WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.160 We give you thanks and praise that you have created us, that you sustain us. 00:00:05.639 --> 00:00:11.179 We give you thanks and praise that even when we rebelled against you and fell away from you, 00:00:11.259 --> 00:00:17.559 that you did not stop loving us, but that you sent your son Jesus to die upon the cross to be our Savior. 00:00:18.539 --> 00:00:22.339 We thank you, Father, for the grace that we receive through him, 00:00:22.920 --> 00:00:28.780 the power for salvation that is in his name and what he did for us upon the cross. 00:00:28.780 --> 00:00:35.260 We thank you, Father, that when we put our faith and trust in Jesus, you restore us as your own. 00:00:35.939 --> 00:00:44.079 You fit us for the new heaven and the new earth to be unashamed before you and to thrive before you forever. 00:00:44.859 --> 00:00:49.140 We ask, Father, that your Holy Spirit would gently but deeply fall upon us 00:00:49.140 --> 00:00:52.320 so that we might hear the teaching of your son Jesus, 00:00:52.320 --> 00:00:59.119 that our hearts, Father, might be struck by what he says, 00:00:59.480 --> 00:01:06.519 that we might take it deep into our lives and so bear much fruit in this world that brings you glory. 00:01:07.079 --> 00:01:10.719 And this we ask in the name of Jesus, your son and our Savior. Amen. 00:01:11.200 --> 00:01:12.039 Please be seated. 00:01:12.040 --> 00:01:20.400 One of the things which has really struck me more and more as we've gone through the Gospel of Luke 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:24.920 is how much of the Gospel of Luke is a profound critique of religion 00:01:24.920 --> 00:01:29.640 and how much of the Gospel of Luke is a profound critique of spirituality. 00:01:31.020 --> 00:01:34.080 And, you know, it just really struck me. 00:01:34.240 --> 00:01:37.480 I could almost talk about it every single week if I wanted to. 00:01:37.480 --> 00:01:46.400 It's really, I've been finding it deeply ironic how much time Christians in our day and age 00:01:46.400 --> 00:01:49.260 complain about the world, so to speak. 00:01:50.400 --> 00:01:53.159 You know, and whatever it is, things that are going on in politics 00:01:53.159 --> 00:01:55.500 and other types of changes in the culture. 00:01:56.060 --> 00:01:59.460 And it's not as if the Bible doesn't say things, has things to say about that. 00:01:59.500 --> 00:02:03.020 But it's just really struck me as we've been camping in Luke for a long time, 00:02:03.019 --> 00:02:09.240 how much of the Gospel of Luke is not actually talking very much at all about the things that go on, 00:02:09.680 --> 00:02:16.579 so to speak, in worldly things, but as a constant critique of spirituality and religion. 00:02:17.519 --> 00:02:22.019 And the text that we have today before us is a perfect example. 00:02:22.020 --> 00:02:33.240 It embodies and brings before us the great ease with which murderous deceit coexists with religion and spirituality. 00:02:34.060 --> 00:02:43.240 It brings before us how easy it is for murderous deceit to coexist with religion and spirituality, 00:02:43.640 --> 00:02:50.300 with people believing that they're being extremely pious and spiritual while practicing such things. 00:02:50.300 --> 00:02:54.160 So it would be a great help to me if you turn in your Bibles to Luke chapter 20, 00:02:54.680 --> 00:02:58.439 and let's look at that brief Gospel text which I read just a few moments ago. 00:02:58.880 --> 00:03:01.560 Luke chapter 20, and we'll begin at verse 19. 00:03:01.660 --> 00:03:04.660 Once again, there's always some Bibles at the front if you need a Bible with you. 00:03:05.400 --> 00:03:07.520 And here's how the text goes. 00:03:08.360 --> 00:03:11.240 Luke chapter 20, beginning at verse 19. 00:03:11.900 --> 00:03:17.640 The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on Jesus at that very hour, 00:03:17.639 --> 00:03:23.319 for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. 00:03:23.379 --> 00:03:27.899 That's the story, the parable that we looked at last week, the parable of the wicked tenants. 00:03:28.699 --> 00:03:32.279 You can either listen to the sermon later on on the web, 00:03:32.319 --> 00:03:34.679 or you can just read the text earlier to get the context. 00:03:35.019 --> 00:03:36.379 Verse 20. 00:03:36.379 --> 00:03:44.979 So they watched him and sent spies who pretended to be sincere, 00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:48.620 that they might catch him in something he said, 00:03:49.060 --> 00:03:53.500 so as to deliver him up to the authority and the jurisdiction of the governor. 00:03:53.579 --> 00:03:54.740 And just sort of pause there. 00:03:55.280 --> 00:04:00.579 Remember, this is the religious and spiritual experts of the culture, 00:04:00.580 --> 00:04:04.400 and they're angry at Jesus. 00:04:05.040 --> 00:04:07.520 And in verse 20, when they said they watched him, 00:04:08.100 --> 00:04:14.820 don't think of a mother lovingly looking at her little girl, her baby girl. 00:04:15.439 --> 00:04:22.580 Think of a lion watching a gazelle at a watering hole in a National Geographic special. 00:04:22.860 --> 00:04:25.120 And that's the image of watching there. 00:04:25.120 --> 00:04:32.180 So this is a type of devouring, aggressive watching of hoped-for prey. 00:04:33.319 --> 00:04:36.379 And when they send spies, in other words, 00:04:36.680 --> 00:04:40.199 right an effective spy is that somebody actually thinks they're one of you, 00:04:40.280 --> 00:04:41.920 but they're actually not one of you. 00:04:42.439 --> 00:04:46.680 They're working for some foreign and usually hostile power. 00:04:47.459 --> 00:04:48.519 And so that's what they do. 00:04:48.600 --> 00:04:52.060 They pick amongst themselves while they're watching Jesus, 00:04:52.180 --> 00:04:53.759 like a lion watches a gazelle. 00:04:53.759 --> 00:04:58.939 They pick some people who they think aren't known to Jesus and his disciples, 00:04:59.339 --> 00:05:02.620 who look like they'll fit in with Jesus and his disciples. 00:05:04.240 --> 00:05:07.420 But they're not with Jesus and their disciples. 00:05:07.639 --> 00:05:11.519 They're with these people watching Jesus like a lion watches a gazelle. 00:05:12.159 --> 00:05:14.240 And that's who they send to be. 00:05:14.519 --> 00:05:17.300 And they pretend to be sincere. 00:05:18.939 --> 00:05:21.779 You know, as that football coach said, 00:05:21.779 --> 00:05:24.179 if you can fake sincerity, you know, you got it made. 00:05:24.919 --> 00:05:29.399 And so they're faking sincerity, but they're not sincere at all. 00:05:29.559 --> 00:05:32.699 They have all these other agendas that are going on in their minds. 00:05:33.279 --> 00:05:34.659 And just sort of a pause here. 00:05:34.759 --> 00:05:42.179 You know, what I've noticed in life is that when people are captivated by this type of a mindset 00:05:42.180 --> 00:05:48.060 mindset of always faking sincerity because they have agendas going on, 00:05:48.560 --> 00:05:55.040 one of the things about it is that they can't actually ever appreciate that other people in the world aren't acting the same way. 00:05:55.920 --> 00:06:02.540 But you really can see how people can, in a sense, descend into a type of living hell, 00:06:02.620 --> 00:06:04.300 even in the midst of great prosperity. 00:06:04.300 --> 00:06:13.480 But they begin by faking sincerity and trying to accomplish things according to their own agendas. 00:06:14.300 --> 00:06:20.740 And then it can become such a deeply ingrained habit that as it becomes a deeper and deeper habit, 00:06:20.819 --> 00:06:25.379 it's impossible for people like that to actually believe that other people aren't the same way. 00:06:26.639 --> 00:06:29.500 And it's a terrible state to fall in. 00:06:29.500 --> 00:06:34.399 And maybe a story like this will shake a person up to realize that it doesn't have to be that way, 00:06:34.620 --> 00:06:36.939 that we need a savior. 00:06:37.519 --> 00:06:39.560 But they pretend to be sincere. 00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:43.980 And they all do this so that they might catch him in something, he said, 00:06:44.079 --> 00:06:47.560 because they want to give him to the authority and the jurisdiction of the governor. 00:06:48.180 --> 00:06:50.939 They want to give him to the pagan occupying powers. 00:06:51.699 --> 00:06:55.259 And really, when you see this, you see that it's a murderous rage 00:06:55.259 --> 00:06:59.779 because only the governor has the jurisdiction, the authority to kill, 00:07:01.339 --> 00:07:04.279 to give the capital punishment, the supreme punishment. 00:07:04.279 --> 00:07:05.800 So here they are. 00:07:05.920 --> 00:07:07.219 They're profoundly spiritual. 00:07:07.459 --> 00:07:08.599 They're profoundly religious. 00:07:09.259 --> 00:07:13.800 They go home at night sleeping comfortably on their pillow. 00:07:13.920 --> 00:07:15.879 Their conscience doesn't torment them. 00:07:16.279 --> 00:07:19.259 They believe they're doing something for the glory of God. 00:07:19.259 --> 00:07:26.439 But what they're really doing is consumed with fear, with anger, with false sincerity, 00:07:26.439 --> 00:07:28.139 and with murderous deceit. 00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:32.219 Doesn't this sound like a profound critique of religion and spirituality? 00:07:33.159 --> 00:07:34.839 Hollywood couldn't surpass it. 00:07:37.060 --> 00:07:40.279 In verse 21, so they asked him, 00:07:40.839 --> 00:07:45.199 Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly and show no partiality, 00:07:45.480 --> 00:07:47.519 but truly teach the way of God. 00:07:47.519 --> 00:07:49.079 Just sort of pause there. 00:07:49.139 --> 00:07:49.959 Isn't it interesting? 00:07:50.620 --> 00:07:52.259 They actually speak the truth. 00:07:53.599 --> 00:07:55.799 They speak the truth, but it's a lie. 00:07:56.500 --> 00:07:57.139 Like, don't you see? 00:07:57.299 --> 00:08:01.180 It's a very, very powerful thing how religion and spirituality 00:08:01.180 --> 00:08:04.979 can lead you to a point that you lie, 00:08:05.479 --> 00:08:09.839 but the irony is that your lie is an actual accurate description. 00:08:12.379 --> 00:08:16.759 Like, this is what religion and spirituality can do to you. 00:08:16.759 --> 00:08:18.459 They've actually perfectly summarized. 00:08:18.800 --> 00:08:23.240 I mean, in a sense, every one of us couldn't beat this description about what Jesus is. 00:08:23.300 --> 00:08:24.379 What do we believe Jesus is? 00:08:24.439 --> 00:08:26.259 We believe that he speaks and teaches rightly. 00:08:26.579 --> 00:08:28.459 We believe that he doesn't show any partiality, 00:08:28.599 --> 00:08:31.279 and we believe that the way of God, he teaches it truly. 00:08:31.399 --> 00:08:33.439 That's what a follower of Jesus believed. 00:08:33.500 --> 00:08:37.700 They actually nailed it, but it's actually a lie on their lips. 00:08:37.700 --> 00:08:42.600 Such is what religion and spirituality can do to us. 00:08:43.259 --> 00:08:43.980 Verse 22, 00:08:44.700 --> 00:08:48.259 Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar or not? 00:08:48.900 --> 00:08:50.160 And this version of the Bible, 00:08:50.280 --> 00:08:52.300 it's actually translated this very accurately. 00:08:52.440 --> 00:08:54.740 One of the things which was surprising to me this week 00:08:54.740 --> 00:08:57.920 when I did my background research on the text 00:08:57.920 --> 00:09:00.759 is that, because some versions of the Bible, 00:09:00.900 --> 00:09:01.860 the English Bible will say, 00:09:01.860 --> 00:09:03.700 Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar? 00:09:03.779 --> 00:09:06.860 And that taxes is, on one level, an accurate translation, 00:09:07.419 --> 00:09:10.659 but it actually is a far more specific word in the original language. 00:09:10.779 --> 00:09:14.039 It isn't that they asked Jesus in general about permission to pay taxes. 00:09:14.639 --> 00:09:18.539 They actually say one particular tax, which is the tribute tax. 00:09:18.539 --> 00:09:24.820 In other words, the tax which a conquered, occupied people owe to the emperor 00:09:24.820 --> 00:09:28.360 who has conquered them and occupies them 00:09:28.360 --> 00:09:30.039 and keeps them under his thumb, 00:09:30.379 --> 00:09:34.139 and as a sign that he is over them, he asks for tribute. 00:09:34.860 --> 00:09:36.159 And that's what they ask him. 00:09:36.560 --> 00:09:38.960 And they don't mean, is it lawful according to Roman law? 00:09:39.000 --> 00:09:40.019 Because, of course, it is. 00:09:40.060 --> 00:09:42.600 They're saying, according to God's law, 00:09:43.100 --> 00:09:46.800 according to Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, 00:09:46.800 --> 00:09:48.419 according to God's law, 00:09:48.779 --> 00:09:53.220 is it lawful to give a tribute tax 00:09:53.220 --> 00:09:56.759 to a pagan emperor who is over us 00:09:56.759 --> 00:09:58.779 and keeps us under his thumb? 00:09:59.139 --> 00:10:01.060 Jesus isn't lawful to do that, 00:10:01.800 --> 00:10:03.480 according to God's law. 00:10:04.480 --> 00:10:06.840 And they think they've gotten Jesus. 00:10:08.759 --> 00:10:12.420 And even their flattery is an attempt to say to Jesus, 00:10:12.660 --> 00:10:14.820 don't try to weasel out of this one, Jesus. 00:10:15.720 --> 00:10:17.100 You speak the way of God. 00:10:17.200 --> 00:10:18.660 You know the way, 00:10:19.139 --> 00:10:20.440 and you speak it truly. 00:10:21.080 --> 00:10:23.139 Let's weasel out of this one. 00:10:23.440 --> 00:10:23.980 Big guy. 00:10:24.580 --> 00:10:25.300 Verse 23. 00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:28.540 But Jesus perceived their craftiness. 00:10:29.519 --> 00:10:31.460 And in the original language, 00:10:31.560 --> 00:10:33.580 the word that's translated here is craftiness. 00:10:33.740 --> 00:10:36.360 It's only used in a negative sense 00:10:36.360 --> 00:10:37.540 in the entire New Testament. 00:10:37.540 --> 00:10:39.920 In fact, it's used in the Genesis 3 00:10:39.920 --> 00:10:43.620 when it's describing the devil as the serpent, 00:10:44.139 --> 00:10:45.879 as being the craftiest, 00:10:46.580 --> 00:10:48.860 or the subtlest of creatures. 00:10:49.480 --> 00:10:50.620 And that's the same word. 00:10:50.680 --> 00:10:51.399 It's describing, 00:10:51.399 --> 00:10:53.340 it's a bad characteristic. 00:10:53.939 --> 00:10:57.220 He perceives their likeliness to the devil, 00:10:57.360 --> 00:10:59.819 how like the devil they are. 00:11:00.379 --> 00:11:01.539 And he says to them, 00:11:01.959 --> 00:11:03.079 show me a denarius. 00:11:03.439 --> 00:11:04.939 And this is a very interesting thing. 00:11:04.980 --> 00:11:05.779 I didn't know this. 00:11:06.319 --> 00:11:07.019 But in the day, 00:11:07.340 --> 00:11:08.600 in Jesus's day, 00:11:08.679 --> 00:11:12.679 not all coins had a picture of the emperor on it. 00:11:12.679 --> 00:11:15.500 But the denarius did. 00:11:16.159 --> 00:11:18.839 And Jesus didn't just ask for some random coin. 00:11:19.259 --> 00:11:21.239 He asked for a coin that he knew 00:11:21.239 --> 00:11:25.339 would have an image of the emperor on it. 00:11:25.340 --> 00:11:26.259 In fact, 00:11:26.259 --> 00:11:30.580 he asked for a coin that he knew had an image of the emperor on it 00:11:30.580 --> 00:11:32.379 that says on the coin, 00:11:32.899 --> 00:11:33.560 basically, 00:11:34.200 --> 00:11:37.820 Tiberius is the son of the god Augustus. 00:11:38.360 --> 00:11:39.860 And on the other side of the coin 00:11:39.860 --> 00:11:42.500 is a picture of Tiberius's mother. 00:11:43.379 --> 00:11:46.420 And she's portrayed as the goddess Peace, 00:11:46.759 --> 00:11:49.660 the high priestess of the Roman Empire. 00:11:49.659 --> 00:11:50.199 In other words, 00:11:50.279 --> 00:11:52.839 the Roman Empire is characterized by peace, 00:11:53.219 --> 00:11:54.699 ruled by the goddess Peace, 00:11:54.779 --> 00:11:56.399 who looks like the emperor's mother. 00:11:57.459 --> 00:11:58.719 And Tiberius, 00:11:58.860 --> 00:11:59.779 the son of a god, 00:11:59.899 --> 00:12:02.799 is therefore the son of a god. 00:12:03.699 --> 00:12:05.399 His father is a god. 00:12:05.620 --> 00:12:07.179 And his mother is a god. 00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:08.379 He is a god. 00:12:08.719 --> 00:12:10.120 And that's what's on the denarius. 00:12:10.299 --> 00:12:12.059 And that's what Jesus asks for. 00:12:13.419 --> 00:12:14.559 And then he says, 00:12:14.740 --> 00:12:16.139 who's icon? 00:12:17.419 --> 00:12:18.339 And we're going to, 00:12:18.339 --> 00:12:19.199 and not yet, 00:12:19.200 --> 00:12:19.960 but in a few moments, 00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:21.600 I'm going to have the scripture text put up 00:12:21.600 --> 00:12:23.020 because we're going to really just spend, 00:12:23.300 --> 00:12:23.800 I know I have, 00:12:23.920 --> 00:12:25.480 it's a short time with the sermon today, 00:12:25.560 --> 00:12:26.660 but we're going to spend some time. 00:12:27.140 --> 00:12:28.560 And it's sort of important for me 00:12:28.560 --> 00:12:30.200 to get the word likeness off there 00:12:30.200 --> 00:12:32.920 and use the original Greek word 00:12:32.920 --> 00:12:34.920 because we need to sort of, 00:12:34.980 --> 00:12:35.300 in a sense, 00:12:35.379 --> 00:12:39.540 be shocked into hearing what Jesus is saying, 00:12:39.620 --> 00:12:41.759 which is not as obvious in the English, 00:12:41.879 --> 00:12:44.060 but is more obvious in the original language. 00:12:44.700 --> 00:12:45.740 And so Jesus says, 00:12:45.740 --> 00:12:48.160 show me a denarius whose icon, 00:12:48.159 --> 00:12:50.799 an inscription does it have. 00:12:51.319 --> 00:12:51.799 They said, 00:12:51.899 --> 00:12:52.519 Caesar's. 00:12:53.240 --> 00:12:54.559 And Jesus said to them, 00:12:54.980 --> 00:12:58.219 then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, 00:12:58.579 --> 00:13:00.659 and to God the things that are God's. 00:13:01.299 --> 00:13:03.600 And they were not able in the presence of the people 00:13:03.600 --> 00:13:05.100 to catch him in what he said, 00:13:05.539 --> 00:13:07.100 but marveling at his answer, 00:13:07.559 --> 00:13:08.600 they became silent. 00:13:08.600 --> 00:13:11.000 Now, 00:13:11.200 --> 00:13:13.420 in the few minutes that I have left, 00:13:13.480 --> 00:13:15.139 let's try to quickly unpack this. 00:13:15.200 --> 00:13:15.740 It's a very, 00:13:15.879 --> 00:13:17.180 very powerful scene. 00:13:17.980 --> 00:13:19.120 And it's a very, 00:13:19.220 --> 00:13:20.460 very powerful teaching. 00:13:21.120 --> 00:13:22.360 And in some ways, 00:13:22.440 --> 00:13:22.879 the line, 00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:24.980 render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, 00:13:25.040 --> 00:13:26.500 and to God the things that are God's. 00:13:26.500 --> 00:13:27.179 It's one of those, 00:13:27.179 --> 00:13:33.019 it's one of those thoughts that shuts down certain political possibilities, 00:13:33.019 --> 00:13:37.039 but actually speaks into every political context and situation. 00:13:38.139 --> 00:13:38.620 And, 00:13:38.620 --> 00:13:40.899 and propels thought in, 00:13:40.899 --> 00:13:41.139 in, 00:13:41.139 --> 00:13:41.340 in, 00:13:41.340 --> 00:13:43.019 in a whole range of directions. 00:13:43.019 --> 00:13:50.079 And it's all done in the context of Jesus reminding the hearers of this idea of icon. 00:13:51.179 --> 00:13:51.439 And so, 00:13:51.500 --> 00:13:51.699 Andrew, 00:13:51.779 --> 00:13:54.100 if you could put up the scripture translation up there, 00:13:54.159 --> 00:13:54.299 and if, 00:13:54.360 --> 00:13:55.539 could you folks say it with me? 00:13:55.600 --> 00:13:55.879 Is it up? 00:13:55.919 --> 00:13:56.799 I can't see the screen. 00:13:57.120 --> 00:13:57.379 Is it up? 00:13:57.659 --> 00:13:59.059 Could you folks say this with me? 00:13:59.620 --> 00:14:02.860 Whose icon and inscription is on it? 00:14:03.240 --> 00:14:04.000 They said, 00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:04.879 Caesar's. 00:14:05.340 --> 00:14:06.639 Jesus said to them, 00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:10.220 then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, 00:14:10.220 --> 00:14:12.779 and to God the things that are God's. 00:14:13.699 --> 00:14:13.840 Now, 00:14:13.899 --> 00:14:15.840 one of the reasons I use the word icon, 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:17.720 spelled E-I-K-O-N, 00:14:17.840 --> 00:14:19.639 which is the transliteration of the Greek, 00:14:19.819 --> 00:14:21.059 is because on one hand, 00:14:21.100 --> 00:14:22.139 it's very similar. 00:14:22.919 --> 00:14:23.139 I mean, 00:14:23.199 --> 00:14:24.159 in our culture, 00:14:24.259 --> 00:14:26.799 it might very well be that the next time they translate the Bible, 00:14:26.899 --> 00:14:28.299 they're going to use the word icon, 00:14:28.740 --> 00:14:29.519 because with, 00:14:29.519 --> 00:14:30.559 with high tech, 00:14:30.659 --> 00:14:32.600 with phones and apps and icons, 00:14:32.740 --> 00:14:33.620 it's actually a very, 00:14:34.139 --> 00:14:35.399 technology is actually, 00:14:35.699 --> 00:14:36.059 in a sense, 00:14:36.199 --> 00:14:38.100 reintroducing the biblical idea, 00:14:38.100 --> 00:14:38.500 you know, 00:14:38.579 --> 00:14:38.819 in a, 00:14:38.819 --> 00:14:39.679 in a model that, 00:14:40.460 --> 00:14:41.679 so it might be later on, 00:14:41.720 --> 00:14:42.240 but I didn't want to, 00:14:42.240 --> 00:14:43.360 icon is, 00:14:43.720 --> 00:14:46.399 I-C-O-N is obviously the same word, 00:14:46.940 --> 00:14:48.560 but it's similar but different, 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:49.740 and I want it to have the, 00:14:49.879 --> 00:14:50.100 sort of, 00:14:50.560 --> 00:14:52.840 let the whole word and the sound, 00:14:53.139 --> 00:14:54.919 but the differentness play in your minds. 00:14:55.840 --> 00:14:56.039 I mean, 00:14:56.060 --> 00:14:57.180 that's why I always pray that, 00:14:57.179 --> 00:14:59.039 if you remember the scripture more than my words, 00:14:59.099 --> 00:15:00.199 then God's word can, 00:15:00.319 --> 00:15:01.620 can do all sorts of havoc, 00:15:01.979 --> 00:15:02.199 I mean, 00:15:02.279 --> 00:15:02.879 good things, 00:15:03.199 --> 00:15:04.139 in your mind, 00:15:04.239 --> 00:15:05.459 and in your lives, 00:15:05.500 --> 00:15:05.679 and, 00:15:05.739 --> 00:15:07.179 and here's the first thing about this, 00:15:07.199 --> 00:15:08.079 when we see this text, 00:15:08.719 --> 00:15:10.439 the icon of God, 00:15:10.879 --> 00:15:14.120 asks a person made in the icon of God, 00:15:14.500 --> 00:15:16.179 whose icon is on the coin, 00:15:16.179 --> 00:15:17.059 if you could put that up, 00:15:17.120 --> 00:15:17.379 Andrew, 00:15:18.219 --> 00:15:19.179 it sounds odd, 00:15:19.259 --> 00:15:20.399 but you look at it up here, 00:15:20.479 --> 00:15:22.179 this is what's going on in the story, 00:15:23.419 --> 00:15:26.199 the very icon of God, 00:15:27.039 --> 00:15:28.519 and I'm going to show you that later on, 00:15:28.620 --> 00:15:31.059 how that's how the Bible understands who Jesus is, 00:15:31.399 --> 00:15:33.959 the icon of God, 00:15:34.139 --> 00:15:34.579 in a sense, 00:15:34.699 --> 00:15:35.459 himself, 00:15:36.039 --> 00:15:37.399 asks a person, 00:15:37.519 --> 00:15:38.279 a human being, 00:15:38.539 --> 00:15:41.099 made in the icon of God, 00:15:41.100 --> 00:15:43.920 whose icon is on the throne, 00:15:44.920 --> 00:15:46.899 this is a very, 00:15:47.019 --> 00:15:47.180 very, 00:15:47.259 --> 00:15:48.320 very powerful moment, 00:15:48.379 --> 00:15:49.220 that's why in a sense, 00:15:49.320 --> 00:15:50.180 to try to understand, 00:15:50.300 --> 00:15:52.019 render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, 00:15:52.040 --> 00:15:52.360 and the God, 00:15:52.420 --> 00:15:53.200 the things that are God's, 00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:54.200 without understanding, 00:15:54.659 --> 00:15:56.460 that Jesus is going back to Genesis, 00:15:56.639 --> 00:15:56.899 he's, 00:15:56.940 --> 00:15:58.899 he's making the original hearers, 00:15:58.960 --> 00:16:01.379 immediately think of Genesis chapter one, 00:16:01.659 --> 00:16:03.340 verses 26 and 27, 00:16:03.340 --> 00:16:04.040 I'm going to read it, 00:16:04.159 --> 00:16:05.720 if you're really good at sword drills, 00:16:05.800 --> 00:16:06.740 you can find it quickly, 00:16:06.840 --> 00:16:08.300 it's the very first page in your Bible, 00:16:08.420 --> 00:16:09.700 if you have an Old Testament as well, 00:16:09.700 --> 00:16:10.640 and the very, 00:16:10.740 --> 00:16:12.080 very beginning of creation, 00:16:12.280 --> 00:16:13.879 it's one of the most important texts, 00:16:13.960 --> 00:16:15.460 in understanding who God is, 00:16:15.500 --> 00:16:16.720 and who human beings are, 00:16:17.280 --> 00:16:18.080 it says this, 00:16:18.120 --> 00:16:19.360 in the sixth day of creation, 00:16:19.660 --> 00:16:20.600 verse 26, 00:16:21.040 --> 00:16:21.800 then God said, 00:16:21.900 --> 00:16:23.900 let us make man in our icon, 00:16:24.300 --> 00:16:25.160 that's in the, 00:16:25.180 --> 00:16:27.940 the early Jewish people, 00:16:28.720 --> 00:16:28.980 very, 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:30.360 before the time of Jesus, 00:16:31.480 --> 00:16:31.740 they, 00:16:32.140 --> 00:16:32.340 as, 00:16:32.400 --> 00:16:33.720 as more and more Jewish people, 00:16:33.720 --> 00:16:35.580 were living in Greek speaking lands, 00:16:36.100 --> 00:16:36.300 they, 00:16:36.379 --> 00:16:38.340 they commissioned the writing of, 00:16:38.560 --> 00:16:39.240 it was organized, 00:16:39.240 --> 00:16:39.740 the, 00:16:39.740 --> 00:16:40.680 the writing of the, 00:16:40.740 --> 00:16:41.259 of the old, 00:16:41.340 --> 00:16:41.560 what we, 00:16:41.620 --> 00:16:43.159 the Old Testament in Hebrew, 00:16:43.379 --> 00:16:44.820 was written into Greek, 00:16:45.259 --> 00:16:46.740 and it's called the subjugant, 00:16:46.940 --> 00:16:47.180 and, 00:16:47.340 --> 00:16:48.639 and it's an important, 00:16:48.919 --> 00:16:49.180 anyway, 00:16:49.639 --> 00:16:50.500 and so the very, 00:16:50.600 --> 00:16:51.740 very early translators, 00:16:51.879 --> 00:16:52.120 100, 00:16:52.480 --> 00:16:54.279 200 years before the birth of Jesus, 00:16:54.279 --> 00:16:55.659 when they were translating this, 00:16:55.899 --> 00:16:57.120 from Hebrew into Greek, 00:16:57.560 --> 00:16:58.080 they said, 00:16:58.159 --> 00:16:58.860 in verse 26, 00:16:58.960 --> 00:16:59.600 then God said, 00:16:59.700 --> 00:16:59.820 let, 00:16:59.919 --> 00:17:01.480 let us make man, 00:17:01.580 --> 00:17:02.500 that's man and woman, 00:17:02.659 --> 00:17:02.860 human, 00:17:03.019 --> 00:17:03.700 humanity, 00:17:04.099 --> 00:17:05.180 in our icon, 00:17:05.620 --> 00:17:06.779 after our likeness, 00:17:06.779 --> 00:17:08.539 and let them have dominion, 00:17:08.539 --> 00:17:09.599 over the fish of the sea, 00:17:09.660 --> 00:17:10.899 and over the birds of the heavens, 00:17:11.000 --> 00:17:11.779 and over the livestock, 00:17:12.019 --> 00:17:13.180 and over all of the earth, 00:17:13.339 --> 00:17:14.960 and over every creeping thing, 00:17:15.019 --> 00:17:15.960 that creeps on the earth, 00:17:16.639 --> 00:17:17.539 just to make sure, 00:17:17.619 --> 00:17:18.299 we get the point, 00:17:18.399 --> 00:17:19.079 verse 27, 00:17:19.559 --> 00:17:21.500 so God created humanity, 00:17:21.500 --> 00:17:23.299 in his own icon, 00:17:23.899 --> 00:17:25.819 in the icon of God, 00:17:26.099 --> 00:17:27.180 he created him, 00:17:27.339 --> 00:17:28.559 male and female, 00:17:28.920 --> 00:17:29.980 he created them, 00:17:30.420 --> 00:17:30.859 in other words, 00:17:30.899 --> 00:17:31.359 it's a very, 00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:31.599 very, 00:17:31.599 --> 00:17:32.899 very powerful text, 00:17:33.199 --> 00:17:34.099 a whole other sermon, 00:17:34.619 --> 00:17:35.759 men and women are not, 00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:36.719 I mean sometimes, 00:17:36.919 --> 00:17:37.000 it's, 00:17:37.099 --> 00:17:37.679 you know they talk about, 00:17:37.740 --> 00:17:38.519 men are from Mars, 00:17:38.679 --> 00:17:40.419 and women are from Venus, 00:17:40.899 --> 00:17:41.839 it's actually more correct, 00:17:41.919 --> 00:17:43.339 that maybe men are from North Dakota, 00:17:43.439 --> 00:17:44.719 and women are from South Dakota, 00:17:44.819 --> 00:17:45.299 I don't know, 00:17:45.659 --> 00:17:47.079 we're all the same species, 00:17:47.219 --> 00:17:48.339 we're not from different planets, 00:17:48.659 --> 00:17:50.059 we both equally bear, 00:17:50.459 --> 00:17:52.219 the icon of God, 00:17:52.740 --> 00:17:54.119 what makes a human being, 00:17:54.179 --> 00:17:54.859 a human being, 00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:55.740 is a human being, 00:17:55.839 --> 00:17:56.899 is created by God, 00:17:57.219 --> 00:17:59.000 and made in the icon, 00:17:59.299 --> 00:17:59.719 of God, 00:17:59.799 --> 00:18:00.939 that's what makes a human being, 00:18:00.940 --> 00:18:01.620 a human being, 00:18:02.059 --> 00:18:03.700 and who is standing before, 00:18:04.299 --> 00:18:04.500 this, 00:18:05.779 --> 00:18:06.759 excuse me, 00:18:06.880 --> 00:18:07.019 this, 00:18:07.340 --> 00:18:07.539 these, 00:18:07.740 --> 00:18:08.820 so what's happening is, 00:18:08.920 --> 00:18:09.279 Jesus, 00:18:10.900 --> 00:18:13.400 the very icon of God, 00:18:13.500 --> 00:18:14.400 not made, 00:18:15.480 --> 00:18:16.600 in the icon of God, 00:18:16.680 --> 00:18:18.360 but the very icon, 00:18:18.640 --> 00:18:19.360 itself, 00:18:20.539 --> 00:18:22.200 is speaking, 00:18:22.860 --> 00:18:24.100 to a person, 00:18:24.340 --> 00:18:26.160 made in the icon of God, 00:18:27.420 --> 00:18:29.000 and in a sense, 00:18:29.100 --> 00:18:29.960 then you see that, 00:18:29.960 --> 00:18:31.220 the coin matters, 00:18:31.340 --> 00:18:31.799 on one hand, 00:18:31.840 --> 00:18:32.420 but the coin, 00:18:32.500 --> 00:18:33.319 is just a coin, 00:18:34.400 --> 00:18:35.259 it's just a coin, 00:18:35.360 --> 00:18:36.240 it's just stuff, 00:18:38.380 --> 00:18:38.620 I mean, 00:18:38.700 --> 00:18:38.860 you know, 00:18:38.860 --> 00:18:39.900 we live in a day and age, 00:18:39.980 --> 00:18:40.840 when human life, 00:18:40.920 --> 00:18:42.559 is increasingly devalued, 00:18:42.640 --> 00:18:43.640 and our culture, 00:18:43.640 --> 00:18:45.160 is increasingly confused, 00:18:45.160 --> 00:18:45.960 about what it means, 00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:46.840 to be a human being, 00:18:47.200 --> 00:18:48.620 is increasingly confused, 00:18:48.620 --> 00:18:49.519 about the dignity, 00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:50.160 and value, 00:18:50.299 --> 00:18:50.620 and worth, 00:18:50.680 --> 00:18:51.220 and integrity, 00:18:51.220 --> 00:18:52.220 of human beings, 00:18:52.220 --> 00:18:54.120 and we're increasingly, 00:18:54.539 --> 00:18:56.180 completely, 00:18:56.380 --> 00:18:57.400 and utterly confused, 00:18:57.400 --> 00:18:57.920 about it, 00:18:58.140 --> 00:18:59.000 but you know what, 00:18:59.559 --> 00:19:00.460 human beings, 00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:01.420 are unique, 00:19:01.519 --> 00:19:02.259 in being made, 00:19:02.319 --> 00:19:03.440 in the icon of God, 00:19:03.559 --> 00:19:05.019 and all the other stuff, 00:19:05.120 --> 00:19:06.579 money is just stuff, 00:19:06.759 --> 00:19:08.460 it's just stuff, 00:19:09.039 --> 00:19:10.500 and doesn't matter as much, 00:19:10.940 --> 00:19:12.180 have the same value, 00:19:12.180 --> 00:19:14.160 as one human being, 00:19:14.579 --> 00:19:15.500 who is a creature, 00:19:15.680 --> 00:19:16.180 made, 00:19:16.620 --> 00:19:18.160 in the icon of God, 00:19:18.160 --> 00:19:20.720 and so we have some stuff, 00:19:21.519 --> 00:19:22.420 with the picture, 00:19:22.980 --> 00:19:23.840 of a king, 00:19:24.560 --> 00:19:25.680 who foolishly, 00:19:25.920 --> 00:19:27.220 thinks he's a God, 00:19:27.740 --> 00:19:28.820 the irony is, 00:19:29.140 --> 00:19:29.820 the picture, 00:19:30.120 --> 00:19:30.920 on the coin, 00:19:31.400 --> 00:19:32.820 is a picture of a man, 00:19:33.360 --> 00:19:34.040 who bears, 00:19:34.920 --> 00:19:35.500 who's made, 00:19:35.640 --> 00:19:36.340 in the icon, 00:19:36.880 --> 00:19:37.860 of the living God, 00:19:37.860 --> 00:19:39.040 and on the flip side, 00:19:39.240 --> 00:19:39.900 is his mother, 00:19:40.360 --> 00:19:41.040 who's made, 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:42.860 in the icon, 00:19:43.340 --> 00:19:44.160 of the living God, 00:19:44.320 --> 00:19:44.880 and the coin, 00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:45.759 is just stuff, 00:19:47.140 --> 00:19:47.980 we'll see in a moment, 00:19:47.980 --> 00:19:48.759 when it matters, 00:19:49.839 --> 00:19:50.599 but Jesus, 00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:52.700 is the icon of God, 00:19:52.779 --> 00:19:53.700 who asks a person, 00:19:53.819 --> 00:19:54.759 made in the icon of God, 00:19:54.839 --> 00:19:55.440 whose icon, 00:19:55.539 --> 00:19:56.160 is on the coin, 00:19:56.519 --> 00:19:56.759 let's, 00:19:56.860 --> 00:19:57.039 Andrew, 00:19:57.120 --> 00:19:57.839 if you could put the scripture, 00:19:57.960 --> 00:19:58.519 text up again, 00:19:58.620 --> 00:19:59.900 let's say it together again, 00:20:00.779 --> 00:20:02.240 whose icon, 00:20:02.360 --> 00:20:03.099 and inscription, 00:20:03.440 --> 00:20:04.099 is on it, 00:20:04.480 --> 00:20:05.120 they said, 00:20:05.360 --> 00:20:06.019 Caesar's, 00:20:06.480 --> 00:20:07.740 Jesus said to them, 00:20:07.740 --> 00:20:09.620 then render to Caesar, 00:20:09.819 --> 00:20:10.740 the things that are Caesar's, 00:20:11.620 --> 00:20:12.480 and to God, 00:20:12.599 --> 00:20:13.900 the things that are God's, 00:20:14.200 --> 00:20:15.539 here's the second thing, 00:20:16.380 --> 00:20:17.640 every human being, 00:20:17.640 --> 00:20:18.380 is made, 00:20:18.700 --> 00:20:20.280 in the icon of God, 00:20:20.759 --> 00:20:22.360 but Jesus of Nazareth, 00:20:22.560 --> 00:20:24.460 is the icon of God, 00:20:24.500 --> 00:20:25.640 that's just what I said before, 00:20:25.700 --> 00:20:26.300 but I just sort of put it, 00:20:26.300 --> 00:20:27.340 in a different type of way, 00:20:28.020 --> 00:20:29.720 to try to bring the point home, 00:20:30.380 --> 00:20:32.020 every human being, 00:20:32.020 --> 00:20:34.060 is made in the icon of God, 00:20:34.180 --> 00:20:35.500 but Jesus of Nazareth, 00:20:35.500 --> 00:20:38.000 is the icon of God, 00:20:38.420 --> 00:20:38.780 you see, 00:20:38.880 --> 00:20:40.140 what makes us human beings, 00:20:40.220 --> 00:20:41.380 isn't that we have a soul, 00:20:42.180 --> 00:20:43.880 what makes us human beings, 00:20:43.880 --> 00:20:44.700 isn't necessarily, 00:20:44.700 --> 00:20:45.740 that we have a mind, 00:20:45.900 --> 00:20:46.940 angels have minds, 00:20:47.480 --> 00:20:48.580 angels have in a sense, 00:20:48.720 --> 00:20:49.840 they're like souls, 00:20:49.980 --> 00:20:50.799 but without bodies, 00:20:50.920 --> 00:20:51.799 but they're not human beings, 00:20:51.880 --> 00:20:52.480 they're angels, 00:20:52.759 --> 00:20:54.000 that's not what makes us, 00:20:54.559 --> 00:20:55.460 it's a mystery, 00:20:55.600 --> 00:20:57.700 what exactly this icon is, 00:20:58.259 --> 00:20:59.220 God has made us, 00:20:59.220 --> 00:21:00.860 to be bodies with souls, 00:21:01.019 --> 00:21:02.240 or in soul bodies, 00:21:02.420 --> 00:21:04.039 or in fleshed souls, 00:21:04.259 --> 00:21:04.299 or, 00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:06.140 but whatever it is, 00:21:06.140 --> 00:21:07.080 about that part of us, 00:21:07.120 --> 00:21:07.620 as a creature, 00:21:07.619 --> 00:21:09.299 there's this unique thing, 00:21:09.399 --> 00:21:10.000 and obviously, 00:21:10.139 --> 00:21:11.199 it includes something about, 00:21:11.679 --> 00:21:12.959 it involves an ability, 00:21:13.159 --> 00:21:14.639 for communion of the icon, 00:21:15.039 --> 00:21:16.500 that made in the icon of God, 00:21:16.579 --> 00:21:17.959 to the actual icon, 00:21:18.479 --> 00:21:19.619 that whose image, 00:21:19.819 --> 00:21:21.479 that we're made in, 00:21:21.959 --> 00:21:23.199 and so there's, 00:21:23.319 --> 00:21:23.539 you see, 00:21:23.579 --> 00:21:24.279 that's why in a sense, 00:21:24.379 --> 00:21:25.139 Christians understand, 00:21:25.279 --> 00:21:26.259 that the meaning of our life, 00:21:26.359 --> 00:21:27.699 is outside of ourselves, 00:21:27.699 --> 00:21:28.659 because we're made, 00:21:29.000 --> 00:21:30.239 in the icon of God, 00:21:30.539 --> 00:21:31.659 we image, 00:21:31.899 --> 00:21:33.219 something else, 00:21:33.539 --> 00:21:34.539 and so we can never, 00:21:34.539 --> 00:21:35.619 fully understand, 00:21:35.719 --> 00:21:36.619 the meaning of our life, 00:21:36.619 --> 00:21:38.259 within space and time, 00:21:38.679 --> 00:21:40.179 within secularity, 00:21:40.479 --> 00:21:41.739 within this world, 00:21:42.099 --> 00:21:43.059 we were made, 00:21:43.339 --> 00:21:44.599 by someone outside, 00:21:44.599 --> 00:21:45.500 of this world, 00:21:45.619 --> 00:21:46.979 and we never fully understand, 00:21:47.119 --> 00:21:47.599 who we are, 00:21:47.699 --> 00:21:48.599 what a human being is, 00:21:48.639 --> 00:21:49.679 without taking reference, 00:21:49.779 --> 00:21:49.979 of that, 00:21:50.219 --> 00:21:51.059 that's why, 00:21:51.439 --> 00:21:52.939 the humanity, 00:21:53.239 --> 00:21:54.459 the dignity of human beings, 00:21:54.579 --> 00:21:54.979 all of these, 00:21:55.019 --> 00:21:56.539 these are theological concepts, 00:21:56.879 --> 00:21:58.839 they're not biological concepts, 00:21:59.219 --> 00:22:01.179 they're not sociological concepts, 00:22:01.319 --> 00:22:03.000 it's a theological concept, 00:22:05.259 --> 00:22:06.539 and that's why, 00:22:06.619 --> 00:22:08.159 every human being, 00:22:08.159 --> 00:22:09.079 we're made, 00:22:09.199 --> 00:22:10.319 in the image of God, 00:22:11.199 --> 00:22:12.159 and therefore, 00:22:12.299 --> 00:22:13.319 there is a profound, 00:22:13.319 --> 00:22:14.519 dignity and worth, 00:22:15.179 --> 00:22:16.359 whether it is, 00:22:17.219 --> 00:22:19.279 a fetus, 00:22:19.279 --> 00:22:20.159 within the womb, 00:22:21.279 --> 00:22:23.099 a terribly deformed, 00:22:23.239 --> 00:22:25.079 or handicapped child, 00:22:26.119 --> 00:22:27.319 a senile, 00:22:27.899 --> 00:22:28.479 adult, 00:22:28.759 --> 00:22:29.979 close to death, 00:22:31.539 --> 00:22:33.019 person who wins, 00:22:33.139 --> 00:22:34.039 athlete of the year, 00:22:34.519 --> 00:22:35.059 Bill Gates, 00:22:35.059 --> 00:22:35.899 the richest guy, 00:22:35.899 --> 00:22:36.559 on the planet, 00:22:37.819 --> 00:22:38.839 President of the United States, 00:22:39.240 --> 00:22:40.859 still the most powerful person, 00:22:40.919 --> 00:22:41.519 on the planet, 00:22:42.179 --> 00:22:42.960 all of them, 00:22:43.619 --> 00:22:44.359 are equal, 00:22:44.679 --> 00:22:45.460 in that they bear, 00:22:45.639 --> 00:22:46.440 they are made, 00:22:46.539 --> 00:22:47.740 in the image of God, 00:22:48.399 --> 00:22:49.440 and that is why, 00:22:49.859 --> 00:22:50.779 the scriptures say, 00:22:50.940 --> 00:22:52.059 you do not take, 00:22:52.139 --> 00:22:53.059 innocent life, 00:22:53.179 --> 00:22:54.519 you do not kill, 00:22:54.799 --> 00:22:55.579 innocent life, 00:22:56.019 --> 00:22:56.799 that's why, 00:22:57.139 --> 00:22:58.319 it's never appropriate, 00:22:58.539 --> 00:22:59.059 for a Christian, 00:22:59.200 --> 00:23:00.339 see that's in a sense, 00:23:00.339 --> 00:23:01.379 part of the whole basis, 00:23:01.379 --> 00:23:02.759 of a Christian understanding, 00:23:02.759 --> 00:23:03.619 of compassion, 00:23:04.059 --> 00:23:04.779 and of justice, 00:23:05.119 --> 00:23:06.179 that you cannot say, 00:23:06.539 --> 00:23:07.199 well we can just, 00:23:07.459 --> 00:23:07.699 you know, 00:23:07.819 --> 00:23:09.079 so what if these people, 00:23:09.599 --> 00:23:10.399 these babies, 00:23:10.500 --> 00:23:10.899 are abandoned, 00:23:11.019 --> 00:23:11.899 in the streets of Seoul, 00:23:12.059 --> 00:23:12.699 South Korea, 00:23:13.059 --> 00:23:13.459 they're just, 00:23:13.599 --> 00:23:15.019 probably just the sons, 00:23:15.139 --> 00:23:15.579 and daughters, 00:23:15.679 --> 00:23:16.220 they probably have, 00:23:16.220 --> 00:23:16.959 down syndrome, 00:23:17.059 --> 00:23:17.579 and they're probably, 00:23:17.579 --> 00:23:18.319 just the sons, 00:23:18.399 --> 00:23:18.839 and daughters, 00:23:18.839 --> 00:23:19.879 of prostitutes, 00:23:20.179 --> 00:23:21.199 or drug users, 00:23:21.679 --> 00:23:22.119 you know, 00:23:22.179 --> 00:23:23.359 so what if there's babies, 00:23:23.439 --> 00:23:24.339 abandoned in the streets, 00:23:24.339 --> 00:23:24.740 of India, 00:23:24.740 --> 00:23:25.639 they're probably just, 00:23:25.799 --> 00:23:26.699 from the untouchables, 00:23:26.779 --> 00:23:27.559 they don't matter, 00:23:27.559 --> 00:23:28.879 they're just orphans, 00:23:29.179 --> 00:23:30.740 they always matter, 00:23:31.819 --> 00:23:33.779 they always matter, 00:23:35.240 --> 00:23:36.019 they bear, 00:23:37.019 --> 00:23:37.859 the image, 00:23:38.240 --> 00:23:38.940 the icon, 00:23:39.819 --> 00:23:41.599 of the eternal God, 00:23:41.759 --> 00:23:42.619 they are made, 00:23:42.819 --> 00:23:43.579 in the icon, 00:23:44.480 --> 00:23:45.599 of the eternal, 00:23:46.059 --> 00:23:46.559 living, 00:23:47.139 --> 00:23:48.519 unchanging God, 00:23:49.019 --> 00:23:51.240 every human being, 00:23:52.399 --> 00:23:53.519 is made, 00:23:53.720 --> 00:23:54.559 in the icon, 00:23:55.559 --> 00:23:56.879 of the eternal, 00:23:56.880 --> 00:23:57.640 living God, 00:23:58.440 --> 00:24:00.040 but Jesus, 00:24:00.560 --> 00:24:01.940 is the icon, 00:24:02.340 --> 00:24:04.400 let's say the text again, 00:24:04.660 --> 00:24:04.920 Andrew, 00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:05.780 could we say it together, 00:24:06.520 --> 00:24:07.540 whose icon, 00:24:07.740 --> 00:24:08.380 and inscription, 00:24:08.740 --> 00:24:09.320 is on it, 00:24:09.740 --> 00:24:10.280 they said, 00:24:10.420 --> 00:24:11.040 Caesar's, 00:24:11.540 --> 00:24:12.640 Jesus said to them, 00:24:13.100 --> 00:24:13.700 then render, 00:24:13.900 --> 00:24:14.460 to Caesar, 00:24:14.620 --> 00:24:16.200 the things that are Caesar's, 00:24:16.400 --> 00:24:17.160 and to God, 00:24:17.280 --> 00:24:18.760 the things that are God's, 00:24:19.300 --> 00:24:20.540 so, 00:24:20.820 --> 00:24:22.560 some of you might say then, 00:24:22.780 --> 00:24:22.980 you know, 00:24:22.980 --> 00:24:24.000 in this type of thing here, 00:24:24.080 --> 00:24:24.920 is Jesus saying, 00:24:25.100 --> 00:24:25.760 that you have to give, 00:24:25.840 --> 00:24:26.840 everything to God, 00:24:26.880 --> 00:24:27.920 is Jesus making, 00:24:27.920 --> 00:24:29.240 a type of totalitarian, 00:24:29.440 --> 00:24:30.420 claim in our lives, 00:24:31.020 --> 00:24:32.000 is Jesus like, 00:24:32.420 --> 00:24:32.600 you know, 00:24:32.660 --> 00:24:33.440 there's two types, 00:24:33.660 --> 00:24:35.380 of totalitarianism, 00:24:35.380 --> 00:24:36.080 which we've seen, 00:24:36.140 --> 00:24:36.680 on the planet, 00:24:36.680 --> 00:24:38.040 over the last hundred years, 00:24:38.540 --> 00:24:39.020 and it's very, 00:24:39.140 --> 00:24:39.760 very interesting, 00:24:40.240 --> 00:24:40.760 one group, 00:24:40.820 --> 00:24:41.920 don't want to confess up, 00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:42.340 about it, 00:24:42.400 --> 00:24:43.100 but one group, 00:24:43.240 --> 00:24:43.660 was made up, 00:24:43.740 --> 00:24:44.460 of atheists, 00:24:44.660 --> 00:24:45.420 and agnostics, 00:24:45.520 --> 00:24:46.260 it's the whole, 00:24:46.340 --> 00:24:47.260 communist empire, 00:24:47.360 --> 00:24:48.320 they had totalitarian, 00:24:48.760 --> 00:24:49.360 their image, 00:24:49.440 --> 00:24:49.940 is in a sense, 00:24:49.980 --> 00:24:50.700 of a state, 00:24:51.060 --> 00:24:52.420 all powerful state, 00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:54.300 with all social institutions, 00:24:54.299 --> 00:24:54.940 completely, 00:24:55.079 --> 00:24:55.379 and utterly, 00:24:55.379 --> 00:24:56.240 under their thumb, 00:24:56.319 --> 00:24:57.180 because at their heart, 00:24:57.259 --> 00:24:57.819 they just want, 00:24:57.919 --> 00:24:58.419 the state, 00:24:58.579 --> 00:24:59.319 and the individual, 00:24:59.619 --> 00:24:59.960 naked, 00:25:00.159 --> 00:25:00.919 under their thumb, 00:25:00.980 --> 00:25:02.019 under complete control, 00:25:02.159 --> 00:25:02.919 serving the state, 00:25:03.879 --> 00:25:04.619 the other form, 00:25:04.700 --> 00:25:05.500 is a theocratic, 00:25:05.500 --> 00:25:06.119 type of, 00:25:06.159 --> 00:25:08.059 of totalitarianism, 00:25:08.059 --> 00:25:08.639 and we see it, 00:25:08.720 --> 00:25:09.159 with ISIS, 00:25:10.159 --> 00:25:10.619 we see it, 00:25:10.759 --> 00:25:12.059 with Islamofascism, 00:25:12.379 --> 00:25:12.940 it's a type, 00:25:13.019 --> 00:25:14.339 of totalitarianism, 00:25:14.680 --> 00:25:15.139 is God, 00:25:15.200 --> 00:25:16.059 a totalitarian, 00:25:16.579 --> 00:25:17.639 is Jesus saying, 00:25:17.919 --> 00:25:18.500 when he says, 00:25:18.899 --> 00:25:19.740 what we're made, 00:25:19.740 --> 00:25:20.640 in the icon, 00:25:20.759 --> 00:25:21.579 of the living God, 00:25:21.660 --> 00:25:23.039 and that we give to God, 00:25:23.079 --> 00:25:23.539 what is God? 00:25:23.640 --> 00:25:24.299 Does that mean we give, 00:25:24.500 --> 00:25:25.359 everything to him? 00:25:25.620 --> 00:25:26.940 Is God a totalitarian? 00:25:27.460 --> 00:25:28.259 Not at all. 00:25:29.339 --> 00:25:30.099 Point three, 00:25:30.180 --> 00:25:30.940 the living God, 00:25:31.019 --> 00:25:32.359 is not a totalitarian, 00:25:32.980 --> 00:25:34.500 He has a proper claim, 00:25:34.500 --> 00:25:36.240 on my total life, 00:25:36.700 --> 00:25:37.819 but it is not, 00:25:37.819 --> 00:25:39.940 a totalitarian claim. 00:25:40.720 --> 00:25:41.740 The living God, 00:25:41.920 --> 00:25:43.500 is not a totalitarian. 00:25:44.019 --> 00:25:45.640 He has a proper claim, 00:25:45.819 --> 00:25:47.160 on my total life, 00:25:47.500 --> 00:25:48.579 but it is not, 00:25:48.660 --> 00:25:49.599 a totalitarian. 00:25:49.740 --> 00:25:55.519 claim. Well, some of you might be saying, George, how on earth can you, I don't understand how that 00:25:55.519 --> 00:26:01.920 makes sense. Like, if we, to render to God the things that are God, and the things that are 00:26:01.920 --> 00:26:09.980 God's, and in a sense, it's, I have the icon of God, and I sense belong, like I'm marked by him, 00:26:10.039 --> 00:26:14.680 doesn't that mean I, how can that not be totalitarian? Well, let's say the scripture 00:26:14.680 --> 00:26:21.560 sends again, Andrew, if you could put it up, whose icon and inscription is on it. They said, 00:26:21.820 --> 00:26:29.019 Caesar's. Jesus said to them, then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things 00:26:29.019 --> 00:26:34.259 that are God's. We're going to have to race through this because of our time thing. I apologize for 00:26:34.259 --> 00:26:41.480 that. Here's the thing. Why is it that Jesus makes, God makes a total claim on our lives, but not a 00:26:41.480 --> 00:26:46.779 totalitarian claim? Well, it's because of this. If you could put up the fourth point, Andrew, 00:26:47.500 --> 00:26:57.200 the living Trinitarian God created and sustains the inherently social creature known as human. 00:26:58.319 --> 00:27:07.500 The living, real, true, actual, existing God who is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 00:27:07.500 --> 00:27:18.579 three persons, one God forever and ever, amen. This God created and sustains the inherently social 00:27:18.579 --> 00:27:33.500 creature known as human. You see, he made us male and female. He made us thinking of marriage. Before 00:27:33.500 --> 00:27:41.339 there was a fall, before there was government, before there was the state, he made us social. He made us so 00:27:41.339 --> 00:27:46.559 that a man would leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two would become one flesh. 00:27:46.900 --> 00:27:52.140 He made us so that there would not just be a husband and wife, but that there would be a husband and wife, 00:27:52.640 --> 00:27:57.140 and by God's grace and God's providence, that there would be children, that there would be a family. 00:27:57.140 --> 00:28:02.720 And by implication, he made that there would be a whole range of social institutions, including 00:28:02.720 --> 00:28:09.880 something of which government is some vague image of what was originally intended before the fall. 00:28:10.320 --> 00:28:17.759 God made us inherently social. And that means, it means that when we come to Jesus, it isn't as if he 00:28:17.759 --> 00:28:24.259 somehow turns us into angels, and we stop being human beings, and we're just like a naked soul before 00:28:24.259 --> 00:28:30.559 God. But when Jesus comes into our lives, it's to start to restore what it means for me to be a man, and for a 00:28:30.559 --> 00:28:36.660 woman to be a woman, and to bring healing into that, so that our manhood and our womanhood more perfectly and 00:28:36.660 --> 00:28:43.379 fully reflects the icon of God, and that we can have healed relationships in marriages between husbands and 00:28:43.379 --> 00:28:51.279 wives, and healed families with children, and healed other social institutions. And so it is that we come to 00:28:51.279 --> 00:28:56.940 receive Jesus as our Savior, and Jesus becomes a Savior and the Lord in our lives, and it means that, it doesn't 00:28:56.940 --> 00:29:01.839 mean that we love God, and we completely and utterly ignore every human being, but that we are to 00:29:01.839 --> 00:29:10.960 rediscover the proper love of a man, of a husband to a wife, and the proper friendship between two men and 00:29:10.960 --> 00:29:18.799 two women, and the proper love of a parent to the child, and the proper relationship to all of the social 00:29:18.799 --> 00:29:25.220 relationships, which was all part of God's good creation, which is why the claim in our life is total, 00:29:25.419 --> 00:29:35.419 but not totalitarian. The fear of a totalitarian takeover of who we are, if we, is actually a fear of demons 00:29:35.419 --> 00:29:43.159 and idols. It is not a proper fear of the true and living God. 00:29:43.160 --> 00:29:51.720 It is not a proper fear. There is a type of fear of the living God, but that's not what the fear is. 00:29:53.340 --> 00:30:00.620 In fact, what many of us fear is demonic possession. Ironically, demons make us think that God will be 00:30:00.620 --> 00:30:05.980 like them, and they make us think that God will be like them so that we will go to demons and not to 00:30:05.980 --> 00:30:13.900 God. Can we say the scripture text together again, Andrew? Could you put it up? Let's say it together. 00:30:14.240 --> 00:30:25.279 Whose icon and inscription is on it? So we can see that, so let's get to the text as well. I have like 00:30:25.279 --> 00:30:30.900 three minutes, two minutes. So I'll just give you my points, and then I'll read the scripture text, 00:30:30.900 --> 00:30:35.720 and I apologize that I can't give you the full explanation for them, but here's the thing that 00:30:35.720 --> 00:30:43.100 we see in this text. We see that Jesus is specifically rejecting that in his kingdom and in his way that 00:30:43.100 --> 00:30:52.700 he'll create a country. He rejects it. What we see here is something that fit together with all of 00:30:52.700 --> 00:30:59.519 Jesus's teaching. What we see is that Jesus understands this. Andrew, the fifth point, Jesus calls to himself 00:30:59.519 --> 00:31:08.980 a people out of every people group to be in his kingdom, which exists amidst the kingdoms of this world. 00:31:10.680 --> 00:31:20.879 Jesus is not becoming another Caesar. I mean, Caesar kills people to stay Caesar. Jesus will die for people 00:31:20.879 --> 00:31:24.619 so they can be reconciled to God and be part of his kingdom. 00:31:24.619 --> 00:31:35.539 Jesus calls people to himself. He calls people to himself out of every people group on the planet, 00:31:35.779 --> 00:31:41.639 and he calls them to be in his kingdom, which will exist amidst the kingdoms of this world. 00:31:43.319 --> 00:31:49.419 And this is all why, you see, in a sense, we are to pray for the good of our city. We can serve the 00:31:49.420 --> 00:31:54.720 government. We serve the government because we understand that the human beings were made social, 00:31:54.900 --> 00:31:59.279 that there are supposed to be families and marriages and other types of human institutions, 00:31:59.580 --> 00:32:04.860 and that there's proper type of respect and honor, which is done. Our translation uses the word render, 00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:09.660 which implies that there's some type of debt that we owe to these external things. There's a debt that 00:32:09.660 --> 00:32:14.720 I owe to my wife. There's a debt or responsibility I owe to my children. There's a debt or responsibility that 00:32:14.720 --> 00:32:18.920 owe to human institutions. I can be critical of them. I can say to the government, you should not 00:32:18.920 --> 00:32:24.079 pass legislation that allows doctors to murder people, whether they're old people or people in 00:32:24.079 --> 00:32:29.319 the womb. They are made in the image of God. That's wrong. Yes, I will pray and I will work. I will 00:32:29.319 --> 00:32:34.779 start businesses. I will write songs. I will be a good neighbor. I will strive for the good of this 00:32:34.779 --> 00:32:42.700 city and the good of this nation. But Caesar, that is wrong. You've overstepped your bounds 00:32:42.700 --> 00:32:50.240 and what you were for. The final slide. Let's say the scripture text one more time, and then we'll say, 00:32:50.740 --> 00:32:56.600 I'll give you the final point. Say it together with me. Whose icon and inscription is on it? 00:32:56.980 --> 00:33:03.740 They said Caesar's. Jesus said to them, then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, 00:33:03.960 --> 00:33:09.279 and to God the things that are God's. So nothing else today you've memorized a scripture text. 00:33:09.279 --> 00:33:14.660 If that's all you've got out of this, that's a really good thing, because God's word is far more, 00:33:14.799 --> 00:33:20.839 it's infinitely better than any word that I can come up. Here's the final thing. Andrew, 00:33:20.879 --> 00:33:28.079 if you could put it up. Only the icon of God can redeem everyone made in the icon of God. 00:33:28.799 --> 00:33:35.759 That is why Jesus's death upon the cross is not a solitary act, but is a once for all act. 00:33:35.759 --> 00:34:00.819 That helps you to understand why the cross applies potentially to everyone who receives it. 00:34:00.819 --> 00:34:09.259 I am made in the image of God, the icon of God. The very icon died for me. Therefore, 00:34:09.460 --> 00:34:17.119 it is an act that affects every icon. Everything made in the icon of God is affected by what 00:34:17.119 --> 00:34:23.460 has happened. The actual icon itself has died to reconcile me to God. 00:34:23.460 --> 00:34:30.059 Just close with the text that's been sort of lurking in the back. Some of you might have guessed that I'm 00:34:30.059 --> 00:34:38.199 referring in a lot of this to Colossians chapter 1. Colossians chapter 1, 15 to 23, and then we'll just 00:34:38.199 --> 00:34:38.960 close in prayer. 00:34:38.960 --> 00:34:48.519 Jesus is the icon of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him, all things were created in 00:34:48.519 --> 00:34:53.679 heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. 00:34:54.099 --> 00:35:01.679 All things were created through him and for him, and he is before all things, and in him all things 00:35:01.679 --> 00:35:08.720 hold together, and he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, 00:35:08.719 --> 00:35:15.699 that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. 00:35:15.799 --> 00:35:24.639 He's not just the icon of God. He is the fullness of God. And through him to reconcile to himself all 00:35:24.639 --> 00:35:31.279 things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were 00:35:31.279 --> 00:35:38.099 alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh, 00:35:38.099 --> 00:35:44.179 by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him. 00:35:44.179 --> 00:35:50.299 If indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the 00:35:50.299 --> 00:35:56.219 gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, 00:35:56.519 --> 00:36:05.019 became a minister. Let's stand. Let's bow our heads in prayer. Father, we give you thanks and praise 00:36:05.019 --> 00:36:14.239 that you have made us creatures who are in your icon, that in your, made in your image. Father, 00:36:14.300 --> 00:36:21.159 we thank you that you have made us for yourself, that you have made us in your image. We thank you, 00:36:21.300 --> 00:36:28.199 Father, that the icon himself came and walked amongst us and died upon the cross to redeem us, 00:36:28.199 --> 00:36:36.879 to reconcile us to you, for us who are hostile and alienated from you, that we have peace with you 00:36:36.879 --> 00:36:42.519 through what Jesus did for us on the cross. Father, we ask that you make us disciples of Jesus, 00:36:42.519 --> 00:36:48.419 gripped by the gospel, who live for your glory. Father, make us disciples of Jesus, gripped by the 00:36:48.419 --> 00:36:56.460 gospel, who live amongst other human beings made in your image. And Father, may we so love them and 00:36:58.199 --> 00:37:05.159 that you might be glorified by how we live as followers of Jesus. Father, may you be glorified 00:37:05.159 --> 00:37:09.599 in how we live. And this we ask in Jesus's name. Amen.