1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:15,860 Welcome to Walk in the Truth podcast. How do we know where to find answers to the toughest 2 00:00:15,860 --> 00:00:21,080 questions in life? While the simplest answer is the Bible, where do we start this search 3 00:00:21,080 --> 00:00:27,300 and how do we discover this truth? Today, in this teaching podcast, John Meador, lead 4 00:00:27,300 --> 00:00:32,440 pastor of Cross City Church, takes a specific text of the Bible and helps us find truth 5 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:40,880 for the life we're searching for. So, brothers, you've joined us today and we've had a full 6 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:46,240 day already. We have more to come. And although I'm really looking forward to the message 7 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:50,920 I'll be preaching to you in the next few moments, I also want to look beyond the surface today 8 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:55,840 and call your attention to a couple of people that will be teaching breakout sessions and 9 00:00:55,840 --> 00:01:01,480 also be on this stage at 2.15 with me for a panel discussion about some of the most 10 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:05,200 important questions you can possibly ask. I'm going to put their faces and names on 11 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:09,740 the screen if I can. Ricky Chalet, who's executive director of Living Hope Ministries is with 12 00:01:09,740 --> 00:01:14,480 us today and Katie McCoy, director of Women's Ministries for Texas Baptist and author of 13 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:20,360 a great new book that really answers a lot of questions about what it means to be a woman, 14 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:23,800 which is obviously a big question today in our culture. And I want to encourage you to 15 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:28,880 come back for that one o'clock and then that 2.15 session, which will be in this room, 16 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:34,840 the 2.15 one is, and we'll have an opportunity for Q&A and we've posed some great questions 17 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:40,280 for them already and they have so much information that is important for us to have in navigating 18 00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:46,000 the world that we live in. All right, today we're going to look at a subject that I call 19 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:50,680 the perfect man, the perfect man. This morning at 8.30 we looked at the perfect world. We 20 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:58,200 looked at Genesis chapter one, verse one account of our world and how our world has veered 21 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:03,440 off course from what God created the world to be. How we as human beings have veered 22 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:09,000 off course from that same world. Well, 4,000 years after the creation of the world, Jesus 23 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:15,800 Christ came to live among us. And as you know, Jesus came born of a virgin, fully God, fully 24 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:21,400 man, the perfect man for us to look to for all answers in life and all the confusion 25 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:25,960 that we have. He has so much to say to us today. So if you have your Bibles today, turn 26 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:31,120 to John one, John chapter one, and I'm going to read a few verses out of John chapter one 27 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:37,400 and just position this message as hearing from the perfect man about the questions that 28 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:41,520 we're asking regarding healthy home. Please stand with me as I read a few verses out of 29 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:46,360 John chapter one. Now the first thing you're going to think about when I read this text 30 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:52,240 is, well this text doesn't really say a great deal about the identity questions that we're 31 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:56,960 dealing with. What was I created to be? Who was I created to be? It doesn't really say 32 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:03,360 much about gender dysphoria. It doesn't say much about sexuality or homosexuality or sexual 33 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:07,840 ethics in the Bible. These passages that I'm going to read first don't say a great deal 34 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:14,440 about that. But the passages that I read today will position you to see Jesus for who he 35 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:21,180 really is. One that we must listen to when it comes to all those questions. So read with 36 00:03:21,180 --> 00:03:25,520 me if you look at your Bibles, John chapter one, verse one. The scripture says, in the 37 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:30,960 beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. Most of us when 38 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:36,240 we read John one think directly back to Genesis chapter one, verse one, in the beginning God 39 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:40,680 created the heavens and the earth. So you have in John chapter one a very similar wording 40 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:46,720 of this created world and the scripture says and the word was God. Look what it says in 41 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:52,360 verse 14. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we saw his glory, glory as of 42 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:57,640 the only begotten from the father, full of grace and truth. You immediately recognize 43 00:03:57,640 --> 00:04:03,040 this is Jesus Christ that we're talking about, verse 16. For of his fullness we have all 44 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:08,200 received and grace upon grace for the law was given through Moses, grace and truth were 45 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:14,640 realized through Jesus Christ. No man has seen God at any time. The only begotten God 46 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:22,640 who is in the bosom of the father, he has explained him. I want you to just note the 47 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:28,800 person, the character, the nature of the perfect man, Jesus Christ here. And we'll see what 48 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:32,960 he has to say about all these things. Father in Jesus name speak to us today. From your 49 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:39,440 word, from the mouth of Jesus Christ, from the words of Jesus Christ himself, about the 50 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:46,920 questions that our culture is asking and answering in various ways. Help us to know what to say, 51 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:51,320 to talk about the hope that lives within us through the person of Jesus Christ. I ask 52 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:58,880 this in Jesus name. And everybody said amen. Please be seated. For those of you that are 53 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:02,600 not aware of the history of Healthy Home, we once a year focus on something that we 54 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:08,040 call Healthy Home. Of course it's more than once a year of a focus. We also have classes 55 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:12,520 that come off of this. We have all kinds of communication that takes place. Our heart 56 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:17,800 is to answer the five most important questions on the planet. The five most important questions 57 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:21,960 on the planet have to do with how you can be healthy in mind and heart and life, how 58 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:26,160 to have a healthy home, how to pass truth on to the next generation with the answer 59 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:32,880 of those five questions. The first question is who is God and what is truth? And we spent 60 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:38,800 some time last year focusing on that one question all day in a conference seminar to this. The 61 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:44,320 second question is the one that we're dealing with today and that question is how do I know 62 00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:51,200 what I was created for? Who was I created to be? What does God intend for my life? There's 63 00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:55,080 another question that we ask from time to time that we'll deal with in future times 64 00:05:55,080 --> 00:06:00,280 together and that is who are my people? Who am I supposed to be around? Who are the people 65 00:06:00,280 --> 00:06:05,280 that give me insight and wisdom to help me live out what God called me to be? How do 66 00:06:05,280 --> 00:06:09,160 you have healthy relationships? That's another question that's in the top five and then that 67 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:15,320 fifth question is what is my purpose in life? But today we're asking the question who was 68 00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:20,360 I created to be? And I think you'll agree with me from the beginning that this is one 69 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:24,640 of the most important questions that could possibly be posed in your life. If you were 70 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:29,480 to ask the question how will I chart out the future of my life? What will my decisions 71 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:34,640 look like? What will my relationships look like? Who was I created to be can help frame 72 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:41,240 the answers for all those decisions that you have down the road. But today we live in a 73 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:47,520 world that has a very different answer to who was I created to be than what we find 74 00:06:47,520 --> 00:06:53,480 in the Bible. Culture will defy reasoning, they'll defy nature, they'll defy the historical 75 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:58,600 faith, they'll defy what the scripture says about who we were created to be and in many 76 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:05,600 ways have lost touch with what we understand the answer to who was I created to be is. 77 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:09,040 You know that you're in a different world when a biological man states I was born a 78 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:15,200 biological man but realized at some point that I was a woman. And you should know immediately 79 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:21,840 upon hearing that that he is having an identity crisis. He is failing to find the answer to 80 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:28,840 who was I created to be. Now the Bible calls this gender dysphoria or confusion. But the 81 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:35,920 response is often instead of resolving my confusion and changing my outlook I choose 82 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:42,800 to undergo treatment or surgery and change my body because we fail to answer the question 83 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:49,640 who was I created to be. The same error takes place when a biological woman has same sex 84 00:07:49,640 --> 00:07:55,640 desires and instead of focusing on the internal confusion of thoughts and desires she pursues 85 00:07:55,640 --> 00:08:00,480 her same sex relationship with another woman and again failing to answer the question who 86 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:06,920 was I created to be. Now let me say at the start of this message today I'm very aware 87 00:08:06,920 --> 00:08:12,100 of the weirdness of this subject today. And I want you to be aware as well that there 88 00:08:12,100 --> 00:08:17,460 are those that are seated next to you perhaps or around you that struggle with these same 89 00:08:17,460 --> 00:08:22,680 kinds of questions. There are people whose sons and daughters deal with this subject 90 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:27,360 that we'll be dealing with today. There are people whose grandchildren deal with that. 91 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:30,680 I had a woman come up to me after the first service this morning and said thank you for 92 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:36,000 the compassion with which we are approaching this kind of question. Thank you for sharing 93 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:40,320 truth but sharing it in compassion and love. We need clarity and compassion. This woman 94 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:44,760 kept talking and talking about that. She said my granddaughter has chosen to be in a same 95 00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:49,720 sex relationship and I struggle with that but I'm grateful we can speak the truth but 96 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:55,200 in love. And that's what I want us to be able to do today. And that's what I want you to 97 00:08:55,200 --> 00:09:01,040 be aware of. The sensitivity, the nature of what we're talking about. This is not a rally. 98 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:09,600 This is a time of deep consideration, compassionate, weightiness in dealing with what we have in 99 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:13,760 front of us and what our culture is dealing with. But we want to answer the question who 100 00:09:13,760 --> 00:09:18,040 would I create it to be? We want you to have that answer before you walk out of this room 101 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:25,960 today. And the way people answer this question today in our culture is quite a scene. And 102 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:31,760 it poses the question are we as human beings identified by our own feelings and our own 103 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:38,960 desires? Or do we find our identity in looking to our creator and how he made us? I want 104 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:42,360 you to walk away today knowing the answer to that. Knowing that you're not bound by 105 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:48,560 feelings. Knowing that you're not bound by desires but you are one that can find clarity 106 00:09:48,560 --> 00:09:54,640 in how you were actually born and how God has actually designed you to be. I need to 107 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:58,560 tell you today, I need to warn you just a little bit that in this world today that we 108 00:09:58,560 --> 00:10:04,760 live in and in Western Christianity in particular, a new kind of way of looking at scripture 109 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:10,680 is taking place called progressive Christianity. Some call it a revisionist perspective of 110 00:10:10,680 --> 00:10:16,360 the Bible. People are coming from what their feelings and what their desires are and reinterpreting 111 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:21,400 scripture to bring it into alignment with the way they feel. And some of these folks 112 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:26,640 can be very persuasive in how they pose their argument. It's important for you to see that 113 00:10:26,640 --> 00:10:32,480 what was written before is for us and helps us and strengthens us but it's also meant 114 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:38,320 to be timeless and eternal and not changing with the culture no matter what anybody might 115 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:43,880 say. Jesus will help us with that today. I believe the perspective of Jesus, the view 116 00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:47,920 of Jesus, the teaching of Jesus, the love of Jesus, the life of Jesus, all those things 117 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:53,480 are going to inform us in such a way where we can answer the question, what does Jesus 118 00:10:53,480 --> 00:10:59,880 say about sexuality and gender? Wouldn't you agree with me that's an important question? 119 00:10:59,880 --> 00:11:03,840 And wouldn't you agree with me that the most important person to answer that question is 120 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:11,080 the infinite God man, the word made flesh. So let's look at that in three different ways. 121 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:16,080 First of all I want you to look at the love of Jesus, the love of Jesus. If your Bible 122 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:21,080 is open to John 1 just turn over a few pages to John chapter 8. I'm going to bring you 123 00:11:21,080 --> 00:11:26,240 to a scene in which Jesus is demonstrating some incredible compassion and incredible 124 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:30,880 clarity at the same time. And that's what we want, we want truth and love, we want clarity 125 00:11:30,880 --> 00:11:35,120 and compassion. Those are so important to our conversations today in this world, so 126 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:40,160 important to being able to share the gospel, important to living out the gospel, important 127 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:46,320 to leading our family or our friends to faith or to truth. We need to have clarity and compassion. 128 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:54,240 Jesus as always models the way. John 8 is that famous passage where a woman is caught 129 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:59,780 in the act of adultery. Anybody that knows this text know that the situation is pretty 130 00:11:59,780 --> 00:12:05,320 much rigged, that the Pharisees have allowed this woman to be caught in adultery. The man 131 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:09,040 is conveniently not in the scene but they drag the woman in front of Jesus and they 132 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:15,160 are trying to entrap him and in attempting to do that Jesus does something very unusual. 133 00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:21,680 He kneels on the sand and draws in the sand and asks which of them was without sin that 134 00:12:21,680 --> 00:12:27,680 they could cast the first stone. When you look at John chapter 8 the scene is said in 135 00:12:27,680 --> 00:12:31,800 verse 5, teacher this woman was caught in adultery in the very act. Now in the law Moses 136 00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:38,080 commanded us to stone such a woman or such women. What then did you say? I love this 137 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:42,480 text because we see something from the Old Testament, something from the New Testament, 138 00:12:42,480 --> 00:12:47,720 this new era that Jesus was inaugurating brought together, hitched together. We get a chance 139 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:53,960 to look at Jesus as he responds to an Old Testament law that's been broken even though 140 00:12:53,960 --> 00:13:00,960 all the rigging is going on behind the scene and we see his response and his response to 141 00:13:00,960 --> 00:13:07,400 me is very telling, very weighty. In verse 11 the Bible says Jesus said to her after 142 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:14,400 saying to those around he that has no sin cast the first stone and began to leave. He 143 00:13:14,680 --> 00:13:18,800 says to the woman where are your condemners, where are those who judge you? She said there's 144 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:25,000 no one there Lord. So Jesus said this, he said I do not condemn you either go from now 145 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:32,000 on sin no more. Now in the context of our conversation today asking the question is 146 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:40,400 what God created in the beginning still applicable in the days of Jesus. Is it still relevant 147 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:46,600 that immorality is still sin? Is it still immoral? Is it still relevant that this woman 148 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:52,080 has broken the law and what does Jesus the sonless son of God do about that situation? 149 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:58,240 We think about all the possibilities if the revisionist is correct, if progressive Christianity 150 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:04,480 is correct Jesus could have taken this opportunity to say well that's a different era and now 151 00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:09,600 morality is not seen the same way. We're going to deal with it in a different way. Jesus 152 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:14,160 said something as simple as that was then this is now. But Jesus does none of those 153 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:19,720 things in his answer. What did Jesus actually say? He did not exercise judgment at that 154 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:26,720 moment which would have been stoning but rather said go from now on sin no more. In doing 155 00:14:29,240 --> 00:14:36,240 this he was not affirming sexual immorality of any kind. He was not overlooking the gravity 156 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:43,240 of sin but rather exercised forgiveness and a warning from this moment go forward and 157 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:49,240 sin no more. I mean all you have to do is look at this text and see that Jesus called 158 00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:56,240 adultery sin the departure of God's ideal God's plan for your life. So he upheld the 159 00:14:56,240 --> 00:14:59,840 teaching and the moral code of the Old Testament but intertwined through his answer was the 160 00:14:59,840 --> 00:15:05,840 obvious compassion born out of love. In other words I love you too much but I love you too 161 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:11,880 much to allow you to be deceived into thinking that immorality is okay. It's not but I also 162 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:18,880 love you too much to not offer you hope of forgiveness. This is not your final moment 163 00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:24,380 of condemnation he says to this woman caught in adultery but I also love you too much to 164 00:15:24,380 --> 00:15:31,380 let you continue your life of sexual sin go and sin no more. You see a very real compassionate 165 00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:41,520 clear response from Jesus just like the woman at the well when he responded to her he pointed 166 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:46,300 her to something greater. I read this passage and I can find some really clear principles 167 00:15:46,300 --> 00:15:51,120 by which I can think and I can operate and you can think and you can operate in the world 168 00:15:51,120 --> 00:15:58,020 around us with such a changing sexual ethic what do we think needs to be clear in terms 169 00:15:58,020 --> 00:16:04,200 of Jesus' truth. Let me note three things together in this text right here. First of 170 00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:10,680 all Jesus called sexual immorality sin. Sexual immorality is sin. In other words he said 171 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:15,220 to the woman your identity is a person called away from immorality. If he's answering the 172 00:16:15,220 --> 00:16:20,640 question what will you create to be he's letting her know it's not that. It's not that kind 173 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:27,640 of lifestyle it's not that kind of immorality. Notice second Jesus exercised love and compassion 174 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:33,680 for one in sexual sin. In other words your identity is one of a person loved and cared 175 00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:40,420 for by Jesus Christ. I love you too much to leave you alone. And then thirdly you'll notice 176 00:16:40,420 --> 00:16:45,680 that Jesus commanded her to go and sin no more. In other words your identity is that 177 00:16:45,680 --> 00:16:52,120 you are not bound to a behavior that is not God's designed for you. He exercises all three 178 00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:58,440 of these things and in his very brief answer to her, immorality is sin. I'm going to exercise 179 00:16:58,440 --> 00:17:05,440 love and compassion and you can go and you can sin no more. One modern revisionist author 180 00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:11,240 named Matthew Vines actually says that such negative teaching as we just looked at in 181 00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:16,520 the life of Jesus about immorality is the cause of depression and the cause of suicide 182 00:17:16,520 --> 00:17:23,520 and destruction in the lives of people who are living the LGBTQ lifestyle. In other words 183 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:28,720 Jesus shouldn't have said it like that. Jesus shouldn't have confronted her immorality. 184 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:35,320 But I would beg to differ in contrast to that statement. Here is a picture of how the sonless 185 00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:42,040 son of God deals with a marginalized alienated woman caught in immorality and she receives 186 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:49,040 both love and instruction from Jesus Christ himself. And it encourages me. You can speak 187 00:17:50,020 --> 00:17:55,800 the truth in love. You can follow the example of Jesus Christ. You can look with compassion 188 00:17:55,800 --> 00:18:01,120 upon those who knowingly or unknowingly are missing their true identity and calling as 189 00:18:01,120 --> 00:18:05,680 children of a creator God who has an amazing plan for their life. No matter whether they 190 00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:12,260 knowingly or unknowingly are erring from that you can speak in love. After this great account 191 00:18:12,260 --> 00:18:17,640 of Jesus dealing with this situation with this woman caught in adultery he concludes 192 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:22,720 the conversation with a startling statement that will guide us further. John 8 verse 193 00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:28,800 12. Then Jesus said again and spoke to them saying I am the light of the world. He who 194 00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:35,440 follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of light. In other words if 195 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:40,080 I still have some questions about how to deal with the subject of immorality, how to deal 196 00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:44,920 with someone that is caught up in sin, if I want to know how to have clarity and compassion 197 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:49,600 then I've got someone not only to model the way to lead the way but who has given me light, 198 00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:55,320 the light that I need, the teaching that I need to walk through this life without confusion. 199 00:18:55,320 --> 00:19:00,280 Nobody in this room because of Jesus Christ should be confused about his sexual ethic 200 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:05,000 or his design for our world or for your life. You need to be able to know that. So first 201 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:10,600 of all the life of Jesus. Secondly that last statement begs us to spend some time on the 202 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:16,120 teaching of Jesus. The teaching of Jesus. You know in John chapter 10 verse 10 there's 203 00:19:16,120 --> 00:19:22,440 this great verse that reminds us of how incredibly loving and powerful the teaching ministry 204 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:28,120 of Jesus is and what he actually brings us. And Jesus helps us know about that in this 205 00:19:28,120 --> 00:19:33,120 statement in John chapter 10 where he contrasts the thief that comes to rob and kill and destroy 206 00:19:33,120 --> 00:19:37,360 and what the good shepherd comes to bring. Jesus said the thief comes only to steal 207 00:19:37,360 --> 00:19:43,000 and kill and destroy. I come that they may have life and have it abundantly. If that's 208 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:49,800 true then everything Jesus said will help us have life and have it abundantly. Not just 209 00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:55,520 everlasting life. Not just heaven when we die. But the most abundant life. The best 210 00:19:55,520 --> 00:20:00,520 kind of life that he's designed for us will be found in the teaching and the words of 211 00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:06,560 Jesus Christ. And by saying that he reminds us that life's fulfillment doesn't come from 212 00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:12,720 fulfilling desires or wants or what we perceive as needs but life's fulfillment comes from 213 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:19,960 following the one who gives us life. It comes from knowing him and understanding what he 214 00:20:19,960 --> 00:20:26,920 says is truth. So with that where does Jesus say anything at all about homosexuality or 215 00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:33,400 same sex marriage or transgenderism? Is the New Testament silent? You're going to hear 216 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:39,720 from activists from those that want to look at homosexuality, same sex marriage, they 217 00:20:39,720 --> 00:20:44,880 want to look at transgenderism as a brand new form of life that the Bible doesn't address 218 00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:50,520 at all. They want to say that Jesus didn't shed any light at all about what's truth or 219 00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:55,960 what's wrong about this kind of lifestyles. That's what revisionist authors will want 220 00:20:55,960 --> 00:21:00,240 you to think. That's what progressive Christianity will want you to embrace. They want you to 221 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:05,400 doubt and question whether the God of the universe was capable or all-knowing enough 222 00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:09,880 so that in the future he could say something to us that would help us in our present day. 223 00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:14,360 So my question is did Jesus leave us in the dark about all these things and my answer 224 00:21:14,360 --> 00:21:24,840 will be no, he did not. If your Bible's open turn to Matthew chapter 19. In chapter 19 225 00:21:24,840 --> 00:21:30,200 of the book of Matthew you got to find that Jesus was clear about all these subjects that 226 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:36,600 we've been naming. Clear about the created order of sexuality and gender. Clear about 227 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:41,800 any departure of that would be considered sin and therefore unacceptable before God 228 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:49,280 and in the church. In Matthew 19 Jesus is asked a question about divorce. When someone 229 00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:53,400 is asked a question about divorce normally you and I would, if we had an answer, we're 230 00:21:53,400 --> 00:22:00,200 limited to what we would know about or study about that subject. But when Jesus is asked 231 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:06,680 a question about divorce his answer is a bigger picture answer. His answer is not just having 232 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:11,920 to do with divorce and marriage but about all of life because he goes back and he quotes 233 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:18,200 Genesis chapter one and chapter two. I want you to notice this text in Matthew chapter 234 00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:24,560 19 verses four, five and six and as you read this text please note that we have capitalized 235 00:22:24,560 --> 00:22:29,320 all of the words in this text and that's actually how it's found in scripture as well. You see 236 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:34,200 all caps what that means is not that Jesus is shouting. If you think that Jesus is shouting 237 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:40,520 then you are too caught up in social media, too caught up in your text messaging. Jesus 238 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:44,480 is quoting word for word the Old Testament. In other words he's saying to the people in 239 00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:49,800 the present day look back at what God has already said thousands of years before. You'll 240 00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:56,160 find your answer there. Now he answered and said, have you not read that he who created 241 00:22:56,160 --> 00:23:02,320 them from the beginning made them male and female? And said, for this reason a man shall 242 00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:07,200 leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. 243 00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:11,360 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together let no man 244 00:23:11,360 --> 00:23:18,360 separate. So Jesus definitely answers the question of divorce or divorce and remarriage. 245 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:25,440 But he goes further and talks about all of creation. He goes beyond the basic answer 246 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:32,440 and he talks to us about God's created order. It all fits in how God created the heavens 247 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:38,360 and the earth and male and female. Let me give you some practicals out of this verse. 248 00:23:38,360 --> 00:23:45,360 In this passage Jesus reaffirms two genders. He reaffirms heterosexual marriage. He reaffirms 249 00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:52,660 marriage as a fundamental building block of the family. He also affirms that 4,000 years 250 00:23:52,660 --> 00:23:58,960 of human history has not changed the way we are to view these passages in the Bible. 4,000 251 00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:05,960 years after they were first given, after creation first took place. In saying this Jesus declares 252 00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:10,720 that any departure from the original created order or gender or marriage is a departure 253 00:24:10,720 --> 00:24:17,380 from God's truth. We get phone calls all the time from people who are looking for a place 254 00:24:17,380 --> 00:24:21,720 to worship and one of the questions they have is, is this an affirming church? And by that 255 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:28,720 question what they mean is does this church affirm gay marriage or homosexuality? And 256 00:24:28,960 --> 00:24:35,960 our answer is always the same. We cannot affirm what Jesus does not affirm. We don't say that 257 00:24:35,960 --> 00:24:42,960 rudely. We say it kindly. We say we are a welcoming church but we are not an affirming 258 00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:47,240 church. We invite everyone, whoever they are, whatever their sexual ethic, whatever they 259 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:52,040 come from background wise, whatever place they are in the spectrum, we invite them to 260 00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:57,120 come. We invite them to get to know the God that we worship, to open the Bible and find 261 00:24:57,120 --> 00:25:01,400 out what God would say to them. We're not an affirming church because a church cannot 262 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:08,400 affirm that which its head, Jesus Christ, does not affirm. But beyond all that we look 263 00:25:09,360 --> 00:25:16,360 around today and we realize that it doesn't work well anyway. Departing from God's order, 264 00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:20,640 departing from God's design hasn't worked well. It doesn't work well in Genesis, it 265 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:27,360 doesn't work well now. Sean McDowell, a professor at Biola University said in a debate about 266 00:25:27,360 --> 00:25:32,320 this subject, a very interesting statement, I'm going to quote it for a moment. Imagine 267 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:37,640 a world where people trust and obey God with such issues as gender, sexual activity, exercise 268 00:25:37,640 --> 00:25:43,440 within the confines of heterosexual marriage, in other words Jesus' sexual ethic. Can you 269 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:49,320 imagine a world without sexual transmitted diseases, without brokenness from divorce, 270 00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:54,720 a world without abortion, without broken dysfunctional families, where every child had a mother and 271 00:25:54,720 --> 00:26:01,720 a father, a world with no rape, no abuse, no trafficking, no porn? And then some would 272 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:08,080 say yes but that's not reality and you'd be right. But our reality is the reality of 273 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:15,080 rejecting Jesus' sexual ethic. That's why we have what we have today. Jesus is affirming 274 00:26:16,120 --> 00:26:19,760 that God's created order has not changed. It's not in need of revision. It's not in 275 00:26:19,760 --> 00:26:24,440 need of revisionist commentators. It's not in need of progressive thought. We don't have 276 00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:29,320 to get a different set of lenses to look at what God's truth always has been, always will 277 00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:36,320 be true, has always been truth. Truth will always be truth. People who are practicing 278 00:26:37,320 --> 00:26:42,320 immorality are not following the Jesus of the Bible. They've chosen another life, another 279 00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:49,320 way, another faith and they are not in alignment with the life of Jesus Christ. Now think with 280 00:26:49,320 --> 00:26:55,040 me for a moment. If this is true, if what Jesus says is true, then it really simplifies 281 00:26:55,040 --> 00:27:02,040 life. We don't have to choose. We don't have to choose who we will marry in the sense of 282 00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:09,000 gender. We know. We don't have to choose how to form a family, how to build a family. We 283 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:13,760 don't have to answer questions we weren't designed to answer in the first place. We 284 00:27:13,760 --> 00:27:17,560 do simply need to know what our Creator says. We do simply need to come to the place of 285 00:27:17,560 --> 00:27:23,120 saying I have more confidence in my Creator than I am about my feelings or my desires 286 00:27:23,120 --> 00:27:30,120 or what everybody else around me is saying. So the love of Jesus, the teaching of Jesus. 287 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:36,880 I want to appeal to you today on the basis of the life of Jesus. In John chapter 8 verse 288 00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:43,880 29, Jesus makes this statement, he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone. I 289 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:50,000 just love this next line. This next line just grabs my heart every time I read it. Jesus 290 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:56,120 said for I always do the things that are pleasing to him. Boy isn't that a great quest for 291 00:27:56,120 --> 00:28:01,520 believers to be able to say I always do the things that please my Father. And of course 292 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:05,560 you would think that this thing, this kind of a statement would come from the life of 293 00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:11,760 Jesus Christ. But what this verse tells us is that Jesus fully man and fully God was 294 00:28:11,760 --> 00:28:18,760 able to live a life of fullness and devotion and relationship and meaning without sexual 295 00:28:18,920 --> 00:28:25,920 activity, without sexual sin, without sexual confusion of any kind. He fully obeyed the 296 00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:33,200 Father and he followed the Father's created order in terms of having a biologically male 297 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:39,560 body, tempted in normal ways as all humanity is, but never giving in, never giving up to 298 00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:43,560 confusion. He knows what it means to have a physical desire, knows what it means to 299 00:28:43,560 --> 00:28:50,560 face temptation, knows what it means to turn down that temptation and he still lived that 300 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:58,000 contented life fully pleasing to the Father. There are times today in our sexual world 301 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:04,120 where the thought seems to be that if we don't find sexual fulfillment we haven't found life 302 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:10,120 at all and that's simply not true. Sexuality is not the greatest thing God ever gave us. 303 00:29:10,120 --> 00:29:14,760 It is not the greatest expression of love at all. Greater love is no man than this and 304 00:29:14,760 --> 00:29:19,680 lay down his life for his friends. Sacrifice is a greater demonstration of love than anything 305 00:29:19,680 --> 00:29:26,400 else. Now you might say but that was Jesus. Jesus can do things we can't do and that may 306 00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:33,400 be true but Jesus lived a life to demonstrate that we could live it with his help. You can 307 00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:42,920 clap about that. So today in our culture people seem to think that if God or Jesus say no 308 00:29:49,200 --> 00:29:54,840 then that's damaging to me. If God and Jesus say no then I'm not really bound to that. 309 00:29:54,840 --> 00:30:01,840 That's hard on me, it's difficult for me. But if a person said no to you you just have 310 00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:05,840 to deal with it. We have a whole different standard when it comes to people saying no 311 00:30:05,840 --> 00:30:12,840 to us and when God says no. When people say no to an advance of some kind, sexual advance, 312 00:30:14,040 --> 00:30:19,680 the voicing of a desire and they say no we must stop and we must deny those desires and 313 00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:26,680 we must move on. Your denial has not caused irreparable harm, depression or suicidal tendencies 314 00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:34,520 and if it does you're considered unstable. But if God says no, if God says no suddenly 315 00:30:34,520 --> 00:30:40,400 it's mean and inconsiderate and cruel and if the church that teaches such is doing harm 316 00:30:40,400 --> 00:30:47,400 to people hopefully you can see that for what it is. Jesus shows us that it's possible to 317 00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:52,960 live a contented life without sexual gratification, without activity, without disobeying God in 318 00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:59,960 any way. Sex is not our highest or ultimate need. Andy Stanley, I'm quoting Andy Stanley 319 00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:07,800 today not in a complimentary way, but he said recently in a conference that celibacy for 320 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:14,920 the LGBTQ person is not sustainable. Sam Osbury, a former homosexual who came to faith in Christ 321 00:31:14,920 --> 00:31:19,920 now a pastor in the United Kingdom responded this way in social media, when any leader 322 00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:24,920 suggests to me that chaste obedience to Christ and singleness is not sustainable he's saying 323 00:31:24,920 --> 00:31:31,920 the very same thing to me that the devil says. That quote is in Christianity today. It's 324 00:31:32,920 --> 00:31:37,320 important that you know who you should be listening to. It's important that they reflect 325 00:31:37,320 --> 00:31:42,320 the pages of scripture. It's important for you to know that Jesus' example is that it 326 00:31:42,320 --> 00:31:49,320 is sustainable to have chaste obedience to Christ and singleness. It is. And he is able 327 00:31:49,320 --> 00:31:54,320 to help you. Many are the stories of those who were in the vicious cycle of gender dysphoria 328 00:31:54,320 --> 00:31:59,320 or sexual experimentation who stopped the cycle, trusted Christ and lived fulfilled 329 00:31:59,320 --> 00:32:06,320 lives today in God's power and yet those are not the stories that people want you to hear. 330 00:32:06,320 --> 00:32:11,320 I think you need to know today, be reminded that we have an entire generation of people 331 00:32:11,320 --> 00:32:15,320 who have not been exposed to the scriptures that we've just looked at today over the course 332 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:20,320 of the last 25 minutes. They don't know what the Bible says. They don't know how to understand 333 00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:25,320 what we've just said and they have no other source other than activists for the LGBTQ 334 00:32:25,320 --> 00:32:32,320 plus community or post on social media to inform them. By the way, I don't want you 335 00:32:32,320 --> 00:32:39,320 to celebrate this, but I learned today that today, 20 years ago, Facebook was first started. 336 00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:45,320 This is 20th birthday. If you want to ask the question, how much damage can you do in 337 00:32:45,320 --> 00:32:52,320 20 years? You should look at that. One pastor said this. He said, today people are more 338 00:32:52,320 --> 00:32:57,320 discipled by social media than they are the scriptures. He said, I'm not going to tell 339 00:32:57,320 --> 00:33:02,320 you this, he said today people are more discipled by social media than they are the scripture. 340 00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:07,320 And yeah, they have no idea who they're reading about. No idea about their lives. No idea 341 00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:13,320 about what the damage, the confusion, all the destruction in their lives are all about. 342 00:33:13,320 --> 00:33:17,320 They don't have any idea about that. They just see something that fits what they want 343 00:33:17,320 --> 00:33:22,320 to feel. Let me just give you a warning today. I'm going to be real kind, but I'm going 344 00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:23,920 you really well. 345 00:33:23,920 --> 00:33:26,000 Be careful who you listen to. 346 00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:30,920 And if you don't know them, don't listen to them. 347 00:33:30,920 --> 00:33:32,600 Not everybody's out for your well-being. 348 00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:34,560 Not everybody is out to help you. 349 00:33:34,560 --> 00:33:39,560 Not everybody is out to help point the light to the truth. 350 00:33:39,620 --> 00:33:42,280 Katie McCoy in her book, an excellent book by the way, 351 00:33:42,280 --> 00:33:46,100 tells us that 80% of those in the LGBTQ plus lifestyle 352 00:33:46,100 --> 00:33:48,480 have some church or Christian background. 353 00:33:49,560 --> 00:33:51,680 Which tells me that we don't talk about 354 00:33:51,680 --> 00:33:53,480 these kinds of things enough. 355 00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:55,660 It tells me that this needs to be a conversation 356 00:33:55,660 --> 00:33:58,840 on the front burner, not on the back burner. 357 00:33:58,840 --> 00:34:01,840 We've got to teach the truth about the sexual order 358 00:34:01,840 --> 00:34:04,980 and ethic of Jesus Christ, but we need to do it in love. 359 00:34:06,040 --> 00:34:08,320 So Jesus walked the life of the single person. 360 00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:10,960 He walked intimately with God, the Father, 361 00:34:10,960 --> 00:34:13,060 and in close relationship with those around him 362 00:34:13,060 --> 00:34:14,920 with contentment and joy. 363 00:34:17,560 --> 00:34:20,040 I want to kind of bring this message to a close 364 00:34:20,040 --> 00:34:22,240 by looking at a couple of verses that 365 00:34:22,240 --> 00:34:23,600 are gonna be helpful to you. 366 00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:26,920 One of them is in Hebrews chapter four, verse 15. 367 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:31,560 The author of Hebrews is highlighting Jesus again 368 00:34:31,560 --> 00:34:35,260 for the incredible character who he actually is. 369 00:34:35,260 --> 00:34:37,160 And the fact that he is the intermediary 370 00:34:37,160 --> 00:34:38,200 between God and man. 371 00:34:38,200 --> 00:34:41,120 He is our high priest, the only one that we need. 372 00:34:42,480 --> 00:34:46,080 And in that description of Jesus in Hebrews chapter four, 373 00:34:46,080 --> 00:34:47,960 he makes the statement, 374 00:34:47,960 --> 00:34:51,520 we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize 375 00:34:51,520 --> 00:34:54,760 with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted 376 00:34:54,760 --> 00:34:57,700 in all things as we are and yet without sin. 377 00:34:59,320 --> 00:35:03,120 The presence of the word tempted in this passage 378 00:35:03,120 --> 00:35:05,600 tells us that the weaknesses are not physical weaknesses. 379 00:35:05,600 --> 00:35:08,560 They're not the difficulty to bear up under something, 380 00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:11,840 but the weaknesses are the dealings that we have 381 00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:13,560 with temptation and sin. 382 00:35:13,560 --> 00:35:18,260 It's not that he can't sympathize with our weaknesses, 383 00:35:18,260 --> 00:35:21,620 but in fact he absolutely can understand them. 384 00:35:21,620 --> 00:35:24,700 And he was tempted in all things as we are 385 00:35:24,700 --> 00:35:25,660 and yet without sin. 386 00:35:25,660 --> 00:35:27,940 And as one person said years ago, 387 00:35:27,940 --> 00:35:32,420 that means that Jesus underwent the temptation to the max 388 00:35:32,420 --> 00:35:34,220 because he never gave in. 389 00:35:34,220 --> 00:35:36,620 When we're tempted, we're given way too quick. 390 00:35:36,620 --> 00:35:38,260 We never know the maximum. 391 00:35:38,260 --> 00:35:41,280 Jesus was tempted to the max and yet without sin. 392 00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:44,880 Now the secondary truth of this verse 393 00:35:44,880 --> 00:35:47,360 is that Jesus was tempted and able to withstand 394 00:35:47,360 --> 00:35:50,360 all the temptations and fully devoted to the father 395 00:35:50,360 --> 00:35:52,040 in his ways at the same time. 396 00:35:52,040 --> 00:35:54,120 The second meaning of that verse is that 397 00:35:54,120 --> 00:35:57,120 he is an example for all those who struggle 398 00:35:57,120 --> 00:35:59,800 or who feel alone or who feel isolated 399 00:35:59,800 --> 00:36:02,040 or who feel that no one understands them. 400 00:36:02,040 --> 00:36:04,520 He was able to live with full contentment, with full love, 401 00:36:04,520 --> 00:36:08,460 with full purpose and obedience to his father, 402 00:36:08,460 --> 00:36:11,320 even though he was tempted in all ways as we are 403 00:36:11,320 --> 00:36:13,240 yet without sin. 404 00:36:13,240 --> 00:36:16,600 That's the second meaning of this verse. 405 00:36:16,600 --> 00:36:18,600 The first meaning of this verse, 406 00:36:18,600 --> 00:36:22,000 the primary meaning of this passage is that 407 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:25,420 he understands and he can help those who struggle. 408 00:36:28,760 --> 00:36:32,680 He can understand and he can help those who struggle. 409 00:36:34,380 --> 00:36:36,240 The verse that we put on the screen a few moments ago, 410 00:36:36,240 --> 00:36:38,520 Hebrews 4.16 is up every week. 411 00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:42,720 Therefore let us draw near with confidence. 412 00:36:42,720 --> 00:36:44,220 But therefore of course follows 413 00:36:44,220 --> 00:36:45,760 what we've just read in verse 15. 414 00:36:45,760 --> 00:36:47,520 Therefore let us draw near with confidence 415 00:36:47,520 --> 00:36:51,420 to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy 416 00:36:51,420 --> 00:36:53,800 and find grace to help in time of need. 417 00:36:53,800 --> 00:36:56,280 I can't think of a better invitation 418 00:36:56,280 --> 00:36:58,820 from Christ to each of us. 419 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:03,560 Instead of looking for people to affirm your desires 420 00:37:03,560 --> 00:37:06,720 or for people to help you with your confused 421 00:37:06,720 --> 00:37:10,600 sexual or gender identity, instead of seeking fulfillment 422 00:37:10,600 --> 00:37:13,800 through the object of your perfection, of your affections 423 00:37:13,800 --> 00:37:17,880 or by changing your body, look to find grace 424 00:37:17,880 --> 00:37:20,400 and help from Jesus. 425 00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:24,080 He knows, he understands, he can help 426 00:37:24,080 --> 00:37:26,720 and he promises true freedom, which isn't the freedom 427 00:37:26,720 --> 00:37:29,140 to become something that you want to be, 428 00:37:29,140 --> 00:37:31,820 but it means embracing who you actually have been created 429 00:37:31,820 --> 00:37:34,580 to be in his eyes, knowing who you are created to be 430 00:37:34,580 --> 00:37:38,360 and knowing how to walk that out day by day, 431 00:37:38,360 --> 00:37:42,740 he will give you grace and help in time of need. 432 00:37:45,660 --> 00:37:47,680 Coming back to John 8.12, 433 00:37:49,420 --> 00:37:50,880 then Jesus again spoke to them saying, 434 00:37:50,880 --> 00:37:53,080 I am the light of the world. 435 00:37:53,080 --> 00:37:54,940 He who follows me will not walk in darkness, 436 00:37:54,940 --> 00:37:57,020 but he will have the light of light. 437 00:37:57,020 --> 00:37:58,160 Do you want light? 438 00:37:59,180 --> 00:38:00,720 Do you want life? 439 00:38:00,720 --> 00:38:03,900 Follow him, follow him. 440 00:38:03,900 --> 00:38:07,540 And as you follow him, he reveals that to you. 441 00:38:07,540 --> 00:38:10,140 It's a testimony of thousands that you may never hear, 442 00:38:11,300 --> 00:38:13,980 but it's the statement of Jesus that everybody has seen. 443 00:38:17,220 --> 00:38:19,860 The one you can trust for your salvation, 444 00:38:19,860 --> 00:38:24,860 can also be trusted for your perspective and your life. 445 00:38:25,820 --> 00:38:27,140 Trust him. 446 00:38:27,140 --> 00:38:29,440 I want you to bow with me for a moment. 447 00:38:30,300 --> 00:38:32,340 A couple of things today, I'm gonna first of all, 448 00:38:32,340 --> 00:38:34,460 just offer a word of prayer. 449 00:38:34,460 --> 00:38:38,180 After I pray, we're gonna give a further word of instruction 450 00:38:38,180 --> 00:38:39,820 because this is an unusual day 451 00:38:39,820 --> 00:38:41,540 and we have some things happening 452 00:38:41,540 --> 00:38:43,100 that you need to know about. 453 00:38:43,100 --> 00:38:45,740 But first I pray, then Russell Gregory will come up 454 00:38:45,740 --> 00:38:47,540 and help us with what's next. 455 00:38:48,740 --> 00:38:51,900 As I pray, let me just say this to you today. 456 00:38:52,900 --> 00:38:54,540 If you're here and you struggle, 457 00:38:54,540 --> 00:38:56,940 if you're here and you struggle, 458 00:38:56,940 --> 00:38:58,900 I hope today you can see that there is one 459 00:38:58,900 --> 00:39:01,740 who knows exactly what you've gone through 460 00:39:01,740 --> 00:39:04,260 and is able to help. 461 00:39:05,220 --> 00:39:08,100 He gives you grace in the toughest moments, 462 00:39:08,100 --> 00:39:12,860 grace to help when in time of need, in that moment. 463 00:39:12,860 --> 00:39:14,860 In the moment when you think that all is lost, 464 00:39:14,860 --> 00:39:16,780 the moment when you think there's no way 465 00:39:16,780 --> 00:39:17,980 you're gonna make it through, 466 00:39:17,980 --> 00:39:20,540 there's no way you're gonna get the answer. 467 00:39:20,540 --> 00:39:24,940 He offers grace to help in time of need. 468 00:39:24,940 --> 00:39:27,420 Jesus is on time 100% of the time. 469 00:39:28,540 --> 00:39:30,220 But you need to look to him 470 00:39:30,220 --> 00:39:32,100 and come boldly before the throne of grace. 471 00:39:32,100 --> 00:39:34,300 That's your act of faith. 472 00:39:35,140 --> 00:39:37,900 And in that act of faith, you need to know 473 00:39:37,900 --> 00:39:40,940 that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for all that sin. 474 00:39:42,180 --> 00:39:43,500 Say, what do you mean all that sin? 475 00:39:43,500 --> 00:39:47,300 I mean all that sin of mankind, all mine, all yours. 476 00:39:47,300 --> 00:39:49,980 All of those who have gone before us, 477 00:39:49,980 --> 00:39:51,500 all of those who will come after us, 478 00:39:51,500 --> 00:39:52,900 he died for all that. 479 00:39:54,140 --> 00:39:56,900 And he offers forgiveness and freedom to you today, 480 00:39:56,900 --> 00:39:59,740 no matter what it is that you need to be forgiven of. 481 00:40:00,820 --> 00:40:02,940 But the biggest thing that you need to be forgiven of 482 00:40:02,940 --> 00:40:05,340 is disbelief, unbelief. 483 00:40:05,340 --> 00:40:07,620 It's not trusting him with your identity, 484 00:40:07,620 --> 00:40:10,020 with your future, with your life. 485 00:40:10,940 --> 00:40:12,500 So my appeal to you today is first, 486 00:40:12,500 --> 00:40:14,660 trusting for your salvation, 487 00:40:14,660 --> 00:40:17,060 and then trusting for your perspective, 488 00:40:17,060 --> 00:40:19,220 and then trusting with your life. 489 00:40:19,220 --> 00:40:22,820 As soon as I close and as soon as we get some instructions 490 00:40:22,820 --> 00:40:24,340 over these next few moments, 491 00:40:24,340 --> 00:40:26,060 we have decision stations that are open 492 00:40:26,060 --> 00:40:28,460 at the back of our room, and I encourage you to stop by. 493 00:40:28,460 --> 00:40:30,740 If you wanna talk to somebody about any of this, 494 00:40:30,740 --> 00:40:33,660 and certainly talk to someone about placing your faith 495 00:40:33,660 --> 00:40:36,260 and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, 496 00:40:36,260 --> 00:40:37,940 we want to visit with you today. 497 00:40:37,940 --> 00:40:40,420 We don't have the normal thing of the guest reception room 498 00:40:40,420 --> 00:40:43,820 after our service, but we have a lot of people 499 00:40:43,820 --> 00:40:46,140 who have a conference continuing on, 500 00:40:46,140 --> 00:40:48,380 and I encourage you to come back with us. 501 00:40:48,380 --> 00:40:50,380 Father, in Jesus' name, I am just so grateful 502 00:40:50,380 --> 00:40:52,140 that there are answers in your word 503 00:40:52,140 --> 00:40:53,820 for every question we have. 504 00:40:54,740 --> 00:40:57,700 No matter how difficult the question, 505 00:40:57,700 --> 00:41:01,060 no matter how many different voices are chiming in 506 00:41:01,060 --> 00:41:04,380 about supposed answers, Father, I thank you 507 00:41:04,380 --> 00:41:06,980 that we have clarity and compassion from you, 508 00:41:06,980 --> 00:41:08,860 from the source. 509 00:41:08,860 --> 00:41:10,540 Father, thank you that your word speaks clearly. 510 00:41:10,540 --> 00:41:14,420 I pray, God, that we as believers can trust you with that 511 00:41:14,420 --> 00:41:17,620 for our lives, but also represent that well 512 00:41:17,620 --> 00:41:19,380 to people around us. 513 00:41:19,380 --> 00:41:21,060 In the room today, there are people that struggle. 514 00:41:21,060 --> 00:41:23,220 I pray, God, that they will come boldly before 515 00:41:23,220 --> 00:41:27,500 the throne of grace and find grace to help in time of need. 516 00:41:28,820 --> 00:41:29,940 There are those today in this room 517 00:41:29,940 --> 00:41:31,980 that have never placed their faith and trust in you, 518 00:41:31,980 --> 00:41:35,420 and I pray today you'd give them the boldness 519 00:41:35,420 --> 00:41:38,660 to talk to someone at our decision station 520 00:41:38,660 --> 00:41:41,820 and say, I need to know about this relationship. 521 00:41:41,820 --> 00:41:43,980 Father, meet them there, meet them there. 522 00:41:44,900 --> 00:41:47,820 Lord, thank you so much that you love us. 523 00:41:47,820 --> 00:41:51,180 Thank you for every person here today, not by accident. 524 00:41:51,180 --> 00:41:54,660 They're here because you wanted them to hear what is said 525 00:41:54,660 --> 00:41:57,540 and what will be said in these hours ahead. 526 00:41:57,540 --> 00:42:12,540 We ask all this together in Jesus' name we pray, amen.