WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.360 I'll be honest with you, this morning, this message 00:00:04.360 --> 00:00:08.539 was the single most difficult message to start 00:00:08.539 --> 00:00:14.400 that I have written in the last 20 years. On 00:00:14.400 --> 00:00:15.919 Wednesday night, when the elder team decided 00:00:15.919 --> 00:00:17.760 that we should address the events of the week, 00:00:17.859 --> 00:00:20.059 I honestly thought it was going to be very easy. 00:00:21.120 --> 00:00:23.839 I sat down and I started typing like a madman 00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:26.719 on my laptop. The thoughts in my head just flowed 00:00:26.719 --> 00:00:29.309 out through my fingers. but they weren't in any 00:00:29.309 --> 00:00:31.910 organized fashion at all, just lots and lots 00:00:31.910 --> 00:00:34.789 of thoughts that were coming to my head as I 00:00:34.789 --> 00:00:38.929 was watching the wickedness flow across my newsfeed 00:00:38.929 --> 00:00:41.909 from the previous few days. And then came the 00:00:41.909 --> 00:00:43.649 moment where I said, I've got to start organizing 00:00:43.649 --> 00:00:45.689 these thoughts, and that's when the struggle 00:00:45.689 --> 00:00:49.689 really came. For hours, I just sat there and 00:00:49.689 --> 00:00:53.850 I stared at the screen. I was feeling this incredible 00:00:53.850 --> 00:00:56.369 heaviness of heart, and I kept thinking, where 00:00:56.369 --> 00:01:00.090 do I start? How do I make sense of the world 00:01:00.090 --> 00:01:02.109 that we live in? And I know I'm not alone in 00:01:02.109 --> 00:01:04.370 this. I talked to so many of you guys over the 00:01:04.370 --> 00:01:06.769 last couple of days, and the feelings have been 00:01:06.769 --> 00:01:09.430 raw and emotional. You may have even found yourself 00:01:09.430 --> 00:01:11.569 crying over the life of somebody you never even 00:01:11.569 --> 00:01:14.730 met before and not even really understand why. 00:01:14.870 --> 00:01:18.290 And it's okay. I was right there with you. And 00:01:18.290 --> 00:01:20.370 for some reason that I can't quite put my finger 00:01:20.370 --> 00:01:22.769 on yet, it feels like this is a pivotal moment 00:01:22.769 --> 00:01:25.200 in... the direction of our country, and maybe 00:01:25.200 --> 00:01:28.099 even wider than that, perhaps even a change of 00:01:28.099 --> 00:01:30.739 perspective across the broader Western world. 00:01:30.799 --> 00:01:33.900 We don't know for sure. Only God does, and time 00:01:33.900 --> 00:01:37.680 will tell. Here's what we do know. The flagrant 00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:40.599 evil that exists in the heart of natural man, 00:01:40.739 --> 00:01:43.680 unredeemed man, is a very real thing. Don't let 00:01:43.680 --> 00:01:47.200 anybody ever tell you otherwise. Driven by the 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:50.500 God of this age and the father of lies, it's 00:01:50.500 --> 00:01:53.849 an evil that never sleeps. It never slows down 00:01:53.849 --> 00:01:56.290 and it never stops trying to steal, kill, and 00:01:56.290 --> 00:01:59.790 destroy. And we found that it gets especially 00:01:59.790 --> 00:02:02.129 aggressive when those who are driven by a hatred 00:02:02.129 --> 00:02:04.750 for God, a hatred for truth, begin to feel like 00:02:04.750 --> 00:02:06.349 they might be losing the fight. They might be 00:02:06.349 --> 00:02:11.729 losing ground. When evil is confronted and cornered, 00:02:11.729 --> 00:02:15.810 it becomes especially dangerous. And it's likely 00:02:15.810 --> 00:02:19.770 to lash out in deadly ways. By the way, I'm not 00:02:19.770 --> 00:02:24.430 just talking about Charlie Kirk, although that's 00:02:24.430 --> 00:02:26.409 the freshest and most shocking example in our 00:02:26.409 --> 00:02:28.849 minds, and I'll come back to him in a moment. 00:02:29.270 --> 00:02:31.490 But there's so many more things we could talk 00:02:31.490 --> 00:02:34.110 about this morning, so many more mind -numbing 00:02:34.110 --> 00:02:38.389 wickedness happening in the world out there. 00:02:38.430 --> 00:02:40.949 I've been thinking about the gruesome stabbing 00:02:40.949 --> 00:02:45.469 of the young Ukrainian woman, Irina Zerutska, 00:02:45.610 --> 00:02:49.520 who was just riding a train in Charlotte. earlier 00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:51.620 in the week, murdered by a career criminal who 00:02:51.620 --> 00:02:55.419 had been jailed and released 14 times. 14 times 00:02:55.419 --> 00:02:59.939 he'd been arrested, jailed, and then released 00:02:59.939 --> 00:03:02.500 before he committed this heinous act. And for 00:03:02.500 --> 00:03:04.759 no other reason other than what he himself said 00:03:04.759 --> 00:03:07.860 on the security video because of the color of 00:03:07.860 --> 00:03:11.639 her skin. This was a young woman who fled a war 00:03:11.639 --> 00:03:15.979 zone and came to the United States to feel safe. 00:03:18.250 --> 00:03:22.509 And I can't shake seeing the video of it. I wish 00:03:22.509 --> 00:03:26.150 I hadn't seen it. The still photos of her terrified 00:03:26.150 --> 00:03:29.810 face as she slowly realizes what has happened 00:03:29.810 --> 00:03:34.349 to her. When she realizes that she's about to 00:03:34.349 --> 00:03:37.789 die alone and that nobody on that train is coming 00:03:37.789 --> 00:03:46.409 to her aid. As a father, as a girl dad, I can't 00:03:46.409 --> 00:03:50.099 tell you. How hard that was to watch. I wept 00:03:50.099 --> 00:03:53.800 over it. I wanted so badly to be on that train 00:03:53.800 --> 00:03:58.520 to protect her. And at the very least to comfort 00:03:58.520 --> 00:04:03.219 her and pray with her as she bled to death. There's 00:04:03.219 --> 00:04:06.919 more. I have in mind this couple. A couple in 00:04:06.919 --> 00:04:09.620 their mid -70s. Frank and Maureen Alton were 00:04:09.620 --> 00:04:12.759 their names. Lived in New York. Two kind souls 00:04:12.759 --> 00:04:15.060 who opened their door to a man who knocked on 00:04:15.060 --> 00:04:19.920 it. saying that he needed their help. And this 00:04:19.920 --> 00:04:22.120 man who had a rap sheet of 30 years worth of 00:04:22.120 --> 00:04:24.360 crimes, including sex offenses, took advantage 00:04:24.360 --> 00:04:27.439 of their kindness and gained entry into their 00:04:27.439 --> 00:04:31.000 home. And there he proceeded to tie them up, 00:04:31.060 --> 00:04:34.079 torture them, and stab them to death before setting 00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:37.339 their house on fire. And when the home's fire 00:04:37.339 --> 00:04:40.060 alarm system went off, notifying the local fire 00:04:40.060 --> 00:04:46.779 department, their son. A city paramedic had to 00:04:46.779 --> 00:04:50.120 arrive on the scene and discover the bodies of 00:04:50.120 --> 00:04:53.680 his burned parents. That happened this week. 00:04:56.339 --> 00:04:59.680 Just six days ago, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:02.160 two Palestinian terrorists from the West Bank 00:05:02.160 --> 00:05:05.060 pulled up to a bus stop and randomly started 00:05:05.060 --> 00:05:07.120 shooting everybody in their line of sight, spraying 00:05:07.120 --> 00:05:09.959 bullets in every direction, killing six, including 00:05:09.959 --> 00:05:14.560 two rabbis, wounding another 12. And for what 00:05:14.560 --> 00:05:19.519 reason? Because they were Jews. And if you think, 00:05:19.560 --> 00:05:20.779 well, that's on the other side of the world. 00:05:20.819 --> 00:05:23.600 Why should we care? Not only are those six souls 00:05:23.600 --> 00:05:26.680 too valuable to dismiss, but you should know 00:05:26.680 --> 00:05:30.000 that same bus route is the route that our own 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:32.800 Miles and Zariah are on each and every week. 00:05:35.699 --> 00:05:39.980 Pray for them. Pray for their safety. In the 00:05:39.980 --> 00:05:42.779 past 48 hours, I've been reminded over and over 00:05:43.980 --> 00:05:46.740 I knew I was not going to get through this. Over 00:05:46.740 --> 00:05:49.300 and over again of the worship lyrics that we 00:05:49.300 --> 00:05:52.139 so often sing together, do you feel the world 00:05:52.139 --> 00:05:58.300 is broken? And the answer is, we do. Do you feel 00:05:58.300 --> 00:06:04.079 the shadows deepen? We do. Do you get a sense 00:06:04.079 --> 00:06:05.839 that the creation is groaning under the weight 00:06:05.839 --> 00:06:09.740 of sin? And on weeks like this, we long for an 00:06:09.740 --> 00:06:13.160 end to the struggle. We long for Christ to return. 00:06:14.509 --> 00:06:21.189 To put things in order. Grab your Bibles. We 00:06:21.189 --> 00:06:23.689 started our time this morning and our call to 00:06:23.689 --> 00:06:27.149 worship in John 15. Let's open there and look 00:06:27.149 --> 00:06:31.610 at that passage once again. John 15, verses 18 00:06:31.610 --> 00:06:35.170 to 21. I know, guys, I know this message started 00:06:35.170 --> 00:06:39.629 out dark. It's gonna get darker. But I wanna 00:06:39.629 --> 00:06:41.310 encourage you to stick with me because it's gonna 00:06:41.310 --> 00:06:48.269 end in joy. Will you do that? John 15, the context 00:06:48.269 --> 00:06:50.810 here is very simple. In light of his coming arrest, 00:06:50.910 --> 00:06:53.589 Jesus is beginning to equip his disciples for 00:06:53.589 --> 00:06:56.910 a future where he will no longer physically be 00:06:56.910 --> 00:07:00.750 with them. He says in verse 18, if the world 00:07:00.750 --> 00:07:05.029 hates you, you know that it has hated me before 00:07:05.029 --> 00:07:10.490 it hated you. If you were of the world, the world 00:07:10.490 --> 00:07:12.500 would love its own. But because you're not of 00:07:12.500 --> 00:07:14.220 the world, but I chose you out of the world, 00:07:14.279 --> 00:07:18.480 because of this, the world hates you. Remember 00:07:18.480 --> 00:07:20.500 the word that I said to you, a slave is not greater 00:07:20.500 --> 00:07:22.920 than his master. If they persecuted me, they 00:07:22.920 --> 00:07:26.839 will also persecute you. If they kept my word, 00:07:26.939 --> 00:07:28.939 they will keep yours also. But all these things 00:07:28.939 --> 00:07:32.060 they will do to you for my namesake, because 00:07:32.060 --> 00:07:35.579 they do not know the one who sent me. And so 00:07:35.579 --> 00:07:37.689 we learn here that in the... In the immediate 00:07:37.689 --> 00:07:40.269 aftermath of these prophetic statements by the 00:07:40.269 --> 00:07:42.509 Lord, the world did indeed grow in their hatred 00:07:42.509 --> 00:07:47.670 for his disciples. And bridging the time gap, 00:07:47.850 --> 00:07:50.470 we can see a secondary application, that if you 00:07:50.470 --> 00:07:52.350 and I are faithful and are witness for Christ 00:07:52.350 --> 00:07:55.930 in the midst of a world that hates us, we should 00:07:55.930 --> 00:08:00.870 expect it. Jesus warned us to expect it. Let 00:08:00.870 --> 00:08:05.149 me say it again, expect to be hated. Why? Because 00:08:05.149 --> 00:08:08.709 the world hates the Christ of Scripture. They 00:08:08.709 --> 00:08:12.189 don't hate the Christ who they cherry pick from 00:08:12.189 --> 00:08:15.589 to fit their own demands. They hate the fullness 00:08:15.589 --> 00:08:18.290 of the Christ of Scripture who spoke the truth 00:08:18.290 --> 00:08:20.949 about God's law, who spoke about the penalty 00:08:20.949 --> 00:08:24.709 for sin. That's what they hate. And when you 00:08:24.709 --> 00:08:26.490 step back and you look at the two kingdoms that 00:08:26.490 --> 00:08:28.709 are active in creation, on the one hand, the 00:08:28.709 --> 00:08:30.689 kingdom of God, on the other, the system of this 00:08:30.689 --> 00:08:33.629 world that does not know God, that is what that 00:08:33.629 --> 00:08:37.929 system is known for. It's known for hatred. So 00:08:37.929 --> 00:08:39.669 as Adam said earlier, we shouldn't be surprised. 00:08:39.929 --> 00:08:44.610 We shouldn't be shocked by this. When a Charlie 00:08:44.610 --> 00:08:47.149 Kirk exposes the sin and depravity of those on 00:08:47.149 --> 00:08:49.710 the left, even while doing it with a smile on 00:08:49.710 --> 00:08:52.190 his face and with sound logic in a... what you 00:08:52.190 --> 00:08:54.330 would call a very friendly debate format, what's 00:08:54.330 --> 00:08:56.590 really happening in that moment is the enemy's 00:08:56.590 --> 00:09:01.110 being exposed. The lies are being uncovered. 00:09:02.350 --> 00:09:05.230 The foolishness is being shown for what it is, 00:09:05.330 --> 00:09:09.370 and in response, the serpent hisses, and he plans 00:09:09.370 --> 00:09:13.409 his counterattacks. Jesus said, look, if the 00:09:13.409 --> 00:09:16.879 world loves their own, And you just go along 00:09:16.879 --> 00:09:18.559 with them, they're gonna love you too. But for 00:09:18.559 --> 00:09:20.779 the true believer who lives out his faith, who 00:09:20.779 --> 00:09:23.559 speaks boldly, they will hate such a man or woman 00:09:23.559 --> 00:09:25.440 because the light of Christ shines through them. 00:09:27.299 --> 00:09:29.340 Jesus said this, right? It causes a reaction. 00:09:30.820 --> 00:09:32.919 John chapter three says, this is the judgment 00:09:32.919 --> 00:09:35.360 that the light has come into the world. But men 00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:37.320 love the darkness rather than the light. For 00:09:37.320 --> 00:09:41.299 their deeds were evil, that's why. For everyone 00:09:41.299 --> 00:09:43.320 who does evil hates the light, does not come 00:09:43.320 --> 00:09:46.029 to the light. for fear that his deeds will be 00:09:46.029 --> 00:09:49.169 exposed. They know that. It's written on their 00:09:49.169 --> 00:09:53.029 heart. They know it. So friends, it's September 00:09:53.029 --> 00:09:55.690 2025, and I'm here to tell you, evil is trying 00:09:55.690 --> 00:09:58.350 to advance in our world, and we cannot ignore 00:09:58.350 --> 00:10:01.830 it because the battle has come to our doorstep. 00:10:03.470 --> 00:10:08.750 And its target is you. I know that's shocking 00:10:08.750 --> 00:10:11.009 for evangelicals who've been around for 40, 50 00:10:11.009 --> 00:10:16.470 years. Evil's target is you and me. And we better 00:10:16.470 --> 00:10:18.769 start understanding that. Two things I'll share 00:10:18.769 --> 00:10:20.909 with you. And listen, as I say this, this is 00:10:20.909 --> 00:10:23.309 not my goal to scare you today. It's not my goal 00:10:23.309 --> 00:10:27.269 to make you paranoid. It's just to warn you that 00:10:27.269 --> 00:10:29.110 if the events of this week haven't awakened you, 00:10:29.190 --> 00:10:31.169 you need to start renewing your mind about the 00:10:31.169 --> 00:10:33.149 spiritual battle that has always been raging 00:10:33.149 --> 00:10:36.230 around you, even if you didn't acknowledge it. 00:10:36.269 --> 00:10:37.929 Truth be told, that is a battle that started 00:10:37.929 --> 00:10:41.820 in Genesis 3. And then it got more intense at 00:10:41.820 --> 00:10:45.340 the cross and at the empty tomb. We've been fighting 00:10:45.340 --> 00:10:48.039 this fight our entire lives. That's why Paul 00:10:48.039 --> 00:10:49.960 said, you've got to put on your spiritual armor. 00:10:50.279 --> 00:10:52.600 But many of us, and listen, I'll admit, I'm guilty 00:10:52.600 --> 00:10:55.200 of this too. We have brushed it off because we 00:10:55.200 --> 00:10:59.580 live in America. It's not that bad here. Always 00:10:59.580 --> 00:11:02.179 thinking, oh, the fight's somewhere out there. 00:11:02.340 --> 00:11:04.320 Well, guess what? It's not out there anymore. 00:11:06.220 --> 00:11:09.519 It's here today. And really, it's across all 00:11:09.519 --> 00:11:11.779 Western civilization, and we cannot stick our 00:11:11.779 --> 00:11:18.080 heads in the sand any longer. I'm in my early 00:11:18.080 --> 00:11:20.720 60s right now, so I can tell you there once was 00:11:20.720 --> 00:11:23.740 a time in America where we had a stable Christian 00:11:23.740 --> 00:11:26.379 foundation that made it possible to debate ideas 00:11:26.379 --> 00:11:29.740 rather than hurl threats at each other, to use 00:11:29.740 --> 00:11:32.120 actual ideas and words, not knives and rifles. 00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:35.580 There once was a time in America, 40, 50 years 00:11:35.580 --> 00:11:37.500 ago, where folks on the right and the left were 00:11:37.500 --> 00:11:40.659 not that far apart. They were minor differences 00:11:40.659 --> 00:11:42.899 that could be debated in an atmosphere of mutual 00:11:42.899 --> 00:11:46.000 respect. I don't have to tell you, that day is 00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:50.419 long gone. The world's become much more dangerous. 00:11:51.440 --> 00:11:53.919 It's all been replaced now by outrage and anger 00:11:53.919 --> 00:11:56.279 and lies, and now, as we've seen, deadly intent. 00:11:58.419 --> 00:12:00.240 So two things you should know. Number one, they 00:12:00.240 --> 00:12:04.399 murdered Charlie Kirk. for theological and practical 00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:07.080 positions, for the most part, that we agree with. 00:12:09.580 --> 00:12:12.320 He was murdered for things that you and I generally 00:12:12.320 --> 00:12:17.179 agree with. Let that sink in. You have to understand 00:12:17.179 --> 00:12:18.840 this. No matter what people say, Charlie Kirk 00:12:18.840 --> 00:12:22.840 was not some kind of radical right person. He 00:12:22.840 --> 00:12:25.179 was very much a mainstream Christian conservative. 00:12:26.700 --> 00:12:28.659 What do I mean by that? Well, he was staunchly 00:12:28.659 --> 00:12:32.409 pro -life. He boldly declared that two -parent 00:12:32.409 --> 00:12:35.669 households are the best thing for children. He 00:12:35.669 --> 00:12:37.850 wouldn't affirm same -sex marriage. He was a 00:12:37.850 --> 00:12:39.769 loyal defender of the Second Amendment and gun 00:12:39.769 --> 00:12:41.769 owners. He didn't believe that minors should 00:12:41.769 --> 00:12:44.710 be given cross -sex hormones. He thought people 00:12:44.710 --> 00:12:46.870 claiming to be trans should be redirected towards 00:12:46.870 --> 00:12:50.350 their God -given biology. He was against illegal 00:12:50.350 --> 00:12:54.370 immigration, but for legal immigration. He said 00:12:54.370 --> 00:12:56.370 that Israel had a right to exist and should eliminate 00:12:56.370 --> 00:12:59.389 Hamas for the good of the region. He affirmed 00:12:59.389 --> 00:13:02.629 the biblical roles of men and women in marriage. 00:13:05.990 --> 00:13:10.889 And for those things, he was killed. Those are 00:13:10.889 --> 00:13:14.490 not extreme or irrational positions to take. 00:13:14.629 --> 00:13:19.509 In fact, I agree with all of them. That's me, 00:13:19.629 --> 00:13:23.129 and maybe that's you as well. Yet the mantra 00:13:23.129 --> 00:13:24.990 that you heard, and you saw this all over the 00:13:24.990 --> 00:13:28.019 news, all over social media, was this. Charlie 00:13:28.019 --> 00:13:33.860 Kirk preached hate. Did you catch that? He preached 00:13:33.860 --> 00:13:36.279 bigotry and division. He was a fascist. He was 00:13:36.279 --> 00:13:40.460 a Nazi. He was a homophobe, a transphobe, a Christian 00:13:40.460 --> 00:13:44.159 nationalist, and a white supremacist. They got 00:13:44.159 --> 00:13:47.000 all of that from those positions I just shared 00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:51.059 with you. And in a leftist mind where they believe, 00:13:51.139 --> 00:13:56.330 literally, words are violence. It's fully appropriate 00:13:56.330 --> 00:13:58.970 in their minds to respond to a Charlie Kirk with 00:13:58.970 --> 00:14:03.769 violence. After all, wouldn't you physically 00:14:03.769 --> 00:14:06.950 attack a true fascist? Wouldn't you physically 00:14:06.950 --> 00:14:13.610 attack a true Nazi? That's the thinking. And 00:14:13.610 --> 00:14:16.769 the sad irony is this. In part, fascism is literally 00:14:16.769 --> 00:14:19.629 defined as one who suppresses the opposition 00:14:19.629 --> 00:14:22.570 or dissent, which is exactly what the shooter 00:14:22.570 --> 00:14:25.429 did when he silenced Charlie Kirk. What that 00:14:25.429 --> 00:14:30.409 shooter did was peak fascism. But the fact is, 00:14:30.470 --> 00:14:32.629 progressive leftism is a fanatical religion. 00:14:34.129 --> 00:14:36.830 We have to understand, this is a battle of faith 00:14:36.830 --> 00:14:40.470 traditions. Progressive leftism is a fanatical 00:14:40.470 --> 00:14:43.029 religion, and it has many illogical zealots. 00:14:44.230 --> 00:14:46.970 The pro -Palestine movement is a fanatical religion. 00:14:48.529 --> 00:14:51.980 The trans movement is a fanatical religion. The 00:14:51.980 --> 00:14:56.000 anti -gun movement is a fanatical religion. And 00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:58.740 most of them cannot be rationally argued with. 00:15:00.340 --> 00:15:03.460 How do you talk to someone who, when you say, 00:15:03.580 --> 00:15:06.440 I support the Second Amendment so that I can 00:15:06.440 --> 00:15:10.460 defend my family, they translate that as, you're 00:15:10.460 --> 00:15:16.539 fine with kids dying in school shootings. How 00:15:16.539 --> 00:15:19.980 do you talk to that person? How do you debate 00:15:19.980 --> 00:15:21.779 with somebody when you say, I think children 00:15:21.779 --> 00:15:24.419 who think they're trans should be helped towards 00:15:24.419 --> 00:15:27.460 identifying with their biological sex, they translate 00:15:27.460 --> 00:15:30.580 that as, you want all gay and trans people to 00:15:30.580 --> 00:15:38.480 be put in camps. I've seen that from prominent 00:15:38.480 --> 00:15:41.799 voices. How do you debate with somebody that 00:15:41.799 --> 00:15:43.879 when you say Israel has the right to defend itself 00:15:43.879 --> 00:15:46.539 and make war against those who attack it first, 00:15:46.759 --> 00:15:50.250 they translate that as, You support bombing hospitals 00:15:50.250 --> 00:15:52.809 and killing children and committing genocide 00:15:52.809 --> 00:15:58.610 in Gaza. This is quite literally what Romans 00:15:58.610 --> 00:16:02.629 1 describes. Those who exchange the truth about 00:16:02.629 --> 00:16:07.450 God for a lie then become futile in their speculations, 00:16:07.529 --> 00:16:12.649 their foolish hearts get darkened, and thinking 00:16:12.649 --> 00:16:16.559 they're wise, They become fools instead, and 00:16:16.559 --> 00:16:18.639 God gives them over to a depraved mind. That's 00:16:18.639 --> 00:16:21.240 the type of thinking we're seeing in our world 00:16:21.240 --> 00:16:25.360 today. And you have to know this. Each of these 00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:27.960 progressive causes is filled with adherents who 00:16:27.960 --> 00:16:30.519 are far more zealous than your average worshiper 00:16:30.519 --> 00:16:33.019 in any church. These people are willing to kill 00:16:33.019 --> 00:16:37.840 for their beliefs. We've seen it. The problem 00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:40.179 that Charlie had and why he was targeted is simply 00:16:40.179 --> 00:16:43.320 this. He was effective at what he was doing. 00:16:44.940 --> 00:16:48.659 He was making a difference. He was brilliant 00:16:48.659 --> 00:16:51.220 in his planning, his ability to communicate, 00:16:51.259 --> 00:16:54.299 just obvious common sense truths in a very logical 00:16:54.299 --> 00:16:57.460 fashion. I didn't agree with everything he said. 00:16:57.539 --> 00:16:59.360 There were things he said I would not have put 00:16:59.360 --> 00:17:01.659 it that way. But you cannot argue that he came 00:17:01.659 --> 00:17:04.500 across as reasonable and energetic and joyful. 00:17:05.619 --> 00:17:07.839 And the average fair -minded person out there 00:17:07.839 --> 00:17:13.210 said, that's a guy that's hard to dislike. But 00:17:13.210 --> 00:17:15.470 he was going into the enemy's lair, wasn't he? 00:17:16.789 --> 00:17:21.970 University campuses. And he was winning arguments. 00:17:23.170 --> 00:17:25.569 And he was winning hearts. He was drawing young 00:17:25.569 --> 00:17:30.450 men and women out of progressive leftism. They 00:17:30.450 --> 00:17:32.609 said he was using hate speech, but actually he 00:17:32.609 --> 00:17:38.630 was just using speech that they hated. And he 00:17:38.630 --> 00:17:41.559 was confident in his faith. Early on, he didn't 00:17:41.559 --> 00:17:43.319 talk much about his faith, but in the last couple 00:17:43.319 --> 00:17:46.319 years, he became very bold. And every time he 00:17:46.319 --> 00:17:49.180 was out there, he rooted what he was saying in 00:17:49.180 --> 00:17:53.259 the gospel, talking openly about his faith. And 00:17:53.259 --> 00:17:56.259 the enemy can't have that. And that's why he 00:17:56.259 --> 00:18:00.220 was taken out. The second thing you have to know 00:18:00.220 --> 00:18:01.680 is that Charlie Kirk may have been killed by 00:18:01.680 --> 00:18:08.059 a single gunman, but many, many, many of our 00:18:08.059 --> 00:18:11.680 fellow Americans wanted him dead. for expressing 00:18:11.680 --> 00:18:15.140 those opinions and for exposing the fallacies 00:18:15.140 --> 00:18:19.740 of the left. How many of you guys have seen the 00:18:19.740 --> 00:18:22.920 TikTok videos celebrating his death? If you haven't 00:18:22.920 --> 00:18:26.480 seen them yet, don't look. It will shock you 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:30.660 to your core. There just aren't words for it. 00:18:31.680 --> 00:18:36.039 Over and over again, he deserved this. He deserved 00:18:36.039 --> 00:18:41.589 to be murdered. For speaking as he does. Oh, 00:18:41.670 --> 00:18:46.049 thoughts and prayers, they mockingly say. Someone 00:18:46.049 --> 00:18:48.970 should take out his wife, too. And that's the 00:18:48.970 --> 00:18:52.670 mild stuff. I won't even share some of the more 00:18:52.670 --> 00:18:55.390 vile things that have come across social media. 00:18:56.589 --> 00:18:59.490 It'll chill you to the bone to see those posts. 00:18:59.609 --> 00:19:02.450 Literally tens of thousands of Americans dancing 00:19:02.450 --> 00:19:07.140 on his grave. And by the way, those are only 00:19:07.140 --> 00:19:11.640 the ones stupid enough to film themselves. How 00:19:11.640 --> 00:19:14.559 many more feel that way but didn't film it? 10 00:19:14.559 --> 00:19:17.380 times more? 20 times more? Is it possible that 00:19:17.380 --> 00:19:19.180 there's hundreds of thousands of Americans on 00:19:19.180 --> 00:19:21.579 the left that believe you and I would deserve 00:19:21.579 --> 00:19:26.220 it if we were murdered for holding biblical positions 00:19:26.220 --> 00:19:29.700 as we do? How many? How many more assassins are 00:19:29.700 --> 00:19:35.539 out there? Ready to be sobered? There are 19 00:19:35.539 --> 00:19:38.480 million university students in our country. The 00:19:38.480 --> 00:19:41.599 latest data from surveys show that one out of 00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:44.680 every three college students believes that physical 00:19:44.680 --> 00:19:49.380 violence is an appropriate response to what they 00:19:49.380 --> 00:19:53.140 believe is hate speech. Do the math on that. 00:19:53.180 --> 00:19:55.019 That's more than six million young Americans 00:19:55.019 --> 00:19:57.779 who would laugh and celebrate if you or I were 00:19:57.779 --> 00:20:01.559 beaten or worse based on our Christian values. 00:20:04.490 --> 00:20:06.549 And catch this, of the tens or even hundreds 00:20:06.549 --> 00:20:08.569 of thousands of social media accounts out there 00:20:08.569 --> 00:20:11.549 celebrating this assassination, they're not all 00:20:11.549 --> 00:20:15.289 college students. Some of them are adults who 00:20:15.289 --> 00:20:19.369 have no excuse for just being young and stupid. 00:20:21.490 --> 00:20:24.250 Plenty of adults, and not just pink -haired baristas 00:20:24.250 --> 00:20:27.250 with a bullring in their nose. You know, those 00:20:27.250 --> 00:20:29.329 ones are obvious. We see those ones. But this 00:20:29.329 --> 00:20:32.490 is so shocking. It's the highly committed liberal 00:20:32.490 --> 00:20:35.579 rank and file. who are saying these things. Get 00:20:35.579 --> 00:20:39.940 this, teachers. The number one group of people 00:20:39.940 --> 00:20:42.500 dancing on Charlie Kirk's grave are teachers. 00:20:44.980 --> 00:20:48.880 And then university professors and lawyers and 00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:54.799 pilots and government workers and healthcare 00:20:54.799 --> 00:20:58.059 professionals. So these are the people out there 00:20:58.059 --> 00:21:01.579 that teach your kids. who are entrenched in our 00:21:01.579 --> 00:21:04.279 institutions, who say they'll care for us when 00:21:04.279 --> 00:21:06.160 we come to the doctor, but will they if they 00:21:06.160 --> 00:21:09.359 find out we believe what Charlie Kirk believed? 00:21:12.319 --> 00:21:14.500 It's darker out there than we want to think about 00:21:14.500 --> 00:21:18.680 or admit. But it's undeniable, and it's time 00:21:18.680 --> 00:21:22.680 for us to just not be naive anymore. I think 00:21:22.680 --> 00:21:24.740 that's what this week has done to many of us. 00:21:25.759 --> 00:21:28.319 It's awakened us. There was a post on X Today. 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:32.640 that spelled out the scenario so well. Kind of 00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:35.400 sarcastic, but so true. Here's what it said. 00:21:36.299 --> 00:21:40.039 Normal people see a relatively nice guy doing 00:21:40.039 --> 00:21:43.099 a simple debate. Not a political speech, not 00:21:43.099 --> 00:21:46.599 a rally or a riot. And they see him getting gunned 00:21:46.599 --> 00:21:50.779 down in 4K. Then they see a bunch of people, 00:21:50.859 --> 00:21:55.779 even their friends, cheer and clap and dance 00:21:55.779 --> 00:22:00.569 about it. And they ask why. He was a fascist, 00:22:00.589 --> 00:22:05.029 they cry gleefully. The normal person just stares 00:22:05.029 --> 00:22:06.990 at the screen. Here's a clean -cut looking guy 00:22:06.990 --> 00:22:09.730 in a t -shirt with a microphone who's bleeding 00:22:09.730 --> 00:22:13.829 out horrifically. And it reminds them of the 00:22:13.829 --> 00:22:15.809 scared young blonde they saw bleeding out on 00:22:15.809 --> 00:22:18.250 the train just a few days ago, and a question 00:22:18.250 --> 00:22:20.589 forms in their mind. What did he do that made 00:22:20.589 --> 00:22:25.230 him a fascist, they ask. Well, he said bad things, 00:22:25.369 --> 00:22:31.579 is the response. So are you happy they murdered 00:22:31.579 --> 00:22:37.640 him for talking? Of course we are. Collapse their 00:22:37.640 --> 00:22:43.480 kid's teacher, their pilot, their doctor. And 00:22:43.480 --> 00:22:46.440 the normal person is horrified. Someone they 00:22:46.440 --> 00:22:48.779 trust their kids to, their health to, their safety 00:22:48.779 --> 00:22:51.740 to, is acting like a foaming, raging lunatic 00:22:51.740 --> 00:22:54.299 who wants people dead because they held a different 00:22:54.299 --> 00:23:00.069 opinion and talked about it. So here's the thing. 00:23:01.349 --> 00:23:03.470 This is why I say we've hit a pivotal moment 00:23:03.470 --> 00:23:06.309 in our country. The enemy's cover got blown off 00:23:06.309 --> 00:23:10.150 this week. As disgusting as all those TikTok 00:23:10.150 --> 00:23:13.670 videos were to watch, his cover is now blown. 00:23:13.789 --> 00:23:17.890 He's exposed for all to see. He can't hide. He's 00:23:17.890 --> 00:23:21.329 starting to hiss again. And the normal people 00:23:21.329 --> 00:23:25.410 of this world have noticed. So the battle's been 00:23:25.410 --> 00:23:28.420 engaged. And what should we expect now? Do you 00:23:28.420 --> 00:23:31.180 think the enemy is going to back away? It's going 00:23:31.180 --> 00:23:34.099 to get harder. It's going to get more difficult. 00:23:35.240 --> 00:23:42.019 So that's the diagnosis. Does any of that surprise 00:23:42.019 --> 00:23:44.259 you guys based on what you've seen this week? 00:23:44.319 --> 00:23:48.299 I hope not. And listen, let me just caveat. Not 00:23:48.299 --> 00:23:51.680 everybody is built to dive into all of that stuff 00:23:51.680 --> 00:23:55.319 and deal with it. I get it. My wife is one of 00:23:55.319 --> 00:23:56.599 them. Tandy's like, you tell me what's going 00:23:56.599 --> 00:23:58.940 on. I don't need to see it. You need to know 00:23:58.940 --> 00:24:01.119 your own heart, right? And maybe you need to 00:24:01.119 --> 00:24:03.539 just guard it from that stuff, but you can't 00:24:03.539 --> 00:24:05.940 be naive at the same time. You have to know what's 00:24:05.940 --> 00:24:10.299 happening out there. So how do we respond? First 00:24:10.299 --> 00:24:12.240 of all, let's make sure we ground our response 00:24:12.240 --> 00:24:14.460 in biblical truth. Let me pose a couple questions 00:24:14.460 --> 00:24:17.259 to you. Are Christians called to confront evil? 00:24:18.759 --> 00:24:21.660 Are we called to do what we can to put a check 00:24:21.660 --> 00:24:26.140 on the spread of evil? Do we see biblical characters 00:24:26.140 --> 00:24:28.720 stand against evil or do we see them acting passively 00:24:28.720 --> 00:24:33.440 in the face of evil? Well, how did Elijah respond 00:24:33.440 --> 00:24:37.380 to the wickedness of King Ahab and Jezebel? Did 00:24:37.380 --> 00:24:42.660 he stand up? He did. How did Shadrach, Meshach, 00:24:42.680 --> 00:24:44.460 and Abednego respond when they were commanded 00:24:44.460 --> 00:24:47.359 by a pagan official to fall down and worship 00:24:47.359 --> 00:24:54.319 that golden statue? They said no. How did Daniel 00:24:54.319 --> 00:24:56.539 respond when he was told by decree of the king 00:24:56.539 --> 00:25:00.319 under threat of death that he was not to pray? 00:25:02.220 --> 00:25:06.720 He prayed. How did prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah 00:25:06.720 --> 00:25:09.440 and Amos respond when they saw the ruling elite 00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:11.940 of Israel and Judah violating the covenant with 00:25:11.940 --> 00:25:17.039 Yahweh? They pointed their fingers and they pointed 00:25:17.039 --> 00:25:19.160 at the government officials and the kings and 00:25:19.160 --> 00:25:24.299 the elite and they said, repent. How did Jesus 00:25:24.299 --> 00:25:26.319 respond when Israel had turned the temple courts 00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:30.119 into a marketplace? How did he respond when the 00:25:30.119 --> 00:25:32.480 religious establishment called him a blasphemer? 00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:35.200 When they accused him of breaking the Sabbath? 00:25:35.519 --> 00:25:37.859 When they claimed he was driving out demons by 00:25:37.859 --> 00:25:42.220 the power of Beelzebub? How did Peter and John 00:25:42.220 --> 00:25:45.059 respond when the all -powerful Sanhedrin threatened 00:25:45.059 --> 00:25:49.980 them, do not preach in the name of Jesus? They 00:25:49.980 --> 00:25:53.849 stood up to it. They said, no more. Can't let 00:25:53.849 --> 00:25:58.470 evil take over. Next Sunday we'll be back in 00:25:58.470 --> 00:25:59.869 the book of Esther. You talk about the spread 00:25:59.869 --> 00:26:03.609 of evil. An edict from the king that says exterminate 00:26:03.609 --> 00:26:06.410 the entire Jewish population of the Persian kingdom. 00:26:07.990 --> 00:26:10.750 Will she and Mordecai take steps to confront 00:26:10.750 --> 00:26:16.250 that evil? Or will they just give up? I hope 00:26:16.250 --> 00:26:17.910 the answer to the questions on the screen are 00:26:17.910 --> 00:26:21.410 obvious. Because when God's people go passive, 00:26:22.500 --> 00:26:26.039 When we start to navel gaze, we start to live 00:26:26.039 --> 00:26:28.859 in silos where we just look away from evil as 00:26:28.859 --> 00:26:31.960 if I don't notice it, it won't be there. That's 00:26:31.960 --> 00:26:36.339 how we open the door to its spread. It's that 00:26:36.339 --> 00:26:38.559 kind of weakness that encourages the enemy to 00:26:38.559 --> 00:26:42.380 advance. Criminals see that kind of weakness 00:26:42.380 --> 00:26:44.140 and they take advantage of it, don't they? We've 00:26:44.140 --> 00:26:48.410 seen this. That kind of weakness emboldens progressive 00:26:48.410 --> 00:26:50.950 leftists to push their agendas, and they will 00:26:50.950 --> 00:26:53.970 push and they will push and they will push until 00:26:53.970 --> 00:26:59.170 they get pushed back. True? We've seen that in 00:26:59.170 --> 00:27:02.809 the BLM riots, in the COVID lies, in the increase 00:27:02.809 --> 00:27:06.769 of unchecked crime in our cities. And I'm going 00:27:06.769 --> 00:27:08.569 to say something provocative here. There's another 00:27:08.569 --> 00:27:11.329 group out there, and they are probing for weakness 00:27:11.329 --> 00:27:14.839 more than anybody else. In my opinion, the biggest 00:27:14.839 --> 00:27:16.700 threat the West faces right now, whether you 00:27:16.700 --> 00:27:19.839 realize it or not, is the advance of Islamic 00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:25.400 supremacy. Don't sleep on this. I know this from 00:27:25.400 --> 00:27:28.720 history. I've done too much study of the spread 00:27:28.720 --> 00:27:32.339 of Islam in the 7th and 8th centuries. From studying 00:27:32.339 --> 00:27:34.440 the wickedness of the Quran, the Hadith of Muhammad. 00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:38.460 Don't be fooled. Islam is not really a religion. 00:27:40.269 --> 00:27:42.970 It's not just a religion. It is a political ideology 00:27:42.970 --> 00:27:47.150 that always, always, always insists on domination. 00:27:48.049 --> 00:27:51.710 Always. There is no other type of Islam. No matter 00:27:51.710 --> 00:27:54.369 what people try to tell you, moderate Islam is 00:27:54.369 --> 00:28:01.950 a cover for that. It's always watching for weakness, 00:28:02.049 --> 00:28:05.849 looking for ways to infiltrate. And though Islamists 00:28:05.849 --> 00:28:08.390 despise the lifestyle of progressive liberals, 00:28:08.609 --> 00:28:11.069 they will partner with them as useful idiots 00:28:11.069 --> 00:28:16.609 to further their goals. And so we already see 00:28:16.609 --> 00:28:19.049 this unholy alliance that's making massive gains 00:28:19.049 --> 00:28:22.509 across Europe. It's making massive gains in cities 00:28:22.509 --> 00:28:25.250 in our country as well. And if they gain a majority 00:28:25.250 --> 00:28:29.569 in any Western nation, freedom ceases. By definition, 00:28:29.769 --> 00:28:34.420 freedom goes away. That's how Islam rolls. It's 00:28:34.420 --> 00:28:38.920 an ideology from the pit of hell. Don't soften 00:28:38.920 --> 00:28:43.359 it. It's an ideology from the pit of hell that 00:28:43.359 --> 00:28:46.500 only respects strength and can only be stopped 00:28:46.500 --> 00:28:49.140 by taking strong positions and drawing hard boundaries. 00:28:51.640 --> 00:28:55.920 Now, before I share some of the thoughts on how 00:28:55.920 --> 00:28:59.019 we as believers can go on the offense and take 00:28:59.019 --> 00:29:01.579 ground for the kingdom of God, let me start by 00:29:01.579 --> 00:29:04.400 sharing with you a few very practical defensive 00:29:04.400 --> 00:29:09.359 tips that can help us to combat evil. And here's 00:29:09.359 --> 00:29:14.319 the overarching principle. You have to be aware 00:29:14.319 --> 00:29:19.140 that evil is out there. It's just basic awareness. 00:29:20.599 --> 00:29:23.299 Again, not to live in fear, but to be aware that 00:29:23.299 --> 00:29:26.160 evil is out there. Peter has warned us, your 00:29:26.160 --> 00:29:29.759 enemy, your adversary prowls around like a roaring 00:29:29.759 --> 00:29:34.109 lion. He's seeking to devour, so don't be naive 00:29:34.109 --> 00:29:38.069 to it. Again, not to live in fear. God does not 00:29:38.069 --> 00:29:40.309 want us to live in paranoia like there's a bad 00:29:40.309 --> 00:29:43.170 guy behind every tree, but we should be aware. 00:29:44.490 --> 00:29:49.089 Be alert. Be wise. Be discerning. These are biblical 00:29:49.089 --> 00:29:51.869 concepts, you guys. Listen again. Be alert, be 00:29:51.869 --> 00:29:56.809 wise, be discerning. Biblical concepts. And know 00:29:56.809 --> 00:29:59.690 this, evil will use your innocence and your naivete 00:29:59.690 --> 00:30:02.970 and your kindness and your empathy to take advantage 00:30:02.970 --> 00:30:07.670 of you if you're not careful. So you have to 00:30:07.670 --> 00:30:09.690 be cautious. Even when your heart is in the right 00:30:09.690 --> 00:30:14.869 place, you have to be cautious now. Know the 00:30:14.869 --> 00:30:19.029 days that you live in. So for example, that couple 00:30:19.029 --> 00:30:22.390 that opened the door to their own killer. What 00:30:22.390 --> 00:30:27.210 red flag should have they... noticed before they 00:30:27.210 --> 00:30:30.289 opened that door? Was there another way to help 00:30:30.289 --> 00:30:32.190 this guy who turned out to be a monster without 00:30:32.190 --> 00:30:35.150 opening that door? Now, I know that there's an 00:30:35.150 --> 00:30:37.589 argument to be made from Scripture that opening 00:30:37.589 --> 00:30:40.549 that door is worth the risk to help somebody. 00:30:40.630 --> 00:30:43.869 I get that. There are always risks to helping 00:30:43.869 --> 00:30:49.130 people. But please, I love you too much to not 00:30:49.130 --> 00:30:53.450 warn you. This is not an innocent world. These 00:30:53.450 --> 00:30:57.170 days are evil. So be aware of it. In fact, Proverbs 00:30:57.170 --> 00:31:00.150 22 .3 is fitting for this. It says this, the 00:31:00.150 --> 00:31:04.750 prudent sees the evil and hides himself, but 00:31:04.750 --> 00:31:10.130 the naive go on and are punished for it. A prudent 00:31:10.130 --> 00:31:14.549 person notices evil. They take precautionary 00:31:14.549 --> 00:31:19.970 measures. The naive person who lacks wisdom ignores 00:31:19.970 --> 00:31:23.109 the obvious signs or just doesn't pay attention. 00:31:25.149 --> 00:31:27.750 This is what breaks my heart about that Ukrainian 00:31:27.750 --> 00:31:29.809 woman who was killed on the train. I've seen 00:31:29.809 --> 00:31:33.609 the video. And there were other seats that she 00:31:33.609 --> 00:31:38.029 could have sat in. Did she take note of the people 00:31:38.029 --> 00:31:41.690 around her? Because of all the people that I've 00:31:41.690 --> 00:31:43.849 seen in the frame of the video, only one of them 00:31:43.849 --> 00:31:46.569 looked dangerous. And I'm not talking about the 00:31:46.569 --> 00:31:49.690 color of his skin. That's not the issue. I'm 00:31:49.690 --> 00:31:51.650 talking about having the sense to notice when 00:31:51.650 --> 00:31:53.890 somebody is carrying themselves in a way that 00:31:53.890 --> 00:31:57.910 doesn't look right, acting in a way that is suspicious. 00:32:00.230 --> 00:32:02.910 So we all have to learn to scan our surroundings, 00:32:03.029 --> 00:32:05.529 head on a swivel, as we say, right? And then 00:32:05.529 --> 00:32:08.710 trust your instincts. That guy in the train had 00:32:08.710 --> 00:32:11.529 all the physical signs of being potentially dangerous, 00:32:11.630 --> 00:32:14.730 and yet for some reason, she decided to sit right 00:32:14.730 --> 00:32:20.890 in front of him. Last practical tip is this, 00:32:20.950 --> 00:32:24.809 and this is for parents out there. Do not allow 00:32:24.809 --> 00:32:30.549 your kids to live in the dark online. That's 00:32:30.549 --> 00:32:33.390 exactly what this shooter was doing. Moore's 00:32:33.390 --> 00:32:37.049 gonna come out, watch. His neighbor described 00:32:37.049 --> 00:32:40.430 him as a, quote, a Reddit kid, somebody who immerses 00:32:40.430 --> 00:32:46.430 himself in toxic online propaganda. 22 -year 00:32:46.430 --> 00:32:48.329 -old kid, seems to have grown up in a decent 00:32:48.329 --> 00:32:53.970 home, falls into the world of Antifa. Chatting 00:32:53.970 --> 00:32:56.470 in Discord rooms, talking about trans issues 00:32:56.470 --> 00:32:59.630 all the time. And the poison of that progressive 00:32:59.630 --> 00:33:04.349 ideology overcomes him. Soon he's arguing with 00:33:04.349 --> 00:33:06.410 his family over dinner that Charlie Kirk is a 00:33:06.410 --> 00:33:10.150 fascist. He's an existential threat to gay people. 00:33:10.630 --> 00:33:14.160 And so he goes out and he engraves. Antifa phrases 00:33:14.160 --> 00:33:18.599 on his bullet casings. Know what your kids are 00:33:18.599 --> 00:33:23.440 doing, parents. I know so many of you have young 00:33:23.440 --> 00:33:24.819 kids. You're like, I haven't gotten there yet. 00:33:24.880 --> 00:33:28.759 It's coming. Know what they're doing. Know who 00:33:28.759 --> 00:33:32.140 they're hanging out with. Check their internet 00:33:32.140 --> 00:33:36.180 history. Find out who they're talking to. This 00:33:36.180 --> 00:33:39.079 is all part of being wise and discerning and 00:33:39.079 --> 00:33:46.000 being on alert in an evil time. Now let's talk 00:33:46.000 --> 00:33:47.819 about going on offense and confronting evil. 00:33:47.940 --> 00:33:50.339 Do you know that there is a New Testament passage 00:33:50.339 --> 00:33:54.299 that tells us how to wage war? It's in 2 Corinthians 00:33:54.299 --> 00:33:59.619 10. Here's what it says. For though we walk in 00:33:59.619 --> 00:34:02.160 the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 00:34:03.000 --> 00:34:05.380 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the 00:34:05.380 --> 00:34:09.099 flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction 00:34:09.099 --> 00:34:12.679 of fortresses. We are destroying speculations 00:34:12.679 --> 00:34:15.579 and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge 00:34:15.579 --> 00:34:17.840 of God, and we are taking every thought captive 00:34:17.840 --> 00:34:23.639 to the obedience of Christ. So Christians, we 00:34:23.639 --> 00:34:28.079 don't pick up physical weapons to attack the 00:34:28.079 --> 00:34:32.440 enemy. It's not our calling. Our weapons are 00:34:32.440 --> 00:34:35.099 spiritual in nature, but notice this. They are 00:34:35.099 --> 00:34:38.849 powerful. That's Paul's point here. They're powerful. 00:34:39.090 --> 00:34:41.809 They're strong enough to take down the enemy's 00:34:41.809 --> 00:34:45.289 strongholds. Every lie, every false idea, every 00:34:45.289 --> 00:34:47.969 empty philosophy that stands against the knowledge 00:34:47.969 --> 00:34:51.809 of God, those things can be brought down through 00:34:51.809 --> 00:34:55.690 spiritual weapons, if God wills. It's not because 00:34:55.690 --> 00:34:57.670 of us, is it? Because we're not that powerful, 00:34:57.789 --> 00:35:00.010 but because of the sovereign power of God working 00:35:00.010 --> 00:35:03.460 in us and through the truth of his word. So our 00:35:03.460 --> 00:35:06.019 calling is to pick up spiritual weapons and do 00:35:06.019 --> 00:35:09.440 what Charlie was doing, engage the battle, employ 00:35:09.440 --> 00:35:11.739 the type of reasoned arguments that will lead 00:35:11.739 --> 00:35:14.260 our opponents out of their false ideologies, 00:35:14.440 --> 00:35:16.800 out of their false worldviews, and toward the 00:35:16.800 --> 00:35:20.579 truth. That's our calling, folks. That's how 00:35:20.579 --> 00:35:25.059 we wage war. We need to be resolved to stand 00:35:25.059 --> 00:35:27.300 firm in the truth, become bolder in our speech, 00:35:27.579 --> 00:35:30.679 knowing that God is sovereignly at work. He is 00:35:30.679 --> 00:35:34.090 the one empowering it. Remember, they want you 00:35:34.090 --> 00:35:37.070 to be afraid and silent. That was part of the 00:35:37.070 --> 00:35:39.469 point of the assassination. Hey, Christian, you 00:35:39.469 --> 00:35:43.869 should shut up. So we respond by becoming more 00:35:43.869 --> 00:35:48.070 vocal. Not by walking away from the debate, but 00:35:48.070 --> 00:35:50.610 by taking ground for the kingdom, drawing people 00:35:50.610 --> 00:35:54.250 away from the lies. Sometimes the most profound 00:35:54.250 --> 00:35:56.809 thing we can do as Christians is to lean into 00:35:56.809 --> 00:36:00.650 the debate and say, no more. I draw the line 00:36:00.650 --> 00:36:05.190 right here, no more. And we can do that. Listen, 00:36:05.309 --> 00:36:08.230 we can say those things in a godly way. Those 00:36:08.230 --> 00:36:10.829 things are not mutually exclusive. We can be 00:36:10.829 --> 00:36:13.969 resolved and in a godly way say no more, not 00:36:13.969 --> 00:36:17.269 with hatred in our hearts, but with a smile on 00:36:17.269 --> 00:36:19.630 our face and with true love as our motivation, 00:36:19.829 --> 00:36:22.869 with resolve and with confidence, knowing that 00:36:22.869 --> 00:36:25.429 we are standing for principles that are best 00:36:25.429 --> 00:36:28.369 for both us and for our neighbor because God's 00:36:28.369 --> 00:36:31.730 ways are always best. They're best for all of 00:36:31.730 --> 00:36:34.389 society, so why would we not stand on them with 00:36:34.389 --> 00:36:40.309 confidence? In Romans 12, Paul finishes out this 00:36:40.309 --> 00:36:42.789 important chapter, and he gives us four very 00:36:42.789 --> 00:36:44.730 important principles that we can apply here. 00:36:44.809 --> 00:36:47.469 Let me share them with you. He says, first, our 00:36:47.469 --> 00:36:50.309 inclination should always be to strive for peace. 00:36:50.530 --> 00:36:55.550 He says, if possible, if possible, so far as 00:36:55.550 --> 00:36:57.530 it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 00:36:57.690 --> 00:37:00.559 That's number one. Start there. Your inclination 00:37:00.559 --> 00:37:04.340 is towards peace. Number two, he says, don't 00:37:04.340 --> 00:37:06.840 fall into the trap of returning evil for evil. 00:37:07.860 --> 00:37:10.380 He says, never take your own revenge but leave 00:37:10.380 --> 00:37:13.000 room for the wrath of God for it is written, 00:37:13.039 --> 00:37:15.840 vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. 00:37:16.039 --> 00:37:20.039 And friends, this is critical. Okay, we need 00:37:20.039 --> 00:37:22.739 to guard our hearts from sin in this area. Because 00:37:22.739 --> 00:37:25.559 if you're like me, when you heard the news about 00:37:25.559 --> 00:37:28.539 the murder of Irina or the murder of Charlie, 00:37:28.739 --> 00:37:32.139 you wanted vengeance. That was probably the first 00:37:32.139 --> 00:37:34.139 reaction you had. And then hopefully you said, 00:37:34.320 --> 00:37:39.119 nope. But I get it. I felt it deep within my 00:37:39.119 --> 00:37:43.059 core. I wanted retribution and I wanted it now. 00:37:44.519 --> 00:37:47.599 And that's when we take a deep breath. Because 00:37:47.599 --> 00:37:49.800 that's a fleshly response, right? We take a deep 00:37:49.800 --> 00:37:53.300 breath. We can't let it overcome us. We think 00:37:53.300 --> 00:37:56.119 biblically. We pray our way through it, and we 00:37:56.119 --> 00:37:58.920 remind ourselves, no, our weapons are spiritual, 00:37:59.199 --> 00:38:03.619 not physical. Just to underscore the difference 00:38:03.619 --> 00:38:07.320 here, take a look at this picture. Look at these 00:38:07.320 --> 00:38:10.159 contrasting photos. On the left is the destructive 00:38:10.159 --> 00:38:13.420 rage of the BLM riots. On the right is the response 00:38:13.420 --> 00:38:16.389 of students on Liberty's campus. when they heard 00:38:16.389 --> 00:38:20.250 the news of the assassination. Vengeance belongs 00:38:20.250 --> 00:38:24.429 to the Lord. Let him do the work. You pray, and 00:38:24.429 --> 00:38:29.949 you step into the battle. Amen? Number three, 00:38:30.329 --> 00:38:35.030 try to win your opponent through kindness. If 00:38:35.030 --> 00:38:37.809 your enemy's hungry, feed him. If he's thirsty, 00:38:37.929 --> 00:38:40.230 give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap 00:38:40.230 --> 00:38:42.630 burning coals on his head. What did Paul mean 00:38:42.630 --> 00:38:46.550 by that last statement? Showing your enemy kindness 00:38:46.550 --> 00:38:49.289 is a means of leading them to be ashamed of their 00:38:49.289 --> 00:38:52.010 thoughts and ideas and the way they're treating 00:38:52.010 --> 00:38:54.829 Christians. If God wills it, to produce repentance 00:38:54.829 --> 00:38:58.489 in them, to show them their foolishness. But 00:38:58.489 --> 00:39:02.050 you do it with kindness and by serving them. 00:39:03.769 --> 00:39:05.829 And then number four, this is sort of the summary. 00:39:06.409 --> 00:39:10.150 Do not be overcome by evil, and that's important. 00:39:10.329 --> 00:39:14.800 Do not let evil overtake you. Stand firm. but 00:39:14.800 --> 00:39:19.559 overcome evil with good. We overcome evil. We 00:39:19.559 --> 00:39:22.559 get triumph over evil through these positive 00:39:22.559 --> 00:39:26.199 steps that show the character of Christ and his 00:39:26.199 --> 00:39:29.539 work. We put it on display for our opponents 00:39:29.539 --> 00:39:32.699 to see. In John 15, we saw that the world is 00:39:32.699 --> 00:39:35.019 known for its hatred. We're to be known as the 00:39:35.019 --> 00:39:40.780 opposite for our love. That's how we win. Now, 00:39:40.800 --> 00:39:42.139 what does that look like practically, right? 00:39:42.219 --> 00:39:43.739 Because this is great stuff, right? This is great, 00:39:43.880 --> 00:39:46.760 giant theological stuff. I already know some 00:39:46.760 --> 00:39:48.480 of you guys, because we've been talking in recent 00:39:48.480 --> 00:39:49.980 days, and you're like, yeah, but give me the 00:39:49.980 --> 00:39:53.099 real stuff. Like, what do I do tomorrow? Okay. 00:39:54.519 --> 00:39:58.719 At its foundation, it means, first of all, every 00:39:58.719 --> 00:40:02.940 single one of us focusing on the basics of the 00:40:02.940 --> 00:40:06.420 Christian life. We commit to stop being lazy, 00:40:06.539 --> 00:40:11.199 stop being passive, Stop being apathetic about 00:40:11.199 --> 00:40:14.119 the Christian life. And we get into the battle. 00:40:15.619 --> 00:40:19.260 Dive into the life of your church. Engage in 00:40:19.260 --> 00:40:21.880 deep fellowship with other believers. Commit 00:40:21.880 --> 00:40:24.579 to spiritual growth in your life. Serve other 00:40:24.579 --> 00:40:29.000 people. Resist selfish living. Worship, study, 00:40:29.280 --> 00:40:32.300 pray. Commit to the habit of communion. Make 00:40:32.300 --> 00:40:35.079 wise and careful choices in how you spend your 00:40:35.079 --> 00:40:40.239 free time. Those are the basics, friends. I mean, 00:40:40.260 --> 00:40:42.239 if you wanted something spectacular, I'm just 00:40:42.239 --> 00:40:43.739 telling you, if you want to be in the battle, 00:40:43.840 --> 00:40:46.260 start there. Start with the basics in your life. 00:40:49.380 --> 00:40:52.340 Recognize that you're in the battle. I mean, 00:40:52.360 --> 00:40:54.679 are you all standing on the sidelines going, 00:40:54.800 --> 00:40:57.000 well, someday God will recruit me and maybe I'll 00:40:57.000 --> 00:41:01.280 jump into it? You're in it. You're the target. 00:41:01.400 --> 00:41:05.260 You're in the battle. So take this stuff seriously. 00:41:07.280 --> 00:41:09.679 Put your hand to the plow. Do the hard work. 00:41:10.719 --> 00:41:13.219 Do the necessary things. While other people are 00:41:13.219 --> 00:41:16.619 coasting, you swim upstream. And you commit to 00:41:16.619 --> 00:41:19.440 it. And then you go to the next level. Become 00:41:19.440 --> 00:41:22.980 outspoken about the beauty of the gospel in your 00:41:22.980 --> 00:41:25.860 life. Tell people how it's changed you. Show 00:41:25.860 --> 00:41:28.480 them what it means to know Christ. Lean into 00:41:28.480 --> 00:41:31.239 hard conversations with people. Challenge false 00:41:31.239 --> 00:41:35.480 ideas in love. Call sin, sin. Call what is evil, 00:41:35.519 --> 00:41:38.219 evil. And at the same time, extend kindness and 00:41:38.219 --> 00:41:41.900 grace to those who are seeking the truth. These 00:41:41.900 --> 00:41:44.539 are basic principles, guys, but are we putting 00:41:44.539 --> 00:41:49.460 them into practice? See your vocation as kingdom 00:41:49.460 --> 00:41:54.460 work. When you can, speak up in the workplace. 00:41:54.579 --> 00:41:57.179 Put yourself out there. And then speak up in 00:41:57.179 --> 00:41:58.820 the public square if you have an opportunity. 00:41:59.139 --> 00:42:02.679 We have an evangelism table called Ambassadors 00:42:02.679 --> 00:42:05.829 Well. That's at the mall once or twice a week. 00:42:08.909 --> 00:42:11.550 And sometimes we have a hard time getting people 00:42:11.550 --> 00:42:17.530 to volunteer. Confronting evil means being willing 00:42:17.530 --> 00:42:20.250 to put yourself out there to endure the pressure 00:42:20.250 --> 00:42:22.050 and the heat that comes with your witness for 00:42:22.050 --> 00:42:25.750 Christ. That's the battle. And then I'm going 00:42:25.750 --> 00:42:27.730 to cast a giant vision for you. In the ultimate 00:42:27.730 --> 00:42:30.170 sense, think long term. You want to be in the 00:42:30.170 --> 00:42:32.090 spiritual battle? You want to win victories? 00:42:32.369 --> 00:42:37.230 Get married. and have children, and then grandchildren, 00:42:37.530 --> 00:42:40.750 and raise them in the fear and the admonition 00:42:40.750 --> 00:42:43.489 of the Lord. Put an emphasis on a biblical marriage 00:42:43.489 --> 00:42:45.869 that pleases God, that serves as a witness to 00:42:45.869 --> 00:42:48.429 the world. Pass down your faith and your values 00:42:48.429 --> 00:42:51.289 to future generations. Leave a legacy that other 00:42:51.289 --> 00:42:55.030 people want to emulate. This is all part of overcoming 00:42:55.030 --> 00:42:57.349 evil. There's spiritual battles that are won 00:42:57.349 --> 00:43:00.170 by discipline, faithfulness, and courage. And 00:43:00.170 --> 00:43:02.809 what if we had a whole army? of men and women 00:43:02.809 --> 00:43:06.530 who did that all at once together, charging the 00:43:06.530 --> 00:43:15.429 gates of hell. Speaking of overcoming evil with 00:43:15.429 --> 00:43:20.170 good, I'm gonna invite Adam to come to the pulpit 00:43:20.170 --> 00:43:23.369 and he's gonna share something about how we here 00:43:23.369 --> 00:43:25.530 at Oak Hill are playing our part as a church 00:43:25.530 --> 00:43:28.789 right now in the spiritual battle. And I'm super 00:43:28.789 --> 00:43:30.690 excited about it. I'm just gonna share with you. 00:43:35.599 --> 00:43:38.519 Thank you, Jeff. And church family, I pray you're 00:43:38.519 --> 00:43:41.860 encouraged as hard as it is to be reminded about 00:43:41.860 --> 00:43:44.400 the problem of evil. It's important that we don't 00:43:44.400 --> 00:43:47.900 turn our eyes away. We need to see what evil 00:43:47.900 --> 00:43:49.780 is. And I've often said, many of you have heard 00:43:49.780 --> 00:43:53.000 me say it from here, from the pulpit, in small 00:43:53.000 --> 00:43:56.239 groups, in personal discipleship, that we are 00:43:56.239 --> 00:44:01.480 a soft people. A soft people. We don't see the 00:44:01.480 --> 00:44:04.380 hardship. And that's not an accusation. It's 00:44:04.380 --> 00:44:08.219 not any meanness that I say that. But we don't 00:44:08.219 --> 00:44:11.260 see the suffering and the evil regularly. We 00:44:11.260 --> 00:44:13.480 live a soft life and we're often guarded from 00:44:13.480 --> 00:44:16.679 the hardships and realities. So it is, as hard 00:44:16.679 --> 00:44:20.559 as it is, it is actually a grace to see the world 00:44:20.559 --> 00:44:24.900 for what it is. To see the reality of the spiritual 00:44:24.900 --> 00:44:30.300 realm and then, then to respond faithfully and 00:44:30.300 --> 00:44:34.059 to see that God is still at work. amidst all 00:44:34.059 --> 00:44:38.320 the evil. Evil has a day, but it does not have 00:44:38.320 --> 00:44:43.219 eternity. Amen? Here's some of the good. We focused 00:44:43.219 --> 00:44:48.059 on raising $9 ,000 for a church in Madagascar. 00:44:48.099 --> 00:44:50.840 That was our goal. And we were several thousand 00:44:50.840 --> 00:44:55.000 under that goal until last Sunday. And providentially, 00:44:55.119 --> 00:44:57.579 Jeff Steele, Remington, who's recovering from 00:44:57.579 --> 00:45:00.179 knee surgery today, gave a sermon that involved 00:45:00.179 --> 00:45:02.219 giving. Now, I can tell you that was not planned. 00:45:02.889 --> 00:45:04.969 He said it, but I'm telling you from the elder 00:45:04.969 --> 00:45:07.289 team, it was not planned. That was not our emphasis. 00:45:07.389 --> 00:45:09.210 We were not trying to guilt anyone. We were not 00:45:09.210 --> 00:45:12.349 trying to push you to give out of any compulsion 00:45:12.349 --> 00:45:16.190 other than Christ. And yet God superintended 00:45:16.190 --> 00:45:17.510 and organized that. He was supposed to deliver 00:45:17.510 --> 00:45:21.429 that sermon several weeks earlier, in fact. But 00:45:21.429 --> 00:45:25.489 in God's kindness and in the faithfulness of 00:45:25.489 --> 00:45:29.690 this church body, we raised more than $9 ,000. 00:45:31.210 --> 00:45:35.730 We raised 13 ,500. Yes, you can clap. You can 00:45:35.730 --> 00:45:41.349 be excited about that. Think about this. This 00:45:41.349 --> 00:45:43.449 other church on the other side of the world, 00:45:43.570 --> 00:45:46.909 they're overjoyed. Overjoyed because what they 00:45:46.909 --> 00:45:51.889 asked for was for a roof for their church, rooms 00:45:51.889 --> 00:45:54.389 for the kids so that, as Jeff just encouraged, 00:45:54.510 --> 00:45:58.329 that the next generation can be raised up in 00:45:58.329 --> 00:46:02.769 the fear and the admonition. of the Lord. That 00:46:02.769 --> 00:46:06.690 is a good thing. But what is one of the only 00:46:06.690 --> 00:46:10.469 things better than blessing one church body around 00:46:10.469 --> 00:46:16.110 the globe? Blessing two. Blessing two church 00:46:16.110 --> 00:46:19.389 bodies. We raised more than we needed for that 00:46:19.389 --> 00:46:22.150 church. And so in talking with Pastor Folley, 00:46:22.190 --> 00:46:24.710 he said, there's another church. There's another 00:46:24.710 --> 00:46:27.650 church who has a great need that we could bless. 00:46:28.769 --> 00:46:31.110 I gave the transliteration because you can't 00:46:31.110 --> 00:46:33.769 pronounce it without that. At least I couldn't. 00:46:33.949 --> 00:46:38.530 But mango rivotra. You can try to say it. Mango 00:46:38.530 --> 00:46:44.090 rivotra. You're not trying very hard. Say it 00:46:44.090 --> 00:46:47.389 with me. Mango rivotra. Yeah, you'll never remember 00:46:47.389 --> 00:46:49.030 that. Maybe. We'll see. We'll leave it up there 00:46:49.030 --> 00:46:52.409 for you. This church body is like six and a half 00:46:52.409 --> 00:46:56.429 hours as the crow flies away from Ampanube. And 00:46:56.429 --> 00:47:00.010 they also, as you can see, don't have a roof. 00:47:00.530 --> 00:47:02.550 They don't have doors and windows. They have 00:47:02.550 --> 00:47:05.949 a partial steel structure on part of their building. 00:47:06.130 --> 00:47:08.210 But since we raised more, Folly said, would we 00:47:08.210 --> 00:47:11.710 be willing to allow that excess of funding to 00:47:11.710 --> 00:47:14.289 go towards this church that is a church plant, 00:47:14.409 --> 00:47:16.489 has been for many years with a guy named Pastor 00:47:16.489 --> 00:47:19.690 Allen, and has about 50 to 60 children and adults 00:47:19.690 --> 00:47:23.769 that gather in it every single week to hear the 00:47:23.769 --> 00:47:26.659 gospel. And of course, what did the elders say 00:47:26.659 --> 00:47:30.579 to that? There was no hesitation. Before I finished 00:47:30.579 --> 00:47:33.139 sharing what the goal was, there were thumbs 00:47:33.139 --> 00:47:36.639 up all around. You know, Matthew 16, 18 tells 00:47:36.639 --> 00:47:40.019 us that Jesus is going to build his church upon 00:47:40.019 --> 00:47:43.199 this earth. And I take that to mean as both this 00:47:43.199 --> 00:47:46.139 earth and the confession that Jesus Christ is 00:47:46.139 --> 00:47:48.980 the son of the living God and that the gates 00:47:48.980 --> 00:47:55.300 of Hades will not overpower it. As you look at 00:47:55.300 --> 00:47:59.699 this church body halfway around the globe, think 00:47:59.699 --> 00:48:04.679 of God's goodness building his church and the 00:48:04.679 --> 00:48:08.639 gates of Hades will not overpower. So friends, 00:48:08.679 --> 00:48:10.639 amidst the evil of our day, remember that God 00:48:10.639 --> 00:48:14.059 is good. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the 00:48:14.059 --> 00:48:18.079 life. The spirit is transforming hearts and the 00:48:18.079 --> 00:48:21.980 church grows most through persecution and hardship. 00:48:23.210 --> 00:48:26.670 And though some days may look bleak, our Lord, 00:48:26.730 --> 00:48:30.309 our God, he is not surprised by the trials and 00:48:30.309 --> 00:48:34.190 tribulations we face and he uses them for his 00:48:34.190 --> 00:48:38.389 glory as we sang earlier and our good. So our 00:48:38.389 --> 00:48:40.789 prayer is that we continue to run the race that's 00:48:40.789 --> 00:48:43.349 set before us, that we look to Christ and that 00:48:43.349 --> 00:48:45.210 we're faithful no matter what comes our way. 00:48:45.769 --> 00:48:49.750 He is worthy of our obedience. He is worthy of 00:48:49.750 --> 00:48:53.960 our worship and he is worthy. of our love. So 00:48:53.960 --> 00:48:56.099 I want to say to this church body, as much as 00:48:56.099 --> 00:48:58.179 I say, hey, we're a soft people, I include myself 00:48:58.179 --> 00:49:01.960 in that, but well done church. Well done church 00:49:01.960 --> 00:49:04.599 on raising these funds for those who sacrificed, 00:49:04.840 --> 00:49:06.719 those who gave willingly, and those who prayed. 00:49:07.059 --> 00:49:09.340 Even if you weren't able to give, but you prayed. 00:49:10.039 --> 00:49:13.199 Keep praying for these churches. Pray that they 00:49:13.199 --> 00:49:15.380 will be faithful like we're trying to be faithful 00:49:15.380 --> 00:49:19.550 to stand against the gates of Hades. We're going 00:49:19.550 --> 00:49:21.789 to keep you posted as we hear from these church 00:49:21.789 --> 00:49:24.170 bodies about how these funds will be utilized 00:49:24.170 --> 00:49:26.349 to help build those structures for the church. 00:49:26.489 --> 00:49:28.349 But at the end of the day, it's not the building. 00:49:28.929 --> 00:49:32.329 You know that as we sit here in this sanctuary 00:49:32.329 --> 00:49:34.670 that we've made that is from a school. It's not 00:49:34.670 --> 00:49:38.989 the building. Look around. It's the people. The 00:49:38.989 --> 00:49:42.050 church is a people bought by Christ for his own 00:49:42.050 --> 00:49:45.869 possession. A people who were once lost. Helplessly 00:49:45.869 --> 00:49:49.949 lost. A people who hated him. at one point, and 00:49:49.949 --> 00:49:55.070 yet were redeemed, were washed, renewed, and 00:49:55.070 --> 00:49:59.130 saved, and sanctified, and made holy and lovers 00:49:59.130 --> 00:50:03.449 of God, from haters of God to lovers of God. 00:50:04.329 --> 00:50:07.090 That's what we want our testimony to be. That's 00:50:07.090 --> 00:50:08.969 what we want to be to a watching world, and that's 00:50:08.969 --> 00:50:11.190 what we want to pray for these churches as well. 00:50:11.469 --> 00:50:14.269 We have a special video of gratitude. from Pastor 00:50:14.269 --> 00:50:16.090 Folly, who is coordinating the efforts for these 00:50:16.090 --> 00:50:17.989 churches, and then Jeff will come up to close 00:50:17.989 --> 00:50:21.909 our time. Dear friends at Oak Hill, I just wanted 00:50:21.909 --> 00:50:26.269 to take this time to express my gratitude, though 00:50:26.269 --> 00:50:30.090 words fail me, for the very generous donation 00:50:30.090 --> 00:50:33.949 that you did towards the school project in Ampanube. 00:50:34.510 --> 00:50:36.789 It could be that because of your generosity, 00:50:36.849 --> 00:50:40.570 we could also maybe help another church as well 00:50:40.570 --> 00:50:43.710 because of that. And so really, I don't know 00:50:43.710 --> 00:50:46.309 what the right words are, but just wanted to 00:50:46.309 --> 00:50:49.610 say that may the Lord reward you richly for your 00:50:49.610 --> 00:50:52.210 generosity. Thank you to all of you who made 00:50:52.210 --> 00:50:54.750 the effort to do this fundraising. Thank you 00:50:54.750 --> 00:50:58.250 for all of you who believed in this project and 00:50:58.250 --> 00:51:01.710 really contributed. And thank you to those of 00:51:01.710 --> 00:51:04.440 you as well who are contributing. through your 00:51:04.440 --> 00:51:07.039 prayers, not just only through this financial 00:51:07.039 --> 00:51:10.639 donation. Again, to all of you at Oak Hill, thank 00:51:10.639 --> 00:51:18.199 you so much. Amen, right? All right, here's how 00:51:18.199 --> 00:51:21.360 I want to close out our time today. You might 00:51:21.360 --> 00:51:24.019 have noticed on the first screen, I put up the 00:51:24.019 --> 00:51:26.619 word theodicy, and you might think, what is theodicy? 00:51:28.059 --> 00:51:30.420 Theodicy is a word that refers to how we explain 00:51:30.420 --> 00:51:33.489 how God can be both Good and sovereign while 00:51:33.489 --> 00:51:36.349 at the same time allowing evil to exist in his 00:51:36.349 --> 00:51:40.489 creation. And it's a challenging question. It's 00:51:40.489 --> 00:51:42.829 something that may have been on your mind this 00:51:42.829 --> 00:51:45.710 week. Where was God? Did anybody ask the question? 00:51:45.929 --> 00:51:49.369 Where was God? Is it possible that God's goodness 00:51:49.369 --> 00:51:52.150 and power are compatible with the reality of 00:51:52.150 --> 00:51:55.469 human suffering and evil? The answer is yes. 00:51:55.670 --> 00:51:59.269 And the Bible tells us it is. And the Bible gives 00:51:59.269 --> 00:52:01.860 us three ways. that that is true. And I think 00:52:01.860 --> 00:52:05.260 it's important to understand this so that you 00:52:05.260 --> 00:52:07.400 don't walk out of here thinking, I'm confused 00:52:07.400 --> 00:52:09.780 about why God would allow for this. So let's 00:52:09.780 --> 00:52:12.699 look at this. First of all, you have to know 00:52:12.699 --> 00:52:16.679 that suffering and evil are traced back to the 00:52:16.679 --> 00:52:21.340 original source. Not to the creator who made 00:52:21.340 --> 00:52:24.420 all things perfect, but to the fall of man and 00:52:24.420 --> 00:52:29.139 woman in the garden. Adam and Eve, created by 00:52:29.139 --> 00:52:31.960 God in a state of positive holiness, chosen their 00:52:31.960 --> 00:52:35.199 freedom to disobey God's law and they started 00:52:35.199 --> 00:52:37.539 a ball rolling, guys, that is still rolling today 00:52:37.539 --> 00:52:42.920 and it's accelerating. Bringing hardship, bringing 00:52:42.920 --> 00:52:45.840 suffering, bringing death into the created order, 00:52:45.920 --> 00:52:48.960 injecting corruption and guilt into the DNA of 00:52:48.960 --> 00:52:51.840 every single human being. But the truth is the 00:52:51.840 --> 00:52:54.440 genuine freedom and privilege that they had to 00:52:54.440 --> 00:52:56.619 know God and to walk with God in the garden, 00:52:57.619 --> 00:53:00.980 necessarily included the power of contrary choice, 00:53:01.239 --> 00:53:04.579 to disobey. And man bears the responsibility 00:53:04.579 --> 00:53:07.559 for that just as we bear the responsibility for 00:53:07.559 --> 00:53:10.559 our sin today. We don't blame God for that. We 00:53:10.559 --> 00:53:16.400 blame man and woman. Second thing, the Bible 00:53:16.400 --> 00:53:19.699 casts evil as suffering. There it is. The value 00:53:19.699 --> 00:53:21.820 of evil and suffering as principles that are 00:53:21.820 --> 00:53:24.719 necessary to produce in us the most valuable 00:53:24.719 --> 00:53:27.940 things in life. And I want you to think about 00:53:27.940 --> 00:53:31.619 the contrast to that. Hardship, suffering, difficulty 00:53:31.619 --> 00:53:35.199 is given to us to produce the most valuable things 00:53:35.199 --> 00:53:38.619 we can discover in this earthly life, namely 00:53:38.619 --> 00:53:42.539 salvation, being saved from the wrath that we 00:53:42.539 --> 00:53:45.380 deserve, and then, once we're saved, spiritual 00:53:45.380 --> 00:53:48.460 maturity that conforms us to the image of our 00:53:48.460 --> 00:53:52.139 Savior. The truth is, God uses the wickedness 00:53:52.139 --> 00:53:55.639 of this world as a contrast to His goodness. 00:53:56.460 --> 00:53:58.940 to open up our eyes to what the remedy for our 00:53:58.940 --> 00:54:02.380 sin is and to bring us, to draw us into salvation. 00:54:02.840 --> 00:54:05.340 And then once we're saved, he will bring hardship 00:54:05.340 --> 00:54:08.239 and suffering into our lives as a means of shaping 00:54:08.239 --> 00:54:12.380 our character. Adam quoted from James and Peter. 00:54:12.500 --> 00:54:15.599 It's true. He shapes our character through suffering. 00:54:15.880 --> 00:54:19.199 He causes us to have to trust him more. He causes 00:54:19.199 --> 00:54:22.320 us to produce godly endurance. None of those 00:54:22.320 --> 00:54:27.940 things would happen if life was easy. Amen? And 00:54:27.940 --> 00:54:30.480 then third, the evil in this world is a constant 00:54:30.480 --> 00:54:35.500 reminder of the fact that we are aliens and strangers 00:54:35.500 --> 00:54:38.619 down here, that our truest home is in the heavenly 00:54:38.619 --> 00:54:40.579 realms, and we look forward to that, do we not? 00:54:42.119 --> 00:54:46.300 And the suffering and the tears and the heaviness 00:54:46.300 --> 00:54:48.900 of heart that we experience down here reminds 00:54:48.900 --> 00:54:52.440 us of our true home. And so even in the midst 00:54:52.440 --> 00:54:56.000 of the type of evil we've seen this week, We 00:54:56.000 --> 00:54:59.199 remember why these things happen, what God's 00:54:59.199 --> 00:55:01.539 purposes are. We see the principle of Romans 00:55:01.539 --> 00:55:04.980 8, 28 at work, that God causes all things, even 00:55:04.980 --> 00:55:08.840 difficult things, even tragedies, to work together 00:55:08.840 --> 00:55:11.539 for good to those who love him, to those he has 00:55:11.539 --> 00:55:14.699 called according to his purpose. And then we 00:55:14.699 --> 00:55:17.699 also look down the road and we say, God's sovereignty 00:55:17.699 --> 00:55:21.159 and his justice will prevail. Proverbs 16, 4 00:55:21.159 --> 00:55:24.329 says, that the Lord has made everything for its 00:55:24.329 --> 00:55:28.389 own purpose, even the wicked, for the day of 00:55:28.389 --> 00:55:32.769 evil. He's sovereign over all of it. And justice 00:55:32.769 --> 00:55:36.590 is coming, Proverbs 24. For there will be no 00:55:36.590 --> 00:55:39.010 future for the evil man. The lamp of the wicked 00:55:39.010 --> 00:55:42.789 will be put out. Vengeance belongs to him. He 00:55:42.789 --> 00:55:46.789 will make all things right. And we step into 00:55:46.789 --> 00:55:48.550 the battle knowing that those things are true. 00:55:48.989 --> 00:55:50.989 Praise God this morning that this past Wednesday 00:55:50.989 --> 00:55:54.949 was not the end of life for Charlie Kirk. In 00:55:54.949 --> 00:55:56.849 fact, it was just the beginning of his living. 00:55:59.789 --> 00:56:03.510 Oh, death, where is your sting? Oh, wicked world, 00:56:03.650 --> 00:56:08.929 what power do you really have over us? It's true, 00:56:08.989 --> 00:56:11.190 for a little while longer, evil has its moments, 00:56:11.250 --> 00:56:14.030 as it did this week, but its time is running 00:56:14.030 --> 00:56:17.860 out. And so we don't have to live in fear. Psalm 00:56:17.860 --> 00:56:20.179 23 tells us, right, that we walk through the 00:56:20.179 --> 00:56:22.500 valley of the shadow of death. We will fear no 00:56:22.500 --> 00:56:25.099 evil for God is with us. Our days are in his 00:56:25.099 --> 00:56:30.139 hands, right? For the battle belongs to the Lord. 00:56:30.300 --> 00:56:33.519 So let's engage in it. And let's pray that God 00:56:33.519 --> 00:56:35.619 would raise up another 10 ,000 Charlie Kirks 00:56:35.619 --> 00:56:38.760 in this country. An entire generation of young 00:56:38.760 --> 00:56:40.880 men and women who will stand boldly for truth 00:56:40.880 --> 00:56:44.099 and confront the evil that wants to overcome 00:56:44.099 --> 00:56:47.750 us. And let us continue to trust that God's goodness 00:56:47.750 --> 00:56:50.630 and sovereignty will reign no matter how or where 00:56:50.630 --> 00:56:54.150 the enemy strikes at us. Do you feel the world 00:56:54.150 --> 00:56:59.250 is broken? Do you feel the shadows deepen? But 00:56:59.250 --> 00:57:02.510 do you know that all the dark won't stop the 00:57:02.510 --> 00:57:05.929 light from getting through? That's the truth. 00:57:06.610 --> 00:57:18.289 Let's pray together. Lord, you are a good God 00:57:18.289 --> 00:57:25.070 who brings us comfort and brings us peace. In 00:57:25.070 --> 00:57:27.050 our time of need, Lord, you are there for us. 00:57:27.070 --> 00:57:30.030 All we have to do is ask, and you come to our 00:57:30.030 --> 00:57:34.730 aid. And you are a God who, in these moments, 00:57:34.769 --> 00:57:37.190 shows us truth. You remind us, go back to the 00:57:37.190 --> 00:57:41.070 word. I know the feelings are strong. I know 00:57:41.070 --> 00:57:45.420 the emotions are heavy. Go back to my word. Look 00:57:45.420 --> 00:57:49.679 at it, believe it, trust it. For I will never 00:57:49.679 --> 00:57:54.199 leave you nor forsake you. These are precious 00:57:54.199 --> 00:57:57.219 truths, Lord. These are precious truths that 00:57:57.219 --> 00:58:00.860 we need to keep preaching to our own hearts and 00:58:00.860 --> 00:58:04.019 then preaching to each other in your body so 00:58:04.019 --> 00:58:06.019 that we might be encouraged to keep fighting, 00:58:06.119 --> 00:58:09.300 to keep in the battle and to trust that you will 00:58:09.300 --> 00:58:13.659 give us the victory. Even now, Lord, as our hearts 00:58:13.659 --> 00:58:16.639 are heavy, Lift them, Lord, and help us to worship 00:58:16.639 --> 00:58:20.119 and sing well. For your glory, we pray. Amen.