Jesus Broke The Rules | Who Was Jesus Really Week 2

Some rules are good. After all, things like “don’t kill” or “don’t steal” are pretty important. But religion is crammed full of other rules too; rules that divide us, rules that make us feel we’re not good enough, rules that keep us stuck in doubt and fear. Fortunately, Jesus didn’t have any patience for these man-made religious rules. Today Brian talks about finding freedom on the far side of religious rules.

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    - Hey, everyone, and welcome to Crossroads.
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    We are so glad that you're here,
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    whether it's your first time
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    or your 1000th time joining us,
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    we are so glad that you're here
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    for week two of Who Was Jesus Really?
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    My name is Hannah
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    and I produce experiences here at Crossroads.
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    - And I'm Kyle the Community Pastor
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    for Crossroads Church online.
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    And that question, Who Was Jesus Really?
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    Is critical to ask because the answer is wildly important.
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    And also like they're very different answers out there.
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    Last week in this series we talked about
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    how Jesus kept all of the rules.
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    This week we're talking about
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    how Jesus also broke the rules.
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    - And you know, what happens when you break the rules, Kyle?
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    - "Go to your room" is what happens.
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    - That's close, but what else happens
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    when you break the rules?
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    - One time I broke the rules
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    and I had to go to the principal's office.
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    - That's closer. That is closer.
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    Our senior pastor, Brian Tome, is actually
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    going to tell us what happens when you break the rules.
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    So let's catch up with him right now.
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    - He probably knows, too, right?
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    - He does - I feel like he does, yeah.
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    - There are rule keepers
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    and there are rule breakers.
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    I'm in place right now,
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    which is where the rule breakers go,
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    specifically the capital offense rule breakers go.
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    I'm in solitary confinement in the exact same place
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    where Shawshank Redemption was filmed.
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    Andy Dufresne was right here.
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    I am geeking out on this big, big, big, big time.
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    We're going to talk about
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    how Jesus was a rule breaker today.
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    But there are, all of us are either
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    rule keeper or rule breaker.
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    I'm not saying that there's --
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    All of us who are going to create capital offenses
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    or I'm not saying all of us are going
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    to do five finger discounts or all of us
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    are going to take advantage of somebody physically.
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    I'm not saying that.
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    I mean, those kind of rules that
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    maybe don't matter so much.
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    Like I'll just tell you what those rules are like.
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    That's like me. I'm a rule -- I'm a rule breaker.
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    Like, I've never seen a sign that says
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    "Wet Paint, don't touch" and have not touched it.
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    I've never walked by a lawn
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    where there's a sign that says, "Don't walk on the grass,"
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    and not just taken one foot and put it on the grass.
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    I know, I've got problems,
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    but then that's just kind of me.
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    A few years ago I was on
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    an adventure motorcycle riding trip
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    and it was actually in winter.
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    It was in December. It was through West Virginia
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    and there was snow that was down.
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    And one of the things that really irks me
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    is when I'm in a public land area, National Forest,
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    and all these beautiful roads
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    would be perfect for off-road motorcycles
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    are shut down and gated.
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    They're there, they're created, it just kind of bothers me.
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    And I can tell you, and no one's using them.
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    No one's walking on them. No one's riding a bike on them.
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    In other words, they're just not used.
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    So I can't tell you how many times
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    I've actually gone around a gate.
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    One time I went around it in West Virginia
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    and it wasn't a good idea,
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    not just because I was breaking the law,
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    but because snow was on the ground
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    and a ranger came by and he saw a motorcycle
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    or motorcycles had gone around it.
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    And he opened up the gate and he came back
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    and he gave us a ticket.
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    And he was not happy, justifiably so.
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    He drove us back to where our campsite was.
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    And he'd cooled down a little bit.
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    And he wrote out this ticket for me and gave it to me.
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    I said, "Officer, is this is this ticket good for all day?"
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    And he said, "It's not a pass, sir. It's not a pass."
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    Please hear me, I shouldn't have gone to run that gate.
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    I don't think I've gone around to gate since that time.
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    I'm just trying to say my proclivity is
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    to kind of push on rules.
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    And some people just geek out on rules.
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    They love rules. They love enforcing rules.
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    Some of you will be shocked to hear
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    that Jesus was actually a rule breaker,
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    the rules that were in the religious culture
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    in which he lived, He broke those rules
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    again and again and again.
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    Either the people who he touched who were sick
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    or the people he hung out with
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    who may have been a woman in public
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    or may have been somebody who is a known sinner
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    or some of the things that he taught
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    that went against the grain
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    of what the established religious order had done.
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    Again and again and again and again and again
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    and again He actually broke the rules.
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    You and I have got to see this idea,
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    this element of Jesus being a bit of a radical,
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    being a bit of a rebel,
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    being somebody who's coloring outside the lines
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    for us to fully understand His life
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    and understand the life that you and I could have.
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    Jesus broke the rules.
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    Jesus broke the rules
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    and He cared for rule breakers.
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    Here's an interview I did with Kim Elliott,
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    the executive director of the Four-Seven,
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    an organization that is committed
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    to equipping the lives of the incarcerated
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    and their families with tools and resources
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    that lead to transformation.
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    Kim, it's great to be with you.
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    We've sent so many volunteers through you
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    and your ministry called Four-Seven.
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    Tell us about what you do.
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    - Well, I am the executive director of the Four-Seven.
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    And what I get to do is just run hard
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    after those that are lost,
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    after those that are broken,
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    and with a group of people that realize
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    that none of us are our worst mistake.
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    And so therefore, what we do is we go into the prisons
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    or any other place where Jesus would go.
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    We're not taking anything into the prison
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    that we have to be there to provide.
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    But we know that Jesus is already there,
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    so we go there to meet Him.
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    - Jesus talks a lot about prisoners,
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    setting the captives free.
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    Have you done much thought
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    as to why He does that so frequently.
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    - Well, I think because all of us
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    are imprisoned in some way.
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    I truly do believe that if we all look at our lives,
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    there is something that we're holding on to.
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    So being imprisoned isn't just your outer circumstances.
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    We're imprisoned on the inside
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    long before we actually walk through any prison doors.
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    So I believe that when Jesus talks
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    about setting the captive free,
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    He's referring to that, our internal brokenness,
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    as well as the things that we may have done
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    that separate us from our loved ones,
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    separate us from one another,
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    separate us from society even.
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    - So, for everyone who is in an institution
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    like this where we go and serve,
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    there's other people on the outside
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    who have been hurt by the actions
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    of somebody who's in prison.
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    And sometimes those folks can feel like,
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    "Hey, we're not talking enough about
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    the real pain and heartache that's happened
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    as a result of these people's choices."
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    What would you say to them?
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    - That pain is real, first of all.
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    As I said before, we run hard after
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    those who are in that situation,
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    we also make it a point to make sure
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    that they understand, "Hey, we get it,
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    that right now is a time for you to work on you."
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    But we also want them to realize that
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    there are always going to be consequences for the actions.
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    You know, repentance means turning
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    and going the other way, but it does not mean
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    that we forget what led us to what we did.
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    And so for someone else,
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    if they're still struggling with that,
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    they're still struggling with the hurt,
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    they're still struggling with
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    the consequences of what you did,
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    you have to be compassionate towards that as well.
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    And realize that it may take time for them
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    to accept the fact that you've made a change.
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    They may never accept it.
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    And that may be something that
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    they have to give to God and God has to help them
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    to work through forgiveness on that issue.
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    - Yeah, the hurts and the pains
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    and even the bitterness is understandable
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    and actually justifiable. - Absolutely.
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    - We just can't -- We can't dismiss that.
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    Kim, we're just so thankful for you,
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    the work you do,
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    the work of all the volunteers at Crossroads
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    that are building into folks in institutions like this.
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    So just on behalf of for all of us, thank you.
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    - Thank you for the opportunity.
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    - Jesus was a rebel, He broke rules.
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    This should really resonate with our culture
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    because more than ever we're breaking rules.
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    No one wants to be a conformist,
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    specifically, no one wants to conform
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    to somebody else's ideals who we don't respect.
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    Jesus challenged the status quo in every way,
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    and that meant breaking rules.
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    He broke rules about having women followers.
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    He would talk to women in public.
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    He would shun politics and talking about politics.
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    He virtually never, ever, ever,
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    ever talked about politics.
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    He would make outrageous claims,
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    miracles that people could have if they follow Him,
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    miracles and blessings people could have
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    who didn't deserve it.
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    We can learn a lot about
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    how to challenge the status quo
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    by following the footsteps of Jesus
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    and unlocking that little rule breaker
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    that lives inside of all of us.
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    Specifically and especially as it relates
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    to the rules of religion.
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    Religion is really about control,
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    trying to tell you how to live your life.
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    This is the way that you should pray.
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    These are the kind of people God doesn't like.
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    This is how to make God like you.
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    It's all about what you do and keeping the rules.
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    Religion can be a form of power,
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    and power makes the rules.
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    The ultimate power, not the ultimate power,
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    but an awfully powerful force in our life
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    is the power of sin.
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    It's this need to rebel against God.
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    It's this need to break His commandments,
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    things that we shouldn't be breaking.
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    But these -- this sin that always is enticing
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    on the front end always ultimately leads to bondage.
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    It's because there's a bigger, more powerful force
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    that is needed to break those rules.
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    And Jesus, in a weird oxymoron kind of way,
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    is that powerful force who does break the rule of sin.
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    But Himself, He also breaks the small R rules.
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    The Book of Matthew,
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    which is a book in the New Testament
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    that's written specifically and especially
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    to Jewish religious people,
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    we can see this again and again and again.
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    In Matthew 8:2 it says this:
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    When somebody had a disease that people could see
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    by the rules of religion, they should be shunned,
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    they should be outcast.
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    Jesus not only does shot him, He touches him.
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    In touching him, by the religious laws of that day,
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    he would be making himself simultaneously unclean.
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    There's certain stories in the Bible
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    that are told a couple different ways
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    from different perspectives.
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    In the book of Mark,
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    it talks about this exact same story,
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    but they add a little interesting emotional twist
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    in here I want to make sure we see.
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    Here's what it says. It says:
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    Jesus is always the smartest person in the room.
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    And He knew that when He was breaking the rule
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    by touching and blessing somebody
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    that the religious people were shunning,
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    He knew they were judging Him.
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    He knew they were angry and He gets angry.
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    "I can't believe that you people
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    have these rules that are so ridiculous."
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    He's angry over the condition of their heart
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    and He breaks their rules and He touches this guy
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    and He blesses and heals him.
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    These people who are religious,
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    they didn't keep all the rules.
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    You could look at their life and you could see
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    that there were all kinds of rules
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    that they were breaking that God really cared about.
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    The very God Himself in flesh was right there
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    and they were breaking the rule of worship
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    by not honoring the one ultimate God.
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    We all like to break rules
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    and so many of us love to make rules.
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    I said earlier, there's rule makers and rule keepers,
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    rule followers and rule keepers.
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    It's one of the things that's been happening with the masks.
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    I'm pro masks.
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    I've worn a mask.
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    I don't like it, but I have.
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    But haven't we all noticed that there's
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    just some people who get their jollies off on masks?
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    It's their new way to find a new rule.
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    Some people are not religious at all,
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    but they're incredibly rule driven.
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    Rules on how you should separate your recyclables,
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    rules on how you should wear your mask.
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    And some of us just really geek out on this.
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    Sometimes, those of us who feel like
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    we're the most enlightened following
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    these various man-made rules are often times
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    those who are farthest away from Jesus.
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    And often times those of us who are keeping
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    all of our religious rules inside church,
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    going to Sunday school, also are those
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    who are furthest away from Jesus.
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    While Jesus broke rules,
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    He also did understand certain rules, relationship rules.
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    He was a relational guru.
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    He was friendly with people who had broken rules
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    and had sin in their life.
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    Now, He's not friendly with sin.
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    These -- all of these bars here,
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    these cells contained people
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    who had some serious sin in their life.
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    I was looking at the placard of people
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    who were in here for everything
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    from breaking and entering to cutting,
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    I'm not sure what cutting was,
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    bigamy, and all kinds of stuff.
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    People were in here for real, legitimate sin.
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    Jesus is not friends at all with the concept of sin,
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    with the actions of rebelliousness
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    that hurt others and get us away from God.
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    But -- but the person inside of here,
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    the people inside of here,
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    the people inside of our church right now,
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    the people inside of our broadcast right now,
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    He is incredibly friendly with.
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    In fact, He broke the rules
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    of having unscrupulous friends,
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    people who had problems and people who had issues.
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    Perfect example is one of his key followers.
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    His name was Matthew and he was not respected.
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    He was not liked by anybody.
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    Here's how the story goes of Matthew 9:10 and following:
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    Matthew is a tax collector.
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    Now, most people don't like tax collectors
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    in today's modern culture because
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    it reminds us we owe the government something.
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    No one wants to owe the government anything,
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    but tax collectors are a whole different deal
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    way back when.
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    They actually worked on commission.
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    So they would give Rome what Rome wanted
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    and they could keep everything else themselves,
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    or at least Rome didn't care.
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    And these tax collectors were Jews who understood
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    all the different economic veins of their system
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    and understood what what Harry did for a living
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    over here and how much he was likely making,
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    and this person over here.
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    And they use that to extort money
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    out of their fellow countrymen
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    who they supposedly shared the religion with,
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    but they didn't.
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    And they were utterly hated.
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    And when Jesus invites Matthew into relation with Him,
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    they're thinking, "No, you should be
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    inviting him into a cell,
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    that's what you should do,
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    you should be inviting him to be locked away."
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    But He actually says, "I want you to follow Me."
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    And He goes and He has a party at his house.
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    Gosh, that's unbelievable.
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    That is -- that is really invigorating for me
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    to think about, that no matter what you do,
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    Jesus wants to have relationship with you.
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    Let me say that again.
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    No matter what you do,
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    no matter what you have done,
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    no matter what you will do,
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    whether you're in one of these
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    or you should be in one of these,
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    Jesus wants to have a friendship with you.
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    In 2020 I had two friends
  • 00:17:17
    who had been indicted on felony charges,
  • 00:17:20
    both of them make the papers,
  • 00:17:22
    and both of them maintain their innocence, by the way.
  • 00:17:25
    One is convicted, one's awaiting trial.
  • 00:17:27
    And I get emails like,
  • 00:17:29
    "How can you be such and such's friend?
  • 00:17:31
    How can you -- how can you?"
  • 00:17:33
    And I just go, "Hey, if Jesus is a friend of sinners,
  • 00:17:36
    as He said He was and as He was,
  • 00:17:39
    I'm a friend of sinners."
  • 00:17:41
    Jesus didn't justify the sin in His friend's life.
  • 00:17:44
    I'm not going to justify the sin
  • 00:17:46
    or at least the alleged sin in my friend's life.
  • 00:17:48
    I'm not going to give testimony
  • 00:17:50
    and try to convince people that they're innocent.
  • 00:17:54
    But no matter what you do, I'm going to be your friend.
  • 00:17:58
    I want to walk with you
  • 00:17:59
    and Jesus wanted to walk with us.
  • 00:18:02
    There's so many things we don't understand about Jesus.
  • 00:18:05
    Maybe it's the rule breaker piece
  • 00:18:07
    or also the humor of Jesus,
  • 00:18:09
    or specifically the sarcastic humor of Jesus.
  • 00:18:13
    When we read this, you've got to see
  • 00:18:15
    Jesus as sarcastic or it doesn't make any sense.
  • 00:18:19
    When He says, "I've not come for the healthy,
  • 00:18:23
    but for the sick."
  • 00:18:25
    When He says that, when He says,
  • 00:18:27
    "I've not come for the righteous,
  • 00:18:28
    but I've come for the unrighteous,"
  • 00:18:31
    He's not saying that there's anybody who's righteous.
  • 00:18:34
    Because the Bible's very clear, none is righteous.
  • 00:18:36
    No, not even one.
  • 00:18:38
    He's not saying that there's some of us
  • 00:18:40
    who are naturally spiritually healthy.
  • 00:18:42
    Nobody is naturally spiritually healthy.
  • 00:18:46
    He's sarcastically saying, "Well, if you think
  • 00:18:49
    that you're healthy, then I guess you don't need me.
  • 00:18:52
    Well, if you're one of those righteous people
  • 00:18:54
    who never sins and does everything right,
  • 00:18:56
    Well, then you don't need my help."
  • 00:18:59
    It's complete sarcasm.
  • 00:19:02
    He says, "I'm here for people
  • 00:19:04
    who recognize they have problems,
  • 00:19:06
    who recognize they've broken rules,
  • 00:19:08
    big, important rules.
  • 00:19:10
    And I want to be your friend."
  • 00:19:13
    Everyone in here, everyone in these cells
  • 00:19:16
    had broken rules and every one of them
  • 00:19:19
    probably had a line of friendships that were lost.
  • 00:19:23
    And Jesus doesn't abandon us when we broke
  • 00:19:26
    a rule that we shouldn't have broken.
  • 00:19:29
    This is who He is and you would think,
  • 00:19:31
    wait a minute, God's this way?
  • 00:19:33
    Well, shouldn't God be just shunning us
  • 00:19:34
    and throwing us in hell?"
  • 00:19:36
    There's a place for hell
  • 00:19:38
    and there is a place called hell.
  • 00:19:39
    But that's not where we are right now
  • 00:19:41
    and that's not what Jesus wants with you right now.
  • 00:19:43
    He wants a relationship with you.
  • 00:19:47
    I've got a friend of mine who leads a search firm
  • 00:19:51
    to help churches fill pastor positions.
  • 00:19:55
    And so when he recommends somebody to a church
  • 00:19:58
    saying, "This should be your new senior pastor,"
  • 00:20:00
    he's really putting his neck out on the line
  • 00:20:02
    because he doesn't want a dead body to turn up
  • 00:20:05
    and all of a sudden they've got to fire this pastor
  • 00:20:07
    and he and his firm look like they've done an awful job.
  • 00:20:10
    So in the process he's interviewing
  • 00:20:12
    this final candidate,
  • 00:20:14
    he'll say, "Now look, is there any moral failure
  • 00:20:18
    in your life I need to be aware of, any moral failure?"
  • 00:20:21
    He doesn't want to find that
  • 00:20:23
    there's been an adultery that no one knew about
  • 00:20:25
    and all of a sudden the church
  • 00:20:26
    is thrown up in a tizzy over it.
  • 00:20:28
    One person he said,
  • 00:20:29
    "Hey, is there any moral failure I need to know about?"
  • 00:20:32
    This guy paused and he went,
  • 00:20:33
    "My whole life is a moral failure."
  • 00:20:40
    And he's like, "Oh, yeah, I guess that's the gospel,
  • 00:20:44
    that we are moral failures,
  • 00:20:47
    that we are unrighteous,
  • 00:20:49
    that we are sick and we need Jesus."
  • 00:20:53
    If your life is in the moral failure,
  • 00:20:56
    then you don't need Jesus.
  • 00:20:57
    He didn't come for you.
  • 00:20:58
    Yes, my life was a total moral failure.
  • 00:21:00
    I do things. I'm embarrassed about,
  • 00:21:02
    I've done things I'm embarrassed by.
  • 00:21:03
    I say things that I shouldn't say.
  • 00:21:05
    I do all kinds of things that I shouldn't do.
  • 00:21:09
    And I never have to worry about
  • 00:21:11
    Jesus abandoning me as a result of it.
  • 00:21:14
    He breaks that rule of quid pro quo
  • 00:21:16
    of if you don't like me then I don't like you.
  • 00:21:19
    He breaks that rule.
  • 00:21:21
    I need Jesus death on the Cross.
  • 00:21:23
    I need His friendship.
  • 00:21:25
    I need Him to break rules.
  • 00:21:26
    And He has for me and He will for you as well.
  • 00:21:30
    I am so loving being in this environment.
  • 00:21:32
    It's one of my greatest sets to film on
  • 00:21:35
    that I've ever been on.
  • 00:21:37
    I'm absolutely going to leave here
  • 00:21:40
    and go home and watch Shawshank Redemption for,
  • 00:21:43
    I don't know, the umpteenth time.
  • 00:21:44
    I think one of the things that
  • 00:21:48
    inspires me so much about that movie
  • 00:21:50
    is how we're seeing an element of people
  • 00:21:53
    that's beautiful when you're not expecting it.
  • 00:21:55
    You're expecting all these convicts
  • 00:21:58
    to just be awful people and you find,
  • 00:22:00
    no, they're people created in the image of God.
  • 00:22:03
    And there's these little snippets of humanity,
  • 00:22:06
    I would say snippets of Jesus where people get humanized.
  • 00:22:09
    Jesus would humanize people.
  • 00:22:11
    I love that scene.
  • 00:22:12
    I actually asked if we actually get on the roof,
  • 00:22:15
    the roof when Andy and others are re-tarring the roof
  • 00:22:19
    and they're working.
  • 00:22:21
    And then there's that moment
  • 00:22:23
    where the guards and them are fellow human beings,
  • 00:22:27
    where the guards give them a beer
  • 00:22:30
    and they drank a beer,
  • 00:22:31
    just like a bunch of dudes
  • 00:22:32
    that are sitting there hanging out.
  • 00:22:34
    It's like there they're breaking the rules.
  • 00:22:37
    Guards aren't supposed to be fraternizing with prisoners.
  • 00:22:40
    Prisoners aren't supposed to be having beer.
  • 00:22:42
    And yet it's in the breaking of that rule, the rules,
  • 00:22:45
    there's this beautiful moment of grace,
  • 00:22:48
    of connection that I think is astounding.
  • 00:22:51
    And I think we have more grace
  • 00:22:54
    and we have more connection with one another
  • 00:22:56
    if we break more rules.
  • 00:22:58
    Seriously, it's okay to break some rules.
  • 00:23:01
    Let's break some rules if it brings harmony,
  • 00:23:04
    if brings oneness, if it brings joy,
  • 00:23:07
    if it brings levity.
  • 00:23:09
    That's the kind of things that Jesus broke all the time.
  • 00:23:14
    So where in your life do you need Jesus
  • 00:23:15
    to break chains, to set you free?
  • 00:23:18
    Someone had to set these people free.
  • 00:23:22
    All of us are in some sort of prison of our own making.
  • 00:23:26
    Do you understand that Jesus not only
  • 00:23:28
    comes to visit you as a friend in prison,
  • 00:23:32
    but He comes to open up the door and set you free.
  • 00:23:36
    He wants to set you free from
  • 00:23:38
    the rules of culture that wipe you out.
  • 00:23:41
    He wants to set you free from expectations
  • 00:23:43
    of religion that you cannot uphold,
  • 00:23:46
    and probably many of them you shouldn't.
  • 00:23:47
    He wants to set you free from your past.
  • 00:23:50
    He wants to set you free from
  • 00:23:52
    the oppressive expectations that culture puts on us.
  • 00:23:55
    He wants to set us free.
  • 00:23:58
    In every poll that I see
  • 00:24:00
    shows that fewer and fewer of us believe in God,
  • 00:24:03
    fewer and fewer of us actually
  • 00:24:06
    are reading the Bible and believing the Bible.
  • 00:24:08
    And maybe that's why more and more of us are frustrated,
  • 00:24:13
    more and more of us are unhappy,
  • 00:24:16
    more and more of us are depressed,
  • 00:24:17
    more and more of us are anxiety ridden,
  • 00:24:20
    more and more of us are drawn
  • 00:24:22
    to some sort of suicidal tendency,
  • 00:24:24
    more and more of us are drifting into some mental illness
  • 00:24:28
    because we are being crushed by
  • 00:24:30
    what our culture is putting on to us
  • 00:24:32
    and we're refusing to turn and look to
  • 00:24:35
    the one who comes and visits those of us
  • 00:24:38
    who are in prison
  • 00:24:39
    and those of us who recognize
  • 00:24:41
    that we are naturally in prison.
  • 00:24:43
    I am naturally in prison and so are you.
  • 00:24:45
    And the good news is there is a God
  • 00:24:48
    who has broken rules for you to come and break you free.
  • 00:24:52
    Let me pray for you right now.
  • 00:24:53
    God, I thank You for the clarity You give us
  • 00:24:56
    that You don't live by anybody's standard
  • 00:24:59
    except Your own
  • 00:25:00
    and that Your standards and Your ways work.
  • 00:25:03
    Lord, thank You for breaking rules for me
  • 00:25:05
    and You for breaking me out of my prison.
  • 00:25:08
    I pray right now for some of us
  • 00:25:10
    who want to receive You right now.
  • 00:25:11
    We say, "Jesus, I want to receive You.
  • 00:25:15
    I want to be busted out of my prison.
  • 00:25:18
    I ask Your forgiveness.
  • 00:25:20
    I ask you to fill me with Your Spirit.
  • 00:25:23
    As best as I can, I will walk free
  • 00:25:25
    and I will live the way that You want me to live
  • 00:25:28
    and nobody else, Amen.
  • 00:31:23
    - Jesus is the chain breaker.
  • 00:31:25
    I don't know where you feel trapped in your life,
  • 00:31:27
    where you feel stuck, but He came
  • 00:31:29
    and He broke the rules so that you could be free.
  • 00:31:32
    We would love to help you experience that freedom.
  • 00:31:34
    We're here to be your church, which means
  • 00:31:36
    take care of you however you need help.
  • 00:31:39
    If talking to somebody who would help you right now,
  • 00:31:41
    you can chat into our website, crossroads.net.
  • 00:31:43
    Just click the chat button,
  • 00:31:44
    a real live person will be there and talk to you.
  • 00:31:47
    Or you can email me kyle.ranson@Crossroads.net.
  • 00:31:50
    I'd love the chance to help connect you
  • 00:31:53
    to the resources that you need to experience
  • 00:31:54
    the freedom that Jesus has for you.
  • 00:31:56
    - And that freedom that Jesus has, it compels us
  • 00:32:00
    and it compels us to worship,
  • 00:32:01
    to gratitude, and even giving.
  • 00:32:04
    If you want to participate in giving right now,
  • 00:32:06
    you can go to Crossroads.net/give.
  • 00:32:09
    - Oh! - Whoa. - Hey, football.
  • 00:32:11
    - What is that about? - Foosball.
  • 00:32:13
    - Oh, my goodness. Well, you know what?
  • 00:32:15
    It sounds like you're going to have to
  • 00:32:16
    come back next week to find out
  • 00:32:18
    what this football thing is all about.
  • 00:32:20
    We'll see you next time.

Process, journal or discuss the themes of this article - here's a few questions to get the ball rolling...

Welcome to the Weekend Follow-Up. The questions below are for the weekend of Jan 23rd & 24th.

  1. We all have that one rule that we’ve been expected to follow that totally drives us bananas. What’s the one that you tend to break often (i.e. touching wet paint, stepping on someone else’s lawn, speed limit, etc.)? What about that rule gets to you?

  2. Read Matthew 9:10-13. Jesus was criticised for befriending sinners. What about this verse strikes you in how Jesus viewed people? Do you relate more to the “righteous” or the “sinner”?

  3. Jesus wants to set you free from the rules set by culture, expectations put on you by religion, and mistakes from your past. Which of these do you feel most imprisoned by? Share an example of how that plays out in your life.

  4. Above all else, Jesus wants a relationship with us. What is a practical step you could take this week in that area you just shared to experience more freedom? Not sure? Check out the January Kickstart here or text HABIT to 313131.

  5. Close your time praying for one another or someone say this one over the group, “Thank you God for your mercy. Your standard and your ways work. Thank you for breaking rules for us and thank you for breaking me out of my prison.

More from the Weekend

We would love to help you and care for you by being your church. You can chat with a real live person on crossroads.net.

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Jan 23, 2021 32 mins 42 sec

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