WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:07.140 Well, good morning, church. Would you turn with me to Mark, chapter 3, verses 7 through 19. 00:00:07.940 --> 00:00:12.140 Mark 3, 7 through 19, that's page 787 in the Pew Bible. 00:00:15.679 --> 00:00:20.000 As we continue our series in the Gospel of Mark this morning, we come to Mark, chapter 3, verse 7. 00:00:20.679 --> 00:00:23.379 So let me read our text for us. It'll be on the screens above, too. 00:00:24.019 --> 00:00:27.300 Let me read, and then I'll pray for us as we come to God's Word. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:31.039 Picking up in verse 7. 00:00:32.200 --> 00:00:45.100 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed from Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. 00:00:46.219 --> 00:00:49.780 When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. 00:00:50.900 --> 00:00:56.120 And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him. 00:00:56.119 --> 00:01:02.119 For he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. 00:01:03.479 --> 00:01:07.899 And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, 00:01:08.400 --> 00:01:09.459 You are the Son of God. 00:01:10.319 --> 00:01:12.799 And he strictly ordered them not to make him known. 00:01:14.519 --> 00:01:19.959 And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. 00:01:19.959 --> 00:01:31.019 And he appointed twelve whom he also named apostles, so that they might be with him, and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. 00:01:32.079 --> 00:01:39.579 He appointed the twelve, Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter, James, the son of Zebedee, and John, the brother of James, 00:01:39.579 --> 00:01:49.459 to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder, Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, 00:01:49.939 --> 00:01:57.319 and James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 00:01:58.019 --> 00:01:59.120 Let's pray together. 00:01:59.120 --> 00:02:07.620 Savior, like a shepherd, lead us as we come now to your word. 00:02:08.300 --> 00:02:17.500 Help us to hear what your spirit is continuing to say to us through this life-giving message that you've inspired and gifted to us, your church. 00:02:18.500 --> 00:02:23.879 Father, our desire is to be who you've created and recreated and redeemed us to be. 00:02:23.879 --> 00:02:31.319 So help us now in this time to hear what you are saying, to receive it with faithful hearts. 00:02:32.819 --> 00:02:36.219 Oh, Lord, do your work in us as we come to your word, we pray. Amen. 00:02:38.159 --> 00:02:44.680 Well, you know, it's easy at first to kind of miss the significance of what's happening here in our passage. 00:02:45.400 --> 00:02:50.319 You know, on the first, it sort of looks like Jesus here in Mark 3 is simply being strategic, right? 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:55.639 I mean, the crowds are clearly getting too large for one person to manage. 00:02:56.459 --> 00:03:00.659 So Jesus picks a dozen helpers to whom he can delegate some of the responsibility. 00:03:02.620 --> 00:03:12.099 Perhaps we're reminded of that passage in the Old Testament in Exodus when Moses is kind of overwhelmed by the responsibility of judging the people and deciding their cases. 00:03:12.240 --> 00:03:13.419 He's at it kind of day and night. 00:03:13.419 --> 00:03:15.400 So his father-in-law Jethro comes and says, 00:03:15.900 --> 00:03:19.919 Moses, you have to find some trustworthy people to help you here or else you're going to wear yourself out. 00:03:20.840 --> 00:03:24.400 So Moses takes Jethro's advice and it ends up being a really good idea. 00:03:26.319 --> 00:03:34.139 But is that what's really going on here in Mark 3 as the crowds are pressing around Jesus and Jesus appoints the twelve? 00:03:35.419 --> 00:03:38.740 Are we merely learning from Jesus the principles of effective delegation? 00:03:39.959 --> 00:03:42.479 Or the key to strategic ministry multiplication? 00:03:45.539 --> 00:03:48.680 No, there's something much more significant happening here than that. 00:03:48.680 --> 00:03:54.240 Consider, after all, what Mark tells us about this great crowd in verses 7 through 8. 00:03:55.280 --> 00:04:01.599 They are from Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem and Ijumia and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. 00:04:01.879 --> 00:04:09.240 In other words, nearly everywhere you could find a significant Jewish population in Palestine of the day, 00:04:09.240 --> 00:04:13.280 even if it was known to be a Gentile area like Tyre and Sidon. 00:04:14.040 --> 00:04:17.400 Wherever there was a significant Jewish population in Palestine of the day, 00:04:17.460 --> 00:04:19.420 they were all coming to Jesus. 00:04:21.040 --> 00:04:25.280 Last week we saw that some of the Jewish officials had begun turning against Jesus, 00:04:25.379 --> 00:04:29.600 but despite the rejection of Jesus that was starting among some of the religious officials, 00:04:29.600 --> 00:04:33.700 all of Israel was beginning to gather to him. 00:04:36.060 --> 00:04:40.060 And what they found when they gathered was more than just words, but power. 00:04:41.120 --> 00:04:42.780 Power over their physical sickness. 00:04:43.580 --> 00:04:45.460 Power over their spiritual bondage. 00:04:45.459 --> 00:04:48.879 This was no mere religious revival. 00:04:49.079 --> 00:04:50.079 This was revolution. 00:04:52.639 --> 00:04:55.519 And just as all Israel is gathering to him, 00:04:56.000 --> 00:05:00.459 Jesus then goes up on a mountain and appoints 12. 00:05:02.859 --> 00:05:05.740 And of course that number is not an accident. 00:05:07.399 --> 00:05:10.159 Everyone around Jesus would have picked up on the symbolism. 00:05:10.160 --> 00:05:15.240 Every Jew knew that there were 12 tribes in Israel, or at least there had been. 00:05:16.380 --> 00:05:20.360 And those 12 tribes corresponded more or less to the 12 sons of Jacob, the patriarch. 00:05:21.939 --> 00:05:27.400 Now 10 of those tribes had been lost seven centuries earlier when the Assyrians invaded and carried them off. 00:05:27.879 --> 00:05:30.379 But the prophets had spoken of a coming restoration. 00:05:31.760 --> 00:05:33.900 And a great many Jews were longing for it. 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:37.700 The time would come, they believed, when their God would turn everything around 00:05:37.700 --> 00:05:39.900 and restore his people once again. 00:05:39.899 --> 00:05:44.000 And so when Jesus called 12 of his followers apart from the crowds 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:47.419 and gave them a special status and a special commission, 00:05:47.839 --> 00:05:50.379 nobody who heard of it could miss what he was doing. 00:05:52.659 --> 00:05:55.439 Jesus was saying more clearly than words could have done that 00:05:55.439 --> 00:05:57.899 this isn't simply a great healing mission. 00:05:58.539 --> 00:06:00.779 This isn't simply a time of spiritual renewal. 00:06:01.739 --> 00:06:04.799 This is the restoration we've all been waiting for. 00:06:04.800 --> 00:06:10.139 So what is the significance of this passage? 00:06:11.740 --> 00:06:15.920 If it's about more than just strategic delegation or ministry multiplication, what is it about? 00:06:17.819 --> 00:06:23.060 Well, ultimately, it's about what it means to be the people of God. 00:06:23.060 --> 00:06:28.560 The people of God called and created by the very Son of God. 00:06:30.660 --> 00:06:37.500 In other words, in appointing the 12, we see in kind of seed form what will be true of the whole church. 00:06:38.079 --> 00:06:41.840 The church that would come to include not just Jews, but Gentiles as well, 00:06:41.959 --> 00:06:43.860 as our earlier reading in the service made clear. 00:06:43.860 --> 00:06:52.600 Now, that's not to say that the 12 didn't have a unique role in redemptive history. 00:06:52.680 --> 00:06:53.800 They certainly do. 00:06:54.920 --> 00:06:59.660 On one level, what's true of the apostles is utterly unique to them and them alone. 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:04.300 The apostles, both the 12 commissioned during Jesus' ministry 00:07:04.300 --> 00:07:07.580 and a select few like Paul after Jesus' resurrection, 00:07:07.579 --> 00:07:11.419 think about it, they were personally commissioned by the Lord Jesus 00:07:11.419 --> 00:07:14.120 to be his authoritative representatives. 00:07:14.959 --> 00:07:20.219 They could teach and preach with his very authority and his very name 00:07:20.219 --> 00:07:21.839 in a way no one else could. 00:07:22.459 --> 00:07:25.479 Even the miraculous signs that the apostles performed 00:07:25.479 --> 00:07:29.919 to verify their message was in many ways unique to them. 00:07:31.319 --> 00:07:33.339 You know, this unique role that they had 00:07:33.339 --> 00:07:37.279 was why their teaching and writings became what we now call the New Testament. 00:07:37.579 --> 00:07:41.339 These apostolic writings still have authority over all the church 00:07:41.339 --> 00:07:44.939 because Jesus endowed these particular men by his Holy Spirit 00:07:44.939 --> 00:07:48.060 with a unique role in laying the foundation of the church. 00:07:49.159 --> 00:07:51.180 So that in listening to the apostles, 00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:56.079 we listen to what the Lord Jesus himself desires for his people. 00:07:57.759 --> 00:08:00.500 So in that sense, the apostles are unique, 00:08:00.839 --> 00:08:04.680 but in another sense, they represent what would be true for the church 00:08:04.680 --> 00:08:06.219 throughout its history. 00:08:07.579 --> 00:08:11.279 When Jesus came to call and create anew the people of God, 00:08:11.319 --> 00:08:15.039 when he came to restore Israel and even bring in the lost Gentiles, 00:08:15.319 --> 00:08:16.979 he began with the 12. 00:08:17.819 --> 00:08:21.659 And we see in them, even at this earliest stage in Mark 3, 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:25.799 what it means to be the church. 00:08:25.800 --> 00:08:34.200 So let's consider together what this passage has to tell us about being the church, 00:08:34.259 --> 00:08:38.320 about being the people of God created by the Son of God. 00:08:39.620 --> 00:08:44.379 And first, what we see is that the church exists by the call of Jesus. 00:08:44.639 --> 00:08:46.580 The church exists by the call of Jesus. 00:08:46.680 --> 00:08:47.620 Look again at verse 13. 00:08:47.620 --> 00:08:51.179 Jesus went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, 00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:52.399 and they came to him. 00:08:52.799 --> 00:08:55.879 Other translations translate this verse to read, 00:08:56.179 --> 00:08:59.440 Jesus summoned those whom he willed. 00:09:00.539 --> 00:09:06.620 It is the solemn and powerful call of Jesus that creates the church. 00:09:06.620 --> 00:09:12.220 Discipleship ultimately begins not with our decision to follow Jesus, 00:09:12.220 --> 00:09:16.580 as if we're doing God some favor by becoming Christians and joining his movement, right? 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:21.679 No, it begins when God summons us out of darkness into light. 00:09:22.080 --> 00:09:26.340 When the Lord summons us out of spiritual death into everlasting life. 00:09:26.340 --> 00:09:32.639 And notice that this call comes from Jesus, but it also leads to him as well. 00:09:32.720 --> 00:09:34.840 He's the beginning and the end. 00:09:35.340 --> 00:09:38.639 He summoned those whom he desired, and they came to who? 00:09:38.860 --> 00:09:39.899 They came to him. 00:09:43.500 --> 00:09:47.440 This scene of Jesus on a mountain calling the twelve. 00:09:48.060 --> 00:09:53.360 You know, the clearest Old Testament echo isn't Moses and Jethro trying to manage the crowds, right? 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:58.620 The clearest Old Testament echo is of the Lord God on Mount Sinai, 00:09:59.419 --> 00:10:05.080 constituting the twelve tribes of Israel formally, covenantally, as his people, his nation. 00:10:06.879 --> 00:10:08.200 That's the echo here. 00:10:11.220 --> 00:10:13.700 Morna Hooker, the great New Testament scholar, 00:10:13.759 --> 00:10:16.200 and her commentary on Mark makes a very interesting observation, 00:10:16.440 --> 00:10:18.539 and I'm paraphrasing, but she basically says, 00:10:18.600 --> 00:10:21.460 you know, if Jesus had chosen eleven apostles, 00:10:21.460 --> 00:10:26.780 then it would have been clear that he saw himself as part of a renewed people of God, right? 00:10:27.860 --> 00:10:29.180 But he didn't choose eleven. 00:10:29.920 --> 00:10:31.080 He chose twelve. 00:10:32.500 --> 00:10:35.379 In other words, Jesus wasn't part of the people. 00:10:36.100 --> 00:10:37.700 He was the Lord of the people. 00:10:39.240 --> 00:10:41.740 He isn't a new Moses sorting out duties. 00:10:42.300 --> 00:10:46.040 He's the sovereign Lord calling the people into their very existence. 00:10:46.039 --> 00:10:55.719 So the church then isn't just another social club or non-profit organization. 00:10:57.639 --> 00:11:02.219 It's the people called into existence by the word of the sovereign Lord. 00:11:02.220 --> 00:11:08.240 So I wonder, friend, have you experienced this call? 00:11:10.040 --> 00:11:12.899 As God's word is opened up and read and explained, 00:11:13.000 --> 00:11:15.720 as you hear the words of Jesus preserved in Scripture, 00:11:16.160 --> 00:11:17.300 proclaimed in the church, 00:11:17.700 --> 00:11:20.340 do you hear them not just as human words, 00:11:20.420 --> 00:11:22.800 but do you hear in them the divine word, 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:24.700 the divine voice calling you, 00:11:25.279 --> 00:11:27.240 summoning you to come to him? 00:11:27.240 --> 00:11:32.060 And in response, have you turned and believed in him? 00:11:33.700 --> 00:11:36.180 Believe not merely in a set of doctrines, 00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:37.639 although sound doctrine is wonderful. 00:11:38.299 --> 00:11:40.039 Believe not merely in a code of ethics, 00:11:40.139 --> 00:11:42.399 although right living is wonderfully liberating. 00:11:43.379 --> 00:11:45.500 Believe not merely in a set of spiritual practices, 00:11:45.680 --> 00:11:48.060 but have you entrusted your life to him, 00:11:48.519 --> 00:11:49.680 the living Lord, 00:11:50.240 --> 00:11:51.720 who calls? 00:11:53.279 --> 00:11:55.360 That's where it begins for every Christian. 00:11:55.360 --> 00:11:58.740 That's how the church exists at all, 00:11:59.220 --> 00:12:00.919 by the call of Christ. 00:12:03.659 --> 00:12:08.180 You know, we get our existence not by a common set of interests 00:12:08.180 --> 00:12:10.240 or by a joint social agenda 00:12:10.240 --> 00:12:12.680 or by a shared religious history. 00:12:13.580 --> 00:12:15.600 None of those things are why the church exists. 00:12:16.700 --> 00:12:19.800 It exists because Christ calls us into existence. 00:12:23.240 --> 00:12:24.899 And he's calling you today. 00:12:25.360 --> 00:12:28.460 And if that's true, 00:12:29.060 --> 00:12:31.100 if we exist by the call of Jesus, 00:12:31.740 --> 00:12:35.200 then certainly how we order our life together, 00:12:35.840 --> 00:12:38.240 the purpose, the goal towards which we exist 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:41.000 must also be centered in the word of Christ as well. 00:12:42.060 --> 00:12:43.440 And that brings us to our second point. 00:12:43.940 --> 00:12:46.300 We see here that the church exists by the call of Jesus, 00:12:46.419 --> 00:12:46.779 but second, 00:12:47.159 --> 00:12:50.279 we see that the church exists for the mission of Jesus. 00:12:50.279 --> 00:12:53.659 The church exists for the mission of Jesus. 00:12:53.740 --> 00:12:55.079 Look at verses 14 and 15. 00:12:55.179 --> 00:12:56.299 And he appointed 12, 00:12:56.740 --> 00:12:58.000 whom he also named apostles, 00:12:58.199 --> 00:13:00.779 so that they might be with him 00:13:00.779 --> 00:13:02.500 and he might send them out 00:13:02.500 --> 00:13:04.039 to preach and have authority 00:13:04.039 --> 00:13:05.419 to cast out demons. 00:13:06.659 --> 00:13:09.079 So notice the twofold purpose in these verses. 00:13:09.799 --> 00:13:11.480 First, that they might be with him. 00:13:11.879 --> 00:13:14.120 And second, that he might send them out. 00:13:15.100 --> 00:13:16.679 So first, Jesus wanted the 12 00:13:16.679 --> 00:13:18.299 to spend time with him, 00:13:18.639 --> 00:13:19.700 to be with him, 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:22.460 because it was in fellowship with him, 00:13:22.539 --> 00:13:23.899 in communion with him, 00:13:24.100 --> 00:13:26.340 that they would be formed and changed 00:13:26.340 --> 00:13:29.460 more and more into who he wanted them to be. 00:13:30.399 --> 00:13:32.179 He was going to create them 00:13:32.179 --> 00:13:33.539 and make them into something. 00:13:33.799 --> 00:13:35.100 And how was that going to happen? 00:13:35.299 --> 00:13:37.460 It was going to happen through their fellowship with him, 00:13:37.580 --> 00:13:38.639 their presence with him, 00:13:38.639 --> 00:13:41.120 because it was there that they would learn 00:13:41.120 --> 00:13:42.799 what it meant to be truly human. 00:13:43.600 --> 00:13:45.620 As they beheld and as they fellowshiped 00:13:45.620 --> 00:13:46.460 and as they communed 00:13:46.460 --> 00:13:49.000 with the one who was fully God and fully human, 00:13:49.480 --> 00:13:50.580 who was the true human, 00:13:50.840 --> 00:13:51.699 the second Adam, 00:13:51.759 --> 00:13:53.960 they would learn how to be human again. 00:13:57.059 --> 00:13:58.679 But Jesus also had a plan 00:13:58.679 --> 00:14:00.399 to send them out. 00:14:01.399 --> 00:14:04.519 That's what literally the word apostle means. 00:14:04.519 --> 00:14:06.120 It means a sent one, 00:14:06.679 --> 00:14:07.759 an emissary. 00:14:09.879 --> 00:14:11.419 Their work would not simply be 00:14:11.419 --> 00:14:12.519 in beholding him 00:14:12.519 --> 00:14:14.480 and communing with him, 00:14:14.539 --> 00:14:17.240 but also in joining him 00:14:17.240 --> 00:14:19.639 in the work of restoration 00:14:19.639 --> 00:14:22.220 and reclamation and renewal. 00:14:24.019 --> 00:14:26.659 Theirs would be a mission of liberation, 00:14:28.360 --> 00:14:29.620 preaching good news, 00:14:30.360 --> 00:14:31.480 casting out demons. 00:14:31.480 --> 00:14:34.620 They would be sent by him. 00:14:37.100 --> 00:14:39.220 And all of this is true for the church today. 00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:42.379 You know, it's not merely some human agenda 00:14:42.379 --> 00:14:44.039 that drives the church. 00:14:45.100 --> 00:14:47.019 And when the church has fallen captive 00:14:47.019 --> 00:14:48.879 to worldly or human agendas, 00:14:48.980 --> 00:14:50.100 it's been disastrous. 00:14:51.379 --> 00:14:54.259 The church exists for the mission of Jesus. 00:14:55.779 --> 00:14:59.200 And today this mission has the same twofold shape, 00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:01.980 to be with him and to be sent by him. 00:15:02.940 --> 00:15:06.060 The life of the church is both contemplative 00:15:06.060 --> 00:15:08.220 and active, right? 00:15:08.420 --> 00:15:09.440 It's contemplative. 00:15:09.540 --> 00:15:10.240 It's worshipful. 00:15:10.340 --> 00:15:12.100 We're meant to enjoy Christ together, 00:15:12.420 --> 00:15:13.520 to worship him, 00:15:13.640 --> 00:15:14.580 to commune with him, 00:15:14.680 --> 00:15:15.840 to rest in him. 00:15:16.540 --> 00:15:17.379 Like Mary, 00:15:17.460 --> 00:15:19.480 to sit at his feet and listen to him. 00:15:20.759 --> 00:15:22.100 And in beholding him, 00:15:22.160 --> 00:15:23.220 we become like him. 00:15:25.300 --> 00:15:26.540 But the life of the church 00:15:26.540 --> 00:15:27.200 is not just contemplative. 00:15:27.780 --> 00:15:28.840 It's also active. 00:15:29.940 --> 00:15:31.500 We have a great passion 00:15:31.500 --> 00:15:33.259 to see the gospel proclaimed, 00:15:33.680 --> 00:15:35.900 to see the darkness driven back, 00:15:36.440 --> 00:15:38.780 and to see Christ's name honored among all people. 00:15:40.580 --> 00:15:43.759 And again, all of this is a work of liberation, isn't it? 00:15:44.740 --> 00:15:46.580 We proclaim the good news 00:15:46.580 --> 00:15:48.840 of the forgiveness of sins 00:15:48.840 --> 00:15:50.879 through Christ's death and resurrection. 00:15:52.280 --> 00:15:54.580 Friends, the heart of the message of the church 00:15:54.580 --> 00:15:58.180 is nothing less than reconciliation with God. 00:15:58.179 --> 00:16:01.620 What could be more liberating than that? 00:16:02.339 --> 00:16:04.259 To be set free from sin 00:16:04.259 --> 00:16:05.439 and death 00:16:05.439 --> 00:16:06.620 and judgment. 00:16:06.620 --> 00:16:11.200 And we also stand against 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:12.620 the forces of evil 00:16:12.620 --> 00:16:13.480 at work around us. 00:16:13.539 --> 00:16:14.279 We see in our text 00:16:14.279 --> 00:16:15.560 that Jesus gave the apostles 00:16:15.560 --> 00:16:17.560 the authority to cast out demons. 00:16:18.139 --> 00:16:18.460 And you know, 00:16:18.480 --> 00:16:19.600 the church still has 00:16:19.600 --> 00:16:20.919 spiritual authority today. 00:16:21.419 --> 00:16:23.179 Now perhaps he isn't calling you and me 00:16:23.179 --> 00:16:25.100 literally to cast out an unclean spirit, 00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:26.799 although maybe some of you 00:16:26.799 --> 00:16:28.200 have experienced something like that. 00:16:28.259 --> 00:16:29.720 Certainly in other parts of the world, 00:16:29.860 --> 00:16:31.379 this is a very real thing. 00:16:31.379 --> 00:16:35.139 But even so, 00:16:35.700 --> 00:16:38.240 even if that's not our particular calling 00:16:38.240 --> 00:16:41.019 to perform literal exorcisms, 00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:42.139 the battle that we wage 00:16:42.139 --> 00:16:43.879 isn't against flesh and blood. 00:16:45.539 --> 00:16:50.720 There is a very real spiritual battle going on. 00:16:50.720 --> 00:16:53.240 And it is through prayer 00:16:53.240 --> 00:16:54.580 and mercy 00:16:54.580 --> 00:16:56.120 and generosity 00:16:56.120 --> 00:16:57.120 and peacemaking 00:16:57.120 --> 00:16:58.740 and by speaking the truth in love 00:16:58.740 --> 00:17:00.279 that this war is waged. 00:17:02.620 --> 00:17:04.519 And so we are sent into the world 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:06.200 to be salt and light. 00:17:07.480 --> 00:17:08.839 And so the church exists 00:17:08.839 --> 00:17:09.920 not to serve itself, 00:17:10.380 --> 00:17:12.000 but to serve Christ 00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:12.740 and his mission. 00:17:12.740 --> 00:17:16.500 We see here that the church exists 00:17:16.500 --> 00:17:18.180 for the mission of Jesus. 00:17:20.500 --> 00:17:22.180 Now the third thing our passage shows us 00:17:22.180 --> 00:17:23.359 about being the church is this. 00:17:24.039 --> 00:17:25.039 The church exists 00:17:25.039 --> 00:17:27.480 in the unity of Jesus. 00:17:28.359 --> 00:17:29.859 So we exist by his call 00:17:29.859 --> 00:17:30.680 and for his mission, 00:17:30.779 --> 00:17:33.579 but we exist in the unity of Christ. 00:17:34.720 --> 00:17:35.380 You know, as we consider 00:17:35.380 --> 00:17:36.220 a little more closely 00:17:36.220 --> 00:17:37.579 the men that Jesus called 00:17:37.579 --> 00:17:38.380 to be his apostles 00:17:38.380 --> 00:17:39.779 in verses 16 through 19, 00:17:39.900 --> 00:17:40.740 and you can kind of scan 00:17:40.740 --> 00:17:41.640 through their names there 00:17:41.640 --> 00:17:42.279 in that list, 00:17:42.740 --> 00:17:43.339 you know, as we start 00:17:43.339 --> 00:17:44.380 to really look a little deeper, 00:17:44.480 --> 00:17:46.559 we see how radical this group was. 00:17:47.720 --> 00:17:49.039 Of course, they were all Jewish 00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:51.599 and they were all mostly from Galilee, 00:17:52.000 --> 00:17:53.500 but consider their differences. 00:17:55.579 --> 00:17:56.620 In verse 17, 00:17:56.700 --> 00:17:58.079 we're told about James and John, 00:17:58.640 --> 00:17:59.880 two brothers to whom Jesus 00:17:59.880 --> 00:18:00.640 gives the nickname 00:18:00.640 --> 00:18:03.319 Sons of Thunder, right? 00:18:03.799 --> 00:18:05.299 That's a pretty sweet nickname, 00:18:05.500 --> 00:18:05.940 isn't it? 00:18:06.940 --> 00:18:07.299 You know? 00:18:08.700 --> 00:18:10.400 He called Peter like a stone, 00:18:10.500 --> 00:18:11.039 but you get to be 00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:11.940 the Sons of Thunder. 00:18:11.940 --> 00:18:13.259 That's pretty sweet. 00:18:14.460 --> 00:18:15.100 Now, it's possible 00:18:15.100 --> 00:18:15.799 that this nickname 00:18:15.799 --> 00:18:16.779 means something like 00:18:16.779 --> 00:18:18.019 the loud ones 00:18:18.019 --> 00:18:19.500 or the hot-tempered ones. 00:18:19.960 --> 00:18:20.559 Okay, maybe it's not 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:21.360 that great of a nickname. 00:18:21.500 --> 00:18:21.980 It's sort of Jesus 00:18:21.980 --> 00:18:23.019 maybe poking a little fun 00:18:23.019 --> 00:18:23.580 at them, right? 00:18:24.340 --> 00:18:25.759 So here are James and John, 00:18:25.840 --> 00:18:26.900 the Sons of Thunder. 00:18:28.380 --> 00:18:29.120 But then you have 00:18:29.120 --> 00:18:30.420 other apostles on this list 00:18:30.420 --> 00:18:31.019 about whom 00:18:31.019 --> 00:18:32.519 we know very little 00:18:32.519 --> 00:18:34.299 apart from their names. 00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:36.279 History is nearly silent 00:18:36.279 --> 00:18:36.920 about them. 00:18:36.920 --> 00:18:38.860 Of course, 00:18:38.920 --> 00:18:39.460 that doesn't mean 00:18:39.460 --> 00:18:40.340 they didn't fulfill 00:18:40.340 --> 00:18:41.400 their call faithfully, 00:18:41.539 --> 00:18:42.779 boldly proclaiming Christ, 00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:43.940 but, you know, 00:18:44.000 --> 00:18:45.100 Sons of Thunder, 00:18:46.380 --> 00:18:48.220 loud, boisterous, fiery, 00:18:48.600 --> 00:18:50.039 they apparently were not. 00:18:53.320 --> 00:18:54.620 But it wasn't just 00:18:54.620 --> 00:18:55.960 personality differences 00:18:55.960 --> 00:18:57.460 that was being united here 00:18:57.460 --> 00:18:59.519 in this apostolic band, 00:18:59.640 --> 00:19:01.140 in this nascent church. 00:19:02.140 --> 00:19:03.140 Consider the difference 00:19:03.140 --> 00:19:04.019 between Matthew, 00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:05.259 the tax collector, 00:19:05.259 --> 00:19:06.660 who we met a little earlier 00:19:06.660 --> 00:19:08.259 in Mark's gospel, 00:19:08.519 --> 00:19:08.740 Levi, 00:19:09.559 --> 00:19:10.460 also called Matthew. 00:19:11.460 --> 00:19:12.200 Consider the difference 00:19:12.200 --> 00:19:12.759 between Matthew, 00:19:12.859 --> 00:19:13.619 the tax collector, 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:16.180 and the other apostle 00:19:16.180 --> 00:19:16.960 we meet on this list, 00:19:17.079 --> 00:19:17.440 Simon, 00:19:17.839 --> 00:19:18.440 the zealot. 00:19:19.940 --> 00:19:20.599 Tax collectors, 00:19:20.720 --> 00:19:21.099 you remember, 00:19:21.240 --> 00:19:22.039 were collaborators 00:19:22.039 --> 00:19:23.039 with Rome, basically. 00:19:23.379 --> 00:19:23.539 You know, 00:19:23.579 --> 00:19:24.200 they spent their time 00:19:24.200 --> 00:19:24.779 collecting money 00:19:24.779 --> 00:19:25.680 on behalf of the empire 00:19:25.680 --> 00:19:26.799 and kind of robbing 00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:27.319 their own people. 00:19:29.299 --> 00:19:30.160 But zealots, 00:19:30.299 --> 00:19:32.779 zealots were the party 00:19:32.779 --> 00:19:33.759 in the first century. 00:19:34.160 --> 00:19:34.839 They were the movement 00:19:34.839 --> 00:19:35.720 in the first century 00:19:35.720 --> 00:19:37.179 who were ready 00:19:37.179 --> 00:19:38.359 to take up arms 00:19:38.359 --> 00:19:39.220 against Rome. 00:19:40.220 --> 00:19:40.639 Right? 00:19:42.019 --> 00:19:43.220 The zealots were the ones 00:19:43.220 --> 00:19:43.779 who were thinking, 00:19:43.939 --> 00:19:44.159 you know, 00:19:44.259 --> 00:19:45.619 maybe a militaristic overthrow 00:19:45.619 --> 00:19:46.139 of the Romans 00:19:46.139 --> 00:19:47.679 is probably our best bet. 00:19:48.539 --> 00:19:49.939 So here are two men 00:19:49.939 --> 00:19:52.139 with utterly different, 00:19:52.379 --> 00:19:53.359 what we might call today, 00:19:53.579 --> 00:19:54.639 political backgrounds. 00:19:56.559 --> 00:19:57.579 One who lived life 00:19:57.579 --> 00:19:58.740 collaborating with Rome 00:19:58.740 --> 00:19:59.480 and the other 00:19:59.480 --> 00:20:00.079 who lived life 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:00.619 hoping one day 00:20:00.619 --> 00:20:01.379 to overthrow it. 00:20:03.379 --> 00:20:03.779 Together. 00:20:03.779 --> 00:20:03.879 together. 00:20:04.879 --> 00:20:06.460 In the same group 00:20:06.460 --> 00:20:08.000 around Jesus. 00:20:11.399 --> 00:20:12.700 Could these differences 00:20:12.700 --> 00:20:13.899 ever be overcome? 00:20:15.980 --> 00:20:17.259 And yet what we see 00:20:17.259 --> 00:20:17.940 in the apostles 00:20:17.940 --> 00:20:19.579 is yes. 00:20:20.460 --> 00:20:21.819 A former zealot 00:20:21.819 --> 00:20:23.660 and a former tax collector 00:20:23.660 --> 00:20:25.700 united by a common Lord 00:20:25.700 --> 00:20:27.799 engaged in a common mission. 00:20:27.799 --> 00:20:30.339 You see, 00:20:30.419 --> 00:20:30.980 their allegiance 00:20:30.980 --> 00:20:32.159 to the Lord Jesus, 00:20:32.899 --> 00:20:34.599 the reality of his call 00:20:34.599 --> 00:20:35.559 on their lives, 00:20:35.940 --> 00:20:37.039 took precedence 00:20:37.039 --> 00:20:38.579 over these former 00:20:38.579 --> 00:20:39.200 allegiances 00:20:39.200 --> 00:20:40.000 and identities. 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:43.639 What they held 00:20:43.639 --> 00:20:44.279 in common 00:20:44.279 --> 00:20:44.960 in Christ 00:20:44.960 --> 00:20:46.319 was far superior 00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:47.460 to what divided them. 00:20:49.359 --> 00:20:50.099 Now I think we can, 00:20:50.299 --> 00:20:50.759 we know 00:20:50.759 --> 00:20:51.519 that Levi 00:20:51.519 --> 00:20:52.240 sort of left 00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:53.759 his tax collecting booth 00:20:53.759 --> 00:20:54.639 to follow Jesus 00:20:54.640 --> 00:20:55.840 and we can imagine 00:20:55.840 --> 00:20:57.040 probably something similar 00:20:57.040 --> 00:20:57.860 was the same true 00:20:57.860 --> 00:20:58.440 for Simon. 00:20:58.660 --> 00:20:58.840 You know, 00:20:58.880 --> 00:20:59.540 he wasn't out there 00:20:59.540 --> 00:21:00.480 plotting political 00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:02.040 and military overthrow anymore. 00:21:03.160 --> 00:21:04.180 But do we imagine 00:21:04.180 --> 00:21:05.120 after coming to Christ, 00:21:05.180 --> 00:21:05.700 do we imagine 00:21:05.700 --> 00:21:06.759 Matthew and Simon 00:21:06.759 --> 00:21:08.040 always agreeing 00:21:08.040 --> 00:21:09.160 about everything? 00:21:10.420 --> 00:21:10.880 Right? 00:21:11.880 --> 00:21:12.860 Probably not. 00:21:16.320 --> 00:21:17.580 And it's the same today. 00:21:19.120 --> 00:21:20.100 Christians don't always 00:21:20.100 --> 00:21:21.040 agree with each other 00:21:21.040 --> 00:21:21.920 about a whole range 00:21:21.920 --> 00:21:22.519 of things. 00:21:24.360 --> 00:21:25.200 And it's good 00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:25.560 and right 00:21:25.560 --> 00:21:26.740 to develop convictions 00:21:26.740 --> 00:21:27.860 about those things. 00:21:29.300 --> 00:21:30.320 But united 00:21:30.320 --> 00:21:31.539 by a common Lord, 00:21:32.460 --> 00:21:33.539 we can treat each other 00:21:33.539 --> 00:21:34.279 with charity 00:21:34.279 --> 00:21:35.680 and with honor 00:21:35.680 --> 00:21:36.660 and we can learn 00:21:36.660 --> 00:21:37.320 from each other. 00:21:38.640 --> 00:21:39.820 Perhaps we might 00:21:39.820 --> 00:21:40.880 not be persuaded 00:21:40.880 --> 00:21:41.660 by one another 00:21:41.660 --> 00:21:42.640 at the end of the day 00:21:42.640 --> 00:21:44.100 and our differences, 00:21:44.480 --> 00:21:44.920 some of them 00:21:44.920 --> 00:21:45.779 might still remain. 00:21:45.980 --> 00:21:46.500 And yet, 00:21:47.140 --> 00:21:49.180 we can still embrace 00:21:49.180 --> 00:21:49.700 each other 00:21:49.700 --> 00:21:51.880 as fellow family members 00:21:51.880 --> 00:21:52.880 of the people of God. 00:21:55.780 --> 00:21:56.780 In the early church, 00:21:56.860 --> 00:21:57.920 this unity in Christ 00:21:57.920 --> 00:21:58.360 would become 00:21:58.360 --> 00:21:59.280 even more radical 00:21:59.280 --> 00:22:00.100 than we see it here 00:22:00.100 --> 00:22:01.040 in the calling of the twelve 00:22:01.040 --> 00:22:02.660 as the gospel goes forth 00:22:02.660 --> 00:22:03.280 and Gentiles 00:22:03.280 --> 00:22:04.140 are added to their number. 00:22:05.580 --> 00:22:06.020 Suddenly, 00:22:06.140 --> 00:22:06.600 the differences 00:22:06.600 --> 00:22:07.820 that are being united 00:22:07.820 --> 00:22:08.400 in Christ 00:22:08.400 --> 00:22:09.920 are even more profound. 00:22:12.400 --> 00:22:13.360 And as the gospel 00:22:13.360 --> 00:22:14.640 continued to spread 00:22:14.640 --> 00:22:16.160 throughout church history, 00:22:16.660 --> 00:22:17.800 the cultural diversity 00:22:17.800 --> 00:22:18.160 of the church 00:22:18.160 --> 00:22:19.600 continued to expand. 00:22:19.599 --> 00:22:22.779 But the church 00:22:22.779 --> 00:22:24.219 continues to exist 00:22:24.219 --> 00:22:26.079 in its great diversity 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:28.159 in the unity of Christ. 00:22:31.500 --> 00:22:32.279 And so, 00:22:32.379 --> 00:22:33.719 in our own local church, 00:22:34.079 --> 00:22:36.659 we learn to love 00:22:36.659 --> 00:22:37.119 one another. 00:22:38.179 --> 00:22:39.759 Even though we are different, 00:22:40.579 --> 00:22:41.899 we view one another 00:22:41.899 --> 00:22:42.919 as brothers and sisters 00:22:42.919 --> 00:22:44.299 in the same family. 00:22:45.779 --> 00:22:47.219 Christ has embraced us 00:22:47.220 --> 00:22:48.120 and so we turn 00:22:48.120 --> 00:22:49.360 and we embrace 00:22:49.360 --> 00:22:49.880 one another. 00:22:51.360 --> 00:22:52.460 And the backgrounds 00:22:52.460 --> 00:22:54.039 in our church family here 00:22:54.039 --> 00:22:55.519 are wildly different, 00:22:55.579 --> 00:22:56.140 are they not? 00:22:56.640 --> 00:22:57.579 Cultural backgrounds, 00:22:57.700 --> 00:22:58.880 educational backgrounds, 00:22:59.620 --> 00:23:00.839 different genders, 00:23:00.960 --> 00:23:01.440 different races, 00:23:01.559 --> 00:23:02.339 different classes, 00:23:02.819 --> 00:23:04.680 but united in Christ. 00:23:04.680 --> 00:23:06.580 No, 00:23:06.640 --> 00:23:07.480 we don't always agree 00:23:07.480 --> 00:23:08.740 about secondary issues, 00:23:08.860 --> 00:23:09.259 do we? 00:23:10.539 --> 00:23:11.360 Sometimes we have 00:23:11.360 --> 00:23:12.180 lively discussions 00:23:12.180 --> 00:23:13.140 around the proverbial 00:23:13.140 --> 00:23:13.740 dinner table. 00:23:15.480 --> 00:23:16.400 But we don't let 00:23:16.400 --> 00:23:17.600 those things divide us 00:23:17.600 --> 00:23:19.460 or sow seeds 00:23:19.460 --> 00:23:20.740 of contempt and scorn. 00:23:21.240 --> 00:23:22.420 We continue to love 00:23:22.420 --> 00:23:23.680 each other for Christ's sake 00:23:23.680 --> 00:23:26.240 because we have been loved. 00:23:29.039 --> 00:23:29.900 And that brings us 00:23:29.900 --> 00:23:30.740 to our last point. 00:23:32.220 --> 00:23:33.400 The fourth and last thing 00:23:33.400 --> 00:23:34.120 we see here 00:23:34.120 --> 00:23:35.519 is that the church 00:23:35.519 --> 00:23:37.560 exists because of 00:23:37.560 --> 00:23:38.600 the grace of Jesus. 00:23:39.560 --> 00:23:40.759 So it's his call 00:23:40.759 --> 00:23:42.060 and his mission 00:23:42.060 --> 00:23:43.060 and his unity 00:23:43.060 --> 00:23:45.360 that ultimately exists 00:23:45.360 --> 00:23:46.400 because of his grace. 00:23:47.800 --> 00:23:48.019 You know, 00:23:48.040 --> 00:23:48.640 in verse 19, 00:23:48.740 --> 00:23:49.800 we read the last name 00:23:49.800 --> 00:23:51.000 in the list of the 12, 00:23:51.180 --> 00:23:52.320 Judas Iscariot, 00:23:52.420 --> 00:23:53.680 who betrayed him. 00:23:55.060 --> 00:23:56.560 And then that final note 00:23:56.560 --> 00:23:57.820 of this list of the 12 here 00:23:57.820 --> 00:23:58.900 casts a bit of a shadow 00:23:58.900 --> 00:23:59.780 over the whole passage, 00:23:59.880 --> 00:24:00.280 doesn't it? 00:24:00.279 --> 00:24:03.519 The 12 would not be 00:24:03.519 --> 00:24:05.859 a perfect band of brothers. 00:24:06.759 --> 00:24:07.220 Right? 00:24:07.319 --> 00:24:07.980 They would not 00:24:07.980 --> 00:24:08.899 in themselves 00:24:08.899 --> 00:24:10.279 be the new creation, 00:24:10.399 --> 00:24:11.379 the new people of God. 00:24:12.539 --> 00:24:13.220 In fact, 00:24:13.259 --> 00:24:13.899 in the end, 00:24:14.899 --> 00:24:16.680 they would all deny Jesus 00:24:16.680 --> 00:24:18.619 and abandon him. 00:24:19.700 --> 00:24:20.259 And Judas, 00:24:20.399 --> 00:24:21.240 one of the 12, 00:24:21.619 --> 00:24:22.680 would even be the one 00:24:22.680 --> 00:24:23.660 who betrayed him. 00:24:23.660 --> 00:24:27.600 And yet none of this 00:24:27.600 --> 00:24:29.140 was a surprise 00:24:29.140 --> 00:24:30.060 to Jesus. 00:24:31.380 --> 00:24:32.340 Think about it. 00:24:33.200 --> 00:24:34.600 Jesus could have chosen 00:24:34.600 --> 00:24:35.500 someone else 00:24:35.500 --> 00:24:36.820 to join the 12. 00:24:37.820 --> 00:24:38.100 Right? 00:24:38.900 --> 00:24:39.920 The sovereign Lord 00:24:39.920 --> 00:24:41.060 could have chosen 00:24:41.060 --> 00:24:42.019 someone else. 00:24:42.560 --> 00:24:44.019 It didn't have to be Judas. 00:24:44.259 --> 00:24:45.700 He didn't have to be betrayed. 00:24:46.980 --> 00:24:48.360 But Jesus didn't choose 00:24:48.360 --> 00:24:48.940 someone else. 00:24:50.460 --> 00:24:51.019 Why? 00:24:51.019 --> 00:24:51.080 Why? 00:24:53.660 --> 00:24:54.960 Because Jesus knew 00:24:54.960 --> 00:24:55.960 that his mission 00:24:55.960 --> 00:24:57.620 was about more than 00:24:57.620 --> 00:24:58.660 just healing the sick. 00:24:59.380 --> 00:25:00.220 It was about more than 00:25:00.220 --> 00:25:01.400 just casting out demons. 00:25:01.820 --> 00:25:02.519 It was about more than 00:25:02.519 --> 00:25:03.540 just building a team 00:25:03.540 --> 00:25:04.779 and expanding his influence. 00:25:05.420 --> 00:25:06.080 Jesus had come 00:25:06.080 --> 00:25:06.620 to address 00:25:06.620 --> 00:25:08.519 the deepest human need 00:25:08.519 --> 00:25:09.380 imaginable. 00:25:10.340 --> 00:25:11.140 Jesus had come 00:25:11.140 --> 00:25:12.220 as the remedy 00:25:12.220 --> 00:25:13.000 for sin. 00:25:14.900 --> 00:25:15.880 And that meant 00:25:15.880 --> 00:25:17.380 he had to go 00:25:17.380 --> 00:25:18.000 the way 00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:18.779 of the cross. 00:25:20.220 --> 00:25:20.900 You see, 00:25:20.980 --> 00:25:22.120 Jesus' choice 00:25:22.120 --> 00:25:22.660 of Judas 00:25:22.660 --> 00:25:23.480 was ultimately 00:25:23.480 --> 00:25:24.120 the choice 00:25:24.120 --> 00:25:24.860 of the cross. 00:25:25.860 --> 00:25:26.560 The choice 00:25:26.560 --> 00:25:27.180 to undergo 00:25:27.180 --> 00:25:27.920 the betrayal, 00:25:28.420 --> 00:25:29.019 the denial, 00:25:29.440 --> 00:25:30.279 the abandonment. 00:25:30.500 --> 00:25:31.460 This was the choice 00:25:31.460 --> 00:25:32.300 to lay down 00:25:32.300 --> 00:25:32.860 his life 00:25:32.860 --> 00:25:33.640 for his people. 00:25:36.740 --> 00:25:37.380 The work 00:25:37.380 --> 00:25:38.160 of renewing 00:25:38.160 --> 00:25:38.960 and recreating 00:25:39.560 --> 00:25:40.680 the people of God 00:25:40.680 --> 00:25:42.400 was going to cost 00:25:42.400 --> 00:25:42.960 more than 00:25:42.960 --> 00:25:44.100 a few busy days 00:25:44.100 --> 00:25:44.600 of ministry 00:25:44.600 --> 00:25:45.279 by the sea. 00:25:46.140 --> 00:25:47.000 It was going to cost 00:25:47.000 --> 00:25:47.320 more than 00:25:47.320 --> 00:25:48.220 a few long days 00:25:48.220 --> 00:25:48.980 on the mountainside 00:25:48.980 --> 00:25:49.920 training his disciples. 00:25:50.060 --> 00:25:50.600 This work 00:25:50.599 --> 00:25:51.259 that Jesus 00:25:51.259 --> 00:25:51.679 had come 00:25:51.679 --> 00:25:52.159 to do 00:25:52.159 --> 00:25:52.740 was going 00:25:52.740 --> 00:25:53.240 to cost 00:25:53.240 --> 00:25:54.079 him everything. 00:25:55.980 --> 00:25:56.619 And yet 00:25:56.619 --> 00:25:57.539 he was willing 00:25:57.539 --> 00:25:58.299 to do it 00:25:58.299 --> 00:25:59.679 through his own 00:25:59.679 --> 00:26:00.359 choice. 00:26:02.019 --> 00:26:02.899 He freely 00:26:02.899 --> 00:26:03.719 chose to be 00:26:03.719 --> 00:26:04.219 betrayed 00:26:04.219 --> 00:26:06.939 so that he 00:26:06.939 --> 00:26:07.459 might choose 00:26:07.459 --> 00:26:07.939 to forgive 00:26:07.939 --> 00:26:08.779 your sins 00:26:08.779 --> 00:26:10.159 and mine. 00:26:13.219 --> 00:26:14.059 So we, 00:26:14.219 --> 00:26:15.000 all of us, 00:26:15.259 --> 00:26:15.679 stand 00:26:15.679 --> 00:26:16.919 as members 00:26:16.920 --> 00:26:17.560 of Christ's 00:26:17.560 --> 00:26:17.800 body, 00:26:17.920 --> 00:26:18.279 Christ's 00:26:18.279 --> 00:26:18.480 church 00:26:18.480 --> 00:26:18.980 because of 00:26:18.980 --> 00:26:19.460 sheer, 00:26:20.279 --> 00:26:21.000 undeserved, 00:26:21.240 --> 00:26:22.279 costly grace. 00:26:23.980 --> 00:26:24.539 Christ doesn't 00:26:24.539 --> 00:26:25.019 call us 00:26:25.019 --> 00:26:25.700 into his people 00:26:25.700 --> 00:26:26.320 because we've 00:26:26.320 --> 00:26:27.080 earned it, 00:26:27.580 --> 00:26:29.000 but because 00:26:29.000 --> 00:26:29.880 he's earned it. 00:26:31.940 --> 00:26:32.800 So don't you 00:26:32.800 --> 00:26:33.279 see how much 00:26:33.279 --> 00:26:33.820 he loves you, 00:26:33.920 --> 00:26:34.200 Christian? 00:26:35.539 --> 00:26:36.240 Who would 00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:37.000 ever choose 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:37.539 in their right 00:26:37.539 --> 00:26:38.440 mind to be 00:26:38.440 --> 00:26:38.960 betrayed, 00:26:39.240 --> 00:26:39.460 right? 00:26:40.800 --> 00:26:41.500 And yet 00:26:41.500 --> 00:26:41.940 he did 00:26:41.940 --> 00:26:43.380 for you, 00:26:43.700 --> 00:26:44.600 for us. 00:26:44.599 --> 00:26:47.559 And it's 00:26:47.559 --> 00:26:48.199 this grace, 00:26:48.319 --> 00:26:49.139 this love 00:26:49.139 --> 00:26:50.519 that stands 00:26:50.519 --> 00:26:51.019 at the very 00:26:51.019 --> 00:26:51.659 bottom, 00:26:51.799 --> 00:26:52.579 the bedrock 00:26:52.579 --> 00:26:53.139 of the church. 00:26:53.299 --> 00:26:54.039 This is the 00:26:54.039 --> 00:26:54.779 cornerstone. 00:26:55.959 --> 00:26:56.439 Christ, 00:26:56.919 --> 00:26:58.019 rich in grace, 00:26:58.439 --> 00:26:59.159 full of 00:26:59.159 --> 00:27:00.199 steadfast love. 00:27:02.279 --> 00:27:03.079 This is the 00:27:03.079 --> 00:27:03.679 grace on which 00:27:03.679 --> 00:27:04.299 we stand. 00:27:05.519 --> 00:27:06.279 And this is 00:27:06.279 --> 00:27:06.619 the grace 00:27:06.619 --> 00:27:07.219 that we extend 00:27:07.219 --> 00:27:07.740 to others 00:27:07.740 --> 00:27:09.359 through the 00:27:09.359 --> 00:27:09.740 mission that 00:27:09.740 --> 00:27:10.119 he's called 00:27:10.119 --> 00:27:10.459 us to. 00:27:11.679 --> 00:27:12.299 Let's pray 00:27:12.299 --> 00:27:12.599 together. 00:27:14.599 --> 00:27:20.719 Lord Jesus, 00:27:21.059 --> 00:27:21.939 we give you 00:27:21.939 --> 00:27:23.399 praise as 00:27:23.399 --> 00:27:23.839 the Lord 00:27:23.839 --> 00:27:24.480 of the church. 00:27:25.459 --> 00:27:26.000 Thank you 00:27:26.000 --> 00:27:26.339 that it is in 00:27:26.339 --> 00:27:26.839 your deep 00:27:26.839 --> 00:27:27.980 love and 00:27:27.980 --> 00:27:28.879 grace and 00:27:28.879 --> 00:27:29.259 through your 00:27:29.259 --> 00:27:30.019 sovereign call 00:27:30.019 --> 00:27:30.779 that we exist 00:27:30.779 --> 00:27:31.359 to be a part 00:27:31.359 --> 00:27:31.559 of your 00:27:31.559 --> 00:27:31.980 people. 00:27:33.519 --> 00:27:34.079 Oh Lord, 00:27:34.159 --> 00:27:34.459 help our 00:27:34.459 --> 00:27:34.980 hearts to be 00:27:34.980 --> 00:27:35.679 full of that 00:27:35.679 --> 00:27:36.159 grace and 00:27:36.159 --> 00:27:37.399 love so that 00:27:37.399 --> 00:27:37.799 as we go 00:27:37.799 --> 00:27:38.439 forth on your 00:27:38.439 --> 00:27:38.779 mission, 00:27:38.899 --> 00:27:39.519 we might truly 00:27:39.519 --> 00:27:40.059 be your 00:27:40.059 --> 00:27:40.599 ambassadors, 00:27:41.439 --> 00:27:41.939 seeing your 00:27:41.939 --> 00:27:42.740 kingdom advance 00:27:42.740 --> 00:27:43.980 in our place, 00:27:43.980 --> 00:27:44.539 and our time 00:27:44.539 --> 00:27:44.819 to your 00:27:44.819 --> 00:27:45.380 great glory. 00:27:46.160 --> 00:27:46.740 We pray this 00:27:46.740 --> 00:27:47.279 in your name. 00:27:47.839 --> 00:27:48.059 Amen.