2026-03-15 Vase vs Face : Last Week We Sprang Forward, This Week WE FALL DOWN

0:00Thank you all for joining in worship today and thanks the worship team for leading us. They get pretty early. Not counting what they do throughout the week. And so that they can take us where they've been in their worship time and it's just that discovery and a renewal that we can face and music has a way of working with on top of it then when we're singing the right words and talking about God and sometimes it's just we need that to go oh yeah I forgot and I did a wedding yesterday. We have a couple in the church here that just got married. Matthew and Nile, and they're not here today for some odd reason I don't know but they didn't make it back but they will be back with us. Anyway I started the wedding out by saying my wife likes it when I do weddings and it's because it makes me remember what I'm supposed to be doing. Not that I intentionally forgot it's just it's easy to go ahead and you get going with life right and I think that's the truth that many of us have been very to found out. So what we're going

1:03to do if you will take your Bible and let's go back and pick up where we left off last week with this guy named Zacchaeus and looking at Zacchaeus we talked about the underdog and in the underdog the whole concept of just that America's been known as an underdog and we kind of have that heartbeat that goes out to the guy that couldn't but did. The little engine that said I think I can I think I can and goes ahead and pulls up the mountain with the load of the train behind him. A variety of things that way I mentioned about the 1980 Olympics when not only did they win but they won with normal guys no professionals on the team against the professionals that were from Russia and it's just those inspiring type things like that and I didn't I failed to mention that the sad thing is as we've changed and it's like instead of having that underdog spirit not only appreciating and seeing the people that are nobody's that become somebody's not not in a haughty sense but I mean just that they overcome whatever it may be to excel beyond what anybody's

2:05expectations would have been and so that's the underdog spirit but beyond that then what we've become today I'm afraid is the victim spirit and the victim spirit says nothing goes right for me you know man if I just had what you have if I just you know could blah blah blah and we just automatically look at and we default into this thing of where we're gonna sit back because well you know my life's not as good as yours so I'll just do whatever I've got and it's almost mad at God and it's mad at others and and again I'm not saying that there are not victims I'm not saying that in the least it's just that what history is shown and what the scriptures all about is the guy that was the underdog that overcame the adversity the guy that was the victim the guy that was the victim that overcame reputation whatever it may be that excels into then being a victor and what Christ wants us to have is victory and one of the songs that Julie's dad loved a lot and was victory in Jesus and it discontinuously talks about the victory that we have in Christ so my encouragement to you is is that don't look at yourself that way and there's one

3:06primary reason it's not because of some story I could tell or a rudy situation if I went back and played the whole film for you but rather instead it's for you to look at Jesus because you talk about the underdog I mean he had it all left it all and talk about the victim he came down here not only was he really not treated very well as a whole certainly not by the religious class but then on top of it when it came down to the cross which we're coming into three weeks away from where most churches will call it Easter I still just refuse to I want to call it resurrection and it's not that I'm just trying to be you know our contrary that I am rebellious yeah I am but it's because it's about the resurrection Easter is not mentioned in the Bible and although I understand the adaptations over time and everything like that man it's resurrection that's the ultimate overcoming that's the checkmate no checkmate you you know and Jesus was able to accomplish what God sent him forth to do and it was to die it was to be tortured to fulfill all the scriptures that prophesied that and then not only

4:10does he receive that and pay for sins with his blood but then God gives a big amen it brings him back from the dead more alive than ever before able to walk through doors and what they're going to like that I mean that's overcoming right and that's what Revelation talks a lot about is overcome or to him who overcomes so I'm just saying don't let the world or Satan put you into this victim mold rather instead understand the underdog and know that it's not just that you can pull yourself up by the bootstraps or bootstraps or I can it's instead it's what God will do in us and if we just surrender what he is able to do as we partner and team up with him so with that in mind if you will let's pray God and Father today I am nobody other than what you have I mean I just wasted my life so to speak and just send it away and it's because of you that there's any hope at all but that's not just hope or it's not like a wish no man it's a hope that's a noun that's solid that hope that Hebrews even

5:10said we can anchor to it it's that solid that what you said you will bring about and those that follow you those that submit to you those that not only call you Lord but treat you like Lord the God you can't wait to come back and to rescue us in fact it seems like in the scriptures that the let at the end that it's going to be for those are in the midst of the battle that suddenly Jesus you jump the hedge and you write in on your horse not a baby of manger but a mighty warrior and for those that are yours you're going to do as you are doing right now and it's not just rescuing us no it's delivering us it is showing strong no matter how defeated it may look like Paul himself dying a cruel death in a Roman jail or in the heart of Rome and yet he was right and they were wrong so Lord I just pray that you would not let us be swallowed up with just self pity and at the same time God I pray that you will

6:14heal the wounds of heart and soul and mind and body the emotions Lord that have been absolutely torn up for some people not in a least bit standing here today saying that nobody has anything to be you know feel like they've been beaten up no it's not that it's just don't quit and Lord you gave us that spirit to where with you you can turn all things to good if we just keep loving you and so as your servant today Lord and the servant of these that are here the servants of those listening online God just not a title just just me but me with you and your spirit through me I pray that each one that would join and ask God I can't believe anything but what it would be your will to speak so may we pray together God speak to me each one of us speak to me or let me hear you in my mind and my heart and my soul or even with my ear if I need to but get my attention Lord get my direction towards you and then might we not try to do

7:14on our own but might we partner with you and then those that you placed around us that we could be the victors in spite of what we've been through and in spite of what it looks like because Jesus you promised to come back to those that are faithful and so may we be faithful to you as you were to us all the way through the cross and even out of the tomb the Lord may you be glorified today might you guide my words give me insight help me to get through all these scriptures I think what I ought to say that God give me the ones that you want said in Jesus name amen so thank you if you got your Bible so we're here at Luke 19 was that kiss and there's something I just wanted to point out because what I'd like to do today and I don't know if you get into titles I know it was on and now it's not but we get into titles and I have trouble sometimes coming up with a title believe it or not and so I that's why we get so lame titles sometimes because you know I'm not writing a book here I'm just preaching a sermon and until it's preached then it's easier to title it after I'm done that is beforehand but last week we what with the clocks we sprang forward and

8:16that sounds like a word that originated a look it up in the websters and originating the south and it was the word for that coil thing that's a spring they's called a sprang and so but here it's legit we're spranging forward no we sprang forward last week past tense of spring and where today we're going to fall down and the idea falling down I want to show you even here and begin with Zacchaeus and so the series of scriptures that I want to go through today are about just that it's that thing that we don't do in America other than there are times I mean I'd say that the biggest thing that we ever kneel down to is that porcelain throne I thought somebody laughed thank you Greg a few of you worshipped at the porcelain throne I'm quite sure and I'm because we've all had the flu at some time or another right and what I mean by that is it's just that there are things that will bring us to our knees their illnesses their disease their different things that way and there's nothing that goes from being healthy to being helpless or feeling that way and not having the ability to get out of

9:18bed or anything else there's nothing that is more torturous in many ways than just being this constant sickness or to have the flu in that regard and I know it's talking to a family this week that started with one and it went to every one of them and came back and went around the second time again and so you know that's not fun in the least but thank God we've got those porcelain thrones there that we can go ahead not have to just have the mess all over the place for sure and pity for those of you that have young children that don't know how to say ahead of time I think I'm going to but sometimes you can think it but before you're done it's already happened though right so we bowed down at what a shame if the only thing we ever bowed down to is in sickness now other countries they have kings and they have different ones that would expect that we have people erecting you know statues of themselves and you're supposed to worship or to recognize and and all to pay homage to during the time when the book of Acts was written it'd become very very popular that you were to say Caesar's Lord as Christianity ignited their in Jerusalem on the day of

10:20Pentecost and from there began to spread and go around the world that what Caesar felt was threatened and Caesar created arrows already popular but he made this mandate that you were at times with the if the soldier came to you you were to bow down and for some I think and I don't know what the whole entire context was that they would pinch like a piece of of incense that was burning and they would say Caesar is Lord and the Christians that wouldn't go ahead and give into that and say Caesar is Lord that maintained their faithfulness said Jesus is Lord they would lose their head or worse thrown to lions in a variety of torturous things that were done in fact when the book of Revelation was written it was gotten so severe that Nero at that time was doing a whole host of different things and I'm not saying this just to be graphic but I want you to understand we think we've got it bad it's amazing how quickly a Christian can have a bad day but talk about bad day what they were doing if you wouldn't bow down and say Caesar's Lord Nero had the soldiers go

11:21out and they would get you one of the things they would do is to roll some people in tar or pitch and then he would impale them on lightposts and actually light his garden at night the smell of burning fire with Christians alive hmm nice huh others they would strap a horse four different horses one to each arm one to each leg and then somebody would smack them you know and they pulled somebody apart there were other people that were rolled in Greece and you know veg or animal Greece and then set loose in the desert and you know what happens when other animals will get that sent and so again this whole idea was torture them if they won't bow down torture them and I share that with you because what my Bible at least reads is somehow some way there's going to be an antichrist someday that's going to demand that you bow down and those that don't or don't have the mark of the beast or whatever like that they'll be tortured put to death I can take death I don't like torture anybody else with me

12:24you know it's like just let's get it over with you know make it quick right but some of these egotistical people almost relish the idea of torturing you and under the threat of well change your mind you know and so we've got to have a mental mind is prepared and in fact I think one of the most untold stories of the New Testament is suffering goes with Jesus we're not going to escape it parents I've said before but I want to encourage again what have you done to teach your kids to prepare for suffering because we tell them all these things about one of these days everything's gonna get better and better who told you that because torture is or suffering is a part of life and what I want us to understand in the midst of that is it's good and healthy that we kind of ahead of time get used to bowing down to something so that we're comfortable with that not because we're gonna someday be bowing down to a person but rather instead because we're not going to surrender who our Lord is that in spite of the threat or whatever it may be we're going to kneel down but we're gonna say that

13:28Jesus is Lord now Paul summed it up this way said there's coming a time when every knee will what bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord but you know what the sad thing about that is for many it's gonna be too late because it's not gonna be this last minute thing it's gonna be when he's already come back and that's too late and so I think it's imperative that two one two things one is that we have received Christ and we don't wait until it's the last minute to then if we receive Christ that we're learning how to live for Christ even including the suffering that may come along with it because not everybody loves a Christian but that doesn't mean that we ought to fade into the wall paper and pretend that we're not there just because we've got anti Christians around us nor does it mean that we need to be in their face we just need to be in the face of God and so my encouragement is is I think that we could probably it would be healthy for each of us and all of us even if we bowed down more often I have been saying well Julie knows ever since I started preaching I

14:30said man you know one thing I don't like pews that much but I love going to a Catholic church because they at least have kneeling benches I mean you don't have to get all the way down at least you can go ahead and stop there some place and got something to pull yourself up with but I like that concept not somebody telling me you have to kneel down and I'm not telling you that today I'm telling you one of these days you will kneel and it may be to somebody that you don't really appreciate and it may be to Jesus one way or the other either as a faithful Christian as a oh Lord you are the Lord so this passage or the passage I'm gonna cover today are about people that knelt down I think that Zacchaeus it implies was one of those I know I typically read this story and we know he climbed the tree wasn't very tall and all this stuff but as we go on through or go back down to this it said he climbed this tree verse five says when Jesus reached the spot he looked up to him and said Zacchaeus come down immediately because I must say at your house today so he came down immediately at once and and he said he welcomed him gladly all the people saw this and

15:35began to mutter that he's gone to be the guest of a sinner but Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord look Lord now the first part that's a little bit funny here is how tall was that yes we don't know now I was told last week a thoroughter or in an authoritative way by a nine-year-old that Zacchaeus was three-foot six inches tall now the children's Bible that he may be used in might say that but I I didn't find anything to back that up but that would be I mean that's we're talking Wizard of Oz there aren't we so but he wasn't very big so it's funny then when he stood up and I wonder if somebody had to say stand up Zacchaeus oh you know because that's our typical way of doing it but Zacchaeus anyway it's said here in verse eight Zacchaeus stood up and he said to the Lord look Lord here and now I give half my possessions to the poor if I've cheated anybody out of anything I'll pay back four times and Jesus responses just who could ask for more today salvation has come to this house because this man to is a son of Abraham for the son of man came to see can

16:36save that which was lost my point being is if Zacchaeus stood up where was he before he stood up so in my mind I can picture okay this may have been at his house but it doesn't necessarily say that we know Jesus and I'm gonna stay at your house today and they said oh he's gonna go be a you know guest of sinners but I wonder if when Zacchaeus if he did fall down out of the tree or if he jumped out of that tree he immediately might have gone down but at least there was a position a posture then when Jesus spoke to him he stood up and in that regard I just want you to see that the rest of what we read about Zacchaeus and what he said Lord I give you half I want to give to the poor half of all I've got he wouldn't even trying to browny nose up to Jesus say I'm gonna put this in the cough I'll give this over to Judas there your treasurer now he said I'm just gonna give it to the poor and he said then if there's anybody while he's still in the crowd that would make it even more spectacular and if anybody have wrong they'll pay back 400 or 400 percent more than what I took from you and I just

17:37see that as being the man and what it represents is not just humility it represents somebody it was extremely thrilled to be relieved because I can't imagine I mean again if this was a salvation story and as I mentioned last week for those of you that weren't here I talked about we know about the thief on the cross but this is a thief and a tree he'd been stealing his whole life or his adult life and gotten very wealthy with it but when he came face to face with Jesus things changed and I just think it's amazing he had been down and he stood up and so I wonder if when he came out of that tree if actually that's when he went down to his knees and then after that Jesus said no get up I'm gonna go to your house today and I'm gonna eat with you I don't know how it all went but it's alluded to here but I do know it says that he stood up and I'd have to say from where from being down and so in that regard he reflects this with his life now the other part I didn't hit on that you can go back and look at on your own is the previous chapter ironically just the about two-thirds the way through that

18:40chapter there was another guy that came to Jesus that was very wealthy and that guy we talk about as the rich young ruler and I'm not sure why I mean he was rich but I don't know if you how young he was and I don't know what he ruled but it was this guy and he came and said what must I do to get eternal life or to get to heaven Jesus told him about the commandment to go oh yeah I kept all those and then Jesus said go and sell all that you've got and give it to the poor you see a difference in these two this other rich young ruler didn't come and kneel down in the least he just came and said look you're telling everybody about things well I want to know what is a good person like me do and Jesus said he'll give all you've got to the poor and follow me and the man went away what sad because he had great wealth and so we got two wealthy people here real close together scripture wise in the book of Luke two wealthy people here one as a little bit I would have to say arrogant about his goodness the other that is extremely humbled by just Jesus Christ and he just feels compelled whether

19:42it's by this glory this virtue of Christ or whether it was just the fact that he'd heard enough that he wanted Jesus and when Jesus would respect him and even call him out of a tree instead of making fun of him that it brought him to the ground and then in turn then he turns around and he says man I just I'm so touched by you my life's different I don't even need my stuff I give half of all I got just give it to the poor I'm done and if I've wronged you I'll give the rest of whatever I've got and I don't know how I qualified that I don't know how many people took advantage of it but I don't think he was worried because he had something more valuable than what he'd been putting all of his value in have you ever gotten to that point with Jesus is he the most valuable thing that you can have or attain or reach out to or be blessed by him recognizing you and whether you're up a tree or down in a hole in the ground Jesus is there but we can't come out with pride is coming out with a humility that comes about from a standpoint of recognizing the lesser just met the greater and when you come

20:46into greatness there is an absolute buckling of the knees when you know that you've done wrong and you come up against whether it's a police officer a judge or somebody else or the person that you accuse there is a tendency then especially if they got a gun in their hand but there is a tendency to kneel down right because it's a part of we call surrender one of the things that the soldiers will do if they're caught you know and stuff like that is oftentimes the first thing they say is what get down on your knees why not only does it mean you can't run but the bigger thing is because I'm over you and what I want us to know is those of us especially that claim we believe in Jesus he's over me he's bigger than me greater than me he's the only one that can save me and so I shared this with you because I want you to begin to think how many times have you really and truly bowed down to Christ outside of moments of desperation

21:47because I find that we will do that praying for our grandchild praying for yourself praying for somebody else that meaningful to you praying about a situation praying about whatever it may be obstacle coming up you don't have the money in this thing I find people will bow down there's some that every morning I mean and I love what I remember Ben Helm said that one time is he's learned to put his shoes way under the bed so that he has to get down on his knees and begin on his knees every morning and there's something very very positive to that but not if we're just kneeling down to get our shoes if we're kneeling down before the Lord and that's his point with man it makes me realize God I am in subjection to you submission to you because I admire you and I need you so if you will let's go back and see that this isn't the first time that it came up in fact the first time that we read in the book of Luke about anybody kneeling down or being offered to kneel down as Jesus when he was tempted and so if you've got your bibles we'll go back to Luke chapter 4 and I'm not going to begin at

22:51the beginning but it's when Jesus been fasting 40 days and 49th and devil came to tempt him the first time he said to them he said man I can you know give you all these kingdoms verse 5 in fact the devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world verse 6 he said him I will give you all their authority and splendor for it's been granted to me this is not my father's world I mean he made it and he's going to take control again but right now he's giving it to the devil we don't live in heaven we live in a fallen world he said I'll give you all their authority and splendor for it's been given to me and I can give it to anyone I want to so that you can go down to Georgia or the devil can go down to Georgia looking for a soul to steal I can it's been given to me I give it to anyone I want so if you worship me it will be yours and Jesus response wasn't to bow down instead he said it's written worship the Lord your God and serve him only it's not till you go to back to Matthew 4 and I won't make you turn back there that's where it

23:54says that Satan said bow down and worship me so what I want us to focus here is is that Jesus was told to bow down and given a great incentive or a reason to bow down but Jesus rather instead clarified in his mind that God was his father that he was the Lord and that he wasn't about to bow down to get anything from the devil no matter what the promise might look like it wasn't going to be a fair trade he wasn't going to give up his faith in holiness and heaven and you and me even for the devil in a temporary time of raining on the world the marriage amazing thing is is that his disciples from that point on there was they began to follow him the amazing thing was that's what they kept thinking it was going to be that he's going to be in this worldly kingdom and so what Jesus was continually saying is no my kingdom is not here but he did say that we should pray about God's kingdom to come so that his will could be done while we're on this earth as well as when we're in heaven on the same way it's

24:57done in heaven in chapter 5 the next chapter over then we get to read this passage my favorite story of of Peter and it just it just never fails to go ahead and just draw me in and I'll try to read it here quickly so one day as Jesus was standing on the lake of generous set and I want you to understand that that's the same as a see a gallery there are three different words for it but on this lake of generous set with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God so he was teaching he saw at the water's edge two boats left there by fishermen who were washing their nets he got into one of the boats the one belonged to Simon and he asked him to put out a little from shore then he sat down he taught the people from the boat little out to the side here for I mean I've never fished with nets when you fish with nets you're trying to catch fish that are as a whole these guys would have been is that was been like a sainting net you know catching fish on the top that's why they fished all night but they hadn't caught a thing when you get back in then you what you do is you

25:59immediately go take your nets and you begin to see is there any tears in them because otherwise the fish can get away or tear it even more and so you mend the nets you clean the nets get the algae and all that stuff out of them and lay them out on the rocks that they dry and then you fold them carefully so that you can unfurl them when you go back out the next night so Jesus shows up and he's teaching these guys are there and he looks over to Simon he gets in his boat he said hey man crank me out here you know take me out to shore and that would be if we're in the southern gallery crank me out there and I want to go out here on the water okay put out a little from shore and Jesus then sat down he taught the people from the boat Peter was really glad because it's hard to row when somebody standing up you know not knock him out well when he had finished speaking he said to Simon who we know is Peter master or he said excuse me put out into deep water let down the nets for a catch what nets the ones we just mended and dried and folded yeah Simon answered verse five when or excuse me

27:00yeah he said master we've worked hard all night we didn't get a thing took that deep breath said because you say so I will and it's ironic that he called him what master because you say so I will so he did and he said when they had done so and I personally believe that they is him and Jesus I think Jesus jumped right in there with him like he wants to and the only way we can really experience a fantastic Christian life is with Jesus not us just doing things for Jesus but with him anyway so they pulled in when they had done so they pulled there caught such a large number of fish at the nets began to break so they had to signal the partner and the other boat to come out and help them and they came and they filled both boats so full they began to sink now you would think that they would be stupid and holler to go and man we just hit the lottery I can't believe this and this doesn't happen this is a miracle it's a miracle you know this is a miracle isn't it and so but Simon has a different reaction

28:05verse eight when Simon Peter saw this he fell at Jesus's knees that's not just that he knelt down he came over and just prostrated prostrated himself before him he said go away from me Lord I'm a sinful man so this miracle capture not like Peter's mind but his heart and now he is absolutely convinced that Jesus Lord and he's absolutely convinced what I fear with so many Americans aren't today is that he was such a sinner that he didn't deserve being the presence of Jesus it caused him to be a lesser and bow down to the greater even though he wasn't saying I'm gonna bow down here will you let me follow he wouldn't say that at all he was just saying I know I'm in the presence of somebody so amazing I don't not only deserve to be here I'm not holy you are and then what's really cool is Jesus's response because you see

29:10he loves the bent knee he loves the broken heart he loves when we are in a position of recognizing ourselves and our sin and his response to him then was he said he said to Simon don't be afraid you're not as he often said from now on you'll catch man and he asked him to follow him what Peter do it said they verse 11 they pulled their boats up on shore left everything and then what followed him another thing that's missing in much of the gospel that shared today is the following of Christ there is no such thing as accepting Jesus your Lord and Savior not following him I mean you can tell me all you want but this verse says yeah if you take a single verse by itself you can do whatever you want with it if you compile those verses you cannot convince me that that's it it's to acknowledge to realize repent you know and come to it and then it's to follow that's discipleship and that's what so many people don't want I mean

30:12I'm doing good to get some of you guys here once a month and is that discipleship not really because it's one on all of you you know but discipleship is when you take responsibility and you start helping others to learn not that you know everything but to share at least what you know it's what the great commission is all about go and he didn't say go and save people did you ever notice that Matthew 28 does not say go you therefore into all the world and save people go into all the world and have them say this prayer it doesn't say that the first part of it is go and make good job now let's all try go and make a cycle have you ever said Lord what is a disciple no because we don't bow down to him to say what did you mean by this God I want to please you I want to do what you know is best because you'll do what's absolutely best for me and for others no we just want to get by that's what I'm saying that's the problem is we don't want to we want to get what's the least amount I got to do to get into heaven when we ought to be saying what else can I do for you Lord so Peter's response here is

31:14brilliant but it's not just him these other guys and that's how we get Peter James and John because they were the guys that went ahead and mended the nets or left their nets and left the fish biggest catcher their life because they thought Jesus was worth following and I want to ask you very gently but not because I want you to tell me but what's the greatest thing that you've left for Jesus what's that what you cherish the most because it may get in the way if it if you'll bow down to it there's all kinds of things that we bow down to sometimes literally but sometimes it's just we've got to give in right because we're in submission to something and that's what addiction is about I'm not talking about the addictions that we think of with rehab I'm talking about the addictions we all have we all have an addiction to sin different sins same addiction it has power over us and that's why when you recognize that that I deny I don't deny myself I keep deceiving myself then you reach out for a savior that can deliver you and that's what Peter found here so he was willing to hit his knees next passage I want to look at then

32:18we'll stay in that chapter so verse 12 well Jesus was in one of the towns a man came along who was covered with leprosy when he saw Jesus he fell fell with his face to the ground and begged him Lord if you're willing you can make me clean this guy's an unclean guy and his skin has got this disease and he comes to Jesus even knowing that lepers more than likely knowing a way lepers are supposed to say unclean unclean stay away from me he's willing to go ahead buck the tide and he said man I need Jesus and so he comes to Jesus and the first thing that he does he doesn't say a thing he sees Jesus and he fell with his face to the ground and he started begging Lord if you're willing you can make me clean and Jesus instead of being fearful reached out his hand and he touched him he wasn't afraid of lepersy he touched him and he said I'm willing and then he speaks to this disease said be clean and it says instantly immediately the

33:23lepersy left him where does this guy begin with Jesus he'd heard about it and found him and what did he do fell with his face to the ground he just didn't only kneel down he put his face down the lesser in front of the greater recognizing and saying man if I have any chance at all of ever getting better it's gonna be but from you I believe you're the only one that can do something for me and then we go on down in one of the stories that John often tells about you know having your friends that are around you that you can count on this guy's a paralytic there's a whole lot going on here it says verse 17 one day as he was teaching Pharisees a teacher of law had come from every village in Jerusalem we're sitting there power the Lord is present for him to heal the sick some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus when they could not find a way to do this because the crowd they went up on the roof and lowered him actually what I like the other passage in the gospel says they dug through it because it was one of those

34:24earthen roofs they dug down through it and lowered the man on his mat through the lowered him on the mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd right in front of Jesus when Jesus saw their fate whose fate well they didn't come to be seen they wanted him to see this guy but he saw their fate and he said friend spoke back to this other guy and said your sins are forgiven if I'm that guy I don't know if he just paralyzed or couldn't talk to or not but if I'm that guy I'm going I don't need my sins forgiven I want to walk because we're selfish that's all we want but this guy didn't say a thing he received and the Pharisees and the teachers and muttered to themselves again and said this guy speaking blasphemy because who can forgive sins but God alone and Jesus knew that what they were thinking he said why are you thinking these things in your heart which is easier to say your sins are forgiven or say get up and walk not either one or too hard to say are they he said but so you can

35:26know that the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins he said to paralyzed man I tell you get up take your mat and go home immediately he stood up in front of them took what he had been lying on and went home praising God then you can say well Steve that he didn't kneel down no he couldn't even do that he was paralyzed he's on a mat flat and all he can do is be there the friends I always picture this and going I mean that's a good idea guys but what's he way how far we got to go because you know I mean it's easy to pick something up but the longer you carry it I mean probably we need a break right now so if you will let's stand up and let's do arm rotations okay remember those in oh it's old school gym class yeah this guy got heavy then they get there and go in it's like we put him down yet no and so they found a way up on the roof I don't know what all they had to and then can you imagine how big the

36:27hole would be because they couldn't just stand him up whoops slip sorry they still had to lower him down I don't know how they had to improvise and get the ropes or whatever it would be because their arms weren't that long man these guys put energy and exertion in it but this guy gets his sins forgiven and I'm sure that he didn't think that was that big of a deal but then he gets his he's unparallized and suddenly he's able to get up and I just wonder is there any place in our lives that we're paralyzed we're afraid we can't move we can't do anything which do you need the most your sins forgiven paralysis won't keep you out of heaven sin will and this guy we had his sins forgiven and he did he was able to stand up and Jesus told him to but at the same time I wonder if this guy ever came back to Jesus and man I just got to tell you I didn't I just I was so blown away that day and there's so many people around and you told me to get up and take my mat and go I want to come back and say thank you as we read on

37:32we'll come to some people that did or didn't in Luke 7 try to make this easy for us just continually going in order here one we covered this one that starts in verse 36 but it's the woman that got behind Jesus had a sinful reputation and she got behind Jesus and started just weeping and wet his feet with her tears and then we know that she apparently I mean it doesn't specifically say she knelt down but I don't know how you wipe somebody's feet with your hair unless you kneel down now she could have had clear down the ankle but then you can't wipe it you just kind of go like I used to when I had hair you know I do that thing you know to dry it and I don't ever that long but I'm presuming she had to kneel down why the lesser before the greater she was willing she didn't know what Jesus knew she just knew she wanted to know what Jesus knew she

38:33wanted what Jesus had and he said your sins are forgiven the next passage is over here in chapter 8 after the parable of sower and Jesus calming the storm just had control over water which is one of the things I tell somebody this week that's what's so cool to me about baptism if Jesus can go ahead and tell a storm stop it he can tell that water cleanse him right so we read on over here and this story is one that I you know I don't have time to read all of it it's too cool they sailed to the region of Gareth scenes which is another area on this Sea of Galilee or the generous set when Jesus stepped ashore he was met by a demon possessed man from the town for a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house where they but had lived in the tombs so he hadn't been wearing clothes probably wasn't that day and I could just say awkward real real awkward okay when he saw Jesus he cried out but then he fell where at his feet shouting at the top of his voice but it's not the man who is it it's the

39:37the demons or the primary demon inside of him and he asked he said what do you want with me so even the demons bowed down or they took this physical man and forced him to his knees and bowed down and they asked this question then to Jesus what do you want with me Jesus son of the most high God I beg you don't torture me another one says that there was another spirit said don't throw me into the pit what I want you to understand is this is the lesser meeting the greater and falls down that Jesus had the ability but that's coming when he will defeat all of Satan's tribe or his army nonetheless he said I beg you don't torture me verse 29 Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of him many times it seized him though he was chained hand in foot he kept under guard broke the chain I mean this is one stinking powerful demon right Jesus in asking so well what's your name he said Legion because there are many demons had gone into him and they begged him repeatedly don't order us there it is to go into the abyss a large herd of pigs is feeding that's when he

40:38cast him the demons into the pigs and the pigs jumped over the cliff and drowned themselves why because they're possessed did it kill the demons no killed the pigs but not the demons they looked for another place to go and habitate it said that when those that were tending the pigs saw what happened they ran out reported this to the town and countryside and the people went out to see what had happened and when they came to Jesus they found the man this man the man that naked man the man that broke chains the man that you know was just a wild guy nobody knew what to do with that guy that was an embarrassment to their whole community and everything that way I mean how much do you want me to pile on top because I can't imagine if we had one living in our area what all we'd be saying all the time I hope you didn't come to church today am I right some wild man naked run around it now I just sent what I wanted you know that's why Brett's out there in the lobby it'll be his job to handle the naked man not mine so anyway he said they come out and they see this guy that guy and it says sitting at Jesus is what beat dressed thank you Lord and in his right

41:45mind and they were afraid they were afraid but the man was in submission the lesser before the greater relieved thankful so much that you read the end of it he begged Jesus to let him go with him he said no return home you just go tell everybody how much God's done for you and so the man did ironically he obeyed he went away and told all over the town how much she has had done for him can I ask you another question not only how much you bowed down and not in desperation but just in recognition of who Jesus but how much how obedient are we he said that we are to go and make disciples but I'll bet you I would probably be I think it'd be a very safe that 90% of you can't name one person you're deciding this crazy man naked man strong man filled with demons he was

42:45relieved and decided that okay that's what you want me to do I'll do it what is it so what is it about us that we need Jesus we want Jesus but well don't make me do anything why do we struggle with that he spoke this earth into existence he spoke dirt and said you can grow stuff and it does he speaks to us and we go I don't know what to do I don't have enough time I got kids I don't see where he said unless you've got kids unless you don't have enough time unless but where is it what what is it we've got that we can say to Jesus the the Lord of the King of kings pass and so I believe that this bowing down is pretty essential to us keeping our wit about us and remembering who's the lesser here

43:46me who's the greater Jesus is there anybody greater no why wouldn't we want about the greatest man that ever lived on this earth and the greatest God that there is our greatest savior because nobody can save like Jesus it's because we're used to it we're so stinking callous our sin doesn't stink we're not bowing down to him but we bowed down to a lot of other things keep running into this thing called time man I got to finish out this chapter because there's another one and so verse 40 Jesus returned to a crowd welcomed him for they were all expecting him a man named Jairus a ruler of synagogue came and fell at Jesus' feet why do we keep seeing you getting a kind of a understanding here I mean

44:49we'll talk about well there's the thief on the cross I need to do what he did and look at all these other people that got saved what did they do this guy Jairus comes and falls on his knees and he's not seeking salvation but he's desperate because his daughter's dying but he does what to begin his petition he falls at Jesus' feet pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter about 12 was dying as Jesus was on the way lights flashing and or the siren you know making noise and there's a woman that came there had been subject to bleeding how long 12 years how old was this guy's daughter 12 years so when she was born this lady started having this issue of blood she'd been bleeding for 12 years this 12 year old is about to die now we're gonna get to see her teenage birthday but she'd been subject to bleeding and no one could heal her she came up behind him didn't even say anything touched the edge of his cloak which was at the bottom so she had to bow down low I don't know if he's

45:54standing or moving I bet if she if he was standing because there says there's a huge crowd if she's standing she probably had to reach down to but she I don't want to bother him if I can just touch what he's wearing and Jesus then blows her cover and said who touched me when all denied it Peter said master the people are crowded around he said come on Jesus you're smarter than me look at all these people and you're going who touched me you're in a crowd like being at one of the an arena you know and everybody's carrying in and hurrying out like some of you that are hurrying out as you leave church got out of here man so they all denied it but Jesus said no someone touched me I know power has gone out for me so one of the versions says virtues flowed from me then the woman seeing that she could not go and notice Jesus wasn't giving up on this bone he had a hold of it and he's gonna get it she could not go and know she came trembling and then she did what fell at his feet she fell at his feet in the

46:58presence of all the people embarrassed herself well the law said much like the leper you couldn't touch or be around the law said if you've got an issue of blood you can't be around the crowd so she already knew she was sinning but she also knew she was desperate and so she was willing to go against the law to find this the healing savior and anyway she was instantly healed and Jesus said to her daughter your face is healed you go in peace while you're still speaking then they came and said that don't go to the synagogue ruler's house his daughter's already dead and Jesus being Jesus said not don't be afraid just believe I'm sure gyros like me just believe what believe the guys that came said my daughter said they don't do that for fun you know and she said no believe she will be healed when he arrived at the house didn't let anyone go in and meanwhile all people were wailing and mourning stop whaling Jesus said she's not dead and show they how fakey they were because they went from mourning to

48:01laughing at him no she's really really dead she said my child get up her spirit returned it once she stood up she didn't bow down that it says man that woman with the issue of blood did I've got two or three more here but it's Henry and the team come up well I'll tell you about one of them it's at the end of Luke or toward the end Luke 22 when Jesus didn't get semini and he leaves the disciples and he pulls Peter and James and John said pray with me they stopped and they prayed and Jesus went by himself on over further and we went over further guess what he did knelt down and prayed the lesser before the greater knowing I need partnership I need strength God is this your will but here's what I'm feeling here's what I'm thinking is this

49:05your will and every time that Jesus got done praying he said what from a humble bow down position not my will but yours be done so I'm not saying I've convinced you all I didn't come out to convince you I just came up to inform you as I often say I'm not here to tell you what to do or what to think I just want to get you thinking what I want to get you thinking about is when was the last time that you bowed down I think I've heard that when is the last time that you bowed down when you weren't desperate but you were absolutely amazed that Jesus when was the last time that instead of just saying your prayers you humbled yourself and say you're the greater on the lesser was the last time you said man I'm not worthy like Peter did even be in your presence when's the last time that you were delivered from something that you prayed to God to deliver you but then you're delivered and after that did you go back and get on

50:07your knees to say thank you because one of the ones I left out was a leper he was one of 10 they were all healed one came back he fell at Jesus his feet and my whole point being is folks is there a passage I'm missing out here that says that when you become when we get in the 21st century we don't need to kneel anymore God knows your heart amen me neither I haven't found it and that's a part that puzzles me sometimes is again what's the least I can do Jesus and get to heaven or what else can I do Jesus because you're the greatest and sometimes I mean I think he's just honored that we bow down to him just to say you're the Lord and you know my name you put your blood out for me your life made blood puddles beneath the cross the cross to pay for my sin and I won't bow down to him well I did one

51:10time how he how is it that what it says that's the least I could do is one time and I'm not telling you got to crawl on your knees hands and knees across glass to get to Jesus I'm not telling you that I'm just saying for me in my house I think he's worth bowing down to to give thanks to petition to just worship him I'm not here to make it but I would like to I'd like you to go fly how can I be so callous that I can always just well Lord I need you to do this and this and this and why you're out of do that and everything I need to thank you for oh thank you that I'm alive and then you go on there's something folks about recognizing he's a greater and for me I want to practice bowing down to Jesus because there may be a group of guys a lot bigger than me that can force me to my knees but they're not gonna change what I speak Jesus is Lord

52:11nobody else they can threaten me kill me I hope and as I've told you many times Julian I've already made the agreement they put a gun to her head and say if you don't deny Jesus I'm gonna shoot her she said you better not deny Jesus because if they don't shoot me I'm shooting you we've coveted we're not giving up Jesus for each other so will you stand and all I can say is what I say every week will you let God please lead you will you ask God or maybe today just be bold and say God I'm not even gonna ask your worth bowing down to it doesn't have to be up here and it's not bowing down to this stage and it's not bowing down to me or these people it's bowing down and taking a position of humility that's all you pick