A Kingdom for Outsiders | Mark S3E4 — A Different Kingdom

We took our kids in California to a place called Legoland.

Has anyone been to Legoland?

Oh yeah.

It's amazing.

I mean, it's for kids, but I mean it's if you love Lego, it's like you can have fun too.

It it felt like just as much for me and for my wife.

Like we we loved it.

We did the beach, we did some Padres.

I know we have a Padres stand on the front row right here.

They won, so you're you're welcome.

We we showed up in 104 degrees in a day game at the Padres.

It was it was wild.

We did the beach, we did the pool, we did all the things in California, but man, Legoland was special for our kids because there's like this childlike wonder when they're going around the park.

Like it's I can't even explain it.

Like it's roller coasters, and my son, we took him last year, he couldn't ride some rides, and so now he's like 40 inches, and so he could get on the 40-inch rides.

This was like a whole nother thing, a whole nother level of excitement.

And I just remember like there's one ride he came off.

It's called the Galactic Coaster.

It's in the dark.

You're going like sideways and forwards and backwards.

My two-year-old's like screaming her head off.

She did get off the ride, and because her brother wants to ride again, she's like, I want to ride again.

Like, she she didn't want, like, because of FOMO, she didn't want to miss out.

So she got back on with my wife to do it all over again and scream and and lose her mind.

But my kids just had this childlike wonder at Legoland that was just so fun.

It's only open from 10 o'clock to 4:30, and it went like that.

And as a dad, I'm like, man, I wish this park was open longer.

I wish I could just see this look on my kids' faces.

And I share that story and I take us to that moment of childlike wonder.

I mean, there's a childlike element to faith.

There's a childlike element to believing in Jesus.

He says, if anyone's going to inherit the kingdom of God, what has to happen?

You have to become like one of these children.

And Mark is going to show us, we're journeying through the gospel of Mark.

He's going to show us today a few groups of people that have this childlike faith when it came to Jesus, but it's not the people you would think.

And so, grab your Bibles, meet me in Mark chapter 7.

Mark 7 · chapter mention

Mark chapter 7.

Mark 7 · chapter mention

We're going to start in verse 24 today.

And we've been walking through a series called Real Jesus, looking at a front row seat to who Jesus really is.

That's why Mark is writing this book.

And we've kind of broken this into seasons.

So we're in season three of this series, and we are calling this season a different kingdom.

As Mark gets to this part of his book and towards like the cross, he's moving towards the cross.

He's showing that Jesus came in a way that the Jews didn't expect, in a way that God's people were not expecting.

He came as the Messiah, but not the Messiah that they anticipated.

He came with a different kind of kingdom.

So the main idea that we're going to see today is this.

If you're close to Jesus.

Because sometimes the faith that we see in people who are brand new to Christ can remind us of what we used to have and what we have missed for a long time.

So Mark chapter 7, we're going to go through a lot of scripture today.

Mark 7 · chapter mention

And I I really looked through it's really like four different segments of the same story that Mark is kind of building to this crescendo at the end.

And so I kind of looked at it like could I just kind of do one standalone?

And I really feel like I got to teach them all together.

And so hang with me today.

We got a lot of reading today.

But I know this is a church that loves God's word.

Amen?

Amen.

Come on.

So Mark chapter 7, verse 24.

Mark 7:24

We're going to look at four different movements.

And here's the first movement in the story.

Verse 24.

And from there he rose and went away to the region of Tyree in Sidon.

This is an extremely pagan, Gentile area.

Jews would typically not travel to this region.

And he, Jesus, entered a house and he did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden.

You can't hide Jesus, by the way.

That's what Mark's trying to give us a little wink.

Like he tried to hide, but they they found him right away.

Immediately, verse 25, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet.

Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophenician by birth, and she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

I mean, you can imagine that moment as a parent.

Like you're helpless.

This is a good mom, right?

She knows what to do.

She is taking her problem to Jesus.

I don't know what you're walking through today, but man, the best thing you can do, whatever that is, is take it to the feet of Jesus.

She barely knows Jesus.

She's a Gentile.

I mean, she's far from Jerusalem.

And this is what Jesus says to her.

And this is going to shock you.

I've I've wrestled with this verse for a long time and didn't really understand it until studying it this week.

And Jesus says to her, Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.

You're like, What?

That's a little savage, Jesus.

That's a little I mean, that seems a little offensive, right?

Is Jesus calling her a dog?

Like, what's what's going on here?

The Gentiles were called dogs by Jews.

Is that what he's saying?

Not exactly.

I'll come back to that.

Verse 28, but she answered him, Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.

And he said to her, For this statement, you may go your way.

The demon has left your daughter.

I love that Jesus heals her daughter from there.

The daughter's not even around.

Like, in some Christian circles, people really fear the demonic.

Man, Jesus from a distance just says, Your daughter's fine.

The demon has left her.

Like, he has all authority.

And he said to her, For the statement, you may go your way, the demon's left your daughter.

And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

The first statement we're going to look at, or the first movement in this story, is the Gentile woman.

What do we see here in this story?

Jesus goes to a place called Tyree, and one commentator said this about this region.

It's modern-day like Lebanon.

But Tyree probably represented the most extreme expression of paganism, both actually and symbolically, that a Jew could expect to encounter.

Jews would never go to this area.

And yet, what does our Savior do?

What does the Messiah do?

Man, he crosses every boundary.

Geographically, culturally, religiously, he crosses every boundary in his ministry.

Even socially, who who approaches him in this moment?

It's a woman.

It's a woman.

In that day and time, like it would be a taboo for a woman to address a man in public in Jewish culture.

It was double taboo for that to be a gentile.

And it was triple taboo for that to be a Syrophenician, aka a Canaanite.

And so Mark gives us those details for a reason.

What he's saying is this woman is in the category of someone farthest away from being possible of Jesus saving.

That's who this woman is.

And Jesus comes to her area.

And she has the audacity and the humility, but like paired with boldness to approach to approach a Jewish rabbi in public, knowing all the all the boundaries that are being crossed.

And she's begging for help for her demon-possessed daughter.

And Jesus' response is a parable.

He gives her a parable which is kind of wrapped in a test.

He wants to know like what she really believes about Jesus before he answers her prayer.

And she's begging for her daughter to be delivered from this demon.

She's probably tried everything, she has nothing left.

Her only hope is Jesus.

She's holding on to Jesus.

That's all she has.

And Jesus gives her this parable.

He says, Let the children be fed first, for it's not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.

Like, what?

Have you guys ever heard this verse and been like, I don't understand why Jesus would say this?

Or just me.

Like, I'm a pastor and I've this I've wrestled with this verse.

Is Jesus calling her a dog?

He's he's not.

He he this is a parable.

And what he's saying is the gospel is not for the Gentiles.

He's saying his mission is first for the Jews.

So it doesn't mean he's excluding the Gentiles.

He he's kind of testing her.

I gotta feed my children first, the Jews, the chosen people.

But the gospel is always meant to get to the Gentiles.

And so he says, I'm here for them first, and I gotta be obedient to that mission.

But then he uses the word dogs, and it's not the word in the Greek, it's not the word dogs that would be like a scavenger, like mutt on the street.

This is the the word that we'd use for like puppies, household pet, the pet you love.

Kind of phrases this in a little bit different light, right?

And she doubles down on his parable.

I love the wittiness in here, like the wittiness to come to Jesus and like come back at him and say, All right, I hear your parable.

But man, even the dogs, even the puppies, they can eat the crumbs from the table.

What she's saying is, I believe, yes, I I know I'm not welcome at the table.

I know I don't deserve to be at the table, but I believe there's enough on the table for me.

That's what she's saying.

And so let me even like just I know I don't deserve it, but I'll eat the crumbs if it means I can have Jesus, if it means you will answer my prayer.

And Jesus looks at her, and Matthew uses this phrase.

He says in in Mark, like, good answer, like that's incredible.

But Matthew uses the phrase, like, what mega faith.

And so he looks at the woman and he looks at her faith.

You know, Jesus sees your face.

He he can see what's inside of you, he knows what you believe and what you're wrestling with.

He sees her faith and he calls it mega faith.

And in that moment, he heals her daughter, and it's a symbol of salvation for her household.

So, what is the implication of this first story with the Gentile woman?

Why does Jesus go to this place?

Why does Mark include this story in the midst of his gospel?

Here's the implication faith isn't dependent on what we bring to the table, but rather what's already on the table.

That's the gospel.

That none of us, I mean, the Jews included, they kind of missed this because they saw themselves as insiders, but the whole time they were really outsiders apart from Jesus.

None of us deserve a seat at the table.

None of us deserve to eat at the banquet table.

And yet Jesus has provided everything for eternal life.

He's given us a seat at the table, he's adopted us into his family, and all of us, just like this woman, are outsiders who've been invited in.

We don't deserve a seat at the table, but we believe that there's enough on the table for us.

That's salvation.

Like there's no amount of good works that you did to like put on that table to make you clean before a holy God.

And we are dogs, we are filthy, we are sinners, we bring nothing to the table, but we have faith in what God has already put on the table through Jesus.

She knows she needs grace.

I want to ask you this question Are you willing to see yourself as undeserving of the gospel but still desperate for it?

Sometimes we think we arrive in our Christianity, in our following Jesus.

Man, I'm doing pretty good.

My last week, I didn't I didn't slip up.

I, you know, I the things I normally struggle with, I didn't struggle with.

Man, I I went to all these events that were Christian, you know, I hung out with these kind of people.

Like we we would never say this out loud, but we we kind of keep score.

And sometimes we think we've arrived in our salvation or are following Jesus.

And the whole point of grace is like we never deserve to be a part of this.

And that's why, like, the whole point of Mark is like if Jesus gave us this kind of grace, why would we not be like Jesus and leverage our lives to serve and be a as as he did, be a ransom for many?

So are you willing to see yourself as undeserving of the gospel, but still desperate for it?

And I don't know what you walk in here with, I don't know what this Gentile woman had in her life in her past.

But some of you might be in here and be like, Casey, like you don't know my story, and you don't know what I did this weekend, and you don't know the scars that I carry.

Like some of them I'm still bleeding, like, and you don't know the mistakes I've made, you don't know the shame I carry.

And man, look at this story.

You bring nothing to the table in the gospel, you just believe in what's already on the table and you receive it.

You're not greater at sinning than Jesus is at saving.

That's what I think we see.

I'll put this in like modern day language for us.

I love a good steakhouse.

Anyone with me?

Has anyone been to Fogo de Chow?

Brazilian steakhouse downtown?

Man, you pull up to Fogo de Chow, you bring nothing to the table, right?

Except a hungry appetite.

Like I'll even like fast from lunch to like save up for that dinner.

Because man, the way Fogo de Chow works, like you pay a price and you get to stay as long as you want and eat as much as you want until you're ready to walk out the door and leave.

And you get this card that's either green or red.

And all you have to do is turn that card on green and leave it on the table.

And what happens?

Endless supply of people bringing every single cut of steak, lamb chops, bacon wrap this, bacon wrap that, candy bacon, I mean, salad bar.

As long as that's on green, man, the supply just keeps coming to the table.

You get tired, you want to take a 10-minute break, you turn it on red, you turn it back on green when you're ready for round two, and man, it just keeps coming.

I brought nothing to the table, but man, I just feasted at Fogo de Chao.

Right?

I love that place.

That's the gospel.

Like all you do is turn it on green, Jesus.

I receive.

And whatever's on the table is yours.

Salvation, your eternal inheritance, the Holy Spirit as a deposit and a guarantee of your salvation, indwelling you as a believer.

Adopted into the family of Jesus.

That's what we see in this story.

The second movement is the deaf man, and we see this in verse 31.

Keep reading with me.

Mark six, Mark 7, verse 31.

Mark 7:31

It says, Then you returned from the region of Tyree and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee in the region of the Decapolis.

That's a little like horseshoe journey.

And the only reason I point that out is because he travels 120 miles on that journey.

So Jesus is doing ultras for the gospel before it was even cool.

120 miles.

And I point that out to say that that's the distance he traveled for this story to happen.

That's significant.

That tells us a lot about our God and our Savior.

To the middle of nowhere in this wilderness.

Again, another pagan area that Jews would never travel to.

Verse 32.

And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him.

And taking him aside from the crowd privately, I think there's a lot of compassion there.

There's a very personal element there.

Jesus put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue, and looking up to heaven, he sighed.

I think there in that moment we see the compassion of Jesus.

He sees what sin is caused in this earth.

It's brokenness.

He sighs and he says, Eph a Father, that is, be opened.

And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, literally in the Greek, his tongue was unshackled.

And he spoke plainly, and Jesus charged them to tell no one.

But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it, and they were astonished beyond measure because, or kept saying, He has done all things well, he makes even the deaf hear and the mute speak.

What do we see in the story of the deaf man?

I think we see the compassion of Jesus.

But man, I think we see just how personal this miracle is.

First, he goes to just think about the location.

He goes to the middle of nowhere to meet this guy.

Jesus knows who's going to be there waiting for him.

He was still fully man, but he's still fully God.

And so he he travels to this destination to meet this mute man who has a speech impediment or deaf man with a speech impediment.

And in this moment, like he touches his ears, he like spits on his fingers, he touches the guy's tongue.

I'm like, I don't know if I want Jesus doing that to me.

Right?

It seems a little weird.

And I was like studying this.

I'm like, what is Jesus doing?

I'm like, well, this guy can't talk to him.

So what is he doing?

He's getting on this guy's level and he's using sign language.

He puts his fingers in his ears, he touches his tongue, he looks up to heaven.

So this guy knows, like, one, God is the one healing him, but also like I'm God.

And he gets on his level, he looks him eye to eye for this miracle to happen, and there's complete healing.

And it's a fulfillment of Isaiah 35, 5 through 6, which in Isaiah 35 is talking about Lebanon, which is this area of Tyree and Sidon, by the way.

And this is a direct fulfillment of Isaiah 35.

Verse 5 and 6 says, And when he comes, the Messiah, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf.

The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy.

That's what happened in this man, but I want to tell you, that's what's happened in your life.

Like you might be like, I was never mute or lame or blind, but spiritually, apart from Jesus, we were.

And the Messiah came and he gave you eyes to see, he gave you ears to hear.

Like he gave you like a mouth to taste the beauty of the gospel.

Like he did all of that for you.

And here's the implication God meets us where we are at in the most personal way with the gospel.

Think about your story.

Think about how many times you have run from God.

Think about how many times you have tried to just do things your own way.

And think about how many times God has met you along the way.

I want you to just think about this last week.

Where did God show up and meet you personally this last week?

Because I know he did.

But I know a lot of times if you're like me, and we struggle from gospel amnesia, we struggle from distractions.

Man, if you're like me, you can miss a lot of those moments.

Just think back on your week.

Where this week did God meet you personally?

I mean, driving a car, the moment a song came on, maybe in your bedroom, maybe on a walk, on a run, maybe a conversation that happened.

But I think God is always trying to meet us where we're at.

Whatever you're walking through, he's trying to meet you in that moment.

And we see that in this story, but it's also true for your life.

If this is the way of Jesus, that he meets us in the most personal way, then don't you think we are called to do the same?

Don't you think that we are called to cross boundaries geographically, relationally, culturally, religiously.

Maybe people don't believe the same thing you believe.

But if Jesus is willing to do all this to get to this kind of man and to the Gentile woman, don't you think we are called to get on a personal level with the people in our lives?

That we would not count anyone in our life out for the gospel.

Jesus is doing this with Gentiles, the people no one believed would even receive the Messiah, but yet they were the ones who saw Jesus most clearly.

The third moment we see is the crowd of outsiders.

This is the feeding of the 4,000.

And if you did not know this, this is a crowd of Gentiles.

It's the one difference in the story, the major difference between the feeding of the 5,000 that happened in Mark chapter 6 and what happens now.

Mark 6 · chapter mention

So Mark 8, verse 1, it says, In those days when again a great crowd had gathered, they had nothing to eat.

Mark 8:1

I want you to like if you were here a couple weeks ago when we when he did the feeding of the 5,000, or you know the story, like put some of these details side by side.

There's so many parallels to what's happening.

Jesus called his disciples to him and he said to them, I have compassion on the crowd.

Do you remember that?

He looked at the crowd like sheep without a shepherd, he had compassion on them.

Because they have been with me now three days, they have nothing to eat.

And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way.

Some of them will come from far away.

And Jesus is like throwing them a softball.

Again, he's fed 5,000 people just two chapters ago.

He's like, Man, they're hungry, they're gonna faint.

Like, guys, what are we gonna do?

Whoop.

And what happens?

What did they say?

And his disciples answered him, How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?

It's the same thing they said two chapters ago.

And I'm like, Man, if I was one of the disciples, I'm not missing that moment.

But I think we would have.

And he asked them, I think he's like, I don't know if there's like sarcasm here, but I feel like Jesus gets a little sarcastic here.

How many loaves do you have?

They're like seven.

And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground, just like he did in the last miracle.

He took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them, he gave them to his disciples, set before the people, and they set them before the crowd.

So he again, just like the last miracle, incorporates the disciples in the miracle.

And they had a few small fish, and having blessed them, he said that these should also be set before them.

And they ate and were satisfied.

They took up broken pieces left over, seven baskets full, and there were about four thousand people, and he sent them away, and immediately he got into a boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

Lots of reading there.

Again, I think if we were in their shoes, we're gonna do the same thing.

Like we're gonna forget just the miracles that God's already done, the things we've witnessed.

I think we do this in our everyday lives.

I mean, the fact that you wake up today with breath is a miracle, and yet we take that for granted.

And so multiply that by all the blessings in your life, man, we forget and forget and forget.

We're just like the disciples.

But I don't know if they lacked faith in their forgetting, or if they're like, Yeah, Jesus did that with the Jewish crowd because that's what God does for his people.

But like, we're here with Gentiles.

How are we gonna feed the Gentiles?

Like, I gotta I kind of think there's a little bit of both happening.

And if you remember the amount of baskets they took up of leftovers in the first feeding, it was how many baskets?

12, which represents the 12 tribes of Israel.

How many baskets do we see here?

Seven.

Does anyone know what seven biblically means and represents?

Completion, perfection.

As to say, God's kingdom has always been for outsiders.

God's kingdom and the gospel of Jesus has always been to get to the Gentiles.

He chose a people, Israel, so that he could bless the rest of the world through Israel.

And now it's the church, so that through the church he can bless the rest of the world through the church, but it's always been to get to the Gentiles.

And now that he has provided for the Gentiles in the wilderness, just like he did for the Jews, guess what he's saying?

The mission is complete.

He's saying it's always been about everyone.

The gospel is for everyone.

And so here's the implication the duplicate miracle.

This is all what it means.

The kingdom of God is available for everyone.

For your neighbor, for the person who looks just like you, for the person who looks nothing like you, the person who votes like you, who doesn't vote like you, the person who believes what you believe, who doesn't believe what you believe.

It doesn't like the kingdom of God is available for everyone through Jesus.

He came to turn outsiders into insiders.

And the question I want to leave us with on this point is this Who has God placed in your life so they would know his kingdom is available to them?

Who has God put you into their life so that they could know that the kingdom of God is available to them?

Like you're not at your job by accident.

You're not in the neighborhood or the apartment complex you live in or the dorm by accident.

You don't have the roommates you have by accident.

You're not in that class that you got put in that you wish you weren't in by accident.

Man, everything God is doing in your life is for a reason.

The kingdom of God is so much bigger than you can even imagine.

And it's available for everyone.

The fourth movement we see is the disciples.

And you would expect I mean, this Gentile woman sees this demon delivered, like he calls that mega faith.

You know, God, Jesus heals this deaf man with the speech impediment, Jesus feeds 4,000 people, all these miracles happening among the Gentiles.

You would think the disciples like, I see it.

Jesus, it makes sense.

I guess you this is what it's always been about.

But look what happens.

They get into a boat and they they head across the sea.

It says in verse 14, the disciples had forgotten to bring any food.

They had only one loaf of bread with them in the boat.

As they were crossing the lake, Jesus warned them, Watch out, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.

And at this time they begin to argue with each other because they hadn't brought enough bread.

They're thinking about the material and the physical and not the spiritual that Jesus is referring to.

So Jesus, verse 17, knew what they were saying, and so he said, Why are you arguing about having no bread?

Don't you know or understand even yet?

Are your hearts too hard to take it in?

You have eyes, can't you see?

You have ears, can you not hear?

Don't you remember anything at all?

When I fed the five thousand with five loaves of bread, how many baskets of leftovers did you pick up afterward?

They said twelve.

And when I fed the four thousand with seven loaves, how many large baskets of leftovers did you pick up?

Seven?

Do you not yet understand?

And in this moment, we don't know.

We really don't know when the disciples even were saved.

Like some believe it was after the resurrection.

Like for some people, that's what the journey looks like.

It's like, I mean, they're full of unbelief, they're full of doubting.

I think they're curious, and I think they're definitely different than the Pharisees in this story.

The Pharisees right before this challenged Jesus and they want more signs and proof before believing Jesus.

And that's not where the disciples were.

They were at least failing forward in their pursuit of Jesus.

But man, I look at the disciples and I'm like, how do they miss it?

And I look at us and I look at my life and I'm like, how do I miss it?

The kingdom of God is so much bigger.

And what Jesus is warning about is leaven, not leaven of bread, but what does leaven do in bread?

It can, a little bit, a tiny bit, can leaven the whole loaf.

It can leaven the whole batch of dough.

And he's talking about the leaven of unbelief.

And here's what he's saying: that unbelief is dangerous to the follower of Jesus.

I believe sin at the core is unbelief.

It's unbelief that Jesus is enough, that he is sufficient, that he can be trusted, that he's going to deliver on his promises.

And a small amount of unbelief can lead you away from divine truth.

So, man, if you're here today and you're struggling with unbelief, man, that's not a reason to run out the doors and say I don't belong here.

That's a reason to run into community to take it to the Lord.

What little unbelief you have, Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief, like put it in his hands.

But I think as we survey the scriptures, the promises of God, the works of God in our life, our own salvation, we have enough proof, which is exactly what Jesus is saying.

The posture of unbelief is if I just had more proof, then I would believe.

Have you guys ever said that to God?

Like I think He's calling me to do this, but man, God, just give me one more sign that that's what you're saying.

Just give me one more proof that you want me to take this step.

You guys ever seen Indiana Jones where like the stairs, like as you step, like the stairs kind of like they're invisible, but then they're there?

That's kind of what happens with following Jesus.

He's given us the promise, but he wants, he requires faith to take that step.

And Jesus saying, You have seen enough.

Your problem isn't a shortage of evidence.

Your problem is that you're not connecting the evidence to who I am as the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior.

And so here's the implication for us today as disciples of Jesus.

Following Jesus isn't about more evidence, but obedient faith.

You don't need more evidence to follow Jesus.

And I'll just ask you today: is there an area that you're struggling to believe Jesus?

Is there an area that you're struggling to take a step of faith?

To share your faith with that coworker, that family member, to have a hard conversation, to move your family, like or maybe like you lost a job, like there the where's the provision gonna come?

I don't know.

Like, is there an area that you're struggling to believe?

And all I want to say to you today, and I think what what the Spirit of God is saying to us today, is you don't need more evidence, you just need to remember what God's already done and take a step of obedient faith.

And some of your biggest breakthroughs are on the other side of obedient faith.

I'll share just a vulnerable moment in in our life, in our marriage, that we had to take that step, and it was moving here to Denver.

Two years ago to about this week.

We moved right after Labor Day, two years ago, to Denver, and the 18 months before we moved, obviously we're moving here to plan a church.

I mean, God's given us confirmation on confirmation that He's calling us to this place, He's given us a burden for this place and for these people.

And yet, man, we struggled with doubt.

We had it cozy, we had it comfortable, we had good jobs, we had our family, our kids were like little, they're they're plugged into a great community.

We had cousins there, like family in town.

And man, we asked all the questions like, is God gonna take care of our kids in Denver?

What are they gonna be exposed to in Denver?

Man, are we doing the right thing to uproot from family to move to this new place?

Is this church gonna even work?

Like, I can't launch a church, I can't change anyone's lives.

I need God to show up.

Is God gonna show up?

We asked all those questions.

And there was a quote that was spoken at a conference that I was at, that it was like Jesus was just saying this, like eyeball to eyeball with me.

And the guy said this sometimes we play just not to lose instead of playing to win.

And the context was like we operate in the spirit of fear, but the context was if we already know that we win in the end, that Jesus has overcome everything, that the tomb is empty, that eternity is on the line, and why would we not risk everything?

Why do we try to play it safe and comfortable?

Especially in the American church, we have brothers and sisters around the world who would die to get into a church like this in public to worship, in house churches, underground churches, being persecuted.

Like we have it so good.

But man, we take it for granted and we play it safe.

And here's what I just want to share.

If if I already know that it's not about what I bring to the table, but what's already been put on the table through Jesus, and if I know that God has already met me time and time again in a personal way, like his track record is good, his promises are always true.

If I know the gospel isn't just for me or people who look like me, but it's available for everyone and that eternity's on the line, and if I know that the thing I need to follow Jesus isn't more evidence but just obedient faith, then why would I not risk it all to follow Jesus?

Why would I not trust everything he's already done for me in the past?

My Savior who went to the cross for me, sacrificed his life for me, rose from the dead for me, gave me eternal life, his spirit inside me, changing me every single day to look less like the old Casey and more like Jesus.

He's done all of that and infinitely more.

Then why would I not obey courageously what he's calling me to do?

Why would I not not leverage everything that I am and all that I have to help others see Jesus more clearly?

Because I think when we look in these stories of these Gentile miracles, the people in the story who seem the least likely to believe are the ones who actually connected the identity of Jesus to the greatest need in their life.

And it's Jesus.

You never outgrow your need for Jesus.

And they acted in faith.

And what you see in the story of each and every one of them is joy.

Here's the big takeaway the greatest joy that you'll experience, the greatest satisfaction, is found on the other side of obedience.

You just gotta take the step.

Just like the disciples, man, they had no idea what was in store for them when they followed Jesus.

But as they revealed it and revealed it, yes, they went through hardship.

11 of them were martyred.

That's how they lost their lives.

But man, they did it for joy.

Now look at the the what it says about Jesus and the cross.

That he didn't go to the cross out of obligation.

But what was on the other step, other side of obedience?

It says, For the joy set before him, he endured the cross and despised the shame.

And he did that for you.

Do you remember the moment that you first met Jesus?

I'm talking to the believers in the room.

Do you remember that moment?

For me, it was at Denny's.

My dad took me to Denny's, shared the gospel with me on the back of the kids' menu.

Drew this picture of the gospel, gave my life to Jesus, two grand slams in one.

If you've been to Denny's, you get the joke.

For me, it was Denny's.

And I remember coming home as a 10-year-old.

And it was like Christmas morning for me.

And I think back to that moment, and yes, I've been following Jesus longer than I haven't been now.

But you can forget what it was like when you first met Jesus.

That childlike faith that you had.

Where we were all outsiders, but for once we saw Jesus clearly.

And we didn't know all the answers, we didn't, we didn't understand what was at stake.

But we're like, man, if he loves me that much, I will give everything to follow him.

And you placed your faith and trust in Jesus.

He forgave you, he transformed you, and there was no greater joy that you've experienced in that moment.

Not your wedding day.

I mean, not your kids' wedding days.

Like there is nothing that compares to the moment you met Jesus.

And the kingdom of God has more moments like that to create.

And he's asking you, Do you see it?

Like in your life, I have so much more I want to do for you.

Do you see it?

In your marriage, I have so much more I want to do for you.

Do you see it?

And your kids, maybe your prodigals?

I have so much more I want to do.

Like, do you see it?

He's the God of miracles.

No one loves you more than he loves you.

No one loves your kids, your family.

No one loves your marriage more than God loves your marriage.

He will fight for you.

Whatever you are walking through today, God says, I have so much more for you.

Do you see it?

Do you believe?

Will you enter into that again with childlike faith and watch him blow your expectations?

So, Father, today as we respond to whatever you're speaking to us today, God help us not to be like the disciples in the story, who miss what you're doing, who miss how big the kingdom of God is, who get so caught up in the material and the temporary.

But God, help us to see what you're doing in the spiritual realm, in the eternal realm.

God, and give us a desire to be a part of it every single waking moment of our life.

God, we ask that you would do more.

We're not content with just the moments we have experienced you.

But God, we ask for more.

I ask for that in our personal lives.

I ask for that in our families.

I ask for that in our church.

God, I ask for that in our workplaces.

I ask for that in our neighborhoods.

I ask for that in this city.

God, would you bring revival through your church?

We love you and we praise you in Jesus' name.