WEBVTT 00:00:00.919 --> 00:00:04.280 With that said, this is Lewis. Lewis is an eight 00:00:04.280 --> 00:00:08.859 -year -old English Bulldog. And if you know anything 00:00:08.859 --> 00:00:13.519 about Bulldogs, that's like eight to 12 is about 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:16.199 their lifespan. If you make it to eight, it's 00:00:16.199 --> 00:00:19.160 a pretty good time. So he's batting above his 00:00:19.160 --> 00:00:23.160 average at the moment. With that, Lewis is my 00:00:23.160 --> 00:00:28.480 reminder that we are just camping. Lately, I 00:00:28.480 --> 00:00:32.000 found that every day that I get with him feels 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:35.359 like a bonus. It feels like something special. 00:00:35.539 --> 00:00:38.859 I'm aware that he's not going to be around forever. 00:00:39.560 --> 00:00:42.460 And it reminds me that I'm just camping. And 00:00:42.460 --> 00:00:44.100 so I thought I'd bring him along just to remind 00:00:44.100 --> 00:00:46.100 you all that we're just camping. Come on, buddy. 00:00:49.659 --> 00:00:53.880 You can sit. And we'll see what he does. He's 00:00:53.880 --> 00:00:57.289 a wild... He's a wild card today. So he's just 00:00:57.289 --> 00:00:59.929 going to do what he does and we're just going 00:00:59.929 --> 00:01:05.250 to go along for the ride. So I was just camping 00:01:05.250 --> 00:01:08.810 this past week in Miami. And what I mean by that 00:01:08.810 --> 00:01:11.230 is we ended up at the airport and we're walking 00:01:11.230 --> 00:01:14.209 through the airport and there's this really long 00:01:14.209 --> 00:01:16.689 line. And as we're walking along, I asked my 00:01:16.689 --> 00:01:20.230 son -in -law, Noah, I go, hey man, what's the 00:01:20.230 --> 00:01:22.670 line for? What's everybody lining up? And he 00:01:22.670 --> 00:01:24.510 goes, I think it's the cancellations. He goes, 00:01:24.549 --> 00:01:26.469 I just heard that Charlotte canceled its third 00:01:26.469 --> 00:01:28.709 flight. And I was like, oh, I didn't even know 00:01:28.709 --> 00:01:31.030 there was weather. Where we were, everything 00:01:31.030 --> 00:01:35.510 was fine. So we get to our gate, and all of a 00:01:35.510 --> 00:01:38.549 sudden at our gate, they go, hey, we have overbooked 00:01:38.549 --> 00:01:41.349 this plane by 12 people. We're looking for 12 00:01:41.349 --> 00:01:43.709 people that are willing to get off this flight, 00:01:43.829 --> 00:01:48.189 and we'll pay you $3 ,000 a person to get off 00:01:48.189 --> 00:01:50.980 the flight. To which I am texting my wife as 00:01:50.980 --> 00:01:54.239 fast as I can. The Wi -Fi did not work. That 00:01:54.239 --> 00:01:58.400 is my story, and I'm sticking to it. So she's 00:01:58.400 --> 00:02:00.359 over in another spot. She comes back. I'm like, 00:02:00.439 --> 00:02:03.500 babe, go get in line. We were too late. And so 00:02:03.500 --> 00:02:06.579 then they go, okay, your flight's a little delayed, 00:02:06.620 --> 00:02:08.139 but we're going to board you anyways. We're going 00:02:08.139 --> 00:02:10.599 to get you on there. And so we begin to taxi 00:02:10.599 --> 00:02:13.580 out. We get out on the tarmac, and all of a sudden 00:02:13.580 --> 00:02:15.860 we come just to a dead halt. And they go. We're 00:02:15.860 --> 00:02:18.280 trying to work with the air traffic. It's kind 00:02:18.280 --> 00:02:20.419 of convenient that the airlines blame the air 00:02:20.419 --> 00:02:22.919 traffic controllers. They're like, they're figuring 00:02:22.919 --> 00:02:25.479 out a route for us around this storm. We think 00:02:25.479 --> 00:02:27.840 we have one. We move a little further. They stop 00:02:27.840 --> 00:02:29.539 again. They're like, no, we were wrong. We're 00:02:29.539 --> 00:02:31.939 going back to the gate. So we go back to the 00:02:31.939 --> 00:02:34.639 gate. It's like mid -afternoon at this point 00:02:34.639 --> 00:02:37.319 and moving towards dinner. And we're like, okay, 00:02:37.419 --> 00:02:39.240 we're fine if we get on a flight. It just means 00:02:39.240 --> 00:02:43.090 a long day. So new crew comes, same plane. They 00:02:43.090 --> 00:02:45.590 board us back on the same plane. We head out 00:02:45.590 --> 00:02:47.930 onto the tarmac again. We figured out a route. 00:02:48.110 --> 00:02:50.590 We get stopped again and they go, we don't think 00:02:50.590 --> 00:02:52.949 the route's gonna work. I'm like, you couldn't 00:02:52.949 --> 00:02:55.889 have told us this like back there. So now what 00:02:55.889 --> 00:02:58.889 you need to know about the story, we went on 00:02:58.889 --> 00:03:04.030 vacation with our oldest and her husband and 00:03:04.030 --> 00:03:09.129 our 14 month old grandson. So a 14 -month -old 00:03:09.129 --> 00:03:11.969 on a plane that's not going nowhere, that's a 00:03:11.969 --> 00:03:15.210 good time, right? Like mama's in high mama mode, 00:03:15.310 --> 00:03:18.289 like just entertainment for quite a while. So 00:03:18.289 --> 00:03:19.909 we're sitting on the thing. They go, we're going 00:03:19.909 --> 00:03:21.469 to head back towards the gate, but we're going 00:03:21.469 --> 00:03:23.330 to park you off to the side because we think 00:03:23.330 --> 00:03:25.930 we can figure this out. Well, then they come 00:03:25.930 --> 00:03:28.650 on. Every 15 minutes, this guy gets on the radio. 00:03:28.729 --> 00:03:32.050 This guy, the captain gets on the radio. And 00:03:32.050 --> 00:03:34.889 he goes, I told you I'd be back in 15 minutes. 00:03:34.949 --> 00:03:36.949 I got no new information. He did this for an 00:03:36.949 --> 00:03:40.090 hour, right? And then he goes, well, it turns 00:03:40.090 --> 00:03:43.110 out, folks, that we don't have enough fuel to 00:03:43.110 --> 00:03:46.030 get around south to get around this thing, and 00:03:46.030 --> 00:03:48.770 we can't put enough fuel on the plane to do that. 00:03:49.650 --> 00:03:52.430 So we're heading back to the gate. Well, now 00:03:52.430 --> 00:03:55.169 it's about 11 o 'clock at night. 11 .10, they 00:03:55.169 --> 00:03:59.719 cancel the flight. I look at Noah, I go, you 00:03:59.719 --> 00:04:01.460 gotta go get in that line. So he's gone, right? 00:04:01.879 --> 00:04:03.900 Noah's out, or my wife told him to go get in 00:04:03.900 --> 00:04:06.099 the line. He's gone, he's running down. And we 00:04:06.099 --> 00:04:07.780 figure out that you can rebook through the app. 00:04:07.860 --> 00:04:09.719 So we rebooked the earliest flight. This was 00:04:09.719 --> 00:04:12.199 Monday, the earliest flight is Thursday. And 00:04:12.199 --> 00:04:15.099 so we're like, okay, cool, we're in Miami. We're 00:04:15.099 --> 00:04:18.379 just camping. So we go down to the baggage claim 00:04:18.379 --> 00:04:21.079 to get our bags. And while we're sitting at baggage 00:04:21.079 --> 00:04:24.519 claim waiting, we're like, we gotta book a car. 00:04:25.079 --> 00:04:27.660 And so we... Go to book a car. We booked the 00:04:27.660 --> 00:04:29.560 Airbnb. It was one of the last ones available. 00:04:30.060 --> 00:04:31.980 Hotels were ridiculous. There was barely any 00:04:31.980 --> 00:04:34.720 rooms left. Crazy expensive. So we booked this 00:04:34.720 --> 00:04:36.920 Airbnb and they go, you got to book a car. So 00:04:36.920 --> 00:04:38.639 I booked the biggest thing I can find because 00:04:38.639 --> 00:04:40.839 there's seven of us with a lot of luggage. And 00:04:40.839 --> 00:04:43.000 we got a 14 -month -old and they come with an 00:04:43.000 --> 00:04:45.819 entourage of luggage, right? So we booked this 00:04:45.819 --> 00:04:47.560 thing. I should have known when I got to the 00:04:47.560 --> 00:04:49.459 counter and the guy goes, oh, you booked the 00:04:49.459 --> 00:04:53.339 limo van? I don't know much about limos, but 00:04:53.339 --> 00:04:56.019 when you put it with a van, that sounds... It's 00:04:56.019 --> 00:04:57.980 like something. And then he goes, you need to 00:04:57.980 --> 00:05:01.620 sign this waiver to drive the thing. And I'm 00:05:01.620 --> 00:05:03.579 like, I am definitely not qualified for this. 00:05:03.600 --> 00:05:07.360 I can tell you right now. So in the midst of 00:05:07.360 --> 00:05:10.120 that, we discover we're not getting our luggage. 00:05:10.839 --> 00:05:13.100 Our luggage is staying on the plane and making 00:05:13.100 --> 00:05:15.360 it to Phoenix days ahead of us. I'm like, you 00:05:15.360 --> 00:05:17.779 can get my luggage there, but not me. How does 00:05:17.779 --> 00:05:20.019 that work? Anyways, so they get our luggage. 00:05:20.019 --> 00:05:22.339 Our luggage is gone. So now we got a limo van 00:05:22.339 --> 00:05:26.939 for seven people. My kids, and then on top of 00:05:26.939 --> 00:05:28.779 that, we're like, we have no necessity. We got 00:05:28.779 --> 00:05:30.699 to go get the necessities. What's open? There 00:05:30.699 --> 00:05:33.259 was one target that if we hit everything right, 00:05:33.339 --> 00:05:36.259 we had 10 minutes to get the necessities. So 00:05:36.259 --> 00:05:38.779 we get in the limo van. We're racing through 00:05:38.779 --> 00:05:41.360 Miami in a limo van. That's a fun time. My kids 00:05:41.360 --> 00:05:43.319 are bouncing, but it's okay because the ceiling's 00:05:43.319 --> 00:05:44.639 high enough. They're not hitting their heads. 00:05:46.030 --> 00:05:48.209 And we pull into the Target. We pull right up 00:05:48.209 --> 00:05:50.110 to the door at Target. We got like eight minutes, 00:05:50.310 --> 00:05:53.250 and it's like everybody spills out, and in we 00:05:53.250 --> 00:05:55.990 go. And it's like, well, what do I need as necessities? 00:05:55.990 --> 00:05:57.470 Well, I don't have any clean underwear, so let's 00:05:57.470 --> 00:05:59.509 grab a pack of that. I don't have no T -shirts. 00:05:59.529 --> 00:06:00.889 We'll grab a pack of that, and we'll grab some 00:06:00.889 --> 00:06:02.589 sweats. That's how we're going to live for the 00:06:02.589 --> 00:06:05.730 next however many days. Well, then we pull up 00:06:05.730 --> 00:06:09.089 to our Airbnb, and it is in a sketchy neighborhood. 00:06:10.009 --> 00:06:15.259 And we pull up in the limo van. You can't make 00:06:15.259 --> 00:06:17.680 this stuff up. So we go to the door. We get the 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:20.399 key. We get the key out of the lockbox. We go 00:06:20.399 --> 00:06:23.019 up to the door. The key doesn't fit the lock. 00:06:24.680 --> 00:06:26.360 We're like, this has to be something. We're getting 00:06:26.360 --> 00:06:31.220 punked by somebody right now, right? What I learned 00:06:31.220 --> 00:06:34.680 from all that is really important who you camp 00:06:34.680 --> 00:06:37.920 with. It's really important who's on the trip 00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:41.540 with you. Right, it's really important that you 00:06:41.540 --> 00:06:46.180 understand today, you were never meant to camp 00:06:46.180 --> 00:06:51.000 alone. You were never meant to camp alone. That 00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:54.519 what we inherited by birth on this fallen planet 00:06:54.519 --> 00:06:58.899 is that we are isolated on a camping trip. And 00:06:58.899 --> 00:07:01.819 that is not the intent that God had for you ever. 00:07:03.019 --> 00:07:06.000 And what happens is if we're not careful, we 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:09.089 can let the story we inherited. blind us from 00:07:09.089 --> 00:07:12.350 the story that's actually true. And what I mean 00:07:12.350 --> 00:07:13.970 is this. We've been in 2 Corinthians chapter 00:07:13.970 --> 00:07:18.009 5. 2 Corinthians chapter 5, we've been framing 00:07:18.009 --> 00:07:19.810 up this whole idea of just camping, right? This 00:07:19.810 --> 00:07:22.610 is temporary. This life is temporary. Eternity 00:07:22.610 --> 00:07:26.449 is coming. And so on this camping trip, how do 00:07:26.449 --> 00:07:29.329 we understand what it is and how do we live this 00:07:29.329 --> 00:07:32.589 camping trip to the fullest? And then, you guys, 00:07:32.610 --> 00:07:35.269 did you not enjoy Pastor Todd the last two weeks? 00:07:35.389 --> 00:07:40.199 He is phenomenal. Phenomenal. So grateful for 00:07:40.199 --> 00:07:42.519 the gifts that God has given him. But he talked 00:07:42.519 --> 00:07:44.079 last week, if you were here, about this idea 00:07:44.079 --> 00:07:47.879 that you are a new creation in Christ, that you've 00:07:47.879 --> 00:07:50.620 been transformed, that you're not the same you 00:07:50.620 --> 00:07:53.509 no more. That you've been completely transformed 00:07:53.509 --> 00:07:56.490 by the person of Jesus, by the work of Jesus, 00:07:56.610 --> 00:07:59.550 and now you are new, which means that because 00:07:59.550 --> 00:08:03.170 you're new, what has been kind of rebirthed in 00:08:03.170 --> 00:08:05.889 you is that you don't, you were a worshiper the 00:08:05.889 --> 00:08:08.129 whole time. You don't have to worship idols no 00:08:08.129 --> 00:08:11.149 more. You can worship God with your life. And 00:08:11.149 --> 00:08:13.910 so he talked about this idea of being new. Verse 00:08:13.910 --> 00:08:17.259 17, therefore. If anyone is in Christ, the new 00:08:17.259 --> 00:08:19.779 creation has come, the old is gone, and the new 00:08:19.779 --> 00:08:23.980 is here. Don't miss this. You are new today. 00:08:24.939 --> 00:08:27.300 This isn't something you're waiting for. This 00:08:27.300 --> 00:08:30.980 camping trip in the temporary body, I am not 00:08:30.980 --> 00:08:33.600 the same person I was that didn't know Jesus. 00:08:33.679 --> 00:08:35.679 I'm not the same person I was that was separated 00:08:35.679 --> 00:08:39.100 from God. I am not the same person that I was 00:08:39.100 --> 00:08:43.019 that is broken and has no help and can only be 00:08:43.019 --> 00:08:45.100 selfish and live the way I want. That is not 00:08:45.100 --> 00:08:47.159 true of me anymore because I've been transformed 00:08:47.159 --> 00:08:50.700 to be in the image of Christ and I am new today. 00:08:51.740 --> 00:08:56.259 You are brand new. So the question is, are you 00:08:56.259 --> 00:09:00.860 living new? Or are we stuck with these old habits 00:09:00.860 --> 00:09:02.740 that come, right? Because what we're told is 00:09:02.740 --> 00:09:06.320 we're new. Then he says, part of the new is all 00:09:06.320 --> 00:09:13.299 of this, all of this is from God. All of this 00:09:13.299 --> 00:09:15.519 is from, you know what that tells me? There's 00:09:15.519 --> 00:09:17.740 not one of us in this room that has said yes 00:09:17.740 --> 00:09:20.480 to Jesus, that you did anything to deserve it. 00:09:22.399 --> 00:09:25.580 You didn't earn it. You're not ahead of anybody 00:09:25.580 --> 00:09:29.399 else. You're not cuter than anybody else. You're 00:09:29.399 --> 00:09:31.159 not smarter than anybody else, and you figured 00:09:31.159 --> 00:09:32.879 it out. God didn't just look at you and go, ooh, 00:09:32.940 --> 00:09:36.399 look how cute and smart you are. What this tells 00:09:36.399 --> 00:09:41.600 me is it's all from God. All you did was go, 00:09:41.740 --> 00:09:44.039 he initiated, and all you did was went, I'll 00:09:44.039 --> 00:09:51.860 take it. He gave it to you. You didn't ask to 00:09:51.860 --> 00:09:56.120 be made new. He goes, I'm gonna make you new. 00:09:56.200 --> 00:09:57.860 How am I gonna do it? I'm gonna show up in the 00:09:57.860 --> 00:10:01.240 person of Jesus and you are going to be new today. 00:10:02.659 --> 00:10:05.019 And so you have the privilege. You have the privilege 00:10:05.019 --> 00:10:06.879 of living this newness of life. And he goes, 00:10:06.919 --> 00:10:09.399 it's all from God. It's all by grace. Church, 00:10:09.519 --> 00:10:13.500 let's never get bored of grace. Let's never get 00:10:13.500 --> 00:10:14.820 to the point where we're like, well, we shouldn't 00:10:14.820 --> 00:10:17.440 teach too much grace because all we have is grace. 00:10:18.909 --> 00:10:21.149 Now, grace doesn't mean we don't put in effort 00:10:21.149 --> 00:10:25.309 after, but all you have is grace. When you have 00:10:25.309 --> 00:10:27.649 the newness, you have to live the newness. How 00:10:27.649 --> 00:10:29.389 do you live the newness? It's going to take me 00:10:29.389 --> 00:10:31.470 living my life in a specific way that God's called 00:10:31.470 --> 00:10:35.009 me to. Right? It's going to call me to live in 00:10:35.009 --> 00:10:37.330 a specific way where worship is the definition, 00:10:37.330 --> 00:10:40.450 as Todd talked about last week. But here's the 00:10:40.450 --> 00:10:44.860 thing. It's by grace. Don't mix those two. Because 00:10:44.860 --> 00:10:46.480 if you mix those two, what you end up doing is 00:10:46.480 --> 00:10:48.360 trying to earn the favor of God your entire life 00:10:48.360 --> 00:10:51.519 and you never can. You never can. It will never 00:10:51.519 --> 00:10:55.860 save you. All this is from God who reconciled 00:10:55.860 --> 00:10:59.559 us to himself. How did he do it? Through Christ 00:10:59.559 --> 00:11:03.000 and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. We'll 00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:06.799 talk about that next week. That God was reconciling 00:11:06.799 --> 00:11:09.779 the world to himself. So God is reconciling the 00:11:09.779 --> 00:11:14.340 world to himself. in Christ, not counting people's 00:11:14.340 --> 00:11:17.879 sins against them. And he has committed to us 00:11:17.879 --> 00:11:19.840 the ministry of reconciliation. So we'll get 00:11:19.840 --> 00:11:21.779 into what we've been given with the ministry 00:11:21.779 --> 00:11:24.960 of reconciliation next week. This week, I wanna 00:11:24.960 --> 00:11:29.200 zero in on this idea that all this is from God 00:11:29.200 --> 00:11:34.639 who has reconciled us, reconciled you and me 00:11:34.639 --> 00:11:39.950 to himself through Christ. Like, okay, the Apostle 00:11:39.950 --> 00:11:42.789 Paul wrote a lot of the New Testament that we 00:11:42.789 --> 00:11:44.830 have, wrote a lot of the new letters. And when 00:11:44.830 --> 00:11:47.090 he wrote those, one of the key themes that he 00:11:47.090 --> 00:11:49.950 talks about is you and me as followers of Jesus 00:11:49.950 --> 00:11:53.309 being reconciled to God. That tells me it's a 00:11:53.309 --> 00:11:57.629 pretty important topic for us. That it's pretty 00:11:57.629 --> 00:12:00.029 important that you understand what it means to 00:12:00.029 --> 00:12:02.509 be reconciled, that if you don't understand what 00:12:02.509 --> 00:12:05.970 it means to be reconciled to God, You will miss 00:12:05.970 --> 00:12:08.509 what it means and the gift that you've been given 00:12:08.509 --> 00:12:11.629 by grace of what it means to be new and what 00:12:11.629 --> 00:12:13.769 you've actually been established between you 00:12:13.769 --> 00:12:16.289 and God. You will always live out of sync with 00:12:16.289 --> 00:12:19.889 the story of God. So what does the word reconciled 00:12:19.889 --> 00:12:24.789 mean? Core definition is that you have been brought 00:12:24.789 --> 00:12:29.889 into harmony. You have been brought into relational 00:12:29.889 --> 00:12:35.429 harmony. The kind of the core around it is that 00:12:35.429 --> 00:12:39.230 there's one that is a hostile enemy and one steps 00:12:39.230 --> 00:12:41.929 in and removes that person from being a hostile 00:12:41.929 --> 00:12:47.230 enemy, moves them into being a friend of the 00:12:47.230 --> 00:12:50.549 other person, that they go from enemy to friend. 00:12:50.750 --> 00:12:53.389 What that tells me today is when it says that 00:12:53.389 --> 00:12:56.529 you have been reconciled, you have been made 00:12:56.529 --> 00:13:00.120 in relational harmony through Christ. that God 00:13:00.120 --> 00:13:03.000 has removed what was there, and what you have 00:13:03.000 --> 00:13:05.840 today, it tells me this, that God is your friend. 00:13:06.840 --> 00:13:11.000 God's your friend today. You think about that. 00:13:11.120 --> 00:13:14.259 How many people live like God, like God's out 00:13:14.259 --> 00:13:17.480 to get them? You have friends that you're out 00:13:17.480 --> 00:13:22.720 to get? I sure hope not, right? You have people 00:13:22.720 --> 00:13:24.799 that you're in relational harmony with, relational 00:13:24.799 --> 00:13:28.039 wholeness? When you're in relational wholeness 00:13:28.039 --> 00:13:33.539 with somebody, you're for them. I am for my wife. 00:13:34.200 --> 00:13:37.059 I want to see her flourish in everything she 00:13:37.059 --> 00:13:40.019 does. I wanna see her supported and cared for. 00:13:40.120 --> 00:13:42.980 Why? Because we have relational harmony and the 00:13:42.980 --> 00:13:45.740 harmony, what it does is it brings me to the 00:13:45.740 --> 00:13:47.740 point where I want nothing but good for her. 00:13:47.799 --> 00:13:50.899 She's my best friend. And what this is saying 00:13:50.899 --> 00:13:52.899 between you and God is that you are a friend 00:13:52.899 --> 00:13:57.269 of God today. He is not out to get you. So much 00:13:57.269 --> 00:14:00.210 so that the story goes, remember, we're just 00:14:00.210 --> 00:14:01.789 camping, right? And the story of just camping 00:14:01.789 --> 00:14:04.190 is this is temporary. Eternity's coming. There 00:14:04.190 --> 00:14:05.830 will be a day when you stand before the judge. 00:14:05.990 --> 00:14:08.590 So much so that he has covered you for all of 00:14:08.590 --> 00:14:11.509 eternity, that when you get to heaven and it's 00:14:11.509 --> 00:14:15.169 judgment, he goes, I got this one. I'll pay for 00:14:15.169 --> 00:14:19.889 it. Because you're a friend of God. When I stand 00:14:19.889 --> 00:14:23.340 with the judge. I stand there as one who is in 00:14:23.340 --> 00:14:27.139 relational harmony with the God Almighty of the 00:14:27.139 --> 00:14:31.039 universe. Romans picks up on this and kind of 00:14:31.039 --> 00:14:33.759 explains it a little bit more. Romans 5, verse 00:14:33.759 --> 00:14:40.740 8. There we go. But God demonstrates his own 00:14:40.740 --> 00:14:46.379 love for us. Pastor Todd talked about love compels 00:14:46.379 --> 00:14:48.460 us. What compelled God Almighty to move towards 00:14:48.460 --> 00:14:52.129 you? His love. What are you a living proof of? 00:14:52.289 --> 00:14:55.090 When you receive the gospel of God, when you 00:14:55.090 --> 00:14:56.889 receive grace, what are you now living proof 00:14:56.889 --> 00:15:00.710 of? You are living proof that you are the demonstration 00:15:00.710 --> 00:15:02.889 of God's love. When people go, does God really 00:15:02.889 --> 00:15:04.350 love? They should be able to look at you and 00:15:04.350 --> 00:15:13.230 go, wow, God loves that. He is love, right? But 00:15:13.230 --> 00:15:15.490 God demonstrates his own love for us in this, 00:15:15.570 --> 00:15:18.450 while we were still sinners, Christ died for 00:15:18.450 --> 00:15:20.899 us. While we were still sinners, capture that 00:15:20.899 --> 00:15:23.559 part. Since we have now been justified by his 00:15:23.559 --> 00:15:26.120 blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's 00:15:26.120 --> 00:15:28.340 wrath through him? So since we've been made right 00:15:28.340 --> 00:15:32.799 by his blood, right? Verse 10, for if, for if 00:15:32.799 --> 00:15:36.919 while we were enemies, we were reconciled to 00:15:36.919 --> 00:15:42.279 him through the death of his son, how much more 00:15:42.279 --> 00:15:46.000 having been reconciled shall we be saved through 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:51.059 his life? You catch what he says there? That 00:15:51.059 --> 00:15:53.360 you, we tend to think we're pretty good people, 00:15:53.399 --> 00:15:56.279 right? Like I'm a pretty good person. How you 00:15:56.279 --> 00:15:57.639 meet people that don't know Jesus and they're 00:15:57.639 --> 00:16:00.720 like, well, I've been good. What's interesting 00:16:00.720 --> 00:16:03.179 with this is the definition that God gives those 00:16:03.179 --> 00:16:05.600 that don't know him is that they are enemies. 00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:09.240 They are opposed to the kingdom of God. And it 00:16:09.240 --> 00:16:11.659 says that while you were opposed to the kingdom 00:16:11.659 --> 00:16:14.090 of God, while you were an enemy. Jesus showed 00:16:14.090 --> 00:16:17.710 up on your behalf to what? Bring relational harmony. 00:16:17.830 --> 00:16:20.429 How did he do that? He removed the sin so that 00:16:20.429 --> 00:16:23.090 you could have a relationship with him. And he 00:16:23.090 --> 00:16:24.509 brought relationship harmony. Now here's what 00:16:24.509 --> 00:16:26.649 it tells me, that if he did all that while you're 00:16:26.649 --> 00:16:28.529 an enemy, imagine what he'll do when you're a 00:16:28.529 --> 00:16:31.590 friend. Imagine what he'll do when you're a son 00:16:31.590 --> 00:16:33.610 and daughter. That's what he's getting at. Imagine 00:16:33.610 --> 00:16:36.970 how good this temporary life, how good God is 00:16:36.970 --> 00:16:39.730 to us. Imagine how good eternity is gonna be 00:16:39.730 --> 00:16:45.590 when he lavishes out. without the barriers of 00:16:45.590 --> 00:16:49.470 sin, every ounce of good he has on his people. 00:16:51.309 --> 00:16:53.070 I don't know about you, that makes me excited 00:16:53.070 --> 00:16:55.789 for what's to come because I can't wait to see 00:16:55.789 --> 00:16:57.950 it because I've tasted the goodness here. Imagine 00:16:57.950 --> 00:17:01.950 how good it's gonna be there. And so what happens? 00:17:02.850 --> 00:17:04.910 He goes, you've been reconciled, this relational 00:17:04.910 --> 00:17:07.150 harmony. Sometimes it just helps to put like 00:17:07.150 --> 00:17:10.750 a new, a new kind of thought behind a word. This 00:17:10.750 --> 00:17:19.480 guy right here. It was quite comfy. Lewis was 00:17:19.480 --> 00:17:28.400 not originally in our home. We had to go to a 00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:30.319 place we'd never been before. Our daughter was 00:17:30.319 --> 00:17:33.619 16 at the time, something like that, 15, 16. 00:17:34.759 --> 00:17:36.700 And she'd always wanted a dog, and we'd always 00:17:36.700 --> 00:17:38.660 said no. The time was never right. And finally, 00:17:38.680 --> 00:17:40.380 I just made a decision like, babe, if we don't 00:17:40.380 --> 00:17:42.220 do it now, we're never going to do it. Let's 00:17:42.220 --> 00:17:44.579 go do this. And I was convinced if I was getting 00:17:44.579 --> 00:17:46.140 one, it was going to be an English Bulldog, which 00:17:46.140 --> 00:17:48.519 my wife to this day is like, you picked the wrong 00:17:48.519 --> 00:17:50.680 breed. Like, all I do is clean his rolls, right? 00:17:52.440 --> 00:17:55.940 And so we go down, and we enter a space we've 00:17:55.940 --> 00:17:59.380 never been. We go into a home that's not our 00:17:59.380 --> 00:18:03.529 home. And there's a little fenced area. In the 00:18:03.529 --> 00:18:08.410 middle of this home, and Lewis is inside the 00:18:08.410 --> 00:18:13.430 fenced area with another dog. And as we begin 00:18:13.430 --> 00:18:19.390 to, you know, entertain, see which one matches 00:18:19.390 --> 00:18:22.829 us, this guy will take love whenever you give 00:18:22.829 --> 00:18:25.930 it to him. And we knew his temperament, we're 00:18:25.930 --> 00:18:29.109 like, this is a dog for our family. But there 00:18:29.109 --> 00:18:32.720 was a barrier between us and him. There was a 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:35.720 literal fence, if you like, between us and him. 00:18:36.400 --> 00:18:39.440 And we had to pay the price to remove the barrier. 00:18:40.519 --> 00:18:44.819 To which then we got to take him home. And when 00:18:44.819 --> 00:18:46.920 we got to take him home, we also gave him a new 00:18:46.920 --> 00:18:49.720 name. He wasn't called Lewis when we found him. 00:18:50.299 --> 00:18:54.000 He got a whole new identity. And on top of that, 00:18:54.099 --> 00:18:58.460 he got a whole new family. See, we weren't his 00:18:58.460 --> 00:19:02.000 family until the price was paid and we got to 00:19:02.000 --> 00:19:05.400 bring him with us. Now, what's crazy about it 00:19:05.400 --> 00:19:07.960 is there was a point in this journey with him. 00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:12.039 5 .30 in the morning, he woke me up and he couldn't 00:19:12.039 --> 00:19:13.539 breathe. Now, you may be going, it doesn't sound 00:19:13.539 --> 00:19:15.180 like he can breathe. No, he's doing good today. 00:19:16.680 --> 00:19:19.539 But he was turning a little blue and I'm like, 00:19:19.619 --> 00:19:21.079 babe, something's wrong. We got to get him to 00:19:21.079 --> 00:19:24.700 the ER. So we take him to the animal ER and they're 00:19:24.700 --> 00:19:27.309 like, yeah, his soft palate, his... pulled away 00:19:27.309 --> 00:19:30.410 from the roof of his mouth. He's dying. We need 00:19:30.410 --> 00:19:33.450 to do emergency surgery. So this guy goes in 00:19:33.450 --> 00:19:35.849 for emergency surgery. They fix him up. He comes 00:19:35.849 --> 00:19:37.849 out wagging his, well, he's kind of got a tail, 00:19:37.970 --> 00:19:43.430 wagging his butt, right? You know what he didn't 00:19:43.430 --> 00:19:51.089 do? He didn't pay. Guess who paid? This guy. 00:19:53.089 --> 00:19:56.549 This guy, and my wife will tell you this, requires 00:19:56.549 --> 00:20:00.269 more care. Like he's got special wipes for his 00:20:00.269 --> 00:20:03.549 rolls because if not, they get sores in them, 00:20:03.630 --> 00:20:05.690 right? So the special wipes that she has to do 00:20:05.690 --> 00:20:10.930 every day. He has to have his eyes wiped. He 00:20:10.930 --> 00:20:14.130 likes to eat multiple times a day. Guess who 00:20:14.130 --> 00:20:18.569 pays for that? You see, the care that he needs 00:20:18.569 --> 00:20:24.160 has been provided. The price that it costs for 00:20:24.160 --> 00:20:27.200 this guy to stay alive has been provided by me. 00:20:29.019 --> 00:20:34.799 When Jesus crossed the universe to a home that 00:20:34.799 --> 00:20:40.519 was not his home, he walked in and there was 00:20:40.519 --> 00:20:46.380 a barrier between him and people. And guess what 00:20:46.380 --> 00:20:51.690 he did? I'll pay the price. I'll pay the price 00:20:51.690 --> 00:20:54.450 to remove the barrier. What was the payment of 00:20:54.450 --> 00:20:57.930 price to remove your sin? I'll pay the price 00:20:57.930 --> 00:21:01.130 for their sin. And then what does he do? He takes 00:21:01.130 --> 00:21:06.529 you and he creates a new home. And he not only 00:21:06.529 --> 00:21:09.670 creates a new home for you, but guess what? He 00:21:09.670 --> 00:21:12.049 puts you in a new family with a new identity 00:21:12.049 --> 00:21:16.509 and a new name. And he goes, I'll cover the cost 00:21:16.509 --> 00:21:19.089 for them. Who is your provider? It's God Almighty. 00:21:19.390 --> 00:21:21.390 What is God Almighty doing? He's paying for your 00:21:21.390 --> 00:21:27.130 tab. That's what he does. The care that you need, 00:21:27.230 --> 00:21:34.450 he wipes your wrinkles. Why? Because he has reconciled 00:21:34.450 --> 00:21:37.390 you. He came and he put you in relational harmony 00:21:37.390 --> 00:21:41.150 with himself. Why? Because God has always wanted 00:21:41.150 --> 00:21:45.759 to be on the camping trip with you. He made a 00:21:45.759 --> 00:21:49.680 way so that he, so today, as you are just camping, 00:21:49.759 --> 00:21:52.539 God is camping with you, but it gets even better. 00:21:53.400 --> 00:21:56.299 If you go back to 2 Corinthians, we've read this 00:21:56.299 --> 00:21:58.599 verse a bunch, but it's one that we just need 00:21:58.599 --> 00:22:01.759 to remember. 2 Corinthians 5 .1, for we know 00:22:01.759 --> 00:22:03.700 that if the earthly tent, this thing right here, 00:22:03.759 --> 00:22:08.180 were destroyed, we live in is destroyed. We have 00:22:08.180 --> 00:22:10.940 a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, 00:22:11.039 --> 00:22:15.809 not built by human hands. Right, it's the guarantee 00:22:15.809 --> 00:22:18.369 we started this whole collection with, that when 00:22:18.369 --> 00:22:20.990 this earthly tent is laid down, and it will be, 00:22:21.130 --> 00:22:25.630 that we have a permanent dwelling waiting for 00:22:25.630 --> 00:22:29.549 us in our eternal home, because we are on the 00:22:29.549 --> 00:22:33.190 journey home, and we have this eternal dwelling 00:22:33.190 --> 00:22:36.450 that's waiting. Verse five then says this, because 00:22:36.450 --> 00:22:39.490 that's true, now the one who has fashioned us 00:22:39.490 --> 00:22:45.259 for this very purpose is God. You caught that, 00:22:45.339 --> 00:22:49.900 right? God is a fashion designer. What did he 00:22:49.900 --> 00:22:54.759 design? Tents. Your earthly tent was fashioned 00:22:54.759 --> 00:23:00.599 by God. You are part of his collection as a designer, 00:23:00.740 --> 00:23:02.839 which means that when you're walking along and 00:23:02.839 --> 00:23:04.660 somebody goes, you look good, thanks. What are 00:23:04.660 --> 00:23:11.420 you wearing? God. What line is that? God. I'm 00:23:11.420 --> 00:23:14.849 part of his collection. He has fashioned you 00:23:14.849 --> 00:23:18.490 for this trip. He has fashioned you for this 00:23:18.490 --> 00:23:24.089 camping trip. And so then he goes, for this very 00:23:24.089 --> 00:23:28.029 purpose is God who has given us, who has given 00:23:28.029 --> 00:23:33.730 us the spirit. So the Holy Spirit as a deposit 00:23:33.730 --> 00:23:39.170 guaranteeing what is to come. So you have been 00:23:39.170 --> 00:23:45.779 given. So you're fashioned. designed and given 00:23:45.779 --> 00:23:49.380 the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does what? It 00:23:49.380 --> 00:23:51.259 comes in and dwells you. Know what the word indwell 00:23:51.259 --> 00:23:53.920 is? To make home. Where does the Holy Spirit 00:23:53.920 --> 00:23:58.740 make home? In you. For how long? Well, he's a 00:23:58.740 --> 00:24:01.539 deposit for what? When we lay down this life 00:24:01.539 --> 00:24:04.099 and pick up our what? Eternal dwelling. So the 00:24:04.099 --> 00:24:07.420 Holy Spirit has been given to you and will not 00:24:07.420 --> 00:24:11.019 leave you, which tells me you are never alone. 00:24:12.370 --> 00:24:14.750 You're never alone. No matter how isolated you 00:24:14.750 --> 00:24:16.309 feel, no matter how much you think you're not 00:24:16.309 --> 00:24:19.130 seen, no matter in a culture that says we have 00:24:19.130 --> 00:24:21.170 all this connection, all these friends, and really 00:24:21.170 --> 00:24:24.309 we have no relationships, right? And so what 00:24:24.309 --> 00:24:27.430 happens is what this calls us to is even in the 00:24:27.430 --> 00:24:29.670 midst of your loneliest moment, you're not alone. 00:24:29.809 --> 00:24:32.430 Why? Because in your salvation and what God did 00:24:32.430 --> 00:24:34.990 for you, he made a way that he would be with 00:24:34.990 --> 00:24:38.369 you forever. He never leaves you, no matter how 00:24:38.369 --> 00:24:40.089 bad it gets. He'll never leave you nor forsake 00:24:40.089 --> 00:24:44.000 you, he says. He's with you. However dark it 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:46.259 is today, all the feelings that you have today, 00:24:46.380 --> 00:24:48.180 all the things that don't seem to be working 00:24:48.180 --> 00:24:50.500 out today, he is in the midst of them on the 00:24:50.500 --> 00:24:52.819 camping trip with you. Why? Because God has always 00:24:52.819 --> 00:24:56.000 wanted to camp with you. He's never wanted you 00:24:56.000 --> 00:25:03.700 to camp alone. If you turn over to 1 Corinthians, 00:25:03.859 --> 00:25:08.099 this idea of the Holy Spirit being in us, 1 Corinthians 00:25:08.099 --> 00:25:12.299 6, verse 19 says this. Do you not know that your 00:25:12.299 --> 00:25:14.279 bodies, do you not know that your bodies, okay, 00:25:14.319 --> 00:25:16.099 let's use same language, right? This earthly 00:25:16.099 --> 00:25:19.259 tent, this body, this earthly tent, do you not 00:25:19.259 --> 00:25:24.440 know that your body, this earthly tent is a temple 00:25:24.440 --> 00:25:29.339 of the Holy Spirit who is in you, who dwells 00:25:29.339 --> 00:25:32.099 in you, who is made home in you, whom you have 00:25:32.099 --> 00:25:34.299 received from God. There it is again. You didn't 00:25:34.299 --> 00:25:37.319 earn it. God gave it. You just received it. God 00:25:37.319 --> 00:25:42.619 initiates, we receive. You are not your own. 00:25:43.200 --> 00:25:46.240 You were bought at a price. Therefore, honor 00:25:46.240 --> 00:25:49.180 God with your body. Okay, a couple of things 00:25:49.180 --> 00:25:51.180 this tells me is this, that your tent that is 00:25:51.180 --> 00:25:55.460 fashioned by God is actually a temple. That you 00:25:55.460 --> 00:25:59.279 right now in your earthly tent. You are the temple 00:25:59.279 --> 00:26:01.940 of God. Why are you a temple? Because God in 00:26:01.940 --> 00:26:05.740 his spirit dwells in you, which tells me when 00:26:05.740 --> 00:26:07.640 Pastor Todd last week went, hey, you worship 00:26:07.640 --> 00:26:09.039 everywhere you go. When you go to soccer practice, 00:26:09.079 --> 00:26:10.920 when you go to dance, when you go to Chipotle, 00:26:11.019 --> 00:26:13.279 when you go to wherever, right? I don't know 00:26:13.279 --> 00:26:15.619 why Chipotle. I don't even eat it. I don't even 00:26:15.619 --> 00:26:21.359 like it anymore. Anyways, why is that true? Because 00:26:21.359 --> 00:26:25.660 you are the temple of God. Your tent is a temple. 00:26:25.720 --> 00:26:30.960 Your tent is sacred. It's sacred. You are the 00:26:30.960 --> 00:26:34.680 sacred space. So everywhere you go in this life, 00:26:34.720 --> 00:26:38.579 as you are camping, you are a sacred moment for 00:26:38.579 --> 00:26:41.660 people to be around. And that's how life can 00:26:41.660 --> 00:26:43.400 become worship. Why? Because what do you do in 00:26:43.400 --> 00:26:47.839 temples? You worship. And what are you? You are 00:26:47.839 --> 00:26:50.279 the temple of God. Why? Because the Holy Spirit 00:26:50.279 --> 00:26:51.960 has made a home with you. How did he do that? 00:26:52.099 --> 00:26:54.559 Because God relationally brought you into harmony 00:26:54.559 --> 00:27:00.619 with himself. One last thought. Galatians chapter 00:27:00.619 --> 00:27:06.099 five, verse 25. Since, since then, all this is 00:27:06.099 --> 00:27:11.339 true. Since we live, that word live is everything 00:27:11.339 --> 00:27:14.779 you do in your life. Since we live, since everything 00:27:14.779 --> 00:27:17.400 we do in our life, everywhere we go, since we 00:27:17.400 --> 00:27:23.000 live by the what? Spirit. What is supposed to 00:27:23.000 --> 00:27:26.210 empower your life? The Holy Spirit of God. Who 00:27:26.210 --> 00:27:27.829 is supposed to lead your life? The Holy Spirit 00:27:27.829 --> 00:27:30.990 of God. Who is supposed to guide your life? The 00:27:30.990 --> 00:27:35.890 Holy Spirit of God. Since we live by the Spirit, 00:27:36.130 --> 00:27:43.210 let us keep in step with the Spirit. On vacation, 00:27:43.509 --> 00:27:48.130 we knew we were going and our grandson had chosen 00:27:48.130 --> 00:27:51.940 not to walk leading up to it. So literally, we 00:27:51.940 --> 00:27:54.140 tried everything, man. My wife was buying all 00:27:54.140 --> 00:27:56.039 kinds of like little things he could push, you 00:27:56.039 --> 00:27:58.460 know, and walk behind it. He loves pushing stuff. 00:27:58.819 --> 00:28:00.880 Swear he's going to be a lineman. I just kind 00:28:00.880 --> 00:28:05.119 of know it. But we had suitcases. He would push 00:28:05.119 --> 00:28:07.079 a suitcase around so he'd stand tall. I mean, 00:28:07.079 --> 00:28:09.259 we tried everything. Guess where he decides to 00:28:09.259 --> 00:28:12.420 walk? On vacation, right? Like none of it worked 00:28:12.420 --> 00:28:16.079 beforehand. And so on vacation, what was interesting 00:28:16.079 --> 00:28:21.299 is he would hold your finger. And then he would 00:28:21.299 --> 00:28:26.380 wobble as he took steps. And guess what I didn't 00:28:26.380 --> 00:28:31.240 do? I didn't go, come on, man. No, what did I 00:28:31.240 --> 00:28:37.799 do? I waddled. I held his finger and I went at 00:28:37.799 --> 00:28:39.960 his pace. Why? Because I was keeping in step 00:28:39.960 --> 00:28:45.240 with him. And he kind of knows what he wants. 00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:48.099 So at one point he's like, we're going this way 00:28:48.099 --> 00:28:50.660 because I want to see the airplanes. And so he 00:28:50.660 --> 00:28:54.119 leads me and I keep in step all the way to see 00:28:54.119 --> 00:28:58.099 the airplanes. At one point, he wants to go this 00:28:58.099 --> 00:29:01.000 way in the terminal, not that way in the terminal, 00:29:01.079 --> 00:29:04.160 which that way was the way we needed to go. And 00:29:04.160 --> 00:29:07.380 we walk all the way down to the point his mama's 00:29:07.380 --> 00:29:09.519 calling me going, where are you guys? I'm like, 00:29:09.579 --> 00:29:13.940 I don't know. I'm just following him. But you 00:29:13.940 --> 00:29:17.220 move at his pace. You move in step with him. 00:29:18.610 --> 00:29:21.049 God who joins you on the camping trip, who empowers 00:29:21.049 --> 00:29:22.890 you with the Holy Spirit, that wants to guide 00:29:22.890 --> 00:29:25.369 every moment, what is he calling you to do? He's 00:29:25.369 --> 00:29:28.230 calling you to stay in step with him. Are you 00:29:28.230 --> 00:29:30.730 behind him? Are you in front of him? Where are 00:29:30.730 --> 00:29:35.069 you? Because what I know about the Holy Spirit, 00:29:35.150 --> 00:29:45.609 it's a lot like this guy. Come on, buddy. What's 00:29:45.609 --> 00:29:49.400 he doing right now? He's just staying in step, 00:29:49.599 --> 00:29:54.700 letting me lead him. The picture that we're given 00:29:54.700 --> 00:29:58.099 of the Holy Spirit is that he indwells you, he 00:29:58.099 --> 00:30:00.779 makes his home in you. Why? So that on this camping 00:30:00.779 --> 00:30:07.059 trip, come on, buddy, let's go this way. There 00:30:07.059 --> 00:30:12.279 you go. On this camping trip, you wouldn't get 00:30:12.279 --> 00:30:16.900 lost. He's like, you ain't leading now, I'm doing 00:30:16.900 --> 00:30:23.069 it. Probably a picture of a lot of us. But isn't 00:30:23.069 --> 00:30:28.130 it fascinating that what we're called to do is 00:30:28.130 --> 00:30:32.450 to just let God lead us and he's provided everything 00:30:32.450 --> 00:30:35.109 we need. We don't have to strive for harmony 00:30:35.109 --> 00:30:37.349 with God. We already have it. We don't have to 00:30:37.349 --> 00:30:40.650 strive to take care of our sin. He already took 00:30:40.650 --> 00:30:44.109 care of it. We don't have to strive. What we 00:30:44.109 --> 00:30:46.329 get to do is go, the Holy Spirit has made his 00:30:46.329 --> 00:30:49.099 home. God, what do you wanna do in me today? 00:30:49.180 --> 00:30:51.099 And you'll empower me and lead me to do it. My 00:30:51.099 --> 00:30:54.480 job is to what? Stay in step with the Holy Spirit 00:30:54.480 --> 00:30:57.779 of God. So what does all this mean, you guys? 00:30:59.779 --> 00:31:01.980 Well, it tells me this, that your journey with 00:31:01.980 --> 00:31:04.220 God is sacred, even though you're in a tent. 00:31:05.500 --> 00:31:09.640 It's sacred, which tells me it really matters, 00:31:09.859 --> 00:31:13.559 that there's deep significance to your life. 00:31:15.599 --> 00:31:17.920 It also tells me when I understand the story 00:31:17.920 --> 00:31:24.880 of God that you right now here are loved by God. 00:31:27.039 --> 00:31:29.619 He's not waiting for you to do something. He's 00:31:29.619 --> 00:31:31.579 not waiting for you to just be cleaned up enough. 00:31:31.740 --> 00:31:34.940 He's not waiting for you. He loves you completely 00:31:34.940 --> 00:31:37.960 and fully right now. He cannot love you any more 00:31:37.960 --> 00:31:43.140 than he already does. How do I know that? There's 00:31:43.140 --> 00:31:46.119 a cross. that is stained red for all of eternity. 00:31:46.980 --> 00:31:50.259 There are nail marks in his hands that declares 00:31:50.259 --> 00:31:54.259 he loves you and he is for you and that you are 00:31:54.259 --> 00:32:00.380 not alone. That your life that you think is just 00:32:00.380 --> 00:32:02.839 bumbling along in these days, right? Like there's, 00:32:02.839 --> 00:32:06.660 you're just like a tumbleweed, right? Blown by 00:32:06.660 --> 00:32:08.779 whatever direction that he goes. No, your life 00:32:08.779 --> 00:32:10.940 has deep significance so much so that the Holy 00:32:10.940 --> 00:32:15.019 Spirit is gonna live in you to guide you. Because 00:32:15.019 --> 00:32:16.700 he wants your life to count for all of eternity. 00:32:19.380 --> 00:32:26.359 I think he likes the keys, man. The last thing 00:32:26.359 --> 00:32:29.339 it does is it should produce in you such overwhelming 00:32:29.339 --> 00:32:34.019 gratitude. The last thing it does is it just 00:32:34.019 --> 00:32:37.160 produces this gratitude. How can we not be thankful 00:32:37.160 --> 00:32:41.380 when we know what we have? Right, like how can 00:32:41.380 --> 00:32:43.839 we not look at the story and go, God, you, you, 00:32:44.879 --> 00:32:47.400 reconciled us. You relationally brought harmony 00:32:47.400 --> 00:32:50.519 and we didn't deserve it. We didn't earn it. 00:32:50.539 --> 00:32:52.680 You gave it. And then on top of that, you join 00:32:52.680 --> 00:32:55.160 us on this camping trip. Why? So our camping 00:32:55.160 --> 00:32:58.480 trip has significance and value that we know 00:32:58.480 --> 00:33:02.279 we are loved, that we know that you care, that 00:33:02.279 --> 00:33:05.960 we know we are seen today and you provide for 00:33:05.960 --> 00:33:09.440 us everything we will ever need. How can we not 00:33:09.440 --> 00:33:15.190 just go, God, all I got is thankfulness. How 00:33:15.190 --> 00:33:19.230 can I not go, all I got is gratitude. All I have 00:33:19.230 --> 00:33:24.970 is a hallelujah for you. Church, how, how, how? 00:33:25.650 --> 00:33:29.009 We're gonna sing in a minute. And I don't want 00:33:29.009 --> 00:33:32.769 you to miss what God does in music. You were 00:33:32.769 --> 00:33:34.690 designed by God. Remember you're fashioned by 00:33:34.690 --> 00:33:36.609 God and part of being fashioned by God is that 00:33:36.609 --> 00:33:39.490 music and melody mixed with words would actually 00:33:39.490 --> 00:33:42.950 get below your defenses. See, you can have a 00:33:42.950 --> 00:33:46.250 defense the whole time I'm talking. But when 00:33:46.250 --> 00:33:49.750 you start to join in song, you stop thinking. 00:33:51.089 --> 00:33:53.589 And when you stop thinking, it gets below your 00:33:53.589 --> 00:33:56.849 defenses and God can get what he needs to get 00:33:56.849 --> 00:34:01.890 to your soul. My question for you is some of 00:34:01.890 --> 00:34:04.130 you stand up and some of you go, I am not going 00:34:04.130 --> 00:34:08.230 to engage. I don't like music. What you're actually 00:34:08.230 --> 00:34:09.909 saying is I'm gonna keep the wall up, God, because 00:34:09.909 --> 00:34:12.739 I don't want you to impact my soul. You have 00:34:12.739 --> 00:34:14.880 a choice. You get to take what is inside your 00:34:14.880 --> 00:34:17.000 breath and you get to let your breath come out 00:34:17.000 --> 00:34:19.400 of your body in such a way that it's an invitation 00:34:19.400 --> 00:34:21.619 that God, as I declare these words, you're actually 00:34:21.619 --> 00:34:23.840 cementing something deep inside of me that I 00:34:23.840 --> 00:34:26.179 need today. And we're gonna declare that we are 00:34:26.179 --> 00:34:29.139 just grateful people today. We're just grateful. 00:34:29.960 --> 00:34:31.420 So I'm gonna pray for us and then we're gonna 00:34:31.420 --> 00:34:34.860 sing. God, thank you for everyone in this room. 00:34:34.920 --> 00:34:36.659 Thank you for everybody across screens today. 00:34:39.719 --> 00:34:42.590 God, thank you for the story. that we live inside 00:34:42.590 --> 00:34:46.809 of the truth that you are a God who is not distant. 00:34:50.969 --> 00:34:55.670 You are not a God who is abandoned, but you're 00:34:55.670 --> 00:34:58.050 a God that stepped into a home that was not yours 00:34:58.050 --> 00:35:03.869 to claim through paying a price, a family forever. 00:35:05.590 --> 00:35:07.889 And God, we are grateful that you have initiated 00:35:07.889 --> 00:35:12.030 and we receive. We are grateful that you transform 00:35:12.030 --> 00:35:14.210 us, that we are new today. We are grateful that 00:35:14.210 --> 00:35:17.130 we have relational harmony today. We are grateful 00:35:17.130 --> 00:35:20.929 that God, we have the Holy Spirit living in us 00:35:20.929 --> 00:35:28.150 today. And so God, all we got, when our words 00:35:28.150 --> 00:35:32.190 fall short, God, we don't have anything new, 00:35:32.230 --> 00:35:36.210 but what we do have is a hallelujah. And God, 00:35:36.250 --> 00:35:38.869 today it's yours because we just say thank you. 00:35:41.070 --> 00:35:44.570 Thank you for loving us first. It's in your name 00:35:44.570 --> 00:35:46.650 we pray, everybody said, amen.