WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.160 Emile Calliette grew up in a small village in France and went on to become professor 00:00:07.160 --> 00:00:12.800 of philosophy at Princeton Theological Seminary in the middle of last century, around the 00:00:12.800 --> 00:00:13.339 20th century. 00:00:14.419 --> 00:00:22.080 During his college days, Emile was not a believer and wasn't sure that God existed at all. 00:00:22.760 --> 00:00:29.339 He loved his books, he loved his philosophy, but he had never picked up a Bible. 00:00:30.800 --> 00:00:38.100 He went on to serve in the French Army during World War I, and of that time he wrote, 00:00:38.100 --> 00:00:44.159 The inadequacy of my views on the human situation overwhelmed me. 00:00:45.340 --> 00:00:53.219 What use the philosophical banter of the seminar when your buddy, at the time speaking to you 00:00:53.219 --> 00:00:58.039 of his mother, dies standing in front of you with a bullet to his chest? 00:00:58.039 --> 00:01:03.460 One night, a bullet got Emile too. 00:01:04.140 --> 00:01:07.319 His life was saved and he returned to his books. 00:01:08.140 --> 00:01:16.159 He read, reading literature and philosophy, and he found himself searching for meaning. 00:01:16.159 --> 00:01:21.920 He wrote, during long night watches in the foxholes. 00:01:22.259 --> 00:01:29.679 I had in a strange way been longing, I must say it, however strange it may sound, for a book 00:01:29.679 --> 00:01:32.159 that would understand me. 00:01:32.159 --> 00:01:40.859 And since he knew of no such book, he decided to prepare his own one for private use. 00:01:41.679 --> 00:01:49.579 He read widely and he would file away passages that, as he wrote, spoke to his condition. 00:01:49.579 --> 00:01:57.799 And the day came when Emile put the finishing touches on what he referred to as the book that would 00:01:57.799 --> 00:01:58.840 understand me. 00:01:59.500 --> 00:02:05.500 And he hoped that this collection of words and sentences would help him through life. 00:02:05.500 --> 00:02:07.980 And it was a beautiful day. 00:02:07.980 --> 00:02:08.919 It was a sunny day. 00:02:09.219 --> 00:02:11.180 And Emile went out, sat under a tree. 00:02:11.300 --> 00:02:15.039 He opened his book and he was disappointed. 00:02:17.099 --> 00:02:18.159 In his own words, 00:02:18.159 --> 00:02:39.180 In that moment, in his disappointment, Emile's wife walked into the garden and she had with 00:02:39.180 --> 00:02:46.759 her a Bible in the French language from a pastor that she had just walked by in her morning 00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:47.199 walk. 00:02:48.159 --> 00:02:54.680 And as she stood in front of him, Emile literally grabbed the Bible out of her hands, rushed into 00:02:54.680 --> 00:03:00.460 his study, and he opened it at the Beatitudes in Matthew's Gospel. 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:12.659 And he read, and he read, and he read with what he described as an indescribable warmth surging 00:03:12.659 --> 00:03:13.280 inside. 00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:16.400 These are his words. 00:03:18.159 --> 00:03:21.799 I could not find words to express my awe and my wonder. 00:03:21.799 --> 00:03:26.300 And suddenly, the realization dawned upon me. 00:03:27.159 --> 00:03:31.579 This was the book that would understand me. 00:03:31.580 --> 00:03:36.580 I continued to read deeply into the night, mostly from the Gospels. 00:03:36.580 --> 00:03:45.260 And lo and behold, as I looked through them, the one of whom they spoke, the one who spoke 00:03:45.260 --> 00:03:49.500 and acted in them, came alive to me. 00:03:49.500 --> 00:03:58.379 The providential circumstances amid which this book had found me now made it clear that while 00:03:58.379 --> 00:04:05.860 it seemed absurd to speak of a book understanding a man, this could be said of the Bible. 00:04:05.860 --> 00:04:14.000 It's pages were animated by the presence of the living God and the power of his mighty acts. 00:04:14.860 --> 00:04:18.160 And to this God, I prayed that night. 00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:26.060 And the God who answered was the same God of whom it was spoken in the book. 00:04:26.060 --> 00:04:32.040 That happened to me 25 years ago. 00:04:32.040 --> 00:04:39.740 The Bible came alive in a way that it is hard to describe. 00:04:39.740 --> 00:04:45.879 And more specifically, Jesus came alive to me in a way that it's hard to explain. 00:04:46.759 --> 00:04:52.060 For the first time, having read through the Bible at least three to four times prior to that, 00:04:52.620 --> 00:04:59.240 and known of Jesus for the very first time, Jesus became alive to me. 00:04:59.840 --> 00:05:00.439 Real. 00:05:00.439 --> 00:05:00.519 Real. 00:05:02.300 --> 00:05:11.620 Not just someone to know about, but someone who was calling me to follow him and adore him 00:05:11.620 --> 00:05:14.899 and worship him and obey him and love him. 00:05:18.079 --> 00:05:24.759 Next 13 weeks, we are working our way through Mark's gospel. 00:05:24.759 --> 00:05:33.639 And my hope, my dream, and my prayer is that many will have the experience that I've had 00:05:33.639 --> 00:05:38.300 and the experience that Emil Caliat has had and experience that many have had 00:05:38.300 --> 00:05:48.459 and that Jesus will come alive to us even as we look to who Jesus is. 00:05:48.459 --> 00:05:56.519 You see, my concern in this gospel is that we have access to the real Jesus. 00:05:57.180 --> 00:06:01.259 The Jesus who is unpredictable and yet reliable. 00:06:01.899 --> 00:06:06.459 The Jesus who is gentle yet powerful. 00:06:07.259 --> 00:06:08.719 Authoritative and yet humble. 00:06:09.579 --> 00:06:11.639 Human and yet divine. 00:06:13.259 --> 00:06:17.240 Access to the real Jesus is something that every generation and language and people 00:06:17.240 --> 00:06:20.280 are in desperate need of today. 00:06:21.019 --> 00:06:29.540 That's because Mark's gospel conveys something very important about Jesus. 00:06:31.160 --> 00:06:34.040 Jesus is not merely a historical figure. 00:06:34.860 --> 00:06:37.560 He is a living reality. 00:06:38.980 --> 00:06:41.579 You see, Mark's gospel declares that Jesus is God. 00:06:41.579 --> 00:06:48.199 Our creator God who rules everything and speaks to us today. 00:06:49.319 --> 00:06:54.219 And he says as such in the very beginning sentence, the very first sentence, 00:06:54.360 --> 00:07:01.860 Mark tells us that the God who started history is the God who has broken into history. 00:07:02.860 --> 00:07:09.019 The beginning of the good news about Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God. 00:07:09.019 --> 00:07:14.379 And Mark here communicates his style is a sense of crisis. 00:07:15.199 --> 00:07:17.299 The status quo has been ruptured. 00:07:17.459 --> 00:07:23.799 God, sorry, Mark wants us to see that this Jesus is still disrupting the status quo 00:07:23.799 --> 00:07:28.699 and he's still calling for decisive action in our lives now. 00:07:28.699 --> 00:07:33.339 So have a look at it with me. 00:07:33.339 --> 00:07:34.079 Mark 1. 00:07:35.279 --> 00:07:38.579 He wastes no time in establishing the identity of Jesus. 00:07:39.639 --> 00:07:48.480 He abruptly and bluntly asserts that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. 00:07:50.360 --> 00:07:54.500 And the title Christ means an anointed royal figure. 00:07:54.500 --> 00:07:59.060 It's another way of referring to the Messiah. 00:08:00.379 --> 00:08:07.259 The Messiah was the one who would come and administer God's rule over on the earth 00:08:07.259 --> 00:08:10.779 and rescue Israel from all its oppressors and all of its troubles. 00:08:12.379 --> 00:08:18.819 But Mark goes further than just calling Jesus the Christ, the fulfillment of all of Israel's hope. 00:08:19.379 --> 00:08:21.639 He calls him the Son of God. 00:08:21.639 --> 00:08:23.819 It's an astonishing term. 00:08:24.539 --> 00:08:27.419 It is a claim of outright divinity. 00:08:29.240 --> 00:08:35.799 He expands on it when he quotes here the prophet Isaiah and asserts that John the Baptist 00:08:35.799 --> 00:08:44.220 is the voice that Isaiah referred to who is calling out in the desert. 00:08:44.220 --> 00:08:52.580 So Mark equates John with the one who was to prepare the way of the Lord. 00:08:53.680 --> 00:09:03.700 So the clear inference is that Mark is equating Jesus with the Lord, with God Almighty himself. 00:09:03.700 --> 00:09:15.980 And so Mark connects Jesus in the deepest way to the ancient religion of Israel. 00:09:16.600 --> 00:09:30.200 Jesus is the one who has come to rule and renew the entire universe. 00:09:30.200 --> 00:09:35.240 But more of Jesus' identity is revealed. 00:09:36.660 --> 00:09:42.820 Striking scene of verses 9 to 11, if you cast your eyes down there. 00:09:43.820 --> 00:09:44.520 It says, 00:09:44.519 --> 00:10:12.939 Now this is a familiar scene. 00:10:12.940 --> 00:10:19.480 But at first glance, we don't often know what it is specifically that we are looking at here. 00:10:20.740 --> 00:10:24.940 The Spirit of God is described as a dove. 00:10:25.640 --> 00:10:30.340 And it's a description that many Christians are familiar with. 00:10:30.460 --> 00:10:36.440 You go to Kurong and you'll see stickers of doves that are meant to represent the Holy Spirit. 00:10:36.440 --> 00:10:43.900 It was, however, very rare when Mark was writing. 00:10:44.800 --> 00:10:56.500 In all of the ancient writings of Judaism, there is only one place where the Spirit of God is likened to a dove. 00:10:56.500 --> 00:11:09.960 And it's in the Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible, which was the Bible that the Jews of Jesus' time, and Mark's time, read. 00:11:09.960 --> 00:11:24.540 And the one place is the creation account of Genesis 1 verse 2, where it says that the Spirit hovered over the face of the waters. 00:11:24.539 --> 00:11:29.860 And the Hebrew word for hovering is fluttering. 00:11:31.039 --> 00:11:34.860 The Spirit fluttered over the face of the waters. 00:11:34.860 --> 00:11:44.399 And to capture the vivid image of the Holy Spirit in that moment, the rabbis translated this passage like this. 00:11:44.879 --> 00:11:47.560 The earth was without form and empty. 00:11:48.259 --> 00:11:50.500 And darkness was on the face of the deep. 00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:57.519 And the Spirit of God fluttered above the face of the waters like a dove. 00:11:59.259 --> 00:12:01.960 And God spoke, let there be light. 00:12:01.960 --> 00:12:07.720 There are three parties active in the creation of the world. 00:12:08.360 --> 00:12:13.800 God, God's Spirit, and God's Word through which He creates. 00:12:15.040 --> 00:12:18.420 And notice that the same three are present at Jesus' baptism. 00:12:19.360 --> 00:12:22.080 The Father who affirms love for the Son. 00:12:22.620 --> 00:12:24.960 The Son who is the Word. 00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:29.820 And the Spirit fluttering like a dove over the Son. 00:12:29.820 --> 00:12:33.780 And Mark is deliberately the beginning of his gospel. 00:12:34.840 --> 00:12:40.680 The beginning of the good news is pointing us back to the beginning of history. 00:12:42.680 --> 00:12:49.860 Just as the creation of the world is the work of the triune God, so is the rescue and the renewal of it. 00:12:49.860 --> 00:12:58.980 The Christian teaching of the Trinity is mysterious and intellectually challenging. 00:13:00.019 --> 00:13:06.980 The Bible teaches that God is one God eternally existent in three persons. 00:13:06.980 --> 00:13:13.560 It isn't tritheism with three gods who work together in harmony. 00:13:14.560 --> 00:13:22.680 And it isn't unipersonalism, which is the idea that God takes one form and sometimes He takes another form. 00:13:23.080 --> 00:13:25.759 But He can't only be one form at any one time. 00:13:26.820 --> 00:13:29.620 Another name for unipersonalism is modalism. 00:13:30.740 --> 00:13:31.100 Both. 00:13:31.420 --> 00:13:31.980 It's a heresy. 00:13:31.980 --> 00:13:41.220 Trinitarianism holds that there is one God in three persons who know and love one another. 00:13:42.659 --> 00:13:47.139 God is not more fundamentally one than He is three. 00:13:47.779 --> 00:13:51.860 And He's not more fundamentally three than He is one. 00:13:53.159 --> 00:13:54.600 Told you it's challenging. 00:13:54.600 --> 00:14:11.019 And many have, over time, have tried to use all kinds of illustrations to try and get a picture of just how wonderful and beautiful and majestic God is to try and capture it. 00:14:12.040 --> 00:14:13.240 He is truly mysterious. 00:14:13.899 --> 00:14:18.019 And all illustrations in one way or another fail. 00:14:18.019 --> 00:14:27.120 And the best I could do to illustrate it is to draw a circle in red pen. 00:14:28.539 --> 00:14:38.759 And then to perfectly, absolutely perfectly, go over the red circle with a blue pen. 00:14:38.759 --> 00:14:48.000 And then to absolutely perfectly, go over the blue pen with a green pen. 00:14:49.100 --> 00:14:52.019 So when you looked at it, you looked at one circle. 00:14:52.939 --> 00:14:56.059 But the red line's not the blue line and the blue line's not the green line. 00:14:57.919 --> 00:15:00.500 That's the best you can come up with. 00:15:01.139 --> 00:15:01.980 Best I can come up with. 00:15:01.980 --> 00:15:10.000 Three separate lines making one perfect circle. 00:15:11.820 --> 00:15:18.879 When Jesus comes up from the water, the Father envelops Him and covers Him with love. 00:15:19.019 --> 00:15:19.700 Verse 11. 00:15:20.659 --> 00:15:22.060 You are my Son whom I love. 00:15:22.100 --> 00:15:23.060 With you I am well pleased. 00:15:23.060 --> 00:15:26.200 And the Spirit covers Him with power and sends Him out. 00:15:26.320 --> 00:15:27.560 In verse 12. 00:15:27.559 --> 00:15:33.779 What we have here in the baptism of Jesus is just a glimpse. 00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:36.799 And obviously you need to read the rest of the Bible to get a fuller picture. 00:15:36.939 --> 00:15:44.599 But a glimpse into the interior life of the Trinity that has been for all of eternity. 00:15:46.219 --> 00:15:50.339 Mark is giving us a glimpse into the very heart of reality. 00:15:50.339 --> 00:15:52.179 The meaning of life. 00:15:52.559 --> 00:15:54.159 The essence of the universe. 00:15:54.159 --> 00:16:02.219 And C.S. Lewis describes the essence of the universe like this. 00:16:03.719 --> 00:16:08.279 In Christianity, God is not a static thing. 00:16:09.240 --> 00:16:12.559 But a dynamic, pulsating activity. 00:16:13.279 --> 00:16:14.000 A life. 00:16:14.879 --> 00:16:17.620 Almost a kind of drama. 00:16:18.939 --> 00:16:22.439 Almost, if you will not think me, irreverent. 00:16:22.440 --> 00:16:24.980 A kind of dance. 00:16:27.400 --> 00:16:30.880 Let me try and explain why Lewis called it a dance. 00:16:31.860 --> 00:16:35.760 That the heart of who God is, a dance. 00:16:38.820 --> 00:16:44.740 We glorify something when we find it beautiful for what it is in itself. 00:16:44.740 --> 00:16:49.700 We don't glorify it for what we get from it. 00:16:50.120 --> 00:16:52.940 We glorify it for what it is. 00:16:54.899 --> 00:17:00.299 When it's a person that you find beautiful and magnificent in that way, 00:17:00.399 --> 00:17:03.539 what you do is you serve them unconditionally. 00:17:03.539 --> 00:17:08.700 On the other hand, when we say, 00:17:09.200 --> 00:17:14.159 I'll serve you so long as I get benefits from you, 00:17:14.819 --> 00:17:17.279 it's not glorifying. 00:17:17.500 --> 00:17:19.240 It's not actually serving. 00:17:20.519 --> 00:17:24.819 It's serving ourselves through them. 00:17:24.819 --> 00:17:27.919 We serve ourselves by serving them. 00:17:28.559 --> 00:17:29.539 That's the goal. 00:17:31.659 --> 00:17:35.859 You see, that's not circling them. 00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:39.379 It's not orbiting your life around them. 00:17:40.039 --> 00:17:45.259 It's using them in order to get them to orbit around you. 00:17:45.259 --> 00:17:45.299 No. 00:17:45.940 --> 00:17:48.379 That's what happens. 00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:55.940 Now, of course, there are many of us who look unselfish and dutiful in our serving, 00:17:56.400 --> 00:17:58.759 busy in our serving, simply because we cannot say no. 00:17:59.900 --> 00:18:04.299 In that case, we are serving out of our own need. 00:18:04.299 --> 00:18:10.859 And it is a million miles from glorifying. 00:18:12.799 --> 00:18:17.460 To glorify others is to unconditionally serve them, 00:18:17.940 --> 00:18:21.180 not because we are getting anything out of it, 00:18:21.680 --> 00:18:27.139 but because of our love and appreciation for who they truly are. 00:18:29.279 --> 00:18:32.259 And so, and let me be honest, 00:18:32.259 --> 00:18:37.400 there are rare glimpses of that at all in our world. 00:18:40.039 --> 00:18:43.759 And yet the Father, the Son, and the Spirit 00:18:43.759 --> 00:18:49.079 are each centering their lives on the others 00:18:49.079 --> 00:18:53.000 and adoring the others and serving the others. 00:18:53.720 --> 00:18:58.779 There is no self-orientation in the Godhead at all. 00:19:02.259 --> 00:19:07.500 And so God is therefore infinitely and profoundly happy. 00:19:10.039 --> 00:19:16.240 And that is what God has enjoyed for all of eternity. 00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:19.579 It is the essence of reality. 00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:21.539 That relationship. 00:19:23.539 --> 00:19:27.000 Theologian Cornelius Plantinga puts it like this. 00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:32.299 The persons within God exalt each other, 00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:34.539 commune with each other, 00:19:34.740 --> 00:19:36.880 and defer to each other. 00:19:37.640 --> 00:19:41.079 Each defined person harbors the others 00:19:41.079 --> 00:19:44.680 at the center of his being. 00:19:45.640 --> 00:19:48.660 In constant movement of overture and acceptance, 00:19:49.180 --> 00:19:52.660 each person envelops and encircles the others. 00:19:52.660 --> 00:19:59.620 God's interior life overflows with regard for others. 00:20:01.060 --> 00:20:04.340 And so the Father, the Son, and the Spirit 00:20:04.340 --> 00:20:09.080 for all of eternity have been pouring love and joy 00:20:09.080 --> 00:20:12.460 and adoration into each other. 00:20:12.460 --> 00:20:20.920 They are infinitely seeking one another's glory. 00:20:22.620 --> 00:20:26.620 And so God is infinitely happy. 00:20:29.660 --> 00:20:32.340 And this is the God who created the world. 00:20:34.500 --> 00:20:40.000 And that's why C.S. Lewis refers to ultimate reality as a dance. 00:20:42.460 --> 00:20:47.480 But he goes on to suggest that a self-centered life is a static life. 00:20:47.600 --> 00:20:48.860 It's a stationary life. 00:20:49.660 --> 00:20:54.220 A self-centered person wants to be the center of the universe 00:20:54.220 --> 00:20:58.019 and for everyone and everything to orbit around them. 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:02.120 We might even help people. 00:21:02.420 --> 00:21:03.940 We might even have friends. 00:21:04.079 --> 00:21:05.620 We might even fall in love. 00:21:05.620 --> 00:21:09.579 So long as there's no compromise in my individuality, 00:21:09.579 --> 00:21:13.099 my individual interests and whatever needs I need. 00:21:13.419 --> 00:21:15.879 Whatever meets my needs. 00:21:16.699 --> 00:21:18.379 I might even give to the poor. 00:21:19.240 --> 00:21:23.139 So long as it makes me feel good about myself 00:21:23.139 --> 00:21:26.019 and doesn't hinder my lifestyle at all. 00:21:27.299 --> 00:21:30.599 Self-centeredness makes everything and everyone 00:21:30.599 --> 00:21:33.619 a means to an end. 00:21:34.519 --> 00:21:38.359 And that end is the self. 00:21:39.579 --> 00:21:43.740 What happens when everyone declares in their hearts, 00:21:44.460 --> 00:21:47.939 no, no, you orbit around me. 00:21:49.179 --> 00:21:51.279 Imagine we stop Kids Church right now, 00:21:51.399 --> 00:21:52.379 brought all the kids in and said, 00:21:52.419 --> 00:21:53.679 we've got to play on right now 00:21:53.679 --> 00:21:57.220 and you all are the number one star player 00:21:57.220 --> 00:22:00.279 and the star player stands here. 00:22:03.159 --> 00:22:04.839 What do you think would happen? 00:22:04.839 --> 00:22:08.259 This would happen. 00:22:11.919 --> 00:22:13.000 I'm not moving. 00:22:16.439 --> 00:22:17.859 Everything becomes static. 00:22:21.959 --> 00:22:23.259 Nobody gets anywhere. 00:22:24.379 --> 00:22:25.819 The dance becomes impossible. 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:27.099 It's a static life. 00:22:27.099 --> 00:22:28.859 But ultimate reality, 00:22:28.980 --> 00:22:30.500 the Father, the Son and the Spirit 00:22:30.500 --> 00:22:32.579 are characterised in the very essence 00:22:32.579 --> 00:22:34.519 of mutual, self-giving love 00:22:34.519 --> 00:22:36.459 as they circle each other consistently, 00:22:36.959 --> 00:22:39.719 pouring love and joy and adoration into the other. 00:22:42.219 --> 00:22:46.379 Each one voluntarily orbits around the other. 00:22:46.380 --> 00:22:49.320 And yet, 00:22:49.320 --> 00:22:55.120 there is also headship and submission 00:22:55.120 --> 00:22:57.940 in ultimate reality. 00:23:01.940 --> 00:23:05.720 This is a truth that explodes 00:23:05.720 --> 00:23:10.320 with life-shaping, glorious implications for us. 00:23:10.319 --> 00:23:15.039 If this is the God who made the world, 00:23:15.879 --> 00:23:17.919 then relationships of love 00:23:17.919 --> 00:23:20.919 are at the centre of what life is all about. 00:23:22.179 --> 00:23:24.299 Also, if this is the God who made the world, 00:23:24.879 --> 00:23:26.000 then you've got to ask yourself, 00:23:26.200 --> 00:23:28.460 why on earth did he make the world? 00:23:29.139 --> 00:23:30.480 Why did he create it? 00:23:31.460 --> 00:23:33.919 Why create humanity at all? 00:23:34.000 --> 00:23:35.139 It's not like he's lonely. 00:23:36.839 --> 00:23:38.500 It's not like he's looking for more friends. 00:23:38.500 --> 00:23:42.480 He doesn't need anyone to serve him. 00:23:43.779 --> 00:23:45.819 That's what they've been doing for eternity. 00:23:49.980 --> 00:23:53.279 He didn't create us in order to get joy from us. 00:23:54.059 --> 00:23:58.480 He must have created us in order to give us joy. 00:24:00.680 --> 00:24:02.440 He must have created us 00:24:02.440 --> 00:24:05.539 to invite us into the dance 00:24:05.539 --> 00:24:08.440 of infinite happiness. 00:24:09.460 --> 00:24:11.779 And if we centre our lives around him, 00:24:11.980 --> 00:24:13.140 if we glorify him, 00:24:13.220 --> 00:24:16.700 if we find him beautiful for who he is, 00:24:17.200 --> 00:24:20.359 then we step into the dance for which we were made. 00:24:21.819 --> 00:24:24.079 We weren't made by God just to believe in him 00:24:24.079 --> 00:24:29.339 or to be spiritual in some kind of sense. 00:24:30.279 --> 00:24:32.339 We weren't even made him to pray to him 00:24:32.339 --> 00:24:34.980 or to get some help from him in times of trouble. 00:24:35.619 --> 00:24:40.159 We were made by God to centre everything in our lives on him. 00:24:40.160 --> 00:24:43.720 We were made to serve him unconditionally 00:24:43.720 --> 00:24:48.360 because that is where we find ultimate joy. 00:24:48.359 --> 00:24:55.559 And so every single human being needs more than anything else. 00:24:55.759 --> 00:24:56.719 Anything else they need 00:24:56.719 --> 00:24:59.879 is to be in this divine dance with God 00:24:59.879 --> 00:25:04.199 where everything orbits around him. 00:25:04.200 --> 00:25:08.319 And that, my friends, 00:25:08.400 --> 00:25:10.019 is where the battle rages for us 00:25:10.019 --> 00:25:11.539 in verses 12 to 13. 00:25:11.539 --> 00:25:16.440 All of humanity is born outside of this dance, 00:25:16.539 --> 00:25:18.359 outside of this relationship with God. 00:25:18.779 --> 00:25:19.279 In Genesis, 00:25:19.480 --> 00:25:21.440 the spirit moves over the face of the waters. 00:25:21.839 --> 00:25:24.480 God speaks the world into being. 00:25:24.639 --> 00:25:25.940 Humanity is created. 00:25:26.119 --> 00:25:27.279 History is launched. 00:25:27.279 --> 00:25:30.440 And what happens next? 00:25:32.740 --> 00:25:35.639 Satan tempts the first human beings, 00:25:35.799 --> 00:25:36.399 Adam and Eve, 00:25:36.440 --> 00:25:37.359 in the Garden of Eden 00:25:37.359 --> 00:25:41.500 to make them themselves, 00:25:41.639 --> 00:25:42.579 take care of yourself, 00:25:42.899 --> 00:25:44.500 make you the centre of the world, 00:25:44.859 --> 00:25:46.519 make God orbit around you. 00:25:48.740 --> 00:25:49.599 Ignore God. 00:25:51.359 --> 00:25:53.440 God's holding something back from you here. 00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:56.119 You look after yourself. 00:25:56.119 --> 00:25:57.319 If you want what's best for you, 00:25:57.359 --> 00:25:58.359 you look after yourself. 00:26:00.399 --> 00:26:02.019 And Adam and Eve failed that test. 00:26:05.139 --> 00:26:06.759 And every human being since 00:26:06.759 --> 00:26:09.759 except Jesus. 00:26:10.939 --> 00:26:12.819 See, Jesus was tempted in the same way 00:26:12.819 --> 00:26:14.819 to make it about him, 00:26:14.899 --> 00:26:16.459 to not trust God, 00:26:17.099 --> 00:26:18.239 his goodness, his word. 00:26:18.619 --> 00:26:20.299 And so what happens to Jesus 00:26:20.299 --> 00:26:22.119 immediately after baptism? 00:26:22.639 --> 00:26:23.879 He finds himself 00:26:23.879 --> 00:26:25.939 away from the Father and the Son, 00:26:25.940 --> 00:26:26.840 in the wilderness. 00:26:28.380 --> 00:26:30.080 Take a look at verses 12 and 13. 00:26:30.080 --> 00:26:31.740 At once the Spirit sent him out 00:26:31.740 --> 00:26:32.380 into the wilderness 00:26:32.380 --> 00:26:33.400 and he was in the wilderness 00:26:33.400 --> 00:26:34.180 40 days, 00:26:34.559 --> 00:26:35.720 being tempted by Satan. 00:26:35.980 --> 00:26:38.100 And he was with the wild animals 00:26:38.100 --> 00:26:40.759 and the angels attended him. 00:26:42.039 --> 00:26:43.200 You see, Mark treats 00:26:43.200 --> 00:26:44.960 Satan as a reality, 00:26:45.160 --> 00:26:45.759 not a myth. 00:26:46.100 --> 00:26:47.860 The Bible asserts that he's real 00:26:47.860 --> 00:26:49.519 and he tempts us away 00:26:49.519 --> 00:26:50.460 consistently 00:26:50.460 --> 00:26:52.200 on centering our lives 00:26:52.200 --> 00:26:53.100 around God. 00:26:53.099 --> 00:26:54.399 And throughout the remainder 00:26:54.399 --> 00:26:55.379 of his life, 00:26:55.819 --> 00:26:57.679 Jesus is consistently 00:26:57.679 --> 00:26:59.459 assaulted by Satan 00:26:59.459 --> 00:27:01.619 again and again and again. 00:27:03.019 --> 00:27:04.139 And the climax 00:27:04.139 --> 00:27:06.119 of the assault 00:27:06.119 --> 00:27:08.599 is in another garden. 00:27:08.599 --> 00:27:11.699 the garden of Gethsemane. 00:27:12.959 --> 00:27:14.139 It was the night 00:27:14.139 --> 00:27:16.559 of his great anguish 00:27:16.559 --> 00:27:18.019 over God's plan 00:27:18.019 --> 00:27:19.679 just before he's rescued 00:27:19.679 --> 00:27:21.759 and just before his execution 00:27:21.759 --> 00:27:23.199 and he knows 00:27:23.199 --> 00:27:24.619 he's heading to the cross. 00:27:28.459 --> 00:27:29.980 And God says to Jesus, 00:27:29.980 --> 00:27:32.819 you obey me, Jesus. 00:27:34.200 --> 00:27:35.720 Obey me about the tree. 00:27:37.839 --> 00:27:38.980 Adam and Eve didn't, 00:27:39.779 --> 00:27:41.259 but you obey me about the tree. 00:27:43.000 --> 00:27:44.299 Only this time the tree 00:27:44.299 --> 00:27:45.240 was a wooden cross. 00:27:47.319 --> 00:27:48.240 Obey me about the tree 00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:48.980 meant for Adam 00:27:48.980 --> 00:27:50.440 that he would live forever 00:27:50.440 --> 00:27:52.140 in infinite joy. 00:27:52.140 --> 00:27:55.360 But Jesus, 00:27:56.720 --> 00:27:57.880 obey me about the tree 00:27:57.880 --> 00:27:58.900 would result 00:27:58.900 --> 00:28:00.220 in rejection 00:28:00.220 --> 00:28:01.200 by his father 00:28:01.200 --> 00:28:03.460 with whom he had 00:28:03.460 --> 00:28:04.220 experienced 00:28:04.220 --> 00:28:05.380 infinite joy 00:28:05.380 --> 00:28:07.680 and he would die. 00:28:10.640 --> 00:28:11.240 And so Jesus 00:28:11.240 --> 00:28:12.200 went into the battle 00:28:12.200 --> 00:28:13.340 with Satan 00:28:13.340 --> 00:28:14.200 for us 00:28:14.200 --> 00:28:15.759 in order to draw us 00:28:15.759 --> 00:28:16.940 back into the dance. 00:28:19.440 --> 00:28:21.060 What he has enjoyed 00:28:21.059 --> 00:28:22.539 for all eternity 00:28:22.539 --> 00:28:25.359 with the Father 00:28:25.359 --> 00:28:26.220 and the Spirit 00:28:26.220 --> 00:28:29.799 he came to offer us. 00:28:31.220 --> 00:28:32.599 He steps out of it 00:28:32.599 --> 00:28:33.839 to offer it to us. 00:28:37.119 --> 00:28:38.339 Jesus offers us 00:28:38.339 --> 00:28:39.039 a relationship 00:28:39.039 --> 00:28:40.859 of unconditional love 00:28:40.859 --> 00:28:41.359 with God 00:28:41.359 --> 00:28:42.359 the only source 00:28:42.359 --> 00:28:43.339 of infinite joy. 00:28:44.859 --> 00:28:46.179 And he calls us 00:28:46.179 --> 00:28:47.579 at the end of this passage 00:28:47.579 --> 00:28:49.359 to come. 00:28:51.059 --> 00:28:53.019 He calls us 00:28:53.019 --> 00:28:54.139 into this relationship 00:28:54.139 --> 00:28:55.899 in verses 14 and 15. 00:28:56.220 --> 00:28:57.159 We have all failed 00:28:57.159 --> 00:28:58.000 like Adam and Eve 00:28:58.000 --> 00:28:58.819 before us 00:28:58.819 --> 00:28:59.879 and we have all 00:28:59.879 --> 00:29:00.960 attempted to make 00:29:00.960 --> 00:29:01.720 everything, 00:29:02.240 --> 00:29:02.799 everyone, 00:29:03.039 --> 00:29:04.339 all but around us. 00:29:05.679 --> 00:29:07.339 And the very first words 00:29:07.339 --> 00:29:08.019 that you hear 00:29:08.019 --> 00:29:08.679 from Jesus 00:29:08.679 --> 00:29:09.960 in Mark's Gospel 00:29:09.960 --> 00:29:12.079 is the call 00:29:12.079 --> 00:29:14.139 that he still calls 00:29:14.139 --> 00:29:15.220 on every life 00:29:15.220 --> 00:29:15.720 today 00:29:15.720 --> 00:29:18.220 in 2018 00:29:18.220 --> 00:29:19.960 around this world 00:29:19.960 --> 00:29:20.860 and ever since 00:29:20.860 --> 00:29:22.100 he first uttered it 00:29:22.100 --> 00:29:22.740 repent 00:29:22.740 --> 00:29:23.880 and believe 00:29:23.880 --> 00:29:25.000 the good news. 00:29:27.200 --> 00:29:28.380 The word repent 00:29:28.380 --> 00:29:28.720 here 00:29:28.720 --> 00:29:30.279 means reverse course 00:29:30.279 --> 00:29:31.279 or to turn away 00:29:31.279 --> 00:29:32.180 turn away 00:29:32.180 --> 00:29:33.460 from having the world 00:29:33.460 --> 00:29:34.720 orbit around you. 00:29:36.420 --> 00:29:37.259 In the Bible 00:29:37.259 --> 00:29:37.700 it means 00:29:37.700 --> 00:29:38.259 to specifically 00:29:38.259 --> 00:29:38.900 turn away 00:29:38.900 --> 00:29:39.500 from the things 00:29:39.500 --> 00:29:40.480 that Jesus hates 00:29:40.480 --> 00:29:41.579 and towards 00:29:41.579 --> 00:29:42.299 the things 00:29:42.299 --> 00:29:43.120 that he loves. 00:29:44.720 --> 00:29:45.740 And the good news 00:29:45.740 --> 00:29:46.519 is another way 00:29:46.519 --> 00:29:47.420 of saying gospel. 00:29:49.660 --> 00:29:50.859 The word gospel 00:29:50.859 --> 00:29:51.960 literally means 00:29:51.960 --> 00:29:52.579 news 00:29:52.579 --> 00:29:53.799 that brings joy. 00:29:54.859 --> 00:29:55.440 And at the time 00:29:55.440 --> 00:29:56.019 of Mark 00:29:56.019 --> 00:29:58.640 they used 00:29:58.640 --> 00:29:59.259 the word 00:29:59.259 --> 00:29:59.759 it 00:29:59.759 --> 00:30:01.059 meant 00:30:01.059 --> 00:30:02.579 history making 00:30:02.579 --> 00:30:03.980 life 00:30:03.980 --> 00:30:04.859 shaping 00:30:04.859 --> 00:30:06.400 history 00:30:06.400 --> 00:30:07.480 altering 00:30:07.480 --> 00:30:08.680 as opposed 00:30:08.680 --> 00:30:09.120 to 00:30:09.120 --> 00:30:09.859 the nightly 00:30:09.859 --> 00:30:10.480 news bulletin 00:30:10.480 --> 00:30:11.859 about some 00:30:11.859 --> 00:30:12.220 cat 00:30:12.220 --> 00:30:12.620 stuck up 00:30:12.620 --> 00:30:12.980 a tree. 00:30:12.980 --> 00:30:16.440 the gospel 00:30:16.440 --> 00:30:17.920 was news 00:30:17.920 --> 00:30:18.460 of some 00:30:18.460 --> 00:30:18.819 event 00:30:18.819 --> 00:30:19.920 that changed 00:30:19.920 --> 00:30:20.720 things 00:30:20.720 --> 00:30:22.299 in a meaningful 00:30:22.299 --> 00:30:22.900 way for 00:30:22.900 --> 00:30:23.579 everyone 00:30:23.579 --> 00:30:24.319 in the Roman 00:30:24.319 --> 00:30:24.819 Empire. 00:30:27.620 --> 00:30:28.559 The words 00:30:28.559 --> 00:30:29.220 good news 00:30:29.220 --> 00:30:29.620 can 00:30:29.620 --> 00:30:30.819 you can see 00:30:30.819 --> 00:30:31.640 the difference 00:30:31.640 --> 00:30:32.360 between 00:30:32.360 --> 00:30:33.559 Christianity 00:30:33.559 --> 00:30:34.259 and every other 00:30:34.259 --> 00:30:34.740 religion 00:30:34.740 --> 00:30:36.120 in those words 00:30:36.120 --> 00:30:37.259 good news 00:30:37.259 --> 00:30:38.160 including 00:30:38.160 --> 00:30:38.720 may I add 00:30:38.720 --> 00:30:39.180 the religion 00:30:39.180 --> 00:30:39.960 of no religion. 00:30:39.960 --> 00:30:42.720 the essence 00:30:42.720 --> 00:30:43.440 of other 00:30:43.440 --> 00:30:43.860 religions 00:30:43.860 --> 00:30:44.620 is 00:30:44.620 --> 00:30:45.460 advice. 00:30:46.799 --> 00:30:47.180 Christianity 00:30:47.180 --> 00:30:48.220 is essentially 00:30:48.220 --> 00:30:48.880 news 00:30:48.880 --> 00:30:50.500 good news. 00:30:51.519 --> 00:30:52.240 Other religions 00:30:52.240 --> 00:30:52.920 say this 00:30:52.920 --> 00:30:53.579 is what 00:30:53.579 --> 00:30:54.059 you need 00:30:54.059 --> 00:30:54.319 to do 00:30:54.319 --> 00:30:54.579 in order 00:30:54.579 --> 00:30:54.980 to connect 00:30:54.980 --> 00:30:55.360 with God 00:30:55.360 --> 00:30:55.759 forever. 00:30:56.880 --> 00:30:57.440 The Christian 00:30:57.440 --> 00:30:57.799 gospel 00:30:57.799 --> 00:30:58.900 says this 00:30:58.900 --> 00:30:59.259 is what 00:30:59.259 --> 00:30:59.620 has been 00:30:59.620 --> 00:31:00.079 done 00:31:00.079 --> 00:31:00.980 in history 00:31:00.980 --> 00:31:01.779 this is 00:31:01.779 --> 00:31:02.259 how Jesus 00:31:02.259 --> 00:31:02.819 lived 00:31:02.819 --> 00:31:03.140 this is 00:31:03.140 --> 00:31:03.460 how he 00:31:03.460 --> 00:31:03.980 died 00:31:03.980 --> 00:31:05.039 to earn 00:31:05.039 --> 00:31:05.640 the way 00:31:05.640 --> 00:31:06.420 for you 00:31:06.420 --> 00:31:07.740 to God 00:31:07.740 --> 00:31:09.900 and therefore 00:31:09.900 --> 00:31:10.359 Christianity 00:31:10.359 --> 00:31:10.819 is joyful 00:31:10.819 --> 00:31:11.259 news. 00:31:12.319 --> 00:31:12.660 The call 00:31:12.660 --> 00:31:13.220 from Jesus 00:31:13.220 --> 00:31:13.799 is to turn 00:31:13.799 --> 00:31:14.259 away from 00:31:14.259 --> 00:31:14.920 the lies 00:31:14.920 --> 00:31:15.539 of Satan 00:31:15.539 --> 00:31:16.539 and to 00:31:16.539 --> 00:31:17.200 trust God 00:31:17.200 --> 00:31:17.720 turn away 00:31:17.720 --> 00:31:18.200 from being 00:31:18.200 --> 00:31:18.819 king of 00:31:18.819 --> 00:31:19.259 your own 00:31:19.259 --> 00:31:19.759 life and 00:31:19.759 --> 00:31:20.099 surrender 00:31:20.099 --> 00:31:20.440 to the 00:31:20.440 --> 00:31:21.039 true king 00:31:21.039 --> 00:31:22.099 turn away 00:31:22.099 --> 00:31:22.440 from the 00:31:22.440 --> 00:31:22.880 life of 00:31:22.880 --> 00:31:23.720 self-centeredness 00:31:23.720 --> 00:31:25.140 of self-centeredness 00:31:25.140 --> 00:31:26.279 destroys every 00:31:26.279 --> 00:31:26.799 relationship 00:31:26.799 --> 00:31:27.599 around you. 00:31:29.220 --> 00:31:29.779 Nothing 00:31:29.779 --> 00:31:30.359 makes us 00:31:30.359 --> 00:31:31.200 more miserable 00:31:31.200 --> 00:31:33.440 than self-absorption 00:31:33.440 --> 00:31:37.140 because self-absorption 00:31:37.140 --> 00:31:37.680 leaves us 00:31:37.680 --> 00:31:38.220 static. 00:31:40.900 --> 00:31:41.660 Wars 00:31:41.660 --> 00:31:42.820 class 00:31:42.820 --> 00:31:43.299 struggles 00:31:43.299 --> 00:31:44.420 racism 00:31:44.420 --> 00:31:45.420 family 00:31:45.420 --> 00:31:45.940 breakdown 00:31:45.940 --> 00:31:47.920 they all 00:31:47.920 --> 00:31:49.100 have 00:31:49.100 --> 00:31:49.720 the root 00:31:49.720 --> 00:31:51.059 their root 00:31:51.059 --> 00:31:51.960 in the 00:31:51.960 --> 00:31:52.380 darkness 00:31:52.380 --> 00:31:53.500 of self-centeredness. 00:31:55.740 --> 00:31:56.680 When we 00:31:56.680 --> 00:31:57.440 decide to be 00:31:57.440 --> 00:31:57.940 our own 00:31:57.940 --> 00:31:58.200 center 00:31:58.200 --> 00:31:58.779 our own 00:31:58.779 --> 00:31:59.120 king 00:31:59.120 --> 00:31:59.640 everything 00:31:59.640 --> 00:32:00.460 falls apart 00:32:00.460 --> 00:32:02.019 physically 00:32:02.019 --> 00:32:02.980 socially 00:32:02.980 --> 00:32:03.980 spiritually 00:32:03.980 --> 00:32:04.779 psychologically 00:32:04.779 --> 00:32:05.759 everything 00:32:05.759 --> 00:32:06.579 falls apart. 00:32:07.200 --> 00:32:08.079 We have 00:32:08.079 --> 00:32:08.559 left the 00:32:08.559 --> 00:32:08.880 dance 00:32:08.880 --> 00:32:09.319 a mutual 00:32:09.319 --> 00:32:09.559 love 00:32:09.559 --> 00:32:09.940 relationship 00:32:09.940 --> 00:32:10.500 with God 00:32:10.500 --> 00:32:12.579 and yet 00:32:12.579 --> 00:32:14.599 our longing 00:32:14.599 --> 00:32:15.539 in every 00:32:15.539 --> 00:32:16.279 human heart 00:32:16.279 --> 00:32:17.059 is to be 00:32:17.059 --> 00:32:17.400 there. 00:32:21.160 --> 00:32:22.140 The good 00:32:22.140 --> 00:32:22.559 news 00:32:22.559 --> 00:32:24.279 the history 00:32:24.279 --> 00:32:24.900 altering 00:32:24.900 --> 00:32:25.460 news of 00:32:25.460 --> 00:32:25.880 Christianity 00:32:25.880 --> 00:32:26.779 is that 00:32:26.779 --> 00:32:27.380 Jesus has 00:32:27.380 --> 00:32:27.900 come back 00:32:27.900 --> 00:32:28.279 to bring 00:32:28.279 --> 00:32:28.819 us in 00:32:28.819 --> 00:32:29.460 and the 00:32:29.460 --> 00:32:29.860 call of 00:32:29.860 --> 00:32:30.099 Jesus 00:32:30.099 --> 00:32:30.579 repent 00:32:30.579 --> 00:32:31.299 and believe 00:32:31.299 --> 00:32:31.660 the good 00:32:31.660 --> 00:32:32.099 news. 00:32:32.099 --> 00:32:32.919 They are 00:32:32.919 --> 00:32:33.379 the very 00:32:33.379 --> 00:32:33.939 first words 00:32:33.939 --> 00:32:34.299 of Jesus 00:32:34.299 --> 00:32:34.779 in Mark's 00:32:34.779 --> 00:32:35.179 gospel. 00:32:38.119 --> 00:32:38.579 Have 00:32:38.579 --> 00:32:39.859 you heard 00:32:39.859 --> 00:32:40.980 him calling 00:32:40.980 --> 00:32:42.659 you today? 00:32:43.379 --> 00:32:44.359 2,000 years 00:32:44.359 --> 00:32:45.219 later have 00:32:45.219 --> 00:32:45.839 you heard 00:32:45.839 --> 00:32:46.719 like Emil 00:32:46.719 --> 00:32:47.579 Caliet sitting 00:32:47.579 --> 00:32:47.919 in that 00:32:47.919 --> 00:32:48.319 garden 00:32:48.319 --> 00:32:48.919 have you 00:32:48.919 --> 00:32:49.599 heard him 00:32:49.599 --> 00:32:50.299 calling you 00:32:50.299 --> 00:32:50.759 today? 00:32:54.039 --> 00:32:54.939 Do you 00:32:54.939 --> 00:32:55.439 have any 00:32:55.439 --> 00:32:56.199 sense of 00:32:56.199 --> 00:32:57.379 a warmth 00:32:57.380 --> 00:32:57.960 in there? 00:33:00.900 --> 00:33:01.240 I want 00:33:01.240 --> 00:33:02.240 to give 00:33:02.240 --> 00:33:02.440 you an 00:33:02.440 --> 00:33:02.700 opportunity 00:33:02.700 --> 00:33:03.360 to respond 00:33:03.360 --> 00:33:03.860 to Jesus 00:33:03.860 --> 00:33:04.320 today. 00:33:04.720 --> 00:33:05.500 To simply 00:33:05.500 --> 00:33:07.100 respond to 00:33:07.100 --> 00:33:07.540 his call 00:33:07.540 --> 00:33:07.840 on your 00:33:07.840 --> 00:33:08.280 life and 00:33:08.280 --> 00:33:08.480 on the 00:33:08.480 --> 00:33:08.780 back of 00:33:08.780 --> 00:33:09.240 your service 00:33:09.240 --> 00:33:10.100 sheet there 00:33:10.100 --> 00:33:10.780 is a 00:33:10.780 --> 00:33:11.240 prayer. 00:33:11.540 --> 00:33:11.900 It's a 00:33:11.900 --> 00:33:12.600 very simple 00:33:12.600 --> 00:33:13.520 prayer but 00:33:13.520 --> 00:33:14.260 it is a 00:33:14.260 --> 00:33:15.700 life altering 00:33:15.700 --> 00:33:16.340 prayer. 00:33:17.720 --> 00:33:18.460 It's down 00:33:18.460 --> 00:33:18.860 the bottom. 00:33:21.040 --> 00:33:21.340 It's a 00:33:21.340 --> 00:33:22.020 prayer similar 00:33:22.020 --> 00:33:22.480 to what 00:33:22.480 --> 00:33:22.820 Emil 00:33:22.820 --> 00:33:23.460 Caliet would 00:33:23.460 --> 00:33:24.060 have prayed 00:33:24.059 --> 00:33:25.399 nearly a 00:33:25.399 --> 00:33:26.220 century ago. 00:33:26.419 --> 00:33:26.639 It's a 00:33:26.639 --> 00:33:27.359 prayer that 00:33:27.359 --> 00:33:27.839 I have 00:33:27.839 --> 00:33:28.339 prayed and 00:33:28.339 --> 00:33:28.879 many of 00:33:28.879 --> 00:33:29.179 you have 00:33:29.179 --> 00:33:29.559 prayed. 00:33:30.259 --> 00:33:30.440 The 00:33:30.440 --> 00:33:31.139 Jesus who 00:33:31.139 --> 00:33:32.000 was alive 00:33:32.000 --> 00:33:32.919 who is 00:33:32.919 --> 00:33:34.299 ruling and 00:33:34.299 --> 00:33:35.339 calling then 00:33:35.339 --> 00:33:36.359 is doing 00:33:36.359 --> 00:33:37.259 exactly the 00:33:37.259 --> 00:33:38.519 same now. 00:33:40.200 --> 00:33:41.039 He calls 00:33:41.039 --> 00:33:41.279 you to 00:33:41.279 --> 00:33:41.779 repent, 00:33:42.500 --> 00:33:44.039 to believe 00:33:44.039 --> 00:33:45.480 and to 00:33:45.480 --> 00:33:45.940 have your 00:33:45.940 --> 00:33:46.740 life orbit 00:33:46.740 --> 00:33:47.879 around God 00:33:47.879 --> 00:33:49.460 and find 00:33:49.460 --> 00:33:50.639 infinite 00:33:50.639 --> 00:33:52.059 everlasting 00:33:52.059 --> 00:33:53.079 joy in 00:33:53.079 --> 00:33:53.440 him. 00:33:54.059 --> 00:33:55.759 God's 00:33:55.759 --> 00:33:59.359 call on 00:33:59.359 --> 00:34:00.059 your life. 00:34:01.179 --> 00:34:01.679 Pray it 00:34:01.679 --> 00:34:03.519 and join 00:34:03.519 --> 00:34:03.940 the dance 00:34:03.940 --> 00:34:04.399 with God. 00:34:06.319 --> 00:34:06.940 If that 00:34:06.940 --> 00:34:07.319 is your 00:34:07.319 --> 00:34:08.059 prayer, I'm 00:34:08.059 --> 00:34:08.239 going to be 00:34:08.239 --> 00:34:08.579 down the 00:34:08.579 --> 00:34:08.920 front with 00:34:08.920 --> 00:34:09.179 a couple 00:34:09.179 --> 00:34:09.539 of others 00:34:09.539 --> 00:34:10.039 after this 00:34:10.039 --> 00:34:10.440 service. 00:34:11.340 --> 00:34:11.619 But I 00:34:11.619 --> 00:34:11.900 want to 00:34:11.900 --> 00:34:12.420 urge you 00:34:12.420 --> 00:34:12.860 strongly to 00:34:12.860 --> 00:34:13.299 pray that 00:34:13.299 --> 00:34:14.380 prayer and 00:34:14.380 --> 00:34:15.199 rejoin that 00:34:15.199 --> 00:34:16.279 dance with 00:34:16.279 --> 00:34:16.880 God today. 00:34:17.539 --> 00:34:17.980 Amen.