WEBVTT 00:00:03.300 --> 00:00:08.539 Howdy Have you ever been invited to something 00:00:08.539 --> 00:00:11.400 that you didn't feel that maybe you were worthy 00:00:11.400 --> 00:00:16.079 of You know, it was a dinner party or a banquet 00:00:16.079 --> 00:00:19.739 a wedding there was something where you walk 00:00:19.739 --> 00:00:24.239 in and You wonder if the invitation was meant 00:00:24.239 --> 00:00:28.609 for somebody else say maybe you come in and You're 00:00:28.609 --> 00:00:30.969 a little bit underdressed. Everybody else is 00:00:30.969 --> 00:00:34.009 in their, you know, black tie outfit and you're 00:00:34.009 --> 00:00:36.649 there, you know, ready for the barbecue cookout 00:00:36.649 --> 00:00:40.729 in the backyard. Or sometimes whenever you're 00:00:40.729 --> 00:00:43.429 listening to the conversation and they're talking 00:00:43.429 --> 00:00:46.250 about, you know, stocks and bonds and you're 00:00:46.250 --> 00:00:48.630 just trying to make sure that you discussed what 00:00:48.630 --> 00:00:52.109 the Astros were up to that week. Or even the 00:00:52.109 --> 00:00:54.409 time when you walk up and you realize that you 00:00:54.409 --> 00:00:58.070 accidentally double dipped. in front of the host. 00:00:59.130 --> 00:01:01.469 Yeah, that's never acceptable, by the way. No, 00:01:01.490 --> 00:01:04.969 no, never do that. But the truth is, you were 00:01:04.969 --> 00:01:08.849 on the guest list. And it's not because you earned 00:01:08.849 --> 00:01:12.230 it, but not because you were impressive, but 00:01:12.230 --> 00:01:16.250 just because you knew that the host wanted you 00:01:16.250 --> 00:01:20.049 there. You knew the person who had put on this 00:01:20.049 --> 00:01:23.530 event. And you knew that they wanted you there. 00:01:23.810 --> 00:01:26.239 And that's why you had been invited. And that's 00:01:26.239 --> 00:01:30.019 the gospel. That's grace. That's the start of 00:01:30.019 --> 00:01:35.140 the mystery of Christ. That's the tone that Paul 00:01:35.140 --> 00:01:37.599 is striking when we're looking at Colossians 00:01:37.599 --> 00:01:40.959 1 today. See, he's writing to a community of 00:01:40.959 --> 00:01:43.500 Christians that are trying to figure out what 00:01:43.500 --> 00:01:48.620 it really means to follow after Jesus. Is it 00:01:48.620 --> 00:01:51.599 trying to discover some new knowledge that others 00:01:51.599 --> 00:01:55.170 didn't have that only came from Jesus? Is it 00:01:55.170 --> 00:01:57.930 about making sure that they look more spiritual 00:01:57.930 --> 00:02:02.530 than other people do? They haven't just stumbled 00:02:02.530 --> 00:02:05.329 into something good, they've been brought into 00:02:05.329 --> 00:02:08.430 something that's mysterious, something eternal, 00:02:09.009 --> 00:02:13.530 something costly, something joyful. And they're 00:02:13.530 --> 00:02:15.969 only just now beginning to understand what that 00:02:15.969 --> 00:02:21.150 truly means. So what does this invitation look 00:02:21.150 --> 00:02:25.069 like once we're inside? when we realize that 00:02:25.069 --> 00:02:27.550 we've been brought into a place that we don't 00:02:27.550 --> 00:02:31.550 quite deserve, but we know that we're meant to 00:02:31.550 --> 00:02:35.310 be there. And that's when I want us to start 00:02:35.310 --> 00:02:38.310 looking at someone who's at the party, someone 00:02:38.310 --> 00:02:41.849 in the middle of the action, and we take a look 00:02:41.849 --> 00:02:45.449 at Martha. Now, I'm gonna be honest with you. 00:02:45.770 --> 00:02:48.310 I think Martha always gets a bad rap, don't you? 00:02:48.889 --> 00:02:50.610 I mean, yeah, I mean, come on. I mean, what? 00:02:51.250 --> 00:02:53.169 Mean she's just trying to make sure that the 00:02:53.169 --> 00:02:55.669 hors d 'oeuvres are set up and everything make 00:02:55.669 --> 00:02:58.349 sure that things are tidied up Cleaned up and 00:02:58.349 --> 00:03:00.969 everything. I mean, you know the feeling right? 00:03:01.449 --> 00:03:04.210 You're kind of like oops. I didn't get the laundry 00:03:04.210 --> 00:03:07.650 put in I and I got to make sure you didn't clean 00:03:07.650 --> 00:03:09.650 the counters as well as you you really wanted 00:03:09.650 --> 00:03:12.789 to you know that dirty stuff in the Stove like 00:03:12.789 --> 00:03:15.610 in the crevices and it's like let me see if I 00:03:15.610 --> 00:03:17.289 could scrape that out really really quickly, 00:03:17.729 --> 00:03:20.550 you know all those things that you just want 00:03:20.550 --> 00:03:22.629 everything to be perfect for the people that 00:03:22.629 --> 00:03:25.569 are there. Did Martha really do that terrible 00:03:25.569 --> 00:03:29.930 of a thing? See, when we think about the people 00:03:29.930 --> 00:03:33.930 that show up into the party of the gospel, we 00:03:33.930 --> 00:03:37.810 have to look at Martha. But you see, Martha is 00:03:37.810 --> 00:03:41.169 really a dedicated disciple. If you look at Martha 00:03:41.169 --> 00:03:45.129 on the whole, the thing is that we see that she 00:03:45.129 --> 00:03:49.120 follows Jesus wholeheartedly. In John 11, we 00:03:49.120 --> 00:03:52.699 see that when her brother Lazarus had died, Martha 00:03:52.699 --> 00:03:56.439 is the one who greets Jesus, not Mary, and ends 00:03:56.439 --> 00:04:01.759 up discussing that he is the Messiah, the Son 00:04:01.759 --> 00:04:04.479 of God. She's got one of the best declarations 00:04:04.479 --> 00:04:07.340 of faith in the Gospels, and she's the one who 00:04:07.340 --> 00:04:10.159 declares faith in the resurrection. That she 00:04:10.159 --> 00:04:11.620 believes, even though she doesn't know what's 00:04:11.620 --> 00:04:15.340 about to happen with Lazarus, she believes. that 00:04:15.340 --> 00:04:17.560 He will rise again someday. She just didn't know 00:04:17.560 --> 00:04:20.980 how quickly it was going to happen. And in John 00:04:20.980 --> 00:04:23.680 12 when Lazarus is alive again and Jesus is sitting 00:04:23.680 --> 00:04:27.839 at the table, guess what? Martha was serving. 00:04:29.259 --> 00:04:33.680 Martha shows up. Martha opens her home. Martha 00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:36.720 tends to the people gathered around Jesus. She 00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:39.959 knows how many people are there and she knows 00:04:39.959 --> 00:04:42.420 that she's got to be the one to get things done. 00:04:43.509 --> 00:04:46.149 Martha serves the meal. Martha sets the table. 00:04:46.290 --> 00:04:50.470 And we even see her work so hard that she gets 00:04:50.470 --> 00:04:54.730 overwhelmed. And there was her sister doing what 00:04:54.730 --> 00:04:57.790 appeared to be nothing. I'm sure you know the 00:04:57.790 --> 00:05:01.209 feeling. Alright? How many times that you're 00:05:01.209 --> 00:05:05.209 just thinking, if only my spouse would help out 00:05:05.209 --> 00:05:07.470 a little bit. If only my kids would help out 00:05:07.470 --> 00:05:10.769 a little bit. If only somebody would just volunteer 00:05:10.769 --> 00:05:15.939 and just do a little something. In Luke 10, she's 00:05:15.939 --> 00:05:20.019 worried and distracted by many things. She wants 00:05:20.019 --> 00:05:25.199 Jesus to make Mary help. Because if anybody would 00:05:25.199 --> 00:05:29.220 really understand, it would be the Messiah, right? 00:05:29.759 --> 00:05:34.079 He knows all things. But Jesus says that Mary 00:05:34.079 --> 00:05:38.220 has chosen the better part. That being with Him 00:05:38.220 --> 00:05:43.779 matters more than performing for Him. That probably 00:05:43.779 --> 00:05:48.040 hurt a little bit. After everything she's been 00:05:48.040 --> 00:05:51.660 doing, wouldn't that sting just a little bit? 00:05:52.300 --> 00:05:55.500 See, Martha is us. How often do we get so caught 00:05:55.500 --> 00:05:59.519 up in doing more and trying harder to make everything 00:05:59.519 --> 00:06:02.600 better because we somehow think it's more about 00:06:02.600 --> 00:06:05.740 our efforts than about the one that we're with? 00:06:06.350 --> 00:06:08.389 It's more about our efforts than it is about 00:06:08.389 --> 00:06:11.230 Christ. It's more about our effort than the relationships 00:06:11.230 --> 00:06:15.350 that we're meant to celebrate. We want the appetizer 00:06:15.350 --> 00:06:19.009 spread to be better, so we walk away from our 00:06:19.009 --> 00:06:22.470 guests and start cooking more. We want games 00:06:22.470 --> 00:06:24.790 to be played, so we interrupt their conversations 00:06:24.790 --> 00:06:27.750 because we need to get settlers of Catan going 00:06:27.750 --> 00:06:31.769 in the other room. I've never done that before, 00:06:32.110 --> 00:06:37.319 clearly. But Martha... Martha is all of us, trying 00:06:37.319 --> 00:06:41.300 to be faithful in the details, wrestling with 00:06:41.300 --> 00:06:45.699 the tension between doing and being. Sometimes 00:06:45.699 --> 00:06:49.180 missing the moment because we're working so hard 00:06:49.180 --> 00:06:54.699 to make it happen. The expectations of what we 00:06:54.699 --> 00:06:57.500 think we have to get done, not just for ourselves 00:06:57.500 --> 00:07:02.379 but for others, and then we miss out on the ones 00:07:02.379 --> 00:07:05.899 that we were given. But you see, Jesus doesn't 00:07:05.899 --> 00:07:10.480 dismiss Martha. This is not some sort of major 00:07:10.480 --> 00:07:14.279 intention to insult and dismiss her. He loves 00:07:14.279 --> 00:07:19.339 her. Paul says that in Christ, even people like 00:07:19.339 --> 00:07:22.720 us, the worried ones, the distracted ones, the 00:07:22.720 --> 00:07:26.360 imperfect ones, are holy in His sight without 00:07:26.360 --> 00:07:31.920 blemish and free from accusation. See, the party 00:07:31.920 --> 00:07:35.649 of faith, the life, of faith, it's different. 00:07:36.529 --> 00:07:39.290 It's different from what we might normally see 00:07:39.290 --> 00:07:44.069 when we gather. Not every moment in the house 00:07:44.069 --> 00:07:48.449 is always frivolous. It's always easy. Sometimes 00:07:48.449 --> 00:07:52.509 the music fades. We find ourselves face to face 00:07:52.509 --> 00:07:57.069 with conflict, with struggle, sometimes even 00:07:57.069 --> 00:08:00.970 with pain. But you see, suffering is a part of 00:08:00.970 --> 00:08:07.629 the party. Christians do suffer in many ways. 00:08:08.769 --> 00:08:12.269 Paul says that he rejoices in what he is suffering 00:08:12.269 --> 00:08:16.709 for them, and that he fills up in his flesh what 00:08:16.709 --> 00:08:20.050 is still lacking in regard to Christ's affliction. 00:08:20.829 --> 00:08:23.889 What a strange thing to discuss in regard to 00:08:23.889 --> 00:08:26.970 a party, isn't it? Who really wants to be at 00:08:26.970 --> 00:08:29.399 a party where you're going to be suffering? Somewhere 00:08:29.399 --> 00:08:33.539 in between the deviled eggs and the finger foods 00:08:33.539 --> 00:08:36.440 and you're trying to figure out Why it is that 00:08:36.440 --> 00:08:39.200 you have to suffer and it's not just having to 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:42.679 listen to that person's conversation topic But 00:08:42.679 --> 00:08:46.539 it's something that's meant to be profound It 00:08:46.539 --> 00:08:50.019 means suffering isn't an interruption to the 00:08:50.019 --> 00:08:54.080 Christian life. It's a part of the pattern that 00:08:54.080 --> 00:08:58.759 Jesus modeled for us See, it's not that God delights 00:08:58.779 --> 00:09:02.360 in our pain, as if somehow it's like, yay, I'm 00:09:02.360 --> 00:09:05.539 glad you're suffering. But because we follow 00:09:05.539 --> 00:09:09.919 a Savior who suffered in love, who did what was 00:09:09.919 --> 00:09:13.779 needed because of that suffering, and we're being 00:09:13.779 --> 00:09:18.539 made to be like Him. See, as we hear from Paul, 00:09:19.580 --> 00:09:23.139 there are three types of tension, three types 00:09:23.139 --> 00:09:26.899 of struggle. that resonate with us when we think 00:09:26.899 --> 00:09:29.919 about what the suffering might be. There's one 00:09:29.919 --> 00:09:32.360 of them that talks about when the world pushes 00:09:32.360 --> 00:09:36.740 back against us. See, this is the one that we 00:09:36.740 --> 00:09:40.399 so often focus on when we consider the suffering 00:09:40.399 --> 00:09:43.799 that Paul speaks about. We're living out our 00:09:43.799 --> 00:09:47.700 faith in a culture that doesn't always understand 00:09:47.700 --> 00:09:52.679 that it can lead to resistance, rejection, even 00:09:52.679 --> 00:09:56.850 ridicule. for being Christian. Sometimes the 00:09:56.850 --> 00:10:00.230 world pushes back simply because you're there 00:10:00.230 --> 00:10:04.610 and you showed up. You brought your faith to 00:10:04.610 --> 00:10:07.909 work, to school, to public life, and someone 00:10:07.909 --> 00:10:12.049 told you that it doesn't belong there. That kind 00:10:12.049 --> 00:10:14.690 of suffering can feel like being the only person 00:10:14.690 --> 00:10:18.470 at a costume party who actually wore a costume. 00:10:19.570 --> 00:10:21.470 Which isn't a problem for me, I always look good 00:10:21.470 --> 00:10:25.980 in a costume, but you know. You stand out, and 00:10:25.980 --> 00:10:30.259 not in a comfortable way. This is the one we 00:10:30.259 --> 00:10:33.919 often see when we're looking at suffering, whether 00:10:33.919 --> 00:10:37.320 it's always true or not. But you see, there's 00:10:37.320 --> 00:10:42.320 a second one. When the world weighs heavy. It's 00:10:42.320 --> 00:10:44.379 not just that it's pushing back, but sometimes 00:10:44.379 --> 00:10:48.720 the world is just heavy. It's just a load. Sometimes 00:10:48.720 --> 00:10:51.559 we struggle in the world just because we exist. 00:10:51.799 --> 00:10:55.059 as God's children. Even when no one or nothing 00:10:55.059 --> 00:10:58.960 is actually pushing against us, it's just heavy. 00:10:59.620 --> 00:11:03.000 We see injustice, brokenness, war, poverty, racism, 00:11:03.759 --> 00:11:08.480 and our hearts ache. To love like Christ means 00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:13.120 that we hurt like Christ. Even when no one is 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:16.580 trying to hurt us. There are times when it's 00:11:16.580 --> 00:11:20.100 not about persecution, but rather about pressure. 00:11:21.190 --> 00:11:25.590 Because life itself, it's heavy. Grief, illness, 00:11:25.769 --> 00:11:29.309 exhaustion, anxiety. These are things that weigh 00:11:29.309 --> 00:11:33.750 us down even if no one is targeting us. Being 00:11:33.750 --> 00:11:36.009 at the party doesn't always mean that the music 00:11:36.009 --> 00:11:39.470 is too loud because they want to annoy you. Sometimes 00:11:39.470 --> 00:11:41.809 you sit quietly and try to hold it all together 00:11:41.809 --> 00:11:47.309 just because you've had a long week. And then 00:11:47.309 --> 00:11:51.730 sometimes the struggle is when my soul weighs 00:11:51.730 --> 00:11:55.129 heavy. See, sometimes the hardest struggles are 00:11:55.129 --> 00:11:58.830 inside. The doubt, the depression, the anxiety, 00:11:59.029 --> 00:12:02.710 the loneliness, the anger, even the feeling of 00:12:02.710 --> 00:12:04.950 failure when we realize that maybe we missed 00:12:04.950 --> 00:12:07.509 the point or maybe we even missed what Christ 00:12:07.509 --> 00:12:11.669 has even been doing at all. We don't need one 00:12:11.669 --> 00:12:15.509 thing to actually happen. Those feelings may 00:12:15.509 --> 00:12:20.799 just be there. We don't always know why. The 00:12:20.799 --> 00:12:23.559 internal struggle. When you realize that the 00:12:23.559 --> 00:12:26.259 real burden isn't just on the outside, but inside 00:12:26.259 --> 00:12:29.840 of you. Because you want control. Because you 00:12:29.840 --> 00:12:32.679 want to be right. Because you want to be the 00:12:32.679 --> 00:12:35.960 host and make everything perfect. But the Spirit 00:12:35.960 --> 00:12:39.179 keeps pulling you back. Reminding you that this 00:12:39.179 --> 00:12:42.980 party isn't about your power. It's about surrender. 00:12:44.100 --> 00:12:46.299 Because the maturity that we're seeking in Christ 00:12:46.299 --> 00:12:51.620 involves allowing ourselves to break in a holy, 00:12:52.039 --> 00:12:57.039 refining way. Not for self -destruction, but 00:12:57.039 --> 00:13:00.399 for self -surrender. See, Paul isn't glorifying 00:13:00.399 --> 00:13:03.139 suffering for its own sake. He's reframing it 00:13:03.139 --> 00:13:07.360 as something that can refine us or be used for 00:13:07.360 --> 00:13:10.759 God's purposes. It's not just something to endure 00:13:10.759 --> 00:13:14.639 for its own sake, but rather because it can bring 00:13:14.639 --> 00:13:18.679 us closer to God. He's saying that the party 00:13:18.679 --> 00:13:21.500 we've been invited to it's not about trying to 00:13:21.500 --> 00:13:25.259 shine the brightest but rather about growing 00:13:25.259 --> 00:13:30.500 as a person and Growth often comes through the 00:13:30.500 --> 00:13:34.740 struggle and yet even in the suffering Sometimes 00:13:34.740 --> 00:13:38.139 something deeper is happening Something mysterious 00:13:38.139 --> 00:13:42.120 and now we begin to see who's really hosting 00:13:42.120 --> 00:13:46.679 this gathering It may be at Martha's house But 00:13:46.679 --> 00:13:52.480 who's the real host? See, that's where the party 00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:59.000 gets flipped. The mystery of Christ in you. See, 00:13:59.159 --> 00:14:02.500 we thought we were the ones throwing the party. 00:14:03.500 --> 00:14:05.919 We thought we were the ones throwing the party 00:14:05.919 --> 00:14:10.759 for Jesus. We built the space. We sent the invites. 00:14:10.860 --> 00:14:14.440 We set up the table right. Our Christian lives, 00:14:14.659 --> 00:14:18.399 we've made a place in our life for Jesus, right? 00:14:19.279 --> 00:14:24.379 But the mystery is that He's the host. We may 00:14:24.379 --> 00:14:28.039 be the location, but Jesus is the one hosting 00:14:28.039 --> 00:14:31.419 the party. It always has been. He always will 00:14:31.419 --> 00:14:35.000 be. Christ in you, the hope of glory. That's 00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:40.190 the mystery. That's his whole thing. This whole 00:14:40.190 --> 00:14:42.350 thing isn't about us inviting Him into our lives, 00:14:42.409 --> 00:14:46.450 but about Him inviting us into His. Into His 00:14:46.450 --> 00:14:49.389 life, into His suffering, His joy, His resurrection. 00:14:49.750 --> 00:14:52.850 It's not about trying to have the best knowledge 00:14:52.850 --> 00:14:55.250 in the world about what we think is important, 00:14:55.409 --> 00:14:58.070 or about being as beautiful and as shiny as we 00:14:58.070 --> 00:15:02.049 want our spiritual lives to be. Rather, it's 00:15:02.049 --> 00:15:04.610 the One who's invited us into it in the first 00:15:04.610 --> 00:15:07.549 place. Everything you thought you brought to 00:15:07.549 --> 00:15:11.970 the table, He already prepared it. Every story 00:15:11.970 --> 00:15:14.950 you thought you owned, He's been writing it. 00:15:15.250 --> 00:15:17.929 I've been the person who bought the potato salad 00:15:17.929 --> 00:15:21.190 from Kroger and hoped for the best. Don't we 00:15:21.190 --> 00:15:24.029 know what the feeling is when we've walked in 00:15:24.029 --> 00:15:27.950 and said, I didn't make it, but I hope you like 00:15:27.950 --> 00:15:33.289 it? Isn't that truly what we see in Christ? The 00:15:33.289 --> 00:15:35.490 real celebration is not what you've done for 00:15:35.490 --> 00:15:40.120 Him, it's what He's done for you. This opens 00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:44.460 up not just the identity of Christ, but the scale 00:15:44.460 --> 00:15:46.659 of what He's doing. Because He's not just a teacher. 00:15:47.460 --> 00:15:50.639 He's not just a miracle worker, not some abstract 00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:53.200 idea of salvation that anyone in the world would 00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:56.860 be okay with. He's the living presence of God. 00:15:57.720 --> 00:16:00.460 Who has taken you into Himself. See, that's what 00:16:00.460 --> 00:16:06.620 Mary knew. Mary, Martha's sister, wasn't just 00:16:06.620 --> 00:16:10.899 contemplative, She received the mystery revealed 00:16:10.899 --> 00:16:14.139 because the mystery was Christ Himself, and she 00:16:14.139 --> 00:16:17.059 was there with Him. The Gospel isn't a spiritual 00:16:17.059 --> 00:16:21.419 idea or a motivational framework that you can 00:16:21.419 --> 00:16:23.960 internalize with a self -help audio book in the 00:16:23.960 --> 00:16:26.220 few minutes that you have with Christ before 00:16:26.220 --> 00:16:30.320 your Cheerios, hopefully Honey Nut. It's Christ 00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:34.759 in you. The hope of glory in the midst of suffering 00:16:34.759 --> 00:16:39.139 each and every day. each and every hour of the 00:16:39.139 --> 00:16:44.980 day. We don't grow by fixing our mindset or out 00:16:44.980 --> 00:16:49.600 thinking our anxiety. We grow by receiving Christ 00:16:49.600 --> 00:16:54.480 even in the mess and even in our struggle. See, 00:16:54.559 --> 00:16:57.100 Mary received this mystery not because she figured 00:16:57.100 --> 00:17:00.080 it out like some Zen master, but because she 00:17:00.080 --> 00:17:05.539 sat and let Jesus reveal it. Paul calls it a 00:17:05.539 --> 00:17:08.619 mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and 00:17:08.619 --> 00:17:11.220 generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord's 00:17:11.220 --> 00:17:16.859 people, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 00:17:18.339 --> 00:17:24.440 Have you been letting Christ Himself be the center? 00:17:24.700 --> 00:17:30.920 Not being Christian, have you let Christ Himself 00:17:30.920 --> 00:17:34.599 be the center? because that's the center of the 00:17:34.599 --> 00:17:37.819 party. That's the thing that changes everything. 00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:40.339 He's the one who changes everything. Not that 00:17:40.339 --> 00:17:43.799 we've shown up to do something good. That's not 00:17:43.799 --> 00:17:47.319 the center. Someone great has shown up in us. 00:17:47.359 --> 00:17:50.400 The mystery isn't that we found Christ. It's 00:17:50.400 --> 00:17:54.460 that Christ found us. It's that God is throwing 00:17:54.460 --> 00:17:59.579 the party and the guest list includes us. Yes. 00:18:00.339 --> 00:18:03.890 We get to bring a dish. Yes. We get to set up 00:18:03.890 --> 00:18:08.190 a game, but it's not because of our resume, but 00:18:08.190 --> 00:18:11.730 because of his grace. It's like the watch party 00:18:11.730 --> 00:18:15.130 with your championship game for your team. You 00:18:15.130 --> 00:18:18.549 know that you're not on the field, but you know 00:18:18.549 --> 00:18:22.309 that it's your team. The jersey is now on you. 00:18:22.329 --> 00:18:25.509 The ring that they win somehow belongs to you. 00:18:25.869 --> 00:18:28.549 The victory is yours not because you earned it, 00:18:28.549 --> 00:18:31.750 but because the one who did has made the room 00:18:31.750 --> 00:18:35.180 for you. And at the end of the night though, 00:18:35.779 --> 00:18:40.160 what's left? What do we carry out with us? Not 00:18:40.160 --> 00:18:43.740 just the leftovers and the party favors, but 00:18:43.740 --> 00:18:46.559 after everything we've experienced in this party. 00:18:48.099 --> 00:18:52.619 Maturity happens at the end of the party as we 00:18:52.619 --> 00:18:57.960 grow in Christ. Because Paul says he is the one 00:18:57.960 --> 00:19:03.589 we proclaim. Admonishing. teaching everyone with 00:19:03.589 --> 00:19:07.910 all wisdom so that we may present everyone fully 00:19:07.910 --> 00:19:12.769 mature in Christ. To this end, I strenuously 00:19:12.769 --> 00:19:15.589 contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully 00:19:15.589 --> 00:19:19.190 works in me. So what is the maturity that we 00:19:19.190 --> 00:19:22.950 want to have in Christ? It's not having all the 00:19:22.950 --> 00:19:26.829 answers or conquering every emotion or distraction 00:19:26.829 --> 00:19:29.609 that's there as if somehow we can put them all 00:19:29.609 --> 00:19:34.119 away and be the perfect automaton, it's knowing 00:19:34.119 --> 00:19:38.720 who the host is. It's being able to sit down 00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:40.819 at the table without thinking that you somehow 00:19:40.819 --> 00:19:44.359 have to earn your spot there. Because of maturity 00:19:44.359 --> 00:19:47.700 doesn't mean perfection. It means becoming who 00:19:47.700 --> 00:19:50.240 you were meant to be. It means knowing where 00:19:50.240 --> 00:19:54.579 your home is. It means living with gratitude 00:19:54.579 --> 00:19:58.400 and courage and trust. Not just because you've 00:19:58.400 --> 00:20:01.559 been to the party. but because you now know the 00:20:01.559 --> 00:20:09.759 host. Maturity is gratitude, humility, confidence 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:13.420 that grows not because you figured it all out, 00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:17.299 but because you stayed and accepted the mystery 00:20:17.299 --> 00:20:21.319 of Christ. Because you learned how to dance even 00:20:21.319 --> 00:20:23.859 when the music didn't make sense. Because you 00:20:23.859 --> 00:20:27.180 kept coming back to the table when the food is 00:20:27.180 --> 00:20:30.759 delicious. because the invitation is still open 00:20:30.759 --> 00:20:35.759 and the Lord's doors are open wide. The mystery 00:20:35.759 --> 00:20:41.400 still holds of Christ in you and Christ in me. 00:20:42.240 --> 00:20:45.680 The hope of glory, the mystery of Christ is that 00:20:45.680 --> 00:20:48.900 you didn't throw this party but you're in the 00:20:48.900 --> 00:20:53.200 middle of it because He wants you there and He's 00:20:53.200 --> 00:20:57.559 glad that you're here. Thanks be to God.