WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.819 Howdy. And a quick reminder to all the confirmation 00:00:03.819 --> 00:00:05.980 students to make sure you're doing your sermon 00:00:05.980 --> 00:00:09.060 notes. So, I know, pastors gotta start checking 00:00:09.060 --> 00:00:13.380 those, there you go. You know, every generation 00:00:13.380 --> 00:00:17.239 develops its own little dictionary. Every age 00:00:17.239 --> 00:00:20.620 invents words and phrases that reveal what people 00:00:20.620 --> 00:00:23.879 fear, what they value, what they long for, what 00:00:23.879 --> 00:00:27.600 they worship. Now, I barely managed to squeeze 00:00:27.600 --> 00:00:29.660 into the beginning of millennials. I'm kind of 00:00:29.660 --> 00:00:32.219 like right there in between them and everything. 00:00:33.399 --> 00:00:35.000 But most of my friends are millennials, so I'm 00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:37.460 kind of stuck with them. But you know, millennials, 00:00:37.759 --> 00:00:40.460 they gave us a lot of fun ones. Good vibes only, 00:00:41.100 --> 00:00:43.939 definitely a millennial phrase. Emotional support 00:00:43.939 --> 00:00:47.170 coffee shops. Yeah, absolutely you get your well 00:00:47.170 --> 00:00:50.090 -being from Starbucks turning every personality 00:00:50.090 --> 00:00:53.530 into a Harry Potter Hogwarts house Don't lie. 00:00:53.590 --> 00:00:56.149 You know which one you're a part of I'm a Gryffindor. 00:00:56.149 --> 00:01:00.070 Okay, and of course Adulting they took the word 00:01:00.070 --> 00:01:02.729 and made it a verb who would have thought everything's 00:01:02.729 --> 00:01:06.290 a verb now. I don't even But you know, it's easy 00:01:06.290 --> 00:01:09.430 then for Millennials to turn brunch into a therapy 00:01:09.430 --> 00:01:12.250 session with avocado toast in under six minutes 00:01:12.250 --> 00:01:15.739 You know But millennials can't have all the fun. 00:01:16.180 --> 00:01:21.079 Gen Z came along. And they can diagnose emotional 00:01:21.079 --> 00:01:24.640 boundaries faster than WebMD. They came up with 00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:27.819 things like protect your peace. That's toxic. 00:01:28.379 --> 00:01:31.680 Main character energy, and I'm setting boundaries. 00:01:32.700 --> 00:01:37.180 Okay? And let's be honest, though. Gen Z did 00:01:37.180 --> 00:01:41.180 not end it. Gen Alpha. Yes, there's a Gen Alpha. 00:01:41.540 --> 00:01:43.579 There is a Gen Beta starting up soon, too, by 00:01:43.579 --> 00:01:47.120 the way. Gen Alpha arrived speaking what sounds 00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:49.420 less like English and more like someone dropped 00:01:49.420 --> 00:01:53.780 a smartphone into a blender. Riz. What in the 00:01:53.780 --> 00:01:58.269 world? Riz. Sigma and then Skibity. I don't even 00:01:58.269 --> 00:02:00.269 know what skivity means. I don't think anybody 00:02:00.269 --> 00:02:02.569 who even says it knows what skivity means. I 00:02:02.569 --> 00:02:04.629 think it's literally not supposed to mean anything. 00:02:05.129 --> 00:02:07.849 That's what we have to work with people. But 00:02:07.849 --> 00:02:10.889 before we laugh too hard, older generations had 00:02:10.889 --> 00:02:13.349 their own versions, too. What was it, the 60s 00:02:13.349 --> 00:02:16.449 and the 70s, when we got find yourself and go 00:02:16.449 --> 00:02:19.849 with the flow and peace and love and do your 00:02:19.849 --> 00:02:24.199 own thing? But even more than that... Christians 00:02:24.199 --> 00:02:27.240 love to come up with phrases that nobody in the 00:02:27.240 --> 00:02:29.919 world understands outside of our little ecosystem. 00:02:30.879 --> 00:02:34.259 I'm just waiting for a hedge of protection. The 00:02:34.259 --> 00:02:39.020 Lord laid it on my heart. Traveling mercies to 00:02:39.020 --> 00:02:43.879 you all. I plead the blood of Jesus and God won't 00:02:43.879 --> 00:02:46.199 give you more than you can handle. Which for 00:02:46.199 --> 00:02:50.419 the record is not actually in the Bible. I know, 00:02:50.599 --> 00:02:54.400 I know. At least one person, every time, at least 00:02:54.400 --> 00:02:57.500 one person. You know, every group, they develop 00:02:57.500 --> 00:02:59.860 these phrases, and it shows how they see the 00:02:59.860 --> 00:03:02.020 world. And today, when we're looking at the book 00:03:02.020 --> 00:03:04.919 of Acts, Athens has its own vocabulary, too. 00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:07.439 Because Paul walks into Athens, and he walks 00:03:07.439 --> 00:03:10.259 into a city overflowing with different ideas. 00:03:10.500 --> 00:03:12.780 And the more that you study Athens, the more 00:03:12.780 --> 00:03:17.020 you realize Athens is not all that strange. Athens 00:03:17.020 --> 00:03:22.180 is like us. Paul enters there and he sees idols 00:03:22.180 --> 00:03:26.319 everywhere. Luke says Paul is deeply distressed, 00:03:26.599 --> 00:03:30.139 but notice what Paul does not do. Paul does not 00:03:30.139 --> 00:03:32.840 begin screaming at all the strangers. He does 00:03:32.840 --> 00:03:36.039 not start with a top 10 reasons why Athens is 00:03:36.039 --> 00:03:39.300 going to Hades. He doesn't end up coming to the 00:03:39.300 --> 00:03:42.219 marketplace with a sermon series telling everybody 00:03:42.219 --> 00:03:47.360 what idiots they truly are. Instead, he observes. 00:03:47.719 --> 00:03:51.370 He listens. He reasons. And what does he do? 00:03:52.610 --> 00:03:57.430 He does this in the marketplace. The Agora. Now, 00:03:57.490 --> 00:03:59.870 the Agora was not merely a shopping center. It 00:03:59.870 --> 00:04:04.169 was a marketplace, a courthouse, a debate hall, 00:04:04.530 --> 00:04:07.889 a networking center, a political square, an educational 00:04:07.889 --> 00:04:12.460 hub. Imagine... If a university campus, a courthouse, 00:04:12.719 --> 00:04:15.960 a farmer's market, a social media, a coffee shop, 00:04:16.220 --> 00:04:19.899 and a podcast studio all collided into a noisy 00:04:19.899 --> 00:04:23.600 marble covered intersection, that was Athens. 00:04:24.360 --> 00:04:27.019 That was the Agora. And in that marketplace, 00:04:27.220 --> 00:04:31.100 Paul finds two groups of people, the Epicureans 00:04:31.100 --> 00:04:35.000 and the Stoics. Now just before we go any further, 00:04:35.040 --> 00:04:37.279 let's clear up two misunderstandings. Number 00:04:37.279 --> 00:04:40.120 one, epicurean does not mean someone who shops 00:04:40.120 --> 00:04:43.079 at an expensive organic grocery store discussing 00:04:43.079 --> 00:04:45.379 artisan cheese while sipping imported sparkling 00:04:45.379 --> 00:04:50.180 water. You know who you are. And stoic does not 00:04:50.180 --> 00:04:52.720 mean someone with absolutely no emotions staring 00:04:52.720 --> 00:04:55.819 into the distance like a human cinder block. 00:04:57.920 --> 00:05:01.519 These philosophies are deeper than mere caricatures. 00:05:02.990 --> 00:05:06.889 Epicureanism comes from Epicurus, and contrary 00:05:06.889 --> 00:05:09.689 to popular assumption, they were not focused 00:05:09.689 --> 00:05:12.709 on reckless pleasure. They were not saying party 00:05:12.709 --> 00:05:17.250 hard, because nothing matters. Epicureans actually 00:05:17.250 --> 00:05:19.910 believed that the goal of life was tranquility. 00:05:20.850 --> 00:05:25.069 Freedom from fear, from anxiety, from pain. Sounds 00:05:25.069 --> 00:05:27.889 actually kind of good. Their highest good was 00:05:27.889 --> 00:05:31.350 pleasure, but pleasure for them meant peace, 00:05:31.500 --> 00:05:36.379 calm, simplicity, an absence of distress. They 00:05:36.379 --> 00:05:38.660 believed that if the gods existed, that they 00:05:38.660 --> 00:05:42.399 were distant and uninvolved with the world. No 00:05:42.399 --> 00:05:45.360 judgment, no interruptions, no resurrection, 00:05:45.959 --> 00:05:49.300 no accountability. So the goal for them became 00:05:49.300 --> 00:05:53.699 to protect your peace. Sound familiar? Modern 00:05:53.699 --> 00:05:56.959 Epicureanism would sound like, cut out the negativity. 00:05:57.639 --> 00:06:00.100 Protect your peace. Do what makes you happy. 00:06:00.399 --> 00:06:03.600 I just want a quiet life. Life is about experiences, 00:06:03.980 --> 00:06:06.600 and my personal favorite, I'm spiritual, not 00:06:06.600 --> 00:06:11.139 religious. To be fair though, some of what they 00:06:11.139 --> 00:06:14.019 would say would resonate with us. Friendship 00:06:14.019 --> 00:06:16.879 matters, gratitude, simplicity can be healthy, 00:06:17.480 --> 00:06:21.199 needless anxiety would destroy us, sure. But 00:06:21.199 --> 00:06:24.279 Jesus never said, blessed are the comfortable. 00:06:26.079 --> 00:06:28.420 Jesus would say, take up your cross and follow 00:06:28.420 --> 00:06:32.660 me. Epicureanism would be about, how do I avoid 00:06:32.660 --> 00:06:37.100 suffering? Jesus would say, how do I love faithfully 00:06:37.100 --> 00:06:40.240 in the midst of suffering? It's not the same 00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:44.519 destination. So if Epicureanism is about protecting 00:06:44.519 --> 00:06:48.740 ourselves from pain, Stoicism would be like strengthening 00:06:48.740 --> 00:06:53.759 ourselves against pain. Founded by Zeno of Sidium. 00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:57.600 Yes, real names. And Marcus Aurelius and Seneca 00:06:57.600 --> 00:07:01.160 the Younger. Stoicism taught that peace was about 00:07:01.160 --> 00:07:05.819 mastering your inner life. Wisdom, courage, justice, 00:07:06.300 --> 00:07:09.740 temperance, self -control, resilience. Sounds 00:07:09.740 --> 00:07:11.500 almost like fruits of the spirit for a moment. 00:07:12.339 --> 00:07:15.220 You focus on what you can control. Your choices, 00:07:15.560 --> 00:07:18.139 your reactions, your character. You accept what 00:07:18.139 --> 00:07:21.779 you cannot control. Fate, suffering, circumstances, 00:07:22.120 --> 00:07:25.399 other people. Sounds almost like a serenity prayer, 00:07:25.420 --> 00:07:30.540 right? Modern stoicism is everywhere today. Productivity 00:07:30.540 --> 00:07:33.899 podcasts, leadership coaching, resilience training, 00:07:34.279 --> 00:07:37.819 military language, self -help culture, phrases 00:07:37.819 --> 00:07:41.519 like control what you can control, protect your 00:07:41.519 --> 00:07:44.459 energy, stay disciplined, don't let emotions 00:07:44.459 --> 00:07:48.100 control you, and my favorite, it is what it is. 00:07:49.420 --> 00:07:51.939 While the ancients may have carried scrolls, 00:07:51.980 --> 00:07:55.120 Modern Stoics today would have motivational podcasts 00:07:55.120 --> 00:07:59.860 and water bottles with new logos. There are things 00:07:59.860 --> 00:08:02.560 we appreciate like discipline, perseverance, 00:08:02.959 --> 00:08:06.660 endurance, and self -control. But Christianity 00:08:06.660 --> 00:08:10.800 parts ways when Stoicism sees that we can save 00:08:10.800 --> 00:08:15.160 ourselves. Their answer may be, I must become 00:08:15.160 --> 00:08:19.160 strong enough. Our answer is Christ meets us 00:08:19.160 --> 00:08:22.540 in our weakness. The gospel is not you finally 00:08:22.540 --> 00:08:25.120 became emotionally disciplined enough. The gospel 00:08:25.120 --> 00:08:29.019 is while we were still weak, Christ died for 00:08:29.019 --> 00:08:34.399 the ungodly, sinners like us. By the way, one 00:08:34.399 --> 00:08:36.360 thing we should understand about them is that 00:08:36.360 --> 00:08:39.259 these are not people that were merely bowing 00:08:39.259 --> 00:08:42.779 in front of statues thinking this chunk of marble 00:08:42.779 --> 00:08:47.500 is my god. Their gods and their heroes embodied 00:08:47.500 --> 00:08:52.019 their ideals. Athena, wisdom. Aries, strength. 00:08:52.259 --> 00:08:55.980 Aphrodite, beauty. Nike, triumph. Yes, your shoe 00:08:55.980 --> 00:08:59.179 was a god. Zeus, representing power and authority. 00:09:00.120 --> 00:09:03.700 The statues were visions of a good life. In other 00:09:03.700 --> 00:09:07.200 words, their worship was about values, aspirations, 00:09:07.399 --> 00:09:12.600 and identities. See, modern people, we may not 00:09:12.600 --> 00:09:16.159 bow down before statues either, but we absolutely 00:09:16.159 --> 00:09:19.860 build identities around our ideals. Success, 00:09:20.259 --> 00:09:23.919 beauty, freedom, pleasure, power, productivity, 00:09:24.879 --> 00:09:29.659 control. Our idols are often psychological before 00:09:29.659 --> 00:09:33.580 they are physical. We create images of the kind 00:09:33.580 --> 00:09:37.100 of person that we think will save us. Now, here's 00:09:37.100 --> 00:09:39.879 what's fascinating. Paul sees all of these false 00:09:39.879 --> 00:09:43.299 ideas that are there, but he doesn't begin by 00:09:43.299 --> 00:09:47.019 mocking them. He goes in and he says, men of 00:09:47.019 --> 00:09:49.039 Athens, I perceive that in every way you are 00:09:49.039 --> 00:09:52.000 very religious. And then he notices an altar 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:56.480 to an unknown God. And instead of starting off 00:09:56.480 --> 00:09:59.139 by saying, oh, you're so stupid, you worship 00:09:59.139 --> 00:10:02.820 a God you don't even know about. Instead, he 00:10:02.820 --> 00:10:06.580 uses it as a bridge. Paul starts where they are. 00:10:07.559 --> 00:10:10.960 And that's important. Because he doesn't affirm 00:10:10.960 --> 00:10:13.970 that pagan worship is true. But he recognizes 00:10:13.970 --> 00:10:16.110 that underneath it, there's a genuine longing. 00:10:17.730 --> 00:10:22.590 Human beings are searching. And Paul does something 00:10:22.590 --> 00:10:27.149 astonishing. He actually quotes their crazy phrases. 00:10:28.029 --> 00:10:31.110 He quotes the pagan philosophers and poets. Paul 00:10:31.110 --> 00:10:34.090 says, in him we live and move and have our being. 00:10:34.909 --> 00:10:38.629 That was probably from Epimenides, one of their 00:10:38.629 --> 00:10:41.889 philosophers. Originally, not about the God of 00:10:41.889 --> 00:10:47.230 Israel, it was about Zeus. Paul also says we 00:10:47.230 --> 00:10:50.809 are indeed his offspring, and he's quoting Eratos, 00:10:51.990 --> 00:10:54.809 definitely talking about Zeus, but echoing Stoicism. 00:10:55.730 --> 00:10:59.250 See, Paul is not saying Zeus and the God of Israel 00:10:59.250 --> 00:11:03.450 are the same. He's doing something much deeper. 00:11:04.210 --> 00:11:08.269 He's saying even your own poets recognize the 00:11:08.269 --> 00:11:12.480 fragments of truth. that went beyond you. Paul 00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:14.480 takes the language that they used for the false 00:11:14.480 --> 00:11:18.139 gods and he redirects it. He aims it for the 00:11:18.139 --> 00:11:20.980 true God revealed in Christ. See, it's almost 00:11:20.980 --> 00:11:23.279 like Paul is saying, you've been looking for 00:11:23.279 --> 00:11:25.980 love in all the wrong places, searching for love 00:11:25.980 --> 00:11:30.460 in too many faces. But you know, something in 00:11:30.460 --> 00:11:32.860 your own hearts already suspects what is real. 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:36.639 And that's why Paul begins with understanding 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:40.799 rather than ridiculing. He recognizes that even 00:11:40.799 --> 00:11:44.200 the distorted longings reveal our need for God. 00:11:45.080 --> 00:11:48.080 So compare this, though, to Stephen last week. 00:11:48.519 --> 00:11:52.659 Very different feel. Stephen was fiery, sharp, 00:11:53.039 --> 00:11:56.019 prophetic. Why? Because Stephen is not speaking 00:11:56.019 --> 00:11:59.080 to the pagans who have never known God. Stephen 00:11:59.080 --> 00:12:01.820 is speaking to the temple leaders, the Scripture 00:12:01.820 --> 00:12:04.139 trained people, the covenant people, the ones 00:12:04.139 --> 00:12:07.240 who already knew the law and the prophets. Their 00:12:07.240 --> 00:12:10.070 issue was different. Paul was talking to the 00:12:10.070 --> 00:12:13.110 spiritual seekers. Stephen is talking to the 00:12:13.110 --> 00:12:16.730 ones resisting what God was saying to them. Think 00:12:16.730 --> 00:12:20.570 about it this way. Could you imagine Gordon Ramsay 00:12:20.570 --> 00:12:24.889 coming into McDonald's and snatching the fries 00:12:24.889 --> 00:12:27.330 out of someone's hand saying, you put too much 00:12:27.330 --> 00:12:31.610 ketchup on there? Well, of course not. I mean, 00:12:31.629 --> 00:12:36.009 there's no TV show for it. But also, Gordon Ramsay 00:12:36.009 --> 00:12:41.340 critiques chefs. Why? Because the chefs are the 00:12:41.340 --> 00:12:45.440 ones claiming, I know how to do this. They're 00:12:45.440 --> 00:12:48.100 presenting themselves as professionals. Or could 00:12:48.100 --> 00:12:51.679 you imagine Simon Cowell stopping a stranger 00:12:51.679 --> 00:12:54.320 at karaoke and saying, your singing voice lacks 00:12:54.320 --> 00:12:59.279 range. Never with me, but still. It would be 00:12:59.279 --> 00:13:03.179 absurd, wouldn't it? His criticism, it exists 00:13:03.179 --> 00:13:06.240 because people are standing up and saying, I 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:09.600 need a record deal because I can sing. And that's 00:13:09.600 --> 00:13:11.899 the difference between Paul and Athens and Stephen 00:13:11.899 --> 00:13:15.440 before the religious leaders. Paul is speaking 00:13:15.440 --> 00:13:18.500 to people who are searching for God. Stephen 00:13:18.500 --> 00:13:20.799 is speaking to the people who claim they already 00:13:20.799 --> 00:13:26.440 know him. Accountability rises with revelation. 00:13:27.620 --> 00:13:31.840 The more light that someone receives, the more 00:13:31.840 --> 00:13:37.240 serious their rejection. must be taken. The distinction 00:13:37.240 --> 00:13:40.340 matters because Christians, honestly, sometimes 00:13:40.340 --> 00:13:43.559 we become furious at unbelievers when they're 00:13:43.559 --> 00:13:48.080 just acting like unbelievers. Why would people 00:13:48.080 --> 00:13:50.559 without the Spirit of God be following after 00:13:50.559 --> 00:13:54.179 Jesus? Why would we expect people who do not 00:13:54.179 --> 00:13:59.360 know Jesus to already think like disciples? Paul 00:13:59.360 --> 00:14:01.899 doesn't walk into Athens expecting the pagans 00:14:01.899 --> 00:14:05.980 to sound like the rabbis. When Jesus says if 00:14:05.980 --> 00:14:09.220 you love me keep my commandments He promises 00:14:09.220 --> 00:14:12.600 I will send you the helper Because the spirit 00:14:12.600 --> 00:14:15.759 is not primarily given so that Christians can 00:14:15.759 --> 00:14:19.100 win arguments and dominate culture wars and mock 00:14:19.100 --> 00:14:22.600 the outsiders and become the prosecutors of all 00:14:22.600 --> 00:14:25.919 the other religions The spirit is there to form 00:14:25.919 --> 00:14:31.259 disciples The word of God tells us that the spirit 00:14:31.259 --> 00:14:34.860 is to produce obedience repentance, humility, 00:14:35.320 --> 00:14:40.100 love, patience, Christlikeness. The Spirit changes 00:14:40.100 --> 00:14:46.879 us. The Spirit changes us. Maybe that explains 00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:50.820 something. Because sometimes people wonder, Pastor, 00:14:51.620 --> 00:14:54.279 why do you spend more time criticizing and correcting 00:14:54.279 --> 00:15:00.299 Christians than criticizing the world? Yup. Because 00:15:00.299 --> 00:15:03.179 the church... is the community that already knows 00:15:03.179 --> 00:15:07.960 Christ. I do not expect, I will not expect, I 00:15:07.960 --> 00:15:10.720 cannot expect the world to follow a Savior that 00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:14.100 they don't know yet. But Christians are called 00:15:14.100 --> 00:15:17.519 to grow in repentance, maturity, humility, and 00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:22.519 obedience. That's you. And correction within 00:15:22.519 --> 00:15:26.220 the church. It's not about hatred. It's family 00:15:26.220 --> 00:15:29.500 language. Covenant language. Respect language. 00:15:29.850 --> 00:15:33.789 If we correct our children, but not random strangers 00:15:33.789 --> 00:15:36.009 in a grocery store, it's not because we hate 00:15:36.009 --> 00:15:39.029 our children and love some strangers. It's because 00:15:39.029 --> 00:15:43.889 those children belong to us. And frankly, that 00:15:43.889 --> 00:15:49.950 applies to pastors too. Two ways. Why is pastor 00:15:49.950 --> 00:15:52.090 always harder on Christians than the rest of 00:15:52.090 --> 00:15:54.929 the world? Because the rest of the world hasn't 00:15:54.929 --> 00:15:57.909 taken the name of Jesus and become his disciples. 00:15:59.940 --> 00:16:03.480 Pastors will correct you, will tell you when 00:16:03.480 --> 00:16:06.980 something is wrong, because we love and respect 00:16:06.980 --> 00:16:10.860 you. And the church needs to hold each other 00:16:10.860 --> 00:16:15.019 accountable. But it works the other way too. 00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:20.039 Pastors also need accountability. We also need 00:16:20.039 --> 00:16:25.320 repentance. Pastors also need humility. Correction 00:16:25.320 --> 00:16:28.779 is not showing that we are enemies. Correction 00:16:28.779 --> 00:16:31.620 is proof that we're actually on the same team. 00:16:33.259 --> 00:16:35.840 Epicureans may have wanted peace. Stoics may 00:16:35.840 --> 00:16:38.899 have wanted strength. Athens wanted meaning. 00:16:40.120 --> 00:16:43.980 But so do we. Some people spend their lives trying 00:16:43.980 --> 00:16:47.340 to avoid pain. Some try to spend their lives 00:16:47.340 --> 00:16:52.759 trying to master themselves. But the Gospel is 00:16:52.759 --> 00:16:56.259 not just about emotional management. It's not 00:16:56.259 --> 00:17:00.360 about self -optimization. It's not about being 00:17:00.360 --> 00:17:04.140 disciplined enough or calm enough. It's that 00:17:04.140 --> 00:17:06.380 the unknown God has made Himself known through 00:17:06.380 --> 00:17:10.519 Jesus Christ. It's not just about enduring the 00:17:10.519 --> 00:17:13.859 world or escaping it. It's that God entered the 00:17:13.859 --> 00:17:19.359 world. Jesus suffered. Jesus died. And Jesus 00:17:19.359 --> 00:17:23.529 rose. See the answer is not detachment. It's 00:17:23.529 --> 00:17:26.910 not comfort. It's not self mastery the answer 00:17:26.910 --> 00:17:32.309 is Jesus Perhaps one of the hardest things for 00:17:32.309 --> 00:17:35.829 us as Christians to admit is that we do not always 00:17:35.829 --> 00:17:40.750 behave like Paul in Athens We are sometimes acting 00:17:40.750 --> 00:17:43.710 like rival philosophers in the marketplace trying 00:17:43.710 --> 00:17:48.349 to score points with everyone else like us There 00:17:48.349 --> 00:17:50.609 have been moments when Christians became known 00:17:50.609 --> 00:17:54.150 more for mockery than understanding, more for 00:17:54.150 --> 00:17:57.269 outreach than wisdom, more for humiliation than 00:17:57.269 --> 00:18:00.210 truth. And let's be honest, there are voices 00:18:00.210 --> 00:18:03.589 that Christians have celebrated precisely because 00:18:03.589 --> 00:18:06.410 they were willing to attack the culture loudly. 00:18:08.009 --> 00:18:11.650 But a difficult question remains. Are we equally 00:18:11.650 --> 00:18:15.750 willing to examine ourselves? Are we equally 00:18:15.750 --> 00:18:18.250 willing to confess when we have distorted the 00:18:18.250 --> 00:18:21.470 truth? When we have repeated things that we didn't 00:18:21.470 --> 00:18:24.589 verify? When we have shared an outrage before 00:18:24.589 --> 00:18:27.269 seeking understanding? When we took words out 00:18:27.269 --> 00:18:29.549 of context because they fit the narrative we 00:18:29.549 --> 00:18:33.349 wanted better? The Spirit does not lead Christians 00:18:33.349 --> 00:18:36.329 into arrogance that is disguised as certainty. 00:18:36.529 --> 00:18:40.470 It is leading us into truth. And truth requires 00:18:40.470 --> 00:18:45.819 humility. Patience. The courage to say, I was 00:18:45.819 --> 00:18:50.960 wrong. Repentance is not about humiliation. It's 00:18:50.960 --> 00:18:54.400 the freedom in humility. Repentance means we 00:18:54.400 --> 00:18:57.019 do not have to spend our lives defending every 00:18:57.019 --> 00:19:00.720 mistake that we've ever made. Grace means our 00:19:00.720 --> 00:19:03.339 identity is not built on hoping we were always 00:19:03.339 --> 00:19:07.700 right. Our identity is built on Christ. So we 00:19:07.700 --> 00:19:11.039 should be the first ones. The first ones honest 00:19:11.039 --> 00:19:15.700 enough to apologize. To listen carefully to seek 00:19:15.700 --> 00:19:19.019 context to resist twisting words to reject gossip 00:19:19.019 --> 00:19:22.680 to admit when anger was our self -righteousness 00:19:22.680 --> 00:19:26.660 Because the spirit is not forming a people obsessed 00:19:26.660 --> 00:19:30.319 with winning arguments The spirit is forming 00:19:30.319 --> 00:19:34.420 a people who look like Jesus When the world grows 00:19:34.420 --> 00:19:37.059 more divided the answer is not well, I can do 00:19:37.059 --> 00:19:41.900 it even better The answer is deeper faithfulness 00:19:41.900 --> 00:19:48.210 honesty repentance you see the people of Athens 00:19:48.210 --> 00:19:52.289 they offered ways to try to deal with death and 00:19:52.289 --> 00:19:55.690 fear and suffering they were searching through 00:19:55.690 --> 00:19:58.490 all their idols and philosophies and frankly 00:19:58.490 --> 00:20:02.190 we do the same but the gospel declares that peace 00:20:02.190 --> 00:20:06.430 is not found in protecting ourselves peace is 00:20:06.430 --> 00:20:10.009 found in the one who never protected himself 00:20:11.529 --> 00:20:14.470 It's not self -mastery. It's not always being 00:20:14.470 --> 00:20:18.210 right. It's being found in the crucified and 00:20:18.210 --> 00:20:21.809 risen Jesus. The unknown God who has made Himself 00:20:21.809 --> 00:20:25.549 known. And He does not just invite us so that 00:20:25.549 --> 00:20:28.950 we can win debates. He invites us to repentance, 00:20:29.710 --> 00:20:36.130 to grace, to truth, to transformation. So may 00:20:36.130 --> 00:20:39.509 the Spirit continue to be at work in us, teaching, 00:20:40.450 --> 00:20:44.950 correcting, comforting, convicting, forgiving, 00:20:46.289 --> 00:20:50.490 and reshaping us into the likeness of Christ. 00:20:51.849 --> 00:20:52.589 Thanks be to God.