WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.919 So, excuse me, starting verse 45. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:37.560 One day, as Jesus was teaching people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up and said to him, 00:00:38.100 --> 00:00:43.380 Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority. 00:00:44.340 --> 00:00:47.159 He answered them, I also will ask you a question. 00:00:47.920 --> 00:00:51.679 Now tell me, was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? 00:00:52.400 --> 00:00:58.579 And they discussed it with one another, saying, If we say from heaven, he will say, Why did you not believe him? 00:00:58.579 --> 00:01:05.840 But if we say from man, all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet. 00:01:06.480 --> 00:01:09.340 So they answered that they did not know where it came from. 00:01:10.259 --> 00:01:14.560 And Jesus said to them, Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. 00:01:15.739 --> 00:01:17.659 And he began to tell the people this parable. 00:01:18.340 --> 00:01:23.280 A man planted a vineyard and led it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. 00:01:23.280 --> 00:01:30.019 When the time came, he sent a servant and the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. 00:01:30.900 --> 00:01:34.120 But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 00:01:34.879 --> 00:01:41.340 And he sent another servant, but they also beat and treated him shamefully and sent him away empty-handed. 00:01:41.340 --> 00:01:43.900 And he sent yet a third. 00:01:44.560 --> 00:01:47.000 This one also they wounded and cast out. 00:01:48.079 --> 00:01:50.100 And the owner of the vineyard said, What shall I do? 00:01:50.600 --> 00:01:52.079 I will send my beloved son. 00:01:52.760 --> 00:01:54.240 Perhaps they will respect him. 00:01:55.300 --> 00:01:58.920 But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, This is the heir. 00:01:59.219 --> 00:02:02.060 Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours. 00:02:02.520 --> 00:02:05.020 And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:08.740 What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 00:02:08.740 --> 00:02:12.920 He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 00:02:13.659 --> 00:02:15.820 When they heard this, they said, Surely not. 00:02:16.560 --> 00:02:20.439 But he looked directly at them and said, What then is this that is written? 00:02:21.100 --> 00:02:24.260 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 00:02:25.300 --> 00:02:27.620 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces. 00:02:27.900 --> 00:02:30.160 And when it falls on anyone, it will crush him. 00:02:31.200 --> 00:02:34.340 The scribes and the chief priests saw that they hands on him at that very hour. 00:02:34.700 --> 00:02:37.620 For they perceived that he had told this parable against them. 00:02:37.620 --> 00:02:39.439 But they feared the people. 00:02:41.620 --> 00:02:44.900 So we've been studying the Gospel of Luke these past few months. 00:02:45.240 --> 00:02:52.640 We read in the first chapter of Luke that he wrote this narrative of the life and ministry of Jesus to a friend named Theophilus. 00:02:53.520 --> 00:02:58.240 At this point in the narrative, we're approaching the culmination of Jesus' life and mission. 00:02:58.240 --> 00:03:02.540 And last Sunday in Luke 19, we read about Jesus entering Jerusalem. 00:03:02.939 --> 00:03:09.320 Not on a war horse as a usurping conqueror, but on a cult as a true and rightful king. 00:03:09.659 --> 00:03:11.939 Welcomed amidst the praises of his people. 00:03:13.140 --> 00:03:20.320 And it's here in Jerusalem where he will be unjustly condemned to death and hung on wooden planks to die. 00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:21.219 And that's soon. 00:03:21.219 --> 00:03:24.419 So how is it that Jesus goes from here to there? 00:03:25.120 --> 00:03:27.159 From one day, people saying, 00:03:27.580 --> 00:03:32.439 Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord to crucify, crucify him. 00:03:33.800 --> 00:03:37.939 This animosity and opposition to Jesus has been present throughout his ministry. 00:03:38.500 --> 00:03:41.379 But today we start to see it boil and bubble over. 00:03:41.379 --> 00:03:46.359 So our passage starts in verse 45 to 48 of chapter 19. 00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:49.359 With Jesus driving out business people from the temple. 00:03:50.400 --> 00:03:55.979 Then in verses 1 to 8 of chapter 20, the leaders of the people challenge Jesus' authority. 00:03:57.039 --> 00:04:01.319 And then the last part, verses 9 to 18, Jesus teaches a parable about wicked servants. 00:04:02.120 --> 00:04:05.280 With the leaders understanding that Jesus is talking about them. 00:04:05.280 --> 00:04:19.959 And so if we zoom out and take a high level view of this passage, we'll see that the main thing is that Jesus, rejected by this world, but chosen by God, is the one who faithfully serves God and cares for his people. 00:04:21.459 --> 00:04:23.459 And we'll walk through these three sections. 00:04:23.620 --> 00:04:25.519 And we can summarize them in 45 through 48. 00:04:25.980 --> 00:04:29.040 It talks about the unfaithfulness of Israel's leaders to God. 00:04:29.740 --> 00:04:33.259 Verses 1 through 8, the opposition of Israel's leaders to Jesus. 00:04:33.259 --> 00:04:38.719 And 9 through 18, the removal of Israel's leaders from their leadership roles. 00:04:39.959 --> 00:04:42.539 So first let's look at verses 45 to 48. 00:04:43.079 --> 00:04:44.199 In verse 45 it says, 00:04:44.699 --> 00:04:47.939 He entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold. 00:04:48.300 --> 00:04:49.800 So what's happening here? 00:04:50.680 --> 00:04:52.360 Why is Jesus so upset? 00:04:53.959 --> 00:04:57.060 Well, imagine Jesus walking onto the temple grounds. 00:04:57.459 --> 00:04:59.199 Here's a picture of what the temple looks like. 00:04:59.199 --> 00:05:03.519 And this is a place where Israel's sacrificial system took place. 00:05:04.699 --> 00:05:07.420 It's a sacrificial system that God instituted. 00:05:07.560 --> 00:05:08.920 So it's not a bad thing. 00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:10.500 It's a very good thing. 00:05:10.659 --> 00:05:14.659 And back in chapter 2, we see that even Jesus and his family took part in this. 00:05:14.920 --> 00:05:21.680 After Jesus was born, it says that his parents took him to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord. 00:05:21.839 --> 00:05:23.519 A pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons. 00:05:23.759 --> 00:05:24.899 So this is where Jesus came. 00:05:24.899 --> 00:05:27.779 There's a temple tax that needed to be paid too. 00:05:28.500 --> 00:05:34.919 So with people traveling from all over the region to the temple, it made sense that there needs to be some sort of commercial activity. 00:05:36.139 --> 00:05:40.259 People needed to exchange their Roman or Greek currency for the temple tax. 00:05:41.139 --> 00:05:47.819 And people who didn't bring the extra luggage of a bunch of animals for sacrifices, they would need to buy them there. 00:05:47.819 --> 00:05:55.519 So it's not these things in themselves that Jesus is reacting against, but it's the manner in which they're being done. 00:05:56.259 --> 00:05:58.740 Verse 46 gives us clues into what's happening. 00:05:59.420 --> 00:06:00.139 So it says, 00:06:00.319 --> 00:06:00.939 Saying to them, 00:06:01.420 --> 00:06:02.040 It is written, 00:06:02.360 --> 00:06:06.800 My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers. 00:06:07.659 --> 00:06:10.560 Jesus is referencing two Old Testament passages here. 00:06:10.899 --> 00:06:15.240 First, he's referring to Isaiah 56, verses 6-7. 00:06:15.240 --> 00:06:16.540 So it says, 00:06:16.540 --> 00:06:23.600 And the foreigners who joined themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants. 00:06:24.259 --> 00:06:27.660 Everyone who keeps the Sabbath does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant. 00:06:28.220 --> 00:06:32.500 These I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer. 00:06:33.079 --> 00:06:36.100 Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar. 00:06:36.660 --> 00:06:40.319 For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. 00:06:40.319 --> 00:06:45.159 And the other passage it refers to is Jeremiah chapter 7. 00:06:45.779 --> 00:06:46.180 It says, 00:06:46.339 --> 00:06:49.199 Behold, you trust in deceptive words, to no avail. 00:06:49.839 --> 00:06:56.819 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known? 00:06:57.240 --> 00:07:00.879 And then come stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, 00:07:01.100 --> 00:07:04.319 We are delivered, only to go on doing all these abominations. 00:07:04.319 --> 00:07:10.019 Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? 00:07:10.699 --> 00:07:12.879 Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the Lord. 00:07:13.939 --> 00:07:18.060 So God wanted his temple to be a place where people could know him. 00:07:18.819 --> 00:07:21.719 Him, the awesome God of all creation. 00:07:22.339 --> 00:07:24.600 The righteous God of justice and purity. 00:07:25.379 --> 00:07:28.339 The compassionate God of love and tenderness. 00:07:28.339 --> 00:07:33.959 He made it so that anyone, even people outside of Israel, could come and enjoy him in his temple. 00:07:35.219 --> 00:07:40.419 But the leadership of Israel had failed to fulfill God's intentions for the temple. 00:07:41.699 --> 00:07:47.620 Looking back at this picture, so there's the temple structure in the middle, 00:07:47.759 --> 00:07:53.000 and the open space around it, around the main structure, was designated as the court of the Gentiles. 00:07:53.000 --> 00:07:57.639 So that's where people who were not Israelites could come, could pray, could seek God. 00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:04.399 But instead of that, the leaders had allowed the merchandisers to set up shop there. 00:08:06.040 --> 00:08:11.600 So, I mean, how easy would it be for you and for me to seek God in prayer in the middle of, like, Quincy Market, right? 00:08:11.839 --> 00:08:12.959 Very busy, loud. 00:08:14.420 --> 00:08:17.160 It's not very considerate. 00:08:18.519 --> 00:08:21.439 And maybe the leaders just didn't care about the Gentiles. 00:08:21.439 --> 00:08:25.540 Maybe they thought, I mean, who cares if they don't have a place to pray? 00:08:25.660 --> 00:08:26.980 Like, they're not us Israelites. 00:08:27.480 --> 00:08:28.259 It doesn't matter. 00:08:29.420 --> 00:08:31.839 Maybe they thought it's not a big deal for God. 00:08:32.340 --> 00:08:34.679 Maybe they said the temple's a pretty big space. 00:08:35.139 --> 00:08:35.860 There's a lot of space here. 00:08:36.080 --> 00:08:37.740 I'm sure people can find somewhere to pray. 00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:38.960 I mean, just pray at home. 00:08:39.639 --> 00:08:40.539 What's the big deal? 00:08:41.860 --> 00:08:46.259 So, the leaders had allowed this temple to become a den of robbers. 00:08:46.259 --> 00:08:53.580 This idea of a den of robbers refers to a cave or a house or a gathering place. 00:08:53.700 --> 00:08:58.000 So, it's not the place where robbers go to do their robbing. 00:08:58.620 --> 00:08:59.519 It's their hideout. 00:09:00.179 --> 00:09:00.939 It's their home. 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:01.779 It's their refuge. 00:09:02.319 --> 00:09:07.919 It's where, after they go do their robbing, they come back and they retreat to escape justice and to relax. 00:09:07.919 --> 00:09:11.299 So, that's what this den of robbers is here. 00:09:11.740 --> 00:09:14.559 The Jewish leaders in verse 47, it says, 00:09:14.740 --> 00:09:18.979 The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men who sought to destroy Jesus, 00:09:19.339 --> 00:09:21.759 they had made the temple a home for the wicked. 00:09:22.399 --> 00:09:28.579 They used the authority of the temple as a guise to legitimize their greed and their injustice. 00:09:28.580 --> 00:09:32.840 This group of people presented the elite of the nation. 00:09:33.400 --> 00:09:34.879 So, it talks about the chief priests. 00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:38.320 These were the people who were born into the priesthood. 00:09:38.620 --> 00:09:40.960 So, by birthright, they could serve at the temple. 00:09:42.200 --> 00:09:44.240 The scribes were the legal experts. 00:09:44.600 --> 00:09:46.160 They had received advanced education. 00:09:46.639 --> 00:09:49.500 They were the religious professors, if you will, of that time. 00:09:50.220 --> 00:09:53.540 And the principal men were those born into noble Jerusalem families. 00:09:53.879 --> 00:09:54.920 Maybe they were rich. 00:09:55.360 --> 00:09:56.480 Maybe they were well-connected. 00:09:56.480 --> 00:10:00.180 Maybe they had prominent ancestors who did great things in Israel's history. 00:10:00.920 --> 00:10:05.820 But together, this group represented the social and religious elite. 00:10:07.320 --> 00:10:11.279 But instead of using their authority and position to serve God and his people, 00:10:11.480 --> 00:10:13.340 they chose to serve themselves. 00:10:14.340 --> 00:10:16.680 Back in chapter 11 of Luke, we read about them. 00:10:17.539 --> 00:10:18.659 And the Lord said to him, 00:10:18.659 --> 00:10:22.779 Now you Pharisees, cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish. 00:10:23.100 --> 00:10:25.360 But inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 00:10:25.360 --> 00:10:26.500 You fools! 00:10:27.019 --> 00:10:29.960 Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? 00:10:30.800 --> 00:10:31.879 Woe to you Pharisees! 00:10:31.980 --> 00:10:36.779 For you tithe, mint, and rue in every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. 00:10:37.480 --> 00:10:40.320 These you ought to have done without neglecting the others. 00:10:41.120 --> 00:10:41.899 Woe to you Pharisees! 00:10:41.960 --> 00:10:45.120 For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. 00:10:45.860 --> 00:10:46.360 Woe to you! 00:10:46.519 --> 00:10:50.019 For you are like the unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it. 00:10:50.019 --> 00:10:51.779 Woe to you lawyers also! 00:10:51.779 --> 00:10:57.620 For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 00:10:58.939 --> 00:11:05.299 Remember the time when Jesus powerfully and compassionately healed people. 00:11:05.980 --> 00:11:08.259 People who have been suffering for a long time. 00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:11.699 And the leaders reacted callously and selfishly. 00:11:11.700 --> 00:11:15.080 It's like the women who have been disabled for 18 years. 00:11:16.160 --> 00:11:21.200 And when that happened, the synagogue ruler got angry because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. 00:11:21.620 --> 00:11:23.800 He said, come about the day and be healed, but not on the Sabbath. 00:11:25.500 --> 00:11:28.780 And then, it's like when a man was born blind. 00:11:29.240 --> 00:11:30.720 He had been blind all his life. 00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:37.200 And when Jesus healed him, the Pharisees, they failed to believe that Jesus came from God. 00:11:38.220 --> 00:11:39.879 Because they disagreed with him. 00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:40.620 They hated him. 00:11:41.560 --> 00:11:47.920 And then, the healed man explains to them, if this man were not from God, he could not do, or he could do nothing. 00:11:48.720 --> 00:11:52.500 But the leaders answer him, you were born in utter sin, and would you teach us? 00:11:52.580 --> 00:11:53.480 And they cast him out. 00:11:53.860 --> 00:11:55.139 So, they're insulting him. 00:11:55.200 --> 00:11:56.040 They're saying, what do you know? 00:11:56.160 --> 00:11:57.580 We are the educated people. 00:11:57.700 --> 00:11:58.220 We're the leaders. 00:11:58.220 --> 00:12:04.899 So, placed in this position of power and privilege, the leaders prove, I'm faithful to God and to his people. 00:12:06.420 --> 00:12:07.940 But Jesus sees what's happening. 00:12:09.000 --> 00:12:13.980 And in a relatively small but significant act, he drives out the sellers from the temple. 00:12:14.800 --> 00:12:20.019 It's similar to how he drove out demons from all the people that they have possessed. 00:12:20.840 --> 00:12:23.420 Jesus renews the temple for its intended purpose. 00:12:25.139 --> 00:12:27.860 This doesn't go well with the leaders, as you can imagine. 00:12:27.860 --> 00:12:30.440 So, let's look at the next section, verses 1 through 8. 00:12:31.820 --> 00:12:33.980 Jesus is, again, in the temple. 00:12:34.899 --> 00:12:37.720 And it says that he's teaching the people and preaching the gospel. 00:12:38.659 --> 00:12:41.060 The priests, scribes, and elders hate his guts. 00:12:41.300 --> 00:12:46.000 And they're looking for opportunities to trick him up, to embarrass him, to discredit him. 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:52.899 And so, what they bring to him is, while Jesus is preaching the gospel, they question and challenge his authority. 00:12:53.639 --> 00:12:55.159 What's the source of your authority? 00:12:56.419 --> 00:12:59.940 What or who enables you to teach like you do? 00:12:59.940 --> 00:13:03.200 They might have thought that they had Jesus trapped. 00:13:03.480 --> 00:13:07.020 Because in their society, they had the monopoly on authority. 00:13:07.160 --> 00:13:09.740 They were the center, and Jesus was a nobody. 00:13:10.680 --> 00:13:10.760 Right? 00:13:10.940 --> 00:13:14.080 He wasn't born into the temple priesthood, like the chief priests. 00:13:14.500 --> 00:13:16.900 He wasn't highly educated, like scribes. 00:13:17.160 --> 00:13:18.600 He grew up a carpenter's son. 00:13:19.180 --> 00:13:19.360 Right? 00:13:19.440 --> 00:13:20.380 Very blue-collar work. 00:13:21.059 --> 00:13:25.919 And he wasn't born into a well-to-do family or neighborhood, but he grew up in a town called Nazareth. 00:13:26.600 --> 00:13:30.960 And one of his disciples, the way he put it, when he first heard about Jesus, he said, 00:13:31.419 --> 00:13:33.139 Can anything good come out of Nazareth? 00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:33.779 Right? 00:13:33.980 --> 00:13:34.980 It's like, this place is no good. 00:13:36.600 --> 00:13:39.080 But man's ways are not God's ways. 00:13:39.080 --> 00:13:42.700 And Jesus doesn't have the credentials required by the elite. 00:13:43.500 --> 00:13:45.580 But he is the eternal son of God. 00:13:45.580 --> 00:13:50.600 And so Jesus reframes the question and turns it back to them. 00:13:51.440 --> 00:13:56.800 And he asks, Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? 00:13:58.100 --> 00:14:04.860 So the baptism of John, this refers to the whole ministry and message of John that we write about early in Luke. 00:14:05.500 --> 00:14:07.800 And from heaven means from God. 00:14:08.220 --> 00:14:08.320 Right? 00:14:08.379 --> 00:14:09.420 It has divine authority. 00:14:09.840 --> 00:14:12.120 And the opposite being from man. 00:14:12.220 --> 00:14:13.820 It's just something that humans have made. 00:14:13.820 --> 00:14:17.460 Jesus wasn't trying to dodge the question here. 00:14:17.700 --> 00:14:19.100 He's not looking for an easy way out. 00:14:19.360 --> 00:14:23.360 It is actually a common way of speaking amongst the Jewish rabbis during this time. 00:14:23.740 --> 00:14:25.160 Of speaking with counter questions. 00:14:25.520 --> 00:14:25.640 Right? 00:14:25.760 --> 00:14:26.879 That's how you dialogue. 00:14:27.460 --> 00:14:32.360 And actually, if we dig deeper into what Jesus said, we see that it's connected to the original question. 00:14:33.420 --> 00:14:36.980 Remember that John's ministry was meant to prepare the way for Jesus. 00:14:36.980 --> 00:14:45.659 Therefore, declaring that John's ministry was from God would equate to declaring that Jesus' ministry was from God. 00:14:45.920 --> 00:14:46.039 Right? 00:14:46.120 --> 00:14:47.340 So there's a connection there. 00:14:48.680 --> 00:14:54.399 But that's a big problem for the leaders because they hadn't accepted John's ministry. 00:14:54.639 --> 00:14:57.100 They rejected it just like they were rejecting Jesus. 00:14:57.100 --> 00:15:04.180 But, you know, the passage reveals that they're not actually concerned with what they did. 00:15:04.259 --> 00:15:05.620 They're not concerned with an honest answer. 00:15:06.240 --> 00:15:11.000 What they really care about is what the people think and what the people do to them. 00:15:11.420 --> 00:15:11.600 Right? 00:15:11.639 --> 00:15:13.300 Not what they did and what they think. 00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:15.100 So they're caught in a dilemma. 00:15:15.100 --> 00:15:22.120 They can't backtrack and say, actually, yeah, our previous position was wrong. 00:15:22.700 --> 00:15:23.800 John was sent by God. 00:15:23.920 --> 00:15:25.940 Because then they would be criticized. 00:15:26.600 --> 00:15:26.759 Right? 00:15:26.820 --> 00:15:27.759 Why didn't you accept it? 00:15:28.560 --> 00:15:29.540 So they don't want to do that. 00:15:29.620 --> 00:15:30.340 They want to save face. 00:15:30.940 --> 00:15:35.340 But they also can't say that John wasn't a prophet from God because that's what the people believed. 00:15:35.720 --> 00:15:42.680 And they believed it so much so that if they disagreed, they might consider it blasphemy and stone him to death. 00:15:43.160 --> 00:15:43.279 Right? 00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:46.339 So they're caught between these two options. 00:15:46.919 --> 00:15:50.279 They choose option three, which is no comment. 00:15:50.939 --> 00:15:52.059 We don't know. 00:15:53.139 --> 00:15:56.039 It's a safe answer, but it's a self-condemning answer. 00:15:57.139 --> 00:15:58.579 Because they should know. 00:15:59.139 --> 00:16:00.179 That's their job. 00:16:00.659 --> 00:16:01.939 They're the leaders of Israel. 00:16:02.759 --> 00:16:05.620 They should understand God's heart and God's purposes. 00:16:06.539 --> 00:16:10.980 They should perceive when someone is from God and when someone is a communist. 00:16:10.980 --> 00:16:17.080 By saying we don't know they're disqualifying themselves from serving as the teachers and protectors of the people. 00:16:18.039 --> 00:16:19.920 But they're not concerned about that. 00:16:20.039 --> 00:16:20.600 It's not a big deal. 00:16:20.779 --> 00:16:21.920 They just care about themselves. 00:16:21.919 --> 00:16:28.620 And so in response to their answer, Jesus refuses to answer their question. 00:16:28.620 --> 00:16:31.580 At least in the way that they will. 00:16:32.259 --> 00:16:33.259 And for the time being. 00:16:33.480 --> 00:16:43.360 Because, again, if we look a little deeper by referring to John and his ministry, Jesus is implicitly answering their question about divine authority. 00:16:43.679 --> 00:16:43.779 Right? 00:16:43.779 --> 00:16:45.519 Because everyone accepts that John is a prophet. 00:16:45.860 --> 00:16:49.100 So by pointing to him, Jesus is saying, I'm coming from the same source. 00:16:50.220 --> 00:16:55.059 And the upcoming parable, he makes another reference to his divine origin. 00:16:55.379 --> 00:16:59.059 And so he does, again, implicitly answer their question. 00:17:00.079 --> 00:17:04.579 Let's look at this last passage, or last section, verses 9 through 18. 00:17:04.579 --> 00:17:09.639 So this talks about the removal of Israel's leaders. 00:17:11.139 --> 00:17:17.119 Looking at this last section, starting in verse 9, we read the parable of the wicked tenants, 00:17:17.659 --> 00:17:22.960 which points to the removal of Israel's leaders as the caretakers of God's people. 00:17:23.960 --> 00:17:27.159 To quickly summarize the parable, a man owns a vineyard. 00:17:27.160 --> 00:17:31.040 He travels far away for a long time. 00:17:31.940 --> 00:17:34.500 And he has tenants who work the ground. 00:17:34.600 --> 00:17:39.000 So the tenants have the opportunity to harvest the bare fruit. 00:17:39.920 --> 00:17:43.980 He sends three separate servants to gather some of his fruit, because it's his land. 00:17:44.519 --> 00:17:49.240 But each time, these servants are beaten and sent away empty-handed. 00:17:49.800 --> 00:17:56.380 Until finally, the owner, he sends his beloved son, who is killed. 00:17:57.160 --> 00:18:01.080 And the point of the story is that these wicked servants, these wicked tenants, 00:18:01.519 --> 00:18:04.580 will be destroyed in the responsibilities given to others. 00:18:05.779 --> 00:18:08.800 The components of this parable have real-life equivalents. 00:18:09.380 --> 00:18:11.519 So the man who owned the vineyard is God. 00:18:12.480 --> 00:18:18.640 The vineyard is Israel, or God's people, you know, which applied to us today refers to us the church. 00:18:19.680 --> 00:18:25.200 The fruit of the vineyard refers to good fruit, produced in the lives of God's people. 00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:29.160 These are the outworkings of faith and obedience in our lives. 00:18:30.140 --> 00:18:33.900 The tenants responsible for caring for the vineyard are Israel's leaders. 00:18:34.600 --> 00:18:39.080 And God charges the leaders of his people to nurture and care for them, 00:18:39.380 --> 00:18:41.660 so that they produce good works in their lives. 00:18:41.660 --> 00:18:47.940 The servants who are sent and beaten are Old Testament prophets. 00:18:48.519 --> 00:18:53.400 So though they're sent as God's representatives, they're disrespected, they're mistreated. 00:18:54.420 --> 00:18:57.700 And there are a lot of these prophets in Israel's history. 00:18:58.720 --> 00:19:03.320 To name a few, there's Moses in Numbers chapter 14, you read, 00:19:03.319 --> 00:19:07.200 And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 00:19:07.480 --> 00:19:10.679 This is after Israel's been brought out of Egypt from slavery. 00:19:11.339 --> 00:19:12.639 And the whole congregation said to them, 00:19:13.079 --> 00:19:14.960 Would that we have died in the land of Egypt? 00:19:15.359 --> 00:19:16.819 Or would that we have died in this wilderness? 00:19:17.339 --> 00:19:19.980 Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? 00:19:20.339 --> 00:19:22.319 Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. 00:19:22.759 --> 00:19:24.899 Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt? 00:19:25.319 --> 00:19:26.379 And they said to one another, 00:19:26.539 --> 00:19:28.159 Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt. 00:19:28.160 --> 00:19:33.220 Or like Micaiah in 1 Kings 22, 00:19:33.880 --> 00:19:36.960 He's speaking with Ahab, the king of Israel at this point. 00:19:37.519 --> 00:19:38.100 And it says, 00:19:38.540 --> 00:19:41.720 Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit 00:19:41.720 --> 00:19:43.800 in the mouth of all these your prophets. 00:19:44.160 --> 00:19:46.519 The Lord has declared disaster for you. 00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:49.700 The context of this is Ahab is thinking about going to war, 00:19:50.100 --> 00:19:51.740 and he has all these false prophets around him. 00:19:51.759 --> 00:19:52.779 And they're saying, yeah, you should do it. 00:19:52.820 --> 00:19:53.720 God will give you victory. 00:19:54.320 --> 00:19:57.700 And Micaiah is the only one in Israel who's the prophet of God, 00:19:57.700 --> 00:19:58.319 a true prophet. 00:19:58.640 --> 00:20:00.400 And he's saying, don't go. 00:20:00.559 --> 00:20:02.059 It's going to be a disaster for you, right? 00:20:03.059 --> 00:20:04.799 Then Zedekiah, one of these false prophets, 00:20:05.019 --> 00:20:08.039 the son of Chanana, came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek 00:20:08.039 --> 00:20:11.180 and said, how did the spirit of the Lord go for me to speak to you? 00:20:11.940 --> 00:20:14.180 And the king of Israel said, seize Micaiah 00:20:14.180 --> 00:20:16.420 and take him back to Ammon, the governor of the city, 00:20:16.759 --> 00:20:18.880 and to Joash, the king's son, and say, 00:20:19.220 --> 00:20:21.140 Thus says the king, put this fellow in prison 00:20:21.140 --> 00:20:23.680 and feed him meager rations of bread and water 00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:25.019 until I come in peace. 00:20:25.839 --> 00:20:27.460 And Micaiah said, if you return in peace, 00:20:27.519 --> 00:20:28.839 the Lord has not spoken by me. 00:20:29.440 --> 00:20:32.019 And Ahab does end up getting killed in this battle. 00:20:34.480 --> 00:20:37.059 And one last one, there's Jeremiah, 00:20:37.059 --> 00:20:38.059 Jeremiah chapter 26. 00:20:39.539 --> 00:20:42.059 Thus says the Lord, stand in the court of the Lord's house 00:20:42.059 --> 00:20:43.680 and speak to all the cities of Judah 00:20:43.680 --> 00:20:45.960 that come to worship in the house of the Lord, 00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:48.319 all the words that I command you to speak to them. 00:20:48.920 --> 00:20:50.359 Do not hold back a word. 00:20:50.359 --> 00:20:51.979 It may be they will listen, 00:20:52.339 --> 00:20:54.059 and everyone turn from his evil way, 00:20:54.379 --> 00:20:56.259 that I may relent of the disaster 00:20:56.259 --> 00:20:59.099 that I intend to do to them because of their evil deeds. 00:20:59.979 --> 00:21:01.639 And when Jeremiah had finished speaking 00:21:01.639 --> 00:21:03.139 all that the Lord had commanded him 00:21:03.139 --> 00:21:04.259 to speak to all the people, 00:21:04.819 --> 00:21:05.799 then the priests and the prophets 00:21:05.799 --> 00:21:07.339 and all the people laid hold of him, 00:21:07.500 --> 00:21:09.019 saying, you shall die. 00:21:09.519 --> 00:21:11.319 Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord, 00:21:11.419 --> 00:21:13.000 saying, this house shall be like Shiloh, 00:21:13.199 --> 00:21:15.679 and the city shall be desolate without inhabited? 00:21:16.279 --> 00:21:18.059 And all the people gathered around Jeremiah 00:21:18.059 --> 00:21:19.079 in the house of the Lord. 00:21:19.919 --> 00:21:21.559 Jeremiah is speaking on behalf of God 00:21:21.559 --> 00:21:22.659 for the good of the people. 00:21:22.779 --> 00:21:23.500 They don't want to hear it. 00:21:25.119 --> 00:21:27.359 Again and again, God sends his servants, 00:21:27.839 --> 00:21:29.379 the prophets to his people, 00:21:29.859 --> 00:21:32.179 to warn them of sin and to instruct them 00:21:32.179 --> 00:21:34.919 in the way that they should go in his ways. 00:21:35.879 --> 00:21:38.879 And in this parable, the owner holds out hope 00:21:38.879 --> 00:21:40.839 and keeps sending servants, 00:21:41.399 --> 00:21:43.399 though they receive the same shameful treatment 00:21:43.399 --> 00:21:44.240 over and over again. 00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:46.779 And finally, he sends his beloved son, 00:21:46.779 --> 00:21:49.960 the owner still holds out hope, 00:21:50.440 --> 00:21:53.000 but mixed with hope is real risk. 00:21:54.500 --> 00:21:56.960 Perhaps they will respect him, my son, 00:21:58.160 --> 00:21:59.440 but perhaps they won't. 00:22:00.899 --> 00:22:02.819 And the beloved son is Jesus. 00:22:03.500 --> 00:22:05.720 Here again, Jesus implicitly declares 00:22:05.720 --> 00:22:08.799 his divine origin of his authority 00:22:08.799 --> 00:22:11.160 because he's the son of God, the vineyard owner. 00:22:11.160 --> 00:22:14.180 And maybe the son will carry enough respect 00:22:14.180 --> 00:22:15.480 and authority with the tenants. 00:22:16.820 --> 00:22:17.900 But no. 00:22:18.880 --> 00:22:21.040 The tenants come up with this crazy scheme 00:22:21.040 --> 00:22:23.100 to kill the son so that they will become 00:22:23.100 --> 00:22:23.920 the heirs of the land. 00:22:24.519 --> 00:22:26.540 Maybe they saw the son coming 00:22:26.540 --> 00:22:28.080 and they thought, well, the son's coming, 00:22:28.140 --> 00:22:29.779 not the owner, so maybe the owner died. 00:22:30.160 --> 00:22:31.279 So if we get rid of the son, 00:22:31.420 --> 00:22:33.880 then it sort of like legally reverts to us 00:22:33.880 --> 00:22:34.900 since we're working the land. 00:22:34.900 --> 00:22:36.800 And whatever the reason, 00:22:36.880 --> 00:22:37.680 they chose to kill the son. 00:22:39.060 --> 00:22:40.240 And so Jesus asks, 00:22:40.759 --> 00:22:43.240 what will happen to these wicked tenants? 00:22:44.240 --> 00:22:45.340 They will be destroyed. 00:22:46.300 --> 00:22:48.620 And their charge of caring for the vineyard 00:22:48.620 --> 00:22:51.140 of God's people will be handed to others. 00:22:52.320 --> 00:22:55.680 This others is Jesus and his apostles. 00:22:56.160 --> 00:22:57.460 We'll read in a few weeks later 00:22:57.460 --> 00:23:00.280 in Luke chapter 22, 28 verse 30, 00:23:00.280 --> 00:23:00.940 Jesus says, 00:23:00.940 --> 00:23:17.220 The problem with Israel's leaders 00:23:17.220 --> 00:23:19.539 is that they didn't want to be tenants. 00:23:20.120 --> 00:23:22.100 They didn't want to be managers of God's things. 00:23:22.660 --> 00:23:24.140 They wanted to be the owners. 00:23:24.940 --> 00:23:26.680 They wanted to be God themselves. 00:23:27.539 --> 00:23:29.440 So by refusing the owner's claim 00:23:29.440 --> 00:23:31.140 to share in the harvest of his own land, 00:23:31.340 --> 00:23:32.900 the tenants in this parable 00:23:32.900 --> 00:23:35.779 are denying his title to the vineyard, 00:23:35.920 --> 00:23:38.259 saying, it doesn't belong to you. 00:23:38.380 --> 00:23:39.100 It belongs to me. 00:23:39.180 --> 00:23:39.820 I'm the boss. 00:23:40.500 --> 00:23:41.820 You should just go away. 00:23:44.160 --> 00:23:46.019 I've been speaking a lot about the priests 00:23:46.019 --> 00:23:47.580 and the scribes and the elders, 00:23:47.799 --> 00:23:50.680 but their problem is not unique to them. 00:23:51.779 --> 00:23:53.820 The sickness of our own hearts 00:23:53.820 --> 00:23:57.100 is ultimately the same problem that they had. 00:23:57.099 --> 00:23:59.899 We all want to be God. 00:24:00.159 --> 00:24:03.379 We all want the world to revolve around us. 00:24:04.639 --> 00:24:06.039 I mean, have you ever said in your heart 00:24:06.039 --> 00:24:07.939 or with your actions 00:24:07.939 --> 00:24:09.679 or even with your lips sometimes, 00:24:10.179 --> 00:24:11.480 God, go away. 00:24:12.139 --> 00:24:13.099 This is my life. 00:24:13.659 --> 00:24:15.879 I'm going to do what I want to do. 00:24:16.719 --> 00:24:18.299 My life doesn't belong to you. 00:24:18.379 --> 00:24:19.099 It belongs to me. 00:24:19.619 --> 00:24:20.399 I'm the boss. 00:24:20.400 --> 00:24:23.440 But we are not God. 00:24:24.580 --> 00:24:27.160 And challenging the ruler of all creation 00:24:27.160 --> 00:24:28.620 for his place on the throne, 00:24:28.980 --> 00:24:30.440 it demands justice. 00:24:31.800 --> 00:24:33.580 It's mistreatment. 00:24:33.720 --> 00:24:35.280 It's disrespect against God. 00:24:36.360 --> 00:24:38.380 And God knows better than we do 00:24:38.380 --> 00:24:39.920 that this demands justice, 00:24:40.180 --> 00:24:43.660 which is why he sent his son. 00:24:43.860 --> 00:24:46.400 He knows that a price needs to be paid 00:24:46.400 --> 00:24:47.400 to satisfy justice. 00:24:47.400 --> 00:24:47.880 Justice. 00:24:49.640 --> 00:24:50.580 But there's a difference 00:24:50.580 --> 00:24:51.960 between the owner of this parable 00:24:51.960 --> 00:24:53.420 and God in real life. 00:24:54.060 --> 00:24:54.840 The owner thought that 00:24:54.840 --> 00:24:56.780 perhaps they will respect him. 00:24:56.960 --> 00:24:57.780 Maybe they will listen. 00:24:57.860 --> 00:24:58.519 There's some hope there. 00:24:59.500 --> 00:25:01.340 But with God, there's no perhaps. 00:25:01.580 --> 00:25:02.180 There's no maybe. 00:25:02.700 --> 00:25:04.019 Because he knew without a doubt 00:25:04.019 --> 00:25:04.980 what would happen to Jesus. 00:25:05.860 --> 00:25:07.660 He would be rejected and crucified. 00:25:09.180 --> 00:25:10.580 God didn't just know this. 00:25:10.640 --> 00:25:11.420 He planned it. 00:25:12.300 --> 00:25:13.980 This is what God wanted. 00:25:13.980 --> 00:25:14.079 God wanted. 00:25:14.680 --> 00:25:16.559 Because this was the only way 00:25:16.559 --> 00:25:17.839 that he could get you 00:25:17.839 --> 00:25:19.099 and that he could get me. 00:25:20.920 --> 00:25:22.640 God needed to place the burden 00:25:22.640 --> 00:25:24.259 of our sin upon his son 00:25:24.259 --> 00:25:25.700 so that he could remove 00:25:25.700 --> 00:25:27.039 that burden from us. 00:25:28.620 --> 00:25:29.620 God loves us 00:25:29.620 --> 00:25:31.140 and he made a way for us to live 00:25:31.140 --> 00:25:32.720 and it cost him so much. 00:25:34.160 --> 00:25:36.140 But that's who God is. 00:25:36.220 --> 00:25:36.779 That's his character. 00:25:37.120 --> 00:25:38.960 He loves us with a costly love. 00:25:40.940 --> 00:25:42.079 Looking at verse 16, 00:25:42.079 --> 00:25:43.439 the reaction of the people 00:25:43.439 --> 00:25:45.179 in the crowd to Jesus is strong. 00:25:45.699 --> 00:25:46.879 They say, surely not. 00:25:46.960 --> 00:25:47.720 This is not the leaders 00:25:47.720 --> 00:25:49.819 but the people in the audience, 00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:50.720 right, in the crowd 00:25:50.720 --> 00:25:51.460 who are saying this. 00:25:51.980 --> 00:25:53.019 I'm not sure they understood 00:25:53.019 --> 00:25:54.460 exactly what was happening 00:25:54.460 --> 00:25:55.019 in this parable. 00:25:55.399 --> 00:25:56.000 Maybe they thought 00:25:56.000 --> 00:25:56.960 they were being destroyed 00:25:56.960 --> 00:25:58.419 like Israel was being destroyed 00:25:58.419 --> 00:25:59.379 that they would be removed. 00:26:00.139 --> 00:26:01.159 But at the very least 00:26:01.159 --> 00:26:01.799 they understood that 00:26:01.799 --> 00:26:02.379 it was serious 00:26:02.379 --> 00:26:03.319 whatever was happening here. 00:26:03.939 --> 00:26:06.019 So they're very against it. 00:26:06.679 --> 00:26:07.659 And in verse 17, 00:26:07.819 --> 00:26:09.319 Jesus cites Psalm 118 00:26:09.319 --> 00:26:11.139 which we read for 00:26:11.140 --> 00:26:11.880 the call to worship. 00:26:12.420 --> 00:26:14.160 The stone that the builders rejected 00:26:14.160 --> 00:26:15.720 has become the cornerstone. 00:26:16.160 --> 00:26:17.340 This is the Lord's doing. 00:26:17.520 --> 00:26:19.440 It is marvelous in our eyes. 00:26:20.540 --> 00:26:22.180 The cornerstone is 00:26:22.180 --> 00:26:23.360 the foundation stone 00:26:23.360 --> 00:26:24.200 of the building. 00:26:24.720 --> 00:26:25.600 It's the stone 00:26:25.600 --> 00:26:26.720 that bears the weight 00:26:26.720 --> 00:26:28.200 of two intersecting walls 00:26:28.200 --> 00:26:29.120 and is crucial 00:26:29.120 --> 00:26:30.259 to a building's stability. 00:26:31.200 --> 00:26:32.360 So yes, 00:26:32.759 --> 00:26:34.020 Jesus might be rejected 00:26:34.020 --> 00:26:34.780 by this world 00:26:34.780 --> 00:26:35.460 and its leaders. 00:26:36.180 --> 00:26:37.000 And yes, 00:26:37.100 --> 00:26:38.400 he might suffer persecution. 00:26:39.460 --> 00:26:39.800 And yes, 00:26:39.820 --> 00:26:40.700 he might even be killed. 00:26:41.140 --> 00:26:42.100 But ultimately, 00:26:42.320 --> 00:26:43.380 he will have the victory 00:26:43.380 --> 00:26:44.940 because God, 00:26:45.240 --> 00:26:46.000 not the world, 00:26:46.400 --> 00:26:47.259 has the final word. 00:26:48.120 --> 00:26:49.140 As Peter says 00:26:49.140 --> 00:26:50.700 in 2 Peter 2, 00:26:51.420 --> 00:26:52.560 as you come to him, 00:26:52.700 --> 00:26:53.500 a living stone 00:26:53.500 --> 00:26:54.560 rejected by men, 00:26:54.860 --> 00:26:55.700 but in the sight of God 00:26:55.700 --> 00:26:56.820 chosen and precious, 00:26:57.820 --> 00:26:58.520 you yourselves, 00:26:58.840 --> 00:26:59.759 like living stones, 00:26:59.920 --> 00:27:00.860 are being built up 00:27:00.860 --> 00:27:02.259 as a spiritual house 00:27:02.259 --> 00:27:04.100 to be a holy priesthood, 00:27:04.500 --> 00:27:06.160 to offer spiritual sacrifices 00:27:06.160 --> 00:27:07.420 acceptable to God 00:27:07.420 --> 00:27:08.720 through Jesus Christ. 00:27:08.720 --> 00:27:11.360 Rejecting Jesus 00:27:11.360 --> 00:27:13.180 leads to devastating results, 00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:14.339 as it says in verse 18. 00:27:15.019 --> 00:27:16.120 Everyone who falls 00:27:16.120 --> 00:27:17.019 on that stone 00:27:17.019 --> 00:27:18.180 will be broken to pieces, 00:27:18.819 --> 00:27:19.579 and when it falls 00:27:19.579 --> 00:27:20.220 on anyone, 00:27:20.600 --> 00:27:21.339 it will crush him. 00:27:22.620 --> 00:27:23.319 One connection 00:27:23.319 --> 00:27:23.839 to this verse 00:27:23.839 --> 00:27:25.120 is Isaiah chapter 8, 00:27:25.539 --> 00:27:26.180 and he will become 00:27:26.180 --> 00:27:26.660 a sanctuary 00:27:26.660 --> 00:27:27.880 and a stone of offense 00:27:27.880 --> 00:27:28.920 and a rock of stumbling 00:27:28.920 --> 00:27:29.680 to both houses 00:27:29.680 --> 00:27:30.339 of Israel, 00:27:30.980 --> 00:27:32.000 a trap and a snare 00:27:32.000 --> 00:27:32.640 to the inhabitants 00:27:32.640 --> 00:27:33.220 of Jerusalem, 00:27:33.400 --> 00:27:34.620 and many shall stumble 00:27:34.620 --> 00:27:35.140 on it. 00:27:35.440 --> 00:27:36.039 They shall fall 00:27:36.039 --> 00:27:36.740 and be broken. 00:27:36.740 --> 00:27:37.740 They shall be snared 00:27:37.740 --> 00:27:38.120 and taken. 00:27:39.000 --> 00:27:40.039 And it also reminds us 00:27:40.039 --> 00:27:41.359 of what Paul says 00:27:41.359 --> 00:27:43.220 in 1 Corinthians chapter 1. 00:27:43.640 --> 00:27:45.000 For Jews demand signs, 00:27:45.180 --> 00:27:46.839 and Greeks seek wisdom, 00:27:47.019 --> 00:27:47.599 but we preach 00:27:47.599 --> 00:27:48.420 Christ crucified, 00:27:49.279 --> 00:27:50.160 a stumbling block 00:27:50.160 --> 00:27:50.700 to Jews 00:27:50.700 --> 00:27:51.460 and following 00:27:51.460 --> 00:27:52.359 the Gentiles. 00:27:53.380 --> 00:27:54.099 So it's like, 00:27:54.359 --> 00:27:54.559 you know, 00:27:54.599 --> 00:27:55.980 Jesus is the cornerstone, 00:27:56.700 --> 00:27:58.160 and rejecting him 00:27:58.160 --> 00:28:00.079 is like a clay pot 00:28:00.079 --> 00:28:01.799 opposing the stone. 00:28:02.799 --> 00:28:03.940 Stumbling and falling 00:28:03.940 --> 00:28:04.539 on the stone, 00:28:05.039 --> 00:28:05.859 or being under it 00:28:05.859 --> 00:28:06.439 when it falls, 00:28:06.599 --> 00:28:07.159 it's going to lead 00:28:07.159 --> 00:28:08.279 to complete destruction. 00:28:11.179 --> 00:28:12.259 To close, 00:28:12.339 --> 00:28:13.259 let me ask about 00:28:13.259 --> 00:28:14.119 us personally. 00:28:14.839 --> 00:28:15.759 So how have we 00:28:15.759 --> 00:28:18.419 responded to the cornerstone? 00:28:18.599 --> 00:28:19.500 How have you responded 00:28:19.500 --> 00:28:20.299 to the cornerstone? 00:28:21.439 --> 00:28:23.179 If you haven't accepted him 00:28:23.179 --> 00:28:24.099 as the king and savior 00:28:24.099 --> 00:28:25.039 that he claims to be, 00:28:25.240 --> 00:28:26.219 then I would ask you 00:28:26.219 --> 00:28:27.859 to seriously consider 00:28:27.859 --> 00:28:29.000 his claims. 00:28:29.759 --> 00:28:30.819 I know it can be difficult. 00:28:30.819 --> 00:28:32.740 Jesus can seem 00:28:32.740 --> 00:28:33.819 offensive to us 00:28:33.819 --> 00:28:35.419 because he claims 00:28:35.419 --> 00:28:36.779 exclusive authority 00:28:36.779 --> 00:28:37.659 over our lives. 00:28:37.879 --> 00:28:39.319 Jesus will take no rival. 00:28:40.799 --> 00:28:42.439 But before reacting 00:28:42.439 --> 00:28:43.879 to this offensiveness, 00:28:44.119 --> 00:28:44.679 I ask that you 00:28:44.679 --> 00:28:46.419 take time to ask 00:28:46.419 --> 00:28:47.480 questions. 00:28:47.879 --> 00:28:49.220 Is Jesus credible? 00:28:50.000 --> 00:28:50.679 Does he in fact 00:28:50.679 --> 00:28:51.159 have authority 00:28:51.159 --> 00:28:51.839 over our life? 00:28:51.980 --> 00:28:52.919 Is he trustworthy 00:28:52.919 --> 00:28:53.740 in what he says? 00:28:54.559 --> 00:28:56.039 Is he who he says he is, 00:28:56.119 --> 00:28:57.099 or is he a fraud? 00:28:57.099 --> 00:28:57.179 God. 00:28:59.439 --> 00:29:00.379 It's worth getting 00:29:00.379 --> 00:29:01.240 to the bottom of this. 00:29:02.319 --> 00:29:03.199 There's nothing 00:29:03.199 --> 00:29:04.259 more important in life 00:29:04.259 --> 00:29:05.519 apart from this question 00:29:05.519 --> 00:29:07.139 of who we belong to. 00:29:07.639 --> 00:29:08.299 It's more important 00:29:08.299 --> 00:29:09.019 than our careers, 00:29:09.639 --> 00:29:10.399 more important than 00:29:10.399 --> 00:29:12.119 finding a future spouse, 00:29:12.240 --> 00:29:12.939 husband or wife, 00:29:13.480 --> 00:29:14.279 more important than 00:29:14.279 --> 00:29:15.279 the six and O paths, 00:29:15.519 --> 00:29:15.740 right? 00:29:16.099 --> 00:29:16.480 I mean, 00:29:16.759 --> 00:29:18.219 this is not just 00:29:18.219 --> 00:29:19.399 our earthly well-being, 00:29:19.599 --> 00:29:21.000 but our eternal well-being. 00:29:21.199 --> 00:29:21.679 It talks about 00:29:21.679 --> 00:29:22.639 our eternal life. 00:29:24.679 --> 00:29:26.599 For those of us 00:29:26.599 --> 00:29:28.240 who have connected 00:29:28.240 --> 00:29:29.759 ourselves to Jesus, 00:29:29.919 --> 00:29:30.719 to the cornerstone, 00:29:30.839 --> 00:29:31.579 by trusting him, 00:29:32.500 --> 00:29:33.419 I would ask us, 00:29:34.240 --> 00:29:35.119 does our lives, 00:29:35.240 --> 00:29:35.799 do our lives 00:29:35.799 --> 00:29:36.899 reflect this decision, 00:29:37.619 --> 00:29:38.459 or does it indicate 00:29:38.459 --> 00:29:39.119 something different? 00:29:40.500 --> 00:29:41.299 To be Christian 00:29:41.299 --> 00:29:42.740 is not to make 00:29:42.740 --> 00:29:43.519 a one-time decision, 00:29:43.779 --> 00:29:45.179 or to adhere 00:29:45.179 --> 00:29:46.259 to a set of rules, 00:29:46.759 --> 00:29:48.059 or to join a subculture. 00:29:48.799 --> 00:29:49.679 It's to enter 00:29:49.679 --> 00:29:51.219 into a vibrant relationship 00:29:51.219 --> 00:29:52.079 with God 00:29:52.079 --> 00:29:53.919 that grows and grows 00:29:53.919 --> 00:29:55.240 like any healthy 00:29:55.240 --> 00:29:56.059 relationship does. 00:29:56.599 --> 00:29:57.919 And, 00:29:58.000 --> 00:29:59.219 I mean, 00:29:59.240 --> 00:29:59.980 what does this look like 00:29:59.980 --> 00:30:00.639 in real life? 00:30:01.599 --> 00:30:03.000 It looks like 00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:04.279 a growing trust in God. 00:30:05.439 --> 00:30:06.619 That's the foundation, 00:30:06.799 --> 00:30:07.459 trusting God. 00:30:08.459 --> 00:30:09.119 It's trusting God 00:30:09.119 --> 00:30:09.579 in the midst 00:30:09.579 --> 00:30:10.740 of life's difficulties, 00:30:10.740 --> 00:30:12.279 that he's sovereign, 00:30:12.939 --> 00:30:14.119 that he's infinite 00:30:14.119 --> 00:30:14.699 in wisdom, 00:30:14.799 --> 00:30:15.219 so he knows 00:30:15.219 --> 00:30:16.119 what's best for us, 00:30:16.719 --> 00:30:17.759 that he's perfect 00:30:17.759 --> 00:30:18.419 in love, 00:30:18.639 --> 00:30:19.740 that he cares about us, 00:30:19.959 --> 00:30:21.059 he truly cares for us. 00:30:21.059 --> 00:30:21.619 Yes. 00:30:22.059 --> 00:30:23.299 It means trusting that, 00:30:23.799 --> 00:30:24.359 as we read, 00:30:24.440 --> 00:30:25.019 not one sparrow 00:30:25.019 --> 00:30:25.819 falls to the ground 00:30:25.819 --> 00:30:26.599 apart from God, 00:30:26.700 --> 00:30:28.319 so we will not fear, 00:30:29.019 --> 00:30:30.379 because we are of more value 00:30:30.379 --> 00:30:31.379 than many sparrows. 00:30:31.500 --> 00:30:32.500 God cares about us. 00:30:33.500 --> 00:30:34.379 It looks like 00:30:34.379 --> 00:30:35.720 growing in holiness, 00:30:36.059 --> 00:30:36.940 to be more and more 00:30:36.940 --> 00:30:37.980 separate from sin, 00:30:38.500 --> 00:30:40.000 and the things that pull us 00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:40.720 away from God. 00:30:41.519 --> 00:30:43.019 Holiness is this idea 00:30:43.019 --> 00:30:43.960 of being separate, 00:30:44.599 --> 00:30:44.879 right? 00:30:45.540 --> 00:30:46.480 As Paul says 00:30:46.480 --> 00:30:47.640 in 2 Corinthians 7, 00:30:48.180 --> 00:30:48.720 Since we have 00:30:48.720 --> 00:30:49.320 these promises, 00:30:49.540 --> 00:30:49.780 beloved, 00:30:50.120 --> 00:30:51.300 let us cleanse ourselves 00:30:51.300 --> 00:30:52.700 from every defilement 00:30:52.700 --> 00:30:53.840 of body and spirit, 00:30:54.420 --> 00:30:55.160 bringing holiness 00:30:55.160 --> 00:30:56.160 to completion 00:30:56.160 --> 00:30:57.120 in the fear of God. 00:30:57.860 --> 00:30:58.420 And we also read 00:30:58.420 --> 00:30:59.120 in Hebrews 12, 00:30:59.640 --> 00:31:00.600 Strive for peace 00:31:00.600 --> 00:31:01.140 with everyone, 00:31:01.680 --> 00:31:02.440 and for the holiness 00:31:02.440 --> 00:31:03.220 without which 00:31:03.220 --> 00:31:04.360 no one will see the Lord. 00:31:05.960 --> 00:31:06.900 It looks like 00:31:06.900 --> 00:31:08.020 growing in service, 00:31:08.540 --> 00:31:09.460 growing in service 00:31:09.460 --> 00:31:09.980 to God. 00:31:10.220 --> 00:31:11.520 Ephesians 2.10 says, 00:31:11.840 --> 00:31:12.980 For we are his workmanship, 00:31:13.200 --> 00:31:14.560 created in Christ Jesus 00:31:14.559 --> 00:31:15.359 for good works, 00:31:15.720 --> 00:31:16.940 which God prepared beforehand 00:31:16.940 --> 00:31:17.919 that we should walk in them. 00:31:19.000 --> 00:31:20.579 And 1 Peter chapter 4, 00:31:21.200 --> 00:31:22.220 As each has received 00:31:22.220 --> 00:31:22.720 a gift, 00:31:22.980 --> 00:31:23.679 use it to serve 00:31:23.679 --> 00:31:24.220 one another 00:31:24.220 --> 00:31:25.299 as good stewards 00:31:25.299 --> 00:31:26.779 of God's varied grace. 00:31:27.440 --> 00:31:28.240 Whoever speaks 00:31:28.240 --> 00:31:29.119 as one who speaks 00:31:29.119 --> 00:31:30.079 oracles of God, 00:31:30.720 --> 00:31:31.539 whoever serves 00:31:31.539 --> 00:31:32.599 as one who serves 00:31:32.599 --> 00:31:33.259 by the strength 00:31:33.259 --> 00:31:34.119 that God supplies, 00:31:34.720 --> 00:31:35.919 in order that in everything 00:31:35.919 --> 00:31:37.179 God may be glorified 00:31:37.179 --> 00:31:38.299 through Jesus Christ. 00:31:40.259 --> 00:31:41.319 Growing in our relationship 00:31:41.319 --> 00:31:41.899 with God 00:31:41.899 --> 00:31:43.599 doesn't happen 00:31:43.599 --> 00:31:44.519 automatically, 00:31:45.279 --> 00:31:46.679 it's not easy. 00:31:47.240 --> 00:31:48.119 It takes work, 00:31:48.200 --> 00:31:48.940 it takes time, 00:31:49.460 --> 00:31:50.539 it takes perseverance. 00:31:52.619 --> 00:31:53.539 In Philippians, 00:31:53.759 --> 00:31:54.119 we read, 00:31:54.359 --> 00:31:54.980 Therefore, my beloved, 00:31:55.220 --> 00:31:56.200 as you have always 00:31:56.200 --> 00:31:56.799 obeyed, 00:31:57.139 --> 00:31:57.720 so now, 00:31:57.859 --> 00:31:58.960 not only as in my presence, 00:31:59.039 --> 00:32:00.079 but much more in my absence, 00:32:00.679 --> 00:32:01.940 work out your own salvation 00:32:01.940 --> 00:32:03.339 with fear and trembling, 00:32:03.899 --> 00:32:04.500 for it is God 00:32:04.500 --> 00:32:05.339 who works in you 00:32:05.339 --> 00:32:06.480 both to will 00:32:06.480 --> 00:32:07.200 and to work 00:32:07.200 --> 00:32:08.339 for his good pleasure. 00:32:08.599 --> 00:32:08.980 So it's, 00:32:09.659 --> 00:32:10.359 we are working out 00:32:10.359 --> 00:32:11.099 our own salvation, 00:32:11.099 --> 00:32:12.879 but God works in us 00:32:12.879 --> 00:32:13.639 both to will 00:32:13.639 --> 00:32:14.379 and to work 00:32:14.379 --> 00:32:15.179 for him. 00:32:16.339 --> 00:32:17.319 In Colossians 1, 00:32:17.480 --> 00:32:18.459 him we proclaim, 00:32:18.980 --> 00:32:19.699 mourning everyone 00:32:19.699 --> 00:32:20.500 and teaching everyone 00:32:20.500 --> 00:32:21.139 with all wisdom, 00:32:21.500 --> 00:32:22.419 that we may present 00:32:22.419 --> 00:32:23.359 everyone mature 00:32:23.359 --> 00:32:23.980 in Christ. 00:32:24.659 --> 00:32:25.059 For this, 00:32:25.159 --> 00:32:25.779 I toil, 00:32:26.159 --> 00:32:27.119 struggling with all 00:32:27.119 --> 00:32:27.699 his energy 00:32:27.699 --> 00:32:28.559 that he powerfully 00:32:28.559 --> 00:32:29.480 works within me. 00:32:29.619 --> 00:32:30.419 This is Paul speaking. 00:32:30.420 --> 00:32:32.180 So this makes, 00:32:32.340 --> 00:32:32.980 this makes sense. 00:32:33.640 --> 00:32:33.779 Right? 00:32:33.820 --> 00:32:34.940 The good things of life 00:32:34.940 --> 00:32:36.039 take work. 00:32:36.400 --> 00:32:36.660 I mean, 00:32:36.700 --> 00:32:38.019 if I want to have 00:32:38.019 --> 00:32:38.740 an easy life, 00:32:38.860 --> 00:32:39.960 I wouldn't have a family, 00:32:40.080 --> 00:32:40.720 I wouldn't be married, 00:32:41.140 --> 00:32:42.019 I wouldn't have a job. 00:32:42.480 --> 00:32:42.820 Right? 00:32:42.880 --> 00:32:43.400 I'd be playing 00:32:43.400 --> 00:32:44.200 PlayStation all day 00:32:44.200 --> 00:32:45.300 eating like Taco Bell 00:32:45.300 --> 00:32:45.779 and Doritos. 00:32:46.120 --> 00:32:46.220 Right? 00:32:46.960 --> 00:32:47.759 I don't know how 00:32:47.759 --> 00:32:49.220 I afford all those tacos, 00:32:49.440 --> 00:32:49.620 but, 00:32:49.920 --> 00:32:51.200 you know, 00:32:51.240 --> 00:32:52.220 I want the good things 00:32:52.220 --> 00:32:52.640 of life, 00:32:52.720 --> 00:32:53.340 so I go to work, 00:32:53.460 --> 00:32:54.740 I study as I need to, 00:32:54.840 --> 00:32:56.200 I invest in the relationships 00:32:56.200 --> 00:32:57.940 with people I love, 00:32:58.600 --> 00:32:59.279 and my relationship 00:32:59.279 --> 00:33:00.400 with God takes work too. 00:33:01.420 --> 00:33:02.640 So if you're a Christian, 00:33:03.300 --> 00:33:03.820 the question is, 00:33:03.960 --> 00:33:05.519 does your life reflect 00:33:05.519 --> 00:33:06.500 that you are connected 00:33:06.500 --> 00:33:07.500 to Jesus, 00:33:07.660 --> 00:33:08.360 the cornerstone 00:33:08.360 --> 00:33:09.220 that's ever growing? 00:33:10.080 --> 00:33:10.820 Are you bearing 00:33:10.820 --> 00:33:11.800 good fruit 00:33:11.800 --> 00:33:12.680 in your life? 00:33:14.019 --> 00:33:15.360 This is an important 00:33:15.360 --> 00:33:16.400 self-assessment to make 00:33:16.400 --> 00:33:16.840 because, 00:33:17.000 --> 00:33:17.180 I mean, 00:33:17.240 --> 00:33:17.640 otherwise, 00:33:18.480 --> 00:33:19.460 you might just be 00:33:19.460 --> 00:33:20.039 a really good 00:33:20.039 --> 00:33:21.200 chief priest or scribe. 00:33:23.900 --> 00:33:25.720 Jesus loves you. 00:33:26.420 --> 00:33:27.860 Jesus cares for you. 00:33:29.060 --> 00:33:30.080 And while we 00:33:30.079 --> 00:33:30.759 and others 00:33:30.759 --> 00:33:31.500 have failed 00:33:31.500 --> 00:33:32.699 to faithfully serve God, 00:33:32.799 --> 00:33:33.939 Jesus faithfully 00:33:33.939 --> 00:33:35.139 fulfilled God's plan 00:33:35.139 --> 00:33:35.759 to save us 00:33:35.759 --> 00:33:36.379 from our sins. 00:33:37.539 --> 00:33:38.179 Though the world 00:33:38.179 --> 00:33:38.859 rejected him, 00:33:38.939 --> 00:33:39.720 God chose him, 00:33:39.960 --> 00:33:40.519 and he's the one 00:33:40.519 --> 00:33:41.299 who leads us 00:33:41.299 --> 00:33:42.599 and protects us 00:33:42.599 --> 00:33:43.220 and nourishes 00:33:43.220 --> 00:33:44.299 and cherishes us. 00:33:45.559 --> 00:33:46.539 And so that's, 00:33:46.539 --> 00:33:47.119 that's the Lord, 00:33:47.240 --> 00:33:48.240 that's the cornerstone. 00:33:48.799 --> 00:33:49.599 And may we all 00:33:49.599 --> 00:33:50.699 cling tightly 00:33:50.699 --> 00:33:51.759 to our wonderful 00:33:51.759 --> 00:33:52.659 Savior evermore. 00:33:53.659 --> 00:33:54.599 Please pray with me. 00:33:54.599 --> 00:33:58.159 Heavenly Father, 00:33:58.159 --> 00:33:58.199 Heavenly Father, 00:33:58.200 --> 00:33:59.200 All right.