WEBVTT 00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:09.400 Father, we confess before you that we know at an intellectual level that we are very 00:00:09.400 --> 00:00:15.660 good at seeing little tiny specks in other people's eyes, but very bad at seeing huge 00:00:15.660 --> 00:00:17.440 logs sticking in our own eyes. 00:00:17.480 --> 00:00:19.640 And we know that, Father, at an intellectual level. 00:00:20.300 --> 00:00:25.379 But Father, at a heart level, it's hard for us to know that, and it's often hard for us 00:00:25.379 --> 00:00:32.000 to recognize the different ways that we can pick out those tiny specks in other eyes and 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:34.939 just be so blind to the huge log in our own eyes. 00:00:35.500 --> 00:00:37.479 So, Father, you know our weakness. 00:00:37.780 --> 00:00:41.739 You know how desperate we are always for your grace. 00:00:42.299 --> 00:00:48.799 And so we ask that the Holy Spirit would move deeply within us so that we might truly listen 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:49.420 to your word. 00:00:49.420 --> 00:00:55.219 Listen to your word, Father, seeking to understand it, seeking, Father, to believe it and 00:00:55.219 --> 00:01:00.460 try to put into practice and hearing how it speaks to our heart first and foremost. 00:01:00.979 --> 00:01:06.099 And all this we ask in Jesus's precious name, your Son and our Savior. 00:01:06.659 --> 00:01:07.000 Amen. 00:01:07.599 --> 00:01:08.480 Please be seated. 00:01:11.719 --> 00:01:14.799 So we get to begin our sermon today when there's morning prayer. 00:01:14.900 --> 00:01:18.400 We get to do it while the kids are singing, which is sort of an interesting thing, having 00:01:18.400 --> 00:01:20.319 a soundtrack to a sermon. 00:01:20.319 --> 00:01:27.179 So the text that we're going to be looking at in a couple of minutes is a text that lots 00:01:27.179 --> 00:01:29.639 and lots and lots of us Christians like. 00:01:30.459 --> 00:01:36.419 We especially like it because we see the world getting swallowed up with moral relativism and 00:01:36.419 --> 00:01:37.799 intellectual relativism. 00:01:38.560 --> 00:01:44.239 But even before we start to read it, we have to acknowledge that this text has profound spiritual 00:01:44.239 --> 00:01:45.339 dangers for us. 00:01:45.340 --> 00:01:51.380 As you might have picked up in the prayer, one of the problems that we have is that we 00:01:51.380 --> 00:01:58.120 very, very, very quickly talk about this text as if somehow or another we Christians have 00:01:58.120 --> 00:01:58.920 arrived. 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:04.340 All the other people in the world have all of these problems and we can be very good at 00:02:04.340 --> 00:02:06.900 finding the instances of these problems. 00:02:06.900 --> 00:02:12.080 But somehow or another, we don't have these same problems. 00:02:12.080 --> 00:02:18.260 But the Bible is going to be describing several very, very difficult things that are profound 00:02:18.260 --> 00:02:19.220 human problems. 00:02:20.280 --> 00:02:24.320 And we have to always acknowledge as Christians that a human problem is a human problem. 00:02:24.860 --> 00:02:28.200 And surprise, you and I are humans. 00:02:29.500 --> 00:02:31.680 Therefore, we have those problems too. 00:02:32.160 --> 00:02:36.040 And just because all of a sudden we say that we're a Christian doesn't mean those human problems 00:02:36.040 --> 00:02:36.580 go away. 00:02:36.580 --> 00:02:41.380 It means we have a different place to stand to deal with them. 00:02:42.040 --> 00:02:44.680 It means we have resources to deal with them. 00:02:45.280 --> 00:02:46.620 But we still have to deal with them. 00:02:47.520 --> 00:02:54.320 So if you take your Bibles and turn to John chapter 18, we'll have a look at this spiritually 00:02:54.320 --> 00:02:55.939 dangerous text. 00:02:56.480 --> 00:03:05.500 A text which we can easily read and easily trumpet and all the world hears is that somehow we think 00:03:05.500 --> 00:03:06.639 that we're better than them. 00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:11.780 Which any time you read the Bible, and if you ever read the Bible and think that it's teaching 00:03:11.780 --> 00:03:14.259 you that you're better than other people, you haven't read the Bible right. 00:03:15.419 --> 00:03:20.500 Because the Bible is always going to be convicting us of our need for grace and our need for Jesus 00:03:20.500 --> 00:03:21.039 always. 00:03:22.080 --> 00:03:23.860 So John chapter 18, verse 28. 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:28.120 And in the flow of the book, those of you who are guests, this is one of the original, 00:03:28.680 --> 00:03:32.060 this is one of the ancient eyewitness biographies of the life of Jesus. 00:03:32.060 --> 00:03:39.640 And the way this biography, that John has chosen to tell the biography of Jesus, different than 00:03:39.640 --> 00:03:42.740 the way Matthew, different than the way Mark, different than the way Luke tells it. 00:03:44.340 --> 00:03:49.099 And, you know, one of the things, I haven't said this in a while, one of the things, there's 00:03:49.099 --> 00:03:52.699 nothing in any of these texts that contradict each other. 00:03:54.099 --> 00:03:59.319 But they haven't sat down, the four different writers of these ancient biographies, to try to 00:03:59.319 --> 00:04:05.939 make sure that we North Americans, who like to have every little detail lined up, we love, 00:04:06.019 --> 00:04:10.359 some of us more than others, love those things that you see in the newspaper, you know, after 00:04:10.359 --> 00:04:15.219 there's been a terrorist attack or something, and it has a map, and it has, you know, number 00:04:15.219 --> 00:04:19.579 one, number two, number three, number four, and different spots, and there's a chronology, 00:04:19.680 --> 00:04:20.420 and we love that. 00:04:20.819 --> 00:04:23.180 But the writers of the Gospels didn't get together and do that. 00:04:23.180 --> 00:04:29.160 And one of the ways I like to understand the differences is this, I hope, you know, like, 00:04:29.259 --> 00:04:35.879 so in 40 years or whatever, when Louise finally dies, my wife, and, you know, she's in her 00:04:35.879 --> 00:04:40.800 hundreds, and she's been playing with the grandkids up until the night before she died, I mean, 00:04:40.840 --> 00:04:43.560 that's what I hope, and that's what she would hope as well. 00:04:43.920 --> 00:04:48.920 And then when it finally comes time to do a bit of maybe a memorial service for her, and 00:04:48.920 --> 00:04:52.980 we have nine kids, and so maybe the nine kids would decide, well, we're going to have 00:04:52.980 --> 00:04:56.259 four of us, four of us speak a little bit about Louise. 00:04:57.140 --> 00:05:04.220 And so maybe they'd all team up a little bit, and Tosh and Jesse would get up together, maybe 00:05:04.220 --> 00:05:08.879 Jesse the spokesman for the two of them, and maybe, you know, when Jesse's talking, he'd 00:05:08.879 --> 00:05:14.980 really emphasize a lot of those late night conversations he had at the crucial years growing 00:05:14.980 --> 00:05:21.720 up with Louise that meant so much to him. And maybe the three younger girls would designate 00:05:21.720 --> 00:05:27.920 one of them to get up, and they might focus on other different aspects of Louise. They might 00:05:27.920 --> 00:05:34.420 focus a little bit on Louise and the different lessons they taught her as a woman, and maybe 00:05:34.420 --> 00:05:38.360 they'd spend a bit more time on their childhood and the funny things that they did with her, 00:05:39.020 --> 00:05:44.860 and then maybe Joseph and Jacob would get together, and you get my point. All four of them would 00:05:44.860 --> 00:05:48.740 say different things, all true, every single thing would be true about Louise, but afterwards, 00:05:48.740 --> 00:05:52.600 if you tried to figure out the chronology, you might be a little bit puzzled. If you got 00:05:52.600 --> 00:05:55.520 all the nine kids together afterwards, they'd be able to say, oh, yeah, no, no, this happened 00:05:55.520 --> 00:05:59.379 before this, and that happened before that, but they'd all take a different approach in 00:05:59.379 --> 00:06:03.740 telling the story of Louise's life, and that's what happens with the gospel writers. All of 00:06:03.740 --> 00:06:08.840 them true, but four different approaches, emphasizing different things, and they weren't, if you could 00:06:08.840 --> 00:06:11.800 go back in the time machine, they'd all say, yeah, no, no, no, that happened this, and that 00:06:11.800 --> 00:06:16.480 happened that, but, you know, it's not how you'd tell it. Just like, you know, with stories 00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:22.540 about Louise, they might group a whole pile of instances, one after another, because it 00:06:22.540 --> 00:06:26.660 illustrates something about Louise, but those incidents might span a big time. I've gone 00:06:26.660 --> 00:06:33.620 far enough on it. So the way John has organized his telling of the life of Jesus is that, first 00:06:33.620 --> 00:06:38.060 of all, earlier he spent time just looking at seven miracles. Jesus performed many, many 00:06:38.060 --> 00:06:42.879 miracles. John says this. He spent a long time looking at seven significant miracles 00:06:42.879 --> 00:06:47.959 that Jesus performed and what they meant, and then he actually spent a very, very long 00:06:47.959 --> 00:06:53.860 time on what Jesus said privately to the disciples on the night that he was betrayed, when he knew 00:06:53.860 --> 00:06:58.759 that Judas was going off to get the soldiers and the police to arrest him, and Jesus knows 00:06:58.759 --> 00:07:03.860 he's going to die, and John spends a lot of time talking about that, and now we've come 00:07:03.860 --> 00:07:08.080 to the place in the story where Jesus has been captured. We looked at that last week. 00:07:09.080 --> 00:07:15.900 All of the disciples have abandoned him. Peter has denied him, and the Jewish authorities have 00:07:15.900 --> 00:07:21.960 condemned him, and now the story continues, and here's how it goes. Verse 28. 00:07:22.920 --> 00:07:28.600 Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the praetorium. It says governor's headquarters. 00:07:29.300 --> 00:07:33.400 In the original language, it's praetorium. I'm saying praetorium because it emphasizes 00:07:33.399 --> 00:07:44.039 Rome has him now. Rome has him. He's in the praetorium, and that's where the Romans who've 00:07:44.039 --> 00:07:49.959 conquered Israel, and there's a fellow who is both a military commander and, in a sense, 00:07:50.039 --> 00:07:54.579 the ruler. In some ways, you could look at it as they're almost like it's under military rule. 00:07:55.079 --> 00:07:58.779 They allow the Jewish people a lot of leeway to do things, but at the end of the day, there 00:07:58.779 --> 00:08:05.119 is the iron fist of Rome, which is not going to let go of power. And so in the original language, 00:08:05.239 --> 00:08:13.879 it actually says praetorium. It's emphasizing we've now come to where Rome rules. And so go back 00:08:13.879 --> 00:08:20.579 again. Verse 28. Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the praetorium. It was early morning. 00:08:20.579 --> 00:08:26.959 They themselves did not enter the governor's praetorium, so they would not be defiled, 00:08:27.120 --> 00:08:35.639 but could eat the Passover. So Pilate, and he's the Roman head of that region, went outside to them 00:08:35.639 --> 00:08:41.100 and said, what accusation do you bring against this man? And we just need to pause here for a little 00:08:41.100 --> 00:08:47.519 bit because there's lots of stuff going on so that you understand the story. First of all, the Jewish 00:08:47.519 --> 00:08:51.259 leaders are going to be really put out. We're going to see this in a moment when we get their response. 00:08:51.620 --> 00:08:56.240 The spiritual leaders are put out because as we saw last week, when Jesus was arrested, 00:08:56.519 --> 00:09:03.419 he was arrested by Roman soldiers and Jewish police. And the Jewish spiritual leaders have 00:09:03.419 --> 00:09:12.159 no authority over Roman soldiers. Pilate was in on it. So, you know, if you're there with them, 00:09:12.159 --> 00:09:16.279 all of a sudden just put on your spiritual leader hat, you're going, what game are you playing, 00:09:16.279 --> 00:09:23.779 Pilate? You agreed to this. They're going to be pissed off, we'll see in a moment, in terms of 00:09:23.779 --> 00:09:27.759 their answer. I don't know if you're allowed to say that from the pulpit, but I just did. So there 00:09:27.759 --> 00:09:35.019 you go. But the other thing which is really going on here is, if you think about it, the Passover is a 00:09:35.019 --> 00:09:41.860 very, very holy time for Jewish people. It's the annual remembrance of how God delivered them from 00:09:41.860 --> 00:09:50.820 slavery in Egypt to make him his own people. And it's celebrated for seven days. And here's one of 00:09:50.820 --> 00:09:56.100 the big spiritual dangers in the text for us who read it. And in fact, you know, our Jewish friends, 00:09:56.639 --> 00:10:05.100 they deal with us as Christians with a long legacy, almost 2,000 year legacy of anti-Semitism 00:10:05.100 --> 00:10:13.460 from Christians, of pogroms, of horrific things that people have done to Jewish people in the name 00:10:13.460 --> 00:10:22.460 of Christianity. And so they're going to be, it's very, very easy for us to look and say, you know, 00:10:22.460 --> 00:10:30.259 look at these Jews, look what they've done. This text is a profound critique of religion and 00:10:30.259 --> 00:10:36.399 spirituality first and foremost. It shows the great danger in religion and the great danger in 00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:44.600 spirituality that these human beings, while they are plotting and doing all they can to use the law 00:10:44.600 --> 00:10:50.659 to have an innocent man murdered, that's what they're doing. They want an innocent man murdered 00:10:50.659 --> 00:10:56.960 because he's inconvenient to them and threatens their power and they're filled with envy. 00:10:56.960 --> 00:11:02.660 But at the same time, they don't want to become ceremonially unclean because then they can't eat 00:11:02.660 --> 00:11:09.540 the meal. You see that? There's a profound critique of religion and spirituality here. 00:11:11.980 --> 00:11:18.480 In fact, as I like to tell my non-Christian friends, Christopher Hitchens and other atheists 00:11:18.480 --> 00:11:25.000 who critique religion can't beat Jesus. Like I'll say to them, go read the Gospels. If you read the 00:11:25.000 --> 00:11:28.600 Gospels, you want to read the Gospels with me, and I'll just show you time and time and time and time 00:11:28.600 --> 00:11:35.539 again, the person who critiques religion the most is Jesus. Jesus is regularly talking about how people 00:11:35.539 --> 00:11:44.019 use religion to justify themselves, justify their position of power. And to try to justify yourself 00:11:44.019 --> 00:11:52.080 is to walk away from God. And Jesus is showing it all the time. And here we have them. They want to 00:11:52.080 --> 00:11:56.820 justify themselves to look religious, to look spiritual. They don't want to break some minor 00:11:56.820 --> 00:12:03.960 little rule, which they've actually made, because there's nowhere actually in the Tanakh that says 00:12:03.960 --> 00:12:09.660 that to walk into the house of a Gentile instantly makes you unclean. But they've added this extra rule. 00:12:09.740 --> 00:12:14.360 They don't want to break that rule, but it's all right to have somebody murdered. Now, by the way, 00:12:14.360 --> 00:12:21.600 it's not only a critique of religion and spirituality, but it's actually Jesus throwing open to us 00:12:21.600 --> 00:12:27.360 a profound human problem, several profound human problems. I mean, one of them is 00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:33.060 that human beings get on bandwagons to try to destroy people. 00:12:34.659 --> 00:12:38.740 I'm going to give a very dangerous illustration right now, and after I give this illustration, 00:12:38.740 --> 00:12:45.259 I might lose 80% of you, and you won't listen to the rest of the sermon, but I'm going to give it anyway. 00:12:48.759 --> 00:12:53.340 I was sitting in this Starbucks the other day, and I overheard two men talking, 00:12:54.460 --> 00:13:01.740 and the two men were probably early baby boomers, around 70. And one man said to the other, 00:13:02.200 --> 00:13:06.200 the thing that would make me happier than anything else in life is the day they take 00:13:06.200 --> 00:13:11.420 Donald Trump out of the White House in handcuffs. And the other man said, 00:13:11.879 --> 00:13:15.900 I actually think it would make me happy is when he's killed. Not making this up. 00:13:18.180 --> 00:13:22.259 Now, I might have lost you, because you might say, oh, but Donald Trump deserves it. 00:13:22.520 --> 00:13:30.420 Whoa, one second. One second. Read this text. Does he really? Have you jumped on a bandwagon? 00:13:30.419 --> 00:13:36.879 I might have lost you. I'd say the same thing, by the way, if Hillary Clinton had become president, 00:13:37.379 --> 00:13:43.559 and there was a whole pile of very, very conservative people who were attacking her 00:13:43.559 --> 00:13:47.019 and saying things like they would just love to see her take out in handcuffs. 00:13:47.679 --> 00:13:50.679 And then even when I'm giving this illustration, some of you are saying, but George, how on earth 00:13:50.679 --> 00:13:53.360 can you compare the two of them? And I'm just going to say, once again, look at the text, 00:13:53.439 --> 00:13:57.099 and let the text work in your heart. Let the text work in your heart. 00:13:57.100 --> 00:14:03.940 It's a human problem. Human problem is that we love to jump on bandwagons to get people when they're down. 00:14:04.080 --> 00:14:10.420 We love to think of characters. We stop thinking. It's a very standard problem, you know, 00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:15.019 amongst anybody who has any type of ideals. I know it's going to sound a bit political, 00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:22.040 and I can't avoid it. I'm not really making political points here. I'm not. But all the people 00:14:22.039 --> 00:14:27.639 who want to go to save the planet, and they go on private jets to stop the use of fossil fuels. 00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:34.120 I mean, that's a profound hypocrisy. That's wanting to appear righteous, 00:14:34.919 --> 00:14:41.299 but actually doing something which is not. I was just talking to a friend who's an academic, 00:14:42.179 --> 00:14:49.259 and the apologetics conference that we're organizing in early November of 2019 is going to be on 00:14:49.259 --> 00:14:54.279 intelligent design. And we're going to be bringing a physicist, and a biologist, and a doctor, 00:14:54.340 --> 00:14:59.519 and a philosopher who are going to show you very good scientific and intellectual reasons why the 00:14:59.519 --> 00:15:05.379 natural, why what is taught in universities and schools about naturalistic evolution doesn't work. 00:15:05.460 --> 00:15:11.460 It's not true. And one of these academics I was talking to on the phone on Friday, he mentioned 00:15:11.460 --> 00:15:17.240 a specific place where people go to talk, and he said, are you part of it? And I said, no. And he said, 00:15:17.259 --> 00:15:24.780 okay, it's secret. Why is it secret? Because of the trolls and the angry emails that you get, 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:30.780 if that's revealed in public, that you have doubts about it. So what I want to show is, and you know, 00:15:30.840 --> 00:15:36.440 if this was a country that was in a time which was far more right-wing, this isn't like a problem of the left. 00:15:36.440 --> 00:15:41.160 It's not a problem with religion. It's not a problem with spirituality. It's a problem of the human heart. 00:15:41.940 --> 00:15:44.600 And it's also a problem for those who call themselves Christians. 00:15:45.420 --> 00:15:50.560 This is going to be very hard for you to believe. I've used the illustration before. After the service, 00:15:50.680 --> 00:15:55.280 go talk to somebody like Sean or Gary, who have been Anglicans for a long time. 00:15:55.700 --> 00:16:01.060 But it is not at all unusual in an Anglican church that if I was to say hallelujah during Lent, 00:16:01.160 --> 00:16:06.420 people would be offended. But if I preached a sermon saying that Jesus didn't rise from the dead, 00:16:06.440 --> 00:16:12.920 they would applaud. And they would see no sense of irony or inconsistency in that. 00:16:13.720 --> 00:16:17.860 It's a religious problem. And it's not just a religious problem for liberals. 00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:22.220 I was talking to one of these people who were involved in the intelligent design movement, 00:16:22.680 --> 00:16:27.780 and one of the things he shared is that actually a lot of the angriest emails he gets 00:16:27.780 --> 00:16:30.860 are from people who are young earth creationists. 00:16:30.860 --> 00:16:35.519 And they will send him the most angry, hateful emails. 00:16:35.700 --> 00:16:37.980 Friends, it is a human problem. 00:16:39.139 --> 00:16:40.680 It is a human problem. 00:16:40.820 --> 00:16:45.899 And we see it told at a very, very subtle but very powerful level in this story 00:16:45.899 --> 00:16:52.460 of the spiritual leaders of God's chosen people 00:16:52.460 --> 00:16:58.660 being all upset and not wanting to risk getting ceremonially unclean 00:16:58.660 --> 00:17:02.780 while they pursue murder against an innocent man. 00:17:06.380 --> 00:17:07.600 So what happens next? 00:17:07.720 --> 00:17:10.500 Remember I said Pilate says, look at verse 29. 00:17:11.299 --> 00:17:12.579 Pilate went outside and said to them, 00:17:12.620 --> 00:17:14.400 what accusation do you bring against this man? 00:17:14.440 --> 00:17:16.840 And by the way, if you're just reading this for the first time, 00:17:16.940 --> 00:17:18.920 Pilate sounds like a very reasonable man, doesn't he? 00:17:18.920 --> 00:17:23.259 He sounds like the guy you'd like to have as your deputy minister or as your boss. 00:17:23.300 --> 00:17:25.759 He sounds like the guy you'd like to have as a cabinet minister. 00:17:26.180 --> 00:17:29.220 He sounds like the guy you'd like to have on your wardens or your council 00:17:29.220 --> 00:17:31.620 because he asks a very honest question. 00:17:31.980 --> 00:17:34.019 What accusation are you bringing against this guy? 00:17:34.100 --> 00:17:35.600 He's the good guy here, Pilate, isn't he? 00:17:35.660 --> 00:17:40.000 Well, let's continue to see what happens with Pilate as this goes on. 00:17:40.640 --> 00:17:46.160 Verse 30, the spiritual leaders of God's chosen people answer him. 00:17:46.160 --> 00:17:50.820 Verse 30, if this man, referring to Jesus, were not doing evil, 00:17:50.920 --> 00:17:52.720 we would not have delivered him over to you. 00:17:54.720 --> 00:17:56.340 And then they're under their breath saying, 00:17:56.480 --> 00:17:59.279 and you know this, by the way, so what game are you playing at? 00:17:59.400 --> 00:18:01.759 But Pilate, verse 31, said, 00:18:01.880 --> 00:18:04.220 take him yourselves and judge him by your own law. 00:18:04.960 --> 00:18:07.560 Once again, Pilate comes across as a reasonable guy, 00:18:08.240 --> 00:18:11.300 safe hands to handle a difficult problem, 00:18:11.840 --> 00:18:14.160 the sort of guy that we would want to give the problem to. 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:19.120 The Jew, the spiritual leaders replied to him, 00:18:19.360 --> 00:18:21.779 it is not lawful for us to put anyone to death. 00:18:23.040 --> 00:18:25.460 And there we receive what their real desire is. 00:18:25.700 --> 00:18:28.519 They want to have Jesus put to death. 00:18:29.320 --> 00:18:32.860 In verse 32, this was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken 00:18:32.860 --> 00:18:35.940 to show by what kind of death he was going to die. 00:18:36.019 --> 00:18:38.000 It's very interesting that they inadvertently, 00:18:38.140 --> 00:18:39.900 these people are the enemies of Jesus, 00:18:40.640 --> 00:18:43.900 inadvertently have Jesus' prophecy fulfilled. 00:18:43.900 --> 00:18:50.420 Inadvertently, seeking to be wise, they become fools. 00:18:52.460 --> 00:18:56.040 And because, you see, Jesus had prophesied 00:18:56.040 --> 00:18:57.380 that he was going to die on a cross. 00:18:58.340 --> 00:19:01.660 And Jewish people, if they had had the power at the time 00:19:01.660 --> 00:19:03.160 to kill him for blasphemy, 00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:06.220 or any other way, they would have killed him by stoning. 00:19:06.600 --> 00:19:09.000 And Jesus' prophecy about how he would have died 00:19:09.000 --> 00:19:09.620 would have failed. 00:19:09.619 --> 00:19:16.259 So these people inadvertently are actually having the words of Jesus fulfilled. 00:19:16.259 --> 00:19:24.220 So, we see Pilate, he's asking very, very reasonable questions. 00:19:25.819 --> 00:19:28.240 You know, what's the charge against this guy? 00:19:28.599 --> 00:19:29.680 Charge him yourself. 00:19:30.359 --> 00:19:33.559 And now, we finally come to the next bit, 00:19:33.720 --> 00:19:36.940 where Pilate's been doing all of this in the courtyard 00:19:36.940 --> 00:19:39.559 so that the spiritual leaders won't get unclean. 00:19:39.559 --> 00:19:44.980 He says to the, he now takes Jesus and goes inside the praetorium. 00:19:45.519 --> 00:19:47.079 The Jewish leaders stay outside. 00:19:47.240 --> 00:19:50.599 It's just Pilate and whatever attendants and soldiers he has with them. 00:19:50.819 --> 00:19:51.980 And he's with Jesus. 00:19:52.119 --> 00:19:54.200 And that's what happens now, beginning at verse 33. 00:19:54.200 --> 00:20:01.019 So, Pilate entered the praetorium again and called Jesus and said to him, 00:20:01.279 --> 00:20:03.039 Are you the king of the Jews? 00:20:04.120 --> 00:20:05.059 Jesus answered, 00:20:05.500 --> 00:20:09.580 Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me? 00:20:10.200 --> 00:20:11.100 Now, just pause. 00:20:13.259 --> 00:20:16.960 One of the things that people often tell me that they dislike about religion 00:20:16.960 --> 00:20:18.759 is that they like to speak in riddles. 00:20:19.519 --> 00:20:22.220 And it's just an attempt to look wise and insightful, 00:20:22.619 --> 00:20:24.980 but it just, often things just don't seem to follow. 00:20:25.160 --> 00:20:28.440 A doesn't, A, you know, B doesn't really seem to follow A, 00:20:28.539 --> 00:20:30.119 and C doesn't seem to follow B, 00:20:30.279 --> 00:20:33.019 and somehow or another, you know, we Christians go, 00:20:33.140 --> 00:20:35.140 Ooh, ah, over these types of things. 00:20:35.140 --> 00:20:37.740 But they don't really make any sense if you're just thinking rationally. 00:20:38.259 --> 00:20:40.519 But here I'm going to give a bit of a spoiler alert. 00:20:40.599 --> 00:20:42.059 Because you might say, up until now, 00:20:42.160 --> 00:20:44.619 and in fact, if you were to keep going for the next few questions, 00:20:44.799 --> 00:20:46.259 Pilate is the solid guy. 00:20:46.819 --> 00:20:48.619 He's the guy you'd like to have as your boss. 00:20:48.719 --> 00:20:50.679 He's the guy you'd like to have handling your problems. 00:20:50.739 --> 00:20:52.179 He's asking the good questions. 00:20:52.599 --> 00:20:54.079 He's not being pushed around. 00:20:54.759 --> 00:20:56.159 But what we're going to see, if you just, 00:20:56.219 --> 00:20:58.039 could you skip to the next scripture text? 00:20:58.179 --> 00:20:59.079 I think it's the next one. 00:20:59.139 --> 00:21:02.119 Look at the end of this whole thing in verse, 00:21:02.339 --> 00:21:04.099 the last part of verse 38, 00:21:04.259 --> 00:21:05.719 if you can follow up there on the screen. 00:21:07.379 --> 00:21:09.879 You know, what you're going to find out if you keep going on 00:21:09.879 --> 00:21:12.599 is that Pilate knows that Jesus is innocent. 00:21:12.599 --> 00:21:15.359 And then in verse 38b, after he had said this, 00:21:15.359 --> 00:21:16.879 he went back outside, that's Pilate, 00:21:17.099 --> 00:21:18.619 to the spiritual leaders and told them, 00:21:18.719 --> 00:21:19.939 I find no guilt in him. 00:21:21.919 --> 00:21:26.839 But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover, 00:21:27.019 --> 00:21:28.879 so do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews? 00:21:29.439 --> 00:21:31.079 They cried out again and again, 00:21:31.219 --> 00:21:32.559 not this man, but Barabbas. 00:21:32.819 --> 00:21:34.059 Now, Barabbas was a robber. 00:21:34.339 --> 00:21:35.779 We know from other places he's a murderer. 00:21:36.619 --> 00:21:38.039 The point I'm reasoning is this, 00:21:38.039 --> 00:21:42.220 is that the end of the conversation reveals what's really going on with Barabbas. 00:21:43.200 --> 00:21:46.859 He does not give a hoot about the truth. 00:21:47.879 --> 00:21:51.500 He doesn't care about the truth at all. 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:54.399 He doesn't care about being sound. 00:21:54.940 --> 00:21:57.180 He doesn't care about all of these categories. 00:21:57.839 --> 00:22:00.139 And Jesus recognizes this. 00:22:00.700 --> 00:22:04.720 And that's why Jesus asks Pilate the question he asks him. 00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:07.039 And we, if we were just following through it 00:22:07.039 --> 00:22:08.440 and we didn't know the other things that happened, 00:22:08.519 --> 00:22:09.839 we go, that's a reasonable question. 00:22:09.940 --> 00:22:10.980 That's a reasonable question. 00:22:11.059 --> 00:22:12.100 That's a reasonable question. 00:22:12.180 --> 00:22:13.180 That's a reasonable question. 00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:14.319 Pilate's a reasonable guy. 00:22:14.720 --> 00:22:17.779 Why on earth does Jesus give this odd response to him? 00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:20.839 Because Jesus knows what's going on in his heart. 00:22:21.720 --> 00:22:23.380 That he doesn't care about honesty. 00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:24.720 He doesn't care about justice. 00:22:24.920 --> 00:22:26.079 He doesn't care about truth. 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:28.019 He doesn't care about any of these things. 00:22:28.319 --> 00:22:29.900 He's playing games. 00:22:31.480 --> 00:22:33.000 That's what Pilate's doing. 00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:36.700 He's playing games motivated by power. 00:22:36.799 --> 00:22:40.460 If you could go back up, sorry, to the previous screen. 00:22:41.059 --> 00:22:43.180 For those who are using the screen to follow along, 00:22:43.400 --> 00:22:44.900 those of us reading in our Bibles, 00:22:45.039 --> 00:22:46.579 we just go to verse 33 again. 00:22:47.220 --> 00:22:50.200 So Pilate entered his praetorium again and called Jesus 00:22:50.200 --> 00:22:52.039 and said to him, are you the king of the Jews? 00:22:52.799 --> 00:22:55.140 Jesus answered, do you say this of your own accord? 00:22:55.259 --> 00:22:56.920 Or did others say it to you about me? 00:22:57.519 --> 00:23:00.640 You see, what Jesus is doing is he's asking Pilate a heart question. 00:23:00.640 --> 00:23:03.400 He's asking him a question about his heart. 00:23:04.040 --> 00:23:05.480 Pilate, why are you asking me this question? 00:23:06.020 --> 00:23:08.660 Like, you're asking me this question because you believe it? 00:23:09.240 --> 00:23:11.840 Are you asking me this question because you're threatened by it? 00:23:12.180 --> 00:23:15.259 Are you asking this question because you're actually really curious? 00:23:16.360 --> 00:23:20.040 Like, are you asking this question because you're looking for grounds to set me free? 00:23:21.140 --> 00:23:22.300 Like, what's going on? 00:23:22.299 --> 00:23:26.919 And so Jesus responds with a question that's going to reveal Pilate's heart. 00:23:28.279 --> 00:23:32.059 And as it goes on, Pilate's heart is completely and utterly revealed. 00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:36.299 And you see, every time Jesus asks a question that reveals a heart, 00:23:36.480 --> 00:23:38.619 it's also an opportunity for us to repent. 00:23:41.159 --> 00:23:43.519 To be stopped in our tracks and say, 00:23:44.519 --> 00:23:48.779 good one, I don't really care about the answer. 00:23:48.779 --> 00:23:50.519 Maybe I should. 00:23:52.319 --> 00:23:56.639 Actually, you know, there's an opportunity to repent here for Pilate, 00:23:56.859 --> 00:23:58.680 which is we're going to see he doesn't take. 00:24:00.940 --> 00:24:07.639 And so Jesus answers in a way that could at least potentially make Pilate reconsider. 00:24:07.779 --> 00:24:09.279 But look what happens in verse 35. 00:24:09.420 --> 00:24:09.940 How does he answer? 00:24:10.039 --> 00:24:10.559 Am I a Jew? 00:24:12.539 --> 00:24:14.000 Like he's in the praetorium. 00:24:14.000 --> 00:24:18.880 I have a thousand troops. 00:24:18.980 --> 00:24:20.720 I don't know how many it is, but a lot of troops. 00:24:21.299 --> 00:24:23.000 I think it's like a huge number of troops. 00:24:23.180 --> 00:24:24.119 I have all these troops. 00:24:25.339 --> 00:24:26.279 I'm not a Jew. 00:24:27.839 --> 00:24:28.680 You're a Jew. 00:24:29.319 --> 00:24:32.680 Jews are on the ground, even those religious leaders out there. 00:24:33.019 --> 00:24:35.559 And Rome's foot is on their neck. 00:24:38.240 --> 00:24:41.000 I don't care about stupid things like Jewish kings. 00:24:41.819 --> 00:24:42.380 Am I a Jew? 00:24:42.380 --> 00:24:45.840 I'm Roman. 00:24:48.420 --> 00:24:50.940 Verse 35 again. 00:24:51.180 --> 00:24:52.400 Pilate answered, am I a Jew? 00:24:52.540 --> 00:24:56.300 Your own people and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. 00:24:56.440 --> 00:24:57.080 What have you done? 00:24:58.300 --> 00:24:59.260 Like, what have you done? 00:24:59.440 --> 00:25:00.780 Now he's maybe a bit curious. 00:25:01.760 --> 00:25:04.720 But Jesus answered, he goes back to the original question. 00:25:04.840 --> 00:25:09.220 He says, my kingdom, and by this he's implying that he is a king, 00:25:09.380 --> 00:25:11.080 is not of this world. 00:25:11.079 --> 00:25:20.099 If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting that I might not be delivered over to the spiritual leaders of the chosen people. 00:25:20.099 --> 00:25:24.279 But my kingdom is not from the world. 00:25:24.279 --> 00:25:27.059 Jesus says his kingdom is not of the world. 00:25:27.559 --> 00:25:29.139 It's not from the world. 00:25:29.140 --> 00:25:37.960 We now know that this is opening this whole, it's all part of Jesus' teaching that the old covenant, 00:25:38.560 --> 00:25:43.980 God is going to continue to maintain his Old Testament covenant promises to the Jewish people. 00:25:43.980 --> 00:25:46.400 But a new covenant is being opened. 00:25:46.400 --> 00:25:51.279 And in this new covenant, there's not going to be a chosen nation or a chosen people, 00:25:51.279 --> 00:25:57.680 but there will be disciples of Jesus who have trusted him as their Savior and Lord in every people group on the planet. 00:25:58.539 --> 00:26:00.000 It has no borders. 00:26:01.240 --> 00:26:04.539 In fact, the borders are going to be, the border to the kingdom is truth. 00:26:04.539 --> 00:26:08.119 The border to the kingdom is trusting the words of Jesus. 00:26:08.259 --> 00:26:10.480 That's the border of the kingdom. 00:26:11.039 --> 00:26:17.299 That's what separates the kingdom that Jesus is about to inaugurate and create from the kingdoms of this world. 00:26:18.059 --> 00:26:24.039 And the primary weapon of the kingdom of Jesus as we're about to see is the truth. 00:26:25.039 --> 00:26:28.319 Not the sword, but the truth. 00:26:28.319 --> 00:26:33.019 And justice and mercy and grace. 00:26:34.099 --> 00:26:37.240 So verse 37, then Pilate said to him, oh, so you are a king. 00:26:38.379 --> 00:26:41.819 Jesus replied, you say that I am a king. 00:26:42.019 --> 00:26:43.919 And that's, it's a Hebraism. 00:26:44.220 --> 00:26:49.240 It's translated accurately, but what it really means is, yes, I am a king. 00:26:49.859 --> 00:26:54.379 And then he says, for this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world 00:26:54.379 --> 00:26:56.359 to bear witness to the truth. 00:26:56.359 --> 00:27:00.459 Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice. 00:27:01.959 --> 00:27:04.199 Pilate said to him, what is truth? 00:27:06.139 --> 00:27:11.779 Now, just here's one of those other hard situations or this very controversial text. 00:27:11.879 --> 00:27:16.539 I just want to draw out the controversy of what Jesus has just said. 00:27:17.559 --> 00:27:22.939 Jesus says, everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice. 00:27:22.940 --> 00:27:31.940 He says, in a sense, if there is a visible church that doesn't listen to the voice of Jesus, 00:27:32.080 --> 00:27:36.320 the words of Jesus, it means it is not a church of the truth. 00:27:37.039 --> 00:27:45.759 There is a spirituality, a philosophy, an economic system, a political system that is completely 00:27:45.759 --> 00:27:48.859 and utterly uninterested in listening to the voice of Jesus. 00:27:48.859 --> 00:27:50.059 It is not of the truth. 00:27:50.799 --> 00:27:55.079 If there is a religion that does not want to listen to the voice of Jesus, 00:27:55.539 --> 00:27:58.039 it is not of the truth. 00:27:58.039 --> 00:28:07.579 And the normal Canadian response, and some of us might be profoundly uncomfortable by me saying this in public, 00:28:08.579 --> 00:28:15.599 but the normal Canadian response is to say that this is a deeply arrogant statement by Jesus. 00:28:15.599 --> 00:28:20.919 And all I want to say right now, I'm not going to go into a long defense of it, 00:28:20.980 --> 00:28:24.559 all I want to say is that the death and resurrection of Jesus changes everything. 00:28:26.399 --> 00:28:29.579 The death and resurrection of Jesus changes everything. 00:28:29.779 --> 00:28:34.159 I was just in a coffee shop yesterday afternoon sharing the gospel with a man, 00:28:34.379 --> 00:28:36.459 listening to him and trying to share the gospel. 00:28:37.019 --> 00:28:39.959 It's hard to share the gospel in a long conversation. 00:28:40.279 --> 00:28:43.859 He has a very, very developed system of thought and moving hither and yon. 00:28:43.859 --> 00:28:46.159 But at the heart of it, I said, you know, listen, 00:28:46.679 --> 00:28:51.619 ultimately the reason I trust Jesus is not just because on the third day, 00:28:51.959 --> 00:28:56.619 after he was completely and utterly dead, that he rose from the dead and defeated death, 00:28:56.659 --> 00:28:59.199 and that there's good reasons to believe that. 00:28:59.259 --> 00:29:01.379 It's not an unreasonable thing to believe that. 00:29:02.279 --> 00:29:05.979 It's not like believing in two plus two equals four, but it's a reasonable thing to believe. 00:29:06.039 --> 00:29:08.439 And it's not just that the resurrection changes everything, 00:29:08.559 --> 00:29:11.159 but that the resurrection comes after the cross. 00:29:11.160 --> 00:29:15.759 That for me, it's those two things, and it changes everything. 00:29:15.940 --> 00:29:19.759 It means that Jesus is revealing the God that really does exist. 00:29:19.880 --> 00:29:23.140 I told him, I do not believe in the God that Canadians believe in. 00:29:23.220 --> 00:29:25.860 I believe in the God who's revealed by Jesus. 00:29:26.480 --> 00:29:27.740 And when we're suffering over, 00:29:27.880 --> 00:29:31.040 when we're trying to struggle over questions about the fairness of God, 00:29:31.259 --> 00:29:33.840 or the justice of God, or the love of God, 00:29:33.839 --> 00:29:38.779 I am not talking about an abstract God with an abstract goodness in an abstract place, 00:29:38.839 --> 00:29:40.119 doing abstract things. 00:29:40.500 --> 00:29:44.399 The God that I believe in came and lived amongst us, 00:29:44.480 --> 00:29:46.059 and out of love for you and me, 00:29:46.179 --> 00:29:50.459 died on a cross to do everything that could be done to make you right with God. 00:29:50.619 --> 00:29:55.559 And if your understanding of God does not include Jesus dying on a cross, 00:29:55.559 --> 00:29:57.099 and his blood falling down, 00:29:57.159 --> 00:29:59.679 then you and I are not talking about the same God. 00:29:59.680 --> 00:30:01.920 And Jesus dies on the cross. 00:30:02.060 --> 00:30:04.840 He does it out of love for you and out of love for me. 00:30:05.279 --> 00:30:07.600 And after tasting all there is to taste of death, 00:30:07.660 --> 00:30:09.120 and after dealing with sin, 00:30:09.340 --> 00:30:11.640 on the third day, he rises from the dead. 00:30:11.900 --> 00:30:15.420 And if that doesn't justify and vindicate who he is, 00:30:15.480 --> 00:30:17.380 and what he accomplished, nothing will. 00:30:19.360 --> 00:30:21.860 And so even the arrogant words of Jesus, 00:30:22.039 --> 00:30:25.060 these are just a prelude to him dying upon the cross, 00:30:25.299 --> 00:30:28.259 and the cross and the resurrection changes everything. 00:30:28.259 --> 00:30:31.819 This is not a statement of arrogance. 00:30:32.960 --> 00:30:35.099 It is a statement of urgency. 00:30:36.700 --> 00:30:37.859 Listen to my voice. 00:30:38.460 --> 00:30:39.740 Faith comes by hearing. 00:30:40.920 --> 00:30:42.599 And it is by faith alone, 00:30:43.539 --> 00:30:44.680 in Jesus alone, 00:30:44.900 --> 00:30:48.420 that the grace of God comes with power into your life to change you. 00:30:51.019 --> 00:30:53.240 And Pilate's response in verse 38 is, 00:30:53.339 --> 00:30:53.980 what is truth? 00:30:53.980 --> 00:30:56.000 Now here he is, 00:30:56.079 --> 00:31:00.500 the preeminent Canadian academic and newspaper writer, 00:31:01.400 --> 00:31:04.740 an average person that you will meet in a bar or in a coffee shop. 00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:05.799 What is truth? 00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:10.319 Now we're going to unpack this more in a bit of a moment, 00:31:10.480 --> 00:31:12.740 but let's just see what happens next. 00:31:13.620 --> 00:31:14.160 And remember, 00:31:14.640 --> 00:31:16.620 see what the thing happens in this story form 00:31:16.620 --> 00:31:19.960 is the story form helps you to understand the truth. 00:31:19.960 --> 00:31:25.220 It's not as if John is writing a whole pile of abstract philosophical points, 00:31:25.340 --> 00:31:26.600 this and this and this and this. 00:31:26.640 --> 00:31:27.640 He tells the story. 00:31:28.600 --> 00:31:30.680 But in the process of the story, 00:31:31.160 --> 00:31:32.279 at the level of the story, 00:31:32.380 --> 00:31:36.720 we imaginatively enter into a very, very, very important truth. 00:31:37.620 --> 00:31:39.380 I'm going to make it a point in a couple of minutes, 00:31:39.380 --> 00:31:40.940 but the big thing here is, 00:31:40.980 --> 00:31:43.700 is that when you abandon the concept of true truth, 00:31:44.300 --> 00:31:47.520 you inevitably abandon justice. 00:31:49.340 --> 00:31:50.420 Because look what happens. 00:31:50.580 --> 00:31:51.220 What is truth? 00:31:52.100 --> 00:31:53.200 We go outside. 00:31:54.840 --> 00:31:56.180 After he had said this, 00:31:56.540 --> 00:31:58.280 Pilate went back outside to the Jews. 00:31:58.380 --> 00:31:59.300 I'm in verse 38. 00:31:59.780 --> 00:32:00.600 The Jewish leaders, 00:32:00.700 --> 00:32:01.360 the spiritual leaders, 00:32:01.460 --> 00:32:01.920 and told them, 00:32:02.020 --> 00:32:03.160 I find no guilt in him. 00:32:04.140 --> 00:32:04.540 But, 00:32:05.260 --> 00:32:08.340 you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. 00:32:08.339 --> 00:32:10.579 Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews? 00:32:11.419 --> 00:32:12.439 How is that just? 00:32:13.699 --> 00:32:14.819 What would it be like 00:32:14.819 --> 00:32:17.740 if Canadian government found a serial killer? 00:32:18.179 --> 00:32:19.220 And then all of a sudden, 00:32:19.339 --> 00:32:21.299 the Canadian government came in here one day 00:32:21.299 --> 00:32:22.359 and grabbed one of you, 00:32:22.459 --> 00:32:23.059 grabbed Nora, 00:32:23.220 --> 00:32:23.839 grabbed Dick, 00:32:23.959 --> 00:32:24.619 grabbed Anne, 00:32:24.679 --> 00:32:26.299 just grabbed an innocent person 00:32:26.299 --> 00:32:28.379 and brought them out onto Parliament Hill 00:32:28.379 --> 00:32:28.659 and said, 00:32:28.720 --> 00:32:29.159 by the way, 00:32:29.500 --> 00:32:30.039 I'm really, 00:32:30.240 --> 00:32:31.699 I'm just feeling really good today. 00:32:31.779 --> 00:32:32.939 I'm going to give you guys a choice. 00:32:33.099 --> 00:32:34.059 Who do you want to have killed? 00:32:34.119 --> 00:32:35.740 The serial killer or Anne? 00:32:36.639 --> 00:32:37.720 Well, how is that just? 00:32:39.339 --> 00:32:40.299 Anne's just a sweet, 00:32:40.399 --> 00:32:40.639 I didn't, 00:32:40.839 --> 00:32:41.419 I almost was going to say, 00:32:41.500 --> 00:32:41.619 well, 00:32:41.659 --> 00:32:41.899 lady, 00:32:42.259 --> 00:32:42.740 a sweet, 00:32:44.079 --> 00:32:47.319 long-lived lady 00:32:47.319 --> 00:32:50.339 who hasn't heard a fly. 00:32:50.899 --> 00:32:53.819 And you're going to just give a whole group of people 00:32:53.819 --> 00:32:55.759 who hate Anne, 00:32:56.019 --> 00:32:58.839 all half a person in the world who hates her, 00:32:58.919 --> 00:32:59.240 and say, 00:32:59.299 --> 00:32:59.419 you know, 00:32:59.439 --> 00:33:00.039 you have the choice. 00:33:00.139 --> 00:33:01.720 You have the serial killer go free. 00:33:02.220 --> 00:33:03.039 Or Anne, 00:33:03.679 --> 00:33:04.779 and Anne get killed, 00:33:04.779 --> 00:33:05.259 or, you know, 00:33:05.299 --> 00:33:05.919 have Anne go free. 00:33:05.939 --> 00:33:06.699 It's not just. 00:33:06.700 --> 00:33:08.200 And so as soon as the, 00:33:08.200 --> 00:33:08.759 the doc, 00:33:08.860 --> 00:33:10.580 as soon as the idea of truth is lost, 00:33:10.680 --> 00:33:11.740 justice is lost. 00:33:12.140 --> 00:33:12.720 And boy, 00:33:12.759 --> 00:33:13.920 do we see this in our country. 00:33:16.660 --> 00:33:17.600 And in verse 40, 00:33:17.660 --> 00:33:18.380 they cried out again, 00:33:18.460 --> 00:33:19.100 not this man, 00:33:19.180 --> 00:33:19.819 but Barabbas. 00:33:20.180 --> 00:33:20.319 Now, 00:33:20.360 --> 00:33:21.380 Barabbas was a robber, 00:33:21.380 --> 00:33:22.940 and we're going to talk more about Barabbas 00:33:22.940 --> 00:33:23.980 in, 00:33:24.059 --> 00:33:24.900 in the next week, 00:33:24.900 --> 00:33:26.279 because he becomes, 00:33:26.440 --> 00:33:27.920 it becomes far more important 00:33:27.920 --> 00:33:29.000 to the next part of the story. 00:33:29.340 --> 00:33:29.900 So here, 00:33:30.019 --> 00:33:30.799 here's the thing. 00:33:30.799 --> 00:33:33.919 To say that truth is relative, 00:33:34.139 --> 00:33:35.460 or that truth does not exist, 00:33:35.879 --> 00:33:36.940 is self-refuting. 00:33:37.919 --> 00:33:38.139 I mean, 00:33:38.639 --> 00:33:39.019 it's, 00:33:39.299 --> 00:33:39.599 you know, 00:33:39.740 --> 00:33:41.519 people are bothered when I, 00:33:41.599 --> 00:33:42.500 they say this to me, 00:33:42.519 --> 00:33:43.460 and I say it to them, 00:33:44.119 --> 00:33:44.200 and, 00:33:44.359 --> 00:33:44.599 but the, 00:33:44.839 --> 00:33:46.399 the problem is, 00:33:46.799 --> 00:33:48.379 it really is self-refuting. 00:33:48.619 --> 00:33:48.899 I mean, 00:33:48.980 --> 00:33:49.720 to say that, 00:33:49.740 --> 00:33:50.220 that, 00:33:50.359 --> 00:33:51.759 that all truth is relative, 00:33:52.079 --> 00:33:53.659 you're making an absolute statement 00:33:53.659 --> 00:33:54.720 that all truth is relative. 00:33:54.799 --> 00:33:55.659 You don't think the statement, 00:33:55.759 --> 00:33:56.500 all truth is relative, 00:33:56.579 --> 00:33:57.039 is relative. 00:33:57.440 --> 00:33:58.419 You think it's absolute. 00:33:58.420 --> 00:33:59.720 You know, 00:33:59.840 --> 00:34:01.759 as soon as somebody says that, 00:34:01.920 --> 00:34:03.140 as soon as say that, 00:34:03.140 --> 00:34:04.600 the truth does not exist, 00:34:04.920 --> 00:34:05.180 well, 00:34:05.320 --> 00:34:06.400 they believe that the statement, 00:34:06.519 --> 00:34:07.539 the truth does not exist, 00:34:07.620 --> 00:34:08.240 is a truth. 00:34:08.380 --> 00:34:08.599 And so, 00:34:08.800 --> 00:34:09.139 I mean, 00:34:09.200 --> 00:34:09.480 it's, 00:34:09.480 --> 00:34:09.780 it's, 00:34:09.780 --> 00:34:10.820 it's just silly thinking. 00:34:10.940 --> 00:34:11.860 It's not thinking. 00:34:12.760 --> 00:34:13.980 It's not thinking. 00:34:15.039 --> 00:34:16.320 The fact of the matter is, 00:34:16.360 --> 00:34:18.559 is that human beings are made for truth. 00:34:19.099 --> 00:34:20.460 We desire truth. 00:34:21.480 --> 00:34:22.680 And the big problem, 00:34:22.840 --> 00:34:23.559 on one hand, 00:34:23.639 --> 00:34:25.840 it's hard to even have any type of category. 00:34:26.000 --> 00:34:27.340 The mind can't even work 00:34:27.340 --> 00:34:28.960 without having some relationship 00:34:28.960 --> 00:34:30.360 to know what is real, 00:34:30.900 --> 00:34:32.740 and how to navigate the real, 00:34:33.260 --> 00:34:34.480 and appreciate the real. 00:34:34.579 --> 00:34:35.519 But the big problem 00:34:35.519 --> 00:34:37.059 that we have in our day and age right now 00:34:37.059 --> 00:34:37.600 is we have, 00:34:37.820 --> 00:34:38.960 we are, 00:34:39.220 --> 00:34:41.240 we have fragile selves. 00:34:43.800 --> 00:34:45.700 And I think that we live in a day and age 00:34:45.700 --> 00:34:47.680 where ourselves are even more fragile 00:34:47.680 --> 00:34:49.039 than they've been in other ages. 00:34:50.420 --> 00:34:51.320 Statistics Canada, 00:34:51.420 --> 00:34:52.579 I was just seeing this the other day, 00:34:52.579 --> 00:34:55.960 41% of marriages in Canada 00:34:55.960 --> 00:34:58.860 will not reach their 30th wedding anniversary. 00:35:02.380 --> 00:35:02.900 We, 00:35:03.400 --> 00:35:03.699 I, 00:35:03.779 --> 00:35:06.259 I will talk to people in a Starbucks, 00:35:06.420 --> 00:35:07.960 and there's probably some of us here, 00:35:08.099 --> 00:35:09.380 and they will talk about 00:35:09.380 --> 00:35:11.340 not just their biological dad, 00:35:11.739 --> 00:35:14.000 but they've had a variety of stepdads 00:35:14.000 --> 00:35:15.360 and stepmoms, 00:35:15.679 --> 00:35:16.199 boyfriends, 00:35:16.360 --> 00:35:17.179 and vice versa. 00:35:17.880 --> 00:35:19.799 And I'll ask them about their family, 00:35:19.800 --> 00:35:21.039 and the first thing they'll say 00:35:21.039 --> 00:35:22.000 is it's complicated. 00:35:23.240 --> 00:35:24.240 It's complicated. 00:35:26.760 --> 00:35:27.360 And then, 00:35:27.400 --> 00:35:29.660 and then you add in things like abortion, 00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:31.140 and you add in alcohol, 00:35:31.519 --> 00:35:32.680 and you add in drugs, 00:35:32.860 --> 00:35:33.800 and you add in institutions 00:35:34.360 --> 00:35:35.580 that have failed you. 00:35:37.060 --> 00:35:37.500 Many, 00:35:37.620 --> 00:35:39.300 many people have watched their moms 00:35:39.300 --> 00:35:40.120 or their dads 00:35:40.120 --> 00:35:41.760 give decades to a, 00:35:41.760 --> 00:35:42.039 a, 00:35:42.039 --> 00:35:44.060 a job or an industry, 00:35:44.060 --> 00:35:45.760 and then at the whim of a boss, 00:35:45.840 --> 00:35:46.720 you're just let go. 00:35:47.599 --> 00:35:49.079 And I think we live in an age 00:35:49.079 --> 00:35:49.799 where people have 00:35:49.799 --> 00:35:52.039 profoundly fragile selves. 00:35:53.119 --> 00:35:53.939 And on one hand, 00:35:54.000 --> 00:35:55.039 we want to know the truth, 00:35:55.179 --> 00:35:55.639 we want to, 00:35:55.699 --> 00:35:57.500 we want to be ordered around the truth, 00:35:57.639 --> 00:35:58.579 but on the other hand, 00:35:59.199 --> 00:36:01.259 because we have this fragile self, 00:36:01.399 --> 00:36:01.519 we, 00:36:01.559 --> 00:36:02.879 we fear deeply. 00:36:03.779 --> 00:36:04.039 You know, 00:36:04.079 --> 00:36:04.899 there's all this thing, 00:36:04.959 --> 00:36:06.059 it hasn't been talked about much, 00:36:06.099 --> 00:36:07.279 about the trigger effects 00:36:07.279 --> 00:36:08.339 and all that type of stuff, 00:36:08.359 --> 00:36:09.459 and we can make fun of it, 00:36:09.519 --> 00:36:10.619 but the fact of the matter is 00:36:10.619 --> 00:36:10.839 it's, 00:36:10.839 --> 00:36:13.719 it's revealing profoundly fragile selves. 00:36:14.319 --> 00:36:15.899 And selves that are very, 00:36:15.900 --> 00:36:16.639 very troubled, 00:36:16.639 --> 00:36:18.519 if there's an inconvenient truth, 00:36:18.579 --> 00:36:19.360 which is mentioned, 00:36:19.460 --> 00:36:21.900 it can threaten to break apart 00:36:21.900 --> 00:36:23.220 the fragile way 00:36:23.220 --> 00:36:25.160 that we're holding our fragile self. 00:36:25.480 --> 00:36:27.280 And often our fragile selves 00:36:27.280 --> 00:36:29.599 are tried to be based around identities 00:36:29.599 --> 00:36:32.660 that we grasp or cling on to. 00:36:32.740 --> 00:36:33.920 If anything threatens 00:36:33.920 --> 00:36:35.720 the truthfulness of that identity, 00:36:35.920 --> 00:36:36.960 it's threatening us 00:36:36.960 --> 00:36:37.460 at a very, 00:36:37.599 --> 00:36:38.340 very deep level. 00:36:38.840 --> 00:36:39.599 And one of the things 00:36:39.599 --> 00:36:40.619 what Jesus is showing 00:36:40.619 --> 00:36:41.460 throughout the gospel 00:36:41.460 --> 00:36:43.200 is that only the gospel 00:36:43.199 --> 00:36:44.480 is a solution 00:36:44.480 --> 00:36:46.379 for the fragile self. 00:36:48.719 --> 00:36:49.699 Only the gospel 00:36:49.699 --> 00:36:50.480 is a solution 00:36:50.480 --> 00:36:51.719 for the fragile self. 00:36:54.119 --> 00:36:54.879 Because you see, 00:36:54.960 --> 00:36:55.579 in the gospel, 00:36:55.719 --> 00:36:56.859 the entire wonder 00:36:56.859 --> 00:36:57.559 of the gospel 00:36:57.559 --> 00:36:58.259 is it begins 00:36:58.259 --> 00:36:59.019 by the fact 00:36:59.019 --> 00:37:00.399 that God comes up to you 00:37:00.399 --> 00:37:00.960 and says, 00:37:01.619 --> 00:37:02.119 in a sense, 00:37:02.179 --> 00:37:02.779 he comes up 00:37:02.779 --> 00:37:03.679 and he taps George 00:37:03.679 --> 00:37:04.359 on the shoulder 00:37:04.359 --> 00:37:05.659 and he says, 00:37:05.879 --> 00:37:06.259 George, 00:37:06.260 --> 00:37:07.140 I know this is going 00:37:07.140 --> 00:37:08.340 to terrify you, 00:37:09.300 --> 00:37:12.500 but you are a rebel 00:37:12.500 --> 00:37:13.280 against me 00:37:13.280 --> 00:37:16.480 and you do wrong things 00:37:16.480 --> 00:37:17.140 and you're broken 00:37:17.140 --> 00:37:18.160 and you deal with shame. 00:37:20.360 --> 00:37:21.320 And I know that you're going 00:37:21.320 --> 00:37:22.180 to get red in the face 00:37:22.180 --> 00:37:22.980 and you're going to get huffy 00:37:22.980 --> 00:37:23.800 and you're not going to like it 00:37:23.800 --> 00:37:24.620 when I say these things, 00:37:24.700 --> 00:37:25.400 but you need to remember 00:37:25.400 --> 00:37:26.960 as I'm saying these things to you 00:37:26.960 --> 00:37:29.040 that my son died 00:37:29.040 --> 00:37:30.180 on the cross for you. 00:37:30.400 --> 00:37:31.660 He set aside his glory. 00:37:31.800 --> 00:37:32.760 He knew all about you, 00:37:32.840 --> 00:37:33.680 everything about you. 00:37:33.740 --> 00:37:34.580 He knew how fragile 00:37:34.580 --> 00:37:35.380 your self was. 00:37:35.380 --> 00:37:36.539 He knew the different identities 00:37:36.539 --> 00:37:37.260 you cling to. 00:37:37.680 --> 00:37:39.180 He knew the truths 00:37:39.180 --> 00:37:40.079 that you're afraid of 00:37:40.079 --> 00:37:40.640 and the lies 00:37:40.640 --> 00:37:41.519 that you cling to. 00:37:42.940 --> 00:37:44.099 He knows the faces 00:37:44.099 --> 00:37:45.539 that you put before the world 00:37:45.539 --> 00:37:46.800 to keep people at a distance 00:37:46.800 --> 00:37:47.579 and to protect 00:37:47.579 --> 00:37:48.619 your fragile self. 00:37:48.920 --> 00:37:50.119 He knew every single thing 00:37:50.119 --> 00:37:50.760 about that 00:37:50.760 --> 00:37:52.420 and yet he came 00:37:52.420 --> 00:37:53.559 and set aside his glory 00:37:53.559 --> 00:37:54.660 and divine splendor 00:37:54.660 --> 00:37:55.900 and he dies on the cross. 00:37:57.340 --> 00:37:59.240 He suffers injustice for you. 00:37:59.360 --> 00:38:00.720 He suffers pain for you. 00:38:01.380 --> 00:38:02.760 He actually bears 00:38:02.760 --> 00:38:03.700 in his person 00:38:03.699 --> 00:38:05.480 every single thing 00:38:05.480 --> 00:38:06.239 that you have done 00:38:06.239 --> 00:38:07.480 that's tearing you apart 00:38:07.480 --> 00:38:09.099 and tearing you from me 00:38:09.099 --> 00:38:10.879 and every single thing 00:38:10.879 --> 00:38:12.039 with nothing left over 00:38:12.039 --> 00:38:15.859 he bears in his person 00:38:15.859 --> 00:38:17.159 for you 00:38:17.159 --> 00:38:19.859 dying on a cross. 00:38:22.359 --> 00:38:24.079 And it is from that perspective 00:38:24.079 --> 00:38:26.059 that I want to tell you 00:38:26.059 --> 00:38:27.299 George, in a sense, 00:38:27.379 --> 00:38:27.960 God is saying, 00:38:27.960 --> 00:38:29.440 can I hug you? 00:38:33.860 --> 00:38:35.019 This is my son 00:38:35.019 --> 00:38:35.679 and this is what 00:38:35.679 --> 00:38:36.619 not just my son 00:38:36.619 --> 00:38:37.340 but myself 00:38:37.340 --> 00:38:38.420 and the Holy Spirit 00:38:38.420 --> 00:38:39.639 we have done this for you 00:38:39.639 --> 00:38:41.240 and there is going to be 00:38:41.240 --> 00:38:42.380 no truth about you 00:38:42.380 --> 00:38:43.240 that's going to catch us 00:38:43.240 --> 00:38:44.139 by surprise. 00:38:46.079 --> 00:38:47.840 And what I'm offering for you 00:38:47.840 --> 00:38:49.400 is that every accusation 00:38:49.400 --> 00:38:50.460 you have against yourself 00:38:50.460 --> 00:38:51.440 everything you do 00:38:51.440 --> 00:38:52.579 which you can't stop 00:38:52.579 --> 00:38:53.639 everything that you do 00:38:53.639 --> 00:38:54.340 that you're terrified 00:38:54.340 --> 00:38:55.220 that somebody will bleed 00:38:55.219 --> 00:38:57.339 I have dealt with all of that 00:38:57.339 --> 00:38:58.459 I have died for that 00:38:58.459 --> 00:39:00.359 I have died for all of those things 00:39:00.359 --> 00:39:01.519 I have died for you 00:39:01.519 --> 00:39:03.419 and I have defeated death 00:39:03.419 --> 00:39:04.000 and sin 00:39:04.000 --> 00:39:05.839 and all hostile spiritual powers 00:39:05.839 --> 00:39:06.939 all those accusations 00:39:06.939 --> 00:39:08.779 I have offered to have on myself 00:39:08.779 --> 00:39:11.279 and you can have my favor 00:39:11.279 --> 00:39:14.399 and you can actually have me 00:39:14.399 --> 00:39:15.939 begin to live within you 00:39:15.939 --> 00:39:16.859 when you put your faith 00:39:16.859 --> 00:39:17.839 and trust in Jesus 00:39:17.839 --> 00:39:20.059 and it's all a gift 00:39:20.059 --> 00:39:22.500 it's all a gift 00:39:22.500 --> 00:39:26.599 and I will begin 00:39:26.599 --> 00:39:27.860 to not only give you 00:39:27.860 --> 00:39:29.619 a strong place to stand 00:39:29.619 --> 00:39:30.619 where you can begin 00:39:30.619 --> 00:39:31.320 with timidity 00:39:31.320 --> 00:39:32.500 to look at the things 00:39:32.500 --> 00:39:33.219 in your life 00:39:33.219 --> 00:39:35.460 that terrify you 00:39:35.460 --> 00:39:37.039 and your worry 00:39:37.039 --> 00:39:38.179 will make you more fragile 00:39:38.179 --> 00:39:39.440 but you can stand 00:39:39.440 --> 00:39:41.000 in my strong love 00:39:41.000 --> 00:39:42.059 and look at them 00:39:42.059 --> 00:39:44.440 and I will give you 00:39:44.440 --> 00:39:45.960 my word to give you wisdom 00:39:45.960 --> 00:39:47.980 the words of Jesus 00:39:47.980 --> 00:39:49.440 as he taught his apostles 00:39:49.440 --> 00:39:50.960 and he makes clear the Bible 00:39:50.960 --> 00:39:52.480 and my words are wisdom 00:39:52.480 --> 00:39:53.880 that will begin 00:39:53.880 --> 00:39:55.480 to mend who you are 00:39:55.480 --> 00:39:56.579 to make you whole 00:39:56.579 --> 00:39:57.619 and to make you free 00:39:57.619 --> 00:39:58.480 and to fit you 00:39:58.480 --> 00:40:01.519 for an eternal weight of glory 00:40:01.519 --> 00:40:02.539 with Jesus 00:40:02.539 --> 00:40:03.980 in the new heaven 00:40:03.980 --> 00:40:04.659 and the new earth 00:40:04.659 --> 00:40:08.720 and my son will live within you 00:40:08.720 --> 00:40:09.420 and the Holy Spirit 00:40:09.420 --> 00:40:10.460 will live within you 00:40:10.460 --> 00:40:15.240 and only the gospel 00:40:15.240 --> 00:40:16.039 is the solution 00:40:16.039 --> 00:40:17.220 for the fragile self 00:40:17.219 --> 00:40:22.239 I had a variety of points 00:40:22.239 --> 00:40:23.539 I'm going to really frustrate 00:40:23.539 --> 00:40:24.359 you can look on them 00:40:24.359 --> 00:40:25.079 earlier on 00:40:25.079 --> 00:40:26.419 could you just jump up 00:40:26.419 --> 00:40:27.599 to point four please 00:40:27.599 --> 00:40:29.359 point four 00:40:29.359 --> 00:40:33.179 the sacrifice is true 00:40:33.179 --> 00:40:34.739 the love is true 00:40:34.739 --> 00:40:36.639 the resurrection is true 00:40:36.639 --> 00:40:38.419 the grace is true 00:40:38.419 --> 00:40:40.199 the salvation is true 00:40:40.199 --> 00:40:44.619 the sacrifice is true 00:40:44.619 --> 00:40:46.000 the love is true 00:40:46.000 --> 00:40:47.759 the resurrection is true 00:40:47.759 --> 00:40:49.359 the grace is true 00:40:49.359 --> 00:40:50.980 the salvation is true 00:40:50.980 --> 00:40:53.079 could you put the next point up 00:40:53.079 --> 00:40:54.739 we Christians 00:40:54.739 --> 00:40:56.279 we struggle with telling the truth 00:40:56.279 --> 00:40:57.419 just like everybody else 00:40:57.419 --> 00:40:58.480 we struggle with lies 00:40:58.480 --> 00:40:59.699 just like everybody else 00:40:59.699 --> 00:41:01.579 but we know that Jesus 00:41:01.579 --> 00:41:03.619 as the gospel grips us 00:41:03.619 --> 00:41:04.460 the gospel 00:41:04.460 --> 00:41:06.899 if the gospel is gripping us 00:41:06.899 --> 00:41:08.119 and we are believing lies 00:41:08.119 --> 00:41:09.079 it's not the gospel 00:41:09.079 --> 00:41:09.940 that's gripping us 00:41:09.940 --> 00:41:11.759 if we believe the gospel 00:41:11.759 --> 00:41:13.400 if we think that 00:41:13.400 --> 00:41:15.000 if we're afraid of the truth 00:41:15.000 --> 00:41:16.599 it's not because the gospel 00:41:16.599 --> 00:41:17.219 is gripping us 00:41:17.219 --> 00:41:18.699 as the gospel grips us 00:41:18.699 --> 00:41:20.059 it makes us into 00:41:20.059 --> 00:41:21.559 a people of the truth 00:41:21.559 --> 00:41:24.059 who do not believe the lie 00:41:24.059 --> 00:41:26.179 and a Christian 00:41:26.179 --> 00:41:28.619 is not a perfect person 00:41:28.619 --> 00:41:29.519 or a better person 00:41:29.519 --> 00:41:30.279 than other people 00:41:30.279 --> 00:41:33.340 a Christian is only a beggar 00:41:33.340 --> 00:41:35.380 telling other beggars 00:41:35.380 --> 00:41:37.360 where to hear the truth 00:41:37.360 --> 00:41:39.680 that will set them free 00:41:39.680 --> 00:41:43.440 and then if you could put up 00:41:43.440 --> 00:41:44.300 the final point 00:41:44.300 --> 00:41:45.720 Jesus said 00:41:45.720 --> 00:41:46.300 I am the way 00:41:46.300 --> 00:41:46.820 and the truth 00:41:46.820 --> 00:41:47.300 and the life 00:41:47.300 --> 00:41:48.539 no one comes to the Father 00:41:48.539 --> 00:41:49.480 except through me 00:41:49.480 --> 00:41:51.480 I invite you to stand please 00:41:51.480 --> 00:42:00.599 for some of us 00:42:00.599 --> 00:42:02.159 this is just an opportunity 00:42:02.159 --> 00:42:03.420 just to do some business 00:42:03.420 --> 00:42:04.059 with Jesus 00:42:04.059 --> 00:42:04.619 and say 00:42:04.619 --> 00:42:05.019 Jesus 00:42:05.019 --> 00:42:08.099 I have a fragile self 00:42:08.099 --> 00:42:10.099 and I'm really 00:42:10.099 --> 00:42:11.960 I have just so many times 00:42:11.960 --> 00:42:13.280 I don't even share with people 00:42:13.280 --> 00:42:14.420 I have these fronts 00:42:14.420 --> 00:42:15.440 I have these fears 00:42:15.440 --> 00:42:17.139 I have these worries 00:42:17.139 --> 00:42:18.019 about your word 00:42:18.019 --> 00:42:19.139 I have worries about 00:42:19.139 --> 00:42:20.240 what if people knew about 00:42:20.239 --> 00:42:22.219 Father I just need to come to you 00:42:22.219 --> 00:42:23.619 and ask that you would grip me 00:42:23.619 --> 00:42:24.459 with the gospel 00:42:24.459 --> 00:42:26.000 that you would fill me 00:42:26.000 --> 00:42:27.000 with the Holy Spirit 00:42:27.000 --> 00:42:29.339 that I would trust your word 00:42:29.339 --> 00:42:30.279 that your word 00:42:30.279 --> 00:42:31.799 will mend my soul 00:42:31.799 --> 00:42:33.000 mend my heart 00:42:33.000 --> 00:42:34.359 mend my mind 00:42:34.359 --> 00:42:36.039 grant me freedom 00:42:36.039 --> 00:42:37.979 deliver me from lies 00:42:37.979 --> 00:42:38.559 and truth 00:42:38.559 --> 00:42:40.359 just to call out to Jesus 00:42:40.359 --> 00:42:41.799 thank you for the gospel 00:42:41.799 --> 00:42:42.919 make it real in my life 00:42:42.919 --> 00:42:44.500 and if there is any here 00:42:44.500 --> 00:42:46.319 who has not yet given their lives 00:42:46.319 --> 00:42:46.759 to Jesus 00:42:46.759 --> 00:42:48.139 there is no time better 00:42:48.139 --> 00:42:49.480 than right this instant 00:42:49.480 --> 00:42:50.420 to do that work 00:42:50.420 --> 00:42:51.000 with Jesus 00:42:51.000 --> 00:42:51.480 and say 00:42:51.480 --> 00:42:51.940 Jesus 00:42:51.940 --> 00:42:54.379 thank you for dying 00:42:54.379 --> 00:42:55.079 on the cross 00:42:55.079 --> 00:42:55.460 for me 00:42:55.460 --> 00:42:56.219 and loving me 00:42:56.219 --> 00:42:58.500 please come into my life 00:42:58.500 --> 00:42:59.639 be my savior 00:42:59.639 --> 00:43:00.440 and my lord 00:43:00.440 --> 00:43:02.759 and never let me go 00:43:02.759 --> 00:43:04.460 and I give 00:43:04.460 --> 00:43:05.779 everything that is 00:43:05.779 --> 00:43:06.559 within me 00:43:06.559 --> 00:43:07.500 even those things 00:43:07.500 --> 00:43:08.480 I don't know what they are 00:43:08.480 --> 00:43:09.559 everything within me 00:43:09.559 --> 00:43:10.500 I give to you 00:43:10.500 --> 00:43:11.719 that you might be 00:43:11.719 --> 00:43:12.779 my lord of my life 00:43:12.779 --> 00:43:13.879 there is no time better 00:43:13.879 --> 00:43:14.639 than right now 00:43:14.639 --> 00:43:15.779 to call out to Jesus 00:43:15.779 --> 00:43:17.079 let's bow our heads 00:43:17.079 --> 00:43:17.840 in prayer 00:43:17.840 --> 00:43:23.380 father I stand here 00:43:23.380 --> 00:43:24.480 with a fragile heart 00:43:24.480 --> 00:43:26.539 this is a room 00:43:26.539 --> 00:43:27.019 of people 00:43:27.019 --> 00:43:28.360 with fragile souls 00:43:28.360 --> 00:43:29.599 and fragile hearts 00:43:29.599 --> 00:43:31.719 some of us father 00:43:31.719 --> 00:43:33.019 have been on the road 00:43:33.019 --> 00:43:33.699 have been mended 00:43:33.699 --> 00:43:34.799 for a little bit longer 00:43:34.799 --> 00:43:35.319 than others 00:43:35.319 --> 00:43:36.619 but we all stand here 00:43:36.619 --> 00:43:37.659 with different things 00:43:37.659 --> 00:43:38.299 within us 00:43:38.299 --> 00:43:39.599 and we give you 00:43:39.599 --> 00:43:40.579 that are broken 00:43:40.579 --> 00:43:42.460 and that we have broken 00:43:42.460 --> 00:43:43.420 not just that others 00:43:43.420 --> 00:43:43.880 have broken 00:43:43.880 --> 00:43:44.779 but we have broken 00:43:44.779 --> 00:43:45.900 and father you know 00:43:45.900 --> 00:43:47.079 we thank you so much 00:43:47.079 --> 00:43:48.220 for your perfect knowledge 00:43:48.220 --> 00:43:48.680 of us 00:43:48.680 --> 00:43:50.519 and we thank you so much 00:43:50.519 --> 00:43:51.380 that with your perfect 00:43:51.380 --> 00:43:52.180 knowledge of us 00:43:52.180 --> 00:43:53.380 that still you loved us 00:43:53.380 --> 00:43:54.599 and still Jesus came 00:43:54.599 --> 00:43:56.220 to die upon the cross 00:43:56.220 --> 00:43:56.800 for us 00:43:56.800 --> 00:43:57.840 to be the one 00:43:57.840 --> 00:43:59.220 who makes us right 00:43:59.220 --> 00:43:59.800 with you 00:43:59.800 --> 00:44:02.000 he does what we could not do 00:44:02.000 --> 00:44:03.539 and father we thank you 00:44:03.539 --> 00:44:04.119 for this 00:44:04.119 --> 00:44:05.420 and we ask that you would 00:44:05.420 --> 00:44:07.300 just pour the Holy Spirit 00:44:07.300 --> 00:44:07.900 within us 00:44:07.900 --> 00:44:08.639 that we might be 00:44:08.639 --> 00:44:09.280 once again 00:44:09.280 --> 00:44:09.940 gripped anew 00:44:09.940 --> 00:44:10.660 by the wonder 00:44:10.660 --> 00:44:11.599 of who Jesus is 00:44:11.599 --> 00:44:12.400 and what he accomplished 00:44:12.400 --> 00:44:13.180 for us 00:44:13.180 --> 00:44:14.940 and that as we are 00:44:14.940 --> 00:44:15.760 gripped by that 00:44:15.760 --> 00:44:17.099 we might read your word 00:44:17.099 --> 00:44:17.900 and be open 00:44:17.900 --> 00:44:19.079 to your Holy Spirit 00:44:19.079 --> 00:44:20.039 moving within us 00:44:20.039 --> 00:44:21.200 to start to mend us 00:44:21.200 --> 00:44:21.900 together more 00:44:21.900 --> 00:44:22.780 and give us freedom 00:44:22.780 --> 00:44:24.539 make us whole 00:44:24.539 --> 00:44:26.500 that we might live 00:44:26.500 --> 00:44:27.700 free and whole 00:44:27.700 --> 00:44:29.200 and unafraid 00:44:29.200 --> 00:44:31.019 for your glory 00:44:31.019 --> 00:44:32.220 father we ask 00:44:32.220 --> 00:44:32.840 for this 00:44:32.840 --> 00:44:33.780 continued 00:44:33.780 --> 00:44:34.519 ongoing 00:44:34.519 --> 00:44:35.519 wonderful work 00:44:35.519 --> 00:44:36.180 in our lives 00:44:36.180 --> 00:44:37.960 and all God's people 00:44:37.960 --> 00:44:38.380 said 00:44:38.380 --> 00:44:39.579 amen 00:44:39.579 --> 00:44:40.079 amen