Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / Amazed & Afraid | Mark 10:32-34 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series)

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Amazed & Afraid | Mark 10:32-34 | 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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  Mark chapter 10 and beginning here in verse 32.
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  And the scriptures read and they were on the road going up to
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  Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them and they were
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  amazed and those who followed were afraid.
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  And taking the 12 again he began to tell them what was to happen
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  to him, saying, see, we are going up to Jerusalem, And the
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  Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and
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  the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver
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  him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit
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  on him, and flog him and kill him.
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  And after three days he will rise.
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  Father, we ask for one simple thing together As a church, your
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  church, would you help us be amazed at Jesus and Lord?
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  Would that amazement that awakened ah cause us to be
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  stronger in our devotion to Him? Cleanse us now as we sit under
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  the washing of your word. In Jesus name, we pray.
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  Amen. This is a crucial and pivotal
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  moment in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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  For one simple reason, we read that he and his disciples are
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  now making their way towards Jerusalem.
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  Now that might not seem like an alarming transition for us, but
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  it should if we have been studying the gospel of Mark
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  carefully. With every glorious deed that
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  Christ did and every life altering encounter he had in the
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  background, there were powerful men plotting his death.
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  That's something you and I are aware of because we've been
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  studying this book very, very meticulously.
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  And this is something that the disciples themselves were very
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  much aware of. They understood that there were
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  people who wanted to kill their rabbi, and they also understood,
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  because they were close and public associates with him, that
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  they themselves were in danger of meeting the very same fate.
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  And so these disciples reacted in a certain way as they
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  realized that their pilot now has changed directions toward
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  Jerusalem. And to bring some proof that
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  this is what the disciples believed, recall when Jesus, as
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  just one example, heard the news of his friends Lazarus who was
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  sick and died and was planning to go and resurrect him.
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  The disciples understanding this, said in John 11 verse 8,
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  the disciples said to him says that verse Rabbi, the Jews were
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  just now seeking to stone you and are you going there again?
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  To make this even more significant, Bethany, where
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  Lazarus, Lazarus, and his sisters abided, was just a few
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  miles away from Jerusalem. And so the disciples understood
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  that the closer they and their master were to the city, the
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  greater the danger was. This was a den of lions, so to
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  speak. This is where his enemies had
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  their headquarters. It was a hotspot for trouble.
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  So then it makes sense in Mark 10 what we just read of the
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  reactions that they had again when they learned that this is
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  where they were going. The one place that should be
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  avoided is the one place now that they are making their way
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  too. And we read here of two
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  reactions. You heard it right and verse 32.
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  The first thing that we read is that they were amazed.
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  They were amazed. This is the same word.
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  It's a very strong word that's used in Mark chapter one of the
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  people, when they saw Jesus cast out a devil in the middle of the
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  synagogue meeting, they were amazed at the authority that
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  Jesus had. It's also the same word that was
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  used that we studied last week after Jesus.
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  I said how difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter
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  the Kingdom of God. The disciples were what they
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  were amazed because it collided with a belief system that they
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  had about those who are wealthy and how they had greater access
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  in favor with God. And so this is an amazement,
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  this is a a significant awe that they are experiencing.
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  But no miracle was performed. They're just walking.
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  There is no profound revelation that was made.
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  Christ is silently making his way toward this place.
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  So why the amazement? Why were they so moved to
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  wonder? I believe it's because of the
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  sight of their master in this transition, on this journey,
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  because they understood where he was going and they saw something
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  of a resolve in the Redeemer. It wasn't just the fact that he
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  is going there. Look at the way that he is going
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  there. Read carefully again.
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  Look at verse 32. And they were on the road going
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  up to Jerusalem and Jesus was not just walking, Jesus was
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  walking ahead of them. So the Lord knowing, as we just
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  read, knowing what's about to take place in a few days in
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  Jerusalem, he's not nervously trailing behind his students.
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  He was not pausing from time to time on that trip to second
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  guess his destination. No, what you see here is Christ
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  leading the way. He is in front of this minuscule
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  parade with perfect stride, completely resolute, absolutely
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  unswerving, and totally fearless.
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  Just envision this, this, this Christ who is not saying
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  anything but is making a statement by this March.
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  And that's what stunned these disciples.
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  The courage of their captain, the strength of their shepherd,
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  the tenacity of their teacher. They were, they were just
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  absolutely blown away by his heart posture in this moment.
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  Can I ask you a question? Now as we analyze this?
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  Are you amazed at Christ? Do you stand in awe of him?
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  Are there any thoughts that come to you that cause you to be like
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  these disciples, spellbound by him?
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  I can tell you with confidence that if you just come to this
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  book, there are many things, there are many things about him
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  that should amaze us. Where can we go?
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  There's so many places to go, and as you primarily come to
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  this word, surely the amazement continues as you walk with him
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  and see him intervene and lead and guide your life.
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  He has to be in front of you. Though, may I add, this is a
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  wonderful model of what discipleship looks like Christ
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  in front. But I thought about what amazes
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  me about Jesus. And there's so many things in
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  the Gospels alone. And there's one particular place
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  I quoted to you earlier, John 11, verse 8, how the disciples
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  were concerned about Jesus being in a very perilous position by
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  going to Bethany. And just in that first section
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  of John, Chapter 11, you have a glistening truths of the love of
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  Jesus Christ, rubies of his heart that shine so bright if
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  you would just take the time to meditate on them.
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  So why don't we do that? Allow me to just give you a
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  little bit of a taste of how amazing Jesus is.
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  Go to John 11 with me very quickly.
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  This is a very familiar passage, but maybe, maybe not to some.
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  And for those who are familiar, maybe this will bring fresh
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  insight. Lord amaze us once again.
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  John 11 verse one now certain man was ill Lazarus of Bethany,
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  the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
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  It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his
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  feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill.
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  So the sisters sent to him saying, Lord he whom you love is
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  ill Oh, there's so many things in those three verses.
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  Remember, the reason why I brought you to this neighborhood
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  in the Gospels is so that you would see how amazing just the
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  taste of how amazing Jesus is. Notice the description of Mary.
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  There are many Marys in the Bible, right?
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  So the Holy Spirit wants to define which Mary this is, but
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  it's more than just him defining which Mary we are Speaking of
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  because this is a very specific description.
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  Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with
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  her hair. So this is to demonstrate the
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  Mary who had a deep devotion to the Lord.
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  You know, scripture talks about a woman's hair being her glory
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  in First Corinthians 11. And she took her glory, and she
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  put it to the feet of Jesus. She took her perfume, that was a
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  year's worth of salary, and broke it in a way where she
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  couldn't regather its substance and poured it all out on the
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  Lord. The Holy Spirit wants you to
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  know this is the Mary that Jesus is ready to visit.
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  But it's not just the Mary that He is ready to visit.
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  This is a Mary who had a particular love for Christ, and
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  yet she was not exempt from pain.
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  She gave so much. She worshipped with great
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  intensity. She loved the Master.
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  And yet now, at this juncture, her brother is sick.
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  And this is painful. It's painful enough for them to
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  send word to the Lord Jesus. Please come.
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  Please come and do something about our brother.
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  We love him. You know, if you serve Christ,
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  you're not exempt from trials If you love Christ, If you worship
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  Christ, you're not free from pain in this life.
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  You're not free from witnessing loved ones experience pain in
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  your life. And don't you ever mistaken
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  crises in your life as some kind of a punishment for the weakness
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  of your devotion? There is discipline in the Lord,
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  but that's not the case for this woman.
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  That's not the case for many believers.
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  She loved the Lord. This is what the Holy Spirit's
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  remind. This is the Mary who had such
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  great adoration, and yet her brother, now he's sick and she's
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  broken as well. And she's worried and she's
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  concerned. But that's another message for
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  another time. They knew Jesus well enough to
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  give the message the way they gave it.
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  Again, look at verse three. Look at what they relayed
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  through these messengers. So the sisters sent him saying,
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  Lord, he whom you love is ill. So simple, so direct.
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  It's so beautiful. There is no elaborate
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  description. There was no appeal, as though
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  Christ is reluctant. Just Lord, he whom you love is.
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  I'll notice they didn't give Lazarus his name.
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  Lord, he whom you love is I'll. You know what that tells me?
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  It tells me that they knew Christ's love for Lazarus enough
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  for him to just hear that the one that he loves is ill and he
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  knew exactly who they were talking about.
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  That tells me that Lazarus's identity was woven and wrapped
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  with the love of Jesus Christ wrapped.
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  And they weren't appealing to Lazarus's love for Christ, they
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  were appealing to Christ's love for Lazarus.
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  So many times we come to a place of you in prayer, and we try to
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  make our appeal to Christ based on our love for Him.
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  And we should love him. We're commanded to love him, but
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  they understood something about Christ.
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  He moves from the place of love in his own heart.
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  Lord, he whom you love is ill, And Jesus knew exactly who they
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  were talking about. But notice there's no specific
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  request. They didn't say, Lord, he whom
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  you love is ill. Now come and heal him, Lord, he
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  whom you love is ill. Now send forth your word from
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  where you are, and he will be restored.
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  Just Lord, he whom you love is ill What does that mean?
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  Well, I don't think that encourages us not to be
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  specific. In our prayers.
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  We're called to give the Lord our specific request.
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  But I think there's a wonderful illustration here about how
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  Christ not only could translate the object of their need, right?
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  He whom you love is ill. I know that's Lazarus.
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  He can also interpret their need, even though they didn't
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  give the specific need, because there are times when pain is so
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  overwhelming and the trial is so confusing and the situation is
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  so complex that you don't even know how to direct the request.
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  You don't even know how the Lord should move in this situation.
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  And here's the example, and here's the illustration to
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  comfort your soul and mind. Just bring the need to him and
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  He knows exactly what to do with it.
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  He knows exactly what to do with it.
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  Isn't Christ amazing? Isn't he wonderful?
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  Do you stand in awe of him? Oh, there's an end there.
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  I better be careful. Also, we're going to stay in
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  John 11 for the rest of the day. But let's go down to verse 5
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  now. Jesus loved Martha and her
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  sister and Lazarus. You can't just read past these
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  verses. Please don't do that.
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  Jesus's love wasn't just for Lazarus.
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  The Holy Spirit wants us to know that he loved Mary.
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  He loved Martha and he loved Lazarus.
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  Now that might not seem like it's a deep thought.
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  Unless of course, you think about these individual
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  characters. And they were characters, and
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  they differed from each other. Mary was the worshipper.
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  Whenever you read Mary in the Gospels, you will always find
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  her at the feet of Jesus. Always.
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  Even in John 11, she'll end up finding herself at the feet of
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  Jesus. When she anoints Jesus, she's at
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  his feet. When Jesus came to their home,
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  remember, Martha was frantic running around.
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  Where was Mary? At his feet she was a
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  worshipper. She loved the Lord.
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  Martha was the server. She expressed her devotion by
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  going around and getting things done and it kind of bothered her
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  to see somebody just sitting there and enjoying the presence
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  of the Lord. Hey, we got things to do, let's
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  go. And she was also anxious.
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  She had that kind of temperament.
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  Lazarus, not much, he said about Lazarus.
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  He's very quiet fellow, but I like to see Lazarus as the
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  silent witness. Because what you'll read in John
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  is that many people heard about his resurrection and because of
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  his testimony they came to Christ and now Lazarus was in
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  danger. Lazarus is a picture of the
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  witness, Mary's the worshipper, right?
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  Martha's the server. And Lazarus was the one who
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  testified of what Christ's power can do in a life.
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  Very different, very different strengths, very different
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  gifting, so to speak, different weaknesses.
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  And Jesus loved them all equally.
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  You know, you and I are tempted to look at another brother or
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  sister and dis disapprove of them or criticize them, perhaps
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  because they're not like you. They're not like me.
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  Christ doesn't discriminate with his love.
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  He looks at each of us. This is what this verse is
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  teaching. He looks at each of us, and we
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  are all familiar with each other enough to know that we're all
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  different. We're all different in many
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  ways. We laugh at different jokes.
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  We interpret things differently in life sometimes, though it
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  should be ultimately filtered in the word of God.
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  We have different strengths and different weaknesses.
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  This verse teaches Christ loves each of us.
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  His love is personal. It's individual.
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  It's not just this corporate declaration.
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  I love my church, not he loves each of us.
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  Are you amazed at Jesus? I can keep going about how Jesus
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  love. It's different the way we
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  understand love because he loved Lazarus and when he received the
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  news, it says because he loved them that he waited a few extra
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  days. You would think if you love
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  Lazarus that you would pick up your bags right there and go.
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  But Christ's love is also interwoven with wisdom and he
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  knows how to express his love far greater than you.
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  And I think he should. But let's come back to Mark.
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  They were amazed at Jesus. Oh, I pray that you would be
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  amazed at Jesus. And they're amazed because they
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  were willing. They were seeing a Christ who
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  was willing to go into a very dangerous place.
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  You know the the revelation that the disciples had about Christ
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  and his death still produce an amazement.
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  You and I have a full understanding of the purpose of
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  Christ that shouldn't that cause greater amazement?
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  It should. But that's not the only response
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  that they had. We read here in verse 32, and
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  they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.
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  And it's generally believed that it's the same people.
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  Some would say it was a crowd, another crowd that was there
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  that was also afraid. But this is speaking primarily
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  about the disciples. So there was a mixture of
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  emotion here, and we don't have to go into great explanation to
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  why they were afraid. You and I just heard why they
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  were afraid. They put the pieces together.
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  But there's another phrase here, a phrase that's connected to
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  that second emotion that's important for us to consider.
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  And those who followed were afraid, and those who followed
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  were afraid though they were fearful, Listen to this, they
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  still followed. Sometimes following the Lord can
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  be scary, can be daunting, can be intimidating, can be
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  threatening, can be risky. And yes, we should ultimately be
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  amazed at Christ. But let's be inspired by these
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  disciples. They were fearful, but they
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  still followed. You know why that's an important
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  thought? Because there are too many
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  professing Christians who allow their feelings to drive their
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  devotion, whether that be heightened positive feelings or
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  unfavorable feelings of despair. Discouragement.
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  You cannot allow what you feel to determine your devotion.
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  A true mature disciple though, these disciples were immature in
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  many ways, and this place, this is something that we can draw
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  from. They show that it's conviction,
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  it's conviction that should ultimately determine your
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  destination. If you're waiting for feeling
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  you're never going to be consistent, you're never going
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  to know perseverance. You're never going to know the
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  flourishing of a ministry. You're never going to come to
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  this house consistently. I don't feel like it.
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  Well, you're not going to go very far.
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  And so these disciples show here that it's not about emotion.
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  And again, though, they were failures in different regards,
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  and though they had shortcomings, here's one thing
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  that moves me Wherever Christ was willing to go, they were
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  going to go. So again, I told you about John
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  11. I don't know why we keep going
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  back there, but why not? So they understood even in John
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  11, Lord, if you go there, I mean they they try to kill you.
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  You want to go in the same facility, You want to go in the
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  same parameters. And Jesus said, I'm going, we
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  must go to our friend Lazarus. And one of the disciples spoke
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  up. He said something that is so
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  profound because he, he tends to have a negative reputation among
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  evangelicals. Thomas.
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  Who's Thomas known as Doubting Thomas?
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  Pessimistic. But you know what Thomas said in
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  John 11. Maybe you've never seen Thomas
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  in this light. When they learned Jesus was
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  going to Bethany, Thomas said in John 1116.
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  So Thomas called the twin and said to his fellow disciples,
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  let us also go that we may die with him.
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  How about that for doubting Thomas?
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  All right, Lord, we told you that if you go there you might
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  get stoned again. Lord said, we're going to our
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  friend Lazarus. So Thomas looks at the
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  disciples, says, all right guys, let's go and be prepared to die.
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  That's discipleship. OK, Lord, I don't know where or
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  why you're leading me in this way.
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  There's a lot of fear in my heart right now because I know
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  exactly where this might be going in terms of this moment.
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  But I'm still going to go. I'm still going to follow you.
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  And don't limit that challenge to fear.
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  We don't have much to be afraid of here in the West.
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  We will in a few years, in the flesh at least.
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  But paint that for everything across the whole board.
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  Any feeling that would challenge your commitment to follow Christ
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  further, know that. What will be the secret to
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  overcoming those obstacles? It's conviction.
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  I know this to be true. I know what his word says,
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  whether my feelings at this time agree with it or not.
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  He is Lord, He is worthy. I am his servant.
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  I'm his child. I have one life.
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  I want to live it for him. I'm going to serve him.
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  I'm going to follow him. Now we come here to Jesus and
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  mark 10, pulling his disciples aside and it says here and
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  taking the 12 again. The latter part of verse 32, He
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  began to tell them what was to happen to him and Jesus.
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  Now, for the third time, the gospel of Mark is foretelling
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  his death, his suffering, his resurrection.
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  This is the third time he's going to do it, and each time he
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  shared it with the 12. He added more detail than the
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  last. So it's very close in Mark Go to
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  Mark 831. Let's read these different
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  instances where he shares and predicts his death, and let's do
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  a comparative analysis. In Mark 831 we read and he began
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  to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and
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  be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the
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  scribes and be killed and after three days rise again.
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  So this is the most basic explanation he gives.
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  He's going to be rejected by the chief rulers, he is going to
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  suffer, he is going to die, and he is going to resurrect.
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  That's the first time. Now notice the second time the
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  detail that he adds in Mark 931, not 830-1931.
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  It says here for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them
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  the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men
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  and they will kill him. And when he is killed after
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  three days he will rise. What is Christ at here?
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  He will be delivered, which is synonymous with what He will be
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  betrayed. There is going to be a betrayal
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  that's going to make this death possible.
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  And so he says to the disciples and he brings further light,
• 23:46
  there is going to be a betrayal. And now we come to the last time
• 23:51
  and notice the great detail of the suffering.
• 23:53
  And also another important feature, verse 33.
• 23:58
  We are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be delivered
• 24:01
  over to the chief priests and the scribes and they will
• 24:05
  condemn them to death and deliver them over to the
• 24:08
  Gentiles. There's the 3rd and final most
• 24:11
  important detail that's added before Christ actually
• 24:14
  experienced this prediction. What is this all to mean?
• 24:20
  Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen to him exactly.
• 24:28
  Every scene he has been prepared for, and every time he explains
• 24:34
  it and they come closer to this, he wants to let them know I have
• 24:38
  a full understanding of what's about to take place, and that's
• 24:41
  important for you to know for many reasons.
• 24:43
  Let me give you a real life example to why.
• 24:45
  Just a few days ago I had a conversation with a Muslim and
• 24:50
  obviously it didn't take too long for us to get to the person
• 24:53
  of Jesus Christ and the deity of Christ.
• 24:56
  And this very passionate individual began to criticize
• 25:02
  what seems to be contradictions in our Bible concerning the
• 25:05
  person of Jesus Christ and his dual nature.
• 25:08
  And it came to this point, your Christ, apparently your God who
• 25:12
  came in the flesh was overtaken, overcome by Jewish people by his
• 25:17
  enemies and they nailed him. What kind of a God is that?
• 25:21
  You claim that he's God and he was arrested and he was dragged
• 25:25
  to his death. That's your God.
• 25:31
  And he was coming from the place as though Christ was taken by
• 25:34
  surprise. And we have to understand that
• 25:38
  Christ was not taken by surprise.
• 25:39
  He predicted it. Listen, not only did he predict
• 25:43
  it, he permitted it. And here's where the
• 25:46
  conversation ended, where Jesus says there in John 1018, no one
• 25:50
  takes it from me. But I laid down on my own
• 25:53
  accord, and of my own accord. I will rise it up again.
• 25:56
  And that's where the conversation ended.
• 26:00
  Christ knew. He predicted it, He was aware of
• 26:03
  it, and he permitted it. No one can take it from Him.
• 26:06
  He in his own authority, He by his own accord, lays it down,
• 26:11
  and he will bring it up. But notice something else about
• 26:15
  these three instances where Christ predicts and foretells of
• 26:18
  his suffering, death, and resurrection.
• 26:21
  He speaks in a certain tense each time, right?
• 26:26
  He speaks in the third person. The Son of Man will be delivered
• 26:29
  over. And if you look at the text that
• 26:30
  we have before us today, notice the last part.
• 26:34
  It says here in verse 34 they will mock him and spit on him
• 26:38
  and flog him and kill him. Well, isn't it Christ?
• 26:42
  So why isn't he saying they will deliver me over to the chief
• 26:47
  priest and they will condemn me to death and deliver me over to
• 26:51
  the Gentiles and they will mock me and spit on me and flog me
• 26:53
  and kill me. Why is he speaking in the third
• 26:55
  person? Because it's strategic and he's
• 27:00
  a teacher and he understands his audience, Christ and explaining
• 27:04
  what's about to happen to him. The culmination of his mission
• 27:07
  here is from the standpoint of prophecy.
• 27:12
  That's why he's speaking this way.
• 27:14
  He wants to let him know that this event is not isolated from
• 27:17
  something that has been predicted and prophesied
• 27:20
  throughout the centuries. This is something that has been
• 27:24
  anticipated. This is something that has been
• 27:26
  declared by the mouths of men of God.
• 27:29
  And he's trying to help his disciples, who are very
• 27:31
  ignorant, especially of these prophecies concerning the
• 27:34
  Messiah. What's about to happen is not
• 27:37
  random. It's not isolated to me.
• 27:40
  It's something that is part of redemptive history.
• 27:44
  And so he speaks about it as though he is an outsider, not
• 27:48
  because it's not going to happen to him, because he wants him to
• 27:50
  know of the bigger picture. And if you need proof of that,
• 27:53
  when you look at Luke's parallel account of the same thing that
• 27:56
  we're studying, let me just read it to you.
• 27:57
  You could write it down as a reference.
• 27:59
  Here is the confirmation that This is why Christ spoke in this
• 28:02
  format. And Luke 1831, we read and
• 28:05
  taking the 12, he said to them, see, we are going up to
• 28:10
  Jerusalem and everything that is written about the Son of Man by
• 28:15
  the prophets will be accomplished.
• 28:17
  You see, disciples, I'm trying to show you that this was
• 28:23
  written and what I'm going to do is going to accomplish what has
• 28:26
  been written. And so he speaks in this way.
• 28:29
  But you know what? That tells me something that you
• 28:32
  know, but let it awake in a fresh amazement.
• 28:37
  Christ's death, the way of his death, his betrayal, his burial,
• 28:45
  his triumph, his victory over the grave can be found in the
• 28:50
  Hebrew Scriptures. It's been written.
• 28:54
  It's there. I want to challenge you.
• 28:57
  You've heard me say this before. Can you and I present the gospel
• 29:01
  using the Old Testament alone? We should be able to.
• 29:05
  We should be familiar with what has been written.
• 29:08
  And Jesus here emphatically declares the Passion of the
• 29:11
  Christ is not a spontaneous story.
• 29:13
  It has been a forecasted one. It is something that's been
• 29:16
  declared from the ages ago, and even the resolve here of the
• 29:20
  Savior is demonstrated as a fulfillment of prophecy.
• 29:26
  Did you hear what I just said? Even Christ here and his
• 29:28
  attitude towards what's about to come this impending moment was
• 29:33
  prophesied about. Let me prove it to you just to
• 29:37
  go to show how rich the scriptures are.
• 29:40
  So here's a prophecy about the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 50.
• 29:44
  And look at this if you want to know this moment of Jesus making
• 29:47
  his way toward Jerusalem. Can this be found in the Hebrew
• 29:49
  scriptures? I say to you, yes it can.
• 29:52
  And Isaiah 50, verse five, notice what we read hundreds of
• 29:56
  years, several, 100 years before Christ.
• 29:59
  Incarnation. Isaiah 50, verse 5.
• 30:02
  Just to whet your appetite, here's Isaiah speaking with the
• 30:08
  prophetic tone of the Messiah speaking the Lord God has opened
• 30:11
  my ear. Pause.
• 30:13
  You know what that means? Open my ear.
• 30:16
  If you were a Hebrew slave and you served your master for six
• 30:21
  years, on the 7th year you were released, and if you loved your
• 30:24
  master, goes to show what kind of slavery they actually
• 30:27
  endured. If you loved your master, if you
• 30:31
  want to remain with your master, you can turn back to your master
• 30:34
  and say I want to be your servant forever.
• 30:36
  And the ordination for that, the event that would seal that
• 30:40
  relationship is that the servant would allow his ear to be
• 30:44
  pierced with an awl that would brand him as a servant of that
• 30:47
  master forever. And here's the Messiah saying,
• 30:50
  the Lord has opened my ear, I am his servant, his permanent
• 30:56
  servant. And notice what he says next.
• 31:00
  And I was not rebellious. I turned not backward.
• 31:06
  Verse six I gave my back to those who strike and my cheeks
• 31:11
  to those who pull out the beard. I hid not my face from disgrace
• 31:15
  and spitting. Verse seven.
• 31:18
  You want to know why he was so confident?
• 31:19
  You want to know why he had such strength?
• 31:21
  But the Lord God helps me. Therefore I have not been
• 31:25
  disgraced. Therefore I have set my face
• 31:27
  like a Flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.
• 31:32
  That's Messiah and Luke 9. In describing Jesus turning
• 31:38
  point in his ministry where he goes towards Jerusalem, he
• 31:42
  borrows the language of Isaiah 50 He says he set his face
• 31:46
  toward Jerusalem. Where does that come from?
• 31:49
  Isaiah. So even the journey to the
• 31:52
  suffering, the prophet said it's going to happen, it's going to
• 31:57
  happen. He didn't turn his back, he
• 31:58
  didn't become rebellious. He knew exactly the play by play
• 32:02
  of his passion, and he went with the strength of the Lord.
• 32:07
  That's our Christ. But notice what Jesus also says
• 32:11
  in these three instances of foretelling his death and his
• 32:15
  resurrection. He calls himself the Son of Man
• 32:18
  each time, the Son of Man, the Son of Man, the Son of Man.
• 32:24
  In fact, this is the Lord's favorite title to describe to
• 32:28
  himself in the Gospels. And the common understanding and
• 32:33
  looking at those two major titles that Christ gives himself
• 32:35
  and that others also give, Son of God implies his what Deity,
• 32:42
  Son of Man infers his what? Humanity.
• 32:47
  That's a basic understanding of those two titles, those
• 32:51
  designations. And it's true.
• 32:53
  You look at Ezekiel and Ezekiel over and over again by the Lord
• 32:56
  is referred to as Son of Man, Son of Man, Son of Man.
• 32:59
  You see it in the Psalms and describing humanity and their
• 33:02
  frailty, Son of Man, Son of Man, When his ego is called Son of
• 33:05
  Man, all that the Lord was saying is you're human and you
• 33:07
  come from a human. But when you look at and analyze
• 33:12
  and survey the Gospels completely, you understand that
• 33:15
  Jesus's referral to this title has a deeper significance.
• 33:18
  And some of you are already very familiar with us.
• 33:20
  Maybe some are not. There's a profound truth in
• 33:23
  Christ saying I am the Son of Man, and the clearest
• 33:30
  description and meaning of this is found during Jesus trial,
• 33:35
  which I think is one of the strongest references you can go
• 33:37
  to to prove Jesus, his understanding and his
• 33:42
  emphatically clear identification as the Messiah.
• 33:45
  Here's the high priest looking at a silent man who's not
• 33:50
  defending himself because he is a lamb who is silent and he's
• 33:53
  ready to embrace his slaughter. And finally, he demands, speak
• 33:58
  up. I adjure you by the living God,
• 34:00
  tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.
• 34:04
  And this is a Matthew 2663. And in 64 of Matthew 26 Jesus
• 34:09
  said to him, you have said so. He didn't deny it.
• 34:13
  Are you the Christ? Are you the Son of God?
• 34:15
  You're right. I'm not rejecting that claim.
• 34:20
  I embrace that claim. But he adds to it.
• 34:23
  You have said so, but I tell you, from now on you will see
• 34:28
  the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power and coming
• 34:33
  on the clouds of heaven. And you know what the response
• 34:37
  of the High Priest was? He tore his robes.
• 34:40
  Blasphemy. What more do we need to hear?
• 34:46
  He's not only confirmed my claim, he's added to it with
• 34:49
  what? If Son of Man strictly means I'm
• 34:52
  human, then the response of the High Priest doesn't make much
• 34:57
  sense. But if you understand Jesus
• 35:00
  reference here to a specific instance in the Hebrew
• 35:03
  scriptures of an exalted heavenly divine figure, then it
• 35:08
  makes sense. I am the Son of Man and those
• 35:14
  who understood the scriptures knew exactly what Christ meant
• 35:18
  clearly by their response. It's a prophecy.
• 35:21
  In Daniel 7, verse 13, Daniel 713, Daniel has a vision.
• 35:28
  He has a vision of the ancient of days on his throne.
• 35:31
  And yet that scene is interrupted by one who had a
• 35:34
  human form like appearance. And when he enters, we read how
• 35:39
  he enters a verse 13 of Daniel seven.
• 35:42
  I saw in the night visions, Daniel says.
• 35:44
  And behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son
• 35:49
  of man, and he came to the ancient of days and was
• 35:53
  presented before him. Now he doesn't just come this,
• 35:58
  this human like individual, doesn't just appear on the
• 36:01
  scene, he comes with the clouds of heaven.
• 36:04
  That's an important detail, and the reason why that's important
• 36:07
  is because to ride on the clouds, to have authority with
• 36:11
  the clouds is a prerogative and a privilege that is only
• 36:14
  experienced and demonstrated by Yahweh alone.
• 36:17
  And there are many verses in the Old Testament that ascribe
• 36:20
  Yahweh with the clouds as a display of His Majesty and
• 36:24
  power. And yet here is Daniel now
• 36:27
  having this vision of the ancient of days, and he sees
• 36:30
  this human like individual appear, not just appear, but
• 36:35
  with a right that exclusively belonged to Yahweh.
• 36:38
  He came with the clouds of heaven, so he looks like a
• 36:44
  human, but he's sharing divine rights and the Ancient of Days
• 36:50
  has no problem doing it. He is presented before him and
• 36:55
  you read later on the same prophecy.
• 36:57
  The Kingdom was given over to him, dominion was given over to
• 36:59
  him, glory was given over to him and the peoples served him.
• 37:02
  And if you look at that word, serve, it's not just helping
• 37:05
  somebody or or giving somebody some assistance.
• 37:07
  It means worship one like a son of man.
• 37:12
  That's how Daniel was describing it.
• 37:13
  There's someone here. He looks like a man, but he
• 37:15
  can't be a man. He's coming with the clouds of
• 37:18
  heaven and he's been given all of this, all these things that
• 37:21
  belong to God alone. Who is this man?
• 37:24
  Jesus. He tells this people and his
• 37:29
  trial, you will see him, the Son of Man.
• 37:33
  That's me coming at the right hand of the power and with the
• 37:38
  clouds of heaven. So what's the blasphemy here?
• 37:43
  That he's Messiah? More than that, that he is a
• 37:46
  divine Messiah claiming to be God.
• 37:50
  And This is why they responded the way they did.
• 37:54
  And so we come here in closing. He says Son of Man will suffer,
• 37:58
  Son of Man will die, Son of Man will resurrect.
• 38:05
  Here's a practical point for us to conclude our time before we
• 38:09
  providentially reflect on the suffering of our Lord.
• 38:13
  Here's Jesus, fully aware of the script of his suffering.
• 38:20
  You know what he does. Think about it.
• 38:23
  Just think about it. If you knew this evening you
• 38:27
  were going to die a grueling, torturous death, Hey, sometimes
• 38:32
  we disconnect from the humanity element of this.
• 38:35
  Yes, he is God, but he's also a man.
• 38:41
  And so it's OK to think on a practical level of what the
• 38:44
  implications of this are. Well, he's going to resurrect.
• 38:48
  Well, yeah, you're going to resurrect, and so am I.
• 38:51
  But Can you imagine, knowing that if you go to a certain
• 38:54
  place today, that you would be arrested, that you'd be
• 38:57
  tortured, that you'd be humiliated, Would you go there?
• 39:03
  I don't think so. That you would go in the direct
• 39:05
  opposite direction. Right.
• 39:07
  Not the Lord. He goes toward it.
• 39:12
  And as he's going toward, what kind of preparation do you make
• 39:15
  for that? That in a few days, this is how
• 39:18
  I'm going to go in a few days. This is where everything is
• 39:22
  going to change. I wonder what he was doing as he
• 39:26
  was walking ahead. Was he praying to the Father?
• 39:28
  Was he communing with him as he was striving?
• 39:30
  We're not told. But you know what happens at
• 39:33
  some point, as Christ is there, focused with resolve, strength,
• 39:37
  glory, majesty. He pauses, and he takes his
• 39:40
  fearful disciples aside, and He teaches them.
• 39:45
  Why is He teaching them this? Why is He taking the time to do
• 39:48
  this? Because he wants to prepare
• 39:50
  them, Says as much as he is there, ready to fulfill
• 39:53
  prophecy, ready to honor the Father.
• 39:55
  He's thinking of his students, and he wants them to be ready.
• 40:00
  Think about the compassion, the tenderness of the Lord.
• 40:04
  He's so much invested in these talk.
• 40:07
  He's so much invested in US. That as he is leading us, as He
• 40:12
  is walking ahead of us, He is mindful of us.
• 40:17
  He is mindful of you and I. So he tells these disciples,
• 40:21
  Look, this is what's going to happen, and let me be as
• 40:23
  detailed as possible so you're not shocked by it.
• 40:27
  It's been written. It's going to happen.
• 40:29
  I'm going to accomplish it. And it's not until I get back
• 40:33
  two weeks from now where you and I will be able to explore.
• 40:38
  I mean, the inspiration of the disciples doesn't last very
• 40:40
  long. Doesn't.
• 40:42
  Yes, they're falling while they're afraid.
• 40:44
  And Jesus talking about his humiliation and his suffering,
• 40:46
  And then what's going to happen next?
• 40:48
  Hey, Lord, can we sit closest to you in the Kingdom?
• 40:55
  When are you going to get it? When am I going to get it?
• 41:00
  When are you going to get it? Takes some time.
• 41:04
  But he is a patient shepherd. He's a kind God.
• 41:09
  Today, you and I have an opportunity, by God's perfect
• 41:12
  leadership, with this text on the 1st Sunday of the month to
• 41:16
  be amazed at the Lord. Can we prepare our hearts to do
• 41:21
  that? As you are bowing your head, I
• 41:36
  hope that you're also bowing your heart.
• 41:42
  We're going to hear a brief exhortation in a moment
• 41:44
  concerning the Lord's table, but I just want to do my part and
• 41:47
  let you know that if you're here visiting to us, we're visiting
• 41:49
  with us. We're so grateful that you can
• 41:50
  be here. But this, this part of the
• 41:52
  worship service is dedicated to Christians who have professed
• 41:56
  their faith and repented of their sin and are confident that
• 41:59
  they are a child of God by faith.
• 42:03
  And so this is reserved for Christians, And we just kindly
• 42:07
  ask you to reserve from participating.
• 42:09
  You have every right to watch and participate as an observer.
• 42:15
  And as you're observing, what you're seeing is people who are
• 42:17
  making a declaration that they are saved by the grace of God,
• 42:21
  not by their own merit, not by their own efforts, not by their
• 42:24
  own obedience, but by the obedience of Christ.
• 42:29
  And believers as you're sitting there today, please, this is a
• 42:31
  holy moment. This is a sacred scene.
• 42:35
  Just forget what's happening around you right now.
• 42:37
  Don't be distracted. This is very precious to the
• 42:40
  Lord and He calls us to see it as such.
• 42:44
  Just reflect on the performance of Jesus Christ.
• 42:48
  You have eternal life because of His body and blood.
• 42:53
  There may be many uncertainties in 2024 for the rest of your
• 42:56
  life, but one thing is guaranteed.
• 42:58
  You have heaven because of the love of the Savior for you.
• 43:03
  And Please remember He loved Lazarus and Martha and Mary.
• 43:07
  Christ Love is for you, not just His church as a whole, but you
• 43:12
  put your name on it. Jesus loves you At the same
• 43:17
  time. He calls us to be reflective.
• 43:19
  If our hearts have not demonstrated A conscious
• 43:22
  devotion to Him, if we're holding on to sin, and yet we
• 43:26
  come here to declare the sufficiency and the beauty of
• 43:29
  His cross, then we do so in vain.
• 43:33
  And so we must repent. If there's any sin in us, we
• 43:36
  must relinquish it, divorce ourselves from it, and plead
• 43:40
  with the Lord to forgive you. Because His grace does not
• 43:44
  stimulate sin, it should stimulate holiness.
• 43:49
  If you're at odds with someone, if there is contention, if
• 43:51
  there's tension that has not been addressed between you and
• 43:54
  another believer, the Lord does not want you to participate at
• 43:57
  this table. He wants you to lay your gift at
• 44:00
  the altar. Go make it right, and then come
• 44:02
  and do this again. So relish in his redemption.
• 44:07
  Reflect on your life. We're going to sing in a moment
• 44:10
  here and then we're going to partake after Pastor Daniel
• 44:13
  shares a few verses with us if the team can come now in
• 44:18
  preparation to sing.