The Shaming of Jesus

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:07.830 Considering these things. Let's turn to John Chapter Nineteen and continue to read in 2 00:00:07.910 --> 00:00:37.130 God's word, and I'm here. It preached John Chapter Nineteen. Someone read 3 00:00:37.130 --> 00:00:45.570 verses one through five. Then pilot took Jesus and flogged him, and the 4 00:00:45.689 --> 00:00:51.119 soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed 5 00:00:51.159 --> 00:00:55.359 him in a purple robe. They came up to him saying Hail, King 6 00:00:55.479 --> 00:01:00.920 of the Jews, and struck him with their hands. Pilot went out again 7 00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:03.870 and said to them, see, I am bringing him out to you that 8 00:01:04.030 --> 00:01:08.950 you may know that I find no guilt in him. So Jesus came out 9 00:01:10.870 --> 00:01:15.469 wearing the crown of thorns and the Purple Robe. Pilot said to them, 10 00:01:15.030 --> 00:01:23.500 behold the man. Let's pray one more time. Lord, we do ask 11 00:01:23.579 --> 00:01:27.980 that you would bless your word to us, that you would establish us in 12 00:01:29.099 --> 00:01:33.329 it. I'm please bless the preaching of your word. May My words be 13 00:01:33.450 --> 00:01:38.650 faithful and true to you, to what you have said. Your spirit be 14 00:01:38.769 --> 00:01:41.170 at work and all of us, and we pray this in Jesus name. 15 00:01:41.209 --> 00:01:51.519 I'm in so this here at the beginning of John Chapter Nineteen. I think 16 00:01:51.599 --> 00:01:57.719 I titled this sermon something like the shaming of Jesus. I'm this is because 17 00:01:57.879 --> 00:02:01.709 that's what this passage, this these few verses one through six that I've just 18 00:02:01.870 --> 00:02:07.469 read, a really about. I'm Jesus has been struck multiple times already, 19 00:02:07.509 --> 00:02:13.550 especially when we add up the different accounts that are in the gospels, and 20 00:02:13.789 --> 00:02:16.500 his pain, his physical pain, is going to increase, and it does 21 00:02:16.740 --> 00:02:23.099 even here in these verses. Right, he is flogged, a crown of 22 00:02:23.180 --> 00:02:29.340 thorns is placed on his head. But John's focus in this passage is not 23 00:02:29.659 --> 00:02:37.689 the inflicted pain that Jesus experiences, but it is the inflicted shame that Jesus 24 00:02:37.810 --> 00:02:43.889 experiences. These things are not totally separate from one another. I read recently 25 00:02:44.050 --> 00:02:47.960 that there are studies that show that even like our brains, process these two 26 00:02:49.000 --> 00:02:53.680 things, shame and pain, basically the same way. Not that they're the 27 00:02:53.759 --> 00:02:57.439 same thing, but there are there's overlaps in the ways that we feel them 28 00:02:57.479 --> 00:03:01.629 and on the ways that we experiences them. The main point here, though, 29 00:03:01.750 --> 00:03:06.710 is to focus on what is John saying right, what is John Emphasizing, 30 00:03:06.789 --> 00:03:10.349 and it is very much the mocking and the shaming of Jesus. On 31 00:03:10.590 --> 00:03:16.180 this Jesus himself on prophesied. I said was going to happen on in the 32 00:03:16.340 --> 00:03:22.419 other Gospels and even in the Prophets, we read that he would be humiliated, 33 00:03:22.659 --> 00:03:27.530 that he would be mocked, that he would be shamed, and it's 34 00:03:27.569 --> 00:03:31.289 important to recognize this for several reasons. One is that it helps us to 35 00:03:31.370 --> 00:03:37.849 understand why pilot flogged him and then brought him out in front of the people 36 00:03:37.930 --> 00:03:40.599 and said I find no guilt in him. Did that strike anyone else's kind 37 00:03:40.639 --> 00:03:46.439 of odd? Don't you usually proclaim the guilt, or at least pretend to 38 00:03:46.520 --> 00:03:51.960 proclaim guilt, and then give the punishment? Why the punishment? And then 39 00:03:52.039 --> 00:03:57.990 he is not guilty, and then the crucifixion? Well, remember, pilot 40 00:03:58.069 --> 00:04:00.030 says. He says I'm bringing him out to you that you may know I 41 00:04:00.069 --> 00:04:06.229 find no guilt in him. Behold the man. If Jesus were being treated 42 00:04:06.310 --> 00:04:11.460 like this for punishment, pilot wouldn't say these things, he'd say something else. 43 00:04:12.620 --> 00:04:16.500 That's because Jesus is treatment here isn't about punishment, it's about putting him 44 00:04:16.540 --> 00:04:26.290 in his place. It's about letting the people know and letting Jesus know that 45 00:04:26.449 --> 00:04:30.370 he is not in his place, so to speak, and he is going 46 00:04:30.449 --> 00:04:39.399 to be put there. I'll explain this more. Remember this, just notice 47 00:04:39.439 --> 00:04:44.920 this detail. Pilot calls Jesus before this the King of the Jews. You 48 00:04:44.959 --> 00:04:49.439 remember that. The crowds are there and he he uses this phrase to incite 49 00:04:49.600 --> 00:04:55.430 them. He uses this phrase, King of the Jews, to appeal this 50 00:04:55.670 --> 00:05:00.350 near rioting crowd. Now he calls him the man. Right, behold the 51 00:05:00.550 --> 00:05:03.350 man. It's interesting. He doesn't use his name, he doesn't use this 52 00:05:03.790 --> 00:05:08.579 title that he used before. But how? But what? But what's is 53 00:05:08.740 --> 00:05:12.980 striking is how this man, of course, is dressed. He has been 54 00:05:13.180 --> 00:05:17.060 stripped of his regular clothes and a robe of Purple Robe has been put upon 55 00:05:17.180 --> 00:05:21.889 him, something he would not wear normally. Jesus is not looking like he 56 00:05:23.129 --> 00:05:27.569 normally does. A crown has been placed on his head, sort of like 57 00:05:27.810 --> 00:05:31.889 the victory crowns that would be received some time, except this is a mocking 58 00:05:32.209 --> 00:05:42.240 crown, right, it is a crown of thorns. He calls him the 59 00:05:42.360 --> 00:05:46.399 man, but he dresses him in this fake King's garb. Jesus, in 60 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:53.430 pilot's mind, and then the crowds mind, has been disgraced. He has 61 00:05:53.509 --> 00:05:57.709 been among the highest people, the the highest status. He has been in 62 00:05:57.790 --> 00:06:00.709 the courts of the high priests. On he will be in the court of 63 00:06:00.949 --> 00:06:05.819 Herod, he's in the court of pilot, but in these courts he is 64 00:06:05.899 --> 00:06:10.300 not elevated among them, right, he doesn't come to a high position. 65 00:06:10.379 --> 00:06:15.019 Instead, he is pushed down by the highest powered people. And that, 66 00:06:15.139 --> 00:06:19.290 of course, is would always hurts the most in shame. The closer and 67 00:06:19.449 --> 00:06:24.649 connection you are to someone, the more you value someone's opinion, the higher 68 00:06:24.730 --> 00:06:31.009 status they have in your mind, the more it hurts, the more embarrassing 69 00:06:31.209 --> 00:06:36.600 it is, right, which is why critiques from spouses heard a lot, 70 00:06:38.639 --> 00:06:44.759 which is why a boss hurts a lot. And that was the intention here, 71 00:06:45.519 --> 00:06:49.509 to shame Jesus. He was whipped, stripped and then clothed with this 72 00:06:49.629 --> 00:06:56.670 ridiculous robe and this crown of Thorns, before these people, before the very 73 00:06:56.910 --> 00:07:01.139 people who hated him, because they wanted to put him in his place. 74 00:07:01.180 --> 00:07:12.500 Shame, mocking, embarrassment, humiliation. Shame is the soul killing tool that 75 00:07:12.660 --> 00:07:19.050 will use when we want to tell someone you don't belong, you're not worthy 76 00:07:19.689 --> 00:07:26.889 to be loved, you're not worthy to be connected to us, you need 77 00:07:26.970 --> 00:07:31.199 to get out of here, and it's a message that we of course, 78 00:07:31.279 --> 00:07:33.959 here all the time. Maybe it's a message. You even tell yourself. 79 00:07:34.040 --> 00:07:43.480 I'm not this enough, smart enough, strong enough, rich enough, confident 80 00:07:43.639 --> 00:07:50.029 enough, hopeful enough, obedient enough. I don't belong, I'm not worthy 81 00:07:50.110 --> 00:07:58.189 to be loved. I should go hide. That's all shame right. That's 82 00:07:58.269 --> 00:08:01.939 what shame does. It disconnects us, it pushes US away. That's what 83 00:08:03.100 --> 00:08:09.339 shame sounds like. And Shame is the tool that we use to push people 84 00:08:09.379 --> 00:08:13.170 out or to force them to fit in, and that's what they're doing here. 85 00:08:13.370 --> 00:08:16.649 They were doing these things to Jesus, they were mocking him, they 86 00:08:16.649 --> 00:08:24.970 were putting him on display, because Jesus is not fitting in, and he's 87 00:08:24.009 --> 00:08:28.360 not just fitting in, but he's threatening them because he's not fitting in. 88 00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:37.799 Jesus is doing things and saying things that doesn't fit into their legalistic, chip 89 00:08:39.039 --> 00:08:43.590 on the shoulder, holier than now, political religious life that they had built 90 00:08:43.669 --> 00:08:50.870 for themselves. Think on how Jesus had been living, think about the things 91 00:08:50.909 --> 00:08:56.139 that he was doing, think about who he was. Jesus was from the 92 00:08:56.259 --> 00:09:03.500 wrong part of kind of the country. He was from backwater Nazareth. He 93 00:09:03.580 --> 00:09:11.009 spent time with the wrong people, prostitutes, tax collectors, sinners, even 94 00:09:11.090 --> 00:09:15.090 one of his own disciples matthew, one of his own main disciples. Matthew 95 00:09:15.289 --> 00:09:26.320 was a tax collector, someone known for extorting the people for political money causes. 96 00:09:26.360 --> 00:09:35.679 As tax collectors especially were them, his disciples didn't even follow the general 97 00:09:35.840 --> 00:09:41.470 rules that everybody else was kind of expected to follow. He did things like 98 00:09:43.429 --> 00:09:48.750 trust women, talk to them, respect them. He gave children his attention. 99 00:09:50.029 --> 00:09:54.179 He even told his decide. You'd even rebuke his disciples when it came 100 00:09:54.340 --> 00:10:03.059 to bringing children to him. Jesus refused to promote himself with the higher classes 101 00:10:05.059 --> 00:10:07.850 and, even worse, he didn't even care what they thought of him. 102 00:10:09.169 --> 00:10:16.649 He just didn't care. He wouldn't follow their man made religious rules. He 103 00:10:18.090 --> 00:10:22.559 didn't care what they think, he wasn't worried about them, and he was 104 00:10:22.639 --> 00:10:28.039 willing to say what he thought about them too, instead of Pan or ring 105 00:10:28.080 --> 00:10:31.480 to them, instead of trying to get into their circles, instead of trying 106 00:10:31.519 --> 00:10:39.110 to become one of them. He called them whitewashed tombs, broods of Vipers. 107 00:10:39.269 --> 00:10:50.460 He called them hypocrites. Add to all of this that the people loved 108 00:10:50.539 --> 00:10:58.259 him. They loved him he did these miracles, he this bold, confident 109 00:10:58.419 --> 00:11:05.610 teaching. He spoke his mind. He wasn't afraid. It's like you had 110 00:11:05.730 --> 00:11:11.570 no shame. You can see, then, why the Lord, our Lord, 111 00:11:11.769 --> 00:11:16.649 was a huge threat to them, huge threat. He was not going 112 00:11:16.730 --> 00:11:22.639 to go along with it. He did not fit in to their culture, 113 00:11:24.039 --> 00:11:33.190 their religious, political, legalistic self promoting prey on the street, court of 114 00:11:33.230 --> 00:11:37.509 sorry when steed, make yourself look gone so they know you're fasting, all 115 00:11:37.629 --> 00:11:43.830 of that stuff. He wasn't going to do it, and that's why Jesus 116 00:11:43.909 --> 00:11:48.460 need to be put in his place and eventually he needed to be gotten rid 117 00:11:48.460 --> 00:11:52.299 of all together. As I said, shame is one of the main reasons 118 00:11:52.340 --> 00:11:56.659 we separate ourselves from others. We don't belong, we don't fit in, 119 00:11:56.139 --> 00:12:01.419 I'm not worthy to belong here, and it's also the tool that we use 120 00:12:01.929 --> 00:12:05.730 to push others away, to communicate to them and to everyone else that this 121 00:12:05.009 --> 00:12:13.490 is not acceptable. Now you might ask, why didn't they just follow Jesus 122 00:12:13.889 --> 00:12:18.919 go along with the things he said? Well, that's a good question right. 123 00:12:18.240 --> 00:12:24.679 That would have been a much better response. I'll tell you the answer. 124 00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:31.389 Because to listen to Jesus, to do the things he said, to 125 00:12:31.470 --> 00:12:35.230 do, to believe the things he said, he was from, the father 126 00:12:35.750 --> 00:12:39.830 that he came from heaven, that his kingdom was not of this world, 127 00:12:41.509 --> 00:12:46.019 that we should give up our possessions to other people, that we shouldn't to 128 00:12:46.179 --> 00:12:50.940 always demand our rights, that we should love our enemies, that we shouldn't, 129 00:12:54.379 --> 00:12:56.779 that we should bless them and not curse them. All of these things 130 00:12:56.899 --> 00:13:01.490 and more. To do those things and to give up the things of this 131 00:13:01.690 --> 00:13:07.289 world meant to give up the life, the culture, the House of cards 132 00:13:07.809 --> 00:13:13.960 that they had built from their celves. It would have meant risking feeling shame 133 00:13:13.240 --> 00:13:20.200 themselves, risking disgrace, risking dishonor it would have been meant to say, 134 00:13:20.200 --> 00:13:26.990 my life is a pretend thing, my life before God is not real, 135 00:13:28.629 --> 00:13:35.590 my life in this world is fake, my power is fake, my wealth 136 00:13:35.870 --> 00:13:43.340 is fake, my my importance is fake, it's all fake because before God 137 00:13:43.379 --> 00:13:50.820 I have nothing. I'm naked and ashamed. That's what it would have taken 138 00:13:50.899 --> 00:14:01.690 to follow Jesus. The sad thing is is that Jesus promises to us that 139 00:14:01.769 --> 00:14:09.049 when we come to him naked and ashamed, he promises to cover us, 140 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:18.440 not disgrace us, but grace us. Right when we come before Jesus and 141 00:14:18.559 --> 00:14:28.429 we say I'm a mess, look at me, and we're only concerned about 142 00:14:28.429 --> 00:14:33.149 what he thinks. He doesn't plow us into the ground say that's exactly right, 143 00:14:35.070 --> 00:14:39.539 you stupid, worthless piece of garbage. He lifts us up and he 144 00:14:39.620 --> 00:14:43.940 says my love is sufficient to cover it all. Don't worry about it, 145 00:14:45.379 --> 00:14:52.620 no condemnation for you, peace with God. Through me, my blood will 146 00:14:52.659 --> 00:14:56.850 atone for all your sins. All Wash you wider than the snow. All 147 00:14:56.090 --> 00:15:00.250 remove your sins as far as the east for the West. You've got nothing 148 00:15:00.330 --> 00:15:05.610 to worry about. I'll take care of it all. Following Jesus doesn't risk 149 00:15:05.690 --> 00:15:13.559 disgrace, because Jesus comes to give us grace, being vulnerable, being honest 150 00:15:13.600 --> 00:15:18.000 and about our guilt, about the things that we've done wrong, about the 151 00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:24.230 sin that we're born into. Seeking forgiveness doesn't bring curse, it brings blessing. 152 00:15:26.149 --> 00:15:30.990 It doesn't bring condemnation, it brings justification. It doesn't bring abandonment and 153 00:15:31.230 --> 00:15:39.179 separation and rejection, but peace and union with God. We're not exiled from 154 00:15:39.179 --> 00:15:43.419 the kingdom. Were brought into the kingdom. Now this, of course, 155 00:15:43.620 --> 00:15:46.620 is all totally backwards from the world which we live in. But, as 156 00:15:46.659 --> 00:15:50.970 we said before, as Jesus said, he is not of this world. 157 00:15:52.450 --> 00:15:58.370 He doesn't fit in. It's a different thing that he comes and he brings. 158 00:16:00.409 --> 00:16:04.080 Of course, in order to recognize that, you have to believe something 159 00:16:04.200 --> 00:16:10.720 that you cannot see. You have to believe that the miracles of Jesus are 160 00:16:10.799 --> 00:16:15.279 more than just a wow, that the life of Jesus is more, that 161 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:18.389 Jesus is life in this world, is more than just him being confident and 162 00:16:18.509 --> 00:16:26.470 eccentric. You have to believe that Jesus is truly offering himself to do the 163 00:16:26.830 --> 00:16:33.539 things that he says he came to do and he's offering something that's different from 164 00:16:33.620 --> 00:16:41.620 life in this world, the cursed and vain life in this world that Jesus 165 00:16:41.779 --> 00:16:48.529 doesn't fit in. Is ultimately a really, really good thing, because who 166 00:16:48.529 --> 00:16:53.370 wants really to cling to the vanities of this world, to the striving after 167 00:16:53.490 --> 00:16:57.129 the wind, to the curse, to the emptiness and all of these things? 168 00:16:59.490 --> 00:17:04.279 We all want something more, right. That's what Jesus gives to us, 169 00:17:06.519 --> 00:17:11.000 something that this world can never provide, something the law can never provide, 170 00:17:11.400 --> 00:17:17.190 something that we can never get by simply working harder or atoning from our 171 00:17:17.309 --> 00:17:22.470 sins. We need something greater than that, and that's what Jesus provides, 172 00:17:23.950 --> 00:17:30.420 and because Jesus knew that. That's how he was able to endure this. 173 00:17:33.779 --> 00:17:38.099 That's how Jesus not only was able to endure this but willingly and with the 174 00:17:38.299 --> 00:17:47.930 joy set before him, enter it into this situation. Can you imagine standing 175 00:17:48.009 --> 00:17:56.690 before a crowd of people yelling at you? That would be intense right, 176 00:17:56.930 --> 00:18:00.079 but they're not just yelling at you, they hate you, they want to 177 00:18:00.359 --> 00:18:04.680 kill you. And now you're standing there in not your clothes, with a 178 00:18:04.960 --> 00:18:10.599 crown of thorns on your head. Your body is tired, you've been flogged, 179 00:18:10.680 --> 00:18:17.430 you've been beaten. How hard that would be. But Jesus did it 180 00:18:17.789 --> 00:18:23.269 willingly. Jesus was able to face that shame, that humiliation, all of 181 00:18:23.430 --> 00:18:30.619 that, not because he was a some kind of a narcissist or a psychopath 182 00:18:30.779 --> 00:18:37.740 without a conscience. Jesus did it because he knew that his job was not 183 00:18:37.059 --> 00:18:45.970 to please these people. Jesus didn't come into the world to get everybody on 184 00:18:45.049 --> 00:18:51.009 the same page. Jesus came into the world to announce a new chapter. 185 00:18:51.049 --> 00:18:56.720 Jesus came into the world with a specific mission that had been given to him 186 00:18:57.079 --> 00:19:03.160 by the father. That's why he was here. That's what he was totally 187 00:19:03.240 --> 00:19:11.230 committed to and filled with perfect it, perfect integrity. He indeed had no 188 00:19:11.589 --> 00:19:19.069 shame inside, even though the world was pouring shame on him from the outside. 189 00:19:22.029 --> 00:19:25.779 Jesus was able to have this kind of confidence because he knew who he 190 00:19:26.059 --> 00:19:30.299 he was in the love of God. His father loved him. He's been 191 00:19:30.339 --> 00:19:36.460 tired about this for chapters, chapters and chapters through John. The father loves 192 00:19:36.619 --> 00:19:40.289 me. I love the father, I love my people. I am here 193 00:19:40.650 --> 00:19:45.849 to save them. Jesus, in other words, wasn't dependent on anything in 194 00:19:47.049 --> 00:19:53.160 this world to be okay. Jesus wasn't dependent on what the on pilot thought, 195 00:19:53.240 --> 00:19:59.200 or Rome thought, or or Caiaphese thought or the people fought. He 196 00:19:59.920 --> 00:20:03.799 was sent from his father with this loving mission that he held to the core 197 00:20:03.960 --> 00:20:11.829 of his being with total perfection, and it was this a mission to love 198 00:20:11.029 --> 00:20:18.789 you, because he loved you more than his own life, more than his 199 00:20:18.910 --> 00:20:25.380 own reputation. He was willing to endure anything to save you, and he 200 00:20:25.500 --> 00:20:29.539 did. The noise of the crowd, the shame of the high officials. 201 00:20:29.619 --> 00:20:36.210 It indeed was painful, shameful, but it was passing and with perfect courage 202 00:20:36.329 --> 00:20:41.730 and love and hope, our God did not turn aside and he won. 203 00:20:45.690 --> 00:20:53.480 He rose from the dead vindicated. How can you shame a person who's risen 204 00:20:53.599 --> 00:20:59.440 from the dead? How can you shame a king who is seated on a 205 00:20:59.640 --> 00:21:04.750 throne at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty? You can't. 206 00:21:06.789 --> 00:21:11.549 It's impossible. It's like a little kid, you know, yelling at a 207 00:21:11.589 --> 00:21:15.150 great king. What can you do? What can you do? It's ridiculous. 208 00:21:15.190 --> 00:21:18.549 This is why I saw him too, talks about this. He said, 209 00:21:18.549 --> 00:21:21.299 you know, the kings and the people of this hearth, they whisper 210 00:21:21.539 --> 00:21:25.140 the counsel together. How can we break apart? The Lord Bonds Between the 211 00:21:25.220 --> 00:21:27.779 Lords and is anointed, and the Lord sits in heaven and he laughs. 212 00:21:29.579 --> 00:21:34.049 He holds them in derision, he mocks them, he shames them because what 213 00:21:34.170 --> 00:21:40.369 can they do to him? This is ridiculous. The Lord did not turn 214 00:21:40.410 --> 00:21:45.769 aside and he did not discern aside because he loved us. I want to 215 00:21:45.809 --> 00:21:55.759 conclude with this. If they did this to the Lord Jesus, do you 216 00:21:55.920 --> 00:22:00.910 think it's possible that the world might want to or might actually do this to 217 00:22:00.990 --> 00:22:07.869 you? It is, and in fact it's not just possible, it's not 218 00:22:07.950 --> 00:22:14.869 even probable. The Lord says it's going to happen. Peter says don't be 219 00:22:15.109 --> 00:22:18.619 surprised when it happens. It's going to happen. It might be little, 220 00:22:18.619 --> 00:22:23.299 might be big, but we're told by Jesus to expect this and of course 221 00:22:23.420 --> 00:22:29.140 we should expect this right because if he doesn't fit in, if he's not 222 00:22:29.460 --> 00:22:34.450 clamoring after the affection of this world and we find ourselves united to him and 223 00:22:34.849 --> 00:22:40.609 if we belong to that same father, if we are united to God with 224 00:22:40.730 --> 00:22:45.319 that same kind of intimacy, if we are citizens of a kingdom that is 225 00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:48.200 not of this world, they are going to be times where we don't fit 226 00:22:48.319 --> 00:22:56.039 in. Simple just doesn't work if we're not clamoring and trying to promote ourselves 227 00:22:56.119 --> 00:23:00.869 and trying to glab after riches and wealth and fame and all the rest. 228 00:23:02.549 --> 00:23:07.910 But we're okay because we have peace with God and we can endure sorrow and 229 00:23:07.069 --> 00:23:12.900 death and grief and the world's not going to pressure us to turn aside from 230 00:23:12.900 --> 00:23:18.019 Jesus and turn aside from his commands and we're just going to stay steady and 231 00:23:18.059 --> 00:23:22.220 do what he wants us to do. That's going to really make some people 232 00:23:22.339 --> 00:23:26.700 mad. It made them mad with our Lord and mad enough to kill the 233 00:23:26.210 --> 00:23:33.769 creator of the world? Do you think they might find me or you a 234 00:23:33.809 --> 00:23:41.160 little easier target? Of course, it's important to recognize this, because the 235 00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:48.599 scriptures calls to recognize it, and it gives us time to prepare. Really, 236 00:23:48.839 --> 00:23:52.400 the scriptures tell us to be awake, be sober minded, think about 237 00:23:52.440 --> 00:23:56.670 these things, put on your armor, put on Christ and that's what we 238 00:23:56.750 --> 00:24:02.750 need to do. How do we do that? We do it by building 239 00:24:02.750 --> 00:24:08.589 up our faith in the very promises that Jesus gives to us, by building 240 00:24:08.589 --> 00:24:12.619 up our faith in him, by looking at moments like this, in reminding 241 00:24:12.660 --> 00:24:18.019 ourselves of who he is, why he did it what he does. Because, 242 00:24:18.940 --> 00:24:22.059 beloved, when we look to his promises, when we look to the 243 00:24:22.180 --> 00:24:27.490 things that he has promised us, the threats and the shaming of this world 244 00:24:27.529 --> 00:24:33.970 will, all of a sudden, or maybe little by little, matter less 245 00:24:33.970 --> 00:24:41.400 and less. Think about this. When the God of the universe promises to 246 00:24:41.519 --> 00:24:49.440 you a kingdom that is imperishable, undefiled and kept in need for you in 247 00:24:49.559 --> 00:24:56.789 heaven by him, what do you what do you need to get? What 248 00:24:56.869 --> 00:25:00.269 do you need to clamor after? What do you need to try and secure? 249 00:25:00.470 --> 00:25:03.750 What do you need to be disobedient about in order to get these things? 250 00:25:03.869 --> 00:25:11.140 If the world, if the if you, if you're if you're on 251 00:25:11.140 --> 00:25:17.140 a walk and you walk by a yard of fenced in yard and there's a 252 00:25:17.220 --> 00:25:23.609 little tiny dog yipping at you, you don't run in terror. Right, 253 00:25:25.130 --> 00:25:27.609 you shouldn't. If you don't, you don't, you know, run as 254 00:25:27.690 --> 00:25:32.130 fast as you can because of this great threat of this Yipping Dot, right, 255 00:25:32.170 --> 00:25:34.130 you, you baby. Well, that's cute. That thinks it's such 256 00:25:34.210 --> 00:25:37.799 a big dog. You know, be like her, tough. I talked 257 00:25:37.880 --> 00:25:47.400 this way. You don't run. Maybe you laugh because you understand that though 258 00:25:47.480 --> 00:25:51.990 it barks and bears its teeth, it's not really a danger to you. 259 00:25:53.029 --> 00:25:56.470 And when we come to understand who we are in Christ, the world becomes 260 00:25:56.630 --> 00:26:02.349 like that, just as it was for Christ. Because we are in Christ, 261 00:26:03.029 --> 00:26:07.819 we can look at the world through his eyes, through His Holiness, 262 00:26:07.940 --> 00:26:18.420 his righteousness, his kingdom and calms our hearts, reminds us the things are 263 00:26:18.460 --> 00:26:26.049 going to be okay and even better than okay, because he promises to us 264 00:26:26.089 --> 00:26:30.289 that this world will pass away and he will give to us a new heavens 265 00:26:30.609 --> 00:26:37.400 and a new earth that will be forever and be wonderful with no shame, 266 00:26:40.240 --> 00:26:49.150 no guilt, no sorrow now because we won't fit in always. That doesn't 267 00:26:49.150 --> 00:26:53.950 mean that we're supposed to be obnoxious people. Certainly doesn't mean we're supposed to 268 00:26:53.950 --> 00:27:00.940 be evil people. God tells us to be ambitious about living quietly. He 269 00:27:02.019 --> 00:27:04.700 tells us to seek peace with our neighbors as far as it is possible. 270 00:27:04.779 --> 00:27:14.380 He tells us to bless our enemies, but sometimes it's not possible. And 271 00:27:14.539 --> 00:27:18.369 what Jesus tells us by His crucifixion and his death and his resurrection is that 272 00:27:18.849 --> 00:27:23.329 it'll be okay. So we can be bold, we can be courageous, 273 00:27:25.490 --> 00:27:30.440 we can speak truth and not fear. We can look to Christ and we 274 00:27:30.480 --> 00:27:37.519 can find our strength in Him, knowing that in him we are perfectly loved, 275 00:27:37.319 --> 00:27:41.640 totally worthy. We have fellowship with God and with the one of the 276 00:27:41.720 --> 00:27:45.869 saints, with one another for all time, and nothing, the scriptures say, 277 00:27:47.670 --> 00:27:53.069 nothing can separate you from that love. When we are in Christ, 278 00:27:53.230 --> 00:27:59.500 God has us totally in his hands and he will not let us go, 279 00:28:00.259 --> 00:28:04.980 which allows us to be brave, allows us to take risks, it allows 280 00:28:06.059 --> 00:28:11.339 us to speak and to act and to think like Christians, to let our 281 00:28:11.380 --> 00:28:15.650 light, as he says, shine before men so that they may give glory 282 00:28:15.970 --> 00:28:22.210 to God. Let's give glory to God ourselves. Let's pray