WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:22.260 Hi, and welcome to the Willow Ridge Church weekly podcast. 00:00:22.780 --> 00:00:25.880 This is where you can find audio for our current and past sermons. 00:00:26.100 --> 00:00:30.420 We hope that you enjoy this week's installment, and be sure to check back next week to hear 00:00:30.420 --> 00:00:31.260 the latest message. 00:00:31.680 --> 00:00:32.460 Thanks for listening. 00:00:46.580 --> 00:00:47.560 Well, good morning. 00:00:48.780 --> 00:00:50.120 Hope y'all are doing all right. 00:00:50.180 --> 00:00:51.200 Hold on one second. 00:00:52.120 --> 00:00:52.740 There we go. 00:00:52.740 --> 00:00:55.660 If you've got your Bibles, open up to Luke chapter 14. 00:00:56.100 --> 00:00:57.840 That's where we're going to be this morning. 00:00:58.780 --> 00:01:05.480 I want to share with you guys, seated right here during that last song, and then standing 00:01:05.480 --> 00:01:11.520 up here during that last song, and just hearing the people of God singing the hope of God was 00:01:11.520 --> 00:01:13.680 just a beautiful, beautiful piece. 00:01:13.840 --> 00:01:21.420 And so while I know that the songs that we sing are not designed to be projected at any individual 00:01:21.420 --> 00:01:26.180 here, right, they're all being declared toward God, just the beauty of what that was, just 00:01:26.180 --> 00:01:27.320 touched and blessed my heart. 00:01:27.440 --> 00:01:32.520 And so thank you as you proclaimed the hope and praise that we have in Christ. 00:01:32.820 --> 00:01:34.380 Thank you that it blessed my heart. 00:01:34.720 --> 00:01:37.780 Well, if you've got your Bibles, we're going to be in Luke 14 today. 00:01:37.880 --> 00:01:41.360 We're going to continue on in our series in the Gospel of Luke. 00:01:41.480 --> 00:01:45.560 And I hope that you're, as we're going through this, we've been in this since before Christmas 00:01:45.560 --> 00:01:47.200 time, and we're keeping on plugging along. 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:51.780 I hope you've been able to seek and kind of feel through, and I've tried to point these 00:01:51.780 --> 00:01:57.180 out, that occasionally we hit these themes that kind of stand out and jump out to us. 00:01:57.300 --> 00:01:59.220 And we've gone through a lot of those. 00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:04.020 For the last couple of weeks, we talked about the concept of repentance, of Jesus calling 00:02:04.020 --> 00:02:08.720 life, and what life looks like if it's going to be experienced in Christ, that it's going 00:02:08.720 --> 00:02:12.820 to be found in repentance to Him in order to follow Him. 00:02:12.820 --> 00:02:18.260 And we're going to kind of continue on with that as we continue on this morning. 00:02:18.440 --> 00:02:21.100 Now, kind of a recap from all the way back from December. 00:02:21.200 --> 00:02:24.500 Don't worry, I'm not going to walk through the first 13 chapters, but the origination 00:02:24.500 --> 00:02:27.060 of this Gospel, of who it was written toward. 00:02:27.560 --> 00:02:33.940 Sometimes we can read the Bible and we think that everything was written to a church or for 00:02:33.940 --> 00:02:37.480 theological study or for a historical account. 00:02:37.480 --> 00:02:42.300 But it's important for us to know that the Gospel of Luke was a letter that was going to 00:02:42.300 --> 00:02:44.760 be written and addressed to an individual. 00:02:45.760 --> 00:02:51.420 And it was going to go to the churches, just as it's going to the churches today, but that 00:02:51.420 --> 00:02:57.480 its original intent, as Luke penned this, was going to be to an individual, a man by the 00:02:57.480 --> 00:02:58.620 name of Theophilus. 00:02:58.980 --> 00:03:05.020 And so as this was written, those very specific reasons that are found in the very beginning 00:03:05.020 --> 00:03:12.020 of the Gospel of Luke, that this was written so that Theophilus may hold certain to all 00:03:12.020 --> 00:03:16.100 of those things that he's heard or been taught about Jesus. 00:03:17.060 --> 00:03:23.420 And so what we find in here, the reason why I love the Gospel of Luke is because there's 00:03:23.420 --> 00:03:29.660 a very simplicity of application that happens, it's because Theophilus, you've heard who 00:03:29.660 --> 00:03:35.500 Jesus is, because you're believing correctly about who Jesus is, that the Gospel is something 00:03:35.500 --> 00:03:39.200 that transforms us and that we put it into practice. 00:03:39.320 --> 00:03:43.780 So there's a very practical essence of the Gospel of Luke that we see. 00:03:44.120 --> 00:03:50.580 And so as we're going through this, this is part of what you and I need to hold as true. 00:03:51.060 --> 00:03:55.860 Now there's something else that happens in the Gospel of Luke. 00:03:56.820 --> 00:04:03.500 There's moments and times where I refer to it as Jesus shrinks the crowd, that there are 00:04:03.500 --> 00:04:10.360 people who are there and there's some masses that are following Jesus and He shrinks the 00:04:10.360 --> 00:04:10.720 crowd. 00:04:11.820 --> 00:04:12.920 They want to follow Him. 00:04:12.960 --> 00:04:14.960 They want to hear some teaching of His. 00:04:14.960 --> 00:04:22.060 And Jesus begins to go on a true teaching part for Him of saying like, hey, this is what 00:04:22.060 --> 00:04:23.240 it looks like to follow me. 00:04:23.280 --> 00:04:29.860 He talks about things with struggles and with suffering and it's not the most open message. 00:04:31.220 --> 00:04:33.280 It's not the easiest message. 00:04:34.560 --> 00:04:40.300 It's not the message that at the heart as you look at it, help takes a skeptic and say, well, 00:04:40.320 --> 00:04:40.900 this is easy. 00:04:40.980 --> 00:04:42.740 Come on and chase this with me. 00:04:43.560 --> 00:04:48.080 And that's what we're going to find here in Luke 14 this morning. 00:04:48.920 --> 00:04:55.820 Where Jesus is going to continue on by establishing what it means to follow Him, of what this is 00:04:55.820 --> 00:04:59.420 going to look like, of what this pursuit is going to be. 00:05:00.340 --> 00:05:04.860 And He's going to do this by teaching through a set of parables. 00:05:06.080 --> 00:05:11.760 And you and I are going to be reflective of this at the end of the message by partaking 00:05:11.760 --> 00:05:13.120 in the Lord's Supper together. 00:05:13.960 --> 00:05:19.880 You know, right before COVID hit, we had started, I tried to find the new word that doesn't embrace 00:05:19.880 --> 00:05:20.600 legalism. 00:05:20.600 --> 00:05:25.460 And so I'll say a new practice for our church of partaking of the Lord's Supper together 00:05:25.460 --> 00:05:27.400 at the first Sunday of every month. 00:05:28.040 --> 00:05:31.020 And we've hit a point to where we can do that again together. 00:05:31.220 --> 00:05:34.840 So at the end of the message, we'll conclude by partaking together. 00:05:34.960 --> 00:05:39.240 And if you didn't grab one as you came in, they're at the back of the auditorium and please 00:05:39.240 --> 00:05:43.400 go back now and get one so that you can take part of this with us. 00:05:44.400 --> 00:05:49.460 But it's the practical nature of the gospel of what that looks like in our lives. 00:05:50.160 --> 00:05:53.160 And Jesus is going to do this by the telling of some parables. 00:05:53.280 --> 00:05:57.800 So we're going to look at all those as a whole where last week we looked at one parable and 00:05:57.800 --> 00:05:59.080 really focused in on that. 00:05:59.180 --> 00:06:01.500 We're going to look at a series of them today. 00:06:01.620 --> 00:06:06.580 But I think what's important for us to know the setting in which Jesus begins to tell these 00:06:06.580 --> 00:06:09.300 is that the ruler of the Pharisee's house. 00:06:10.200 --> 00:06:12.800 So this is an influential individual. 00:06:13.700 --> 00:06:19.020 This is a person who, during the time, during the day of Jesus' ministry, this would have 00:06:19.020 --> 00:06:23.800 been a huge win, strategically speaking, for the gospel. 00:06:24.760 --> 00:06:30.620 This would have been a huge win, strategically speaking, for the movement of God during the 00:06:30.620 --> 00:06:31.200 time. 00:06:31.760 --> 00:06:39.800 This would have been a great opportunity for Jesus to kind of lessen it a little bit so that 00:06:39.800 --> 00:06:44.560 more influence, more power, more credibility could come. 00:06:45.900 --> 00:06:53.720 But instead of that, Jesus continues to proclaim the truth of what he's been saying. 00:06:54.760 --> 00:06:58.100 And in doing so, he shrinks the following. 00:06:59.260 --> 00:07:03.820 This is something common that we see in the life of Christ, all the way back to the rich 00:07:03.820 --> 00:07:04.360 young ruler. 00:07:05.180 --> 00:07:09.500 When he comes to Jesus and says that he wants to follow Jesus, and what is Jesus' response? 00:07:09.800 --> 00:07:13.580 Well, if you want to follow me, I know you define yourself by these things. 00:07:13.900 --> 00:07:15.520 Go and sell all you have. 00:07:15.800 --> 00:07:17.420 Give it to the poor and follow me. 00:07:18.440 --> 00:07:24.200 And then the rich young ruler, Scripture tells us, walked away sad because he knew how much 00:07:24.200 --> 00:07:29.720 he loved his possessions and his money of what he decided was going to define him. 00:07:30.280 --> 00:07:35.920 And this is one of those moments where Jesus cuts to the heart of the individuals in the 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:40.920 room and begins to address the struggles who were there. 00:07:41.600 --> 00:07:48.460 And it all begins as a group of individuals are seated around a table. 00:07:49.420 --> 00:07:53.720 Now, these individuals that are seated around their table, they seat themselves in the way 00:07:53.720 --> 00:07:59.660 that culture requires, that culture calls for, the customary practice to do so. 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:05.580 Now, I've never been to like a highfalutin, right, dinner with something like this. 00:08:05.780 --> 00:08:09.040 I've never been a guest of honor in something like this. 00:08:09.120 --> 00:08:12.280 But I did grow up having Sunday dinner at my aunt's house. 00:08:13.040 --> 00:08:18.980 And I knew all the way back to then and thinking through now, when I walked into her house, 00:08:19.300 --> 00:08:22.060 there were seats that weren't intended for me. 00:08:22.740 --> 00:08:25.340 There were seats of honor for different individuals. 00:08:25.440 --> 00:08:28.680 And maybe you grew up or even still in a house like that. 00:08:28.680 --> 00:08:32.900 I'll be honest with you, still a little bit of me when people come over to my house and 00:08:32.900 --> 00:08:37.260 they sit down in my brain like I've got like, no, that's my seat because I can see the TV 00:08:37.260 --> 00:08:38.360 clearly from right here. 00:08:38.440 --> 00:08:40.460 So, right, I'm going to need you to move over. 00:08:40.520 --> 00:08:41.360 My wife won't let me. 00:08:41.420 --> 00:08:42.640 And that's where we end up, right? 00:08:42.680 --> 00:08:43.600 But we got those. 00:08:43.740 --> 00:08:44.820 We've got those traditions. 00:08:45.280 --> 00:08:51.180 At my aunt's house, the table in the kitchen was reserved for the older individuals in the 00:08:51.180 --> 00:08:51.580 family. 00:08:52.220 --> 00:08:53.960 They were the most comfortable chairs. 00:08:54.600 --> 00:08:55.760 It was the most comfortable table. 00:08:56.140 --> 00:08:59.880 It was the closest to the food, less distance that they had to travel. 00:09:00.500 --> 00:09:03.480 I've never in my life sat at that table, right? 00:09:04.140 --> 00:09:07.160 Then there was the table that was on the screened-in back porch. 00:09:07.520 --> 00:09:10.720 That was the card tables with the folding chairs. 00:09:11.260 --> 00:09:12.840 The card tables were steady. 00:09:13.040 --> 00:09:15.180 The folding chairs were steady. 00:09:15.320 --> 00:09:21.260 And those were for the older teenagers and the adults and their friends. 00:09:21.580 --> 00:09:22.740 And so that's where they would go. 00:09:23.340 --> 00:09:28.660 But all of us who were really young at the time, I think by the time the family had moved 00:09:28.660 --> 00:09:31.900 to different areas, it was like I was probably eight years old. 00:09:32.640 --> 00:09:38.640 And when we would go to eat, we would get our plate of food last and we would have adventure 00:09:38.640 --> 00:09:39.860 eating, right? 00:09:39.860 --> 00:09:46.820 So I would like sit on the corner of the recliner while I had my plate positioned on the end 00:09:46.820 --> 00:09:50.740 of a night table while being told, no matter what, you better not spill anything, right? 00:09:51.200 --> 00:09:52.260 That's where we were. 00:09:52.980 --> 00:09:59.560 And so imagine if that's you, like Jesus is in that setting and he's in the kitchen and 00:09:59.560 --> 00:10:02.220 he's got everybody that's surrounding them. 00:10:03.360 --> 00:10:07.740 And the younger parents' table was out there because they know where they're supposed to 00:10:07.740 --> 00:10:07.960 sit. 00:10:08.840 --> 00:10:13.800 And in the living room and in the den, that's where the kids are all positioned. 00:10:14.900 --> 00:10:21.380 And Jesus is sitting amongst the people who were set in the places of honor. 00:10:22.100 --> 00:10:23.420 They've earned their spot. 00:10:24.320 --> 00:10:25.980 They lived in their tradition. 00:10:26.700 --> 00:10:32.600 They know what's required of them and they've established themselves in their works and in 00:10:32.600 --> 00:10:34.300 their works alone. 00:10:36.460 --> 00:10:42.400 And Jesus looks and says, hey, when you're invited to a wedding feast, do not come in and 00:10:42.400 --> 00:10:44.860 take the seat of the place of most honor. 00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:50.280 Jesus says, instead, go and sit at the lowest seat. 00:10:51.140 --> 00:10:57.300 Don't walk in and sit where people know from you where your title is where you're supposed 00:10:57.300 --> 00:10:57.680 to be. 00:10:58.000 --> 00:10:59.940 Instead, go sit in the den. 00:11:01.120 --> 00:11:05.720 Go get on the corner of the recliner and get the edge of the table. 00:11:06.540 --> 00:11:11.520 And if you do this, the host may come up and say, no, no, no. 00:11:12.380 --> 00:11:14.220 This is where you think you should be. 00:11:14.900 --> 00:11:16.760 This is where you've chosen to be. 00:11:17.260 --> 00:11:19.300 This is where you've positioned yourself. 00:11:19.720 --> 00:11:23.420 But come with me so that I can elevate where you sit. 00:11:24.060 --> 00:11:29.600 The host at that time says, come with me so that I can elevate your standing. 00:11:30.400 --> 00:11:35.740 As we look through taking the gospel of Jesus Christ and the application for that in our 00:11:35.740 --> 00:11:39.560 life, the first thing that I want us to see this morning in the heart of this parable 00:11:39.560 --> 00:11:42.540 that Jesus teaches us is embracing humility. 00:11:43.460 --> 00:11:45.140 That's what it's called for us. 00:11:46.020 --> 00:11:48.780 Jesus at the very end in verse 11 says this. 00:11:49.420 --> 00:12:04.860 She says, look, if you position yourself in your life by this is what I'm owed, this is 00:12:04.860 --> 00:12:09.420 what I'm deserved, this is what I've earned, you in that mindset will be humbled. 00:12:10.180 --> 00:12:15.800 But those who live in the confidence of grace alone, those who understand they're unworthy 00:12:15.800 --> 00:12:21.700 of the calling that God's given them, those that rest and trust in who Christ is and Christ 00:12:21.700 --> 00:12:23.540 alone, they will be exalted. 00:12:24.620 --> 00:12:30.940 You know, when we think of humility in our humility is a positive word that we talk about with even 00:12:30.940 --> 00:12:35.700 within our culture, but it's very rarely, rarely applied. 00:12:36.320 --> 00:12:45.000 And in fact, within our world, within our life, it's very rarely something that's encouraged because 00:12:45.000 --> 00:12:48.320 we have a misunderstanding of what humility is. 00:12:49.000 --> 00:12:53.880 We think of humility as beating yourself up, speaking down about yourself, but that's not 00:12:53.880 --> 00:12:54.700 humility at all. 00:12:55.260 --> 00:13:00.780 Humility is not thinking of less of yourself, but humility is thinking of yourself less. 00:13:01.320 --> 00:13:06.820 The heart of the commandment that Jesus calls us to, to love God and to love others. 00:13:07.140 --> 00:13:08.620 Where am I in that? 00:13:09.380 --> 00:13:09.900 I'm not. 00:13:11.900 --> 00:13:18.960 In humility, it's difficult for us because it's the opposite bent of the world in which 00:13:18.960 --> 00:13:19.440 we live. 00:13:20.440 --> 00:13:25.720 Yeah, on the side, we'll, we'll praise the people who are humble at work and humble in 00:13:25.720 --> 00:13:29.100 sports and humble in all of those other things that we think of. 00:13:29.900 --> 00:13:35.760 But yet at the same time, we feed a mindset of go and get yours, take what you deserved, fight 00:13:35.760 --> 00:13:38.320 for what you long for and what you desire. 00:13:39.180 --> 00:13:48.500 But Jesus, embracing power and calling and authority, embraced humility at the same time. 00:13:49.520 --> 00:13:55.160 That he came to this earth as the King of kings and the Lord of lords, but yet he was the earthly 00:13:55.160 --> 00:13:59.420 son of a virgin teenager and a carpenter. 00:14:00.440 --> 00:14:04.780 We think, we know that Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, but yet he wasn't 00:14:04.780 --> 00:14:11.260 born at a, at a hotel, he wasn't born in a hospital, he wasn't born in a home, but instead he was 00:14:11.260 --> 00:14:15.040 born in a manger, surrounded by animals. 00:14:16.580 --> 00:14:21.740 Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, but, but wasn't welcomed with a parade of influential 00:14:21.740 --> 00:14:25.380 people, but was instead welcomed by shepherds. 00:14:26.840 --> 00:14:32.540 Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, but didn't leave there to take his throne in 00:14:32.540 --> 00:14:33.000 Jerusalem. 00:14:34.280 --> 00:14:39.960 But Jesus of Nazareth went out into the rural areas and began to spread the hope of the gospel. 00:14:41.320 --> 00:14:47.260 Jesus, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, as he's currently making his journey to Jerusalem, 00:14:47.400 --> 00:14:53.320 would not establish his kingdom by the might of armies, but by the blood he would spill on the 00:14:53.320 --> 00:15:05.800 cross of Calvary. Thinking of himself less while thinking of others. I read an author this week, 00:15:05.800 --> 00:15:11.520 and I really love this, of what humility causes us to do when we embrace this in our life. 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:17.020 It causes us, he says, to take our eyes off of ourself and place them on God and others. 00:15:17.980 --> 00:15:21.240 He said, all too often we walk around this world looking into a mirror, 00:15:22.380 --> 00:15:27.920 focusing on ourself and ourself alone, but the gospel causes us to remove the mirror and instead 00:15:27.920 --> 00:15:34.200 to keep our eyes focused on God and our eyes focused on others. And I love the picture of what 00:15:34.200 --> 00:15:42.120 Jesus gives. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be 00:15:42.120 --> 00:15:49.440 exalted. So Jesus begins his hair in another parable. Jesus kind of set the mood or the tone in the room. 00:15:50.440 --> 00:15:58.320 He turns the apple cart over. He upsets the norm. But then he tells another one. Now seated in that 00:15:58.320 --> 00:16:05.660 room at that table with Jesus are men of influence and power who all have come and all have shown up 00:16:05.660 --> 00:16:11.140 because they've been called to by someone who they feel is greater than them as the ruler of the 00:16:11.140 --> 00:16:17.480 Pharisees. So Jesus tells another one. He says that a man gave a banquet. And the scripture tells us that he 00:16:17.480 --> 00:16:23.420 invited a lot of people. And he sent his servant out to let everyone know that everything is ready. So 00:16:23.420 --> 00:16:29.740 this was new for me as you understand this, right? During the time of Jesus, you didn't necessarily 00:16:29.740 --> 00:16:34.600 have a watch, right, where you could go and you could say, well, it's six o'clock. We better head to the 00:16:34.600 --> 00:16:39.980 party that we've invited to. So if you're invited to a party on the day of the party, you would continue 00:16:39.980 --> 00:16:46.400 to do everything that you needed to do in anticipation that at some point in time, you were going to be 00:16:46.400 --> 00:16:52.580 summoned for the party. And when the master, when the person who was throwing the party was ready for 00:16:52.580 --> 00:16:59.360 everyone to come, he would send out his servants to let everyone know so that they could stop all that 00:16:59.360 --> 00:17:05.440 they were doing to come and be a part of the party, to come and be a part of the banquet. And so Jesus 00:17:05.440 --> 00:17:11.800 says, this is what this master has done. He sent his servants out. Everything's ready. The table was set. 00:17:12.180 --> 00:17:22.160 The food has been prepared. Come and enjoy. But instead of them coming, what began to happen is the people 00:17:22.160 --> 00:17:29.340 began to make excuses. We're sorry we can't come. We have different obligations that we have to 00:17:29.340 --> 00:17:37.460 fulfill. Some were work obligations. Some were family obligations. Some were financial obligations. 00:17:38.360 --> 00:17:45.300 And what began to happen is all the people who had been invited, none of them arrived. 00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:51.980 What I want us to look at this morning and this continuum of the application of the gospel is this. 00:17:52.600 --> 00:17:57.480 You and I, if we're going to be serious with our walk with the Lord, we have to move past excuses. 00:17:59.320 --> 00:18:04.360 You know, the Bible doesn't say that they had obligations, but the words of Luke as he penned this 00:18:04.360 --> 00:18:06.920 were excuses. Look at verse 18. 00:18:08.440 --> 00:18:15.000 But they all alike began to make excuses. Now, let's pause here for just a second, right? Parents, you know 00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:21.320 what he's getting at, right? These aren't good reasons. This isn't communicated understanding. 00:18:22.400 --> 00:18:29.640 This is explaining away a bad behavior. They all began to make excuses. The first said to him, 00:18:30.140 --> 00:18:38.680 I've bought a field and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused. And another said, I've bought 00:18:38.680 --> 00:18:48.940 five yoke of oxen and I go to examine them. Please have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife 00:18:48.940 --> 00:18:58.360 wife. And therefore, I cannot come. They all come with excuses. They all come with things in their life that 00:18:58.360 --> 00:19:06.120 they said, it's more important than the banquet that I've been invited to. And so I choose to reject 00:19:06.120 --> 00:19:13.420 based off of who I am. So Jesus continues telling the parable. The servant came and he told the master. 00:19:15.320 --> 00:19:17.920 And Jesus' words were the master became angry. 00:19:19.300 --> 00:19:28.040 And he said then, go bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. Go out into the roads, 00:19:28.300 --> 00:19:34.940 the hedges, the highways, and bring those who are passing by because the banquet will continue. 00:19:35.300 --> 00:19:42.400 The party will push on. That those who have rejected, have rejected what was laid before them, 00:19:42.500 --> 00:19:49.100 but there are those who are going to live in the benefit of the master. Now there's parts of this 00:19:49.100 --> 00:19:54.000 that you and I have to wrestle with that I'm not sure that my brain fully understands, 00:19:54.360 --> 00:20:01.260 but a truth of this rings true today. And I want you to think through this. In this very difficult 00:20:01.260 --> 00:20:07.360 parable that Jesus gives us is the great banquet. There becomes a point in time in this banquet 00:20:07.360 --> 00:20:11.880 for those who are invited, the master moves on from. 00:20:13.880 --> 00:20:19.040 It says there was a seat, but there's now someone else who's going to fulfill it. 00:20:20.080 --> 00:20:26.100 There's now someone else who's going to take this seat. You've rejected, and you've rejected, 00:20:26.100 --> 00:20:30.160 and you've rejected, but they have not. 00:20:32.020 --> 00:20:33.660 You know, as we think about the application 00:20:33.660 --> 00:20:39.580 of this in the gospel, as Luke would pin this to Theophilus, 00:20:40.400 --> 00:20:45.100 as I studied it this week, and the Holy Spirit working and moving in my heart, 00:20:45.960 --> 00:20:50.840 as I pray that as you hear this morning, the pursuits of yours as well. 00:20:51.980 --> 00:20:56.540 My fear, my concern, my prayer is this. 00:20:57.440 --> 00:20:58.720 Don't miss the invitation. 00:21:00.080 --> 00:21:01.520 Don't miss the invitation. 00:21:02.840 --> 00:21:08.500 Don't let the pursuits of this world, don't let the stuff that you and I think are good, 00:21:08.500 --> 00:21:12.980 cause us to miss out on the banquet that we've been summoned to. 00:21:13.480 --> 00:21:20.940 Because there are individuals in here who said yes to all of the things that they want to say yes to, 00:21:21.100 --> 00:21:23.460 and as a result, are saying no to Jesus. 00:21:24.320 --> 00:21:31.460 And here's what I find so many times in the life of individuals who say they are followers of Christ is this. 00:21:31.580 --> 00:21:33.600 We're good at saying yes. 00:21:35.220 --> 00:21:38.020 We're good at saying yes to everything else. 00:21:39.080 --> 00:21:40.940 We're good at saying yes to family. 00:21:41.640 --> 00:21:43.620 We're good at saying yes to financial. 00:21:44.260 --> 00:21:46.740 We're good at saying yes to work. 00:21:47.220 --> 00:21:49.060 We're good at saying yes to hobbies. 00:21:49.400 --> 00:21:53.260 We're good at saying yes to everything that we want to do. 00:21:53.520 --> 00:21:59.100 And as a result of that, where you and I oftentimes find ourselves is we're really good at saying no to Jesus. 00:22:02.380 --> 00:22:10.420 I'm going to ask you, look at your calendar. 00:22:13.540 --> 00:22:14.640 Look at your calendar. 00:22:16.140 --> 00:22:18.600 See how many things that we say yes to. 00:22:20.120 --> 00:22:26.680 And see how many times, as a result of saying yes to everything out here, 00:22:27.520 --> 00:22:30.920 we say no to Jesus. 00:22:32.580 --> 00:22:37.220 I'm not talking about filling your life with religious obligations. 00:22:38.880 --> 00:22:44.160 But what I am talking about is saying no to the King of kings and the Lord of lords. 00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:49.140 And does that reveal more of your heart than you think it does? 00:22:50.420 --> 00:22:58.280 Here's the thing that I believe that Jesus is trying to get this group of men who are seated around this table. 00:22:59.540 --> 00:23:03.780 Here's what I think Luke is passionately pouring out to Theophilus. 00:23:04.540 --> 00:23:08.940 That I wrestled with this week and that I hope that you begin to wrestle with, 00:23:09.020 --> 00:23:10.580 if not so already today, is this. 00:23:10.680 --> 00:23:12.340 That following Jesus isn't easy. 00:23:13.560 --> 00:23:14.980 Following Jesus isn't simple. 00:23:17.180 --> 00:23:25.160 So many times in our life, what we want is we want Jesus to fix all the things that are broken, 00:23:25.660 --> 00:23:28.780 but then we continue to live in what we break. 00:23:30.020 --> 00:23:33.900 We continue to live in the chaos and sin of our life. 00:23:34.500 --> 00:23:41.380 So many times we want to follow Jesus and we want our eternity secured and we want our struggles to change, 00:23:41.680 --> 00:23:46.040 but everything else that we want in our life, we want it to stay the same. 00:23:46.320 --> 00:23:52.000 And Jesus looks at all of them and says, if you're going to follow me, things got to be different. 00:23:53.280 --> 00:23:55.060 I know you got a family obligation. 00:23:56.320 --> 00:23:58.280 I know you got a financial obligation. 00:23:59.580 --> 00:24:02.200 I know that you've got a work obligation. 00:24:03.240 --> 00:24:06.920 But don't put it in comparison to Jesus. 00:24:08.920 --> 00:24:11.640 Don't miss the opportunity. 00:24:13.200 --> 00:24:16.200 You see, in our life, we want to add Jesus to things. 00:24:17.460 --> 00:24:19.840 We want to add Jesus to the same loves. 00:24:19.940 --> 00:24:22.280 We want to add Jesus to the same pursuits. 00:24:22.600 --> 00:24:24.900 We want to add Jesus to the same mindsets. 00:24:25.080 --> 00:24:26.460 And it just doesn't work that way. 00:24:27.520 --> 00:24:28.740 Following Jesus isn't easy. 00:24:30.360 --> 00:24:31.660 Look down at verse 25. 00:24:33.660 --> 00:24:40.980 Now, let's pause here for a minute, all right? 00:24:41.840 --> 00:24:42.880 So the crowd again. 00:24:43.740 --> 00:24:44.560 Jesus is going to shrink it. 00:24:45.740 --> 00:24:46.720 Jesus is going to shrink it. 00:24:47.600 --> 00:24:48.400 Verse 26. 00:24:48.400 --> 00:24:57.180 If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, 00:24:57.960 --> 00:25:01.740 yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 00:25:02.420 --> 00:25:09.900 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 00:25:10.120 --> 00:25:11.140 Now, I want to be honest with you. 00:25:11.180 --> 00:25:14.120 I've preached this passage of Scripture more times than I can remember. 00:25:15.120 --> 00:25:22.020 And this is one of those passages of Scripture that if I had my sinful preferences, I'd just skip right over every time, right? 00:25:22.700 --> 00:25:25.640 Even maybe like cut and paste, let's get this out of here. 00:25:25.640 --> 00:25:30.200 Because this is a hard passage of Scripture for us to wrestle with, all right? 00:25:30.400 --> 00:25:38.060 Now, number one, if you're getting ready to send your mama a text, that preacher says, all right, got to hate you, follow Jesus, don't do that, all right? 00:25:38.760 --> 00:25:42.080 This is not a call of family hatred. 00:25:42.760 --> 00:25:48.220 This is not a call to exclude yourself from the individuals in your life. 00:25:48.320 --> 00:25:51.100 This is not a call to hate yourself. 00:25:51.100 --> 00:25:57.960 But what this is a call, and I think I use this every single time I preach on this passage of Scripture, 00:25:58.180 --> 00:26:01.840 this is a call to examine your list. 00:26:02.740 --> 00:26:04.420 This is a call to see. 00:26:04.720 --> 00:26:06.260 Jesus isn't saying, 00:26:06.780 --> 00:26:14.400 hate your dad, hate your mom, hate your children, hate your brothers and your sisters, hate yourself. 00:26:15.820 --> 00:26:18.060 What Jesus is saying is this, 00:26:18.440 --> 00:26:22.340 that in comparison with me, 00:26:23.520 --> 00:26:29.080 that in your life that I'm free of everything else. 00:26:29.540 --> 00:26:30.460 Think about it this way. 00:26:33.160 --> 00:26:37.080 You and I, when we place what we call our priorities, 00:26:38.080 --> 00:26:40.560 and oftentimes I think it is good intentioned people, 00:26:40.760 --> 00:26:42.740 but we think through these and what it communicates. 00:26:43.620 --> 00:26:44.600 We say, you know what? 00:26:44.660 --> 00:26:45.540 Jesus, number one. 00:26:47.740 --> 00:26:48.980 My wife, number two. 00:26:50.180 --> 00:26:51.520 My kids, number three. 00:26:52.400 --> 00:26:53.740 My church, number four. 00:26:54.700 --> 00:26:56.100 My neighbors, number five. 00:26:56.180 --> 00:26:57.240 My friends, number six. 00:26:57.360 --> 00:26:58.780 My hobbies, number seven. 00:26:58.920 --> 00:27:03.720 And we begin to go through our life and rate all of these things. 00:27:04.280 --> 00:27:06.860 And at the heart and the core of the gospel, 00:27:07.220 --> 00:27:09.680 what God is communicating to us is this. 00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:11.440 Get Jesus off the list. 00:27:12.960 --> 00:27:14.940 Remove him from your list. 00:27:15.680 --> 00:27:23.580 That the king of kings and lord of lords is greater than any list that you and I can create on our own. 00:27:25.880 --> 00:27:27.220 So he says in comparison, 00:27:28.520 --> 00:27:30.220 this is what this life looks like. 00:27:30.800 --> 00:27:32.020 This is what this is. 00:27:33.080 --> 00:27:37.320 And I love what Jesus is dealing with in these parables and in these passages of scripture. 00:27:38.400 --> 00:27:40.820 Jesus doesn't even deal with jobs, hobbies, and friendships, 00:27:41.040 --> 00:27:42.700 which most of us struggle with. 00:27:42.700 --> 00:27:46.180 He cuts right to the core and says, 00:27:46.320 --> 00:27:49.840 your eyes have to be locked in on me and on me alone. 00:27:51.180 --> 00:27:53.220 And he looks at the crowd that's around him. 00:27:54.180 --> 00:27:58.020 This is in order to follow me, bear your cross. 00:27:59.220 --> 00:28:02.720 You see, in order to follow Jesus, there is a cost. 00:28:04.020 --> 00:28:05.500 Jesus continues on teaching. 00:28:06.720 --> 00:28:07.660 Verse 28. 00:28:09.660 --> 00:28:10.320 He says, 00:28:10.320 --> 00:28:12.460 For which of you desiring to build a tower 00:28:12.460 --> 00:28:15.900 does not first sit down and count the cost, 00:28:16.060 --> 00:28:18.800 whether he has enough to complete it? 00:28:19.920 --> 00:28:23.080 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, 00:28:23.240 --> 00:28:26.420 all who see it begin to mock him, 00:28:27.260 --> 00:28:27.440 saying, 00:28:27.520 --> 00:28:30.180 This man began to build and was not able to finish. 00:28:30.780 --> 00:28:33.900 Or what king going out to encounter another king in war 00:28:33.900 --> 00:28:36.020 will not sit down first and deliberate 00:28:36.020 --> 00:28:39.460 whether he is able with 10,000 men to meet him 00:28:39.460 --> 00:28:41.300 who comes against him with 20,000. 00:28:41.300 --> 00:28:44.360 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, 00:28:44.520 --> 00:28:47.100 he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 00:28:47.700 --> 00:28:52.360 So therefore, any of you who does not renounce all that he has 00:28:52.360 --> 00:28:54.880 cannot be my disciple. 00:28:55.660 --> 00:28:56.400 Jesus says, 00:28:56.480 --> 00:28:58.840 Look, there's a cost in following me. 00:28:59.680 --> 00:29:02.080 Jesus is not like another credit card 00:29:02.080 --> 00:29:03.440 to just put in our pocket 00:29:03.440 --> 00:29:05.220 to be able to pull out when we need him. 00:29:05.920 --> 00:29:08.480 Jesus isn't another activity to add to the schedule. 00:29:08.720 --> 00:29:10.280 He's not another name on the list. 00:29:10.460 --> 00:29:11.960 He's not another box to check 00:29:11.960 --> 00:29:13.620 that when we come to Jesus, 00:29:13.800 --> 00:29:14.440 he says, 00:29:14.660 --> 00:29:15.320 Count the cost 00:29:15.320 --> 00:29:16.940 because if you're going to follow after me, 00:29:17.260 --> 00:29:18.800 everything that I am 00:29:18.800 --> 00:29:19.760 has to penetrate 00:29:19.760 --> 00:29:21.940 every aspect of your life. 00:29:22.340 --> 00:29:23.260 Count the cost. 00:29:23.260 --> 00:29:25.240 It's going to cost you something. 00:29:26.320 --> 00:29:28.560 And the great litmus test that we look through, 00:29:29.140 --> 00:29:30.120 that we examine, 00:29:30.540 --> 00:29:33.040 is can you see that cost in your life? 00:29:34.180 --> 00:29:36.340 When we examine our world, 00:29:36.640 --> 00:29:38.640 as Luke writes to Theophilus, 00:29:38.780 --> 00:29:41.020 as he examines his life with the Lord, 00:29:41.240 --> 00:29:44.640 do you see the effect of the cost of Jesus 00:29:44.640 --> 00:29:47.260 in your life? 00:29:48.400 --> 00:29:49.080 He says, 00:29:49.080 --> 00:29:49.620 Because if not, 00:29:50.820 --> 00:29:52.800 it's like a man who began to build something. 00:29:53.700 --> 00:29:54.980 But he couldn't finish. 00:29:56.140 --> 00:29:58.580 It's like a king who heads off to war 00:29:58.580 --> 00:30:02.080 without understanding what it's going to take from him. 00:30:03.300 --> 00:30:03.860 And Jesus says, 00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:06.700 We have to count the cost. 00:30:08.500 --> 00:30:11.880 Church, my prayer for you and for myself, 00:30:12.880 --> 00:30:14.880 this week on my knees, 00:30:15.000 --> 00:30:17.640 taking some examinations of my own life 00:30:17.640 --> 00:30:20.320 through the power and the conviction of the Holy Spirit, 00:30:20.320 --> 00:30:23.540 is what am I letting go of 00:30:23.540 --> 00:30:29.820 so that God can continue to fill the voids and spaces of my life? 00:30:30.760 --> 00:30:32.420 Of counting the cost 00:30:32.420 --> 00:30:36.100 of understanding what it means to follow Jesus 00:30:36.100 --> 00:30:37.500 in Jesus alone. 00:30:38.780 --> 00:30:42.140 I want us to understand this before we wrap up. 00:30:43.320 --> 00:30:44.360 Counting the cost 00:30:44.360 --> 00:30:47.100 is not about repaying Jesus. 00:30:48.340 --> 00:30:50.420 That's not what Jesus is getting to. 00:30:51.500 --> 00:30:52.580 Jesus isn't saying 00:30:52.580 --> 00:30:54.300 by counting the cost 00:30:54.300 --> 00:30:55.500 and paying back 00:30:55.500 --> 00:30:57.480 that you then will earn what's there. 00:30:58.560 --> 00:30:59.780 Because if that were the case, 00:30:59.820 --> 00:31:00.640 it wouldn't be grace. 00:31:01.600 --> 00:31:03.400 We'd be saved by our works. 00:31:04.100 --> 00:31:05.240 And the Bible is clear. 00:31:05.380 --> 00:31:07.560 We're saved by grace through faith alone. 00:31:08.520 --> 00:31:09.840 It's not about repaying. 00:31:10.920 --> 00:31:13.100 It's not about what's due from us. 00:31:14.520 --> 00:31:15.820 Counting the cost, though, 00:31:16.680 --> 00:31:17.880 is about responding 00:31:17.880 --> 00:31:20.220 to what Christ has done for you. 00:31:21.200 --> 00:31:23.720 As we sit here in just a moment, 00:31:25.180 --> 00:31:27.020 and as we open this together, 00:31:28.600 --> 00:31:30.220 and as we take part 00:31:30.220 --> 00:31:33.040 of the elements of the Lord's Supper, 00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:36.160 it's not about repaying 00:31:36.160 --> 00:31:38.140 because we can't repay, 00:31:38.880 --> 00:31:40.620 but it's about responding. 00:31:41.760 --> 00:31:43.460 It's about responding to the fact 00:31:43.460 --> 00:31:45.480 that this little wafer that we've got 00:31:45.480 --> 00:31:48.180 represents the body of Christ 00:31:48.180 --> 00:31:50.120 that was sacrificed 00:31:50.120 --> 00:31:52.420 to pay the penalty 00:31:52.420 --> 00:31:53.760 that you and I 00:31:53.760 --> 00:31:55.040 should pay for ourselves. 00:31:56.240 --> 00:31:58.300 But it was paid on our behalf. 00:31:59.620 --> 00:32:01.780 And so the penalty is taken away. 00:32:03.080 --> 00:32:04.500 It's about responding 00:32:04.500 --> 00:32:06.460 to the blood of Jesus 00:32:06.460 --> 00:32:08.140 that we see in this cup of juice. 00:32:09.220 --> 00:32:10.620 That the blood of Jesus 00:32:10.620 --> 00:32:11.880 that covers us 00:32:11.880 --> 00:32:13.760 and washes away our sin 00:32:13.760 --> 00:32:15.000 so that we can be 00:32:15.000 --> 00:32:17.340 in relationship with God. 00:32:18.820 --> 00:32:20.140 It's about responding. 00:32:21.480 --> 00:32:22.720 It's about seeking 00:32:22.720 --> 00:32:23.580 and praying 00:32:23.580 --> 00:32:24.520 and desiring. 00:32:25.200 --> 00:32:25.780 Transformation 00:32:25.780 --> 00:32:27.200 is what cost means. 00:32:28.320 --> 00:32:30.040 Transforming from who you were 00:32:30.040 --> 00:32:31.340 to who you are today 00:32:31.340 --> 00:32:33.640 and the power of the gospel 00:32:33.640 --> 00:32:35.280 that it represents. 00:32:36.640 --> 00:32:38.140 It's about submitting. 00:32:39.400 --> 00:32:40.560 It's about saying that, 00:32:40.800 --> 00:32:42.200 God, I submit my will 00:32:42.200 --> 00:32:43.300 and my freedom 00:32:43.300 --> 00:32:45.760 to live in your will 00:32:45.760 --> 00:32:47.300 and your calling 00:32:47.300 --> 00:32:48.500 of my life. 00:32:49.520 --> 00:32:50.920 And it's about remembering. 00:32:52.020 --> 00:32:52.800 It's about remembering. 00:32:53.040 --> 00:32:53.860 It's one of my favorite 00:32:53.860 --> 00:32:57.960 calls that the scripture tells us 00:32:57.960 --> 00:32:59.660 is to remember. 00:33:00.720 --> 00:33:01.600 To remember. 00:33:02.860 --> 00:33:04.700 In the Old Testament especially, 00:33:05.740 --> 00:33:06.900 as you see people go 00:33:06.900 --> 00:33:08.380 on their journeys with God, 00:33:09.280 --> 00:33:10.500 as you see them 00:33:10.500 --> 00:33:12.060 have moments of victory 00:33:12.060 --> 00:33:13.200 and moments of struggle, 00:33:14.120 --> 00:33:14.900 as you see them 00:33:14.900 --> 00:33:15.940 in moments of obedience 00:33:15.940 --> 00:33:17.080 and moments of sin, 00:33:17.800 --> 00:33:19.180 in the continual pattern 00:33:19.180 --> 00:33:21.240 of what they're told, 00:33:21.360 --> 00:33:22.020 what they're commanded 00:33:22.020 --> 00:33:23.480 to remember. 00:33:24.560 --> 00:33:25.360 And I think oftentimes 00:33:25.360 --> 00:33:26.680 you and I want to find out 00:33:26.680 --> 00:33:27.520 what we don't know, 00:33:28.460 --> 00:33:29.820 what the future holds. 00:33:30.700 --> 00:33:31.960 But a simple truth 00:33:31.960 --> 00:33:33.120 of scripture is this, 00:33:33.660 --> 00:33:34.580 to remember. 00:33:36.340 --> 00:33:37.200 And so this morning, 00:33:37.740 --> 00:33:39.560 as we think of what it means 00:33:39.560 --> 00:33:40.580 to count the cost, 00:33:41.620 --> 00:33:42.780 I want us to remember 00:33:42.780 --> 00:33:43.500 the sacrifice 00:33:43.500 --> 00:33:44.980 of Jesus. 00:33:46.240 --> 00:33:47.640 To remember the body 00:33:47.640 --> 00:33:49.220 that was given. 00:33:49.380 --> 00:33:49.900 To remember 00:33:49.900 --> 00:33:51.180 the blood 00:33:51.180 --> 00:33:52.700 that was spilled. 00:33:53.620 --> 00:33:54.840 And it's our response 00:33:54.840 --> 00:33:55.260 for Him. 00:33:56.900 --> 00:33:57.960 If you're here with us 00:33:57.960 --> 00:33:58.460 this morning 00:33:58.460 --> 00:33:59.680 and you're a follower 00:33:59.680 --> 00:34:00.560 of Jesus Christ, 00:34:01.120 --> 00:34:02.580 maybe you're not a member 00:34:02.580 --> 00:34:03.360 of this church. 00:34:04.400 --> 00:34:05.180 Maybe you're not even 00:34:05.180 --> 00:34:06.540 a member of our denomination. 00:34:07.820 --> 00:34:08.800 But if you're a follower 00:34:08.800 --> 00:34:09.640 of Jesus Christ, 00:34:09.740 --> 00:34:11.000 we want to invite you 00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:12.880 to partake with us 00:34:12.880 --> 00:34:15.380 as brothers and sisters 00:34:15.380 --> 00:34:16.340 in Christ. 00:34:17.380 --> 00:34:18.500 If you're here today 00:34:18.500 --> 00:34:19.420 and you're not a follower 00:34:19.420 --> 00:34:20.320 of Jesus Christ, 00:34:21.260 --> 00:34:22.160 it's sitting for you. 00:34:23.080 --> 00:34:24.580 This is for those of us 00:34:24.580 --> 00:34:25.420 who are part 00:34:25.420 --> 00:34:26.580 of the family of God. 00:34:27.860 --> 00:34:28.660 But today, 00:34:28.780 --> 00:34:29.200 if that's where 00:34:29.200 --> 00:34:30.220 you find yourself, 00:34:31.580 --> 00:34:32.480 it's the simple hope 00:34:32.480 --> 00:34:33.100 of the gospel 00:34:33.100 --> 00:34:33.760 of the call, 00:34:34.500 --> 00:34:35.640 what God's called you to, 00:34:36.580 --> 00:34:38.240 of what God's invited you to. 00:34:39.400 --> 00:34:40.420 To admit 00:34:40.420 --> 00:34:41.840 that you're a sinner. 00:34:43.420 --> 00:34:44.460 To believe 00:34:44.460 --> 00:34:45.960 that Jesus came 00:34:45.960 --> 00:34:46.860 and lived 00:34:46.860 --> 00:34:47.560 and died 00:34:47.560 --> 00:34:48.840 and rose again. 00:34:50.180 --> 00:34:51.160 And to confess 00:34:51.160 --> 00:34:53.260 that Jesus Christ 00:34:53.260 --> 00:34:53.820 is Lord. 00:34:54.900 --> 00:34:55.920 And that today 00:34:55.920 --> 00:34:57.680 you may become 00:34:57.680 --> 00:34:59.420 a follower of Jesus. 00:35:00.400 --> 00:35:01.220 Would you pray with me? 00:35:06.880 --> 00:35:07.320 Lord, 00:35:07.380 --> 00:35:08.700 as we go into this time, 00:35:10.320 --> 00:35:10.540 Lord, 00:35:10.600 --> 00:35:11.740 I pray for the hearts 00:35:11.740 --> 00:35:13.460 of each person 00:35:13.460 --> 00:35:13.920 that's here. 00:35:15.800 --> 00:35:16.240 Lord, 00:35:16.280 --> 00:35:17.060 for those of us 00:35:17.060 --> 00:35:17.780 who are believers 00:35:17.780 --> 00:35:18.420 in Jesus, 00:35:19.860 --> 00:35:20.240 Lord, 00:35:20.300 --> 00:35:21.420 I pray that we would do 00:35:21.420 --> 00:35:22.040 what your word 00:35:22.040 --> 00:35:23.000 calls us to do. 00:35:24.480 --> 00:35:25.180 These acts 00:35:25.180 --> 00:35:26.060 would not be done 00:35:26.060 --> 00:35:26.780 out of religious 00:35:26.780 --> 00:35:27.440 obligation, 00:35:27.740 --> 00:35:27.920 Lord, 00:35:27.980 --> 00:35:28.840 but they would be done 00:35:28.840 --> 00:35:29.540 out of remembrance 00:35:29.540 --> 00:35:30.960 of who you are, 00:35:32.280 --> 00:35:32.500 Lord, 00:35:32.540 --> 00:35:32.960 and what you've 00:35:32.960 --> 00:35:33.480 called us to. 00:35:34.900 --> 00:35:35.780 Or if there's anyone 00:35:35.780 --> 00:35:36.560 here who's not 00:35:36.560 --> 00:35:37.600 a follower of Christ, 00:35:38.660 --> 00:35:39.800 I pray that today 00:35:39.800 --> 00:35:40.780 would be the day 00:35:40.780 --> 00:35:43.000 where that they respond 00:35:43.000 --> 00:35:43.840 to the calling 00:35:43.840 --> 00:35:46.680 as you lead 00:35:46.680 --> 00:35:47.280 their hearts 00:35:47.280 --> 00:35:50.360 to confess 00:35:50.360 --> 00:35:50.380 to confess 00:35:50.380 --> 00:35:52.280 that Jesus 00:35:52.280 --> 00:35:52.860 is Lord 00:35:52.860 --> 00:35:53.360 and Savior. 00:35:54.640 --> 00:35:55.300 And today, 00:35:55.500 --> 00:35:55.700 Lord, 00:35:55.780 --> 00:35:56.900 they can take part 00:35:56.900 --> 00:35:57.880 in this with us 00:35:57.880 --> 00:35:59.900 as they are welcomed 00:35:59.900 --> 00:36:00.380 into 00:36:00.380 --> 00:36:02.260 the family of God. 00:36:03.420 --> 00:36:04.420 And it's in Jesus' name 00:36:04.420 --> 00:36:04.840 we pray. 00:36:05.780 --> 00:36:06.080 Amen. 00:36:08.080 --> 00:36:09.160 As you take the bread, 00:36:10.820 --> 00:36:12.220 God's word tells us 00:36:12.220 --> 00:36:14.240 that Jesus on the night 00:36:14.240 --> 00:36:15.060 he was betrayed, 00:36:15.860 --> 00:36:16.780 he took the bread. 00:36:17.660 --> 00:36:18.700 And we'd give him thanks, 00:36:18.780 --> 00:36:19.920 he broke it and said, 00:36:20.340 --> 00:36:21.460 this is my body, 00:36:21.540 --> 00:36:22.280 which is for you. 00:36:22.960 --> 00:36:24.180 Do this in remembrance 00:36:24.180 --> 00:36:24.680 of me. 00:36:36.300 --> 00:36:37.400 And in the same way, 00:36:38.620 --> 00:36:39.580 he took the cup 00:36:39.580 --> 00:36:40.240 after supper, 00:36:41.380 --> 00:36:41.680 saying, 00:36:41.840 --> 00:36:42.640 this cup is the new 00:36:42.640 --> 00:36:43.720 covenant in my blood. 00:36:44.620 --> 00:36:45.240 Do this 00:36:45.240 --> 00:36:46.820 as often as you drink it 00:36:46.820 --> 00:36:48.060 in remembrance of me. 00:36:52.940 --> 00:36:53.580 Let's pray. 00:36:58.760 --> 00:36:59.520 Lord, thank you 00:36:59.520 --> 00:37:00.260 for your words. 00:37:02.620 --> 00:37:03.380 Lord, I pray 00:37:03.380 --> 00:37:04.100 that as we're here 00:37:04.100 --> 00:37:04.720 this morning, 00:37:05.800 --> 00:37:08.120 Lord, we would understand 00:37:08.120 --> 00:37:10.140 the cost to follow you. 00:37:12.500 --> 00:37:13.660 Lord, through the power 00:37:13.660 --> 00:37:14.840 of your Holy Spirit, 00:37:16.740 --> 00:37:17.940 Lord, have us examine 00:37:17.940 --> 00:37:18.700 our lives, 00:37:19.800 --> 00:37:20.460 our ways, 00:37:21.820 --> 00:37:23.100 confessing and repenting 00:37:23.100 --> 00:37:23.820 of our sin, 00:37:25.260 --> 00:37:26.040 bringing ourself 00:37:26.040 --> 00:37:26.640 before you. 00:37:28.260 --> 00:37:29.760 Lord, may it not become 00:37:29.760 --> 00:37:31.740 a sense of where we feel 00:37:31.740 --> 00:37:32.420 like we are, 00:37:32.600 --> 00:37:34.280 of finding what we deserve, 00:37:35.300 --> 00:37:37.560 but yet, Lord, 00:37:38.660 --> 00:37:39.680 counting the cost, 00:37:39.800 --> 00:37:40.620 responding to what 00:37:40.620 --> 00:37:41.540 you've done for us. 00:37:42.640 --> 00:37:43.840 Lord, seeking to be 00:37:43.840 --> 00:37:45.620 transformed by the power 00:37:45.620 --> 00:37:46.860 of your Holy Spirit 00:37:46.860 --> 00:37:49.640 to live for your name 00:37:49.640 --> 00:37:51.540 and for your glory. 00:37:54.240 --> 00:37:55.260 Lord, submitting, 00:37:57.160 --> 00:37:59.720 submitting ourselves, 00:38:00.720 --> 00:38:04.500 submitting our will, 00:38:04.580 --> 00:38:05.180 our way 00:38:05.180 --> 00:38:07.800 to your will 00:38:07.800 --> 00:38:08.320 and your way 00:38:08.320 --> 00:38:08.980 for our life. 00:38:10.800 --> 00:38:11.420 And Lord, 00:38:11.480 --> 00:38:12.540 may we never forget 00:38:12.540 --> 00:38:16.040 and continue to remember 00:38:16.040 --> 00:38:19.100 the sacrifice of Jesus. 00:38:22.100 --> 00:38:23.100 in His name we pray. 00:38:23.100 --> 00:38:23.440 In His name we pray. 00:38:24.660 --> 00:38:25.020 Amen. 00:38:29.060 --> 00:38:30.180 You've been invited 00:38:30.180 --> 00:38:34.140 to seat at the table. 00:38:37.560 --> 00:38:39.320 Don't let the pursuits 00:38:39.320 --> 00:38:41.700 and passions 00:38:41.700 --> 00:38:44.020 and obligations 00:38:44.020 --> 00:38:44.900 of this world 00:38:44.900 --> 00:38:47.100 cause you to miss it. 00:38:49.260 --> 00:38:50.320 Trust Jesus. 00:38:51.720 --> 00:38:52.760 Seek after Him 00:38:52.760 --> 00:38:54.600 and follow Him 00:38:54.600 --> 00:38:55.400 with all that you are. 00:38:56.620 --> 00:38:57.280 We'll stand 00:38:57.280 --> 00:38:58.780 as we respond to Him. 00:39:15.460 --> 00:39:16.840 Thanks again for listening 00:39:16.840 --> 00:39:17.960 to the Willow Ridge Church 00:39:17.960 --> 00:39:18.760 weekly podcast. 00:39:19.420 --> 00:39:20.280 We hope that you enjoyed 00:39:20.280 --> 00:39:21.580 listening to this week's message. 00:39:22.180 --> 00:39:23.140 If you'd like to learn more 00:39:23.140 --> 00:39:23.960 about who we are 00:39:23.960 --> 00:39:25.600 or explore additional resources, 00:39:26.180 --> 00:39:27.080 visit us online 00:39:27.080 --> 00:39:30.640 at www.willowridgechurch.com 00:39:30.640 --> 00:39:31.840 or by searching 00:39:31.840 --> 00:39:32.860 for Willow Ridge Church 00:39:32.860 --> 00:39:34.180 on Facebook and Instagram. 00:39:45.460 --> 00:40:15.440 Thank you.