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Weimar University

Don Mackintosh

Gathering with God

Father in heaven, Lord, bless us today as we think about this text.

He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters abroad." So are you?

Lewis that our speaker last weekend brought out was this, Christianity, if false, is of no importance.

The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.

I suppose if you were dating someone that you wanted to marry and they told you that you were moderately important to them, you would probably realize that that's not the right 1 for you.

Do you see Him as the center of human history?

Do you see him as a center of your history?

Do you see him as the savior of the world?

Or more, Do you see him the Savior of all the worlds, of the universe?

I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men to me." The word men is added, It's not in the original.

I will draw all to me, which means it's an intergalactic drawing.

So Do you see him as the Savior of the universe?

Do you see him as the promised groom of the bride?

Do you see him somewhat as a threat to your ambitions?

If I fully follow him, maybe I can't work as much as I'd like.

I don't want maybe to keep a Sabbath because, you know, that's a lot of time.

Or do you see him as a true person in history?

Maybe he's a charlatan, maybe he's a historical myth.

So do you really believe there was a man named Jesus?

Do you really believe that he's the center?

Because if not, then it's really of no importance, but if true, it's of infinite importance.

The only thing that can't be is moderate.

And a moderate is someone who kind of stands on the fence.

Well, I like things I hear about his life, but there are some things I don't like that much.

I like, well, I'm not really against him, but I'm not really fully for him either.

It's like a man told me this week I was counseling.

He says, you know, your presentations are too binary.

And, You know, I said, would you rather it be binary or not binary?

You know, we started talking kind of semantically, but he said, it's not binary like that for me.

He goes, I'm not really against him, I'm not really for him, and I think that's okay.

And I said, why do you think that's okay?

He says, because I'm an objective observer.

And he says, he says, I said, okay, I said, well, the difference between you and me is that you're an objective observer and I'm a participating observer.

And you really can't even know what I'm thinking about until you participate.

And I shared with them a study about this professor at Oxford who encouraged a group of atheists to actually pray for a year so they could see.

How could you know if prayer doesn't work if you don't do it?

So we got these atheists all praying, And a number of them were converted.

Because as you participate, then you're able to actually observe.

So the text, he who is not with me is against me, is what Jesus is saying.

And he who does not gather with me scatters abroad.

You can either come and follow and leave and be lost.

And, he's talking here and he says, an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, verse 39, no sign will be given except for the sign of the prophet Jonah.

And So he talks about Jonah and another place here in the Chapter he talked about Solomon And he actually says in 1 place I'm trying to find it here that he's actually greater than Solomon Where is that I can't see it here And he's greater.

Yeah verse 42 The queen of the south will rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it.

They came from the ends of the earth to hear the words of Solomon, and indeed, greater than Solomon is here, and then greater than Jonah is here.

If you had a 30 year old that came to you and said, I'm greater than Solomon, and I'm greater than Jonah.

What would you, what would you think of that person?

You're greater than the greatest leaders in our history and you're 30 years old.

So they had to decide what to do with Jesus.

He's either greater than Solomon and Jonah, or he's not.

And for them, it was kind of an easy choice.

Someone comes to your clinic maybe and shows up and says I'm greater than Dr.

Gallant And I'm applying for the MA position here.

You might say, you might be great, but you're greatly wrong for our organization." And then he says here in Matthew chapter 12 that, well actually in chapter 11, go back to our chapter 11, he says, verse 28, Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am gentle, lowly of heart, and you'll find rest for your souls." So here he is saying in 1 chapter, I'm gentle, humble of heart, but I'm also greater than Solomon, and I'm greater than Jonah.

I'm a carpenter's son, and I make yokes for a living, but I'm greater than Solomon, and I'm greater than Jonah, but I'm also gentle and humble of heart.

When Jesus knew it, he withdrew from there and a great multitude followed him and he healed them all.

He might be a carpenter, but he just healed But he just healed everybody.

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Gathering with God

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