WEBVTT 00:00:00.340 --> 00:00:02.600 I'm going to invite you to turn to John chapter 12. 00:00:02.680 --> 00:00:07.860 John chapter 12, and if I have some time, I'm also going to jump a little bit into 2 Corinthians 11. 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:10.960 So you can hold your place in 2 Corinthians 11 when we get there. 00:00:11.280 --> 00:00:13.410 But John chapter 12 is where we are together. 00:00:14.120 --> 00:00:21.280 And this is an important passage of scripture we're going to look at, because this is Jesus dealing with the last moments of his life 00:00:21.280 --> 00:00:22.250 on Earth. 00:00:22.820 --> 00:00:24.690 The whole point of his life is seen in his death. 00:00:25.180 --> 00:00:27.920 And Jesus is poising himself for the... 00:00:28.280 --> 00:00:30.160 Poising himself not poisoning himself. 00:00:30.220 --> 00:00:32.880 Poising himself, make sure I clearly enunciate that. 00:00:33.220 --> 00:00:36.020 He's poising himself for these final moments of his life. 00:00:36.920 --> 00:00:40.330 And through him we're going to learn a lot about how to position ourselves. 00:00:40.580 --> 00:00:47.840 Because what you find in John chapter 12, verse 27, that very first verse, very first line here just gives us a simple opening statement, 00:00:48.020 --> 00:00:55.020 Jesus says, "Now my soul has become troubled." And this is the moment if you're a follower of Jesus, or especially if you're 00:00:55.020 --> 00:00:58.600 in the first century, and you're following Jesus, you just want to hit that maybe panic button. 00:00:59.400 --> 00:01:03.020 Because in Jesus's ministry at this point, seems like he's got it all together, right? 00:01:03.020 --> 00:01:06.060 And now you get to the end of his life, and he says, now my soul is troubled. 00:01:06.060 --> 00:01:10.040 And this word can be translated, panic, right? 00:01:10.040 --> 00:01:12.310 That he is in a state of stress. 00:01:13.160 --> 00:01:17.060 He's been extremely challenged with where he is in his life, is a difficult moment. 00:01:17.060 --> 00:01:18.420 That's what Jesus is saying to us. 00:01:18.820 --> 00:01:26.280 And so if you're a follower of Jesus and you see maybe you have this indication that he's losing a little bit of his confidence, you're not quite sure there's 00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:27.740 reason to hit the panic button. 00:01:27.740 --> 00:01:34.900 Especially what we talked about last week, when Jesus enters into Jerusalem, the triumphal entry, they're waving these palm branches, we talked about the risk 00:01:34.900 --> 00:01:36.750 of those palm branches before Rome. 00:01:37.300 --> 00:01:43.900 This is like drawing attention to you and you could be crucified for waving palm branches during that time. 00:01:44.220 --> 00:01:49.690 This is a moment where you're marking yourself and then the next thing your leader says, and he's like, oh, no, we're in trouble. 00:01:50.180 --> 00:01:53.110 It's a comment that he's saying in this sentence. 00:01:54.020 --> 00:01:56.580 And this is a very challenging moment, right? 00:01:56.580 --> 00:01:58.570 And so you would look at this and be like, no, what do we do? 00:01:58.800 --> 00:02:05.940 Anytime you're following someone that's a leader in a circumstance based on how that leader may poise themselves in that position, will determine 00:02:05.940 --> 00:02:08.500 how you would poise yourself in that position. 00:02:08.539 --> 00:02:13.920 So seeing how Jesus interacts in this moment becomes very important to how you should then respond. 00:02:14.520 --> 00:02:21.620 And when we read through this passage of Scripture, we're going to see how Jesus responds in this moment of trouble, so that we can learn from our 00:02:21.620 --> 00:02:24.940 own lives how we are to respond in adversity in life. 00:02:25.040 --> 00:02:29.780 And that's why we titled today, five truths for a soul that is troubled. 00:02:29.980 --> 00:02:33.080 And so Jesus begins by recognizing his own example here. 00:02:33.660 --> 00:02:37.900 Now my soul has become troubled, what do you do? 00:02:38.140 --> 00:02:42.780 One of my favorite passages in the Bible, and I think in the gospels is in Mark chapter 10. 00:02:43.580 --> 00:02:45.680 And specific, I think in verse 32. 00:02:45.740 --> 00:02:52.800 But in Mark 10, it says at the end of Mark 10, if you've got one of those Bibles that gives you a little headings above sections of Scripture, it 00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:56.640 generally says something like and Jesus foretells his death, the third time, right. 00:02:57.300 --> 00:03:02.930 And the third time Jesus foretells his death in Mark 10, it tells us and he also walks to Jerusalem. 00:03:03.060 --> 00:03:06.600 It's like he boldly goes to Jerusalem as he's telling about his death. 00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:11.920 And it says the disciples are concerned and scared and they follow him from a distance, right? 00:03:12.480 --> 00:03:18.910 But Jesus at the end of his life, he does not cower to what God has called him to or what the Father has led him to. 00:03:19.880 --> 00:03:22.320 Jesus boldly goes into Jerusalem. 00:03:23.160 --> 00:03:25.230 And he takes the weight of sin on his shoulders. 00:03:25.340 --> 00:03:27.280 And I think this is where he starts to experience the trouble. 00:03:27.560 --> 00:03:34.600 But I want to tell you guys, as we get to this passage of Scripture, when I think of all of the Bible, these chapters that we're getting ready to dive 00:03:34.600 --> 00:03:39.670 into, I have to say, for me are my favorite passages in all of Scripture. 00:03:41.070 --> 00:03:48.120 When you get to John 13, Jesus is spending the last six hours of his life before he's on the cross, which he'll spend 00:03:48.120 --> 00:03:49.380 another six hours on the cross. 00:03:49.480 --> 00:03:56.620 But these last six hours of his life, he chooses to spend it in the most intimate of settings, in 00:03:56.620 --> 00:03:58.840 an upper room with just his closest friends. 00:04:00.620 --> 00:04:08.000 And for me, I think in those moments, Jesus teaches some of the most intimate teachings he ever delivered towards 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:10.660 his disciples about what it means to be a follower of Christ. 00:04:11.620 --> 00:04:16.019 And I just cherish those last moments of Jesus's life. 00:04:17.380 --> 00:04:24.940 And seeing how he has composed himself or poised himself in these final moments gives us a way to look 00:04:24.940 --> 00:04:27.840 at our lives when we face adversity as well. 00:04:28.620 --> 00:04:34.460 And so, in John chapter 12, I want to pick it up here, five truths for troubled souls. 00:04:34.900 --> 00:04:42.340 And I want to say this for us as we get ready to dive into this, if you've got notes from this morning, number one, is 00:04:42.340 --> 00:04:43.460 to recognize this. 00:04:44.380 --> 00:04:45.520 God understands. 00:04:47.280 --> 00:04:51.300 When you go through trouble in this life, when you think about trouble for your own soul... 00:04:51.580 --> 00:04:58.760 And when I give these five truths to you, let me say it like this, set it up this way, I'll say, I'm going 00:04:58.760 --> 00:05:02.840 to say the first two statements are really obvious statements, God understands. 00:05:02.900 --> 00:05:07.140 That's a pretty obvious statement if you've read it in Scripture about the Lord, God understands, right. 00:05:07.500 --> 00:05:13.570 First two statements I want to give are pretty obvious statements when it comes to trouble, so that we can wrestle with the third statement. 00:05:14.380 --> 00:05:16.470 And find encouragement in the fourth and fifth statement. 00:05:16.480 --> 00:05:18.720 Okay, so we talked about five things for the troubled soul. 00:05:19.020 --> 00:05:22.100 These first two are obvious statements, but they're important statements. 00:05:23.740 --> 00:05:27.600 And that's to recognize when we face adversity, God understands. 00:05:29.060 --> 00:05:36.080 God understands because he has walked before you and he promises to walk with you. 00:05:38.520 --> 00:05:45.780 For me, when I first became a Christian that was a very powerful lesson for me to understand, because I was a person that ran 00:05:45.780 --> 00:05:48.410 at life with a little bit of anxiety. 00:05:49.820 --> 00:05:50.830 And a little bit of... 00:05:51.280 --> 00:05:53.470 It always felt like the spotlight was on me thing. 00:05:53.600 --> 00:05:56.620 Not that it ever was, I didn't even want that. 00:05:56.680 --> 00:05:57.820 I was always a very shy kid. 00:05:57.980 --> 00:06:01.640 But I felt like just if you did anything you're always worried about failure. 00:06:02.040 --> 00:06:05.000 And what if people notice, and I don't want to do that. 00:06:05.760 --> 00:06:08.380 And so just a little bit of anxiety in my life. 00:06:09.680 --> 00:06:16.150 And then when I started to understand exactly who God was, I found myself relinquishing from that to the point where now I stand on stage, and I say things. 00:06:16.870 --> 00:06:24.200 But it was this lesson that really helped revolutionize that for me and learning about this, that God understands and 00:06:24.240 --> 00:06:29.200 he has walked before me, and he will walk with me. 00:06:29.900 --> 00:06:31.360 Where else are you going to go in life? 00:06:33.440 --> 00:06:35.820 And what are the belief system can you have in life? 00:06:37.540 --> 00:06:44.740 Where God becomes flesh, and walks the life that you have walked, and 00:06:44.800 --> 00:06:50.100 has gone through the worst of circumstances for the purpose of you. 00:06:50.900 --> 00:06:53.720 And that's what you find in these verse 27 to verse 30. 00:06:55.200 --> 00:06:58.800 Now my soul has become troubled, and what am I to say? 00:07:00.240 --> 00:07:01.960 Father, save me from this hour? 00:07:02.900 --> 00:07:04.860 But for this purpose, I came to this hour. 00:07:06.040 --> 00:07:07.780 Father glorify your name. 00:07:07.780 --> 00:07:12.600 Then a voice came out of heaven, I have both glorify it and will glorify it again. 00:07:12.660 --> 00:07:19.360 So the crowd who stood by and heard it, were saying that it had thundered, others were saying an angel has spoken to him. 00:07:19.400 --> 00:07:26.840 And Jesus responded and said, "This voice has not come for my sake, but for yours." Love 00:07:26.840 --> 00:07:34.100 that in verse 30, Jesus acknowledging where he's at and the moment where he's going to take on the weight of sin upon his shoulders for you and for me. 00:07:34.640 --> 00:07:36.460 And he says, you want to know what this is all is for? 00:07:36.700 --> 00:07:38.840 Even the voice that just thundered that wasn't for me. 00:07:41.080 --> 00:07:41.920 But that was for you. 00:07:43.520 --> 00:07:46.360 Sometimes I'll hear Christians say this, about Jesus's death. 00:07:46.380 --> 00:07:48.220 And I want to tell you, I don't think it's accurate. 00:07:48.580 --> 00:07:50.850 I hear this said a lot, I don't think it's accurate. 00:07:51.060 --> 00:07:55.120 If you believe this, I want to encourage you maybe to think a little bit different about this. 00:07:55.740 --> 00:07:59.890 But I'm not going to divide with you over this or say just you're outright wrong. 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:01.360 Or push you away. 00:08:01.420 --> 00:08:07.340 Because I've heard people that really love Jesus say what I'm about to tell you, but I do think is wrong, and I want you to consider it, okay. 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:15.000 But when Jesus comes to the end of his life, there's a few gospels in Matthew 26:39, Jesus prays this prayer, 00:08:15.220 --> 00:08:20.180 he says, Father, let this cup pass from me, but nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done. 00:08:21.000 --> 00:08:22.250 And people will say this about Jesus. 00:08:22.500 --> 00:08:25.740 Jesus, at the end of his life, it was so hard for him that even Jesus didn't want to go through the cross. 00:08:25.780 --> 00:08:28.640 He prayed to the Father, God, let this cup pass from me. 00:08:29.140 --> 00:08:30.440 And I do not think that's true at all. 00:08:30.800 --> 00:08:32.600 I don't think that's what Jesus's prayer is at all. 00:08:33.220 --> 00:08:36.760 In fact, I think it's the exact opposite of what Jesus is praying in that passage of scripture. 00:08:37.179 --> 00:08:43.580 And the reason I say that is because Jesus knows the entire point of his life was about his death. 00:08:44.400 --> 00:08:46.720 And you find that exactly in John chapter 12, right? 00:08:47.180 --> 00:08:48.740 He's saying, my soul is troubled. 00:08:49.020 --> 00:08:55.140 My soul is troubled and Jesus doesn't say, oh, God, Father, please let this pass for me. 00:08:55.140 --> 00:08:57.340 I don't even want to go through this, God just take me out of this. 00:08:57.340 --> 00:08:58.660 That's not Jesus's prayer here. 00:08:59.620 --> 00:09:01.500 But rather he says and what am I going to say about that? 00:09:02.820 --> 00:09:03.480 What am I going to do? 00:09:03.660 --> 00:09:04.880 My whole life has been about this. 00:09:05.800 --> 00:09:10.530 As if to say to the disciples that around, you guys I'm going to hit my challenging moment, what do you think I'm going to do? 00:09:10.620 --> 00:09:11.480 I'm going to balk at this? 00:09:11.520 --> 00:09:12.410 I'm not going to go after this? 00:09:12.460 --> 00:09:14.080 And all of a sudden, I'm going to run away from this? 00:09:14.080 --> 00:09:14.880 I'm going to change my mind? 00:09:14.920 --> 00:09:16.170 So you know what, never mind you're on your own. 00:09:17.060 --> 00:09:18.740 He says, no, that's not what I'm doing at all. 00:09:20.300 --> 00:09:22.760 Before this purpose I came to this hour. 00:09:24.260 --> 00:09:25.840 And as if to say this to the disciples. 00:09:26.980 --> 00:09:30.140 Look, when it comes to my calling in this world, I am not backing down. 00:09:31.280 --> 00:09:34.060 Because this is the entire reason for which I came. 00:09:34.960 --> 00:09:42.200 And because I go at this boldly, whenever I call you to in this world, you can go boldly because 00:09:42.220 --> 00:09:46.020 I've gone before you and I'm going to go with you. 00:09:47.860 --> 00:09:48.260 God understands. 00:09:50.320 --> 00:09:51.200 God understands. 00:09:51.200 --> 00:09:54.740 Now, for your sake and maybe for mine just for clarity. 00:09:54.760 --> 00:10:01.800 You might be asking, okay, well, when Jesus said then smarty pants, let this cup pass nevertheless my 00:10:01.800 --> 00:10:03.720 will but your will be done then what is he saying? 00:10:03.780 --> 00:10:05.960 It looks like to me he doesn't want to go through what he's going through. 00:10:06.180 --> 00:10:11.660 Well, let me just explain to you I think Jesus is using a bit of imagery here related to the Passover celebration. 00:10:11.740 --> 00:10:15.540 During the Passover celebration, they would partake of four cups. 00:10:15.580 --> 00:10:21.680 I think when Jesus entered in the upper room with his disciples, I really believe Jesus only drank of three cups. 00:10:21.980 --> 00:10:24.840 And then the fourth, he left them hanging on to explain to you why. 00:10:26.380 --> 00:10:29.520 First Cup was a cup of sanctification, a cup of setting apart. 00:10:30.020 --> 00:10:33.580 Second cup, was the cup of wrath of God's judgment. 00:10:33.940 --> 00:10:37.640 The third cup was a cup of blessing what you receive in the Lord. 00:10:37.680 --> 00:10:39.740 And the fourth cup was the cup of praise. 00:10:39.960 --> 00:10:45.740 They would have for drinks during the Seder dinner, the Passover dinner, and then it would be finished after the fourth drink. 00:10:47.260 --> 00:10:51.860 Jesus drinks the cup of suffering, the cup of bitter herbs. 00:10:52.300 --> 00:10:58.880 When they would pass the cup, you will have to drink it and drink deeply before you were to let it pass. 00:11:00.540 --> 00:11:05.040 And the saying was to go drink deep and when you would drink deep, then you would let it pass. 00:11:06.200 --> 00:11:11.820 The last person to drink the cup of suffering had to take the bitter herbs at the bottom. 00:11:12.360 --> 00:11:14.990 It was rich, right, symbolic of sin. 00:11:16.220 --> 00:11:21.340 Jesus before he could let that cup pass, had to drink deep. 00:11:22.220 --> 00:11:26.080 And you couldn't just let the cup go around you, everyone around the table had to drink. 00:11:26.320 --> 00:11:30.650 And what Jesus I think is praying there is when that cup of bitter herbs comes to him. 00:11:31.540 --> 00:11:37.600 He's praying for the father to give him the strength to let him drink the cup fully so that he can let it pass. 00:11:39.320 --> 00:11:41.580 When they receive the third cup, it's the cup of blessing. 00:11:42.660 --> 00:11:49.840 And when you read at the end of Jesus's ministry in the upper room with his disciples as he takes the Passover, it says, after they drink the 00:11:49.840 --> 00:11:56.340 cup, which I think they drink the final cup, the cup of blessing this as they get up from the table and they go into the garden and they sing praise to God. 00:11:56.360 --> 00:12:03.660 Well, during the Seder dinner, the Passover dinner between the third and fourth cup, they would sing the Hillel, the passages of Psalms 113 00:12:03.660 --> 00:12:04.900 to 118 together. 00:12:05.140 --> 00:12:06.420 They would sing from the Hillel. 00:12:06.820 --> 00:12:11.690 And then as they finish the singing of those songs then would partake of the fourth cup. 00:12:11.900 --> 00:12:19.800 And I think when Jesus was at the dinner table with his disciples, they took of the cup of blessing because of what they will receive from Jesus 00:12:19.800 --> 00:12:21.260 because of his death and resurrection. 00:12:21.740 --> 00:12:26.180 But Jesus as they sing those songs, he just gets up ends the dinner early and heads out. 00:12:26.520 --> 00:12:32.880 So today when we partake of communion, it's reminded of us that we will drink it together new in the kingdom of God. 00:12:33.200 --> 00:12:40.420 And I think it's a picture of when we get to heaven, the cup that we're going to drink together with God is the fourth cup 00:12:40.420 --> 00:12:45.620 of the Seder dinner, the cup of praise before Almighty God, all the rest of our days. 00:12:45.660 --> 00:12:49.320 And so when Jesus talks about the end of his life here, yes, it was hard. 00:12:49.320 --> 00:12:55.940 Jesus has recognized the adversity of he's taking the weight of sin upon his shoulders, and the reason he's doing that is for you. 00:12:55.980 --> 00:12:59.640 And the posture that he carries into this final moments are you know what, nevermind. 00:12:59.660 --> 00:13:00.330 I don't want to do this. 00:13:01.380 --> 00:13:05.060 If that was Jesus's posture, we should be like, oh, man, there's hard things in life. 00:13:05.060 --> 00:13:07.320 Nevermind, I don't want to follow Jesus, right? 00:13:07.580 --> 00:13:09.380 But that's not the way our leader went. 00:13:09.380 --> 00:13:11.910 And so because of that, that's not the way we have to go either. 00:13:12.440 --> 00:13:17.900 God understands and he's gone before you and he will go with you. 00:13:18.020 --> 00:13:24.800 Number two, God gets the victory on your behalf. 00:13:25.540 --> 00:13:26.140 Look in verse 31. 00:13:28.180 --> 00:13:29.450 God gets the victory on your behalf. 00:13:30.180 --> 00:13:31.980 That's important, right? 00:13:31.980 --> 00:13:37.260 When your soul is troubled, you're going through adversity you want to know on the back, and that is everything's going to be okay. 00:13:38.620 --> 00:13:39.540 Everything going to work out. 00:13:39.760 --> 00:13:46.760 Verse 31, now judgment is up on this world, now the ruler of this world will be cast out and if I am lifted up from 00:13:46.760 --> 00:13:49.910 the earth, will draw all people to myself. 00:13:50.080 --> 00:13:55.320 Now he was saying this to indicate what kind of death he was going to die. 00:13:56.740 --> 00:13:59.580 Well, Jesus is identifying for us a couple of things here. 00:14:00.140 --> 00:14:04.360 He's identifying for us, one, his victory over sin, Satan and death, right? 00:14:04.360 --> 00:14:11.520 He's saying, look, judgment is on this world, like he will get the victory that Satan will be cast 00:14:11.740 --> 00:14:13.400 out of this world. 00:14:13.920 --> 00:14:15.720 And then he's going to draw all people to himself. 00:14:15.780 --> 00:14:16.920 He's fulfilling a promise here. 00:14:17.700 --> 00:14:21.020 And when he talks about all people, he's not referring to every person. 00:14:22.140 --> 00:14:25.160 But he's broadly are generally referring to all people groups. 00:14:25.160 --> 00:14:32.200 He's saying, look, the promise given to Abraham, remember all the way back in Genesis chapter 12 when God called Abraham, God repeated this 00:14:32.200 --> 00:14:34.520 promise to Abraham, over and over. 00:14:34.520 --> 00:14:40.360 It happens multiple times in Genesis, that God says that through Abraham through his seed, all nations would be blessed. 00:14:41.580 --> 00:14:43.200 That God would bless all people groups. 00:14:43.340 --> 00:14:50.360 That he would gather all people to his name, or from all ethnic groups is the better way to translate it and what Jesus is saying that time 00:14:50.360 --> 00:14:51.700 has come, look. 00:14:51.840 --> 00:14:58.480 He's saying to the Jewish people, this isn't just for you, but this is for every ethnic group in this world. 00:14:58.500 --> 00:15:05.540 And when you read about in Revelation 7:9, you see that picture, that in eternity praising God, people from every tribe 00:15:05.540 --> 00:15:10.520 tongue and language, praising his name that God gets this victory. 00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:16.330 And he also says in reference to Satan, that he gets this victory on your behalf. 00:15:17.080 --> 00:15:20.640 And it's over saying that Satan no longer has any dominion over you. 00:15:23.120 --> 00:15:30.440 When you read in passages like Ephesians 2:2, it tells us that Satan is the prince 00:15:30.440 --> 00:15:32.860 of the power of the air, right? 00:15:33.300 --> 00:15:33.440 Actively. 00:15:34.420 --> 00:15:39.960 Prince of power of the air, which when you look at a verse like that, you're like, wait a minute, Jesus's death was he not cast out? 00:15:41.080 --> 00:15:48.240 And here's the picture is that there's this already not yet theme of Scripture that Jesus has come and spiritually he 00:15:48.240 --> 00:15:50.580 has conquered for you eternal life. 00:15:51.060 --> 00:15:54.860 You no longer belong to the domain of darkness, you no longer belong to the things of this world. 00:15:55.700 --> 00:15:59.180 You've been branded and marked for Jesus, you've been sealed by His Spirit. 00:15:59.220 --> 00:16:04.700 That's the way the Bible says it, as a guarantee of a picture of your eternity of belonging to him. 00:16:05.160 --> 00:16:12.280 You have been adopted and that spirit of God is that guarantee that you can cry out now to God, Abba, Father, you belong 00:16:12.280 --> 00:16:13.140 to him. 00:16:13.460 --> 00:16:14.400 He is yours. 00:16:14.720 --> 00:16:19.590 1 John 4:4 says it like this, that greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 00:16:19.820 --> 00:16:26.960 So it's acknowledged that Satan, he's still moving in this world, the Antichrist moves in this world, but you belong to Jesus because the victory 00:16:26.960 --> 00:16:28.500 has been won in your life. 00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:32.280 God has ultimate victory because he has conquered over the cross. 00:16:32.760 --> 00:16:40.160 Jesus has won spiritually now by giving you life when you trust in Him, and one day Jesus will return and he will declare all victory over everything 00:16:40.160 --> 00:16:42.360 and restore it back to him. 00:16:43.040 --> 00:16:48.040 And so when you think about how Satan has been conquered, that's the picture as it unfolds in Scripture. 00:16:48.040 --> 00:16:55.080 He just says in a very broad sense in this statement, but that's the way it's delivered for us today that, yes, there is still a prince, a 00:16:55.080 --> 00:17:01.640 prince of this world, a ruler of this world, of which we formerly used to walk, Ephesians 2:2. 00:17:03.920 --> 00:17:07.520 But now you belong to another king who has won victory on your behalf. 00:17:10.220 --> 00:17:10.700 You belong. 00:17:12.900 --> 00:17:13.560 God has won. 00:17:15.359 --> 00:17:17.319 There isn't a reason to hit the panic button. 00:17:18.619 --> 00:17:19.780 You know how the story goes. 00:17:21.460 --> 00:17:25.300 Now, it's to acknowledge to us by recognizing the way that Satan works in this world. 00:17:25.380 --> 00:17:27.819 That yes, then there will still be battles. 00:17:27.819 --> 00:17:33.670 In 1 Peter 5, Satan roams around like a lion, verse eight, I will talk about that verse in just a few minutes. 00:17:33.920 --> 00:17:36.880 So there is still a battle, there is still a battle. 00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:42.400 But there is comfort when you've already got the victory. 00:17:43.120 --> 00:17:50.120 It's like this, when you've got to pay your bills, and your bank account says $0, there's a lot more stress to that than 00:17:50.120 --> 00:17:52.840 when you got to pay your bills, and you've got a million dollars, right? 00:17:54.240 --> 00:17:55.160 You still got to pay the bills. 00:17:57.500 --> 00:18:02.560 But when you know your account is full, doesn't carry that same stress, does it? 00:18:04.620 --> 00:18:09.680 And that's Jesus in you, and Jesus with you and Jesus for you. 00:18:11.120 --> 00:18:13.300 That you belong to Him. 00:18:13.700 --> 00:18:20.740 That yes, the things of this world will continue to do what the things of this world do but those who belong to Jesus, he's 00:18:20.740 --> 00:18:22.050 won the victory on your behalf. 00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:29.320 Those are words of comfort, words of encouragement, God's people words that we're probably pretty familiar with, but helps us to be reminded of, 00:18:29.660 --> 00:18:29.800 right? 00:18:31.060 --> 00:18:38.180 That when we think about the soul and how it faces trouble, these are thoughts that every time we encounter struggles in our life 00:18:38.180 --> 00:18:39.520 that we need to remind ourselves of. 00:18:41.320 --> 00:18:49.700 Because this is the truth that undergirds us as we walk through a world that has adversity, so that I 00:18:49.700 --> 00:18:53.640 think we can live more successfully with what I'm about to tell you in passage or point number three. 00:18:56.040 --> 00:18:58.880 God is strong, though you are weak. 00:19:00.420 --> 00:19:04.120 Number three is God is strong, though you are weak. 00:19:04.720 --> 00:19:05.840 Look in verse 35. 00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:13.100 Verse 35, gives a beautiful illustration says this, so Jesus said to them for a little while longer the light is among you. 00:19:14.020 --> 00:19:17.340 Walk while you have the lights so that darkness will not overtake you. 00:19:17.600 --> 00:19:24.740 Also, the one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going while you have the light believe in the light so that you may become sons 00:19:24.740 --> 00:19:25.280 of the light. 00:19:25.720 --> 00:19:30.100 These things Jesus proclaimed and he went away and he hid himself from them. 00:19:31.540 --> 00:19:35.700 This illustration of light, it's an important illustration for a few reasons. 00:19:35.700 --> 00:19:40.180 We think about what the picture of light is, as it relates to God. 00:19:40.180 --> 00:19:41.940 There's two choices here, light and darkness. 00:19:42.080 --> 00:19:48.820 Let me just say it like this because this should encourage us not to diminish the importance of who Jesus is in our lives. 00:19:49.120 --> 00:19:56.380 I know sometimes as Christians, there's this temptation the world around us to give equal playing field to all belief systems 00:19:56.380 --> 00:19:57.520 in this world as if... 00:19:57.960 --> 00:20:04.940 If you believe in God's sky fairy but you believe with all your heart and God's sky fairy, that God's sky fairy's okay to believe and that's not true. 00:20:07.100 --> 00:20:07.640 That's not true. 00:20:10.280 --> 00:20:12.580 There's only one, Acts 4:12 tells us. 00:20:13.320 --> 00:20:16.620 There's only one name under heaven, which you must be saved. 00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:20.100 Only one, is Jesus. 00:20:21.900 --> 00:20:23.410 Jesus is the light. 00:20:24.480 --> 00:20:25.280 Jesus is the way. 00:20:26.860 --> 00:20:28.150 Jesus is the salvation. 00:20:29.420 --> 00:20:33.560 We don't do anyone favors by backing away from the importance of who Jesus is. 00:20:34.620 --> 00:20:35.080 It's Jesus. 00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:41.980 Now, it doesn't mean we have to be disrespectful to other people or attack other people or get nasty towards other people. 00:20:42.040 --> 00:20:48.680 But what it does mean is that we highlight the significance of Jesus, we talk about the importance of Jesus, right. 00:20:48.680 --> 00:20:55.920 And what he's saying in this moment is just that the fact that he's reminding us of just how important it is that you don't take for granted the opportunity to trust 00:20:55.920 --> 00:20:56.500 in Jesus. 00:20:58.300 --> 00:21:00.860 He is the light in the middle of darkness. 00:21:01.180 --> 00:21:05.920 And that's a beautiful picture to just correlate within our minds is the significance of Jesus. 00:21:06.180 --> 00:21:09.440 How many of you think this morning if you've got kids, how many of you got kids right? 00:21:10.520 --> 00:21:15.180 You know the importance as a parent light to your children especially at dark, right? 00:21:16.060 --> 00:21:21.840 I like being in Utah asking how many people got kids, I think our spirit animal here is more the rabbit than anything. 00:21:21.840 --> 00:21:24.300 We're like the populators of the world in Utah. 00:21:27.940 --> 00:21:35.640 But you know with children when they go to bed at night light 00:21:36.340 --> 00:21:38.300 is a very comforting thing to them, isn't it? 00:21:39.200 --> 00:21:41.490 So much so that some of you are like, when I was a kid, what are you talking about? 00:21:41.660 --> 00:21:46.260 I still go to bed as a grown up and I need, I got my little nightlight in the corner, right? 00:21:46.280 --> 00:21:50.640 I don't like the darkness and there's something about in the middle of the darkness when there's just a light there. 00:21:50.660 --> 00:21:53.520 I don't even know why, you just put that little light on, and all of a sudden I've got peace and comfort. 00:21:54.800 --> 00:21:56.720 A little bit of hope in my heart, right? 00:21:57.840 --> 00:22:00.850 But that's what Jesus is saying in this moment in the midst of darkness. 00:22:01.040 --> 00:22:06.720 If you just there, you know what God, people are just [inaudible 00:22:07]. 00:22:06.880 --> 00:22:09.300 Just give us a minute apart from you, we will work these out. 00:22:09.300 --> 00:22:11.180 The Bible's saying no, that's not good. 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:14.460 In fact, you leave humanity by themselves the way that we go is into further darkness. 00:22:17.110 --> 00:22:18.340 But what you need is light. 00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:26.760 Because what light brings is hope and peace and comfort and truth. 00:22:28.200 --> 00:22:34.340 You think, when seeing Jesus as light, it's not just about salvation, rescuing you, but it's also about leading you. 00:22:35.560 --> 00:22:36.680 That's what light does, right? 00:22:36.680 --> 00:22:38.360 Show me the light so I know where to go. 00:22:39.660 --> 00:22:41.150 And that's what Jesus is in this moment. 00:22:41.300 --> 00:22:43.460 It's like I'm about to go through this dark moment. 00:22:44.060 --> 00:22:46.400 When I go you're going to go through this dark moment. 00:22:46.760 --> 00:22:47.800 You know what you need in this dark moment. 00:22:48.100 --> 00:22:49.540 You need light, cling to this light. 00:22:51.840 --> 00:22:55.300 He is strong though I am weak. 00:22:56.760 --> 00:23:03.780 It's such an important word to think about in life because following Jesus, it's 00:23:03.820 --> 00:23:09.900 got struggle to it because we wrestle in a world that has adversity that we walk through. 00:23:09.940 --> 00:23:11.340 There's still a prince of the power of the air. 00:23:11.380 --> 00:23:14.700 God doesn't just want to save you, but he also wants to lead you. 00:23:15.060 --> 00:23:22.100 I was talking to a pastor this week, who was going through some hard time and I'm going to turn to 2 Corinthians 11 right 00:23:22.100 --> 00:23:24.280 now by the way, if you want to flip over to that section of Scripture. 00:23:24.800 --> 00:23:29.980 He was going through some adversity in life, and he was just describing what he feels like being a pastor. 00:23:31.300 --> 00:23:34.320 And I took him to this passage in 2 Corinthians 11. 00:23:34.420 --> 00:23:41.840 Because I think Paul does a good explanation here in a beautiful way of what it's like to be in full 00:23:41.940 --> 00:23:42.740 time ministry. 00:23:43.280 --> 00:23:46.390 And in verse 23, he starts to describe it. 00:23:46.500 --> 00:23:50.340 And you'll see in verse 23, a lot of us probably can't relate to it when it starts off. 00:23:51.360 --> 00:23:54.420 But Paul says it like this, and I don't have it on the screen for you. 00:23:54.480 --> 00:23:58.060 But I just want you to hear this, he says, Are they servants of Christ? 00:23:58.120 --> 00:24:00.970 I speak as if insane, I more so. 00:24:01.020 --> 00:24:06.800 In far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 00:24:06.860 --> 00:24:08.960 Five times I received from the Jews 39 lashes. 00:24:09.180 --> 00:24:10.480 Three times I have beaten the rods. 00:24:10.840 --> 00:24:12.990 Once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. 00:24:13.440 --> 00:24:20.460 And a night in the day I've spent in the deep and I have been on frequent journeys and in dangers from rivers, in dangers from robbers, in dangers from my 00:24:20.460 --> 00:24:27.560 countrymen, in dangerous from the Gentiles, in dangers in the cities, in dangers in the wilderness, in dangers of the sea, in dangers among false brother 00:24:27.560 --> 00:24:35.200 and I have been in labor and hardship and through many sleepless nights and hunger and thirst, often without food in cold and exposure. 00:24:35.800 --> 00:24:40.560 Then Paul describes this horrific path, they're like, I've gone through a lot of hard stuff. 00:24:40.640 --> 00:24:41.320 That's what Paul says. 00:24:41.440 --> 00:24:46.480 In fact all these verses, and if I just stopped there, here's really why people say, I'm not telling the pastor that I just read that I stopped there. 00:24:46.480 --> 00:24:50.400 He's like, I get it, you're right I don't nearly go through what Paul goes through, fine. 00:24:50.900 --> 00:24:52.800 That's what they think that I'm about to say. 00:24:53.160 --> 00:24:56.280 But in verse 28 and this where Paul rips the veil off. 00:24:56.280 --> 00:24:58.860 And it's like holy cow I'd never really experienced this. 00:24:59.240 --> 00:25:06.380 But it's an interesting passage that Paul says it like this, apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on 00:25:06.380 --> 00:25:08.640 me of concern for all the churches. 00:25:10.860 --> 00:25:12.940 Here's the interesting thing Paul says in verse 28. 00:25:13.120 --> 00:25:18.380 He describes all of these bad things that he goes through, all of these temporal external hardships. 00:25:19.200 --> 00:25:21.940 And he keeps building, it gets harder, harder, harder. 00:25:22.300 --> 00:25:27.040 And then verse 28, and then he says, and that's nothing compared to the stress I feel at church. 00:25:27.900 --> 00:25:28.980 That's what he says about pastoring. 00:25:29.420 --> 00:25:31.180 It's like, you want to know what pastoring is like sometimes? 00:25:32.220 --> 00:25:33.400 There's a lot of joy to it. 00:25:33.670 --> 00:25:34.640 I'll get to that in a minute. 00:25:35.820 --> 00:25:36.780 But it's like this. 00:25:37.500 --> 00:25:44.280 You get this passion in your life about seeing the glory of God made known and you just lay your life down to see it happen. 00:25:44.300 --> 00:25:47.220 It's like being emotionally at least flayed alive. 00:25:47.220 --> 00:25:54.360 It's you just expose yourself to just the great things that you feel God doing and you just hope that people just 00:25:54.360 --> 00:25:57.620 jump on board and get excited and just join one another in that. 00:25:57.620 --> 00:26:04.720 It's just, every Sunday, you realize when I stand up and I go through a message, I have poured my soul into this every week and 00:26:04.800 --> 00:26:09.840 at the end I just get this little outlet just to share it with you all the things that I've studied. 00:26:10.260 --> 00:26:13.360 This small little outlet and then on Mondays the waves... 00:26:14.580 --> 00:26:15.960 and then Sunday's always coming again. 00:26:17.440 --> 00:26:21.040 And you know sometimes when I get done sometimes you get encouraging words and sometimes not. 00:26:22.620 --> 00:26:23.580 At this past week I had... 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:25.660 you guys are great. 00:26:25.700 --> 00:26:30.360 I'm not trying to tell you anything under the radar here that you should be aware of. 00:26:30.740 --> 00:26:32.720 You guys are very good encouragers to my life. 00:26:33.480 --> 00:26:35.750 I had to go speak somewhere this week. 00:26:35.980 --> 00:26:40.730 And this guy come up after I got done speaking, he goes, man, that was phenomenal. 00:26:41.400 --> 00:26:42.090 He was just encouraged. 00:26:43.720 --> 00:26:50.160 I'm like, that's good, that's good. 00:26:50.160 --> 00:26:50.160 I'm glad, glad you're encouraged. 00:26:50.160 --> 00:26:50.160 It's great just to follow Jesus and be happy. 00:26:50.160 --> 00:26:50.160 And then he goes, yeah, I've been to your church before. 00:26:50.160 --> 00:26:50.280 I was like, oh, that's great. 00:26:50.340 --> 00:26:50.680 What do you think? 00:26:50.780 --> 00:26:52.040 He goes, weren't in your A game. 00:26:53.040 --> 00:26:54.800 Seriously, are you kidding me? 00:26:55.160 --> 00:26:57.140 He [inaudible 00:26:57] humbles. 00:26:58.690 --> 00:27:04.740 But he didn't even comment about anything other than that, but he really liked the lesson. 00:27:05.060 --> 00:27:12.160 And it's just like being, you look at what Paul's saying about doing ministry for the Lord and especially more particular I think in 00:27:12.160 --> 00:27:13.240 leadership ministries. 00:27:13.360 --> 00:27:13.960 He says it's like that. 00:27:13.960 --> 00:27:15.600 It's like, the stress of church. 00:27:17.240 --> 00:27:24.330 I don't know, when you look at this, guys, you're like, well, I'm not a pastor, so what does this have to do with me? 00:27:25.440 --> 00:27:25.860 But you are. 00:27:27.880 --> 00:27:30.160 You are, there's a place that God calls you to shepherd. 00:27:31.860 --> 00:27:32.680 You know where that's at? 00:27:34.400 --> 00:27:34.740 Your home. 00:27:37.640 --> 00:27:38.520 You're the shepherds of your home. 00:27:41.000 --> 00:27:45.640 And you know what, you go through it in your home and sometimes it's not always easy. 00:27:45.640 --> 00:27:53.940 The picture, when you get married, you have all these grand dreams of just laying your life out for someone, right? 00:27:53.940 --> 00:27:56.560 And then you have children and you find out they've got a mind of your own. 00:27:56.560 --> 00:28:00.640 But when you start to have these little babies, you just think all the best things about them, look at [inaudible 00:28:00]. 00:28:01.060 --> 00:28:05.120 It cries like a little lamb when it's born, and then all of a sudden starts getting older and it's louder, and you're like... 00:28:05.730 --> 00:28:08.900 And then before you know it, they're teenagers, sometimes you're like, can I trade these in? 00:28:09.640 --> 00:28:12.200 You just lay your heart out. 00:28:13.940 --> 00:28:14.540 And what happens? 00:28:17.340 --> 00:28:18.340 All kinds of things. 00:28:18.360 --> 00:28:25.400 You find sometimes family, family can be the hardest things to learn to 00:28:25.400 --> 00:28:28.860 love Jesus in, because they know you better than anyone else. 00:28:28.860 --> 00:28:29.830 They know how to push your buttons. 00:28:30.040 --> 00:28:35.060 They know how to wound you quicker than anyone else because they've spent the most time with you. 00:28:37.620 --> 00:28:42.140 When you about this passage this scripture. 00:28:42.360 --> 00:28:45.100 God is strong, though you are weak. 00:28:48.640 --> 00:28:52.780 You want to know God is a faithful God? 00:28:55.400 --> 00:28:58.020 Do you want to see his promises true in your life? 00:29:00.280 --> 00:29:07.800 Because I think the place that we see God be faithful, 00:29:09.580 --> 00:29:10.160 is in our weaknesses. 00:29:13.360 --> 00:29:18.240 In our weaknesses is really where we learn to see the Lord in His faithful hand in our lives. 00:29:22.880 --> 00:29:27.560 It's when we're weak that we see He's strong. 00:29:29.860 --> 00:29:32.280 That's the battle in following Jesus, isn't it? 00:29:33.860 --> 00:29:38.060 It's easy to follow Jesus when things are easy in life. 00:29:40.420 --> 00:29:48.620 It's easy to say Jesus is my king and Savior when I'm sitting on my comfy couch, in my air conditioning, watching 00:29:48.620 --> 00:29:51.560 my favorite show, sipping on my cup of coffee. 00:29:53.120 --> 00:29:54.020 I'm a Jesus follower. 00:29:57.580 --> 00:30:00.960 But it's something else to learn to trust Jesus in the hard. 00:30:03.440 --> 00:30:10.500 And I find oftentimes that even me, that when I go through hard things that my pursuit and coming after Jesus isn't about 00:30:10.500 --> 00:30:10.600 me. 00:30:11.720 --> 00:30:16.220 It's about using me to change them because honestly, God, it's really them that you need to change. 00:30:19.300 --> 00:30:26.500 When you look in 1 Corinthians 12:7, Paul says this interesting statement in chapter 00:30:26.500 --> 00:30:31.750 12, he says, Therefore, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh. 00:30:32.120 --> 00:30:33.790 How many people want to sign up for that right? 00:30:33.900 --> 00:30:35.080 Doing ministry for the Lord? 00:30:35.560 --> 00:30:38.540 There was given him a thorn in the flesh, you do ministry for the Lord, right? 00:30:39.200 --> 00:30:41.580 Starting in your own homes, that's where God calls you to shepherd. 00:30:42.120 --> 00:30:49.120 There was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me to keep me from exalting myself concerning this, I pleaded with 00:30:49.120 --> 00:30:51.380 the Lord three times that it might leave me. 00:30:52.280 --> 00:30:59.260 In verse nine, though he says this, and he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you for power is perfected in weakness. 00:30:59.280 --> 00:31:06.400 Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weakness, so that the power of Christ may dwell in 00:31:06.400 --> 00:31:07.100 me. 00:31:10.900 --> 00:31:13.460 There's a debate as to what Paul talks about here. 00:31:15.700 --> 00:31:21.150 Some people have looked at this passage of Scripture and they've debated, okay, what's Paul's thorn in the flesh? 00:31:21.180 --> 00:31:26.200 And they've said things well, there's this ailment, or sometimes he was beaten so hard, that he couldn't really walk well. 00:31:26.200 --> 00:31:31.210 And so it created this adverse in his life, or maybe he got some sickness from all of his travel that he did. 00:31:31.780 --> 00:31:33.780 They debate, what is this thorn in the flesh? 00:31:34.260 --> 00:31:41.340 And try to reach these conclusions and say, whatever it is, whatever, whatever Paul's thorn is what he needs to learn in that struggle is God's grace is 00:31:41.340 --> 00:31:42.780 sufficient, and that is true. 00:31:43.020 --> 00:31:47.120 If we want to see God's faithful, anyone can say God's faithful when life is easy. 00:31:48.340 --> 00:31:49.820 God's faithful, look at me, I'm comfortable. 00:31:51.920 --> 00:31:53.090 What about when it's hard? 00:31:54.780 --> 00:32:01.820 Do you also know that he's faithful when it's hard because here's my tendency in life, is I want to trust God, trust God, trust God until 00:32:01.820 --> 00:32:02.420 it gets hard. 00:32:03.240 --> 00:32:05.720 And then I want to take the reins, because I got to do something. 00:32:06.000 --> 00:32:08.080 I'm about to tell somebody where they need to go, right. 00:32:08.360 --> 00:32:14.280 I need to be in charge of this moment, to put things back in this place, and then forget about that moment be and I'm a Jesus follower, right? 00:32:15.000 --> 00:32:22.140 Just don't talk to that person because five minutes ago, he might have different words that the thing that I'm a Jesus follower, but I'm a Jesus 00:32:22.140 --> 00:32:23.600 follower, right. 00:32:23.640 --> 00:32:24.840 That's how it goes. 00:32:24.840 --> 00:32:25.860 But I want you to know this. 00:32:26.760 --> 00:32:29.440 I don't think it's a mystery as to what Paul's Thorn was in the flesh. 00:32:31.700 --> 00:32:33.000 In fact, I think Paul already told us. 00:32:33.780 --> 00:32:37.840 And the way that I know that we can look at this, let's just look at the chapter just before this. 00:32:38.780 --> 00:32:41.740 In 2 Corinthians 11, where you just were in verse 13. 00:32:42.580 --> 00:32:46.040 It talks about Satan disguising himself as an angel of light. 00:32:47.000 --> 00:32:49.560 And in verse 13, 14, and 15, it describes like this. 00:32:49.560 --> 00:32:57.780 And his ministers also messengers also disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness, when 00:32:57.780 --> 00:32:59.150 they're really ministers of darkness. 00:33:00.640 --> 00:33:03.190 And when Paul gets to verse seven, I think he refers back to it again. 00:33:03.700 --> 00:33:06.000 Messengers of Satan sent to torment me. 00:33:07.240 --> 00:33:08.780 You know who Paul's thorn is? 00:33:09.240 --> 00:33:10.060 Or what Paul's thorn is? 00:33:11.060 --> 00:33:13.080 Its people. 00:33:13.480 --> 00:33:14.920 Its people. 00:33:16.160 --> 00:33:20.790 Now, I could say that to some of you, you're I knew it, I'm living on my own. 00:33:22.480 --> 00:33:25.040 That's not what I want you to take from that at all. 00:33:25.140 --> 00:33:30.700 Because the reality is, well, people can be some of the most difficult things you go through. 00:33:31.980 --> 00:33:35.050 People can also be some of the greatest blessings that God gives to you. 00:33:36.040 --> 00:33:38.380 It is impossible to live a Christian life on your own. 00:33:39.280 --> 00:33:39.710 It is impossible. 00:33:40.280 --> 00:33:47.600 In fact, the fruit of the Spirit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, they're all relationship words, all intended to be displayed in your relationship with people. 00:33:47.840 --> 00:33:51.120 You should have brothers and sisters in Christ around you that encourage you in your walk with God. 00:33:52.660 --> 00:33:57.370 And you should also understand that it's going to be people around you that don't always agree with you. 00:33:58.240 --> 00:33:59.140 And here's an important part. 00:34:00.680 --> 00:34:02.450 Your job in life is not to change them. 00:34:05.200 --> 00:34:06.140 Your job in life is not to change them. 00:34:06.280 --> 00:34:14.020 You see your job in life has to change them because you know Jesus, I promise you will never be happy because 00:34:14.020 --> 00:34:15.960 you'll put your hope in their behavior. 00:34:17.560 --> 00:34:22.739 And their behavior already acknowledges that they don't have their life completely surrendered to Jesus. 00:34:24.500 --> 00:34:32.080 But here's what Jesus calls you to in the midst of those struggles, to not show up and show your backside, but 00:34:32.080 --> 00:34:39.360 to recognize in that moment, that's the moment that God's given you, for you to learn whether 00:34:39.360 --> 00:34:42.310 or not you can be faithful to what he's called you to. 00:34:43.840 --> 00:34:47.280 Don't trust in you, trust in Jesus. 00:34:48.620 --> 00:34:54.050 I know sometimes we'll look at this moment to be like, well, what if I'm being abused or hurt and neglected? 00:34:54.460 --> 00:34:56.500 These wrong things being done to me. 00:34:56.500 --> 00:35:02.860 I'm not telling you to stay in the circumstance, but what I am saying is honor Jesus through it. 00:35:03.520 --> 00:35:09.740 Because it's so easy in those moments to want to grab hold the reins in trusting yourself and take care of it, right. 00:35:12.540 --> 00:35:16.740 But what Jesus calls you to has not changed them, but be faithful to him. 00:35:17.800 --> 00:35:22.950 Now being faithful to Him, God gives you a place to influence and love and encourage. 00:35:23.480 --> 00:35:28.060 But your goal in that is not to change them, your goal in that is really just to honor Jesus. 00:35:29.000 --> 00:35:31.350 And in honoring Jesus, it becomes a blessing to other people. 00:35:32.540 --> 00:35:37.340 And through that you find the faithfulness of God as Paul finds here. 00:35:37.340 --> 00:35:38.920 When I am weak, really, I'm strong. 00:35:40.260 --> 00:35:43.780 Because I find out what God's called me to, work because he's faithful to meet me in that struggle. 00:35:44.380 --> 00:35:45.460 I got to move on quickly from there. 00:35:47.700 --> 00:35:50.540 Number four, rest in the right Messiah. 00:35:51.280 --> 00:35:53.060 You must rest in the right Messiah. 00:35:53.460 --> 00:35:56.020 Verse 34, let's look at this. 00:35:57.860 --> 00:36:04.960 The crowd then answered Him, "We have heard from the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how is it that you say, the Son of Man must 00:36:04.960 --> 00:36:05.800 be lifted up. 00:36:06.040 --> 00:36:13.080 Who is this Son of Man." So you see the crowd they're arguing, they're already saying, okay, we don't even know who you are Jesus, they wanted to trust in 00:36:13.080 --> 00:36:16.180 their religion because ultimately, they wanted to trust themselves. 00:36:17.000 --> 00:36:20.200 I can tell you out of all the Messiahs in the world do you know my favorite if I'm being honest? 00:36:22.200 --> 00:36:22.620 It's me. 00:36:25.360 --> 00:36:28.500 God calls me to trust in Him, but my favorite Messiah is me. 00:36:28.520 --> 00:36:33.810 Because at the end of the day, when things get hard, the one thing that I know that I can depend on I'm most familiar with is me. 00:36:35.380 --> 00:36:38.660 And it's the struggle my life to stop seeing myself as the Messiah, but rather him. 00:36:39.220 --> 00:36:44.380 And you see it with the Jewish leaders here in the first century, they're arguing with Jesus, who is the Son of Man? 00:36:45.140 --> 00:36:47.020 Jesus could be like, are you kidding me? 00:36:47.020 --> 00:36:48.110 Are you kidding me? 00:36:48.540 --> 00:36:50.670 I've told you this a thousand times. 00:36:51.580 --> 00:36:55.680 He has going over this over and over again, he's directly told them as much, right? 00:36:55.740 --> 00:36:59.600 And there they're asking the question again, here's the reason why they don't want to trust him, why they don't want to trust him? 00:36:59.600 --> 00:37:01.110 Because they want to trust themselves. 00:37:01.480 --> 00:37:03.940 And so when trusting themselves, where do they go, they go to the religion. 00:37:04.940 --> 00:37:08.030 They go to the religion because it's the system they built to elevate themselves. 00:37:09.640 --> 00:37:15.100 In verse 37, but though he had performed so many signs on their side, they were still not believing in him, this happens. 00:37:15.100 --> 00:37:20.560 If the word of Isaiah, the Prophet which he spoke would be fulfilled, Lord, Who has believed our report? 00:37:20.640 --> 00:37:22.200 And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 00:37:22.400 --> 00:37:25.860 For this reason they could not believe for Isaiah said. 00:37:25.860 --> 00:37:26.780 Again, give me another... 00:37:27.900 --> 00:37:29.040 bump forward here, verse 40. 00:37:31.180 --> 00:37:31.880 Maybe. 00:37:32.140 --> 00:37:39.180 He was blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, they will not see with their eyes and understand with their heart and be converted, so I will not heal 00:37:39.180 --> 00:37:39.630 them. 00:37:40.060 --> 00:37:45.020 These things, Isaiah said, because he saw his glory, and he spoke about him. 00:37:46.300 --> 00:37:47.580 Now, what's happening here? 00:37:47.960 --> 00:37:50.940 Jesus has hardened their hearts, has allowed their hearts to be hardened. 00:37:51.280 --> 00:37:54.660 This is an interesting passage to deal with. 00:37:54.740 --> 00:38:01.760 And I'll tell you, there's a lot of Christians that approach this passage and they actually fight over this passage to the point that decide not to be 00:38:01.940 --> 00:38:02.280 friends anymore. 00:38:03.020 --> 00:38:06.750 And whatever your stand is, interpretation of this passage if that is your conclusion. 00:38:07.400 --> 00:38:08.920 I don't like your conclusion. 00:38:09.720 --> 00:38:12.340 We should not approach that passage to this degree. 00:38:12.340 --> 00:38:14.000 But let me just tell you what I think is happening here. 00:38:16.660 --> 00:38:21.940 During the Passover, which they're celebrating, there was a time when Pharaoh, God allowed his heart to be hardened. 00:38:23.260 --> 00:38:29.520 When you read about the Exodus, what happens is it tells us that Pharaoh hardened his heart, Pharaoh hardened his heart, Pharaoh hardened his heart. 00:38:29.540 --> 00:38:33.160 And then it finally says on the last half of the plagues, that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. 00:38:34.160 --> 00:38:38.920 When God hardened hearts in during Pharaoh's day, I don't think this was the norm. 00:38:38.980 --> 00:38:43.820 I think this was a temporal thing for the purpose of accomplishing his greater good and will. 00:38:44.960 --> 00:38:47.820 And that is to bring the salvation of the Jewish people to set them free. 00:38:48.140 --> 00:38:51.130 He harden Pharaoh's heart to set the Jewish people free. 00:38:51.960 --> 00:38:59.020 And I think in lightness to that Jesus is using this illustration to now talk to the Jewish people, because in 00:38:59.020 --> 00:39:05.180 Egypt, the oppressor was oppressing God's people. 00:39:05.300 --> 00:39:09.320 But now in the first century, those that were oppressed are now doing the oppressing. 00:39:09.940 --> 00:39:12.500 And he's saying, look, your heart is becoming like Pharaoh. 00:39:13.400 --> 00:39:20.460 And now God is going to allow their hearts to become hardened in order to accomplish his greater good or greater will at the cross by being 00:39:20.460 --> 00:39:21.120 crucified. 00:39:21.720 --> 00:39:25.680 I don't think because God allowed their hearts to be hardened that this was a permanent thing that lasted forever. 00:39:26.320 --> 00:39:30.540 I think after Jesus was crucified, people could put their faith in him again. 00:39:30.560 --> 00:39:37.660 But I think temporarily, God allowed this to happen in order to produce his greater good, which was to use his cross to draw people 00:39:37.840 --> 00:39:38.080 to him. 00:39:39.120 --> 00:39:41.410 I can't really say much more than that, because we're going to run out of time. 00:39:41.640 --> 00:39:48.900 But when God is hardening the heart its intentions are to bring about... 00:39:49.900 --> 00:39:54.080 temporarily he's doing this to accomplish a greater purpose for His glory. 00:39:54.120 --> 00:40:01.240 I don't think it meant first century people could no longer believe in Jesus but that he allowed this temporal thing to happen in order to produce 00:40:01.580 --> 00:40:04.600 something greater for all people to believe in Christ. 00:40:05.060 --> 00:40:07.770 You must rest in the right Messiah. 00:40:09.680 --> 00:40:10.720 Let me add this one... 00:40:11.320 --> 00:40:13.860 Well, let me skip on to the last point. 00:40:14.160 --> 00:40:15.140 I go to skip a couple passages here. 00:40:16.940 --> 00:40:17.440 Number five. 00:40:19.500 --> 00:40:22.380 The Lord is perfectly merciful and just. 00:40:23.360 --> 00:40:25.520 The Lord is perfectly merciful and just. 00:40:28.530 --> 00:40:36.160 Sometimes in life when we go through hard things it creates 00:40:36.160 --> 00:40:38.570 within us a season of rebellion. 00:40:40.480 --> 00:40:47.520 We question God in our suffering which is an ironic thing, where else in the world were you going to find a God who cares so much that 00:40:47.520 --> 00:40:48.420 he would enter your suffering? 00:40:50.120 --> 00:40:57.800 But yet when hard things happen we question God in our suffering but it's important to recognize God is perfectly 00:40:57.800 --> 00:40:59.690 merciful and just. 00:41:00.980 --> 00:41:05.540 There's a passage in 1st Peter 5:7 and 8, just wants to remind us of that. 00:41:06.600 --> 00:41:11.600 1st Peter 5:7 and 8 talks about, oh, here we go. 00:41:11.680 --> 00:41:14.860 Casting all your anxieties on Jesus because He cares for you. 00:41:14.880 --> 00:41:19.380 Be sober minded, watch for your adversary the devil prowls around like a lion seeking whom he may devour. 00:41:19.520 --> 00:41:20.780 What it's saying to us is this. 00:41:22.680 --> 00:41:29.440 When people experience pain, the devil is roaming. 00:41:32.480 --> 00:41:40.320 When we go through pain, it's important our lives to recognize that is the moment the devil is roaming, because 00:41:40.320 --> 00:41:43.320 he recognizes that is the time he can pick you off. 00:41:45.060 --> 00:41:47.290 That's what the lion does in the plains. 00:41:47.400 --> 00:41:54.760 He chases the herd to find out which one in the group is the injured animal, because that's the one he wants to eat. 00:41:56.560 --> 00:42:03.560 And when it comes to your relationship with the Lord, and the same is true when people are in pain, the devil is 00:42:03.560 --> 00:42:03.760 rooming. 00:42:05.520 --> 00:42:11.590 He would want nothing more than for you to make your accusations against God rather than against him. 00:42:12.200 --> 00:42:13.900 He wants to pick you off. 00:42:15.260 --> 00:42:19.850 But what Jesus is showing us here is he's got the victory at the same time things are hard. 00:42:20.680 --> 00:42:21.400 But he walks with us. 00:42:21.480 --> 00:42:25.740 He walks with us in it, he walks with us through it and God loves us to the end. 00:42:25.740 --> 00:42:27.380 We get the victory with him. 00:42:28.080 --> 00:42:32.460 In verse 44 to verse 50, the Lord is perfect for just and merciful. 00:42:32.800 --> 00:42:34.560 Look at this 44 to 50. 00:42:35.280 --> 00:42:41.760 Now Jesus cried out and said, the one who believes in me does not believe only in me, but also in Him who sent me. 00:42:42.420 --> 00:42:45.340 And the one who sees me, sees him who sent me. 00:42:45.720 --> 00:42:50.080 I have come as light into the world that no one who believes in me will remain in darkness. 00:42:50.360 --> 00:42:56.980 If anyone hears me, my teachings and does not keep them I do not judge him for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 00:42:57.280 --> 00:42:58.820 And that's a beautiful passage, isn't it? 00:42:59.060 --> 00:43:00.880 This is like the American passage, I think. 00:43:00.960 --> 00:43:07.100 This is like grandpa lovey God who sits on his front porch in his rocking chair pats you on the head and tells you, you're just a great kid. 00:43:07.970 --> 00:43:10.520 This is the God that we love in America, right? 00:43:10.840 --> 00:43:11.670 He's not here to judge. 00:43:11.760 --> 00:43:12.340 He's here to rescue. 00:43:12.520 --> 00:43:14.070 He's here to say this is great. 00:43:14.380 --> 00:43:16.720 And then you read the next passage, verse 48. 00:43:18.540 --> 00:43:21.780 The one who rejects me and does not accept my teachings has one who judges him. 00:43:22.620 --> 00:43:26.500 The word which I spoke, that will judge him on the last day. 00:43:27.240 --> 00:43:32.920 For I did not speak on my own, but the Father Himself who sent me has given me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. 00:43:33.600 --> 00:43:36.040 And I know that His commandment is eternal life. 00:43:36.040 --> 00:43:40.570 Therefore, the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told me. 00:43:41.240 --> 00:43:44.760 You get lovey God, but judgment God, right. 00:43:44.820 --> 00:43:46.360 I like lovey God. 00:43:46.560 --> 00:43:47.520 I don't like judgy God. 00:43:48.460 --> 00:43:49.800 That's generally how we like to think of Him. 00:43:49.900 --> 00:43:52.230 God's good when he loves God's not good when he judges. 00:43:52.540 --> 00:43:56.640 But God is both good in his mercy and his judgment. 00:43:56.720 --> 00:43:58.060 And let me just help us think through that. 00:43:58.160 --> 00:44:05.320 Because sometimes in our suburban middle class lifestyles that we live, we like to highlight the love of God, 00:44:05.320 --> 00:44:07.240 but forget the judgment of God. 00:44:08.860 --> 00:44:15.420 And guys, the judgment of God is such an important thing to think and consider as you walk this life with the Lord. 00:44:16.660 --> 00:44:19.940 You need to see and rest in the power of Judge God. 00:44:21.120 --> 00:44:25.640 Because if you don't see God, as a perfect judge, you will try to take that place. 00:44:26.300 --> 00:44:33.460 You will think it's your place to execute judgment on other people, because God is only a loving God, and who's going to stand up for your 00:44:33.720 --> 00:44:35.700 unjust life, right? 00:44:36.660 --> 00:44:40.540 Later this year, I am going to take a plane back to Africa. 00:44:41.720 --> 00:44:42.780 And I'm going to... 00:44:43.700 --> 00:44:46.410 give me a clip Caleb to the map for a minute. 00:44:46.800 --> 00:44:48.600 We're going to land not in the orange part. 00:44:48.660 --> 00:44:54.180 Let's look at the orange part in just a minute, but I'm going to land just above the white dot next to the orange part. 00:44:54.580 --> 00:45:01.740 Coming back to Uganda and hopefully make the shortest trip anyone's ever made to the continent of Africa and back to America. 00:45:01.800 --> 00:45:04.340 But I'm going to go there for a few minutes sign some papers come back. 00:45:04.700 --> 00:45:11.100 But right on the border of Uganda, so just west of Uganda, which is the orange country there is the Democratic Republic of Congo. 00:45:12.100 --> 00:45:19.180 And right on the border of Uganda and the DRC is a place of very heavy persecution 00:45:19.180 --> 00:45:20.060 for Christians. 00:45:20.060 --> 00:45:24.960 It's on the Congo side, the DRC side is where the persecution happens. 00:45:25.820 --> 00:45:30.040 But there's massive persecution happening in that region of the world. 00:45:30.680 --> 00:45:33.310 And in fact, I got a few just quotes from different organizations. 00:45:33.500 --> 00:45:34.800 Give me a click for just a minute. 00:45:35.980 --> 00:45:42.240 You don't have to take any time to even Google and find just top articles that pop up about things that you're probably not even aware of. 00:45:42.660 --> 00:45:46.810 It's incredible that things like this can happen around the world and we don't even have... 00:45:46.920 --> 00:45:47.860 wouldn't bat an eye on it. 00:45:47.860 --> 00:45:51.660 We think our problems in America, ever the world should be concerned about. 00:45:51.660 --> 00:45:57.520 But when you actually see what's happening in the world, you're like, how does no one on our country even know that this is happening? 00:45:57.520 --> 00:46:04.060 Look at this, toddlers mutilated, pregnant women stabbed as over 3,000 are killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo church leaders say. 00:46:04.100 --> 00:46:04.980 Give me another clip, Caleb. 00:46:06.680 --> 00:46:13.980 The Islamic extremist group the Alliance for Democratic Forces is responsible for persecution of Christians in the eastern part of the country, 00:46:14.040 --> 00:46:15.720 attacking Christians in churches. 00:46:15.720 --> 00:46:21.780 Violence is a huge risk for the Christian population, the violence has resulted in more than a million internally displaced people. 00:46:22.200 --> 00:46:25.660 Additionally followers of Jesus are at risk for kidnappings and have their homes destroyed. 00:46:26.320 --> 00:46:27.760 That was July of 2021. 00:46:27.760 --> 00:46:28.780 Give me another clip. 00:46:30.660 --> 00:46:37.840 Disgusting attacks on DRC Christians, [inaudible 00:46:33], a human rights activist acquainted with the region said, these predominantly Christian communities 00:46:37.840 --> 00:46:42.440 are attacked by an Islamic extremist group with a clear Islamic expansion agenda. 00:46:42.840 --> 00:46:49.880 We need to pay attention to these events because what is happening in the eastern DRC, the killing of innocent civilians on almost a 00:46:49.880 --> 00:46:53.300 daily basis is an under reported tragedy. 00:46:55.860 --> 00:46:56.620 Here's the crazier part. 00:46:58.920 --> 00:47:05.940 Democratic Republic of Congo doesn't even crack the top 35 of persecuted countries for Christians, it's not even 00:47:05.940 --> 00:47:06.580 in the top 20%. 00:47:08.440 --> 00:47:10.960 And yet you can read stories about a place like that. 00:47:11.700 --> 00:47:12.180 That's insane. 00:47:14.160 --> 00:47:17.180 I'm not reading this to malign Islam. 00:47:17.690 --> 00:47:24.740 The reason I think they talk about Islam in this is because the group that's representative or the brand of Islam that's in 00:47:24.740 --> 00:47:26.800 this country they want credit for it. 00:47:26.860 --> 00:47:28.300 They're telling people that we are doing this. 00:47:28.340 --> 00:47:33.440 And so that's who they're giving credit to [inaudible 00:47:30] was just saying, they want the credit and this is who's doing this. 00:47:36.420 --> 00:47:43.480 Let me just say this rocking chair, loving grandpa, is no help 00:47:43.480 --> 00:47:44.140 for these people. 00:47:46.880 --> 00:47:48.000 That's not the God they need. 00:47:49.900 --> 00:47:53.500 They need a powerful God that sees them in their need and loves them where they are. 00:47:55.700 --> 00:47:57.900 They need to know the judgment of God holds them secure. 00:47:59.700 --> 00:48:00.240 That's who they need. 00:48:01.920 --> 00:48:02.640 That's why it's important. 00:48:03.960 --> 00:48:10.960 In our society where we live, if we were to think about ministering these people just say, that's all right lovey God will take care of this. 00:48:11.180 --> 00:48:14.860 Just turn to those people who hate you and say Jesus loves you, it'll work out. 00:48:16.060 --> 00:48:16.760 That's not what they need. 00:48:18.540 --> 00:48:24.090 They need to see both the mercy of God and warrior God on their behalf. 00:48:25.580 --> 00:48:28.570 Having said all that, let me say this, guys, it's not wrong. 00:48:29.780 --> 00:48:31.870 It's not wrong to question God when you go through adversity. 00:48:33.120 --> 00:48:33.520 It's not. 00:48:33.540 --> 00:48:39.600 I think it's a very honoring thing because it's saying to God, God, I recognize you are the source in this struggle. 00:48:39.780 --> 00:48:46.760 So help me and heal me and strengthen me and be that judge and be that mercy, and in my weakness make me strong. 00:48:48.860 --> 00:48:50.620 So that through it all, we can see him faithful. 00:48:53.060 --> 00:48:58.300 When I think about the battle that is our lives, we endure hard things. 00:49:00.100 --> 00:49:02.540 Important to ask God, where he is and all of it. 00:49:03.780 --> 00:49:10.960 As we seek Him, we undergird our lives with faith, knowing that Jesus walked the same path 00:49:11.180 --> 00:49:14.380 before us, and then he'll walk this life with us. 00:49:15.440 --> 00:49:16.230 That God cares. 00:49:17.120 --> 00:49:18.300 He's running after you. 00:49:18.760 --> 00:49:20.300 He has died for you. 00:49:20.680 --> 00:49:24.400 He will make all things new and His justice will prevail. 00:49:25.340 --> 00:49:28.830 Do you want to see him faithful in your weakness? 00:49:30.120 --> 00:49:31.180 Trust Him to be strong.