WEBVTT

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 Father, we especially ask today, given what your word has said,

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 we especially ask today that you would be kind to us and merciful to us

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 and pour out your Holy Spirit upon us so that we might hear what your Son teaches,

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 that we might hear what he teaches, and that we might keep what he teaches.

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 Father, may your Holy Spirit bring the words of Scripture deeply into our lives

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 so that we will be disciples gripped by the Gospel living for your glory.

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 And this we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

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 Please be seated.

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 Every fourth week I speak on CFRA radio at 6.30 in the morning.

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 I do the taping on a Tuesday morning a couple of weeks in advance.

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 I think I'm on next week.

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 I can't remember when I'm on.

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 I sort of always lose track of when I'm on.

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 Anyway, I'm part of a team of four different people who all take turns speaking.

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 And a fellow who's part of the committee that runs and the team that runs the whole thing, a layperson,

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 he very helpfully provided for the four speakers just recently a list of things,

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 like a survey of things that 20-somethings are interested in when it comes to the Bible

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 and it comes to religion and the Christian faith and just life in general.

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 And it very helpfully provided the four speakers with a list.

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 And I just want to let you know that what we're talking about today is not on the list.

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 It didn't show up on the list at all.

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 Because I guess 20-somethings aren't really interested in talking about hardcore demonic possession,

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 which is what we're going to talk about.

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 So if you have your Bibles, please open them to Luke chapter 11, verses 14 and following.

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 And if you don't have a Bible with you, there's always some Bibles here at the front of the church,

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 which you're welcome to use.

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 And if you want, you can keep it afterwards.

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 Take it home as a gift from us.

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 And it's Luke chapter 11, verse 14.

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 And here's how it goes.

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 Now, Jesus was casting out a demon that was mute.

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 When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke and the people marveled.

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 Now, just sort of pause.

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 We're going to spend a couple of minutes on this verse.

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 But this verse, this is just like a bit of a throwaway thing.

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 Notice how it begins.

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 It says, now.

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 Some of you know that I often have conversations in Starbucks or other coffee places

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 because I usually work on my sermons in Starbucks or places like that.

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 And so when you have an open Bible, eventually you start to have conversations with people.

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 And a very regular conversation that I have with people is that the Bible is completely and utterly untrustworthy

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 because it's filled with contradictions.

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 That it'll show things out of order.

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 That if you read Matthew, it'll show things following in one order.

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 And then you read the book of Luke and it shows things happening in a different order.

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 And so you can't trust it.

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 And so this is just a little bit of a throwaway for you.

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 Part of the reason that we think that is because most people are like me and don't know Greek,

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 which is the language that the New Testament was written in.

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 Because I don't know Greek, part of what I do for my preparation for sermon is read things called commentaries

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 where people know the Greek so I can find out if there's things going on in the original language

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 which don't get brought out in English.

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 And in the original language, there's...

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 So look here at verse 14.

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 It begins with now, right?

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 Now he was casting out a demon.

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 And in English, usually when we read now, we think,

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 okay, first the things in verses 1 to 13 happened.

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 And now these things happened.

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 But the actual word underneath that is really saying something like,

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 now I want to talk about this.

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 In other words, it's not making any claim that it's in any particular type of order.

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 The person writing the gospel basically wants to try to help us to understand who Jesus is.

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 And so, you know, just like if you were telling somebody a story about a friend or something like that,

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 you're trying to tell somebody about a friend,

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 and you might tell them about this really funny incident of what happened to them.

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 And then that funny incident makes you aware of other types of things that are like it.

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 And so you tell the person other things like that

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 because it sort of gives you a bit of a picture of the person.

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 And then maybe you go back to your story about something that happened after the first event.

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 And we all understand how that works.

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 And that's basically how especially Matthew and Luke are written.

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 So it means that you can't sort of look at Matthew and look at Luke and say,

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 oh, you know, he has this happening after this and this happening after this,

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 and it doesn't follow.

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 Well, no, no, in the original language, it's as if Jesus has just taught us about prayer,

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 and he's just taught us about the Holy Spirit.

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 And then Luke says, you know what, now I'd like to talk about this.

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 And that's what happened.

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 So look at verse 14 again.

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 We'll actually get more of my point.

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 Now, Jesus was casting out a demon that was mute.

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 When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled.

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 Now, I'm going to try to describe the event fairly clearly.

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 And I'm aware of the fact that this text is actually highly problematic for social workers,

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 psychologists, and doctors, and probably others.

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 It's counselors and therapists.

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 It's a very, very difficult text.

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 In fact, of all the verses that I read, basically, we have this very, very tiny, short description of an exorcism,

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 and then sort of a long comment about it.

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 And the text is very clear.

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 Probably what happened is something like this.

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 People believe that Jesus had the power to heal, and so they bring somebody to Jesus who has been mute.

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 They're not able to speak, and they haven't been able to speak for quite a while.

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 And I guess they're expecting Jesus to heal the man.

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 But Jesus surprises them.

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 He doesn't heal him.

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 He looks at him, and he must have said something like,

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 Demon, be gone.

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 And because the crowd all recognizes that it's an exorcism.

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 And when Jesus says, Demon, be gone, the demon leaves.

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 And maybe people looking at the man who had not thought that he was demon-possessed,

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 maybe they saw a change in his eyes, or a relaxant of his shoulders,

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 or some type of physical bodily type of thing.

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 But the most astounding thing that they saw was that all of a sudden the man was able to speak.

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 And that's what the Bible is describing as having happened to Jesus.

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 It's all very, very terse.

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 Verse 14, now he was casting out a demon that was mute,

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 and when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled.

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 It's a public miracle he does in front of many people,

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 and most of the people are completely and utterly astounded by what has happened.

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 And, well, here's the point.

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 So here's the thing.

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 Here's the very, very, very difficult thing about this text.

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 If you're a doctor and you're treating somebody who can't speak,

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 do you suspect that there's a demon there?

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 If you're a therapist dealing with somebody,

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 or a social worker dealing with somebody,

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 in Canada in the year 2014,

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 what would happen if you went to your supervisor and said,

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 I don't really think that this is a social problem,

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 I think that they're possessed by a demon?

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 And I'm guessing that would be a very awkward conversation

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 for a social worker with their boss,

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 or a therapist with her boss or supervisor.

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 And yet, I'm going to talk a bit more about this

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 throughout the rest of the sermon,

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 but, I mean, this is the very, very first thing to notice about the text,

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 that if this text is true,

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 it's saying that some of our physical problems and symptoms

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 can be a sign of demonic possession.

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 So here's the first point.

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 I'm going to talk a little bit more,

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 but, Andrew, if you could put the first point up.

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 I need to pray for myself and for others

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 that we will remember God's Word written

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 and learn how it applies to our jobs and our lives.

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 The grammar's not really perfect.

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 I apologize for that.

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 I'll try to polish it up later on.

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 But you get the basic point.

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 I need to pray.

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 We need to pray.

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 Christians need to pray.

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 Congregations need to become a prayerful congregation.

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 And one of the things that we need to pray about

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 is that each of us will hear God's Word

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 and remember God's Word,

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 and that God's Word will have an impact,

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 an effect on how we understand our jobs

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 and how we understand ourselves.

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 I'm sure that some of you, maybe many of you,

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 maybe all of you, pray on a regular basis for me,

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 and I'm very thankful for that.

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 Please keep praying for me.

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 I need lots of prayer.

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 But everybody here,

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 everybody who's a follower of Jesus needs prayer.

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 Like, what does a doctor do who's a believing Christian,

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 who believes that texts like this are possible

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 when he examines people?

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 Should he or she be spending some time

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 praying for spiritual discernment?

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 How does he wisely handle something like this

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 in the medical establishment?

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 Should she, as the doctor,

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 when she sees something like this,

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 should she be coming to her church

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 and saying, you know, I'm facing this situation,

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 it might just be medical,

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 but I have a feeling there's something else.

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 Would you pray for this person?

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 Like, how does that work?

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 You can see it's difficult,

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 but it's not just difficult for doctors

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 and social workers and stuff like that.

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 What's it like for a person in financial services

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 or in sales,

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 where the boss is completely and utterly consumed with greed,

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 and you're in financial services or sales

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 and you're dealing with people who are consumed with greed.

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 And how do you sort of manage that?

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 Like, how do you manage if you maybe have a boss

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 that wants you to always upsell,

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 even when it's not really good for the client,

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 and on the other hand,

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 maybe, you know, if you're doing stocks and bonds

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 and you realize that what's driving this person

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 is a really, they worship money,

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 and how do you deal with that?

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 You know, like, that requires prayer and wisdom.

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 And you could multiply examples.

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 You know, maybe it's not specifically,

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 maybe if you're in some type of engineering,

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 there's not a specific technical engineering thing,

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 but there's always people issues.

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 There's always control issues.

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 There's always issues of right and wrong and conscience

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 and limits and all that you shouldn't go beyond

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 and dishonesty.

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 And I'm not saying that the whole world is bleak,

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 but it's not as if you can live years and years and years,

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 and you never have to face this in your job or in your life.

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 And so this text,

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 by making some very, very shocking claim to Canadians

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 about physical illness,

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 might have a spiritual component.

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 It's really challenging all of us to do two things.

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 The first is to actually remember God's Word

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 and know it,

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 because if you don't know it,

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 you'd never even know to look or to think about it

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 or just to ponder it.

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 And we desperately need to go into the type of congregation

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 where we pray for each other.

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 I mean, one of the very powerful things

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 about going to a men's group or the woman's group

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 or one of the small groups

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 is that there's an opportunity to build relationships

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 where some of the stresses in your life

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 and in your jobs can be shared,

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 and that you can have people who pray for you specifically.

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 It might be hard for us as a congregation to do it,

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 but as you get to know other men or other women

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 or youth in the youth group

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 or in small groups,

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 it becomes a way by which you can pray for each other

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 with knowledge and with persistence and check up on it.

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 Now, some of you might be saying,

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 okay, George, this is very, very interesting,

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 and yeah, yeah, yeah, we're going to do this,

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 but you're spending all this time in the sermon,

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 and then what are you going to do?

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 You're going to come up to yourself,

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 oh, and my time's up.

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 I guess I can't talk about demons.

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 Sorry.

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 And you sort of just bypass the whole thing.

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 No, we're not going to do that.

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 Let's look at verse 14 again.

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 Now Jesus was casting out a demon that was mute.

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 When the demon had gone out,

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 the mute man spoke, and the people marveled.

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 Here's the second thing,

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 not just about this,

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 but about the commentary that's going to happen,

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 because the exorcism is very brief,

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 but the commentary is long.

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 Here's the second thing,

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 if you could put it up, Andrew.

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 The Bible teaches that demons really exist,

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 and they will cause real harm,

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 and they should never be trifled with.

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 The Bible teaches,

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 Jesus teaches,

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 demons really exist,

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 and they will cause real harm,

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 and they should never be trifled with.

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 Now this isn't going to be a sermon

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 on demonic harassment,

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 and oppression,

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 and a whole range of different things.

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 Many of us might live our entire lives

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 without ever having to be face-to-face,

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 or deal with somebody

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 who's fully demonically possessed.

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 That might happen here in Canada.

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 Most of us experience demonic,

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 it's through most of us in our experience

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 with being influenced by demons,

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 it has more to do with a sense of slander against us,

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 an attack against us,

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 a self-worth,

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 a lack of confidence,

00:14:20.019 --> 00:14:21.939
 the type of things that cause division,

00:14:21.940 --> 00:14:23.360
 and that's our more common things,

00:14:23.580 --> 00:14:24.860
 and that would be another sermon.

00:14:24.980 --> 00:14:26.600
 That's not what the text is talking about.

00:14:27.220 --> 00:14:29.420
 But even in those, in a sense, lesser cases,

00:14:29.680 --> 00:14:31.960
 it's still clear that demons exist,

00:14:32.920 --> 00:14:34.740
 that they cause real harm,

00:14:34.860 --> 00:14:36.300
 and they're not to be trifled with.

00:14:38.520 --> 00:14:39.200
 This week,

00:14:39.400 --> 00:14:40.700
 I don't know if it was in The Citizen,

00:14:40.920 --> 00:14:42.040
 it was in other papers,

00:14:42.660 --> 00:14:46.140
 there was a big statue of Satan,

00:14:46.580 --> 00:14:48.760
 big red statue of Satan that appeared.

00:14:48.759 --> 00:14:52.539
 I was going to say Granville Road,

00:14:52.600 --> 00:14:55.419
 but it's the highway in Vancouver.

00:14:56.319 --> 00:14:56.919
 It doesn't matter,

00:14:57.019 --> 00:14:57.980
 Grandview, I think it is,

00:14:58.039 --> 00:15:00.120
 the Grandview Highway in Vancouver,

00:15:00.439 --> 00:15:01.879
 that you could see it off that.

00:15:01.939 --> 00:15:05.419
 It was a large red statue of Satan.

00:15:05.580 --> 00:15:08.419
 He had the horned salute,

00:15:08.620 --> 00:15:10.019
 and he had a massive erection,

00:15:10.840 --> 00:15:13.259
 and he was big and red,

00:15:13.379 --> 00:15:14.639
 and it appeared out of nowhere,

00:15:14.720 --> 00:15:15.740
 and then it got taken away.

00:15:15.740 --> 00:15:19.180
 And the newspaper article was about the fact

00:15:19.180 --> 00:15:20.860
 that many people liked the statue.

00:15:21.740 --> 00:15:23.100
 Some wanted it to return,

00:15:23.259 --> 00:15:25.159
 some would like to find out where they could buy it,

00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:27.060
 and have it in their house.

00:15:27.700 --> 00:15:29.200
 Or their garden,

00:15:29.480 --> 00:15:30.700
 or their front yard,

00:15:30.879 --> 00:15:32.299
 or in their dining room,

00:15:32.360 --> 00:15:32.720
 I don't know.

00:15:34.019 --> 00:15:35.440
 But here's the thing,

00:15:36.240 --> 00:15:38.620
 it was just like a curious newspaper thing,

00:15:39.180 --> 00:15:41.060
 and in pluralistic Canada,

00:15:41.399 --> 00:15:43.180
 some people like Satan, that's fine,

00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:44.919
 some people like Gaia, that's fine,

00:15:44.919 --> 00:15:45.939
 some people like Krishna,

00:15:46.379 --> 00:15:47.319
 some people like Buddha,

00:15:47.519 --> 00:15:48.439
 some people like Muhammad,

00:15:48.579 --> 00:15:49.479
 some people like Jesus,

00:15:49.659 --> 00:15:51.139
 some people like Jack Daniels,

00:15:51.399 --> 00:15:53.319
 and watching NFL football on a Sunday,

00:15:53.699 --> 00:15:55.360
 and they're just sort of all the same,

00:15:55.479 --> 00:15:57.339
 and whatever sort of turns your crank,

00:15:57.459 --> 00:15:58.199
 that's just fine.

00:15:58.979 --> 00:16:02.500
 And so in pluralistic Canada,

00:16:02.860 --> 00:16:04.479
 that's just the way it is.

00:16:05.240 --> 00:16:07.019
 But you see, the Bible here says,

00:16:07.519 --> 00:16:10.259
 the Bible is teaching that if demons really exist,

00:16:10.500 --> 00:16:12.019
 and the Bible says that they really exist,

00:16:12.019 --> 00:16:14.399
 and if they cause real harm,

00:16:15.059 --> 00:16:17.699
 then they should never be trifled with.

00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:21.059
 They should never be trifled with.

00:16:21.840 --> 00:16:22.659
 And as we read the,

00:16:22.759 --> 00:16:24.960
 I'm not going to just keep reading verse 14

00:16:24.960 --> 00:16:26.279
 over and over and over again,

00:16:26.340 --> 00:16:27.340
 not that that would be bad,

00:16:27.399 --> 00:16:28.419
 I'm not going to just keep reading it.

00:16:28.460 --> 00:16:29.059
 We'll read more,

00:16:29.240 --> 00:16:30.199
 and you get more of a picture

00:16:30.199 --> 00:16:32.639
 of the type of harm that demons cause.

00:16:33.399 --> 00:16:37.340
 But that's a fundamental takeaway for us,

00:16:37.340 --> 00:16:38.960
 that it's not to be trifled with.

00:16:40.780 --> 00:16:41.940
 Some of you might say,

00:16:42.019 --> 00:16:46.720
 George, are you just trying to kill curiosity,

00:16:47.120 --> 00:16:48.480
 and create fear,

00:16:48.759 --> 00:16:52.100
 and stop inquiry?

00:16:52.980 --> 00:16:54.379
 Well, no, not at all.

00:16:55.820 --> 00:16:58.680
 I'm well past having really tiny young children.

00:16:58.899 --> 00:17:00.259
 I have some grandchildren.

00:17:00.259 --> 00:17:01.919
 I'm not going to bore you all

00:17:01.919 --> 00:17:03.600
 with cute grandchildren stories.

00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:07.099
 But, you know, for those of you who are parents,

00:17:07.240 --> 00:17:08.779
 or those of you who observe parents,

00:17:08.859 --> 00:17:10.819
 it's a very, very tricky thing with kids.

00:17:11.379 --> 00:17:12.259
 On one hand,

00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:17.859
 a wise parent wants to encourage curiosity in their kids.

00:17:19.519 --> 00:17:19.740
 Right?

00:17:19.859 --> 00:17:21.279
 If you go and you visit somebody,

00:17:21.359 --> 00:17:23.619
 and every time the kid's trying to ask a question,

00:17:24.160 --> 00:17:25.700
 or try to touch something,

00:17:25.779 --> 00:17:27.339
 the parents are slapping them,

00:17:27.440 --> 00:17:29.539
 or verbally slapping them down,

00:17:29.539 --> 00:17:30.220
 and you think to yourself,

00:17:30.619 --> 00:17:31.399
 that's terrible.

00:17:31.639 --> 00:17:31.899
 You can't,

00:17:32.039 --> 00:17:34.139
 you know, that parent's way, way too controlling.

00:17:34.299 --> 00:17:35.559
 Like, curiosity's good in kids,

00:17:35.639 --> 00:17:36.680
 and inquiry's good in kids.

00:17:37.259 --> 00:17:38.279
 And so on one hand,

00:17:38.359 --> 00:17:40.259
 you want to encourage that with kids.

00:17:40.519 --> 00:17:41.220
 On the other hand,

00:17:41.259 --> 00:17:41.960
 there's certain things

00:17:41.960 --> 00:17:43.720
 that are just fundamentally dangerous,

00:17:44.159 --> 00:17:46.019
 and you don't want them to do it.

00:17:46.619 --> 00:17:47.440
 So, for instance,

00:17:47.659 --> 00:17:48.960
 one of my grandkids,

00:17:49.440 --> 00:17:51.740
 he's figured out,

00:17:51.859 --> 00:17:53.379
 he's very, you know, like this,

00:17:53.899 --> 00:17:55.680
 and he's figured out how to open doors.

00:17:56.539 --> 00:17:58.259
 And you don't want him opening the door

00:17:58.259 --> 00:18:00.180
 and going out on the street by himself.

00:18:01.359 --> 00:18:01.619
 Right?

00:18:02.299 --> 00:18:03.059
 So, I mean,

00:18:03.079 --> 00:18:04.440
 that's sort of an obvious type of thing.

00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:05.519
 And the Bible's trying to say

00:18:05.519 --> 00:18:06.940
 that it's the same type of thing here.

00:18:07.019 --> 00:18:08.680
 If you read the Bible from cover to cover,

00:18:08.740 --> 00:18:09.759
 if you've listened to the sermons,

00:18:09.819 --> 00:18:10.640
 it's very, very obvious

00:18:10.640 --> 00:18:13.059
 that Jesus loves questions,

00:18:13.259 --> 00:18:15.859
 that God is able to handle honest questions.

00:18:15.980 --> 00:18:17.359
 He wants us to ask questions.

00:18:17.819 --> 00:18:18.160
 In fact,

00:18:18.779 --> 00:18:20.740
 I would suggest that probably when we die

00:18:20.740 --> 00:18:21.680
 and we get to heaven,

00:18:22.079 --> 00:18:23.379
 God will rebuke us

00:18:23.380 --> 00:18:26.380
 for not asking enough questions in our lives,

00:18:26.460 --> 00:18:28.540
 for being far too complacent,

00:18:29.020 --> 00:18:30.000
 and not, in fact,

00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:32.620
 asking more and more and more

00:18:32.620 --> 00:18:34.940
 that too many of us get old.

00:18:35.400 --> 00:18:35.760
 Like, you know,

00:18:35.820 --> 00:18:37.900
 somewhere about the time we turn six,

00:18:38.200 --> 00:18:39.260
 or, you know, or 16,

00:18:39.700 --> 00:18:41.920
 we stop asking childlike questions,

00:18:42.080 --> 00:18:43.040
 and the rest of our life

00:18:43.040 --> 00:18:45.180
 is like a withering, withering, withering,

00:18:45.360 --> 00:18:46.720
 withering consumption

00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:48.160
 with just scheming and getting,

00:18:48.260 --> 00:18:49.720
 and we've stopped wondering.

00:18:49.720 --> 00:18:52.420
 And I wouldn't be surprised if God says,

00:18:52.819 --> 00:18:54.319
 why did you stop wondering

00:18:54.319 --> 00:18:55.579
 and being so curious?

00:18:56.400 --> 00:18:58.180
 Why didn't you not just say,

00:18:58.360 --> 00:18:59.860
 even if I live to be 98,

00:19:00.059 --> 00:19:01.360
 I'm going to be curious.

00:19:01.620 --> 00:19:02.720
 I'm going to have inquiry.

00:19:03.740 --> 00:19:05.460
 One of the things we're going to see in this text

00:19:05.460 --> 00:19:06.920
 is that this text, in fact,

00:19:07.160 --> 00:19:08.360
 talks a little bit about

00:19:08.360 --> 00:19:09.380
 what it means to be human.

00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:11.759
 But at the same time,

00:19:12.039 --> 00:19:13.059
 just like with kids,

00:19:13.180 --> 00:19:15.519
 you want to encourage their curiosity,

00:19:15.779 --> 00:19:16.319
 their inquiry,

00:19:16.480 --> 00:19:17.980
 their site of experiment.

00:19:17.980 --> 00:19:19.059
 There's just,

00:19:19.160 --> 00:19:20.440
 if something's really dangerous,

00:19:20.539 --> 00:19:21.200
 you also want to say,

00:19:21.259 --> 00:19:21.500
 no, no.

00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:22.700
 Okay, Greg,

00:19:22.940 --> 00:19:23.360
 you just,

00:19:23.700 --> 00:19:24.500
 you don't go,

00:19:24.860 --> 00:19:25.819
 you don't open the door

00:19:25.819 --> 00:19:26.819
 and go exploring

00:19:26.819 --> 00:19:29.140
 out by yourself.

00:19:29.220 --> 00:19:29.839
 You're too young.

00:19:29.940 --> 00:19:30.920
 There's too much danger.

00:19:31.400 --> 00:19:32.779
 And the Bible here is saying

00:19:32.779 --> 00:19:34.519
 that demons really exist.

00:19:35.059 --> 00:19:36.660
 They will cause real harm,

00:19:36.660 --> 00:19:40.880
 and they should never be trifled with.

00:19:41.960 --> 00:19:42.059
 So,

00:19:43.079 --> 00:19:45.740
 but here's the other thing.

00:19:45.740 --> 00:19:46.859
 So,

00:19:46.940 --> 00:19:48.120
 Jesus does this miracle,

00:19:48.519 --> 00:19:49.980
 and you can ask yourself,

00:19:50.120 --> 00:19:50.200
 well,

00:19:50.259 --> 00:19:51.980
 how is it that people respond

00:19:51.980 --> 00:19:53.700
 to this exorcism?

00:19:54.180 --> 00:19:55.839
 Do they show inquiry?

00:19:56.500 --> 00:19:57.740
 Are they curious?

00:19:58.259 --> 00:19:58.880
 Do they say,

00:19:59.980 --> 00:20:00.579
 gosh,

00:20:00.799 --> 00:20:01.160
 Jesus,

00:20:02.380 --> 00:20:03.660
 how do you do that?

00:20:05.019 --> 00:20:05.299
 Like,

00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:05.779
 whoa.

00:20:06.940 --> 00:20:07.519
 Well,

00:20:07.559 --> 00:20:08.019
 let's see.

00:20:08.440 --> 00:20:09.380
 Some people go,

00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:10.180
 whoa,

00:20:10.859 --> 00:20:12.620
 and other people have

00:20:12.620 --> 00:20:13.880
 one of two other responses.

00:20:14.079 --> 00:20:15.559
 It's in verses 15 and following.

00:20:16.660 --> 00:20:17.700
 But some of them said,

00:20:17.799 --> 00:20:19.500
 so go back to the very last part

00:20:19.500 --> 00:20:20.180
 of verse 14,

00:20:20.240 --> 00:20:21.319
 and the people marveled.

00:20:21.519 --> 00:20:22.099
 Verse 15,

00:20:22.200 --> 00:20:23.359
 but some of them said,

00:20:24.319 --> 00:20:25.460
 Jesus casts out demons

00:20:25.460 --> 00:20:26.440
 by Beelzebul,

00:20:26.920 --> 00:20:27.940
 the prince of demons,

00:20:28.660 --> 00:20:29.240
 while others,

00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:30.000
 to test him,

00:20:30.120 --> 00:20:31.259
 kept seeking from him

00:20:31.259 --> 00:20:32.240
 a sign from heaven.

00:20:32.759 --> 00:20:33.799
 Just sort of pause there.

00:20:33.799 --> 00:20:35.079
 Keep your finger there.

00:20:35.859 --> 00:20:36.680
 Some of these people

00:20:36.680 --> 00:20:37.620
 have really come right up

00:20:37.620 --> 00:20:38.599
 in Jesus' face

00:20:38.599 --> 00:20:40.920
 to really insult him.

00:20:41.880 --> 00:20:43.079
 Beelzebul was one of the

00:20:43.079 --> 00:20:44.919
 Jewish names

00:20:44.919 --> 00:20:46.299
 for the devil.

00:20:47.220 --> 00:20:48.559
 And the name,

00:20:48.720 --> 00:20:49.679
 this name for the devil

00:20:49.679 --> 00:20:51.939
 was created

00:20:51.939 --> 00:20:52.599
 by taking

00:20:52.599 --> 00:20:54.000
 an ancient pagan god,

00:20:54.159 --> 00:20:54.639
 Baal,

00:20:55.519 --> 00:20:57.259
 an ancient pagan god,

00:20:57.500 --> 00:20:57.960
 Baal,

00:20:58.079 --> 00:20:59.119
 and adding the word

00:20:59.119 --> 00:20:59.919
 for poop

00:20:59.919 --> 00:21:01.659
 only said

00:21:01.659 --> 00:21:02.899
 far more foul,

00:21:03.099 --> 00:21:03.859
 which I can't say

00:21:03.859 --> 00:21:04.659
 from up front

00:21:04.659 --> 00:21:05.659
 at church on a Sunday.

00:21:06.159 --> 00:21:06.899
 And they put

00:21:06.899 --> 00:21:08.199
 this pagan name

00:21:08.199 --> 00:21:08.679
 for God

00:21:08.679 --> 00:21:09.659
 with this word

00:21:09.660 --> 00:21:10.420
 for excrement

00:21:10.420 --> 00:21:12.380
 and they call devil

00:21:12.380 --> 00:21:14.840
 the lord of excrement.

00:21:16.820 --> 00:21:18.080
 And that's why

00:21:18.080 --> 00:21:18.820
 in some versions

00:21:18.820 --> 00:21:19.820
 it's also understood

00:21:19.820 --> 00:21:20.800
 as the lord of the flies

00:21:20.800 --> 00:21:21.880
 because excrement

00:21:21.880 --> 00:21:22.540
 left out

00:21:22.540 --> 00:21:24.500
 attracts flies.

00:21:24.900 --> 00:21:25.680
 So in a sense

00:21:25.680 --> 00:21:26.720
 it was a polite way

00:21:26.720 --> 00:21:27.240
 to say

00:21:27.240 --> 00:21:29.360
 lord of,

00:21:29.840 --> 00:21:30.320
 and fill in

00:21:30.320 --> 00:21:31.580
 how you may be

00:21:31.580 --> 00:21:32.320
 on the street

00:21:32.320 --> 00:21:32.560
 here,

00:21:32.620 --> 00:21:33.759
 excrement referred to.

00:21:34.460 --> 00:21:35.380
 And that's what

00:21:35.380 --> 00:21:35.820
 they say.

00:21:35.960 --> 00:21:36.900
 Jesus is just

00:21:36.900 --> 00:21:37.880
 under the power

00:21:37.880 --> 00:21:39.259
 of the lord of excrement.

00:21:39.259 --> 00:21:41.859
 I see it right

00:21:41.859 --> 00:21:42.559
 in front of everybody

00:21:42.559 --> 00:21:43.359
 to his face.

00:21:44.359 --> 00:21:45.359
 And others just say,

00:21:45.420 --> 00:21:45.680
 you know what,

00:21:45.740 --> 00:21:45.940
 Jesus,

00:21:46.119 --> 00:21:46.440
 yeah, yeah,

00:21:46.500 --> 00:21:47.000
 I've seen you

00:21:47.000 --> 00:21:47.640
 cast out a demon

00:21:47.640 --> 00:21:47.920
 before,

00:21:47.960 --> 00:21:48.839
 I got the t-shirt,

00:21:48.980 --> 00:21:49.579
 got the hat,

00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:50.319
 got the tattoo,

00:21:50.879 --> 00:21:51.279
 come on,

00:21:51.379 --> 00:21:52.339
 show us a real sign

00:21:52.339 --> 00:21:52.779
 from heaven.

00:21:53.299 --> 00:21:54.099
 And that we sort of

00:21:54.099 --> 00:21:54.559
 going to talk about

00:21:54.559 --> 00:21:55.160
 next week

00:21:55.160 --> 00:21:56.039
 because Jesus

00:21:56.039 --> 00:21:57.599
 sort of deals

00:21:57.599 --> 00:21:58.000
 with that

00:21:58.000 --> 00:21:59.099
 like later on

00:21:59.099 --> 00:21:59.599
 in the text.

00:21:59.879 --> 00:22:00.859
 But now he focuses

00:22:00.859 --> 00:22:01.539
 on those

00:22:01.539 --> 00:22:02.779
 who say that

00:22:02.779 --> 00:22:04.119
 what he's doing

00:22:04.119 --> 00:22:05.319
 is because he's

00:22:05.319 --> 00:22:06.259
 under the power

00:22:06.259 --> 00:22:06.720
 of the devil.

00:22:07.640 --> 00:22:09.000
 So verse 17,

00:22:09.259 --> 00:22:10.119
 but Jesus,

00:22:10.339 --> 00:22:10.680
 knowing their

00:22:10.680 --> 00:22:11.259
 thoughts,

00:22:11.680 --> 00:22:12.379
 said to them,

00:22:13.119 --> 00:22:13.779
 every kingdom

00:22:13.779 --> 00:22:14.500
 divided against

00:22:14.500 --> 00:22:15.359
 itself is laid

00:22:15.359 --> 00:22:15.859
 waste,

00:22:16.539 --> 00:22:17.200
 and a divided

00:22:17.200 --> 00:22:18.400
 household falls.

00:22:19.059 --> 00:22:19.839
 And if Satan

00:22:19.839 --> 00:22:21.599
 also is divided

00:22:21.599 --> 00:22:22.619
 against himself,

00:22:23.319 --> 00:22:23.900
 how will his

00:22:23.900 --> 00:22:24.799
 kingdom stand?

00:22:25.160 --> 00:22:25.779
 For you say

00:22:25.779 --> 00:22:26.619
 that I cast out

00:22:26.619 --> 00:22:27.879
 demons by Beelzebul.

00:22:28.839 --> 00:22:29.920
 And if I cast out

00:22:29.920 --> 00:22:31.240
 demons by Beelzebul,

00:22:31.680 --> 00:22:32.440
 by whom do your

00:22:32.440 --> 00:22:33.559
 sons cast them out?

00:22:34.200 --> 00:22:34.960
 Therefore they will

00:22:34.960 --> 00:22:35.660
 be your judges.

00:22:35.660 --> 00:22:38.180
 But if it is

00:22:38.180 --> 00:22:39.120
 by the finger

00:22:39.120 --> 00:22:39.680
 of God

00:22:39.680 --> 00:22:40.380
 that I cast

00:22:40.380 --> 00:22:40.960
 out demons,

00:22:41.620 --> 00:22:42.279
 then the kingdom

00:22:42.279 --> 00:22:42.779
 of God

00:22:42.779 --> 00:22:43.620
 has come upon

00:22:43.620 --> 00:22:43.900
 you.

00:22:44.600 --> 00:22:45.160
 Just sort of

00:22:45.160 --> 00:22:45.820
 pause here.

00:22:46.100 --> 00:22:46.340
 We're going to

00:22:46.340 --> 00:22:46.740
 talk about it

00:22:46.740 --> 00:22:47.240
 more in a moment.

00:22:48.860 --> 00:22:49.660
 What we see

00:22:49.660 --> 00:22:50.060
 in Jesus'

00:22:50.340 --> 00:22:51.019
 response

00:22:51.019 --> 00:22:53.340
 is he says,

00:22:54.340 --> 00:22:56.600
 surely,

00:22:57.160 --> 00:22:57.400
 I mean,

00:22:57.500 --> 00:22:58.340
 he's talking

00:22:58.340 --> 00:22:58.820
 to a different

00:22:58.820 --> 00:22:59.980
 cultural context

00:22:59.980 --> 00:23:01.240
 than postmodern

00:23:01.240 --> 00:23:01.759
 Canada,

00:23:01.759 --> 00:23:05.400
 whereby many

00:23:05.400 --> 00:23:06.180
 of them would

00:23:06.180 --> 00:23:07.680
 accept the

00:23:07.680 --> 00:23:08.359
 reality of

00:23:08.359 --> 00:23:10.099
 demons and

00:23:10.099 --> 00:23:11.180
 have a certain

00:23:11.180 --> 00:23:11.339
 degree.

00:23:11.420 --> 00:23:11.879
 Some would be

00:23:11.879 --> 00:23:12.579
 fascinated and

00:23:12.579 --> 00:23:13.240
 want the power

00:23:13.240 --> 00:23:14.519
 that comes from

00:23:14.519 --> 00:23:15.140
 connection with

00:23:15.140 --> 00:23:15.779
 them, but many

00:23:15.779 --> 00:23:16.279
 would be

00:23:16.279 --> 00:23:17.480
 frightened of

00:23:17.480 --> 00:23:17.680
 it.

00:23:18.799 --> 00:23:20.440
 And Jesus

00:23:20.440 --> 00:23:21.160
 is in a sense

00:23:21.160 --> 00:23:21.680
 going to say,

00:23:22.099 --> 00:23:23.480
 I'm dangerous

00:23:23.480 --> 00:23:23.980
 too.

00:23:26.400 --> 00:23:27.299
 I'm dangerous

00:23:27.299 --> 00:23:27.740
 too.

00:23:28.920 --> 00:23:29.279
 I'm going to

00:23:29.279 --> 00:23:29.839
 explain it in a

00:23:29.839 --> 00:23:30.299
 moment, but

00:23:30.299 --> 00:23:31.579
 just say,

00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:32.639
 if, verse

00:23:32.639 --> 00:23:33.599
 20, but if

00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:34.259
 it is by the

00:23:34.259 --> 00:23:35.220
 finger of God

00:23:35.220 --> 00:23:35.879
 that I cast

00:23:35.879 --> 00:23:36.500
 out demons,

00:23:37.339 --> 00:23:37.740
 then the

00:23:37.740 --> 00:23:38.159
 kingdom of

00:23:38.159 --> 00:23:38.700
 God has come

00:23:38.700 --> 00:23:39.339
 upon you.

00:23:39.759 --> 00:23:40.500
 When a strong

00:23:40.500 --> 00:23:41.180
 man, fully

00:23:41.180 --> 00:23:41.940
 armed, guards

00:23:41.940 --> 00:23:42.759
 his own palace,

00:23:43.339 --> 00:23:43.919
 his goods are

00:23:43.919 --> 00:23:44.599
 safe, but when

00:23:44.599 --> 00:23:45.299
 one's stronger

00:23:45.299 --> 00:23:46.119
 than he attacks

00:23:46.119 --> 00:23:46.419
 him and

00:23:46.419 --> 00:23:47.299
 overcomes him,

00:23:47.359 --> 00:23:48.000
 he takes away

00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:48.659
 his armor in

00:23:48.659 --> 00:23:49.359
 which he trusted

00:23:49.359 --> 00:23:49.899
 and divides

00:23:49.899 --> 00:23:50.480
 his spoil.

00:23:51.259 --> 00:23:51.659
 Whoever is

00:23:51.659 --> 00:23:52.220
 not with me

00:23:52.220 --> 00:23:53.019
 is against me,

00:23:53.599 --> 00:23:54.019
 and whoever

00:23:54.019 --> 00:23:54.839
 does not gather

00:23:54.839 --> 00:23:55.519
 with me

00:23:55.519 --> 00:23:56.599
 scatters.

00:23:57.599 --> 00:23:58.019
 Now, just

00:23:58.019 --> 00:23:58.639
 sort of pause

00:23:58.639 --> 00:23:59.899
 here for a

00:23:59.900 --> 00:24:00.220
 second.

00:24:02.440 --> 00:24:02.980
 The finger

00:24:02.980 --> 00:24:03.640
 of God

00:24:03.640 --> 00:24:05.280
 is a very,

00:24:06.720 --> 00:24:08.259
 we don't get

00:24:08.259 --> 00:24:09.220
 it, and the

00:24:09.220 --> 00:24:09.940
 early readers

00:24:09.940 --> 00:24:10.480
 of Luke's

00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:11.259
 gospel, who

00:24:11.259 --> 00:24:12.000
 many would

00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:12.400
 have been

00:24:12.400 --> 00:24:13.840
 pagans who

00:24:13.840 --> 00:24:14.140
 become

00:24:14.140 --> 00:24:14.759
 Christians,

00:24:15.519 --> 00:24:16.300
 without having

00:24:16.300 --> 00:24:17.019
 become Jewish

00:24:17.019 --> 00:24:17.500
 first, they

00:24:17.500 --> 00:24:18.040
 might not have

00:24:18.040 --> 00:24:18.540
 got it as

00:24:18.540 --> 00:24:19.140
 well, but for

00:24:19.140 --> 00:24:19.540
 those who

00:24:19.540 --> 00:24:20.060
 were Jewish

00:24:20.060 --> 00:24:20.340
 who were

00:24:20.340 --> 00:24:20.680
 listening,

00:24:21.340 --> 00:24:22.519
 this reference

00:24:22.519 --> 00:24:23.380
 to Jesus and

00:24:23.380 --> 00:24:24.800
 the finger of

00:24:24.800 --> 00:24:25.140
 God would

00:24:25.140 --> 00:24:25.460
 have been a

00:24:25.460 --> 00:24:25.800
 very, very

00:24:25.800 --> 00:24:26.800
 powerful type

00:24:26.800 --> 00:24:27.320
 of a statement

00:24:27.319 --> 00:24:28.740
 because two

00:24:28.740 --> 00:24:29.139
 of the most

00:24:29.139 --> 00:24:30.099
 famous texts

00:24:30.099 --> 00:24:30.659
 in the Old

00:24:30.659 --> 00:24:31.099
 Testament,

00:24:31.579 --> 00:24:31.919
 there's two

00:24:31.919 --> 00:24:32.339
 very, very

00:24:32.339 --> 00:24:33.220
 famous texts

00:24:33.220 --> 00:24:33.639
 in the Old

00:24:33.639 --> 00:24:34.200
 Testament about

00:24:34.200 --> 00:24:34.599
 the finger

00:24:34.599 --> 00:24:35.099
 of God,

00:24:35.460 --> 00:24:36.119
 and the

00:24:36.119 --> 00:24:36.740
 first one

00:24:36.740 --> 00:24:37.179
 is if you

00:24:37.179 --> 00:24:37.700
 go back to

00:24:37.700 --> 00:24:38.059
 the early

00:24:38.059 --> 00:24:38.500
 books of

00:24:38.500 --> 00:24:38.939
 the Bible

00:24:38.939 --> 00:24:39.419
 and you

00:24:39.419 --> 00:24:40.039
 look at

00:24:40.039 --> 00:24:41.019
 Exodus and

00:24:41.019 --> 00:24:41.619
 Deuteronomy,

00:24:42.279 --> 00:24:43.599
 and as God

00:24:43.599 --> 00:24:44.220
 brings the

00:24:44.220 --> 00:24:44.619
 people of

00:24:44.619 --> 00:24:45.279
 Israel out

00:24:45.279 --> 00:24:46.179
 of Egypt

00:24:46.179 --> 00:24:47.179
 and on the

00:24:47.179 --> 00:24:47.539
 way to the

00:24:47.539 --> 00:24:48.319
 promised land,

00:24:48.700 --> 00:24:49.019
 and he's

00:24:49.019 --> 00:24:49.599
 going to enter

00:24:49.599 --> 00:24:50.259
 into a

00:24:50.259 --> 00:24:50.960
 covenant with

00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:51.480
 them where he

00:24:51.480 --> 00:24:52.139
 offers, in a

00:24:52.139 --> 00:24:52.619
 sense, to be

00:24:52.619 --> 00:24:53.299
 their king

00:24:53.299 --> 00:24:54.359
 over them,

00:24:54.359 --> 00:24:55.159
 and he

00:24:55.159 --> 00:24:55.859
 accepts them

00:24:55.859 --> 00:24:56.199
 as his

00:24:56.199 --> 00:24:56.679
 treasured

00:24:56.679 --> 00:24:57.279
 possession and

00:24:57.279 --> 00:24:57.839
 his people,

00:24:58.519 --> 00:24:59.740
 and a key

00:24:59.740 --> 00:25:00.859
 foundational part

00:25:00.859 --> 00:25:01.379
 of him being

00:25:01.379 --> 00:25:02.219
 their king and

00:25:02.219 --> 00:25:02.779
 them being their

00:25:02.779 --> 00:25:03.559
 treasured possession

00:25:03.559 --> 00:25:04.599
 is that he

00:25:04.599 --> 00:25:05.519
 gives them ten

00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:06.899
 summary statements

00:25:06.899 --> 00:25:07.719
 or laws called

00:25:07.719 --> 00:25:08.039
 the Ten

00:25:08.039 --> 00:25:08.679
 Commandments,

00:25:09.240 --> 00:25:09.899
 and that's a

00:25:09.899 --> 00:25:10.679
 crucial part of

00:25:10.679 --> 00:25:11.579
 it, and how

00:25:11.579 --> 00:25:12.139
 is it written?

00:25:13.399 --> 00:25:14.399
 The Bible says

00:25:14.399 --> 00:25:16.240
 that Moses takes

00:25:16.240 --> 00:25:17.939
 stone tablets and

00:25:17.939 --> 00:25:19.139
 by the finger of

00:25:19.139 --> 00:25:20.599
 God the

00:25:20.599 --> 00:25:21.240
 commandments are

00:25:21.240 --> 00:25:22.899
 written, so

00:25:22.899 --> 00:25:23.779
 it's pointing

00:25:23.779 --> 00:25:24.980
 to God's

00:25:24.980 --> 00:25:26.039
 active presence

00:25:26.039 --> 00:25:26.819
 in gathering

00:25:26.819 --> 00:25:27.539
 of people for

00:25:27.539 --> 00:25:28.579
 himself to be

00:25:28.579 --> 00:25:29.299
 his treasured

00:25:29.299 --> 00:25:30.519
 possession, and

00:25:30.519 --> 00:25:31.160
 in a sense, the

00:25:31.160 --> 00:25:31.920
 terms of what it

00:25:31.920 --> 00:25:32.639
 means to belong to

00:25:32.639 --> 00:25:33.099
 him are actually

00:25:33.099 --> 00:25:33.639
 written by the

00:25:33.639 --> 00:25:35.099
 finger of God, and

00:25:35.099 --> 00:25:36.859
 towards the end of

00:25:36.859 --> 00:25:38.859
 the Old Testament,

00:25:39.039 --> 00:25:39.839
 there's a story in

00:25:39.839 --> 00:25:41.059
 Daniel chapter 5,

00:25:41.119 --> 00:25:41.839
 which also would

00:25:41.839 --> 00:25:42.259
 have been a very

00:25:42.259 --> 00:25:43.599
 telling illustration

00:25:43.599 --> 00:25:44.180
 of this.

00:25:44.740 --> 00:25:45.299
 You can go back

00:25:45.299 --> 00:25:45.819
 and read it later,

00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:46.680
 but basically, in

00:25:46.680 --> 00:25:47.619
 summary, the people

00:25:47.619 --> 00:25:48.319
 of Israel are in

00:25:48.319 --> 00:25:49.839
 captivity by the

00:25:49.839 --> 00:25:51.039
 Babylonians, and

00:25:51.039 --> 00:25:52.599
 Belshazzar, who's

00:25:52.599 --> 00:25:53.599
 the successor of

00:25:53.599 --> 00:25:55.179
 Nebuchadnezzar, he

00:25:55.179 --> 00:25:56.119
 decides to throw a

00:25:56.119 --> 00:25:58.139
 huge party, and he

00:25:58.139 --> 00:25:58.759
 asks for the

00:25:58.759 --> 00:26:01.339
 temple, stuff from

00:26:01.339 --> 00:26:01.919
 the temple of

00:26:01.919 --> 00:26:02.679
 Israel to come out

00:26:02.679 --> 00:26:03.259
 so that they could

00:26:03.259 --> 00:26:04.179
 get drunk with it,

00:26:04.639 --> 00:26:05.799
 and as they're

00:26:05.799 --> 00:26:06.559
 doing that, and

00:26:06.559 --> 00:26:07.159
 they're all having a

00:26:07.159 --> 00:26:08.059
 great time partying

00:26:08.059 --> 00:26:08.759
 and praising the

00:26:08.759 --> 00:26:09.699
 gods of gold and

00:26:09.699 --> 00:26:10.419
 of bronze and of

00:26:10.419 --> 00:26:11.799
 stone, in the

00:26:11.799 --> 00:26:12.959
 midst of it, it

00:26:12.959 --> 00:26:14.639
 appears as if the

00:26:14.639 --> 00:26:16.019
 finger of God shows

00:26:16.019 --> 00:26:16.959
 up and writes on

00:26:16.959 --> 00:26:18.779
 the wall, many,

00:26:18.899 --> 00:26:19.699
 many, tickle,

00:26:19.859 --> 00:26:20.919
 tackle, parson.

00:26:20.920 --> 00:26:22.759
 And then Daniel's

00:26:22.759 --> 00:26:24.600
 brought in, and he

00:26:24.600 --> 00:26:25.720
 interprets it that God

00:26:25.720 --> 00:26:27.320
 has written that he

00:26:27.320 --> 00:26:28.140
 has judged the

00:26:28.140 --> 00:26:29.580
 Babylonians, he's

00:26:29.580 --> 00:26:31.640
 judged Belshazzar, and

00:26:31.640 --> 00:26:33.820
 that that night the

00:26:33.820 --> 00:26:35.140
 kingdom will fall from

00:26:35.140 --> 00:26:36.500
 the Babylonians and the

00:26:36.500 --> 00:26:37.580
 Persians will take over

00:26:37.580 --> 00:26:39.340
 the empire and Belshazzar

00:26:39.340 --> 00:26:39.880
 will die.

00:26:41.220 --> 00:26:42.600
 And that's what Jesus is

00:26:42.600 --> 00:26:45.200
 saying when he says

00:26:45.200 --> 00:26:46.360
 about the finger of God.

00:26:46.359 --> 00:26:48.159
 God, he says, okay,

00:26:48.219 --> 00:26:49.179
 well, you push back,

00:26:49.419 --> 00:26:50.559
 you think I'm doing

00:26:50.559 --> 00:26:52.019
 this by satanic power,

00:26:52.899 --> 00:26:53.579
 and he gives some

00:26:53.579 --> 00:26:54.519
 reasons why that might

00:26:54.519 --> 00:26:55.339
 some, you know, some

00:26:55.339 --> 00:26:56.379
 from what if types of

00:26:56.379 --> 00:26:57.099
 things, but he says,

00:26:57.219 --> 00:27:01.740
 but if what you see is

00:27:01.740 --> 00:27:03.659
 the finger of God, it

00:27:03.659 --> 00:27:05.459
 means the kingdom of God

00:27:05.459 --> 00:27:07.059
 has come upon you.

00:27:07.740 --> 00:27:08.539
 And then he describes

00:27:08.539 --> 00:27:10.059
 himself as the strong

00:27:10.059 --> 00:27:12.859
 man that's able to

00:27:12.859 --> 00:27:16.000
 bind and that's able

00:27:16.000 --> 00:27:16.639
 to bind.

00:27:18.119 --> 00:27:19.039
 So some of you might

00:27:19.039 --> 00:27:20.099
 say, okay, so George,

00:27:20.419 --> 00:27:22.939
 okay, okay, okay, I

00:27:22.939 --> 00:27:23.659
 knew it was going to

00:27:23.659 --> 00:27:24.319
 get to this.

00:27:24.679 --> 00:27:25.679
 Okay, so George, you

00:27:25.679 --> 00:27:26.500
 don't want us to buy

00:27:26.500 --> 00:27:28.179
 big red statues of

00:27:28.179 --> 00:27:30.319
 Satan, and you don't

00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:31.219
 want us to use Ouija

00:27:31.219 --> 00:27:32.500
 boards, and you don't

00:27:32.500 --> 00:27:33.879
 want us to just, you

00:27:33.879 --> 00:27:34.479
 know, you can say,

00:27:34.599 --> 00:27:35.339
 okay, maybe you can do

00:27:35.339 --> 00:27:36.079
 yoga if you're just

00:27:36.079 --> 00:27:37.179
 stretching, but if you're

00:27:37.179 --> 00:27:38.219
 asking you to chant,

00:27:38.799 --> 00:27:40.599
 you know, Hindu gods,

00:27:40.659 --> 00:27:41.459
 you shouldn't do it.

00:27:41.599 --> 00:27:42.339
 And, you know, George,

00:27:42.339 --> 00:27:43.279
 I knew it was just

00:27:43.279 --> 00:27:43.919
 going to come to a

00:27:43.919 --> 00:27:45.119
 whole pile of negatives,

00:27:45.819 --> 00:27:46.379
 right, because that's

00:27:46.379 --> 00:27:47.220
 what you Christian and

00:27:47.220 --> 00:27:48.159
 religious types do.

00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:48.959
 All you want to do is

00:27:48.959 --> 00:27:49.480
 just talk about

00:27:49.480 --> 00:27:49.919
 negatives.

00:27:50.099 --> 00:27:50.980
 Don't do this, don't

00:27:50.980 --> 00:27:51.779
 do this, don't do

00:27:51.779 --> 00:27:52.679
 this, don't do this.

00:27:53.319 --> 00:27:54.220
 Is that now, George,

00:27:54.279 --> 00:27:55.439
 what your application's

00:27:55.439 --> 00:27:56.119
 going to be of all of

00:27:56.119 --> 00:27:56.259
 this?

00:27:56.339 --> 00:27:57.139
 Just it's going to be a

00:27:57.139 --> 00:27:59.019
 whole lot of no's?

00:28:01.179 --> 00:28:01.500
 No.

00:28:03.899 --> 00:28:04.919
 Actually, what the text

00:28:04.919 --> 00:28:07.179
 is showing is that,

00:28:08.579 --> 00:28:09.459
 well, actually, Andrew,

00:28:09.559 --> 00:28:11.339
 if you could put it up.

00:28:12.339 --> 00:28:14.359
 Only following religious

00:28:14.359 --> 00:28:16.019
 and spiritual rules

00:28:16.019 --> 00:28:17.720
 creates the illusion

00:28:17.720 --> 00:28:19.879
 of emptiness.

00:28:20.899 --> 00:28:22.639
 The kingdom of God is

00:28:22.639 --> 00:28:24.199
 primarily about the

00:28:24.199 --> 00:28:25.759
 saving presence of Jesus.

00:28:27.619 --> 00:28:29.059
 Only following religious

00:28:29.059 --> 00:28:30.379
 and spiritual rules

00:28:30.379 --> 00:28:32.339
 creates the illusion of

00:28:32.339 --> 00:28:35.119
 emptiness, like a free

00:28:35.119 --> 00:28:37.279
 space, a space where you

00:28:37.279 --> 00:28:38.759
 can just sort of be

00:28:38.759 --> 00:28:39.319
 yourself.

00:28:39.319 --> 00:28:41.099
 You learn the different

00:28:41.099 --> 00:28:41.460
 no's.

00:28:41.579 --> 00:28:42.319
 Okay, I can't do this,

00:28:42.379 --> 00:28:43.220
 I can't do this, I can't

00:28:43.220 --> 00:28:44.059
 do this, I can't do this,

00:28:44.079 --> 00:28:44.740
 I can't do this.

00:28:45.319 --> 00:28:46.539
 What it ends up leaving

00:28:46.539 --> 00:28:47.460
 is a place where you

00:28:47.460 --> 00:28:48.259
 sort of can do whatever

00:28:48.259 --> 00:28:48.960
 you want.

00:28:53.579 --> 00:28:57.159
 If it's Islam, you follow

00:28:57.159 --> 00:28:57.980
 this rule and this rule

00:28:57.980 --> 00:28:58.419
 and this rule.

00:28:58.500 --> 00:28:59.439
 If it's different ways

00:28:59.439 --> 00:29:00.559
 of Christianity being

00:29:00.559 --> 00:29:01.599
 understood as a religion,

00:29:02.379 --> 00:29:04.480
 then you don't watch

00:29:04.480 --> 00:29:06.759
 pornography and you don't

00:29:06.759 --> 00:29:07.700
 do this and you don't do

00:29:07.700 --> 00:29:08.740
 this and you have your

00:29:08.740 --> 00:29:09.559
 own thing and you learn

00:29:09.559 --> 00:29:10.759
 this ritual and you learn

00:29:10.759 --> 00:29:11.059
 this.

00:29:11.640 --> 00:29:12.759
 But all it is is creating

00:29:12.759 --> 00:29:14.440
 all these no's and in a

00:29:14.440 --> 00:29:15.640
 sense where the heart is,

00:29:15.720 --> 00:29:16.599
 where you really are as

00:29:16.599 --> 00:29:17.920
 yourself, it's like that's

00:29:17.920 --> 00:29:18.700
 just sort of empty.

00:29:18.819 --> 00:29:19.539
 You can do whatever you

00:29:19.539 --> 00:29:19.799
 want.

00:29:19.859 --> 00:29:20.779
 It's unchanged.

00:29:22.039 --> 00:29:24.740
 And spirituality, for the

00:29:24.740 --> 00:29:25.640
 spiritual, not religious,

00:29:25.819 --> 00:29:26.900
 it might be that the rules

00:29:26.900 --> 00:29:28.559
 are a bit more transgressive

00:29:28.559 --> 00:29:30.819
 and some of them are like

00:29:30.819 --> 00:29:31.779
 giving the finger to

00:29:31.779 --> 00:29:33.819
 religions or some of them

00:29:33.819 --> 00:29:35.000
 are just something which is

00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:36.319
 highly idiosyncratic but

00:29:36.319 --> 00:29:37.400
 it's still a whole pile of

00:29:37.400 --> 00:29:40.039
 no's that creates what I'm

00:29:40.039 --> 00:29:40.839
 going to suggest is an

00:29:40.839 --> 00:29:41.880
 illusion of emptiness.

00:29:42.660 --> 00:29:44.000
 But as we're going to see,

00:29:44.160 --> 00:29:45.519
 Jesus here is saying that

00:29:45.519 --> 00:29:47.940
 I'm not about emptiness and

00:29:47.940 --> 00:29:49.299
 I'm not about religious

00:29:49.299 --> 00:29:50.039
 rules.

00:29:51.440 --> 00:29:54.140
 I'm about the heart and the

00:29:54.140 --> 00:29:58.519
 real true living God in a

00:29:58.519 --> 00:30:00.319
 world where God, the living

00:30:00.319 --> 00:30:02.059
 God really exists and the

00:30:02.059 --> 00:30:03.500
 human heart, which is the

00:30:03.500 --> 00:30:04.500
 center of who we are, is

00:30:04.500 --> 00:30:06.380
 really there and it's how

00:30:06.380 --> 00:30:08.859
 God comes into the human

00:30:08.859 --> 00:30:10.259
 heart and the human heart

00:30:10.259 --> 00:30:11.279
 comes into God.

00:30:11.819 --> 00:30:13.759
 It's about presence, not

00:30:13.759 --> 00:30:14.480
 absence.

00:30:16.220 --> 00:30:18.039
 Only following religious and

00:30:18.039 --> 00:30:19.400
 spiritual rules creates the

00:30:19.400 --> 00:30:20.359
 illusion of emptiness.

00:30:20.579 --> 00:30:21.599
 The kingdom of God is

00:30:21.599 --> 00:30:23.059
 primarily about the saving

00:30:23.059 --> 00:30:24.759
 presence of Jesus.

00:30:26.200 --> 00:30:27.880
 That's what it's actually all

00:30:27.880 --> 00:30:28.240
 about.

00:30:28.240 --> 00:30:35.079
 See, it comes if you read

00:30:35.079 --> 00:30:36.579
 verses 24 to 26.

00:30:36.960 --> 00:30:37.599
 Let's read them.

00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:41.720
 When the unclean spirit has

00:30:41.720 --> 00:30:43.319
 gone out of a person, it

00:30:43.319 --> 00:30:44.660
 passes through waterless

00:30:44.660 --> 00:30:46.180
 places seeking rest.

00:30:46.740 --> 00:30:49.079
 And finding none, it says, I

00:30:49.079 --> 00:30:50.420
 will return to my house from

00:30:50.420 --> 00:30:51.180
 which I came.

00:30:52.220 --> 00:30:53.880
 And when it comes, it finds

00:30:53.880 --> 00:30:55.220
 the house swept and put in

00:30:55.220 --> 00:30:55.539
 order.

00:30:55.539 --> 00:30:57.559
 Then it goes and brings seven

00:30:57.559 --> 00:30:59.079
 other spirits more evil than

00:30:59.079 --> 00:31:00.740
 itself and they enter and

00:31:00.740 --> 00:31:01.359
 dwell there.

00:31:02.119 --> 00:31:03.099
 And the last state of that

00:31:03.099 --> 00:31:04.180
 person is worse than the

00:31:04.180 --> 00:31:04.519
 first.

00:31:06.319 --> 00:31:08.359
 So maybe they followed rules

00:31:08.359 --> 00:31:09.980
 and as a result of rules,

00:31:10.159 --> 00:31:10.839
 they're empty.

00:31:11.019 --> 00:31:12.680
 Maybe as a result of therapy,

00:31:12.859 --> 00:31:13.599
 some of the type of

00:31:13.599 --> 00:31:15.559
 harassment that a person had

00:31:15.559 --> 00:31:16.899
 been experiencing that we

00:31:16.899 --> 00:31:18.379
 might understand as having a

00:31:18.379 --> 00:31:19.299
 connection to the demonic,

00:31:19.460 --> 00:31:20.259
 that that goes away.

00:31:21.059 --> 00:31:22.180
 Maybe by doing certain

00:31:22.180 --> 00:31:23.960
 rituals, there's a type of

00:31:23.960 --> 00:31:24.980
 peace so that certain types

00:31:24.980 --> 00:31:25.840
 of harassment all don't

00:31:25.840 --> 00:31:26.079
 come.

00:31:26.500 --> 00:31:28.240
 And in a sense, it describes

00:31:28.240 --> 00:31:29.180
 what happens with mere

00:31:29.180 --> 00:31:30.539
 religion or with therapy or

00:31:30.539 --> 00:31:32.259
 mere religious principles or

00:31:32.259 --> 00:31:34.160
 mere spirituality is that it

00:31:34.160 --> 00:31:34.940
 can create a type of

00:31:34.940 --> 00:31:35.840
 emptiness within.

00:31:36.259 --> 00:31:37.799
 But what Jesus is saying is

00:31:37.799 --> 00:31:39.079
 that there's never really an

00:31:39.079 --> 00:31:39.559
 emptiness.

00:31:39.900 --> 00:31:41.559
 It's an illusion that there's

00:31:41.559 --> 00:31:42.039
 emptiness.

00:31:43.259 --> 00:31:45.019
 And it's very possible that

00:31:45.019 --> 00:31:46.360
 after what you think is

00:31:46.360 --> 00:31:48.279
 emptiness, that something

00:31:48.279 --> 00:31:50.360
 spiritual comes right back in

00:31:50.360 --> 00:31:52.360
 and something far worse.

00:31:52.359 --> 00:31:52.479
 wilderness.

00:31:53.240 --> 00:31:54.039
 Now, I'm not going to try to

00:31:54.039 --> 00:31:55.740
 explain, I'm not going to try

00:31:55.740 --> 00:31:58.559
 to explain, I'm not going to

00:31:58.559 --> 00:31:59.439
 try to explain what

00:31:59.439 --> 00:32:00.219
 wilderness means.

00:32:00.319 --> 00:32:01.159
 That's one of those things

00:32:01.159 --> 00:32:03.339
 of just, I think it means

00:32:03.339 --> 00:32:04.740
 that the demons go towards

00:32:04.740 --> 00:32:05.319
 barrenness.

00:32:05.419 --> 00:32:06.339
 It's all part of the thing

00:32:06.339 --> 00:32:07.839
 that the demons, when they,

00:32:08.219 --> 00:32:09.399
 well, how do demons harm us?

00:32:09.500 --> 00:32:11.079
 They create within us a

00:32:11.079 --> 00:32:12.639
 fascination of barrenness

00:32:12.639 --> 00:32:14.319
 instead of a fascination with

00:32:14.319 --> 00:32:14.559
 life.

00:32:14.659 --> 00:32:16.179
 They create within us a

00:32:16.179 --> 00:32:17.299
 fascination with death.

00:32:17.779 --> 00:32:19.019
 So the barrenness rather than

00:32:19.019 --> 00:32:21.299
 fruitfulness, of death rather

00:32:21.299 --> 00:32:23.799
 than life, of harm rather

00:32:23.799 --> 00:32:25.460
 than of healing, of binding

00:32:25.460 --> 00:32:26.859
 rather than of freeing.

00:32:27.139 --> 00:32:28.599
 That that's what demons do

00:32:28.599 --> 00:32:29.460
 as they come in.

00:32:29.819 --> 00:32:32.059
 Of belittling rather than

00:32:32.059 --> 00:32:32.740
 building up.

00:32:33.099 --> 00:32:35.299
 Of pushing down rather than

00:32:35.299 --> 00:32:35.859
 lifting up.

00:32:36.019 --> 00:32:38.119
 Of turning inward eyes and

00:32:38.119 --> 00:32:39.339
 being self-centered rather

00:32:39.339 --> 00:32:40.819
 than having eyes for others

00:32:40.819 --> 00:32:41.940
 and wanting to help.

00:32:42.399 --> 00:32:43.639
 Of being completely and

00:32:43.639 --> 00:32:46.019
 utterly, of not being at all

00:32:46.019 --> 00:32:46.899
 interested in the needs of

00:32:46.899 --> 00:32:48.240
 others rather than what

00:32:48.240 --> 00:32:49.379
 Jesus does which makes us

00:32:49.379 --> 00:32:50.419
 aware of the needs of others.

00:32:50.420 --> 00:32:52.480
 That that's that's what the

00:32:52.480 --> 00:32:53.920
 demons are doing and I

00:32:53.920 --> 00:32:54.820
 think that's partly why

00:32:54.820 --> 00:32:55.620
 that this image of

00:32:55.620 --> 00:32:56.519
 wilderness is there.

00:32:56.600 --> 00:32:57.279
 But that's one of those

00:32:57.279 --> 00:32:58.200
 things that we just have to

00:32:58.200 --> 00:33:00.080
 remember the scripture and

00:33:00.080 --> 00:33:01.500
 meditate upon the scripture

00:33:01.500 --> 00:33:03.560
 and ponder the scripture and

00:33:03.560 --> 00:33:04.900
 allow that scripture to

00:33:04.900 --> 00:33:06.200
 influence how we see and

00:33:06.200 --> 00:33:07.340
 understand what goes on in

00:33:07.340 --> 00:33:08.380
 our own experience and what

00:33:08.380 --> 00:33:09.480
 goes on in our life.

00:33:10.460 --> 00:33:12.380
 But Jesus is talking here

00:33:12.380 --> 00:33:14.539
 about the danger of an

00:33:14.539 --> 00:33:16.360
 illusion of emptiness that

00:33:16.360 --> 00:33:17.560
 can get filled by a

00:33:17.559 --> 00:33:18.379
 spiritual power.

00:33:20.240 --> 00:33:21.240
 So some of you might say

00:33:21.240 --> 00:33:21.899
 okay George I'm a little

00:33:21.899 --> 00:33:23.019
 bit confused by all of

00:33:23.019 --> 00:33:24.139
 this and if religion is not

00:33:24.139 --> 00:33:25.220
 just a matter about learning

00:33:25.220 --> 00:33:27.139
 certain rituals, spirituality

00:33:27.139 --> 00:33:28.099
 is not a matter of learning

00:33:28.099 --> 00:33:29.339
 certain rituals, if it's not

00:33:29.339 --> 00:33:30.359
 just a matter of learning a

00:33:30.359 --> 00:33:32.200
 whole pile of no's and the

00:33:32.200 --> 00:33:33.619
 really religious person knows

00:33:33.619 --> 00:33:34.799
 more no's than everybody

00:33:34.799 --> 00:33:37.220
 else and the spiritual person

00:33:37.220 --> 00:33:38.659
 just has different no's or

00:33:38.659 --> 00:33:40.599
 less no's, different and

00:33:40.599 --> 00:33:41.359
 less, like what?

00:33:42.039 --> 00:33:42.819
 Here's the thing.

00:33:43.039 --> 00:33:44.099
 Everything in this, remember

00:33:44.099 --> 00:33:45.659
 every week I'm going to say

00:33:45.659 --> 00:33:47.799
 this, but everything that

00:33:47.799 --> 00:33:49.339
 happens in Luke that we're

00:33:49.339 --> 00:33:50.379
 reading right now in the

00:33:50.379 --> 00:33:52.359
 weeks to come is all within

00:33:52.359 --> 00:33:54.119
 the context of Jesus going

00:33:54.119 --> 00:33:55.299
 to Jerusalem to die.

00:33:57.019 --> 00:33:58.980
 It's all about Jesus is going

00:33:58.980 --> 00:34:00.419
 to Jerusalem to die on the

00:34:00.419 --> 00:34:02.139
 cross and he's going to

00:34:02.139 --> 00:34:03.419
 regularly remind the

00:34:03.419 --> 00:34:04.559
 disciples we're heading to

00:34:04.559 --> 00:34:05.699
 Jerusalem, I'm heading to

00:34:05.699 --> 00:34:06.740
 Jerusalem to die on the

00:34:06.740 --> 00:34:07.099
 cross.

00:34:07.099 --> 00:34:13.219
 And you see, so what this

00:34:13.219 --> 00:34:14.559
 text is inviting us to say

00:34:14.559 --> 00:34:16.880
 is not to despair that all

00:34:16.880 --> 00:34:18.299
 we can do is create an

00:34:18.299 --> 00:34:19.360
 illusion of emptiness.

00:34:20.299 --> 00:34:22.179
 It's creating a context where

00:34:22.179 --> 00:34:24.219
 we ask for a saving power

00:34:24.219 --> 00:34:25.719
 that only comes from God.

00:34:26.679 --> 00:34:27.480
 If you could put up the next

00:34:27.480 --> 00:34:29.920
 point, Andrew, the context of

00:34:29.920 --> 00:34:31.360
 the book of Luke, if you read

00:34:31.360 --> 00:34:32.659
 it and you see in Luke chapter

00:34:32.659 --> 00:34:33.900
 nine, Jesus says to his

00:34:33.900 --> 00:34:34.839
 disciples, I'm going to go to

00:34:34.839 --> 00:34:35.739
 Jerusalem, I'm going to die on

00:34:35.739 --> 00:34:36.239
 the cross.

00:34:36.239 --> 00:34:37.519
 And we're going to see it

00:34:37.519 --> 00:34:38.879
 like every couple of

00:34:38.879 --> 00:34:39.899
 chapters, he says it again,

00:34:39.939 --> 00:34:41.379
 he says it again until in

00:34:41.379 --> 00:34:42.799
 Luke chapter 19, he arrives

00:34:42.799 --> 00:34:43.339
 in Jerusalem.

00:34:43.839 --> 00:34:44.759
 It's going to be a regular

00:34:44.759 --> 00:34:45.819
 feature of his teaching.

00:34:46.019 --> 00:34:47.819
 Everything that we read is to

00:34:47.819 --> 00:34:49.719
 be understood as something

00:34:49.719 --> 00:34:51.479
 Jesus teaches as he goes to

00:34:51.479 --> 00:34:52.279
 Jerusalem to die.

00:34:52.839 --> 00:34:55.699
 And the deep mystery of what

00:34:55.699 --> 00:34:57.259
 is it all about is that Jesus

00:34:57.259 --> 00:35:00.379
 is the strong one who dies at

00:35:00.379 --> 00:35:02.959
 the hands of the weak to save

00:35:02.959 --> 00:35:03.539
 the weak.

00:35:06.239 --> 00:35:08.019
 We're going to look again in a

00:35:08.019 --> 00:35:09.619
 moment at verses 21 and 22,

00:35:09.759 --> 00:35:10.639
 but that's one of the, see,

00:35:10.679 --> 00:35:11.879
 that's the positive thing that

00:35:11.879 --> 00:35:12.799
 Jesus is saying.

00:35:13.339 --> 00:35:15.000
 He's saying, listen, the devil's

00:35:15.000 --> 00:35:17.000
 a strong man, but he's not

00:35:17.000 --> 00:35:18.279
 strong compared to me.

00:35:19.359 --> 00:35:20.919
 I'm vastly stronger.

00:35:21.759 --> 00:35:23.339
 The devil is a strong man

00:35:23.339 --> 00:35:24.139
 compared to you.

00:35:24.199 --> 00:35:25.699
 He's stronger than you, but I'm

00:35:25.699 --> 00:35:27.579
 vastly stronger than you and I'm

00:35:27.579 --> 00:35:30.019
 vastly stronger than Beelzebub.

00:35:30.019 --> 00:35:32.679
 I'm incomparably stronger.

00:35:34.159 --> 00:35:35.440
 Incomparably stronger.

00:35:36.599 --> 00:35:39.000
 And yet the profound mystery,

00:35:39.519 --> 00:35:41.380
 which is a deep offense to those

00:35:41.380 --> 00:35:44.880
 of us who worship power, even if

00:35:44.880 --> 00:35:47.400
 we don't realize it, is that Jesus

00:35:47.400 --> 00:35:49.759
 is saying this as he's on his way

00:35:49.759 --> 00:35:50.360
 to die.

00:35:51.840 --> 00:35:55.599
 Jesus is the strong one who willingly

00:35:55.599 --> 00:35:59.000
 dies at the hands of the weak to

00:35:59.000 --> 00:36:00.079
 save the weak.

00:36:02.559 --> 00:36:04.579
 You know, you'll hear me pray over

00:36:04.579 --> 00:36:05.799
 and over and over again that what

00:36:05.799 --> 00:36:08.139
 I'm hoping, what I want for myself

00:36:08.139 --> 00:36:09.860
 is I want to be a disciple of Jesus

00:36:09.860 --> 00:36:11.480
 gripped by the gospel, living for

00:36:11.480 --> 00:36:12.119
 God's glory.

00:36:12.259 --> 00:36:12.980
 What do I want to do?

00:36:13.019 --> 00:36:15.139
 I want to be used by God to make

00:36:15.139 --> 00:36:16.679
 disciples gripped by the gospel,

00:36:16.839 --> 00:36:17.639
 living for his glory.

00:36:18.099 --> 00:36:19.759
 And as we're gripped by the gospel,

00:36:19.900 --> 00:36:22.279
 we're gripped by the story of the

00:36:22.280 --> 00:36:24.900
 strong one who willingly went to

00:36:24.900 --> 00:36:27.040
 Jerusalem to die at the hands of

00:36:27.040 --> 00:36:29.720
 the weak, to save the weak.

00:36:32.420 --> 00:36:35.660
 And the Bible describes that this is

00:36:35.660 --> 00:36:39.500
 the power of God for salvation,

00:36:40.240 --> 00:36:42.620
 that God provides a power.

00:36:43.740 --> 00:36:46.160
 I can only stand naked as a weak

00:36:46.160 --> 00:36:47.480
 person, as a beggar.

00:36:47.480 --> 00:36:50.519
 And God provides a power for

00:36:50.519 --> 00:36:52.860
 salvation that comes in the strong

00:36:52.860 --> 00:36:56.159
 one, willingly out of love for you

00:36:56.159 --> 00:36:59.500
 and me, submitting to weak ones.

00:37:00.240 --> 00:37:03.000
 And by his death, the weak are

00:37:03.000 --> 00:37:03.860
 saved.

00:37:04.440 --> 00:37:07.099
 That in him submitting to weak ones

00:37:07.099 --> 00:37:10.320
 to kill him, God is providing a

00:37:10.320 --> 00:37:13.519
 power that saves if we receive.

00:37:13.519 --> 00:37:18.579
 And so Jesus tells this story, and he

00:37:18.579 --> 00:37:20.340
 tries to reveal that if it's just

00:37:20.340 --> 00:37:21.840
 about rules, and it's just about

00:37:21.840 --> 00:37:23.039
 therapy, and it's just about

00:37:23.039 --> 00:37:24.280
 principles, and it's just about

00:37:24.280 --> 00:37:25.440
 religion, and it's just about

00:37:25.440 --> 00:37:27.199
 spirituality, and it's just about

00:37:27.199 --> 00:37:28.800
 all of these types of things, it's

00:37:28.800 --> 00:37:30.699
 just about no's, it creates an

00:37:30.699 --> 00:37:31.759
 illusion of emptiness.

00:37:31.920 --> 00:37:34.079
 But what's actually needed is the

00:37:34.079 --> 00:37:35.900
 presence of a power for salvation

00:37:35.900 --> 00:37:39.400
 that all we can do is receive, that he

00:37:39.400 --> 00:37:40.420
 desires to give.

00:37:40.420 --> 00:37:44.920
 And there's sort of another image

00:37:44.920 --> 00:37:46.180
 within this that helps to put it

00:37:46.180 --> 00:37:47.000
 into its context.

00:37:47.119 --> 00:37:48.420
 Look up again at verse 21.

00:37:49.200 --> 00:37:50.320
 I'm just going to draw this to a

00:37:50.320 --> 00:37:50.740
 close.

00:37:51.539 --> 00:37:53.240
 It says something very significant

00:37:53.240 --> 00:37:54.400
 about human beings.

00:37:55.480 --> 00:37:57.159
 When a strong man, fully armed,

00:37:57.300 --> 00:37:59.059
 guards his own palace, his goods are

00:37:59.059 --> 00:37:59.440
 safe.

00:38:00.320 --> 00:38:02.059
 But when one stronger than he attacks

00:38:02.059 --> 00:38:03.280
 him and overcomes him, he takes

00:38:03.280 --> 00:38:04.659
 away his armor in which he trusted

00:38:04.659 --> 00:38:05.579
 and divides his spoil.

00:38:05.760 --> 00:38:06.099
 Look at that.

00:38:06.159 --> 00:38:06.559
 Verse 21.

00:38:06.680 --> 00:38:07.960
 When a strong man, fully armed,

00:38:08.039 --> 00:38:09.019
 guards his own palace.

00:38:09.019 --> 00:38:13.739
 Look down again to verse 24.

00:38:14.440 --> 00:38:15.639
 When the unclean spirit has gone

00:38:15.639 --> 00:38:17.099
 out of a person that passes through

00:38:17.099 --> 00:38:18.719
 waterless places, seeking rest and

00:38:18.719 --> 00:38:20.139
 finding none, it says, I will return

00:38:20.139 --> 00:38:21.739
 to my house from which I came.

00:38:22.519 --> 00:38:25.420
 What is the house or the palace of the

00:38:25.420 --> 00:38:25.619
 devil?

00:38:27.480 --> 00:38:29.460
 In this particular case, it was the man

00:38:29.460 --> 00:38:30.440
 who was deaf.

00:38:32.019 --> 00:38:34.360
 It wasn't that there's a hell down

00:38:34.360 --> 00:38:37.159
 there and that there's demons sitting

00:38:37.159 --> 00:38:37.980
 on thrones.

00:38:39.579 --> 00:38:42.899
 It's describing the man who had the

00:38:42.899 --> 00:38:45.039
 demon cast out of him, that that man

00:38:45.039 --> 00:38:47.940
 understood the man to be his palace,

00:38:48.279 --> 00:38:49.019
 his home.

00:38:50.279 --> 00:38:53.579
 And the demon sat on the throne in the

00:38:53.579 --> 00:38:54.259
 man's life.

00:38:55.719 --> 00:38:58.119
 See, here's the thing which the Bible is

00:38:58.119 --> 00:38:59.099
 opening up to us.

00:38:59.179 --> 00:39:00.159
 If you could put it up, Andrew.

00:39:00.159 --> 00:39:03.879
 The Bible teaches that every human being

00:39:03.879 --> 00:39:06.719
 has a throne at the center of who they are.

00:39:07.719 --> 00:39:12.079
 The great question is, who or what is on

00:39:12.079 --> 00:39:12.539
 the throne?

00:39:13.579 --> 00:39:16.500
 Every human being has a throne at the center

00:39:16.500 --> 00:39:17.319
 of who they are.

00:39:18.079 --> 00:39:21.179
 The great question is, who or what is on

00:39:21.179 --> 00:39:21.599
 the throne?

00:39:22.879 --> 00:39:24.819
 See, what the Bible teaches is that human

00:39:24.819 --> 00:39:26.879
 beings, each human being was ultimately,

00:39:27.099 --> 00:39:28.940
 well, human as a race, but each of us are

00:39:28.940 --> 00:39:31.900
 created by God and that God made all

00:39:31.900 --> 00:39:32.559
 things good.

00:39:32.760 --> 00:39:35.559
 And God made human beings, even though

00:39:35.559 --> 00:39:39.139
 there's an integrity to us and a

00:39:39.139 --> 00:39:41.920
 certain type of a self-possession of each

00:39:41.920 --> 00:39:43.619
 of us, God made human beings so that the

00:39:43.619 --> 00:39:45.480
 very center of who we are, which the Bible

00:39:45.480 --> 00:39:47.119
 uses the word heart, but the very center

00:39:47.119 --> 00:39:49.139
 of who we are, God placed a throne.

00:39:49.519 --> 00:39:51.860
 And in the center of whom we are, God sat

00:39:51.860 --> 00:39:52.519
 on the throne.

00:39:52.519 --> 00:39:57.119
 And what happens in Genesis 3 is that, you

00:39:57.119 --> 00:39:59.579
 know, our, in a sense, our primal ancestors,

00:39:59.759 --> 00:40:02.679
 Adam and Eve, when they reject God and desire

00:40:02.679 --> 00:40:05.059
 to be like gods themselves, it's as if they try

00:40:05.059 --> 00:40:07.320
 to say, I'm going to sit on that throne at the

00:40:07.320 --> 00:40:08.259
 very, very center of who.

00:40:08.380 --> 00:40:10.380
 But the throne is made for God.

00:40:10.480 --> 00:40:11.639
 It's not made for George.

00:40:11.820 --> 00:40:13.559
 George doesn't have a throne in the center of

00:40:13.559 --> 00:40:15.440
 who he is that he's to sit on.

00:40:15.780 --> 00:40:18.360
 George has a throne in the center of who he is

00:40:18.360 --> 00:40:19.699
 that was made for God.

00:40:19.699 --> 00:40:22.559
 It's God's throne in the very center of who I am

00:40:22.559 --> 00:40:24.019
 that he is to sit on.

00:40:24.139 --> 00:40:26.659
 And when he sits on that throne, when the

00:40:26.659 --> 00:40:28.679
 kingdom of God, in a sense, is present in

00:40:28.679 --> 00:40:32.119
 George, that's when George knows not barrenness,

00:40:32.179 --> 00:40:36.179
 but fruitfulness, not death, but life, not pain,

00:40:36.619 --> 00:40:42.460
 but joy, not ugliness, but beauty, not being

00:40:42.460 --> 00:40:44.539
 bound, but being free.

00:40:45.019 --> 00:40:48.559
 That's what happens when God is sitting on the

00:40:48.559 --> 00:40:51.039
 throne, which he built into every single human

00:40:51.039 --> 00:40:51.259
 being.

00:40:51.420 --> 00:40:54.099
 Every single one of you who are here has a

00:40:54.099 --> 00:40:56.420
 throne at the center of whom you are that was

00:40:56.420 --> 00:40:58.699
 made for God that only God should sit in.

00:40:59.679 --> 00:41:02.739
 And part of what religion and spirituality and

00:41:02.739 --> 00:41:06.500
 therapy and moral principles is all about is

00:41:06.500 --> 00:41:09.779
 that since we have vacated that, we've pushed God

00:41:09.779 --> 00:41:10.500
 out of that throne.

00:41:10.639 --> 00:41:12.099
 We've, in a sense, kicked him out.

00:41:12.239 --> 00:41:15.000
 And we can't even really sit on the throne very long.

00:41:15.000 --> 00:41:17.539
 And so what happens is that throne is filled with

00:41:17.539 --> 00:41:17.940
 idols.

00:41:18.380 --> 00:41:20.599
 And so, in a sense, the throne in the center of my

00:41:20.599 --> 00:41:22.539
 life is a very crowded throne.

00:41:22.840 --> 00:41:24.599
 Because maybe I'm trying to sit on that throne, but I

00:41:24.599 --> 00:41:25.800
 also have an idol of money.

00:41:25.880 --> 00:41:28.199
 Or I also have an idol of power.

00:41:28.340 --> 00:41:29.860
 Or I also have an idol of prestige.

00:41:29.960 --> 00:41:32.059
 Or I also maybe have an idol of my grandkids.

00:41:32.320 --> 00:41:33.940
 Or I have an idol of my job.

00:41:34.159 --> 00:41:36.420
 Or I have an idol of my political beliefs.

00:41:36.679 --> 00:41:38.380
 Or I have a whole pile of idols.

00:41:38.679 --> 00:41:41.179
 And all of these idols are sitting on the throne of my life.

00:41:41.179 --> 00:41:43.599
 And a lot of times, all that therapy and religion and

00:41:43.599 --> 00:41:49.500
 spirituality does is it kicks out the idol of Jack Daniels

00:41:49.500 --> 00:41:54.159
 and puts a Pharisaic idol in its place.

00:41:56.299 --> 00:42:00.779
 Sometimes what appears to be conversion is just a changing

00:42:00.779 --> 00:42:01.559
 of idols.

00:42:04.779 --> 00:42:09.099
 An unruly idol is replaced with a very well-ordered idol.

00:42:09.099 --> 00:42:16.920
 The unruly idol of just being completely crazy is replaced by the

00:42:16.920 --> 00:42:18.099
 soccer mom idol.

00:42:21.699 --> 00:42:25.539
 And so, what Jesus is saying here is that if there's a throne at the

00:42:25.539 --> 00:42:30.779
 center of every human heart, then he is the strong one on the way to

00:42:30.779 --> 00:42:33.679
 Jerusalem to die at the hands of weak ones for the weak.

00:42:33.679 --> 00:42:38.519
 That there is a power from God for salvation that comes.

00:42:39.039 --> 00:42:41.319
 And we're invited to say to God,

00:42:42.440 --> 00:42:48.119
 God, I have tried to kick you out of the, it's an illusion that there's this

00:42:48.119 --> 00:42:48.819
 empty throne.

00:42:49.559 --> 00:42:52.659
 It's, in fact, I can never sit on this throne.

00:42:53.519 --> 00:42:58.159
 And I acknowledge I have a constant parade of idols that I try to put on the

00:42:58.159 --> 00:42:59.519
 throne at the center of who I am.

00:42:59.519 --> 00:43:03.820
 And I'm actually helpless to try to deal with this.

00:43:05.019 --> 00:43:07.699
 I thank you, Jesus, for dying upon the cross for me.

00:43:07.759 --> 00:43:12.420
 I thank you for being the strong one who dies at the hands of the weak one for the

00:43:12.420 --> 00:43:12.559
 weak.

00:43:12.659 --> 00:43:13.340
 I am weak.

00:43:14.039 --> 00:43:19.019
 May you come and take your rightful place with saving power and healing

00:43:19.019 --> 00:43:21.159
 authority on the throne of my life.

00:43:21.980 --> 00:43:23.800
 And that's when the Christian life begins.

00:43:23.800 --> 00:43:30.800
 And the Christian life is lived not by seeking to know more religious rules and

00:43:30.800 --> 00:43:35.340
 more rituals, although there's things obviously to know, but being so gripped by

00:43:35.340 --> 00:43:39.420
 the gospel that we understand that Jesus, the one who sits at the throne at the

00:43:39.420 --> 00:43:45.019
 center of our lives, is a strong one who died for us, who became weak to die for us.

00:43:46.060 --> 00:43:50.740
 That by nothing that I have done or could do, that Jesus is a power of God for

00:43:50.739 --> 00:43:53.439
 salvation to be at the very center of who we are.

00:43:53.939 --> 00:43:57.359
 And that Jesus, when we ask him, will come and live in who we are.

00:43:57.459 --> 00:44:01.479
 He'll make his home in us, in the throne that is properly his.

00:44:02.039 --> 00:44:02.739
 Please stand.

00:44:02.739 --> 00:44:02.819
 Thank you.

00:44:11.699 --> 00:44:16.479
 I'm just going to invite you, all of us.

00:44:16.480 --> 00:44:21.639
 You know, even, you see, one of the things that's about being a Christian is that we

00:44:21.639 --> 00:44:23.740
 ask Jesus to be on the throne of our lives.

00:44:24.380 --> 00:44:29.019
 And part of what happens to us is, before we know it, we want Jesus to have a seat up

00:44:29.019 --> 00:44:34.139
 there, but we also would like him to sit beside money and power and looks.

00:44:35.119 --> 00:44:41.260
 And so partly what it means to be a Christian is to be gripped by the gospel and say, once

00:44:41.260 --> 00:44:44.159
 again, Jesus, I'm slipping into illusion.

00:44:44.159 --> 00:44:47.179
 I'm slipping into having idols be at the center of who I am.

00:44:47.839 --> 00:44:49.319
 And Jesus, I want them all out.

00:44:49.379 --> 00:44:51.619
 I only want you to be at the center of who I am.

00:44:51.719 --> 00:44:54.759
 And I understand that when you are at the center of who I am, there is freedom.

00:44:54.940 --> 00:44:55.619
 There is life.

00:44:55.980 --> 00:44:56.960
 There is fruitfulness.

00:44:57.159 --> 00:44:57.920
 There is fullness.

00:44:59.019 --> 00:45:05.139
 Even if external things in my life don't, that that's what you do as you truly reign with

00:45:05.139 --> 00:45:08.460
 saving power and healing authority at the center of who I am.

00:45:08.539 --> 00:45:13.299
 That there is fruitfulness in life and reconciliation to you with my creator.

00:45:13.300 --> 00:45:16.940
 And Jesus, once again, kick out the idols.

00:45:17.280 --> 00:45:20.260
 I really want to have you enthroned at the center of my life and you alone.

00:45:21.440 --> 00:45:25.080
 And for others, the Christian life begins by saying, I didn't realize that, Jesus.

00:45:25.160 --> 00:45:25.840
 This makes sense.

00:45:25.940 --> 00:45:30.260
 Please come in and sit in the throne of my life as my savior and as my Lord.

00:45:31.460 --> 00:45:32.539
 And I'm not going to lead you in a prayer.

00:45:32.539 --> 00:45:36.820
 I'm just going to say the Holy Spirit is convicting some of you to pray words in your own words.

00:45:36.820 --> 00:45:39.100
 And all you have to say is, Jesus, there's a throne.

00:45:39.860 --> 00:45:41.019
 You need to be on it.

00:45:41.519 --> 00:45:43.260
 Please come in and live in it.

00:45:43.580 --> 00:45:45.080
 But I'll just say a prayer in closing.

00:45:45.380 --> 00:45:48.580
 Challenge you, though, to invite Jesus to be on the throne of your life.

00:45:49.100 --> 00:45:49.440
 Let's pray.

00:45:49.440 --> 00:45:55.659
 Father, you know the different idols.

00:45:56.179 --> 00:46:01.099
 Maybe even for some demonic presence that has a presence on the throne of our lives.

00:46:01.179 --> 00:46:04.400
 You know what's going on in the lives and hearts of every single person who is here.

00:46:05.079 --> 00:46:10.220
 And we ask that, Father, in your kindness, that your Holy Spirit would fall with might

00:46:10.220 --> 00:46:13.639
 and power and deep conviction upon each of us to turn us to Jesus.

00:46:13.639 --> 00:46:20.699
 Father, deliver us, Father, from illusions of emptiness and illusions of religion and illusions of spirituality.

00:46:21.579 --> 00:46:23.940
 And, Father, grip us with the gospel.

00:46:24.920 --> 00:46:31.460
 Grip us with the gospel so that we call out, Father, upon Jesus to sit on the throne of our lives

00:46:31.460 --> 00:46:34.079
 to be the savior and the Lord of who we are.

00:46:34.759 --> 00:46:36.579
 Father, please do this.

00:46:37.299 --> 00:46:38.039
 Please rule.

00:46:38.619 --> 00:46:43.219
 May there be nothing in our lives that is not under your healing authority and saving power.

00:46:43.219 --> 00:46:45.859
 And we ask this in the name of Jesus, your Son and our Savior.

00:46:46.539 --> 00:46:46.859
 Amen.