WEBVTT 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:06.660 Hey all, Pastor John here. Thanks for tuning 00:00:06.660 --> 00:00:09.759 in to the weekly sermon podcast. We pray this 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:12.519 message encourages you, strengthens your faith, 00:00:12.660 --> 00:00:15.080 and helps you to take your next step with Jesus. 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:18.239 If this content blesses you and you'd like to 00:00:18.239 --> 00:00:20.339 be a part of helping us continue to bring the 00:00:20.339 --> 00:00:22.739 gospel to life, we'd love for you to consider 00:00:22.739 --> 00:00:25.739 supporting the ministry of Village. Your generosity 00:00:25.739 --> 00:00:28.339 makes it possible for us to keep creating and 00:00:28.339 --> 00:00:31.510 sharing resources like this podcast. You can 00:00:31.510 --> 00:00:35.250 give safely and easily by visiting sacvillage 00:00:35.250 --> 00:00:39.090 .org slash give or by heading to our website 00:00:39.090 --> 00:00:43.109 at sacvillage .org. Thanks again for listening. 00:00:43.509 --> 00:00:54.509 Now let's dive into this week's message. Amen. 00:00:54.570 --> 00:00:57.149 Well, the issue of identity, which is where we're 00:00:57.149 --> 00:00:59.310 at as a church right now in our sermon series. 00:01:00.200 --> 00:01:02.960 True and better. Today we're going to look at 00:01:02.960 --> 00:01:07.760 created, not constructed. And the issue of identity 00:01:07.760 --> 00:01:10.060 will eventually come down to a single question. 00:01:11.359 --> 00:01:15.799 Not what do I feel, or not what have I experienced, 00:01:15.879 --> 00:01:18.799 but the real question beneath all of the questions 00:01:18.799 --> 00:01:24.209 is, who has the right to define my life? Who 00:01:24.209 --> 00:01:26.950 has the right to define my life? Someone gets 00:01:26.950 --> 00:01:30.209 to name you. Someone gets to tell you what you 00:01:30.209 --> 00:01:34.629 are here for. Someone gets to say what is good, 00:01:34.750 --> 00:01:38.129 what is true, and what leads to flourishing. 00:01:39.370 --> 00:01:43.329 And the modern world tells us, well, the answer 00:01:43.329 --> 00:01:48.310 to that question is obvious. You do. You get 00:01:48.310 --> 00:01:51.760 to tell yourself. who you are. You get to define 00:01:51.760 --> 00:01:55.200 what you're here for. You get to decide what 00:01:55.200 --> 00:01:58.599 is good, what is true, and what leads to flourishing. 00:01:58.659 --> 00:02:02.620 The highest good in the modern world is self 00:02:02.620 --> 00:02:09.400 -definition. Freedom means autonomy. To submit 00:02:09.400 --> 00:02:13.460 my identity to anything outside myself is oppressive 00:02:13.460 --> 00:02:20.219 or harmful or dangerous. But scripture tells 00:02:20.219 --> 00:02:25.099 a very different story. The Bible does not treat 00:02:25.099 --> 00:02:29.659 self -definition as a virtue. It treats it as 00:02:29.659 --> 00:02:33.800 a temptation. From the very beginning, the central 00:02:33.800 --> 00:02:37.409 conflict of the human story. has not been between 00:02:37.409 --> 00:02:40.629 people and circumstances or even people in sin. 00:02:40.750 --> 00:02:44.509 The central conflict of the human story has been 00:02:44.509 --> 00:02:47.889 between the creator and the creature over who 00:02:47.889 --> 00:02:54.270 gets to rule. Who gets to decide what a human 00:02:54.270 --> 00:02:58.229 life is for? Who gets to define good and evil? 00:02:58.310 --> 00:03:06.099 Who gets to say, this is who I am? I think the 00:03:06.099 --> 00:03:10.039 truth we need this morning is this. To attempt 00:03:10.039 --> 00:03:14.699 to create ourselves, to define our own identity 00:03:14.699 --> 00:03:19.780 apart from God is not harmless. It is rebellion. 00:03:23.000 --> 00:03:27.919 It's not merely cultural confusion. It is a rejection 00:03:27.919 --> 00:03:32.849 of the creator's authority. And that's why self 00:03:32.849 --> 00:03:36.009 -constructed identity is never neutral. It has 00:03:36.009 --> 00:03:42.050 consequences. It leads somewhere. So if you have 00:03:42.050 --> 00:03:43.770 your Bibles, we're going to be back in Genesis 00:03:43.770 --> 00:03:45.849 chapter 1, and you can grab them and begin to 00:03:45.849 --> 00:03:47.969 turn there. And if you're taking notes, the first 00:03:47.969 --> 00:03:52.750 point I'll have you write down is creation establishes 00:03:52.750 --> 00:04:00.349 ownership, not autonomy. Genesis chapter 1, we're 00:04:00.349 --> 00:04:03.259 going to... grab it in verse 26. It says, then 00:04:03.259 --> 00:04:07.599 God said, let us make man in our image, according 00:04:07.599 --> 00:04:11.180 to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the 00:04:11.180 --> 00:04:13.120 sea and the birds of the sky, the livestock, 00:04:13.340 --> 00:04:15.659 the whole earth and the creatures that crawl 00:04:15.659 --> 00:04:18.839 on the earth. So God created man in his own image. 00:04:18.959 --> 00:04:21.699 He created him in the image of God. He created 00:04:21.699 --> 00:04:25.899 them male and female. God blessed them and said 00:04:25.899 --> 00:04:29.360 to them, be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth 00:04:29.360 --> 00:04:32.339 and subdue it. rule the fish of the sea, the 00:04:32.339 --> 00:04:35.220 birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls 00:04:35.220 --> 00:04:42.120 on earth. This is God's word. From the very first 00:04:42.120 --> 00:04:45.620 page of scripture, the order is unmistakable. 00:04:46.500 --> 00:04:53.610 God speaks, God creates, God defines. Human beings 00:04:53.610 --> 00:04:56.870 don't appear on this earth as self -originating 00:04:56.870 --> 00:05:01.170 creatures. We do not arrive as sovereigns. We 00:05:01.170 --> 00:05:07.769 arrive as made, created. The most basic truth 00:05:07.769 --> 00:05:11.610 about you is not something you discover later 00:05:11.610 --> 00:05:14.310 in life. It is something that was true before 00:05:14.310 --> 00:05:19.009 you ever drew your first breath. You were created. 00:05:21.550 --> 00:05:24.990 And to be created is not simply to have an origin, 00:05:25.189 --> 00:05:32.389 it is to have an owner as well. Creation establishes 00:05:32.389 --> 00:05:35.209 authority. When God makes something, he does 00:05:35.209 --> 00:05:38.050 not merely bring it into existence, he claims 00:05:38.050 --> 00:05:41.230 it, he governs it, he sustains it by his good 00:05:41.230 --> 00:05:46.069 pleasure. And this is why scripture never treats 00:05:46.069 --> 00:05:51.319 human life as morally autonomous. We are not 00:05:51.319 --> 00:05:54.540 self -authored beings who later on decide whether 00:05:54.540 --> 00:05:58.839 God gets a say in our life or not. God has the 00:05:58.839 --> 00:06:03.740 ultimate say because he made us. And being created 00:06:03.740 --> 00:06:05.639 in the image of God does not mean we're free 00:06:05.639 --> 00:06:08.160 to define ourselves however we please. It means 00:06:08.160 --> 00:06:14.060 that we were made to represent him, to reflect 00:06:14.060 --> 00:06:18.560 his character, to live within his order, to exercise 00:06:18.560 --> 00:06:25.009 authority. under his authority. Image bearing 00:06:25.009 --> 00:06:28.850 as humanity, image bearing is a delegated role, 00:06:29.050 --> 00:06:35.069 not a declaration of independence. And this is 00:06:35.069 --> 00:06:37.569 where modern assumptions collide with biblical 00:06:37.569 --> 00:06:40.430 reality. We live in a world that assumes dignity 00:06:40.430 --> 00:06:46.019 requires moral autonomy. That for life to be 00:06:46.019 --> 00:06:49.199 meaningful, it must be self -directed and self 00:06:49.199 --> 00:06:54.620 -defined. But scripture grounds human dignity 00:06:54.620 --> 00:06:59.779 somewhere else entirely. Not in the self -directed, 00:06:59.779 --> 00:07:03.160 self -defined moral autonomy our modern world 00:07:03.160 --> 00:07:06.879 pushes. It grounds dignity somewhere else where 00:07:06.879 --> 00:07:09.019 your value does not come from your independence. 00:07:09.100 --> 00:07:16.959 It comes from your maker. And who he is is the 00:07:16.959 --> 00:07:22.160 moral bedrock for your existence. Your worth 00:07:22.160 --> 00:07:24.240 is not established by your freedom to choose 00:07:24.240 --> 00:07:26.819 who you are. It is established by the fact that 00:07:26.819 --> 00:07:34.040 God chose to make you. Genesis 2 says that God 00:07:34.040 --> 00:07:37.720 formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed 00:07:37.720 --> 00:07:44.269 into his nostrils the breath of life. We are 00:07:44.269 --> 00:07:50.269 dependent by design. Autonomy is not our nature 00:07:50.269 --> 00:07:57.069 or our natural state. Dependence is. Which means 00:07:57.069 --> 00:07:59.670 the idea that I belong to myself, that my life 00:07:59.670 --> 00:08:03.009 is my own to define. It's not a biblical assumption. 00:08:03.230 --> 00:08:09.550 It is a rebellion against reality. Not because 00:08:09.550 --> 00:08:12.670 we agreed to it. Not because we consented to 00:08:12.670 --> 00:08:19.350 it, but because he created us. Ownership precedes 00:08:19.350 --> 00:08:25.009 choice. And if God is creator, then I do not 00:08:25.009 --> 00:08:29.149 have ultimate authority over my identity. I don't 00:08:29.149 --> 00:08:32.490 get to decide what I am apart from him. I don't 00:08:32.490 --> 00:08:35.370 get to define good and evil for myself. I don't 00:08:35.370 --> 00:08:41.220 get to rewrite the purpose of my life. Creation 00:08:41.220 --> 00:08:49.379 means limits. God's authority is not an intrusion 00:08:49.379 --> 00:08:54.419 into human freedom. It is the condition for true 00:08:54.419 --> 00:08:57.480 human freedom. I'll say that again. God's authority 00:08:57.480 --> 00:09:01.059 is not an intrusion into human freedom. It is 00:09:01.059 --> 00:09:06.559 the condition for human freedom. When we live 00:09:06.559 --> 00:09:09.639 within the boundaries said by our creator, life 00:09:09.639 --> 00:09:14.519 works as it was intended. But when we reject 00:09:14.519 --> 00:09:16.759 those boundaries, when we insist on defining 00:09:16.759 --> 00:09:19.779 ourselves apart from God, we do not become more 00:09:19.779 --> 00:09:27.519 human. We begin to unravel. And that leads me 00:09:27.519 --> 00:09:30.240 to the second point, which is self -construction 00:09:30.240 --> 00:09:38.799 is not neutral. It is rebellion. In Genesis chapter 00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:41.200 three, we looked at that a couple of weeks ago. 00:09:41.220 --> 00:09:44.919 We saw that the serpent came and said to the 00:09:44.919 --> 00:09:48.679 woman, did God really say you can't eat from 00:09:48.679 --> 00:09:54.100 any tree in the garden? And that question that 00:09:54.100 --> 00:09:56.860 the serpent asked, that's not some sort of information 00:09:56.860 --> 00:10:00.240 gathering survey, right? He's not from the Bureau 00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:02.100 of the Census coming around and just getting 00:10:02.100 --> 00:10:04.379 some information, right? Did God really say that? 00:10:04.440 --> 00:10:08.600 Okay, I'll write that down, right? No, what that 00:10:08.600 --> 00:10:12.399 is, is it's a question about authority. It's 00:10:12.399 --> 00:10:14.860 a question about, does God really get to decide 00:10:14.860 --> 00:10:20.519 that for you? And from that moment on, the conflict 00:10:20.519 --> 00:10:23.019 is clear through scripture. The temptation is 00:10:23.019 --> 00:10:28.779 not first about fruit. It is about who gets to 00:10:28.779 --> 00:10:33.980 define reality. And the serpent, he doesn't begin 00:10:33.980 --> 00:10:38.110 by saying, oh, God doesn't even exist. He doesn't 00:10:38.110 --> 00:10:41.269 deny the existence of God. He begins by undermining 00:10:41.269 --> 00:10:43.830 God's authority. You won't surely die. God's 00:10:43.830 --> 00:10:49.029 a liar. God's not only a liar, he actually knows 00:10:49.029 --> 00:10:51.470 something. There's like this sinister motive. 00:10:51.529 --> 00:10:53.429 He knows that if you eat the fruit, your eyes 00:10:53.429 --> 00:10:56.110 will be opened. You will be like God. You will 00:10:56.110 --> 00:10:59.789 know good and evil. He's withholding something 00:10:59.789 --> 00:11:07.039 from you that's good. To know good and evil is 00:11:07.039 --> 00:11:10.340 not simply to be informed about morality. It's 00:11:10.340 --> 00:11:13.279 not like, hey, I took an ethics class or a morality 00:11:13.279 --> 00:11:15.320 class and I learned all the tenets of morality 00:11:15.320 --> 00:11:17.080 and now I know them. That's not what it means 00:11:17.080 --> 00:11:20.759 to know good and evil. What it means is to claim 00:11:20.759 --> 00:11:27.080 the right to determine it. You will be like God, 00:11:27.120 --> 00:11:29.620 claiming the right to determine what is good 00:11:29.620 --> 00:11:34.860 and what is evil. In other words, I will decide 00:11:34.860 --> 00:11:37.779 what is good for me. I will determine who I am. 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:44.259 I will define my life on my terms. This here, 00:11:44.399 --> 00:11:51.320 Genesis 3, is the birth of self -creation. And 00:11:51.320 --> 00:11:55.139 scripture doesn't shy away from it. It doesn't. 00:11:56.220 --> 00:11:59.039 This moment here in the garden, this moment of 00:11:59.039 --> 00:12:01.759 self -creation, it's not mere human curiosity 00:12:01.759 --> 00:12:06.240 like Eve was there. What's this, right? I guess 00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:11.059 I'll try it. Oopsie, right? I was thinking earlier 00:12:11.059 --> 00:12:13.419 about, you know, you kind of go back and you 00:12:13.419 --> 00:12:16.240 go like, how did we figure out that corn pops, 00:12:16.480 --> 00:12:19.240 right? Or how did we figure, have you ever walked 00:12:19.240 --> 00:12:20.399 through and you're like, how did we figure out 00:12:20.399 --> 00:12:23.200 we can eat that berry, but we can't eat that 00:12:23.200 --> 00:12:25.379 berry, right? If we eat that berry, we'll have 00:12:25.379 --> 00:12:29.620 diarrhea for 10 days, right? And I was thinking 00:12:29.620 --> 00:12:32.500 like, you know, walking through the forest, we 00:12:32.500 --> 00:12:34.820 live up in the hills. And so we're walking through 00:12:34.820 --> 00:12:36.539 the forest and looking at the different berries. 00:12:36.620 --> 00:12:37.580 And I'm thinking, yeah, you're walking there, 00:12:37.620 --> 00:12:39.759 you got your buddy, you know, Bob, and you got 00:12:39.759 --> 00:12:41.379 your other buddy, Chad, right? And you're like, 00:12:41.399 --> 00:12:43.559 come across a berry. And you're like, hey, I 00:12:43.559 --> 00:12:46.299 wonder if we can eat this, right? And Chad's 00:12:46.299 --> 00:12:49.580 like, yeah, well, hey, I'll give my body to science, 00:12:49.659 --> 00:12:53.659 man. Like, let's see, man. He takes a couple 00:12:53.659 --> 00:12:55.279 of berries and then Chad drops dead. And you're 00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:56.440 like, oh, I guess we're not going to eat those 00:12:56.440 --> 00:12:58.789 berries anymore. Sorry, Chad, thanks for figuring 00:12:58.789 --> 00:13:01.690 that out for us. Humanity's better for it, right? 00:13:04.870 --> 00:13:07.149 The Bible's not saying, hell, it was just mere 00:13:07.149 --> 00:13:09.409 curiosity. It was the scientific mind trying 00:13:09.409 --> 00:13:11.370 to figure out, what would actually happen if 00:13:11.370 --> 00:13:15.429 I take that? Scripture doesn't say that, oh, 00:13:15.450 --> 00:13:17.929 well, this was just a developmental phase in 00:13:17.929 --> 00:13:21.070 human progress. We had to go through that so 00:13:21.070 --> 00:13:22.909 we could get better and better and better, and 00:13:22.909 --> 00:13:25.769 now we're just so beyond taking fruit from a 00:13:25.769 --> 00:13:27.970 tree. In disobedience to God's command. That's 00:13:27.970 --> 00:13:29.909 not what the scripture says about this. That's 00:13:29.909 --> 00:13:32.470 not how it illuminates this. It shows us that 00:13:32.470 --> 00:13:35.889 this moment here. What is laid out in Genesis 00:13:35.889 --> 00:13:41.309 3. Is an insurrection. It is a rebellion. It 00:13:41.309 --> 00:13:43.690 is making a choice that has consequences. That 00:13:43.690 --> 00:13:49.649 goes somewhere. The creature reaching for the 00:13:49.649 --> 00:13:54.649 authority of the creator. Self -definition is 00:13:54.649 --> 00:13:59.250 not a modern problem. It is one as, a tale as 00:13:59.250 --> 00:14:04.690 old as time, all right? The desire to define 00:14:04.690 --> 00:14:08.929 myself apart from God is not a harmless exercise 00:14:08.929 --> 00:14:13.850 of personal freedom. It is a refusal to live 00:14:13.850 --> 00:14:19.330 as a creature. And this is where we need to face 00:14:19.330 --> 00:14:22.590 the truth much. of what we call authenticity 00:14:22.590 --> 00:14:26.169 today, is simply a repackaged version of the 00:14:26.169 --> 00:14:30.970 same rebellion. I answer to no one. No one gets 00:14:30.970 --> 00:14:34.190 to tell me who I am. My truth is sovereign. My 00:14:34.190 --> 00:14:38.429 identity is mine to determine. The language feels 00:14:38.429 --> 00:14:43.250 very empowering, doesn't it? But listen to what 00:14:43.250 --> 00:14:46.269 Scripture says. Listen to how Scripture calls 00:14:46.269 --> 00:14:48.470 it. It calls it something very, very different 00:14:48.470 --> 00:14:53.019 in Romans chapter 1. Romans 1 says, for God's 00:14:53.019 --> 00:14:56.860 wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness 00:14:56.860 --> 00:15:01.220 and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness 00:15:01.220 --> 00:15:05.259 suppress the truth. Since what can be known about 00:15:05.259 --> 00:15:09.779 God is evident among them because God has shown 00:15:09.779 --> 00:15:13.779 it to them. For his invisible attributes, that 00:15:13.779 --> 00:15:18.200 is his eternal power and divine nature. His eternal 00:15:18.200 --> 00:15:20.659 power, his divine nature, he's creator, he's 00:15:20.659 --> 00:15:26.059 God, have been seen clearly since the creation 00:15:26.059 --> 00:15:28.779 of the world being understood through what he 00:15:28.779 --> 00:15:31.399 has made. And as a result, people are without 00:15:31.399 --> 00:15:36.799 excuse. For though they knew God, they did not 00:15:36.799 --> 00:15:41.860 glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, 00:15:42.059 --> 00:15:45.159 their thinking became worthless and their senseless 00:15:45.159 --> 00:15:48.340 hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they 00:15:48.340 --> 00:15:51.200 became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal 00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:54.580 God for images resembling created things, mortal 00:15:54.580 --> 00:15:59.799 man, birds, four -legged animals, and reptiles. 00:16:01.080 --> 00:16:03.899 Instead of the creature worshiping the creator, 00:16:04.139 --> 00:16:06.679 acknowledging the creator, showing gratitude 00:16:06.679 --> 00:16:09.820 and obedience, submission to the creator, it 00:16:09.820 --> 00:16:13.259 begins to worship the created, the constructed. 00:16:16.110 --> 00:16:18.289 And you notice the exchange. Creation gives way 00:16:18.289 --> 00:16:21.750 to self -authoring and worship gives way to self 00:16:21.750 --> 00:16:25.309 -rule and grateful submission gives way to personal 00:16:25.309 --> 00:16:34.990 autonomy. This is not neutral ground. Every attempt 00:16:34.990 --> 00:16:39.250 at self -constructed identity is making a theological 00:16:39.250 --> 00:16:43.000 claim whether we realize it or not. It's saying, 00:16:43.059 --> 00:16:46.139 I am the highest authority over my life. I will 00:16:46.139 --> 00:16:49.460 define what is good and decide what I am here 00:16:49.460 --> 00:16:57.659 for. And that is not freedom. It is the rejection 00:16:57.659 --> 00:17:04.619 of God's rightful rule. And here's where we have 00:17:04.619 --> 00:17:08.319 to be careful because this rebellion, this kind 00:17:08.319 --> 00:17:10.680 of rebellion doesn't always look loud and defiant. 00:17:13.710 --> 00:17:18.109 Sometimes it looks like thoughtful, sincere. 00:17:19.849 --> 00:17:25.930 Sometimes it flows from deep wounds. And yet 00:17:25.930 --> 00:17:29.630 scripture does not measure rebellion by tone. 00:17:31.250 --> 00:17:36.849 It measures it by allegiance. Who do I ultimately 00:17:36.849 --> 00:17:43.349 answer to? Who has the final word? One of my 00:17:43.349 --> 00:17:49.869 downtime activities is I'll watch on YouTube 00:17:49.869 --> 00:17:56.230 videos about, well, they're like pilot debriefs, 00:17:56.230 --> 00:18:00.250 basically. Planes crash. And then someone goes 00:18:00.250 --> 00:18:02.490 through and examines all of the events that lead 00:18:02.490 --> 00:18:04.829 up to the plane crashing. And it's usually another 00:18:04.829 --> 00:18:06.609 pilot. And he's like, you know, this guy did 00:18:06.609 --> 00:18:08.849 this. And he should have done that. And he forgot 00:18:08.849 --> 00:18:11.390 to do this. And he abandoned, you know, this 00:18:11.390 --> 00:18:13.369 particular standard. And this led to that. And 00:18:13.369 --> 00:18:15.650 then pretty soon it crashed. So they track this. 00:18:15.789 --> 00:18:18.410 And so I think the actual channel is called Pilot 00:18:18.410 --> 00:18:27.240 Debrief with Hoover. My friend Hoover. But on 00:18:27.240 --> 00:18:30.880 those videos, he talks about, we spend a lot 00:18:30.880 --> 00:18:34.920 of time together, me and Hoover. First name basis. 00:18:37.759 --> 00:18:40.660 But on those videos, he'll oftentimes bring up 00:18:40.660 --> 00:18:43.579 this idea of the death spiral of deviation. And 00:18:43.579 --> 00:18:48.779 it's not unique to aircrafts or flying. But it's 00:18:48.779 --> 00:18:50.440 something that's used in business. It's something 00:18:50.440 --> 00:18:52.000 that you could use in your family. It's something 00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:55.119 that you can use driving. It really is applicable 00:18:55.119 --> 00:18:58.380 across the board. But the death spiral of deviation 00:18:58.380 --> 00:19:05.660 is this. It's when minor, unchecked departures 00:19:05.660 --> 00:19:11.140 from the established standard form in us new, 00:19:11.319 --> 00:19:18.769 riskier normals. These new riskier normals, we 00:19:18.769 --> 00:19:21.430 now live out of those new riskier normals, which 00:19:21.430 --> 00:19:24.349 cause us to deviate even more from the established 00:19:24.349 --> 00:19:27.650 standard. And it has a sort of spiral effect 00:19:27.650 --> 00:19:31.309 where the deviation creates a riskier normal. 00:19:31.390 --> 00:19:35.849 The new normal creates more deviation until you 00:19:35.849 --> 00:19:38.609 eventually lead to complete systematic collapse. 00:19:39.809 --> 00:19:45.130 So you might think in terms of piloting, it's 00:19:45.130 --> 00:19:48.160 oftentimes, You're supposed to get enough rest 00:19:48.160 --> 00:19:49.740 before you go flying. You're supposed to have 00:19:49.740 --> 00:19:50.740 a certain amount of rest. And you're supposed 00:19:50.740 --> 00:19:53.140 to perform certain checklists before you get 00:19:53.140 --> 00:19:54.619 in the air. And you're supposed to look at the 00:19:54.619 --> 00:19:56.099 weather where you're going. And you're supposed 00:19:56.099 --> 00:19:58.880 to have a secondary place that you can land if 00:19:58.880 --> 00:20:01.779 the first place is socked in with weather. And 00:20:01.779 --> 00:20:04.819 then as you get closer, you're supposed to reevaluate 00:20:04.819 --> 00:20:08.400 your descent plan. How are you coming in? What 00:20:08.400 --> 00:20:11.039 runway are you on? What are the elevation heights? 00:20:11.079 --> 00:20:14.359 All of these established standards for flying. 00:20:15.339 --> 00:20:17.799 And the idea of the deviations file is if you 00:20:17.799 --> 00:20:19.619 just don't get as much sleep the night before. 00:20:20.319 --> 00:20:22.720 And then you're running behind and you're like, 00:20:22.799 --> 00:20:26.160 ah, I guess I'll fly through this checklist really 00:20:26.160 --> 00:20:29.759 quick. And I won't give it due time. And then, 00:20:29.799 --> 00:20:31.640 you know what, we can figure out the weather 00:20:31.640 --> 00:20:34.039 when we get there. And what this does is it causes 00:20:34.039 --> 00:20:37.299 a person to get what Hoover calls, Hoover, he 00:20:37.299 --> 00:20:41.009 calls getting behind the plane. Now the plane, 00:20:41.069 --> 00:20:42.650 the plane's still flying. You're in the air. 00:20:42.710 --> 00:20:44.309 It's going to do something, right? You're behind 00:20:44.309 --> 00:20:47.309 the plane. You want to be in front of it, making 00:20:47.309 --> 00:20:50.210 corrections so that if anything pops up, you 00:20:50.210 --> 00:20:53.130 can adapt to it. But if you start to have these 00:20:53.130 --> 00:20:56.769 deviations, and they also, with pilots, compound. 00:20:56.930 --> 00:20:59.190 So you become more comfortable with deviating 00:20:59.190 --> 00:21:01.430 in the future, and you deviate more and more 00:21:01.430 --> 00:21:03.589 and more because it didn't result in a bad result 00:21:03.589 --> 00:21:07.369 last time, so it must be okay, right? You might 00:21:07.369 --> 00:21:09.410 think of this in another term, embezzlement. 00:21:10.650 --> 00:21:13.289 Most embezzlement in a company does not happen 00:21:13.289 --> 00:21:16.369 with someone walking in one day and stealing 00:21:16.369 --> 00:21:20.470 $100 ,000, does it? Most embezzlement happens 00:21:20.470 --> 00:21:24.710 when someone says, ah, I'm $10 short and they 00:21:24.710 --> 00:21:28.390 gave me charge of the cash drawer and I'll just, 00:21:28.450 --> 00:21:31.869 I'll take the $10 to get gas so I can get home 00:21:31.869 --> 00:21:34.309 and I'll put it back tomorrow and no one will 00:21:34.309 --> 00:21:37.759 notice. And then you come back tomorrow and you're 00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:41.599 like, no one noticed. Maybe I won't put it back. 00:21:42.099 --> 00:21:44.400 Maybe instead I'll take another $10 and then 00:21:44.400 --> 00:21:46.920 I'll take $100 and then $1 ,000, $10 ,000. Pretty 00:21:46.920 --> 00:21:49.900 soon, you know, you're in jail because you embezzled 00:21:49.900 --> 00:21:52.440 $100 ,000 slow trickle from this company because 00:21:52.440 --> 00:21:55.380 you deviated from a standard up front and you 00:21:55.380 --> 00:21:58.799 got into the death spiral of deviation. Well, 00:21:58.880 --> 00:22:03.200 when the self... takes the place of God's rightful 00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:06.160 rule, when self -construction of our identity 00:22:06.160 --> 00:22:08.680 takes the place of God's rightful authority, 00:22:08.920 --> 00:22:13.420 the result is always the same. The result of 00:22:13.420 --> 00:22:15.619 taking that for ourselves, that's a deviation. 00:22:15.799 --> 00:22:18.940 It's not liberation, but it will lead to fracture. 00:22:19.000 --> 00:22:21.799 It will lead to collapse. Systematic collapse 00:22:21.799 --> 00:22:24.839 will happen in the human who is not designed 00:22:24.839 --> 00:22:30.269 to deviate from that standard. Because the self 00:22:30.269 --> 00:22:33.849 was never meant, was not designed to bear the 00:22:33.849 --> 00:22:40.089 weight of godhood. And what begins as a quest 00:22:40.089 --> 00:22:45.630 for control spirals out and ends in utter disorder 00:22:45.630 --> 00:22:52.990 and chaos. Number three, the destructive fruit 00:22:52.990 --> 00:22:59.490 of self -made identity. From the beginning, Scripture 00:22:59.490 --> 00:23:03.390 shows us that self -constructed identity never 00:23:03.390 --> 00:23:07.170 ends in freedom, but always in this fragmentation 00:23:07.170 --> 00:23:11.990 of the human. Adam and Eve reach for the right 00:23:11.990 --> 00:23:14.170 to define good and evil, and they gain shame 00:23:14.170 --> 00:23:19.089 instead of wisdom. Exile from God's presence 00:23:19.089 --> 00:23:22.529 instead of the autonomy, the free autonomy they 00:23:22.529 --> 00:23:25.769 hoped for. But that's not where the Bible starts. 00:23:25.829 --> 00:23:28.849 Actually, that's where the Bible starts. It starts 00:23:28.849 --> 00:23:31.069 there from this experience, and then it begins 00:23:31.069 --> 00:23:33.890 to spiral down. You really see, as you begin 00:23:33.890 --> 00:23:36.950 to read Genesis and into Judges, all the way 00:23:36.950 --> 00:23:40.130 to Judges, you see a death spiral of deviation. 00:23:41.869 --> 00:23:46.650 Cain defined himself by wounded pride rather 00:23:46.650 --> 00:23:51.509 than responding to God's correction. His identity 00:23:51.509 --> 00:23:55.940 collapsed into violence. And restlessness wandering. 00:23:57.400 --> 00:24:00.900 And then humanity comes along and they gather 00:24:00.900 --> 00:24:04.140 together at Babel to make a name for ourselves. 00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:09.920 And God says, that's not what I designed you 00:24:09.920 --> 00:24:15.759 for. And so he brings confusion and scatters. 00:24:17.519 --> 00:24:22.000 Later on, King Saul comes along. And he fails 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:25.079 to honor God in obedience. And yet at the same 00:24:25.079 --> 00:24:27.480 time, failing to honor God in obedience, he still 00:24:27.480 --> 00:24:31.180 clings to his own personal image. And he begs, 00:24:31.180 --> 00:24:34.259 begs, begs, please come and honor me before the 00:24:34.259 --> 00:24:36.900 elders of Israel. Please, at least do that so 00:24:36.900 --> 00:24:39.700 that I can save face and be honored in their 00:24:39.700 --> 00:24:45.599 minds. And we see from that point on, Saul's 00:24:45.599 --> 00:24:48.859 soul unravel into jealousy, fear, and despair. 00:24:50.759 --> 00:24:53.240 Later on, we hear about King Nebuchadnezzar. 00:24:54.079 --> 00:24:57.599 King Nebuchadnezzar claims authorship over his 00:24:57.599 --> 00:25:01.779 own greatness. Look what I have built. Look the 00:25:01.779 --> 00:25:07.460 greatness of my kingdom. The Bible says that 00:25:07.460 --> 00:25:11.920 God reduced him to less than human until he would 00:25:11.920 --> 00:25:16.740 acknowledge the creator. The scripture never 00:25:16.740 --> 00:25:20.119 exposes rebellion. without revealing its end. 00:25:21.660 --> 00:25:24.240 And when we insist on defining ourselves apart 00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:26.960 from God, the result is not wholeness, it is 00:25:26.960 --> 00:25:33.799 not flourishing, it is always fracture. So we're 00:25:33.799 --> 00:25:35.640 going to look at three sub -points under three. 00:25:35.740 --> 00:25:38.059 What does that look like? The first one is self 00:25:38.059 --> 00:25:42.980 -rule produces instability. See, if I am the 00:25:42.980 --> 00:25:46.759 authority over my own identity, then I also have 00:25:46.759 --> 00:25:50.240 to sustain it. I have to govern it. I have to 00:25:50.240 --> 00:25:53.259 keep it going, which means that every change 00:25:53.259 --> 00:25:56.880 of feeling becomes a constitutional crisis in 00:25:56.880 --> 00:26:02.180 me. And don't you know this, friends? If you 00:26:02.180 --> 00:26:05.880 base your identity on how you feel or from the 00:26:05.880 --> 00:26:09.059 emotive state of our lives, we base it on that. 00:26:09.079 --> 00:26:11.660 We found it on that. It's our foundation. Don't 00:26:11.660 --> 00:26:14.339 you know this already about yourself? You feel 00:26:14.339 --> 00:26:18.940 a lot of things, don't you? From a feeling standpoint, 00:26:19.099 --> 00:26:20.940 you're not the same person every day, are you? 00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:25.339 There's lots of yous. How do you know you chose 00:26:25.339 --> 00:26:29.680 the right you to base your identity on? Maybe 00:26:29.680 --> 00:26:31.460 you chose the wrong one. And how do you know 00:26:31.460 --> 00:26:33.960 the you you chose right now is not going to fail 00:26:33.960 --> 00:26:35.779 you later? You're going to start to doubt it. 00:26:37.680 --> 00:26:42.000 You don't know that. You don't know if you chose 00:26:42.000 --> 00:26:44.019 the right one. You don't know if you can sustain 00:26:44.019 --> 00:26:47.690 the one that you did choose. Because self -rule, 00:26:47.930 --> 00:26:51.210 with self -rule, identity becomes something that 00:26:51.210 --> 00:26:53.869 I have to constantly defend, I have to constantly 00:26:53.869 --> 00:26:56.230 update with the changing of my own feelings, 00:26:56.369 --> 00:26:58.950 and I have to constantly explain who I am to 00:26:58.950 --> 00:27:04.069 other people. And that makes the self fragile. 00:27:06.730 --> 00:27:09.349 When circumstances change, when relationships 00:27:09.349 --> 00:27:12.509 break down, when desires shift, when my performance 00:27:12.509 --> 00:27:21.500 falters, identity. wobbles, shaken. The self 00:27:21.500 --> 00:27:23.900 was never designed to be its own foundation. 00:27:26.920 --> 00:27:30.559 What was meant to be received is now something 00:27:30.559 --> 00:27:36.599 I have to maintain if I produce it myself. And 00:27:36.599 --> 00:27:40.579 that is an impossible burden to bear. Self -rule 00:27:40.579 --> 00:27:43.000 produces instability. Self -rule produces conflict. 00:27:43.819 --> 00:27:46.400 when the self is sovereign, then disagreement 00:27:46.400 --> 00:27:49.140 is no longer just disagreement. It becomes a 00:27:49.140 --> 00:27:54.839 challenge to my identity. If my truth defines 00:27:54.839 --> 00:27:57.259 who I am, then to question it is to question 00:27:57.259 --> 00:28:02.599 me. And what that means is dialogue collapses 00:28:02.599 --> 00:28:06.339 in relationship and it collapses into defensiveness. 00:28:08.099 --> 00:28:10.880 Differences become threats. Correction becomes 00:28:10.880 --> 00:28:14.700 oppressive. When everyone is their highest authority, 00:28:14.859 --> 00:28:17.400 the only way conflicts are resolved is through 00:28:17.400 --> 00:28:22.980 power, force. Whoever shouts the loudest, whoever 00:28:22.980 --> 00:28:27.119 controls the narrative, whoever claims the greatest 00:28:27.119 --> 00:28:31.019 harm or whoever has the most power, brute force. 00:28:33.660 --> 00:28:36.359 Scripture shows us that when authority is severed 00:28:36.359 --> 00:28:39.880 from God, it doesn't just disappear, it relocates. 00:28:41.799 --> 00:28:44.299 But where it relocates, man, it always relocates 00:28:44.299 --> 00:28:48.039 into something that's far less stable with far 00:28:48.039 --> 00:28:53.039 less mercy. And finally, self -rule produces 00:28:53.039 --> 00:28:57.019 exhaustion. You know why? Because the most telling 00:28:57.019 --> 00:29:00.819 fruit of the self -made identity is constant 00:29:00.819 --> 00:29:07.000 weariness. Because when I'm my own God, I don't 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:12.769 get to rest. I have to constantly interpret my 00:29:12.769 --> 00:29:15.630 feelings to myself. I have to constantly validate 00:29:15.630 --> 00:29:17.950 myself. I have to constantly protect myself, 00:29:18.109 --> 00:29:22.109 justify myself, prop myself up. There is no Sabbath 00:29:22.109 --> 00:29:28.809 for the sovereign self. And we are watching a 00:29:28.809 --> 00:29:30.630 world collapse under the weight of pretending 00:29:30.630 --> 00:29:36.150 to be gods. Anxiety, fragility, people are carrying 00:29:36.150 --> 00:29:37.849 a weight that they were never meant to bear. 00:29:39.150 --> 00:29:41.890 The self was not designed to sit on the throne. 00:29:42.289 --> 00:29:45.069 And when the self does sit on the throne, everything 00:29:45.069 --> 00:29:51.970 under it begins to crack. Scripture doesn't just 00:29:51.970 --> 00:29:55.009 simply forbid self -rule. It actually warns against 00:29:55.009 --> 00:30:00.690 it throughout. God's commands to us, God's laws 00:30:00.690 --> 00:30:03.230 to us are not arbitrary restrictions. What they 00:30:03.230 --> 00:30:06.210 are is the creator knows what the creature can 00:30:06.210 --> 00:30:10.589 bear. The creator knows what the creature can 00:30:10.589 --> 00:30:12.789 bear. The creator knows what the creature was 00:30:12.789 --> 00:30:17.109 never meant to bear. And he drew loving boundaries 00:30:17.109 --> 00:30:25.990 for us. The sovereign self, the creature was 00:30:25.990 --> 00:30:31.109 never meant to bear. So what does God do with 00:30:31.109 --> 00:30:33.650 the humanity that's refused his authority? Well, 00:30:33.670 --> 00:30:40.200 interesting, the answer is redemption. If you're 00:30:40.200 --> 00:30:42.940 taking notes, the final point is Christ claims 00:30:42.940 --> 00:30:50.960 what we refuse to give. The gospel's answer is 00:30:50.960 --> 00:30:55.960 not tolerance. The gospel's answer is not that 00:30:55.960 --> 00:31:01.500 God softens his claim against rebellion. The 00:31:01.500 --> 00:31:06.140 answer that God has to self -rule, to self -constructed 00:31:06.140 --> 00:31:11.920 identity is revelation. How does God respond? 00:31:12.000 --> 00:31:14.559 He responds to our rebellion. He responds to 00:31:14.559 --> 00:31:18.160 our humanity's refusal of his authority. God 00:31:18.160 --> 00:31:25.579 responds by revealing himself fully. When humanity 00:31:25.579 --> 00:31:27.640 is darkened in their thinking and they can't 00:31:27.640 --> 00:31:30.819 see God, what does God do? God turns up the light. 00:31:33.960 --> 00:31:37.160 See, Jesus Christ is not merely God's messenger. 00:31:37.319 --> 00:31:44.359 Jesus Christ is God's final word. Scripture tells 00:31:44.359 --> 00:31:47.299 us that all things were created through him and 00:31:47.299 --> 00:31:49.380 for him, which means that our rebellion against 00:31:49.380 --> 00:31:52.359 God's authority is ultimately a rejection of 00:31:52.359 --> 00:31:56.759 Christ himself. And now this side of the cross, 00:31:56.960 --> 00:32:03.789 there is no ambiguity. God has spoken. In Jesus, 00:32:03.849 --> 00:32:07.750 God has shown us exactly who he is, what he is 00:32:07.750 --> 00:32:09.970 like, and what he requires. Listen to what John 00:32:09.970 --> 00:32:13.589 chapter one, verse 18 says. No one has ever seen 00:32:13.589 --> 00:32:16.829 God, but the one and only son who is himself 00:32:16.829 --> 00:32:20.849 God and is at the father's side, he has revealed 00:32:20.849 --> 00:32:26.130 him. Hebrews chapter one, verse three says, the 00:32:26.130 --> 00:32:29.349 son is the radiance of God's glory, the exact 00:32:29.349 --> 00:32:35.940 impression of his nature. There is no truer revelation 00:32:35.940 --> 00:32:40.440 coming. There is no higher authority to appeal 00:32:40.440 --> 00:32:44.000 to. There is no alternate path to life. Christ 00:32:44.000 --> 00:32:47.640 is not one option among many. He is the standard 00:32:47.640 --> 00:32:54.839 by which every life is judged. And so the stakes 00:32:54.839 --> 00:32:59.460 are unmistakably clear. To reject Christ is not 00:32:59.460 --> 00:33:04.539 merely to decline a religious preference. It 00:33:04.539 --> 00:33:10.460 is to reject the perfect revelation of God. And 00:33:10.460 --> 00:33:16.539 God will not tolerate rejection forever. The 00:33:16.539 --> 00:33:21.700 cross stands as both mercy and judgment. At the 00:33:21.700 --> 00:33:24.160 cross, Christ bears the cost of our rebellion, 00:33:24.299 --> 00:33:27.059 but at the same cross, it also exposes our rebellion. 00:33:28.200 --> 00:33:32.319 What Adam grasped for the authority, the self 00:33:32.319 --> 00:33:34.519 -identifying authority to construct himself, 00:33:34.640 --> 00:33:37.279 Christ submitted instead perfectly to the Father. 00:33:38.680 --> 00:33:41.480 Where each one of us has said, my will be done, 00:33:41.619 --> 00:33:47.420 Christ said, your will be done. And now the risen 00:33:47.420 --> 00:33:52.440 Christ stands as Lord, not as a life coach, but 00:33:52.440 --> 00:33:57.779 as king. Listen to what 1 Corinthians chapter 00:33:57.779 --> 00:34:05.920 6 says. Beginning in verse 18. Flee sexual immorality. 00:34:07.500 --> 00:34:09.539 And I'm yelling it because there's an exclamation 00:34:09.539 --> 00:34:15.800 point here. Flee sexual immorality. Every other 00:34:15.800 --> 00:34:18.780 sin a person commits is outside the body. But 00:34:18.780 --> 00:34:21.019 the person who is sexually immoral sins against 00:34:21.019 --> 00:34:24.199 his own body. Don't you know that your body is 00:34:24.199 --> 00:34:27.179 a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom 00:34:27.179 --> 00:34:31.360 you have from God? You are not your own. You 00:34:31.360 --> 00:34:34.619 were bought at a price, so glorify God with your 00:34:34.619 --> 00:34:41.360 body. That's not a poem, friends. For us to go, 00:34:41.420 --> 00:34:44.980 oh, that really works together there. I like 00:34:44.980 --> 00:34:48.940 those rhymes. No, it is a declaration of ownership. 00:34:52.039 --> 00:34:56.039 Christ has claimed what we refuse to give. He 00:34:56.039 --> 00:34:59.340 has purchased rebels and offered them mercy. 00:34:59.519 --> 00:35:02.420 But this mercy is not in definite indifference. 00:35:03.900 --> 00:35:07.900 To persist in self -sovereignty after Christ 00:35:07.900 --> 00:35:11.039 has been revealed is not ignorance. It is utter 00:35:11.039 --> 00:35:14.000 defiance. It is giving the middle finger to God. 00:35:16.340 --> 00:35:25.619 And defiance has an end. is no salvation apart 00:35:25.619 --> 00:35:29.239 from Christ. There is no life outside of his 00:35:29.239 --> 00:35:36.059 lordship. There is no hope in self -rule. To 00:35:36.059 --> 00:35:39.179 reject Christ is to choose separation from the 00:35:39.179 --> 00:35:47.159 source of life itself. The Bible tells us he 00:35:47.159 --> 00:35:50.860 does not delight in condemnation. He delights 00:35:50.860 --> 00:36:02.500 in rescue. But rescue requires surrender. Salvation 00:36:02.500 --> 00:36:11.079 begins where self -sovereignty ends. The gospel 00:36:11.079 --> 00:36:15.480 doesn't ask us to improve ourselves. The gospel 00:36:15.480 --> 00:36:23.139 commands us to repent. To lay down the false 00:36:23.139 --> 00:36:25.860 crown, to stop defining ourselves apart from 00:36:25.860 --> 00:36:28.059 God, to come under the lordship of the one who 00:36:28.059 --> 00:36:30.840 made us and redeemed us. Friends, the authority 00:36:30.840 --> 00:36:33.840 we resist is the very authority that can save 00:36:33.840 --> 00:36:41.380 us. And so the question before us is not abstract, 00:36:41.460 --> 00:36:47.219 it's very personal. The question about identity 00:36:47.219 --> 00:36:52.210 is not, who are you? The question about identity 00:36:52.210 --> 00:37:00.210 is whose are you? Every human life will answer 00:37:00.210 --> 00:37:05.250 that question of authority. You will belong to 00:37:05.250 --> 00:37:11.550 someone. You will live under some rule. You will 00:37:11.550 --> 00:37:16.039 be defined by something. The only question is 00:37:16.039 --> 00:37:18.000 whether you will continue to claim that authority 00:37:18.000 --> 00:37:20.500 for yourself or whether you will finally surrender 00:37:20.500 --> 00:37:26.820 to Christ. Friends, repentance is not a feeling. 00:37:27.599 --> 00:37:31.739 It's not regret. It's not self -reflection or 00:37:31.739 --> 00:37:34.059 self -improvement. Repentance is the decision 00:37:34.059 --> 00:37:38.380 to lay down self -rule and to live within the 00:37:38.380 --> 00:37:42.480 boundaries your good God and Savior has provided. 00:37:45.480 --> 00:37:47.559 It is the acknowledgement that I do not have 00:37:47.559 --> 00:37:53.579 the right to define my life apart from God. I 00:37:53.579 --> 00:38:03.119 don't even have the right. My attempts at self 00:38:03.119 --> 00:38:05.320 -creation have not led to freedom. Have they 00:38:05.320 --> 00:38:09.260 led to freedom yet, folks? Someone want to get 00:38:09.260 --> 00:38:12.760 up here and testify how the tower you built in 00:38:12.760 --> 00:38:17.079 Babel He's making a lot of dough. Lots of tourists 00:38:17.079 --> 00:38:26.739 coming around. Thriving. This is life. Woo! Self 00:38:26.739 --> 00:38:29.019 -creation doesn't lead to freedom. It leads to 00:38:29.019 --> 00:38:36.980 fracture, disintegration, separation. The call 00:38:36.980 --> 00:38:40.380 of the gospel is not a gentle suggestion. It 00:38:40.380 --> 00:38:48.079 is a command. Repent and believe. Not because 00:38:48.079 --> 00:38:52.219 God is harsh, but because time is short and truth 00:38:52.219 --> 00:38:58.139 has been revealed. And believe me, you want to 00:38:58.139 --> 00:39:02.719 relate to Christ now, I promise you. I promise 00:39:02.719 --> 00:39:07.159 you. On the evidence of scripture, you want to 00:39:07.159 --> 00:39:10.559 begin to relate to God properly through Christ 00:39:10.559 --> 00:39:20.139 now. Because he is Savior and Lord. Christ has 00:39:20.139 --> 00:39:22.900 come. Christ has lived in perfect obedience. 00:39:23.099 --> 00:39:26.920 Christ has died for rebels like you and me. And 00:39:26.920 --> 00:39:29.719 Christ has risen as Lord. There is no clearer 00:39:29.719 --> 00:39:32.639 word coming down the pipe. There is no other 00:39:32.639 --> 00:39:36.260 name given under heaven by which we must be saved. 00:39:36.360 --> 00:39:40.420 To reject Christ now is to reject God's final 00:39:40.420 --> 00:39:46.539 revelation. And so my exhortation is turn to 00:39:46.539 --> 00:39:53.210 Christ. Turn to Christ. If you've been constructing, 00:39:53.369 --> 00:39:56.210 the project has been going on, you've been trying 00:39:56.210 --> 00:39:59.409 to build the thing, leave the project behind. 00:40:02.429 --> 00:40:08.769 Cut your losses. Go to Christ. Turn to Christ.