Latest / Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons / Three Big Obstacles

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Three Big Obstacles · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

• 0:00
  Thank you very much indeed, Callum, and it's a great privilege to be here with you this evening.
• 0:06
  It's lovely to see you all again, and I was very grateful for the opportunity to help Callum out and to be with you tonight.
• 0:13
  When I mentioned to Carloway this morning that I was preaching in Stornoway tonight, somebody said to me,
• 0:18
  are you preaching James McKeever out?
• 0:21
  And I hadn't really thought of that.
• 0:23
  No, I'm not really here to do that, but I do want to take the opportunity to give my very, very best wishes to James and Donna
• 0:29
  and to express my sincere thanks for all that he's done for the congregation here,
• 0:34
  but also for the church more widely in many, many years of faithful service to the Lord.
• 0:41
  Well, we're here to worship God together, and we rejoice that we come together in the name of our risen Saviour, Jesus.
• 0:47
  And we're going to sing to his praise from Psalm 95 in the Scottish Psalter on page 357.
• 0:55
  Psalm 95 in the Scottish Psalter, page 357, singing verses 1 to 6.
• 1:01
  O come, let us sing to the Lord.
• 1:03
  Come, let us, everyone, a joyful noise make to the rock of our salvation.
• 1:10
  And that's the amazing privilege that we have as we gather to worship again this evening.
• 1:15
  We are coming together.
• 1:16
  We are singing to the Lord.
• 1:18
  We are bringing our joyful noise before him.
• 1:20
  So we'll do that as we stand and sing together.
• 1:23
  O come, let us sing to the Lord.
• 1:35
  Come, let us, everyone, a joyful noise make to the rock of our salvation.
• 1:57
  Let us, everyone, a joyful noise.
• 2:27
  Make a joyful noise.
• 2:34
  For God, a great God and great King, above all gods he is.
• 2:51
  The Lord, a great God and great King, above all gods he is.
• 3:21
  Yes, God.
• 3:24
  Together you more, a brings ofこの zeal.
• 3:25
  At Christ, Peter.
• 3:27
  You know a gráfic illustrator.
• 3:29
  It sing to this church.
• 3:31
  You may what?
• 3:35
  O come, please, all thoughts it suaắtest.
• 3:41
  O come and let us worship him, let us bow down with all.
• 3:59
  And honor it before the Lord, our maker let us call.
• 4:19
  Let's pray together.
• 4:22
  Father, we are so thankful that we can come to you this evening, that we can come and gather together publicly,
• 4:34
  that we can meet together in the name of your son, Jesus, and that we can come together knowing that you've promised to be here.
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  And as we come into your presence, we come to worship you.
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  We come before you, our maker.
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  We come to bow down before you.
• 4:50
  And we are so, so thankful that we have this privilege.
• 4:54
  It's such a brilliant way for us to start a new week, to come together morning and evening on the first day of the week,
• 5:00
  to rejoice in the reality of Jesus's resurrection,
• 5:04
  to come together and to be renewed and refreshed in the joy and peace and hope of the gospel,
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  and to be reminded of everything that you have done for us through your son.
• 5:15
  We're so thankful that we can come here to worship you, knowing that you're present with us,
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  that by your spirit you are always with us, that you've promised to never leave us nor forsake us.
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  You've promised to be with us all the days to the very end of the age.
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  And Father, we just thank you for that so much because we acknowledge before you tonight that we need you so, so much.
• 5:37
  And so often we wonder and we go our own way and we come tonight confessing our sin before you.
• 5:45
  We come acknowledging that our thoughts and our words and our actions are so often short of what your word commands.
• 5:52
  So often we do stuff that we should not do and we fail to do the things that we should.
• 5:57
  And we're frustrated and disappointed in ourselves.
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  And we come to you with repentant hearts, confessing our sins.
• 6:06
  But we also come on the, we come standing not on our own strength,
• 6:11
  but we come standing on the promises of the gospel,
• 6:13
  that the blood of Jesus Christ washes away every sin.
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  And that in you we can have perfect redemption.
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  And in you we can have healing and cleansing and restoration.
• 6:27
  And so we come so thankful that the gospel gives us hope.
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  And we come, Father, and you to be,
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  to be, for our hearts to be cleansed and renewed and refreshed
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  in the truth and the joy of the gospel of your son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
• 6:43
  And so we come to worship you and we come also to hear your voice.
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  And we pray, Father, that you'd be preparing our hearts to hear your word.
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  We pray that we would be receptive to it, that our minds would be attentive,
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  that we would have understanding, that we'd be able to see how we can apply your word to our lives.
• 7:02
  And we pray that your word would be pressed right into our hearts
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  so that it would shape the way that we think and the way that we speak and the way we react
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  and the things that we aim for and the things that we long for would all be shaped by your word.
• 7:15
  And so we pray that you would speak to every single one of us
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  and that your word would be reaching each one of us
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  and we know that your word will not return to you empty.
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  We thank you for everybody who's here tonight.
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  We pray, Father, that your blessing would be upon each one.
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  And we come all from very different circumstances.
• 7:35
  And we come with just this week will have been different for all of us.
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  For some, it might have been a really good week.
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  For some, a really hard week.
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  For some, maybe a mixture of joys and sorrows.
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  And we come to you with different burdens and different fears, different doubts, different anxieties.
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  And we just come and lay it all before you.
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  And, Father, we don't want to hide anything from you.
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  We know that we can't and we don't want to.
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  We just want to lay our hearts open before you.
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  And we pray for every single person here that every single one would hear your voice speaking to them
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  and would know the nearness of your presence.
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  And that you would draw us all closer to you.
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  That for all of us who are following you, that we would be renewed and refreshed in our walk as disciples.
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  For those who have maybe wandered from you or feel that their faith is fading
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  or that their love is growing cold.
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  We pray that you would renew them and refresh them and wrap your arms around them and you tonight.
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  And for any here who maybe do not yet know you, for those who are seeking you,
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  or for those who are maybe just really not sure at all.
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  We pray, Father, that you would open our eyes and reveal yourself to us
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  in the most powerful way that we've ever experienced.
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  And that your word would just press into all of our hearts
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  and that you would meet with us and speak to us and draw us closer to you.
• 9:03
  We pray for the congregation here that you would bless them in all the work that they are doing.
• 9:07
  And as they reach such a significant milestone with James retiring,
• 9:12
  we pray for the congregation that they would be so aware that pastors are always only ever under shepherds,
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  that the great shepherd is Jesus Christ and he is the same yesterday, today and forever.
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  And may they know the stability of your promises and your presence.
• 9:31
  And we pray that as they look ahead to the future, as they seek your guidance,
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  we pray that they will be renewed and energized and strengthened for the work that you've given them to do.
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  And we pray for all the work of the gospel here,
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  that this congregation would continue to be a beacon of hope and light and joy to the town of Stornoway.
• 9:51
  And we pray that the years to come would be years of great renewal and refreshing for this congregation
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  and for the whole town, that there would be spiritual awakening
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  and that the reality of eternity would be pressed onto people's hearts
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  and that people would come to hear the good news of Jesus
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  and come to find the hope and the peace and security that only he can give.
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  And so please bless the work of the gospel here.
• 10:15
  We pray for James and Donna, that you would bless them abundantly as they move into this new chapter.
• 10:19
  And we pray that their retirement would be a refreshing time,
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  but also a very, very fruitful time as they continue to serve you.
• 10:27
  And we pray too for Colm and for Joanne as they serve you here,
• 10:33
  that they would be upheld and strengthened by you
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  and that you'd bless all the work that they're doing for you.
• 10:38
  And everybody else involved in the congregation, the elders and deacons,
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  everybody involved in the different activities that happen each week,
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  we pray that they'd be renewed, encouraged, energized and strengthened by you
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  as they continue the work of the gospel here.
• 10:52
  And what we pray for this congregation, we pray for the church worldwide.
• 10:55
  And we thank you that as we gather this evening,
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  we gather as part of a family of believers that extends all across the world.
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  And we pray that you would build up your church all across the nations.
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  And we pray that you would especially help those who are facing opposition and persecution,
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  but also maybe help those churches in areas where they've maybe felt things declining over recent years.
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  We pray for renewal and we pray that your church would just thrive this week and in all the weeks that lie ahead.
• 11:31
  We pray all of these things, Father, so that your name would be glorified.
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  And we pray that this week and every week of our lives would be lived for you.
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  And we ask that you would bless us anew and have mercy on us in our time together just now.
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  We pray in Jesus' name.
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  Amen.
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  Amen.
• 11:49
  We're going to sing again this time from the Sing Psalms version of Psalm 57,
• 11:55
  and that's on page 75.
• 12:00
  Sing Psalms version of Psalm 57, and we're going to sing from verse 7 to the end of the psalm.
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  My heart is steadfast, Lord, with music I will sing.
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  Awake, my soul, wake harp and lyre, my song the dawn will bring.
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  If you know Psalm 57, you'll know the early part of it speaks a lot about being in distress and calling out to God for help.
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  And then these last verses just speak of the assurance and stability that God gives us in his great love.
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  So we'll stand and sing verses 7 to 11 to God's praise.
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  My heart is steadfast, Lord, with music I will sing.
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  Awake, my soul, wake harp and lyre, my song the dawn will bring.
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  Among the nations, Lord, to you I will give praise.
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  Among the peoples of the earth, my songs of you I'll raise.
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  Great is your steadfast love, which reaches to the sky.
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  Your constant faithfulness, O Lord, extends to heaven high.
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  Above the highest ends, O God, exalted thee.
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  And over all the earth, the hope, display your majesty.
• 14:30
  Reading this evening is from Matthew chapter 11.
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  Thank you.
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  Matthew 11, and we'll read the whole chapter together.
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  When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.
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  Now, when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him,
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  Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?
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  And Jesus answered them, Go and tell John what you hear and see.
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  The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, and lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear.
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  And the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.
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  And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.
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  As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John.
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  What did you go out into the wilderness to see?
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  A reed shaken by the wind?
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  What then did you go out to see?
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  A man dressed in soft clothing?
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  Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in king's houses.
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  What then did you go out to see?
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  A prophet?
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  Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
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  This is he of whom it is written,
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  Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.
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  Truly, I say to you, among those born of women, there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.
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  Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
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  From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence,
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  and the violent take it by force.
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  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John,
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  and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.
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  He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
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  But to what shall I compare this generation?
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  It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates.
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  We played the flute for you, and you did not dance.
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  We sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.
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  For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, he is a demon.
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  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, look at him,
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  a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.
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  Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.
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  Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done,
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  because they did not repent.
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  Woe to you, Chorazin!
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  Woe to you, Bethsaida!
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  For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
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  they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
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  But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.
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  And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven?
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  You will be brought down to Hades.
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  For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom,
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  it would have remained until this day.
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  But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment
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  for the land of Sodom than for you.
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  At that time, Jesus declared,
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  I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
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  that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding
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  and revealed them to little children.
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  Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
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  All things have been handed over to me by my Father,
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  and no one knows the Son except the Father,
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  and no one knows the Father except the Son,
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  and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
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  Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden,
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  and I will give you rest.
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  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
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  for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
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  and you will find rest for your souls.
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  For my yoke is easy,
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  and my burden is light.
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  Amen.
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  May God add his blessing to the reading of his word.
• 18:46
  Well, before we come back to that chapter,
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  we're going to sing again,
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  this time from Psalm 36 in the Scottish Psalter
• 18:51
  on page 251.
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  Psalm 36 on page 251,
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  singing from verse 5.
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  Thy mercy, Lord, is in the heavens.
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  Thy truth doth reach the clouds.
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  Thy justice is like mountains great.
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  Thy judgments deep as floods.
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  Five to nine,
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  and we'll stand and sing together to God's praise.
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  Thy mercy, Lord, is in the heavens.
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  Thy truth doth reach the clouds.
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  Thy justice is like mountains great.
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  Thy judgments deep as floods.
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  Lord, thou preservest man and beast.
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  How precious is thy grace.
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  Therefore, in shadow of thy wings,
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  and sons their trust shall place.
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  They with the badness of thy heart
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  shall be well satisfied.
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  From rivers of thy pleasures,
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  the will drink to them provide.
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  Because of life,
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  the fountain pure
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  remains alone with thee.
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  And in that purest light of thine,
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  we clearly light shall see.
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  Amen.
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  Just as we turn to God's word,
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  let's pray for a moment.
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  Father, we pray that as your word is open before us,
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  that we will be open before you.
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  Please give us ears to hear.
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  Please give us minds that understand.
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  And please give us hearts that burn with love for you
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  and for one another.
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  Amen.
• 21:57
  Well, I'd like us to turn together to Matthew chapter 11.
• 22:01
  And I want us to look at the whole chapter.
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  So as we start,
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  perhaps we can read again the very first verse
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  and then the last couple of verses as well.
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  So starting at verse 1, we read,
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  when Jesus had finished instructing his 12 disciples,
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  he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.
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  And then going all the way down to verse 28,
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  we hear the very famous words that Jesus said,
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  Come to me,
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  all who labor and are heavy laden,
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  and I will give you rest.
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  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
• 22:34
  for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
• 22:37
  and you will find rest for your souls.
• 22:40
  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
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  At this time in Jesus' ministry,
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  he has sent his disciples out
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  to go proclaiming the message of the kingdom of God.
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  And you see in the previous chapter
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  that Jesus spends a lot of time
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  preparing his disciples for that work.
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  They are to go out as his messengers.
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  And as Jesus gets them ready,
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  and as he prepares them to go out as his messengers,
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  he warns them that as they go out
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  with the message of the gospel,
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  there's one thing that they and we
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  are guaranteed to find
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  in the mission field that we go into.
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  They're going to find obstacles.
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  Now, when we think about obstacles to Christianity,
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  we can immediately think of opposition.
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  So we think of people who are opposed to the gospel,
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  people who are hostile to the church,
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  and people who will deliberately try to hinder
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  and oppress the work that Jesus
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  has given his people to do.
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  And that is a reality.
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  That does happen.
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  Jesus himself experienced it.
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  The early church experienced it.
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  And many Christians today around the world
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  also experience it.
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  But opposition, external opposition to the gospel
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  is not the only obstacle that Christianity faces.
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  And I think we can maybe even say
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  that external opposition
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  is not the biggest obstacle that we face.
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  And I think one of the reasons we can say that
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  is because if you look at the history of the church,
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  one thing that you'll discover
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  that's very, very true again and again
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  is that when the church is oppressed,
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  it actually grows.
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  And the efforts to stop the advance of the kingdom
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  has never, ever stopped Jesus
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  from building his church.
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  And so if we're thinking about obstacles
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  in front of the gospel,
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  stuff that happens out there
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  and particularly hostility and opposition
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  towards the gospel
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  is not necessarily the biggest problem.
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  And that's because there's other obstacles
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  that can get away of the gospel.
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  And that's exactly what we find
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  in Matthew chapter 11.
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  We read that Jesus goes out preaching and teaching
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  and as he does so,
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  he encounters three big hurdles.
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  And I want us to think about these together
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  because we encounter exactly the same thing.
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  We see these hurdles in the people around us
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  and we also see them in our own hearts.
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  And these are obstacles
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  that will either stop us from coming to Jesus
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  or if we are following Jesus,
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  they will hinder us as we try to walk with him.
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  What are they?
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  Well, the three big obstacles
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  we're going to think about tonight are
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  being unsure,
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  being unfust,
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  and being unteachable.
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  Unsure,
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  unfust,
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  unteachable.
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  We see all of these in this chapter
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  and so I'll explain a little bit more
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  about what they mean
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  to begin with
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  and then we'll see what lessons
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  we can learn from them.
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  So number one,
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  being unsure.
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  We see that at the very beginning of the chapter.
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  If you look again at verse two,
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  we see,
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  when John the Baptist heard in prison
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  about the deeds of the Christ,
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  he sent word by his disciples
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  and said to him,
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  are you the one who is to come
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  or shall we look for another?
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  John the Baptist is one of the most important figures
• 26:34
  in the Bible
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  and it's important to remember
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  that even though we read about John the Baptist
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  in the early chapters of the New Testament,
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  really John is the last of the Old Testament prophets.
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  And as Jesus explains in this chapter,
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  he is the messenger that is sent to announce
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  that the Messiah is coming.
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  And if you know about the story of John the Baptist,
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  you'll know that he preached in the middle of nowhere
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  but crowds flocked to hear him.
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  He called people to repentance.
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  He challenged the authorities
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  who were oppressing people at that time.
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  He baptized Jesus.
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  He saw the Holy Spirit descend on him like a dove
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  and he pointed people to Jesus saying,
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  that's him.
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  Behold,
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  the Lamb of God.
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  And so in terms of the Bible
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  and in terms of theology,
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  John the Baptist is a giant
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  and yet here we find him doubting.
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  He's unsure.
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  Despite all that he saw,
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  despite all that he experienced,
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  now he's in prison
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  and he's just not sure.
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  And that obstacle of being unsure
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  has been a huge challenge for the church ever since.
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  It affects us as Christians so often.
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  And so although I'm sure every believer in here
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  can think of moments where things felt great,
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  think of high moments in their experience
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  when they felt confident and strong
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  and so assured
• 28:09
  and so certain that God was there
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  and so aware of his love.
• 28:15
  There's maybe times when you can think of that
• 28:18
  and yet I'm sure there's been many times
• 28:20
  when you thought,
• 28:22
  is this real?
• 28:26
  Can I be sure about this?
• 28:28
  Am I a Christian?
• 28:31
  Does God ever actually hear me?
• 28:33
  Is he even there?
• 28:36
  And for people who aren't yet Christians,
• 28:39
  I'm fairly confident
• 28:40
  that there are very few people,
• 28:42
  if anybody in here tonight,
• 28:45
  who says,
• 28:46
  I am philosophically hostile to Christianity.
• 28:50
  I object to it on philosophical grounds.
• 28:52
  I am opposed to that message
• 28:54
  and I am not willing to consider it.
• 28:57
  I doubt anybody in here is thinking like that
• 29:01
  but I am sure that there are people in here tonight
• 29:03
  or people watching online
• 29:05
  and they're saying,
• 29:06
  I'm just not sure.
• 29:10
  I'm not opposed to Christianity.
• 29:12
  In fact, I respect it.
• 29:13
  But I'm just not convinced.
• 29:17
  So often we face that obstacle of being unsure.
• 29:21
  Second obstacle Jesus encountered
• 29:23
  is the obstacle of people being unfussed.
• 29:27
  You see that in verse 16 and 17.
• 29:30
  Jesus says,
• 29:31
  But to what shall I compare this generation?
• 29:33
  It's like children sitting in the marketplaces
• 29:36
  and calling to their playmates,
• 29:37
  We played the flute for you
• 29:38
  and you did not dance.
• 29:40
  We sang a dirge
• 29:41
  and you did not mourn.
• 29:44
  Here, Jesus is describing the general public,
• 29:46
  the people that he has been encountering,
• 29:48
  this generation as he calls them,
• 29:50
  in verse 16.
• 29:51
  And then in verse 20 to 24,
• 29:53
  he talks about the towns
• 29:55
  where he has visited
• 29:57
  and where he's preached.
• 29:58
  And in describing these places,
• 30:00
  he doesn't say that they're hostile.
• 30:02
  He doesn't say that they're aggressive.
• 30:04
  He doesn't say that they're atheists.
• 30:07
  None of these are the problem.
• 30:09
  The big problem
• 30:10
  is that people just aren't bothered.
• 30:15
  So if a flute is played,
• 30:17
  they don't dance.
• 30:19
  If a dirge is sung,
• 30:21
  they don't mourn.
• 30:22
  In other words,
• 30:23
  the general public
• 30:24
  is just not that fussed.
• 30:29
  And that numbness
• 30:31
  in the public
• 30:33
  that means that
• 30:34
  the stuff that should make them
• 30:37
  either dance for joy
• 30:38
  or mourn
• 30:40
  just bounces off them.
• 30:44
  They're not interested.
• 30:45
  They're not fussed.
• 30:47
  They're not bothered.
• 30:49
  And instead,
• 30:50
  people are distracted,
• 30:51
  uninterested,
• 30:53
  indifferent.
• 30:54
  And of course,
• 30:55
  you can see straight away
• 30:56
  that it's exactly the same today.
• 30:58
  Don't ever think
• 31:00
  that Jesus lived
• 31:00
  in a different world
• 31:01
  from the world
• 31:02
  that we live in.
• 31:03
  It's exactly the same
• 31:04
  just now.
• 31:06
  Today,
• 31:07
  we are surrounded
• 31:08
  by a general public
• 31:09
  that is just not that fussed.
• 31:11
  that numbness.
• 31:13
  And that numbness
• 31:14
  is a huge,
• 31:16
  huge obstacle
• 31:16
  to the gospel.
• 31:18
  And so often we see that,
• 31:20
  that the life-changing message
• 31:22
  of Jesus,
• 31:22
  the best news
• 31:23
  that the world
• 31:24
  has ever heard
• 31:25
  is just lost
• 31:26
  in a fog
• 31:27
  created by,
• 31:29
  I don't know,
• 31:30
  the latest big celebrity news
• 31:32
  that's come out
• 31:32
  or the latest thing
• 31:34
  that we need to buy
• 31:34
  or the latest video
• 31:37
  that you need to see
• 31:37
  on TikTok
• 31:38
  or whatever it might be.
• 31:40
  It's so easy
• 31:41
  for us to stumble
• 31:43
  at the obstacle
• 31:44
  of being unfussed.
• 31:46
  And then the third obstacle
• 31:47
  that Jesus encountered
• 31:48
  in this chapter
• 31:49
  is people
• 31:50
  who were unteachable.
• 31:52
  You see that
• 31:53
  in verses 25 to 26.
• 31:56
  At that time,
• 31:57
  Jesus declared,
• 31:58
  I thank you, Father,
• 31:59
  Lord of heaven and earth,
• 32:01
  that you've hidden
• 32:02
  these things
• 32:02
  from the wise
• 32:03
  and understanding
• 32:04
  and revealed them
• 32:06
  to little children.
• 32:07
  Yes, Father,
• 32:08
  for such
• 32:09
  was your gracious will.
• 32:12
  In summing up everything
• 32:13
  in this chapter,
• 32:15
  Jesus gives this
• 32:16
  beautiful description
• 32:17
  of how God
• 32:17
  does not choose
• 32:18
  the intellectual elite
• 32:20
  of the day.
• 32:21
  He doesn't choose
• 32:21
  the experts
• 32:22
  to be the first recipients
• 32:24
  of the gospel.
• 32:26
  And as he does that,
• 32:29
  he insists
• 32:30
  that instead
• 32:31
  the gospel
• 32:32
  is being revealed
• 32:33
  to people
• 32:34
  who are like
• 32:35
  little children.
• 32:37
  It's not for the big,
• 32:38
  important,
• 32:39
  know-it-alls.
• 32:40
  It's for the people
• 32:41
  who will come
• 32:42
  like a child.
• 32:44
  And there's loads
• 32:45
  that we could say
• 32:46
  about that.
• 32:47
  I want to focus
• 32:47
  on the fact
• 32:48
  that these verses
• 32:49
  are revealing
• 32:50
  and reinforcing
• 32:51
  another massive obstacle
• 32:53
  to the gospel,
• 32:53
  the obstacle
• 32:54
  of being unteachable.
• 32:56
  For the religious leaders,
• 32:58
  for the intellectual elite,
• 33:00
  the fact that they were wise
• 33:02
  and understanding
• 33:03
  was not actually
• 33:04
  an advantage.
• 33:05
  It was an obstacle
• 33:07
  because it meant
• 33:09
  that they were
• 33:09
  unteachable.
• 33:11
  They thought they knew it all
• 33:12
  and so they weren't
• 33:14
  willing to listen.
• 33:17
  Jesus went to preach
• 33:18
  and teach
• 33:19
  in their cities.
• 33:21
  People ignored him
• 33:23
  because they didn't think
• 33:25
  that they needed
• 33:25
  to learn anything.
• 33:27
  And again,
• 33:28
  that's still a massive obstacle
• 33:30
  that we face today.
• 33:32
  Many people resist
• 33:33
  the teaching of Jesus
• 33:34
  not because they're
• 33:35
  aggressive and hostile
• 33:37
  but because
• 33:38
  when it comes to
• 33:39
  the big questions of life,
• 33:40
  they're already confident
• 33:40
  in their own answers.
• 33:42
  They're settled in their mind
• 33:44
  and they do not feel
• 33:47
  that they need to be taught
• 33:48
  by Jesus.
• 33:51
  And yet,
• 33:52
  the whole concept
• 33:53
  of being teachable
• 33:54
  is fundamental
• 33:56
  to being a disciple of Jesus.
• 33:58
  That's what the word
• 33:59
  disciple means.
• 34:00
  It means to be a learner.
• 34:01
  And that's exactly
• 34:03
  what we have to do
• 34:04
  in order to become disciples
• 34:06
  and in order to live
• 34:07
  as disciples.
• 34:08
  We need to learn
• 34:09
  from Jesus.
• 34:10
  But in order to learn,
• 34:12
  we need to be teachable.
• 34:13
  In order to be teachable,
• 34:14
  we need to acknowledge
• 34:15
  that there's stuff
• 34:15
  that we don't know.
• 34:16
  In order to acknowledge
• 34:17
  that there's stuff
• 34:18
  that we don't know,
• 34:19
  we have to admit
• 34:20
  our weaknesses.
• 34:21
  And that's maybe
• 34:23
  the hardest thing of all.
• 34:26
  So often,
• 34:28
  we're held back
• 34:29
  by the obstacle
• 34:29
  of being unteachable.
• 34:33
  And so these are
• 34:34
  the three big obstacles
• 34:35
  that you see in this chapter.
• 34:36
  Being unsure,
• 34:39
  being unfust,
• 34:40
  being unteachable.
• 34:42
  What's all of that
• 34:43
  teaching us tonight?
• 34:45
  Well, looking at
• 34:46
  these three categories,
• 34:47
  the obvious question
• 34:48
  that you can start with
• 34:49
  is saying,
• 34:49
  well, which one are you?
• 34:51
  Are you unsure?
• 34:53
  Or are you unfust?
• 34:54
  Or are you unteachable?
• 34:56
  And thinking,
• 34:56
  well, which one of these
• 34:57
  categories do I fall into?
• 34:59
  Am I like John the Baptist?
• 35:00
  Am I like the crowds
• 35:01
  that weren't responding?
• 35:03
  Am I like the religious
• 35:04
  elite that refused
• 35:06
  to listen?
• 35:07
  And we might think,
• 35:07
  well, maybe I'm more
• 35:08
  in this category.
• 35:09
  You might think of other people
• 35:09
  and think, well,
• 35:10
  they're definitely
• 35:10
  in that category.
• 35:13
  Do you know
• 35:13
  what the truth is?
• 35:16
  I think the truth is
• 35:17
  that rather than
• 35:18
  picking one,
• 35:20
  I think that
• 35:21
  in lots of different ways,
• 35:25
  we are all of them.
• 35:30
  These are traps
• 35:31
  that we all fall into.
• 35:33
  These are obstacles
• 35:35
  that we all trip up over.
• 35:38
  And that's true
• 35:39
  whether you're a Christian
• 35:40
  or whether you're not sure yet
• 35:41
  if you're a Christian
• 35:42
  or not.
• 35:44
  We all have times
• 35:45
  when we're unsure.
• 35:47
  John the Baptist had doubts.
• 35:49
  We're the same.
• 35:50
  We all have areas
• 35:52
  of our lives
• 35:53
  that are important to God
• 35:55
  but we're just not
• 35:56
  that fussed about.
• 35:57
  Things that we just
• 35:59
  try not to think about
• 36:00
  that we'd rather
• 36:02
  just stay numb to.
• 36:05
  And we all have ways
• 36:06
  in which we're unteachable.
• 36:10
  We've all got ways
• 36:11
  in which we'd far rather
• 36:13
  people listen to us
• 36:15
  than we would listen
• 36:17
  to them.
• 36:20
  And these obstacles
• 36:21
  are serious
• 36:24
  because they will
• 36:25
  prevent you
• 36:26
  from becoming a Christian
• 36:28
  if you're not yet a Christian.
• 36:31
  And they will hinder you
• 36:33
  in your walk with Jesus
• 36:35
  if you are already
• 36:37
  a believer.
• 36:39
  They'll spoil your relationship
• 36:40
  with your Savior.
• 36:41
  So what's the answer?
• 36:45
  What do we do?
• 36:48
  Well, when we talk
• 36:49
  about stuff like this
• 36:50
  it's very easy
• 36:51
  to start saying
• 36:51
  well, you need to
• 36:53
  rid your life
• 36:55
  of obstacles
• 36:55
  and you need
• 36:57
  to come to Jesus.
• 36:59
  And in many ways
• 37:00
  you think
• 37:01
  well that's maybe
• 37:02
  what the pattern
• 37:02
  of the chapter
• 37:03
  is saying
• 37:03
  because you've got
• 37:04
  that great call
• 37:06
  at the end
• 37:06
  where Jesus asks us
• 37:07
  to come to him
• 37:08
  and we're thinking
• 37:09
  okay, right
• 37:10
  I can see these hurdles
• 37:11
  in my life
• 37:11
  I need to overcome them
• 37:12
  and get back to Jesus.
• 37:13
  And so
• 37:14
  you kind of almost imagine
• 37:15
  you're on a journey
• 37:17
  home
• 37:18
  and you're crossing
• 37:20
  maybe you're going
• 37:20
  across the moor
• 37:21
  or something
• 37:21
  maybe it's just because
• 37:22
  I've driven from Carly
• 37:23
  I'm thinking in these terms
• 37:24
  but you've got to
• 37:25
  climb over
• 37:27
  all sorts of obstacles
• 37:28
  you've got to get over
• 37:29
  fences and ditches
• 37:30
  and walls
• 37:31
  and you'll get there.
• 37:32
  And so
• 37:32
  I could say to you
• 37:33
  if you can
• 37:35
  jump over the ditch
• 37:36
  of being unsure
• 37:38
  if you can push
• 37:39
  through the bog
• 37:40
  of being unfussed
• 37:41
  if you can break
• 37:43
  down the wall
• 37:43
  of being unteachable
• 37:44
  then you'll get
• 37:45
  to Jesus
• 37:46
  and then everything
• 37:48
  will be fine.
• 37:49
  I could stand here
• 37:49
  and say
• 37:50
  you need to overcome
• 37:51
  the obstacles
• 37:52
  and come to Jesus.
• 37:55
  It would be so easy
• 37:55
  to say that
• 37:56
  but I don't think
• 37:59
  that's what this chapter
• 38:00
  is saying
• 38:01
  and I don't think
• 38:04
  that that's what
• 38:05
  the gospel
• 38:05
  is telling us to do.
• 38:06
  the gospel
• 38:09
  is not saying
• 38:10
  overcome the obstacles
• 38:12
  and get to Jesus.
• 38:15
  The gospel
• 38:16
  is saying
• 38:16
  come to Jesus
• 38:19
  and the obstacles
• 38:22
  will disappear.
• 38:26
  And that's summed up
• 38:28
  in the amazing words
• 38:29
  that Jesus makes
• 38:29
  at the end
• 38:30
  of the chapter
• 38:31
  in verse 28.
• 38:32
  Come to me
• 38:33
  all who labor
• 38:34
  and are heavy laden
• 38:36
  and I will give you rest.
• 38:37
  Take my yoke upon you
• 38:38
  and learn from me
• 38:39
  for I am gentle
• 38:40
  and lowly in heart
• 38:42
  and you will find
• 38:43
  rest for your souls.
• 38:46
  Jesus is saying
• 38:46
  come to me
• 38:48
  and learn from me.
• 38:50
  And that's what
• 38:51
  we need to do
• 38:52
  when we face
• 38:53
  these obstacles
• 38:53
  we need to go
• 38:54
  straight to Jesus
• 38:55
  and learn from him.
• 38:58
  And these obstacles
• 38:59
  will disappear.
• 39:00
  So that means
• 39:03
  when you are unsure
• 39:04
  come to Jesus
• 39:06
  and learn from him.
• 39:09
  You see something
• 39:10
  so amazing
• 39:10
  in this chapter
• 39:11
  that when John's message
• 39:13
  of uncertainty
• 39:13
  comes to Jesus
• 39:14
  Jesus gives him
• 39:15
  such a brilliant reply.
• 39:17
  He says to them
• 39:17
  in verse 4
• 39:18
  go and tell John
• 39:19
  what you hear
• 39:21
  and see.
• 39:23
  The blind receive
• 39:23
  their sight
• 39:24
  and the lame walk.
• 39:25
  Lepers are cleansed
• 39:25
  and the deaf hear
• 39:26
  and the dead are raised up
• 39:28
  and the poor have good news
• 39:29
  preached to them
• 39:29
  and blessed is the one
• 39:30
  who is not offended
• 39:31
  by me.
• 39:32
  The key words are these
• 39:33
  go and tell them
• 39:34
  what you see
• 39:35
  and hear.
• 39:36
  In other words
• 39:36
  Jesus points
• 39:37
  the unsure person
• 39:39
  to objective
• 39:41
  verifiable truth.
• 39:42
  Now this is
• 39:43
  incredibly important
• 39:44
  in terms of
• 39:45
  our understanding
• 39:46
  of Christianity
• 39:46
  and our whole
• 39:48
  view of the gospel
• 39:50
  because so many people
• 39:51
  get this wrong.
• 39:52
  So many people
• 39:53
  think that faith
• 39:53
  is believing
• 39:54
  in something
• 39:55
  that's vague
• 39:56
  and mystical
• 39:57
  and something
• 39:59
  that doesn't
• 39:59
  necessarily tie in
• 40:00
  with the facts
• 40:01
  so we think
• 40:01
  well yes
• 40:02
  I've got facts
• 40:02
  over here
• 40:03
  but I've got
• 40:03
  my faith
• 40:04
  over here
• 40:04
  and I'm just
• 40:05
  going to hold
• 40:06
  on to that
• 40:06
  even though
• 40:07
  it doesn't
• 40:07
  align with the facts.
• 40:09
  That's not the gospel.
• 40:10
  That is not the gospel.
• 40:11
  That's not the way
• 40:11
  Christianity works.
• 40:13
  In fact
• 40:13
  if you want
• 40:14
  the best example
• 40:15
  of that kind
• 40:16
  of separation
• 40:17
  between faith
• 40:18
  and facts
• 40:19
  one place
• 40:20
  where you see it
• 40:21
  quite tragically
• 40:22
  is in secular
• 40:24
  humanism's
• 40:25
  approach to death
• 40:26
  because you will see
• 40:27
  people who are
• 40:28
  humanists
• 40:29
  whose world view
• 40:29
  is saying
• 40:30
  that there is no God
• 40:30
  that there is nothing
• 40:31
  supernatural
• 40:32
  that there is nothing
• 40:32
  beyond this life
• 40:33
  and yet when someone
• 40:34
  they love dies
• 40:35
  they will say
• 40:36
  that they're with us
• 40:39
  that they're watching
• 40:41
  over us
• 40:42
  that we'll meet again
• 40:45
  and I can completely
• 40:47
  understand why people
• 40:48
  are saying that
• 40:48
  because a cold
• 40:49
  harsh
• 40:50
  consistently secular
• 40:51
  view of death
• 40:52
  is something that
• 40:53
  very few people
• 40:54
  can actually live with
• 40:55
  but that idea
• 40:55
  that there's something
• 40:56
  that idea
• 40:58
  that we'll meet again
• 40:59
  that idea
• 41:00
  that there's
• 41:01
  another side
• 41:03
  that's not faith
• 41:05
  that's guessing
• 41:08
  faith in terms
• 41:11
  of how the Bible
• 41:12
  understands it
• 41:13
  is not guesswork
• 41:14
  it's not vague
• 41:15
  it's not blind
• 41:16
  it is grounded
• 41:18
  on objective
• 41:19
  verifiable truth
• 41:21
  and that's why
• 41:22
  when John comes
• 41:23
  with his doubts
• 41:23
  Jesus doesn't say
• 41:24
  to him
• 41:24
  keep the faith
• 41:25
  feel the energy
• 41:27
  be true to yourself
• 41:29
  and everything
• 41:29
  will be fine
• 41:30
  he doesn't talk
• 41:32
  like that
• 41:33
  instead Jesus
• 41:35
  says to the messenger
• 41:36
  go and tell John
• 41:38
  the facts
• 41:39
  about what you've
• 41:41
  seen
• 41:41
  and heard
• 41:42
  real blind people
• 41:44
  have received
• 41:45
  their sight
• 41:45
  real lame people
• 41:47
  walk
• 41:47
  real people
• 41:49
  who are lepers
• 41:49
  have been cleansed
• 41:51
  and it's all
• 41:52
  reminding us
• 41:52
  that the gospel
• 41:53
  is grounded
• 41:54
  on objective
• 41:55
  verifiable truth
• 41:57
  in other words
• 41:57
  it's grounded
• 41:58
  on stuff
• 41:59
  that's real
• 42:00
  the miracles
• 42:01
  of Jesus
• 42:02
  really happened
• 42:03
  the ministry
• 42:04
  of Jesus
• 42:05
  really happened
• 42:06
  the betrayal
• 42:07
  arrest
• 42:07
  and crucifixion
• 42:08
  of Jesus
• 42:09
  really happened
• 42:09
  and most importantly
• 42:10
  of all the resurrection
• 42:11
  of Jesus
• 42:12
  really happened
• 42:14
  these are
• 42:15
  objective truths
• 42:16
  they're real events
• 42:18
  that really happened
• 42:19
  and they're verifiable
• 42:20
  through the historical record
• 42:23
  that the Bible gives us
• 42:24
  and that's why
• 42:25
  eyewitness testimony
• 42:26
  is at the heart
• 42:29
  of the gospel
• 42:29
  it's the heart
• 42:30
  at the heart
• 42:31
  of the New Testament's message
• 42:32
  the New Testament
• 42:33
  is not a collection
• 42:34
  of religious meditations
• 42:35
  it's an eyewitness record
• 42:39
  Christianity
• 42:41
  is not grounded
• 42:42
  on stuff
• 42:43
  that we hope
• 42:44
  is true
• 42:44
  it's grounded
• 42:46
  on stuff
• 42:47
  that is
• 42:48
  true
• 42:48
  and you might
• 42:51
  be skeptical
• 42:52
  of that
• 42:53
  maybe you do
• 42:53
  reject it
• 42:54
  maybe you know
• 42:54
  people
• 42:55
  who reject it
• 42:56
  if that's the case
• 42:57
  I want you to imagine
• 42:58
  that Matthew
• 42:59
  was sitting next to you
• 43:00
  right now
• 43:00
  that he was sitting
• 43:02
  in the pew next to you
• 43:03
  and if you're watching
• 43:03
  at home
• 43:04
  sitting on the sofa
• 43:04
  beside you
• 43:05
  and you could turn
• 43:06
  to him and say
• 43:07
  Matthew
• 43:07
  see all this stuff
• 43:08
  you wrote
• 43:08
  it didn't happen
• 43:10
  you were wrong
• 43:12
  I think if you said that
• 43:16
  Matthew would say to you
• 43:17
  hold on a minute
• 43:18
  I was there
• 43:21
  I was there
• 43:25
  and I saw it
• 43:28
  and when John
• 43:34
  comes to Jesus
• 43:35
  with his doubts
• 43:35
  and his uncertainty
• 43:36
  that's what Jesus
• 43:38
  is pointing him towards
• 43:39
  verifiable
• 43:40
  objective
• 43:41
  truth
• 43:42
  and the amazing
• 43:43
  thing about this
• 43:44
  you might think
• 43:44
  why is Thomas
• 43:45
  going on about this
• 43:46
  the thing that's so
• 43:47
  important about this
• 43:48
  about objective
• 43:50
  verifiable truth
• 43:52
  is that it means
• 43:54
  that no matter
• 43:55
  how much you doubt
• 43:57
  that has absolutely
• 44:00
  no bearing
• 44:01
  whatsoever
• 44:02
  on the fact
• 44:03
  that it's true
• 44:05
  doubts don't
• 44:08
  change facts
• 44:10
  doubts don't
• 44:13
  change the truth
• 44:14
  some facts
• 44:16
  some facts
• 44:16
  are hard
• 44:17
  to believe
• 44:17
  I find it
• 44:18
  hard to believe
• 44:19
  that my heart
• 44:20
  beats every single
• 44:21
  second of my life
• 44:22
  since my mother's womb
• 44:23
  I find it hard
• 44:24
  to believe that
• 44:25
  that it's just
• 44:25
  beating
• 44:26
  when you're standing
• 44:29
  here it's beating
• 44:29
  more like this
• 44:30
  and your heart
• 44:34
  is beating
• 44:34
  and beating
• 44:35
  and beating
• 44:36
  and beating
• 44:36
  I find it hard
• 44:36
  to believe
• 44:37
  that in the last
• 44:37
  80 odd years
• 44:38
  there's been
• 44:38
  7 billion
• 44:40
  child births
• 44:40
  on planet earth
• 44:41
  but it's true
• 44:43
  I find it hard
• 44:44
  to believe
• 44:44
  that there's
• 44:45
  this thing
• 44:45
  that I can't
• 44:47
  taste
• 44:47
  I can't see
• 44:48
  I can't smell
• 44:49
  I can't touch
• 44:50
  I can't feel
• 44:51
  and it keeps
• 44:53
  all of us
• 44:53
  on the ground
• 44:54
  and in fact
• 44:55
  it holds
• 44:56
  the universe
• 44:56
  and the orbiting
• 44:58
  of planets
• 44:59
  and everything
• 44:59
  together
• 44:59
  gravity
• 45:00
  I find it hard
• 45:02
  to sometimes
• 45:02
  believe
• 45:03
  that there's
• 45:03
  this thing
• 45:03
  that I can't
• 45:04
  feel
• 45:04
  that it can
• 45:04
  still pull
• 45:05
  me to the
• 45:05
  ground
• 45:05
  but my
• 45:07
  doubts
• 45:08
  have no
• 45:09
  effect
• 45:09
  whatsoever
• 45:10
  on the fact
• 45:11
  that these
• 45:11
  things are
• 45:11
  true
• 45:12
  and that's
• 45:16
  so true
• 45:16
  about the
• 45:17
  gospel
• 45:17
  because your
• 45:18
  doubts
• 45:19
  which we
• 45:19
  all have
• 45:20
  your doubts
• 45:21
  have no
• 45:24
  effect
• 45:24
  whatsoever
• 45:25
  on the fact
• 45:28
  that all of
• 45:28
  this is
• 45:28
  true
• 45:29
  and that's
• 45:32
  why if
• 45:33
  you're unsure
• 45:33
  Jesus is
• 45:34
  saying come
• 45:35
  to me
• 45:35
  and learn
• 45:37
  from me
• 45:38
  learn the
• 45:39
  facts
• 45:39
  from me
• 45:40
  everyone
• 45:41
  doubts
• 45:42
  the greatest
• 45:43
  doubt
• 45:43
  John the
• 45:43
  Baptist
• 45:44
  doubted
• 45:45
  and he was
• 45:45
  fulfilling
• 45:45
  the prophetic
• 45:46
  appearance
• 45:47
  of Elijah
• 45:48
  Elijah
• 45:48
  doubted
• 45:49
  as well
• 45:50
  if you look
• 45:50
  at his
• 45:51
  life
• 45:51
  these guys
• 45:52
  all had
• 45:53
  incredible
• 45:53
  experiences
• 45:54
  and you
• 45:56
  have maybe
• 45:57
  had incredible
• 45:57
  experiences
• 45:58
  but the
• 45:58
  certainty
• 45:59
  and the
• 45:59
  high of
• 46:00
  those
• 46:00
  incredible
• 46:00
  experiences
• 46:01
  don't always
• 46:02
  last the
• 46:02
  distance
• 46:03
  but what
• 46:04
  will last
• 46:04
  is objective
• 46:05
  truth
• 46:06
  the fact
• 46:08
  that you
• 46:08
  are safe
• 46:09
  and the
• 46:11
  fact that if
• 46:11
  you're trusting
• 46:12
  in Jesus
• 46:12
  he is
• 46:13
  everything
• 46:13
  that you
• 46:14
  need
• 46:14
  often we
• 46:15
  are plagued
• 46:16
  by the
• 46:16
  same question
• 46:17
  as John
• 46:17
  that question
• 46:18
  shall I
• 46:18
  look for
• 46:19
  another
• 46:19
  shall I
• 46:22
  look for
• 46:22
  another
• 46:23
  so some
• 46:24
  people find
• 46:24
  that Jesus
• 46:25
  is too
• 46:25
  much for
• 46:26
  them
• 46:26
  and they're
• 46:26
  like I
• 46:26
  don't really
• 46:27
  want to
• 46:27
  know about
• 46:27
  Jesus
• 46:28
  and they
• 46:28
  just
• 46:28
  kind of
• 46:29
  push him
• 46:30
  away
• 46:30
  I think
• 46:31
  more
• 46:31
  people
• 46:32
  find that
• 46:33
  Jesus is
• 46:34
  not enough
• 46:34
  for them
• 46:35
  and that's
• 46:37
  true for
• 46:37
  Christians
• 46:37
  and it's
• 46:38
  true for
• 46:38
  unbelievers
• 46:39
  and we
• 46:40
  feel this
• 46:40
  need to
• 46:41
  look for
• 46:41
  another
• 46:41
  we think
• 46:42
  yes I've
• 46:42
  got Jesus
• 46:42
  but should
• 46:44
  I look
• 46:44
  for another
• 46:45
  and so we
• 46:46
  look for
• 46:47
  security
• 46:47
  in our
• 46:48
  health
• 46:49
  or in
• 46:49
  our
• 46:50
  possessions
• 46:50
  we look
• 46:51
  for a
• 46:52
  sense of
• 46:53
  self-worth
• 46:53
  and identity
• 46:54
  in what
• 46:55
  other people
• 46:56
  think of
• 46:56
  us
• 46:56
  we look
• 46:57
  for attention
• 46:57
  and affirmation
• 46:58
  on social
• 46:59
  media
• 47:00
  we look
• 47:01
  for hope
• 47:01
  in politics
• 47:02
  we look
• 47:03
  for joy
• 47:03
  in sport
• 47:05
  and
• 47:07
  if we are
• 47:09
  doing that
• 47:09
  if we are
• 47:10
  looking for
• 47:11
  meaning and
• 47:11
  security and
• 47:12
  hope and
• 47:13
  peace in
• 47:13
  another
• 47:13
  it's because
• 47:15
  we're looking
• 47:16
  at Jesus
• 47:16
  and we're
• 47:17
  unsure
• 47:17
  we're unsure
• 47:19
  that he's
• 47:21
  enough
• 47:21
  and we
• 47:24
  all do
• 47:24
  that from
• 47:25
  time to
• 47:25
  time we
• 47:26
  all struggle
• 47:26
  with doubts
• 47:27
  but if
• 47:27
  you are
• 47:28
  struggling
• 47:29
  with doubts
• 47:29
  if you're
• 47:30
  a Christian
• 47:30
  who is
• 47:31
  struggling
• 47:31
  with doubts
• 47:32
  I want
• 47:32
  you to
• 47:33
  imagine
• 47:33
  that right
• 47:34
  now you
• 47:34
  could do
• 47:35
  what John
• 47:35
  the Baptist
• 47:35
  did
• 47:36
  remember John
• 47:37
  the Baptist
• 47:37
  got one of
• 47:38
  his friends
• 47:39
  to say go
• 47:39
  and ask
• 47:40
  him
• 47:40
  go and ask
• 47:42
  him
• 47:42
  and so I
• 47:44
  want you to
• 47:44
  imagine that
• 47:45
  you can do
• 47:45
  the same
• 47:45
  imagine that
• 47:46
  right now you
• 47:46
  could send a
• 47:47
  messenger to
• 47:48
  Jesus in
• 47:48
  heaven and
• 47:49
  say are you
• 47:49
  the saviour
• 47:50
  who is to
• 47:50
  come or
• 47:52
  should I look
• 47:52
  for another
• 47:53
  am I really
• 47:55
  safe and
• 47:56
  secure with
• 47:57
  you and
• 47:58
  I think that
• 47:59
  if you did
• 47:59
  that Jesus
• 48:00
  would say to
• 48:00
  your messenger
• 48:01
  go and tell
• 48:03
  them what
• 48:04
  you see and
• 48:05
  hear and
• 48:08
  your friend
• 48:08
  would come
• 48:09
  back saying
• 48:10
  I saw
• 48:11
  Jesus at
• 48:13
  the right
• 48:13
  hand of the
• 48:14
  father and
• 48:17
  I heard him
• 48:18
  praying to
• 48:18
  the father and
• 48:19
  he mentioned
• 48:20
  your name
• 48:20
  loads of
• 48:21
  times and
• 48:23
  I saw your
• 48:24
  name written
• 48:25
  in permanent
• 48:26
  ink in his
• 48:27
  book of
• 48:27
  life and
• 48:30
  I saw
• 48:30
  God the
• 48:30
  father smile
• 48:31
  when I
• 48:32
  mentioned your
• 48:33
  name and
• 48:34
  I saw that
• 48:35
  they were
• 48:35
  preparing a
• 48:36
  place for
• 48:37
  you and
• 48:41
  when you
• 48:41
  think about
• 48:42
  all that you
• 48:42
  realize I
• 48:43
  don't need to
• 48:44
  look for
• 48:44
  another in
• 48:47
  Jesus I
• 48:47
  have everything
• 48:48
  that I
• 48:49
  need
• 48:50
  another way to
• 48:53
  think about
• 48:53
  it is to
• 48:53
  ask the
• 48:54
  question where
• 48:55
  do you feel
• 48:56
  you're most
• 48:57
  special what
• 48:58
  when I ask
• 48:59
  that question
• 48:59
  what pops
• 49:00
  into your
• 49:00
  head where
• 49:01
  do you feel
• 49:01
  that you're
• 49:01
  most special
• 49:02
  now there's
• 49:03
  lots of
• 49:03
  things that
• 49:04
  make us
• 49:04
  feel special
• 49:05
  but where
• 49:05
  do you feel
• 49:05
  at your
• 49:06
  most special
• 49:07
  is it with
• 49:08
  another so
• 49:09
  is it when
• 49:10
  you do well
• 49:11
  at work and
• 49:12
  you come on
• 49:12
  thinking I've
• 49:13
  done really
• 49:13
  well at work
• 49:14
  today is it
• 49:14
  when you get
• 49:14
  really good
• 49:15
  results in
• 49:16
  school is it
• 49:17
  when you're
• 49:18
  getting on
• 49:18
  really well
• 49:18
  with your
• 49:19
  friends is it
• 49:20
  when you go
• 49:20
  and get
• 49:22
  some exercise
• 49:22
  is it when
• 49:23
  you get lots
• 49:24
  of attention
• 49:24
  on social
• 49:25
  media if
• 49:27
  it is then
• 49:28
  it means that
• 49:29
  even if you're
• 49:30
  a Christian you
• 49:30
  don't understand
• 49:31
  Christianity
• 49:32
  well enough
• 49:33
  yet because
• 49:34
  the place
• 49:35
  where you are
• 49:36
  at your
• 49:37
  most special
• 49:38
  is when
• 49:41
  Jesus is
• 49:42
  looking at
• 49:42
  you
• 49:42
  that is
• 49:47
  when you
• 49:48
  are at
• 49:48
  your
• 49:48
  most
• 49:49
  special
• 49:49
  most
• 49:51
  precious
• 49:51
  because
• 49:51
  you are
• 49:52
  never
• 49:53
  as special
• 49:54
  anywhere
• 49:55
  else
• 49:55
  as you
• 49:57
  are to
• 49:57
  him
• 49:58
  and all
• 50:01
  of this
• 50:01
  is reminding
• 50:01
  us that
• 50:02
  when we
• 50:02
  are unsure
• 50:03
  when we
• 50:04
  feel like
• 50:05
  our faith
• 50:05
  is wobbling
• 50:06
  we don't
• 50:07
  need to
• 50:07
  fix those
• 50:08
  doubts
• 50:08
  in order
• 50:09
  to get
• 50:09
  back to
• 50:10
  Jesus
• 50:10
  we just
• 50:10
  need to
• 50:11
  get back
• 50:11
  to
• 50:11
  Jesus
• 50:12
  and come
• 50:14
  to him
• 50:15
  and learn
• 50:15
  from him
• 50:16
  and he
• 50:17
  will take
• 50:18
  all those
• 50:19
  doubts
• 50:19
  away
• 50:20
  that's such
• 50:22
  an important
• 50:22
  reminder for
• 50:23
  us as
• 50:23
  Christians
• 50:24
  and if
• 50:24
  someone's
• 50:24
  not yet
• 50:25
  a Christian
• 50:25
  when you
• 50:26
  doubt
• 50:26
  where do
• 50:26
  you go
• 50:27
  where do
• 50:27
  you go
• 50:28
  when you're
• 50:28
  unsure
• 50:28
  when you're
• 50:29
  unsure
• 50:29
  about life
• 50:30
  and death
• 50:30
  and time
• 50:31
  and eternity
• 50:31
  and life
• 50:32
  and meaning
• 50:32
  and purpose
• 50:33
  and who
• 50:33
  you really
• 50:34
  are
• 50:34
  if you are
• 50:35
  unsure
• 50:35
  about that
• 50:35
  stuff
• 50:36
  where do
• 50:38
  you go
• 50:38
  when you're
• 50:45
  unfussed
• 50:46
  is our
• 50:46
  second hurdle
• 50:47
  the second
• 50:48
  ones are
• 50:48
  much quicker
• 50:49
  I won't be
• 50:49
  as long
• 50:50
  with these
• 50:51
  when you're
• 50:52
  unfussed
• 50:53
  what do
• 50:55
  you do
• 50:55
  you come
• 50:56
  straight to
• 50:57
  Jesus
• 50:58
  and learn
• 50:59
  from him
• 51:00
  now this
• 51:01
  obstacle again
• 51:02
  confronts us
• 51:02
  as Christians
• 51:03
  and it
• 51:03
  confronts us
• 51:04
  if we're
• 51:05
  not yet
• 51:05
  a Christian
• 51:06
  and a good
• 51:07
  way of
• 51:07
  diagnosing
• 51:08
  this question
• 51:08
  of being
• 51:09
  unfussed
• 51:09
  is to
• 51:09
  ask yourself
• 51:10
  what makes
• 51:11
  you mourn
• 51:12
  and what
• 51:12
  makes you
• 51:12
  dance
• 51:13
  what makes
• 51:14
  you mourn
• 51:15
  and what
• 51:16
  makes you
• 51:16
  dance
• 51:17
  and all
• 51:19
  too often
• 51:20
  the answer
• 51:21
  to those
• 51:21
  two questions
• 51:22
  is that
• 51:22
  it's stuff
• 51:23
  that actually
• 51:24
  doesn't matter
• 51:25
  very much
• 51:26
  so if I
• 51:28
  ask myself
• 51:29
  the question
• 51:29
  what makes
• 51:29
  me dance
• 51:30
  the answer
• 51:32
  the instinctive
• 51:33
  answer is
• 51:33
  sport
• 51:34
  so I
• 51:35
  I was
• 51:35
  hoping
• 51:36
  that I'd
• 51:36
  be dancing
• 51:36
  on Friday
• 51:37
  night
• 51:37
  I was
• 51:37
  actually
• 51:38
  it was
• 51:38
  a dirge
• 51:39
  on Friday
• 51:39
  night
• 51:40
  when Scotland
• 51:42
  played
• 51:42
  Germany
• 51:43
  but if Scotland
• 51:44
  win if they can
• 51:45
  get something
• 51:46
  against Switzerland
• 51:46
  and if they can
• 51:47
  beat Hungary
• 51:48
  I'll be dancing
• 51:49
  in my heart
• 51:50
  with joy
• 51:51
  and it's the same
• 51:52
  with lots of other
• 51:53
  sporting things
• 51:55
  I'm sure loads of
• 51:56
  people here are the same
• 51:57
  but you know
• 51:57
  it doesn't really
• 51:58
  matter does it
• 51:58
  it's not really
• 52:00
  that important
• 52:01
  and the same
• 52:05
  same thing happens
• 52:06
  in terms of mourning
• 52:07
  except the other
• 52:08
  way around
• 52:09
  every day the news
• 52:11
  is singing dirges
• 52:12
  to us
• 52:13
  of all sorts of
• 52:14
  stuff that's going
• 52:15
  on in the world
• 52:16
  we see suffering
• 52:17
  and injustice
• 52:18
  and oppression
• 52:20
  and yet I ask
• 52:21
  myself
• 52:21
  do I really mourn
• 52:22
  when I see that
• 52:23
  or does it just
• 52:24
  bounce off me
• 52:24
  I just
• 52:26
  see it
• 52:27
  again and again
• 52:28
  and it just
• 52:30
  bounces off me
• 52:31
  and sometimes
• 52:34
  I realise that
• 52:35
  I dance about
• 52:38
  things that don't
• 52:38
  really matter
• 52:39
  and I fail to mourn
• 52:40
  about things that do
• 52:42
  Jesus responds
• 52:44
  to that obstacle
• 52:45
  of being unfussed
• 52:47
  by talking about
• 52:50
  a crucial
• 52:50
  but probably
• 52:52
  a surprising topic
• 52:53
  he talks about
• 52:55
  judgement
• 52:56
  and so
• 52:58
  if you are
• 52:59
  unfussed
• 53:00
  Jesus is saying
• 53:01
  come to me
• 53:01
  and learn
• 53:03
  about judgement
• 53:04
  now
• 53:05
  you hear that
• 53:06
  and you think
• 53:06
  oh man
• 53:06
  that sounds a bit
• 53:07
  heavy
• 53:07
  and we kind of
• 53:09
  recoil from that
• 53:10
  idea of judgement
• 53:11
  and you know
• 53:12
  when you look at
• 53:13
  Matthew 11
• 53:14
  you have these
• 53:15
  beautiful words
• 53:15
  at the end
• 53:16
  where Jesus is saying
• 53:16
  come to me
• 53:17
  all who labour
• 53:17
  and are heavy laden
• 53:18
  and then you just
• 53:19
  look a few verses
• 53:20
  back and he's talking
• 53:21
  about all sorts
• 53:22
  of judgement
• 53:22
  and you think
• 53:23
  how can these
• 53:24
  things go together
• 53:25
  but we mustn't
• 53:27
  come to that
• 53:28
  conclusion
• 53:28
  we mustn't
• 53:29
  think that
• 53:29
  these things
• 53:29
  are incompatible
• 53:31
  what we have
• 53:31
  to remember
• 53:32
  is judgement
• 53:32
  is actually
• 53:33
  an incredibly
• 53:34
  precious thing
• 53:36
  and I think
• 53:37
  that we can
• 53:37
  prove that
• 53:38
  I think we can
• 53:38
  prove that
• 53:39
  judgement is
• 53:40
  a very precious
• 53:41
  thing
• 53:42
  when we see
• 53:43
  something that
• 53:44
  is seriously
• 53:45
  wrong in life
• 53:46
  we don't hear
• 53:48
  people say
• 53:49
  we demand
• 53:51
  judgement
• 53:52
  people don't
• 53:53
  tend to say
• 53:53
  I want judgement
• 53:54
  I need judgement
• 53:56
  I long
• 53:56
  for judgement
• 53:57
  people don't
• 53:58
  tend to say
• 53:58
  that
• 53:59
  instead they
• 54:01
  say something
• 54:01
  else
• 54:02
  they say
• 54:04
  we demand
• 54:05
  justice
• 54:06
  people see
• 54:07
  something that's
• 54:08
  seriously wrong
• 54:09
  and they demand
• 54:10
  justice
• 54:11
  they crave
• 54:13
  justice
• 54:15
  they want
• 54:16
  the wrong
• 54:18
  to be put
• 54:19
  right
• 54:19
  but look at
• 54:21
  those two
• 54:21
  phrases
• 54:22
  we demand
• 54:23
  judgement
• 54:23
  we demand
• 54:25
  justice
• 54:26
  what's the
• 54:28
  difference
• 54:28
  nothing
• 54:33
  it's talking
• 54:36
  about the
• 54:36
  same thing
• 54:37
  it's talking
• 54:40
  about exactly
• 54:41
  the same
• 54:41
  thing
• 54:41
  that means
• 54:42
  that when
• 54:42
  Jesus responds
• 54:43
  to our
• 54:44
  unfussedness
• 54:44
  by teaching
• 54:45
  about judgement
• 54:46
  he's not
• 54:46
  being harsh
• 54:47
  or heavy
• 54:47
  he's actually
• 54:47
  talking about
• 54:48
  something
• 54:48
  that every
• 54:49
  human heart
• 54:50
  craves
• 54:51
  humanity
• 54:53
  shouts
• 54:54
  we demand
• 54:55
  justice
• 54:55
  when we
• 54:56
  see something
• 54:56
  that's wrong
• 54:57
  do you know
• 54:58
  who demands
• 54:59
  justice
• 54:59
  most of
• 55:00
  all
• 55:00
  God
• 55:04
  and that's
• 55:07
  why the
• 55:07
  day of
• 55:07
  judgement
• 55:08
  that this
• 55:08
  chapter
• 55:08
  speaks
• 55:09
  about
• 55:09
  is not
• 55:11
  a day
• 55:11
  of fire
• 55:13
  and brimstone
• 55:14
  and divine
• 55:15
  brutality
• 55:16
  it is a
• 55:17
  day of
• 55:17
  impeccable
• 55:18
  justice
• 55:19
  it's a
• 55:21
  day when
• 55:22
  everything
• 55:22
  that's wrong
• 55:23
  will be
• 55:23
  called
• 55:24
  to account
• 55:25
  and all
• 55:27
  of that
• 55:27
  makes perfect
• 55:28
  sense
• 55:28
  what is the
• 55:29
  one thing
• 55:30
  that oppression
• 55:31
  and injustice
• 55:32
  need in order
• 55:33
  to thrive
• 55:34
  if you think
• 55:34
  about a
• 55:35
  society where
• 55:36
  corruption
• 55:36
  oppression
• 55:37
  injustice
• 55:38
  thrives
• 55:39
  what's the
• 55:39
  one thing
• 55:40
  that's
• 55:41
  needed for
• 55:41
  that to
• 55:42
  happen
• 55:42
  you need
• 55:43
  a society
• 55:43
  where people
• 55:44
  aren't
• 55:44
  fussed
• 55:45
  and they
• 55:47
  just turn
• 55:47
  a blind
• 55:47
  eye
• 55:48
  while all
• 55:49
  these things
• 55:50
  begin to
• 55:51
  emerge
• 55:51
  weeds
• 55:52
  don't get
• 55:52
  very far
• 55:53
  in a
• 55:53
  garden
• 55:54
  if the
• 55:54
  gardener
• 55:55
  is very
• 55:55
  fussy
• 55:55
  but they'll
• 55:57
  thrive
• 55:57
  if he's
• 55:58
  not bothered
• 55:59
  and that's
• 56:00
  why Jesus
• 56:01
  responds to
• 56:02
  the not
• 56:02
  botheredness
• 56:03
  of this
• 56:03
  generation
• 56:03
  by talking
• 56:04
  about
• 56:05
  judgement
• 56:05
  and at
• 56:06
  the heart
• 56:06
  of that
• 56:07
  is the
• 56:07
  fact that
• 56:07
  the
• 56:08
  judgement
• 56:08
  of God
• 56:09
  is going
• 56:09
  to put
• 56:10
  right the
• 56:10
  things
• 56:10
  that are
• 56:11
  wrong
• 56:12
  that's
• 56:12
  why God's
• 56:13
  judgement
• 56:13
  is such
• 56:13
  a wonderful
• 56:14
  thing
• 56:14
  it's putting
• 56:15
  right everything
• 56:16
  that's wrong
• 56:17
  and that's
• 56:18
  why Jesus
• 56:19
  is calling
• 56:19
  these towns
• 56:20
  and these
• 56:21
  cities
• 56:21
  and us
• 56:22
  to repent
• 56:24
  because repentance
• 56:26
  is a turning
• 56:27
  away from
• 56:28
  injustice
• 56:28
  it's a turning
• 56:29
  away from
• 56:29
  what's wrong
• 56:30
  it's a turning
• 56:31
  towards
• 56:32
  Jesus
• 56:32
  towards the
• 56:34
  one who is
• 56:34
  righteous
• 56:35
  to his
• 56:36
  very core
• 56:37
  and it's all
• 56:38
  reminding us
• 56:39
  that to Jesus
• 56:40
  right and wrong
• 56:41
  matter
• 56:41
  injustice and
• 56:42
  oppression
• 56:43
  matter
• 56:43
  discrimination
• 56:44
  and prejudice
• 56:45
  matter
• 56:46
  exploitation
• 56:47
  and abuse
• 56:48
  matter
• 56:48
  if there's
• 56:49
  one thing
• 56:50
  that's true
• 56:51
  about Jesus
• 56:51
  it's that he
• 56:53
  is never
• 56:53
  ever
• 56:54
  unfussed
• 56:56
  and that's
• 57:00
  why we need
• 57:00
  to be so
• 57:01
  careful
• 57:01
  about finding
• 57:03
  a false
• 57:04
  security
• 57:04
  in indifference
• 57:05
  it's so easy
• 57:06
  to think that
• 57:07
  in terms of
• 57:07
  what's true
• 57:08
  and false
• 57:08
  and right
• 57:09
  and wrong
• 57:09
  we're safer
• 57:11
  to be unfussed
• 57:12
  and maybe
• 57:13
  there's people
• 57:13
  in here
• 57:14
  who are like
• 57:14
  that
• 57:14
  you've been
• 57:14
  raised
• 57:15
  to know
• 57:16
  the gospel
• 57:17
  you've been
• 57:17
  raised to
• 57:18
  think about
• 57:18
  all of this
• 57:18
  stuff
• 57:19
  and you
• 57:19
  think
• 57:19
  yeah but
• 57:19
  it's safer
• 57:20
  I'm just
• 57:20
  I'm not
• 57:21
  going to
• 57:22
  make a
• 57:24
  conclusion
• 57:24
  I'm not
• 57:26
  going to
• 57:26
  make a
• 57:26
  judgment
• 57:27
  I'm going
• 57:28
  to stay
• 57:28
  on middle
• 57:29
  ground
• 57:29
  we think
• 57:30
  that's
• 57:30
  safe
• 57:30
  it's not
• 57:31
  safe
• 57:31
  it's not
• 57:35
  safe
• 57:36
  because right
• 57:38
  and wrong
• 57:38
  do matter
• 57:39
  and the tragic
• 57:40
  thing is that
• 57:40
  being unfussed
• 57:41
  is not simply
• 57:42
  saying you know
• 57:42
  I'm not going
• 57:42
  to enforce
• 57:43
  what I think
• 57:43
  is right
• 57:43
  being unfussed
• 57:44
  is also
• 57:45
  saying I'm
• 57:45
  going to
• 57:45
  turn a blind
• 57:46
  eye
• 57:46
  to stuff
• 57:48
  that I
• 57:48
  know
• 57:48
  is wrong
• 57:50
  and
• 57:51
  we have
• 57:53
  to apply
• 57:53
  the same
• 57:54
  kind of
• 57:54
  consistency
• 57:55
  to a
• 57:56
  religious
• 57:56
  position
• 57:56
  as we
• 57:57
  would
• 57:57
  to the
• 57:57
  ethical
• 57:58
  situations
• 57:59
  that we
• 57:59
  see
• 57:59
  in the
• 58:00
  world
• 58:00
  around
• 58:01
  us
• 58:02
  it's
• 58:02
  so
• 58:02
  easy
• 58:02
  to
• 58:03
  think
• 58:03
  that
• 58:03
  it's
• 58:04
  safer
• 58:04
  to be
• 58:04
  indifferent
• 58:05
  that
• 58:05
  it's
• 58:05
  better
• 58:05
  to be
• 58:06
  unfussed
• 58:07
  it's
• 58:07
  not
• 58:07
  true
• 58:08
  if you
• 58:08
  were to
• 58:08
  ask a
• 58:09
  reporter
• 58:09
  who is
• 58:10
  in
• 58:11
  Gaza
• 58:11
  what do
• 58:12
  you
• 58:12
  think
• 58:12
  of
• 58:12
  everything
• 58:13
  that's
• 58:13
  going
• 58:14
  on
• 58:14
  here
• 58:14
  would
• 58:16
  you
• 58:16
  want
• 58:16
  their
• 58:16
  answer
• 58:17
  to
• 58:17
  be
• 58:17
  I'm
• 58:19
  indifferent
• 58:19
  and
• 58:24
  on
• 58:24
  the
• 58:24
  day
• 58:24
  of
• 58:24
  judgment
• 58:25
  if
• 58:27
  God
• 58:27
  asks
• 58:27
  you
• 58:28
  what
• 58:28
  do
• 58:28
  you
• 58:28
  think
• 58:28
  of
• 58:29
  my
• 58:29
  son's
• 58:29
  death
• 58:29
  do
• 58:30
  you
• 58:30
  want
• 58:30
  your
• 58:30
  answer
• 58:31
  to
• 58:31
  be
• 58:31
  I'm
• 58:33
  indifferent
• 58:34
  there are
• 58:38
  times when
• 58:39
  we are
• 58:39
  all far
• 58:40
  too
• 58:41
  unfussed
• 58:42
  Jesus is
• 58:42
  saying
• 58:42
  come to
• 58:43
  me
• 58:44
  and learn
• 58:45
  and then
• 58:48
  last of
• 58:48
  all
• 58:49
  when we
• 58:50
  are
• 58:51
  unteachable
• 58:51
  Jesus is
• 58:53
  saying
• 58:53
  come to
• 58:54
  me
• 58:54
  and learn
• 58:55
  from
• 58:56
  me
• 58:56
  I'll be
• 58:57
  very very
• 58:57
  brief here
• 58:58
  because
• 58:58
  time
• 58:58
  is
• 58:58
  running
• 58:59
  out
• 58:59
  Jesus
• 59:02
  is
• 59:02
  telling
• 59:02
  us
• 59:02
  here
• 59:03
  something
• 59:03
  that's
• 59:03
  so
• 59:03
  important
• 59:04
  he's
• 59:04
  telling
• 59:04
  us
• 59:04
  that
• 59:04
  the
• 59:04
  answer
• 59:05
  to
• 59:06
  unteachableness
• 59:06
  is to
• 59:07
  come to
• 59:08
  him
• 59:08
  not to
• 59:09
  stay away
• 59:09
  from him
• 59:10
  but to
• 59:10
  come to
• 59:11
  him
• 59:11
  we must
• 59:12
  come to
• 59:13
  him
• 59:13
  but if
• 59:14
  we come
• 59:14
  to him
• 59:14
  we have
• 59:15
  to come
• 59:15
  to him
• 59:15
  in a
• 59:16
  certain
• 59:16
  way
• 59:16
  we have
• 59:18
  to come
• 59:19
  to him
• 59:19
  like
• 59:20
  children
• 59:21
  that's
• 59:23
  what
• 59:23
  he's
• 59:23
  saying
• 59:24
  there
• 59:24
  in
• 59:25
  verse
• 59:25
  25
• 59:25
  you've
• 59:26
  hidden
• 59:26
  these
• 59:27
  things
• 59:27
  from the
• 59:27
  wise
• 59:27
  and
• 59:27
  understanding
• 59:28
  you've
• 59:28
  revealed
• 59:29
  them
• 59:29
  to
• 59:29
  little
• 59:30
  children
• 59:31
  now we
• 59:31
  can easily
• 59:32
  think that
• 59:32
  that's a bit
• 59:32
  humiliating
• 59:33
  and so
• 59:36
  often
• 59:36
  that's part of the
• 59:37
  reason why we're
• 59:38
  unteachable
• 59:38
  because we
• 59:39
  don't want
• 59:40
  our insecurities
• 59:41
  exposed
• 59:42
  but the
• 59:43
  truth is
• 59:43
  coming to
• 59:44
  Jesus
• 59:44
  with a
• 59:45
  childlike
• 59:46
  teachableness
• 59:47
  is not
• 59:48
  humiliating
• 59:49
  it is
• 59:51
  liberating
• 59:52
  because it
• 59:54
  frees us
• 59:55
  from feeling
• 59:56
  like we need
• 59:57
  to impress
• 59:58
  it frees us
• 59:59
  from the
• 1:00:00
  pressure of
• 1:00:00
  having all
• 1:00:01
  the answers
• 1:00:01
  it frees us
• 1:00:03
  from the
• 1:00:03
  feeling that
• 1:00:03
  we have to
• 1:00:04
  prove ourselves
• 1:00:04
  and put on
• 1:00:05
  this good
• 1:00:06
  outward show
• 1:00:06
  that makes
• 1:00:07
  it look like
• 1:00:07
  we understand
• 1:00:08
  and look like
• 1:00:09
  we're sorted
• 1:00:09
  and it's all
• 1:00:10
  amazing
• 1:00:11
  it's all an
• 1:00:12
  amazing reminder
• 1:00:13
  that in order
• 1:00:14
  to come to
• 1:00:14
  Jesus you don't
• 1:00:15
  need to know
• 1:00:16
  everything about
• 1:00:16
  the Bible
• 1:00:17
  you don't need
• 1:00:17
  to have all
• 1:00:18
  sorts of
• 1:00:18
  abilities
• 1:00:18
  and skills
• 1:00:19
  you don't need
• 1:00:20
  to have some
• 1:00:20
  kind of
• 1:00:20
  amazing
• 1:00:21
  experience
• 1:00:22
  and you
• 1:00:22
  definitely
• 1:00:23
  don't need
• 1:00:23
  to get
• 1:00:23
  yourself up
• 1:00:24
  to some
• 1:00:24
  kind of
• 1:00:25
  elite
• 1:00:25
  standard
• 1:00:26
  you just
• 1:00:27
  need to
• 1:00:27
  know
• 1:00:28
  that you
• 1:00:28
  need him
• 1:00:29
  and then
• 1:00:32
  you can
• 1:00:33
  come to
• 1:00:33
  him as
• 1:00:34
  you are
• 1:00:35
  in many
• 1:00:37
  ways that's
• 1:00:38
  the defining
• 1:00:40
  characteristic
• 1:00:41
  of a
• 1:00:42
  child
• 1:00:43
  it's that
• 1:00:45
  they're
• 1:00:46
  dependent
• 1:00:46
  and that's
• 1:00:48
  exactly how
• 1:00:49
  we come
• 1:00:49
  to Jesus
• 1:00:50
  that's
• 1:00:51
  exactly how
• 1:00:51
  we live
• 1:00:51
  our lives
• 1:00:52
  as followers
• 1:00:53
  of Jesus
• 1:00:54
  we come
• 1:00:55
  to him
• 1:00:55
  as children
• 1:00:56
  we come
• 1:00:57
  with a
• 1:00:57
  childlike
• 1:00:57
  faith
• 1:00:58
  and we
• 1:00:58
  learn
• 1:00:59
  from him
• 1:01:00
  what's the
• 1:01:00
  key difference
• 1:01:01
  between a
• 1:01:02
  child and
• 1:01:02
  an adult
• 1:01:02
  the key
• 1:01:05
  difference
• 1:01:06
  is that
• 1:01:06
  children
• 1:01:07
  grow
• 1:01:07
  adults
• 1:01:10
  don't
• 1:01:10
  and that's
• 1:01:13
  that's part
• 1:01:14
  of what that
• 1:01:15
  image of
• 1:01:15
  coming to
• 1:01:15
  Jesus as
• 1:01:16
  a child
• 1:01:16
  is teaching
• 1:01:17
  us
• 1:01:17
  we'll come
• 1:01:18
  to him
• 1:01:18
  come to him
• 1:01:19
  in order to
• 1:01:20
  learn
• 1:01:20
  in order to
• 1:01:21
  grow
• 1:01:21
  in order to
• 1:01:22
  never stop
• 1:01:23
  growing
• 1:01:24
  under his
• 1:01:25
  care
• 1:01:26
  and his
• 1:01:27
  protection
• 1:01:28
  so these
• 1:01:30
  are three
• 1:01:31
  big
• 1:01:31
  obstacles
• 1:01:32
  being unsure
• 1:01:34
  being unfust
• 1:01:35
  being unteachable
• 1:01:36
  these are
• 1:01:37
  obstacles that
• 1:01:38
  we have to
• 1:01:38
  be aware
• 1:01:39
  of
• 1:01:39
  and the
• 1:01:40
  truth is
• 1:01:41
  all three
• 1:01:43
  of them
• 1:01:44
  are
• 1:01:46
  exhausting
• 1:01:46
  being
• 1:01:49
  unsure
• 1:01:49
  is exhausting
• 1:01:50
  always
• 1:01:51
  worrying
• 1:01:51
  always
• 1:01:53
  doubting
• 1:01:54
  always
• 1:01:55
  uncertain
• 1:01:56
  being
• 1:01:57
  unfust
• 1:01:58
  is exhausting
• 1:01:59
  constantly
• 1:01:59
  trying to
• 1:02:00
  find a
• 1:02:00
  distraction
• 1:02:01
  to fill
• 1:02:01
  our minds
• 1:02:02
  so that we
• 1:02:02
  don't have
• 1:02:03
  to think
• 1:02:03
  about the
• 1:02:03
  big questions
• 1:02:04
  of life
• 1:02:05
  so that we
• 1:02:05
  don't have
• 1:02:05
  to be
• 1:02:06
  confronted
• 1:02:07
  by the
• 1:02:07
  stuff that
• 1:02:07
  really
• 1:02:08
  matters
• 1:02:08
  and being
• 1:02:09
  unteachable
• 1:02:10
  is exhausting
• 1:02:11
  because we
• 1:02:11
  have to
• 1:02:12
  constantly
• 1:02:12
  try and give
• 1:02:13
  this impression
• 1:02:13
  that we
• 1:02:13
  know it
• 1:02:14
  all
• 1:02:14
  that we're
• 1:02:14
  not silly
• 1:02:15
  and that
• 1:02:15
  we're not
• 1:02:15
  going to
• 1:02:15
  make a
• 1:02:16
  mistake
• 1:02:16
  and we've
• 1:02:16
  got to
• 1:02:17
  keep up
• 1:02:17
  this big
• 1:02:17
  wonderful
• 1:02:19
  outward
• 1:02:20
  appearance
• 1:02:20
  of being
• 1:02:21
  competent
• 1:02:21
  and capable
• 1:02:22
  and sorted
• 1:02:24
  it's all
• 1:02:25
  exhausting
• 1:02:26
  and yet in
• 1:02:27
  the face of
• 1:02:28
  all of
• 1:02:28
  these
• 1:02:28
  Jesus
• 1:02:29
  says
• 1:02:29
  come to
• 1:02:30
  me
• 1:02:30
  and learn
• 1:02:31
  from
• 1:02:31
  me
• 1:02:32
  and the
• 1:02:32
  result
• 1:02:33
  is that
• 1:02:37
  you will
• 1:02:37
  find
• 1:02:37
  rest
• 1:02:38
  you will
• 1:02:42
  find
• 1:02:43
  rest
• 1:02:43
  for your
• 1:02:45
  souls
• 1:02:46
  if you
• 1:02:49
  are
• 1:02:49
  recognizing
• 1:02:50
  the fact
• 1:02:51
  tonight
• 1:02:51
  that there
• 1:02:52
  are times
• 1:02:52
  and ways
• 1:02:54
  that you're
• 1:02:54
  unsure
• 1:02:55
  unfust
• 1:02:57
  and
• 1:02:58
  unteachable
• 1:02:59
  Jesus
• 1:03:00
  is not
• 1:03:01
  saying
• 1:03:02
  sort
• 1:03:03
  yourself
• 1:03:03
  out
• 1:03:04
  he's
• 1:03:07
  saying
• 1:03:07
  come
• 1:03:07
  to
• 1:03:07
  me
• 1:03:08
  learn
• 1:03:10
  from
• 1:03:10
  me
• 1:03:10
  and I
• 1:03:12
  will
• 1:03:12
  give you
• 1:03:12
  rest
• 1:03:13
  may God
• 1:03:15
  grant that
• 1:03:16
  we'd all
• 1:03:16
  come to
• 1:03:17
  him
• 1:03:17
  amen
• 1:03:18
  let's
• 1:03:18
  pray
• 1:03:18
  Lord
• 1:03:22
  Jesus
• 1:03:23
  we
• 1:03:23
  acknowledge
• 1:03:24
  that there's
• 1:03:25
  times that
• 1:03:25
  we're
• 1:03:25
  unsure
• 1:03:26
  and there's
• 1:03:29
  times when
• 1:03:30
  we're
• 1:03:30
  unfust
• 1:03:30
  and there's
• 1:03:33
  lots of
• 1:03:33
  times when
• 1:03:33
  we're
• 1:03:33
  unteachable
• 1:03:34
  and we
• 1:03:37
  just thank
• 1:03:37
  you so
• 1:03:38
  much that
• 1:03:38
  you are
• 1:03:39
  calling us
• 1:03:40
  all to
• 1:03:41
  come to
• 1:03:41
  you
• 1:03:42
  and so we
• 1:03:43
  do that
• 1:03:44
  together
• 1:03:44
  just now
• 1:03:45
  laying all
• 1:03:45
  of these
• 1:03:46
  obstacles
• 1:03:46
  before you
• 1:03:47
  and laying
• 1:03:50
  our burdens
• 1:03:51
  at your
• 1:03:51
  feet
• 1:03:52
  and we
• 1:03:53
  rest in
• 1:03:54
  you
• 1:03:54
  in your
• 1:03:56
  wisdom
• 1:03:57
  your
• 1:03:57
  goodness
• 1:03:58
  and
• 1:04:00
  your
• 1:04:01
  indescribable
• 1:04:01
  love
• 1:04:02
  we thank
• 1:04:04
  you so
• 1:04:04
  much and
• 1:04:04
  we pray
• 1:04:05
  that every
• 1:04:05
  one of
• 1:04:05
  us would
• 1:04:06
  be drawn
• 1:04:07
  closer to
• 1:04:07
  you tonight
• 1:04:08
  and we
• 1:04:09
  pray that as
• 1:04:09
  we go into
• 1:04:10
  a new
• 1:04:10
  week we
• 1:04:11
  be able
• 1:04:12
  to live
• 1:04:12
  every day
• 1:04:13
  of that
• 1:04:14
  week with
• 1:04:15
  our eyes
• 1:04:15
  fixed on
• 1:04:15
  you
• 1:04:16
  amen
• 1:04:17
  we're going
• 1:04:26
  to close
• 1:04:27
  with sing
• 1:04:27
  psalms
• 1:04:28
  34
• 1:04:28
  singing from
• 1:04:36
  verse 8
• 1:04:37
  that's on
• 1:04:37
  page 40
• 1:04:38
  come taste
• 1:04:40
  and see
• 1:04:41
  the lord
• 1:04:41
  is good
• 1:04:42
  who
• 1:04:42
  trusts
• 1:04:43
  in him
• 1:04:43
  is
• 1:04:43
  blessed
• 1:04:44
  oh fear
• 1:04:45
  the lord
• 1:04:45
  you his
• 1:04:46
  saints
• 1:04:46
  with need
• 1:04:47
  you will
• 1:04:47
  not be
• 1:04:48
  oppressed
• 1:04:49
  we'll sing
• 1:04:49
  8 to
• 1:04:50
  14
• 1:04:51
  and we'll
• 1:04:51
  stand and
• 1:04:52
  sing together
• 1:04:52
  to god's
• 1:04:53
  praise
• 1:04:53
  come taste
• 1:04:58
  and see
• 1:05:00
  the lord
• 1:05:02
  is good
• 1:05:03
  who
• 1:05:04
  trusts
• 1:05:05
  in him
• 1:05:07
  is
• 1:05:08
  blessed
• 1:05:09
  oh fear
• 1:05:12
  the lord
• 1:05:13
  you
• 1:05:14
  saints
• 1:05:15
  with need
• 1:05:17
  you
• 1:05:18
  will
• 1:05:19
  not
• 1:05:20
  be
• 1:05:21
  oppressed
• 1:05:22
  young
• 1:05:24
  lions
• 1:05:26
  may
• 1:05:27
  grow
• 1:05:28
  weak
• 1:05:29
  and faint
• 1:05:31
  and hunger
• 1:05:33
  for their
• 1:05:35
  food
• 1:05:37
  but
• 1:05:38
  those
• 1:05:39
  who
• 1:05:40
  wait
• 1:05:41
  upon
• 1:05:42
  the lord
• 1:05:44
  will
• 1:05:45
  not
• 1:05:46
  lack
• 1:05:47
  any
• 1:05:48
  good
• 1:05:50
  come
• 1:05:52
  come
• 1:05:52
  hear
• 1:05:53
  my
• 1:05:54
  children
• 1:05:55
  gather
• 1:05:57
  round
• 1:05:58
  and
• 1:05:59
  listen
• 1:06:00
  to
• 1:06:02
  my
• 1:06:03
  word
• 1:06:04
  and
• 1:06:06
  i
• 1:06:06
  will
• 1:06:07
  help
• 1:06:08
  you
• 1:06:09
  understand
• 1:06:11
  how
• 1:06:13
  you
• 1:06:13
  may
• 1:06:15
  fear
• 1:06:15
  the
• 1:06:17
  lord
• 1:06:18
  does
• 1:06:20
  anyone
• 1:06:22
  delight
• 1:06:24
  in life
• 1:06:26
  and long
• 1:06:28
  to see
• 1:06:29
  good
• 1:06:30
  days
• 1:06:32
  then
• 1:06:33
  keep
• 1:06:34
  your
• 1:06:35
  tongue
• 1:06:36
  from
• 1:06:37
  evil
• 1:06:38
  speech
• 1:06:39
  your
• 1:06:40
  lips
• 1:06:41
  from
• 1:06:42
  lying
• 1:06:43
  ways
• 1:06:45
  depart
• 1:06:47
  and
• 1:06:49
  turn
• 1:06:49
  from
• 1:06:50
  evil
• 1:06:52
  paths
• 1:06:53
  and
• 1:06:54
  practice
• 1:06:55
  what
• 1:06:57
  is
• 1:06:58
  right
• 1:06:59
  desire
• 1:07:01
  to
• 1:07:02
  know
• 1:07:03
  the
• 1:07:04
  way
• 1:07:05
  of
• 1:07:06
  peace
• 1:07:07
  pursue
• 1:07:08
  it
• 1:07:10
  with
• 1:07:11
  your
• 1:07:12
  might
• 1:07:12
  as
• 1:07:15
  you
• 1:07:15
  go
• 1:07:15
  into
• 1:07:15
  a
• 1:07:15
  new
• 1:07:15
  week
• 1:07:15
  together
• 1:07:16
  may
• 1:07:16
  the
• 1:07:16
  grace
• 1:07:17
  of
• 1:07:17
  our
• 1:07:17
  lord
• 1:07:18
  jesus
• 1:07:18
  christ
• 1:07:18
  the
• 1:07:19
  love
• 1:07:19
  of
• 1:07:19
  god
• 1:07:20
  and
• 1:07:20
  the
• 1:07:21
  fellowship
• 1:07:21
  of
• 1:07:21
  the
• 1:07:21
  holy
• 1:07:21
  spirit
• 1:07:22
  be
• 1:07:22
  with
• 1:07:23
  you
• 1:07:23
  all
• 1:07:23
  amen
• 1:07:42
  he