Hi and welcome to the church unlimited podcast Church unlimited is a vibrant bible-based Church in North Lakes Queensland that is passionate about helping people discover that genuine love of Jesus. If you're currently looking for a new home Church would love for you to join us for Sunday worship from 4 p.m. At North Lake State College on the corner of Discovery Drive and join a circuit. We hope you enjoy this great message from our Sunday service and come for a visit someday soon. All right. You could you could be seated. You take likes following an actual Bible Matthew chapter 4. We're going to get there in a second. Those you who don't know me. This is all I do for a living I travel around and speak. I've had incredible privilege of being mentored by a pastor who just happens to have his Rabbi training as well. So my stuff comes from that vent also have a master's degree in Clinical Psychology. So I'm actually qualified to sort your head outs of careful what you say to me afterwards. I see through all that stuff. I see through on your way out at the back. There is our resource. If after the service if you have trouble finding our resource table seek medical help. It's taking up half the room back there. And if you think I think why would you carry that around with you? The reason is is because we make a lot of money from it, right? The reason we do that is because we live with the conviction that we're not simply called to go to heaven when we die. We're called to bring Heaven to every place we see Hill here and so a hundred percent of what we make from that we give to the poor in The Afflicted three orphanages in China look after mentally handicapped kids. We have a rescue in Cape Town that gets girls out of sex trafficking get some off drugs High School educated and job training so we can break the cycle of poverty in the Cape Town Flats, right? So everything is available in cd/dvd/usb and direct download every package of stuff now back there has its own individual USB included in it. That way you can have it in all the format's I think since the last time I was here we've released three new ones and of course if you're new to me, it's all new. So going back there and check those things out as always. It's honored to be with my good friends James and Paula. This church and you guys I'll let you know something. Just don't tell anybody that you guys get me more than anybody right and there and the reason is is because of your time slot so we can we can we can work this out more than I can work out other things and so I'm but I don't count that as for granted. I count that as an honor to be here and be a part of what you're doing in the afternoon. All right, so I want to talk to you about Jesus because I think that would be a good topic. Right? And so so James says earlier, he says we take Jesus seriously, of course the his is what does that mean? And so I want to I want to recenter us around and reorient us around what it means to be a follower of Jesus because here's the problem of Jesus sometimes when people say Jesus they instantly divert to a god figure. So some sort of divine being right which gives Jesus this sort of rules right feel to him, right and and look amen. Look. I we fully affirm the Divinity of Christ. Amen. Absolutely, but we also affirmed that he was fully human. And the reason it's important to think of Jesus as a human being is so that we can work out the way he called us to live in our life because some of the things Jesus called us to do can easily be dismissed as oh, but he was God, right? Who am I I could never do that. He was God. Yes, but he was also fully humans. I want to talk to you about that this morning not at the expense of the god side of Jesus, but to to Enlighten us around The Human Side of Jesus, and I want to talk to you about what it means to be a follower of Jesus and what it meant. Mint in the first century to be a follower of Jesus because at this if I was to summarize what church unlimited exist to do in one sentence is this is to be a Jesus kind of people for the sake of the world right to be people of Jesus for the sake of the world and I want it. Once again. No one can disagree with that. No one could go. No, we need less Jesus. No one would do that. Right. The problem is is when we lack language around what that means. And so I want to put some language around this today by sharing with you. What would be the most important thing is Ever learned in my life about Jesus the thing that moved me the most and it took me three months of processing this when I first learned it before I could ever speak of it and now I've been asked to speak this all over the world. It's normally the first message I ever do when I come to a place because it just sets us on the right foot and and it orientates us around the most important thing. And so I want to talk to you about Jesus the rabbi the first century Rabbi who is teaching people how to live Jesus Christ was a first first century Rabbi who was teaching people how to live here. You might be thinking Shane. How do you know he was a rabbi ready? Because they called him Rabbi, right? Right and and they entrusted him with teaching the Torah and synagogues. He had a regular speaking spot in the temple. They just didn't let any redneck do that. Okay, so I want to talk to you about what that meant and what it meant to be a disciple of a rabbi because the word disciple was specific to what it meant to be a follower of a rabbi. So here are the calling of the first four disciples. This is Matthew Chapter 4 Verse 18 as Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee. He saw two brothers Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake for they were fishermen. If you're a note taker note that phrase they were fishermen and come back a second. Come follow me. Jesus said and I'll send you out to fish for people what an odd invitation follow me and fish for people that is not compelling. That isn't like what are you talking about bro, but it seems to work because at once they left their Nets and followed him odd next slide and going on from there. He saw two other brothers James the son of Zebedee and his brother John and they were in a boat with their father Zebedee preparing their net. So they're obviously fishermen as well. That's their family business and Jesus called them and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Weird that is weird for grown men leaving everything they know to follow a guy who sales pitches this compelling All of Me Okay, that is weird that is strange and he seems to have an unbelievable success rate with it with an unbelievably uncompelled in sales pitch. This is Mark chapter 2. This is the calling of the fifth disciple check this out. And once again, Jesus went out beside the lake and a large crowd came to him and he began to teach them. Them and as he was walking along he saw Levi the son of alphaeus sitting at a tax collectors Booth follow me. There's that weird phrase again Follow Me. Jesus told him and leave. I got up and followed him. This is odd grown people leaving everything. They know to follow a guy whose sales pitch is this compelling follow me? They're leaving everything. They're leaving their wives their children their families their job. Bob's their communities their land their homes and their boats off a guy saying follow me. How does that work? Look if you're here tonight and you're married. How does that conversation even go? Hey. Hey sweetie. How was your day? Good what happened? Quit my job. What why is hippie looking guy came by said following thought it was a good idea. Where you going? He didn't say. When are you coming back didn't say that either. I just thought I would follow him. See you when I see you. You what how does that work? And you know, these guys are quite serious. They're leaving everything wives children families jobs homes communities Landing boats. That's serious. Look, it's one thing to leave your wife. It's an entirely different thing to leave your boat. That is serious stuff. I mean leave your wife. Okay, there's women everywhere, but leave your boat sitting in the water my goodness me. What is happening here? Quite frankly strange when I learned this changed my life forever and I'd like to share it with you today see in first-century Israel. The highest honor was to be considered a rabbi every Hebrew boy wanted to be a rabbi because it meant they trusted you to teach Torah they would teach you to read and then teach you to to to teach Torah. They were entrusting you with the very scriptures from the Lord. This was the highest honor every Hebrew boy. Wanted to be a rabbi but End of the day only The Best of the Best of the Best of the Best of the Best of the Best of the Best of the Best of the best ever make it think about it this way in Brisbane, every boy in Brisbane wants to play rugby league every boy. But how many of them are ever actually going to play for the Brisbane Broncos? None of them all of them want to play for the Broncos very few are ever going to play for the Broncos. Why because most people aren't good enough to play for the Broncos no matter how good you are at some point. You're going to be told you're not good enough to play at the next level go back and earn a living at what you do with your trade. But the best of the best of the best of the best of the best of the best the best one-day get to play for the Broncos. This is why every 45 year old man in Australia has a back in the day story, you know, like man, I was awesome. I would have made it but then I hurt my knee, you know, and it's like it's like what come on man. You weren't that good. We all know you weren't that good. It wasn't your knee. You just weren't that good. It was it was so it's sort of like that was being a rabbi. Teacher be entrusted with the title Rabbi. This was not a title that ever just gave somebody there's three people that I know of called Rabbi in the Bible Jesus Paul Gamaliel. That is it. You never hear somebody go Rabbi Peter Rabbi. James are no no Rabbi John. No. No, Rabbi was like whoa, right Rabbi Jesus Rabbi Paul, Rabbi Gamaliel that was it to every Hebrew boy. Wanted to be a rabbi that at the end of the day only The Best of the Best of the Best of the Best of the Best of the Best of the Best Made It This Is How They cut Them. Let me just run you through this very quickly. You had to memorize in order to be a rabbi first. You had to memorize Leviticus by the age of 6. How interesting you had to memorize Leviticus by the age of six if you memorized Leviticus by the age of six, you graduated to the first school. Let me show you the names of the schools. Okay next slide. So the names of the schools were the BET Safar with some go north Lakes Broncos Gusto. Let's try saying that together. It sounds like this bet Safar. Let's say that together ready go bet Safar. That's very good. One more time a little bit more Gusto ready go. Bet Safar bet the farm means the school of the book The School of the book was the Vets afar. It lasted from 6 to 12 years old 6 years long and you had to memorize the entire Torah Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers and Deuteronomy the in entire thing if you memorize the entire Torah before the age of 12 and you proved it it qualified you to take an exam to qualify to take the exam you had to prove you'd memorize the whole book which leads to this. This question if the qualification to take the exam was that you memorize the whole book. What could they possibly be testing you on good question. The the qualifications to take the exam was to memorize the whole book the test though was on your ability to ask questions about the scripture in order to keep a conversation about God going great rabbis. We're not known for their ability to give answers. Great. Rabbis were known for their ability to ask the right questions in order to keep a conversation. Shit about God going think about your Bible when Jesus was twelve years old. He was wowing the teachers of the law with his questions, right? It wasn't about the answers. It was about the questions because just to take the exam you had to memorize the whole book now, if you remember if you wow, the teachers of the law with your questions you graduate to the next school. The next school was called the bet. Tell mid with the same amount of Guster. Let's try all that together ready go bet cell mid bet tell mid means the school of disciple the stool discipleship school. Now the vet tell mid lasted from 12 to 30 and it was five stages long 18 years of schooling five stages for the sake of time and relevance will call those stages stage 1 2 3 4 5, right and the idea was is that if you graduated from Stanford H1 you got to go to Stage yes. Yes. Yes, but if you didn't you were told I'm sorry, you're disqualified from Ministry go back and earn a living at your family tray. But the Best of the Best of the Best of the Best of the Best of the Best of the Best Kept graduating, they memorize the Torah the ones who couldn't I'm sorry, you're disqualified from being a rabbi go back and earn a living at your family trade the ones who weld the teachers of the law find the ones who didn't I'm sorry, you're disqualified from being a rabbi go back and learn. Living at your family trade, but the best of the best of the best of the best of the best. They graduate from stage 1 to Stage 2 2 to 3 3 to 4 4 to 5. Now, we are 30 years old and we're sitting at Stage 5 anybody ever wonder why Jesus disappeared from 12 to 30 and then at 30 years old he reappears and everybody's going Rabbi Rabbi Rabbi. This is what's going on now at Stage 5 of the vet tell mid everybody graduates no more. Being disqualified everybody graduates. The only thing left to determine is is what kind of Rabbi will you be and there was two types of rabbis. There were rabbis with authority and rabbis without Authority not very complicated rabbis without Authority and rabbis with authority now rabbis were rabbis just the saying and 99% of all rabbis were rabbis without Authority. Let me explain a rabbi without Authority had to teach the scriptures the same way his Rabbi taught him for 18 years. Now a rabbis way of teaching scripture was called his yoke, it was called his yoke. It was a rabbi joke was his summary statement of how he interpreted scripture his summary statement of how he taught people to live a summary statement of what he allowed and what he forbidded binding and loosing. It was a summary statement of all of these things and you would learn the Yoke of your Rabbi for Eighteen years and then you would graduate and if you graduated without Authority, then you had to teach the Yoke of your Rabbi to the Next Generation. So every every every movement in Israel was somehow tied back to a rabbi with authority. Now a rabbi with authority was a rabbi just the same with one big difference a rabbi with authority was able to make up his own yolk. He was able to make up his own interpretation. He was able to start his own movement now 99 Point nine percent of all rabbis were rabbis without Authority but once every two or three generations a rabbi would come along so special that they would in do him with an ordination of a special title a rabbi with authority. Now, this is the most important word. I'm going to teach you today. So let me show it to you on the next slide. This is this is the word for Authority in Hebrew. That word is some Mika now, let's try that with a whole heap of Gusto ready everybody go some Meek. Now if you want to stay on Jewish, we got a new one more thing. We got to make this noise at the end ready. All right. All right, so, all right. So everybody try that ready 3 2 1 right, right. They that was awful. Right? Let's let's try that again. Let's try that again. Ready 3 2 1 right. So in in Jewish culture, there were rabbis without Authority but then every now and then a rabbi but once every two or three generations a rabbi would come along so special that he would be a rabbi. With authority, so there were rabbis without some mica. That's your cue there were rabbis without some Mica and then there were rabbis with some Mica now the only difference between a rabbi without some Mica and one with some Mika was that the one with authority could make up his own yolk. Now, here's how they determined who had Authority and who didn't when you graduated from Rabbi school. They baptized you they baptize you because they baptized you anytime. Change social status think about your Bible when Jesus was 30 years old. He went out to the desert to be baptized by John right? This is a this is his graduation now at your baptism, you had to have to verbal witnesses to your authority to be considered a rabbi with authority. Think about it when Jesus was 30 years old, he went out to the desert to be baptized by John and John says Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the whole Whole world who whose sandals? I am not worthy to untie witness 1 John baptizes. Jesus. Jesus comes up out of the water as a normal Rabbi without Authority until a second voice speaks. This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased and there was thunder and lightning and birds and rainbows. It's almost like the father was saying if no one else is going to speak up. I will and Jesus walks up out of that water. Not just as a rabbi, but as a rabbi with some Mica which means he can now make up his own yolk and Jesus spent the rest of his life wrecking. Everybody else's joke. Think about your Bible you do not Teach as the other rabbis teach, but you teach as one with yes. It doesn't mean he was yelling at me and he sang something new he's saying he's saying they that you're not teaching what they teach remember remember remember think about it right take my yoke upon you and learn of me for my yoke is easy and my burden is light the key to that phrase has the word mine for Jesus. Say my yoke, he had to have authority. He had to be able to teach his own yolk. I love the Yoke of our Rabbi. Oh, hey check this out. Right? This is really cool. You guys aren't bored yet. Are you everybody good? Okay, good. Alright, so here's what happened. Right? So after you graduated right you now a rabbi with authority. What's the first thing you must do you got to go get disciples like a rabbi who does he was at teaching somebody he's a monk. He's sitting around thinking about stuff. Right, so he he would go here we go. Get disciples and making sure you're paying attention right? Where would the new 30 year old Rabbi go find the most qualified students. He would go to the vet tell mid and he would find the pre-vetted twelve-year-old boys who had memorized the scriptures had weld the teachers of the law. He didn't have to ask where they smart where they discipline where they dedicated where they passionate. He didn't ask anything. They they were pre-vetted for him and he would walk through the BET tell me. Ordaining young boys into his Rabbi school to teach them his yoke and the only thing he had to ask was do I believe they could do greater things than me. And if the new Rabbi believed that they could do greater things than him. He wouldn't ordained them into his Rabbi school with two words. Follow me. Follow me. Follow me. Follow me. Follow me every Hebrew boy long to hear the words of a rabbi say follow me, but most of them only ever heard. I'm sorry, you're disqualified go back and earn a living at your family trade. But this new Rabbi, does he go to the vet tell mid to find us disciples know he goes to the banks of a lake and who does he find fisherman now think about it if they were fishermen. What does that mean? It means they've been disqualified and Jesus stands on the banks of the lake and says Simon Andrew follow me and you've got grown men jumping out of votes for the opportunity. Why because they had long their whole life to be called worthy by Rabbi but they were told they weren't and this new Rabbi with some Mica is given them a good fresh go. That is the Yoke of our rabbi. The Yoke of our Rabbi qualifies disqualified people will think about this whole thing about this first four disciples, right? What was their job fisherman good disciple. What was his job tax collector. Hang on. Where do you find him at the lake? Hang on if you're the tax collector at the lake who have you been taxing fisherman, right? In other words, we're going to find out right now. Do you for have what it takes to follow me? Can you forgive the guy that's been robbing from you for years and let's go change the world. That is the Yoke of our Rabbi now. What's the rabbi had his disciples he had to teach them how to walk Jewish historians say you could always tell which disciples belong to which Rabbi by how they walked they wanted to walk exactly like their Rabbi which makes me wonder if there wasn't like a first century Rabbi with some swag, you know. They wanted to walk like think about your Bible. How will the world know you're my disciple unless you're walking like I yes and so you could always tell you can always tell who the best student today was the best way here's how very simple let's do the day got to be the line leader just like now and you could always tell who that was because the rabbi's were these special shoes and they would throw up dirt and dust from in front of them. So you can always tell the best do the day was by the student who was covered in dust from his Down right but you this was not dust you wanted to wash off. This was dust you wanted to show off it because it was an honor to be covered in the dust of your Rabbi. So here's what you would do. You'd go back to synagogue or Temple you go back there and you be like hey, Check out my dust, right you love that you love that because it was it was an honor to be covered in the dust of your rabbit. Hey member think about your Bible right there where Jesus said he said if you go into a place and they do not accept you. What do you do Shake the Dust off your feet, right? How can he say that and still say love your enemies? Why and less shaking the dust off your feet was a blessing. It was a blessing in the first century. It was a blessing and honor to be covered in the dust of your rabbi. In other words, Jesus says if they won't accept you leave them with the greatest blessing you could give them even if it's the dust off your feet. That is the Yoke of our Rabbi which leads me to this observation. You'll either be covered in the dust of your Rabbi or you'll be covered in the dust of your own issues. You be covered in the dust of your denomination to be covered in the dust of your mom the dust of your dad or my personal favorite the dust of well, that's just what I was always taught as if that's going to stand the test of time, but those the You don't want to be covered in the dust of those things. You want to be covered in the dust of your Rabbi. Here's the reason why because if you're covered in the dust of your Rabbi, you'll cover others in the dust of your Rabbi. But if you're covered in the dust of something else, you'll cover them in the same dust and the hope for North Lakes. The hope for Brisbane is the Church of fully devoted followers of Jesus who are committed not to go to heaven when they die, but to be a part of living a Jesus type of life here on this Earth and Hover people in the dust of our Rabbi, right? Which leads me to this question? I wonder how we're doing with that. What are we going? Like it if Australian government made it illegal to tell people your follow Jesus if they say you're not allowed you are never allowed to say you're a follower of Jesus one more day. It's against the law if that was the law. The Church of Jesus Christ should suffer 0 here's why we should never have to tell people that were following Jesus. They should just be looking at our life and going. Oh, yeah. That's yeah, that's that's Jesus name. Right. Why because that's what changes our world. I love the Yoke of our Eva. I love Jesus like there's this one time. There's this lady and she was caught in the act of adultery. Let me say that slowly in the act now. It would be embarrassing to be caught in that act. If it was right. I mean, it's not a great spectator sport. Right right, but But to be caught in the act of adultery, that would be terrible now for those of you who know your Bible will what does the bible Clearly say you have to do to her Stone her so the religious leaders. This is the Feast of Tabernacles. They party / 7 days she ends up in the wrong tent they get her and they bring her to Jesus and they're trying to trap him now. Think about it. Why do they need Jesus they need someone with? Yes, so they throw her at Jesus. They say Jesus the Torah says Stoner. What's your yolks? Say Jesus is in a conundrum. Isn't he? Does Jesus want to Stone? The lady know is he's is he supposed to fulfill the wall? Yes. So Jesus is in a has a problem. They say hey, the scriptures say Stoner. We have our verses we have our pamphlets. We have our websites. We ever fundamental truths the scriptures the scriptures say Stoner. What does your yolk say? Jesus is a genius is he does he goes, you know what you're right. The scriptures say Stoner. So I say Stoner there. I've kept the law. Oh, but wait a minute. I have some Mica which means I can make up my own yolk. Okay, the Torah says Stoner as I say Stoner, but my yoke also says you can't throw stones unless you're perfect. In the original language there it says this. Right, right and it's they're flabbergasted. It says that everybody gets tired of holding their stones and they set him down Jesus write something in the dirt. You know, what's he writing? And then and then it says he waits for them all to leave and in one of the most moving moments from Jesus his whole life. He looks at this lady who would have been in the fetal position or waiting to be killed and he says hey, where are your accusers? What a masterful question not what did you do not tell me about it. No. No, where are your accusers? She looks around. She says, oh, they're not here. He says great the neither do I condemn you why the Torah said you had the stone Someone caught in the act of adultery, but the tour also says you have to have two witnesses to condemn. Somebody Jesus couldn't make her sin go away. So he simply made the witnesses go away, which automatically declares a mistrial. This is Jesus at his top genius stuff That is the Yoke of our Rabbi which is why there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are why it's not that we don't ever send. It's just they'll never be enough witnesses to condemn Us by the law of God. That is the Yoke of our Rabbi which leads me to this question the Yoke of our Rabbi could look at someone caught in the act of adultery and say I don't condemn you could arguably say that and if it can't how could the world possibly know that when is decided Let me throw a wrench in it. She wasn't repenting it caught her on her back there working caught her in the act and he still said I don't condemn you could we do that. See my yolk the Yoke of the church. I came up with said no. No, you catch someone in adultery. You can announce it from the stage. So that all might fear that is not the Yoke of our Rabbi. That's the Oka some jacked-up white dude from 1890 with severe daddy issues, right? That is not the Yoke of our Rabbi, right? Right. Jesus said Jesus said oh you've been caught in the act. Oh, then I don't condemn you now. What's the next line now go and send them right? So here's what we do. We say it backwards and call it Jesus we go. You better quit sending so God won't condemn you you better stop sinning. So God won't continue. No. No way. Jesus is like I'm not condemning you and based on that kindness. Let the kindness of God leads you to repentance. I'm not going to condemn you now take that as a mulligan a second chance a fresh start a clean. Late and change your life. That is the Yoke of our Rabbi. Jesus said it this way. He said they'll know you're my disciples. If you hea they were keep their means to protect. It's sort of like it's sort of like if someone handed me a baby and said would you keep her for two minutes for me and just got to run their I'll be right back. Would you keep her for a second? That doesn't mean obey the baby. That means protect the baby. It's an ancient castle where it was a castle. Keep it's where you put the children in the vulnerable. Oftentimes I Jesus says Hey above all things protect my command and here's my command love each other. In other words. If someone was never say Hey, where's Church unlimited stand on this or where's Church unlimited stand on that or what's your stance on this? And it's all boring doctrinal bullcrap, right and we're going hey, where do we stand on this stuff? Right? Well, I'll tell you where we stand. Here's where we stand. We stand to love Jesus Christ and to protect love at all costs. That's always say we stand to keep the command and the command to keep the command. We're going to protect his command to love each other at all. Now we'll discuss whatever Doctrine you want to discuss as long as it's a discussion, but at the end of the day we discussed Doctrine but we defend love with everything. We have we treat others as we would want to be treated. Why because the rules say that that lady should have been stoned but Jesus's message in a nutshell is God loves people more than the rules. God loves people more than the rules. God loves you and if you're here tonight and you're like, oh, I don't know about this Jesus thing. I don't know if people actually knew me they wouldn't accept me another day. Let me clearly say something to you the message of This in one nutshell is no matter what you are or where you've been or what you've done. God loves you more than the rules despite what the rules say, you might deserve the whole gospel is God loves you more than the rules and that is the Yoke of our Rabbi now. The Yoke of our Rabbi existed in the Old Testament to write it like it's almost like the writers had helped to check this out. This is this is Hebrews chapter 11, right which is like the heroes of the faith, you know by faith Abraham by faith Moses 5 Faith Sampson Wright. If you go read their stories, they all did crazy mistakes. They all did stuff that was jacked up beyond what you can imagine like Hey by faith Abraham gave his wife to Pharaoh's Harem if CNN The internet would have been around back then. What were you saying about Abraham right like well, okay. Let me ask you this with Abraham be available to preach your next Sunday. Would you let him? Or would you start a website on his mistakes? You know, right or by faith Isaac did something's by faith Moses Moses was a premeditated murderer. I look this way and that and seeing no one. I killed the man and hid him in the sand problem was the next day the sand shifted yet. This legs sticking up out of the sand. Yeah. God said you'll do I'll have you right the foundational scripture for everything and her daughter. By faith Samson Samson was sleeping with prostitutes on his wedding night because he got depressed because his best man stole his wife. What if he was available to preach next only by faith David like David had how many women like 700 or something? 700 women? 700. God said, you're a man after my own heart. And he still went and got the one he wasn't meant to have do you know there are Christian denominations to in our world today that according to their bylaws would never let David preach from a stage because of his mistake, but the open a book David wrote call it the word of God and be able to see the hypocrisy and that come on by faith Solomon Solomon out. Did it thousand women and that's what was written. What was he hiding? A thousand with us thousand women my Lord. God said I'll have you write the book on wisdom. Surely you learn something you imagine. Right right. You mentioned that conversation. Excuse me, sir. Are you the man that successfully navigated the affections of a thousand women? Yes. We are write a book together. If Solomon was available to preacher next Sunday, would you welcome or will we go all is he allowed to do hey, you know what? He did. No, they're an understory here. Wait a minute. It's not the okavango the Yoke of our Rabbi has always less qualified disqualified people and change the world. Okay, like there's this one time. Jesus has an encounter with a guy that denied him in court and Jesus is response is amazing. He cooks breakfast on the beach for him. He doesn't even bring it up. He just says hey you love me. Yeah, you love me. You know, what? Do you sure you love me after all this? Yep, then let's go change the world. That is the Yoke of our ever which leads me to this. I wonder who we need to cook breakfast on the beach boy. Wonder if there's anybody that has done us wrong. We just written him out of her life. Probably should just cook breakfast on the beach cleaning. Take two more stories one from my personal life. And and then and one from the Bible actually tell you the one can the Bible First there's this there's this odd scene in Matthew chapter 9 where it says it says in Jesus took his disciples to says area Philippi Jesus took his disciples that one line Jesus took his disciples to says refilled by okay couple things about this first that's an hour-and-a-half Drive in a motor car on a paved road today. That's not something you just sort of passed by. Okay. They had to intend to go there. That's first second cezary Philip. Why was not the place any Christian would go there's no way like the most debaucher stuff going on in Brisbane tonight Vegas doesn't matter. It is Nickelodeon compared to what was going on at cezary philipot Century of Philippi was the headquarters to the goat. God Pan actually today. It's not called caesarea Philippi. It's called panaya the city of pan. It's so there was things going on. You can't imagine because of the age range. I'm seeing in the room. I'm going to really dumb down my language, but you adults should be able to read through it, right? So pain, Was this goat? God? Let me let me show you a let me show you a picture of the center of caesarea Philippi, right? Let me just show you this this is the center of cezary Philip. I now the reason that photo is of such high quality is because I took it myself, right? Photographers everywhere trying to get somebody else's arm and their photo now. There's this it's amazing. I've done I've started a trend now. There's this huge rock cliff there. This was the temple over here was the temple to the goat God pan right here. And then this was called the court of pan in the nillas like nip. Okay, right and then that big cave was called the entrance and exit to hell and here's what would happen. Right? You had to worship pan 24/7 through public acts with goats. Okay. I'll just leave it there right so hub. Acts with goats of a certain fertility ritual. I thought it's pretty good now. So that would have been going on over here. It's the most debaucherous thing. You could ever imagine Jesus took his youth group there. That was their mission trip. Jesus walks into this situation with 12 men and here's what they here's what they taught. They said if you didn't worship and properly here that pan would open up the entrance to Hell there and swallow you into it. Jesus walks into this with 12 guys. Hey, can you imagine you met and he can hear their thoughts you can you see why he had to focus them. He's like Peter. Hey, hey right here, bro right here right here eyes this way eyes this way. Hey Focus, bro. Focus hey, who do you say that? I am Peter shakes it off. He says you are the Christ the son of the Living God. Jesus says, that's right and Upon This Rock we can build a church and not even the Gates of Hell will prevail against it. Jesus walked into that level of debauchery and doesn't condemn them because it's a I'm going to get you doesn't do any of that. He doesn't even he doesn't even mention it. He just says you're acting like that because you're scared of this and Jesus stood over the gates of hell and said bring it on. That is the okavango one last story my personal life. I used to kick box and I got really good at it. I did it competitively I placed in the US Open. I got invited because of a high enough place in the US. I got invited to the Nazca World Championships. Now. I have no interest in fighting today. I'm 43. It hurts too. Bad to get hit and fighting's different when I when I fought you stood up and if you clench terrific separate now, they pull you to the ground interior armor different this anyway, so but I was I was good at it. And so I came home from the US Open and there was a guy in my neighborhood is name was Kenneth Brown Kenneth was a freak of nature what you look at before you right now this physical specimen, right? Like if you sleep in and drink Coke you two can one day look like I am 6 foot 2. I am 85 kilos as I stand before you right Kenneth Brown was six foot two, ninety three kilos in the eighth grade. He was one of these freaks of nature that had like we were in fifth grade together. We'd go to recess he'd go to the bathroom to shave right? He's like shaving in the fifth grade, right amazing guy. Anyway, he shows up and he says, oh my Around look at my trophies. He's a shame. We'll look I think I can. Whup you I said, I think you're right. He said no, I'm serious. I want to fight and said no, I'm serious. I'm not fighting it. He said why I said cause you're twice my size. You don't fight people twice your size. It's a rule. He said I bought boxing gloves to prove I could beat you and I said a boxing you want a box. Oh, that's different. You said fight what you meant to say was box because Box means you can't grab me and take me to the ground. We have to stand up and fight. Amen. Let's go do that. Right? So we walked outside, you know, all my friends make a ring, you know, you could picture now fight Fight right and I got the ring with Kenneth Brown and I've beat him half to death. I was fast. He was slow. I was skilled. He was not I was just in and out in and out. I couldn't hurt him. He's huge. I was like pop pop pop pop, right couldn't hurt. Anyway, Kenneth gets frustrated by this and he chooses. He says, I'm he thought I'm going to end this with one punch and he threw a right cross. It was unlike any right cross I've ever seen in my life. Let me show it to you in real speed ready. I actually had time to think. I'll move now. When he finished his swing he ended in this position. And I thought oh, yeah never before nor since have I ever hit a human being this hard. He's a perfect shot. Perfect if you understand golf is that one shot you hit an 18 holes that makes you think you can hit him all that good, you know, it was big muscles leading. It wasn't like. Oh no big muscles leading small muscles everything from the ground up right? It's everything in tandem. Everything tight right on the base of his chin. His head snapped back his knees buckled in retrospect. I should have kept hitting it. But I never met anybody that hard in my life. So I just sort of stood over him like this and waited from the fall. He he caught his balance and he looked up at me and now he was mad. his face turned red and he said boy, is that all you got and it was I didn't mean everything I had he's still coming help how many of you know when you hit someone with your best shot and they're still coming. You lose a forfeited. I said, I can't hit him harder. I can't I can't I can't he went you know what the Bible says the Bible says the yoga of our Rabbi was put on a public display public display. Oh, hey, are you the guy that said bless your enemies. Are you the guy that said be merciful. Are you the guys said forgive everybody? Right? Are you the guy who said protect love at all costs? You're that guy. How about a crown of thorns? Huh? How about some beating with a stick? Huh? Some spitting how about some mocking? How about 39 lashes? How about some Nails in your hand? Can you still keep doing it? Come on, get us get us. Come on, call it down. Come On Come On Us - come on. Come on, come on, come on, and they beat him and they beat him and they beat him and they beat him and they beat him and they beat him and they beat him and he kept loving and forgiving and loving and forgiving and loving and forgiving and loving and forgiving all the way to the point of death. He still forgiving the last guy down there which is why any message of Jesus. It's like if you don't do something Jesus is going to like that is not the message of Jesus and on that ER visit. 25 foot cross over the top of the building Jesus kept loving and forgiving and loving and forgiving and loving and forgiving and and I and let me and let me say this under great stress under great. Duress. Jesus is having the worst day possible and he still forgiving the guy next to him. He still thinking about the next person he still doing that and he and he dies you can't do nothing more to a guy than killing and here's what I think happened. If you'll humor me. I Think Jesus descended into hell and he looked at the Devil right in the eye and he said boy, is that all you got that was your best shot? You serious you thought you could destroy my yoke by killing me. I'll now no no, I'm stuck here for three days. But three days from now. I'm going to breakfast on the beach for the very people who abandoned me in my time of need and I'm not even going to bring it up. And here's the thing. I'm going to preach the whole three days. I'm here. You know Peter said in First Peter that when Jesus died he descended into hell and preach to the dead. You know, what else it says. It says when Jesus rose from the dead tombs everywhere empty. I wonder how his altar call went. Anyway, he Right, right, right, right. Why why because the Yoke of our Rabbi is love Saves the Day. Which leads me to this? Couple questions one are we keeping the command? Are we protecting the command to love it all calls or have we escalated something else promoted something to I want us to just be quiet before the Lord at this moment and this bow our head and sort of cancel the white noise of the week and I want you to be brave enough to ask this question Lord Jesus. Is there anywhere I've changed your yogurt. Is there any place I've changed your yoga. Please forgive me. I don't have a right. Where have I acted as if I have some And I do not what would you give us the courage to see things different irresistible urge to respond? What was Lord forgive us for where we've changed your yogurt and then wondered why you're not compelling to our world. Once you right there where you're seated? Why don't you just say a simple prayer like this underneath your breath Lord Jesus. I re commit my life to you again to follow you to be your disciple if you're here today and you've never made a choice to follow Jesus you can make that choice right now. If you need words to say you can say something like this Lord Jesus. I'm going to choose to put my trust in your version. Of my life story instead of the one I've written on my own. I'd love to follow you. Would you teach me how to live thanks for listening. We hope you've enjoyed this message. We pray that you and your family are richly blessed in the love and Grace of Jesus if you're ever in the area, we'd love to have you join us for Sunday worship.
We take Jesus seriously – so what does that mean? It is important to think about Jesus as a human being in order to help us work out how Jesus wants us to live. What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus? Jesus Christ was a first-century rabbi who taught people how to live on earth. He was entrusted with speaking in the synagogue and at the temple. Let’s look at the calling of the first 4 disciples: Matthew 4:18-22:   As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”   At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them,   and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. There are a couple of things to notice about this passage:    They were fishermen. Jesus’ sales pitch was “Follow me”   4 grown men left everything they knew to follow a random stranger  Then again in Mark 2:13-14: 13 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. Again – the sales pitch is “Follow me” and these grown men are leaving everything to do just that – businesses, family, wives, children - everything. What is happening here? In first century Israel, every boy wanted to be a Rabbi – it was the highest honour. But at the end of the day, only the best of the best went on to become a Rabbi. To be entrusted with the title Rabbi was not something that was done lightly – there are only 3 Rabbis mentioned in the Bible – Jesus, Paul and Gamaliel. In order to be a rabbi, you had to memorise Leviticus by the age of 6. If you did this, you graduated to the next school. The next school was the Bet Sefer – the school of the book – which lasted from age 6-12 and you had to memorise the entire Torah before the age of 12. If you memorised the entire Torah before the age of 12, this qualified you to take the exam in order to progress to the next school. The exam was on your ability to ask questions about the Scripture in order to keep a conversation about God going. Think about the Bible - when Jesus was 12 years old, he was wowing the teachers of the law with his questions. If you wow the teachers of the law with your questions, you then progressed to the next school – the Bet Talmid. Bet Talmid means the school of discipleship and this lasted from 12 years old to 30 years old. The Bet Talmid consisted of 5 stages and you had to graduate from each stage or you were told “I’m sorry, you’re disqualified from being a rabbi, go back and earn a living at your family business”. 