WEBVTT 00:00:04.120 --> 00:00:06.799 If I had a nickel for every time that you were 00:00:06.799 --> 00:00:08.359 on your phone when I tried to start the podcast, 00:00:08.740 --> 00:00:12.880 I'd have like two nickels. You know, it's not 00:00:12.880 --> 00:00:15.400 a lot, but it's weird this happened twice. What 00:00:15.400 --> 00:00:18.079 is that from? It's from Phineas and Ferb. No, 00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:20.640 it's not. Yes, it's Doofenshmirtz, isn't it? 00:00:21.079 --> 00:00:22.699 Okay, it's definitely from something else as 00:00:22.699 --> 00:00:24.339 well. It's not, dude. I'm telling you, that's 00:00:24.339 --> 00:00:26.780 where it came from. Really? That's where I know 00:00:26.780 --> 00:00:28.100 that quote from? Yeah, Doofenshmirtz is like, 00:00:28.199 --> 00:00:30.440 if I had a nickel for every time this thing happened, 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:32.859 I'd have two nickels, which is not a lot, but 00:00:32.859 --> 00:00:34.500 you know. At least it's weird that it happened 00:00:34.500 --> 00:00:36.700 twice. I swear it's from something else as well. 00:00:36.840 --> 00:00:38.460 Dude. I need to get back on my phone and Google 00:00:38.460 --> 00:00:41.200 this. No, stop it. Stop it. It's the only place 00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:44.500 I've heard it and I refuse to. As a child of 00:00:44.500 --> 00:00:46.719 the 2000s, I claim Phineas and Ferb is probably. 00:00:47.060 --> 00:00:48.859 Honestly, I think that show has had more of an 00:00:48.859 --> 00:00:51.399 impact on me and my sense of humor than many 00:00:51.399 --> 00:00:55.600 other things. Well, there's 104 days of summer 00:00:55.600 --> 00:00:57.780 vacation. School comes along just to end it. 00:00:57.820 --> 00:01:00.000 So, you know, I don't know the rest. The annual 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:02.539 problem for our generation is finding a good 00:01:02.539 --> 00:01:05.689 way. To spend it. Like? Maybe, and I'm not going 00:01:05.689 --> 00:01:08.390 to do that. I could, though. I know you could. 00:01:08.810 --> 00:01:11.629 I'm curious as how many of you pursuing Jesus 00:01:11.629 --> 00:01:15.170 pandas could, I actually know what we're talking 00:01:15.170 --> 00:01:16.730 about here. If you guys have watched Phineas 00:01:16.730 --> 00:01:18.730 and Ferb, I feel like that may be not the demographic 00:01:18.730 --> 00:01:20.609 that listens to our podcast. I don't know, man. 00:01:20.750 --> 00:01:24.730 I mean, so Phineas and Ferb, that's, it definitely, 00:01:24.849 --> 00:01:27.890 I mean, it hits my age demographic. You watched 00:01:27.890 --> 00:01:30.010 Phineas and Ferb? I know, yeah. So with kids. 00:01:31.340 --> 00:01:35.219 When did it come out? Like late 2000s, early 00:01:35.219 --> 00:01:40.079 2010s. I mean, I am fully aware of his existence 00:01:40.079 --> 00:01:42.019 and I feel like I was fully aware before I had 00:01:42.019 --> 00:01:47.180 kids. Yeah. Listen, it was great. To me, that 00:01:47.180 --> 00:01:48.900 and like Suite Life of Zack and Cody was the 00:01:48.900 --> 00:01:50.579 peak of Disney shows. See, now that is outside 00:01:50.579 --> 00:01:53.079 of my realm of knowledge. I have watched zero 00:01:53.079 --> 00:01:56.939 Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Yeah. You know, 00:01:56.939 --> 00:01:59.799 fun fact about that show, the main love interest's 00:01:59.799 --> 00:02:02.879 name is Maddie. And as a kid, I always had a 00:02:02.879 --> 00:02:06.060 crush on her. And so then I married a lady named 00:02:06.060 --> 00:02:08.699 Maddie, who was even better than the Maddie from 00:02:08.699 --> 00:02:11.580 Suite Life of Zack and Cody. I wonder if therapist 00:02:11.580 --> 00:02:14.379 Maddie has something to think about that. I'm 00:02:14.379 --> 00:02:16.800 sure she does. We've talked about it before. 00:02:18.819 --> 00:02:22.039 Hey, so I have a question for you. I'm going 00:02:22.039 --> 00:02:23.419 to get us back. I'm going to get us on topic 00:02:23.419 --> 00:02:26.659 biblically just a little bit. Okay. So first, 00:02:26.759 --> 00:02:31.199 let me set this up. So do you believe... When 00:02:31.199 --> 00:02:33.840 we die and go to heaven, we get a glorified body. 00:02:35.819 --> 00:02:40.699 Eventually. Yes. Eventually, yes. Yes. So we're 00:02:40.699 --> 00:02:45.539 going to get a glorified body. And do you think 00:02:45.539 --> 00:02:51.379 that means that if someone was in an accident 00:02:51.379 --> 00:02:53.759 and they were in a wheelchair, their glorified 00:02:53.759 --> 00:02:58.139 body will be healed? I think that our glorified 00:02:58.139 --> 00:03:01.840 bodies will exist in a different way than our 00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:05.479 current bodies do. I do think that wholeness 00:03:05.479 --> 00:03:08.020 is probably a theme that the Lord will instill 00:03:08.020 --> 00:03:12.400 in creating our new bodies. I think if somebody 00:03:12.400 --> 00:03:14.300 was in a wheelchair, they'll probably not be 00:03:14.300 --> 00:03:16.520 in a wheelchair. I think if somebody was blind, 00:03:16.759 --> 00:03:20.039 they'll probably not be blind. So here's my question. 00:03:21.240 --> 00:03:27.050 Will there be bald people in heaven? You know, 00:03:27.050 --> 00:03:29.590 Sean, I don't know. I don't know. There's hope 00:03:29.590 --> 00:03:32.689 for all of us, I guess. But I think that our 00:03:32.689 --> 00:03:37.069 glorified bodies will reflect us as true as possible. 00:03:37.870 --> 00:03:43.389 So Dwayne the Rock Johnson with his amazing bald 00:03:43.389 --> 00:03:46.370 head, maybe he will still be bald if he's a believer 00:03:46.370 --> 00:03:49.189 of Jesus? Sure. But what if he wants hair? He 00:03:49.189 --> 00:03:51.409 could also have hair. I don't know. I think that's 00:03:51.409 --> 00:03:53.189 up to the Lord. Because I've seen... Yeah, we 00:03:53.189 --> 00:03:55.449 had no say in how we were created the first time. 00:03:55.530 --> 00:03:56.889 Why would that be different in the second time? 00:03:56.889 --> 00:03:58.610 Okay, that's what I'm saying. Because I've seen 00:03:58.610 --> 00:04:01.229 him in the trailer for the live -action Moana, 00:04:01.330 --> 00:04:03.310 and the dude does not look right with hair. No, 00:04:03.310 --> 00:04:05.729 he does not. Dwayne the Rock Johnson is intended 00:04:05.729 --> 00:04:07.669 to be bald. I mean, it's one of the reasons I 00:04:07.669 --> 00:04:09.030 don't think I want to see the movie, because 00:04:09.030 --> 00:04:11.050 it's just weird. I'm done with the remakes, dude. 00:04:11.090 --> 00:04:15.370 I can't do it. I was like, oh, yay, the remaking 00:04:15.370 --> 00:04:17.050 Moana. I can't wait to be forced to watch this 00:04:17.050 --> 00:04:19.290 with my nephews and nieces. Not watching it. 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:23.959 But the question remains. Because baldness is 00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:27.740 a condition that people lose their hair. So are 00:04:27.740 --> 00:04:29.819 they going to be healed of this condition? And 00:04:29.819 --> 00:04:31.810 then what if they don't want to be? I think that 00:04:31.810 --> 00:04:33.730 the Lord will design each person the way that 00:04:33.730 --> 00:04:37.689 they... My vote is that it will be an embodiment 00:04:37.689 --> 00:04:39.810 of their truest self, that their appearance will 00:04:39.810 --> 00:04:42.910 perfectly reflect how God made them to be. And 00:04:42.910 --> 00:04:45.269 so if that happens to include baldness, I think 00:04:45.269 --> 00:04:48.029 that that may include baldness. I also think 00:04:48.029 --> 00:04:49.009 that... I think the Lord was supposed to make 00:04:49.009 --> 00:04:53.230 me 6 '2". Dude, your personality is not 6 '2". 00:04:53.230 --> 00:05:00.730 No, it's not. Respectfully, said in love, neither 00:05:00.730 --> 00:05:04.470 of us were meant to be 6 '2". I don't think that's 00:05:04.470 --> 00:05:06.910 in either of our futures. I tell myself that 00:05:06.910 --> 00:05:08.529 it was the amount of cigarettes I smoked at 13 00:05:08.529 --> 00:05:11.689 years old that stunned my growth. You're not 00:05:11.689 --> 00:05:19.279 the first person to tell me that. Oh, man. That's 00:05:19.279 --> 00:05:23.180 wild. I'm desperately looking for a way to ground 00:05:23.180 --> 00:05:26.100 this in our text for today. Hey, man, listen, 00:05:26.319 --> 00:05:28.680 you started one way. I brought you to the scripture. 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:31.600 I brought you halfway there. And now we're just 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:34.730 living on a prayer. You didn't. You know, God 00:05:34.730 --> 00:05:36.769 does care for bald people though. Leviticus 13 00:05:36.769 --> 00:05:39.990 says that a man who has lost his hair and is 00:05:39.990 --> 00:05:43.410 bald is still ceremonially clean. Hold on. That's 00:05:43.410 --> 00:05:45.149 not the verse I was thinking of. You're thinking 00:05:45.149 --> 00:05:46.949 of the passage. I'm thinking of the she bears. 00:05:47.149 --> 00:05:49.149 You're thinking of the passage from second Kings 00:05:49.149 --> 00:05:52.449 where a group of armed men, they describe them 00:05:52.449 --> 00:05:54.970 as armed, some small boys. But if you look at 00:05:54.970 --> 00:05:56.470 the Greek or if you look at the Hebrew, it's 00:05:56.470 --> 00:05:59.589 like, like young men, like outside of the city. 00:05:59.689 --> 00:06:04.490 Yes. Are teasing. Was it? is it Ezekiel? Um, 00:06:04.610 --> 00:06:08.529 or one of the, Elisha, Elisha, Elisha. And, uh, 00:06:08.569 --> 00:06:09.930 I mean like they're threatening the dude. And 00:06:09.930 --> 00:06:12.759 so he, he, They're like, hey, Baldy, go away. 00:06:12.920 --> 00:06:15.220 We're going to light you up. And he calls out 00:06:15.220 --> 00:06:18.339 two she -bears. And the Lord answers. Yes, he 00:06:18.339 --> 00:06:20.399 does. And the Lord brings the she -bears. Man, 00:06:20.459 --> 00:06:25.000 if that is not a cruel way to go, I don't know 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:27.040 what is. Also, I don't think I've ever, outside 00:06:27.040 --> 00:06:29.199 of this passage, referred to a female bear as 00:06:29.199 --> 00:06:32.060 a she -bear. Yeah. I mean, the Bible refers to 00:06:32.060 --> 00:06:33.860 it as a she -bear. Oh, I'm just, yes. Bear is 00:06:33.860 --> 00:06:35.500 bear. You see one in the wild, you say, hey, 00:06:35.519 --> 00:06:39.160 bear. Yep. I'm not trying to. identify the gender 00:06:39.160 --> 00:06:41.699 of the bear. Did you just assume that bear's 00:06:41.699 --> 00:06:48.800 gender? How modern of us. I know there's the 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:51.959 word bruin, B -R -U -I -N. I think it means a 00:06:51.959 --> 00:06:58.100 male bear. Is that German? No, it's... You tried 00:06:58.100 --> 00:07:00.720 to get us back in the text. I sure did. Now we're 00:07:00.720 --> 00:07:02.519 talking about bears. But we were talking about 00:07:02.519 --> 00:07:04.920 the Bible. We're talking about bald people. Hey, 00:07:04.980 --> 00:07:08.600 so we should talk about John 17. I think now 00:07:08.600 --> 00:07:12.360 is the perfect time for us to pivot to John 17. 00:07:12.399 --> 00:07:14.360 If any of you are still with us, we're so glad 00:07:14.360 --> 00:07:18.079 you're here. I'm so thankful for our pandas because 00:07:18.079 --> 00:07:21.639 the introductions that they have to sit through. 00:07:21.920 --> 00:07:24.660 The introductions that they get to sit through. 00:07:25.540 --> 00:07:27.699 It's a privilege. They enjoy this content. Yes, 00:07:27.699 --> 00:07:29.920 they do. And all the more on our Patreon, you 00:07:29.920 --> 00:07:33.050 know? Yeah, if you didn't know about it, start 00:07:33.050 --> 00:07:36.370 giving us some money. We'll figure it out. We 00:07:36.370 --> 00:07:41.850 don't have a Patreon. But for $19 .99 a month, 00:07:41.990 --> 00:07:45.709 we will. I don't like the way that splits out. 00:07:45.790 --> 00:07:50.250 How much do I get of that? Like $9 .97 a month? 00:07:50.990 --> 00:07:52.769 I don't know. I just feel like everything online 00:07:52.769 --> 00:07:55.509 has to be ended 99 or anything in the store. 00:07:55.629 --> 00:07:57.129 Well, that's it. That's marketing that you'll 00:07:57.129 --> 00:07:59.829 pay. You will agree like psychologically. They 00:07:59.829 --> 00:08:01.649 figured out however long ago that you'll pay 00:08:01.649 --> 00:08:06.350 1799, but you won't pay 1800 for something. Yeah, 00:08:06.350 --> 00:08:10.170 it's so much more right. You are the reason that 00:08:10.170 --> 00:08:15.399 John 17 is we're going to look today. Sean and 00:08:15.399 --> 00:08:17.959 I were looking at the passages to look at through. 00:08:18.060 --> 00:08:22.139 This is one from August 28th. This is a very 00:08:22.139 --> 00:08:23.800 interesting one. We're still in that kind of 00:08:23.800 --> 00:08:27.180 pre, right before Jesus' crucifixion in the Holy 00:08:27.180 --> 00:08:29.839 Week. The end discourse kind of, yeah. We've 00:08:29.839 --> 00:08:31.560 been camped out in the book of John for a while 00:08:31.560 --> 00:08:33.519 because I feel like John gives us the most detailed 00:08:33.519 --> 00:08:36.419 account kind of of... Well, it makes sense too 00:08:36.419 --> 00:08:38.139 because it is so different from the other ones 00:08:38.139 --> 00:08:40.360 and there's things recorded that are not recorded 00:08:40.360 --> 00:08:42.240 in the other ones. And so, yeah, we're here for 00:08:42.240 --> 00:08:46.299 a while. Yep. And I think that this discourse 00:08:46.299 --> 00:08:48.539 in particular fits really well with the overall 00:08:48.539 --> 00:08:51.679 theme of John. John writes, I've written these 00:08:51.679 --> 00:08:54.019 things so that you may know that Christ is the 00:08:54.019 --> 00:08:56.980 Son of God. His whole point is Jesus is God's 00:08:56.980 --> 00:09:02.570 Son. genuinely like all of John 17 is stuff that 00:09:02.570 --> 00:09:05.129 only God's son could say. Only a person with 00:09:05.129 --> 00:09:07.750 the authority of God himself in human form could 00:09:07.750 --> 00:09:09.970 say any of the things that Jesus is asking in 00:09:09.970 --> 00:09:12.610 the father to prayer. So Sean, do you want to, 00:09:12.610 --> 00:09:14.690 you want to go ahead and read through John 17, 00:09:14.809 --> 00:09:17.929 20 through 26, and then we'll jump in here. Sure. 00:09:18.029 --> 00:09:20.730 I pray not only for these, but also for those 00:09:20.730 --> 00:09:23.330 who believe in me through their word. May they 00:09:23.330 --> 00:09:27.169 all be one as you father are in me and I am in 00:09:27.169 --> 00:09:31.269 you. May they also be in us so that the world 00:09:31.269 --> 00:09:34.610 may believe you sent me. I have given them glory 00:09:34.610 --> 00:09:38.429 you have given me so that they may be one as 00:09:38.429 --> 00:09:42.090 we are one. I am in them and you are in me so 00:09:42.090 --> 00:09:45.009 that they may be made completely one that the 00:09:45.009 --> 00:09:47.889 world may know you have sent me and have loved 00:09:47.889 --> 00:09:51.570 them as you have loved me. Father, I want those 00:09:51.570 --> 00:09:55.129 who have given me to be to be with me where I 00:09:55.129 --> 00:09:58.909 am, so that they will see my glory, which you 00:09:58.909 --> 00:10:01.350 have given me because you loved me before the 00:10:01.350 --> 00:10:04.610 world's foundation. Righteous Father, the world 00:10:04.610 --> 00:10:08.309 has not known you. However, I have known you, 00:10:08.409 --> 00:10:11.169 and they have known that you sent me. I made 00:10:11.169 --> 00:10:13.970 your name known to them and will continue to 00:10:13.970 --> 00:10:16.690 make it known, so that the love you have loved 00:10:16.690 --> 00:10:20.289 me with may be in them, and I may be in them. 00:10:20.830 --> 00:10:24.570 So, dude, that verse lends itself to being a 00:10:24.570 --> 00:10:26.090 bit of a tongue twister, just the way with Jesus 00:10:26.090 --> 00:10:28.929 phrases it all. But what stands out to you in 00:10:28.929 --> 00:10:34.190 reading this, Sean? So, y 'all know me. I'm all 00:10:34.190 --> 00:10:36.409 about personal application, and I'm all about 00:10:36.409 --> 00:10:39.049 when you read Scripture, putting yourself in 00:10:39.049 --> 00:10:43.149 there. But honestly, I get overwhelmed with this. 00:10:43.629 --> 00:10:46.190 I'm overwhelmed because I see myself, and I see 00:10:46.190 --> 00:10:49.929 myself that Jesus is on this earth. In this moment. 00:10:49.970 --> 00:10:53.230 And he's praying for me. Isn't that insane? Oh 00:10:53.230 --> 00:10:55.850 my gosh. Like that. It's just, you know, to see 00:10:55.850 --> 00:10:58.889 like, once again, I mean, realizing where we 00:10:58.889 --> 00:11:03.110 are in the moment. Yes. Jesus is like 72 hours 00:11:03.110 --> 00:11:08.769 from hanging on the cross. And his prayer at 00:11:08.769 --> 00:11:12.730 this moment is for future believers. Yeah. Like 00:11:12.730 --> 00:11:15.399 incredible. And like he starts like, I mean, 00:11:15.399 --> 00:11:17.419 chapter 17, you know, people call it like the 00:11:17.419 --> 00:11:20.320 high priestly prayer. Like he starts by praying 00:11:20.320 --> 00:11:22.500 to the father and just kind of landing there. 00:11:23.159 --> 00:11:26.980 And then he prays for his disciples. And then 00:11:26.980 --> 00:11:29.539 he's like, I don't ask just only for my disciples, 00:11:29.580 --> 00:11:31.480 but the people that will believe because of what 00:11:31.480 --> 00:11:34.720 my disciples said. Yeah. You see a little picture 00:11:34.720 --> 00:11:38.139 of Jesus, God's plan for the nations, for everyone. 00:11:38.659 --> 00:11:42.200 Way back then, that blessing over Abraham, that 00:11:42.200 --> 00:11:45.039 through Abraham's offspring, who is Jesus, all 00:11:45.039 --> 00:11:48.019 the world will be blessed. Somehow we're caught 00:11:48.019 --> 00:11:51.200 up in that promise and prosperity. Jesus has 00:11:51.200 --> 00:11:54.899 a heart for us. He's thinking of the people he's 00:11:54.899 --> 00:11:58.379 going to the cross for. One of the things I just 00:11:58.379 --> 00:12:01.919 thought about, I don't know. I'm just going to 00:12:01.919 --> 00:12:04.320 say it out loud because it just came to my mind. 00:12:05.360 --> 00:12:08.080 We're in such an interconnected world today. 00:12:08.340 --> 00:12:11.000 Fair. We're connected by the internet. We could 00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:13.240 literally talk to someone face -to -face through 00:12:13.240 --> 00:12:15.580 a screen on the other side of the planet. In 00:12:15.580 --> 00:12:17.559 a different time zone. It's just insane the way 00:12:17.559 --> 00:12:22.539 that we are so connected. As big as our world 00:12:22.539 --> 00:12:25.919 is, it gets smaller to us because of how interconnected 00:12:25.919 --> 00:12:28.820 we are. However, I just had this thought of the 00:12:28.820 --> 00:12:31.049 people that... the disciples and the people that 00:12:31.049 --> 00:12:35.110 Jesus are with, they don't realize how huge the 00:12:35.110 --> 00:12:39.190 world truly is. No. But Jesus does. Yeah. And 00:12:39.190 --> 00:12:42.610 so even as he's with all of them, they don't 00:12:42.610 --> 00:12:44.990 realize what he's saying. But even Jesus has 00:12:44.990 --> 00:12:47.509 the concept of like, I am here for the world, 00:12:47.549 --> 00:12:49.629 and he understands what that means. What I'm 00:12:49.629 --> 00:12:53.269 thinking of the billions of faces flashing across 00:12:53.269 --> 00:12:58.419 his thoughts and his minds at the moment. Ben 00:12:58.419 --> 00:13:01.279 and Sean sitting in a room in North Carolina. 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:04.259 The underground church huddled in somebody's 00:13:04.259 --> 00:13:08.960 house in China. The Middle Eastern Christian 00:13:08.960 --> 00:13:13.639 praying to Jesus outside of the mosque. The monk 00:13:13.639 --> 00:13:17.879 in the 1700s in a monastery. All of these people 00:13:17.879 --> 00:13:19.700 with so many different backgrounds and so many 00:13:19.700 --> 00:13:21.519 different stories and so many different degrees 00:13:21.519 --> 00:13:26.250 of faith and understanding of who God is. We 00:13:26.250 --> 00:13:28.309 are all those who would believe because of the 00:13:28.309 --> 00:13:32.110 word of the disciples. You know what's also insane 00:13:32.110 --> 00:13:37.190 to me as I parse through this passage? The first 00:13:37.190 --> 00:13:41.389 thing that Jesus prays for is unity. between 00:13:41.389 --> 00:13:44.070 believers. Verse 21, I ask not for these only, 00:13:44.169 --> 00:13:46.690 but also for those who will believe in me through 00:13:46.690 --> 00:13:50.470 their, the disciples' word, that they may all 00:13:50.470 --> 00:13:53.970 be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I 00:13:53.970 --> 00:13:56.549 in you, that they may also be in us, so that 00:13:56.549 --> 00:13:58.789 the world may believe that you have sent me. 00:13:58.970 --> 00:14:03.070 Jesus is asking the Lord that he foster within 00:14:03.070 --> 00:14:07.450 believers the unity that he has with the Father. 00:14:08.590 --> 00:14:12.230 Like the oneness that they share being the thing 00:14:12.230 --> 00:14:16.389 that defines believers. Here's the scary part 00:14:16.389 --> 00:14:20.269 to me. The reason Jesus gives for this unity 00:14:20.269 --> 00:14:25.690 is our witness. So that the world may believe 00:14:25.690 --> 00:14:28.190 that you have sent me. Jesus is asking, Lord, 00:14:28.370 --> 00:14:32.370 will you sow such unity in the believers to come 00:14:32.370 --> 00:14:35.629 that the unbelieving world looks at them and 00:14:35.629 --> 00:14:42.009 goes, huh? At the foot of the cross is the only 00:14:42.009 --> 00:14:45.629 place that we see the kind of unity and diversity 00:14:45.629 --> 00:14:50.549 gathered in one place in peace. Because of the 00:14:50.549 --> 00:14:52.769 gospel, the rich and the poor are the same in 00:14:52.769 --> 00:14:55.470 the eyes of God and equally valued to the kingdom. 00:14:56.269 --> 00:14:59.289 Because of the gospel, people of any ethnicity 00:14:59.289 --> 00:15:01.730 from any time in history are equally valuable 00:15:01.730 --> 00:15:06.210 and equally loved in the eyes of God. people 00:15:06.210 --> 00:15:09.570 with different degrees of ability, whether they're 00:15:09.570 --> 00:15:11.649 physically able to walk on their own or whether 00:15:11.649 --> 00:15:15.350 they have a wheelchair. That unity that we're 00:15:15.350 --> 00:15:20.429 called to have is the primary witness to an unbelieving 00:15:20.429 --> 00:15:23.700 world. This was a conviction for me, dude. So 00:15:23.700 --> 00:15:27.759 your personal conviction that you're talking 00:15:27.759 --> 00:15:29.879 about, so verse 21, are you talking about the 00:15:29.879 --> 00:15:32.080 unity that you feel with other believers, with 00:15:32.080 --> 00:15:34.000 other churches? Go into that a little more. Yeah, 00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:38.059 so what I mean is, so the question that came 00:15:38.059 --> 00:15:41.840 up for me was, how do I view other Christians? 00:15:42.919 --> 00:15:46.980 I think like with the, and this is not a blame 00:15:46.980 --> 00:15:49.600 game. This is just a factor that I've leaned 00:15:49.600 --> 00:15:56.860 into. As I underwent, like particularly my college 00:15:56.860 --> 00:16:00.460 degree for ministry. Yeah. We got super -duper 00:16:00.460 --> 00:16:03.940 focused on theological stuff, as you should. 00:16:04.059 --> 00:16:05.460 You're getting prepared to step into ministry. 00:16:05.559 --> 00:16:06.960 You need to be able to understand the Bible. 00:16:07.700 --> 00:16:09.679 Cedarville taught from a systematic theology 00:16:09.679 --> 00:16:11.919 standpoint, which just means you pick an issue, 00:16:12.059 --> 00:16:14.000 you talk about it from a perspective of Scripture, 00:16:14.279 --> 00:16:18.759 rather than what they would call biblical theology, 00:16:18.940 --> 00:16:20.759 which means you're using the canon of Scripture 00:16:20.759 --> 00:16:23.620 consecutively. So that's not the point of our 00:16:23.620 --> 00:16:26.179 conversation today. But one of the things that 00:16:26.179 --> 00:16:29.120 they did... was they would be like, hey, this 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:31.759 is what we believe. This is what other branches 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:34.659 of Christianity believe. And this is why they're 00:16:34.659 --> 00:16:40.279 wrong. Okay. And I understand from like a standardization 00:16:40.279 --> 00:16:42.759 perspective, like a let's make sure all of our 00:16:42.759 --> 00:16:45.220 graduates emerge from Cedarville looking theologically 00:16:45.220 --> 00:16:48.419 pretty much the same. Right. But I inherited 00:16:48.419 --> 00:16:52.289 that and I sort of like. it's super easy to become 00:16:52.289 --> 00:16:55.230 antagonistic to other believers. Sometimes even 00:16:55.230 --> 00:16:58.450 I think more so than the world around us. Like 00:16:58.450 --> 00:17:03.389 theological differences that are distinct enough 00:17:03.389 --> 00:17:06.970 to worship in separate places, but that are not 00:17:06.970 --> 00:17:10.009 theologically distinct enough to call them like 00:17:10.009 --> 00:17:12.529 a heretic or to say you don't believe the real 00:17:12.529 --> 00:17:16.009 gospel. I feel like those can divide us worse 00:17:16.009 --> 00:17:20.559 sometimes. And so a couple of people came to 00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:23.759 mind that I have some theological differences 00:17:23.759 --> 00:17:28.539 in, that almost a resentment kind of, like the 00:17:28.539 --> 00:17:30.519 Spirit showed me that I have a little bit of 00:17:30.519 --> 00:17:33.599 resentment towards those people. That was something 00:17:33.599 --> 00:17:35.759 I had to repent from as I came to this text. 00:17:35.799 --> 00:17:40.140 Like, Lord, I am actively working against the 00:17:40.140 --> 00:17:43.200 unity that you have sent us. And Trinitarian 00:17:43.200 --> 00:17:46.789 theology -wise, like... One of the unifying factors 00:17:46.789 --> 00:17:49.470 of the father and son is the spirit. Yes. Like 00:17:49.470 --> 00:17:52.549 from a God three persons perspective. And I've 00:17:52.549 --> 00:17:54.029 got a couple of other things to say about the 00:17:54.029 --> 00:17:56.529 Trinity. Jesus has a lot of Trinitarian things 00:17:56.529 --> 00:18:02.250 in this passage. But if me and the people I disagree 00:18:02.250 --> 00:18:07.430 with theologically are both in Christ, regardless 00:18:07.430 --> 00:18:10.099 of our... like what I would call like our tertiary 00:18:10.099 --> 00:18:14.160 views, like the third tier that are outside of 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:17.099 the gospel truths, like I should treat those 00:18:17.099 --> 00:18:19.759 brothers and sisters with love. And there are 00:18:19.759 --> 00:18:22.680 going to be areas that they excel in in their 00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:24.519 faith that I struggle in. There are going to 00:18:24.519 --> 00:18:28.099 be areas that I excel in faith that they struggle 00:18:28.099 --> 00:18:32.720 in. I've got this sneaky suspicion that when 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:35.240 we get to heaven, we'll realize that every denomination 00:18:35.240 --> 00:18:38.259 has a thing that they knocked out of the park 00:18:38.259 --> 00:18:40.299 and a thing that Jesus will go, you guys got 00:18:40.299 --> 00:18:42.299 this one wrong. And I think that's going to be 00:18:42.299 --> 00:18:45.160 as equally true of Baptists as it is going to 00:18:45.160 --> 00:18:47.640 be of Episcopals, as it is going to be of Methodists, 00:18:47.640 --> 00:18:51.740 of Presbyterians, of non -denominational or whoever. 00:18:52.099 --> 00:18:56.920 Yeah, I agree. And that's the thing. To be clear, 00:18:57.640 --> 00:19:00.779 You know, because the way you described it is 00:19:00.779 --> 00:19:02.980 you said, you know, as my brothers in Christ. 00:19:03.160 --> 00:19:05.839 And so meaning there is a foundation there. Oh, 00:19:05.859 --> 00:19:07.740 100%. There's a foundation of things that we 00:19:07.740 --> 00:19:11.059 have to agree on. And even one of the things 00:19:11.059 --> 00:19:13.079 you referenced, I think the Trinity. If we're 00:19:13.079 --> 00:19:15.339 going to be true brothers and sisters in Jesus, 00:19:15.500 --> 00:19:19.660 we cannot deny the Trinity. We cannot deny... 00:19:21.739 --> 00:19:26.259 Jesus as the Son of God, not created, but being 00:19:26.259 --> 00:19:28.859 with the Father. I mean, there's certain things, 00:19:28.900 --> 00:19:31.059 and these are what we call those primary issues, 00:19:31.299 --> 00:19:33.519 right? Yeah, 100%. And so, yeah, we absolutely 00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:36.859 need to be agreeing on primary issues. Those 00:19:36.859 --> 00:19:39.180 are where we stand firm. Those are where we absolutely 00:19:39.180 --> 00:19:41.559 debate somebody and be like, hey, you think Jesus 00:19:41.559 --> 00:19:44.339 was created? Okay, now we got to stop because 00:19:44.339 --> 00:19:46.539 you don't believe the same God that I believe. 00:19:46.759 --> 00:19:50.500 No, and... But think about it, though. I think 00:19:50.500 --> 00:19:52.880 a lot of those truths that we do fight for, like 00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:55.200 hills that we do die on, are ones that threaten 00:19:55.200 --> 00:19:59.180 the gospel. Exactly. Exactly. But still, sometimes 00:19:59.180 --> 00:20:03.240 we put too much focus on these other things that 00:20:03.240 --> 00:20:06.440 are not as important, way not as important, and 00:20:06.440 --> 00:20:09.440 we let them divide us when they shouldn't. Yeah. 00:20:09.619 --> 00:20:14.230 And I think there's a place for... separation 00:20:14.230 --> 00:20:16.630 theologically sometimes. No, I agree. Like, dude, 00:20:17.109 --> 00:20:19.970 Paul and Barnabas had a mad beef about John Mark, 00:20:20.130 --> 00:20:22.710 and so they split up. Deuces. Deuces. Later, 00:20:22.769 --> 00:20:25.109 Scooter. God honored both of their ministries. 00:20:25.130 --> 00:20:27.849 Yes. And it was for peace that they did it. I 00:20:27.849 --> 00:20:29.650 think there's a place for that. No, there is. 00:20:29.670 --> 00:20:32.130 And some people are like, man, there should just 00:20:32.130 --> 00:20:34.630 be one worldwide church and all this. And like, 00:20:34.650 --> 00:20:39.309 listen, we are going to interpret this book differently. 00:20:39.390 --> 00:20:43.099 Yes. And so, absolutely, I think that... denominations 00:20:43.099 --> 00:20:46.400 have their place. And even just from a practical 00:20:46.400 --> 00:20:51.079 perspective of how personalities are different, 00:20:51.140 --> 00:20:53.480 and that means how people relate to God are different. 00:20:53.539 --> 00:20:57.539 And so, yeah, I think that there can be unity 00:20:57.539 --> 00:21:00.859 among the church, even with these differences. 00:21:01.339 --> 00:21:04.059 Absolutely. Absolutely. Because at the end... 00:21:04.380 --> 00:21:06.900 Like when we're united to our father, spoiler 00:21:06.900 --> 00:21:09.140 alert, this is where Jesus goes in the text. 00:21:09.259 --> 00:21:12.259 Like when we're united again and we can see Christ 00:21:12.259 --> 00:21:14.680 face to face, we will be all one body. Yeah. 00:21:14.910 --> 00:21:17.589 The Bride of Christ does not have like different 00:21:17.589 --> 00:21:20.829 seating sections. You know, like we're all in 00:21:20.829 --> 00:21:24.890 the same boat. Section 202 with the Baptist go 00:21:24.890 --> 00:21:28.170 over here. They're in the back row. That's why 00:21:28.170 --> 00:21:30.009 I said 202. That sounds like the upper deck, 00:21:30.009 --> 00:21:32.170 you know? Oh, man. Oh, that's right. That's good. 00:21:32.269 --> 00:21:35.490 That's good. Oh, man. That was a joke for anybody 00:21:35.490 --> 00:21:37.130 who thought I was being serious there. I just, 00:21:37.150 --> 00:21:40.029 anyways. The only ones that are mad are the ones 00:21:40.029 --> 00:21:45.940 that sit in the back row. Oh! Hey! Oh, man, I 00:21:45.940 --> 00:21:49.920 hope you don't have a face in mind. So here's 00:21:49.920 --> 00:21:54.240 one other thing that really stood out to me from 00:21:54.240 --> 00:21:59.859 this text. I've read this before, and every time 00:21:59.859 --> 00:22:02.740 I come over this, it's hard for me to kind of 00:22:02.740 --> 00:22:06.000 fathom, and I think that's the point. Verse 25, 00:22:06.319 --> 00:22:08.500 I've got it. O righteous Father, even though 00:22:08.500 --> 00:22:11.559 the world does not know you, I know you, and 00:22:11.559 --> 00:22:14.160 these know you. And these know that you have 00:22:14.160 --> 00:22:16.960 sent me. Jesus is talking about like the believers 00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:21.220 to come. 26, I made known to them your name and 00:22:21.220 --> 00:22:23.619 I will continue to make it known that the love 00:22:23.619 --> 00:22:27.400 with which you loved me may be in them and I 00:22:27.400 --> 00:22:32.369 in them. Okay, pause button. Jesus is praying 00:22:32.369 --> 00:22:35.309 to the Father that the love that they have shared 00:22:35.309 --> 00:22:39.230 from before the foundation of the world, chapter 00:22:39.230 --> 00:22:45.509 24, be the love that he has for us. We're invited 00:22:45.509 --> 00:22:50.009 to the Trinitarian pre -time, pre -matter love 00:22:50.009 --> 00:22:56.829 that the Father and the Son share. If you've 00:22:56.829 --> 00:23:01.009 ever felt unloved, by your family if you've ever 00:23:01.009 --> 00:23:03.589 felt alone and like without a friend in the whole 00:23:03.589 --> 00:23:07.009 wide world like you have it recorded in the truths 00:23:07.009 --> 00:23:10.950 of scripture that literally the god -sized love 00:23:10.950 --> 00:23:13.509 a matter of fact his embodied like his main characteristic 00:23:13.509 --> 00:23:18.609 first john says that god is love like sacrificial 00:23:18.609 --> 00:23:22.329 love the sacrificial love that the father has 00:23:22.329 --> 00:23:24.509 for the son that the son has for the father that 00:23:24.509 --> 00:23:26.250 is shared and communicated through the power 00:23:26.250 --> 00:23:30.970 of the holy spirit is directed at you yeah like 00:23:30.970 --> 00:23:34.009 like you christian you person listening on the 00:23:34.009 --> 00:23:36.890 like on your commute to work and and that is 00:23:36.890 --> 00:23:40.410 an incredibly encouraging truth i mean is it 00:23:40.410 --> 00:23:44.410 any wonder why when we look at people in our 00:23:44.410 --> 00:23:47.369 world the amount of people that struggle with 00:23:47.369 --> 00:23:50.769 loneliness the amount of people that feel like 00:23:50.769 --> 00:23:53.329 no one cares about them i mean talk about this 00:23:53.329 --> 00:23:56.660 is spiritual warfare Because when you see something 00:23:56.660 --> 00:23:59.500 like this and see how we are loved by the Father, 00:23:59.579 --> 00:24:02.420 we have community within the church, all of these 00:24:02.420 --> 00:24:04.720 things that we are discussing, and yet people 00:24:04.720 --> 00:24:06.359 struggle with this, that's spiritual warfare. 00:24:06.759 --> 00:24:09.859 It is. I think one of Satan's greatest tactics 00:24:09.859 --> 00:24:12.759 is to make us feel like we're alone. Yes. And 00:24:12.759 --> 00:24:16.880 he does that in a myriad of ways. I believe firmly 00:24:16.880 --> 00:24:20.740 that every generation has had its own unique... 00:24:21.049 --> 00:24:23.369 weapons of loneliness, you know, like Satan uses 00:24:23.369 --> 00:24:25.630 different tactics for us. I think a lot of those 00:24:25.630 --> 00:24:27.470 are digital. Some of those are cultural, but 00:24:27.470 --> 00:24:30.430 that spiritual battle is something that we can 00:24:30.430 --> 00:24:32.710 fight with truths like this though. Like that, 00:24:32.710 --> 00:24:35.170 that, that at some of his last moments, Jesus 00:24:35.170 --> 00:24:37.490 thought it was important enough to address with 00:24:37.490 --> 00:24:42.910 the father that you share in the love that he 00:24:42.910 --> 00:24:46.609 and the father share. Like it's, it's extraordinary. 00:24:46.930 --> 00:24:50.609 Yeah. And you know, and I don't, I don't want 00:24:50.609 --> 00:24:52.269 to feel like I'm harping on, you know, I want 00:24:52.269 --> 00:24:54.509 to go off what you said with the digital comment. 00:24:54.910 --> 00:24:58.690 Because a good resource that we have these days 00:24:58.690 --> 00:25:02.690 is that if you're not feeling well, or if you're 00:25:02.690 --> 00:25:04.509 away, that you can be able to watch your church 00:25:04.509 --> 00:25:07.509 service online. Where I think the issue has come 00:25:07.509 --> 00:25:11.269 is where we look at this as replacement mentality, 00:25:11.329 --> 00:25:13.390 and we think that that is a replacement, that 00:25:13.390 --> 00:25:17.569 I can be a part of a church from a digital platform 00:25:17.569 --> 00:25:21.740 solely. I've got issues with that. I do too. 00:25:21.859 --> 00:25:23.779 And there are always going to be exceptions, 00:25:24.079 --> 00:25:26.240 right? Like the person who's homebound, the person 00:25:26.240 --> 00:25:28.380 who can't come. Like I said, there are sickness 00:25:28.380 --> 00:25:31.019 and different reasons. If that is the only way 00:25:31.019 --> 00:25:33.819 that you are able to be a part of the church, 00:25:33.940 --> 00:25:37.299 it has its place. But I think too many people 00:25:37.299 --> 00:25:40.339 use it as an excuse. Well, of course. But Sean, 00:25:40.460 --> 00:25:45.710 the differentiator between I... consume this 00:25:45.710 --> 00:25:48.789 at home and i attend and participate is still 00:25:48.789 --> 00:25:51.849 love yeah like i like really and truly like like 00:25:51.849 --> 00:25:55.230 you can love your church from afar sure yeah 00:25:55.230 --> 00:25:58.230 but like there is also like a degree to love 00:25:58.230 --> 00:26:02.009 where it atrophies without action it atrophies 00:26:02.009 --> 00:26:04.009 without expression um it's the kind of thing 00:26:04.009 --> 00:26:05.849 i could tell maddie i love her all that i want 00:26:05.849 --> 00:26:09.390 but if i refuse to do the dishes you know like 00:26:09.390 --> 00:26:12.089 like do i really do i really And I think that 00:26:12.089 --> 00:26:14.130 love is something that we can choose to step 00:26:14.130 --> 00:26:17.210 into or choose not to. As Christians, when we're 00:26:17.210 --> 00:26:19.490 unified in the Spirit, one of the fruits of that 00:26:19.490 --> 00:26:21.890 is love. Love that we have for one another. Love 00:26:21.890 --> 00:26:25.109 in laying down our preferences. Love in choosing 00:26:25.109 --> 00:26:27.890 to speak grace and kindness to the people around 00:26:27.890 --> 00:26:30.589 us rather than just coming at them for our theological 00:26:30.589 --> 00:26:34.390 differences. But I think that's how... And a 00:26:34.390 --> 00:26:37.690 misunderstanding of love can lead to a misunderstanding 00:26:37.690 --> 00:26:40.609 of what this looks like. Because an argument 00:26:40.609 --> 00:26:42.890 can be made really from a 21st century perspective. 00:26:43.410 --> 00:26:44.589 And I've heard this everywhere. We're like, well, 00:26:44.609 --> 00:26:46.309 if you love me, you would let me do what I want. 00:26:47.230 --> 00:26:49.710 If you love me, you would want me to be happy. 00:26:51.509 --> 00:26:54.750 God does love us. God loves us as much as he 00:26:54.750 --> 00:26:59.359 loved Jesus. Like Christ has specifically asked 00:26:59.359 --> 00:27:02.079 for this and this is God's will. God and Christ 00:27:02.079 --> 00:27:04.279 have the same will. Jesus even says that anything 00:27:04.279 --> 00:27:06.079 coming from him comes from the father, you know, 00:27:06.079 --> 00:27:09.819 but he, he doesn't, and he does love us as we 00:27:09.819 --> 00:27:12.680 are, but his goal is to form us into Christ's 00:27:12.680 --> 00:27:16.480 likeness. And so like that love that Jesus has 00:27:16.480 --> 00:27:18.880 for us and that the father grows in us through 00:27:18.880 --> 00:27:20.599 the spirit. When we express that in the church, 00:27:20.680 --> 00:27:25.640 sometimes love looks like being honest to someone 00:27:25.640 --> 00:27:28.329 else about their sin. Sometimes love looks like 00:27:28.329 --> 00:27:31.049 loving confrontation. Jesus even instructs in 00:27:31.049 --> 00:27:33.910 the Luke passage on forgiveness, I think it's 00:27:33.910 --> 00:27:36.549 Luke 13, that when you forgive somebody, you 00:27:36.549 --> 00:27:38.309 should also go to them and tell them that they've 00:27:38.309 --> 00:27:42.609 wronged you. Jesus absolutely loves us, but he 00:27:42.609 --> 00:27:45.609 also loves us enough to change us and shape us. 00:27:45.789 --> 00:27:49.210 Absolutely. To restore us to what we were created 00:27:49.210 --> 00:27:51.730 to be. And maybe even, to call back to that glorified 00:27:51.730 --> 00:27:54.490 body baldness comment of yours, maybe even to 00:27:54.490 --> 00:27:57.069 restore us to something greater than what we 00:27:57.069 --> 00:28:01.710 were intended to be. 6 -2. Thank you, Sean. You're 00:28:01.710 --> 00:28:05.089 welcome. I'm here for the deep theological discussions. 00:28:06.230 --> 00:28:10.490 Including your desire for a greater height. We're 00:28:10.490 --> 00:28:15.730 moving on. Oh, man. One other thing, and this 00:28:15.730 --> 00:28:18.589 is like, related to our text today, but I just 00:28:18.589 --> 00:28:22.670 thought it was super interesting. Have you ever 00:28:22.670 --> 00:28:24.430 tried to teach about the Trinity? We talked about 00:28:24.430 --> 00:28:28.589 triune theology earlier. Yes, I teach students. 00:28:28.690 --> 00:28:31.549 This is a question that comes up a lot. And you 00:28:31.549 --> 00:28:34.609 know how every single analogy that you give breaks 00:28:34.609 --> 00:28:38.349 down? I hate them, yes. I came across one that 00:28:38.349 --> 00:28:42.809 was tremendously compelling to me. I am cautiously 00:28:42.809 --> 00:28:45.190 listening to what you have to say. I don't think 00:28:45.190 --> 00:28:48.000 it's perfect. But it is darn near the closest 00:28:48.000 --> 00:28:49.960 one I've seen to the concept we're trying to 00:28:49.960 --> 00:28:52.400 portray. If you talk about an egg, I'm going 00:28:52.400 --> 00:28:55.420 to flip this table. You have no idea how much 00:28:55.420 --> 00:28:57.339 I would want to start talking about an egg right 00:28:57.339 --> 00:29:01.759 now. Keep going with your thoughts. Yes. So the 00:29:01.759 --> 00:29:06.380 analogy that I have heard that almost stands 00:29:06.380 --> 00:29:08.619 up to like the theology of the Trinity in my 00:29:08.619 --> 00:29:13.220 mind is the analogy of human speech. Have you 00:29:13.220 --> 00:29:17.099 heard this one before? I have not. Now I'm curious. 00:29:17.579 --> 00:29:21.000 So here's how the analogy works. The speaker 00:29:21.000 --> 00:29:25.160 is the father. He's the originator of the thought 00:29:25.160 --> 00:29:29.700 and the speech. Okay. Okay. The word is the son. 00:29:29.799 --> 00:29:32.140 Now this is John 1, classic John 1. Like Jesus 00:29:32.140 --> 00:29:34.200 is the word. The word became flesh and built 00:29:34.200 --> 00:29:37.160 along us. He's the expression of the speaker's 00:29:37.160 --> 00:29:40.880 mind. And Jesus mirrors that as a logos. Think 00:29:40.880 --> 00:29:44.059 about it like Colossians 1. He is the image of 00:29:44.059 --> 00:29:49.940 the invisible God. And then the breath that propels 00:29:49.940 --> 00:29:52.960 the speech is the spirit, the ruach. Even the 00:29:52.960 --> 00:29:56.940 word in scripture for spirit is also the word 00:29:56.940 --> 00:29:59.759 for wind or breath. It's the unseen power required 00:29:59.759 --> 00:30:03.650 to carry the sound. Each part is distinct, but 00:30:03.650 --> 00:30:06.009 not separate. The voice, the word, and the breath 00:30:06.009 --> 00:30:08.190 are three completely different components, but 00:30:08.190 --> 00:30:10.029 you cannot have one without the others during 00:30:10.029 --> 00:30:14.029 speech. But there is also simultaneous unity. 00:30:14.130 --> 00:30:17.009 They occur at the exact same time to form a single 00:30:17.009 --> 00:30:19.970 act of communication, just like the three co 00:30:19.970 --> 00:30:21.990 -equal persons of the Trinity exist together 00:30:21.990 --> 00:30:26.160 eternally. Like I said, it's not perfect, but 00:30:26.160 --> 00:30:29.740 it is very close to the theological truth that 00:30:29.740 --> 00:30:32.059 encapsulates the Trinity. It's the best one I've 00:30:32.059 --> 00:30:34.980 heard. It's kind of abstract. Well, of course 00:30:34.980 --> 00:30:38.000 it is. The Trinity itself is an abstract concept, 00:30:38.119 --> 00:30:41.039 Sean. So it's like I'm having to digest this. 00:30:41.200 --> 00:30:43.759 Yes. And I was really having to concentrate as 00:30:43.759 --> 00:30:48.259 you were speaking because it's interesting. It's 00:30:48.259 --> 00:30:50.039 very interesting. It's a very interesting comparison. 00:30:52.380 --> 00:30:54.359 I like it more than I thought I would like it. 00:30:54.720 --> 00:30:56.940 Yes, because anytime someone's like, I have the 00:30:56.940 --> 00:30:58.779 perfect analogy for the Trinity, it's like, no, 00:30:58.859 --> 00:31:02.279 that's modalism. Yes. No, that's this. Oh, no, 00:31:02.319 --> 00:31:04.680 that's that. Because it falls apart. And unfortunately, 00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:07.720 because this is such a core truth to what we 00:31:07.720 --> 00:31:11.690 believe, we kind of have to get this right. You 00:31:11.690 --> 00:31:17.150 know, I went and grabbed a book that I didn't 00:31:17.150 --> 00:31:19.609 buy it for the podcast, but I read this in college 00:31:19.609 --> 00:31:23.769 that was really, really compelling to me. And 00:31:23.769 --> 00:31:26.150 I just wanted to share this little quote with 00:31:26.150 --> 00:31:28.170 you as we kind of land the plane on this episode. 00:31:29.690 --> 00:31:34.170 So there was a young Scottish man in the 1100s 00:31:34.170 --> 00:31:38.690 named St. Richard of the Abbey of St. Victor. 00:31:39.119 --> 00:31:42.640 And he argued this regarding the Trinity, like 00:31:42.640 --> 00:31:44.660 why it's important that God be three persons 00:31:44.660 --> 00:31:48.059 that are distinct but co -equal at the same time. 00:31:49.039 --> 00:31:52.039 Richard argued that if God were just one person, 00:31:52.180 --> 00:31:55.259 he could not be intrinsically loving, since for 00:31:55.259 --> 00:31:57.539 all of eternity before creation, he would have 00:31:57.539 --> 00:32:01.240 had nobody to love. If there were two persons 00:32:01.240 --> 00:32:03.500 of the Trinity, he went on, God might be loving 00:32:03.500 --> 00:32:06.980 but in an excluding, ungenerous way. After all, 00:32:07.000 --> 00:32:08.480 when two persons love each other, they can be 00:32:08.480 --> 00:32:10.599 so infatuated with each other that they simply 00:32:10.599 --> 00:32:15.440 ignore everyone else. And a God like that would 00:32:15.440 --> 00:32:19.480 be very far from good news. But when the love 00:32:19.480 --> 00:32:21.940 between two persons is happy, healthy, and secure, 00:32:22.160 --> 00:32:26.680 they rejoice to share it. Just so it is with 00:32:26.680 --> 00:32:30.180 God, says Richard of St. Victor. Being perfectly 00:32:30.180 --> 00:32:32.380 loving from all eternity, the Father and Son 00:32:32.380 --> 00:32:35.140 have delighted to share their love and joy with 00:32:35.140 --> 00:32:38.420 and through the Spirit. It is not then that God 00:32:38.420 --> 00:32:43.200 becomes sharing. Being triune, God is a sharing 00:32:43.200 --> 00:32:45.619 God, a God who loves to include. Indeed, that 00:32:45.619 --> 00:32:48.380 is why God will go on to create. For his love 00:32:48.380 --> 00:32:52.200 is not for keeping, but for spreading. In God's 00:32:52.200 --> 00:32:54.619 very nature is the notion that we would be invited 00:32:54.619 --> 00:32:59.799 into the love that the Trinity shares. Wow. I 00:32:59.799 --> 00:33:02.799 like that, man. Yeah. It was a very interesting 00:33:02.799 --> 00:33:08.279 quote from a very, very old monk. It's good stuff. 00:33:08.599 --> 00:33:11.960 Yeah. Well, dude, this has been fun. I feel like 00:33:11.960 --> 00:33:18.240 we blew through this episode. I like... Blew. 00:33:18.380 --> 00:33:23.940 Breath. That's what I'm saying. I'm trying to 00:33:23.940 --> 00:33:27.099 get something. I'm trying. I'm trying. You're 00:33:27.099 --> 00:33:32.359 succeeding, Sean. Yay! I affirm. Oh my goodness. 00:33:33.039 --> 00:33:35.720 Too much coffee. Once again, too much coffee. 00:33:35.859 --> 00:33:37.859 Thank you guys for listening. I'm going to land 00:33:37.859 --> 00:33:41.039 this plane before Sean says anything else. What 00:33:41.039 --> 00:33:47.759 do we want? When do we want them? Now! We'll 00:33:47.759 --> 00:33:54.369 see you guys next week. Bye! pursuing Jesus is 00:33:54.369 --> 00:33:57.329 a ministry of Memorial Baptist Church in Norwood, 00:33:57.390 --> 00:33:59.549 North Carolina. To learn more about our church, 00:33:59.650 --> 00:34:03.150 please visit memorial4norwood .com.