Episode 27: The Gospel

You nearly broke my hand when we shut this morning.

All right. Now, remove in 2 episode, 27 of the plan. We have been going through the sermon series of the storyline of the Bible for over six months now. And just today, we are finally getting into the ministry of Jesus. And the reason why we've been doing doing it this way is because I believe there's a real value in going through the Old Testament before you get to Jesus. Cuz it's one of the things that happens that causes us to miss some of what's going on in. Jesus ministry. Is it, we read the Bible backwards, we start with the last part of the Bible, read the letters. We read Galatians enrollment in Ephesians, cuz those are written to the church. And they seem to be more relevant to our issues and our our groups. And it's always start there. And we got our understanding what the Bible is about from the letters and then we go back and we read the gospels and we look for that stuff. We got from the letters in the gospels. So we assume that Jesus is talking about all the same stuff as those letters and then we do it back to the Old Testament looking for what the letters were written about through Jesus. And we we can sometimes find it but usually we say we don't find it. So he said, oh, that's all old Covenant and we forget so we read Jesus looking for the letter, the stuff in the letters that came after him and we miss what Jesus is doing to complete, the story of the Old Testament. And so, as we're going through the Bible, in the order that it was the events happened. What we're going to see after 26, Urban setting up a Ministry of Jesus. We're going to be able to see a fresh perspective of what exactly it was. He was doing. So before we get into the ministry of Jesus, we're going to remind ourselves of the story that we've been finding in the Bible. The Bible is the story of God's plan, to establish a Place full of people who live out their purpose in his presence. So, God made the world, he put people in it, and gave them the job of ruling on his behalf. And then he came down to live with them on the 7th day. And that was the goal of all creation, but we messed it up and we kept messing it up and we kept messing up until finally. God said. All right, I'm going to pick one family, one nation and they are going to show the rest of you, what my plan is supposed to look like. So you committed that through this one family. He was going to restore the plan to the whole world and that family was Israel. So, we gave this one group of people, one particular place, the land of Israel. He came down to live in the temple. He gave them one set of rules to describe their purpose, which is the law of Moses. And the whole world is supposed to be able to look at Israel and see what God is all about. And what he means for Humanity, what he intends for Humanity. Unfortunately, the hazard lights weren't any better than the rest of us until they kept messing up and they kept messing up until finally got it. One point says, alright, this does not represent what I want. And so the only way I can show the world who I am is by ending this Arrangement and showing I do not endorse the way the Israelites have been living and we call that the Exile, so he sent him into exile. And then you brought some of them back into the land of Judah, but they're still, he hasn't returned the plan to them. And so a group of them remembering ezra-nehemiah. They start trying to get back on track with God, but they prioritize staying away from Gentiles, keeping the ethnic Purity, and they prioritize these keeping that they can be measured and tracked and enforced on other people. And they figure if we can stay far enough away from the Gentiles. And if we can keep these external rules, well enough God will come back and they try that for four hundred years. And that's the project that they're in when John the Baptist comes out and says, this is not the way God wants is to be restored to him. He wants us to pursue Godly character. Not genetic Purity and he's meticulous rules. He wants us to have hearts like his you want us to genuinely repent. And when John presented that choice to the Jews, he says there is the old way of meticulous, real, keeping in, and racial Purity, or this. True way of real repent in Jesus shows up, and he gets baptized to show that he is part of that way, you're part of this, genuine way of genuine repentance to restore Israel. And at that moment, the Holy Spirit comes down God's presence returns to earth and a voice. From Heaven says, this is my son, meaning. This is the one I have chosen to lead Israel and restore the plan to the world. Last week, we talked about the Temptation where God prove that Jesus was up to the task. But today, we're going into when he starts. If we launch has this mission that God has put them on. And as we read with that back story, we get to see what he's doing from a fresh perspective. So as I go into our opening passage, I want you to remember the coordinates that we keep to keep us oriented in the story. Watch. For, who's the story about watch, for? Where is their home, and what's their relationship to their home? How can they meet with God? And what did God tell them to do? So will pick up in Luke chapter 4, just after the temptation of Jesus. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the spirit and news about him, spread through the whole Countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues and everyone praised him. He went to Nazareth where he had been brought up and on the Sabbath day. He went into the synagogue as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet, Isaiah was handed to him on rolling it, he found a place where it was written. The spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to Proclaim good news to the poor. Then he rolled up the scroll. Give it back to the attendant and sat down the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them today. This scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.

All right. So that's our are launching. Passage self. Who is the story about? About Jesus and the Jews. The Jews are God's chosen people. He is still committed to this plan of restoring the, the world through the Jews and the chosen leader of the Jews is Jesus. God made that pretty much as clear as he ever could at the baptism of Jesus. Jesus is the one that is leading the Jews into the next step in God's plan. Where is their home? At this point, the land that God has given them. We would called Galilee and Judea because the Romans conquered it, and they carved it up into territories and they decided to carve it this way. There's after Herod the Great used to rule over all of it on the Romans behalf. And in the room after he died around. Cinday. Why don't we just do? I cut it into quarters that, that sounds good, but that's so the fact that it's called Galilee and Judea is a sign that Rome is in charge, and the Jews aren't, which the Jews being able to rule their own land is supposed to be part of the plant. That's a problem, right? How can they meet with God? Remember the question here is where can they go and know that they're going to meet with God? For about five hundred years. There hasn't been a place where they knew they could meet with God. But over the last two weeks, we found out that there is now a place because the spirit of God descended on Jesus. And so if you want to be in the presence of God, go to Jesus. And anytime you're in Jesus presence, you're in the presence of God. Now, you know, we know from the Holy Scripture that Jesus is God himself, but in the narrative, that hasn't really become clear that Jesus didn't go around telling every, hey, I'm God. That wasn't how it came out. So it, but at this point, what we what would have been clear to people who are the baptism, was at the presence of God was on Jesus and so they can encounter God through him. Jesus is the new Temple. What is the job that uses has been given? That's actually exactly what this passage is about. Jesus goes to a synagogue and he reads A Prophecy. And the prophecy is about a person saying, the spirit of the Lord has come upon me for this purpose and it lists the purpose. So this is Jesus announcing the purpose of his ministry. Now, I skipped over some parts because we're going to cover those in subsequent weeks. But the the part that we emphasized here was that the spirit of the Lord is on him to proclaim the good news to the poor and the phrase. Good news in Old English is Godspell which slurred together is Gospel. So Jesus is Mission. The first part of the mission that we're looking at, is proclaiming the good news, proclaiming the gospel. And so the way that the gospel stories work in order to draw out the plot you can cuz they each gospel kind of puts the plot together a little differently. What we're actually doing is we're taking a bunch of themes that are woven together and we're kind of separating them out and focusing on one thing at a time. So today we're going to look at this gospel Proclamation as a key part of the mission that Jesus is on. So we're to look at how Jesus Proclaim to the gospel and we're going to remember that our goal here is to build our understanding of the Gospel on what has come before Jesus, rather than what comes after him want to read the Bible in order. How does Jesus proclaim the gospel? The gospels summarize Jesus mission this way. We use Mark's version after John was put in prison. Jesus went in the Galilee proclaiming the good news of God. Now, what is the next verse going to say? What did Jesus preach? If we go? I think I only know how to preach the gospel in talking about the crucifixion, resurrection of Jesus, right? But I don't know how to do it without those essential facts of the good news. But those haven't happened yet. So what is Jesus? Preaching is very clear that he doesn't preach the gospel without the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. So if we import what the letter say about what, the good news is back in the Jesus, we're importing something that would have made no sense to anyone because it hadn't happened yet. Have you ever wondered what Jesus did for three years before the crucifixion of the Resurrection? It wasn't announcing the people. He was with The Sire. Yes, he told his disciples to keep that a secret. He wasn't telling them to put their faith in his atoning sacrifice, cuz he hasn't been admitted yet. Like, what is he doing?

So here's how the gospels actually Sunrise, which is it saying the time has come. He said the kingdom of God has come near repent and believe the good news. That's the gospel. The good news, is that the kingdom of God has come near now. For most of my life, thus far, that didn't make any sense to me because I wasn't, I only knew the gospel. Listen to what Paul talks about. And Paul doesn't really talk about the kingdom very much. And so, to say the kingdom of God has come near, I also mainly focused on Matthew, which says, Kingdom of Heaven. So I assume that the king of Heaven Was heaven. Heaven is near like, there's a way to heaven. That's really close. Now. That's not what Jesus name. In fact, if you speaking to a group of people who only knew the Old Testament to say, the kingdom of God has come near is exactly what they would have expected. The gospel to be why? Because Jesus is quoting the Old Testament. He's quoting where the Old Testament talks about the good news, which is in Isaiah 52. Has a 52 says how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who Proclaim peace, who bring Good Tidings, who Proclaim salvation, who say to Zion your God Reigns, as a Greek can also be translated as the reign of God is near. So when Jesus says, the reign of God is near good news. He's pointing right at this. Passage. Now, what is this passage about? This passage isn't about individual, people getting away to go to the good place instead of the bad place. This passage is about the restoration of Israel to its plan to the pizza place. In God's plan, to restore the whole world, does burst into songs of Joy. Together, you ruins of Jerusalem for the Lord has comforted his people. He has redeemed Jerusalem. Is he in the Old Testament? God, plan is always to save the world, but he's committed to doing it through Israel. So that when they say, god reigns, where does God rain from? Jerusalem rezaian God's committed, he's already setting. God doesn't break. His word. Doesn't go back on his plans and he's going to use his real to rule over the whole world. Restore everyone to him. So when he says, the kingdom of God is coming, the kingdom of God, only comes to the world, according to God's promises through Israel. So he saying, God is ready to restore is real to the plan. He's ready to undo the Exile. He's ready to bring us back. All the stuff. He said he was going to do when this ends. I was over. It's just around the corner. But he's not just announcing something good. He's also calling them to action. He says, repent and believe. Now again, when we read this backwards, we read that as repent of the individual, bad things you've done and believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead rose from the dead, right? That's what we think of but that's not what they would have heard at that time because they didn't know those things yet when he says repent and believe you can use it. Also completely accurately translate that as return and be faithful to the good news. You could even go so far as to say, we return and Obey would be accurate translations of those Greek words, which again, Jesus is referring to the Old Testament was use this passage several times. What did God say what happened? At the end of the Exile in Deuteronomy? He said when you and your children return to the Lord, your God and Obey him, then the Lord, your door, your fortunes and gather you again. What he saying is God is ready to to get the plan back on track again. So you should return to him and get with its imagined that the plan is a train, and a train broke down, and they've been stranded for 400 years and people have gotten off the train that have wandered around and check out the shops and have gotten some lunch. And now the conductor say, hey, if the train is repaired. It's about to leave. So, get back on the train. That's what he saying. The plan is ready to move. So it's time to come back and get on the train and get on board with what God is doing. So this is what Jesus is announcing. Jesus called the Jews to repent, which means return to God because he was finally ready to restore Israel to his plan.

Now, I understand that the gospel. Jesus was preaching was built on the Old Testament and built on the idea of the mission that God called Israel to. When you realize that you start to pick up on a theme that you may not. Otherwise, see, that doesn't quite make sense. Otherwise in Jesus preaching, which is that Jesus is in a little bit of a hurry. Throughout his ministry. Jesus is in a hurry. I'll give you a couple of samples. I narrowed it down to my top 3, here's the first one later. And Luke chapter 4. It says Jesus in Capernaum, and the people tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns. Also, because that's why I was sent. And he kept on preaching, in the synagogues of Judea. That passage may not stand out to all that much, except that we often. Do you Jesus ministry as a Ministry of healing and reaching individual people, The Chosen is really great at that, depicting how Jesus found individual people, and turn their lives around in that aspect of his ministry. But in this story, what we find is that means in that town, there were still sick, people who aren't even healed. There were still blind people who can see there were still people who needed to be forgiven. They had reason for Jesus to stay and do more one-on-one Ministry, but he says, I can't, I'm sorry. I need to move on because I need to get to all the town which must mean he doesn't have all the time in the world. Right? He has to get to the other towns before something. And that's strange to us with the way. We typically look at Jesus's mission because again, the gospel preached doesn't even go into effect until after the resurrection. So why would there possibly be be a rush before the resurrection? By the gospel, isn't even taking infect yet. So why I like this is training time, right? Like this is this is when you like you can use this time for whatever you want cuz the gospel isn't in effect yet, but it said Jesus has a sense of urgency is such a sense of urgency that he actually. He actually split his team up so they can hit more time, more Towns at the same time. United says that when Jesus said call the 12 together, we'll talk more next week about the significance of the Twelve Disciples, but they're his his twelve main main disciples, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure disease and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick training, his disciples and evangelism. Like maybe this is how you use the time before. The gospel really comes into a fact that you just you it's a we can experiment. We can send you out. You can you can try it out and see what works in and get your chops as missionary. Right? But Jesus gives the main reason why the gospels give us these passages is to give us the instructions that Jesus shows who gives to his disciples and those instructions to be honest are not actually grade instructions for missionary. Here's what he tells the 12th. Take nothing for the journey. No staff. No bag. No bread. No money. No extra shirt, whatever house you enter stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome, you shake their tail Shake. Leave their town and Shake the Dust off your feet as a testimony against them. Like don't bring any Resources with you. Don't bring anything with you, never move what he was and it was the instant you faced opposition leave. Right, is that how we do missions work? No more explicit when he gets a group of 72 together. He sends them out and he says, do not take a purse or a bag or sandals. Do not greet. Anyone on the road. When you enter a house stay there eating and drinking. Whatever they give you do not move around from house to house. When you enter a town in or welcome. Tell them the kingdom of God has come near to you. But when you enter it or not, welcome to go into its streets and say even the dust of your town. We wiped from our feet as a warning to you, yet. Be sure of this, the kingdom of God has come here. I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom. And for that town. What's the theme of the instructions? He's giving the disciples? This is not like Timeless advice for missionaries. This is how you get the word out in a hurry. Travellight. Don't bother time with niceties on the road. Play the first house that that will have. You don't worry about, finding the best amenities to eat. Whatever they give. You don't worry about if it's ritually clean. Don't worry. If it's the best in in town, just wherever you can get stay there, eat proclaiming news. And if they don't want to hear it, then wipe the dust off your feet and get out of town because there's more towns to visit get in proclaim. The good news. Get out. That's what he's doing. As fast as possible. We need to hit every town that we can. So, Jesus Works to spread the word as quickly as possible.

And when you recognize the Jesus is in a bit of a hurry, you will also pick up themes in his preaching where he talks about why he's in a bit of a hurry, why there's a sense of urgency in his mission to the main place. We're going to be is in Luke chapter 12 and 13 and these passages go pretty close together. Pretty much the rest of the sermon and shoot. The Luke chapter 12. Jesus says be dressed and ready for service and keep your lamps burning. Why servants waiting for their Master to return from A Wedding Banquet? So that when he comes and knocks, they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants, whose Master finds them watching. When he comes, they hate. There's good that you're running out of time. There's going to come a moment when it will matter whether you decided to follow me or not. And if you do it, you'll be glad you did. And if you didn't, you'll be upset that you didn't. Now, we typically because we read the Bible backwards. We will typically assume that Jesus is not talking to the people in front of him. He's talking to us about his second coming. But he's not talking about that. It's pretty clear in this passions. He's not talking about that because he's going to move on to talk about how important that specific generation is. And he's going to he's going to call them out for not recognizing how important their time. Is. That specific generation? He says, when you see a cloud rising in the west immediately, you say it's going to rain and it does. And when the south wind blows you say it's going to be hot and it is Hypocrites, you know how to interpret the appearance of the Earth and Sky, how is it? You don't know how to interpret this present time. This present time is the time when it is that's running out he's talking about right now. There's a limited window for the life of me. I could not have figured out on my own except that I learned to read it together with what we just read this next door. We just next Parable doesn't make sense to me. Except when you say he's he's talking about the same thing. Why don't you judge for yourselves? What is right? As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary made. Drag you off to the judge and the judge turn. You over to the officer and the officer throw you in prison. I tell you. You will not get out until you have paid the last penny. What is that story about is that about a good way to handle legal disputes? Is that something about just generic forgiveness. Know, it's a story about that specific time in Israel's history. He's saying if you recognize the times you would recognize that you are on your way to a court date. And if you get to that court date without resolving the problem, it's not going to go well for you.

But there is a plea deal on the table, take it because if you don't take it and you go to court, it's not going to go your way. You're not going to get out until you paid every last cent.

The Jesus is in a hurry because Israel was running out of time to repent. As a as a nation as a People, Israel was running out of time to repent. Now. Why were they running out of time? Is it because God was tired of them. Is it? Because God only gives us a limited number of choices and they had a limited number of chances and he they were about to spend the last one. No. In fact as we carry right on into the next verse, which is 13, one Jesus will address that white is coming. Why are they on this timeline? There were some presents at that time. Who told Jesus about the galileans? Whose blood piloted mixed with their sacrifices. Okay. Now this is the latest controversial stories going around, you know, how the latest outrage making it around. Social media went to get everybody angry and and splits people on partisan lines, right? So these galileans from northern area of Israel had gone down to Jerusalem where the Roman governor was in charge and they've gone to make sacrifices of the temple and pilot had executed them. We don't know why but we know the pilot executed them and it seems like they were in the process of sacrifices. So we maybe even killed them around the temple. This is a big deal. People very upset. And they asked what Jesus thought about this and Jesus answered. Do you think that these galileans were worse? Sinners than all the other galileans, because they suffer this way. I tell you know, but unless you repent you too will all perish. They brought this up and end it this time. Remember that for for Israel. They're thinking in times of their calling and one of the big obstacle to their calling is the fact that the Romans control their their Kingdom. If they don't live, as long as they ruled over by the Romans, they can't fulfill the plan. The mission of God has given for himself. When the Romans Commit, This fresh outrage. They're quite upset. This is not just a question about like, when did this, is not just a question about do bad things happen because of since this is a question of, is this judgment? And does that mean that they were worse than the rest of? It does not know they were worse than the rest of you. They just met their fate sooner because if you meaning the Jews, the Jewish people don't repent. You will also perish.

Meanie, you will also die that way. How did they die? You were killed by Romans. Then Jesus pulls up another example to make his point. He says, or the 18 who died when the Tower of Siloam fell on them. Do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you no, but unless you repent, you too will all perish. A tower fell in Jerusalem and killed. Some people, was it because they were more guilty than the rest of them know, Israel. As a people were following the wrong path. They just met that and sooner. But if Israel doesn't repent, if the Jews don't change course, they will meet the same fate. And what fate is that dying from falling buildings? Roman swords. See when we read the Bible backwards. We often assume that Jesus is constantly talking about final judgement unto Jesus does talk about final judgment, but he also talks about him or short-term judgment that is coming on the people of Israel. And this is one of those places where he says, if you keep going down the path that you're on, you're going to get destroyed by swords and falling masonry falling buildings. And if you are open to that message that uses teaching, you can actually pick up on it more often. For instance. We already seen one place where Jesus a loose to that. He says, I tell you what would be more bearable on that day? For Sodom them for that town. He's talking about the towns. That reject Jesus. Now again, we often think that that's talking about final judgment, but there's two problems with that. Number one, is that final judgment does not go town-by-town, right? We had judged as individuals. We don't get judged based on the town. We grew up in or the one you died in. Or the one you spent the most. Like that's not how judgment Works. Do any talks about judgement. He's talking about the things that happen to those town. And we also know that because again, he's quoting the Old Testament because to say that their fate will be worse than Sodom is to use a phrase from the Old Testament that people use for really terrible conflicts. In Lamentations, the poet is talking about the destruction of Jerusalem. And he says, this, the punishment of my people is greater than that of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment without a hand turned to help her. Why is it worse for Jerusalem than for Sodom? Because they did get fire and brimstone, but they got in a day. Jerusalem was under siege for three years, they starve to death. They cannibalized each other. They suffered unimaginably. It's much worse to be in Jerusalem. And so when Jesus says he'll be worse for them, on the data judgement comes, then it was for Sodom. It means that it's going to take longer for them to get destroyed than it did for Sodom. It was actually happening to do this messaging, or is he saying that is running out of time? Because they had chosen a path that leads to destruction. They are headed 90 Mi an hour toward a brick wall. And eventually they're going to hit. It's not the God is tired of them. It's that the actions they have taken, will eventually leave them to destruction. That's where it got to, where that path leads. Isn't that isn't calling them to leave this path and go into this path because he's arbitrary and nitpicky because this leads to destruction and this path leads to life.

And this helps us to understand what Jesus is working to accomplish in his ministry because he right after telling that story about are talking about the ways that the Jews will perish. He tells this Parable, a man had a fig tree growing in his Vineyard and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard for 3 years. Now, I've been coming to look for fruit on the tree and haven't found any cut it down. Why should I use up the soil? I leave it alone for one more year and I'll dig around it and fertilize it if it bears fruit next year. Fine. If not, then cut it down. That Parable is Jesus telling the story of Israel. Israel has had chance after chance to turn away from this path and to be the kind of people that I called him to be, and they have not done it and they're running out of time, but I am here to give them one more chance.

One more chance to be a part of what God is doing. I'm going to call them. I'm going to fertilize them. I'm going to give them everything. They need to choose to be what God called him to be the entire time, because I'm not willing to just abandon them to their fate later. He's in the same chapter. He says Jerusalem Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and Stone. Those sent to you how often I've longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers, her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. It's a powerful image because one of the things they'll find after forest fires is dead mother birds with live chicks under them because they protected them with their bodies. Jesus came because he loves those people in his ministry, the urgency of his ministry is he he wants to save every single Jew that he can to be a part of what God is doing in the world and to avoid that destruction. Urgency comes from his love for his people. The Jesus. His mission was to save the juice from destruction and restore them to their place in God's plan.

Now, I'm going to give you a spoiler. We haven't done spoiler since we've been in the New Testament cuz Jesus is here. But I'm going to tell you about something that happens after the story of the New Testament. If you were to take the place where Jesus ministering and you were fast forward, 40 years. What would you see going on in Galilee? Here's what Josephus tells us. Just leave it as a Jewish historian who was born, just after a few years after the Resurrection, the Romans treated the country, according to the law of War, burning the places in the plane or stealing away the cattle that were in the country and killing whatsoever appeared, capable of fighting perpetually and leading the weaker people as slaves into captivity. So the Galilee was all over filled with Fire and Blood North Exempted from any kind of misery or calamity.

Most of the Jews refuse to repent and Galilee and Judea at War, ultimate Lee destroyed within a generation.

Within a hundred years, it would be illegal for Jews to even live in Jerusalem.

Communities will be utterly devastated and they would lose a significant presence in the promised land for almost two thousand years.

The Jesus's warnings were not. They were real and they were true.

The reason why I think part of the reason why we tend to read the Bible backwards because it seems to be the easiest way to make sure that what we're saying is relevant, because we start with what said about the church age. But so the question is, what if it is a warning to Jesus presented to the Jews and the the time is it was already over. Like the Romans already went and destroyed them. Then what does that mean for us? I think we can learn a lot from the fact that this is the message that Jesus was preaching to his his contemporaries to that generation because it can help us to keep our presentation of a docile in line with what he's saying. One of the things that it teaches us is that the message of Jesus isn't just about the afterlife. It's about our lives in the Here and Now, Is a week. We will often say hey the gospel is about. You going to the good place instead of the bad place. So give your life to Jesus. So you'll go to the good place in which case the best possible Arrangement. If you can time it right. Would be the live your life, whatever way you want and then repent right before you die, right? Cuz you still get to go to the good place. But you do whatever you want in that time and are our best response to that is often. Yeah, but you don't know when you're going to die, you can get in a car wreck on the way home and then you'll end up in the bad place. So make sure you do it. Now just in case. As if, the only thing we have to offer, people is a better retirement plan. But the gospel is about what happens in the Here. And Now

what Jesus is presentation of the Gospel teaches us as their real-life consequences for the choices we make about whether and how to follow Jesus for the Jews, their decision to follow Jesus or not, would affect whether the Romans destroyed them or not. It would affect whether they were even allowed to live in their Homeland. It would affect the fate of their Nation, the fate of their communities. Because following Jesus would shape their responses to things going on around them. If you read the story of what happened to Israel that led to their destruction and you look at The Sermon on the Mount. You can say, if they had done was Jesus preaching, those things would not have happened.

There are real-life consequences for our communities, for our nation's for ourselves. If we follow Jesus, and if we follow him Faithfully, your home, life will be different. Your relationships will be different, your career will be different. Your town will be different. I ate changes things. All around us, constantly, the gospels been the greatest Force for good. The world has ever seen over the last two thousand years, regardless of how many people are put into the good place instead of the bad place. We haven't seen that side yet. Right. We haven't gotten to go to the other side and find out who all made it into Glory, but we have seen the effects of the Gospel this side and they are profound. They are amazing. And so, as we spread the good news about Jesus. We should absolutely tell people that eternity with God or without him, is on the life. But also, we should tell people that today is the best day to repent because the gospel can change our tomorrow. Your life can go differently tomorrow because you committed or recommitted to follow Jesus today, very carefully, very clearly. I didn't say easier. Your tomorrow could be much much harder because you decided to follow Jesus, but it will be better. It would be closer in line with what God made you for who he designed you to be, it will be more meaningful. It will be truer.

But that's why today is the best day to give your life to Jesus or to recommit your life, to Jesus hard to deal with whatever obstacle your facing is keeping you from following him Faithfully, because it's what your life is meant to be in this life. And your life will be better. It will be more guy will be more when he made you to be. If you commit.

So as we close. I ask you to consider. What is the next step ahead of you in following Jesus? What obstacles do you have in front of you that are keeping you from following him Faithfully. How would your life be different if you were all in?

Consider what your life can look like following Jesus and then ask what, what what's my next step? And I'll give you some of the next steps that we offer that we can we can help you with there. A lot of things got to be putting on your heart. But if you haven't given your life to Jesus, then I guarantee you. That's one thing that he's putting in front of you. Today is the best day to give your life to Jesus. And if you haven't done that yet, you can come forward during the final song and talk to me. You can talk to one of our ministers. After church. If you're online you can get in touch with a Christian that you I know and trust that you can get in touch with the church. But today is the best day to give your life to Jesus. If you're fine that you need help in figuring out what that looks like. You need Partners to go alongside you. As you are living a life Community, Jesus, I would suggest that you join one of our small groups for a service team because that's how we build each other up. When we pray and together. We have fun together. We we'd learn each other's stories. We build each other up in those times, the Temptation or challenge a service team can get you. More outwardly focused as you help other people where they're serving in the church or serving people in our community. If you want to join one of those teams you can mark that on your connect card. I'm finally if you want to be a part of a church family, that is dedicated to following Jesus and building his kingdom here and transforming the community where we have been planted. That's who this church is seeking to be. And you can replace your membership with us and we have a connect class. We offer where we get together on a Sunday afternoon. We talked about who we are what we do and how do you can be a part of it? You like to be one of those classes. You can check the box on your connect card as well. You got something completely different than God is putting on your heart. And as we stand and sing our final song, I'd encourage you to be open to what he's prompting you to do and how he's calling you to follow him to. Please join us as we sing.