WEBVTT 00:00:03.259 --> 00:00:06.580 Howdy So, uh, yeah, I totally ran away I went 00:00:06.580 --> 00:00:10.080 to Germany for a week so Yeah, don't be jealous 00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:13.759 or or do and make me feel better. Yeah It's it 00:00:13.759 --> 00:00:16.100 was amazing. It was beautiful. It was ridiculously 00:00:16.100 --> 00:00:19.300 cold I took basically every single warm thing 00:00:19.300 --> 00:00:23.160 that I had and put it on it was yeah 32 was the 00:00:23.160 --> 00:00:26.539 high it was crazy There was once I think it was 00:00:26.539 --> 00:00:30.300 20. It was it was rough But got to see Berlin, 00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:34.579 got to see Wittenberg, Erfurt, went over to Munich, 00:00:34.840 --> 00:00:37.200 spent the time with my sister, my brother -in 00:00:37.200 --> 00:00:41.799 -law, my niece. We had way too much food. I mean, 00:00:41.840 --> 00:00:44.299 everything was really, really good, you know, 00:00:44.560 --> 00:00:46.439 every time. Well, let's just try one more thing. 00:00:46.600 --> 00:00:49.659 It gets very dangerous when you realize it's 00:00:49.659 --> 00:00:51.979 been two hours and we're now at another restaurant. 00:00:52.039 --> 00:00:55.539 What is happening here? Bavarian cream is actually 00:00:55.539 --> 00:00:58.119 not a doughnut. It's actually an actual thing. 00:00:58.259 --> 00:01:01.850 It's delicious. It's like a very light cheesecake. 00:01:03.549 --> 00:01:07.269 On top of it is that we were seeing not just 00:01:07.269 --> 00:01:12.090 sites for Lutheran sites. We saw the castle where 00:01:12.090 --> 00:01:15.489 the 95 theses were posted. Had a chance to go 00:01:15.489 --> 00:01:18.909 check out the monastery where Luther had studied. 00:01:19.510 --> 00:01:23.069 Just amazing places for sure. You know that castle 00:01:23.069 --> 00:01:25.950 that you see in Disney movies like Beauty and 00:01:25.950 --> 00:01:27.790 the Beast and Sleeping Beauty and all that stuff? 00:01:28.040 --> 00:01:31.000 Yeah, we saw that thing that it was based off 00:01:31.000 --> 00:01:35.280 of. It was gorgeous, absolutely. It didn't have 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:37.280 a TV though, so I don't think I could stay there. 00:01:38.120 --> 00:01:41.180 But one of the things that we were seeing though 00:01:41.180 --> 00:01:44.120 is apparently I had to be reminded about my brother 00:01:44.120 --> 00:01:46.879 -in -law because they brought along a Jenga game. 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:49.400 Apparently there's a board game now with Jenga. 00:01:49.799 --> 00:01:52.840 And I realized that for the sake of a family 00:01:52.840 --> 00:01:56.640 trip, We do not play board games on the family 00:01:56.640 --> 00:01:59.319 trip. It is a very, he's very competitive. He's 00:01:59.319 --> 00:02:03.180 very competitive. But as we were doing all these 00:02:03.180 --> 00:02:05.319 things and I realized that I'm going to have 00:02:05.319 --> 00:02:07.980 to lose yet another five pounds with the new 00:02:07.980 --> 00:02:11.500 year, stupid new year. One of the things I loved 00:02:11.500 --> 00:02:15.979 about this trip was the tours. I loved getting 00:02:15.979 --> 00:02:19.060 a chance to hear from people who are from the 00:02:19.060 --> 00:02:21.780 country what they knew about their history and 00:02:21.780 --> 00:02:24.270 what they were sharing with us. There was one 00:02:24.270 --> 00:02:27.389 that we had when we were in Berlin and they walked 00:02:27.389 --> 00:02:29.889 us through all these different places. You see 00:02:29.889 --> 00:02:32.550 where, you know, the wall and you see different 00:02:32.550 --> 00:02:35.409 spots where like memorials and all and getting 00:02:35.409 --> 00:02:38.569 a chance to understand not just the architecture 00:02:38.569 --> 00:02:42.129 and the food but what it is that Germany has 00:02:42.129 --> 00:02:45.469 had to deal with. What it is that Germany had 00:02:45.469 --> 00:02:48.710 to face. What they had to confess. What went 00:02:48.710 --> 00:02:52.150 wrong. And what to learn from in order to move 00:02:52.150 --> 00:02:56.129 forward. And what struck me was how fitting it 00:02:56.129 --> 00:03:00.169 is for the epiphany. Because epiphany is not 00:03:00.169 --> 00:03:03.969 about light emerging out of darkness, as if the 00:03:03.969 --> 00:03:07.669 darkness is somehow what produces light, but 00:03:07.669 --> 00:03:11.669 rather epiphany is about light shining into darkness. 00:03:12.610 --> 00:03:16.129 Light coming from the outside. And that distinction 00:03:16.129 --> 00:03:21.789 matters more than we often realize. See, When 00:03:21.789 --> 00:03:24.729 we look at what Isaiah the prophet is speaking 00:03:24.729 --> 00:03:28.229 to us What we discover is that that's what he's 00:03:28.229 --> 00:03:30.629 looking at at the time. We're looking at Isaiah 00:03:30.629 --> 00:03:34.250 60 But when you look at 59 and 60 together they 00:03:34.250 --> 00:03:37.490 come from a time after the exile The people had 00:03:37.490 --> 00:03:40.449 been removed from their homes for 70 years, and 00:03:40.449 --> 00:03:43.110 then they were finally able to come back to Judah 00:03:43.110 --> 00:03:47.569 The people they had already been humbled by God 00:03:47.900 --> 00:03:50.500 They had already lost their land, they'd lost 00:03:50.500 --> 00:03:54.319 their city, they lost their temple. Repentance? 00:03:54.919 --> 00:03:58.180 Oh, it has happened. They are very, very sorry 00:03:58.180 --> 00:04:00.819 for what they have done. The confession, it has 00:04:00.819 --> 00:04:03.680 been going on. They need to change. They know 00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:06.819 that they were sinful and idolatrous. The old 00:04:06.819 --> 00:04:08.919 illusion that they used to have, we're the people 00:04:08.919 --> 00:04:12.300 of God. Nothing bad can happen to us. Well, that 00:04:12.300 --> 00:04:16.199 is gone. They have clearly gotten past that. 00:04:16.810 --> 00:04:20.550 But there's a new illusion that starts to sneak 00:04:20.550 --> 00:04:23.930 in. You know how often times we're learning our 00:04:23.930 --> 00:04:26.569 lesson from something, but we somehow manage 00:04:26.569 --> 00:04:28.970 to replace it with what we're more comfortable 00:04:28.970 --> 00:04:33.029 with? Well for them, it's the belief that now 00:04:33.029 --> 00:04:36.850 if they just try hard enough, if they live well 00:04:36.850 --> 00:04:40.730 enough, if they rebuild faithfully enough, if 00:04:40.730 --> 00:04:44.569 they rebrand everything in a good Jewish fashion, 00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:47.639 If they repent thoroughly enough, then they can 00:04:47.639 --> 00:04:51.879 fix everything that's broken and everything they 00:04:51.879 --> 00:04:55.660 wanted to be before. Well, now they can finally 00:04:55.660 --> 00:05:01.319 be that nation. And Isaiah, he's not ignoring 00:05:01.319 --> 00:05:03.540 the work that they're doing. I mean, he acknowledges 00:05:03.540 --> 00:05:07.240 their efforts. He doesn't dismiss the repentance 00:05:07.240 --> 00:05:11.199 that they have inside. They want to change. But 00:05:11.199 --> 00:05:16.310 in chapter 59, It becomes painfully clear that 00:05:16.310 --> 00:05:21.290 human effort, even as sincere as it is, it's 00:05:21.290 --> 00:05:25.529 not enough. Justice, the way God defines it, 00:05:25.589 --> 00:05:28.870 not our justice, God's justice, it's still absent. 00:05:30.009 --> 00:05:34.250 Truth still stumbles in the face of what makes 00:05:34.250 --> 00:05:38.329 us comfortable. The people, they're trying, but 00:05:38.329 --> 00:05:42.930 something deeper is wrong. And Isaiah names it. 00:05:42.990 --> 00:05:47.910 Redemption cannot be generated from ourselves. 00:05:48.949 --> 00:05:54.350 Redemption, it cannot come from us. It never 00:05:54.350 --> 00:05:58.310 can be. And even when I was hearing all the different 00:05:58.310 --> 00:06:01.449 stories about Germany and how they tried to redeem 00:06:01.449 --> 00:06:05.410 their own story after World War I and all the 00:06:05.410 --> 00:06:08.569 issues, all the struggles, how can we take this 00:06:08.569 --> 00:06:12.370 brokenness and make it better? Look at what happened. 00:06:13.240 --> 00:06:17.740 World War Two. They tried to redeem themselves 00:06:17.740 --> 00:06:20.360 in a way that they were comfortable with, their 00:06:20.360 --> 00:06:24.139 own way, and they fell deeper into their self 00:06:24.139 --> 00:06:27.439 -centeredness. And at the end of that chapter 00:06:27.439 --> 00:06:31.860 though, something decisive happens. God looks 00:06:31.860 --> 00:06:34.399 and sees that there is no one who can truly set 00:06:34.399 --> 00:06:39.100 things right on his behalf. There is no human 00:06:39.100 --> 00:06:42.519 reformer. There is no perfect leader. There is 00:06:42.519 --> 00:06:45.759 no merely human solution in Isaiah that will 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:48.399 stand as the perfect beacon for righteousness. 00:06:50.620 --> 00:06:56.040 So God acts. God puts on righteousness himself. 00:06:56.420 --> 00:06:59.240 God becomes the Redeemer. There are arguments 00:06:59.240 --> 00:07:02.720 about whether Isaiah was written all before the 00:07:02.720 --> 00:07:05.860 exile and whether or not this part might have 00:07:05.860 --> 00:07:08.980 been written later by somebody in Isaiah's name. 00:07:09.339 --> 00:07:11.860 You know how sometimes you read something you 00:07:11.860 --> 00:07:13.639 say there's no way they could have known what 00:07:13.639 --> 00:07:16.360 was going to happen that far down the line. It 00:07:16.360 --> 00:07:18.879 must have been somebody who had much more knowledge. 00:07:19.199 --> 00:07:21.459 You know sometimes you're looking at things and 00:07:21.459 --> 00:07:23.459 you're saying, oh well that's obviously going 00:07:23.459 --> 00:07:25.860 to happen. You can predict the weather. You can 00:07:25.860 --> 00:07:28.199 predict the economy. You can predict whether 00:07:28.199 --> 00:07:30.300 or not the person you're with is going to know 00:07:30.300 --> 00:07:33.389 what restaurant they want to eat at. I love my 00:07:33.389 --> 00:07:37.689 sister and my brother -in -law, oh my word. But 00:07:37.689 --> 00:07:41.529 you know, sometimes when God is revealing it 00:07:41.529 --> 00:07:45.149 to us, the future is pretty clear no matter how 00:07:45.149 --> 00:07:50.790 far off it is. And the message was obvious. Even 00:07:50.790 --> 00:07:54.870 after repentance, Isaiah is still going to stumble. 00:07:55.290 --> 00:07:58.790 There is no doubt. Even after returning home, 00:07:59.129 --> 00:08:03.639 they are still going to need saving. Repentance 00:08:03.639 --> 00:08:07.060 matters, okay? Wanting to change is important. 00:08:07.920 --> 00:08:11.860 Change matters. Making steps. We're facing a 00:08:11.860 --> 00:08:13.920 new year. There are many things that you are 00:08:13.920 --> 00:08:17.459 resolved to do. Good. Try them. Do the best that 00:08:17.459 --> 00:08:21.920 you can. Live into it. We need to be willing 00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:25.100 to admit how we have stumbled in pursuing our 00:08:25.100 --> 00:08:28.699 own selfishness instead of always just trying 00:08:28.699 --> 00:08:33.070 to justify our actions. There was a reason oh, 00:08:33.070 --> 00:08:35.669 but you don't know about this you don't understand 00:08:35.669 --> 00:08:38.850 what was happening Y 'all we have to be willing 00:08:38.850 --> 00:08:44.070 to change Repentance though does not replace 00:08:44.070 --> 00:08:49.929 God's action and how much we need him Because 00:08:49.929 --> 00:08:55.629 ultimately it is God's son for us and God's spirit 00:08:55.629 --> 00:08:59.850 in us Who must do what human beings cannot do 00:08:59.850 --> 00:09:03.029 on our own salvation is not something that we 00:09:03.029 --> 00:09:07.269 somehow finish It is something that we need God 00:09:07.269 --> 00:09:11.710 to accomplish in us that's the only reason that 00:09:11.710 --> 00:09:17.370 hope is even real and Isaiah says arise shine 00:09:17.370 --> 00:09:21.690 for your light has come Notice what it does not 00:09:21.690 --> 00:09:25.610 say it does not say Arise and see, hey, look 00:09:25.610 --> 00:09:29.309 at the light inside of you. It doesn't say, hey, 00:09:29.590 --> 00:09:33.029 you know, kind of grit your teeth and concentrate 00:09:33.029 --> 00:09:36.149 and create some light. And it does not say, prove 00:09:36.149 --> 00:09:40.470 yourselves worthy. It says the light has come. 00:09:42.690 --> 00:09:45.750 Arise, shine, it's a response to the light arriving 00:09:45.750 --> 00:09:53.740 into our lives. Darkness still exists. It hasn't 00:09:53.740 --> 00:09:56.159 vanished every time something good happens It 00:09:56.159 --> 00:09:58.299 doesn't mean that there is now no more darkness 00:09:58.299 --> 00:10:01.259 to be dealt with and we need to face the reality 00:10:01.259 --> 00:10:07.500 that darkness It doesn't just Come to us Darkness 00:10:07.500 --> 00:10:13.779 comes from us Not just them Whoever they might 00:10:13.779 --> 00:10:18.399 be But God's presence it is now unmistakable 00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:22.070 and that is what the nations must see They do 00:10:22.070 --> 00:10:27.629 not come to Israel to see Israel. They come not 00:10:27.629 --> 00:10:30.450 because Israel finally perfected itself. They 00:10:30.450 --> 00:10:35.090 come because God is there. Witness flows from 00:10:35.090 --> 00:10:39.149 God's action, not from our own self -improvement. 00:10:40.210 --> 00:10:43.370 The more our actions are based on what seems 00:10:43.370 --> 00:10:46.950 to make the most sense to us, like Germany invading 00:10:46.950 --> 00:10:49.269 Belgium to get to France when it wasn't even 00:10:49.269 --> 00:10:52.929 involved in the first place, the less our actions 00:10:52.929 --> 00:10:56.870 are based on God's timing, God's mercy, God's 00:10:56.870 --> 00:10:59.809 righteousness, doing things that are right in 00:10:59.809 --> 00:11:02.070 His eyes and according to His plan instead of 00:11:02.070 --> 00:11:05.909 ours. You see, people become a beacon not by 00:11:05.909 --> 00:11:08.929 polishing themselves and making themselves in 00:11:08.929 --> 00:11:12.730 their ways pretty. We become a beacon because 00:11:12.730 --> 00:11:16.909 we are illuminated by God. A lighthouse with 00:11:16.909 --> 00:11:20.750 just mirrors to reflect itself is useless. if 00:11:20.750 --> 00:11:23.330 there is no light shining within it in the first 00:11:23.330 --> 00:11:28.750 place. And you see that's where Germany quietly 00:11:28.750 --> 00:11:33.909 stands as a parable. Germany was a Christian 00:11:33.909 --> 00:11:37.909 nation long before the 20th century. Germany 00:11:37.909 --> 00:11:40.149 was the birthplace of Lutheranism, one of the 00:11:40.149 --> 00:11:43.850 main birthplaces of Protestantism. Martin Luther 00:11:43.850 --> 00:11:46.590 fought to save German churches from the abuses 00:11:46.590 --> 00:11:50.500 of the Catholic Church. But those a century later 00:11:50.500 --> 00:11:54.960 who followed more after Luther the person and 00:11:54.960 --> 00:11:59.019 the Pope as some sort of figurehead, rather than 00:11:59.019 --> 00:12:03.519 Christ the Messiah, began a war that killed a 00:12:03.519 --> 00:12:07.940 third of central Germany. Because of their power, 00:12:08.279 --> 00:12:11.139 their economics, their personal rage after the 00:12:11.139 --> 00:12:14.559 80 years war, the good Christians and Catholics 00:12:14.559 --> 00:12:19.409 destroyed each other in the 30 years war. for 00:12:19.409 --> 00:12:24.789 Jesus. And Germany today, they are honest about 00:12:24.789 --> 00:12:28.230 the brokenness. After World War II, after the 00:12:28.230 --> 00:12:30.710 Cold War, Germany could not redeem itself by 00:12:30.710 --> 00:12:34.029 simply deciding to be better or justifying its 00:12:34.029 --> 00:12:38.090 past actions. There was outside intervention. 00:12:39.090 --> 00:12:42.350 There was accountability. There was confession. 00:12:43.389 --> 00:12:45.450 There was some weird beeping sound on the side 00:12:45.450 --> 00:12:52.269 of the sanctuary. You never know what's gonna 00:12:52.269 --> 00:12:59.649 happen But you see there was There was the outside 00:12:59.649 --> 00:13:02.289 way of coming in and holding them accountable 00:13:02.289 --> 00:13:05.950 There was a confession a rebuilding and there 00:13:05.950 --> 00:13:09.909 was repentance But as beautiful as Germany may 00:13:09.909 --> 00:13:13.970 be No Christian nation will ever be a beacon 00:13:13.970 --> 00:13:17.309 on a hill if it's more about being Christian 00:13:17.309 --> 00:13:21.600 than it is about being like Christ Redemption 00:13:21.600 --> 00:13:26.259 does not erase history, but it can transform 00:13:26.259 --> 00:13:30.600 it into a new beginning. That's how God works. 00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:33.779 Redemption does not pretend that the past did 00:13:33.779 --> 00:13:36.500 not happen or try to rewrite it into something 00:13:36.500 --> 00:13:40.120 better than it was. It creates a future that 00:13:40.120 --> 00:13:44.659 learns from it, does better, not based on our 00:13:44.659 --> 00:13:48.639 understanding or our efforts, but based on trusting 00:13:48.639 --> 00:13:54.009 Christ. For each and every action we take, every 00:13:54.009 --> 00:13:57.269 emotion, every motivation we need to be honest 00:13:57.269 --> 00:14:00.870 about, every single moment is to stop saying, 00:14:01.169 --> 00:14:03.590 what should I do as a good Christian, and instead 00:14:03.590 --> 00:14:10.070 to say, what would Christ in me do? And that's 00:14:10.070 --> 00:14:13.429 what brings us to the Magi. That's what brings 00:14:13.429 --> 00:14:17.169 us to the wise men. Because the Magi, they could 00:14:17.169 --> 00:14:20.549 have stayed home. They could have just said we 00:14:20.549 --> 00:14:23.809 believe in the idea of a messiah. We know it's 00:14:23.809 --> 00:14:27.690 there We know he's out there. We trust God from 00:14:27.690 --> 00:14:31.269 a distance They knew they saw the star they they 00:14:31.269 --> 00:14:33.929 could say hey look that must be where the king 00:14:33.929 --> 00:14:37.070 of the Jews will be born That's really cool good 00:14:37.070 --> 00:14:40.190 for them, man. It's good thing. We know about 00:14:40.190 --> 00:14:43.929 this Wow, it's a great thing. You know what let's 00:14:43.929 --> 00:14:46.029 go over here We're gonna watch from the comfort 00:14:46.029 --> 00:14:48.730 of our living rooms. Oh look at the show there 00:14:48.730 --> 00:14:52.570 Look at how the star is moving isn't that fascinating 00:14:52.570 --> 00:14:59.169 Epiphany is not distant admiration They traveled 00:14:59.169 --> 00:15:03.549 they risked they sought they pursued the Messiah 00:15:03.549 --> 00:15:08.230 That they desired they did not come for an idea 00:15:08.230 --> 00:15:11.570 that they had within themselves They came for 00:15:11.570 --> 00:15:17.230 a person. They wanted God Himself. Don't we all? 00:15:18.990 --> 00:15:23.429 An epiphany is a revelation of an idea. A theophany 00:15:23.429 --> 00:15:28.789 is a revelation of God. The Magi wanted God Himself. 00:15:28.850 --> 00:15:33.509 So in a sense, this is not a celebration of the 00:15:33.509 --> 00:15:37.289 epiphany. It's a celebration of the theophany. 00:15:37.889 --> 00:15:41.700 The light of the world. And light, real light, 00:15:42.639 --> 00:15:47.039 it demands movement. And that's where this meets 00:15:47.039 --> 00:15:51.720 us. We cannot fix ourselves by just deciding 00:15:51.720 --> 00:15:55.139 things harder. I'm going to be a better person. 00:15:55.220 --> 00:15:57.500 I'm going to fix these things. I've got it figured 00:15:57.500 --> 00:16:00.580 out. We don't just need new ideas or better plans 00:16:00.580 --> 00:16:06.399 or stronger resolution. We need God. Every moment 00:16:06.399 --> 00:16:10.629 of every day. We are called to pursue new life, 00:16:10.789 --> 00:16:12.929 but we're not called to pretend that we're the 00:16:12.929 --> 00:16:17.190 ones creating it. Redemption comes from outside 00:16:17.190 --> 00:16:21.549 of us, and it meets us personally. It changes 00:16:21.549 --> 00:16:24.789 us. It restores us. It sends us forward. That 00:16:24.789 --> 00:16:27.490 is what the nations are going to see. That is 00:16:27.490 --> 00:16:30.330 what the nations will pursue. That is what will 00:16:30.330 --> 00:16:32.929 change the camels of warfare into the camels 00:16:32.929 --> 00:16:36.330 of righteousness and discipleship. That is what 00:16:36.330 --> 00:16:39.669 the world needs. more than our strength or our 00:16:39.669 --> 00:16:43.450 great ideas. That is what we need in this new 00:16:43.450 --> 00:16:48.129 year. Are you ready to spend time in God's Word? 00:16:48.929 --> 00:16:52.210 To worship together? To grow together? To serve 00:16:52.210 --> 00:16:54.590 our community together? To give together? We've 00:16:54.590 --> 00:16:57.129 been talking about this for a year now. What 00:16:57.129 --> 00:16:59.730 are the things that we want for every member 00:16:59.730 --> 00:17:04.869 of this community? But are you ready for Christ? 00:17:05.039 --> 00:17:07.680 and for his church to be more than just a great 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:10.339 idea that you made sure that your kids learned 00:17:10.339 --> 00:17:12.940 about and that your glad exists on the corner. 00:17:13.220 --> 00:17:16.960 Are you ready to go beyond just trying to figure 00:17:16.960 --> 00:17:20.140 things out in your own head, to solve your own 00:17:20.140 --> 00:17:23.900 problems, to move beyond looking for your epiphanies 00:17:23.900 --> 00:17:29.619 and instead pursue the epiphany? Because the 00:17:29.619 --> 00:17:33.220 invitation of epiphany is not be better. The 00:17:33.220 --> 00:17:37.200 invitation has come to Christ. As this New Year 00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:40.740 begins, my question to you is straightforward. 00:17:42.119 --> 00:17:44.539 Are you ready for this year to be about pursuing 00:17:44.539 --> 00:17:48.019 Christ rather than just trying to remake yourselves? 00:17:49.519 --> 00:17:51.559 Because your New Year's resolutions will mean 00:17:51.559 --> 00:17:55.200 nothing without Him. And more than that, your 00:17:55.200 --> 00:17:58.220 actions and your reactions will reflect more 00:17:58.220 --> 00:18:01.859 of what is in this world than what is in God's 00:18:01.859 --> 00:18:07.339 kingdom. if you don't. So please, the light is 00:18:07.339 --> 00:18:12.000 already shining. The question is whether you're 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:15.339 willing to leave behind what you have had in 00:18:15.339 --> 00:18:20.660 order to pursue Him Himself. Thanks be to God.