WEBVTT 00:00:00.010 --> 00:00:08.269 Howdy. Bill Murray has developed something of 00:00:08.269 --> 00:00:11.490 a reputation for showing up in places where Bill 00:00:11.490 --> 00:00:15.449 Murray is not necessarily expected. Yes, the 00:00:15.449 --> 00:00:20.550 star from Ghostbusters and What About Bob and 00:00:20.550 --> 00:00:24.730 Lost in Translation, that wild kooky guy. Yeah. 00:00:25.370 --> 00:00:29.190 In Scotland, Bill Murray met some college students 00:00:29.190 --> 00:00:31.769 at a bar. accepted an invitation to their house 00:00:31.769 --> 00:00:33.909 party, and eventually ended up in the kitchen 00:00:33.909 --> 00:00:36.810 washing their dishes. In Charleston, a couple 00:00:36.810 --> 00:00:39.329 was having engagement photos taken when they 00:00:39.329 --> 00:00:41.549 noticed a strange man behind the photographer 00:00:41.549 --> 00:00:44.270 lifting his shirt over his face and rubbing his 00:00:44.270 --> 00:00:48.070 belly. Yes, that was Bill Murray. It wasn't me. 00:00:48.649 --> 00:00:51.530 And at South by Southwest in Austin, he walked 00:00:51.530 --> 00:00:53.590 into a crowded bar and decided he would rather 00:00:53.590 --> 00:00:56.590 be working than drinking, so he went behind the 00:00:56.590 --> 00:00:59.659 bar and started serving drinks. He has played 00:00:59.659 --> 00:01:02.460 kickball with strangers, read Emily Dickinson 00:01:02.460 --> 00:01:05.000 to construction workers, and crashed bachelor 00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:08.359 parties. There's a pattern here. Bill Murray 00:01:08.359 --> 00:01:11.280 doesn't necessarily announce himself. You don't 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:13.280 always recognize him because he walks into the 00:01:13.280 --> 00:01:15.760 room and says, hi, I'm Bill Murray, the star 00:01:15.760 --> 00:01:18.680 of Ghostbusters, and what about Bob? Sometimes 00:01:18.680 --> 00:01:22.219 you recognize him because of the way he behaves. 00:01:23.680 --> 00:01:25.760 You see him and you think, wait a minute, isn't 00:01:25.760 --> 00:01:28.469 that Bill Murray? And then he does something, 00:01:28.670 --> 00:01:30.969 and you think, yep, that is absolutely Bill Murray. 00:01:31.250 --> 00:01:34.489 And that is so Bill Murray of him. And in today's 00:01:34.489 --> 00:01:38.609 Gospel, Jesus asks his disciples a question about 00:01:38.609 --> 00:01:42.969 his identity. Who do people say that the Son 00:01:42.969 --> 00:01:46.349 of Man is? Isn't that always funny whenever people 00:01:46.349 --> 00:01:48.750 refer to themselves in the third person? I mean, 00:01:48.750 --> 00:01:50.629 we're not all Bob Dole or anything over here. 00:01:50.930 --> 00:01:52.890 But you know, he's over there trying to say if 00:01:52.890 --> 00:01:55.739 the Son of Man is being sent out for God, What 00:01:55.739 --> 00:01:58.280 is it that you believe about him? And by the 00:01:58.280 --> 00:02:02.200 way, we all know I'm talking about me and they 00:02:02.200 --> 00:02:07.260 give him several answers. John the Baptist or 00:02:07.260 --> 00:02:12.520 Elijah or Jeremiah, one of the prophets, all 00:02:12.520 --> 00:02:15.439 names that people would have known. But then 00:02:15.439 --> 00:02:19.300 Jesus asks the more important question, not what 00:02:19.300 --> 00:02:25.330 they're saying. Who do you say that I am? And 00:02:25.330 --> 00:02:29.949 Peter answers, you are the Christ, the Son of 00:02:29.949 --> 00:02:36.569 the living God. Peter recognizes Him, not comparing 00:02:36.569 --> 00:02:39.629 Him to everybody else. He sees Him for who He 00:02:39.629 --> 00:02:42.550 is. And that is where our readings take us today, 00:02:42.889 --> 00:02:46.750 recognizing who Jesus is, understanding who we 00:02:46.750 --> 00:02:49.849 are because of Him, and allowing Him to shape 00:02:49.849 --> 00:02:54.900 us into the people He has called us to be. because 00:02:54.900 --> 00:03:00.340 what you are built upon shapes who you become. 00:03:01.460 --> 00:03:05.400 What you are built upon shapes who you become. 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:08.919 Look at the answers that the disciples were giving. 00:03:09.620 --> 00:03:13.020 John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, the prophets. 00:03:13.539 --> 00:03:16.539 The thing is these were not foolish answers that 00:03:16.539 --> 00:03:20.879 made no sense. People saw something very prophetic 00:03:20.879 --> 00:03:24.250 in Jesus. they were correct that he was very 00:03:24.250 --> 00:03:26.870 much a prophet. Sure, they've heard him speak 00:03:26.870 --> 00:03:29.370 with authority, they've watched him heal, they've 00:03:29.370 --> 00:03:31.810 seen him confront evil, and they've heard him 00:03:31.810 --> 00:03:35.740 call people to repent. And so they're reaching 00:03:35.740 --> 00:03:39.020 for categories that they could understand. Maybe 00:03:39.020 --> 00:03:41.699 he's John the Baptist come back. Maybe that's 00:03:41.699 --> 00:03:45.020 really who he is. Or maybe he's Elijah returned 00:03:45.020 --> 00:03:48.400 from the grave. Maybe he's Jeremiah speaking 00:03:48.400 --> 00:03:50.879 to the people who felt they were in exile or 00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:53.039 one of the other prophets because they were used 00:03:53.039 --> 00:03:57.919 to what they had heard from those prophets. But 00:03:57.919 --> 00:04:00.759 notice what they all have in common. They're 00:04:00.759 --> 00:04:06.240 all looking backward. The prophets were God's 00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:10.340 messengers. They pointed forward toward God's 00:04:10.340 --> 00:04:13.879 work. They announced what God was going to do, 00:04:14.139 --> 00:04:19.540 like someday. But Peter says, you are the Christ. 00:04:19.639 --> 00:04:24.139 In other words, you, this is he. This is the 00:04:24.139 --> 00:04:26.740 one we've been waiting for. This is the one that 00:04:26.740 --> 00:04:30.370 the prophets were all pointing toward. This is, 00:04:30.490 --> 00:04:33.009 Jesus is not simply another prophet announcing 00:04:33.009 --> 00:04:37.209 God's salvation. He is the Messiah that brings, 00:04:37.610 --> 00:04:42.649 that is God's salvation. And Peter goes further. 00:04:43.569 --> 00:04:47.189 The son of the living God. It's one thing to 00:04:47.189 --> 00:04:49.910 be the son of man, knowing that God will use 00:04:49.910 --> 00:04:53.550 a human to do his work, but Jesus isn't merely 00:04:53.550 --> 00:04:57.069 another person that God has used. Peter recognizes 00:04:57.069 --> 00:05:01.790 something unique. about Him. He realizes this 00:05:01.790 --> 00:05:06.629 is God, and this is His presence. Jesus tells 00:05:06.629 --> 00:05:09.170 Peter, flesh and blood have not revealed this 00:05:09.170 --> 00:05:12.350 to you, but my Father who is in heaven. Peter 00:05:12.350 --> 00:05:15.670 doesn't just simply figure it out. It's not like 00:05:15.670 --> 00:05:20.170 Peter is some ridiculously wise sage. Faith is 00:05:20.170 --> 00:05:24.259 not forcing Jesus into the shape of what we expected. 00:05:24.839 --> 00:05:30.319 God revealed who Jesus is to Peter. Because faith 00:05:30.319 --> 00:05:33.439 doesn't force Jesus into what we expect. Faith 00:05:33.439 --> 00:05:38.959 recognizes Jesus for who He actually is. And 00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:42.879 the crowds, they might say, He must be someone 00:05:42.879 --> 00:05:45.920 that we would recognize, someone like what we've 00:05:45.920 --> 00:05:50.300 seen before. And Peter says, no. This is the 00:05:50.300 --> 00:05:53.879 one. This is who we've been waiting for. And 00:05:53.879 --> 00:05:56.060 then Jesus, he actually then takes that question 00:05:56.060 --> 00:05:58.480 of identity and he turns it around. Isn't that 00:05:58.480 --> 00:06:00.879 such a Jesus thing to do? Oh, hey, you asked 00:06:00.879 --> 00:06:02.600 a question. I'm actually gonna turn it around 00:06:02.600 --> 00:06:06.439 back on you again. Peter says, you are the Christ, 00:06:06.660 --> 00:06:11.899 and Jesus says, you are Peter. See, Peter's name 00:06:11.899 --> 00:06:15.430 is connected to the Aramaic. Kepha. A lot of 00:06:15.430 --> 00:06:18.769 times we see C -E -P -H -A -S and we say Cephas, 00:06:18.850 --> 00:06:21.350 but it was actually Kepha. And the thing with 00:06:21.350 --> 00:06:25.189 it is it means rock in the Aramaic. You see, 00:06:26.209 --> 00:06:28.509 Matthew, Matthew was recording the words though 00:06:28.509 --> 00:06:32.629 in Greek. So even though they might have said 00:06:32.629 --> 00:06:38.600 Kepha, Peter, this is the rock, Kepha. Matthew 00:06:38.600 --> 00:06:41.800 was writing down to show that Petros, the masculine 00:06:41.800 --> 00:06:45.660 form for rock, was referring to Peter, and Petra, 00:06:45.779 --> 00:06:48.199 the feminine form, was referring to the rock 00:06:48.199 --> 00:06:51.660 there. You are Petros, and upon this Petra, I 00:06:51.660 --> 00:06:53.920 will build my church. And there's meant to be 00:06:53.920 --> 00:06:57.560 a wordplay there. That connection between the 00:06:57.560 --> 00:07:00.980 Kepha Peter and the Kepha of what the foundation 00:07:00.980 --> 00:07:05.879 is meant to be. You see, this connection, is 00:07:05.879 --> 00:07:08.279 meant to show us something about what we're meant 00:07:08.279 --> 00:07:12.519 to do, too. See, Peter is being called Rock. 00:07:13.279 --> 00:07:18.060 Why? Why is it so important for him to have this 00:07:18.060 --> 00:07:21.319 name? Every time I introduce myself to people, 00:07:21.339 --> 00:07:24.160 I don't say, hello, I'm the Reverend here, I 00:07:24.160 --> 00:07:27.240 am the healer. No, my name's Jason. It's okay. 00:07:28.040 --> 00:07:32.019 Why, though, is it important to know this about 00:07:32.019 --> 00:07:36.759 Peter? Is Peter naturally strong? Does he always 00:07:36.759 --> 00:07:40.759 get everything right? Is Peter alone meant to 00:07:40.759 --> 00:07:45.100 lead the church going forward? No, on all accounts. 00:07:45.759 --> 00:07:49.240 In fact, Peter, in the gospel, is about to get 00:07:49.240 --> 00:07:51.660 something very, very wrong, and he's gonna be 00:07:51.660 --> 00:07:54.279 so wrong about it that Jesus is gonna have to 00:07:54.279 --> 00:07:58.620 look at him and say, get behind me, Satan. I've 00:07:58.620 --> 00:08:00.279 said some dumb things in my life. I don't think 00:08:00.279 --> 00:08:02.579 anybody's actually called me Satan in any context. 00:08:03.040 --> 00:08:06.269 But you know, Peter, He's even gonna later on 00:08:06.269 --> 00:08:10.810 deny Jesus three times. The New Testament does 00:08:10.810 --> 00:08:13.350 not present him as the sole leader of the church. 00:08:13.889 --> 00:08:15.889 James, the brother of Jesus, is actually the 00:08:15.889 --> 00:08:19.449 leader of the Jerusalem church. And Paul presents 00:08:19.449 --> 00:08:23.629 Peter and the brothers James and John as pillars, 00:08:23.629 --> 00:08:28.810 plural, of the church. Peter, he is a foundational 00:08:28.810 --> 00:08:31.850 apostle, but notice what Jesus is actually saying. 00:08:32.230 --> 00:08:37.120 Jesus is saying, I will build my church. See, 00:08:37.320 --> 00:08:40.700 this isn't Peter will build my church. Jesus 00:08:40.700 --> 00:08:44.460 will build it. Peter is the rock, but his significance 00:08:44.460 --> 00:08:48.019 cannot be separated from what he just said. Because 00:08:48.019 --> 00:08:51.200 look at the timing. You are the Christ, the Son 00:08:51.200 --> 00:08:55.000 of the living God. That is what brings the keys 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:59.299 to the kingdom of heaven. That is how it is that 00:08:59.299 --> 00:09:02.500 all of us have the opportunity to be part of 00:09:02.500 --> 00:09:05.100 the kingdom of God. The kingdom of heaven is 00:09:05.100 --> 00:09:07.620 because of the fact that Jesus is the Christ. 00:09:07.919 --> 00:09:10.799 The Son of the living God is the sent one to 00:09:10.799 --> 00:09:14.340 come and bring us salvation. Peter matters because 00:09:14.340 --> 00:09:17.559 he confesses Christ, because he proclaims Christ, 00:09:17.779 --> 00:09:20.860 because Christ has called Peter to bear witness 00:09:20.860 --> 00:09:25.659 to Christ. Peter isn't important instead of Jesus. 00:09:26.299 --> 00:09:30.250 He's important because he points to Jesus. His 00:09:30.250 --> 00:09:34.129 name tells us what Christ is doing with him. 00:09:34.649 --> 00:09:37.509 Peter is not rock solid with his own strength. 00:09:37.830 --> 00:09:42.789 He has a task, he has a role. And that name points 00:09:42.789 --> 00:09:47.009 to Christ. And it reminds us of what we actually 00:09:47.009 --> 00:09:51.669 heard and learned in Isaiah, the prophet. Isaiah 00:09:51.669 --> 00:09:55.230 says, look to the rock from which you were hewn, 00:09:55.830 --> 00:09:59.220 carved, and to the quarry from which you were 00:09:59.220 --> 00:10:04.779 dug. You were hewn from the rock. You were dug 00:10:04.779 --> 00:10:08.919 from the quarry. In other words, remember where 00:10:08.919 --> 00:10:13.419 you came from. What does that mean? Why is that 00:10:13.419 --> 00:10:16.580 important? Isaiah explains, look to Abraham your 00:10:16.580 --> 00:10:22.299 father and to Sarah who bore you. Isaiah uses 00:10:22.299 --> 00:10:26.409 the imagery of a rock and a quarry. to make God's 00:10:26.409 --> 00:10:29.070 people remember their origin back to Abraham 00:10:29.070 --> 00:10:32.610 and Sarah. Remember Sarah, remember Abraham, 00:10:32.889 --> 00:10:36.169 remember where this people came from. Is that 00:10:36.169 --> 00:10:39.029 because everything was about the Jewish community 00:10:39.029 --> 00:10:42.889 coming from Abraham and Sarah? Not actually. 00:10:43.570 --> 00:10:47.549 What we see is what Abraham and Sarah's story 00:10:47.549 --> 00:10:52.610 taught about God's grace. Abraham was one person. 00:10:53.070 --> 00:10:58.669 and a very old man. Sarah had been barren, never 00:10:58.669 --> 00:11:03.570 bore a child. The beginning looked small and 00:11:03.570 --> 00:11:08.190 impossible. How could God use these two people 00:11:08.190 --> 00:11:12.090 to do what he promised? But God says, I called 00:11:12.090 --> 00:11:14.970 him alone and blessed him and increased him. 00:11:15.129 --> 00:11:18.250 Because the point was not about Abraham, the 00:11:18.250 --> 00:11:21.009 point is what God did through him. The point 00:11:21.009 --> 00:11:23.690 was not ultimately Sarah. The point was what 00:11:23.690 --> 00:11:29.570 God did through Sarah. And the point is the people 00:11:29.570 --> 00:11:34.730 that God created through the promise. See, the 00:11:34.730 --> 00:11:40.230 story keeps going. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Israel, 00:11:40.649 --> 00:11:46.090 the prophets, the promises, the Messiah. Christ 00:11:46.090 --> 00:11:50.750 Himself and now the Church. The story of Abraham 00:11:50.750 --> 00:11:54.529 and Sarah finds its fulfillment in the true Israel 00:11:54.529 --> 00:11:58.529 sent to save us from our sins, Christ himself. 00:11:59.490 --> 00:12:04.149 The story has reached its fulfillment. So Isaiah 00:12:04.149 --> 00:12:07.230 is saying, remember the God who made a people 00:12:07.230 --> 00:12:13.929 out of his promise. Matthew takes that story 00:12:13.929 --> 00:12:17.539 another step forward. Isaiah was saying, look 00:12:17.539 --> 00:12:20.799 to the rock from which he were carved. Jesus 00:12:20.799 --> 00:12:25.299 says, upon this rock, I will build my church. 00:12:27.059 --> 00:12:31.440 Peter, the rock, is pointing toward Christ, the 00:12:31.440 --> 00:12:35.080 foundation. See, Paul would end up saying, no 00:12:35.080 --> 00:12:37.679 one can lay a foundation other than that which 00:12:37.679 --> 00:12:42.600 is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Christ is the 00:12:42.600 --> 00:12:48.289 rock, the foundation. and the builder. And what 00:12:48.289 --> 00:12:55.389 you're built upon shapes what you become. Imagine 00:12:55.389 --> 00:13:01.610 if you have a sculptor, then again, no, sorry. 00:13:04.210 --> 00:13:06.629 But imagine that you've got a sculptor who is 00:13:06.629 --> 00:13:11.269 there with a large stone and he ends up turning 00:13:11.269 --> 00:13:14.779 it into something beautiful. Michelangelo is 00:13:14.779 --> 00:13:17.259 famously associated with the idea that when he 00:13:17.259 --> 00:13:20.659 looked at a block of marble, he saw a figure 00:13:20.659 --> 00:13:24.120 that could be revealed by removing what did not 00:13:24.120 --> 00:13:29.419 belong. His sculpture of David gives us a striking 00:13:29.419 --> 00:13:33.259 example, a massive block of marble becoming something 00:13:33.259 --> 00:13:37.679 recognizable, beautiful, and purposeful, even 00:13:37.679 --> 00:13:39.539 if you do have to cover your eyes for a moment. 00:13:40.679 --> 00:13:42.879 But we need to be careful with the metaphor. 00:13:43.919 --> 00:13:47.879 Because Christianity, it's not just a self -help 00:13:47.879 --> 00:13:52.019 tool where you have to just actualize your real 00:13:52.019 --> 00:13:54.940 self. It's not just something simplistic of saying 00:13:54.940 --> 00:13:57.779 there's some perfect version of ourselves hidden 00:13:57.779 --> 00:14:03.399 and God is just uncovering it. We are sinners. 00:14:04.740 --> 00:14:09.370 We sin. We don't just have rough edges to smooth 00:14:09.370 --> 00:14:13.809 out. We resist God. We cling to the things that 00:14:13.809 --> 00:14:16.909 we're supposed to let go of. We need more than 00:14:16.909 --> 00:14:19.970 just improvement. We need redemption. We need 00:14:19.970 --> 00:14:23.990 to be saved. We need to be forgiven. We need 00:14:23.990 --> 00:14:26.490 to die to the old and be risen to the new. And 00:14:26.490 --> 00:14:30.929 that is precisely what Christ gives us. The one 00:14:30.929 --> 00:14:34.000 who calls us to be transformed is the one who 00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:37.159 first gave Himself for us. He bears our sin. 00:14:37.259 --> 00:14:41.700 He dies for us. He rises again. And He reconciles 00:14:41.700 --> 00:14:46.159 us to the Father and makes us His own. And He 00:14:46.159 --> 00:14:52.799 begins restoring what sin distorted. That's why 00:14:52.799 --> 00:14:56.820 being conformed to Christ, it's not about God 00:14:56.820 --> 00:15:00.120 giving us a new pile of laws we need to follow 00:15:00.120 --> 00:15:05.370 now. It's about restoring His creation, restoring 00:15:05.370 --> 00:15:09.250 us to the life for which we were created. And 00:15:09.250 --> 00:15:13.330 He does it by conforming us to the likeness of 00:15:13.330 --> 00:15:16.450 Christ. Christ is not merely another set of rules 00:15:16.450 --> 00:15:20.029 to follow. He's the image of what humanity was 00:15:20.029 --> 00:15:26.129 created to be. In Christ, God is restoring us 00:15:26.129 --> 00:15:29.690 to life. And that's what we look at when we see 00:15:29.690 --> 00:15:33.779 Romans 12. Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, 00:15:33.820 --> 00:15:39.279 holy and acceptable to God." Notice where Paul 00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:43.899 had begun, by the mercies of God. This is not 00:15:43.899 --> 00:15:46.879 Paul saying, sacrifice yourself to God and then 00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:50.379 maybe He'll finally love you. This is him saying, 00:15:50.519 --> 00:15:54.120 God has shown you mercy out of His love, so now 00:15:54.120 --> 00:15:58.019 we offer ourselves to Him. Grace always comes 00:15:58.019 --> 00:16:04.870 first. Mercy. forgiveness, love, hope always 00:16:04.870 --> 00:16:12.250 comes first. We don't sacrifice to earn God's 00:16:12.250 --> 00:16:15.909 grace. We sacrifice because we've already received 00:16:15.909 --> 00:16:20.929 it. And so much when we take that term sacrifice, 00:16:22.450 --> 00:16:26.110 we keep using it as a word that doesn't matter 00:16:26.110 --> 00:16:30.110 in our lives the same way. How often do we say 00:16:30.110 --> 00:16:33.649 that we're sacrificing for our family or for 00:16:33.649 --> 00:16:36.409 our friends, but it's something we want to do 00:16:36.409 --> 00:16:39.830 because we love them. And yet, when we talk about 00:16:39.830 --> 00:16:43.590 sacrifice for God, somehow we miss that true 00:16:43.590 --> 00:16:46.549 sacrifice is something that brings us closer 00:16:46.549 --> 00:16:51.070 to the ones that we love. You see, the sculptor 00:16:51.070 --> 00:16:55.019 is standing there, and the hammer. It keeps striking 00:16:55.019 --> 00:16:58.799 while the chisel cuts. And frankly, as the pieces 00:16:58.799 --> 00:17:05.119 of stone fall away, it hurts. It hurts to be 00:17:05.119 --> 00:17:08.539 chiseled away. The sacrifice is real. Following 00:17:08.539 --> 00:17:14.480 God costs us something. In reality, it costs 00:17:14.480 --> 00:17:17.880 us everything. But you see, the sculptor, he's 00:17:17.880 --> 00:17:21.099 not destroying us. He's not destroying the stone. 00:17:21.599 --> 00:17:24.839 He's shaping us. You see, the sacrifice, it's 00:17:24.839 --> 00:17:27.440 not about sacrificing who God created you to 00:17:27.440 --> 00:17:30.279 be. It's about sacrificing the things that keep 00:17:30.279 --> 00:17:33.319 us from becoming who God has called us to be. 00:17:33.720 --> 00:17:37.099 We surrender our pride, our selfishness, our 00:17:37.099 --> 00:17:40.000 bitterness. We surrender our hatred, our need 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:42.839 to control everything, our unwillingness to forgive. 00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:48.579 We sacrifice our desire to be praised. The things 00:17:48.579 --> 00:17:51.339 that distort the image of God in us. The things 00:17:51.339 --> 00:17:57.920 that... destroy us. The chisel is real and it 00:17:57.920 --> 00:18:01.599 hurts, but the pain is not evidence that God 00:18:01.599 --> 00:18:05.119 has abandoned us. The pain is evidence that the 00:18:05.119 --> 00:18:09.980 sculptor is still working on us. God is not giving 00:18:09.980 --> 00:18:12.839 a new law. He's not saying, here are 20 more 00:18:12.839 --> 00:18:15.500 things that you all need to do. Oh, hey, we got 00:18:15.500 --> 00:18:17.579 five more people in late service and three more 00:18:17.579 --> 00:18:20.279 in early service to join. I guess we got eight 00:18:20.279 --> 00:18:22.160 more people suckered into doing all the stuff 00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:27.779 on our to -do list. The transformation is the 00:18:27.779 --> 00:18:31.599 life that flows from the grace of God. When God 00:18:31.599 --> 00:18:33.980 removes our hatred, He isn't making us less of 00:18:33.980 --> 00:18:38.210 ourselves. He's restoring us to love. When God 00:18:38.210 --> 00:18:41.990 removes our pride, He's not freeing us from something 00:18:41.990 --> 00:18:44.849 that we should identify with. He's freeing us 00:18:44.849 --> 00:18:47.890 from having to prove ourselves. When He teaches 00:18:47.890 --> 00:18:51.049 us to forgive, He's not letting people off the 00:18:51.049 --> 00:18:54.750 hook. He's restoring what sin broke inside of 00:18:54.750 --> 00:18:58.829 us. And when He teaches us generosity, He's freeing 00:18:58.829 --> 00:19:03.289 us from being possessed by our possessions. The 00:19:03.289 --> 00:19:08.180 goal is life. because once that sculpture has 00:19:08.180 --> 00:19:13.079 been carved, there the person stands, as they 00:19:13.079 --> 00:19:18.119 were always intended. Paul says, we though many, 00:19:19.140 --> 00:19:22.700 are one body in Christ. And then he talks about 00:19:22.700 --> 00:19:27.619 gifts. Some people serve. Some people teach. 00:19:28.220 --> 00:19:32.480 Some people encourage. Some people give. Some 00:19:32.480 --> 00:19:37.359 people lead. Some people show mercy. different 00:19:37.359 --> 00:19:42.839 people, different gifts, one body, one Christ. 00:19:43.559 --> 00:19:48.319 God is not carving every person into the same 00:19:48.319 --> 00:19:51.980 statue, as great as the statue David might have 00:19:51.980 --> 00:19:55.380 been if the next one was also the statue of David. 00:19:55.599 --> 00:19:58.319 After a while, you start to wonder, Michelangelo, 00:19:58.599 --> 00:20:01.579 can't you do anything different? Peter does not 00:20:01.579 --> 00:20:04.640 have to become Paul. Paul does not have to become 00:20:04.640 --> 00:20:08.859 Peter. The goal is not sameness. The goal is 00:20:08.859 --> 00:20:14.180 faithfulness. You don't have to become anybody 00:20:14.180 --> 00:20:18.839 else to be useful in the kingdom of God. Christ 00:20:18.839 --> 00:20:21.380 gives different gifts to different people as 00:20:21.380 --> 00:20:24.039 He's building the one body. You are not meant 00:20:24.039 --> 00:20:28.000 to be like anybody else. Believe me, I understand. 00:20:28.940 --> 00:20:32.480 There is something though that is joyful about 00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:35.700 that. when you no longer have to convince God 00:20:35.700 --> 00:20:39.940 to love you by being like somebody else. God 00:20:39.940 --> 00:20:42.579 is not shaping us for sameness. He's shaping 00:20:42.579 --> 00:20:45.740 us because each one of us is meant to be his 00:20:45.740 --> 00:20:50.220 unique creation. As we discover that each one 00:20:50.220 --> 00:20:53.319 of us is gifted in a way that's unique, we find 00:20:53.319 --> 00:20:56.480 opportunities to use those gifts in service to 00:20:56.480 --> 00:21:00.680 others. We begin to experience something of joy 00:21:00.990 --> 00:21:05.890 of becoming who God made us to be. There's this 00:21:05.890 --> 00:21:10.069 particular kind of joy. It comes when you realize, 00:21:10.710 --> 00:21:14.549 I was made for this. This is something God gave 00:21:14.549 --> 00:21:19.210 me to do. I'm supposed to do this. You get to 00:21:19.210 --> 00:21:21.509 do something that you know speaks to who you 00:21:21.509 --> 00:21:26.549 are. Doesn't matter if it has more tasks to do. 00:21:27.309 --> 00:21:30.650 You're joyful because you realize, this is me. 00:21:31.210 --> 00:21:35.609 And I'm truly becoming myself. The sculptor doesn't 00:21:35.609 --> 00:21:38.390 only remove what doesn't belong, he also brings 00:21:38.390 --> 00:21:42.750 what he has placed there. And Christ shapes us 00:21:42.750 --> 00:21:46.609 within his church. And this is where our psalm 00:21:46.609 --> 00:21:50.029 gives us an important assurance. The Lord will 00:21:50.029 --> 00:21:54.170 fulfill his purpose for me. It's not, I'm gonna 00:21:54.170 --> 00:21:57.470 figure out my purpose. Time for some eat, pray, 00:21:57.609 --> 00:22:01.269 love. It's not. I'm gonna go manufacture an identity. 00:22:01.730 --> 00:22:04.190 Let's go check out the Career Center. It's not 00:22:04.190 --> 00:22:08.789 I have to make myself worthy. It is saying the 00:22:08.789 --> 00:22:12.269 Lord will fulfill His purpose for me. His purpose 00:22:12.269 --> 00:22:15.890 for me. The sculptor knows what He's doing. The 00:22:15.890 --> 00:22:18.589 builder knows what He's doing. The God who called 00:22:18.589 --> 00:22:20.849 Abraham and Sarah knows what He's doing. The 00:22:20.849 --> 00:22:24.210 Christ who called Peter, even knowing everything 00:22:24.210 --> 00:22:27.539 He would do, knew what He was doing. and the 00:22:27.539 --> 00:22:31.160 God who has called you the flawed, struggling, 00:22:31.880 --> 00:22:35.619 frustrated, imperfect person that you are, sorry 00:22:35.619 --> 00:22:39.079 to let you know, knows exactly what he's doing. 00:22:40.299 --> 00:22:42.200 Sometimes you look at your life and you don't 00:22:42.200 --> 00:22:46.200 understand the shape that it's taking. What is 00:22:46.200 --> 00:22:51.500 God doing? Why is he shaping me this way? But 00:22:51.500 --> 00:22:54.789 the Lord will fulfill his purpose for me. and 00:22:54.789 --> 00:22:57.930 the steadfast love of the Lord endures forever. 00:22:58.670 --> 00:23:02.390 There is the foundation. It's not about our performance. 00:23:03.130 --> 00:23:05.309 It's not about our ability to understand what 00:23:05.309 --> 00:23:08.170 he's doing. It's not about our ability to get 00:23:08.170 --> 00:23:11.789 everything right. It's about his steadfast love. 00:23:13.369 --> 00:23:17.730 So we come back to the question, who do you say 00:23:17.730 --> 00:23:20.049 that I am? And I'm asking you that today, Christ 00:23:20.049 --> 00:23:22.940 Memorial, and all of you on the internet. Who 00:23:22.940 --> 00:23:26.099 do you say that Jesus is? Not just with your 00:23:26.099 --> 00:23:31.160 words, but with your life. There are so many 00:23:31.160 --> 00:23:34.579 answers that could exist. He's a prophet. He's 00:23:34.579 --> 00:23:37.460 a teacher. He's a moral example. He's a revolutionary. 00:23:37.759 --> 00:23:40.900 He's a great historical figure. Sure, those are 00:23:40.900 --> 00:23:44.319 true. Is that truly Christ, when all we say is 00:23:44.319 --> 00:23:47.539 what the rest of the world is okay with? Peter 00:23:47.539 --> 00:23:51.440 says you are the Christ, the Son of the living 00:23:51.440 --> 00:23:56.559 God. The one the prophets pointed to. The one 00:23:56.559 --> 00:23:59.859 that God promised. The one who fulfills the story 00:23:59.859 --> 00:24:03.099 that began with Abraham and Sarah. The one who 00:24:03.099 --> 00:24:06.859 builds us, the church. The one who calls imperfect 00:24:06.859 --> 00:24:10.200 Peter and imperfect everyone else. The one who 00:24:10.200 --> 00:24:15.220 calls us. The one who gives us identity. Restoring 00:24:15.220 --> 00:24:19.299 creation. Giving us life. The one who shapes 00:24:19.299 --> 00:24:22.750 us by His grace. so that we can look back to 00:24:22.750 --> 00:24:30.190 the rock upon which we are built. So today, I'm 00:24:30.190 --> 00:24:34.910 calling you to look to Christ. We may be able 00:24:34.910 --> 00:24:37.690 to do some great things as a community here. 00:24:37.849 --> 00:24:41.670 And that's wonderful. But it will never, and 00:24:41.670 --> 00:24:44.890 it can never be anything other than what we as 00:24:44.890 --> 00:24:49.849 the church are doing in Christ. The one who shapes 00:24:49.849 --> 00:24:53.099 us. The one that we trust to continue to shape 00:24:53.099 --> 00:24:56.079 us. And every time the chisel strikes, we remember 00:24:56.079 --> 00:24:59.299 that the sculptor does not destroy us. He forms 00:24:59.299 --> 00:25:04.460 us. And when we surrender, we're not surrendering 00:25:04.460 --> 00:25:08.640 the identity that we hope for. We're surrendering 00:25:08.640 --> 00:25:13.099 what keeps us from living in the identity that 00:25:13.099 --> 00:25:17.039 Christ has given us. We surrender all the things 00:25:17.039 --> 00:25:20.329 that keep us. From the true identity we have 00:25:20.329 --> 00:25:24.130 in Christ So when you don't understand what God 00:25:24.130 --> 00:25:27.630 is doing with that chisel in your life remember 00:25:27.630 --> 00:25:32.109 the Lord will fulfill his purpose in you and 00:25:32.109 --> 00:25:37.009 when you wonder Paul says far from him and through 00:25:37.009 --> 00:25:41.970 him and to him are all things Because he is the 00:25:41.970 --> 00:25:47.690 Christ and upon him we are built And if Christ 00:25:47.690 --> 00:25:51.930 is your rock, then by His grace, He is restoring 00:25:51.930 --> 00:25:55.670 you to life, shaping you into His likeness, and 00:25:55.670 --> 00:25:58.509 building you together with His people into the 00:25:58.509 --> 00:26:02.509 church that He is building. Thanks be to God.