Mark 2022

See it and open up a bible if you have 1 with you to march chapter 10. And we're going to be reading from verse 13 all the way to the end of the chapter. It's March chapter 10 from verse 13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, let the little children come to me.

Do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of god like a little child will never enter it. And he took the children in his arms Place his hands on them and bless them. As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him Good teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Why'd you call me good?

Jesus? Answered. No 1 is good except God alone. Do you know the commandments? You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your mother, your father, and your mother. Teacher, he declared, all these I have kept since I was a boy, Jesus looked at him and loved him. 1 thing you lack, he said, go.

So everything you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven, then come follow me. At this the man's face felt he went away sad because he had great wealth. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, how hard it is, for the rich to enter the kingdom of god. The disciples were amazed at his words, but Jesus said again children how hard it is To enter the kingdom of God, it is easier for a camel, to go through the eye of a needle, and for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. The disciples were even more amazed and said to each other who then can be saved.

Jesus looked at them and said, with man, this is impossible, but not with God. All things are possible with God. Then Peter spoke cup. We have left everything to follow you. Truly, I tell you Jesus replied.

No 1 who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age. Homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields, along with executions, and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first They were on their way up to Jerusalem with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished while those who followed were afraid Again, he took the 12 aside and told them what was going to happen to him. We are going up to Jerusalem, he said. And the son of man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law.

They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the gentiles who will mock him and spit on him, flog him, and kill him. 3 days later, he will rise. Then James and John, the sons of Zebben, came to him teacher, they said, we want you to do for us whatever we ask. What do you want me to do for you? He he asked.

They replied. Let 1 of us sit at your right and the other at your left in glory. You do not know what you are asking. Jesus said, Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with? We can.

They answered. Jesus said to them, you will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with. But to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they've been prepared. When the 10 heard about this, they became indignant with James and John.

Jesus called them together and said, you know that those who are regarded as rulers of the gentiles lord it over them and their high officials exercise authority over them, not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. Whoever wants to be first must be slave of all for even the son of man did not come to be served but to serve. And to give his life as it ransom for many. Then they came to Jericho.

As Jesus says disciples, together with a large crowd, we're leaving the city of blind man, Vartimeis, which means son of Timeis, was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout. Jesus son of David have mercy on me. Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet. But he shouted all the more.

Son of David have mercy on me. Jesus stopped and said, call him. So they called to the blind man, cheer up on your feet. He's calling you. Throwing his cloaker's side, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

What do you want me to do for you? Jesus asked him. The blind man said, rabbi, I want to see, go, said Jesus. Your faith has healed you. Immediately, he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

I love that bit in the story of the blind man. They're telling him to shut up 1 minute and then the next minute cheer up He's calling you. It's just so great. I have preached on that some time ago, but we won't be – well, we will get to that story, but we're not particularly preaching on that verse. My name is Pete Woodcock.

I'm 1 of the sponsors of the church. If you're visiting or you're new, then a big welcome to you. We've been going through Mark's gospel. In the mornings, and this will be our last 1 for a little while. We were doing it because we had that fantastic marked drama.

And we wanted to sort of get into it. But this is a good place to finish and it's 1 of the reasons why we got such a long reading in Mark, CHapp to 10. So let me pray. For the help us now, as we look at these fantastic stories, these events that happened 2000 years ago help us to see them because they are written for our edification. They're written for our under standing of who you are and who we are.

And we pray that by your spirit, you'll take these spirit words written down that have been used throughout the centuries to open blind eyes and to help us to cheer up and see that Christ is calling us So help us to hear these things we pray in the name of Jesus, r m. Now when I first became a Christian many years ago, We were sort of taught evangelism, in other words, how to sort of reach out to people, how to begin conversations with people. And 1 of the the things, I think it came from something called evangelism explosion. It's a great word, isn't it? Some of you who've been around Christians may know this.

They taught this this opening sentence, so you were meant to go up to people with this opening line. I think it's terrific. It goes like this. If you were this is you're supposed to go up to strangers. If you were to die tonight, And God said to you, why should I let you into heaven?

What would you say? Now, it's a direct thing and particularly if you've not introduced yourself or don't know anyone, don't know the person very well and you just lean over on the bus and ask that question. It could be quite shocking, but it is a good question. And I want to ask it to you. If you were to die tonight or this afternoon or now, If you were to die tonight and God said to you, why should I let you use?

Is it very personal? Why should I let you into heaven? What would you say? What's your reply to that? Why should he let you to his new kingdom.

What's your reply? I think it's a great question. And I think it's a question that we've got in these verses, which I'll show you in a minute. Why should I let you become a member of the kingdom of heaven? Mark's been going on about this kingdom.

This new kingdom that god has started to create in this world that will go beyond this world. Why should I let you in? Now I think this is how most people think. They think like this. Badness being a bad person will exclude me from the kingdom of God.

Surely, God is a good god and therefore being a bad person that's going to exclude me. Therefore, this is how the reason goes. If I'm a good person, That must include me. Badness obviously excludes me from going to this new Kingdom of heaven. And therefore, goodness being a good person must actually include me.

Surely, that's the way to get into heaven. So That's what I would answer, something like that. I've done some good stuff. In other words, we believe that Jesus is pretty optimistic about us. But Jesus, if if he's come into this world, not really as a savior, but as an adviser, as a counselor, as a prophet, as a caregiver, as a rule giver, as a guide, In other words, we might need Jesus to help us along the way.

He basically is optimistic about us. If he can teach us to be good and obviously we need to be better than we are, if he can teach us to be a bit better to do things and I do it than thumbs up. I'm in heaven. I'm in the new creation. Now I want to say that that in a very real sense, every religion has its has its roots and unity in that type of thinking.

We must do something. We must achieve something. In order to make up for our failures before God. We we need to be favorable towards God. So we need not a savior, but a teacher to teach us how to do that.

All the way around the world, all down the ages. People have been trying to earn a passage to heaven. Tell me the steps. If I do my best, if I go on pilgrimages for some people. If I visit a holy place, If I sacrifice to the gods, if I obey the rules, if I'm helped with the teaching.

Even reincarnation, that sort of religion of okay, I'm I'm bad in this life. I need to come back to be reincarnated, to have another life to be re incalinated to have another life. And hopefully, as I go round and round millions and millions of lives I may purify myself in some way. And therefore, we're optimistic about humanity. It may take millions of years, but In the end, through life after life after life, I'll get it right and I'll get there into the kingdom got.

Or the Catholic version of that is is purgatory. But when I die okay, I've done lots of sins. Jesus helps me a bit to have some grace before god So I don't go to hell, but I go to purgatory and I sit in blood bars and this is what purgatory is. Where I'm I'm I suffer and I suffer and I suffer for millions of years. And they're but in the end, I'll be clean enough to go into the kingdom of heaven.

That's why that building there was built. It was built for a a man so that people would pray in that building is built in 13 o 9 so that people would pray in that building constantly for the soul of a person who's in purgatory that in the end after enough prayers, they'll get out. Do you see what I'm saying? Optimistic about humanity. It might take millions of years But in the end, we'll make it.

Jesus is talking here about how you enter the kingdom of heaven. He's talking about it and you see it in it. Let me just show you all of these stories together. In verses 13 to 16, we've got the children being brought to Jesus and the disciples are trying to stop the children coming to Jesus. And in Jesus' review, look at verse 15, 14 and 15, he said to them, let the little children come to me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God So he's talking about the kingdom of God.

The kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth. Anyone who will not receive the a kingdom of god like a little child will never enter it. So that's the subject yet. At verse 16, he talks about blessing the children.

It says that he blessed the children. That's not just a sort of word that you when people sneeze -- Yep. -- and you say bless you, which is nonsense. Why do we say bless you? We should say curse you.

How about we understood COVID? Bless you. You'd be cursed, sneezing all that stuff out. Use your hand. Use a handkerchief.

But anyway, so off the point here. So I'm 1 of my little bees in my bonnet. I never say bless you to people at knees. I always mumble under my breath. You be cursed.

But Jesus blesses these children, and it's not just a word that we use like that. It has enormous significance in the old testament part of the bible. God's blessing is to do with God's rest When he created the world in 6 days, the seventh day was a day of rest, a day of blessing. In other words, a day to enjoy all of God's creation. To really enjoy everything of God.

It's a rest word. It's a blessing word. It's the It's the boxing day after Christmas day where you can chill out and play with your toys and eat the leftovers, and it's not a hassle because grandma and mom have gone home. It's a lovely day. So that's the first story.

Second story. Look at verses 17 to 23. The story of the rich man. He asked the question, the rich man to Jesus in verse 17. Good teach what must I do to inherit eternal life?

Look at verse 23, Jesus says how hard it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Look at the third story versus 24 to 31. He's talking with the disciples. Children, he says in verse 24. Children how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God.

It is easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle. Than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. In verse 26, they they say, who can be saved? And then look at the story of the blind man in verse 46 to 52, the healing of the blind man. The blind man calls out to Jesus in verse 47 Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.

David, the great king in the Old Testament. Jesus, you are the son of the king. You are the king. Promise, this kingdom is promised through David. And then he follows him.

Their stories, they're all about the kingdom of God, how to be saved, eternal life, blessing. And sandwiched between those stories are 2 teaching slots about the death of Jesus on the cross. Just look at verse 45, 1 of them. For even the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and give his life a ransom for many. K?

So this whole chapter is about how do you become a member of the kingdom of God. How do you have eternal life? How do you enter into blessing? How are you saved? From a world that is beautiful but always decaying and ends in death.

How are you saved? From that. How do you follow Jesus? That's what this passage is about. Now that's my big introduction.

Now we look at these stories briefly. First of all, if you wanna enter the Kingdom of heaven, you receive it like a child. You receive it like a little child. Look at verses 13 to 16 again. You see those verses.

You've got to receive it like a little child. Jesus says, the kingdom of god belongs to little children. To those who are going to be like little children. Not because they have anything in themselves, not because they deserve, but because like little children, they just have to receive. In the ancient world that Jesus is in here, children didn't have the rights that we have today, that that the children have today.

We're obsessed with children. We put children first. That may be good or bad. But then, although children are significant, and children are seen as a blessing. Children didn't have any rights.

They weren't have any rights themselves. This very often is misinterpreted. You've got to be like a little child. People think What are the characteristics of a little child? And they say things like humble, trustworthy, unself conscious, lovely gentle little babies.

I don't know what children they're looking at. They certainly look at not looking at my children. You go to a playground and it's warfare, isn't it? I mean, remind me if they had missiles that the Russians had, there wouldn't be any playgrounds left. It would be destroyed like that.

There is there's little putins running around all over the place in in nurseries and stuff like that. They even look like him pout it anyway. Don't want to be careful. There's little hitlers without mustaches. But if I could grow 1, they would.

They're running around. That it It's got nothing to do with the characteristics of children. Jesus is saying children have no rights They don't achieve. They don't earn. They're just given.

That's what he's saying here. It's not the characteristics of children. It's the position of children in the ancient world and they are weak, they are helpless, they are dependent, they perceive. They don't earn or deserve. They receive.

That's what he's saying. Entry into the kingdom of god is by pure grace, not by what they've earned. Not by what they've deserved, but by just giving the gift to them. So it's not for the proud and self sufficient. Look at verse 15.

I tell you the truth. Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. Never enter great. 1 of my favorite little passages, although it's very gory, is in the bible in in Exodus in Ezekiel 16. And in Ezekiel 16, that's very graphic.

It ascribes the grace of God to a an abortion, really. Let me read it to you. On the day you were born, your cord was not cut. Normally washed with water. To make you clean.

Noie were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in clothes. No 1 looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, For on the day you were born, you were despised. Then, I passed by and saw you kicking in your blood. And as you lay there in your blood, I said to you, live.

I made you grow like a plant of the field. You grew up and developed and became the most beautiful of jewels. That's a picture of God to an abortion. This child is left dumped. Nothing is not significant.

That's the picture. And yet, God in all his grace says live, be alive, and washes the child, and turns the child into a peter for dual. Do you come to God with a sense of your own importance? You come to God with a sense of your your rights and abilities. The good things you've done.

You deserve a good life. You deserve to be happy. You deserve heaven. How did you answer that question at the beginning? If you were to die tonight and God said to you, why should I let you into heaven?

What did you say? Well, I'm quite a good person. I was brought up in a religious home. I'm here aren't I at church? I mean a lot better than lots of people out there.

I've suffered enough. I now deserve. Jesus is showing us. That when it comes to God, you have no rights. The kingdom of God is a gift, not a right It is given by grace, not earned by qualifications.

It is god's gift to give It is not yours to own and earn. No wonder Jesus was angry at the disciples. Did you notice that in that story? They were stopping the children coming and it says Jesus was indignant and it's a very, very strong word. He was very angry.

Why? Because the disciples had yet again got this wrong We can come to Jesus, but these children, they're unimportant. They don't deserve to come. They were stopping the children come and Jesus was angry about that. They thought they had a right to come to Jesus the children clearly didn't have a right to come to Jesus.

And Jesus is angry that they've misinterpreted the good news of possible. Nobody's like these children, unimportant ones, ones with no rights are the ones that can come to Jesus. Isn't that amazing message? Seriously, isn't that an amazing message? Those who have no right, those who have no rights to god or any right to claim on God, that's what you've got to become like.

And then you'll know his blessing. That amazing. Christmas is such a different, even in the world's view of Christmas. It's such a different view of any other celebration in any other religion. You know, people say even the world says, Christmas is all about children.

Yeah. It is. It's all What other religion has a celebration that even when it's distorted by the world. Still, they get it. It's for children.

Christmas is for children, undeserved, hitting the presence. It's a wonderful thing. That's the first thing. Here's the second thing. You've got to come empty handed.

You come as a little child, undeserving. But secondly, you come empty handed. You see it in the story there with this rich man in verses 17 to 22. Now Mark is placing this story here to underline the first story. It's sort of like the opposite, but it's got the same point.

Because if anyone is deserving to come to Jesus or enter the kingdom of heaven, this rich man is. The children and undeserving, but this rich man surely is a good man. He really is a very, very, very good man. You want him as your neighbor. I tell you that.

He's not these horrible little children that will kick the ball over your fence. These here's a rich man and he's gonna be really, really good And notice the disciples don't stop him coming to Jesus. They stop the children, but they don't stop oh, we don't come in. Yeah. We'll reach back.

Oh, yep. Yep. Come in. He's a good rich man. In you go, it's wonderful, isn't it?

He's very respectful for g to Jesus. Look at verses 17. He fell on his knees before him and called him good teacher. So he's really respectful for g to Jesus. Look at verse 17 again.

He's very concerned about spiritual things. What must I do? To inherit eternal life. And he's obviously been sincere about morality since he was a boy look at verse 20, talking about the 10 commandments and he says, all these I have kept since I was a boy I mean, there's no better credentials for getting into the kingdom of god than this blood, to be quite honest with you. He's rich.

He's respectful. He's interested in spiritual things. He's morally, you know, impeccable. But He still got something missing. He's reassured about eternal life.

Has he done enough? You see, when you don't have a savior, you just have a teacher telling you to do things. Then have I done enough and then have I done it up to my capacity? So he's only short about eternal life. And he's pretty optimistic about himself though because if he's only told what he must do, then he'll do it.

Look at the 17. What must I do to inherently turn around? Just tell me Jesus and I'll get on with it. Now Jesus mentioned some of the 10 commandments In fact, he mentions the first half oh, sorry, the second half of the 10 de marmas. The 10 de marmas are really on 2 pillars.

You've got the first thing a lot of time to moments about your relationship to God, and then you've got the second, you know, table which is your relationship to other people. And Jesus mentions the commandments on the second tablet, your relationship to other people. First half deal with relationship with God. Second half for relationship with people. This blokes pretty good.

In that second half. Now Jesus mentions the law, I think, these tender moments. Not because he thinks that by keeping them, you'll be saved. You'll save yourself. But rather when you really look at the tender moments, you realize that you're a helpless child and you don't deserve anything.

You go through the 10 year moments and you'll see that you're a sinner. You've failed. You really have. You have Keep the Sabbath. You've done that?

You know, love the Lord you've got with all your heart, soul, and mind. You've done that? Love your neighbor is yourself. You've done that. Yeah?

You've cleared the snow out from the front of your path, but your neighbor, she can slip up. You know, what you know, have you fulfilled all of these commandments? You ever covered it? Anyone ever covered it? You know, So he mentions the second half and the book says, I've done these things since I was a youth.

Now without Jesus saying, okay, let's go through them. Let me actually show you. He says, okay. Well, let's go to the first tablet then. If you think you've obeyed the commandments, do you love God?

With all your heart. Look at verse 21. 1 thing you lack Jesus said go sell everything you have, give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven then come follow me. Are you really gonna love God? Now remember, you called me good teacher and I just said there's no 1 good but God.

So we're talking about God here. You've come to me as if I'm God, and you've asked me for how you're gonna be inherit the eternal life. You say you're obeying the 10 commandments, let me show you that you're not. 1 thing you lack, you're pretty good for it, blown. But 1 thing you lack is sell everything you have give to the poor and you'll have treasure in heaven and then come follow me.

He wouldn't do that. He wasn't prepared to give up his achievements. He wasn't prepared to let go of all he was. And we're told he went away sad He went away sad. He wasn't prepared to love God with all his heart and soul in mind.

I read many years ago, but you can catch a monkey if you're interested in that. I mean, we've got rats at the hub at the moment and I'm catching them with peanut butter, but you can catch 7 rats in 7 days isn't bad, is it? 7, 7 very interesting. But you can catch a monkey. So if we had a plague of monkeys at the hub, you can catch them by setting a trap.

And what you do is, apparently, you just have like a jar with peanuts in, peanuts again. And if the monkey can get its hand into the jar like that, extended fingers. It will grab the peanuts. And you don't have to do anything else, but tie tie the jar to something, chain it to something, so it can't get away. And the monkey won't let go of the nuts.

It can get its hand out, but it won't let go of the nuts. While it's grabbing it, whether it's fist, it's like a fist, it can't get it out. And so you trap the monkey. So I'm told. In other words, in order to be released you have to let everything go from your hand.

And Jesus says, if you wanna be a member of the kingdom of heaven, If you really want eternal life, stop bringing your achievements to me as if they're impressive. Let go nothing in your hand you bring. You simply to the cross you clean. Let go. He went away sad.

He went away sad. He'd rather have his achievements than eternal life. It's very sad. That's the second thing. Third thing.

Third thing to do if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven is to come to the God of the impossible. You see that in verses 23 to 27. Come and receive the kingdom of God like an undeserving little child. Come empty handed. Don't start trying to prove yourself to God.

And come to the god that can do the impossible. The god that can do what no 1 else can do. How is it possible to enter the kingdom of God? Look at verse 24 and 25. Children how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God.

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. The disciples and God lied said, well, it'll only be saved. Jesus looked at them and said, with man, with people, it is impossible. I am utterly pessimistic about humanity. There is no way people can go to heaven.

It is impossible. It is impossible for you to go to heaven. But not with god. All things are possible with god. It is impossible for a child to enter the kingdom of heaven.

It is impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. It is impossible for you to enter the kingdom of heaven, just as it impossible as a camel going through the eye of a needle. Now, this is where lots of people go wrong again like they do on children. Someone came out with the idea that in Jerusalem. It's all of not all of made up nonsense.

It's not true at all. But there was a gate that went into Jerusalem that was a very small gate. And for a camel to go into the gate, it had to kneel down and take off its pack and then it would be able to get through the gate. It's all nonsense and all of that is a denial of what Jesus says anyway even if it was true that there was a gate which there wasn't. He's literally saying, How do you get a camel?

A camel? It's a big animal. Go to Chestington, you see them out in the field. This is great. Great big camel.

How do you get it through the tiny little hole in the needle when you put the thread in? How'd you do that? Now I thought of a way, you can mash the camel up. Apps absolutely mash it up and then you might be able to shoot it through all the juice through through the eye of a needle. But the problem is it isn't a camel.

The other side, is it? It's just a match. How do you get a camel through the eye of an You can't. It's impossible. How are you gonna go to heaven?

You can't you can't. But what is impossible for you is possible for god. Jesus says in verse 33, we're going up to Jerusalem, and he said, And the son of man, that's him, the glorious king of the universe. That's what son of man means. We saw that last week.

Will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the gentiles. Now why is he going to die? Verse 45, the son of man, which all that stuff last week, did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. To give his life as a ransom for many. A ransom is what you pay a kidnapper to set the kidnapped person free.

A ransom is what you pay the jailer to set the jailer to person free. It's the price to pay. It took the life of the son of man. It took King David's greatest son to be born of a woman to come into this earth with flesh and blood. The god, the sun, becoming a child, so that he could go to a cross and bleed and die to pay the ransom of life for life.

He died so that we could have eternal life. Do you see that? He pays the price. How can I get to heaven? Someone's got to pay the price?

Your sin excludes you. Your failures exclude you. It doesn't matter that you may be 99 percent good, the 1 percent exclusion. You can look at someone who says, He's only got 3 percent in the exam of eternal life. 3 percent thick coat, stupid, thick head.

I got 99 percent. Doesn't matter. He's excluded. You're excluded. We're talking about a perfect God here.

That cannot have sin or arrogance or untruths in his presence. And the only way that the person with 3 percent and the person with 99.9 percent can come into the kingdom of heaven is that the price is paid for the sin That's what Jesus came to do. That's a savior, not just a teacher. I need a savior. That's what Christmas is all about.

A savior is born. I need to be rescued. It's impossible for me to rescue myself. And then there's a fourth thing. Ask for mercy, plead with God for mercy.

You see that in the story of the blind man first 46 to 52. Come as a little helpless non deserving child, come empty handed. Come to the God of Impossible, the ransom payer. Come and say, would that ransom be paid for me? Would that ransom be paid for me?

Be merciful to me a sinner. Be merciful to me. A sinner. Have you ever done that? It's so wonderfully, radically 1.

It isn't it? Imagine if I said to you, right, you need to do 5 things. Yeah? You need to go to a holy place You need to say your prayers every week, and I made up 5 things, 5 pillars. That you had to obey to to actually get right with God.

You've gotta go to a holy place. You gotta go to Jerusalem. Well, how do how do I get to Jerusalem? I've gotta earn money. I've got to prove you know, I've gotta it's it's it's all of works.

But here is a savior, not just a prophet, not just a load of religious laws, The laws show us I've broken the law. A savior is born. You can't When you see law, you can't help breaking them. There's a there's a really, really odd thing they have in Australia, if you've ever listed in Australia, in Melbourne, You go under the river You go under the river. And in the in the tunnel, under the river, there are signs all along.

Do not spit. I'd never thought of spitting until I saw the sign. And then when I see the sign, I'm looking around. And everybody by the look of it does that. There's something in laws that make me want to rebel because the law shows me up I'm a sinner.

Keep the sabbath, how dare he say that. Love God, how dare he say that. I don't like it. I don't need more laws. I need a ransom paying Savior.

Have you got that? That's what Christmas is about. And that's why we want to say heart. We were looking at international home group. Harsh.

What a funny word that is. It just means, oh, in your ear homes, have a listen. Harsh. The herald that's the preaching. The preaching angels say.

Today, even with my croaky voice, I'm saying, Hark, I'm a herald angel, saying, listen a newborn has been the savior has been born. The prince of peace has been born. Don't in your arrogance. Hold on like the monkey. Just That next line was gonna be bad.

Now, gosh. I'm gonna have to say it to get it out. Don't let the monkey hold on to your nuts. Let go of your nuts. Let go and trust in Christ.

Come to Christ as a child and ask for mercy. Why don't you do that? Let's spell our heads and I hand over to Ben. Farah, thank you for the word that you've spoken to us. Thank you for the heralding message that we've heard.

Pray that we would listen to it, that we would understand what Jesus is saying, that we must come like a little child that we must let go of our own righteousness and goodness of which we have none at all. Father, would you impress on us, please. Possibility of us ever entering the kingdom of god by ourselves. We don't need a teacher. We don't need more laws.

We don't need showing the right way you're correcting in the ways that we were walking. We need a savior to luck us out, to give us righteousness, to cleanse us, like that baby in a field, to speak life to us, is what we need. Thank you, father, that you sent Jesus to do exactly that. We praise you. We thank you.

And Jesus' name, amen.