WEBVTT 00:00:03.869 --> 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 --> 00:00:22.589 there next to you because you don't want to have 00:00:22.589 --> 00:00:25.149 to reach over and heaven forbid you had to get 00:00:25.149 --> 00:00:29.410 up binge watching the favorite show, the favorite 00:00:29.410 --> 00:00:31.589 show of the week, because that has to change 00:00:31.589 --> 00:00:34.450 every week, of course. And the comfort of knowing 00:00:34.450 --> 00:00:37.049 maybe it's a day you don't have to rush anywhere 00:00:37.049 --> 00:00:39.890 and you don't really have to do anything particular. 00:00:40.570 --> 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 --> 00:00:49.049 in our world, especially in this modern age. 00:00:49.829 --> 00:00:53.070 But sometimes comfort can be more than just relaxing. 00:00:53.590 --> 00:00:58.439 Sometimes comfort can weaken us. Sometimes comfort 00:00:58.439 --> 00:01:03.619 can undermine what makes us strong. Do y 'all 00:01:03.619 --> 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 --> 00:01:30.140 try to tidy up the whole world being polluted 00:01:30.140 --> 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, 00:01:37.459 --> 00:01:40.079 he picked it up, and he was giving it to his 00:01:40.079 --> 00:01:44.200 little robot crush, Eve. And he went up, and 00:01:44.200 --> 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 --> 00:02:07.719 this, though, is that the ship was meant to be 00:02:07.719 --> 00:02:10.719 perfectly comfortable, perfectly comfortable 00:02:10.719 --> 00:02:14.939 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 --> 00:02:30.740 Let's go just take care of all of your comforts. 00:02:31.020 --> 00:02:34.860 The comfort had become all -consuming, and everything 00:02:34.860 --> 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 --> 00:03:03.900 and oblivious, but the earth cried out beneath 00:03:03.900 --> 00:03:08.280 them. I'm sure that we have no idea what that 00:03:08.280 --> 00:03:13.659 is like. Now picture us and maybe we aren't floating 00:03:13.659 --> 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 --> 00:03:48.419 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 --> 00:03:56.439 to what's put in front of us. And then we hear 00:03:56.439 --> 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 --> 00:04:13.840 those who are at ease in Zion picture the scene 00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:17.879 Zion's leaders the leaders of Israel they're 00:04:17.879 --> 00:04:22.379 reclining on ivory beds Sipping wine from their 00:04:22.379 --> 00:04:25.180 bowls. There's so much of it. They're humming 00:04:25.180 --> 00:04:31.379 along as the harpist is playing Yeah, that's 00:04:31.379 --> 00:04:35.680 not how a harp sounds but the candles flicker 00:04:35.740 --> 00:04:38.920 Off the polished walls, the laughter rises over 00:04:38.920 --> 00:04:41.459 platters of roasted lamb, honeyed bread, and 00:04:41.459 --> 00:04:44.560 probably some dad jokes. They see themselves 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:49.040 as refined, cultured, successful progress in 00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:51.980 motion because they have escaped the everyday 00:04:51.980 --> 00:04:56.000 problems of the other Israelites. But outside 00:04:56.000 --> 00:05:00.910 the hall, it's different. Families scavenge for 00:05:00.910 --> 00:05:04.170 scraps, soldiers, guard, borders that are crumbling 00:05:04.170 --> 00:05:07.490 all around them, letting anybody in, widows beg 00:05:07.490 --> 00:05:10.730 in the streets, smoke drifts from broken homes, 00:05:10.829 --> 00:05:15.610 and Amos says, you are not grieved over the ruin 00:05:15.610 --> 00:05:20.850 of Joseph. In other words, you are not hurting 00:05:20.850 --> 00:05:24.149 over your brothers and sisters as they suffer. 00:05:25.550 --> 00:05:29.920 These elite though, they're real people. They're 00:05:29.920 --> 00:05:32.160 not just these cartoon villains twiddling their 00:05:32.160 --> 00:05:36.459 mustache. They're humans lulled by comfort. They 00:05:36.459 --> 00:05:39.699 told themselves, we're fine. Things will work 00:05:39.699 --> 00:05:42.720 themselves out. We're on the right side of history. 00:05:42.819 --> 00:05:46.819 We're benefiting from it all. But their sophistication 00:05:46.819 --> 00:05:50.220 dulled their grief for their neighbor's ruin. 00:05:51.240 --> 00:05:55.360 But soon, God would allow Assyria to come along. 00:05:56.040 --> 00:05:58.939 and take these very elites off into exile and 00:05:58.939 --> 00:06:02.199 destroy their kingdom. Today, we fall into the 00:06:02.199 --> 00:06:06.060 same trap. We celebrate growth and culture and 00:06:06.060 --> 00:06:09.139 achievement, but we miss the single mom struggling 00:06:09.139 --> 00:06:14.500 on our block. We post online about justice, but 00:06:14.500 --> 00:06:17.480 we don't take the time to just sit down, talk 00:06:17.480 --> 00:06:20.100 and eat with people who are actually hurting, 00:06:21.100 --> 00:06:24.060 mentoring the youth and caring for our neighbor. 00:06:24.480 --> 00:06:28.379 We binge the latest creative work, but we don't 00:06:28.379 --> 00:06:30.720 grieve the brokenness that still exists on this 00:06:30.720 --> 00:06:34.180 earth. Think of a corporate party celebrating 00:06:34.180 --> 00:06:37.439 record profits while factories close in the nearby 00:06:37.439 --> 00:06:41.699 town. Church committee debating pews while the 00:06:41.699 --> 00:06:44.779 food pantry sits empty. A young professional 00:06:44.779 --> 00:06:48.779 in a cafe, headphones in, sipping the Starbucks, 00:06:49.740 --> 00:06:51.920 scrolling the latest headlines while their very 00:06:51.920 --> 00:06:55.399 neighbors are wrestling with bills. No pumpkin 00:06:55.399 --> 00:06:59.860 spice latte can overcome. Amos convicts us of 00:06:59.860 --> 00:07:02.079 a comfort that says, I'm right, I'm enlightened, 00:07:02.339 --> 00:07:06.420 and I don't need to change because I have everything 00:07:06.420 --> 00:07:10.420 taken care of. It's not just one group or another, 00:07:10.480 --> 00:07:14.579 it's a mirror for all of us, frankly. Comfort 00:07:14.579 --> 00:07:19.339 in progress, culture, sophistication, it can 00:07:19.339 --> 00:07:24.529 blind any of us. Amos speaks to people who pride 00:07:24.529 --> 00:07:28.310 themselves on being refined and cultured, progressive, 00:07:28.689 --> 00:07:31.410 lovers of music, art, and luxury, but their comfort 00:07:31.410 --> 00:07:35.089 lets them ignore the collapse of actual justice 00:07:35.089 --> 00:07:39.410 around them. Their curse is being self -satisfied, 00:07:39.930 --> 00:07:44.250 refined. Things will work out as long as people 00:07:44.250 --> 00:07:48.310 are deserving. The blind spot, though, is that 00:07:48.310 --> 00:07:51.459 cultural... or moral progress doesn't excuse 00:07:51.459 --> 00:07:55.339 us from being indifferent to the suffering of 00:07:55.339 --> 00:08:00.360 the poor. And then, centuries later, we hear 00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:03.720 Jesus speaking. Because, of course, the people 00:08:03.720 --> 00:08:06.439 of Israel, they still haven't learned the lesson 00:08:06.439 --> 00:08:12.300 yet. Luke 16, security without compassion, lacks 00:08:12.300 --> 00:08:15.839 vision. There's a rich man, he's respectable, 00:08:16.500 --> 00:08:20.740 established. He wears purple and the linen. Every 00:08:20.740 --> 00:08:24.939 day he feasts roasted meat, platters of fruit 00:08:24.939 --> 00:08:28.279 and bread, I'm sure some filet mignon and some 00:08:28.279 --> 00:08:31.560 sort of appetizer on the side. Servants, they 00:08:31.560 --> 00:08:34.639 shuffle in and out, the clinking of cups marking 00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:39.240 the rhythm of his secure abundant life. Well 00:08:39.240 --> 00:08:44.009 done, well done. He likely prays. He probably 00:08:44.009 --> 00:08:46.889 gives to the local synagogue. He manages his 00:08:46.889 --> 00:08:51.190 estate. Everything about him says, I am a fine 00:08:51.190 --> 00:08:55.769 upstanding man. I'm secure. All is right in my 00:08:55.769 --> 00:09:02.429 world. And at his gate lies Lazarus. Lazarus' 00:09:02.690 --> 00:09:09.399 body is crusted with sores. Ew. Ew. Hunger. gnawing 00:09:09.399 --> 00:09:13.879 at him, dogs licking his wounds. That's not a 00:09:13.879 --> 00:09:17.080 good way to have a dog licking. He stretches 00:09:17.080 --> 00:09:20.039 his hand towards scraps that never come, the 00:09:20.039 --> 00:09:23.019 smell of sickness, the itch of hunger, the ache 00:09:23.019 --> 00:09:26.899 of longing, it's all right there at the threshold 00:09:26.899 --> 00:09:31.000 of this other man's abundance. But here's what's 00:09:31.000 --> 00:09:35.759 chilling. Rich man never hurt Lazarus. You cannot. 00:09:35.909 --> 00:09:39.090 point at the rich man and say anything he ever 00:09:39.090 --> 00:09:43.129 actually did. He never cursed him. He never hurt 00:09:43.129 --> 00:09:48.769 him. He just ignored him. Every day he stepped 00:09:48.769 --> 00:09:51.789 over Lazarus on the way to the synagogue. He 00:09:51.789 --> 00:09:53.830 stepped over Lazarus on the way to business. 00:09:54.009 --> 00:09:56.149 He stepped over Lazarus on the way back to dinner. 00:09:56.350 --> 00:09:58.750 Man, it'd be nice if I didn't have to see Lazarus 00:09:58.750 --> 00:10:01.649 there. Just hopefully move along. And he told 00:10:01.649 --> 00:10:05.549 himself, I'm fine. Life is good, or maybe he 00:10:05.549 --> 00:10:08.970 didn't even tell himself anything at all. He 00:10:08.970 --> 00:10:12.529 was completely unmoved. The rich man in Jesus' 00:10:12.629 --> 00:10:17.370 story, he's not condemned for robbing or oppressing 00:10:17.370 --> 00:10:22.549 anyone. He's condemned for ignoring. The curse 00:10:22.549 --> 00:10:25.269 of self -sufficiency and self -righteousness, 00:10:25.269 --> 00:10:28.330 I have what I need, God must be blessing me, 00:10:28.330 --> 00:10:30.929 that's what matters, and maybe I deserve it. 00:10:32.269 --> 00:10:36.590 but Jesus unmasks the blindness. Tradition, morality, 00:10:37.769 --> 00:10:42.350 even generosity can all become excuses if they 00:10:42.350 --> 00:10:46.929 let us step past our neighbor without compassion. 00:10:48.009 --> 00:10:53.289 Hard work, even piety, even doing community service 00:10:53.289 --> 00:10:57.009 doesn't excuse when we're indifferent to the 00:10:57.009 --> 00:11:02.169 suffering that's at our doorstep. You can still 00:11:02.169 --> 00:11:05.529 be doing good things and struggle with what's 00:11:05.529 --> 00:11:08.970 in your heart. And Jesus tells us what happened 00:11:08.970 --> 00:11:14.309 next. The roles are reversed. Isn't it funny 00:11:14.309 --> 00:11:17.330 how just whenever people are getting exactly 00:11:17.330 --> 00:11:21.009 what they wanted, somehow the roles always reverse? 00:11:22.250 --> 00:11:24.570 Lazarus is carried to Abraham's side, but the 00:11:24.570 --> 00:11:28.269 rich man is tormented. He pleads for relief. 00:11:28.750 --> 00:11:33.090 And Abraham says, Between us, there's a great 00:11:33.090 --> 00:11:36.649 chasm that's been fixed. I can't get to you. 00:11:36.669 --> 00:11:42.490 That's it. Game over. Final. Security without 00:11:42.490 --> 00:11:48.269 compassion has eternal consequences. Now, yeah, 00:11:48.269 --> 00:11:50.830 we can be pointing the finger and I'm sure people 00:11:50.830 --> 00:11:53.009 have in their mind which person that they are 00:11:53.009 --> 00:11:55.210 thinking about as, oh yeah, that person's pretty 00:11:55.210 --> 00:11:59.169 bad at this. It's a subtle trap though. The rich 00:11:59.169 --> 00:12:02.570 man, he's not a monster. He could very well be 00:12:02.570 --> 00:12:06.289 a very devout man. He probably is respectable. 00:12:06.529 --> 00:12:09.809 He's certainly secure. He's very successful in 00:12:09.809 --> 00:12:13.250 many measures of the sense. And yet that very 00:12:13.250 --> 00:12:16.149 security numbed him to what was right outside 00:12:16.149 --> 00:12:18.950 his doorstep. And let's be honest, I mean, we 00:12:18.950 --> 00:12:22.330 have plenty of justification for ignoring the 00:12:22.330 --> 00:12:24.450 person at the stoplight with the cardboard sign. 00:12:24.730 --> 00:12:27.809 We don't know their story. We may assume somebody 00:12:27.809 --> 00:12:31.190 else is probably able to help. But what about 00:12:31.190 --> 00:12:35.529 the elderly neighbor whose lights are still dark 00:12:35.529 --> 00:12:39.149 night after night? Because maybe they can't pay 00:12:39.149 --> 00:12:42.570 the bill and we're just hoping that we can assume 00:12:42.570 --> 00:12:46.169 someone else is helping them out Security stability 00:12:46.169 --> 00:12:50.990 routine we get blind Just as surely as wealth 00:12:50.990 --> 00:12:55.309 and luxury But here's what presses on us. We 00:12:55.309 --> 00:12:57.870 say people should take responsibility. Don't 00:12:57.870 --> 00:13:00.799 we say that a lot? People should take responsibility. 00:13:02.240 --> 00:13:05.580 But they don't stop to help them bear their load. 00:13:06.360 --> 00:13:08.759 Maybe that person was trained in a job that doesn't 00:13:08.759 --> 00:13:11.460 exist anymore. Or maybe they never had the money 00:13:11.460 --> 00:13:13.340 to pay for the job training in the first place. 00:13:13.580 --> 00:13:16.679 Let's be honest. Most training and apprenticeships 00:13:16.679 --> 00:13:19.440 are expensive to get started. A friend of mine 00:13:19.440 --> 00:13:21.360 is actually starting up a year -long internship 00:13:21.360 --> 00:13:25.139 and he has to pay to do it. We say the world 00:13:25.139 --> 00:13:28.679 needs stability. but we close our eyes to unstable 00:13:28.679 --> 00:13:32.360 lives around us. We can see many people are suffering 00:13:32.360 --> 00:13:34.820 from warfare and poverty, but we'd rather there 00:13:34.820 --> 00:13:36.879 be stability by just getting them to leave us 00:13:36.879 --> 00:13:40.980 alone. We tell ourselves, my morality is the 00:13:40.980 --> 00:13:44.779 reason why I'm secure, while Lazarus lies at 00:13:44.779 --> 00:13:47.379 the gate for reasons we don't understand. Does 00:13:47.379 --> 00:13:51.259 anybody know why he's there? No. No, we don't. 00:13:51.539 --> 00:13:53.840 But we do know that there are many immoral people 00:13:54.220 --> 00:13:59.620 living very easy lives. Not about pointing fingers, 00:13:59.740 --> 00:14:01.559 but let's be honest, many of us, we love our 00:14:01.559 --> 00:14:06.620 stability, security, comfort that blinds us just 00:14:06.620 --> 00:14:11.139 as surely as anything else. And then Amos and 00:14:11.139 --> 00:14:17.399 Jesus intersect. See, the thing about different 00:14:17.399 --> 00:14:21.639 viewpoints, it's the same problems. See, Amos... 00:14:21.690 --> 00:14:23.889 He's convicting the people who are comfortable 00:14:23.889 --> 00:14:26.769 in being right all the time. Oof, man, they think 00:14:26.769 --> 00:14:28.529 that they've got it all figured out all the time. 00:14:28.850 --> 00:14:31.330 So many of us see ourselves as progressing in 00:14:31.330 --> 00:14:33.789 the world, living beautiful lives because we're 00:14:33.789 --> 00:14:36.870 not foolish like those poor people in the olden 00:14:36.870 --> 00:14:40.309 ways of living. But Jesus convicts those who 00:14:40.309 --> 00:14:43.490 are comfortable in their righteousness or their 00:14:43.490 --> 00:14:46.529 self -righteousness. See, so many people have 00:14:46.529 --> 00:14:48.870 decided that their morality, even their Christian 00:14:48.870 --> 00:14:52.360 behavior, has allowed them to be blessed. Clearly, 00:14:52.419 --> 00:14:55.299 God's blessing me. I'm a good Christian. Therefore, 00:14:55.360 --> 00:14:59.720 I'm immune to having to examine myself. And others, 00:14:59.919 --> 00:15:01.799 they're not blessed because somehow they're not 00:15:01.799 --> 00:15:05.299 good enough and it's probably their fault. Different 00:15:05.299 --> 00:15:08.779 viewpoints but the same curse. When we are comfortable, 00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:12.740 we become blind. We miss out on the ways in which 00:15:12.740 --> 00:15:16.659 God wants to bless us by moving us to bless others. 00:15:17.480 --> 00:15:20.740 The comfort of our mindset, it undermines God 00:15:20.740 --> 00:15:23.960 speaking to us. It blinds us to grief, it blinds 00:15:23.960 --> 00:15:25.860 us to compassion, and frankly, it blinds us to 00:15:25.860 --> 00:15:30.940 God. All those humans floating around on their 00:15:30.940 --> 00:15:35.019 little chairs in the spaceship, the comfort literally 00:15:35.019 --> 00:15:40.559 weakens, but it also spiritually, morally, emotionally, 00:15:41.620 --> 00:15:45.500 makes us less. Until... We discover that we can't 00:15:45.500 --> 00:15:47.360 even stand for anything that's good and true 00:15:47.360 --> 00:15:49.799 anymore. We're so comfortable with things that 00:15:49.799 --> 00:15:52.120 if something good and true comes along to convict 00:15:52.120 --> 00:15:54.679 us, we're going to shut it out as best we can. 00:15:55.840 --> 00:15:58.120 We're willing to let others put a message in 00:15:58.120 --> 00:16:00.080 front of us that makes us feel good about our 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:03.600 lazy minds. Tell me what I want to hear, and 00:16:03.600 --> 00:16:08.659 we don't even question it. But imagine someone 00:16:08.659 --> 00:16:11.659 choosing to stand, reaching out to the neighbor, 00:16:12.320 --> 00:16:16.519 in need, making a meal, or even just listening. 00:16:17.600 --> 00:16:21.940 Not to your buddy, but to someone who can never 00:16:21.940 --> 00:16:25.200 give you anything in return. See, comfort no 00:16:25.200 --> 00:16:27.960 longer rules in this situation. It's about compassion 00:16:27.960 --> 00:16:32.720 and courage to take the weight. But imagine that 00:16:32.720 --> 00:16:38.429 person even being willing to die for them. Christ 00:16:38.429 --> 00:16:40.809 had every right to stay comfortable. What do 00:16:40.809 --> 00:16:44.669 you think it was like in heaven? Glory, worship, 00:16:45.049 --> 00:16:48.409 security. When you are eternal and dwelling in 00:16:48.409 --> 00:16:51.190 heaven, you're probably not worried about pimples 00:16:51.190 --> 00:16:53.909 or social security or whether or not there's 00:16:53.909 --> 00:16:57.470 a riptide at the beach on your vacation. But 00:16:57.470 --> 00:17:01.509 he didn't cling to it. He left it. He humbled 00:17:01.509 --> 00:17:04.849 himself, became one of us, and entered our ruin. 00:17:04.910 --> 00:17:09.640 He came to the earth. noticing our sores and 00:17:09.640 --> 00:17:12.859 bearing our griefs, carrying our sins to the 00:17:12.859 --> 00:17:16.940 cross. He gave up comfort so we could share His 00:17:16.940 --> 00:17:21.500 eternal comfort. He gave up His right in the 00:17:21.500 --> 00:17:24.960 world's eyes so we could be made righteous in 00:17:24.960 --> 00:17:30.099 God's sight. But Jesus ends this parable with 00:17:30.099 --> 00:17:32.940 the haunting truth. You may have missed it. It's 00:17:32.940 --> 00:17:37.140 at the very end. If they do not listen to Moses 00:17:37.140 --> 00:17:39.559 and the prophets, they will not be convinced 00:17:39.559 --> 00:17:45.099 even if someone rises from the dead. Strange. 00:17:46.059 --> 00:17:49.519 What's he saying? Unless we're willing to be 00:17:49.519 --> 00:17:52.619 convicted of our own need to repent, we can stand 00:17:52.619 --> 00:17:56.640 face to face with a crucified and risen Jesus 00:17:56.640 --> 00:18:01.380 and still miss Him. If I look at my own morality 00:18:01.380 --> 00:18:02.940 and I conclude, you know what, I'm good enough, 00:18:03.000 --> 00:18:06.109 I'm righteous. I'm the kind of person that God 00:18:06.109 --> 00:18:08.569 is pleased with and I'm the one he sent Jesus 00:18:08.569 --> 00:18:12.650 for. Then the whole message of Jesus actually 00:18:12.650 --> 00:18:16.470 becomes useless. The Gospel, it's not about reinforcing 00:18:16.470 --> 00:18:20.289 my goodness or yours. It's about exposing our 00:18:20.289 --> 00:18:26.009 desperate need for forgiveness every day. And 00:18:26.009 --> 00:18:30.549 if I won't let the Spirit convict me, then even 00:18:30.549 --> 00:18:32.910 resurrection itself wouldn't shake me awake. 00:18:34.089 --> 00:18:37.269 But notice how subtle the danger is. We talk 00:18:37.269 --> 00:18:39.849 about sin and grace. We use the words all the 00:18:39.849 --> 00:18:43.950 time. And we even, we nod along to, yes, we're 00:18:43.950 --> 00:18:46.789 all broken people, yes, yes, uh -huh, yeah, absolutely. 00:18:47.250 --> 00:18:49.230 And then we still end up standing on our moral 00:18:49.230 --> 00:18:52.809 high ground in front of other people. We end 00:18:52.809 --> 00:18:55.369 up trying to argue people into faith by proving 00:18:55.369 --> 00:18:57.869 we're right, they're wrong, and the world, frankly, 00:18:57.970 --> 00:19:00.809 they can see right through us. They know it. 00:19:00.890 --> 00:19:02.970 even when we don't want to acknowledge it. They 00:19:02.970 --> 00:19:06.190 can sense when our words about, oh, well, we're 00:19:06.190 --> 00:19:09.210 sinners. It's just surface level. We're trying 00:19:09.210 --> 00:19:12.609 to sound humble even at the times when underneath 00:19:12.609 --> 00:19:15.509 we're not convicted, we're unmoved, we're unwilling 00:19:15.509 --> 00:19:18.829 to change. Because without the Spirit of God 00:19:18.829 --> 00:19:24.650 pressing the truth into us, our repentance, it's 00:19:24.650 --> 00:19:28.490 just a performance. Our morality is just another 00:19:28.490 --> 00:19:32.740 comfort that we sometimes hide behind. I appreciate 00:19:32.740 --> 00:19:35.720 how Tullian Chavijian, don't ask me to spell 00:19:35.720 --> 00:19:39.619 it, puts it. The church is not a factory producing 00:19:39.619 --> 00:19:43.180 better people. It's a recovery place announcing 00:19:43.180 --> 00:19:47.180 that in Christ, the sick are healed and the guilty 00:19:47.180 --> 00:19:49.980 are pardoned. And if you know anything about 00:19:49.980 --> 00:19:53.339 Tullian Chavijian, he has needed grace more than 00:19:53.339 --> 00:19:56.500 many of us. He reminds us the mission of the 00:19:56.500 --> 00:19:59.039 church is not to build a flawless kingdom that 00:19:59.039 --> 00:20:01.900 others are going to envy. It's to point to Christ 00:20:01.900 --> 00:20:05.460 by first admitting how much we need Him ourselves. 00:20:06.960 --> 00:20:08.960 The invitation we extend to the world is not, 00:20:09.220 --> 00:20:10.819 look how righteous we are, don't you want to 00:20:10.819 --> 00:20:14.299 join us? It's come with us because we're broken 00:20:14.299 --> 00:20:17.559 too, and Jesus is the one who will make us whole. 00:20:19.019 --> 00:20:21.119 The shock of the gospel is that the very thing 00:20:21.119 --> 00:20:24.599 that changes the world is not our morality, but 00:20:24.599 --> 00:20:27.140 our willingness to admit our desperate need. 00:20:27.470 --> 00:20:33.150 for grace. So, do we realize how uncomfortable 00:20:33.150 --> 00:20:37.789 this is to hear? Yeah. I'm paid to make y 'all 00:20:37.789 --> 00:20:40.910 feel uncomfortable, just letting you know. But 00:20:40.910 --> 00:20:43.990 it's also the only way for us to shift ourselves 00:20:43.990 --> 00:20:48.589 to compassion. When we realize that we need it 00:20:48.589 --> 00:20:52.309 just as much as the sinners around us. Have you 00:20:52.309 --> 00:20:55.400 chosen ease over compassion? Have you been so 00:20:55.400 --> 00:20:57.059 certain you were right that you stopped listening? 00:20:58.140 --> 00:21:00.160 Have you stepped over the people lying at your 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:03.500 gate? What ruins are you ignoring because of 00:21:03.500 --> 00:21:06.220 the progress or security that looks so good? 00:21:06.859 --> 00:21:10.299 Where has the comfort become your curse? So as 00:21:10.299 --> 00:21:13.700 we close, what if we as a church refused to let 00:21:13.700 --> 00:21:16.980 comfort blind us? What if we, instead of being 00:21:16.980 --> 00:21:20.059 known for the ease, We try to live for we're 00:21:20.059 --> 00:21:21.900 known for our compassion and what if instead 00:21:21.900 --> 00:21:24.920 of clinging to progress or security we come to 00:21:24.920 --> 00:21:29.339 Christ who makes us new because then We'd become 00:21:29.339 --> 00:21:33.740 a signpost for eternity Then people would live 00:21:33.740 --> 00:21:37.099 in the light of forever The community would be 00:21:37.099 --> 00:21:40.380 awake Because comfort is a gift when it leads 00:21:40.380 --> 00:21:43.519 to gratitude, but it's a curse When it takes 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:47.519 us away from compassion and God So may we not 00:21:47.519 --> 00:21:51.269 let comfort? Tell us that we're just fine. May 00:21:51.269 --> 00:21:55.470 Christ open our eyes and may we live now in the 00:21:55.470 --> 00:21:58.730 light of eternity. Thanks be to God.