WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.020 Welcome to 563 Church, a podcast production of 00:00:03.020 --> 00:00:05.759 Cornerstone Church, Eldridge, Iowa. You are joining 00:00:05.759 --> 00:00:07.780 us for this week's sermon on the letters to the 00:00:07.780 --> 00:00:10.820 Church of Ephesus. We'll be exploring Revelation 00:00:10.820 --> 00:00:13.759 chapter two verses one to seven with Pastor Daniel 00:00:13.759 --> 00:00:16.160 Reese, where Jesus commends the Ephesians for 00:00:16.160 --> 00:00:18.160 their perseverance but warns them about losing 00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:21.379 their first love. Tune in to discover the powerful 00:00:21.379 --> 00:00:25.120 lessons this message holds for us today. Chapter 00:00:25.120 --> 00:00:26.780 two is where we'll be this morning over the last 00:00:26.780 --> 00:00:30.170 few months. I have spent some time reflecting, 00:00:30.370 --> 00:00:34.689 reflecting on what the Lord wants for me, but 00:00:34.689 --> 00:00:38.049 also reflecting on and praying about what the 00:00:38.049 --> 00:00:43.530 Lord wants for our church. My hope for our church 00:00:43.530 --> 00:00:47.250 is that we will all be moving in the same direction 00:00:47.250 --> 00:00:51.670 as we follow the Lord together. So if you are 00:00:51.670 --> 00:00:53.850 new here, my hope is that you will hear that, 00:00:54.250 --> 00:00:56.909 that our goal is to follow the Lord together. 00:00:57.200 --> 00:01:00.020 If you've been here for a while, I hope this 00:01:00.020 --> 00:01:03.100 series that we are about to embark on will strengthen 00:01:03.100 --> 00:01:06.560 your commitment to our church. And if you've 00:01:06.560 --> 00:01:10.180 taken a break from our church, I hope that you 00:01:10.180 --> 00:01:14.840 will return soon and join us as we follow the 00:01:14.840 --> 00:01:18.019 Lord together because we're not the same without 00:01:18.019 --> 00:01:21.200 you. We'll be in Revelation chapter two this 00:01:21.200 --> 00:01:24.420 morning. Now in the book of Revelation, there's 00:01:24.420 --> 00:01:28.799 this... series of memos, if you will. They're 00:01:28.799 --> 00:01:30.480 called the letters to the churches, but they're 00:01:30.480 --> 00:01:32.799 not really long enough to be considered letters. 00:01:33.319 --> 00:01:36.780 They're very short little snippets of other churches 00:01:36.780 --> 00:01:40.459 who have tried to do what we are trying to do. 00:01:41.909 --> 00:01:45.209 To live in a community like the New Testament 00:01:45.209 --> 00:01:48.549 Christians did. We're not the first persons to 00:01:48.549 --> 00:01:51.989 try to live in biblical Christianity. We're not 00:01:51.989 --> 00:01:54.629 the first people to say, hey, hey, let's try 00:01:54.629 --> 00:01:58.370 to do this. Let's try to be this. Let's try these 00:01:58.370 --> 00:02:00.590 things that we feel like the Lord is calling 00:02:00.590 --> 00:02:04.500 us to do. Now my mentality in studying these 00:02:04.500 --> 00:02:07.500 churches is that we may be able to get a glimpse 00:02:07.500 --> 00:02:11.180 into the future and possibly see some of the 00:02:11.180 --> 00:02:14.919 bumps in the road ahead for us. And so we're 00:02:14.919 --> 00:02:17.180 gonna start in verse one of Revelation chapter 00:02:17.180 --> 00:02:21.219 two. To the angel of the church in Ephesus write, 00:02:22.099 --> 00:02:25.710 the words of him. who holds the seven stars in 00:02:25.710 --> 00:02:28.849 his right hand, who walks among the seven golden 00:02:28.849 --> 00:02:30.990 lampstands. Now I'm gonna stop there. This is 00:02:30.990 --> 00:02:34.729 red letter. This is Jesus speaking. And here's 00:02:34.729 --> 00:02:39.889 what he just said. In his right hand, he holds 00:02:39.889 --> 00:02:45.129 seven stars. And those are seven angels. Now 00:02:45.129 --> 00:02:48.189 it's important to note that these are in his 00:02:48.189 --> 00:02:51.819 right hand. The right hand symbolizes control. 00:02:52.099 --> 00:02:55.060 It symbolizes authority. The reason that it's 00:02:55.060 --> 00:02:58.400 important for us to notice it is because it is 00:02:58.400 --> 00:03:02.460 a reminder that the Lord has control over the 00:03:02.460 --> 00:03:05.159 churches that we are about to read about. The 00:03:05.159 --> 00:03:09.580 Lord has control over the churches that praise 00:03:09.580 --> 00:03:13.219 His name. So apparently churches have their own 00:03:13.219 --> 00:03:16.830 angel. Now that could mean a messenger. which 00:03:16.830 --> 00:03:20.389 could mean that each church has its own angel 00:03:20.389 --> 00:03:22.990 that it's responsible for. That's kind of cool 00:03:22.990 --> 00:03:25.050 to think about that maybe cornerstone has its 00:03:25.050 --> 00:03:28.729 own guardian angel or it could be referring to 00:03:28.729 --> 00:03:32.110 the leaders that the Lord places over the churches. 00:03:33.090 --> 00:03:35.569 And then it says that Jesus is going to walk 00:03:35.569 --> 00:03:39.110 through the seven golden lampstands, which are 00:03:39.110 --> 00:03:43.150 the seven churches. So lampstands are churches 00:03:43.150 --> 00:03:48.789 and stars are angels. Verse 2, I know your works, 00:03:49.409 --> 00:03:52.810 your toil and your patient endurance, and how 00:03:52.810 --> 00:03:55.550 you cannot bear with those who are evil, but 00:03:55.550 --> 00:03:57.789 have tested those who call themselves apostles 00:03:57.789 --> 00:04:01.629 and are not, and found them to be false. I know 00:04:01.629 --> 00:04:03.810 you were enduring patiently and bearing up for 00:04:03.810 --> 00:04:07.069 my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. 00:04:07.270 --> 00:04:10.849 Now if we didn't know the rest of the text, this 00:04:10.849 --> 00:04:14.699 sounds like an amazing church to be at. A church 00:04:14.699 --> 00:04:18.730 that's getting it done. This is the church that 00:04:18.730 --> 00:04:22.050 no matter what the outside pressure that culture 00:04:22.050 --> 00:04:25.170 is putting on them, they have remained steadfast. 00:04:25.470 --> 00:04:28.329 They have not grown weary and given glory to 00:04:28.329 --> 00:04:31.110 God's name. The Bible says that not only did 00:04:31.110 --> 00:04:34.129 they not crumble under pressure and stress from 00:04:34.129 --> 00:04:36.990 the outside world, but they are continuing to 00:04:36.990 --> 00:04:39.670 grow in their cognitive knowledge of who God 00:04:39.670 --> 00:04:44.610 is and who Jesus is because they can tell when 00:04:44.610 --> 00:04:47.110 someone is teaching something that is false. 00:04:48.350 --> 00:04:50.850 Now, there's a lot of false teaching out there 00:04:50.850 --> 00:04:53.490 in a variety of different churches. Some churches 00:04:53.490 --> 00:04:57.110 have taken up the cause of social justice. Some 00:04:57.110 --> 00:05:00.209 churches have taken up the cause to redefine 00:05:00.209 --> 00:05:04.370 marriage. Some churches have taken up, have elevated 00:05:04.370 --> 00:05:08.550 tradition over what the Word of God says. Those 00:05:08.550 --> 00:05:13.730 churches have given into the culture and the 00:05:13.730 --> 00:05:17.699 pressure that it brings. But not Ephesus. Not 00:05:17.699 --> 00:05:20.319 Ephesus. We'll learn more about that in a minute. 00:05:21.019 --> 00:05:24.759 They have grown cognitively in their understanding 00:05:24.759 --> 00:05:28.720 of who God is and how he works. The Bible also 00:05:28.720 --> 00:05:30.800 says something pretty phenomenal about them and 00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:34.040 that they can recognize evil and that they don't 00:05:34.040 --> 00:05:37.519 tolerate it. They can see it and not tolerate 00:05:37.519 --> 00:05:41.259 it. The church in Ephesus is a church that does 00:05:41.259 --> 00:05:46.129 life together so well. That when they see things 00:05:46.129 --> 00:05:49.550 that are sinful, they don't just pretend they're 00:05:49.550 --> 00:05:53.790 not there, they address them. But Jesus isn't 00:05:53.790 --> 00:05:56.389 going to stop there. He's gonna say, when I look 00:05:56.389 --> 00:06:00.589 at you, when I look at you as a church, I see 00:06:00.589 --> 00:06:03.810 that you persevere against culture. I see that 00:06:03.810 --> 00:06:06.709 you recognize right and wrong, that you don't 00:06:06.709 --> 00:06:09.769 tolerate evil, that you've grown in your cognitive 00:06:09.769 --> 00:06:13.319 knowledge of who I am and how I operate. All 00:06:13.319 --> 00:06:17.199 of this is great. But then he says in verse four, 00:06:18.339 --> 00:06:23.100 but I have this against you. That you have abandoned 00:06:23.100 --> 00:06:27.100 the love you had at first. Now as a preacher, 00:06:27.180 --> 00:06:28.800 I'm supposed to tell you that that first love 00:06:28.800 --> 00:06:35.399 is Jesus. But what does that mean? What do we 00:06:35.399 --> 00:06:39.160 do with that? How does that work into life? We 00:06:39.160 --> 00:06:41.920 we don't ask those types of questions. We just 00:06:41.920 --> 00:06:46.899 love Jesus more But the text here in Revelation 00:06:46.899 --> 00:06:49.040 isn't going to let you get away with having a 00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:52.399 cliche Theology Jesus is going to be extremely 00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:55.360 detailed here and talk exactly about what he 00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:58.459 means by that He's saying that we can do all 00:06:58.459 --> 00:07:02.920 the things we're supposed to do And we can imitate 00:07:02.920 --> 00:07:05.579 the church at Ephesus and their ability to see 00:07:05.579 --> 00:07:09.660 evil and not tolerated, and have all these great 00:07:09.660 --> 00:07:12.920 things in place, have all these great ministries 00:07:12.920 --> 00:07:16.079 in place, and lose the whole point of it all. 00:07:16.560 --> 00:07:20.839 That's a terrifying idea to me. We can function 00:07:20.839 --> 00:07:24.779 like a church, we can look like a church, but 00:07:24.779 --> 00:07:27.579 not be the church that God is calling us to. 00:07:28.399 --> 00:07:32.519 So he calls Ephesus to remember. Verse five, 00:07:32.660 --> 00:07:35.379 remember therefore from where you have fallen. 00:07:36.259 --> 00:07:40.319 repent, and do the works you did at first. If 00:07:40.319 --> 00:07:43.540 not, I will come to you and remove your lamp 00:07:43.540 --> 00:07:47.120 stand from its place unless you repent. Jesus 00:07:47.120 --> 00:07:50.879 has just said this, if you don't get back to 00:07:50.879 --> 00:07:53.879 what you were doing at first, then you might 00:07:53.879 --> 00:07:57.839 function as a building, but you will not be the 00:07:57.839 --> 00:08:02.860 light. So the real question is, what were they 00:08:02.860 --> 00:08:05.399 doing at first? That has to be the question. 00:08:05.699 --> 00:08:08.100 What were they doing at first? What deeds was 00:08:08.100 --> 00:08:10.600 Jesus talking about? Because he says you're doing 00:08:10.600 --> 00:08:14.060 all these things well, but you stopped doing 00:08:14.060 --> 00:08:18.399 what you did at first. So let's figure out what 00:08:18.399 --> 00:08:22.060 he was talking about. So Paul came to the city 00:08:22.060 --> 00:08:25.560 of Ephesus on his third missionary journey. Now 00:08:25.560 --> 00:08:29.399 Ephesus is a sprawling metropolis that is very 00:08:29.399 --> 00:08:34.340 pagan. It is a home of the temple of Artemis. 00:08:34.799 --> 00:08:38.419 Now Artemis was the goddess of the region and 00:08:38.419 --> 00:08:41.299 the temple itself was one of the seven wonders 00:08:41.299 --> 00:08:46.460 of the ancient world. In order to worship Artemis 00:08:46.460 --> 00:08:51.039 in her temple, followers would go to the temple 00:08:51.039 --> 00:08:55.279 and basically have sex with a temple prostitute, 00:08:55.519 --> 00:08:58.820 either male or female. And it was this dark, 00:08:59.159 --> 00:09:03.110 pagan, City that the Apostle Paul absolutely 00:09:03.110 --> 00:09:06.909 loved We know that he loved it because there 00:09:06.909 --> 00:09:09.590 he spent three years there longer than any place 00:09:09.590 --> 00:09:13.090 that we know he spends anywhere else He lives 00:09:13.090 --> 00:09:15.649 there and he does things that are pretty unbelievable 00:09:15.649 --> 00:09:20.009 in this time period For one he he shows up and 00:09:20.009 --> 00:09:23.149 he begins to preach the gospel Causing causing 00:09:23.149 --> 00:09:25.730 all these miracles to start happening around 00:09:25.730 --> 00:09:29.840 him His his handkerchief and his apron once they 00:09:29.840 --> 00:09:32.960 were removed from himself are tossed onto sick 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:36.700 people And instantly the sick people are healed 00:09:36.700 --> 00:09:40.139 So all these miracles are happening. He's teaching 00:09:40.139 --> 00:09:42.419 the way of Jesus All these people are getting 00:09:42.419 --> 00:09:45.659 saved and they're not worshiping Artemis anymore 00:09:45.659 --> 00:09:49.200 Now during the first century people lived in 00:09:49.200 --> 00:09:52.220 guilds, which means that you would live next 00:09:52.220 --> 00:09:55.620 to people within your own profession And so if 00:09:55.620 --> 00:09:58.600 you wanted a silversmith to make you an idol, 00:09:58.899 --> 00:10:01.620 you would go to the silversmith part of town. 00:10:01.759 --> 00:10:05.539 If you wanted clothing, you would go to the fabric 00:10:05.539 --> 00:10:08.799 section of town. The Bible is going to tell us 00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:11.820 that during this month that they had set aside 00:10:11.820 --> 00:10:15.399 to worship Artemis, the silver makers, the silver 00:10:15.399 --> 00:10:18.500 makers guild, that whole section of town was 00:10:18.500 --> 00:10:22.799 furious because so many people had begun to follow 00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:26.350 the way of Jesus. They were losing business. 00:10:26.730 --> 00:10:29.409 They were going bankrupt and and so they just 00:10:29.409 --> 00:10:33.149 they started a riot Now at this time in Acts 00:10:33.149 --> 00:10:37.230 chapter 19 a man sees Paul cast out a demon So 00:10:37.230 --> 00:10:40.590 he walks up to a demon possessed man and says 00:10:40.590 --> 00:10:45.809 in the name of Jesus Paul's God I Command you 00:10:45.809 --> 00:10:50.029 to come out the demon possessed man says I know 00:10:50.029 --> 00:10:54.129 Jesus I I've heard of Paul, but who are you? 00:10:55.179 --> 00:10:57.519 And then the demon -possessed man just beats 00:10:57.519 --> 00:11:01.779 him senseless. In the book of Acts, right after 00:11:01.779 --> 00:11:05.440 that story, where the guy gets beaten senseless, 00:11:05.879 --> 00:11:10.679 we find the only deed that we can find occurring 00:11:10.679 --> 00:11:14.820 in the church of Ephesus. So in Revelation, when 00:11:14.820 --> 00:11:18.139 Jesus says, get back to what you did at first, 00:11:18.700 --> 00:11:21.659 because there's only one recorded deed performed 00:11:21.659 --> 00:11:25.039 by the church of Ephesus in the scriptures. and 00:11:25.039 --> 00:11:26.759 it's found in the book of Acts and it's Acts 00:11:26.759 --> 00:11:32.019 chapter 19 verse 18. This is the what you did 00:11:32.019 --> 00:11:36.360 first that Jesus was referring to. Acts 19 verse 00:11:36.360 --> 00:11:39.980 18 says also many of those who were now believers 00:11:39.980 --> 00:11:43.500 came confessing and divulging their practices 00:11:43.500 --> 00:11:46.539 and a number of those who had practiced magic 00:11:46.539 --> 00:11:49.360 arts brought their books together and burned 00:11:49.360 --> 00:11:52.059 them in the sight of all. And they counted the 00:11:52.059 --> 00:11:55.279 value of them and found it came to 50 ,000 pieces 00:11:55.279 --> 00:11:58.419 of silver. So the word of the Lord continued 00:11:58.419 --> 00:12:05.360 to increase and prevail mightily. Amen is right. 00:12:07.100 --> 00:12:10.419 The people at Ephesus are coming out of this 00:12:10.419 --> 00:12:14.960 pagan ritualistic culture where there's everything 00:12:14.960 --> 00:12:20.480 from prostitution to bestiality. They are confessing 00:12:20.480 --> 00:12:24.379 and repenting. The picture that we get of the 00:12:24.379 --> 00:12:28.659 church at Ephesus in the beginning is this really 00:12:28.659 --> 00:12:32.200 gritty, really honest group of people that have 00:12:32.200 --> 00:12:35.419 come together and said, I've been a part of some 00:12:35.419 --> 00:12:38.659 really wicked things. I've been a part of some 00:12:38.659 --> 00:12:45.379 really horrific things. Jesus, help me. Within 00:12:45.379 --> 00:12:53.440 40 years, This gritty honesty, this untamed beast 00:12:53.440 --> 00:13:00.460 of a church becomes civilized and pretty. And 00:13:00.460 --> 00:13:05.000 where at one time grace and love grew out of 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:09.720 the fertile ground of honesty, it's now been 00:13:09.720 --> 00:13:13.840 replaced by all these external things. An understanding 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:18.620 of right and wrong. The ability to spot evil 00:13:18.620 --> 00:13:23.240 and not tolerate it. Jesus in Revelation is saying, 00:13:23.500 --> 00:13:27.179 I commend you for your perseverance. I commend 00:13:27.179 --> 00:13:31.000 you for growing in a knowledge of me. But you've 00:13:31.000 --> 00:13:34.000 missed the whole point. You've missed it all. 00:13:34.340 --> 00:13:37.120 Essentially what Jesus is saying is that you've 00:13:37.120 --> 00:13:40.220 created your own culture and are functioning. 00:13:40.580 --> 00:13:42.879 And how other people think you should function. 00:13:44.020 --> 00:13:46.639 They have accumulated knowledge, but they aren't 00:13:46.639 --> 00:13:51.039 doing anything with it. They are no longer walking 00:13:51.039 --> 00:13:55.080 in honesty, but are just accumulating knowledge. 00:13:56.440 --> 00:13:59.620 Now Numbers, the book of Numbers, is in the Torah, 00:14:00.419 --> 00:14:02.220 which is the first five books of the Old Testament. 00:14:03.200 --> 00:14:06.360 The Torah is the foundation of all that we know 00:14:06.360 --> 00:14:09.460 and all that we're experiencing in Jesus. Jesus 00:14:09.460 --> 00:14:12.080 even says, I haven't come to abolish the Torah. 00:14:12.269 --> 00:14:16.129 I've come to fulfill it. He says, I haven't come 00:14:16.129 --> 00:14:19.289 to get rid of the Torah. I've come to show you 00:14:19.289 --> 00:14:23.409 what it looks like to live this thing out. Rabbis, 00:14:23.529 --> 00:14:26.070 even current rabbis to this day, they would say 00:14:26.070 --> 00:14:28.970 that nothing that's ever been said wasn't first 00:14:28.970 --> 00:14:32.610 said in the Torah. So this is the foundational 00:14:32.610 --> 00:14:35.470 piece of who we are as believers in Jesus. In 00:14:35.470 --> 00:14:37.549 Numbers chapter five, verse five, it says, and 00:14:37.549 --> 00:14:40.789 the Lord spoke to Moses saying, speak to the 00:14:40.789 --> 00:14:43.639 people of Israel. When a man or woman commits 00:14:43.639 --> 00:14:46.399 any of the sins that people commit by breaking 00:14:46.399 --> 00:14:49.220 faith with the Lord and that person Realizes 00:14:49.220 --> 00:14:51.860 his guilt. Alright, so real quick. I'm gonna 00:14:51.860 --> 00:14:54.360 stop there. What the Bible has just said is that 00:14:54.360 --> 00:14:58.279 when I sin against you or Or you sin against 00:14:58.279 --> 00:15:02.659 me There there's this third party intertwined 00:15:02.659 --> 00:15:08.139 into our conflict God the Lord He's intertwined 00:15:08.139 --> 00:15:12.000 in our conflict. Therefore, how I relate to you 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:14.960 reveals how I feel about the God that made us 00:15:14.960 --> 00:15:19.919 both. And how I relate to God is inseparably 00:15:19.919 --> 00:15:24.740 linked to how I relate to those around me. Later 00:15:24.740 --> 00:15:26.460 writers in the New Testament would say it like 00:15:26.460 --> 00:15:30.279 this, if you say you love Jesus, but you hate 00:15:30.279 --> 00:15:35.059 your brother, you're a liar. They would agree 00:15:35.059 --> 00:15:38.539 that we are intertwined. were intermingled and 00:15:38.539 --> 00:15:42.120 that you can't separate us out. Have you ever 00:15:42.120 --> 00:15:44.879 heard anybody say that the sin they have inside 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:49.379 of them doesn't have to do with anybody else? 00:15:50.860 --> 00:15:54.200 That it belongs to them. The sin I have inside 00:15:54.200 --> 00:15:56.299 of me doesn't belong to anybody else. It's just 00:15:56.299 --> 00:15:59.419 me. It doesn't bother anybody else. Ever say 00:15:59.419 --> 00:16:04.200 that yourself. That you've got this thing in 00:16:04.200 --> 00:16:11.059 you. but it's just yours. Doesn't have any effects 00:16:11.059 --> 00:16:15.220 on anybody else. That is a completely foreign 00:16:15.220 --> 00:16:20.940 concept to the scriptures. Because if you got 00:16:20.940 --> 00:16:24.399 the sin inside of you, that you're not working 00:16:24.399 --> 00:16:26.980 through, that you're not trying to heal from, 00:16:27.580 --> 00:16:30.320 that you're not seeking help for, then you're 00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:33.340 not becoming all that God created you to be. 00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:38.789 You are not becoming fully you. Because we are 00:16:38.789 --> 00:16:41.149 the church and the Bible is going to say that 00:16:41.149 --> 00:16:47.009 we're upheld by every joint and ligament You 00:16:47.009 --> 00:16:52.370 and me we cannot be fully we as the church if 00:16:52.370 --> 00:16:58.029 you are not fully you if You are not fully you 00:16:58.029 --> 00:17:02.789 Then we cannot be fully we so so who are you 00:17:02.789 --> 00:17:09.079 hurting with your sin? all of us all of us, because 00:17:09.079 --> 00:17:14.140 God's given you this creativity and this beauty 00:17:14.140 --> 00:17:19.380 and this vitality. And instead of using it for 00:17:19.380 --> 00:17:23.940 the reason that it was given to you, you use 00:17:23.940 --> 00:17:28.440 it to hide. And that's exhausting. God's going 00:17:28.440 --> 00:17:30.660 to tell us how to deal with this, this intertwining, 00:17:30.799 --> 00:17:33.019 this us being a part of one another in God. In 00:17:33.019 --> 00:17:34.539 verse seven in Numbers five, he says, he shall 00:17:34.539 --> 00:17:37.480 confess his sin that he has committed. And he 00:17:37.480 --> 00:17:39.920 shall make full restitution for his wrong, adding 00:17:39.920 --> 00:17:42.960 a fit to it, and giving it to him whom he did 00:17:42.960 --> 00:17:49.240 the wrong. The Bible says that you and I, we 00:17:49.240 --> 00:17:52.880 have those secrets, right? We have those secrets 00:17:52.880 --> 00:17:55.220 and we're walking in that darkness. If that's 00:17:55.220 --> 00:17:58.140 who we are, we need to confess them and make 00:17:58.140 --> 00:18:02.819 them right. But that isn't us. That's not how 00:18:02.819 --> 00:18:06.440 we want to operate. We like to stuff it down 00:18:06.440 --> 00:18:09.359 as deep as we can so that nobody can see us maybe 00:18:09.359 --> 00:18:12.539 not even ourselves We like to hide it as best 00:18:12.539 --> 00:18:16.180 we can so that nobody can see it including ourselves 00:18:16.180 --> 00:18:19.380 now I have very strong opinions about why we 00:18:19.380 --> 00:18:23.900 are so busy and technologically driven I Think 00:18:23.900 --> 00:18:26.240 the reason we only take our air pods out of our 00:18:26.240 --> 00:18:29.960 ears Is to answer the phone or turn on the TV 00:18:29.960 --> 00:18:32.460 or or the reason that there's there's no place 00:18:32.460 --> 00:18:35.680 that we go without a gadget with us I think one 00:18:35.680 --> 00:18:38.099 of the reasons that we busy ourselves like that 00:18:38.099 --> 00:18:46.819 is because when things get quiet We get a glimpse 00:18:46.819 --> 00:18:51.839 of who we really are And most of us don't like 00:18:51.839 --> 00:18:58.309 what we see We don't want to think about it We 00:18:58.309 --> 00:19:02.349 don't want to see who we are. And so we busy 00:19:02.349 --> 00:19:07.650 ourselves. We distract ourselves. In Psalm 32, 00:19:09.150 --> 00:19:11.230 it says blessed is the one whose transgression 00:19:11.230 --> 00:19:15.329 is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is 00:19:15.329 --> 00:19:18.630 the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity 00:19:18.630 --> 00:19:23.630 and in whose spirit there is no deceit. The word 00:19:23.630 --> 00:19:27.990 blessed is the word for fortunate or happy. So 00:19:27.990 --> 00:19:33.230 happy is the man. Fortunate is the man. Blessed 00:19:33.230 --> 00:19:36.210 is the man who has come clean about all the dirt 00:19:36.210 --> 00:19:41.690 in his life. David the psalmist knows this. David 00:19:41.690 --> 00:19:45.230 does come clean. For instance in Psalm 40 he 00:19:45.230 --> 00:19:47.869 writes a song that they would sing in the temple 00:19:47.869 --> 00:19:50.750 and the words are like this in Psalm 40. My sins 00:19:50.750 --> 00:19:53.490 outnumber the hair on my head. They've overcome 00:19:53.490 --> 00:19:56.549 me. I can't see. Now that doesn't sound like 00:19:56.549 --> 00:19:58.809 somebody that's happy. That doesn't sound like 00:19:58.809 --> 00:20:01.890 somebody that's blessed. Why is it, why is this 00:20:01.890 --> 00:20:05.650 man who comes clean then fortunate? In Psalm 00:20:05.650 --> 00:20:10.190 40 verse 3 it says, for when I kept silent my 00:20:10.190 --> 00:20:12.589 bones wasted away through my groaning all day 00:20:12.589 --> 00:20:16.910 long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon 00:20:16.910 --> 00:20:19.869 me. My strength was dried up by the heat of the 00:20:19.869 --> 00:20:26.900 summer. It takes so much energy to hide. It's 00:20:26.900 --> 00:20:32.920 exhausting. The man is fortunate, blessed, happy, 00:20:33.299 --> 00:20:36.220 because when we hide our creativity, when we 00:20:36.220 --> 00:20:41.059 hide our life, when we hide our beauty, and our 00:20:41.059 --> 00:20:44.920 energy is diverted into us, and so we're half 00:20:44.920 --> 00:20:47.539 the fathers we are meant to be, half the children 00:20:47.539 --> 00:20:50.059 we are meant to be, half the wives we are meant 00:20:50.059 --> 00:20:55.869 to be. But when you cut and sever that vitality 00:20:55.869 --> 00:20:59.410 that God gave you and you damn it all up And 00:20:59.410 --> 00:21:02.230 you use it to hide you spend it in the wrong 00:21:02.230 --> 00:21:07.289 places This is why some of us are so exhausted 00:21:07.289 --> 00:21:13.789 And that's not why Jesus came in Galatians it 00:21:13.789 --> 00:21:17.990 talks about freedom and Paul writes it says it 00:21:17.990 --> 00:21:25.779 was for freedom that Christ has set us free Freedom 00:21:25.779 --> 00:21:32.960 is a soul or a life unchained. Jesus wants us 00:21:32.960 --> 00:21:37.079 to confess because the depth and freedom of our 00:21:37.079 --> 00:21:41.220 lives is linked to this idea. The more you hide, 00:21:41.460 --> 00:21:44.259 the less freedom you have in terms of your soul. 00:21:45.400 --> 00:21:48.720 The more you hide, the less freedom you have 00:21:48.720 --> 00:21:51.990 in terms of your soul. Think of it like this. 00:21:52.170 --> 00:21:54.730 We are all each given certain freedoms in this 00:21:54.730 --> 00:21:59.170 world. But sometimes with those freedoms, we 00:21:59.170 --> 00:22:02.549 can become captives. For instance, people who 00:22:02.549 --> 00:22:06.230 smoke have a freedom to do so. You have that 00:22:06.230 --> 00:22:10.089 right. With that freedom, however, they can lose 00:22:10.089 --> 00:22:14.829 all sorts of other freedoms. For instance, how 00:22:14.829 --> 00:22:17.150 free do you think that person feels when when 00:22:17.150 --> 00:22:18.950 no one wants them to smoke in their house and 00:22:18.950 --> 00:22:23.529 they have to go stand outside in the cold? That 00:22:23.529 --> 00:22:27.589 that isn't much freedom in every area of sin 00:22:27.589 --> 00:22:33.250 We have the free will to choose it and in every 00:22:33.250 --> 00:22:36.109 area of sin there is going to be consequences 00:22:36.109 --> 00:22:41.150 The the choice of adultery could lead to divorce 00:22:42.509 --> 00:22:47.069 The choice of theft could lead to jail. The choice 00:22:47.069 --> 00:22:51.549 of idolatry could lead to hell. By exercising 00:22:51.549 --> 00:22:55.849 our freedoms in sin, we end up losing the freedoms 00:22:55.849 --> 00:23:00.109 that we want. Galatians tells us that Christ, 00:23:00.750 --> 00:23:04.990 through his death and resurrection, did so so 00:23:04.990 --> 00:23:09.369 that we could have freedom. Not freedom to continue 00:23:09.369 --> 00:23:12.599 living in sin. but freedom to be able to bring 00:23:12.599 --> 00:23:15.779 all of our sin to the table, to lay all of our 00:23:15.779 --> 00:23:20.599 sin on the table before Him. And Him just wipe 00:23:20.599 --> 00:23:23.819 it clean. That's the freedom that He brought 00:23:23.819 --> 00:23:28.819 us. Because you are not defined by them anymore. 00:23:29.599 --> 00:23:33.140 You are defined by your faith and what He did 00:23:33.140 --> 00:23:37.259 for you on that cross. So there's no more reason 00:23:37.259 --> 00:23:43.289 to hide. There's no more reason to pretend. There's 00:23:43.289 --> 00:23:47.430 no more reason to manufacture a false reality 00:23:47.430 --> 00:23:53.910 of perfection. None of us are perfect. All of 00:23:53.910 --> 00:24:00.609 us sin. That's reality. None of us are perfect. 00:24:01.630 --> 00:24:06.769 All of us sin. So therefore, we shouldn't be 00:24:06.769 --> 00:24:12.450 surprised. When somebody else sins We shouldn't 00:24:12.450 --> 00:24:17.450 take pleasure in it We should remind them of 00:24:17.450 --> 00:24:21.430 the grace and love that God has for them Some 00:24:21.430 --> 00:24:25.549 of the most free men I've ever met in my life. 00:24:25.549 --> 00:24:31.170 I met in prison They got busted in their crime 00:24:31.170 --> 00:24:36.069 Whether it was assault or drugs or theft or whatever 00:24:36.069 --> 00:24:39.069 was they got busted they're in jail Some of them 00:24:39.069 --> 00:24:41.089 were innocent, of course, but most of them that 00:24:41.089 --> 00:24:46.190 I met owned it. They are paying the consequences 00:24:46.190 --> 00:24:49.369 for their crimes, but Christ paid the punishment 00:24:49.369 --> 00:24:53.190 for their sins. And because of that, even though 00:24:53.190 --> 00:24:58.009 they are behind bars, their souls are free. They're 00:24:58.009 --> 00:24:59.910 not wasting energy trying to be someone they're 00:24:59.910 --> 00:25:04.450 not. That's the freedom that Christ died for. 00:25:05.250 --> 00:25:08.880 No more hiding. This is what the church in Ephesus 00:25:08.880 --> 00:25:15.539 had at the beginning. A real community of honesty 00:25:15.539 --> 00:25:20.299 and confession. And when they operated in that 00:25:20.299 --> 00:25:24.039 way, it says the Lord continued to increase and 00:25:24.039 --> 00:25:28.980 prevail mightily. When they operated in confession 00:25:28.980 --> 00:25:33.240 and repentance, the Lord continued to increase 00:25:33.240 --> 00:25:38.200 and prevail mightily. When they ceased to operate 00:25:38.200 --> 00:25:41.940 the way that the Lord says when they cease to 00:25:41.940 --> 00:25:44.680 operate that way The Lord says that he's going 00:25:44.680 --> 00:25:48.980 to remove their lampstand They're no longer going 00:25:48.980 --> 00:25:52.640 to be the light But they're just going to function 00:25:52.640 --> 00:25:55.160 basically as a social club in their community 00:25:55.160 --> 00:26:01.019 If we want the Lord to increase in this place 00:26:02.059 --> 00:26:05.900 If we want the Lord to move mightily in this 00:26:05.900 --> 00:26:13.359 place, it has to start at a place of repentance. 00:26:15.799 --> 00:26:20.319 Revival is preceded by repentance and confession. 00:26:22.759 --> 00:26:28.500 I want the Lord to move mightily in us. I want 00:26:28.500 --> 00:26:33.859 Him to move mightily in me. So I have a responsibility 00:26:33.859 --> 00:26:45.700 to confess and repent. I have committed adultery 00:26:45.700 --> 00:26:53.140 in my heart. So I'm an adulterer. I have committed 00:26:53.140 --> 00:27:00.900 murder in my heart. So I'm a murderer. I have 00:27:00.900 --> 00:27:10.880 lied. So I'm a liar. I have walked in pride. 00:27:12.539 --> 00:27:17.720 And the Bible says that God opposes that. I have 00:27:17.720 --> 00:27:22.480 failed to trust him at times. I have at times 00:27:22.480 --> 00:27:28.579 found my identity in my kids and not him. I have 00:27:28.579 --> 00:27:31.779 worshipped at the altar of entertainment far 00:27:31.779 --> 00:27:36.819 too many times. I have used my words to hurt 00:27:36.819 --> 00:27:41.440 others. I have failed to walk in obedience to 00:27:41.440 --> 00:27:46.119 what the Lord has called me to do at times. I 00:27:46.119 --> 00:27:51.400 have been a gossip. I have failed to extend grace 00:27:51.400 --> 00:27:55.099 to other sinners. I have judged people based 00:27:55.099 --> 00:27:59.700 on lies that have been told to me. I have been 00:27:59.700 --> 00:28:05.039 angry at the Lord. Honesty this morning. I am 00:28:05.039 --> 00:28:08.920 angry at the Lord Because my phone is vibrating 00:28:08.920 --> 00:28:12.539 every five minutes Reminding me telling me that 00:28:12.539 --> 00:28:16.299 my son's blood sugar is way too high It's a constant 00:28:16.299 --> 00:28:20.140 reminder of his sickness Angry at the Lord for 00:28:20.140 --> 00:28:26.539 that When you look at me, I I don't want you 00:28:26.539 --> 00:28:29.039 to ever think that I'm walking in perfection 00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:32.420 I don't ever want you to think that I have this 00:28:32.420 --> 00:28:36.880 all figured out. I want you to see me for who 00:28:36.880 --> 00:28:40.740 I am. I am a sinner who is saved by the grace 00:28:40.740 --> 00:28:45.019 that the Lord has given me. I want you to see 00:28:45.019 --> 00:28:48.720 someone who despite all their flaws, despite 00:28:48.720 --> 00:28:52.339 all their sin, the Lord still called me and still 00:28:52.339 --> 00:28:57.700 uses me for his purposes. I am able to walk in 00:28:57.700 --> 00:29:00.240 freedom, not because of anything that I have 00:29:00.240 --> 00:29:03.599 done, but because of what the Lord has done for 00:29:03.599 --> 00:29:08.019 me. If we want the Lord to move mightily in our 00:29:08.019 --> 00:29:11.940 lives, if we want the Lord to move mightily in 00:29:11.940 --> 00:29:15.400 our church, it has to start with confession and 00:29:15.400 --> 00:29:18.319 repentance. Now I'm not opening up the mic and 00:29:18.319 --> 00:29:20.319 say that you need to come confess all these things 00:29:20.319 --> 00:29:23.759 before the church like I did. That's my responsibility. 00:29:26.039 --> 00:29:29.059 Those things are not easy for me to write. I 00:29:29.059 --> 00:29:32.799 want to hide. I want to portray perfection. I 00:29:32.799 --> 00:29:35.319 want to portray all these things that you think 00:29:35.319 --> 00:29:37.859 of me at times. But the reality is I don't want 00:29:37.859 --> 00:29:40.339 you to see me at all. I want you to see what 00:29:40.339 --> 00:29:43.720 God has done in me, despite of all my brokenness. 00:29:47.319 --> 00:29:51.559 No one is righteous. Not even one. That's what 00:29:51.559 --> 00:29:55.579 the scripture says. but because of what Jesus 00:29:55.579 --> 00:29:58.500 has done for us. Because He came and lived a 00:29:58.500 --> 00:30:01.019 perfect life. Because He resurrected and conquered 00:30:01.019 --> 00:30:03.660 death. Because we can trust in Him as our Savior. 00:30:03.940 --> 00:30:07.319 When God the Father looks at me, He doesn't see 00:30:07.319 --> 00:30:10.539 a murderer. He doesn't see an adulterer. He doesn't 00:30:10.539 --> 00:30:14.599 see pride. He sees the righteousness of Christ. 00:30:17.420 --> 00:30:21.279 And so if it's surprising to you that I am a 00:30:21.279 --> 00:30:24.400 sinner, I hope that brings some clarity today. 00:30:26.920 --> 00:30:28.700 But I'm not the only one that's been hiding. 00:30:31.839 --> 00:30:35.000 If we want revival, it has to start somewhere. 00:30:36.359 --> 00:30:39.440 If we want the Lord to move mightily in this 00:30:39.440 --> 00:30:42.680 place, we have to get back to what He's calling 00:30:42.680 --> 00:30:46.240 us to do. I don't want to function as a social 00:30:46.240 --> 00:30:50.509 club. I want to see the Word of God go from this 00:30:50.509 --> 00:30:53.390 place. I want to see us walking in freedom. I 00:30:53.390 --> 00:30:55.930 want to see you experience the abundant life 00:30:55.930 --> 00:31:01.650 that Christ has offered you. And so what that 00:31:01.650 --> 00:31:06.450 looks like, I don't know for you. I don't know 00:31:06.450 --> 00:31:08.950 if it's coming here before the altar and so somebody 00:31:08.950 --> 00:31:10.410 can hold you accountable for laying those things 00:31:10.410 --> 00:31:12.950 down. I don't know if it's confessing those things 00:31:12.950 --> 00:31:14.849 to the person next to you. I don't know if it's 00:31:14.849 --> 00:31:16.630 confessing those things in your chair to the 00:31:16.630 --> 00:31:20.910 Lord this morning. But if we want the Lord to 00:31:20.910 --> 00:31:24.970 move mightily in this place, it has to start 00:31:24.970 --> 00:31:30.529 with confession and repentance. And so I'm going 00:31:30.529 --> 00:31:43.460 to pray for us. I'm going to pray over us. Our 00:31:43.460 --> 00:31:45.079 worship team will come up here and lead us in 00:31:45.079 --> 00:31:48.180 one more song. And during that time, I think 00:31:48.180 --> 00:31:51.519 it's just an important reality that we need to 00:31:51.519 --> 00:32:01.740 just stop. We need to stop. Your prayer, I hope, 00:32:01.980 --> 00:32:04.000 is just like my prayer has been over the last 00:32:04.000 --> 00:32:07.319 few months. God, what do you want of me right 00:32:07.319 --> 00:32:11.880 now? How do you want me to respond right now? 00:32:13.430 --> 00:32:15.609 What steps do you want me to take right now? 00:32:15.630 --> 00:32:17.470 That has been my prayer and will continue to 00:32:17.470 --> 00:32:21.630 be my prayer. And so I hope that that will be 00:32:21.630 --> 00:32:24.369 your prayer right now. How does God want you 00:32:24.369 --> 00:32:27.809 to respond? How does God want you to repent? 00:32:28.130 --> 00:32:31.109 What do you need to confess before him today? 00:32:34.470 --> 00:32:38.410 We're not having open mic night. Although that 00:32:38.410 --> 00:32:43.700 might be beneficial. But confess those things 00:32:43.700 --> 00:32:46.900 before the Lord so we can see him move mightily 00:32:46.900 --> 00:32:51.980 in this place. Let's pray. Father, Father, I 00:32:51.980 --> 00:33:03.220 thank you for Jesus. Father, I hate the sin that's 00:33:03.220 --> 00:33:18.119 in me. I hate the sin that's in me. And I will 00:33:18.119 --> 00:33:20.119 ask you to forgive me again for being angry at 00:33:20.119 --> 00:33:35.339 you. Help me trust your ways. Help me trust that 00:33:35.339 --> 00:33:47.059 you have my boy in your hands. Father forgive 00:33:47.059 --> 00:33:54.759 me where I failed to honor you. Right now I just 00:33:54.759 --> 00:33:56.480 pray God that you will move mightily and powerfully 00:33:56.480 --> 00:34:02.240 in this place. I pray that you'll speak to those 00:34:02.240 --> 00:34:10.599 who have just spent so much energy hiding, so 00:34:10.599 --> 00:34:15.280 much energy trying to be perfect. So much energy 00:34:15.280 --> 00:34:19.860 trying to hold all the pieces together. I pray, 00:34:20.039 --> 00:34:24.960 Father, for freedom to come to this place. Move 00:34:24.960 --> 00:34:27.559 powerfully in this place. Move in our hearts. 00:34:29.380 --> 00:34:34.480 Give us the courage to walk in obedience. I ask 00:34:34.480 --> 00:34:39.260 all these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank 00:34:39.260 --> 00:34:42.480 you for listening today to 563 Church, a production 00:34:42.480 --> 00:34:45.440 of Cornerstone Church, Eldridge, Iowa. For more 00:34:45.440 --> 00:34:47.199 information about our church or just getting 00:34:47.199 --> 00:34:50.519 right with God, please visit us at 563church 00:34:50.519 --> 00:34:53.639 .com. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram. 00:34:54.280 --> 00:34:55.019 Have a great week.