WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.100 I want you to think of the most outlandish thing 00:00:03.100 --> 00:00:05.919 you've ever seen someone spend a large amount 00:00:05.919 --> 00:00:08.179 of money on, or maybe you've spent a large amount 00:00:08.179 --> 00:00:11.099 of money on something very outlandish. One thing 00:00:11.099 --> 00:00:13.460 I can't get over is how much money people spend 00:00:13.460 --> 00:00:17.719 on trading cards, specifically baseball cards. 00:00:17.820 --> 00:00:19.960 Like, I like baseball, okay? Big college baseball 00:00:19.960 --> 00:00:22.460 fan, kind of trying to get into the pro baseball 00:00:22.460 --> 00:00:26.559 thing. I like baseball. But a baseball card is 00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:29.379 just a piece of paper. That's like laminated 00:00:29.379 --> 00:00:31.760 and has some cool printing on it. But people 00:00:31.760 --> 00:00:34.320 spend some crazy amounts of money on baseball 00:00:34.320 --> 00:00:38.659 cards. In fact, in 2022, a 1952 Mickey Mantle 00:00:38.659 --> 00:00:44.420 baseball card sold for $12 .6 million, making 00:00:44.420 --> 00:00:48.979 it the most expensive baseball card ever sold. 00:00:49.609 --> 00:00:52.670 Now, you might be thinking, I've never even seen 00:00:52.670 --> 00:00:56.549 $12 million. Me either. In fact, I would venture 00:00:56.549 --> 00:00:59.009 to say all of us in this room combined, well, 00:00:59.070 --> 00:01:01.869 most of us in this room combined, could not think 00:01:01.869 --> 00:01:04.689 of a time where we could touch or get close to 00:01:04.689 --> 00:01:08.549 $12 million. But I want you to imagine, like 00:01:08.549 --> 00:01:11.810 some kid bought that card way back when in a 00:01:11.810 --> 00:01:15.530 penny pack in 1952 with no clue that 70 years 00:01:15.530 --> 00:01:19.450 later, some guy with way too much money buy that 00:01:19.450 --> 00:01:23.310 card for $12 million. And that record came after 00:01:23.310 --> 00:01:28.290 another card sold for $6 .6 million in 2021. 00:01:28.650 --> 00:01:31.969 And that after another card sold for $5 .2 million 00:01:31.969 --> 00:01:35.329 in 2020. Do you know what my wife would do to 00:01:35.329 --> 00:01:38.290 me if I came home in the middle of the pandemic 00:01:38.290 --> 00:01:40.950 talking about, hey, honey, look at this baseball 00:01:40.950 --> 00:01:43.769 card I just spent our entire life savings on. 00:01:44.569 --> 00:01:46.590 I would get kicked out of the house so fast. 00:01:48.089 --> 00:01:51.290 Maybe even worse. It's crazy to me how much people 00:01:51.290 --> 00:01:53.030 are willing to spend on these things, but in 00:01:53.030 --> 00:01:55.569 their minds, these baseball cards, they're worth 00:01:55.569 --> 00:01:58.450 it. They have that kind of value, and they can 00:01:58.450 --> 00:02:01.010 somewhat justify the value of a baseball card 00:02:01.010 --> 00:02:03.069 with a few different reasons, but chief among 00:02:03.069 --> 00:02:06.569 them is the rarity of these specific cards in 00:02:06.569 --> 00:02:09.599 this good of condition. You see, this card, the 00:02:09.599 --> 00:02:12.699 Mickey Mantle card, has a grade of 9 .5 out of 00:02:12.699 --> 00:02:17.639 10, which makes it one of only three 1952 Topps 00:02:17.639 --> 00:02:20.240 Mickey Mantle cards in the world in that good 00:02:20.240 --> 00:02:23.180 of condition. And because of this rarity, because 00:02:23.180 --> 00:02:26.020 of the value of this card, this card is kept 00:02:26.020 --> 00:02:29.219 in this humidity, temperature controlled case. 00:02:29.319 --> 00:02:31.699 It's very highly protected with all kinds of 00:02:31.699 --> 00:02:34.659 security measures to protect it. Plus, I'm sure 00:02:34.659 --> 00:02:37.300 the owner has a nice little insurance policy 00:02:37.300 --> 00:02:39.639 on this card just in case, you know, a house 00:02:39.639 --> 00:02:44.360 fire or something. But a baseball card, a piece 00:02:44.360 --> 00:02:48.639 of paper garners this kind of value. And it's 00:02:48.639 --> 00:02:51.479 not because the paper itself is valuable. I mean, 00:02:51.479 --> 00:02:54.580 like think about paper is just wood. That was 00:02:54.580 --> 00:02:57.419 cut very thinly, and you know how the papermaking 00:02:57.419 --> 00:02:59.759 process works. If not, go watch a YouTube video. 00:02:59.879 --> 00:03:03.240 How it's made is still online. So the baseball 00:03:03.240 --> 00:03:06.080 card itself is not that valuable. But what we 00:03:06.080 --> 00:03:09.520 know to be true is, is we can know what something 00:03:09.520 --> 00:03:12.539 is worth based on what someone is willing to 00:03:12.539 --> 00:03:15.280 spend on it. And something else we know to be 00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:17.539 true is that what someone else is willing to 00:03:17.539 --> 00:03:20.939 spend on it determines its worth, and its worth 00:03:20.939 --> 00:03:24.090 determines how we treat it. And so if something 00:03:24.090 --> 00:03:26.629 is worth all of this, then we are going to do 00:03:26.629 --> 00:03:29.009 what we can to protect it. So in thinking about 00:03:29.009 --> 00:03:31.469 rare baseball cards as opposed to the average 00:03:31.469 --> 00:03:34.590 ordinary baseball card you can get in a $5 pack 00:03:34.590 --> 00:03:37.509 at Walmart, I want to ask you this morning, what 00:03:37.509 --> 00:03:42.389 kind of card are you? Are you something valuable? 00:03:43.030 --> 00:03:45.469 Or are you something common? Are you something 00:03:45.469 --> 00:03:47.590 ordinary? Are you something that just anybody 00:03:47.590 --> 00:03:51.280 can find? And I ask that question because as 00:03:51.280 --> 00:03:53.979 we said, knowing what something is worth determines 00:03:53.979 --> 00:03:57.439 how it will be treated. And the sooner you and 00:03:57.439 --> 00:04:00.060 I understand just how valuable we are, the sooner 00:04:00.060 --> 00:04:02.479 we understand how priceless we are, the sooner 00:04:02.479 --> 00:04:05.340 we will start taking better care of ourselves. 00:04:06.319 --> 00:04:08.520 And that's important because some of us feel 00:04:08.520 --> 00:04:11.370 like we're just average, ordinary people. We 00:04:11.370 --> 00:04:13.750 feel like we don't really have any special talents. 00:04:13.810 --> 00:04:15.830 We don't have any special abilities. We don't 00:04:15.830 --> 00:04:18.370 have anything about us that makes us unique, 00:04:18.529 --> 00:04:21.170 that makes us special, that makes us valuable. 00:04:21.310 --> 00:04:25.170 We're just kind of generic. Or maybe worse, we 00:04:25.170 --> 00:04:27.649 feel like we're not just ordinary, but we're 00:04:27.649 --> 00:04:30.519 a knockoff. Like no matter what we do, we won't 00:04:30.519 --> 00:04:32.959 fool anybody into believing that we are anything 00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:35.259 special. We can't fool anybody into believing 00:04:35.259 --> 00:04:37.740 that we're the real deal. I want you to hear 00:04:37.740 --> 00:04:40.779 me this morning when I say that it is a lie from 00:04:40.779 --> 00:04:45.370 the enemy to believe that you are ordinary. And 00:04:45.370 --> 00:04:47.370 it is a lie from the enemy to believe that you 00:04:47.370 --> 00:04:49.750 are a knockoff. You see, Paul calls that kind 00:04:49.750 --> 00:04:51.689 of thinking empty deceit. We talked about this 00:04:51.689 --> 00:04:54.170 last week. These hollow lies that are dressed 00:04:54.170 --> 00:04:57.129 up as truth. These ideas that get put into our 00:04:57.129 --> 00:04:59.970 minds, put into our hearts by the world, by the 00:04:59.970 --> 00:05:02.949 enemy to make us believe that we are worth less 00:05:02.949 --> 00:05:05.649 than God says we are. But I want you to hear 00:05:05.649 --> 00:05:08.750 the truth this morning that you are one of a 00:05:08.750 --> 00:05:12.029 kind. You are the real thing. You are the thing 00:05:12.029 --> 00:05:15.680 that God made only one of. And that is valuable. 00:05:15.939 --> 00:05:18.540 You are worth more than anyone could ever put 00:05:18.540 --> 00:05:21.939 a price tag on. You are priceless. And I'm trying 00:05:21.939 --> 00:05:24.180 to emphasize that truth because I want to overpower 00:05:24.180 --> 00:05:26.579 the lie that we find ourselves believing because 00:05:26.579 --> 00:05:30.439 the enemy is very crafty. He is very deceptive. 00:05:30.439 --> 00:05:33.139 He is very cunning. And he gets in our minds 00:05:33.139 --> 00:05:35.639 and causes us to believe something that is just 00:05:35.639 --> 00:05:38.560 not true. And what I want you to hear is what 00:05:38.560 --> 00:05:41.360 God says about you, and that is that you are 00:05:41.360 --> 00:05:46.209 priceless. Because as I said, when we know our 00:05:46.209 --> 00:05:50.129 value, it determines how we are going to be treated. 00:05:51.560 --> 00:05:53.319 And you might be sitting there and you might 00:05:53.319 --> 00:05:54.980 ask the question, well, why does it matter what 00:05:54.980 --> 00:05:57.920 we do or what we let others do to us? Why does 00:05:57.920 --> 00:06:00.620 it matter how we're treated? I mean, these bodies, 00:06:00.660 --> 00:06:02.740 they're just temporary. This life is just temporary. 00:06:02.860 --> 00:06:04.939 We're all going to die, right? We're all just 00:06:04.939 --> 00:06:06.959 going to be gone. And this is just a vapor. And 00:06:06.959 --> 00:06:09.740 as the Ecclesiastes writer says, it's just vanities 00:06:09.740 --> 00:06:12.139 of vanities. It's all meaningless. So why does 00:06:12.139 --> 00:06:14.759 it matter? Well, last week we discussed the idea 00:06:14.759 --> 00:06:18.600 that God is our source of work. And we read the 00:06:18.600 --> 00:06:21.420 way that God talks about us. You know, we just 00:06:21.420 --> 00:06:24.459 sang that song, I stand in awe of you. You are 00:06:24.459 --> 00:06:27.000 beautiful beyond description. Isn't it great 00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:28.639 that we have these songs that talk about how 00:06:28.639 --> 00:06:31.579 beautiful and magnificent God is and how awestruck 00:06:31.579 --> 00:06:34.660 we are in his presence and how amazing he is? 00:06:36.079 --> 00:06:38.699 Even more amazing to think that that same amazing 00:06:38.699 --> 00:06:42.339 God looks at us and says those same things about 00:06:42.339 --> 00:06:46.589 us. That he has that same view of us, that we 00:06:46.589 --> 00:06:49.370 are beautiful beyond description, that he does 00:06:49.370 --> 00:06:52.870 think that we are valuable, that he does think 00:06:52.870 --> 00:06:57.110 that we are priceless. And so we read the way 00:06:57.110 --> 00:06:59.870 that God talks about us, the worth that the creator 00:06:59.870 --> 00:07:02.350 of the universe assigned to us. But it's one 00:07:02.350 --> 00:07:05.029 thing to simply hear someone tell us what we're 00:07:05.029 --> 00:07:07.470 worth. It's another to watch them prove it. It's 00:07:07.470 --> 00:07:10.930 like the people who date for a decade, but they 00:07:10.930 --> 00:07:13.990 haven't gotten married yet. And they may even 00:07:13.990 --> 00:07:15.990 go as far as moving in with each other, but they 00:07:15.990 --> 00:07:18.449 don't commit to marriage. They'll say they love 00:07:18.449 --> 00:07:21.050 each other. And I just sit and wonder, well, 00:07:21.129 --> 00:07:23.610 do you? Because, you know, when you love somebody, 00:07:23.689 --> 00:07:25.250 you make a commitment to somebody and you make 00:07:25.250 --> 00:07:27.610 a commitment to somebody. That's like a forever 00:07:27.610 --> 00:07:30.589 thing. And if you love them, what's holding you 00:07:30.589 --> 00:07:32.709 back from proving it by making that commitment? 00:07:32.769 --> 00:07:34.629 And listen, if that's your story, I'm not here. 00:07:34.670 --> 00:07:37.050 That's not meant to shame you. I'm just saying 00:07:37.050 --> 00:07:41.170 that commitment is how you prove your love. When 00:07:41.170 --> 00:07:44.199 you commit to somebody. When you commit to something, 00:07:44.540 --> 00:07:48.360 it shows that you do really love it. It's like, 00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:50.779 you know, I watched this rugby movie years ago 00:07:50.779 --> 00:07:52.620 and I love this movie. It's called Forever Strong. 00:07:52.800 --> 00:07:54.660 If you have the time and you just like really 00:07:54.660 --> 00:07:58.720 like low budget sports movies, go watch it. But 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:01.660 one of the things that this rugby coach tells 00:08:01.660 --> 00:08:04.180 this troubled kid is he says, when are you going 00:08:04.180 --> 00:08:06.899 to let the real, I think the kid's name was Rick 00:08:06.899 --> 00:08:08.420 Penning. So when are you going to let the real 00:08:08.420 --> 00:08:10.720 Rick Penning get off the bench and commit to 00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:12.790 this thing? You know, when are you going to commit 00:08:12.790 --> 00:08:15.050 to being who you're supposed to be? When are 00:08:15.050 --> 00:08:16.870 you going to commit to being what you're supposed 00:08:16.870 --> 00:08:19.250 to be? And the same thing is true with God's 00:08:19.250 --> 00:08:23.730 love. If we say, if we hear people say God loves 00:08:23.730 --> 00:08:26.370 us, well, has he committed? Has he shown us? 00:08:27.470 --> 00:08:30.129 You see, God says in so many different ways all 00:08:30.129 --> 00:08:32.450 throughout scripture that he loves us, but what 00:08:32.450 --> 00:08:35.289 has he done to show us? And somebody in this 00:08:35.289 --> 00:08:38.330 room is sitting here asking themselves, what 00:08:38.330 --> 00:08:41.149 has God done to show me he loves me? I've heard 00:08:41.149 --> 00:08:43.730 Christians talk for years and years and years 00:08:43.730 --> 00:08:46.230 about how Jesus loves you, but I haven't seen 00:08:46.230 --> 00:08:48.330 it show up because my life has been one train 00:08:48.330 --> 00:08:50.769 wreck after another. My life has been one hurt 00:08:50.769 --> 00:08:53.529 after another. My life has been one chaotic moment 00:08:53.529 --> 00:08:56.090 after another. So how am I supposed to believe 00:08:56.090 --> 00:09:05.970 that God loves me? Well, he literally stepped 00:09:05.970 --> 00:09:10.090 down from his heavenly throne and said, let me 00:09:10.090 --> 00:09:13.570 show you. And now we get to scripture. I want 00:09:13.570 --> 00:09:16.490 you to look at John chapter one with me. If it's 00:09:16.490 --> 00:09:18.450 underlined, I would love for you to read along 00:09:18.450 --> 00:09:21.970 with me if you're comfortable doing so. The true 00:09:21.970 --> 00:09:24.710 light, which gives light to everyone, was coming 00:09:24.710 --> 00:09:27.490 into the world. He was in the world and the world 00:09:27.490 --> 00:09:29.870 was made through him, yet the world did not know 00:09:29.870 --> 00:09:32.870 him. He came to His own, and His own people did 00:09:32.870 --> 00:09:35.690 not receive Him, but to all who did receive Him, 00:09:35.809 --> 00:09:38.190 who believed in His name, He gave the right to 00:09:38.190 --> 00:09:41.470 become children of God, who were born, not of 00:09:41.470 --> 00:09:44.049 blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the 00:09:44.049 --> 00:09:47.649 will of man, but of God. And the Word became 00:09:47.649 --> 00:09:50.929 flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His 00:09:50.929 --> 00:09:54.470 glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, 00:09:54.549 --> 00:09:58.289 full of grace and truth. You see, God created 00:09:58.289 --> 00:10:01.769 this perfect world for us. As Bill said earlier 00:10:01.769 --> 00:10:04.809 in his prayer, God created this world perfect 00:10:04.809 --> 00:10:07.250 for our enjoyment, for us to be able to live 00:10:07.250 --> 00:10:09.889 with God in this beautiful place of splendor, 00:10:09.909 --> 00:10:12.250 in this place where we can have communion with 00:10:12.250 --> 00:10:15.669 the creator. And I believe he created the world 00:10:15.669 --> 00:10:17.789 with us in mind, every intricate detail of this 00:10:17.789 --> 00:10:20.990 world designed to support us to have abundant 00:10:20.990 --> 00:10:24.129 life here. But we messed it up. You can blame 00:10:24.129 --> 00:10:26.370 Adam and Eve all you want. we probably would 00:10:26.370 --> 00:10:28.570 have done the same thing. And because we messed 00:10:28.570 --> 00:10:31.929 it up, consequences step in. And all of a sudden, 00:10:31.970 --> 00:10:35.210 God's masterpiece is up in smoke, but God wasn't 00:10:35.210 --> 00:10:38.230 content to watch his masterpiece burn. So let 00:10:38.230 --> 00:10:40.690 me rephrase that really quick. God isn't content 00:10:40.690 --> 00:10:44.529 to watch his masterpiece burn. He isn't content 00:10:44.529 --> 00:10:47.450 to watch his people, his creation, everything 00:10:47.450 --> 00:10:50.710 that he designed for his enjoyment and for our 00:10:50.710 --> 00:10:53.629 enjoyment. He was not content to watch that. 00:10:54.009 --> 00:10:58.230 burn. He isn't content to watch that burn. So 00:10:58.230 --> 00:11:01.070 what does he do? He runs into the fire for you, 00:11:01.129 --> 00:11:05.330 for me. He doesn't just look at the fire, start 00:11:05.330 --> 00:11:08.169 weeping, exclaiming how much he loved us, and, 00:11:08.190 --> 00:11:10.509 oh, I'm going to miss them so much. No, he gets 00:11:10.509 --> 00:11:14.029 into it. He runs into the fire in full hero mode 00:11:14.029 --> 00:11:16.690 to prove how much he loves us. I want you to 00:11:16.690 --> 00:11:19.070 think about that. Think about that Mickey Mantle 00:11:19.070 --> 00:11:21.649 card. If it was in a house on fire, I guarantee 00:11:21.649 --> 00:11:25.169 you the owner is running in to save it, or maybe 00:11:25.169 --> 00:11:27.129 he's banking on the insurance policy to pay it 00:11:27.129 --> 00:11:30.210 off or to pay out, but God isn't relying on an 00:11:30.210 --> 00:11:33.850 insurance policy. himself runs into the fire 00:11:33.850 --> 00:11:38.649 to pull us out, to save us from our own mess. 00:11:38.870 --> 00:11:41.769 And in doing so, as the text here in John 1 so 00:11:41.769 --> 00:11:44.389 beautifully says, he gives light to everyone. 00:11:45.289 --> 00:11:49.429 He gives hope. He came to his own, and those 00:11:49.429 --> 00:11:55.210 who received him became children of God. Notice 00:11:55.210 --> 00:11:57.850 he doesn't say they became servants of God. Now, 00:11:57.850 --> 00:12:00.889 that's a description for us. Absolutely, and 00:12:00.889 --> 00:12:03.110 that's right. He doesn't say they became slaves 00:12:03.110 --> 00:12:05.450 to God, even though that is right. He says they 00:12:05.450 --> 00:12:09.590 became children of God, those who received Jesus, 00:12:09.809 --> 00:12:13.090 who took on that grace -filled free gift of salvation. 00:12:13.330 --> 00:12:16.429 Those people became children of God. And I don't 00:12:16.429 --> 00:12:18.470 know about you, but in my house, my children 00:12:18.470 --> 00:12:20.850 are taken care of. In fact, they are too well 00:12:20.850 --> 00:12:22.990 taken care of. They're spoiled rotten. And in 00:12:22.990 --> 00:12:26.230 God's house, we are spoiled rotten because we 00:12:26.230 --> 00:12:28.769 are blessed with everything we could ever need. 00:12:29.870 --> 00:12:32.389 And in that scripture, it says he dwells among 00:12:32.389 --> 00:12:36.789 us, allowing us to see his face and experience 00:12:36.789 --> 00:12:43.129 his grace and truth. You know, as a kid, I used 00:12:43.129 --> 00:12:47.169 to think, man, it would be nice if I could just 00:12:47.169 --> 00:12:50.690 live in a home where I could see my father. I 00:12:50.690 --> 00:12:53.070 met my dad one time when I was eight years old, 00:12:53.129 --> 00:12:54.690 and that was it. It's the only time I've ever 00:12:54.690 --> 00:12:57.429 seen him. And as a kid, I would think I would 00:12:57.429 --> 00:13:00.090 love to just be able to see my father. If he 00:13:00.090 --> 00:13:02.009 could just live with us, I don't care if he's 00:13:02.009 --> 00:13:04.309 a good dad. I don't care if he's nice. I don't 00:13:04.309 --> 00:13:06.929 care if he's a provider. I just would love to 00:13:06.929 --> 00:13:10.570 be able to live in the same place as my dad. 00:13:11.629 --> 00:13:14.110 Now, as an adult, I see how problematic that 00:13:14.110 --> 00:13:17.350 could be. But as a kid, that's all I wanted. 00:13:18.279 --> 00:13:21.679 And think about when God sees his children in 00:13:21.679 --> 00:13:24.299 this mess that is this world, I just imagine 00:13:24.299 --> 00:13:27.659 he's saying, I cannot wait to go get them. I 00:13:27.659 --> 00:13:30.259 cannot wait to bring them home because I want 00:13:30.259 --> 00:13:33.120 to live with my children where they can see me 00:13:33.120 --> 00:13:37.360 and I can see them face to face, where we can 00:13:37.360 --> 00:13:40.639 experience his grace and his truth. You see, 00:13:40.659 --> 00:13:43.580 God came to earth to show all of humanity what 00:13:43.580 --> 00:13:48.250 he believed we were worth. despite how evil we 00:13:48.250 --> 00:13:51.269 can be, despite how distant and complacent we 00:13:51.269 --> 00:13:53.929 can be, despite how rebellious we can be. As 00:13:53.929 --> 00:13:57.250 Paul says in Romans 5, verse 8, God shows his 00:13:57.250 --> 00:14:00.549 love for us in that while we were still sinners, 00:14:00.750 --> 00:14:04.529 Christ died for us. Why would you do that? Why 00:14:04.529 --> 00:14:08.610 would you, seeing us living as your enemy, why 00:14:08.610 --> 00:14:10.950 would you come in the flesh and come in the blood 00:14:10.950 --> 00:14:13.590 and save us? Why would you give your life, die 00:14:13.590 --> 00:14:16.250 this painful death for people that do not love 00:14:16.250 --> 00:14:19.690 you? It's simple, because to God we were and 00:14:19.690 --> 00:14:22.909 we still are. worth, every single drop of blood, 00:14:23.090 --> 00:14:25.769 every single piece of torn flesh, everything 00:14:25.769 --> 00:14:29.330 he had to endure so that he could pay to prove 00:14:29.330 --> 00:14:32.490 exactly how much he values us. We were worth 00:14:32.490 --> 00:14:35.830 it all. In God's mind, whether we ever come to 00:14:35.830 --> 00:14:39.990 know him or not, his sacrifice was worth it for 00:14:39.990 --> 00:14:43.080 us. us. And I know that might sound crazy to 00:14:43.080 --> 00:14:45.659 the newcomer, to the non -believer. And you look 00:14:45.659 --> 00:14:47.659 at it and you say, man, that's just a bunch of 00:14:47.659 --> 00:14:50.799 religious mumbo jumbo. What I want you to know 00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:53.980 is that this isn't just the Bible story. History 00:14:53.980 --> 00:14:56.779 actually proves it. Historians of the ancient 00:14:56.779 --> 00:14:59.700 world record that this happened, that there was 00:14:59.700 --> 00:15:02.340 a man named Jesus, that he did die on a cross. 00:15:02.419 --> 00:15:05.279 He died. That is historically proven outside 00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:09.169 of scripture. He died. And after his death, A 00:15:09.169 --> 00:15:12.549 tomb was made empty. And all of the evidence 00:15:12.549 --> 00:15:15.909 supports the idea that no man would have gone 00:15:15.909 --> 00:15:18.470 and rolled that stone away. Nobody would have 00:15:18.470 --> 00:15:20.450 kidnapped him. Nobody would have played a trick. 00:15:20.490 --> 00:15:22.970 They could not have done that. What happened 00:15:22.970 --> 00:15:26.149 was something supernatural. And the explanation 00:15:26.149 --> 00:15:29.889 I see when you pair history with Scripture is 00:15:29.889 --> 00:15:32.809 that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to earth, 00:15:32.950 --> 00:15:35.870 died a horrific death, was laid in a tomb, and 00:15:35.870 --> 00:15:39.110 rolled the stone away, lived again, rose to heaven, 00:15:39.269 --> 00:15:42.809 and is going to come and bring us home one day. 00:15:44.620 --> 00:15:47.100 And what that means is such good news because 00:15:47.100 --> 00:15:50.120 what it means for you, what it means for me is 00:15:50.120 --> 00:15:52.139 no matter where you are in life right now, no 00:15:52.139 --> 00:15:54.100 matter what you've done, no matter what I've 00:15:54.100 --> 00:15:56.159 done, no matter who you've been, you still have 00:15:56.159 --> 00:15:59.419 so much to gain through Christ. We have access 00:15:59.419 --> 00:16:03.279 to an abundant, beautiful life, to being purchased 00:16:03.279 --> 00:16:06.820 at a high price because Christ, God sees you 00:16:06.820 --> 00:16:12.570 and I as priceless. Can you say that? about anybody 00:16:12.570 --> 00:16:15.370 else in this world? Can you say that about anybody 00:16:15.370 --> 00:16:17.970 else in your life, that they look at you regardless 00:16:17.970 --> 00:16:20.590 of what you've done, regardless of what you didn't 00:16:20.590 --> 00:16:22.450 do, regardless of who you've been or who you 00:16:22.450 --> 00:16:24.990 haven't been, and they see you as priceless? 00:16:25.429 --> 00:16:27.429 Let me put it to you another way. Has anyone 00:16:27.429 --> 00:16:31.830 ever volunteered to die for you? I can't think 00:16:31.830 --> 00:16:34.539 of anybody. I mean, we've got a fireman in the 00:16:34.539 --> 00:16:36.740 room. Thank you, Titus, for your service. We've 00:16:36.740 --> 00:16:38.460 got some police officers in the room. We've got 00:16:38.460 --> 00:16:40.620 some former military in the room. Thank you all 00:16:40.620 --> 00:16:43.139 for your service. But I don't think anybody goes 00:16:43.139 --> 00:16:45.539 into those things saying, I know for a fact I'm 00:16:45.539 --> 00:16:47.889 going to die, and I'm good with that. Now you 00:16:47.889 --> 00:16:50.629 may go into that saying, I may die and I'm okay 00:16:50.629 --> 00:16:52.629 with that sacrifice, but you don't go in saying, 00:16:52.690 --> 00:16:55.029 I know I'm going to die. Because if you knew 00:16:55.029 --> 00:16:57.370 you were definitely going to die, you may or 00:16:57.370 --> 00:17:00.029 may not sign up. But Jesus knew for a fact he 00:17:00.029 --> 00:17:03.889 was going to die, yet he came and did it anyways. 00:17:06.369 --> 00:17:10.829 God did. He died for you. to purchase you, to 00:17:10.829 --> 00:17:13.069 free you. And as I said earlier, this should 00:17:13.069 --> 00:17:16.750 determine how we treat ourselves and how we let 00:17:16.750 --> 00:17:19.769 others treat us. Which brings me to what Paul 00:17:19.769 --> 00:17:23.190 says in 1 Corinthians 6, verses 19 through 20. 00:17:23.910 --> 00:17:27.369 Or do you not know that your body is a temple 00:17:27.369 --> 00:17:30.670 of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have 00:17:30.670 --> 00:17:33.910 from God? You are not your own, for you were 00:17:33.910 --> 00:17:37.509 bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:41.200 I love that Paul says, do you not know? It's 00:17:41.200 --> 00:17:45.799 like Paul saying, hey, you see what's going on? 00:17:46.269 --> 00:17:49.450 You remember this thing? Do you not remember? 00:17:49.609 --> 00:17:51.630 He's talking to believers, these people who have 00:17:51.630 --> 00:17:53.670 already been baptized into the family of God. 00:17:53.789 --> 00:17:56.390 And he says, did you forget? Did nobody tell 00:17:56.390 --> 00:17:58.670 you? Do you not know who you are? Do you not 00:17:58.670 --> 00:18:00.630 know who lives in you? Do you not know what the 00:18:00.630 --> 00:18:04.430 one who is in you is worth and says you are worth? 00:18:04.470 --> 00:18:06.589 In this section of Paul's letter to the church 00:18:06.589 --> 00:18:09.069 in Corinth, he is trying to remind them that 00:18:09.069 --> 00:18:11.950 they have been bought with a very high price. 00:18:12.230 --> 00:18:14.849 They are worth more than the baseball card. They 00:18:14.849 --> 00:18:16.410 are worth more than... than the car, than the 00:18:16.410 --> 00:18:18.789 house, than the fancy whatever. He is reminding 00:18:18.789 --> 00:18:22.950 them that they are worth everything, that they 00:18:22.950 --> 00:18:25.470 were worth Jesus Christ, the Son of God coming 00:18:25.470 --> 00:18:28.529 to earth and dying for them. He's reminding them 00:18:28.529 --> 00:18:32.789 of this because they live in a culture. And Paul 00:18:32.789 --> 00:18:36.170 is confronting this culture of sexual sin that's 00:18:36.170 --> 00:18:38.849 running rampant in Corinth, the city where culture 00:18:38.849 --> 00:18:41.690 treated bodies as cheap, where they treated people, 00:18:41.829 --> 00:18:46.109 human beings, as worthless. Paul's point cuts 00:18:46.109 --> 00:18:49.630 at all of us. When we treat our bodies the same 00:18:49.630 --> 00:18:52.549 way that the world does, we are living out a 00:18:52.549 --> 00:18:57.680 lie about our worth. And so, as I said, your 00:18:57.680 --> 00:19:00.859 worth determines how you treat something. And 00:19:00.859 --> 00:19:03.299 if you know your body, if you know your life 00:19:03.299 --> 00:19:06.480 is worth more than anything this world could 00:19:06.480 --> 00:19:08.900 provide, anything more than, or more than anything 00:19:08.900 --> 00:19:10.680 this world could purchase, if you know that it's 00:19:10.680 --> 00:19:13.059 worth that, then why would you treat your body 00:19:13.059 --> 00:19:17.619 like the world treats their bodies or your mind? 00:19:18.059 --> 00:19:20.359 Why would you talk to yourself? Why would you 00:19:20.359 --> 00:19:22.299 say things about yourself? Why would you believe 00:19:22.299 --> 00:19:25.579 things about yourself that the world propagates? 00:19:25.619 --> 00:19:28.619 Your heart, why would you take things on that 00:19:28.619 --> 00:19:32.339 the world is selling? No, you are extraterrestrial. 00:19:32.380 --> 00:19:34.420 You are not of this world. You live different. 00:19:34.460 --> 00:19:36.440 You believe different. You think different because 00:19:36.440 --> 00:19:39.819 you are different. You have been made new in 00:19:39.819 --> 00:19:47.309 Christ. And so Paul is attacking the lie. Because 00:19:47.309 --> 00:19:50.990 when something is valuable, you treat it like 00:19:50.990 --> 00:19:54.250 it's valuable. If we're valuable, if our bodies 00:19:54.250 --> 00:19:56.630 are valuable, then we don't desecrate them the 00:19:56.630 --> 00:20:00.230 way the world does. We glorify God with them. 00:20:00.880 --> 00:20:03.240 But Paul has to remind these people. He reminds 00:20:03.240 --> 00:20:05.500 these believers, it seems, because they don't 00:20:05.500 --> 00:20:07.819 seem to understand just how valuable they are 00:20:07.819 --> 00:20:11.079 to God. It's either that or they find themselves 00:20:11.079 --> 00:20:13.720 forgetting like we all do. But what I don't want 00:20:13.720 --> 00:20:16.299 you to miss is that Paul is writing to the church 00:20:16.299 --> 00:20:18.900 in Corinth. He's writing to not an individual 00:20:18.900 --> 00:20:21.319 in Corinth. He's writing to a body of believers. 00:20:21.420 --> 00:20:24.279 He's talking to a room full of people. all bought 00:20:24.279 --> 00:20:27.279 with the same price, all wearing the same price 00:20:27.279 --> 00:20:29.859 tag, the same stamp of approval, of authenticity, 00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:32.859 which means this isn't just about how you see 00:20:32.859 --> 00:20:35.740 yourself. This isn't just about how I see Donovan. 00:20:35.779 --> 00:20:37.980 It is about how you see the person sitting next 00:20:37.980 --> 00:20:41.650 to you. Like right now. The person sitting next 00:20:41.650 --> 00:20:44.250 to you, your husband, your wife, your kids, whoever's 00:20:44.250 --> 00:20:46.730 sitting by you, the neighbor that maybe you don't 00:20:46.730 --> 00:20:49.049 talk to, you just had to sit next to them because 00:20:49.049 --> 00:20:50.930 there was nowhere else to sit in the church or 00:20:50.930 --> 00:20:53.210 because they chose to sit next to your assigned 00:20:53.210 --> 00:21:00.000 seat. How you see. the person sitting next to 00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:02.660 you because if you're priceless and they're priceless, 00:21:02.839 --> 00:21:04.839 if we've all been bought with the exact same 00:21:04.839 --> 00:21:07.700 blood, the exact same price, then something is 00:21:07.700 --> 00:21:10.319 wrong when we treat each other like the other 00:21:10.319 --> 00:21:13.339 person is just that $5 pack from Walmart instead 00:21:13.339 --> 00:21:16.579 of a million dollar card in a case. There's something 00:21:16.579 --> 00:21:19.759 wrong with that. Who in your life have you already 00:21:19.759 --> 00:21:23.140 decided is just ordinary? Who's common? Who doesn't 00:21:23.140 --> 00:21:25.240 deserve the same valuable treatment that you 00:21:25.240 --> 00:21:28.420 deserve? Who in this world have you decided isn't 00:21:28.420 --> 00:21:31.279 as valuable? Let me tell you something. We have 00:21:31.279 --> 00:21:34.579 a problem. And by we, I mean the American church. 00:21:34.720 --> 00:21:37.799 We have a problem where we have decided that 00:21:37.799 --> 00:21:40.779 some of us matter more to God than others. We 00:21:40.779 --> 00:21:43.180 have a problem when we decide that some of us 00:21:43.180 --> 00:21:45.539 have a seat in the church better than others. 00:21:45.680 --> 00:21:48.529 I love this story. this new preacher. There's 00:21:48.529 --> 00:21:50.190 a church. They were getting a new preacher and 00:21:50.190 --> 00:21:53.089 they announced, hey, this Sunday, our new preacher's 00:21:53.089 --> 00:21:55.589 coming. Everybody be ready. We're going to celebrate. 00:21:55.730 --> 00:21:58.029 It's going to be awesome. And so the church, 00:21:58.069 --> 00:22:00.390 they're ready. Sunday morning comes around. They're 00:22:00.390 --> 00:22:02.470 ready for their new preacher. And this homeless 00:22:02.470 --> 00:22:04.509 guy walks in and he goes up to the front. He 00:22:04.509 --> 00:22:06.950 wants to sit in the front row. And so the homeless 00:22:06.950 --> 00:22:09.089 guy, you know, he's kind of smelly, kind of looks 00:22:09.089 --> 00:22:11.130 bad and dingy and everything. He comes and he 00:22:11.130 --> 00:22:12.970 sits on the front row. Well, one of the ushers 00:22:12.970 --> 00:22:15.089 comes to the homeless guy and says, hey, man, 00:22:15.170 --> 00:22:17.470 do you think you could kind of sit towards the 00:22:17.470 --> 00:22:19.569 back? You know, we got people that are supposed 00:22:19.569 --> 00:22:21.630 to sit here. You know, today's a big day. We 00:22:21.630 --> 00:22:23.670 would appreciate if you sit back. The homeless 00:22:23.670 --> 00:22:25.930 guy's like, no, I think I'll stay here. I really 00:22:25.930 --> 00:22:28.289 would like to be able to, you know, see and experience 00:22:28.289 --> 00:22:31.170 the whole thing. And so the usher goes away. 00:22:31.230 --> 00:22:33.170 He goes and gets one of the, you know, the deacons 00:22:33.170 --> 00:22:34.829 or the elder. And he goes and gets his church 00:22:34.829 --> 00:22:36.910 leader. comes and he says, hey man, do you think 00:22:36.910 --> 00:22:39.170 you can move to the back? You know, it's a big 00:22:39.170 --> 00:22:41.250 day and there's, you know, people assigned seats 00:22:41.250 --> 00:22:43.009 in the church, right? So there's people that, 00:22:43.069 --> 00:22:44.410 you know, want to sit here. And the homeless 00:22:44.410 --> 00:22:46.390 guy says, I would really, I'd really like to 00:22:46.390 --> 00:22:49.490 sit here. And so finally, another church leader 00:22:49.490 --> 00:22:51.950 comes and he says, you have to move to the back. 00:22:52.829 --> 00:22:55.109 And so they get the man, they escort him to the 00:22:55.109 --> 00:22:57.849 back. And the man goes and he sits in the back 00:22:57.849 --> 00:23:01.039 and It comes time, you know, everybody's ready. 00:23:01.140 --> 00:23:04.359 It's time in the service for the sermon. So one 00:23:04.359 --> 00:23:06.720 of the elders of the church, he goes up to say, 00:23:06.920 --> 00:23:08.819 we're welcoming our new minister today. We're 00:23:08.819 --> 00:23:11.380 so excited to have him. Brother, whatever, would 00:23:11.380 --> 00:23:14.779 you come down and deliver this first -time sermon 00:23:14.779 --> 00:23:17.759 for us? And the homeless man starts walking towards 00:23:17.759 --> 00:23:22.019 the front, and he takes off his disguise, and 00:23:22.019 --> 00:23:27.359 he decides this is not a Christian culture. This 00:23:27.359 --> 00:23:31.319 is not the Jesus way. This is not the way of 00:23:31.319 --> 00:23:35.380 Christ's church. You see, there's a problem when 00:23:35.380 --> 00:23:39.640 the church has decided that some are more valuable 00:23:39.640 --> 00:23:43.980 than others. What about the visitor? Oh, we get 00:23:43.980 --> 00:23:47.339 visitors every week. They never stay. Yeah, glad 00:23:47.339 --> 00:23:49.160 they're here. Hope they got something. We'll 00:23:49.160 --> 00:23:53.079 see them. But what if? What if when the homeless 00:23:53.079 --> 00:23:54.940 man walked in? What if when the visitor walked 00:23:54.940 --> 00:23:56.920 in? What if when the immigrant walked in? What 00:23:56.920 --> 00:23:59.740 if when the person that you know, you know they 00:23:59.740 --> 00:24:02.880 live a life that is not like yours. You know 00:24:02.880 --> 00:24:05.500 they live a life that is unholy. Because you 00:24:05.500 --> 00:24:07.420 know, you've heard the stories, right? You've 00:24:07.420 --> 00:24:09.299 been to the barbershop. You've heard about the 00:24:09.299 --> 00:24:10.960 way they've been sleeping around. You've heard 00:24:10.960 --> 00:24:12.380 about the way they've been drinking all night 00:24:12.380 --> 00:24:14.480 at the bars. You've heard about all the things 00:24:14.480 --> 00:24:16.279 that they've been doing. What if when they walked 00:24:16.279 --> 00:24:20.019 in? Instead of looking at them and then walking 00:24:20.019 --> 00:24:22.160 away, or instead of saying, hey, you need to 00:24:22.160 --> 00:24:23.799 move to the back, or instead of giving them a 00:24:23.799 --> 00:24:26.599 side eye, what if you loved them like they were 00:24:26.599 --> 00:24:30.079 priceless? What if you treated them like they 00:24:30.079 --> 00:24:34.339 are the most valuable person in the room? When 00:24:34.339 --> 00:24:36.920 we know what something is worth, it determines 00:24:36.920 --> 00:24:42.680 how we treat it. And every person in this world, 00:24:42.740 --> 00:24:50.190 from birth to death, is valuable to God. Every 00:24:50.190 --> 00:24:54.170 person in this world, from birth to death, Jesus 00:24:54.170 --> 00:24:59.690 died to pay a price for their life. And for us 00:24:59.690 --> 00:25:05.009 to treat them as anything less is wrong. And 00:25:05.009 --> 00:25:08.769 it's not the way of Jesus. So are we a church 00:25:08.769 --> 00:25:12.420 of Christ? a church belonging to Christ, a church 00:25:12.420 --> 00:25:14.740 with the mindset of glorifying Christ in everything 00:25:14.740 --> 00:25:17.720 we do, everything we say. If we are, then every 00:25:17.720 --> 00:25:19.740 person that walks through those doors, every 00:25:19.740 --> 00:25:21.900 person we meet at the grocery store, that we 00:25:21.900 --> 00:25:25.480 run into at the checkout line, every person is 00:25:25.480 --> 00:25:29.799 valuable, is priceless. And we ought to treat 00:25:29.799 --> 00:25:37.730 them as such. Because Christ did. That's... part 00:25:37.730 --> 00:25:40.809 of what it means to glorify God with your body, 00:25:40.890 --> 00:25:43.930 not just what you do to yourself, what you believe 00:25:43.930 --> 00:25:45.890 about yourself, how you treat yourself. We live 00:25:45.890 --> 00:25:48.509 in this, I got to do what's best for me world. 00:25:48.609 --> 00:25:50.750 We live in this, I need to take care of myself, 00:25:51.430 --> 00:25:55.690 the do you society, but that is not. what Christ 00:25:55.690 --> 00:25:58.089 called us to. It is about how you carry yourself 00:25:58.089 --> 00:26:01.670 toward the people that God has also called priceless. 00:26:01.750 --> 00:26:04.829 It's challenging. It is because we have our preferences. 00:26:05.009 --> 00:26:07.930 We have our desires. We have our groups that 00:26:07.930 --> 00:26:11.609 we gravitate towards, but it is the gospel message. 00:26:11.710 --> 00:26:13.910 And part of the good news message today is this. 00:26:14.250 --> 00:26:18.250 God did not just purchase us for his glory. He 00:26:18.250 --> 00:26:22.930 purchased us also for our benefit. I want you 00:26:22.930 --> 00:26:25.470 to look at what Paul says in Galatians 3, verses 00:26:25.470 --> 00:26:29.190 13 through 14. Christ redeemed us from the curse 00:26:29.190 --> 00:26:32.269 of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it 00:26:32.269 --> 00:26:34.410 is written, cursed is everyone who is hanged 00:26:34.410 --> 00:26:37.210 on a tree, so that in Christ Jesus the blessing 00:26:37.210 --> 00:26:40.190 of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that 00:26:40.190 --> 00:26:42.690 we might receive the promised spirit through 00:26:42.690 --> 00:26:49.190 faith. Christ intentionally became a curse in 00:26:49.190 --> 00:26:53.559 our place so that, We might inherit the blessing 00:26:53.559 --> 00:26:55.660 of Abraham. See, the blessing of Abraham from 00:26:55.660 --> 00:26:58.880 way back in early human history where God promised 00:26:58.880 --> 00:27:01.720 to make a holy and blessed nation out of Abraham's 00:27:01.720 --> 00:27:04.740 offspring, where God destined that he was going 00:27:04.740 --> 00:27:07.799 to do this amazing thing through Abraham's bloodline. 00:27:09.039 --> 00:27:11.920 And because of Christ, we get to be a part of 00:27:11.920 --> 00:27:13.400 that. I don't know about you, I'm not Jewish. 00:27:14.099 --> 00:27:16.680 I don't think I could trace my, well, Father 00:27:16.680 --> 00:27:18.799 Abraham had many sons, you know, right? Maybe 00:27:18.799 --> 00:27:21.160 I could trace my lineage back to him, but I don't 00:27:21.160 --> 00:27:27.069 know. that I could. But because of Christ, because 00:27:27.069 --> 00:27:30.390 of His sacrifice, because He became a curse for 00:27:30.390 --> 00:27:34.069 my sins, I get to be a part of that blessed gift 00:27:34.069 --> 00:27:38.819 of the Spirit of God living with and in us. You 00:27:38.819 --> 00:27:41.000 see, Jesus describes the Spirit as a comforter, 00:27:41.039 --> 00:27:43.599 as a counselor. In Galatians, Paul tells us that 00:27:43.599 --> 00:27:46.079 the fruit of the Spirit is all these things that 00:27:46.079 --> 00:27:48.599 the Spirit produces in the lives of those he 00:27:48.599 --> 00:27:51.440 inhabits. The love, joy, peace, patience. Somebody 00:27:51.440 --> 00:27:56.859 help me out. Finish it. Kindness. Okay, so that's 00:27:56.859 --> 00:28:00.680 our next VBS song, okay? Love, joy, peace, patience, 00:28:00.779 --> 00:28:02.900 kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, 00:28:02.960 --> 00:28:06.019 and self -control. Jesus died. so that we could 00:28:06.019 --> 00:28:08.339 have all of those things. Who doesn't want a 00:28:08.339 --> 00:28:10.839 more peaceful life? Who doesn't want to have 00:28:10.839 --> 00:28:12.980 more patience with their kids and with their 00:28:12.980 --> 00:28:15.319 spouse? Who doesn't want to be kinder to the 00:28:15.319 --> 00:28:17.200 people next to them? Who doesn't want a more 00:28:17.200 --> 00:28:20.039 good life? Who doesn't want to be faithful? Who 00:28:20.039 --> 00:28:22.039 doesn't want to be gentler? Who doesn't want 00:28:22.039 --> 00:28:23.880 to have more self -control when they're struggling 00:28:23.880 --> 00:28:26.079 to get over the addiction, when they're struggling 00:28:26.079 --> 00:28:27.940 to get over the way that they view their life, 00:28:28.039 --> 00:28:29.619 when they're struggling to get over the way that 00:28:29.619 --> 00:28:31.700 they're doing things in this world? Who doesn't 00:28:31.700 --> 00:28:34.160 want those things? That is the abundant life. 00:28:34.349 --> 00:28:37.490 that Jesus came to give us. Yes, he came so that 00:28:37.490 --> 00:28:39.809 we could live for eternity, but he didn't come 00:28:39.809 --> 00:28:41.829 so that we could live in eternity in a gray world. 00:28:41.930 --> 00:28:45.089 He came so that our life would be full of color 00:28:45.089 --> 00:28:48.369 and wonder and amazement and beauty. He came 00:28:48.369 --> 00:28:53.730 so that we could have eternal and abundant life. 00:28:55.089 --> 00:29:00.529 Jesus died so that we might be blessed. And so 00:29:00.529 --> 00:29:03.289 I say this morning that I believe Jesus' sacrifice 00:29:03.289 --> 00:29:09.009 is verification of our value. His life, death, 00:29:09.210 --> 00:29:12.049 burial, and resurrection is verification that 00:29:12.049 --> 00:29:17.630 God does see us as priceless. It's a sort of 00:29:17.630 --> 00:29:21.109 stamp, which brings me back to the baseball cards 00:29:21.109 --> 00:29:24.109 because I can't get over how much money people 00:29:24.109 --> 00:29:26.009 spend on baseball. And if you're a baseball card 00:29:26.009 --> 00:29:27.970 collector, I'm not shaming you. I just think 00:29:27.970 --> 00:29:33.490 you're crazy. See, baseball cards of this prestige, 00:29:33.549 --> 00:29:37.190 they have labels or stamps that tell you what 00:29:37.190 --> 00:29:39.910 they're rated or what they're worth. The Mickey 00:29:39.910 --> 00:29:42.150 Mantle card we discussed is rated so highly. 00:29:42.309 --> 00:29:45.569 Well, the label, the stamp on you is priceless, 00:29:45.589 --> 00:29:48.549 and God proved it. He went to great lengths to 00:29:48.549 --> 00:29:51.880 prove it. John 3 .16, maybe you've heard it. 00:29:51.920 --> 00:29:54.019 It's the most famous Bible verse in the world, 00:29:54.119 --> 00:29:56.660 especially in recent years, made famous because 00:29:56.660 --> 00:29:59.519 of Tim Tebow. And the crazy thing that, you know, 00:29:59.539 --> 00:30:02.279 during a playoff game, he wore John 3 .16 on 00:30:02.279 --> 00:30:05.380 his eye black. And in that game, like he had 00:30:05.380 --> 00:30:10.480 316 total yards and he had 3 .16 yards per carry 00:30:10.480 --> 00:30:14.200 and 31 .6 passing yards. It's crazy what happened. 00:30:14.299 --> 00:30:17.299 And that night, the most searched thing on Google 00:30:17.299 --> 00:30:23.799 was... John 3 .16. I'm not saying that I think 00:30:23.799 --> 00:30:26.519 something supernatural happened there, but I 00:30:26.519 --> 00:30:28.299 think God sent a message to the world through 00:30:28.299 --> 00:30:31.000 Tim Tebow. And this is the message that the world 00:30:31.000 --> 00:30:34.019 heard that night because of a playoff game for 00:30:34.019 --> 00:30:36.160 the lousy Denver Broncos. And if you're a Denver 00:30:36.160 --> 00:30:40.079 Broncos fan, sorry for you. Because they didn't 00:30:40.079 --> 00:30:43.660 win many playoff games that year. For God so 00:30:43.660 --> 00:30:48.079 loved the world that he gave his only son. that 00:30:48.079 --> 00:30:50.480 whoever would believe in him should not perish 00:30:50.480 --> 00:30:54.680 but have eternal life. For God did not send his 00:30:54.680 --> 00:30:57.740 son into the world to condemn the world, but 00:30:57.740 --> 00:31:01.759 in order that the world might be saved through 00:31:01.759 --> 00:31:05.940 him. How much are you worth to God? How has he 00:31:05.940 --> 00:31:10.700 shown what you're worth? I think he's shown it 00:31:10.700 --> 00:31:14.039 pretty well. You see, every time I see the price 00:31:14.039 --> 00:31:16.099 that someone pays for something like a baseball 00:31:16.099 --> 00:31:19.119 card or another collector's item, I ask myself, 00:31:19.299 --> 00:31:22.000 why in the world would anyone pay that much for 00:31:22.000 --> 00:31:25.619 something like that? And then I remember I'll 00:31:25.619 --> 00:31:27.500 pay hundreds of dollars to watch a football game 00:31:27.500 --> 00:31:30.940 or go to a concert or eat at a nice restaurant. 00:31:31.960 --> 00:31:36.140 You see, we spend on the things we love. The 00:31:36.140 --> 00:31:40.019 things we love we deem valuable. When we really 00:31:40.019 --> 00:31:41.980 love something and when we really want it to 00:31:41.980 --> 00:31:44.539 be ours, even if it's just going to be ours for 00:31:44.539 --> 00:31:46.500 a little while, even if we know that it's not 00:31:46.500 --> 00:31:49.339 guaranteed that we'll have it forever, even then 00:31:49.339 --> 00:31:53.440 we will go to great lengths to make it happen. 00:31:53.579 --> 00:31:56.839 And God doesn't just see you as valuable. God 00:31:56.839 --> 00:32:01.680 loves you. And I mean you, like you personally. 00:32:02.420 --> 00:32:05.500 And because he loves you. He sent his son to 00:32:05.500 --> 00:32:09.299 live, to die for you, to rise so that you could 00:32:09.299 --> 00:32:14.039 have a blessed life here on this earth and forever. 00:32:14.440 --> 00:32:17.880 And that's the good news. And now you have to 00:32:17.880 --> 00:32:21.680 choose whether you'll accept it or not. With 00:32:21.680 --> 00:32:24.559 every message that you receive, you have to choose 00:32:24.559 --> 00:32:28.700 how you'll respond. Will you choose to be one 00:32:28.700 --> 00:32:32.680 of God's children whom he dwells with? Will you 00:32:32.680 --> 00:32:35.599 choose to be a recipient of his grace, of his 00:32:35.599 --> 00:32:38.299 love, of his forgiveness, his peace, joy, and 00:32:38.299 --> 00:32:41.980 all the fruit that comes from his touch on your 00:32:41.980 --> 00:32:45.240 life? Or will you choose to stay on the shelf 00:32:45.240 --> 00:32:50.079 when you've already been purchased? See, the 00:32:50.079 --> 00:32:53.940 choice is yours. I can't choose for you. No one 00:32:53.940 --> 00:32:56.480 can pressure you into it. Nobody can force you 00:32:56.480 --> 00:33:00.160 into the water. The choice is yours. If you are 00:33:00.160 --> 00:33:03.140 ready to choose, the better option. We would 00:33:03.140 --> 00:33:05.000 love to talk with you about baptism. I'd love 00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:07.180 to give you a book. I'd love to study this book 00:33:07.180 --> 00:33:09.660 with you. We'd love to talk with you about discipleship 00:33:09.660 --> 00:33:12.240 this morning. If you just need prayers from this 00:33:12.240 --> 00:33:14.680 church family because you are trying to wrap 00:33:14.680 --> 00:33:17.920 your mind, your hands around this idea that you 00:33:17.920 --> 00:33:22.490 are priceless, whatever you need. We believe 00:33:22.490 --> 00:33:25.869 that you are priceless too, and we want to wrap 00:33:25.869 --> 00:33:29.430 our arms around you and treat you the way God's 00:33:29.430 --> 00:33:32.890 value determines you ought to be treated. So 00:33:32.890 --> 00:33:34.250 whatever you need this morning, the invitation 00:33:34.250 --> 00:33:37.650 is open. Please come as we stand and as we sing.