WEBVTT 00:00:02.766 --> 00:00:10.965 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you. 00:00:10.965 --> 00:00:21.265 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 00:00:28.033 --> 00:00:29.765 Good morning. 00:00:29.765 --> 00:00:32.232 That sounds kind of loud. 00:00:32.232 --> 00:00:33.299 My name is Troy Kolb. 00:00:33.299 --> 00:00:34.066 I'm the. 00:00:34.066 --> 00:00:36.066 I'm one of the elders here at Valley View. 00:00:36.066 --> 00:00:40.600 Pastor John is out of town, and, it's kind of interesting. 00:00:40.600 --> 00:00:46.533 It's... pastor’s out of town, time change, Sunday before the election. 00:00:46.899 --> 00:00:51.265 I don't know what's going to happen up here. We'll see. 00:00:51.265 --> 00:00:54.700 But it is an honor to be here with you all. 00:00:54.700 --> 00:00:57.665 Pastor asked me to speak today. 00:00:57.665 --> 00:01:01.665 Apparently, the last time I did it did not cause too much trouble. 00:01:01.665 --> 00:01:03.932 So we're going to give it another shot. 00:01:03.932 --> 00:01:06.566 I'm going to open up by just telling you a little bit. 00:01:06.566 --> 00:01:07.599 Kind of an interesting story. 00:01:08.665 --> 00:01:12.365 From the time I was in third grade through the 11th grade. 00:01:12.365 --> 00:01:20.533 So that’s nine years, I attended a small private Christian school here, locally called Southwest Christian School. 00:01:20.533 --> 00:01:24.799 Before I go too far, I need to get into high school mode here real quick. Hold on. 00:01:24.799 --> 00:01:27.799 I have my lovely assistant. 00:01:27.933 --> 00:01:30.933 All right. 00:01:32.266 --> 00:01:35.965 I got to get into high school mode before I tell a story about high school. 00:01:35.965 --> 00:01:38.965 Yes, I still have my high school jacket. 00:01:39.566 --> 00:01:42.566 So it still fits, too. 00:01:42.566 --> 00:01:44.433 Look at that. 00:01:44.433 --> 00:01:45.766 So. Yes. 00:01:45.766 --> 00:01:46.766 Thank you. 00:01:46.766 --> 00:01:56.165 So Southwest Christian School no longer exists, but it was located right across from the Dairy freeze out there at Valley Station and Deering Road. 00:01:56.165 --> 00:01:57.000 So you know where that is? 00:01:57.000 --> 00:01:58.865 I know you know where the Dairy Freeze is. 00:01:58.865 --> 00:01:59.900 Look across the street. 00:01:59.900 --> 00:02:01.299 That's where it was. 00:02:01.299 --> 00:02:03.832 And, like I said, I attended there for nine years. 00:02:03.832 --> 00:02:08.133 And like any good Christian school, we had to have a Bible class. 00:02:08.133 --> 00:02:13.633 So, and by the way, that's where I learned a lot of scripture that I still remember today. 00:02:13.633 --> 00:02:21.699 That's why it's important to get your, your children somewhere where they're going to be exposed to the word and have to memorize it and recite it. 00:02:21.699 --> 00:02:27.133 We offer that here at, Valley View through our children's programming, through Awana, Life Group-- Sunday School. 00:02:28.332 --> 00:02:38.099 Get your kids reciting scripture early so that they'll remember it a lot of the scripture I remember is because of what I had to do early on as a child, including at this school. 00:02:38.099 --> 00:02:45.832 So in my 11th grade year, I remember specifically my Bible teacher was also the principal of the school, Miss Rosemary Hatcher. 00:02:45.832 --> 00:02:48.566 And, and it was great. 00:02:48.566 --> 00:02:57.265 But periodically we would have to as part of our class at the end of the week, we would have to, write out scripture, right? 00:02:57.265 --> 00:03:03.900 We would have to memorize a passage of Scripture, maybe a psalm or, section of a chapter or something. 00:03:03.900 --> 00:03:09.633 And we would have to write that and sort of like a quiz grade so that that was okay. 00:03:09.633 --> 00:03:13.199 But one particular Friday, I was not prepared whatsoever. 00:03:14.165 --> 00:03:17.066 I got in, I don't remember the scripture I was supposed to write. 00:03:17.066 --> 00:03:18.866 I just remember I didn't know it. 00:03:18.866 --> 00:03:22.332 I knew like the first verse of it, but that was it. 00:03:22.332 --> 00:03:23.733 So I thought, what am I going to do? 00:03:23.733 --> 00:03:28.432 I can't just write out 7 or 8 words and then turn in the rest of it. 00:03:28.432 --> 00:03:30.866 I'm supposed to take up the entire sheet. 00:03:30.866 --> 00:03:33.532 So I did my best. 00:03:33.532 --> 00:03:44.966 I wrote out what I knew, and then I, very accurately and with great detail, wrote out the words to the song I'm My Own Grandpa. 00:03:45.966 --> 00:03:47.500 It's a it's amazing. 00:03:47.500 --> 00:03:50.599 You can remember what you want to remember, but I remembered that for some reason. 00:03:50.599 --> 00:04:05.966 So I wrote that out and I thought, I'm just going to hand it in and maybe I'll get something for what I know, and then maybe she'll find it funny and have a little bit of grace on me, and not be too irritated that I didn't do my homework. 00:04:07.066 --> 00:04:11.966 So I handed it in, got it back the next week, and I'm like, how's this going to work out? 00:04:11.966 --> 00:04:15.966 And I looked at the top and I got a she doesn't remember this, but I do. 00:04:15.966 --> 00:04:18.432 I got a 100% on that thing. 00:04:18.432 --> 00:04:25.466 Now, before we cast judgment on the reader as a teacher, I've been there many times. 00:04:25.466 --> 00:04:27.533 You have a lot of papers to grade. 00:04:27.533 --> 00:04:30.132 You got a lot of things to do. 00:04:30.132 --> 00:04:31.699 I'm going to look at a piece of paper. 00:04:31.699 --> 00:04:32.766 I know this guy. 00:04:32.766 --> 00:04:34.432 He's not that big of a knucklehead. 00:04:34.432 --> 00:04:36.100 He's probably got most of it down. 00:04:36.100 --> 00:04:37.365 I read the first few lines. 00:04:37.365 --> 00:04:38.665 He's got it 100%. 00:04:38.665 --> 00:04:40.966 Move on to the next thing. 00:04:40.966 --> 00:04:42.432 Hey, I was feeling good about that. 00:04:42.432 --> 00:04:43.399 It's like it worked. 00:04:44.365 --> 00:04:47.199 But what does that do? That encourages me. 00:04:47.199 --> 00:04:49.199 That encourages my bad behavior. 00:04:49.199 --> 00:04:52.699 So the next time we had a quiz, I did not do my homework either. 00:04:52.699 --> 00:04:54.300 It's like, why at that point, right? 00:04:54.300 --> 00:04:56.065 I don't have why should I study? 00:04:56.065 --> 00:04:57.932 I can just do this. 00:04:57.932 --> 00:05:03.565 So I did it again and I, I knew the first few lines, but that was it. 00:05:03.565 --> 00:05:05.833 I turned it in. I chose a different song. 00:05:05.833 --> 00:05:08.000 I don't remember what that song was. 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:20.565 And, I looked forward to receiving my homework back or my quiz back, which I got it, and it was amazingly, it had a significant amount of red ink on it. 00:05:20.565 --> 00:05:28.466 And then up at the top, she had drawn a very pretty smiley face, but this smiley face did not have an eyes, nose, or a mouth. 00:05:29.665 --> 00:05:31.766 Think about what that is. 00:05:31.766 --> 00:05:33.233 And then she put at the top. 00:05:33.233 --> 00:05:36.033 Nice try. 00:05:36.033 --> 00:05:37.466 So I got a zero on that one. 00:05:37.466 --> 00:05:38.466 So I learned my lesson. 00:05:38.466 --> 00:05:45.365 Now I remember that because Miss Hatcher gave me a lot of grace there. 00:05:45.365 --> 00:05:47.333 She could have responded differently. 00:05:47.333 --> 00:05:47.733 Right? 00:05:47.733 --> 00:05:50.500 She could have been like very insulted. 00:05:50.500 --> 00:05:52.100 How dare you do this? 00:05:52.100 --> 00:05:53.665 Like, do you think I'm stupid? 00:05:53.665 --> 00:06:00.966 I wasn't going to read this, and she probably didn't even know what happened the first time, but instead she went about it differently. 00:06:00.966 --> 00:06:11.132 She responded with grace, responding back to me in such a way that corrected my behavior, but still honored me as a person. 00:06:11.899 --> 00:06:14.766 I will never forget that. 00:06:14.766 --> 00:06:18.600 I need to take this off now, because I can't talk the rest of this time in this jacket. 00:06:18.600 --> 00:06:21.466 Thank you Will. Give it up for Will everybody. 00:06:24.199 --> 00:06:25.766 All right. 00:06:25.766 --> 00:06:29.500 Today we're going to be looking at two events in the book of Mark. Mark chapter seven. 00:06:29.500 --> 00:06:33.966 There's two very, very interesting events that take place here. 00:06:33.966 --> 00:06:36.399 I've read the Bible a lot through the Bible a lot. 00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:39.033 I wasn't familiar with one of these instances. 00:06:39.033 --> 00:06:43.966 The first one, the second one I had been, but I read it in a little different way. 00:06:43.966 --> 00:07:03.932 We're going to see the grace of Jesus here, and his understanding and even empathy for these two individuals that we're going to read about resonates throughout the throughout these, scenes from these events, we'll see that Jesus loves us more than we deserve, and he always gives us exactly what we need. 00:07:03.932 --> 00:07:05.533 So we're going to look at Mark chapter seven. 00:07:05.533 --> 00:07:09.432 If you want to turn there in your Bibles or it'll be on the screen here. 00:07:11.033 --> 00:07:21.766 As just sort of an introduction on Wednesday nights, we have discipleship groups that take place here at church, and one of them is led by the elders here. 00:07:21.766 --> 00:07:24.632 We are actually teaching through this book, Jesus the King. 00:07:24.632 --> 00:07:26.699 It's by Tim Keller. 00:07:26.699 --> 00:07:27.865 It's a really easy read. 00:07:27.865 --> 00:07:34.632 And as I always tell the group when we, speak, Tim Keller is usually pretty tough to read. 00:07:34.632 --> 00:07:41.065 Like he's very, very, very deep, sort of on a C.S. Lewis type of level. 00:07:41.065 --> 00:07:42.632 This book is not that way. 00:07:42.632 --> 00:07:45.865 It's really, really easy to read, even for somebody like me. 00:07:45.865 --> 00:07:49.632 So if you're looking for a good book to dive into, this is a great one. 00:07:49.632 --> 00:07:51.466 But he walks through the book of Mark. 00:07:51.466 --> 00:08:00.966 So leading into this week, when John asked me to talk, I was planning on just continuing on with the study of First Peter that we're doing. 00:08:00.966 --> 00:08:17.199 But then I taught a couple weeks ago on a chapter in this book, and it stopped me in my tracks and I talked to John about it, and I said, I think I need to talk about this instead, because it resonated with me in such a way that I felt timing is everything, God's timing is everything. 00:08:17.199 --> 00:08:20.466 And I felt like this was a message for some reason, for today. 00:08:20.466 --> 00:08:25.899 Maybe it's just for me, but I hope it it sort of resonates with you as well. 00:08:27.333 --> 00:08:28.833 So let's dive in. 00:08:28.833 --> 00:08:35.000 Look at Mark chapter seven, verses 24 through 26. 00:08:35.666 --> 00:08:39.265 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. 00:08:39.265 --> 00:08:41.966 He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it. 00:08:41.966 --> 00:08:44.932 Yet he could not keep his presence secret. 00:08:44.932 --> 00:08:53.832 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. 00:08:53.832 --> 00:08:58.399 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. 00:08:58.399 --> 00:09:03.666 She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. 00:09:03.700 --> 00:09:05.600 It's a tough situation. 00:09:05.600 --> 00:09:07.966 In this scene, we see Jesus is exhausted. 00:09:07.966 --> 00:09:14.466 We see the humanity of Jesus in this scene, he had been ministering healing and he's exhausted. 00:09:14.466 --> 00:09:24.133 So he travels outside of the Jewish provinces into an area where he's likely not going to be that well known to this point because Jesus was human. 00:09:24.133 --> 00:09:25.899 He was also God. 00:09:25.899 --> 00:09:28.600 The humanity of him needed to rest and recuperate. 00:09:28.600 --> 00:09:29.633 That's what we see here. 00:09:29.633 --> 00:09:34.832 But this woman had heard of Jesus, and she heard that Jesus was in town and she had to see him. 00:09:35.899 --> 00:09:40.066 But there's a problem with this woman. 00:09:40.066 --> 00:09:41.966 She's not a Jew. 00:09:41.966 --> 00:09:51.033 She's a Gentile, she's Greek, she's Phoenician, and she's a woman in first century Middle Eastern culture. 00:09:51.033 --> 00:09:52.299 That's a problem. 00:09:52.299 --> 00:09:59.200 She has no right, credentials or any purpose in seeing Jesus. 00:09:59.832 --> 00:10:03.066 She shouldn't even be allowed to see him in that culture. 00:10:03.066 --> 00:10:04.732 And yet that doesn't stop her. 00:10:04.732 --> 00:10:06.399 By the way, she knows all this. 00:10:06.399 --> 00:10:13.066 She knows she has no right to approach a Jewish leader like this, and that it would very likely go bad for her. 00:10:13.066 --> 00:10:17.100 But she didn't care because she was desperate. 00:10:17.100 --> 00:10:22.700 She was desperate for help, and she has the faith that this Jesus can help her. 00:10:22.700 --> 00:10:29.299 There's an interesting parallel passage to this scripture in the book of Matthew, chapter 15, verse 23. 00:10:29.299 --> 00:10:30.732 It's the same scene throughout. 00:10:30.732 --> 00:10:32.832 That's that, section of Scripture. 00:10:32.832 --> 00:10:35.600 But verse 23 adds a very different detail. 00:10:37.033 --> 00:10:38.700 But he answered her not a word. 00:10:38.700 --> 00:10:45.865 And his disciples came and urged him, saying, send her away, for she cries out after us. 00:10:45.865 --> 00:10:51.832 Even the disciples recognize, Jesus, she doesn't... no, she doesn't belong here. 00:10:53.066 --> 00:10:54.365 Even the disciples. 00:10:54.365 --> 00:10:57.100 And they're still learning who Jesus is and trying to understand. 00:10:57.100 --> 00:10:58.265 And they've got a long way to go. 00:10:58.265 --> 00:11:03.865 And they don't get it yet, but they're even saying, Jesus, she should not even be here. 00:11:03.865 --> 00:11:05.399 She had no business being there. 00:11:05.399 --> 00:11:07.466 And the disciples made it known. 00:11:07.466 --> 00:11:09.500 But she continued to beg. 00:11:09.500 --> 00:11:12.399 And it's interesting that that word plead, that word beg. 00:11:12.399 --> 00:11:17.432 The Greek connotation for that word is actually she keeps on begging. 00:11:17.700 --> 00:11:20.566 She didn't take no for an answer. 00:11:20.566 --> 00:11:26.033 Tim Keller well, hold on, let me read this quote here. 00:11:26.033 --> 00:11:29.033 Mark chapter seven, verse 26 through 27. 00:11:29.566 --> 00:11:37.033 She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter first, and then he says, first let the children eat all they want. 00:11:37.033 --> 00:11:41.765 He told her, for it's not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs. 00:11:41.765 --> 00:11:45.865 I'm going to let that soak in for a second because that's like, whoa, hold on. 00:11:45.865 --> 00:11:49.932 But I'm going to go back to this, woman because she's desperate. 00:11:49.932 --> 00:11:51.566 She's not taking no for an answer. 00:11:51.566 --> 00:11:55.899 Tim Keller, the author of the book that we're reading through, says it like this. 00:11:55.899 --> 00:11:57.832 There are cowards. 00:11:57.832 --> 00:12:03.932 There are regular people, there are heroes, and then there are parents. Right? 00:12:03.932 --> 00:12:05.666 And in this case, a mother. 00:12:05.666 --> 00:12:07.166 She's not going to let anything stop her. 00:12:07.166 --> 00:12:12.932 No disciples, no cultural taboos, no whatever she even recognizes. 00:12:12.932 --> 00:12:17.633 I don't even believe necessarily in the God this Jesus represents. 00:12:17.633 --> 00:12:19.066 But I need help in this. 00:12:19.066 --> 00:12:22.100 Jesus is in town and I'm going to see what he can do for me. 00:12:22.100 --> 00:12:26.932 I'm going to have faith that this Jesus can do what he says he can do. 00:12:26.932 --> 00:12:42.399 So we'll go back to that, that that's, Mark chapter seven, Scripture, verse 26 through 27, where he says, first, let the children eat all they want for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs. 00:12:42.399 --> 00:12:45.732 So on first glance, this is like, Jesus. 00:12:46.700 --> 00:12:50.566 Hold on, you just insulted this woman pretty bad. 00:12:50.566 --> 00:12:51.865 He just called her a dog. 00:12:51.865 --> 00:12:52.832 That's the way it. 00:12:52.832 --> 00:12:56.765 It would be easy to read that way, but it's a little different than that. 00:12:56.765 --> 00:13:08.365 Something to keep in mind, though, is in this first century Middle Eastern culture, dogs were not the cute, cuddly things that we have sleeping in our beds with us today, right? 00:13:08.365 --> 00:13:09.432 Our dogs are very different. 00:13:09.432 --> 00:13:12.033 Our dogs are like children sometimes in our house. 00:13:12.033 --> 00:13:15.865 You you might even refer to your dog as your baby. 00:13:15.865 --> 00:13:20.932 Or some of you might even say, refer to your dog as your fur baby. 00:13:22.865 --> 00:13:23.966 I've heard it. 00:13:23.966 --> 00:13:26.799 I've heard some of you say it, I don't judge. 00:13:26.799 --> 00:13:28.100 This is our dog. 00:13:28.100 --> 00:13:31.100 This is George. 00:13:31.100 --> 00:13:35.966 His full name is King George H.W., called the third. 00:13:36.832 --> 00:13:39.299 Don't judge me. 00:13:39.299 --> 00:13:40.566 But there he is, George. 00:13:40.566 --> 00:13:45.200 He's an English bulldog with a very regal name. 00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:47.932 But you got to understand, most dogs weren't like that. 00:13:47.932 --> 00:13:49.865 Most dogs were not. 00:13:49.865 --> 00:13:53.865 These cute little things that are taking up space in our house, and we love them. 00:13:53.865 --> 00:13:56.865 Back then, dogs were kind of nasty. 00:13:57.200 --> 00:13:58.732 They were scavengers. 00:13:58.732 --> 00:14:00.265 They were dirty. They were wild. 00:14:00.265 --> 00:14:01.432 They were running around. 00:14:01.432 --> 00:14:03.066 You didn't want dogs around. 00:14:03.066 --> 00:14:05.732 But remember I said most dogs? 00:14:05.732 --> 00:14:09.200 There were some, though, that actually were more like house pets. 00:14:09.200 --> 00:14:12.365 They did have them to some degree that way. 00:14:12.365 --> 00:14:19.966 So it's interesting that the word that Mark uses for dogs isn't referencing the wild scavenger like dogs. 00:14:19.966 --> 00:14:22.166 It's referencing house pets. 00:14:23.932 --> 00:14:27.533 More like puppies, if you will. 00:14:29.633 --> 00:14:33.865 That's that's the way that Mark is using that word. 00:14:33.865 --> 00:14:41.966 This response that Jesus gives is actually more like a little mini parable Jesus taught in parables. 00:14:41.966 --> 00:14:43.832 And there's like a little version of this here. 00:14:43.832 --> 00:14:48.500 He's actually laying out the purpose for his ministry right here. 00:14:48.500 --> 00:15:01.865 He's saying to her, he's trying to explain to her that it's not time for those outside of the Jewish faith to experience him, yet he has come for the Jewish people for now. 00:15:01.865 --> 00:15:13.799 It's not yet time for her or her people to experience his ministry, his blessing, his ministry is for the Jewish people first and then the rest of the world. 00:15:13.799 --> 00:15:19.899 The Gentiles can and will and will experience him eventually, but not yet. 00:15:19.899 --> 00:15:23.066 First the Jewish people, then the rest of the world. 00:15:23.066 --> 00:15:25.399 That's what he's trying to convey there. 00:15:25.399 --> 00:15:37.533 And he is saying it in, in such a way that it's like, okay, and in your house, though, the children eat first and then we do take care of, in this case, the house pets, but they come later. 00:15:37.533 --> 00:15:38.666 We'll feed them later. 00:15:38.666 --> 00:15:40.633 First the people eat, then the pets. 00:15:40.633 --> 00:15:46.332 He's trying to he's trying to convey this point on her level in a word picture that she would understand. 00:15:50.066 --> 00:15:55.033 But then she says this Mark, chapter seven, verse 28 through 30. 00:15:56.466 --> 00:16:04.500 Yes, Lord, she replied, but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs. 00:16:04.666 --> 00:16:07.299 I pause for a second. 00:16:07.299 --> 00:16:10.200 That's such a powerful thing that I'm going to revisit. 00:16:10.200 --> 00:16:12.365 Then he told her for such a reply. 00:16:12.365 --> 00:16:13.033 You may go. 00:16:13.033 --> 00:16:14.700 The demon has left your daughter. 00:16:14.700 --> 00:16:18.732 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. 00:16:18.732 --> 00:16:22.000 Now it would have been very easy for this woman to take offense to Jesus. 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:24.066 How dare you talk to me that way? 00:16:24.066 --> 00:16:26.066 I came here for help and you insult me? 00:16:26.066 --> 00:16:31.365 You equate me with a dog, house pet or not, you call me a dog Jesus. 00:16:31.365 --> 00:16:34.365 She did not get insulted. 00:16:34.633 --> 00:16:40.365 She also could have been a little indignant. It's like, well, you say who you say you are. 00:16:40.365 --> 00:16:41.932 Prove it. 00:16:41.932 --> 00:16:43.932 That's kind of might be our natural response. 00:16:43.932 --> 00:16:48.033 We go all this way, take this chance, and somebody responds to us that way. 00:16:48.033 --> 00:16:50.000 But she didn't do that because she gets it. 00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:55.166 She understood what he was trying to say, and she actually throws the parable back at him. 00:16:55.166 --> 00:16:56.732 She says, yes, Jesus. 00:16:56.732 --> 00:17:01.966 But even the dogs, while the children are eating, eat some of the crumbs. 00:17:01.966 --> 00:17:03.100 And he honors that. 00:17:03.100 --> 00:17:05.799 And he and he provides the healing that she wants. 00:17:05.799 --> 00:17:08.633 She understood that she didn't belong there. 00:17:08.633 --> 00:17:14.333 She didn't have a place at the table in this little mini parable, and she accepts it. 00:17:14.333 --> 00:17:18.599 In fact, her response seems to indicate, yes, Lord, I understand. 00:17:18.599 --> 00:17:24.532 But even the puppies eat eventually, and I need this now. 00:17:24.532 --> 00:17:29.965 And Jesus and well, Tim, Tim Keller says this. 00:17:29.965 --> 00:17:34.400 She's not saying, Lord, give me what I deserve on the basis of my goodness. 00:17:35.500 --> 00:17:40.232 She's saying, give me what I don't deserve on the basis of your goodness. 00:17:40.232 --> 00:17:42.833 And that is grace. 00:17:42.833 --> 00:17:47.532 Give me what I don't deserve, God, because you are good. 00:17:47.665 --> 00:17:54.665 She used the parable to respond to Jesus, which indicates that she both heard and understood what he was saying. 00:17:54.665 --> 00:18:00.266 She acknowledges it's not time for her to be fed, but she is begging him for some crumbs. 00:18:00.266 --> 00:18:07.766 She says this in essence, for my daughter's sake Jesus, drop some crumbs of healing and blessing on my family. 00:18:07.766 --> 00:18:08.833 We need it now. 00:18:08.833 --> 00:18:10.665 I can't wait. 00:18:10.665 --> 00:18:12.833 That's what propels her there. 00:18:12.833 --> 00:18:14.932 And Jesus honors that. 00:18:14.932 --> 00:18:23.500 Tim Keller, summarized this scene by referencing Martin Luther in the book, and he says this, this is powerful stuff. 00:18:24.633 --> 00:18:32.766 You're more wicked than you ever believed, but at the same time, more loved and accepted than you ever dared to hope. 00:18:33.900 --> 00:18:36.266 That's awesome. 00:18:36.266 --> 00:18:38.099 We could just stop right there. 00:18:38.099 --> 00:18:39.665 But we won’t. 00:18:39.665 --> 00:18:43.766 What's holding you back from falling at the feet of Jesus today? 00:18:43.766 --> 00:18:51.000 This pagan woman didn't let her upbringing or circumstances, her background, keep her from seeking Jesus. 00:18:51.000 --> 00:18:53.299 She was desperate. 00:18:53.299 --> 00:18:55.465 Are you desperate? 00:18:55.465 --> 00:18:59.400 Have you tried it on your own and it's not working out like you had hoped? 00:18:59.400 --> 00:19:01.066 Are your problems too big? 00:19:01.066 --> 00:19:02.900 No one can help with it. 00:19:02.900 --> 00:19:06.500 What's going on in your life that you need to take to Jesus? 00:19:06.500 --> 00:19:09.799 Remember this you're never too far from him. 00:19:09.799 --> 00:19:13.165 There's no problem too big or too little that he can't handle. 00:19:13.165 --> 00:19:17.365 And you don't have to wait for him to show up in your little pagan land. 00:19:17.500 --> 00:19:18.700 You don't have to wait. 00:19:18.700 --> 00:19:25.865 Jesus is already waiting for you to cast your cares upon him to bring your problems to him. 00:19:25.865 --> 00:19:30.799 He wants you to fall at his feet and cast your burdens on him. 00:19:32.665 --> 00:19:41.032 And now let's go to the next scene, Mark chapter seven, verse 31 through 37. 00:19:42.400 --> 00:19:43.965 Give you a second to find it. 00:19:43.965 --> 00:19:46.965 It'll be on the screen too. 00:19:47.365 --> 00:19:48.965 Kind of a longer passage of Scripture. 00:19:48.965 --> 00:19:50.165 So here we go. 00:19:50.165 --> 00:19:57.665 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the of the Decapolis. 00:19:57.665 --> 00:20:00.932 There some people brought him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk. 00:20:00.932 --> 00:20:06.633 He was mute, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. 00:20:06.665 --> 00:20:09.665 Pick up the details in this. 00:20:09.799 --> 00:20:14.599 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. 00:20:14.599 --> 00:20:17.299 Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. 00:20:17.299 --> 00:20:21.599 He looked up to heaven, and with a deep sigh said to him, be opened. 00:20:23.365 --> 00:20:28.865 At this time the man's ears were opened, his tongue loosened, and he began to speak plainly. 00:20:28.865 --> 00:20:34.165 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone, but the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 00:20:34.165 --> 00:20:36.266 People were overwhelmed with amazement. 00:20:36.266 --> 00:20:37.732 He's done everything well, they said. 00:20:37.732 --> 00:20:40.732 He makes the deaf hear and mute speak. 00:20:41.900 --> 00:20:44.365 So why all the drama Jesus? 00:20:44.365 --> 00:20:51.665 Did you catch in the first scene that he provided this healing for the woman with the evil spirit, the woman's daughter with the evil spirit? 00:20:51.665 --> 00:20:55.200 By just speaking, he just he just said it. 00:20:55.200 --> 00:20:59.200 The woman's daughter was across town and he provided that miracle. 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:02.365 But in this case, he does a whole thing. 00:21:02.365 --> 00:21:05.266 It's almost like a ritualistic feel. Why? 00:21:05.266 --> 00:21:07.465 Why are you doing that? Jesus. 00:21:07.465 --> 00:21:09.566 I'll tell you the reason why he does that. 00:21:09.566 --> 00:21:11.365 He didn't do it for himself. 00:21:11.365 --> 00:21:16.432 Jesus doesn't need to do the fingers in the ears, touch the man's mouth, spit, touch the tongue. 00:21:16.432 --> 00:21:18.500 That's kind of weird and gross. 00:21:18.500 --> 00:21:20.066 Why would he do that? 00:21:20.066 --> 00:21:22.766 He did it because the man needed him to do it. 00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:29.400 The man needed that for whatever reason, because of the man's disability. 00:21:30.165 --> 00:21:34.465 Maybe Jesus knew more about the man's emotional state of being. 00:21:34.465 --> 00:21:42.165 He provided some very specific interaction to provide comfort and personal connection with this guy. 00:21:42.165 --> 00:21:43.865 That's why he does what he does. 00:21:43.865 --> 00:21:47.900 Jesus is doing all this not because he needs to, but because the man needs it. 00:21:47.900 --> 00:21:48.799 And remember this. 00:21:48.799 --> 00:21:51.965 And I'm going to hit on this point a a couple more times. 00:21:51.965 --> 00:21:59.465 Jesus always gives you what you need and he knows better than you what that is. 00:21:59.865 --> 00:22:02.000 Jesus took him away in verse 33. 00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:02.599 He took him away. 00:22:02.599 --> 00:22:04.133 He removed him from the crowd. 00:22:04.133 --> 00:22:06.833 Now why would he do that? 00:22:06.833 --> 00:22:10.965 I think it's because this man keep in mind, what's he got wrong? 00:22:10.965 --> 00:22:12.232 He's deaf and he's mute. 00:22:13.432 --> 00:22:17.566 Well, back then, even today, that makes a person stand out a little bit. 00:22:17.566 --> 00:22:18.865 There's a lot of insecurities. 00:22:18.865 --> 00:22:22.766 In fact, this guy probably got made fun of quite a bit. 00:22:22.766 --> 00:22:26.965 In fact, we've we we have a crowd of people in this scene. 00:22:26.965 --> 00:22:29.000 There's a crowd of people watching. 00:22:29.000 --> 00:22:30.566 The man is not blind, right? 00:22:30.566 --> 00:22:31.432 He knows that. 00:22:31.432 --> 00:22:33.133 He knows visually what's happening. 00:22:33.133 --> 00:22:40.266 He's probably feeling pretty nervous and scared right now as these people thrust him - here, Jesus, heal this one. 00:22:40.266 --> 00:22:47.232 Jesus takes the man aside, away from the crowd and interacts with him on a very personal level. 00:22:47.232 --> 00:22:50.133 He did it because the man needed him to do that. 00:22:50.133 --> 00:22:56.066 He refuses to put this man in a position where he's going to be, feel at least embarrassed and humiliated. 00:22:58.633 --> 00:23:00.000 And then what about the other stuff? 00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:03.833 Touches his ears, mouth, tongue, spit, that whole thing. 00:23:03.833 --> 00:23:06.833 This is a sort of sign language. 00:23:07.500 --> 00:23:11.965 Jesus is in this personal interaction, this time away from the others. 00:23:11.965 --> 00:23:24.099 Jesus is conveying things in such a way, physically and visually, that to put this man at ease and to let him know things are going to be okay, things are going to be different, trust me. 00:23:24.099 --> 00:23:28.865 But he does it in a very specific way that meets this guy's needs. 00:23:28.865 --> 00:23:42.365 He comes into the man's cognitive world and uses terms non-verbal speech that the man can understand, and Jesus gives him exactly what he needs in just the way that he needs to receive it. 00:23:42.365 --> 00:23:43.965 Remember what I said earlier? 00:23:43.965 --> 00:23:48.400 Jesus always gives you what you need and he knows better than you what that is. 00:23:51.532 --> 00:23:55.665 I've experienced the ... 00:23:55.665 --> 00:24:00.266 the power, the healing power of Jesus personally in my life. 00:24:00.266 --> 00:24:01.900 That's a story for another time. 00:24:01.900 --> 00:24:06.200 But he has healed me, in a way, physically before. 00:24:06.200 --> 00:24:08.465 And I've also seen that in the lives of others. 00:24:08.465 --> 00:24:19.833 I've heard Dave Walker share many times about the experiences he has seen Jesus, the power of Jesus, healing, healing people physically. 00:24:20.932 --> 00:24:23.932 But I've also experienced the other way. 00:24:27.032 --> 00:24:33.732 I can relate to the man in this scene, and I'm not deaf, by the way, and I'm obviously not mute. 00:24:33.732 --> 00:24:37.732 But throughout my entire life I've had trouble speaking. 00:24:37.732 --> 00:24:43.400 See, stuttering is a genetic problem in my family, on my father's side. 00:24:43.633 --> 00:24:45.665 And most people don't know this. 00:24:45.665 --> 00:24:46.232 Not most. 00:24:46.232 --> 00:24:49.965 Some people don't realize this because sometimes I do pretty well with it. 00:24:49.965 --> 00:24:54.165 I do well at hiding it, masking it, coping. 00:24:55.133 --> 00:24:57.900 I went through a lot of speech therapy as a kid. 00:24:57.900 --> 00:24:59.700 But I've dealt with it my entire life. 00:24:59.700 --> 00:25:01.833 Some days are better than others. 00:25:01.833 --> 00:25:06.000 Usually Wednesdays are my hardest days for some reason. 00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:15.299 Especially, when I'm hungry, when I'm tired, when I'm feeling weak, or if I'm nervous, like today. 00:25:17.833 --> 00:25:21.900 It rears its ugly head sometimes, and it's been tough. 00:25:22.799 --> 00:25:24.732 I mentioned the guy in this scene. 00:25:24.732 --> 00:25:33.732 He probably was made fun of quite a bit because he was deaf and mute, and he probably tried to talk, but he couldn't, and that sounded probably pretty weird. 00:25:33.732 --> 00:25:35.299 So it left him open to ridicule. 00:25:35.299 --> 00:25:37.865 And I've been there, been there a lot. 00:25:37.865 --> 00:25:38.799 Middle school. 00:25:38.799 --> 00:25:41.566 Oof, middle school is tough anyway. 00:25:41.566 --> 00:25:43.365 Throw a kid with a stutter in there. 00:25:43.365 --> 00:25:46.766 Oof! High school wasn't that much better. 00:25:46.766 --> 00:25:51.365 And as I've gotten older, let me tell you, adults aren't that much better than kids sometimes. 00:25:53.165 --> 00:25:58.665 And then I went on to become a middle school teacher, and then I was principal of a middle school. 00:25:58.665 --> 00:26:01.665 I don't know what I was thinking, but. 00:26:03.665 --> 00:26:08.766 Many times over the years, I prayed for God to take that away from me. 00:26:08.766 --> 00:26:10.500 Like God, you can obviously heal. 00:26:10.500 --> 00:26:13.400 We see it. Me next. 00:26:13.400 --> 00:26:15.700 God, take this away from me, please. 00:26:15.700 --> 00:26:20.465 Sometimes I would like you in tears begging God that I can't take this anymore. 00:26:20.465 --> 00:26:21.133 Why me? 00:26:21.133 --> 00:26:22.900 Why do I have to deal with this? 00:26:22.900 --> 00:26:27.932 God, I could be so much more for you if I didn't have to deal with this. 00:26:28.165 --> 00:26:34.400 And yet I still struggle with it and I have struggled with it my entire life. 00:26:34.566 --> 00:26:42.299 And then I'm reminded of this. Paul in second Corinthians 12 seven through ten, and I'll just read parts of this. 00:26:44.133 --> 00:26:57.566 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me-- dropping down-- And then he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you. 00:26:57.566 --> 00:27:01.066 My strength is made perfect in weakness. 00:27:01.299 --> 00:27:05.066 God's strength is made perfect in weakness, my weakness. 00:27:05.066 --> 00:27:08.066 For when I am weak, then I am strong. 00:27:10.465 --> 00:27:16.500 This thing that I so desperately wanted to be healed from, it's kept me humble. 00:27:16.500 --> 00:27:22.333 It's made me more resilient, and it's helped me trust in him more. 00:27:22.599 --> 00:27:25.932 And it's helped me to see who my real friends are throughout life. 00:27:25.932 --> 00:27:31.032 Because your real friends won't make fun of you, they'll be encouraging. 00:27:31.032 --> 00:27:36.732 I remember this time when I was in high school, I went to high school here at Valley View. 00:27:36.732 --> 00:27:39.032 Obviously, I went through the youth group here. 00:27:39.032 --> 00:27:42.833 And like all good youth high school groups, we went to church camp. 00:27:42.833 --> 00:27:47.165 And of course, during church camp, by the end of the week, we're all sitting around a campfire. 00:27:47.165 --> 00:27:51.032 And, you know, we're sharing our feelings about stuff. 00:27:51.032 --> 00:27:58.633 And I just shared my insecurities about that and how that was a struggle for me, but also how it, how it helped my faith. 00:28:00.266 --> 00:28:07.932 A friend of mine came up to me after that and told me how proud they were of me, and I've never forgotten that. 00:28:07.932 --> 00:28:11.365 And I’ve thought about that often throughout my life. 00:28:11.365 --> 00:28:20.232 My perceived affliction led to that word of encouragement, that word of life that impacts me even to this day. 00:28:20.232 --> 00:28:23.465 That moment of somebody speaking life into my life. 00:28:23.465 --> 00:28:27.732 And it stuck with me, throughout my life. 00:28:27.732 --> 00:28:33.865 And I think I could have missed that had I not had been dealing with this issue. 00:28:35.066 --> 00:28:37.232 Don't be afraid to speak life into others. 00:28:37.232 --> 00:28:38.165 Your friends. 00:28:38.165 --> 00:28:39.599 Give them words of encouragement. 00:28:39.599 --> 00:28:41.099 You know they're struggling with things. 00:28:41.099 --> 00:28:46.732 Be a word of encouragement to them and let me encourage you. 00:28:46.732 --> 00:28:49.732 No one is perfect. 00:28:49.766 --> 00:28:52.500 We've all got stuff wrong with us. 00:28:52.500 --> 00:28:57.500 But, and I'm not talking about sin that you need to confess and repent from. 00:28:57.500 --> 00:28:58.900 I'm not talking about that. 00:28:58.900 --> 00:29:02.633 I'm saying there are things that you're insecure about. 00:29:03.532 --> 00:29:05.965 Maybe physically, maybe emotionally. 00:29:05.965 --> 00:29:07.766 But let me tell you something. 00:29:07.766 --> 00:29:10.532 You're not broken. 00:29:10.532 --> 00:29:13.532 You're not a mistake. 00:29:14.833 --> 00:29:19.566 You you're struggling with things that maybe no one knows about. 00:29:19.566 --> 00:29:21.566 Maybe everyone knows about it. 00:29:21.566 --> 00:29:22.732 You've been ridiculed. 00:29:22.732 --> 00:29:26.633 You feel desperate like the woman in the first scene. 00:29:26.633 --> 00:29:29.500 But let me tell you, you're not a mistake. 00:29:29.500 --> 00:29:32.432 God created you, and it wasn't by accident. 00:29:32.432 --> 00:29:36.799 God has a plan for your life that you can't even imagine. 00:29:36.799 --> 00:29:37.900 So don't give up. 00:29:37.900 --> 00:29:42.232 Keep trusting him and keep moving forward. 00:29:42.232 --> 00:29:45.333 And just wait for he for what he has in store for you. 00:29:45.333 --> 00:29:47.299 He will meet your every need. 00:29:47.299 --> 00:29:56.066 And remember that Jesus always gives you what you need and he knows better than you what that is. 00:29:56.066 --> 00:30:03.400 So I've got one more thing I wanted to hit on in this scene with, with the with the deaf mute man. 00:30:03.400 --> 00:30:05.099 And I'm going to show you my sheet. 00:30:05.099 --> 00:30:08.099 It says if time allows. 00:30:09.566 --> 00:30:12.566 I think I got two minutes. 00:30:12.799 --> 00:30:15.633 There's an even deeper connection Jesus makes with this man. 00:30:15.633 --> 00:30:26.532 And I don't know if you picked up on it earlier in the verse, but in verse 34, he he, Jesus looks up into heaven and he gives a deep sigh. 00:30:27.833 --> 00:30:31.165 I think that's an interesting detail that Mark puts in there. 00:30:31.165 --> 00:30:34.932 He gives a deep sigh as he looks into heaven. 00:30:34.932 --> 00:30:36.465 I don't think he was catching his breath. 00:30:36.465 --> 00:30:37.465 He wasn't worn out. 00:30:37.465 --> 00:30:40.465 He was connecting with this man. 00:30:40.833 --> 00:30:47.766 That word deep sigh could even be translated a moan like a deep moan. 00:30:47.766 --> 00:30:50.099 Now why would somebody moan like that? 00:30:50.099 --> 00:30:52.432 In this case, it's an empathetic moan. 00:30:52.432 --> 00:30:55.432 He's feeling this man's pain. 00:30:55.766 --> 00:31:04.900 Jesus, in some ways, is probably connecting with the alienation and isolation that this man feels based on what he has struggled with his entire life. 00:31:04.900 --> 00:31:09.000 And I think we see the humanity of Jesus here connecting with him on that. 00:31:09.000 --> 00:31:11.599 He is resonating with this man. 00:31:11.599 --> 00:31:18.465 I he knows what it's like and will be like to be alone and completely isolated, and to feel that way. 00:31:18.465 --> 00:31:25.299 How lonely this man must have been, and how deeply the humanity of Jesus must have connected with him in that moment. 00:31:25.299 --> 00:31:29.299 It's a beautiful reminder that Jesus gets us. 00:31:29.299 --> 00:31:38.232 He understands what we're going through, and what's more, he wants to step into our lives and let us know that we're not alone. 00:31:38.232 --> 00:31:40.799 Look at Matthew chapter 11, verse 28. 00:31:40.799 --> 00:31:43.133 This is a familiar passage of Scripture. 00:31:43.133 --> 00:31:45.700 Jesus says, I don't have this for this slide. 00:31:45.700 --> 00:31:47.365 By the way, this is free. 00:31:47.365 --> 00:31:54.965 Jesus says, come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 00:31:56.732 --> 00:31:57.865 What are you struggling with? 00:31:57.865 --> 00:31:59.965 Like I said, what are you insecure about? 00:31:59.965 --> 00:32:02.900 What are you carrying? 00:32:02.900 --> 00:32:05.299 What are you desperate for Jesus for? 00:32:05.299 --> 00:32:07.133 Take it to him. 00:32:07.133 --> 00:32:08.400 Take it to Jesus. 00:32:08.400 --> 00:32:09.133 He can handle it. 00:32:09.133 --> 00:32:11.965 And he wants you to to give it to him. 00:32:11.965 --> 00:32:14.965 And he's waiting for you to do that. 00:32:15.766 --> 00:32:33.232 As we close, I just want to mention, if you're ready to take that next step towards Jesus, if you're ready to fall at his feet, if you just need prayer, if you have questions about the church in front of you, there are connection cards. 00:32:33.232 --> 00:32:34.133 We say this every week. 00:32:34.133 --> 00:32:36.465 There are connection cards in front of you. 00:32:36.465 --> 00:32:45.133 You can fill that out, mark on there how can the church pray for you, help you, help you take that next step towards Jesus? 00:32:45.133 --> 00:32:48.266 Maybe help you in taking that next step towards Valley View? 00:32:49.365 --> 00:32:50.365 Just fill those out. 00:32:50.365 --> 00:32:55.766 And then in the giving stations in the back, you can just drop that right in there. 00:32:55.766 --> 00:33:03.700 I'm going to close out in prayer, but then hold tight because I got a couple of brief announcements for us. Okay. 00:33:03.700 --> 00:33:06.465 God, we thank you for a wonderful, wonderful Sunday. 00:33:06.465 --> 00:33:27.865 Lord, we thank you for the for the details that have been provided by Mark in the scenes that we see here in Scripture God, and I pray, Lord, that we would seek after you, that we would be desperate for you, that we would cast all of our burdens upon you, God, and that we would recognize that you love us and you know us better than we even know ourselves. 00:33:27.865 --> 00:33:31.133 And you will give us exactly what we need at just the right time. 00:33:32.232 --> 00:33:39.365 God, there are those in this room that are struggling with things, their own insecurities, their own, their own illnesses, even. 00:33:39.365 --> 00:33:45.432 Lord, Lord, I pray God that that your Holy Spirit would just minister throughout this place today. 00:33:45.432 --> 00:33:53.032 God, I pray that if there's anyone right now thinking about writing something down on that connection card, but they're not sure God, I pray that you would just move them in that direction. 00:33:53.032 --> 00:33:59.066 That that the church here at Valley View, that we could reach out to them. 00:33:59.066 --> 00:34:03.900 God, we look forward to what you're going to do in the life of this church and in the life of those here today. 00:34:03.900 --> 00:34:06.333 God, we pray this in Jesus name, Amen.