[0:00] All right, please join me back in Luke chapter number 9. And I ask you the question, isn't it amazing that He came, how He came and that He came?
[0:12] And then as the song said that He came for us, in our offering devotion we were told that He came because He loved us. He loved us that He gave His only begotten Son. What a wonderful truth that we should be celebrating all times, definitely around Christmas.
[0:28] A lot of questions in the Bible. Read the Bible and it brings you to a lot of questions. At the end of our reading of verse number 9, Herod asks a question. And he says, but who is this of whom I hear such things?
[0:41] Those of you that, and I hope all of you, love to share the gospel message. You love it when you try to talk to somebody and you don't know if they're going to be interested, but then they ask you a question. What an exciting question when somebody would say, but who is this of whom I hear such things?
[0:55] I've always heard about pastors telling about sharing the gospel on an airplane. Well, I haven't been on many airplanes, well, as many as some, and I don't really hear very well on an airplane, so I haven't ever had many great discussions.
[1:07] But one time I was on an airplane, and the person beside me, they said, what are you doing? I said, well, I'm a Bible teacher. And they said, you know, I've never really heard the story of a Bible. And I got so excited. I'm like, are you setting me up?
[1:18] Did somebody tell you to say that? And I got to spend a few hours giving the story of the Bible. What a great question. Your heart ought to jump in your chest when it says, but who is this of whom I hear such things?
[1:29] We love answering that question, right? We answer it to the point in which we know. I know more about Jesus than I did yesterday, you know? Today I learned something in God's Word in our life group, and I just, and I loved it.
[1:42] But this is a very reasonable question that a king would ask about another one. Who is this person that is giving out commands? Who is this person calling people to themselves, giving them power, and then sending them back out?
[1:56] If I was a king, I would want to know who was doing that in my little domain as well. So there's a question. One question that's often asked at Christmas, and I've made fun of the song, but I honestly like it a whole lot.
[2:10] And it's this question, Mary, did you know? All right? And I was trying to have the courage to try to sing a little bit of it to you today so that if you don't remember this song, Mary, did you know that your son would one day walk on water?
[2:23] And there's a series of questions. I like singing because as I sang, it makes you grateful that God called me to preach. And so, but I love that song. Ask Brother David today if there's any plans.
[2:34] And he said we may get to hear it before the Christmas time. But she, obviously, she knew many things. But the song asked some questions that she wouldn't have known about.
[2:45] But let me show you quickly in Luke chapter 1 some of the questions she asked. There's many ways in Bible study that I could have looked up all the questions from Luke 1 to Luke 9.
[2:55] But I decided I wanted to read through it. And I wanted to look at questions being asked about Jesus. Then I also wanted to see the questions Jesus asked. And I was blown away with how much of these first nine chapters of Luke are either questions being asked or questions by Jesus asking other people.
[3:12] But Mary said, How shall this be, Luke 1.34, seeing that I know not a man? How is this possible? Luke 1.43, And whence hath this to me that the mother of the Lord shall come to me?
[3:25] Luke 2.19, But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Mary had a lot of questions about the life of Christ. Knowing that he was the Messiah. But there's so many things that she didn't know.
[3:37] And then questions continue. The first disciples that would leave from John the Baptist that would go after Jesus. And they would say, They said unto him, Rabbi, which being interpreted master, Where dwellest thou?
[3:50] After Jesus asked them the question, What are you seeking? Then people had questions after hearing Jesus. After he would teach Luke 4.36. And they were all amazed and spake among them, Saying, What a word is this?
[4:02] For with authority and power he commanded the unclean spirits. And they come out. People had questions about the authority in which Jesus, He was teaching there. And they were amazed by it.
[4:14] Then those who came to be healed wondered if he would show compassion. So there's questions about his authority. There's also questions about his compassion. Luke 5.12, And it came to pass when he was in a certain place.
[4:25] Behold, a man full of leprosy, Who seeing Jesus fell on his face and besought him, Saying, Lord, if the iPad freezes on me today, I'm going to need some help.
[4:37] Okay? I've never had this. You are watching one of my greatest fears in life At this very, very moment. And we survived.
[4:48] All right. Where were we at? We had leprosy. Let's go back to that. All right? And so, Jesus fell on his face and besought him, Saying, Lord, if thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean.
[4:59] Knowing you're able to heal me, I know you can, But will you? That was the question. So it was a question about his compassion. Luke 5.21, And the scribes and the Pharisees Begins the reason, Saying, Who is this which speak as blasphemies?
[5:12] Who can forgive sins but God alone? Once again, They're questioning his authority to forgive sin. Luke 5.30, But their scribes and Pharisees Murmured against the disciples, Saying, Why do you eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
[5:24] They questioned his view of humanity. Why would you spend time with these people? They were challenging him. Was he all-knowing? The fact that the Messiah, That he was the Messiah, Luke 7.19, And John calling unto him, Two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, Saying, Art thou he that should come, Or look we for another?
[5:43] John knew where to take his doubts. He had been waiting for the Messiah. He says, If you're not the Messiah, Let me know because I love the Messiah. I want to know him. And so even if he was the Messiah, It was being questioned. And his understanding of the situation Was often questioned.
[5:56] Luke 7.39, Now when the Pharisees, Which have been in him, Saw it, He spake within himself, Saying, This man, This man, If he were a prophet, Would have known, And who, And what manner of woman this is, That touches him, For she is a sinner.
[6:10] The story we saw a few weeks ago, Jesus went to, He went to dinner, The host did not treat him very well, Did not give him anything to wash his feet with, But there's this woman here, A bad reputation, And they question, Does Jesus even know who this is, That he is allowing to watch his feet?
[6:26] Questions about his family, Luke 8.20, And when it was told by him, Certain would said, Thy mother and thy brother stand without desiring, To see thee. So this is a question, It doesn't end with a question mark, But they're just constantly looking to see, How Jesus is going to respond.
[6:41] Hey Jesus, Your mother and brothers are here, What are you going to do? In what manner of man is this, Is a common question, Luke 8.25, And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid, Saying one to another, What manner of man is this?
[6:54] For he commandeth even the wind, And the winds and water, And they obey him. The disciples are asking questions, They're allowing him to answer it, And that's what it is, To follow after Jesus.
[7:06] It's asking questions, And trusting him to answer them. The demons will question him, About the timing, Not now, Peter will question him, When he said, Last week, When it said that Jesus, He said, Who touched me?
[7:20] And Peter says, Everybody, Like what do you mean about this? Who touched you? We've got hundreds, Hundreds, If not thousands of people, Around you here, And as people are pushing. So with all that being said, I think it's appropriate, That we would say, Mary did you know?
[7:34] I think it's appropriate, That Mary would have had, Some questions about the life, Of quite Christ. Disciples had questions, As they followed Jesus, And I think if we're honest, In here today, That we'll say, That we also have questions, As we follow Jesus.
[7:49] A great deal of the questions, Revolve around Jesus' authority, And his compassion. We ask questions, We allow him to answer, And then we trust him. So it's understandable, It's good to have these questions.
[8:01] In the back of the gospel records, There's always somebody asking a question, Who is this person? What's his authority? And what's his compassion? I think about it being a teenager, A song that I would play a lot, It would say, Who is the king of angels, O blessed prince of peace, Revealing things of heaven, And all its mysteries, My spirits ever longing, For his grace in which to stand, Who is this king of glory, Son of God and son of man?
[8:26] His name is Jesus, Precious Jesus, The Lord almighty, King of my heart, The king of glory. The way that song would end, The Lord of heaven and earth, Creator of all things, He is the king of glory, He's everything to me.
[8:39] Always in the background of my life, As a believer, Is this question, Who is this king of glory? And so I know more about king Jesus, Than I did as a teenager, Driving around, In a 1992 Mercury topaz, It was beautiful.
[8:53] All right? And so I was asking questions, And I was thankful for music, That directed my heart to say, Yeah, you know Jesus, But there's more to know. You can trust Him more.
[9:03] And so the Christian life, Is of asking hard questions, And trusting Jesus, With answers to them. And this is how our dependence, On Him grows, And this will alter our lives, In such a wonderful way.
[9:14] The disciples are asking questions, All the time. And so the disciples have come so far, And they still have so much farther to go. But now, After 18 months, About halfway through His earthly ministry, After about 18 months now, And about halfway to the way to the cross, About another 18 months, He's going to get the disciples, And He's going to line them up, And He's going to commission them, And He's going to send them out.
[9:40] And He's called them to Himself, And now He's going to send them out. And there's a real transition, In the book of Luke, Where we're at right now, Where He's going to send His disciples out.
[9:52] Between Luke 8 and 9, We find out in the book of Mark, Just a few verses of what happens, Between chapter number 8, And chapter number 9. And let me read it to you, In Mark 6, 2 through 4.
[10:05] Remember, Let me tell you, We ended with the story of healing Jairus' daughter, And then now Jesus, When the Sabbath day was come, He began to teach in the synagogue, And many hearing Him were astonished, Saying, From whence has this man seen these things?
[10:19] And what wisdom is this, Which giveth unto him, That even such mighty works are wrought by His hands? Is not this the carpenter, The son of Mary, The brother of James, And Joseph, And Judah, And Simon, And not his sisters here with us?
[10:33] And they were offended at Him, And Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, But in his own country, And among his own kin, And in his own house. In verse number 17, It says, And he called unto him the twelve, And he began to send them forth by two and two, And gave them power over unclean spirits.
[10:52] That's what we just read to you in Luke 9, 1 through 9. It's where he called them, Send them out, And giving them instruction. First thing that we want to take note of here, Is that Jesus called unto him the twelve.
[11:04] The first calling that anyone will ever receive, Is a calling to Jesus. That was his calling to the disciples. He called them unto him whom he would. Mark 3, 13, And they came unto him, And he ordained the twelve, Mark 3, 14, That they should be with him.
[11:22] He set them aside, First and foremost, To spend time with him. There was no finding people on the street, And commissioning them and sending them out. There was first an invitation to him.
[11:33] Remember in Luke 5, When he came upon a tax collector, Levi, And he said, You need to, He spoke to him, And then from that day forward, It says that Levi, He followed him.
[11:45] Jesus' desire to be with us, Should cause people to be wanting to follow him. They were invited to follow him. The gospel invited you to follow Jesus. And it worked in our hearts.
[11:57] In our life group, We've been through John 17, And it says there in John 17, 24, Father, I will that they also, Whom thou hast given me, Be with me where I am, That they may behold my glory, Which thou hast given me.
[12:09] Where is that? It's heaven. And he wants us to be with him there as well. Here on earth, He invites us to follow him, To dwell with him, To spend time, And then, In heaven, That he wants us there.
[12:22] He wants all people there. Mark 6, 19 through 20, It's kind of interesting, Because that's the very end of the book of Mark. And so it ends like this, Verse 19, It says, So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, He received up in the heaven, And sat on the right hand of God.
[12:37] But then the next verse, It says, And they went forth, Preaching everywhere, The Lord working with them, And confirming the word, With signs following, Amen.
[12:49] We've got to admit, That sometimes we feel like, We're really missing out. We hear, We so understand, You invited Levi to follow you, He got up from his table, And then he followed Jesus, And he got to work with Jesus, And he got to be with Jesus, And work.
[13:03] But here at the end of the book of Mark, It says, And he was up in heaven, But when they went forth, And preached, The Lord was working with them, Confirming the word. That we, Through the Holy Spirit, Have union with God.
[13:17] That we work with him, That he works in and through us. And so as they followed Jesus, We're still following today. But then this expression, Confirming the word with signs, Is where the story of the apostles, Will differ from us.
[13:32] Jesus gave them power, But he gave it with a purpose. And he called the twelve, And he gave them power, And authority over all devils, And the cure, Diseases. I'm going to have to let you know something, And feel free to leave if you need to.
[13:43] I expect that you already know this at this point. But I am not an apostle. Alright? And I don't believe that any of you are disappointed by that. You know that I'm not an apostle, Because if it was, If I was an apostle, We would make a neon light on our church sign.
[13:57] Okay? I would make sure that it was very evident to you, That I am an apostle. This week I was with some friends, And we were on the property of an apostolic church, And on the sign it would say that there was an apostle.
[14:10] I joke about that, But you can drive very short distance from here, And you will find signs that would say that they have an apostle among them. So let me explain to you why I'm not an apostle. 2 Corinthians 12, 12 says, Truly the signs of an apostle are wrought among you in all patience, And signs and wonders and mighty deeds.
[14:27] There are true signs of an apostle, In which I don't meet, And you don't either. Don't think you're better than me, okay? You're not an apostle either. Alright? In here. And, I did not see Christ after the resurrection.
[14:39] That's what Paul argues in 1 Corinthians 9, 21. Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? And not ye my work in the Lord? That was an argument that he made to say that I am an apostle, And had seen them.
[14:51] The Lord came to him and spent time with him. Acts 9, 15 says, They were explicitly chosen vessels to bear their name. Acts 2, 43 says that they have this ability, Signs and wonders that were given to them.
[15:04] The teaching of these men would be the foundation of the church, Ephesians 2, 20, Where Christ is the chief cornerstone. And on top of all that, The list of the apostles has already been decided, As we looked at when Jesus called his disciples, And we know that they would be the apostles.
[15:20] Revelation 21, 14, And the wall of the city had 12 foundations, And then the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb. It doesn't look like they're going to be adding to it. Alright?
[15:30] It's already set in stone, There in heaven, Who the 12 apostles are going to be. Then it says, Confirming the word with signs. They even had a power to resurrect the dead.
[15:43] I'm not trying to take away from what these apostles had. I want to make sure you clearly see it. Matthew 10, 18, Heal the sick, Cleanse the lepers, Raise the dead, Cast out the devils. Freely you have received, And freely you give.
[15:55] At that apostolic church, They had a graveyard. Alright? That doesn't seem to be fitting. Jesus couldn't send them out with the right message, Unless there was a way in which to confirm the word.
[16:06] Because there wasn't a New Testament, In which they could measure the preacher. They could not measure the authority, In which the people were giving the message. So he gives signs, And he gives wonders.
[16:20] And though we believe that God can, And still does perform miracles, And I certainly believe that. The Holy Spirit no longer uses individuals, To perform miraculous signs.
[16:31] That I don't need to do a sign gift, Today in here, To tell you that I get to speak, With authority, Because I have the New Testament. I have the word of God. And then you can test, What I have to say against it.
[16:43] And where in which what I say, Is the word of God, Then it's authoritative. It's the word of God, And you ought to live by it. It's not my message, But it's his. And where I don't speak, According to God's word, There is no authority to it here.
[16:55] And so if you need a big word, I would suggest the word, Sessationist. This means that the sign gifts, Have ceased, Now that the New Testament, Has been given to us here. So the apostles through inspiration, Wrote that the sign gifts would end.
[17:08] 1 Corinthians 13, Charity never faileth, But whether there be prophecies, They shall fail. Whether there be tongues, They shall cease. Whether there be knowledge, It shall vanish away. In the books of Ephesians and Romans, You're going to have detailed passages, On the gifts of the Spirit, But the miraculous sign gifts, Are not going to be mentioned.
[17:27] Speaking in tongues, Is an inferior gift, Of prophesying, Of teaching, And preaching the word, Preaching the word of God, Edifies believers, Where it says in 1 Corinthians 4, 1 through 3, Let no man, So account of us, As ministers of Christ, As stewards of the mystery of God, Moreover is required in stewards, That a man be found faithful, But with me it's a very small thing, That I shall be judged of you, A man's judgment, Yea, I judge not my own self.
[17:50] The apostle Paul, In closing on this, About the special purpose, In which God gave a power, For a purpose to the apostles, If we look at the life of the apostle Paul, The apostle Paul raised a young man, Named Eutychus, Some of you would know, That one of my first messages ever, Was about the Eutychus, And you know why, Don't you?
[18:11] You know why I preached on Eutychus, Because I preached my message, And at the end of the message, I said, You know why he's named Eutychus? Because Eutychus too, If he fell out of a third story window, And everybody laughed, And I looked at the pastor, And I'm like, I'm done, Alright?
[18:27] And he's like, You are done, Alright? You just get out of the way, And so I've learned, That building a whole message, Around a closing joke, Is not the best edify, Way to edify, A group of people, But in Acts 20, He raises Eutychus from the dead, But not Ephroditus, In Philippians 2, Or Trophimus, 2 Timothy 4, Doesn't heal Timothy, In 1 Timothy 5, 23, Doesn't heal himself, 2 Corinthians 12, Why?
[18:54] The gift was never intended, To make every Christian well, But to authenticate his, The apostleship, The authority of the apostles, Have been sufficiently proved, Making further signed gifts, Unnecessary, I know that was a long side item, To say that the power, Was given with a purpose, But in studying for this, I realized that it was, All over the internet, There's so much in that, And I just found time and time again, Where people would say, You know, I didn't believe in, These miraculous gifts, And that I had the power to heal, And all these things are being said, But then I just really studied the Bible, And I realized that my, In my upbringing, I didn't know the Bible, And I would tell you the contrary, That if you would study the word, That you would find, That it has the authority, In God's word, That God does not need, To give me a signed gift today, For you to know that I'm speaking, God's word, And so, As people would say, If you just really knew the Bible, And I would say, Those I know that know the Bible, They see it like this, And so you may have an experience, But God's word is greater, Than any of our individual experiences,
[19:55] So we're also sent out with authority, And I look forward to sharing more about, In the next chapter, When the 70 are sent out, Because it's not that they're just sent out, It wasn't just the apostles, Had great authority, And great power, Then the next 70 that get sent out, That they're just left to themselves, No, God has sent us out, With power, God has sent us out, With protection, But it does look different, The apostles are not only sent out, With power, But with a purpose, The preach of the kingdom of God, He sends out the apostles, Verse 2, It says, Preaching the kingdom of God, If you're not used to that statement, Down to verse number 6, A synonym for that, Is preaching the gospel, He sends them out, Preaching the gospel, So he sends them out, Preaching the gospel, And healing the sick, And three things, There's a proclamation of hope, There's a demonstration of compassion, And then we see that they're totally dependent upon God, For their needs, Because in this proclamation of hope, We join in with the apostles, The Bible tells us, 2 Corinthians 5, 18 through 20, That we are ambassadors, He has committed to us, The word of reconciliation,
[20:57] Now when we are ambassadors, For Christ, Acts 1, 8 says, That we are his witnesses, That we are now being sent out, That we are preachers of good news, How shall they preach, Except they be sent, Just like the apostles are sent, We have been sent, God has sent us, Out into this world, The word apostle, Not the apostles, Or not the twelve, But the word apostle itself, Means sent ones, Or messengers, So in that regard, We are sent out, As they were here in this story, With a message of hope, We should be totally dependent on him, And with this declaration, Or this demonstration, Of compassion, So concerning the message of hope, It wasn't a political message, It wasn't an attempt to mend things socially, In the culture, It wasn't an effort to alter, Public morality, But it's a message of sin, Salvation, And forgiveness, And that message changes everything, About a person, And a family, And a community,
[21:58] What they were locked, And loaded with, And sent out, Is the same thing, That we are given, The take, And it changes the world, It changed the world, In their day, And it's still changing the world now, Maybe you don't hear about it on the news, But it's making its way, Through this community, It's making its way through families, It's making its way through families, In our church right now, That message, That declaration of hope, It changes everything, There's also this demonstration, Of compassion, All the followers of Jesus Christ, Are called to demonstrate the compassion, Of the king, That they represent, So as an ambassador, That being sent out, It's not just your job, To reflect the message, That you are given, It was handed to you, You can't change from it, You can't add to it, You can't take it away, Deliver the message of hope, As it was given to you, But your life, Should demonstrate that, Of the kingdom, That you come from, That of the king, That you are sent from, And it says, To heal the sick, Remember the question, We look at in review, Where Jesus, So many questions, Were about his authority, And his compassion, Jesus came, And we have seen him, Cast out demons,
[23:00] And heal the sick, And raise the dead, And all three of those categories, Dealt with people, At the point of profound, Suffering, The miracle of the wind, And the waves, Was to relieve human suffering, In the fear of his disciples, The miracle of casting out demons, Of the pig, Was to eliminate human suffering, And the man that was possessed by them, The next miracle, That we're going to see next week, Is the feeding of 5,000, Which eliminates the suffering, Of hunger, That all of his miracles, Had a purpose, And it was demonstrating, Compassion, That the deliverer, Had come, Had a conversation, A couple weeks ago, With the wit homes, And how often times, People will get confused, And they will say what he's doing, And they will liken it, Unto magic, Even when Satan is tempting, In Luke chapter number four, And he says, Why don't you throw yourself down, And catch yourself, That's not what we find Jesus doing, Jesus could have done, Anything that he wanted, In regards to miracles, But they were always, Directed towards people, They were always directed, Towards demonstrating, Compassion, He wasn't just doing something,
[24:01] Miraculous, Just for astonishment, But he was always, Compassionate, Towards people, And that's why people, Were coming after him, Everywhere he goes, He has to get in a boat, And move, Because they say, If I can get to that man, I know that he has authority, But will he help me, And time and time again, That we see that he is, So Jesus cares about those, Who are suffering, And his messengers, Must as well, Jesus cares about those, That are suffering, And as his messengers, That is one of the things, That should identify us, As being compassionate people, Luke 19, 41 and 42, And when he has come near, He beheld the city, And wept over it, Saying, If thou hast known, Even thou at least in this day, The things which belong, And the peace, But now they have hid, From their eyes, Jesus is weeping, Over the city, Because they're in darkness, They're blinded, And he is, Moved with compassion, In his heart, For them, We will never be, Effective messengers of hope, Until our hearts are broken, For the condition, Of those that are around us,
[25:01] Let me make it real practical, Before you get into that argument, With your family member, At Christmas, Don't argue over politics, Argue over religion, It's so much more fun, Right?
[25:12] No, But do, Really, My wife's shaking her head, No, But do, I'm going to double down on this, Alright? But do, But before you go and argue with them, And you, You go to them, And defend, Earnestly contend, The faith, As the book of Jude would say, Be broken in heart for them, Say a prayer, Ask God, God, You know that I'm going to see, Cousin, Uncle, So and so, And you know how antagonistic they are, But I want them to see, Not only the message of hope, But I want them to see, A demonstration, Of compassion, I want them to know, That Jesus not only is renewing my mind, But he's changed my heart, And that I love them, And that when I speak, They know, That I love them, And then argue about religion, Alright?
[25:55] And so, Totally dependent upon God, For their needs, So before we can be affected, Messengers of hope, Our hearts must be broken, For the condition of those, That are around us, That's how the king that sent us out, Would do things, And that's how his messengers should do it, All followers of Jesus Christ, Should live completely dependent, Upon him, Normally, How many of you, When you take a trip, You make a list, A checklist, How many of you do that?
[26:17] Alright, That's great, Alright, The few of you in here, Alright, The rest of you, My people, Alright, Just fill it out, Alright, It's going to be fun, Every city in America has Walmart, Alright, So really, And if Walmart doesn't sell it, You really don't need it, Alright, And so, And so you normally have a to-do list, And they have, A take with you, A packing list, They had a do not pack list, Alright, Don't take this with you, And Luke 9, 3, It says, And he said unto them, Taking nothing for your journey, Neither staves, Nor scrib, Nor bread, Nor money, Neither have two coats of peace, So they're being called into an internship, This is a time of training for them, And I want to show you why I believe this is a time of training, And it won't be normal moving forward, Because they're not always going to meet these conditions, Luke 22, 35, Towards the end of the book, We're going to hear a response to what happened, It says, And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, And shoes, And lacked you anything, And they said, And they said, Lacked you anything?
[27:15] And their answer, Jesus is saying, Remember when I sent you out with nothing, And that no packing list that you were supposed to have? What happened? What did you lack? And their answer was simply one word, Nothing.
[27:28] We like nothing. Then he said unto them, Verse 36, But now, He that has a purse, Let him take it, And likewise a scrip, And he that hath no sword, Let he that hath no sword, Let him sell his garment, And buy one.
[27:42] That's why it's an internship, It's a time of training, It's a time of just complete dependence, It wasn't going to say that at no time will you need these things, But at this season of life, At this time, I want you to learn this full dependence on me, I want to show you, And some of you have been there before, God took everything away from you, And then you were able to say, And what did you lack?
[28:01] And you said nothing. And so now when he adds a few things to you, You say, I now have a cloak, I now have a sword, I now have some things with me, But if I don't have these things, He's still meeting my needs.
[28:12] And then you can appreciate them, In the way that they should. So God will take you through times, Where everything can be removed from you, And what's being removed from you, Is just more than the lesson learned, Lacked you nothing, They said, Lacked you anything, And they said nothing, More to be learned than just taking, That you're not going to be hungry, That Jesus is not just stripping, He is not just stripping away their identity, But he's teaching them, Who they are, And who he's making them to be.
[28:40] I will make you fishers of men, He certainly makes us fishers of men, And that's wonderful, But just remember that, I will make you, The real you, The one that you're created to be, The one that is most you, Does not die away in conformity, In following Jesus, But who you were created to be, Is going to shine, And demonstrate itself, As you submit yourself to God, And he says, I will make you, And that's what he's doing, To the disciples, This group of young men, Who have gone, Being filled with questions, They said where to go, He's now saying, This is where you go, And this is where you're going to say, And this is when you're going to leave, And you're going to have discernment, And he's going to say, You're going to dust off your feet, Because this isn't about you, This is about my message, And you're going to demonstrate, Contentment and trust, Because when you go into a house, If they will take you, It doesn't matter what the conditions are, You're going to live there, And there's going to be some accountability, You're not going to be like the salesman,
[29:40] That just bounce around from place to place, Where nobody really knows you, But if you go to a place, And they will take you in, There you're going to abide, And do this, You're not going to move on, For better provisions, But you're going to be there, And serve, And have that accountability, See in submission to God, We learn who we really are, Our true identity, Who I am, Is tied to our creator, Who he is, And the more I know about who he is, The more I know about who I am, Some Nietzsche, I don't read often, Or ever at all, Alright, But I came across this quote, He wrote a book about God being dead, Philosopher, He believed that we should know ourselves best, Outside of believing in religion, This is what he says, In heaven, All interesting people are missing, I hate that so very much, He says, In heaven, All interesting people are missing, It's this lie, That religion, And following Jesus, Just is a cookie cutter, That we all look alike, We all talk alike, And that we've lost our identity,
[30:41] But that's not the case at all, That in following Jesus, You find out, Who you really are, Even our friends, And family members, They're worried, When you get too caught up in something, Because they're worried, That you're going to forget, Who you are, But all the contrary, You begin to learn, Who you truly are, I love this quote from your Christianity, It is no good trying to be myself, Without him, The more I resist him, And try to live on my own, The more I become dominated, By my own hereditary, Heredity, And upbringing, And surroundings, And natural desires, In fact, What I so proudly call myself, Because merely the meeting place, For trains of events, Which I never started, Which I cannot stop, Romans 6.16 says, Know you not, That whom you are, Yield yourselves servants to obey, His servants ye are, To whom ye obey, Whether of sin, And to death, And or obedience, Unto righteousness, Like so many teenagers, I wanted to be completely different, And so unique,
[31:41] And try to figure out who I was, So I went to a store, That's so closed for people, Just like me, And nobody else had them, Alright? And I would go to this place, And I just find myself, The more that I tried to figure out, Who I was, The more that I conformed, To some other group in this world, But the day that I just realized, And I just told to my friend, Chuck, In the computer lab, I'm going to say, Chuck, I'm just going to tell you, I just love Jesus, And he's like, I know, I'm like, No really, Like I go to church, Like every time the doors open, I'm just miserable, When I'm not serving him, Like I really love Jesus, And Chuck looked at me, And he said, Yeah, Me too, And that moment, As a teenager, I just decided, I'm going to stop fighting, My love for Jesus, Because in demonstrating, My love for Jesus, I get to be, Who I was really, Created to be, And that's true for you as well, In our pursuit, To be completely independent, In an individual, We lose out, On who we truly are, Matthew 16, 25, For whosoever shall save his life, Shall lose it, And whosoever shall lose his life, For my sake, Shall find it, Today people, As we will end in a little bit,
[32:42] And I'll give you a chance, To pray, And then saying, Let's rejoice, In knowing who God, Had created you to be, And we learn that, We learn this, It says that we will lose it, Jude 2 talks about, Becoming beasts, Psalm 32 verse 9, Talks about us being as horses, Or as mules, The less that we just, Yield ourselves, And surrender to him, And live up to what he has made us to be, The more that we just become, Unhuman, Not what we were made, To be, And so we should find our place, In the body of Christ, And let God assign us our mission, 1 Corinthians 12, 11 and 12, But all these worketh, That one and the self-same spirit, Dividing to every man severally, As he will, Individually, God has an individual plan for you, He has talents, He has abilities, He has causes, That he puts in your heart, That you care for, That you work on, And that you do, But as the body is one, And hath many members, All the members of that one body,
[33:42] Being many, Are one body, So also is Christ, Yes we are one in Christ, But that doesn't mean, That he is going to forget, That he made you, Specifically, And individually, And it's a wonderful thing, We come together as one, But we are made up, And we are different, And we are unique, And we are lively stones, That he is building together, And so what a great day, When the disciples lined up, And took their marching orders, From Jesus, And until you recognize, Jesus authority in your life, And you respond to his call, Receive his power, And allow him to send you out, Into this world, On mission, You will not truly know, Who you are, And submitted to Jesus, You will lose nothing, Except for the bondage, Of serving the wrong master, You won't forget who you are, You will learn who you are, There's those disciples, That they lined up in order, Twelve in a row, And here's this man, With authority saying, Go here, Say this, Wear this, Don't wear this, And all this, Somebody from the outside, Ought have been like, Man these people are losing, Who they are,
[34:43] These people are just, All being made the same, I couldn't be farther, From the truth, He was saying, Let me tell you, What you were created to do, You were created to go to this place, And to do this thing, And I have a family waiting for you, That's going to take you in, Because I created them, With the work as well, And I created you for good works, And I created them for you, Good works, And you're going to find each other, And you're going to sit beside, Miss Jeda, And you're going to put John, And Romans together, In March, Because I created you for good works, And I created her for good works, And we're finding out who we are, As we surrender to Him, And let Him dictate our lives, And send us out on this mission, So this is not just a great day, For those disciples, And it was, But it was a great day for us, John 17, 18 through 20, In closing, And thou hast sent me, Into the world, Even so I have sent them, Into the world, This is Jesus speaking, And for their sake, I sanctify myself, They may also be sanctified, Through the truth, Neither pray I, For these alone, But for them also, Which shall believe on me, Through their word,
[35:44] As those disciples, Lined up that day, And they took their marching orders, From Jesus, And they went out, And they served, And they believed in His word, They shared the word, And over 2,000 years later, That word has continued to be shared, And somebody brought me the gospel, And now I'm part of somebody else's story, And we saw, Explained so well today, And in our life group, Is that God has a work, That He has promised to this world, And you get to be part of it, And if you're not going to do it, That blessing is going to fall, To somebody else, And they're going to get to do it, But I don't want to miss out, On anything that He has for me, I don't want to miss out, On any of the promises, That I get to live out, In Christ Jesus here, Because knowing who I am in Him, Is all that I ever want to be, And all that I ever will be, So only as we're sent out, Into this world, Fully trusting God, Proclaiming the gospel, And demonstrating, The compassion of Christ, When we learn, Who we were created to be, Surrender, Life as you know it, Will never be the same, If you're in here today,
[36:46] And you're just saying, I just don't know about this, Selling out the hymn, Can I tell you, That you're going to really find a joy, You're going to find out, Who you are like never before, You honestly, May not know yourself, Teenagers would say, You don't know me, That's an expression, That used to be more common, You don't know me, Right?
[37:02] And I would say, I know you better, Than you know yourself, The word of God, Knows you better, Than you know yourself, So many teenagers suffer, Because they don't yet know, Who they are, So many adults suffer, Because you yet, You don't know who you are, You're trying to save your life, And you're supposed to let it go, You're supposed to live, For the sake of others, You're supposed to live, For His glory, And you're thinking, It's better if you live for yourself, But it's just not the case, So surrender, Life as you know it, Will never be the same, And then second, Go and tell, Life as they know it, Will never be the same, They went out with good news, They went out with good news, Sharing with people, Demonstrating compassion, For people, Proclaiming hope, And full dependency upon God, Is our lives identified, And marked, With people that are making, A declaration of hope, Wherever we go, Demonstrating compassion, And living in full dependence, Of Him, And when we get to that place, Of surrender, And we do that, You're going to live life, In a way in which you never knew, That it could be experienced,
[38:03] Let's bow our heads, And pray together, With heads bowed, Eyes closed, Kristen playing the piano, My heart goes out today, To you, If you've never responded, To the first call by Jesus, Which has come to me, Jesus has come to me, He called the twelve unto himself, He's calling you to himself today, If you do not know Jesus Christ, I would like to help you, Go to another room, With a counselor, And find out how to answer, Jesus' call, To come to him, I promise you, The life that you've made for yourself, Is not the life, That he has made, And designed for you, And the eternity, That you would have prepared, Could be changed, As you'd answer his call, For you, If you're in here today, You don't know Jesus Christ, You don't know where you stand with him, Would you raise your hand, So I could speak to you here, For a moment, When here we have a room, Full of people that say, I'm followers of Jesus, I am a Christian, And I want to follow him, With my life, Declare hope,
[39:04] Demonstrate compassion, Live in dependency, Stop fighting for your life, Give it all completely, Over the hymn, And today if you have, And you're at that place of submission, Just rejoice, And just take a moment, And realize how wonderful, This life that he has designed for you is, Our hearts ought to be filled with gratitude, The life that I wanted for myself, Before I gave in and surrendered, To the Lord, Is not the life that I want, I would, I'm so glad that I don't have that life, He knows what is best, So I ask you today, Do you know who you are, By surrendering to Jesus, Heavenly Father, Lord I pray, That everyone in here today, Will leave knowing the great joy, That is found, And being completely surrendered, To you, Lord thank you, Thank you for not leaving us, Wondering around, Looking for purpose, Thank you for calling us to you, Lord I thank you, For the gospel of good news, Being declared to me, Lord I found hope,
[40:04] In you, I thank you for that, Heavenly Father, I want my life, To be marked with compassion, Lord I want it to be shown, That I'm not only declaring the message, Given, But living the life dependency, And the demonstration of compassion, That you have given, Lord I would love, This would be the prayer, Of all those in here today, Where I know the Holy Spirit, Will be working, In hearts, Or make this, A pivotal time Lord, In our church, As it is in the book of Luke, Lord, Where we are turning, And every one of us, Would be sent out of here today, Living according, To your perfect will, And we love you, Once again, That you are bringing, In our church, You are bringing, In our church, From mine, To your good, Love you, In yourون, In your church, To their favorite prayer,