340: Jonny Stokes – Exhortation: Responsibility & Standing Up Straight

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Welcome to good Chris Selfian
talks.

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I’m Levi.
I’m Chris.

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I’m Jason.
And I’m Brian, thank you for

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joining us this week.
On this podcast, we select one

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talk a week to help us get the
Bible in our Daily News feed.

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Each week we post talk that we
previewed from suggestions sent

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in by listeners from around the
world.

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Then we record a short intro
beforehand as a personalized

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recommendation to you on why we
are sharing the talk.

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And now let’s talk more about
this week’s talk.

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Welcome to the good Chris
Adelphian Talks podcast.

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This is brother Brian.
This week’s talk is an

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exhortation that was given
recently by brother Johnny

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Stokes of the Wamaran Ecclesia.
If I’m pronouncing that

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correctly, Brother Johnny’s
exhortation was called

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responsibility and standing up
straight.

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And he uses the reading from
Luke chapter 13 to expound on

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the story of the Tower of
Siloam, the overly leafy and

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barren fig tree, and the woman
with the bent back.

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And he weaves in the comparison
between things that are prone to

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falling over or being cast down
in life with the analogy of our

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standing before God, that we by
nature are bent over like the

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woman with the disabling spirit,
and we need to be straightened

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out.
And how we can assist in this

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effort is by taking
responsibility and standing up

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straight to be able to be it, to
take all of the shots and to

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bear the heavy burdens that come
from being a disciple in Christ.

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I enjoyed the talk for tackling
a chapter that I’ve personally

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not heard connected like that
before.

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And Brother Johnny had a lot of
little encouraging gems all

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throughout to aid our upliftment
this week.

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So as always, we hope that this
strengthens your faith and

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brightens your day.
Brother Johnny Stokes

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responsibility and standing up
straight.

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Good morning, brothers and
sisters.

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It’s great to be here with you
again to share fellowship and

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reflection around the table of
our Lord.

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And when when we’re together,
our strength and our faith

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multiplies.
And this is the perfect

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opportunity to come and remember
who we are, who we’ve been

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called, why we’ve been called,
and, and what we’re doing about

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it.
And this really is on a Sunday

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morning, the very least we could
do, isn’t it?

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The least Meaning there’s a
whole heap more that God expects

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of us if we are able.
And we are able.

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Look at what we achieved last
night at our prize night.

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Such a huge effort.
We’re such capable of easier.

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And there’s so much time and
resources that goes into making

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a night like that successful.
So we are capable and we should

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ask ourselves, what does God
require of us?

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And if this is all we give, is
that enough?

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And when we meet Jesus one day
and he says, thanks so much for

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for coming on a Sunday morning
and and remembering me with

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bread and wine, I don’t think
that we’re going to say that’s

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all right.
It’s just it’s the least I can

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do.
We would never say that because

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we know that we should always be
giving so much more.

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I heard a brother say in a in a
youth group talk just recently.

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But there’s a huge need in this
last and desperate age to up the

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RPM in our cliches.
And he wasn’t talking about Revs

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per minute and he wasn’t talking
about being busy just for the

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sake of being busy.
RPM stood for something he said

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that R stands for readings.
We need to make it a family

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habit and one that we feel bad
for missing because it’s how God

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speaks to us.
P stands for prayer.

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And what are we living for,
brothers and sisters, if not

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first and foremost for a
relationship with our God?

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And that’s how we speak to Him.
And MI thought he was going to

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say M stood for meditation, but
I didn’t.

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He said M stands for meeting not
just Sundays, but all of our

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meetings and as many as we can.
Upping the RPM is not about a

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performance thing.
It’s about a reaction to an

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increase of saying, yes, I
really do want to be your son

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and daughter, God, and I’m
prepared to accept more

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responsibility in my life.
And so we might ask ourselves

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the question, well, how much
responsibilities does God expect

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me to have?
Because we differ in capability

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and disability as well as our
resources, they’re all

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different.
And so as a result of that, our

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outputs differ dramatic
dramatically.

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But what I know for sure is that
God expects 100% effort from us,

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not 100% accuracy.
The accuracy part is that comes

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through forgiveness and faith.
But 100% effort means taking all

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of the shots.
And only we can answer that for

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ourself.
Do we do that?

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Our recent men’s outing was a a
perfect example of this.

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Such an awesome afternoon and
evening.

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We had bows and arrows and
knives and axes and we hurled

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them and slung them at various
targets.

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I’ll say it’s such a good night.
The vast majority of those

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missiles missed the target, but
the joy was in picking up the

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weapon, taking aim and giving it
a go.

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And that’s what responsibility
looks like in our lives,

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brothers and sisters.
It’s easy to watch from afar.

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It’s also safer in the short
term just to sit and watch.

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But taking aim and having a go
and expending energy gives you a

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gauge of capability.
And it feels good to fire all

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those arrows.
My summary of that is taking up

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responsibility in a
psychological sense is just like

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standing up straight with your
shoulders back as opposed to

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slouching around hunched and
downcast.

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We need to stand up, look up,
aim at something, and take the

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shot.
And most importantly, take all

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of the shots that you have at
your disposal.

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Because we might actually, if we
do that, we might actually find

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that we achieved something.
And not only that, but the

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things you would otherwise be
wasting time on become

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insignificant.
So all of those impulsive, low

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level pleasure activities that
we waste time on, they’re,

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they’re transformed into
something that is responsible

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and impactful and it has actual
results.

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So I definitely think he’s got a
point here.

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However, like I said before, as
followers of of God, if we’re

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going to learn anything decent
from any resource like that, we

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have to start with the why.
Like, why should we be

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interested and motivated to take
that point on board?

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Do we want to take that point on
because of our own ambition and

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pride?
Or do we want to learn something

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from it to please God and help
others?

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And so I think with the right
biblical overlay, this rule can

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paint a very powerful picture of
the natural human condition that

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we all have, and also God’s
calling to stand up straight in

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the truth and take
responsibility forward.

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So the human condition that we
all bear in it’s raw form is, is

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destructive, it’s unfruitful and
it’s crippling.

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But God offers a solution to
that pitiful problem that we all

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have.
Instead of destruction, God

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shows us a construction.
He replaces barrenness with

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fruitfulness.
And our bent and broken bodies

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that we walk around with are
straightened by his call to

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responsibility.
And there’s a really cool cameo

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of of those ideas in Luke
chapter 13.

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Because in Luke 13, there is a
damaged and leaning tower that

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falls over and crushes 18
people.

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There’s a barren fig tree that’s
hewn down to the ground.

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And there is a pitiful woman
who’s been hunched over for 18

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years, seized up and can only
look downwards, closer and

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closer to the ground.
And this morning, I’m not going

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to pretend to know the full
context of this chapter or

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everything about it in its
entirety.

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It’s really just a surface look
because that’s all I can manage

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just about.
But I’m sure this message goes

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deeper and is right throughout
the Bible.

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I’m, I’m really sure it is.
So I hope that you enjoy this,

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this story and this lesson of,
of Jesus.

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And I hope that going forward in
our lives, we can strive to stay

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upright and be responsible in
what is a very irresponsible and

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a down a downward trending
world.

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So the contact the the context
to Luke chapter 13.

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There’s actually probably a
whole heap of context in the

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whole last chapter, but just in
the in the last few verses of

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chapter 12, verses 54 to 59,
Jesus words are directed to the

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crowd of people that were around
him.

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And he warns them of a judgement
to come instead that, you know,

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you watch the clouds and the
wind and the the rain and the

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face of the sky and you can work
all of that out, but you can’t

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discern this time or this
season.

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How is it that you do not
discern this season?

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See the Jews were experts at
navigating the natural world.

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In fact they were very
successful and and rich a lot of

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them.
But Jesus says you have no idea

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what’s going on in the spiritual
world and what’s coming what’s

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coming ahead of you.
He also says in verses 57 to 59.

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He warns them that if you if you
want to tackle issues with your

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brothers and sisters in by by by
pushing your case and what you

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think by law, then then just be
careful because he says there in

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verse 58, when you go with your
adversary to the magistrate as

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you’re in the way, give
diligence because you might be

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delivered from him.
Oh, sorry, give diligence that

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you might be delivered from him
unless he hailed thee to the

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judge and the judge delivered
thee to the officer and the

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officer cast you into prison
because I tell you, you’re not

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going to get out of there until
you’ve paid the very last mite.

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That’s a big warning because if
we think like that, if we think

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in a law based way and if we’re
cast into prison and we think we

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can pay our way out, nobody’s
paid their way out without

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paying the price of death.
That’s a pretty, pretty

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important lesson.
That’s just a bit of context to

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what those people will were
thinking in their heads.

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And then in verse in in chapter
13.

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Now he actually is talking to
the same people because it says

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there they were present at that
season and that’s the same word

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as time at the end of verse 56
of chapter 12.

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So these are the same people who
was trying to tell that lesson.

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And unfortunately they didn’t
think that he was talking about

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them as usual.
They thought that he, he must

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have been talking about someone
else, probably these Galileans

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or some, someone not as good as
them.

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So they applied the lesson of
judgement to others and not

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themselves.
And here in chapter 13, we’re

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going to look at 3 examples of
the natural human condition that

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highlight the common problem.
We’re going to look at the

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example of the tower, the tree,
and the cripple.

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And we’re going to see that all
of them are looking down and

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falling down.
And so these Jews, the same ones

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in the in the previous chapter,
they come to Jesus and they tell

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him about these Galileans whose
blood pilot had mingled with

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their sacrifices.
I’ve no idea really what that

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story is about.
Maybe some of you have have an

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idea.
But from having a bit of look on

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online and doing a bit of
research, it seems like people

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think that the Galileans had,
and they were quite sort of open

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and, and free sort of people,
maybe a bit abrupt had possibly

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come into the temple to protest
or something like that.

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Right at the time when a
sacrifice was happening and an

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animal had been killed on the
altar.

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Blood was dripping off and onto
the ground.

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And these Galileans rushed in
for whatever reason and ended up

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being killed by, by Pilot or his
Roman soldiers and their blood

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spilled on the ground at the
same time as the sacrifices.

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And the Jews, you know, they,
they might have taken a bit of

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bit of joy in that really to see
those hated Galileans slain in

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the temple.
And so they bring that question

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to Jesus.
They, they tell him about what

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had happened.
And Jesus answers in verse 2.

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And he says to them, do you
think that these Galileans were

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sinners above all of the other
Galileans because they suffered

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in such a way?
And so here is I think Jesus is

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sort of highlighting their
subtle dig at the Galileans and

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00:14:34,840 –> 00:14:38,320
probably a subtle dig at himself
as well coming out of Galilee.

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And Jesus says then do do you
believe in something like exact

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retribution, like one sin is
bigger than another?

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He says in verse three, I tell
you, no, but except you repent,

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you shall all likewise perish.
So that actually happened,

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didn’t it?
8070 wasn’t too far away at all.

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And when the Romans came in,
they slew thousands and

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thousands of Jews and their
blood ran through the streets.

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00:15:13,000 –> 00:15:14,200
This was actually going to
happen.

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It’s a little prophecy that
Jesus told them and he said,

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beware of that sort of thinking
to thinking that you’re higher

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than anybody else, because if
you don’t repent and take on

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that attitude of repentance and
responsibility, then that’s

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00:15:27,720 –> 00:15:32,440
going to happen to you.
And then he he puts forward a

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another current event that had
happened in in verse 4, Jesus

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00:15:36,320 –> 00:15:40,760
says, what do you think about
those 18 people that the tower

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00:15:40,760 –> 00:15:46,480
of Siloam fell upon and killed?
Do you think that they were

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sinners above all men that dwelt
in Jerusalem?

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00:15:50,080 –> 00:15:54,160
So Jesus sort of shifts the, the
focus from Galileans back onto

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Jews just to just to show them
that everybody, everybody’s

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00:15:58,720 –> 00:16:00,680
actually the same.
This is a story that the Jews

241
00:16:00,680 –> 00:16:02,320
didn’t bring up.
They brought up the one about

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00:16:02,320 –> 00:16:04,640
the Galileans being killed.
That was OK.

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00:16:05,080 –> 00:16:07,400
And Jesus brought up this one.
He said this is a current event

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00:16:07,400 –> 00:16:10,320
as well.
Some of your own people who you

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00:16:10,320 –> 00:16:13,000
think are better than the rest,
Well, they, they were killed by

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an unfortunate event as well.
So does that make them, those 18

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00:16:16,800 –> 00:16:19,320
people, any more of a Sinner
than the rest of the people

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dwelling in Jerusalem?
So whether it’s a man made

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00:16:24,600 –> 00:16:29,200
tragedy like pilots, soldiers
killing the Galileans or a

250
00:16:29,200 –> 00:16:32,440
natural cause tragedy like the
the tower unfortunately falling

251
00:16:32,440 –> 00:16:37,200
over, it’s wrong to assume that
the victims are somehow worse

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00:16:37,200 –> 00:16:39,640
sinners than everybody else and
deserves to die.

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00:16:40,080 –> 00:16:42,200
And I forgot to mention
something about the tower.

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00:16:42,360 –> 00:16:46,920
If if you’re wondering what the
tower of Siloam was, Google told

255
00:16:46,920 –> 00:16:50,560
me, and I think they get it from
probably Josephus, that the pool

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00:16:50,560 –> 00:16:55,160
of Siloam that was there wanted
to be used as a an aqueduct to

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00:16:55,160 –> 00:16:57,720
feed other parts of the city.
And so Pilot had actually built

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00:16:58,080 –> 00:17:00,880
a tower to somehow get water up
the top of the tower.

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00:17:00,880 –> 00:17:02,760
I don’t know how they do it with
buckets or something like that

260
00:17:03,240 –> 00:17:05,839
and then feed the water off to
different parts of the city.

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00:17:05,839 –> 00:17:08,240
And that’s the tower that that
fell over.

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00:17:08,800 –> 00:17:11,599
So it’s got some relation to
Pilot as well, that tower of

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00:17:11,599 –> 00:17:19,839
Siloam.
Anyway, verse 5, Jesus says,

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except ye repent, ye shall all
likewise perish.

265
00:17:24,520 –> 00:17:28,040
And again, it’s a reference to
8070 and what was coming on this

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00:17:28,040 –> 00:17:30,680
people, lots of towers in
Jerusalem were about to be

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00:17:30,680 –> 00:17:33,160
destroyed, lots of people
crushed.

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00:17:33,960 –> 00:17:37,520
And if this generation did not
repent and prepare themselves,

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00:17:37,960 –> 00:17:40,320
then that would happen to them
as well.

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00:17:41,280 –> 00:17:46,840
And we can contemplate this as
well 2000 years later, because

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00:17:46,840 –> 00:17:50,480
this is the way for for all of
us and for all of mankind

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00:17:50,480 –> 00:17:55,280
because we’re all falling.
We’re all falling downwards

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00:17:55,280 –> 00:18:00,240
terribly just like that tower.
And there’s no man made way to

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00:18:00,240 –> 00:18:03,520
stop it.
The only escape is repentance

275
00:18:04,840 –> 00:18:07,200
and and getting up and out of
that system.

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00:18:09,560 –> 00:18:16,200
So let’s have a look now at this
fig tree in verse 6.

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It says there he spake also this
parable.

278
00:18:18,520 –> 00:18:21,440
So he adds this parable to these
two current events.

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00:18:22,720 –> 00:18:27,080
He says a certain man had a fig
tree that was planted in his

280
00:18:27,080 –> 00:18:33,520
vineyard.
A fig tree symbolised all of

281
00:18:33,520 –> 00:18:36,040
Israel.
So this wasn’t just like a Jew

282
00:18:36,480 –> 00:18:39,920
or Galilean thing.
Jesus brings up something now

283
00:18:39,920 –> 00:18:43,440
that sort of relates to all of
Israel representing this this

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00:18:43,440 –> 00:18:45,960
fig tree.
And it’s been an idea right from

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00:18:46,000 –> 00:18:47,760
the beginning of the Bible, the
fig tree.

286
00:18:48,280 –> 00:18:50,920
There’s probably lots of ideas
about the fig tree, but one

287
00:18:50,920 –> 00:18:56,040
certain 1 is that its leaves
were not an adequate covering

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00:18:56,120 –> 00:18:59,120
for sin and it was unable to
save.

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00:18:59,800 –> 00:19:03,840
And you can sort of relate that
to when, you know, when these

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00:19:03,840 –> 00:19:08,800
Jews, these big leafy fig trees
of people that had no fruit,

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00:19:09,920 –> 00:19:11,880
were standing in their city
thinking they were going to be

292
00:19:11,880 –> 00:19:14,080
fine.
The Romans came along,

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00:19:14,120 –> 00:19:18,680
surrounded the city and these
naked Jews just thought that

294
00:19:18,680 –> 00:19:22,200
they, they were going to be fine
by covering themselves with all

295
00:19:22,200 –> 00:19:24,600
their different fig leaves like
their, their laws and traditions

296
00:19:24,600 –> 00:19:26,040
and customs and all that sort of
stuff.

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00:19:26,440 –> 00:19:29,480
But really they were naked and
unable to save themselves.

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00:19:29,760 –> 00:19:32,320
And all of that work in, in
growing that fig tree.

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00:19:32,320 –> 00:19:34,960
And then the nice bushy leaves
was wasted in the end.

300
00:19:37,480 –> 00:19:40,760
So that’s the, that’s the little
that’s a little lesson of, of

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00:19:40,760 –> 00:19:42,920
the fig tree.
And there’s two characters in

302
00:19:42,920 –> 00:19:47,000
this parable, the certain man
and the vine dresser in verse 7.

303
00:19:48,520 –> 00:19:50,240
And the certain man represents
God.

304
00:19:50,240 –> 00:19:55,640
And there’s an obvious, obvious
echo back to Genesis where God

305
00:19:55,680 –> 00:20:01,720
planted a garden Eastwood in
Eden and he put Adam in there to

306
00:20:02,120 –> 00:20:07,320
to dress it and to keep it.
And so this parable definitely

307
00:20:07,320 –> 00:20:11,520
echoes back to to what what God
did 4000 years ago.

308
00:20:12,320 –> 00:20:16,280
And this time around, the vine
dresser wasn’t Adam, it was

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00:20:16,280 –> 00:20:19,280
Jesus, and he was looking after
the vineyard.

310
00:20:21,760 –> 00:20:25,480
And so we have this carefully
tended vineyard we could say

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00:20:25,480 –> 00:20:28,440
carefully looked after for 4000
years.

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00:20:28,640 –> 00:20:31,080
That’s how old this this
vineyard was at this point.

313
00:20:32,040 –> 00:20:35,000
And there was also a big old fig
tree growing right in the middle

314
00:20:35,000 –> 00:20:42,720
of it, nice and tall, nice and
shady and well and truly overdue

315
00:20:42,720 –> 00:20:45,840
for fruit.
And that represents Israel.

316
00:20:46,560 –> 00:20:50,200
And Jesus had been with these
Jews for three years, and still

317
00:20:50,400 –> 00:20:58,280
they had not produced any fruit.
And so in verse 7, God says to

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00:20:58,520 –> 00:21:03,480
to Jesus, behold, these three
years I came seeking fruit on

319
00:21:03,480 –> 00:21:07,200
this fig tree and found none.
Cut it down.

320
00:21:07,760 –> 00:21:13,640
Why does it come by the ground?
Why let it suck up the moisture

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00:21:13,640 –> 00:21:16,680
and energy that could otherwise
be going into the vine and

322
00:21:16,680 –> 00:21:19,880
supporting it when it doesn’t
even grow any fruit on it?

323
00:21:20,320 –> 00:21:23,000
This fig tree.
And so this is a real heavy

324
00:21:23,000 –> 00:21:27,120
lesson for the Jews.
Jesus is saying that people

325
00:21:27,120 –> 00:21:31,600
around here might seem tall and
they might throw out a big old

326
00:21:32,080 –> 00:21:38,240
shady shadiness underneath them,
but if they’re unfruitful, then

327
00:21:38,240 –> 00:21:40,880
judgement is going to be harsh
because they knew better and

328
00:21:40,880 –> 00:21:44,040
they were lazy.
And not only that, if that

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00:21:44,040 –> 00:21:47,000
wasn’t bad enough that they
didn’t bring forth fruit to God,

330
00:21:47,800 –> 00:21:51,800
he also adds that they were
being detrimental to everybody

331
00:21:51,800 –> 00:21:55,400
else, sucking the moisture out
of the place just to make more

332
00:21:55,400 –> 00:21:59,600
useless leaves, robbing the
fertility of the ground that the

333
00:21:59,600 –> 00:22:04,400
vine was growing in, with their
cumbersome roots hindering the

334
00:22:04,400 –> 00:22:08,000
growth of the vine.
And that’s a perfect picture of

335
00:22:08,000 –> 00:22:09,640
the scribes and Pharisees,
wasn’t it?

336
00:22:10,800 –> 00:22:13,880
It’s a pretty, pretty scathing
look and example of what was

337
00:22:13,880 –> 00:22:16,960
happening that the Jews were
actually sucking the life out of

338
00:22:16,960 –> 00:22:21,440
the vine.
And I definitely would have hit

339
00:22:21,440 –> 00:22:23,160
home for for those people
listening.

340
00:22:23,160 –> 00:22:26,960
But it should also hit home for
us brothers and sisters because

341
00:22:26,960 –> 00:22:33,240
Jesus parable applies to us too.
And perhaps in years gone by we

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00:22:34,160 –> 00:22:36,080
produced a lot of fruit at one
stage.

343
00:22:37,280 –> 00:22:40,040
But God doesn’t want us to
retire in the truth.

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00:22:40,680 –> 00:22:46,560
As someone once told me, you
can’t retire in the truth and

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00:22:46,560 –> 00:22:51,280
just sit around being an
irresponsible nuisance and just

346
00:22:51,440 –> 00:22:55,680
make bigger and bigger leaves.
He wants constant growth and

347
00:22:55,680 –> 00:23:00,000
constant fruiting and he wants
to see a tree that is symbiotic

348
00:23:00,040 –> 00:23:03,440
with the vine and supportive of
everything else around it.

349
00:23:06,360 –> 00:23:08,360
So that’s Jesus.
Harsh, harsh message.

350
00:23:08,520 –> 00:23:16,120
Harsh message to the people and
what’s what’s actually amazing

351
00:23:16,360 –> 00:23:20,920
is that in verse 8, the vine
dresser says to God, let it

352
00:23:20,920 –> 00:23:25,600
alone this year also until I dig
about it and dung it and if it

353
00:23:25,600 –> 00:23:29,680
bear fruit well and if not after
that you can cut it down.

354
00:23:30,760 –> 00:23:32,840
That’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?
The vine dresser had been

355
00:23:32,840 –> 00:23:35,320
looking after this tree for
three years trying to get it to

356
00:23:35,320 –> 00:23:37,520
grow fruit.
It had done nothing.

357
00:23:37,520 –> 00:23:40,880
God said, cut it down and Jesus
said please, just just one more

358
00:23:40,880 –> 00:23:43,440
year and we’ll see if it bears
some fruit.

359
00:23:45,560 –> 00:23:48,720
So despite Jesus perfectly
fertilizing it for a couple of

360
00:23:48,720 –> 00:23:54,600
years, for three years, he asks
for one more year.

361
00:23:54,960 –> 00:23:58,400
And in fact, God’s
long-suffering waited 37 more

362
00:23:58,400 –> 00:24:01,960
years, brothers and sisters,
until 8070 came.

363
00:24:03,480 –> 00:24:08,080
So Jesus in his parable here
says one more year, but the

364
00:24:08,080 –> 00:24:12,880
people actually had about 37
more years before the Romans

365
00:24:12,880 –> 00:24:15,600
came and destroyed Jerusalem.
That’s pretty amazing.

366
00:24:15,600 –> 00:24:17,800
And we can sort of think about
that for our time as well.

367
00:24:17,800 –> 00:24:21,000
How, how overdue are we to see
the return of Christ?

368
00:24:21,840 –> 00:24:28,360
It’s 2024, perhaps we’re a
couple of decades overdue, if

369
00:24:28,360 –> 00:24:32,160
you like.
That’s pretty, pretty important

370
00:24:32,160 –> 00:24:37,120
to think about.
So we’ve seen the lesson of the

371
00:24:37,120 –> 00:24:40,920
tower and the tree, both
warnings to the Jews of what was

372
00:24:40,920 –> 00:24:43,600
coming and what God expected of
them.

373
00:24:43,640 –> 00:24:47,840
And the last one we want to look
at now is the cripple in verse

374
00:24:47,840 –> 00:24:52,760
10 and 11.
And in fact, all the way down to

375
00:24:54,040 –> 00:24:56,640
verse 17 or something, we’re
only going to look to verse 13.

376
00:24:57,440 –> 00:25:01,360
So verse 10 says, and he was
teaching one of the synagogues

377
00:25:01,360 –> 00:25:05,440
on the Sabbath and behold, there
was a woman which had a spirit

378
00:25:05,440 –> 00:25:10,760
of infirmity 18 years and was
bowed together and could in no

379
00:25:10,760 –> 00:25:16,600
wires lift up.
And so here’s the third example

380
00:25:16,600 –> 00:25:19,240
trending downwards, isn’t it?
These are symbols of the human

381
00:25:19,240 –> 00:25:22,160
condition.
A once productive stone tower

382
00:25:22,160 –> 00:25:25,800
that was giving water out to the
rest of the city eventually and

383
00:25:25,800 –> 00:25:28,400
suddenly crashed over and killed
18 people.

384
00:25:29,520 –> 00:25:34,680
A once fruitful tree, big and
shady, was now just big and

385
00:25:34,680 –> 00:25:39,960
shady with no fruit and it was
cut down, hewn down to the

386
00:25:39,960 –> 00:25:45,880
ground and now once probably
upright and capable woman has

387
00:25:45,880 –> 00:25:49,800
for 18 years been bowed together
and defeated.

388
00:25:50,640 –> 00:25:53,280
And this is the single
occurrence of the word bowed

389
00:25:53,280 –> 00:25:56,560
together.
If you have a King James, it’s

390
00:25:56,560 –> 00:26:01,760
only ever used in in this spot
and it means bent all together

391
00:26:01,760 –> 00:26:07,280
overcome.
And it says and she could in no

392
00:26:07,280 –> 00:26:12,480
wires lift up and lift up
actually means to unbend.

393
00:26:13,520 –> 00:26:17,160
So it sounds like pretty strong
language, at least in my Bible

394
00:26:17,560 –> 00:26:20,520
that they’re that it’s using.
So this wasn’t just a lady with

395
00:26:20,520 –> 00:26:24,160
a few bulge discs in the back of
her, in her back and you know,

396
00:26:24,480 –> 00:26:28,400
she could sort of bend up and
give it back a bit of a crack

397
00:26:28,400 –> 00:26:31,360
like I do every now and again.
It wasn’t like that at all.

398
00:26:31,400 –> 00:26:35,760
This lady was so bent over, so
folded together that she could

399
00:26:35,760 –> 00:26:39,360
in no wise lift herself up.
It’s pretty serious.

400
00:26:41,200 –> 00:26:42,800
I’ve actually seen some of these
people.

401
00:26:42,800 –> 00:26:45,360
You might have seen them too.
I’d do a bit of aged care work

402
00:26:45,920 –> 00:26:49,440
and you go into some of these
houses and these little old

403
00:26:49,440 –> 00:26:51,960
people, they’re so they’re so
bent over that their back is

404
00:26:51,960 –> 00:26:55,720
higher than their head, which
should be absolutely terrible

405
00:26:56,400 –> 00:26:58,160
to, to try and get around like
that.

406
00:26:58,160 –> 00:26:59,800
But they, they seem to still get
around.

407
00:27:01,560 –> 00:27:04,360
But it’s a terrible condition.
And it’s not like I can just go

408
00:27:04,360 –> 00:27:06,560
to the Cairo and get and get it
cracked out of you.

409
00:27:07,560 –> 00:27:10,880
That’s, that’s their spine just
twisting and bending over.

410
00:27:12,520 –> 00:27:15,600
So that’s pretty serious.
This lady had not a chance of,

411
00:27:15,720 –> 00:27:19,520
of bending of unbending at all.
And it’s a familiar condition to

412
00:27:19,800 –> 00:27:23,760
to all of us as well, because
it’s a symbol of our condition.

413
00:27:24,200 –> 00:27:29,440
We are bent in a certain way.
Our natural inclination is down

414
00:27:30,720 –> 00:27:35,720
and we get around all that for
70 odd years before we

415
00:27:35,720 –> 00:27:40,280
eventually fold up and fall over
and return back to that fetal

416
00:27:40,280 –> 00:27:48,960
position that we were born in.
And so in verse 12 it says there

417
00:27:48,960 –> 00:27:53,360
when Jesus saw her, he called
her to him and said unto her,

418
00:27:54,040 –> 00:27:57,400
woman, you are free from your
infirmity.

419
00:27:58,120 –> 00:28:00,760
And he laid his hands on her,
and immediately she was made

420
00:28:00,760 –> 00:28:04,440
straight and glorified God.
She stood up straight.

421
00:28:06,800 –> 00:28:08,760
We’ve heard the same call as
this woman.

422
00:28:10,160 –> 00:28:15,200
We’ve accepted, brothers and
sisters, that our fallen state

423
00:28:15,640 –> 00:28:20,000
is one that we can’t overcome by
ourselves, and we’ve allowed

424
00:28:20,000 –> 00:28:23,600
God’s hands to be the ones to
straighten us out, to stand us

425
00:28:23,600 –> 00:28:25,800
up and to point us in the right
direction.

426
00:28:27,720 –> 00:28:31,320
This woman also was straightened
up and unbent.

427
00:28:33,480 –> 00:28:35,520
And when I was reading this, I
sort of thought to myself, well,

428
00:28:35,520 –> 00:28:37,800
where’s the woman’s show of
repentance?

429
00:28:37,800 –> 00:28:39,800
Like, why did why did Jesus just
heal her like that?

430
00:28:39,800 –> 00:28:43,160
She didn’t do anything.
And I think that’s probably the

431
00:28:43,160 –> 00:28:47,120
point.
The point was that she was bared

432
00:28:47,120 –> 00:28:51,520
together and she knew that there
was not a chance that she could

433
00:28:51,520 –> 00:28:54,360
lift herself up.
Nothing she could do about it.

434
00:28:54,840 –> 00:28:57,480
And I think that’s why that’s
why Jesus saved her.

435
00:28:58,440 –> 00:29:03,120
That’s why Jesus unbent her,
because she realized that there

436
00:29:03,120 –> 00:29:04,680
was nothing that she could do
about it.

437
00:29:11,160 –> 00:29:15,080
So I think that’s a really
interesting, interesting section

438
00:29:15,080 –> 00:29:18,840
of scripture here in Luke 13.
And the story goes on, but

439
00:29:19,600 –> 00:29:23,040
probably out of time and we need
to sit down quietly and think

440
00:29:23,040 –> 00:29:26,320
about a couple of things before
we take the emblems.

441
00:29:27,000 –> 00:29:28,920
And I haven’t got you to turn up
any quotes this morning.

442
00:29:28,920 –> 00:29:36,080
A bit lazy of me, but I did
think of some quotes to, to look

443
00:29:36,080 –> 00:29:40,440
up just before we finish.
And I think they, I think

444
00:29:40,440 –> 00:29:44,200
there’s many more passages we
could look up, but these, I

445
00:29:44,200 –> 00:29:48,120
think these suit really well.
There’s about 5 or so you can

446
00:29:48,120 –> 00:29:50,800
either write them down and just
listen to them or look them up

447
00:29:50,800 –> 00:29:53,480
with me.
But they relate to exactly what

448
00:29:53,480 –> 00:29:56,680
we’ve covered this morning.
That man is in a fallen state.

449
00:29:57,840 –> 00:29:59,640
He’s not able to straighten
himself up.

450
00:30:01,400 –> 00:30:07,120
But God calls us to accept that
state and repent and turn to

451
00:30:07,120 –> 00:30:08,960
him.
And then in faith and

452
00:30:08,960 –> 00:30:14,920
forgiveness, we are straightened
out and as a result, we accept a

453
00:30:14,920 –> 00:30:17,880
new responsibility and
motivation in our lives from

454
00:30:17,880 –> 00:30:21,720
that point on in appreciation
for what’s been done for us,

455
00:30:21,720 –> 00:30:26,760
despite literally doing nothing.
And if our aim is right,

456
00:30:26,760 –> 00:30:30,400
brothers and sisters, then we we
won’t just continue in our lives

457
00:30:30,400 –> 00:30:37,320
to do the least.
We will take on everything will

458
00:30:37,320 –> 00:30:40,200
take all of the shots available
to us, walking uprightly,

459
00:30:40,240 –> 00:30:43,320
looking up and increasing the
RPM in our lives.

460
00:30:44,000 –> 00:30:46,320
So have a look first at Romans
chapter 12.

461
00:30:50,600 –> 00:30:55,040
Romans chapter 12 and verse one
and two says, I beseech you

462
00:30:55,040 –> 00:30:59,120
therefore, brethren, by the
mercies of God, that you present

463
00:30:59,120 –> 00:31:04,200
your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto God, which

464
00:31:04,200 –> 00:31:08,720
is your reasonable service.
And don’t be squeezed into the

465
00:31:08,720 –> 00:31:15,800
mould of the world and bent up,
but be transformed by the

466
00:31:15,800 –> 00:31:19,160
renewing of your mind, that you
may prove what is that good and

467
00:31:19,160 –> 00:31:21,840
acceptable and perfect will of
God.

468
00:31:23,720 –> 00:31:34,400
Come to Galatians chapter 5,
verse one.

469
00:31:36,320 –> 00:31:40,640
Stand fast, therefore stand
fast, therefore in the liberty

470
00:31:40,640 –> 00:31:45,200
wherewith Christ has made us
free, and don’t be entangled

471
00:31:45,200 –> 00:31:49,360
again with the yoke of bondage.
And that’s why the principle of

472
00:31:49,360 –> 00:31:53,240
standing up straight is so
important to remember because

473
00:31:53,240 –> 00:31:57,120
we’re so prone to entangling
ourselves and bending back down

474
00:31:57,120 –> 00:31:59,440
to earthly bondage after God
straightened us up.

475
00:32:02,320 –> 00:32:04,720
And we have to remember that
it’s, it’s not I that I’m

476
00:32:04,720 –> 00:32:07,240
straight, but it’s Christ that’s
straight within me.

477
00:32:07,600 –> 00:32:09,400
And we identify with his body,
don’t we?

478
00:32:09,400 –> 00:32:11,960
That’s why we identify with him
on a Sunday morning, because we

479
00:32:11,960 –> 00:32:17,520
want to be straight like he is.
And we need to acknowledge that

480
00:32:17,520 –> 00:32:21,200
we can’t unbend ourselves with
our own strength.

481
00:32:21,200 –> 00:32:25,360
Only he can if we’re prepared to
take up the responsibility for

482
00:32:25,360 –> 00:32:28,040
God.
Have a look over the page,

483
00:32:28,040 –> 00:32:30,000
couple of pages of Ephesians
chapter 2.

484
00:32:32,120 –> 00:32:37,320
Ephesians 2 and verse one to 10
says, And you who were dead in

485
00:32:37,320 –> 00:32:41,880
trespasses and sins, wherein in
time past ye walked hunchbacked,

486
00:32:42,520 –> 00:32:45,800
according to the course of this
world, according to the Prince

487
00:32:45,800 –> 00:32:48,960
of the power of the air, The
spirit that now worketh in the

488
00:32:48,960 –> 00:32:52,360
children of disobedience.
Among whom also we all had our

489
00:32:52,360 –> 00:32:54,880
conversation in times past in
the lust of the flesh,

490
00:32:55,480 –> 00:32:58,600
fulfilling the desires of the
flesh and of the mind, and were

491
00:32:58,600 –> 00:33:01,680
by nature the children of wrath
even as others.

492
00:33:02,800 –> 00:33:06,800
But God who is rich in mercy for
His great love wherewith He

493
00:33:06,800 –> 00:33:11,440
loved us even when we were dead
in our sins.

494
00:33:12,680 –> 00:33:15,560
Unbendbackable.
That’s a new word I’ve just

495
00:33:15,560 –> 00:33:18,040
made-up.
Even when we were

496
00:33:18,040 –> 00:33:22,480
unbendbackable, He’s quickened
us together with Christ.

497
00:33:23,920 –> 00:33:29,120
By grace ye saved, and he’d
raised us up together to sit and

498
00:33:29,120 –> 00:33:32,600
made us to sit together in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

499
00:33:32,920 –> 00:33:38,960
So not only does he he reinstate
us to to somewhere resembling

500
00:33:38,960 –> 00:33:42,640
upright, but he elevates us all
the way up to a brand new

501
00:33:42,640 –> 00:33:47,280
purpose that in the ages to come
He might show the exceeding

502
00:33:47,280 –> 00:33:50,280
riches of his grace and his
kindness towards us through

503
00:33:50,280 –> 00:33:52,600
Christ Jesus.
Because by grace he is saved

504
00:33:52,920 –> 00:33:55,800
through faith, and not of your
own selves.

505
00:33:56,680 –> 00:33:59,880
It is the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should

506
00:33:59,880 –> 00:34:04,200
boast, For we are his
workmanship created in Christ

507
00:34:04,200 –> 00:34:08,400
Jesus unto good works, which God
has before ordained, that we

508
00:34:08,400 –> 00:34:13,520
should walk in them.
Philippians chapter 3.

509
00:34:19,080 –> 00:34:23,080
Hopefully you can see that these
ideas are like this is an idea

510
00:34:23,080 –> 00:34:28,360
that runs through the Bible.
Philippians chapter 3, verse 17

511
00:34:29,880 –> 00:34:32,960
Brethren be followers together
of me and mark them which walk

512
00:34:32,960 –> 00:34:38,080
so as ye have for an example for
many walk of whom I’ve told you

513
00:34:38,080 –> 00:34:40,840
often and now tell you even
weeping that they are the

514
00:34:40,840 –> 00:34:45,159
enemies of the cross of Christ,
whose end is destruction, whose

515
00:34:45,159 –> 00:34:49,080
God is their belly, and who,
like a big fat pig, glory is in

516
00:34:49,080 –> 00:34:54,400
their shame, who mind earthly
things just like that woman who

517
00:34:54,400 –> 00:34:56,960
was bent over and couldn’t look
at anything except the ground.

518
00:34:58,080 –> 00:35:02,800
What’s our policy?
Our conversation is in heaven

519
00:35:03,520 –> 00:35:08,600
from whence also we look for the
Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

520
00:35:08,600 –> 00:35:10,240
That’s the direction we’re
looking is up.

521
00:35:11,120 –> 00:35:14,040
Who’s going to change our vile
body, that it might be fashioned

522
00:35:14,040 –> 00:35:17,440
like unto His glorious body,
according to the working,

523
00:35:17,440 –> 00:35:21,120
whereby He is able even to
subdue all things unto himself?

524
00:35:23,360 –> 00:35:32,160
Colossians chapter 3 verse one
says, If ye be risen with Christ

525
00:35:32,240 –> 00:35:36,520
risen, then seek those things
which are above where Christ

526
00:35:36,520 –> 00:35:40,720
sits on the right hand of God.
Set your affection on things

527
00:35:40,720 –> 00:35:44,520
above, and not on things on the
earth, for you are dead, and

528
00:35:44,520 –> 00:35:46,320
your life is hid with Christ in
God.

529
00:35:46,960 –> 00:35:50,480
When Christ, who is our life
shall appear, then shall ye also

530
00:35:50,480 –> 00:35:54,760
appear with Him in glory.
Mortify there for your members

531
00:35:54,800 –> 00:35:58,280
which are upon the earth,
fornication, uncleanness,

532
00:35:58,280 –> 00:36:01,400
inordinate affection, evil,
concupiscence and covetousness,

533
00:36:01,400 –> 00:36:06,040
which is idolatry, for which
things sake the wrath of God

534
00:36:06,040 –> 00:36:10,040
comes on the children of
disobedience in the which you

535
00:36:10,040 –> 00:36:13,840
also walked hunchbacked sometime
when you lived in them.

536
00:36:14,880 –> 00:36:19,560
But now you also put off all
these anger, wrath, malice,

537
00:36:19,560 –> 00:36:21,800
blasphemy, filthy communication
out of your mouth.

538
00:36:23,240 –> 00:36:26,040
Don’t lie to one another, seeing
that you’ve put off the old man

539
00:36:26,040 –> 00:36:29,720
with his deeds, the old
hunchback man that he was, and

540
00:36:29,720 –> 00:36:34,960
have put on the new man which
was renewed in knowledge after

541
00:36:34,960 –> 00:36:36,640
the image of him that created
him.

542
00:36:36,760 –> 00:36:40,720
And what’s the image of God?
I think you know Isaiah

543
00:36:40,720 –> 00:36:45,080
somewhere it says Isaiah calls
God the upright one.

544
00:36:45,320 –> 00:36:47,800
That’s how He made man.
That’s how He wants us to be,

545
00:36:47,800 –> 00:36:53,560
His upright.
The last one I want to look at

546
00:36:53,560 –> 00:37:04,200
is Luke chapter 21 and just
think about brothers and

547
00:37:04,200 –> 00:37:06,560
sisters, the very critical time
that we live in.

548
00:37:07,640 –> 00:37:11,600
It’s exactly the same time as
when Jesus was warning those

549
00:37:11,600 –> 00:37:17,320
people in Luke 13.
The times are just as dire.

550
00:37:17,360 –> 00:37:20,760
The circumstances in the current
events are just as hectic.

551
00:37:22,480 –> 00:37:23,920
What are we doing?
Are we walking around

552
00:37:23,920 –> 00:37:27,480
hunchbacked, got our eyes on
earthly things, dollars,

553
00:37:27,480 –> 00:37:34,640
pleasures, leisures, etcetera?
Are we a big tree with no fruit?

554
00:37:36,120 –> 00:37:42,120
Or do we choose to leave all
that behind, joke, and to accept

555
00:37:42,120 –> 00:37:45,800
the call and stand up straight
and alert and ready?

556
00:37:47,480 –> 00:37:51,920
Luke 21, verse 20.
And when, when you shall see

557
00:37:51,920 –> 00:37:56,280
Jerusalem compassed with armies,
then know that the desolation

558
00:37:56,280 –> 00:38:00,200
thereof is nigh.
Then let them which are in Judea

559
00:38:00,200 –> 00:38:03,160
flee to the mountains, and let
them which are in the midst of

560
00:38:03,160 –> 00:38:07,040
it depart out, and let not them
that are in the countries enter

561
00:38:07,040 –> 00:38:09,760
there into.
For these be the days of

562
00:38:09,760 –> 00:38:13,600
vengeance, that all things which
are written may be fulfilled.

563
00:38:14,480 –> 00:38:16,760
Woe to them that are with child,
and to them that give suck in

564
00:38:16,760 –> 00:38:18,800
those days.
For there should be a great

565
00:38:18,800 –> 00:38:22,400
distress in the land, and wrath
upon this people, and they shall

566
00:38:22,400 –> 00:38:25,000
fall by the edge of the sword,
and shall be LED away captive

567
00:38:25,000 –> 00:38:28,320
into all nations.
And Jerusalem shall be trodden

568
00:38:28,320 –> 00:38:32,560
down of the Gentiles, until the
times of the Gentiles be

569
00:38:32,560 –> 00:38:37,280
fulfilled.
And this is a bit more related

570
00:38:37,280 –> 00:38:41,440
to our time than 8070, but
there’s going to be signs in the

571
00:38:41,440 –> 00:38:44,720
sun and in the moon and in the
stars and upon the earth.

572
00:38:45,360 –> 00:38:48,520
Distress of nations with
perplexity.

573
00:38:48,680 –> 00:38:53,080
And the word means no way out.
There’s no way that humans can

574
00:38:53,080 –> 00:38:56,920
save themselves.
The sea and the waves roaring,

575
00:38:57,960 –> 00:39:02,400
men’s hearts failing them for
fear and for looking down after

576
00:39:02,400 –> 00:39:04,040
those things which are coming on
the earth.

577
00:39:04,640 –> 00:39:09,920
For the powers of heaven shall
be shaken, and then shall they

578
00:39:09,920 –> 00:39:14,000
see the Son of Man coming in a
cloud with power and great

579
00:39:14,000 –> 00:39:16,800
glory.
And when these things begin to

580
00:39:16,800 –> 00:39:22,920
come to pass, then look up,
unbend yourself, lift up your

581
00:39:22,920 –> 00:39:25,480
heads, for your redemption draws
nigh.

582
00:39:26,080 –> 00:39:42,160
Thank you.
Thank you for listening to the

583
00:39:42,160 –> 00:39:43,760
Good Christadelphian Talks
podcast.

584
00:39:44,600 –> 00:39:47,040
We hope this talk helped you in
your walk and brightened your

585
00:39:47,040 –> 00:39:49,400
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586
00:39:49,400 –> 00:39:51,160
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587
00:39:51,560 –> 00:39:54,800
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588
00:39:55,920 –> 00:39:58,400
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589
00:39:58,400 –> 00:40:00,320
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590
00:40:01,240 –> 00:40:03,920
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591
00:40:03,920 –> 00:40:07,800
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592
00:40:07,800 –> 00:40:11,520
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601
00:40:34,200 –> 00:40:36,120
God bless and talk to you next
week.