WEBVTT

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We are so glad you're here. Whether you're listening

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on your morning commute. at the gym, or relaxing

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with a cup of coffee. Thanks for spending part

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of your day with us. If today's message encourages

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you and you'd like to get connected with everything

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happening at Hub City Vineyard, head over to

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hcv .church slash connect. We'd love to meet

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you and help you find your place here. Want to

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know what's coming up? discover ways to serve,

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or stay in the loop on upcoming events, check

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out hcv .church .com for everything happening

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around HCV. Now turn it up, lean in, and get

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ready for what God has for you today. We hope

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this message encourages you, challenges you,

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and reminds you that you are deeply loved. Now,

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let's hear the message. And please let the Holy

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Spirit work through everyone today. In Jesus'

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name we pray. Amen. Amen. Also... Today is Chris

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and Jess's 29th wedding anniversary. Thank you.

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Thank you. Well, good morning, everybody. How's

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everybody doing today? Good. Much better response.

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Thank you very much. If you're joining us from

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home, thank you for welcoming us into your space.

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So many of you are wondering, what's up with

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the orange chair? Well, this is our hot seat.

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And you may remember a few months ago, we put

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questions into the bulletins, and we asked a

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simple one. If God was standing in front of you,

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what would you ask him? And what we're going

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to do for the month of August is we're going

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to take your responses, and we're going to answer

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them as a team of preachers and teachers to challenge

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and transform your relationship with Jesus. Is

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that okay? So you have created this series. The

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two questions that I am going to answer today

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were, how do I know if I did enough to get into

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heaven? And how can I be more like Jesus? Two

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valid questions that I'm sure many people want

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to know and think. So I'm going to use three

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simple parables from the Gospel of Matthew to

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answer both of those questions and to challenge

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us to move further in our relationship with Jesus.

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Is that okay with you? Good. But I can't sit

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down because I teach with my hands, so I'm going

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to stand up to share. Here's the reality. Most

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of us will spend our entire lives being evaluated.

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From the time we're children and we start kindergarten,

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we're graded in school. At work, we're evaluated

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by performance reviews. Athletes are measured

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by statistics. Businesses track profits. Social

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media counts likes, followers, and views. Everywhere

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we turn, someone or something is keeping score.

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So the real question is not just the two that

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you posed. what score actually matters? What

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really matters in this life? Well, one day, every

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single one of us will stand before Jesus. And

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on that day, there won't be a resume, a bank

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account, a trophy case, a social media profile.

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There will be no excuses, comparisons, or even

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questions. There will be simply you, me, and

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Jesus. And in Matthew 25, Jesus gives one of

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the most humbling pictures through three stories

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in the entire Bible. See, Jesus was simply answering

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a question, interestingly enough, that the disciples

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posed to him. Tell us, teacher, when will all

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this happen? What sign will signal your return

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and the end of the world? Jesus then goes on

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to describe for them a day when he's going to

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return. The difference is, when Jesus returns,

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he's not going to return as a baby in a manger.

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He's going to return as King of Kings and Lord

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of Lords. And these three parables all point

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to this one idea that Jesus' followers should

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be looking forward to that day. And not just

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looking forward to it, living for that day and

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be prepared for that day that he does return.

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In Matthew 25, we're going to read these three

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parables together. And it's important that we

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read them together because they actually build

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on one another. If we were to separate them out,

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yes, we can discover their meaning. But when

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we read them together, they build to challenge

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us to grow. The first is the parable of the ten

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bridesmaids. And in this story, Jesus isn't trying

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to satisfy our curiosity about the future. He's

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challenging his disciples and us to be ready.

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Now please understand, in Jesus' day, bridesmaids

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expected the bridegroom to come. And some of

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you are thinking, well, what's with this imagery?

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Well, the church is called in the Bible, the

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bridesmaid. And Jesus is called the groom. Now

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in Jesus' time, the brides would all gather at

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the house of the bride, and then the groom would

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come to that house to pick them up and take them

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back to his father's house for the ceremony.

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Now in this story, all ten bridesmaids looked

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prepared on the outside, meaning they dressed

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the part. But when the moment finally arrived,

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only five were truly ready. So this first parable

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invites us to ask a deeply personal question.

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If Jesus returned today, would I be ready? Would

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I be ready? Because we have to understand readiness

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isn't about fear. These parables, they're not

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about turn or burn. It's about faithfully following

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Jesus every single day. And as we walk through

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these parables, we'll discover what it looks

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like to live prepared for Jesus' return, which

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leads us to our first truth. A relationship with

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Jesus requires personal responsibility. Personal

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responsibility. Let's jump in. Matthew 25, verses

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1 through 4. And five were wise. The five who

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were foolish didn't take enough oil for their

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lambs, but the other five were wise enough to

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take along extra oil. So we just read five of

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the bridesmaids were ready. These bridesmaids

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were prepared for the groom's return. They even

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brought extra oil with them. And please understand

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this oil simply represents a life that is genuinely

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ready for Jesus. So when Jesus, the groom, arrived

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to pick them up, they would be taken to the party.

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They would be welcomed into God's kingdom. Then

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Jesus describes the other five bridesmaids in

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the story that were not living their lives prepared

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for Jesus' return. In other words, they were

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making excuses. Ah, he isn't coming today. I

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have a schedule to follow. And this week, it's

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just not a good time. I'm busy. I have to graduate

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from school. I have to focus on my family. I'm

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raising young children. I have to grow my business.

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There's plenty of time for me to get ready. Or

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maybe they were thinking, I'm a good person.

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I go to church. I read my Bible every now and

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then. I pray when there is a need. Again, all

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excuses, if you will, that showed that these

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five bridesmaids were not prepared. Paul challenges

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us with these words in 2 Corinthians 13 5. Examine

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yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test

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yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ

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is among you. If not, you have failed the test

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of genuine faith. See, the difference between

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the wise and the foolish wasn't that one group

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expected the bridegroom and the other didn't.

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All ten expected The bridegroom. The difference

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was the one group prepared for his arrival or

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his return, while the other assumed that they

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had more time. See, Jesus isn't simply asking,

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do you believe I'm coming? He's asking, will

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I find you ready when I do come? Setting the

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table for the next two, which leads us to our

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second parable, the parable of the talents, which

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is about faithfully following Jesus while waiting

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for his return. And it follows immediately after

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the parable of the ten bridesmaids because it

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shifts then the focus from be ready, church,

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to it's time to be faithful. The first parable

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asks, will you be ready? The second parable asks,

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What are you doing while you wait? Which leads

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us to our second truth. God has entrusted every

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one of us with talents. Let's jump in. Matthew

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25, 14 through 18. Again, the kingdom of heaven

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can be illustrated by the story of a man going

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on a long trip. He called together his servants

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and entrusted his money to them while he was

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gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two

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bags of silver to another, one bag of silver

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to the last, dividing it in proportion to their

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abilities. He then left on his trip. The servant

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who received the five bags of silver began to

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invest the money and earn five more. The servant

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with two bags of silver also went to work and

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earned two more. But the servant who received

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one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and

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hid the master's money. So in Jesus' time, a

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talent was, of course, a measurement of money.

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In today's world, one talent was the equivalent

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of $15 ,000. So we just learned that to the first

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servant, he gave $75 ,000. To the second, $30

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,000. And to the third, $15 ,000. But he told

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all of them. Hey, I'm leaving. Now some of you

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are thinking, what's the symbolic meaning here?

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Remember, Jesus returned to the Father, right?

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He went away after he had risen. But then he

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promised he's going to come again, just like

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the master who promises to return. And when the

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master returned, he wanted to see what they did

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with the money. What did the master desire? He

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desired that they invested the money, that they

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would receive a gain on their investment while

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he was away, that there would be more made. Now

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the master gave different amounts, but every

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servant received something valuable. Church,

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God has uniquely given and entrusted each of

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us with gifts. We all have gifts. opportunities,

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relationships, resources, influence, and the

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good news, because you are hearing it proclaimed

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today. We have to guard against comparing our

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assignments with someone else, right? We all

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are uniquely created. We all have unique talents

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and gifts and resources at our disposal. And

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God has given each of us those talents to use

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for his kingdom once we are in a relationship

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with him. The faithful servants, right, they

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didn't merely protect the money. They didn't

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bury it in the ground. What did they do? They

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invested it. They gave it away. They understood

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that what was entrusted or given to them was

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meant to produce more fruit. Faith is more than

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believing. It's living it. And God calls for

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us, if you're in a relationship with him, to

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smile, to be positive, to serve, to love, to

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give, to pray for others, to share our Jesus

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stories, to give it away, to constantly be a

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beacon of light to this world. See, if we play

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it safe and we bury or we don't use our talents,

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right, God has given us The idea that we're not

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being faithful. We're not being entrusted with

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what he has given us. Now James says it this

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way in James chapter 2. So you see, faith by

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itself isn't enough unless it produces good deeds.

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It is dead and useless. Now someone may argue

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some people have faith, others have good deeds.

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But I say, how can you show me your faith if

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you don't have good deeds? I will show you my

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faith by my good deeds. You say you have faith

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for you believe there is one God. Good for you.

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Even the demons believe this and they tremble

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in terror. How foolish. Can't you see that faith

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without good deeds is useless? So the challenge

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here to see is that if we're in a relationship

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with Jesus, yes, we believe he is the son of

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God. We have entrusted him with our life. But

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are there deeds coming out of our faith? Or are

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we simply proclaiming that Jesus is Lord and

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then living a different life through the week?

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Which leads us to our third parable, the parable

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of the sheep and the goats, where we'll spend

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a majority of our time. So we just learned that

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Jesus was teaching his followers to be ready,

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the ten bridesmaids, to be faithful with the

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talents that God had given them, the parable

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of the talents. And Jesus sums it all up and

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concludes these stories by teaching them to be

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compassionate. To be compassionate. See, genuine

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faith is revealed by the way we treat other people.

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Especially those in need. And we're going to

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learn that when Jesus returns, he's going to

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gather together all the nations. That means everyone

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in the world will be standing before him. And

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we learn that he's going to separate the people

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the way a shepherd separates the sheep from the

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goats. Now, at first glance, the two groups look

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very similar. They, in fact, occupied the same

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fields. They lived alongside one another. But

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the shepherd knew the difference. And that's

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the heart of this passage that Jesus is trying

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to get us to see. He isn't asking whether we

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attended church, we read enough of the Bible,

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or we claim to follow him. He's revealing to

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us that genuine faith always leaves a legacy.

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That you're leaving behind something else for

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another person to follow. Why? Because a transformed

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heart produces transformed actions. See, the

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surprising question in this passage isn't, did

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you believe? It's, How did your faith show up

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in the way you treated other people? Because

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the way we respond to those who are hungry, lonely,

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hurting, forgotten, and vulnerable reveals something

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much deeper. It reveals whether we've truly encountered

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Jesus or not. And this morning, Jesus invites

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us to examine our lives. Not to earn his love.

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But to ask yourself a simple question as we jump

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into this third and final parable, if someone

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watched the way I treated people, would they

00:16:26.240 --> 00:16:29.820
see Jesus in me? Which leads us to our third

00:16:29.820 --> 00:16:34.039
truth. Our love for Jesus is revealed in how

00:16:34.039 --> 00:16:37.840
we love others. Continuing in Matthew 25, verses

00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:41.200
32 to 36, all the nations, here it is, will be

00:16:41.200 --> 00:16:43.460
gathered in his presence, meaning everyone will

00:16:43.460 --> 00:16:46.539
stand before him. He will separate the people

00:16:46.539 --> 00:16:48.379
as the shepherd separates the sheep from the

00:16:48.379 --> 00:16:50.860
goats. He will place the sheep at his right and

00:16:50.860 --> 00:16:53.220
the goats at his left. And please understand

00:16:53.220 --> 00:16:56.100
that the right hand of God is the blessing of

00:16:56.100 --> 00:16:58.580
God. All throughout the Bible, you see anytime

00:16:58.580 --> 00:17:00.539
it's referred to the right hand, it's the blessing.

00:17:00.580 --> 00:17:02.840
It's not against left -handers. We love left

00:17:02.840 --> 00:17:05.359
-handers. Okay, they're great pitchers. But in

00:17:05.359 --> 00:17:09.119
the Bible, the right hand of God is the blessing

00:17:09.119 --> 00:17:11.880
of God. Then the king will say to those on his

00:17:11.880 --> 00:17:14.960
right, come you who are blessed by my father,

00:17:15.019 --> 00:17:17.440
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from this

00:17:17.440 --> 00:17:20.240
creation of the world. For I was hungry and you

00:17:20.240 --> 00:17:22.259
fed me. I was thirsty, you gave me a drink. I

00:17:22.259 --> 00:17:24.099
was a stranger and you invited me into your home.

00:17:24.420 --> 00:17:26.819
I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick

00:17:26.819 --> 00:17:28.519
and you cared for me. I was in prison and you

00:17:28.519 --> 00:17:32.240
visited me. And we have to understand that sheep

00:17:32.240 --> 00:17:35.380
weren't serving to earn their salvation. I'm

00:17:35.380 --> 00:17:38.569
not in any way saying that. They were serving

00:17:38.569 --> 00:17:42.430
because their hearts had been changed. In fact,

00:17:42.430 --> 00:17:44.890
they'd been transformed. And their compassion

00:17:44.890 --> 00:17:48.630
was the evidence of their genuine faith. It's

00:17:48.630 --> 00:17:53.089
real easy to say, hey, I love Jesus. In fact,

00:17:53.130 --> 00:17:55.569
it's real easy to say, I love Jesus in today's

00:17:55.569 --> 00:17:58.829
culture. Even Joe Rogan's going to church. You

00:17:58.829 --> 00:18:00.410
know what I mean? Joe Rogan's a cool dude, and

00:18:00.410 --> 00:18:03.849
I hope I see him in the kingdom one day. But

00:18:03.849 --> 00:18:06.049
suddenly when these celebrities begin to say,

00:18:06.150 --> 00:18:08.049
oh, I'm going to church. I love Jesus. It's real

00:18:08.049 --> 00:18:11.390
easy to say I love Jesus. But it's harder to

00:18:11.390 --> 00:18:16.289
demonstrate that love through compassion. See,

00:18:16.369 --> 00:18:19.769
every act of kindness becomes an act of worship

00:18:19.769 --> 00:18:23.230
when it's done for Jesus. Now, yesterday, as

00:18:23.230 --> 00:18:26.549
you heard, was our backpack giveaway. Believe

00:18:26.549 --> 00:18:29.069
it or not, that's the first backpack giveaway

00:18:29.069 --> 00:18:33.319
I've been to in four years. Don't judge me. Okay?

00:18:33.920 --> 00:18:36.140
I know it's our biggest outreach of the year.

00:18:36.240 --> 00:18:39.680
I know we give away thousands of backpacks. But

00:18:39.680 --> 00:18:42.579
that's typically when I'm on vacation. But this

00:18:42.579 --> 00:18:44.779
year, I hadn't gone on vacation yet. I'm not

00:18:44.779 --> 00:18:47.920
leaving until next Saturday. So I had the opportunity

00:18:47.920 --> 00:18:51.880
to be a part. And I showed up early. And the

00:18:51.880 --> 00:18:54.160
cool thing is, the first thing I had to do was

00:18:54.160 --> 00:18:56.799
repair the plant wall. Because it had fallen

00:18:56.799 --> 00:19:00.259
down that evening. So I was on a ladder fixing

00:19:00.259 --> 00:19:02.539
a plant wall and quickly discovered it was 9

00:19:02.539 --> 00:19:04.980
o 'clock. So I grabbed a cup of coffee, stepped

00:19:04.980 --> 00:19:08.539
back, and watched. And the first thing I saw

00:19:08.539 --> 00:19:10.660
was a line of people that wrapped all the way

00:19:10.660 --> 00:19:13.119
around our building. In fact, that line began

00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:17.380
at 6 a .m., I learned. But the interesting thing

00:19:17.380 --> 00:19:20.109
about our line... wasn't that the people were

00:19:20.109 --> 00:19:22.490
just standing out there doing nothing. We had

00:19:22.490 --> 00:19:25.049
a whole team of greeters out there making eye

00:19:25.049 --> 00:19:28.890
contact, introducing themselves, asking them

00:19:28.890 --> 00:19:31.630
if they needed prayer, and just being Jesus to

00:19:31.630 --> 00:19:35.549
everyone in the line. From that point, they got

00:19:35.549 --> 00:19:38.109
to the front door. And to the front door, more

00:19:38.109 --> 00:19:41.009
greeters greeted them, welcomed them to our community

00:19:41.009 --> 00:19:43.410
of faith, and then gave them to another person

00:19:43.410 --> 00:19:45.250
where they got a ticket and quickly came into

00:19:45.250 --> 00:19:47.630
our auditorium where there was literally thousands

00:19:47.630 --> 00:19:50.509
of backpacks laid out in these chairs. And every

00:19:50.509 --> 00:19:53.670
child that came, more than 800 given away yesterday,

00:19:53.930 --> 00:19:56.769
probably our largest single backpack giveaway

00:19:56.769 --> 00:19:59.269
to give away that many backpacks to children.

00:20:00.029 --> 00:20:02.950
And from this room, they would go out into the

00:20:02.950 --> 00:20:05.809
cafe, not the cafeteria, Nolan, I corrected you

00:20:05.809 --> 00:20:11.029
and I love you, but it's the cafe, where there

00:20:11.029 --> 00:20:13.869
was literally thousands of books piled up on

00:20:13.869 --> 00:20:16.210
tables. And by the end of the day, just about

00:20:16.210 --> 00:20:19.349
every one of those books were gone. They moved

00:20:19.349 --> 00:20:21.750
from the tables into the A -frame or our youth

00:20:21.750 --> 00:20:25.130
room, where there was literally hundreds of shoes.

00:20:25.819 --> 00:20:30.200
clothes, jackets, you name it, that room was

00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:33.539
packed. And the interesting thing about the backpack

00:20:33.539 --> 00:20:36.559
giveaway for me yesterday was everywhere I went,

00:20:36.599 --> 00:20:41.579
I couldn't stop crying. I began crying when I

00:20:41.579 --> 00:20:44.759
saw everybody coming in. I walked in here and

00:20:44.759 --> 00:20:50.839
we had our last year's day of rest video playing

00:20:50.839 --> 00:20:54.900
about the story of where Hub City came from through

00:20:54.900 --> 00:20:57.599
20 years of existence. So I'd walk in here watching

00:20:57.599 --> 00:20:59.920
kids getting backpacked, start crying again.

00:21:00.140 --> 00:21:03.019
I'd end up in the room where people were getting

00:21:03.019 --> 00:21:06.660
clothes and shoes. And I began to weep because

00:21:06.660 --> 00:21:10.700
I realized we are taking the stuff that we don't

00:21:10.700 --> 00:21:14.519
want or no longer use and people treat it as

00:21:14.519 --> 00:21:17.420
treasure. There was literally families leaving

00:21:17.420 --> 00:21:20.759
with boxes of clothes and shoes that would have

00:21:20.759 --> 00:21:24.809
otherwise been discarded. And for them, it was

00:21:24.809 --> 00:21:27.170
a treasure that would impact their life and their

00:21:27.170 --> 00:21:31.089
kids' lives for this upcoming school year. I

00:21:31.089 --> 00:21:33.750
then moved into the kids' worship room where

00:21:33.750 --> 00:21:37.230
there was haircuts happening everywhere. I began

00:21:37.230 --> 00:21:41.670
to cry again because literally a child was receiving

00:21:41.670 --> 00:21:45.740
his first ever haircut. How did I know that?

00:21:45.859 --> 00:21:48.779
Well, dad had to hold his hand and convince him

00:21:48.779 --> 00:21:50.819
that his head wasn't going to get cut off. He

00:21:50.819 --> 00:21:54.700
was literally screaming, I don't want to do this.

00:21:56.660 --> 00:21:59.779
Dad was like, and he was speaking in Spanish,

00:21:59.880 --> 00:22:02.279
of course, so I can't relay that to you. But

00:22:02.279 --> 00:22:03.759
I'm sure he was saying, it's going to be okay.

00:22:04.079 --> 00:22:07.200
It's just your hair. It's no big deal. And again,

00:22:07.279 --> 00:22:10.099
I found myself crying because we had eight different

00:22:10.099 --> 00:22:13.779
hairstylists. giving children literally haircuts,

00:22:13.900 --> 00:22:17.900
some that received their first ever one. Yeah,

00:22:17.980 --> 00:22:21.299
it was amazing. And then it didn't end there.

00:22:21.359 --> 00:22:24.180
They went out that door into up by the house

00:22:24.180 --> 00:22:26.559
where we had blow -ups. Oh, and did I mention

00:22:26.559 --> 00:22:30.220
we gave away 1 ,200 hot dogs and water bottles

00:22:30.220 --> 00:22:35.660
and bags of chips to every single person that

00:22:35.660 --> 00:22:39.359
came. And I guess the biggest impact on my life

00:22:39.359 --> 00:22:42.440
and being a part of this backpack giveaway was

00:22:42.440 --> 00:22:45.400
everywhere I went, there was nothing but smiles.

00:22:46.359 --> 00:22:49.980
Everyone was smiling and happy. And I'm telling

00:22:49.980 --> 00:22:52.920
you that story because I am part of a community

00:22:52.920 --> 00:22:57.000
of faith that is systematically making a difference

00:22:57.000 --> 00:23:03.789
in the tri -state area. Because see, those backpacks,

00:23:03.789 --> 00:23:05.210
and some of you are like, well, Chris, how many

00:23:05.210 --> 00:23:08.289
backpacks do we collect? Nearly 1 ,200, okay?

00:23:08.549 --> 00:23:11.490
And you say, we only gave away 830. Yes, but

00:23:11.490 --> 00:23:13.609
there's elementary schools that are having back

00:23:13.609 --> 00:23:15.390
-to -school night, and guess where our backpacks

00:23:15.390 --> 00:23:18.329
are going? To back -to -school night. Did I mention

00:23:18.329 --> 00:23:22.890
that there's a small... independent church down

00:23:22.890 --> 00:23:25.349
on Jonathan Street that doesn't have many, many

00:23:25.349 --> 00:23:27.809
people that go to it, wanted to do a backpack

00:23:27.809 --> 00:23:30.549
giveaway next weekend. They showed up, served

00:23:30.549 --> 00:23:33.509
along with us. We gave them 70 backpacks to take

00:23:33.509 --> 00:23:36.130
with them so they can give them away next week.

00:23:37.630 --> 00:23:40.150
So not only are we going to continue to reach

00:23:40.150 --> 00:23:42.910
people and kids with their backpacks at the schools,

00:23:42.970 --> 00:23:45.809
but those backpacks are going to help that church

00:23:45.809 --> 00:23:48.609
make a difference for his kingdom where they

00:23:48.609 --> 00:23:52.819
live. In other words, a relationship with Jesus

00:23:52.819 --> 00:23:56.700
changes not only what we believe, but how we

00:23:56.700 --> 00:24:01.480
love and how we serve. 1 John chapter 3 says

00:24:01.480 --> 00:24:04.039
it this way. We know what real love is because

00:24:04.039 --> 00:24:07.039
Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought

00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:08.900
to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

00:24:09.099 --> 00:24:11.599
If someone has enough money to live well and

00:24:11.599 --> 00:24:13.619
sees a brother or sister in need but shows no

00:24:13.619 --> 00:24:16.980
compassion, How can God's love be in that person?

00:24:17.339 --> 00:24:19.740
Dear children, let's not merely say that we love

00:24:19.740 --> 00:24:22.940
each other. Let us show the truth by our actions.

00:24:23.319 --> 00:24:25.440
In other words, the evidence of our love for

00:24:25.440 --> 00:24:29.839
Jesus is seen in how we love other people, which

00:24:29.839 --> 00:24:32.759
leads us to our next truth. Compassion begins

00:24:32.759 --> 00:24:37.180
by seeing every person as someone loved by God,

00:24:37.359 --> 00:24:40.880
as someone that Jesus loves. Notice Matthew 25,

00:24:41.140 --> 00:24:44.880
35, and 36, for I was hungry. I was thirsty.

00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:50.579
I was a stranger. I was naked. I was sick. I

00:24:50.579 --> 00:24:55.519
was in prison. See, in this parable, Jesus points

00:24:55.519 --> 00:25:00.339
us to ordinary acts of kindness. Did everyone

00:25:00.339 --> 00:25:05.759
hear that? Ordinary acts of kindness. Not extraordinary

00:25:05.759 --> 00:25:09.180
miracles. You know, and quite often, the church

00:25:10.039 --> 00:25:12.019
At least the church in America that I found,

00:25:12.119 --> 00:25:14.960
they want to lean towards the extraordinary miracles.

00:25:15.759 --> 00:25:20.759
When is God going to heal the sick? When is God,

00:25:20.759 --> 00:25:23.859
right, going to get rid of that cancer or fix

00:25:23.859 --> 00:25:27.099
that torn ligament in a shoulder? I want to see

00:25:27.099 --> 00:25:29.099
that happen. That's exciting. And don't get me

00:25:29.099 --> 00:25:31.970
wrong, I love that. I believe in praying for

00:25:31.970 --> 00:25:35.450
the sick. I believe in God meeting needs. I believe

00:25:35.450 --> 00:25:38.329
in God moving mountains and allowing us to buy

00:25:38.329 --> 00:25:40.529
a parking lot. I love all that through prayer.

00:25:41.170 --> 00:25:48.210
But Jesus points out to his church ordinary acts

00:25:48.210 --> 00:25:53.490
of kindness. See, kingdom living often looks

00:25:53.490 --> 00:25:58.190
like noticing the people everyone else forgets.

00:25:58.769 --> 00:26:02.150
Everyone else just walks by, if you will. Think

00:26:02.150 --> 00:26:04.670
about the parable of the Good Samaritan. Many

00:26:04.670 --> 00:26:06.750
people reference that story as one of the greatest

00:26:06.750 --> 00:26:10.529
stories ever told. And in the story or the parable

00:26:10.529 --> 00:26:12.390
of the Good Samaritan, what did the religious

00:26:12.390 --> 00:26:16.670
people do? They walked on the other side. They

00:26:16.670 --> 00:26:20.930
avoided the man that was beaten, lying in the

00:26:20.930 --> 00:26:26.420
street, ready to die. They passed him by. But

00:26:26.420 --> 00:26:29.140
it was the Samaritan man that came alongside

00:26:29.140 --> 00:26:33.960
of him and walked through life with him. See,

00:26:34.039 --> 00:26:38.200
compassion begins with paying attention. And

00:26:38.200 --> 00:26:41.240
we need to pay attention everywhere we go every

00:26:41.240 --> 00:26:45.380
single day that we're alive. It's been an encouraging

00:26:45.380 --> 00:26:49.460
week for me. I received this email from Len and

00:26:49.460 --> 00:26:52.440
Lisa Rona who lead our community dinner this

00:26:52.440 --> 00:26:55.019
week. And I felt compelled to share it with you.

00:26:55.369 --> 00:26:58.069
When we started the community dinner, it was

00:26:58.069 --> 00:27:01.049
about making our building a space for the community.

00:27:01.349 --> 00:27:04.250
In 2021, coming out of COVID, the dinner was

00:27:04.250 --> 00:27:07.190
an opportunity for our church partners to connect

00:27:07.190 --> 00:27:09.730
in a safe environment after being isolated and

00:27:09.730 --> 00:27:13.210
separated. Then our church partners started inviting

00:27:13.210 --> 00:27:16.789
friends, especially some who were food insecure.

00:27:17.580 --> 00:27:20.359
Next, the recovery groups, Lasting Change, Wells

00:27:20.359 --> 00:27:23.019
House, Grace House, and others started coming

00:27:23.019 --> 00:27:26.660
to dinner and to church. Then there were people

00:27:26.660 --> 00:27:29.319
from the public housing buildings. Then the homeless

00:27:29.319 --> 00:27:32.859
community found out and many came to get a meal.

00:27:33.359 --> 00:27:36.480
Most recently, organizations helping special

00:27:36.480 --> 00:27:39.559
need adults have started to come and enjoy this

00:27:39.559 --> 00:27:43.359
community dinner. The dinner has grown. We wondered,

00:27:43.519 --> 00:27:46.420
okay, being honest, worried, how does it continue?

00:27:46.970 --> 00:27:49.450
But God has provided resources in the form of

00:27:49.450 --> 00:27:51.809
volunteers, free food, and reduced -cause food

00:27:51.809 --> 00:27:54.309
that has allowed the dinner to grow from a couple

00:27:54.309 --> 00:27:58.910
dozen meals to over 100 meals every single Thursday.

00:27:59.490 --> 00:28:03.049
People at the dinner even take their food to

00:28:03.049 --> 00:28:06.009
their family and neighbors who can't get to the

00:28:06.009 --> 00:28:09.490
dinner. Many years ago, Chris talked about HTV

00:28:09.490 --> 00:28:12.549
partners being in a circle, expanding out to

00:28:12.549 --> 00:28:14.390
the community. I used to always cast vision to

00:28:14.390 --> 00:28:16.609
our church when we were smaller. Hey church,

00:28:16.730 --> 00:28:19.250
we're in a circle holding hands. But we don't

00:28:19.250 --> 00:28:22.690
look at each other, we look out. Because out

00:28:22.690 --> 00:28:25.589
is where the fruit is. That's where God wants

00:28:25.589 --> 00:28:29.839
us to go and do the stuff. Gregory Boyle has

00:28:29.839 --> 00:28:32.759
a similar concept of a circle of love that expands

00:28:32.759 --> 00:28:35.819
until no one is outside of it. It seems like

00:28:35.819 --> 00:28:37.940
God is bringing more people into the community

00:28:37.940 --> 00:28:41.299
dinner, constantly expanding it to include people

00:28:41.299 --> 00:28:45.819
who would be excluded otherwise. This is not

00:28:45.819 --> 00:28:48.039
anything we're doing, but God using the community

00:28:48.039 --> 00:28:50.839
dinner to bring more people into a loving community.

00:28:51.279 --> 00:28:53.880
They went on to say, thank you for building a

00:28:53.880 --> 00:28:57.099
community of faith where such things can happen.

00:28:57.470 --> 00:29:00.269
We hope the community dinner looks a little like

00:29:00.269 --> 00:29:04.210
the kingdom of heaven. What an incredible story

00:29:04.210 --> 00:29:09.549
of what God is doing right in our midst. The

00:29:09.549 --> 00:29:11.630
author of Hebrews says it this way in chapter

00:29:11.630 --> 00:29:14.789
13. Keep on loving each other as brothers and

00:29:14.789 --> 00:29:17.589
sisters. Don't forget to show hospitality to

00:29:17.589 --> 00:29:20.430
strangers. For some who have done this have entertained

00:29:20.430 --> 00:29:23.779
angels without realizing it. Remember those in

00:29:23.779 --> 00:29:26.240
prison as if you were there yourself. Remember

00:29:26.240 --> 00:29:29.039
also those being mistreated as if you felt their

00:29:29.039 --> 00:29:33.299
pain in your own bodies. We are called to live

00:29:33.299 --> 00:29:36.240
compassionate lives, which leads us to our fifth

00:29:36.240 --> 00:29:40.859
and final truth. Faith is more than words. It's

00:29:40.859 --> 00:29:45.089
action. It's action. Continuing Matthew 25, for

00:29:45.089 --> 00:29:46.789
I was hungry, you fed me, I was thirsty, you

00:29:46.789 --> 00:29:49.130
gave me a drink, I was a stranger. You invited

00:29:49.130 --> 00:29:50.990
me in, I was naked, you gave me clothing, I was

00:29:50.990 --> 00:29:52.750
sick, you cared for me, I was in prison, you

00:29:52.750 --> 00:29:55.730
visited me. Notice, then these righteous ones

00:29:55.730 --> 00:29:59.069
will reply, Lord, when did we ever see you hungry

00:29:59.069 --> 00:30:01.210
and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something

00:30:01.210 --> 00:30:04.440
to drink? Or a stranger? Or naked? or sick, or

00:30:04.440 --> 00:30:07.819
in prison. And the king, Jesus, will say, I tell

00:30:07.819 --> 00:30:09.539
you the truth, when you did it to one of the

00:30:09.539 --> 00:30:11.480
least of these, my brothers and sisters, you

00:30:11.480 --> 00:30:15.000
were doing it for me. See, the sheep and the

00:30:15.000 --> 00:30:17.859
goats both knew about the king, just like the

00:30:17.859 --> 00:30:21.160
bridesmaids, and just like the three individuals

00:30:21.160 --> 00:30:24.359
that received the talents. But only one group,

00:30:24.460 --> 00:30:27.039
the sheep, lived differently because of him,

00:30:27.079 --> 00:30:30.380
meaning they were supernaturally changed from

00:30:30.380 --> 00:30:35.359
the inside out. And in biblical times, sheep

00:30:35.359 --> 00:30:38.339
and goats were almost indistinguishable in their

00:30:38.339 --> 00:30:41.559
appearance. Now today, we think, how is that

00:30:41.559 --> 00:30:46.140
even possible? But see, only the shepherds, right,

00:30:46.200 --> 00:30:50.539
could tell the difference of their flocks. Though

00:30:50.539 --> 00:30:54.299
they're outwardly similar, they're very different

00:30:54.299 --> 00:30:58.480
animals. Jesus frequently compares his followers

00:30:58.480 --> 00:31:01.759
to sheep, right? Why? Because they aren't intelligent

00:31:01.759 --> 00:31:04.869
creatures. And it doesn't mean we're not smart.

00:31:04.970 --> 00:31:06.849
It just means we don't use common sense and we're

00:31:06.849 --> 00:31:09.269
selfish. And they need a shepherd's guidance

00:31:09.269 --> 00:31:11.549
to survive the elements, protection, provision.

00:31:11.930 --> 00:31:15.750
But goats, goats are a light sheep. Very independent.

00:31:15.930 --> 00:31:19.829
In fact, unruly and destructive. The job of the

00:31:19.829 --> 00:31:23.329
goat herder isn't to keep the goats from harm

00:31:23.329 --> 00:31:26.109
or to keep them safe. It's to prevent them from

00:31:26.109 --> 00:31:30.170
causing damage. So what Jesus is saying to us,

00:31:30.779 --> 00:31:34.900
Right? He's saying, hey, who are you? Are you

00:31:34.900 --> 00:31:36.900
in a relationship with me? Allow me to change

00:31:36.900 --> 00:31:38.740
you from the inside out and your actions reflect

00:31:38.740 --> 00:31:43.240
that? Or are you selfish and overconfident? Want

00:31:43.240 --> 00:31:45.779
to control your own life out there destroying

00:31:45.779 --> 00:31:49.400
people like many people in the world today because

00:31:49.400 --> 00:31:53.799
of their selfish actions. Often causing more

00:31:53.799 --> 00:31:56.640
harm and messes because they're not being empowered

00:31:56.640 --> 00:31:59.680
by the Holy Spirit who's inside of them. See,

00:31:59.759 --> 00:32:01.720
following Jesus is more than attending church

00:32:01.720 --> 00:32:05.960
or knowing the Bible. Our faith should move our

00:32:05.960 --> 00:32:09.680
hands and our feet and our hearts because the

00:32:09.680 --> 00:32:13.279
Holy Spirit says it's time to serve, Matthew

00:32:13.279 --> 00:32:16.119
10 tells us. And if you give even a cup of cold

00:32:16.119 --> 00:32:18.680
water to one of the least of my followers, you

00:32:18.680 --> 00:32:22.220
will surely be rewarded. And please notice, in

00:32:22.220 --> 00:32:24.839
both of these instances, Jesus is challenging

00:32:24.839 --> 00:32:28.059
his followers to take care of his people, the

00:32:28.059 --> 00:32:31.670
church. Quite often these parables are taught,

00:32:31.750 --> 00:32:33.269
yeah, you've got to be out there serving the

00:32:33.269 --> 00:32:37.109
lost. Yes, we're called to do that. Yes, we're

00:32:37.109 --> 00:32:40.049
called to give and serve and tell our stories.

00:32:40.089 --> 00:32:43.509
But Jesus is saying, no, you need to serve your

00:32:43.509 --> 00:32:48.150
community of faith first. And that's how Jesus

00:32:48.150 --> 00:32:53.910
is going to view us when he returns. James 1,

00:32:53.990 --> 00:32:57.099
27. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of

00:32:57.099 --> 00:32:59.640
God the Father means caring for orphans and widows

00:32:59.640 --> 00:33:02.220
in their distress and refusing to let the world

00:33:02.220 --> 00:33:06.099
corrupt you. See, these parables do not teach

00:33:06.099 --> 00:33:09.480
that we are saved by acts of compassion, right?

00:33:09.539 --> 00:33:13.279
We are saved through responding to Jesus in faith.

00:33:13.740 --> 00:33:16.400
See, Jesus is teaching us that our relationship

00:33:16.400 --> 00:33:20.579
with him produces a life marked by grace. The

00:33:20.579 --> 00:33:24.799
sheep are not accepted, right? or excuse me,

00:33:24.799 --> 00:33:28.539
they are accepted because they served. The goats

00:33:28.539 --> 00:33:32.180
are left out because they chose to ignore the

00:33:32.180 --> 00:33:36.299
call. Compassion is the fruit of salvation, not

00:33:36.299 --> 00:33:40.019
the root of it, which leads to our four simple

00:33:40.019 --> 00:33:43.980
action steps to close. Daily, everyone say daily.

00:33:45.279 --> 00:33:51.660
We need to daily follow Jesus. Not Sunday when

00:33:51.660 --> 00:33:55.069
we play the part. But we need to daily follow

00:33:55.069 --> 00:33:57.089
Jesus, and the first way to do that is we submit.

00:33:57.650 --> 00:34:00.250
John 5, 24, I tell you the truth, those who listen

00:34:00.250 --> 00:34:02.789
to my message and believe in God, who sent me,

00:34:02.809 --> 00:34:05.089
have eternal life. They will never be condemned

00:34:05.089 --> 00:34:07.349
for their sins, but they have already passed

00:34:07.349 --> 00:34:11.570
from death over to Jesus and trust that his ways,

00:34:11.789 --> 00:34:15.730
right, the shepherd's ways are much better than

00:34:15.730 --> 00:34:18.630
ours. He then promises that he'll fill us with

00:34:18.630 --> 00:34:22.550
the Holy Spirit, that we live a gospel -infected

00:34:22.550 --> 00:34:27.179
life. That is submitting to God. But we have

00:34:27.179 --> 00:34:29.860
to understand, church, we can be inspired by

00:34:29.860 --> 00:34:34.400
God. We can receive revelation from God. We can

00:34:34.400 --> 00:34:38.460
be motivated by God. But if we don't apply God

00:34:38.460 --> 00:34:42.300
to our lives, it doesn't do any good. And I think

00:34:42.300 --> 00:34:44.119
I can be best summed up with this. Does anybody

00:34:44.119 --> 00:34:47.500
know what this is? It's a little deodorant, right?

00:34:47.800 --> 00:34:50.639
A little deodorant. Many of you know what it

00:34:50.639 --> 00:34:55.309
is. In the morning, we can believe in deodorant.

00:34:55.449 --> 00:34:59.489
We can purchase deodorant. We can enjoy a deodorant

00:34:59.489 --> 00:35:02.590
commercial. We can even enjoy different sticks

00:35:02.590 --> 00:35:06.110
and sprays and balms. But truth is, if you don't

00:35:06.110 --> 00:35:09.769
apply this deodorant, it's all irrelevant. You're

00:35:09.769 --> 00:35:17.969
going to stink. Same goes with Jesus. We've got

00:35:17.969 --> 00:35:20.889
to apply Jesus to our life. Ephesians chapter

00:35:20.889 --> 00:35:23.900
2. God saved you by his grace when you believed

00:35:23.900 --> 00:35:27.079
or applied Jesus to your life. And you can't

00:35:27.079 --> 00:35:29.280
take credit for this. It's a gift from God. Salvation

00:35:29.280 --> 00:35:31.019
is not a reward for the good things we have done.

00:35:31.219 --> 00:35:35.619
So none of us can boast. So my question to you

00:35:35.619 --> 00:35:39.880
this morning is, have you applied? Jesus to your

00:35:39.880 --> 00:35:41.639
life. And we're going to pause and we're going

00:35:41.639 --> 00:35:43.760
to pray a simple prayer. And this isn't to point

00:35:43.760 --> 00:35:46.019
you out if you're new here. This is simply to

00:35:46.019 --> 00:35:48.239
say this is something we do every single Sunday

00:35:48.239 --> 00:35:50.900
at HTV because we believe people that are distant

00:35:50.900 --> 00:35:54.880
and far from God are brought into our gatherings.

00:35:55.019 --> 00:35:57.239
And we're going to pray a prayer together. And

00:35:57.239 --> 00:35:59.440
we invite you, if you are distant, far from God,

00:35:59.480 --> 00:36:02.639
don't know if you believe, are wondering if you

00:36:02.639 --> 00:36:04.820
apply God to your life and Jesus to your life,

00:36:04.860 --> 00:36:07.559
this is your opportunity. Let's pray. Jesus.

00:36:08.780 --> 00:36:14.719
I'm broken. I'm worn out. I'm tired. I'm stressed.

00:36:15.780 --> 00:36:22.280
Forgive me. Make me new. I believe you're God's

00:36:22.280 --> 00:36:27.659
son. I believe you died for me. I believe you're

00:36:27.659 --> 00:36:32.780
alive today. Make me new. Fill me with your spirit.

00:36:33.860 --> 00:36:39.380
Empower me to serve others. In Jesus' name, amen.

00:36:40.159 --> 00:36:42.079
So if you prayed that prayer for the first time,

00:36:42.139 --> 00:36:45.139
see us, text us, stop by the Welcome Hub. We

00:36:45.139 --> 00:36:46.860
want to give you some next steps. More importantly,

00:36:46.960 --> 00:36:49.340
we want to get you baptized at the end of the

00:36:49.340 --> 00:36:52.280
month. But this is also the first Sunday of the

00:36:52.280 --> 00:36:54.719
month, and it's an opportunity for us to share

00:36:54.719 --> 00:36:57.119
in communion together. Every first Sunday of

00:36:57.119 --> 00:36:59.099
the month, as a community of faith, we share

00:36:59.099 --> 00:37:02.460
communion together. If you do not get an element,

00:37:02.559 --> 00:37:05.429
put one hand up. If you need gluten -free, put

00:37:05.429 --> 00:37:07.869
two hands up. Our people will come around. Just

00:37:07.869 --> 00:37:10.610
gently be quiet. If for those of you that have

00:37:10.610 --> 00:37:12.389
your elements, just prepare your hearts. And

00:37:12.389 --> 00:37:14.150
you say, well, Chris, why are you putting communion

00:37:14.150 --> 00:37:18.849
here? Well, here's why. Because these parables

00:37:18.849 --> 00:37:22.750
are a challenge to the church. Quite often, the

00:37:22.750 --> 00:37:25.429
church gets so hyper -focused on praying the

00:37:25.429 --> 00:37:29.570
prayer, which I pray every week. And after praying

00:37:29.570 --> 00:37:32.030
that prayer, they don't say, okay, God, transform

00:37:32.030 --> 00:37:35.199
me from the inside out. And these parables are

00:37:35.199 --> 00:37:38.480
a simple reminder that when Jesus returns and

00:37:38.480 --> 00:37:42.219
we stand before him, we have to be held accountable

00:37:42.219 --> 00:37:45.619
for our actions after we believe. And unfortunately,

00:37:45.719 --> 00:37:48.760
there's some believers who have become lukewarm.

00:37:48.860 --> 00:37:53.000
In fact, Revelation tells us when Jesus was challenging

00:37:53.000 --> 00:37:57.380
the church that the believers have grown less

00:37:57.380 --> 00:38:00.420
passionate. They're not serving. They're not

00:38:00.420 --> 00:38:05.110
giving. And Jesus warns them, no, come back to

00:38:05.110 --> 00:38:08.289
me. Allow your life to be a reflection of Jesus

00:38:08.289 --> 00:38:11.829
to others. So if that's you, seek forgiveness

00:38:11.829 --> 00:38:14.050
through this communion. This is a supernatural

00:38:14.050 --> 00:38:17.670
act of connecting with God. The broken bread

00:38:17.670 --> 00:38:20.570
is a shed body that was broken for us on the

00:38:20.570 --> 00:38:23.519
cross. And of course, the juice represents. His

00:38:23.519 --> 00:38:26.219
blood for the forgiveness of sins. And Jesus

00:38:26.219 --> 00:38:28.880
promises us when we turn to him, yes, we are

00:38:28.880 --> 00:38:30.579
in relationship with him. But if you're already

00:38:30.579 --> 00:38:33.179
in relationship with him and are questioning

00:38:33.179 --> 00:38:35.860
whether you're walking out these truths, did

00:38:35.860 --> 00:38:38.179
I do enough to get into heaven? And do I look

00:38:38.179 --> 00:38:40.860
enough like Jesus? Say, God, forgive me and reveal

00:38:40.860 --> 00:38:43.119
what it is that I'm not doing right. And he'll

00:38:43.119 --> 00:38:46.239
do that. He'll convict you of your sin. He'll

00:38:46.239 --> 00:38:48.679
show you people you need to serve. But you have

00:38:48.679 --> 00:38:51.619
to have a willing heart, a soft heart, and be

00:38:51.619 --> 00:38:55.019
willing to. On the night that it was betrayed,

00:38:55.260 --> 00:38:58.679
Jesus took bread, he broke it, and gave it to

00:38:58.679 --> 00:39:00.679
his disciples and said, take, eat, this is my

00:39:00.679 --> 00:39:04.599
body, which is given for you. Eat it in remembrance

00:39:04.599 --> 00:39:11.900
of me. Let's eat. Likewise, after supper, Jesus

00:39:11.900 --> 00:39:15.260
took the cup of wine. He said, this is my blood,

00:39:15.260 --> 00:39:17.739
which is shed for you and for many for their

00:39:17.739 --> 00:39:21.159
forgiveness of sins. Drink it often, and when

00:39:21.159 --> 00:39:26.150
you do, do it. In remembrance of me, let's drink.

00:39:28.550 --> 00:39:31.989
God, we are so grateful for the gift of your

00:39:31.989 --> 00:39:36.130
son. Cover us, God. Empower us. Inspire us to

00:39:36.130 --> 00:39:38.309
continue to be the change that this world so

00:39:38.309 --> 00:39:41.369
desperately needs. In Jesus' name. And we said

00:39:41.369 --> 00:39:50.010
together. Now, step one. Daily submit. Daily

00:39:50.010 --> 00:39:53.820
submit. Step two, see. For I was hungry, I was

00:39:53.820 --> 00:39:56.639
thirsty, I was a stranger, I was naked, I was

00:39:56.639 --> 00:40:02.139
sick, I was in prison. Every day that you start

00:40:02.139 --> 00:40:05.099
your journey, simply ask, God, who are you placing

00:40:05.099 --> 00:40:08.260
in front of me today? Who can I serve? How can

00:40:08.260 --> 00:40:12.960
I serve? Who can I encourage? Look and see opportunities

00:40:12.960 --> 00:40:15.519
that are in front of you. And then we serve.

00:40:16.300 --> 00:40:19.039
For I was hungry, you fed. I was thirsty, you

00:40:19.039 --> 00:40:20.980
gave me a drink. I was a stranger, you invited

00:40:20.980 --> 00:40:24.969
me in. The naked you gave. I was sick. You cared.

00:40:25.070 --> 00:40:29.090
I was in prison. You visited. I want to challenge

00:40:29.090 --> 00:40:32.130
you. There shouldn't be a week that goes by that

00:40:32.130 --> 00:40:35.110
we don't perform one intentional act of kindness.

00:40:36.389 --> 00:40:40.889
Serve others. Open a door. Smile. Pray for. Whatever

00:40:40.889 --> 00:40:44.869
opportunity you are given. Because that is what

00:40:44.869 --> 00:40:49.650
makes a difference. As we serve, people see our

00:40:49.650 --> 00:40:53.530
actions. And then as we serve, step four, we

00:40:53.530 --> 00:40:57.670
share. For I am not ashamed of this good news

00:40:57.670 --> 00:41:00.130
about Jesus. It is the power of God at work saving

00:41:00.130 --> 00:41:03.550
everyone who believes. And you say, well, Chris,

00:41:03.650 --> 00:41:06.710
I don't know enough of the Bible to share about

00:41:06.710 --> 00:41:10.929
Jesus. Yes, you do. You do. Because if you're

00:41:10.929 --> 00:41:12.750
in a relationship with Jesus, you know how you

00:41:12.750 --> 00:41:16.130
were before Jesus. You know when you met Jesus.

00:41:16.469 --> 00:41:19.110
And you know how your life is different now.

00:41:19.880 --> 00:41:21.860
And if you say, well, my life's not really different

00:41:21.860 --> 00:41:25.179
now, then I say to you, you might want to examine

00:41:25.179 --> 00:41:29.159
that heart because you very well may be a goat.

00:41:30.119 --> 00:41:33.480
And I don't want to be the person that stands

00:41:33.480 --> 00:41:37.179
in front of Jesus thinking they're okay when

00:41:37.179 --> 00:41:40.820
in reality, they're a goat. Matthew 10, seven

00:41:40.820 --> 00:41:42.579
through eight, go and announce to them that the

00:41:42.579 --> 00:41:44.739
kingdom of heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise

00:41:44.739 --> 00:41:47.659
the dead, cure those with leprosy, cast out demons,

00:41:47.940 --> 00:41:54.250
give as freely. As you have received. Okay. I

00:41:54.250 --> 00:41:57.289
want to be honest with you. I need to end this

00:41:57.289 --> 00:42:01.829
gathering in approximately two minutes. But.

00:42:02.750 --> 00:42:06.610
There's a but. I need to share a simple story

00:42:06.610 --> 00:42:10.210
with you. That overwhelmingly convicted my heart

00:42:10.210 --> 00:42:12.889
this week. That I read online. Okay. So you have

00:42:12.889 --> 00:42:17.389
to promise me parents. And people sitting beside

00:42:17.389 --> 00:42:21.559
parents. When I release, let the parents go get

00:42:21.559 --> 00:42:24.239
their kids, okay? Or I'm going to be in trouble

00:42:24.239 --> 00:42:25.960
with our kids' workers, and I love our kids'

00:42:26.079 --> 00:42:29.420
workers. So I need to share this story with you

00:42:29.420 --> 00:42:31.460
because it's going to overwhelm you with the

00:42:31.460 --> 00:42:34.059
simplicity of what it means to serve someone.

00:42:35.940 --> 00:42:40.679
I read this story on Wednesday night, and it

00:42:40.679 --> 00:42:43.960
just impacted my life so much the rest of that

00:42:43.960 --> 00:42:47.739
evening. I just buried my baby girl, and this

00:42:47.739 --> 00:42:50.159
biker stood in the rain for three hours, and

00:42:50.159 --> 00:42:53.699
I had no idea who he was. My daughter Emma was

00:42:53.699 --> 00:42:56.199
seven years old. The church was packed with family

00:42:56.199 --> 00:42:58.539
and friends and teachers and tiny classmates

00:42:58.539 --> 00:43:01.119
who didn't understand why Emma wasn't coming

00:43:01.119 --> 00:43:03.940
back. But through the window, I kept seeing him,

00:43:04.039 --> 00:43:06.599
this massive man with gray beard and a leather

00:43:06.599 --> 00:43:09.099
vest standing motionless in the downpour of rain,

00:43:09.239 --> 00:43:12.039
never seeking shelter, never leaving, just standing

00:43:12.039 --> 00:43:14.719
with his head bowed. while the rain poured off

00:43:14.719 --> 00:43:17.920
of him. Emma died five days earlier. A drunk

00:43:17.920 --> 00:43:20.300
driver ran a red light. They told me she was

00:43:20.300 --> 00:43:22.480
gone instantly. They told me she didn't suffer.

00:43:22.579 --> 00:43:25.639
They told me it was quick. Like that was supposed

00:43:25.639 --> 00:43:28.460
to make it hurt less, it didn't. The funeral

00:43:28.460 --> 00:43:30.519
was a blur. I remember the white casket that

00:43:30.519 --> 00:43:33.519
was too small, the pink flowers because pink

00:43:33.519 --> 00:43:35.780
was Emma's favorite color. I remember my wife,

00:43:35.840 --> 00:43:38.260
Sarah, collapsed beside me, unable to stand.

00:43:38.559 --> 00:43:40.780
But I kept looking at the biker in the rain.

00:43:41.579 --> 00:43:44.099
After the service, after they closed the casket

00:43:44.099 --> 00:43:47.440
for the last time, I walked outside. The rain

00:43:47.440 --> 00:43:49.539
had slowed to a drizzle. The biker was still

00:43:49.539 --> 00:43:52.780
there, soaking wet, shivering. Excuse me, I called

00:43:52.780 --> 00:43:56.639
out. Were you here for Emma? He looked up. His

00:43:56.639 --> 00:44:02.619
eyes were red. He'd been crying. Yes, sir, I'm

00:44:02.619 --> 00:44:06.239
so sorry for your loss. Did you know my daughter?

00:44:06.880 --> 00:44:09.420
He nodded slowly. Not well, but I knew her. How?

00:44:10.219 --> 00:44:12.679
He took a shaky breath. Three months ago, I was

00:44:12.679 --> 00:44:14.699
sitting on a bench outside the grocery store.

00:44:14.980 --> 00:44:18.679
I just found out I had stage four cancer. Six

00:44:18.679 --> 00:44:21.360
months to live, maybe less. I was sitting there

00:44:21.360 --> 00:44:23.519
trying to decide if it was even worth fighting.

00:44:24.159 --> 00:44:27.539
He wiped his eyes with his wet sleeve. Your daughter

00:44:27.539 --> 00:44:30.219
walked up to me, this tiny girl with pigtails

00:44:30.219 --> 00:44:33.619
and a backpack. She said, mister, you look sad.

00:44:33.739 --> 00:44:42.420
You need a hug. My throat. My throat closed.

00:44:43.139 --> 00:44:47.460
I told her, no, thank you, sweetie. Told her

00:44:47.460 --> 00:44:49.559
she should go back to her mom, but she didn't

00:44:49.559 --> 00:44:52.559
leave. She said, my teacher says hugs can heal

00:44:52.559 --> 00:44:56.780
anything, even sad hearts. And before I could

00:44:56.780 --> 00:45:01.519
say anything, she hugged me. She wrapped her

00:45:01.519 --> 00:45:06.880
little arms around me and held on. Tears ran

00:45:06.880 --> 00:45:10.429
down his face into his wet beard. Your wife came

00:45:10.429 --> 00:45:12.889
running over apologizing and said, Emma doesn't,

00:45:12.889 --> 00:45:15.769
Emma does that, hug strangers. But Emma looked

00:45:15.769 --> 00:45:18.030
up at me and said, see, don't you feel better

00:45:18.030 --> 00:45:22.250
now? He paused and the thing is, I did. For the

00:45:22.250 --> 00:45:24.110
first time in days, I felt something other than

00:45:24.110 --> 00:45:26.630
despair. This tiny girl who made her whole life,

00:45:26.769 --> 00:45:29.269
who had her whole life ahead of her, showed more

00:45:29.269 --> 00:45:32.670
kindness to a dying stranger than anyone had

00:45:32.670 --> 00:45:36.570
shown me in years. I couldn't speak, could only

00:45:36.570 --> 00:45:38.909
stand there while rain dripped from both of us.

00:45:39.239 --> 00:45:41.400
She asked my name. I told her David. She said,

00:45:41.539 --> 00:45:43.699
I'm Emma. I'm seven years old, and I think you

00:45:43.699 --> 00:45:51.179
should fight, Mr. David. Because the world needs

00:45:51.179 --> 00:45:57.159
more people in it, not less. David's voice cracked.

00:45:58.159 --> 00:46:00.380
That was three months ago. I started chemo. I

00:46:00.380 --> 00:46:03.139
started radiation. Every day when it got hard,

00:46:03.300 --> 00:46:05.340
when I wanted to quit, I thought about Emma,

00:46:05.420 --> 00:46:10.380
about this little girl. Who believed the world

00:46:10.380 --> 00:46:14.480
needed me in it? He reached into his vest and

00:46:14.480 --> 00:46:17.780
was shaking hands. He pulled out a waterlogged

00:46:17.780 --> 00:46:21.099
piece of paper. Two weeks ago, I got my results.

00:46:21.260 --> 00:46:24.380
The cancer's in remission. Doctors don't know

00:46:24.380 --> 00:46:27.380
how. They call it a miracle. He looked at me

00:46:27.380 --> 00:46:36.199
and said, I call it Emma. He unfolded the...

00:46:36.659 --> 00:46:40.840
Paper carefully. It was a child's drawing. A

00:46:40.840 --> 00:46:42.679
tall man with a beard standing next to a little

00:46:42.679 --> 00:46:45.079
girl with pigtails. Hearts everywhere. At the

00:46:45.079 --> 00:46:49.960
top in crayon it says Mr. David and Emma. Friends

00:46:49.960 --> 00:46:53.559
forever. She drew this that day. Your wife took

00:46:53.559 --> 00:46:56.820
a photo of us and Emma. And she drew it from

00:46:56.820 --> 00:46:59.380
that picture. She gave it to me the next week

00:46:59.380 --> 00:47:01.699
at the park. She wanted me to have something

00:47:01.699 --> 00:47:03.980
to remind me that someone cared whether I lived

00:47:03.980 --> 00:47:08.849
or died. I broke. sobbingly out of control. You

00:47:08.849 --> 00:47:13.429
didn't know I managed. You didn't know I managed

00:47:13.429 --> 00:47:16.889
to understand and learn about the accident. Not

00:47:16.889 --> 00:47:19.449
until yesterday I saw the obituary, saw the picture.

00:47:19.510 --> 00:47:22.809
He couldn't finish. I had to come. I had to pay

00:47:22.809 --> 00:47:24.869
my respects to the little girl who saved my life.

00:47:25.730 --> 00:47:28.210
I didn't feel right coming inside. Didn't know

00:47:28.210 --> 00:47:30.710
you. Didn't want to intrude. So I stood out here.

00:47:31.010 --> 00:47:37.559
I wanted Emma to know. Mr. David came that I

00:47:37.559 --> 00:47:41.280
kept my promise to fight. I walked over and hugged

00:47:41.280 --> 00:47:43.360
this stranger, this big rough -looking biker

00:47:43.360 --> 00:47:49.039
who stood in the rain for three hours to honor

00:47:49.039 --> 00:47:52.059
my seven -year -old daughter. Thank you, I whispered.

00:47:52.079 --> 00:47:55.840
Thank you for telling me this. The story goes

00:47:55.840 --> 00:47:59.019
on to talk about the family welcoming him in

00:47:59.019 --> 00:48:02.599
and making him a part of their family all because

00:48:02.599 --> 00:48:06.719
of a simple hug. And I want to challenge you.

00:48:07.460 --> 00:48:13.639
That radically changed my life. We don't know

00:48:13.639 --> 00:48:16.940
what people are going through. And tomorrow,

00:48:16.980 --> 00:48:19.960
you're going to meet people that may have been

00:48:19.960 --> 00:48:23.460
just given a death sentence. Are you going to

00:48:23.460 --> 00:48:26.079
be the person that encourages them and hugs them?

00:48:26.360 --> 00:48:29.480
Are you going to be the compassionate Jesus follower?

00:48:29.719 --> 00:48:32.719
Or are you going to simply walk by with a schedule

00:48:32.719 --> 00:48:36.550
that's too busy? focused on what you need and

00:48:36.550 --> 00:48:39.670
what you want and not focused on the kingdom

00:48:39.670 --> 00:48:45.130
of God. Be a difference maker and allow God to

00:48:45.130 --> 00:48:48.550
use you to transform lives. Amen? All right,

00:48:48.570 --> 00:48:51.429
parents, you got to go. Get your kids. Everyone

00:48:51.429 --> 00:48:53.570
else stay seated. There's several words of knowledge

00:48:53.570 --> 00:48:57.409
I got to share. You have pain in your left hip.

00:48:57.730 --> 00:49:00.110
You have shoulder pain in your right shoulder

00:49:00.110 --> 00:49:03.070
and you can't lift your arm. You have a fractured

00:49:03.070 --> 00:49:07.860
shin. You have sinus blockages. You're struggling

00:49:07.860 --> 00:49:11.619
with anxiety and depression. You've been given

00:49:11.619 --> 00:49:14.800
the notice that you have breast cancer. And this

00:49:14.800 --> 00:49:17.679
one's specific. There's a September 29th court

00:49:17.679 --> 00:49:20.539
date that you're fearful of. If any of those

00:49:20.539 --> 00:49:22.159
are you, our prayer to you, and by my right and

00:49:22.159 --> 00:49:24.960
my left to pray for any need that you have, this

00:49:24.960 --> 00:49:27.320
is going to be a great series. Invite your friends.

00:49:27.320 --> 00:49:30.340
We're answering your questions. Amen? All right.

00:49:30.360 --> 00:49:32.400
God bless you guys. Try to hurry to your cars.

00:49:32.659 --> 00:50:00.539
I got to get more people in. I love you. Good

00:50:00.539 --> 00:50:01.659
luck to the men of old