WEBVTT 00:00:00.840 --> 00:00:02.040 Good morning to all of you. 00:00:02.100 --> 00:00:03.660 I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:08.960 Hopefully it's been made abundantly clear by now that this is the first Sunday of the 00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:09.679 season of Advent. 00:00:09.859 --> 00:00:14.380 That's why there are some differences in our worship that will remain until the Christmas 00:00:14.380 --> 00:00:15.300 season begins. 00:00:15.980 --> 00:00:18.660 But the season of Advent is a time of preparation. 00:00:18.879 --> 00:00:25.640 It's a time when we look forward to the celebration of Christmas and what that means, the celebration 00:00:25.640 --> 00:00:28.519 of the coming of God's Son into the world. 00:00:28.519 --> 00:00:34.799 And so we focus during Advent on all the reasons why Christmas is such good news for the world. 00:00:35.619 --> 00:00:43.140 And as a part of that, during the season of Advent, we create space to acknowledge all 00:00:43.140 --> 00:00:44.600 that is not right with the world. 00:00:45.299 --> 00:00:52.179 We create space to grieve the things that are broken and to contemplate all of the unanswered 00:00:52.179 --> 00:00:57.000 questions and the unfulfilled longings that are a part of human life. 00:00:57.000 --> 00:00:59.399 So we don't whitewash. 00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:02.179 We don't give in to naive optimism. 00:01:03.159 --> 00:01:07.299 We take time to acknowledge the pain in this room. 00:01:08.239 --> 00:01:08.400 Right? 00:01:08.500 --> 00:01:12.700 So if I were to ask you to take out a piece of paper and to take a few minutes and to write 00:01:12.700 --> 00:01:16.379 down what are the most pressing concerns in the world right now? 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:18.920 What are the biggest challenges that we're facing? 00:01:19.099 --> 00:01:20.939 I wonder what you would write down. 00:01:20.939 --> 00:01:26.560 Maybe it would be something like climate change and the future of our world. 00:01:26.659 --> 00:01:31.920 Maybe it would be something like all those who still live in poverty. 00:01:32.640 --> 00:01:36.079 Maybe it would be the ongoing threat of war. 00:01:36.079 --> 00:01:42.980 Maybe it would be the ongoing realities of inequality right here in Washington, D.C. and around the 00:01:42.980 --> 00:01:43.280 world. 00:01:43.519 --> 00:01:47.879 Maybe it would be government corruption either here or abroad. 00:01:47.980 --> 00:01:49.159 I don't know what you would write down. 00:01:49.259 --> 00:01:53.180 But all of those would be things that I would probably consider writing down. 00:01:54.039 --> 00:01:57.780 And then if I were to ask you to get a little more personal and to kind of go further down 00:01:57.780 --> 00:02:02.280 on your piece of paper and to write down what are the most pressing concerns in your life? 00:02:03.159 --> 00:02:07.420 What are the things that are weighing on you right now? 00:02:08.159 --> 00:02:09.599 I wonder what it would be. 00:02:09.780 --> 00:02:12.699 Maybe for some of us it would be seasonal depression. 00:02:13.340 --> 00:02:16.420 The holidays can be tremendously challenging for some people. 00:02:16.520 --> 00:02:21.639 Going to see your family, if you have family to visit for Thanksgiving, can be mixed. 00:02:21.639 --> 00:02:27.000 It can be kind of good but it can also awaken and open old wounds and tear off old scabs. 00:02:27.000 --> 00:02:33.460 If you've lost people and are grieving those losses, holidays can be tremendously painful. 00:02:34.620 --> 00:02:36.400 So maybe it's seasonal depression. 00:02:36.539 --> 00:02:37.780 Maybe it's chronic pain. 00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:39.199 Maybe it's debt. 00:02:39.300 --> 00:02:40.240 Maybe it's school debt. 00:02:41.099 --> 00:02:42.780 Maybe it's a struggling marriage. 00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:44.840 Maybe it's loneliness. 00:02:46.020 --> 00:02:47.460 Maybe it's job stress. 00:02:48.460 --> 00:02:50.460 Maybe you're contemplating a massive transition. 00:02:51.240 --> 00:02:54.819 All of these are things that we kind of bring in the door when we come here. 00:02:54.819 --> 00:03:04.099 And Christianity would say that all of these challenges exist because the world is not as it should be. 00:03:04.879 --> 00:03:07.979 That life is not as it should be. 00:03:09.259 --> 00:03:14.000 And this is primarily because our relationships have broken down. 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:28.900 And Christianity would say that you can take all of these challenges and fit them into sort of four categories of relationships that have broken down as a result of what Christians call the fall. 00:03:29.020 --> 00:03:31.560 Which we're going to talk more about in just a little while. 00:03:32.199 --> 00:03:38.599 But as we talk about these four kinds of relationships, we can think of it as sort of four concentric circles. 00:03:38.599 --> 00:03:44.359 At the very center, our relationship with God is broken. 00:03:44.500 --> 00:03:46.159 And that's what we're going to talk about this morning. 00:03:46.780 --> 00:03:50.879 But then also, our relationship with ourself is broken. 00:03:51.340 --> 00:03:52.479 We're fragmented. 00:03:52.620 --> 00:03:56.919 A lot of times we say and do things and we have no idea why we said or did them. 00:03:57.439 --> 00:04:02.599 We're motivated by drives and needs that are outside of our awareness. 00:04:02.599 --> 00:04:07.579 There's also a brokenness that exists in our relationships with other people. 00:04:07.719 --> 00:04:09.120 Marriages fall apart. 00:04:09.460 --> 00:04:10.780 Friendships fade. 00:04:10.939 --> 00:04:14.659 People live for years and years and years unable to form meaningful relationships. 00:04:15.719 --> 00:04:16.800 There is racism. 00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:17.779 There is injustice. 00:04:18.420 --> 00:04:21.560 There is a conflict between the genders. 00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:24.459 There is all manner of relational brokenness there. 00:04:24.800 --> 00:04:27.540 And then finally, our relationship with the natural world is broken. 00:04:27.540 --> 00:04:35.780 And all the anxieties we have about the future of our climate and the future of our environment are very real. 00:04:36.640 --> 00:04:40.300 Our understanding of our role in the world and our vocation is broken. 00:04:40.740 --> 00:04:46.480 So all of these relationships are relationships where Christians believe we need renewal. 00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:49.500 And so this is what we're going to be focusing on during the season of Advent. 00:04:49.580 --> 00:04:54.980 Each week, we're going to take one of these areas of relationship and we're going to talk about what the brokenness looks like. 00:04:54.980 --> 00:05:07.220 And then we're going to talk about why Jesus offers such tremendous hope for renewal in our relationship with God, ourselves, others, and the world that God has made and entrusted to us. 00:05:07.840 --> 00:05:14.140 So this week, very appropriately, we're going to be starting with our relationship with God. 00:05:14.139 --> 00:05:23.699 And so we're going to be doing this by looking at Mark chapters 1 and 2 beginning in verse 40 and we'll go through chapter 2 verse 17. 00:05:24.379 --> 00:05:34.139 And we see in these chapters three encounters that Jesus has that teach us about why our relationship with God is broken. 00:05:34.839 --> 00:05:36.819 It's because of something called sin. 00:05:36.819 --> 00:05:40.819 And sin has a lot of baggage and it's often misunderstood. 00:05:41.079 --> 00:05:45.819 So hopefully we'll leave with a little better understanding of what Christians mean when we actually talk about sin. 00:05:46.599 --> 00:05:52.079 So we're going to talk about that and then we're going to talk about how Jesus renews our relationship with God. 00:05:52.180 --> 00:05:55.680 So in other words, we're going to be talking about spiritual renewal. 00:05:56.360 --> 00:05:58.600 So these three encounters are as follows. 00:05:58.740 --> 00:06:02.639 The first encounter shows us the problem of sin. 00:06:02.719 --> 00:06:05.100 This is an encounter with a paralyzed man. 00:06:05.100 --> 00:06:06.240 The problem of sin. 00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:11.180 The second encounter is an encounter that Jesus has with a man who has leprosy. 00:06:11.460 --> 00:06:15.620 And that encounter shows us our inability to deal with sin. 00:06:16.500 --> 00:06:20.740 And then lastly, we'll see the encounter that Jesus has with Levi, the tax collector. 00:06:21.079 --> 00:06:24.079 And this will show us God's answer to sin. 00:06:24.199 --> 00:06:29.040 So the problem of sin, our inability to deal with sin, and God's answer to sin. 00:06:29.400 --> 00:06:29.840 Let's pray. 00:06:32.639 --> 00:06:34.460 Lord, we thank you for your word. 00:06:34.459 --> 00:06:38.759 Lord, were it not for Christmas, these would be merely words. 00:06:39.479 --> 00:06:45.099 But because you have come and because you are here, because you are Emmanuel, God with us, 00:06:45.519 --> 00:06:49.959 we know that we can open your word and trust that you will speak living words. 00:06:51.299 --> 00:06:53.159 The words we most need to hear. 00:06:53.160 --> 00:06:58.040 We pray that you would do just that, Lord, for our good and for your glory. 00:06:58.160 --> 00:06:59.260 In your son's holy name. 00:06:59.700 --> 00:07:00.000 Amen. 00:07:01.300 --> 00:07:06.240 So let's look at this first encounter, which shows us something about the problem of sin. 00:07:06.740 --> 00:07:11.020 The first encounter we're going to look at, actually, you may have missed this in the reading. 00:07:11.379 --> 00:07:13.540 It actually happens at Jesus' own home. 00:07:13.540 --> 00:07:20.180 We don't often think of Jesus having a home, but it says here, word spread that Jesus was at home. 00:07:20.700 --> 00:07:25.260 Now, this was most likely a place that he spent most of his time when he was in Capernaum. 00:07:25.500 --> 00:07:28.480 It might have been Peter's house where Peter and his family lived. 00:07:29.140 --> 00:07:36.580 But nevertheless, it says Jesus is home, which gives a little context to the events, I think. 00:07:36.579 --> 00:07:41.859 And so Jesus is at home in Capernaum, and he's teaching, and the place is packed. 00:07:41.939 --> 00:07:44.060 It's packed shoulder to shoulder, standing room only. 00:07:44.439 --> 00:07:49.959 And there are some men who want to bring their paralyzed friend in hopes that Jesus might heal him. 00:07:50.099 --> 00:07:54.479 But the only way that they can get their friend to Jesus is to climb up on the top of the house, 00:07:54.500 --> 00:07:58.219 which most likely had a kind of thatched roof, and to tear a hole in the roof, 00:07:58.339 --> 00:07:59.819 and then to lower the man down. 00:07:59.919 --> 00:08:06.219 If you recognize that this is actually Jesus' home, you know, it makes it a little more interesting. 00:08:06.220 --> 00:08:06.660 Right? 00:08:07.620 --> 00:08:15.940 And so Jesus looks up, and he sees this man being lowered down, and he sees the faith of these men, 00:08:16.100 --> 00:08:18.560 and then he looks at the man on the mat, and he says, 00:08:18.820 --> 00:08:21.220 Son, your sins are forgiven. 00:08:22.900 --> 00:08:24.760 Which is interesting for a number of reasons. 00:08:25.120 --> 00:08:25.320 Right? 00:08:26.200 --> 00:08:29.780 Maybe he's just talking about the sin of tearing a hole in his roof, 00:08:29.820 --> 00:08:31.660 but I don't think that he's just talking about that. 00:08:32.519 --> 00:08:34.240 I think he's talking about much more here. 00:08:34.240 --> 00:08:38.379 But the most interesting thing is that it's very obvious to everyone in the room 00:08:38.379 --> 00:08:41.620 that this man did not come to Jesus looking for absolution. 00:08:42.680 --> 00:08:44.840 He came so that he could walk again. 00:08:46.120 --> 00:08:49.759 And yet Jesus looks and he says, Son, your sins are forgiven. 00:08:51.279 --> 00:08:52.560 So what's going on here? 00:08:52.700 --> 00:08:56.220 Well, it's not that Jesus doesn't care about this man's disability. 00:08:56.360 --> 00:08:57.899 In fact, he does care. 00:08:57.899 --> 00:09:02.879 And as we know, a bit later in the story, Jesus actually heals the man, 00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:05.740 and he picks up his mat, and he walks home. 00:09:05.939 --> 00:09:09.039 But before Jesus heals him, he forgives him. 00:09:09.779 --> 00:09:16.779 And what this does is it makes it very clear that this man's deepest need is not to be healed of his paralysis. 00:09:17.240 --> 00:09:20.779 His deepest need is to be forgiven. 00:09:20.779 --> 00:09:23.980 It's to be reconciled to God. 00:09:24.120 --> 00:09:29.399 It's to have everything that stands between him and God removed and dealt with. 00:09:30.259 --> 00:09:35.139 It would be like going to a doctor because you have a persistent cough. 00:09:35.500 --> 00:09:40.259 And you go to the doctor because you want cough medicine so that you won't cough anymore. 00:09:40.259 --> 00:09:46.259 And upon examination, the doctor discovers that you, in fact, have a tumor in your lung. 00:09:46.580 --> 00:09:51.179 And it's not that the cough doesn't matter, but the tumor is much more severe. 00:09:52.039 --> 00:09:54.700 The cough is something that you were aware of. 00:09:54.740 --> 00:09:59.779 It was something that was nagging you, something that was always before your face. 00:10:00.259 --> 00:10:03.019 And that's the felt need that you had. 00:10:03.240 --> 00:10:05.340 The tumor you didn't even know was there. 00:10:05.439 --> 00:10:06.460 You didn't feel it. 00:10:06.460 --> 00:10:10.980 There was no indication that you could tell that it was even a problem. 00:10:11.340 --> 00:10:19.240 Only when the doctor examined you did you realize that you have a much more severe condition that needs to be dealt with and is likely contributing to your cough. 00:10:21.259 --> 00:10:26.220 And so in the same way, sin, when we talk about it, sin is the tumor in the chest of humanity. 00:10:27.500 --> 00:10:29.560 It's the tumor in the chest of humanity. 00:10:30.180 --> 00:10:35.660 It's the thing that sits underneath all of the other problems of the world. 00:10:36.460 --> 00:10:39.639 And in Genesis chapter 3, we see where this comes from. 00:10:40.680 --> 00:10:42.060 You read the creation account. 00:10:42.220 --> 00:10:47.379 God made human beings to love him and to love one another and to take care of the world. 00:10:48.680 --> 00:10:52.840 But human beings chose instead to try to become like God. 00:10:53.800 --> 00:10:55.420 They wanted to be independent. 00:10:55.660 --> 00:10:56.780 They wanted to be autonomous. 00:10:57.080 --> 00:11:01.860 They wanted to be able to decide for themselves the meaning of the world around them. 00:11:01.860 --> 00:11:07.820 They wanted to be able to decide for themselves the difference between right and wrong, good and evil. 00:11:07.940 --> 00:11:10.899 And as a result, this broke our relationship with God. 00:11:11.700 --> 00:11:19.480 And so what we believe as Christians is that everybody is born cut off from the God who made them. 00:11:19.539 --> 00:11:27.560 Which means everyone is born cut off from the source of life and vitality in the universe. 00:11:27.559 --> 00:11:35.299 And so we believe that this is the reason that we have all other kinds of sickness in the world. 00:11:35.339 --> 00:11:39.199 Because we are cut off from that source of life and vitality. 00:11:39.339 --> 00:11:42.500 This is the reason that we live in a world where people get paralyzed. 00:11:44.019 --> 00:11:45.799 And have to be carried around on mats. 00:11:46.779 --> 00:11:49.899 This is the reason that we live in a world where marriages fall apart. 00:11:50.739 --> 00:11:55.139 This is the reason we live in a world where there is infertility and miscarriage. 00:11:55.139 --> 00:11:59.980 This is the reason we live in a world where there is racism and poverty and war. 00:12:00.539 --> 00:12:05.439 This is the reason why from the moment we are born we begin slowly to die. 00:12:06.679 --> 00:12:11.199 It's because we are cut off from the source of life and vitality in the universe. 00:12:12.340 --> 00:12:17.399 And so this encounter shows us that our deepest problem is sin. 00:12:19.220 --> 00:12:20.539 We may not feel it. 00:12:21.460 --> 00:12:23.240 We may not be aware of it. 00:12:23.240 --> 00:12:25.360 I was talking to somebody just a few days ago. 00:12:25.620 --> 00:12:26.279 Not a Christian. 00:12:26.480 --> 00:12:28.419 But the topic of sin came up. 00:12:28.519 --> 00:12:33.440 And she was asking a bit about what sin is and what I think about that. 00:12:33.500 --> 00:12:35.519 Because she said it's a very archaic term. 00:12:35.680 --> 00:12:38.360 And it sounds very judgmental to talk about sin. 00:12:38.580 --> 00:12:42.019 It sounds very, you know, I get uncomfortable with the idea of sin. 00:12:42.100 --> 00:12:44.820 Most people this day and age don't like to talk about sin. 00:12:44.940 --> 00:12:46.120 We think of the Puritans. 00:12:46.220 --> 00:12:48.440 We think of a kind of archaic religion. 00:12:48.440 --> 00:12:56.440 And yet I have yet to meet a person who doesn't recognize that there is something not right about the world. 00:12:57.240 --> 00:13:01.280 And the word for that, that we would use, would be sin. 00:13:01.420 --> 00:13:03.020 A broken relationship with God. 00:13:04.220 --> 00:13:08.360 And any approach to fixing ourselves, any approach to fixing the world, 00:13:08.560 --> 00:13:13.580 that does not recognize the tumor is simply going to be a band-aid. 00:13:13.580 --> 00:13:15.860 It's going to be a cough suppressant. 00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:17.500 It's going to be an aspirin. 00:13:17.940 --> 00:13:19.580 When what we really need is surgery. 00:13:20.800 --> 00:13:22.900 So this leads to our second encounter. 00:13:23.300 --> 00:13:27.620 Which is an encounter that actually in Mark's gospel happens before this encounter. 00:13:28.100 --> 00:13:31.400 It happens in chapter 1, verse 40 through 45. 00:13:31.759 --> 00:13:33.600 But the second encounter that we're going to look at 00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:38.600 is the encounter that Jesus has with another man who has leprosy. 00:13:38.600 --> 00:13:44.180 And this shows us why the problem of sin is one that we cannot deal with on our own. 00:13:44.820 --> 00:13:47.620 We are fundamentally unable to deal with it. 00:13:48.600 --> 00:13:54.580 So in Mark 1, 40 to 45, a man with leprosy comes to Jesus, begging to be healed. 00:13:55.159 --> 00:13:57.460 Now here's the thing that we need to understand about leprosy. 00:13:58.440 --> 00:14:04.720 Leprosy, if you had leprosy as a person, you were not allowed into towns. 00:14:04.720 --> 00:14:07.840 You were not allowed into the temple to worship. 00:14:08.360 --> 00:14:11.879 Because if you had leprosy, you were considered to be unclean. 00:14:11.940 --> 00:14:13.340 And I don't just mean contagious. 00:14:13.720 --> 00:14:15.940 This wasn't just about a health issue. 00:14:16.560 --> 00:14:19.000 You were considered to be religiously unclean. 00:14:19.660 --> 00:14:20.899 Spiritually unclean. 00:14:21.600 --> 00:14:25.120 And that uncleanness was considered to be contagious. 00:14:25.360 --> 00:14:28.040 So if you have leprosy and I were to touch you, 00:14:28.039 --> 00:14:33.179 your spiritual contagion would then infect me. 00:14:33.299 --> 00:14:35.459 And I would become unclean like you. 00:14:35.579 --> 00:14:38.480 And so there were lots of regulations for people with leprosy 00:14:38.480 --> 00:14:41.519 to keep them separate from the general population. 00:14:41.679 --> 00:14:43.139 They lived as outcasts. 00:14:43.779 --> 00:14:46.579 And the focus of this story, we need to understand, 00:14:47.579 --> 00:14:52.360 the focus of this story is on the clean, unclean distinction. 00:14:52.839 --> 00:14:57.079 Because the priests at the temple had no ability to cure leprosy. 00:14:57.080 --> 00:15:01.500 They had no rites or rituals or medicinal practices to cure it. 00:15:02.340 --> 00:15:08.379 A priest's job was simply to declare clean or unclean. 00:15:09.100 --> 00:15:11.580 And so if somebody was suspected of having leprosy, 00:15:11.639 --> 00:15:13.100 they would be brought before the priests. 00:15:13.240 --> 00:15:14.680 The priests would examine them. 00:15:15.180 --> 00:15:17.139 If it turned out that they did have leprosy, 00:15:17.200 --> 00:15:19.200 they would declare that person to be unclean. 00:15:19.379 --> 00:15:22.580 And from that moment on, that person would live as an outcast. 00:15:22.580 --> 00:15:27.320 They would be cast out of normal society, so to speak. 00:15:27.320 --> 00:15:31.820 From that point forward, 00:15:32.760 --> 00:15:36.680 that person with leprosy would probably have very little human contact. 00:15:36.920 --> 00:15:38.180 It was a very lonely life. 00:15:39.260 --> 00:15:42.379 So this is why, after Jesus heals the man, 00:15:44.060 --> 00:15:45.560 Jesus specifically says, 00:15:45.620 --> 00:15:46.000 he says, 00:15:46.379 --> 00:15:48.580 don't go and tell the public about this, 00:15:48.580 --> 00:15:52.080 because once the word gets out, 00:15:52.120 --> 00:15:52.940 as we see, 00:15:53.139 --> 00:15:56.720 Jesus finds it very difficult to travel anywhere 00:15:56.720 --> 00:15:59.460 because the people are thronging around him. 00:15:59.900 --> 00:16:00.160 He says, 00:16:00.320 --> 00:16:02.620 don't go brag to your friends about this, 00:16:03.139 --> 00:16:04.520 but do go to the temple 00:16:04.520 --> 00:16:08.580 and do present yourself according to all that Moses has commanded you. 00:16:08.680 --> 00:16:09.040 Why? 00:16:09.300 --> 00:16:11.460 What's Jesus' primary concern here? 00:16:12.180 --> 00:16:12.700 He says, 00:16:12.960 --> 00:16:14.040 I will heal you. 00:16:14.420 --> 00:16:15.120 Be clean. 00:16:15.120 --> 00:16:15.980 And he says, 00:16:16.279 --> 00:16:17.279 now you need to go to the temple. 00:16:17.460 --> 00:16:17.620 Why? 00:16:17.720 --> 00:16:19.379 Because it was the priest's job 00:16:19.379 --> 00:16:22.019 to declare somebody an outcast, unclean, 00:16:22.159 --> 00:16:23.799 or to declare that they were now clean 00:16:23.799 --> 00:16:25.039 and could rejoin the community. 00:16:25.340 --> 00:16:27.060 And so Jesus' primary concern 00:16:27.060 --> 00:16:29.799 is that this person who has been living as an outcast 00:16:29.799 --> 00:16:31.879 be reinstated 00:16:31.879 --> 00:16:35.899 as an active member of the Jewish community. 00:16:36.399 --> 00:16:36.679 So he says, 00:16:36.759 --> 00:16:39.680 go because there was a very lengthy involved process 00:16:39.680 --> 00:16:42.879 of reinstating somebody as being clean. 00:16:42.879 --> 00:16:43.680 And Jesus says, 00:16:43.759 --> 00:16:44.600 I've made you clean. 00:16:45.120 --> 00:16:47.700 So that you can rejoin the community. 00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:50.759 You will be clean again 00:16:50.759 --> 00:16:52.460 and you will live like a clean person. 00:16:53.659 --> 00:16:56.519 Now there's so much in this story that we could focus on. 00:16:56.580 --> 00:16:58.299 One of my favorite details is the fact 00:16:58.299 --> 00:17:00.720 that when this man begs Jesus to heal him, 00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:01.519 Jesus says, 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:02.000 I will. 00:17:02.220 --> 00:17:04.259 And Jesus could have healed him with a thought. 00:17:04.819 --> 00:17:08.200 And yet Jesus reaches out and he touches this man. 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:09.619 And I love that detail 00:17:09.619 --> 00:17:12.819 because it shows the compassion of Jesus. 00:17:12.819 --> 00:17:14.679 This man has probably not been touched 00:17:14.679 --> 00:17:16.539 by another human being in years. 00:17:16.939 --> 00:17:18.500 And as we may know, 00:17:18.599 --> 00:17:20.240 human contact is essential. 00:17:20.779 --> 00:17:21.559 It's essential. 00:17:22.059 --> 00:17:23.960 People wither and die without human contact. 00:17:24.759 --> 00:17:26.839 And so Jesus reaches out and he touches this man. 00:17:26.919 --> 00:17:28.200 It's purely an act of compassion. 00:17:28.659 --> 00:17:29.899 There are lots of details like that 00:17:29.899 --> 00:17:31.179 that we could focus on. 00:17:31.180 --> 00:17:34.480 But the thing that I want to focus on 00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:36.200 is that this story shows us 00:17:36.200 --> 00:17:38.080 why sin is the kind of problem 00:17:38.080 --> 00:17:41.160 that human beings cannot solve on our own. 00:17:41.740 --> 00:17:42.539 As I said, 00:17:42.820 --> 00:17:45.019 the priest cannot cure leprosy. 00:17:45.720 --> 00:17:47.019 All the priest can do 00:17:47.019 --> 00:17:49.920 is to determine clean or unclean. 00:17:50.019 --> 00:17:50.960 All the priest can do 00:17:50.960 --> 00:17:52.000 is to draw a line. 00:17:52.000 --> 00:17:54.460 And in the same way, 00:17:55.220 --> 00:17:57.539 we as human beings cannot cure sin. 00:17:58.980 --> 00:18:00.200 All we can do 00:18:00.200 --> 00:18:03.900 is to declare people either clean or unclean. 00:18:04.720 --> 00:18:06.440 And that may sound odd to you, 00:18:06.519 --> 00:18:07.339 but I would suggest 00:18:07.339 --> 00:18:09.099 that we see this impulse 00:18:09.099 --> 00:18:11.819 all around us in society. 00:18:12.299 --> 00:18:14.839 I recognize that something is wrong with the world, 00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:17.180 but I'm powerless to solve the problem. 00:18:17.279 --> 00:18:18.400 But what I can do 00:18:18.400 --> 00:18:20.240 is to determine the difference 00:18:20.240 --> 00:18:21.940 according to my standard 00:18:21.940 --> 00:18:24.180 between who I would consider to be clean 00:18:24.180 --> 00:18:26.819 and the people that I would consider to be unclean. 00:18:26.880 --> 00:18:30.579 And this is a fundamental human religious impulse 00:18:30.579 --> 00:18:31.380 that you'll find 00:18:31.380 --> 00:18:33.720 even in the most strident atheist. 00:18:34.299 --> 00:18:37.900 The internet has made new forms of public shaming possible 00:18:37.900 --> 00:18:40.380 that were never possible before. 00:18:41.299 --> 00:18:41.940 Every week, 00:18:42.019 --> 00:18:43.299 there are new examples of people 00:18:43.299 --> 00:18:44.500 who said the wrong thing 00:18:44.500 --> 00:18:46.680 or did the wrong thing 00:18:46.680 --> 00:18:49.339 or something from their past 00:18:49.339 --> 00:18:50.639 resurfaces. 00:18:51.339 --> 00:18:52.859 And those people are declared 00:18:52.859 --> 00:18:54.059 to be unclean. 00:18:54.919 --> 00:18:56.399 They are cast out. 00:18:57.500 --> 00:19:00.279 They are excluded 00:19:00.279 --> 00:19:03.179 from normal society. 00:19:03.679 --> 00:19:04.879 And they are shunned 00:19:04.879 --> 00:19:06.439 and ignored by all of their peers. 00:19:07.419 --> 00:19:08.859 There's the rise among 00:19:08.859 --> 00:19:10.819 high school and college students 00:19:10.819 --> 00:19:12.480 you may have read about cancel culture. 00:19:12.899 --> 00:19:13.819 There's debate over 00:19:13.819 --> 00:19:16.279 whether this is in fact really happening 00:19:16.279 --> 00:19:17.839 or whether it's more of a joke. 00:19:17.940 --> 00:19:18.619 My sense is 00:19:18.619 --> 00:19:20.440 from what I've heard and read 00:19:20.440 --> 00:19:21.399 that it's a little bit of both. 00:19:21.500 --> 00:19:22.279 That there are places 00:19:22.279 --> 00:19:24.160 where this is actually taken very seriously. 00:19:24.759 --> 00:19:25.279 And someone, 00:19:25.480 --> 00:19:26.720 if they make a misstep 00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:27.899 or say the wrong thing 00:19:27.899 --> 00:19:30.579 or identify it as being potentially harmful 00:19:30.579 --> 00:19:31.759 or saying or doing things 00:19:31.759 --> 00:19:32.240 that are offensive, 00:19:32.359 --> 00:19:33.180 they will be canceled. 00:19:33.379 --> 00:19:34.920 Meaning they are shunned 00:19:34.920 --> 00:19:36.339 and ignored by all of their peers. 00:19:37.059 --> 00:19:38.200 And there are accounts of people 00:19:38.200 --> 00:19:39.559 who are deeply traumatized by this 00:19:39.559 --> 00:19:40.680 because they don't know that it's happened. 00:19:40.759 --> 00:19:41.220 All of a sudden, 00:19:41.279 --> 00:19:42.599 they begin to figure out 00:19:42.599 --> 00:19:44.000 that nobody is talking to them 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:45.380 or interacting with them 00:19:45.380 --> 00:19:46.740 in any way, shape, or form. 00:19:46.819 --> 00:19:47.640 They've been canceled. 00:19:48.759 --> 00:19:50.119 Now, best case scenario, 00:19:50.380 --> 00:19:51.779 this is a way for the powerless 00:19:51.779 --> 00:19:53.460 to call out those in power. 00:19:53.839 --> 00:19:55.519 It democratizes things 00:19:55.519 --> 00:19:57.400 such that anyone can have a voice 00:19:57.400 --> 00:19:58.900 and hold anyone else accountable. 00:19:59.000 --> 00:20:00.319 That's the argument for it. 00:20:01.599 --> 00:20:02.640 But what I would say is 00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:03.839 all too often, 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:06.900 it devolves into just another power play. 00:20:08.660 --> 00:20:10.720 It's a kind of mob justice 00:20:10.720 --> 00:20:12.160 that plays out on the internet. 00:20:12.160 --> 00:20:13.840 And you know, 00:20:13.860 --> 00:20:14.560 it's interesting because, 00:20:14.759 --> 00:20:15.100 you know, 00:20:15.140 --> 00:20:16.460 as I read Mark, 00:20:16.880 --> 00:20:18.259 and probably as you read Mark, 00:20:18.340 --> 00:20:19.800 we think that the idea 00:20:19.800 --> 00:20:23.000 that just because somebody has a disease, 00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:25.240 they would be considered unclean, 00:20:26.320 --> 00:20:27.600 we think that that's horrible. 00:20:27.759 --> 00:20:29.900 How could any society operate that way? 00:20:29.960 --> 00:20:31.120 Just because you have a disease, 00:20:31.259 --> 00:20:32.420 you're considered unclean 00:20:32.420 --> 00:20:33.860 and you're treated as an outcast? 00:20:34.860 --> 00:20:36.480 And yet I wonder what they would think 00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:37.860 if they were to look at our society 00:20:37.860 --> 00:20:39.180 and they would realize 00:20:39.180 --> 00:20:41.320 that somebody is considered unclean 00:20:41.319 --> 00:20:42.960 simply because of the way they think, 00:20:43.980 --> 00:20:45.460 simply because of their beliefs, 00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:46.960 simply because they hold 00:20:46.960 --> 00:20:48.279 to unpopular opinions. 00:20:48.859 --> 00:20:50.099 They're treated as unclean. 00:20:50.379 --> 00:20:51.700 It's interesting in our society 00:20:51.700 --> 00:20:52.799 to see more and more and more 00:20:52.799 --> 00:20:54.839 as there is the interplay 00:20:54.839 --> 00:20:57.299 and sort of exchange of ideas 00:20:57.299 --> 00:20:58.899 that is now possible on the internet 00:20:58.899 --> 00:21:00.980 and as we're coming into contact 00:21:00.980 --> 00:21:02.740 potentially with so many different ways 00:21:02.740 --> 00:21:04.079 of thinking and different points of view, 00:21:04.480 --> 00:21:06.319 it's a kind of intellectual germophobia 00:21:06.319 --> 00:21:07.980 that has developed. 00:21:09.279 --> 00:21:09.419 Right? 00:21:09.480 --> 00:21:10.839 People treat going into the internet 00:21:10.839 --> 00:21:13.480 like going into a really dirty public bathroom. 00:21:14.439 --> 00:21:15.099 You know, and it's like, 00:21:15.359 --> 00:21:18.279 and the possibility that I might come in contact 00:21:18.279 --> 00:21:20.000 with another way of thinking 00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:21.099 or another set of beliefs 00:21:21.099 --> 00:21:23.439 that might challenge me or offend me 00:21:23.439 --> 00:21:26.019 or disagree with me 00:21:26.019 --> 00:21:28.899 is almost treated like a germ 00:21:28.899 --> 00:21:31.379 that I need to isolate myself from. 00:21:31.380 --> 00:21:33.020 And so increasingly people's tendency 00:21:33.020 --> 00:21:35.020 is to quarantine themselves 00:21:35.020 --> 00:21:37.620 so that they don't come in contact 00:21:37.620 --> 00:21:40.400 with unclean ideas 00:21:40.400 --> 00:21:43.320 lest they become unclean. 00:21:44.380 --> 00:21:45.900 And most importantly, 00:21:46.780 --> 00:21:48.440 as we look at the issues 00:21:48.440 --> 00:21:50.580 that most people care about, 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:53.340 as we look at the issues 00:21:53.340 --> 00:21:56.660 that most often cause somebody 00:21:56.660 --> 00:21:58.540 to be ostracized 00:21:58.540 --> 00:22:00.800 or publicly called out, 00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:03.059 issues that we all want to see ended, 00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:04.259 issues like racism, 00:22:04.779 --> 00:22:06.200 issues like sexual assault, 00:22:07.180 --> 00:22:08.960 the hard thing about all of this 00:22:08.960 --> 00:22:10.000 is that these issues 00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:12.059 cannot be cured by public shaming. 00:22:12.759 --> 00:22:14.740 You will never cure racism 00:22:14.740 --> 00:22:16.259 by publicly shaming people 00:22:16.259 --> 00:22:18.259 any more than leprosy 00:22:18.259 --> 00:22:20.240 can be cured by public shaming. 00:22:21.919 --> 00:22:22.480 Right? 00:22:22.559 --> 00:22:23.440 It's not a cure. 00:22:24.539 --> 00:22:25.899 What we can do, 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:26.899 all we can do 00:22:26.899 --> 00:22:28.299 is to create a culture 00:22:28.299 --> 00:22:29.599 where people learn 00:22:29.599 --> 00:22:30.839 how to curate 00:22:30.839 --> 00:22:33.059 everything they say and do 00:22:33.059 --> 00:22:35.519 so as to appear clean. 00:22:37.039 --> 00:22:38.599 We can create a culture 00:22:38.599 --> 00:22:39.279 where people 00:22:39.279 --> 00:22:40.480 are very good 00:22:40.480 --> 00:22:42.139 at acting like they're woke, 00:22:42.359 --> 00:22:43.639 acting like they're enlightened, 00:22:43.919 --> 00:22:44.839 acting like they're 00:22:44.839 --> 00:22:46.579 on the right side of history. 00:22:47.740 --> 00:22:48.899 But these issues 00:22:48.899 --> 00:22:50.180 are not actually dealt with. 00:22:50.279 --> 00:22:51.539 They're simply hidden. 00:22:52.099 --> 00:22:52.879 They're buried. 00:22:52.880 --> 00:22:56.240 Unless the tumor of sin 00:22:56.240 --> 00:22:57.060 is removed, 00:22:57.180 --> 00:22:58.340 it's all cosmetic. 00:22:59.500 --> 00:23:00.440 There is no cure. 00:23:02.020 --> 00:23:03.400 And when it comes to sin, 00:23:03.680 --> 00:23:05.240 all human beings can do 00:23:05.240 --> 00:23:07.260 is to divide clean 00:23:07.260 --> 00:23:07.880 from unclean. 00:23:09.100 --> 00:23:10.320 And simply put, 00:23:10.380 --> 00:23:11.460 we need a better solution. 00:23:12.300 --> 00:23:13.340 We need a better answer. 00:23:14.140 --> 00:23:15.000 And so this leads us 00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:16.540 to the third and final encounter 00:23:16.540 --> 00:23:17.740 that we'll look at this morning 00:23:17.740 --> 00:23:19.420 in Mark chapter 2, 00:23:19.480 --> 00:23:20.620 verses 13 to 17, 00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:22.380 God's answer to sin. 00:23:23.440 --> 00:23:24.500 And this third encounter, 00:23:24.640 --> 00:23:25.300 let's just be honest, 00:23:25.380 --> 00:23:26.080 this third encounter 00:23:26.080 --> 00:23:26.880 is a bit different 00:23:26.880 --> 00:23:27.700 from the other two. 00:23:28.300 --> 00:23:28.980 Most people, 00:23:29.100 --> 00:23:29.440 if they look, 00:23:29.500 --> 00:23:30.360 even in the first century, 00:23:30.440 --> 00:23:31.240 if you looked at a man 00:23:31.240 --> 00:23:32.240 who had leprosy, 00:23:32.320 --> 00:23:33.160 you would feel pity. 00:23:33.760 --> 00:23:34.840 You would feel compassion. 00:23:35.500 --> 00:23:36.460 If you looked at a man 00:23:36.460 --> 00:23:37.520 who's paralyzed on a mat, 00:23:37.580 --> 00:23:38.280 you would feel pity. 00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:39.720 You would feel compassion. 00:23:40.860 --> 00:23:41.820 But when you saw 00:23:41.820 --> 00:23:42.640 a tax collector, 00:23:43.160 --> 00:23:44.400 there would be no pity. 00:23:45.120 --> 00:23:46.240 There would be no compassion. 00:23:46.840 --> 00:23:47.900 Because tax collectors 00:23:47.900 --> 00:23:48.760 were Jews 00:23:48.760 --> 00:23:50.080 who had essentially 00:23:50.080 --> 00:23:52.240 sided with the Roman occupiers. 00:23:52.880 --> 00:23:55.320 And they worked for Rome. 00:23:55.720 --> 00:23:57.260 And they would go around 00:23:57.260 --> 00:23:58.440 and collect taxes 00:23:58.440 --> 00:23:59.780 from their own people. 00:24:00.280 --> 00:24:01.260 And they would often 00:24:01.260 --> 00:24:02.580 collect more money 00:24:02.580 --> 00:24:04.120 than was actually required 00:24:04.120 --> 00:24:06.320 to pad their own pockets. 00:24:06.820 --> 00:24:07.780 So they were often 00:24:07.780 --> 00:24:08.580 very corrupt 00:24:08.580 --> 00:24:09.220 and they were seen 00:24:09.220 --> 00:24:09.920 as traitors 00:24:09.920 --> 00:24:10.580 to their people. 00:24:10.920 --> 00:24:12.260 They used their power 00:24:12.260 --> 00:24:13.960 that many believed 00:24:13.960 --> 00:24:15.660 was gained through betrayal 00:24:15.660 --> 00:24:17.820 to abuse and exploit 00:24:17.820 --> 00:24:20.040 their own people. 00:24:20.040 --> 00:24:21.400 So think of someone 00:24:21.400 --> 00:24:22.660 like Bernie Madoff. 00:24:23.120 --> 00:24:23.779 Think of someone 00:24:23.779 --> 00:24:25.120 like Harvey Weinstein. 00:24:25.980 --> 00:24:26.160 Right? 00:24:27.640 --> 00:24:29.380 These are the kind of images 00:24:29.380 --> 00:24:31.200 that would help us understand 00:24:31.200 --> 00:24:32.759 a tax collector 00:24:32.759 --> 00:24:34.960 in first century perspective. 00:24:35.460 --> 00:24:36.680 People who use their power 00:24:36.680 --> 00:24:38.180 to exploit and abuse 00:24:38.180 --> 00:24:39.220 other people. 00:24:39.700 --> 00:24:40.440 This is how people 00:24:40.440 --> 00:24:41.300 would have seen Levi. 00:24:41.299 --> 00:24:41.460 Levi. 00:24:42.659 --> 00:24:44.619 And Levi doesn't just need 00:24:44.619 --> 00:24:45.220 to be healed 00:24:45.220 --> 00:24:46.079 of a disability. 00:24:46.440 --> 00:24:47.200 He doesn't just need 00:24:47.200 --> 00:24:47.700 to be healed 00:24:47.700 --> 00:24:48.819 of a skin condition. 00:24:49.980 --> 00:24:50.680 Levi needs 00:24:50.680 --> 00:24:52.500 an entirely new identity. 00:24:53.319 --> 00:24:55.019 Levi needs to be rebuilt 00:24:55.019 --> 00:24:57.079 from the ground up. 00:24:57.440 --> 00:24:58.519 And this is what Jesus 00:24:58.519 --> 00:24:59.339 gives him 00:24:59.339 --> 00:25:00.599 when Jesus looks at him 00:25:00.599 --> 00:25:01.259 and he says, 00:25:01.500 --> 00:25:02.480 follow me. 00:25:03.299 --> 00:25:04.359 He's not just healing 00:25:04.359 --> 00:25:04.879 a disease. 00:25:05.799 --> 00:25:06.460 He's saying, 00:25:06.599 --> 00:25:07.200 I want you to leave 00:25:07.200 --> 00:25:07.819 everything 00:25:07.819 --> 00:25:08.839 and I want you to come 00:25:08.839 --> 00:25:09.480 and I want you 00:25:09.480 --> 00:25:10.559 to attach yourself 00:25:10.559 --> 00:25:11.099 to me. 00:25:11.459 --> 00:25:12.500 And when Jesus calls 00:25:12.500 --> 00:25:13.699 someone to be his disciple, 00:25:13.959 --> 00:25:14.679 he's doing a couple 00:25:14.679 --> 00:25:15.039 of things. 00:25:15.279 --> 00:25:16.000 First, he's saying, 00:25:16.139 --> 00:25:16.980 from now on, 00:25:17.119 --> 00:25:18.599 I want you to belong 00:25:18.599 --> 00:25:19.059 to me. 00:25:20.199 --> 00:25:21.000 From now on, 00:25:21.019 --> 00:25:21.379 in other words, 00:25:21.579 --> 00:25:22.759 no one will look at Levi 00:25:22.759 --> 00:25:23.459 and think of him 00:25:23.459 --> 00:25:24.019 as a traitor. 00:25:24.599 --> 00:25:25.559 No one will look at Levi 00:25:25.559 --> 00:25:26.139 and think of him 00:25:26.139 --> 00:25:27.240 as someone who betrayed 00:25:27.240 --> 00:25:28.919 or abused his power 00:25:28.919 --> 00:25:29.980 or exploited people. 00:25:30.159 --> 00:25:31.019 From this point forward, 00:25:31.099 --> 00:25:31.720 Jesus is saying, 00:25:31.980 --> 00:25:32.639 I want you to be 00:25:32.639 --> 00:25:33.599 associated with me. 00:25:34.819 --> 00:25:36.000 When people look at you, 00:25:36.059 --> 00:25:36.659 they will see you 00:25:36.659 --> 00:25:37.899 as a follower of me. 00:25:38.440 --> 00:25:39.120 My identity 00:25:39.120 --> 00:25:40.200 will become your identity. 00:25:41.120 --> 00:25:41.759 And that leads 00:25:41.759 --> 00:25:42.400 to the second thing 00:25:42.400 --> 00:25:43.040 Jesus is doing 00:25:43.040 --> 00:25:43.460 when he says, 00:25:43.759 --> 00:25:44.040 follow me, 00:25:44.180 --> 00:25:45.140 he's calling Levi 00:25:45.140 --> 00:25:46.519 to become like him. 00:25:47.480 --> 00:25:47.960 He's saying, 00:25:48.040 --> 00:25:49.300 I want you to live with me. 00:25:50.180 --> 00:25:51.740 I want you to do what I do. 00:25:51.840 --> 00:25:52.720 I want you to speak 00:25:52.720 --> 00:25:53.480 how I speak. 00:25:53.960 --> 00:25:54.680 I want you to go 00:25:54.680 --> 00:25:55.380 where I go. 00:25:56.620 --> 00:25:58.600 I want you to so meld 00:25:58.600 --> 00:25:59.620 your identity with mine 00:25:59.620 --> 00:26:01.200 that we become interchangeable. 00:26:02.640 --> 00:26:02.860 Right? 00:26:02.900 --> 00:26:03.880 It's like somebody 00:26:03.880 --> 00:26:05.400 learning to dance 00:26:05.400 --> 00:26:07.019 and you watch the person 00:26:07.019 --> 00:26:08.000 and you follow the moves 00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:09.039 and slowly but surely 00:26:09.039 --> 00:26:10.900 it becomes more natural to you 00:26:10.900 --> 00:26:11.960 and more natural to you 00:26:11.960 --> 00:26:13.859 until it is no longer 00:26:13.859 --> 00:26:14.440 choreography 00:26:14.440 --> 00:26:15.339 that you're following. 00:26:15.559 --> 00:26:17.139 It becomes the way you dance. 00:26:17.220 --> 00:26:18.259 It becomes the way you move 00:26:18.259 --> 00:26:18.920 because your body 00:26:18.920 --> 00:26:20.339 has learned how to do it 00:26:20.339 --> 00:26:22.019 and it has become innate. 00:26:22.480 --> 00:26:23.139 And Jesus is saying, 00:26:23.240 --> 00:26:24.359 I want you to follow me 00:26:24.359 --> 00:26:25.720 as closely as possible 00:26:25.720 --> 00:26:27.440 and become in every way like me. 00:26:28.119 --> 00:26:30.200 And this is what a disciple is. 00:26:31.559 --> 00:26:33.099 So God's answer to sin, 00:26:33.180 --> 00:26:33.980 just to kind of make 00:26:33.980 --> 00:26:34.779 the point clear, 00:26:35.960 --> 00:26:37.420 we often as kind of, 00:26:37.460 --> 00:26:37.640 you know, 00:26:37.700 --> 00:26:39.160 20th and 21st century 00:26:39.160 --> 00:26:40.299 evangelical Christians, 00:26:40.500 --> 00:26:41.099 many of us kind of 00:26:41.099 --> 00:26:42.059 came out of that background, 00:26:42.620 --> 00:26:44.440 we often think of 00:26:44.440 --> 00:26:46.059 God's answer to sin 00:26:46.059 --> 00:26:47.519 as simply being about forgiveness, 00:26:47.720 --> 00:26:48.400 which it is. 00:26:48.460 --> 00:26:49.279 That's the core of it. 00:26:50.460 --> 00:26:51.839 But it doesn't end there. 00:26:52.519 --> 00:26:53.500 God's answer to sin 00:26:53.500 --> 00:26:53.839 in the world 00:26:53.839 --> 00:26:56.240 isn't just to forgive people, 00:26:56.440 --> 00:26:57.700 it's discipleship. 00:26:58.579 --> 00:26:59.620 That's God's answer 00:26:59.620 --> 00:27:00.460 because God says, 00:27:00.700 --> 00:27:01.140 you don't just need 00:27:01.140 --> 00:27:01.779 to be forgiven, 00:27:02.039 --> 00:27:03.120 you need a new identity. 00:27:03.119 --> 00:27:04.539 You need to relearn 00:27:04.539 --> 00:27:05.679 how to be a human being. 00:27:06.279 --> 00:27:07.579 So come and follow me. 00:27:08.879 --> 00:27:10.059 So we look at Jesus, 00:27:10.219 --> 00:27:11.159 Jesus lived the life 00:27:11.159 --> 00:27:12.019 that we should have lived, 00:27:12.759 --> 00:27:13.659 Jesus died the death 00:27:13.659 --> 00:27:14.159 that we deserve 00:27:14.159 --> 00:27:15.119 to die on the cross, 00:27:15.919 --> 00:27:17.279 Jesus rose from death, 00:27:18.099 --> 00:27:19.500 but when Jesus rose from death, 00:27:19.559 --> 00:27:20.419 he didn't just say, 00:27:20.599 --> 00:27:20.799 okay, 00:27:21.159 --> 00:27:22.179 I've dealt with your sin, 00:27:22.399 --> 00:27:23.279 you're all forgiven, 00:27:23.759 --> 00:27:24.719 have a nice life. 00:27:25.139 --> 00:27:25.279 Right? 00:27:25.399 --> 00:27:26.359 What Jesus did was 00:27:26.359 --> 00:27:27.179 to immediately 00:27:27.179 --> 00:27:28.399 establish the church. 00:27:29.759 --> 00:27:31.159 He established the church. 00:27:31.160 --> 00:27:33.660 And what is the church? 00:27:33.759 --> 00:27:34.900 Why is the church even here? 00:27:36.140 --> 00:27:37.400 You might think of the church 00:27:37.400 --> 00:27:39.640 like a spiritual rehab center. 00:27:41.220 --> 00:27:42.279 This is a place 00:27:42.279 --> 00:27:43.640 of spiritual rehabilitation 00:27:43.640 --> 00:27:45.900 where people like Levi, 00:27:47.200 --> 00:27:48.120 people like me, 00:27:48.800 --> 00:27:49.700 people like you, 00:27:50.220 --> 00:27:51.800 can spend the rest of our lives 00:27:51.800 --> 00:27:54.040 relearning how to be human beings 00:27:54.040 --> 00:27:55.660 by following Jesus. 00:27:56.519 --> 00:27:57.480 After surgery, 00:27:58.100 --> 00:27:59.420 you go to physical therapy. 00:27:59.940 --> 00:28:00.100 Right? 00:28:00.160 --> 00:28:01.180 And say you had your legs 00:28:01.180 --> 00:28:01.779 operated on, 00:28:01.840 --> 00:28:02.480 well now you have to go 00:28:02.480 --> 00:28:03.320 to physical therapy 00:28:03.320 --> 00:28:05.060 to relearn how to walk again. 00:28:05.660 --> 00:28:06.740 When we come to Jesus 00:28:06.740 --> 00:28:07.680 and Jesus declares 00:28:07.680 --> 00:28:09.140 that we have been made clean, 00:28:10.540 --> 00:28:11.880 we then have to learn 00:28:11.880 --> 00:28:13.200 how to be a human being again. 00:28:13.880 --> 00:28:14.759 And we'll spend the rest 00:28:14.759 --> 00:28:15.560 of our lives learning 00:28:15.560 --> 00:28:16.759 how to be a human being again, 00:28:16.800 --> 00:28:17.660 which means learning 00:28:17.660 --> 00:28:18.400 how to love God 00:28:18.400 --> 00:28:19.160 above all else. 00:28:20.220 --> 00:28:21.500 Learning how to love one another 00:28:21.500 --> 00:28:23.300 as God loves us. 00:28:23.299 --> 00:28:24.720 That takes a lifetime. 00:28:26.059 --> 00:28:27.180 So another way to say it is this, 00:28:27.279 --> 00:28:28.200 Jesus frees us 00:28:28.200 --> 00:28:29.259 from the penalty of sin 00:28:29.259 --> 00:28:30.240 the moment we come to him. 00:28:31.039 --> 00:28:32.500 And he promises that one day 00:28:32.500 --> 00:28:33.119 we'll be freed 00:28:33.119 --> 00:28:34.279 from the presence of sin. 00:28:34.399 --> 00:28:35.539 Sin will no longer exist. 00:28:36.019 --> 00:28:37.240 But until that day, 00:28:37.740 --> 00:28:39.700 we are still subject to 00:28:39.700 --> 00:28:40.879 and influenced by 00:28:40.879 --> 00:28:43.000 the power of sin. 00:28:43.639 --> 00:28:45.399 And it's a hard thing to resist. 00:28:45.759 --> 00:28:47.019 And we can't do it alone. 00:28:47.399 --> 00:28:48.819 It takes the support of a church 00:28:48.819 --> 00:28:49.940 to fight against that. 00:28:49.940 --> 00:28:53.120 So as we enter 00:28:53.120 --> 00:28:54.700 the Advent season together, 00:28:56.299 --> 00:28:57.980 and as I said at the beginning, 00:28:58.480 --> 00:29:01.039 we take time to focus on 00:29:01.039 --> 00:29:03.539 and remember why 00:29:03.539 --> 00:29:04.960 the world is so broken 00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:07.000 and why we need Christmas, 00:29:07.799 --> 00:29:08.779 why we need the coming 00:29:08.779 --> 00:29:09.720 of God's Messiah. 00:29:10.700 --> 00:29:12.700 It's because our deepest problem 00:29:12.700 --> 00:29:13.220 is sin, 00:29:13.779 --> 00:29:15.940 whether we feel it or not. 00:29:17.000 --> 00:29:18.740 Our deepest problem is sin. 00:29:18.740 --> 00:29:21.220 It's because we as human beings 00:29:21.220 --> 00:29:22.339 are not able to deal 00:29:22.339 --> 00:29:23.460 with sin on our own. 00:29:24.900 --> 00:29:26.059 And it's because we need 00:29:26.059 --> 00:29:26.720 Jesus Christ 00:29:26.720 --> 00:29:28.059 not just to forgive our sin, 00:29:28.160 --> 00:29:29.380 but to begin to show us 00:29:29.380 --> 00:29:31.140 an entirely new way 00:29:31.140 --> 00:29:31.960 of being human. 00:29:33.440 --> 00:29:34.819 And so now that we've talked 00:29:34.819 --> 00:29:35.160 about this, 00:29:35.220 --> 00:29:35.900 in the future weeks, 00:29:35.980 --> 00:29:36.720 we will talk about 00:29:36.720 --> 00:29:38.200 the implications for this. 00:29:38.660 --> 00:29:40.240 We'll talk about how this then 00:29:40.240 --> 00:29:41.579 leads to our own renewal, 00:29:42.420 --> 00:29:43.539 right, the renewal of self. 00:29:44.000 --> 00:29:44.819 We'll talk about then 00:29:44.819 --> 00:29:46.079 how this leads to the renewal 00:29:46.079 --> 00:29:47.079 that we can experience 00:29:47.079 --> 00:29:47.859 in our relationships 00:29:47.859 --> 00:29:49.699 as Christians are ministers 00:29:49.699 --> 00:29:51.480 of reconciliation in the world. 00:29:52.839 --> 00:29:53.839 And we'll talk about 00:29:53.839 --> 00:29:55.240 how this restores our relationship 00:29:55.240 --> 00:29:56.259 with the natural world. 00:29:57.259 --> 00:29:58.359 These are all topics 00:29:58.359 --> 00:29:59.099 that we're going to cover. 00:29:59.399 --> 00:30:00.220 But the point I want to make 00:30:00.220 --> 00:30:00.779 this morning is 00:30:00.779 --> 00:30:02.460 it all has to start 00:30:02.460 --> 00:30:03.439 with Jesus 00:30:03.439 --> 00:30:05.039 and our willingness 00:30:05.039 --> 00:30:06.220 not only to ask him 00:30:06.220 --> 00:30:07.480 to forgive us, 00:30:08.019 --> 00:30:08.879 but our willingness 00:30:08.879 --> 00:30:09.779 to leave everything 00:30:09.779 --> 00:30:11.359 to go and follow him. 00:30:11.359 --> 00:30:16.119 In other words, 00:30:17.119 --> 00:30:18.259 and this is the last point 00:30:18.259 --> 00:30:18.659 I'll make, 00:30:18.719 --> 00:30:19.219 I want to draw out 00:30:19.219 --> 00:30:20.500 one brief implication. 00:30:22.099 --> 00:30:23.159 If we care, 00:30:23.240 --> 00:30:23.839 and listen to this 00:30:23.839 --> 00:30:24.659 very carefully, 00:30:25.299 --> 00:30:26.779 if we care about things 00:30:26.779 --> 00:30:27.899 like social justice, 00:30:28.899 --> 00:30:30.299 if we care about things 00:30:30.299 --> 00:30:31.659 like overcoming racism, 00:30:32.439 --> 00:30:33.979 if we care about issues 00:30:33.979 --> 00:30:35.179 like climate change 00:30:35.179 --> 00:30:35.979 and how to ensure 00:30:35.979 --> 00:30:37.179 a sustainable future 00:30:37.179 --> 00:30:38.299 for our children, 00:30:38.359 --> 00:30:39.599 if we care about those issues 00:30:39.599 --> 00:30:40.919 and we're really serious 00:30:40.919 --> 00:30:42.339 about making progress 00:30:42.339 --> 00:30:43.859 on solving those problems, 00:30:45.099 --> 00:30:48.480 then among our highest priorities 00:30:48.480 --> 00:30:50.719 we should have evangelism 00:30:50.719 --> 00:30:51.399 and discipleship. 00:30:53.059 --> 00:30:54.039 Those should be among 00:30:54.039 --> 00:30:55.199 our highest priorities. 00:30:56.259 --> 00:30:56.899 And I say this 00:30:56.899 --> 00:30:57.319 because I think 00:30:57.319 --> 00:30:58.219 too many churches, 00:30:58.399 --> 00:30:59.359 and I've had these debates 00:30:59.359 --> 00:31:00.779 many times over the years, 00:31:01.079 --> 00:31:01.819 too many churches 00:31:01.819 --> 00:31:02.519 think and act 00:31:02.519 --> 00:31:03.279 as though it has to be 00:31:03.279 --> 00:31:04.119 one or the other. 00:31:04.819 --> 00:31:06.299 You're either the kind of church 00:31:06.299 --> 00:31:07.500 that cares about evangelism 00:31:07.500 --> 00:31:08.819 or you're the kind of church 00:31:08.819 --> 00:31:09.579 that cares about social justice. 00:31:09.599 --> 00:31:11.019 You know, 00:31:11.079 --> 00:31:11.959 you're the kind of church 00:31:11.959 --> 00:31:13.219 that focuses on conversions 00:31:13.219 --> 00:31:14.740 or you're the kind of church 00:31:14.740 --> 00:31:15.579 that focuses on 00:31:15.579 --> 00:31:16.659 ending climate change. 00:31:16.759 --> 00:31:18.059 And you're one or the other, 00:31:18.159 --> 00:31:18.740 left or right, 00:31:18.799 --> 00:31:19.500 what's it going to be? 00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:21.019 But as I look at this 00:31:21.019 --> 00:31:21.879 and as I look at those 00:31:21.879 --> 00:31:23.000 four concentric circles, 00:31:23.099 --> 00:31:23.819 it strikes me 00:31:23.819 --> 00:31:25.299 that they need each other, 00:31:26.679 --> 00:31:28.379 that they require each other. 00:31:28.899 --> 00:31:30.159 Because following Jesus 00:31:30.159 --> 00:31:31.419 is the way to become 00:31:31.419 --> 00:31:32.639 the kind of person 00:31:32.639 --> 00:31:33.659 the world needs. 00:31:34.419 --> 00:31:34.639 Right? 00:31:34.699 --> 00:31:35.759 It's the way to become 00:31:35.759 --> 00:31:36.699 more integrated 00:31:36.699 --> 00:31:38.079 and whole as a human being. 00:31:38.079 --> 00:31:39.460 It's the way to become 00:31:39.460 --> 00:31:40.399 more concerned 00:31:40.399 --> 00:31:41.139 about mercy 00:31:41.139 --> 00:31:42.339 and justice 00:31:42.339 --> 00:31:44.019 and ending things 00:31:44.019 --> 00:31:44.720 like racism. 00:31:45.240 --> 00:31:46.099 It's the way 00:31:46.099 --> 00:31:47.240 to become passionate 00:31:47.240 --> 00:31:48.379 about protecting 00:31:48.379 --> 00:31:48.919 the world 00:31:48.919 --> 00:31:49.740 that God has made. 00:31:49.819 --> 00:31:50.679 All of these things 00:31:50.679 --> 00:31:52.960 flow out of discipleship. 00:31:54.139 --> 00:31:54.919 And it's interesting 00:31:54.919 --> 00:31:55.279 to note 00:31:55.279 --> 00:31:56.179 that after Jesus 00:31:56.179 --> 00:31:57.359 calls Levi to follow him, 00:31:57.559 --> 00:31:58.179 the first thing 00:31:58.179 --> 00:31:58.799 that Levi does 00:31:58.799 --> 00:31:59.220 is what? 00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:01.399 He throws a party, 00:32:02.220 --> 00:32:03.240 invites all of his 00:32:03.240 --> 00:32:03.539 sinner, 00:32:03.720 --> 00:32:04.720 tax collector friends 00:32:04.720 --> 00:32:05.360 to the party 00:32:05.360 --> 00:32:06.559 because he wants 00:32:06.559 --> 00:32:07.720 all those people 00:32:07.720 --> 00:32:08.759 to come to know Jesus 00:32:08.759 --> 00:32:09.819 the way he does. 00:32:10.880 --> 00:32:11.740 And I would say 00:32:11.740 --> 00:32:12.640 that if we're serious 00:32:12.640 --> 00:32:13.860 about seeing this world 00:32:13.860 --> 00:32:14.299 renewed 00:32:14.299 --> 00:32:16.299 and if we're serious 00:32:16.299 --> 00:32:16.940 about the renewal 00:32:16.940 --> 00:32:17.900 of all things 00:32:17.900 --> 00:32:19.700 and if we recognize 00:32:19.700 --> 00:32:20.620 that that begins 00:32:20.620 --> 00:32:21.779 with spiritual renewal, 00:32:22.600 --> 00:32:23.319 then I think 00:32:23.319 --> 00:32:24.039 that we should all 00:32:24.039 --> 00:32:24.940 be like Levi. 00:32:25.779 --> 00:32:26.920 The best form 00:32:26.920 --> 00:32:27.579 of advocacy 00:32:27.579 --> 00:32:28.600 in this world 00:32:28.600 --> 00:32:29.680 is evangelism. 00:32:29.900 --> 00:32:30.600 It's inviting 00:32:30.600 --> 00:32:31.660 everyone we know 00:32:31.660 --> 00:32:32.860 to come and see Jesus. 00:32:32.859 --> 00:32:35.019 And this is why 00:32:35.019 --> 00:32:36.079 Christmas is such 00:32:36.079 --> 00:32:37.299 good news 00:32:37.299 --> 00:32:38.339 for the world. 00:32:38.919 --> 00:32:39.359 Let's pray. 00:32:42.359 --> 00:32:43.299 Lord, we thank you 00:32:43.299 --> 00:32:43.979 for your word 00:32:43.979 --> 00:32:44.719 and we thank you 00:32:44.719 --> 00:32:45.459 for your son 00:32:45.459 --> 00:32:46.399 and we thank you 00:32:46.399 --> 00:32:47.159 for the offer 00:32:47.159 --> 00:32:48.019 that is on the table, 00:32:48.559 --> 00:32:49.399 for the taking, 00:32:49.939 --> 00:32:51.039 that we can come 00:32:51.039 --> 00:32:52.039 to you in prayer 00:32:52.039 --> 00:32:53.279 and we can do it 00:32:53.279 --> 00:32:53.839 right now 00:32:53.839 --> 00:32:55.000 and we can ask 00:32:55.000 --> 00:32:55.659 for your forgiveness 00:32:55.659 --> 00:32:56.799 and we can give 00:32:56.799 --> 00:32:57.599 our lives to you. 00:32:58.259 --> 00:32:59.039 And Lord, I thank you 00:32:59.039 --> 00:33:00.079 that that is an invitation 00:33:00.079 --> 00:33:01.419 that's not just about us 00:33:01.420 --> 00:33:03.120 but it's your way 00:33:03.120 --> 00:33:04.840 of restoring this world. 00:33:05.820 --> 00:33:07.019 Lord, you could do it alone. 00:33:07.200 --> 00:33:08.140 You could snap your fingers 00:33:08.140 --> 00:33:08.720 and do it. 00:33:09.160 --> 00:33:10.100 But yet, you choose 00:33:10.100 --> 00:33:11.500 to work in and through 00:33:11.500 --> 00:33:12.380 very broken, 00:33:12.560 --> 00:33:13.600 fallible human beings 00:33:13.600 --> 00:33:14.900 like us. 00:33:15.560 --> 00:33:16.880 And Lord, that's a great mystery 00:33:16.880 --> 00:33:18.279 but it does give us dignity 00:33:18.279 --> 00:33:19.920 and it gives us honor 00:33:19.920 --> 00:33:20.860 and it tells us 00:33:20.860 --> 00:33:21.940 what our purpose is. 00:33:22.800 --> 00:33:23.779 Lord, and we thank you 00:33:23.779 --> 00:33:24.080 for that 00:33:24.080 --> 00:33:24.600 and we pray that 00:33:24.600 --> 00:33:25.360 in all of this, 00:33:25.420 --> 00:33:26.360 in all of our striving 00:33:26.360 --> 00:33:26.960 and longing 00:33:26.960 --> 00:33:27.840 for a better world, 00:33:28.620 --> 00:33:29.420 Lord, that our hope 00:33:29.420 --> 00:33:30.840 would rest firmly in you. 00:33:31.940 --> 00:33:33.259 And it's in your name, 00:33:33.600 --> 00:33:34.340 your son's name 00:33:34.340 --> 00:33:35.740 that we pray. 00:33:36.240 --> 00:33:36.539 Amen. 00:33:36.539 --> 00:33:36.660 Amen. 00:33:36.660 --> 00:33:36.700 Amen. 00:33:36.700 --> 00:33:36.740 Amen.