This week Kyle walked us through the disciples' problem at the base of the mountain. They could not cast out the demon because they were still trying to do it in their own strength, and they did not yet accept that Jesus had to die. Their misunderstanding leaked out as comparison, exclusion, and the desire to call down judgment on people they had decided were enemies. Reflection It is exhausting to bear the weight of salvation yourself. We feel it in the sin we keep promising to fight and losing to, in the comparison we keep falling into, in the way we quietly want our kingdom more than God's. Kyle named the same hidden assumption in all of it. We do not yet believe the King had to die, and so we still think strength, status, and being right are how we get in. The gospel keeps doing its slow work of putting that to death so we can actually live. Here is a resource that expands on today's theme. John Piper's article "Deny Yourself for More Delight" sits right alongside Kyle's sermon and pushes us deeper into what it means that following a dying King means dying with him.