24th November 2019, AM

Awesome. Hello everyone. My name is Caleb. I'm part of the team here. I'm really excited to be speaking with y'all this morning. And if you can forgive me for the scratches in my voice this week, I fell down with the cold. So just coming out The Talented at so Bart partner with me as I struggle my way through this talk. The Bible's on your chairs. If you want to turn to page 1052 we're going to be in the Book of Luke chapter 18 verse 31 the big 18 the little 31. I know the Bible is a very ancient book are we still believe that it has very relevant things to say to us today. And now I hope you all have gotten there. I'm just wait. Cuz I want to tell you a story a story that I'm sure you are all familiar with. It's a story about the Titanic a story of the unsinkable ship the most luxurious liner of the of its days a largest ship made. It's amazing. It's this ship it has a double plated hole on the bottom. It's meant to be Unsinkable all along. It has 16 watertight compartments that if not sure what happened in the bottom of the hole through the double plating. It doesn't matter. We have these compartments the doors will slam shut the water will only flood one room in the boat will keep floating.

but that doesn't happen with the Titanic. We all know the story of the unsinkable ship set for New York crashes into an iceberg. It crashes and it renders those 16 watertight compartments the double plated whole useless. It is a catastrophic loss of life.

It is unimaginable the worst accident on the on the Seas we seen. Yet what if I were to ask you what if the Titanic wasn't set for, New York? What if ever since the Titanic was ever conceived of thought about imagined? They wanted to see it crash to the bottom of the ocean. What if instead of saying we're going to go on a trip to New York? We're going to set out for the bottom of the ocean and they were selling tickets and they were advertising kind of strange isn't it would all be scratching our heads about that. Not many people wanting to get on that boat.

But today we're going to read about Jesus Christ. And how he willingly choosing lie intentionally sets out for the bottom of the ocean. He is diligently focused working his way to the Cross working his way towards an unjust execution and yet the weird thing about him. Is that even though he was destined for the bottom of the ocean people still got on his boat. It still followed him. I'm going to bring up Ginger now to read the passage for us. Sonia verse 31

Alright, Jesus Took the 12 aside and told them we are going to Jerusalem and everything that is written by the prophets about the son of man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him and sold him and spit on him. They will fog him and kill him on the third day. He will rise again. The disciples did not understand any of this its meaning was hidden from them and they did not know what he was talking about.

This passage has a lot going on and it's quite interesting. I want to start with with this. I want start with this son of man bit that Christ is referring himself to hear as the son of men. We've heard this mentioned before if you've been with us the last two months in weeks as we've been tracking you through this book crisis refer to himself as the son of man before but we haven't taken the time to dive into and really understand. What does that mean? Why does he refer to himself as the son of man? He see it tells us he specifically pulled to side his 12 disciples. I was twelve disciples. These are the guys that have been following him day and night for years. These are the people that are closest to him. They know Jesus the best and these 12 guys are from a Jewish background. And so when the Jewish people hear the words son of man play think of something written hundreds of years ago the prophecy about this great king that's going to come. It's from another book of the Bible called Daniel and I'm going to read just a little bit out loud to you now to help you understand what the Jewish people were thinking what his 12 disciples were thinking about the son of man and who the son of man is Daniel chapter 7 verse 1314 in my vision at night. I looked and there before me was one like a son of man coming with the Clouds Of Heaven he was approached. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given Authority glory and Sovereign power All Nations and peoples of every language worshipped in his Dominion is an everlasting Dominion that will not pass away and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

What happening in that passage? But here's the takeaways that I want you to have. The son of man is given Authority given Glory given Sovereign power. Over All Nation every people and every language worship him. His Dominion is Everlasting his kingdom never to be destroyed. The son of man is in Neverending all-powerful. Glorious King. He cannot be beaten. He cannot be destroyed in the eyes of the Jews. He's like they're Superman. He's bulletproof. He's got laser vision. He can fly super strong Caesar the Roman rulers. Nothing on this guy. He's the son of man. Going to beat the Romans. He's going to restore us back to Glory. He's going to restore Israel to power. The son of man is the unsinkable ship appoline hole of a 16 watertight compartments.

But the ship still sinks. The one who will not be destroyed is seemingly destroyed. This one prophecy. This is but one of the Prophecies of the son of man, but Christ tells us that all the prophecies written about the son of man will be fulfilled. So what are the other prophecies you asked and that is a great question. You guys are astute and listening. Thank you for that. There are numerous prophecies loads and loads and I would love to tell you all about them, but I only have 20 minutes. So I'm going to touch on a few briefly. Is she Jesus tells us that he's going to be mocked insulted spit on flogged and killed?

And then spitting on the son of man is like spinning on the queen. He just they can't fathom it. The first prophecy received another prophecy for is from another book in the Bible called Isaiah or Isaiah depending on where you're from and it says this. He grew up before him like a tender shoot in like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or Majesty to attract us to him. Nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind a man of suffering and familiar with pain like one from whom people hide their faces. He was despised and we held him and low esteem surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering yet. We considered him punished by God stricken by him and Afflicted but he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities the punishment that brought us peace was on him and by his wounds we are healed.

Perhaps this is starting to make a lot more sense to us now as when we see that the samples didn't understand what Christ was saying. It's doesn't make sense these prophecies these things written hundreds of years before Christ died seem to be describing two different people. How can Christ be the all-conquering all-powerful king and yet he's crushed. He's beating that he's destroyed.

Here in this prophecy. We see no mention of his power. No mention of his majesty. No mention of his glory or his power. He is despised. He's rejected. He takes on our pain. He's crushed for our suffering and for our wrongdoings. He's punished and that punishment brings us peace and healing the son of man and is crushed for you and for me.

It this isn't the end of the story. Christ not only told us that he would be killed but that on the third day he would rise again. That unsinkable ship that sank would sail across the ocean again. That the crushing loss of life would be redeemed.

It says again in the book of Isaiah regarding Jesus Christ these words after he has suffered. He will see the light of life and be satisfied by his knowledge. My righteous servant will justify many and he will bear their iniquities. After he has suffered after his death, he will see the light of life. I'm satisfied the righteous servant justifying many before God the son of man will not stay dead. But he will be lifted up to rule and terrain. This is the last prophecy I'll touch on here. And it's comes from us from the book of Psalms Psalms 2. And it tells us about his power once more. I've installed my king that is Jesus on Zion my Holy Mountain. I will proclaim the Lord's decree. He said to me you are my son today. I have become your father asked me and I will make the nation's your inheritance the ends of the Earth your possessions. You will break them with a rod of iron you will Dash them to pieces like pottery.

UC

Jesus has given this incredible power over the nation's overall peoples that he can Dash them to pieces like a clay jar.

He's in control. The son of man is in control. and yet he's humiliated on the cross.

The all-powerful one willingly intentionally sacrificed himself to justify many trying so that all who believe in him don't have to fear death. Dying so that all those who believe in him don't have to because they will be raised with Christ.

That all of those people on board the boat that is called The Gospel it goes down to the depths, but it rises again in Jesus Christ. And we see this amazing news this good good news that we have here. And the question we still have is why is it hidden? Why don't the disciples get it the guys closest to him the people who spent all this time with him night and day for three years. They were with Jesus and they don't understand. Maybe they just can't reconcile this picture of the all-powerful son of man dying. They just can't see Superman in the grave. He's supposed to fly across the sky.

He's supposed to ride in conquering King.

Or maybe God had the meeting from them or maybe Jesus intentionally hit the meaning from them. The text doesn't say why it was hidden. It just tells us that it was hidden. A better question we could be asking ourselves today is is the meaning hidden from us?

Are some of us sitting in the room right now this morning and thinking that this message is hidden from them then maybe they hear the words and then they don't really understand what it means. They hear Jesus loves them. But perhaps don't quite believe it. They hear that Jesus died for their wrongdoings against God in that Christ has made peace between us and God, but just we just start buying it. I maybe some of us are here today and we can't make sense of our circumstances. We don't understand why God would let these things happen why we lost the job why we lost our loved one. Why was there the car accident? Why is there disease we just don't make sense of it. Maybe it's God trying to teach us something but we're not quite clear on what the meaning is. We just know that it's happening. I don't say this to discourage you I don't I say this rather to encourage you for even those closest to Christ. Those who knew him best didn't always understand. What he was saying, they didn't always understand what he meant. They didn't understand the good news of the Gospel. Didn't understand that to find true life first you have to die. The following Christ involves going to the Cross but also includes Rising again into New Life in Jesus.

It's like when you're driving here and you guys have all these lovely roundabouts when you want to make the right turn at the roundabout. What do you have to do first? You have to begin by going left if I want to make the right. I have to go the other direction.

I have to go the other direction and then only by going the exact opposite direction to the wrong way to get to where I want to go then only then coming around. Can I go where I need to be? Even though the disciples they didn't understand at this time that understanding doesn't last forever. They don't lack this understanding forever. You see after Christ's Resurrection. We see a little later in the Book of Luke in chapter 24 and we'll get there someday guys. Christ goes to his disciples and he tells them he opens those scriptures and those prophecies that I just read to you and he tells them this is me. He explains it to them. They realize and the disciples. It is revealed to them the true purpose of the death of the son of man.

We see that Jesus is faithful to reveal himself to us. So say that even though we may not understand everything right now this morning. It may not all be making sense for us.

But that Jesus is going to reveal himself to us. In fact, it might be happening right now.

One better question that we could be asking ourselves. Is why does the son of man died at all? It has been clearly displayed that Christ is all-powerful that he is. It has authority over all nations. He doesn't have to do this. He doesn't have to go and enjoy the mocking the spitting the insults the beatings. He doesn't have to experience death. Yet he doesn't anyways, he chooses this he chooses death. Because of his power and his might no one can make him do this. No one is forcing him. There's not someone with a gun to his head head saying he has to do it. He intentionally dies and the question is why?

Because he loves you. Son of man all powerful uncontainable indestructible. And he chooses powerlessness containment destruction because he loves you.

I've been a Christian my entire life. I've been fortunate enough to be raised in the church and to know Jesus whole life and for every day of the last 25 years I wake up wondering why. Why does he love me? I cannot comprehend it. It is unfathomable.

It is. amazing and remarkable because everything I was in me says I don't deserve it because I have nothing to offer him. I have nothing that will impress him as nothing I can do for him. I can't earn it. And yet he still loves me. He still loves you. It's better than an unconditional love rather. It is Contra conditional because all the conditions say he shouldn't nothing you can do. nothing, you can say

nothing to Russian. And yet he still says that he loves us. He still says.

He wants to be in a relationship with us. This is good news. The son of man has unconditional love for us. He has died for us. So, how should we respond? The last question? I'll ask. How should we respond? When we hear this news, what are we to do?

We should get on the boat. Get on the boat. That is the gospel follow Jesus with the same intentionality that he went to the cross. Just as Christ intentionally went to the cross for us. We should follow Christ with a very real intentionality. It tomorrow morning when we wake up. We should sink just a few minutes and to send up some prayers of thankfulness thankful for the day thankful for being at peace with God thankful for the love of Jesus Christ. Maybe when we go to work, we should live like the son of man actually is in control and that actually matters. That we would value our relationships with our colleagues and that we would listen when they speak we would desire to build relationships with them that we would intentionally go out of our way to love those. We don't like or better yet. We would go out of our way to love those that don't like us.

See all these applications their bit abstract. I'll admit it and I'll let you guys think about how you can make them less abstract. But if you're looking for one concrete thing to do this week, I'll give you a suggestion.

Here's how you can respond to this news this week. If you don't know Jesus, if everything you've heard this morning is strange and weird or silly or stupid if you're thinking any of those things that is okay.

I want you to respond by finding out more. If you have questions, if you have concerns, if you want to know more about this find me find Matt find the person that you came here with get a coffee this week or pint. Ask the questions. Find out for yourself. Is this really true? Does Jesus actually love me like this weird dude in the front with a wrinkled shirt says he does.

promise you He does.

And if you are here this morning and you do know Jesus Hears A small steps to have some intentionality in your life then following Christ. Pray for someone everyday this week and pray thankfulness to Christ for what he's done remembering each morning that he was crushed for your wrongdoing.

Now we are risen to life again in him. So be thankful this week. And I'll say this. In closing we aren't responding because we want to impress God. Because we want him to Grant's our prayer requests. We aren't doing this. So God will love us more or we aren't doing this so that we become his favorite. none of that matters

because Christ has already given us everything. This is a response to being given everything. This is not an attempt to go out and earn more. We respond to the good news of the gospel because Christ gave all to us already. And my prayer this morning is that none of us and none of this would be hidden to you that you would hear these words today and be overwhelmed by the love of Christ. And for the love of Christ has for you that you would sit here and your seats and you would know Jesus is Alive and that Jesus loves you.

I'm going to pray.

Father God. Thank you for sending your son. Thank you for making peace with us. Thank you for bearing the punishment for our wrongdoings Lord. Thank you that you have revealed yourself to us God I pray that you would reveal yourself to all who do not know. You got to pray that you would make your love alive and real for us this morning. And I pray that we would respond to you this good news of the Gospel this week that we would seek out and find more that we would pray and be thankful in Jesus name. Amen for you regular string to do something a little bit different. I'm going to have Jake come up and we're going to take a few minutes and we're going to sit and we're going to listen and we're going to reflect on what was just heard Jason play a song and then after that we'll come up and have a brief Q&A. I'll let Jake take it away.

How deep is Father's Love For Us?

Do me good.

Shane

Is Roman's famous?