January 25, 2025 • 31 mins
Ever wondered what it truly means to follow Jesus wholeheartedly? Dive deep into the essence of authentic discipleship in this transformative episode. We promise you'll explore the profound journey of aligning your internal values with your external actions, illuminated by the teachings of Jesus in Luke 11. Join us as we tackle the struggles of divided loyalties, spiritual blindness, and the masks that hide our inner battles, all while discovering the power of living in God's truth.
This episode goes beyond superficial understandings, challenging us to examine the importance of genuine faith and inner transformation. Using Jesus' metaphor of a lamp, we unravel how God's truth can act as a guiding light, steering us away from cultural or personal darkness. We also scrutinize Jesus' critique of the Pharisees, using the powerful imagery of a clean cup on the outside but dirty on the inside, to remind us of the necessity for inner reform over mere ritualistic observance.
Discover how these teachings can be brought to life within our communities and personal lives. We focus on the Madison Church community's mission to create a safe haven for sharing struggles and fostering grace-filled accountability. Leaders like Stephen set an example through vulnerability and acceptance, inspiring a collective commitment to encouragement and support. This episode calls on each of us to contribute to a transformative community, praying for our shared journey towards realizing the kingdom of God.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Madison Church Online.
I'm Stephen Feith, lead pastor,glad that you're joining us
today, and over the past fewweeks we've been exploring what
it means to lead a life ofimpact and specifically, we're
looking through a life of impactthrough discipleship.
That's where we believe theimpact happens.
It's through following Jesus,and so we've called the series A
(00:20):
Life that Matters, and whatwe're trying to do is challenge
you, challenge myself you'rewatching or listening and so
we've called the series A Lifethat Matters, and what we're
trying to do is challenge you,challenge myself You're watching
or listening.
We've been trying to challengeone another to think differently
about purpose and fulfillment.
It's not something we achievethrough worldly success, but
something that we discover.
(00:41):
It's not something we achieve,it's something that we discover
by following Jesus more deeply.
Discipleship, if you didn'tknow, is both a challenge and an
invitation.
Yes, there's an invitation tolive in and experience God's
love and to reflect that love tothe rest of the world.
That's the invitation.
But let's not kid ourselves.
(01:03):
Discipleship is alsochallenging.
It challenges us to let go ofthings that hold us back, things
that some of us care verydeeply about but are not the
ways of Jesus.
It calls us to surrenderdistractions, divided loyalties
and hidden struggles in orderthat we might be able to follow
Jesus more wholeheartedly.
(01:24):
Order that we might be able tofollow Jesus more wholeheartedly
.
And only then will we find thejoy and freedom that we read so
much about in the New Testamentor we hear other Christians in
our lives talk about.
It is only here, when we'refollowing Jesus wholeheartedly,
that we find that, and today,the passages that we're going to
be studying and looking at inLuke are all about authenticity.
(01:46):
Authenticity in discipleshipmeans more than surface-level
change.
It's about inwardtransformation.
It's about being honest.
Authenticity is about beinghonest.
It's about being honest withourselves.
Sometimes we're not veryself-reflective or self-aware,
so we've got to first stop andsay, hey, I got to be real.
(02:13):
Even when it hurts, I got to behonest with God.
You know God already knows it,but I know that sometimes going
to God in prayer and saying whathe already knows, that could be
hard.
We got to be honest with oneanother Not everyone.
You don't have to be honestwith everyone.
You don't have to put everypart of your business on
Instagram, but we definitelyneed people in our lives in whom
we confide in and confess to.
We allow.
(02:33):
When we do this, we allow God'slight to fill every part of our
lives, even the areas we wouldrather keep hidden.
This is going to be a theme oftoday's passage and I mentioned
last week, kind of on the spot.
This wasn't in my notes, thisis in my notes this week, but
last week I mentioned I wasreading a book by Richard Foster
about spiritual disciplines andformation, and one of the ways
that Foster starts off this bookis with an incredible quote
(02:57):
that I underlined.
Megan was trying to fall asleepnext to me in bed while I was
reading and I woke her upbecause I was like this is so
good.
I didn't know how I was goingto be able to work it in, but I
could work it in today.
Foster says the desperate needtoday is not for a greater
number of intelligent people orgifted people, but for deep
(03:19):
people.
What the church needs, what theworld needs, isn't smarter
people, more charismatic people,but what we need are deep
people.
And as we turn to Luke 11 thismorning, it's where we're at in
this series.
We're going to see Jesusconfronting divided loyalties,
spiritual blindness and outwardappearances that mask inner
(03:41):
struggles.
His words challenge us and aswe go forward.
I want you to ask yourself a fewquestions.
First question what part of mylife am I keeping in the dark?
Perhaps from those closest tome, perhaps from God?
Perhaps it's so painful anddark I'm hiding it from myself.
(04:04):
What would it look like?
What would it look like have avision for your life in which
you live authentically in God'struth?
What would it look like to gofrom hiding to embracing the
light?
And finally, if you do this andI do this, there's a community
aspect, and how would ourcommunity reflect that
authenticity together?
(04:25):
So the Madison church would bea beacon of God's love.
This is where we're headingtoday.
So, if you want to follow along,we're going to Luke, chapter 11
.
I'm going to begin with verse17 in a moment, but it's a
passage that opens with adramatic scene.
Jesus has now started doingmiracles in Jerusalem.
You'll remember he's alreadybeen doing miracles.
(04:45):
Now he's doing them inJerusalem, and it includes
exorcisms.
He is casting demons out ofpeople and this shows, for the
whole world to see, hisundeniable power and authority.
And yet that's not good enoughfor some people.
While some celebrated beinghealed and reconciled and
restored, other people,particularly religious ones,
(05:10):
accused Jesus not from being ofGod but working for Satan.
Now you can imagine the tension.
We do this every Sunday.
We pray in the back room duringworship and you can imagine if
I'm praying for someone andsomeone says, wow, that feels
like an answer prayer.
And someone else in the room ora couple of you in the room say
Stephen is working for SatanTension that you could cut with
(05:32):
a knife right.
Everyone would be on edge.
Wait a second.
Is Stephen of God or is he ofSatan?
Jesus will reply to them inverse 17.
He knew their thoughts and saidany kingdom divided by civil
war is doomed.
A family splintered by feudingwill fall apart.
And you can say that I amempowered by Satan.
(05:55):
But if Satan is divided andfighting against himself, how
can his kingdom survive?
And if I'm empowered by Satan,what about your own exorcist?
He's asking them.
Now he's turning.
He says I'm not the only onedoing exorcisms, you all have
people.
And if the power to doexorcisms come from Satan, does
that not mean you are also ofSatan?
(06:15):
That's a good argument.
It says they cast out demonstoo.
So they will also condemn youfor what you said.
Jesus says they're already onmy side.
Go also condemn you for whatyou said.
Jesus says they're already onmy side.
Go ahead and ask.
But if I'm casting out demonsby the power of God, if I'm
doing it by the power of God,then the kingdom of God has
arrived among you.
This thing you have beenwaiting for.
(06:36):
You remember Jason talked aboutit in his Christmas messages
that they've been waitinghundreds of years and Jesus lets
them in on a secret.
It's here, I'm here.
He gives an example, a story.
He says when a strong man isfully armed and guards his
palace, his possessions are safeuntil someone even stronger
attacks and overpowers him,strips him of his weapons and
(06:59):
carries off with his belongings.
Anyone who isn't with meopposes me, and anyone who isn't
working with me is actuallyworking against me.
Jesus uses logical reasoning todismantle the accusations.
He doesn't dive deeply intosome old scripture, but rather
(07:19):
he uses logic reasoning.
He rationalizes with them.
If Satan were divided, hiskingdom would collapse.
It makes no sense.
But more importantly, jesusestablishes and casts a vision
that if this is the evidence ofGod's power and not Satan's,
then the kingdom of God is righthere.
(07:39):
The wait is over.
I know that for today, likeyou're sitting here listening
and you've probably never seensomeone demon possessed you may
not believe that happens.
So for some of us, though,maybe we believe that we have a
box for that, but I know thatfor a lot of us the spiritual
(07:59):
realm it feels distant.
For others of us, maybe, itfeels even metaphorical.
I know that for a great deal,many of us today that the
spiritual realm definitelydoesn't feel like an immediate
reality.
But it is, and that call thatJesus gave them 2,000 years ago
(08:21):
is the same call he gives ustoday.
It's a call to align our liveswith him.
It's a call to align our liveswith him.
It's a call to align our liveswith him and to do so urgently.
He didn't want you to wait.
He wanted you to do it rightnow, and so, even though the
spiritual realm may not feelsuper tangible to some of us, we
have to admit that part ofwhat's going on in our lives is
(08:42):
that distractions and othercompeting priorities in our life
are obscuring us from thatreality.
The spiritual realm.
It is real.
It's more than a metaphor.
It's all around us.
We pray God, help us to beaware of that, to be sensitive
of that, and part of it might belooking inward at our lives and
the distractions that are allaround us, that are making the
(09:04):
spiritual realm feel so far away.
Redemption and restoration comethrough Jesus alone.
Jesus' work reverses thedestruction of Satan.
Jesus comes and he heals, heliberates, he makes life better.
And this passage challenges usto recognize that there is no
(09:27):
neutral ground between good andevil.
You don't get to sit on thefence, you don't get to say this
one, I'm going to sit out Ifyou are a follower of Jesus.
He is asking you to get out ofthe stands and to get into the
game.
There was such an analogy weused when we were first getting
this church started.
The first year we said whatmakes Madison Church different?
(09:48):
You don't want to be thebiggest, you don't want to be
the fastest growing, we wantedto be the one with the most
participants.
We didn't want to have fivesuperstars out on the floor
while everyone else buys ourjerseys and sits in the stands
and roots for us.
We said come and join the game.
And that is part of the rub,because some of us, if we're
(10:09):
being honest, we like the luxuryand the comfort of just being
in the stands.
We don't like showing up forthe game.
We don't like getting bodychecked into the wall or tackled
.
We don't like it when we pull ahamstring or get injured while
we're doing this.
We don't like the work itrequires to be game ready.
(10:30):
Football players don't justshow up on Sunday, it's their
diet, it's their off-seasonworkout and so much goes into it
.
And that is the Christian life,and God calls us to do just
that.
That is the call, and it's notnext week, not next year, not
when you feel ready, but it isright now to take a step.
(10:53):
Jesus continues in verse 24, noone lights a lamp and then hides
it or puts it under a basket.
Instead, a lamp is placed on astand where its light can be
seen by all who enter the house.
Your eye is like a lamp thatprovides light for your whole
body, and when your eye ishealthy, you can circle.
(11:14):
Underline that word healthy.
When your eye is healthy, yourwhole body is filled with light,
but when it is unhealthy, yourbody is filled with darkness.
Make sure that the light youthink you have is not actually
darkness.
If you are filled with light,with no dark corners, then your
(11:36):
whole life will be radiant, asthough a floodlight were filling
you with light.
The metaphor for this lamp on astand would have been pretty
clear.
I think it's pretty clear to ustoday.
It's the same reason we putlights up here so that you can
see better, so that light cancome in and we can see it.
It illuminates what we want tobe seen and similarly, the eye
(11:59):
as a lamp signifies the way ofour perspective.
Jesus is saying when we have ahealthy perspective, when we are
living the right way, when weare pursuing him, it shapes our
entire being.
Now, that's common sense, butlet's look at our lives and work
backwards.
Then he's saying if our livesare shaped by him, they're
(12:20):
radiant and they're healthy.
But if our lives aren't radiant, if they're filled with
darkness, then perhaps there issomething going on in here and
it's not a condemnation.
Rather it's a warning, it's apleading.
Jesus is saying I don't wantthat for you.
I have so many bigger andbetter things for you.
(12:43):
Just make sure that the lightyou think you have is not
actually darkness, isn'tsomething that's supposed to
keep you awake tonight at 11o'clock, because you're
wondering like, oh my gosh, am Ireally following Jesus?
It's not that, it's anexamination.
He's asking you search yourheart, search your priorities
and to do this regularly,whether you've been a Christian
for most of your life, a lot ofyour life, or you're just
(13:04):
picking it up today.
He is saying don't getcomplacent, don't get
comfortable and don't stopquestioning, because we drift,
and we drift slowly.
Are we allowing God's truth toshape our perspective?
Are we deceived by cultural orpersonal darkness?
Now, I'm not against secularmusic or TV shows or video games
(13:30):
.
That's also what this isn'tabout.
But I tell you what, if theshow, the music, if the game,
the podcaster, if the book, ifthose things are shaping your
life more than Jesus is, morethan our New Testament is, more
than our Christian community is,then that is where I believe
we're starting to have a problem.
Those things in and ofthemselves are not wrong or bad
(13:53):
in a lot of cases, but ratherit's how they influence us.
How they influence us.
True spiritual health comesfrom allowing God's light to
fill every part of our lives.
And now we're going to wrap upthis section of verses and it
does come to a climax.
(14:13):
So Jesus has talked about youknow, I'm not with Satan, you've
got to be with me.
He's talked about lights andbeing a bright light and having
light in us.
And now he comes and he getsreal pointed with the Pharisees.
He says to them you are socareful to clean the outside of
the cup and the dish, but insideyou are filthy, full of greed
(14:36):
and wickedness.
Fools, we've all done thisright.
You're awake in the morning andyou grab a coffee cup.
Maybe it's out of thedishwasher, it's out of the
cabinet.
You turn it over, you go topour the coffee in it.
You're still really tired.
But you look in it and it'slike gross and dirty and you're
not going to keep drinking thecoffee.
You're not just going to ignorethat.
I know you won't.
That's disgusting.
(14:56):
It goes back to the thing.
I'm going to get a new one.
It doesn't matter how clean theoutside of the cup is.
What really matters is theinside.
I mean they both matter.
The Greek word in here is thatthey both matter.
Jesus is going to unpack that,but it matters.
Didn't God make the inside aswell as the outside?
So clean the inside by givinggifts to the poor and you will
(15:17):
be clean all over.
But now he gets even morepointed with these guys.
He says what sorrow awaits you,pharisees, for you are careful
to tithe even the tiniest incomefrom your herb gardens, but you
ignore justice and you ignorethe love of God.
He says you should tithe, yes,but do not neglect more
(15:43):
important things.
This passage is addressing thehypocrisy and legalism of the
Pharisees.
This is a group like today'sChristians a lot of us, myself
included that we claim torepresent God but then we say or
we do something that turnspeople away from him.
And I include myself in that,because I got to admit the human
(16:07):
in me.
I do things, I say stupidthings, I do the wrong things,
and I, as a follower of Jesus avery loud one who puts that I am
a pastor.
I have the ability to turnpeople away from faith based on
what I say or what I do.
But these Pharisees, they werethat in that era of time, they
(16:27):
were so focused on outwardrituals that they neglected the
transformation that had to haveoccurred on the inside and they
misrepresented what a life livedfaithfully was.
Jesus' analogy of cleaning outthe outside of the cup while
leaving the inside filthy wouldhave struck a chord, just like
it strikes a chord with us today.
We know, and what it does is itfocuses on the appearance.
(16:52):
Jesus is calling them out.
You're so focused on what'sgoing on in the outside that
what's going on in the inside isterrible, because all of your
resources and everything isgoing on the outside.
And the example that Jesusexplicitly uses and you know,
jesus, he doesn't do thesethings by mistake, right?
The example he uses it comeswith tithing and the meticulous
(17:15):
tithing of even like herbs, mint, dill, cumin.
I brought a whole bunch of stuffthat they would have tithed
2,000 years ago to kind of justdemonstrate a little bit.
But they would have thesedebates, you see, because if you
had a piece of beef that youneeded to offer to God, it's
pretty easy to kind of guesswhat 10% is.
(17:36):
That's what the law required,10%.
So you'd look at this, you cansay all right, well, if I cut
this in half, and eventually youget the 10%.
So you look at this, you cansay all right, well, if I cut
this in half, and eventually youget the 10%.
You could look at somethinglike olive oil or honey, and and
(17:56):
you can kind of guess that.
But where it gets really trickyis when we're dealing with dill.
Here's why Because the lawrequired that you sacrifice food
, that you sacrifice.
You know whether that wasagricultural, it was wine, it
was meat.
But what about dill?
Because isn't dill a plant?
The law doesn't explicitlystate that you have to tithe
herbs.
(18:17):
But the Pharisees, in beinggenerous okay, now hear this in
being generous, the Phariseessit down and they say but do we
not eat the dill?
Does the dill, even though it'sa plant, not go in with the
rest of the food that we'reeating?
And I'm sure some of them werelike, oh my gosh, now I got to
tithe the dill.
But for the most part they'relike, yeah, and what he says is
(18:39):
they were so.
Look at this, they're someticulous at tithing.
How do you tithe 10% of this?
But he says that's what he says.
They're so meticulous, theyfigure out what 10% is and they
tithe that.
Why?
Because to the Pharisees, tothe religious leaders, giving
(19:03):
was the pinnacle of spiritualmaturity.
That was it.
Giving was the pinnacle ofspiritual maturity.
That was it you arrived.
I know for a lot of us today,giving is a challenge.
Why you want a big savingsaccount, you got a lot of bills,
et cetera, et cetera.
I get it, and me too.
That's also why a lot of otherpeople didn't tithe back in the
(19:23):
day and what you had is.
You had the Pharisees then, andthey're're doing it.
They're giving and they feellike look at all these other
people, I'm sacrificing, I'mgood, I'm great, I'm tithing
even the littlest amount ofthings that I don't necessarily
have to do.
It's not explicitly stated, butI do that because to them, it
was the finish line, and whatJesus is trying to get them to
(19:46):
understand is it's just thebeginning that this practice
that is so difficult giving andbeing generous it's just the
beginning.
This Hebrew word for tithe andI'm going to take a little
detour here because I think it'simportant means a tenth.
And the reason I want to spendjust a moment here and I'll move
(20:07):
on because I know that talkingabout tithing makes everyone
nervous.
But the reason I want to isbecause there's so many, in my
opinion, misconceptions abouttithing.
For example, we say stuff likewe tithe our time or we tithe
our energies.
That's fine, sort of not,because the word tithe actually
has a meaning.
That's fine sort of not,because the word tithe actually
has a meaning and what it meantwas to bring a tenth, and it was
(20:30):
the practice of bringing 10% ofyour resources, crops or
livestock or income back to God.
It wasn't symbolic, it wasn'tabstract.
Tithing was a concrete act ofgenerosity.
It was a concrete act ofworship.
It supported the temple, theChristian community, the Levites
(20:52):
, those people who were priests,and the poor.
Jesus doesn't dismiss thispractice.
That's the big thing.
I think a lot of people we readthis and we think he's
dismissing it.
He's not dismissing it in hisown words.
He says you should tithe, yes,and even less explicitly in the
Greek earlier on, when he talksabout the importance of the
inside and the outside, he usesa Greek word to tantamount.
It's the same as equal to.
(21:13):
He's saying what we do on theoutside matters just as much as
the inside.
So if you hear me today andyou're like what Stephen is
saying is the inside counts morethan the outside, then no, no,
no, no, no, no, no.
Not even Jesus was saying that.
He was saying the outside andthe inside.
We need to be level.
It's the same thing.
So Jesus affirms tithing hereand this is how I read it as a
starting point of generosity,but he rebukes the Pharisees
(21:36):
stopping there because he saysthe love of God and justice are
so much more important thantithing.
Aha, now we're getting to theheart of Jesus's message.
We care deeply about justiceand love.
How do I know?
Because I know the ache andpain that you feel and I feel
(21:59):
when it's on TV and there'sthese big acts of injustice.
Doesn't it make you mad whenyou see someone who is unarmed?
Doesn't it make you mad whenyou see someone who is unarmed
shot down?
Doesn't it make you mad whenyou see all the hate speech, the
things, the vile things we sayto one another, the vile and
hurtful and hateful things we doto one another?
(22:20):
Jesus says this is the priorityover here.
But he's saying you're nevergoing to figure out justice if
you can't figure out generosity.
And that's hard because it'sreally easy for me to post or,
in my book, write, an entirechapter on justice.
(22:43):
It's really easy to do that andsay that we should be better,
we church should be better, weworld, we should be better,
humans, we should be better.
But what's hard is practicinggenerosity in my own life,
because perhaps that means mykids get less for Christmas,
because that means maybe I haveto work a little longer, because
(23:03):
I don't save as much inretirement, maybe that means I
drive an older car.
I bought a house that was lessthan I could afford.
Maybe these are all the thingsthat it could possibly mean, but
I practice that individuallybecause of the hope that if I do
it and you do it, and you do it, and you're watching or
(23:24):
listening and you do it, that westart here.
It's not the end, but as westart here, we see justice and
love in the world.
True discipleship involves notonly avoiding sin, but actively
pursuing justice, generosity andlove, and this is where tithing
(23:45):
, or generosity, connectsdirectly to discipleship.
A life of authenticity isn'tjust about looking good on the
outside.
A life of authenticdiscipleship is about open hands
and hearts, trusting God witheverything that we have, 100% of
what we make, not just 10% or5% or whatever's left over, but
(24:07):
everything we have, all of ourresources.
That's where Jesus is leaninginto, and it'll become more
clear as we continue studyingLuke that that's where he's
leaning into.
He wants everything.
He wants us to open up hands,and that can look a lot of
different ways, but he isgetting into it right now that
everything is his, and he wantsus to be a community marked by
(24:29):
generosity so that we can impactjustice and love in the world.
So, as we continue to takeanother step in the 2025,.
We're almost out of January.
Now I want you to considerJesus' call here to deeper
authenticity in discipleship.
It's not enough to resolveoutwardly.
We make these New Year'sresolutions, whether it's with
(24:50):
our health, our finances or ourappearances.
What's our resolution forwhat's going on inside?
What's the resolution?
What are the changes we want tosee happen in here?
Because true transformationhappens when we allow God's
light to penetrate every part ofour lives, even those areas we
(25:10):
prefer to keep hidden andprivate.
So maybe for you this week, yourchallenge is to really discern
where your allegiance lies, tochoose your allegiance.
Jesus says whoever is not withme is against me.
It's a bold statement and itdoes ask us to examine our
loyalties.
Are there areas in our livesthat are divided between God's
(25:33):
kingdom and my priorities, orthe world's priorities or my
family's priorities?
Perhaps it's your work, yourjob, your career, your
relationships, how you spendyour time.
It's time to examine thatChoosing Jesus means fully
committing your heart and yourmind to the kingdom, and so
(25:53):
maybe for you today, as you'restruggling with divided
loyalties, it's just a matter oftaking some time Maybe it's 15
minutes or an hour or a few daysthis week to identify an area
of your life that you need torealign with God, and God's will
, maybe it's.
Rather, I got to examine theinner parts of my life.
Jesus describes the eye as alamp of the body.
(26:16):
When our focus is healthy andclear, our entire being is
filled with light.
But when it's unhealthy,darkness takes hold of us.
The challenge here is toexamine what we're allowing into
our hearts and our minds.
Are we focused on things thatbring light, god's truth, god's
word, god's grace or ondistractions that simply cloud
(26:41):
our perspective?
This week, consider replacingsomething, an unhealthy habit,
with something that draws youcloser to God.
I can tell you for me personally, briefly here, that I usually
like to end my night with acocktail turn on some TV show
that I've been watching, stir alittle drink.
(27:01):
It's been a long day and thisis just going to help me unwind,
nice easy and to sleep.
But I had this conviction.
I don't think drinking alcoholis wrong.
There's definitely a lot ofproblems with addiction.
I'm not saying people shoulddrink, but I began to get this
conviction that this wasn'thelping me at all.
It wasn't drawing me closer toGod necessarily.
(27:24):
At one point, maybe the cocktailwas good for helping me unwind
at the end of the day, but whatI noticed was the cocktail was
just me numbing out now, so Idon't even think it was helping
at all.
Well, I knew that to quit thecocktail at night, before I go
to bed, I would need to replaceit with something.
What am I going to do?
Just sit in front of an emptyTV for 45 minutes and hope that
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I get sleepy.
So I picked 12 books that I'mgoing to read this year, one a
month, and I got my journal,pulled it, dusted it out and
it's on my nightstand now and Ihave a little alarm that goes
off on my phone at 9 30reminding me lights off, no
alcohol.
I go to my bed and I read and Ijournal, and so perhaps for you
(28:04):
there's a switch in your lifethat doesn't seem insignificant
though just cutting out acocktail and reading a book
instead.
It really seems insignificant,but it is adding a lot to my
life and I want to challenge youwhat maybe seems insignificant
to you that you're using to justnumb out or just get by or kill
time with, and how could youturn that into something that
brings you life rather than justhelps you numb out.
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Finally, maybe for some of us,it's time that we bring
something hidden into light.
Jesus rebukes the Pharisees fortheir focus on outward
appearances while neglecting theinner transformation that God
himself requires.
He says clean the inside of thecup so that the outside may
also be clean.
And a lot of us, I know westruggle with hidden sin, shame,
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fears that we avoid confronting.
But authentic discipleshipcauses us to be honest with God
and each other.
So this week, perhaps find anarea in your life that you have
hidden and prayerfully considersomebody that you trust,
somebody who has proven you cantrust them to bring it up with
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someone who won't judge you,somebody who won't make you feel
guilty or ashamed, but bring itup to them, not for a caught
you accountability, but ahealthy.
I see that that hurts you andI'm here to walk that path, to
help you find health and healing.
As individuals, authenticity istransformative, but as a
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community it'll be revolutionary.
Imagine Madison Church as acommunity where people feel safe
to be real, that this is aplace and a community where
people share their struggles andthey get to experience
grace-filled accountability.
This will require all of us tostep into authentic discipleship
(29:55):
.
It doesn't just happen becauseStephen does it.
It doesn't just happen becauseour elders do it or our trustees
do it or our leaders do it.
It happens when all of us dothat, and so let's create spaces
where people can share theirstories without fear of judgment
.
This has to be a no judgmentzone and, as leaders if you are
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a leader at Madison Church welead the way.
We have to be vulnerable, wehave to be nonjudgmental, we
have to be loving and we have tobe accepting, and we have to do
it andgmental.
We have to be loving and wehave to be accepting, and we
have to do it and practice itbetter than anyone else.
That's hard, but that's what westep into as leaders.
Let's embrace a commitment toencouragement.
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This is something we can all do.
Can you find someone this weekto encourage?
Let them know they're doing agreat job, that they mean
something to you, that you'reproud of them, that you notice
they're doing this or they'redoing that.
Encourage someone this week andlet's agree that we're going to
continue to pray for thischurch community together, all
of us.
I don't know what your prayerschedule looks like, but can you
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just commit this week to have atime of prayer, to pray for the
Madison church community and asall of us take these steps
watching and listening becauseyou're not able to be here today
do these things.
As you take these steps,imagine what happens.
Jesus boldly says look atwhat's happening, the kingdom of
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God has arrived.
If we do these things thatwe've talked about today,
madison Church can be a churchcommunity that tells the city
look, the kingdom of heaven hasarrived.
Welcome to Madison Church Online.
I'm Stephen Feith, lead pastor,glad that you're joining us
today, and over the past fewweeks we've been exploring what
it means to lead a life ofimpact and specifically, we're
looking through a life of impactthrough discipleship.
That's where we believe theimpact happens.
It's through following Jesus,and so we've called the series A
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Life that Matters, and whatwe're trying to do is challenge
you, challenge myself you'rewatching or listening and so
we've called the series A Lifethat Matters, and what we're
trying to do is challenge you,challenge myself You're watching
or listening.
We've been trying to challengeone another to think differently
about purpose and fulfillment.
It's not something we achievethrough worldly success, but
something that we discover.
(00:41):
It's not something we achieve,it's something that we discover
by following Jesus more deeply.
Discipleship, if you didn'tknow, is both a challenge and an
invitation.
Yes, there's an invitation tolive in and experience God's
love and to reflect that love tothe rest of the world.
That's the invitation.
But let's not kid ourselves.
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Discipleship is alsochallenging.
It challenges us to let go ofthings that hold us back, things
that some of us care verydeeply about but are not the
ways of Jesus.
It calls us to surrenderdistractions, divided loyalties
and hidden struggles in orderthat we might be able to follow
Jesus more wholeheartedly.
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Order that we might be able tofollow Jesus more wholeheartedly
.
And only then will we find thejoy and freedom that we read so
much about in the New Testamentor we hear other Christians in
our lives talk about.
It is only here, when we'refollowing Jesus wholeheartedly,
that we find that, and today,the passages that we're going to
be studying and looking at inLuke are all about authenticity.
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Authenticity in discipleshipmeans more than surface-level
change.
It's about inwardtransformation.
It's about being honest.
Authenticity is about beinghonest.
It's about being honest withourselves.
Sometimes we're not veryself-reflective or self-aware,
so we've got to first stop andsay, hey, I got to be real.
(02:13):
Even when it hurts, I got to behonest with God.
You know God already knows it,but I know that sometimes going
to God in prayer and saying whathe already knows, that could be
hard.
We got to be honest with oneanother Not everyone.
You don't have to be honestwith everyone.
You don't have to put everypart of your business on
Instagram, but we definitelyneed people in our lives in whom
we confide in and confess to.
We allow.
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When we do this, we allow God'slight to fill every part of our
lives, even the areas we wouldrather keep hidden.
This is going to be a theme oftoday's passage and I mentioned
last week, kind of on the spot.
This wasn't in my notes, thisis in my notes this week, but
last week I mentioned I wasreading a book by Richard Foster
about spiritual disciplines andformation, and one of the ways
that Foster starts off this bookis with an incredible quote
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that I underlined.
Megan was trying to fall asleepnext to me in bed while I was
reading and I woke her upbecause I was like this is so
good.
I didn't know how I was goingto be able to work it in, but I
could work it in today.
Foster says the desperate needtoday is not for a greater
number of intelligent people orgifted people, but for deep
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people.
What the church needs, what theworld needs, isn't smarter
people, more charismatic people,but what we need are deep
people.
And as we turn to Luke 11 thismorning, it's where we're at in
this series.
We're going to see Jesusconfronting divided loyalties,
spiritual blindness and outwardappearances that mask inner
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struggles.
His words challenge us and aswe go forward.
I want you to ask yourself a fewquestions.
First question what part of mylife am I keeping in the dark?
Perhaps from those closest tome, perhaps from God?
Perhaps it's so painful anddark I'm hiding it from myself.
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What would it look like?
What would it look like have avision for your life in which
you live authentically in God'struth?
What would it look like to gofrom hiding to embracing the
light?
And finally, if you do this andI do this, there's a community
aspect, and how would ourcommunity reflect that
authenticity together?
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So the Madison church would bea beacon of God's love.
This is where we're headingtoday.
So, if you want to follow along,we're going to Luke, chapter 11
.
I'm going to begin with verse17 in a moment, but it's a
passage that opens with adramatic scene.
Jesus has now started doingmiracles in Jerusalem.
You'll remember he's alreadybeen doing miracles.
(04:45):
Now he's doing them inJerusalem, and it includes
exorcisms.
He is casting demons out ofpeople and this shows, for the
whole world to see, hisundeniable power and authority.
And yet that's not good enoughfor some people.
While some celebrated beinghealed and reconciled and
restored, other people,particularly religious ones,
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accused Jesus not from being ofGod but working for Satan.
Now you can imagine the tension.
We do this every Sunday.
We pray in the back room duringworship and you can imagine if
I'm praying for someone andsomeone says, wow, that feels
like an answer prayer.
And someone else in the room ora couple of you in the room say
Stephen is working for SatanTension that you could cut with
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a knife right.
Everyone would be on edge.
Wait a second.
Is Stephen of God or is he ofSatan?
Jesus will reply to them inverse 17.
He knew their thoughts and saidany kingdom divided by civil
war is doomed.
A family splintered by feudingwill fall apart.
And you can say that I amempowered by Satan.
(05:55):
But if Satan is divided andfighting against himself, how
can his kingdom survive?
And if I'm empowered by Satan,what about your own exorcist?
He's asking them.
Now he's turning.
He says I'm not the only onedoing exorcisms, you all have
people.
And if the power to doexorcisms come from Satan, does
that not mean you are also ofSatan?
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That's a good argument.
It says they cast out demonstoo.
So they will also condemn youfor what you said.
Jesus says they're already onmy side.
Go also condemn you for whatyou said.
Jesus says they're already onmy side.
Go ahead and ask.
But if I'm casting out demonsby the power of God, if I'm
doing it by the power of God,then the kingdom of God has
arrived among you.
This thing you have beenwaiting for.
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You remember Jason talked aboutit in his Christmas messages
that they've been waitinghundreds of years and Jesus lets
them in on a secret.
It's here, I'm here.
He gives an example, a story.
He says when a strong man isfully armed and guards his
palace, his possessions are safeuntil someone even stronger
attacks and overpowers him,strips him of his weapons and
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carries off with his belongings.
Anyone who isn't with meopposes me, and anyone who isn't
working with me is actuallyworking against me.
Jesus uses logical reasoning todismantle the accusations.
He doesn't dive deeply intosome old scripture, but rather
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he uses logic reasoning.
He rationalizes with them.
If Satan were divided, hiskingdom would collapse.
It makes no sense.
But more importantly, jesusestablishes and casts a vision
that if this is the evidence ofGod's power and not Satan's,
then the kingdom of God is righthere.
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The wait is over.
I know that for today, likeyou're sitting here listening
and you've probably never seensomeone demon possessed you may
not believe that happens.
So for some of us, though,maybe we believe that we have a
box for that, but I know thatfor a lot of us the spiritual
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realm it feels distant.
For others of us, maybe, itfeels even metaphorical.
I know that for a great deal,many of us today that the
spiritual realm definitelydoesn't feel like an immediate
reality.
But it is, and that call thatJesus gave them 2,000 years ago
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is the same call he gives ustoday.
It's a call to align our liveswith him.
It's a call to align our liveswith him.
It's a call to align our liveswith him and to do so urgently.
He didn't want you to wait.
He wanted you to do it rightnow, and so, even though the
spiritual realm may not feelsuper tangible to some of us, we
have to admit that part ofwhat's going on in our lives is
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that distractions and othercompeting priorities in our life
are obscuring us from thatreality.
The spiritual realm.
It is real.
It's more than a metaphor.
It's all around us.
We pray God, help us to beaware of that, to be sensitive
of that, and part of it might belooking inward at our lives and
the distractions that are allaround us, that are making the
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spiritual realm feel so far away.
Redemption and restoration comethrough Jesus alone.
Jesus' work reverses thedestruction of Satan.
Jesus comes and he heals, heliberates, he makes life better.
And this passage challenges usto recognize that there is no
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neutral ground between good andevil.
You don't get to sit on thefence, you don't get to say this
one, I'm going to sit out Ifyou are a follower of Jesus.
He is asking you to get out ofthe stands and to get into the
game.
There was such an analogy weused when we were first getting
this church started.
The first year we said whatmakes Madison Church different?
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You don't want to be thebiggest, you don't want to be
the fastest growing, we wantedto be the one with the most
participants.
We didn't want to have fivesuperstars out on the floor
while everyone else buys ourjerseys and sits in the stands
and roots for us.
We said come and join the game.
And that is part of the rub,because some of us, if we're
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being honest, we like the luxuryand the comfort of just being
in the stands.
We don't like showing up forthe game.
We don't like getting bodychecked into the wall or tackled
.
We don't like it when we pull ahamstring or get injured while
we're doing this.
We don't like the work itrequires to be game ready.
(10:30):
Football players don't justshow up on Sunday, it's their
diet, it's their off-seasonworkout and so much goes into it
.
And that is the Christian life,and God calls us to do just
that.
That is the call, and it's notnext week, not next year, not
when you feel ready, but it isright now to take a step.
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Jesus continues in verse 24, noone lights a lamp and then hides
it or puts it under a basket.
Instead, a lamp is placed on astand where its light can be
seen by all who enter the house.
Your eye is like a lamp thatprovides light for your whole
body, and when your eye ishealthy, you can circle.
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Underline that word healthy.
When your eye is healthy, yourwhole body is filled with light,
but when it is unhealthy, yourbody is filled with darkness.
Make sure that the light youthink you have is not actually
darkness.
If you are filled with light,with no dark corners, then your
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whole life will be radiant, asthough a floodlight were filling
you with light.
The metaphor for this lamp on astand would have been pretty
clear.
I think it's pretty clear to ustoday.
It's the same reason we putlights up here so that you can
see better, so that light cancome in and we can see it.
It illuminates what we want tobe seen and similarly, the eye
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as a lamp signifies the way ofour perspective.
Jesus is saying when we have ahealthy perspective, when we are
living the right way, when weare pursuing him, it shapes our
entire being.
Now, that's common sense, butlet's look at our lives and work
backwards.
Then he's saying if our livesare shaped by him, they're
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radiant and they're healthy.
But if our lives aren't radiant, if they're filled with
darkness, then perhaps there issomething going on in here and
it's not a condemnation.
Rather it's a warning, it's apleading.
Jesus is saying I don't wantthat for you.
I have so many bigger andbetter things for you.
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Just make sure that the lightyou think you have is not
actually darkness, isn'tsomething that's supposed to
keep you awake tonight at 11o'clock, because you're
wondering like, oh my gosh, am Ireally following Jesus?
It's not that, it's anexamination.
He's asking you search yourheart, search your priorities
and to do this regularly,whether you've been a Christian
for most of your life, a lot ofyour life, or you're just
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picking it up today.
He is saying don't getcomplacent, don't get
comfortable and don't stopquestioning, because we drift,
and we drift slowly.
Are we allowing God's truth toshape our perspective?
Are we deceived by cultural orpersonal darkness?
Now, I'm not against secularmusic or TV shows or video games
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.
That's also what this isn'tabout.
But I tell you what, if theshow, the music, if the game,
the podcaster, if the book, ifthose things are shaping your
life more than Jesus is, morethan our New Testament is, more
than our Christian community is,then that is where I believe
we're starting to have a problem.
Those things in and ofthemselves are not wrong or bad
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in a lot of cases, but ratherit's how they influence us.
How they influence us.
True spiritual health comesfrom allowing God's light to
fill every part of our lives.
And now we're going to wrap upthis section of verses and it
does come to a climax.
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So Jesus has talked about youknow, I'm not with Satan, you've
got to be with me.
He's talked about lights andbeing a bright light and having
light in us.
And now he comes and he getsreal pointed with the Pharisees.
He says to them you are socareful to clean the outside of
the cup and the dish, but insideyou are filthy, full of greed
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and wickedness.
Fools, we've all done thisright.
You're awake in the morning andyou grab a coffee cup.
Maybe it's out of thedishwasher, it's out of the
cabinet.
You turn it over, you go topour the coffee in it.
You're still really tired.
But you look in it and it'slike gross and dirty and you're
not going to keep drinking thecoffee.
You're not just going to ignorethat.
I know you won't.
That's disgusting.
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It goes back to the thing.
I'm going to get a new one.
It doesn't matter how clean theoutside of the cup is.
What really matters is theinside.
I mean they both matter.
The Greek word in here is thatthey both matter.
Jesus is going to unpack that,but it matters.
Didn't God make the inside aswell as the outside?
So clean the inside by givinggifts to the poor and you will
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be clean all over.
But now he gets even morepointed with these guys.
He says what sorrow awaits you,pharisees, for you are careful
to tithe even the tiniest incomefrom your herb gardens, but you
ignore justice and you ignorethe love of God.
He says you should tithe, yes,but do not neglect more
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important things.
This passage is addressing thehypocrisy and legalism of the
Pharisees.
This is a group like today'sChristians a lot of us, myself
included that we claim torepresent God but then we say or
we do something that turnspeople away from him.
And I include myself in that,because I got to admit the human
(16:07):
in me.
I do things, I say stupidthings, I do the wrong things,
and I, as a follower of Jesus avery loud one who puts that I am
a pastor.
I have the ability to turnpeople away from faith based on
what I say or what I do.
But these Pharisees, they werethat in that era of time, they
(16:27):
were so focused on outwardrituals that they neglected the
transformation that had to haveoccurred on the inside and they
misrepresented what a life livedfaithfully was.
Jesus' analogy of cleaning outthe outside of the cup while
leaving the inside filthy wouldhave struck a chord, just like
it strikes a chord with us today.
We know, and what it does is itfocuses on the appearance.
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Jesus is calling them out.
You're so focused on what'sgoing on in the outside that
what's going on in the inside isterrible, because all of your
resources and everything isgoing on the outside.
And the example that Jesusexplicitly uses and you know,
jesus, he doesn't do thesethings by mistake, right?
The example he uses it comeswith tithing and the meticulous
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tithing of even like herbs, mint, dill, cumin.
I brought a whole bunch of stuffthat they would have tithed
2,000 years ago to kind of justdemonstrate a little bit.
But they would have thesedebates, you see, because if you
had a piece of beef that youneeded to offer to God, it's
pretty easy to kind of guesswhat 10% is.
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That's what the law required,10%.
So you'd look at this, you cansay all right, well, if I cut
this in half, and eventually youget the 10%.
So you look at this, you cansay all right, well, if I cut
this in half, and eventually youget the 10%.
You could look at somethinglike olive oil or honey, and and
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you can kind of guess that.
But where it gets really trickyis when we're dealing with dill.
Here's why Because the lawrequired that you sacrifice food
, that you sacrifice.
You know whether that wasagricultural, it was wine, it
was meat.
But what about dill?
Because isn't dill a plant?
The law doesn't explicitlystate that you have to tithe
herbs.
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But the Pharisees, in beinggenerous okay, now hear this in
being generous, the Phariseessit down and they say but do we
not eat the dill?
Does the dill, even though it'sa plant, not go in with the
rest of the food that we'reeating?
And I'm sure some of them werelike, oh my gosh, now I got to
tithe the dill.
But for the most part they'relike, yeah, and what he says is
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they were so.
Look at this, they're someticulous at tithing.
How do you tithe 10% of this?
But he says that's what he says.
They're so meticulous, theyfigure out what 10% is and they
tithe that.
Why?
Because to the Pharisees, tothe religious leaders, giving
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was the pinnacle of spiritualmaturity.
That was it.
Giving was the pinnacle ofspiritual maturity.
That was it you arrived.
I know for a lot of us today,giving is a challenge.
Why you want a big savingsaccount, you got a lot of bills,
et cetera, et cetera.
I get it, and me too.
That's also why a lot of otherpeople didn't tithe back in the
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day and what you had is.
You had the Pharisees then, andthey're're doing it.
They're giving and they feellike look at all these other
people, I'm sacrificing, I'mgood, I'm great, I'm tithing
even the littlest amount ofthings that I don't necessarily
have to do.
It's not explicitly stated, butI do that because to them, it
was the finish line, and whatJesus is trying to get them to
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understand is it's just thebeginning that this practice
that is so difficult giving andbeing generous it's just the
beginning.
This Hebrew word for tithe andI'm going to take a little
detour here because I think it'simportant means a tenth.
And the reason I want to spendjust a moment here and I'll move
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on because I know that talkingabout tithing makes everyone
nervous.
But the reason I want to isbecause there's so many, in my
opinion, misconceptions abouttithing.
For example, we say stuff likewe tithe our time or we tithe
our energies.
That's fine, sort of not,because the word tithe actually
has a meaning.
That's fine sort of not,because the word tithe actually
has a meaning and what it meantwas to bring a tenth, and it was
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the practice of bringing 10% ofyour resources, crops or
livestock or income back to God.
It wasn't symbolic, it wasn'tabstract.
Tithing was a concrete act ofgenerosity.
It was a concrete act ofworship.
It supported the temple, theChristian community, the Levites
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, those people who were priests,and the poor.
Jesus doesn't dismiss thispractice.
That's the big thing.
I think a lot of people we readthis and we think he's
dismissing it.
He's not dismissing it in hisown words.
He says you should tithe, yes,and even less explicitly in the
Greek earlier on, when he talksabout the importance of the
inside and the outside, he usesa Greek word to tantamount.
It's the same as equal to.
(21:13):
He's saying what we do on theoutside matters just as much as
the inside.
So if you hear me today andyou're like what Stephen is
saying is the inside counts morethan the outside, then no, no,
no, no, no, no, no.
Not even Jesus was saying that.
He was saying the outside andthe inside.
We need to be level.
It's the same thing.
So Jesus affirms tithing hereand this is how I read it as a
starting point of generosity,but he rebukes the Pharisees
(21:36):
stopping there because he saysthe love of God and justice are
so much more important thantithing.
Aha, now we're getting to theheart of Jesus's message.
We care deeply about justiceand love.
How do I know?
Because I know the ache andpain that you feel and I feel
(21:59):
when it's on TV and there'sthese big acts of injustice.
Doesn't it make you mad whenyou see someone who is unarmed?
Doesn't it make you mad whenyou see someone who is unarmed
shot down?
Doesn't it make you mad whenyou see all the hate speech, the
things, the vile things we sayto one another, the vile and
hurtful and hateful things we doto one another?
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Jesus says this is the priorityover here.
But he's saying you're nevergoing to figure out justice if
you can't figure out generosity.
And that's hard because it'sreally easy for me to post or,
in my book, write, an entirechapter on justice.
(22:43):
It's really easy to do that andsay that we should be better,
we church should be better, weworld, we should be better,
humans, we should be better.
But what's hard is practicinggenerosity in my own life,
because perhaps that means mykids get less for Christmas,
because that means maybe I haveto work a little longer, because
(23:03):
I don't save as much inretirement, maybe that means I
drive an older car.
I bought a house that was lessthan I could afford.
Maybe these are all the thingsthat it could possibly mean, but
I practice that individuallybecause of the hope that if I do
it and you do it, and you do it, and you're watching or
(23:24):
listening and you do it, that westart here.
It's not the end, but as westart here, we see justice and
love in the world.
True discipleship involves notonly avoiding sin, but actively
pursuing justice, generosity andlove, and this is where tithing
(23:45):
, or generosity, connectsdirectly to discipleship.
A life of authenticity isn'tjust about looking good on the
outside.
A life of authenticdiscipleship is about open hands
and hearts, trusting God witheverything that we have, 100% of
what we make, not just 10% or5% or whatever's left over, but
(24:07):
everything we have, all of ourresources.
That's where Jesus is leaninginto, and it'll become more
clear as we continue studyingLuke that that's where he's
leaning into.
He wants everything.
He wants us to open up hands,and that can look a lot of
different ways, but he isgetting into it right now that
everything is his, and he wantsus to be a community marked by
(24:29):
generosity so that we can impactjustice and love in the world.
So, as we continue to takeanother step in the 2025,.
We're almost out of January.
Now I want you to considerJesus' call here to deeper
authenticity in discipleship.
It's not enough to resolveoutwardly.
We make these New Year'sresolutions, whether it's with
(24:50):
our health, our finances or ourappearances.
What's our resolution forwhat's going on inside?
What's the resolution?
What are the changes we want tosee happen in here?
Because true transformationhappens when we allow God's
light to penetrate every part ofour lives, even those areas we
(25:10):
prefer to keep hidden andprivate.
So maybe for you this week, yourchallenge is to really discern
where your allegiance lies, tochoose your allegiance.
Jesus says whoever is not withme is against me.
It's a bold statement and itdoes ask us to examine our
loyalties.
Are there areas in our livesthat are divided between God's
(25:33):
kingdom and my priorities, orthe world's priorities or my
family's priorities?
Perhaps it's your work, yourjob, your career, your
relationships, how you spendyour time.
It's time to examine thatChoosing Jesus means fully
committing your heart and yourmind to the kingdom, and so
(25:53):
maybe for you today, as you'restruggling with divided
loyalties, it's just a matter oftaking some time Maybe it's 15
minutes or an hour or a few daysthis week to identify an area
of your life that you need torealign with God, and God's will
, maybe it's.
Rather, I got to examine theinner parts of my life.
Jesus describes the eye as alamp of the body.
(26:16):
When our focus is healthy andclear, our entire being is
filled with light.
But when it's unhealthy,darkness takes hold of us.
The challenge here is toexamine what we're allowing into
our hearts and our minds.
Are we focused on things thatbring light, god's truth, god's
word, god's grace or ondistractions that simply cloud
(26:41):
our perspective?
This week, consider replacingsomething, an unhealthy habit,
with something that draws youcloser to God.
I can tell you for me personally, briefly here, that I usually
like to end my night with acocktail turn on some TV show
that I've been watching, stir alittle drink.
(27:01):
It's been a long day and thisis just going to help me unwind,
nice easy and to sleep.
But I had this conviction.
I don't think drinking alcoholis wrong.
There's definitely a lot ofproblems with addiction.
I'm not saying people shoulddrink, but I began to get this
conviction that this wasn'thelping me at all.
It wasn't drawing me closer toGod necessarily.
(27:24):
At one point, maybe the cocktailwas good for helping me unwind
at the end of the day, but whatI noticed was the cocktail was
just me numbing out now, so Idon't even think it was helping
at all.
Well, I knew that to quit thecocktail at night, before I go
to bed, I would need to replaceit with something.
What am I going to do?
Just sit in front of an emptyTV for 45 minutes and hope that
(27:44):
I get sleepy.
So I picked 12 books that I'mgoing to read this year, one a
month, and I got my journal,pulled it, dusted it out and
it's on my nightstand now and Ihave a little alarm that goes
off on my phone at 9 30reminding me lights off, no
alcohol.
I go to my bed and I read and Ijournal, and so perhaps for you
(28:04):
there's a switch in your lifethat doesn't seem insignificant
though just cutting out acocktail and reading a book
instead.
It really seems insignificant,but it is adding a lot to my
life and I want to challenge youwhat maybe seems insignificant
to you that you're using to justnumb out or just get by or kill
time with, and how could youturn that into something that
brings you life rather than justhelps you numb out.
(28:27):
Finally, maybe for some of us,it's time that we bring
something hidden into light.
Jesus rebukes the Pharisees fortheir focus on outward
appearances while neglecting theinner transformation that God
himself requires.
He says clean the inside of thecup so that the outside may
also be clean.
And a lot of us, I know westruggle with hidden sin, shame,
(28:48):
fears that we avoid confronting.
But authentic discipleshipcauses us to be honest with God
and each other.
So this week, perhaps find anarea in your life that you have
hidden and prayerfully considersomebody that you trust,
somebody who has proven you cantrust them to bring it up with
(29:11):
someone who won't judge you,somebody who won't make you feel
guilty or ashamed, but bring itup to them, not for a caught
you accountability, but ahealthy.
I see that that hurts you andI'm here to walk that path, to
help you find health and healing.
As individuals, authenticity istransformative, but as a
(29:33):
community it'll be revolutionary.
Imagine Madison Church as acommunity where people feel safe
to be real, that this is aplace and a community where
people share their struggles andthey get to experience
grace-filled accountability.
This will require all of us tostep into authentic discipleship
(29:55):
.
It doesn't just happen becauseStephen does it.
It doesn't just happen becauseour elders do it or our trustees
do it or our leaders do it.
It happens when all of us dothat, and so let's create spaces
where people can share theirstories without fear of judgment
.
This has to be a no judgmentzone and, as leaders if you are
(30:17):
a leader at Madison Church welead the way.
We have to be vulnerable, wehave to be nonjudgmental, we
have to be loving and we have tobe accepting, and we have to do
it andgmental.
We have to be loving and wehave to be accepting, and we
have to do it and practice itbetter than anyone else.
That's hard, but that's what westep into as leaders.
Let's embrace a commitment toencouragement.
(30:39):
This is something we can all do.
Can you find someone this weekto encourage?
Let them know they're doing agreat job, that they mean
something to you, that you'reproud of them, that you notice
they're doing this or they'redoing that.
Encourage someone this week andlet's agree that we're going to
continue to pray for thischurch community together, all
of us.
I don't know what your prayerschedule looks like, but can you
(31:01):
just commit this week to have atime of prayer, to pray for the
Madison church community and asall of us take these steps
watching and listening becauseyou're not able to be here today
do these things.
As you take these steps,imagine what happens.
Jesus boldly says look atwhat's happening, the kingdom of
(31:22):
God has arrived.
If we do these things thatwe've talked about today,
madison Church can be a churchcommunity that tells the city
look, the kingdom of heaven hasarrived.
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