WEBVTT 00:00:11.759 --> 00:00:13.900 Well, howdy y 'all. Welcome back here to the 00:00:13.900 --> 00:00:16.820 semi -seminary. We're about to open our Bibles 00:00:16.820 --> 00:00:19.760 tonight, but before we do, let's go ahead and 00:00:19.760 --> 00:00:21.579 put a name to the elephant in the corner of the 00:00:21.579 --> 00:00:25.120 fellowship hall. A whole lot of what we think 00:00:25.120 --> 00:00:29.320 the Bible says, it doesn't. Not quite, anyway. 00:00:30.179 --> 00:00:32.460 And before you get nervous, this isn't about 00:00:32.460 --> 00:00:34.960 calling anybody out. This is about clearing the 00:00:34.960 --> 00:00:39.880 table so the real meal can be served. Tonight, 00:00:40.399 --> 00:00:42.780 Our study is about the verses we've heard our 00:00:42.780 --> 00:00:46.179 whole lives. The ones folks quote in hospital 00:00:46.179 --> 00:00:48.560 rooms and hallway conversations. The ones we 00:00:48.560 --> 00:00:51.659 print on throw pillows and put on Instagram with 00:00:51.659 --> 00:00:55.240 a cool cursive font. But when you look closer, 00:00:55.359 --> 00:00:59.840 when you slow down, open the word, and really 00:00:59.840 --> 00:01:02.619 dig into the context, you start to realize something. 00:01:04.060 --> 00:01:07.420 They don't always mean what we've been told they 00:01:07.420 --> 00:01:12.170 mean. But here's the thing. This isn't just about 00:01:12.170 --> 00:01:16.769 being right. It's about being rooted. Because 00:01:16.769 --> 00:01:20.250 when we misquote scripture, we can accidentally 00:01:20.250 --> 00:01:23.969 miss the very heart of God. Sometimes we offer 00:01:23.969 --> 00:01:28.549 platitudes when the Bible offers presence. Sometimes, 00:01:28.909 --> 00:01:32.629 even with good intentions, we serve up guilt 00:01:32.629 --> 00:01:37.939 when the Bible serves up grace. So tonight, We're 00:01:37.939 --> 00:01:40.200 going to take these beloved verses and plant 00:01:40.200 --> 00:01:43.359 them back in their original soil. Historically, 00:01:43.459 --> 00:01:46.920 relationally, scripturally, we're going to watch 00:01:46.920 --> 00:01:49.959 them bloom into something more honest, more human, 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:55.739 and more hopeful. And hey, if you're listening 00:01:55.739 --> 00:01:57.760 to this later, know that you missed more than 00:01:57.760 --> 00:02:00.569 a good Bible study this evening. Tammy brought 00:02:00.569 --> 00:02:03.329 the soup tonight, onion and leek, and full of 00:02:03.329 --> 00:02:06.129 something that tastes suspiciously like holy 00:02:06.129 --> 00:02:09.930 comfort. Gigi's cheddar biscuits came out golden 00:02:09.930 --> 00:02:14.210 and sacred as ever. And since David took the 00:02:14.210 --> 00:02:16.229 night off from making the coffee, the pot in 00:02:16.229 --> 00:02:18.189 the fellowship hall actually tastes like coffee 00:02:18.189 --> 00:02:20.909 instead of something filtered through a carburetor. 00:02:21.569 --> 00:02:23.930 If you want to know what gospel tastes like, 00:02:24.009 --> 00:02:26.110 it's somewhere between those biscuits and that 00:02:26.110 --> 00:02:29.669 second cup. So pull up a chair, open your Bible, 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:32.120 And let's talk about why getting it right, I 00:02:32.120 --> 00:02:36.120 mean, really right, still matters. Let's talk 00:02:36.120 --> 00:02:51.479 about misquoting the Bible. So I want to begin 00:02:51.479 --> 00:02:55.840 tonight's discussion with first a kind of this 00:02:55.840 --> 00:03:02.080 very simplified. version of something that we, 00:03:02.139 --> 00:03:05.620 as the disciples of Christ, that's the name, 00:03:05.740 --> 00:03:08.080 the brand of our church, the disciples of Christ, 00:03:08.240 --> 00:03:10.680 the things that, there are things that make us 00:03:10.680 --> 00:03:12.460 different than Methodists. There are things that 00:03:12.460 --> 00:03:16.620 make us different than Baptists, so on. One of 00:03:16.620 --> 00:03:22.500 those things is we believe in the power of individual 00:03:22.500 --> 00:03:26.960 interpretation of scripture. You do not, the 00:03:26.960 --> 00:03:30.919 Holy Spirit dwells within you. You do not need 00:03:30.919 --> 00:03:35.620 someone in between you and God to define what 00:03:35.620 --> 00:03:39.599 the Bible means to you. Because if the Holy Spirit 00:03:39.599 --> 00:03:43.759 is in you and you're reading into scripture, 00:03:44.120 --> 00:03:48.020 you don't need me coming in the side door saying, 00:03:48.120 --> 00:03:51.479 but this is what it really means. The Holy Spirit 00:03:51.479 --> 00:03:54.919 inside you can make that happen. We don't need 00:03:54.919 --> 00:03:59.439 somebody in between us and God trying to define 00:03:59.439 --> 00:04:04.919 for us what God's trying to tell us. Now, I can 00:04:04.919 --> 00:04:08.099 go to school and take classes and have some time 00:04:08.099 --> 00:04:10.879 to really contemplate and spin, think about this 00:04:10.879 --> 00:04:13.680 and craft sermons and Bible studies and stuff, 00:04:13.719 --> 00:04:17.160 and I can give you my opinion. I can explain 00:04:17.160 --> 00:04:21.740 things to you. But it's not my job to give you 00:04:21.740 --> 00:04:24.120 interpretation of Scripture. It's yours to interpret 00:04:24.120 --> 00:04:27.740 for yourself. You have to onboard it, the information 00:04:27.740 --> 00:04:33.120 for yourself. There's one huge problem with this 00:04:33.120 --> 00:04:36.579 concept of individual biblical interpretation, 00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:41.120 and that is the general lack of biblical literacy. 00:04:43.139 --> 00:04:47.269 And it's kind of like... we sometimes accidentally 00:04:47.269 --> 00:04:50.069 say, we certainly don't intend to, but this is 00:04:50.069 --> 00:04:53.350 what we do. You are free to interpret scripture 00:04:53.350 --> 00:04:57.529 as you wish, but we're really not going to assist 00:04:57.529 --> 00:05:01.149 you in truly understanding what the Bible says. 00:05:02.350 --> 00:05:08.009 And that's kind of goofy. And so I believe strongly 00:05:08.009 --> 00:05:11.050 in spiritual, individual, scriptural interpretation 00:05:11.050 --> 00:05:17.259 through the individual spirit in us. So as a 00:05:17.259 --> 00:05:20.620 result, I feel like I have a responsibility to 00:05:20.620 --> 00:05:25.160 increase our biblical literacy. Right. And in 00:05:25.160 --> 00:05:28.680 very plain terms, if I'm going to trust y 'all 00:05:28.680 --> 00:05:33.199 to go out in the wild and live the Bible the 00:05:33.199 --> 00:05:36.100 way you understand it, I better make sure you 00:05:36.100 --> 00:05:40.939 understand it. Right. So that's what we try to 00:05:40.939 --> 00:05:45.240 do in these Bible studies in some way. And tonight 00:05:45.240 --> 00:05:50.519 is one that's specifically that way. The title 00:05:50.519 --> 00:05:54.379 of tonight's discussion is called Misquoted Stuff 00:05:54.379 --> 00:05:58.800 We Get Wrong in the Bible. I once saw a cross 00:05:58.800 --> 00:06:01.899 stitch on a wall in someone's living room right 00:06:01.899 --> 00:06:05.139 above the family Bible that looked like it had 00:06:05.139 --> 00:06:08.879 sat there since the Reagan administration. And 00:06:08.879 --> 00:06:13.060 it said this. It said, God won't give you more 00:06:13.060 --> 00:06:17.600 than you can handle. And it was stitched really 00:06:17.600 --> 00:06:21.259 pretty. There were flowers in the corners. There 00:06:21.259 --> 00:06:25.600 was a little dove in the middle. One of these 00:06:25.600 --> 00:06:30.480 pieces that just feels like it belongs. Comforting. 00:06:30.480 --> 00:06:35.439 It's familiar. It's handed down with good intentions 00:06:35.439 --> 00:06:41.240 and a little dust. Trouble is, that's not in 00:06:41.240 --> 00:06:45.459 the Bible. And the worst part, in my opinion, 00:06:45.660 --> 00:06:48.420 is that it was stitched by someone trying to 00:06:48.420 --> 00:06:52.540 be helpful. Like so many of us, somebody probably 00:06:52.540 --> 00:06:56.740 gave it as a gift during a hard time. Maybe it 00:06:56.740 --> 00:07:01.480 came after a bad diagnosis or a job loss or the 00:07:01.480 --> 00:07:06.019 death of a child. Maybe it was the only comfort 00:07:06.019 --> 00:07:09.259 they could offer. Maybe it was the only comfort 00:07:09.259 --> 00:07:13.259 they had. We sometimes reach for Bible verses 00:07:13.259 --> 00:07:18.540 like life breaths. Sometimes the verse we quote 00:07:18.540 --> 00:07:23.879 isn't in the word we're trying to say. Sometimes 00:07:23.879 --> 00:07:29.120 what we think is comfort is actually a misunderstanding. 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:35.439 And sometimes those misunderstandings add weight 00:07:35.439 --> 00:07:38.620 to the shoulders of the weary instead of lifting 00:07:38.620 --> 00:07:42.790 it off their shoulders. The Bible isn't a Pinterest 00:07:42.790 --> 00:07:48.569 board. It's a library rooted in exile, written 00:07:48.569 --> 00:07:52.790 in dust and ashes, cried through tears, whispered 00:07:52.790 --> 00:07:56.509 in prison cells. It is full of blood and poetry 00:07:56.509 --> 00:08:00.569 and grit and grace with stories that don't wrap 00:08:00.569 --> 00:08:04.370 up always in a neat little bow and verses that 00:08:04.370 --> 00:08:08.129 sound less like inspiration and more like survival. 00:08:10.279 --> 00:08:14.500 And when we take those verses incorrectly of 00:08:14.500 --> 00:08:20.360 their stories, we shrink the gospel. We trade 00:08:20.360 --> 00:08:26.699 revelation for reassurance. We offer cliches 00:08:26.699 --> 00:08:32.059 instead of Christ. So, let's walk through tonight 00:08:32.059 --> 00:08:35.980 four verses that we think we know and see if 00:08:35.980 --> 00:08:40.200 maybe, just maybe, The truth is actually deeper, 00:08:40.419 --> 00:08:46.259 richer, and better than we were told or misunderstood. 00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:51.340 Not just more accurate, according to what Scripture 00:08:51.340 --> 00:08:57.799 says, but actually more whole, more human. And 00:08:57.799 --> 00:09:01.379 maybe, just maybe, exactly what someone needs 00:09:01.379 --> 00:09:06.379 to hear, stitched not on the wall, but in their 00:09:06.379 --> 00:09:11.159 soul. So, first of all, God won't give you more 00:09:11.159 --> 00:09:14.720 than you can handle, right? Let me ask y 'all 00:09:14.720 --> 00:09:19.159 a question. Have you ever been given more than 00:09:19.159 --> 00:09:23.220 you can handle? Of course. Yes, right? Don't 00:09:23.220 --> 00:09:27.299 give me the Sunday school answer, right? Answer 00:09:27.299 --> 00:09:29.559 instead with that voice that cried into your 00:09:29.559 --> 00:09:34.980 pillow. Answer with the voice of who sat with 00:09:34.980 --> 00:09:38.070 you in the ER at 2 o 'clock in the morning. Not 00:09:38.070 --> 00:09:41.750 sure you could even keep going. And that phrase, 00:09:42.009 --> 00:09:45.850 we love it. We use it to comfort people. But 00:09:45.850 --> 00:09:49.549 it's not a verse. It's a misquotation of 1 Corinthians 00:09:49.549 --> 00:09:56.929 10 -13. No temptation has overtaken you except 00:09:56.929 --> 00:10:01.049 what is common to man, and God is faithful. He 00:10:01.049 --> 00:10:05.049 will not let you be tempted beyond what you can 00:10:05.049 --> 00:10:09.570 bear. But with the temptation, he will also provide 00:10:09.570 --> 00:10:14.610 a way out. This verse, friends, is about temptation, 00:10:15.090 --> 00:10:20.750 not suffering. Paul isn't saying life won't knock 00:10:20.750 --> 00:10:24.690 you down. He's saying when you're tempted to 00:10:24.690 --> 00:10:29.230 quit, to sin, to sell your soul, God will always 00:10:29.230 --> 00:10:32.649 leave the back door unlocked. There's always 00:10:32.649 --> 00:10:37.929 an exit. But in 2 Corinthians 1 and 8, just a 00:10:37.929 --> 00:10:41.429 few chapters later, we read this. Paul saying, 00:10:41.590 --> 00:10:45.929 we were under great pressure, far beyond our 00:10:45.929 --> 00:10:49.370 ability to endure. So he's already canceled himself 00:10:49.370 --> 00:10:55.129 out there. So that we despaired of life itself. 00:10:56.669 --> 00:11:04.789 Paul, Paul is saying, I couldn't handle it. God 00:11:04.789 --> 00:11:07.409 didn't keep it tight for him, light for him. 00:11:07.429 --> 00:11:12.409 No, he let it crush him. Why? Well, he tells 00:11:12.409 --> 00:11:17.389 us in verse 8, verse 9. But this happened that 00:11:17.389 --> 00:11:22.470 we might not rely on ourselves, but on God who 00:11:22.470 --> 00:11:27.250 raises the dead. And there it is, friends, the 00:11:27.250 --> 00:11:32.240 gospel message in one sentence. God will absolutely 00:11:32.240 --> 00:11:37.519 allow more than you can handle so that, remember 00:11:37.519 --> 00:11:39.720 how we talked about that conjunction, so that 00:11:39.720 --> 00:11:44.360 you can learn to rely on the one who can raise 00:11:44.360 --> 00:11:49.360 the dead. We're not promised easy. We're promised 00:11:49.360 --> 00:11:55.779 presence. And the truth is, in my experience, 00:11:56.879 --> 00:11:59.320 The moments I couldn't handle, those were the 00:11:59.320 --> 00:12:02.679 very ones where grace moved in and carried whatever 00:12:02.679 --> 00:12:08.340 it was I could. Let's try this one. Money is 00:12:08.340 --> 00:12:13.320 the root of all evil. You ever hear someone quote 00:12:13.320 --> 00:12:17.639 that with pride? Like, I don't trust banks. That's 00:12:17.639 --> 00:12:20.659 why I keep my money in a Folgers can in the freezer. 00:12:21.899 --> 00:12:25.600 We say that like it's a badge of honor. Money 00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:29.779 is the root of all evil. We quote it as if the 00:12:29.779 --> 00:12:35.860 more broke we are, the holier we must be. Scripture 00:12:35.860 --> 00:12:39.179 doesn't say what we think it says. And the difference 00:12:39.179 --> 00:12:41.879 between the actual verse and the bumper sticker 00:12:41.879 --> 00:12:45.220 version is the difference between guilt and grace. 00:12:46.620 --> 00:12:53.399 The actual verse, 1 Timothy 6 and 10, says, for 00:12:53.399 --> 00:12:59.360 the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. 00:12:59.740 --> 00:13:06.000 Did you catch that? Not money itself. Not the 00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:12.580 only root. And not all evil. Just all kinds of 00:13:12.580 --> 00:13:19.860 evil. It's about grit, not the gold. Small difference. 00:13:20.620 --> 00:13:26.779 Huge implications. Paul is writing. I have to 00:13:26.779 --> 00:13:30.799 give you my requisite history lesson. Paul is 00:13:30.799 --> 00:13:34.480 writing to one of his protege pastors, a young 00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:37.659 guy by the name of Timothy. He's writing where 00:13:37.659 --> 00:13:40.559 Timothy is starting and is beginning to run this 00:13:40.559 --> 00:13:44.639 early church in a place called Ephesus. Ephesus 00:13:44.639 --> 00:13:47.460 would be located in what would be modern day 00:13:47.460 --> 00:13:53.350 Turkey. Ephesus was a burgeoning church. But 00:13:53.350 --> 00:13:55.450 if you were with us on Sunday, we also talked 00:13:55.450 --> 00:13:58.190 about the Corinthian church. And although they 00:13:58.190 --> 00:14:00.230 were a big church and they had lots of money, 00:14:00.289 --> 00:14:05.070 they had lots of problems too. And Paul has to 00:14:05.070 --> 00:14:09.269 actually write letters back to his churches and 00:14:09.269 --> 00:14:16.009 say, you guys have screwed this stuff up. So 00:14:16.009 --> 00:14:19.500 I'm writing you a letter to call you out. And 00:14:19.500 --> 00:14:25.299 to fix it. When he's writing to Timothy, he's 00:14:25.299 --> 00:14:30.120 writing a warning letter. These are the things 00:14:30.120 --> 00:14:32.840 you're going to experience as the church grows. 00:14:33.740 --> 00:14:39.500 Be on guard for things like this. Okay? Now, 00:14:39.519 --> 00:14:42.299 Ephesus in modern -day Turkey was a city known 00:14:42.299 --> 00:14:46.500 for its commerce, temples, and a class divide. 00:14:47.259 --> 00:14:50.360 a place where wealth strutted down marble streets 00:14:50.360 --> 00:14:53.720 and religious leaders could buy power with their 00:14:53.720 --> 00:14:57.720 silver coins. He was warning this young pastor 00:14:57.720 --> 00:15:00.779 that greed can dress up often like godliness. 00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:04.320 Some people will start preaching not because 00:15:04.320 --> 00:15:07.580 they've been called, but because they've seen 00:15:07.580 --> 00:15:13.120 what a good sermon can sell. And the danger wasn't 00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:15.139 just outside the church walls. It was inside 00:15:15.139 --> 00:15:19.120 as well. Folks were slipping money under the 00:15:19.120 --> 00:15:23.399 table and pride into the pulpit. Using theology 00:15:23.399 --> 00:15:29.120 as a sales pitch. Treating blessings like a brand. 00:15:30.840 --> 00:15:35.299 It's not the coins that corrupt. It's the craving. 00:15:36.559 --> 00:15:40.320 It's the subtle shift where you start trusting 00:15:40.320 --> 00:15:43.159 your account balance more than the bread of life. 00:15:44.460 --> 00:15:47.360 Where you begin to see people as transactions. 00:15:48.460 --> 00:15:53.460 And where success becomes your compass. Money 00:15:53.460 --> 00:15:56.659 promises control, but it always asks for a little 00:15:56.659 --> 00:16:01.059 more control in return. But here's the thing. 00:16:02.539 --> 00:16:08.419 Money is not evil. But loving it, serving it, 00:16:08.500 --> 00:16:11.980 craving it, trusting it, that will rot you from 00:16:11.980 --> 00:16:18.159 the inside out. And not overnight, not loudly 00:16:18.159 --> 00:16:22.919 and with a bang, slowly, quietly, like mold in 00:16:22.919 --> 00:16:28.299 the drywall. Jesus said the same thing in Matthew 00:16:28.299 --> 00:16:33.679 chapter 6 and 24. You cannot serve both God and 00:16:33.679 --> 00:16:36.340 mammon. Now that word mammon, just real quick, 00:16:36.980 --> 00:16:42.700 that is, the word in Hebrew means wealth. Okay, 00:16:42.700 --> 00:16:47.990 so. He's saying you cannot serve both God and 00:16:47.990 --> 00:16:50.889 mammon, but mammon is capitalized in the way 00:16:50.889 --> 00:16:53.809 that the name wealth in Hebrew has been turned 00:16:53.809 --> 00:16:59.750 into a name. The word mammon, he gave it a name. 00:17:01.250 --> 00:17:07.470 He compared it like a rival deity. Because the 00:17:07.470 --> 00:17:12.170 thing that will make most of us most often lose 00:17:12.170 --> 00:17:18.869 our souls isn't the demon in the dark. It's stuff 00:17:18.869 --> 00:17:23.289 we worship instead of the Savior. It's a dream 00:17:23.289 --> 00:17:27.609 we bow to every Sunday where we skip rest and 00:17:27.609 --> 00:17:31.430 hustle harder. It's the belief that if we had 00:17:31.430 --> 00:17:36.599 just a little bit more, we'd be safe. But scripture 00:17:36.599 --> 00:17:42.839 keeps calling us back, not to poverty, but trust. 00:17:43.700 --> 00:17:48.839 Not to guilt, but generosity. Not to empty wallets. 00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:54.539 More importantly, open hands. And the gospel 00:17:54.539 --> 00:17:57.299 doesn't shame the rich. It invites the wealthy 00:17:57.299 --> 00:18:02.019 and the poor and everyone in between to remember 00:18:02.019 --> 00:18:07.109 who the real provider is. To remember that true 00:18:07.109 --> 00:18:11.809 treasure doesn't rust. And the economy of the 00:18:11.809 --> 00:18:18.109 kingdom of God runs on grace, not greed. Okay. 00:18:19.269 --> 00:18:23.130 We're over halfway done. We can turn the fan 00:18:23.130 --> 00:18:25.250 on and stop sweating. Although, there's something 00:18:25.250 --> 00:18:26.910 about preaching when you're sweating. There is 00:18:26.910 --> 00:18:31.450 just a little something extra to it. I did wear 00:18:31.450 --> 00:18:37.150 deodorant, so. I can do all things through Christ 00:18:37.150 --> 00:18:41.289 who strengthens me. Philippians 4 and 13. It's 00:18:41.289 --> 00:18:44.490 probably the most tattooed verse in the Western 00:18:44.490 --> 00:18:48.430 Hemisphere. We've put that on sneakers, weightlifting 00:18:48.430 --> 00:18:51.509 belts, campaign signs, like Jesus has become 00:18:51.509 --> 00:18:54.049 our personal trainer or motivational speaker. 00:18:54.269 --> 00:18:58.289 But when Paul wrote this, remember, he wrote 00:18:58.289 --> 00:19:02.849 Philippians to a church in Philippi whilst in 00:19:02.849 --> 00:19:08.079 a Roman jail cell. He didn't have a platform. 00:19:08.640 --> 00:19:12.740 He had a chain around his ankle. But right before 00:19:12.740 --> 00:19:15.359 he says that line, he says, I have learned the 00:19:15.359 --> 00:19:18.140 secret of being content in every circumstance, 00:19:18.500 --> 00:19:23.420 whether well -fed, hungry, whether living in 00:19:23.420 --> 00:19:27.859 plenty or in want. And then he says this, but 00:19:27.859 --> 00:19:31.079 I can do all things through Christ who gives 00:19:31.079 --> 00:19:34.140 me strength. Well, Pastor Jim, how did I get 00:19:34.140 --> 00:19:36.319 that one wrong? It's tattooed right, right there. 00:19:36.980 --> 00:19:39.900 I'm not saying that you spelled the words wrong. 00:19:39.980 --> 00:19:42.180 I am saying you might have missed what Paul's 00:19:42.180 --> 00:19:45.700 trying to say. Paul isn't talking about winning. 00:19:47.059 --> 00:19:51.240 He's talking about surviving. Because he's actually 00:19:51.240 --> 00:19:54.920 saying, even when it all falls apart, I still 00:19:54.920 --> 00:19:58.859 have peace. Peace. I still have Christ. And that's 00:19:58.859 --> 00:20:03.759 enough. This is not just a motivational quote. 00:20:03.920 --> 00:20:07.900 It's a survival verse. And it's for the ones 00:20:07.900 --> 00:20:14.319 who are barely hanging on. Okay. I've saved this 00:20:14.319 --> 00:20:17.180 one for last. Because I think a lot of you might 00:20:17.180 --> 00:20:19.480 have gone, I think I've heard that stuff before. 00:20:20.019 --> 00:20:23.839 Because you're all really smart Christians. But 00:20:23.839 --> 00:20:28.039 here's one where I hope you go, oh, how about 00:20:28.039 --> 00:20:33.400 this one? where two or three are gathered. Now, 00:20:33.440 --> 00:20:36.940 this one might sting, friends, because you've 00:20:36.940 --> 00:20:39.619 probably heard it in a prayer circle with five 00:20:39.619 --> 00:20:44.299 people and thought, well, at least two or three 00:20:44.299 --> 00:20:48.579 are gathered. The Lord is with us. True sentiment. 00:20:49.559 --> 00:20:55.140 It's not that he's not. But that verse, Matthew 00:20:55.140 --> 00:20:59.640 18 and 20, Does it mean what you think it means? 00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:04.019 The context here is actually about confrontation. 00:21:05.819 --> 00:21:10.079 Let me hit the rewind button real quick. Back 00:21:10.079 --> 00:21:15.720 to Matthew 18, 15, and 16. It says this, if your 00:21:15.720 --> 00:21:20.160 brother sins against you, go and show him his 00:21:20.160 --> 00:21:24.940 fault. If he refuses to listen, take one or two 00:21:24.940 --> 00:21:30.910 others along. This is about reconciliation. It's 00:21:30.910 --> 00:21:34.490 about accountability. It's about hard conversations 00:21:34.490 --> 00:21:40.490 in love. Then he says, for where two or three 00:21:40.490 --> 00:21:43.750 are gathered in my name, there I am with them. 00:21:44.049 --> 00:21:47.769 It's not a verse about small groups of Christians. 00:21:49.369 --> 00:21:53.549 It's a verse about courage. It's about showing 00:21:53.549 --> 00:21:59.920 up for hard truth. With love, mercy, and humility. 00:22:00.700 --> 00:22:05.619 And in that hard place, Jesus is saying, I'm 00:22:05.619 --> 00:22:12.099 there. Right in the middle of it. Because grace 00:22:12.099 --> 00:22:14.640 doesn't just show up in worship songs. It shows 00:22:14.640 --> 00:22:17.880 up when we're honest enough to say, brother, 00:22:18.059 --> 00:22:22.960 sister, this thing between us, we got to talk. 00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:28.990 Right? And the truth is, that's four, so fans 00:22:28.990 --> 00:22:34.130 get ready to come back on. The truth is, it's 00:22:34.130 --> 00:22:38.170 a better gospel than we imagine. Because God 00:22:38.170 --> 00:22:43.210 will give you more than you can handle, but he'll 00:22:43.210 --> 00:22:49.809 carry it with you. Money isn't the root, but 00:22:49.809 --> 00:22:51.990 loving it will make you forget what matters. 00:22:54.119 --> 00:22:58.299 Christ doesn't make you win. He helps you to 00:22:58.299 --> 00:23:02.980 endure. And Jesus doesn't show up just because 00:23:02.980 --> 00:23:04.980 a couple of you got together with a cup of coffee. 00:23:06.160 --> 00:23:12.119 He shows up when grace and truth collide. The 00:23:12.119 --> 00:23:15.680 real versions of these verses, they're better. 00:23:16.059 --> 00:23:20.660 They're deeper. Because they're good news for 00:23:20.660 --> 00:23:25.250 the bruised and the burdened. And here's what 00:23:25.250 --> 00:23:27.269 I'm trying to get at. And here's where I think 00:23:27.269 --> 00:23:29.410 I've just finally landed through all of this, 00:23:29.450 --> 00:23:31.430 through all of these years, through all of these 00:23:31.430 --> 00:23:34.390 Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. I have 00:23:34.390 --> 00:23:37.490 just decided the Bible doesn't need to be dressed 00:23:37.490 --> 00:23:44.049 up. It just needs to be told true. And when you 00:23:44.049 --> 00:23:48.690 put those verses back in their soil, they begin 00:23:48.690 --> 00:23:54.299 to bloom with grace all over again. Amen? Amen. 00:23:55.079 --> 00:23:57.599 That's what I have for you guys tonight. Thanks. 00:23:58.180 --> 00:24:11.059 So, go easy tonight. Go home full. Body, soul, 00:24:11.240 --> 00:24:14.720 and maybe even a little convicted. Because this 00:24:14.720 --> 00:24:17.180 is more than just correcting grammar or trading 00:24:17.180 --> 00:24:21.119 in well -meaning cliches for holy, hard -earned 00:24:21.119 --> 00:24:24.500 clarity. This is about honoring the voice of 00:24:24.500 --> 00:24:27.680 God by refusing to make him sound smaller than 00:24:27.680 --> 00:24:31.140 he is. If someone quotes a verse that doesn't 00:24:31.140 --> 00:24:33.180 sit right with your spirit, maybe it's not your 00:24:33.180 --> 00:24:35.059 faith that's broken. Maybe it's the framing. 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:39.619 And maybe the verse was never meant to carry 00:24:39.619 --> 00:24:43.500 the weight someone's tried to place on it. If 00:24:43.500 --> 00:24:45.660 someone's hanging on to a cross -stitch promise 00:24:45.660 --> 00:24:47.740 that hurts more than it helps, don't mock it, 00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:50.759 but don't leave them there either. Sit down beside 00:24:50.759 --> 00:24:53.400 them, open the Bible, and stitch a better story 00:24:53.400 --> 00:24:59.900 together. One rooted in grace, not guilt. And 00:24:59.900 --> 00:25:02.200 if you've been bruised by verses twisted to control, 00:25:02.440 --> 00:25:06.559 shame, or silence, you hear this. That wasn't 00:25:06.559 --> 00:25:11.259 Jesus. That was somebody misquoting and misusing 00:25:11.259 --> 00:25:14.900 the gospel. And tonight is your invitation to 00:25:14.900 --> 00:25:18.140 come back to the table, to listen for his real 00:25:18.140 --> 00:25:21.019 voice, and to find out that what he actually 00:25:21.019 --> 00:25:24.480 said is even more beautiful, more freeing, and 00:25:24.480 --> 00:25:28.220 more true than you were ever even told. Because 00:25:28.220 --> 00:25:30.339 when we tell the truth about what God really 00:25:30.339 --> 00:25:35.539 said, the good news sounds like good news all 00:25:35.539 --> 00:25:39.859 over again. Anyway, something to think about. 00:25:40.160 --> 00:25:42.650 Until next time, friend. Be blessed.