Mark 9:30-50, How Do You Become Great?, John Carpenter

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Mark 9:30-50 How Do You Become Great?

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Mark chapter 9 be reading from verses 30 to 50 Hear the word of the
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Lord They went on from there and passed through Galilee and he did not want anyone to know for he was teaching his disciples saying to them the
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Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men and they will kill him and When he is killed after three days, he will rise but they did not understand the saying and were afraid to ask him and They came to Capernaum and when he was in the house, he asked him
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What were you discussing on the way? But they kept silent for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest and he sat down and called
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The twelve and he said to them if anyone would be first He must be last of all and servant of all and he took a child and put him in the midst of them and taking
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Him in his arms. He said to them Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me and whoever receives me
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Receives not me, but him who sent me John said to him teacher
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We saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to stop him because he was not following us
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But Jesus said do not stop him for no one who does a mighty work in my name
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Will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me for the one who was not against us is for us
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For truly I say to you whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ Will by no means lose his reward
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Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin It would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea
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And if your hand causes you to sin cut it off It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell to the unquenchable fire
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And if your foot causes you to sin cut it off It's better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell
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And if your eye causes you to sin tear it out It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye
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Then with two eyes to be thrown to hell where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched
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For everyone will be salted with fire Salt is good. But if the salt has lost its saltiness
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How will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.
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I mean the Lord had his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word Would you like to be great
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Surely, we'd all like to be great when we I mean, why would you want to be mediocre? I mean there are people like that though There's people who just go through life putting in the least amount of effort they can to get by Just enough to keep a job that barely pays the bills who don't think past the weekend
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I hope you're not like that Hope you all want to be great to be excellent in your own way
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You want to make the best Chinese food that you can at a reasonable price for American customers or the best physical therapy?
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Provide the best physical therapy that you possibly can be the best customer service person that you possibly can the best teacher the best mother or father
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You want to be great? You'll be excellent The best that you can be now, how do you do it?
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I told you a few weeks ago that I I got to be coached by one of the best track coaches in the world Bill McClure he was a coach for the
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US track team at the Mexico City Olympics and showed us his own home movie
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I mean the movie he was actually taking himself of when Bob Beeman broke the world record
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He actually shattered the world record and the long jump jumping about almost two feet about 22 inches past the old record now if you know anything about track and field, that's just That's just amazing.
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That's just astounding to two feet You know No one sets records by that much usually records are set like a half inch or a centimeter at a time just incrementally
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Improving but his jump was so great. It was almost two feet longer Setting it so much beyond the old record.
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It took 23 years until someone caught up to him and that record the
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Mexico City Olympics But Bob Beeman is still the Olympic record to this day and still the second longest jumper of all time
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Coach McClure showed us his own home movie of that when he was taking actually taking those days I guess it was eight millimeter.
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Whatever it was. There's like a rock show film camera I've his own home movie of it from the stands of the the jump and After the jump the distance comes up with this board
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The the camera is shaking up and down Because coach McClure was jumping up and down with excitement.
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He was celebrating greatness So I wanted to learn from him how to be great
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But there was one problem He was a man a few words like a lot of men in that generation.
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I wore to generation He wasn't giving speeches on greatness all the time. Was it just full of You know flattering
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Whatever self -esteem sayings to get your be positive encouraging this kind of thing once on a team trip though He was he was driving at the van and I chose to sit right next to him up at the passenger seat
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You know shotgun because I wanted to ask him questions I wanted to provoke him to talk to tell me the secrets of greatness
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And I asked him so I'm trying to figure out how am I getting him to talk to ask him? What are those Olympic athletes like I thought maybe they had some common characteristics some habits that made them great that they shared he said
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They're like anybody else That was it Couldn't get him to talk.
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How do you become great? Some people think that we need a superpower That's what'll make us great like a superhero
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Superman or spider -man or just be super equipped and trained like a Batman But do superpowers really make you great?
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Of course in those even in those tales of superheroes. There are Antiheroes anti -superhero super villains like other
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You know evil refugees who made it out of the planet Krypton who also have superpowers or there's the
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Green Goblin or there's Batman's Weird, but also super equipped and super trained enemies like the
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Joker even in Chinese culture They have the tale of Sun Wukong the monkey God Really?
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It was really kind of like a Chinese superhero I guess all kinds of superpowers can fly through the air and do all kinds of things
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And he's basically a good guy comical mischievous But sometimes he's having to fight other
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Super beings on his journey to the West. So even in that fantasy that superhero
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World mythological world having superpowers isn't enough to make you great other beings have superpowers and they're evil a
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Little boy once said to me with the utmost earnestness. I Want to be super? I said we can't all be super But we can all be good to be great
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You need to be good So he should be striving for greatness. But did we even know what it is?
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When we talk about greatness, what are we even talking about? Well, we think we know though, don't we we think we know we we mean
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Bob Beeman getting a gold medal in the Olympics Shattering the old record. We mean being the founder of a multi -billion dollar corporation
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Someone like Elon Musk or an ultra -rich person or a Nobel Prize winner or elected to the presidency someone
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Everyone looks to aspires to be listens to our problem with with knowing how to be great
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Is that we don't know what it is How do you become great We see that in five parts in this passage.
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We become great first by suffering then by serving third by Stopping sectarianism fourth single -mindedness and finally salting
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Well, you become great by suffering and To a degree that's not really surprising
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Right right now this time of year beginning of the year people making resolutions They're resolving maybe to lose weight or to quit smoking or to get out of debt and they're willing to sacrifice
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They know to reach that status of greatness. They want to get to they know they have to Suffer something you have to go to gyms.
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You have to cut out desserts. They have to go through nicotine withdrawal They have to deprive themselves of cable TV or dinners out so they can reach that great goal
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They're striving for now. They might fail and by about March they're back to their old habits
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But they all understand the idea that they have to sacrifice for greatness now here
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Even the disciples probably expected and understood to a degree that they would have to suffer some for a while Like David, you know
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David for a time was a fugitive. He was on the run He was living out in the wilderness who's being chased by Saul He was suffering for a while until finally he became
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King now They probably thought they were in fact going through that right now. This is what they were experiencing at this moment
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They're wandering around Galilee. We're preaching in these podunk towns It's just the process we have to go through to make it to the big time to prayed into Jerusalem where finally
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Jesus will be crowned king and he'll drive out the Romans and he'll put us back on top again
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Most adults understand that Some suffering is part of the process to get to greatness, but here in verses 30 to 32.
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Jesus is passing through Galilee Stealthily he's not doing public teaching notice that in verse 30 so that he can focus on his disciples
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And he's does that in these two chapters in chapters 10 chapters 9 and 10 And he says and he says there the
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Son of Man referring to himself again That's the one who brings in God's kingdom the kingdom bringer referring to Daniel chapter 7 is
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Going to be delivered into the hands of men Some sacrifice like Daniel not
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David's give me some sacrifice like David Who is the model for the anointed one when they talked about them the anointed one the
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Christ the Messiah? They made someone like David they were looking for a new David and David experienced some sacrifice and they figured well, okay like David Experienced some that makes sense
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We'll have to be out here in the wilderness and these small towns for a while Sleeping under the start that okay.
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We understand that makes some sense David had to flee over the mountains. He had to sleep in caves for a time before his enthronement
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That kind of suffering. Yeah, we get that Kind of like miles long March He raised he raised an army guerrilla warfare fleeing the better organized forces of the government all for the eventual victory
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Like having to go through hunger pains to lose weight or are having to take an extra job cut off the cable
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TV To get out of debt That makes sense people understand that but what
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Jesus just said here delivered into the hands of men I was being actually caught like David never was captured
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That doesn't make sense Then he says they will kill him
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That really doesn't make sense That's what all the sacrifice is meant to avoid I mean you're doing all this fleeing
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To not be captured and killed. They thought they were sacrificing some now wandering around Galilee sleeping out under the stars
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So that later They'll be in palaces with servants. What sense does it make?
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To be going through this now In order to be killed Well, they didn't understand their goal like a lot of people
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Today don't understand what greatness is Here the very idea of greatness of what the goal is from Jesus is different The Son of Man to bring in God's kingdom needs not to gather a guerrilla army in the countryside
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His long March until we can march on Jerusalem and then and then deal with the enemy gather the forces
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The send up to victory he needs to deal with the real enemy of God's people their sins and for that He has to die he has to pay the debt of their sins as the atoning sacrifice for that he has to be killed and then
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For them to be right with God he has to rise from the dead and That's what he's trying to teach them in these two chapters chapters 9 and 10 before they enter
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Jerusalem in chapter 11 So they're starting their long March To Jerusalem, but they didn't understand him
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Not because not because he was unclear He's very clear here Not because they didn't want to be great.
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They desperately did they signed on to Jesus to be Jesus and disciples Because they yearn for greatness, but they didn't understand him because they didn't understand what greatness was
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What is greatness? Greatness is serving And they're traveling to Galilee On their long
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March to Jerusalem the disciples get into a debate about who's the greatest? Peter probably thought he had the best case
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I mean he he had he was the first one to confess that Jesus of the Messiah John and James were saying what there were the most zealous Jesus called us the sons of thunder
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Judas was reminding everybody that he held the purse strings. He must be the greatest because Jesus let him control the money and when
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Jesus Asked him what they're talking about They're embarrassed to embarrass to say even though even they know that something is wrong with their quest for greatness
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It's something wrong with wanting to be great No, of course not The problem is with what you think greatness is the disciples thought it was being prominent was being up front
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It's being the head guy. It's being recognized So it's on the podium the tallest one with a gold medal the loftiest title the biggest office
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And so Jesus sits down notice that verse 35 says he sits down That means he's getting serious about teaching now.
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This is maybe he's taking a break. In fact, it's the exact opposite That means he's starting to teach Class is in session.
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And so he calls the Apostles to gather around him and says if anyone would be first He desires an evil thing and should repent
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No, he doesn't say that at all. Does he anyone would be first? It's fine to want to be first to be great
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Just know what greatness is if you want to be first fine be last of all and servant of all
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I've seen this in the church. There are people who want to be upfront
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To be seen to be prominent to be given spotlight time You may think well, it's an awful small platform
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But you're only here to be given to care about being on the platform so small but Milton puts in the words of Satan Better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven some people just crave for any
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Any forum they can get where they're Appear to be in control with it whether where they're prominent
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They don't look at the body and see its needs What do these people need?
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What is this church need? They look at what they want. They yearn for what they think
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Because the world has taught them to think is Greatness and how they can use the church to get it and then they don't
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They don't look at what they can do at their gifts Can they really sing or preach?
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even if they can't They're gonna do it anyway, because because they want to be seen to be up front or maybe
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They can do other things that serve Like mow grass or fix things or give our visit needy people like mr.
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Perry Are set up for the Lord's Supper or for baptisms or drive a vehicle to pick up kids?
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Or look after the small kids during Jim. So Alexander doesn't have to be distracted from the youth
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No, they don't see stuff like that They want to be great what they think is greatness being up front
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And so they want to be preachers or something like that someone with a mic in his hand and a title
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I joked that about half the men seemed like half the men in this county claim to be preachers They see the church as the venue to be the big man or the woman they're serving their ego not serving the church
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That's serving people How do you be? How do you be great? You get your eyes off yourself
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What serves your ego? You look at the needs of the people around you here in church
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What do they need? How do they need to be served and then you ask yourself, what do
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I have To serve them it meets those needs Maybe it is a musical talent or you can drive a van or pick up people in your car or help
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Help behind the scenes run the slides or or give money We're all called to do that as we saw with Malachi But maybe you're especially called to make money so that you can support the ministry as John Wesley said earn all you can
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And some of you are much better at earning than others Maybe you can earn more than others earn all you can save all you can and Give all you can
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He never said indulge all you can didn't say that earn all you can Save all you can and give all you can maybe you really do serve best by being up front maybe you are gifted to do that having a mic in your hand, but you're doing it not because You just want to be in the spotlight
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But that really is the best way you serve the body you become great
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By doing what you do best that serves the needs of others best
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Well, Jesus uses a visual aid Right didn't have slides PowerPoint, but he did use a visual visual aid.
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This is what it means to be great a child
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Now children are unpretentious Unless they're spoiled by bad examples They don't attempt to impress you by affecting an image of greater importance or greater talent or greater culture greater knowledge or intelligence than they have
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They're not embarrassed to be one of the people who puts up chairs after the service or admits. They don't know something
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They can't do something And they're not the ambitious kind that wants to wants to be among the important people talking theology or history or politics
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No, he says be like be like that like the kid and Jesus took this child in his arms verse 36 down in their culture the women attended to the children the men had more important things
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To do but here he is. He's preparing to go to Jerusalem for his triumphal entry. He's on his own long march and He's holding a child and says in verse 37 whoever receives as welcomes is hospitable to one such child in my name that In my name is important that is for the sake of Jesus not just to be pro -child
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But to serve Jesus by serving the child you're serving the child because you're serving Jesus You're doing it in Jesus's name that is as his representative not just because the child is great
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No, don't feel the kids head with self -esteem fluff That makes them narcissistic and self -centered so that they they think they deserve to be served by everybody
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Because you've served them all your life and they think every officer adult. This is supposed to exist to serve them
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No, and then they grow up. They can't tolerate teachers and coaches and then later bosses correcting them now for your own children
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You want to teach them? You want to teach your children that the world doesn't revolve around them Then don't you revolve around them?
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We value children for the sake of Jesus now, do you realize that we're in a gym? We're right here in this gym and we spend our precious money as small and limited as we are
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We're running a van we turn on lights. We bring kids here and now we're supporting
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Alexander primarily For reaching out to youth and children. We help try to feed the kids of Jim jr
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We're trying still to get that ministry back on track after the pandemic While we are we have been continually running the gym ministry for youth that cost us money
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We got to pay the turn on the lights and clean the place and all that because we doing all of that Because we want to receive children and youth in Jesus's name because we want what he says here
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To receive Jesus and Jesus says at the end of verse 37 whoever receives me
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Receives not Just me see the child you receive him you receive him you receive not just me but him who sent me that is the father and then
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You're great you want to be great Well, then stop
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Sectarianism, I'm sorry. I couldn't find it more clever one word that That expressed it better, but that's the best
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I can do. I hope you get the point stop sectarianism now John spoke up Maybe he's just trying to justify himself here
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To change the subject because he's feeling he must have been one of those arguing strongly that he was the greatest and he wants to Change the subject from arguing about that And point out how you know, hey,
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I did something great Jesus We did something great not long ago. What he thinks is great in verse 38 teacher rabbi.
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It was master term of respect We saw someone casting out demons in your name
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Remember Jesus had just said welcome a child in my name John think Todd is something good. Someone was casting out demons in your name
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We stopped him in the name of G They were doing it in the name of Jesus by his authority and the disciples tried to stop the man because they thought
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They had a trademark of that name Like it's it's our property
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The name of Jesus belongs to us who in the world this guy think he is he can use it To use
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Jesus his name you had to be part of our group. They thought in a proprietarial attitude
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The name of Jesus is the property of Jesus Ministries Incorporated and in the use of that name without the express written consent of Jesus Ministries Incorporated is strictly prohibited
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Well, they were exclusive You've got to belong to our group they're near narrow Only we have the right to use that name
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They're what we say in religion is sectarian. That is only our sect SECT sect can operate under the name of Jesus We have a trademark a lot of denominations or movements talk as if they were they're the only
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Real disciples of Jesus. They're the only real Christians when I debated the Church of Christ guy a couple of years ago.
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I Described them at the church. We call it to us the Church of Christ. I described them as a sect
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SEC T a sect because they say you have to belong to them in order to be saved
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That's basically what a sect is But reformed people are almost as bad
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Especially since we should know better Many of our foreign people call themselves the the reform faith.
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I just like that term I really just like it like it's a faith and tire into itself and playing that maybe accidentally implying it
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But it may be it's revealing what they really feel deep down that other non -reformed
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Christians belong to an entirely different faith like we don't want anything to do with them. Jesus says don't do that stop sectarianism
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You can keep your fine theology your biblical worship Keep singing your Psalms without having to separate from and trying to stop
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Everyone who doesn't happen to belong to your group He says if they do a mighty work in the name of Jesus, they won't soon speak evil of him
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And that's what's important, isn't it? They won't be his enemy. They do it work for Jesus against Satan.
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They won't speak evil of him That's what matters Doesn't it
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That is that they they love Jesus. They're not speaking evil of him They're speaking rightly of him if they believe in Jesus, even if their theology has some problems now depending and Their worship isn't as biblical as it should be
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There's still part of us because we're about Jesus Not just ourselves.
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Let's start theology our trademark Whatever. He says verse 40 the one who is not a against us
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He's not against Jesus. Not again. He's talking here. Jesus talking to his Apostles, right? The one who is not against us.
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Let me Jesus has other words me and you Apostles Us is for us
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So the same for us the person now who is not against Jesus and his Apostles what it are teaching to the
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New Testament Then is for Jesus and his Apostles and so he's on our side because we're for Jesus It matters what they're saying about Jesus now whether they're part of your religious tribe
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If they're saying he is Lord if they're giving him worth then they're part of us Even if they're not part of our group
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Even in verse 41 if they give you a cup of water because you're a Christian Because you have the name of Jesus if they if they do it in Jesus's name, they won't lose their reward
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So they shouldn't lose your friendship You want to be great
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Seek to advance the name of Jesus not just further your denomination or your church your theology your sect your religious tribe if you want to be great have a single -minded a
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Single mindedness a single -minded commitment here to stop Stumbling In verse 42, he says whoever causes one of these little ones
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Either he or he's referring to the children. He was talking about earlier little little one Who were to serve in Jesus's name or the new believers?
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Who those who believe in Jesus but who aren't yet part of our church? We're out there trying to work for for Jesus in his name
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Even if they're not part of our group either one Whoever causes one of them
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To sin and the word there literally means to stumble the Greek word is scandal on it's where we get that word scandal from Literally, it's a stumbling block.
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Like if you're walking down the road and you trip over a rock. That's a scandal on if You cause someone to stumble that is to fall into sin somehow by tempting him or her
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Trying to seduce them introducing them to pornography giving them free samples of drugs. So they'll get addicted or Maybe by being sectarian teaching that we're the only true church and Then when they find out you're not
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They don't just lose faith in your church But they lose faith in Jesus or by drawing them away from Jesus by drawing them away from the church or by teaching false
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Doctrine that leads them to believe in something other than the true Jesus to put their faith in their church and their religion
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Whoever does that? Jesus said it would be better for him if a if a great millstone and great doesn't just mean, you know
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Terrific her are large in a particular kind of millstone the millstone
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That was so big so heavy that only donkeys could move it Certain granary floors where they would take the wheat they would grind it into flour when they have these great millstones
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That the donkeys would go around and round and in able to use it to crush the wheat
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Take one of those. I don't have a hole in the middle hanging on somebody's neck and Throw them into the sea and that was literally a form of execution by the
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Romans when there was a there had been a Insurrection in Galilee probably not long before before this the the
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Romans captured the leaders and did just This just what Jesus describes here
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So when he says this that was bringing that to their mind, they remember reports about this.
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Maybe they saw it even The Romans would tie heavy millstones around the neck Of the leaders of the insurrection and they dropped them into the sea see and that of course is to instill and everyone all the particular the witnesses a single -minded focus that you do not want this happening to you and Here Jesus says
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Okay, the Romans tried to scare you with that but You know, if you make one of these little ones stumble make someone stumble, you know
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That millstone and see thing the Romans tried to scare you with that's nothing compared to what
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God's God Why would it be better to be killed like like that?
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Then to make someone stumble What could possibly be worse than that well
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Jesus tells us starting verse 43 It would be better not just to be drowned But better to have your hand chopped off than to let it stumble you
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To lead you into sin if your foot makes you stumble it leads you somewhere. You shouldn't go It would be better to hack it off.
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Take a hacksaw and start hacking that thing off If your eye makes you stumble in verse 47
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Because it makes you look at pornography or something else that makes you stumble then it would be better than since it gouged that thing out
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Now why is being weighed down and drowned thrown into the sea or cutting off hands hacking off feet?
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Gouging out eyes. Why is that better? Than stumbling Because if you stumble
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You fall into sin or you make someone else stumble and fall into sin You go to hell
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Now people don't like to say that today Because it sounds it sounds simplistic sounds unsophisticated kind of thing simpletons in the back would say
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Great people don't talk about help but here Jesus plainly does
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Whatever suffering you have to go through now Whatever you have to deny yourself of now, let this focus your attention with to develop in you a single -minded
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Attitude in your heart, whatever it is. You have to deprive yourself of now, whatever you have to suffer now If you can by cutting off or gouging out or stop yourself from stumbling and you can by doing that avoid hell
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It will be worth it Because if you don't If you stumble your hand or feet or eyes make you stumble or you make someone else stumble
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Then you're going to hell and that will be much worse You will wish
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You've been thrown into the sea with a millstone around your neck You'll get along for that possibility.
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If only I could have had that instead of what I have now if only you had taken an axe and chopped off that hand or saw and Cut off that foot or a spoon and scooped out that eye.
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Oh If only you could have saved yourself from hell by doing that and you'll look back and desperately wish
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You could have done it. Hell will be so torturous. So horrendous What Jesus just calls the unquenchable fire in verse 44
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What he describes in verse 48 is the place where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched
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And he's comparing it to their trash dump outside. Jerusalem Everybody takes their garbage and worms every time you go there.
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There's worms eating the rotten rotting garbage There's always fires burning there. Somebody's burning their trash there.
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Hell is like that Except you are the one thrown in as the garbage and it is so agonizing and hopeless that Excruciating maiming will seem like a great relief.
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If only you could have done it to save yourself from this If only we would have gladly done it
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Hell will so change us Well, but seems but seems horrible now chopping off hacking
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Gouging maiming drowning That will be something to wish for If you want to be great
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Be single -minded do whatever you have to do the single -minded
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Determination no matter how much it hurts in order to avoid hell now
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Some preachers like to say today that they get to this passage at all That not don't take it literally
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Jesus didn't really mean chop off your hand or gout or cut off your eye or Gout out your eye or chop off your foot.
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He's just using they'll say they're just using hyperbole to get your attention. That's wrong Take it literally take every word literally and Let this focus your life and your heart with a single -minded mission to avoid hell
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No matter what you have to do Stop stumbling
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But notice as you're taking every word literally that little word if if your hand
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Causes you to stumble in verse 43 if your foot Causes you to stumble at verse 45 if your eye caused you to stumble at verse 47
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Now if means this is a conditional sentence if that is the case then as a result do this
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If that condition is true, then this is true Of course if it's not true, if that is not true, then then don't do this
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If this body part makes you sin and sends you to hell then do whatever you have to do the single -mindedness to stop it, but Does your hand or your foot or your eye
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Does that cause you to sin? Is that really the cause of? You falling into sin and is that what's causing you to go to hell is it your body part?
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Is that the source of your sinning? Well, if so, then hell is so bad. You'd be wise to cut it off But it's not
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Sin is a matter of the heart It's the sin in your heart that uses your hand or your foot or your eyes to sin
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You can maim yourself and cut every instrument of sin off but the sin would still be in your heart and So you'd still be going to hell
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What you need is not an axe or a saw or a spoon and then the nerve to use them on yourself
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What you need and now, you know, you need it desperately Is a new heart
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Everyone will be salted with fire That is in other words
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Everyone's going to experience fire In one form or the other just like they salted their food all food is salted
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Everyone is salted that's infused with like salt gets mixed into everything
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Fire you just got to pick your fire Fire now or Fire later the fire later.
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He's already described here. Hell unending unquenchable fire the fire now
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Is for purification fiery trials that make us better that make us sanctified
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The purge us cleanse us that eventually Make us great Everyone is salted like they salted food.
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They salted for preserving a salted to keep it pure We taste fire now for the same reason now don't think you can avoid the salting the fire
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I Don't have any fire now. No you everyone is salted with fire
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You just have to choose Fire now or fire later if you have a salting now that is a fire now that's useless and Doesn't sanctify you it doesn't make you better doesn't purify you it doesn't preserve you from the rot of this world
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Does it do what salt is supposed to do? That doesn't keep you from sinning Well, then you need new salt
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You need what you're calling salt turned into real salt and you really can't do that. That's alchemy You can't do that Just like you can't give yourself a new heart if you could it would be worth whatever you had to do it
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It would be worth chopping or hacking or gouging but you can't Just like you can't turn worthless salt what looks like salt is not really it's whatever some
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Chemicals you can't turn it into real salt You know how that power if you have real salted yourself that sanctifying fire a fruit of that Comes from a new heart
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It will produce peace With one another here even over this band arguing about who's the greatest
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You're not trying to use one another to be prominent to be seen as great you're content to serve one another now if you're not
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If your passions make you at war with each other clawing is as to who is the greatest?
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Then you lack salt You haven't been salted with fire yet the fire now and so you'll have the fire later if You don't get a new heart so You want to be great?
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Oh great. It's not about surviving the dog -eat -dog battle to the top It's about being so single -minded
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Single -mindedly committed to avoiding hell to enjoying God to being right with him that you'd maim yourself if That would give you that prize
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But it doesn't and now you know, it doesn't Because he told us that he has to die.
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He has to be raised He has to do for us what we can't do for ourselves
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You understand that if you understand the gospel our maiming of ourself would never achieve that.
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That's why he had to die That's why he was raised You know, he's worth destroying your body for But you also know that destroying your body won't keep you from his anger at your sin
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Only what he has done can do that You know, what caused you to sin was in your heart that heart that yearned to be seen as someone great rather than to serve like the one here who is the greatest
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You know If you know the gospel That what you need is not amputation or even ultimately a discipline a resolution
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You need a new heart You want to be great