1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,600 Welcome to Walk in the Truth podcast. 2 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:17,720 How do we know where to find answers to the toughest questions in life? 3 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:22,160 While the simplest answer is the Bible, where do we start this search and how do we discover 4 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:23,160 this truth? 5 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:30,160 Today, in this teaching podcast, John Metter, lead pastor of Cross City Church, takes a 6 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:43,520 specific text of the Bible and helps us find truth for the life we're searching for. 7 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:45,320 Thank you so much for being with us this morning. 8 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:50,520 I want to ask a basic question for everyone in the room today, and that question is, who 9 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:51,520 are you? 10 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:55,040 That's an identity question, obviously. 11 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:58,600 It's a question that everyone needs to know the answer to really well, and they need to 12 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:01,400 know the answer to that in light of what the Bible says about us. 13 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:06,440 And so today, I want you to take your Bibles and turn to Romans 14 today, and beginning 14 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:10,800 in verse 17, we're going to answer the question, who are you? 15 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:15,200 Now, over the next two or three weeks, I'm going to share some pretty personal messages, 16 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:17,000 this one being, who are you? 17 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:21,000 Next week, a question that answers the why of life. 18 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:22,000 Why am I here? 19 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:26,320 And I'm going to share with you some things that I went through this year through some 20 00:01:26,320 --> 00:01:31,160 health challenges, through cancer surgery, and on the other side of that, just some things 21 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:36,280 the Lord taught me, some things that took place in my life, and really answered the 22 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:37,280 question of why. 23 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:38,720 Why am I here? 24 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:40,680 And you want to know the answer to that too. 25 00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:46,400 And then one of the most important texts that I ever teach or preach is in Galatians 2.21, 26 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:49,160 two weeks from today, how do I live this life? 27 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:50,620 How do I live this life? 28 00:01:50,620 --> 00:01:52,240 And you may know what that passage is. 29 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:53,840 It's a great, great text of scripture. 30 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:57,880 So the pretty personal next two or three weeks, beginning with, who are you? 31 00:01:57,880 --> 00:02:00,880 Please stand with me, and we'll read God's word together. 32 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:04,640 Romans chapter 14, I'm going to pick it up in the middle of a text. 33 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:11,320 This text deals with the issue of a conscious, you're conscious before God. 34 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:16,400 It deals with a section that talks about how to walk without being a stumbling block to 35 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:22,560 other people, how to put first things first and not be divided by secondary issues. 36 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:27,880 But it really at the heart of it has these three verses that talk so much about how we 37 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:29,960 understand ourselves to be before God. 38 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:34,040 So here we go, beginning in verse 17 of Romans 14. 39 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:39,100 Scripture says, for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness 40 00:02:39,100 --> 00:02:42,320 and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 41 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:47,040 Now the argument has been one person eats meat sacrificed to idols, another person does 42 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:49,360 this, which one of us is right? 43 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:54,640 And Paul really cuts through all that and says really the heart of it all is your connection 44 00:02:54,640 --> 00:02:59,000 with God, regardless of how religion plays out, what somebody else says or what somebody 45 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:00,000 else does. 46 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,960 So he starts with this, the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness 47 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:06,140 and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 48 00:03:06,140 --> 00:03:12,660 For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 49 00:03:12,660 --> 00:03:19,440 So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. 50 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:20,440 Let's bow together in prayer. 51 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:25,840 Father, I pray that you'll take this text today and help us to see the several layers 52 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:30,640 of meaning, but the application for our lives today and helping us know who we are. 53 00:03:30,640 --> 00:03:35,320 Father, I pray for every person in the room that has struggled with who they are and what 54 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:39,120 you think of them, what others think of them, what they think of themselves. 55 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:44,320 And Father, I pray that you will bring them to a point, a moment, even an experience where 56 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:47,920 they hear you whisper to them, this is who you are to me. 57 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:49,760 Father, let us hear your voice today. 58 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:51,240 I ask this in Jesus' name. 59 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:54,120 And all God's people said, amen, amen. 60 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:56,740 Please be seated. 61 00:03:56,740 --> 00:04:03,400 I have probably shared this with you before, but years ago I read an article that I clipped 62 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:08,520 and kept in a file and I pulled it out every once in a while to remind myself of what it 63 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:11,720 looks like when you get a good piece of advice. 64 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:17,640 So what I'm going to read to you is how to survive an anaconda attack. 65 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:18,640 Good piece of advice. 66 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:19,640 Never know when you're going to need it. 67 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:24,000 And this actually is from the U.S. Peace Corps manual for its volunteers who work in the 68 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:25,000 Amazon jungle. 69 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:28,880 Now I've been to the Amazon, haven't wrestled with an anaconda, but nonetheless it would 70 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:32,480 be helpful to know if you're ever attacked by an anaconda. 71 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:35,160 Now you need to know, some of you are saying, what's an anaconda? 72 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:42,560 It's the largest snake on the planet, growing to 30 feet long, up to 800 pounds. 73 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:45,120 And I mean, there's just nothing bigger to attack you with. 74 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:47,040 And also you may have nightmares tonight. 75 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:48,840 I don't know. 76 00:04:48,840 --> 00:04:53,440 Ten steps I want you to remember, okay? 77 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:55,960 Number one, if you're attacked by an anaconda, do not run. 78 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:58,520 The snake is faster than you are. 79 00:04:58,520 --> 00:05:00,080 Number two, lie flat on the ground. 80 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:03,960 Put your arms tight against your sides, your legs tight against one another. 81 00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:05,640 Number three, tuck your shin in. 82 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:10,120 Number four, the snake will come and begin to nudge and climb over your body. 83 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:11,920 Number five, do not panic. 84 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:14,000 Good piece of advice, sir. 85 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:16,000 Do not panic. 86 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:18,840 Number six, and this is actual, I didn't make this up. 87 00:05:18,840 --> 00:05:24,240 This is an actual set of instructions to the Peace Corps in Amazon. 88 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:28,120 Number six, after the snake has examined you, it will begin to swallow you from the feet 89 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:29,120 end. 90 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:31,040 So you'll read it in verse. 91 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:33,400 Permit the snake to swallow you to your feet and ankles. 92 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:36,020 Do not panic again. 93 00:05:36,020 --> 00:05:40,200 Number seven, the snake will now begin to suck your legs into its body. 94 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:41,560 You must be perfectly still. 95 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:43,860 This will take a long time. 96 00:05:43,860 --> 00:05:48,400 Number eight, when the snake has reached to your knees slowly and with as little movement 97 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:53,560 as possible, reach down, take your knife and very gently slide it into the side of the 98 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:57,760 snake's mouth between the edge of its mouth and your leg and then suddenly rip upward, 99 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:00,200 severing the snake's head. 100 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:06,520 Number nine, be sure you have your knife. 101 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:09,960 Number 10, be sure your knife is sharp. 102 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:11,640 That's a good piece of advice, isn't it? 103 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:15,960 You remember that the next time you go to the Amazon. 104 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:19,800 But I want to give you a statement today that's probably the best advice you can have. 105 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:21,720 I've shared it many times. 106 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:26,560 And I learned it almost 40 years ago from a seminary professor who made this statement 107 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:33,320 to me in a classroom and said, you will never forget this statement and over your life you 108 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:35,200 will realize the importance of it. 109 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:37,720 And he made a statement that I wasn't impressed with. 110 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:41,600 I didn't think it would be something that I would carry with me all my life, but now 111 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:45,800 40 years later I'm looking back and going, hey, that statement means something. 112 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:52,280 And here's the statement, the most important word in the English language is relationships. 113 00:06:52,280 --> 00:06:57,600 The most important word for you and I is relationships. 114 00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:01,560 Every bad thing that happens to us happens through the context of bad relationships. 115 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:07,520 Every good thing that happens to us happens through the context of good relationships. 116 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:11,460 Relationship is a key word in your life. 117 00:07:11,460 --> 00:07:18,260 Everything you have from God comes through not religion, but relationship. 118 00:07:18,260 --> 00:07:23,360 Everything you will ever come to know about Him comes through knowing Him personally and 119 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:26,840 then knowing about how He works in your life. 120 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:27,840 Relationships again. 121 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:33,240 So I'm going to talk to you today about relationships and I think relationships are probably in 122 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:35,720 danger more than ever before. 123 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:40,600 I mean I look around me and I see all kinds of dysfunction in relationships in life in 124 00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:41,600 general. 125 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:43,700 People are not relating properly to each other. 126 00:07:43,700 --> 00:07:46,500 They don't relate properly to marriage partners. 127 00:07:46,500 --> 00:07:50,920 They don't relate properly to themselves and in many ways we struggle with relationships 128 00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:57,120 all the way around and certainly many people do not have a right relationship with God. 129 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:00,320 But I will make this statement to you over and over and you'll hear it from me over the 130 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:07,360 years, people who succeed in life will succeed through relationships or they will not succeed 131 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:09,440 at all. 132 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:13,840 To neglect relationships in your life is one of the most dangerous things you can possibly 133 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:14,840 do. 134 00:08:14,840 --> 00:08:20,840 Now this advice that we're going to look at from this text comes out of a larger context 135 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:25,320 that I've shared about how a Christian lives the life to please God. 136 00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:30,320 How he does not get trapped up into secondary issues and how he does not let another person 137 00:08:30,320 --> 00:08:34,760 get them off track, but how to live in peace with God and with each other. 138 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:39,720 How to have the proper framework and perspective for life and answering the question, who am 139 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:40,720 I? 140 00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:42,760 Who are you? 141 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:45,920 And we have the help of scripture to do that. 142 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:48,480 And with this text we're going to answer three questions. 143 00:08:48,480 --> 00:08:50,360 The first one is who fulfills me? 144 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:52,960 Where do I get my fulfillment in life? 145 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:58,880 People or things, goals I put in front of myself, where do I find fulfillment? 146 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:02,160 The second question is the title of the message, who am I? 147 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:05,000 Who do I understand myself to be? 148 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:06,680 Am I who people say that I am? 149 00:09:06,680 --> 00:09:08,840 Am I who my parents say that I am? 150 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:11,120 Am I who I just feel like I am? 151 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:13,640 Who am I really? 152 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:15,400 And the third question is who do I live for? 153 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:20,000 Do I live for myself, others, God? 154 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:24,200 So my challenge is for you today to focus on those three questions as they pertain to 155 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:27,280 your life as I bring out these verses to you. 156 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:31,440 First question of course is who fulfills me? 157 00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:36,560 Take just a few moments and think about what is it that fulfills you in life the most? 158 00:09:36,560 --> 00:09:39,200 What gives you the greatest thrill, the greatest joy? 159 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:42,680 What gives you the greatest sense of satisfaction in life? 160 00:09:42,680 --> 00:09:47,360 And I want to answer that question, who fulfills me from the perspective of scripture? 161 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:49,840 Let's go to that first verse we read, verse 17. 162 00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:55,600 As Paul communicates what I call the gem of a passage for us today, and I begin by saying 163 00:09:55,600 --> 00:10:01,720 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking but righteousness and peace and joy in the 164 00:10:01,720 --> 00:10:03,800 Holy Spirit. 165 00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:08,360 Now this is the God factor that Paul is bringing into every person's life. 166 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:10,640 The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking. 167 00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:14,960 It's not about religious practices of one person or another person. 168 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:19,360 It's not about abstaining from one thing or another, but it's about a relationship that 169 00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:24,800 yields righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 170 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:29,360 This reminds us that we're truly spiritual people. 171 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:33,320 Now you are physical, you're here today and you have a body, so you're here with your 172 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:34,320 body. 173 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:36,680 You also have a mind, so you're here with your mind. 174 00:10:36,680 --> 00:10:39,000 However healthy or unhealthy it is. 175 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:42,960 Some of us may feel like we're really healthy physically and really healthy mentally, but 176 00:10:42,960 --> 00:10:48,640 if you ignore the spiritual factor, you're going to miss the fulfillment and the joy 177 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:51,200 that God has for your life. 178 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:54,880 And that's why we take a step back and say, okay, what fulfills us? 179 00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:59,400 Because what fulfills me physically or what fulfills me mentally is not the question we're 180 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:00,960 asking today. 181 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:05,520 We're asking the question, what fulfills you completely spiritually, physically, mentally 182 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:07,880 and every other way? 183 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:10,360 And more importantly, who does that for us? 184 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:17,240 I want you to look at those three words there, righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy 185 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:18,240 Spirit. 186 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:19,880 Those are fulfillment words. 187 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:24,800 If you know you're righteous before God, if you know you have incredible peace with God 188 00:11:24,800 --> 00:11:28,720 and with others, if you know that you have an incredibly high level of joy, those are 189 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:29,800 fulfillment words. 190 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:31,840 Those are satisfaction words. 191 00:11:31,840 --> 00:11:36,120 Have you ever sat down at the end of a day when you've done what you've been designed 192 00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:41,280 to do, when you walk with God in some degree of harmony and with others with a degree of 193 00:11:41,280 --> 00:11:44,920 harmony and sit down at the end of the day and say, well, man, I may be tired, but man, 194 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:46,320 I am satisfied. 195 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:47,480 I am fulfilled. 196 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:50,160 I am where I need to be. 197 00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:52,680 I want that for you. 198 00:11:52,680 --> 00:11:54,280 And some of us never had that opportunity. 199 00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:58,120 We never understand how to get there. 200 00:11:58,120 --> 00:12:00,760 Righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 201 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:07,040 Now as we dive into this subject today, keep in mind that all the way through the Bible, 202 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:10,280 God has desired a relationship with people. 203 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:13,800 I'll be specific, he wants a relationship with you. 204 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:15,560 Jesus talked about this often. 205 00:12:15,560 --> 00:12:21,960 In fact, his three years of earthly ministry showed us all kinds of relationship connections 206 00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:24,160 with his disciples, with others. 207 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:28,960 I mean, Jesus showed us that you can have amazing relationships with other people. 208 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:30,080 He showed us how to do that. 209 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:32,800 He showed us how to live life in relationships. 210 00:12:32,800 --> 00:12:37,120 And of course, his loyalty, his devotion to those disciples was amazing. 211 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:39,160 His devotion to the law was amazing. 212 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:43,520 I mean, who else dies on the cross for what other people need but don't even know they 213 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:47,600 need but Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 214 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:53,040 So everything that Jesus says needs to be couched in this understanding of a relationship. 215 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:57,200 John chapter 10 verse 10 is one of those passages that I'm reminded of. 216 00:12:57,200 --> 00:13:02,000 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, but I came that they may have life 217 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:03,000 and have it more abundantly. 218 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:07,960 Jesus said, I want you to have this abundant life that has righteousness and peace and 219 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:10,800 joy and satisfaction and everything else. 220 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:15,600 Then there's this, John 17, three, one of the greatest passages, greatest statements 221 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:17,400 Jesus ever made. 222 00:13:17,400 --> 00:13:23,700 This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you 223 00:13:23,700 --> 00:13:25,420 have sent. 224 00:13:25,420 --> 00:13:30,520 That tells me in a nutshell that eternal life is not about just doing things, just doing 225 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:36,800 a set of regulations and rules and religious acts. 226 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:39,040 That's not what eternal life is. 227 00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:43,840 Eternal life is knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 228 00:13:43,840 --> 00:13:47,920 You can't know someone apart from relationship. 229 00:13:47,920 --> 00:13:53,160 When you have a relationship with God through Jesus, you have this understanding of who 230 00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:59,200 fulfills your life and He is the one that can fulfill your life and He's the only one. 231 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:03,080 You ever heard anybody talk about the God-sized hole that we have in our heart? 232 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:05,240 We try to fill it with all kinds of different things. 233 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:06,760 We try to fill it with money. 234 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:08,160 We try to fill it with possessions. 235 00:14:08,160 --> 00:14:09,960 We try to fill it with people. 236 00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:12,600 We try to fill it with self-improvement and all different kinds of things. 237 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:16,120 And at the end of it all, there's a little bit of excitement when we feel like we're 238 00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:21,080 making progress and then we take a step back and look and say, that didn't do it either. 239 00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:24,080 And that person didn't do it and that car didn't do it and that house didn't do it 240 00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:28,240 and that job did not do it. 241 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:34,960 No amount of self-improvement, no amount of possessions can fulfill your life the way 242 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:37,800 your Creator can fulfill your life. 243 00:14:37,800 --> 00:14:44,920 The Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking but righteousness and joy and peace in the 244 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:45,920 Holy Spirit. 245 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:49,800 Let me tell you a story about my wife and I. 246 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:54,520 We were both believers when we got married and I knew I was called to the ministry and 247 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:59,400 so I began to go to graduate school seminary and we'd been married just a few years by 248 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:00,400 then. 249 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:05,880 At the seven-year interval of our marriage, we began to have problems and those problems 250 00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:08,840 were compounded by just our schedule. 251 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:13,520 I was working several jobs as well as being a student pastor in the church as well as 252 00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:17,560 going to seminary and I'd get up very early every morning and be gone until very late 253 00:15:17,560 --> 00:15:19,240 at night. 254 00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:21,840 She was at home with our two children. 255 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:26,360 By the time we'd been married seven years, we had two kids and they were very alive and 256 00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:30,880 very active and very demanding in the sense of what it required of her. 257 00:15:30,880 --> 00:15:37,280 So she wanted me to be home more to help her and I wanted to be home but couldn't be and 258 00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:43,520 so we just reached this point of decision where we said, is this going to work? 259 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:48,600 One day we sat down and had a really, really important talk at seven years of marriage. 260 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:52,560 By the way, this is why she calls the first seven years of our marriage as the seven years 261 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:53,560 of tribulation. 262 00:15:53,560 --> 00:15:59,480 She actually does that. 263 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:06,560 And in that conversation that we had at that crossroads, we said that we cannot fulfill 264 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:08,200 one another. 265 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:14,600 I can't perfectly fulfill Kim and Kim said that she can't perfectly fulfill me. 266 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:19,280 We just came to that understanding that we're always going to be, even though committed, 267 00:16:19,280 --> 00:16:22,080 we'll always have some inadequacy. 268 00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:26,840 Some of it's circumstantial, some of it's in other ways, but the truth is if we were 269 00:16:26,840 --> 00:16:33,040 just looking for the marital spouse to fulfill us completely, we would be destined to fail. 270 00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:34,720 We learned that at seven years. 271 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:37,880 I said, what's the solution to that? 272 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:42,800 Well the solution is kind of a trite cliche that some people kind of quickly brush away 273 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:45,600 but it changed our lives. 274 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:50,680 And the solution was we would find our complete fulfillment in Christ and then as fulfilled, 275 00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:56,280 satisfied people, we would have this relationship with each other and we would simply grow together 276 00:16:56,280 --> 00:17:00,440 over whatever challenges we were facing. 277 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:02,600 That was at seven years of marriage. 278 00:17:02,600 --> 00:17:10,720 We've been married 47 years now and have an incredible degree of fulfillment together. 279 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:15,200 So we had to come to the place of understanding that our fulfillment doesn't come from each 280 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:17,880 other but from God. 281 00:17:17,880 --> 00:17:22,360 If I could say anything to you today about your life, I would say find your satisfaction 282 00:17:22,360 --> 00:17:23,920 in Christ. 283 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:28,160 Find your satisfaction in the one who created you, the one who died on the cross for you. 284 00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:33,520 Find it there and no other place because he alone can fulfill you. 285 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:36,520 And that's a journey to be on. 286 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:37,840 It's a learning experience. 287 00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:43,280 It doesn't happen overnight but it is possible for you to live in such a way where you find 288 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:46,240 your complete fulfillment in Jesus Christ. 289 00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:51,640 And let me say this to you, He will never disappoint you ever. 290 00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:54,200 He will never abandon you. 291 00:17:54,200 --> 00:17:57,120 He will never hang you out to dry. 292 00:17:57,120 --> 00:17:59,960 His love for you has already been demonstrated. 293 00:17:59,960 --> 00:18:02,800 So the first question is, who fulfills me? 294 00:18:02,800 --> 00:18:05,080 The second question is, who am I? 295 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:06,640 Who do I understand myself to be? 296 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:12,280 And in this next verse, verse 18, we read this, for he who in this way serves Christ 297 00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:16,080 is acceptable to God and approved by men. 298 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:20,720 Now Paul is writing to Christians who have already been made right with God through Jesus 299 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:26,400 but he's encouraging them to live life in such a way as to focus on the important relationship 300 00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:31,720 with the Father and not the religious externals and then to understand that when you live 301 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:36,760 that way in the blood of Christ and in faith in Jesus Christ, he who in this way serves 302 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:40,480 Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 303 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:45,000 So I want to talk to you about that for just a few moments because I believe that's one 304 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:49,760 of the most important things that you and I need to learn to practice. 305 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:51,600 I think we struggle with this. 306 00:18:51,600 --> 00:18:54,640 I think people everywhere struggle with this. 307 00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:59,600 If I were to ask you the question that I have been posing today, who are you? 308 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:04,280 You might answer it in a lot of different ways and you might find that you are trying 309 00:19:04,280 --> 00:19:07,880 to get that answer in a lot of different painful directions. 310 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:12,760 For example, you may try to look to other people to answer that question, who am I? 311 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:15,760 By saying, who do you think that I am? 312 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:18,880 How do you perceive me in this life? 313 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:22,440 Then some of you struggle because you're trying to answer that question based on the way you 314 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:23,800 feel. 315 00:19:23,800 --> 00:19:30,720 I know I'm this way as far as I can see but I feel very differently inside. 316 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:32,280 And I'm not really sure that I'm whole. 317 00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:35,360 I'm not really sure that I am where I need to be. 318 00:19:35,360 --> 00:19:39,920 And so we ask that question and get some mixed answers. 319 00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:45,040 So some people look to other people to find out who their identity is. 320 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:48,800 Some people look within themselves to find that identity. 321 00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:53,500 But wherever you turn, your feelings will go up and down, back and forth and never be 322 00:19:53,500 --> 00:19:56,440 a reliable indicator of who you really are. 323 00:19:56,440 --> 00:19:58,200 And people are the same way. 324 00:19:58,200 --> 00:19:59,800 They're hot, they're cold. 325 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:01,760 Some days they'll love you and praise you. 326 00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:05,140 Some days they will hate you and disown you. 327 00:20:05,140 --> 00:20:13,220 You cannot let people, you cannot let feelings determine who you see yourself to be. 328 00:20:13,220 --> 00:20:17,200 You have to see yourself the way God does. 329 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:25,040 That this verse he uses in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and to prove that 330 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:26,040 man. 331 00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:30,680 Man, I just love that line because that line rescued my life. 332 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:31,680 Some of you know my story. 333 00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:36,240 I grew up in a great home but I lost my hearing when I was a young boy. 334 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:39,680 And so I have a profound hearing loss till due to this day. 335 00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:42,400 I am 95% deaf. 336 00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:46,440 So that means I hear only about 5% of what goes on around me. 337 00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:49,480 That means I only hear 5% of the criticism directed my way. 338 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:52,560 So that's a good thing. 339 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:56,800 And in reality, the truth is, the things I don't hear I probably don't miss anyway. 340 00:20:56,800 --> 00:20:58,760 There's a lot of noise that goes on, right? 341 00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:00,800 You don't really have to hear it all. 342 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:02,160 So I'm a lip reader. 343 00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:07,960 And over the years when I grew up, I found myself in school situations normally where 344 00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:09,320 I was the object of ridicule. 345 00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:11,320 Grew up in a small town. 346 00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:12,720 The town had 700 people in it. 347 00:21:12,720 --> 00:21:15,840 I was the only deaf person in the town. 348 00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:18,120 So it didn't make any sense to learn sign language. 349 00:21:18,120 --> 00:21:20,040 There was no one to sign. 350 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:22,960 And my parents just said you're going to have to learn to read lips. 351 00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:26,640 You have to just depend on good teachers to help you through this. 352 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:28,960 And I had some phenomenal teachers. 353 00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:34,160 But I also struggled with my identity when I didn't measure up to what other people were 354 00:21:34,160 --> 00:21:36,200 doing in the classrooms. 355 00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:39,920 When I couldn't hear when the joke was being told. 356 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:43,640 When people would maybe ridicule me almost to my face but I couldn't understand what 357 00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:46,360 they were saying and they could get away with it. 358 00:21:46,360 --> 00:21:49,440 So I grew up with some real identity issues. 359 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:51,080 Shame. 360 00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:53,520 Questions like why did God allow this to happen to me? 361 00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:56,320 I didn't have a good view of myself. 362 00:21:56,320 --> 00:21:58,920 When I would be asked a question, who do you see yourself to be? 363 00:21:58,920 --> 00:22:00,120 I wouldn't have a good answer. 364 00:22:00,120 --> 00:22:05,960 I would say flawed, broken, not able to do what everyone else could do. 365 00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:09,720 And I would spend hours contemplating what's wrong with me? 366 00:22:09,720 --> 00:22:11,600 Why does God not fix me? 367 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:17,280 It was a vicious cycle and had a lot of spirals in it. 368 00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:22,920 But the scripture says that God sees me differently than I thought of myself. 369 00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:25,360 And that other people saw me. 370 00:22:25,360 --> 00:22:28,200 And I really didn't come to grips with this until I was a freshman in college. 371 00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:30,200 I remember the day, I remember the moment. 372 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:34,580 I remember being in my car in the parking lot of my university. 373 00:22:34,580 --> 00:22:39,920 And I remember struggling with God and struggling with myself and struggling with my self-identity. 374 00:22:39,920 --> 00:22:41,200 Who am I? 375 00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:42,200 Am I going to be in the future? 376 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:43,200 I have no idea. 377 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:46,760 And I remember God posing the question to my mind. 378 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:52,880 I did not hear him audibly, but he basically said to my heart, my spirit, he said, I love 379 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:55,280 you unconditionally. 380 00:22:55,280 --> 00:22:58,280 Is my acceptance not enough? 381 00:22:58,280 --> 00:23:03,840 And I stopped when I understood what he was communicating. 382 00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:06,320 I knew I had to make a decision. 383 00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:08,680 And I made that simple decision that day. 384 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:09,680 Yes. 385 00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:11,360 Your love is enough for me. 386 00:23:11,360 --> 00:23:13,760 Your acceptance of me is enough for me. 387 00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:15,920 I trust that you have a plan for me. 388 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:18,520 Even though I'm flawed, I trust you for this. 389 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:21,200 And my life changed at that moment. 390 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:22,800 Now, don't get me wrong. 391 00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:24,360 I was already a believer. 392 00:23:24,360 --> 00:23:29,040 I trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior, but I was struggling like many believers do with 393 00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:32,580 what about my life and how I live this? 394 00:23:32,580 --> 00:23:36,880 And when Paul talks about this, he says, he who serves Christ in this way is acceptable 395 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:37,880 to God. 396 00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:45,120 He's saying, I want you to know who you are to Christ because it'll help you in dealing 397 00:23:45,120 --> 00:23:47,000 with everything else you deal with in life. 398 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:50,120 So let me give you some examples of that. 399 00:23:50,120 --> 00:23:54,640 When I began to read the Bible after that moment, and I, for example, read in Ephesians 400 00:23:54,640 --> 00:24:00,560 chapter one, verse six and seven, that I was accepted in the beloved or accepted in Christ, 401 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:04,880 that I realized, okay, I'm going to start believing that. 402 00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:05,880 Others may not accept me. 403 00:24:05,880 --> 00:24:08,400 I may not even accept myself. 404 00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:14,280 But if God says He's accepting me based on the love of Jesus Christ, then I'm going to 405 00:24:14,280 --> 00:24:16,120 walk around with a sense of acceptance. 406 00:24:16,120 --> 00:24:20,800 I'm going to walk around knowing that I don't have to be accepted by anybody else. 407 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:22,240 I'm accepted in Christ. 408 00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:27,160 And it gave me the ability to accept other people. 409 00:24:27,160 --> 00:24:31,640 And then when I read in the Bible what it says that first John one nine, which we mentioned 410 00:24:31,640 --> 00:24:36,560 earlier today, if you confess your sins, He's faithful and just to forgive you of your sins 411 00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:38,240 and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. 412 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:42,080 I realized I am also forgiven in Christ. 413 00:24:42,080 --> 00:24:44,360 I'm accepted by God through Christ. 414 00:24:44,360 --> 00:24:46,000 I am forgiven in Christ. 415 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:51,760 And all the things that I have done that are sinful and harmful, all the things that I 416 00:24:51,760 --> 00:24:57,280 didn't try to stuff my hole in my heart with, I was forgiven of. 417 00:24:57,280 --> 00:25:01,200 That I learned I'm forgiven in Christ. 418 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:04,920 You know, you walk differently when you know you have a sense of righteousness and peace 419 00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:07,440 and joy with God. 420 00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:12,640 I had a sense of freedom and also had the ability to forgive others. 421 00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:13,880 What an important thing to do. 422 00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:17,880 You know, you really can't forgive others until you know you've been forgiven. 423 00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:21,760 And when you understand the level to which Christ has forgiven you, you can forgive others 424 00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:24,040 in amazing ways. 425 00:25:24,040 --> 00:25:25,960 God set me free there. 426 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:30,880 John three sixteen reminded me that I am loved in Christ and that gave me a sense of value. 427 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:35,360 How come the eternal God loved this young guy that has so many problems? 428 00:25:35,360 --> 00:25:36,840 How could that eternal God love me? 429 00:25:36,840 --> 00:25:42,760 I don't know, but he does love me and he proved it by allowing his son to die on the cross. 430 00:25:42,760 --> 00:25:47,080 And it gave me the ability to love other people unconditionally as well because I was loved 431 00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:48,080 unconditionally. 432 00:25:48,080 --> 00:25:53,880 When I read in John chapter fifteen verse sixteen that we didn't choose him, but he 433 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:57,920 chose us and called us, then I realized I was called in Christ. 434 00:25:57,920 --> 00:26:02,480 The God tapped me on the shoulder just like he taps every believer in him on the shoulder 435 00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:07,040 and you are called to a greater calling than any other thing that you might be able to 436 00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:08,040 imagine. 437 00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:11,320 That gives you a sense of purpose in life. 438 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:14,400 And I had that purpose from that day forward. 439 00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:18,320 And when I read John ten twenty eight and twenty nine about how I am in the grip of 440 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:24,040 Jesus, in the palm of God himself, I learned I was secure in Christ. 441 00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:28,680 And that sense of security, that sense of confidence, I couldn't get anywhere else. 442 00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:36,680 And it allowed me to deal with failure, rejection, disappointments and everything else in life 443 00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:42,240 because that stuff may happen to me from time to time, but I am absolutely secure in God 444 00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:43,240 and in Christ. 445 00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:45,920 Now think about that. 446 00:26:45,920 --> 00:26:50,140 Living that way changes everything about your life. 447 00:26:50,140 --> 00:26:54,520 When I accepted who I actually was, it changed the way I dealt with sin. 448 00:26:54,520 --> 00:27:01,800 Instead of running from God when I sinned, I began to run to God because after all, I'm 449 00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:07,080 loved, I'm accepted, I'm forgiven, I'm called, I'm complete in Christ. 450 00:27:07,080 --> 00:27:12,200 I'm going to run to him every single time just as you should run to him every single 451 00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:13,200 time. 452 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:17,080 That doesn't mean that we belittle sin, it just means that we run to God because we know 453 00:27:17,080 --> 00:27:22,120 he's the forgiver and he loves us enough to forgive us. 454 00:27:22,120 --> 00:27:24,760 Right there is a good place to say amen, by the way. 455 00:27:24,760 --> 00:27:27,240 Have you ever had to do that? 456 00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:33,060 You ever run from God and realize you need to be running to him? 457 00:27:33,060 --> 00:27:40,280 So understanding myself the way the scripture says that I am helped me in dealing with sin. 458 00:27:40,280 --> 00:27:43,440 It also helped me in relating to other people. 459 00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:49,920 For the first time, instead of looking for something from people, acceptance, favor, 460 00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:56,520 whatever it might be, I realized that I did not need to seek the approval of people and 461 00:27:56,520 --> 00:27:59,640 I could impart something to them. 462 00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:01,760 Instead of running from God, I ran to God. 463 00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:06,240 Instead of trying to get something from people, I began to realize I was here to give something 464 00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:08,920 to people, something good. 465 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:11,120 It changes your game. 466 00:28:11,120 --> 00:28:15,000 It changes your life to know who you are in Jesus Christ. 467 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:19,800 It set me free spiritually and changed my whole attitude in life, my whole perspective 468 00:28:19,800 --> 00:28:21,120 in life. 469 00:28:21,120 --> 00:28:25,260 Look at that line again in verse 18, for he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable 470 00:28:25,260 --> 00:28:27,160 to God and approved by men. 471 00:28:27,160 --> 00:28:32,960 And I learned something, I learned something that all those people I wanted approval from 472 00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:37,080 later on respected me because I didn't need their approval anymore. 473 00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:40,840 They understood that I knew I was on a mission, the mission that God gave me just like he's 474 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:45,640 given every one of you a mission and I was focused on that and strangely I began to find 475 00:28:45,640 --> 00:28:52,800 approval of the people that I really wanted but it didn't really weigh as much anymore. 476 00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:58,040 It changed my perspective, it changed my attitude about life. 477 00:28:58,040 --> 00:29:01,400 Chuck Swindoll said something a number of years ago about our attitude and I want to 478 00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:02,400 read it to you. 479 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:06,280 It's kind of a long paragraph and it deals primarily with attitude but it has a lot to 480 00:29:06,280 --> 00:29:08,840 do with perspective as well. 481 00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:13,040 And it applies to what we're talking about here because there's one thing that you can 482 00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:18,240 absolutely control about your life and that is you can control how you understand yourself 483 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:20,860 to be in Christ. 484 00:29:20,860 --> 00:29:24,520 You can know who you are in Christ and control that and have that perspective. 485 00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:28,840 Now you can't control others and you can't control circumstances and situations but you 486 00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:33,600 can understand who you understand yourself to be, you can control that. 487 00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:36,120 Here's what he said about attitude or perspective. 488 00:29:36,120 --> 00:29:40,360 He said the longer I live the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. 489 00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:46,920 Attitude to me is more important in the past than education, than money, than circumstances, 490 00:29:46,920 --> 00:29:53,000 than failures, than success, than what people think or say or do. 491 00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:57,840 It's more important than appearance or giftedness of skill. 492 00:29:57,840 --> 00:30:01,720 It'll make or break a company, a church or home. 493 00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:05,680 The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude. 494 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:08,200 I'm also using the word perspective here. 495 00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:11,040 The perspective we will embrace for the day. 496 00:30:11,040 --> 00:30:15,200 We can't change our past, we can't change the fact that people will act in a certain 497 00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:16,200 way. 498 00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:17,360 We cannot change the inevitable. 499 00:30:17,360 --> 00:30:22,400 The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have and that is our attitude or 500 00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:24,680 perspective. 501 00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:31,620 I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. 502 00:30:31,620 --> 00:30:32,620 And so it is with you. 503 00:30:32,620 --> 00:30:35,080 We're in charge of our attitude. 504 00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:38,760 And again, I add perspective. 505 00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:46,040 If he's right, instead of focusing on the 10% of things that happen to us that we absolutely 506 00:30:46,040 --> 00:30:52,080 get monopolized by and overcome by, why don't we focus on our response every time in the 507 00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:59,120 sense of I'm accepted, I'm loved, I'm forgiven, I'm called, I'm chosen by God, I have a purpose, 508 00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:03,920 I'm going to deal with all the things I face that way. 509 00:31:03,920 --> 00:31:10,120 Instead of trying to correct everybody else's treatments of me, good or bad. 510 00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:16,320 That question, who am I, affects everything. 511 00:31:16,320 --> 00:31:19,640 And then there's a final thing that I would say, the final question out of Romans chapter 512 00:31:19,640 --> 00:31:22,880 14 verse 17, equally important is who do I live for? 513 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:24,560 Who do I live for? 514 00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:27,260 How exactly am I going to live life? 515 00:31:27,260 --> 00:31:31,480 And Paul sums it up in this verse in verse 19, he says, so then because of all those 516 00:31:31,480 --> 00:31:36,960 things, so then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one 517 00:31:36,960 --> 00:31:37,960 another. 518 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:43,560 In other words, when I am walking in a balanced walk with God through Christ, I need to pursue 519 00:31:43,560 --> 00:31:48,520 the things that make for peace and the building up of one another. 520 00:31:48,520 --> 00:31:52,580 Now, if someone were to ask you the question, who am I living for? 521 00:31:52,580 --> 00:31:57,020 You might very quickly say, well, I'm living for Christ, I'm living for Jesus. 522 00:31:57,020 --> 00:31:59,340 But this gets more specific about what that looks like. 523 00:31:59,340 --> 00:32:03,240 We don't always define it well when asked that question. 524 00:32:03,240 --> 00:32:05,520 This verse helps us know what that looks like. 525 00:32:05,520 --> 00:32:09,240 I've kind of learned, by the way, that there are two extremes in life when it comes to 526 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:10,240 how we live. 527 00:32:10,240 --> 00:32:12,640 And maybe you see this too. 528 00:32:12,640 --> 00:32:18,080 Some look for relationships as a way to get something and others have relationships in 529 00:32:18,080 --> 00:32:19,080 order to give something. 530 00:32:19,080 --> 00:32:20,080 You ever notice that? 531 00:32:20,080 --> 00:32:24,760 You know, anybody around you that just in a relationship, just to get something from 532 00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:28,860 you, raise your hand if you've ever experienced that. 533 00:32:28,860 --> 00:32:33,720 And yet there are some that stand out from the crowd, very different from everybody else. 534 00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:36,240 They're in it to give something. 535 00:32:36,240 --> 00:32:37,800 They're in it to invest in your life. 536 00:32:37,800 --> 00:32:41,120 They're in it to help you in your life. 537 00:32:41,120 --> 00:32:43,240 One is reactive. 538 00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:47,920 If I am living life as a way to get something, I'm just reacting to everything that anybody 539 00:32:47,920 --> 00:32:49,280 else does for me. 540 00:32:49,280 --> 00:32:50,280 But the other is proactive. 541 00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:55,360 If I'm in life in order to give something, to invest in someone else's life, I take a 542 00:32:55,360 --> 00:33:01,120 step back and say, what time do I have and who's around me that I can invest in to help 543 00:33:01,120 --> 00:33:02,440 them in the future? 544 00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:06,840 And that was the first part of that verse again, verse 19. 545 00:33:06,840 --> 00:33:10,120 Pursue the things that make for peace. 546 00:33:10,120 --> 00:33:13,240 I'm aware we live in a very divisive culture, but let me just say this. 547 00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:17,040 We can't always make peace, but we can always pursue it. 548 00:33:17,040 --> 00:33:18,780 We can always pursue it. 549 00:33:18,780 --> 00:33:22,520 We can't make people respond like we want them to respond. 550 00:33:22,520 --> 00:33:26,560 And have you learned yet that people won't always do what you want them to do? 551 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:30,320 That'd be a good lesson to learn if you haven't learned it yet. 552 00:33:30,320 --> 00:33:32,960 But you can control how you respond to them. 553 00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:36,320 You can pursue peace in whatever angle you can. 554 00:33:36,320 --> 00:33:39,600 That's really what the text is all about. 555 00:33:39,600 --> 00:33:42,720 Sometimes we only control our part of the conversation, but it's still important to 556 00:33:42,720 --> 00:33:43,720 do it. 557 00:33:43,720 --> 00:33:46,000 Paul even says this in Romans 12, 18. 558 00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:52,040 He says, if possible, I like the way he works this, if possible, insofar as it depends on 559 00:33:52,040 --> 00:33:53,040 you. 560 00:33:53,040 --> 00:33:55,360 Be at peace with all men. 561 00:33:55,360 --> 00:33:59,640 I think he said that because sometimes it's impossible. 562 00:33:59,640 --> 00:34:06,460 And sometimes you can't affect how others speak, say what they do, but you can determine how 563 00:34:06,460 --> 00:34:08,560 you respond. 564 00:34:08,560 --> 00:34:14,080 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 565 00:34:14,080 --> 00:34:16,600 That's a really, really important principle. 566 00:34:16,600 --> 00:34:19,240 Look at the last part of that verse. 567 00:34:19,240 --> 00:34:25,200 Do the things that make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. 568 00:34:25,200 --> 00:34:30,320 In other words, this means that I'm supposed to be looking around me at how I can better 569 00:34:30,320 --> 00:34:36,240 somebody else's life having been changed by God. 570 00:34:36,240 --> 00:34:40,560 It means I'm looking for a way to make a difference in somebody else's life. 571 00:34:40,560 --> 00:34:41,800 And that's true of you too. 572 00:34:41,800 --> 00:34:43,840 God has done something in your life. 573 00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:48,760 If you are a believer in Jesus, then he enables you to invest in other people. 574 00:34:48,760 --> 00:34:53,040 The things by which one may edify someone else. 575 00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:54,040 Jesus did that. 576 00:34:54,040 --> 00:35:00,000 Mark chapter 10 verse 45, Jesus says, for even the Son of Man did not come to be served 577 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:03,880 but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. 578 00:35:03,880 --> 00:35:06,520 And he followed that through to the completion. 579 00:35:06,520 --> 00:35:11,840 Did you know you're a product of people that have gone before you? 580 00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:13,920 Sometimes they've invested good things in their life. 581 00:35:13,920 --> 00:35:16,840 Sometimes they've invested bad things in their life. 582 00:35:16,840 --> 00:35:21,920 But all the good that you've had invested in you has been often from people that have 583 00:35:21,920 --> 00:35:23,880 come before you. 584 00:35:23,880 --> 00:35:27,720 We're about to celebrate the 120th anniversary of our church and we're looking through all 585 00:35:27,720 --> 00:35:34,240 the arrows and all the pictures and all the slides and all the tapes, cassette tapes and 586 00:35:34,240 --> 00:35:35,240 everything else. 587 00:35:35,240 --> 00:35:36,240 We're looking through all that. 588 00:35:36,240 --> 00:35:39,560 And we're going to show some of those things to you on September 8th. 589 00:35:39,560 --> 00:35:46,360 But one thing that strikes me as I look through 120 years of history as a church is this. 590 00:35:46,360 --> 00:35:50,640 We stand on the shoulders of people who went before us. 591 00:35:50,640 --> 00:35:55,480 Somebody made an investment on our behalf and we are recipients of that. 592 00:35:55,480 --> 00:36:00,800 Whether it's the gospel, with the church building, whether, whatever it might be, somebody understood 593 00:36:00,800 --> 00:36:06,020 how to live for the cause of Christ in giving to others, in helping others. 594 00:36:06,020 --> 00:36:08,640 They set themselves up to serve. 595 00:36:08,640 --> 00:36:13,180 And now it's our opportunity to serve in such a way where the next generation stands on 596 00:36:13,180 --> 00:36:15,920 our shoulders. 597 00:36:15,920 --> 00:36:18,120 Paul said, that's what I called you to do. 598 00:36:18,120 --> 00:36:21,680 That's what Jesus has called you to do. 599 00:36:21,680 --> 00:36:25,120 So begin now to reinvest. 600 00:36:25,120 --> 00:36:30,320 Teach kids, teach preschoolers the truths of God's Word. 601 00:36:30,320 --> 00:36:33,200 Volunteer to stand at the door and greet somebody. 602 00:36:33,200 --> 00:36:38,880 Step out and be a different kind of person in your school or your culture, wherever you 603 00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:42,680 are and emulate Christ. 604 00:36:42,680 --> 00:36:43,680 Demonstrate love. 605 00:36:43,680 --> 00:36:44,680 You've been loved. 606 00:36:44,680 --> 00:36:45,840 You can love others. 607 00:36:45,840 --> 00:36:46,840 You've been forgiven. 608 00:36:46,840 --> 00:36:47,840 You can forgive others. 609 00:36:47,840 --> 00:36:48,840 Be different. 610 00:36:48,840 --> 00:36:50,840 Invest in other people that way. 611 00:36:50,840 --> 00:36:54,520 Apply your gifts to making a small group thrive. 612 00:36:54,520 --> 00:36:57,880 Take time to go on a mission trip and share Christ. 613 00:36:57,880 --> 00:37:02,360 Raise money for the hungry or gather food for them, whatever it is. 614 00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:06,560 Find a way to invest in somebody else's life in such a way as to make a difference for 615 00:37:06,560 --> 00:37:07,560 them. 616 00:37:07,560 --> 00:37:12,520 And by doing so, what you're doing is you're making relationships count for other people 617 00:37:12,520 --> 00:37:16,160 the same way they counted at some point for you. 618 00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:19,560 Let me leave you with this last line, this last statement. 619 00:37:19,560 --> 00:37:24,040 And I hope you'll take a moment to read this and kind of capture it in your heart. 620 00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:32,040 Your relationship with Christ can bring you fulfillment, identity, and purpose in life. 621 00:37:32,040 --> 00:37:34,280 Find them in Him. 622 00:37:34,280 --> 00:37:44,120 And I would also say, why look anywhere else, you will be perpetually dissatisfied. 623 00:37:44,120 --> 00:37:45,400 Find your fulfillment in Him. 624 00:37:45,400 --> 00:37:52,320 In just a few moments we'll close the service and I invite you to three different things. 625 00:37:52,320 --> 00:37:57,000 First of all, there's decision stations that are positioned at the rear side, the rear 626 00:37:57,000 --> 00:38:01,080 part of our church as you make your way out towards the commons area of the lobby. 627 00:38:01,080 --> 00:38:05,440 You'll see those decision stations lit up with people behind the tables ready and willing 628 00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:07,320 to talk with you. 629 00:38:07,320 --> 00:38:15,640 Maybe today a good topic of conversation is, how do I find complete satisfaction in Christ? 630 00:38:15,640 --> 00:38:18,400 How can I find complete forgiveness in Christ? 631 00:38:18,400 --> 00:38:21,600 How can I know I'm fully accepted by Him? 632 00:38:21,600 --> 00:38:23,640 And they're ready to help you answer that question. 633 00:38:23,640 --> 00:38:27,240 Secondly, I invite you, if you're a guest, to our guest reception room right outside 634 00:38:27,240 --> 00:38:29,440 the center exit doors and across the hallway. 635 00:38:29,440 --> 00:38:32,960 We'd love to talk to you about Cross City for about 10 minutes and get you on your way. 636 00:38:32,960 --> 00:38:35,960 But we'd love to give you that information so you'd know more about our church. 637 00:38:35,960 --> 00:38:39,040 We certainly want to welcome you and get to know you more. 638 00:38:39,040 --> 00:38:41,600 And then thirdly, I want you to come back next week. 639 00:38:41,600 --> 00:38:43,320 Bring somebody with you. 640 00:38:43,320 --> 00:38:47,500 The Bible is so clear on purpose. 641 00:38:47,500 --> 00:38:54,000 Just before I was about to go into my surgery earlier this year, God really brought a powerful 642 00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:57,160 verse to my mind, the Philippians chapter one. 643 00:38:57,160 --> 00:39:03,120 And I'm going to talk to you about how He spoke to me about what He was about to do 644 00:39:03,120 --> 00:39:05,880 through that several month long thing. 645 00:39:05,880 --> 00:39:07,400 And I will tell you, He was present. 646 00:39:07,400 --> 00:39:08,960 He was powerful. 647 00:39:08,960 --> 00:39:10,960 And He showed me Himself in great ways. 648 00:39:10,960 --> 00:39:13,120 So I want to share that story with you next week. 649 00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:15,000 Bring someone with you who needs to hear it. 650 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:17,000 Let's stand together as we pray. 651 00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:20,600 Father, I am so thankful for every person in this room. 652 00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:27,840 And I know that each of us need to think through what it means to get our identity fully from 653 00:39:27,840 --> 00:39:28,840 You. 654 00:39:28,840 --> 00:39:30,640 And I know many struggle with this in the room. 655 00:39:30,640 --> 00:39:31,640 I get that. 656 00:39:31,640 --> 00:39:32,640 I understand that I have been there. 657 00:39:32,640 --> 00:39:35,040 And Lord, I just pray for victory. 658 00:39:35,040 --> 00:39:36,040 I pray for freedom. 659 00:39:36,040 --> 00:39:41,300 I pray Father today that someone in this room will believe what You've said about them because 660 00:39:41,300 --> 00:39:42,720 of Your love for them. 661 00:39:42,720 --> 00:39:47,360 And so I would let that be the dominant thought that guides them in the days ahead. 662 00:39:47,360 --> 00:39:52,200 Father, I pray that every decision that needs to be made today will be made. 663 00:39:52,200 --> 00:39:54,160 Every next step will be taken. 664 00:39:54,160 --> 00:39:58,160 And God, allow us to fully grasp who we are in You. 665 00:39:58,160 --> 00:39:59,560 Thank You for loving us so much. 666 00:39:59,560 --> 00:40:01,760 We ask this in Jesus' name we pray. 667 00:40:01,760 --> 00:40:02,760 Amen. 668 00:40:02,760 --> 00:40:17,760 God bless.