1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,300 As a family, we have these different traditions, right? 2 00:00:03,300 --> 00:00:04,720 We have these different things that we do. 3 00:00:04,720 --> 00:00:07,680 One of those is this thing called a collection of talks. 4 00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:10,140 You've probably heard us say that multiple times, 5 00:00:10,140 --> 00:00:11,760 and you're probably going, a collection of talks? 6 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:12,640 Like what? 7 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:14,640 Well, think about it this way, right? 8 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:17,340 A lot of people use the word series, 9 00:00:17,340 --> 00:00:18,560 but the thing with a series is, 10 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:19,600 what do you do with a series? 11 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:22,860 You binge it, and then what happens to it? 12 00:00:22,860 --> 00:00:23,760 You forget about it. 13 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:24,600 It goes away, right? 14 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:26,140 Like it's somewhere back there, 15 00:00:26,140 --> 00:00:28,020 and maybe you'll find it if somebody, 16 00:00:28,020 --> 00:00:28,860 you know, you talk to somebody, 17 00:00:28,860 --> 00:00:30,440 and you see anything good, and you're like, 18 00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:33,520 I don't know, and you can't remember it. 19 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:35,240 But the idea behind a collection is, 20 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:39,200 a collection is something that it's impactful to you. 21 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:40,540 It means something to you. 22 00:00:40,540 --> 00:00:44,400 And so a collection you keep, and a collection you display. 23 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:46,080 And so the hope is that as we go through 24 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:47,960 these collection of talks, that some of those 25 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:51,880 will be things that you collect, and you keep, and you use. 26 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:54,560 And so it's just a way that we kind of put language to it. 27 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:56,820 Right now we're in a collection on Advent, 28 00:00:56,820 --> 00:00:58,760 and you may be going, what is Advent, right? 29 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:02,840 If you're like my kids, so my 13 and 11 year old, 30 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:03,680 guess what they got? 31 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:05,200 They got Advent calendars. 32 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:07,800 And you may go, that's as far as my understanding 33 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:08,940 of Advent goes, right? 34 00:01:08,940 --> 00:01:10,440 Like the little calendars that you open, 35 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:12,000 and there's chocolate inside. 36 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,440 My kids got two each this year, 37 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:16,520 and so they're like doubled up, 38 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:18,280 and then they were behind, and the other day, 39 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:20,200 my little one was sitting on the couch with me, 40 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:21,880 and she's trying to figure out how many pieces 41 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:23,780 of chocolate she can get that day, 42 00:01:23,780 --> 00:01:25,280 because hey, I'm behind, right? 43 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:27,040 So how do I get extra today? 44 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:29,680 And so, not maybe your understanding of Advent. 45 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:31,280 You're like, that's as far as it goes. 46 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:33,600 What Advent is for the church is it's a time for us 47 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:35,920 to slow down and remind ourselves 48 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:39,600 of why we are celebrating this time of year. 49 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:41,160 It can come really easy to be distracted. 50 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:43,440 So what Advent does, it pulls us back why, 51 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:45,160 so that when the 25th comes, 52 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:47,640 and we go through all the celebrations of the 25th 53 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:49,160 with our family and loved ones, 54 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:50,800 and we get to the end of that day, 55 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:53,400 we don't go, oh yeah, and Jesus. 56 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:55,180 But instead we start the other way, right? 57 00:01:55,180 --> 00:01:58,000 We start with, hey, it's all about Jesus, 58 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:00,600 and that's why we get to do all of this. 59 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:03,720 And if we're not careful, it can be really easy to miss 60 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:06,840 what the season is, because I don't know how you feel, 61 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:09,240 but December feels like a blur so far. 62 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:10,960 And I don't want, for me personally, 63 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:12,600 I don't want the 25th to be that. 64 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:14,720 So what Advent does is it slows us down. 65 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:17,820 It reminds us of things like the last few weeks. 66 00:02:17,820 --> 00:02:20,820 The idea that God, we started out a couple of weeks ago, 67 00:02:20,820 --> 00:02:22,960 right, like that God is happy to be with you. 68 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:25,160 That's the definition of joy. 69 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:27,040 That what that's supposed to be designed to do 70 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:29,760 is knowing that God's face is towards you, 71 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:32,080 that he is happy to be with you, 72 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:34,560 it creates joy in us, right, 73 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:36,360 and it creates attachment to God. 74 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:38,320 We talked about that week one. 75 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:40,120 And then last week, Pastor Todd was here, 76 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:41,560 and he's talking about peace. 77 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:45,380 And he's going, hey, because Jesus is happy to be with you, 78 00:02:45,380 --> 00:02:48,000 then you can have peace, right? 79 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:49,880 Because he's happy to be with you, 80 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:54,400 Jesus, who is our peace, who is the prince of inner fullness, 81 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:57,280 can give you peace on the inside. 82 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:00,000 And so the idea is that as we walk through this year, 83 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:01,720 we're focusing on this idea 84 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:06,720 that God is happy to be with me. 85 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:09,720 I tried this out this week, you guys. 86 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:11,080 I'm sitting at a stoplight, 87 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:14,000 and you know, stoplight, there's nothing to do, right? 88 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:15,680 You're just sitting there. 89 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:18,200 I go, wait a minute, you're happy to be with me, 90 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:20,560 the God of the universe, right now, 91 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:22,740 at a random stoplight in Prescott, 92 00:03:22,740 --> 00:03:27,000 you are happy to be with me on a mundane day in the week. 93 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,980 And God's like, yep, I am happy to be with you. 94 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:32,880 We just don't think of God that way. 95 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:34,200 We think of God as distant. 96 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:36,000 We think of God as he's out there, 97 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:38,340 and maybe he's happy with us, maybe he's mad. 98 00:03:38,340 --> 00:03:40,400 And the whole point is just to pull it down and go, 99 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:41,680 no, he is happy to be with you. 100 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:43,000 And today we're gonna lean into, 101 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:47,040 he is happy to be with you, therefore you have hope. 102 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:48,440 Therefore you have hope. 103 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:53,440 And have you ever noticed, this time of year 104 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:58,080 is just full of festivity, right? 105 00:03:58,080 --> 00:03:59,840 Like everywhere you go, you walk in a store, 106 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:00,800 what do they got planned? 107 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:02,200 Christmas music, right? 108 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:04,520 Like everything is happy and kind of upbeat. 109 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:05,640 They got decorations out. 110 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:07,240 They want you to know it's Christmas, right? 111 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:10,080 And then you go to your whatever coffee shop, 112 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:11,000 and what are they doing? 113 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:14,280 They're giving you a cup that is decorated for Christmas, 114 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:16,360 and they're going, hey, what drink do you want 115 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:18,040 that reminds you of Christmas? 116 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:20,400 And so, years ago we had somebody on staff 117 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:21,840 and they're like, gingerbread latte 118 00:04:21,840 --> 00:04:23,760 is like Christmas in your mouth, right? 119 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:27,160 Like so whatever that is for you, and it's this warm, 120 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:29,000 like, oh, it's so good, it's Christmas, 121 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:31,220 and everything is upbeat, and it's moving towards 122 00:04:31,220 --> 00:04:33,560 people showing up and celebration. 123 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:35,960 And yet, and yet, and yet, 124 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:40,840 Christmas can be one of the most painful experiences. 125 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:43,960 You know what I mean? 126 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:46,880 Like when you sit around your table on Christmas day, 127 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:49,480 and there's a seat that's empty, 128 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:52,000 that's painful. 129 00:04:56,080 --> 00:04:59,160 Or you're in a season where everybody's telling you 130 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:01,320 about all the stuff they're getting for their person 131 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:02,880 and their people and their family, 132 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:06,160 and you're going, we're actually in a season of scarcity. 133 00:05:10,280 --> 00:05:11,120 That's painful. 134 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:12,360 That's painful. 135 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:18,880 Or you're in a moment where you didn't anticipate 136 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:21,120 losing your job in the Christmas season. 137 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:23,440 That's painful. 138 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:29,920 Or you got relationships that just won't get right, 139 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:31,480 and because it just won't get right, 140 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:34,740 they're not going to be a part of your world this year. 141 00:05:34,740 --> 00:05:36,160 That's painful. 142 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:37,000 That hurts. 143 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:40,080 And in the midst of a season that is full of so much joy, 144 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:42,960 and it should be full of so much joy, 145 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:46,480 it can also be immensely painful. 146 00:05:47,840 --> 00:05:50,920 And inside of that, inside of that, 147 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:53,360 is why Advent is so important. 148 00:05:54,280 --> 00:05:56,640 And today is so important because it reminds us 149 00:05:56,640 --> 00:05:59,040 there is hope. 150 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:01,000 There is hope. 151 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:02,600 Now, what is hope? 152 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:04,800 Because I think culturally, we confuse hope. 153 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:05,640 Here's what I mean. 154 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:09,080 We have the idea of hope being like a wish, 155 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:11,680 but a wish and hope are very different. 156 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:13,520 A wish is not based on anything. 157 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:17,520 For example, I wish it would snow Christmas day. 158 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:19,440 I have nothing to base that on. 159 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:21,280 It's just a wish that I have. 160 00:06:21,280 --> 00:06:23,440 I wish that I would win the lottery. 161 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:25,760 I have nothing to base that on. 162 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:27,440 I just wish I would do it. 163 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:29,600 And some of you are like, well, you gotta buy a ticket. 164 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:31,360 Okay, right? 165 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:32,600 But I'm not basing on anything. 166 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:34,160 I wish when I walk out there, 167 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:36,760 there's a new car sitting out there, right? 168 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:39,280 I don't have anything to base that on. 169 00:06:39,280 --> 00:06:40,680 Nobody's talking to me about a new car, 170 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:42,600 but I wish it's there, right? 171 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:43,960 A wish is not based on anything. 172 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:45,560 Hope, on the other hand, is different. 173 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:47,400 Hope has an object. 174 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:49,520 Hope is based on something. 175 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:50,520 Here's what I mean. 176 00:06:50,520 --> 00:06:52,360 Any Browns fans in the room? 177 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:56,200 We've got one way at the back. 178 00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:57,600 Anybody else? 179 00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:00,280 One and Elke on the online family. 180 00:07:00,280 --> 00:07:01,840 You are the only ones. 181 00:07:01,840 --> 00:07:02,680 Here's what I mean. 182 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:06,480 Only ones, here's what's interesting about Browns fans. 183 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:08,400 Okay, I'm talking about the Cleveland Browns football team 184 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:11,000 just to give you context if you're not a sports person. 185 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:14,360 Every year, this is what happens if you are a Browns fan. 186 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:16,960 There is something called the draft. 187 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:21,200 And at the draft, the Browns will get a really good pick 188 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:22,720 every time. 189 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:23,800 And there's a reason for that. 190 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:25,280 Not sure what it is. 191 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:27,120 But they get a pick, right? 192 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:31,200 And every year, kid you not, oh, this is our year, bro. 193 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:32,040 Really? 194 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:33,160 Yeah, this is our year. 195 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:34,000 Why? 196 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:34,840 We drafted this person. 197 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:37,360 Hope, hope has an object. 198 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:38,760 They're going to the Super Bowl. 199 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:39,600 Why? 200 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:40,480 Their hope is the Super Bowl. 201 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:41,320 Why? 202 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:42,840 Because we got that draft pick. 203 00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:47,840 Our hope, our hope, our hope in this season is not a wish. 204 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:51,560 Our hope is based on a person. 205 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:55,840 The object of our hope is the person of Jesus. 206 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:57,880 That's what we're reminding ourselves. 207 00:07:57,880 --> 00:07:59,440 Wait, wait, wait, who is this Jesus? 208 00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:03,320 He's the God who is happy to be with you right now. 209 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:06,560 He is happy to be with you. 210 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:08,600 And therefore you have hope. 211 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:09,440 Here's what I mean. 212 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:10,800 There's some stories that kind of highlight this. 213 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:13,880 The first one is out of the Christmas narrative 214 00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:15,200 in Luke chapter one. 215 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:18,040 It says this in verse 26. 216 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:20,120 In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, 217 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:25,040 God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 218 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:28,320 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, 219 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:30,280 a descendant of David. 220 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:33,320 The virgin's name was Mary. 221 00:08:33,320 --> 00:08:36,120 The angel went to her and said, 222 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:41,120 greetings, greetings, you who are highly favored. 223 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:44,400 The Lord is with you. 224 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:46,560 Okay, jump back a couple of weeks ago. 225 00:08:46,560 --> 00:08:48,520 What did we learn about the Lord being with us? 226 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:52,360 That is him telling us he is happy to be with you. 227 00:08:52,360 --> 00:08:55,120 So what do you get with Mary right here in the outset? 228 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:56,560 Hey, you are highly favored. 229 00:08:56,560 --> 00:08:59,400 That language of highly favored is that God's face 230 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:00,680 is on you. 231 00:09:00,680 --> 00:09:03,840 You have the grace and favor of God, right? 232 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:06,960 So God is, his face is towards you and Mary, 233 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:08,840 he is with you. 234 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:10,960 He is happy to be with you, Mary. 235 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:15,200 Verse 29, Mary was greatly troubled at his words 236 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:18,400 and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 237 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:20,320 But the angel said to her, do not be afraid, Mary. 238 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:21,560 You have found favor. 239 00:09:21,560 --> 00:09:23,000 You have found favor with God. 240 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:24,040 What does he reiterate? 241 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:25,960 God's face is towards you. 242 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:27,160 He is on your side. 243 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:29,000 He is happy to be with you, Mary. 244 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:31,720 You will conceive and give birth to a son 245 00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:33,560 and you will call him Jesus. 246 00:09:33,560 --> 00:09:35,480 He will be great and will be called 247 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:37,440 the son of the most high. 248 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:39,960 The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David, 249 00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:43,040 and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever. 250 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:45,400 His kingdom will never end. 251 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:48,080 How will this be, Mary asked the angel, 252 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:49,840 since I am a virgin. 253 00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:53,000 The angel answered, the Holy Spirit will come on you 254 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:57,000 and the power of the most high will overshadow you. 255 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:01,320 So the Holy one to be born will be called the son of God. 256 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:02,600 Even Elizabeth, your relative, 257 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:05,000 is going to have a child in her old age 258 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:07,280 and she who was said to be unable to conceive 259 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:08,520 is in her sixth month. 260 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:12,840 For no word from God will ever fail. 261 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:15,040 Some of you need to circle that, highlight that, 262 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:17,160 put it on your fridge, remind yourself daily, 263 00:10:17,160 --> 00:10:23,160 no word from the Lord, no word from God will ever fail. 264 00:10:23,520 --> 00:10:26,680 I am the Lord's servant, Mary answered. 265 00:10:26,680 --> 00:10:30,320 May your word to me be fulfilled, 266 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:31,360 then the angel left her. 267 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:35,600 Okay, so context of the story, Mary at this point 268 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:39,160 is probably a middle schooler at best, right? 269 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:43,240 We think right around the age of 12, 13 years old. 270 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:45,880 And so you have a middle schooler who is betrothed, 271 00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:48,320 because culturally this is how it works, she's betrothed. 272 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:51,040 She is engaged to a man named Joseph. 273 00:10:51,040 --> 00:10:52,040 Now where is Joseph? 274 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:54,920 Joseph has come, he's done what's needed to 275 00:10:54,920 --> 00:10:57,720 with the whole betrothal, he's gone back now, 276 00:10:57,720 --> 00:11:00,840 and he is preparing a place for his bride. 277 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:03,520 When he has prepared his place at his father's house, 278 00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:05,920 he will come back and now get his bride. 279 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:07,720 There's a whole picture of scripture there 280 00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:09,560 that we'll talk about another time. 281 00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:15,600 She is waiting, so she has decided her future. 282 00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:18,080 She knows her future is with Joseph, 283 00:11:18,080 --> 00:11:21,440 and when he comes back to get her, they are gonna go 284 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:23,400 and they're gonna have a wedding ceremony, 285 00:11:23,400 --> 00:11:26,040 and then they're gonna begin this life together, right? 286 00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:29,240 There's gonna be everything that she'd hoped 287 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:31,480 and imagined that she would have within that culture. 288 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:33,440 She's expecting to be able to have babies, 289 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:35,520 and she's gonna grow old with Joseph 290 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:37,120 and have all of her kids around all that. 291 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:39,520 She has a life direction. 292 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:40,600 She knows where life's going. 293 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:43,320 She knows what her future looks like. 294 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:46,000 And it's in the midst of that that an angel out of nowhere 295 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:49,080 shows up and goes, hey, Mary, you know that future 296 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:50,000 you thought you had? 297 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:52,520 Surprise, right? 298 00:11:52,520 --> 00:11:55,200 And now what happens, now what happens 299 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:58,480 is Mary's whole moment, we think of this moment 300 00:11:58,480 --> 00:12:00,920 as one of those like it's this holy moment. 301 00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:03,880 Can you imagine what is happening inside of her? 302 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:09,720 My whole direction and future just changed. 303 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:14,720 But notice, notice what happens to her. 304 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:20,600 She ends up saying, I am your servant. 305 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:24,120 May your word be as it said. 306 00:12:25,480 --> 00:12:27,320 How did she get there? 307 00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:32,320 Well, there's this little phrase, I am with you. 308 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:35,000 God declared to her what? 309 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:39,520 I am happy to be with you, my Lord. 310 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:40,840 I am happy to be with you. 311 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:44,640 Therefore, Mary has hope in God's future for her, 312 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:46,120 not what she's holding onto. 313 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:49,320 How does she release her future to God? 314 00:12:49,320 --> 00:12:51,760 She releases it by knowing what? 315 00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:54,880 You are God and you are happy to be with me 316 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:57,600 and your favor is upon me, which in this culture, 317 00:12:57,600 --> 00:13:00,160 in this context, that's a really huge deal 318 00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:02,160 that God's face would be towards you. 319 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:07,000 That God is happy to be with her, therefore what? 320 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:10,560 I can trust you with my life direction and my future. 321 00:13:10,560 --> 00:13:11,560 I can trust you, why? 322 00:13:11,560 --> 00:13:12,960 Because you're happy to be with me 323 00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:16,080 and no matter where I go, even on a mundane stoplight, 324 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:19,400 on whatever day it was, in Prescott, you are with me, 325 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:22,680 you are happy to be with me and my future is secure in you. 326 00:13:23,840 --> 00:13:26,720 You see, what happens is, if we're not careful, 327 00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:29,200 the opposite version of this story is Mary goes, 328 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:31,520 actually, that doesn't fit into my plans, God. 329 00:13:32,640 --> 00:13:35,480 Actually, I don't know if I trust that. 330 00:13:35,480 --> 00:13:38,760 What's gonna happen to me when people find out 331 00:13:38,760 --> 00:13:41,040 I'm pregnant and I'm not married? 332 00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:42,480 Like my life could be at stake. 333 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:44,680 She doesn't know how this all works out. 334 00:13:44,680 --> 00:13:46,520 She doesn't know the future that we know 335 00:13:46,520 --> 00:13:48,200 because we have the rest of the story. 336 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:49,920 For her, she's in a real time moment going, 337 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:52,760 this could cost me my life, but I have hope. 338 00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:53,920 How does she have hope? 339 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:56,960 Because of the God who is happy to be with her. 340 00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:01,200 You realize that's the same God that's happy to be with you 341 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:05,560 and you can trust him with your direction and your future. 342 00:14:06,840 --> 00:14:07,960 There's another story. 343 00:14:09,680 --> 00:14:11,360 John chapter two, if you've been around church, 344 00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:14,480 you're familiar with it, but John chapter two, verse one says, 345 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:18,560 on the third day, a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. 346 00:14:18,560 --> 00:14:23,320 Jesus' mother was there and Jesus and his disciples 347 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:26,720 had also been invited to the wedding. 348 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:29,640 When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, 349 00:14:29,640 --> 00:14:32,280 they have no more wine, woman, why do you involve me? 350 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:34,720 Jesus replied, my hour has not yet come. 351 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:37,000 His mother said to the servants, 352 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:40,120 do whatever he tells you to do. 353 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:41,880 So the context of this story, right? 354 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:43,960 There's a wedding happening. 355 00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:47,160 And at a wedding in those days, it was the job of the host, 356 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:49,760 the people putting it on, to have enough wine, 357 00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:52,800 to have enough food and enough provisions 358 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:54,640 for everybody that had been invited. 359 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:57,920 If you ran out, it was shameful to you. 360 00:14:57,920 --> 00:14:59,320 It was a disappointment. 361 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:03,200 It was your family would be looked down upon. 362 00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:04,880 So in this moment, what you have is 363 00:15:04,880 --> 00:15:07,200 you have an issue of provision. 364 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:10,280 And in this moment, you have Jesus' mother, 365 00:15:10,280 --> 00:15:11,640 and what does she do? 366 00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:13,320 She's like, wait, wait, wait, wait. 367 00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:15,280 I know who's at this wedding. 368 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:16,480 I know who's happy to be here. 369 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:18,680 How do we know that Jesus is happy to be there? 370 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:20,480 Because he was invited. 371 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:23,960 The disciples didn't drag him in like, come on, Jesus, 372 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:25,040 we're going to a wedding, right? 373 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:26,440 Like, come party with us. 374 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:29,360 Jesus is invited, and it says that he is there, 375 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:31,520 which means that when you accept an invitation, 376 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:34,600 I am happy to be with the people that I'm with 377 00:15:34,600 --> 00:15:37,600 in whatever the invitation is towards. 378 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:39,680 Jesus is declaring by his presence, 379 00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:43,280 I am happy to be at a wedding, 380 00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:45,520 where yes, there is dancing. 381 00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:48,040 For some of you, you're like, wait, Jesus went to a dance? 382 00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:49,680 Sure did. 383 00:15:49,680 --> 00:15:51,520 I think he broke it down, personally. 384 00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:56,520 Wait, there was wine? 385 00:15:56,520 --> 00:15:58,360 It sure was. 386 00:15:58,360 --> 00:16:00,360 And I believe Jesus had a glass. 387 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:02,560 I didn't say two. 388 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:04,080 Just kidding. 389 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:06,480 Corny church jokes, David, corny church jokes. 390 00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:11,800 Jesus is happy to be at the wedding. 391 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:16,800 And Mary, the mother of Jesus, knows he's here. 392 00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:23,600 Therefore, in the lack of provision, I can have hope. 393 00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:26,240 So what does she do? 394 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:28,000 She goes to the servants. 395 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:30,440 Hey, you guys, whatever he tells you to do, do. 396 00:16:30,440 --> 00:16:32,480 Notice what she didn't do. 397 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:34,560 Hey, you guys, I want you to get six jars of water. 398 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:35,880 Actually, let's just make it three. 399 00:16:35,880 --> 00:16:37,440 We'll make it easy on him. 400 00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:39,960 And she goes, I'm going to go get six jars of water. 401 00:16:39,960 --> 00:16:42,680 Let's just make it three, we'll make it easy on him. 402 00:16:42,680 --> 00:16:44,880 She doesn't hope, hope in this moment. 403 00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:46,320 She knows Jesus is there. 404 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:47,680 He's happy to be with them, right? 405 00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:50,360 She knows that she has hope in what he can do 406 00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:51,760 because he is there. 407 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:53,200 But what does hope do, right? 408 00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:55,840 Because hope, if you want a definition of hope, 409 00:16:55,840 --> 00:16:58,720 hope is confident expectation. 410 00:16:58,720 --> 00:17:02,800 But confident expectation is not setting the outcome. 411 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:05,400 And a lot of times what happens when we are hopeful 412 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:09,080 is we're not hopeful, we're making demands, right? 413 00:17:09,080 --> 00:17:13,040 Okay, God, I hope that my future is this. 414 00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:14,880 I hope that this happens. 415 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:16,560 I hope, and then what happens is 416 00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:18,720 because we're hoping in an outcome and not a person, 417 00:17:18,720 --> 00:17:20,880 when that doesn't happen, we get disappointed, 418 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:23,840 and we turn around and go, where were you, Jesus? 419 00:17:23,840 --> 00:17:25,840 She doesn't do that. 420 00:17:25,840 --> 00:17:28,960 She goes, hey, he's here, he's happy to be here. 421 00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:31,040 We have hope because he's here. 422 00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:32,480 And so in the midst of that, she goes, 423 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:35,560 hey, whatever he tells you to do, just do it. 424 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:37,040 And what does Jesus do? 425 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:41,160 Oh, he doesn't do one jar, he does six. 426 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:42,480 And they fill them to the brim, 427 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:43,760 and when they taste the wine, they go, 428 00:17:43,760 --> 00:17:45,600 this is the best stuff we've ever had. 429 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:48,520 Why? 430 00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:51,440 Because Jesus was happy to be there, 431 00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:53,560 his mama had hope in what? 432 00:17:53,560 --> 00:17:54,560 In his provision. 433 00:17:56,920 --> 00:18:00,000 I don't know where you're at in provision. 434 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:01,600 I don't know what your needs are. 435 00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:06,080 But whatever situation you are in, I do know this, 436 00:18:06,080 --> 00:18:08,680 that he is happy to be with you in that situation. 437 00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:10,280 He has not abandoned you. 438 00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:12,200 Sometimes in church world, we can get weird, right? 439 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:14,720 Like that if you're having financial issues 440 00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:16,800 and God is mad at you, God is not mad at you, 441 00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:18,000 he is for you. 442 00:18:19,480 --> 00:18:22,560 This whole story declares how much God is for you 443 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:24,440 and wants to walk alongside you 444 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:26,680 and be in relationship with you, 445 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:30,200 even in the midst of the lack of provision. 446 00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:35,640 As in that story, in Luke, if you were here last week, 447 00:18:35,640 --> 00:18:37,880 you heard Pastor Todd talk about it. 448 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:39,840 But in 22, it says this, one day, 449 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:41,080 Jesus said to his disciples, 450 00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:43,760 let us go over to the other side of the lake. 451 00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:46,040 So they got into the boat and set out. 452 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:48,160 As they sailed, he fell asleep. 453 00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:51,520 I love that this story is captured by other authors, 454 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:54,880 other eyewitnesses, and one of them says this, 455 00:18:54,880 --> 00:18:58,320 that he fell asleep on a cushion. 456 00:18:58,320 --> 00:18:59,960 And here's what I love about it. 457 00:18:59,960 --> 00:19:02,240 I think he brought the cushion, right? 458 00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:04,840 We often think of Jesus like, oh, he must have roughed it. 459 00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:08,120 No, he had a cushion that I think he brought. 460 00:19:08,120 --> 00:19:09,560 That's all I'm saying. 461 00:19:09,560 --> 00:19:11,360 And then I just gave you biblical reasoning 462 00:19:11,360 --> 00:19:14,600 of why naps are spiritual, okay? 463 00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:16,000 So those of you that love your naps, 464 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:18,800 you just got biblical backing for when you get grief. 465 00:19:18,800 --> 00:19:20,280 So you can take a nap. 466 00:19:21,440 --> 00:19:24,520 A squall came down on the lake 467 00:19:24,520 --> 00:19:26,480 so that the boat was being swamped, 468 00:19:26,480 --> 00:19:28,160 and they were in great danger. 469 00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:30,600 The disciples went and woke him saying, 470 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:32,840 Master, Master, we're going to drown. 471 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:33,800 You ever wonder? 472 00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:35,520 I don't know how you are as a nap person, 473 00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:36,840 this is a total side note. 474 00:19:36,840 --> 00:19:39,520 Don't know why I'm saying this, but here we go. 475 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:40,960 You ever take a nap? 476 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:44,520 I'm not a nap person, meaning if I go over 20 minutes, 477 00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:47,960 when I wake up, it takes me like 45 478 00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:50,720 to even come around and recognize what state I'm in. 479 00:19:52,360 --> 00:19:53,520 I wonder what Jesus like, 480 00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:55,640 was this like groggy Jesus getting up? 481 00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:56,480 You know what I mean? 482 00:19:56,480 --> 00:19:59,520 Like, what kind of nap person was Jesus? 483 00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:01,760 Master, Master, we're going to drown. 484 00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:03,160 Welcome to how I read the Bible. 485 00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:04,000 Sorry. 486 00:20:04,880 --> 00:20:09,440 He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters. 487 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:11,600 The storm subsided and all was calm. 488 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:13,320 Where is your faith? 489 00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:15,320 He asked his disciples in fear and amazement, 490 00:20:15,320 --> 00:20:17,320 they asked one another, who is this? 491 00:20:17,320 --> 00:20:20,120 He commands even the winds and the water, 492 00:20:20,120 --> 00:20:23,240 and they obey him. 493 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:25,960 If you were here last week, you heard Pastor Todd, 494 00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:27,760 as he talked about this idea 495 00:20:27,760 --> 00:20:29,840 that they were experienced fishermen, right? 496 00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:32,840 Like they've been on the water how many times? 497 00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:34,400 They understood how the water worked. 498 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:36,320 They understood how in that area, 499 00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:39,440 the storms came in quickly. 500 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:41,200 And so for experienced fishermen, 501 00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:43,520 how fast did the storm move that all of a sudden 502 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:45,560 it went from, hey, everything's good. 503 00:20:45,560 --> 00:20:48,320 Everything's calm to, I think we're going to drown. 504 00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:50,960 I don't know if we make it out of this. 505 00:20:50,960 --> 00:20:53,320 All right, there's these experienced fishermen 506 00:20:53,320 --> 00:20:56,360 that understand the danger that they were in. 507 00:20:56,360 --> 00:20:57,920 And in the midst of that danger, 508 00:20:57,920 --> 00:20:59,840 I want you to see something. 509 00:20:59,840 --> 00:21:01,920 I don't think they picked Jesus up, 510 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:03,080 threw him over their shoulder and said, 511 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:05,640 hey, we're going in the boat, right? 512 00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:09,040 I think Jesus walked onto the boat with his cushion. 513 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:11,160 Another author captures it. 514 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:15,760 He goes, hey, is Jesus, Jesus came along just as he was. 515 00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:16,600 What was Jesus? 516 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:18,120 He was tired. 517 00:21:18,120 --> 00:21:20,080 He'd done a whole day of ministry. 518 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:21,400 He was exhausted. 519 00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:24,600 He gets in the boat, the nap is proof of his exhaustion. 520 00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:25,440 But what? 521 00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:26,600 He is happy to be. 522 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:29,160 He steps on the boat willfully with who? 523 00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:32,360 With his friends and his family, his disciples. 524 00:21:32,360 --> 00:21:35,000 And he is happy to be with them in the boat. 525 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:36,120 And you know what? 526 00:21:36,120 --> 00:21:38,880 When he woke up, he was happy to be with them where? 527 00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:40,040 In the storm. 528 00:21:41,360 --> 00:21:43,600 You see, sometimes I think we think that Jesus 529 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:46,480 is running out of our storm. 530 00:21:46,480 --> 00:21:48,600 But notice what the disciples do. 531 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:52,560 The disciples are in the midst of, oh, we're going to die. 532 00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:54,640 We're not going to make it. 533 00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:55,800 Where do they go? 534 00:21:55,800 --> 00:21:58,400 Their hope is in what? 535 00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:02,840 Jesus, God, who is happy to be with them. 536 00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:05,800 Therefore, they have hope in their storm. 537 00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:08,480 Can I tell you today that Jesus has not abandoned 538 00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:09,840 your boat in the storm? 539 00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:13,960 He's in the storm with you today. 540 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:14,800 And guess what? 541 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:17,600 He's not there begrudgingly like, oh, 542 00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:20,320 came along because you hauled me with you. 543 00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:23,560 He's there happily in the midst of the storm, 544 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:26,200 in the midst of the pain, in the midst of the suffering, 545 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:28,800 in the midst of the chaos, in the midst of the out 546 00:22:28,800 --> 00:22:31,280 of control, in the midst of, I don't know how this turns out. 547 00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:33,400 He is in the midst of it with you. 548 00:22:33,400 --> 00:22:35,120 And he is happy to be with you. 549 00:22:35,120 --> 00:22:37,560 Therefore, you have hope because Jesus is with you 550 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:38,400 in the storm. 551 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:42,720 That's what Christmas tells us, 552 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:45,000 is he is happy to be with us. 553 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:50,000 This idea of suffering, this idea of pain, affliction. 554 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:53,160 Romans picks up on it, it says this in verse one. 555 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:55,960 Therefore, since we have been justified, 556 00:22:55,960 --> 00:22:57,800 okay, that means to be set right, right? 557 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:00,760 We've been set right with God through faith. 558 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:06,960 We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 559 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:07,720 If you were here last week, 560 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:09,800 that's everything Todd was talking about. 561 00:23:09,800 --> 00:23:11,960 We have peace with God, why? 562 00:23:11,960 --> 00:23:16,400 Because of the God who is happy to be with me. 563 00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:19,720 Through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace 564 00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:22,320 in which we now stand. 565 00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:25,640 And we boast, that word boast, 566 00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:28,160 that word boast is to rejoice. 567 00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:29,960 What are we rejoicing in? 568 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:32,800 We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 569 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:36,320 So we rejoice in everything that God is. 570 00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:37,640 Then it carries on. 571 00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:43,600 Not only so, but we also glory in the hope 572 00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:48,600 but we also glory, that word glory is also rejoice. 573 00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:51,760 Right, we rejoice in our what? 574 00:23:52,720 --> 00:23:54,000 Suffering. 575 00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:59,480 That is the opposite message of everything you get in life. 576 00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:00,960 Everything in life is like, hey, 577 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:03,760 how to take that out of your life to make your life better. 578 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:06,360 Right, like how to do this, it'll make that better. 579 00:24:06,360 --> 00:24:08,440 Right, like how to, everything is about, 580 00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:09,840 how do we get rid of everything 581 00:24:09,840 --> 00:24:12,320 that's hard and difficult and painful? 582 00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:14,880 That word suffering right here, 583 00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:17,880 the word suffering is real hardship. 584 00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:21,920 The word suffering is affliction, difficulty. 585 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:25,800 Wait, we rejoice? 586 00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:32,400 I'm supposed to rejoice in things being hard and difficult? 587 00:24:33,360 --> 00:24:34,200 Yeah. 588 00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:38,160 Well, that's the opposite. 589 00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:39,000 Why? 590 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:44,000 Because we know that suffering, hardship, affliction, 591 00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:48,320 pain produces perseverance. 592 00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:50,760 And perseverance, character. 593 00:24:50,760 --> 00:24:53,560 And character, what's the last one? 594 00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:56,520 Hope, a confident expectation. 595 00:24:56,520 --> 00:25:01,040 Where is a confident expectation in the God of the heavens? 596 00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:02,120 How is that built? 597 00:25:02,120 --> 00:25:05,040 Through suffering, through pain, 598 00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:07,560 through hardship, through difficulty. 599 00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:11,360 Through difficulty, what is being built in me 600 00:25:11,360 --> 00:25:15,120 that my expectation of God would actually grow? 601 00:25:15,120 --> 00:25:17,240 That I would be more confident in God 602 00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:18,880 because of what I'm going through 603 00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:21,120 than I would have been without it. 604 00:25:21,120 --> 00:25:22,440 And why can I be confident? 605 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:23,600 Why can I have hope? 606 00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:24,440 Why? 607 00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:27,600 Because the God, the God who is happy to be with me 608 00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:30,440 is in the pain, in the suffering with me. 609 00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:32,440 He has not abandoned me. 610 00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:33,720 He is not ashamed. 611 00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:36,720 It's this idea that within our suffering, 612 00:25:36,720 --> 00:25:37,720 what is God building? 613 00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:39,400 Endurance. 614 00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:41,720 He's changing you, your character. 615 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:44,360 You'll have character that you did not have before. 616 00:25:44,360 --> 00:25:46,920 You talk to anybody who's been through something with Jesus, 617 00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:49,240 they'll tell you how much they grew in that season. 618 00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:51,240 They'll tell you how much they changed in that season. 619 00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:54,120 They'll tell you how much more confident they are 620 00:25:54,120 --> 00:25:55,880 in the God who is happy to be. 621 00:25:56,840 --> 00:25:57,680 And what do we do? 622 00:25:57,680 --> 00:25:58,520 We go, no, no, no, no. 623 00:25:58,520 --> 00:25:59,720 I gotta get rid of suffering. 624 00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:00,960 I gotta get rid of hardship. 625 00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:01,800 Why? 626 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:03,640 Because I'm not confident. 627 00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:05,680 Because it's uncomfortable and I don't like it. 628 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:08,040 And God goes, what if that's the very thing 629 00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:11,200 that's gonna build your hope in me? 630 00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:14,160 Why? 631 00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:16,200 What else? 632 00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:17,040 Verse five. 633 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:20,400 And hope does not put us to shame. 634 00:26:20,400 --> 00:26:21,360 You know what that word shame is? 635 00:26:21,360 --> 00:26:22,400 Disappoint. 636 00:26:22,400 --> 00:26:24,760 Hope, confident expectation, 637 00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:28,440 and Jesus who is happy to be with you does not disappoint. 638 00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:30,480 It does not disappoint. 639 00:26:30,480 --> 00:26:31,520 Why? 640 00:26:31,520 --> 00:26:34,560 Because God's love has been poured out into our hearts 641 00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:38,000 through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 642 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:41,000 You step back in when Jesus was talking to the disciples 643 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:42,880 before he went to the cross, guess what he tells them? 644 00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:44,280 Hey, this is great. 645 00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:47,440 I'm face to face with you, but I gotta go away. 646 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:51,240 I gotta go away so that it can get better. 647 00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:54,120 And can you imagine being one of the disciples, 648 00:26:54,120 --> 00:26:55,520 you're face to face with Jesus and he goes, 649 00:26:55,520 --> 00:26:57,440 hey, it's gonna get better if I leave. 650 00:26:57,440 --> 00:26:59,000 You're like, I don't think so. 651 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:01,080 And what he's getting at is he then says 652 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:03,680 that the Holy Spirit needs to come. 653 00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:06,120 God himself in spirit form needs to come. 654 00:27:06,120 --> 00:27:07,360 Why? 655 00:27:07,360 --> 00:27:09,520 Because Jesus was locked to one place 656 00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:11,720 with one person at one time. 657 00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:13,240 So if you were in suffering in a boat, 658 00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:16,160 he could be with you, but he couldn't be with me. 659 00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:18,800 And so what happens is, he says, 660 00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:20,520 I gotta go so the Holy Spirit can come. 661 00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:22,000 What happens when the Holy Spirit comes? 662 00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:23,640 He indwells those who believe, 663 00:27:23,640 --> 00:27:25,400 those that have said yes to Jesus, 664 00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:27,600 stepped into relationship, the Holy Spirit, 665 00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:31,440 and dwells them, God is so happy to be with you 666 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:34,040 that he lives on the inside of you. 667 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:36,560 That's how much he longs to be with you. 668 00:27:36,560 --> 00:27:39,000 And what does it say that the Holy Spirit's doing? 669 00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:41,120 He's pouring out his love where? 670 00:27:41,120 --> 00:27:42,880 In the core of who you are, 671 00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:45,200 so that you can have confident expectation 672 00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:47,000 in whatever you face. 673 00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:48,920 You can have hope. 674 00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:49,760 Why? 675 00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:51,440 Because the God who is happy to be with me 676 00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:53,800 in the form of the Holy Spirit has never left me, right? 677 00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:55,520 And because of that, what? 678 00:27:55,520 --> 00:27:56,360 I can have hope. 679 00:27:56,360 --> 00:27:57,760 I can have hope. 680 00:27:57,760 --> 00:27:59,800 And we stand in a weird spot, right? 681 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:01,760 Because Advent is about the arrival of. 682 00:28:02,880 --> 00:28:04,360 But we stand in a weird spot. 683 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:09,160 Because we stand and we look back 684 00:28:10,160 --> 00:28:14,720 to a manger that God showed up in in person as a baby. 685 00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:20,120 And as that baby grew, he went to a cross 686 00:28:20,120 --> 00:28:22,000 where he declares his love for you. 687 00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:25,560 And then he went to a tomb where he conquered death 688 00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:26,680 once and for all. 689 00:28:28,840 --> 00:28:29,680 Right? 690 00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:32,280 We stand here today with everything we face 691 00:28:32,280 --> 00:28:33,720 and we know all of that is true. 692 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:35,280 You know what all of that is supposed to do 693 00:28:35,280 --> 00:28:36,440 for you in the present? 694 00:28:36,440 --> 00:28:38,400 Is energize your hope. 695 00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:41,800 Because all of that tells you how much he was willing 696 00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:45,200 to go through to be with you in what you are in. 697 00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:48,600 And then guess what? 698 00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:51,800 You stand here knowing that God is with you. 699 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:54,160 Knowing what the end is. 700 00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:57,880 You know the future where there will be no more pain, 701 00:28:57,880 --> 00:29:01,720 no more suffering, no more death, no more mourning. 702 00:29:03,240 --> 00:29:04,080 Right? 703 00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:06,440 There will be nothing that we experience here 704 00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:08,600 in regards to the suffering there. 705 00:29:08,600 --> 00:29:12,680 So we know standing here that we are ready for what is there. 706 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:15,880 And we have hope that even if it doesn't change here, 707 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:17,040 it will change there. 708 00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:19,880 I don't know. 709 00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:22,120 I used to hear old people say this. 710 00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:25,840 They used to go, oh, I got a favorite Psalm. 711 00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:28,400 I was like, ah, what is it? 712 00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:31,000 And they would say, Psalm 23. 713 00:29:32,360 --> 00:29:33,960 I'd be like, that's so cliche. 714 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:37,080 You know what one of my favorite Psalms is? 715 00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:37,960 Psalm 23. 716 00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:42,880 Talks about God being our shepherd, right? 717 00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:44,320 The one that cares for us. 718 00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:47,800 The God who is happy to be with me is with me, 719 00:29:47,800 --> 00:29:50,400 therefore I lack nothing. 720 00:29:50,400 --> 00:29:51,240 I lack nothing. 721 00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:55,960 And verse four, it says this, even though I walk, 722 00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:58,600 even though I live, even though I'm going through 723 00:29:58,600 --> 00:29:59,800 the darkest valley. 724 00:29:59,800 --> 00:30:02,640 Yeah, some translations say the shadow of death. 725 00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:07,880 I will fear no evil for you are what? 726 00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:13,160 With me, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. 727 00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:17,560 I can walk through the darkest valley. 728 00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:21,200 The shadow of death is upon me. 729 00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:25,320 I may not make it out alive, but I am not scared. 730 00:30:25,320 --> 00:30:28,520 I am not living in fear of everything around me. 731 00:30:28,520 --> 00:30:29,760 Why? 732 00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:33,520 Because he is happy to be with me. 733 00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:36,280 Therefore I have hope in the outcome. 734 00:30:37,440 --> 00:30:38,720 See how that works, right? 735 00:30:38,720 --> 00:30:40,760 What he's saying is I'm not living in fear. 736 00:30:40,760 --> 00:30:41,600 You know what fear is? 737 00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:45,360 Fear is the opposite of hope because fear focuses on me. 738 00:30:45,360 --> 00:30:49,120 Fear focuses on all the things that I'm trying to control, 739 00:30:49,120 --> 00:30:50,760 all the things I'm trying to do. 740 00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:54,560 And hope says, no, my hope is in an object 741 00:30:54,560 --> 00:30:55,680 and it's not me. 742 00:30:55,680 --> 00:30:57,680 It is the God who is happy to be with me. 743 00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:04,040 And then in that, he then says your rod and your staff. 744 00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:08,880 These were tools of a shepherd, protection and provision. 745 00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:12,160 They guided, they protected when needed, 746 00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:15,360 and they also guided what, to where health 747 00:31:15,360 --> 00:31:18,080 and where the sheep could flourish. 748 00:31:19,880 --> 00:31:23,320 He goes, your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 749 00:31:23,320 --> 00:31:26,280 Even in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death. 750 00:31:26,280 --> 00:31:30,200 Your provision and your protection leads me. 751 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:34,000 You guys, this is great. 752 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:35,760 We get to walk through the Bible. 753 00:31:35,760 --> 00:31:37,560 We get to understand hope, 754 00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:40,400 but can I be honest with you? 755 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:44,400 I don't want this to just be a church thing. 756 00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:47,760 And here's what I mean. 757 00:31:47,760 --> 00:31:52,760 I came across a term recently, positive toxicity 758 00:31:54,280 --> 00:31:57,480 or toxic positivity is probably a better way to say it. 759 00:32:01,040 --> 00:32:02,840 And I feel like I grew up with that. 760 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:04,720 Here's what I mean. 761 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:06,520 When it came to real things of life, 762 00:32:06,520 --> 00:32:08,720 when it came to real struggles, 763 00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:10,880 when it came to suffering and trials 764 00:32:10,880 --> 00:32:13,840 and afflictions and pain and difficulty, 765 00:32:15,120 --> 00:32:16,760 here's a verse. 766 00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:18,920 I'm not saying we shouldn't give verses to people, 767 00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:22,040 but it was like, here's a verse. 768 00:32:22,040 --> 00:32:23,240 I don't wanna talk about that. 769 00:32:23,240 --> 00:32:24,520 I don't wanna know about that. 770 00:32:24,520 --> 00:32:25,880 You need to get over that. 771 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:31,160 Or a really quick Christianese, 772 00:32:31,160 --> 00:32:32,120 saying was made. 773 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:38,000 And I just wanna encourage us. 774 00:32:39,720 --> 00:32:41,200 Can we please be real? 775 00:32:42,120 --> 00:32:43,560 And what I mean by real is this, 776 00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:45,560 that if God has you in the midst of suffering, 777 00:32:45,560 --> 00:32:47,360 he has you in the midst of suffering. 778 00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:52,320 And that's okay, because he is in it with you. 779 00:32:54,120 --> 00:32:57,320 And while we pray and we hope, 780 00:32:57,320 --> 00:33:02,320 and while we pray and we hope that it turns out 781 00:33:02,840 --> 00:33:04,720 the way that we hope, 782 00:33:04,720 --> 00:33:07,520 we trust the God who is in control. 783 00:33:09,720 --> 00:33:10,800 Here's what I mean, right? 784 00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:13,000 Like you hear this and you go, 785 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:14,760 okay, John, like I'm hopeful, 786 00:33:14,760 --> 00:33:16,720 but I feel like it's disappointing me. 787 00:33:18,760 --> 00:33:21,360 I shared with you a couple of times now. 788 00:33:22,920 --> 00:33:26,040 Watching my wife go through what she's going through, 789 00:33:26,040 --> 00:33:27,840 I said it was six years, I think last time 790 00:33:27,840 --> 00:33:29,040 I shared the story, I got home, 791 00:33:29,040 --> 00:33:32,000 she told me it's actually nine, going on 10. 792 00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:37,000 And I'll tell you that I have prayed specifically 793 00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:39,560 and hoped and hoped and hoped. 794 00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:45,280 But the hope isn't in the outcome. 795 00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:46,960 The hope is in the person. 796 00:33:48,360 --> 00:33:51,560 The hope is in this Jesus who is in the midst 797 00:33:51,560 --> 00:33:53,960 that is happy to be with her in the struggle, 798 00:33:53,960 --> 00:33:56,360 happy to be with me in the struggle. 799 00:33:57,680 --> 00:34:00,200 And I can pray and I can have hope with confidence. 800 00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:01,040 You know why? 801 00:34:01,040 --> 00:34:03,360 Not in the outcome of this life, 802 00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:07,280 but in the outcome of the person of who Jesus is, 803 00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:10,520 that he is the one who restores all things 804 00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:12,280 and makes all things new. 805 00:34:13,200 --> 00:34:15,120 So no matter what in this life, 806 00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:18,160 my hope is in that he is in it with us 807 00:34:18,160 --> 00:34:21,160 and that he will carry us and that he will sustain us 808 00:34:21,160 --> 00:34:23,920 and that he will use it and hope that he will be with us 809 00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:26,520 and hope will be built and we will be more confident 810 00:34:26,520 --> 00:34:28,480 and have a greater expectation of God 811 00:34:28,480 --> 00:34:30,160 because of what we are in. 812 00:34:31,280 --> 00:34:33,600 Don't get me wrong, if God healed her right now 813 00:34:33,600 --> 00:34:35,440 in this service, I'll do back flips 814 00:34:35,440 --> 00:34:36,640 and I can't even do them. 815 00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:43,560 But don't miss, don't miss that our confident expectation 816 00:34:43,560 --> 00:34:45,000 is not in the Jesus of now, 817 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:47,240 it's in the Jesus of all eternity. 818 00:34:48,720 --> 00:34:50,280 And she will be healed. 819 00:34:50,280 --> 00:34:55,280 And she will be healed. 820 00:34:55,320 --> 00:34:59,280 And whatever, whatever, whatever you are walking through, 821 00:34:59,280 --> 00:35:00,200 there is hope. 822 00:35:00,200 --> 00:35:01,040 Why? 823 00:35:01,040 --> 00:35:06,040 Because Jesus is happy to be with you in it. 824 00:35:08,720 --> 00:35:12,200 You talk to my wife, the greatest thing I've seen 825 00:35:12,200 --> 00:35:14,520 is her faith in this whole thing. 826 00:35:14,520 --> 00:35:17,560 She is a different woman in how she trusts God. 827 00:35:17,560 --> 00:35:20,880 If you would have told me that to start, 828 00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:22,400 I wouldn't have believed you. 829 00:35:23,600 --> 00:35:25,240 What are you trusting in today? 830 00:35:26,240 --> 00:35:27,480 What is your hope in today? 831 00:35:27,480 --> 00:35:28,720 Because it needs an object. 832 00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:34,240 What are you resting on in the midst of where God's got you? 833 00:35:35,360 --> 00:35:37,720 Would you pray with me, God, we're so grateful today. 834 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:40,760 We're grateful that you are the God 835 00:35:43,520 --> 00:35:46,680 who is all powerful and who is the one 836 00:35:46,680 --> 00:35:49,000 who is powerful, powerful enough 837 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:50,760 to create everything that we see. 838 00:35:51,840 --> 00:35:54,040 You are the God who is self-sufficient. 839 00:35:54,040 --> 00:35:55,960 You don't need anything. 840 00:35:55,960 --> 00:35:57,720 You're not lacking anything. 841 00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:02,640 God, we trust you today. 842 00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:08,560 God, we choose to make you our firm foundation today. 843 00:36:08,560 --> 00:36:11,360 Even in the midst of times in life 844 00:36:11,360 --> 00:36:14,240 where things seem painful and unsettled, 845 00:36:14,240 --> 00:36:17,160 God, we place our hope, our foundation is in you, 846 00:36:17,160 --> 00:36:21,240 the God who is happy to be with us. 847 00:36:23,240 --> 00:36:27,760 Would we build our life on the foundation 848 00:36:30,160 --> 00:36:31,240 of you and you alone? 849 00:36:31,240 --> 00:36:34,080 Would our hope, would you be the object of our hope? 850 00:36:36,760 --> 00:36:39,840 And Jesus, would you remind us that you are happy to be 851 00:36:39,840 --> 00:36:43,760 today, right here, right now with us? 852 00:36:43,760 --> 00:37:09,760 We are grateful when everybody said, amen.