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Berean Community Church Sunday Service 11-29-2020


Whisper Transcript | Transcript Only Page

00:00:00.000 | of death to you alone belongs the highest praise
00:00:07.120 | to you alone belongs the highest praise to you alone belongs the highest praise
00:00:26.240 | to you alone.
00:00:36.000 | [SIDE CONVERSATION]
00:00:57.220 | Should nothing of our efforts stand, no legacy survive,
00:01:08.140 | unless the Lord does raise the house in vain,
00:01:14.900 | its builders strive.
00:01:21.820 | To you who boasts tomorrow's gain,
00:01:26.900 | tell me, what is your life?
00:01:32.100 | Amidst it vanishes, it done, all glory be to Christ.
00:01:42.300 | All glory be to Christ, our King.
00:01:47.420 | All glory be to Christ, His rule and reign we'll ever sing.
00:01:57.620 | All glory be to Christ, His will be done,
00:02:07.780 | His kingdom come on earth as is above.
00:02:15.460 | Who is Himself our daily bread?
00:02:20.580 | Praise Him, the Lord of love.
00:02:25.740 | Let living water satisfy the thirsty without price.
00:02:35.940 | We'll take a cup of kindness yet, all glory be to Christ.
00:02:46.140 | All glory be to Christ, our King.
00:02:51.300 | All glory be to Christ, His rule and reign we'll ever sing.
00:03:01.500 | All glory be to Christ.
00:03:05.980 | When on the day the great I am, the faithful and the true,
00:03:18.940 | the Him who was for sin slain is making of His new.
00:03:29.420 | Behold, our God shall live with us and be our steadfast light.
00:03:39.700 | And we shall let His people be, all glory be to Christ.
00:03:49.900 | All glory be to Christ, our King.
00:03:55.020 | All glory be to Christ, His rule and reign we'll ever sing.
00:04:05.220 | All glory be to Christ.
00:04:10.260 | All glory be to Christ, our King.
00:04:15.460 | All glory be to Christ, His rule and reign we'll ever sing.
00:04:25.660 | All glory be to Christ.
00:04:30.300 | [INTERPOSING VOICES]
00:04:33.780 | [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:04:37.260 | [INTERPOSING VOICES]
00:04:40.740 | [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:05:00.620 | [MUSIC - "THE MYSTERY OF THE CROSS"]
00:05:04.100 | The mystery of the cross I cannot comprehend,
00:05:16.900 | the agonies of Calvary.
00:05:24.100 | You, the perfect Holy One, crushed your son,
00:05:30.900 | who drank the bitter cup reserved for me.
00:05:37.580 | Your blood has washed away my sin, Jesus, thank you.
00:05:44.980 | The Father's wrath completely satisfied, Jesus, thank you.
00:05:52.100 | Once your enemy, now seated at your table, Jesus, thank you.
00:06:16.580 | By your perfect sacrifice, I've been
00:06:21.220 | by your enemy and you've made your friend.
00:06:27.020 | Pouring out the riches of your glorious grace,
00:06:37.460 | your mercy and your kindness know your way.
00:06:43.980 | Your blood has washed away my sin, Jesus, thank you.
00:06:51.460 | The Father's wrath completely satisfied, Jesus, thank you.
00:06:58.460 | Once your enemy, now seated at your table, Jesus, thank you.
00:07:06.940 | Thank you.
00:07:07.940 | Jesus, thank you.
00:07:16.940 | Father of my story, I want to live for you.
00:07:34.420 | Father of my soul, I want to live for you.
00:07:47.420 | Father of my soul, I want to live for you.
00:08:01.900 | Father of my soul, I want to live for you.
00:08:14.900 | Your blood has washed away my sin, Jesus, thank you.
00:08:22.900 | The Father's wrath completely satisfied, Jesus, thank you.
00:08:30.900 | Jesus, thank you.
00:08:32.900 | Your blood has washed away my sin, Jesus, thank you.
00:08:39.900 | The Father's wrath completely satisfied, Jesus, thank you.
00:08:46.900 | Once your enemy, now seated at your table, Jesus, thank you.
00:08:55.900 | Jesus, thank you.
00:08:57.900 | Jesus, thank you.
00:09:05.900 | Once your enemy, now seated at your table, Jesus, thank you.
00:09:23.900 | [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:09:26.900 | [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:09:29.900 | [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:09:32.900 | [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:09:35.900 | [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:09:38.900 | [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:09:41.900 | [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:09:45.900 | [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:09:48.900 | (rock music)
00:09:51.320 | ♪ Hear my vision ♪
00:10:17.160 | ♪ Oh Lord of my heart ♪
00:10:22.160 | ♪ Not me or else to me ♪
00:10:28.720 | ♪ Save that Thou art ♪
00:10:34.220 | ♪ Thou my best hope ♪
00:10:39.660 | ♪ By day or by night ♪
00:10:46.260 | ♪ Waking or sleeping ♪
00:10:50.960 | ♪ Thy presence my light ♪
00:10:54.380 | ♪ Hear my wisdom ♪
00:11:11.460 | ♪ Thou my true word ♪
00:11:16.460 | ♪ I ever with Thee end ♪
00:11:21.980 | ♪ Thou with me Lord ♪
00:11:27.660 | ♪ Thou my great hope ♪
00:11:31.300 | - Happy Lord's Day.
00:11:33.860 | We will now begin our service.
00:11:38.780 | (upbeat music)
00:11:41.360 | And I love you.
00:11:44.300 | ♪ And all of you is more than enough for ♪
00:11:49.300 | ♪ All of me for every thirsting ♪
00:11:55.140 | ♪ And we need you satisfy me ♪
00:12:01.340 | ♪ With your love and all I have in you ♪
00:12:08.260 | ♪ More than enough ♪
00:12:11.260 | - Lord, my song.
00:12:22.580 | ♪ Thou supply ♪
00:12:26.220 | ♪ Thou bread for mine ♪
00:12:30.380 | ♪ Still more awesome than I know ♪
00:12:35.220 | ♪ You are my reward ♪
00:12:39.060 | ♪ Than before ♪
00:12:42.860 | ♪ Still more awesome than I know ♪
00:12:46.460 | ♪ All of you is more than enough for ♪
00:12:51.460 | ♪ All of me for every thirsting ♪
00:12:57.260 | ♪ And we need you satisfy me ♪
00:13:04.780 | ♪ With your love and all I have in you ♪
00:13:09.780 | ♪ More than enough ♪
00:13:13.580 | - You're my sacrifice.
00:13:24.140 | ♪ You're my sacrifice ♪
00:13:28.700 | ♪ You're the greatest cross ♪
00:13:32.820 | ♪ Still more awesome than I know ♪
00:13:37.540 | ♪ You're my coming king ♪
00:13:40.740 | ♪ You are everything ♪
00:13:45.260 | ♪ Still more awesome than I know ♪
00:13:48.860 | ♪ All of you is more than enough for ♪
00:13:53.860 | ♪ All of me for every thirsting ♪
00:14:00.980 | ♪ And we need you satisfy me ♪
00:14:05.980 | ♪ With your love and all I have in you ♪
00:14:12.300 | ♪ More than all I want ♪
00:14:15.060 | ♪ More than all I want ♪
00:14:18.180 | ♪ More than all I need ♪
00:14:22.860 | ♪ You are more than enough for me ♪
00:14:27.460 | ♪ More than all I know ♪
00:14:30.660 | ♪ More than all I can see ♪
00:14:35.340 | ♪ You are more than enough for me ♪
00:14:40.340 | ♪ More than enough for ♪
00:14:44.900 | ♪ All of me for every thirsting ♪
00:14:49.900 | ♪ And we need you satisfy me ♪
00:14:57.900 | ♪ With your love and all I have in you ♪
00:15:02.900 | ♪ Is more than enough ♪
00:15:07.260 | ♪ And all I have in you ♪
00:15:10.540 | ♪ Is more than enough ♪
00:15:13.700 | - Good morning, everybody.
00:15:23.340 | I wanna welcome all of you guys to this morning's service.
00:15:25.900 | And particularly if you are new to the church,
00:15:28.260 | we wanna extend a warm welcome to you
00:15:30.540 | and let you know that we have a special event
00:15:32.380 | scheduled for Sunday, December 13th at 1.30 p.m.
00:15:37.260 | It's going to be online,
00:15:38.900 | but it'll be an informal time
00:15:40.420 | of getting to know some of our church leaders,
00:15:42.780 | to find out some of the visions
00:15:44.700 | and things that are happening,
00:15:45.780 | programs that are happening at church,
00:15:47.540 | and to ask any questions that you may have.
00:15:49.780 | If you are interested in joining,
00:15:51.220 | please see our website,
00:15:54.260 | or you could also just visit
00:15:55.740 | with one of our welcome team members,
00:15:57.180 | and they'll be happy to sign you up.
00:15:59.220 | I wanna also highlight that, again,
00:16:00.940 | as the end of the year approaches,
00:16:02.240 | we have our holiday outreach opportunities.
00:16:05.220 | One of those opportunities named Royal Family Opportunity,
00:16:08.340 | today is the last day to sign up for that.
00:16:11.100 | The links, again, are on our app, church app,
00:16:14.020 | and on the Facebook site.
00:16:15.900 | So please go ahead and refer to those.
00:16:18.060 | The other opportunities are listed,
00:16:19.740 | and I just wanna make mention
00:16:21.300 | for the OC Rescue Mission drop-off box
00:16:24.660 | is there in the back, right by the entrance.
00:16:27.540 | The last announcement is,
00:16:28.580 | as we have our Christmas service approaching,
00:16:32.220 | it's on December 20th,
00:16:34.380 | I'd like to invite June to come up
00:16:35.720 | to share a little bit about that opportunity,
00:16:37.900 | where it's a great opportunity to think about
00:16:40.260 | individuals we'd like to reach out to with the gospel.
00:16:42.960 | - Good morning, everyone.
00:16:47.900 | So, yeah, this is an announcement from our outreach team.
00:16:52.420 | Our media team has actually created
00:16:55.340 | some really nice invitations that we can use
00:16:58.840 | to invite people to our Christmas service,
00:17:02.060 | which is December the 20th.
00:17:04.580 | They'll be in both digital and printed format,
00:17:07.300 | I think, by next Sunday.
00:17:09.360 | So this year, after the second service
00:17:12.860 | on that December 20th,
00:17:14.940 | we're gonna actually hold a special reception
00:17:18.140 | and fellowship at 1230,
00:17:21.700 | where we're gonna serve very light packaged snacks.
00:17:24.540 | And for those who are actually interested
00:17:27.020 | in learning more about the gospel,
00:17:29.460 | and some of our leaders will be there as well
00:17:31.760 | to answer questions.
00:17:33.340 | And we'll also have free resources available
00:17:37.180 | about the gospel, which people can take.
00:17:40.140 | And so if you have people interested in joining us
00:17:43.180 | for that reception, please ask them to sign up.
00:17:45.980 | There's a Google Form link for that
00:17:48.740 | that's gonna be available on the Facebook page,
00:17:50.660 | on the app, as well as we'll send out emails as well.
00:17:54.500 | And if you have friends who are interested in coming,
00:17:56.740 | we would ask that you would join us
00:17:58.140 | for that reception as well.
00:17:59.980 | And then in preparation for this,
00:18:03.020 | actually next Sunday, December 5th at 12 noon,
00:18:08.020 | we're calling all Bereans to stop whatever you're doing,
00:18:12.620 | you know, wherever you are,
00:18:14.820 | and to just take a few minutes to pray
00:18:18.020 | for that upcoming Christmas service,
00:18:20.220 | and also people that we're trying to invite,
00:18:23.100 | you know, who may not know the Lord.
00:18:24.620 | And I think it'll be a great opportunity for us
00:18:26.980 | to come together as a church,
00:18:29.380 | and to really cry out with one heart and one voice,
00:18:33.580 | especially for those who don't know Christ.
00:18:35.620 | So during this Christmas season,
00:18:38.700 | let's go out and just really share this true gospel
00:18:42.900 | and Christmas message during this holiday season.
00:18:46.180 | Okay, thank you very much.
00:18:47.460 | - Thank you.
00:18:49.500 | Great, thank you.
00:18:50.940 | At this time, we'll pray and head into our offering time.
00:18:54.380 | Just as a reminder, if you want to submit a physical check,
00:18:57.340 | the box is at the center, backside of the sanctuary,
00:19:01.180 | or you can continue to do so online.
00:19:03.080 | Let's take a moment to pray.
00:19:05.940 | Our God, we want to thank you
00:19:07.620 | for your incredible grace to us.
00:19:09.860 | Lord, as we think about the season of both Thanksgiving,
00:19:14.860 | Lord, what can we say?
00:19:17.220 | God, from your own pre-planned,
00:19:20.500 | purposeful, intentional heart,
00:19:22.820 | you desired to minister to those who had no hope,
00:19:26.500 | completely lost, Lord, and subject to condemnation.
00:19:29.940 | We thank you so much, God,
00:19:31.260 | for your mercies that flow every day.
00:19:33.780 | We thank you, God, for your overwhelming love,
00:19:35.820 | and we pray, Lord, God, that we would completely
00:19:39.340 | respond to you with surrender, with love and adoration.
00:19:43.140 | And so as we join our hearts now in worship,
00:19:45.820 | as we lift up songs to you,
00:19:47.900 | may we do so with thanksgiving in our heart
00:19:49.980 | and praise of your name.
00:19:51.420 | Also, Lord, as we give our offering,
00:19:52.980 | we pray that you would be blessed, God,
00:19:55.540 | from our desire to be sacrificial
00:19:57.940 | for you have given us so much.
00:20:00.700 | We pray, Father God, that all that is given
00:20:02.700 | would be used for the furtherance of your kingdom
00:20:05.180 | and used according to your will.
00:20:06.780 | We thank you, Lord, it's in Christ, and we pray, amen.
00:20:33.820 | (gentle piano music)
00:20:36.900 | - Let us all rise as we sing these praises.
00:20:48.180 | (upbeat music)
00:20:56.620 | (upbeat music)
00:20:59.220 | ♪ What wisdom once devised the plant ♪
00:21:10.940 | ♪ For all who sinned and plundered ♪
00:21:13.820 | ♪ Was placed upon the perfect land ♪
00:21:17.180 | ♪ Who suffered, bled, and died ♪
00:21:20.380 | ♪ The wisdom of a sovereign God ♪
00:21:23.540 | ♪ Whose greatness will be shown ♪
00:21:28.100 | ♪ When those who crucified your son ♪
00:21:31.460 | ♪ Rejoice around your throne ♪
00:21:34.780 | ♪ And all the glory ♪
00:21:36.060 | ♪ And all the glory of the cross ♪
00:21:41.060 | ♪ That you would send your son for us ♪
00:21:48.620 | ♪ If I gladly count my life as lost ♪
00:21:53.620 | ♪ Then I might come to know ♪
00:21:58.140 | ♪ The glory of ♪
00:22:01.300 | ♪ The glory of the cross ♪
00:22:06.300 | ♪ Of our righteousness ♪
00:22:10.820 | ♪ What righteousness was never given ♪
00:22:14.180 | ♪ And sets the guilty free ♪
00:22:17.100 | ♪ That justifies a godly man ♪
00:22:20.380 | ♪ And calls a filthy thing ♪
00:22:23.580 | ♪ What righteousness has proved to all ♪
00:22:26.820 | ♪ Justice has been met ♪
00:22:31.260 | ♪ And holy wrath is satisfied ♪
00:22:34.620 | ♪ With one atoning death ♪
00:22:37.980 | ♪ And all the glory ♪
00:22:39.180 | ♪ And all the glory of the cross ♪
00:22:45.460 | ♪ That you would send your son for us ♪
00:22:50.460 | ♪ If I gladly count my life as lost ♪
00:22:56.780 | ♪ Then I might come to know ♪
00:23:01.260 | ♪ The glory of ♪
00:23:04.420 | ♪ The glory of the cross ♪
00:23:07.840 | ♪ Of our righteousness ♪
00:23:11.260 | ♪ What righteousness has proved to all ♪
00:23:16.260 | ♪ Justice has been met ♪
00:23:22.400 | ♪ And holy wrath is satisfied ♪
00:23:28.240 | ♪ With one atoning death ♪
00:23:33.480 | ♪ And all the glory ♪
00:23:34.720 | ♪ And all the glory of the cross ♪
00:23:39.720 | ♪ That you would send your son for us ♪
00:23:46.040 | ♪ If I gladly count my life as lost ♪
00:23:52.720 | ♪ Then I might come to know ♪
00:23:58.720 | ♪ The glory of the cross ♪
00:24:02.720 | ♪ If I gladly count my life as lost ♪
00:24:06.720 | ♪ Then I might come to know ♪
00:24:11.320 | ♪ The glory of ♪
00:24:14.720 | ♪ And all the glory of the cross ♪
00:24:19.720 | ♪ That you would send your son for us ♪
00:24:25.720 | ♪ If I gladly count my life as lost ♪
00:24:32.160 | ♪ Then I might come to know ♪
00:24:37.160 | ♪ The glory of ♪
00:24:40.520 | ♪ The glory of the cross ♪
00:25:00.020 | (gentle piano music)
00:25:03.100 | ♪ What love ♪
00:25:09.780 | ♪ What love could remember ♪
00:25:12.580 | ♪ No wrongs we have done ♪
00:25:15.500 | ♪ Omniscient all knowing ♪
00:25:18.460 | ♪ He counts not their sum ♪
00:25:21.140 | ♪ Thrown into a sea ♪
00:25:23.500 | ♪ Without bottom or shore ♪
00:25:28.300 | ♪ Our sins they are many ♪
00:25:31.100 | ♪ His mercy is more ♪
00:25:34.980 | ♪ Praise the Lord ♪
00:25:39.740 | ♪ His mercy is more ♪
00:25:44.740 | ♪ Stronger than darkness ♪
00:25:50.060 | ♪ And you every more ♪
00:25:52.580 | ♪ Our sins they are many ♪
00:25:55.380 | ♪ His mercy is more ♪
00:25:58.460 | ♪ More patience ♪
00:26:08.300 | ♪ What anxious will wait ♪
00:26:10.700 | ♪ As we constantly pray ♪
00:26:13.980 | ♪ What father so tender ♪
00:26:16.820 | ♪ Is calling us home ♪
00:26:19.700 | ♪ He welcomes the weakest ♪
00:26:22.540 | ♪ And abolish the poor ♪
00:26:26.980 | ♪ Our sins they are many ♪
00:26:29.700 | ♪ His mercy is more ♪
00:26:32.460 | ♪ Praise the Lord ♪
00:26:33.580 | ♪ Praise the Lord ♪
00:26:38.340 | ♪ His mercy is more ♪
00:26:43.340 | ♪ Stronger than darkness ♪
00:26:48.780 | ♪ And you every more ♪
00:26:51.220 | ♪ Our sins they are many ♪
00:26:53.860 | ♪ His mercy is more ♪
00:26:56.940 | ♪ More patience ♪
00:27:07.020 | ♪ In riches of kindness ♪
00:27:09.740 | ♪ He ravished on us ♪
00:27:12.500 | ♪ His blood was the payment ♪
00:27:15.380 | ♪ His life was the cost ♪
00:27:18.140 | ♪ We stood 'neath the dead ♪
00:27:20.540 | ♪ We could never afford ♪
00:27:25.340 | ♪ Our sins they are many ♪
00:27:28.140 | ♪ His mercy is more ♪
00:27:31.140 | ♪ Praise the Lord ♪
00:27:34.860 | ♪ Praise the Lord ♪
00:27:39.660 | ♪ His mercy is more ♪
00:27:44.660 | ♪ Stronger than darkness ♪
00:27:50.100 | ♪ And you every more ♪
00:27:52.540 | ♪ Our sins they are many ♪
00:27:55.380 | ♪ His mercy is more ♪
00:27:57.780 | ♪ Praise the Lord ♪
00:28:02.540 | ♪ His mercy is more ♪
00:28:07.540 | ♪ Stronger than darkness ♪
00:28:12.980 | ♪ And you every more ♪
00:28:15.420 | ♪ Our sins they are many ♪
00:28:18.260 | ♪ His mercy is more ♪
00:28:21.100 | ♪ Our sins they are many ♪
00:28:23.900 | ♪ His mercy is more ♪
00:28:26.900 | - At this time, the seats of parents may be dismissed.
00:28:47.100 | We are ruined in our sin.
00:28:48.740 | ♪ We were ruined in our sin ♪
00:28:53.180 | ♪ We were guilty and undone ♪
00:28:57.740 | ♪ When your love reached down ♪
00:29:00.380 | ♪ The sovereign hands ♪
00:29:02.900 | ♪ Beckoned us to come ♪
00:29:06.700 | ♪ You sought out the wonders ♪
00:29:11.220 | ♪ Made the battle dance beyond ♪
00:29:15.700 | ♪ With the lavish feasts ♪
00:29:18.460 | ♪ You welcomed us ♪
00:29:20.780 | ♪ You made us your own ♪
00:29:25.780 | ♪ You have loved us like ♪
00:29:31.100 | ♪ You love your son ♪
00:29:35.980 | ♪ We are heirs with Christ ♪
00:29:40.100 | ♪ Bought by his blood ♪
00:29:44.980 | ♪ Oh how great the love ♪
00:29:49.140 | ♪ That we can show ♪
00:29:53.980 | ♪ We're your children now ♪
00:29:58.060 | ♪ You made us your own ♪
00:30:03.060 | ♪ We're no strangers to the world ♪
00:30:12.020 | ♪ We're no strangers to you ♪
00:30:16.620 | ♪ We draw near you now ♪
00:30:19.140 | ♪ With confidence ♪
00:30:21.420 | ♪ That all our fears are gone ♪
00:30:25.540 | ♪ And when Christ our King returns ♪
00:30:29.980 | ♪ We'll meet since we've known ♪
00:30:34.540 | ♪ And forever we will be amazed ♪
00:30:39.380 | ♪ That you made us your own ♪
00:30:44.380 | ♪ You have loved us like ♪
00:30:49.820 | ♪ You love your son ♪
00:30:54.820 | ♪ We are heirs with Christ ♪
00:30:58.860 | ♪ Bought by his blood ♪
00:31:03.860 | ♪ Oh how great the love ♪
00:31:07.860 | ♪ That we can show ♪
00:31:12.860 | ♪ We're your children now ♪
00:31:16.860 | ♪ You made us your own ♪
00:31:21.860 | ♪ You have loved us like ♪
00:31:25.860 | ♪ You love your son ♪
00:31:30.860 | ♪ We are heirs with Christ ♪
00:31:34.860 | ♪ Bought by his blood ♪
00:31:39.860 | ♪ Oh how great the love ♪
00:31:43.860 | ♪ That we can show ♪
00:31:48.860 | ♪ We're your children now ♪
00:31:51.860 | ♪ We're your children ♪
00:31:52.860 | ♪ We're your children now ♪
00:31:56.860 | ♪ You made us your own ♪
00:31:59.860 | (upbeat music)
00:32:02.440 | - You may be seated.
00:32:09.540 | - Good morning again, everybody.
00:32:19.420 | Would you please take your Bibles
00:32:21.100 | and turn over to Psalm chapter 77.
00:32:24.420 | We're gonna be reading from verse one through 15,
00:32:28.860 | and that's just the introductory verse
00:32:31.500 | I wanted to use to guide our thought
00:32:34.820 | into the passage that we have ultimately in Matthew.
00:32:38.020 | So I'm gonna be preaching from out of Matthew,
00:32:40.580 | but as an introduction, just turn over to Psalm 77.
00:32:45.580 | And as you turn there, I want us to think about this idea.
00:32:49.300 | You and I live in an absolutely fallen world, right?
00:32:52.300 | And right now, I mean,
00:32:57.420 | maybe there are people, politicians,
00:33:01.500 | all around, whether on either side of the aisle,
00:33:04.380 | will promise you greater peace, greater prosperity,
00:33:07.500 | and a yes we can mentality
00:33:09.220 | that we're going to be really, really good.
00:33:11.860 | But I read about the end in the Bible
00:33:14.660 | and that's not really the case.
00:33:16.300 | So I feel a suspicion,
00:33:17.660 | you're trying to pull a fast one on me, right?
00:33:20.380 | Scripture says not only are we living in a fallen world,
00:33:24.080 | it's going to get worse actually.
00:33:26.940 | And what Jesus said was,
00:33:28.580 | you are essentially going to suffer in this age.
00:33:31.660 | Something's gonna be constant,
00:33:32.860 | which is going to be the suffering of the people.
00:33:35.740 | Not only that, I myself, I'm a sinner.
00:33:37.700 | And given that fact, I hurt myself in different ways, right?
00:33:43.700 | I inflict upon all kinds of different woes and pains
00:33:46.500 | upon myself because of the fact that I'm a sinner.
00:33:49.660 | And then I'm surrounded by sinners.
00:33:52.220 | I'm not pointing at you, I'm just saying like we live,
00:33:54.740 | and when we say a fallen generation,
00:33:56.580 | everybody can have the potential to disappoint us,
00:34:01.020 | as a matter of fact, to hurt us very deeply.
00:34:03.660 | And so we're gonna have sentiments
00:34:07.020 | of disappointment and great pain
00:34:09.400 | and the reaction to suffering that is expressed here
00:34:12.580 | in Psalm 77.
00:34:13.620 | So follow with me as I read.
00:34:15.220 | It says, "My voice rises to God and I will cry out.
00:34:20.100 | "My voice rises to God, he'll hear me.
00:34:23.300 | "In the day of my trouble, I sought the Lord.
00:34:26.060 | "In the night, my hand stretched out with weariness.
00:34:29.380 | "My soul refused to be comforted.
00:34:32.160 | "When I remember God, then I am disturbed.
00:34:34.740 | "When I sigh, then my spirit grows faint."
00:34:37.020 | Salaam.
00:34:38.460 | "You have held my eyelids open.
00:34:40.980 | "I am so troubled I cannot speak.
00:34:43.880 | "I have considered the days of old, the years of long ago.
00:34:46.420 | "I remember my song in the night.
00:34:48.040 | "I will meditate with my heart and my spirit ponders.
00:34:51.980 | "Will the Lord reject forever?
00:34:53.640 | "Will he never be favorable again?
00:34:57.980 | "Has his loving kindness ceased forever?
00:35:00.680 | "Has his promise come to an end forever?
00:35:03.420 | "Has God forgotten to be gracious?
00:35:06.180 | "Or has he in anger withdrawn his compassion?"
00:35:09.100 | Salaam.
00:35:10.000 | That means to stop and think.
00:35:12.100 | Those are some really expressive words
00:35:15.100 | of the sentiment that within the midst of suffering,
00:35:18.300 | your feeling is God probably either forgot about me
00:35:23.300 | or he withdrew his grace.
00:35:26.020 | That's a sentiment.
00:35:27.900 | And then it changes to verse 10.
00:35:29.260 | "Then I said, 'It is actually my grief
00:35:32.260 | "'that the right hand of the Most High has changed.
00:35:35.100 | "'I shall remember the deeds of the Lord.
00:35:37.080 | "'Surely I will remember your wonders of old.
00:35:40.080 | "'I will meditate on all your work and muse on your deeds.
00:35:43.740 | "'Your way, O God, is holy.
00:35:46.360 | "'What God is great like our God?
00:35:48.360 | "'You are the God who works wonders.
00:35:50.740 | "'You have made known your strength among the peoples.
00:35:53.440 | "'You have by your power redeemed your people,
00:35:55.560 | "'the sons of Jacob and Joseph.'"
00:35:57.900 | Salaam.
00:35:58.740 | The fact of the matter is, A, you're going to experience
00:36:03.360 | incredible amounts of suffering,
00:36:04.700 | and even those of you who've experienced
00:36:06.400 | incredible amount of blessing in your life
00:36:07.940 | where perhaps you've never had to deal with
00:36:11.040 | physical ailment, sickness in the family,
00:36:13.760 | or even things like being poor and not having enough.
00:36:17.920 | Even then, many people will testify to the fact
00:36:22.080 | that the blessing of the Lord becomes painful to you.
00:36:24.800 | Let me say that again.
00:36:26.560 | The blessings of the earth, not the Lord.
00:36:28.960 | Earthly blessings.
00:36:30.320 | Having lots of money.
00:36:32.560 | Burdensome.
00:36:34.300 | Having lots of popularity.
00:36:37.320 | Burdensome.
00:36:38.260 | Things in the world, it just tends to
00:36:42.200 | disappoint.
00:36:45.040 | It tends to hurt in some odd way.
00:36:47.660 | So that's one side.
00:36:50.680 | But here and now, the passage is saying,
00:36:52.880 | the author is saying, "But I am going to make sure
00:36:55.640 | "that I don't lean on my experience."
00:36:58.800 | Oh, look at my extensive experience.
00:37:02.360 | I am hopeless, those people are hopeless,
00:37:04.400 | everything is going to be as it is,
00:37:06.400 | everything is for naught.
00:37:08.720 | No, he says, "What I'm going to do in this midst
00:37:11.480 | "of the suffering is going to look
00:37:13.720 | "on the long history of God's great work."
00:37:17.240 | And so Christians, one of the practices we regularly have
00:37:20.640 | is we look back, right?
00:37:22.640 | We look back on the incredible works of God.
00:37:26.280 | Incredible works of God in drawing the nation of Egypt out,
00:37:29.960 | the great exodus.
00:37:31.360 | Incredible miracles of God to protect and to preserve.
00:37:35.360 | Incredible works of God to win battles,
00:37:37.680 | to raise nations, to destroy nations,
00:37:40.500 | to deliver and redeem.
00:37:42.320 | Incredible works of Jesus to heal,
00:37:45.600 | to even raise from the dead.
00:37:47.600 | Does that mean history was sanitized
00:37:52.760 | of all suffering and pain?
00:37:54.360 | No, mankind's history has still been riddled
00:37:57.440 | with all sorts of pain and suffering.
00:37:59.280 | But what we're talking about is this,
00:38:01.240 | it's an issue of faith.
00:38:02.840 | It's an issue of faith to not use just my experiences,
00:38:07.900 | just my eyes, and to doubt whether God is there or not,
00:38:11.320 | but to believe with our hearts
00:38:13.280 | that God is still nevertheless absolutely powerful
00:38:17.000 | and that he is absolutely present with that power.
00:38:21.900 | You see, I think many of us have the temptation
00:38:27.360 | to wonder and look at our lives and to conclude
00:38:31.760 | either God must not care
00:38:35.360 | or God must not be powerful enough.
00:38:37.920 | Today, we're gonna be looking at a specific example
00:38:40.160 | in the life of Christ,
00:38:42.600 | in a life in the history of mankind,
00:38:45.840 | where Christ has proven to be both.
00:38:48.880 | To be so compassionate,
00:38:52.020 | to be there in the immediate presence
00:38:54.420 | of the most pressing needs of mankind,
00:38:57.420 | but also to exhibit incredible power,
00:38:59.260 | proving himself to be worthy of all praise.
00:39:02.900 | So let's take a moment now to turn to Matthew chapter eight.
00:39:05.800 | Okay, Matthew chapter eight.
00:39:07.260 | And in Matthew chapter eight verses one and down,
00:39:12.100 | what happens is Jesus,
00:39:14.060 | he just had a mass of people follow him,
00:39:16.100 | hearing his great authoritative preaching,
00:39:18.540 | famously called the Sermon on the Mount.
00:39:20.760 | As he's coming down from the mountain,
00:39:22.740 | various people approach him,
00:39:24.720 | a leper, a centurion gentile, Peter's mother-in-law,
00:39:29.720 | and Jesus miraculously heals them.
00:39:31.840 | Boom, boom, boom.
00:39:33.360 | Let's take a moment to start reading here
00:39:35.740 | in Matthew chapter eight, verses one through four.
00:39:38.980 | When Jesus came down from the mountain,
00:39:40.820 | large crowds followed him,
00:39:42.620 | and a leper came to him and bowed down before him
00:39:45.220 | and said, "Lord, if you are willing,
00:39:48.300 | "you can make me clean."
00:39:50.500 | Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him,
00:39:53.980 | saying, "I am willing, be cleansed."
00:39:56.420 | And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
00:39:59.080 | And Jesus said to him,
00:40:01.520 | "See that you tell nobody,
00:40:03.440 | "but go, show yourself to the priest
00:40:05.780 | "and present the offering that Moses commanded
00:40:08.300 | "as a testimony to them."
00:40:10.260 | Let's take a moment to pray.
00:40:11.660 | Our Heavenly Father, we thank you, God.
00:40:17.380 | We know that you are powerful.
00:40:18.620 | You are the creator of the world.
00:40:20.940 | We know, Father God, that perhaps recreating a limb,
00:40:25.080 | perhaps making a man whole again,
00:40:28.620 | those are nothing for you.
00:40:30.820 | But we also thank you, God,
00:40:32.800 | that that power you exhibit, you say,
00:40:34.440 | the power that you exhibit in Christ,
00:40:36.960 | you exhibit towards us in our salvation,
00:40:39.120 | God, in the redemption of our souls,
00:40:42.320 | in the healing, Father God, for us for eternity.
00:40:46.360 | And so, Lord, we thank you.
00:40:47.720 | Right now, as we look upon your word,
00:40:49.960 | I pray that, God, through your spirit,
00:40:52.080 | your word would work mightily within our minds
00:40:54.240 | and within our hearts.
00:40:55.080 | We thank you in Christ's name, amen.
00:40:57.280 | Okay.
00:40:58.420 | So, we read that short four verses,
00:41:02.160 | and as I was studying the passage,
00:41:03.520 | I just, at one moment, just prayed,
00:41:05.360 | like, God, I wish you would've wrote more.
00:41:08.620 | This is an incredible story.
00:41:10.580 | We believe Jesus, with a touch and word,
00:41:15.120 | made a man who was so sickly,
00:41:18.320 | disease-infested, instantaneously clean.
00:41:23.840 | We believe that.
00:41:25.480 | We believe in the power of Christ, amen?
00:41:28.460 | The world will be like, okay, right?
00:41:31.420 | Sure, what else does he have to help me in my life, right?
00:41:36.860 | But what we're doing is camping down
00:41:38.500 | and realizing Christ exhibited such power
00:41:42.540 | that all he had to do was, again, in one short phrase,
00:41:46.460 | he touched him and he healed him.
00:41:47.820 | That was it.
00:41:48.940 | But what we're gonna learn from this whole scenario
00:41:51.900 | is to look at the faith of the leper
00:41:54.780 | who believed in that power, right?
00:41:57.800 | We're going to dissect and see the leper who came,
00:42:00.400 | approached Jesus, requested and asked
00:42:03.520 | and humbled himself before the Lord,
00:42:05.760 | what is contained in his mind and his heart
00:42:07.700 | that he would come to the Lord in this fashion?
00:42:10.400 | That's the question.
00:42:12.040 | What faith of the man who is the leper?
00:42:15.880 | Now, we've been doing this study in the book of Hebrews
00:42:18.480 | talking about great faith,
00:42:21.560 | and we said that this faith that the people had,
00:42:23.800 | it wasn't just an intellectual assent,
00:42:26.080 | it was substantive, right?
00:42:29.100 | It was substantive.
00:42:30.820 | The things that are unseen,
00:42:32.460 | exhibited in the faith of those godly individuals.
00:42:35.860 | And today, it's just kind of a mini version of that
00:42:38.860 | in the individual here in Matthew chapter eight.
00:42:41.620 | The very first point I have for you then is this.
00:42:44.580 | This leper clearly believed the power of Christ
00:42:48.040 | and therefore risked great public shame, okay?
00:42:52.180 | He clearly believed in the power of Christ
00:42:54.100 | and that's why he risked great public shame.
00:42:57.440 | The passage just simply starts with such a mundane way
00:43:00.640 | of saying the leper came and he bowed before him, right?
00:43:03.840 | But in the other corollary passages,
00:43:06.240 | this story is recorded in both the gospel of Mark
00:43:09.280 | and Luke as well.
00:43:10.800 | In the gospel of Luke, the author describes it and says,
00:43:13.640 | behold, there was a man covered in leprosy.
00:43:18.640 | A little bit more descriptive.
00:43:20.600 | But you notice how there is that kind of almost,
00:43:23.480 | superfluous way of saying, behold, right?
00:43:25.860 | Getting your attention and rightly so.
00:43:28.200 | Why?
00:43:29.800 | Because a leper would never come into the crowd.
00:43:34.240 | You see, back in the old day,
00:43:38.000 | the leper had no authority, had no right
00:43:43.000 | and actually a legal prohibition
00:43:45.440 | for him to enter into the crowd.
00:43:47.800 | When we study this passage,
00:43:49.000 | I hope you can do the whole mental picture with me.
00:43:53.320 | We said earlier that Jesus was teaching on the mountain
00:43:55.520 | and there was a crowd.
00:43:56.360 | How big was that crowd?
00:43:57.480 | What it says earlier, prior to Matthew chapter five,
00:44:00.880 | when the story begins of his discourse,
00:44:03.800 | is that people from regions all around came to him.
00:44:08.000 | So when we see a crowd like this for us,
00:44:10.480 | having a group this size is already big.
00:44:12.100 | This is about 100 people in the room.
00:44:14.320 | Before pandemic, this room held 400 people.
00:44:16.800 | That was big.
00:44:18.320 | I mean, at that point, you couldn't even know the names
00:44:20.200 | of the people in the room.
00:44:22.160 | But when you think about scenarios like that,
00:44:23.760 | that was a hundred fold more than that.
00:44:26.400 | It was not uncommon for Jesus to feed,
00:44:28.880 | remember the 5,000.
00:44:30.280 | It was not uncommon for Jesus to teach in masses
00:44:33.880 | well over 5,000 people, including if there were male,
00:44:37.200 | female and even children.
00:44:39.280 | So you're talking about a massive group of people.
00:44:41.520 | And remember, there was such a stir.
00:44:44.800 | This could be the Messiah.
00:44:47.240 | We're talking about a huge group of people.
00:44:50.480 | So picture that, a massive group of people moving together,
00:44:53.420 | following Jesus as he's coming down the mountain
00:44:56.920 | and the leper comes.
00:44:58.120 | I mean, I'm gonna right now try to describe to you
00:45:01.520 | what the leper is, but right now we're in the middle
00:45:03.400 | of COVID.
00:45:04.600 | Imagine back in March, when you started hearing
00:45:07.440 | of there was a disease that was spreading in China,
00:45:10.880 | in Wuhan, and people were dropping.
00:45:14.920 | There were stories and rumors of people having fever,
00:45:17.760 | coughs, right?
00:45:19.880 | Can you imagine being the individual?
00:45:22.200 | I'm from Wuhan, I have a severe fever, right?
00:45:26.160 | I have some symptoms of heavy coughing, heavy breathing.
00:45:29.440 | You couldn't force people to come near you.
00:45:32.480 | People would just run, okay?
00:45:35.240 | In many ways, that's how it was.
00:45:37.080 | For a leper, a leper was an individual so distinctly
00:45:41.520 | riddled with disease.
00:45:44.760 | The passage says he was covered in leprosy.
00:45:48.080 | If you don't know, the leprosy, the term itself,
00:45:51.800 | both in the Hebrew and the Greek means scaly.
00:45:55.000 | Why?
00:45:55.920 | Because this disease attacked the flesh.
00:45:58.800 | People would have ulcers, boils, and sores.
00:46:02.720 | It would be discolored.
00:46:04.240 | Your skin on the face would look scaly
00:46:06.520 | like it was that of a reptile almost.
00:46:09.080 | I looked it up on Google and then regretted it, right?
00:46:14.360 | I was tempted to show you.
00:46:16.120 | I'm gonna leave it to you.
00:46:18.120 | Go look it up sometime.
00:46:19.320 | The thing about it is, yes, I just,
00:46:23.120 | I'm thinking about it in terms of the devastation,
00:46:26.040 | but right now it's not common, you don't see it.
00:46:28.840 | But it is present in some of the more rural areas
00:46:31.800 | in certain countries, in the Philippines, there are cases.
00:46:35.280 | In India, there are cases.
00:46:36.960 | Right now the cases are a lot lower,
00:46:38.480 | but it's still going on.
00:46:40.120 | And the thing about it is in those scenarios,
00:46:42.160 | it is so difficult to treat
00:46:45.440 | 'cause this disease affects every part of you.
00:46:47.880 | Let me go on.
00:46:49.240 | This disease not only affects the skin,
00:46:51.640 | it attacks the nervous system so that you cannot feel.
00:46:55.840 | And this disease was called the disease
00:46:58.040 | that mimics everything.
00:46:59.560 | Why?
00:47:00.720 | Because it's not so much that it had this kind of infection
00:47:03.960 | and bacteria like everything else,
00:47:05.880 | but what it is is if you get a cut,
00:47:08.320 | can you imagine getting a cut and not being able to feel it?
00:47:11.480 | You would get infections
00:47:12.560 | because you wouldn't be able to treat it.
00:47:14.480 | Can you imagine not being able to feel?
00:47:16.360 | If you're using a tool
00:47:17.440 | and that tool is ripping into your skin,
00:47:19.920 | not being able to feel it?
00:47:21.720 | If you had certain pains, not being able to feel it?
00:47:24.040 | And so people would literally rub away
00:47:25.840 | certain parts of their skin because they couldn't feel it.
00:47:29.840 | It attacked the nervous system and the tendons
00:47:32.600 | so that your fingers and your extremities would be drawn in
00:47:36.240 | and people would have essentially claw-like hands.
00:47:40.000 | It would attack your bones and it become brittle
00:47:41.840 | and individuals would lose pieces of their, again,
00:47:45.720 | their fingers and their toes.
00:47:49.320 | There's a lot of picture of people
00:47:50.800 | who have lost their noses, their ears.
00:47:52.920 | This would also attack the eyes
00:47:55.560 | and so many individuals after years would die of,
00:47:58.360 | I mean, sorry, would go blind.
00:48:00.000 | It would attack the vocal cords.
00:48:01.800 | And so a long time ago,
00:48:02.640 | there was this movie with Charlton Heston
00:48:05.320 | on Ten Commandments or even Ben-Hur.
00:48:06.920 | And within those movies, there are people with leprosy
00:48:09.720 | and they would always have this incredibly raspy voice.
00:48:13.240 | That was because the disease
00:48:14.800 | would ravish their vocal cords.
00:48:16.720 | Why am I describing all of this to you?
00:48:18.720 | Because when the passage says,
00:48:21.160 | "Behold, there was a man covered in leprosy,"
00:48:26.160 | this individual was distinctly, apparently,
00:48:29.640 | obviously, to the naked eye, diseased.
00:48:33.640 | And to go beyond that,
00:48:36.080 | lepers were given these clothes that they would wear
00:48:39.680 | and they would have to yell out, "Unclean, unclean!"
00:48:42.760 | Did you know that the law within both tradition
00:48:47.760 | required a certain amount of distance
00:48:49.840 | between an individual and a leper?
00:48:51.720 | A leper had to keep that distance.
00:48:53.600 | And what's interesting, over tradition and time,
00:48:55.400 | they said a leper had to keep minimum six feet distance.
00:48:59.360 | So 1.2 meters, right?
00:49:00.800 | They had to, they had to keep that distance.
00:49:05.000 | And so what I'm saying is,
00:49:06.320 | you don't even almost have to say, "Behold,"
00:49:10.360 | because in a massive crowd,
00:49:11.600 | to say that this man was a sticking out sore thumb
00:49:14.680 | would be an understatement.
00:49:16.080 | You would imagine then the crowd moving
00:49:19.080 | and this individual coming to Jesus,
00:49:20.800 | and most likely the crowd would be like,
00:49:22.200 | "What are you doing?"
00:49:23.840 | Right?
00:49:25.240 | I would imagine that certain individuals saying like,
00:49:27.440 | "No, there's other people who need to be healed.
00:49:30.200 | "You stay back over there."
00:49:33.160 | When I say that this individual,
00:49:34.800 | because he believed Christ to be powerful enough to help him,
00:49:39.600 | he risked it all, he truly did.
00:49:42.600 | Because not only did he risk the shame of everybody's sake,
00:49:44.880 | "Look at that leper.
00:49:46.400 | "Watch out, watch out, watch out.
00:49:47.680 | "Pulling the kids back."
00:49:48.840 | Right?
00:49:49.680 | You can imagine this.
00:49:50.520 | "Pulling the kids back.
00:49:51.360 | "Don't go near him.
00:49:52.200 | "Cover your mouth."
00:49:53.360 | Did you know that they believed,
00:49:54.320 | and it was proven to be true,
00:49:56.200 | that leprosy was transmitted through droplets
00:49:58.040 | from the mouth and from the nose.
00:50:00.640 | And so they had this thing,
00:50:01.560 | you had to keep all distance.
00:50:03.680 | This individual risked everything
00:50:07.080 | because he was in risk of breaking the law.
00:50:10.040 | This individual risked everything
00:50:11.160 | because he was actually in risk of being stoned to death.
00:50:14.560 | Tradition had it that if you see a leper
00:50:18.320 | out of his place walking down the street,
00:50:21.320 | you essentially had an unwritten code,
00:50:23.600 | you could stone him.
00:50:24.600 | And sadly to say,
00:50:27.360 | some of the first people to throw the first stone
00:50:29.240 | would be the priests.
00:50:31.000 | To show that person is unclean.
00:50:34.720 | You could see why that by the description
00:50:36.520 | of what leprosy is,
00:50:38.080 | it was used as a depiction of sin.
00:50:41.520 | That it desensitized you.
00:50:43.680 | That it killed you outside, inside.
00:50:46.440 | And biblically speaking,
00:50:47.560 | it caused you to be ceremonially unclean.
00:50:52.120 | This individual was radically dejected from the society.
00:50:57.120 | Why do I bring this stuff up?
00:51:01.080 | It's because all of this was obvious to everybody.
00:51:04.840 | But it required the faith that Christ could do something
00:51:09.880 | for him to come out.
00:51:10.960 | For him to not try to some in meager way to save face.
00:51:17.200 | Let me quickly turn it to us.
00:51:18.720 | Sometimes our perpetual desire to save face
00:51:22.520 | prevents us from experiencing the power of God.
00:51:25.600 | Our feeble attempts to somehow self-preserve
00:51:30.080 | prevents us from going to the Lord to draw near.
00:51:33.400 | You know Christ has come.
00:51:36.840 | You know he's drawn near.
00:51:38.520 | You know that he desires for all to come to him.
00:51:41.040 | But if this leper wallowed in the,
00:51:45.120 | I am rejected by society, I know I am unclean,
00:51:47.920 | I know I am filthy, I know I am diseased,
00:51:50.680 | then he would have just stayed in his camp.
00:51:54.440 | But my guess is if you picture the scene,
00:51:57.040 | maybe he was hiding out on the side of the crowds,
00:52:00.440 | maybe he was hiding behind a structure or a bush,
00:52:03.880 | I am guessing he heard the authoritative preaching of Jesus
00:52:06.920 | and said that man has power.
00:52:09.640 | He believed it.
00:52:11.640 | That would be the only rational line and reason
00:52:16.800 | for him to go and risk all of that,
00:52:20.280 | potentially being stoned by even the religious leaders.
00:52:24.320 | Now moving forward then to number two,
00:52:26.800 | the leper believed in the power of Christ
00:52:28.880 | and therefore humbled himself to worship.
00:52:31.120 | He believed, he must have believed in the power of Christ
00:52:36.320 | because look at the way he worshiped.
00:52:38.520 | It says that the leper came
00:52:41.240 | and he bowed himself down before Jesus.
00:52:44.720 | That word for bow down is proskuneo.
00:52:48.560 | As you guys know, Greek, very just extensive language,
00:52:52.120 | has multiple terms.
00:52:53.480 | There's lots of terms for worship, adoration, and praise,
00:52:56.640 | but this specific term, if you've heard it before,
00:52:59.120 | proskuneo means to prostrate oneself,
00:53:01.600 | which means to bring low.
00:53:03.240 | So Mark chapter one, verse 40,
00:53:05.040 | it says that he fell on his knees.
00:53:07.640 | Luke chapter five, it says he fell to his face.
00:53:12.120 | The common practice of the day
00:53:14.080 | was that when you find somebody who is superior to you,
00:53:17.160 | you would come and then you would lower yourself
00:53:19.640 | and put your forehead to the ground.
00:53:22.840 | It is an act of saying,
00:53:23.840 | I am unworthy to look at you in this fashion.
00:53:27.240 | This was an act of worship.
00:53:28.640 | Proskuneo was used predominantly
00:53:30.920 | as a means to show adoration.
00:53:33.040 | The way that it's used commonly
00:53:35.760 | is to actually like interpret it in another,
00:53:38.440 | I guess, translate it in other works of literature
00:53:40.320 | is to send a kiss, not a romance, okay?
00:53:43.920 | It's not blowing a kiss, but like a kiss of homage.
00:53:48.600 | If I can paint a picture for you,
00:53:50.320 | sort of movie analogy.
00:53:51.640 | Have you guys seen those Italian mobster movies?
00:53:56.160 | You know what happens?
00:53:57.760 | It's the Don, right?
00:53:59.240 | Don Corleone.
00:54:00.920 | He comes and all he does is extend his hand.
00:54:02.800 | What do the people do?
00:54:04.560 | You've got grown men who lean down and, you know?
00:54:07.520 | Have you guys ever done that to somebody?
00:54:10.240 | (laughs)
00:54:12.480 | If you've ever done that to anybody,
00:54:14.520 | that person receiving it would probably be like,
00:54:16.400 | what are you doing?
00:54:17.240 | You mocking me?
00:54:18.600 | Because it's so outlandish.
00:54:19.800 | It's so expressive in its show of homage.
00:54:23.680 | Back then when there was such hierarchy, people did that.
00:54:26.920 | But imagine this.
00:54:28.240 | It's not even a bow to kiss the hand.
00:54:30.000 | Now it's, I'm gonna go all the way down,
00:54:33.360 | falling on his face.
00:54:35.560 | What am I talking about here?
00:54:38.560 | Look at the leper's faith.
00:54:41.520 | He recognizes his inferiority.
00:54:43.520 | He recognizes Jesus' superiority
00:54:45.760 | and he goes down to the floor, right?
00:54:50.480 | Contrast that.
00:54:51.800 | Contrast that with what the common day thought
00:54:55.880 | was about Jesus.
00:54:57.160 | At this time, early on in the ministry,
00:55:00.480 | there was so much conjecture about who Jesus was.
00:55:03.280 | Later on even, even later on into the story
00:55:05.480 | of Jesus' ministry, Jesus asked the disciples directly,
00:55:08.520 | who do you say I am?
00:55:09.600 | Do you guys remember what they said?
00:55:11.400 | Well, some say you're Elijah.
00:55:14.280 | Some say you're Jeremiah.
00:55:15.880 | Some say you gotta be one of them prophets, right?
00:55:18.360 | People were not sure, but this leper got it.
00:55:22.240 | You're clearly one cent of God,
00:55:28.000 | powerful enough to meet my need.
00:55:30.240 | Yes?
00:55:32.560 | When we're talking about this specific scenario,
00:55:35.760 | what you see is a man convinced this man deserves worship
00:55:40.760 | because in this culture, if the individual was a Jew,
00:55:44.720 | you dare not worship any man, right?
00:55:49.080 | And amongst the Jewish culture,
00:55:50.960 | if you were receiving worship, you would be like,
00:55:52.960 | no, no, no, no, no, don't do that 'cause I'm just a man.
00:55:56.680 | And if you tried to give worship to something
00:55:58.520 | that was not God, you would be like,
00:56:01.120 | blasphemy, stone him.
00:56:03.440 | What this man is doing is recognizing the power of Christ.
00:56:08.440 | And so he goes down to worship.
00:56:11.160 | For every single one of us, what a challenge.
00:56:15.360 | The faith of the leper to recognize the power of Christ
00:56:20.360 | and to humble himself in worship.
00:56:23.280 | Spurgeon says it in an intense way.
00:56:25.720 | Those who call on Jesus but do not worship him
00:56:28.960 | are more diseased than this leper.
00:56:31.960 | In his commentary, he says,
00:56:34.080 | if you're so blind and you can't see Jesus,
00:56:36.360 | you are blinder than the leper.
00:56:37.920 | If you cannot give worship,
00:56:40.640 | you must have not seen the light of Christ,
00:56:43.000 | is what he's saying.
00:56:44.720 | I wanna address this a little bit.
00:56:46.680 | We here at Berean, we focus in on the sufficiency,
00:56:51.680 | the authority and the power of the word of God,
00:56:55.820 | which is appropriate and true to what the word proclaims.
00:57:00.520 | So rightly so, we must be people of the word.
00:57:05.440 | That's good.
00:57:06.760 | The danger for people who are focused on the Bible
00:57:10.360 | is to make their spiritual experience one of intellect.
00:57:14.400 | And so sometimes I hear people talking
00:57:16.240 | about their Christian faith from before
00:57:18.680 | in terms of God's work in their life
00:57:20.600 | and in terms of currently how they are growing,
00:57:23.160 | all in terms of intellect.
00:57:25.040 | You know, I became Christian earlier on.
00:57:27.120 | My parents taught me the gospel and taught me the Bible.
00:57:29.840 | And then there were some times when I studied it.
00:57:32.320 | And then at a certain point,
00:57:33.280 | I started taking it more seriously and studying it more.
00:57:36.080 | And then I got it.
00:57:37.960 | Started clicking.
00:57:39.520 | Now, some of us talk like that, and that's okay.
00:57:42.200 | I'm not saying you can't talk like that,
00:57:43.880 | because I understand what you're saying.
00:57:45.760 | You learn progressively the truths of God.
00:57:47.760 | It convicted you, and at a certain point,
00:57:49.320 | it started hitting you more, and it started to make sense,
00:57:52.600 | and you understood.
00:57:55.040 | Good.
00:57:55.880 | But if you stop there, there's something missing
00:58:01.120 | that is shown in this passage.
00:58:02.680 | Because if you ask the leper,
00:58:05.600 | if you ask the leper, "Did you get it?"
00:58:10.720 | He's gonna say, "I saw Christ, and I surrendered."
00:58:14.840 | There is a huge difference when saying,
00:58:16.520 | "You know, at a certain point in my Christian walk,
00:58:19.400 | "it started clicking, I understood."
00:58:21.560 | Versus, "You know, I saw Jesus, and I prostrated myself.
00:58:25.720 | "I put myself at his mercy because he is God."
00:58:30.760 | And there's an experiential part of Christianity
00:58:33.200 | where you come before the Lord, and you do this.
00:58:37.640 | "Lord, I fall on my knees because you're God.
00:58:41.200 | "I don't just get you."
00:58:44.360 | You see what I'm saying?
00:58:45.800 | It doesn't just simply click.
00:58:47.440 | I have surrendered to you.
00:58:50.480 | This man expressed, this is like,
00:58:54.600 | if you're talking about a movie scene,
00:58:57.120 | some dramatic scene where there's a whole crowd watching,
00:59:00.480 | this is one incredible scene.
00:59:03.080 | How expressive, I'm guessing, I'm just assuming,
00:59:05.680 | reading between the lines here,
00:59:06.920 | that certain people are like, "What is this fool doing?
00:59:09.400 | "Get away."
00:59:10.520 | Right?
00:59:11.440 | "We're trying to listen to his teaching, get away from us."
00:59:15.000 | And he bows before the Lord and says,
00:59:17.080 | "Lord, it only, it only record, I wish it recorded more.
00:59:21.360 | "It only records one phrase,
00:59:23.560 | "but I'm pretty sure this leopard said more.
00:59:26.960 | "Lord, you have power, you have authority."
00:59:32.240 | Right?
00:59:33.720 | And in that way, I challenge every single one of us
00:59:37.120 | that our faith is a reactionary worship
00:59:42.120 | to seeing the great light of Christ.
00:59:45.160 | And clearly what we learn from this leopard
00:59:47.920 | is he saw the power of Jesus.
00:59:50.800 | Let's move on to the next point, which is,
00:59:53.560 | the leopard believed the power of Christ
00:59:55.680 | and he asked for cleansing.
00:59:57.240 | Okay, this leopard believed upon the power of Christ
01:00:01.680 | and he asked for cleansing.
01:00:04.200 | Scripture again in Matthew says,
01:00:05.440 | "When he came down from the mountain,
01:00:07.040 | "a large crowds," sorry, "large crowds followed him
01:00:10.560 | "and a leopard came to him and bowed down before him
01:00:13.040 | "and said, 'Lord, if you are willing,
01:00:14.760 | "'you can make me clean.'"
01:00:16.200 | Now, in this passage, it's not even a question,
01:00:18.600 | it's just a statement.
01:00:19.720 | "I believe you are so powerful, it's not even an issue.
01:00:24.120 | "The only question is, will you?"
01:00:27.880 | Do you see that?
01:00:28.720 | He's not asking, "Can you?"
01:00:31.560 | You know, like, "What did you do with me?
01:00:34.040 | "Why, how come?"
01:00:35.160 | And then think about this,
01:00:36.640 | back then families were typically pretty big.
01:00:38.760 | I'm assuming this individual perhaps had family
01:00:41.280 | who could not touch him or see him.
01:00:43.080 | Why is it that my brother is clean and I am not?
01:00:45.560 | It perhaps is a very plausible scenario.
01:00:49.480 | But rather than asking those questions,
01:00:53.040 | he is asking the question, "Lord, are you willing?"
01:00:57.800 | Now, the reason why I said it's a question
01:00:59.200 | is because the other passages, Luke chapter five, verse 14,
01:01:02.240 | talks about how he implored the Lord Jesus.
01:01:06.080 | So he is begging and he asks.
01:01:08.680 | And he's saying, "God," he's saying to the Lord,
01:01:11.160 | "Christ, Jesus, I believe in your power.
01:01:15.720 | "And only if you're willing, I know I will be clean."
01:01:19.560 | And it's just like the centurion's faith.
01:01:21.120 | The centurion said, "You don't even have to come to my house.
01:01:25.640 | "Just say the word and my servant will be clean."
01:01:30.000 | That's faith, that's absolute faith.
01:01:33.520 | But as I meditated upon this passage,
01:01:35.760 | please meditate with me.
01:01:37.440 | I didn't wanna make too much of this,
01:01:39.520 | and he asked or he said the statement,
01:01:41.560 | and I'm making a big deal about it,
01:01:42.880 | but let's take a moment to meditate.
01:01:45.920 | This individual asked something that was obvious.
01:01:51.760 | He was covered in leprosy.
01:01:57.400 | He was clearly deformed in some way or another.
01:02:00.840 | Did he have to ask?
01:02:02.840 | And as soon as I started thinking that,
01:02:05.200 | I felt a conviction in my heart.
01:02:06.840 | 'Cause there's something stubborn in me
01:02:10.200 | that doesn't want to ask, right?
01:02:13.560 | There's something weird about asking
01:02:16.640 | that makes you feel a little bit less.
01:02:19.160 | So you turn to other things to get what you need or want.
01:02:24.160 | Let me give you an example.
01:02:26.080 | Now, we have perhaps all dealt with an individual
01:02:29.160 | who you know they want something,
01:02:30.680 | but they're all manipulative.
01:02:32.640 | So they use things like complaining,
01:02:34.840 | throwing a tantrum, crossing their arms
01:02:37.440 | and giving you cold shoulder, like fine then.
01:02:40.040 | Don't want it either, right?
01:02:41.480 | And they'll maybe even complain.
01:02:43.200 | Like, "You did it for them, what about me?"
01:02:46.320 | And now it's always question of like,
01:02:47.960 | "Are you being fair or not?"
01:02:50.200 | And then you're just kind of thinking,
01:02:52.160 | "Just ask me."
01:02:55.080 | You have perhaps seen other people
01:02:56.920 | where they offer up better plans.
01:02:59.360 | They give you advice, but then you recognize
01:03:01.240 | like you have conflict of interest.
01:03:02.800 | All your plans result in you getting what you want.
01:03:06.320 | I want you to recognize
01:03:08.680 | that many people have done that to Christ.
01:03:10.480 | "Jesus, why don't you, you know what?
01:03:12.240 | Why don't you make, be king?
01:03:14.320 | We'll make you king."
01:03:15.280 | And then what that does is we want you to be king
01:03:17.560 | because then we usher in the revolution of the Jews, right?
01:03:21.520 | Like, it's so self-interested.
01:03:24.560 | We do that.
01:03:27.160 | And the reason why I say this is because I do that.
01:03:29.760 | You, there are certain things you feel that you need,
01:03:34.640 | you're deficient.
01:03:35.920 | Maybe you feel pain, you feel suffering.
01:03:39.080 | And rather than asking the Lord,
01:03:40.960 | maybe you're fighting your sin.
01:03:42.800 | Maybe you're whatever it may be.
01:03:45.560 | There is this weird categorical pride in me
01:03:48.880 | that doesn't want to ask.
01:03:51.720 | And then even in marriage relationships,
01:03:54.400 | quick dating tip,
01:03:55.240 | 'cause you guys know I love to give those, right?
01:03:58.520 | Sometimes you play a game in romantic relationships
01:04:02.000 | where you're not too direct with asking stuff.
01:04:05.280 | Because it's weird if you, in a dating relationship,
01:04:07.400 | it's like, "I want to ask you, will you love me?
01:04:10.720 | Will you take care of me?
01:04:12.640 | Will you be all affectionate?
01:04:14.280 | Hug me."
01:04:15.760 | And then all of a sudden
01:04:16.600 | you look like this really needy person, okay?
01:04:20.240 | But the reason why I bring that up
01:04:21.880 | is because there's this little phrase
01:04:24.880 | that I've often caused relationships to go sour.
01:04:27.960 | "I don't want to have to ask you
01:04:30.880 | to care for me and consider me.
01:04:35.720 | And if you go, right, to the fridge to get a cold drink,
01:04:40.040 | do I have to ask you every time, can you get me one too?
01:04:43.360 | Why can't you just think of me and bring me one?"
01:04:45.920 | Okay?
01:04:46.920 | You guys have never said that?
01:04:48.120 | (laughs)
01:04:49.840 | A lot of times in relationships, they do that to each other.
01:04:53.200 | I don't want to have to ask you
01:04:54.160 | for affection and consideration.
01:04:57.120 | I don't have to beg you for stuff.
01:04:59.440 | You should know.
01:05:00.280 | And then you realize, there it is.
01:05:04.920 | I have a problem asking for stuff
01:05:07.520 | because when it's super obvious, and again,
01:05:09.880 | he had to ask for the obvious.
01:05:12.960 | Everybody could see what his problem is,
01:05:18.480 | but he humbled himself to ask,
01:05:20.320 | "Lord, would you make me clean?"
01:05:23.160 | Within that question, there is a willingness
01:05:28.720 | to place oneself at the mercy of his will.
01:05:33.280 | And that's when it hurts our pride in human relationships.
01:05:38.520 | It places me somehow at your mercy.
01:05:42.000 | And I want to challenge every single one of you.
01:05:44.880 | Yes, from human to human,
01:05:46.840 | you don't want to act like that needy person
01:05:48.720 | who's always asking for everything.
01:05:50.600 | Why?
01:05:51.440 | Because scripture says in many different scenarios,
01:05:53.880 | "Bear your own burden, so long as it determines on you.
01:05:57.160 | Don't owe people anything."
01:05:58.520 | Right?
01:05:59.360 | Don't be a burden.
01:06:00.360 | Don't be a free bird.
01:06:01.440 | But between you and our God,
01:06:05.960 | between you and Christ,
01:06:08.520 | the reality is you need everything from his merciful hand.
01:06:14.960 | The reality is, the situation is,
01:06:17.720 | he is of power, you are of need.
01:06:21.040 | That's the reality.
01:06:23.600 | By faith, we should be very comfortable
01:06:28.320 | humbling ourselves and saying,
01:06:29.440 | "God, you have the power to meet my need."
01:06:33.400 | And scripture says,
01:06:35.720 | "These are the people who will be blessed."
01:06:37.880 | In Isaiah chapter 40, verse 31,
01:06:41.760 | "Yet those who wait for the Lord
01:06:44.200 | will gain new strength.
01:06:46.120 | They will mount up with wings like eagles.
01:06:48.480 | They will run and not get tired,
01:06:50.480 | and they will walk and not become weary.
01:06:52.320 | Behold."
01:06:53.480 | Oh, sorry, I'm gonna read another passage, Psalm 123.
01:06:57.960 | "Behold, as the eyes of servants
01:07:01.480 | look to the hand of their master,
01:07:04.160 | as the eyes of a maid to the hand of their mistress,
01:07:07.680 | so our eyes look to the Lord our God
01:07:10.080 | until he is gracious to us."
01:07:13.320 | You see, the world will see that and say,
01:07:15.520 | "What?
01:07:16.360 | I'm no servant?
01:07:18.840 | I'm no slave?
01:07:22.440 | I'm no maid to a mistress?
01:07:25.840 | You want me to ask and sit there
01:07:28.560 | and wait for him to answer?"
01:07:30.000 | And the flesh will rebel in that fashion.
01:07:33.760 | Biblically speaking, what we're saying
01:07:37.640 | is just as obvious as the disease of a man
01:07:39.640 | of great leprosy, so is your sin.
01:07:42.880 | So is your great need.
01:07:44.920 | It isn't obvious.
01:07:46.720 | We are covered in sin.
01:07:49.000 | We are so deeply in sin.
01:07:50.680 | And it's only us who fool ourselves to try and save face.
01:07:56.120 | But when we humble ourselves to ask, we will be blessed.
01:08:00.880 | Lastly, then, lastly, like the leper,
01:08:04.680 | we must believe that the Lord is willing.
01:08:06.880 | The leper believed in the power of God,
01:08:11.600 | but the leper believed that the powerful Lord is willing.
01:08:15.760 | Let me read to you what it says.
01:08:19.080 | Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him,
01:08:23.040 | saying, "I am willing."
01:08:27.440 | He cleansed, and immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
01:08:30.920 | I wish I could have been there.
01:08:34.760 | I mean, if there is an incredible, dramatic scene,
01:08:37.480 | something just epic, you have thousands of people watching.
01:08:42.320 | You'd probably have a commotion like, "Gasp!
01:08:46.480 | "Jesus touched him!"
01:08:48.000 | Right?
01:08:49.520 | That's forbidden!
01:08:50.360 | "Gasp!
01:08:52.560 | "Jesus is unclean!
01:08:53.680 | "Gasp!
01:08:55.920 | "Doesn't he know?"
01:08:57.520 | This is an epic moment.
01:08:58.720 | But what they see is not Jesus being contaminated.
01:09:04.200 | They see the man he cleansed.
01:09:07.360 | And to us, those words, "I am willing," that's incredible.
01:09:12.360 | And to us, that simple act, Jesus touched him,
01:09:18.520 | that's beautiful.
01:09:19.840 | The thing about it is Jesus didn't need to touch him.
01:09:24.120 | The very next story is, "I don't even need to go there.
01:09:28.200 | "I just say the word, and it is so."
01:09:30.360 | That's how powerful our Lord Jesus is.
01:09:34.440 | Jesus touching him is a ministering of compassion
01:09:38.240 | to the one who is weak and feeble.
01:09:40.960 | Imagine with me the life of a leper.
01:09:45.360 | Not even his parents can touch him.
01:09:49.200 | He's an untouchable, unapproachable.
01:09:53.160 | If there was somebody who was an outcast
01:09:56.200 | on the outskirts of society, this would be it.
01:09:59.200 | But Jesus approached and touched him.
01:10:03.800 | I can imagine just the tears in the man's eye,
01:10:06.680 | just flowing out of thankfulness.
01:10:10.080 | As a matter of fact, I could even imagine the man going,
01:10:12.360 | "What are you doing?
01:10:13.360 | "Don't touch me, Lord!"
01:10:15.160 | Right?
01:10:16.080 | 'Cause clearly the man respected him, and he knew himself.
01:10:20.400 | And I imagine this scene, the leper reeling back like,
01:10:24.080 | (gasps)
01:10:25.160 | and then Jesus touching him,
01:10:27.240 | and him feeling cleansed from head to toe.
01:10:30.000 | That's crazy stuff.
01:10:33.080 | This is the most incredibly beautiful scene.
01:10:35.560 | And so Jesus addressed every part of it.
01:10:40.360 | It was instantaneous.
01:10:41.520 | He didn't say, "Got medicine, vaccine, take two a day."
01:10:45.640 | It was miraculous, instantaneous,
01:10:49.240 | in the moment, it was perfect.
01:10:51.200 | But what's really astounding about this
01:10:55.040 | is Jesus proceeds to say, "I am willing."
01:10:57.360 | Brothers and sisters, this is the gospel.
01:11:02.680 | Scripture says that God on his own initiative,
01:11:06.360 | he purposed before the foundation of the world
01:11:09.320 | to take sinners lost and condemned like ourselves,
01:11:12.520 | and to hold and have us, to love us, to redeem us,
01:11:17.120 | to adopt us, and to perfect us.
01:11:20.600 | That was all done, Ephesians chapter one,
01:11:23.200 | according to the kind intention of his will.
01:11:26.080 | God had to have done nothing.
01:11:31.400 | He doesn't have to do anything.
01:11:32.920 | It doesn't have to be, "Oh, that guy got it.
01:11:36.400 | "I had no sin, I had no sickness.
01:11:38.680 | "He has sickness, why is it?"
01:11:40.320 | No, he doesn't have to do anything.
01:11:42.560 | Scripture says in Hebrews chapter two,
01:11:46.000 | you see, angels fell, humans fell,
01:11:50.600 | but God so desired to be of help to the children of Abraham,
01:11:56.040 | and when he did, he sent his son.
01:12:00.280 | Brothers and sisters, if you are going through hard times,
01:12:03.160 | I began with Psalm chapter 77.
01:12:05.920 | Lord, have you forgotten me?
01:12:07.320 | Are you going to reject me forever?
01:12:10.480 | He says, "You held my eyelids open."
01:12:13.800 | That means he can't sleep, 'cause it bothers him so.
01:12:17.200 | I will remember the mighty deeds of God.
01:12:21.440 | I wanna ask you, this leper is showing to us
01:12:24.840 | a model of faith, to believe in the power of Christ, amen?
01:12:30.440 | Do you have that conviction?
01:12:33.200 | My Lord is near and he is willing.
01:12:36.320 | He is compassionate and he is powerful,
01:12:39.320 | and by the simple word, he healed him.
01:12:42.600 | And after this story, he healed the next
01:12:45.440 | and the next and the next, and actually,
01:12:46.800 | Scripture says he healed, as he was teaching,
01:12:49.040 | he healed many, and to write of it
01:12:52.120 | would fill books and books and books.
01:12:54.560 | This is our Lord.
01:12:57.640 | Do you believe he is willing?
01:13:00.080 | And I wanna say to you guys,
01:13:02.160 | that as I was preparing this passage,
01:13:04.600 | there was an individual where I was counseling
01:13:09.040 | and I was afraid to, he had suffered deeply.
01:13:12.520 | He wasn't like a Job story, but he had suffered
01:13:15.760 | in a way where I thought, I don't know what to say to you,
01:13:18.640 | 'cause if I say stuff to you wrong,
01:13:20.640 | I might offend you, right?
01:13:22.960 | I'm not gonna say, hey, look on the bright side.
01:13:26.080 | The guy has suffered to the degree
01:13:27.400 | where I just was so careful, maybe too careful,
01:13:30.840 | because it was a part of me that wanted to share with him
01:13:34.400 | parts of my devotion and say to him,
01:13:36.960 | our God is proven powerful,
01:13:38.760 | because I worry, what if he comes back
01:13:41.480 | and it's like, well, not with me.
01:13:43.960 | Don't tell me those stories,
01:13:45.480 | because yeah, maybe God is powerful with them,
01:13:49.800 | but not with me.
01:13:50.720 | But I wanna remind you, remember, you know,
01:13:56.640 | Daniel and his friends, Chadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
01:14:00.360 | he had this confidence, my God is so powerful,
01:14:03.240 | he will deliver me from your hand, right, remember that?
01:14:07.320 | And then the guy said, you're gonna burn in my furnace,
01:14:10.960 | right, you're gonna die in my oven.
01:14:13.880 | And they said, God's either gonna draw us out miraculously
01:14:18.640 | or we're gonna die in there,
01:14:19.560 | but either way, God will deliver us.
01:14:23.440 | Brothers and sisters, in terms of what God is willing to do,
01:14:27.040 | God is willing to do far more than give simple help.
01:14:30.520 | He wants to deliver you, eternally, to give you perfection.
01:14:35.520 | For what good is it for a man to gain health,
01:14:38.560 | but to have a vicious heart,
01:14:40.280 | to have an eternity of corruption and condemnation?
01:14:44.400 | It's worth nothing.
01:14:45.560 | But Christ, he is willing that you would have life
01:14:52.720 | and life eternal.
01:14:54.520 | And in that compassion and in that love,
01:14:57.680 | he has poured out his life for us, amen?
01:15:01.000 | And that to us, we're reminded here,
01:15:03.200 | that our Lord is willing, we know what he's willing of.
01:15:07.640 | And as humble servants, as those who we know
01:15:12.200 | we were stricken with sin, we wait eagerly for our Savior.
01:15:16.920 | I wanna conclude with this interesting thought.
01:15:22.280 | In Matthew 8, verse four,
01:15:24.160 | Jesus says something that's a little bit persurprising.
01:15:27.560 | And what he says is this,
01:15:29.000 | "See to it that you tell no one,
01:15:33.240 | but go, show yourself to the priest
01:15:35.400 | and present the offering that Moses commanded
01:15:38.260 | as a testimony to them."
01:15:40.360 | I give you a warning.
01:15:42.600 | The challenge is, believe on Christ's power.
01:15:46.600 | And when you believe, that faith will cause you to draw near,
01:15:49.960 | that faith will humble you,
01:15:51.480 | that faith will cause you to ask
01:15:53.600 | and then to receive the blessing of God.
01:15:56.040 | But there's a warning.
01:15:58.120 | You might not see it apparently, but here is the warning.
01:16:02.480 | Jesus commands the man to go and do
01:16:06.880 | a fulfillment of the law process,
01:16:09.560 | which is in Leviticus chapter 13 and 14,
01:16:12.200 | God had commanded many things
01:16:14.240 | pertaining to the instruction of a leper.
01:16:16.720 | Number one, he had to go show himself to a priest
01:16:20.840 | to affirm, do I really have leprosy?
01:16:24.880 | And if you're confirmed,
01:16:26.000 | you are to isolate yourself and call yourself unclean.
01:16:29.320 | You know what's crazy?
01:16:30.580 | That bulk of it was only four verses
01:16:32.360 | or five verses in Leviticus chapter 13.
01:16:34.640 | The rest is all about what do you do
01:16:36.680 | when the leper is cleansed?
01:16:39.320 | Weird thing.
01:16:40.920 | I tried to think about scriptural passages
01:16:42.920 | when the leper was cleansed.
01:16:43.880 | Can you think of any?
01:16:45.400 | I thought of one, Naaman.
01:16:47.520 | Naaman went to the king, Jerurim, I think was his name,
01:16:50.800 | 'cause he heard that there was a prophet healing there.
01:16:53.720 | And when Nahum showed up, the king was like,
01:16:55.480 | I'm not God, I don't give life.
01:16:58.200 | How am I supposed to do with you?
01:16:59.840 | 'Cause clearly leprosy meant you're dead.
01:17:02.840 | There was no solution for that.
01:17:04.400 | And then after that, I can't think of it.
01:17:07.440 | And then the fact of the matter is,
01:17:10.080 | if you look at Jewish tradition,
01:17:11.520 | if you were deemed to have leprosy,
01:17:13.920 | it actually records in Jewish Talmud tradition,
01:17:16.440 | they actually read the last rites
01:17:18.640 | and kind of the sayings of the old
01:17:20.520 | upon your death to the person who just got it.
01:17:23.080 | So imagine you go sick to the hospital,
01:17:25.040 | and then the priest comes in and starts reading
01:17:27.920 | your last verses.
01:17:29.200 | But this was just a slow death.
01:17:31.960 | It was just, the thinking though,
01:17:33.640 | was you're as good as dead.
01:17:35.440 | That's almost cruel then, isn't it?
01:17:38.600 | Like, or weird.
01:17:39.920 | It's kind of like getting an instruction manual
01:17:42.360 | to what to do when you win the lottery.
01:17:44.440 | And you're like, I'm not gonna ever, right?
01:17:47.480 | What is this trash?
01:17:49.720 | To the Jewish leaders and Pharisees of the time,
01:17:52.680 | they should have been shocked.
01:17:54.200 | For the first time in my life,
01:17:59.160 | I'm practicing Leviticus 13, 14.
01:18:01.160 | What is this?
01:18:02.160 | The Jewish leaders should have been like, mind blown.
01:18:07.400 | That's the Messiah.
01:18:09.600 | He has power.
01:18:11.600 | He has authority over disease.
01:18:14.600 | Because you know what the instructions are in Leviticus?
01:18:17.200 | When the man comes and he says he's cleansed,
01:18:19.440 | the Levitical priests,
01:18:21.520 | they essentially do disease tracking.
01:18:24.520 | Where were you?
01:18:25.360 | Did you really have it?
01:18:26.280 | Did you have the sores?
01:18:27.600 | What kind of sores did you have?
01:18:28.560 | What were the ailments?
01:18:29.560 | Were you really cleansed?
01:18:30.600 | And essentially, they do a check to make sure
01:18:33.080 | that this was a genuine miracle.
01:18:36.040 | That was the law.
01:18:37.400 | And so Jesus says, go show yourself.
01:18:42.240 | Jesus has done everything possible
01:18:45.440 | to convince the world that he is of God.
01:18:48.680 | He is of God.
01:18:51.080 | You know what the sad state of affairs is?
01:18:54.560 | Matthew chapter 12.
01:18:55.640 | Do you know what the Pharisees and the leaders conclude?
01:18:58.680 | That must be a demon.
01:18:59.840 | So sad.
01:19:02.840 | It's frustrating almost.
01:19:05.000 | Below, and a warning to every single one of us,
01:19:09.040 | there is a weird temptation for us
01:19:13.680 | to not trust the power of Christ.
01:19:17.120 | We run away when we should be running towards him.
01:19:22.920 | We hide when we should be exposing.
01:19:25.080 | We do so many things that believe
01:19:28.440 | that other people can help us, other programs.
01:19:31.560 | It's not just the nation of Israel,
01:19:34.760 | and it's not just the Pharisees.
01:19:36.760 | How many times has God says, trust me and me alone?
01:19:39.520 | Why do you keep making alliances with them?
01:19:42.360 | What is Egypt gonna do for you?
01:19:44.360 | They have powers, right?
01:19:46.880 | That's essentially what they're saying.
01:19:49.600 | So I end with this warning
01:19:50.840 | because surprisingly, this passage is a warning.
01:19:53.520 | And it's a rebuke to the established culture
01:19:56.880 | and the religious leaders of the time.
01:19:58.800 | What we need to believe is in the power
01:20:01.880 | and the willing compassion of Christ.
01:20:04.960 | You are going to be tempted and lured by the world.
01:20:07.360 | No, trust me.
01:20:08.640 | No, trust yourself.
01:20:10.080 | No.
01:20:12.120 | But may we be of those humble like the leper.
01:20:15.560 | Lord, if you're willing, I'm going to be clean.
01:20:20.160 | Amen?
01:20:21.000 | Let's pray.
01:20:21.840 | Father God, we thank you so much that in your word,
01:20:30.080 | we have the answer to the question, are you willing?
01:20:33.360 | Some of us, Father God, we wrestle with sin
01:20:37.360 | and it amazes us, like you're willing to forgive me
01:20:41.360 | after how many times?
01:20:42.720 | I pray God we would believe that you have power, Lord,
01:20:49.160 | and that you're willing and compassionate.
01:20:52.040 | I pray, Father God, for the faith to be humble, Lord,
01:20:55.480 | that resorting to my own devices,
01:20:58.480 | resorting to my own power means certain death.
01:21:01.120 | And Lord, we must be humble enough to come to you and ask.
01:21:06.200 | I pray, Father God, anybody in this room
01:21:09.080 | who is struggling through suffering and hard times,
01:21:11.640 | God, when they recognize that, Lord, your plan for them
01:21:15.040 | and your will for them is not to simply have ease here
01:21:18.640 | because you already told us we'll walk this life
01:21:20.920 | with great suffering, but God, to have such great hope.
01:21:24.760 | To have you means we have everything.
01:21:29.320 | To have you means we have the greatest power of all.
01:21:32.920 | Lord, we thank you and praise you.
01:21:34.160 | It's in Christ's name we pray, amen.
01:21:37.880 | Let us all rise as we sing our closing praise.
01:21:40.240 | (upbeat music)
01:22:06.640 | ♪ Once was lost ♪
01:22:08.280 | ♪ I once was lost in darkest night ♪
01:22:12.760 | ♪ Yet thought I knew the way ♪
01:22:17.360 | ♪ The sin that promised joy and power ♪
01:22:21.920 | ♪ Had led me to the grave ♪
01:22:26.480 | ♪ And I know that you would own ♪
01:22:31.040 | ♪ A rebel to your will ♪
01:22:35.600 | ♪ And if you have not loved me first ♪
01:22:40.160 | ♪ I will refuse you still ♪
01:22:43.740 | Get up, baby.
01:22:56.120 | ♪ Living as I did by hell bound ♪
01:23:00.680 | ♪ Indifferent to the cause ♪
01:23:05.200 | ♪ You looked upon my helpless state ♪
01:23:09.800 | ♪ And led me to the cross ♪
01:23:14.360 | ♪ And I beheld ♪
01:23:16.600 | ♪ My self-displayed ♪
01:23:18.920 | ♪ You suffered in my face ♪
01:23:23.400 | ♪ You bore the wrath ♪
01:23:25.720 | ♪ You served for me ♪
01:23:27.960 | ♪ Now all I know is grace ♪
01:23:33.720 | Here we go.
01:23:35.240 | ♪ Hallelujah ♪
01:23:39.800 | ♪ All I have is Christ ♪
01:23:44.360 | ♪ Hallelujah ♪
01:23:48.840 | ♪ Jesus is my life ♪
01:23:53.440 | ♪ Hallelujah ♪
01:23:58.000 | ♪ All I have is Christ ♪
01:24:02.560 | ♪ Hallelujah ♪
01:24:07.000 | ♪ Jesus is my life ♪
01:24:09.920 | (speaking in foreign language)
01:24:31.880 | ♪ The doors of hell ♪
01:24:34.160 | ♪ And the soul might see ♪
01:24:38.560 | ♪ The strength to follow your ways ♪
01:24:43.120 | ♪ Had never come from me ♪
01:24:47.760 | ♪ Oh, Father, you ♪
01:24:50.000 | ♪ My ransom, my ♪
01:24:52.240 | ♪ In any way you choose ♪
01:24:57.040 | ♪ Let my song forever be ♪
01:25:01.320 | ♪ My only host is you ♪
01:25:06.320 | ♪ Hallelujah ♪
01:25:13.160 | ♪ All I have is Christ ♪
01:25:17.720 | ♪ Hallelujah ♪
01:25:22.200 | ♪ Jesus is my life ♪
01:25:26.760 | ♪ Hallelujah ♪
01:25:31.320 | ♪ All I have is Christ ♪
01:25:35.920 | ♪ Hallelujah ♪
01:25:40.440 | ♪ Jesus is my life ♪
01:25:45.080 | ♪ Hallelujah ♪
01:25:49.600 | ♪ All I have is Christ ♪
01:25:54.400 | ♪ Hallelujah ♪
01:25:59.160 | ♪ Jesus is my life ♪
01:26:02.080 | - Amen, let's bow our heads and pray together.
01:26:13.120 | Lord God, we pray for strength this week.
01:26:16.320 | Lord, I pray that we would not live by sight,
01:26:19.960 | we would not live according to the wisdom of man,
01:26:23.160 | but rather, God, we would live by faith.
01:26:25.560 | In greater measures, Lord,
01:26:26.680 | help us to trust you with our daily struggles.
01:26:30.040 | In greater measure, Lord,
01:26:31.040 | help us to have the simplicity of a confidence
01:26:35.160 | that God, what you say is so,
01:26:37.840 | and God, that there would be no ifs, buts,
01:26:39.840 | and doubts about it.
01:26:41.420 | I pray, Father God, that in that way,
01:26:43.200 | you would strengthen our inner selves.
01:26:45.640 | And Father, I pray that as we walk then in faithfulness
01:26:48.080 | to you, God, that you would use us,
01:26:50.880 | you would use us in mighty ways
01:26:52.880 | to proclaim of the wonderful works that you do,
01:26:55.600 | not just simply in provisions and earthly blessings,
01:26:59.700 | but ultimately, God, that you have redeemed our very soul.
01:27:03.400 | Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
01:27:06.080 | to make you stand in the presence of his glory,
01:27:08.000 | blame us with great joy,
01:27:09.760 | for the only God, our Savior,
01:27:11.080 | through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
01:27:12.360 | be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority
01:27:15.760 | before all time and now and forever, amen.
01:27:19.800 | ♪ God sent his Son ♪
01:27:24.800 | ♪ They called him Jesus ♪
01:27:30.240 | ♪ He came to love ♪
01:27:35.720 | ♪ Healed and forgave ♪
01:27:41.200 | ♪ He lived and died ♪
01:27:47.200 | ♪ To buy my pardon ♪
01:27:52.200 | ♪ An empty grave is there to ♪
01:27:57.720 | ♪ Save your life ♪
01:28:03.760 | ♪ Because he lives ♪
01:28:08.960 | ♪ I can face tomorrow ♪
01:28:14.800 | ♪ Because he lives ♪
01:28:19.800 | ♪ All fear is gone ♪
01:28:25.320 | ♪ Because I know ♪
01:28:30.880 | ♪ He holds the future ♪
01:28:36.440 | ♪ And life is worth the living ♪
01:28:41.880 | ♪ Just because he lives ♪
01:28:46.880 | - Amen.
01:28:51.000 | So as we do with each Sunday,
01:28:52.320 | for those of you who are in the outside courtyard,
01:28:54.600 | you are dismissed, please go ahead and exit out the back.
01:28:57.600 | For everybody on my right side this half,
01:29:00.320 | please start making your way out through the side door,
01:29:02.760 | beginning from the first row.
01:29:04.960 | And then this side, as you guys normally do,
01:29:06.600 | please wait about 30 seconds to a minute,
01:29:09.000 | and starting from the back,
01:29:10.000 | you may exit out either end.
01:29:12.000 | Thank you so much, everybody.
01:29:13.400 | (upbeat music)
01:29:15.980 | ♪ Wishes I ♪