Latest / DFC Podcast / The King Who Serves | Palm Sunday (John 12 & John 13)

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The King Who Serves | Palm Sunday (John 12 & John 13) · DFC Podcast

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Welcome to the Dorchester Family Church Podcast, Our vision to be
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a church known for our love. Our wholehearted love for God,
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our authentic love for each other, and our compassionate
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love for our community. Each week, get fueled up to
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worship passionately, grow meaningfully together, and make
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an eternal impact on the lives around you.
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Lean in close as we explore this Sunday's practical Bible based
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message unpacking that transformative vision.
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Good morning. So you all look remarkably
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bright eyed and bushy tails considering you had an hour less
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sleep last night, but I don't think that anybody else is like
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me. I actually really welcome the
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clocks changing because I tend to be falling off my perch at
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9:00 at night and I'm wide awake in the morning, so I quite like
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the change. So before.
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We actually start looking into our passage this morning for
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Palm Sunday. I just wanted to bring you
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greetings. So 5 weeks ago today.
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Graham and I were in remote Bush Highlands, Papua New Guinea, and
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we were in a little church. What wasn't that little but the
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wooden church? We'd gone out to visit our son
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Richard and his. Wife who worked.
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For Mission Aviation fellowship over there and we went into this
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little church and it was amazing.
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And you know, it's pack full and there was people all outside as
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well. But of course they saw us at the
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back and they. Pulled forward to the front and
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and the pastor. Just said and he was.
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So genuine. He said please would you give
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our? Greetings to your church back in
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the UK. So we bring greetings all the
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way from Papua New Guinea. So just to say a.
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Couple of little things because it actually ties in with what
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we're going to be sharing this morning.
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And that's to say Richard and Christine live in this village
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called Telephomin. And when we eventually arrived
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there, after an adventurous journey through Papua New
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Guinea, we sort of got there and it was.
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Just such a relief because it's such a.
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Peaceful place and where we'd been on the way that it.
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There was quite law, a lot of. Lawlessness.
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Quite a few shocking things for us getting there, and then we
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land in telephomin and there's this beautiful, gentle people.
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And so Richard gave me a book to read while I was out there, and
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I was thinking, why is this? Place so.
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Different from all these other. Places that we've visited.
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And basically in 1977 there was. A revival?
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There and now about 95%. Of the village are would say
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they were. Believers.
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And they all go. To church so.
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We went to a church 100 meters down the road from Richard's
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house, and 100 meters further on there's another church, and 100
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meters on there's another church, and they're all packed
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full. And it is.
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Just because God's. Kingdom has come in that place,
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and so there's this amazing contrast between the the.
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Places that we'd visited. Before and this place where
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God's Kingdom had come and that was because some missionaries
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years ago had given up everything they had and gone to
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serve the people there. Amazing stories.
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And but it was just such a blessing and we just had a
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wonderful service there. And they talk Tock Pisson.
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So Graham and I couldn't understand and look at it.
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Yeah, that that's what their language is called, Tock Pisson,
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which I love that. And it's very literal.
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So things like a bicycle. Is wheel wheel but so God is big
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Pella so we're we're. Sitting in the church and we're
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singing Jesus. Christ is big, Pella.
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So I love that. So there's a couple of other
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ones which. Are probably I couldn't share,
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but they're. Because they're a bit.
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Close to the mark, but we we had a lovely time.
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But the pastor stood up and. A lot of there's a lot of
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poverty. There And you know, a lot of the
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people in the houses, they haven't got running water, they
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haven't got they haven't got toilets in the house.
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And you know, we were all crammed into this church and the
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pastor said that stood up and you're with these people in in
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poverty. And he just reads from 2
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Corinthians and he says. Jesus Christ, who was.
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Rich became poor. For our, for us so.
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That we might be rich in him. And I looked round this place of
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these people who live in poverty, and they're beaming and
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smiling and they are rich. Because of what Jesus Christ
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did. Because he came poor.
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So that takes us on to our. 1st just.
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Checking. That's the work note that has
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now Palm Sunday, so let's look at John 1212 to 18 the next day
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when the large crowd that had come to the.
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Festival heard that Jesus. Was coming to Jerusalem.
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They took palm branches and went out to meet him.
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They were shouting Hosanna. Blessed is he that.
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Comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel.
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Jesus founded the King of Israel.
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Jesus found a donkey and sat on it.
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Just as it is. Written Do not be afraid,
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daughter Zion, look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey.
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And as I've just been preparing this to share with you this
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morning, the one thing that really struck me that I hadn't
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really thought about before. Was that Jesus?
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Planned Palm Sunday, it was exactly the right time and the
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right. Place so just days.
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Earlier he'd he'd raised his friend Lazarus from the dead.
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News had spread. Really.
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Fast. So it had gone around the whole
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region. Everybody would have been
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talking about it. And when I was growing up, it's
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really funny when I it doesn't say in this.
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Gospel that we're. Reading here about how Jesus got
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the donkey, but it was one of the things I kind of struggled
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to understand that his. Disciples, he said to his
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disciples. You'll find a man that's got a
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donkey. Just tell him the master needs
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and he'll give it to you. And I was thinking, well.
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Would he really do that? Why would he?
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Do that, but actually all these. People would have.
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Heard about what Jesus had done so in Jerusalem.
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The capital city was. Packed for.
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With people for Passover. At this time, Passover was a
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major festival remembering how God had.
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Rescued his people. And it's into that moment that
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Jesus rides, but he rides into it, not on a war.
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Horse. But on a donkey.
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And as we say, he's fulfilling the word in Zechariah, it's 99.
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It says, look, your king is coming to.
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You. He is righteous.
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And victorious, humble and riding on a donkey.
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In the ancient world, the kings rode horses when they came to
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conquer, but they rode donkeys when they came in peace.
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Jesus wasn't arriving as a political revolutionary as
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probably some people would have liked him to, but he came in on
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a donkey as the Prince of Peace, bringing salvation, yes, but
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through humility and sacrifice. Now going to quote from Timothy
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Keller, and I've got a few quotes from him this morning, so
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this is the first one. He said this was humility, not
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modesty. He said Jesus was.
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Humble, gentle, kind, loving. He was all those.
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Things. But actually he wasn't modest.
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As the crowd shouted Hosanna, son of David and waved their
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palm branches. They were declaring him Messiah,
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God's promised King, and he didn't correct them.
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He knew who he. Was but you.
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Also knew something that they didn't, that this moment, that
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all the things that are going on, these declarations, they
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were going to force a decision. There'll be no going back from
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him. So because he was.
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Riding in with everybody there and and accepting all they were
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saying about him, the decision was those people would then have
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to accept him as king or kill him.
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And you know, it stands a bit stark, but the same decision.
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Sits with us today we either accept Jesus as our.
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King, Lord of our life or we reject him.
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He doesn't leave us any anything in between.
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Now Tim Keller says when you read the Bible passage, you need
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to start noticing. And so we're just going to
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notice the scene that Jesus went into.
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I mean. Before you would have.
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Seen anything? You would have heard it.
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The noise, the crowds, the animals.
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There would have been thousands of people pressing into the city
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that day, dust in the air, voices shouting.
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And everywhere there would have been bleating lambs because the
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families were bringing lambs with them for sacrifice.
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Each one of those lambs would have lived with that family for
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three days and then it would be killed as a symbol.
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Of the guilt. Being laid on the lamb and the
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lambs were without blemish, they had to.
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Be really perfect. Lambs, and every family knew
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that there. They knew that their lamb would
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die. And it's into that scene that
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Jesus rode surrounded by lambs, Him, the willing Lamb of God,
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the one that we'd give his own life, the one that was blameless
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and would give his life to us. It just reminds me again, Jesus.
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Christ who was rich. Became poor for us so that we
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might be rich. So Jesus the King enters the
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city knowing that he's not going to take life like a lot.
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Of other people there. But he's going to give his life
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for us. So the servant king.
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So we see Jesus. As that humble king, don't we
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riding in Humble but not modest. He knew who he was.
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Now we're going to look at him as a servant king.
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Later in the week, Jesus and his disciples were gathered in the
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upper room for the Last Supper. Jesus was reclining at the
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table. With their disciples so.
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It would have been a low table and they'd all have been all
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have been lying round and chatting the Last Supper.
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And actually we read somewhere else that arguments took place.
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Some of the disciples were arguing about who's going to be
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the have the best place in heaven.
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And it's in that context that Jesus did what he does next.
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Before the Passover, Jesus knew his arrow come to depart from
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this world. Having loved his own who were in
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the world, He loved them to the end.
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So. Jesus knew that the Father had
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given everything into his hands. He knew that he came from God
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and that he was going back from. To God so.
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Knowing God had placed everything into His hands,
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knowing who He was, as we said, and knowing what was going to
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happen, He knew. Also, it'd be very.
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Soon, he chose his final acts, his bucket list.
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If you were so, if you had 24 hours to live, what do you think
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you would? Do it's worse than.
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Thinking about some what would you do if you had 24 hours to
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live? I was kind of thinking about it.
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I think I'd gather my family around me.
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That'd be my most important thing.
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And I'd probably be telling them, right.
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I think you should be doing this.
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And I think trying to organize them and and things like that.
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What did Jesus choose to? Do in his final hours.
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Jesus bucket list was a bucket. It wasn't more miracles.
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It wasn't last one last big speech.
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It wasn't an escape plan, he picks.
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Up a bucket. And a towel we see in John 13
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four to five. So he.
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Got up from supper. Laid aside his.
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Clothing took a towel and tied it around himself.
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Next, he poured water into a basin and began to.
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Wash his disciples. Feet and to dry them with the
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towel tied around him now in that.
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Culture feet were filthy. You had open sandals, Dusty Rd.
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Animal waste. I won't build any more of a
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picture, but it wouldn't have been a comfortable job.
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It would actually have been the dirtiest job, and it was the job
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that was normally. Left for the lowest.
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Servant. Definitely not a king.
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But what does Jesus? Do he removes his outer garment,
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he wraps the towel, he kneels and he starts washing.
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This is a physical parable and we can just see lots of
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parallels in it as. Jesus laid aside his.
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Garment. So he laid aside.
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His Majesty as he bent in the dirt, so he enters our mess.
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Jesus is about to give his life. But even in that moment, he
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stooped down and he was saying to them, I see your need.
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I see your dirt. As he washed their.
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Feet. So soon He would wash us clean
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on the on the cross. He would take on everything that
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we've ever done wrong, all our sin, all our shame, like they
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were doing on the lambs. That's what Jesus would be doing
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for us. He pour his lifeblood.
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Out on that cross for us like he was pouring water into a bowl.
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To wash his disciples feet. He didn't shrink back from their
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dirt and he doesn't shrink back from ours today.
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A few years ago when we were meeting as a church in the Corn
13:35
Exchange, just before the meeting I needed to go to the
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toilet and I and it was awful. Because the toilets were.
13:44
Having something done in the building so they had these awful
13:47
portaloos outside and you know what they're like.
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You sort of go in and hold your breath and think, I really don't
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even want to go to the toilet in here and probably too much
13:58
information. But as I as I bent down to go to
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the toilet, I heard a. Plop.
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And I just thought I haven't started yet.
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And then I suddenly thought, Oh no, my brand new phone was in my
14:11
back pocket and it had fallen into this disgusting portaloo.
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Now I had everything on my phone.
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I had my all my work stuff. I had all my pictures of my
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grandchildren. I had everything on that phone.
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Everything precious really was on that phone.
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So I had a split second decision.
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So I turned round, I pulled my sleeve up and I put my hand into
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this disgusting toilet and rescued my phone.
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So. Why did I do that?
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I did it because it was precious to me.
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So then I came in church and also shook hands with a lot of.
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People. Never told you till this.
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Day so. Why am I saying that I did that
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disgusting thing? Because what was on that phone
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was precious to me. Junior, this is.
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What Jesus does he? Puts himself into the mess of
15:03
our lives. He puts his hands in there and.
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Rescues us because he loves. Us and wants.
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To restore us. Now we're going to look at
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Peter's reaction. So we see his.
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Reaction here and. Peter was a close.
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Friend and disciple. Of Jesus.
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He sees what Jesus is. Doing.
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And he says you're never going to wash my feet.
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And you can almost feel it, can't you?
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This. Isn't just awkward, it's.
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Exposing for him. And do you know I had a similar
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thing I saw? I've got a bit of sympathy.
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With Peter a few years ago. Like many, many years ago
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actually, I was leading a connect Group One night, a Home
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group one night in our church in Cornwall.
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This was and one of the people came to the Connect group and
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they said, so Sarah, I really feel we should wash your feet
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tonight. And I was horrified.
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You know, it's like winter at my boots on.
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I was thinking I haven't had a pedicure for years.
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And actually I found it quite and of course.
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I said Oh yes. OK, then you can.
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And I've fought many times since then.
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I don't really understand what that was about, but as I was
16:07
preparing for this, God just reminded me of my reaction.
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It's like I felt exposed even having my feet washed because
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having somebody. Wash your feet.
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Means that they get to see your mess close up, and that's
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probably what Peter felt. It would have been humbling for
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Jesus. To wash his feet, his feet would
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have. Been the dirtiest part of him.
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But Jesus is just. Showing us that the cross would
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cleanse even the dirtiest parts of us, the parts that we don't
16:37
want exposed. So if you're sitting here this
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morning and there's anything in your life and you think I would
16:42
hate for that to be exposed, Jesus came to wash that.
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Because of what? He did.
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He knows us. And he loves us.
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That's just a. Unique combination.
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We all put on a friend, don't we?
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We all put on a friend of what we, what we would like people to
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see, think we are. But actually Jesus looks past
17:01
that. He knows us, warts and all, and
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he loves us. And that's just wonderful.
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So it's in this context Jesus chose to spend his last hours
17:13
knowing himself to wash the feet of his friends.
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He knew just how. Dirty Peter's feet.
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Were and he knelt anyway. He didn't shrink back from the
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dirt and he doesn't shrink back from ours.
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Jesus doesn't avoid the mess, he actually moves towards it and
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that act. As we've said already.
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Points to something bigger. Just hours later, he.
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Would give his life. To deal with the mess not just
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on our feet, but in our whole lives.
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He didn't ignore it. He doesn't condemn us.
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But he took. It on himself.
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So he died for us, and as we've said, he completely conquered
17:53
death and he rose again, which? Is why we celebrate.
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Tim Keller said sin is the servant putting yourself in the
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place of the king. And I be think that quite a lot
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because I contend to be a bit of a warrior and be a bit anxious.
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And I recognize in me that I'm kind of wanting to run and
18:13
control my own life my way. And that's actually not right.
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But you know, we can just give things to Jesus and accept him
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as king because our king comes and puts himself in the place of
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the servant. So it's no small thing to let
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somebody wash your feet, and it's no small thing for us to
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let him wash us now, for us to receive that cleansing touch.
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Receive His grace. It actually is an act of
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humility. Humility isn't just about us
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giving love. It's about being ready to
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receive it. And I think that's.
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What it really showed? Me with having my feet washed.
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But if we do. Receive it.
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If we do receive. Jesus cleansing love.
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We get to be passionately loved and completely clean.
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So we're going to look at living the way of love and this was
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originally entitled the people of the Tal after their washing
19:14
their. Feet, Jesus.
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Said, if I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your.
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Feet you should. Also wash one another.
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'S so today we've looked at the. Progression from Palm Sunday to
19:26
foot washing. So we see a.
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King Jesus, who accepted. Who he was.
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He accepted his crown, but we know he defined his reign
19:36
through servanthood. He said I came to serve, not to
19:39
be served, those hands that were.
19:42
Praised by. Crowds washed the feet.
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Of those people that who were, who would?
19:47
Deny him, desert him, and betray him.
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He knew. What those disciples?
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Were going to do when he'd bent down and washed their feet and
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he actually asked us to have that same heart.
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That's why he was doing it. But, you know, I can sometimes
20:04
find it easier to judge somebody's dirt rather than to
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help clean up their mess. It can be more tempting to point
20:12
out how somebody's been in a mess and judge them for it than
20:16
to bend down with a bucket and wash them.
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I think that can be our natural way.
20:21
To judge rather. Than the way of.
20:23
Love that Jesus is. Showing us by being people of
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the towel, we don't condemn people's story, but we commit to
20:31
restoring them and restoring them.
20:34
With the help of the Holy Spirit.
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And just to say, caring isn't condoning.
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And I learnt this a long time ago and, and there was somebody
20:42
that came into my life and, and I kind of befriended them and I
20:47
just. Felt like well.
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Everybody will think that I will.
20:50
I'm I'm condoning what they're doing and and I just felt the.
20:54
Holy Spirit, Really. Speak to me saying caring isn't
20:56
condoning. We can care without looking like
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we condone what they're doing. Caring means getting close
21:04
enough to the mess to help them to help bring healing.
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So Jesus has called us to be a. People of the towel.
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But do you know that isn't about busyness?
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It's about the. Overflow of us.
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Walking with Jesus, John, Mark, Homer.
21:20
Says this, he said. Time with.
21:22
Jesus produces lives like his. Only being filled with the Holy
21:27
Spirit when we spend time with Jesus, only that will enable us.
21:33
To be a people. Of the towel to.
21:35
Serve like he did. Do you know?
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Just to say it. Can be easier to serve than to
21:42
be seen. Do you know we can get?
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So busy with. Everything we're doing, we can
21:47
find that we're not spending that time with Jesus.
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And then it becomes. A just a work.
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But we need to just being filled up with him and then our service
21:56
can overflow with our time spent with him.
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We shouldn't be serving after a feeling of I ought to.
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We serve out of a heart that knows it's loved, it's forgiven,
22:09
and we know. That Jesus has works.
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Planned for. Us to do.
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He's already prepared. Them we He has a good plan and
22:17
purpose for our lives so we can sometimes think.
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Of service. As having a sort of negative
22:23
connotation, but it really doesn't if it comes from an.
22:27
Overflow of our love for Jesus. So I've been asking, if I've
22:31
been preparing this Lord, how do I pick up the towel?
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What does it mean for me and my everyday life to serve?
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Like Jesus to love like. Him and you know, I can
22:42
recognize in me so many times I can think I can see a need and
22:45
think, well, I can't do that or I haven't got time to do that or
22:48
even actually, I feel like that's a bit beneath me, but
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that's. Not what Jesus is.
22:54
About and, you know, a little while ago I've.
22:58
Started. Really.
22:58
Challenged to get involved in a project that I I help with every
23:03
so often and for me it was just even at that time it was
23:07
something I could. Have really physically.
23:09
Shrunk back from because it wouldn't be what I normally
23:12
wanted to do. But you know, as I do it, every
23:15
time I do it, I feel like God's blessing on it.
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So we mustn't shrink back from what we feel like He's calling
23:21
us to do. So as a church, we get to.
23:24
Serve each. Other and others and each other
23:27
and other people. And then originally I'd sort of
23:30
written a list of how I feel like as a church.
23:32
We faithfully serve so. Well, and and we.
23:35
Really do serve each other well. Sure, there's areas.
23:38
Where we can step up and do more, but I think we do.
23:42
And it was quite poignant coming back from Papua New Guinea with
23:46
Rich and Christine with, you know, they've given up
23:49
everything over here. To go and serve the people over
23:51
there. And that's wonderful.
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But sometimes it can be just as hard to stay and serve in our
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everyday ordinary life because we might think, well, I'm just a
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teacher or I'm, I'm just a doctor or I'm just a shop
24:05
worker. But you're not that.
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Actually, you're a secret. Agent for the Kingdom of God,
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our workplace, our home, the school playground is actually
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our Kingdom assignment. It's where we get to live that
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way of. Love that Jesus did.
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It's the small everyday things and it's really interesting.
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Recently I I've been asking Lord about to give me an assignment.
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Really. I guess because when I was I
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used to love it when I was in school playgrounds it, I had
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lots. Of people to talk.
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To and then I was in when I was had my business.
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I was. I was.
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Face to face with a lot of people who I.
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Got an opportunity to share with and pray with and that's what I
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love. But my stage of life now, I'm
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not doing that. I'm not face.
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To face with people. So much and I was like, Lord,
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I'm really missing that opportunity.
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And recently we had somebody come and do a bit of landscaping
25:03
in our garden and the lady that came and helped us with where we
25:06
should put things, I've networked with her a bit
25:09
business wise over the years. And so it got to the end of this
25:12
garden project and she's came in and had a coffee and she said,
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well, Sarah, I know we won't be coming back here regularly.
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She said I would really love to come back to you and talk about
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your faith. And I was like, I looked at her
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and she said I've just been observing and watching and just
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seeing your life. And she said I just feel like
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you've got something and I'd really like to come and talk to
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you about it. And I just thought.
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How gracious is God? That even I'm just getting on
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with my everyday life, not feeling like I'm doing anything
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particular. But people notice and the Holy
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Spirit can just use those everyday things.
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And, and she did say, actually, she said the first day we came.
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And I remember she said the first day we came, you had, you
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had a church meeting in your house, Sarah, which we did.
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And we had a prayer meeting. And I can remember feeling a
26:01
little bit embarrassed because. Lots of cars were.
26:04
Arriving and they were measuring up outside and we were praying
26:08
inside and I just thought they'll probably think it's a
26:10
bit strange what's going on here, but she said to me, she
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said, Sarah, you remember that meeting you had everybody that
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came out was so. Lovely.
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Sure, people were coming over and talking to us and asking us
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what we did and she said it just really impacted us.
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So isn't that amazing? So well done Church.
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So I'm going to ask the band to come up now and just going to be
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finishing. The guy talked last.
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Week about us being sent ones and do you know we're all sent
26:39
ones whether we're sent to Papua New Guinea or whether we're sent
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into our everyday jobs here and I loved he had this picture
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didn't he of. The word that he bought last
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week was like a. Stone and ripples of evangelism
26:51
coming out. And I really believe.
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That was a word for us as a. Church.
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And it's really exciting to do that.
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So let's contend for that word. Let's take it back to gold and
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pray and say, Lord, you know, stir something up in US.
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Let us reach these. People who need their feet
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washing around us. Because when we serve others,
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God changes lives. But the first life.
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He changes is ours. So how about we start asking God
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for an assignment? Ask him, What would you like me
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to do today? Lord?
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Give me eyes to see need things that I would normally would
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have. Overlooked, would you?
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Give me eyes to see and ears to hear of the hurting, and give me
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a heart that wants to respond and care to that.
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Because if we spend our lives on ourselves, we'll be empty.
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But Jesus said if you do. These things after he'd talked
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to them about the have I gone off?
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Yes. So after he'd talked to them
27:48
about the I want you to wash feet.
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As well, he said if you do. These things you will be
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blessed. So let's think, how can I serve
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today? We started this morning looking
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at how Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, the humble king,
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and he went went into those palm branches being waved.
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He's Jesus is. The humble king who acknowledged
28:12
who he was. But he.
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Stooped low. Anyway, we'll finish with a
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quote from Tim Keller, he said. When you see these things
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brought together, the Highness and the lowness, the power and
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the humility, the greatness with no pomposity, when you see them
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together, it's attractive. This is what?
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Draws our hearts out. To Jesus, This is why we.
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Love Him and we want to serve Him and be like Him and serve
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others. So until He comes again, let's
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wave our palm branches, pick up our towels and live.
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The way of Love. Thank you for listening to the
28:57
Dorchester Family Church podcast.
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We pray that God's Word ignited a flame in you today to burn
29:03
brighter for Him. But the journey doesn't stop
29:06
here. Stay motivated by visiting
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dfc.org.uk to get plugged into community, join a small group,
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find serving opportunities, and take your next steps in joyfully
29:18
living out your faith every day. Please join us next week as we
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continue being equipped to wholeheartedly worship,
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intentionally grow, and boldly go make disciples.
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Grace and peace until next time.