> 00:29:56,000
"He cried to the Lord,
'O Lord, my God

662
00:29:56,008 --> 00:29:58,042
"'have you brought calamity
even upon the widow

663
00:29:58,050 --> 00:30:00,075
with whom I sojourn,
by killing her son?'"

664
00:30:00,083 --> 00:30:01,096
Here's what he doesn't do.

665
00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:05,046
He doesn't accuse God,
but he inquires.

666
00:30:05,050 --> 00:30:07,071
I was praying with a couple.

667
00:30:07,079 --> 00:30:13,050
Their son's diagnosed with--
I think it was epilepsy.

668
00:30:16,025 --> 00:30:18,042
Don't accuse God
'cause we're not God

669
00:30:18,050 --> 00:30:21,029
and we don't know what
God's thinking or doin'.

670
00:30:21,033 --> 00:30:23,083
But it's okay to ask God,
"God, what's going on?

671
00:30:23,092 --> 00:30:25,017
"I don't understand.

672
00:30:25,021 --> 00:30:27,017
"I'm totally confused here.

673
00:30:27,025 --> 00:30:31,029
"God, I thought you loved this woman
and her son and you sent me here and,

674
00:30:31,033 --> 00:30:34,033
"you know, she's been very kind to
me and she's been very respectful

675
00:30:34,038 --> 00:30:37,033
"of you and she
gave me food to eat.

676
00:30:37,038 --> 00:30:39,017
"She gave me a room to sleep in.

677
00:30:39,021 --> 00:30:41,079
"She did that because
she wants to honor you.

678
00:30:41,083 --> 00:30:43,012
"God, why is her son dead?

679
00:30:43,017 --> 00:30:46,088
I just don't understand."

680
00:30:47,017 --> 00:30:48,050
This is not accusing God.

681
00:30:48,058 --> 00:30:52,000
This is inquiring of God.

682
00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:57,075
"Then he stretched himself upon the
child three times and cried to the Lord,

683
00:30:57,083 --> 00:31:02,025
'Oh Lord my God, let this child's
life come into him again.'"

684
00:31:02,033 --> 00:31:03,038
And the Lord what?

685
00:31:03,046 --> 00:31:07,092
Mars Hill, that is--that is
an amazing word right there.

686
00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:09,062
"And the Lord," what?

687
00:31:09,067 --> 00:31:12,067
"Listened."

688
00:31:12,071 --> 00:31:13,092
See, we love
that about our God.

689
00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:16,038
He listens.

690
00:31:16,046 --> 00:31:18,038
He listens.

691
00:31:18,046 --> 00:31:19,075
Why talk to God?

692
00:31:19,083 --> 00:31:22,088
Because he listens.

693
00:31:23,042 --> 00:31:25,062
"And the Lord listened
to the voice of Elijah.

694
00:31:25,067 --> 00:31:30,050
And the life of the child came
into him again, and he revived."

695
00:31:30,054 --> 00:31:32,000
The child came back
to life.

696
00:31:32,004 --> 00:31:35,038
Do you know that we believe this,
that God can actually do this?

697
00:31:35,046 --> 00:31:36,050
He doesn't do it all
the time.

698
00:31:36,054 --> 00:31:37,067
That's why we call it
a miracle.

699
00:31:37,071 --> 00:31:38,075
It's unusual.

700
00:31:38,083 --> 00:31:40,054
We admit that.

701
00:31:40,062 --> 00:31:42,029
But we believe that
God can raise the dead.

702
00:31:42,033 --> 00:31:48,008
In fact, he's going to do it with
Jesus and he's going to do it with you.

703
00:31:48,033 --> 00:31:53,012
That whether it's now
or later, the dead rise.

704
00:31:53,088 --> 00:31:58,054
We believe that all the little
boys and girls who die will rise.

705
00:31:58,062 --> 00:32:03,054
We believe that those who love
Jesus will rise to eternal life,

706
00:32:03,062 --> 00:32:07,025
to never suffer or get sick or
hungry or die again.

707
00:32:07,033 --> 00:32:08,075
We believe that the world as it is,

708
00:32:08,083 --> 00:32:12,033
is the result of sin and rebellion
and Satan and death.

709
00:32:12,042 --> 00:32:17,067
And we believe that Jesus is
the hero and that religion is a problem.

710
00:32:18,067 --> 00:32:20,008
You will die.

711
00:32:20,017 --> 00:32:22,004
Your sons and daughters will die.

712
00:32:22,012 --> 00:32:26,067
And in Christ, they will rise as this
little boy rose, giving us a foretaste

713
00:32:26,075 --> 00:32:35,012
of the kingdom and the resurrection
and the healing that is coming.

714
00:32:35,017 --> 00:32:36,054
"And Elijah took the child
and brought him down

715
00:32:36,062 --> 00:32:38,042
"from the upper chamber
into the house

716
00:32:38,050 --> 00:32:40,054
and delivered him
to his mother."

717
00:32:40,062 --> 00:32:43,083
Ladies, can you feel her joy?

718
00:32:43,088 --> 00:32:46,071
There's my little boy.

719
00:32:46,079 --> 00:32:48,033
He's just going
to run outside and play.

720
00:32:48,042 --> 00:32:49,067
He's going to do
what boys do.

721
00:32:49,071 --> 00:32:52,067
He's fine.

722
00:32:53,008 --> 00:32:54,062
"And Elijah said, 'See,

723
00:32:54,067 --> 00:32:56,008
your son lives.'"

724
00:32:56,017 --> 00:32:58,042
This is God's way of telling
all of those people: God,

725
00:32:58,050 --> 00:33:01,046
the God of the Bible,
the real God, he knows you.

726
00:33:01,050 --> 00:33:02,071
He loves you.

727
00:33:02,079 --> 00:33:03,083
He pays attention
to you.

728
00:33:03,088 --> 00:33:05,000
He cares for you.

729
00:33:05,004 --> 00:33:08,092
He does for you what
the demon gods can't do.

730
00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:12,067
"And the woman said to Elijah,
'I know that you are a man of God.'"

731
00:33:12,071 --> 00:33:15,025
Wow!

732
00:33:15,062 --> 00:33:17,012
"'And that the word
of the Lord is in your mouth.'"

733
00:33:17,017 --> 00:33:18,042
What you say is true.

734
00:33:18,050 --> 00:33:19,067
She converts.

735
00:33:19,071 --> 00:33:21,083
She gives her life to
the God of the Bible.

736
00:33:21,088 --> 00:33:24,096
She becomes a worshiper
of the God of the Bible.

737
00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:26,075
The kingdom of God breaks in.

738
00:33:26,083 --> 00:33:31,029
The presence and goodness of God
breaks in through the prophet

739
00:33:31,033 --> 00:33:35,079
to a people who
are far away from God.

740
00:33:35,083 --> 00:33:38,050
Jesus is saying this
to what people?

741
00:33:38,054 --> 00:33:41,096
A bunch of religious people
in a synagogue in Nazareth.

742
00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:48,067
What he's telling them is,
"You are more needy than that widow.

743
00:33:48,075 --> 00:33:52,038
"And you are farther
from God than she was,

744
00:33:52,046 --> 00:33:58,046
because at least she had faith
and did what she was told."

745
00:34:00,017 --> 00:34:03,054
Now, he told them, "You will hate
me by the time this sermon is done."

746
00:34:03,062 --> 00:34:05,067
And he's well on his way.

747
00:34:05,075 --> 00:34:07,071
Religious people
don't want to hear

748
00:34:07,079 --> 00:34:11,017
that they're in worse
condition spiritually than

749
00:34:11,025 --> 00:34:17,033
a pagan, demon-god worshiping,
starving widow.

750
00:34:17,038 --> 00:34:20,000
And he's not done.

751
00:34:20,004 --> 00:34:23,033
He proceeds on with his sermon.

752
00:34:23,038 --> 00:34:26,083
Luke 4:27: "'And there
were many lepers in Israel

753
00:34:26,092 --> 00:34:28,046
in the time of
the prophet Elisha,'"

754
00:34:28,050 --> 00:34:31,029
he was the successor to Elijah,
"'and none of them was cleansed,

755
00:34:31,033 --> 00:34:34,021
but only Naaman the Syrian.'"

756
00:34:34,029 --> 00:34:35,083
Lepers.

757
00:34:35,092 --> 00:34:38,008
They occupy an interesting
place in Scripture.

758
00:34:38,017 --> 00:34:41,017
This is the disease you
definitely don't want to get.

759
00:34:41,021 --> 00:34:43,017
It's a debilitating skin disease.

760
00:34:43,025 --> 00:34:51,017
Your limbs just become cankerous and
seeping with sores and stench and filth,

761
00:34:51,021 --> 00:34:55,067
and flesh is falling off your body,
and you lose touch so you burn yourself

762
00:34:55,071 --> 00:34:58,058
and cut yourself
and limbs are falling off,

763
00:34:58,067 --> 00:35:01,092
and your face is disfigured,
and you're a grotesque mess.

764
00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:03,008
You're exiled.

765
00:35:03,017 --> 00:35:05,033
They considered
you cursed of God.

766
00:35:05,038 --> 00:35:09,067
It was a horrible condition.

767
00:35:09,075 --> 00:35:12,050
He's here speaking out
of 2 Kings chapter 5.

768
00:35:12,054 --> 00:35:13,062
We'll read more Bible.

769
00:35:13,067 --> 00:35:15,025
Here's the story.

770
00:35:15,033 --> 00:35:16,079
Gonna meet Naaman.

771
00:35:16,083 --> 00:35:21,033
2 Kings 5:1: "Naaman, commander
of the army of the king of Syria."

772
00:35:21,042 --> 00:35:25,033
Commander of the army
of the king of Syria.

773
00:35:25,042 --> 00:35:27,092
That is an introduction.

774
00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:34,033
Hi, I am Naaman, commander
of the king of Syria's army.

775
00:35:34,042 --> 00:35:36,083
This guy is a big deal.

776
00:35:36,088 --> 00:35:38,058
He is a warrior.

777
00:35:38,067 --> 00:35:41,025
He has conquered nations and foes.

778
00:35:41,033 --> 00:35:43,096
He has treaded enemies underfoot.

779
00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:46,008
He is a man
in authority.

780
00:35:46,017 --> 00:35:52,071
And you read Syrian--do they love
God's people or not so much?

781
00:35:52,079 --> 00:35:56,075
Well, even if you're not up on history,
current events would say--

782
00:35:56,083 --> 00:36:03,042
some things never change--Syrians tend
not to be real friendly of Israelites.

783
00:36:03,050 --> 00:36:05,046
We were up in Israel this summer.

784
00:36:05,050 --> 00:36:09,000
We climbed up to where Jesus apparently
transfigured, and we were right

785
00:36:09,008 --> 00:36:14,000
on the border of Syria and all their
guards were there with sniper rifles,

786
00:36:14,008 --> 00:36:16,033
keeping us in scope.

787
00:36:16,042 --> 00:36:20,017
It didn't feel welcoming.

788
00:36:20,021 --> 00:36:21,000
Alright?

789
00:36:21,004 --> 00:36:23,038
The Syrians here are like that.

790
00:36:23,046 --> 00:36:27,033
They're not real friendly
toward God's people.

791
00:36:27,075 --> 00:36:31,004
"He was a great man with his master
and in high favor, because by him

792
00:36:31,012 --> 00:36:33,046
the Lord had given victory to Syria."

793
00:36:33,050 --> 00:36:35,083
He conquered God's people.

794
00:36:35,088 --> 00:36:39,050
God allowed him to do that to teach
them a lesson that they were a bunch

795
00:36:39,054 --> 00:36:43,054
of rebellious, stiff-necked, hard-hearted,
self-righteous religious people.

796
00:36:43,062 --> 00:36:45,083
And so sometimes God will
even use a godless person

797
00:36:45,092 --> 00:36:49,029
to discipline a godly person.

798
00:36:49,033 --> 00:36:51,075
That's what God does
'cause he loves his kids.

799
00:36:51,083 --> 00:36:54,092
And apparently this guy
was a good wooden spoon.

800
00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:56,067
[congregation laughing]

801
00:36:56,071 --> 00:37:02,054
"He was a mighty man of valor,
but he was a leper."

802
00:37:02,062 --> 00:37:09,029
He can rule a nation,
but he can't cure his own condition.

803
00:37:09,033 --> 00:37:10,088
He's in desperate need.

804
00:37:10,096 --> 00:37:15,046
"Now the Syrians
on one of their raids--"

805
00:37:15,050 --> 00:37:19,067
You just...we don't have guys like this.

806
00:37:19,075 --> 00:37:23,012
Guys are too busy, you know, playing
video games and watching television

807
00:37:23,017 --> 00:37:26,033
to go on raids,
but in the olden days,

808
00:37:26,042 --> 00:37:28,058
guys would use their free time
to go on a raid.

809
00:37:28,067 --> 00:37:30,071
What that means is,
we're gonna go into that nation,

810
00:37:30,079 --> 00:37:33,079
and we're gonna take all their stuff,
and we're gonna take their people,

811
00:37:33,083 --> 00:37:39,050
and we're gonna make 'em ours.
These are dudes.

812
00:37:40,046 --> 00:37:42,050
They "had carried off a little
girl from the land of Israel,

813
00:37:42,058 --> 00:37:44,033
and she worked in the service
of Naaman's wife."

814
00:37:44,042 --> 00:37:47,071
Imagine, hypothetically--this, of course,
will never happen--

815
00:37:47,079 --> 00:37:49,083
but the Canadians come down...

816
00:37:49,092 --> 00:37:52,017
[congregation laughing]

817
00:37:52,021 --> 00:37:55,000
and if they did,
we could handle 'em.

818
00:37:55,004 --> 00:37:56,004
I met 'em.

819
00:37:56,012 --> 00:37:57,017
They're not scary.

820
00:37:57,025 --> 00:38:02,096
If the Canadians came down and they
took all our junior high kids,

821
00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:03,079
some of you'd be like, "See?

822
00:38:03,083 --> 00:38:07,029
The Lord answers prayer."

823
00:38:07,033 --> 00:38:09,067
But some of you would be very sad.

824
00:38:09,071 --> 00:38:12,083
You'd be like, "They took
all our junior high kids."

825
00:38:12,092 --> 00:38:17,054
The Syrians came down and they
took all the junior high kids.

826
00:38:18,025 --> 00:38:21,079
So, here's what happens.

827
00:38:21,083 --> 00:38:25,000
Verse 3: "She," this junior high
gal who loves the God of the Bible,

828
00:38:25,004 --> 00:38:27,054
"said to her mistress,
'Would that my lord

829
00:38:27,062 --> 00:38:30,092
"'were with the prophet
who is in Samaria.

830
00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:32,004
He would cure him of leprosy.'"

831
00:38:32,012 --> 00:38:33,029
This little gal's a nice gal.

832
00:38:33,033 --> 00:38:35,000
She says, "Oh, we worship
the God of the Bible.

833
00:38:35,008 --> 00:38:36,000
"He heals people.

834
00:38:36,008 --> 00:38:37,083
"He's got a prophet named Elisha.

835
00:38:37,088 --> 00:38:42,088
"Maybe we could send the guy who took me
captive in war over there to get healed.

836
00:38:42,096 --> 00:38:44,054
And he could go meet
with the prophet."

837
00:38:44,062 --> 00:38:47,008
She's a sweet gal.

838
00:38:47,046 --> 00:38:48,071
"And the king of Syria said,
'Go now, and I will send

839
00:38:48,079 --> 00:38:51,042
a letter to the king of Israel.'"

840
00:38:51,050 --> 00:38:54,050
So this is international diplomacy.

841
00:38:54,058 --> 00:38:55,096
Everybody knows
about this.

842
00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:56,083
It's in the news.

843
00:38:56,092 --> 00:38:57,071
It's a big deal.

844
00:38:57,079 --> 00:39:00,067
The Syrians are sending one of
their leaders to Israel to meet

845
00:39:00,071 --> 00:39:01,096
with the prophet to be healed.

846
00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:03,075
This is a global issue, right?

847
00:39:03,083 --> 00:39:09,012
Larry King is updating this and it's
on the bottom of the feed for Fox News

848
00:39:09,017 --> 00:39:12,021
and the Twitter account's
gone kookoo for Cocoa Puffs--

849
00:39:12,029 --> 00:39:14,079
I mean, this is
a big, big deal.

850
00:39:14,083 --> 00:39:16,067
Everyone's paying attention.

851
00:39:16,075 --> 00:39:18,050
So this guy who's going
with leprosy,

852
00:39:18,054 --> 00:39:21,000
he's in a potentially
very humiliating situation.

853
00:39:21,004 --> 00:39:22,092
"Hi, I come from
your enemies.

854
00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:24,017
"I've got leprosy.

855
00:39:24,021 --> 00:39:26,017
"I--you know, hey, thanks
for the junior high kids.

856
00:39:26,021 --> 00:39:27,021
"Where's the prophet?

857
00:39:27,029 --> 00:39:28,025
I'd like to be healed."

858
00:39:28,033 --> 00:39:31,017
This is very humbling.

859
00:39:31,021 --> 00:39:32,067
Very humbling.

860
00:39:32,071 --> 00:39:35,000
"So he went, taking with
him ten talents of silver."

861
00:39:35,004 --> 00:39:38,050
Seven hundred
and fifty pounds.

862
00:39:38,058 --> 00:39:40,067
"Six thousand shekels of gold."

863
00:39:40,071 --> 00:39:42,067
A hundred
and fifty pounds of gold.

864
00:39:42,071 --> 00:39:44,096
"Ten changes of clothing."

865
00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:51,067
One commentator I read said this
might be upwards of a billion dollars.

866
00:39:51,071 --> 00:39:54,071
This guy really wants
to get over leprosy.

867
00:39:54,079 --> 00:39:57,092
And this is a powerful man.

868
00:39:58,000 --> 00:40:02,046
This is like Bill Gates walking
into some Baptist church

869
00:40:02,050 --> 00:40:06,092
with his credit card saying,
"I need help.

870
00:40:08,033 --> 00:40:10,004
"Take whatever you want.

871
00:40:10,012 --> 00:40:13,000
There's a billion dollar limit."

872
00:40:13,042 --> 00:40:15,050
See, at this point he doesn't
understand God at all.

873
00:40:15,058 --> 00:40:18,096
Because ours is a God of grace.

874
00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:21,021
He gives generously
because he's good.

875
00:40:21,029 --> 00:40:25,000
The difference between Christianity
and religion is religion

876
00:40:25,004 --> 00:40:27,075
assumes God is bad
and you gotta make him good.

877
00:40:27,083 --> 00:40:32,025
You gotta pray, give, serve,
tithe, manipulate God.

878
00:40:32,033 --> 00:40:37,042
See, the Bible teaches that God is good
and he's gracious and he's generous.

879
00:40:37,050 --> 00:40:39,012
We don't need
to make him be good.

880
00:40:39,017 --> 00:40:40,008
He is.

881
00:40:40,017 --> 00:40:41,038
We don't need
to make him be generous.

882
00:40:41,046 --> 00:40:43,067
He is.

883
00:40:43,075 --> 00:40:47,058
So this guy rolls in,
thinking he's going to buy God.

884
00:40:47,096 --> 00:40:49,042
"I want God to heal me.

885
00:40:49,050 --> 00:40:50,062
How much?"

886
00:40:50,067 --> 00:40:51,042
You know.

887
00:40:51,050 --> 00:40:52,088
"Where's the menu?

888
00:40:52,096 --> 00:40:55,058
How much is
a leprosy healing?"

889
00:40:55,067 --> 00:40:57,042
And people do that
even to this day.

890
00:40:57,050 --> 00:40:58,083
They roll into
the church, think,

891
00:40:58,088 --> 00:41:00,050
"Okay, God. Help.

892
00:41:00,058 --> 00:41:01,046
"I need you to.

893
00:41:01,050 --> 00:41:02,042
How much?"

894
00:41:02,050 --> 00:41:03,017
Answer?

895
00:41:03,021 --> 00:41:04,067
Grace.

896
00:41:04,071 --> 00:41:06,067
It doesn't mean we don't give
to God and his purposes,

897
00:41:06,071 --> 00:41:09,017
but we don't give
to manipulate him.

898
00:41:09,021 --> 00:41:11,012
We give because
we love him.

899
00:41:11,017 --> 00:41:15,017
Because he loved us first.

900
00:41:16,025 --> 00:41:17,004
I've seen this.

901
00:41:17,012 --> 00:41:20,067
I had one guy a couple years ago
literally write out a $250,000 check

902
00:41:20,071 --> 00:41:23,092
and say,
"Can you save my marriage?"

903
00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:25,021
No.

904
00:41:25,029 --> 00:41:27,008
Because I didn't create
the Heavens and the Earth.

905
00:41:27,017 --> 00:41:28,067
There are certain things
beyond my job description.

906
00:41:28,071 --> 00:41:31,008
Here what I can do, though,
I can give you the $250,000 back

907
00:41:31,017 --> 00:41:33,067
and I can meet with your wife,
and we can love and serve your family,

908
00:41:33,071 --> 00:41:35,017
and we're gonna talk about Jesus,

909
00:41:35,025 --> 00:41:38,017
and he's a God of grace,
and the Holy Spirit changes hearts,

910
00:41:38,021 --> 00:41:39,096
but you can't pay for this.

911
00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:41,088
Maybe after it's all said
and done, and you love Jesus

912
00:41:41,096 --> 00:41:44,088
and you know something about him,
then you can give generously.

913
00:41:44,096 --> 00:41:49,088
But right now, let's not turn this into
you paying God so that he works for you.

914
00:41:49,096 --> 00:41:53,096
That's not how it goes.

915
00:41:55,092 --> 00:41:58,004
"And he brought the letter to the king
of Israel, which read, 'When this letter

916
00:41:58,012 --> 00:42:00,033
"'reaches you, know that I have
sent you Naaman my servant,

917
00:42:00,038 --> 00:42:02,004
that you may cure him of leprosy.'"

918
00:42:02,012 --> 00:42:03,050
The king got the letter.

919
00:42:03,058 --> 00:42:06,083
"And when the king of Israel read the
letter, he tore his clothes and said,

920
00:42:06,088 --> 00:42:09,000
"'Am I God, to kill and make alive,

921
00:42:09,008 --> 00:42:11,062
"'that this man sends word
to me to cure leprosy?

922
00:42:11,067 --> 00:42:14,008
Only consider, and see how he is
seeking a quarrel with me.'"

923
00:42:14,017 --> 00:42:17,012
The king's like,
"You gotta be kidding!"

924
00:42:17,017 --> 00:42:18,017
Dear Hank.

925
00:42:18,021 --> 00:42:19,004
Cure leprosy.

926
00:42:19,012 --> 00:42:20,000
Love, James.

927
00:42:20,004 --> 00:42:20,075
What?

928
00:42:20,083 --> 00:42:24,083
That--I totally missed
that class in college.

929
00:42:24,088 --> 00:42:28,067
I don't--How many of you community
group leaders, this would bum you out?

930
00:42:28,071 --> 00:42:29,029
Somebody shows up,

931
00:42:29,033 --> 00:42:31,079
"Hi. I have AIDS
and a letter from Pastor Mark.

932
00:42:31,083 --> 00:42:32,083
He says to fix it."

933
00:42:32,088 --> 00:42:35,025
You'd be like, "Come on. Come on!

934
00:42:35,033 --> 00:42:38,079
"I do what I can, but this is
totally beyond my scope of training.

935
00:42:38,083 --> 00:42:40,092
"I don't have the magic wand.

936
00:42:41,000 --> 00:42:43,017
I can't just: 'Be healed.'"

937
00:42:43,021 --> 00:42:44,038
Alright?

938
00:42:44,046 --> 00:42:46,033
So the king's like,
"This is not good."

939
00:42:46,038 --> 00:42:46,062
Right?

940
00:42:46,067 --> 00:42:49,004
This is a big,
international incident.

941
00:42:49,012 --> 00:42:54,038
"If I don't heal him, then they're gonna
come and take more junior high kids."

942
00:42:56,054 --> 00:42:59,004
"But when Elisha," verse 8,
"the man of God--"

943
00:42:59,012 --> 00:43:01,012
You know, don't you
love this?

944
00:43:01,017 --> 00:43:02,058
You see, one of the reason
I know the Bible's true?

945
00:43:02,067 --> 00:43:03,067
Nobody's writing this.

946
00:43:03,075 --> 00:43:05,008
Nobody's making it up.

947
00:43:05,017 --> 00:43:06,046
There's no committee
somewhere going,

948
00:43:06,050 --> 00:43:10,017
"Okay. Leprosy, international
incident, billion dollars,

949
00:43:10,025 --> 00:43:14,008
ten changes of clothing,
his whole wardrobe, entourage thing."

950
00:43:14,017 --> 00:43:15,062
I love the Bible.

951
00:43:15,067 --> 00:43:21,029
The Bible is amazing because it
shows us history and it shows us

952
00:43:21,033 --> 00:43:25,083
in such a way that we know
that it's factual.

953
00:43:25,092 --> 00:43:28,058
This is not stuff
that people make up.

954
00:43:28,067 --> 00:43:31,025
"When Elisha the man of God heard the
king of Israel had torn his clothes,

955
00:43:31,033 --> 00:43:34,017
"he said to the king, saying 'Why
have you torn your clothes?'"

956
00:43:34,025 --> 00:43:36,033
What, you can't handle that?

957
00:43:36,042 --> 00:43:39,029
"Let him come now to me, that he may
know that there is a prophet in Israel."

958
00:43:39,033 --> 00:43:41,008
Elisha raises his hand.

959
00:43:41,017 --> 00:43:44,021
"I'll take the leper."

960
00:43:44,029 --> 00:43:45,029
I'm sure the king's like, "Good.

961
00:43:45,033 --> 00:43:48,029
I'm glad somebody volunteered."

962
00:43:48,050 --> 00:43:51,033
Elisha said, "Hey, I trust
that God can do whatever.

963
00:43:51,038 --> 00:43:53,025
If he sent him here,
send him to me."

964
00:43:53,033 --> 00:43:56,058
I don't think he's saying
this arrogantly, "I'm a prophet."

965
00:43:56,067 --> 00:43:59,017
Prophet usually means you'll
be exiled and murdered.

966
00:43:59,021 --> 00:44:02,025
So it's not the thing you
put on a t-shirt, you know?

967
00:44:02,033 --> 00:44:04,058
But he accepts
his position from God.

968
00:44:04,067 --> 00:44:06,000
He welcomes the leper.

969
00:44:06,008 --> 00:44:09,029
"So Naaman came with his horses
and chariots," full entourage.

970
00:44:09,033 --> 00:44:12,029
I mean, this guy's rolling
with a massive posse.

971
00:44:12,033 --> 00:44:14,033
"And stood at the door
of Elisha's house."

972
00:44:14,042 --> 00:44:15,054
And this is awesome.

973
00:44:15,062 --> 00:44:16,088
I love this!

974
00:44:16,096 --> 00:44:18,083
"And Elisha sent
a message to him."

975
00:44:18,092 --> 00:44:20,083
Did Elisha come out?

976
00:44:20,092 --> 00:44:22,017
No!

977
00:44:22,021 --> 00:44:23,071
He's like, "Tell him..."

978
00:44:23,079 --> 00:44:25,038
[laughing]

979
00:44:25,046 --> 00:44:28,092
He already came from another
country with diplomatic immunity,

980
00:44:29,000 --> 00:44:34,046
full military guard, happens to
have upwards of a billion dollars,

981
00:44:34,050 --> 00:44:36,083
and Elisha's like, "Look, man.

982
00:44:36,092 --> 00:44:40,096
"It's lunch and just
tell 'em what to do.

983
00:44:41,000 --> 00:44:43,050
I'm totally tied up
with nothing."

984
00:44:43,054 --> 00:44:45,083
I love that!

985
00:44:45,088 --> 00:44:50,038
Because sometimes the truth is,
you don't need to meet with a man of God,

986
00:44:50,046 --> 00:44:54,067
you just need to obey
the Word of God.

987
00:44:54,075 --> 00:44:55,071
I'll say that again.

988
00:44:55,079 --> 00:44:56,092
It just came to me.

989
00:44:57,000 --> 00:44:58,017
And that was pretty good.

990
00:44:58,021 --> 00:45:03,008
You don't need to meet with the man
of God, you need to obey the word of God.

991
00:45:03,017 --> 00:45:04,058
Elisha doesn't need
to come out.

992
00:45:04,067 --> 00:45:06,025
"Hi, I'm the holy, spiritual man.

993
00:45:06,033 --> 00:45:08,096
"You can tell by the big hat and the
ring and the robe and, you know,

994
00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:11,029
"and the wafting incense
and the magic wand.

995
00:45:11,033 --> 00:45:12,042
It's me."

996
00:45:12,050 --> 00:45:15,029
He doesn't need to meet
with Elisha.

997
00:45:15,033 --> 00:45:17,033
Elisha's like,
"You know what?

998
00:45:17,038 --> 00:45:18,071
"God's gonna tell you
what to do.

999
00:45:18,079 --> 00:45:19,083
"You just need
to go do it.

1000
00:45:19,092 --> 00:45:22,083
You don't need to meet
with a magic holy man."

1001
00:45:22,092 --> 00:45:24,029
There's only one holy man.

1002
00:45:24,033 --> 00:45:26,021
His name's Jesus.

1003
00:45:26,029 --> 00:45:28,054
I'm not saying that it's
not good to meet with a pastor,

1004
00:45:28,062 --> 00:45:31,050
it's not good to meet with a spiritual
leader, but sometimes you know what?

1005
00:45:31,054 --> 00:45:33,054
God already told you what to do.

1006
00:45:33,062 --> 00:45:34,067
Just do it.

1007
00:45:34,071 --> 00:45:37,083
Or you read the Bible and through
his prophets, he tells you what to do.

1008
00:45:37,088 --> 00:45:39,029
Just go do it.

1009
00:45:39,033 --> 00:45:41,025
You don't need to meet
with anybody.

1010
00:45:41,033 --> 00:45:43,079
You need to do what
you're supposed to do.

1011
00:45:43,083 --> 00:45:45,067
So here's what Elisha tells him.

1012
00:45:45,071 --> 00:45:46,083
"Go and wash in the Jordan."

1013
00:45:46,092 --> 00:45:48,017
How far away is that?

1014
00:45:48,025 --> 00:45:51,021
About 40 miles!

1015
00:45:51,029 --> 00:45:54,038
He's already come
across a country.

1016
00:45:54,046 --> 00:45:58,004
"Go another 40 miles
and wash in the Jordan."

1017
00:45:58,012 --> 00:45:59,008
How many times?

1018
00:45:59,017 --> 00:46:02,025
Seven times.

1019
00:46:02,079 --> 00:46:04,062
"And your flesh shall be
restored, and you shall be clean."

1020
00:46:04,067 --> 00:46:06,050
How many of you,
if I said, "Okay, look.

1021
00:46:06,054 --> 00:46:08,096
"You want to be cleansed of
whatever ailments you have?

1022
00:46:09,000 --> 00:46:10,012
"Go to Mexico.

1023
00:46:10,017 --> 00:46:11,025
"Find a river.

1024
00:46:11,033 --> 00:46:13,050
"Bathe yourself seven times.

1025
00:46:13,054 --> 00:46:17,000
Go in, scrub, scrub, scrub, get out,
dry off, scrub, scrub, scrub--seven times."

1026
00:46:17,008 --> 00:46:18,038
How many, if I told
you right now,

1027
00:46:18,046 --> 00:46:21,038
"God wants you tomorrow
to take seven showers."

1028
00:46:21,046 --> 00:46:24,000
Just that,
you'd be like, "Nope.

1029
00:46:24,004 --> 00:46:25,054
Not gonna do it."

1030
00:46:25,062 --> 00:46:26,054
'Cause it's silly.

1031
00:46:26,062 --> 00:46:28,017
Even if nobody's lookin',
I feel weird.

1032
00:46:28,021 --> 00:46:29,038
Shower, dry off.

1033
00:46:29,046 --> 00:46:30,033
Shower, dry off.

1034
00:46:30,042 --> 00:46:31,033
Shower, dry off.

1035
00:46:31,042 --> 00:46:33,000
Shower, dry off.

1036
00:46:33,008 --> 00:46:34,017
What about
the salmon?

1037
00:46:34,025 --> 00:46:35,079
I mean, there's all
these reasons...

1038
00:46:35,083 --> 00:46:37,067
[congregation laughing]

1039
00:46:37,071 --> 00:46:40,058
you totally had it coming.

1040
00:46:40,067 --> 00:46:41,075
You go, "No, I'm not going
to do that.

1041
00:46:41,083 --> 00:46:45,046
"Even if nobody's lookin' and
it's not on TV and it's not a diplomatic

1042
00:46:45,050 --> 00:46:52,017
international event, it just feels
weird and I don't like feelin' weird."

1043
00:46:52,096 --> 00:46:56,054
So--yeah,
this is great.

1044
00:46:57,025 --> 00:47:00,017
"But Naaman was...angry."

1045
00:47:00,021 --> 00:47:02,042
"I don't like it."

1046
00:47:02,050 --> 00:47:03,079
See, we do this
with God a lot.

1047
00:47:03,083 --> 00:47:04,083
God's like,
"Do this."

1048
00:47:04,088 --> 00:47:07,004
We're like, "No."

1049
00:47:07,033 --> 00:47:10,050
God's like, "Well,
guess who's in charge?

1050
00:47:10,054 --> 00:47:13,058
We don't negotiate."

1051
00:47:13,067 --> 00:47:14,042
"Naaman was angry

1052
00:47:14,050 --> 00:47:15,083
"and went away, saying,

1053
00:47:15,092 --> 00:47:17,083
"'Behold, I thought he would
surely come out to me and stand

1054
00:47:17,088 --> 00:47:19,017
and call on the name of the Lord--'"

1055
00:47:19,025 --> 00:47:22,054
"Do some holy magic stuff,
maybe hit me in the head

1056
00:47:22,062 --> 00:47:28,033
and wave his hand over me and cure
the leper and do the voodoo stuff."

1057
00:47:28,038 --> 00:47:29,058
See, and that's what
some people want.

1058
00:47:29,067 --> 00:47:32,033
"Where is the holy man
doing the holy stuff?"

1059
00:47:32,042 --> 00:47:33,058
God's like, "Trust me.

1060
00:47:33,067 --> 00:47:36,050
"I'm gonna make you do
something a little goofy.

1061
00:47:36,054 --> 00:47:38,050
"Hey, thanks for traveling
across the country.

1062
00:47:38,058 --> 00:47:40,088
"Nice letter from the king.

1063
00:47:40,096 --> 00:47:43,017
"Go find the river,
the river of God's people,

1064
00:47:43,021 --> 00:47:45,079
"the river Jesus
will be baptized in.

1065
00:47:45,083 --> 00:47:48,058
"Not one of your rivers
up in your pagan nation.

1066
00:47:48,067 --> 00:47:51,058
"Go there in front of all the people
who love and worship the God of the Bible.

1067
00:47:51,067 --> 00:47:55,000
"Publicly humiliate yourself
and don't just take one bath,

1068
00:47:55,004 --> 00:47:56,088
take seven."

1069
00:47:56,096 --> 00:47:59,067
Now, if you're a leper,
do you think that feels good?

1070
00:47:59,071 --> 00:48:02,046
I've never had leprosy,
but I'm thinking seven baths--

1071
00:48:02,050 --> 00:48:05,038
that's not so comfortable.

1072
00:48:06,038 --> 00:48:07,088
He's angry.

1073
00:48:07,096 --> 00:48:10,000
"God didn't meet me on my terms.

1074
00:48:10,004 --> 00:48:12,092
He didn't do it the way
I think he should do it."

1075
00:48:13,000 --> 00:48:15,058
It's 'cause he loves you.

1076
00:48:15,067 --> 00:48:18,017
And he wants you
to be humble and trusting,

1077
00:48:18,021 --> 00:48:22,000
and learn to obey,
even if it doesn't seem very wise.

1078
00:48:25,046 --> 00:48:30,012
"'Are not Abana and Pharpar,
the rivers of Damascus,

1079
00:48:30,017 --> 00:48:32,033
better than all
the waters of Israel?'"

1080
00:48:32,038 --> 00:48:33,071
"Why do I gotta go
to this country?

1081
00:48:33,079 --> 00:48:34,067
"Why not that country?

1082
00:48:34,071 --> 00:48:36,004
"Why with these people,
not those people?

1083
00:48:36,012 --> 00:48:37,021
"We have our own rivers.

1084
00:48:37,029 --> 00:48:38,029
"We have our own gods.

1085
00:48:38,033 --> 00:48:40,000
We have our own religion."

1086
00:48:40,008 --> 00:48:43,008
God says, "I know,
and that's all wrong.

1087
00:48:43,017 --> 00:48:44,058
So go to the Jordan.

1088
00:48:44,067 --> 00:48:47,042
That's the river
I'm picking."

1089
00:48:47,050 --> 00:48:51,025
"'Could I not wash in there
and be clean?'"

1090
00:48:52,000 --> 00:48:55,000
See, it's not about the
water, it's about the faith

1091
00:48:55,008 --> 00:48:57,017
and the humility
and the obedience.

1092
00:48:57,021 --> 00:49:00,050
"So he turned
and went away in a rage."

1093
00:49:00,058 --> 00:49:04,067
See, this guy's used to being
in charge, not taking orders.

1094
00:49:04,088 --> 00:49:07,058
"But his servant,"
the low slave.

1095
00:49:07,067 --> 00:49:10,042
The guy on the journey
carrying the bag.

1096
00:49:10,050 --> 00:49:12,004
"Came and said,
'My father.'"

1097
00:49:12,012 --> 00:49:13,096
Nice way to start.

1098
00:49:14,000 --> 00:49:16,054
"'It is a great word the
prophet has spoken to you;

1099
00:49:16,062 --> 00:49:17,050
will you not do it?'"

1100
00:49:17,054 --> 00:49:18,038
He's like, "Hey!

1101
00:49:18,046 --> 00:49:19,021
"He said to go in the river.

1102
00:49:19,029 --> 00:49:23,071
"Maybe we should--I mean...
go in the river.

1103
00:49:23,079 --> 00:49:26,029
You are a leper."

1104
00:49:26,033 --> 00:49:28,088
Like some of you come here
and you say, "I don't want Jesus!"

1105
00:49:28,096 --> 00:49:30,062
You're going to hell!

1106
00:49:30,067 --> 00:49:32,067
You say, "Well, I don't
want Jesus!"

1107
00:49:32,075 --> 00:49:34,025
Well, you're going
to hell.

1108
00:49:34,033 --> 00:49:38,096
Like, you should probably
look at your option.

1109
00:49:39,000 --> 00:49:40,017
"I don't want to go
to the river!"

1110
00:49:40,021 --> 00:49:41,033
"You have leprosy."

1111
00:49:41,042 --> 00:49:42,067
"I don't want to go
to the river!"

1112
00:49:42,071 --> 00:49:47,017
"Back to my first point,
you have leprosy.

1113
00:49:47,021 --> 00:49:49,058
"And he said that's the only way
to get rid of that problem,

1114
00:49:49,067 --> 00:49:51,067
"just like Jesus is the
only way to get rid of sin.

1115
00:49:51,071 --> 00:49:52,050
"This is how it works.

1116
00:49:52,054 --> 00:49:57,000
Either do it that way
or it's gonna go bad for you."

1117
00:49:57,075 --> 00:50:00,050
"'Has he actually said to you, 
"Wash, and be clean"?'"

1118
00:50:00,054 --> 00:50:01,092
That's what he said.

1119
00:50:02,000 --> 00:50:05,071
"So," this is repentance.

1120
00:50:05,079 --> 00:50:07,062
It's like, "Alright, fine.

1121
00:50:07,067 --> 00:50:11,083
"I don't understand, but I'll submit.

1122
00:50:11,092 --> 00:50:13,029
"I'm used to giving orders.

1123
00:50:13,033 --> 00:50:14,067
"I'll take a few.

1124
00:50:14,071 --> 00:50:21,012
I'm going down to the river to
take seven baths in the Jordan."

1125
00:50:21,017 --> 00:50:24,046
"He went down, dipped
himself seven times."

1126
00:50:24,050 --> 00:50:27,017
Think he was feeling silly
around five?

1127
00:50:27,021 --> 00:50:28,033
Crowd's there.

1128
00:50:28,038 --> 00:50:30,033
"Hey, aren't you that guy who
took the junior high kids?"

1129
00:50:30,042 --> 00:50:33,042
"Yeah..."

1130
00:50:34,088 --> 00:50:38,067
"According to the word of the man
of God," that's Scripture,

1131
00:50:38,071 --> 00:50:42,021
"and his flesh was restored like
the flesh of a baby and he was clean."

1132
00:50:42,029 --> 00:50:44,067
He had baby-smooth skin.

1133
00:50:44,075 --> 00:50:46,058
Totally healed.

1134
00:50:47,012 --> 00:50:48,083
Totally healed.

1135
00:50:48,092 --> 00:50:51,067
How much of the money did Elisha take?

1136
00:50:51,075 --> 00:50:53,000
Nothing.

1137
00:50:53,004 --> 00:50:56,004
As he was leaving, heading home--
the rest of the story, and you can read it

1138
00:50:56,012 --> 00:50:59,046
or read it to your kids tonight--
one of the servants followed him,

1139
00:50:59,050 --> 00:51:01,096
said, "Hey, hey, that billion dollars,
I'd like a little bit."

1140
00:51:02,000 --> 00:51:05,000
And he took it and he got leprosy
and his whole family got leprosy

1141
00:51:05,008 --> 00:51:07,079
because it was greed.

1142
00:51:08,017 --> 00:51:10,075
It was greed.

1143
00:51:11,029 --> 00:51:12,000
Back up.

1144
00:51:12,004 --> 00:51:14,058
Who's Jesus telling this story to?

1145
00:51:14,067 --> 00:51:18,033
The religious people in
Nazareth in the synagogue.

1146
00:51:18,042 --> 00:51:22,017
How would they respond to the
story of the widow and the leper?

1147
00:51:23,025 --> 00:51:28,033
"When they heard these things in the
synagogue, all were filled with wrath.

1148
00:51:28,038 --> 00:51:30,092
"And they rose up and they drove him out
of the town and they brought him

1149
00:51:31,000 --> 00:51:33,021
"to the brow of the hill on which
their town was built,

1150
00:51:33,029 --> 00:51:35,012
"so that they could
throw him down the cliff.

1151
00:51:35,017 --> 00:51:38,025
But passing through their midst,
he went away."

1152
00:51:38,033 --> 00:51:45,067
Jesus, are you saying that us decent,
moral, heterosexual, Republican,

1153
00:51:45,075 --> 00:51:52,017
tithing, community group attending,
ESV Bible reading, home school co-op

1154
00:51:52,025 --> 00:51:58,071
joining, decent, upright, moral
citizens--that in the sight of God

1155
00:51:58,079 --> 00:52:06,021
we are as needy as the widow and our
sin is as horrific as the leprosy

1156
00:52:06,029 --> 00:52:10,050
and that we need provision
and cleansing?

1157
00:52:10,071 --> 00:52:12,071
It can't be.

1158
00:52:12,079 --> 00:52:14,075
We're the good guys.

1159
00:52:14,083 --> 00:52:20,025
How could you possibly say that
the bad guys have something to teach us?

1160
00:52:21,038 --> 00:52:24,033
He goes after their religion.

1161
00:52:24,050 --> 00:52:29,033
And as religious people often do,
they would rather kill Jesus

1162
00:52:29,038 --> 00:52:32,021
than kill their religion.

1163
00:52:32,029 --> 00:52:34,092
And the difference between Jesus
and religion is this:

1164
00:52:35,000 --> 00:52:37,038
religion is about
what you do for God.

1165
00:52:37,046 --> 00:52:40,046
Jesus is about
what God does for you.

1166
00:52:40,050 --> 00:52:44,062
Religion is about how
you earn favor from God.

1167
00:52:44,067 --> 00:52:50,071
Jesus is about how God gives
you righteousness as a gift.

1168
00:52:50,079 --> 00:52:55,017
Religion is about you becoming
very proud of your performance.

1169
00:52:55,021 --> 00:53:02,083
Jesus is about becoming very proud
of his performance in your place.

1170
00:53:03,000 --> 00:53:05,021
And some of you
are deeply religious.

1171
00:53:05,029 --> 00:53:07,071
And one of the reasons that we
continually hammer on religion

1172
00:53:07,079 --> 00:53:11,071
at Mars Hill is religion is
the enemy of Jesus.

1173
00:53:11,079 --> 00:53:18,021
It leads to arrogance and pride and
self-righteousness and judgmentalism.

1174
00:53:19,033 --> 00:53:26,050
And some of you love
religion more than Jesus.

1175
00:53:26,054 --> 00:53:31,075
One of the reasons that we always
talk against sin and religion is

1176
00:53:31,083 --> 00:53:36,004
because both are enemies of Jesus.

1177
00:53:37,004 --> 00:53:42,029
And here their sin is religion.

1178
00:53:43,000 --> 00:53:45,012
And they decide they're
going to kill Jesus.

1179
00:53:45,017 --> 00:53:46,021
This is what happens
to the prophets.

1180
00:53:46,029 --> 00:53:47,083
They're killed.

1181
00:53:47,092 --> 00:53:50,050
There's two ways you
would kill by stoning.

1182
00:53:50,058 --> 00:53:53,058
One, you would throw
the rocks at the person.

1183
00:53:53,067 --> 00:53:56,096
Or you would throw the person
off the cliff onto the rocks.

1184
00:53:57,000 --> 00:53:58,067
They try to do that here.

1185
00:53:58,071 --> 00:54:00,050
Somehow, he escapes.

1186
00:54:00,058 --> 00:54:01,079
Question.

1187
00:54:01,083 --> 00:54:06,025
Is there any record that Jesus
ever returned to Nazareth?

1188
00:54:06,033 --> 00:54:08,075
There is no record that
he ever returned to Nazareth.

1189
00:54:08,083 --> 00:54:10,083
He is gone forever.

1190
00:54:10,092 --> 00:54:13,088
He is the prophet without
honor in his own hometown.

1191
00:54:13,096 --> 00:54:17,000
Nazareth lost the opportunity
to be the headquarters

1192
00:54:17,004 --> 00:54:21,088
for the worldwide ministry
of Jesus Christ.

1193
00:54:21,096 --> 00:54:26,058
Tragic moment in
the history of Nazareth.

1194
00:54:26,067 --> 00:54:28,000
Tragic moment.

1195
00:54:28,004 --> 00:54:30,033
Today, it is largely
a Muslim town.

1196
00:54:30,042 --> 00:54:34,083
It still
rejects Jesus.

1197
00:54:34,092 --> 00:54:40,079
Still very, very religious,
but rejects Jesus.

1198
00:54:40,083 --> 00:54:42,025
I've been there
and seen it.

1199
00:54:42,033 --> 00:54:45,042
It's one of the most religious
places I've ever seen

1200
00:54:45,050 --> 00:54:50,083
and the rejection
of Jesus is overt.

1201
00:54:54,050 --> 00:54:57,050
Now, here's my concern.

1202
00:54:57,058 --> 00:55:03,050
As we read this story, we can act in
such a way or respond in such a way

1203
00:55:03,054 --> 00:55:09,071
that we think, "Thank you, Lord,
that I haven't rejected Jesus."

1204
00:55:09,079 --> 00:55:10,071
Okay.

1205
00:55:10,079 --> 00:55:14,046
I want to take from the story eight
ways that you could reject Jesus

1206
00:55:14,050 --> 00:55:16,096
to make you aware of them in closing.

1207
00:55:17,000 --> 00:55:21,054
Because I don't want
you to reject Jesus.

1208
00:55:21,062 --> 00:55:24,025
What would compel you
to reject Jesus Christ?

1209
00:55:24,033 --> 00:55:27,012
You can discuss this in your
community group this week.

1210
00:55:27,017 --> 00:55:29,042
Number one: For some
of you, it is theology.

1211
00:55:29,050 --> 00:55:33,083
They love Jesus as a teacher
and a healer and a feeder

1212
00:55:33,088 --> 00:55:37,000
and a defender of the poor.

1213
00:55:37,008 --> 00:55:41,088
But when he said, "I'm God,
and I speak on behalf of God,"

1214
00:55:41,096 --> 00:55:45,058
they said,
"No, you're Joseph's son.

1215
00:55:45,067 --> 00:55:49,029
You're just a really good
guy, but you're not God."

1216
00:55:49,033 --> 00:55:51,050
Some of you do that.

1217
00:55:51,058 --> 00:55:53,071
"Jesus is a good man,
but not the God-man.

1218
00:55:53,079 --> 00:55:57,033
"He's a good teacher,
except for when he lies,

1219
00:55:57,042 --> 00:56:00,062
saying things like
'I'm God and savior.'"

1220
00:56:00,067 --> 00:56:02,075
Don't reject him theologically.

1221
00:56:02,083 --> 00:56:05,046
Number two: You can reject
him because of control.

1222
00:56:05,050 --> 00:56:07,050
This was the real conflict
in Nazareth.

1223
00:56:07,054 --> 00:56:10,062
He showed up and they said,
"Here's what we want, Jesus.

1224
00:56:10,067 --> 00:56:11,067
"You grew up with us.

1225
00:56:11,071 --> 00:56:14,050
"You know that we're poor and
she's sick and he needs a job,

1226
00:56:14,054 --> 00:56:20,071
"and we've got a dumpy, rural hick-town
nobody comes from, to, or through here,

1227
00:56:20,079 --> 00:56:23,025
"and you--you're a rock star.

1228
00:56:23,033 --> 00:56:24,071
"You draw huge crowds.

1229
00:56:24,079 --> 00:56:26,096
"You can heal and feed people.

1230
00:56:27,000 --> 00:56:28,017
"We're gonna set up a tent.

1231
00:56:28,025 --> 00:56:29,050
"You're gonna be the circus act.

1232
00:56:29,058 --> 00:56:31,029
"People are going to
come from miles around.

1233
00:56:31,033 --> 00:56:35,092
"You can feed us, heal us,
bless us, make us headquarters.

1234
00:56:36,000 --> 00:56:38,083
"We're gonna use you
for our own mission.

1235
00:56:38,092 --> 00:56:41,067
We wanna get rich and famous."

1236
00:56:41,075 --> 00:56:43,004
It was a control issue.

1237
00:56:43,012 --> 00:56:45,017
Jesus said, "I'm not going to do
any miracles here in Nazareth.

1238
00:56:45,021 --> 00:56:48,050
"Not 'cause I can't do any
miracles, but because if I do,

1239
00:56:48,054 --> 00:56:50,083
"you will think that you controlled me.

1240
00:56:50,092 --> 00:56:55,075
And your motives are disgusting,
and you don't love God."

1241
00:56:55,083 --> 00:57:01,000
And for the widow, she got her
miracle after she trusted the Lord.

1242
00:57:01,008 --> 00:57:04,021
For the leper, he trusted the
Lord and he got his miracle.

1243
00:57:04,029 --> 00:57:06,021
"You guys don't even love
me, you don't even trust me.

1244
00:57:06,029 --> 00:57:07,050
"You just want miracles.

1245
00:57:07,054 --> 00:57:10,096
"You want me to be the magic genie
who jumps out of the bottle

1246
00:57:11,000 --> 00:57:13,062
"and answers all the requests.

1247
00:57:13,067 --> 00:57:14,088
No."

1248
00:57:14,096 --> 00:57:16,054
And, see, some people
are like that with Jesus.

1249
00:57:16,062 --> 00:57:18,050
They come in to church or ministry.

1250
00:57:18,058 --> 00:57:19,042
"Okay!

1251
00:57:19,050 --> 00:57:20,029
"Here's what I want.

1252
00:57:20,033 --> 00:57:21,025
"Jesus, give it to me.

1253
00:57:21,033 --> 00:57:22,008
"He didn't give it to me?

1254
00:57:22,017 --> 00:57:24,021
"Well, then I reject you.

1255
00:57:24,029 --> 00:57:26,025
"I'm post-Christian, anti-Christian.

1256
00:57:26,033 --> 00:57:29,000
Find another religion
or go my own way."

1257
00:57:29,004 --> 00:57:31,096
It's how to reject Jesus.

1258
00:57:32,000 --> 00:57:33,000
Greed.

1259
00:57:33,004 --> 00:57:36,000
Again, there's a lot of
money to be made in Nazareth.

1260
00:57:36,004 --> 00:57:38,071
If you could get Jesus to stay there
and all the crowds to come to him,

1261
00:57:38,079 --> 00:57:42,000
and you could build a huge synagogue,
and you could take an offering

1262
00:57:42,008 --> 00:57:47,058
after you heal people,
you'll be doing well.

1263
00:57:47,067 --> 00:57:49,012
They wanted to use
Jesus for the money,

1264
00:57:49,017 --> 00:57:53,000
so he uses the analogy
and the illustration of the widow.

1265
00:57:53,008 --> 00:57:56,038
What he says is she had nothing and
she allowed the servant of God to live

1266
00:57:56,046 --> 00:58:02,029
with her and to eat of her final meal
before she starved to death.

1267
00:58:02,033 --> 00:58:04,062
You don't use God for money.

1268
00:58:04,067 --> 00:58:06,033
That's idolatry.

1269
00:58:06,038 --> 00:58:08,058
You love God because he's God.

1270
00:58:08,067 --> 00:58:13,021
You love Jesus because he's God.

1271
00:58:13,058 --> 00:58:16,004
Sometimes it's just selfishness.

1272
00:58:16,012 --> 00:58:18,012
The people in Nazareth, when
he showed up they didn't say,

1273
00:58:18,017 --> 00:58:19,079
"Jesus! This is amazing!

1274
00:58:19,083 --> 00:58:21,033
"We could reach the nations.

1275
00:58:21,042 --> 00:58:24,029
"We could spread the good
news that God has come.

1276
00:58:24,033 --> 00:58:26,017
"How could we help you
and serve you?

1277
00:58:26,025 --> 00:58:30,004
How could we give our lives so
that others would come to know you?"

1278
00:58:30,012 --> 00:58:31,083
It was just all about me.

1279
00:58:31,088 --> 00:58:34,017
"Where's my miracle?

1280
00:58:34,025 --> 00:58:36,083
"Where's my healing?

1281
00:58:36,088 --> 00:58:39,000
"Where's my food?

1282
00:58:39,008 --> 00:58:40,050
"Where's my provision?

1283
00:58:40,058 --> 00:58:41,088
What about me?"

1284
00:58:41,096 --> 00:58:46,038
Complete selfishness can
cause you to reject Jesus.

1285
00:58:47,050 --> 00:58:49,021
Familiarity.

1286
00:58:49,029 --> 00:58:51,004
"Isn't this Joseph's son?

1287
00:58:51,012 --> 00:58:54,004
"He says he's God, Lord, Savior, Christ,
King, and Prophet,

1288
00:58:54,012 --> 00:58:57,075
"but we saw him grow up.

1289
00:58:57,083 --> 00:58:59,033
"We know who he is.

1290
00:58:59,042 --> 00:59:00,083
"That's not who he is.

1291
00:59:00,092 --> 00:59:02,067
We know who he is."

1292
00:59:02,075 --> 00:59:05,042
The truth is, you can become
so familiar with Jesus

1293
00:59:05,050 --> 00:59:06,083
that you don't even know who he is.

1294
00:59:06,088 --> 00:59:10,033
You can grow up in church, be
around Bible teaching, go to camp,

1295
00:59:10,042 --> 00:59:12,096
go to Christian school,
have Christian family,

1296
00:59:13,000 --> 00:59:15,067
friends, relatives,
co-workers, neighbors.

1297
00:59:15,071 --> 00:59:18,033
You can even go to Bible
college and get some goofy,

1298
00:59:18,042 --> 00:59:23,067
dinky Bible college prof that gives you some
weird, funky new liberal insight on Jesus

1299
00:59:23,071 --> 00:59:26,054
and all of a sudden, you feel like you
got it all nailed down and covered,

1300
00:59:26,062 --> 00:59:29,096
and you reject him and move
on and get into spiritism

1301
00:59:30,000 --> 00:59:32,096
and get into demonism
and get into false teaching.

1302
00:59:33,000 --> 00:59:33,096
Why? Because you're like,

1303
00:59:34,000 --> 00:59:36,062
"I know Jesus. I know the
stories. I know the doctrine.

1304
00:59:36,067 --> 00:59:38,017
"I got it all nailed down, you know.

1305
00:59:38,021 --> 00:59:40,012
"But I've kind of moved on to
some other things as well,

1306
00:59:40,017 --> 00:59:42,067
"in addition to or in place of him.

1307
00:59:42,071 --> 00:59:45,012
Because I know him really well."

1308
00:59:45,017 --> 00:59:48,012
And the truth is, you don't.

1309
00:59:48,017 --> 00:59:50,033
You don't. You don't
know him at all.

1310
00:59:50,042 --> 00:59:52,004
You're like the people in Nazareth.

1311
00:59:52,012 --> 00:59:57,075
They've become so familiar of him
that they're really not aware

1312
00:59:57,083 --> 01:00:01,062
of his true identity
as God among them.

1313
01:00:01,067 --> 01:00:03,067
I really worry about this
with the church kids.

1314
01:00:03,071 --> 01:00:08,038
See, I'm a fired up, full tank of gas
kinda guy when it comes to Jesus.

1315
01:00:08,046 --> 01:00:12,008
And part of that is, I didn't
grow up knowing a lot about Jesus

1316
01:00:12,017 --> 01:00:13,017
and reading the Bible.

1317
01:00:13,021 --> 01:00:17,021
We were marginal Catholic,
but I wasn't payin' any attention.

1318
01:00:17,029 --> 01:00:18,071
And I woulda said, "Oh,
I know who Jesus is.

1319
01:00:18,079 --> 01:00:21,038
"Yeah, he did something with
fishes and loaves and, yeah,

1320
01:00:21,046 --> 01:00:23,000
"He can water-ski without
a boat and stuff.

1321
01:00:23,008 --> 01:00:25,054
Yeah, I know a few things
about him."

1322
01:00:25,062 --> 01:00:27,054
But I didn't really
know much about Jesus

1323
01:00:27,062 --> 01:00:28,083
and I wasn't
that familiar with him.

1324
01:00:28,092 --> 01:00:32,050
When I start meeting Jesus and readin'
the Bible and being with God's people,

1325
01:00:32,054 --> 01:00:36,046
it's like I'm fired up because
it's all pretty fresh and new to me.

1326
01:00:36,050 --> 01:00:39,083
For those of you that are like my wife
and now like my kids, and you're gonna

1327
01:00:39,092 --> 01:00:42,088
hear the name of Jesus and you're gonna
hear Bible teaching and Bible reading

1328
01:00:42,096 --> 01:00:44,092
and be around God's
people for a long time,

1329
01:00:45,000 --> 01:00:47,050
don't get too familiar with Jesus.

1330
01:00:47,058 --> 01:00:51,067
Still be amazed and
shocked and continue

1331
01:00:51,075 --> 01:00:55,004
to be astonished by this man.

1332
01:00:55,083 --> 01:00:57,038
Comfort.

1333
01:00:57,046 --> 01:00:58,050
It's where he uses the example.

1334
01:00:58,054 --> 01:01:00,067
Do you think it was comfortable
for the widow to give what

1335
01:01:00,075 --> 01:01:03,025
she had and her house
to the prophet?

1336
01:01:03,033 --> 01:01:04,017
No.

1337
01:01:04,025 --> 01:01:07,025
Do you think it was comfortable
for Naaman to go to another nation

1338
01:01:07,033 --> 01:01:10,050
and another God and go down to the river
and publically humiliate himself?

1339
01:01:10,058 --> 01:01:12,017
No.

1340
01:01:12,021 --> 01:01:13,021
Some of you, it's just comfort.

1341
01:01:13,029 --> 01:01:14,088
You're like, "I would give,
but it's not comfortable.

1342
01:01:14,096 --> 01:01:15,088
"I would serve,
but it's not comfortable.

1343
01:01:15,096 --> 01:01:17,038
"I would pray,
but it's not comfortable.

1344
01:01:17,046 --> 01:01:20,008
I would whatever, but
it's just not comfortable."

1345
01:01:20,017 --> 01:01:24,083
Because you worship
convenience instead of Christ.

1346
01:01:24,092 --> 01:01:26,071
And sometimes it's just
embarrassment because being

1347
01:01:26,079 --> 01:01:31,017
a Christian does not
get you cool points anywhere.

1348
01:01:31,025 --> 01:01:32,050
Okay?

1349
01:01:32,054 --> 01:01:35,058
You just--this was my big
thing as a non-Christian.

1350
01:01:35,067 --> 01:01:37,004
All the Christians would come
to me and they'd be like,

1351
01:01:37,012 --> 01:01:38,088
"Okay, you need to give
your life to Christ."

1352
01:01:38,096 --> 01:01:41,017
And I'm like, "I don't want
to join the team, man.

1353
01:01:41,021 --> 01:01:42,058
"The Ned Flander society.

1354
01:01:42,067 --> 01:01:45,071
I do not want to join the team."

1355
01:01:45,079 --> 01:01:48,017
And it was always the kids with the
bumper stickers and the t-shirts

1356
01:01:48,025 --> 01:01:52,083
and the permagrins and the
parted hair and the wristbands,

1357
01:01:52,088 --> 01:01:54,017
and they're like,
"We love Jesus!

1358
01:01:54,021 --> 01:01:55,008
We love him, we love him."

1359
01:01:55,017 --> 01:01:57,017
I was like, "Aaaargh!

1360
01:01:57,025 --> 01:01:58,017
"Seriously,

1361
01:01:58,021 --> 01:02:00,025
"is there another team
that he has?

1362
01:02:00,033 --> 01:02:01,071
"Maybe wearing black, you know?

1363
01:02:01,079 --> 01:02:04,054
Could I join that team?"

1364
01:02:04,062 --> 01:02:05,058
It was just embarrassing.

1365
01:02:05,067 --> 01:02:07,025
"I love Jesus."

1366
01:02:07,033 --> 01:02:09,038
You know how weird it is to
get converted in college

1367
01:02:09,046 --> 01:02:11,008
and your philosophy
class, when they're like,

1368
01:02:11,017 --> 01:02:12,029
"How many of you are Christians?"

1369
01:02:12,033 --> 01:02:14,025
"Oh, here we go."

1370
01:02:14,033 --> 01:02:15,021
You know.

1371
01:02:15,029 --> 01:02:16,008
History class.

1372
01:02:16,017 --> 01:02:17,017
"Yeah, I love Jesus."

1373
01:02:17,025 --> 01:02:18,017
Sociology class.

1374
01:02:18,021 --> 01:02:19,000
"I love Jesus."

1375
01:02:19,004 --> 01:02:19,092
Women's studies class.

1376
01:02:20,000 --> 01:02:21,062
"Oh yeah, I love Jesus."

1377
01:02:21,067 --> 01:02:23,042
You know?

1378
01:02:23,050 --> 01:02:27,067
You're just a piñata for
your whole undergrad degree.

1379
01:02:27,075 --> 01:02:29,017
It's embarrassing.

1380
01:02:29,025 --> 01:02:32,050
And then every time any Christian
says or does anything stupid,

1381
01:02:32,054 --> 01:02:37,038
myself included--I am not beyond
this capacity--it's like, "You Christians."

1382
01:02:37,046 --> 01:02:38,075
You're like,
"There's billions of us!

1383
01:02:38,083 --> 01:02:42,071
Just 'cause one duffed it
doesn't mean we're all doing it."

1384
01:02:42,079 --> 01:02:43,062
But it's embarrassing.

1385
01:02:43,067 --> 01:02:46,012
Do you think it was embarrassing
for Naaman to go down to the river?

1386
01:02:46,017 --> 01:02:49,042
"Hi, I'm the mighty man, leper, help."

1387
01:02:49,050 --> 01:02:52,029
It's kind of embarrassing.

1388
01:02:52,033 --> 01:02:55,071
For those in Nazareth, it's
like, "You're the bad guys."

1389
01:02:55,079 --> 01:02:56,054
"Really?

1390
01:02:56,062 --> 01:02:59,012
"That's kind of embarrassing,
'cause we took a vote.

1391
01:02:59,017 --> 01:03:01,058
We thought we were the good guys."

1392
01:03:01,067 --> 01:03:05,038
Some of you just need to
be humiliated for Christ.

1393
01:03:05,046 --> 01:03:08,012
And lastly, sometimes it's just
good old-fashioned religion.

1394
01:03:08,017 --> 01:03:09,050
Me? That was me.

1395
01:03:09,058 --> 01:03:13,025
Before I met Jesus at age 19,
I was a religious guy.

1396
01:03:13,033 --> 01:03:14,054
I thought,
"Okay, I believe in God.

1397
01:03:14,062 --> 01:03:16,046
"I'm a good person.

1398
01:03:16,050 --> 01:03:17,083
Good enough."

1399
01:03:17,088 --> 01:03:21,000
Didn't drink, didn't smoke, didn't
do drugs, most likely to succeed,

1400
01:03:21,004 --> 01:03:24,079
student body president, 4-year letterman,
man of the year, holier-than-thou,

1401
01:03:24,083 --> 01:03:26,046
"Da da dada, I'm here.

1402
01:03:26,050 --> 01:03:28,012
You're welcome."

1403
01:03:28,017 --> 01:03:30,046
Just kind of that attitude.

1404
01:03:30,050 --> 01:03:32,096
Better than everybody.

1405
01:03:33,000 --> 01:03:35,033
And you know what?
That's religion.

1406
01:03:35,042 --> 01:03:36,054
And sometimes it's just religion.

1407
01:03:36,062 --> 01:03:38,075
I mean, religious people don't think
they need Jesus 'cause they think

1408
01:03:38,083 --> 01:03:41,042
they're doing fine without
him and they don't realize

1409
01:03:41,050 --> 01:03:46,083
that they're in worse shape
than the widow and the leper.

1410
01:03:48,004 --> 01:03:52,004
The truth is, we're
as needy as the widow.

1411
01:03:52,012 --> 01:03:54,017
We're as hopeless as the leper.

1412
01:03:54,021 --> 01:03:55,071
We're sinners by nature and choice.

1413
01:03:55,079 --> 01:04:00,096
And they didn't kill Jesus on this
occasion, but eventually they did.

1414
01:04:01,000 --> 01:04:02,000
And you know what he did?

1415
01:04:02,008 --> 01:04:04,067
It was the most amazing
thing in the world.

1416
01:04:04,075 --> 01:04:11,017
He took our sin upon his sinless
self and he died to forgive us

1417
01:04:11,021 --> 01:04:12,079
of all of our sin.

1418
01:04:12,083 --> 01:04:14,096
That's amazing.

1419
01:04:15,000 --> 01:04:17,038
That's amazing.

1420
01:04:17,046 --> 01:04:19,017
You know what Jesus is?

1421
01:04:19,021 --> 01:04:22,012
He's good to the end.

1422
01:04:22,017 --> 01:04:25,042
He provides for us
like he did the widow.

1423
01:04:25,050 --> 01:04:28,071
He heals us like he did the leper.

1424
01:04:28,079 --> 01:04:35,075
He does that as we murder
him, and he loves us.

1425
01:04:35,083 --> 01:04:38,046
Some of you are going to reject
him as they did in Nazareth.

1426
01:04:38,050 --> 01:04:41,008
I would beg you not to do that.

1427
01:04:41,017 --> 01:04:50,000
Some of you would reject him
like the soldier rejected God,

1428
01:04:50,004 --> 01:04:53,029
and then he had a change of heart
and mind, and he received God.

1429
01:04:53,033 --> 01:04:54,038
See, there's still hope for you.

1430
01:04:54,046 --> 01:04:55,021
You're still alive.

1431
01:04:55,029 --> 01:04:56,067
Just 'cause you've rejected
Jesus doesn't mean

1432
01:04:56,071 --> 01:04:59,000
you can't receive him today.

1433
01:04:59,004 --> 01:05:01,033
That some of you will be like the
widow and you will just receive

1434
01:05:01,038 --> 01:05:03,083
the Lord into your life.

1435
01:05:03,088 --> 01:05:09,083
That's what I want for you, because
I love you, and I want good for you.

1436
01:05:09,088 --> 01:05:14,017
And I want you to enjoy
the gift of Jesus Christ.

1437
01:05:14,021 --> 01:05:15,050
Amen.

1438
01:05:15,058 --> 01:05:16,042
I'll pray.

1439
01:05:16,050 --> 01:05:18,029
Father God, thank you for the Bible.

1440
01:05:18,033 --> 01:05:20,083
God, we love the Bible.

1441
01:05:20,088 --> 01:05:24,033
We don't worship the Bible, but
we worship the God of the Bible.

1442
01:05:24,038 --> 01:05:25,088
We thank you for the
prophets, who were filled

1443
01:05:25,096 --> 01:05:27,033
with the Holy Spirit
to write the Scriptures.

1444
01:05:27,042 --> 01:05:30,025
We thank you for Jesus,
the capital P Prophet,

1445
01:05:30,033 --> 01:05:34,012
the fulfillment
of all Scripture.

1446
01:05:34,017 --> 01:05:39,046
God, we thank you that we do
read in Scripture of places

1447
01:05:39,050 --> 01:05:45,000
that you were received,
like the widow's home.

1448
01:05:45,008 --> 01:05:47,004
May our home be like that.

1449
01:05:47,012 --> 01:05:50,033
A place where you,
Lord Jesus, are received.

1450
01:05:50,042 --> 01:05:53,092
We read of people who receive you
even after being angry and upset

1451
01:05:54,000 --> 01:05:58,092
and independent and self-righteous,
like the commander and the soldier.

1452
01:05:59,000 --> 01:06:02,000
God, may our hearts and our
minds and our lives open

1453
01:06:02,004 --> 01:06:06,083
as his did to receive you, Lord Jesus.

1454
01:06:06,088 --> 01:06:09,004
Lord Jesus, you are welcome
here at Mars Hill Church.

1455
01:06:09,012 --> 01:06:10,021
We love you.

1456
01:06:10,029 --> 01:06:11,067
We welcome you.

1457
01:06:11,075 --> 01:06:13,017
We don't want to be like Nazareth.

1458
01:06:13,025 --> 01:06:16,017
We don't want to get proud and
religious and assuming just because

1459
01:06:16,021 --> 01:06:19,067
we welcomed you yesterday, that
we won't reject you tomorrow.

1460
01:06:19,075 --> 01:06:24,038
Please keep us humble and
repentant and obedient.

1461
01:06:24,046 --> 01:06:27,075
But Lord Jesus, we welcome
you here at Mars Hill Church.

1462
01:06:27,083 --> 01:06:30,092
We welcome you in Seattle
and the Puget Sound

1463
01:06:31,000 --> 01:06:32,050
and Albuquerque and Santa Fe,

1464
01:06:32,058 --> 01:06:35,079
we welcome you, Lord Jesus,
to be with us.

1465
01:06:35,083 --> 01:06:38,038
Thank you that you're willing
to come to be with us.

1466
01:06:38,046 --> 01:06:41,075
We welcome you into our church and
into our cities and into our homes

1467
01:06:41,083 --> 01:06:47,050
and into our community groups and into our
redemption groups and into our families.

1468
01:06:47,054 --> 01:06:49,071
We welcome you, Lord Jesus.

1469
01:06:49,079 --> 01:06:54,096
And we ask you to be with us because
you are good, and we need you

1470
01:06:55,000 --> 01:06:56,046
more than a leper.

1471
01:06:56,050 --> 01:07:00,012
And our condition is
worse than the widow.

1472
01:07:00,017 --> 01:07:02,038
And apart from you,
we have no hope.

1473
01:07:02,046 --> 01:07:06,096
But in you, we have much joy,
and so we rejoice in your good name.

1474
01:07:07,000 --> 01:07:08,033
Amen.