WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.080 staff at Trinity. And first of all, I'd like to publicly thank Trinity. This has been a huge 00:00:06.080 --> 00:00:11.580 blessing to us for our preparation of doing church in London. This is really good for us, 00:00:11.599 --> 00:00:17.900 really healthy for us. So thank you to the staff at Trinity. This is very appreciated by us. But 00:00:17.900 --> 00:00:24.920 the second thing is kind of an apology. If you were here for the morning service, you will have 00:00:24.920 --> 00:00:30.820 heard Reese's sermon. And I have to apologize that I am not nearly as compelling to listen to 00:00:30.820 --> 00:00:37.540 as Reese. I have no intriguing accent to speak with. I tried. I did a dry run. It didn't work 00:00:37.540 --> 00:00:43.180 out so well. So I'm from New London. I have a New London accent. If it's not too mundane, 00:00:43.439 --> 00:00:48.219 you can stay. We're going to pray next. So if it's not exciting enough, then feel free to slip 00:00:48.219 --> 00:00:52.299 out the back and I'll never know, okay? So let us pray, please. 00:00:54.920 --> 00:01:04.939 Lord Jesus, we desire to see a true and full picture of who you are. 00:01:07.379 --> 00:01:12.540 Lord, this is the reason that we come tonight. It's the reason that we're in the book of Mark. 00:01:12.540 --> 00:01:20.760 We desire to know you. And so I ask that you would reveal yourself truly to us in this text tonight 00:01:20.760 --> 00:01:24.620 for the glory of your name. Amen. 00:01:26.540 --> 00:01:35.000 So one thing before we jump into this text is the passage tonight is Mark chapter 10 verses 32 to 52. 00:01:36.680 --> 00:01:42.900 We may venture out of these boundaries slightly in order to really understand what Mark is driving 00:01:42.900 --> 00:01:49.560 at in his text. So it's easy for me, and I think it's easy for us as Christians to view a text as 00:01:49.560 --> 00:01:57.719 isolated. So we're going to just look at 32 ending at 52. And I think we miss a lot of what Mark is 00:01:57.719 --> 00:02:01.680 getting at if we just look at these 20 verses. So we're going to kind of jump around a little bit, 00:02:01.760 --> 00:02:07.180 a little bit before what happened to Mark. Fast forward a little bit, see what happens later on 00:02:07.180 --> 00:02:15.099 in the book, but try to stay somewhat constrained to verses 32 to 52. Also, that's found at page 846 00:02:15.099 --> 00:02:22.419 of the Pew Bibles, in case you want to turn there. So let us read this text. 00:02:25.259 --> 00:02:26.459 Verse 32. 00:02:27.259 --> 00:02:32.680 And they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them, and they were 00:02:32.680 --> 00:02:38.759 amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again, he took the twelve aside and began to tell 00:02:38.759 --> 00:02:40.780 them what was going to happen to him, saying, 00:02:40.780 --> 00:02:46.060 Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and 00:02:46.060 --> 00:02:52.080 the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and will hand him over to the Gentiles. They will mock 00:02:52.080 --> 00:02:57.920 him, and spit on him, and scourge him, and kill him. And three days later he will rise again. 00:02:59.659 --> 00:03:03.060 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus, saying, 00:03:03.180 --> 00:03:06.979 Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you. 00:03:06.979 --> 00:03:12.459 And he said to them, What do you want me to do for you? And they said to him, Grant, that we may sit 00:03:12.459 --> 00:03:17.939 one on your right hand and one on your left, in your glory. But Jesus said to them, You do not know 00:03:17.939 --> 00:03:23.060 what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with a baptism 00:03:23.060 --> 00:03:29.479 with which I am baptized? But to sit on my right or on my left, this is not mine to give, but it is for 00:03:29.479 --> 00:03:35.399 those for whom it has been prepared. Hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John, 00:03:35.400 --> 00:03:41.180 calling them to himself. Jesus said to them, You know those who are recognized as rulers of the 00:03:41.180 --> 00:03:48.020 Gentiles, lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not this 00:03:48.020 --> 00:03:54.060 way among you. But whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes 00:03:54.060 --> 00:04:00.759 to be first among you shall be a slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, 00:04:00.759 --> 00:04:08.479 but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Then they came to Jericho, and as they were 00:04:08.479 --> 00:04:14.500 leaving Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of 00:04:14.500 --> 00:04:21.319 Timaeus, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, 00:04:21.459 --> 00:04:28.980 Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out 00:04:28.980 --> 00:04:36.360 all the more. Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stopped and said, Call him here. And so they 00:04:36.360 --> 00:04:41.400 called the blind man, saying to him, Take courage, stand up, he's calling you. And throwing aside his 00:04:41.400 --> 00:04:49.140 cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus. And answering him, Jesus said, What do you want me to do for you? 00:04:49.960 --> 00:04:57.180 And the blind man said to him, Rabboni, I want to regain my sight. Jesus said to him, Go, your faith has 00:04:57.180 --> 00:05:03.160 made you well. Immediately he regained his sight and began to follow him on the road. 00:05:06.879 --> 00:05:13.160 My goal for tonight, as we look at this text, is very simple, and it's summarized in one sentence. 00:05:14.259 --> 00:05:22.600 It is for us to see the all-surpassing greatness of Jesus and to follow him. So at a very basic level, 00:05:22.600 --> 00:05:28.620 that's my aim. For Jesus, in all of his ways, and all that he stands for, all that he does, to be lifted 00:05:28.620 --> 00:05:35.040 high above everything else in this life, and for you to see this, the true picture of him, and continue 00:05:35.040 --> 00:05:41.960 on in your pursuit of him. So that's my goal. That's what I come to this text with. To accomplish this 00:05:41.960 --> 00:05:48.780 goal, it'll require that we ask and answer three questions. Okay, so these questions are, Who is Jesus 00:05:48.779 --> 00:05:59.000 not? Who is he not? Followed by, Who then is Jesus? Who is he? And followed by, Where then is he leading us? 00:05:59.759 --> 00:06:06.239 Okay, so these three questions will guide us in our goal of seeing the greatness and supremacy of Jesus. 00:06:07.139 --> 00:06:12.339 Okay, so pretty simple. I figured, you know, why not put the three points? It kind of makes it neat for 00:06:12.339 --> 00:06:17.579 your note writing, right? So three things. The first one, question number one, Who is Jesus not? 00:06:18.379 --> 00:06:26.120 Or perhaps the better way to ask this question is, in what ways have we blinded ourselves to the true 00:06:26.120 --> 00:06:36.259 image of Jesus? So let's look back at the text. Let's go 32 to 37. They're going on this road, and what do we 00:06:36.259 --> 00:06:42.159 see happening? This is one of the most sobering passages in all of Mark for me, because we see Jesus 00:06:42.159 --> 00:06:49.019 explaining for the third time, in the greatest detail thus far in the book of Mark, his upcoming 00:06:49.019 --> 00:06:56.439 death. He's going to be scourged, spit on, mocked, and then killed. And so he just reveals this, again, for 00:06:56.439 --> 00:07:03.240 the third time to his disciples. And then we see James and John approach him, right? So what do we expect 00:07:03.240 --> 00:07:10.000 them to say to him, like, Jesus, you are so gracious? Why are you so good to us? Jesus, must it happen this 00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:21.120 way? Jesus, can we take your place? But that's not at all what we hear them say. Rather, Jesus, give us 00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:29.340 what we ask of you. How do they do this, right? My mind, when I read this, I say, how is this possible? 00:07:29.339 --> 00:07:37.479 And the answer is, they have been blinded to see Jesus as the full Jesus of who he is. They're 00:07:37.479 --> 00:07:42.379 blinded to this aspect of him. See, Mark is pretty clever in this text. 00:07:46.399 --> 00:07:54.879 He uses this idea of blindness to drive home a very profound point. See, he talks about physical 00:07:54.879 --> 00:08:01.879 blindness and then physical, like, seeing to reflect on spiritual blindness and spiritual seeing. Okay, so 00:08:01.879 --> 00:08:05.240 we see this throughout the text. This is what I mentioned at the beginning. We might jump back a 00:08:05.240 --> 00:08:10.399 little bit for us to actually grasp this. So if you look at—you don't have to turn there, because we're 00:08:10.399 --> 00:08:15.019 going to go to a couple different passages right now, but chapter 8, verses 22. There's another blind 00:08:15.019 --> 00:08:21.699 man, okay? This man does not see anything. Then Jesus comes to him, heals him. The man sees kind of 00:08:21.699 --> 00:08:27.779 with—with—with blurred vision. Jesus heals him again, then he sees clearly. So he sees—doesn't see, 00:08:28.120 --> 00:08:36.620 then sees partially, then sees fully. Then you move on. Chapter 8, verses 27. Uh, Peter, he sees—who 00:08:36.620 --> 00:08:42.620 do people say that I am? Peter, you're the Messiah. Yes, like, you're right. You see that. But he doesn't 00:08:42.620 --> 00:08:48.539 see, because the next part is he pulls Jesus aside and rebukes him, saying, you don't know what you're 00:08:48.539 --> 00:08:55.399 doing if you're going to go die. So Peter sees, doesn't really see. Then the next thing, transfiguration. 00:08:55.839 --> 00:09:01.699 Peter, James, and John, they're brought up to this mountain where Jesus is transfigured before them, 00:09:02.000 --> 00:09:10.139 and they see Jesus and Moses and Elijah representing the law and the prophets. They see that, but they 00:09:10.139 --> 00:09:16.740 don't see that Jesus is far above both the law and the prophets. So they see, but don't fully see. 00:09:16.740 --> 00:09:26.680 And then the end of our passage, there's a blind man. He does not see physically, but he sees. Son of David, 00:09:26.779 --> 00:09:35.139 this messianic term. He sees, and then what does he do? He follows. Okay, so this happens because we're blind 00:09:35.139 --> 00:09:41.480 to Jesus at times, and my goal for tonight is for us to see Jesus as he truly is. And before we cast 00:09:41.480 --> 00:09:49.580 judgment on these two disciples, it is wise for us to see how we do this in our own lives, and even with 00:09:49.580 --> 00:09:59.120 Jesus. You see, it is a, it's a fundamental human error for us to project onto others the image that we 00:09:59.120 --> 00:10:07.000 want them to bear. In other words, we decide to see people how we want to see them. We make them think, 00:10:07.000 --> 00:10:13.299 or act, or operate in a way that most fits with our idea of, of who they should be, or how they should 00:10:13.299 --> 00:10:19.179 be. We project our image of them over the real image of them, right? We do this all the time. 00:10:20.580 --> 00:10:28.919 So let us not too harshly criticize James and John and cast them aside before we see how we do this with 00:10:28.919 --> 00:10:35.159 our spouses, and our friends, and our professors at school, maybe, or politicians in general, and 00:10:35.159 --> 00:10:39.620 most importantly, as Mark will show us, how we do this with, with God himself. 00:10:41.500 --> 00:10:49.860 Because at times, we, we just like not knowing the real person. We like leaving this safe cushion of, 00:10:50.059 --> 00:10:56.079 of ambiguity surrounding relationships. It's just easier that way, right? If I ignore this part of him, 00:10:56.080 --> 00:11:03.440 or, or that part of her, it's on my terms. It makes it easier. I, okay, so I know, kind of a real life 00:11:03.440 --> 00:11:10.200 example. I know I'm not alone in thinking about my MySpace days, right? Can you think back to MySpace? 00:11:11.100 --> 00:11:16.440 Perhaps if you're not old enough, or maybe not, not young enough to remember MySpace, uh, in its prime, 00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:22.940 we can think about, like, your, when you first started using Facebook, or really any time, for me, 00:11:22.940 --> 00:11:28.120 that I could see this, this glimpse of some girl out there, but not actually see her for who she is, 00:11:28.160 --> 00:11:33.360 right? You'd click their profile, you'd, like, look through photographs, and you'd see some perfect 00:11:33.360 --> 00:11:42.320 idiosyncrasy about them, and then conclude in your brilliant middle school mind that you can't operate 00:11:42.320 --> 00:11:47.620 a moment longer without IMing her, or at least, like, putting her in your OA message somehow, right? 00:11:47.620 --> 00:11:51.639 We did this when we were younger. Those were heart-wrenching days that were only, like, 00:11:52.060 --> 00:11:58.179 pacified by listening to Dashboard Confessional afterwards, right? All right. I, I can remember 00:11:58.179 --> 00:12:06.320 my heart, like, going crazy for this girl I met at summer camp, uh, Camp Aria. It was a three-day 00:12:06.320 --> 00:12:09.580 Bible conference, right? Churches come together, and, you know, all meet in the same place. 00:12:09.580 --> 00:12:17.740 We met over a milkshake in the gymnasium, right? And then, like, cruelly, our church vans, like, 00:12:17.820 --> 00:12:22.000 separated us at the end of the weekend, like, end-of-the-world stuff. That's how it felt, right? 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:29.080 But in that, I knew her, like, just this glimpse. I just talked to her for 10 minutes, but I, I fill in 00:12:29.080 --> 00:12:34.080 all of the blanks, right, with how I want her to be. I fill in all the voids, and I, I softened the 00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:39.259 rough edges. I really over-spiritualized the fact that she had a WWJD bracelet on, and therefore was, 00:12:39.259 --> 00:12:44.980 like, the perfect wife potential for my eighth-grade soul. Like, that's how it worked, right? We do this. 00:12:45.000 --> 00:12:51.159 We're really good at making people into what we want them to be, but the cost that we blind ourselves 00:12:51.159 --> 00:12:56.620 to who they really are, right? We, we do this, and I think as a side note, I think that's why we like 00:12:56.620 --> 00:13:02.860 Facebook so much, because we can put out there, like, the thing we want to be seen as. We can be seen, 00:13:02.860 --> 00:13:12.220 right? But not really seen. And my point is that Jesus never does this. Mark never does this with 00:13:12.220 --> 00:13:17.779 Jesus. He never shows us just a couple of, like, the best features of him, and then hides the rest. 00:13:17.919 --> 00:13:19.560 That, that never happens. 00:13:19.559 --> 00:13:29.979 So my goal is for us to see him and really see him, lest we make him into someone that he's not. 00:13:30.979 --> 00:13:37.319 Okay, so enough, like, extra biblical stuff. Back to the text. How do we do this or see this in the 00:13:37.319 --> 00:13:44.819 book of Mark? We, we see in Mark, um, I love the book of Mark. I, I love it. It's, it's a, it's a dynamic and, 00:13:44.820 --> 00:13:54.240 like, action-packed story of the life of Jesus. I, I love it. And with these actions, uh, we are really 00:13:54.240 --> 00:14:02.360 tempted to see him as who he is not. Um, we watch Jesus heal. So again, you don't have to turn here. 00:14:02.420 --> 00:14:09.400 I'm just going to kind of write, read a list off. Chapter 1, verses 21. Jesus heals, excuse me, a demon-possessed 00:14:09.399 --> 00:14:17.779 man. Chapter 1, verses 30. He heals Peter's mother. 1, 34. He heals many with diseases. Chapter 1, verses 40. 00:14:17.819 --> 00:14:26.179 He cleanses a leper. 2, 10. He heals the paralytic. 3, 5. Heals a withered hand of a man. Like, on and on and on, 00:14:27.039 --> 00:14:32.799 we see Jesus being a healer. And so, we, as, as humans, we interact with this text and say, 00:14:32.799 --> 00:14:40.939 I, I, I find a need for healing in my own life. And I see that Jesus heals. Therefore, I make Jesus into 00:14:40.939 --> 00:14:48.679 just a healer. But let us ask our main question again. Who is Jesus not? He is not just a healer. 00:14:50.099 --> 00:14:56.139 Or, perhaps we are the one to think much of spiritual things, to, to look deep inside of 00:14:56.139 --> 00:15:02.439 ourself and, and to recognize the reality that, at the end of our life, death waits for us. And there's, 00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:07.220 there's one of two options. There's a eternal, eternity with God and all of his goodness, or 00:15:07.220 --> 00:15:13.120 that's eternity apart from those things. And so, we read in this text, Jesus, he, he is one who is to 00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:22.879 give eternal life, eternal life with God. And so, we, we are prone to just see Jesus as this free ride 00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:31.779 to eternity with God, but miss everything else about him. And so, that too, is to not see Jesus for who 00:15:31.779 --> 00:15:40.460 he is. If he's just the, the ticket to heaven, then that is far too low a view of Jesus, and you, you have 00:15:40.460 --> 00:15:49.019 missed him. So, that's another way that we, we see who Jesus is not. Now, to look at our text for 00:15:49.019 --> 00:15:54.740 tonight, James and John, right? You're going through, we're going to Jerusalem, Jesus talks about death. 00:15:55.840 --> 00:16:02.840 Teacher, give us what we want. We want to sit on your right hand and on your left hand to reign with 00:16:02.840 --> 00:16:10.019 you in power. Now, let us remember, guys, that at this point, the Jews are under foreign rule. 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:16.620 They're an occupied people. The Romans have taken over their homeland, and they, they, these guys live not 00:16:16.620 --> 00:16:24.299 by the law of the prophets, by their own code, their own pagan deities. And James and John see 00:16:24.299 --> 00:16:31.240 Jesus as their rescuer, much like Peter did before with, with his, yes, you are the Messiah. Like, they see 00:16:31.240 --> 00:16:39.980 that part, but they see him as overthrowing these leaders and beginning this new era for Jews, but they 00:16:39.980 --> 00:16:48.000 see him wrong. They project onto him the person they want him to be. They make him into this revolutionary 00:16:48.000 --> 00:16:54.680 guy who will reclaim the throne and rule over the Jews with, with power and justice. But they see him 00:16:54.680 --> 00:17:06.519 wrongly. For Jesus himself tells us how he will rule. Verse 42, we read this, you know how everyone else in 00:17:06.519 --> 00:17:12.160 this world. The Gentiles, they, they rule and then lord their power over people. But that's not the way 00:17:12.160 --> 00:17:19.539 it is with you guys as Christians. If you want to be great, you become the servant. For even me, the son of 00:17:19.539 --> 00:17:30.579 man, did not come to be served, but to serve and give my life as a ransom for many. So there's this 00:17:30.579 --> 00:17:37.439 understanding here that these guys have kind of completely missed who Jesus is. We can look 00:17:37.439 --> 00:17:43.819 other way in, in Mark and see how there's, there's, yes, there's power, there's happiness, there's a 00:17:43.819 --> 00:17:49.699 release from bondage all found in Jesus. But if we make him just the giver of these things, or just the 00:17:49.699 --> 00:17:56.439 giver of one of these things even, then it's not Jesus that we see. So he is not a mere healer. 00:17:56.440 --> 00:18:03.940 He's not merely the ticket to eternal life. He's not a political revolutionary. He's not just the key 00:18:03.940 --> 00:18:10.039 to our happiness or power or release from bondage. He may be these things, but that's not all that he is. 00:18:11.059 --> 00:18:20.840 So that brings us to our second question. Who then is Jesus? Or from reading Mark, who do we see Mark 00:18:20.839 --> 00:18:30.279 show us Jesus is? My answer to that, and I think Mark's answer to that, is Jesus is the all-supreme 00:18:30.279 --> 00:18:41.539 God who reigns high over every facet of this life, who lowered himself to the form of man to make an 00:18:41.539 --> 00:18:50.819 eternal offering for my guilt in a way that I never could have imagined. Again, chapter 10, verse 42, 00:18:50.839 --> 00:18:59.319 this is the way Jesus rules. The crux of who Jesus is, is to come and serve in order that he may be 00:18:59.319 --> 00:19:08.939 the offering and ransom for many. So our question, who is Jesus? He's the ransom. He's the offering. 00:19:09.819 --> 00:19:16.799 He is the lamb upon whom the sins of the world would be placed, who would then be violently slaughtered 00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:24.319 in substitution for man in order to buy back humanity. And I hope you see this. Mark hopes you 00:19:24.319 --> 00:19:31.039 see this. The disciples miss this, and Mark is writing this so that we don't miss this. 00:19:31.440 --> 00:19:35.619 I have come to die in your place. Verse 33, 00:19:35.619 --> 00:19:59.199 Where are we going? Jerusalem. 00:19:59.200 --> 00:20:05.200 Jerusalem. Why are we going there? So that I can be murdered. So that I can be killed. And I hope that 00:20:05.200 --> 00:20:11.980 you see this, guys. I want you to see this. So is he a healer? Yes, he is. A spiritual healer. 00:20:13.519 --> 00:20:19.779 Is he the way to eternal life? He absolutely is, but not for your sake, just so you have a life outside of 00:20:19.779 --> 00:20:25.340 eternity apart from God, but for his sake, that his name would be glorified and lifted up as being the 00:20:25.339 --> 00:20:31.759 one to save us. Is he the revolutionary? Yeah, he is a revolutionary. He flipped everything upside down. 00:20:31.859 --> 00:20:40.059 He made death into life. He defeated death itself by dying. That's revolutionary. He's the giver of mercy, 00:20:40.059 --> 00:20:50.119 not the giver of our demands upon him. So our question, who is he? This is why Rob read Isaiah 53 00:20:50.119 --> 00:20:58.559 before, at the beginning of the service. He is the despised one. He is the forsaken one. He is the man of 00:20:58.559 --> 00:21:05.819 sorrows, acquainted with grief. He is the one from whom men hide their face. He is the one who bore our 00:21:05.819 --> 00:21:11.659 grief. He is the one who carried our sorrows. He is the one smitten by God. He is the one cut off from 00:21:11.659 --> 00:21:17.139 the land of living. He is the one crushed for our iniquities. He is the one pierced for our transgressions. 00:21:17.140 --> 00:21:24.980 He is the one from whom God, or whom God the Father was pleased to crush in order to render him 00:21:24.980 --> 00:21:29.280 as a guilt offering for us. Guys, that is who Jesus is. 00:21:32.300 --> 00:21:39.720 He is the guilt offering. He is this one who, though he did not deserve any of it, endured all of this 00:21:39.720 --> 00:21:44.120 suffering to make himself an offering for us. That is who Jesus is. 00:21:44.119 --> 00:21:51.839 Three times in the book of Mark, we've seen him discuss the reason for his coming. 00:21:52.619 --> 00:21:58.379 So in chapter 8, verse 32, we see him describe why he's coming. 00:22:01.259 --> 00:22:04.259 Basically, yeah, so he talks about the, in verse 34, 00:22:04.259 --> 00:22:08.640 if anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and, and take up his cross and follow me, 00:22:08.900 --> 00:22:12.940 after he kind of explains the, the reason for his coming. 00:22:13.259 --> 00:22:18.720 9.32, the Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he has, 00:22:19.160 --> 00:22:21.140 when he's been killed, he will rise three days later. 00:22:21.599 --> 00:22:24.500 And then chapter 10, our text tonight, verse 35. 00:22:24.500 --> 00:22:27.460 So, he's telling us, who am I? 00:22:28.839 --> 00:22:30.920 I'm the one who has come to take your death. 00:22:32.400 --> 00:22:37.359 I've come to suffer and to be killed, and to rise, that you too may have life. 00:22:38.460 --> 00:22:42.599 Or another way of saying this, I've come to heal your blindness. 00:22:42.599 --> 00:22:48.259 So, this is who Jesus is. 00:22:49.139 --> 00:22:53.459 And, and this brings us to our, the third and final question for us. 00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:58.939 Question number three is, where is he leading us? 00:23:00.159 --> 00:23:05.539 Or, perhaps a better way of saying it is, is where do we find this Jesus? 00:23:05.539 --> 00:23:13.940 And, the answer to that question is found in the second text that Rob read at the beginning of the sermon, of the message. 00:23:14.899 --> 00:23:16.639 Hebrews, chapter 13. 00:23:23.599 --> 00:23:25.460 Verses 10 to 14. 00:23:28.639 --> 00:23:31.599 Excuse me, verses, verse 12 to 14. 00:23:31.599 --> 00:23:39.779 Therefore, Jesus also, that he may sanctify the people through his own blood, suffered outside the camp. 00:23:40.799 --> 00:23:46.659 So then, let us go to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. 00:23:47.419 --> 00:23:50.619 For here we do not have, we have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come. 00:23:52.579 --> 00:23:55.199 Jesus suffered outside the camp. 00:23:55.379 --> 00:23:58.439 So, outside the camp, what does that mean? 00:23:58.440 --> 00:24:04.620 That means outside of this zone of comfort, or of ease. 00:24:04.920 --> 00:24:07.240 Outside the camp, there's, there's pain there. 00:24:07.380 --> 00:24:08.400 There's trials. 00:24:08.559 --> 00:24:09.660 There's difficulty there. 00:24:09.840 --> 00:24:11.840 And, and this is where Jesus went. 00:24:12.259 --> 00:24:14.740 And so, this verse, let us go to him. 00:24:14.940 --> 00:24:15.720 That's where he is. 00:24:18.299 --> 00:24:20.759 There are two main themes of Mark, I think. 00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:21.980 One is the glory of Jesus. 00:24:22.740 --> 00:24:25.420 And two is the suffering of Jesus and his followers. 00:24:25.420 --> 00:24:30.500 Look at the very first verse of our text tonight, verse 32. 00:24:34.980 --> 00:24:39.860 They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them. 00:24:40.200 --> 00:24:41.400 And they were, were amazed. 00:24:42.019 --> 00:24:43.460 And those who followed were fearful. 00:24:44.519 --> 00:24:47.400 It is so easy for me to skip over this verse. 00:24:48.500 --> 00:24:51.500 And then I think, what's in Jerusalem? 00:24:51.500 --> 00:24:51.900 Jerusalem. 00:24:53.140 --> 00:24:56.200 Jerusalem is the place of Jesus' suffering. 00:24:57.299 --> 00:25:04.180 Jerusalem is the, is the place that he is walking to, knowing that all of these things he listed previously are going to happen to him. 00:25:05.819 --> 00:25:08.099 He's, he's walking in front of his disciples. 00:25:08.880 --> 00:25:10.200 He's leading the way. 00:25:10.420 --> 00:25:12.099 They're following him there. 00:25:15.539 --> 00:25:17.160 That's profound to me. 00:25:17.160 --> 00:25:19.720 And it says they're afraid. 00:25:19.820 --> 00:25:20.800 I think they get it. 00:25:21.140 --> 00:25:21.920 They understand. 00:25:22.240 --> 00:25:28.779 Jesus' face is set like flint towards Jerusalem, saying, I'm going there, and I know what I'm going to do. 00:25:30.500 --> 00:25:35.519 See, every time Jesus predicts his death, it comes with a call for discipleship. 00:25:36.279 --> 00:25:39.640 For people to come alongside him every time in the book of Mark. 00:25:39.640 --> 00:25:44.200 Again, these three passages. 00:25:45.740 --> 00:25:46.259 832. 00:25:46.400 --> 00:25:49.100 I'll be rejected by the chief priests and the scribes and be killed. 00:25:49.520 --> 00:25:51.759 Therefore, here's the call to us. 00:25:51.940 --> 00:25:56.520 Therefore, deny yourselves, take up your cross, and lose your life. 00:25:57.759 --> 00:25:58.580 Second time. 00:25:59.100 --> 00:25:59.660 930. 00:26:00.160 --> 00:26:02.080 Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men. 00:26:02.140 --> 00:26:02.700 You'll be killed. 00:26:03.180 --> 00:26:06.780 Therefore, be last among all men. 00:26:06.779 --> 00:26:12.099 And the next one in our text tonight, verse 33 of chapter 10. 00:26:12.559 --> 00:26:15.160 He'll be delivered into the hands of the chief priests and the scribes. 00:26:15.220 --> 00:26:15.740 He'll be killed. 00:26:16.519 --> 00:26:22.519 Therefore, become servants of all and glory in this low place that you'll find. 00:26:23.539 --> 00:26:26.879 So, to follow Jesus is to suffer. 00:26:27.579 --> 00:26:28.460 This is what it means. 00:26:29.079 --> 00:26:31.079 It's to go to him outside the camp. 00:26:31.399 --> 00:26:33.519 Outside of this safe, comfortable zone. 00:26:33.519 --> 00:26:37.539 But this is the hardest question of all of them for me. 00:26:39.000 --> 00:26:42.440 Especially for me as I live here in America. 00:26:43.019 --> 00:26:45.160 I have a really nice home right now. 00:26:45.279 --> 00:26:46.319 We have two cars. 00:26:47.139 --> 00:26:48.119 We're both employed. 00:26:48.180 --> 00:26:49.220 My wife and I are both employed. 00:26:49.559 --> 00:26:51.680 It's hard for me to wrestle with what this means. 00:26:52.900 --> 00:26:55.220 And so I ask the question, well, why suffer? 00:26:55.220 --> 00:26:57.860 Or for what purpose do we suffer? 00:27:02.299 --> 00:27:06.420 Suffering allows for us to join in his fellowship. 00:27:06.559 --> 00:27:13.640 Now, I think we—it is important that we don't just view suffering in a very acute way. 00:27:14.059 --> 00:27:15.360 Suffering takes many forms. 00:27:15.359 --> 00:27:24.519 And I think if we view this outside the camp lifestyle, it means whenever these difficulties and hardship and trials come, 00:27:24.619 --> 00:27:28.059 like, there, within those times, Jesus is found. 00:27:29.899 --> 00:27:34.839 It allows us, when we're in that place, it allows us fellowship with him. 00:27:35.099 --> 00:27:40.479 If I follow Jesus, if I see the true image of who Jesus is and therefore follow him, 00:27:40.699 --> 00:27:43.099 I don't want to miss out on my fellowship with him. 00:27:43.099 --> 00:27:46.799 If that's where he is, I'm okay with that. 00:27:48.379 --> 00:27:49.659 I want that. 00:27:49.859 --> 00:27:51.879 Because I don't want to miss my time with Jesus. 00:27:54.639 --> 00:27:57.000 It is also to refine us. 00:27:58.839 --> 00:28:04.619 We'll remember from previous weeks, as we talked about, like, the book of Mark in general, 00:28:04.939 --> 00:28:07.379 that Mark was not a disciple of Jesus. 00:28:07.559 --> 00:28:11.259 He was a disciple of Peter, who was walking with Jesus. 00:28:11.259 --> 00:28:16.640 So, for me to get a real full picture of Mark, and I would suggest the same for you, 00:28:16.900 --> 00:28:20.720 to really dig into this book of Mark, we're wise to read Peter. 00:28:21.180 --> 00:28:26.759 And there's many passages, in 1 Peter especially, where it talks about the purpose behind suffering. 00:28:26.920 --> 00:28:32.480 And it is, for a short time here on earth, we're suffering to refine us, to test us, 00:28:32.819 --> 00:28:34.960 to bring about endurance. 00:28:34.960 --> 00:28:38.799 And this is how I can answer that question, why do we suffer? 00:28:39.180 --> 00:28:44.920 Because this test is so applicable to us, right? 00:28:44.960 --> 00:28:47.180 Like, it's at the pearl of a great price. 00:28:47.559 --> 00:28:51.059 So we have everything in this life here. 00:28:51.240 --> 00:28:53.420 And then there's this pearl of a great price there. 00:28:53.420 --> 00:28:57.460 And the point of suffering, I think one of the points of suffering is, 00:28:57.800 --> 00:29:02.940 are we willing to get rid of all of these things for this one thing? 00:29:02.960 --> 00:29:03.880 And this pearl is Jesus. 00:29:04.980 --> 00:29:09.820 And so when we suffer, it says, do you value Jesus more than anything else? 00:29:10.640 --> 00:29:16.960 Is your view of Jesus so high that if it means this is rid of in your life, 00:29:16.960 --> 00:29:20.500 or this is taken from you, that this is still valuable. 00:29:20.840 --> 00:29:24.579 This is still exceedingly beyond anything else that we have. 00:29:26.100 --> 00:29:28.400 And I think that's one of the points of suffering. 00:29:30.039 --> 00:29:36.779 Because it'll cause us to recognize and remember that this pearl of great cost, 00:29:36.779 --> 00:29:40.220 this Jesus that we have, it's not leaving. 00:29:40.500 --> 00:29:43.880 No matter what happens, I will hold this view of Jesus as high. 00:29:43.880 --> 00:29:47.180 If all these things are taken away, he is still there. 00:29:48.680 --> 00:29:51.420 And so I think that's one of the reasons of why we suffer. 00:29:51.760 --> 00:30:02.300 And finally, because it is a way in which the world can see Jesus 00:30:02.300 --> 00:30:07.080 as different than any other man or God that has ever existed. 00:30:07.079 --> 00:30:14.399 One of the most important sermons I've ever listened to or read is by John Piper. 00:30:14.919 --> 00:30:17.059 And it's called, Why the Supremacy of Christ, 00:30:17.299 --> 00:30:20.299 or How the Supremacy of Christ Creates Radical Christian Sacrifice. 00:30:21.220 --> 00:30:28.099 And so this quote here is just exactly what my heart is saying with this. 00:30:28.179 --> 00:30:30.740 So these are not my words, these are his words. 00:30:30.919 --> 00:30:33.480 I have no qualms reading them to you because they're that good, I think. 00:30:33.480 --> 00:30:37.339 He talks about suffering. 00:30:37.759 --> 00:30:40.440 He talks about kind of the why behind it. 00:30:40.779 --> 00:30:44.599 And he says the world is not going to glorify Jesus 00:30:44.599 --> 00:30:50.860 when they see Christians are healthy and wealthy and prosperous. 00:30:51.960 --> 00:30:53.460 And it's a very simple reason why. 00:30:53.579 --> 00:30:55.079 Because that's what they live for. 00:30:55.079 --> 00:31:00.480 We use Jesus as the ticket, but they use other means as the ticket, 00:31:00.480 --> 00:31:01.500 and they're not impressed. 00:31:01.899 --> 00:31:05.779 And Piper says, I'm saying what I'm saying because I want them to be impressed. 00:31:06.359 --> 00:31:09.740 And I just love that heart of John Piper, and I think that's what Mark is saying. 00:31:11.139 --> 00:31:15.460 Jesus will be glorified and put above everything else 00:31:15.460 --> 00:31:18.639 when the world sees us as holding fast to him, 00:31:18.899 --> 00:31:22.000 even if everything underneath us gets ripped out. 00:31:22.000 --> 00:31:23.619 That's impressive. 00:31:24.160 --> 00:31:27.339 And our goal as Christians is to have the world impressed with Jesus. 00:31:27.680 --> 00:31:29.700 We want to show him as who he truly is. 00:31:30.299 --> 00:31:34.599 So I think that is another reason for why suffering happens. 00:31:37.079 --> 00:31:40.700 So to come back to our text, 00:31:42.200 --> 00:31:44.539 we look at verse 46. 00:31:44.539 --> 00:31:50.379 There's this story of Jericho. 00:31:50.539 --> 00:31:52.559 Jesus, they come to Jericho and they leave. 00:31:52.619 --> 00:31:54.619 I have no idea what happened there from this text because 00:31:54.619 --> 00:31:56.740 verse 46, they came to Jericho. 00:31:57.039 --> 00:31:58.379 Next sentence, they were leaving Jericho. 00:31:58.480 --> 00:32:00.379 So the point here is to talk about the blind man. 00:32:02.119 --> 00:32:05.539 You see, Mark again uses this, like we said earlier, 00:32:05.639 --> 00:32:10.859 uses this idea of blindness in a very powerful way. 00:32:10.859 --> 00:32:14.759 Because here we are again to this blind man. 00:32:16.000 --> 00:32:19.399 And, yeah. 00:32:20.779 --> 00:32:25.939 This man cannot see Jesus, right? 00:32:26.019 --> 00:32:27.579 So he has no physical eyes. 00:32:27.659 --> 00:32:28.519 He can't see Jesus. 00:32:28.899 --> 00:32:30.039 But he knows who he is. 00:32:30.139 --> 00:32:31.359 He's heard about him, perhaps. 00:32:31.599 --> 00:32:33.359 He calls him son of David, the son of man. 00:32:35.199 --> 00:32:36.339 And what happens? 00:32:36.339 --> 00:32:39.359 His eyes are healed. 00:32:39.439 --> 00:32:42.379 His blindness is removed by Jesus. 00:32:43.639 --> 00:32:45.779 He sees and truly sees. 00:32:45.879 --> 00:32:46.799 And then what does he do? 00:32:47.779 --> 00:32:50.619 He gets up and he follows Jesus. 00:32:50.759 --> 00:32:51.419 Where are they going? 00:32:52.000 --> 00:32:53.019 They're going to suffering. 00:32:54.419 --> 00:32:57.319 And so from the very beginning to this ending passage, 00:32:57.679 --> 00:33:01.319 when we have our sight restored 00:33:01.319 --> 00:33:03.359 and when we have our sight made true 00:33:03.359 --> 00:33:05.500 to see Jesus as who Jesus truly is, 00:33:06.379 --> 00:33:09.439 we will therefore follow him to where he is going. 00:33:11.379 --> 00:33:12.619 And so as we, 00:33:12.919 --> 00:33:17.159 as this ends and we transition into the Lord's Supper, 00:33:17.439 --> 00:33:18.319 the communion service, 00:33:18.740 --> 00:33:22.479 my prayer is that you will be thinking this way, 00:33:22.559 --> 00:33:25.799 that even this celebration of the Lord's Supper 00:33:25.799 --> 00:33:28.979 is further in this vein of, 00:33:29.379 --> 00:33:30.319 what do we do? 00:33:30.319 --> 00:33:32.539 We celebrate the Lord's body broken 00:33:32.539 --> 00:33:34.539 and his blood poured out. 00:33:35.720 --> 00:33:36.579 Jesus suffered. 00:33:37.079 --> 00:33:38.500 So let us glorify him. 00:33:38.559 --> 00:33:40.139 Let us worship him for this. 00:33:41.759 --> 00:33:42.639 Let us pray. 00:33:52.539 --> 00:33:54.740 Lord Jesus, it is our desire to see you 00:33:54.740 --> 00:33:55.779 as who you truly are. 00:33:55.779 --> 00:34:00.720 Lord, we recognize that we are so good 00:34:00.720 --> 00:34:04.420 at putting a facade over you 00:34:04.420 --> 00:34:05.980 that is not you at all. 00:34:07.299 --> 00:34:09.960 And so we praise you for scripture 00:34:09.960 --> 00:34:14.119 and for the way that you illuminate 00:34:14.119 --> 00:34:18.219 who Jesus really is in this text. 00:34:18.759 --> 00:34:20.940 We are grateful for the way that our blindness 00:34:20.940 --> 00:34:23.519 can be cast off by reading this, 00:34:23.519 --> 00:34:28.099 that we can see the true picture of our Messiah. 00:34:30.599 --> 00:34:32.759 Lord, we praise you for who you are, 00:34:33.039 --> 00:34:36.860 for being this lamb led silently to a slaughter 00:34:36.860 --> 00:34:40.780 to serve the role of a guilt offering for us. 00:34:42.860 --> 00:34:44.139 Lord, we praise you. 00:34:45.340 --> 00:34:47.340 And it is in your name that we pray these things. 00:34:48.340 --> 00:34:48.579 Amen. 00:34:48.579 --> 00:34:48.659 Amen. 00:34:48.659 --> 00:34:48.699 Amen. 00:34:48.699 --> 00:34:48.739 Amen. 00:34:48.739 --> 00:34:48.780 Amen. 00:34:53.519 --> 00:34:53.960 Amen. 00:34:59.380 --> 00:35:01.519 We come now to the Lord's Supper, 00:35:02.380 --> 00:35:04.460 where, as Josh was saying, 00:35:04.519 --> 00:35:07.199 where we remember what Jesus Christ did for us 00:35:07.199 --> 00:35:08.380 when he suffered on the cross 00:35:08.380 --> 00:35:10.699 to pay the price for our guilt. 00:35:11.719 --> 00:35:13.639 In this passage, Jesus said that 00:35:13.639 --> 00:35:15.599 the Son of Man came not to be served, 00:35:15.679 --> 00:35:17.019 but to serve and to give his life 00:35:17.019 --> 00:35:18.719 as a ransom for many. 00:35:18.719 --> 00:35:23.879 A ransom is a price paid to set someone free from bondage. 00:35:23.980 --> 00:35:26.219 And that's why Jesus died on the cross. 00:35:27.139 --> 00:35:31.179 And we remember, as we take the bread and the cup, 00:35:31.299 --> 00:35:31.839 what he did. 00:35:32.959 --> 00:35:34.899 And it's also, taking the bread and the cup 00:35:34.899 --> 00:35:38.500 is an expression of a commitment to follow Jesus 00:35:38.500 --> 00:35:40.179 along the road where he leads us, 00:35:40.679 --> 00:35:43.219 to enter in to the life that he calls us to, 00:35:43.739 --> 00:35:45.239 to trust him. 00:35:45.239 --> 00:35:49.099 And it's an expression of renewing our trust 00:35:49.099 --> 00:35:50.039 and commitment to him 00:35:50.039 --> 00:35:53.000 as he has demonstrated that supremely to us. 00:35:53.879 --> 00:35:55.500 So if you are here tonight, 00:35:55.599 --> 00:35:58.000 if you are a believer in Jesus, 00:35:58.539 --> 00:36:01.119 if you're a disciple of him, 00:36:01.199 --> 00:36:01.979 a follower of him, 00:36:02.779 --> 00:36:05.500 if he died on the cross for your sins 00:36:05.500 --> 00:36:10.000 and you have taken him as your Savior and your Lord, 00:36:10.079 --> 00:36:12.579 then we invite you to take the bread and the cup 00:36:12.579 --> 00:36:13.619 when they're passed out 00:36:13.619 --> 00:36:17.279 and take those as a way of renewing 00:36:17.279 --> 00:36:19.679 your trust and commitment to Christ 00:36:19.679 --> 00:36:23.659 and remembering what he has done once for all, 00:36:24.019 --> 00:36:24.639 for you. 00:36:25.759 --> 00:36:27.539 If you're here, if you're not a Christian, 00:36:27.679 --> 00:36:28.480 if you're exploring, 00:36:29.179 --> 00:36:31.199 if you haven't made that step yet, 00:36:31.259 --> 00:36:32.359 we're glad that you're here tonight. 00:36:33.319 --> 00:36:35.440 We ask that you not take the bread and the cup, 00:36:35.900 --> 00:36:37.880 but instead take this time to consider 00:36:37.880 --> 00:36:39.200 what might be, 00:36:39.400 --> 00:36:40.660 what is holding me back 00:36:40.660 --> 00:36:44.220 from trusting and following this Jesus? 00:36:45.180 --> 00:36:46.960 Who is this Jesus? 00:36:47.079 --> 00:36:48.440 Take this time to pray and reflect 00:36:48.440 --> 00:36:50.300 and even to ask God 00:36:50.300 --> 00:36:53.320 to pray and talk to God. 00:36:54.440 --> 00:36:55.320 With those who are coming, 00:36:55.880 --> 00:36:56.480 who are serving, 00:36:57.420 --> 00:36:59.000 the bread and the cup, 00:36:59.119 --> 00:37:00.700 come to the front now. 00:37:00.699 --> 00:37:16.980 Nick, would you pray and give thanks for the bread? 00:37:16.980 --> 00:37:22.260 Heavenly Father, Lord God, 00:37:22.420 --> 00:37:25.559 we come before you and we thank you. 00:37:26.000 --> 00:37:27.880 We thank you for the sacrifice you made 00:37:27.880 --> 00:37:30.539 and for coming down 00:37:30.539 --> 00:37:32.719 and living among us, Father, 00:37:33.659 --> 00:37:35.460 and being the example. 00:37:36.159 --> 00:37:38.320 Lord, I pray your blessing on this bread 00:37:38.320 --> 00:37:41.699 and just pray that we remember 00:37:41.699 --> 00:37:43.880 the sacrifice that you made for us. 00:37:43.880 --> 00:37:44.619 Thank you, Father. 00:37:45.039 --> 00:37:45.559 In Jesus' name. 00:37:47.019 --> 00:37:47.280 Amen. 00:37:47.280 --> 00:37:47.400 Amen. 00:38:13.880 --> 00:38:15.320 Amen. 00:38:15.320 --> 00:38:16.320 Amen. 00:38:16.920 --> 00:38:19.260 Amen. 00:38:41.340 --> 00:38:42.500 Amen. 00:38:42.500 --> 00:38:43.720 Amen. 00:38:43.880 --> 00:39:13.860 Thank you. 00:39:13.880 --> 00:39:43.860 Thank you. 00:39:43.880 --> 00:40:13.860 Thank you. 00:40:13.880 --> 00:40:43.860 Thank you. 00:40:44.720 --> 00:40:49.559 Jesus took the bread and after blessing it, he broke it and gave it to his disciples and said, take and eat. 00:40:49.900 --> 00:40:51.680 This is my body broken for you.