WEBVTT 00:00:00.260 --> 00:00:04.919 Well folks, it's wonderful to see you this morning after about four or five months of 00:00:04.919 --> 00:00:06.040 preaching to an empty building. 00:00:06.200 --> 00:00:08.839 This is refreshing to my soul even just to see you today. 00:00:09.500 --> 00:00:11.820 And welcome to those who are joining us online as well. 00:00:11.880 --> 00:00:15.000 Why don't we just pray, just really quickly as we come to God's Word. 00:00:18.100 --> 00:00:26.679 Isaiah chapter 66, God says, but this is the one to whom I will look, to the humble and 00:00:26.679 --> 00:00:31.240 contrite in spirit who trembles at my Word. 00:00:32.460 --> 00:00:37.579 And Father, we just ask that you would help give us that spirit today as we come to your Word. 00:00:38.280 --> 00:00:45.739 Father, help us, challenge us, mould us, convict us, encourage us and spur us on, Father, as 00:00:45.739 --> 00:00:47.480 we turn to your Word this morning. 00:00:47.579 --> 00:00:50.340 We ask in Jesus' precious name. 00:00:50.879 --> 00:00:51.340 Amen. 00:00:51.340 --> 00:00:51.420 Amen. 00:00:52.940 --> 00:00:58.020 Well folks, let me encourage you to grab a Bible and turn back to Leviticus chapter 17. 00:00:58.880 --> 00:01:03.980 So we are ambitiously this morning going to finish our series that we've been in in this 00:01:03.980 --> 00:01:04.939 book of Leviticus. 00:01:05.420 --> 00:01:07.900 And we're taking our 11 chapters this morning. 00:01:08.659 --> 00:01:10.879 So buckle up, cowboys and cowgirls. 00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:14.439 It's going to be a heavy ride, but I hope we'll get there. 00:01:15.020 --> 00:01:19.680 But this is the thing that we need to see that kind of holds this together. 00:01:19.680 --> 00:01:27.860 Here today is the call that this holy God makes upon the lives of his people. 00:01:29.780 --> 00:01:31.980 And you can think about it a bit like this. 00:01:32.120 --> 00:01:36.120 Okay, our little girl Grace, something that I've learned about her that she loves doing. 00:01:36.740 --> 00:01:38.719 She loves a spot the difference puzzle. 00:01:40.340 --> 00:01:45.600 And there was a spell certainly during lockdown where we read every night her Biff and Chip books. 00:01:46.280 --> 00:01:49.600 If you remember these things when you were school, they're still going, Biff and Chip books. 00:01:50.160 --> 00:01:52.320 And amazingly, they're still the same age, the characters in it. 00:01:52.400 --> 00:01:54.980 But we read these every night, most of the nights. 00:01:55.520 --> 00:01:58.460 And they often finish with a spot the difference puzzle. 00:01:58.600 --> 00:01:59.900 So she loves doing these little puzzles. 00:02:00.020 --> 00:02:01.160 So we'll be sitting there doing them. 00:02:01.160 --> 00:02:02.160 And you know how it works. 00:02:02.820 --> 00:02:05.860 You've got two pictures that are right next to each other. 00:02:05.859 --> 00:02:10.620 And one's the normal one, one's got the differences in it. 00:02:10.680 --> 00:02:12.159 So the two of us are looking at this. 00:02:13.400 --> 00:02:15.780 And she's concentrating really hard. 00:02:16.379 --> 00:02:17.800 And she's looking at it really hard. 00:02:17.879 --> 00:02:19.979 And she says, Daddy, Daddy, there's a difference. 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:21.060 There's a difference. 00:02:21.860 --> 00:02:22.819 Same routine again. 00:02:22.919 --> 00:02:23.620 Daddy, Daddy, Daddy. 00:02:24.379 --> 00:02:25.219 There's a difference. 00:02:25.319 --> 00:02:25.879 There's a difference. 00:02:25.979 --> 00:02:29.020 And then she turns to me and she would often say, Daddy, can you see any differences? 00:02:29.920 --> 00:02:34.219 And there's never a more humbling moment in life, honestly, when as an adult, you look at some of these pictures. 00:02:34.340 --> 00:02:35.760 And you cannot fathom it. 00:02:35.800 --> 00:02:38.540 You have been defeated by a child's puzzle, right? 00:02:38.560 --> 00:02:41.400 It's why we don't do Where's Wally anymore in our house at bedtime. 00:02:41.400 --> 00:02:43.560 A humbling experience when you are defeated. 00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:46.680 But she loves these spot the difference puzzles. 00:02:47.379 --> 00:02:50.640 And we keep on going until we've seen all the differences. 00:02:53.280 --> 00:02:55.480 And there's a ton of things going on in these chapters. 00:02:56.599 --> 00:02:59.140 But here's the big thing that kind of holds it together. 00:03:00.480 --> 00:03:06.780 This holy, holy, holy God is calling his people to be different. 00:03:06.780 --> 00:03:16.379 If you remember one thing from today, remember that a holy God calls his people to be different. 00:03:16.479 --> 00:03:20.000 And the key word in this section is the word holy. 00:03:20.759 --> 00:03:22.560 Probably picked it up from the themes this morning. 00:03:22.680 --> 00:03:23.060 Holy. 00:03:23.159 --> 00:03:26.379 We get it 28 times in these chapters. 00:03:26.580 --> 00:03:31.159 So if you want to think about it like this, if these chapters are like a stick of Blackpool rock, 00:03:31.680 --> 00:03:33.060 okay, I'm the son of a dentist. 00:03:33.219 --> 00:03:34.039 We're never allowed it. 00:03:34.060 --> 00:03:34.960 But this is what I'm told. 00:03:34.960 --> 00:03:37.960 Cut into it anywhere, these chapters. 00:03:38.460 --> 00:03:42.620 And you'll find the holiness theme running all the way through the middle. 00:03:43.420 --> 00:03:46.040 Now come with me to chapter 20 and verse 22. 00:03:46.219 --> 00:03:47.800 And let me show you how this works. 00:03:48.020 --> 00:03:51.340 Chapter 20 and verse 22. 00:03:52.900 --> 00:03:54.600 Here's what God says to his people. 00:03:57.500 --> 00:03:58.340 Verse 22. 00:03:58.460 --> 00:04:01.040 Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them. 00:04:01.039 --> 00:04:06.019 So that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. 00:04:06.299 --> 00:04:12.000 You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. 00:04:12.519 --> 00:04:15.340 Because they did all these things, I abhorred them. 00:04:16.459 --> 00:04:20.139 But I said to you, you will possess the land. 00:04:20.639 --> 00:04:24.800 I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey. 00:04:24.800 --> 00:04:30.939 I am the Lord your God who has set you apart from the nations. 00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:38.420 You therefore must make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds. 00:04:38.960 --> 00:04:44.080 Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground. 00:04:44.439 --> 00:04:47.379 Those that I have set apart as unclean for you. 00:04:47.379 --> 00:04:49.100 And here is verse 26. 00:04:49.980 --> 00:04:54.240 And if you've not followed the reading so far, jump in at verse 26 of chapter 20. 00:04:56.100 --> 00:05:05.199 You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy and have set you apart from the nations to be my own. 00:05:06.060 --> 00:05:08.980 So hold on to verse 26 there. 00:05:09.040 --> 00:05:15.560 What we're going to do is we're going to use it almost as our base camp verse from which we're going to explore the rest of these chapters. 00:05:15.560 --> 00:05:19.259 So God is calling his people to be different. 00:05:20.160 --> 00:05:21.560 To be holy. 00:05:21.899 --> 00:05:31.680 And the challenge is going to come at us today as God's people is to consider whether we are embracing his holy call in our lives. 00:05:33.680 --> 00:05:36.840 And verse 26 gives us the two sides of the holiness coin. 00:05:37.740 --> 00:05:39.639 And these will be our two points for today. 00:05:40.920 --> 00:05:42.420 Here's the first side of this coin. 00:05:42.420 --> 00:05:46.120 Holiness is something that we're called to take in. 00:05:46.759 --> 00:05:47.740 Now here's what I mean by that. 00:05:48.180 --> 00:05:50.780 Verse 26 could easily be translated, 00:05:51.319 --> 00:05:58.860 You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy and I have holied you from the nations to be my own. 00:05:58.860 --> 00:06:06.740 In other words, to be holy is firstly a verb that's describing an action that God has done for us. 00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:10.240 Before it's an adjective, this is to describe how we live. 00:06:10.240 --> 00:06:15.240 And maybe at this point we need to tap back into the Bible story. 00:06:17.139 --> 00:06:20.840 God has made a promise to Abraham way back in Genesis 12. 00:06:21.160 --> 00:06:22.960 It's a massive chapter in the Bible. 00:06:24.120 --> 00:06:27.379 That through him and his offspring, God is going to bless the nations of the world. 00:06:27.579 --> 00:06:31.720 This God has a missionary heart to reach the peoples of the world. 00:06:31.860 --> 00:06:34.300 And if you want evidence of that, look around at us. 00:06:34.300 --> 00:06:43.060 And so here are Israel, the people who God has chosen to be the people that he will use, 00:06:43.120 --> 00:06:46.840 to be the vehicle by which this blessing is going to come to the world. 00:06:47.420 --> 00:06:52.439 Not because they are great or special or better than anyone else, 00:06:52.439 --> 00:07:00.339 but because this God is so good and great and abounding in steadfast love. 00:07:02.420 --> 00:07:04.219 And he's rescued them from Egypt. 00:07:04.600 --> 00:07:07.019 He's called out his people. 00:07:07.720 --> 00:07:09.659 And he's led them to Sinai. 00:07:09.819 --> 00:07:12.839 And here is the way that he calls them to live as his people. 00:07:12.839 --> 00:07:17.759 You know, my favorite creatures are in those little TV shows. 00:07:18.060 --> 00:07:19.679 You know, the nature programs you get on telly. 00:07:21.299 --> 00:07:22.560 I love the chameleons. 00:07:24.159 --> 00:07:25.219 Love the chameleons. 00:07:25.599 --> 00:07:26.959 Right? Chilled out little dudes, aren't they? 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:28.779 Never seen a chameleon in a rush. 00:07:29.979 --> 00:07:31.579 But what are chameleons known for? 00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:34.699 They're known just for blending in. 00:07:36.539 --> 00:07:37.759 To their background, right? 00:07:37.799 --> 00:07:38.479 Just blending. 00:07:38.480 --> 00:07:43.720 And what we need to see is that God's people are called to be the exact opposite. 00:07:45.060 --> 00:07:46.800 From the Egyptians, right? 00:07:46.819 --> 00:07:48.500 The people that they've just come from. 00:07:48.600 --> 00:07:50.080 Remember, they've seen that way of life. 00:07:50.180 --> 00:07:51.100 They've been brought out of it. 00:07:51.500 --> 00:07:53.640 And from the Canaanites who are in the land, 00:07:54.060 --> 00:07:57.060 who they will rub shoulders with in the not-so-distant future, 00:07:57.379 --> 00:07:59.500 who, if you look at the beginning of chapter 20, 00:07:59.860 --> 00:08:02.600 the Canaanites are all out in worship of Molech. 00:08:02.860 --> 00:08:03.060 Right? 00:08:03.100 --> 00:08:05.560 You see, you get it quite a lot of times at the beginning of chapter 20. 00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:07.259 Molech, Molech, Molech. 00:08:07.259 --> 00:08:08.759 This is what the Canaanites worship. 00:08:08.819 --> 00:08:10.319 And God, in his goodness and sovereignty, 00:08:10.459 --> 00:08:12.099 knows that when the people go into the land, 00:08:12.219 --> 00:08:14.099 this is the God that they're going to come up against. 00:08:14.959 --> 00:08:16.360 These are the people who are worshiping. 00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:21.399 And there's child sacrifice and all sorts of things caught up in the worship of Molech. 00:08:21.480 --> 00:08:26.000 And in contrast, Israel are called to worship the Lord alone. 00:08:28.039 --> 00:08:28.259 Okay? 00:08:28.300 --> 00:08:30.740 The Lord, our God, is one. 00:08:31.639 --> 00:08:31.899 Right? 00:08:31.959 --> 00:08:33.480 We've only got eyes for him. 00:08:33.480 --> 00:08:35.100 We worship him alone. 00:08:35.259 --> 00:08:38.759 In contrast to the nations round about who are worshiping all sorts of different gods, 00:08:39.019 --> 00:08:44.340 we worship the Lord, our God, alone in the way that he has told us to worship him. 00:08:44.940 --> 00:08:45.779 Or just any way. 00:08:46.300 --> 00:08:47.019 Or our way. 00:08:47.580 --> 00:08:49.440 The way that he has told us to worship him. 00:08:49.440 --> 00:08:53.620 And as they do this, 00:08:54.840 --> 00:08:58.560 what's meant to happen is the people from the nations round about, 00:08:58.660 --> 00:08:59.580 the people from the world, 00:08:59.680 --> 00:09:02.680 and I hope you see where this applies to us. 00:09:02.820 --> 00:09:02.920 Okay? 00:09:02.960 --> 00:09:06.000 The peoples from the world round about are supposed to look in at Israel 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:08.519 and they're meant to say, 00:09:08.940 --> 00:09:10.019 how lucky are Israel, 00:09:10.120 --> 00:09:14.779 how lucky are God's people that they have their God dwelling right in the middle of them. 00:09:15.139 --> 00:09:16.159 He dwells with them. 00:09:16.200 --> 00:09:18.080 He's not somewhere out there. 00:09:18.179 --> 00:09:19.559 He is right in the middle of his people. 00:09:19.620 --> 00:09:20.240 He lives with them. 00:09:20.299 --> 00:09:21.299 How lucky are Israel. 00:09:21.639 --> 00:09:24.340 How lucky are they to have the laws of this God 00:09:24.340 --> 00:09:26.860 and be able to walk in them 00:09:26.860 --> 00:09:29.879 to see the goodness of the way that God has called them to live. 00:09:29.879 --> 00:09:34.299 Israel are to live with, 00:09:34.320 --> 00:09:35.340 and this is Chris Wright, 00:09:36.299 --> 00:09:39.080 what he calls a missional magnetism. 00:09:39.480 --> 00:09:41.659 Love that phrase, missional magnetism. 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:43.259 It's not just me that likes to alliterate, right? 00:09:43.580 --> 00:09:44.679 Missional magnetism. 00:09:45.299 --> 00:09:47.460 The world round about is supposed to see something 00:09:47.460 --> 00:09:49.759 and be drawn towards it goodness. 00:09:49.860 --> 00:09:51.939 In other words, the nations are like the moth 00:09:51.939 --> 00:09:55.460 and they're to be drawn to Israel's flame. 00:09:56.940 --> 00:09:59.600 And God's taken his people to the promised land 00:09:59.600 --> 00:10:02.860 and it's why the Canaanites who are currently occupying the land 00:10:02.860 --> 00:10:04.139 can't live there anymore 00:10:04.139 --> 00:10:07.879 because they've defiled it with their practices against this God. 00:10:08.560 --> 00:10:12.759 Because if God's people are to dwell with God, 00:10:12.840 --> 00:10:16.500 in God's place, under God's rule, to God's glory, 00:10:17.000 --> 00:10:18.159 enjoying him forever, 00:10:18.580 --> 00:10:21.680 which is where the trajectory of the Bible story is going, 00:10:22.779 --> 00:10:25.120 then holiness needs to be everywhere in the land. 00:10:26.500 --> 00:10:27.519 Everywhere in the land. 00:10:28.019 --> 00:10:29.560 And so bring that all together, friends. 00:10:30.560 --> 00:10:32.279 To be holy by God, 00:10:32.920 --> 00:10:33.820 to be his, 00:10:34.180 --> 00:10:35.580 to be called apart for him, 00:10:37.159 --> 00:10:38.279 by him and for him, 00:10:38.620 --> 00:10:39.879 is a privilege. 00:10:41.779 --> 00:10:44.899 Maybe you want to take stock to remember that this morning. 00:10:44.980 --> 00:10:45.540 As a Christian, 00:10:46.779 --> 00:10:49.420 it's not just you made a call to make a lifestyle choice, 00:10:49.540 --> 00:10:52.019 but you did make a call to put your faith in Jesus. 00:10:52.500 --> 00:10:53.700 God has called you out 00:10:53.700 --> 00:10:55.019 to be his own. 00:10:56.000 --> 00:10:57.340 You are his treasured possession. 00:10:57.699 --> 00:11:00.840 You are chosen in love by God the Father 00:11:00.840 --> 00:11:02.220 before the foundation of the world. 00:11:02.340 --> 00:11:04.699 To be his is a privilege. 00:11:04.700 --> 00:11:08.980 So holiness, you see, 00:11:09.080 --> 00:11:11.000 is something that first and foremost, 00:11:11.120 --> 00:11:12.379 we are called to take in. 00:11:12.379 --> 00:11:15.279 And secondly, 00:11:15.399 --> 00:11:16.299 the other side of the coin, 00:11:17.379 --> 00:11:18.600 holiness is something 00:11:18.600 --> 00:11:21.000 that God's people are to live out. 00:11:21.000 --> 00:11:23.940 So here's the repeated frame 00:11:23.940 --> 00:11:25.879 that you get in this section. 00:11:26.320 --> 00:11:27.399 You shall be holy 00:11:27.399 --> 00:11:28.240 because I, 00:11:28.360 --> 00:11:28.820 the Lord, 00:11:28.899 --> 00:11:29.659 your God, 00:11:29.740 --> 00:11:30.759 am holy. 00:11:30.759 --> 00:11:33.559 So God's people are called 00:11:33.559 --> 00:11:34.860 like a mirror, 00:11:35.799 --> 00:11:36.840 sun shining off it, 00:11:36.980 --> 00:11:38.659 radiating it to the world, 00:11:39.080 --> 00:11:41.399 called to reflect the holiness of their God 00:11:41.399 --> 00:11:42.519 and the way that they live. 00:11:43.360 --> 00:11:44.340 And what is striking 00:11:44.340 --> 00:11:46.600 as you read these chapters through 00:11:46.600 --> 00:11:50.500 is just how comprehensive a call this is 00:11:50.500 --> 00:11:53.340 on every person 00:11:53.340 --> 00:11:55.419 in society, 00:11:55.740 --> 00:11:58.220 in every area of their lives. 00:11:58.220 --> 00:11:59.180 Right? 00:11:59.240 --> 00:12:00.100 There's a big Asda 00:12:00.100 --> 00:12:01.060 just down the road from us 00:12:01.060 --> 00:12:01.740 at Straighten. 00:12:02.580 --> 00:12:04.340 I remember being amazed, 00:12:04.700 --> 00:12:06.540 thinking that it was open 24-7. 00:12:06.920 --> 00:12:08.019 You got one of those around about you? 00:12:08.120 --> 00:12:08.480 Maybe it's, 00:12:09.019 --> 00:12:09.899 doesn't need to be an Asda, 00:12:10.180 --> 00:12:13.240 but something that's open 24-7, right? 00:12:13.420 --> 00:12:14.680 I'm getting my head around that. 00:12:14.720 --> 00:12:15.660 It's open all the time. 00:12:16.180 --> 00:12:17.080 That is open all the time. 00:12:17.120 --> 00:12:18.420 I can go there anytime I want. 00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:19.560 You can go there anytime you want. 00:12:20.420 --> 00:12:21.180 Never closes. 00:12:21.920 --> 00:12:22.840 Never off duty. 00:12:23.940 --> 00:12:24.720 Never stops. 00:12:25.100 --> 00:12:25.720 Never ceases. 00:12:26.279 --> 00:12:26.860 Always open. 00:12:26.860 --> 00:12:28.320 God, do you see, 00:12:28.360 --> 00:12:29.379 in such a greater way, 00:12:30.600 --> 00:12:31.720 is calling his people 00:12:31.720 --> 00:12:33.360 to 24-7 holiness. 00:12:35.180 --> 00:12:36.399 Every day of their lives 00:12:36.399 --> 00:12:37.860 and every area of their lives, 00:12:38.379 --> 00:12:39.460 he's calling them 00:12:39.460 --> 00:12:43.320 to 24-7 radical holiness. 00:12:45.820 --> 00:12:47.659 And so here's what we're going to attempt to do 00:12:47.659 --> 00:12:50.480 is dip in and out of these chapters. 00:12:51.240 --> 00:12:53.080 And there's so much going on here. 00:12:53.139 --> 00:12:53.700 You'll appreciate it. 00:12:53.700 --> 00:12:55.240 You don't get time to do any of it. 00:12:56.200 --> 00:12:57.200 Tons of justice. 00:12:57.320 --> 00:12:59.240 But let me just pick out four ways 00:12:59.240 --> 00:13:01.340 that God's people really quickly 00:13:01.340 --> 00:13:02.040 are going to be different 00:13:02.040 --> 00:13:03.020 from the world around them. 00:13:03.660 --> 00:13:04.320 Four ways, 00:13:04.960 --> 00:13:06.000 four marks would be like 00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:07.160 of this holy community. 00:13:08.100 --> 00:13:08.840 Here's number one, 00:13:09.400 --> 00:13:09.960 mark one. 00:13:11.440 --> 00:13:12.640 The poor will be loved. 00:13:13.660 --> 00:13:15.080 The poor will be loved. 00:13:15.920 --> 00:13:17.620 So God lays out commands, 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:18.800 like the one we read, 00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:19.480 Hannah just read, 00:13:19.540 --> 00:13:20.820 chapter 19, verse 9. 00:13:20.820 --> 00:13:23.520 When you bring in the harvest, 00:13:24.620 --> 00:13:26.040 your crops and your fruit, 00:13:26.500 --> 00:13:27.440 what's God saying? 00:13:27.660 --> 00:13:28.020 He says, 00:13:28.180 --> 00:13:29.520 if you own the land, 00:13:29.660 --> 00:13:31.600 don't plow all the way to the edges. 00:13:31.800 --> 00:13:32.560 Leave a bit. 00:13:33.379 --> 00:13:33.560 Right? 00:13:34.000 --> 00:13:34.560 Leave a bit. 00:13:34.660 --> 00:13:35.760 Why have you to leave a bit? 00:13:36.860 --> 00:13:38.340 So that the poor can come in. 00:13:38.680 --> 00:13:40.060 Those who aren't as well off as you. 00:13:40.560 --> 00:13:41.760 And they can be provided for. 00:13:41.840 --> 00:13:42.100 Because remember, 00:13:42.180 --> 00:13:43.280 the land is the Lord's. 00:13:43.860 --> 00:13:44.900 Land is the Lord's. 00:13:46.120 --> 00:13:47.000 Do you see in that way, 00:13:47.060 --> 00:13:49.420 the poor are cared for. 00:13:49.419 --> 00:13:50.919 God has got the poor in his heart, 00:13:51.019 --> 00:13:52.000 in this community. 00:13:53.599 --> 00:13:54.740 Or take the year of Jubilee. 00:13:54.919 --> 00:13:55.819 You get that in 25, 00:13:56.219 --> 00:13:56.899 chapter 25. 00:13:57.120 --> 00:13:58.219 This year that happened, 00:13:58.639 --> 00:14:00.159 every 50th year. 00:14:01.939 --> 00:14:03.319 The cancellation of debts, 00:14:03.459 --> 00:14:04.659 the release of slaves, 00:14:04.819 --> 00:14:06.299 the reallocation of property 00:14:06.299 --> 00:14:07.740 to its original owners, 00:14:07.799 --> 00:14:09.199 that they can buy it back. 00:14:09.659 --> 00:14:10.879 Again, what's at the heart 00:14:10.879 --> 00:14:11.919 of the year of Jubilee? 00:14:13.899 --> 00:14:15.240 This year that almost acted 00:14:15.240 --> 00:14:16.339 like the great reset 00:14:16.339 --> 00:14:18.019 in the life of God's people. 00:14:18.019 --> 00:14:19.199 So that there doesn't, 00:14:19.279 --> 00:14:20.079 surely it's this, 00:14:20.139 --> 00:14:20.799 if you think about it, 00:14:20.840 --> 00:14:21.840 so that there doesn't become 00:14:21.840 --> 00:14:23.019 a huge gap 00:14:23.019 --> 00:14:25.159 between the rich and the poor. 00:14:25.659 --> 00:14:26.860 So that there doesn't exist 00:14:26.860 --> 00:14:28.279 a society where the rich 00:14:28.279 --> 00:14:29.039 are getting richer 00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:30.480 and the poor are getting poorer. 00:14:31.019 --> 00:14:31.860 And because of that, 00:14:32.019 --> 00:14:33.759 envy is existing 00:14:33.759 --> 00:14:35.240 between these two groups. 00:14:36.519 --> 00:14:38.019 And who primarily benefits 00:14:38.779 --> 00:14:40.019 from the year of Jubilee? 00:14:40.159 --> 00:14:41.199 Surely it's the poor. 00:14:41.399 --> 00:14:42.740 Who's given opportunities? 00:14:43.079 --> 00:14:44.019 Who's given options? 00:14:46.120 --> 00:14:47.120 Who's provided for? 00:14:47.120 --> 00:14:47.720 It's the poor. 00:14:47.860 --> 00:14:49.960 Do you see how God's community 00:14:49.960 --> 00:14:52.820 are to care for the poor? 00:14:55.060 --> 00:14:56.480 Or to do right by them? 00:14:56.519 --> 00:14:57.620 Or to have an eye for them? 00:14:58.639 --> 00:14:59.620 They care for the poor. 00:14:59.700 --> 00:15:02.200 The poor are in God's heart. 00:15:03.700 --> 00:15:04.379 So way number one, 00:15:04.500 --> 00:15:05.220 mark number one, 00:15:05.299 --> 00:15:07.100 the poor are loved. 00:15:08.279 --> 00:15:09.259 Mark number two, 00:15:10.279 --> 00:15:11.159 sex is honored. 00:15:11.159 --> 00:15:14.719 God calls his people 00:15:14.719 --> 00:15:17.419 to have a different sexual ethic 00:15:17.419 --> 00:15:18.399 from the nations, 00:15:18.539 --> 00:15:20.079 the peoples of the earth 00:15:20.079 --> 00:15:21.620 round about them. 00:15:22.120 --> 00:15:23.659 As God reaffirms 00:15:23.659 --> 00:15:26.620 that to engage in sexual activity 00:15:26.620 --> 00:15:28.480 outwith the good contours 00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:30.679 of a marriage between one man 00:15:30.679 --> 00:15:32.079 and one woman is sinful. 00:15:33.539 --> 00:15:34.379 And yes, 00:15:35.379 --> 00:15:37.379 homosexuality is mentioned here. 00:15:38.319 --> 00:15:39.079 Got to see it. 00:15:39.080 --> 00:15:41.360 But let's ensure that 00:15:41.360 --> 00:15:42.460 because of the times 00:15:42.460 --> 00:15:44.040 in which we happen to be existing 00:15:44.040 --> 00:15:45.020 at this moment, 00:15:45.300 --> 00:15:47.520 we're not so drawn to see it 00:15:47.520 --> 00:15:49.740 that we miss out on everything else 00:15:49.740 --> 00:15:50.600 that God is saying 00:15:50.600 --> 00:15:52.000 because he's got so much more 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:53.379 to say in this regard, 00:15:53.480 --> 00:15:54.080 in this area. 00:15:54.420 --> 00:15:56.040 Because if you read it through, 00:15:56.120 --> 00:15:57.000 he's got stuff to say 00:15:57.000 --> 00:15:58.920 about adultery amongst his people, 00:15:59.540 --> 00:16:00.040 polygamy, 00:16:00.680 --> 00:16:01.379 incest, 00:16:02.020 --> 00:16:03.000 sex with animals, 00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:06.179 and uncovering another person's nakedness 00:16:06.179 --> 00:16:08.559 probably means just to sleep with them casually, 00:16:08.720 --> 00:16:10.740 could just mean looking at them lustfully. 00:16:12.059 --> 00:16:12.960 As God said, 00:16:13.019 --> 00:16:13.799 you will be different 00:16:13.799 --> 00:16:14.980 from the peoples round about 00:16:14.980 --> 00:16:16.620 in the way you think about sex. 00:16:18.440 --> 00:16:19.519 And I take it, friends, 00:16:19.600 --> 00:16:22.740 that we all need to feel the weight of that. 00:16:22.740 --> 00:16:26.820 And I'm very conscious 00:16:26.820 --> 00:16:28.019 that two things will be happening 00:16:28.019 --> 00:16:29.139 as I'm mentioning that. 00:16:30.759 --> 00:16:31.560 Number one 00:16:31.560 --> 00:16:34.539 is that the Holy Spirit, 00:16:34.700 --> 00:16:35.740 as he moves amongst us, 00:16:35.779 --> 00:16:36.720 will be challenging us 00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:38.480 in ways that we need to be different. 00:16:39.100 --> 00:16:40.440 The things that we need to repent, 00:16:40.519 --> 00:16:41.899 the things we need to say sorry for, 00:16:41.980 --> 00:16:43.379 the things that we need to stop doing 00:16:43.379 --> 00:16:44.299 and start doing. 00:16:45.899 --> 00:16:46.500 I'm also aware 00:16:46.500 --> 00:16:48.080 that the devil will be prowling around 00:16:48.080 --> 00:16:50.480 looking for people to devour. 00:16:50.560 --> 00:16:51.259 And maybe right now, 00:16:51.259 --> 00:16:52.240 even as I mentioned that, 00:16:52.299 --> 00:16:53.240 there's a lot of pain 00:16:53.240 --> 00:16:54.919 that's coming back to mind 00:16:54.919 --> 00:16:55.720 or mistakes 00:16:55.720 --> 00:16:57.539 or shame. 00:16:58.899 --> 00:17:00.240 And that's why I want us 00:17:00.240 --> 00:17:01.039 just at this point 00:17:01.039 --> 00:17:03.259 to come to John chapter 8 00:17:03.259 --> 00:17:05.980 and marvel, 00:17:06.299 --> 00:17:07.160 all of us, 00:17:07.220 --> 00:17:08.879 because we have all fallen short here 00:17:08.879 --> 00:17:10.240 at some point in our lives, 00:17:11.180 --> 00:17:13.119 marvel at the grace of Jesus Christ. 00:17:14.460 --> 00:17:15.940 Marvel at what God is like 00:17:15.940 --> 00:17:17.359 as we see God in the flesh 00:17:17.359 --> 00:17:19.539 in his person. 00:17:21.259 --> 00:17:23.319 For all of us have failed here. 00:17:23.379 --> 00:17:23.960 The Pharisees, 00:17:24.019 --> 00:17:25.180 what do they do in John chapter 8? 00:17:25.259 --> 00:17:26.119 They bring a woman 00:17:26.119 --> 00:17:27.660 who's been caught in adultery 00:17:27.660 --> 00:17:28.859 and it's almost like 00:17:28.859 --> 00:17:30.000 they bring her to Jesus 00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:31.339 and they gang up on her. 00:17:32.200 --> 00:17:33.140 I'm always reading that, 00:17:33.240 --> 00:17:33.799 thinking to myself, 00:17:33.900 --> 00:17:34.720 where is the guy? 00:17:35.319 --> 00:17:35.539 Right? 00:17:35.579 --> 00:17:36.619 It takes two to tangle. 00:17:36.740 --> 00:17:37.559 Where is the guy? 00:17:37.640 --> 00:17:38.420 They're not interested. 00:17:38.599 --> 00:17:39.980 I love how Jesus treats women 00:17:39.980 --> 00:17:40.920 with such dignity. 00:17:42.079 --> 00:17:43.240 He should meet them in the Gospels. 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:45.480 What do they say about this woman? 00:17:45.599 --> 00:17:46.860 She has broken what? 00:17:47.620 --> 00:17:48.720 The law of Moses. 00:17:49.420 --> 00:17:51.000 They take Jesus right here. 00:17:51.360 --> 00:17:52.120 She is guilty. 00:17:52.640 --> 00:17:53.880 What are you going to do about it? 00:17:53.900 --> 00:17:54.519 What does he say? 00:17:55.680 --> 00:17:56.079 He says, 00:17:56.180 --> 00:17:57.660 let he who is without sin 00:17:57.660 --> 00:17:59.120 cast the first stone. 00:18:00.779 --> 00:18:01.360 And one by one, 00:18:01.400 --> 00:18:02.480 they start dropping off. 00:18:02.880 --> 00:18:04.240 Love it how it's the elders 00:18:04.240 --> 00:18:05.480 who start dropping off first 00:18:05.480 --> 00:18:06.059 as if to say, 00:18:06.120 --> 00:18:08.700 we know we cannot throw that stone. 00:18:08.700 --> 00:18:12.620 Jesus doesn't condone the woman 00:18:12.620 --> 00:18:13.700 for what she's done, 00:18:15.019 --> 00:18:17.200 but neither does he condemn her 00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:17.980 for what she's done. 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:22.740 He meets her with grace 00:18:22.740 --> 00:18:24.279 and he says, 00:18:24.519 --> 00:18:25.279 sin no more. 00:18:25.799 --> 00:18:26.519 Sin no more. 00:18:27.080 --> 00:18:27.539 Change. 00:18:27.700 --> 00:18:28.220 Do you see, friends, 00:18:29.200 --> 00:18:30.720 repentance is always a response 00:18:30.720 --> 00:18:31.380 to Jesus, 00:18:32.039 --> 00:18:33.519 the grace that we find in him. 00:18:34.019 --> 00:18:34.900 It's almost as if Jesus 00:18:34.900 --> 00:18:36.559 steps into this woman's situation 00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:37.080 and says, 00:18:37.180 --> 00:18:38.380 yes, she deserves to die. 00:18:39.019 --> 00:18:40.160 We all deserve to die. 00:18:40.440 --> 00:18:41.640 I'm going to take her death. 00:18:42.559 --> 00:18:43.140 I'll take it. 00:18:43.160 --> 00:18:43.660 That's what he does 00:18:43.660 --> 00:18:44.620 as he goes to the cross. 00:18:45.059 --> 00:18:45.900 Those, all of us, 00:18:45.920 --> 00:18:46.799 who deserve to die, 00:18:47.140 --> 00:18:48.799 I'm going to die in their place. 00:18:50.360 --> 00:18:51.720 I'm going to die in their place. 00:18:53.200 --> 00:18:54.500 Friends, God's kindness 00:18:54.500 --> 00:18:56.900 is meant to lead us to repentance. 00:18:57.980 --> 00:18:58.779 This is Jesus. 00:18:59.299 --> 00:19:00.880 Feel his heart here in this moment. 00:19:01.180 --> 00:19:02.019 The heart of God 00:19:02.019 --> 00:19:03.420 for people to come 00:19:03.420 --> 00:19:04.539 to put their faith in him. 00:19:04.759 --> 00:19:05.259 He changed. 00:19:06.779 --> 00:19:07.360 And all that you see, 00:19:07.480 --> 00:19:08.539 if you look at chapter 18, 00:19:08.539 --> 00:19:09.379 all the different people 00:19:09.379 --> 00:19:10.000 and relationships 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:11.440 that you get in Leviticus 18, 00:19:11.720 --> 00:19:12.639 this list of people 00:19:12.639 --> 00:19:14.379 who you are not to uncover 00:19:14.379 --> 00:19:15.299 their nakedness. 00:19:15.339 --> 00:19:16.119 There's that phrase. 00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:17.799 The reason 00:19:17.799 --> 00:19:20.480 is that these people 00:19:20.480 --> 00:19:23.019 belong to somebody else. 00:19:23.220 --> 00:19:23.799 Do you see it? 00:19:24.639 --> 00:19:26.039 Verse 16, chapter 18, 00:19:26.139 --> 00:19:26.759 for example, 00:19:27.119 --> 00:19:28.379 do not have sexual relations 00:19:28.379 --> 00:19:29.460 with your brother's wife 00:19:29.460 --> 00:19:30.539 that would dishonor 00:19:30.539 --> 00:19:31.859 your brother. 00:19:32.480 --> 00:19:33.500 In other words, 00:19:33.680 --> 00:19:34.859 there's other people 00:19:34.859 --> 00:19:35.859 involved here 00:19:35.859 --> 00:19:37.079 who are going to be hurt 00:19:37.079 --> 00:19:38.019 by your actions. 00:19:39.219 --> 00:19:40.179 People are not just 00:19:40.179 --> 00:19:40.699 your playthings 00:19:41.439 --> 00:19:43.699 to satisfy your appetites. 00:19:44.819 --> 00:19:46.059 People are image bearers 00:19:46.059 --> 00:19:46.919 of God's. 00:19:47.199 --> 00:19:48.699 And you need to understand 00:19:48.699 --> 00:19:50.259 that because of that, 00:19:50.359 --> 00:19:51.039 they are worthy 00:19:51.039 --> 00:19:53.099 of the greatest dignity 00:19:53.099 --> 00:19:53.799 and respect 00:19:54.839 --> 00:19:56.379 as you love your neighbor 00:19:56.379 --> 00:19:57.159 as yourself. 00:19:57.160 --> 00:20:00.720 Let me just say, 00:20:00.779 --> 00:20:01.779 that is the culture 00:20:01.779 --> 00:20:02.700 that we always want 00:20:02.700 --> 00:20:04.000 to be creating here. 00:20:05.340 --> 00:20:05.580 Right? 00:20:05.759 --> 00:20:06.640 Just a culture 00:20:06.640 --> 00:20:08.100 where we view people 00:20:08.100 --> 00:20:08.960 differently. 00:20:11.019 --> 00:20:11.500 Differently. 00:20:11.880 --> 00:20:13.000 Where we talk about 00:20:13.000 --> 00:20:14.180 the other sex 00:20:14.180 --> 00:20:15.460 differently. 00:20:16.160 --> 00:20:17.000 And as you think 00:20:17.000 --> 00:20:17.540 about everything 00:20:17.540 --> 00:20:18.100 that's going on 00:20:18.100 --> 00:20:18.600 in our world 00:20:18.600 --> 00:20:19.480 over the last number 00:20:19.480 --> 00:20:20.100 of months, 00:20:20.800 --> 00:20:21.120 friends, 00:20:21.220 --> 00:20:22.300 we should be setting 00:20:22.300 --> 00:20:23.620 the pace here 00:20:23.619 --> 00:20:25.859 in how we relate 00:20:25.859 --> 00:20:26.579 to one another 00:20:26.579 --> 00:20:27.399 as people. 00:20:28.479 --> 00:20:29.739 Setting the pace. 00:20:31.419 --> 00:20:32.459 Striving to create 00:20:32.459 --> 00:20:33.519 a safe place 00:20:33.519 --> 00:20:34.539 where people can come in 00:20:34.539 --> 00:20:35.459 and not be judged 00:20:35.459 --> 00:20:36.519 but can heal 00:20:36.519 --> 00:20:38.039 and be loved 00:20:38.039 --> 00:20:39.119 and know 00:20:39.119 --> 00:20:40.000 the grace 00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:41.479 of Jesus Christ. 00:20:41.479 --> 00:20:42.599 Where we can be honest 00:20:42.599 --> 00:20:43.599 with our struggles. 00:20:43.899 --> 00:20:45.219 Where we have a safe place 00:20:45.219 --> 00:20:46.619 to practice repentance 00:20:46.619 --> 00:20:48.119 as together 00:20:48.119 --> 00:20:50.319 we deny self, 00:20:50.739 --> 00:20:51.819 take up cross, 00:20:51.819 --> 00:20:54.179 and follow Jesus. 00:20:57.279 --> 00:20:58.279 God's community 00:20:58.279 --> 00:20:59.019 will be a place 00:20:59.019 --> 00:20:59.879 where sex 00:20:59.879 --> 00:21:01.599 is honoured. 00:21:03.179 --> 00:21:03.939 And Mark 3, 00:21:04.059 --> 00:21:04.460 and these will be 00:21:04.460 --> 00:21:05.039 a lot quicker, 00:21:05.159 --> 00:21:05.599 these two. 00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:07.220 Mark 3, 00:21:07.439 --> 00:21:07.960 God's community 00:21:07.960 --> 00:21:08.319 is a place 00:21:08.319 --> 00:21:08.879 where justice 00:21:08.879 --> 00:21:09.439 is done. 00:21:10.980 --> 00:21:11.259 Right? 00:21:11.460 --> 00:21:12.039 Did you hear it 00:21:12.039 --> 00:21:12.899 as Hannah read it? 00:21:12.919 --> 00:21:13.599 Do not steal. 00:21:13.919 --> 00:21:14.579 Do not defraud 00:21:14.579 --> 00:21:15.059 your neighbour. 00:21:15.339 --> 00:21:15.839 Don't cheat 00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:16.379 in your weights 00:21:16.379 --> 00:21:17.259 and your scales. 00:21:17.500 --> 00:21:18.960 Pay your labourers 00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:19.679 their wages. 00:21:20.179 --> 00:21:20.939 Verse 15, 00:21:20.940 --> 00:21:22.120 you shall not render 00:21:22.120 --> 00:21:23.220 an unjust judgment 00:21:23.220 --> 00:21:23.900 that benefits 00:21:23.900 --> 00:21:24.580 either the rich 00:21:24.580 --> 00:21:25.039 or the poor. 00:21:25.120 --> 00:21:25.580 In other words, 00:21:25.680 --> 00:21:26.700 God really cares 00:21:26.700 --> 00:21:27.299 that justice 00:21:27.299 --> 00:21:27.820 is done 00:21:27.820 --> 00:21:28.820 amongst his people. 00:21:29.299 --> 00:21:29.680 Why? 00:21:30.860 --> 00:21:31.640 Because again, 00:21:31.700 --> 00:21:32.400 it just reflects 00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:32.960 his character. 00:21:33.140 --> 00:21:33.860 He is a God 00:21:33.860 --> 00:21:35.299 of justice. 00:21:37.680 --> 00:21:38.320 And Mark number 4, 00:21:38.400 --> 00:21:38.779 real quick, 00:21:38.860 --> 00:21:39.720 the days are special. 00:21:40.559 --> 00:21:41.320 Days are special. 00:21:41.740 --> 00:21:42.600 Chapter 23 00:21:42.600 --> 00:21:43.480 and into 25, 00:21:43.600 --> 00:21:44.340 the times of year 00:21:44.340 --> 00:21:45.259 that are to be special 00:21:45.259 --> 00:21:46.080 to the Israelites. 00:21:46.079 --> 00:21:48.980 the Passover, 00:21:49.199 --> 00:21:49.720 the Sabbath, 00:21:50.099 --> 00:21:51.299 the festival of weeks, 00:21:51.399 --> 00:21:52.259 the day of atonement, 00:21:52.359 --> 00:21:54.000 these rhythms of life 00:21:54.000 --> 00:21:54.960 that God tells them 00:21:54.960 --> 00:21:56.539 to build into their calendar, 00:21:57.000 --> 00:21:57.659 many of which 00:21:57.659 --> 00:21:58.319 will only happen 00:21:58.319 --> 00:21:59.480 once they're in the land 00:21:59.480 --> 00:22:00.279 where they're going. 00:22:01.079 --> 00:22:02.159 These days are designed 00:22:02.159 --> 00:22:03.059 to help them remember 00:22:03.059 --> 00:22:04.279 who their God is 00:22:04.279 --> 00:22:06.099 and what he's done for them 00:22:06.099 --> 00:22:08.079 and to be able to pass it on 00:22:08.079 --> 00:22:09.079 to the next generation. 00:22:09.279 --> 00:22:10.319 This is who our God is. 00:22:10.439 --> 00:22:11.339 This is who he is. 00:22:11.779 --> 00:22:12.019 Right? 00:22:12.139 --> 00:22:12.819 One of the reasons, 00:22:12.919 --> 00:22:13.699 if you want an example, 00:22:13.700 --> 00:22:14.900 chapter 23, 00:22:15.120 --> 00:22:16.600 sorry we're jumping about here 00:22:16.600 --> 00:22:17.299 but it's the nature 00:22:17.299 --> 00:22:18.100 of the exercise. 00:22:18.580 --> 00:22:19.360 Chapter 23, 00:22:19.480 --> 00:22:20.319 verse 43. 00:22:22.960 --> 00:22:24.000 One of the reasons 00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:24.779 they are to celebrate 00:22:24.779 --> 00:22:25.880 the Feast of Booths, 00:22:26.360 --> 00:22:27.460 23, 43. 00:22:29.059 --> 00:22:30.240 So your descendants 00:22:30.240 --> 00:22:30.960 will know 00:22:30.960 --> 00:22:32.340 that I had the Israelites 00:22:32.340 --> 00:22:33.860 live in temporary shelters 00:22:33.860 --> 00:22:34.779 when I brought them 00:22:34.779 --> 00:22:35.460 out of Egypt. 00:22:36.120 --> 00:22:37.220 I am the Lord your God. 00:22:37.500 --> 00:22:38.160 You picture that. 00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:38.920 You're celebrating 00:22:38.920 --> 00:22:39.759 that one together. 00:22:40.559 --> 00:22:40.940 Child, 00:22:41.039 --> 00:22:41.600 ask the parent, 00:22:41.740 --> 00:22:42.400 why are we doing this? 00:22:42.460 --> 00:22:43.539 Why are we living in a tent? 00:22:43.539 --> 00:22:44.399 What is going on? 00:22:45.839 --> 00:22:47.019 Because this is who our God is. 00:22:47.059 --> 00:22:48.039 This is what he's done for us. 00:22:48.139 --> 00:22:48.859 This is what happened. 00:22:48.960 --> 00:22:49.680 This is what he did. 00:22:49.759 --> 00:22:50.879 This is how good he is. 00:22:52.519 --> 00:22:53.200 Let's worship him 00:22:53.200 --> 00:22:54.220 and celebrate him together. 00:22:55.319 --> 00:22:55.559 You see, 00:22:55.619 --> 00:22:56.159 they're just built 00:22:56.159 --> 00:22:56.799 into the life 00:22:56.799 --> 00:22:57.480 of God's people, 00:22:58.059 --> 00:22:59.599 passing on to the next generation 00:22:59.599 --> 00:23:00.639 so that they don't forget 00:23:00.639 --> 00:23:02.920 this is who our God is. 00:23:04.559 --> 00:23:06.039 In chapters 26 and 27 00:23:06.039 --> 00:23:07.480 that kind of end the book here, 00:23:07.700 --> 00:23:08.759 chapter 26, 00:23:08.759 --> 00:23:11.440 God saying, 00:23:11.539 --> 00:23:12.579 I will bless you 00:23:12.579 --> 00:23:14.279 if you live a life 00:23:14.279 --> 00:23:15.759 of covenant faithfulness. 00:23:17.379 --> 00:23:18.519 You will be fruitful 00:23:18.519 --> 00:23:19.420 and multiply. 00:23:20.180 --> 00:23:21.180 There will be an abundance 00:23:21.180 --> 00:23:22.000 of grain, 00:23:22.160 --> 00:23:23.200 verse 12, 00:23:24.400 --> 00:23:25.140 chapter 26, 00:23:25.279 --> 00:23:26.200 and I will walk 00:23:26.200 --> 00:23:27.059 among you. 00:23:27.160 --> 00:23:27.299 Now, 00:23:27.539 --> 00:23:28.400 if you're on the ball, 00:23:28.500 --> 00:23:29.400 biblical theology, 00:23:30.039 --> 00:23:31.680 you'll feel there 00:23:31.680 --> 00:23:32.680 in that language, 00:23:32.839 --> 00:23:33.680 echoes of Eden. 00:23:35.140 --> 00:23:35.279 Yeah, 00:23:35.279 --> 00:23:36.220 I will walk among you. 00:23:36.259 --> 00:23:36.839 What was God doing 00:23:36.839 --> 00:23:37.299 in the garden? 00:23:37.420 --> 00:23:38.799 He was walking amongst them. 00:23:40.740 --> 00:23:41.819 Be fruitful and multiply. 00:23:41.960 --> 00:23:42.180 Again, 00:23:42.220 --> 00:23:43.200 you hear the echoes of Eden 00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:43.819 in the language. 00:23:43.960 --> 00:23:44.700 This is where God 00:23:44.700 --> 00:23:45.859 is taking his people. 00:23:47.539 --> 00:23:48.599 But you will incur 00:23:48.599 --> 00:23:49.460 the covenant curses 00:23:49.460 --> 00:23:50.099 if you don't. 00:23:51.519 --> 00:23:52.279 Most importantly, 00:23:52.379 --> 00:23:53.420 I think for the story, 00:23:53.539 --> 00:23:54.220 verse 33, 00:23:54.420 --> 00:23:55.059 God is saying, 00:23:55.819 --> 00:23:56.839 I will scatter you 00:23:56.839 --> 00:23:57.599 among the nations. 00:23:58.259 --> 00:23:59.480 I will expel you 00:23:59.480 --> 00:24:00.220 from the land 00:24:00.220 --> 00:24:01.160 where I am taking you 00:24:01.160 --> 00:24:02.039 just like I did 00:24:02.039 --> 00:24:02.940 the Canaanites 00:24:02.940 --> 00:24:05.759 because if you're 00:24:05.759 --> 00:24:06.039 going to live 00:24:06.039 --> 00:24:06.480 as my people, 00:24:06.559 --> 00:24:06.920 my place, 00:24:06.960 --> 00:24:07.580 you must be holy. 00:24:09.779 --> 00:24:10.779 And I think just as we 00:24:10.779 --> 00:24:11.660 maybe bring the chapters 00:24:11.660 --> 00:24:12.259 to a close, 00:24:12.519 --> 00:24:12.840 friends, 00:24:12.880 --> 00:24:13.440 we need to see 00:24:13.440 --> 00:24:14.460 how seriously 00:24:14.460 --> 00:24:15.920 God takes the holiness 00:24:15.920 --> 00:24:16.680 of his people. 00:24:18.259 --> 00:24:18.620 If you're going to 00:24:18.620 --> 00:24:19.480 represent me, 00:24:21.080 --> 00:24:22.299 you need to be holy. 00:24:23.620 --> 00:24:24.380 I remember when I was 00:24:24.380 --> 00:24:24.820 a lawyer, 00:24:26.039 --> 00:24:27.440 one of the clients 00:24:27.440 --> 00:24:28.600 that we had 00:24:28.600 --> 00:24:30.440 was an apple reseller. 00:24:30.539 --> 00:24:31.320 Not as in an apple, 00:24:31.759 --> 00:24:32.400 as in apple. 00:24:32.400 --> 00:24:34.580 Apple got in contact, 00:24:34.700 --> 00:24:35.120 I remember, 00:24:35.340 --> 00:24:35.840 and sent us 00:24:35.840 --> 00:24:36.940 this hugely detailed 00:24:36.940 --> 00:24:38.280 document of everything 00:24:38.280 --> 00:24:39.340 that they expected us 00:24:39.340 --> 00:24:41.320 to do if we were 00:24:41.320 --> 00:24:41.720 going to sell 00:24:41.720 --> 00:24:42.420 their products. 00:24:43.480 --> 00:24:44.240 Everything from the 00:24:44.240 --> 00:24:45.540 texture of the surfaces, 00:24:45.759 --> 00:24:46.660 the type of marble 00:24:46.660 --> 00:24:47.720 they had to be made of, 00:24:47.840 --> 00:24:48.980 the gaps between 00:24:48.980 --> 00:24:49.759 the products 00:24:49.759 --> 00:24:50.740 as you put them 00:24:50.740 --> 00:24:51.240 on display, 00:24:51.320 --> 00:24:52.040 and how the shop 00:24:52.040 --> 00:24:52.920 was to be set up 00:24:52.920 --> 00:24:53.480 and the lighting. 00:24:53.780 --> 00:24:54.820 I have never seen 00:24:54.820 --> 00:24:55.540 so much attention 00:24:55.540 --> 00:24:56.580 to detail in my life. 00:24:57.500 --> 00:24:58.120 But it is why 00:24:58.120 --> 00:24:58.620 when you go to 00:24:58.620 --> 00:24:59.340 an apple store, 00:24:59.480 --> 00:25:00.420 you will see the same 00:25:00.420 --> 00:25:01.300 layout all the way 00:25:01.300 --> 00:25:01.560 through. 00:25:02.400 --> 00:25:03.640 Because they are saying, 00:25:03.740 --> 00:25:04.100 if you are going to 00:25:04.100 --> 00:25:05.060 represent our brand, 00:25:05.840 --> 00:25:07.460 this is what we expect 00:25:07.460 --> 00:25:07.759 of you. 00:25:08.080 --> 00:25:08.920 And in the same way, 00:25:09.000 --> 00:25:09.300 friends, 00:25:10.759 --> 00:25:11.540 these chapters 00:25:11.540 --> 00:25:12.580 exclaim to us 00:25:12.580 --> 00:25:13.800 as we read about 00:25:13.800 --> 00:25:15.080 incident after incident 00:25:15.080 --> 00:25:16.400 of people just 00:25:16.400 --> 00:25:17.740 abusing God's holiness. 00:25:19.220 --> 00:25:19.980 And what happened 00:25:19.980 --> 00:25:20.480 to them, 00:25:21.540 --> 00:25:22.560 just how much it 00:25:22.560 --> 00:25:23.660 matters to a holy 00:25:23.660 --> 00:25:24.160 God, 00:25:24.540 --> 00:25:25.820 what kind of people 00:25:25.820 --> 00:25:26.680 represent him. 00:25:26.680 --> 00:25:29.100 because this God, 00:25:29.240 --> 00:25:29.779 the Lord, 00:25:30.259 --> 00:25:31.180 who is three times 00:25:31.180 --> 00:25:31.539 holy, 00:25:32.539 --> 00:25:33.259 he will not be 00:25:33.259 --> 00:25:33.759 mocked. 00:25:34.920 --> 00:25:35.539 He will not be 00:25:35.539 --> 00:25:36.039 mocked. 00:25:38.039 --> 00:25:38.900 And you want proof 00:25:38.900 --> 00:25:39.980 of that when Jesus 00:25:39.980 --> 00:25:41.240 turns up 2,000 odd 00:25:41.240 --> 00:25:41.759 years later? 00:25:43.600 --> 00:25:44.700 The tragedy is 00:25:44.700 --> 00:25:45.100 that Israel 00:25:45.100 --> 00:25:46.019 have swerved 00:25:46.019 --> 00:25:47.120 off the track 00:25:47.120 --> 00:25:48.519 so far 00:25:48.519 --> 00:25:50.019 that they are 00:25:50.019 --> 00:25:50.740 no longer 00:25:50.740 --> 00:25:51.460 being this 00:25:51.460 --> 00:25:52.440 holy people. 00:25:52.900 --> 00:25:53.100 You know, 00:25:53.140 --> 00:25:53.340 I never, 00:25:53.440 --> 00:25:53.840 you make these 00:25:53.840 --> 00:25:54.560 connections as you 00:25:54.560 --> 00:25:55.060 read scripture 00:25:55.059 --> 00:25:55.379 through. 00:25:55.460 --> 00:25:56.240 I'd never noticed 00:25:56.240 --> 00:25:57.240 before in Mark 11. 00:25:58.359 --> 00:25:58.940 Mark 11. 00:25:59.319 --> 00:25:59.519 You know, 00:25:59.559 --> 00:26:00.440 Jesus is into the 00:26:00.440 --> 00:26:01.559 temple and he's 00:26:01.559 --> 00:26:02.379 flipping the tables. 00:26:02.740 --> 00:26:03.419 What's one of the 00:26:03.419 --> 00:26:04.240 things that he sees 00:26:04.240 --> 00:26:04.379 there? 00:26:04.419 --> 00:26:05.059 What's one of the 00:26:05.059 --> 00:26:06.240 things that causes 00:26:06.240 --> 00:26:07.259 such holy anger 00:26:07.259 --> 00:26:07.859 in his heart? 00:26:08.039 --> 00:26:08.599 What are the people 00:26:08.599 --> 00:26:09.019 selling? 00:26:10.359 --> 00:26:10.980 They're selling 00:26:10.980 --> 00:26:11.359 doves. 00:26:12.460 --> 00:26:13.119 What is it in 00:26:13.119 --> 00:26:13.879 Leviticus we learned 00:26:13.879 --> 00:26:14.339 at the start? 00:26:14.419 --> 00:26:15.019 What do the poor 00:26:15.019 --> 00:26:16.259 people who can't 00:26:16.259 --> 00:26:16.879 afford a bull, 00:26:16.919 --> 00:26:18.059 what did they come 00:26:18.059 --> 00:26:20.159 bringing for their 00:26:20.159 --> 00:26:20.700 sacrifice? 00:26:20.779 --> 00:26:21.919 They bring a dove 00:26:21.919 --> 00:26:23.059 or a pigeon, 00:26:23.159 --> 00:26:23.539 but a dove. 00:26:24.059 --> 00:26:24.819 And so here are the 00:26:24.819 --> 00:26:25.379 people in the 00:26:25.379 --> 00:26:26.019 temple selling 00:26:26.019 --> 00:26:26.659 these things 00:26:26.659 --> 00:26:27.740 and trying to 00:26:27.740 --> 00:26:28.279 make money. 00:26:28.599 --> 00:26:29.200 And who are they 00:26:29.200 --> 00:26:29.679 making money 00:26:29.679 --> 00:26:30.019 off? 00:26:31.240 --> 00:26:31.939 The poor. 00:26:33.619 --> 00:26:34.200 Do you see it? 00:26:34.539 --> 00:26:35.119 And there's money 00:26:35.119 --> 00:26:35.839 changers there as 00:26:35.839 --> 00:26:35.960 well. 00:26:36.019 --> 00:26:36.359 People from 00:26:36.359 --> 00:26:37.419 outside coming in 00:26:37.419 --> 00:26:38.099 to worship God 00:26:38.099 --> 00:26:38.819 need to change 00:26:38.819 --> 00:26:39.399 their currency. 00:26:39.559 --> 00:26:39.839 Again, 00:26:40.039 --> 00:26:40.740 probably people 00:26:40.740 --> 00:26:41.240 making money 00:26:41.240 --> 00:26:41.759 off of that. 00:26:41.819 --> 00:26:42.240 Who are they 00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:42.839 exploiting? 00:26:43.200 --> 00:26:43.919 The foreigner. 00:26:44.740 --> 00:26:45.319 The outsider 00:26:45.319 --> 00:26:45.919 who's coming in 00:26:45.919 --> 00:26:46.480 to worship the Lord. 00:26:46.679 --> 00:26:47.059 Do you see how 00:26:47.059 --> 00:26:47.659 Israel at this 00:26:47.659 --> 00:26:48.099 point have gone 00:26:48.099 --> 00:26:49.299 so far, 00:26:49.700 --> 00:26:51.220 so far off 00:26:51.220 --> 00:26:51.960 the tracks? 00:26:51.960 --> 00:26:54.100 Matthew 5, 00:26:54.180 --> 00:26:54.700 the Pharisees 00:26:54.700 --> 00:26:55.140 are teaching 00:26:55.140 --> 00:26:55.539 that we're 00:26:55.539 --> 00:26:56.059 keeping the 00:26:56.059 --> 00:26:56.480 law because 00:26:56.480 --> 00:26:57.079 we are not 00:26:57.079 --> 00:26:57.940 committing adultery. 00:26:58.000 --> 00:26:58.259 What does 00:26:58.259 --> 00:26:58.980 Jesus say in 00:26:58.980 --> 00:26:59.519 the Sermon on 00:26:59.519 --> 00:26:59.900 the Mount? 00:27:00.960 --> 00:27:01.640 Yeah, but you're 00:27:01.640 --> 00:27:02.460 burning with lust 00:27:02.460 --> 00:27:03.180 in your hearts. 00:27:04.039 --> 00:27:05.279 They say we're 00:27:05.279 --> 00:27:05.980 keeping the law 00:27:05.980 --> 00:27:06.519 because we are 00:27:06.519 --> 00:27:07.299 not murdering. 00:27:07.380 --> 00:27:07.620 What does 00:27:07.620 --> 00:27:08.160 Jesus say? 00:27:08.259 --> 00:27:09.539 Yeah, but anger 00:27:09.539 --> 00:27:10.740 rages inside of 00:27:10.740 --> 00:27:10.980 you. 00:27:11.819 --> 00:27:12.600 You've missed it. 00:27:12.640 --> 00:27:13.120 You've missed the 00:27:13.120 --> 00:27:13.539 point. 00:27:13.920 --> 00:27:14.700 I love the analogy 00:27:14.700 --> 00:27:15.660 that Jesus uses for 00:27:15.660 --> 00:27:15.819 them. 00:27:15.900 --> 00:27:16.440 What does he call 00:27:16.440 --> 00:27:16.539 them? 00:27:16.559 --> 00:27:17.180 He calls them 00:27:17.180 --> 00:27:18.860 whitewashed tombs. 00:27:19.940 --> 00:27:20.640 I just picture a 00:27:20.640 --> 00:27:21.160 cave where the 00:27:21.160 --> 00:27:21.780 body would go 00:27:21.780 --> 00:27:22.200 and they've 00:27:22.200 --> 00:27:23.160 painted it white, 00:27:23.600 --> 00:27:23.960 given the 00:27:23.960 --> 00:27:24.540 impression of 00:27:24.540 --> 00:27:25.480 life, but 00:27:25.480 --> 00:27:25.980 inside is 00:27:25.980 --> 00:27:26.400 death. 00:27:28.220 --> 00:27:28.700 Whitewashed 00:27:28.700 --> 00:27:29.180 tombs. 00:27:29.500 --> 00:27:30.560 I love how, 00:27:30.680 --> 00:27:31.040 and we should 00:27:31.040 --> 00:27:31.780 see this, 00:27:32.200 --> 00:27:32.960 that Jesus has 00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:33.440 some of his 00:27:33.440 --> 00:27:34.660 strongest words 00:27:34.660 --> 00:27:35.660 for religious 00:27:35.660 --> 00:27:36.400 hypocrites. 00:27:39.520 --> 00:27:40.280 And he has 00:27:40.280 --> 00:27:40.759 some of his 00:27:40.759 --> 00:27:41.840 sweetest words 00:27:41.840 --> 00:27:44.080 for those who 00:27:44.080 --> 00:27:44.620 are religious 00:27:44.620 --> 00:27:45.120 failures. 00:27:47.000 --> 00:27:47.840 When he says, 00:27:48.000 --> 00:27:48.700 do not think 00:27:48.700 --> 00:27:49.180 that I have 00:27:49.180 --> 00:27:50.120 come to abolish 00:27:50.119 --> 00:27:50.599 the law of 00:27:50.599 --> 00:27:51.159 the prophets. 00:27:51.579 --> 00:27:52.179 I have not 00:27:52.179 --> 00:27:52.519 come to 00:27:52.519 --> 00:27:53.119 abolish them, 00:27:53.179 --> 00:27:53.539 I have come 00:27:53.539 --> 00:27:54.159 to fulfill 00:27:54.159 --> 00:27:54.359 them. 00:27:54.419 --> 00:27:54.679 Now, what 00:27:54.679 --> 00:27:54.939 does he 00:27:54.939 --> 00:27:55.259 mean? 00:27:56.599 --> 00:27:57.179 Fulfill them. 00:27:57.219 --> 00:27:57.599 What does he 00:27:57.599 --> 00:27:57.899 mean? 00:27:59.639 --> 00:28:00.199 How do we 00:28:00.199 --> 00:28:00.859 understand the 00:28:00.859 --> 00:28:01.039 law? 00:28:01.099 --> 00:28:01.439 What are we 00:28:01.439 --> 00:28:01.799 supposed to 00:28:01.799 --> 00:28:02.119 do with 00:28:02.119 --> 00:28:02.279 this? 00:28:02.419 --> 00:28:02.559 Well, 00:28:02.899 --> 00:28:03.379 commentators 00:28:03.379 --> 00:28:04.279 generally agree 00:28:04.279 --> 00:28:05.479 that you can 00:28:05.479 --> 00:28:05.959 divide the 00:28:05.959 --> 00:28:06.299 law into 00:28:06.299 --> 00:28:08.119 three categories. 00:28:09.399 --> 00:28:10.079 You've got the 00:28:10.079 --> 00:28:11.119 ceremonial laws, 00:28:11.199 --> 00:28:12.139 the rituals that 00:28:12.139 --> 00:28:12.819 Israel were told 00:28:12.819 --> 00:28:13.359 to do. 00:28:13.679 --> 00:28:14.779 So, sin 00:28:14.779 --> 00:28:15.859 offerings, etc. 00:28:16.159 --> 00:28:16.719 The kind of 00:28:16.719 --> 00:28:17.219 things that make 00:28:17.219 --> 00:28:18.539 you unclean and 00:28:18.539 --> 00:28:19.119 clean, like 00:28:19.119 --> 00:28:20.099 eating prawns, 00:28:20.119 --> 00:28:20.599 all those kind 00:28:20.599 --> 00:28:21.079 of things, 00:28:21.139 --> 00:28:21.339 right? 00:28:21.619 --> 00:28:22.500 Which were all 00:28:22.500 --> 00:28:23.319 pointing to 00:28:23.319 --> 00:28:24.939 Jesus and his 00:28:24.939 --> 00:28:25.419 work on the 00:28:25.419 --> 00:28:26.019 cross, what he 00:28:26.019 --> 00:28:26.659 would do. 00:28:28.359 --> 00:28:28.939 Dies on the 00:28:28.939 --> 00:28:29.679 cross, atones 00:28:29.679 --> 00:28:30.519 for our sin. 00:28:30.959 --> 00:28:31.459 He is the 00:28:31.459 --> 00:28:32.359 atoning sacrifice 00:28:32.359 --> 00:28:33.239 that we need. 00:28:33.559 --> 00:28:34.099 He's the one 00:28:34.099 --> 00:28:34.699 that can make us 00:28:34.699 --> 00:28:35.079 clean. 00:28:35.659 --> 00:28:36.159 And therefore, 00:28:36.299 --> 00:28:36.979 because we stand 00:28:36.979 --> 00:28:37.639 at this point in 00:28:37.639 --> 00:28:38.299 the story, we 00:28:38.299 --> 00:28:38.919 don't need to go 00:28:38.919 --> 00:28:39.219 back. 00:28:39.279 --> 00:28:39.599 Now that we've 00:28:39.599 --> 00:28:40.079 got the full 00:28:40.079 --> 00:28:40.619 picture, we 00:28:40.619 --> 00:28:41.179 don't go back 00:28:41.179 --> 00:28:41.639 to the play 00:28:41.639 --> 00:28:41.959 thing. 00:28:42.619 --> 00:28:42.939 We don't go 00:28:42.939 --> 00:28:43.619 back the way. 00:28:43.619 --> 00:28:46.259 And the 00:28:46.259 --> 00:28:46.959 civil law, the 00:28:46.959 --> 00:28:47.359 things that 00:28:47.359 --> 00:28:48.259 specifically apply 00:28:48.259 --> 00:28:48.919 to the nation 00:28:48.919 --> 00:28:49.679 of Israel, 00:28:50.199 --> 00:28:50.739 particularly when 00:28:50.739 --> 00:28:51.279 they're in the 00:28:51.279 --> 00:28:52.859 land, keeping 00:28:52.859 --> 00:28:53.399 up special 00:28:53.399 --> 00:28:56.019 days, etc. 00:28:56.099 --> 00:28:56.559 All these 00:28:56.559 --> 00:28:57.159 things fulfilled 00:28:57.159 --> 00:28:57.639 in Jesus. 00:28:57.779 --> 00:28:58.119 Paul in the 00:28:58.119 --> 00:28:58.539 New Testament 00:28:58.539 --> 00:28:59.059 talks about 00:28:59.059 --> 00:28:59.779 Christ as our 00:28:59.779 --> 00:29:01.599 Passover lamb. 00:29:02.079 --> 00:29:02.779 Jesus is the 00:29:02.779 --> 00:29:03.379 one who gives 00:29:03.379 --> 00:29:04.479 us rest. 00:29:05.359 --> 00:29:06.019 That is 00:29:06.019 --> 00:29:06.819 everything the 00:29:06.819 --> 00:29:07.359 Sabbath was 00:29:07.359 --> 00:29:08.099 pointing to. 00:29:08.179 --> 00:29:08.719 And moreover, 00:29:08.839 --> 00:29:09.439 God's people are 00:29:09.439 --> 00:29:10.159 no longer one 00:29:10.159 --> 00:29:10.899 nation in the 00:29:10.899 --> 00:29:11.219 land. 00:29:11.220 --> 00:29:11.660 We are now 00:29:11.660 --> 00:29:12.240 people from 00:29:12.240 --> 00:29:13.319 every nation. 00:29:14.680 --> 00:29:15.579 Every nation. 00:29:16.779 --> 00:29:17.539 But friends, the 00:29:17.539 --> 00:29:18.539 third category is a 00:29:18.539 --> 00:29:18.779 lot more 00:29:18.779 --> 00:29:19.259 interesting. 00:29:20.440 --> 00:29:21.299 It's the moral 00:29:21.299 --> 00:29:21.740 law. 00:29:23.140 --> 00:29:23.880 In other words, 00:29:23.940 --> 00:29:24.620 this is God's 00:29:24.620 --> 00:29:25.500 heart. 00:29:26.920 --> 00:29:27.519 And not only do 00:29:27.519 --> 00:29:28.279 we see so much 00:29:28.279 --> 00:29:29.240 of this picked up 00:29:29.240 --> 00:29:29.660 in the New 00:29:29.660 --> 00:29:31.100 Testament, all 00:29:31.100 --> 00:29:31.740 these things that 00:29:31.740 --> 00:29:32.620 God requires us 00:29:32.620 --> 00:29:33.920 to do, he wants 00:29:33.920 --> 00:29:34.600 us to do as his 00:29:34.600 --> 00:29:35.440 people, but there's 00:29:35.440 --> 00:29:36.079 another way that 00:29:36.079 --> 00:29:37.019 Jesus fulfills the 00:29:37.019 --> 00:29:37.319 law. 00:29:38.819 --> 00:29:39.600 And if you want 00:29:39.600 --> 00:29:40.279 to see what a 00:29:40.279 --> 00:29:41.079 holy life 00:29:41.079 --> 00:29:42.960 looks like, if 00:29:42.960 --> 00:29:43.500 you want to see 00:29:43.500 --> 00:29:44.379 what a life of 00:29:44.379 --> 00:29:46.359 joyful obedience 00:29:46.359 --> 00:29:47.960 and glad 00:29:47.960 --> 00:29:49.039 submission to 00:29:49.039 --> 00:29:49.899 God the Father 00:29:49.899 --> 00:29:50.779 looks like, if 00:29:50.779 --> 00:29:51.259 you want to see 00:29:51.259 --> 00:29:51.819 what a perfect 00:29:51.819 --> 00:29:52.720 law keeper looks 00:29:52.720 --> 00:29:53.720 like, whether 00:29:53.720 --> 00:29:54.379 that makes you 00:29:54.379 --> 00:29:55.259 sad or happy, 00:29:56.179 --> 00:29:56.980 look at Jesus. 00:29:58.480 --> 00:29:59.259 Look at Jesus. 00:29:59.399 --> 00:29:59.839 And in that 00:29:59.839 --> 00:30:00.399 sense, you see 00:30:00.399 --> 00:30:00.919 how he has 00:30:00.919 --> 00:30:01.720 fulfilled the 00:30:01.720 --> 00:30:01.939 law. 00:30:03.720 --> 00:30:04.240 It's often what 00:30:04.240 --> 00:30:04.799 people say about 00:30:04.799 --> 00:30:05.659 Christianity, isn't 00:30:05.659 --> 00:30:05.759 it? 00:30:05.779 --> 00:30:06.359 It's just rules, 00:30:06.519 --> 00:30:07.139 rules, rules. 00:30:07.319 --> 00:30:07.720 You know, if I 00:30:07.720 --> 00:30:08.500 wanted life in a 00:30:08.500 --> 00:30:10.079 straitjacket, I 00:30:10.079 --> 00:30:10.539 don't want it, 00:30:10.539 --> 00:30:11.059 thank you very 00:30:11.059 --> 00:30:11.440 much. 00:30:11.920 --> 00:30:12.279 I remember 00:30:12.279 --> 00:30:13.059 reading C.S. 00:30:13.099 --> 00:30:13.659 Lewis's book 00:30:13.659 --> 00:30:14.579 years ago, his 00:30:14.579 --> 00:30:15.899 spiritual autobiography, 00:30:16.039 --> 00:30:16.240 it's called 00:30:16.240 --> 00:30:17.159 Mere Christianity. 00:30:17.700 --> 00:30:18.180 He talked about 00:30:18.180 --> 00:30:18.740 before he was a 00:30:18.740 --> 00:30:19.319 Christian, he used 00:30:19.319 --> 00:30:20.859 to view God as 00:30:20.859 --> 00:30:22.119 a grand 00:30:22.119 --> 00:30:23.899 interferer in 00:30:23.899 --> 00:30:24.420 his life. 00:30:26.639 --> 00:30:27.619 I viewed God 00:30:27.619 --> 00:30:28.259 like that before I 00:30:28.259 --> 00:30:28.819 became a Christian. 00:30:28.940 --> 00:30:29.460 He was like a 00:30:29.460 --> 00:30:29.819 referee. 00:30:30.319 --> 00:30:31.240 He was just out to 00:30:31.240 --> 00:30:31.940 spoil my fun. 00:30:32.279 --> 00:30:32.599 It would be so 00:30:32.599 --> 00:30:33.220 much better if you 00:30:33.220 --> 00:30:33.639 weren't there. 00:30:33.640 --> 00:30:37.140 But that's not 00:30:37.140 --> 00:30:37.780 what you see when 00:30:37.780 --> 00:30:38.200 you look at 00:30:38.200 --> 00:30:38.520 Jesus. 00:30:40.360 --> 00:30:41.380 Not only is he 00:30:41.380 --> 00:30:42.240 the perfect law 00:30:42.240 --> 00:30:42.840 keeper whose 00:30:42.840 --> 00:30:43.860 righteousness we 00:30:43.860 --> 00:30:45.780 need, we can't 00:30:45.780 --> 00:30:47.000 do this, he did 00:30:47.000 --> 00:30:47.240 it. 00:30:48.240 --> 00:30:49.180 But if to be a 00:30:49.180 --> 00:30:50.200 Christian, if to be 00:30:50.200 --> 00:30:51.300 chosen by God the 00:30:51.300 --> 00:30:53.420 Father, and to 00:30:53.420 --> 00:30:54.900 have Jesus formed 00:30:54.900 --> 00:30:56.100 in us through the 00:30:56.100 --> 00:30:56.740 power of the 00:30:56.740 --> 00:30:57.680 Spirit, friends, 00:30:57.720 --> 00:30:58.160 and we should 00:30:58.160 --> 00:30:59.360 begin to look more 00:30:59.359 --> 00:31:00.079 like him. 00:31:03.199 --> 00:31:04.139 You see, the 00:31:04.139 --> 00:31:04.859 gospel of free 00:31:04.859 --> 00:31:05.639 grace is never 00:31:05.639 --> 00:31:06.500 about turning over 00:31:06.500 --> 00:31:07.659 a new leaf and 00:31:07.659 --> 00:31:08.099 saying, I'm going 00:31:08.099 --> 00:31:08.839 to try harder. 00:31:09.379 --> 00:31:10.599 It's about God by 00:31:10.599 --> 00:31:12.259 his grace taking 00:31:12.259 --> 00:31:13.000 out our heart of 00:31:13.000 --> 00:31:13.579 stone and putting 00:31:13.579 --> 00:31:14.379 in a new heart of 00:31:14.379 --> 00:31:14.699 flesh. 00:31:14.939 --> 00:31:15.519 It's about being 00:31:15.519 --> 00:31:16.419 given a new heart. 00:31:18.059 --> 00:31:18.619 And therefore, 00:31:18.899 --> 00:31:19.319 friends, if you 00:31:19.319 --> 00:31:20.019 bring those together, 00:31:20.179 --> 00:31:20.979 holiness should be 00:31:20.979 --> 00:31:23.399 the desire of 00:31:23.399 --> 00:31:24.479 every child of 00:31:24.479 --> 00:31:24.819 God. 00:31:26.139 --> 00:31:26.979 In the words of 00:31:26.979 --> 00:31:27.740 William Cowper, 00:31:27.859 --> 00:31:28.740 to see the law by 00:31:28.740 --> 00:31:29.339 Christ fulfilled, 00:31:29.359 --> 00:31:30.459 and hear his 00:31:30.459 --> 00:31:31.439 pardoning voice, 00:31:31.879 --> 00:31:33.099 changes a slave 00:31:33.099 --> 00:31:34.099 into a child, 00:31:34.679 --> 00:31:35.939 and duty into 00:31:35.939 --> 00:31:36.399 choice. 00:31:36.500 --> 00:31:37.299 This is a privilege 00:31:37.299 --> 00:31:38.659 to worship and 00:31:38.659 --> 00:31:39.240 follow Jesus. 00:31:40.179 --> 00:31:40.599 And so the 00:31:40.599 --> 00:31:41.359 challenge to us 00:31:41.359 --> 00:31:41.819 today as we 00:31:41.819 --> 00:31:42.379 bring this to a 00:31:42.379 --> 00:31:43.139 close as God's 00:31:43.139 --> 00:31:44.479 people is are we 00:31:44.479 --> 00:31:45.399 living in such a 00:31:45.399 --> 00:31:47.299 way that the God 00:31:47.299 --> 00:31:47.919 we claim to 00:31:47.919 --> 00:31:49.599 worship attracts 00:31:49.599 --> 00:31:50.819 admiration from the 00:31:50.819 --> 00:31:51.659 world around us? 00:31:54.099 --> 00:31:54.719 And I think back 00:31:54.719 --> 00:31:55.119 just where we 00:31:55.119 --> 00:31:55.939 started to spot 00:31:55.939 --> 00:31:56.539 the difference. 00:31:57.939 --> 00:31:58.379 Spot the 00:31:58.379 --> 00:31:58.799 difference. 00:31:59.359 --> 00:32:01.959 Friends, how are 00:32:01.959 --> 00:32:02.379 we doing it 00:32:02.379 --> 00:32:02.879 being different? 00:32:04.359 --> 00:32:04.679 How are we 00:32:04.679 --> 00:32:05.079 doing it being 00:32:05.079 --> 00:32:05.459 different? 00:32:07.079 --> 00:32:07.599 I remember hearing 00:32:07.599 --> 00:32:08.319 a story of a guy 00:32:08.319 --> 00:32:09.000 called Mark. 00:32:09.139 --> 00:32:09.519 Mark got 00:32:09.519 --> 00:32:10.159 baptized at 00:32:10.159 --> 00:32:10.819 Charlotte Chapel 00:32:10.819 --> 00:32:12.019 back in 2017, 00:32:12.019 --> 00:32:14.319 and how he came to 00:32:14.319 --> 00:32:15.039 hear about Jesus 00:32:15.039 --> 00:32:16.940 was simply that 00:32:16.940 --> 00:32:17.779 somebody new 00:32:17.779 --> 00:32:18.619 started at his 00:32:18.619 --> 00:32:19.019 work. 00:32:20.200 --> 00:32:21.059 She was called 00:32:21.059 --> 00:32:22.940 Kirsty, and in 00:32:22.940 --> 00:32:24.059 her Mark saw 00:32:24.059 --> 00:32:25.339 something different. 00:32:26.400 --> 00:32:27.259 And he said this in 00:32:27.259 --> 00:32:28.099 his testimony, because 00:32:28.099 --> 00:32:29.119 I've got a transcript 00:32:29.119 --> 00:32:29.500 of it. 00:32:29.559 --> 00:32:29.879 He said, 00:32:30.339 --> 00:32:31.200 she brought our 00:32:31.200 --> 00:32:32.400 loving God to my 00:32:32.400 --> 00:32:34.139 attention, and my 00:32:34.139 --> 00:32:35.019 interest was 00:32:35.019 --> 00:32:35.599 piqued. 00:32:35.599 --> 00:32:38.240 And so the two of 00:32:38.240 --> 00:32:38.879 them get chatting, 00:32:38.980 --> 00:32:39.500 they start reading 00:32:39.500 --> 00:32:40.240 the Bible together, 00:32:40.399 --> 00:32:41.119 Mark encounters 00:32:41.119 --> 00:32:42.019 Jesus, he's 00:32:42.019 --> 00:32:42.959 convicted of his 00:32:42.959 --> 00:32:44.000 sin, and he 00:32:44.000 --> 00:32:45.000 finds forgiveness 00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:47.019 in life in 00:32:47.019 --> 00:32:47.379 Jesus. 00:32:47.799 --> 00:32:48.419 Why did it 00:32:48.419 --> 00:32:48.759 start? 00:32:48.859 --> 00:32:49.959 Because Mark saw 00:32:49.959 --> 00:32:51.079 something different. 00:32:51.779 --> 00:32:52.679 There's always God's 00:32:52.679 --> 00:32:53.519 plan for holiness, 00:32:53.679 --> 00:32:54.379 that we would make 00:32:54.379 --> 00:32:55.379 him attractive to 00:32:55.379 --> 00:32:55.859 the world. 00:32:57.279 --> 00:32:58.019 Friends, how are we 00:32:58.019 --> 00:32:58.519 doing at being 00:32:58.519 --> 00:32:58.859 different? 00:32:59.039 --> 00:32:59.839 Here is the call 00:32:59.839 --> 00:33:00.740 that this holy God 00:33:00.740 --> 00:33:01.759 makes on our lives, 00:33:02.259 --> 00:33:03.399 as we respond to 00:33:03.400 --> 00:33:05.560 his grace, to 00:33:05.560 --> 00:33:07.080 be holy, to be 00:33:07.080 --> 00:33:07.420 holy. 00:33:08.400 --> 00:33:09.040 Holiness is 00:33:09.040 --> 00:33:09.440 something that 00:33:09.440 --> 00:33:09.940 we're called to 00:33:09.940 --> 00:33:12.040 take in, and 00:33:12.040 --> 00:33:12.860 holiness is 00:33:12.860 --> 00:33:13.380 something that 00:33:13.380 --> 00:33:14.640 we're called to 00:33:14.640 --> 00:33:15.060 live out. 00:33:15.600 --> 00:33:16.000 Let's pray 00:33:16.000 --> 00:33:16.320 together. 00:33:20.080 --> 00:33:20.740 Heavenly Father, 00:33:20.800 --> 00:33:21.320 we just thank you 00:33:21.320 --> 00:33:21.940 so much for your 00:33:21.940 --> 00:33:22.340 grace. 00:33:23.800 --> 00:33:24.600 Lord, where would 00:33:24.600 --> 00:33:25.440 we be without your 00:33:25.440 --> 00:33:26.440 great love for us? 00:33:27.920 --> 00:33:28.460 And so we just 00:33:28.460 --> 00:33:29.220 thank you for your 00:33:29.220 --> 00:33:29.920 precious word, 00:33:30.060 --> 00:33:31.019 Lord, and everything 00:33:31.019 --> 00:33:31.560 that we've learned 00:33:31.560 --> 00:33:31.960 this morning. 00:33:32.019 --> 00:33:32.340 And I pray 00:33:32.340 --> 00:33:33.040 particularly, Father, 00:33:33.039 --> 00:33:34.099 for those who 00:33:34.099 --> 00:33:35.519 are perhaps 00:33:35.519 --> 00:33:36.240 struggling with 00:33:36.240 --> 00:33:36.940 something that 00:33:36.940 --> 00:33:37.579 we've read this 00:33:37.579 --> 00:33:37.899 morning. 00:33:38.420 --> 00:33:38.980 Or, Father, in 00:33:38.980 --> 00:33:39.579 their heart are 00:33:39.579 --> 00:33:40.859 feeling perhaps a 00:33:40.859 --> 00:33:41.799 sense of guilt. 00:33:42.339 --> 00:33:42.879 Lord, would you 00:33:42.879 --> 00:33:43.859 just remind them 00:33:43.859 --> 00:33:44.720 particularly, Father, 00:33:44.819 --> 00:33:45.740 of your love for 00:33:45.740 --> 00:33:46.920 them, of your 00:33:46.920 --> 00:33:48.019 Son who gave your 00:33:48.019 --> 00:33:49.359 life to save 00:33:49.359 --> 00:33:49.720 them. 00:33:51.220 --> 00:33:51.720 Father, we just 00:33:51.720 --> 00:33:52.420 thank you for your 00:33:52.420 --> 00:33:53.299 wonderful love for 00:33:53.299 --> 00:33:53.559 us. 00:33:55.200 --> 00:33:55.980 We thank you just 00:33:55.980 --> 00:33:58.139 for this last 00:33:58.139 --> 00:33:58.659 number of weeks 00:33:58.659 --> 00:33:59.019 we were able to 00:33:59.019 --> 00:33:59.819 study this book of 00:33:59.819 --> 00:34:00.359 the Bible called 00:34:00.359 --> 00:34:01.099 Leviticus and 00:34:01.099 --> 00:34:01.960 seeing its 00:34:01.960 --> 00:34:02.960 relevance and its 00:34:02.960 --> 00:34:03.880 challenge for us 00:34:03.880 --> 00:34:04.180 today. 00:34:04.319 --> 00:34:04.680 And so, Father, 00:34:04.720 --> 00:34:05.299 we pray that as 00:34:05.299 --> 00:34:06.000 we leave this, 00:34:06.079 --> 00:34:06.940 that this church, 00:34:08.199 --> 00:34:09.039 this people that 00:34:09.039 --> 00:34:09.659 gather here, would 00:34:09.659 --> 00:34:10.639 continue to be a 00:34:10.639 --> 00:34:11.699 light to the 00:34:11.699 --> 00:34:12.880 nations, a city on 00:34:12.880 --> 00:34:13.820 the hill, a 00:34:13.820 --> 00:34:15.019 community of salt 00:34:15.019 --> 00:34:16.820 that makes the 00:34:16.820 --> 00:34:17.260 Lord Jesus 00:34:17.260 --> 00:34:18.119 attractive to the 00:34:18.119 --> 00:34:18.440 world. 00:34:19.519 --> 00:34:20.320 Father, help us, 00:34:20.400 --> 00:34:21.300 we pray, in Jesus' 00:34:21.519 --> 00:34:22.619 worthy and precious 00:34:22.619 --> 00:34:23.000 name. 00:34:23.000 --> 00:34:24.220 Amen.