WEBVTT 00:00:01.390 --> 00:00:03.990 Hello, you are listening to Second City Sermons, 00:00:04.370 --> 00:00:07.110 a ministry of Second City Church in Midtown Harrisburg. 00:00:07.769 --> 00:00:09.390 This fall, we're studying the book of Second 00:00:09.390 --> 00:00:12.429 Corinthians. Second Corinthians is a heartfelt 00:00:12.429 --> 00:00:15.330 and practical book calling us back to the life 00:00:15.330 --> 00:00:18.870 of the cross. We, like the Corinthians, so often 00:00:18.870 --> 00:00:22.350 pursue glory, admire eloquence, shun suffering, 00:00:22.670 --> 00:00:26.230 hide hurt, and hoard our goods. And yet the gospel 00:00:26.230 --> 00:00:29.230 of Jesus tells us that resurrection comes after 00:00:29.230 --> 00:00:33.149 a cross. that comfort comes after being crushed, 00:00:33.810 --> 00:00:36.090 that the way up is the way down, that the way 00:00:36.090 --> 00:00:39.229 to glory is through suffering, that His strength 00:00:39.229 --> 00:00:44.109 is made perfect in our weakness. We'd love to 00:00:44.109 --> 00:00:46.049 meet you and we hope you'll consider coming and 00:00:46.049 --> 00:00:48.390 joining with us each Sunday morning at 10 a .m. 00:00:48.409 --> 00:00:50.950 in the heart of Midtown Harrisburg. You can find 00:00:50.950 --> 00:00:53.869 us online at secondcitychurch .org and on Facebook, 00:00:54.149 --> 00:00:57.109 Instagram, and YouTube. We hope you enjoy this 00:00:57.109 --> 00:01:01.090 sermon. God bless. Let me pray. Lord, thank you 00:01:01.090 --> 00:01:02.929 for our time together. Thank you for worship 00:01:02.929 --> 00:01:05.030 and just the joy that it is to be your people. 00:01:05.109 --> 00:01:07.829 Lord, thank you for the young and the old alike 00:01:07.829 --> 00:01:12.310 that you call to yourself and that we together 00:01:12.310 --> 00:01:16.650 are bound together to one another because we 00:01:16.650 --> 00:01:21.810 are yours. Brothers and sisters, made brothers 00:01:21.810 --> 00:01:25.030 and sisters, not by blood, but that which is 00:01:25.030 --> 00:01:28.439 thicker than blood, the waters of baptism. the 00:01:28.439 --> 00:01:31.159 reality of belonging to You, having Your mark 00:01:31.159 --> 00:01:35.280 placed upon us. God, I pray, I thank You for 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:37.560 this text that we've been in, 2 Corinthians, 00:01:37.760 --> 00:01:39.760 and I pray Your blessing upon our time in it, 00:01:40.439 --> 00:01:44.599 our last time in it now, in this hour. Bless 00:01:44.599 --> 00:01:47.620 us, Lord. Give us a greater and deeper faith 00:01:47.620 --> 00:01:49.719 in You, a greater desire to put sin away and 00:01:49.719 --> 00:01:52.900 to live in the reality that You have come and 00:01:52.900 --> 00:01:54.959 that You will come again. I praise You in Your 00:01:54.959 --> 00:02:02.900 name, Lord Jesus. Amen. Okay, so one of the Christmas 00:02:02.900 --> 00:02:10.020 time traditions in the Rowan household is to 00:02:10.020 --> 00:02:13.840 make a gingerbread house and to absolutely cover 00:02:13.840 --> 00:02:19.979 it with candy. Lots of candy. And so, you know, 00:02:19.979 --> 00:02:23.120 we did this this past week and I will say we 00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:26.560 had lots of candy. I mean... many large cups 00:02:26.560 --> 00:02:30.759 full of candy. And we had all kinds of different 00:02:30.759 --> 00:02:35.060 candy. Gummy bears, gummy trees, red and green 00:02:35.060 --> 00:02:40.300 trees, little gumdrops. If there's a theme, it's 00:02:40.300 --> 00:02:42.780 true. We are a gummy family. You know, I feel 00:02:42.780 --> 00:02:44.719 like you have hard candy families and gummy candy 00:02:44.719 --> 00:02:46.580 families. We're a gummy candy family. But we 00:02:46.580 --> 00:02:48.439 did have some hard candies too. We had those 00:02:48.439 --> 00:02:52.259 little spiraled, you know, red and white. peppermints 00:02:52.259 --> 00:02:54.639 we had a lot of those and we had neko wafers 00:02:54.639 --> 00:02:56.919 that could kind of you can make you can make 00:02:56.919 --> 00:03:01.120 a really nice gingerbread roof out of neko wafers 00:03:01.120 --> 00:03:05.719 pro tip y 'all um we had little you know like 00:03:05.719 --> 00:03:07.900 little skittle drops that you could like decorate 00:03:07.900 --> 00:03:12.120 with um lots of candy and lots of icing to stick 00:03:12.120 --> 00:03:16.829 the candy to said gingerbread house right And 00:03:16.829 --> 00:03:18.930 children, you who are still present here with 00:03:18.930 --> 00:03:21.289 us, the adults might not know the answer to this 00:03:21.289 --> 00:03:22.969 question, okay? So you might need to help us 00:03:22.969 --> 00:03:28.270 out with this. What do you do with candy? What 00:03:28.270 --> 00:03:33.069 do you do? What do you do? Yeah, okay. It's clear. 00:03:33.610 --> 00:03:37.069 What you do with candy is you eat it. That's 00:03:37.069 --> 00:03:40.110 exactly right. So here's, of course, what happens 00:03:40.110 --> 00:03:41.710 is that when we get it all out and we place it 00:03:41.710 --> 00:03:45.069 on our dining room table, The inclination is 00:03:45.069 --> 00:03:49.849 to go, let's eat it all. Take it in in the moment. 00:03:51.650 --> 00:03:56.409 There's a problem with this though. If you are 00:03:56.409 --> 00:04:01.550 the attentive gingerbread house maker, there's 00:04:01.550 --> 00:04:03.930 a problem with this because you kind of, the 00:04:03.930 --> 00:04:05.889 candy's for the decorating. You're not gonna 00:04:05.889 --> 00:04:10.050 actually achieve the whole goal. If you eat all 00:04:10.050 --> 00:04:13.150 the candy, I know I sound like a Scrooge, but 00:04:13.150 --> 00:04:17.350 that's what it's there for. What you're there 00:04:17.350 --> 00:04:20.509 to do can't be done if all you do is live in 00:04:20.509 --> 00:04:26.170 the moment. Grab and take. Live as though what's 00:04:26.170 --> 00:04:28.310 in front of you is all there is and who knows 00:04:28.310 --> 00:04:29.970 what's going to happen in the future so you might 00:04:29.970 --> 00:04:37.050 as well eat it all. There is rather a level of 00:04:37.050 --> 00:04:39.930 discipline, which is one of the fruits of the 00:04:39.930 --> 00:04:43.790 spirit, children. A gingerbread house decorating. 00:04:44.730 --> 00:04:47.810 There's another problem, of course, to that approach, 00:04:47.810 --> 00:04:51.629 and that is that you get sick, which isn't very 00:04:51.629 --> 00:04:56.009 pleasant. This is going to seem like a transition, 00:04:56.050 --> 00:04:58.230 but I'll hopefully bring this back around. In 00:04:58.230 --> 00:05:00.110 Christian theology, there's the understanding 00:05:00.110 --> 00:05:06.129 that God is both transcendent and imminent. God 00:05:06.129 --> 00:05:11.500 is both overall, beyond us, Outside of our understanding, 00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:15.199 His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not 00:05:15.199 --> 00:05:19.680 our thoughts. He is the Creator, and we are the 00:05:19.680 --> 00:05:25.079 created. Think of Psalm 113. Who is like the 00:05:25.079 --> 00:05:28.160 Lord our God, who is seated on high, who looks 00:05:28.160 --> 00:05:32.519 down on the heavens and the earth? Transcendence, 00:05:32.639 --> 00:05:36.730 1 Kings chapter 8. But will God indeed dwell 00:05:36.730 --> 00:05:40.209 on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest 00:05:40.209 --> 00:05:43.470 heaven cannot contain you. How much less this 00:05:43.470 --> 00:05:49.490 house that I have built. Transcendence. Or think 00:05:49.490 --> 00:05:51.949 of our Lord Jesus' own words in John chapter 00:05:51.949 --> 00:05:57.870 8. He said to them, you are from below, I am 00:05:57.870 --> 00:06:00.949 from above. You are of this world, I'm not of 00:06:00.949 --> 00:06:03.589 this world. The transcendent reality of God. 00:06:04.959 --> 00:06:09.660 the God who exists beyond us and over us, outside 00:06:09.660 --> 00:06:12.920 of our understanding. But also Christianity, 00:06:13.459 --> 00:06:14.879 Christian theology would say that God is not 00:06:14.879 --> 00:06:17.199 just transcendent, but he's just an immanent 00:06:17.199 --> 00:06:21.339 reality to God. Jeremiah chapter 23, can a man 00:06:21.339 --> 00:06:24.160 hide himself in secret places so that I cannot 00:06:24.160 --> 00:06:30.379 see him, declares the Lord. Do I not fill, it 00:06:30.379 --> 00:06:33.079 doesn't just say heaven, but it says heaven and 00:06:33.079 --> 00:06:38.870 earth. God present. Psalm 139, where shall I 00:06:38.870 --> 00:06:41.069 go from your spirit or where shall I flee from 00:06:41.069 --> 00:06:43.110 your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you're 00:06:43.110 --> 00:06:45.550 there. If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. 00:06:45.610 --> 00:06:47.829 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell 00:06:47.829 --> 00:06:50.750 in the uttermost parts of the sea, even your 00:06:50.750 --> 00:06:54.610 hand shall lead me and your right hand hold me. 00:06:55.170 --> 00:06:59.350 Eminence, God present to us. Paul says to the 00:06:59.350 --> 00:07:04.769 Athenians in Acts chapter 17, in him we live 00:07:05.850 --> 00:07:08.970 We exist, you might think. But it also says, 00:07:09.610 --> 00:07:14.329 we move. In Him we move. We have our being, the 00:07:14.329 --> 00:07:16.990 reality of God present with us, allowing even 00:07:16.990 --> 00:07:20.810 our movement. And of course, in 1 Corinthians 00:07:20.810 --> 00:07:25.110 chapter three, you'll remember that Paul says 00:07:25.110 --> 00:07:30.649 that we are the very temple of God. God making 00:07:30.649 --> 00:07:34.709 His holy habitation within us. And then if you 00:07:34.709 --> 00:07:36.990 think of the beginning of John chapter one, or 00:07:36.990 --> 00:07:39.569 in the beginning of John in chapter one, which 00:07:39.569 --> 00:07:42.930 we always read together on Christmas Eve, the 00:07:42.930 --> 00:07:48.370 word became flesh and dwelt among us. Transcendence 00:07:48.370 --> 00:07:52.990 and imminence. God not only takes on flesh as 00:07:52.990 --> 00:07:55.970 one of us in his incarnation, but he also says 00:07:55.970 --> 00:07:59.699 he's actually with us always. That's what he 00:07:59.699 --> 00:08:01.959 says at the end of Matthew when he's about to 00:08:01.959 --> 00:08:06.740 ascend heaven, I'm with you always. Spirit abiding 00:08:06.740 --> 00:08:09.560 with us so that what is said of the temple of 00:08:09.560 --> 00:08:14.079 old, God's descent upon the temple in the holy 00:08:14.079 --> 00:08:18.720 cloud, what's said about Mount Sinai of old, 00:08:19.180 --> 00:08:23.120 the descent of God there to give the law, said 00:08:23.120 --> 00:08:25.379 to be true of us. His law is now written on our 00:08:25.379 --> 00:08:29.740 hearts. We are very, the very reality of God 00:08:29.740 --> 00:08:36.059 within us. Emmanuel, God with us, transcendence 00:08:36.059 --> 00:08:41.740 and eminence. God both beyond us and yet with 00:08:41.740 --> 00:08:49.600 us. God beyond us and within us. To give what 00:08:49.600 --> 00:08:51.460 is certainly not a complete analogy, children, 00:08:51.500 --> 00:08:55.850 you might think of it as Parents are above you. 00:08:55.990 --> 00:09:00.450 They're outside of you. And yet you are so intimately 00:09:00.450 --> 00:09:03.950 connected to them. You are theirs. They're present 00:09:03.950 --> 00:09:09.330 with you in your life. Maybe you've heard this. 00:09:09.409 --> 00:09:10.870 I hope you've heard this. But over the last few 00:09:10.870 --> 00:09:14.549 centuries, the world has increasingly moved, 00:09:15.490 --> 00:09:20.149 sort of ceaselessly moved towards seeing the 00:09:20.149 --> 00:09:25.399 world as purely what is imminent. sort of exists 00:09:25.399 --> 00:09:32.100 around us is what is. This time, some have called 00:09:32.100 --> 00:09:35.220 the secular age, which is to say, you think back 00:09:35.220 --> 00:09:37.500 on Descartes, he says, I think therefore I am. 00:09:38.059 --> 00:09:44.340 I is what is real. What is here is what is the 00:09:44.340 --> 00:09:48.179 real world. The world is all there is. God is, 00:09:48.179 --> 00:09:51.379 as some have said recently, the great delusion. 00:09:53.569 --> 00:09:57.429 And so we block out the transcendent. In fact, 00:09:57.509 --> 00:09:59.470 what happens is actually the world becomes the 00:09:59.470 --> 00:10:01.690 transcendent, that which gives us our meaning 00:10:01.690 --> 00:10:07.509 and our purpose. We've rejected the divine transcendence, 00:10:08.669 --> 00:10:10.850 said we've grabbed on to the eminence not of 00:10:10.850 --> 00:10:14.129 God being present, but the world being present, 00:10:14.450 --> 00:10:17.809 the physical world being present. Our life is 00:10:17.809 --> 00:10:22.600 all that there is. Of course, as As we've sought 00:10:22.600 --> 00:10:24.620 to find our meaning in this, it's done a rather 00:10:24.620 --> 00:10:29.460 poor job. Cornelius van Til, a theologian in 00:10:29.460 --> 00:10:31.240 the last century, he said, sinners hate the idea 00:10:31.240 --> 00:10:35.659 of a clearly identifiable authority over them. 00:10:36.259 --> 00:10:38.539 Something that's beyond them, that transcends 00:10:38.539 --> 00:10:41.059 outside of them and yet can still speak into 00:10:41.059 --> 00:10:45.889 their life. They do not want to meet God. They 00:10:45.889 --> 00:10:48.029 would gladly make themselves believe that there 00:10:48.029 --> 00:10:50.850 is no clearly discernible, identifiable revelation 00:10:50.850 --> 00:10:53.690 of their Creator and Judge anywhere to be found 00:10:53.690 --> 00:10:56.629 in the world. And that's sort of just the waters 00:10:56.629 --> 00:11:00.970 we swim in. God is not close. He's not beyond 00:11:00.970 --> 00:11:03.909 us. Find your meaning in the here and in the 00:11:03.909 --> 00:11:07.610 now. I want you to think of what happens when 00:11:07.610 --> 00:11:11.289 we do this. So if you open up your Bibles to 00:11:11.289 --> 00:11:14.500 2 Corinthians chapter 13, or your Bible app, 00:11:14.639 --> 00:11:17.879 or grab one of those Bibles in the pew in front 00:11:17.879 --> 00:11:22.259 of you. What I want you to do first, I'm gonna 00:11:22.259 --> 00:11:32.440 give you a moment to turn there. One of the big 00:11:32.440 --> 00:11:35.980 emphases of this last section of 2 Corinthians 00:11:35.980 --> 00:11:39.980 is Paul's coming to the Corinthians. But he begins 00:11:39.980 --> 00:11:43.480 that really in the end of chapter... 12. So if 00:11:43.480 --> 00:11:46.460 you look at chapter 12 verse 20, this is what 00:11:46.460 --> 00:12:15.720 he says, of the impurity, sexual immorality, 00:12:16.519 --> 00:12:20.679 and sensuality that they have practiced. Okay, 00:12:20.919 --> 00:12:23.000 so here's what's happening, right? Paul is distant 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:26.000 from them. And the fact of Paul's distance from 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:28.080 them, actually the Corinthians are acting not 00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:30.279 just as though Paul is distant, but though as 00:12:30.279 --> 00:12:33.480 God is entirely distant, right? And here's what 00:12:33.480 --> 00:12:38.240 happens. So they quarrel and they're angry towards 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:39.659 one another and they're hostile. That's some 00:12:39.659 --> 00:12:42.740 of the language that's used. uh which what happens 00:12:42.740 --> 00:12:45.039 is that they're buying into this idea that they 00:12:45.039 --> 00:12:48.080 must win they must win the argument they're angry 00:12:48.080 --> 00:12:52.240 at others must win the day they're hostile towards 00:12:52.240 --> 00:12:55.220 each other their quarreling has led to a point 00:12:55.220 --> 00:13:00.340 where they say i must win this because so often 00:13:00.340 --> 00:13:04.019 winning is what gives us our our meaning in life 00:13:04.019 --> 00:13:06.820 you've got to win in the here and now and if 00:13:06.820 --> 00:13:11.429 you don't man fire gets going It says they're 00:13:11.429 --> 00:13:14.590 jealous over others. They want what others have. 00:13:15.769 --> 00:13:19.870 Because, of course, what you have now, your possessions 00:13:19.870 --> 00:13:23.029 now, is what gives you meaning in this sort of 00:13:23.029 --> 00:13:25.490 secular age. If the world is all there is, then 00:13:25.490 --> 00:13:30.610 what you have is what defines you. They're jealous 00:13:30.610 --> 00:13:33.370 over the life of others and want to grab onto 00:13:33.370 --> 00:13:37.769 it. They slander because you going down often 00:13:37.769 --> 00:13:41.110 means that I get to go up. And I need to establish 00:13:41.110 --> 00:13:44.009 myself in this world now, because now is all 00:13:44.009 --> 00:13:50.769 there is. They gossip. Why do people gossip? 00:13:53.250 --> 00:13:55.929 They just kind of get a feeling of, I'm in the 00:13:55.929 --> 00:14:00.330 know. I am in the know. There's this sort of 00:14:00.330 --> 00:14:03.929 reality of you get some kind of earthly high 00:14:03.929 --> 00:14:08.080 and buzz and you've got to do that because In 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:11.480 our age, and the temptation was then, it's all 00:14:11.480 --> 00:14:14.340 about the now. This world is all there is. You 00:14:14.340 --> 00:14:18.039 better get it while the getting is good. They 00:14:18.039 --> 00:14:21.279 live a life of sexual immorality and sensuality, 00:14:21.659 --> 00:14:25.259 because again, you might as well take in all 00:14:25.259 --> 00:14:28.639 of the sensual pleasure while it's there for 00:14:28.639 --> 00:14:33.659 the taking. This world is all there is. Live 00:14:33.659 --> 00:14:41.059 it up. Enjoy while you can. You see, this eminent 00:14:41.059 --> 00:14:43.500 frame that this world and what is right before 00:14:43.500 --> 00:14:49.360 us now is the reference for meaning, says that 00:14:49.360 --> 00:14:52.340 this is all there is. Take it while you can. 00:14:53.159 --> 00:14:56.059 Take the argument while you can. Take the special 00:14:56.059 --> 00:14:58.000 knowledge while you can. Take the sensual pleasure 00:14:58.000 --> 00:15:01.059 while you can. Be jealous of those who have when 00:15:01.059 --> 00:15:04.720 you don't. Because having now is what gives you 00:15:04.720 --> 00:15:11.440 life meaning. Which is to say, eat the candy. 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:19.539 The candy now. If you look down in verse two 00:15:19.539 --> 00:15:27.120 of chapter 13, you see Paul say this, I warned 00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:30.879 those who sinned before. and all the others, 00:15:30.940 --> 00:15:34.720 and I warn them now while absent." And if he 00:15:34.720 --> 00:15:39.539 actually, if you went back up, he says to verse 00:15:39.539 --> 00:15:42.259 21 of chapter 12, I fear that when I come again, 00:15:42.480 --> 00:15:44.639 my God may humble me before you and I may have 00:15:44.639 --> 00:15:46.860 to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier 00:15:46.860 --> 00:15:51.179 and have not repented of their impurity and all 00:15:51.179 --> 00:15:54.200 the rest. And if you think back to the sins of 00:15:54.200 --> 00:15:55.700 the Corinthian church and First Corinthians, 00:15:55.779 --> 00:15:59.080 you see the same dynamic at play of living in 00:15:59.080 --> 00:16:01.279 this imminent frame, this secular age of God 00:16:01.279 --> 00:16:05.980 is so distant, let's take it now. They not only 00:16:05.980 --> 00:16:08.960 practice sexual immorality and sensuality, which 00:16:08.960 --> 00:16:12.080 is a big theme in First Corinthians, but they 00:16:12.080 --> 00:16:14.039 also take one another to court because they've 00:16:14.039 --> 00:16:18.980 got to win. You've got to win the argument. You've 00:16:18.980 --> 00:16:21.690 got to establish yourself. Or you think of 1 00:16:21.690 --> 00:16:24.509 Corinthians chapter 10 and chapter 11. And the 00:16:24.509 --> 00:16:26.490 big thing that is happening, one of the big dynamics 00:16:26.490 --> 00:16:29.610 that's happening over the Lord's Supper, you 00:16:29.610 --> 00:16:32.389 know, this table of communion is a table of disunion 00:16:32.389 --> 00:16:35.389 because a bunch of the people were coming first, 00:16:35.450 --> 00:16:37.570 particularly the well -to -do, and they were 00:16:37.570 --> 00:16:41.529 eating it all. Seems like such a strange thing, 00:16:41.529 --> 00:16:44.350 right, to us. But isn't that exactly what you 00:16:44.350 --> 00:16:46.769 would do if all that you're living for is the 00:16:46.769 --> 00:16:50.590 here and now? Take it all. Take it all. Right? 00:16:50.730 --> 00:16:53.590 Come and grab it. Don't leave anything for anyone 00:16:53.590 --> 00:16:58.169 else. You've got to establish yourself now. And 00:16:58.169 --> 00:17:00.529 of course, what has this rejection of God done 00:17:00.529 --> 00:17:04.329 in our world? Right? In the world that we live 00:17:04.329 --> 00:17:08.329 in now that says, God is a delusion. It is simply 00:17:08.329 --> 00:17:12.190 the physical reality now that is on offer for 00:17:12.190 --> 00:17:16.789 you for your meaning. What has secularism done 00:17:16.789 --> 00:17:22.750 for our world, this secular age? Do we live in 00:17:22.750 --> 00:17:25.930 a world where people are eager to listen to others' 00:17:26.690 --> 00:17:29.990 opinions, to learn from those who disagree with 00:17:29.990 --> 00:17:34.410 us? Or do we live in a world where quarreling 00:17:34.410 --> 00:17:36.950 and slander seems to be pretty much the norm? 00:17:38.750 --> 00:17:43.009 Is our world a place where jealousy runs rampant, 00:17:43.109 --> 00:17:49.130 or there is great contentment? Do we look upon 00:17:49.130 --> 00:17:54.849 the lives others have and think, I'm going to 00:17:54.849 --> 00:18:00.650 rejoice with them? Or do we think, if only I 00:18:00.650 --> 00:18:07.470 had, then I would be happy? Has the rejection 00:18:07.470 --> 00:18:11.630 of the divine and the belief that this world 00:18:11.630 --> 00:18:15.849 is all there is made sexual immorality and sensuality 00:18:19.379 --> 00:18:23.940 Something that we hold with joy as a gift, but 00:18:23.940 --> 00:18:26.480 not our identity or has it become our identity? 00:18:26.559 --> 00:18:28.859 I mean, is it even a question? We talk about 00:18:28.859 --> 00:18:32.400 sexual identity all the time. It's become the 00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:34.940 thing that defines us because something of this 00:18:34.940 --> 00:18:37.119 world has to define you. It has to give you meaning. 00:18:39.680 --> 00:18:41.799 The rejection of the idea that the divine is 00:18:41.799 --> 00:18:44.619 what gives us our authority and our meaning. 00:18:45.430 --> 00:18:47.589 Made an image of God, we've got to grab onto 00:18:47.589 --> 00:18:50.029 it. We've got to grab onto it in the here and 00:18:50.029 --> 00:18:53.950 in the now. Again, think of our political discourse. 00:18:55.289 --> 00:18:59.210 Is our political discourse not filled, I mean 00:18:59.210 --> 00:19:02.049 filled with anger and slander and hostility? 00:19:05.529 --> 00:19:07.569 Be honest, is your heart not filled with anger 00:19:07.569 --> 00:19:10.329 and hostility and slander towards those who you 00:19:10.329 --> 00:19:20.559 disagree with? One of the marks of our age, this 00:19:20.559 --> 00:19:25.680 secular age, as some call it, is the idea of 00:19:25.680 --> 00:19:30.359 exclusive humanism. That the world becoming better 00:19:30.359 --> 00:19:35.420 is up to us. You know your heart, you're like, 00:19:35.500 --> 00:19:40.019 oh dear. But this is partly why political discourse 00:19:40.019 --> 00:19:45.259 is as it is. because if it's up to us, then we 00:19:45.259 --> 00:19:49.519 have to figure out how it works best. And my 00:19:49.519 --> 00:19:52.279 vision of how it must work best has to be the 00:19:52.279 --> 00:19:54.200 one that wins if that's all the hope that we 00:19:54.200 --> 00:19:59.359 have. And if you disagree with it, you are not 00:19:59.359 --> 00:20:01.519 just disagreeing with me, but you are disagreeing 00:20:01.519 --> 00:20:04.160 with the good life and therefore you must be 00:20:04.160 --> 00:20:09.839 evil. You must be squelched, squashed, put down. 00:20:12.430 --> 00:20:17.190 Do you see this? What Paul is warning the Corinthians, 00:20:17.730 --> 00:20:20.170 how he is warning them not to live as though 00:20:20.170 --> 00:20:22.829 God will not come back, as though He will not 00:20:22.829 --> 00:20:27.549 come back, is in some ways the big warning that 00:20:27.549 --> 00:20:32.289 we need, right? This idea that, ah, God is either 00:20:32.289 --> 00:20:35.890 so distant as though He is irrelevant or He just 00:20:35.890 --> 00:20:39.250 doesn't exist at all. Oh, you're so far off. 00:20:39.660 --> 00:20:42.099 We could care less what you think we will live 00:20:42.099 --> 00:20:51.839 as we want to now So often what we do But here's 00:20:51.839 --> 00:20:53.819 the thing and this is part of what Paul is saying 00:20:53.819 --> 00:20:56.599 is Paul's coming back He's it's almost as though 00:20:56.599 --> 00:20:59.339 Paul in this chapter is actually living the Advent 00:20:59.339 --> 00:21:03.599 life After his first coming actually, it's first 00:21:03.599 --> 00:21:05.799 and second coming. He went he visited them another 00:21:05.799 --> 00:21:09.539 time and before he comes again And he's inviting 00:21:09.539 --> 00:21:12.299 us to actually into this Advent life with God. 00:21:12.299 --> 00:21:15.839 God has come and he will return. Which is to 00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:20.460 say, God will not be mocked. God will not be 00:21:20.460 --> 00:21:24.839 mocked. Or as verse three says, he's not weak 00:21:24.839 --> 00:21:28.420 in dealing with you, but he's powerful among 00:21:28.420 --> 00:21:34.720 you. His reality is sure. He is present, he knows. 00:21:35.339 --> 00:21:39.339 Maybe you could say he sees. He's the God who 00:21:39.339 --> 00:21:43.160 is imminent to us. His eminence is part of His 00:21:43.160 --> 00:21:48.339 reality, transcendent, and yet in Him we live 00:21:48.339 --> 00:21:51.819 and move and have our being. He's as high as 00:21:51.819 --> 00:21:54.819 the heavens are above the earth. He's so far 00:21:54.819 --> 00:21:59.259 beyond us, and yet He makes us home, present 00:21:59.259 --> 00:22:03.789 to us. So Paul gives some advice. He gives some 00:22:03.789 --> 00:22:06.930 practical things that they might be on on their 00:22:06.930 --> 00:22:08.849 guard. He says a few things to them. And I want 00:22:08.849 --> 00:22:10.109 to just kind of walk through a couple things 00:22:10.109 --> 00:22:13.150 he says to them. One thing that he says sort 00:22:13.150 --> 00:22:18.109 of to help them be ready for his coming is test 00:22:18.109 --> 00:22:24.289 yourself. Test yourself. Examine yourself. Look 00:22:24.289 --> 00:22:29.789 at verse five. I forget which one of you children 00:22:29.789 --> 00:22:31.450 read this for us, but all of you did a really 00:22:31.450 --> 00:22:37.519 great job. Very clear enunciation. Verse five, 00:22:37.700 --> 00:22:41.180 examine yourselves to see whether you are in 00:22:41.180 --> 00:22:47.579 the faith. Examine yourselves, test yourselves. 00:22:48.759 --> 00:22:51.640 It means very clear, examine yourself. Are you 00:22:51.640 --> 00:22:56.480 in the faith? Test yourself. Take some time to 00:22:56.480 --> 00:23:00.279 examine your life. I invite you, I implore you, 00:23:00.380 --> 00:23:04.859 take some time. Sit down and examine your life. 00:23:06.099 --> 00:23:10.240 Test your life. We often talk about this during 00:23:10.240 --> 00:23:14.500 Lent. It's this penitential time focused on this 00:23:14.500 --> 00:23:16.880 question of this looking forward to the cross 00:23:16.880 --> 00:23:18.859 and the resurrection, but also we sit in this 00:23:18.859 --> 00:23:20.759 question of why did God need to come and why 00:23:20.759 --> 00:23:25.359 did he need to die? And how awful is our sin 00:23:25.359 --> 00:23:30.450 that God Himself would have to die for it? But 00:23:30.450 --> 00:23:35.470 now, examine yourself. Part of the dynamic of 00:23:35.470 --> 00:23:39.269 looking forward to the coming of Jesus, and we 00:23:39.269 --> 00:23:41.329 got this in our Isaiah passage, the day of the 00:23:41.329 --> 00:23:43.490 Lord is both a very wonderful thing in the scriptures, 00:23:43.509 --> 00:23:47.130 but it is also a day of fear. It is a day of 00:23:47.130 --> 00:23:49.609 joy and it is a day of fear because it is a day 00:23:49.609 --> 00:23:54.869 of both blessing and a day of judgment. So examine 00:23:54.869 --> 00:24:00.579 yourself. Take inventory of your life. Take inventory 00:24:00.579 --> 00:24:03.960 of your speech and of your heart, your actions, 00:24:05.619 --> 00:24:10.900 your speech marked by hostility and anger. Are 00:24:10.900 --> 00:24:14.859 you prone to gossip? Something that is often 00:24:14.859 --> 00:24:18.799 condemned in scripture. Do you savor being in 00:24:18.799 --> 00:24:23.279 the know, having special knowledge? Does your 00:24:23.279 --> 00:24:28.539 heart relish the downfall of those you disagree 00:24:28.539 --> 00:24:34.049 with? I think of how you, maybe one way to do 00:24:34.049 --> 00:24:35.829 this to examine yourself is how do you engage 00:24:35.829 --> 00:24:39.349 with the political news about you? Can you not 00:24:39.349 --> 00:24:42.589 wait to hear how some opponent had some other 00:24:42.589 --> 00:24:45.829 controversy surrounding them? They are on the 00:24:45.829 --> 00:24:49.490 Epstein file list, right? Oh, I hope they are. 00:24:50.410 --> 00:24:55.269 Like what's going on in our hearts? Examine yourself. 00:24:55.650 --> 00:25:01.029 Are you prone to jealousy? Does your heart sit? 00:25:01.450 --> 00:25:04.950 in the thought of what others have or what they 00:25:04.950 --> 00:25:10.950 get to do and whatever. Do you scroll through 00:25:10.950 --> 00:25:13.490 the feed seeing the joy of others and just ache 00:25:13.490 --> 00:25:18.910 that it is not yours? Are you inclined to take 00:25:18.910 --> 00:25:22.289 the sexual and the sensual pleasures on offer 00:25:22.289 --> 00:25:28.109 now while it is before you? When it's not yours 00:25:28.109 --> 00:25:32.450 to have? Are you addicted to what you see on 00:25:32.450 --> 00:25:36.250 the screen or the flavors you can have in your 00:25:36.250 --> 00:25:41.029 mouth? Do you dream about the next meal constantly? 00:25:41.990 --> 00:25:47.069 Mind and your heart fixed on the sensual. Examine 00:25:47.069 --> 00:25:52.309 yourselves, test yourself. These are all inclinations 00:25:52.309 --> 00:25:55.829 of this imminent frame, this idea that we must 00:25:55.829 --> 00:26:03.690 have now. As the getting is good, take it. Paul 00:26:03.690 --> 00:26:08.410 goes on from verse five there in 13. Let me read 00:26:08.410 --> 00:26:14.450 this for you. Or do you not realize this about 00:26:14.450 --> 00:26:17.430 yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you unless 00:26:17.430 --> 00:26:22.230 indeed you fail to meet the test? Right, he's 00:26:22.230 --> 00:26:25.500 speaking to a Christian church. I'm I employ 00:26:25.500 --> 00:26:29.319 you now where the sisters test yourselves unless 00:26:29.319 --> 00:26:39.920 you fail to meet the test Ask examine Are you 00:26:39.920 --> 00:26:43.059 walking in the way of the Lord finding his his 00:26:43.059 --> 00:26:48.799 law your delight Keeps going he is not weak in 00:26:48.799 --> 00:26:51.599 dealing with you, but it's powerful among you 00:26:51.819 --> 00:26:54.259 For he was crucified in weakness, but lives in 00:26:54.259 --> 00:26:57.900 the power of God. For we are weak in him, but 00:26:57.900 --> 00:27:00.220 in dealing with you, we live with him by the 00:27:00.220 --> 00:27:04.940 power of God." Do you see what he's inviting 00:27:04.940 --> 00:27:07.000 you to do is to test yourself. Are you living 00:27:07.000 --> 00:27:10.420 simply for what is before you now? The delights 00:27:10.420 --> 00:27:12.839 of this world or what power you can have now 00:27:12.839 --> 00:27:18.680 or how others can be put down? Test is Jesus 00:27:18.680 --> 00:27:23.000 Christ in you, he asks. That's sort of the first 00:27:23.000 --> 00:27:25.380 advice he gives. The second is sort of similar, 00:27:25.799 --> 00:27:27.299 but I think it's a little bit different too. 00:27:28.160 --> 00:27:30.559 And the second I want to say is the truth will 00:27:30.559 --> 00:27:37.819 out. Jesus says it like this in Luke chapter 00:27:37.819 --> 00:27:41.380 12, nothing is covered up that will not be revealed 00:27:41.380 --> 00:27:48.809 or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever 00:27:48.809 --> 00:27:51.430 you have said in the dark shall be heard in the 00:27:51.430 --> 00:27:54.349 light and what you've whispered in private rooms 00:27:54.349 --> 00:27:59.990 shall be proclaimed in the housetops Nothing 00:27:59.990 --> 00:28:04.390 is hidden that will not be revealed So as you 00:28:04.390 --> 00:28:07.089 test yourself it's good things the Lord says 00:28:07.089 --> 00:28:12.130 he says to us you cannot hide Don't think you're 00:28:12.130 --> 00:28:18.500 fooling anybody or Paul says it In verse 8, for 00:28:18.500 --> 00:28:23.700 we cannot do anything against the truth. We can't. 00:28:24.039 --> 00:28:25.700 But only for the truth. The truth is going to 00:28:25.700 --> 00:28:29.900 be what comes out. He's saying that he himself 00:28:29.900 --> 00:28:35.940 cannot do anything but the truth. Sorry, he's 00:28:35.940 --> 00:28:38.099 not saying that he himself cannot just live in 00:28:38.099 --> 00:28:40.059 the truth, but that all of what we do will be 00:28:40.059 --> 00:28:42.740 brought out. The truth will always come out. 00:28:42.759 --> 00:28:47.019 The truth will always win. And Paul's saying 00:28:47.019 --> 00:28:48.799 in some ways that there's a very practical reality 00:28:48.799 --> 00:28:53.279 to this, that the truth will always win. And 00:28:53.279 --> 00:28:55.519 part of this is do not, today, do not harden 00:28:55.519 --> 00:28:58.819 your hearts, right? We heard from Psalm 95. Don't 00:28:58.819 --> 00:29:00.500 harden your hearts because the Lord knows your 00:29:00.500 --> 00:29:03.940 heart. The Lord knows your motivations. The Lord 00:29:03.940 --> 00:29:06.059 knows what you say in private, he says. It's 00:29:06.059 --> 00:29:09.279 gonna be brought out. Are you just grabbing onto 00:29:09.279 --> 00:29:12.420 this world? Because in the coming of... Christ, 00:29:12.640 --> 00:29:15.359 all things will be brought to light. His light 00:29:15.359 --> 00:29:17.079 will shine in the darkness. And some of that 00:29:17.079 --> 00:29:19.099 we will say, praise the Lord. And some of that 00:29:19.099 --> 00:29:21.460 we will say, I wanted to keep that in the darkness. 00:29:22.700 --> 00:29:25.720 Right? It's a day of both joy and a day both 00:29:25.720 --> 00:29:34.079 for fear. Truth will out. Maybe some of you have 00:29:34.079 --> 00:29:37.660 heard this, but when speaking of the world to 00:29:37.660 --> 00:29:41.289 come, both the new heavens and the new earth 00:29:41.289 --> 00:29:44.509 and the judgment that will be given to those 00:29:44.509 --> 00:29:47.789 who do not walk in the way of the Lord. C .S. 00:29:47.809 --> 00:29:49.789 Lewis sort of famously says, you always get what 00:29:49.789 --> 00:29:54.609 you want. Always get what you want. Children, 00:29:55.170 --> 00:29:58.170 how many of you have read the book, The Magician's 00:29:58.170 --> 00:30:02.250 Nephew, or heard that book? Okay. Yeah. How many 00:30:02.250 --> 00:30:05.589 else have read The Magician's Nephew? Wonderful. 00:30:05.670 --> 00:30:08.230 If you haven't, I would be happy to give you 00:30:08.230 --> 00:30:10.769 a copy of it. But near the end of that story, 00:30:10.890 --> 00:30:14.430 do you remember Diggory flies on Fledge whose 00:30:14.430 --> 00:30:17.430 previous name was Strawberry, which I love. It's 00:30:17.430 --> 00:30:19.730 a great name for a horse. But he flies on the 00:30:19.730 --> 00:30:23.369 horse up to the walled garden and he gets the 00:30:23.369 --> 00:30:26.369 fruit, the apple. But who also gets the fruit? 00:30:27.630 --> 00:30:31.450 Witch. That's right, the witch. And Aslan says 00:30:31.450 --> 00:30:35.630 to Diggory about the witch taking also the fruit. 00:30:35.750 --> 00:30:39.890 He says, child, that is why All the rest are 00:30:39.890 --> 00:30:45.049 now a horror to her. That is what happens to 00:30:45.049 --> 00:30:47.750 those who pluck and eat fruits the wrong time 00:30:47.750 --> 00:30:51.049 and in the wrong way. Oh, the fruit is good, 00:30:51.049 --> 00:30:54.329 but they loathe it ever after. She's won her 00:30:54.329 --> 00:30:57.450 heart's desire. She has unwavering strength and 00:30:57.450 --> 00:31:00.170 endless days like a goddess, but length of days 00:31:00.170 --> 00:31:02.869 with an evil heart is only length of misery. 00:31:04.089 --> 00:31:06.940 And already she begins to know it. All get what 00:31:06.940 --> 00:31:10.720 they want. They do not always like it. Which 00:31:10.720 --> 00:31:14.279 is to say, if you live in this dynamic of the 00:31:14.279 --> 00:31:15.900 thing that gives you meaning and the hope that 00:31:15.900 --> 00:31:19.559 you have is only in what is right before you, 00:31:19.559 --> 00:31:22.599 that's all you'll get. If you don't want Jesus 00:31:22.599 --> 00:31:28.599 now, you don't get Jesus then. You get what you 00:31:28.599 --> 00:31:32.779 want. The truth will always out. Test yourself. 00:31:36.980 --> 00:31:40.640 Paul really practically says, understand that 00:31:40.640 --> 00:31:42.680 you will get what you want and the truth will 00:31:42.680 --> 00:31:45.240 be revealed. We can't do anything against the 00:31:45.240 --> 00:31:49.539 truth. Light will always shine in the darkness 00:31:49.539 --> 00:31:53.980 and the dark things will be exposed. Test yourself. 00:31:56.180 --> 00:32:02.200 But there is more that he says. And I want to 00:32:02.200 --> 00:32:04.740 say this that he actually ends with a very hopeful 00:32:04.740 --> 00:32:07.819 note. in a couple chapters that are pretty hard. 00:32:09.039 --> 00:32:11.000 And I think this is really lovely because my 00:32:11.000 --> 00:32:15.180 guess is that when we list out, when we examine 00:32:15.180 --> 00:32:18.400 ourselves, when we test ourselves, when we list 00:32:18.400 --> 00:32:23.119 out how we live without the reality of God, when 00:32:23.119 --> 00:32:25.740 we list out these things that He lists out for 00:32:25.740 --> 00:32:27.559 the Corinthian church like gossip and slander 00:32:27.559 --> 00:32:30.920 and hostility and sensuality and all these things, 00:32:32.180 --> 00:32:35.670 when we really examine ourselves, and we are 00:32:35.670 --> 00:32:39.450 honest with ourselves, and maybe there's a little 00:32:39.450 --> 00:32:41.250 bit of sense of, oh, the truth will out. I better 00:32:41.250 --> 00:32:43.250 be really honest, which is what I'm encouraging 00:32:43.250 --> 00:32:46.470 you to do. My guess is that you're like, yes, 00:32:46.509 --> 00:32:51.049 I live this secular life. I live in this reality. 00:32:52.170 --> 00:32:57.589 I better take while the taking is good. I mean, 00:32:57.849 --> 00:33:03.170 I see myself in this list. And I think, my guess 00:33:03.170 --> 00:33:04.910 is that if you're actually honest, you'll see 00:33:04.910 --> 00:33:09.349 yourself in this list. But I also want to suggest 00:33:09.349 --> 00:33:12.630 to you that Paul knows that that is for our good. 00:33:14.809 --> 00:33:17.490 It's for our good that our examination leads 00:33:17.490 --> 00:33:23.329 us to go, oh, my word. Oh, my word, I have been 00:33:23.329 --> 00:33:26.829 taking. I've been seeking to find my meaning 00:33:26.829 --> 00:33:30.970 and my pleasure and my delight and my joy. Not 00:33:30.970 --> 00:33:34.190 in the Lord, but in the things of this life and 00:33:34.190 --> 00:33:39.309 the things of this world. He knows that it's 00:33:39.309 --> 00:33:41.250 for your good because actually when you come 00:33:41.250 --> 00:33:43.529 to that place and acknowledge that is when you 00:33:43.529 --> 00:33:47.069 actually begin to turn to Him and to find that 00:33:47.069 --> 00:33:49.450 in Him there's a new life on offer. There's true 00:33:49.450 --> 00:33:52.450 forgiveness and true peace and a different way 00:33:52.450 --> 00:33:55.750 of being in the world is really on offer to you 00:33:55.750 --> 00:33:59.950 as you come to an honest place. Your rejection 00:33:59.950 --> 00:34:02.190 of him and you're grabbing onto the things of 00:34:02.190 --> 00:34:05.990 this world. That is where you find hope So let 00:34:05.990 --> 00:34:08.389 me tell you this story then I'm gonna begin to 00:34:08.389 --> 00:34:12.070 wrap this up So we don't just eat eat a lot of 00:34:12.070 --> 00:34:14.429 candy around Christmas in our house. What are 00:34:14.429 --> 00:34:17.929 other times when we eat a lot of candy Halloween 00:34:17.929 --> 00:34:21.070 yes East. Yep Easter. We eat a lot of chocolate 00:34:21.070 --> 00:34:24.070 only Yeah, but Halloween is one of those ones 00:34:24.070 --> 00:34:25.989 where especially if you live where we live, which 00:34:25.989 --> 00:34:27.650 is, you know, just a few blocks down on Green 00:34:27.650 --> 00:34:30.969 Street, it gets packed. Right. I mean, there's 00:34:30.969 --> 00:34:35.010 a lot of candy being given out and the temptation 00:34:35.010 --> 00:34:39.090 when you have it is to do what? Eat it. Right. 00:34:39.269 --> 00:34:43.449 Thank you. It's to eat it. And I did ask Melissa 00:34:43.449 --> 00:34:45.090 if I could share this with you. But one of the 00:34:45.090 --> 00:34:47.329 stories, there's a story in our family that goes 00:34:47.329 --> 00:34:49.780 around. And we tell it somewhat often, Melyce 00:34:49.780 --> 00:34:51.820 mostly tells it because it is her story. It's 00:34:51.820 --> 00:34:54.840 a very important story. And it's a very instructive 00:34:54.840 --> 00:34:57.980 story. And I'm telling it to you all because 00:34:57.980 --> 00:34:59.480 it is very instructive. And I think this is part 00:34:59.480 --> 00:35:02.179 of what Paul is saying. When Melyce was a sweet 00:35:02.179 --> 00:35:05.559 little girl of age 10 -ish, she and her brothers 00:35:05.559 --> 00:35:07.260 went trick or treating around their neighborhood 00:35:07.260 --> 00:35:09.159 and then over into another adjoining neighborhood. 00:35:09.179 --> 00:35:12.099 And they got lots of candy. And of course, what 00:35:12.099 --> 00:35:14.719 do you do when you have candy? Yeah, you eat 00:35:14.719 --> 00:35:18.739 it. And the temptation, right, was to say, oh, 00:35:18.739 --> 00:35:22.539 I got this. I better eat it now. The joy is before 00:35:22.539 --> 00:35:24.900 me now. Whatever my pleasure is before me now, 00:35:25.099 --> 00:35:30.380 my meaning is before me now. Well, what happens 00:35:30.380 --> 00:35:34.940 when you eat all the candy? It's gone. Thank 00:35:34.940 --> 00:35:36.280 you. That's one thing you get home and you're 00:35:36.280 --> 00:35:39.000 like, well, I don't have any candy. But you know 00:35:39.000 --> 00:35:42.880 what? The candy comes up. That's what happens. 00:35:43.179 --> 00:35:47.019 You get sick. And that is exactly what Paul is 00:35:47.019 --> 00:35:50.679 warning them about. That's not the way to live. 00:35:51.320 --> 00:35:53.840 It's not. There's a proper time to enjoy the 00:35:53.840 --> 00:35:57.900 things of this world. There's a proper time for 00:35:57.900 --> 00:36:01.920 these things. The proper way to enjoy them is 00:36:01.920 --> 00:36:06.019 in light of the Lord. The fact that He's given 00:36:06.019 --> 00:36:08.679 them to you. He gives them to you in proper times 00:36:08.679 --> 00:36:15.369 to be used in proper ways. So in the midst of 00:36:15.369 --> 00:36:18.809 all this warning, as Paul's ending this letter, 00:36:20.170 --> 00:36:25.630 he also ends with this, verse 11. Finally, brothers, 00:36:25.829 --> 00:36:31.369 rejoice. Aim for, it's just amazing. That's how 00:36:31.369 --> 00:36:33.769 he ends after all this. It's like, I'm coming 00:36:33.769 --> 00:36:35.929 back. You better get your stuff together. Finally, 00:36:36.070 --> 00:36:41.039 brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration. Comfort 00:36:41.039 --> 00:36:45.079 one another, agree with one another, live in 00:36:45.079 --> 00:36:51.280 peace, and the God of love and peace will be 00:36:51.280 --> 00:36:58.619 with you. Right? What is the answer? What's the 00:36:58.619 --> 00:37:02.480 answer to all this quarreling and strife and 00:37:02.480 --> 00:37:07.820 hostility and grabbing? God will be with you. 00:37:09.119 --> 00:37:11.820 And as He is with you, as you live in this reality 00:37:11.820 --> 00:37:15.480 of God among you, you can aim for restoration. 00:37:16.460 --> 00:37:19.199 You can live at peace with one another. The very 00:37:19.199 --> 00:37:23.139 things they weren't doing were on offer for them. 00:37:24.000 --> 00:37:27.960 And they are on offer for us also. It's because 00:37:27.960 --> 00:37:31.920 God is with us that we have hope. So finally 00:37:31.920 --> 00:37:33.719 He sends us out with the very words actually 00:37:33.719 --> 00:37:35.619 that so often you are sent out with into this 00:37:35.619 --> 00:37:39.289 world. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the 00:37:39.289 --> 00:37:42.869 love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit 00:37:42.869 --> 00:37:47.150 be with you because He knows that is your hope. 00:37:48.710 --> 00:37:52.590 That God is not absent, but He is with you as 00:37:52.590 --> 00:37:55.369 you go out into this world that is saying, grab, 00:37:55.449 --> 00:37:57.969 grab, grab, make meaning out of what you have 00:37:57.969 --> 00:38:01.230 now. Brothers and sisters, that is the hope that 00:38:01.230 --> 00:38:04.820 we have. grace of Lord Jesus Christ, the love 00:38:04.820 --> 00:38:07.519 of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit 00:38:07.519 --> 00:38:13.079 with us. Amen. Lord, thank you for your word 00:38:13.079 --> 00:38:16.179 to us this morning. God, thank you that you love 00:38:16.179 --> 00:38:20.059 us and that you call us to repentance and you 00:38:20.059 --> 00:38:22.599 correct our ways. But Lord, thank you for this 00:38:22.599 --> 00:38:24.559 great truth that you are with us and it's because 00:38:24.559 --> 00:38:27.300 you are with us that we have hope. We have new 00:38:27.300 --> 00:38:29.860 life. We're going to have to find our meaning 00:38:29.860 --> 00:38:33.400 and what we can grab and hold on to. and know 00:38:33.400 --> 00:38:38.239 in this life, but in you and in you alone. Move 00:38:38.239 --> 00:38:40.860 among us, Lord, in this way. Draw us ever into 00:38:40.860 --> 00:38:43.460 the great hope of your advent, your coming among 00:38:43.460 --> 00:39:01.320 us. In Jesus' name, amen. You can find us online 00:39:01.320 --> 00:39:04.760 at SecondCityChurch .org and on Instagram, Facebook, 00:39:05.019 --> 00:39:07.519 and YouTube. Thanks again for listening. God 00:39:07.519 --> 00:39:07.880 bless.