1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,140 I had planned this short Advent series quite a number of weeks ago and just following through 2 00:00:07,140 –> 00:00:12,660 this reflection on Luke in chapter four I had chosen the title for today that just arises 3 00:00:12,660 –> 00:00:18,020 out of that passage, Hidden Hatred in the Human Heart. 4 00:00:18,020 –> 00:00:25,600 And I remember thinking early in November, will this be appropriate for a weekend near 5 00:00:25,600 –> 00:00:27,000 Christmas? 6 00:00:27,000 –> 00:00:32,740 If you turn in the Bible to Luke and chapter four you will see why I chose this title, 7 00:00:32,740 –> 00:00:37,439 because it really sums up what we find at the end of Jesus’ visit to Nazareth, which 8 00:00:37,439 –> 00:00:41,119 has been our focus throughout this Advent season. 9 00:00:41,119 –> 00:00:47,240 You remember that Jesus was of course born in Bethlehem but he was raised in Nazareth 10 00:00:47,240 –> 00:00:54,000 and at the age of around 30 Jesus left his hometown, he was baptized in the River Jordan, 11 00:00:54,099 –> 00:00:58,540 he began his early ministry in Jerusalem and in Galilee. 12 00:00:58,540 –> 00:01:04,500 News about him spread and of course especially news about his miracles, and we have been 13 00:01:04,500 –> 00:01:08,720 picturing together the great interest that that must have caused in his home town of 14 00:01:08,720 –> 00:01:10,199 Nazareth. 15 00:01:10,199 –> 00:01:15,040 And then about a year into the public ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ he returns to this 16 00:01:15,040 –> 00:01:18,680 place where he had been raised. 17 00:01:18,940 –> 00:01:23,099 And Luke chapter 4 recounts the story of what happened on that day and we’ve been following 18 00:01:23,099 –> 00:01:24,440 the story. 19 00:01:24,440 –> 00:01:30,400 There must have been a special buzz in the synagogue on that Sabbath day when Jesus returned 20 00:01:30,400 –> 00:01:33,599 to the place where he would have worshiped as a boy. 21 00:01:33,599 –> 00:01:40,480 The eyes of all were fixed upon Jesus, Luke says, and what struck them as he spoke to 22 00:01:40,480 –> 00:01:45,480 them could be summed up in a single word that we looked at last week, which is the word 23 00:01:45,480 –> 00:01:46,480 grace. 24 00:01:46,620 –> 00:01:50,500 Now in chapter 22 of Luke 4, they marveled at the gracious 25 00:01:50,500 –> 00:01:54,480 words that were coming from his mouth. 26 00:01:54,480 –> 00:02:00,400 He told them, verse 19, that he had come to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. 27 00:02:00,400 –> 00:02:06,059 God, in other words, has good news for all people, and that good news is that he is ready 28 00:02:06,059 –> 00:02:08,919 to cancel all the debts that we owe him. 29 00:02:08,919 –> 00:02:14,619 He is able to free us from all that keeps us at a distance from him and he is ready 30 00:02:14,639 –> 00:02:21,259 to restore to us the lost inheritance of a life of eternal joy with him. 31 00:02:21,259 –> 00:02:27,619 And God is ready to give all of these priceless gifts at his own expense. 32 00:02:27,619 –> 00:02:33,199 He is ready to bear in himself the cost of all that he offers to us. 33 00:02:33,199 –> 00:02:37,580 And this is the good news that Jesus announces there in the synagogue. 34 00:02:37,580 –> 00:02:42,279 Nobody, as we saw last time, had really heard anything quite like this before. 35 00:02:42,279 –> 00:02:43,880 That was why they were amazed. 36 00:02:43,899 –> 00:02:46,639 They were used to the sermon being a call to duty, 37 00:02:46,639 –> 00:02:50,740 a call to morality, step up your game, and so forth, and so on. 38 00:02:50,740 –> 00:02:54,740 What they were used to hearing was God’s demands from us. 39 00:02:56,300 –> 00:03:00,960 But now, from Jesus, they are hearing what God offers to us. 40 00:03:00,960 –> 00:03:07,880 And they marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. 41 00:03:07,880 –> 00:03:10,839 That’s where we’ve got to in this little advent series. 42 00:03:10,880 –> 00:03:14,720 And today, then, we’re going to look at the response to grace, 43 00:03:14,720 –> 00:03:20,279 the response to the good news of Jesus Christ right there in his hometown. 44 00:03:20,279 –> 00:03:26,479 I hope you have your Bible open in Luke and chapter 4 and verse 28 and 45 00:03:26,479 –> 00:03:28,160 if you have never read this before you 46 00:03:28,160 –> 00:03:34,240 will be completely astonished and even if you know it, you ought still to be. 47 00:03:34,240 –> 00:03:36,559 Verse 28, here is the response. 48 00:03:37,479 –> 00:03:48,759 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with joy right. 49 00:03:49,000 –> 00:03:56,520 Precisely the opposite. When they heard these things, notice what the scripture 50 00:03:56,520 –> 00:04:07,779 says. All in the synagogue were filled with wrath. Wrath. Anger. The response to 51 00:04:07,779 –> 00:04:16,299 Jesus was that they got angry. Wrath was the response to grace in Nazareth and 52 00:04:16,299 –> 00:04:21,619 more than just anger, notice what Luke says, they were filled with it field with 53 00:04:21,619 –> 00:04:27,679 anger. It consumed them. Not just a little angry. And not just a few angry people 54 00:04:27,679 –> 00:04:31,579 here and there in the congregation. Everyone in the synagogue every single 55 00:04:31,579 –> 00:04:37,320 one of them, they were all filled with wrath. And so notice what happened. Verse 56 00:04:37,320 –> 00:04:44,480 29, “…And they rose up and they drove Him out of the town, and they brought Him to 57 00:04:44,480 –> 00:04:51,540 the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him 58 00:04:51,779 –> 00:04:59,920 down the cliff.” Here my friends is the response to the wonderful grace of God 59 00:04:59,920 –> 00:05:07,859 that we looked together at last week. People were filled with anger, they 60 00:05:07,859 –> 00:05:15,440 hounded Jesus out of their town, and wanted to be rid of him all together. Now 61 00:05:15,440 –> 00:05:19,799 I want today simply to make four observations from this story that speak 62 00:05:19,839 –> 00:05:26,720 very powerfully into our world today. The first is that anger towards Jesus is a 63 00:05:26,720 –> 00:05:31,660 consistent pattern. I want you to see that that runs throughout the gospel 64 00:05:31,660 –> 00:05:35,760 narrative as indeed it runs throughout history and across our country today. 65 00:05:35,760 –> 00:05:41,100 Anger towards Jesus is a consistent pattern, anger towards Jesus has painful 66 00:05:41,100 –> 00:05:46,519 consequences. I want us to see today that anger towards Jesus is ultimately futile 67 00:05:47,420 –> 00:05:54,799 I want us to see the only cure for anger towards Jesus. Well with the Bible up 68 00:05:54,799 –> 00:05:59,519 and in front of you let’s begin here then, the consistent pattern of anger 69 00:05:59,519 –> 00:06:04,720 towards Jesus. I want to give you six examples from the gospel we’ll run 70 00:06:04,720 –> 00:06:09,320 through these very very quickly and remember that this begins in the 71 00:06:09,320 –> 00:06:15,239 Christmas story itself. The most neglected part of the Christmas story, 72 00:06:15,239 –> 00:06:22,359 what is it? Christ is born in Bethlehem, Herod hears the news, and he is filled 73 00:06:22,359 –> 00:06:33,519 with fury, and what does he do? He orders a murder of innocent children in his 74 00:06:33,519 –> 00:06:39,600 rage against Christ. And, so right in the Christmas story, we read these words 75 00:06:39,600 –> 00:06:47,079 recorded in Matthew 2 & 18, a voice was heard in Rama, Rachel weeping for her 76 00:06:47,079 –> 00:06:56,839 children, she refused to be comforted because they are no more. The death of 77 00:06:56,839 –> 00:07:04,880 the children, right there in the Christmas story. Why? Because of the fury 78 00:07:04,920 –> 00:07:10,299 of one man over Jesus. But, it continues as we’ve been seeing in Nazareth, so 79 00:07:10,299 –> 00:07:14,040 there’s the second glimpse. Jesus comes to His home town, Luke chapter 4 and 80 00:07:14,040 –> 00:07:17,359 verse 29, they drive him to the edge of the cliff, they want to be rid of him 81 00:07:17,359 –> 00:07:23,040 completely. You see it not only in Bethlehem and in Nazareth, you see it in 82 00:07:23,040 –> 00:07:26,920 an area that was known as the Gerizenes. You can read about this in Mark’s 83 00:07:26,920 –> 00:07:31,059 gospel. In chapter 5, Jesus goes in a boat across the lake to this area of the 84 00:07:31,079 –> 00:07:36,059 gerazins, where people were living under a reign of terror, really, that came from 85 00:07:36,059 –> 00:07:42,059 a man who was possessed by multiple evil spirits. And he lived outside the town, he 86 00:07:42,059 –> 00:07:47,279 walked around naked. He was out of his mind, possessed by this great evil, cut 87 00:07:47,279 –> 00:07:51,339 himself with stones. And, of course, all the law enforcement people tried to do 88 00:07:51,339 –> 00:07:55,700 everything they could to protect people against this man, who was a menace to the 89 00:07:55,700 –> 00:07:59,220 community. They tried to tie him with ropes, he was too strong for that, Mark 90 00:07:59,420 –> 00:08:02,519 tells us, that they tried to try him with chains, and that didn’t do any good 91 00:08:02,519 –> 00:08:08,220 either. The local authorities in the gerazins would have been perplexed as we 92 00:08:08,220 –> 00:08:13,980 always are in our society, perplexed, when an eruption of evil 93 00:08:13,980 –> 00:08:18,359 happens. What can we do about this? How can we restrain it? And they tried 94 00:08:18,359 –> 00:08:23,760 everything and it still happened. And then Jesus arrives on the beach at the 95 00:08:23,760 –> 00:08:28,019 gerazins. Of course, the evil in this man is stirred up. He comes rushing towards 96 00:08:28,019 –> 00:08:34,340 Jesus. And Jesus delivers him from all these evil powers. And here’s this man 97 00:08:34,340 –> 00:08:39,039 who’s been the terror of the community. And the people come out of the village 98 00:08:39,039 –> 00:08:46,719 and they see him, Mark says. He’s sitting dressed and he’s in his right mind. 99 00:08:46,719 –> 00:08:53,700 And everyone is astonished. And what do you think they said? You think they said 100 00:08:53,700 –> 00:08:58,299 Jesus this is marvelous. You’ve solved our number one social problem. 101 00:08:58,299 –> 00:09:03,859 Now we’ve got another 25. Will you stay here for a year and deal with them too? 102 00:09:03,859 –> 00:09:09,500 No, they said precisely the opposite. You can check it in Mark Chapter five and 103 00:09:09,500 –> 00:09:22,340 verse 17. They begged Jesus to go away. Please go. Please go. Please go. And he 104 00:09:22,340 –> 00:09:27,700 went. Number four, you see it again in 105 00:09:27,700 –> 00:09:30,859 Jerusalem. It’s all the way through. It’s consistent. It’s the 106 00:09:30,859 –> 00:09:36,039 response of the human heart to grace. Jesus comes to the temple in Jerusalem. 107 00:09:36,039 –> 00:09:40,020 He says, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in 108 00:09:40,020 –> 00:09:44,020 darkness but will have the light of life. He gives wonderful promises. He’s 109 00:09:44,020 –> 00:09:48,059 speaking to the people. He says, If the Son of God sets you free you will be 110 00:09:48,619 –> 00:09:51,460 He is going to set you free indeed. And if you read to the end of that 111 00:09:51,460 –> 00:09:54,700 conversation, John chapter eight and verse fifty-nine, you’ll read this, 112 00:09:54,700 –> 00:10:02,979 they picked up stones to throw at him. You go on to John in chapter 113 00:10:02,979 –> 00:10:09,799 ten. Another incident. Another day. Same pattern. This time, Jesus speaks 114 00:10:09,799 –> 00:10:14,419 these wonderful words that are familiar to so many of us. I am the 115 00:10:14,659 –> 00:10:19,000 one who sets the people free he says. I and the good shepard lays 116 00:10:19,000 –> 00:10:24,539 down his life for the sheep. You read on through that conversation. 117 00:10:24,539 –> 00:10:28,039 You get to John chapter ten and verse thirtywhat do you find 118 00:10:28,039 –> 00:10:30,700 there? The people picked up stones again in order to stone 119 00:10:30,700 –> 00:10:36,359 him. So once it’s the officials and the leaders, then it’s the 120 00:10:36,359 –> 00:10:39,859 common people. It goes right across society. It’s the human 121 00:10:40,640 –> 00:10:46,080 heart. And uh that hidden hatred of the human heart of 122 00:10:46,080 –> 00:10:50,820 course, you know, where this is going, finds its culmination at 123 00:10:50,820 –> 00:10:55,080 Calvary Pilot stands there and he says, what am I to do with 124 00:10:55,080 –> 00:10:58,119 this Jesus who is called the Christ and there’s a whole 125 00:10:58,119 –> 00:11:05,559 crowd there and what did they say? Let him be crucified. So, 126 00:11:05,559 –> 00:11:08,099 I’m saying to that what happened in Nazareth that we’re 127 00:11:08,799 –> 00:11:14,239 In Romans chapter four was not an isolated event. It is part 128 00:11:14,239 –> 00:11:18,940 of a consistent pattern of hostility that comes out of the 129 00:11:18,940 –> 00:11:24,239 human hearts towards Jesus and it is summed up for us in 130 00:11:24,239 –> 00:11:27,059 Romans chapter eight and verse seven where we read these 131 00:11:27,059 –> 00:11:35,059 words that the sinful mind is hostile to God hostile does not 132 00:11:35,219 –> 00:11:39,359 make Jesus guilty. There is wonder the human heart cannot 133 00:11:39,359 –> 00:11:43,000 do so. So please understand this. For anyone who takes the 134 00:11:43,000 –> 00:11:47,200 Bible at all seriously, never say that human beings are 135 00:11:47,200 –> 00:11:50,679 somehow neutral towards God. The Bible says we are not 136 00:11:50,679 –> 00:11:55,580 neutral towards God by nature. We are hostile towards God. We 137 00:11:55,580 –> 00:12:01,280 dress it up in respectability, most of the time. But that is 138 00:12:01,619 –> 00:12:06,820 the word of God. By nature, we are hostile to God. What that 139 00:12:06,820 –> 00:12:09,820 means is we resent his claims on our life. We doubt his word. 140 00:12:09,820 –> 00:12:14,119 We evade his call. In the words of Steven in Acts and chapter 141 00:12:14,119 –> 00:12:19,500 seven, by nature, we are always resisting the Holy Spirit. 142 00:12:19,500 –> 00:12:26,700 Always. Now, why is Jesus Christ so hated? Why is it? Have you 143 00:12:26,700 –> 00:12:28,539 ever thought about this? If all the people have lived in 144 00:12:29,320 –> 00:12:31,179 slavery against them, then there’s only one person whose 145 00:12:31,179 –> 00:12:33,179 name is used as an 146 00:12:37,179 –> 00:12:39,799 expletive. Only one? Why is this hatred in the human heart 147 00:12:39,799 –> 00:12:46,159 uniquely focused on Jesus Christ? I want to suggest to 148 00:12:46,159 –> 00:12:49,840 you that there are three truths at the heart of the gospel that 149 00:12:49,840 –> 00:12:55,880 are a stumbling stone to people again, and again, and 150 00:12:56,159 –> 00:12:59,739 again, in I John 15 verse 14, Isaiah says about Christ that 151 00:13:00,059 –> 00:13:03,440 he will be a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of 152 00:13:04,179 –> 00:13:08,000 stumbling to both houses of Israel. So he will be the safe 153 00:13:08,599 –> 00:13:14,500 toy of some but the stone over which others stumble. And the 154 00:13:14,700 –> 00:13:18,559 reasons for the offense, I think are very, very clear right here 155 00:13:18,840 –> 00:13:21,059 in this little story that we have been looking99 from Luke 156 00:13:21,340 –> 00:13:24,760 and chapter 4 and they are three. No. One, feast people 157 00:13:25,520 –> 00:13:29,559 say, I cannot said number one, people stumble, take offense 158 00:13:29,619 –> 00:13:34,900 over Christ’s unique glory and we have seen that in this 159 00:13:35,219 –> 00:13:41,380 passage, remember verse 18, the spirit of the Lord Jesus says 160 00:13:41,719 –> 00:13:46,179 is upon me. He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the 161 00:13:46,179 –> 00:13:50,539 poor. He sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives. In 162 00:13:50,840 –> 00:13:54,500 other words, the message is about Jesus and about his unique 163 00:13:54,760 –> 00:14:04,099 message, and of course we want the message to be about us. Why 164 00:14:04,380 –> 00:14:09,900 him? W. G. Blakey, writing from another century but powerfully 165 00:14:10,159 –> 00:14:12,539 describing what’s still happening today, he says what 166 00:14:12,539 –> 00:14:17,119 is happened in our culture is that we have inverted the 167 00:14:17,119 –> 00:14:23,619 Christmas message of the angels. Think what that message was. 168 00:14:23,640 –> 00:14:28,039 Christmas message is that they said glory to God in the 169 00:14:28,039 –> 00:14:31,719 highest and on earth peace goodwill towards men and 170 00:14:32,659 –> 00:14:34,979 Blakey says what our culture has done is turned that 171 00:14:34,979 –> 00:14:38,559 completely on its head so that the message of our culture is 172 00:14:38,979 –> 00:14:43,479 glory to man in the highest and on earth peace goodwill 173 00:14:43,479 –> 00:14:49,380 towards God. In other words man is prepared, america is 174 00:14:49,380 –> 00:14:53,580 history is God’s creation, man’s answers are with their 175 00:14:53,580 –> 00:14:57,619 his own authority and he recognizes our sovereignty 176 00:14:57,619 –> 00:15:02,500 glory to man in the highest and on earth goodwill towards 177 00:15:02,520 –> 00:15:07,659 God. Man snatches at the throne of God as satan himself does 178 00:15:07,659 –> 00:15:12,320 and wants it for himself. So we see this great reversal going 179 00:15:12,320 –> 00:15:16,599 on in which increasingly man assumes to himself the rights 180 00:15:17,159 –> 00:15:23,359 Thou shalt keep thyself out of our public square and out of 181 00:15:23,359 –> 00:15:31,359 our private lives. Thou shalt give us what our hearts desire 182 00:15:32,440 –> 00:15:36,840 and they shall bless us and they shall affirm us. whatever 183 00:15:36,840 –> 00:15:43,900 we choose to do but what stands at the center of the gospel is 184 00:15:44,000 –> 00:15:51,200 God but the unique glory of our lord and savior Jesus Christ. 185 00:15:51,200 –> 00:15:56,299 He comes and presents himself to us as the only son of God. He 186 00:15:56,299 –> 00:16:00,400 comes and he offers himself to us as the only sacrifice for 187 00:16:00,400 –> 00:16:06,419 sin and the sinful heart that always pumps the self hates the 188 00:16:06,419 –> 00:16:12,880 unique glory of Jesus Christ. People stumble over what Jesus 189 00:16:12,960 –> 00:16:19,400 says about himself. Second, this offense arises because 190 00:16:19,400 –> 00:16:22,299 people stumble over what Jesus says about us, about our 191 00:16:22,299 –> 00:16:25,020 desperate need and again this is right here in this little 192 00:16:25,020 –> 00:16:28,460 story that is so, so rich as we’ve been looking at it when 193 00:16:28,460 –> 00:16:31,260 Jesus comes to Nazareth. He says that that is good news and 194 00:16:31,260 –> 00:16:34,359 who’s it for the poor, the blind, the captives, and the 195 00:16:34,359 –> 00:16:39,299 crushed and we saw that when he said this, he was not speaking 196 00:16:39,299 –> 00:16:42,479 about a particular group of disadvantaged people. He was 197 00:16:42,479 –> 00:16:48,380 speaking about the condition of us all. The helpless plight of 198 00:16:48,380 –> 00:16:54,419 guilty sinners stands at the center of the gospel and Jesus 199 00:16:54,419 –> 00:16:59,219 Christ did not come into the world to affirm us. He came 200 00:16:59,219 –> 00:17:03,859 into the world to save us and in that, there is of course a 201 00:17:03,859 –> 00:17:06,859 double offense. First, that we would have to admit that we 202 00:17:06,859 –> 00:17:10,339 need saving and second, that we would have to admit that we 203 00:17:10,339 –> 00:17:16,520 need self defense to save ourselves. And that deeply 204 00:17:16,520 –> 00:17:22,119 offends our pride and it causes many to stumble. So, this 205 00:17:22,119 –> 00:17:25,199 hostility that erupts in Nazareth and still erupts in 206 00:17:25,199 –> 00:17:29,699 the human heart towards God, for it, the human heart where it 207 00:17:29,699 –> 00:17:33,839 hides. Taking offense of what Jesus says about himself, 208 00:17:33,839 –> 00:17:37,040 taking offense at what he says about us and then, of course, 209 00:17:37,219 –> 00:17:41,420 morally, we can’t stumble over Jesus teaching about the 210 00:17:41,420 –> 00:17:44,719 sovereignty of God. God’s sovereign freedom. Remember, we 211 00:17:44,719 –> 00:17:46,920 saw this last week, the grace means that God has no 212 00:17:46,920 –> 00:17:49,660 obligations. He has no limitations. That means that 213 00:17:49,660 –> 00:17:53,640 none of us is in a position to god. What he must do and 214 00:17:53,640 –> 00:17:55,760 certainly, none of us are in a position to tell God there’s 215 00:17:55,760 –> 00:18:00,800 something that he cannot do. No one dictates to him. Grace 216 00:18:00,800 –> 00:18:04,839 means, as we saw last week, that God is obliged to save no 217 00:18:04,839 –> 00:18:09,939 one. He’s God. Jesus made this very clear, you remember, when 218 00:18:09,939 –> 00:18:12,880 He told these two stories that were so offensive to the 219 00:18:12,880 –> 00:18:16,660 people, the story about the widow in Zarathuth and the 220 00:18:16,660 –> 00:18:20,000 story about Nehem and the leper who God wonderfully chosen to 221 00:18:20,000 –> 00:18:24,239 bless and to save, and Luke records, do you see it there in 222 00:18:24,239 –> 00:18:29,819 verse twenty-eight? When they heard these things, Jesus says 223 00:18:29,819 –> 00:18:33,719 about himself and about us and about God’s sovereign freedom, 224 00:18:33,819 –> 00:18:38,540 when they heard these things, all in the synagogue were 225 00:18:38,540 –> 00:18:49,020 filled with wrath. A being with no obligations and no 226 00:18:49,020 –> 00:19:00,359 limitations that would make Him God. We can’t have that. Not 227 00:19:00,359 –> 00:19:06,920 if we are on the throne. No what we want is a God small g 228 00:19:06,920 –> 00:19:14,300 who evolves with our culture and grows with our desires. A 229 00:19:14,300 –> 00:19:19,739 God who changes with us and conforms to us. A God bottom 230 00:19:19,739 –> 00:19:25,579 line we can control. And therefore such a God cannot be 231 00:19:25,579 –> 00:19:32,160 a God who creates. Nor could he possibly be a God who judges. 232 00:19:32,160 –> 00:19:38,959 He must be simply a God small g who affirms. And it should not 233 00:19:38,959 –> 00:19:42,939 surprise us that there is this pattern of anger towards 234 00:19:42,939 –> 00:19:46,959 Jesus. Do you see it? See it in the Gospel. You see it in Luke 235 00:19:46,959 –> 00:19:50,239 four. Do you see it across our culture? Do you see it? Glory 236 00:19:50,239 –> 00:19:54,819 to man in the highest? Now moving along and much more 237 00:19:54,819 –> 00:20:00,560 quickly, I want you to see here the painful consequence of 238 00:20:00,599 –> 00:20:04,339 anger towards Jesus. The painful consequence of anger towards 239 00:20:04,339 –> 00:20:08,400 Jesus. What happened when they responded to grace with this 240 00:20:08,400 –> 00:20:14,439 anger and so Jesus left Nazareth and he never returned Just like 241 00:20:14,439 –> 00:20:22,640 he left the garrisons. Poor Nazareth, poor, Nazareth so 242 00:20:22,780 –> 00:20:28,439 So blessed to be the place where the son of God was raised and 243 00:20:28,439 –> 00:20:34,160 yet not a single mighty work was done there. No peace with God 244 00:20:34,160 –> 00:20:39,660 was found there. The people who were angry with Jesus spent the 245 00:20:39,660 –> 00:20:46,060 rest of their lives without him. You remember how Jesus, From his 246 00:20:46,060 –> 00:20:49,959 heart of love, said as Jerusalem had rejected him, oh, 247 00:20:50,060 –> 00:20:53,260 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often I would have gathered you to 248 00:20:53,260 –> 00:20:56,439 myself as a hand, another’s chicken under her wings, but 249 00:20:56,439 –> 00:21:01,760 you would not!. You can’t you hear him from his heart saying 250 00:21:01,760 –> 00:21:06,280 oh Nazareth, Nazareth, how often I would have gathered due to 251 00:21:06,280 –> 00:21:13,579 myself, but you would not. Oh, Chicago, Chicago, how often I 252 00:21:13,579 –> 00:21:16,439 would have gathered you to myself, but you would not. Oh, 253 00:21:16,560 –> 00:21:24,640 America, America, but your name in there, how often I would 254 00:21:24,640 –> 00:21:34,680 have gathered you to myself, and you would not. And there 255 00:21:34,680 –> 00:21:41,000 are painful consequences. He came to his own. We read in 256 00:21:41,359 –> 00:21:45,680 your mistake in the Christmas 257 00:21:45,680 –> 00:21:48,439 reading and his own received 258 00:21:48,439 –> 00:21:52,640 him not. So, think of the 259 00:21:52,640 –> 00:21:53,800 people in this town. Their 260 00:21:53,800 –> 00:21:54,939 debts to god were not 261 00:21:54,939 –> 00:21:59,140 canceled. They’re lost 262 00:21:59,140 –> 00:22:03,880 inheritance was not restored. 263 00:22:03,880 –> 00:22:05,520 They remained in the grip of 264 00:22:06,400 –> 00:22:10,900 his distant Jesus. 265 00:22:11,540 –> 00:22:13,260 Now, tell your friends that’s 266 00:22:13,260 –> 00:22:14,579 the story of Nazareth. It is 267 00:22:14,579 –> 00:22:15,479 the story in large measure of 268 00:22:15,479 –> 00:22:17,520 our world today. You cannot 269 00:22:17,520 –> 00:22:18,359 make sense of the Christmas 270 00:22:18,359 –> 00:22:20,319 story nor can you make sense of 271 00:22:20,319 –> 00:22:21,420 the world today without this 272 00:22:21,420 –> 00:22:23,719 peace. He came to his own and 273 00:22:23,719 –> 00:22:29,319 his own received him not 274 00:22:30,319 –> 00:22:35,300 others. The anger in Nazareth 275 00:22:35,300 –> 00:22:36,380 towards Jesus remains and it is 276 00:22:36,380 –> 00:22:40,260 with us today. I suggest to you 277 00:22:40,260 –> 00:22:41,859 and I think we’re seeing this 278 00:22:41,859 –> 00:22:43,859 very obviously that growing 279 00:22:43,859 –> 00:22:46,400 levels of anger are a defining 280 00:22:46,400 –> 00:22:47,900 part these days of our fragile 281 00:22:47,900 –> 00:22:49,900 culture. You see, it is more 282 00:22:49,900 –> 00:22:51,119 and more in our politics. You 283 00:22:51,119 –> 00:22:52,500 see it more and more on our 284 00:22:52,500 –> 00:22:53,719 roads. We’ve had to invent a 285 00:22:53,719 –> 00:22:57,199 new phrase, new road rage to 286 00:22:57,300 –> 00:23:00,500 angry people on the roads. We 287 00:23:00,500 –> 00:23:01,780 see it in our courts. We see it 288 00:23:01,780 –> 00:23:03,140 in children. We see it in 289 00:23:03,140 –> 00:23:04,500 parents. We see it in husbands. 290 00:23:04,500 –> 00:23:06,040 We see it in wives. A lady in 291 00:23:06,040 –> 00:23:08,680 our congregation came up to me 292 00:23:08,680 –> 00:23:11,079 after one of the messages were 293 00:23:11,079 –> 00:23:12,479 in the Beatitudes series. We 294 00:23:12,479 –> 00:23:13,599 were talking about meekness. 295 00:23:13,599 –> 00:23:15,400 She had found it helpful and 296 00:23:15,400 –> 00:23:16,380 she said this. I’ll never 297 00:23:16,380 –> 00:23:18,099 forget it. She said, was the 298 00:23:18,099 –> 00:23:20,979 way she said it. She said, you 299 00:23:20,979 –> 00:23:22,739 know, I lead a women’s bible 300 00:23:23,319 –> 00:23:27,439 study. and there’s just so 301 00:23:27,439 –> 00:23:32,880 much anger. so much anger in a 302 00:23:32,880 –> 00:23:35,680 women’s bible study. So, if 303 00:23:35,680 –> 00:23:37,319 there’s so much anger in a 304 00:23:37,319 –> 00:23:38,739 women’s bible study, how much 305 00:23:38,739 –> 00:23:39,920 anger is that in Arlington 306 00:23:39,920 –> 00:23:43,719 Heights, and in Illinois, and 307 00:23:43,719 –> 00:23:47,920 across this nation. Only when 308 00:23:47,920 –> 00:23:50,520 there is truly peace with god 309 00:23:51,400 –> 00:23:56,199 for others. and behind the 310 00:23:56,199 –> 00:23:58,800 hostility to others lies a 311 00:23:58,800 –> 00:24:03,939 hidden anger towards god 312 00:24:03,939 –> 00:24:06,040 always. I want you to notice 313 00:24:06,040 –> 00:24:09,079 and to think about this that 314 00:24:09,079 –> 00:24:10,180 the people in Luke chapter 315 00:24:10,180 –> 00:24:12,780 four, the Nazareth people who 316 00:24:12,780 –> 00:24:16,260 were so angry with Jesus were 317 00:24:16,260 –> 00:24:22,160 able to respond to him really 318 00:24:22,160 –> 00:24:23,500 well that speaks to us as 319 00:24:23,500 –> 00:24:24,880 church people, especially folks 320 00:24:24,880 –> 00:24:25,739 who’ve been brought up in 321 00:24:25,739 –> 00:24:27,000 church. We’ve been around 322 00:24:27,000 –> 00:24:28,300 church for years and we’re very 323 00:24:28,300 –> 00:24:29,680 familiar with Jesus. We’ve being 324 00:24:29,680 –> 00:24:30,839 in Bible studies and still are 325 00:24:30,839 –> 00:24:33,619 and so forth and so on that it 326 00:24:33,619 –> 00:24:35,540 is possible to know a great 327 00:24:35,540 –> 00:24:38,280 deal about Jesus and yet in a 328 00:24:38,280 –> 00:24:40,459 hidden way to be living with a 329 00:24:40,459 –> 00:24:41,760 heart that is filled with 330 00:24:42,719 –> 00:24:47,400 Christ. Some of you are 331 00:24:47,400 –> 00:24:49,800 students. and you’re here 332 00:24:49,800 –> 00:24:51,599 today because your parents love 333 00:24:51,599 –> 00:24:57,300 Christ but you don’t and in 334 00:24:57,300 –> 00:24:58,339 your heart, you’re angry with 335 00:24:58,339 –> 00:24:59,680 him, you can’t wait to get a 336 00:24:59,680 –> 00:25:01,640 greater distance from him. your 337 00:25:01,640 –> 00:25:02,540 heart is hostile towards him. 338 00:25:02,540 –> 00:25:03,520 You’re already thinking about 339 00:25:03,520 –> 00:25:04,739 the path of your own life and 340 00:25:04,739 –> 00:25:07,219 it’s not a part of serving god 341 00:25:07,859 –> 00:25:10,420 I say to you today that if you 342 00:25:10,420 –> 00:25:12,560 wait until eternity, will be 343 00:25:12,560 –> 00:25:16,859 apart from the blessing of god 344 00:25:16,859 –> 00:25:18,060 that can happen to people who 345 00:25:18,060 –> 00:25:20,459 know an awful lot about Jesus 346 00:25:20,459 –> 00:25:23,099 like the ones in Nazareth. Some 347 00:25:23,099 –> 00:25:25,760 of you are parents. There are 348 00:25:25,760 –> 00:25:26,599 folks who have a son or a 349 00:25:26,599 –> 00:25:29,359 daughter who really loves Jesus 350 00:25:29,359 –> 00:25:30,000 and you don’t and do you know 351 00:25:30,000 –> 00:25:33,000 the difference. You can see the 352 00:25:33,000 –> 00:25:34,540 difference in your heart. 353 00:25:34,540 –> 00:25:35,939 You’re angry with god about all 354 00:25:35,939 –> 00:25:36,540 kinds of things that didn’t 355 00:25:36,540 –> 00:25:37,839 work out in your life and so 356 00:25:37,839 –> 00:25:39,920 forth and so on. Your heart is 357 00:25:40,839 –> 00:25:43,520 filled with passion. I am saying 358 00:25:43,520 –> 00:25:45,699 to you that despite all that 359 00:25:45,699 –> 00:25:47,959 you know about Jesus, if you 360 00:25:47,959 –> 00:25:49,819 follow your present path, your 361 00:25:49,819 –> 00:25:51,359 whole life and your whole 362 00:25:51,359 –> 00:25:55,859 eternity will be outside of the 363 00:25:55,859 –> 00:25:57,959 blessing of God. Christmas 364 00:25:57,959 –> 00:26:00,599 comes, Christmas goes and you 365 00:26:00,599 –> 00:26:03,439 remain resistant to the claim 366 00:26:03,439 –> 00:26:06,239 of Jesus Christ over your life. 367 00:26:06,239 –> 00:26:09,140 You are still asserting your 368 00:26:09,140 –> 00:26:11,979 regard to the claim of God. And 369 00:26:11,979 –> 00:26:14,140 I’m telling you from the Bible 370 00:26:14,140 –> 00:26:16,540 that is a real consequence to 371 00:26:16,540 –> 00:26:18,680 this and you cannot avoid it if 372 00:26:18,680 –> 00:26:20,599 you stay on this path. Christ 373 00:26:20,599 –> 00:26:23,540 came to Nazareth and no mighty 374 00:26:23,540 –> 00:26:26,439 works were done there. And it’s 375 00:26:26,439 –> 00:26:28,520 possible to sit in church and 376 00:26:28,520 –> 00:26:30,060 have no mighty work done in 377 00:26:30,060 –> 00:26:31,959 your life. Don’t let that be 378 00:26:31,959 –> 00:26:35,319 said of you. The consequence of 379 00:26:35,319 –> 00:26:36,900 resisting his claim upon your 380 00:26:36,900 –> 00:26:39,959 soul and I press this upon you 381 00:26:39,959 –> 00:26:42,000 from my heart as we come to 382 00:26:42,000 –> 00:26:45,739 another Christmas. Number three, 383 00:26:45,739 –> 00:26:48,400 I want you to see the ultimate 384 00:26:48,400 –> 00:26:51,780 futility of anger towards Jesus. 385 00:26:51,780 –> 00:26:53,800 Notice what it says here. Verse 386 00:26:53,800 –> 00:26:55,680 29. They rise up and drive him 387 00:26:55,680 –> 00:26:57,479 out of the town. They bring him 388 00:26:57,479 –> 00:26:59,599 to the brow of the hill so they 389 00:26:59,599 –> 00:27:01,920 can throw him off the cliff. And 390 00:27:01,920 –> 00:27:03,839 what happens? Verse thirty, but 391 00:27:03,839 –> 00:27:05,959 passing through their midst. 392 00:27:06,579 –> 00:27:11,239 He went away. The rejected Jesus 393 00:27:11,239 –> 00:27:15,859 moves on undiminished. You see 394 00:27:15,859 –> 00:27:18,579 his glory there? We’re not told 395 00:27:18,579 –> 00:27:20,520 by Luke exactly how this 396 00:27:20,520 –> 00:27:22,119 happened. How was it that Jesus 397 00:27:22,119 –> 00:27:23,560 was able to walk right through 398 00:27:23,560 –> 00:27:24,939 the middle of this angry mob so 399 00:27:24,939 –> 00:27:26,739 that they do not push him over 400 00:27:26,739 –> 00:27:30,239 the cliff. In some way God 401 00:27:30,239 –> 00:27:33,359 restrained them. We are not 402 00:27:33,359 –> 00:27:38,060 told how that was. Do you know 403 00:27:38,060 –> 00:27:39,319 the Bible speaks about God 404 00:27:39,319 –> 00:27:41,060 laughing? Do you know where the 405 00:27:41,060 –> 00:27:42,680 Bible speaks about God laughing? 406 00:27:42,680 –> 00:27:43,780 You can find it one place 407 00:27:43,780 –> 00:27:48,959 in Psalm two. God laughs when 408 00:27:48,959 –> 00:27:52,420 people get angry at Jesus. It’s 409 00:27:52,420 –> 00:27:54,560 just ridiculous. It’s ultimately 410 00:27:54,560 –> 00:27:57,079 futile. You have that in Psalm 411 00:27:57,079 –> 00:27:59,119 two. The kings of the earth. 412 00:27:59,119 –> 00:28:00,300 Here’s all the most powerful 413 00:28:00,300 –> 00:28:01,839 people and they’re setting 414 00:28:01,839 –> 00:28:03,640 themselves, the medium moguls, 415 00:28:03,640 –> 00:28:05,180 the culture shapers, the 416 00:28:05,180 –> 00:28:08,079 powerful people, and they’re 417 00:28:08,079 –> 00:28:10,140 setting themselves in 418 00:28:10,140 –> 00:28:12,119 collaboration together against 419 00:28:12,119 –> 00:28:13,959 the lord and against his 420 00:28:13,959 –> 00:28:16,859 anointed, against his Christ. 421 00:28:16,859 –> 00:28:18,939 And what’s the response of God? 422 00:28:18,939 –> 00:28:21,099 Psalm two and verse four, the 423 00:28:21,099 –> 00:28:26,300 one who sits in heaven laughs. 424 00:28:26,300 –> 00:28:28,380 I suspect that the Almighty was 425 00:28:28,380 –> 00:28:30,140 laughing as these folks from 426 00:28:30,140 –> 00:28:31,640 Nazareth got to the brow of the 427 00:28:31,640 –> 00:28:31,819 hill. 428 00:28:31,819 –> 00:28:34,500 I mean, the very idea that they 429 00:28:34,500 –> 00:28:36,319 could destroy the Son of God by 430 00:28:36,319 –> 00:28:40,760 pushing him off a cliff, they 431 00:28:40,760 –> 00:28:44,760 cannot take his life. 432 00:28:44,760 –> 00:28:46,859 And even when they nail his 433 00:28:46,859 –> 00:28:51,619 flesh to a cross of wood, he 434 00:28:51,619 –> 00:28:54,859 says, no one takes my life from 435 00:28:54,859 –> 00:28:55,780 me. 436 00:28:55,780 –> 00:28:58,520 I choose to lay it down, and I 437 00:28:58,520 –> 00:29:00,780 choose to take it up again. 438 00:29:00,780 –> 00:29:03,439 And this authority was given to 439 00:29:03,439 –> 00:29:04,900 me by my Father. 440 00:29:04,900 –> 00:29:06,900 And that is what he did. 441 00:29:06,900 –> 00:29:07,979 No one takes the life of the 442 00:29:07,979 –> 00:29:08,859 Son of God. 443 00:29:08,859 –> 00:29:12,199 These people reject Jesus, he 444 00:29:12,199 –> 00:29:15,979 goes forward undiminished, they 445 00:29:15,979 –> 00:29:20,579 go home utterly impoverished. 446 00:29:20,579 –> 00:29:22,579 The ultimate futility. 447 00:29:23,579 –> 00:29:26,439 And so the day came when a crowd 448 00:29:26,439 –> 00:29:27,239 larger than the one in Nazareth 449 00:29:27,239 –> 00:29:29,699 was gathered in Jerusalem. 450 00:29:29,699 –> 00:29:31,239 And they drove him outside the 451 00:29:31,239 –> 00:29:32,239 city, not to a cliff, but to a 452 00:29:32,239 –> 00:29:34,239 cross. 453 00:29:34,239 –> 00:29:36,400 And they crucified the Lord of 454 00:29:36,400 –> 00:29:38,079 glory and he who could have 455 00:29:38,079 –> 00:29:40,199 called a 1000 angels 10,000 456 00:29:40,199 –> 00:29:44,199 angels, submits himself to the 457 00:29:44,199 –> 00:29:46,199 overarching purpose of God and 458 00:29:46,199 –> 00:29:48,040 lays down his life. 459 00:29:48,040 –> 00:29:51,199 And on the third day, he takes 460 00:29:51,219 –> 00:29:53,560 it up again. 461 00:29:53,560 –> 00:29:54,760 He arises from the dead and 462 00:29:54,760 –> 00:29:56,219 right now he is at the right 463 00:29:56,219 –> 00:29:58,839 hand of the Father in heaven and 464 00:29:58,839 –> 00:30:01,619 soon he is coming in power and 465 00:30:01,619 –> 00:30:03,859 in glory and here’s what that 466 00:30:03,859 –> 00:30:05,420 means for us. 467 00:30:05,420 –> 00:30:08,420 No one who fights against God 468 00:30:08,420 –> 00:30:11,520 and his Christ ever wins. 469 00:30:11,520 –> 00:30:14,479 It’s a fight you cannot win. 470 00:30:14,479 –> 00:30:15,619 The sooner you give it up, the 471 00:30:15,619 –> 00:30:17,020 better. 472 00:30:17,020 –> 00:30:18,959 No one who fights against God 473 00:30:18,959 –> 00:30:20,359 and against his Christ ever 474 00:30:20,400 –> 00:30:21,280 wins. 475 00:30:21,280 –> 00:30:22,719 You may reject Christ, you may 476 00:30:22,719 –> 00:30:24,660 live your life without him, you 477 00:30:24,660 –> 00:30:25,920 may assert your own sovereignty, 478 00:30:25,920 –> 00:30:27,079 you may fight him, you may hate 479 00:30:27,079 –> 00:30:28,680 him, you may loathe him, you may 480 00:30:28,680 –> 00:30:31,079 curse him, but this is a fight 481 00:30:31,079 –> 00:30:33,280 you cannot win. 482 00:30:33,280 –> 00:30:36,719 Cannot win. 483 00:30:36,719 –> 00:30:37,819 Listen to what Jesus says to 484 00:30:37,819 –> 00:30:40,219 those who stumble over him. 485 00:30:40,219 –> 00:30:42,819 Matthew chapter 21 and verse 44 486 00:30:42,819 –> 00:30:45,380 the one who falls on the stone, 487 0:30:45,380 –> 00:30:46,560 in other words the one who 488 00:30:46,560 –> 00:30:47,819 takes offense at Jesus, the one 489 00:30:47,819 –> 00:30:49,219 who rejects Jesus, the one who 490 00:30:49,540 –> 00:30:51,339 falls on the stone will be 491 00:30:51,339 –> 00:30:56,339 broken in pieces and when it 492 00:30:56,439 –> 00:30:59,040 falls on anyone it will crush 493 00:30:59,040 –> 00:31:00,640 him. 494 00:31:00,640 –> 00:31:02,140 What he’s saying if you stumble 495 00:31:02,140 –> 00:31:03,579 over Jesus, if you take offense 496 00:31:03,579 –> 00:31:05,319 at his unique glory or what he 497 00:31:05,319 –> 00:31:06,979 says about your own depth of 498 00:31:06,979 –> 00:31:08,839 need or what he says about God’s 499 00:31:08,839 –> 00:31:10,520 sovereign freedom you stumble on 500 00:31:10,520 –> 00:31:11,619 the stone, here is what you do, 501 00:31:11,619 –> 00:31:13,280 you break yourself in pieces, 502 00:31:13,280 –> 00:31:14,540 you destroy your own soul. 503 00:31:16,839 –> 00:31:17,739 Is that the end of it? 504 00:31:18,459 –> 00:31:21,239 No it’s not because to such a 505 00:31:21,239 –> 00:31:25,599 person Jesus also says this, one 506 00:31:25,599 –> 00:31:27,260 day this stone on which you have 507 00:31:27,260 –> 00:31:28,959 broken yourself is going to fall 508 00:31:28,959 –> 00:31:31,160 like a massive rock on you and 509 00:31:31,160 –> 00:31:33,099 the full weight of the glory of 510 00:31:33,099 –> 00:31:35,040 this God you have resisted all 511 00:31:35,040 –> 00:31:36,140 your life is going to come upon 512 00:31:36,140 –> 00:31:38,160 you and that will crash you 513 00:31:38,160 –> 00:31:40,739 completely and utterly and 514 00:31:40,739 –> 00:31:43,640 eternally. 515 00:31:43,640 –> 00:31:45,459 Consistent pattern of anger 516 00:31:45,719 –> 00:31:49,160 towards Jesus painful 517 00:31:49,160 –> 00:31:51,020 consequences of staying in that 518 00:31:51,020 –> 00:31:56,160 place ultimate futility. 519 00:31:56,160 –> 00:31:57,760 And so finally and very briefly 520 00:31:57,760 –> 00:32:00,079 there is only one cure for anger 521 00:32:00,079 –> 00:32:01,459 towards Jesus and let me 522 00:32:01,459 –> 00:32:02,979 express it in this way that the 523 00:32:02,979 –> 00:32:04,560 Bible puts it. 524 00:32:04,560 –> 00:32:06,680 The one cure for anger towards 525 00:32:06,680 –> 00:32:08,920 Jesus is that you make the 526 00:32:08,920 –> 00:32:11,359 stumbling block your 527 00:32:11,359 –> 00:32:14,260 cornerstone you make the 528 00:32:14,380 –> 00:32:15,719 stumbling block. 529 00:32:15,719 –> 00:32:17,760 Your corner stone the 530 00:32:17,760 –> 00:32:19,619 only cure for anger towards 531 00:32:19,619 –> 00:32:24,359 Jesus is that as he has been 532 00:32:24,359 –> 00:32:25,859 the stone on which you have 533 00:32:25,859 –> 00:32:27,859 stumbled that he becomes the 534 00:32:27,859 –> 00:32:29,859 very stone on which you now 535 00:32:29,859 –> 00:32:34,359 build your entire life. 536 00:32:34,359 –> 00:32:35,719 In other words you have to come 537 00:32:35,719 –> 00:32:38,219 to the place of completely 538 00:32:38,219 –> 00:32:39,680 changing your whole response to 539 00:32:39,680 –> 00:32:40,260 Jesus Christ. 540 00:32:40,260 –> 00:32:41,319 That’s the only hope for you 541 00:32:41,319 –> 00:32:42,880 today. 542 00:32:42,880 –> 00:32:44,060 The only hope for our country 543 00:32:44,140 –> 00:32:46,160 today the only hope for any 544 00:32:46,160 –> 00:32:47,739 person today. 545 00:32:47,739 –> 00:32:48,939 And of course this is precisely 546 00:32:48,939 –> 00:32:50,859 what God says about his son the 547 00:32:50,859 –> 00:32:53,260 stone that Matthew 21 verse 42 548 00:32:53,260 –> 00:32:54,500 that the builders rejected. 549 00:32:54,500 –> 00:32:55,459 That of course is a way of 550 00:32:55,459 –> 00:32:57,500 speaking about Jesus rejected 551 00:32:57,500 –> 00:32:58,839 in Nazareth rejected even in 552 00:32:58,839 –> 00:32:59,959 Bethlehem rejected in 553 00:32:59,959 –> 00:33:01,260 Jerusalem and so forth. 554 00:33:01,260 –> 00:33:02,400 The stone that the builders 555 00:33:02,400 –> 00:33:04,000 rejected he’s become the 556 00:33:04,000 –> 00:33:05,400 cornerstone. 557 00:33:05,500 –> 00:33:06,500 And how did that happen. 558 00:33:06,739 –> 00:33:08,060 It was the Lord’s doing. 559 00:33:08,060 –> 00:33:09,699 This is what God the Father has 560 00:33:09,699 –> 00:33:11,060 done exalting him to the 561 00:33:11,060 –> 00:33:11,900 highest place. 562 00:33:11,900 –> 00:33:13,260 And as far as believers are 563 00:33:13,300 –> 00:33:15,459 concerned it is marvelous in 564 00:33:15,459 –> 00:33:16,119 our eyes. 565 00:33:17,839 –> 00:33:19,859 The rejected Jesus hunted in 566 00:33:19,859 –> 00:33:21,560 Bethlehem hounded out of 567 00:33:21,560 –> 00:33:23,439 Nazareth ejected from the 568 00:33:23,439 –> 00:33:25,160 garrison’s threatened with 569 00:33:25,160 –> 00:33:26,699 stoning twice in Jerusalem 570 00:33:26,699 –> 00:33:28,459 first by officials then by the 571 00:33:28,459 –> 00:33:29,900 common people ultimately 572 00:33:29,900 –> 00:33:31,900 crucified on a cross of wood. 573 00:33:32,260 –> 00:33:35,359 This Jesus is the center of the 574 00:33:35,359 –> 00:33:37,199 redeeming work of God. 575 00:33:39,739 –> 00:33:40,900 The one who humbled himself. 576 00:33:40,900 –> 00:33:42,699 God has put him to the highest 577 00:33:42,739 –> 00:33:43,939 place and given him the name 578 00:33:43,939 –> 00:33:45,339 that is above every name that 579 00:33:45,400 –> 00:33:47,599 at the name of Jesus every knee 580 00:33:47,640 –> 00:33:52,260 shoot bow including you you 581 00:33:52,260 –> 00:33:53,920 only cure for anger towards 582 00:33:53,939 –> 00:33:55,500 Jesus is to make the stone over 583 00:33:55,500 –> 00:33:56,500 which you have stumbled the 584 00:33:56,500 –> 00:33:58,900 cornerstone of your life and 585 00:33:59,000 –> 00:34:00,300 the Bible has one word to 586 00:34:00,300 –> 00:34:01,420 describe that it means you’ve 587 00:34:01,420 –> 00:34:05,219 got to repent instead of taking 588 00:34:05,219 –> 00:34:06,859 offense of what Jesus says about 589 00:34:06,859 –> 00:34:08,260 his own unique glow in your 590 00:34:08,260 –> 00:34:09,459 desperate need and the sovereign 591 00:34:09,459 –> 00:34:10,100 freedom of God. 592 00:34:10,340 –> 00:34:11,500 You have to make these very 593 00:34:11,580 –> 00:34:13,360 true the cornerstone of your 594 00:34:13,379 –> 00:34:13,899 life. 595 00:34:14,239 –> 00:34:15,479 I see my need. 596 00:34:16,320 –> 00:34:18,620 I put my hope today in Jesus 597 00:34:18,620 –> 00:34:19,540 Christ. 598 00:34:20,060 –> 00:34:22,040 I cast myself upon the mercy of 599 00:34:22,040 –> 00:34:24,739 God that he may freely save me. 600 00:34:27,219 –> 00:34:28,620 Once you’re resented the unique 601 00:34:28,620 –> 00:34:30,179 claims of Jesus is now like 602 00:34:30,179 –> 00:34:32,439 Thomas today you will bow before 603 00:34:32,439 –> 00:34:35,139 him and say my savior and my 604 00:34:35,139 –> 00:34:38,620 God my Lord and my God. 605 00:34:39,459 –> 00:34:41,379 Oi you took offense at being 606 00:34:41,379 –> 00:34:42,739 called a sinner know today 607 00:34:42,739 –> 00:34:43,919 you’re going to come and you’re 608 00:34:43,919 –> 00:34:44,899 doing a complete 180. 609 00:34:45,040 –> 00:34:46,219 You’re going to say I took 610 00:34:46,219 –> 00:34:47,080 offense at this. 611 00:34:47,360 –> 00:34:52,260 Now I’m confessing Oh God I 612 00:34:52,260 –> 00:34:52,739 your mercy. 613 00:34:52,780 –> 00:34:53,919 I need the cleansing. 614 00:34:53,979 –> 00:34:56,179 I need my debts to you to be 615 00:34:56,479 –> 00:34:58,300 wiped clean and I ask that in 616 00:34:58,300 –> 00:35:00,500 your mercy you’ll restore what 617 00:35:00,500 –> 00:35:01,659 has been lost the great 618 00:35:01,659 –> 00:35:02,780 inheritance to me. 619 00:35:04,439 –> 00:35:05,820 And once you resented the 620 00:35:05,820 –> 00:35:07,879 sovereignty of God and his claim 621 00:35:07,879 –> 00:35:09,520 upon your life and you affirm 622 00:35:09,520 –> 00:35:11,120 that my life and I live it my 623 00:35:11,120 –> 00:35:12,340 way and I’m going to do my 624 00:35:12,340 –> 00:35:12,800 thing. 625 00:35:13,199 –> 00:35:14,379 And today you’re gonna bow 626 00:35:14,379 –> 00:35:16,020 before a sovereign God and say 627 00:35:16,020 –> 00:35:16,600 I’m yours. 628 00:35:16,620 –> 00:35:19,800 I yield this life as best I know 629 00:35:19,800 –> 00:35:22,600 how into your hands. 630 00:35:22,939 –> 00:35:24,800 And the stone that the builders 631 00:35:24,800 –> 00:35:28,320 rejected becomes the cornerstone 632 00:35:28,439 –> 00:35:30,679 of your life. 633 00:35:30,760 –> 00:35:30,760 634 00:35:33,199 –> 00:35:33,879 Behold. 635 00:35:35,959 –> 00:35:42,419 God says I am laying in Zion a 636 00:35:42,419 –> 00:35:47,500 stone of stumbling and a rock of 637 00:35:47,500 –> 00:35:48,080 a fence. 638 00:35:48,100 –> 00:35:49,500 That’s what Jesus is to 639 00:35:49,500 –> 00:35:51,439 thousands still today a stone of 640 00:35:51,439 –> 00:35:51,959 stumbling. 641 00:35:52,919 –> 00:35:54,139 And a rock of a fence. 642 00:35:54,979 –> 00:35:58,959 But to whoever believes in him 643 00:35:59,100 –> 00:36:04,139 God says you will not be put to 644 00:36:04,179 –> 00:36:04,479 shame. 645 00:36:06,300 –> 00:36:08,320 So to encapsulate it all in the 646 00:36:08,320 –> 00:36:09,860 words of John that we quoted 647 00:36:09,860 –> 00:36:11,939 only in part earlier and now end 648 00:36:11,979 –> 00:36:16,600 with it in its entirety he came 649 00:36:16,600 –> 00:36:21,040 to his own and his own received 650 00:36:21,040 –> 00:36:21,500 him. 651 00:36:22,040 –> 00:36:28,679 not but but to as many as 652 00:36:28,679 –> 00:36:33,820 received him to them he gave the 653 00:36:33,820 –> 00:36:38,659 right to become children of God. 654 00:36:39,580 –> 00:36:40,919 Would that be true of all of us? 655 00:36:41,699 –> 00:36:42,540 Let’s pray together. 656 00:36:43,679 –> 00:36:46,100 Father seal the gospel in the 657 00:36:46,100 –> 00:36:48,500 hearts of us all by the power of 658 00:36:48,620 –> 00:36:52,459 your Holy Spirit that faith and 659 00:36:52,459 –> 00:36:54,739 repentance and humility and 660 00:36:54,739 –> 00:36:56,899 obedience and gratitude may be 661 00:36:56,899 –> 00:37:00,540 the fruit of redeemed hearts by 662 00:37:00,540 –> 00:37:02,139 the transforming work of your 663 00:37:02,139 –> 00:37:05,219 Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ 664 00:37:05,219 –> 00:37:05,340 our Lord?