WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.540 of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts. 00:00:02.680 --> 00:00:05.259 Be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength 00:00:05.259 --> 00:00:14.839 and our redeemer. Amen. Well, if you really want 00:00:14.839 --> 00:00:19.980 to, you can find plenty of reasons to be outraged 00:00:19.980 --> 00:00:23.620 these days. I know that sounds curious, not the 00:00:23.620 --> 00:00:26.219 part about being outraged. Yes, there are plenty 00:00:26.219 --> 00:00:29.550 of reasons to be outraged. The curious part is 00:00:29.550 --> 00:00:32.789 about finding reasons to be outraged. Why would 00:00:32.789 --> 00:00:37.350 we want to be angry? Do we really seek it? Don't 00:00:37.350 --> 00:00:39.149 we want to be happy? Don't we want to feel at 00:00:39.149 --> 00:00:43.090 peace? I read an article recently that talks 00:00:43.090 --> 00:00:48.469 about how outrage is addictive. Outrage produces 00:00:48.469 --> 00:00:51.520 those feel -good chemicals in your brain. that 00:00:51.520 --> 00:00:54.420 help you feel better. The same kind of chemicals 00:00:54.420 --> 00:00:59.079 that heroin and opiates produce. No wonder outrage 00:00:59.079 --> 00:01:03.380 is often sought. It's a powerful form of self 00:01:03.380 --> 00:01:06.760 -medication. If we've learned that outrage makes 00:01:06.760 --> 00:01:08.939 us feel better, then anytime we start feeling 00:01:08.939 --> 00:01:11.900 bad, we will seek it in order to try and feel 00:01:11.900 --> 00:01:14.359 better. But it's better than heroin, I guess. 00:01:15.099 --> 00:01:20.519 Like any fix, any quick fix, or addictive behavior, 00:01:20.920 --> 00:01:24.060 we only end up feeling worse in the long run, 00:01:24.239 --> 00:01:26.700 which only compounds the problem, because we 00:01:26.700 --> 00:01:29.420 want to seek it to feel better again. Let me 00:01:29.420 --> 00:01:32.299 just go down that downward spiral into the abyss. 00:01:32.739 --> 00:01:35.959 Outrage as a form of self -medication has gotten 00:01:35.959 --> 00:01:40.040 a lot easier these days, especially with access 00:01:40.040 --> 00:01:44.079 to social media. For starters, social media, 00:01:44.120 --> 00:01:47.159 as you know, creates algorithms that feed... 00:01:47.609 --> 00:01:50.549 the most controversial stories, the stories that 00:01:50.549 --> 00:01:52.510 everyone's talking about, which are usually controversial, 00:01:52.849 --> 00:01:56.069 as do traditional forms of media. These controversial 00:01:56.069 --> 00:01:59.609 stories leave us feeling outraged, thus further 00:01:59.609 --> 00:02:03.269 feeding our addiction. It's no secret that all 00:02:03.269 --> 00:02:06.670 forms of media will often weaponize topics to 00:02:06.670 --> 00:02:11.469 fuel outrage. Why? Because outrage sells. Secondly, 00:02:11.610 --> 00:02:14.669 social media feeds us with a heavy dose of confirmation 00:02:14.669 --> 00:02:17.960 bias. by feeding us what we already believe to 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:21.599 be true in order to satisfy our ego. Social media 00:02:21.599 --> 00:02:25.419 creates echo chambers and silos. Social media 00:02:25.419 --> 00:02:27.800 draws lines in the sand. This is really just 00:02:27.800 --> 00:02:30.659 the devil at work with social media. Better yet, 00:02:30.740 --> 00:02:34.560 social media draws trenches in the sand. We are 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:36.759 right and you are wrong. This creates a toxic 00:02:36.759 --> 00:02:40.060 environment where no one wins. Sometimes I'll 00:02:40.060 --> 00:02:42.199 find myself in conversation with someone on a 00:02:42.199 --> 00:02:46.180 somewhat controversial topic. And sometimes the 00:02:46.180 --> 00:02:48.219 other party has no idea what I'm talking about. 00:02:48.759 --> 00:02:51.240 I've since learned that this is because the other 00:02:51.240 --> 00:02:54.280 party either relied on social media for their 00:02:54.280 --> 00:02:56.960 news or they just got their news from one source. 00:02:57.419 --> 00:03:00.159 So if we have different interests and different 00:03:00.159 --> 00:03:03.000 biases, then we might never read the same story. 00:03:03.180 --> 00:03:05.560 Therefore, we are informed by two very different 00:03:05.560 --> 00:03:08.620 stories. And in the end, this creates space where 00:03:08.620 --> 00:03:10.979 we both think we're right and the other is wrong, 00:03:11.159 --> 00:03:14.689 only perpetuating this outrage. Perhaps the most 00:03:14.689 --> 00:03:18.629 dangerous consequence of outrage it seems is 00:03:18.629 --> 00:03:20.330 that it feels like we're changing the world. 00:03:20.710 --> 00:03:23.430 Well, I have news for you. If outrage could change 00:03:23.430 --> 00:03:26.729 the world, then we'd be in heaven already, right? 00:03:27.210 --> 00:03:30.530 Not that outrage is bad in and of itself. Not 00:03:30.530 --> 00:03:34.009 that anger is bad in and of itself. As anger 00:03:34.009 --> 00:03:36.150 and outrage serves as a way to tell us there's 00:03:36.150 --> 00:03:38.449 something wrong. There's something wrong around 00:03:38.449 --> 00:03:41.189 us or inside of us. However, as self -centered 00:03:41.189 --> 00:03:43.590 human beings, our first instinct is to point 00:03:43.590 --> 00:03:46.169 the finger elsewhere when something goes wrong. 00:03:46.409 --> 00:03:49.349 Before we point the finger, however, what does 00:03:49.349 --> 00:03:52.210 Jesus remind us? Before you judge the speck in 00:03:52.210 --> 00:03:54.770 your neighbor's eye, deal with the log that is 00:03:54.770 --> 00:03:57.449 in your own. And while there are plenty of reasons 00:03:57.449 --> 00:03:59.810 to be outraged at the other, and many of them 00:03:59.810 --> 00:04:02.590 justified, I have learned that this feeling is 00:04:02.590 --> 00:04:05.949 usually less about them and more about me. My 00:04:05.949 --> 00:04:09.349 level of anger or outrage tells me, how I'm doing 00:04:09.349 --> 00:04:14.250 physically or emotionally or spiritually. Unresolved 00:04:14.250 --> 00:04:17.370 anger, after all, has devastating effects on 00:04:17.370 --> 00:04:20.069 your physical, mental, and spiritual health and 00:04:20.069 --> 00:04:23.370 the health of the community. And so this season 00:04:23.370 --> 00:04:26.629 of Lent, it seems, calls us to take a look inward 00:04:26.629 --> 00:04:29.709 and to take stock of how our own heart and soul 00:04:29.709 --> 00:04:32.990 are doing. This season compels us to look at 00:04:32.990 --> 00:04:35.949 the log in our own eye before we judge the speck 00:04:35.949 --> 00:04:38.279 in our neighbor's. Regardless of your political 00:04:38.279 --> 00:04:41.420 affiliation, I imagine most of us are experiencing 00:04:41.420 --> 00:04:44.300 a heightened sense of outrage these days with 00:04:44.300 --> 00:04:46.740 what's going on around the world. And if this 00:04:46.740 --> 00:04:49.579 is you, I gently invite you to turn your attention 00:04:49.579 --> 00:04:53.639 toward your heart and your soul. The power of 00:04:53.639 --> 00:04:56.740 God's word working in you has a much better chance 00:04:56.740 --> 00:04:59.279 of changing the world outside you and inside 00:04:59.279 --> 00:05:02.420 of you than does your outrage at whatever injustice 00:05:02.420 --> 00:05:05.180 or perceived injustice is being perpetrated. 00:05:05.819 --> 00:05:08.939 As we will explore on Wednesday nights and Lent, 00:05:08.939 --> 00:05:12.459 the Word of God working in us will cultivate 00:05:12.459 --> 00:05:15.620 the fruits of the Spirit, which are faithfulness, 00:05:15.680 --> 00:05:18.800 gentleness, peace, goodness, joy, self -control, 00:05:18.860 --> 00:05:21.680 love, patience, and kindness. Notice what's not 00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:25.259 on the list. Outrage. During the season of Lent, 00:05:25.259 --> 00:05:28.060 we will also gather on Sunday mornings to explore 00:05:28.060 --> 00:05:30.480 various disciplines that help cultivate the fruits 00:05:30.480 --> 00:05:32.980 of the Spirit. Using a book called Celebration 00:05:32.980 --> 00:05:35.759 of Discipline by Richard Foster, we will explore 00:05:35.759 --> 00:05:38.240 how the disciplines of prayer, study, simplicity, 00:05:38.680 --> 00:05:41.579 service, confession, and worship create fertile 00:05:41.579 --> 00:05:44.139 ground for the fruits of the Spirit to grow. 00:05:44.939 --> 00:05:47.060 Jesus' temptation in the wilderness, which we 00:05:47.060 --> 00:05:50.000 read about here this morning, paints a vivid 00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:54.529 picture of how God's Word working in us, can 00:05:54.529 --> 00:05:58.149 extinguish even the most seductive of human desires. 00:05:58.490 --> 00:06:01.930 And the devil sort of gives us three of those 00:06:01.930 --> 00:06:05.329 most powerful desires. Our need for instant gratification, 00:06:05.610 --> 00:06:08.769 our need for power and control, and our need 00:06:08.769 --> 00:06:11.250 for popularity. While these are nice things, 00:06:11.410 --> 00:06:13.769 they aren't needs. And that's what the devil 00:06:13.769 --> 00:06:17.689 does. The devil tries to convince us that wants 00:06:17.689 --> 00:06:21.589 are needs. and our wants have the power to blind 00:06:21.589 --> 00:06:24.589 us from the true needs of others, even our own 00:06:24.589 --> 00:06:28.350 needs. If I were to identify the biggest need 00:06:28.350 --> 00:06:31.709 for humanity today, it would be spiritual maturity. 00:06:32.149 --> 00:06:35.790 As Richard Foster suggests in his book, we are, 00:06:35.910 --> 00:06:39.370 as a people, spiritually bankrupt, at least in 00:06:39.370 --> 00:06:41.310 developed countries, countries that have taken 00:06:41.310 --> 00:06:44.290 the devil up on his offer for instant gratification, 00:06:44.509 --> 00:06:47.420 for power and control, for popularity. These 00:06:47.420 --> 00:06:49.680 are the desires and yearnings that God truly 00:06:49.680 --> 00:06:53.660 wants us to let go of or give up this Lent. These 00:06:53.660 --> 00:06:56.939 are the desires that corrupt our soul and prevent 00:06:56.939 --> 00:06:59.720 us from loving God and our neighbor. But let 00:06:59.720 --> 00:07:02.560 me be clear. God does not demand you let go of 00:07:02.560 --> 00:07:06.259 these desires using your willpower. For starters, 00:07:06.300 --> 00:07:08.920 your willpower isn't strong enough. You might 00:07:08.920 --> 00:07:11.100 be strong enough to let go of some of the symptoms 00:07:11.100 --> 00:07:13.939 of these desires, but not the desires themselves. 00:07:14.670 --> 00:07:17.089 Letting go of the symptoms of the desires is 00:07:17.089 --> 00:07:20.069 like pulling a weed at the stem. Those desires 00:07:20.069 --> 00:07:22.550 will find a way to grow back in other ways unless 00:07:22.550 --> 00:07:25.290 they are pulled up by the root and extinguished. 00:07:25.649 --> 00:07:28.250 Even more, trying to conquer these desires on 00:07:28.250 --> 00:07:29.970 your own suggests that you have more faith in 00:07:29.970 --> 00:07:33.209 your own strength than in God's. And finally, 00:07:33.370 --> 00:07:36.170 even the best of us fall victim to temptation. 00:07:36.769 --> 00:07:39.790 Sin is not merely a choice. It's a part of the 00:07:39.790 --> 00:07:46.360 human condition. condition of sin using a verse 00:07:46.360 --> 00:07:49.180 from Isaiah. The wicked are like the tossing 00:07:49.180 --> 00:07:52.639 sea, for it cannot rest, and its waters toss 00:07:52.639 --> 00:07:56.120 up mire and dirt. He goes on reflecting, the 00:07:56.120 --> 00:07:59.060 sea does not need to do anything special to produce 00:07:59.060 --> 00:08:02.139 mire and dirt. That's just the result of the 00:08:02.139 --> 00:08:05.839 natural motions. This is also true of us when 00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:08.500 we are under the condition of sin. The natural 00:08:08.500 --> 00:08:12.439 motion of our lives produce mire and dirt. But 00:08:12.439 --> 00:08:14.420 this does not mean we should just stand idle, 00:08:14.540 --> 00:08:17.779 hoping God will show up to save us. Instead, 00:08:18.019 --> 00:08:21.740 we can participate in the various God -given 00:08:21.740 --> 00:08:23.980 disciplines. And this is our most fundamental 00:08:23.980 --> 00:08:27.339 work as followers of Christ, to engage in those 00:08:27.339 --> 00:08:30.160 disciplines that put us in God's presence, where 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:33.039 we can be changed from inside out. Fun fact, 00:08:33.159 --> 00:08:35.000 the word liturgy, which is what we're doing here, 00:08:35.240 --> 00:08:37.399 literally means the work of the people. This 00:08:37.399 --> 00:08:40.929 is our work. These disciplines in and of themselves 00:08:40.929 --> 00:08:44.450 don't change us. If we believe it's the disciplines 00:08:44.450 --> 00:08:46.610 that are changing us, we've simply created another 00:08:46.610 --> 00:08:50.049 idol that will not produce the fruits of the 00:08:50.049 --> 00:08:53.370 Spirit, but only hardness of heart. And that's 00:08:53.370 --> 00:08:55.509 what Jesus' problem with the Pharisees was all 00:08:55.509 --> 00:08:58.610 about. Consciously or unconsciously, the Pharisees 00:08:58.610 --> 00:09:01.629 approached disciplines kind of like hand sanitizer. 00:09:01.909 --> 00:09:05.309 It was less about inward transformation and more 00:09:05.309 --> 00:09:09.259 about outward appearances. Approaching the disciplines 00:09:09.259 --> 00:09:13.179 in this way doesn't lead to changed hearts. Rather, 00:09:13.279 --> 00:09:16.240 this approach simply breeds judgment and contempt 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:18.659 for the other because they aren't doing it right. 00:09:19.299 --> 00:09:22.779 Again, we are not changed or saved by our good 00:09:22.779 --> 00:09:25.639 works, even our disciplines. Rather, these disciplines 00:09:25.639 --> 00:09:28.500 are vehicles of God's grace. They make space 00:09:28.500 --> 00:09:31.139 for us to experience the power of God's word, 00:09:31.299 --> 00:09:34.279 which does have the power to change us from inside 00:09:34.279 --> 00:09:37.960 out. And that's the key. Just as anger tells 00:09:37.960 --> 00:09:40.919 me that my inner life is in chaos, so do the 00:09:40.919 --> 00:09:43.379 fruits of the Spirit tell me that my inner life 00:09:43.379 --> 00:09:45.539 is being ordered by God's goodness and grace. 00:09:45.899 --> 00:09:49.259 If I feel angry and outraged all the time, that's 00:09:49.259 --> 00:09:53.759 a red flag, right? That means that I'm grasping 00:09:53.759 --> 00:09:56.679 after instant gratification, power, popularity. 00:09:57.240 --> 00:09:59.759 If I feel at peace, that peace that passes all 00:09:59.759 --> 00:10:02.080 understanding, then I know that God is alive 00:10:02.080 --> 00:10:05.360 and at work in me. And as God's Word grows in 00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:09.960 us, our sinful nature begins to give way to God's 00:10:09.960 --> 00:10:13.399 nature working in us and through us. Foster says 00:10:13.399 --> 00:10:16.259 it like this, just as the natural motions of 00:10:16.259 --> 00:10:19.299 our lives once produced mire and dirt, now they 00:10:19.299 --> 00:10:22.019 produce righteousness and peace and joy in the 00:10:22.019 --> 00:10:25.159 Holy Spirit. So no, I don't think we want to 00:10:25.159 --> 00:10:28.139 be outraged in our heart of hearts, but in a 00:10:28.139 --> 00:10:30.460 world that makes us feel so helpless in the face 00:10:30.460 --> 00:10:32.940 of so much pain and suffering, outrage sometimes 00:10:32.940 --> 00:10:35.730 feels like the only option. It can make us feel 00:10:35.730 --> 00:10:38.490 better, but like sugar, it's going to eventually 00:10:38.490 --> 00:10:41.710 see us crash. But in Christ and through Christ 00:10:41.710 --> 00:10:44.570 and with Christ, we have another option. We can 00:10:44.570 --> 00:10:47.529 live lives that are marked by joy and patience 00:10:47.529 --> 00:10:50.970 and kindness, by peace and gentleness and faithfulness, 00:10:51.090 --> 00:10:54.450 by goodness and self -control and love. And that's 00:10:54.450 --> 00:10:57.350 the good news of Jesus. God in Christ, the Word 00:10:57.350 --> 00:11:00.850 made flesh, living in us, does in us what we 00:11:00.850 --> 00:11:04.100 are unable to do on our own. The fruits of God's 00:11:04.100 --> 00:11:06.659 word working in us is a community that begins 00:11:06.659 --> 00:11:09.759 to reflect the answer to the Lord's prayer. Thy 00:11:09.759 --> 00:11:12.919 kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it 00:11:12.919 --> 00:11:15.440 is in heaven. Amen.