WEBVTT 00:00:00.640 --> 00:00:12.080 So yesterday I received a phone call from a friend of mine in Houston who's a pastor, and he actually started his church a year after us, and he calls me and he says, He says, Happy anniversary. 00:00:12.160 --> 00:00:14.880 And I mean literally my first thought was like, oh no, again? 00:00:15.039 --> 00:00:17.039 Like I forgot again. 00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:19.199 It has happened. 00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:21.679 It's a different sermon illustration, but that happened. 00:00:22.079 --> 00:00:24.239 I start sweating, and I just don't say anything. 00:00:24.320 --> 00:00:28.079 And he's like, Your church! Your church is five years old. 00:00:28.559 --> 00:00:34.719 Like, and I I had not even thought about it because again, I don't apparently think much about anniversaries. 00:00:34.799 --> 00:00:36.880 And I was like, wow, that's amazing. 00:00:37.200 --> 00:00:38.159 That's amazing. 00:00:38.240 --> 00:00:40.320 I didn't think about it, number one. 00:00:40.399 --> 00:00:43.600 Um, it's amazing he did and he called, right? 00:00:43.679 --> 00:00:46.560 Like, that's that's an amazing person or friend. 00:00:46.799 --> 00:00:49.359 And it's amazing that actually has happened. 00:00:49.759 --> 00:00:50.960 That five years. 00:00:51.119 --> 00:00:55.280 And some of you have been here the whole time, some have been here for five weeks, I don't know, right? 00:00:55.359 --> 00:00:59.200 I mean, we've been here different lengths of time, but it's not easy to start a church. 00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:02.960 I mean, the statistics are not in our favor, we're not in our favor. 00:01:03.759 --> 00:01:09.120 And five years ago, there were 25 adults sitting in a circle. 00:01:09.200 --> 00:01:11.439 I set the chairs out, I got there early. 00:01:11.599 --> 00:01:19.920 The preschool auditorium at Walker Preschool, lots of primary colors, tile floor, the walls were padded, right? 00:01:20.079 --> 00:01:25.040 Because it's for preschoolers, um, not for us as the church, but for the preschoolers. 00:01:25.200 --> 00:01:29.680 Nobody came in and said, like, man, what a cool building. 00:01:30.319 --> 00:01:33.040 People came in and are like, eh, yeah, this might work. 00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:35.519 Y'all, you know, churches in preschool can be weird. 00:01:35.599 --> 00:01:37.040 Let's let's check you out for a little bit. 00:01:37.120 --> 00:01:39.599 That's more of the feeling of what was going on during those years. 00:01:39.760 --> 00:01:43.439 I get there, I set the chairs up, 25 chairs instead of a semicircle. 00:01:43.519 --> 00:01:44.879 Maybe some of you are there. 00:01:45.040 --> 00:01:47.280 And I kind of sat right there in the middle. 00:01:47.439 --> 00:01:49.760 I went back and looked at what I said that week. 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:51.680 I went back and looked it up on my computer. 00:01:51.760 --> 00:01:52.719 I pulled the document up. 00:01:52.799 --> 00:01:54.959 And here's what I told everybody, I'll tell you again today. 00:01:55.040 --> 00:01:58.319 I I said this, I said, we will disagree on something. 00:01:59.599 --> 00:02:00.560 You and I. 00:02:00.879 --> 00:02:01.840 We will disagree. 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:03.599 You and you and you and you. 00:02:03.920 --> 00:02:05.280 We will disagree on something. 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:07.200 That's that's not up for debate. 00:02:07.359 --> 00:02:08.479 That's gonna happen. 00:02:08.719 --> 00:02:11.439 You disagree with the people you love the most in life, right? 00:02:11.840 --> 00:02:13.919 We will disagree on something. 00:02:14.080 --> 00:02:16.400 So, okay, that's fine. 00:02:16.639 --> 00:02:18.159 I might offend you. 00:02:18.400 --> 00:02:21.599 I might make a mistake, I might offend you along the way. 00:02:21.759 --> 00:02:23.199 You might offend me. 00:02:23.680 --> 00:02:24.159 Right? 00:02:24.479 --> 00:02:25.680 You might offend each other. 00:02:25.840 --> 00:02:26.879 Okay, that might happen. 00:02:27.039 --> 00:02:29.199 What's not an option, right? 00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:35.599 Then, five years ago, and today, moving in this future, what's not an option is not reconciling. 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:37.280 That's what's not an option. 00:02:37.439 --> 00:02:39.360 You may leave the church, right? 00:02:39.599 --> 00:02:40.560 That's fine. 00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:42.000 That's okay. 00:02:42.319 --> 00:02:45.680 But what's not an option is not reconciling. 00:02:47.520 --> 00:02:52.479 So I said that, and then we read Colossians 3, we read it out loud, and I said two things. 00:02:52.560 --> 00:02:58.400 I said, number one, we keep peace by bravely seeing ourselves. 00:02:59.120 --> 00:03:01.840 Meaning, I too am a sinner. 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:10.960 It's just, it's just hard to live in a lot of disharmony and disunity as a church when you're constantly understanding you too are the sinner. 00:03:11.039 --> 00:03:14.479 Oh, you know her, you know, she said this, and oh, I can't believe her and how she is. 00:03:15.039 --> 00:03:16.560 Oh, him and he's oh, he's so. 00:03:17.439 --> 00:03:19.680 But if you're like, oh yeah, me too. 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:20.719 Me too. 00:03:20.879 --> 00:03:24.319 Yeah, I see that, but yeah, me too. 00:03:24.719 --> 00:03:29.520 We we keep peace by bravely, always, continually seeing ourselves. 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:31.039 I too am a sinner. 00:03:31.120 --> 00:03:35.840 And then we keep peace with each other by finding our peace with Christ in Christ. 00:03:36.240 --> 00:03:37.120 So that's what I said. 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:38.800 I said it five years ago. 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:41.919 Five years ago, saying it now, for our future. 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:56.400 And then the next week we invited some others, the chairs went from a circle to in rows, and then a little more people showed up, and a little more people showed up, and it's just been a little bit more at a time over the course of the last five years. 00:03:56.560 --> 00:04:02.560 And over the past five years, we've consistently been going through books of the Bible with some breaks of some other things. 00:04:02.639 --> 00:04:08.000 We do an Advent season, we do a Lent season between before Christmas and Easter and those things. 00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:12.319 And what we're doing right now is not that we're never gonna go through a book of the Bible again. 00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:17.759 It's not that, but for the next season of time in our church, we're gonna go through the lectionary. 00:04:17.839 --> 00:04:29.759 So the lectionary is church historic, but laying out passages week by week for pastors to preach a well-rounded gospel narrative of the Bible. 00:04:29.839 --> 00:04:31.519 And so week by week it lays it out. 00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:34.399 So if you've noticed the last few weeks we've been in Mark 7. 00:04:34.959 --> 00:04:36.959 So again, we're in Mark 7 this week. 00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:39.839 It doesn't mean we'll always do the lectionary forever. 00:04:40.399 --> 00:04:41.839 We'll still do book studies. 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:42.959 We're still gonna do that. 00:04:43.040 --> 00:04:47.680 We're not leaving one for the other, but that's just what we're doing now for the next season of life. 00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:53.519 And our goal is always to take the Bible and bring it to life, not take life and bring it to the Bible. 00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:58.720 And so we're always gonna look at a passage and get as much out of that passage as we What's this passage say? 00:04:58.879 --> 00:04:59.680 What's the context of this? 00:05:00.160 --> 00:05:02.399 What's it say for our life? 00:05:03.040 --> 00:05:05.199 So that's what we're doing for the next season. 00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:08.319 And we're in Mark 7 this morning. 00:05:08.720 --> 00:05:14.160 The first time I went fly fishing with my own gear, I had been before, right? 00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:23.519 And I'd been before, but I bought my own stuff, and I went down to the Chattahoochee, the mountainous, beautiful river of the Chattahoochee in Atlanta, right? 00:05:23.759 --> 00:05:25.519 Under 285, you can actually go. 00:05:25.600 --> 00:05:31.920 There's actually people fly fishing there, and I put on my waders and my boots and I get my rod all put together. 00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:33.839 It takes me about an hour and a half to do all that. 00:05:33.920 --> 00:05:36.560 And other guys are doing about 10 minutes, takes me forever. 00:05:36.639 --> 00:05:43.519 I get all suited up, I get my pack on, I got everything, and I go out and I start casting. 00:05:43.600 --> 00:05:46.560 I'm working my cast and I'm just working on casting. 00:05:46.639 --> 00:05:49.839 I mean, catching nothing, not really expecting to catch anything. 00:05:49.920 --> 00:06:00.639 I'm just working on my casting and I'm imagining myself, you know, like in the mountains of Montana and a beautiful river, Brad Pitt, a river runs through, and I'm seeing this image of myself. 00:06:00.800 --> 00:06:04.000 I'm sure that's how everybody else is viewing me in this moment. 00:06:04.160 --> 00:06:10.319 And then this guy walks out on the river, and he walks out, he has this huge fishing rod, massive. 00:06:10.399 --> 00:06:17.439 I mean, it's like maybe you fish like a river in Iceland with it, and he goes out there and he pulls out like a hundred feet of line. 00:06:17.600 --> 00:06:27.839 Like I'm over there with like 20 feet, like with all my might trying to like get this thing out there, and he gets a hundred feet of line out and he double-handed spay cast. 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:30.879 You don't care, but it was amazing. 00:06:31.120 --> 00:06:44.959 A double-handed spay cast, and he's doing this like figure eight with a hundred feet of line, and he's laying it out perfectly across the river, and the light is catching the line, and he's perfectly posed in the river. 00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:47.439 I mean, he he was Brad Pitt, I was not Brad Pitt. 00:06:47.600 --> 00:06:49.199 Everybody else on the river stops. 00:06:49.360 --> 00:06:53.519 Everybody else on the river completely stops and watches this man cast. 00:06:53.759 --> 00:06:55.199 It was amazing. 00:06:55.839 --> 00:07:00.800 And as quickly as he starts to do it, I think to myself, look at me. 00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:04.720 Like 20, like a 20-foot cast. 00:07:04.879 --> 00:07:06.879 Like this is, I'm so ridiculous. 00:07:07.120 --> 00:07:09.040 I am so far from that. 00:07:09.199 --> 00:07:10.399 I'm so inadequate. 00:07:10.480 --> 00:07:11.839 I mean, look how ridiculous this. 00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:15.680 I mean, all my might, I can't, I barely get it 25 feet out of there. 00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:21.519 He's over there double-handed, spay cast, hundred feet of line, and just a flood of thoughts, right? 00:07:21.600 --> 00:07:24.000 This happens in this type of moment, a flood of thoughts. 00:07:24.079 --> 00:07:25.279 I'll never be that good. 00:07:25.439 --> 00:07:26.959 That's incredible. 00:07:28.160 --> 00:07:29.600 And we know these feelings, right? 00:07:29.680 --> 00:07:33.439 Whether it's like silly fishing or you walk into somebody's home, right? 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:36.879 You walk into their home, you look around, you're like, oh wow. 00:07:37.839 --> 00:07:39.519 Not my home. 00:07:41.199 --> 00:07:45.600 You walk into their office, they have windows, you don't. 00:07:45.920 --> 00:07:46.879 You know what I'm talking about? 00:07:46.959 --> 00:07:47.680 You know these feelings? 00:07:47.759 --> 00:07:52.560 You get in their car, you look around, no crystal wrappers on the floor. 00:07:53.839 --> 00:07:54.879 We do it, right? 00:07:55.040 --> 00:07:56.079 We know these feelings. 00:07:56.160 --> 00:07:58.000 Why am I not just a little bit better? 00:07:58.079 --> 00:08:01.360 Why can't I vacuum my car like other people can vacuum their car? 00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:02.959 We do it with faith. 00:08:03.199 --> 00:08:06.480 We walk into a place like this, we look at each other. 00:08:06.959 --> 00:08:07.839 We shouldn't do it. 00:08:07.920 --> 00:08:09.120 It's a horrible thing to do. 00:08:09.199 --> 00:08:10.560 We look at each other. 00:08:12.480 --> 00:08:13.600 It's easy to do. 00:08:13.920 --> 00:08:15.360 You'll be tempted to do it. 00:08:15.600 --> 00:08:19.439 To compare yourself to someone else, you go, oh man, they have their act together. 00:08:19.600 --> 00:08:20.959 I mean, look at them. 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:23.439 To compare your faith. 00:08:23.920 --> 00:08:30.560 You'll be tempted in these ways to see all your weakness and timidity, and you'll wonder you'll wonder about your faith. 00:08:30.800 --> 00:08:31.120 Right? 00:08:31.279 --> 00:08:33.360 Like faith is belief in the unseen. 00:08:33.840 --> 00:08:40.720 Faith is belief in a God who loves you and redeems you and the work of Jesus and a life of walking in the Spirit, and you'll wonder about all that. 00:08:41.039 --> 00:08:42.879 How much belief is really there? 00:08:43.919 --> 00:08:50.080 And so often it feels like, right, okay, Lord, I I believe, I believe, I believe. 00:08:50.240 --> 00:08:55.200 Yeah, there's so much, there's so much unbelief in me. 00:08:57.840 --> 00:09:03.200 I don't feel like some great fisherman, double-handed spay cast. 00:09:04.960 --> 00:09:05.919 Not in my heart. 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:07.519 So what does faith look like? 00:09:07.679 --> 00:09:13.600 Well, in Mark 7, Jesus, he leaves this Jewish region, he goes into this non-Jewish region, this town. 00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:15.120 He's hoping to get some rest. 00:09:15.279 --> 00:09:18.159 He wants to be unknown, he's been really busy, lots has been going on. 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:22.000 And this lady who has a little girl, has an unclean spirit in her. 00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:24.000 She hears he's around. 00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:28.720 There's a powerful healing rabbi in the area, and she shows up. 00:09:28.799 --> 00:09:30.879 She's a Gentile, not Jewish. 00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:34.799 She just has some faith. 00:09:36.080 --> 00:09:37.279 Here she is. 00:09:38.159 --> 00:09:39.600 Mark 7, verse 26. 00:09:39.679 --> 00:09:40.639 We jump back into it. 00:09:40.799 --> 00:09:47.120 And she begged him, she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 00:09:47.200 --> 00:09:51.840 And he said to her, Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs. 00:09:51.919 --> 00:09:54.240 But she answered him, Yes, Lord, yet. 00:09:54.559 --> 00:09:57.600 Even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs. 00:09:58.159 --> 00:10:00.639 And he said to her, For this statement, you may go your way. 00:10:00.720 --> 00:10:01.840 The demon has left your daughter. 00:10:01.919 --> 00:10:05.360 And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone. 00:10:05.519 --> 00:10:06.480 So here's this lady. 00:10:06.559 --> 00:10:14.000 She has no religious or cultural or racial heritage to like be here. 00:10:14.639 --> 00:10:16.320 To come to this rabbi. 00:10:17.200 --> 00:10:18.240 She's an outsider. 00:10:18.320 --> 00:10:19.279 She didn't have the resume. 00:10:19.360 --> 00:10:20.720 She didn't have the record. 00:10:22.320 --> 00:10:24.159 And yet she knows. 00:10:25.440 --> 00:10:27.360 She knows in every way she shouldn't be there. 00:10:27.440 --> 00:10:28.240 She's undeserving. 00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:30.080 She knows yet she's here. 00:10:30.240 --> 00:10:31.440 Yes, she's there. 00:10:31.919 --> 00:10:33.279 So this is point number one. 00:10:33.440 --> 00:10:36.399 Faith begins with humility, not self-reliance. 00:10:36.799 --> 00:10:39.120 Faith begins with humility, not self-reliance. 00:10:39.279 --> 00:10:40.879 The word here begging is a verb. 00:10:40.960 --> 00:10:43.200 It means like she's begging and she keeps begging. 00:10:43.279 --> 00:10:44.240 Like it's not stopping. 00:10:44.399 --> 00:10:45.519 She's not stopping. 00:10:45.679 --> 00:10:47.360 She just keeps begging. 00:10:47.600 --> 00:10:48.799 Nothing can stop her. 00:10:48.879 --> 00:10:49.919 And of course you know that. 00:10:50.080 --> 00:10:59.440 You know that because little Susie, she got sick or she is sick, and you will take her from doctor to doctor, state to state, put her on a plane. 00:10:59.600 --> 00:11:00.480 It doesn't matter. 00:11:00.559 --> 00:11:03.039 If your daughter's sick, you will find a way. 00:11:03.200 --> 00:11:10.080 You'll build a little platform above her bed for the humidifier so the air will come down and land over her just right, right? 00:11:10.159 --> 00:11:12.639 Like and you designed it for a week and you built it. 00:11:12.799 --> 00:11:17.279 Like you'll do anything when your child's sick. 00:11:18.480 --> 00:11:22.559 You'll mix oils, lots of oils, any oils. 00:11:23.200 --> 00:11:26.720 You heard about a new oil, you'll get a new oil and rub it all over her. 00:11:26.879 --> 00:11:27.519 Doesn't matter. 00:11:27.600 --> 00:11:29.200 You'll try anything. 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:34.080 And this is this lady's little girl. 00:11:34.480 --> 00:11:38.639 And she hears there's a healing, powerful rabbi that could help her little girl. 00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:40.159 Yeah, she shows up. 00:11:40.960 --> 00:11:42.240 She shows up. 00:11:42.639 --> 00:11:45.120 And it isn't about a lot of faith here. 00:11:45.440 --> 00:11:49.840 It's just about some faith and a humility to go and beg. 00:11:50.399 --> 00:11:51.360 I have a need. 00:11:51.519 --> 00:11:54.879 And I hear that that guy could help. 00:11:56.080 --> 00:11:57.039 I'll go. 00:11:58.240 --> 00:11:59.039 I'll beg. 00:12:00.159 --> 00:12:04.240 It's not about self-reliance, it's just about my humility to go that I'm in need. 00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:10.399 Point number two, faith relies upon the goodness of the giver, not the abilities of the self. 00:12:11.360 --> 00:12:17.200 So the faith here for her, that's what we're learning from, is this lady. 00:12:17.600 --> 00:12:23.039 She's relying on the goodness of the one who can give, not her abilities. 00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:24.480 Right? 00:12:24.559 --> 00:12:31.039 So this passage is almost like this mini parable that Jesus and her has this conversation about like there's a dog and a table and crumbs. 00:12:31.600 --> 00:12:32.559 It's a little parable. 00:12:32.639 --> 00:12:34.720 And Jesus isn't calling her a dog. 00:12:34.799 --> 00:12:36.320 It's played out as a parable. 00:12:36.399 --> 00:12:38.080 The word is more like a puppy. 00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:40.799 And he's saying, you know how families eat. 00:12:42.080 --> 00:12:48.000 First, the children eat at the table, and afterward, maybe, maybe like a pet or a dog or whoever's around, like the crumbs fall down. 00:12:48.240 --> 00:12:49.360 And maybe they get to eat. 00:12:49.519 --> 00:12:51.759 Don't violate the order, is what Jesus is saying. 00:12:51.840 --> 00:12:53.120 There's an order here. 00:12:53.360 --> 00:12:56.799 And if we dig some more, we could go to the Matthew's account, same story. 00:12:56.960 --> 00:12:58.480 And Jesus explains it more there. 00:12:58.559 --> 00:13:01.919 And he says, Hey, I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. 00:13:02.159 --> 00:13:09.279 So he says that there, but then throughout his ministry, he reaches out to all sorts of people, and then when he resurrects, he says, Go into all the nations, to all people. 00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:12.879 So what he's saying to the lady is, please understand there's an order. 00:13:12.960 --> 00:13:15.120 I'm doing something strategically here. 00:13:15.440 --> 00:13:20.559 I'm going to Israel first, and then all the other nations and all the other people second. 00:13:21.200 --> 00:13:24.399 And here's what's interesting she doesn't like it. 00:13:25.279 --> 00:13:26.960 It doesn't help her. 00:13:27.360 --> 00:13:28.879 That method doesn't help her. 00:13:28.960 --> 00:13:30.080 It doesn't help her daughter. 00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:31.360 She doesn't like that. 00:13:31.519 --> 00:13:32.240 And I love that. 00:13:32.320 --> 00:13:32.639 I love that. 00:13:32.720 --> 00:13:35.519 She's just like, yeah, okay. 00:13:35.919 --> 00:13:39.919 But, but that's what she says. 00:13:40.080 --> 00:13:43.279 Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs. 00:13:43.360 --> 00:13:48.559 And then she's saying, hey, hey, like, okay, that's fine. 00:13:48.799 --> 00:13:51.200 I'll be like a little puppy under the table begging. 00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:52.000 But you know what? 00:13:52.159 --> 00:13:53.679 Even they get crumbs. 00:13:54.159 --> 00:13:56.879 Like, you're the giver, you have you have what I need. 00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:00.720 And that's the point. 00:14:00.879 --> 00:14:02.320 It's huge for us. 00:14:02.559 --> 00:14:05.840 And it's this her faith is not in her heritage or resume. 00:14:05.919 --> 00:14:06.480 That's very clear. 00:14:06.559 --> 00:14:08.639 It's in the goodness of the one who gives. 00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:10.559 And she doesn't give up on that. 00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:15.039 And she doesn't have to measure her faith. 00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:17.759 She's not busy measuring her faith or proving her faith. 00:14:17.840 --> 00:14:18.639 She's just begging. 00:14:18.720 --> 00:14:20.720 Like she's in need and she's begging. 00:14:21.039 --> 00:14:24.000 When you know your need, there's just one place to go. 00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:27.759 She already knows she doesn't have a place at the table. 00:14:27.919 --> 00:14:29.440 She's not arguing that. 00:14:29.679 --> 00:14:32.080 She's not arguing her merit to be at the table. 00:14:32.240 --> 00:14:34.480 She understands her position of need. 00:14:35.440 --> 00:14:38.960 There's no way by merit she deserves the goodness of this giver. 00:14:39.120 --> 00:14:41.279 It has to be an act of grace. 00:14:42.559 --> 00:14:46.080 And then Jesus says, for such a reply, you may go. 00:14:46.240 --> 00:14:47.519 The demon has left your daughter. 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:50.080 And she went home and found her child lying in the bed. 00:14:50.399 --> 00:14:52.000 Her child's healed. 00:14:52.960 --> 00:14:54.559 Point number three. 00:14:55.519 --> 00:15:00.000 God esteems the race and the gender of those who are treated as outsiders. 00:15:00.240 --> 00:15:02.639 This is just one story among so many. 00:15:03.039 --> 00:15:06.639 This is over and over and over in the life of Jesus. 00:15:06.879 --> 00:15:10.879 This lady is a Gentile, and this lady's a lady. 00:15:12.399 --> 00:15:15.919 Which at the time both things would have been working against her. 00:15:16.080 --> 00:15:20.559 To be valued, to be heard, to be welcomed, don't send her away. 00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:34.960 And it is so common to pick a race or a gender or anybody who's different than you and to devalue them simply because they're different from you, so you will feel better about yourself. 00:15:35.039 --> 00:15:37.600 It's the cheapest way of feeling value. 00:15:37.919 --> 00:15:42.879 It's a method of self-justification that is so easy and we all do it. 00:15:43.440 --> 00:15:51.120 Or you can flip it around and simply favor anybody above you on the ladder of life. 00:15:52.080 --> 00:15:54.240 And James just destroys. 00:15:55.200 --> 00:15:58.720 The writer James destroys this way of thinking. 00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:01.039 James 2, 1 through 5, you can just hear this. 00:16:01.200 --> 00:16:09.919 My brothers, we say brothers and sisters, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 00:16:10.320 --> 00:16:17.840 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man and shabby, clothing also comes in. 00:16:17.919 --> 00:16:28.480 And if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, You sit here in a good place, while you say to the poor man, you sit over there, sit down at my feet. 00:16:28.799 --> 00:16:34.559 Have you not then made distinctions amongst yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:46.960 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He has promised to those who love Him? 00:16:47.200 --> 00:16:50.159 So listen, I can't get any clearer on this. 00:16:50.399 --> 00:17:05.759 If you still think a particular gender or race is lesser in value in some way, in any way, not only are you behaving in ignorance and bigotry, you are far from the way that God views humanity. 00:17:09.759 --> 00:17:11.920 Of how he loves that person. 00:17:14.079 --> 00:17:17.599 And I don't care about your heritage or what your parents or grandparents believe. 00:17:17.680 --> 00:17:19.519 I'm talking to you right now. 00:17:21.119 --> 00:17:24.799 That's ignorance is bigotry, is not how God views people. 00:17:26.160 --> 00:17:32.799 We all live under the same diagnosis, the same need of God's grace. 00:17:33.039 --> 00:17:35.440 You don't have this is so freeing. 00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:40.319 You don't have to belittle someone else to feel valuable. 00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:47.920 The gift of God's grace to you is that even though you are a sinner by the work of Jesus, you are fully valued already. 00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:51.200 You don't have to justify yourself by belittling people. 00:17:51.279 --> 00:17:52.799 You are free from that evil. 00:17:52.960 --> 00:17:53.680 You don't have to do that. 00:17:53.759 --> 00:17:54.960 That's what James is saying. 00:17:55.119 --> 00:17:55.920 You don't have to do that. 00:17:56.000 --> 00:17:57.200 Don't do that evil. 00:17:59.359 --> 00:18:01.359 Point number four, last point. 00:18:01.920 --> 00:18:06.319 While you are humbled in need, we all are, especially from point number three. 00:18:07.920 --> 00:18:17.839 While we, while I am humbled in need, God heals us and grows us into his grace unto openness. 00:18:18.480 --> 00:18:22.640 While you are humbled in need, God heals you and grows you in his grace unto openness. 00:18:22.799 --> 00:18:24.640 So Mark 7 continues. 00:18:25.359 --> 00:18:31.680 He leaves that town, he returns back into Galilee, and the people bring him a deaf man as a speech impediment. 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:35.599 It would have been an easy moment to devalue someone. 00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:40.240 This would have been someone who'd been devalued his whole life by all sorts of religious leaders. 00:18:40.319 --> 00:18:42.640 And he doesn't do that, didn't even come close to that. 00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:50.559 Pulls the man aside, values him, sticks his fingers in the man's ears. 00:18:51.039 --> 00:18:51.680 So strange. 00:18:53.759 --> 00:18:59.279 Spits on his fingers, spits on his tongue, and says, be opened. 00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:01.599 And the man is healed. 00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:07.599 I put his fingers in his head on the tongue. 00:19:07.680 --> 00:19:08.640 I'm like, what? 00:19:09.200 --> 00:19:10.480 What's going on here? 00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:16.720 See, he doesn't just promise life, he he invades. 00:19:17.359 --> 00:19:22.720 He invades your dead soul to give you life. 00:19:23.519 --> 00:19:24.960 Giving spirit. 00:19:25.680 --> 00:19:32.880 And you are deemed perfect by his work and intention and pursuit of you, even while you're imperfect. 00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:42.720 That's what it means that our sin is put upon Jesus on the cross and his righteousness is given to us, so we are his beloved, secure, and forever. 00:19:42.880 --> 00:19:43.599 That's what it means. 00:19:43.759 --> 00:19:46.319 That's the goodness, that's the power. 00:19:48.400 --> 00:19:56.880 And what a great image for us to think about when we think about the healing of our hearts, to think about to be opened. 00:19:58.400 --> 00:20:04.720 To be open, that the diagnosis is true about you, not just everybody else, you. 00:20:06.720 --> 00:20:09.519 That you too are a sinner in need of God's grace. 00:20:09.680 --> 00:20:15.519 And you didn't just need it when you were, you became a Christian 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 10 weeks ago. 00:20:15.599 --> 00:20:16.480 You need it today. 00:20:16.640 --> 00:20:18.400 You'll need it tomorrow. 00:20:21.680 --> 00:20:26.079 To be open to a God who reaches out, right? 00:20:26.240 --> 00:20:27.599 We can see it here with the woman. 00:20:27.680 --> 00:20:43.039 We see it here with the man who reaches out and loves and touches those of us who hold no record, no deserving, no resume, and yet we need saving because we're not perfect. 00:20:43.680 --> 00:20:45.039 Where are we gonna go? 00:20:45.680 --> 00:20:47.839 We don't have the merit to be at the table. 00:20:48.160 --> 00:20:49.599 We're not perfect. 00:20:50.480 --> 00:20:53.599 And yet we receive the goodness of the Giver. 00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:57.759 He has more than enough to feed all of us. 00:20:58.160 --> 00:21:01.599 My brothers and sisters, fear not if you are of little faith. 00:21:01.839 --> 00:21:03.599 Fear not if you are of little faith. 00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:09.119 The goodness of God is beyond all our failings, redeeming us and healing us and growing us. 00:21:09.279 --> 00:21:10.559 Let's pray together. 00:21:10.880 --> 00:21:13.200 God, thank you for your grace and mercy. 00:21:13.440 --> 00:21:16.000 That you value each of us. 00:21:16.880 --> 00:21:25.200 And while we are not perfect in so many ways, you have deemed us so in your grace toward us in the work of Jesus. 00:21:26.400 --> 00:21:30.240 May we rest more in what you have already proclaimed us to be. 00:21:30.880 --> 00:21:34.400 May we not live in the shame of our mistakes or failings. 00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:44.400 May we live in the victory we have in the proclamation of our identities of secure and valued children of God. 00:21:44.880 --> 00:21:52.400 Give us the eyes to see ourselves as you would deem, as you would have us see ourselves as beautiful, yet broken, and yet saved. 00:21:53.119 --> 00:21:58.079 And give us eyes to see all people as you would see them, just as you see us. 00:21:58.799 --> 00:22:00.400 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:01.279 Amen.