WEBVTT 00:00:03.809 --> 00:00:07.889 Howdy We we love comfort I Think that's fair 00:00:07.889 --> 00:00:10.669 to say to be honest. I think it's fair to say 00:00:10.669 --> 00:00:14.990 we love comfort in our lives the comfort of a 00:00:14.990 --> 00:00:19.989 recliner after a long day That the remote right 00:00:19.989 --> 00:00:22.570 there next to you because you don't want to have 00:00:22.570 --> 00:00:25.129 to reach over and heaven forbid you had to get 00:00:25.129 --> 00:00:29.410 up binge watching the favorite show, the favorite 00:00:29.410 --> 00:00:31.910 show of the week because that has to change every 00:00:31.910 --> 00:00:35.149 week, of course. And the comfort of knowing maybe 00:00:35.149 --> 00:00:37.509 it's a day you don't have to rush anywhere and 00:00:37.509 --> 00:00:39.909 you don't really have to do anything particular. 00:00:40.869 --> 00:00:43.490 Comfort. It's something that we are so grateful 00:00:43.490 --> 00:00:46.350 to have, especially in our country, especially 00:00:46.350 --> 00:00:49.070 in our world, especially in this modern age. 00:00:49.850 --> 00:00:53.070 But sometimes comfort can be more than just relaxing. 00:00:53.609 --> 00:00:58.439 Sometimes comfort can weaken us. sometimes comfort 00:00:58.439 --> 00:01:03.600 can undermine what makes us strong. Do y 'all 00:01:03.600 --> 00:01:06.700 remember that movie WALL -E? The little bitty 00:01:06.700 --> 00:01:11.079 robot, you know, WALL -E. Yeah, and he was like, 00:01:11.239 --> 00:01:13.980 he would go around and he was rolling around 00:01:13.980 --> 00:01:17.299 the whole earth, right? And he was on a planet, 00:01:17.599 --> 00:01:20.920 he was on the earth at a time later on when... 00:01:20.480 --> 00:01:22.459 We had just polluted it way too much. It was 00:01:22.459 --> 00:01:25.400 covered in garbage. And he would go around and 00:01:25.400 --> 00:01:27.959 organize all the garbage into little stacks and 00:01:27.959 --> 00:01:30.159 try to tidy up the whole world being polluted 00:01:30.159 --> 00:01:33.099 and everything. But one day, he discovered a 00:01:33.099 --> 00:01:37.079 tiny little plant. And this tiny plant he saw, 00:01:37.299 --> 00:01:40.079 he picked it up, and he was giving it to his 00:01:40.079 --> 00:01:44.180 little robot crush, Eve. And he went up, and 00:01:44.180 --> 00:01:48.879 when she saw it, though, she ran away. And what 00:01:48.879 --> 00:01:51.099 ends up happening is they're trying to get it 00:01:51.099 --> 00:01:54.319 to the spaceship that has all of the human beings, 00:01:54.379 --> 00:01:57.900 because if they could get it there, then it would 00:01:57.900 --> 00:02:01.359 be time to return to Earth and fix the whole 00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:04.659 Earth all over again. But that's the thing about 00:02:04.659 --> 00:02:07.700 this, though, is that the ship was meant to be 00:02:07.700 --> 00:02:10.719 perfectly comfortable, perfectly comfortable 00:02:10.719 --> 00:02:14.900 for everyone, taking care of every comfort imaginable, 00:02:15.180 --> 00:02:19.139 But the ship also did not want to let anybody 00:02:19.139 --> 00:02:25.280 go. See, the comfort itself, let's not worry 00:02:25.280 --> 00:02:27.419 about the earth, and it's a little too dirty. 00:02:27.479 --> 00:02:30.620 Let's go just take care of all of your comforts. 00:02:31.020 --> 00:02:34.759 The comfort had become all -consuming, and everything 00:02:34.759 --> 00:02:38.479 resisted the letting go of that comfort and returning 00:02:38.479 --> 00:02:43.419 home to restore it. Imagine all the humans that 00:02:43.419 --> 00:02:46.740 were floating in their chairs on their screens, 00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:49.840 always in front of them, with messages that determined 00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:52.879 everything they said and did, their bodies no 00:02:52.879 --> 00:02:55.419 longer able to support themselves because their 00:02:55.419 --> 00:02:59.719 bones had shrunk too much. They were safe, entertained, 00:02:59.960 --> 00:03:03.879 and oblivious, but the earth cried out beneath 00:03:03.879 --> 00:03:08.280 them. I'm sure that we have no idea what that 00:03:08.280 --> 00:03:13.680 is like. Now picture us and maybe we aren't floating 00:03:13.680 --> 00:03:17.300 in chairs, but spiritually and morally We can 00:03:17.300 --> 00:03:21.319 be just as lazy we scroll we watch we tweet we 00:03:21.319 --> 00:03:25.960 plan and the cries that are at our gates The 00:03:25.960 --> 00:03:28.939 issues that may be facing our world we barely 00:03:28.939 --> 00:03:31.520 notice unless it's right there in the screen 00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:35.639 in front of us Comfort erodes our moral and spiritual 00:03:35.639 --> 00:03:40.639 backbone. We may not literally be floating But 00:03:40.639 --> 00:03:43.719 spiritual and moral reclining can feel just like 00:03:43.719 --> 00:03:48.400 this. Glued to comfort, screens, routines, habits, 00:03:49.180 --> 00:03:52.460 numb to what's around us and only paying attention 00:03:52.460 --> 00:03:56.460 to what's put in front of us. And then we hear 00:03:56.460 --> 00:04:03.379 the voice of Amos. Amos 6. That progress without 00:04:03.379 --> 00:04:08.939 grief lacks compassion. Amos begins... Woe to 00:04:08.939 --> 00:04:13.080 those who are at ease in Zion. Picture the scene. 00:04:14.099 --> 00:04:17.860 Zion's leaders, the leaders of Israel, they're 00:04:17.860 --> 00:04:22.399 reclining on ivory beds, sipping wine from their 00:04:22.399 --> 00:04:28.439 bowls, humming along as the harpist plays. Not 00:04:28.439 --> 00:04:31.939 quite how a harp sounds. The candles flicker 00:04:31.939 --> 00:04:35.889 off the polished walls. Laughter rises over platters 00:04:35.889 --> 00:04:39.430 of roasted lamb, honeyed bread, and dad jokes. 00:04:40.110 --> 00:04:44.170 They see themselves as refined, cultured, successful 00:04:44.170 --> 00:04:49.089 progress in motion because they had escaped the 00:04:49.089 --> 00:04:51.750 everyday problems of all the other Israelites. 00:04:52.810 --> 00:04:56.990 But outside the hall, it's different. Families 00:04:56.990 --> 00:05:01.029 scavenged for scraps. Soldiers guard crumbling 00:05:01.029 --> 00:05:03.529 borders that people can go in and out of whenever 00:05:03.529 --> 00:05:08.870 they wish. Widows beg in the streets. Smoke drifts 00:05:08.870 --> 00:05:12.649 from broken homes. Amos says, you are not grieved 00:05:12.649 --> 00:05:16.430 over the ruin of Joseph. In other words, you 00:05:16.430 --> 00:05:19.250 are not hurting over your brothers and sisters. 00:05:20.490 --> 00:05:24.019 These elite though, they were real people. They're 00:05:24.019 --> 00:05:26.699 not just some cartoon villains sitting in their 00:05:26.699 --> 00:05:29.500 ivory thrones, but they were humans who were 00:05:29.500 --> 00:05:33.420 lulled by comfort. They told themselves, we're 00:05:33.420 --> 00:05:36.759 fine. Things will work themselves out. We're 00:05:36.759 --> 00:05:40.839 on the right side of history. Their sophistication, 00:05:40.839 --> 00:05:44.180 though, dulled their grief, for their neighbors 00:05:44.180 --> 00:05:49.180 ruined. But soon, God would allow Assyria to 00:05:49.180 --> 00:05:53.500 come along and take these very elites. into exile 00:05:53.500 --> 00:05:57.360 and destroy their kingdom. Today, we can fall 00:05:57.360 --> 00:06:00.699 into the same trap. We celebrate growth and culture 00:06:00.699 --> 00:06:04.779 and achievement, but we miss the single mom struggling 00:06:04.779 --> 00:06:08.519 on our block. We post about justice, but we don't 00:06:08.519 --> 00:06:12.300 actually sit down and eat and talk with people 00:06:12.300 --> 00:06:16.040 who are hurting. We binge the latest creative 00:06:16.040 --> 00:06:19.959 work, but we don't grieve the brokenness that 00:06:19.959 --> 00:06:24.029 still exists on our planet. We think of a corporate 00:06:24.029 --> 00:06:26.850 party celebrating record profits while factories 00:06:26.850 --> 00:06:30.629 close in nearby towns. A church committee debating 00:06:30.629 --> 00:06:34.410 pews while the food pantry sits empty. A young 00:06:34.410 --> 00:06:37.790 professional in a cafe with headphones in, scrolling 00:06:37.790 --> 00:06:41.189 the latest headlines while the neighbors wrestle 00:06:41.189 --> 00:06:46.410 with bills. Amos convicts us of a comfort that 00:06:46.410 --> 00:06:48.670 says, I'm right, I'm enlightened, I don't need 00:06:48.670 --> 00:06:52.579 to change. This isn't about one group or another, 00:06:52.920 --> 00:06:57.240 it's a mirror for us all, frankly. Comfort. In 00:06:57.240 --> 00:07:00.500 progress, culture, sophistication, our own way 00:07:00.500 --> 00:07:05.620 of thinking, it can blind any of us. Amos is 00:07:05.620 --> 00:07:08.600 speaking to people who pride themselves on being 00:07:08.600 --> 00:07:11.879 refined, cultured, progressive for their time, 00:07:12.399 --> 00:07:16.240 lovers of music, art, and luxury, but their comfort 00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:18.740 lets them ignore the collapse of justice around 00:07:18.740 --> 00:07:23.250 them. Their curse is self -satisfaction. We are 00:07:23.250 --> 00:07:26.550 wise. We are fine. Things will work out. We're 00:07:26.550 --> 00:07:30.389 doing everything right, aren't we? The blind 00:07:30.389 --> 00:07:34.649 spot, though, is that the cultural or moral progress 00:07:34.649 --> 00:07:37.990 doesn't excuse being indifferent to the suffering 00:07:37.990 --> 00:07:42.649 of the poor. But then we hear Jesus speaking 00:07:42.649 --> 00:07:44.970 into this several centuries later because, of 00:07:44.970 --> 00:07:48.439 course, the people of Israel had not learned 00:07:48.439 --> 00:07:54.240 the lesson quite yet. So we find Luke 16, where 00:07:54.240 --> 00:07:57.019 we discover that security without compassion 00:07:57.019 --> 00:08:02.220 lacks vision. There's a rich man. He's respectable. 00:08:02.660 --> 00:08:05.939 He's established. He wears purple and fine linen. 00:08:06.079 --> 00:08:09.920 Every day he feasts roasted meat, platters of 00:08:09.920 --> 00:08:13.290 fruit and bread. Servants shuffle in and out 00:08:13.290 --> 00:08:16.769 the clinking of cups, marking the rhythm of his, 00:08:17.209 --> 00:08:21.470 and even realizing this secure, abundant life 00:08:21.470 --> 00:08:26.250 with or without a Starbucks card. He likely prays, 00:08:26.290 --> 00:08:30.230 gives to the synagogue, manages his estate. Everything 00:08:30.230 --> 00:08:34.389 about him says, I'm fine, I'm secure, I must 00:08:34.389 --> 00:08:39.169 be in the right. But at his gate lies Lazarus. 00:08:39.610 --> 00:08:44.840 His body Crusted with sores. Eww. Hunger gnawing 00:08:44.840 --> 00:08:51.320 at him. Dogs licking his wounds. He stretches 00:08:51.320 --> 00:08:54.539 a hand towards scraps that never come. The smell 00:08:54.539 --> 00:08:57.779 of sickness. The itch of hunger. The ache of 00:08:57.779 --> 00:09:01.360 longing. All of it right there. Right at the 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:05.940 threshold of abundance. See, here's what's chilling. 00:09:06.340 --> 00:09:09.820 The rich man never hurt Lazarus. He never cursed 00:09:09.820 --> 00:09:13.679 him. He didn't actually do anything, he just 00:09:13.679 --> 00:09:17.700 ignored him. Every day, he stepped over Lazarus 00:09:17.700 --> 00:09:20.700 on the way to the synagogue, on the way to business, 00:09:21.220 --> 00:09:23.960 on the way back to dinner. And he told himself, 00:09:24.100 --> 00:09:27.159 I'm fine, I'm secure, everything must be right. 00:09:27.559 --> 00:09:31.659 And he was unmoved. See, the rich man, he's not 00:09:31.659 --> 00:09:35.620 condemned for robbing or oppressing, he was condemned 00:09:35.620 --> 00:09:39.259 for ignoring. His curse was self -sufficiency. 00:09:39.690 --> 00:09:42.429 I have what I need. God must be blessing me. 00:09:42.590 --> 00:09:46.590 That's what matters, and maybe I deserve it. 00:09:48.110 --> 00:09:50.830 But Jesus unmasks the blindness, the tradition, 00:09:50.970 --> 00:09:55.889 the morality, even generosity can all become 00:09:55.889 --> 00:10:00.450 excuses if they let us step past our neighbor 00:10:00.450 --> 00:10:06.370 without compassion. Hard work, piety, even community 00:10:06.370 --> 00:10:11.330 service. Don't excuse indifference to the suffering 00:10:11.330 --> 00:10:15.389 that's at our doorstep. Jesus tells us what happened 00:10:15.389 --> 00:10:19.870 next. The roles, they're reversed. Isn't it funny 00:10:19.870 --> 00:10:23.929 how the roles always seem to get reversed even 00:10:23.929 --> 00:10:25.929 when we feel like we're right where we wanted 00:10:25.929 --> 00:10:29.669 to be? Lazarus is carried to Abraham's side, 00:10:29.690 --> 00:10:32.690 but the rich man is tormented. He pleads for 00:10:32.690 --> 00:10:36.029 relief and Abraham says, between us a chasm has 00:10:36.029 --> 00:10:42.039 been fixed. That's it. It's over. Security without 00:10:42.039 --> 00:10:46.919 compassion, it has eternal consequences. Now, 00:10:47.639 --> 00:10:51.440 before we point any fingers, though, notice how 00:10:51.440 --> 00:10:54.419 subtle the trap is. The rich man, he's not a 00:10:54.419 --> 00:10:57.620 monster. He's probably devout and respectable, 00:10:58.320 --> 00:11:02.019 secure, yet that's actually what numbed him to 00:11:02.019 --> 00:11:05.440 the suffering in front of him. Hearing what he 00:11:05.440 --> 00:11:09.799 wanted to hear. following the path that he thought 00:11:09.799 --> 00:11:13.879 was right. We might have justification for ignoring 00:11:13.879 --> 00:11:16.460 a man at a stoplight with a cardboard sign because 00:11:16.460 --> 00:11:18.659 we don't know the story. We assume someone else 00:11:18.659 --> 00:11:21.639 will help. But let's instead think about what 00:11:21.639 --> 00:11:25.000 about the elderly neighbor, the one you do know? 00:11:26.019 --> 00:11:28.220 Their lights stay dark night after night. Maybe 00:11:28.220 --> 00:11:31.399 they can't pay the bill. But it's easier to assume 00:11:31.399 --> 00:11:34.899 someone else is helping. Security, stability, 00:11:35.019 --> 00:11:38.620 and routine They blind us just as surely as wealth 00:11:38.620 --> 00:11:42.600 and luxury. And here's where it presses on us. 00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:47.320 We say people should take responsibility, but 00:11:47.320 --> 00:11:50.740 we don't stop to help them bear their load. Maybe 00:11:50.740 --> 00:11:53.559 they were trained in a job that doesn't exist 00:11:53.559 --> 00:11:57.100 anymore. Or maybe they never had the money to 00:11:57.100 --> 00:12:00.279 pay for job training in the first place. We say 00:12:00.279 --> 00:12:03.440 the world needs stability, but we close our eyes 00:12:03.440 --> 00:12:06.440 to things that are unstable. even the unstable 00:12:06.440 --> 00:12:09.580 lives that are around us, we can see that people 00:12:09.580 --> 00:12:12.480 are suffering from warfare and poverty, but we'd 00:12:12.480 --> 00:12:15.899 rather they just leave us alone. We tell ourselves 00:12:15.899 --> 00:12:19.659 my morality is the reason why I'm secure, while 00:12:19.659 --> 00:12:22.679 Lazarus sits at the gate for reasons we don't 00:12:22.679 --> 00:12:26.840 even understand. And we know that many immoral 00:12:26.840 --> 00:12:31.159 people are living quite easy lives. It's not 00:12:31.159 --> 00:12:34.320 about pointing fingers. Many of us, we love stability. 00:12:34.639 --> 00:12:38.039 Tradition, security, the comfort that blinds 00:12:38.039 --> 00:12:42.500 us, though, just as surely as anyone else. But 00:12:42.500 --> 00:12:48.340 that's when we start to see Amos and Jesus intersecting. 00:12:48.559 --> 00:12:51.960 Different viewpoints, but the same curse and 00:12:51.960 --> 00:12:55.820 the same problems. See, Amos convicts those who 00:12:55.820 --> 00:13:00.139 are comfortable in their rightness. Being right. 00:13:00.519 --> 00:13:03.860 So many of us see ourselves as progressing in 00:13:03.860 --> 00:13:07.460 the world. We're making our name, living beautiful 00:13:07.460 --> 00:13:10.100 lives because we're not foolish like the poor 00:13:10.100 --> 00:13:14.399 people in the olden ways of living. Jesus convicts 00:13:14.399 --> 00:13:16.820 those who are comfortable in their righteousness 00:13:16.820 --> 00:13:21.700 or self -righteousness. So many have decided 00:13:21.700 --> 00:13:24.620 that their morality or their Christian behavior 00:13:24.620 --> 00:13:27.799 has allowed them to be blessed. And that therefore 00:13:27.799 --> 00:13:30.419 that's why they're immune to examining themselves. 00:13:31.360 --> 00:13:33.500 And that others who are not blessed must somehow 00:13:33.500 --> 00:13:38.139 not be good enough or always to blame. Different 00:13:38.139 --> 00:13:43.740 viewpoints. Same curse. Comfort blinds us. We 00:13:43.740 --> 00:13:45.779 miss out on the ways in which God wants to bless 00:13:45.779 --> 00:13:49.480 us by moving us to bless others. The comfort 00:13:49.480 --> 00:13:52.019 of our mindset undermines God speaking to us. 00:13:52.159 --> 00:13:55.259 It blinds us to grief. It blinds us... to compassion 00:13:55.259 --> 00:14:02.539 and thereby it blinds us to God. Like Wally's 00:14:02.539 --> 00:14:07.259 humans, the comfort can literally weaken us. 00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:10.220 Not just physically, but spiritually, morally, 00:14:10.759 --> 00:14:14.639 emotionally, until we cannot stand to hear what's 00:14:14.639 --> 00:14:17.740 even good and true because it might challenge 00:14:17.740 --> 00:14:21.179 us. We're willing to let others put a message 00:14:21.179 --> 00:14:23.220 right in front of us that makes us feel good. 00:14:23.519 --> 00:14:28.159 about our lazy minds. And we don't even question 00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:34.519 it. But imagine someone choosing to stand, literally 00:14:34.519 --> 00:14:39.360 and figuratively. Reaching out to the neighbor 00:14:39.360 --> 00:14:42.840 in need, making a meal, just listening. Comfort 00:14:42.840 --> 00:14:47.259 no longer rules. Compassion. Courage to take 00:14:47.259 --> 00:14:49.799 the weight. And imagine that person even being 00:14:49.799 --> 00:14:53.779 willing to die for them. See, Christ had every 00:14:53.779 --> 00:14:58.259 right to stay comfortable. He didn't age. He 00:14:58.259 --> 00:15:01.799 didn't have to eat. He didn't have to deal with 00:15:01.799 --> 00:15:10.179 eye crusties and toe jam. But instead, He left 00:15:10.179 --> 00:15:14.480 the glory, the worship, the security. He didn't 00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:16.799 cling to it. He left it and humbled Himself to 00:15:16.799 --> 00:15:20.860 become one of us, to enter into our ruin. To 00:15:20.860 --> 00:15:23.379 notice our source to bear our griefs to carry 00:15:23.379 --> 00:15:26.720 our comfort our sins to the cross He gave up 00:15:26.720 --> 00:15:29.659 the comfort so that he could share his eternal 00:15:29.659 --> 00:15:33.039 comfort with us He gave up being right in the 00:15:33.039 --> 00:15:36.799 world's eyes So we could be made righteous in 00:15:36.799 --> 00:15:40.860 God's sight But Jesus ends this parable with 00:15:40.860 --> 00:15:44.019 a haunting truth if they do not listen to Moses 00:15:44.019 --> 00:15:48.200 and the prophets They will not be convinced even 00:15:48.200 --> 00:15:50.960 if someone rises from the dead. What's he saying? 00:15:53.259 --> 00:15:56.779 Unless we're willing to be convicted of our own 00:15:56.779 --> 00:16:01.500 need to repent, we could stand face to face with 00:16:01.500 --> 00:16:05.720 the crucified and risen Jesus and still miss 00:16:05.720 --> 00:16:09.399 Him. If I look at my own morality and conclude, 00:16:09.419 --> 00:16:11.659 you know what, I'm good enough. I'm righteous, 00:16:11.940 --> 00:16:14.500 I'm the kind of person God must be pleased with, 00:16:14.659 --> 00:16:17.200 I'm the one that Jesus wanted to come and die 00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:21.779 for. Then the message of Jesus becomes completely 00:16:21.779 --> 00:16:26.120 moot. The Gospel is not about reinforcing my 00:16:26.120 --> 00:16:29.000 goodness, it is about exposing my desperate need 00:16:29.000 --> 00:16:32.759 for forgiveness. And if I won't let the Spirit 00:16:32.759 --> 00:16:36.799 convict me here, then even resurrection itself 00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:40.860 won't shake me awake. But notice how subtle the 00:16:40.860 --> 00:16:44.379 danger is. We can talk about sin and grace. We 00:16:44.379 --> 00:16:47.980 can even nod along to confessions of, oh, yes, 00:16:47.980 --> 00:16:51.159 I am a broken person, and yet still stand on 00:16:51.159 --> 00:16:53.440 a moral high ground that looks down on others. 00:16:54.460 --> 00:16:56.980 We end up trying to argue people into faith by 00:16:56.980 --> 00:16:59.360 proving we're right and they're wrong, but the 00:16:59.360 --> 00:17:03.639 world, it sees right through it. They sense when 00:17:03.639 --> 00:17:08.119 our words about being sinners Just surface level 00:17:08.119 --> 00:17:12.220 lines so that we sound humble. But underneath 00:17:12.220 --> 00:17:15.319 we're still unconvicted. We're still unmoved. 00:17:16.059 --> 00:17:18.299 We're still unwilling to change. Without the 00:17:18.299 --> 00:17:22.740 Spirit pressing that truth into us, our repentance 00:17:22.740 --> 00:17:26.859 is just a performance. Our morality is just another 00:17:26.859 --> 00:17:32.039 comfort that we hide behind. I appreciate Tullian 00:17:32.039 --> 00:17:35.990 Chavijian, how he put it, The church is not a 00:17:35.990 --> 00:17:39.769 factory producing better people. It's a recovery 00:17:39.769 --> 00:17:43.369 place announcing that in Christ, the sick are 00:17:43.369 --> 00:17:47.769 healed and the guilty are pardoned. If you know 00:17:47.769 --> 00:17:50.630 anything about the speaker, you know that he's 00:17:50.630 --> 00:17:54.210 needed it as much as any of us. He reminds us 00:17:54.210 --> 00:17:56.450 the mission of the church is not to build a flawless 00:17:56.450 --> 00:17:59.150 kingdom that others will envy, but to point to 00:17:59.150 --> 00:18:02.490 Christ by first admitting how much we need Him 00:18:02.490 --> 00:18:05.990 ourselves. The invitation we extend to the world 00:18:05.990 --> 00:18:08.029 is not, look how righteous we are, don't you 00:18:08.029 --> 00:18:11.809 want to join us? Rather, it's come with us, we're 00:18:11.809 --> 00:18:14.609 broken too, and Jesus is the only one who can 00:18:14.609 --> 00:18:18.069 make us whole. That's the shock of the gospel. 00:18:19.130 --> 00:18:21.009 The very thing that changes the world is not 00:18:21.009 --> 00:18:24.609 our morality, but our willingness to admit our 00:18:24.609 --> 00:18:27.829 desperate need for grace. But do you realize 00:18:27.829 --> 00:18:31.190 how uncomfortable it is to hear what I've just 00:18:31.190 --> 00:18:34.990 said? But it's also the only way for us to shift 00:18:34.990 --> 00:18:38.390 ourselves to compassion. Because that's when 00:18:38.390 --> 00:18:41.710 we realize we need it just as much as the sinners 00:18:41.710 --> 00:18:46.089 all around us. Where have you chosen ease over 00:18:46.089 --> 00:18:49.210 compassion? Where have you been so certain that 00:18:49.210 --> 00:18:51.950 you were right that you stopped listening? Who 00:18:51.950 --> 00:18:54.390 is lying at your gate while you step over them? 00:18:55.210 --> 00:18:58.309 What ruin are you ignoring because progress over 00:18:58.309 --> 00:19:02.559 security looks good? And where has comfort become 00:19:02.559 --> 00:19:07.559 the curse? What if we as a church refuse to let 00:19:07.559 --> 00:19:11.059 comfort blind us? What if instead of being known 00:19:11.059 --> 00:19:14.460 for ease, we were known for compassion? What 00:19:14.460 --> 00:19:16.680 if instead of clinging to progress or security, 00:19:16.819 --> 00:19:21.019 we clung to Christ who makes us new? We would 00:19:21.019 --> 00:19:25.720 become, then, a signpost of eternity. A people 00:19:25.720 --> 00:19:28.740 who live now in light of forever. And a community 00:19:28.740 --> 00:19:32.970 awake. not asleep. See, comfort is a gift when 00:19:32.970 --> 00:19:35.730 it leads us to gratitude, but it's a curse when 00:19:35.730 --> 00:19:38.809 it blinds us to the grief, to compassion, and 00:19:38.809 --> 00:19:42.369 to God. Don't let comfort tell you you're fine. 00:19:43.150 --> 00:19:47.529 Let Christ open your eyes. And through Him, may 00:19:47.529 --> 00:19:52.490 we truly live now in light of eternity. Thanks 00:19:52.490 --> 00:19:53.029 be to God.