Deeply Rooted

Thank you. Thank you, Pastor.

Wow, thank you. I've never had so many nice things said about me before. I don't know how to respond to that, but thank you. Thank you. As Pastor Andy mentioned, my name is Tyler. It's the first time that I'm up here without a job title at Mosaic to introduce myself with, so I guess I will just introduce myself as I'm a church planter in Salem, Massachusetts. And whenever I get to preach the word, it is always my honor and my privilege to be able to deliver God's word for all of us today.

And before we get started, I have a confession. Even though I am 25% Irish, and even though my son's name is Killian and it's as Irish as it can be, I don't like St. Patrick's Day. Happy St. Paddy's day by the way. I don't like St. Patrick's day, but I do like and I love the man, St. Patrick. And the reason why I don't like the day is because it kind of goes against who the man was. Many of us know who St. Patrick is as the patron saint of Ireland, which is true. But what many people don't know about St. Patrick is that how he was brought to Ireland was that he was actually kidnapped and brought into slavery and forced to be a shepherd there in slavery and was while in slavery that he found his faith in God and decided, "I am going to pursue preaching the gospel in this nation that does not know Jesus." And that took him hostage and captive. And he ultimately succeeded in his goal of bringing about cultural change in a society that kidnapped him and brought him into slavery.

It's the kind of change that at the time would've seemed completely inconceivable beyond even a thought. How could a man love this nation so much that he would seek to bring about that kind of change? And that's the story we're going to be looking at today. We're going to be seeing a story in the Gospel of Mark of inconceivable change, change that no one could even think would ever happen. And so we are continuing in the book of Mark in chapter 11 through this series that we've entitled Kingdom Come. And we call it that because it's all about Jesus coming to establish His kingdom here on earth and calling us to be partners with Him in the establishment of his kingdom.

We have a lot of texts to get through so we're going to jump in, we're going to go through and we're going to break it down section by section. We'll read a section, we will discuss it and then we'll continue going through. But before I begin, will you pray with me over the preaching of God's word?

Heavenly Father, Lord, you are good and you are powerful. You have authority over all of creation and over all things. So Lord, we ask that you bring about change, you bring about change in our lives to be more and more like you. We ask that you bring about change in our city and in our world and in our culture to become a city and a place that loves you, that is known and characterized by our faith and trust in you. Use this time, use your word to teach us, to encourage us and to convict us where we need to be convicted, to go forth and walk in your authority as we usher in your kingdom here on earth. In Jesus' name, amen.

So we'll be spending our time looking at three ideas in our section. We'll be in Mark chapter 11 verses 12 through 33. And the three ideas we're going to be looking at is first, deeply rooted in rebellion, now deeply rooted in faith, to walk in authority. So the first idea we're going to look at is deeply rooted in rebellion. This is Mark chapter 11, starting in verse 12 it says this, "On the following day when they came from Bethany, he, Jesus, was hungry. And seeing in the distance of fig tree and leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, 'May no one ever eat fruit from you again.' And the disciples heard it."

We'll stop there for a second. If you're like me, you're like, "What are you doing, Jesus?" This is not what we think of when we think of Jesus, right? We don't think of him cursing a tree and saying, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And if you're like me, you're like, "Well, it says he was hungry." So he was probably just a little hangry. He probably was this word that my wife is not allowed to call me, cranky, when you haven't eaten in a little while. Is Jesus hangry? Is he cranky? Well, what's going on? The context is that he's coming from Bethany. Where is Bethany? It's just outside the city of Jerusalem. And Jesus was staying there for the high holidays.

Last week, Pastor Jan preached on the verses in this chapter that came before that, it was the triumphal entry. It was Jesus riding in on a donkey. Palm leaves, people saying, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." And he gets into Jerusalem, and it took so long for him to get there that it was night by the time he gets there. So he goes back out to Bethany and he says, "I'm going to go in early now." So he leaves early, likely before breakfast, before time to eat. And so he's traveling and walking to Jerusalem and he comes across a tree with leaves and he goes and sees if there's any fruit. It says there's none because it's not the season for figs.

One of the things that they don't teach you in seminary is that you have to understand how plants work. This is an unqualified area, but that is extremely necessary for pastors because what happens with fig trees is that they start by budding these little fruits, but they're really tiny, they're hard, but they are edible and they're actually a delicacy because they're so much smaller than a fig that you have to be lavish to be willing to eat them and not be patient to wait for larger fruit where you could get more. And how fig trees grow is that they first bud these small, tiny, hard fruits. Then the leaves come in at the same time that the full fruits come in.

Well, there's leaves, but it says it's not time for figs. What's happening? This tree stood out to Jesus because it was likely the only tree with leaves on it. It was a fig tree masquerading as one with fruit. It was sending all signals to anyone who knew anything about fig trees. "There are fruit on this tree." Fruit for fig trees gathered August through October. This is the week of Passover, so it's roughly March, April. It's extremely early. There shouldn't be leaves, there shouldn't be figs. But the tree itself is saying, "I have leaves, therefore I have fruit." So Jesus has every right to expect that there is fruit on this tree. So he goes to this tree looking for fruit and he sees there is none and he curses it.

Well, what we will quickly find out is that this fig tree, it's not actually the fig tree, it's a symbol for Jerusalem. It's a symbol for the people of God. Historically throughout scripture and the Jewish culture, fig trees were a symbol of the people of Israel. But one of the things that I love about the book of Mark is that the structure makes it completely clear. When you think of the fig tree, think of Jerusalem, think of the people of God.

Again, the beginning of this chapter, Mark 1 through 11, Jesus is going into Jerusalem.

Then we have our text of the fig tree. The next text we're about to see is Jesus in Jerusalem. Then the next text after that is Jesus with the fig tree again. And then after that, it's back with Jesus in Jerusalem. Jerusalem, fig tree. Jerusalem, fig tree. Jerusalem. When you think of the fig tree, think of God's people and Jerusalem.

So what is the issue that is going on with Jerusalem that Jesus is showing through this example of the fig tree? We see it in Mark 11, verse 15. It says this, "And they came to Jerusalem and he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple. And he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons and would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. And he was teaching them and saying to them, 'Is it not written my house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations?' But you have made it a den of robbers. And the chief priests and scribes heard it and they were seeking a way to destroy him for they feared Him because all the crowd was astonished at His teaching. And when evening came, they went out of the city."

So what is the issue we see here in Jerusalem? I would summarize it as they are deeply rooted in rebellion. As the fig tree was masquerading as one with fruit showing off its leaves saying, "Look, there's fruit here," and there was none, Jerusalem was doing the same. The people of God were doing the same. There were thousands of people in the city there to worship, there to sacrifice offerings to the Lord. For Passover. They ushered Jesus in on a donkey saying "Praise him." In verses 9 and 10, it says, "And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the coming kingdom of our Father David. Hosanna in the highest!'." It seemed like they were worshiping Jesus. They masqueraded as having fruit. But upon closer expectation, there was no fruit at all. This house that was made to be a house of prayer, Jesus calls a den of robbers, it's a house of extortion.

What is going on here? It talks about the money changes. Jesus overthrowing the tables of the money changers. Well, according to Jewish law, the people of Israel had to pay a tax to the temple. And so at the high holidays, they would collect this tax because it was the time for people to come from all over the world. And so they were like, "Now's a great time to collect the tax from people." But what is unclear in the text, but it was culturally clear, was that the money changers were like the exchange rate people. You travel abroad, you go to another nation, you need to exchange money to be able to pay the fees. And foreign coins were not accepted in the temple, so they would do an exchange, say, "Hey, you give me however much of your money that equals this much of ours" and you'll pay your tax.

But the money changers were the ones who were responsible for establishing that exchange rate. Well, what does that mean? It means that they had all the power to extort people, said, "Oh sure, it's really 10 of this coin for one of ours. Well, we'll say it's a hundred and we'll make 10 times the money and we'll keep the profit for ourselves." It's in conjunction with those who sold pigeons, it says. Well, what is that? Pigeons were the offering of the poor. And so they're extorting specifically the poor as well. What they would do is they'd say, "Oh, the pigeon you brought, that's not clean enough. We have a pigeon for you that is clean enough. Here, we'll buy your pigeon and you can buy one of ours for 10 times the cost." And then they would turn around and sell that same pigeon to the next person in line and make a profit off of this.

So Jesus prevents them from carrying anything in because they are making the House of God a marketplace of extortion. They were rebelling against the authority of Jesus, but they were rebelling against even the very nature of the temple itself, which is why Jesus calls him out saying, "This is supposed to be a house of prayer for all nations. All the nations are coming here now to worship, and you're using it for your own game. You're using it for selfish ambition."

Even more than that, this was just the norm. This is not something that people were concerned about or worried about in any manner. See, what is the historical context of this is that this is the second building of the temple. This building of the temple was built about 50 years before these events of Jesus by a man named Herod the Great. What Herod the Great Biblically is most famous for is seeking to kill Jesus when the wise men are coming looking for him. That's Herod the Great.

And historically, Historian Flavius Josephus has written the history of the Jewish people in Rome and he says that Herod built the temple for making his name great. He put his name on the building of the temple so that when the people from all over the world came to worship God at the temple, it was not just God's temple, it was Herod the Great's temple for God. He was great at marketing for building up his own name. But what it shows is again, they were rebelling against the authority of God and seeking their own benefit.

And this way the money changers are working by charging more and exchanging rate, that's built after and modeled after the Roman tax collectors. The Roman tax collectors would do the same. They would say, "Oh, we need to bring in this much money for taxes. We'll charge you a little bit more and we could keep the profits for ourselves." And the people of Israel had been under Roman rule for about 90 years at this point. So what's happening is the people of God, the leaders of the temple said, "These Romans got it pretty good. They're successful. They're the ones with power. They're the ones with money. Maybe we should model this place of worship after them."

And so the entire time that this temple has been built, the only temple that the people of God had known in their lifetime, this was how it functioned, this rebellion, this sin was so deeply rooted within their culture, they never knew anything but this level of extortion. It was just normal. It was expected. It was not an issue.

Well, the question then comes how can change come when there is that level of rebellion against God? When it is so deeply rooted, how can there be change? Well, change is hard. I want to point out that this is actually even more crazy because this is the second time Jesus cleansed the temple. Jesus, many people know, the first... Does anyone know the first miracle that Jesus did the first thing he did to start his ministry? Shout it out. Water into wine. Everyone's favorite. Jesus threw a great party. He turned water into wine, kept the party going.

The second thing Jesus did in his ministry, he cleansed the temple. What Jesus was setting his ministry on is he's like, "I'm going to celebrate things that are good and I'm going to change the way we worship God back to how it's supposed to be." And so the second thing that Jesus does in his ministry is cleansing the temple. And three years later, in the last week of his life before his crucifixion, he cleanses the temple again. And in the middle, there's this really important parable about a fig tree. It's interesting.

In Luke 13 verses 6 through 9 it says this, "And he, Jesus, told this parable. 'A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, 'Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?' And he answered him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also until I dig it, dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good. But if not, you can cut it down'."

See, Jesus went into the temple at the beginning and saw no fruit and cleansed it and said, "I want to establish. I'm teaching and preaching the way we are to worship God. It's not about money, it's not about wealth. It's not about individual prosperity. It's about submission to the authority of God and praying and worshiping Him." Three years later, patiently waiting for change, teaching, proclaiming the gospel, doing miracles. And while he's doing miracles, the people welcome him. "Great. Jesus, yes, come. Come into Jerusalem." When they think he's going to be a messiah that overthrows Rome, "Welcome. Come on Jesus. Come on into Jerusalem." And then when he reiterates, "No, the issue is worship. How are you worshiping God?" And he cleanses the temple again, the people are like, "Whoa, wait, wait, Jesus. This isn't what we thought you were going to do" because it was so deeply rooted in them, they didn't even realize they needed change.

And so how does change come when we are deeply rooted in rebellion? It comes through faith. Maybe you're here today, maybe you're not a Christian and you're saying, "I am here to tell you that if you're not a Christian, you have been in rebellion from God. You have been rejecting the authority of God over your life." And I'm also here to tell you that you can change. Change can happen through faith in Jesus Christ. And I call and I urge you to change because the faith and trust in Jesus Christ is the only thing that allows us to have a life that is fruitful, a life that is meaningful, a life that is valuable, and because it brings greater honor and worship to him.

And so we are called to change from that deep-seated rebellion into a deep-rooted faith. And this is verse 20 of our text. Verse 20 says this, "As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, 'Rabbi, look, the fig tree that you cursed has withered.' And Jesus answered him, 'Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain be taken up and thrown into the sea and does not doubt in his heart, but believes what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone so that your father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses'."

So they go back out to Bethany, they're headed back into Jerusalem and they see the tree and Peter's like, "Look, Jesus, you cursed it. I thought just there probably wouldn't be fruit anymore, but it's actually withering away to the roots" What is showing is that Jesus has the power to bring about complete change, not just change to the exterior, change to the facade, but change to the deepest of the roots of the tree, deepest to the roots of the problem. And Jesus' response is, "|How did that change happen? Have faith in God."

In other parallel gospels, texts telling the same story as this, it talks about having the faith the size of a mustard seed, the smallest seed, the smallest amount of faith. This is not a statement about the magnitude of our faith. It's a statement about the genuineness of our faith. Jesus does encourage us to grow in faith. We are encouraged to grow in faith, but this is not him saying become more faithful. This is him saying, "Purify that faith. Make it a true faith, one that is not filled with doubt but of true belief." So much so that you could say to this mountain, "Be cast into the sea" and it will.

Now, this section contains two of the most taken out of context verses in scripture, the casting of the mountain into the sea. And the, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe you have received it and it will be yours." These two verses are so often taken out of context. The second one, I didn't realize this, but I have a Bible software that I do my studying and note-taking on. There was a dotted line under that verse. I was like, "I've never seen that before. What is that?" And it tells you how many people that have this software highlight that verse. I've never noticed it before, but that was one of the most highlighted verses in all of scripture by people using the software. It just shows how prominent of a verse it is, but also how much it is taken out of context. Because when Jesus says, say to this mountain, he's not making a statement that we are called to make mountains change so we can move landscapes.

If you path the trajectory of their journey from Bethany to Jerusalem, the only mountain within view is the mount of Jerusalem itself. So when Jesus says, "You could say to this mountain, be cast into the sea," he's not talking about physical earthly changes. He's saying, "You can say to this deep-rooted systemic rebellion against the worship of God and you could say, cast it into the sea and it will be done." Move the rebellion, the rejection, the lack of worship of God and cast it out and it will be done if you believe that it will be done. And don't doubt.

And verse 25 is not a clause that's required, but it's a clarification about how we are to pray when it says, "And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone so that your father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." This idea is saying that it's when you're in the right frame of heart, the right posture of hear., it's not that, "Okay, I forgive people so therefore I can ask for what I want and I get what I want." No, it's not about asking for what we want, telling God to move what we want. No. It's about having a frame of heart that is focused on forgiveness, that is focused on forgiveness of others, grace and mercy towards others, and being forgiven yourself, seeking for forgiveness for your own sins, having the humility to recognize our own faults and saying, "God, I'm trying to align my will with yours, align my will with yours. Help me know what you desire and that's what I'm going to ask for." And no matter how crazy that seems, God is able to do it.

So I have to ask, where are you in rebellion to Jesus? Again, I already said, if you're not a Christian, you are in rebellion. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are in rebellion to Him. And I urge you to come to Him. Have faith in Him. Ask him to move that mountain of rebellion in your life and trust in him because He willingly, lovingly and joyfully went to the cross for you, to die to pay that penalty of sins for you, to forgive you of your rebellion. Maybe you're a Christian here that is still in rebellion. You have a stronghold, a sin that has been permeating within you, that is in rebellion to God. Are you willing to go to Jesus? Ask Him to move that mountain of rebellion, forgive you and heal you of your sins.

Sometimes there's sin in our lives that you might be saying, "Tyler, you don't know how long this has been there. You don't know how long I have been under the oppression of the sin. And every time temptation comes, I try, but I fail." Do you go to Jesus and ask him and believe without a doubt that He has power over that sin, has power to save you from that you are not bound to that sin anymore? Roman 6:12 says this, "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as an instrument for unrighteousness, but present yourself to God as those who have been brought from death to life and your members to God as instruments for righteousness, for sin will have no dominion over you since you are not under law, but under grace."

Don't let sin reign in your mortal body, Christian. Don't let sin exist there. So I know none of us are perfect. There's always grace, there's always forgiveness. Sure. But we are called to live like Christ who was perfect. We are given authority over sin because it has no dominion. We can refuse temptation. Do you actually believe that when temptation comes, you can say to it, "No, you have no authority over me. You have no power here"? And it's not a sheepish fear of when is temptation going to come next, but it's a confident boldness saying, "Jesus has defeated you, sin. Jesus has already paid my penalty for you." I can say no. I can refuse to sin and live a life of holy worship and submission to God.

Wherever that sin is in your life, I urge you say to it, "move." Say to it, "Mountain, be gone, because Jesus has paid the penalty for you on the cross. You have no authority over me. And it says, "And then live in it. Believe it will be done for you." Live in that assurance that Jesus has forgiven you and Jesus has paid the penalty and freed you from that sin. It has no power over you anymore.

But why this text is my favorite in Mark... One of my favorites in Mark. I love the book of Mark. Mark's my favorite book of the New Testament. But why I love this text so much in particular, it's because Jesus isn't just talking about individuals. Jesus is addressing societal rebellion as well. Yes, society is made up of individuals. And in order to change a society, individuals must change. Sure. But Jesus is primarily talking about a change that affects an entire culture saying Jerusalem, this establishment, this city where rebellion is so deep-rooted, you don't even think to ask questions. That can be changed.

So I ask you, church, do you believe the systematic rebellion of Boston, of Brookline can change? I believe without a doubt that God seeks and desires and will establish his kingdom here in Brookline, here in Boston. And that is not a lofty hope of one day in the future most likely after Jesus's second coming. No. It's a reality that I believe is possible now.

I know Pastor Jan, I know Pastor Andy feel that calling, feel that assurance, but I'm asking church, do you believe that? Is that even a goal within your mind? I know it seems hard. We look at the world around us and it is broken. It is fallen. It's hard to imagine a city that loves Jesus, is characterized by faith in Jesus Christ, but that should be one of our goals. That should be our aim. Why? Because Jesus came to establish his kingdom and has called us to be deeply rooted in that faith in Him and to live in that faith.

But part of why I'm up here today is because I also believe that God is going to change the nature of Salem. Now, Pastor Andy mentioned briefly about Salem and I want to dig into it just very quickly. Salem is known first and foremost for witchcraft. Not for cute little pointed hats, Halloween witches, but for actual practice of casting spells and curses and witchcraft. The international headquarters for witches is in Salem. I didn't realize this. Pastor Jan mentioned that he met missionaries or heard of missionaries from Brazil who said the witches in Brazil are sent to Salem, Massachusetts for training and then they go back to Brazil to do their evil work.

The other thing Salem is known for is for the international headquarters of the temple of Satan. Oh, boy. Fun place, yeah. It's where they have brought in the worship of not just witchcraft but of Satan himself and said, "This is what we are establishing our identity on." They have built their tourism, they have built their finances like the Pharisees, selfishly, on wrongful worship, on worship of witchcraft and of Satan. It's a place that is known for old church buildings with no one in them.

But I am here to tell you, I know God's going to change that. And that's the call he has put on my heart and on my life and that's why I'm here today. And I can tell you it's not because of me, it's because of Him. And it's a work that he is already doing in the city independent of me.

There's a church, a First Baptist Church of Salem. Pray for them. Pray for Pastor Stephen and his wife Sarah. They're doing faithful work there. They're having three baptisms this Thursday. Praise God for that. The church is growing from three years ago, from 20 people to now about 50 people by conversion. Not by Christians coming and moving from other areas, but by people hearing the gospel and being saved and their lives being changed. And it's people that never thought it was possible. It's people that have been practicing witchcraft their whole life and then said, "I just knew it wasn't good. I needed a way out." And they come to church for the first time in their lives and they commit their lives to Christ. It's people that have been in jail their entire lives coming to Him. It's people that have never walked in a church and said, "I need something different. I'm going in" and God changes them.

It's on my heart to also mention pray for a woman named Lauren. She's practicing witchcraft for 20 years. She reached out to Pastor Stephen and said, "Pray for me. I need to get out. I don't know how. I'm trying." She's been trying for a month to come to church, but there are spiritual barriers preventing her from coming. And as they've been meeting and praying for her, they're tearing down those barriers one by one. And now family's coming in and saying, "You don't need church. You need therapy." Therapy is good. There's a purpose and a place for therapy. Nothing against therapy. If you need it, praise God, it's a tool to use. But the answer is God. The answer that she needs is Jesus to save her from her sin. And so pray for Lauren. Pray that God will bring her to saving faith in Him.

This coming Thursday, the same day as the baptism, we're tearing down a satanic altar in someone's home. Not like a cute little toy, like something that they actually offer sacrifice. This is the culture of Salem. The school mascots are witches. The school logos are witches. No one can imagine a city without witchcraft and Satan in it. But I can.

Something I didn't mention about First Baptist Church, they were the first church to send missionaries from the United States. They were the first church to establish in 1804 that sent missionaries abroad. I can see a city back with that. I can see a city established built on faith, trusting in God, submitting to his authority, being characterized by a love and trust of Jesus Christ. And it's not because of anything in me, it's because I'm called to walk in the authority of Jesus Christ. And that's the last idea here.

We are called to walk in authority of Jesus. And this is in verse 27 it says, "And they came again to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and elders came to him and they said to him, 'By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?' Jesus said to them, 'I will ask you one question, answer me and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.' And they discussed it with one another saying, 'If we say from heaven,' he will say, 'Why then did you not believe him? But shall we say from man?' They were afraid of the people for they all held that John really was a prophet. So they answered Jesus, 'We do not know.' And Jesus said to them, 'Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things'."

See, it was so clear that the Pharisees knew. Their first response was, "Are we supposed to say from heaven? He's going to challenge our authority. Our reputation will be at stake if we say that Jesus and John's authority was of God and was of heaven. But we can't say it was from man either because we know that's wrong and we're fearful of people." See, they were seeking their own authority.

Don't walk in your own authority. Don't walk in your own power or your own might. Walk in the authority of Jesus who went back to Jerusalem when it said that they were seeking a way to destroy Him. Jesus knew walking back to Jerusalem very well would mean his death, even his death on a cross. He knew it. But he also knew the authority he was walking in, and he was not afraid to do it. And he did it willingly and joyfully.

I have two more verses I just want to share with us in Zechariah chapter 4 verse 6 Let me see if I... I didn't mark it. Let me see if I could find it. There it is. Zechariah chapter 4 verse 6, prophecy about the building of the temple. So very relevant to our text here today. It says, "Then he said to me, 'This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel. Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit,' says the Lord of hosts. 'Who are you, oh great mountain? Before Zerubbabel, you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone among shouts of 'Grace! Grace to it!'."

They're seeking to build the temple. They're wondering how is it going to be possible? And God says to them, "It's not by power. It's not by might. It's by my spirit that this will be done." And when we say to walk in authority, I'm not saying to walk in power. I'm not saying to walk in might. I'm saying to walk by the spirit of the living God, knowing that wherever you go, wherever you walk, if you are a faithful Christian, you are bringing the spirit of God with you with his authority, with his power that can bring about real lasting change.

And lastly, the last thing I would like to read is Matthew 28:18 through 20, the great commission. Many of us know this. It says, "And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age'."

Jesus has all authority over everything. And what does he do without authority? He tells us to go. He tells us to go in his authority to bring the gospel to all nations, baptize, make disciples and teaching them to observe His commandments, to show what true worship of the one living God really is.

I urge you, church, today, be rooted in faith. Know that change is possible and walk in the authority of Jesus Christ bringing His spirit with you wherever you go. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, Lord, we love you. We know you and we trust you. Lord, give us faith to know that you will change us. You will remove sin from our lives and sanctify us, make us more like you. But help us to also know and believe that you are bringing your kingdom here, you are establishing your ways on earth. Give us faith and help our unbelief Lord. Help us to walk in authority, have eyes to see your will and know what you are calling us to do, how we can each be a part of your kingdom, whether in Brookline, whether in Salem, whether in any other part of the world. Give us clear directives, give us clear calling to walk in your might and establish your kingdom here. In Jesus' name, amen.