WEBVTT 00:00:01.159 --> 00:00:05.179 Houston began with a bold idea. In the 1830s, 00:00:05.320 --> 00:00:08.019 two brothers, Augustus Checkman Allen and John 00:00:08.019 --> 00:00:11.060 Kirby Allen, decided to create a city along Buffalo 00:00:11.060 --> 00:00:14.220 Bayou. They promoted it as the perfect location 00:00:14.220 --> 00:00:17.719 for commerce and growth. People came, homes were 00:00:17.719 --> 00:00:21.980 built, businesses opened, a city was born. But 00:00:21.980 --> 00:00:25.679 there was one small problem. It was a swamp. 00:00:27.140 --> 00:00:31.260 A literal swamp and crumbs and flooding. From 00:00:31.260 --> 00:00:33.619 the very beginning, Houston has wrestled with 00:00:33.619 --> 00:00:36.340 how to live with the land underneath it. And 00:00:36.340 --> 00:00:38.500 over time, developers have tended to react in 00:00:38.500 --> 00:00:42.100 two very different ways. One reaction says, just 00:00:42.100 --> 00:00:45.920 accept it. This is a land we have, floods happen, 00:00:46.259 --> 00:00:48.259 that is simply life here, and we should hold 00:00:48.259 --> 00:00:51.719 off on building new homes in too many places. 00:00:52.159 --> 00:00:55.020 But now there is a lack of housing that is needed. 00:00:55.780 --> 00:00:59.280 The other reaction says, no, we can control it. 00:00:59.469 --> 00:01:02.689 Build more, pave more, cover it with concrete. 00:01:03.530 --> 00:01:06.010 Force the land to cooperate with what we want, 00:01:06.489 --> 00:01:10.390 even as the flooding gets worse and worse. Both 00:01:10.390 --> 00:01:12.409 responses have brought their own difficulties. 00:01:12.870 --> 00:01:14.870 Ignore the land and the people remind you of 00:01:14.870 --> 00:01:17.870 what they need. Try to overpower it, and the 00:01:17.870 --> 00:01:21.469 consequences come back in unexpected and expected 00:01:21.469 --> 00:01:24.750 ways. The challenge has always been learning 00:01:24.750 --> 00:01:26.870 how to live wisely with the reality that we are 00:01:26.870 --> 00:01:30.109 given. And in a strange way, that struggle mirrors 00:01:30.109 --> 00:01:33.469 something deeper about the human heart. When 00:01:33.469 --> 00:01:35.769 we face the world around us, people often choose 00:01:35.769 --> 00:01:39.290 between two similar responses. Some simply accept 00:01:39.290 --> 00:01:42.090 whatever the culture around them says. Others 00:01:42.090 --> 00:01:44.430 try to force the world to bend to their will. 00:01:45.269 --> 00:01:50.030 But the word of God points to a third path. We 00:01:50.030 --> 00:01:52.370 hear that invitation today in the words of the 00:01:52.370 --> 00:01:55.599 prophet Isaiah. When these words were first spoken, 00:01:55.920 --> 00:01:58.620 God's people were living far from home in Babylon. 00:01:59.480 --> 00:02:04.280 Jerusalem had fallen. The temple was gone. The 00:02:04.280 --> 00:02:08.819 people had been carried away into exile. And 00:02:08.819 --> 00:02:12.319 yet, by the time Isaiah's words were heard, something 00:02:12.319 --> 00:02:15.379 interesting has happened. Life in Babylon has 00:02:15.379 --> 00:02:19.719 become normal. After decades, Babylon has become 00:02:19.719 --> 00:02:23.819 their new home. The people have houses. jobs, 00:02:24.460 --> 00:02:27.819 routines. They know how the system works. They 00:02:27.819 --> 00:02:31.599 know how the culture operates. But they are also 00:02:31.599 --> 00:02:35.819 surrounded by Babylon's gods, Babylon's values, 00:02:36.620 --> 00:02:40.800 Babylon's way of seeing the world. And into that 00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:44.180 situation, God speaks a question that cuts straight 00:02:44.180 --> 00:02:47.300 to the heart. Why do you spend your money for 00:02:47.300 --> 00:02:50.080 that which is not bread, and your labor for that 00:02:50.080 --> 00:02:53.069 which does not satisfy? In other words, why are 00:02:53.069 --> 00:02:55.330 you trying to satisfy your soul with things that 00:02:55.330 --> 00:02:57.969 you never should be feeling? And when we look 00:02:57.969 --> 00:03:00.469 at life in Babylon, we begin to see three different 00:03:00.469 --> 00:03:03.969 responses that people can have. The first response 00:03:03.969 --> 00:03:06.770 is simply to blend into Babylon. When you live 00:03:06.770 --> 00:03:08.990 in a place long enough, it begins to shake you. 00:03:09.469 --> 00:03:12.030 The culture, the customs around you start to 00:03:12.030 --> 00:03:15.069 feel normal. The values around you begin to seem 00:03:15.069 --> 00:03:18.789 obvious. So the temptation is simple there. Eat 00:03:18.789 --> 00:03:22.479 and drink whatever is handed to you. Accept the 00:03:22.479 --> 00:03:25.960 culture. Adopt the assumptions. Go along with 00:03:25.960 --> 00:03:29.639 the flow of things. But the prophet asks, does 00:03:29.639 --> 00:03:33.219 that truly satisfy? Just because something is 00:03:33.219 --> 00:03:35.860 common does not mean it gives life. Just because 00:03:35.860 --> 00:03:39.020 everyone is drinking from the same cup does not 00:03:39.020 --> 00:03:42.900 mean the water is good. Even as Daniel showed 00:03:42.900 --> 00:03:46.439 us to step away even at the risk that it may 00:03:46.439 --> 00:03:51.250 carry and to refuse what is given is often what 00:03:51.250 --> 00:03:55.629 it is that we wonder the most. In a world where 00:03:55.629 --> 00:03:58.689 gender doesn't appear to mean anything to people, 00:03:59.349 --> 00:04:01.509 sexuality is whatever people think feels good 00:04:01.509 --> 00:04:03.949 at the moment, and all religions are treated 00:04:03.949 --> 00:04:07.150 as equally valid ways to find a way to God, it 00:04:07.150 --> 00:04:09.550 is easy for many to just go along with what the 00:04:09.550 --> 00:04:12.449 world reasons and think that that makes sense. 00:04:13.469 --> 00:04:15.710 But you see, there's also a second response that 00:04:15.710 --> 00:04:18.250 we need to ask about that goes in the opposite 00:04:18.250 --> 00:04:22.199 direction. Instead of blending in, some people 00:04:22.199 --> 00:04:25.040 try to dominate that mindset. They think the 00:04:25.040 --> 00:04:28.360 answer is control. If we just had enough power, 00:04:28.660 --> 00:04:32.060 enough authority, enough influence, then we could 00:04:32.060 --> 00:04:35.459 force the world to follow God's ways. In that 00:04:35.459 --> 00:04:38.100 mindset, the question becomes, who should pay 00:04:38.100 --> 00:04:42.620 the price for our suffering as Christians? And 00:04:42.620 --> 00:04:46.160 the answer becomes, well, the world should. The 00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:49.279 unbelievers should suffer. Those outside our 00:04:49.279 --> 00:04:52.860 circle should pay the price to create a world 00:04:52.860 --> 00:04:55.740 that follows after Christ. Make them deal with 00:04:55.740 --> 00:05:00.220 what we've dealt with before. But that was never 00:05:00.220 --> 00:05:03.740 the way of Jesus Christ. The apostles never seized 00:05:03.740 --> 00:05:06.819 power in the Roman Empire. They never tried to 00:05:06.819 --> 00:05:09.459 conquer the culture around them. Instead, they 00:05:09.459 --> 00:05:11.699 preached the gospel of forgiveness and restoration. 00:05:12.399 --> 00:05:16.360 They served their neighbors, all of them. They 00:05:16.360 --> 00:05:19.459 endured hardships. whenever they came along, 00:05:19.800 --> 00:05:23.060 without wondering who should suffer for revenge. 00:05:23.980 --> 00:05:26.220 And through that witness, the Word of God spread 00:05:26.220 --> 00:05:30.279 like fire. The Kingdom of God does not advance 00:05:30.279 --> 00:05:34.439 by domination. Which brings us to the third path. 00:05:35.399 --> 00:05:39.279 Faithful living before God in the middle of battle. 00:05:40.199 --> 00:05:43.379 That was the path of people like Daniel and his 00:05:43.379 --> 00:05:47.480 friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They 00:05:47.480 --> 00:05:50.519 worked in the Babylonian government. They served 00:05:50.519 --> 00:05:53.860 faithfully in their roles. They never gave in 00:05:53.860 --> 00:05:56.519 to the false gods, even when the king commanded 00:05:56.519 --> 00:06:00.639 them to worship. They refused, even risking their 00:06:00.639 --> 00:06:03.740 own lives. They did not surrender their faith 00:06:03.740 --> 00:06:06.399 to any leader, and they did not stage a rebellion 00:06:06.399 --> 00:06:09.480 against them either. They simply remained faithful 00:06:09.480 --> 00:06:14.300 to the Lord each and every day. Asking each day, 00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:18.600 how best to serve God, not mocking the world 00:06:18.600 --> 00:06:21.379 around them, but confessing the truth of who 00:06:21.379 --> 00:06:25.399 God is. They lived in Babylon without letting 00:06:25.399 --> 00:06:28.819 Babylon live inside of them. And that kind of 00:06:28.819 --> 00:06:32.000 faithfulness requires something deeper than slogans. 00:06:32.680 --> 00:06:36.480 It requires asking again and again, Lord, what 00:06:36.480 --> 00:06:39.920 does faithfulness look like right now? And this 00:06:39.920 --> 00:06:42.120 is where Isaiah returns to the image of the center 00:06:42.120 --> 00:06:46.730 of the passage, water. God says come everyone 00:06:46.730 --> 00:06:50.209 who thirsts come to the waters Because the truth 00:06:50.209 --> 00:06:53.189 is that human beings are always thirsty We are 00:06:53.189 --> 00:06:55.110 always looking for something that will satisfy 00:06:55.110 --> 00:06:58.149 the deeper hunger of the soul And we see that 00:06:58.149 --> 00:07:00.709 even in something as ordinary as what we drink 00:07:00.709 --> 00:07:03.990 Think about the different ways that people approach 00:07:03.990 --> 00:07:08.009 beverages even today Some people drink whatever 00:07:08.009 --> 00:07:12.670 is available sodas energy drinks wishing that 00:07:12.670 --> 00:07:16.430 the unsweetened tea had sugar in it, anything 00:07:16.430 --> 00:07:20.970 that is there. But the sweetness fades, the caffeine 00:07:20.970 --> 00:07:25.629 wears off, and the thirst comes back again. Other 00:07:25.629 --> 00:07:29.490 people try to improve the situation by creating 00:07:29.490 --> 00:07:33.769 something that is healthy, but also controllable. 00:07:34.170 --> 00:07:38.110 Premium water, sold in the bottles, special brand 00:07:38.110 --> 00:07:41.839 of purity and perfection. But it's so interesting 00:07:41.839 --> 00:07:44.420 that time and time again the ordinary tap water 00:07:44.420 --> 00:07:47.699 is either just as safe or even safer because 00:07:47.699 --> 00:07:49.899 it's much more regulated than anything bought 00:07:49.899 --> 00:07:53.519 on a bottle, far cheaper and doesn't have all 00:07:53.519 --> 00:07:57.740 the microplastics sitting inside of it. All the 00:07:57.740 --> 00:08:00.800 chemicals leaching from the packaging. But what 00:08:00.800 --> 00:08:04.040 looks better is not always better. Sometimes 00:08:04.040 --> 00:08:08.620 the simplest water is the purest water and is 00:08:08.620 --> 00:08:11.689 what is free. Providing something that claims 00:08:11.689 --> 00:08:13.670 to be pure and healthy is not always what is 00:08:13.670 --> 00:08:16.970 best, but Isaiah's question suddenly sounds very 00:08:16.970 --> 00:08:19.810 important to me. Why do you spend your money 00:08:19.810 --> 00:08:22.569 for that which is not great, and your labor for 00:08:22.569 --> 00:08:25.790 that which does not satisfy? Human beings have 00:08:25.790 --> 00:08:29.689 always chased substitutes. Approval, success, 00:08:30.110 --> 00:08:34.029 comfort, control, sometimes within the hands 00:08:34.029 --> 00:08:39.639 of the world, sometimes within the hands. of 00:08:39.639 --> 00:08:44.139 ourselves. Things that promise life believe us 00:08:44.139 --> 00:08:47.779 thirsty again. But then comes the most satisfying 00:08:47.779 --> 00:08:52.639 part of the invitation. God says, come buy and 00:08:52.639 --> 00:08:56.080 eat. Come buy wine and milk without money and 00:08:56.080 --> 00:09:02.200 without price. What? Come and buy? Come and eat? 00:09:02.720 --> 00:09:05.940 After all of that? But without money? Without 00:09:05.940 --> 00:09:10.129 price? What is this? Food, what is this drink? 00:09:11.529 --> 00:09:14.590 Which raises an obvious question. If we are not 00:09:14.590 --> 00:09:19.730 paying for it, who is? The answer comes when 00:09:19.730 --> 00:09:23.129 Jesus Christ stands and declares, if anyone thirsts, 00:09:23.230 --> 00:09:26.230 let him come to me and drink. Because the living 00:09:26.230 --> 00:09:30.009 water that satisfies the soul flows from the 00:09:30.009 --> 00:09:33.129 cross. Because it's Christ who bears the cost. 00:09:34.250 --> 00:09:37.519 It is Christ who bears the cost. It is Christ 00:09:37.519 --> 00:09:41.600 who bears the price, as Christ pours out forgiveness, 00:09:42.039 --> 00:09:45.419 mercy, and new life for a thirsty world. And 00:09:45.419 --> 00:09:48.799 so the invitation still stands, not just for 00:09:48.799 --> 00:09:52.740 the people in battle water, for us. Come to the 00:09:52.740 --> 00:09:57.759 waters. Come without money. Come and live. Because 00:09:57.759 --> 00:09:59.620 the living water of God is not something that 00:09:59.620 --> 00:10:02.700 we may be sanctioned. It is not something we 00:10:02.700 --> 00:10:05.679 force the world to accept either. It is a free 00:10:05.679 --> 00:10:10.879 spirit. free for us, free for the world. A gift 00:10:10.879 --> 00:10:13.539 poured out through Christ for sinners, a gift 00:10:13.539 --> 00:10:16.500 for the thirsty. And that means the doorway into 00:10:16.500 --> 00:10:19.779 the kingdom of God is not strength, it is thirst 00:10:19.779 --> 00:10:23.379 that is willing to be honest. The one who knows 00:10:23.379 --> 00:10:27.139 their need, the one who comes empty handed, the 00:10:27.139 --> 00:10:30.240 one who hears the voice of Christ and comes to 00:10:30.240 --> 00:10:34.139 drink what he alone provides. In the name of 00:10:34.139 --> 00:10:35.889 Jesus. Thank you.