WEBVTT 00:00:09.480 --> 00:00:14.320 Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is 00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:16.600 an international church in Bangkok, Thailand, 00:00:16.760 --> 00:00:19.820 with dozens of nationalities worshiping together. 00:00:20.140 --> 00:00:23.000 We invite you to connect with us from wherever 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:27.219 you are through our website, ecb .asia, or our 00:00:27.219 --> 00:00:31.039 mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed 00:00:31.039 --> 00:00:37.070 by this week's sermon. Any home that is well 00:00:37.070 --> 00:00:42.250 -founded needs a foundation to build upon. And 00:00:42.250 --> 00:00:45.189 that foundation sets it so that its walls can 00:00:45.189 --> 00:00:48.689 be straight and it can be secure in the way it 00:00:48.689 --> 00:00:50.969 is. And so we have been going through a series 00:00:50.969 --> 00:00:54.170 in the month of October that we've titled Foundations. 00:00:54.189 --> 00:00:57.189 And it's focusing in on our commitments as a 00:00:57.189 --> 00:00:59.490 church community, things that we desire to be 00:00:59.490 --> 00:01:02.109 founded upon. Now, what are those? The first 00:01:02.109 --> 00:01:06.120 one is that we want to be rooted. In God's word. 00:01:07.140 --> 00:01:09.439 Kind of like we're doing right now. We want God's 00:01:09.439 --> 00:01:12.739 word to be what shapes and forms us. But we recognize 00:01:12.739 --> 00:01:15.939 that we need God's power as well. So we want 00:01:15.939 --> 00:01:19.019 to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. And so that's 00:01:19.019 --> 00:01:22.040 a second foundation. A third one is that we want 00:01:22.040 --> 00:01:24.159 to be fueled in prayer. If you missed any of 00:01:24.159 --> 00:01:26.120 those teachings, I want to invite you to go back. 00:01:26.500 --> 00:01:28.659 Pastor Pablo gave each of those. Go back online 00:01:28.659 --> 00:01:31.569 and you can connect with any of those. To be 00:01:31.569 --> 00:01:33.329 fueled in prayer, I want to actually take our 00:01:33.329 --> 00:01:36.870 time right now and do that. Father, we ask that 00:01:36.870 --> 00:01:39.310 you would be moving and working within us as 00:01:39.310 --> 00:01:43.489 we desire that you encounter us through your 00:01:43.489 --> 00:01:47.430 word right now. We recognize that they are simply 00:01:47.430 --> 00:01:50.670 words on a page unless you, as the author of 00:01:50.670 --> 00:01:54.980 these words, inspires and enlightens them into 00:01:54.980 --> 00:01:57.579 the very part of who we are that they can transform 00:01:57.579 --> 00:01:59.819 us from the inside out. And so, God, we desire 00:01:59.819 --> 00:02:02.920 that you would encounter us. Do what you need 00:02:02.920 --> 00:02:06.739 to do with each one here. We pray this all in 00:02:06.739 --> 00:02:11.939 the wonderful name of Jesus. Amen. Now that you 00:02:11.939 --> 00:02:14.500 just comfortably sat down, go ahead and stand 00:02:14.500 --> 00:02:18.699 up. Seriously, stand up. Some of you are like, 00:02:18.740 --> 00:02:21.099 is he joking? Here's what I'd like us to do. 00:02:21.610 --> 00:02:24.729 As we consider the fourth foundation, it's not 00:02:24.729 --> 00:02:27.909 actually a written foundation. It's more of an 00:02:27.909 --> 00:02:30.169 implicit foundation that we have committed to 00:02:30.169 --> 00:02:33.389 here as a community, which is unity in diversity. 00:02:33.669 --> 00:02:35.729 And so why do I have you standing up? I want 00:02:35.729 --> 00:02:40.110 you to slowly go ahead and turn around. The first 00:02:40.110 --> 00:02:42.050 service, I had them do this, and we all turned 00:02:42.050 --> 00:02:43.810 at the same time, and then we realized that then 00:02:43.810 --> 00:02:45.650 we didn't get to see quite as many people. So 00:02:45.650 --> 00:02:47.909 you kind of have to stagger it. But here's the 00:02:47.909 --> 00:02:51.189 idea. I want you to take in the diversity in 00:02:51.189 --> 00:02:52.930 this room, all the people that are here, right? 00:02:53.009 --> 00:02:55.389 So you're just going to 360 degrees. Those of 00:02:55.389 --> 00:02:56.770 you who have been out of math, that's one full 00:02:56.770 --> 00:02:59.509 circle. But go ahead and turn and just take in 00:02:59.509 --> 00:03:10.520 those who are around you. Go for it. All right, 00:03:10.539 --> 00:03:13.300 you can go have a seat again. I found some cheaters 00:03:13.300 --> 00:03:17.180 in the front that did this. They were like, not 00:03:17.180 --> 00:03:20.800 a full turn. We also have the introverts who 00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:23.879 just kind of did this. And then the extroverts 00:03:23.879 --> 00:03:25.919 that turned around, they're like, people, let 00:03:25.919 --> 00:03:27.979 me talk to you, right? A very different way of 00:03:27.979 --> 00:03:31.419 engaging. What you just saw was people from over 00:03:31.419 --> 00:03:36.879 70 nations. Many more ethnicities represented 00:03:36.879 --> 00:03:40.060 in our church community. There are people from... 00:03:40.360 --> 00:03:43.139 all different kinds of walks of life. There are 00:03:43.139 --> 00:03:46.240 those who have multiple graduate degrees and 00:03:46.240 --> 00:03:48.960 those who may never finish high school. We have 00:03:48.960 --> 00:03:52.000 those who are running multinational corporations 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:54.319 with hundreds of employees underneath them and 00:03:54.319 --> 00:03:56.879 those who are currently in between jobs in very 00:03:56.879 --> 00:03:59.539 meager means and struggling. We have people who 00:03:59.539 --> 00:04:01.759 have made their lives as professional athletes, 00:04:02.039 --> 00:04:05.039 some who struggle to walk on a flat floor. We 00:04:05.039 --> 00:04:08.719 have all kinds of people in personalities represented, 00:04:09.099 --> 00:04:13.060 introverts. extroverts. We have many denominations 00:04:13.060 --> 00:04:17.040 represented in our church family. And here's 00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:19.199 what I want us to think about. God has uniquely 00:04:19.199 --> 00:04:25.740 placed you in this community at this current 00:04:25.740 --> 00:04:30.240 moment. So in between Soy 8 and 10 is this gathering 00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:32.560 of us, and yet we are all over the city, right? 00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:36.139 But God has placed you within this community 00:04:36.139 --> 00:04:41.069 and blessed you. with a diversity that is only 00:04:41.069 --> 00:04:45.230 akin to a taste of heaven. Trust me, I have been 00:04:45.230 --> 00:04:48.790 in a very small town in North America with 800 00:04:48.790 --> 00:04:52.569 people, and there was diversity there, but nothing 00:04:52.569 --> 00:04:57.209 like this. This is a huge gift from God. And 00:04:57.209 --> 00:05:00.670 so as a church, we are committed to nurturing 00:05:00.670 --> 00:05:06.000 and cultivating this community. I want you to 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:08.459 think about what Paul says here. And he says, 00:05:08.560 --> 00:05:11.959 walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which 00:05:11.959 --> 00:05:14.600 you have been called. You've been called to this. 00:05:16.279 --> 00:05:20.980 With all humility and gentleness, with patience, 00:05:21.040 --> 00:05:26.279 bearing with one another in love. Then he says, 00:05:26.300 --> 00:05:30.839 make every effort to maintain what? The unity 00:05:30.839 --> 00:05:36.139 of the spirit in the bond of peace. We are from 00:05:36.139 --> 00:05:38.420 all over the place, different nationalities, 00:05:38.480 --> 00:05:40.660 different personalities, different backgrounds. 00:05:41.300 --> 00:05:44.699 Our job that we have been called to is to maintain 00:05:44.699 --> 00:05:48.079 a unity of peace here. But how do we do this? 00:05:48.259 --> 00:05:51.560 Well, God's word gives us a roadmap for what 00:05:51.560 --> 00:05:54.060 it looks like to journey forward in this. And 00:05:54.060 --> 00:05:57.519 what I'm going to do is I'm going to give you 00:05:57.519 --> 00:05:59.720 that roadmap, but I want you to think about what 00:05:59.720 --> 00:06:04.089 is your role in cultivating community here? Before 00:06:04.089 --> 00:06:06.089 the roadmap, though, I want to give this illustration 00:06:06.089 --> 00:06:08.870 of an orchestra. Now think about the way that 00:06:08.870 --> 00:06:11.610 an orchestra is designed, right? So many different 00:06:11.610 --> 00:06:15.769 instruments represented. There's the viola, the 00:06:15.769 --> 00:06:17.829 violin, the cello. They all kind of look the 00:06:17.829 --> 00:06:20.629 same, right? But they play very different sounds 00:06:20.629 --> 00:06:23.129 that come out of them, and they are designed 00:06:23.129 --> 00:06:27.410 for different parts. You have... a clarinet, 00:06:27.449 --> 00:06:29.930 you have the percussion, you have different brass 00:06:29.930 --> 00:06:32.629 instruments, you have this incredible collection 00:06:32.629 --> 00:06:34.930 of diversity there. And then you have all the 00:06:34.930 --> 00:06:37.370 people that are playing these instruments. And 00:06:37.370 --> 00:06:40.350 then within each subset, so you have like the 00:06:40.350 --> 00:06:42.870 violins, you have chair one, chair two, chair 00:06:42.870 --> 00:06:45.569 three. These are different skill levels that 00:06:45.569 --> 00:06:48.170 play in the orchestra. And then you have the 00:06:48.170 --> 00:06:50.329 incredible diversity of the music that can be 00:06:50.329 --> 00:06:52.189 written. And you have these master composers 00:06:52.189 --> 00:06:54.720 like Bach who put together... things that are 00:06:54.720 --> 00:06:57.579 transcendent in the way they capture the diversity. 00:06:59.079 --> 00:07:02.680 Now think about all of that difference. What 00:07:02.680 --> 00:07:06.439 is needed to bring it all together? A conductor, 00:07:06.600 --> 00:07:10.220 and preferably a conductor who has written the 00:07:10.220 --> 00:07:13.480 symphony and knows it beyond what any single 00:07:13.480 --> 00:07:16.019 player knows, and so he's calling the full community 00:07:16.019 --> 00:07:19.600 into an expression of unity in their diversity. 00:07:20.939 --> 00:07:24.339 And in a similar way, we are that, but we're 00:07:24.339 --> 00:07:26.759 even more so than an orchestra. You know that 00:07:26.759 --> 00:07:29.480 feeling of when you see unity and diversity in 00:07:29.480 --> 00:07:32.019 action, and you're like, that's amazing. This, 00:07:32.019 --> 00:07:36.860 though, is God's prize, a community unified in 00:07:36.860 --> 00:07:40.019 diversity. So we hold on to that, and we look 00:07:40.019 --> 00:07:42.779 at God's story, and it has three really parts 00:07:42.779 --> 00:07:45.279 to it. One is that unity was designed from the 00:07:45.279 --> 00:07:47.939 beginning. You and I were designed to be unified 00:07:47.939 --> 00:07:51.480 in our diversity. This is part of his design. 00:07:51.939 --> 00:07:55.259 But then we recognize that unity was distorted. 00:07:56.300 --> 00:07:59.660 Through a rebellion against God, our backs are 00:07:59.660 --> 00:08:01.939 turned on him and things begin to fall apart. 00:08:02.720 --> 00:08:04.579 Doesn't take us long to look around the world 00:08:04.579 --> 00:08:07.040 to see that there's division and hatred and isolation 00:08:07.040 --> 00:08:10.199 and loneliness that is happening. Any siblings 00:08:10.199 --> 00:08:14.879 in here? Yeah? I just went on a long car ride 00:08:14.879 --> 00:08:17.740 and siblings tend to know how to push each other's 00:08:17.740 --> 00:08:21.360 buttons, right? We have division that is kind 00:08:21.360 --> 00:08:23.379 of funny and then we have wars that actually 00:08:23.379 --> 00:08:27.459 take lives and everything in between. But there's 00:08:27.459 --> 00:08:29.680 the good news, right? That Christ has stepped 00:08:29.680 --> 00:08:34.039 into the mess and he has brought about a restoration 00:08:34.039 --> 00:08:36.899 that he is inviting you and I to, to be part 00:08:36.899 --> 00:08:39.299 of. This isn't something that just happens to 00:08:39.299 --> 00:08:41.480 you when you hold on and wait until heaven comes. 00:08:41.919 --> 00:08:45.080 He's actually asked you to be a taste of heaven 00:08:45.080 --> 00:08:49.399 on earth. Now, what is heaven? Heaven is a place 00:08:49.399 --> 00:08:51.120 where everything that is wrong, all division 00:08:51.120 --> 00:08:54.659 is gone. We are unified perfectly together. And 00:08:54.659 --> 00:08:56.600 there's this beautiful thing that is captured 00:08:56.600 --> 00:09:00.720 in Revelation 21 where it says that the kings 00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:05.080 will bring in the glory of their nations. Now, 00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:08.100 why is that significant? Heaven is not a place 00:09:08.100 --> 00:09:11.179 where our identities as different culture bearers 00:09:11.179 --> 00:09:13.639 or different language speakers or whatever is 00:09:13.639 --> 00:09:16.139 wiped clean and we're created into one big blob. 00:09:17.100 --> 00:09:19.279 It's a place where we are actually reflecting 00:09:19.279 --> 00:09:25.279 Kenya and Thailand and Myanmar and Ecuador and 00:09:25.279 --> 00:09:28.100 all these different things that somehow get represented 00:09:28.100 --> 00:09:31.419 in this new heavens and new earth. So you are 00:09:31.419 --> 00:09:33.179 to be a taste of the new heavens and new earth. 00:09:33.399 --> 00:09:35.879 And we're going to see that as we continue on 00:09:35.879 --> 00:09:38.039 in God's word. So are you ready? I'm going to 00:09:38.039 --> 00:09:41.440 go forward with these patterns here. First thing 00:09:41.440 --> 00:09:44.899 is that we are created to be unified in our diversity. 00:09:46.440 --> 00:09:49.840 Let's go to page one, right? There is so much 00:09:49.840 --> 00:09:51.940 in the book of Genesis and the Torah in general 00:09:51.940 --> 00:09:54.840 that speaks to our human existence. And look 00:09:54.840 --> 00:09:59.980 at this. Then God said, let us, wait, God said, 00:10:00.019 --> 00:10:07.240 let us, who's the us, make humankind in our image 00:10:07.240 --> 00:10:11.809 according to our likeness. It's kind of a strange 00:10:11.809 --> 00:10:13.769 way of putting it. If I was writing it, I'd say, 00:10:13.870 --> 00:10:16.210 Phil is going to make something, I'm going to 00:10:16.210 --> 00:10:19.070 do this, I, I, I, like that. But this is plural 00:10:19.070 --> 00:10:22.889 language that is there. Now, what this does is 00:10:22.889 --> 00:10:25.950 it gives us a hint forward of the Trinity. Now, 00:10:25.970 --> 00:10:28.210 what is the Trinity? Well, the Trinity is actually 00:10:28.210 --> 00:10:31.029 the author of unity and diversity. He is, in 00:10:31.029 --> 00:10:34.990 and of himself, eternal unity and diversity. 00:10:35.970 --> 00:10:41.690 Now, are you ready for a headache? Yeah. For 00:10:41.690 --> 00:10:43.870 those of you who like systematic theology and 00:10:43.870 --> 00:10:46.370 actually after first service, I did, I have somebody 00:10:46.370 --> 00:10:48.070 come up and this was the part they're like, can 00:10:48.070 --> 00:10:51.149 you send me that diagram? Systematic theology. 00:10:51.210 --> 00:10:53.429 It's very good. It's helpful to help explain 00:10:53.429 --> 00:10:57.330 concepts that are very complicated. Now the Trinity 00:10:57.330 --> 00:11:00.850 is a mystery to us. We don't know really what 00:11:00.850 --> 00:11:02.429 we're trying to understand it, but God's word 00:11:02.429 --> 00:11:04.690 does make some things clear. So let's go ahead 00:11:04.690 --> 00:11:07.350 and capture some of this. Is Jesus God? Yes. 00:11:07.769 --> 00:11:10.899 Is the father God? Yes. Is the Holy Spirit God? 00:11:11.240 --> 00:11:15.279 Yes. Is Jesus the Father? No. Is the Father the 00:11:15.279 --> 00:11:18.659 Holy Spirit? No. Is the Holy Spirit Jesus? No. 00:11:18.700 --> 00:11:20.279 We can go back around the other way, but that's 00:11:20.279 --> 00:11:22.539 going to get a little complicated. Is Jesus in 00:11:22.539 --> 00:11:25.659 the Father? Yes. Is the Father in the Holy Spirit? 00:11:26.279 --> 00:11:30.080 Yes. Is the Holy Spirit in the Son? Yes. Does 00:11:30.080 --> 00:11:32.159 the Holy Spirit glorify the Father? Does the 00:11:32.159 --> 00:11:35.419 Father glorify the Son? Yeah, they are all doing 00:11:35.419 --> 00:11:39.620 that. Unity, diversity. all smashed together 00:11:39.620 --> 00:11:43.179 in something that we can only hope to begin to 00:11:43.179 --> 00:11:46.500 comprehend. It's really, really incredible. Do 00:11:46.500 --> 00:11:51.860 you have a headache now? So this author of unity 00:11:51.860 --> 00:11:55.419 and diversity then does the following. God creates 00:11:55.419 --> 00:11:59.879 humankind in his image. In the image of God, 00:12:00.019 --> 00:12:02.500 he created them. Now notice he creates humankind 00:12:02.500 --> 00:12:05.580 in his image. Then in the image of God, he created 00:12:05.580 --> 00:12:10.200 them. Male and female, he created them. So the 00:12:10.200 --> 00:12:14.379 author of unity and diversity, the one who your 00:12:14.379 --> 00:12:17.360 genes actually flow out of him, your genetics, 00:12:17.419 --> 00:12:20.039 not your actual genes, your genetics flow out 00:12:20.039 --> 00:12:24.340 of the triune God. And the endless amounts of 00:12:24.340 --> 00:12:26.960 diversity that can come out of you comes from 00:12:26.960 --> 00:12:30.600 him. as the triune God. But you notice here, 00:12:30.679 --> 00:12:34.039 he creates humankind, then that's divided into 00:12:34.039 --> 00:12:36.220 two, then the two are called to be one again, 00:12:36.360 --> 00:12:38.620 and they are called to multiply that, and then 00:12:38.620 --> 00:12:42.120 they do this. And we have humanity here. Our 00:12:42.120 --> 00:12:46.500 identity is to be extremely diverse. Our diversity 00:12:46.500 --> 00:12:50.539 is not a reason to cause barriers and to ghettoize 00:12:50.539 --> 00:12:52.440 ourselves, to move within our own categories. 00:12:53.000 --> 00:12:56.279 Our diversity is an expression of the God. who 00:12:56.279 --> 00:13:02.799 we serve, the God who loves us deeply. So here's 00:13:02.799 --> 00:13:05.059 a way to think about it. Our diversity flows 00:13:05.059 --> 00:13:09.480 from God and our unity is found within God. You 00:13:09.480 --> 00:13:12.240 take God out of the picture and we've got big 00:13:12.240 --> 00:13:16.340 problems because our very identity, our significance 00:13:16.340 --> 00:13:20.039 becomes lost in that. We have our significance 00:13:20.039 --> 00:13:22.440 from our relationship with God because out of 00:13:22.440 --> 00:13:28.090 him, we flow. We are made to reflect the Trinity 00:13:28.090 --> 00:13:33.190 as unique individuals designed to form one interdependent 00:13:33.190 --> 00:13:36.809 whole. See, we may think you don't actually need 00:13:36.809 --> 00:13:39.450 me and I don't actually need you. But the reality 00:13:39.450 --> 00:13:41.750 is the Trinity cannot be the Trinity without 00:13:41.750 --> 00:13:44.909 one of its members. The Trinity is the Trinity 00:13:44.909 --> 00:13:47.850 because the three in one is there. We are image 00:13:47.850 --> 00:13:54.840 bearers collectively in imaging who God is. A 00:13:54.840 --> 00:13:58.940 good, right, true orchestra is one that has all 00:13:58.940 --> 00:14:01.080 the diversity and it's pulled together in unity 00:14:01.080 --> 00:14:04.700 by a conductor and a master symphony. But I want 00:14:04.700 --> 00:14:08.100 you to imagine for a moment that somehow the 00:14:08.100 --> 00:14:10.679 players in this, the musicians in the orchestra 00:14:10.679 --> 00:14:15.000 are tricked into thinking that life will be better 00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:17.259 without the conductor and without the music. 00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:19.659 So they toss out the music and they turn their 00:14:19.659 --> 00:14:22.379 chairs with their back towards the conductor. 00:14:23.850 --> 00:14:26.769 What is going to happen in that orchestra? Will 00:14:26.769 --> 00:14:30.769 it still be as it was designed to be? No, actually 00:14:30.769 --> 00:14:35.149 the orchestra will be fundamentally wrong at 00:14:35.149 --> 00:14:37.610 that point. It is not what it was designed to 00:14:37.610 --> 00:14:41.210 be. And similarly, humanity has turned their 00:14:41.210 --> 00:14:45.750 back on God. You and I are recipients of this 00:14:45.750 --> 00:14:48.809 and participators in this rebellion where we 00:14:48.809 --> 00:14:50.850 have essentially turned our back and thought, 00:14:51.309 --> 00:14:55.230 I think I can do this better on my own. And what 00:14:55.230 --> 00:14:57.889 happens is really a bunch of chaos ensues. But 00:14:57.889 --> 00:15:00.289 think about if our significance comes from God, 00:15:00.350 --> 00:15:02.769 if our unity flows from him, if our diversity 00:15:02.769 --> 00:15:06.210 is brought together because of him. You take 00:15:06.210 --> 00:15:09.470 God out of the picture. I am now fundamentally 00:15:09.470 --> 00:15:15.870 wrong. It's not just an action that I do. I am 00:15:15.870 --> 00:15:20.389 wrong by not having God. connected intimately 00:15:20.389 --> 00:15:23.730 with me. What do we call this? We call it shame. 00:15:24.789 --> 00:15:27.309 Shame is something that says there's something 00:15:27.309 --> 00:15:31.529 off about me. Knowing something is wrong with 00:15:31.529 --> 00:15:34.769 us, we try to regain significance on our own, 00:15:34.830 --> 00:15:38.570 and we do this through distorted impulses. So 00:15:38.570 --> 00:15:41.409 remember the significance God gave us. We have 00:15:41.409 --> 00:15:45.129 spent all our lives learning habits to try to 00:15:45.129 --> 00:15:49.049 rebuild that significance. So we're trying all 00:15:49.049 --> 00:15:50.889 these different things to rebuild that significance. 00:15:50.950 --> 00:15:54.330 But where do we need that significance to come 00:15:54.330 --> 00:15:57.289 from? From God alone. So anything we try on our 00:15:57.289 --> 00:16:01.190 own distorts the gift of unity and diversity. 00:16:01.269 --> 00:16:07.809 It begins to split it apart into two. So we go 00:16:07.809 --> 00:16:09.710 forward and we find that these two distorted 00:16:09.710 --> 00:16:11.750 ways are actually captured in the book of Genesis. 00:16:12.509 --> 00:16:14.389 So let's go back again and see what Adam and 00:16:14.389 --> 00:16:16.929 Eve do. So as soon as they rebel against God, 00:16:16.990 --> 00:16:19.470 they turn their back on him. We read the following. 00:16:19.610 --> 00:16:22.789 Then the eyes of both were opened and they knew 00:16:22.789 --> 00:16:24.429 that they were naked. Were they naked before 00:16:24.429 --> 00:16:27.809 they rebelled? Yes. But something changed after 00:16:27.809 --> 00:16:31.309 they rebelled and they now became aware of the 00:16:31.309 --> 00:16:34.529 difference between each other. They knew that 00:16:34.529 --> 00:16:37.190 they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together 00:16:37.190 --> 00:16:42.879 and they made loincloths for themselves. Adam 00:16:42.879 --> 00:16:46.480 on one side, man. Eve on the other side, woman. 00:16:46.980 --> 00:16:49.679 They're very different in how God has created 00:16:49.679 --> 00:16:54.159 them. Up until the rebellion, those differences 00:16:54.159 --> 00:16:58.059 were not what divided them. Those differences 00:16:58.059 --> 00:17:00.679 were not what caused them to feel like, there's 00:17:00.679 --> 00:17:02.480 something wrong with me. But when they're dealing 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:05.160 with a sense of shame, they begin to look at 00:17:05.160 --> 00:17:06.980 one another and they're like, you don't look 00:17:06.980 --> 00:17:10.599 like me. I don't look like you. And I have this 00:17:10.599 --> 00:17:13.680 feeling that I'm wrong. Perhaps if we figure 00:17:13.680 --> 00:17:16.960 out a way to look like each other, unity will 00:17:16.960 --> 00:17:20.259 feel better, right? So what do they do? They 00:17:20.259 --> 00:17:23.420 cover up their differences to look like one another. 00:17:24.559 --> 00:17:27.380 And this is a repeated habit that we do again 00:17:27.380 --> 00:17:30.619 and again and again. We cover up, and a way of 00:17:30.619 --> 00:17:34.440 thinking about this is we prioritize unity while 00:17:34.440 --> 00:17:39.869 sacrificing diversity. Now, I have... lived in 00:17:39.869 --> 00:17:43.130 cultures that are extremely collective and I've 00:17:43.130 --> 00:17:45.829 lived in cultures that are extremely individualistic. 00:17:46.150 --> 00:17:50.470 God created both, but we can distort those gifts 00:17:50.470 --> 00:17:53.849 from God and take them to far extremes. Have 00:17:53.849 --> 00:17:55.750 you ever heard the saying, if the nail stands 00:17:55.750 --> 00:18:00.329 out, what do you do? You pound it in. What is 00:18:00.329 --> 00:18:03.849 that picture capturing? God created you in a 00:18:03.849 --> 00:18:06.349 different way and you need to conform to the 00:18:06.349 --> 00:18:09.700 rest of the group. That's collectivism that is 00:18:09.700 --> 00:18:12.000 unhinged. That's collectivism that has been taken 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:15.099 too far, and Christ wants to redeem that back. 00:18:16.000 --> 00:18:19.480 It's collectivism that causes uniformity, where 00:18:19.480 --> 00:18:21.839 we end up becoming not who God created us to 00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:25.079 be in order to fit in. We cover who we are in 00:18:25.079 --> 00:18:27.400 order to be accepted. Now think about this in 00:18:27.400 --> 00:18:29.660 a relationship with one another. We do this all 00:18:29.660 --> 00:18:31.980 the time, right? There's parts of who I am, parts 00:18:31.980 --> 00:18:33.779 of who you are, who we may not want to share 00:18:33.779 --> 00:18:36.299 with each other because we think if you see those 00:18:36.299 --> 00:18:38.779 and you see that we're different, maybe I'm not 00:18:38.779 --> 00:18:41.480 going to be accepted and embraced and welcomed 00:18:41.480 --> 00:18:46.720 by you. That's one distortion that we find, but 00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:49.279 there's another distortion. The other distortion 00:18:49.279 --> 00:18:52.339 comes right next in the story. It says, they 00:18:52.339 --> 00:18:54.819 heard the sound of Yahweh walking in the garden. 00:18:55.630 --> 00:18:59.069 In the time of evening breeze. And the man and 00:18:59.069 --> 00:19:02.269 his wife hid themselves from the presence of 00:19:02.269 --> 00:19:05.109 Yahweh among the trees of the garden. What's 00:19:05.109 --> 00:19:07.730 the second one? We hide. So the first one is 00:19:07.730 --> 00:19:10.430 we cover. The second one is we hide. Now what 00:19:10.430 --> 00:19:14.190 is hiding? Hiding is isolating ourselves. It's 00:19:14.190 --> 00:19:17.289 removing us from one another because I see that 00:19:17.289 --> 00:19:18.869 you're different and I see that I'm different. 00:19:18.970 --> 00:19:21.990 And unity is really difficult because I'm not 00:19:21.990 --> 00:19:24.670 actually made to create unity. Only God can create 00:19:24.670 --> 00:19:27.470 unity. So if you and I are different, there's 00:19:27.470 --> 00:19:30.650 an option I have. I'm going to go create my own 00:19:30.650 --> 00:19:33.750 world, right? And like a mirror that is made 00:19:33.750 --> 00:19:36.690 to reflect the full picture of who we are, imagine 00:19:36.690 --> 00:19:39.950 shattering that on the ground. Individualism 00:19:39.950 --> 00:19:45.589 that has been released to its extremes, it crushes 00:19:45.589 --> 00:19:49.589 unity for the sake of diversity. And we isolate 00:19:49.589 --> 00:19:52.950 ourselves into our own little worlds. We hide 00:19:52.950 --> 00:19:56.700 within those worlds. So these are examples of 00:19:56.700 --> 00:20:01.220 that where fragmentation happens in this other 00:20:01.220 --> 00:20:04.480 distortion. Now, the invitation for us this morning 00:20:04.480 --> 00:20:06.900 is to realize that we all engage in these in 00:20:06.900 --> 00:20:10.500 different ways, right? But God has freed us from 00:20:10.500 --> 00:20:13.839 them. But I want to ask you two questions this 00:20:13.839 --> 00:20:16.779 morning as we think about the distortion that 00:20:16.779 --> 00:20:20.559 has happened to us. Are you silencing difference 00:20:20.559 --> 00:20:24.430 by demanding your own way? If you realize that 00:20:24.430 --> 00:20:26.670 you try to control situations and when you step 00:20:26.670 --> 00:20:28.950 into a room, you want everybody to kind of fall 00:20:28.950 --> 00:20:32.289 in line with who you are, or you step into a 00:20:32.289 --> 00:20:34.529 room and you think, how do I make sure that I 00:20:34.529 --> 00:20:37.009 don't stand out? I'm just going to be kind of 00:20:37.009 --> 00:20:39.970 a fly on the wall is the way we say it in the 00:20:39.970 --> 00:20:42.250 US. You just kind of blend it into whatever is 00:20:42.250 --> 00:20:46.349 happening there. That's one way that you can 00:20:46.349 --> 00:20:49.309 distort the gift that God has given us of unity 00:20:49.309 --> 00:20:52.799 and diversity. Or are you neglecting togetherness 00:20:52.799 --> 00:20:57.599 by prioritizing freedom? It is so much easier 00:20:57.599 --> 00:21:00.759 to hang out with people who look, act, think, 00:21:00.859 --> 00:21:04.619 and behave like you. You know why? Because they 00:21:04.619 --> 00:21:08.059 help you to feel that you're okay. But at the 00:21:08.059 --> 00:21:10.140 end of the day, you weren't designed for that, 00:21:10.200 --> 00:21:14.700 and God calls you to something different. So 00:21:14.700 --> 00:21:17.200 there's good news, right? These distortions that 00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:19.440 show up in our lives again and again and again, 00:21:20.430 --> 00:21:24.109 are not invitations for you to try harder. They're 00:21:24.109 --> 00:21:26.430 actually invitations for you to connect with 00:21:26.430 --> 00:21:29.430 God again, because he's the author of unity and 00:21:29.430 --> 00:21:32.589 diversity. He's the author that comes and renews 00:21:32.589 --> 00:21:35.750 this within you and I. And so this good news 00:21:35.750 --> 00:21:38.130 breaks into our lives, and that's where we're 00:21:38.130 --> 00:21:40.369 going to turn to next. Do you remember the picture 00:21:40.369 --> 00:21:42.450 that I had you consider where you turned and 00:21:42.450 --> 00:21:44.430 you looked at everybody around you in this community? 00:21:44.690 --> 00:21:48.440 Do you have that in your mind still? We're going 00:21:48.440 --> 00:21:52.920 to rewind about 2 ,000 years to the early church. 00:21:53.240 --> 00:21:56.619 And I'm going to ask you to imagine for a moment 00:21:56.619 --> 00:21:59.559 that you are walking in the streets of a region 00:21:59.559 --> 00:22:02.960 called Galatia. Galatia is in modern -day Turkey. 00:22:03.019 --> 00:22:06.269 And like Bangkok... This area is kind of caught 00:22:06.269 --> 00:22:09.589 in between Africa and Europe and Asia, and there's 00:22:09.589 --> 00:22:12.089 all these trade routes going through it. And 00:22:12.089 --> 00:22:14.009 so what happens with that, like it's happened 00:22:14.009 --> 00:22:16.430 here in Bangkok, is the nations end up coming 00:22:16.430 --> 00:22:20.549 to this place. And so in Galatia, let's pick 00:22:20.549 --> 00:22:23.769 one of the towns. We'll do Lystra as the town, 00:22:23.869 --> 00:22:26.309 and we're going to go through imagining what 00:22:26.309 --> 00:22:28.309 it's like to journey through there. Now, you 00:22:28.309 --> 00:22:30.769 begin to walk into this town, and what you notice 00:22:30.769 --> 00:22:33.730 immediately, that there are people from all over. 00:22:34.920 --> 00:22:37.819 There are those who obviously have a lot, and 00:22:37.819 --> 00:22:40.980 there are those who don't have very much. There's 00:22:40.980 --> 00:22:44.380 Macedonians, there's Greeks, there's Jews. You 00:22:44.380 --> 00:22:46.759 see people from all around the world in this 00:22:46.759 --> 00:22:49.680 space. There's men, there's women. But there's 00:22:49.680 --> 00:22:51.940 two things you notice as you walk into this town. 00:22:52.500 --> 00:22:54.960 They're either in their own ghettos, meaning 00:22:54.960 --> 00:22:57.759 they've kind of isolated themselves, and they're 00:22:57.759 --> 00:23:01.140 just kind of in their own spots. Or they're together 00:23:01.140 --> 00:23:04.220 because of functional reasons. So malls and airports 00:23:04.220 --> 00:23:07.259 are diverse places, right? But they're not unified. 00:23:07.339 --> 00:23:09.279 They're there because I need to do something 00:23:09.279 --> 00:23:11.819 or I need to get something. And so we come together 00:23:11.819 --> 00:23:18.160 in that space. A slave and a master comes together 00:23:18.160 --> 00:23:20.460 because there's a functional transaction that 00:23:20.460 --> 00:23:22.480 happens there. One gets to choose, the other 00:23:22.480 --> 00:23:26.500 doesn't. That's not unity and diversity. And 00:23:26.500 --> 00:23:28.799 so you're aware of all of this happening in Lystra, 00:23:28.799 --> 00:23:32.819 but at that moment, you hear something coming 00:23:32.819 --> 00:23:36.819 from one of the homes. And it's a song. There's 00:23:36.819 --> 00:23:41.039 voices singing in unison together. And you're 00:23:41.039 --> 00:23:43.079 kind of intrigued and wondering, what's going 00:23:43.079 --> 00:23:46.079 on over here? So you make your way towards the 00:23:46.079 --> 00:23:50.339 home, and your curiosity is causing you to just 00:23:50.339 --> 00:23:53.119 gaze at it. And at that moment, the door opens. 00:23:53.900 --> 00:23:56.380 And somebody sees you looking in the home and 00:23:56.380 --> 00:23:58.400 they look back at you and they see the curiosity 00:23:58.400 --> 00:24:01.839 on your face. And what do they do? They say, 00:24:01.839 --> 00:24:03.539 come in. Do you want to come see what's happening 00:24:03.539 --> 00:24:07.619 inside? So your curiosity leads into the home 00:24:07.619 --> 00:24:11.160 and you come inside and there's around 20 people 00:24:11.160 --> 00:24:14.039 representing all the people in the fractions 00:24:14.039 --> 00:24:16.880 of society you just saw out there. But they're 00:24:16.880 --> 00:24:20.210 all together in one circle. And they're singing 00:24:20.210 --> 00:24:23.589 a song of praise to a God in unity together. 00:24:25.289 --> 00:24:27.609 And you're kind of intrigued watching this thing 00:24:27.609 --> 00:24:29.890 as a master and a slave is sitting there and 00:24:29.890 --> 00:24:31.730 you're seeing men and women right next to each 00:24:31.730 --> 00:24:34.390 other and you're seeing this incredible diversity 00:24:34.390 --> 00:24:37.410 that is there and nobody seems to really be that 00:24:37.410 --> 00:24:41.670 concerned about it like they were outside. And 00:24:41.670 --> 00:24:45.509 then this guy Paul begins to speak after the 00:24:45.509 --> 00:24:49.480 song and he begins to explain that Jesus comes 00:24:49.480 --> 00:24:54.980 at great cost and he loves us back into relationship 00:24:54.980 --> 00:24:57.519 with God and others. He pays for the price of 00:24:57.519 --> 00:24:59.180 shame that we've been trying to get rid of this 00:24:59.180 --> 00:25:02.640 whole time. And he says that Jesus, who is God, 00:25:02.720 --> 00:25:06.220 he comes to earth to be one of us, one of his 00:25:06.220 --> 00:25:09.740 diverse creation. But he's both fully God and 00:25:09.740 --> 00:25:14.140 fully man. And then this Jesus called a diverse 00:25:14.140 --> 00:25:17.400 community to himself. So on this side, he calls 00:25:17.400 --> 00:25:20.339 Matthew the tax collector to himself. Now, who 00:25:20.339 --> 00:25:23.500 is Matthew the tax collector? Matthew the tax 00:25:23.500 --> 00:25:26.279 collector would have found his entire significance, 00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:29.460 his earning, his identity, would have been in 00:25:29.460 --> 00:25:35.180 sympathizing with Rome, who is an enemy occupier 00:25:35.180 --> 00:25:39.160 of Israel. So he had abandoned his group of people, 00:25:39.180 --> 00:25:42.099 and he had taken the job of being a tax collector 00:25:42.099 --> 00:25:44.220 in this place to make his own income, right? 00:25:44.940 --> 00:25:47.700 You think this guy may make some enemies? Well, 00:25:47.779 --> 00:25:49.440 we've got an enemy, and Jesus called the other 00:25:49.440 --> 00:25:53.380 enemy. The other enemy is Simon the Zealot. Simon 00:25:53.380 --> 00:25:57.900 the Zealot makes his entire identity off of attacking 00:25:57.900 --> 00:26:01.079 guys like Matthew and the Romans, really. They're 00:26:01.079 --> 00:26:04.259 trying to overthrow the Roman Empire. Do you 00:26:04.259 --> 00:26:07.420 think Jesus called these two people by accident? 00:26:08.880 --> 00:26:13.329 No. He calls the far extremes into community 00:26:13.329 --> 00:26:16.069 with him. Why? Because he is the author of unity 00:26:16.069 --> 00:26:19.049 and diversity. And by calling them in and countering 00:26:19.049 --> 00:26:21.390 them where they are at, he never leaves them 00:26:21.390 --> 00:26:24.170 there. They always get transformed into a new 00:26:24.170 --> 00:26:27.390 creature, a new person, which we're going to 00:26:27.390 --> 00:26:29.970 get to in just a moment. So Paul is explaining 00:26:29.970 --> 00:26:32.150 these things. And then he says, hey, let me tell 00:26:32.150 --> 00:26:35.470 you a story that Jesus told. And it's a story 00:26:35.470 --> 00:26:39.710 of a father and two sons. And one of the sons 00:26:39.710 --> 00:26:41.890 comes to his father at one point and he says, 00:26:41.970 --> 00:26:45.430 you know, father, I want my inheritance now because 00:26:45.430 --> 00:26:48.210 I want to isolate myself. I want to go live on 00:26:48.210 --> 00:26:50.309 my own because I think that's a better way of 00:26:50.309 --> 00:26:55.109 living my life. Now, in a culture like the ancient 00:26:55.109 --> 00:26:57.769 Near East, this is the same thing as saying, 00:26:57.910 --> 00:27:04.750 dad, I want you dead. What does the father do? 00:27:04.849 --> 00:27:09.160 He says, okay. I allow this free choice. And 00:27:09.160 --> 00:27:11.579 the son walks out, takes the inheritance with 00:27:11.579 --> 00:27:16.220 him, and he extravagantly uses it. He spends 00:27:16.220 --> 00:27:19.700 it in crazy ways until it's completely gone. 00:27:20.140 --> 00:27:24.200 And then what happens? That old enemy of shame 00:27:24.200 --> 00:27:26.299 comes back and says, something is wrong with 00:27:26.299 --> 00:27:30.359 you. So he turns back and he makes his way towards 00:27:30.359 --> 00:27:32.460 his father. And what is he expecting? A father 00:27:32.460 --> 00:27:34.789 that's kind of doing this. who may either take 00:27:34.789 --> 00:27:38.369 his life or make him a slave. Is that what happens? 00:27:39.190 --> 00:27:42.250 Exactly opposite. The father in a thing that 00:27:42.250 --> 00:27:44.910 would be shameful for that culture lifts up his 00:27:44.910 --> 00:27:49.950 very robe, runs to the son and embraces this 00:27:49.950 --> 00:27:54.210 son. And then he goes back and he puts a robe 00:27:54.210 --> 00:27:57.130 covering up his shame and he gets a ring and 00:27:57.130 --> 00:27:59.930 sandals and he throws the biggest party ever 00:27:59.930 --> 00:28:06.589 for this lost son. ECB, that's beautiful news. 00:28:07.049 --> 00:28:09.670 And Paul is telling the Galatians that there's 00:28:09.670 --> 00:28:12.910 a God who does this for you and for me. That's 00:28:12.910 --> 00:28:16.990 worth celebrating, isn't it? Now, the other brother 00:28:16.990 --> 00:28:19.789 who is there who looks like he's close to God 00:28:19.789 --> 00:28:22.049 and he's got everything together, he won't come 00:28:22.049 --> 00:28:24.769 into that party. There's something in his heart 00:28:24.769 --> 00:28:27.089 that will not receive the free gift that the 00:28:27.089 --> 00:28:31.079 Father has given. And so Paul tells this story, 00:28:31.160 --> 00:28:33.940 and you see how the story is moving the people 00:28:33.940 --> 00:28:37.000 that are gathered in that room to say, oh, whether 00:28:37.000 --> 00:28:38.940 I'm the older or the younger, whether I'm from 00:28:38.940 --> 00:28:41.119 this place or that place, that's not as significant. 00:28:41.640 --> 00:28:44.960 What makes me significant is that God loves me. 00:28:45.660 --> 00:28:48.900 That's what makes me significant. So then Paul 00:28:48.900 --> 00:28:51.279 begins to explain three different things that 00:28:51.279 --> 00:28:54.339 you and I need to remember as people here at 00:28:54.339 --> 00:29:00.759 ECB living in 2025. We are part of a world religion 00:29:00.759 --> 00:29:04.460 that is the most diverse group of people in the 00:29:04.460 --> 00:29:09.680 entire world. 2 billion plus people. By the way, 00:29:09.740 --> 00:29:13.559 Africa just became the continent with the most 00:29:13.559 --> 00:29:17.339 followers of Jesus this year. Latin America is 00:29:17.339 --> 00:29:20.279 right after them. Guess who's coming up behind 00:29:20.279 --> 00:29:22.339 really quickly and is going to probably surpass 00:29:22.339 --> 00:29:28.680 them all? Asia, right? God's goodness has covered 00:29:28.680 --> 00:29:32.380 the entire world. And these are great things 00:29:32.380 --> 00:29:35.240 to remember. So we have this gift of diversity, 00:29:35.480 --> 00:29:38.599 but our job is to nurture it and to cultivate 00:29:38.599 --> 00:29:41.279 it. And Paul explains to the Galatians how to 00:29:41.279 --> 00:29:44.019 do that because in his letter, he's actually 00:29:44.019 --> 00:29:46.460 confronting the fact that the good news that 00:29:46.460 --> 00:29:48.779 they first took in, they've started to forget 00:29:48.779 --> 00:29:51.339 it. And they've started to go back into their 00:29:51.339 --> 00:29:54.019 own groups. again. So let's look at those three 00:29:54.019 --> 00:29:57.460 things. The first one Paul says is, it is no 00:29:57.460 --> 00:30:00.160 longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives 00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:03.720 in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, 00:30:03.940 --> 00:30:07.779 I live by faith in the son of God who loved me 00:30:07.779 --> 00:30:11.460 and gave himself for me. How did I move from 00:30:11.460 --> 00:30:13.940 my insignificance back into significance? Was 00:30:13.940 --> 00:30:17.400 it anything I did? Absolutely not. It was a gracious 00:30:17.400 --> 00:30:22.859 act of God. encountering my humility because 00:30:22.859 --> 00:30:25.740 I was broken and a surrender to him that brought 00:30:25.740 --> 00:30:29.599 me back into God's family. So yes, we are a people 00:30:29.599 --> 00:30:32.119 who speak many different languages. We are a 00:30:32.119 --> 00:30:34.160 people who eat food from all kinds of different 00:30:34.160 --> 00:30:36.480 places. We are a people who represent different 00:30:36.480 --> 00:30:39.619 nationalities, but we have one common language 00:30:39.619 --> 00:30:42.740 that brings us together. And what is that? Grace. 00:30:43.420 --> 00:30:46.539 Grace is an extravagant way of treating one another. 00:30:47.200 --> 00:30:49.359 It doesn't make sense. So don't try to explain 00:30:49.359 --> 00:30:52.720 grace. Receive it from God and then be one who 00:30:52.720 --> 00:30:56.019 gives it back to others. That's one part that 00:30:56.019 --> 00:30:59.339 is necessary for unity and diversity. Then Paul 00:30:59.339 --> 00:31:01.380 writes back to the Galatians the following words. 00:31:01.420 --> 00:31:04.480 He says, for in Christ Jesus, you are all chosen 00:31:04.480 --> 00:31:07.099 of God through faith, children of God through 00:31:07.099 --> 00:31:10.660 faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ 00:31:10.660 --> 00:31:15.680 have clothed yourself with Christ. Okay, that 00:31:15.680 --> 00:31:18.279 clothing language again, covering over your shame. 00:31:18.380 --> 00:31:21.400 What covers over our shame? Christ himself. So 00:31:21.400 --> 00:31:23.480 what makes me special? What makes you special? 00:31:24.019 --> 00:31:26.740 Simply that we're in Christ. I can't stand here 00:31:26.740 --> 00:31:30.220 and say, well, I'm the pastor and you guys are 00:31:30.220 --> 00:31:32.099 sitting down there. Therefore, I'm more significant. 00:31:32.200 --> 00:31:35.220 No, you and I are brothers and sisters in Christ 00:31:35.220 --> 00:31:38.039 because he is the one who has given me my significance. 00:31:39.059 --> 00:31:43.190 That's what unites us together. It doesn't matter 00:31:43.190 --> 00:31:46.609 who you are or who I am. We all go through the 00:31:46.609 --> 00:31:50.849 same baptism, the same water, Father, Son, and 00:31:50.849 --> 00:31:53.109 Spirit. And we come back up because Christ, it's 00:31:53.109 --> 00:31:55.930 an image of what Christ has done in us and for 00:31:55.930 --> 00:31:59.630 us. So the next one is that Christ is our significance. 00:31:59.710 --> 00:32:03.329 Jesus is our significance. Hold on to that tightly. 00:32:04.609 --> 00:32:07.950 Then Paul explains the following. Actually, before 00:32:07.950 --> 00:32:11.609 that, I want you to hear this. Your failures, 00:32:11.630 --> 00:32:15.329 your distortions of living in community are not 00:32:15.329 --> 00:32:18.450 reasons to try harder and to build up more shame 00:32:18.450 --> 00:32:21.930 upon yourself. Your distortions are invitations 00:32:21.930 --> 00:32:25.390 for you to connect with your maker again and 00:32:25.390 --> 00:32:28.369 again. So as you realize them coming out and 00:32:28.369 --> 00:32:30.130 you see, oh, I'm getting pulled towards isolation, 00:32:30.269 --> 00:32:32.529 I'm getting pulled towards uniformity, allow 00:32:32.529 --> 00:32:35.789 that to move you to say, Lord, help. I need you. 00:32:35.849 --> 00:32:38.410 Would you cover me, remind me that I am your 00:32:38.410 --> 00:32:44.390 beloved son, your beloved daughter. The third 00:32:44.390 --> 00:32:47.549 one is this. And because you are children, God 00:32:47.549 --> 00:32:52.450 has sent the spirit of his son into our hearts, 00:32:52.450 --> 00:32:57.029 crying what? Abba, Father. Okay, I turn my back. 00:32:57.150 --> 00:32:59.569 I walk away from God. I say, I wish that you 00:32:59.569 --> 00:33:03.829 were dead. And what does he do? He not only invites 00:33:03.829 --> 00:33:06.549 me back in, but then he gifts me his very spirit 00:33:06.549 --> 00:33:10.069 as a power inside me to take what I know here 00:33:10.069 --> 00:33:13.490 and to move it into the depths of my heart. And 00:33:13.490 --> 00:33:16.390 we have been gifted this Holy Spirit. So you 00:33:16.390 --> 00:33:20.069 are no longer slaves, but a child. And if a child, 00:33:20.069 --> 00:33:23.730 then also an heir through God. That's great news. 00:33:24.109 --> 00:33:28.970 It's such good news. So live by the Spirit. Don't 00:33:28.970 --> 00:33:31.250 go back to those ways of living by flesh. It's 00:33:31.250 --> 00:33:33.089 easy and there's habits in that, but live by 00:33:33.089 --> 00:33:37.970 the Spirit. Do not gratify the desires of the 00:33:37.970 --> 00:33:41.890 flesh. The fruit of the Spirit is what? Love, 00:33:41.950 --> 00:33:45.089 joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 00:33:45.109 --> 00:33:48.789 and self -control. Can you imagine a community 00:33:48.789 --> 00:33:52.490 that is flowing in these things? Would that bring 00:33:52.490 --> 00:33:57.660 unity? Yeah, absolutely. But it is God's work 00:33:57.660 --> 00:34:00.740 in us that comes out to those around us that 00:34:00.740 --> 00:34:05.660 is so beautiful. So these three things, we hold 00:34:05.660 --> 00:34:09.199 on to God, grace is our common language. We hold 00:34:09.199 --> 00:34:12.340 on to Jesus as our significance. And we remember 00:34:12.340 --> 00:34:14.500 that the Holy Spirit is the one gifted to us 00:34:14.500 --> 00:34:18.300 to empower us towards unity and diversity. And 00:34:18.300 --> 00:34:21.340 with that, we come to a very well -known passage. 00:34:22.659 --> 00:34:25.619 Would you read it with me? There is no longer 00:34:25.619 --> 00:34:30.099 Jew or Greek. There is no longer slave or free. 00:34:30.300 --> 00:34:34.480 There is no longer male and female. For all of 00:34:34.480 --> 00:34:38.679 you are one in Christ Jesus. Does that mean because 00:34:38.679 --> 00:34:41.340 I became a Christian, who I am has just disappeared? 00:34:41.579 --> 00:34:44.900 No, absolutely not. What this is saying is, ECB, 00:34:44.960 --> 00:34:52.090 you are not significant because of your... nation 00:34:52.090 --> 00:34:54.190 that you are from or ethnicity you are from. 00:34:54.650 --> 00:34:57.710 God deeply values that, but that is not your 00:34:57.710 --> 00:35:00.269 essential identity. That's not your core identity. 00:35:00.510 --> 00:35:02.889 It's a part of who you are, but it is not your 00:35:02.889 --> 00:35:06.010 core identity. You are significant because you 00:35:06.010 --> 00:35:10.429 are one in Christ. Similarly, you are not significant 00:35:10.429 --> 00:35:13.230 because of your social status or your economic 00:35:13.230 --> 00:35:16.219 standing. How much money you have, what position 00:35:16.219 --> 00:35:19.059 you are in your business or anything like that, 00:35:19.139 --> 00:35:21.239 how many doctorate degrees you have, any of that 00:35:21.239 --> 00:35:24.059 thing. These are all important aspects of who 00:35:24.059 --> 00:35:27.219 we are, but they are not your identity. Your 00:35:27.219 --> 00:35:31.219 identity is that you are one in Christ. And you're 00:35:31.219 --> 00:35:33.800 not significant because you are a male or a female. 00:35:34.559 --> 00:35:37.619 You don't keep these as boundaries that keep 00:35:37.619 --> 00:35:40.559 people out and in. Instead, you say that you 00:35:40.559 --> 00:35:45.219 are one in Christ. That's great news. God desires 00:35:45.219 --> 00:35:48.340 that you and I enjoy an increasing measure of 00:35:48.340 --> 00:35:52.360 unity and diversity. Now, how do we do this very 00:35:52.360 --> 00:35:54.420 practically? I'm going to invite you to very 00:35:54.420 --> 00:35:58.860 specific things to do. You ready? So I invite 00:35:58.860 --> 00:36:05.019 you to be formed by Jesus. Formed by Jesus. Think 00:36:05.019 --> 00:36:06.960 back to your baptism for those who have been 00:36:06.960 --> 00:36:10.630 baptized. What is the picture of baptism? It's 00:36:10.630 --> 00:36:14.130 in Christ. I went from death and all of the distorted, 00:36:14.289 --> 00:36:17.010 broken, shameful things about who I am died with 00:36:17.010 --> 00:36:20.309 Christ in that water. And then I was resurrected 00:36:20.309 --> 00:36:24.530 to new life in Christ. Now I'm being formed in 00:36:24.530 --> 00:36:28.349 that continually, day by day. Be formed in Christ. 00:36:29.989 --> 00:36:33.610 Next week, we are going to have baptisms here. 00:36:33.869 --> 00:36:36.650 It's one of my favorite Sundays of the week. 00:36:36.670 --> 00:36:39.530 Why? Because we see things like this. I told 00:36:39.530 --> 00:36:41.329 you, you're going to show up in the service. 00:36:42.050 --> 00:36:46.570 Look at the smile on her face. So beautiful, 00:36:46.610 --> 00:36:51.730 coming out of the water with this newness of 00:36:51.730 --> 00:36:54.869 life expressed in that space. And you know what? 00:36:54.989 --> 00:36:57.630 The same baptism that she had is the same baptism 00:36:57.630 --> 00:37:00.849 that I had. And we are connected in this way 00:37:00.849 --> 00:37:05.369 in all of our diversity. So come next week ready 00:37:05.369 --> 00:37:08.590 to be formed by Jesus. Once again, as you hear 00:37:08.590 --> 00:37:10.949 these stories, this is a beautiful time of gathering 00:37:10.949 --> 00:37:14.090 together. That's one way. Second way is this, 00:37:14.230 --> 00:37:17.989 to embody Jesus to others. What does this mean? 00:37:18.130 --> 00:37:21.070 If Jesus has loved us back into relationship 00:37:21.070 --> 00:37:23.489 with him and he has given us this incredible 00:37:23.489 --> 00:37:26.170 gift of grace and the significance that is there, 00:37:26.309 --> 00:37:28.630 begin to reach out to others and invite them 00:37:28.630 --> 00:37:33.239 back in to the life that is found in him. How 00:37:33.239 --> 00:37:35.960 do we do this? Practically speaking, next week, 00:37:35.980 --> 00:37:39.179 invite the people who are getting baptized out 00:37:39.179 --> 00:37:41.940 for a meal. Get to know them. Hear more of their 00:37:41.940 --> 00:37:44.280 stories rather than the minute and a half or 00:37:44.280 --> 00:37:47.519 two minute testimony video. That's great. Go 00:37:47.519 --> 00:37:51.039 hear more about them. Or right after church. 00:37:51.820 --> 00:37:54.340 this Sunday. Invite somebody out to go over to 00:37:54.340 --> 00:37:57.219 Terminal 21. Invite them to your home. Make connection. 00:37:57.539 --> 00:37:59.820 This is about the gift of community. We are called 00:37:59.820 --> 00:38:02.880 to nurture it together and to cultivate it. Embody 00:38:02.880 --> 00:38:07.500 Christ to one another. We are to welcome one 00:38:07.500 --> 00:38:09.539 another with the same welcome that Jesus Christ 00:38:09.539 --> 00:38:13.199 gave us. Why? Jesus prays the following for us 00:38:13.199 --> 00:38:17.320 in John 17. He says, may your unity be so perfect 00:38:17.320 --> 00:38:21.369 amidst all your diversity. that the world will 00:38:21.369 --> 00:38:25.889 know that I was sent by the Father. This becomes 00:38:25.889 --> 00:38:29.469 a testimony of who God is and an invitation back 00:38:29.469 --> 00:38:31.690 into that heaven. Remember that story that I 00:38:31.690 --> 00:38:33.789 asked you to think about of walking into Galatia 00:38:33.789 --> 00:38:37.789 in the city of Lystra and you come to this home 00:38:37.789 --> 00:38:41.570 and you are intrigued by walking into it? I'm 00:38:41.570 --> 00:38:44.130 going to share with you a video of this exact 00:38:44.130 --> 00:38:47.929 thing happening here at ECB. And you did this 00:38:47.929 --> 00:38:53.429 to them. And you'll see why. Before I show it, 00:38:53.449 --> 00:38:56.429 one more thing. Once a year, for those of you 00:38:56.429 --> 00:38:59.050 who just joined us or who were not here with 00:38:59.050 --> 00:39:02.570 us last year, once a year, our community recognizes 00:39:02.570 --> 00:39:07.010 the gift of unity and diversity by having a gathering 00:39:07.010 --> 00:39:10.130 where we celebrate all of that through food and 00:39:10.130 --> 00:39:11.929 music and culture and all of these different 00:39:11.929 --> 00:39:15.360 things. And we display the full diversity of 00:39:15.360 --> 00:39:17.219 who God is and the unity of how he's brought 00:39:17.219 --> 00:39:19.840 us together. So once a year we do that. And I 00:39:19.840 --> 00:39:21.659 want you to see what one of our youth found on 00:39:21.659 --> 00:39:25.840 TikTok, okay? Watch the video with me. Come with 00:39:25.840 --> 00:39:27.940 me to a Christian church in the center of Bangkok. 00:39:28.699 --> 00:39:30.780 Let's go. Now, I'm always amazed at the amount 00:39:30.780 --> 00:39:32.960 of people, even in places which are so far from 00:39:32.960 --> 00:39:34.760 home, come together and celebrate Christ. Also, 00:39:34.800 --> 00:39:36.360 shout out for his t -shirt. The service started 00:39:36.360 --> 00:39:37.940 off some praise and worship. You know, I got 00:39:37.940 --> 00:39:39.440 my singing. Then they asked who's from the UK 00:39:39.440 --> 00:39:40.840 in the building. You know, I had to represent. 00:39:41.019 --> 00:39:43.000 I must say, this church had budget. It had, like, 00:39:43.000 --> 00:39:45.380 Bibles behind every seat and notepads to take 00:39:45.380 --> 00:39:47.179 notes. And also, I just love from all different 00:39:47.179 --> 00:39:49.519 races and places, people came together and celebrated 00:39:49.519 --> 00:39:51.360 Christ. This wasn't even a start. They had, like, 00:39:51.360 --> 00:39:53.239 a food buffet going on outside. Now, if this 00:39:53.239 --> 00:39:54.860 is an every week thing for this church in Bangkok, 00:39:55.019 --> 00:39:56.739 I may be catching that flight to come back every 00:39:56.739 --> 00:39:58.050 week. Because they had it all. I tried. Shout 00:39:58.050 --> 00:39:59.750 out these beef tacos. Probably the least fat 00:39:59.750 --> 00:40:01.329 in view you'll ever see me eat. Then I had some 00:40:01.329 --> 00:40:03.489 Nigerian yam and jollof rice. I was lowkey upset 00:40:03.489 --> 00:40:04.769 because they ran out of chicken. And to finish 00:40:04.769 --> 00:40:06.389 off my Christian come down with me, I had some 00:40:06.389 --> 00:40:07.869 Thai salad and a salad. So if you're ever in 00:40:07.869 --> 00:40:09.610 Bangkok and looking for a church, thank you later. 00:40:09.769 --> 00:40:19.130 Have a good day. Peace. ECB, look what you did. 00:40:21.449 --> 00:40:24.010 You became famous on TikTok. You are significant. 00:40:27.150 --> 00:40:29.349 That's beautiful though. This random person comes 00:40:29.349 --> 00:40:31.510 on a Sunday morning, happens to come during International 00:40:31.510 --> 00:40:34.829 Food Festival and experiences this celebration 00:40:34.829 --> 00:40:37.230 that we throw. And so we throw this celebration 00:40:37.230 --> 00:40:40.809 for a reason, for a purpose. And it calls people 00:40:40.809 --> 00:40:43.849 in and it brings people to a saving faith in 00:40:43.849 --> 00:40:46.710 Jesus Christ. The best thing that we can have 00:40:46.710 --> 00:40:50.190 about ourselves. So how can you be part of this? 00:40:50.269 --> 00:40:54.909 Well, it takes a lot to put together this group, 00:40:55.050 --> 00:40:58.730 right? We have dance teams that are there. We 00:40:58.730 --> 00:41:00.710 have music teams that are there. We have food 00:41:00.710 --> 00:41:04.210 contributors there. We have a decoration team. 00:41:04.289 --> 00:41:06.269 We have people ready to share the gospel. We 00:41:06.269 --> 00:41:09.230 have all kinds of things coming together in one 00:41:09.230 --> 00:41:13.110 space. We even have people who come to eat. So 00:41:13.110 --> 00:41:16.650 any of you eat? Okay, make sure to come. This 00:41:16.650 --> 00:41:19.690 is going to be a full month from now, right? 00:41:21.510 --> 00:41:24.690 I'm serious about this. People who are called 00:41:24.690 --> 00:41:27.670 to be united as one body, one of the things we 00:41:27.670 --> 00:41:30.750 are going to do is take seriously joining with 00:41:30.750 --> 00:41:33.929 Thailand in this period of mourning. And you 00:41:33.929 --> 00:41:35.909 will see downstairs where I'm going to call you 00:41:35.909 --> 00:41:38.050 to that the tablecloths are black as a recognition 00:41:38.050 --> 00:41:41.550 of the mourning that we participate in. But we 00:41:41.550 --> 00:41:43.989 also have reason to celebrate who God is, right? 00:41:44.070 --> 00:41:47.090 And so we're going to respect that and also consider 00:41:47.090 --> 00:41:50.090 the fact that after it ends for the International 00:41:50.090 --> 00:41:53.449 Food Festival, we will come together. with what 00:41:53.449 --> 00:41:56.769 we usually do, which is to celebrate the unity 00:41:56.769 --> 00:42:00.409 and diversity. So if you dance, if you cook good 00:42:00.409 --> 00:42:04.329 food, if you sing songs, any of these things, 00:42:04.489 --> 00:42:07.829 if you eat food, as I said, I want you to consider 00:42:07.829 --> 00:42:11.510 being part of this. How can you do that? There's 00:42:11.510 --> 00:42:13.849 going to be tables downstairs right now where 00:42:13.849 --> 00:42:16.650 you can go down and you can sign up to contribute 00:42:16.650 --> 00:42:20.130 to this, to make sure that if somebody comes 00:42:20.130 --> 00:42:22.820 and visits us, They get to experience the beautiful 00:42:22.820 --> 00:42:25.800 gift of unity and diversity. Worship team, I'm 00:42:25.800 --> 00:42:27.219 going to go ahead and call you back up here. 00:42:31.460 --> 00:42:35.059 Brothers and sisters, God has given us a gift. 00:42:36.900 --> 00:42:41.179 You are that gift. And that gift is something 00:42:41.179 --> 00:42:45.340 that requires us to regularly connect with our 00:42:45.340 --> 00:42:48.159 maker in order to nurture and cultivate it and 00:42:48.159 --> 00:42:52.010 multiply it. And that is a task worth living 00:42:52.010 --> 00:42:56.670 for. That is something worth doing. So I want 00:42:56.670 --> 00:42:59.510 to ask you to join me in praying as I just pray 00:42:59.510 --> 00:43:01.949 a prayer of blessing that the Holy Spirit would 00:43:01.949 --> 00:43:04.849 empower us to be a community of unity and diversity. 00:43:05.909 --> 00:43:10.210 Father, I thank you that you have made your self 00:43:10.210 --> 00:43:15.230 known to us. You have made your ways known to 00:43:15.230 --> 00:43:19.480 us. You have restored us. invited us to being 00:43:19.480 --> 00:43:23.420 restored back together with you once again. We're 00:43:23.420 --> 00:43:27.219 deeply thankful for that. And we thank you that 00:43:27.219 --> 00:43:31.559 you have designed us in very unique ways. And 00:43:31.559 --> 00:43:33.639 you knit us together in our mother's womb and 00:43:33.639 --> 00:43:36.360 you said, hey, that's exactly who I want this 00:43:36.360 --> 00:43:42.880 person to be. And it is good. And I want them 00:43:42.880 --> 00:43:44.679 to be very different from the person that is 00:43:44.679 --> 00:43:47.389 sitting next to them. And that's good. because 00:43:47.389 --> 00:43:50.389 I am a God who infinitely can display the diversity 00:43:50.389 --> 00:43:54.230 that is in the unity of the Trinity. Thank you 00:43:54.230 --> 00:43:56.130 for that. So Holy Spirit, would you empower us 00:43:56.130 --> 00:43:59.989 increasingly to be that church family? We want 00:43:59.989 --> 00:44:02.389 to say that we love you because you have loved 00:44:02.389 --> 00:44:05.550 us. Thank you for that. In Jesus' name, amen. 00:44:10.969 --> 00:44:14.530 Thank you for tuning in to the ECB Sermon Podcast. 00:44:15.389 --> 00:44:18.730 Whether near or far, if you are looking for community 00:44:18.730 --> 00:44:22.650 or are in need of prayer, we welcome you to engage 00:44:22.650 --> 00:44:27.489 by sending us an email to office at ecb .asia. 00:44:28.030 --> 00:44:31.110 If God is calling you to support our ministries, 00:44:31.230 --> 00:44:33.829 you will find giving options on our website. 00:44:34.650 --> 00:44:38.090 And remember to join us next week. God bless 00:44:38.090 --> 00:44:38.329 you.