1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:28,000 For 2 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:57,000 the 3 00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:19,000 Bible 4 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:37,120 Gul's 5 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:43,360 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra, the priest, inscribed, and Nelivites, who taught 6 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:48,280 the people, said to all the people, This day is holy to you, the Lord your God. 7 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:52,720 Do not mourn or weep, for all the people wept, as they heard the words of the law. 8 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:57,220 Then he said to them, Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine, and send portions 9 00:01:57,220 --> 00:01:59,180 to anyone who has nothing ready. 10 00:01:59,180 --> 00:02:03,320 For this day is holy to our Lord, and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your 11 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:04,320 strength. 12 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:06,440 Nehemiah, the Nehemiah, the priest, inscribed, and Nelivites, all the people, saying, Be quiet 13 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:08,880 for this day is holy, do not be grieved. 14 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:12,760 And all the people went their way to eat and drink, and to send portions, and to make great 15 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:16,320 rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them. 16 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:17,320 Amen, let's pray. 17 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:22,600 Father, we're so grateful for your word, and we're so grateful for the heart that you've 18 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:23,600 given Emma. 19 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:27,280 And I pray that you continue to give her that desire to know you, and to study your word. 20 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:30,320 And I thank you for her proclaiming that truth here this morning. 21 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:34,440 And I pray, Father, that you'll soften our hearts to hear from you in this place. 22 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:35,920 We ask all these things in your name. 23 00:02:35,920 --> 00:02:36,920 Amen. 24 00:02:36,920 --> 00:02:38,120 Thanks Emma. 25 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:44,080 So what we have seen throughout this book of Nehemiah are building blocks for how we 26 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:48,960 are to restore what is broken in our lives and in the world around us. 27 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:55,480 So Nehemiah at this time is 800 miles away when he gets the news that the city of God 28 00:02:55,480 --> 00:02:57,600 is laying in ruins. 29 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:04,920 When he hears the news, it's devastating to him, and he mourns, and he fasts for days, 30 00:03:04,920 --> 00:03:07,040 if not weeks. 31 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:12,840 If that were to happen to us today, if we saw somebody mourning and fasting and weeping 32 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:17,920 for days or weeks on end, we'd probably try to get one another medicated or put in the 33 00:03:17,920 --> 00:03:20,600 hospital until we could cope. 34 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:21,880 That's not what happened with Nehemiah. 35 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:29,320 Nehemiah, he's moved deeply with compassion and empathy for people he had not even met. 36 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:36,120 We discuss that as believers in Jesus, we should be marked by compassion and empathy 37 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:38,200 for each other and the world around us. 38 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:44,760 Our city does not lie in ruins like Jerusalem was, but there is an unbelievable amount of 39 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:46,720 brokenness around us. 40 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:51,040 We have friends and family that do not know Jesus. 41 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:53,080 We have broken homes. 42 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:54,920 There's things like cancer. 43 00:03:54,920 --> 00:04:01,440 When we see those things around us, the brokenness around us, do we, do you, show compassion 44 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:03,000 and empathy? 45 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:08,560 Then too, we watch Nehemiah and how he dealt with this empathy and compassion, namely that 46 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:09,800 he prayed. 47 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:12,160 We saw Nehemiah pray in two different ways. 48 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:17,400 He prayed in big blocks of prayer, and then he had some shotgun style prayers throughout 49 00:04:17,400 --> 00:04:19,480 the day. 50 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:24,400 Nehemiah and I have four kids, and so alone time is not something that we get until the 51 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:25,400 kids go to bed. 52 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:27,200 Many of you know what I'm talking about. 53 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:31,960 So we'll sit on the couch or we'll lay in bed and we'll talk about what's going on 54 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:36,040 in the lives of us, in the lives of our children. 55 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:43,280 How unhealthy would it be for my marriage if we didn't talk at all until the kids went 56 00:04:43,280 --> 00:04:44,720 to bed? 57 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:48,000 If she called me and I said, we're not talking about this until the kids go to bed. 58 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:49,880 We're talking about the two kids. 59 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:55,640 At the same time, how unhealthy would our relationship be if we only had shotgun style 60 00:04:55,640 --> 00:05:00,360 conversations throughout the day and we never took the time to connect? 61 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:01,920 That's what Nehemiah was doing. 62 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:06,000 Then we moved from there to the third week where we said we're not just people of prayer, 63 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:08,560 we are people of action. 64 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:12,960 We're not the solution to all of our prayer requests, but we are the solution to some. 65 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:17,760 And that occurs when we walk in a distinctively Christian manner. 66 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:21,440 We don't just cross our fingers and hope things work out. 67 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:26,000 So these are the building blocks that we have seen throughout Nehemiah. 68 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:30,360 We rebuild because we are a people of empathy and compassion. 69 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:33,920 We rebuild the broken and the fallen world through prayer. 70 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:37,680 We rebuild by acting upon those prayers. 71 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:39,240 The world is broken. 72 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:45,920 God has set us up as lights in the darkness with empathy and compassion. 73 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:52,920 Really seeking God to work and then acting upon those prayers as we've been moved by 74 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:59,000 compassion and empathy, especially a part of the covenant community of faith. 75 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:03,880 And then that flowing out of the walls onto the world around us. 76 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:06,960 Then the last two weeks, we've looked at the opposition that comes. 77 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:11,040 In fact, if you read your Bible, you shouldn't be a stranger to this. 78 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:17,000 I mean, Jesus said, if they hated me, do you not think they're going to hate you too? 79 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:18,000 Right? 80 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:20,000 Like they hated me. 81 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:23,560 He says, I'm telling dead people they're no longer allowed to be dead. 82 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:28,760 I'm healing people when everybody's sick and I'm healing them. 83 00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:31,520 Do you think they're going to like you more than they liked me? 84 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:32,680 They killed me. 85 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:37,640 So opposition comes from outside the church, but it also comes from inside the church. 86 00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:43,560 And we need to prepare for both this morning, we're going to move back to rebuilding, back 87 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:47,440 to our engagement with each other and with the world around us. 88 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:51,800 This week out of Nehemiah chapter eight, we are given the most indispensable tool that 89 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:57,200 we have been given with the exception of the Holy Spirit in order to do the work of rebuilding. 90 00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:04,200 To teach this, it's going to require me to pronounce a lot of names. 91 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:05,200 And that's not easy. 92 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:09,600 So, so as I go through this, if you'll just pray for me in those shotgun style prayers 93 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:11,360 that we can get through this together. 94 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:14,880 So Nehemiah, we're going to start in verse one. 95 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:19,760 And all the people gathered is one man into the square before the Watergate. 96 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:24,640 And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses that the Lord had 97 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:26,040 commanded Israel. 98 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:30,320 So Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women, and all 99 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:33,800 who could understand what they heard on the first day of the seventh month. 100 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:35,560 Around this time of year. 101 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:40,760 And he read from it facing the square before the Watergate from early morning until midday 102 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:46,160 in the presence of the men and the women and those who can understand and the ears of all 103 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:48,200 the people were attended to the book of law. 104 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:53,840 Now I don't want to hear anything about my sermons anymore. 105 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:59,760 From early in the morning until midday, there's no lunch break. 106 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:00,760 There's no singing. 107 00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:01,760 No. 108 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:08,120 This is just the reading of the Word of God morning until midday as they stood as one 109 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:09,320 man at the Watergate. 110 00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:11,440 Now look at verse four. 111 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:16,880 And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. 112 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:26,640 And beside him stood Matathiah, Shema, Ananiah, N'yuriah, Helakiah, Mesesia on his right 113 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:34,680 hand and Pettadiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashem, Hasbeninah, Zachariah and Meshalem on his 114 00:08:34,680 --> 00:08:36,000 left hand. 115 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:40,480 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people for he was above all the people 116 00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:43,200 and he opened it in all the people stood. 117 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:45,360 Does that sound familiar? 118 00:08:45,360 --> 00:08:50,880 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God and all the people answered, Amen, amen, lifting 119 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:54,440 up their hands and they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to 120 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:55,540 the ground. 121 00:08:55,540 --> 00:09:06,200 Also Jeshua, Benai, Sherebiah, Jamin, A-Cub, Shabbatiah, Hodaia, Masaea, Calita, Azariah, 122 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:12,000 Josabat, Hainan, Palaia, the Levites helped the people understand the law while the people 123 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:13,960 remained in their places. 124 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:18,400 They read from the book from the law of God clearly and they gave the sense so that the 125 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:21,160 people understood the reason, the reading. 126 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:26,760 Now whenever you enter into the narrative of God's people, here's what we know to be 127 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:28,400 true about us. 128 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:33,360 From the beginning, God's people are a people who gather. 129 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:34,720 We get together. 130 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:40,480 God consistently throughout the whole narrative of his interaction with his people commands 131 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:46,320 us to gather, whether that was at Mount Sinai, whether that was at the tent of meeting, whether 132 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:52,040 that was at the temple or after the dispersion, the synagogues, right? 133 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:58,480 After Pentecost when the Holy Spirit of God falls, followers of Christ began to meet together 134 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:04,920 in houses and in large gatherings and in other places, all together together. 135 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:07,360 We are a people who gather. 136 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:12,480 It's in our DNA as people of God to gather, to come together. 137 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:16,000 Now what do we do when we come together? 138 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:21,800 I love this passage in Nehemiah because this is a legit get together. 139 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:25,600 They're hand shooting up. 140 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:29,320 They're shouting Ezra down as he's reading the law. 141 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:31,960 Amen, amen. 142 00:10:31,960 --> 00:10:35,040 Which means so be it, right? 143 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:36,040 Let it be. 144 00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:37,760 This is interactive. 145 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:45,960 This is not predominantly an Anglo gathering if you're tracking with me on that. 146 00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:48,600 It's not just a bunch of people going, oh, that's good. 147 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:49,600 Let me take some notes. 148 00:10:49,600 --> 00:10:51,120 Oh, that's a good thought. 149 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:52,280 Let me remember that. 150 00:10:52,280 --> 00:10:54,640 They're shouting, amen. 151 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:56,040 They have their hands up. 152 00:10:56,040 --> 00:10:58,440 They're on their faces before the Lord. 153 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:04,580 This is an inward movement that has caused an external reaction. 154 00:11:04,580 --> 00:11:09,280 They are listening attentively from morning to midday. 155 00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:15,800 They're hands shooting up. 156 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:22,720 This brother, Ezra, he's just reading the law. 157 00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:23,920 He's just reading the law. 158 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:27,800 And then those who are with him are expounding on it. 159 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:32,480 So it's like we're reading it and then we have the elders around the congregation and 160 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:35,040 they're telling them, this is how you apply that. 161 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:36,040 This is what that means. 162 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:37,840 This is what's going on here. 163 00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:39,040 Here's how you apply that. 164 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:43,600 You have this epic blowout of a response to what though? 165 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:45,440 What's the driving force? 166 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:49,120 What is the focal point of the gathering of the saints of God? 167 00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:56,160 What we see happening here is when Ezra does two things, the place explodes in response. 168 00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:57,160 He does two things. 169 00:11:57,160 --> 00:11:58,320 Here are the two things he did. 170 00:11:58,320 --> 00:11:59,960 He read the law. 171 00:11:59,960 --> 00:12:01,640 He read the word of God. 172 00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:05,120 And then he blessed the name of the Lord. 173 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:07,000 He said, great is God. 174 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:08,480 Great is the name of the Lord. 175 00:12:08,480 --> 00:12:09,960 Who is better than our God? 176 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:11,700 Who is greater than our God? 177 00:12:11,700 --> 00:12:17,720 And upon hearing that, the people said, so be it, let it be. 178 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:24,760 They responded to the blessing of the name of the Lord by bowing their heads, by raising 179 00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:33,120 their hands, by tearfully bowing before the Lord and by applauding the greatness of God. 180 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:41,680 How do we get our hearts to a place where we bless the name of the Lord? 181 00:12:41,680 --> 00:12:48,560 If you're a believer in here, you would want to bless the name of the Lord. 182 00:12:48,560 --> 00:12:53,580 But sometimes the heart's not there. 183 00:12:53,580 --> 00:12:55,400 Sometimes the head's not there. 184 00:12:55,400 --> 00:13:01,960 How do we grow in our ability to bless the name of the Lord? 185 00:13:01,960 --> 00:13:07,160 What we see in the text is our ability to do that revolves around the truth of the word 186 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:13,600 of God and the Holy Spirit empowering that ability to see that, illuminating our ability 187 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:15,480 to understand that. 188 00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:18,440 Here are three things the Bible teaches us. 189 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:23,560 Our sacred literature, the book you have in your lap, the words that you have on your 190 00:13:23,560 --> 00:13:24,880 device right now. 191 00:13:24,880 --> 00:13:31,040 Now, at some point, I'd like to do a series here on just some Christian history to help 192 00:13:31,040 --> 00:13:39,240 you understand how many men and women had to die to get that book in your lap, to get 193 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:45,800 that book on your device, how many guys were burned alive, how many guys were imprisoned. 194 00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:50,040 Now we have like 40 of them and we hardly touch them. 195 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:51,040 What does the Bible teach us? 196 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:52,640 It teaches three things primarily. 197 00:13:52,640 --> 00:13:54,440 I'll give them to you in the order of importance. 198 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:57,600 The first thing the Bible teaches us is who God is. 199 00:13:57,600 --> 00:13:58,600 Who God is. 200 00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:01,400 I'll tell you why that's so important. 201 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:09,680 Our default, regardless of background, whether or not we would say it like this, but our 202 00:14:09,680 --> 00:14:16,640 default is to create our own God that we believe governs and rules effectively and rightly. 203 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:20,840 The problem with that, as I've said before, is the Bible itself. 204 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:28,120 So many people create a God other than the one found in Scriptures and they have created 205 00:14:28,120 --> 00:14:32,560 for themselves a cruel taskmaster. 206 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:39,160 Now in their attempt to make a softer, cuddlier God, they have instead created for themselves 207 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:44,800 one who will be unable to sustain them, unable to provide for them, and they've created 208 00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:46,320 no God at all. 209 00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:49,200 Let me give you the most popular example that I can. 210 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:55,280 In our culture here in America, God is a God of love, right? 211 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:57,360 Now that's true. 212 00:14:57,360 --> 00:15:02,120 In fact, the Bible would speak of it in a thousand different ways and would even say 213 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:06,040 that God is abounding in love. 214 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:09,040 But love is a bit of a difficult doctrine, isn't it? 215 00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:11,200 I'll tell you why. 216 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:18,360 If you start digging into people without the Scriptures who say, well, I just think God 217 00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:26,280 is a God of love and I don't think what they're actually saying is that they believe that 218 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:34,600 God, because he is loving, because he's a loving God, would never say no to them or 219 00:15:34,600 --> 00:15:39,480 would never ask them to live in a way contrary to how their gut wants them to live. 220 00:15:39,480 --> 00:15:40,840 That's not a loving God. 221 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:45,120 That is an impotent, weak, cruel God. 222 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:47,920 You know how I know that? 223 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:51,080 Because I have an eight-year-old son. 224 00:15:51,080 --> 00:15:53,280 And here's straight up truth. 225 00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:58,880 I am smarter in every way than Riker. 226 00:15:58,880 --> 00:16:05,240 There's no subject right now in the universe by which he is more intelligent than I am. 227 00:16:05,240 --> 00:16:10,480 Not only am I smarter than him in everything, but I am physically able to dominate him in 228 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:11,480 anything. 229 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:14,520 You name the sport and I can guarantee you he won't score. 230 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:17,360 I can reach things he cannot reach. 231 00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:19,360 I can see things he cannot see. 232 00:16:19,360 --> 00:16:21,960 I can open things that he can't open. 233 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:26,600 I can close things that he does not possess the ability to close. 234 00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:32,000 In every way, I know more and I am superior to him. 235 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:37,720 Now because I am his father, the task that has been given to me by God is to take that 236 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:44,240 wisdom, to take that power, to take that knowledge, and to love and to shepherd him, which means 237 00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:45,920 I do a lot of this. 238 00:16:45,920 --> 00:16:46,920 No, sir. 239 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:47,920 No, sir. 240 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:50,000 We're not doing it. 241 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:54,840 It means sometimes I have to say things like, do I need to get the paddle? 242 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:59,040 Now, maybe you don't have a paddle, we have a paddle. 243 00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:04,680 It strikes fear into the life of everyone, including Dad. 244 00:17:04,680 --> 00:17:08,640 Not that they whack me with it, not that they're coming after me with it, but I don't know 245 00:17:08,640 --> 00:17:13,920 about you, but as I've gotten older through this parenting thing, I've begun to say things 246 00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:18,880 that my Dad used to say to me, this hurts me more than it's going to hurt you. 247 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:23,120 And I remember thinking, I don't believe that. 248 00:17:23,120 --> 00:17:25,440 I don't believe that, but it really does. 249 00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:32,480 I hate that discipline gets to that point, but why do I do it? 250 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:37,600 Because if there isn't correction, it ends much worse down the road. 251 00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:45,000 I'll take my fight now at eight and I'll try to lovingly combat him over the years to get 252 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:47,240 him to a place of maturity. 253 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:48,440 Why? 254 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:50,520 Because I know more. 255 00:17:50,520 --> 00:17:53,720 Not because I'm cruel, but because I'm loving. 256 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:57,520 I hate to say no to him. 257 00:17:57,520 --> 00:17:58,840 I want him happy. 258 00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:00,360 I want him laughing. 259 00:18:00,360 --> 00:18:01,720 I want him filled with joy. 260 00:18:01,720 --> 00:18:03,960 I want him loving life. 261 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:09,000 That desire is the very thing that drives me to go, uh-uh. 262 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:10,960 We're not doing that in this house. 263 00:18:10,960 --> 00:18:13,360 That's what drives me. 264 00:18:13,360 --> 00:18:19,560 And you want that figment of your imagination, a God who's unwilling to stand up to you and 265 00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:23,000 say, nope, we're not doing that. 266 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:27,000 You either believe God is dumber than you. 267 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:29,920 You compress him to not being as smart as you. 268 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:33,680 You're like a two-year-old who says to their parent, I'm going to go play with a gun right 269 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:34,680 now. 270 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:37,920 I'm going to go run around the house with a knife. 271 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:45,360 That's who you become when God is a God of love that's taken out of the biblical definition. 272 00:18:45,360 --> 00:18:50,840 And really taken out of the concept of love in any type of historic way at all. 273 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:54,440 Love is always willing to say no. 274 00:18:54,440 --> 00:18:57,840 Love always invades and says, no, this way. 275 00:18:57,840 --> 00:18:59,040 This is how we do this. 276 00:18:59,040 --> 00:19:04,880 Love always engages in a way that can be painful or it's not love. 277 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:07,300 If you're married, you should know this. 278 00:19:07,300 --> 00:19:09,480 If you have kids, you should know this. 279 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:12,320 The Bible teaches us who God is. 280 00:19:12,320 --> 00:19:14,760 The Bible also teaches us who we are. 281 00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:17,720 Now, let's be straight. 282 00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:20,400 Most of us think we're awesome, right? 283 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:29,080 Most of us feel like we're awesome, particularly because we like to judge by external things 284 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:31,120 rather than external things. 285 00:19:31,120 --> 00:19:32,840 Now, I'll take myself. 286 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:36,440 I'll take you completely out of the equation so nobody thinks I'm coming after you. 287 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:37,840 I'll take myself. 288 00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:40,800 I can look around me. 289 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:47,520 I can look at other people's lives around me and get to feeling pretty good about myself. 290 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:52,920 I love my wife deeply. 291 00:19:52,920 --> 00:19:55,600 I guard my eyes. 292 00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:57,240 I guard my heart. 293 00:19:57,240 --> 00:20:00,120 I'm all in with that woman. 294 00:20:00,120 --> 00:20:02,720 I love her. 295 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:07,920 So I feel good because I simply know that's not true for other people. 296 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:12,160 I see them not loving their wife well, not serving their wife well. 297 00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:15,480 So I can start to feel pretty good about myself. 298 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:17,560 I don't struggle with any major addictions. 299 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:20,840 I don't have a drug or alcohol problem. 300 00:20:20,840 --> 00:20:26,120 So once again, I can look around and go, I feel pretty good about myself right now. 301 00:20:26,120 --> 00:20:29,400 I don't externally act out in violent ways. 302 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:33,040 I can get to feeling pretty good about myself. 303 00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:34,920 I'm pretty disciplined. 304 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:39,040 I'm not the most disciplined guy in the room, but I'm a pretty disciplined guy. 305 00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:40,720 I live an orderly life. 306 00:20:40,720 --> 00:20:43,160 I feel like I love my kids well. 307 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:46,440 I'm far from perfect, but I feel like I love my kids well. 308 00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:47,920 I engage them. 309 00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:50,880 I'm going after their hearts. 310 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:56,880 And going after their hearts is a lot harder than just setting rules they have to follow. 311 00:20:56,880 --> 00:21:00,280 So I feel like I'm doing pretty well. 312 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:08,680 But if I'm not careful, and if I'm not letting the Word of God read me, I can look around 313 00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:13,040 and go, you know what God, you're welcome. 314 00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:18,640 I'm repping you pretty well down here, showing off to all these people just how spectacular 315 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:19,800 you are. 316 00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:23,120 The Word of God is not going to let me do that. 317 00:21:23,120 --> 00:21:24,360 It's not going to let me do that. 318 00:21:24,360 --> 00:21:28,680 The Word of God is going to kick down the door of my heart. 319 00:21:28,680 --> 00:21:30,440 It's going to call me a fool. 320 00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:34,840 It's going to lay me bare and show the motives of my heart. 321 00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:42,200 The reason I could say that no one would want to stay in this room, if I could take the 322 00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:46,440 thoughts of your mind, and I could take the thoughts of your heart, and I could put them 323 00:21:46,440 --> 00:21:48,640 on the screen. 324 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:50,640 Nobody's staying here in that room, are they? 325 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:54,960 You know how I know that because I would flee as well. 326 00:21:54,960 --> 00:21:57,320 Nobody wants those things exposed. 327 00:21:57,320 --> 00:22:03,120 The reason I can say that is because when I think about what's going on in my head sometimes, 328 00:22:03,120 --> 00:22:06,880 what's going on in my heart sometimes, and if that were to be displayed for the world 329 00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:10,040 to see, I know how that would make me feel. 330 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:16,800 The Word of God lays me in a low way, that if I'm just comparing myself to others, I 331 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:17,800 won't be laid low. 332 00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:18,800 I'll be puffed up. 333 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:19,800 I'll be arrogant. 334 00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:20,800 I'll be cocky. 335 00:22:20,800 --> 00:22:25,960 So the Word of God shows me who God is, and the Word of God shows me who I am. 336 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:31,560 The third thing, the Word of God shows me how God has designed the universe to work. 337 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:35,320 Be careful how you see the commands of God in Scripture. 338 00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:39,640 Often in this day and age, God is viewed as oppressive. 339 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:43,920 He's viewed as out of date, out of touch with modern sensibilities. 340 00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:51,120 In reality, the inerrant Word of God stands for all time, all people, all places, as a 341 00:22:51,120 --> 00:22:53,840 picture of human flourishing. 342 00:22:53,840 --> 00:23:00,360 The commands of God are never about oppressing people, but rather freeing people to be all 343 00:23:00,360 --> 00:23:05,320 they could be, according to God's creative design. 344 00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:09,880 The Word of God shows us how God designed the universe to work. 345 00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:16,480 You can rail against that, but you're railing against creative design, which means you're 346 00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:21,960 trying to use a screwdriver to nail, to hammer in a nail. 347 00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:25,360 So the Word of God shows us who God is. 348 00:23:25,360 --> 00:23:28,400 It shows us who we are. 349 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:35,120 And it shows us how we are to line our lives up with how God designed the universe to work. 350 00:23:35,120 --> 00:23:43,120 And without these three pieces, it's nearly impossible to bless the name of the Lord. 351 00:23:43,120 --> 00:23:49,280 If you're smarter than God, then bless it be your name, right? 352 00:23:49,280 --> 00:23:54,720 If he's small and you're big, why bless his name? 353 00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:56,920 We should be singing to you. 354 00:23:56,920 --> 00:24:01,520 We should throw your name in the songs instead of Jesus. 355 00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:09,920 If you don't understand how God designed the universe to work, then when you fall short, 356 00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:13,840 you're unable to experience the grace and rejoice in him all the more. 357 00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:20,160 You're not able to see the wisdom of God through and in your obedience and walk in gratitude 358 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:25,680 as you rejoice in the name of the Lord. 359 00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:30,440 You must have at least a cursory level of understanding in these three things to be 360 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:36,880 able to bless the name of the Lord, which by the way is what you were created for. 361 00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:38,760 We were all created to worship. 362 00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:40,600 Now I like sports. 363 00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:48,280 I'm a big sports guy, but you shouldn't be emotionally affected by what a 20-year-old 364 00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:51,240 does with a ball. 365 00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:53,200 Do you know why you do that? 366 00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:56,960 Do you know why stadiums are going to be filled in a little while with people jumping up and 367 00:24:56,960 --> 00:25:02,000 down and celebrating because we were all created to worship? 368 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:07,800 We were designed by God to praise, to make much of something, to make something bigger 369 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:13,360 than us, to give ourselves some sort of identity in some way. 370 00:25:13,360 --> 00:25:16,040 And that's why we're drawn to stuff like that. 371 00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:19,480 That's why we wear the jerseys. 372 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:21,880 That's why you get on social media. 373 00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:24,280 That's why you follow celebrities. 374 00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:28,680 That's why you have this kind of culture that looks at the lives of others and makes more 375 00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:30,440 than what we should. 376 00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:34,520 It envies in some sad sort of way. 377 00:25:34,520 --> 00:25:37,040 It's kind of pathetic. 378 00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:38,480 Why? 379 00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:43,920 Because we were created by God to make much of something. 380 00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:50,520 And then in the absence of making much of the one who was worth it, in the absence of 381 00:25:50,520 --> 00:26:00,400 making much of God, we replace it with some sad, goofy, pathetic idol without knowing who 382 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:07,280 God is and knowing who we are and seeing how God designed the universe to work, it becomes 383 00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:12,480 increasingly difficult to make much of the name of the Lord. 384 00:26:12,480 --> 00:26:17,760 Now look at the response to these things, starting with verse 9. 385 00:26:17,760 --> 00:26:21,280 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest, and scribe, and the Levites who 386 00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:25,880 taught the people, said to all the people, this day is holy to the Lord your God. 387 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:27,480 Do not mourn or weep. 388 00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:30,680 For all the people wept as they heard the words of the law. 389 00:26:30,680 --> 00:26:34,680 Then he said to them, go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions 390 00:26:34,680 --> 00:26:36,760 to anyone who has nothing ready. 391 00:26:36,760 --> 00:26:39,000 For this day is holy to our Lord. 392 00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:40,000 And do not be greed. 393 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:43,080 For the joy of the Lord is your strength. 394 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:48,880 So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, be quiet for this day is holy, do not be grieved. 395 00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:54,280 And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and make great 396 00:26:54,280 --> 00:26:59,560 rejoicing because they had understood the words that were declared to them. 397 00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:01,720 So what happens? 398 00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:06,760 What happens when we get our lives under the word of God? 399 00:27:06,760 --> 00:27:11,940 What happens when we begin to walk in and understand and grow in the knowledge of the 400 00:27:11,940 --> 00:27:14,680 Scriptures? 401 00:27:14,680 --> 00:27:16,880 Eventual rejoicing. 402 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:17,880 Eventual rejoicing. 403 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:24,720 There's weeping and brokenness that comes from seeing who God is and seeing who we are 404 00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:30,720 and upon repentance and a lane of those things down before the grace and mercy of God founded 405 00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:34,600 Jesus Christ, it leads to rejoicing. 406 00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:38,120 What was the command by the Levitical priesthood here? 407 00:27:38,120 --> 00:27:45,560 It says, you've heard, you've heard, now let's eat the fat, let's drink the sweet wine, let's 408 00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:51,360 celebrate, let's rejoice because the word of God has become clear to you because the 409 00:27:51,360 --> 00:27:58,400 law of God has become clear to you and you've heard and you've understood, let's rejoice. 410 00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:00,480 That's the command of the Levites. 411 00:28:00,480 --> 00:28:04,080 What's the opposite of celebrating? 412 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:14,400 Disappointment, frustration, depression, sorrow, maybe you're walking in those things because 413 00:28:14,400 --> 00:28:17,760 you have not understood the word of God. 414 00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:23,200 Maybe you are frustrated because things are out of your control or things aren't going 415 00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:28,280 the way you want them to because you don't quite understand how God designed the universe 416 00:28:28,280 --> 00:28:30,840 to work. 417 00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:38,120 When we come into this place, when we gather and we worship and we hear the word of the 418 00:28:38,120 --> 00:28:48,960 Lord read, if that's inconvenient for you, ah, got to stand up again. 419 00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:54,280 Just sat down, got to stand up again. 420 00:28:54,280 --> 00:29:00,820 If that's boring to you, if the word of the Lord is boring to you, if it doesn't 421 00:29:00,820 --> 00:29:07,360 affect you, if it doesn't cause you to raise your hands in the air, if it doesn't cause 422 00:29:07,360 --> 00:29:13,920 you to repent before Him, my guess is because you don't understand what God has saved you 423 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:15,880 from. 424 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:18,440 You don't understand where you would be without Him. 425 00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:25,520 You don't understand how good He is because when you understand it and you repent, there 426 00:29:25,520 --> 00:29:32,440 will be eventual rejoicing, but did you also notice it creates a generous people? 427 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:35,720 It creates generosity. 428 00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:42,800 As we grow in our understanding that we ourselves are recipients of much, it becomes so much 429 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:47,160 easier to give to others freely out of our abundance. 430 00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:52,960 Again, the word of God not only creates much rejoicing and blessing the name of the Lord, 431 00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:58,960 but it also creates a generous people who are able to love one another freely because 432 00:29:58,960 --> 00:30:03,720 we understand what we have been recipients of. 433 00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:09,640 Makes us less stingy because we understand that everything we have has been given to 434 00:30:09,640 --> 00:30:11,320 us by God. 435 00:30:11,320 --> 00:30:19,720 You and I are to be men and women marked by the word of God. 436 00:30:19,720 --> 00:30:21,360 And here's what I mean by marked. 437 00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:28,520 I found that many of us, many of us, particularly evangelicals in America, are a kind of spiritual 438 00:30:28,520 --> 00:30:30,920 bulimic. 439 00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:38,080 What I mean by that is we hear a lot about the Bible, but few of us actually apply any 440 00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:40,760 of them. 441 00:30:40,760 --> 00:30:43,080 We kind of eat it up on Sundays. 442 00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:46,240 We kind of eat it up in one of our Bible studies, one of the seven that we're a part 443 00:30:46,240 --> 00:30:53,680 of throughout the week, and we kind of devour it, and then we go throw it up somewhere before 444 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:57,200 any of the nutrients actually get into our system. 445 00:30:57,200 --> 00:31:02,320 We become in a really horrible way spiritual bulimics. 446 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:07,280 That's not helpful for how God would have us engage in the world around us and how God 447 00:31:07,280 --> 00:31:09,520 would have us walking with one another. 448 00:31:09,520 --> 00:31:13,280 Let me read for you two verses here in 2 Timothy chapter 3. 449 00:31:13,280 --> 00:31:17,600 If you have background in church, you should know this one, I'll have him put on the screen. 450 00:31:17,600 --> 00:31:22,920 Verse 16, all scriptures breed out by God and are profitable for teaching, for reproof, 451 00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:29,000 for correction, for training and righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped 452 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:31,080 for every good work. 453 00:31:31,080 --> 00:31:33,080 So let's chat here. 454 00:31:33,080 --> 00:31:41,000 That may sound good to you, but what that verse means is the Bible is going to grind 455 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:44,600 on you a little bit. 456 00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:49,920 The Word of God is going to confront you. 457 00:31:49,920 --> 00:31:56,600 That you are going to have ways of seeing, ways of thinking, and ways of engaging the 458 00:31:56,600 --> 00:31:58,800 world around you. 459 00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:05,280 That the Bible is going to enter into that and say, no, no, no, not like that, like this. 460 00:32:05,280 --> 00:32:07,680 Not like that, like this. 461 00:32:07,680 --> 00:32:15,160 Not that direction, this direction. 462 00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:20,240 Not there, but here. 463 00:32:20,240 --> 00:32:23,560 It's going to engage us in that place. 464 00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:26,440 It's going to say things like, God is not like this, God is like that. 465 00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:28,680 It's going to engage us. 466 00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:32,840 Marriage shouldn't look like this, marriage should look like that. 467 00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:35,440 The Word of God will correct. 468 00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:37,120 It will teach. 469 00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:42,480 It will point us in the right direction and show us when we are headed in the wrong direction. 470 00:32:42,480 --> 00:32:47,520 It should not be surprising to you that at times there are things you read in the Scriptures 471 00:32:47,520 --> 00:32:54,120 that make you go, oh, shouldn't it be surprising to us? 472 00:32:54,120 --> 00:32:59,000 It's divine purpose is to chisel away at us. 473 00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:07,600 It's divine purpose is to correct us, to teach us, to rebuke us. 474 00:33:07,600 --> 00:33:08,600 Why? 475 00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:10,240 Why does it do that? 476 00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:17,280 So that we may be equipped to do every good work that God has for us. 477 00:33:17,280 --> 00:33:20,480 It's going to go against what we think is right. 478 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:28,000 As I conclude our time together, let me just say, even if you're not a believer in here, 479 00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:36,040 even if you're somewhat of a skeptic, you should want what the Word of God says to be 480 00:33:36,040 --> 00:33:37,880 true. 481 00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:40,600 It says God is gracious. 482 00:33:40,600 --> 00:33:44,360 It says God is merciful. 483 00:33:44,360 --> 00:33:52,880 It says there is no one in this room has sin that is more powerful than the cross of Jesus 484 00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:55,800 Christ. 485 00:33:55,800 --> 00:34:05,840 It says the religious college kid and the stripper are welcome in the kingdom of God. 486 00:34:05,840 --> 00:34:11,240 It says the man who grew up in church only coming on Christmas and Easter but didn't 487 00:34:11,240 --> 00:34:18,880 have a relationship with God is just as welcome as those who have struggled deeply in their 488 00:34:18,880 --> 00:34:20,520 lives. 489 00:34:20,520 --> 00:34:24,240 The Word of God beckons you to come. 490 00:34:24,240 --> 00:34:28,200 Guess a background, regardless of your current situation. 491 00:34:28,200 --> 00:34:32,240 Will it grate against some of the things you think? 492 00:34:32,240 --> 00:34:33,240 Yes. 493 00:34:33,240 --> 00:34:38,880 And you should want that because if you don't have that, you're not following God. 494 00:34:38,880 --> 00:34:42,680 You're following what you think is best. 495 00:34:42,680 --> 00:34:48,440 If I had to wager, if I had to wager with you, I would guess you've been a pretty crummy 496 00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:51,520 sovereign throughout your life. 497 00:34:51,520 --> 00:34:55,440 A relationship requires conversation, right? 498 00:34:55,440 --> 00:35:00,760 God's way of communicating through the Holy Spirit is primarily through His Word. 499 00:35:00,760 --> 00:35:06,120 He's going to say no, here, yes, here, right? 500 00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:09,440 He's going to say those things and that's good news. 501 00:35:09,440 --> 00:35:16,440 It means that you have a God who's not going to leave you to your own devices. 502 00:35:16,440 --> 00:35:21,040 It means that you have a God who loves you and is trying to get you on the path that 503 00:35:21,040 --> 00:35:24,760 is right for you. 504 00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:31,920 Do you understand who God is according to the Scriptures? 505 00:35:31,920 --> 00:35:37,440 Do you understand who you are according to the Scriptures? 506 00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:49,000 Do you understand how God designed the universe to work according to the Scriptures? 507 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:55,960 And if you do, there should be some rejoicing. 508 00:35:55,960 --> 00:36:00,920 There should be hands shooting up in the air. 509 00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:07,920 As we read the Word of the Lord, if you understand that you should be shouting, Amen. 510 00:36:07,920 --> 00:36:12,400 As they're reading through the book of the law, as they're getting to Exodus and Ezra 511 00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:15,680 is reading, God delivered them from the Egyptians. 512 00:36:15,680 --> 00:36:17,080 What are the people saying? 513 00:36:17,080 --> 00:36:18,080 Amen! 514 00:36:18,080 --> 00:36:19,960 I remember that. 515 00:36:19,960 --> 00:36:21,680 I've heard about that. 516 00:36:21,680 --> 00:36:23,960 For generations I've heard about that. 517 00:36:23,960 --> 00:36:27,360 Praise God that He delivered us. 518 00:36:27,360 --> 00:36:30,720 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 519 00:36:30,720 --> 00:36:31,720 Amen! 520 00:36:31,720 --> 00:36:32,720 Let it be! 521 00:36:32,720 --> 00:36:33,720 That's true! 522 00:36:33,720 --> 00:36:35,960 They celebrate that. 523 00:36:35,960 --> 00:36:41,880 You've got to remember, this is the people that is facing an unreal amount of opposition. 524 00:36:41,880 --> 00:36:43,120 They've been dispersed. 525 00:36:43,120 --> 00:36:44,120 They've been conquered. 526 00:36:44,120 --> 00:36:45,520 They're coming back together. 527 00:36:45,520 --> 00:36:48,060 They've lived life hard. 528 00:36:48,060 --> 00:36:50,600 They're rebuilding this thing. 529 00:36:50,600 --> 00:36:56,960 Ezra stands up on a platform, reads the Word of God, and the people understand now that 530 00:36:56,960 --> 00:36:59,280 God's the one that brought them back together. 531 00:36:59,280 --> 00:37:01,200 That God is the one that delivered them. 532 00:37:01,200 --> 00:37:03,120 That God is the one who's in control. 533 00:37:03,120 --> 00:37:04,760 They understand their sinfulness. 534 00:37:04,760 --> 00:37:09,760 And so when the Word of God is read, they have nothing else left to do but to rejoice 535 00:37:09,760 --> 00:37:13,480 and celebrate and repent. 536 00:37:13,480 --> 00:37:16,560 That's what's lacking in the church in America. 537 00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:18,240 We want to be comfortable. 538 00:37:18,240 --> 00:37:26,840 Dead gummet, he's making me stand up again to read this Bible. 539 00:37:26,840 --> 00:37:27,840 He's going too long. 540 00:37:27,840 --> 00:37:29,800 He's preached too long. 541 00:37:29,800 --> 00:37:32,880 I didn't like that song. 542 00:37:32,880 --> 00:37:34,360 I was late to this. 543 00:37:34,360 --> 00:37:37,760 I had other plans after this. 544 00:37:37,760 --> 00:37:43,120 That's our culture, is it not? 545 00:37:43,120 --> 00:37:47,840 If that's our culture, it's because we don't understand the Word of God. 546 00:37:47,840 --> 00:37:49,840 And we need to repent of that today. 547 00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:51,720 And so I'm going to pray for us. 548 00:37:51,720 --> 00:37:54,280 Matthew and the worship team are going to lead us. 549 00:37:54,280 --> 00:38:02,800 I'm going to ask the Spirit of the Lord to convict us as those verses remain on the screen. 550 00:38:02,800 --> 00:38:04,600 In what ways do you need to be taught? 551 00:38:04,600 --> 00:38:06,280 In what ways do you need to be rebuked? 552 00:38:06,280 --> 00:38:09,720 In what ways do you need to be corrected? 553 00:38:09,720 --> 00:38:16,880 In what ways do you need to be trained for righteousness? 554 00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:21,200 If you understand the Word of God to be true and who God is and who we are and how we design 555 00:38:21,200 --> 00:38:28,840 the universe to work, this place should be as celebratory as whatever football stadium 556 00:38:28,840 --> 00:38:31,600 is being filled right now. 557 00:38:31,600 --> 00:38:34,080 Because God is good. 558 00:38:34,080 --> 00:38:35,080 Let's pray. 559 00:38:35,080 --> 00:38:38,640 Father, we give you praise for your Word. 560 00:38:38,640 --> 00:38:45,080 Thank you for your Word. 561 00:38:45,080 --> 00:38:58,280 God help us be a people who celebrate and rejoice and devour your Word. 562 00:38:58,280 --> 00:39:03,400 So Father, I pray that your Holy Spirit, your Holy Spirit will convict. 563 00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:13,560 Your Holy Spirit will heal, your Holy Spirit will move in people. 564 00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:15,240 Has nothing to do with the setting. 565 00:39:15,240 --> 00:39:18,320 It's nothing to do with music. 566 00:39:18,320 --> 00:39:26,280 All of this has everything to do with how you are moving in our hearts. 567 00:39:26,280 --> 00:39:28,960 So Father, help us be a people. 568 00:39:28,960 --> 00:39:32,040 Help us be a people who rejoice. 569 00:39:32,040 --> 00:39:35,120 Help us be a people who are generous. 570 00:39:35,120 --> 00:39:38,120 Help us be a people who repent when we have fallen short. 571 00:39:38,120 --> 00:39:41,520 Help us be a people who see your goodness and your power. 572 00:39:41,520 --> 00:39:47,280 Help us see a people who sees ourselves rightly and you love us anyway. 573 00:39:47,280 --> 00:39:54,560 Help us understand that there is no sin in our life that is more powerful than your cross. 574 00:39:54,560 --> 00:40:00,040 So Father, I pray that your Spirit will fill every crevice of this room. 575 00:40:00,040 --> 00:40:05,480 This place, this day will be holy. 576 00:40:05,480 --> 00:40:08,640 And we will celebrate who you are and what you've done for us. 577 00:40:08,640 --> 00:40:09,640 I'll give you this time. 578 00:40:09,640 --> 00:40:32,960 God I pray you. 579 00:40:32,960 --> 00:40:39,240 Amen. 580 00:40:39,240 --> 00:40:46,240 the world had never known. 581 00:40:46,240 --> 00:41:02,240 A crown of thorns to mark your name, forgiveness fell upon your face. 582 00:41:02,240 --> 00:41:14,240 A love like this the world had never known. 583 00:41:14,240 --> 00:41:27,240 On the altar of our place let there be no higher name, Jesus, Son of God. 584 00:41:27,240 --> 00:41:39,240 You lay down your perfect life, you are the sacrifice, Jesus, Son of God. 585 00:41:39,240 --> 00:41:49,240 You are Jesus, Son of God. 586 00:41:49,240 --> 00:42:02,240 You took our sin, you bore our shame, you rose to life, you defeated the grave. 587 00:42:02,240 --> 00:42:14,240 A love like this the world has never known. 588 00:42:14,240 --> 00:42:27,240 You took our sin, you bore our shame, you rose to life, you defeated the grave. 589 00:42:27,240 --> 00:42:39,240 A love like this the world has never known. 590 00:42:39,240 --> 00:42:52,240 On the altar of our place let there be no higher name, Jesus, Son of God. 591 00:42:52,240 --> 00:43:04,240 You lay down your perfect life, you are the sacrifice, Jesus, Son of God. 592 00:43:04,240 --> 00:43:09,240 You are Jesus, Son of God. 593 00:43:09,240 --> 00:43:17,240 We lift it higher, we lift it higher than all you overcome. 594 00:43:17,240 --> 00:43:26,240 You may be louder than any other song, there is no hour. 595 00:43:26,240 --> 00:43:44,240 For I can come against your love, the cross was enough. 596 00:43:44,240 --> 00:44:01,240 On the altar of our place let there be no higher name, Jesus, Son of God. 597 00:44:01,240 --> 00:44:14,240 You lay down your perfect life, you are the sacrifice, Jesus, Son of God. 598 00:44:14,240 --> 00:44:27,240 On the altar of our place let there be no higher name, Jesus, Son of God. 599 00:44:27,240 --> 00:44:39,240 You lay down your perfect life, you are the sacrifice, Jesus, Son of God. 600 00:44:39,240 --> 00:44:44,240 You are Jesus, Son of God. 601 00:44:44,240 --> 00:45:01,240 We lift it higher, we lift it higher than all you overcome. 602 00:45:01,240 --> 00:45:21,240 For I can come against your love, the cross was enough. 603 00:45:21,240 --> 00:45:36,240 On the altar of our place let there be no higher name, Jesus, Son of God. 604 00:45:36,240 --> 00:45:49,240 You lay down your perfect life, you are the sacrifice, Jesus, Son of God. 605 00:45:49,240 --> 00:45:55,240 You are Jesus, Son of God. 606 00:45:55,240 --> 00:46:01,240 You are Jesus, Son of God. 607 00:46:01,240 --> 00:46:02,240 I'm sorry. 608 00:46:02,240 --> 00:46:09,240 You are Jesus, Son of God. 609 00:46:09,240 --> 00:46:25,240 Chloe, put the bridge back on, the cross was enough on the screen. 610 00:46:25,240 --> 00:46:30,240 The cross was enough. 611 00:46:30,240 --> 00:46:39,240 The cross was enough. 612 00:46:39,240 --> 00:46:48,240 The cross was enough. 613 00:46:48,240 --> 00:46:55,240 That's how we respond when we sing things and hear things like the cross was enough. 614 00:46:55,240 --> 00:46:59,240 Put that chorus back up there. 615 00:46:59,240 --> 00:47:03,240 I don't know what the chorus is. 616 00:47:03,240 --> 00:47:11,240 No higher name than Jesus, Son of God. 617 00:47:11,240 --> 00:47:14,240 That's how we respond. 618 00:47:14,240 --> 00:47:19,240 The cross was enough. 619 00:47:19,240 --> 00:47:23,240 We got to train ourselves and get out of our comfort zone. 620 00:47:23,240 --> 00:47:24,240 The cross was enough. 621 00:47:24,240 --> 00:47:30,240 We throw our hands in the air and we give him praise because the cross was enough. 622 00:47:30,240 --> 00:47:31,240 We have one more song, Matthew. 623 00:47:31,240 --> 00:47:32,240 Are you doing it again? 624 00:47:32,240 --> 00:47:33,240 You're in charge. 625 00:47:33,240 --> 00:47:34,240 Go for it. 626 00:47:34,240 --> 00:47:36,240 Let's just sing that whole song again. 627 00:47:36,240 --> 00:47:54,240 I love that. 628 00:48:06,240 --> 00:48:16,240 I love that. 629 00:48:16,240 --> 00:48:26,240 I love that. 630 00:48:26,240 --> 00:48:36,240 I love that. 631 00:48:36,240 --> 00:48:46,240 I love that. 632 00:48:46,240 --> 00:48:56,240 I love that. 633 00:48:56,240 --> 00:49:06,240 I love that. 634 00:49:06,240 --> 00:49:16,240 I love that. 635 00:49:16,240 --> 00:49:26,240 I love that. 636 00:49:26,240 --> 00:49:36,240 I love that. 637 00:49:36,240 --> 00:49:46,240 I love that. 638 00:49:46,240 --> 00:49:56,240 I love that. 639 00:49:56,240 --> 00:50:06,240 I love that. 640 00:50:06,240 --> 00:50:16,240 I love that. 641 00:50:16,240 --> 00:50:26,240 I love that. 642 00:50:26,240 --> 00:50:36,240 I love that. 643 00:50:36,240 --> 00:50:46,240 I love that. 644 00:50:46,240 --> 00:50:56,240 I love that. 645 00:50:56,240 --> 00:51:06,240 I love that. 646 00:51:06,240 --> 00:51:16,240 I love that. 647 00:51:16,240 --> 00:51:26,240 I love that. 648 00:51:26,240 --> 00:51:54,240 The cross was enough. 649 00:51:56,240 --> 00:52:06,240 I love that. 650 00:52:06,240 --> 00:52:16,240 I love that. 651 00:52:16,240 --> 00:52:26,240 I love that. 652 00:52:26,240 --> 00:52:36,240 I love that. 653 00:52:36,240 --> 00:52:46,240 I love that. 654 00:52:46,240 --> 00:52:56,240 I love that. 655 00:52:56,240 --> 00:53:06,240 I love that. 656 00:53:06,240 --> 00:53:16,240 I love that. 657 00:53:16,240 --> 00:53:24,240 I love that. 658 00:53:24,240 --> 00:53:34,240 I love that. 659 00:53:34,240 --> 00:53:44,240 I love that. 660 00:53:44,240 --> 00:53:52,240 I love that. 661 00:53:52,240 --> 00:54:02,240 I love that. 662 00:54:02,240 --> 00:54:24,240 Amen. 663 00:54:24,240 --> 00:54:34,240 Amen. 664 00:54:54,240 --> 00:55:04,240 Amen.