WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.740 It's great to be with you. Now, I'm sure that 00:00:02.740 --> 00:00:05.500 these words are very familiar to you. They're 00:00:05.500 --> 00:00:07.679 words from Jeremiah, where he talks about the 00:00:07.679 --> 00:00:10.259 new covenant. And he said, no longer will they 00:00:10.259 --> 00:00:13.160 teach their neighbor or say to one another, know 00:00:13.160 --> 00:00:16.820 the Lord, because they will all know me from 00:00:16.820 --> 00:00:19.579 the least of them to the greatest of them. One 00:00:19.579 --> 00:00:21.699 of the great promises there of the new covenant, 00:00:21.760 --> 00:00:23.940 which, of course, is picked up in the book of 00:00:23.940 --> 00:00:27.219 Hebrews. And we often, when we're preaching that 00:00:27.219 --> 00:00:29.039 sort of text, we say, well, this is great because 00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:32.280 we know that as New Testament believers, we have 00:00:32.280 --> 00:00:35.299 the presence of the Holy Spirit and the knowledge 00:00:35.299 --> 00:00:37.780 of God, that intimate personal relationship with 00:00:37.780 --> 00:00:40.280 God that we can have in Christ is such a wonderful 00:00:40.280 --> 00:00:44.020 blessing. And that's true. But I wonder if we 00:00:44.020 --> 00:00:46.259 were to ask Jeremiah when he'd said that, well, 00:00:46.320 --> 00:00:49.340 Jeremiah, what do you mean by knowing God? What 00:00:49.340 --> 00:00:52.299 are you talking about? i think he probably would 00:00:52.299 --> 00:00:54.659 have said well haven't you been listening because 00:00:54.659 --> 00:00:57.939 twice already in his book He has talked about 00:00:57.939 --> 00:01:01.460 knowing God and spoken exactly about what it 00:01:01.460 --> 00:01:05.040 means. One of them is in Jeremiah chapter 22. 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:08.560 It's perhaps the more negative one. He's contrasting 00:01:08.560 --> 00:01:13.239 the King Josiah with his father Jehoiakim, who 00:01:13.239 --> 00:01:15.819 had been cruel and oppressive and unjust and 00:01:15.819 --> 00:01:19.760 wicked and greedy. And Jeremiah says, but your 00:01:19.760 --> 00:01:23.780 father, he's talking about Josiah, he did what 00:01:23.780 --> 00:01:26.379 was right and just and all went well with him. 00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:29.319 him he defended the cause of the poor and the 00:01:29.319 --> 00:01:33.159 needy and so all went well is that not what it 00:01:33.159 --> 00:01:36.459 means to know me says the Lord it's just a few 00:01:36.459 --> 00:01:39.430 words in Hebrew that is To know me, says God, 00:01:39.590 --> 00:01:42.030 is to do righteousness and justice. But the text 00:01:42.030 --> 00:01:43.890 that I thought we would just spend a few moments, 00:01:44.010 --> 00:01:46.629 the one that was read to us a moment or two ago, 00:01:46.750 --> 00:01:49.489 is from Jeremiah chapter 9. Those are the beautiful 00:01:49.489 --> 00:01:52.829 two verses there, 23 and 24. They're like a little 00:01:52.829 --> 00:01:55.829 gem in the midst of a pretty miserable chapter. 00:01:56.030 --> 00:01:58.329 I didn't ask for the whole bit to be read because 00:01:58.329 --> 00:02:00.629 the last verse talks about dead bodies in the 00:02:00.629 --> 00:02:02.829 field and things like that. But here we have 00:02:02.829 --> 00:02:06.170 these two verses. And it's almost like a little 00:02:06.170 --> 00:02:11.150 seesaw. balanced text On the one side are three 00:02:11.150 --> 00:02:14.669 things that human beings value as good gifts. 00:02:14.870 --> 00:02:18.169 Let not the wise boast of their wisdom, or the 00:02:18.169 --> 00:02:21.370 strong boast of their strength, or the rich boast 00:02:21.370 --> 00:02:24.469 of their riches. Three things, wisdom, strength, 00:02:24.729 --> 00:02:28.330 riches. And on the other side of the fulcrum, 00:02:28.430 --> 00:02:30.590 which we'll come to in a minute, are three things 00:02:30.590 --> 00:02:32.949 that God values, which are actually characteristic 00:02:32.949 --> 00:02:36.689 of him, that they understand and know me, that 00:02:36.689 --> 00:02:39.500 I am the Lord who exists. exercises kindness 00:02:39.500 --> 00:02:43.740 and justice and righteousness on the earth, for 00:02:43.740 --> 00:02:47.620 in these things, says God, I delight. And in 00:02:47.620 --> 00:02:50.139 the middle of that seesaw, the three things on 00:02:50.139 --> 00:02:52.520 one side and three on the other, comes this, 00:02:52.560 --> 00:02:56.620 that he knows me. The knowing of God is there 00:02:56.620 --> 00:03:00.039 in the middle of those two verses. So let's just 00:03:00.039 --> 00:03:03.240 think of the three good gifts of God that we 00:03:03.240 --> 00:03:05.900 shouldn't boast about and what that means, and 00:03:05.900 --> 00:03:08.740 then these three things that God values and delights, 00:03:08.740 --> 00:03:12.340 and ask, well, how will that impact what we mean 00:03:12.340 --> 00:03:16.120 by knowing God in our studies, in our life, in 00:03:16.120 --> 00:03:20.520 our ministry, and in the future? Three wonderful 00:03:20.520 --> 00:03:22.900 things. Verse 23, in fact, is rather surprising 00:03:22.900 --> 00:03:25.319 when Jeremiah says don't boast about these things 00:03:25.319 --> 00:03:27.479 because they're all very good things. Wisdom, 00:03:27.479 --> 00:03:31.240 strength, riches, they're all gifts of God. They're 00:03:31.240 --> 00:03:33.879 often described as a blessing. These are not, 00:03:33.900 --> 00:03:37.479 in a sense, you know, some evil tycoon just throwing 00:03:37.479 --> 00:03:41.080 his weight around. Wisdom. is highly praised, 00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:43.639 isn't it? It's applied knowledge, it's experience, 00:03:43.819 --> 00:03:47.000 it's skill, it's discernment. It's all over the 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:50.199 book of Proverbs and the wisdom literature requested 00:03:50.199 --> 00:03:53.599 by Solomon instead of riches and given by God 00:03:53.599 --> 00:03:56.120 who gave him both. So yeah, wisdom, it's a good 00:03:56.120 --> 00:04:00.000 thing. It's God's gift. Strength, well, there's 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:02.719 physical strength is often thought of and praised 00:04:02.719 --> 00:04:05.120 in the Old Testament. I mean, there's Moses who 00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:07.840 could sort of zap an Egyptian at the age of 40 00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:10.159 and look after sheep at 80 and climb a mountain 00:04:10.159 --> 00:04:14.699 at 120. Clearly a man of enormous physical strength. 00:04:14.819 --> 00:04:18.339 There's Samson. Book of Psalms celebrates when 00:04:18.339 --> 00:04:21.420 it talks about God has lifted up my horn. In 00:04:21.420 --> 00:04:24.259 other words, given me strength to do what God, 00:04:24.300 --> 00:04:26.420 we sometimes talk about being as strong as an 00:04:26.420 --> 00:04:29.779 ox. That's from the Psalms. So strength, again, 00:04:29.879 --> 00:04:32.560 when we have it, is a good gift of God. And riches, 00:04:32.660 --> 00:04:35.560 again, the gift of God. Here's what God promised 00:04:35.560 --> 00:04:39.040 to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 28 and verses 00:04:39.040 --> 00:04:42.339 8 to 11. If they would obey God and follow him, 00:04:42.519 --> 00:04:44.620 then the Lord will send you a blessing on your 00:04:44.620 --> 00:04:47.060 barns and everything you put your hand to, the 00:04:47.060 --> 00:04:49.879 Lord will bless you in that land. Then all the 00:04:49.879 --> 00:04:51.939 peoples on the earth will call you blessed because 00:04:51.939 --> 00:04:54.800 you will have an abundance of prosperity. So 00:04:54.800 --> 00:04:57.379 there's nothing wrong intrinsically with these 00:04:57.379 --> 00:05:01.829 gifts of God. wisdom strength riches the problem 00:05:01.829 --> 00:05:06.250 is what happens when we boast of them which is 00:05:06.250 --> 00:05:09.790 what verse 23 says let not the wise or the strong 00:05:09.790 --> 00:05:13.139 or the wealthy boast of those things. Because 00:05:13.139 --> 00:05:15.000 then what happens is, of course, that we fall 00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:18.160 into the trap again of what Deuteronomy warns 00:05:18.160 --> 00:05:20.420 against in chapter eight, when he says, when 00:05:20.420 --> 00:05:23.100 you get into that land and God has given you 00:05:23.100 --> 00:05:25.920 all of these things, then you may say to yourself 00:05:25.920 --> 00:05:30.319 in verse 17, my power and the strength of my 00:05:30.319 --> 00:05:34.139 hands have produced this wealth for me. That's 00:05:34.139 --> 00:05:36.519 the yuppies boast, isn't it? It's all mine. I've 00:05:36.519 --> 00:05:39.240 done it. I've achieved it. And it's for me. And 00:05:39.240 --> 00:05:41.920 when we boast of these things, then the good 00:05:41.920 --> 00:05:45.779 gifts of God can actually become pretty horrible 00:05:45.779 --> 00:05:51.100 parodies of themselves. So wisdom can easily 00:05:51.100 --> 00:05:54.300 fall into the temptation of becoming intellectual 00:05:54.300 --> 00:05:57.800 arrogance, which Proverbs says actually becomes 00:05:57.800 --> 00:06:02.000 folly. The idolatry of the glittering prizes, 00:06:02.180 --> 00:06:05.740 the things that somehow... Prove how wise and 00:06:05.740 --> 00:06:09.759 able you are when you boast of it. Or strength 00:06:09.759 --> 00:06:13.759 when it becomes simply violence and oppression. 00:06:14.019 --> 00:06:16.959 I was really struck just the other day reading 00:06:16.959 --> 00:06:21.379 some interview with Stephen Miller, who is one 00:06:21.379 --> 00:06:23.819 of the closest advisors to President Trump in 00:06:23.819 --> 00:06:26.839 the White House. And this is what he said in 00:06:26.839 --> 00:06:28.860 an interview with CNN. He said, we live in a 00:06:28.860 --> 00:06:31.339 world in which you can talk all you like about 00:06:31.339 --> 00:06:34.189 international niceties. Presumably meaning international 00:06:34.189 --> 00:06:36.689 law, I presume he means, and everything else. 00:06:37.089 --> 00:06:39.529 But we live in a world, the real world, Jake, 00:06:39.629 --> 00:06:41.769 that is governed by strength, that is governed 00:06:41.769 --> 00:06:45.170 by force, that is governed by power. And so he 00:06:45.170 --> 00:06:48.709 went on. And that is clearly being shown in the 00:06:48.709 --> 00:06:51.050 kind of way strength is being used and abused 00:06:51.050 --> 00:06:54.459 by some in God's world. And riches, well, of 00:06:54.459 --> 00:06:56.899 course, as we know, can easily lead to greed, 00:06:57.100 --> 00:07:00.819 to exploitation, to misery, to the growing inequality 00:07:00.819 --> 00:07:04.740 that we see in our world today. So good gifts 00:07:04.740 --> 00:07:07.939 are also dangerous gifts. They're good in themselves, 00:07:08.019 --> 00:07:11.920 but when we exalt them, when we idolize them, 00:07:12.100 --> 00:07:16.459 they corrupt us. And I think the temptation in 00:07:16.459 --> 00:07:19.800 all of these three areas is just as real when 00:07:19.800 --> 00:07:22.399 we're thinking about Christian ministry and mission 00:07:22.399 --> 00:07:25.399 and what God calls us into, especially if we 00:07:25.399 --> 00:07:27.959 are in this world of theological education and 00:07:27.959 --> 00:07:32.000 training for God's work. Wisdom, even in Christian 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:34.959 missions and ministry and organization in churches, 00:07:35.079 --> 00:07:38.860 there's the wisdom of our strategic plans. and 00:07:38.860 --> 00:07:42.620 our traditions and our excellencies and our consultancies 00:07:42.620 --> 00:07:45.920 and so on. We can boast of those. Or we can boast 00:07:45.920 --> 00:07:48.040 of our strength, the resources that God gives 00:07:48.040 --> 00:07:51.199 to us, our management, our leadership, our wonderful 00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:56.120 staff, our structures, our governance. Or we 00:07:56.120 --> 00:07:59.139 can think of our riches, if we have them, fortunate 00:07:59.139 --> 00:08:01.500 enough, with endowments and income and so on. 00:08:01.579 --> 00:08:05.300 So gifts that are there, but when they're boasted 00:08:05.300 --> 00:08:09.720 of, they themselves can become idolatrous and 00:08:09.720 --> 00:08:12.560 indeed something that lack anything of the character 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:16.620 of god himself so what then does god through 00:08:16.620 --> 00:08:20.060 jeremiah say is the fulcrum here what what really 00:08:20.060 --> 00:08:22.259 matters well god says don't boast of those things 00:08:22.259 --> 00:08:24.420 but if you're going to boast at all it should 00:08:24.420 --> 00:08:27.240 be about that you have the understanding to know 00:08:27.240 --> 00:08:29.120 me which is an interesting way of putting it 00:08:29.120 --> 00:08:31.839 not just that you know me but you know what it 00:08:31.839 --> 00:08:34.509 means to know me You understand that knowing 00:08:34.509 --> 00:08:36.970 God is actually more important than anything 00:08:36.970 --> 00:08:40.370 else. And so for the person who knows God, says 00:08:40.370 --> 00:08:43.590 God, they need to also share what God himself 00:08:43.590 --> 00:08:46.889 delights in. And what's that? Well, that's what 00:08:46.889 --> 00:08:52.049 verse 24 tells us. Kindness and justice and righteousness. 00:08:53.159 --> 00:08:55.840 Kindness in our Bible, of course, is one of the 00:08:55.840 --> 00:08:58.740 many possible translations of that beautiful 00:08:58.740 --> 00:09:01.639 Hebrew word chesed, which, yes, means mercy, 00:09:01.740 --> 00:09:04.559 kindness. It also means faithfulness, committed 00:09:04.559 --> 00:09:07.860 love, unfailing love. It's characteristic of 00:09:07.860 --> 00:09:11.620 God, of course, as we were singing. No, we weren't 00:09:11.620 --> 00:09:14.460 singing it. We were reciting in Psalm 103 all 00:09:14.460 --> 00:09:16.279 the way through the compassion, the unfailing 00:09:16.279 --> 00:09:19.039 love of God. But then it is practiced by those 00:09:19.039 --> 00:09:22.490 who know God. And so we see it exemplified, for 00:09:22.490 --> 00:09:25.190 example, in Moses with his committed, faithful 00:09:25.190 --> 00:09:28.610 love for the crowd of stiff -necked rebels that 00:09:28.610 --> 00:09:32.190 God entrusted to him, that God actually offered 00:09:32.190 --> 00:09:34.190 to get rid of them. Say, you know, get rid of 00:09:34.190 --> 00:09:36.110 this lot and I'll start again with you, Moses. 00:09:36.529 --> 00:09:39.250 And Moses says, not a bit, God. You can't do 00:09:39.250 --> 00:09:41.129 that. You've got to be faithful to your promise 00:09:41.129 --> 00:09:43.809 to Abraham. And if you're faithful to that promise, 00:09:43.929 --> 00:09:45.850 then I will go on looking after these people. 00:09:46.350 --> 00:09:48.509 Or, of course, there's the faithfulness of Boaz 00:09:48.509 --> 00:09:53.009 and of Ruth to Naomi, and, of course, the chesed 00:09:53.009 --> 00:09:55.970 mercy, kindness, and love of Jesus himself to 00:09:55.970 --> 00:09:59.470 outsiders, to the needy, to a Bartimaeus, a blind 00:09:59.470 --> 00:10:02.929 beggar, to a Zacchaeus or the prostitutes. And 00:10:02.929 --> 00:10:05.570 so this chesed love, that's characteristic of 00:10:05.570 --> 00:10:09.330 God, and one who knows God should therefore be 00:10:09.330 --> 00:10:12.509 characterized by that too. And then justice, 00:10:12.769 --> 00:10:16.110 mishpat, the act of putting things right for 00:10:16.110 --> 00:10:20.490 those who are wronged. The Old Testament often 00:10:20.490 --> 00:10:24.429 speaks of the widow's case, advocating for those 00:10:24.429 --> 00:10:27.090 who are otherwise on the wrong end of what's 00:10:27.090 --> 00:10:29.429 happening in society. And that's what we saw 00:10:29.429 --> 00:10:33.330 just a moment ago from Jeremiah 22, that Jeremiah 00:10:33.330 --> 00:10:37.049 talks about Josiah. He was one who did justice 00:10:37.049 --> 00:10:40.169 for the poor and the needy. And so, says God, 00:10:40.480 --> 00:10:43.690 That's what it means to know me. And I was just 00:10:43.690 --> 00:10:47.269 reflecting on this, that within our Anglican 00:10:47.269 --> 00:10:49.090 communion, as you know, there's the thing called 00:10:49.090 --> 00:10:51.230 the five marks of mission. I hope you've heard 00:10:51.230 --> 00:10:53.470 of that expression. I was just discussing it 00:10:53.470 --> 00:10:57.610 a bit with a few students earlier, that the theory 00:10:57.610 --> 00:10:59.990 that within the church's mission, there is, of 00:10:59.990 --> 00:11:01.970 course, evangelism, proclaiming the kingdom, 00:11:02.210 --> 00:11:04.929 discipling and teaching new believers, but also 00:11:04.929 --> 00:11:07.870 works of compassion and mercy, doing good, as 00:11:07.870 --> 00:11:12.210 Jesus did, and seeking justice. as we are commanded 00:11:12.210 --> 00:11:16.580 to do. And yesterday evening, in our prayer gathering 00:11:16.580 --> 00:11:18.340 at All Souls Church, we were thinking of the 00:11:18.340 --> 00:11:21.059 ministry of Tamar, which is the ministry of All 00:11:21.059 --> 00:11:24.159 Souls among trafficked women, people in the sex 00:11:24.159 --> 00:11:26.480 industry, which is not just showing compassion 00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:30.120 for these women, but also seeking, wherever possible, 00:11:30.419 --> 00:11:33.580 to act justly for them, to advocate for them, 00:11:33.679 --> 00:11:36.340 to seek to give them the means of getting their 00:11:36.340 --> 00:11:39.360 immigration status sorted out or be freed from 00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:42.159 the influence of gangs and so on. So to be... 00:11:42.480 --> 00:11:45.720 lovers of mercy and seekers of justice and righteousness 00:11:45.720 --> 00:11:48.639 tzedakah righteousness which means that which 00:11:48.639 --> 00:11:53.759 is straight and true and honest the word for 00:11:53.759 --> 00:11:56.679 that i think would be integrity in a personal 00:11:56.679 --> 00:11:59.840 sense one of john stott's favorite verses in 00:11:59.840 --> 00:12:04.629 the bible was first chronicles 29 verse 17. where 00:12:04.629 --> 00:12:07.970 David, in the moment of his great, very successful 00:12:07.970 --> 00:12:10.250 fundraising opportunity, when he raised all the 00:12:10.250 --> 00:12:13.009 money for the building of the temple, says to 00:12:13.009 --> 00:12:16.649 God, I know, my God, that you search the heart 00:12:16.649 --> 00:12:20.590 and you are pleased with integrity. And John 00:12:20.590 --> 00:12:23.149 Stott used to say that that was such an important 00:12:23.149 --> 00:12:26.570 verse, that people who are serving the Lord should 00:12:26.570 --> 00:12:29.149 be men and women of integrity on the inside and 00:12:29.149 --> 00:12:32.049 the outside. So, says our text, these are the 00:12:32.049 --> 00:12:34.529 things then that God delights in. They're not 00:12:34.529 --> 00:12:37.149 just, in a sense, part of his character only. 00:12:37.389 --> 00:12:39.990 They're not just, as it were, attributes of God. 00:12:40.289 --> 00:12:42.730 They are actually things that bring a smile to 00:12:42.730 --> 00:12:45.590 his face. God says, this is what gives me pleasure. 00:12:45.929 --> 00:12:49.450 When I see on earth, not just in heaven, but 00:12:49.450 --> 00:12:53.129 on earth, when I see acts of kindness and justice 00:12:53.129 --> 00:12:56.309 and righteousness, integrity taking place, God 00:12:56.309 --> 00:12:59.750 is pleased. And of course, we see that from not 00:12:59.750 --> 00:13:02.669 just Psalm 103 that we quoted earlier, but from 00:13:02.669 --> 00:13:05.870 Exodus chapter 34, God's name tag, as it were. 00:13:06.029 --> 00:13:09.049 I had one here. I took it off. But when God gives 00:13:09.049 --> 00:13:11.289 his name tag, he says he's the Lord, the Lord, 00:13:11.370 --> 00:13:14.090 the compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding 00:13:14.090 --> 00:13:16.950 in love. And even before that, when he called 00:13:16.950 --> 00:13:19.370 Abraham to follow him, he said, I have chosen 00:13:19.370 --> 00:13:22.309 Abraham. I've chosen him so that he will direct 00:13:22.309 --> 00:13:25.029 his household to keep the way of the Lord by 00:13:25.029 --> 00:13:28.179 doing righteousness and justice. even before 00:13:28.179 --> 00:13:30.919 the law had been given so that the lord can bring 00:13:30.919 --> 00:13:33.220 about what he has promised him which was blessing 00:13:33.220 --> 00:13:36.480 for all nations so this is what god delights 00:13:36.480 --> 00:13:39.639 in and therefore this is what it means to be 00:13:39.639 --> 00:13:42.799 a people who know the lord god the mission of 00:13:42.799 --> 00:13:45.620 israel in the old testament was supposed to be 00:13:45.620 --> 00:13:48.700 to be the people of yahweh the god of israel 00:13:48.700 --> 00:13:51.500 a people of chesed and righteousness and justice 00:13:51.500 --> 00:13:54.720 and mercy in a world going the way of solomon 00:13:54.720 --> 00:13:58.330 gomorrah which is precisely when God called Abraham 00:13:58.330 --> 00:14:01.090 and gave him that commandment. That's what it 00:14:01.090 --> 00:14:04.610 means to know God, and that's what it ought to 00:14:04.610 --> 00:14:08.330 be, to be boasted of. So for us then to claim 00:14:08.330 --> 00:14:10.450 to know God, if that's what we want to do, means 00:14:10.450 --> 00:14:14.570 to know this God, the God who calls for and longs 00:14:14.570 --> 00:14:19.169 for and delights in love and justice and righteousness. 00:14:19.269 --> 00:14:22.690 Those are his priorities. And I think Jesus would 00:14:22.690 --> 00:14:26.440 say, and if you seek those things, As part of 00:14:26.440 --> 00:14:28.840 the kingdom of God, this is the way God exercises 00:14:28.840 --> 00:14:32.320 his kingship. Then these other things will be 00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:36.220 added to you. So you need wisdom? Well, says 00:14:36.220 --> 00:14:38.440 James, if any of you lacks wisdom, you should 00:14:38.440 --> 00:14:41.240 ask God because he gives it generously to all 00:14:41.240 --> 00:14:43.700 without finding fault and it would be given to 00:14:43.700 --> 00:14:47.840 him. Or you need strength? Well, remember Paul 00:14:47.840 --> 00:14:50.870 who says, God said to him, my grace is sufficient 00:14:50.870 --> 00:14:53.350 for you. My power is made perfect in weakness. 00:14:53.669 --> 00:14:56.009 So Paul says, therefore, I will boast all the 00:14:56.009 --> 00:14:59.529 more gladly about my weakness. Maybe he was thinking 00:14:59.529 --> 00:15:02.629 of Jeremiah 9, 23, when he wrote that, so that 00:15:02.629 --> 00:15:05.909 Christ's power may rest on me. For when I'm weak, 00:15:06.009 --> 00:15:09.490 then I'm strong, says Paul. And you need money, 00:15:09.529 --> 00:15:11.649 you need resources. We all do one way or another. 00:15:12.009 --> 00:15:14.789 And we remember Paul saying that I have learned 00:15:14.789 --> 00:15:17.769 what it is to be content, whatever circumstances. 00:15:18.679 --> 00:15:21.419 whether well fed living in plenty or in want 00:15:21.419 --> 00:15:24.980 and my god will meet all your needs according 00:15:24.980 --> 00:15:28.139 to the riches of his glory in christ jesus so 00:15:28.139 --> 00:15:30.740 wisdom strength riches resources they're all 00:15:30.740 --> 00:15:34.419 ours in christ as long as you don't boast and 00:15:34.419 --> 00:15:37.700 corrupt them so that's really all i wanted to 00:15:37.700 --> 00:15:39.899 bring with these two verses and to suggest that 00:15:41.009 --> 00:15:44.529 As you're here in some form of training or another 00:15:44.529 --> 00:15:47.090 for some kind of ministry and service that God 00:15:47.090 --> 00:15:48.750 wants you to do, some of you, I'm sure, will 00:15:48.750 --> 00:15:51.710 go on to become pastors and leaders in God's 00:15:51.710 --> 00:15:54.309 church. You'll be wanting to lead others to come 00:15:54.309 --> 00:15:56.750 to know Christ. That's what you want to do, isn't 00:15:56.750 --> 00:15:58.970 it? And those who already know Christ, to know 00:15:58.970 --> 00:16:01.970 him more and to grow in their discipleship. But 00:16:01.970 --> 00:16:04.429 I trust that you yourself will be someone who 00:16:04.429 --> 00:16:09.210 knows God in this way and what it is as God to 00:16:09.210 --> 00:16:11.970 know him. that you delight in the things that 00:16:11.970 --> 00:16:15.690 bring delight to God himself. Let's pray together 00:16:15.690 --> 00:16:19.870 as we move on to our communion. Heavenly Father, 00:16:19.950 --> 00:16:22.629 we thank you for your word. We thank you for 00:16:22.629 --> 00:16:25.529 the surprise that it sometimes brings to us in 00:16:25.529 --> 00:16:29.490 the midst of the words of doom and judgment and 00:16:29.490 --> 00:16:31.289 darkness that are there in the book of Jeremiah, 00:16:31.370 --> 00:16:35.149 that we have this little gem of showing us what 00:16:35.149 --> 00:16:38.409 it means to know you. We ask that you help us 00:16:38.409 --> 00:16:41.289 to take these things to heart, that we will indeed 00:16:41.289 --> 00:16:43.850 trust you for the wisdom and the strength and 00:16:43.850 --> 00:16:46.450 the riches that we need, but that we may rather 00:16:46.450 --> 00:16:50.169 know you by being people who are characterized 00:16:50.169 --> 00:16:55.330 by loving kindness and by justice and seeking 00:16:55.330 --> 00:16:58.490 justice, walking humbly with you, and men and 00:16:58.490 --> 00:17:00.870 women of integrity and righteousness in all that 00:17:00.870 --> 00:17:05.009 we do. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.