It is good to be back with you guys in church.
It feels like a long time.
I was here for Easter weekend, but before that have been away for a few weeks,
welcoming the new addition to our family, who I think just left the building making a lot of noise.
But I'm glad that he's here making a lot of noise,
because hopefully that means he won't make as much later on tonight.
But it is good to be back in church with you tonight,
and I'm excited to be able to open the Bible with you.
And I'm going to pray, and I'm going to ask God to give us ears to hear what it is that he's saying tonight,
because that's the most important thing.
So let's pray.
Father God, we thank and praise you for the gift of your word.
We thank and praise you for this opportunity to meet freely and to sit under it.
Lord, keep us from pride that would prevent us from hearing you speak.
Give us the humility to recognize things in us that are not in line with your will.
Lord, and give us eyes to see Jesus clearly.
Give us eyes that see him as you have made him, exalted and on the throne.
And Lord, may we be moved to obey him and to treat him as king.
Amen.
Well, we all like the feeling of having power in our lives.
Whatever power that might be.
It might be the power over the remote control in your lounge room.
I thought I had the power in my home,
and something that you don't enjoy is feeling that power slipping away.
Fatherhood has been fantastic in a whole bunch of ways.
Actually, I should just put a preface here.
I'm a new dad, so you're going to expect a lot of dad stories for the next little while.
It's not an apology, it's just a warning.
My world exists around a little man who's standing at the back.
So, lots of baby stories.
So, it's a strange feeling as a new dad to feel yourself losing the power in your own house.
Suddenly, I have almost no say in anything.
If he doesn't like the show that I'm watching, I'm sure he can't actually tell,
but if he starts crying, you'll start flicking channels just to see if you can find one that will settle him down.
It doesn't matter if I want to sleep.
If he wants to be awake, then I'm awake.
And that means when he wants to sleep, I'm going to sleep,
because that's the only time that I can sleep.
And suddenly, all the power that I thought I had is gone.
And when we feel somebody else having power over us,
it's fair enough that we ask the question,
what gives you the right?
Now, Bailey is not quite at the point of being able to answer,
but I'm sure he will have some answers prepared later on in life
as to why he can tell me what I can do.
But you know that feeling when something that you used to be in control of is taken away.
You want to know why someone else has the right to have power and have influence in your life.
Whether it's the boss who tells you to do your job their way instead of your way.
Whether it's the backseat driver who tells you to drive their way instead of your way.
Whatever it is that is telling you that you have to do something not the way that you want,
your immediate reaction is,
what authority do you have to tell me that I'm supposed to do it this way?
What right do you have to tell me how I'm supposed to live?
And that is the question that we come to in the passage tonight in Mark 11 and 12 that we're looking at.
Over the next couple of weeks we're going to look at the authority that Jesus has
and it's appropriate that we start with this question here in verse 28.
Jesus has just arrived in Jerusalem and he's walking in the temple courts with the chief priests,
the teachers of the law and the elders come to him and they ask, verse 28,
by what authority do you do these things?
Now the these things is really, really important there.
There's a bit of baggage that we need to drag into this chapter.
So if you just turn back one page, we're going to do a skim version of what's gone on just a little bit before.
Basically there's a whole bunch of miracles that have been happening,
but a couple of really important ones.
Beginning of chapter 11, Jesus rocks up in Jerusalem for Palm Sunday.
You know the story, people are laying down branches and their jackets.
Jesus is riding on a donkey and people are shouting out,
Hosanna to the king.
This is a royal procession.
So Jesus arrives in Jerusalem in the eyes of some as a relative nobody,
but in his eyes and in the eyes of those at the parade, this is the king arriving.
He shows up and says, I'm the king.
I'm in charge.
You need to listen to me.
You need to submit to me.
And just to make it clear, in the next story,
Jesus turns up to the temple and drives out the people who are there selling
and who have abused the temple and they're turning it into a market
and he gets very aggressive.
And there's one little sandwich story in around the temple about a fig tree that Jesus curses.
He gets angry with this fig tree because it doesn't have fruit.
He curses it.
It shrivels up.
And when they come back, they discover that it's dead.
And what's going on there in those couple of stories is Jesus has rocked up.
He said, I'm the king.
He's arrived.
And then he's shown what it looks like to obey the king.
The fig tree is an image throughout the Old Testament of Israel.
So even though he does curse a fig tree and it withers and dies,
it's actually like he's acting out a drama for everyone who's there to see.
And it's his way of saying, see how this fig tree didn't do what it was supposed to do?
I get to judge that.
It's my authority to say that's not good enough and to curse that fig tree.
When Jesus rocks up to the temple and the Jews have turned it into a marketplace instead of a place where the nations could come and pray,
Jesus comes and turns over tables, makes a whip, starts shouting, has a commotion because he says,
I'm the king.
I get to judge that.
I get to say that's not okay.
I get to tell you that God's not happy with that.
In fact, what Jesus is saying is, as king, I have authority to tell you what God wants.
He says, as king, I have authority to tell you God's not happy with you.
And so it's understandable that the leaders of Israel, the leaders of God's nation Israel would say,
hang on a sec, we're God's people and we're the leaders of God's people.
We're the ones who say what God wants.
We're the ones with authority.
And so who are you to turn up and start passing judgment?
Who are you to turn up and act like everybody has to listen to you?
Jesus is saying, I am king, I am judge, and you must submit to me.
He's saying, I'm the only judge, and you must listen to my words.
Now, before we get any further, it's worth acknowledging, which came out pretty quickly in our little sharing time before,
we don't do submission as an idea very well.
I got permission to tell this story.
I want to preface this story by saying that my wife is amazing and that she is a very submissive wife
and that she honors me very, very much.
But I remember when we came to get married and I'd proposed, she said yes, and we met with our minister.
And you may or may not know that in the green prayer book that was once upon a time what we always did in church,
there is two different services for weddings.
They're very, very similar.
There is one very significant word that is different in the vows that the husband and wife say.
In the first service, it says, better, worse, rich, or poor, etc., etc.,
and the husband says, to love and to cherish.
The wife says all the same things except, she says, to love and obey.
In the second service, that obey word is changed back to cherish,
just to make sure that there's no submission going on in this marriage because we would not want that.
So me and Sal sat down, we pulled out the vows and we thought, which one should we do?
And Sal said, obey?
Don't want to say that, that's a bit weird.
People will think you're going to rule over me and all that sort of stuff.
And sure enough, we opted for the second option.
And I have to say, I've only done three weddings,
but those three weddings and a whole bunch of weddings that I've been to,
I don't think I've ever heard anyone do the obey option.
Because we get really nervous about the idea of submission.
We get nervous about the idea of saying, I'm going to be under your authority.
I'm actually going to put you in control.
I'm going to give you the authority and the power.
And we get nervous because we're not so sure that anyone else is going to look after us
as well as we're going to look after us.
I mean, that's the heart of it.
I mean, hopefully me and Sal are at the point now where she's getting a little bit more confident
that I'm going to look after her.
And she might be more confident to say now, I obey.
But the reality is, any kind of submission is hard because we are nervous that we're going to get burned.
Or maybe we're just nervous or not nervous.
Maybe we're just convinced that we're doing a better job than this other person.
If I put this person in control, it's going to go badly,
not because they're going to try and not look after me,
just because they're not as good at looking after me as I am.
They're not as powerful as me.
They don't know me as well as I do.
And so the issue with submission is fear and pride.
And ultimately, that's the heart of every sin that we do.
It's the heart of sin through the whole of scriptures.
It's the non-submission because of fear and because of pride.
It starts in Genesis 1 with Adam.
Do you remember Satan's temptation of Adam?
She goes, did God really say?
Is God really being good to you?
Do you actually think he's giving you all this good stuff?
Just this question, this seed of doubt and fear that God's not going to look after him.
And ultimately, the sin comes when Adam decides that, hey, I want to be like God.
Satan says, you eat this fruit, you won't die.
You'll become like God.
You can have just as much power as him.
Then you won't be under anyone.
You'll be in control.
And Adam thinks, great.
And he grabs the fruit and everything goes wrong because he refuses to submit.
It continues on when we get to the Tower of Babel.
People don't want to listen to God and his plans anymore.
They figure if we get together and we build a big tower, we'll be as big and impressive as anyone.
So we can just do our own thing.
And non-submission results in the judgment and scattering of people.
It's happening here again in Mark 11 and Mark 12.
The chief priests hear what Jesus is saying.
They hear him saying, I'm the king.
They hear him saying, you need to listen to me.
They hear him saying, some of the stuff you're doing is not okay and you need to obey me and listen to what I'm saying.
But they are nervous that if they do, they might not be so powerful anymore.
They might not be the popular guys in Israel anymore.
And so out of fear and out of pride, they don't submit.
And it still happens for you and me today.
Think of a little example like giving.
Like being generous in our offertory at church, in the money that we give to the work of ministry.
We know that God calls us to give generously.
We know that he calls us to give our best and our first.
But we just have this moment every time of thinking, if I give this, will God look after me?
I mean, I kind of need it.
Or maybe if I give this, the church isn't going to use it very well.
So maybe it's better if I hold on to it and make my own decisions about who gets it and when they get it.
We just don't like to submit.
We don't like anyone, including God, to have authority over our lives.
And often our trick as Christians is that we say, yes, God, you're in charge.
But then we just ignore what we've said in all the little decisions that we're making,
which basically equals one big decision of God, no, you're not in charge.
And the picture here in Mark 12 is very similar because this is more than just fear and pride for them.
This is more than just a non-submission because they think they've got a better deal.
Have a look at it with me.
It says, Jesus replies to them, I'll ask you one question.
Answer me and I'll tell you by what authority I'm doing these things.
John's baptism, was it from heaven or from men?
Tell me.
Simple enough question.
And so these men who are smart, learned men, disgusted among themselves,
and they realize that if they say that John's baptism is from heaven,
then they'll get in trouble because they didn't listen to John either
when John said the king is coming and you're doing the wrong thing.
So they can't say that.
But they also realize if they say from men,
they'll get in trouble because the people that they're trying to have authority over
think that John was important and so they'll lose their power.
So the fear is there, but it gets worse.
They answer Jesus, we don't know.
They do know, but they don't want to know.
It's not an issue of fear or pride here anymore.
It becomes an issue of hard-heartedness.
The answer is right in front of their eyes,
but it's something that they don't want to hear.
It's not like they're asking Jesus if he's over 18
and all he's got to do is show a license and then they'll say,
okay, you're king, we're on board.
It doesn't matter what he does.
It doesn't matter how he answers.
They're not interested in his authority.
They're just trying to find a way out.
They're just trying to find a loophole.
They're trying to justify the position that they already have.
It's not a genuine question and it's not an answer that they're willing to hear.
And so we get to Jesus' response here in chapter 12, the parable.
Now, this is a parable from the Old Testament,
which was in the Isaiah passage,
which Jesus grabs and kind of revamps for this modern context.
So in Isaiah 5, in the passage that Joe read out,
it's a parable about a vineyard.
And in that passage, that vineyard is representative of Israel
and God is the one who plants the vineyard and looks after it
and does everything that could possibly be done
and yet still it doesn't produce fruit.
But here, the story is not so much against the vineyard,
but against the people looking after the vineyard.
Jesus kind of aims his focus in on these chief priests,
these hard-hearted leaders of Israel
who have rejected the king that God has sent.
And so the story unfolds.
The man plants the vineyard.
He puts the watchtower in.
He puts the pit around it for the wine press
and then he rents it out to some farmers and goes on a journey.
Eventually, he knows it's time to come and collect
some of the fruit of the vineyard.
He sends some of his servants to get it.
They beat them and throw them out.
And then he sends more and some they kill,
others they beat.
And he sends more and more and more.
And then finally in verse 6,
he had one left to send a son whom he loved.
He sent him last of all saying,
they'll respect my son.
They'll give my son the respect that they would give to me
as the owner of the vineyard.
But the tenants said to one another,
this is the heir.
Let's kill him and the inheritance will be ours.
So they took him, killed him,
and threw him out of the vineyard.
Jesus tells this story,
which is not at all subtle,
to explain to these chief priests
what they are doing in God's eyes.
God has given them as a nation his law.
He has been with them.
He has protected them.
He has provided for them.
He has made promises to them.
And yet with everything he has given them,
they have mistreated him.
With everything that he has given them,
they have abused it.
They have taken it for granted.
And they are not content with all the stuff
that he's given him.
They want more.
They don't just want to work in a great vineyard
that's been set up for them,
that they didn't invest in.
They want the vineyard for themselves.
They don't want to have a boss.
They don't want to be accountable to anyone.
They don't want to submit to anyone.
See, the hard thing I think here
is that there's almost a good desire
in these chief priests.
I think we're overly harsh
if we read this passage and think
these guys just set out at the beginning
to be evil, to be sinful, to be rebellious.
These are the leaders of God's people.
Somewhere in there,
they desired to lead God's people
towards God's design.
Somewhere in there,
they desired that Israel
would become a great nation again,
that God's name would get heard
all over the world
because of this great nation.
And they wanted to be
at the front of the pack,
leading, making that happen.
But progressively,
that good intention
got derailed by a sinful agenda.
That desire for God's will to be done
got derailed by a desire
for their own power,
for their own position,
for their own prestige,
for their own freedom
to do whatever they want,
for their own lack of accountability
to anyone else.
And I want to warn you
that we are in the same danger
here at church now.
I don't know how long
you've been a Christian
and ultimately it doesn't matter.
We can start out
in our journey as Christians
with this amazing desire
to be Christ-like,
with this awareness of sin
and this awareness
that we need to change
and this awareness
that it's going to be
a whole life journey
and then suddenly
we find ourselves
derailed by a desire
to be a little bit comfortable.
Suddenly derailed
by a desire
to at least feel at peace
with the person that I am.
We don't like that sense
of I'm not doing okay
and there's things in me
that make God angry
and I need to confess
and feel forgiven
and so that good intention
to be more Christ-like
gets dragged away
by a desire
to be comfortable
and church is an easy place
to do that.
We're in danger
as a community.
We may begin
as a 5pm congregation,
we're a young congregation
and we did begin
with a desire
that more people
would join this community,
that this would be open,
that others would be welcome
but it's really easy
for that to get derailed.
For us to start
to feel kind of comfortable
with the group that's here.
I've got a few good friends,
some people I enjoy sitting with,
I like the way we do music,
if there was more people
it'd be hard to park,
I might not get to sit
where I want to sit,
maybe I'd have to talk
to a stranger
at church on Sunday.
And so good intentions
can become very easily derailed
and ultimately
that reflects
that we don't want to listen
to Jesus anymore.
Ultimately that reflects
that we're ignoring
his agenda
and we're listening
to our agenda.
That like the chief priest
when Jesus says
get uncomfortable,
go and speak to people
about Jesus,
we want to know
what right have you got
to make me uncomfortable.
We want to know
what right have you got
to tell me
how to live my life
because I think
I'm doing an alright job.
We need to be very careful
that we don't get
too comfortable
because the best
of intentions
can be derailed
because we are sinful
to the core.
And we live in a world
that is at war
with God's design
and desire.
And as soon as we
stop fighting
we will lose ground.
Be warned,
this is a danger
for us as well.
And so God
speaks this parable
against these chief priests
and the elders
and the teachers
of the law
and ultimately
he says
you are refusing
to submit
to the owner's authority.
See the danger
is that it's a progressive
slope for us
because we start
by becoming
a Christian
and being eager
for the word
and then we make
this shift
where we feel
like we're doing okay
and we're still eager
for the word
but we're kind of eager
just to hear it.
You know,
if I open it
and read a passage
out loud
or maybe in my head
or if I'm near church
if I'm sitting in church
but not really paying attention
the word's still
kind of floating around
and then we just get
further and further away.
We stop listening
to what it says
and then ultimately
we stop looking at it
for any kind of guidance
or direction
because it's just easier
because we figure
I'm in charge
I know how to do this now.
Jesus,
you were helpful
at the beginning
but it's easier
just to submit to me
than to submit to you.
It's easier
to not hear
that I wasn't perfect today
and I need to confess
some stuff.
It's easier
to be the only one
who has to decide
whether or not
you get to heaven
because it's much easier
to tell yourself
that you're a good person.
I was reading
an article recently
that my mum sent me.
She's wrestling
with Christianity
possibly a new Christian
and she sent me
an article
written by
a homosexual guy
a practicing
homosexual guy
basically
unpacking
what the Bible
says about homosexuality
and it was
a fairly
straightforward article
he pretty much said
look all those people
who have read
in the Bible
that homosexuality
is wrong
they're reading
the Bible wrong.
He said these verses
and listed off a bunch
if you read them
in context
then actually
it says something
different
and
leaving aside
the fact
that I'm not sure
that he's reading
those verses
correctly
it was amazing
how he was still
looking to the Bible
for guidance
but he'd actually
stopped listening
to what it was saying.
He claimed
that he was submitting
to the authority
of God
but what he was doing
was finding the bits
of God's authority
that he didn't like
and then making them
say what he wanted
them to say.
He was claiming
to submit to someone else
but ultimately
he had decided
I'm in charge
what suits me
and what is comfortable
for me
that is what I'm going
to do.
Now I know
that that is a
controversial issue
but it is true
of so many areas
of our life.
Christianity
will be uncomfortable
transformation
is uncomfortable
the Bible
the Bible describes
the Christian life
as one of pruning
of one of being
refined by fire
expect to open
the Bible
and be made
uncomfortable
because you are
not perfect
and God is in the
business of
transforming you
from one degree
of glory
to another
and it is
his authority
that matters
and when we
refuse to submit
to his authority
we reject him
and we presume
the role of king
we presume
the role of judge
and if you don't
think you do it
just think in the
past week
how many times
you have looked
at someone else
and thought
wow
that is sinful
wow
that is not okay
but the good news
in this passage
is significant
there is a
significant warning
in verse 9
when it says
the owner of the vineyard
will come and kill
those tenants
but he's the
encouragement
he will give
the vineyard
to others
have you not read
the scripture
the stone the builders
rejected
the stone the chief
priest rejected
the stone that we
often reject
has become
the capstone
the son
the last
messenger
that God
has sent
who was rejected
and sacrificed
and crucified
by us
on the cross
has been raised
by God
and has been
made the capstone
the centerpiece
the foundation
the everything
for the kingdom
of God
he has been made
the only way in
no amount of good
effort
no amount of
anything else
counts now
all that matters
for God's
kingdom
all that matters
for entry
into God's
kingdom
is
the verdict
of the king
we were looking
at this in
our young adults
bible study group
during the week
when God
raises Jesus
from the dead
it's at that point
that he defers
all authority
onto Jesus
at the end of
Matthew
in chapter 28
the risen Jesus
as he's about to
return to the throne
in heaven
says
all authority
on heaven
and on earth
has been given
to me
he's saying
I'm the king
I'm the judge
I'm the one
who decides
who goes to heaven
and who doesn't
I am the only way
by trusting in me alone
in Philippians 2
we know
that Jesus
humbles himself
to death
on the cross
and that God
raises him up
and exalts him
to the highest place
and gives him
the name
that is above
every name
that every knee
shall bow
and every tongue
confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord
he's given
absolute authority
to judge
I shared this
with our youth
ministry a little
while ago
when we were
looking at this
passage
but so often
the barrier
for people
when it comes
to following God
is how can
God be loving
and send people
to hell
how is that fair
but this passage
makes it really
clear for us
if you reject
the king
you reject
the kingdom
it is right
that the one
who sits
enthroned
with all
authority
over his
kingdom
will not
include those
who do not
submit to his
authority
there is nothing
wrong with that
and Jesus
has that authority
in this passage
but he also
has the authority
to forgive
it's just a little
hint in there
in verse 9
he'll come
and kill those
tenants
and give
the vineyard
to others
that authority
has been given
to Jesus
as the risen
ascended Lord
that he alone
will decide
those who will
enter into his
kingdom
and who will it
be?
those who submit
to his authority
that doesn't mean
those who are good
that doesn't mean
those who try hard
it means those
who submit to him
as the king
who died to take
their place
and rose again
those who put
their hand up
and say
I'm not good
enough
I need you
and you're in charge
those who recognize
that they need
his input
and his guidance
those who recognize
that his agenda
is the one
who matters
his authority
is not negotiable
his authority
is absolute
the vineyard
in this parable
belongs to the owner
the son of the owner
carries the authority
of the owner
God is the owner
of everything
God is the creator
of everything
Jesus is the son
of God
and he carries
the authority
of the creator
father
who made
every single one
of us
it doesn't matter
whether you acknowledge
it or not
ultimately
one day
every knee
shall bow
and every tongue
confess that
Jesus is
Lord
I remember
in year 8
at school
we had the
strange tradition
of going on
a maths excursion
to Wonderland
I'm not sure why
usually you had
a worksheet
that lasted
about 10 minutes
of the day
and the teachers
gave up
and let you run
riot
but I remember
my year 8
excursion
quite distinctly
because I never
made it to Wonderland
we were all waiting
fairly excited
to get on the buses
at school
there was a bit
of a crush
with our whole year group
trying to get on the bus
first
giddy with excitement
and as we were
trying to get
onto the bus
one of the teachers
was standing
at the bus door
making sure
we wouldn't get
on the bus
and I was at the front
of a group of my friends
and we were all pushing
and then kind of
being pushed back
and it was kind of
a little bit strange
but we all got
pushed forward
and at that point
as several of us
got pushed forward
this teacher thought
it would be appropriate
to push me
to make sure
we all went back
I then thought
it would be appropriate
to push him
seeing as he had
pushed me
he then thought
it would be appropriate
to send me to the principal
and not let me go
on this excursion
I then dropped my bundle
and said a list of expletives
that won't be repeated
and the situation descended
but I remember
getting down
to the principal's office
feeling very angry
and very defiant
I remember walking
into his office
and not sitting in the chair
that he offered me
but standing
and eyeballing him
and demanding
an apology
for the fact
that I had been
robbed of the opportunity
to spend the day
at Wonderland
with my year 8 friends
and I demanded
and he
just kind of stood
letting me
yell and complain
and do whatever
and eventually
at the
sort of point
where
we weren't making
any progress
my parents were called in
and as we were sitting
in the room
with me
and my parents
and this principal
I realised
that it didn't matter
how much I didn't want
to submit to him
ultimately
I had the choice
to submit
to stay a part
of his school
or to not submit
and leave
it didn't work
that I could not
submit and stay
because
he had absolute
authority
in that particular
sphere
and see
what we need
to understand
is that
if we consider
ourselves part
of the kingdom
of God
if we want
to be part
of his agenda
part of his will
part of his plan
to bring all things
under the headship
of Christ
it's not okay
for us
to just keep
not submitting
it's not okay
for us to pretend
like his authority
doesn't matter
it's not okay
for us to act
like we're in charge
and we're the one
who makes the decisions
it's not okay
for us to think
we can find
some other way
of being a part
of the kingdom
some other way
of making God happy
according to this parable
the thing
that matters
is the way
you treat the son
the thing
that is the difference
is the way
you acknowledge
the son
as king
the point
is this
the son
matters
the king
matters
it's his authority
that matters
it's his agenda
that matters
and the son
and the son's agenda
is the father's agenda
and hopefully
after six weeks
of looking at the kingdom
of God
here as a congregation
you will have learnt
that God's agenda
is God's kingdom
what he is about
is exalting
Jesus as king
so that every knee
will bow
and every tongue
confess
that Jesus
is Lord
that is God's agenda
that is the agenda
that matters
that is what
Jesus demands
of us
and anything
less
will bring
judgment
the chief priests
have lost focus
the chief priests
have got distracted
from the purpose
that God
has given Israel
and they have
rejected the son
and they have
killed the son
but the question
we've got to ask
ourselves is
have we lost focus
I don't know
what point it was
when you came
to know the forgiveness
that God offered you
in Jesus
I don't know
if you don't even
know that feeling yet
but if you do
when God gave you
new life
and called you
to be a part
of his kingdom
called you to follow
his king
have you lost focus
have you compromised
the chief priests
even after hearing
this story
where Jesus says
you are too proud
to call on me
to save you
their reaction
is not
please help us
their reaction
is how can we
kill him
do you come
to church
and hear the bible
say you need
to love your
neighbour
do you come
to church
and say the truth
matters to God
don't lie
do you come
to church
and hear the bible
make demands
on the way
that we live
and instead
of falling
on your knees
and asking God
to do that work
in you by his
holy spirit
you just kind
of dismiss it
you just kind
of ignore it
you just kind
of write it off
as out of context
or out of date
or unimportant
or maybe even worse
you don't even
look at yourself
to see if there's
any possibility
that something
might need
to change
have we lost
focus
submitting
to the authority
of Christ
is about
humble
dependent
submission
it is about
an eager desire
that we would
be transformed
more and more
to be like Jesus
because that's
what the kingdom
is
it's us
becoming more
and more
Christ-like
so that his
name is
exalted
have we lost
God's desire
that every knee
would bow
and every tongue
confess
are we more
about just enjoying
the relationships
we've got here
are we more
about just enjoying
the cozy community
that is 5pm
that is the
after party
or are we
burdened
every week
we sit in
here and
there is
space on
the seat
next to
us
for somebody
who right
now sits
under the
judgment
of God
because that
is God's
agenda
that is
what Jesus
in his
authority
as king
of the
kingdom
demands
of his
people
Jesus'
authority
is marvelous
in our
eyes
verse 10
the stone
the builders
rejected
has become
the capstone
the Lord
has done
this
and it
is marvelous
in our
eyes
because God
raised Jesus
from the
dead
and gave
him the
name
above
every name
so that
we might
submit
so that
we might
rejoice
so that
we might
have certain
hope
that even
though we
don't deserve
it
even though
we're not
good enough
the king
welcomes us
with open
arms
I want to
pray for us
but just
before I do
I want you
to take a
minute right
now to ask
yourself the
question
however long
you've been
following Jesus
remembering the
call that he
made on your
life when he
forgave you
and gave you
life and
called you to
follow him
until he
returns
have you
lost focus
have you
stopped
listening to
the bible
like it's
got something
to say
to you
have you
stopped
looking at
the world
around you
like God
has something
he wants
you to do
in it
have you
stopped
treating
Jesus like
he has
absolute
authority
let's pray
father
god
we want
to
acknowledge
that we
fall so
far short
of the
life that
you call
us to
we want
to thank
and praise
you that
even after
we had
kicked out
messenger
after messenger
even after
we have
ignored you
time after
time
you were
willing to
send your
son to
pay the
debt that
we owed
father we
want to
thank you
that you
have raised
Jesus up
and that
we have
a hope
that is
certain
and unshakable
lord we
ask that
you would
not allow
us to
use that
hope as
a license
to stop
listening to
you
but that
you might
fill us
with a
deep desire
that you
would be
lord of
absolutely
every part
of our
life
god please
give us
eyes to
see where
we fall
short
give us
hearts that
want more
than anything
not comfort
but christ
likeness
give us
hearts that
desire what
you desire
that jesus
would be
exalted
that his
name would
be known
in us
and through
us
that others
might come
to know the
joy that is
only found
in him
god if there
is people
sitting here
tonight who
don't yet
know the
forgiveness
that you
offer
who are
still hoping
out of their
own wisdom
or their
own power
or their
own effort
that they
might please
you
may they
hear your
word tonight
that what
matters is
the son
what matters
is jesus
lord for
those of us
who have been
following you
and known you
for most of
our lives
don't let us
ever forget
don't let us
ever become
familiar with
that gospel
message
daily may
we wake
deeply
desiring
that we
would submit
every minute
of every day
to the lordship
of christ
father thank
you for your
incredible grace
to unworthy
sinners like
us
please transform
us that others
might come to
know that grace
as well
amen