Heavenly Father, Lord, here
today in Springfield, Missouri
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we have the privilege of
being able to worship You.
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And Father, we have come
to a part in this service
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where we're about to
open Your sacred Word.
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And as we do so, we
pray, Lord, that You would just
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help our minds to focus
on these eternal truths.
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That You would write in
our heart and in our mind
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that we might
better understand our call
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to be missionaries for You.
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Lord, help us to know
who is that one person
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that You're calling
us to be friends with,
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who is that person
that You want us to reach.
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Enlighten our minds,
guide us by Your Holy Spirit,
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and help us to see
precious and powerful things
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from Your Word today.
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We ask this in
Jesus' name. Amen.
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Back in the year 2002
my family and I went on a
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very special vacation together.
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And it was on this vacation
that I encountered a situation
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that I was not
expecting to have to face.
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It happened like this:
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One of my dad's life
long dreams was always to go
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to the Grand Canyon
in the state of Arizona.
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How many people here have
ever been to the Grand Canyon?
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Can I see your hands?
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Okay, quite a few of you.
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Well, that was one of my
dad's wishes on his wish list.
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But I knew that with my
parent's being in their 70's
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at that time and
living in Pennsylvania,
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there was no way that they
were going to hop on a plane
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by themselves and fly
halfway across the country.
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And there was no way they
were going to get into a car
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and my dad was
going to drive 2000 miles
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to a place he had never been to.
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So the only way my dad
would get his dream fulfilled
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is if we all went to
the Grand Canyon together.
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So that's what we did.
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July of 2002, I made
the hotel reservations,
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got the airplane
tickets, and me, Marquita,
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and my mom and my
dad found ourselves in
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Grand Canyon National
Park, Flagstaff, Arizona.
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Now I've got to tell
you, my dad, he loved it.
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For him, being able to look over
the vastness of that canyon,
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that was just a powerful example
of God's creative ability
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and an evidence of
the biblical flood.
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My mom, on the other
hand, she could have cared less.
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To her it was just a
big dumb hole in the ground,
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and she said, "I never
want to come back again."
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In fact, we could not
even get her to go to the edge,
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you know, where the railing
is, we could not get her to go
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and just look out over
the beauty of the canyon.
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She wanted
nothing to do with it.
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Still doesn't want anything
to do with it to this day.
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But I remember on one day we
took a guided tour of the area.
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Now you know what a
guided tour is, right?
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You're with a group of
people, you have a guide.
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All day long he takes you
to all the interesting places
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and explains all the
facts and figures behind it.
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Now if you've ever
been in a tour group,
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you understand that
when you spend all day
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with the same group of people,
you're riding in the same bus,
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you're
discussing the same sights,
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you're even eating
your meals together,
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it's only natural that you
start to build some friendships
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and an acquaintance with
the people in your group.
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I mean, you're
spending hours together.
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Well, one of the guys I met
was a man by the name of Ivan.
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Now what did I say
his name was? Ivan.
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Now Ivan was about 29 years old,
same age as I was at that time.
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And he was from
the country of Italy.
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Now I want you to remember
that because it's going to
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become important later.
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Ivan had come all the
way over to the United States
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on vacation by himself in
order to see the Grand Canyon.
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So throughout the day, you know,
we conversed with each other.
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He shared with me what life was
like in Italy for a young man.
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And I tried to share
with him what life was like
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in the United
States for a young man.
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Well, at the end of the day when
the tour was about to depart
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and we were going to go our
separate ways and, you know,
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go back to our
hotels, Ivan did something
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that surprised me.
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Something that I
wasn't ready for.
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Something that
really kind of took me back.
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Ivan came up to
me and he invited me
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to go out to dinner
with him that night.
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Now at first I wasn't quite
sure what to think, you know;
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one guy asking
another out to dinner.
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And then I
realized, oh that's right.
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What country is
Ivan from? Italy.
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And if you know anything
about the Italian culture,
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the evening meal is the
most important meal of the day.
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It's always a festive
time and a social occasion
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with family and friends.
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So if you're Italian, you
never eat the evening meal alone
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if you can help it.
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So now that Ivan had
just made a friend in America,
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it was the most
natural thing in the world
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for him to invite that
friend to the evening meal.
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Well any other time, that
would have been perfectly fine.
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Except that particular night
presented me with one problem.
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That night was my anniversary.
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And I had already
made plans in my mind
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to have a nice romantic
evening with my wife, you know.
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Nice candlelight
dinner at a fancy restaurant.
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Maybe a little moonlight
stroll under the stars.
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You know, hugs and kisses.
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You know, pastors and wives,
we like romance too, you know.
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You can say amen to that.
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So you know, if I have to choose
between spending my anniversary
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with my beautiful
wife or another guy,
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it doesn't take a rocket
scientist to figure that out.
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I would like to be with my wife.
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So I politely
declined Ivan's invitation.
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And of course, he understood.
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But then a few minutes
later I went and I explained
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to Marquita what had happened.
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And I said, "Honey, don't worry,
I am not going to skip out
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on our anniversary."
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You know what she said?
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She shocked me.
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She said, "David, I
think you should go."
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"What?
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No, Honey, it's our
anniversary, you know.
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Hugs and kisses, romance.
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I don't want to
go out with Ivan."
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And she said, "David,
you've been talking with
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Ivan all day long.
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You're never
going to see him again.
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Maybe if you just
have a meal together
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maybe you'll get a
chance to talk about Jesus.
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Maybe you'll get a
chance to just plant some small
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seed for the gospel.
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Besides, we're going to be
on vacation a few more days.
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We can just as easily
celebrate our anniversary
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tomorrow night."
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Well, her argument made sense.
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I didn't like it at the
time, but it made sense.
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So I went back and I
accepted Ivan's invitation.
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Later that evening, as I
was getting ready to meet Ivan
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at our designated meeting area,
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I started to think
about this situation.
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And then I started to
become a little apprehensive.
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Because I
thought, now wait a minute.
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Ivan is different than I am.
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Ivan is not a
Christian, as far as I can tell.
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Now wait a minute.
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What if he talks about
things that embarrass me?
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What if he wants to go
places that I don't go?
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What if he wants to
do things I don't do?
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How am I going to handle that?
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And I started to wonder, is
this really a good situation?
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And no sooner had I met
Ivan at the place we designated,
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and right away he said,
"Hi Dave, let's go over here
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and grab a bite to eat."
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Guess where he was pointing.
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To a place that maybe
I wouldn't normally go.
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And so just for those few
seconds all sorts of things
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ran through my
mind, and I wondered,
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what in the world should I do?
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Should I even be
mingling with this person?
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Have you ever encountered
a situation like that?
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Have you ever faced a
time when there was someone
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that maybe God
laid on your heart,
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someone who wasn't a Christian,
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maybe they weren't a
believer in Jesus Christ,
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but you felt that pull,
that desire to try to plant some
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seeds in their life?
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But yet, in your
mind you're thinking,
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well I'm supposed to
be a missionary for Jesus,
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but yet the Bible says that I'm
not supposed to be of the world.
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And friendship with the
world is enmity towards God.
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I wonder, should I even
be mingling with this person?
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You ever have those
questions go through your mind?
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Did you know that
Jesus encountered a very
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similar situation?
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Would you like to
see how he handled it?
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Because after all, Jesus
is the divine Teacher. Amen?
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And so, we're going
to look at a particularly
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precarious situation
that Jesus found Himself in.
00:09:07.14\00:09:10.45
And as we look at what
Jesus said, as we look at what
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Jesus did, it's going to
teach us some valuable lessons
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on what it means to be a true
missionary for Jesus Christ.
00:09:17.62\00:09:22.92
Because we are supposed to
fulfill the gospel commission.
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But yet, there is a verse
that says don't be of the world.
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So how are we supposed
to balance those two things?
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If anybody knows how
to answer that question,
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then I reckon it
would be Jesus. Amen?
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I want you to take
your Bible and turn with me
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to the book of Luke, and
we're going to look at chapter 5
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and verse 27.
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Now you can look at it on the
screen, but I also invite you to
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look at it in your Bible.
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Luke 5:27
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Now as soon as you
look this up in your Bible,
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you should recognize the story.
00:10:00.16\00:10:02.10
You're going to see
this is the calling of Levi,
00:10:02.60\00:10:05.90
or Matthew, the tax collector.
00:10:05.93\00:10:08.14
Now this passage, this
story, is only six verses long.
00:10:08.30\00:10:11.94
It's very short.
00:10:11.97\00:10:13.31
But here's what
I want you to do.
00:10:13.34\00:10:14.68
I want you to use your God
given gift of imagination, okay.
00:10:15.38\00:10:19.81
I want you to try to
picture everything that's
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happening in this story.
00:10:22.38\00:10:23.95
I want you to try to
imagine what is Jesus thinking?
00:10:24.19\00:10:27.69
What are the disciples doing?
00:10:27.72\00:10:29.49
What's going on
in Matthew's heart?
00:10:29.52\00:10:31.89
Because we're going to
dig deep below the surface.
00:10:32.09\00:10:36.30
And we're going to look at some
things that Jesus did and said
00:10:36.33\00:10:40.24
that's really
going to challenge us
00:10:40.27\00:10:42.80
to understand what it means
to be a missionary for Jesus.
00:10:43.17\00:10:47.31
And of course, you
understand, of all the things
00:10:47.34\00:10:49.54
recorded in the
Bible, that only tells us
00:10:49.58\00:10:52.41
maybe 10% of Jesus' whole life.
00:10:52.45\00:10:54.32
You realize that.
00:10:54.35\00:10:55.68
I mean, the gospel author,
John, wrote that if every act
00:10:55.72\00:10:59.52
of Jesus were recorded,
everything He said and did,
00:10:59.55\00:11:02.29
there wouldn't be
enough room in the whole world
00:11:02.69\00:11:04.59
to fill all the books
that could be written.
00:11:04.63\00:11:06.73
So the things that were
recorded in the Scriptures
00:11:06.90\00:11:09.96
are things that must have
really gotten the attention and
00:11:10.27\00:11:13.37
touched the heart of
these gospel writers,
00:11:13.40\00:11:15.87
and they felt it needed to be
recorded for future generations.
00:11:15.90\00:11:19.71
And one of those stories
was the calling of Matthew.
00:11:19.74\00:11:24.61
Let's pick it up, I'm going
to just read straight through
00:11:25.08\00:11:27.88
Luke 5:27-32.
00:11:27.92\00:11:31.85
The Bible says,
"After these things
00:11:32.22\00:11:36.32
Jesus went out and saw a
tax collector named..." Who?
00:11:36.79\00:11:41.13
We know him better
by what other name?
00:11:41.56\00:11:43.57
Yeah, Matthew.
00:11:43.77\00:11:45.10
"...sitting at the tax office.
00:11:45.13\00:11:47.34
And Jesus said
to him, 'Follow Me.'
00:11:47.54\00:11:51.27
So he left all, rose
up, and followed Him.
00:11:51.47\00:11:55.34
Then Levi gave Him a
great feast in his own house.
00:11:55.68\00:12:00.28
And there were a great
number of tax collectors
00:12:00.32\00:12:03.42
and others who
sat down with them.
00:12:03.45\00:12:05.85
And their scribes and Pharisees
complained against His disciples
00:12:05.95\00:12:10.73
saying, 'Why do
You eat and drink
00:12:10.76\00:12:14.66
with tax
collectors and sinners?'
00:12:14.96\00:12:18.03
Jesus answered and said to them,
'Those who are well have no
00:12:18.53\00:12:22.90
need of a physician,
but those who are...'" What?
00:12:22.94\00:12:26.27
"...sick.
00:12:26.31\00:12:27.64
I have not come to
call the righteous,
00:12:27.68\00:12:30.01
but sinners to repentance."
00:12:30.05\00:12:33.78
Let's pause there.
00:12:33.98\00:12:35.32
Let's go through
this story step by step,
00:12:35.55\00:12:38.45
because we're possible
going to see some things
00:12:38.49\00:12:41.26
that maybe we
have never seen before.
00:12:41.52\00:12:44.09
Here in Luke 5 Jesus has been
traveling through the region
00:12:44.43\00:12:48.46
of Galilee going to all
the small towns and villages
00:12:48.50\00:12:52.23
teaching,
preaching, and healing.
00:12:52.27\00:12:54.24
Now you have to understand,
Jesus' method of ministry
00:12:54.44\00:12:58.07
was very different
than that of the Pharisees.
00:12:58.11\00:13:01.51
Jesus had a very
personal type of ministry.
00:13:01.54\00:13:05.61
He did not just go into the
synagogue in the city and say,
00:13:05.85\00:13:09.08
"Okay, if all you people
want to know what the truth is,
00:13:09.18\00:13:11.12
you just come here where I am."
00:13:11.15\00:13:12.99
The gospels describe Him as
going out and rubbing shoulders
00:13:13.56\00:13:18.09
with the people, mingling
with them in their homes.
00:13:18.13\00:13:22.73
Associating with
them in the marketplace.
00:13:23.00\00:13:26.33
Walking with them
along the wayside.
00:13:26.57\00:13:30.01
He would sit in small
groups in the countryside,
00:13:30.27\00:13:32.94
or the
mountainside, or by the seaside.
00:13:32.97\00:13:35.88
Jesus was willing to
be friends with people.
00:13:35.91\00:13:39.28
I mean, think about it.
00:13:39.68\00:13:41.02
He touched the leper,
and the blind, and the lame.
00:13:41.05\00:13:45.19
He spent time
with the prostitutes
00:13:45.22\00:13:47.82
and the tax collectors.
00:13:47.86\00:13:49.29
Whereas the other
religious leaders in Jesus' day,
00:13:49.79\00:13:52.69
they did ministry and
evangelism from a distance.
00:13:52.79\00:13:56.33
Their attitude was, "We'll
just throw you some information.
00:13:56.50\00:14:00.24
You get your life together,
and then you can approach God.
00:14:00.37\00:14:03.84
But we're not going
to engage in your life.
00:14:03.87\00:14:06.24
We're not going to become
involved with you, for fear that
00:14:06.27\00:14:09.34
we might become unclean and
corrupt from your influence."
00:14:09.38\00:14:13.15
So it was
ministry from a distance.
00:14:13.18\00:14:15.02
But that's not what Jesus did.
00:14:15.05\00:14:16.52
Jesus engaged in people's lives
in order to touch their heart.
00:14:16.89\00:14:22.62
That's why His
ministry was so effective.
00:14:22.86\00:14:25.63
Can you say amen?
00:14:25.66\00:14:27.00
It was personal. He
got involved. He mingled.
00:14:27.03\00:14:31.30
And because of that, the
Bible says that many lives
00:14:32.73\00:14:36.64
were touched and changed.
00:14:36.67\00:14:38.24
One of the people whose
life was changed was this man
00:14:38.74\00:14:42.58
by the name of Matthew.
00:14:42.61\00:14:44.65
Now most likely this
was not the first time
00:14:44.88\00:14:47.55
that Matthew had seen Jesus.
00:14:47.58\00:14:49.25
If I remember correctly,
according to the book,
00:14:49.35\00:14:51.25
The Desire of Ages, no
doubt Matthew had heard Jesus'
00:14:51.29\00:14:54.82
teaching before.
00:14:54.86\00:14:56.19
He had probably heard
things that Jesus taught
00:14:56.26\00:14:59.03
in other parts of his city.
00:14:59.06\00:15:00.86
He had no doubt
heard the stories of Jesus,
00:15:01.03\00:15:03.73
and they intrigued him.
00:15:03.77\00:15:05.20
Because Jesus talked about
a God that you could come to
00:15:05.60\00:15:09.10
just as you are.
00:15:09.14\00:15:10.47
With all your
mistakes, all your sinfulness,
00:15:10.84\00:15:14.38
the foolishness of your life,
00:15:14.41\00:15:15.81
and you can just
give yourself to Him.
00:15:15.84\00:15:17.91
He will accept you as you
are and begin to work change
00:15:17.95\00:15:21.28
and transformation in your life.
00:15:21.32\00:15:23.02
But the Pharisees,
their attitude was,
00:15:23.49\00:15:26.35
"Listen, you get
your act together,
00:15:26.39\00:15:28.62
you prove that
you've truly repented,
00:15:28.66\00:15:30.83
then when you become
clean, then you can come to the
00:15:30.86\00:15:33.53
synagogue and you
can come back to God,
00:15:33.56\00:15:35.90
but not before."
00:15:35.93\00:15:37.27
There was a stark difference
between the religion of the
00:15:37.33\00:15:40.50
Pharisees and the
religion of Jesus Christ.
00:15:40.54\00:15:43.00
Can you say amen?
00:15:43.04\00:15:44.37
And I believe Ellen White tells
us that deep within his heart
00:15:44.41\00:15:48.58
Matthew desired to be a
follower of Jesus Christ.
00:15:49.08\00:15:54.32
He desired that he
wanted his life to change.
00:15:54.72\00:15:58.19
He wanted to start
making different choices.
00:15:58.22\00:16:01.16
But he kept that
desire silently hidden inside.
00:16:01.42\00:16:04.99
He didn't want anyone
to know that he desired
00:16:05.03\00:16:07.10
to be a follower
of this man, Jesus.
00:16:07.13\00:16:09.43
You say, "Well, why?"
00:16:10.17\00:16:11.50
Was he ashamed of Jesus?
00:16:12.60\00:16:14.54
No. It's the exact opposite.
00:16:15.47\00:16:18.61
Matthew was ashamed of himself.
00:16:19.47\00:16:23.04
Because of his
life as a tax collector,
00:16:23.95\00:16:26.55
because of the
choices that he had made,
00:16:27.45\00:16:29.65
because of issues he
was probably struggling with
00:16:30.39\00:16:32.92
in his life he felt that someone
like Jesus, a religious teacher,
00:16:32.95\00:16:37.79
would not want him as a friend.
00:16:38.63\00:16:42.10
You say, "Why does
Matthew feel that way?"
00:16:42.60\00:16:44.47
Let me explain to you
something about first century
00:16:44.93\00:16:47.87
Jewish culture, because
this is going to help us
00:16:47.90\00:16:50.21
to understand this
passage a lot better.
00:16:50.24\00:16:52.51
In first century Jewish culture
there was something called
00:16:52.71\00:16:56.88
the unwritten rule.
00:16:56.91\00:16:58.81
Now do you know what
an unwritten rule is?
00:16:58.85\00:17:00.65
An unwritten rule is a
rule that a certain group has,
00:17:01.12\00:17:04.69
and everyone
else knows about it.
00:17:04.72\00:17:06.45
You won't find it
written down everywhere.
00:17:06.49\00:17:08.29
People just instinctively know.
00:17:08.32\00:17:10.19
For example, maybe one of the
unwritten rules in our culture
00:17:10.56\00:17:14.46
is, when you come to church,
you're not supposed to get up
00:17:14.50\00:17:18.20
and argue with the
preacher, and yell and scream
00:17:18.23\00:17:20.90
at him in church, okay.
00:17:20.94\00:17:22.27
That's just an unwritten rule.
00:17:22.54\00:17:24.47
Most people understand that.
00:17:24.77\00:17:27.24
However, you're not
going to find that rule
00:17:27.58\00:17:29.81
written in the bulletin,
the greeters aren't going to
00:17:29.84\00:17:32.55
share it with you at the door,
and you're not going to find it
00:17:32.58\00:17:35.48
written on a plaque
on the wall somewhere.
00:17:35.52\00:17:37.82
It's just an unwritten rule that
is understood in our culture.
00:17:37.85\00:17:41.79
One of the unwritten rules
in first century Jewish society
00:17:43.02\00:17:47.20
was this; listen carefully:
00:17:47.23\00:17:49.36
Because you might find
that the same rule exists
00:17:49.40\00:17:52.77
in some churches today.
00:17:52.80\00:17:54.60
The unwritten rule
said religious people
00:17:55.04\00:17:59.87
don't spend time
with nonreligious people.
00:18:00.38\00:18:03.61
Those who are
spiritual do not associate
00:18:04.15\00:18:06.92
with the nonspiritual.
00:18:06.95\00:18:08.55
Those who go to
church, or synagogue,
00:18:08.58\00:18:11.45
do not hang out
with those who don't.
00:18:11.49\00:18:14.06
Because if you do, your
life will become corrupted
00:18:14.09\00:18:17.73
just as there's, and
you will become unclean.
00:18:17.76\00:18:21.70
And the entire Jewish society
was based on this separation
00:18:22.10\00:18:27.04
mentality of us versus them.
00:18:27.07\00:18:30.74
We are clean, they are unclean.
00:18:30.77\00:18:33.71
Stay totally separate.
00:18:33.74\00:18:36.34
Which is why they never
fulfilled the gospel commission.
00:18:36.54\00:18:42.12
That unwritten rule was
ingrained in Matthew's mind.
00:18:42.82\00:18:46.15
That's why he felt like
he could not approach Jesus.
00:18:46.19\00:18:48.82
Jesus would not want to
associate with someone like him.
00:18:48.86\00:18:53.09
On top of that, do we understand
what a tax collector really was?
00:18:53.93\00:18:58.73
Now is there
anything inherently immoral
00:18:59.50\00:19:01.87
about collecting
taxes? Yes or no.
00:19:01.90\00:19:03.87
You know, nothing wrong
with being a tax collector.
00:19:04.27\00:19:06.31
But understand, in Jesus'
day, when Rome conquered Israel
00:19:06.61\00:19:11.35
they did what every
conquering power wants to do.
00:19:11.38\00:19:13.92
They wanted to
collect taxes from the people.
00:19:13.95\00:19:16.18
And so what Rome did
is, they knew they could not
00:19:16.45\00:19:20.12
send their soldiers
into Jerusalem and Israel
00:19:20.16\00:19:23.16
to take taxes from the people.
00:19:23.19\00:19:24.73
That would have been
an all-out bloodbath.
00:19:24.76\00:19:27.10
So they got smart.
00:19:27.30\00:19:28.63
They decided to hire Jewish men
to become their tax collectors.
00:19:29.36\00:19:35.27
And so, those Jewish men would
take money from their own people
00:19:35.50\00:19:39.37
and they would give
it to the Roman enemy.
00:19:39.47\00:19:42.38
And so, any Jew who agreed
to be a tax collector for Rome
00:19:42.71\00:19:48.12
was an
absolutely hated individual.
00:19:48.15\00:19:51.32
They were despised.
00:19:51.69\00:19:53.69
Because they had turned
their back on God's people,
00:19:53.72\00:19:56.76
they were considered to
be the greatest of sinners,
00:19:56.79\00:19:59.03
and here they were
collaborating with the enemy.
00:19:59.06\00:20:01.40
So people
wouldn't talk with them,
00:20:01.43\00:20:03.00
they wouldn't eat with
them, and perhaps many times
00:20:03.03\00:20:05.43
wouldn't do business with them.
00:20:05.47\00:20:06.80
They ostracized them.
00:20:06.84\00:20:08.17
So why would anybody
want to be a tax collector
00:20:08.54\00:20:11.64
under those circumstances?
00:20:11.67\00:20:13.17
Because Rome added some
fringe benefits to the job.
00:20:14.24\00:20:17.88
And the fringe benefit was,
as long as Rome got their share,
00:20:18.21\00:20:23.28
you could collect
as much as you want
00:20:23.92\00:20:26.76
and pocket the
difference for yourself.
00:20:26.96\00:20:29.52
And nobody would say a thing.
00:20:29.56\00:20:32.46
So that means when a tax
collector came to your home,
00:20:32.56\00:20:35.20
if you thought
you owed a thousand,
00:20:35.23\00:20:37.07
Matthew or
Zacchaeus or someone else
00:20:37.10\00:20:39.33
might have told you,
"Sorry, you owe two thousand.
00:20:39.43\00:20:42.47
The rates went up."
00:20:42.50\00:20:43.84
You can pitch a fit, but there's
nothing you could do about it.
00:20:43.94\00:20:47.11
Unless you wanted to lose
your home and your business.
00:20:47.14\00:20:49.34
So you have to
pay the two thousand.
00:20:49.44\00:20:51.31
And so, a
thousand would go to Rome,
00:20:51.35\00:20:53.45
and guess where the
other thousand would go.
00:20:53.48\00:20:55.22
In their pocket.
00:20:56.02\00:20:57.39
They didn't care if
you had bills to pay.
00:20:57.42\00:20:59.55
They didn't care if
you had mouths to feed.
00:20:59.82\00:21:02.06
Tax collectors were
in it to get rich quick
00:21:02.09\00:21:05.16
no matter what the cost.
00:21:05.19\00:21:07.03
That's why people hated them.
00:21:07.06\00:21:08.63
A life of dishonesty
and without integrity.
00:21:08.66\00:21:12.20
On top of that, tax
collectors were also known to be
00:21:13.00\00:21:16.57
somewhat immoral people.
00:21:16.60\00:21:18.44
Now just picture this.
00:21:18.97\00:21:20.31
You've got a bunch of
men who have a lot of money
00:21:20.98\00:21:24.25
and they pretty much
hang around with themselves.
00:21:24.65\00:21:27.28
These are the kind of
guys who are always out
00:21:28.35\00:21:30.92
looking for a good time.
00:21:30.95\00:21:32.29
You get the picture?
00:21:32.32\00:21:33.66
These are the guys
always looking for a good party
00:21:33.86\00:21:36.29
to go to on the weekend.
00:21:36.32\00:21:38.03
And you know what kind of
parties I'm talking about.
00:21:38.43\00:21:40.66
Actually, I hope you
don't know what kind of
00:21:40.86\00:21:42.20
parties I'm talking about.
00:21:42.23\00:21:43.57
But let's just say it's
the kind where the alcohol
00:21:43.60\00:21:46.40
flows freely, and
when the lights go out
00:21:46.43\00:21:48.97
people do things they regret
for the rest of their life.
00:21:49.00\00:21:52.71
That was the lifestyle
of most tax collectors.
00:21:53.04\00:21:56.95
That's why they were so hated.
00:21:56.98\00:22:00.12
Now whether Matthew was exactly
like that, we don't know.
00:22:00.32\00:22:03.82
But that would have at
least been some of the influence
00:22:03.85\00:22:06.82
that was in his life.
00:22:06.86\00:22:08.69
And so, now Jesus comes to
his town, according to Luke 5,
00:22:08.79\00:22:12.69
and it says that when Jesus goes
by the tax office of Matthew
00:22:12.79\00:22:17.37
He does something astounding.
00:22:17.40\00:22:19.60
Something that
confounds the disciples.
00:22:20.37\00:22:23.00
Something that may seem utterly
simple and unamazing to us.
00:22:23.87\00:22:27.64
He goes in or goes up,
00:22:28.21\00:22:29.74
and He just starts
talking with Matthew.
00:22:30.61\00:22:32.95
Friendly conversation.
00:22:33.58\00:22:35.32
Associating with him.
00:22:35.78\00:22:37.52
And that makes the
disciples very nervous.
00:22:38.69\00:22:42.76
Because do you understand
what Jesus is doing here?
00:22:43.39\00:22:45.49
He's breaking
the unwritten rule.
00:22:46.83\00:22:50.40
In broad daylight.
00:22:50.70\00:22:52.23
Remember, religious
people don't spend time
00:22:52.57\00:22:56.81
with nonreligious people.
00:22:56.84\00:22:58.41
The spiritual do not associate
and mingle with unspiritual.
00:22:58.61\00:23:02.38
Because your life
will become corrupt.
00:23:02.41\00:23:04.18
But here is Jesus in His
culture in broad daylight
00:23:04.21\00:23:07.92
associating with
someone who is considered to be
00:23:07.95\00:23:10.89
one of the worst of sinners.
00:23:10.92\00:23:12.75
Now the Bible doesn't
come right out and say this,
00:23:13.76\00:23:15.92
you kind of have to
read in between the lines,
00:23:15.96\00:23:17.66
but I'm going to ask
you to consider this:
00:23:17.69\00:23:19.66
At this point when Jesus
is there talking to Matthew,
00:23:20.46\00:23:23.00
where do you think the
rest of the disciples are?
00:23:23.03\00:23:25.20
In your mind, do you
picture them right there
00:23:25.83\00:23:28.57
associating with
Matthew and talking with him?
00:23:28.60\00:23:31.07
Or do you kind of picture
them back in the distance
00:23:31.27\00:23:33.81
really wondering what in
the world Jesus is doing?
00:23:33.84\00:23:36.21
Where do you
picture those disciples?
00:23:36.24\00:23:37.85
How many people say,
"Yeah, they're right up there
00:23:38.25\00:23:39.85
talking to Matthew with
Jesus," what do you think?
00:23:39.88\00:23:41.68
How many of you say, "No, I
think they're in the distance
00:23:42.15\00:23:43.99
not wanting to get near
him," let me see your hands.
00:23:44.02\00:23:46.09
Oh, that's pretty
much the majority.
00:23:46.12\00:23:47.82
That's where I think they are.
00:23:48.26\00:23:49.72
I can just
imagine the conversation.
00:23:50.03\00:23:52.66
"Hey, does Jesus
know who He's talking to?
00:23:53.19\00:23:56.33
Does He realize that's
Matthew the tax collector?
00:23:56.67\00:23:59.50
We don't hang out with his kind.
00:23:59.60\00:24:01.70
What are people going to think?"
00:24:02.07\00:24:04.94
It makes them very nervous.
00:24:05.74\00:24:07.31
See, because
those disciples know
00:24:07.91\00:24:09.71
that if you're trying to
start a religious movement
00:24:10.25\00:24:12.95
and you want to gain the
favor of the people and the
00:24:13.62\00:24:16.28
Pharisees, you don't hang
out with people like Matthew.
00:24:16.32\00:24:20.76
Because rumors fly.
00:24:21.69\00:24:23.26
And rumors, true or false,
rumors can destroy ministries.
00:24:23.83\00:24:28.23
True.
00:24:28.60\00:24:29.93
Now, can a false
rumor destroy ministries?
00:24:29.96\00:24:32.73
Absolutely.
00:24:32.93\00:24:34.27
And the disciples knew that.
00:24:34.30\00:24:35.64
And they're nervous,
"Why is Jesus doing this."
00:24:35.67\00:24:39.44
But then you know what?
00:24:40.51\00:24:41.84
If that makes the
disciples nervous,
00:24:41.91\00:24:44.31
what Jesus does next probably
sends them through the roof.
00:24:44.91\00:24:49.55
Because He goes beyond
friendly conversation now
00:24:50.49\00:24:54.02
and He actually invites Matthew
to become one of His disciples.
00:24:54.06\00:25:00.46
Now I want you to
think about that, okay?
00:25:01.13\00:25:03.60
He's inviting
Matthew to become part of His
00:25:04.10\00:25:06.80
core group of twelve people.
00:25:06.84\00:25:09.00
Now you understand, Jesus
had more than twelve followers.
00:25:09.04\00:25:11.84
But those twelve
disciples were His core group
00:25:11.87\00:25:14.38
that He spent
the most time with.
00:25:14.41\00:25:15.94
He's inviting Matthew to
be one of the men who take the
00:25:16.54\00:25:20.45
gospel to the world
after He dies and resurrects
00:25:20.48\00:25:23.49
and goes back to heaven.
00:25:23.52\00:25:24.85
He's going to be one of the
representatives of the church
00:25:24.89\00:25:28.46
of Jesus Christ.
00:25:28.49\00:25:30.03
What do you think the
disciples thought about that?
00:25:31.19\00:25:33.19
Tax collector?
00:25:33.83\00:25:35.16
How would you like to
have Matthew as one of the
00:25:36.00\00:25:37.90
leaders in your church?
00:25:37.93\00:25:39.80
Probably that
would ensue a very long
00:25:40.60\00:25:43.07
church board
meeting and discussion.
00:25:43.10\00:25:45.44
But you know what?
00:25:46.07\00:25:47.41
Jesus did it anyway.
00:25:47.74\00:25:49.68
Because Jesus recognized the
silent cry in Matthew's heart.
00:25:50.45\00:25:54.78
Can you say amen?
00:25:54.82\00:25:56.15
He recognized that
in this man's heart,
00:25:56.45\00:25:58.55
even though on the outside
he may have been involved in
00:25:58.59\00:26:00.82
things he shouldn't,
even though on the outside
00:26:00.86\00:26:03.22
he's made poor
decisions in his life,
00:26:03.26\00:26:05.26
even though on the
outside he's got issues,
00:26:05.49\00:26:07.70
He also knows that
inside that man's heart
00:26:07.73\00:26:10.37
someone is crying out
that he wants to be changed.
00:26:10.40\00:26:13.84
That he wants his
life to be different.
00:26:14.04\00:26:16.34
The Pharisees won't help
him because Matthew is unclean,
00:26:16.54\00:26:19.61
the people want
nothing to do with him,
00:26:19.64\00:26:21.48
so Jesus is willing to
mingle and associate with him
00:26:21.51\00:26:26.08
and invite him to
become one of the disciples.
00:26:26.11\00:26:29.18
Now let me ask you something.
00:26:30.25\00:26:31.59
Do you think Jesus
knew that move was going to
00:26:32.35\00:26:35.02
bring Him a lot of
criticism, what do you think?
00:26:35.06\00:26:37.03
He knew that.
00:26:37.73\00:26:39.06
He knew it was going to
put obstacles in the path
00:26:39.26\00:26:41.86
of Him being
accepted by the people.
00:26:41.90\00:26:43.50
He knew that.
00:26:43.53\00:26:44.87
So why did He go
ahead and do it anyway?
00:26:45.47\00:26:48.30
You know what I think? Yeah.
00:26:49.70\00:26:51.21
He was sending a
message to His disciples.
00:26:51.74\00:26:54.58
He was sending a
message to what would become
00:26:55.14\00:26:57.75
His first century church.
00:26:57.78\00:26:59.25
I believe He's
sending a message to us today.
00:26:59.28\00:27:01.52
He wants us to realize that
Matthew is exactly the kind of
00:27:01.92\00:27:06.32
person the church
should be reaching out to.
00:27:06.35\00:27:09.12
That Matthew is
exactly the kind of person
00:27:09.32\00:27:12.23
that the church of
Jesus was created for.
00:27:12.33\00:27:15.16
That Matthew was
exactly the kind of person
00:27:15.86\00:27:19.80
He wants us to be
spending time with.
00:27:20.30\00:27:25.21
Not to do what
they do, but in order to
00:27:25.54\00:27:29.08
plant seeds for the gospel.
00:27:29.11\00:27:30.88
Because you know what?
00:27:30.91\00:27:32.25
Sometimes the only
thing the Holy Spirit needs
00:27:32.28\00:27:35.18
to reach another
person's heart is if a Christian
00:27:35.22\00:27:37.82
is willing to
become their friend.
00:27:37.85\00:27:40.09
And through that
Christian's influence,
00:27:40.36\00:27:42.72
change and
transformation can take place.
00:27:42.76\00:27:45.83
But Jesus is
waiting for His church
00:27:46.23\00:27:48.20
to learn to know what it
means to mingle, and say,
00:27:48.23\00:27:50.87
"Here I am, Lord. Use me."
00:27:50.90\00:27:54.24
Now we could end
right here, and this story
00:27:55.47\00:27:57.44
would have taught
us a lot of lessons,
00:27:57.47\00:27:59.07
but you have the
latter part of the story.
00:27:59.74\00:28:01.64
Because if it bothers you
that Jesus talked to Matthew,
00:28:02.04\00:28:04.81
If it bothers you that He
invited Matthew now to become
00:28:05.51\00:28:08.35
part of His
disciples, what happens next
00:28:08.38\00:28:11.55
is really going to
throw us for a loop.
00:28:11.59\00:28:13.76
Because now you go to verse 29.
00:28:14.92\00:28:16.56
Now there is apparently some
time between verse 28 and 29.
00:28:17.59\00:28:21.16
I don't know how much.
00:28:21.20\00:28:22.53
Matthew has been a
disciples now for some time.
00:28:22.66\00:28:25.30
But the Bible now says, if
you read in between the lines,
00:28:26.33\00:28:30.24
Matthew begins
thinking about his old friends.
00:28:31.14\00:28:35.01
You know, the guys on the
other side of the neighborhood.
00:28:35.24\00:28:38.21
His old tax collector friends
that he used to hang out with.
00:28:38.45\00:28:42.25
Because he knows, some of those
guys he used to hang out with,
00:28:43.28\00:28:47.56
they have the same
silent cry in their heart.
00:28:48.52\00:28:52.13
Some of them have that
same desire to be changed,
00:28:52.66\00:28:55.90
but they don't
know where to turn.
00:28:55.93\00:28:57.90
And Matthew figures, if he
could just get his old friends
00:28:58.47\00:29:02.34
to spend some time
with his new friends;
00:29:02.60\00:29:04.87
that is, Jesus
and the disciples,
00:29:04.91\00:29:06.54
then maybe the change
that happened in his life
00:29:06.57\00:29:09.24
could happen to them.
00:29:09.61\00:29:11.41
But Matthew doesn't
know how to do that.
00:29:12.05\00:29:13.72
His old friends,
they're not the kind of people
00:29:14.55\00:29:17.25
that are just going to go
walking into the synagogue
00:29:17.29\00:29:19.22
on Sabbath morning.
00:29:19.25\00:29:20.59
Probably because the
Pharisees wouldn't let them.
00:29:20.62\00:29:22.62
They're not the kind of
guys that are going to go
00:29:23.19\00:29:26.09
to the temple courtyard
and listen to a boring scribe
00:29:26.13\00:29:30.00
read from the law.
00:29:30.03\00:29:31.50
And so, Matthew thought,
"How do I bring them together?"
00:29:32.20\00:29:35.00
And Matthew decides, he
realizes there is one thing
00:29:35.90\00:29:39.81
he knows how to do.
00:29:39.84\00:29:41.18
He knows how to throw a party.
00:29:41.98\00:29:44.05
Now I know the Bible says feast.
00:29:44.51\00:29:46.05
That makes us more comfortable.
00:29:46.08\00:29:47.42
It's a more religious
word. But it was a party.
00:29:47.45\00:29:49.38
But you can call
it whatever you want.
00:29:49.42\00:29:50.92
Matthew decides, "I'm
going to do a feast at my house.
00:29:51.42\00:29:54.36
I'm going to invite all
my tax collector friends."
00:29:54.92\00:29:57.93
But he said, "This feast
is going to be different.
00:29:58.13\00:29:59.89
It's not going to be
like the feasts and parties
00:29:59.93\00:30:01.76
I used to have
before I knew Jesus.
00:30:01.80\00:30:03.90
So I'm going to invite
these tax collector friends."
00:30:04.17\00:30:06.63
And then Matthew, he
does the unthinkable.
00:30:07.84\00:30:11.67
He actually invites
Jesus to go to that party.
00:30:14.48\00:30:20.02
He invites Jesus to go to
this feast of tax collectors
00:30:21.05\00:30:24.95
at his house.
00:30:24.99\00:30:26.55
And Jesus has an
awesome decision to make.
00:30:28.56\00:30:31.66
Because no religious
leader in his right mind
00:30:32.43\00:30:36.60
would be caught dead at a
gathering of tax collectors
00:30:37.33\00:30:41.80
in first century Jewish society.
00:30:41.84\00:30:43.84
Your ministry
would be dead and gone.
00:30:43.87\00:30:47.38
Remember, religious people don't
mingle with nonreligious people.
00:30:47.58\00:30:54.05
And so, Jesus has
to think this through.
00:30:55.05\00:30:57.69
And when you look at the story,
it's going to challenge us.
00:30:58.79\00:31:02.02
Because whether
we like it or not,
00:31:02.92\00:31:04.53
whether I want to
believe it or not,
00:31:05.39\00:31:07.03
whether the church
board votes it or not,
00:31:07.86\00:31:09.96
Jesus went to that party.
00:31:10.80\00:31:14.20
Jesus went to that
feast to mingle with
00:31:14.84\00:31:18.24
lost and hurting people.
00:31:18.27\00:31:21.54
Now let me ask you something.
00:31:22.98\00:31:24.31
Did Jesus go there
to do what they do?
00:31:25.41\00:31:28.35
Did Jesus go to
that party to participate
00:31:29.55\00:31:32.19
in any unholy activities?
00:31:32.22\00:31:34.72
Well certainly not.
00:31:34.92\00:31:36.26
But He also knows these
are not the kind of guys
00:31:36.29\00:31:38.59
who were going to come to Him.
00:31:38.63\00:31:40.13
Not with all the
obstacles in His society.
00:31:40.33\00:31:43.87
So Jesus went to where they are.
00:31:43.90\00:31:46.37
Now when you spend time with
people who don't know Jesus,
00:31:47.14\00:31:49.70
who have issues in
their life, let's be honest,
00:31:49.74\00:31:52.01
are you going to face
situations that may at times
00:31:52.41\00:31:54.78
be uncomfortable, yes or no?
00:31:54.81\00:31:56.54
Yeah.
00:31:56.85\00:31:58.18
Sometimes they use language that
maybe, you know, we don't use.
00:31:58.31\00:32:01.78
Sometimes they may
crack jokes that we don't
00:32:02.45\00:32:04.85
particularly think are funny.
00:32:04.89\00:32:06.42
And their world
view is so different,
00:32:07.16\00:32:09.52
it may be hard to connect
with them in conversation.
00:32:09.62\00:32:13.29
So yeah, there are moments
where it's a bit uncomfortable.
00:32:13.40\00:32:16.63
And so, you can't
tell me there weren't times
00:32:16.83\00:32:19.10
where the
disciples might have been
00:32:19.13\00:32:20.47
uncomfortable
about a few things.
00:32:20.50\00:32:22.27
Now I'm going to guess that
since it was at Matthew's house,
00:32:22.37\00:32:24.97
he was able to have
control of some of the
00:32:25.01\00:32:26.84
things that happened.
00:32:26.88\00:32:28.21
But the point
was, Jesus went there
00:32:28.24\00:32:30.65
to plant seeds for the
gospel, because He knew
00:32:30.68\00:32:33.21
they weren't
going to come to Him.
00:32:33.25\00:32:35.65
See, that's what the
gospel commission says.
00:32:36.25\00:32:38.35
"Go."
00:32:38.39\00:32:39.72
Go mingle with
people who don't know Jesus.
00:32:39.95\00:32:43.73
Not to participate in activities
that hurt your spiritual life.
00:32:43.76\00:32:47.30
You've got to
make wise decisions.
00:32:47.33\00:32:49.03
Well let's be honest.
00:32:49.50\00:32:50.83
How in the world are you going
to fulfill the gospel commission
00:32:51.20\00:32:55.14
if we think we can't mingle
with those who don't know Jesus?
00:32:56.07\00:32:59.01
Those are mutually exclusive.
00:32:59.37\00:33:00.74
It's impossible.
00:33:00.78\00:33:02.31
Let me tell you a quick story.
00:33:03.38\00:33:04.78
I remember when I
pastored in Pennsylvania,
00:33:05.38\00:33:07.82
over near the Pittsburgh area.
00:33:07.85\00:33:09.65
One of the things I
liked to do, still like to do,
00:33:09.85\00:33:12.35
is play basketball.
00:33:12.52\00:33:13.92
That's just my way of
relieving stress and having fun.
00:33:13.96\00:33:17.79
And so, I looked for a gym that
was open on Sunday mornings.
00:33:18.03\00:33:22.60
You know, that's a good
time for an Adventist pastor.
00:33:22.63\00:33:25.00
And I finally found
this place that would play
00:33:25.27\00:33:27.44
pick-up basketball
from about 9 to 12.
00:33:27.47\00:33:31.17
And so I would go play.
00:33:31.21\00:33:32.71
Now you would have
guys from the community.
00:33:32.97\00:33:34.71
You know, high school, college,
people in their 20's and 30's.
00:33:34.74\00:33:38.65
Even had a guy in his
60's who would come play ball
00:33:38.68\00:33:41.12
every week, every Sunday.
00:33:41.15\00:33:43.35
Well, you know, when you
play basketball with guys,
00:33:44.35\00:33:47.12
you can't help
but get to know them.
00:33:47.16\00:33:49.22
And yes, I'll be
honest, there were moments
00:33:49.66\00:33:51.59
that made me a
little uncomfortable.
00:33:51.63\00:33:53.50
Sometimes they talked about
what they did the night before.
00:33:53.93\00:33:57.10
That was a little
bit hard to relate to.
00:33:57.13\00:33:59.27
Sometimes they, you
know, cracked some jokes
00:33:59.70\00:34:02.34
that I didn't
particularly want to laugh at.
00:34:02.37\00:34:04.44
So sometimes I was a
little bit embarrassed by that.
00:34:04.47\00:34:07.58
But I also knew these
were not the kind of guys
00:34:08.41\00:34:12.08
who are just going to
wake up one morning and say,
00:34:12.55\00:34:14.48
"You know what, I think
I'll go to an Adventist church
00:34:14.52\00:34:16.15
on Saturday morning."
00:34:16.18\00:34:17.52
It's not going to happen.
00:34:17.55\00:34:18.89
I know sometimes it
does, but let's be honest.
00:34:19.15\00:34:21.16
That's not the norm. It
doesn't happen that way.
00:34:21.19\00:34:23.39
God sends us to
mingle with them.
00:34:23.59\00:34:26.19
So I would ask Joe, "Well, Joe,
what do you do for a living?"
00:34:26.73\00:34:29.16
"Oh, I work second
shift over at the steel mill."
00:34:29.36\00:34:32.00
"Oh, that's cool."
00:34:32.03\00:34:33.37
Well after I ask Joe
what he does for a living,
00:34:33.44\00:34:35.80
guess what he asks me?
00:34:35.84\00:34:37.17
Come on, that's
not a trick question.
00:34:38.24\00:34:39.57
What would he ask me?
00:34:39.61\00:34:40.94
"What do you do for a living?"
00:34:40.98\00:34:42.31
So I said, "Oh well,
you know, I'm a minister.
00:34:42.58\00:34:44.71
I pastor a local
church here in town."
00:34:44.75\00:34:46.95
Now I thought at first when
I told them that I'm a minister
00:34:47.68\00:34:50.69
that they might start to
shy away from me, you know.
00:34:51.05\00:34:53.29
"Watch your language,
there's a preacher over there.
00:34:53.92\00:34:56.79
Don't tell that joke."
00:34:56.83\00:34:58.16
But you know what?
That didn't happen.
00:34:58.69\00:35:00.10
You know, 50 to 100 years
ago if they knew a preacher was
00:35:00.46\00:35:02.86
in the midst,
people were respectful.
00:35:02.90\00:35:04.73
Today it's not that way.
00:35:05.13\00:35:06.47
Their language didn't
change one single bit.
00:35:06.50\00:35:09.17
I fact, I actually
think it got worse.
00:35:09.27\00:35:11.14
But now just
think in your minds.
00:35:11.84\00:35:13.21
Imagine for a second.
00:35:13.24\00:35:14.58
I just told him
that I'm a minister.
00:35:15.28\00:35:18.65
And I'm there
playing basketball ever week.
00:35:19.28\00:35:22.85
What do you think
their next question is?
00:35:23.65\00:35:25.72
"Wait a minute.
00:35:27.29\00:35:28.62
You said you're a minister.
00:35:29.02\00:35:30.79
But you're here
every Sunday morning.
00:35:31.76\00:35:34.10
What kind of a minister skips
church to go play basketball
00:35:35.36\00:35:38.47
every Sunday morning?"
00:35:38.50\00:35:39.83
And I had to explain to them,
"Well I'm an Adventist minister.
00:35:40.24\00:35:43.71
We have our worship
services on Saturday.
00:35:43.74\00:35:45.84
That's, you know, what
the Bible calls, the Sabbath."
00:35:45.87\00:35:47.81
Now I thought they might
think I'm a little bit weird.
00:35:48.51\00:35:51.05
"Going to church on Saturday?"
00:35:51.08\00:35:52.91
But you know what
some of their response was?
00:35:53.55\00:35:55.28
"Oh. You know,
that's kind of cool.
00:35:56.15\00:35:58.85
Why, I could go to
church on Saturday,
00:35:58.89\00:36:02.16
then I'd have Sunday free
to watch football all day."
00:36:02.76\00:36:06.29
I thought, "Wow, maybe I
should invite them to church."
00:36:06.59\00:36:09.26
Now I know what
someone's thinking.
00:36:10.53\00:36:12.00
Because in ever place
where I tell this story,
00:36:12.47\00:36:14.24
somebody is
thinking, "Oh, that's terrible.
00:36:14.27\00:36:18.97
Why, going to church on
Saturday just so they can
00:36:19.51\00:36:22.38
watch football on Sunday.
00:36:22.41\00:36:23.95
That would be going to
church for the wrong reason.
00:36:23.98\00:36:26.98
That would be
the wrong motivation.
00:36:27.08\00:36:29.08
That's terrible."
00:36:29.12\00:36:30.45
Listen, I don't know much,
but there's one thing I do know
00:36:31.05\00:36:34.89
after being a
minister for 19 years.
00:36:34.92\00:36:37.19
How can I expect someone
who doesn't know Jesus yet
00:36:37.56\00:36:41.13
to do things for
the right reasons?
00:36:41.16\00:36:43.50
How can you expect someone
who has not yet been converted
00:36:43.67\00:36:47.14
by the Holy
Spirit to do everything
00:36:47.17\00:36:49.40
with the right motivation?
00:36:49.44\00:36:50.77
That's crazy. That's insane.
00:36:50.81\00:36:53.64
But the more they come,
even if it's not for the
00:36:54.18\00:36:56.51
right reason, as
they hear the Word of God,
00:36:56.54\00:36:59.45
they sing the
songs, and more important,
00:36:59.48\00:37:02.38
as they get involved in the life
of the Christians who are there,
00:37:02.82\00:37:06.76
perhaps their lives
will begin to change
00:37:07.26\00:37:09.62
and they will start doing
things for the right reasons.
00:37:09.66\00:37:12.29
Amen?
00:37:12.33\00:37:13.66
Besides, how many people
ever started coming to church
00:37:13.70\00:37:15.56
for the wrong reason?
00:37:15.60\00:37:16.93
Because there was a
boy or a girl there?
00:37:16.97\00:37:18.57
Or maybe their spouse
or their parents made them?
00:37:18.60\00:37:21.17
But God still worked with you.
00:37:21.64\00:37:23.30
See, that's part of where
God meets us where we are,
00:37:23.91\00:37:28.01
in an imperfect place,
but He's willing to work
00:37:28.04\00:37:31.45
on the heart and on the mind.
00:37:31.48\00:37:33.25
Can you say amen?
00:37:33.28\00:37:34.62
Now let's
address one other thing.
00:37:34.92\00:37:36.42
Someone might be
thinking, "Pastor Dave,
00:37:37.32\00:37:40.32
you shouldn't have gone
and played basketball there.
00:37:41.16\00:37:43.66
Why, don't you
know you're a minister?
00:37:43.69\00:37:45.99
You're a holy man
with a holy calling.
00:37:46.03\00:37:48.30
You should not have
associated with them.
00:37:48.33\00:37:50.43
Because the Bible says we
are not to be of the world."
00:37:50.60\00:37:55.07
You know, that has got to
probably be one of the misquoted
00:37:55.84\00:37:58.51
out of context verses
used within Christianity today.
00:37:58.54\00:38:02.14
Now, does the Bible say we're
not supposed to be of the world?
00:38:02.91\00:38:05.61
It does say that.
00:38:06.31\00:38:07.65
The problem is, we
only quote half the verse.
00:38:07.68\00:38:10.29
You know, kind of
what people sometimes do
00:38:10.52\00:38:12.19
with the secret rapture.
00:38:12.22\00:38:14.39
You know, the coming of the Lord
is like a thief in the night,
00:38:14.49\00:38:16.26
but that's only half the verse.
00:38:16.29\00:38:17.63
You don't read the whole verse.
00:38:17.66\00:38:18.99
Before Jesus said we're not
to be of the world, He also said
00:38:19.09\00:38:22.56
we are to be in the
world, but not of the world.
00:38:22.60\00:38:26.57
In the world mingling
and associating with people.
00:38:26.60\00:38:30.01
To not be of the world
doesn't mean we ignore people.
00:38:30.34\00:38:33.44
To not be of the
world means we don't take on
00:38:33.84\00:38:36.38
the attitudes of the world.
00:38:36.41\00:38:38.05
We don't participate in
the activities of the world.
00:38:38.08\00:38:40.82
You know, the don't take on the
immoral thinking of the world.
00:38:40.85\00:38:44.49
But it doesn't
mean we ignore people.
00:38:44.52\00:38:46.79
Because if that's what it
means, my question would be,
00:38:47.16\00:38:50.19
how do you explain Jesus being
friendly with Mary Magdalene,
00:38:50.23\00:38:54.16
the prostitute, going to spend
half the day with Zacchaeus,
00:38:54.20\00:38:58.07
going to the feast
of the tax collectors,
00:38:58.40\00:39:00.40
and making Matthew a disciple?
00:39:00.44\00:39:03.17
We will never
fulfill the gospel commission
00:39:03.84\00:39:06.31
by long distance evangelism.
00:39:06.41\00:39:08.61
"I'll throw you the information,
00:39:08.64\00:39:10.28
but hey, I can't get
involved in your life."
00:39:10.31\00:39:12.31
That wasn't Jesus' method.
00:39:12.61\00:39:14.22
He invites us to
engage, to interact with people,
00:39:14.78\00:39:19.42
and to become their friend.
00:39:19.62\00:39:22.42
Finally, we get to
the end of the story.
00:39:23.36\00:39:26.43
And the Pharisees get wind
that Jesus is at this feast
00:39:27.00\00:39:29.76
of tax collectors.
00:39:29.80\00:39:31.13
So they accost the disciples.
00:39:31.43\00:39:33.67
And they say, "Why is it
that your Master eats and drinks
00:39:34.00\00:39:37.47
with these sinners, with
people who have such issues,
00:39:37.51\00:39:41.54
unclean people in their life?
00:39:41.58\00:39:43.68
And yet, you want us
to believe that He's the
00:39:43.71\00:39:45.38
holy, spotless,
blameless Lamb of God?"
00:39:45.41\00:39:48.65
And somehow Jesus gets
wind of this conversation.
00:39:49.32\00:39:51.95
And so, He starts
talking to the Pharisees.
00:39:52.29\00:39:54.66
And I believe He
looks them right in the eye
00:39:54.69\00:39:57.43
and He directly says
these words in verses 31 and 32.
00:39:57.46\00:40:00.70
Jesus says, "Those who are well
have no need of a physician,
00:40:00.73\00:40:06.37
but those who are sick."
00:40:07.07\00:40:09.84
When you go to the doctor's
office, the hospital, or the
00:40:10.21\00:40:12.41
nursing home, who are most
of the people that are there?
00:40:12.44\00:40:14.51
People who are sick.
00:40:15.58\00:40:16.91
The vast majority who are there
aren't people in perfect health.
00:40:17.41\00:40:20.85
The hospital is for sick people.
00:40:20.88\00:40:23.02
It's the same with
the church of Jesus.
00:40:23.79\00:40:25.82
The church of Jesus is not
just simply for perfect people
00:40:26.22\00:40:29.06
who have their life together.
00:40:29.09\00:40:30.43
Because frankly, that
would be very, very few of us.
00:40:30.46\00:40:32.69
The church is for
people just like Matthew
00:40:33.53\00:40:36.60
who have issues that we're
suppose to be trying to reach.
00:40:36.63\00:40:39.70
Somebody say amen.
00:40:39.73\00:40:41.10
And then Jesus ends it
in verse 32, and He says,
00:40:41.37\00:40:44.47
"Listen, I have not
come to call the righteous,
00:40:44.51\00:40:48.34
but sinners, to repentance.
00:40:48.58\00:40:51.38
So you guys can go back
to your Sabbath services.
00:40:51.81\00:40:55.02
You can have your
committee meetings.
00:40:55.22\00:40:56.99
You can have your
talks and your rules.
00:40:57.02\00:40:59.15
You can do
whatever it is that you do.
00:40:59.19\00:41:01.19
But as for Me and My disciples,
00:41:01.46\00:41:03.09
we're right
here where we belong.
00:41:03.12\00:41:04.86
Here at Matthew's
party, ministering to the lost
00:41:04.89\00:41:08.53
and the hurting and dying."
00:41:08.56\00:41:10.20
That's the mission of Jesus.
00:41:10.23\00:41:11.67
That's the mission of
the church of Jesus Christ.
00:41:11.70\00:41:14.24
Can you say amen?
00:41:14.27\00:41:15.60
So the thing I want
to leave with you today,
00:41:16.30\00:41:17.91
church is very little about what
happens inside these four walls.
00:41:20.98\00:41:25.45
Yeah, it's nice to
fellowship. We need that.
00:41:25.78\00:41:27.88
It's good to worship.
00:41:27.98\00:41:29.45
But the gospel
commission really begins
00:41:30.09\00:41:32.85
when we go out those
doors and we mingle with those
00:41:33.05\00:41:36.22
who don't know Jesus.
00:41:36.26\00:41:38.39
Some people have
a remnant concept.
00:41:39.39\00:41:41.83
Now I believe that we are
the remnant of Bible prophecy.
00:41:41.86\00:41:44.60
I preach that in
evangelistic meetings.
00:41:44.63\00:41:46.63
But being the
remnant doesn't mean that
00:41:46.87\00:41:48.47
you're better than anybody else.
00:41:48.50\00:41:50.11
Being the remnant doesn't mean
you're holier than anybody else.
00:41:50.47\00:41:53.31
And being the remnant doesn't
mean that you're superior.
00:41:53.81\00:41:56.64
What being the remnant means
is that we should be the most
00:41:56.68\00:41:59.95
mission minded people
on the face of the earth.
00:41:59.98\00:42:03.65
Because being the
remnant brings responsibilities.
00:42:03.99\00:42:06.92
Yes, it's supposed to protect
truth, but that's not just it.
00:42:06.96\00:42:10.19
Being the remnant means we
have been entrusted with the
00:42:10.56\00:42:13.23
last gospel
message of the three angels
00:42:13.26\00:42:16.23
that's got to be
taken to the world.
00:42:16.26\00:42:17.73
And evangelism, my friends,
always starts with friendship.
00:42:17.83\00:42:22.67
Evangelism always starts
with engaging with people,
00:42:22.87\00:42:26.47
getting involved
with their lives,
00:42:26.68\00:42:28.34
and mingling with them.
00:42:28.38\00:42:30.81
Who is God calling
you to mingle with?
00:42:30.85\00:42:34.22
I'm going to end
it with this story.
00:42:34.68\00:42:36.48
When Marquita and I
lived in Lincoln, Nebraska
00:42:38.82\00:42:41.49
when I used to work
for Christian Record,
00:42:41.52\00:42:43.73
I remember when we
moved there, across the street
00:42:44.39\00:42:46.53
from us we had neighbors.
00:42:46.56\00:42:47.90
They were grandfatherly
and grandmotherly type people.
00:42:47.93\00:42:50.63
Probably in their 80's.
00:42:50.67\00:42:52.03
And I remember, not
long after we moved there,
00:42:52.67\00:42:54.94
there was this young
guy by the name of Matthew,
00:42:55.44\00:42:58.07
that was actually his
name, he moved in there.
00:42:58.11\00:43:00.81
Probably about 20
something years old.
00:43:00.84\00:43:02.78
And what I saw of
Matthew, I didn't like.
00:43:03.14\00:43:07.12
I had already assumed
some negative things about him.
00:43:07.55\00:43:10.79
Because, you see, he had
just gotten his 19 year old
00:43:10.99\00:43:13.32
girlfriend pregnant;
she was about to have twins.
00:43:13.36\00:43:16.02
And it seemed to me
as though he was just
00:43:16.06\00:43:18.09
living off his
grandparents, loafing around,
00:43:18.29\00:43:21.13
not going out to find a
job and take care of the lives
00:43:21.16\00:43:23.80
he was bringing in this world.
00:43:23.83\00:43:25.43
So my first impression of
Matthew, I stereotyped him,
00:43:25.47\00:43:28.64
you know, guy with tattoos and
everything, I stereotyped him
00:43:28.67\00:43:31.87
and said, "You know
what? He's probably no good."
00:43:31.91\00:43:34.71
I shouldn't have done that.
00:43:35.68\00:43:37.01
I remember when I would
come home from Christian Record.
00:43:37.68\00:43:40.12
I mean, I lived across the
street, so I could walk home.
00:43:40.15\00:43:42.88
And whenever I would
walk home, there was Matthew
00:43:43.32\00:43:45.82
sitting on the porch of
his grandparent's house.
00:43:45.85\00:43:48.22
And something inside of
me, no doubt the Holy Spirit,
00:43:48.26\00:43:51.09
would say, "Why don't you
go over and talk to Matthew?"
00:43:51.13\00:43:54.13
"No, Lord, not
today. I'm too busy.
00:43:55.10\00:43:57.60
I've been busy doing ministry.
00:43:57.63\00:43:59.53
I've got to go home
and do some other things.
00:43:59.57\00:44:01.30
Not today."
00:44:01.34\00:44:02.67
Well, you know, the more
you resist the Holy Spirit,
00:44:04.17\00:44:05.97
you know what happens
to that voice, don't you?
00:44:06.01\00:44:07.78
It kind of starts
to become stronger.
00:44:08.34\00:44:09.78
And He would keep doing
it when I would walk home,
00:44:09.81\00:44:11.88
"Go talk to Matthew."
00:44:11.91\00:44:13.38
"Lord, what am I
suppose to say to him?
00:44:13.88\00:44:15.68
You think he wants to talk about
666 and the mark of the beast,
00:44:16.02\00:44:18.75
and stuff like that?"
00:44:18.79\00:44:20.12
And it's like God
said, "Who told you to talk
00:44:20.36\00:44:22.56
about those things?"
00:44:22.59\00:44:23.93
Now those things are important,
00:44:24.23\00:44:25.56
but it's certainly
not where you begin.
00:44:25.59\00:44:27.26
"Just go talk with Matthew."
00:44:27.43\00:44:28.96
"Alright." So I went over.
00:44:29.00\00:44:31.83
And I admit, at the
beginning it was uncomfortable.
00:44:32.30\00:44:34.40
You know, it was a
hard time relating to him.
00:44:34.70\00:44:36.87
But thank goodness for sports,
because I could use sports
00:44:37.21\00:44:40.08
to be able to
have a conversation.
00:44:40.11\00:44:41.94
And so we made a connection.
00:44:41.98\00:44:43.45
Then his girlfriend was there.
00:44:43.91\00:44:45.51
And I remember she said to
me, "You know, in two weeks
00:44:45.78\00:44:48.68
I'm going in to have a
c- section for these twins,
00:44:48.72\00:44:51.55
and I'm scared.
00:44:51.59\00:44:53.15
I'm scared."
00:44:53.36\00:44:54.69
I thought, "Well, yeah, I guess
if I was 19 and never had a
00:44:55.49\00:44:59.19
baby before, a C-section,
I guess I'd be scared too."
00:44:59.23\00:45:01.70
And I said, "I'll pray for you."
00:45:02.30\00:45:03.80
Now if I'd been smart, I would
have prayed for her right there.
00:45:04.20\00:45:07.07
But I didn't.
00:45:07.67\00:45:09.00
Time passed.
00:45:09.44\00:45:10.77
Now if I was being a
real missionary for Jesus,
00:45:11.67\00:45:14.08
after a few weeks I would
have went back over and said,
00:45:14.28\00:45:16.24
"Hey, how is it going?
00:45:16.28\00:45:17.61
I've been praying for
you. How are the babies?"
00:45:17.65\00:45:19.95
But I didn't do that.
00:45:20.38\00:45:21.72
You know why?
00:45:21.75\00:45:23.08
Because I was busy.
00:45:23.12\00:45:24.45
Busy doing
ministry for the church.
00:45:24.85\00:45:28.39
Finally, one day I went
outside to take out the trash,
00:45:29.72\00:45:32.19
and I see Matthew out
of the corner of my eye.
00:45:32.23\00:45:33.93
He's over there on the porch.
00:45:33.96\00:45:35.30
And I thought,
"No, Lord, not today.
00:45:35.70\00:45:37.13
I can't, I don't
want a long conversation.
00:45:37.17\00:45:38.73
I've got other things to do."
00:45:38.77\00:45:40.10
And this time God wouldn't
let me get away with it.
00:45:40.14\00:45:42.07
Matthew saw me and he
yelled across the street,
00:45:42.40\00:45:44.57
"Hey, Dave, come
over and see the babies."
00:45:44.61\00:45:47.64
Now you tell me how
to get out of that one.
00:45:47.84\00:45:49.84
So I went over and I saw them.
00:45:50.88\00:45:53.42
The grandparents,
Matthew, his girlfriend,
00:45:53.68\00:45:56.28
Madison and Mackenzie.
00:45:56.65\00:45:57.99
Two beautiful baby girls.
00:45:58.02\00:45:59.79
Spoke a few words to them.
00:46:00.22\00:46:01.76
Then went back to my house.
00:46:02.36\00:46:03.93
But you know, a few weeks later
Matthew wasn't there any more.
00:46:05.29\00:46:09.26
He moved away.
00:46:10.30\00:46:11.73
It turned out that
he had found a job,
00:46:12.53\00:46:15.67
he had found a place to live.
00:46:15.97\00:46:17.84
I believe
eventually they got married.
00:46:17.94\00:46:19.91
And he was trying
to do the right thing
00:46:20.28\00:46:22.18
to take care of his family.
00:46:22.21\00:46:24.21
I had judged him wrongly.
00:46:25.01\00:46:26.72
I didn't want to
mingle with him because he was
00:46:27.65\00:46:29.92
different than I am.
00:46:30.12\00:46:32.15
And I couldn't help but
wonder, what could have been
00:46:32.99\00:46:37.63
if I had just spent
some time with Matthew?
00:46:38.83\00:46:41.43
What kind of seeds would have
been planted if I would have
00:46:43.00\00:46:45.40
just been his friend?
00:46:45.43\00:46:48.80
I guess I'll never know.
00:46:49.97\00:46:51.54
This morning I want to ask you,
00:46:52.71\00:46:54.04
are there any
Matthew's in your life?
00:46:54.08\00:46:55.64
People who don't know Jesus.
00:46:56.11\00:46:57.91
People who know nothing
of a God who loves them.
00:46:58.51\00:47:01.18
People in your work place.
00:47:01.82\00:47:03.52
Your neighborhood.
00:47:03.92\00:47:05.25
People in your school.
00:47:06.25\00:47:07.66
Today on this
Sabbath are you going to say,
00:47:07.69\00:47:10.09
"Lord Jesus, if there is a
Matthew somewhere in my world,
00:47:10.13\00:47:12.99
I give You permission to
bring them across my path.
00:47:13.03\00:47:16.46
And Lord, I'm
willing to be their friend.
00:47:16.67\00:47:18.97
I'm not perfect, God. You
know I've got my own issues.
00:47:19.00\00:47:21.74
But I know how to be a friend.
00:47:21.77\00:47:23.10
So, Lord, if You
can use me this week,
00:47:23.14\00:47:25.14
here I am, Lord, send me."
00:47:25.17\00:47:28.31
Are you willing to
answer that call today?
00:47:28.41\00:47:31.51
Heavenly Father, as we are about
to open up Your Word once again
00:47:37.05\00:47:40.49
in this revival, we are
asking that Your Holy Spirit
00:47:40.52\00:47:44.99
would do a work in our lives.
00:47:45.03\00:47:47.16
And, Lord, we know
that You promise to do that.
00:47:47.63\00:47:49.73
Our prayer really is
that our ears will be open to
00:47:49.76\00:47:52.50
hear what the Spirit wishes
to say to the church today,
00:47:52.53\00:47:56.57
that our minds might be renewed.
00:47:56.67\00:47:58.31
And we want to give You
permission to write these
00:47:58.34\00:48:00.54
lessons on our hearts and minds.
00:48:00.58\00:48:02.78
For, Lord, You
know our struggles.
00:48:03.14\00:48:05.15
We come before You as though
we were naked, in a sense.
00:48:05.35\00:48:08.55
Because You know
where our weaknesses are,
00:48:08.58\00:48:10.72
yet You love us, You
envelope us in Your arms.
00:48:10.92\00:48:14.26
And now we pray You would
show us who is that person
00:48:14.46\00:48:18.29
that You want us
to be friends with.
00:48:18.33\00:48:20.23
Who is it that You want
to use us to plant seeds
00:48:20.33\00:48:23.63
for the gospel in their lives?
00:48:23.67\00:48:25.53
Enlighten our minds with that
person, their name, their face.
00:48:25.57\00:48:29.10
Help us to be able
to connect with them.
00:48:29.14\00:48:32.11
These things we pray
in Jesus' name, amen.
00:48:32.31\00:48:36.34
My friend, Reuben, was moving
from Michigan to Colorado.
00:48:37.68\00:48:42.08
He had just finished his
education at Andrews University
00:48:42.28\00:48:45.72
and he had taken a job in
the Fort Morgan, Colorado area.
00:48:45.75\00:48:49.72
So Reuben, being the
bachelor that he was,
00:48:49.76\00:48:52.83
actually began to pack
up all of his belongings
00:48:52.93\00:48:56.00
into all these unmarked boxes,
and he then put those boxes
00:48:56.03\00:49:00.37
in an old, wooden,
rickety, makeshift trailer
00:49:00.40\00:49:04.11
and hooked it up to the
back of his Nissan Altima.
00:49:04.14\00:49:06.98
Then he began his 1000
mile journey across the country.
00:49:07.01\00:49:11.18
Well if you know
anything about Nissan Altima's,
00:49:11.81\00:49:14.22
you know they were not
built to haul a heavy trailer
00:49:14.25\00:49:17.95
a thousand miles down the road.
00:49:17.99\00:49:19.85
So part way through the
trip the engine gave out
00:49:19.89\00:49:22.79
and the car broke down.
00:49:22.82\00:49:24.39
And Reuben was stranded
along the side of the road.
00:49:24.43\00:49:27.63
Now fortunately for
him, his car broke down
00:49:27.90\00:49:31.40
right while he was going
through Lincoln, Nebraska,
00:49:31.43\00:49:34.90
which is where I
happened to live at that time.
00:49:34.94\00:49:37.51
So he called me on the phone
and he explained his situation.
00:49:37.54\00:49:41.04
So I got in my car,
drove out to where he was,
00:49:41.08\00:49:44.51
picked him up, and it
was too late in the evening
00:49:44.55\00:49:46.88
to really do anything.
00:49:46.92\00:49:48.25
All we could do is
get this broken down car
00:49:48.28\00:49:50.82
into a motel parking lot.
00:49:50.85\00:49:53.05
And then I took him home
where he could have a nice
00:49:53.09\00:49:55.36
warm home-cooked meal
and sleep in a nice warm bed.
00:49:55.39\00:49:59.13
But the next day we knew
we had to take care of things.
00:49:59.49\00:50:02.66
And it was pretty
obvious this car was shot.
00:50:02.70\00:50:05.40
I mean, the engine was done.
00:50:05.43\00:50:07.30
The only way he was
going to get to Colorado
00:50:07.34\00:50:09.80
is if he went out
and he bought another car
00:50:09.84\00:50:12.31
right there in
Lincoln, Nebraska.
00:50:12.34\00:50:13.94
And that's what we did.
00:50:13.98\00:50:15.38
We went car shopping, he
found a good cheap used car.
00:50:15.41\00:50:19.35
And so we drove it back
to the motel parking lot
00:50:19.38\00:50:22.62
and we parked the
newer car right beside
00:50:22.65\00:50:25.59
the old broken down car.
00:50:25.62\00:50:27.62
And we began the arduous
task of transferring everything
00:50:27.66\00:50:31.76
from the broken down car
to the one he just bought,
00:50:31.79\00:50:34.70
and unhooking the
trailer from one vehicle
00:50:34.73\00:50:37.43
and re-hooking it on another.
00:50:37.47\00:50:39.67
And believe me,
that took some time.
00:50:39.70\00:50:42.17
But as we were doing
that, I noticed a man came up
00:50:42.70\00:50:46.54
to us in the parking lot and
he asked us what we were doing.
00:50:46.57\00:50:50.48
And I explained to him, "Well,
this is my friend, Reuben.
00:50:50.91\00:50:53.65
His car broken
down and I'm trying to
00:50:53.68\00:50:55.68
get him back on the road."
00:50:55.72\00:50:57.09
And then he said to us, "Oh,
I understand what that's like.
00:50:57.42\00:51:01.32
You see, I'm a truck drive.
00:51:01.52\00:51:03.22
And I've been broke
down on the road many times.
00:51:03.26\00:51:05.49
I know that's no fun."
00:51:05.53\00:51:07.20
And then there
was this long pause.
00:51:07.76\00:51:10.17
And he said, "But I guess
that won't be happening anymore.
00:51:10.47\00:51:15.30
You see, my boss just called
me on the phone to tell me
00:51:15.80\00:51:18.41
that I'm fired and I need to
leave my truck here at the motel
00:51:18.44\00:51:22.48
and take the train home.
00:51:22.51\00:51:23.91
And I need to go tell my
family I no longer have a job."
00:51:23.95\00:51:27.62
Well I was so
engrossed in what I was doing,
00:51:28.68\00:51:31.69
you know, so focused on trying
to get Reuben back on the road
00:51:31.79\00:51:34.76
and transferring everything
from one car to another
00:51:34.79\00:51:37.93
that I really wasn't paying much
attention to what this man said.
00:51:37.96\00:51:40.93
And I just kind of
looked at him and said,
00:51:40.96\00:51:42.30
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that,"
00:51:42.33\00:51:43.67
and went back to
what I was doing.
00:51:43.70\00:51:45.50
And after a few
minutes, the man turned around
00:51:45.93\00:51:49.20
and he walked away.
00:51:49.94\00:51:51.47
After I got Reuben back
on the road and I was driving
00:51:52.37\00:51:55.64
back to my home that night, I
began to replay the day's events
00:51:55.68\00:52:00.42
in my mind.
00:52:00.45\00:52:01.78
And all of a sudden it hit me.
00:52:01.82\00:52:03.92
And I realized what I had done.
00:52:04.02\00:52:06.29
Here, God had given
me an opportunity to be a
00:52:06.65\00:52:09.79
witness to
someone, and I missed it.
00:52:09.82\00:52:12.13
Here, God had put a
hurting person right in front of
00:52:12.66\00:52:16.30
my eyes, and because I
was so focused on myself
00:52:16.33\00:52:19.53
and on my life, I did not see
the opportunity when it came.
00:52:19.57\00:52:23.71
The least I could have done was
had a word of prayer with him
00:52:23.74\00:52:26.88
and encourage the
man, but I didn't do it.
00:52:26.91\00:52:29.58
And as I drove home that night,
I can't describe just that sick
00:52:29.68\00:52:34.12
feeling that's inside
your stomach when you know
00:52:34.15\00:52:37.05
you missed an opportunity.
00:52:37.09\00:52:38.92
You know what
that feeling is like?
00:52:38.95\00:52:40.29
You know, it's like there's
a bowling ball in your abdomen.
00:52:40.32\00:52:43.22
And I felt so horrible as
I ate my supper that night.
00:52:43.26\00:52:47.60
How many of you have ever
had an experience like that
00:52:48.40\00:52:50.57
where you know you
missed an opportunity,
00:52:50.60\00:52:52.63
and you just felt
terrible about it?
00:52:52.67\00:52:54.97
I think if we're honest,
we've all experienced that.
00:52:55.30\00:52:59.01
But I want to take a
look at the life of Jesus.
00:52:59.57\00:53:02.31
Because it seems that Jesus
never missed an opportunity
00:53:02.34\00:53:05.51
to reach out to someone.
00:53:05.55\00:53:06.92
It was as though His
eyes were always open to the
00:53:07.12\00:53:09.98
lost and hurting people
that were all around Him.
00:53:10.02\00:53:13.62
So we're going to
take a look at one example
00:53:13.66\00:53:16.02
of the life of Jesus,
a story that we have read
00:53:16.06\00:53:18.89
many, many times, and
we're going to see in it
00:53:18.93\00:53:21.63
lessons for us of what it means
to be a missionary for Christ.
00:53:21.66\00:53:26.23
I want you to take your Bible
and I want you to turn with me
00:53:26.33\00:53:28.94
to John chapter 4
beginning in verse 4.
00:53:28.97\00:53:33.48
Now what book did
I say we're going to?
00:53:33.51\00:53:35.38
What chapter?
00:53:35.91\00:53:37.25
And what verse?
00:53:37.35\00:53:38.68
Alright, you're with me.
00:53:38.75\00:53:40.08
John chapter 4
beginning in verse 4.
00:53:40.12\00:53:44.72
Now as soon as you
look this up in your Bible,
00:53:45.25\00:53:47.19
if you Bible has
these subheadings,
00:53:47.22\00:53:49.36
you are going to immediately
recognize this passage.
00:53:49.39\00:53:52.76
It is the story of who?
00:53:52.79\00:53:55.20
That's right, the
Samaritan woman at the well.
00:53:56.46\00:53:59.40
So at this point you
might be tempted to turn me off.
00:53:59.43\00:54:02.10
And you might be thinking,
"Oh, I've read this story
00:54:02.14\00:54:05.17
a hundred times.
00:54:05.21\00:54:06.54
I know everything there
is to know about this story.
00:54:06.57\00:54:08.91
You're going to
preach about living water
00:54:08.94\00:54:10.95
and about salvation."
00:54:10.98\00:54:12.48
Well, that's a good
direction to go in this passage.
00:54:12.91\00:54:15.48
But that's not how we're
going to look at it today.
00:54:15.52\00:54:18.35
We're going to look
at this passage from a
00:54:18.59\00:54:20.99
very different perspective.
00:54:21.02\00:54:23.63
We're going to look at
it from the perspective
00:54:23.66\00:54:25.49
of seeking and saving the lost.
00:54:25.53\00:54:27.86
Because in it Jesus demonstrates
some very important principles
00:54:27.90\00:54:32.77
of what it means
to be that witness;
00:54:32.80\00:54:35.10
a missionary for Christ.
00:54:35.14\00:54:37.14
So I want you to try to picture
everything that happens here.
00:54:37.17\00:54:40.71
Put yourself in Jesus'
place, in the woman's place.
00:54:40.81\00:54:43.88
Try to imagine what the
disciples were thinking.
00:54:43.91\00:54:46.41
And I want you, as we go
through this verse by verse,
00:54:46.61\00:54:49.78
to try to read in
between the lines and go far
00:54:49.82\00:54:53.05
beneath the surface.
00:54:53.09\00:54:54.62
And as the Holy
Spirit guides us, I believe
00:54:54.66\00:54:57.06
we're going to see some
things that maybe we have
00:54:57.09\00:54:59.23
skipped over before.
00:54:59.26\00:55:01.66
So John chapter 4, I'm going
to begin reading in verse 4.
00:55:01.70\00:55:05.77
I'm just going to
read verses 4 through 10
00:55:05.80\00:55:08.27
straight through.
00:55:08.30\00:55:09.64
John chapter 4
beginning in verse 4.
00:55:09.70\00:55:13.17
The Bible says, "But He
needed to go through..." Where?
00:55:14.04\00:55:19.11
Samaria.
00:55:19.45\00:55:20.78
"So He came to a city of
Samaria which is called Sychar,
00:55:20.82\00:55:24.82
near the plot of ground that
Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
00:55:25.02\00:55:29.12
Now Jacob's well was there.
00:55:29.32\00:55:31.93
Jesus therefore, being
wearied from His journey,
00:55:32.33\00:55:35.60
sat thus by the well.
00:55:35.63\00:55:37.57
And it was
about the sixth hour."
00:55:37.60\00:55:40.07
That's about noon time.
00:55:40.17\00:55:41.50
A woman of Samaria
came to draw water.
00:55:41.64\00:55:44.97
Jesus said to
her, 'Give Me a drink.'
00:55:45.21\00:55:48.78
For His disciples had gone
away into the city to buy food.
00:55:48.94\00:55:53.75
Then the woman of
Samaria said to Him,
00:55:53.78\00:55:56.62
'How is it that
You, being a Jew,
00:55:56.65\00:55:59.45
ask a drink from
me, a Samaritan woman?'
00:55:59.65\00:56:02.62
For Jews have no
dealings with Samaritans."
00:56:02.66\00:56:06.39
Verse 10, "Jesus
answered and said to her,
00:56:06.43\00:56:09.86
'If you knew the gift of God,
and who it is who says to you,
00:56:09.90\00:56:14.04
"Give Me a drink,"
you would have asked Him,
00:56:14.07\00:56:16.27
and He would have
given you living water.'"
00:56:16.30\00:56:19.17
Now let's pause
here for a second.
00:56:19.21\00:56:20.91
Here in chapter 4 Jesus had been
working in the area of Judea.
00:56:21.34\00:56:26.25
But because of all the
prejudice of the Pharisees
00:56:26.45\00:56:28.98
and all the
obstacles they put in His path,
00:56:29.02\00:56:31.25
Jesus felt as
though it was time to go
00:56:31.45\00:56:33.92
to a different field of labor.
00:56:33.96\00:56:36.09
So they decided to move
from Judea and start working
00:56:36.12\00:56:40.06
in the area that
was known as Galilee.
00:56:40.10\00:56:43.10
Now in order to go
from Judea to Galilee,
00:56:43.30\00:56:46.40
that was at least
a full day's journey.
00:56:46.43\00:56:49.70
So Jesus and the disciples
decide to get up at the
00:56:49.87\00:56:52.41
crack of dawn
early the next morning
00:56:52.44\00:56:54.78
and travel as far
as they possibly can.
00:56:54.88\00:56:58.01
Now why do you
suppose they decided to
00:56:58.35\00:56:59.68
travel at the crack of dawn?
00:56:59.71\00:57:01.05
What do you think?
00:57:01.08\00:57:02.42
It's the
coolest part of the day.
00:57:02.88\00:57:04.65
Nobody wants to travel
along the hot dusty roads of
00:57:04.99\00:57:08.29
Israel while the afternoon sun
is beating down on your back.
00:57:08.32\00:57:12.59
It's best to travel in
the coolest part of the day.
00:57:12.63\00:57:16.13
And if truth be told, that's
probably what you and I do
00:57:16.33\00:57:19.17
whenever we have to
go on a long road trip.
00:57:19.20\00:57:21.37
I know there have been
many times for Marquita and I,
00:57:21.50\00:57:23.87
we travel a lot, that if we
have to go on a long road trip
00:57:23.91\00:57:27.24
and we're driving, we prefer
to get up early in the morning
00:57:27.28\00:57:30.65
when it's cool and
to go as fast as we can.
00:57:30.68\00:57:33.85
However, the
reason that we did it,
00:57:34.08\00:57:36.05
that was more because of kids.
00:57:36.38\00:57:38.19
See, we had a strategy.
00:57:38.22\00:57:39.65
And what we would do is this:
00:57:39.85\00:57:41.46
We thought, you know, "If we
just get up at like 4:00 o'clock
00:57:41.66\00:57:45.23
in the morning, and pack
the car the night before,
00:57:45.26\00:57:47.90
we can get the
girls out of bed,"
00:57:48.13\00:57:50.13
and this is when
they were little,
00:57:50.17\00:57:51.63
"with their pajamas still on,
and we can just pick them up,
00:57:51.67\00:57:54.54
get them
situated in the back seat,
00:57:54.74\00:57:56.74
they'll still be
sleeping, and then we can drive
00:57:56.77\00:57:59.27
hours down the road
in peace and quiet."
00:57:59.31\00:58:02.74
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00:58:03.58\00:58:06.78
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00:58:15.56\00:58:18.36
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