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[00:00:30]
Well welcome right. What's the most famous neighbor ever in the United States? Mr. Rodgers
right? What other famous neighbor do you know? Wilson from home improvement, right? Hidey
Ho neighbor. Right? Alright. We are gonna talk about what does it mean to be a neighbor.
So welcome all of you that are here. We are so glad that you here. All of you that are
watching online or in our other venues, we're glad that you are here to. If you would pull
out your outlines and your bibles we are gonna look together at what God's word says. We
are in a series in the book of Luke. And Luke is the Outsiders Guide to Jesus' life. Luke
was not an eyewitness to a lot of things. He was not a Jew. And so he researched everything
in Jesus' life. He talked to other eyewitness. So that he said I want to give you an accurate
account so that you can know for certainty all that all of the things that are true in
Jesus' life.
So. We've got the book of Luke you just can't be overwhelmed. There's no way he made this
up. No one would make this story up. He begins this story of Jesus by talking about an old
couple who can't get pregnant. Elizabeth and Zachariah. Zachariah was a priest and he was
actually in the temple praying. An angel shows up. He says Zachariah your prayer has been
answered. You're gonna have a son. And that son is gonna be a forerunner of the great
messiah. The one who is gonna deliver God's people. And Zachariah doesn't believe it.
He goes how can this be. You know prove it to me. So the angel goes I'll prove it to
you. You won't be able to talk for the next 9 months. You're not gonna be the guy that
gets to announce the good news. Then the scene shifts form there to Mary. Mary is a 13, 14-year-old
***. And an angel shows up and says you are most blessed. You are going to give birth
to the Son of God. And she goes how can this be I'm a ***. And so the angel explains
it to her.
And now in chapter 1 verse 57 it goes back to see Elizabeth and Zachariah and they are
giving birth to their son. They take him to the temple and there at the temple as a custom
they would name the child. And so they say what's the name of your son? And Elizabeth
says his name is John. And you can't name him John. There is no other john in your family.
And so they turn to Zachariah and say what is his name. And Zachariah writes on a tablet
his name is John, that's what the angel said. And so for the first time. Because now he
shows belief. His son is born; he is able to speak for the first time in 9 months. Zachariah
has been watching God fulfill his promises. That God is doing what he promised through
the angel and so for the first time now he can speak. And he breaks out into this epic
poem that begins in verse 67. Look as we read it. And look at what he says.
His father Zachariah was filled with Holy Spirit and he prophesized praise be to the
Lord the God of Israel. Because he has come to his people and redeemed them. Now what
you need to notice here is the tenses here the tense is he will do this. Zachariah is
now believing he will do what he said. So what he said before Jesus was born he is using
a tense where he's saying what God has promised he acts like it has already happened. What's
in the future its like it already happened in the past. The God of Israel because he
has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David. As he said through the Holy Profits long ago. Salvation
of our enemies and from the hand of all those who hate us. To show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant. The oath he swore to our father Abraham to rescue us
from the hand of our enemies. And to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and
righteousness before him all our days. Then he looks at his son, and to you my child,
you will be called a prophet of the most high. For you will go before the Lord to prepare
the way for him. To give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their
sins. Because of the tender of mercy of our God, by which he rising son will come to us
from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet
into the path of peace.
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Zachariah has been reflecting for 9 months. And as he thought about it he goes this world
is broken. Look at he pain and the sadness, the corruption, the oppression. The in justice
in the world. The hatred. The jealousy, the sexism, the racism, he says our world is broken.
God the only way that anything can ever be fixed if you would fix it. And so now he is
saying God you have come to our earth. God didn't stay distant but now you are entering
our world. And you're coming to our rescue. On your outline and then on the screens. Look
at I've just put up the big ideas on this screen. Out of this passage. God has come
to his people. Look at the words that are bold. He redeemed them. To rescue us, to enable
us to serve him. To give to his people the knowledge of salvation. The forgiveness of
their sins and to give us peace. He realizes, he's saying, God has come into this world.
And this thing that God is doing. It's not a new thing. You can see on your outline that
promise, what he promised Abraham It's something that God began thousands of years ago. And
now he's fulfilling his promise. God is a promise making promise-keeping God.
So if you would have gone to anybody in the first century. Good Jewish people living in
Israel and said. "If the Messiah shows up is there any chance you're gonna miss him?"
what do you think they would have said? No is the right answer. Is there any chance you're
gonna miss the messiah they would have said no. There is no way we're gonna miss him because
he's gonna come in power and strength. And he's gonna be faithful. They understood that
God was faithful and reliable. God does not change the bible tells us. God is always gracious
and forever will be gracious. God is eternally loving, will always be loving. God is eternally
forgiving. So only an eternal God who never changes can we depend on. They understood
that. But the problem was is they believed that God also was manageable. And because
of that they missed him. Look at what it says at the end of his life in Luke chapter 19.
He promises this and it says in Luke chapter 19 as he approached Jerusalem and saw the
city he wept over it. What causes Jesus to cry? And he says if you even you had only
known on this day what would bring you peace. But now it is hidden form your eyes. The days
will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you. And circle
and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground. And your children will
fend at your walls. They will not leave one stone on another. What makes Jesus cry? Because
you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you. God showed up. And the most incredible
thing is that Jesus cries at the end of his life. "You missed me." You missed God showing
up to deliver, to rescue to bring you peace. Why? Because he's not faithful and reliable?
No God's faithful but because they thought he's predictable.
You see in the first century they anticipated, they had in their mind what they wanted. Their
agenda for the messiah was that he would come and he would destroy the power of Rome. That
they, that the messiah would free them just like Moses did. Moses showed up and through
these powerful plagues and God's mighty hand. He broke the power of Pharaoh, the strongest
military in the world and freed his people. And they thought when the messiah comes he's
gonna destroy the power of Rome. They thought he was predictable, they knew exactly what
he would do. But the problem was, what Jesus was gonna do was so much more spectacular.
So much greater, so much more powerful then what we needed. Because you see when Jesus
came, he didn't just establish a political kingdom, he established an eternal spiritual
kingdom. He destroyed our greatest enemy. The enemy of sin and death. And he did it
in the way that totally startled people. Because Jesus, he was born as a humble servant. And
he destroyed death. How would you destroy death? He destroyed death by dieing. And death
is hard. He destroyed the power of sin by submitting to sin. He destroyed suffering
by subjecting himself to suffering. And nobody anticipated that. How can you destroy death
by dieing? How can you destroy sin by submitting yourself to it? But that's what Jesus did
on the cross. And the surprise is people missed Jesus. The Messiah, the promised one, for
thousands of years. And you know what is still the greatest surprise when it comes to Jesus?
That we still miss Jesus and you know why we will miss Jesus? The same exact reasons they missed Jesus. Not because he's
faithful, reliable, he doesn't change, we get that. But because we think his faithfulness
means that he's predictable and manageable. Most of us think, if Jesus is gonna show up
in my life, that means he's gonna help me carry out my agenda. I mean he's gonna answer
my prayers. I mean after all that's why we give at church, right? The reason is that
you give, is to pay God off. You stand by the offering box and say ok God I'm giving
a little something. So now did you hear my prayers? And so that means my kids don't go
through any problems, business is gonna be successful. Because if Jesus is gonna show
up in your life isn't that what he's gonna do? He's gonna make your life 72 degrees and
everything's gonna be simple. And everything that you want is exactly what he's gonna do.
Isn't that what it means? No, but the problem is its what we want and so we miss Jesus all
together.
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So I want to ask you this question. Do you think you're gonna miss Jesus if he shows
up in your life between now and Christmas? Yes or no? I'm gonna challenge you in a very
specific way. Its gonna be sorta painful. Pretty specific. But in a way that I think
is practical. I mean think of it this way, what is Jesus all about in your life right
now? Fact, Jesus, was asked over and again what's the most important thing for people.
They'd come on what's the most important thing for me to do? What's the most important thing?
If there's one thing, what should I do? In fact people asked it so often and Jesus answered
it that its referred to as the great commandment. Ok. So what's the great commandment? Here
it is in Luke. He answered. People say what's the one thing that I'm suppose to do with
my life? To love the lord you're God with all your heart, with all your soul, and all
your strength and with all your mind. And he says the second is equal to it, its just
as important. To love your neighbor as yourself. No surprises there. You don't even have to
know a church person that was the answer. No one was surprised that, that was what Jesus
said. Everyone knows that's what Jesus said. So you got it? You doing that? Cause that's
what Jesus is all about in your life. He's about you loving God, you loving your neighbor
as yourself. So you doing that?
Ok Here's where its gonna get painful I read a book this week, its called the art of neighboring
by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon and as I read this. They told this story. True story. There
was a group of pastors 30 pastors that were in the city. They got to regular basis cause
they wanted to change their city. So they prayed for that. They decided you know what
we should do? We should meet with the mayor and ask him what's the one thing that we can
do to make a difference in our city? So they made an appointment with the mayor. And they
met with him 30 pastors together and they said what's the one thing that we can do to
make a difference in our city. And the mayor said, you know it's interesting they'd done
a lot of research on this. And you know what the number 1 thing that makes a difference
in a city? Good neighbors. People that are good neighbors, when they just care for their
neighbors. In fact when neighbors just care for their neighbors at risk young people stop
being so at risk. Crime rates go down, volunteering goes up, people take better care of their
yards, property values go up, and isolated people are less isolated. Says the best way
to make a difference in a city is just to increase the number of good neighbors. They
said you know people think its programs. But you know programs are very expensive, it's
hard to get great leadership. And it turns out as they've done all sorts of studies in
different cities is this, that relationships are more powerful then programs. Ok I don't
think your listening to me. So I'll say that again. It says that it turns out relationships
are more powerful then programs. Ok so here's what this non-Christian mayor said to 30 pastors.
If churches were serious about making a difference in our city, they would create good neighbors.
Sounds familiar to you? Is it possible that Jesus was actually brilliant? Is it possible
that he actually knew what he was saying? And that he was giving to us a strategic plan
to actually change our cities and to make this world different to make it better, that
he wasn't just you know off the top of his head, well you know think, think love your
neighbor, love God that's it. Or that this is actually his strategic plan for you to
change the world and make it different? And so you know you go, look how powerful it is.
When Jesus answered this. This is what you need to understand because you didn't live
in the first century Judaism and so you need to understand that when Jesus answered to
love your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, everybody expected that answer.
Because the first prayer that every little boy and girl learned to pray was called the
Shema. Its in Deuteronomy 6:4 and it says this, hear oh Israel the Lord our God is one.
Love the Lord your god with all your heart, soul, strength and mind. That was the first
commandment every child recited it. The only thing that's likened to that is something
that you all know and you recited as a child every day of your life. What's the one thing
that you recited every day of your life? The pledge of allegiance. And every one of you
did. You did because you went to school; this is how you started every day. I pledge allegiance
to the flag of the United States of America. To the republic for which it stands, one nation
under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. There isn't a person here who can't
recite that. Right? And so when he did it, he says the Shema. Now what was shocking think
of this is what Jesus did. When Jesus says love the Lord your God will all your heart,
everybody gets that it was like doing the pledge. But Jesus didn't stop there he says
and the second, and they go wait we didn't ask for two. And he says the second is just
as important, it is equal to it. And he shocked them with their authority to say, and power
to love your neighbor as yourself. It would be as if I said to you I've added a little
something to our pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,
to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice
for all especially for those living in orange county. Now as much as you like that, do I
have a right to change the pledge? [No] Do you have the right to change the pledge? [No]
Why? Because it's the pledge! Alright. You don't get to mess with it. You don't have
authority, I don't have authority. So when Jesus punches and he amends the shema it was
a powerful statement of authority. When he's saying I have power to add to the Shema the
greatest prayer in the Old Testament. You want to know the one thing I expect of you,
love God and love your neighbor. That's what he said. He says you can't love God if you
are not actively loving your neighbor. You can't do that. He says. And if you don't love
people you are not loving God. Jesus began his revolution with this powerful statement
that just shocked the world. You can't succeed at life if you fail at love. You can't succeed
at life if you fail at love. And you can't fail at life if you are successful at loving
God and loving people. And this is how he began this huge revolution.
[00:17:26]
Now why did you show up this morning? To hear God's word? Ok, No. That's not the right answer.
Look at what it says in James 1:22. Let's fill God's house with God's word. Here's the
answer. Do not merely listen to God's word and so deceive yourself. Everybody what does
it say? Do what it says. Did you show up just to hear God's word? [No] you came to? Now
its only going to get painful form here. So if you don't want to heart the rest, cause
its just gonna be an in your face thing and it's a good time to you know just [fake coughing]
and find a way out. And oh gee my kids. So escape now, alright? Cause it's the last safe
moment that you have. Alright so here's what it is. So they did a study and they found
out the single biggest obstacle to being a good neighbor. Do you know what it is? Your
electric garage door. Because literally what's its done is you can drive in to your house,
just kinda nod at the people who live to you, pull into the garage it drops down it becomes
a mote around your house. Second thing that causes bad neighbors or for you no to know
your neighbors is electricity 100 years ago. Every house that was built was built with
a front porch. In fact if you go down to Rojo Gomez and help us build one of those houses
down there. Those neighborhoods are the coolest neighborhoods in the world. Everybody's out
front. You know why? They don't have electricity so they can't just hang out in their house.
And so every body is out in the front. Everybody is a good neighbor. What does it mean to love
your neighbor? It is to will the good as God's good is in their life. You want the good that
God wants in their life. That's what it means to love someone.
So person in the meeting with the mayor they said we've done studies. And this is what
we've found out. From the city's perspective there is not a notable difference between
how Christians are neighbors and how non-Christians are neighbors in our community. You think
we're missing Jesus? There's not difference. And fundamentally. The right answer is love
God love your neighbor. And fundamentally Jesus said there's one thing I want you to
do, one thing, you don't need to go give your money away, I want you to? [Love God, Love
your neighbor] good look at what it says in James 2:8 if you really keep the royal law
found in scripture. You would love your neighbor as yourself. And then first john 4. Which
is so encouraging. We love because? So you know here's what he's saying. You don't have
to go wind it up to find it deep in yourself. You don't have to hold on and clench going
you know there's only so much to go around. Jesus is saying I'm gonna love you and so
fill your heart with Love that the natural thing for you to do is to? Love your neighbor.
[00:20:22] Ok so is it possible for you to say that you
love your neighbor if you don't know their name? I know its painful but the obvious answer
is, no. You can't say you love your neighbor if you don't even know their name so they
created in this book this chart, which has got a magnet on it. Which is meant to go on
your refrigerator so that it's meant to fill it out. Now we are gonna just take a moment
and fill it out. So here's your neighbor hood alright. Here's your house. Here's the people
that live next to you, the people that live across your street. And the people who live
behind you. Now I know I know, a lot of you are going but that's my neighbor I've got
a corner lot, or I'm in an apartment. Or mine, or I've only got a long street or I'm in a
culda sac. Could you work with me here a little you know. Use your imagination, I get it.
Don't try to get an out. Figure it out; you've got 8 neighbors around you right? 1, 2, 3,
4, 5, 6, 7 8. Alright here's what I want you to. Here's your house. Wherever you put your
house I want you to find 8 around you. However they're configured, alright. The challenge,
right now I'm gonna give you 60 seconds to do this. Write the names of every adult in
the house next to you and around you and every name of a child living in that house. Number
1.
2, this is were we're all gonna drop out hard. Next to the name of the adults write one thing
that you know about them, and it can't be the color of the car they drive. Alright.
So write down the name of the adults and you have to write down some insight like the work
that they do, or an interest that they have. Or a hobby they have. Do you understand it?
8 houses around you. However they are configured. Name of adults that live in the house name
of the kids, one interest, 60 seconds. Lets just make a point, here you have it, go. Borrow
a pen a pencil. [00:22:22] Music playing
[00:22:51] Are you doing this or just talking to each
other? Alright come on back, here's the deal. We don't need to go. If I gave you all the
time that you had. Boys and girls, boys and girls. Ok. Here's what they found cause they've
done this in a bunch of churches, 10 percent of us could write the names of the people
who live in the homes around us, the adults and the children 3 percent of us could write
the names and actually write 1 thing that shows that we know them, like their interest
or the job that they do. That means we fail at just knowing our neighbors at a 97% level.
Do you think we are missing Jesus? They call this the card of shame. Because they do it.
So here's what I want you to know. We are gonna come back this. So we are giving to
you we are going to get a passing grade at this as a church. So we're gonna come back
to this in a few weeks. We are gonna give you the same test. You're not getting out
until you know your neighbors so you need to fill it out. So find a way. And you're
entering it. I just went through and know the best, and people are going why did you
give this to me we just went through Halloween; we were walking around doing trick and treat
I could have known all my neighbors all right. But thanksgiving is coming, Christmas is coming.
Gives you an opportunity to walk next door to do everything, because if you don't know
their names are it possible tat you can love them? [No] so you got to know their names.
Because the first thing that Christians do when they love somebody is pray for them.
And so if you just know their names, if you put this on their refrigerator, write in their
names, then you can say God would you bring about your good in Bill and Susan's life.
And you can pray for your neighbors. God would your good happen in their life. Would you
bring about your good? God says pray your kingdom come, your will be done. God's will
is good. Would you bring good for Bill and Susan and their life? God would you bring
about your will in my neighborhood just if you saw it. Would you pray for them and when
you pray for them Christians start actively, their hearts get changed, and things happen
when we start praying for people.
Secondly the thing that we've got to do. Is that we've got to get things right with our
neighbors. Look at what it says in Leviticus 19. Do not seek revenge or bare a grudge against
anyone among your people. But love your neighbor as yourself I am the lord. In every neighborhood
in every neighborhood there is somebody that is a grinch or a grouch. They are hard to
get along with. They have a bunch of cars that bother everybody in the neighborhood.
Their kids are loud. And they are just a pain and every neighborhood. There's a grouch.
Right. You know that? If you don't know who the neighbor is that's a grouch in your neighborhood
[laughter] I'm just saying, alright. So. What happens to the grouch? They get isolated and
they get separated. But not for us. So what do we do? Look at what it says in Romans 12.
If it is possible as far as it depends on you live at peace with everyone. You're gonna
be the one that's gonna take the grouch in the hand and into the neighborhood. And you're
gonna love them because that's who we are. And you don't have t worry because we love
because he first loved us. And then you just need to have acts of kindness and proverbs
3 do not say to your neighbor come back, I'll give it to you tomorrow. You know do what
you can do today. Look at proverbs 14, it is a sin to despise ones neighbor. But blessed
is the one who's kind to the needy. You cannot pull away. You cannot ignore. You are not
allowed to judge your neighbor that is what it means to despise your neighbor.
Look around there's some seriously old people in the this building. Stand up in the front
of the present of the aged. Did you not see what it says? Stand up in the present. I'm
turning 60 this year, no one's gonna. Alright. Stand; oh thank you, finally Christian gets
it. Stand up in the presence of the aged. There's three of you that read your bible.
Go ahead and sit down. Show respect to the elderly. What's the other thing that's true
in every neighborhood? Not only is there a grunch and a grench. Somebody's older in your
neighborhood. And he says show respect to that.
Now Jesus could have said that. What's the most important thing? And he could have said
to you be perfect. I'm God I am your Lord. He could have said give everything you have
to the poor. I am the Lord. He could have said, try as hard as you can I am the lord.
He could have said a lot of things but what Jesus did say is? The one thing I want my
people to do is? Love God and Love your neighbor. And you've got to get that neighbor starts
with? You're literally the people that live next door. You can't go on helping people
all around the city. Neighbor is got to start literally with who is your neighbor right?
[Yes] ok let's just do the math here alright. Let's say that we got serious about what Jesus
said. Just for us in our church. If we did. We got about 6,000 homes ok represented in
our church. And let's say we are not over achievers, and we just 1,2,3,4,5 we just were
good neighbors to 5 out of 8 neighbors. Just did that cause we are kinda remedial we can
do 5. There's 6,000 homes and we just did 5, what's the math on that? That's 30,000
homes. How many people live in an average home? 3. That's how many people? 90,000 people
that we have direct impact. Maybe Jesus was a genius. See maybe Jesus actually knew what
he was doing and had a strategic plan for how we were going to change our city and make
the world different by loving our neighbor? What if we did that? That's 90,000 people.
Now Jesus said it so often people came to Jesus and said really who exactly is my neighbor.
Is it 3, 5, 8, how far does this go? And Jesus just blew it up in the story of the Good Samaritan
because they trying to say, well my neighbors are these 2. And some would say no no its
5. And then some would say its 8. And Jesus said it starts here, but then he said, you
know who your neighbor is and then he told the story of the good Samaritan which says
your neighbor is a person that is hurting, that's needy, that's forgotten that's marginalized,
the person that's overwhelmed by the events of life. And then even more shocking he said
and you know what a neighbor does? They go out of their way and they are incredibly self-sacrificing.
And that's what we're gonna do. We are gonna come back to this. We are gonna know our neighbors.
We are all gonna write these charts out until its painful and then you can pass. And then
we are gonna keep doing this cause we are not gonna fail about a 93% level. I'm not
gonna and I'm not gonna let you. I love you that much. So we're gonna know. And we're
gonna pray for them. And then we are going to in practical ways through this whole holiday
season do Christmas different. We are not going to miss Jesus.
[00:30:26] Guest speaks on specific serve projects at Mariners
[00:43:22] End Audio