1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:15,440 Welcome to Hub City Vineyard. 2 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:23,060 To get connected or to give online go to connect.hcv.church or give.hcv.church. 3 00:00:23,060 --> 00:00:27,360 If at any point during this message you feel called to make a change in your life, text 4 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:30,840 change me to 970-00. 5 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:32,160 Thank you and enjoy the message. 6 00:00:32,160 --> 00:00:33,160 So cool. 7 00:00:33,160 --> 00:00:34,160 Good morning everyone. 8 00:00:34,160 --> 00:00:35,160 So good to see you. 9 00:00:35,160 --> 00:00:40,920 If you're joining us from home, thank you for welcoming us into your space. 10 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:45,520 One thing I've noticed over the last six or eight months in my life, I just kind of want 11 00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:49,080 to share with you what I've been going through. 12 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:52,120 I haven't been able to sleep real well. 13 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:56,280 And it's not anything that is troubling me. 14 00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:59,560 It's not anything that's necessarily bad. 15 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:05,320 I find myself laying in bed at night before I fall asleep just staring at the ceiling 16 00:01:05,320 --> 00:01:08,560 and listening to music. 17 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:14,240 And I'm reflecting on life. 18 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:17,120 Many of you know that I have six children. 19 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:27,080 Three of them no longer live in my house and are living their best life. 20 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:36,840 And I just kind of think about, am I a good dad? 21 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:37,840 Do I do enough? 22 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:41,680 Do I say the right thing? 23 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:45,360 Why did I get angry? 24 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:46,480 Why did I get mad? 25 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:50,240 What made me frustrated? 26 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:58,080 And it's like as I lay there and think and reflect and ponder, I'm really just thinking 27 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:02,120 about the things that matter most in this life. 28 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:06,880 I'm exploring if I'm focusing on the most important things. 29 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:09,880 That's all I'm doing. 30 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:13,960 I kind of just slowly and gradually fall asleep. 31 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:21,680 See, we have a tendency in our day and age and our culture that's so fast paced and schedule 32 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:26,960 focused to major on the minors. 33 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:36,600 Politics, social media, professional sports, whatever it may be for you. 34 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:47,240 It's like we get so distracted, we optimize the margins rather than focusing on what is 35 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:52,560 necessary, the most important things. 36 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:58,400 And when I think about the things that matter most in this life, I immediately go to the 37 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:03,520 way to the things that happen in my life and how I respond. 38 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:10,960 See, our response is truly ours. 39 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:13,600 It's not anybody else's. 40 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:16,880 Just think of the word responsibility, break it down. 41 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:20,400 It's our ability to respond. 42 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:22,680 Responsibility. 43 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:26,440 And that is what truly makes your life your own. 44 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:28,480 So it makes you you. 45 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:32,240 The way we respond to things. 46 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:37,640 And I think about that a lot and have been over the last few months because I have six 47 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:42,200 amazing children. 48 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:48,360 And I want to be the best example in their lives. 49 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:56,000 Just the other day, our youngest named Phoenix, many of you know them, him, he's four and 50 00:03:56,000 --> 00:04:04,280 you know the different stories that I share about raising this blessing. 51 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:09,160 If you don't know him and would like to meet him after this gathering, just go out in the 52 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:13,520 cafe and look for the blur running around and introduce yourself. 53 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:16,400 His name is Phoenix. 54 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:23,480 Anyway, the other day I came down to the kitchen to find Phoenix eating butter straight from 55 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:28,480 the container. 56 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:34,240 And please understand, he had to work to get this butter. 57 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:37,280 It's on the top of the fridge. 58 00:04:37,280 --> 00:04:43,160 So he had to get the high top chair and slide it over. 59 00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:45,000 And I don't know who encouraged him to do this. 60 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:51,320 I don't know who taught him to do this, how he learned that it's okay to scoop a large 61 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:57,960 portion of butter out of the container onto his finger and then eat it. 62 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:01,440 But this is what is happening. 63 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:06,360 So when you come down the steps and you see that, how do you respond to your child who 64 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:10,120 is literally eating a container of butter? 65 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:15,040 Let's be honest, I can't look at him and be like, Hey, that's going to give you a heart 66 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:16,040 attack. 67 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:19,240 What are you thinking? 68 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:22,720 How do you respond? 69 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:27,560 How do you respond to a coworker, a family member, a friend, maybe someone that goes 70 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:30,400 to HTV that's just nasty and rude? 71 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:38,360 I mean, think about the way so many people get hurt by the church because of the ways 72 00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:44,240 people respond and react negatively or judgmentally to them. 73 00:05:44,240 --> 00:05:52,040 And when we start thinking about our responses, we realize it's our responses that makes us 74 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:53,960 truly human. 75 00:05:53,960 --> 00:05:54,960 It's our personality. 76 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:58,880 It's, it's who we are. 77 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:05,160 Then as we gather on a Sunday morning and we think and reflect on who Jesus is, I mean, 78 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:08,960 that's why we gather together to worship him, to celebrate him. 79 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:14,760 His death on the cross, which conquered sin, his resurrection from the grave, which overcame 80 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:15,760 death. 81 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:22,480 See, this was God's response to the fact that his creation was lost. 82 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:31,000 God responded and God could have responded in any number of ways, but this was God's 83 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:38,520 chosen response to a rebellious group of people like you and me. 84 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:39,520 And I get it. 85 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:44,240 Some of you are thinking, Chris, are we really that rebellious? 86 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:46,580 Yes. 87 00:06:46,580 --> 00:06:48,560 You are that rebellious. 88 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:53,520 I mean, we all know the story from the Garden of Eden. 89 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:55,920 Adam and Eve were in the garden. 90 00:06:55,920 --> 00:07:03,780 God says, you can eat anything you want from the ripest fruit to the freshest vegetable, 91 00:07:03,780 --> 00:07:11,120 but you can't eat from that one tree. 92 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:15,640 Of course, what is the only thing that Adam and Eve want to do? 93 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:20,600 Food from that one tree. 94 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:25,920 And if you think about your families and your kids, when you're raising children, you know, 95 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:29,000 Justin and his parents, you know, we don't eat this candy. 96 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:34,960 We don't eat this dessert and where do you eventually find them? 97 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:39,720 Hands full of candy and dessert. 98 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:43,120 It's just the way the humanity is. 99 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:44,760 It's the way we are. 100 00:07:44,760 --> 00:07:47,120 It's part of the human condition. 101 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:53,000 When someone tells us not to do something or you can't do that, we get all excited about 102 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:55,000 trying it. 103 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:58,960 Well, that sounds fun. 104 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:00,920 I wonder why we can't do it. 105 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:04,560 I bet it would be great. 106 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:05,560 We're all rebels. 107 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:16,760 But see, God's response to our rebellion was to send Jesus on a rescue mission. 108 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:24,680 So I wanted to share with you today as we kick off our new series, Get Real with God, 109 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:31,280 what it looks like to live a life that matters. 110 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:35,360 Living a life that matters. 111 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:40,160 See what I love about the Bible and what I love about God who inspired these scriptures 112 00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:44,600 is that God doesn't want to grade us in life. 113 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:51,240 He wants to show us how to get an A. God doesn't say, hey, good luck with life. 114 00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:54,720 Hope you're successful. 115 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:57,960 God says, this is how I want you to live. 116 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:00,920 And this is how you get an A in life. 117 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:04,200 I mean, friends, that's the best. 118 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:08,240 And it actually happened to me while I was doing my undergraduate studies at Shepard 119 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:09,720 University. 120 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:15,940 I had to take this class called West Virginia History to graduate. 121 00:09:15,940 --> 00:09:17,760 Everybody had to. 122 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:25,000 And the professor of this course had written a book on West Virginia history. 123 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:29,000 I mean, this guy knew everything about the history of West Virginia, which is kind of 124 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:33,120 intimidating because I knew absolutely nothing. 125 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:35,220 Nothing. 126 00:09:35,220 --> 00:09:42,400 But the first day of class, he looks at us and he says out to the class, I'm going to 127 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:44,520 tell you how to get an A in my class. 128 00:09:44,520 --> 00:09:51,120 I was like, oh, I need to pay attention. 129 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:57,280 And he said, take good notes and pay attention to my lecture because that's what you're going 130 00:09:57,280 --> 00:09:59,040 to be tested on. 131 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:00,980 You don't have to worry about reading my book. 132 00:10:00,980 --> 00:10:04,560 You don't have to worry about reading other books or other resources. 133 00:10:04,560 --> 00:10:11,340 All the information you will be tested on comes from my lectures. 134 00:10:11,340 --> 00:10:14,520 And I thought to myself, why would this guy lie to us? 135 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:17,880 Because he is West Virginia history. 136 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:21,800 I mean, he was the only professor that taught the class. 137 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:25,960 Like you had to get this class in to graduate and he's the only one who taught it, which 138 00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:30,640 means he knows pretty much everything. 139 00:10:30,640 --> 00:10:34,560 So I listened to him, did everything he said to do. 140 00:10:34,560 --> 00:10:36,840 And you know what grade I received? 141 00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:37,840 An A. 142 00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:45,240 Easy to say, I forgot, I wasn't even interested in material. 143 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:52,600 But he was definitely one of the best professors I ever had because he told me how to be successful. 144 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:58,320 He didn't say, this is how I'm going to grade you on your work. 145 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:02,600 He told us how to ace his class. 146 00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:08,440 And what that taught me and what the Bible teaches us is that God doesn't want to just 147 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:10,360 grade our life. 148 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:16,440 God wants to explain to each one of us how to get an A. 149 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:23,040 God says, this is a life well lived, focus on these actions and you will live a life 150 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:24,040 that matters. 151 00:11:24,040 --> 00:11:31,100 And see, I believe everyone wants to live a life that matters. 152 00:11:31,100 --> 00:11:36,480 They may be a little off course, they may be distracted, they may be searching, but 153 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:44,120 everyone wants to leave behind a legacy. 154 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:47,360 And the cool thing is the text that we're going to be focusing on over the next few 155 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:53,800 weeks is God's direction on how to get an A in life. 156 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:58,440 It's found in the book of Micah and Micah was a part of the 12 minor prophets. 157 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:04,280 And most of this book explores Micah's accusations and warnings of God's impending judgment on 158 00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:05,880 Israel. 159 00:12:05,880 --> 00:12:13,480 But Micah also had a message of hope that countered these warnings and told of the restoration 160 00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:16,360 that God would one day bring about. 161 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:19,320 And these are the words in Micah 6, 8. 162 00:12:19,320 --> 00:12:24,200 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good. 163 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:32,200 And this is what he requires of you to do what is right, to love mercy and to walk humbly 164 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:34,480 with your God. 165 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:41,240 And let me read that again and remember, this is how we get an A in this life. 166 00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:46,060 O people, the Lord has told you what is good. 167 00:12:46,060 --> 00:12:49,200 And this is what he requires of you. 168 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:57,280 Do what is right, love mercy and walk humbly with your God. 169 00:12:57,280 --> 00:13:01,440 And notice it says, God has told you what is good. 170 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:06,280 So this is the difference between good and evil and what God requires for us. 171 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:10,880 In other words, live this way. 172 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:18,200 And God is saying there are three things that are good and that God wants to see all of 173 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:21,680 us living this way. 174 00:13:21,680 --> 00:13:26,760 And my prayer is that as I share these truths this morning and over the next month, that 175 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:35,880 you allow the Spirit of God to help you take an inventory of your life and where you currently 176 00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:36,880 stand. 177 00:13:36,880 --> 00:13:42,080 Because see, the most important thing we can do as followers of Jesus is respond to the 178 00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:46,000 Holy Spirit. 179 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:48,160 You can listen to a sermon. 180 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:51,720 You can raise your arms and worship and gratitude. 181 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:53,820 You can be a part of a Bible study. 182 00:13:53,820 --> 00:14:02,040 But the real question is this, will you respond? 183 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:03,040 Let's open in prayer. 184 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:10,720 Holy Spirit come, search our hearts, clear our minds. 185 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:16,960 Open us up to receive from you this morning. 186 00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:19,960 Make your truth real to us. 187 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:28,600 And may we respond in a closer walk with you in Jesus' name. 188 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:29,600 Amen. 189 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:36,920 See, all of us will learn things about ourselves if we simply reflect on how I am responding 190 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:41,840 to the different situations that are presented to me each and every day. 191 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:47,600 Today, this morning, you're being presented with Micah 6-8, which leads us to our first 192 00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:48,600 thought. 193 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:53,400 See, what we do matters. 194 00:14:53,400 --> 00:14:55,360 What you do matters. 195 00:14:55,360 --> 00:15:01,160 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good and this is what he requires of you to 196 00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:04,440 do what is right. 197 00:15:04,440 --> 00:15:09,000 Now other translations use the word justly or do justice. 198 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:14,600 Eugene Peterson wrote these words in the message paraphrase, Micah 6-8, but he's already made 199 00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:19,520 it plain how to live, what to do, and what God is looking for in men and women. 200 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:21,560 It's quite simple. 201 00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:25,040 Do what is fair and just to your neighbor. 202 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:29,880 See, this idea of justice is actionable. 203 00:15:29,880 --> 00:15:34,380 Now if you think about the way we respond to things, one of the ways that God responds 204 00:15:34,380 --> 00:15:38,240 to each one of us is with justice. 205 00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:44,840 The simple definition of justice is giving somebody what they deserve. 206 00:15:44,840 --> 00:15:50,800 Justice simply stated says, this is what you did and this is what you deserve because of 207 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:53,500 your actions. 208 00:15:53,500 --> 00:16:00,280 Now in the case of Phoenix, eating from the container of butter, he knows he is not supposed 209 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:07,760 to scoop out butter onto his finger and then eat the whole container. 210 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:14,660 In our house, that is called disobedience and disobedience has consequences. 211 00:16:14,660 --> 00:16:20,360 We have a timeout chair for Phoenix to sit in, so when he makes a bad choice, he goes 212 00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:22,200 to sit in the timeout chair. 213 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:25,320 Has anyone ever sat in a timeout chair? 214 00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:26,320 Anyone? 215 00:16:26,320 --> 00:16:29,580 Few of you. 216 00:16:29,580 --> 00:16:32,000 If you're an adult, you want the timeout chair. 217 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:33,800 Please put me in it. 218 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:34,800 Right? 219 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:36,800 Please. 220 00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:44,440 When I have the timeout chair, I probably would have spent most of my childhood in the 221 00:16:44,440 --> 00:16:48,600 timeout chair if my parents would have used the timeout chair in my house. 222 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:57,560 Phoenix, because of your choices, you have to sit in the timeout chair that is justice. 223 00:16:57,560 --> 00:17:02,440 Justice is acting in a way that is fair. 224 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:05,680 Justice is a way of generating strong community. 225 00:17:05,680 --> 00:17:11,880 Justice is what brings social obligations and responsibility to us. 226 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:19,420 We talk about injustice culturally a lot because as Americans, we have a strong sense of justice. 227 00:17:19,420 --> 00:17:25,240 There are things that are right and wrong, and this is the way you should live. 228 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:31,120 Now when it comes to the justice of God in terms of humanity's rebellion, what would 229 00:17:31,120 --> 00:17:36,160 God's justice be towards those who rebel? 230 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:43,680 Well the Bible tells us in Romans 6.3, for the wages of sin is death. 231 00:17:43,680 --> 00:17:46,320 It's pretty clear. 232 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:53,800 God's justice for our wages of sin is death, but notice the next word, but. 233 00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:58,880 But the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus the Lord. 234 00:17:58,880 --> 00:18:04,260 And each one of us, because of our acts of rebellion against God, deserves death. 235 00:18:04,260 --> 00:18:14,200 But if you think about Jesus and his actions, one quickly realizes that he took on our punishment. 236 00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:18,080 And this is why Jesus is so important. 237 00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:22,320 And I get it for some of you gathered here this morning, and every time we gather, you 238 00:18:22,320 --> 00:18:23,920 may not be following Jesus. 239 00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:26,960 You may not be in a relationship with him. 240 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:31,360 This is why Jesus is so important. 241 00:18:31,360 --> 00:18:36,360 Jesus chose to take the punishment that you and I deserve. 242 00:18:36,360 --> 00:18:38,280 God is just. 243 00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:41,900 And one of the ways that God responds to us is with justice. 244 00:18:41,900 --> 00:18:49,160 But God's justice requires someone needing to be responsible for that which was broken. 245 00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:55,160 When sin came into the world, humanity was broken and lost. 246 00:18:55,160 --> 00:18:58,600 Jesus says, I want to do that for them. 247 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:02,760 And friends, this is why Jesus is so important. 248 00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:07,800 What we do matters. 249 00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:13,840 Would you characterize the way you live your life as just? 250 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:16,480 Do you make our society better? 251 00:19:16,480 --> 00:19:20,760 Do you help people flourish? 252 00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:27,100 Because that's what living in a community, living in a society is all about. 253 00:19:27,100 --> 00:19:32,560 It's about adding value to help people flourish. 254 00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:39,160 It's the reason we as a community of faith just gave away thousands of backpacks. 255 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:42,720 Because we want to make our community better. 256 00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:45,760 It's the reason we have scheduled a tie-dye run for freedom. 257 00:19:45,760 --> 00:19:46,760 Why? 258 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:56,640 Because it can help children that are struggling in poverty and don't have anything. 259 00:19:56,640 --> 00:20:02,320 Because I guarantee you, if you were in the same situation, your hope is that someone 260 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:10,240 would treat you fairly and take care of you by meeting your needs. 261 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:16,120 It's a simple act of justice. 262 00:20:16,120 --> 00:20:23,480 Psalm 106 verse 3, there is joy for those who deal justly with others and always do 263 00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:26,360 what is right. 264 00:20:26,360 --> 00:20:30,320 You know what a beautiful verse to live by, but yet within our culture, within the church, 265 00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:34,720 there's so many people struggling with depression, anxiety, you're overwhelmed with your work 266 00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:38,560 schedules and raising your children, friends. 267 00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:46,520 There's joy for those who live justly and do what is right. 268 00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:50,560 The way we live matters. 269 00:20:50,560 --> 00:20:57,800 The content of your life matters, which leads us to our next thought. 270 00:20:57,800 --> 00:21:03,560 Not only is what we do matters, but what we love matters. 271 00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:07,840 Continuing in Michael 6, 8, know the people the Lord has told you what is good and what 272 00:21:07,840 --> 00:21:12,520 he requires of you to do what is right and to love mercy. 273 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:18,920 See, it's not just what we do, but it's also what our hearts embrace. 274 00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:22,760 Eugene Peterson writes it this way, but he's already made it plain how to live, what to 275 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:25,420 do, what God is looking for in men and women. 276 00:21:25,420 --> 00:21:27,360 It's quite simple. 277 00:21:27,360 --> 00:21:29,560 Do what is fair and just to your neighbor. 278 00:21:29,560 --> 00:21:34,160 Be compassionate and loyal in your love. 279 00:21:34,160 --> 00:21:40,640 See, love is the effect that something has on our hearts. 280 00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:48,160 It's what our hearts grab a hold of, what embraces what we love matters. 281 00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:55,480 And friends, we must remember what we love leads to what we do and how we live. 282 00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:56,960 And God challenges us to what? 283 00:21:56,960 --> 00:21:59,920 To love mercy. 284 00:21:59,920 --> 00:22:07,240 Now this is the Hebrew word hesed, where we get the words covenant, faithfulness. 285 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:12,720 And it literally means the faithfulness and fidelity that comes when a covenant is made. 286 00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:15,660 That God is making a covenant with his people. 287 00:22:15,660 --> 00:22:18,160 It also speaks to marriage. 288 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:23,280 When two people are married together, there is an implied faithfulness that comes along 289 00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:26,160 to make the marriage work. 290 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:31,320 We should love the covenant that God has made for us through Jesus. 291 00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:38,400 And God wants us to learn how to love who he is and what he has done for us. 292 00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:43,240 If we think about the word mercy, just as justice is getting what we deserve, it's been 293 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:50,720 said that mercy is not getting what we deserve. 294 00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:54,280 If you've ever seen the movie Braveheart. 295 00:22:54,280 --> 00:22:59,840 William Wallace at the end of the movie is being tortured for his actions and the people 296 00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:06,800 gathered watching him being tortured scream out, mercy, it's enough. 297 00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:09,680 It's finished. 298 00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:16,960 In the case of Phoenix, when he gets caught eating a container of butter, mercy sounds 299 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:18,520 something like this. 300 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:20,880 Don't eat the butter, son. 301 00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:22,800 It's not good for you. 302 00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:29,320 I love you and you don't have to go to time out because I know you learned that from your 303 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:37,400 mother. 304 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:42,920 Now some of you think I'm kidding. 305 00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:46,320 He deserves a timeout, right? 306 00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:49,700 That is the punishment for being disobedient. 307 00:23:49,700 --> 00:23:53,680 But I give him a kiss on the forehead and I say, just don't do it again, son. 308 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:54,680 What does that mean? 309 00:23:54,680 --> 00:23:56,200 That's being merciful. 310 00:23:56,200 --> 00:24:01,000 And God says we should love mercy. 311 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:03,220 This is what God desires for us. 312 00:24:03,220 --> 00:24:08,520 We should love not giving people what they deserve, but our culture doesn't value mercy 313 00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:09,520 very much. 314 00:24:09,520 --> 00:24:18,640 Our culture loves to tear people down, tear people apart and point fingers at one another. 315 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:21,320 But this is not from God, church. 316 00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:23,800 We're not called to be a part of the culture. 317 00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:26,880 We're called to be different, to be set apart. 318 00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:34,560 Ephesians chapter two, but God so rich in mercy and he loved us so much that even though 319 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:42,520 we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. 320 00:24:42,520 --> 00:24:46,440 See God poured out his justice on Jesus. 321 00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:48,600 He didn't pour it out on you and me and friends. 322 00:24:48,600 --> 00:24:50,400 That's an act of what? 323 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:52,720 Mercy. 324 00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:56,320 God doesn't just say, I'm no longer holding your sins against you. 325 00:24:56,320 --> 00:25:05,840 Now I am welcoming you into my family where we become sons and daughters of the King. 326 00:25:05,840 --> 00:25:09,160 What an incredible blessing. 327 00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:10,440 This is powerful. 328 00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:13,920 This can change your life. 329 00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:18,100 Do we love mercy? 330 00:25:18,100 --> 00:25:23,520 Do we love not giving people what they deserve? 331 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:29,280 Do we love doing something special for another as a means of showing God's mercy? 332 00:25:29,280 --> 00:25:37,420 David says it this way in Psalm 51, have mercy on me, oh God, because of your unfailing love, 333 00:25:37,420 --> 00:25:41,240 because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins, wash me clean from my 334 00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:45,120 guilt, purify me from my sin. 335 00:25:45,120 --> 00:25:51,800 And notice have mercy on me God because of your unfailing love. 336 00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:57,360 For each one of us, when we fail, when we leave someone down, what should we say to 337 00:25:57,360 --> 00:25:59,320 the other person? 338 00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:01,000 I'm sorry. 339 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:02,000 I failed. 340 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:03,000 I messed up. 341 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:05,720 Will you forgive me? 342 00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:10,880 And see when we ask for forgiveness is now up to the other person to respond. 343 00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:14,880 They now have the responsibility. 344 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:21,960 And God, he challenges us to love in a way that shows mercy, not just giving people what 345 00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:25,800 they deserve, rather saying, I'm going to give them what they deserve. 346 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:28,840 I'm going to release them instead. 347 00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:32,040 I'm not going to hold this over them. 348 00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:33,520 I'm not going to be judgmental. 349 00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:34,520 I'm not going to point fingers. 350 00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:38,440 No, I'm going to release them. 351 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:44,320 Do you love being merciful like God does for us? 352 00:26:44,320 --> 00:26:52,320 And when you reflect on the beating, the torture of the cross, the empty tomb, right? 353 00:26:52,320 --> 00:26:55,540 That's what it's all about. 354 00:26:55,540 --> 00:26:58,320 That's why we gather. 355 00:26:58,320 --> 00:26:59,960 So what we do matters. 356 00:26:59,960 --> 00:27:01,680 We should live justly. 357 00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:02,880 What we love matters. 358 00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:05,040 We should love mercy. 359 00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:07,160 And there's one more thought. 360 00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:09,200 How we walk matters. 361 00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:12,040 No, people. 362 00:27:12,040 --> 00:27:15,240 The Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you to do what is right, 363 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:21,480 to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. 364 00:27:21,480 --> 00:27:25,480 We should walk humbly with our God every day. 365 00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:28,800 Eugene Peterson writes it this way, but he's already made it plain how to live, what to 366 00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:31,440 do, what God is looking for in men and women. 367 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:32,440 It's quite simple. 368 00:27:32,440 --> 00:27:35,240 Do what is fair and just to your neighbor. 369 00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:40,720 Be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don't take yourself too seriously. 370 00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:43,040 Take God seriously. 371 00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:46,280 See there are two pieces to this. 372 00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:48,880 First is the act of humility. 373 00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:53,200 In light of the finished work of Jesus on the cross. 374 00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:58,120 Jesus dying on a cross for our sins and being risen from the grave, conquering death. 375 00:27:58,120 --> 00:28:01,440 We come before God saying, God forgive me. 376 00:28:01,440 --> 00:28:09,040 I realized the reason Jesus had to die was for my sins, my mistakes, my failings. 377 00:28:09,040 --> 00:28:12,080 And that causes us to be what? 378 00:28:12,080 --> 00:28:13,960 Humble. 379 00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:16,720 Humility is not thinking less of yourself. 380 00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:22,520 It's thinking about yourself less. 381 00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:29,120 Humility is allowing Jesus to separate us from the love or the obsession with ourselves. 382 00:28:29,120 --> 00:28:35,120 And if we're honest, isn't that one of the hardest things to do in this life? 383 00:28:35,120 --> 00:28:36,760 We're self consumed. 384 00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:38,240 We're selfish. 385 00:28:38,240 --> 00:28:40,840 We only care about what is happening to us. 386 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:43,440 We are focused on ourselves. 387 00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:48,240 And for so many people, they struggle with relationships because they can't understand 388 00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:54,200 why somebody doesn't focus on me. 389 00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:58,760 There are people that we are in relationship with that say to us, I know you've been thinking 390 00:28:58,760 --> 00:29:01,800 about this issue in my life for a long time. 391 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:06,440 And as they're saying it to us, you're thinking to yourself, I haven't focused on that my 392 00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:08,280 whole life. 393 00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:13,600 In fact, I haven't even noticed that was happening that you were struggling because we're focused 394 00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:15,880 on ourselves. 395 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:17,920 We can't see past ourselves. 396 00:29:17,920 --> 00:29:22,140 And the crazy thing is the person who thinks the other person is thinking about them shows 397 00:29:22,140 --> 00:29:24,440 a lack of humility. 398 00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:29,240 And the person that is thinking about themselves shows a lack of humility. 399 00:29:29,240 --> 00:29:31,120 And you know what that results in? 400 00:29:31,120 --> 00:29:35,600 A broken, messy relationship. 401 00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:43,640 But God challenges us to walk humbly with him. 402 00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:48,520 Now if justice is getting what you deserve and mercy is not getting what you deserve, 403 00:29:48,520 --> 00:29:52,960 walking humbly with God comes from something called grace. 404 00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:57,160 And grace is receiving what we don't deserve. 405 00:29:57,160 --> 00:29:59,640 Back to Phoenix. 406 00:29:59,640 --> 00:30:03,760 I catch him eating butter directly from the container. 407 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:09,000 Grace would be me like saying, Oh, Phoenix, don't eat that butter, putting the lid on 408 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:15,440 and putting it away quickly opening up the freezer while I grab for him a juicy cherry 409 00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:19,280 ice pop and say, this is much better. 410 00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:23,440 That's grace. 411 00:30:23,440 --> 00:30:27,480 Grace is how we walk humbly with our God. 412 00:30:27,480 --> 00:30:34,640 And for those in relationship with Jesus, our experience with God is everyday grace. 413 00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:40,640 The ability to go to him humbly seeking forgiveness for our mistakes, which we make every single 414 00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:41,640 day. 415 00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:47,920 It's not giving God what he deserves. 416 00:30:47,920 --> 00:30:56,800 I mean, if we had a revelation of the pain, the suffering, the anguish and the death that 417 00:30:56,800 --> 00:31:03,440 Jesus went through, we would be gratitude worshiping God every single day. 418 00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:06,320 But for so many people were distracted. 419 00:31:06,320 --> 00:31:10,880 Well, we have a fantasy football team to draft. 420 00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:16,920 And again, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that. 421 00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:22,480 But if you're distracted by it and it becomes the means to your life, friends, it doesn't 422 00:31:22,480 --> 00:31:26,400 matter. 423 00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:31,960 I don't care if you're going to make a hundred bucks. 424 00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:36,480 It doesn't matter. 425 00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:44,320 God put Jesus on a cross for you and me. 426 00:31:44,320 --> 00:31:48,520 So that we can experience this grace. 427 00:31:48,520 --> 00:31:56,320 God is merciful to us, not giving us what we deserve, rather offering us abundant life, 428 00:31:56,320 --> 00:31:57,320 which we don't deserve. 429 00:31:57,320 --> 00:32:02,960 Look at Ephesians chapter two, verses eight through 10. 430 00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:07,320 God saved you by his grace when you believed. 431 00:32:07,320 --> 00:32:08,800 And you can't take credit for this. 432 00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:11,640 It's a gift from God. 433 00:32:11,640 --> 00:32:15,240 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done so that none of us can boast 434 00:32:15,240 --> 00:32:17,920 about it. 435 00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:20,520 For we are now God's masterpiece. 436 00:32:20,520 --> 00:32:26,400 You think about that, your life is a beautiful work of art. 437 00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:31,160 He has created us a new in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things he's planned for 438 00:32:31,160 --> 00:32:33,280 us to do long ago. 439 00:32:33,280 --> 00:32:41,720 Friends, the fact that Jesus came and lived and died and rose again, what that means is 440 00:32:41,720 --> 00:32:45,400 that God is inviting us into our brand new life and abundant life. 441 00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:52,020 And he invites us to be a part of his family and then he empowers us to be overcomers, 442 00:32:52,020 --> 00:32:54,680 to be difference makers, to be world changers. 443 00:32:54,680 --> 00:32:57,000 Look at Romans eight 11. 444 00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:04,120 The spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. 445 00:33:04,120 --> 00:33:07,880 And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies 446 00:33:07,880 --> 00:33:10,280 by the same spirit living within you. 447 00:33:10,280 --> 00:33:12,640 You think about that. 448 00:33:12,640 --> 00:33:14,760 Jesus was crucified. 449 00:33:14,760 --> 00:33:19,800 He buried him in a tomb and he walked out of said tomb. 450 00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:24,760 You know, during Easter, you know, you see these images and people making a big deal 451 00:33:24,760 --> 00:33:28,520 about the stone being rolled away. 452 00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:30,200 Jesus didn't need that stone rolled away. 453 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:33,880 He didn't need that stone rolled away so he could get out. 454 00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:40,940 The stone was rolled away so that we can get in. 455 00:33:40,940 --> 00:33:50,040 And see and believe and experience all that God has for us. 456 00:33:50,040 --> 00:33:51,040 The same power. 457 00:33:51,040 --> 00:33:54,040 Now think about that. 458 00:33:54,040 --> 00:34:00,280 At work and raising Jesus from the dead is inside those who believe. 459 00:34:00,280 --> 00:34:04,440 And that's an invitation for all of humanity. 460 00:34:04,440 --> 00:34:16,280 Which is God giving us what we never deserved, which is not only life, an abundant life, 461 00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:17,760 because we rebelled against them. 462 00:34:17,760 --> 00:34:18,760 Right? 463 00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:21,840 He says, no, I know you're, but I have a rescue mission. 464 00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:22,840 I'm bringing you back. 465 00:34:22,840 --> 00:34:26,640 And not only am I bringing you back, but you're a part of my family now. 466 00:34:26,640 --> 00:34:28,920 I'm going to place my Holy Spirit inside of you. 467 00:34:28,920 --> 00:34:34,400 So matter where you go, no matter where you are, it doesn't matter what you're going through. 468 00:34:34,400 --> 00:34:37,960 I will be with you every step of the way. 469 00:34:37,960 --> 00:34:42,200 I mean, what an incredible gift. 470 00:34:42,200 --> 00:34:47,400 And we're invited into this gift every single day. 471 00:34:47,400 --> 00:34:54,780 If you're here and you're in a relationship with Jesus, friends, what we do matters. 472 00:34:54,780 --> 00:34:56,400 We should live justly. 473 00:34:56,400 --> 00:34:58,560 What we love matters. 474 00:34:58,560 --> 00:35:00,000 We should love mercy. 475 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:02,760 And how we walk matters. 476 00:35:02,760 --> 00:35:11,880 We should all walk humbly with our God every single day and extend His grace to everyone. 477 00:35:11,880 --> 00:35:20,840 Now I want to go on a little side tangent here that God kind of downloaded to me this 478 00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:26,240 morning and you're going to sound like it's a little off, but it's got a point. 479 00:35:26,240 --> 00:35:32,560 So about a week ago, no, it's about two weeks ago, I started using the Poo-per-ree in our 480 00:35:32,560 --> 00:35:33,560 bathroom. 481 00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:37,520 Okay, and you guys know what that is, right? 482 00:35:37,520 --> 00:35:38,520 You spray it in. 483 00:35:38,520 --> 00:35:42,240 Yeah, you know what it is. 484 00:35:42,240 --> 00:35:52,560 And this morning as I walked in, used the Poo-per-ree, I sat there thinking, why have 485 00:35:52,560 --> 00:35:54,880 I never used this before? 486 00:35:54,880 --> 00:35:57,280 This is wonderful. 487 00:35:57,280 --> 00:36:02,360 I mean, this is like the best creation, invention ever. 488 00:36:02,360 --> 00:36:04,760 It's better than duct tape. 489 00:36:04,760 --> 00:36:05,760 Better. 490 00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:12,280 And if you've never used it, go to Walmart or Target right after this, buy some and use 491 00:36:12,280 --> 00:36:13,280 it today. 492 00:36:13,280 --> 00:36:17,800 It'll change your life. 493 00:36:17,800 --> 00:36:22,800 And as I'm sitting there early in the wee hours of the morning pondering this, you're 494 00:36:22,800 --> 00:36:32,440 like, wow, Chris, you have deep thoughts at night, in the morning. 495 00:36:32,440 --> 00:36:41,440 It's like this light bulb came on and I heard God's voice say to me, yeah, you used it. 496 00:36:41,440 --> 00:36:49,400 You actually used it and now you realize, and here's the reality, God gave us the directions, 497 00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:54,200 the action steps on how to live an abundant life. 498 00:36:54,200 --> 00:36:58,600 But there's so many people in the church, so many Jesus, what do I do? 499 00:36:58,600 --> 00:37:00,080 Where do I go? 500 00:37:00,080 --> 00:37:02,360 How do I do this? 501 00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:04,480 Here it is. 502 00:37:04,480 --> 00:37:06,800 You just got to use it. 503 00:37:06,800 --> 00:37:12,440 You just got to put it into action and your life will be completely different. 504 00:37:12,440 --> 00:37:22,720 It will be a sweet smelling aroma going up to heaven. 505 00:37:22,720 --> 00:37:24,600 So how do we get an A in life? 506 00:37:24,600 --> 00:37:29,660 Now please notice, I'm going to reverse these a little bit because I believe if we reverse 507 00:37:29,660 --> 00:37:32,680 them, we actually are empowered to live them out. 508 00:37:32,680 --> 00:37:35,880 Number one, daily walk with God. 509 00:37:35,880 --> 00:37:40,040 Every single day, you got to make it a point to be walking with God. 510 00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:45,360 There isn't any reason you're waking up and opening up CNN or Fox News. 511 00:37:45,360 --> 00:37:47,800 And if you're doing it, stop it. 512 00:37:47,800 --> 00:37:49,960 Just stop it. 513 00:37:49,960 --> 00:37:53,440 Like if you wake up tomorrow morning and you run out to get your newspaper and start reading 514 00:37:53,440 --> 00:37:59,880 that first, stop it. 515 00:37:59,880 --> 00:38:05,640 Open up your Bible app, open up your paper Bible, start reading and praying. 516 00:38:05,640 --> 00:38:09,560 That's where you need to begin. 517 00:38:09,560 --> 00:38:17,040 We are called in Micah 6, 8 to walk humbly with our God. 518 00:38:17,040 --> 00:38:19,600 Don't take yourself too seriously, take God seriously. 519 00:38:19,600 --> 00:38:25,240 And you say, Chris, well, why would I do that? 520 00:38:25,240 --> 00:38:27,740 Why would I do that, Chris? 521 00:38:27,740 --> 00:38:31,360 Because it's a daily reminder that you're not alone. 522 00:38:31,360 --> 00:38:34,760 Doesn't matter what you're going through, your struggles, your trauma, your stress, 523 00:38:34,760 --> 00:38:36,260 your work. 524 00:38:36,260 --> 00:38:39,400 God is always with us. 525 00:38:39,400 --> 00:38:40,820 And remember what humility is. 526 00:38:40,820 --> 00:38:42,860 It's not putting yourself down. 527 00:38:42,860 --> 00:38:45,880 It's recognize your dependence on God. 528 00:38:45,880 --> 00:38:51,520 It's thinking of yourself less. 529 00:38:51,520 --> 00:38:55,160 Put God and others first. 530 00:38:55,160 --> 00:39:00,480 Serve as an example of Jesus by humbling yourself to lift others up. 531 00:39:00,480 --> 00:39:01,920 And that means you've got to get rid of your pride. 532 00:39:01,920 --> 00:39:07,440 You got to get rid of your selfishness and you got to carry yourself in a way that reflects 533 00:39:07,440 --> 00:39:08,520 this love what? 534 00:39:08,520 --> 00:39:10,880 Love others. 535 00:39:10,880 --> 00:39:16,360 That is walking humbly with your God. 536 00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:21,520 Number two, love what God loves. 537 00:39:21,520 --> 00:39:22,960 Do what is right. 538 00:39:22,960 --> 00:39:23,960 Love mercy. 539 00:39:23,960 --> 00:39:24,960 Right? 540 00:39:24,960 --> 00:39:29,320 Be compassionate and loyal in your love. 541 00:39:29,320 --> 00:39:30,480 You know, you got to show love. 542 00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:32,240 You got to extend grace. 543 00:39:32,240 --> 00:39:38,320 You got to be the first to forgive others every single day, even in small ways. 544 00:39:38,320 --> 00:39:42,520 Because it's in the small ways of forgiving others that doesn't allow for a buildup and 545 00:39:42,520 --> 00:39:47,440 an explosion over time. 546 00:39:47,440 --> 00:39:54,680 In a world that's biased towards being harsh, just be kind. 547 00:39:54,680 --> 00:39:56,860 Dear heavens, be nice. 548 00:39:56,860 --> 00:40:02,160 Did you realize that being nice is radical in our culture? 549 00:40:02,160 --> 00:40:07,440 Be nice. 550 00:40:07,440 --> 00:40:12,640 I got a message this week. 551 00:40:12,640 --> 00:40:16,500 You remember the little Jesuses we put on our Easter cards that you guys gave out to 552 00:40:16,500 --> 00:40:18,360 invite people to come to our Easter things? 553 00:40:18,360 --> 00:40:19,360 This little Jesus. 554 00:40:19,360 --> 00:40:24,480 Anyway, I did a wedding last Saturday and the couple bought little Jesuses and I hid 555 00:40:24,480 --> 00:40:29,200 them all in the cafe and there are people that came to the wedding and were trying to 556 00:40:29,200 --> 00:40:30,200 find them and stuff. 557 00:40:30,200 --> 00:40:34,440 Anyway, there was a bunch left over on Sunday and it just so happened that a lady found 558 00:40:34,440 --> 00:40:40,600 one and took it and went and found her niece who was having medical issues and will for 559 00:40:40,600 --> 00:40:43,560 some time now and gave it to her. 560 00:40:43,560 --> 00:40:50,960 And said, oh well, at HTV we give these out as a reminder of God's love for you. 561 00:40:50,960 --> 00:40:56,800 She took the time to send me a message and say, you know, that changed my life. 562 00:40:56,800 --> 00:41:02,080 I'm going to put that with me and take that with me everywhere I go as a reminder that 563 00:41:02,080 --> 00:41:08,080 Jesus has got me through this sickness. 564 00:41:08,080 --> 00:41:10,640 You heard Q talk about souls for souls. 565 00:41:10,640 --> 00:41:16,440 Do you realize that your used shoes that you haven't worn for a year can change a person's 566 00:41:16,440 --> 00:41:18,560 life? 567 00:41:18,560 --> 00:41:21,200 In September we're collecting used shoes. 568 00:41:21,200 --> 00:41:23,280 Like, like shoes that you haven't worn. 569 00:41:23,280 --> 00:41:26,720 If you haven't worn a pair of shoes in a year, give them away. 570 00:41:26,720 --> 00:41:28,720 Everyone hear that? 571 00:41:28,720 --> 00:41:32,440 If you haven't worn your pair of shoes, in fact, six months. 572 00:41:32,440 --> 00:41:35,160 All right, I'll give you a year, ladies. 573 00:41:35,160 --> 00:41:36,160 I get it. 574 00:41:36,160 --> 00:41:37,160 I get it. 575 00:41:37,160 --> 00:41:38,160 I get it. 576 00:41:38,160 --> 00:41:39,160 That's a ladies thing. 577 00:41:39,160 --> 00:41:40,160 Yeah. 578 00:41:40,160 --> 00:41:42,600 If you haven't worn a pair of shoes in a year, give them away. 579 00:41:42,600 --> 00:41:43,920 We're collecting them all this month. 580 00:41:43,920 --> 00:41:47,040 We're going to set boxes up out there, just as organizing souls for souls. 581 00:41:47,040 --> 00:41:51,920 And we're going to give them away to third world countries where kids don't have shoes. 582 00:41:51,920 --> 00:41:54,960 Right? 583 00:41:54,960 --> 00:41:55,960 What is that? 584 00:41:55,960 --> 00:42:00,360 That's just give them away. 585 00:42:00,360 --> 00:42:03,960 This week I was at a volleyball game. 586 00:42:03,960 --> 00:42:06,200 Had a lady come up to me, introduce herself. 587 00:42:06,200 --> 00:42:09,240 She goes, I don't go to your church. 588 00:42:09,240 --> 00:42:12,320 I go, okay. 589 00:42:12,320 --> 00:42:15,720 She goes, but, it's almost like she was embarrassed. 590 00:42:15,720 --> 00:42:16,720 It was weird. 591 00:42:16,720 --> 00:42:22,600 She goes, but I hurt my foot a couple months ago and I couldn't get out of the house. 592 00:42:22,600 --> 00:42:24,680 I couldn't go to church. 593 00:42:24,680 --> 00:42:27,480 Couldn't be around people because I couldn't move. 594 00:42:27,480 --> 00:42:33,120 She goes, your live streams got me through that pain. 595 00:42:33,120 --> 00:42:37,720 I was like, oh. 596 00:42:37,720 --> 00:42:39,120 Gave her a high five and a hug. 597 00:42:39,120 --> 00:42:40,840 I said, that's awesome. 598 00:42:40,840 --> 00:42:41,840 Thanks for the encouragement. 599 00:42:41,840 --> 00:42:49,680 You know, I don't even know how live streams work and they're changing lives. 600 00:42:49,680 --> 00:42:51,800 Right? 601 00:42:51,800 --> 00:42:58,040 And then I say to you guys, if God spoke to you through a message, share it. 602 00:42:58,040 --> 00:42:59,040 Share it with people. 603 00:42:59,040 --> 00:43:01,880 All you gotta do is hit share and send it to them. 604 00:43:01,880 --> 00:43:03,680 And guess what? 605 00:43:03,680 --> 00:43:06,160 They'll watch it. 606 00:43:06,160 --> 00:43:07,440 They'll watch it. 607 00:43:07,440 --> 00:43:10,000 And I have no idea why they'll watch me. 608 00:43:10,000 --> 00:43:11,640 I'm still blown away by that. 609 00:43:11,640 --> 00:43:14,920 People are watching me. 610 00:43:14,920 --> 00:43:22,760 But God uses it and lives are being changed through the internet. 611 00:43:22,760 --> 00:43:24,360 We do servant evangelism around here. 612 00:43:24,360 --> 00:43:33,880 We give away flowers and waters and coffees and little Jesus's and backpacks, thousands 613 00:43:33,880 --> 00:43:37,240 of backpacks and donuts. 614 00:43:37,240 --> 00:43:41,240 Who doesn't love a Crumpy? 615 00:43:41,240 --> 00:43:47,040 Chris, why do you do that? 616 00:43:47,040 --> 00:43:48,040 Show mercy. 617 00:43:48,040 --> 00:43:52,120 Because that's what God would do. 618 00:43:52,120 --> 00:43:54,680 You know, if you're new to our church, I'm going to start with why today. 619 00:43:54,680 --> 00:43:56,200 You want to learn about our church? 620 00:43:56,200 --> 00:43:58,040 I'll tell you all about it. 621 00:43:58,040 --> 00:43:59,040 And I'll cry. 622 00:43:59,040 --> 00:44:00,040 I promise. 623 00:44:00,040 --> 00:44:02,920 I cried during the first service when I shared it. 624 00:44:02,920 --> 00:44:08,360 Because I tell you why. 625 00:44:08,360 --> 00:44:16,200 Standing in a church is the hardest thing a person could ever do. 626 00:44:16,200 --> 00:44:24,800 And to see what God has done in 18 years, it's humbling, man. 627 00:44:24,800 --> 00:44:28,840 I mean, I stood in the back and listened to you all sing gratitude just with tears flowing 628 00:44:28,840 --> 00:44:31,200 down my face. 629 00:44:31,200 --> 00:44:32,200 I don't sing. 630 00:44:32,200 --> 00:44:34,640 I just listen. 631 00:44:34,640 --> 00:44:38,560 Because when you listen to the church sing, that's what it's all about. 632 00:44:38,560 --> 00:44:42,440 Does that make sense? 633 00:44:42,440 --> 00:44:46,200 The point is we have to be involved. 634 00:44:46,200 --> 00:44:47,200 We have to be plugged in. 635 00:44:47,200 --> 00:44:52,000 We have to be part of the family so we can encourage to show this mercy and we can continue 636 00:44:52,000 --> 00:44:53,280 to make a difference in this world. 637 00:44:53,280 --> 00:44:56,160 And finally, we act justly. 638 00:44:56,160 --> 00:44:57,160 Do what is right. 639 00:44:57,160 --> 00:45:00,080 I mean, there's a difference between right and wrong. 640 00:45:00,080 --> 00:45:02,200 It's in the Bible. 641 00:45:02,200 --> 00:45:03,480 Read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 642 00:45:03,480 --> 00:45:04,640 Well, Chris, that's not all the Bible. 643 00:45:04,640 --> 00:45:05,640 I don't care. 644 00:45:05,640 --> 00:45:09,480 Start there. 645 00:45:09,480 --> 00:45:10,760 Don't start in lamentations. 646 00:45:10,760 --> 00:45:13,760 You'll be confused. 647 00:45:13,760 --> 00:45:17,400 Okay. 648 00:45:17,400 --> 00:45:20,560 I'm going through Chronicles right now and I'm banging my head against the wall like, 649 00:45:20,560 --> 00:45:22,080 yep, I know there's names. 650 00:45:22,080 --> 00:45:24,080 Yeah, I know. 651 00:45:24,080 --> 00:45:25,080 Ezra. 652 00:45:25,080 --> 00:45:28,080 Yeah, yeah. 653 00:45:28,080 --> 00:45:31,600 It happens. 654 00:45:31,600 --> 00:45:33,280 But act justly. 655 00:45:33,280 --> 00:45:34,280 Do what is right. 656 00:45:34,280 --> 00:45:37,760 I mean, look what Peterson says. 657 00:45:37,760 --> 00:45:41,960 Do what is fair and just to your neighbor. 658 00:45:41,960 --> 00:45:46,200 Just treat people fairly and with respect. 659 00:45:46,200 --> 00:45:47,680 Right? 660 00:45:47,680 --> 00:45:48,680 Just be nice. 661 00:45:48,680 --> 00:45:53,640 Like you want to blow someone's mind the next time or today when you go out to the store, 662 00:45:53,640 --> 00:45:57,860 you go to Walmart or Target or Sam's or wherever it is you shop, you go to Martin's. 663 00:45:57,860 --> 00:46:03,240 Just walk by someone that looks a little depressed and be like, Hey, and give them a high five 664 00:46:03,240 --> 00:46:06,600 like, Hey, give them a high five. 665 00:46:06,600 --> 00:46:10,400 Don't be like, what in the world just happened to me? 666 00:46:10,400 --> 00:46:11,400 I guarantee that. 667 00:46:11,400 --> 00:46:14,640 They'll be like, what just happened to me? 668 00:46:14,640 --> 00:46:17,920 That person was nice. 669 00:46:17,920 --> 00:46:21,100 Try it. 670 00:46:21,100 --> 00:46:27,400 But not only we just to be nice, but worth to set the oppressed free. 671 00:46:27,400 --> 00:46:29,320 We're called as a church to set the oppressed free. 672 00:46:29,320 --> 00:46:30,360 I'm still humble. 673 00:46:30,360 --> 00:46:31,360 Think about this. 674 00:46:31,360 --> 00:46:32,360 We're in the process. 675 00:46:32,360 --> 00:46:35,120 We are in Hagerstown, Maryland. 676 00:46:35,120 --> 00:46:36,320 We are in the process. 677 00:46:36,320 --> 00:46:40,800 Our church is in the process of building a kitchen in Kenya. 678 00:46:40,800 --> 00:46:45,080 I mean, it's amazing. 679 00:46:45,080 --> 00:46:48,680 Isn't that cool? 680 00:46:48,680 --> 00:46:55,440 And we'll have pictures soon, but they've already started building it. 681 00:46:55,440 --> 00:46:56,920 And they're on the other side of the world. 682 00:46:56,920 --> 00:47:02,760 Believe me, I flew there and I hated every minute of it. 683 00:47:02,760 --> 00:47:04,120 Why are we doing the run for freedom? 684 00:47:04,120 --> 00:47:09,200 I took those flyers out to several businesses this week and just said, man, we're just, 685 00:47:09,200 --> 00:47:10,200 why are you doing this? 686 00:47:10,200 --> 00:47:12,200 I was told them to raise awareness. 687 00:47:12,200 --> 00:47:17,000 It said kids free from poverty, to raise awareness about human trafficking. 688 00:47:17,000 --> 00:47:18,000 It's real. 689 00:47:18,000 --> 00:47:19,000 It's happening. 690 00:47:19,000 --> 00:47:22,680 There's more slaves in the world today than there was during the civil war. 691 00:47:22,680 --> 00:47:26,720 And they're like, what are you going to do with all the money? 692 00:47:26,720 --> 00:47:27,720 Give it away. 693 00:47:27,720 --> 00:47:30,120 You're going to give it away. 694 00:47:30,120 --> 00:47:31,560 Yeah, it's not for our church. 695 00:47:31,560 --> 00:47:32,840 It's not for our community faith. 696 00:47:32,840 --> 00:47:38,560 It's to give away because we want to see the oppressed set free. 697 00:47:38,560 --> 00:47:43,200 That's why we do these things. 698 00:47:43,200 --> 00:47:52,800 And listen, God encourages people to seek justice peacefully. 699 00:47:52,800 --> 00:48:01,480 Like if someone did you wrong, don't go to social media and post about it. 700 00:48:01,480 --> 00:48:09,640 You don't have to be vengeful because social media is tearing people apart. 701 00:48:09,640 --> 00:48:11,040 It's dividing our country. 702 00:48:11,040 --> 00:48:12,360 It's dividing churches. 703 00:48:12,360 --> 00:48:13,360 It's dividing. 704 00:48:13,360 --> 00:48:15,720 It's division. 705 00:48:15,720 --> 00:48:19,320 And that's not what God's about. 706 00:48:19,320 --> 00:48:26,320 God's about unity and bringing families together. 707 00:48:26,320 --> 00:48:50,240 I believe that you are working now to pour it out, oh, pour it out.