WEBVTT

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 Father, teach us to talk to you.

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 Help us to talk to you.

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 Father, you know that many of us are afraid of talking to you about certain matters.

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 Maybe matters that are too hard for us to bring to you.

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 Father, you know that some of us have given up talking to you about certain matters

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 because we've lost heart.

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 We don't believe that you hear.

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 It feels as if we talk to just empty space when we talk to you about certain things.

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 Father, you know those amongst us who struggle with talking to you

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 because we have given up and lost heart.

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 Father, you know how easy it is for us to talk to you

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 in ways that's really just talking about only ourselves

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 and how we can look down on others and not even be aware of it.

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 Father, we ask that you would gently but deeply pour out your Holy Spirit upon us

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 to teach us and help us to talk to you, to pour out our heart to you,

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 to be honest with you, to hold nothing back in talking to you.

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 Father, this is our prayer.

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 This is our cry.

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 Teach us from your word.

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 And this we ask in the name of Jesus, your son and our savior.

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 Amen.

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 Please be seated.

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 Amen.

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 So another Starbucks story.

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 They should start paying for my coffee, I suppose.

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 I don't know.

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 So just a couple of weeks ago, a Jewish friend of mine at a Starbucks,

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 and he knows I'm a Christian, he knows a pastor,

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 and he came up to me and he said to me,

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 George, George, he said,

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 why aren't Christians doing something about what's happening

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 to other Christians in the Middle East?

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 He said, do Christians know just that,

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 and he used the word genocide,

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 he said, does he know that,

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 do the Christians in Canada know the genocide

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 that's going on in places like Iraq and Syria against Christians?

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 Why?

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 This is a Christian nation.

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 That's what he said to me.

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 This is a Christian nation.

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 Why are you silent and doing nothing about such genocide?

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 And so we talked about it for 10 minutes or so,

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 and I'm not going to tell you everything that I said,

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 although partly, I guess, by sharing it with you,

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 I'm doing at least a tiny bit about it.

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 And I did tell him that at least in our church,

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 we pray for persecuted Christians.

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 And I also, we had a bit of a conversation

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 as to whether or not Canada's a Christian nation

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 and what it means to be a Christian.

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 But, you know, still sort of that is a bit of a challenge for us,

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 that there is genocide as a killing of people,

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 really usually for racial lines,

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 and of course, Christians are not of one particular race or culture.

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 We come from every race and culture,

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 but there still is such a slaughter going on there.

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 Some people would maybe wonder that the reason

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 that we Christians don't speak up about such matters

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 is because our Bible tells us not to speak up,

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 that our Bible tells us to be like little children,

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 that our Bible tells us to grovel,

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 like Jesus' parable.

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 Some might say that the tax collector was groveling,

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 and if we are being taught to grovel,

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 then we won't stand up.

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 If we're taught to be like little children,

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 we won't stand up.

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 And so part of the reason that that slaughter goes on

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 is because our Bible is teaching us to not stand up.

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 Well, let's look and see what the Bible actually says

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 about some of these issues.

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 So if you have your Bibles,

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 please turn in them to Luke chapter 18,

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 beginning at verse 1,

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 and we're going to look at those.

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 There's sort of three little units of teaching.

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 Some of you who are familiar with the Bible,

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 all three of them are quite familiar.

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 Others of you who are maybe newer on the Christian walk

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 or are seekers,

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 some of them might have come to you as a bit of a surprise.

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 But let's, one of them,

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 the thing about children is in three of the Gospels,

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 but let's look at this and see,

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 is the Bible in fact encouraging us to grovel?

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 Is it encouraging us to never stand up for ourselves?

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 And what on earth is Jesus doing

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 with these different analogies?

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 And why does he compare God to an unjust judge?

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 So Luke chapter 18, beginning at the first verse,

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 and here's how it goes.

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 And Jesus told them a parable to the effect

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 that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.

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 Just sort of pause here before we read.

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 This is going to be a bit of a different sermon than others,

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 because in this sermon,

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 I mean, in these three texts,

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 especially the first two,

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 Jesus basically gives the purpose of the parable

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 and he tells us what the parable's about.

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 Often that happens, by the way, in the parables,

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 but in these two particular things,

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 Jesus sort of tells us what the point is.

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 And here it is in first one.

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 An old Christian writer who wrote about,

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 you know, many hundreds of years ago

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 said that in these parables,

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 it's Jesus left the key to the parable outside the door.

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 So that you had the key that you could open up

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 the meaning of the parable

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 and he gives it to you outside the door

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 as you come up to the parable,

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 rather than at the end

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 or maybe a few verses after the parable.

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 So this is going to be the purpose of the first parable.

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 He told them this parable, verse one,

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 to the effect that they ought always to pray

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 and not lose heart.

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 And so how does he sort of illustrate that

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 or try to bring it home?

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 He tells a parable, verse two.

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 He said, in a certain city,

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 there was a judge who neither feared God

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 nor respected men.

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 And that's sort of a general Christian teaching

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 about other times,

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 some other time I'll talk about the fear of God,

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 but it's sort of a very common Christian understanding,

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 New Testament understanding

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 that we are to have a fear of God,

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 but we are to respect human beings.

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 Most of us struggle with fearing human beings

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 and completely and utterly ignoring God.

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 But the Bible tries to encourage us

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 to understand that we're not to fear human beings,

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 that we're to have a fear of God,

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 which we'll talk about some other time,

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 but we're to respect human beings.

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 Anyway, so verse two again.

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 He said, in a certain city,

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 there was a judge who neither feared God

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 nor respected men.

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 And there was a widow in that city

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 who kept coming to him and saying,

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 give me justice against my adversary.

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 Just sort of pause here.

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 Some of you have rich imaginative lives

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 and you picture things.

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 So when you're picturing this widow,

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 don't necessarily picture an old woman.

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 In the ancient world, at the time of Jesus,

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 women were usually given in marriage

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 at the age of 13 or 14.

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 So this widow could be 15.

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 Okay?

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 She could be 15 or 16.

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 She could be very, very, very young.

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 And as well as that,

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 given the context of the parable,

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 it's probably some type of,

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 it's probably something to do with inheritance,

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 mentioning the widow.

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 In other words, her adversaries are her family,

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 who would have controlled the inheritance

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 from their son who died

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 and are probably withholding it from her.

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 Okay?

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 So if you want to sort of enter into it imaginatively,

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 that's what's sort of going on.

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 I mean, it could be an old woman,

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 but it could very well be just somebody who's 15.

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 And so we read verse 3 again.

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 And there was a widow in that city

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 who kept coming to the unjust judge

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 and saying, give me justice against my adversary.

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 For a while, the unjust judge refused,

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 but afterward he said to himself,

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 and it's really interesting what he says to himself.

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 It shows that he's not bothered in the least

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 by the fact that he doesn't fear God

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 or respect people.

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 He knows that about himself.

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 He still has a good night's sleep every night.

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 I mean, that's just the way some of us are, isn't it?

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 It's not the fact that we deal with people

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 who might oppress others

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 and then go home and have tormented sleep.

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 The world is filled with people

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 who do horrendous things to other people

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 and then have a really good night's sleep.

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 And they know they do horrendous things to other people.

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 And that's what's being portrayed here with the judge.

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 He knows about himself.

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 It doesn't bother him at all.

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 It doesn't stir anything within him whatsoever

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 about repentance or amendment of life.

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 So listen to how he speaks to about himself.

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 Verse four, for a while he refused,

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 but afterward he said to himself,

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 though I neither fear God nor respect man,

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 yet because this widow keeps bothering me,

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 I will give her justice

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 so that she will not beat me down

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 by her continual coming,

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 coming back to him time and time and time again.

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 Sort of going to be, it's relevant for the prayer.

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 The woman doesn't have family connections.

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 She doesn't have wealth.

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 She doesn't have a social system

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 that's going to force the judge to act.

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 She only has one thing, persistence.

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 That's a very relevant thing for us.

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 Some of us have high IQs.

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 Some of us are, IQs aren't very high.

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 Some of us are rich.

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 Some of us are well off.

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 Some of us aren't.

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 Some of us are well educated.

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 Some of us aren't.

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 Different races, different nationalities,

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 different ethnic groups, different things.

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 The Bible isn't telling us

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 we have to all have high IQs

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 or high income or high education.

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 If it did, it would leave a lot of us out.

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 What it's telling us about

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 is something that we all can potentially do,

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 which is persist.

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 To persist.

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 To persist.

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 It's something within the grasp

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 of every person who hears.

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 So verse six,

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 and the Lord said,

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 hear what the unrighteous judge says,

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 and will not God give justice to his elect

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 who cry to him day and night?

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 Will he delay long over them?

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 I tell you,

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 he will give justice to them speedily.

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 Nevertheless,

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 when the son of man comes,

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 will he find faith on earth?

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 Now,

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 I'm not going to talk about unanswered prayer today.

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 One of the reasons

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 I'm not going to talk about unanswered prayer today

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 is that in a couple of weeks,

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 we're going to deal with

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 the most famous example

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 in the New Testament of unanswered prayer,

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 where Jesus asks for something

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 that he doesn't get.

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 So I thought,

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 and you can remind me

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 when you can see it coming up,

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 that I'll talk about unanswered prayer

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 that particular week.

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 I'm not going to talk this morning

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 about those of us

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 who struggle with talking to God

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 about when we've talked to him

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 about all sorts of things

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 and nothing seems to have happened.

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 We'll talk about that in another day.

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 But the thing that we need to sort of,

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 there's some other things here

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 that we need to see about the text.

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 And the first one is this.

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 This is the point,

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 if you could put it up, Andrew.

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 As I walk with Jesus and others

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 on the Jesus way,

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 he wants me to talk to him

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 again and again and again

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 and never lose heart.

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 That's what Jesus wants.

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 That's what he's asking you and me to do.

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 The Jesus way is not a private way.

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 It's personal, but it's not private.

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 Jesus, we all enter into the Jesus way

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 one by one

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 when we put our faith in Jesus

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 and trust what he's done for us.

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 We trust his person and his work.

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 But we walk the Jesus way.

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 In other words, we live our lives 24-7 lives.

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 We walk it with Jesus and with others.

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 That's what the Jesus way is.

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 And so these first three points

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 that I'm going to share with you,

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 they're always going to begin

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 with this same phrase.

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 As I walk with Jesus and others

00:12:03.959 --> 00:12:05.019
 on the Jesus way,

00:12:06.159 --> 00:12:07.039
 here's the first thing.

00:12:07.039 --> 00:12:09.459
 He wants me to talk to him

00:12:09.459 --> 00:12:12.439
 again and again and again

00:12:12.439 --> 00:12:15.240
 and again and again and again

00:12:15.240 --> 00:12:18.199
 and never lose heart.

00:12:18.719 --> 00:12:19.860
 That's what he wants.

00:12:20.459 --> 00:12:22.539
 He wants to commune with me

00:12:22.539 --> 00:12:25.159
 and have communion with me.

00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:27.899
 And it tells me something about who I am

00:12:27.899 --> 00:12:29.379
 and about who God is.

00:12:30.179 --> 00:12:31.819
 It's quite astounding

00:12:31.819 --> 00:12:33.740
 that he wants me to talk to him.

00:12:33.819 --> 00:12:35.099
 He wants you to talk to him.

00:12:35.100 --> 00:12:38.700
 Now, my wife is not able

00:12:38.700 --> 00:12:39.659
 to be at church today

00:12:39.659 --> 00:12:41.180
 because somebody foolishly

00:12:41.180 --> 00:12:43.460
 put the car keys to the van

00:12:43.460 --> 00:12:45.120
 in their pocket and left the house.

00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:47.340
 And you're looking at him.

00:12:49.240 --> 00:12:51.940
 So, yeah, I feel really bad about it.

00:12:51.960 --> 00:12:52.580
 I really do.

00:12:53.240 --> 00:12:55.560
 I got a text and I got,

00:12:55.700 --> 00:12:56.440
 oh, dang.

00:12:56.680 --> 00:12:59.180
 Anyway, so, but here's the thing.

00:12:59.399 --> 00:13:00.600
 If I go back to Louise

00:13:00.600 --> 00:13:02.399
 and after I've apologized to her,

00:13:02.920 --> 00:13:03.600
 I said to her,

00:13:03.600 --> 00:13:04.040
 you know, Louise,

00:13:04.039 --> 00:13:05.659
 I've had a great spiritual breakthrough.

00:13:06.219 --> 00:13:08.039
 I'm no longer going to talk to you.

00:13:08.360 --> 00:13:10.419
 I'm going to meditate in your presence.

00:13:11.879 --> 00:13:13.980
 I'm going to do yoga in your presence.

00:13:14.659 --> 00:13:17.039
 I'm going to do rituals in your presence,

00:13:17.199 --> 00:13:18.500
 but I'm not going to talk to you.

00:13:19.199 --> 00:13:21.399
 Well, that would fly like a lead balloon, right?

00:13:21.399 --> 00:13:25.799
 In fact, if I tried to actually meditate

00:13:25.799 --> 00:13:26.439
 in her presence,

00:13:26.539 --> 00:13:27.759
 she'd probably hit me,

00:13:29.139 --> 00:13:31.179
 you know, slap me or punch me,

00:13:31.259 --> 00:13:33.279
 you know, in a playful wake-up type of way

00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:34.819
 to try to get my attention, right?

00:13:34.959 --> 00:13:36.799
 Because in a marriage,

00:13:36.899 --> 00:13:38.059
 you talk to each other.

00:13:38.279 --> 00:13:39.120
 I mean, you have times

00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:40.299
 when you're just silent in the house

00:13:40.299 --> 00:13:41.860
 and maybe you have times

00:13:41.860 --> 00:13:43.100
 when you're mad at each other

00:13:43.100 --> 00:13:44.299
 and you're silent because you're mad,

00:13:44.299 --> 00:13:46.480
 but, and sometimes you're just silent

00:13:46.480 --> 00:13:47.939
 because you're comfortable with each other,

00:13:47.940 --> 00:13:48.760
 but you talk.

00:13:49.520 --> 00:13:50.900
 You talk to each other.

00:13:51.640 --> 00:13:52.300
 And so, you see,

00:13:52.380 --> 00:13:53.180
 this is one of the things

00:13:53.180 --> 00:13:54.300
 which is so astounding

00:13:54.300 --> 00:13:55.580
 about the Jesus way

00:13:55.580 --> 00:13:58.220
 is that in many other ways,

00:13:58.380 --> 00:13:59.840
 like in most Eastern religions,

00:13:59.960 --> 00:14:01.080
 you don't talk to God.

00:14:01.160 --> 00:14:02.300
 The primary thing you do

00:14:02.300 --> 00:14:04.880
 is you follow certain types of steps

00:14:04.880 --> 00:14:05.640
 or processes

00:14:05.640 --> 00:14:07.300
 and maybe you learn how to do yoga

00:14:07.300 --> 00:14:08.600
 as part of a process

00:14:08.600 --> 00:14:09.880
 of self-enlightenment,

00:14:10.040 --> 00:14:11.100
 of getting in touch

00:14:11.100 --> 00:14:12.500
 with the God within

00:14:12.500 --> 00:14:13.280
 or the God without

00:14:13.280 --> 00:14:14.760
 or whatever it is,

00:14:14.860 --> 00:14:17.480
 but you don't actually talk to God.

00:14:17.940 --> 00:14:19.480
 And it's because that,

00:14:19.820 --> 00:14:20.720
 it doesn't mean that

00:14:20.720 --> 00:14:22.140
 the biblical account is true,

00:14:23.040 --> 00:14:24.480
 but it's just important

00:14:24.480 --> 00:14:25.720
 that you understand it,

00:14:26.500 --> 00:14:28.460
 is that the Bible portrays

00:14:28.460 --> 00:14:30.040
 that God is a God

00:14:30.040 --> 00:14:31.100
 that we talk to.

00:14:31.560 --> 00:14:33.780
 He wants us to talk to him.

00:14:34.360 --> 00:14:35.540
 He doesn't want us to be

00:14:35.540 --> 00:14:36.340
 in his presence

00:14:36.340 --> 00:14:37.580
 just meditating

00:14:37.580 --> 00:14:38.560
 or doing yoga

00:14:38.560 --> 00:14:39.740
 or doing rituals.

00:14:40.440 --> 00:14:42.540
 He wants us to talk to him.

00:14:43.320 --> 00:14:45.000
 And it's because God is personal

00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:47.179
 and we are made in his image

00:14:47.179 --> 00:14:48.620
 as personal beings

00:14:48.620 --> 00:14:50.259
 and so we are to talk,

00:14:50.980 --> 00:14:52.759
 to talk to him again

00:14:52.759 --> 00:14:53.580
 and again

00:14:53.580 --> 00:14:54.539
 and again

00:14:54.539 --> 00:14:55.419
 and again

00:14:55.419 --> 00:14:56.200
 and again.

00:14:58.460 --> 00:15:00.519
 The other thing is that

00:15:00.519 --> 00:15:03.899
 some of you might say,

00:15:03.980 --> 00:15:04.759
 well, why does God want us

00:15:04.759 --> 00:15:05.639
 to talk to him again

00:15:05.639 --> 00:15:06.000
 and again

00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:06.379
 and again

00:15:06.379 --> 00:15:06.779
 and again?

00:15:06.779 --> 00:15:09.559
 Many of you have maybe heard

00:15:09.559 --> 00:15:11.419
 the famous saying by Einstein

00:15:11.419 --> 00:15:14.179
 that one definition of insanity

00:15:14.179 --> 00:15:15.939
 is doing the same thing

00:15:15.939 --> 00:15:17.419
 over and over and over again

00:15:17.419 --> 00:15:18.879
 hoping for a different result.

00:15:19.919 --> 00:15:22.959
 And so for some people,

00:15:23.039 --> 00:15:24.519
 the idea that we would talk to God

00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:25.799
 time and time and time

00:15:25.799 --> 00:15:26.600
 and time again

00:15:26.600 --> 00:15:28.600
 hoping for a different result,

00:15:29.360 --> 00:15:31.399
 that if we think that way

00:15:31.399 --> 00:15:32.360
 or we feel that way,

00:15:32.419 --> 00:15:33.179
 then what we're doing

00:15:33.179 --> 00:15:34.379
 is we're not thinking of God

00:15:34.379 --> 00:15:35.179
 as a person.

00:15:35.720 --> 00:15:36.779
 We're thinking of God

00:15:36.779 --> 00:15:38.159
 as something like a machine,

00:15:39.179 --> 00:15:41.019
 something completely

00:15:41.019 --> 00:15:42.539
 and utterly impersonal.

00:15:42.860 --> 00:15:43.539
 So for instance,

00:15:43.659 --> 00:15:44.980
 if you go to your bank machine

00:15:44.980 --> 00:15:47.439
 and you type in your PIN number

00:15:47.439 --> 00:15:49.279
 and it doesn't work

00:15:49.279 --> 00:15:50.860
 and then you type in your PIN number

00:15:50.860 --> 00:15:51.620
 and it doesn't work

00:15:51.620 --> 00:15:53.039
 and then you type in your PIN number

00:15:53.039 --> 00:15:53.720
 and it doesn't work

00:15:53.720 --> 00:15:54.939
 and you type in your PIN number

00:15:54.939 --> 00:15:55.620
 and it doesn't work

00:15:55.620 --> 00:16:00.659
 and you have some type of disorder

00:16:00.659 --> 00:16:03.259
 and it doesn't work.

00:16:03.399 --> 00:16:05.579
 And in fact, actually, as you know, with machines,

00:16:06.019 --> 00:16:08.600
 machines that are impersonal, they don't sort of say,

00:16:08.699 --> 00:16:10.899
 oh yeah, that's sort of in the ballpark of the PIN number,

00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:14.019
 so I'm going to accept it, because I know the person's heart.

00:16:15.039 --> 00:16:17.360
 No, it has to be exactly, precisely right,

00:16:17.419 --> 00:16:18.959
 and if your PIN number doesn't work,

00:16:19.019 --> 00:16:20.899
 it means either you've got the wrong PIN number

00:16:20.899 --> 00:16:23.019
 or the machine's broken or something's happened,

00:16:23.539 --> 00:16:25.860
 and that's how impersonal things work.

00:16:26.759 --> 00:16:30.059
 But, you know, my wife and I have to talk about things

00:16:30.059 --> 00:16:32.059
 time and time and time and time again.

00:16:33.939 --> 00:16:36.000
 I know sometimes I'm a real slow learner,

00:16:37.319 --> 00:16:41.000
 and that's just, you don't just talk about your kids once

00:16:41.000 --> 00:16:42.719
 and then that's good for the next 30 years.

00:16:42.779 --> 00:16:44.319
 You talk about your kids all the time.

00:16:44.399 --> 00:16:45.639
 You talk about your relationship.

00:16:45.859 --> 00:16:46.979
 You talk about your plans.

00:16:47.759 --> 00:16:51.319
 You maybe go over the same thing over and over and over again

00:16:51.319 --> 00:16:53.479
 about just, you've just got to talk it through,

00:16:53.879 --> 00:16:55.439
 and that's what Jesus is saying.

00:16:55.439 --> 00:16:57.439
 He's saying that in our relationship with himself,

00:16:58.179 --> 00:16:59.739
 that in our relationship with our Father,

00:17:00.059 --> 00:17:03.459
 we're to talk to him again and again and again and again

00:17:03.459 --> 00:17:05.440
 and again and again, not give up talking.

00:17:06.460 --> 00:17:10.619
 And, you know, sometimes later on in your life,

00:17:11.099 --> 00:17:13.279
 like later on in my life, I'll think back to some of the things

00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:16.179
 I asked God for that bothered me that he didn't give them to me,

00:17:16.460 --> 00:17:20.399
 and I'm so happy in hindsight that he didn't give those things to me.

00:17:20.440 --> 00:17:23.639
 It would have been not good for my life if he'd answered my prayer

00:17:23.639 --> 00:17:26.480
 exactly the way I wanted him to answer my prayer.

00:17:26.480 --> 00:17:30.019
 And often, and other times when I'm praying and praying and praying

00:17:30.019 --> 00:17:32.220
 and talking about the same type of thing,

00:17:32.339 --> 00:17:35.400
 and by the way, don't think that I'm really great at persistence in prayer.

00:17:35.480 --> 00:17:38.299
 One of the things you can do is pray for me that I will be better

00:17:38.299 --> 00:17:40.579
 at praying with persistence.

00:17:41.079 --> 00:17:43.019
 Please pray for me that that will happen.

00:17:43.259 --> 00:17:46.860
 Pray for our church that we will be a church that prays

00:17:46.860 --> 00:17:50.380
 and talks to God time and time and time and time again,

00:17:50.500 --> 00:17:53.500
 that we'll trust in prayer more than we'll trust in techniques,

00:17:53.500 --> 00:17:56.680
 that we'll trust in prayer more than we'll trust in our own abilities

00:17:56.680 --> 00:17:58.180
 or the things that we can do.

00:17:58.279 --> 00:18:02.920
 Pray that we will be a congregation that talks to God again and again

00:18:02.920 --> 00:18:03.900
 and again and again.

00:18:04.220 --> 00:18:07.680
 And sometimes as we talk to God again and again and again and again,

00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:11.220
 we realize that we need to sort of switch in the things

00:18:11.220 --> 00:18:14.240
 that we're talking about, that God teaches us as we talk to him.

00:18:14.700 --> 00:18:17.619
 He tells us of something new that we have to become

00:18:17.619 --> 00:18:21.579
 or something new that we have to do or something new that we have to,

00:18:21.799 --> 00:18:23.539
 something that we've been doing for a long time,

00:18:23.839 --> 00:18:27.099
 we have to stop doing because prayer changes us.

00:18:27.699 --> 00:18:29.639
 And that's what Jesus is telling us to do.

00:18:31.259 --> 00:18:35.339
 As I walk with Jesus and others on the Jesus way,

00:18:35.339 --> 00:18:41.599
 he wants me to talk to him again and again and again and again

00:18:41.599 --> 00:18:45.739
 and again and again and never lose heart.

00:18:45.740 --> 00:18:48.680
 Now, some of you might say,

00:18:49.420 --> 00:18:55.720
 George, are you saying that Christians are better prayers than others?

00:18:57.339 --> 00:19:00.559
 And George, if Christians are such good prayers,

00:19:00.759 --> 00:19:02.720
 why is it that, I mean, you began this thing

00:19:02.720 --> 00:19:06.440
 by talking about the terrible things going on for Christians in the Middle East,

00:19:07.559 --> 00:19:12.180
 Christian communities that have existed for 1,900-plus years

00:19:12.180 --> 00:19:14.640
 all being obliterated and emptied.

00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:17.680
 Many of them killed and then they have to flee.

00:19:18.200 --> 00:19:19.460
 What about their prayers?

00:19:19.860 --> 00:19:22.259
 Maybe the Muslims pray better than the Christians

00:19:22.259 --> 00:19:24.960
 because the Muslims seem to be kicking butt over there

00:19:24.960 --> 00:19:27.120
 and the Christians are the butts that are being kicked.

00:19:27.740 --> 00:19:30.580
 Does that mean that Muslims are better prayers than Christians?

00:19:31.440 --> 00:19:32.380
 Like, are you saying that,

00:19:32.580 --> 00:19:35.560
 but are you saying that Christians are better at praying than others?

00:19:35.700 --> 00:19:38.860
 Like, what's going on with this talk

00:19:38.860 --> 00:19:42.020
 about how we are to be persistent in prayer?

00:19:42.019 --> 00:19:45.200
 Is Jesus talking about us somehow being better at things

00:19:45.200 --> 00:19:47.259
 or knowing more than others?

00:19:48.279 --> 00:19:49.879
 And what's he saying?

00:19:50.379 --> 00:19:53.019
 Well, let's read the next thing that Jesus talks about

00:19:53.019 --> 00:19:54.920
 because Jesus gives these sort of three,

00:19:55.519 --> 00:19:57.180
 actually, it's four linked things,

00:19:57.299 --> 00:20:00.039
 but we're going to talk about the rich man next week.

00:20:00.200 --> 00:20:01.460
 What is Jesus saying?

00:20:01.539 --> 00:20:04.799
 Well, let's look that he continues to sort of help to unfold

00:20:04.799 --> 00:20:06.819
 how we are to talk to him

00:20:06.819 --> 00:20:09.139
 and what's the attitude and the heart attitude

00:20:09.139 --> 00:20:11.879
 that we are to have when we talk to Jesus

00:20:11.879 --> 00:20:13.159
 and we talk to the Father.

00:20:13.740 --> 00:20:14.899
 Let's look at verse 9.

00:20:16.059 --> 00:20:19.559
 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves

00:20:19.559 --> 00:20:21.099
 that they were righteous

00:20:21.099 --> 00:20:23.319
 and treated others with contempt.

00:20:24.079 --> 00:20:24.899
 So just pause.

00:20:25.339 --> 00:20:27.559
 Remember I said to you that in these two parables,

00:20:27.700 --> 00:20:29.939
 in some ways Jesus gives the key to the parable

00:20:29.939 --> 00:20:31.079
 on the outside of the door

00:20:31.079 --> 00:20:33.299
 so that we can unlock it.

00:20:33.299 --> 00:20:36.319
 This is partially the point of the sermon

00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:38.779
 and more primarily the target.

00:20:39.279 --> 00:20:41.180
 Sorry, not partially the point of the parable,

00:20:41.359 --> 00:20:44.299
 but primarily the target of the parable.

00:20:44.919 --> 00:20:45.220
 Okay?

00:20:45.700 --> 00:20:49.099
 He's zeroing in on something.

00:20:50.019 --> 00:20:52.859
 And he's zeroing in on those of us,

00:20:53.220 --> 00:20:55.359
 on those disciples and others

00:20:55.359 --> 00:20:59.279
 who trust in themselves that they were righteous

00:20:59.279 --> 00:21:01.859
 and treat others with contempt.

00:21:01.859 --> 00:21:05.639
 Two men, verse 10,

00:21:06.199 --> 00:21:07.819
 went up into the temple to pray,

00:21:08.240 --> 00:21:10.559
 one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:15.599
 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus,

00:21:16.659 --> 00:21:19.759
 God, I thank you that I am not like other men,

00:21:19.919 --> 00:21:22.179
 extortioners, unjust, adulterers,

00:21:22.259 --> 00:21:23.899
 or even like this tax collector.

00:21:24.379 --> 00:21:25.740
 I fast twice a week.

00:21:25.839 --> 00:21:27.879
 I give tithes of all that I get.

00:21:28.479 --> 00:21:30.919
 But the tax collector standing far off

00:21:30.920 --> 00:21:33.100
 would not even lift up his eyes to heaven,

00:21:33.500 --> 00:21:34.840
 but beat his breast saying,

00:21:35.720 --> 00:21:38.140
 God, be merciful to me.

00:21:38.300 --> 00:21:40.180
 And actually, literally in the Greek,

00:21:40.300 --> 00:21:41.200
 it's the sinner.

00:21:42.200 --> 00:21:43.460
 And it's emphatic.

00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:46.480
 God, be merciful to me, the sinner.

00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:49.240
 I tell you, this man went down

00:21:49.240 --> 00:21:51.680
 to his house justified rather than the other.

00:21:52.300 --> 00:21:54.980
 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,

00:21:54.980 --> 00:21:58.079
 but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

00:21:59.299 --> 00:22:01.079
 Just go up to verse 11 again.

00:22:01.160 --> 00:22:04.400
 Did you notice the I language of the first prayer?

00:22:05.200 --> 00:22:09.860
 There's a difference between making our prayers personal

00:22:09.859 --> 00:22:13.119
 and having our prayers be all about us

00:22:13.119 --> 00:22:17.899
 with the royal I, the royal ego at the heart of our prayers.

00:22:18.519 --> 00:22:21.279
 And this man isn't making his prayers personal.

00:22:22.159 --> 00:22:23.719
 It's all this I language.

00:22:23.959 --> 00:22:26.639
 Five times he says I.

00:22:26.740 --> 00:22:27.240
 Look at that.

00:22:27.719 --> 00:22:31.759
 God, I thank you that I am not like other men,

00:22:31.879 --> 00:22:33.539
 extortioners and just adulterers,

00:22:33.579 --> 00:22:35.019
 or even like this tax collector.

00:22:35.019 --> 00:22:37.720
 I fast twice a week.

00:22:37.940 --> 00:22:41.339
 I give tithes of all that I get.

00:22:42.940 --> 00:22:44.660
 That's the heart of this guy's prayer.

00:22:45.720 --> 00:22:48.680
 And I don't know how many of you have seen the movie Braveheart.

00:22:49.220 --> 00:22:50.680
 By the way, when I say a movie like this,

00:22:50.779 --> 00:22:52.759
 it's pretty gory and stuff,

00:22:52.819 --> 00:22:53.960
 so I'm not necessarily recommending it.

00:22:54.400 --> 00:22:55.039
 But you might remember,

00:22:55.240 --> 00:22:57.920
 isn't this scene an Irish guy, of course,

00:22:58.480 --> 00:22:59.759
 who says that it's an other way.

00:23:00.039 --> 00:23:02.799
 He talks to God all the time,

00:23:02.799 --> 00:23:05.039
 and he says an Irishman has to talk to God

00:23:05.039 --> 00:23:07.319
 because he can't find an equal on earth to talk to

00:23:07.319 --> 00:23:08.339
 or something like that.

00:23:08.639 --> 00:23:10.899
 And that's the same type of idea here.

00:23:11.039 --> 00:23:14.299
 It's that type of an arrogance in the man's prayer.

00:23:15.180 --> 00:23:16.279
 And here's the point.

00:23:17.180 --> 00:23:19.879
 As I walk with Jesus and others on the Jesus way,

00:23:20.419 --> 00:23:23.379
 he warns me against all talking to him,

00:23:23.940 --> 00:23:27.919
 which flows from self-trust, self-righteousness,

00:23:28.539 --> 00:23:31.899
 self-congratulation, and contempt of others.

00:23:31.900 --> 00:23:54.820
 And he speaks it not to the Pharisees,

00:23:54.819 --> 00:23:56.960
 not to the Sadducees,

00:23:57.480 --> 00:24:00.039
 not to the politicians,

00:24:00.419 --> 00:24:01.980
 not to Pilate, not to Rome.

00:24:02.039 --> 00:24:03.519
 He speaks it to his disciples.

00:24:03.720 --> 00:24:07.220
 It's something that we who gather here in his name

00:24:07.220 --> 00:24:09.740
 need to take deeply to heart,

00:24:10.599 --> 00:24:11.839
 deeply to heart.

00:24:12.319 --> 00:24:17.980
 That's very easy for us to start to trust in ourselves,

00:24:18.200 --> 00:24:19.419
 trust in our own righteousness,

00:24:19.420 --> 00:24:21.300
 trust,

00:24:21.300 --> 00:24:25.060
 and congratulate ourselves in our prayers,

00:24:25.340 --> 00:24:27.320
 and treat others with contempt.

00:24:29.700 --> 00:24:32.440
 Now, some of us

00:24:32.440 --> 00:24:36.279
 have a hard time

00:24:36.279 --> 00:24:39.519
 sort of thinking that this could actually be about us.

00:24:39.519 --> 00:24:43.379
 I mean, basically,

00:24:43.480 --> 00:24:45.660
 one of the things that the Bible is telling us here

00:24:45.660 --> 00:24:47.440
 is that every one of us

00:24:47.440 --> 00:24:50.579
 struggle with self-righteousness.

00:24:51.220 --> 00:24:52.920
 You know, if you went to an AA meeting,

00:24:53.039 --> 00:24:54.819
 you'd begin, when you speak to yourself,

00:24:54.920 --> 00:24:55.240
 you'd say,

00:24:55.400 --> 00:24:56.879
 Hi, I'm George.

00:24:56.940 --> 00:24:57.720
 I'm an alcoholic.

00:24:58.139 --> 00:25:00.339
 In a sense, what Jesus is telling us

00:25:00.339 --> 00:25:01.819
 is that we need to realize

00:25:01.819 --> 00:25:03.720
 that we almost have to come into a church

00:25:03.720 --> 00:25:04.120
 and say,

00:25:04.880 --> 00:25:06.220
 Hi, Jesus.

00:25:06.579 --> 00:25:07.799
 I'm self-righteous.

00:25:09.799 --> 00:25:11.120
 I'm self-righteous.

00:25:12.720 --> 00:25:15.500
 And I'm trusting in a power higher than myself

00:25:15.500 --> 00:25:18.460
 to deal with my self-righteousness addiction,

00:25:19.120 --> 00:25:20.920
 my self-trust addiction,

00:25:22.059 --> 00:25:25.279
 my self-congratulation addiction,

00:25:25.980 --> 00:25:28.779
 and my contempt of others addiction.

00:25:30.460 --> 00:25:31.279
 You know why?

00:25:31.559 --> 00:25:33.319
 Well, because we're not like those charismatics

00:25:33.319 --> 00:25:34.519
 who always just talk about

00:25:34.519 --> 00:25:36.139
 Holy Spirit type of stuff.

00:25:36.259 --> 00:25:36.779
 Good grief.

00:25:36.899 --> 00:25:38.220
 All they do is crazy things.

00:25:38.319 --> 00:25:39.599
 You know, they bark like dogs

00:25:39.599 --> 00:25:40.779
 and run around like crazy.

00:25:41.099 --> 00:25:42.759
 We're not like those Anglo-Catholics.

00:25:42.859 --> 00:25:44.480
 All they do is this all the time

00:25:44.480 --> 00:25:45.439
 and this all the time

00:25:45.439 --> 00:25:47.379
 and kneel and bow and scrape

00:25:47.379 --> 00:25:49.339
 and wear frilly, lacy clothes,

00:25:49.419 --> 00:25:50.639
 and we're not like those.

00:25:52.279 --> 00:25:54.439
 No, we never would think and talk like this.

00:25:55.519 --> 00:25:57.960
 That would never be part of our self-awareness.

00:25:58.039 --> 00:25:59.980
 It would never be that any charismatic

00:25:59.980 --> 00:26:02.819
 would look down their nose at reformed types.

00:26:03.319 --> 00:26:03.720
 independence.

00:26:03.720 --> 00:26:04.579
 Or Anglo-Catholics.

00:26:04.740 --> 00:26:05.839
 It would never be the case

00:26:05.839 --> 00:26:06.659
 that some Anglo-Catholic

00:26:06.659 --> 00:26:08.439
 would look down their nose

00:26:08.439 --> 00:26:10.700
 at evangelicals or charismatic.

00:26:10.859 --> 00:26:11.980
 It would never be the case

00:26:11.980 --> 00:26:15.319
 that some brethren type or Baptist type

00:26:15.319 --> 00:26:16.919
 would look down their nose at Anglicans.

00:26:16.980 --> 00:26:17.980
 It would never be the case

00:26:17.980 --> 00:26:19.720
 that an Anglican would look down their nose

00:26:19.720 --> 00:26:21.299
 at a brethren or a Baptist.

00:26:21.460 --> 00:26:22.519
 It would never be a case

00:26:22.519 --> 00:26:23.159
 that any of us

00:26:23.159 --> 00:26:24.539
 would ever do something like that.

00:26:24.779 --> 00:26:26.079
 It would never be the case

00:26:26.079 --> 00:26:26.799
 that some of us

00:26:26.799 --> 00:26:27.839
 who vote conservative

00:26:27.839 --> 00:26:28.939
 would look down our nose

00:26:28.939 --> 00:26:30.779
 at those who vote liberal or NDP.

00:26:30.779 --> 00:26:32.859
 and it's never the case that anybody who votes NDP

00:26:32.859 --> 00:26:35.119
 would look down their nose at somebody who votes conservative.

00:26:35.500 --> 00:26:37.980
 This is a completely and utterly irrelevant problem.

00:26:38.099 --> 00:26:39.700
 Why does the Bible even talk about it?

00:26:46.420 --> 00:26:48.879
 See, it's a human problem.

00:26:50.519 --> 00:26:53.839
 One of the things I try, I'm not very successful about it,

00:26:53.899 --> 00:26:55.819
 you can pray for me,

00:26:56.379 --> 00:26:58.519
 but one of the things I try to talk about

00:26:58.519 --> 00:27:00.879
 when I talk with people in a Starbucks

00:27:00.879 --> 00:27:04.400
 and they make accusations against the Christian faith,

00:27:05.500 --> 00:27:10.000
 and I don't try to pretend that Christians haven't done really bad things,

00:27:10.059 --> 00:27:12.339
 I don't try to pretend that I haven't done any bad things,

00:27:12.740 --> 00:27:14.660
 but what I try to have them understand

00:27:14.660 --> 00:27:18.660
 is that what they're talking about is a human problem.

00:27:21.539 --> 00:27:25.639
 And the question is, as a human problem,

00:27:25.640 --> 00:27:31.020
 what does your religion or spirituality or ideology say about it,

00:27:31.380 --> 00:27:34.200
 and what resources does it have to deal with it?

00:27:36.720 --> 00:27:43.000
 And so here, Jesus very frankly puts his finger on a human problem.

00:27:44.000 --> 00:27:49.220
 Ford Nation in Toronto looks down their nose at the Toronto Star

00:27:49.220 --> 00:27:51.460
 and people who live in the Annex.

00:27:52.660 --> 00:27:57.960
 And people in the Toronto Star and the Annex look down their nose on Ford Nation.

00:27:59.360 --> 00:28:01.700
 It is a human problem,

00:28:02.440 --> 00:28:04.100
 and Jesus identifies it.

00:28:05.039 --> 00:28:05.900
 We struggle.

00:28:06.539 --> 00:28:07.799
 Actually, sorry, we don't struggle.

00:28:08.759 --> 00:28:09.740
 That's the problem.

00:28:10.640 --> 00:28:13.440
 A lot of us don't struggle with self-righteousness at all.

00:28:13.539 --> 00:28:15.579
 Don't struggle with contempt of others at all.

00:28:15.960 --> 00:28:17.519
 We're like the unrighteous judge.

00:28:17.519 --> 00:28:21.519
 We spend our whole day feeling self-righteous, self-satisfied, self-congratulatory,

00:28:22.599 --> 00:28:23.740
 look down our nose on others,

00:28:23.859 --> 00:28:27.299
 and then we have a great eight hours sleep and wake again to do it

00:28:27.299 --> 00:28:30.639
 with no self-knowledge, even in the least.

00:28:32.700 --> 00:28:38.660
 In the Bible, Jesus is trying to bring to us a human problem,

00:28:39.400 --> 00:28:44.680
 a human problem that causes division and keeps us separate from God.

00:28:44.680 --> 00:28:50.799
 And so Jesus warns us that as we walk with him and others in his way,

00:28:50.920 --> 00:28:53.259
 he warns me against all talking to him,

00:28:53.420 --> 00:28:56.580
 which flows from self-trust, self-righteousness,

00:28:57.000 --> 00:29:00.080
 self-congratulation, and contempt of others.

00:29:00.079 --> 00:29:04.359
 As I've said to you before, I don't know who first said it.

00:29:04.399 --> 00:29:05.179
 It wasn't my line.

00:29:05.379 --> 00:29:09.139
 We can't look up to God if we're looking down our nose at other people.

00:29:10.699 --> 00:29:12.240
 It's physically impossible.

00:29:14.000 --> 00:29:18.179
 And this text is just encouraging us to,

00:29:18.779 --> 00:29:21.519
 in a sense, partly what this text is teaching us to do,

00:29:21.619 --> 00:29:24.019
 I'm going to return to it in about 10 minutes,

00:29:24.019 --> 00:29:28.059
 but partly what this text is just trying to teach us is just to adore.

00:29:29.420 --> 00:29:34.299
 I mean, I was born a lot longer ago than maybe most of you here,

00:29:34.420 --> 00:29:37.240
 not all of you, but, you know, I haven't lived.

00:29:37.500 --> 00:29:38.539
 I have a beginning.

00:29:38.799 --> 00:29:39.619
 I have an end.

00:29:40.440 --> 00:29:41.839
 God is just big.

00:29:43.619 --> 00:29:48.379
 Like, you know, sometimes when I'm flying across the continent

00:29:48.379 --> 00:29:50.859
 or something like that, and I just think to myself,

00:29:50.859 --> 00:29:54.419
 it's as if God just puts into my thought a little bit for a moment,

00:29:54.659 --> 00:29:56.939
 this planet is so big,

00:29:57.639 --> 00:30:02.019
 and God has to be bigger than the planet to make the planet.

00:30:02.399 --> 00:30:05.319
 This galaxy, this universe, it is so big.

00:30:05.519 --> 00:30:11.679
 God has to be so big to form the galaxies and the stars

00:30:11.679 --> 00:30:14.919
 and the universe and the planets and all of these people.

00:30:14.919 --> 00:30:19.979
 God just has to be so big and so great

00:30:19.980 --> 00:30:24.720
 why am I thinking that I'm somehow his equal?

00:30:24.839 --> 00:30:27.059
 Why am I looking down my nose at other people

00:30:27.059 --> 00:30:29.839
 when God asks me to look up to the great God,

00:30:30.500 --> 00:30:34.339
 the planet shaping, planet spinning, galaxy holding,

00:30:34.599 --> 00:30:36.299
 universe forming God,

00:30:36.680 --> 00:30:44.099
 and this God asks little me to speak to him honestly,

00:30:44.099 --> 00:30:46.619
 as a creature,

00:30:46.619 --> 00:30:53.379
 as one who is self-righteous, self-satisfied,

00:30:54.059 --> 00:30:57.279
 self-trusting, and shows contempt to others,

00:30:57.719 --> 00:31:02.000
 and still he asks me to speak to him honestly,

00:31:02.279 --> 00:31:04.419
 and he invites you to speak to him honestly.

00:31:04.420 --> 00:31:08.300
 This is the real world,

00:31:08.519 --> 00:31:14.180
 not a false and an imaginary and religious and spiritual world,

00:31:14.380 --> 00:31:16.720
 but it is the real world.

00:31:19.460 --> 00:31:20.480
 Now some of you might say,

00:31:20.620 --> 00:31:21.300
 okay George,

00:31:22.160 --> 00:31:24.140
 but doesn't Jesus contradict himself?

00:31:25.400 --> 00:31:26.440
 You know, okay,

00:31:26.440 --> 00:31:27.980
 you're telling me that it's all about,

00:31:28.019 --> 00:31:29.320
 it's about not being,

00:31:29.820 --> 00:31:30.039
 you know,

00:31:30.080 --> 00:31:30.980
 about being humble

00:31:30.980 --> 00:31:34.380
 and not being like a black hole

00:31:34.380 --> 00:31:35.340
 and thinking about yourself

00:31:35.340 --> 00:31:36.600
 and looking at the bigness of God,

00:31:36.880 --> 00:31:37.779
 but George,

00:31:38.120 --> 00:31:39.460
 you have nine kids

00:31:39.460 --> 00:31:41.320
 and you have really good kids,

00:31:41.620 --> 00:31:43.660
 but kids are not humble.

00:31:45.580 --> 00:31:46.519
 They're not.

00:31:47.960 --> 00:31:50.400
 Kids do not spend all of their time

00:31:50.400 --> 00:31:52.240
 thinking about others.

00:31:52.240 --> 00:31:54.740
 I want,

00:31:55.079 --> 00:31:55.720
 I want,

00:31:55.980 --> 00:31:56.620
 I want,

00:31:57.279 --> 00:32:00.759
 and they throw little temper tantrums

00:32:00.759 --> 00:32:01.740
 when they don't get what they want.

00:32:01.819 --> 00:32:03.880
 I didn't intentionally pinch a child,

00:32:03.960 --> 00:32:05.740
 have somebody pinch a child at that moment,

00:32:05.960 --> 00:32:07.779
 just so you know.

00:32:07.980 --> 00:32:09.299
 I'm not that well organized.

00:32:09.900 --> 00:32:10.079
 You know,

00:32:10.200 --> 00:32:12.039
 kids aren't particularly humble.

00:32:13.160 --> 00:32:14.380
 Kids aren't particularly,

00:32:15.000 --> 00:32:15.660
 well, you know,

00:32:16.120 --> 00:32:18.140
 kids throw temper tantrums.

00:32:18.259 --> 00:32:20.500
 Adults throw temper tantrums on the inside.

00:32:20.960 --> 00:32:21.440
 Kids say,

00:32:21.440 --> 00:32:23.340
 why bother with it being on the inside

00:32:23.340 --> 00:32:24.880
 when I can go all out

00:32:24.880 --> 00:32:26.980
 to get that thing that I want?

00:32:27.740 --> 00:32:28.080
 You know,

00:32:28.180 --> 00:32:30.059
 kids are all about

00:32:30.059 --> 00:32:31.900
 wanting at least the same amount,

00:32:31.960 --> 00:32:32.960
 if not more.

00:32:33.279 --> 00:32:33.519
 Like,

00:32:33.580 --> 00:32:35.120
 once kids have siblings,

00:32:35.940 --> 00:32:37.559
 he has more space.

00:32:37.860 --> 00:32:39.140
 He has more cake.

00:32:39.400 --> 00:32:40.700
 He has more cookies.

00:32:41.259 --> 00:32:43.220
 She has more time with you.

00:32:43.340 --> 00:32:44.000
 She has,

00:32:44.100 --> 00:32:44.600
 he has,

00:32:44.720 --> 00:32:45.299
 she has.

00:32:45.519 --> 00:32:46.799
 That's what kids are like.

00:32:47.100 --> 00:32:47.820
 So, George,

00:32:48.320 --> 00:32:50.720
 isn't Jesus being a little bit contradictory?

00:32:51.440 --> 00:32:51.980
 Well,

00:32:52.019 --> 00:32:52.480
 let's look.

00:32:53.120 --> 00:32:54.600
 Verses 15 to 17.

00:32:55.559 --> 00:32:55.740
 Now,

00:32:55.820 --> 00:32:57.720
 they were bringing even infants to him

00:32:57.720 --> 00:32:59.100
 that he might touch them.

00:32:59.759 --> 00:33:00.019
 And when,

00:33:00.140 --> 00:33:01.400
 that's to bless them.

00:33:02.200 --> 00:33:03.799
 And when the disciples saw it,

00:33:03.860 --> 00:33:05.080
 they rebuked the,

00:33:05.080 --> 00:33:05.900
 the parents.

00:33:06.960 --> 00:33:07.220
 Um,

00:33:07.320 --> 00:33:07.539
 the,

00:33:07.600 --> 00:33:09.400
 the original language here is that

00:33:09.400 --> 00:33:09.840
 it's very,

00:33:09.980 --> 00:33:10.960
 very young children.

00:33:10.960 --> 00:33:12.660
 You're talking about kids

00:33:12.660 --> 00:33:14.140
 who are like 10 months old

00:33:14.140 --> 00:33:15.460
 and you're talking about

00:33:15.460 --> 00:33:17.539
 14 month old little toddlers

00:33:17.539 --> 00:33:19.980
 who walk like Frankenstein.

00:33:20.140 --> 00:33:20.360
 Okay.

00:33:20.420 --> 00:33:20.740
 It's the,

00:33:20.740 --> 00:33:22.019
 the language is it's identifying

00:33:22.019 --> 00:33:22.319
 very,

00:33:22.440 --> 00:33:23.079
 very young children.

00:33:23.079 --> 00:33:24.860
 So the disciples aren't rebuking

00:33:24.860 --> 00:33:25.340
 the children,

00:33:25.460 --> 00:33:26.519
 they're rebuking the parents.

00:33:27.140 --> 00:33:27.620
 And,

00:33:27.700 --> 00:33:27.860
 uh,

00:33:28.140 --> 00:33:29.240
 and then Jesus says,

00:33:29.640 --> 00:33:30.160
 verse 16,

00:33:30.220 --> 00:33:31.680
 but Jesus called them to him saying,

00:33:31.799 --> 00:33:33.840
 let the children come to me

00:33:33.840 --> 00:33:35.500
 and do not hinder them

00:33:35.500 --> 00:33:36.880
 for to such belongs

00:33:36.880 --> 00:33:37.900
 the kingdom of God.

00:33:37.900 --> 00:33:40.300
 Truly I say to you,

00:33:40.300 --> 00:33:41.660
 whoever does not receive

00:33:41.660 --> 00:33:42.540
 the kingdom of God

00:33:42.540 --> 00:33:43.420
 like a child

00:33:43.420 --> 00:33:45.040
 shall not enter it.

00:33:45.940 --> 00:33:46.200
 Um,

00:33:46.300 --> 00:33:46.920
 listen again,

00:33:47.019 --> 00:33:48.600
 let the children come to me

00:33:48.600 --> 00:33:49.900
 and do not hinder them

00:33:49.900 --> 00:33:51.420
 for to such belong

00:33:51.420 --> 00:33:52.820
 the kingdom of God.

00:33:53.420 --> 00:33:54.320
 Truly I say to you,

00:33:54.320 --> 00:33:55.460
 whoever does not receive

00:33:55.460 --> 00:33:56.440
 the kingdom of God

00:33:56.440 --> 00:33:57.640
 like a child

00:33:57.640 --> 00:33:59.160
 shall not enter it.

00:33:59.800 --> 00:34:00.920
 Now I'm going to explain

00:34:00.920 --> 00:34:01.900
 this point in a moment,

00:34:01.900 --> 00:34:03.080
 but I want to sort of

00:34:03.080 --> 00:34:03.940
 take a bit of a time

00:34:03.940 --> 00:34:04.620
 out in the sermon

00:34:04.620 --> 00:34:06.259
 and this is volunteer Sunday

00:34:06.259 --> 00:34:08.360
 and I'm not really good

00:34:08.360 --> 00:34:09.019
 at raw,

00:34:09.179 --> 00:34:09.519
 raw,

00:34:10.039 --> 00:34:10.300
 uh,

00:34:10.300 --> 00:34:10.679
 let's,

00:34:10.679 --> 00:34:11.260
 uh,

00:34:11.260 --> 00:34:12.719
 tackle these mountains.

00:34:12.719 --> 00:34:13.159
 Uh,

00:34:13.159 --> 00:34:14.579
 we're having everybody sign up.

00:34:14.659 --> 00:34:14.960
 Like I'm,

00:34:14.960 --> 00:34:16.079
 I'm just not very good at it.

00:34:16.119 --> 00:34:17.420
 Some of you have read my blog.

00:34:17.980 --> 00:34:18.380
 Um,

00:34:18.460 --> 00:34:18.760
 you know,

00:34:18.840 --> 00:34:19.019
 I,

00:34:19.019 --> 00:34:20.139
 I think a lot of churches

00:34:20.139 --> 00:34:20.880
 like pastors

00:34:20.880 --> 00:34:22.260
 who are like football coaches

00:34:22.260 --> 00:34:23.940
 who give inspiring speeches

00:34:23.940 --> 00:34:25.900
 and try to get you pumped up

00:34:25.900 --> 00:34:27.579
 and give you five great points

00:34:27.579 --> 00:34:28.300
 for success

00:34:28.300 --> 00:34:29.559
 and six reasons

00:34:29.559 --> 00:34:30.579
 why you should do something.

00:34:30.699 --> 00:34:31.539
 You read my blog

00:34:31.539 --> 00:34:32.559
 on Volunteer Sunday

00:34:32.559 --> 00:34:32.780
 and,

00:34:33.119 --> 00:34:34.280
 and it's like an exercise

00:34:34.280 --> 00:34:34.699
 in,

00:34:34.780 --> 00:34:36.119
 in whether the word volunteer

00:34:36.119 --> 00:34:38.159
 is in the Bible or not

00:34:38.159 --> 00:34:38.940
 and,

00:34:39.059 --> 00:34:39.319
 um,

00:34:39.319 --> 00:34:39.940
 it doesn't maybe

00:34:39.940 --> 00:34:41.199
 necessarily inspire you

00:34:41.199 --> 00:34:41.739
 although hopefully,

00:34:41.880 --> 00:34:41.960
 well,

00:34:42.000 --> 00:34:42.480
 I'm trying to make

00:34:42.480 --> 00:34:43.359
 an important point

00:34:43.359 --> 00:34:44.159
 because the word volunteer

00:34:44.159 --> 00:34:44.940
 isn't in the Bible

00:34:44.940 --> 00:34:45.759
 and,

00:34:45.920 --> 00:34:46.199
 um,

00:34:46.420 --> 00:34:46.619
 but,

00:34:46.679 --> 00:34:47.539
 but here's the thing.

00:34:47.940 --> 00:34:48.219
 Uh,

00:34:48.299 --> 00:34:49.500
 Jesus here is giving us

00:34:49.500 --> 00:34:49.819
 a very,

00:34:49.960 --> 00:34:51.319
 very specific challenge.

00:34:51.319 --> 00:34:52.619
 We're taking a bit of a break,

00:34:52.719 --> 00:34:53.699
 time out from prayer.

00:34:53.940 --> 00:34:54.639
 He's giving us

00:34:54.639 --> 00:34:56.059
 a very specific challenge

00:34:56.059 --> 00:34:57.920
 is that Jesus loves children

00:34:57.920 --> 00:34:59.839
 and one of the things

00:34:59.839 --> 00:35:01.059
 I can ask you to pray for

00:35:01.059 --> 00:35:02.339
 is just pray that God

00:35:02.339 --> 00:35:03.420
 will send more children

00:35:03.420 --> 00:35:04.199
 to the church.

00:35:04.199 --> 00:35:05.099
 Like,

00:35:05.179 --> 00:35:06.179
 please make that part

00:35:06.179 --> 00:35:06.460
 of your,

00:35:06.519 --> 00:35:07.480
 of your daily prayer

00:35:07.480 --> 00:35:08.759
 that God will send

00:35:08.759 --> 00:35:10.019
 children to the church

00:35:10.019 --> 00:35:11.539
 that he will find

00:35:11.539 --> 00:35:11.939
 that,

00:35:12.059 --> 00:35:13.379
 that God will change us

00:35:13.379 --> 00:35:14.219
 in some ways

00:35:14.219 --> 00:35:15.519
 so that we can minister

00:35:15.519 --> 00:35:16.079
 to children,

00:35:16.179 --> 00:35:17.239
 that we can love children,

00:35:17.319 --> 00:35:18.719
 that we can encourage children,

00:35:19.139 --> 00:35:20.399
 that we can bless children,

00:35:20.399 --> 00:35:21.659
 that we can share the gospel

00:35:21.659 --> 00:35:22.299
 with children,

00:35:22.399 --> 00:35:23.819
 that we can disciple children.

00:35:24.279 --> 00:35:25.679
 Pray that God

00:35:25.679 --> 00:35:26.859
 will use us

00:35:26.859 --> 00:35:28.759
 to bless children

00:35:28.759 --> 00:35:30.500
 by bringing them to Jesus.

00:35:30.639 --> 00:35:31.679
 Just pray for that

00:35:31.679 --> 00:35:32.960
 and ask yourself

00:35:32.960 --> 00:35:34.219
 whether God is calling you

00:35:34.219 --> 00:35:34.839
 to be involved

00:35:34.839 --> 00:35:35.500
 in some way

00:35:35.500 --> 00:35:36.239
 in this ministry

00:35:36.239 --> 00:35:37.460
 and I don't just mean

00:35:37.460 --> 00:35:38.839
 our established ministries,

00:35:39.199 --> 00:35:39.839
 I don't just mean

00:35:39.839 --> 00:35:40.359
 getting involved

00:35:40.359 --> 00:35:41.119
 with Sunday school

00:35:41.119 --> 00:35:41.719
 or the nursery

00:35:41.719 --> 00:35:42.739
 or with the youth group

00:35:42.739 --> 00:35:44.119
 but I'm also talking about

00:35:44.119 --> 00:35:45.819
 there's this huge potential

00:35:45.819 --> 00:35:46.299
 out there

00:35:46.299 --> 00:35:46.799
 and you know,

00:35:47.119 --> 00:35:47.399
 you know,

00:35:47.460 --> 00:35:48.339
 maybe what God

00:35:48.339 --> 00:35:49.179
 is calling us to do,

00:35:49.199 --> 00:35:50.059
 maybe God is calling

00:35:50.059 --> 00:35:50.759
 one of you to say,

00:35:50.859 --> 00:35:51.119
 you know what,

00:35:51.159 --> 00:35:52.559
 we can do six vacation

00:35:52.559 --> 00:35:53.899
 Bible schools this summer,

00:35:54.239 --> 00:35:54.739
 can't we?

00:35:54.859 --> 00:35:56.099
 We can do three downtown

00:35:56.099 --> 00:35:57.039
 and we can do three

00:35:57.039 --> 00:35:58.000
 in different neighborhoods

00:35:58.000 --> 00:36:00.099
 and surely that we can find

00:36:00.099 --> 00:36:00.839
 some way to do that

00:36:00.840 --> 00:36:01.860
 and maybe if not six,

00:36:01.940 --> 00:36:02.519
 maybe it's seven,

00:36:02.620 --> 00:36:03.300
 maybe it's four,

00:36:03.660 --> 00:36:04.760
 maybe it's some after type

00:36:04.760 --> 00:36:05.539
 of school program,

00:36:05.640 --> 00:36:06.480
 I don't know what it is

00:36:06.480 --> 00:36:08.600
 but the fact of the matter

00:36:08.600 --> 00:36:10.980
 is that Jesus tells us

00:36:10.980 --> 00:36:13.120
 that he loves children

00:36:13.120 --> 00:36:14.500
 and his people

00:36:14.500 --> 00:36:15.500
 should love children

00:36:15.500 --> 00:36:17.380
 and I just want

00:36:17.380 --> 00:36:18.360
 to really encourage you

00:36:18.360 --> 00:36:19.420
 not just to think about

00:36:19.420 --> 00:36:21.140
 whether God is calling you

00:36:21.140 --> 00:36:21.880
 to be involved

00:36:21.880 --> 00:36:23.280
 in reaching out to children

00:36:23.280 --> 00:36:24.120
 but just,

00:36:24.300 --> 00:36:25.079
 this is a Sunday

00:36:25.079 --> 00:36:25.820
 where we just want

00:36:25.820 --> 00:36:26.820
 to encourage people

00:36:26.820 --> 00:36:28.120
 that Jesus walked,

00:36:28.240 --> 00:36:29.320
 we enter one by one

00:36:29.320 --> 00:36:30.559
 but we walk it with others

00:36:30.559 --> 00:36:31.320
 and that means

00:36:31.320 --> 00:36:32.000
 that all of us

00:36:32.000 --> 00:36:33.480
 have some role to play

00:36:33.480 --> 00:36:35.179
 in walking with each other,

00:36:35.299 --> 00:36:36.400
 to encourage each other,

00:36:36.500 --> 00:36:37.519
 to equip each other,

00:36:37.659 --> 00:36:38.940
 to walk with each other

00:36:38.940 --> 00:36:40.259
 and I just want

00:36:40.259 --> 00:36:41.139
 to encourage you

00:36:41.139 --> 00:36:43.059
 to just pray to God,

00:36:43.199 --> 00:36:44.299
 talk to different people

00:36:44.299 --> 00:36:45.719
 and if none of the ministries

00:36:45.719 --> 00:36:46.579
 sort of scratch,

00:36:47.340 --> 00:36:48.380
 you don't want to sort of,

00:36:48.460 --> 00:36:49.259
 they don't just fit in

00:36:49.259 --> 00:36:50.500
 and maybe God is calling you

00:36:50.500 --> 00:36:51.699
 to help us

00:36:51.699 --> 00:36:53.159
 to walk into some new area

00:36:53.159 --> 00:36:53.699
 of ministry

00:36:53.699 --> 00:36:54.900
 and you should talk to Amy,

00:36:55.019 --> 00:36:55.820
 you should talk to me,

00:36:56.119 --> 00:36:57.019
 I just want to encourage you

00:36:57.019 --> 00:36:57.440
 to pray,

00:36:58.000 --> 00:36:59.320
 to pray about how

00:36:59.320 --> 00:37:00.199
 you can be involved

00:37:00.199 --> 00:37:01.119
 and specifically

00:37:01.119 --> 00:37:02.599
 on a Sunday like this,

00:37:02.860 --> 00:37:04.139
 how we can be involved

00:37:04.139 --> 00:37:05.119
 in heeding the words

00:37:05.119 --> 00:37:05.599
 of Jesus

00:37:05.599 --> 00:37:06.780
 of let the little children

00:37:06.780 --> 00:37:07.460
 come to me.

00:37:09.000 --> 00:37:09.300
 Okay,

00:37:09.519 --> 00:37:10.239
 back to the sermon.

00:37:11.119 --> 00:37:11.539
 Sorry.

00:37:13.880 --> 00:37:14.059
 I,

00:37:15.119 --> 00:37:15.539
 okay,

00:37:15.780 --> 00:37:16.539
 here's the point

00:37:16.539 --> 00:37:17.039
 and then I'm going to

00:37:17.039 --> 00:37:18.000
 start to unpack it.

00:37:18.599 --> 00:37:20.119
 As I walk with Jesus

00:37:20.119 --> 00:37:20.679
 and others

00:37:20.679 --> 00:37:21.699
 on the Jesus way,

00:37:22.079 --> 00:37:22.780
 he wants me

00:37:22.780 --> 00:37:24.019
 to receive his way

00:37:24.019 --> 00:37:25.180
 like a child.

00:37:25.840 --> 00:37:27.100
 As I walk with Jesus

00:37:27.100 --> 00:37:27.660
 and others

00:37:27.660 --> 00:37:28.660
 on the Jesus way,

00:37:29.240 --> 00:37:30.000
 he wants me

00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:31.680
 to receive his way

00:37:31.680 --> 00:37:32.780
 like a child.

00:37:33.740 --> 00:37:34.600
 Now this text

00:37:34.600 --> 00:37:36.260
 has caused lots of mischief

00:37:36.260 --> 00:37:37.200
 amongst Christians.

00:37:38.480 --> 00:37:39.840
 Lots and lots of mischief.

00:37:40.019 --> 00:37:40.200
 I,

00:37:40.460 --> 00:37:41.400
 when I was still part

00:37:41.400 --> 00:37:42.900
 of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa,

00:37:43.000 --> 00:37:43.900
 you would not believe

00:37:43.900 --> 00:37:45.040
 how many workshops

00:37:45.040 --> 00:37:45.680
 and other things

00:37:45.680 --> 00:37:46.400
 that I went to

00:37:46.400 --> 00:37:47.240
 and I'm not going

00:37:47.240 --> 00:37:48.019
 to just pick on them.

00:37:48.100 --> 00:37:49.140
 I've been at other types

00:37:49.140 --> 00:37:50.120
 of clergy things

00:37:50.120 --> 00:37:50.800
 and other things

00:37:50.800 --> 00:37:52.320
 where people encourage us

00:37:52.320 --> 00:37:52.960
 to get in touch

00:37:52.960 --> 00:37:53.960
 with their inner child,

00:37:54.300 --> 00:37:55.640
 to be more childlike,

00:37:55.820 --> 00:37:57.000
 to learn how to play.

00:37:57.420 --> 00:37:58.860
 I was a couple of years ago

00:37:58.860 --> 00:38:00.559
 at a major Christian

00:38:00.559 --> 00:38:02.059
 graduate institution.

00:38:02.220 --> 00:38:02.800
 I went for a,

00:38:03.120 --> 00:38:04.820
 for some continuing ed

00:38:04.820 --> 00:38:05.340
 and there were

00:38:05.340 --> 00:38:06.200
 a variety of speakers

00:38:06.200 --> 00:38:07.539
 and I came in after lunch

00:38:07.539 --> 00:38:08.640
 for the speaker

00:38:08.640 --> 00:38:09.380
 and,

00:38:09.480 --> 00:38:10.519
 and as I'm coming in,

00:38:10.640 --> 00:38:11.640
 there's somebody at the door

00:38:11.640 --> 00:38:13.140
 handing out paper

00:38:13.140 --> 00:38:14.380
 and crayons

00:38:14.380 --> 00:38:15.960
 for the workout.

00:38:16.800 --> 00:38:17.380
 And I said,

00:38:17.440 --> 00:38:18.059
 why are you handing out

00:38:18.059 --> 00:38:18.720
 paper and crayons?

00:38:18.780 --> 00:38:19.019
 She said,

00:38:19.080 --> 00:38:19.160
 well,

00:38:19.180 --> 00:38:19.519
 it's going to be

00:38:19.519 --> 00:38:20.340
 really necessary.

00:38:20.500 --> 00:38:21.220
 She's talking about

00:38:21.220 --> 00:38:22.300
 being more childlike.

00:38:22.980 --> 00:38:24.039
 And I told the person,

00:38:24.160 --> 00:38:24.480
 I'm sorry,

00:38:24.700 --> 00:38:24.940
 I was,

00:38:25.039 --> 00:38:26.280
 this is a very rude moment.

00:38:26.400 --> 00:38:27.600
 I was being very un-Canadian

00:38:27.600 --> 00:38:28.800
 and I said that

00:38:28.800 --> 00:38:29.380
 one of the rules

00:38:29.380 --> 00:38:30.160
 I have now developed

00:38:30.160 --> 00:38:30.640
 in my life

00:38:30.640 --> 00:38:31.860
 is I never go to a talk

00:38:31.860 --> 00:38:32.559
 by a professor

00:38:32.559 --> 00:38:33.200
 where I'm going to need

00:38:33.200 --> 00:38:33.820
 a crayon.

00:38:34.660 --> 00:38:36.300
 And so I went for a walk

00:38:36.300 --> 00:38:36.780
 instead

00:38:36.780 --> 00:38:37.720
 because I didn't want

00:38:37.720 --> 00:38:38.460
 to sit there

00:38:38.460 --> 00:38:39.380
 and try to play

00:38:39.380 --> 00:38:40.340
 with crayons

00:38:40.340 --> 00:38:41.680
 through a presentation.

00:38:42.539 --> 00:38:43.680
 The text is not

00:38:43.680 --> 00:38:44.620
 telling us

00:38:44.620 --> 00:38:45.240
 to get in touch

00:38:45.240 --> 00:38:46.320
 with our inner child,

00:38:46.760 --> 00:38:48.120
 to try to be like children.

00:38:49.720 --> 00:38:50.320
 What is that?

00:38:50.500 --> 00:38:50.840
 Anyway,

00:38:50.840 --> 00:38:51.180
 no,

00:38:51.180 --> 00:38:51.620
 I was going to say

00:38:51.620 --> 00:38:52.039
 something that

00:38:52.039 --> 00:38:52.760
 Johnny Depp said

00:38:52.760 --> 00:38:53.240
 that that would have

00:38:53.240 --> 00:38:53.840
 been a bit rude

00:38:53.840 --> 00:38:54.760
 so I won't say it.

00:38:55.880 --> 00:38:56.860
 You have to be careful

00:38:56.860 --> 00:38:57.500
 when you preach

00:38:57.500 --> 00:38:58.340
 the things that pop

00:38:58.340 --> 00:38:59.000
 into my head

00:38:59.000 --> 00:39:00.220
 you would not believe.

00:39:00.660 --> 00:39:01.760
 Sometimes I get in trouble

00:39:01.760 --> 00:39:02.680
 with it afterwards.

00:39:03.260 --> 00:39:03.960
 Here's the thing

00:39:03.960 --> 00:39:04.820
 a little bit about,

00:39:05.240 --> 00:39:06.200
 so first of all,

00:39:06.460 --> 00:39:07.700
 if Jesus only said

00:39:07.700 --> 00:39:08.460
 this about prayer,

00:39:08.539 --> 00:39:09.320
 if that's the only thing

00:39:09.320 --> 00:39:09.840
 Jesus said,

00:39:09.880 --> 00:39:10.740
 we'd be sort of stuck

00:39:10.740 --> 00:39:11.140
 with it.

00:39:11.780 --> 00:39:12.360
 But you notice

00:39:12.360 --> 00:39:13.300
 that this is a text

00:39:13.300 --> 00:39:14.280
 that talks about

00:39:14.280 --> 00:39:15.280
 a range of things.

00:39:15.559 --> 00:39:16.360
 And so from the very,

00:39:16.360 --> 00:39:17.280
 very first story

00:39:17.280 --> 00:39:17.860
 of the woman

00:39:17.860 --> 00:39:19.240
 and the unjust judge,

00:39:19.280 --> 00:39:19.980
 we can see that

00:39:19.980 --> 00:39:21.360
 what God gives us

00:39:21.360 --> 00:39:22.099
 is justice.

00:39:22.860 --> 00:39:23.380
 And we know

00:39:23.380 --> 00:39:23.980
 that children

00:39:23.980 --> 00:39:25.079
 aren't always really

00:39:25.079 --> 00:39:27.300
 concerned about justice.

00:39:27.420 --> 00:39:27.940
 In some ways,

00:39:28.280 --> 00:39:29.000
 children can be

00:39:29.000 --> 00:39:30.380
 like the unjust judge

00:39:30.380 --> 00:39:31.120
 in that they don't

00:39:31.120 --> 00:39:32.160
 necessarily respect

00:39:32.160 --> 00:39:32.760
 their parents,

00:39:32.880 --> 00:39:33.620
 respect their brother

00:39:33.620 --> 00:39:34.220
 and sister,

00:39:34.579 --> 00:39:35.320
 or fear God,

00:39:35.400 --> 00:39:36.019
 and they can still

00:39:36.019 --> 00:39:37.140
 have a perfectly fine

00:39:37.140 --> 00:39:37.780
 night's sleep.

00:39:38.180 --> 00:39:38.920
 And so the text

00:39:38.920 --> 00:39:39.599
 is telling us

00:39:39.599 --> 00:39:40.460
 that we have to be

00:39:40.460 --> 00:39:41.360
 concerned with justice

00:39:41.360 --> 00:39:41.940
 and fairness.

00:39:42.260 --> 00:39:43.519
 And the earlier text

00:39:43.519 --> 00:39:43.920
 is telling us

00:39:43.920 --> 00:39:44.700
 we have to be concerned

00:39:44.699 --> 00:39:45.419
 with humility

00:39:45.419 --> 00:39:46.179
 and understanding

00:39:46.179 --> 00:39:46.899
 that we're sinners

00:39:46.899 --> 00:39:47.859
 and that we're at fault.

00:39:48.179 --> 00:39:49.039
 So that the text,

00:39:49.359 --> 00:39:50.079
 whatever it means

00:39:50.079 --> 00:39:51.119
 about being like a child,

00:39:51.199 --> 00:39:52.019
 it's going to be balanced

00:39:52.019 --> 00:39:53.059
 by these other teachings

00:39:53.059 --> 00:39:56.019
 of Jesus on prayer.

00:39:56.519 --> 00:39:57.619
 But here's a way

00:39:57.619 --> 00:39:58.539
 to enter into it

00:39:58.539 --> 00:39:59.139
 at its heart.

00:40:00.059 --> 00:40:01.299
 When I was in Eganville,

00:40:01.399 --> 00:40:02.519
 it was a very unusual

00:40:02.519 --> 00:40:03.819
 experience for me.

00:40:04.460 --> 00:40:05.939
 I was a child,

00:40:06.339 --> 00:40:07.639
 am a child of immigrants

00:40:07.639 --> 00:40:09.159
 who came from

00:40:09.159 --> 00:40:10.019
 another country,

00:40:10.119 --> 00:40:10.439
 obviously.

00:40:10.539 --> 00:40:11.339
 I was born here

00:40:11.339 --> 00:40:12.159
 about a year after

00:40:12.159 --> 00:40:13.339
 they immigrated to Canada.

00:40:13.340 --> 00:40:15.240
 I grew up in Montreal.

00:40:15.640 --> 00:40:16.519
 I lived in Ottawa.

00:40:17.100 --> 00:40:17.700
 In a sense,

00:40:17.820 --> 00:40:19.300
 I don't have a home.

00:40:20.420 --> 00:40:20.920
 Like really,

00:40:21.059 --> 00:40:21.360
 for me,

00:40:21.500 --> 00:40:23.140
 home is where Louise is.

00:40:24.680 --> 00:40:25.800
 When I'm with Louise,

00:40:25.940 --> 00:40:26.559
 I'm home.

00:40:27.120 --> 00:40:27.780
 When I'm with Louise

00:40:27.780 --> 00:40:28.220
 and my kids,

00:40:28.320 --> 00:40:28.780
 I'm home.

00:40:28.880 --> 00:40:29.519
 It could be any city

00:40:29.519 --> 00:40:30.019
 in the world.

00:40:30.360 --> 00:40:31.160
 I don't have roots.

00:40:31.800 --> 00:40:32.539
 But there were people

00:40:32.539 --> 00:40:33.260
 in Eganville,

00:40:33.800 --> 00:40:34.820
 there was this one man,

00:40:35.079 --> 00:40:36.019
 his name was Jimmy,

00:40:36.579 --> 00:40:38.340
 and one of his great sorrows

00:40:38.340 --> 00:40:39.780
 was that he was

00:40:39.780 --> 00:40:41.420
 the fifth generation

00:40:41.420 --> 00:40:43.460
 to live and work

00:40:43.460 --> 00:40:44.700
 on that farm,

00:40:45.420 --> 00:40:47.220
 and he had not been able

00:40:47.220 --> 00:40:48.120
 to have children.

00:40:49.900 --> 00:40:51.600
 And there were many people

00:40:51.600 --> 00:40:52.880
 in Eganville

00:40:52.880 --> 00:40:54.579
 who were five

00:40:54.579 --> 00:40:56.440
 or six generations

00:40:56.440 --> 00:40:58.940
 in the same spot.

00:41:00.300 --> 00:41:01.700
 But here's the thing.

00:41:01.699 --> 00:41:04.379
 How would the sixth generation

00:41:04.379 --> 00:41:05.839
 on that same spot

00:41:05.839 --> 00:41:07.699
 and how would I,

00:41:08.299 --> 00:41:09.139
 as a child,

00:41:09.559 --> 00:41:10.500
 learn about Canada?

00:41:11.879 --> 00:41:12.719
 Same way.

00:41:14.039 --> 00:41:15.019
 It doesn't matter

00:41:15.019 --> 00:41:16.279
 that one's five generations

00:41:16.279 --> 00:41:16.939
 on the land

00:41:16.939 --> 00:41:17.679
 and I'm just

00:41:17.679 --> 00:41:18.639
 a brand new immigrant.

00:41:19.279 --> 00:41:20.219
 The same way.

00:41:21.500 --> 00:41:23.039
 Children just accept

00:41:23.039 --> 00:41:23.839
 their country.

00:41:25.239 --> 00:41:26.399
 They just accept

00:41:26.399 --> 00:41:27.980
 that there's certain ways

00:41:27.980 --> 00:41:28.639
 that you dress.

00:41:28.919 --> 00:41:30.099
 They just accept it.

00:41:30.099 --> 00:41:32.519
 It's like it's

00:41:32.519 --> 00:41:33.980
 even deeper than trust.

00:41:34.279 --> 00:41:34.639
 It's just,

00:41:34.759 --> 00:41:35.960
 that's just the way it is.

00:41:37.599 --> 00:41:37.860
 Now,

00:41:38.420 --> 00:41:39.759
 the text isn't telling us

00:41:39.759 --> 00:41:40.339
 that we shouldn't

00:41:40.339 --> 00:41:41.279
 be concerned with justice.

00:41:41.460 --> 00:41:42.699
 The first text tells us

00:41:42.699 --> 00:41:43.199
 that we should be

00:41:43.199 --> 00:41:44.039
 concerned with justice.

00:41:44.159 --> 00:41:44.980
 This is talking about

00:41:44.980 --> 00:41:45.739
 something which is

00:41:45.739 --> 00:41:46.980
 far simpler.

00:41:47.659 --> 00:41:48.500
 That a child,

00:41:48.739 --> 00:41:49.500
 the children here

00:41:49.500 --> 00:41:50.219
 in this church

00:41:50.219 --> 00:41:51.199
 who are being brought up

00:41:51.199 --> 00:41:51.679
 in Canada,

00:41:51.779 --> 00:41:52.319
 it doesn't matter

00:41:52.319 --> 00:41:53.019
 where their parents

00:41:54.980 --> 00:41:55.339
 were from,

00:41:55.400 --> 00:41:55.880
 they come up

00:41:55.880 --> 00:41:57.019
 in this country

00:41:57.019 --> 00:41:58.259
 and they learn

00:41:58.259 --> 00:41:58.739
 the language

00:41:58.739 --> 00:41:59.360
 of the country.

00:41:59.480 --> 00:42:00.019
 They learn the way

00:42:00.019 --> 00:42:00.880
 the country works.

00:42:01.199 --> 00:42:02.420
 That's just the way it is.

00:42:02.940 --> 00:42:03.820
 Their parents

00:42:03.820 --> 00:42:04.940
 are just their parents.

00:42:06.539 --> 00:42:07.480
 And so what this is

00:42:07.480 --> 00:42:08.500
 asking us to do

00:42:08.500 --> 00:42:09.000
 at a very,

00:42:09.159 --> 00:42:10.199
 very deep level

00:42:10.199 --> 00:42:11.739
 is to accept

00:42:11.739 --> 00:42:13.019
 the Jesus way,

00:42:13.679 --> 00:42:14.360
 to accept

00:42:14.360 --> 00:42:15.099
 his kingdom,

00:42:15.559 --> 00:42:16.300
 to accept

00:42:16.300 --> 00:42:17.079
 its language,

00:42:17.340 --> 00:42:17.900
 to accept

00:42:17.900 --> 00:42:18.659
 its purposes,

00:42:18.940 --> 00:42:19.480
 to accept

00:42:19.480 --> 00:42:20.420
 its priorities,

00:42:20.960 --> 00:42:21.699
 to accept

00:42:21.699 --> 00:42:22.860
 its warnings,

00:42:23.360 --> 00:42:24.000
 to accept

00:42:24.000 --> 00:42:25.259
 its exhortation,

00:42:25.400 --> 00:42:25.960
 to accept

00:42:25.960 --> 00:42:27.099
 what we should long for,

00:42:27.199 --> 00:42:27.719
 to accept

00:42:27.719 --> 00:42:28.659
 what we should fear,

00:42:28.659 --> 00:42:29.639
 that at a very,

00:42:29.759 --> 00:42:30.420
 very deep level,

00:42:30.480 --> 00:42:30.839
 it doesn't mean

00:42:30.839 --> 00:42:31.359
 we don't use

00:42:31.359 --> 00:42:31.920
 our brains

00:42:31.920 --> 00:42:32.299
 and everything,

00:42:32.399 --> 00:42:32.879
 but at a very,

00:42:32.960 --> 00:42:33.119
 very,

00:42:33.199 --> 00:42:34.219
 very deep level

00:42:34.219 --> 00:42:35.599
 that our predilection,

00:42:35.779 --> 00:42:37.259
 that our basic preference

00:42:37.259 --> 00:42:38.639
 is just to accept

00:42:38.639 --> 00:42:41.259
 that God knows.

00:42:43.019 --> 00:42:44.179
 Just to accept.

00:42:46.699 --> 00:42:47.559
 Because you'll notice

00:42:47.559 --> 00:42:48.179
 in the text,

00:42:48.339 --> 00:42:49.319
 go back and look at it,

00:42:49.399 --> 00:42:50.399
 verse 16,

00:42:50.480 --> 00:42:51.460
 let the little children

00:42:51.460 --> 00:42:52.119
 come to meet

00:42:52.119 --> 00:42:53.079
 and do not hinder them

00:42:53.079 --> 00:42:54.159
 for to such belongs

00:42:54.159 --> 00:42:56.119
 the kingdom of God.

00:42:56.119 --> 00:42:58.759
 It's a communal image.

00:42:59.559 --> 00:43:00.359
 Truly I say to you,

00:43:00.420 --> 00:43:01.299
 whoever does not receive

00:43:01.299 --> 00:43:03.179
 the kingdom of God,

00:43:03.960 --> 00:43:04.759
 like a child

00:43:04.759 --> 00:43:06.079
 shall not enter it.

00:43:08.259 --> 00:43:09.779
 So that's what we can pray for.

00:43:10.279 --> 00:43:11.299
 That at a deep level,

00:43:11.380 --> 00:43:11.819
 it doesn't mean

00:43:11.819 --> 00:43:12.759
 we don't try to

00:43:12.759 --> 00:43:14.059
 meditate upon Scripture

00:43:14.059 --> 00:43:15.440
 and go into the depths

00:43:15.440 --> 00:43:16.000
 of Scripture

00:43:16.000 --> 00:43:17.139
 and try to understand

00:43:17.139 --> 00:43:17.739
 how the Scripture

00:43:17.739 --> 00:43:19.380
 is dealing with our heart,

00:43:19.480 --> 00:43:20.219
 but at a very,

00:43:20.319 --> 00:43:20.539
 very,

00:43:20.639 --> 00:43:22.159
 very fundamental level,

00:43:22.279 --> 00:43:24.219
 we just accept it.

00:43:24.219 --> 00:43:25.939
 We accept Jesus

00:43:25.939 --> 00:43:26.739
 and his way

00:43:26.739 --> 00:43:27.980
 at a deep level

00:43:27.980 --> 00:43:29.399
 and that's what we can

00:43:29.399 --> 00:43:31.039
 cry out for to God

00:43:31.039 --> 00:43:31.980
 in terms of our prayer.

00:43:32.500 --> 00:43:33.259
 And that leads me

00:43:33.259 --> 00:43:34.779
 to my concluding point.

00:43:36.079 --> 00:43:36.939
 One of the things

00:43:36.939 --> 00:43:38.859
 that's regularly mocked

00:43:38.859 --> 00:43:39.599
 in our culture

00:43:39.599 --> 00:43:40.799
 is the idea

00:43:40.799 --> 00:43:41.919
 of the sinner's prayer.

00:43:42.919 --> 00:43:43.459
 And some of you,

00:43:43.539 --> 00:43:44.139
 if you're not from

00:43:44.139 --> 00:43:45.699
 an evangelical background,

00:43:45.779 --> 00:43:46.159
 you don't even know

00:43:46.159 --> 00:43:47.179
 what the sinner's prayer is.

00:43:47.419 --> 00:43:48.839
 It's often mocked

00:43:48.839 --> 00:43:49.419
 that there are,

00:43:49.859 --> 00:43:50.599
 in many, many

00:43:50.599 --> 00:43:52.239
 wide ranges of Christianity,

00:43:52.439 --> 00:43:53.019
 it's mocked

00:43:53.019 --> 00:43:54.139
 within evangelicalism.

00:43:54.219 --> 00:43:54.879
 This idea

00:43:54.879 --> 00:43:56.539
 that there's a prayer

00:43:56.539 --> 00:43:57.739
 that can change your life,

00:43:57.859 --> 00:43:58.359
 that you can,

00:43:58.699 --> 00:43:59.459
 that there's a time

00:43:59.459 --> 00:44:00.099
 in your life

00:44:00.099 --> 00:44:01.199
 for some people

00:44:01.199 --> 00:44:02.559
 where they have to come to God

00:44:02.559 --> 00:44:03.799
 and they have to say a prayer

00:44:03.799 --> 00:44:05.159
 about accepting Jesus

00:44:05.159 --> 00:44:06.119
 into their lives

00:44:06.119 --> 00:44:06.699
 and asking.

00:44:07.019 --> 00:44:08.699
 And it's sort of mocked

00:44:08.699 --> 00:44:09.939
 and the whole idea

00:44:09.939 --> 00:44:10.739
 of altar calls

00:44:10.739 --> 00:44:11.559
 which is just a form

00:44:11.559 --> 00:44:12.279
 of an invitation

00:44:12.279 --> 00:44:13.779
 or a minister asking

00:44:13.779 --> 00:44:14.319
 for people

00:44:14.319 --> 00:44:15.239
 to invite Jesus

00:44:15.239 --> 00:44:16.059
 into their lives

00:44:16.059 --> 00:44:16.500
 and to pray

00:44:16.500 --> 00:44:17.519
 a particular prayer.

00:44:17.879 --> 00:44:18.839
 And it's disbelieved

00:44:18.839 --> 00:44:19.579
 and it's mocked

00:44:19.579 --> 00:44:21.000
 by many, many, many people

00:44:21.000 --> 00:44:22.639
 who call themselves Christians

00:44:22.639 --> 00:44:23.679
 and many, many people

00:44:23.679 --> 00:44:24.859
 outside of the Christian faith.

00:44:25.179 --> 00:44:25.859
 It's an idea

00:44:25.859 --> 00:44:27.139
 that people make fun of.

00:44:28.319 --> 00:44:29.019
 Some of you

00:44:29.019 --> 00:44:29.980
 who have been here before

00:44:29.980 --> 00:44:31.539
 know that I issue invitations.

00:44:31.719 --> 00:44:32.480
 I'm going to issue

00:44:32.480 --> 00:44:33.400
 an invitation today

00:44:33.400 --> 00:44:34.920
 and I invite people

00:44:34.920 --> 00:44:35.879
 to say a prayer

00:44:35.879 --> 00:44:36.980
 to ask Jesus

00:44:36.980 --> 00:44:37.819
 to come into their lives.

00:44:37.900 --> 00:44:39.099
 So why do I do that?

00:44:42.039 --> 00:44:43.000
 I'm a Canadian.

00:44:43.379 --> 00:44:44.139
 I'm sensitive

00:44:44.139 --> 00:44:45.339
 of cultural pressure.

00:44:46.559 --> 00:44:47.699
 You know why I do it?

00:44:47.699 --> 00:44:49.179
 I do it because

00:44:49.179 --> 00:44:50.439
 Jesus tells me to.

00:44:52.299 --> 00:44:53.379
 That's why I do it.

00:44:54.460 --> 00:44:55.279
 Because I want to be

00:44:55.279 --> 00:44:55.899
 like a child.

00:44:56.799 --> 00:44:58.939
 Look at verses 13 and 14.

00:45:00.299 --> 00:45:00.699
 Remember,

00:45:00.819 --> 00:45:01.500
 he's talking about

00:45:01.500 --> 00:45:03.019
 the tax collector.

00:45:03.259 --> 00:45:03.960
 Verse 13.

00:45:04.579 --> 00:45:05.759
 But the tax collector

00:45:05.759 --> 00:45:07.480
 standing far off

00:45:07.480 --> 00:45:08.819
 would not even lift up

00:45:08.819 --> 00:45:09.839
 his eyes to heaven

00:45:09.839 --> 00:45:10.859
 but beat his breast

00:45:10.859 --> 00:45:11.139
 saying,

00:45:11.279 --> 00:45:12.679
 God, be merciful to me,

00:45:12.719 --> 00:45:13.079
 a sinner.

00:45:14.619 --> 00:45:15.719
 I tell you,

00:45:15.839 --> 00:45:16.980
 this man went down

00:45:16.980 --> 00:45:17.780
 to his house

00:45:17.780 --> 00:45:19.019
 justified rather

00:45:19.019 --> 00:45:19.679
 than the other.

00:45:20.760 --> 00:45:21.400
 For everyone

00:45:21.400 --> 00:45:22.360
 who exalts himself

00:45:22.360 --> 00:45:23.139
 will be humbled

00:45:23.139 --> 00:45:23.719
 but the one

00:45:23.719 --> 00:45:24.780
 who humbles himself

00:45:24.780 --> 00:45:25.659
 will be exalted.

00:45:27.920 --> 00:45:29.440
 I know that for myself

00:45:29.440 --> 00:45:31.380
 I actually walked an aisle

00:45:31.380 --> 00:45:32.099
 and went forward

00:45:32.099 --> 00:45:33.440
 to give my life to Christ

00:45:33.440 --> 00:45:35.300
 and I have to confess

00:45:35.300 --> 00:45:36.119
 that one of the things

00:45:36.119 --> 00:45:36.699
 that kept me

00:45:36.699 --> 00:45:37.320
 from doing that

00:45:37.320 --> 00:45:38.240
 for many months

00:45:38.240 --> 00:45:39.039
 was that I did not

00:45:39.039 --> 00:45:40.159
 want to humble myself

00:45:40.159 --> 00:45:41.500
 in front of a congregation.

00:45:41.500 --> 00:45:48.019
 I did not.

00:45:48.579 --> 00:45:50.000
 I'm not proud about that.

00:45:51.559 --> 00:45:52.860
 There's all sorts of things

00:45:52.860 --> 00:45:53.460
 in this life

00:45:53.460 --> 00:45:54.320
 that we do not do

00:45:54.320 --> 00:45:55.820
 because we compare ourselves

00:45:55.820 --> 00:45:56.280
 to others

00:45:56.280 --> 00:45:57.619
 and wonder what they would think.

00:45:58.699 --> 00:46:00.199
 But here's the amazing thing.

00:46:00.960 --> 00:46:01.599
 This is actually,

00:46:01.800 --> 00:46:02.579
 this guy,

00:46:02.780 --> 00:46:03.719
 all he prays

00:46:03.719 --> 00:46:04.960
 is these in English,

00:46:05.199 --> 00:46:08.079
 God, be merciful to me,

00:46:08.599 --> 00:46:09.559
 the sinner.

00:46:09.800 --> 00:46:11.099
 Seven words in English.

00:46:11.500 --> 00:46:12.219
 The word

00:46:12.219 --> 00:46:13.920
 which is translated

00:46:13.920 --> 00:46:15.019
 as merciful here

00:46:15.019 --> 00:46:17.300
 is actually a unique way

00:46:17.300 --> 00:46:18.619
 in the original language.

00:46:18.800 --> 00:46:19.519
 It's a unique word.

00:46:19.619 --> 00:46:20.219
 It's only found

00:46:20.219 --> 00:46:21.079
 in one other place

00:46:21.079 --> 00:46:21.599
 in the Bible

00:46:21.599 --> 00:46:22.940
 which is Hebrews 2,

00:46:23.059 --> 00:46:23.780
 verse 17.

00:46:24.739 --> 00:46:25.500
 And most of us

00:46:25.500 --> 00:46:26.539
 when we think of mercy

00:46:26.539 --> 00:46:27.159
 we think of

00:46:27.159 --> 00:46:27.800
 give me a break.

00:46:27.840 --> 00:46:28.599
 Like if I owe you

00:46:28.599 --> 00:46:29.400
 a hundred bucks

00:46:29.400 --> 00:46:30.739
 I don't have it with me today.

00:46:31.280 --> 00:46:31.460
 You know,

00:46:31.539 --> 00:46:32.539
 in a sense I'm saying

00:46:32.539 --> 00:46:33.760
 give me some mercy,

00:46:33.900 --> 00:46:34.659
 give me some grace,

00:46:34.780 --> 00:46:35.400
 give me a break,

00:46:35.500 --> 00:46:36.539
 cut me some slack,

00:46:36.719 --> 00:46:37.860
 give me an extra few days

00:46:37.860 --> 00:46:38.659
 and I'll get it to you.

00:46:39.340 --> 00:46:40.219
 And that's what we tend

00:46:40.219 --> 00:46:41.099
 to think of mercy

00:46:41.099 --> 00:46:41.719
 that person

00:46:41.719 --> 00:46:42.819
 cutting us some slack,

00:46:42.940 --> 00:46:43.500
 being patient

00:46:43.500 --> 00:46:44.299
 and being kind.

00:46:44.860 --> 00:46:46.420
 But here the original word

00:46:46.420 --> 00:46:47.659
 is not actually

00:46:47.659 --> 00:46:48.099
 what,

00:46:48.299 --> 00:46:49.219
 it's only here

00:46:49.219 --> 00:46:50.539
 in two verses,

00:46:50.699 --> 00:46:51.940
 this in Hebrews 2, 17.

00:46:52.380 --> 00:46:53.719
 And what it's actually saying

00:46:53.719 --> 00:46:55.079
 is it's actually asking

00:46:55.079 --> 00:46:55.819
 to be covered

00:46:55.819 --> 00:46:56.739
 by the atoning,

00:46:57.360 --> 00:46:58.219
 the atonement.

00:46:58.880 --> 00:47:00.579
 It's asking to be covered

00:47:00.579 --> 00:47:02.339
 by a sacrifice

00:47:02.339 --> 00:47:03.679
 that God makes

00:47:03.679 --> 00:47:05.219
 to make us right with him.

00:47:05.219 --> 00:47:07.619
 It's in fact,

00:47:08.019 --> 00:47:09.739
 in the Greek word,

00:47:09.819 --> 00:47:10.839
 it's the Greek word

00:47:10.839 --> 00:47:12.179
 for the Hebrew word

00:47:12.179 --> 00:47:13.079
 for atonement.

00:47:13.559 --> 00:47:14.139
 You've heard of

00:47:14.139 --> 00:47:14.879
 Yom Kippur,

00:47:15.279 --> 00:47:16.259
 the day of atonement?

00:47:16.839 --> 00:47:18.039
 The Hebrew word,

00:47:18.119 --> 00:47:19.519
 because this is from Psalm 51,

00:47:19.679 --> 00:47:20.279
 is Kippur,

00:47:20.719 --> 00:47:21.319
 atonement.

00:47:22.919 --> 00:47:24.599
 Have your atonement

00:47:24.599 --> 00:47:26.959
 be on me.

00:47:27.539 --> 00:47:28.959
 Have your covering

00:47:28.959 --> 00:47:30.139
 of my sins

00:47:30.139 --> 00:47:31.099
 be on me.

00:47:31.860 --> 00:47:33.099
 It's pointing to Jesus

00:47:33.099 --> 00:47:33.799
 and what he's going

00:47:33.799 --> 00:47:34.779
 to do on the cross.

00:47:36.319 --> 00:47:37.099
 And the man,

00:47:37.360 --> 00:47:39.519
 he prays from his heart.

00:47:40.079 --> 00:47:41.819
 It emerges from his heart.

00:47:42.019 --> 00:47:42.960
 He understands

00:47:42.960 --> 00:47:44.500
 his separation

00:47:44.500 --> 00:47:45.380
 from God

00:47:45.380 --> 00:47:46.239
 and his need.

00:47:46.339 --> 00:47:47.099
 And he cries out

00:47:47.099 --> 00:47:47.779
 from his heart.

00:47:48.319 --> 00:47:49.400
 And it begins

00:47:49.400 --> 00:47:50.000
 in his heart

00:47:50.000 --> 00:47:51.299
 and he uses words.

00:47:51.819 --> 00:47:52.819
 And Jesus says,

00:47:53.139 --> 00:47:54.619
 this man goes home justified.

00:47:54.900 --> 00:47:55.920
 And the same word

00:47:55.920 --> 00:47:56.920
 that is translated there

00:47:56.920 --> 00:47:57.519
 as justified

00:47:57.519 --> 00:47:58.639
 is translated

00:47:58.639 --> 00:47:59.460
 in many places

00:47:59.460 --> 00:48:00.099
 in the Bible

00:48:00.099 --> 00:48:00.779
 as righteous.

00:48:00.780 --> 00:48:01.740
 It means redeemed.

00:48:01.880 --> 00:48:02.620
 It means forgiven.

00:48:02.980 --> 00:48:03.840
 It means made right

00:48:03.840 --> 00:48:04.340
 with God.

00:48:04.600 --> 00:48:05.680
 And Jesus says,

00:48:05.820 --> 00:48:06.940
 this man prays

00:48:06.940 --> 00:48:07.640
 this prayer

00:48:07.640 --> 00:48:09.440
 and goes home

00:48:09.440 --> 00:48:12.019
 right with God.

00:48:13.860 --> 00:48:15.580
 And so why do I

00:48:15.580 --> 00:48:16.519
 give an invitation?

00:48:16.780 --> 00:48:17.480
 Because Jesus

00:48:17.480 --> 00:48:18.400
 teaches us this.

00:48:18.920 --> 00:48:19.320
 Here, Andrew,

00:48:19.360 --> 00:48:19.940
 if you could put up

00:48:19.940 --> 00:48:20.720
 the final point.

00:48:22.019 --> 00:48:22.880
 Jesus wants me

00:48:22.880 --> 00:48:23.960
 to enter his way

00:48:23.960 --> 00:48:25.780
 and walk his way,

00:48:26.200 --> 00:48:27.760
 praying from my heart,

00:48:28.460 --> 00:48:28.880
 God,

00:48:29.040 --> 00:48:30.540
 be merciful to me.

00:48:30.780 --> 00:48:31.460
 A sinner.

00:48:32.800 --> 00:48:34.019
 Jesus wants me

00:48:34.019 --> 00:48:34.940
 to enter his way

00:48:34.940 --> 00:48:35.980
 and walk his way,

00:48:36.100 --> 00:48:37.480
 praying from my heart,

00:48:37.780 --> 00:48:38.220
 God,

00:48:38.519 --> 00:48:39.980
 be merciful to me,

00:48:40.460 --> 00:48:40.940
 the sinner.

00:48:41.820 --> 00:48:43.760
 We enter the Jesus way

00:48:43.760 --> 00:48:46.120
 with such a prayer.

00:48:46.119 --> 00:48:50.880
 and we walk the Jesus way,

00:48:51.500 --> 00:48:53.659
 always asking to be covered

00:48:53.659 --> 00:48:55.420
 by what Jesus did for us

00:48:55.420 --> 00:48:56.400
 on the cross.

00:48:57.759 --> 00:48:57.980
 You know,

00:48:58.119 --> 00:48:58.719
 I ask,

00:48:58.980 --> 00:48:59.500
 in a sense,

00:48:59.759 --> 00:49:00.759
 my marriage to Louise

00:49:00.759 --> 00:49:02.579
 begins by me telling her

00:49:02.579 --> 00:49:03.359
 I love her

00:49:03.359 --> 00:49:05.219
 and will she marry me?

00:49:05.920 --> 00:49:07.159
 And in a sense,

00:49:07.319 --> 00:49:08.440
 every day for the rest

00:49:08.440 --> 00:49:08.920
 of my life,

00:49:08.960 --> 00:49:09.380
 in a sense,

00:49:09.460 --> 00:49:10.599
 I'm to renew my vows

00:49:10.599 --> 00:49:11.339
 by telling her

00:49:11.339 --> 00:49:12.000
 that I love her.

00:49:12.920 --> 00:49:13.780
 And every day

00:49:13.780 --> 00:49:14.800
 of the Christian walk

00:49:14.800 --> 00:49:15.460
 is to remember

00:49:15.460 --> 00:49:16.619
 that we need to be covered

00:49:16.619 --> 00:49:17.699
 by the blood of Jesus,

00:49:17.860 --> 00:49:18.920
 by what he did for us

00:49:18.920 --> 00:49:19.519
 on the cross.

00:49:19.559 --> 00:49:20.519
 That's to grip us.

00:49:20.579 --> 00:49:22.519
 It's to be what we understand

00:49:22.519 --> 00:49:23.840
 as the central thing

00:49:23.840 --> 00:49:25.179
 that makes us right with God.

00:49:25.500 --> 00:49:26.840
 It's not how many good works,

00:49:26.880 --> 00:49:27.460
 we don't have to do

00:49:27.460 --> 00:49:28.699
 a whole pile of good works

00:49:28.699 --> 00:49:29.880
 and then finally

00:49:29.880 --> 00:49:30.920
 Jesus accepts us.

00:49:30.940 --> 00:49:31.480
 We don't have to do

00:49:31.480 --> 00:49:32.659
 a whole pile of good works

00:49:32.659 --> 00:49:33.400
 and get our lives

00:49:33.400 --> 00:49:34.920
 in a particular type of order

00:49:34.920 --> 00:49:36.280
 or a particular type

00:49:36.280 --> 00:49:36.780
 of obedience

00:49:36.780 --> 00:49:38.179
 and then Jesus applies

00:49:38.179 --> 00:49:38.599
 what he's done

00:49:38.599 --> 00:49:39.320
 on the cross for us.

00:49:39.320 --> 00:49:41.460
 Nothing in my hands

00:49:41.460 --> 00:49:42.280
 I bring simply

00:49:42.280 --> 00:49:43.400
 to the cross I cling.

00:49:44.120 --> 00:49:45.820
 We only enter

00:49:45.820 --> 00:49:46.580
 the Christian way

00:49:46.580 --> 00:49:47.820
 and live the Christian way

00:49:47.820 --> 00:49:48.460
 by grace

00:49:48.460 --> 00:49:49.640
 and by what Jesus does

00:49:49.640 --> 00:49:50.620
 for us on the cross.

00:49:51.860 --> 00:49:52.380
 And, you know,

00:49:52.420 --> 00:49:53.080
 here's the thing.

00:49:54.860 --> 00:49:55.140
 You know,

00:49:55.360 --> 00:49:56.160
 some people,

00:49:56.380 --> 00:49:57.720
 they're raised by Christians

00:49:57.720 --> 00:49:59.000
 and there's never

00:49:59.000 --> 00:50:00.120
 a time in their lives

00:50:00.120 --> 00:50:01.039
 when they haven't trusted

00:50:01.039 --> 00:50:01.480
 in Jesus

00:50:01.480 --> 00:50:02.539
 and that's really good.

00:50:03.600 --> 00:50:04.559
 But if there's never

00:50:04.559 --> 00:50:05.600
 been a time in your life

00:50:05.600 --> 00:50:06.900
 that you haven't trusted Jesus,

00:50:07.100 --> 00:50:08.340
 then it's the easiest thing

00:50:08.340 --> 00:50:08.740
 in the world

00:50:08.739 --> 00:50:09.079
 to say,

00:50:09.179 --> 00:50:10.259
 God, be merciful to me,

00:50:10.299 --> 00:50:10.579
 a sinner.

00:50:11.679 --> 00:50:12.500
 You might not be able,

00:50:12.619 --> 00:50:13.699
 you might not have to walk

00:50:13.699 --> 00:50:14.959
 down an aisle to say it,

00:50:15.019 --> 00:50:16.159
 but it's an easy thing

00:50:16.159 --> 00:50:17.139
 to say to Jesus,

00:50:17.319 --> 00:50:18.479
 God, be merciful to me,

00:50:18.519 --> 00:50:18.799
 a sinner.

00:50:19.699 --> 00:50:20.619
 And some of us

00:50:20.619 --> 00:50:21.079
 don't know

00:50:21.079 --> 00:50:22.159
 the particular moment

00:50:22.159 --> 00:50:22.899
 when we realize

00:50:22.899 --> 00:50:24.179
 that we had to give ourselves

00:50:24.179 --> 00:50:24.799
 to Jesus.

00:50:25.279 --> 00:50:26.579
 Maybe it was in September,

00:50:26.719 --> 00:50:27.619
 we would still have not

00:50:27.619 --> 00:50:28.459
 wanted to do that

00:50:28.459 --> 00:50:30.459
 and then somehow in May

00:50:30.459 --> 00:50:32.279
 something changed

00:50:32.279 --> 00:50:32.899
 and we realized

00:50:32.899 --> 00:50:34.099
 that our heart had changed

00:50:34.099 --> 00:50:35.039
 and we were now trusting

00:50:35.039 --> 00:50:36.219
 Jesus as our Savior.

00:50:36.639 --> 00:50:38.059
 Then if that's described you,

00:50:38.059 --> 00:50:39.000
 there's nothing,

00:50:39.259 --> 00:50:40.179
 you just say to him,

00:50:40.259 --> 00:50:41.440
 God, be merciful to me,

00:50:41.480 --> 00:50:41.679
 a sinner.

00:50:41.779 --> 00:50:43.059
 I don't know when I said it first,

00:50:43.619 --> 00:50:44.960
 you don't care about that,

00:50:45.019 --> 00:50:46.099
 you just care that it comes

00:50:46.099 --> 00:50:47.039
 from my heart.

00:50:48.000 --> 00:50:49.500
 And if it comes from my heart,

00:50:49.559 --> 00:50:50.380
 I can say it,

00:50:50.440 --> 00:50:51.759
 God, be merciful to me,

00:50:51.799 --> 00:50:52.239
 the sinner.

00:50:53.619 --> 00:50:54.599
 But others of us,

00:50:55.500 --> 00:50:56.639
 it would be like me,

00:50:57.480 --> 00:50:59.340
 your pride is keeping you

00:50:59.340 --> 00:51:00.880
 from saying such a prayer

00:51:00.880 --> 00:51:03.579
 and the Holy Spirit's

00:51:03.579 --> 00:51:04.460
 pressing upon you

00:51:04.460 --> 00:51:04.940
 to say,

00:51:05.660 --> 00:51:07.079
 God, be merciful to me,

00:51:07.119 --> 00:51:07.480
 the sinner.

00:51:09.440 --> 00:51:10.440
 And if that's what

00:51:10.440 --> 00:51:11.380
 you're going to pray today

00:51:11.380 --> 00:51:11.960
 and I'm not going to,

00:51:12.019 --> 00:51:12.280
 you just,

00:51:12.980 --> 00:51:13.880
 you have your Bibles,

00:51:14.240 --> 00:51:15.420
 you have it on the screen,

00:51:16.119 --> 00:51:16.960
 I'm not going to try to,

00:51:17.960 --> 00:51:19.500
 Jesus said this works

00:51:19.500 --> 00:51:22.180
 if it's coming from your heart.

00:51:22.619 --> 00:51:23.420
 I'm not going to try

00:51:23.420 --> 00:51:24.660
 to gild the rose.

00:51:24.659 --> 00:51:27.599
 Just pray it from your heart

00:51:27.599 --> 00:51:30.379
 and enter the Jesus way

00:51:30.379 --> 00:51:32.219
 and walk it with Jesus and others.

00:51:32.679 --> 00:51:33.299
 Please stand.

00:51:47.779 --> 00:51:48.759
 Father, you know

00:51:48.759 --> 00:51:50.279
 how much we're influenced

00:51:50.279 --> 00:51:51.719
 by the people around us.

00:51:52.279 --> 00:51:52.960
 You know, Father,

00:51:53.059 --> 00:51:54.259
 how much that keeps us

00:51:54.260 --> 00:51:55.280
 from doing things?

00:51:55.620 --> 00:51:56.180
 I guess, Father,

00:51:56.280 --> 00:51:58.340
 sometimes that's a good thing.

00:51:59.120 --> 00:52:00.040
 But you know, Father,

00:52:00.120 --> 00:52:01.220
 there's lots of times

00:52:01.220 --> 00:52:03.020
 that our obedience to you

00:52:03.020 --> 00:52:04.580
 is circumscribed

00:52:04.580 --> 00:52:05.320
 and hindered

00:52:05.320 --> 00:52:06.560
 by what others will think.

00:52:07.980 --> 00:52:09.520
 Father, make us like a child

00:52:09.520 --> 00:52:12.160
 who just accepts your way

00:52:12.160 --> 00:52:14.720
 and will walk in your way

00:52:14.720 --> 00:52:16.420
 and trust your words.

00:52:18.300 --> 00:52:20.380
 Father, we want to make it complicated.

00:52:20.540 --> 00:52:21.340
 We want to make it like

00:52:21.340 --> 00:52:22.820
 we have to get our act together

00:52:22.820 --> 00:52:23.720
 by ourselves

00:52:23.719 --> 00:52:26.839
 or do exemplary service to you

00:52:26.839 --> 00:52:28.079
 before you will accept us

00:52:28.079 --> 00:52:28.759
 as your child.

00:52:28.879 --> 00:52:29.299
 But Father,

00:52:29.500 --> 00:52:30.419
 Jesus himself

00:52:30.419 --> 00:52:32.419
 tells us to cry out to you

00:52:32.419 --> 00:52:33.019
 from our heart,

00:52:33.139 --> 00:52:34.239
 God, be merciful to me,

00:52:34.279 --> 00:52:34.579
 a sinner.

00:52:34.739 --> 00:52:36.059
 Father, that's what we want to do.

00:52:37.939 --> 00:52:38.759
 Help us, Father,

00:52:38.819 --> 00:52:39.939
 to do that in such a way

00:52:39.939 --> 00:52:41.299
 that we enter the Jesus way

00:52:41.299 --> 00:52:42.439
 and help us to say that

00:52:42.439 --> 00:52:43.539
 every day as we walk

00:52:43.539 --> 00:52:44.739
 the Jesus way.

00:52:44.739 --> 00:52:45.059
 Father,

00:52:45.259 --> 00:52:46.319
 we come to you.

00:52:46.699 --> 00:52:47.899
 We are self-righteous,

00:52:48.039 --> 00:52:48.739
 self-congratulatory.

00:52:48.739 --> 00:52:51.139
 We treat others with contempt.

00:52:51.519 --> 00:52:52.219
 We are sinners.

00:52:52.419 --> 00:52:53.279
 I acknowledge

00:52:53.279 --> 00:52:54.799
 and confess that before you.

00:52:55.199 --> 00:52:56.359
 May the blood of Jesus

00:52:56.359 --> 00:52:57.439
 and what he did for me

00:52:57.439 --> 00:52:58.039
 on the cross,

00:52:58.139 --> 00:52:59.319
 may that cover me.

00:53:00.239 --> 00:53:01.199
 Only that, Father,

00:53:01.259 --> 00:53:02.539
 will make me right with you.

00:53:03.539 --> 00:53:03.799
 Jesus,

00:53:04.179 --> 00:53:05.739
 I am your child

00:53:05.739 --> 00:53:07.559
 by adoption and grace.

00:53:08.899 --> 00:53:09.500
 Thank you

00:53:09.500 --> 00:53:10.379
 for what your son

00:53:10.379 --> 00:53:11.459
 did for me on the cross.

00:53:11.599 --> 00:53:12.500
 Thank you that you want me

00:53:12.500 --> 00:53:13.479
 to talk to you again

00:53:13.479 --> 00:53:13.899
 and again

00:53:13.899 --> 00:53:14.659
 and again and again.

00:53:14.659 --> 00:53:16.739
 All this we ask and thank

00:53:16.739 --> 00:53:17.539
 in the name of Jesus,

00:53:17.699 --> 00:53:18.179
 your son

00:53:18.179 --> 00:53:19.139
 and our savior.

00:53:19.619 --> 00:53:19.879
 Amen.