Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / How to Be Great in God's Kingdom | Mark 9:30-37 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series)

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How to Be Great in God's Kingdom | Mark 9:30-37 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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  What a blessing. What a blessing indeed.
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  And what a joy last week's service was.
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  Would you agree if you were able to be here for the baptisms?
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  And if you were with us, you hopefully remember that we
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  discussed briefly about the greatness of God.
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  The greatness of God. Not in a complete or exhaustive
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  way, of course. We just skim the surface of His
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  supremacy as we meditated on the God, the God, the God of all
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  comfort. But even though we're returning
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  back to Mark, we can still keep that theme in mind because we
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  will continue to behold the greatness of God, the glories of
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  God in the person of Jesus Christ and the Lord Jesus
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  Christ. Where we're at today who just
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  finished teaching His disciples about the necessity of depending
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  on God through prayer, exercising your faith in that
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  privilege of supplication is now going to continue to give His
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  attention to these disciples and teach them more very important
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  things. In fact, what we're going to see
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  is these interactions. These intimate interactions
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  become more common as Jesus increasingly distances himself
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  from public ministry in order to disciple His own in preparation
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  for His near departure. That's what the Lord is doing as
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  he is now ready to make way to Jerusalem in order to do what He
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  came to do for the world and the text that we're going to read
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  today. I've read it over and over this
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  week, and the one dominant thought that came to mind and
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  warmed my heart was the obvious observation of the strong and
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  enduring patience of Jesus. You just look here and you
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  realize, and you're going to realize that I hope today, the
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  the considerate and the careful and the constant patience of
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  Christ as he coaches his disciples.
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  You know why that's comforting? It's comforting because the
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  attitude that the Lord has toward His 12 here is the
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  attitude that you can expect for yourself as you follow Him, and
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  the example that Jesus presents us in dealing with his 12
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  disciples who were very slow in understanding things, very
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  stubborn even in their slowness. Christ presents us a model, lest
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  we succumb to the temptation of becoming wearied by the slowness
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  and the dullness of others around us.
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  And so my prayer is that you would leave with that impression
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  in your soul just to be swept up by the steadfastness of Christ,
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  and more than that, to also be impressed by the very truths
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  that he is patiently trying to instill in the hearts and minds
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  of His 12 disciples. And so we're going to read today
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  in Mark Chapter 9, beginning in verse 30.
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  And if you want to take anything away from this message today, it
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  is this How to be great in God's Kingdom, how to be great in
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  God's Kingdom. Jesus is going to qualify what
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  true greatness is in His Kingdom.
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  And these disciples were very, very much excited and invested
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  in their greatness. And we're going to see how the
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  Lord teaches them about that. Let's look at verse 30.
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  They went on from there and passed through Galilee.
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  And he did not want anyone to know, For he was teaching his
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  disciples, saying to them, the Son of Man is going to be
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  delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him.
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  And when he is killed after three days, he will rise.
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  But they did not understand the saying, and we're afraid to ask
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  him. And they came to Capernaum, And
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  when he was in the house, he asked them, what were you
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  discussing on the way. But they kept silent, for on the
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  way they had argued with one another about who was the
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  greatest, And he sat down and called the 12.
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  And he said to them, if anyone would be first, he must be last
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  of all and servant of all. And he took a child, and put him
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  in the midst of them. And taking him in his arms, he
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  said to them, Whoever receives one such child in my name
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  receives me, and whoever receives me receives not me but
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  him who sent me. Let's pray.
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  It is our sincere prayer, O Lord, that the Holy Spirit would
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  help us today. Help us Lord, be who you want us
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  to be. Help everyone here to see Jesus.
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  We want to see Jesus in Jesus name.
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  Amen. This is now the second time, the
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  second time that Jesus in great detail and emphasis turns to his
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  disciples and tells him about his coming death.
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  He wants him to know what's about to happen and so this is
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  the second time. It won't be the last time, and
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  the details are very similar to the initial moment that he had
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  introduced this to them. But what's amazing is how Luke,
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  who parallels the same account, gives an extra detail of Jesus
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  teaching of what we just read in the opening verses of this
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  message. So turn with me, Luke Chapter 9,
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  very quickly and look here at verse 44 and Luke 944 and notice
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  what the physician by the Spirit adds that is rich with
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  instruction. Luke 944.
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  Here's how Jesus opens this teaching.
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  The same teaching that we just read.
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  Let these words sink into your ears.
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  The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.
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  That phrase is profound. Let these words sink into your
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  ears. You know when a preacher says
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  pay careful attention. Listen to what I'm about to say.
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  That's what Jesus is doing here. But what does this mean exactly?
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  To let the words of Christ to sink into one's ears implies
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  that we are to take his words and to set them in a certain
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  way, to put them in a certain place.
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  The charge that He is making here is that when you hear what
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  Christ has to say, you must be careful to assess it, and you
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  must be careful to evaluate it. Unfortunately, what tends to
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  happen, and God forbid that it is happening as I'm speaking
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  now, that the words of Jesus skip over our ears like a rock
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  on a calm face of water instead of sinking deep within.
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  And what this tells me here is that you and I have the
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  responsibility to let the words of Jesus sink into our ears.
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  And what that essentially implies is that if we're going
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  to truly benefit from the words of Christ, you and I have a duty
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  to receive His words cautiously, and to receive it attentively.
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  Revelation does not come to those who are in a rush.
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  Yeah, we want everything in a rush.
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  Revelation doesn't come to those who are hasty.
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  Revelation doesn't come to those who do not have the discipline
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  to shoo away distractions. True reward when it comes to
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  insights concerning the Spirit, concerning our faith, comes to
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  those who make an effort to let the words of Christ sink into
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  your ears. You know what it means to have
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  the words of Christ sink into your ears.
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  It means you have to think about the words of Christ for them to
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  sink. You have to think, and you have
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  to think about what you got to think about its meaning.
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  You got to think about how that truth that you just heard, the
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  truth that you're about to hear this afternoon, How does that
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  truth relate to other truths that I know?
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  How does this truth either confirm or deny other things
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  that I believe wholeheartedly? What are the applications of
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  this truth? What?
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  What is it that Jesus is saying here in Mark 930 down?
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  What does this mean for me? What are the implications of
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  that truth? That's how you let the words of
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  Christ sink into your ears. It's to audibly, in a sense,
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  chew on the words of Jesus. Did the disciples do that this
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  time? Did they let the words of Christ
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  sink into their ears? We're going to find out if
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  that's true, but one thing that is for certain at this point is
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  that their reaction to Jesus teaching about his death and
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  resurrection was much different than the initial interaction
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  they had with it. You remember what happened early
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  in Mark chapter 8 when Jesus, after Peter had that amazing
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  revelation of Christ being the Messiah, Jesus being the Christ,
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  and Jesus from there goes on to elaborate about what it means
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  for him to be Messiah that he's going to also suffer.
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  What does Peter do? He foolishly rebukes him.
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  But this time there is no hostile reaction, right?
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  There is no retaliation. There is no argument.
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  There is no debate. What you and I read here in
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  verse 32 is quite interesting, but they did not understand the
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  saying and were afraid to ask him.
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  They're afraid to ask him. Afraid of what?
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  Why are they fearful? Could it be that in asking
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  questions follow up inquiries that they would prove their
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  ignorance? Further, could it be that
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  including Peter, maybe more Peter than anybody else?
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  In asking a question, they might receive another rebuke?
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  Or could it be that this was a defense mechanism?
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  And then in refusing to ask further clarification, they're
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  essentially not wanting what Jesus said to be true.
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  In other words, they don't want to entertain what Jesus just
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  taught because they don't want to confirm what he just said to
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  actually be what he said it would be.
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  I believe that these disciples are very uncomfortable to pursue
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  this further because they don't want to be proven wrong, and
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  that makes sense, doesn't it? Because they had a perception of
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  the Messiah so ingrained that they were so stuck on.
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  And here's Jesus now presenting a different picture of the fate
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  of this Messiah. Not interested.
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  And they were fearful, they were distressed, they were disturbed
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  by this. And so they just wanted to
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  cancel it. They wanted to remain in
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  ignorance, gladly. And I looked at it and I thought
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  to myself, you know, there are many today who are experiencing
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  spiritual paralysis for the very same reason that these disciples
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  are, and maybe that's you today. Ask yourself this question.
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  Do you refuse to put yourself on the path of an honest
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  investigation of your belief system because you have adhered
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  to something for so long and those beliefs have shaped your
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  convictions and your outlook for years?
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  Have you ever, have you ever been confronted by a a truth
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  claim and its veracity demanded you to abandon something that
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  you've believed? The worldview that you've had
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  since as early as you can remember, Something that's
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  almost intrinsic to your reality, A reality that you have
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  cozied up to and has provided a sense of security because of
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  familiarity. And whenever anybody or an idea
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  or a sermon or a conversation or a blog or an article or even
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  your own reading of the scriptures has challenged that
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  belief, you you defend it. You defend it because it would
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  cost you too much to believe. It what you see here is the
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  disciples doing just that. And I'm not just speaking about
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  those with alien beliefs. That's even true for those who
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  are within Christendom, people who have held on to certain
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  doctrines and traditions, maybe even generationally.
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  And they see something that's so clear in the word of God, they
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  heard it expounded to them, and they just they they are afraid
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  to embrace it. And perhaps there are some
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  people who, in embracing that, know that they will forfeit a
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  membership in some denominational club or some
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  circle or some arena of fellowship where your friends
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  and family are supremely loyal to.
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  In some sense, the fear that the disciples are experiencing here
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  is not just out of ignorance. It's a stubbornness within their
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  ignorance. They want to hold on to what
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  they believe to be true about the Messiah.
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  They don't want to let it go and listen to me very carefully.
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  There's some people who will not pursue truth, who will not
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  accept truth for one simple reason.
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  They don't want it to be true. They don't want it to be true.
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  I can't tell you that now, Peter.
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  If you people who are in different expressions of
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  Christianity and you present the Bible to them, you've probably
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  had those conversations and the Bible has no authority because
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  they're comfortable where they're at.
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  That goes for traditions within evangelicalism.
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  That goes for secondary and other kind of doctrines within
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  those who are Protestants. Even if you and I want to know
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  what it means to be in truth, if you want to know how you can be
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  protected from any form of deception, here's what you and I
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  have to endeavor to do. It's very simple.
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  Love the truth. Love the truth.
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  What a Paul prophesied concerning the last days that
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  there's going to be a strong deception that's going to
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  permeate the earth and it will capture those who do one thing,
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  who refuse to love the truth, Who refuse to love the truth,
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  and if that's true negatively, then see it positively.
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  That if you love the truth, if you want the truth, no matter
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  what, if you want to be in the light as much as possible, then
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  you have created for yourself a shield from great deception.
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  Love the truth no matter what it means for you, no matter what it
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  will demand from you, no matter if it shakes your world.
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  I'd rather be in the truth than anything else.
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  These disciples, at this point in their walk with the Lord,
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  can't really embrace that, and it might be frustrating.
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  But let your frustration be met with comfort, because you see
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  the patience of the Lord with these men.
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  How profoundly touching that Jesus, in more than one attempt,
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  tries to get this across. And Jesus the one who's never
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  spoken a lie, There's no deceit found in his mouth.
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  Everything that he has ever said was purely and perfectly true.
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  And these guys don't want to embrace it.
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  They don't want to accept it. And what does the Lord do isn't
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  kick him to the curb and say, you know what you guys are.
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  You guys are exhausting. He endures.
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  He sits down and he brings them close.
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  What a master, what a friend. And yes, he is giving us another
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  reason to adore him, but he's also giving us an example.
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  Because you and I, even as believers who have the truth and
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  love the truth and pursue the truth, are also called to a
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  level of forbearance and steadfastness with others who
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  are wrestling with what to believe with.
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  One of the most challenging verses about that is a found in
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  Second Timothy 4/2, where Paul tells Timothy how to be a
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  preacher. Preach the Word in season and
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  out of season. That's important for us to
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  understand. No matter how crazy politics get
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  right, no matter what conspiracies are out there in
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  season, out of season, what must the church do?
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  Preach the Word. The Word.
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  Preach the Word. Yes, give biblical answers and
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  clarification to current events, but don't let the substance of
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  what you have to see say be void of the Word.
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  And then he goes on to say how the Word should be preached, and
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  he says at the end of it with complete patience and teaching.
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  Why would Paul have to tell Timothy with complete patience?
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  You know why. Because people don't get it
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  right away. As fiery as you might preach it,
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  as simple and as slow as you might deliver it.
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  You need patience. Timothy believers, we need
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  patience too. You need patience with your
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  children. You need patience with your
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  spouse. You need patience with your
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  cousin. You need patience with your Co
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  workers because of the heart is is a very stubborn thing.
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  The word can overcome it. But there is a realistic
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  application to that and how we be changed by the word of God.
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  And so these disciples are afraid.
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  Notice what happens here. If you are moved by the patience
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  of the Lord, at this moment, only gets better and it gets
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  more impressive. In verse 33.
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  And they came to Capernaum. So they left Galilee.
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  Now they're going to Capernaum. They found themselves in a home,
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  and it's believed to be Peter's house.
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  He lived in Capernaum. They enter into this home and
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  Jesus turns to his 12 companions and he asked them the question.
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  Hey guys, what were you talking about?
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  On the way we know this about Jesus, right?
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  Jesus is not ignorant here. He's not in the dark.
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  He's not asking for information. He knows very well what they
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  were talking about. And if you have any doubt about
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  that, then let me read to you Luke 9, the same passage that we
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  read from earlier in verse 47. Notice what Luke says about
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  Jesus in this moment. And Luke 947.
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  But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, he already
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  knows. He even just know what they're
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  saying with their lips. He knows what's in their hearts.
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  Knowing the reasoning of their hearts took a child and put him
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  by his side. And so the Lord is aware He's
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  just giving the invitation to his disciples to come into the
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  light and to be honest with him. And so Jesus asked them what
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  were you discussing on the way? And the the the reaction of the
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  disciples is quite telling Verse 34.
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  But they kept silence, for on the way they had argued with one
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  another about who was the greatest.
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  So the Lord looks, and he says, hey, boys, from Galilee to here.
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  What were you guys arguing about?
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  What were you guys discussing? And the air was sucked out of
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  the room, and these disciples just stood still.
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  Why? Why were they signed?
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  Because they're embarrassed. This was a shameful silence.
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  So shameful that they didn't want to even open up about it.
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  And there is a shining jewel tucked into that one little
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  truth. Just just this, this one
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  historical brief moment. You see something that is
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  universal and timeless. Notice the reaction of disciples
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  right when they clued in that Jesus was aware of their
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  conversation. Their attitude about the very
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  thing that they were discussing completely changed.
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  In other words, when they were among themselves and they
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  thought perhaps they were at a distance with Christ, and from
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  Christ, they were passionate about who was the greatest.
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  They were very much consumed and even combative about who is
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  going to be of greatest prestige and status in the coming
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  Kingdom. And when Jesus found out, or
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  actually is about to let him know as well, that he found out,
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  the very thing that they were so bold and courageous for is now
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  something that they're shrinking in shame about.
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  You know what that means? Here's what that means.
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  The awareness of Christ changed the attitude of these disciples.
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  And when you and I believe that Jesus Christ, pay very close
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  attention, let these words sink into your ears.
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  When you and I live with the acknowledgement that Jesus
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  Christ's presence in our lives is uninterrupted and persistent
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  and knowledgeable, that's going to change us.
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  That's going to change you. Yeah, How you talk, what you
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  watch, what you listen to, what you converse, how you search,
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  how you treat those things will be gloriously altered when you
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  and I make the effort to believe.
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  Like the Psalmist who said you search out my path and my lying
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  down, and are acquainted with all of my ways, do you see what
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  the active presence of Jesus did to these disciples when they did
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  not acknowledge His presence, and probably didn't even believe
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  that He was aware? They were fighting with each
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  other when Jesus asked What were you guys doing?
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  Do you want to know steadfastness in your
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  sanctification? I'll give you a simple dare I
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  say Sunday school like principle and application.
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  Here it is. Whatever you do, ask Jesus if he
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  likes it. That's it.
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  Ask Jesus if he would be pleased with it.
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  You will know growth. You will know strength.
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  You will know a level of integrity and commitment.
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  Just ask the Lord, Lord, do you delight in this?
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  Brothers and sisters, please be holy.
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  Be holy. See Christ in a relational way.
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  Love him in everything that you do.
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  Honor him. He's acquainted with your ways.
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  For some people, that's a very fearful thought.
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  That's unfortunate for me. It's a reminder that I have a
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  love relationship with the Savior, and though I may not
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  perceive with my eyes or with my touch or with my ears, I believe
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  that he sees and knows. And that's enough for me to say.
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  Lord, every step that I take, I want you to be happy.
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  A lot of believers would get free from a lot of trouble if
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  they live like that. But unfortunately, Jesus to some
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  is just a doctrine. He's just a theology.
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  No. He's a friend and he's close and
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  he can be commune with and he can communicate with you.
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  The acknowledgement of the presence of Christ altered
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  something in these disciples. It would do us good to
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  acknowledge Christ as well. He's worthy.
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  They had argued with one another about who was the greatest.
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  This almost seems comical. Who does that?
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  When was the last time you had a lunch with friends or family?
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  Talk about who's the best? Best at what?
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  Greatest at what? Well, it makes more sense when
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  you understand what these disciples lived for.
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  They abandoned everything to follow this Messiah because this
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  leader, this rabbi, showed great promising signs that he was
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  indeed the conquering Messiah that they were awaiting.
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  And they on top of that know not only do we believe that this is
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  the Messiah, we believe that we are the chosen ones.
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  We are the closest ones to this Messiah.
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  And so you can imagine, right? Here's this king, his coming
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  Kingdom. We're closest to him, but
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  there's twelve of us. And so let's determine here who
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  is going to win the best seat, the greatest authority, to be
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  the closest associate, to know the greatest accolades and
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  privilege and status in this Kingdom.
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  That is what they're debating about.
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  And if you need proof of that, look at Mark 1036, just the
• 26:04
  chapter later, because unfortunately this is not the
• 26:07
  only time they're going to have this debate in Mark 103637.
• 26:11
  A couple of men, the brothers James and John, thought, you
• 26:15
  know, why are we going to debate about this?
• 26:17
  Let's just go straight to the source.
• 26:19
  And so they go to Jesus. And they asked him for something
• 26:23
  in verse 36. And he said to them, what do you
• 26:25
  want me to do for you in verse 37?
• 26:27
  And they said to him, grant us to sit one at your right hand
• 26:29
  and one of your left in your glory.
• 26:32
  So this is this is what's in their hearts.
• 26:38
  Lord, when you come, give us the best seats in the House.
• 26:44
  Give us the most glistening chairs, the heaviest crowns, and
• 26:53
  Jesus perceives this. And what makes it even more
• 26:57
  unpleasant is back in Mark nine when they are having this
• 27:01
  debate. They did it immediately after
• 27:04
  they learned about Jesus dying. They did it immediately after
• 27:10
  Jesus told him about his humiliation.
• 27:13
  I, the Messiah, I'm going to die.
• 27:15
  I'm going to suffer. Yes, I'm going to rise, but I'm
• 27:18
  going to be handed over to evil men.
• 27:23
  And they were afraid to ask. They didn't understand.
• 27:25
  They didn't let the words of Christ sing into their ears.
• 27:27
  And then they make their way to Capernaum.
• 27:28
  And here's what they're talking about.
• 27:31
  I'm going to. I'm going to win it.
• 27:33
  I'm going to get it. He loves me more than you.
• 27:37
  He invited me to that event. He didn't invite you to that
• 27:39
  event. How do you do that after you
• 27:43
  hear Jesus open his heart about his passion and be very careful
• 27:50
  criticizing these disciples? Because in my desire to
• 27:54
  criticize them, I realize that what they are doing here is
• 27:59
  often what happens to believers from Sunday to Monday, right?
• 28:07
  A truth is given that is undeniably applicable and it
• 28:15
  almost becomes totally irrelevant by the evening.
• 28:21
  What a painful reminder of these disciples of how quickly we can
• 28:24
  lose sight of Christ and become so self absorbed.
• 28:30
  We can hear profound truths about His service, His humility,
• 28:37
  His glory, his commands, and like these followers of his make
• 28:46
  it about us and be so consumed with ourselves by Monday
• 28:53
  morning. How does that happen?
• 29:00
  You know what most people would say?
• 29:01
  Human nature. It's human nature.
• 29:02
  OK, listen, I know human nature. We can't blame everything on
• 29:06
  human nature. OK?
• 29:07
  You know why? Because you are a new creation,
• 29:10
  that's why. It's human nature.
• 29:12
  I know it's human nature, but what are we?
• 29:13
  Are we stuck here? That's it.
• 29:16
  So, OK, let's just blame everything on human nature.
• 29:17
  No, I'll tell you why these disciples did this.
• 29:19
  Because they didn't let the words of Christ sink into their
• 29:22
  ears. That's it.
• 29:28
  This amnesia is a symptom of our unwillingness to take the words
• 29:32
  of Christ seriously. And unfortunately, this is not
• 29:37
  going to be the first time that it's going to happen, because
• 29:38
  this is really the symptom, the fruit of a root.
• 29:41
  And that root is pride, and that root of pride will not be
• 29:46
  immediately removed. And if you read carefully, the
• 29:50
  pride in the disciples here in this verse is actually showing
• 29:55
  the very effects of pride in the same verse.
• 29:57
  Look back at verse 34. But they kept silent.
• 30:00
  For on the way they had argued with one another about who was
• 30:04
  the greatest. They had argued with one
• 30:06
  another. Here's the lesson for us from
• 30:11
  this one verse. Pride will always produce
• 30:14
  disunity. Pride will always produce
• 30:19
  disunity. Pride will make brothers and
• 30:21
  partners into enemies. And here's the lesson for us as
• 30:26
  a church family. If followers of Christ within a
• 30:30
  community are driven by self exaltation, then strife and
• 30:37
  division is just around the corner.
• 30:40
  It's just around the corner, guaranteed.
• 30:42
  That's not a prophecy. When I sense my heart justifying
• 30:50
  self promotion, self importance, my needs and my desire above all
• 30:56
  else, the satisfaction of my dreams and my goals at the
• 31:01
  expense of others, what we see here is is bound to happen,
• 31:08
  whether that's your friend group or whether that's a
• 31:10
  congregation. And it's it's devastating to
• 31:12
  even think about that. The enemy only needs a heart
• 31:17
  that thinks of self above all else to do damage to a body of
• 31:21
  people. And as devastating as I thought
• 31:25
  is, it's especially devastating here because you are talking
• 31:28
  about the 12 apostles who are going to be used to lay the
• 31:30
  foundation of the Church. And already they're they're
• 31:35
  getting at each other's necks, arguing about this stuff.
• 31:39
  And so the Lord obviously knows the danger of this.
• 31:42
  And so he's going to address it immediately, which is good
• 31:45
  practice for all of us, because you and I should the moment we,
• 31:48
  we sense our hearts being inflamed, bloating in this area
• 31:54
  of pride, go to war with it right away, just kill it in its
• 32:01
  seed form. And one of the darts that you
• 32:05
  can use to shoot against this very ugly thing is the very
• 32:12
  truth that Jesus is about to present here.
• 32:15
  And what is that truth? Well, let's see it Verse 35.
• 32:18
  He sat down and called the 12 and he said to them, if anyone
• 32:23
  would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.
• 32:30
  Here's the Lord. He understands the threat of
• 32:32
  this pride because the deterioration of relationship is
• 32:37
  destined to take place when any party is poisoned by pride.
• 32:42
  And so the Lord wants to now remove that pride.
• 32:44
  He wants to suck it out, and it's going to only happen
• 32:47
  through the force of a truth that comes from him.
• 32:50
  And here's the truth that he brings to the disciples.
• 32:53
  You want to be great. You want to pursue greatness in
• 32:58
  my Kingdom. Let me show you how the king
• 33:01
  qualifies greatness. Let me explain to you what you
• 33:05
  must do in terms of your ambition to be significant in my
• 33:11
  world. And he says two things.
• 33:14
  If anyone would be first, he must be one last of all, two,
• 33:20
  servant of all. And you can't separate those two
• 33:22
  things. Really.
• 33:23
  What does it mean to be last of all?
• 33:27
  What does it mean for Jesus that you must be last of all?
• 33:29
  Well, it's simple. Your pursuit for prominence and
• 33:34
  praise is totally forsaken. You're not looking for first
• 33:38
  place. You're not looking to be the
• 33:41
  primary object of people's respect and love and
• 33:47
  appreciation. That's not what you're doing.
• 33:49
  You want to be first in my Kingdom, seek to be last, seek
• 33:54
  to do something with no expectation of something in
• 33:59
  return. Be last the same way in last
• 34:02
  place. I mean, these days you give
• 34:03
  rewards for everybody, even those in last place.
• 34:06
  There was a time where if you were last, you didn't get
• 34:08
  anything. Now everybody gets something.
• 34:14
  You're in last place. What happens in last place?
• 34:17
  Well, you don't get to step on the highest platform and you
• 34:19
  don't get the shiniest medal. Be last.
• 34:22
  You want to be great. Look for last place.
• 34:24
  This is so countercultural. And on top of that, don't just
• 34:30
  be last place. Be a servant.
• 34:32
  Now, he could have said be a servant.
• 34:35
  And our hearts are so clever. We know what we can even do with
• 34:39
  that and make it about ourselves.
• 34:40
  No, he says. Be servant of all of all.
• 34:46
  And he's going to explain what he means by that.
• 34:48
  And I'll give you a heads up. What he means by being servant
• 34:52
  of all is just really emphasizing what I just said.
• 34:54
  Seek to serve people, including the people that can't give
• 34:58
  anything in return. Church, This is incredible.
• 35:03
  This is what Jesus measures as greatness in the Kingdom.
• 35:05
  What comes to your mind when you think of spiritual greatness?
• 35:09
  Revivalist. Those who have a supernatural
• 35:14
  ability to expound and explain scriptures, profound prayer
• 35:18
  life. The missionary who has seen
• 35:20
  miracle be worked through their hands.
• 35:23
  The author, the conference. What's greatness and
• 35:25
  spirituality according to Christ?
• 35:28
  You know what it is being a servant of all that challenges
• 35:35
  us, isn't it? That's the point.
• 35:38
  And the Lord loves to use illustrations to get his point
• 35:41
  across, so he's going to use a very real illustration.
• 35:44
  Here he is in a home, most likely Peter's home, and he
• 35:48
  finds a child, maybe one of Peter's children, and we're told
• 35:54
  that he brings this child into his arms and he sets this child
• 35:59
  in front of the disciples. And now he qualifies what he
• 36:04
  means by being last of all and servant of all.
• 36:07
  Verse 36 And he took a child and put him in the midst of them.
• 36:10
  And taking him in his arms he said to them, Whoever receives
• 36:14
  one such child in my name receives me, and whoever
• 36:19
  receives me receives not me, but him who sent me.
• 36:25
  What is the Lord trying to say here?
• 36:26
  So he brings this child as analogy.
• 36:32
  He brings this child as again an illustration and think about
• 36:35
  children. They can be overlooked in so
• 36:37
  many ways, in so many ways. Yes, they can be cared for, but
• 36:41
  they can also be overlooked because we look at children and
• 36:44
  we think, well, they don't offer much in terms of conversation,
• 36:48
  at least serious conversation. They don't offer much in terms
• 36:52
  of participation and significant functions.
• 36:57
  And all of us are aware that the nature of a child is weak and
• 36:59
  dependent. And so when we have a certain
• 37:02
  responsibility to invest in those children, there is nothing
• 37:05
  that crosses our mind. I hope that you're going to
• 37:07
  expect some return on this investment.
• 37:09
  They have nothing to give back. They are so vulnerable and needy
• 37:16
  that at that stage in their life they can only take and they need
• 37:19
  what you have to offer. And what Jesus is saying here is
• 37:24
  not if you want to be great, it means be a servant.
• 37:27
  So then, you know, serve in the Sunday school ministry with the
• 37:29
  kids. That's not what he's saying.
• 37:32
  It can include, yes, looking after children, absolutely.
• 37:35
  But again, this is an analogy. The vulnerability of a child,
• 37:42
  the status of a child, The lack of power and significance,
• 37:46
  worldly speaking, in a child. It can also be understood for
• 37:53
  some of the children of God that there are some believers who are
• 37:57
  also like that they haven't accomplished much.
• 38:02
  They don't have an impressive resume.
• 38:04
  They don't have significant intelligence or education.
• 38:09
  They're not famous. More than that, they might not
• 38:13
  have even the most impressive personality.
• 38:20
  And what the Lord is saying is this.
• 38:22
  To embrace this child is a representation of our call, to
• 38:26
  be willing to embrace and receive the lowliest among the
• 38:30
  children of God. Those who again don't have any
• 38:36
  achievements, those again who in a crowd, they tend to disappear,
• 38:40
  not stand out when they walk into a room, when Jesus speaking
• 38:45
  on being a servant of all, He wants us to understand that
• 38:49
  these are the people that I want you to serve.
• 38:54
  These are the kinds of people that I want you to give
• 38:56
  intentional attention to. Come on, church, what do we
• 39:00
  want? We want to be great in the
• 39:01
  Kingdom of God, right? Well, this is what it looks
• 39:05
  like. And so the main point of the
• 39:07
  Lord is this. You, as a servant of all, if you
• 39:10
  want to actually make that of your ambition, then you'll be
• 39:12
  willing to give your attention to those who have no affluence,
• 39:15
  no status. I'm talking about the shy one.
• 39:19
  I'm talking about the poorly dressed one.
• 39:23
  I'm talking about the one who doesn't have anything to give
• 39:28
  you. Do you know why?
• 39:31
  Because this is how evil our hearts are, man.
• 39:35
  Our hearts are so corrupt that we are willing to go above and
• 39:40
  beyond. But we tend to make our targets
• 39:43
  clear, right? I'll go above and beyond.
• 39:46
  I'll make extra time. I'll do certain things because
• 39:50
  so and so might give me an opportunity.
• 39:56
  I can see a potential partnership here.
• 40:00
  They have something that I can see maybe, maybe they can open
• 40:03
  up my world that they're very known that maybe there's
• 40:05
  networking that's available through them.
• 40:07
  Or it can be as simple as this person really entertains me.
• 40:13
  And so they have something to offer.
• 40:14
  And so we determine where our service goes, where our
• 40:18
  attention and our attendance will be targeted towards those
• 40:23
  who might be able to give something back.
• 40:26
  That's not what it means to be a servant of all.
• 40:31
  That's why Jesus brings a child. He says I want you to look after
• 40:38
  these ones and my Kingdom and when I see you going after these
• 40:43
  ones, then you will be great in my Kingdom.
• 40:50
  And he. He gives extra motivation just
• 40:54
  in case that wasn't enough. He says what whoever receives
• 41:01
  one such child in my name receives who me receives me.
• 41:07
  I remember I told you earlier that if there's anything that
• 41:12
  would straighten us, it's to acknowledge the presence of
• 41:16
  Christ in all things, right? In all ways and all activities
• 41:19
  in all places. And here's another thing to add
• 41:21
  now, if you want to now go beyond that and achieve
• 41:24
  greatness, see Jesus in everyone.
• 41:30
  More importantly, how you and I go about treating those who seem
• 41:35
  insignificant or unimpressive is actually how we treat Christ
• 41:40
  according to Jesus. That's what he said.
• 41:45
  When you receive someone like this, you're actually receiving
• 41:50
  me. Lord, open our eyes to see as
• 41:55
  you see. Open our eyes to see how you
• 41:58
  want us to see. You actually receive me, and you
• 42:07
  go to Matthew 18. He elaborates on what that
• 42:08
  means. Because this is the exciting
• 42:10
  part, right? I mean, you're telling me, Lord,
• 42:12
  that if I, if I look after these ones, if I, if I give time to
• 42:15
  these ones, if I serve these ones, I'm actually serving you.
• 42:18
  Yes. And then there's actually a
• 42:19
  warning with that same truth. Let me give it to you.
• 42:21
  In Matthew 18, verse five, whoever receives one such child
• 42:28
  in my name receives me. That's what we just heard.
• 42:30
  But look at this in verse 6. But whoever causes one of these
• 42:33
  little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him
• 42:38
  to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to
• 42:41
  be drowned in the depths of the sea.
• 42:47
  The analogy of children for those in the Kingdom of God is
• 42:51
  still continuing here. He's not just speaking about
• 42:53
  little children physically, He's speaking about little children
• 42:56
  spiritually. Those in my church who are
• 42:59
  humble, those who might in my church who are weak, who are
• 43:02
  vulnerable. And this is the warning, because
• 43:05
  this is how closely associated the children of God are to God
• 43:08
  himself. If anybody intentionally
• 43:13
  persuades one of these little children that belong to God into
• 43:17
  sin and away from the will of God, it's better to suffer a
• 43:21
  horrific death. Not my words.
• 43:26
  I'm just the messenger. I'm just giving the message.
• 43:30
  That's what Jesus says. To to be in a conniving and
• 43:35
  manipulative way. Pulling somebody away from their
• 43:38
  walk with the Lord is dangerous. It's really dangerous.
• 43:46
  And this needs to be heralded for wolves who come into the
• 43:48
  church, because they know that they can take advantage of
• 43:50
  Christians who have been called to love and sacrifice and to
• 43:54
  give people a chance. That's why Jesus gives this kind
• 43:57
  of strong warning, because there are those who don't care.
• 44:04
  And instead of being moved to repentance through the light and
• 44:07
  love of God's people, they see it as an opportunity to take
• 44:11
  advantage, to satisfy themselves.
• 44:13
  And Jesus says it's better to take a giant rock.
• 44:15
  Tie it around your neck, jump. Off a bridge into the heart of
• 44:19
  the ocean than to do that. Why?
• 44:24
  Because that Christian is God's child, and that Christian
• 44:31
  doesn't just belong Jesus. Jesus lives in him.
• 44:36
  Jesus lives in her. Thank God for the gift of
• 44:42
  repentance that no matter what we've done, we can come to him
• 44:46
  and he is willing to forgive and cleanse us and wash us.
• 44:49
  He's even willing to receive a false teacher who was broken
• 44:52
  about their false teaching and all the damage that they've done
• 44:55
  to the Kingdom of God. He is willing even to receive
• 44:58
  such a one. That is the mercy of God and the
• 45:01
  patience of God even for sinners, not just his disciples.
• 45:08
  I'm challenged today, challenged early this morning, because like
• 45:14
  the disciples, we can hear something that's be moved by it,
• 45:17
  but return to that same way of thinking that true greatness
• 45:20
  looks like this and true greatness looks like that.
• 45:25
  You know what Jesus saying? You know what true greatness is
• 45:27
  to me? You taking two hours of your
• 45:31
  time during the week to call somebody from the church who has
• 45:35
  difficulty interacting with others because of insecurities
• 45:38
  and having lunch with them. That's true greatness If you
• 45:45
  willing to go above and beyond for the one who struggles in
• 45:50
  different ways, it may seem like a burden or may seem like they
• 45:54
  draw strength away from you. Don't give anything in return,
• 45:57
  that person when you I do even something small, that's
• 46:02
  greatness to me. Isn't that?
• 46:04
  Isn't that amazing? So I don't have to go to
• 46:07
  seminary? No, you don't have to go to
• 46:09
  seminary for different reasons. So I don't have to be this order
• 46:16
  and this eloquent, passionate presenter.
• 46:22
  No, Just be a servant of all. Will the disciples get it?
• 46:32
  No. But we can learn from that.
• 46:37
  We can get it. We can let the words of Christ
• 46:40
  sink into our ears. I hope more than anything else,
• 46:43
  this would motivate you to realize that goal of
• 46:46
  acknowledgement and commendation from Christ is just before you.
• 46:50
  You can reach out, and it's right there.
• 46:53
  You don't need the following. You don't need the channel.
• 46:55
  You don't need the accolades. You just we need to find some
• 47:03
  people to serve. Lord, we thank you that all of
• 47:09
  us can achieve this no matter who we are.
• 47:14
  Thank you for the reminder, Father.
• 47:16
  Thank you, Lord, that you desire us to put what we believe into
• 47:19
  action. Help us do that.
• 47:21
  We pray that the words of Christ would sink into our ears and may
• 47:25
  that birth in us a fresh motivation to say, I want to
• 47:31
  serve, I want to serve God's people.
• 47:32
  Lord, show me who to serve. Show me how to how to be, who
• 47:36
  you want me to be. And Lord, we just ask that even
• 47:41
  today this, this church, if it would be competitive in
• 47:46
  anything, it would be a competitive church in the place
• 47:50
  of service. Not for self exaltation, not to
• 47:57
  be the most liked and the most popular, but to be last place.
• 48:03
  Would you help us engrave that ambition in our hearts, and
• 48:10
  would it get into our blood and maybe lived out with your power?
• 48:16
  Lord, we thank you for being so patient with the disciples.
• 48:19
  Indeed, you are patient with us. Even if we we don't get it, you
• 48:22
  will still fight for us. Sit with us and teach us.
• 48:28
  Help us for leaving this place to live with a growing sense of
• 48:33
  your immediate presence. We want to walk with you in this
• 48:38
  life. We want to know communion with
• 48:40
  you in the most intimate way possible.
• 48:42
  In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.
• 48:45
  Amen. Let's stand and worship the Lord
• 48:47
  together.