1 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:32,700 Simon, we're not getting anywhere. 2 00:00:32,700 --> 00:00:34,500 The winds are too strong. 3 00:00:34,500 --> 00:00:35,800 We should turn back. 4 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:37,100 We can get there. 5 00:00:37,100 --> 00:00:38,000 Just keep rowing. 6 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:39,900 Simon, it's the fourth watch of the night 7 00:00:39,900 --> 00:00:42,200 that we've been stuck in the same place for hours! 8 00:00:43,500 --> 00:00:44,700 James, James! 9 00:00:44,700 --> 00:00:45,700 Help James! 10 00:00:45,700 --> 00:00:46,800 He's alright, James. 11 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:48,000 He'll be okay. 12 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:49,700 Help him up. 13 00:00:50,300 --> 00:00:51,100 Help me. 14 00:00:51,100 --> 00:00:53,200 We can't take much more water. 15 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:54,400 We'll bound her. 16 00:00:54,900 --> 00:00:57,200 Better off wet and cold on land than... 17 00:00:57,200 --> 00:00:59,500 drowned and dead out here! 18 00:00:59,500 --> 00:01:01,200 What was that sound? 19 00:01:26,300 --> 00:01:27,400 John, keep rowing! 20 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:28,300 What are you doing? 21 00:01:28,300 --> 00:01:30,300 Anybody just see that? 22 00:01:32,300 --> 00:01:34,300 Over there! 23 00:01:36,300 --> 00:01:38,300 I don't see anything! 24 00:01:38,300 --> 00:01:40,300 What are we looking for? 25 00:01:46,300 --> 00:01:48,300 Go! Go! Keep the boat! 26 00:01:48,300 --> 00:01:50,300 Go! Go! Let's go! 27 00:01:50,300 --> 00:01:58,300 It can't be... 28 00:02:06,300 --> 00:02:08,300 We have to get out of here! 29 00:02:08,300 --> 00:02:10,300 Everyone move! 30 00:02:10,300 --> 00:02:12,300 Move! Move! 31 00:02:12,300 --> 00:02:14,300 Move! Move! 32 00:02:14,300 --> 00:02:16,300 Let's go! 33 00:02:16,300 --> 00:02:18,300 Nobody move! 34 00:02:18,300 --> 00:02:20,300 I said everybody stop! 35 00:02:20,300 --> 00:02:22,300 Stop! Stop! Stop! 36 00:02:22,300 --> 00:02:24,300 Somebody move! 37 00:02:24,300 --> 00:02:26,300 That's not a ghost! 38 00:02:26,300 --> 00:02:28,300 Are you crazy? 39 00:02:40,300 --> 00:02:42,300 Don't be afraid! 40 00:02:42,300 --> 00:02:44,300 It's me! 41 00:02:44,300 --> 00:02:46,300 Jesus? 42 00:02:46,300 --> 00:02:48,300 Jesus! 43 00:02:50,300 --> 00:02:54,300 How is this the second most incredible thing I've seen today? 44 00:02:58,300 --> 00:03:00,300 This surprises you? 45 00:03:00,300 --> 00:03:02,300 Did you learn nothing from today? 46 00:03:02,300 --> 00:03:06,300 If it is you, command me to come to you underwater. 47 00:03:06,300 --> 00:03:08,300 Simon, no! 48 00:03:08,300 --> 00:03:10,300 Are you out of your mind? 49 00:03:10,300 --> 00:03:16,300 If you are who you say you are, bid me to step out of this boat. 50 00:03:16,300 --> 00:03:18,300 You have the faith to walk on this water? 51 00:03:18,300 --> 00:03:20,300 Absolutely! 52 00:03:20,300 --> 00:03:22,300 You can do whatever you command. 53 00:03:22,300 --> 00:03:26,300 And if you command the world to hold me, I will walk on it. 54 00:03:26,300 --> 00:03:30,300 If I call you to me, you will step out in faith? 55 00:03:30,300 --> 00:03:32,300 Yes! 56 00:03:32,300 --> 00:03:34,300 Then why are you upset? 57 00:03:34,300 --> 00:03:36,300 Why are you chasing after... 58 00:03:36,300 --> 00:03:40,300 There's more to come, Wes, don't worry about it. 59 00:03:40,300 --> 00:03:48,300 So that is from the movie, or the TV series movie, however you want to look at it, The Chosen. 60 00:03:48,300 --> 00:03:50,300 We do have permission to show that clip. 61 00:03:50,300 --> 00:03:58,300 But my family and I watched that clip a week ago, and it was so powerful to me. 62 00:03:58,300 --> 00:04:02,300 I mean, it's a story we've heard so many times about Jesus walking on water. 63 00:04:02,300 --> 00:04:07,300 And a lot of times as believers we just kind of talk about it like it's nothing. 64 00:04:07,300 --> 00:04:11,300 Like, oh yeah, my Lord and Savior walks on water, big deal. 65 00:04:11,300 --> 00:04:13,300 No it is. 66 00:04:13,300 --> 00:04:16,300 And as I was reading some of the final prompts of... 67 00:04:16,300 --> 00:04:20,300 We have one kind of specific section next week that we'll get to. 68 00:04:20,300 --> 00:04:25,300 Where there are some very specific questions about a very specific topic. 69 00:04:25,300 --> 00:04:35,300 And the rest of the prompts had to talk about how blind and how chaotic our culture is. 70 00:04:35,300 --> 00:04:41,300 A lot of questions on what do we do as believers in the culture of this or that. 71 00:04:41,300 --> 00:04:46,300 And as I'm reading through a lot of these, reading some different pastors that I follow, 72 00:04:46,300 --> 00:04:52,300 and pastors that minister to me, there's just a lot of voices. 73 00:04:52,300 --> 00:05:02,300 And I think the storm that the video clip depicted really shows us the chaos of the time that we're in. 74 00:05:02,300 --> 00:05:04,300 I don't think there's any way to put it. 75 00:05:04,300 --> 00:05:10,300 When you have a nation that's divided, when you have countries that are at war, 76 00:05:10,300 --> 00:05:13,300 I don't know about you, but that's all chaos. 77 00:05:13,300 --> 00:05:16,300 There's really no other way to kind of describe it. 78 00:05:16,300 --> 00:05:20,300 Maybe you could, and if you have other ways to describe it, feel free to come tell me after service. 79 00:05:20,300 --> 00:05:23,300 But I look out at the world today, and it's chaos. 80 00:05:23,300 --> 00:05:27,300 I listen to the things that people come into my office and talk to me about, 81 00:05:27,300 --> 00:05:32,300 the thoughts that I have in my own head, the tension that I have in my own heart as I'm continuing to learn, 82 00:05:32,300 --> 00:05:37,300 and all of these things with all of you, it's chaos. 83 00:05:37,300 --> 00:05:47,300 And the reason why I say it's chaos is because I find myself asking, Lord, can you just fix it? 84 00:05:47,300 --> 00:05:53,300 And then I think about, and unbeknownst to me, the sermon series kind of ramped up as some of you said, 85 00:05:53,300 --> 00:05:58,300 this is my favorite and least favorite sermon series because it does a great job of telling me how bad I am. 86 00:05:58,300 --> 00:06:01,300 You're welcome. 87 00:06:01,300 --> 00:06:04,300 But I think that's where we all find ourselves. 88 00:06:04,300 --> 00:06:08,300 We all find ourselves in chaos in some way, shape, or form. 89 00:06:08,300 --> 00:06:12,300 Think about what you would have been if you were one of those disciples. 90 00:06:12,300 --> 00:06:14,300 Some are trained fishermen. 91 00:06:14,300 --> 00:06:20,300 Not at all their first rodeo, if you will, being in a storm, but they were able to do nothing. 92 00:06:20,300 --> 00:06:22,300 The darkness was taking over. 93 00:06:22,300 --> 00:06:26,300 And I asked last week a question about why we're scared of the dark, 94 00:06:26,300 --> 00:06:31,300 and when the darkness and the chaos of the dark takes over, because dark is chaos. 95 00:06:31,300 --> 00:06:36,300 The darkness does kind of define chaos as it's all-encompassing. 96 00:06:36,300 --> 00:06:37,300 It doesn't care. 97 00:06:37,300 --> 00:06:41,300 Wherever darkness is, it wants to win the day, if you will. 98 00:06:41,300 --> 00:06:48,300 There was a congregation member who had a wonderful thought. 99 00:06:48,300 --> 00:06:51,300 Conrad Surley, he said I could use his name. 100 00:06:51,300 --> 00:06:56,300 He told me after the fact, and I told him to write down and send me the thoughts, 101 00:06:56,300 --> 00:07:00,300 because whenever you have conversations with me on Sundays, I usually forget them by Monday morning. 102 00:07:00,300 --> 00:07:02,300 So just be aware. 103 00:07:02,300 --> 00:07:03,300 Shoot me an email. 104 00:07:03,300 --> 00:07:04,300 Shoot me a text. 105 00:07:04,300 --> 00:07:05,300 I'll remember it then. 106 00:07:05,300 --> 00:07:07,300 But here's what he wrote. 107 00:07:07,300 --> 00:07:13,300 My thoughts about being powerless and losing control when it comes to the dark. 108 00:07:13,300 --> 00:07:16,300 The darkness to him, essentially, not being able to see things around you, 109 00:07:16,300 --> 00:07:22,300 or in a reduced sphere of influence, Conrad's much smarter than I am, 110 00:07:22,300 --> 00:07:28,300 means you lose the perceived power over your environment. 111 00:07:28,300 --> 00:07:30,300 I think it's scary for two reasons. 112 00:07:30,300 --> 00:07:37,300 The obvious, visceral, childlike fear of being alone, followed by the realization 113 00:07:37,300 --> 00:07:44,300 that you don't really control anything after all, which is even scarier. 114 00:07:44,300 --> 00:07:48,300 We try to reason with our children by telling them they're safe, 115 00:07:48,300 --> 00:07:54,300 that they are just on the other side of the wall and will keep them safe, but it rarely works. 116 00:07:54,300 --> 00:08:01,300 As adults, we hear, trust God, but find it difficult to let go of the reins. 117 00:08:01,300 --> 00:08:10,300 Darkness, or dankness as he termed it, is just an unwelcomed reminder of that truth. 118 00:08:10,300 --> 00:08:14,300 And I sat on that for like a day and just thought about the fact that 119 00:08:14,300 --> 00:08:23,300 what darkness really can represent is our control over the light. 120 00:08:23,300 --> 00:08:30,300 And that got me real introspective, first and foremost, with me. 121 00:08:30,300 --> 00:08:34,300 But it got me thinking of Peter. 122 00:08:34,300 --> 00:08:39,300 That Peter, now if you're watching The Chosen, or if you haven't, it is great. 123 00:08:39,300 --> 00:08:42,300 I know there are people with different thoughts about The Chosen, whatever. 124 00:08:42,300 --> 00:08:47,300 But the character of Peter is played so well, and there's a whole B-story in there 125 00:08:47,300 --> 00:08:51,300 that if you want to watch it, do it, it's the end of season three, 126 00:08:51,300 --> 00:08:57,300 is that Peter has the encounter in his life with Jesus, fishermen, those kind of things, 127 00:08:57,300 --> 00:09:02,300 but it also represents some of the darkest hours of the disciples. 128 00:09:02,300 --> 00:09:06,300 As we know in the coming weeks, starting in two weeks we start the season of Lent, 129 00:09:06,300 --> 00:09:09,300 that Peter is known for being the rock of the church, absolutely, 130 00:09:09,300 --> 00:09:14,300 but before that, Peter is known for denying his rabbi. 131 00:09:14,300 --> 00:09:26,300 The ultimate darkness of any student of the rabbi is to disown or is to disavow or deny their rabbi. 132 00:09:26,300 --> 00:09:31,300 They've been taught all these things, they've been following in the rabbi's footsteps, 133 00:09:31,300 --> 00:09:33,300 but they reject their rabbi. 134 00:09:33,300 --> 00:09:37,300 The worst thing a disciple could do is reject their rabbi. 135 00:09:37,300 --> 00:09:41,300 The darkness had taken over Peter's life. 136 00:09:41,300 --> 00:09:47,300 But, Pastor, you said if he had the light, that darkness can't overcome the light. 137 00:09:47,300 --> 00:09:51,300 Wherever there's light, there isn't darkness, and that's the paradox, that's the chaos, 138 00:09:51,300 --> 00:09:55,300 that's the rub, because we have both in us. 139 00:09:55,300 --> 00:10:00,300 If we are believers, if we claim Jesus' authority, you have His holiness, 140 00:10:00,300 --> 00:10:04,300 and we'll get to that in a second, you also have this depravity. 141 00:10:04,300 --> 00:10:07,300 We're going to talk more about that in two weeks. 142 00:10:07,300 --> 00:10:09,300 Oh, great, another sermon about how bad we are. 143 00:10:09,300 --> 00:10:12,300 Well, yeah, it's true, it's kind of what this book is about. 144 00:10:12,300 --> 00:10:18,300 Because in order to understand how bad we are, right, we have to understand how good Jesus is. 145 00:10:18,300 --> 00:10:23,300 That's what Jesus does, that's what Jesus did, that's who Jesus is. 146 00:10:23,300 --> 00:10:30,300 And understanding that, you have to try to make sense of the darkness. 147 00:10:30,300 --> 00:10:33,300 You have to try to make sense of the world around us. 148 00:10:33,300 --> 00:10:39,300 And we've been working through some tough subjects over the course of this sermon series. 149 00:10:39,300 --> 00:10:47,300 But I think after last week priming us on what real sin is, and it takes a real Jesus to defeat real sin, 150 00:10:47,300 --> 00:10:55,300 the sin that is ever present in us and in the world, we almost come to this kind of this climax 151 00:10:55,300 --> 00:11:00,300 of where we've been, knowing that next week is on a completely different topic, 152 00:11:00,300 --> 00:11:04,300 which I am excited to get to. 153 00:11:04,300 --> 00:11:06,300 But it's the sin of us. 154 00:11:06,300 --> 00:11:12,300 It is the active darkness within each and every one of us. 155 00:11:12,300 --> 00:11:16,300 Now, as a pastor, I love seeing the light of Christ in you. 156 00:11:16,300 --> 00:11:20,300 I love seeing the growth in you, and hopefully you see that in me, 157 00:11:20,300 --> 00:11:26,300 that it's reciprocal as a church, that we are shining the light of Jesus. 158 00:11:26,300 --> 00:11:34,300 There are times that in us, people see the darkness overseeing the light. 159 00:11:34,300 --> 00:11:41,300 And it's quite interesting in the prompts that I got that we kind of use this word culture, 160 00:11:41,300 --> 00:11:45,300 or kind of it almost creates an us versus them. 161 00:11:45,300 --> 00:11:49,300 And I want to try to take some of that out, because to say it's us versus them 162 00:11:49,300 --> 00:11:54,300 means we've conquered everything and we no longer fight the battle, and that's not true. 163 00:11:54,300 --> 00:11:57,300 It's us versus us, and then there's Jesus. 164 00:11:57,300 --> 00:12:01,300 So I'm going to use the term mankind, the human race, 165 00:12:01,300 --> 00:12:05,300 and that was kind of the connection of the rest of the prompts. 166 00:12:05,300 --> 00:12:08,300 I was talking about this idea of culture and all the different kinds of culture, 167 00:12:08,300 --> 00:12:10,300 but I'm going to take that word culture out. 168 00:12:10,300 --> 00:12:14,300 I'm going to put mankind in, because it has to do with each and every one of us. 169 00:12:14,300 --> 00:12:17,300 No one is exempt from sin. 170 00:12:17,300 --> 00:12:23,300 No one is exempt from living a life not of Jesus, 171 00:12:23,300 --> 00:12:26,300 because it's in our DNA. 172 00:12:26,300 --> 00:12:28,300 It goes all the way back to chapter three. 173 00:12:28,300 --> 00:12:30,300 We've talked about that. 174 00:12:30,300 --> 00:12:34,300 Some of the prompts use sinful and mankind or a sinful mankind. 175 00:12:34,300 --> 00:12:42,300 Some of you use the words like culture, woke culture, liberals, conservatives, sinners. 176 00:12:42,300 --> 00:12:45,300 That's why after like, I don't know, the first day or two of getting them, 177 00:12:45,300 --> 00:12:50,300 I thought to myself, this has got to be one of the dumbest things I've ever done as a pastor. 178 00:12:50,300 --> 00:12:56,300 But it actually helps me so much not only understand us as a church or you as individuals, 179 00:12:56,300 --> 00:12:59,300 even though most of it was anonymous, and that's fine. 180 00:12:59,300 --> 00:13:02,300 I didn't tell you to put your name on it. 181 00:13:02,300 --> 00:13:05,300 Even though I probably should have, and I wonder, it probably would have been really, never mind. 182 00:13:05,300 --> 00:13:07,300 Okay. 183 00:13:07,300 --> 00:13:13,300 The lens and the nuance that I saw in the rest of these prompts were very, very interesting, 184 00:13:13,300 --> 00:13:19,300 because it talked about a bunch of different types of either lifestyles or sin styles, if you will, 185 00:13:19,300 --> 00:13:26,300 that our culture kind of creates and develops and allows to take place. 186 00:13:26,300 --> 00:13:30,300 And then I thought to myself, that is a really, really nonsensical statement, 187 00:13:30,300 --> 00:13:34,300 because the world doesn't care that it's sinning. 188 00:13:34,300 --> 00:13:38,300 That's not a thing for a world that does not reflect Christ. 189 00:13:38,300 --> 00:13:45,300 If you don't acknowledge Christ in your life, then the idea of sinning doesn't really mean much. 190 00:13:45,300 --> 00:13:47,300 Have you ever thought about that? 191 00:13:47,300 --> 00:13:54,300 People that are not living a life of Christ, living out a certain lifestyle or doing certain things in their life, 192 00:13:54,300 --> 00:14:00,300 and it seems like they don't care, it's because they don't. 193 00:14:00,300 --> 00:14:03,300 And I could do a whole lot of sermons about that camp. 194 00:14:03,300 --> 00:14:11,300 Absolutely I could, but you know the posture that I'd be taking is that I am over that. 195 00:14:11,300 --> 00:14:13,300 I can't have that conversation. 196 00:14:13,300 --> 00:14:18,300 At least Jim can't, because I'm right on that same level. 197 00:14:18,300 --> 00:14:22,300 Because as though we like to kind of podiumize sin, 198 00:14:22,300 --> 00:14:26,300 oh you got first place sin, second place sin, third place sin, sorry, fourth place, no! 199 00:14:26,300 --> 00:14:29,300 That's crazy. 200 00:14:29,300 --> 00:14:34,300 And if sin is ever evident in our lives, we are all there. 201 00:14:34,300 --> 00:14:36,300 We are all sinners saved by grace. 202 00:14:36,300 --> 00:14:40,300 While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 203 00:14:40,300 --> 00:14:45,300 Though I think for a lot of us we'd like to think we're the exception. 204 00:14:45,300 --> 00:14:49,300 Oh well, while they're still sinners, Christ died for us. 205 00:14:49,300 --> 00:14:50,300 No. 206 00:14:50,300 --> 00:14:56,300 While we were still sinners, us, collective we, Christ died for us. 207 00:14:56,300 --> 00:14:58,300 So how do we work through that? 208 00:14:58,300 --> 00:15:04,300 How do we work through that when we know the church has this kind of frozen, chosen mentality that, 209 00:15:04,300 --> 00:15:07,300 oh we're saved so we're exempt from all of this? 210 00:15:07,300 --> 00:15:11,300 If that's your understanding this morning, then you have a really bad understanding 211 00:15:11,300 --> 00:15:14,300 of what it means to be a believer. 212 00:15:14,300 --> 00:15:16,300 That we battle with sin every day. 213 00:15:16,300 --> 00:15:20,300 Martin Luther said that his mercies are new every morning, right? 214 00:15:20,300 --> 00:15:27,300 And I'm not suggesting we do this, but Martin Luther had a baptismal right by his bed. 215 00:15:27,300 --> 00:15:29,300 And every morning he kind of rebaptized himself. 216 00:15:29,300 --> 00:15:31,300 I know reform language, we don't do that. 217 00:15:31,300 --> 00:15:37,300 But it symbolized that he needs that grace every day. 218 00:15:37,300 --> 00:15:44,300 And Martin Luther is a theologian that we hold up very high. 219 00:15:44,300 --> 00:15:50,300 But I think he recognized that there's a wicked side to us all day, every day. 220 00:15:50,300 --> 00:15:52,300 So what do we do with this? 221 00:15:52,300 --> 00:15:57,300 What do we do when we can easily look over here to this culture, to this group of people, 222 00:15:57,300 --> 00:16:04,300 to this ideology, to all of this over there and just say, man, they're terrible and they're going to hell. 223 00:16:04,300 --> 00:16:08,300 Understand, so are we. 224 00:16:08,300 --> 00:16:10,300 For the wages of sin is death. 225 00:16:10,300 --> 00:16:18,300 So any sin that we commit, we should have death as the reward. 226 00:16:18,300 --> 00:16:22,300 But there's a way believers are called to live that out. 227 00:16:22,300 --> 00:16:30,300 That believers are called out to be different to God, to focus on Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith. 228 00:16:30,300 --> 00:16:34,300 And what I find fascinating is we're going to be in 1 Peter today. 229 00:16:34,300 --> 00:16:41,300 So the same guy, right, that was called out onto the water, which we'll see sooner or later, he wrote these words. 230 00:16:41,300 --> 00:16:46,300 So we're going to start in 1 Peter 2, verses 9 through 12. 231 00:16:46,300 --> 00:16:53,300 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, 232 00:16:53,300 --> 00:16:59,300 that you may proclaim the excellences of him who called you out of darkness into the marvelous light. 233 00:16:59,300 --> 00:17:03,300 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people. 234 00:17:03,300 --> 00:17:08,300 Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 235 00:17:08,300 --> 00:17:14,300 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners in exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, 236 00:17:14,300 --> 00:17:17,300 which wage war against your souls. 237 00:17:17,300 --> 00:17:24,300 Keep your conduct among Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, 238 00:17:24,300 --> 00:17:29,300 they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 239 00:17:29,300 --> 00:17:34,300 Or that they will be saved on the day that Jesus comes back. 240 00:17:34,300 --> 00:17:40,300 Can you put that last, Hannah, can you put that last slide up? 241 00:17:40,300 --> 00:17:44,300 Nope. There you go. 242 00:17:44,300 --> 00:17:46,300 He's pretty much talking to us. 243 00:17:46,300 --> 00:17:51,300 He's talking to a bunch of Israelites that are now mixed in with Gentiles, right, 244 00:17:51,300 --> 00:17:56,300 because Jesus came to save everybody in that realm. 245 00:17:56,300 --> 00:18:00,300 Jew, Gentile, that's another sermon, another sermon series for another time. 246 00:18:00,300 --> 00:18:03,300 But understand that we have a responsibility. 247 00:18:03,300 --> 00:18:07,300 We have a duty to live a life that is different. 248 00:18:07,300 --> 00:18:10,300 And here we see one of the first things. 249 00:18:10,300 --> 00:18:14,300 We are called to abstain. 250 00:18:14,300 --> 00:18:17,300 That is a very interesting word. 251 00:18:17,300 --> 00:18:20,300 Now again, I'm going to keep this PG. 252 00:18:20,300 --> 00:18:25,300 And so I think when I say abstain, and as we get older, abstaining from different things 253 00:18:25,300 --> 00:18:29,300 probably take on different lights and different conversations, 254 00:18:29,300 --> 00:18:31,300 depending on how old we're getting. 255 00:18:31,300 --> 00:18:33,300 Some of you know what I'm talking about. 256 00:18:33,300 --> 00:18:35,300 Some of you are asleep, and that's fine. 257 00:18:35,300 --> 00:18:38,300 But for me, I'm going to speak from my point of view, 258 00:18:38,300 --> 00:18:41,300 growing up as a hormonal teenager, 259 00:18:41,300 --> 00:18:47,300 this understanding of abstaining really came to one, possibly two things in life. 260 00:18:47,300 --> 00:18:53,300 Ninety percent of you know what I'm talking about, but it was the fear of my mother. 261 00:18:53,300 --> 00:18:57,300 It wasn't of God, right, even though I do believe at times she was speaking for him, 262 00:18:57,300 --> 00:19:03,300 but it was the fear of my mother that brought me to abstain in certain areas of my life. 263 00:19:03,300 --> 00:19:06,300 If you would like to know more than that, come and ask. 264 00:19:06,300 --> 00:19:08,300 We'll talk about it. 265 00:19:08,300 --> 00:19:10,300 But a lot of you understand what it is. 266 00:19:10,300 --> 00:19:16,300 And she pretty much threatened me that abstaining is the best way to go, 267 00:19:16,300 --> 00:19:22,300 because if you don't, I will kill you. 268 00:19:22,300 --> 00:19:25,300 Okay, it's pretty easy, right, pretty easy understanding. 269 00:19:25,300 --> 00:19:32,300 Mom, gotcha, 10-4, okay, do not pass code, do not collect $200 if I don't abstain. 270 00:19:32,300 --> 00:19:38,300 Now, I think if you were to talk to her today, she probably didn't want to come off that heavy-handed, 271 00:19:38,300 --> 00:19:43,300 but I'm proud to say it worked, because I have a healthy fear of my mother. 272 00:19:43,300 --> 00:19:49,300 And when you have a single parent for a while in your life where they have to play both mother and father, 273 00:19:49,300 --> 00:19:52,300 it is a very different type of upbringing at times. 274 00:19:52,300 --> 00:19:59,300 But whatever the abstaining was for you, whatever threats your parents or your pastor or your elders or whoever made, 275 00:19:59,300 --> 00:20:02,300 I'm sorry it came out that way, but sometimes that works, 276 00:20:02,300 --> 00:20:06,300 because we are actually called to abstain from certain things. 277 00:20:06,300 --> 00:20:17,300 And what I'm going to put on there today, we are to abstain from identifying anything that the world wants to identify you as. 278 00:20:17,300 --> 00:20:21,300 And I don't know what that means for you, I don't know where you're going to take that, 279 00:20:21,300 --> 00:20:26,300 but understand that your definition, first and foremost, is in Jesus Christ. 280 00:20:26,300 --> 00:20:32,300 And we're going to double down on that in a second, that understanding any kind of worldly ideologies, 281 00:20:32,300 --> 00:20:37,300 whether it has to do with your sexuality, whether it has to do with your understanding and profession, 282 00:20:37,300 --> 00:20:43,300 whether it means you're a Cubs fan, all that matter, and that is a very worldly ideology, 283 00:20:43,300 --> 00:20:47,300 that we have to understand that we are defined by Christ first. Why? 284 00:20:47,300 --> 00:20:54,300 Because we are called to abstain from the world, abstain from the worldly passions, 285 00:20:54,300 --> 00:21:00,300 understanding that the worldly passions had a very different and a very skewed understanding of sexuality, 286 00:21:00,300 --> 00:21:08,300 of marriage, of all of those things, and friends, 2024, US culture, not the first people to deal with this. 287 00:21:08,300 --> 00:21:12,300 This was going on in the church in Ephesus, where this letter was being written to, 288 00:21:12,300 --> 00:21:18,300 this was going on in the first century, Mediterranean Sea, the Greeks, the Romans, all of those people, 289 00:21:18,300 --> 00:21:26,300 that there was a skewed understanding that I'm going to identify with what I want to first, and then I will be a believer. 290 00:21:26,300 --> 00:21:31,300 Eh, doesn't work that way, because, and it has nothing to do with you, 291 00:21:31,300 --> 00:21:37,300 it's because God says I am a jealous God, very first commandment. 292 00:21:37,300 --> 00:21:46,300 Why is he a jealous God? Because he bought you with a price, so he gets to claim who you are. 293 00:21:46,300 --> 00:21:52,300 That is so uncomfortable, I get it. But I'm my own person, in the United States, 294 00:21:52,300 --> 00:21:59,300 I get to march by the beat of my own drum, I get to do all of this my way. No! 295 00:21:59,300 --> 00:22:08,300 Both Frank Sinatra and, in my opinion, Usher did it best, they sang about my way, uh-uh, it's always God's way. 296 00:22:08,300 --> 00:22:14,300 Half of you are like, Usher did that song? Yes, look it up, thank me later. 297 00:22:14,300 --> 00:22:20,300 It's not your way, and guess what, it's not my way. I have eight, ten elders that will say it's not their way. 298 00:22:20,300 --> 00:22:25,300 I have eight deacons, sometimes they say it's their, no, just kidding, they say it's not their way either. 299 00:22:25,300 --> 00:22:32,300 They can't, none of us can. It can't be Munster Church's way. It can't be the CRC's way. 300 00:22:32,300 --> 00:22:37,300 Why? Because all of that is flawed. 301 00:22:37,300 --> 00:22:44,300 And why would you want to attach yourself to a flawed system? That's just foolish. 302 00:22:44,300 --> 00:22:49,300 Hey, I know this doesn't work, I know that all, you know, all the wages of sin and death and all this kind of stuff, 303 00:22:49,300 --> 00:22:56,300 I'm gonna be a part of that. Why? That's not being a good steward of your soul. 304 00:22:56,300 --> 00:23:01,300 Exactly, you have to be, you have to do baby talk in order to make that work. 305 00:23:01,300 --> 00:23:08,300 It doesn't make sense. And so if we're going to abstain, if we're gonna be called to repentance, 306 00:23:08,300 --> 00:23:17,300 if we're gonna have this relationship with Jesus where he is going to be your solo definition of who you are, 307 00:23:17,300 --> 00:23:22,300 of course you're gonna be in a rage. Of course the culture's gonna rage around you. 308 00:23:22,300 --> 00:23:28,300 Of course it's going to hate what you are trying to be. 309 00:23:28,300 --> 00:23:33,300 And you gotta remember, the book of Colossians has a very interesting saying. 310 00:23:33,300 --> 00:23:38,300 It has an interesting verse. Now I don't have it up there because it's just kind of hitting me now as it hit me this week. 311 00:23:38,300 --> 00:23:46,300 That in Christ there is no Jew or Gentile. There is no male or female. There is no free or slave. 312 00:23:46,300 --> 00:23:56,300 There is no barbarian or skivvian. That if you are a believer, that is your definition always. 313 00:23:56,300 --> 00:24:00,300 Well what do we do after that? Well, let's dive in. 314 00:24:00,300 --> 00:24:06,300 1 Peter 1, 13-16, Therefore, preparing your minds for action and being sober-minded, 315 00:24:06,300 --> 00:24:11,300 and set your hope fully on the grace that we brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 316 00:24:11,300 --> 00:24:16,300 as obedient children do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. 317 00:24:16,300 --> 00:24:26,300 Wow. But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in your conduct, 318 00:24:26,300 --> 00:24:32,300 since it is written, you shall be holy as I am holy. 319 00:24:32,300 --> 00:24:36,300 Hannah, you can leave that up. 320 00:24:36,300 --> 00:24:43,300 As obedient children do not be conformed to the passion of your former ignorance. 321 00:24:43,300 --> 00:24:52,300 Wow. Why is that so, why is that impacting? Because we are all ignorant and we love our ignorance. 322 00:24:52,300 --> 00:24:57,300 We love the fact that there is a part of us that thinks we can get away with it. 323 00:24:57,300 --> 00:25:01,300 That's because part of us love sin and we love too sin. 324 00:25:01,300 --> 00:25:05,300 Understanding that that is the battle every day. 325 00:25:05,300 --> 00:25:08,300 But as we were just saying 20 minutes ago, he has already won. 326 00:25:08,300 --> 00:25:12,300 He already knows what to define you as. He defines you as his children. 327 00:25:12,300 --> 00:25:19,300 He defines you as heirs to the kingdom. He defines you as sons and daughters of the king. 328 00:25:19,300 --> 00:25:28,300 So your definitions of your life need to be rooted in Christ first, always. 329 00:25:28,300 --> 00:25:35,300 Because if you are going to define as a culture, if you are going to have the culture define who you are, 330 00:25:35,300 --> 00:25:41,300 then you are being ignorant. And Peter is saying, be obedient. 331 00:25:41,300 --> 00:25:44,300 You may not like it. There may be friction in that. 332 00:25:44,300 --> 00:25:50,300 You may be struggling with that, but abstain and don't be ignorant. 333 00:25:50,300 --> 00:25:56,300 Now if I asked you, do you guys have a list of people that you know aren't doing that and are ignorant to things, 334 00:25:56,300 --> 00:25:59,300 my guess is you would say yes. My guess is you could make me a list. 335 00:25:59,300 --> 00:26:04,300 I will never ask because I know that your name should be first on it. 336 00:26:04,300 --> 00:26:08,300 Just like if I am making a list, my name should be first on it. 337 00:26:08,300 --> 00:26:14,300 Because there are days I struggle with this. There are days that I love to be ignorant. 338 00:26:14,300 --> 00:26:18,300 There are days that I want to just sit in ignorance because then the sin comes easy 339 00:26:18,300 --> 00:26:22,300 and I am not thinking about the conviction. 340 00:26:22,300 --> 00:26:27,300 Last week we found out that if we are going to do that, then we are actually calling God a liar. 341 00:26:27,300 --> 00:26:32,300 And that is not a good place to be. 342 00:26:32,300 --> 00:26:36,300 Orin Worsby, one of my favorite, he was a mentor of mine for many, many years. 343 00:26:36,300 --> 00:26:39,300 He passed away a couple years ago and he taught at Moody. 344 00:26:39,300 --> 00:26:42,300 He wrote this about the holiness of God. 345 00:26:42,300 --> 00:26:46,300 The argument here is logical and simple. 346 00:26:46,300 --> 00:26:49,300 Children inherit the nature of their parents. God is holy. 347 00:26:49,300 --> 00:26:52,300 Therefore as children we should live holy lives. 348 00:26:52,300 --> 00:26:58,300 But we are partakers of divine nature and ought to reveal that nature in godly living. 349 00:26:58,300 --> 00:27:02,300 Peter reminded his followers of what they were before they trusted Christ. 350 00:27:02,300 --> 00:27:05,300 They had been children of disobedience. 351 00:27:05,300 --> 00:27:07,300 So us, right? 352 00:27:07,300 --> 00:27:10,300 But now they were to be obedient children. 353 00:27:10,300 --> 00:27:15,300 True salvation always results in obedience. 354 00:27:15,300 --> 00:27:18,300 Thanks, Warren. 355 00:27:18,300 --> 00:27:22,300 They had also been imitators of the world, 356 00:27:22,300 --> 00:27:26,300 fashioning themselves after standards and pleasures of the world. 357 00:27:26,300 --> 00:27:31,300 Romans 12.2 translates the same word as conformed to the world. 358 00:27:31,300 --> 00:27:35,300 Unsaved people tell us that they want to be free and different, 359 00:27:35,300 --> 00:27:39,300 yet they all imitate one another. 360 00:27:39,300 --> 00:27:44,300 The cause of all of this ignorance that leads to indulgence. 361 00:27:44,300 --> 00:27:48,300 Unsaved people lack spiritual intelligence and this causes them to give themselves 362 00:27:48,300 --> 00:27:52,300 to all kinds of fleshly and worldly indulgences. 363 00:27:52,300 --> 00:27:57,300 Since we were born with a fallen nature, it was natural for us to live sinful lives. 364 00:27:57,300 --> 00:28:01,300 Nature determines appetites and actions. 365 00:28:01,300 --> 00:28:06,300 A dog and a cat behave differently because they have different natures. 366 00:28:06,300 --> 00:28:13,300 He's talking about all of us, even if you've grown up in the church. 367 00:28:13,300 --> 00:28:17,300 But my hope and my prayer is that when we become believers, 368 00:28:17,300 --> 00:28:20,300 when that faith is regenerated into our hearts, 369 00:28:20,300 --> 00:28:23,300 that we are on a track of learning. 370 00:28:23,300 --> 00:28:25,300 And what is the best way to learn? 371 00:28:25,300 --> 00:28:28,300 Well, if you're trying to get out of credit card debt, 372 00:28:28,300 --> 00:28:34,300 and every time your paycheck hits, let's say you pay $1,000 off on your credit card, 373 00:28:34,300 --> 00:28:37,300 and you go, well, I still want to get out of credit card debt, 374 00:28:37,300 --> 00:28:42,300 but you still use the credit card, that's not going to work, 375 00:28:42,300 --> 00:28:45,300 unless you're going to make a giant payment to pay it off. 376 00:28:45,300 --> 00:28:48,300 But then if you continue to lose it, or continue to use it, 377 00:28:48,300 --> 00:28:52,300 Andrew, what are you going to gain if you continue to use credit cards? 378 00:28:52,300 --> 00:28:55,300 Well, you're going to gain money, you're going to lose your credit card debt. 379 00:28:55,300 --> 00:28:59,300 So if we're trying to say we're going to abstain from these passions, 380 00:28:59,300 --> 00:29:03,300 if we're going to live and try to be as holy as possible, 381 00:29:03,300 --> 00:29:08,300 but then we're going to jump into sin where the holiness goes kaput, 382 00:29:08,300 --> 00:29:11,300 then we're at five steps back. 383 00:29:11,300 --> 00:29:13,300 Our account's going to be overdrawn. 384 00:29:13,300 --> 00:29:17,300 And then people are going to look at you and go, wait, you're supposed to be a believer. 385 00:29:17,300 --> 00:29:20,300 You post so you go to church all the time. 386 00:29:20,300 --> 00:29:22,300 You're part of a committee, you're an elder, you're a deacon, 387 00:29:22,300 --> 00:29:25,300 you teach Sunday school, you whatever. 388 00:29:25,300 --> 00:29:29,300 But you don't look any different. 389 00:29:29,300 --> 00:29:33,300 You see how the world then looks at believers and goes, 390 00:29:33,300 --> 00:29:38,300 nah, why in the world would I want to have the conscience of Christ 391 00:29:38,300 --> 00:29:41,300 when I could have freedom in everything? 392 00:29:41,300 --> 00:29:44,300 Because that's not where life is found. 393 00:29:44,300 --> 00:29:46,300 Life is not found in freedom to everything, 394 00:29:46,300 --> 00:29:49,300 because when you have freedom to everything, you'll do whatever you want, 395 00:29:49,300 --> 00:29:52,300 and that has never been the call. 396 00:29:52,300 --> 00:29:54,300 Do we have freedom? Absolutely. 397 00:29:54,300 --> 00:29:58,300 And some of our, I would say, kind of more the Christian nationalist understanding 398 00:29:58,300 --> 00:30:01,300 takes that freedom to a very ugly place, 399 00:30:01,300 --> 00:30:03,300 to a place where I kind of even reject it, 400 00:30:03,300 --> 00:30:07,300 because all of that is I have freedom to stand over people, 401 00:30:07,300 --> 00:30:09,300 and I'm going to remind them of their sin, 402 00:30:09,300 --> 00:30:12,300 and I'm going to just do this like they're some kind of cigarette butt, 403 00:30:12,300 --> 00:30:16,300 and that is not at all the church of Jesus. 404 00:30:16,300 --> 00:30:19,300 That doesn't mean Jesus doesn't correct. 405 00:30:19,300 --> 00:30:22,300 That doesn't mean he says to the woman caught in the act of adultery, 406 00:30:22,300 --> 00:30:25,300 your sins are forgiven. Have a nice day. 407 00:30:25,300 --> 00:30:28,300 No. What does he say? 408 00:30:28,300 --> 00:30:32,300 Your sins are forgiven. Go and sin no more. 409 00:30:32,300 --> 00:30:38,300 The one that was about to die for those sins is not only rebuking, 410 00:30:38,300 --> 00:30:43,300 is teaching, is saying you are not defined this way, 411 00:30:43,300 --> 00:30:47,300 so why continue to do it? 412 00:30:47,300 --> 00:30:50,300 Be holy as I am holy. 413 00:30:50,300 --> 00:30:54,300 Ignorance of Christ becomes indulgence in darkness. 414 00:30:54,300 --> 00:30:56,300 That's what I got from Warren. 415 00:30:56,300 --> 00:31:00,300 Ignorance in Christ becomes indulgence of darkness. 416 00:31:00,300 --> 00:31:04,300 And if we're going to go, if we're going to all be Conradian in our theology, 417 00:31:04,300 --> 00:31:09,300 which is amazing, it's scary because we think we can control it, 418 00:31:09,300 --> 00:31:10,300 and we can't. 419 00:31:10,300 --> 00:31:14,300 So why in the world would you want to be indulgent into something 420 00:31:14,300 --> 00:31:17,300 that's going to demand ultimate control? 421 00:31:17,300 --> 00:31:21,300 It's like the gambling, the one addicted to gambling going, 422 00:31:21,300 --> 00:31:24,300 it's just one pull of the slot, how bad can it be? 423 00:31:24,300 --> 00:31:30,300 Or I'm only going to go to the Hard Rock because they have a great buffet. 424 00:31:30,300 --> 00:31:31,300 Why set ourselves up? 425 00:31:31,300 --> 00:31:38,300 Why dance with the devil when we know he's going to want to win? 426 00:31:38,300 --> 00:31:40,300 We do it all the time, church. 427 00:31:40,300 --> 00:31:42,300 I do it all the time. 428 00:31:42,300 --> 00:31:44,300 I'm only going to go this far. 429 00:31:44,300 --> 00:31:46,300 I'm going to do a pinky toe because it feels good, 430 00:31:46,300 --> 00:31:48,300 and I want to indulge in the dark, but I'm a pastor, 431 00:31:48,300 --> 00:31:50,300 so I can't do the whole foot. 432 00:31:50,300 --> 00:31:52,300 Well, what did we learn last week? 433 00:31:52,300 --> 00:31:54,300 You can't do that. 434 00:31:54,300 --> 00:31:56,300 If you do that, then you are not part of the light, 435 00:31:56,300 --> 00:31:58,300 and the light doesn't know you. 436 00:31:58,300 --> 00:32:00,300 Do we want that? 437 00:32:00,300 --> 00:32:04,300 Do we want Jesus who says, I am your definition, 438 00:32:04,300 --> 00:32:08,300 always to say, never mind, I don't know you. 439 00:32:08,300 --> 00:32:10,300 No. 440 00:32:10,300 --> 00:32:14,300 So what do we do with this culture? 441 00:32:14,300 --> 00:32:17,300 How do we engage it? 442 00:32:17,300 --> 00:32:24,300 When we look at each other, we need to see them with the eyes of Christ first. 443 00:32:24,300 --> 00:32:28,300 When we engage with one another, we need to have Christ shown. 444 00:32:28,300 --> 00:32:32,300 Have Your Way in Me is a song that we love to sing. 445 00:32:32,300 --> 00:32:37,300 It's a powerful prayer, but when you actually do it, 446 00:32:37,300 --> 00:32:39,300 you're going to look at people differently. 447 00:32:39,300 --> 00:32:43,300 Though you're going to want to see the sin, the definition of the world, 448 00:32:43,300 --> 00:32:46,300 and place all of that on there, and guess what? 449 00:32:46,300 --> 00:32:49,300 That might be going on, and that is a problem, 450 00:32:49,300 --> 00:32:52,300 and that is something that needs to be corrected. 451 00:32:52,300 --> 00:32:57,300 That needs to be in line with Jesus. 452 00:32:57,300 --> 00:33:00,300 But to take a stance over them, to say, I'm not going to engage. 453 00:33:00,300 --> 00:33:06,300 They're too sinful is not a stance I think as believers we can have. 454 00:33:06,300 --> 00:33:09,300 This is where I struggle, have that conversation, 455 00:33:09,300 --> 00:33:13,300 because how are we going to do this? 456 00:33:13,300 --> 00:33:16,300 If we're paying attention, how are we going to be able to engage the darkness 457 00:33:16,300 --> 00:33:21,300 with the light? 458 00:33:21,300 --> 00:33:25,300 How do we live as sinners, saved by grace in all mankind, 459 00:33:25,300 --> 00:33:31,300 the human race that is depraved to its core? 460 00:33:31,300 --> 00:33:35,300 You understand the struggle you have, the struggle I have? 461 00:33:35,300 --> 00:33:39,300 We have a world that says, get in the tub, the water's great, 462 00:33:39,300 --> 00:33:41,300 you don't have to worry about anything. 463 00:33:41,300 --> 00:33:45,300 Why the world's in a hot tub, I have no idea. 464 00:33:45,300 --> 00:33:48,300 But that's, come and do you. 465 00:33:48,300 --> 00:33:50,300 You do you. 466 00:33:50,300 --> 00:33:54,300 No, we, I'm not going to say it that way because that's weird. 467 00:33:54,300 --> 00:33:59,300 We reflect Christ because it's not about me. 468 00:33:59,300 --> 00:34:02,300 I get to meet with a student after her service today, 469 00:34:02,300 --> 00:34:05,300 and she's going to talk to me about her faith in Jesus. 470 00:34:05,300 --> 00:34:08,300 And she had a conversation with Daniel last week, 471 00:34:08,300 --> 00:34:13,300 and he just came back all smiles and is like, she gets it. 472 00:34:13,300 --> 00:34:14,300 And you know what she gets? 473 00:34:14,300 --> 00:34:17,300 That she is not her own. 474 00:34:17,300 --> 00:34:19,300 But she belongs to Christ. 475 00:34:19,300 --> 00:34:22,300 We started with it, we're going to end with it. 476 00:34:22,300 --> 00:34:27,300 If you want to have control over who you are, 477 00:34:27,300 --> 00:34:31,300 I think you're making it real hard for yourself 478 00:34:31,300 --> 00:34:34,300 because Christ has already done the work. 479 00:34:34,300 --> 00:34:35,300 So then how do we do this? 480 00:34:35,300 --> 00:34:39,300 We can teach, we can rebuke, we can point out error, 481 00:34:39,300 --> 00:34:42,300 we can make signs, we can write Facebook posts, 482 00:34:42,300 --> 00:34:45,300 we can yell in the bull horns that they're going to burn. 483 00:34:45,300 --> 00:34:47,300 We can do that to culture. 484 00:34:47,300 --> 00:34:51,300 We can have an adverse relationship with culture and say, 485 00:34:51,300 --> 00:34:54,300 you're all sinners and you're going to go to hell. 486 00:34:54,300 --> 00:34:57,300 But remember, you are one of them. 487 00:34:57,300 --> 00:34:59,300 So that's kind of a paradox. 488 00:34:59,300 --> 00:35:04,300 Or can we sit and have conversations? 489 00:35:04,300 --> 00:35:09,300 Can we be humble and sit down and have loving conversations? 490 00:35:09,300 --> 00:35:15,300 Maybe even with discord, you may not ultimately agree. 491 00:35:15,300 --> 00:35:18,300 And for some of us, we struggle with that 492 00:35:18,300 --> 00:35:21,300 because we love being right. 493 00:35:21,300 --> 00:35:23,300 And we love to say, no, no, no, no, no, 494 00:35:23,300 --> 00:35:26,300 you need to come and think about it my way. 495 00:35:26,300 --> 00:35:27,300 No. 496 00:35:27,300 --> 00:35:29,300 Coming together and looking at it and go, 497 00:35:29,300 --> 00:35:32,300 how are we defined by Christ in this moment? 498 00:35:32,300 --> 00:35:36,300 What does Christ speak to us is the best way to handle it. 499 00:35:36,300 --> 00:35:42,300 But here's the thing, you may walk away and nothing changes. 500 00:35:42,300 --> 00:35:46,300 Thank God you don't get the final say. 501 00:35:46,300 --> 00:35:49,300 Thank God I don't get the final say. 502 00:35:49,300 --> 00:35:54,300 Because I'd find all of you all guilty along with me. 503 00:35:54,300 --> 00:35:56,300 You see how it works? 504 00:35:56,300 --> 00:36:01,300 But if we take that stance, it's only going to get harder. 505 00:36:01,300 --> 00:36:04,300 But there are things going on in this culture that are raging. 506 00:36:04,300 --> 00:36:08,300 There are things that are going on in the world today 507 00:36:08,300 --> 00:36:12,300 that we're going, Lord, just take control. 508 00:36:12,300 --> 00:36:17,300 Yet there are part of us that says, just wipe them out. 509 00:36:17,300 --> 00:36:22,300 That's not how Jesus engages. 510 00:36:22,300 --> 00:36:25,300 Jesus chooses to engage in a different way. 511 00:36:25,300 --> 00:36:27,300 And I think he starts with Peter. 512 00:36:27,300 --> 00:36:29,300 Hannah, you can show the clip. 513 00:36:29,300 --> 00:36:44,300 Do you still have faith? 514 00:36:44,300 --> 00:36:46,300 Faith hasn't been my problem. 515 00:36:46,300 --> 00:36:49,300 I gave up everything to follow you. 516 00:36:49,300 --> 00:36:52,300 But you're healing those strangers. 517 00:36:52,300 --> 00:36:59,300 Why do you think I allowed trials? 518 00:36:59,300 --> 00:37:01,300 I don't know. 519 00:37:01,300 --> 00:37:04,300 They prove the genuineness of your faith. 520 00:37:04,300 --> 00:37:06,300 They strengthen you. 521 00:37:06,300 --> 00:37:08,300 This is strengthening you. 522 00:37:08,300 --> 00:37:10,300 And Eden. 523 00:37:10,300 --> 00:37:12,300 Keep your eyes on me. 524 00:37:12,300 --> 00:37:14,300 Oh, come, Ritza. 525 00:37:14,300 --> 00:37:22,300 In our grief. 526 00:37:22,300 --> 00:37:51,300 In our grief. 527 00:37:51,300 --> 00:37:52,300 I'm shaking. 528 00:37:52,300 --> 00:37:54,300 Lord, I'm shaking. 529 00:37:54,300 --> 00:37:56,300 Simon! 530 00:37:56,300 --> 00:38:01,300 Simon! 531 00:38:01,300 --> 00:38:02,300 Simon! 532 00:38:02,300 --> 00:38:08,300 Help me, please! 533 00:38:08,300 --> 00:38:28,300 Don't let me go. 534 00:38:28,300 --> 00:38:33,300 I got you. 535 00:38:33,300 --> 00:38:34,300 I got you. 536 00:38:34,300 --> 00:38:35,300 Don't let me go. 537 00:38:35,300 --> 00:38:36,300 I got you. 538 00:38:36,300 --> 00:38:37,300 Please. 539 00:38:37,300 --> 00:38:39,300 Oh, you are little faith. 540 00:38:39,300 --> 00:38:43,300 Why did you doubt? 541 00:38:43,300 --> 00:38:51,300 Don't let me go. 542 00:38:51,300 --> 00:38:54,300 I have much planned for you, Simon. 543 00:38:54,300 --> 00:38:58,300 Including hard things. 544 00:38:58,300 --> 00:39:00,300 Just keep your eyes on me. 545 00:39:00,300 --> 00:39:05,300 I promise. 546 00:39:05,300 --> 00:39:09,300 I'm sorry. 547 00:39:09,300 --> 00:39:10,300 Come on. 548 00:39:10,300 --> 00:39:12,300 Help me. 549 00:39:12,300 --> 00:39:14,300 Please. 550 00:39:14,300 --> 00:39:16,300 Sit, sit. 551 00:39:16,300 --> 00:39:18,300 Please. 552 00:39:18,300 --> 00:39:21,300 Don't let me go, please. 553 00:39:21,300 --> 00:39:24,300 I'm sorry. 554 00:39:24,300 --> 00:39:27,300 Don't let me go, please. 555 00:39:27,300 --> 00:39:28,300 I'm sorry. 556 00:39:28,300 --> 00:39:30,300 Please don't let me go. 557 00:39:30,300 --> 00:39:57,300 Please, be still. 558 00:39:57,300 --> 00:40:00,300 Don't let me go. 559 00:40:00,300 --> 00:40:02,300 I'm here. 560 00:40:02,300 --> 00:40:07,300 I'm always here. 561 00:40:07,300 --> 00:40:10,300 I let people go hungry. 562 00:40:10,300 --> 00:40:13,300 But I feed them. 563 00:40:13,300 --> 00:40:16,300 I let people go hungry. 564 00:40:16,300 --> 00:40:18,300 I let people have trials. 565 00:40:18,300 --> 00:40:23,300 I let people have identity chaos. 566 00:40:23,300 --> 00:40:27,300 I let people sit in the culture. 567 00:40:27,300 --> 00:40:32,300 I let people, let the world's waves try to take you out. 568 00:40:32,300 --> 00:40:34,300 I let the rage of the waves. 569 00:40:34,300 --> 00:40:37,300 Sometimes I let the waves beat you down. 570 00:40:37,300 --> 00:40:40,300 I let you have a hard season just a little bit longer than 571 00:40:40,300 --> 00:40:43,300 maybe you want it. 572 00:40:43,300 --> 00:40:46,300 But I will always feed them. 573 00:40:46,300 --> 00:40:51,300 I will never leave you or forsake you in this life or the 574 00:40:51,300 --> 00:40:54,300 next. 575 00:40:54,300 --> 00:40:58,300 So if that's all of us, that should teach us how to engage 576 00:40:58,300 --> 00:41:00,300 the world. 577 00:41:00,300 --> 00:41:05,300 The world should see us clinging to Christ in all things 578 00:41:05,300 --> 00:41:10,300 because the waves are raging always and forever. 579 00:41:10,300 --> 00:41:12,300 In this world, the waves are going to rage. 580 00:41:12,300 --> 00:41:14,300 In this world, you're going to have trouble. 581 00:41:14,300 --> 00:41:20,300 But if you identify in Christ always, Jesus says, take heart. 582 00:41:20,300 --> 00:41:22,300 I've overcome the world. 583 00:41:22,300 --> 00:41:26,300 But understand, friends, you may be raging until your 584 00:41:26,300 --> 00:41:28,300 dying day. 585 00:41:28,300 --> 00:41:29,300 Well, that's just not fair. 586 00:41:29,300 --> 00:41:31,300 Why can't I just get peace? 587 00:41:31,300 --> 00:41:32,300 This person has peace. 588 00:41:32,300 --> 00:41:36,300 No, they're raging too, just maybe in a different way. 589 00:41:36,300 --> 00:41:39,300 One of the things that I love about the prompts that you all 590 00:41:39,300 --> 00:41:45,300 gave is that they're all solved with identifying in Christ 591 00:41:45,300 --> 00:41:47,300 first. 592 00:41:47,300 --> 00:41:51,300 A lot of you want to focus on the rage and what the rage is 593 00:41:51,300 --> 00:41:52,300 doing. 594 00:41:52,300 --> 00:41:55,300 What happened when Peter focused on the rage? 595 00:41:55,300 --> 00:41:57,300 He sank. 596 00:41:57,300 --> 00:42:01,300 And I find it comical that you have disciples going, Jesus, 597 00:42:01,300 --> 00:42:03,300 save him. 598 00:42:03,300 --> 00:42:05,300 What do they think Jesus is going to do? 599 00:42:05,300 --> 00:42:09,300 No, I'm going to let him drown. 600 00:42:09,300 --> 00:42:13,300 Jesus would be going against his own word. 601 00:42:13,300 --> 00:42:16,300 We need to remember that as we engage the culture. 602 00:42:16,300 --> 00:42:19,300 We need to remember that as we identify. 603 00:42:19,300 --> 00:42:23,300 We need to remember that as we follow the word the best we 604 00:42:23,300 --> 00:42:26,300 can in this life. 605 00:42:26,300 --> 00:42:28,300 And why? 606 00:42:28,300 --> 00:42:31,300 Because we'll close with this. 607 00:42:31,300 --> 00:42:33,300 Chapter 1 verses 3 through 9. 608 00:42:33,300 --> 00:42:36,300 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 609 00:42:36,300 --> 00:42:40,300 According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born 610 00:42:40,300 --> 00:42:43,300 again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus 611 00:42:43,300 --> 00:42:47,300 Christ from the dead to the inheritance of the imperishable, 612 00:42:47,300 --> 00:42:51,300 undefiable, and unfading kept in heaven for you. 613 00:42:51,300 --> 00:42:53,300 But I want it on the earth. 614 00:42:53,300 --> 00:42:55,300 It's in heaven for you. 615 00:42:55,300 --> 00:42:58,300 By who God's power has been guarded through faith for a 616 00:42:58,300 --> 00:43:02,300 salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 617 00:43:02,300 --> 00:43:06,300 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if 618 00:43:06,300 --> 00:43:10,300 necessary, you have been grieved by various trials so 619 00:43:10,300 --> 00:43:14,300 that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than 620 00:43:14,300 --> 00:43:19,300 gold, that perishes though it is tested by fire, may be found 621 00:43:19,300 --> 00:43:23,300 to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of 622 00:43:23,300 --> 00:43:24,300 Jesus Christ. 623 00:43:24,300 --> 00:43:27,300 Though you have not seen him, you love him. 624 00:43:27,300 --> 00:43:31,300 Though you do not know, though you do not now see him, you 625 00:43:31,300 --> 00:43:36,300 believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and 626 00:43:36,300 --> 00:43:41,300 filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the 627 00:43:41,300 --> 00:44:08,300 salvation of your souls.