WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.240 Many years ago, I lived in Kenya for a year. A friend, an African friend, came round to have some tea and bread and stuff with us. 00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:15.500 ! And in the process of sitting there, Wesley noticed this pot of brown stuff sitting on the table, and assuming it was chocolate spread, 00:00:15.500 --> 00:00:24.440 expecting it was chocolate spread, took a big knife full of it, some of you can see where this is going, spread it thickly on his bread, and took a big bite out of it. 00:00:25.240 --> 00:00:28.400 Only to discover that Marmite is not chocolate spread. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:36.000 Suffice it to say, Wesley never went near pot of Marmite ever again in his life. He had the wrong expectations, that was a trouble. 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:43.000 If I had the heart to tell him that actually what he put on his plate was something incredibly salty, it might have helped him. 00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:49.000 But expecting chocolate spread, he bit heartily into this thick layer of Marmite and was truly appalled. 00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:56.000 See, we need to have the right expectations, don't we? If we have the wrong expectations of things, then we'll get very quickly disappointed. 00:00:56.000 --> 00:01:07.000 In fact, companies launching new products spend thousands and thousands of pounds testing out people's expectations of what the product is going to be like, so they can pitch it to the right place in the market. 00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:13.900 And so the disciples here, whom Jesus is talking to here, were having a problem with their expectations. 00:01:14.799 --> 00:01:19.840 They'd seen Jesus do amazing things. They'd seen him drive out demons, heal the sick. 00:01:20.200 --> 00:01:22.060 They'd heard incredible teaching. 00:01:22.900 --> 00:01:29.599 So much so that the crowds that followed around Jesus, followed him to hear his teaching, followed him to see what he'd do next. 00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:40.159 And they'd start to think, who is this guy? If you turn back over the page for a second, you'll see as Jesus heals a blind and mute man, chapter 12, verse 23. 00:01:40.159 --> 00:01:44.899 All the people were amazed and said, can this be the son of David? 00:01:45.560 --> 00:01:52.039 The son of David, the great king, is going to come and bring us freedom. Could this be Jesus? Could this be who Jesus is? 00:01:52.040 --> 00:02:03.700 So this expectation that perhaps he would be the king, perhaps he would throw out the Romans, perhaps his kingdom would be established in great power and glory there and then in their day. 00:02:04.120 --> 00:02:05.340 That is what they expected. 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:09.920 And yet at the same time, Jesus is facing a lot of opposition. 00:02:11.300 --> 00:02:18.020 So just after that, the religious people said, no, he's not from God, it's by Satan's power that he's driving out demons. 00:02:18.020 --> 00:02:22.439 So there's this opposition, this conflict, there are crowds who listen but then turn away. 00:02:22.900 --> 00:02:26.560 And so the disciples were, and indeed all the crowds, were confused. 00:02:26.700 --> 00:02:27.700 What is going on? 00:02:28.900 --> 00:02:31.620 They were confused in part because they had the wrong expectations. 00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:39.580 They expected a great kingdom to be established straight away with great power and glory. 00:02:39.920 --> 00:02:43.960 And so Jesus is telling them these parables to set their expectations right. 00:02:44.660 --> 00:02:47.840 At the start of chapter 13, we read it, on the same day. 00:02:48.020 --> 00:02:49.960 The same day there had been conflict. 00:02:50.100 --> 00:02:54.280 The same day Jesus had healed people and yet been accused of being Satan. 00:02:54.439 --> 00:02:58.460 On that very day when opposition was arising, Jesus tells these stories. 00:03:00.180 --> 00:03:04.439 And what I want us to do at the moment is first look at the purpose of Jesus telling these parables. 00:03:05.280 --> 00:03:11.500 And then we'll look at the points he is making in the parables of the yeast, the mustard seed and the weeds. 00:03:11.500 --> 00:03:16.740 We're going to start in the middle of the passage, as it were, in verses 34 and 35 and then work backwards. 00:03:16.740 --> 00:03:19.580 Let's look at verses 34 and 35. 00:03:19.719 --> 00:03:22.420 What was the purpose of Jesus using parables? 00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:29.340 If you were here a couple of weeks ago, we saw that part of the purpose, from earlier in the chapter, is actually parables are a means of judgment. 00:03:30.260 --> 00:03:35.420 For the crowds who weren't really interested, who wouldn't really think or inquire what Jesus was saying. 00:03:36.160 --> 00:03:37.800 It was a means of judgment. 00:03:37.939 --> 00:03:40.620 They just wouldn't understand what was being said. 00:03:40.620 --> 00:03:45.000 But here we get a second, more positive reason why Jesus uses parables. 00:03:45.960 --> 00:03:48.980 It's because he reveals God's purposes through the parables. 00:03:49.060 --> 00:03:49.960 Look at verse 34. 00:03:50.860 --> 00:03:53.240 All these things Jesus said to the crowd in parables. 00:03:53.860 --> 00:03:55.900 Indeed he said nothing to them without a parable. 00:03:56.480 --> 00:03:59.439 In other words, in all his teaching, he was using some parables. 00:04:00.780 --> 00:04:01.159 Why? 00:04:01.560 --> 00:04:04.020 This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet. 00:04:04.020 --> 00:04:10.120 Now we get a quote from Psalm 78 in the Old Testament, written hundreds of years before. 00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:12.800 I will open my mouth in parables. 00:04:13.340 --> 00:04:16.699 I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world. 00:04:17.500 --> 00:04:18.740 You want to look that up afterwards. 00:04:18.860 --> 00:04:20.180 You read through Psalm 78. 00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:22.879 You'll discover it was written by a guy called Asaph. 00:04:23.360 --> 00:04:25.740 It was a psalm that really recounted Israel's history. 00:04:26.259 --> 00:04:28.600 And God's dealing with them through their history. 00:04:28.720 --> 00:04:30.600 God's mercy to them and forgiveness. 00:04:30.600 --> 00:04:33.680 So in one sense there was nothing hidden about that. 00:04:33.740 --> 00:04:35.100 It was all public knowledge. 00:04:36.160 --> 00:04:41.540 But what was hidden before was that people hadn't really compared how God had worked at various stages. 00:04:41.840 --> 00:04:44.400 Hadn't really seen how God was revealing himself. 00:04:45.280 --> 00:04:47.879 And so Asaph the psalmist says, I'm going to tell you this parable. 00:04:48.660 --> 00:04:52.260 I'm going to tell you about God's purposes from the beginning which are currently hidden from you. 00:04:53.160 --> 00:04:55.060 And that's what Jesus is doing here. 00:04:56.160 --> 00:04:57.439 And he's fulfilling that. 00:04:57.439 --> 00:04:59.600 In the sense that he's fulfilling that role. 00:05:00.600 --> 00:05:07.640 He's fulfilling the role of a teacher who comes and reveals God's plans and purposes to the crowds. 00:05:08.439 --> 00:05:09.280 Things which are hidden. 00:05:09.460 --> 00:05:12.720 Things that you and I as human beings could never guess at. 00:05:12.960 --> 00:05:13.879 Could never find. 00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:15.680 But need to be told to us. 00:05:17.540 --> 00:05:18.900 That's what Jesus is doing. 00:05:19.580 --> 00:05:21.160 He's revealing God's purposes. 00:05:22.160 --> 00:05:23.520 Things which we cannot guess. 00:05:24.100 --> 00:05:25.980 Things which we cannot observe on our own. 00:05:26.379 --> 00:05:28.879 Things that we need God to tell us about. 00:05:28.879 --> 00:05:32.560 So that's the purpose that Jesus is using the parables. 00:05:33.300 --> 00:05:35.339 Now what's the point he's making in each parable? 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:37.980 Let's work back through them briefly and see. 00:05:38.620 --> 00:05:40.519 So let's start with verse 33. 00:05:40.659 --> 00:05:42.019 The parable of the leaven. 00:05:42.860 --> 00:05:44.000 He told them another parable. 00:05:44.740 --> 00:05:47.519 The kingdom of heaven is like the leaven that a woman took. 00:05:47.860 --> 00:05:50.879 And hid in three measures of flour till it was all leavened. 00:05:50.879 --> 00:05:51.199 Leavened. 00:05:52.000 --> 00:05:53.659 Now I don't know if any of you bake bread here. 00:05:53.959 --> 00:05:55.120 I've done it once or twice. 00:05:55.959 --> 00:05:57.839 When you're reading the bread and making instructions. 00:05:58.480 --> 00:06:01.279 Does it ever say hide the yeast in the dough? 00:06:02.639 --> 00:06:04.579 Do you have a conscience that you think I'm hiding the yeast in the dough? 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:05.259 No. 00:06:05.800 --> 00:06:06.399 Of course not. 00:06:07.740 --> 00:06:08.819 And in Greek. 00:06:08.899 --> 00:06:10.459 The language the New Testament is written in. 00:06:10.620 --> 00:06:12.920 There are other more natural words to use here. 00:06:13.579 --> 00:06:15.920 You mix leaven into a dough. 00:06:16.019 --> 00:06:16.680 You don't hide it. 00:06:16.680 --> 00:06:20.360 The point Jesus is making though is that God's kingdom. 00:06:20.819 --> 00:06:22.300 God's rule in this world. 00:06:23.180 --> 00:06:24.840 Is something that's hidden at the moment. 00:06:26.319 --> 00:06:29.180 It's not coming in spectacular style. 00:06:31.180 --> 00:06:31.900 It's hidden. 00:06:32.800 --> 00:06:36.980 Just like yeast is hidden in a batch of dough. 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:40.819 That was a surprise to people listening. 00:06:41.920 --> 00:06:45.980 They thought when God's king came it would be a powerful show of power. 00:06:46.680 --> 00:06:47.379 Power and wonder. 00:06:47.900 --> 00:06:50.959 And the Roman enemies who control them would be thrown out. 00:06:51.740 --> 00:06:53.879 But Jesus is saying no that's not the way it comes. 00:06:54.860 --> 00:06:59.300 God's rule in this earth is like leaven hidden in a batch of dough. 00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:01.060 It is hidden. 00:07:01.340 --> 00:07:02.319 You cannot see it. 00:07:04.500 --> 00:07:07.980 I wonder what you think about God's power in the world today. 00:07:07.980 --> 00:07:12.100 Sometimes we think if God is real. 00:07:12.920 --> 00:07:15.120 If there really is the God of the Bible and is still there. 00:07:15.319 --> 00:07:16.960 Why doesn't he make himself clearer? 00:07:18.140 --> 00:07:20.540 If God is so powerful and great. 00:07:20.740 --> 00:07:21.920 Then he can create a universe. 00:07:22.879 --> 00:07:24.720 How come the church. 00:07:24.879 --> 00:07:27.620 How come Christian believers seem so insignificant? 00:07:29.120 --> 00:07:29.819 I often go into. 00:07:30.480 --> 00:07:32.000 A couple of times a year at least. 00:07:32.080 --> 00:07:32.939 Go into the city of London. 00:07:33.500 --> 00:07:35.980 For meetings at a church called St. Helens Bishopsgate. 00:07:35.980 --> 00:07:37.200 Which is right in the heart of the city. 00:07:38.420 --> 00:07:39.800 And right behind St. Helens. 00:07:40.259 --> 00:07:41.200 You've got the Gherkin. 00:07:41.439 --> 00:07:45.300 Right next to it you've got one of these huge skyscrapers going up. 00:07:45.680 --> 00:07:47.780 You can't even see it from the street front. 00:07:47.840 --> 00:07:49.040 You have to kind of go in through a passageway. 00:07:49.080 --> 00:07:50.120 To find this little church. 00:07:50.620 --> 00:07:52.180 Surrounded by huge buildings. 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:54.480 Where powerful companies have their headquarters. 00:07:56.140 --> 00:07:57.040 In a sense it's hidden. 00:07:58.120 --> 00:08:00.640 And all around it you get the obvious power of the world. 00:08:00.759 --> 00:08:01.200 And of money. 00:08:01.199 --> 00:08:03.500 If God is real. 00:08:03.599 --> 00:08:04.800 Why isn't everything more powerful? 00:08:06.519 --> 00:08:07.899 Then look what Jesus says here. 00:08:08.560 --> 00:08:10.219 At the moment the kingdom of heaven. 00:08:10.680 --> 00:08:11.699 God's power in the world. 00:08:11.779 --> 00:08:12.519 God's rule in the world. 00:08:12.639 --> 00:08:13.319 Is hidden. 00:08:14.399 --> 00:08:15.459 But what's the effect? 00:08:16.819 --> 00:08:18.500 It's hidden three measures of flour. 00:08:18.599 --> 00:08:19.199 Until it was all leavened. 00:08:20.180 --> 00:08:20.680 Three measures. 00:08:20.740 --> 00:08:21.899 A measure was 13 litres. 00:08:22.120 --> 00:08:23.099 Three measures of flour. 00:08:23.879 --> 00:08:24.939 Nearly 40 litres. 00:08:25.560 --> 00:08:27.039 That's enough bread for 100 people. 00:08:27.139 --> 00:08:28.019 Or 150 people. 00:08:28.360 --> 00:08:29.419 Depending on how much bread you eat. 00:08:29.420 --> 00:08:31.819 And this bit of leaven. 00:08:31.980 --> 00:08:33.399 Can make that whole lot rise. 00:08:35.399 --> 00:08:37.139 The kingdom is hidden. 00:08:37.620 --> 00:08:38.980 But brings transformation. 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:41.460 That's the point Jesus is making. 00:08:42.060 --> 00:08:43.519 God's rule in this world is hidden. 00:08:43.960 --> 00:08:45.180 But it brings transformation. 00:08:49.600 --> 00:08:51.200 Back in the early days of the church. 00:08:51.279 --> 00:08:51.980 In the Roman Empire. 00:08:53.120 --> 00:08:55.460 Often babies were just wrapped out on rubbish tips. 00:08:55.460 --> 00:08:58.200 Because they were unwanted. 00:08:58.800 --> 00:09:00.200 By the pagan world around them. 00:09:01.900 --> 00:09:02.660 It's the Christians. 00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:04.620 Whose lives were being transformed. 00:09:04.780 --> 00:09:05.740 By the good news of Jesus. 00:09:06.259 --> 00:09:07.860 Who went and rescued those children. 00:09:08.740 --> 00:09:10.000 Who brought them up as their own. 00:09:11.780 --> 00:09:12.480 And so gradually. 00:09:13.840 --> 00:09:15.519 The Roman Empire was transformed. 00:09:16.620 --> 00:09:18.160 Through the witness of those believers. 00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:20.879 We think of many tales like that. 00:09:21.159 --> 00:09:22.719 We think of lives that have changed today. 00:09:23.079 --> 00:09:24.319 As people come to acknowledge. 00:09:24.419 --> 00:09:25.539 That Jesus is God's king. 00:09:25.839 --> 00:09:26.600 And under his rule. 00:09:26.679 --> 00:09:27.759 Their lives are transformed. 00:09:30.399 --> 00:09:31.279 God's kingdom. 00:09:32.559 --> 00:09:33.339 May be hidden. 00:09:33.759 --> 00:09:34.600 But it is effective. 00:09:34.759 --> 00:09:35.240 It's hidden. 00:09:35.620 --> 00:09:36.579 But it brings transformation. 00:09:38.059 --> 00:09:39.620 That's the first point Jesus wants to make. 00:09:39.679 --> 00:09:40.039 The second. 00:09:40.620 --> 00:09:41.779 Looking back at verse 31. 00:09:42.199 --> 00:09:43.899 Is that God's kingdom is small now. 00:09:44.259 --> 00:09:45.240 But it will be huge. 00:09:45.240 --> 00:09:46.060 Look at verse 31. 00:09:46.740 --> 00:09:48.480 He put another parable before them. 00:09:48.560 --> 00:09:48.799 Saying. 00:09:49.120 --> 00:09:49.919 The kingdom of heaven. 00:09:50.019 --> 00:09:51.419 Is like a grain of mustard seed. 00:09:51.799 --> 00:09:52.560 That a man took. 00:09:52.820 --> 00:09:53.740 And sowed in his field. 00:09:54.259 --> 00:09:55.680 It is the smallest of all seeds. 00:09:55.779 --> 00:09:56.639 But when it is grown. 00:09:56.980 --> 00:09:58.940 It is larger than all the garden plants. 00:09:59.120 --> 00:09:59.960 And becomes a tree. 00:10:00.560 --> 00:10:01.620 So that the birds of the air. 00:10:01.740 --> 00:10:03.480 Come and make nests in its branches. 00:10:04.379 --> 00:10:05.580 See the contrast here. 00:10:06.080 --> 00:10:07.519 You've got a very small seed. 00:10:07.519 --> 00:10:09.340 And it grows up into something big. 00:10:10.279 --> 00:10:10.899 And actually Jesus. 00:10:11.379 --> 00:10:13.600 Deliberately uses exaggerated language here. 00:10:13.600 --> 00:10:16.759 No one could ever realistically call a mustard bush. 00:10:17.080 --> 00:10:17.560 A tree. 00:10:18.580 --> 00:10:20.300 It is compared to their garden plants. 00:10:20.940 --> 00:10:22.500 It's taller than your average tomato. 00:10:23.759 --> 00:10:25.440 But Jesus actually calls it a tree here. 00:10:25.480 --> 00:10:27.580 And uses the picture of birds coming to rest in it. 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:31.100 To exaggerate and emphasize the size of this thing. 00:10:31.200 --> 00:10:32.379 It started so small. 00:10:32.740 --> 00:10:34.200 And yet it grows so big. 00:10:34.200 --> 00:10:39.320 As we read through the gospel accounts of Jesus' life. 00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:40.680 Think what happens. 00:10:41.379 --> 00:10:42.340 As Jesus is arrested. 00:10:42.460 --> 00:10:43.620 All his followers run away. 00:10:44.660 --> 00:10:46.020 Even after the resurrection. 00:10:46.160 --> 00:10:47.540 Even after he's been raised from the dead. 00:10:47.820 --> 00:10:48.800 And ascended into heaven. 00:10:49.180 --> 00:10:50.060 In Acts chapter 1. 00:10:50.160 --> 00:10:52.440 We read there are just 120 believers. 00:10:53.020 --> 00:10:54.280 Sitting in a room in Jerusalem. 00:10:54.940 --> 00:10:56.500 Just 120 people. 00:10:56.960 --> 00:10:57.840 In all the world. 00:10:57.920 --> 00:11:00.540 Who that day believed that Jesus was God's king. 00:11:01.259 --> 00:11:02.120 How small. 00:11:03.079 --> 00:11:03.819 How pathetic. 00:11:04.179 --> 00:11:04.899 How tiny. 00:11:05.980 --> 00:11:07.120 If that's God's work. 00:11:07.219 --> 00:11:08.319 How could it be so small. 00:11:10.059 --> 00:11:11.419 Yet that was about 30 AD. 00:11:12.559 --> 00:11:13.980 By 49 AD. 00:11:14.759 --> 00:11:16.879 There were enough Christians in the city of Rome. 00:11:17.120 --> 00:11:18.679 In the center of the Roman Empire. 00:11:19.039 --> 00:11:20.599 Thousands of miles from Jerusalem. 00:11:22.279 --> 00:11:25.679 But the Emperor Claudius expelled all the Jews from Rome. 00:11:25.879 --> 00:11:28.259 Because he was worried about the argument going on between them. 00:11:28.259 --> 00:11:31.720 About those who are claiming that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. 00:11:32.759 --> 00:11:34.299 How in 19 years. 00:11:34.759 --> 00:11:37.919 From those 120 frightened people in Jerusalem. 00:11:39.100 --> 00:11:41.819 Did God's good news about Jesus spread all the way to Rome. 00:11:41.899 --> 00:11:42.700 To the heart of the empire. 00:11:44.179 --> 00:11:45.779 How come by 64 AD. 00:11:46.100 --> 00:11:47.379 There were enough Christians in Rome. 00:11:47.480 --> 00:11:47.919 That Nero. 00:11:48.279 --> 00:11:50.360 Having started the great fire himself probably. 00:11:50.720 --> 00:11:53.039 Could then blame the great fire of Rome. 00:11:53.039 --> 00:11:54.240 On the Christians. 00:11:55.240 --> 00:11:57.159 Because they were a helpful scapegoat for him. 00:11:57.159 --> 00:11:58.219 To preserve his popularity. 00:12:00.699 --> 00:12:01.879 It's a miracle isn't it? 00:12:03.219 --> 00:12:04.319 In a day before the internet. 00:12:04.459 --> 00:12:06.379 In a day before satellite television. 00:12:07.500 --> 00:12:08.839 That news could spread. 00:12:09.299 --> 00:12:10.519 It started so small. 00:12:11.299 --> 00:12:12.199 And it grows. 00:12:14.600 --> 00:12:16.219 And we may feel in this country. 00:12:17.159 --> 00:12:18.319 That the church is small. 00:12:18.879 --> 00:12:19.579 You see churches. 00:12:20.419 --> 00:12:22.459 Turned into Hindu temples down the road. 00:12:22.600 --> 00:12:24.299 You see churches turned into luxury flats. 00:12:24.379 --> 00:12:25.980 Not far from where I used to live. 00:12:25.980 --> 00:12:28.360 And we can think the church is very small. 00:12:28.460 --> 00:12:29.019 Very insignificant. 00:12:29.180 --> 00:12:30.500 And God's rule is very insignificant. 00:12:31.460 --> 00:12:33.100 Yet the truth is all over the world. 00:12:33.960 --> 00:12:35.580 More and more people are coming to Christ. 00:12:35.940 --> 00:12:36.820 Jesus as king. 00:12:36.899 --> 00:12:37.440 Every day. 00:12:38.460 --> 00:12:40.320 In China some say 20,000 every week. 00:12:40.379 --> 00:12:41.399 I don't know how you compute that. 00:12:42.519 --> 00:12:43.379 But at the very least. 00:12:43.440 --> 00:12:44.899 What starts as a small mustard seed. 00:12:45.039 --> 00:12:45.580 Is growing. 00:12:46.340 --> 00:12:47.539 It looks so insignificant. 00:12:47.539 --> 00:12:49.139 But grows so huge. 00:12:49.460 --> 00:12:50.420 From those humble beginnings. 00:12:50.419 --> 00:12:52.939 And the picture here. 00:12:53.139 --> 00:12:56.159 A tree with birds nesting in its branches. 00:12:56.620 --> 00:12:58.219 Is borrowed from the Old Testament. 00:12:58.719 --> 00:13:00.099 From Daniel chapter 4. 00:13:00.259 --> 00:13:01.519 Or Ezekiel chapter 17. 00:13:02.479 --> 00:13:05.139 Where trees and birds resting in them. 00:13:05.179 --> 00:13:06.599 And animals sheltering under them. 00:13:07.159 --> 00:13:09.839 Are images used to describe great empires. 00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:12.220 And here. 00:13:12.680 --> 00:13:13.019 Jesus. 00:13:13.379 --> 00:13:15.340 Is showing what is currently a mustard seed. 00:13:15.420 --> 00:13:16.600 What seems so small. 00:13:16.680 --> 00:13:18.700 What seems so easy to ignore. 00:13:19.639 --> 00:13:20.800 Is one day going to be. 00:13:21.040 --> 00:13:22.300 The ultimate empire. 00:13:22.500 --> 00:13:23.759 The kingdom of God. 00:13:24.620 --> 00:13:25.560 It starts small. 00:13:26.280 --> 00:13:28.040 But it will grow to become huge. 00:13:29.660 --> 00:13:31.320 So how do you feel when you look around? 00:13:32.759 --> 00:13:34.340 When you look around at the number of Christians. 00:13:34.500 --> 00:13:36.240 Or Christian influence in society. 00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:39.620 I know some people get very discouraged. 00:13:41.539 --> 00:13:42.480 If we're discouraged. 00:13:42.659 --> 00:13:44.220 It's because we've got the wrong expectations. 00:13:45.460 --> 00:13:46.139 We're like Wesley. 00:13:46.320 --> 00:13:47.680 Biting into the Marmite sandwich. 00:13:47.799 --> 00:13:48.759 Thinking it's chocolate spread. 00:13:50.200 --> 00:13:52.200 It's not going to look powerful and wonderful now. 00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:54.299 But Jesus says trust me. 00:13:54.820 --> 00:13:55.720 It starts small. 00:13:55.919 --> 00:13:56.860 It ends up large. 00:13:57.159 --> 00:13:57.720 It's hidden. 00:13:58.200 --> 00:13:59.019 But it is effective. 00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:00.279 It will bring transformation. 00:14:02.440 --> 00:14:04.060 There's one of the lessons he wants us to learn. 00:14:04.159 --> 00:14:05.860 Let's look back to this big parable. 00:14:06.240 --> 00:14:07.060 The parable of the weeds. 00:14:07.159 --> 00:14:08.399 Verses 24 to 30. 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:10.620 Well 24 to 6. 00:14:10.700 --> 00:14:11.320 24 to 30. 00:14:11.539 --> 00:14:12.440 He tells the story. 00:14:12.860 --> 00:14:13.940 And 26 to 42. 00:14:14.220 --> 00:14:15.100 He explains it. 00:14:16.060 --> 00:14:16.919 So you see the story. 00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:18.539 A man goes out to sow seed. 00:14:20.120 --> 00:14:21.100 Goes off to bed. 00:14:21.639 --> 00:14:22.320 And at night. 00:14:22.680 --> 00:14:23.340 What happens? 00:14:23.480 --> 00:14:24.899 An enemy comes out. 00:14:25.340 --> 00:14:25.940 Verse 25. 00:14:26.180 --> 00:14:26.879 While he's sleeping. 00:14:27.060 --> 00:14:28.080 An enemy sowed weeds. 00:14:28.080 --> 00:14:28.899 Among the weeds. 00:14:29.240 --> 00:14:29.820 And went away. 00:14:31.500 --> 00:14:32.500 What's going on? 00:14:32.820 --> 00:14:33.580 What's going on? 00:14:33.580 --> 00:14:36.520 Remember Jesus is speaking. 00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:37.860 In a day of opposition. 00:14:38.980 --> 00:14:39.960 In a day when the religious. 00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:43.820 The great esteemed religious group. 00:14:43.920 --> 00:14:44.560 The Pharisees. 00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:46.820 Have said that Jesus has actually got Satan's power. 00:14:48.040 --> 00:14:50.180 When the disciples are starting to wonder what's going on. 00:14:51.160 --> 00:14:53.220 So Jesus is explaining. 00:14:53.440 --> 00:14:54.660 Why there is opposition in the world. 00:14:55.540 --> 00:14:57.379 I wonder how you feel as you look at the news. 00:14:57.379 --> 00:14:59.679 You see 21 Coptic Christians. 00:14:59.820 --> 00:15:00.960 Being killed by Islamic State. 00:15:01.340 --> 00:15:01.759 In Libya. 00:15:03.379 --> 00:15:04.720 Or you hear of Christians. 00:15:04.799 --> 00:15:06.259 Arrested for their faith in Iran. 00:15:09.360 --> 00:15:10.659 Or you see Boko Haram. 00:15:11.820 --> 00:15:12.659 Destroying churches. 00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:13.620 And destroying whole villages. 00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:14.439 In Nigeria. 00:15:16.179 --> 00:15:17.320 Or maybe in your own life. 00:15:18.120 --> 00:15:18.659 When you feel. 00:15:18.919 --> 00:15:19.500 If you're a Christian. 00:15:19.620 --> 00:15:20.779 You sometimes feel ostracised. 00:15:20.860 --> 00:15:21.980 By people at work. 00:15:22.679 --> 00:15:24.259 Or maybe rejected by your family. 00:15:24.500 --> 00:15:25.480 If you trust in Jesus. 00:15:25.559 --> 00:15:26.100 Or maybe you're here. 00:15:26.100 --> 00:15:27.820 Because you're just considering the whole Christian faith. 00:15:28.379 --> 00:15:29.379 And perhaps it puts you off. 00:15:29.420 --> 00:15:30.220 Looking at this opposition. 00:15:30.800 --> 00:15:32.000 Do I really want that? 00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:34.440 Well here Jesus is explaining. 00:15:34.560 --> 00:15:35.740 Where the opposition comes from. 00:15:37.080 --> 00:15:37.680 He says. 00:15:37.759 --> 00:15:38.279 Verse 24. 00:15:38.379 --> 00:15:39.860 There's this enemy out there. 00:15:40.460 --> 00:15:42.139 Who has sown the false seed. 00:15:42.540 --> 00:15:43.340 Sown the weeds. 00:15:43.940 --> 00:15:45.379 In the good field. 00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:48.379 Now that might sound like a far-fetched story. 00:15:48.379 --> 00:15:49.340 To you and I. 00:15:50.040 --> 00:15:51.940 But actually in Roman law at this time. 00:15:52.399 --> 00:15:54.420 There was a law against. 00:15:54.639 --> 00:15:56.080 Taking revenge over your enemies. 00:15:56.100 --> 00:15:58.960 By planting weeds in their land. 00:15:59.580 --> 00:16:01.120 And specifically there's a weed called darnel. 00:16:01.460 --> 00:16:02.200 Which apparently. 00:16:02.340 --> 00:16:03.440 I know nothing about these things. 00:16:03.500 --> 00:16:05.060 I know nothing about botany or agriculture. 00:16:05.420 --> 00:16:06.320 But apparently darnel. 00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:07.899 In the early stages of its growth. 00:16:08.120 --> 00:16:09.159 Looks very like wheat. 00:16:10.320 --> 00:16:10.540 So. 00:16:10.820 --> 00:16:12.000 And also it's. 00:16:12.379 --> 00:16:14.000 It's roots get really entangled. 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:15.860 Around the roots of the wheat. 00:16:16.659 --> 00:16:18.259 So it's very hard to pull it out. 00:16:18.860 --> 00:16:20.279 And so some people would sabotage. 00:16:20.379 --> 00:16:21.399 Their neighbours or their enemies. 00:16:21.580 --> 00:16:23.560 By throwing these weeds. 00:16:23.559 --> 00:16:24.459 Into this field. 00:16:25.519 --> 00:16:28.299 So Jesus is using this kind of real life illustration. 00:16:29.079 --> 00:16:30.879 To explain what has happened. 00:16:31.639 --> 00:16:32.659 In human history. 00:16:32.839 --> 00:16:34.119 What is happening in human history. 00:16:35.259 --> 00:16:35.739 So verse. 00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:37.259 Look at the explanation down there. 00:16:37.659 --> 00:16:38.979 In verse 36. 00:16:40.579 --> 00:16:41.239 Or verse 38. 00:16:41.299 --> 00:16:42.179 The field is the world. 00:16:42.259 --> 00:16:43.659 The good seed is the children of the kingdom. 00:16:44.019 --> 00:16:45.759 The weeds are the sons of the evil one. 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:47.639 And the enemy who sowed them is the devil. 00:16:47.639 --> 00:16:49.399 The Bible tells us. 00:16:49.439 --> 00:16:49.919 In the beginning. 00:16:50.039 --> 00:16:51.199 God made a perfect world. 00:16:51.519 --> 00:16:52.699 There was nothing wrong. 00:16:53.179 --> 00:16:54.220 It was a place of beauty. 00:16:54.360 --> 00:16:54.819 And happiness. 00:16:55.000 --> 00:16:55.460 And peace. 00:16:55.600 --> 00:16:56.120 And joy. 00:16:57.199 --> 00:16:58.500 But then Satan came in. 00:16:58.580 --> 00:16:59.559 God's great enemy. 00:17:00.120 --> 00:17:02.360 And tempted people to doubt God's goodness. 00:17:02.539 --> 00:17:03.879 And to disobey God's word. 00:17:04.299 --> 00:17:05.339 And so he sowed. 00:17:05.920 --> 00:17:07.119 The seeds of discord. 00:17:07.279 --> 00:17:08.379 Sowed his own children. 00:17:08.519 --> 00:17:08.940 As it were. 00:17:09.039 --> 00:17:09.680 In this world. 00:17:10.579 --> 00:17:12.059 So there has always been conflict. 00:17:12.180 --> 00:17:13.099 Throughout human history. 00:17:13.420 --> 00:17:14.400 Always been opposition. 00:17:14.400 --> 00:17:16.540 And we may wonder. 00:17:16.660 --> 00:17:17.480 Why doesn't God just. 00:17:17.720 --> 00:17:19.019 Just get rid of it all now. 00:17:19.120 --> 00:17:20.700 Why doesn't he just judge the world now. 00:17:21.140 --> 00:17:23.220 Why doesn't he put an end to Boko Haram. 00:17:23.480 --> 00:17:24.480 And Islamic State. 00:17:24.780 --> 00:17:25.880 Why doesn't he put an end. 00:17:26.080 --> 00:17:26.900 To the people who. 00:17:27.620 --> 00:17:29.160 Who despise Christians. 00:17:30.360 --> 00:17:31.080 Despise me. 00:17:32.759 --> 00:17:34.480 Well here's the answer Jesus says. 00:17:35.780 --> 00:17:36.820 We're going to wait. 00:17:37.900 --> 00:17:40.080 That will not happen to the day of harvest. 00:17:41.880 --> 00:17:42.759 I wonder how we. 00:17:43.380 --> 00:17:44.240 How we react. 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:44.880 When we see that. 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:46.120 Sort of conflict around us. 00:17:46.160 --> 00:17:46.660 And opposition. 00:17:47.120 --> 00:17:48.140 Even in our own lives. 00:17:48.500 --> 00:17:49.500 To the Christian faith. 00:17:50.539 --> 00:17:51.880 At various points in church history. 00:17:51.960 --> 00:17:53.400 People try to do different things. 00:17:54.559 --> 00:17:55.400 So at some stages. 00:17:56.500 --> 00:17:57.880 Christians are trying to. 00:17:58.559 --> 00:17:59.000 Dominate. 00:17:59.359 --> 00:18:00.779 And just get rid of opposition that way. 00:18:01.420 --> 00:18:02.640 So I was hearing earlier this week. 00:18:03.099 --> 00:18:03.920 From a Spanish. 00:18:04.339 --> 00:18:05.319 Newfound friend of mine. 00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:08.779 That when Spain first had a Christian king. 00:18:08.880 --> 00:18:09.839 Sometime in the Middle Ages. 00:18:10.519 --> 00:18:11.620 What he did. 00:18:11.620 --> 00:18:13.079 Was kick out all the Jews. 00:18:13.180 --> 00:18:13.700 And all the Muslims. 00:18:13.700 --> 00:18:16.059 To an attempt by domination. 00:18:16.620 --> 00:18:17.880 To make a Christian society. 00:18:19.080 --> 00:18:20.279 Nowadays we don't tend to do that. 00:18:20.340 --> 00:18:21.059 What we can do is. 00:18:21.259 --> 00:18:21.920 Try and withdraw. 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:23.220 Take out. 00:18:23.580 --> 00:18:24.580 Christians create their own little. 00:18:25.019 --> 00:18:25.380 Holy. 00:18:25.840 --> 00:18:26.640 Cliques as it were. 00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:27.400 Hoddles. 00:18:29.059 --> 00:18:29.539 And Jesus says. 00:18:29.620 --> 00:18:30.259 That's not the way. 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:31.960 The way is always going to be. 00:18:32.039 --> 00:18:32.740 There's going to be a mixture. 00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:33.480 In this world. 00:18:33.559 --> 00:18:34.299 There will be opposition. 00:18:34.500 --> 00:18:34.660 There will be. 00:18:35.140 --> 00:18:35.840 The sons of. 00:18:36.440 --> 00:18:37.299 The sons of the kingdom. 00:18:38.059 --> 00:18:39.779 Those who trusted Jesus as their king. 00:18:39.779 --> 00:18:40.960 And the sons of the enemy. 00:18:41.319 --> 00:18:41.700 The devil. 00:18:42.839 --> 00:18:43.440 And do you notice. 00:18:43.519 --> 00:18:44.519 We're all in this story. 00:18:45.539 --> 00:18:47.220 There are only two types of people. 00:18:48.519 --> 00:18:49.220 We're either. 00:18:49.599 --> 00:18:50.839 On the devil's side. 00:18:50.940 --> 00:18:52.019 Or on Jesus' side. 00:18:52.480 --> 00:18:53.599 That's what Jesus is saying. 00:18:53.599 --> 00:18:55.240 There is no. 00:18:55.659 --> 00:18:56.559 Spiritual equivalent. 00:18:56.740 --> 00:18:57.299 Of Switzerland. 00:18:59.480 --> 00:19:00.219 There is no. 00:19:00.319 --> 00:19:01.159 Neutral ground. 00:19:02.659 --> 00:19:03.859 Either on the devil's side. 00:19:03.899 --> 00:19:04.599 Or on Jesus' side. 00:19:04.659 --> 00:19:05.099 Well let's look. 00:19:05.740 --> 00:19:06.299 So how do we. 00:19:06.299 --> 00:19:07.219 How do we cope with that? 00:19:08.299 --> 00:19:08.980 Well let's look. 00:19:09.019 --> 00:19:09.879 What Jesus says. 00:19:10.199 --> 00:19:11.059 Doesn't say withdraw. 00:19:11.419 --> 00:19:12.219 Doesn't say dominate. 00:19:13.719 --> 00:19:14.839 He says wait patiently. 00:19:15.039 --> 00:19:15.559 That's what he says. 00:19:15.579 --> 00:19:16.339 Look at verse 40. 00:19:16.859 --> 00:19:17.599 The explanation. 00:19:18.139 --> 00:19:19.359 Just as the weeds are gathered. 00:19:19.459 --> 00:19:20.259 And burned with fire. 00:19:20.419 --> 00:19:21.919 So it will be at the end of the age. 00:19:22.519 --> 00:19:24.100 The son of man will send his angels. 00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:25.600 And they will gather out of his kingdom. 00:19:25.960 --> 00:19:27.240 All causes of sin. 00:19:27.320 --> 00:19:28.440 And all lawbreakers. 00:19:29.440 --> 00:19:31.080 Now causes of sin are of course people. 00:19:31.620 --> 00:19:32.779 It's people we call the sin. 00:19:33.539 --> 00:19:34.940 Who lead others into temptation. 00:19:35.279 --> 00:19:36.840 He says they're all going to be removed. 00:19:37.840 --> 00:19:39.660 And throw them into the fiery furnace. 00:19:40.120 --> 00:19:41.420 In that place there will be weeping. 00:19:41.580 --> 00:19:42.480 And gnashing of teeth. 00:19:43.300 --> 00:19:44.580 See Jesus is clear isn't he? 00:19:45.300 --> 00:19:47.039 He says there will be a final judgment. 00:19:48.160 --> 00:19:50.000 Yes at the moment there is opposition in this world. 00:19:50.180 --> 00:19:51.840 But at the end of the day. 00:19:51.920 --> 00:19:53.220 There will be final judgment. 00:19:54.620 --> 00:19:56.500 Just as there are only two types of people. 00:19:58.500 --> 00:20:01.240 So there are only two possible results of the judgment. 00:20:01.620 --> 00:20:02.860 See all of us are either weeds. 00:20:03.120 --> 00:20:03.980 Or good weeds. 00:20:05.460 --> 00:20:06.980 So we're either going to be burned in the fire. 00:20:07.240 --> 00:20:07.900 Verse 42. 00:20:08.900 --> 00:20:09.300 Or. 00:20:10.019 --> 00:20:10.720 Verse 43. 00:20:10.720 --> 00:20:14.220 Then the righteous will shine like the sun. 00:20:14.740 --> 00:20:15.920 In the kingdom of their father. 00:20:15.920 --> 00:20:19.720 So either. 00:20:20.220 --> 00:20:22.120 We are lawbreakers and causes of sin. 00:20:22.380 --> 00:20:23.200 Or we're righteous. 00:20:24.320 --> 00:20:26.180 If we're lawbreakers and causes of sin. 00:20:26.279 --> 00:20:27.279 We face hell. 00:20:28.200 --> 00:20:29.460 That's what the burning is. 00:20:30.460 --> 00:20:31.580 If we are righteous. 00:20:32.340 --> 00:20:32.740 We go. 00:20:33.300 --> 00:20:34.460 To the perfect world. 00:20:35.259 --> 00:20:36.180 And shine like the sun. 00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:37.000 In the kingdom of the father. 00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:39.339 So the question is. 00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:41.200 How can we be righteous? 00:20:42.039 --> 00:20:43.019 How can we make sure. 00:20:43.480 --> 00:20:44.559 We're the wheat. 00:20:44.779 --> 00:20:45.660 Not the weeds. 00:20:47.160 --> 00:20:47.880 Well on the face of it. 00:20:47.900 --> 00:20:49.240 It's impossible for any of us to be righteous. 00:20:49.359 --> 00:20:49.759 Isn't it? 00:20:50.539 --> 00:20:51.220 Jesus said. 00:20:51.619 --> 00:20:53.359 When asked what the law was. 00:20:53.400 --> 00:20:54.200 What does God want? 00:20:55.140 --> 00:20:55.460 He said. 00:20:55.859 --> 00:20:56.900 The greatest commandment is this. 00:20:56.960 --> 00:20:58.099 To love the Lord your God. 00:20:58.160 --> 00:20:59.019 With all your heart. 00:20:59.380 --> 00:21:00.220 With all your soul. 00:21:00.319 --> 00:21:01.119 With all your mind. 00:21:01.200 --> 00:21:02.099 With all your strength. 00:21:02.559 --> 00:21:04.079 And to love your neighbours as yourself. 00:21:05.459 --> 00:21:06.799 Yet who of us has done that? 00:21:08.599 --> 00:21:09.480 And yet there is faith. 00:21:10.439 --> 00:21:11.779 Earlier on in Matthew's gospel. 00:21:12.480 --> 00:21:13.419 Back in chapter 9. 00:21:13.779 --> 00:21:15.299 Jesus had been out to lunch. 00:21:15.639 --> 00:21:16.980 With some tax collectors and sinners. 00:21:17.119 --> 00:21:18.799 And the self-righteous religious people. 00:21:18.859 --> 00:21:19.959 Got really annoyed about this. 00:21:20.279 --> 00:21:20.740 Said Jesus. 00:21:20.859 --> 00:21:22.039 Why are you eating with these people? 00:21:22.759 --> 00:21:23.639 So as Jesus said. 00:21:24.259 --> 00:21:25.519 Matthew 9 verse 13. 00:21:25.719 --> 00:21:27.719 I have not come to call the righteous. 00:21:28.740 --> 00:21:29.639 But sinners. 00:21:29.640 --> 00:21:31.800 In other words. 00:21:31.860 --> 00:21:33.040 Jesus came to make people. 00:21:33.180 --> 00:21:34.140 Who are naturally sinners. 00:21:34.420 --> 00:21:35.280 People like me. 00:21:35.620 --> 00:21:36.180 And you. 00:21:37.320 --> 00:21:38.040 And make us. 00:21:38.240 --> 00:21:38.980 Into righteous. 00:21:39.220 --> 00:21:39.860 In his sight. 00:21:41.040 --> 00:21:42.040 We find he did that. 00:21:42.240 --> 00:21:42.660 Ultimately. 00:21:43.360 --> 00:21:44.840 By dying the death we deserve. 00:21:46.420 --> 00:21:47.800 He went to the cross. 00:21:48.440 --> 00:21:49.840 As the only righteous person. 00:21:49.920 --> 00:21:50.360 Who ever lived. 00:21:50.420 --> 00:21:51.800 The only person who didn't deserve. 00:21:52.060 --> 00:21:52.740 To be punished. 00:21:53.840 --> 00:21:54.660 And there he took. 00:21:54.740 --> 00:21:55.820 The punishment we deserved. 00:21:55.819 --> 00:21:59.859 He became sin. 00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:02.319 He took our lawlessness. 00:22:02.859 --> 00:22:04.419 So that we could have his righteousness. 00:22:05.639 --> 00:22:06.799 So the righteous. 00:22:07.419 --> 00:22:08.960 Are not those who are morally good. 00:22:09.799 --> 00:22:11.139 But those who have bowed the knee. 00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:12.519 To Jesus as their king. 00:22:15.099 --> 00:22:16.119 Do you see the contrast? 00:22:17.220 --> 00:22:18.879 They end up with a glorious ending. 00:22:21.519 --> 00:22:22.419 Verse 43. 00:22:23.180 --> 00:22:23.740 Right now. 00:22:23.800 --> 00:22:24.539 They might be insignificant. 00:22:24.720 --> 00:22:25.860 They might be hard to tell apart. 00:22:26.039 --> 00:22:27.120 Even from the weeds in the field. 00:22:27.779 --> 00:22:28.400 But then. 00:22:28.480 --> 00:22:29.220 After the judgment. 00:22:29.380 --> 00:22:30.120 Then the righteous. 00:22:30.759 --> 00:22:32.580 Those who trusted Jesus as God's king. 00:22:32.880 --> 00:22:34.019 Will shine like the sun. 00:22:34.060 --> 00:22:35.160 In the kingdom of their father. 00:22:37.980 --> 00:22:38.700 Inconspicuous now. 00:22:39.860 --> 00:22:41.080 Incredibly glorious there. 00:22:42.200 --> 00:22:43.740 Just a few pages later on. 00:22:43.740 --> 00:22:44.500 In Matthew's gospel. 00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:45.259 We read of Jesus. 00:22:45.420 --> 00:22:46.160 Being transfigured. 00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:47.039 In front of his disciples. 00:22:47.980 --> 00:22:49.920 And Matthew uses almost the same words there. 00:22:50.700 --> 00:22:51.860 He shone like the sun. 00:22:51.859 --> 00:22:54.199 That is the future. 00:22:54.559 --> 00:22:55.779 That awaits those who trust him. 00:22:56.740 --> 00:22:58.299 What is this kingdom going to be like? 00:22:58.779 --> 00:22:59.539 Well it's going to be perfect. 00:22:59.639 --> 00:22:59.939 Isn't it? 00:23:00.439 --> 00:23:01.799 Because all the causes of sin. 00:23:01.879 --> 00:23:02.659 And all the unrighteousness. 00:23:02.779 --> 00:23:03.899 Has already been weeded out. 00:23:04.279 --> 00:23:05.619 It's going to be a perfect world. 00:23:06.479 --> 00:23:07.619 Even better than the world. 00:23:07.679 --> 00:23:08.759 As God originally made it. 00:23:10.539 --> 00:23:12.699 So what Jesus is holding out here to us. 00:23:13.119 --> 00:23:14.240 Is a great hope. 00:23:15.459 --> 00:23:16.099 The kingdom. 00:23:16.539 --> 00:23:17.519 Is hidden now. 00:23:18.259 --> 00:23:20.059 But does bring transformation eventually. 00:23:20.059 --> 00:23:22.059 The kingdom is small now. 00:23:22.299 --> 00:23:23.559 But will be huge eventually. 00:23:26.220 --> 00:23:28.480 The kingdom faces opposition now. 00:23:28.879 --> 00:23:30.619 But will triumph eventually. 00:23:31.899 --> 00:23:33.000 I wonder how you feel about that. 00:23:33.039 --> 00:23:34.940 A friend of mine emailed me the other day. 00:23:35.019 --> 00:23:35.279 Saying. 00:23:35.639 --> 00:23:36.159 You know it's true. 00:23:36.200 --> 00:23:38.639 I don't believe in heaven and hell like you do. 00:23:38.640 --> 00:23:42.780 He was not wanting me to talk anymore. 00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:44.340 About what Jesus had said. 00:23:45.620 --> 00:23:46.800 Well that's his choice. 00:23:48.240 --> 00:23:48.800 But notice. 00:23:49.140 --> 00:23:50.759 If you don't believe in heaven and hell. 00:23:51.280 --> 00:23:52.540 If you don't believe. 00:23:52.880 --> 00:23:55.080 In a devil who has corrupted God's world. 00:23:55.800 --> 00:23:57.380 Then look who you're disagreeing with. 00:23:57.640 --> 00:23:58.880 At the end of verse 43. 00:23:58.880 --> 00:24:01.120 If you're not disagreeing with me. 00:24:02.060 --> 00:24:03.220 How does Jesus finish? 00:24:04.000 --> 00:24:05.120 He who has ears. 00:24:05.420 --> 00:24:06.200 Let him hear. 00:24:07.800 --> 00:24:09.160 He who has ears. 00:24:09.400 --> 00:24:09.980 Let him hear. 00:24:11.320 --> 00:24:11.740 Jesus. 00:24:12.300 --> 00:24:15.020 Is revealing God's plans for history to us. 00:24:16.900 --> 00:24:19.100 Are we going to let Jesus shape our expectations? 00:24:20.360 --> 00:24:21.960 Or do you want to disagree with Jesus? 00:24:23.480 --> 00:24:24.580 He who has ears. 00:24:24.980 --> 00:24:25.580 Let him hear. 00:24:26.380 --> 00:24:26.940 Let's pray. 00:24:26.940 --> 00:24:56.920 Let him hear.