WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.560 Let's read Colossians chapter 3, verses 15 to 17. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:34.939 In the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. 00:00:35.679 --> 00:00:36.859 This is God's holy word. 00:00:39.019 --> 00:00:46.299 We've been working through Colossians chapter 3, the first 17 verses, on a series that we've 00:00:46.299 --> 00:00:50.920 called Practicing the Christian Life, and it's a series about how to change. 00:00:52.299 --> 00:00:55.439 We're looking at Paul teaching us what it looks like to change. 00:00:56.159 --> 00:01:02.219 And every single week, Paul has said that the real secret, the real key to change as 00:01:02.219 --> 00:01:07.179 a Christian is to be who you already are, to become more and more who you already are, 00:01:07.579 --> 00:01:12.819 to embrace your identity, the identity that you've been given, to live out of a particular 00:01:12.819 --> 00:01:14.280 identity that God has given you. 00:01:14.920 --> 00:01:19.259 And every single week, what he's done is he's given you identity statements, who you are, 00:01:19.659 --> 00:01:24.680 and then told you ways you can seek that in practice in your life to become more of who 00:01:24.680 --> 00:01:25.019 you are. 00:01:25.879 --> 00:01:27.140 Now, nothing has changed. 00:01:27.560 --> 00:01:28.620 Today will be the exact same. 00:01:28.859 --> 00:01:29.640 Paul does it again. 00:01:30.399 --> 00:01:34.920 Three more times, he tells you something about who you are, and then gives you a practice 00:01:34.920 --> 00:01:38.159 to take up to seek the change that you're called to as a Christian. 00:01:39.280 --> 00:01:40.219 And so let's think about it. 00:01:40.640 --> 00:01:45.459 Let's look at the identity Paul is saying we have in Christ and some of the practices that 00:01:45.459 --> 00:01:46.340 he gives you for that. 00:01:46.700 --> 00:01:47.680 That's the first thing. 00:01:47.799 --> 00:01:49.099 We'll spend most of our time there. 00:01:49.219 --> 00:01:53.239 And then secondly, at the end, I just want to finish the series because this is what Paul 00:01:53.239 --> 00:01:53.560 does. 00:01:53.560 --> 00:01:57.180 He gives you what I think is the secret to deep change. 00:01:57.980 --> 00:01:59.219 And it's right here in these three verses. 00:01:59.480 --> 00:02:00.560 So let's look at it together. 00:02:00.799 --> 00:02:05.400 First, Paul is coming back and saying, who are you? 00:02:06.060 --> 00:02:06.600 Who are you? 00:02:06.659 --> 00:02:07.840 If you're a Christian, who are you? 00:02:07.879 --> 00:02:08.379 What's your identity? 00:02:08.479 --> 00:02:09.280 You've got to think about it. 00:02:09.300 --> 00:02:10.140 You've got to remember it. 00:02:10.139 --> 00:02:14.519 And the you that he keeps using throughout this passage is plural. 00:02:15.059 --> 00:02:16.919 So he's not just saying you as an individual. 00:02:17.059 --> 00:02:18.959 He's saying all of us collectively together. 00:02:19.279 --> 00:02:23.099 Talking to the Colossian church, he says in verse 15, you are one body. 00:02:23.239 --> 00:02:26.059 These yous, these y'alls are for all of us. 00:02:26.060 --> 00:02:29.259 And so he's talking to every single one of us. 00:02:29.800 --> 00:02:35.400 And I went back through and looked at all that he said in the first 17 verses about your identity 00:02:35.400 --> 00:02:36.039 as a Christian. 00:02:36.280 --> 00:02:38.520 And he says, here's the reminder. 00:02:38.740 --> 00:02:40.560 He says, you've been raised with Christ. 00:02:41.219 --> 00:02:42.539 You died with Christ. 00:02:43.060 --> 00:02:44.099 You're hidden with Christ. 00:02:44.680 --> 00:02:45.640 Christ is your life. 00:02:46.180 --> 00:02:47.759 You've already put off the old self. 00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:49.199 You've already put on the new self. 00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:50.259 You're chosen. 00:02:50.580 --> 00:02:51.300 You're holy. 00:02:51.520 --> 00:02:52.280 You're beloved. 00:02:52.280 --> 00:02:54.979 Now he's going to give you three more. 00:02:56.300 --> 00:02:57.080 Who are you? 00:02:57.280 --> 00:02:58.740 And the first one is in verse 15. 00:02:59.379 --> 00:03:05.219 And he says in verse 15, he says, let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. 00:03:05.659 --> 00:03:08.800 Now at first you say, let the peace of Christ rule in your heart. 00:03:08.939 --> 00:03:10.659 That doesn't sound like an identity statement. 00:03:10.819 --> 00:03:13.039 That doesn't sound like a, this is who you are. 00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:19.259 But the reason for that is because this English word we have here at the beginning, let, let 00:03:19.259 --> 00:03:20.759 the peace of Christ rule in your heart. 00:03:20.759 --> 00:03:26.099 There is no English equivalent to the Greek grammar that's being used here. 00:03:26.259 --> 00:03:27.199 We just don't have it. 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:33.280 And so all we can do in translation is our very best to convey what's being said here. 00:03:33.719 --> 00:03:36.179 Because the English just doesn't do what the Greek does here. 00:03:37.139 --> 00:03:41.299 And it's more like a benediction, what a benediction does at the end of a service. 00:03:41.599 --> 00:03:44.979 At the end of a service, I'll say, may the Lord bless you. 00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:49.659 And I know that I cannot give you that blessing. 00:03:49.659 --> 00:03:54.500 I'm just conveying what the Bible says that God wants you to know about from him to you. 00:03:55.159 --> 00:03:59.500 And I'm really just saying, may it be the case that God will bless you as he's promised. 00:04:00.060 --> 00:04:03.680 And in the same way, the let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts is like that. 00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:13.400 So it's almost as if it's saying, may it really be the case that the peace of Christ you already have is more and more yours. 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:17.720 May it already be the case that what you have, the peace of Christ, sticks with you. 00:04:17.900 --> 00:04:18.699 Because it will. 00:04:19.340 --> 00:04:21.899 So it's saying that this is something God does. 00:04:22.600 --> 00:04:24.139 And it's like a benediction. 00:04:24.860 --> 00:04:25.899 Here's a way to think about it. 00:04:25.899 --> 00:04:33.079 Many of you will have followed the Los Angeles devastation, the fires that have burned throughout Southern California. 00:04:33.939 --> 00:04:35.620 And last week it finally rained. 00:04:36.299 --> 00:04:38.500 And it really helped put an end to this. 00:04:38.959 --> 00:04:44.399 And, you know, if you're in California and you're seeing all these homes burn and you walk outside and the rain starts to pour. 00:04:44.979 --> 00:04:46.739 It hasn't rained there since October. 00:04:47.199 --> 00:04:48.500 Very different from our experience. 00:04:48.500 --> 00:04:50.740 And what would you say? 00:04:50.800 --> 00:04:52.680 You would say, let it rain. 00:04:53.620 --> 00:04:54.000 Right? 00:04:54.100 --> 00:04:58.519 And you, you do absolutely nothing to get the rain to come down. 00:04:58.959 --> 00:04:59.680 But what are you saying? 00:04:59.759 --> 00:05:02.259 You're saying, may it be the way it really is right now. 00:05:02.939 --> 00:05:09.959 And, you know, you would say, you might be so happy in that environment that you use the words of Adele, you know, and you say, let the sky fall. 00:05:10.600 --> 00:05:10.800 Right? 00:05:10.860 --> 00:05:11.819 You let the sky fall. 00:05:11.899 --> 00:05:12.319 Let it be. 00:05:12.680 --> 00:05:12.860 Right? 00:05:13.500 --> 00:05:16.600 Or maybe you have the opportunity one day to open the Olympic Games. 00:05:18.060 --> 00:05:18.420 Amazing. 00:05:18.879 --> 00:05:19.360 If you do. 00:05:20.060 --> 00:05:23.040 And you would, you would say, let the games begin. 00:05:23.579 --> 00:05:26.879 And, you know, you have absolutely nothing to do with any of the games getting started. 00:05:27.279 --> 00:05:27.500 Right? 00:05:27.899 --> 00:05:28.860 And that's what he's doing here. 00:05:28.899 --> 00:05:30.100 He's saying it's an indicative. 00:05:30.360 --> 00:05:31.000 It's an indicative. 00:05:31.160 --> 00:05:31.839 It's a pronouncement. 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:36.040 Let the peace you already have rule in your heart. 00:05:36.680 --> 00:05:37.339 What is that peace? 00:05:37.399 --> 00:05:40.680 It's not inner emotional peace, though Jesus does give that. 00:05:40.879 --> 00:05:45.019 This is talking about the opposite of war and conflict. 00:05:45.019 --> 00:05:50.959 And it's saying that when Jesus Christ came in the first century and he died, so you died. 00:05:51.120 --> 00:05:54.060 He was raised from the dead, so you in him were raised. 00:05:54.060 --> 00:06:01.199 Spiritually, in that moment, the war that you have been waging between you and God since the day of your birth ended. 00:06:02.280 --> 00:06:03.860 That the victory was already provided. 00:06:03.980 --> 00:06:07.319 That reconciliation was already had between you and the Father. 00:06:07.319 --> 00:06:16.040 That Jesus went into the heavenly realm and says, Lord, Father, the debt is paid and you do not demand repayment for that debt any longer. 00:06:16.540 --> 00:06:17.060 Never again. 00:06:17.540 --> 00:06:19.659 That you've got peace, reconciliation with God. 00:06:19.740 --> 00:06:20.540 And so what is Paul saying? 00:06:20.620 --> 00:06:21.500 There's the indicative. 00:06:21.740 --> 00:06:22.819 There's the identity statement. 00:06:23.319 --> 00:06:23.860 Who you are. 00:06:23.959 --> 00:06:25.319 You have the peace of Christ. 00:06:25.480 --> 00:06:28.100 Meaning you are reconciled to God forever. 00:06:28.459 --> 00:06:29.279 No changing it. 00:06:29.279 --> 00:06:31.500 And then he gives you the practice. 00:06:31.699 --> 00:06:32.219 And it's subtle. 00:06:32.839 --> 00:06:35.679 But it's let the peace of Christ rule in your heart. 00:06:36.539 --> 00:06:37.859 Rule in your spiritual life. 00:06:38.339 --> 00:06:43.859 And the word rule there is a Greek verb that does not refer to the way a king rules. 00:06:44.099 --> 00:06:44.699 Not at all. 00:06:45.059 --> 00:06:48.500 It's the word for umpire, a referee in Greek. 00:06:49.079 --> 00:06:53.199 So it's picking up on like the games, the Roman games and things like that. 00:06:53.240 --> 00:06:55.319 And using the referee term, the verb. 00:06:56.540 --> 00:06:58.579 Alignsman, aligns judge, a referee in football. 00:06:58.579 --> 00:07:06.939 It's saying, let the peace you have with God, which was had at the cross, be the referee for the way you live the rest of your life. 00:07:07.480 --> 00:07:08.579 So what's the practice? 00:07:08.680 --> 00:07:17.579 He's saying that when you have changed, deep change in your life, is when you've so realized that you already have reconciliation with God through the cross. 00:07:17.579 --> 00:07:23.519 That the cross then becomes the referee, the judge by which you do your relationships in life. 00:07:24.240 --> 00:07:25.680 Let me make this more concrete. 00:07:27.279 --> 00:07:28.300 What's he talking about here? 00:07:28.359 --> 00:07:29.379 He's talking about conflict. 00:07:29.759 --> 00:07:31.680 And he's talking to the church as a whole. 00:07:32.180 --> 00:07:33.839 And he's saying, you are one body. 00:07:34.500 --> 00:07:38.899 Let the cross be the referee in your conflict, in your arguments. 00:07:40.139 --> 00:07:45.299 In Colossians, you've got Greeks and Jews all worshiping together, becoming Christians. 00:07:45.300 --> 00:07:47.600 Christians, they did not like each other before that. 00:07:47.680 --> 00:07:49.319 There was a lot of racial animosity. 00:07:49.960 --> 00:07:57.020 And he's saying, you've got in the church to let the cross be the rules, set the rules for how you do conflict. 00:07:58.160 --> 00:08:03.360 So we said last week, how do jagged, rugged stones get smoothed out? 00:08:03.420 --> 00:08:04.319 They've got to hit each other. 00:08:04.879 --> 00:08:07.740 And in the same way, of course, there's going to be conflict sometimes. 00:08:07.860 --> 00:08:11.420 Of course, we are all having to bear with one another on different things. 00:08:11.420 --> 00:08:15.259 Of course, none of us are ever getting our way exactly the way we want. 00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:19.360 And we said last week, that would not be good for us, none of us, to get our way all the time. 00:08:20.259 --> 00:08:26.879 And he's saying that in the local church, and of course, this extends beyond it, that the cross has to set the rules for how you treat one another. 00:08:27.160 --> 00:08:28.080 What does that look like? 00:08:28.240 --> 00:08:36.200 When you're in conflict, when you're in argument, when you're in struggle with somebody, whether that's in the home or in the church or in business or anywhere out into the world, 00:08:36.200 --> 00:08:46.720 when the culture is setting the rules of the game, when the culture is refereeing, when you're letting your own heart simply be the referee, what does that look like? 00:08:46.879 --> 00:08:52.420 That looks like thinking in our modern world that every single person who disagrees with me is my enemy. 00:08:53.240 --> 00:08:59.540 That every single person that disagrees with me on social media or at workplace becomes my nemesis, becomes my enemy. 00:08:59.539 --> 00:09:03.980 And I'm defined by them, they're defined by me because we're opposites. 00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:11.480 And, you know, it means that you let social media continue to fuel the outrage machine that we struggle with in our hearts. 00:09:11.559 --> 00:09:12.899 We're always mad at somebody. 00:09:12.980 --> 00:09:13.799 We always need an enemy. 00:09:14.860 --> 00:09:22.539 And instead, to let the cross referee your conflict is to come into every situation where you're at a struggle with somebody and think, 00:09:22.539 --> 00:09:31.779 we're at odds right now, sure, but one thing I do know is that Jesus has shown me that I am to be for them no matter what. 00:09:32.079 --> 00:09:39.059 Maybe I need to speak truth and love into their lives, but it's only because I'm for them, for their good, because I love them. 00:09:39.899 --> 00:09:44.860 That's what it means to let the cruciform pattern of life referee all your relationships. 00:09:45.519 --> 00:09:48.099 So we saw this last week, but let me bring it forward to this week. 00:09:48.100 --> 00:09:55.019 It means that you can go, what does it mean, Jesus Christ bore your faults and your sins upon the cross. 00:09:55.899 --> 00:09:59.680 We put him there, and so I can go and bear the faults of others. 00:09:59.740 --> 00:10:01.159 I can be patient with other people. 00:10:01.420 --> 00:10:04.159 That's to let the cross referee my relationship, right? 00:10:04.279 --> 00:10:11.040 Jesus Christ, boy, he was so humble, he forgot himself by becoming nothing all the way to the point of death. 00:10:11.039 --> 00:10:17.279 So I can referee my relationships, the cross, with the deep humility to put on the humility of Christ, right? 00:10:17.740 --> 00:10:19.740 Patience, humility, kindness, meekness. 00:10:19.860 --> 00:10:21.799 The virtues we saw last week. 00:10:22.639 --> 00:10:26.659 I was taking a course once in a theological institution. 00:10:27.319 --> 00:10:32.120 I will not name to protect its identity because it was amazing overall. 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:36.039 But I did have one class with a guest professor, and the guest professor came in, 00:10:36.039 --> 00:10:40.240 and they were teaching on sanctification, what we're talking about in this series. 00:10:40.899 --> 00:10:46.419 And the professor said, do you have to forgive people who have never asked for forgiveness? 00:10:47.699 --> 00:10:49.199 I'll take a sip while you think about that. 00:10:51.299 --> 00:11:00.000 And he said, the answer is no, because God doesn't forgive you until you ask him for it. 00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:06.320 And I thought, you know, no, no, I was a fledgling theological student, but I thought, oh boy, I hope not. 00:11:07.019 --> 00:11:07.139 Right? 00:11:07.320 --> 00:11:10.559 No, the indicatives, what do the indicatives say? 00:11:10.879 --> 00:11:15.159 That when Jesus Christ died in the first century, you died with him before God the Father. 00:11:15.820 --> 00:11:21.000 That God placed upon you reconciliation from the moment of the death of Christ in the middle of human history 00:11:21.000 --> 00:11:23.080 before you were a twinkle in your parents' eyes. 00:11:23.860 --> 00:11:24.120 Right? 00:11:24.919 --> 00:11:28.379 And that means God forgave you long before you asked for it. 00:11:28.379 --> 00:11:30.759 That's at the heart of what we believe about salvation. 00:11:31.720 --> 00:11:32.360 What does it mean? 00:11:32.379 --> 00:11:38.559 It means when I go to get into conflict with people, that, that, the referee of Christ, the cross, 00:11:38.639 --> 00:11:40.200 becomes the referee of my relationships. 00:11:40.720 --> 00:11:42.759 I can forgive without even being asked. 00:11:43.559 --> 00:11:50.200 I can forgive all the way to the point of forgetting because Christ cast my sins as far as the east is from the west. 00:11:51.259 --> 00:11:51.460 Boy. 00:11:51.460 --> 00:11:51.540 Okay. 00:11:52.620 --> 00:11:57.060 Come back tonight because tonight, Lewis is going to lead us in looking at this issue. 00:11:57.840 --> 00:12:01.320 And the question will be, who right now do you need to reconcile with? 00:12:02.019 --> 00:12:04.840 Who right now do you need to have quick reconciliation with? 00:12:05.460 --> 00:12:07.160 The second thing, and I'll have to be brief here. 00:12:08.060 --> 00:12:12.700 You see, if you look down at verse 16, it gives you a second identity marker and a practice as well. 00:12:12.700 --> 00:12:17.660 And in verse 16, you'll see, notice how parallel these sentences are. 00:12:18.460 --> 00:12:21.660 Verse 16 says, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. 00:12:21.980 --> 00:12:22.820 Go back to 15. 00:12:23.300 --> 00:12:25.120 Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart. 00:12:25.620 --> 00:12:29.140 So the peace of Christ rules in your heart, so let it rule. 00:12:29.680 --> 00:12:34.520 And then verse 16, the word of Christ dwells in you, so let it dwell in you richly. 00:12:34.620 --> 00:12:36.360 It's the same Greek grammar there. 00:12:36.740 --> 00:12:38.340 So it's, it's an indicative again. 00:12:38.420 --> 00:12:38.980 It's a statement. 00:12:39.440 --> 00:12:41.540 You have the word of Christ in you. 00:12:41.539 --> 00:12:47.919 The commentators say that the word of Christ there is not, is, is got the Bible in mind, 00:12:47.980 --> 00:12:50.099 the scriptures as they were written thus far. 00:12:50.199 --> 00:12:51.559 But this is first century. 00:12:52.500 --> 00:12:54.279 Colossians is written in the late fifties. 00:12:54.500 --> 00:12:56.779 Lots of the New Testament is yet to be written at this point. 00:12:57.639 --> 00:13:03.039 And that means that the commentators will say that the word of Christ here is a reference to the gospel. 00:13:03.039 --> 00:13:09.439 It's a reference to the good news pronouncement that you have what Jesus did in the first century for you already. 00:13:09.440 --> 00:13:11.360 It's dwelling in you already. 00:13:11.500 --> 00:13:12.620 The gospel is already yours. 00:13:12.700 --> 00:13:13.540 It's already over you. 00:13:14.020 --> 00:13:22.340 And then, so then he says, and so let it dwell in you through reading scripture, through getting more and more of the good news into your soul all the time. 00:13:22.340 --> 00:13:31.000 And the word dwell there is a metaphor, like rule, rule metaphor for referees and umpires dwell as a metaphor for moving house. 00:13:31.620 --> 00:13:33.139 You know, that's one of the worst things, isn't it? 00:13:34.120 --> 00:13:36.639 When you have to move, it's one of the absolute worst things. 00:13:36.700 --> 00:13:42.000 But here it's saying you've got to, you have the word of Christ. 00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:48.600 You have the word of the gospel in your heart, but you've got to let it move into all the compartments of your soul and make home there. 00:13:49.240 --> 00:13:51.899 And so scripture is like a moving company. 00:13:52.159 --> 00:13:59.360 And scripture is, you're coming back to scripture and scripture is constantly putting the furniture of the gospel back into all the rooms of your heart. 00:13:59.559 --> 00:14:01.700 You know, you keep like throwing stuff out on the streets. 00:14:01.700 --> 00:14:06.920 And it says, no, you've got to reestablish the furniture of the gospel in every single part of your soul all the time. 00:14:07.080 --> 00:14:07.920 Now, how does he do it? 00:14:07.940 --> 00:14:10.500 He says, you need to get the word into you all the time. 00:14:11.020 --> 00:14:12.100 And what does Paul say? 00:14:12.220 --> 00:14:15.900 Now, this is the first century and there is no printed Bible. 00:14:16.140 --> 00:14:21.280 There is no, the codex of scripture, which is a way of kind of starting to form a book. 00:14:21.720 --> 00:14:22.500 That's not around. 00:14:22.600 --> 00:14:25.540 You could get a hold of some scrolls here and there from the Old Testament. 00:14:25.860 --> 00:14:31.500 What is the primary way people in the first century got the word into their souls? 00:14:32.020 --> 00:14:32.900 And what does he say? 00:14:33.100 --> 00:14:34.480 He said, you've got to sing it. 00:14:35.259 --> 00:14:37.820 Sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. 00:14:38.360 --> 00:14:43.100 And then he says, to one another, admonishing and exhorting and teaching one another. 00:14:43.780 --> 00:14:51.400 Now, Paul says, you, we've got, we do have this, you've got to read the Bible to get the word of the gospel into all the parts of your soul. 00:14:51.560 --> 00:14:56.540 But he's saying, you've got to sing to each other to get the word of the gospel into all the parts of your soul. 00:14:57.180 --> 00:14:59.180 And, oh boy, that's really, really important. 00:14:59.179 --> 00:15:02.199 I really enjoyed singing this new hymn we sang today. 00:15:02.359 --> 00:15:05.379 And it made me think about, I knew it was coming, right, because I'm preaching. 00:15:05.620 --> 00:15:07.139 So I knew I was going to talk about this. 00:15:07.339 --> 00:15:09.579 But so I was thinking about it as we sang. 00:15:09.580 --> 00:15:29.600 One of the problems I think we might struggle with in our tradition of Christianity is that we might think that everything we do from the beginning of worship, from the call to worship, to the songs, to the prayers, is all the intro stuff to get to the real event. 00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:32.220 The preaching segment. 00:15:32.659 --> 00:15:34.620 And I believe in preaching, as you know. 00:15:35.980 --> 00:15:37.740 But boy, what is Paul saying in here? 00:15:37.800 --> 00:15:40.500 He's saying singing is no addendum. 00:15:40.800 --> 00:15:44.820 It's no introductory bit that you can take or leave in order to get to the main bit. 00:15:45.279 --> 00:15:45.899 Not at all. 00:15:46.460 --> 00:15:48.860 You know, you can't just say, well, I came late. 00:15:49.139 --> 00:15:51.080 I came, I've come late, but at least I got the sermon. 00:15:51.180 --> 00:15:53.100 He's saying, no, you missed singing. 00:15:53.100 --> 00:15:56.560 He's saying, you've got to sing to each other. 00:15:56.860 --> 00:16:01.659 You've got to sing the word of the gospel into each other's souls and hearts and minds all the time. 00:16:02.580 --> 00:16:05.759 And he goes here, and well, let me say it like this. 00:16:05.920 --> 00:16:06.560 This is simple. 00:16:06.700 --> 00:16:07.560 This is a truism. 00:16:08.060 --> 00:16:13.300 If you've been around the church at all for much of your life, this will feel old hat to you. 00:16:13.340 --> 00:16:14.480 But I want to ask you a question. 00:16:14.480 --> 00:16:21.980 What Paul, underneath this command to sing, what Paul is saying to us here is asking, 00:16:23.159 --> 00:16:27.220 do you love the word of God, the word of the gospel? 00:16:29.680 --> 00:16:34.519 Do you, is it sweet to you, sweeter than the honeycomb? 00:16:35.860 --> 00:16:40.860 Is the word of the gospel, the word of scripture, sweet to your soul? 00:16:41.539 --> 00:16:42.000 Is it? 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:47.940 And he's saying that when it is, you know, when you experience the word of the gospel, 00:16:48.019 --> 00:16:51.860 and it's all of its sweetness, and sometimes you have moments in your life where you feel the fullness, 00:16:52.779 --> 00:16:54.840 where you might just be walking through the streets of Edinburgh. 00:16:55.000 --> 00:16:56.620 I don't know if this has happened to you before. 00:16:56.720 --> 00:17:00.120 I had this experience walking over a bridge in Murrayfield once, 00:17:00.500 --> 00:17:03.620 where I was thinking about something completely other, 00:17:03.960 --> 00:17:06.019 and all of a sudden it hit me that I was forgiven. 00:17:06.819 --> 00:17:08.140 Has this ever happened to you? 00:17:08.140 --> 00:17:11.820 And everything you have is a gift, and it overwhelms you for a moment, 00:17:11.920 --> 00:17:12.940 and you just want to sing. 00:17:13.860 --> 00:17:15.920 He's saying that sometimes that happens to you, 00:17:15.980 --> 00:17:19.140 and you just want to sing the gospel to people and each other. 00:17:19.700 --> 00:17:21.220 And then he's saying, but also sometimes, 00:17:21.340 --> 00:17:26.200 because that's not currently where you are in your existential space in your life, 00:17:26.380 --> 00:17:27.759 you need to come and sing. 00:17:28.220 --> 00:17:32.540 You need to come and sing until the word of the gospel becomes honey to you, 00:17:32.720 --> 00:17:33.460 sweet to you again. 00:17:33.460 --> 00:17:35.600 And so let me say this. 00:17:35.920 --> 00:17:36.600 We've got to move on. 00:17:39.660 --> 00:17:40.059 Sing. 00:17:41.480 --> 00:17:44.860 And sing, and make sure the kids see you sing. 00:17:45.779 --> 00:17:51.600 Make sure the kids don't miss out on getting to see the adults in the room singing, belting. 00:17:53.059 --> 00:17:54.860 My favorite thing, one of my favorite things is, 00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:55.980 I'm not going to name you. 00:17:56.660 --> 00:17:57.559 I'm not going to name you, 00:17:57.600 --> 00:18:00.700 but there are a few of you in here who cannot sing well. 00:18:00.700 --> 00:18:04.160 Now, I'm one of them, so I can say it. 00:18:05.360 --> 00:18:09.640 But boy, I do like it when I'm around somebody that doesn't sing very well, 00:18:09.819 --> 00:18:11.860 and they're singing louder than everybody else. 00:18:12.980 --> 00:18:14.640 You know, it's beautiful. 00:18:15.380 --> 00:18:17.680 It doesn't sound nice, but it is beautiful at the same time. 00:18:18.120 --> 00:18:20.819 It's because the word of the gospel is sweeter than honey, 00:18:20.960 --> 00:18:22.080 and you're singing it to each other. 00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:23.000 And that's why. 00:18:23.080 --> 00:18:24.480 You know you don't have a good voice, 00:18:24.580 --> 00:18:25.660 but you've got to sing it. 00:18:25.980 --> 00:18:26.519 So sing it. 00:18:26.519 --> 00:18:33.619 Let me move on to our conclusion and summarize it like this. 00:18:33.779 --> 00:18:35.660 In verse 17, he gives you a third, 00:18:36.039 --> 00:18:38.960 and all I'm going to say about it is in verse 17, 00:18:39.639 --> 00:18:40.700 he says, 00:18:40.859 --> 00:18:41.940 Whatever you do in word or deed, 00:18:42.039 --> 00:18:43.759 do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. 00:18:43.900 --> 00:18:44.619 Now, there it is again. 00:18:44.700 --> 00:18:45.119 He's saying, 00:18:45.559 --> 00:18:48.720 here's a way to summarize all 11 statements of identity. 00:18:49.759 --> 00:18:51.059 In Colossians 3, 00:18:51.420 --> 00:18:53.920 you bear the name of the Lord upon yourself. 00:18:53.920 --> 00:18:55.759 You carry the name of the Lord. 00:18:56.160 --> 00:18:56.980 You are Christian. 00:18:58.140 --> 00:18:59.120 You have that name. 00:18:59.300 --> 00:19:00.060 That is your name. 00:19:00.180 --> 00:19:01.720 It's been placed upon you from the outside. 00:19:02.460 --> 00:19:05.420 And so maybe a better way to focus on the question of identity, 00:19:06.120 --> 00:19:09.600 Paul's not actually asking you to ask the question every day, 00:19:09.840 --> 00:19:10.380 Who am I? 00:19:10.539 --> 00:19:11.120 Who am I? 00:19:11.240 --> 00:19:11.759 Who am I? 00:19:11.940 --> 00:19:15.500 You know, that's the question that everybody in the modern world is always asking. 00:19:16.120 --> 00:19:18.019 That's the question Jason Bourne was asking, 00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:19.560 and Inside Out is asking. 00:19:19.900 --> 00:19:21.080 And every film, 00:19:21.279 --> 00:19:21.779 Who am I? 00:19:21.840 --> 00:19:22.259 Who am I? 00:19:22.300 --> 00:19:22.680 Who am I? 00:19:22.680 --> 00:19:23.460 What is he doing? 00:19:23.460 --> 00:19:26.779 He's asking you to transfer that question to what? 00:19:27.140 --> 00:19:27.620 Every day, 00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:28.299 wake up and say, 00:19:29.019 --> 00:19:30.240 Whose am I? 00:19:31.319 --> 00:19:32.259 Not who am I, 00:19:32.319 --> 00:19:33.259 but whose am I? 00:19:33.340 --> 00:19:34.360 Who do I belong to? 00:19:34.779 --> 00:19:35.900 That's the Christian posture. 00:19:36.400 --> 00:19:37.360 I am not my own. 00:19:37.519 --> 00:19:38.539 I belong to another. 00:19:38.880 --> 00:19:39.779 I have a master. 00:19:39.980 --> 00:19:41.240 I have the freedom to say, 00:19:41.579 --> 00:19:42.360 I have a master. 00:19:42.500 --> 00:19:43.340 We all do, actually. 00:19:44.220 --> 00:19:44.539 It's just, 00:19:44.660 --> 00:19:46.900 is yours great enough to bear the weight of being good? 00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:47.600 Truly good. 00:19:48.019 --> 00:19:48.279 Right? 00:19:48.340 --> 00:19:48.980 He's saying that. 00:19:49.680 --> 00:19:51.519 I mentioned this last Sunday night, 00:19:51.519 --> 00:19:55.740 but what did Taylor Swift say at her NYU commencement address in 2022? 00:19:56.420 --> 00:19:58.319 She was speaking to the graduates at NYU, 00:19:58.680 --> 00:19:59.740 and she said, 00:19:59.839 --> 00:20:04.000 I know it can be really overwhelming figuring out who you're supposed to be, 00:20:04.059 --> 00:20:04.859 who to be in life. 00:20:05.539 --> 00:20:05.779 She says, 00:20:05.859 --> 00:20:07.299 I've got good news for you. 00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:08.299 It's totally up to you. 00:20:08.299 --> 00:20:09.779 I've got terrifying news for you. 00:20:09.899 --> 00:20:11.220 It is totally up to you. 00:20:12.180 --> 00:20:12.740 The question, 00:20:12.899 --> 00:20:13.599 who am I, 00:20:14.019 --> 00:20:16.559 is the question that's always being put to us in our culture. 00:20:17.279 --> 00:20:21.940 And what it's saying to you is that the real path of life is to curate your own identity, 00:20:22.339 --> 00:20:23.519 to be totally free, 00:20:23.599 --> 00:20:24.159 to be autonomous, 00:20:24.299 --> 00:20:26.500 to figure out who you are from the inside out. 00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:27.519 What does Paul say? 00:20:27.579 --> 00:20:28.399 That is not freedom. 00:20:28.519 --> 00:20:29.079 That is slavery. 00:20:29.539 --> 00:20:31.680 Real freedom is to wake up every day and to say, 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:32.799 Whose am I? 00:20:33.899 --> 00:20:34.779 I was bought. 00:20:34.879 --> 00:20:35.419 I was purchased. 00:20:35.539 --> 00:20:36.200 I was redeemed. 00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:37.240 I belong to the Lord. 00:20:37.240 --> 00:20:39.539 That's the beginning of deep change. 00:20:40.859 --> 00:20:41.140 Lastly, 00:20:41.940 --> 00:20:45.960 the secret of change as we conclude this series. 00:20:47.779 --> 00:20:49.059 The secret of change, 00:20:49.220 --> 00:20:49.940 it's right here. 00:20:50.019 --> 00:20:51.740 I'm glad we've saved it for the very end. 00:20:52.660 --> 00:20:55.000 You see that there's three statements of identity. 00:20:55.839 --> 00:20:57.900 Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart. 00:20:58.200 --> 00:20:59.200 You have the peace of Christ. 00:20:59.839 --> 00:21:02.319 Let the word of Christ dwell in you. 00:21:02.380 --> 00:21:03.299 You have the gospel. 00:21:03.440 --> 00:21:04.500 You have the word in your heart. 00:21:05.259 --> 00:21:06.380 You bear the name. 00:21:06.380 --> 00:21:07.300 So in everything you do, 00:21:07.380 --> 00:21:10.320 do everything word or deed by the name, 00:21:10.380 --> 00:21:11.220 because you have that. 00:21:11.460 --> 00:21:12.500 Three statements of identity. 00:21:12.980 --> 00:21:15.260 But do you see with every single one of them, 00:21:15.860 --> 00:21:17.760 Paul says the same thing every time? 00:21:18.460 --> 00:21:19.300 What does he say? 00:21:19.880 --> 00:21:22.140 Look at it with me from verse 15 to 17. 00:21:22.140 --> 00:21:24.500 Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart. 00:21:25.060 --> 00:21:25.900 And then sentence two. 00:21:26.259 --> 00:21:27.400 And be thankful. 00:21:28.080 --> 00:21:29.860 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, 00:21:30.500 --> 00:21:33.660 singing in the last clause with thankfulness in your heart. 00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:35.340 Whatever you do in word or deed, 00:21:35.440 --> 00:21:36.480 do it all in the name of the Lord. 00:21:36.720 --> 00:21:37.060 How? 00:21:37.300 --> 00:21:38.100 Giving thanks. 00:21:39.060 --> 00:21:39.180 All right. 00:21:39.180 --> 00:21:41.080 So Paul says the real secret, 00:21:42.019 --> 00:21:44.519 the real key to deep change is to walk away. 00:21:44.660 --> 00:21:48.039 I hope you'll walk away from this series with one practice above all, 00:21:48.160 --> 00:21:52.140 and that's the practice of seeking the discipline of gratitude in your life. 00:21:53.120 --> 00:21:55.160 Gratitude is what he's talking about here. 00:21:55.279 --> 00:21:56.360 Now, there is a difference. 00:21:56.620 --> 00:21:57.220 What does Paul do? 00:21:57.279 --> 00:21:58.259 He gives you a command. 00:21:58.740 --> 00:22:00.259 Go now and be thankful. 00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:01.519 Go and be thankful. 00:22:01.519 --> 00:22:09.680 And there is a difference between being thankful for things and being thankful to someone. 00:22:10.440 --> 00:22:10.519 Right? 00:22:12.680 --> 00:22:16.279 Now, when I was living in the States, where I'm from, 00:22:16.700 --> 00:22:18.460 we have the holiday Thanksgiving, 00:22:19.579 --> 00:22:22.519 which is a natural thing to bring up in the light of be thankful. 00:22:23.879 --> 00:22:27.660 And in the States, we would celebrate Thanksgiving once every year, 00:22:28.440 --> 00:22:29.579 the final Thursday of November. 00:22:29.579 --> 00:22:35.500 And, but since I've moved here in a country that does not have the holiday of Thanksgiving, 00:22:36.039 --> 00:22:37.019 technically, officially, 00:22:37.559 --> 00:22:41.159 I tend to, on average, celebrate Thanksgiving three to four times. 00:22:41.759 --> 00:22:45.099 So I don't know why, but it was once in the States, 00:22:45.139 --> 00:22:48.199 but here, every year, we celebrate Thanksgiving at least three times. 00:22:48.740 --> 00:22:49.720 And we do family Thanksgiving, 00:22:49.960 --> 00:22:51.899 and then some of you say, let's have a Friendsgiving, 00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:52.500 and we do that, 00:22:52.539 --> 00:22:54.699 and then others of you will say, let's do a Friendsgiving, 00:22:54.799 --> 00:22:55.339 let's do a Thanksgiving. 00:22:55.519 --> 00:22:57.480 Everybody knows Thanksgiving is a great holiday. 00:22:57.939 --> 00:22:58.619 That's why I think, 00:22:58.619 --> 00:22:59.659 but here's the real reason. 00:22:59.819 --> 00:23:00.619 This is what I figured out. 00:23:01.359 --> 00:23:04.539 The reason that we celebrate Thanksgiving here more often, 00:23:05.159 --> 00:23:07.259 Thursday meal, Friday meal, Saturday meal, 00:23:07.359 --> 00:23:09.239 the next week somebody wants to do Thanksgiving again. 00:23:09.319 --> 00:23:09.519 Why? 00:23:09.939 --> 00:23:12.779 And I found out it's because of the sweet potato casserole. 00:23:15.079 --> 00:23:15.899 That's what it's about. 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:17.739 Now, if you don't know about this, 00:23:18.479 --> 00:23:19.399 don't get involved. 00:23:19.400 --> 00:23:19.840 Okay? 00:23:19.840 --> 00:23:19.920 Okay? 00:23:20.259 --> 00:23:22.320 You just don't even try to find out, 00:23:22.700 --> 00:23:27.100 because it is permission to eat candy as the primary, 00:23:27.240 --> 00:23:29.280 the main dish every single year, 00:23:29.340 --> 00:23:30.519 and you don't want to get involved in that. 00:23:30.680 --> 00:23:32.240 It's not, you regret it every time. 00:23:33.320 --> 00:23:36.980 But sweet potato casserole is the reason people here keep wanting to have Thanksgiving meals. 00:23:36.980 --> 00:23:41.200 And, you know, I realized you can be thankful. 00:23:41.440 --> 00:23:43.299 You can be thankful for sweet potato casserole, 00:23:43.360 --> 00:23:44.480 and you can be thankful for, 00:23:45.039 --> 00:23:46.539 what do you, all of us experience this. 00:23:46.900 --> 00:23:47.620 You say, you know, 00:23:47.680 --> 00:23:50.259 I'm thankful for the good food that I like. 00:23:50.319 --> 00:23:51.480 I'm thankful for my job. 00:23:51.539 --> 00:23:52.799 I'm thankful for my relationships. 00:23:52.960 --> 00:23:54.620 I'm thankful for all sorts of things. 00:23:54.619 --> 00:23:59.179 And you can be Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Friedrich Nietzsche, 00:23:59.399 --> 00:24:03.219 and Alex O'Connor for the most famous atheists of the last couple centuries. 00:24:03.719 --> 00:24:06.179 And you can be thankful for lots of things. 00:24:06.839 --> 00:24:09.119 Alex talks about that on his podcast, 00:24:09.219 --> 00:24:10.739 how thankful he is for many things. 00:24:11.199 --> 00:24:13.219 But what I realized is there's a big difference 00:24:13.219 --> 00:24:14.719 being walking around and saying, 00:24:14.779 --> 00:24:16.519 I'm thankful for it and being thankful to. 00:24:17.639 --> 00:24:20.019 And the practice of gratitude is the transition, 00:24:20.839 --> 00:24:22.079 where you say, 00:24:22.319 --> 00:24:23.979 it's not just that I'm thankful for, 00:24:23.980 --> 00:24:27.259 and I'm not thankful just to relative dependent people like me all around me 00:24:27.259 --> 00:24:28.680 that give me some nice things. 00:24:29.519 --> 00:24:30.460 But when you realize, 00:24:30.900 --> 00:24:32.860 boy, without belief in God, 00:24:33.099 --> 00:24:37.539 I do not have an absolute personal conscious gift giver 00:24:37.539 --> 00:24:40.740 that continues to supply everything that's good in my life 00:24:40.740 --> 00:24:42.559 to be thankful unto, right? 00:24:43.339 --> 00:24:45.660 And the practice of gratitude is not just saying, 00:24:45.819 --> 00:24:47.039 I'm thankful, I'm thankful, I'm thankful, 00:24:47.099 --> 00:24:48.819 but turning every day 00:24:48.819 --> 00:24:52.180 and expressing deep thanksgiving gratitude 00:24:52.180 --> 00:24:54.620 to God the Father, God the Son, 00:24:55.019 --> 00:24:56.220 God the Holy Spirit, 00:24:57.420 --> 00:25:01.080 and recognizing that you are utterly dependent in all things. 00:25:01.259 --> 00:25:02.799 And Paul says the secret to change 00:25:02.799 --> 00:25:04.539 is really just to be thankful, 00:25:04.880 --> 00:25:06.180 to grow and grow in this practice. 00:25:06.320 --> 00:25:08.220 And so I read a book this week, 00:25:08.720 --> 00:25:11.180 I read a book this week about this 00:25:11.180 --> 00:25:15.000 by a guy who said that he, 00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:15.319 quote, 00:25:15.839 --> 00:25:17.420 I'm a professional grumbler. 00:25:18.660 --> 00:25:20.200 Any professional grumblers in here? 00:25:20.279 --> 00:25:21.259 I'm a professional grumbler. 00:25:21.380 --> 00:25:21.960 I complain, 00:25:22.200 --> 00:25:23.559 I look at the negative every time. 00:25:24.380 --> 00:25:24.759 And so he said, 00:25:24.799 --> 00:25:26.500 so I've decided to write a book about gratitude 00:25:26.500 --> 00:25:27.380 to try to fix it. 00:25:28.339 --> 00:25:29.779 And so for three months, 00:25:29.839 --> 00:25:31.000 he took on the discipline, 00:25:31.160 --> 00:25:31.579 the habit 00:25:31.579 --> 00:25:34.200 of writing down everything he was thankful for 00:25:34.200 --> 00:25:35.480 in a little notebook in his pocket, 00:25:35.759 --> 00:25:36.359 wherever he went, 00:25:36.700 --> 00:25:38.380 and then he would write prayers of thanksgiving 00:25:38.380 --> 00:25:39.640 every day to the Lord. 00:25:39.799 --> 00:25:40.440 I thank you, Lord. 00:25:40.500 --> 00:25:40.920 Thank you, Lord. 00:25:40.920 --> 00:25:41.680 He would thank God, 00:25:41.759 --> 00:25:42.700 as Philippians 4 says, 00:25:43.039 --> 00:25:44.740 before he asked God for anything. 00:25:45.279 --> 00:25:46.000 And this is what he writes. 00:25:46.060 --> 00:25:46.340 He said, 00:25:46.480 --> 00:25:47.160 when I did that, 00:25:48.240 --> 00:25:48.480 quote, 00:25:48.539 --> 00:25:48.880 he said, 00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:51.019 the practice of gratitude 00:25:51.019 --> 00:25:52.960 wicked away my grumbling 00:25:52.960 --> 00:25:54.160 and my negative spirit 00:25:54.160 --> 00:25:56.500 like your windscreen fluid 00:25:56.500 --> 00:25:58.759 with the wiper blades turned on max 00:25:58.759 --> 00:26:00.940 throws the dust off the windscreen. 00:26:01.860 --> 00:26:02.100 He says, 00:26:02.160 --> 00:26:03.039 the practice of gratitude 00:26:03.039 --> 00:26:04.279 wicked away, 00:26:04.660 --> 00:26:05.480 what have we been talking about 00:26:05.480 --> 00:26:05.820 in the series? 00:26:06.420 --> 00:26:06.820 Mortification. 00:26:07.900 --> 00:26:08.920 Killing your sin. 00:26:09.039 --> 00:26:09.640 Kill your sin, 00:26:09.720 --> 00:26:10.460 lest it be killing you. 00:26:10.460 --> 00:26:11.220 And he said, 00:26:11.299 --> 00:26:11.420 boy, 00:26:11.500 --> 00:26:12.059 I was fighting 00:26:12.059 --> 00:26:12.640 and I was fighting 00:26:12.640 --> 00:26:13.200 and I was fighting 00:26:13.200 --> 00:26:14.279 and nothing changed in me. 00:26:14.559 --> 00:26:14.940 And he said, 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:16.480 and I started thanking God 00:26:16.480 --> 00:26:17.360 all day long 00:26:17.360 --> 00:26:18.160 throughout the day, 00:26:18.240 --> 00:26:18.900 writing it down. 00:26:19.019 --> 00:26:19.620 And he said, 00:26:19.660 --> 00:26:21.579 it wicked away my sin desires 00:26:21.579 --> 00:26:23.600 like dust off the windscreen. 00:26:24.360 --> 00:26:24.640 He said, 00:26:24.720 --> 00:26:25.200 gratitude, 00:26:25.340 --> 00:26:25.660 I realized, 00:26:25.759 --> 00:26:26.840 was the secret. 00:26:27.100 --> 00:26:28.920 It cast away my discontentment, 00:26:28.980 --> 00:26:29.680 my covetousness, 00:26:29.740 --> 00:26:30.420 my idolatry, 00:26:30.840 --> 00:26:32.079 everything I wanted to chase 00:26:32.079 --> 00:26:33.340 that wasn't God 00:26:33.340 --> 00:26:34.920 I found in him. 00:26:34.980 --> 00:26:35.759 And I wonder today, 00:26:35.860 --> 00:26:36.980 even if you're not a Christian today, 00:26:37.120 --> 00:26:40.259 there's a woman named Kristen Dombach 00:26:40.259 --> 00:26:42.680 who wrote in the Paris Review 00:26:42.680 --> 00:26:44.519 about this experience she had. 00:26:45.319 --> 00:26:45.859 She said, 00:26:46.039 --> 00:26:46.640 she writes this, 00:26:47.099 --> 00:26:47.819 she was an atheist, 00:26:47.879 --> 00:26:48.660 she had become an atheist. 00:26:48.879 --> 00:26:49.259 She said, 00:26:49.680 --> 00:26:50.779 it has been 15 years 00:26:50.779 --> 00:26:51.960 since I stopped believing 00:26:51.960 --> 00:26:53.900 and I've been able to explain 00:26:53.900 --> 00:26:55.680 to myself almost everything 00:26:55.680 --> 00:26:57.019 about the faith I grew up with. 00:26:57.019 --> 00:26:58.579 But I have not been able 00:26:58.579 --> 00:27:00.059 to explain an experience. 00:27:00.740 --> 00:27:01.160 She says, 00:27:01.259 --> 00:27:02.299 it's an experience of God 00:27:02.299 --> 00:27:03.240 so real 00:27:03.240 --> 00:27:04.539 that he entered 00:27:04.539 --> 00:27:05.299 the bedrooms 00:27:05.299 --> 00:27:06.340 of my soul, 00:27:07.460 --> 00:27:08.519 lit them up with joy 00:27:08.519 --> 00:27:09.960 and made me generous. 00:27:10.600 --> 00:27:11.880 And for a long time, 00:27:11.940 --> 00:27:12.819 it puzzled me 00:27:12.819 --> 00:27:13.480 why 00:27:13.480 --> 00:27:15.600 if I made God up in my mind, 00:27:15.660 --> 00:27:16.720 I couldn't make up 00:27:16.720 --> 00:27:17.380 this feeling 00:27:17.380 --> 00:27:18.100 I kept having, 00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:19.880 this experience of God 00:27:19.880 --> 00:27:21.400 where I realized 00:27:21.400 --> 00:27:22.340 I'm just grateful. 00:27:23.800 --> 00:27:24.440 And I wonder 00:27:24.440 --> 00:27:25.360 if you've had something like that 00:27:25.360 --> 00:27:25.720 where you, 00:27:25.880 --> 00:27:26.420 you don't know, 00:27:26.580 --> 00:27:27.060 maybe you don't know 00:27:27.060 --> 00:27:27.680 what you believe today, 00:27:27.740 --> 00:27:28.340 maybe you do, 00:27:28.900 --> 00:27:29.820 but you've had an experience 00:27:29.820 --> 00:27:30.420 where you said, 00:27:30.860 --> 00:27:31.820 I'm overwhelmed 00:27:31.820 --> 00:27:33.140 by how dependent I am. 00:27:33.620 --> 00:27:34.540 I'm overwhelmed 00:27:34.539 --> 00:27:36.159 and it just makes you 00:27:36.159 --> 00:27:37.059 pour forth in gratitude. 00:27:37.960 --> 00:27:38.599 I'll close with this. 00:27:38.779 --> 00:27:41.539 I was thinking about it 00:27:41.539 --> 00:27:41.940 this morning 00:27:41.940 --> 00:27:43.460 and I thought, 00:27:43.559 --> 00:27:44.980 I was looking at my cup of coffee 00:27:44.980 --> 00:27:46.519 and thinking, 00:27:46.680 --> 00:27:46.859 okay, 00:27:47.579 --> 00:27:49.200 is coffee an essential drink 00:27:49.200 --> 00:27:50.019 for the day? 00:27:50.379 --> 00:27:50.839 To me, 00:27:51.000 --> 00:27:51.879 absolutely it is. 00:27:52.539 --> 00:27:54.039 And I thought, 00:27:54.139 --> 00:27:54.519 and I said, 00:27:54.759 --> 00:27:55.980 the Machu Picchu coffee 00:27:55.980 --> 00:27:56.680 that we like to buy 00:27:56.680 --> 00:27:57.139 at my house, 00:27:57.519 --> 00:27:57.859 I thought, 00:27:58.000 --> 00:27:59.599 the farmer that put these beans 00:27:59.599 --> 00:28:00.220 into the ground, 00:28:00.420 --> 00:28:01.720 he lives a thousand miles 00:28:01.720 --> 00:28:02.399 away from here 00:28:02.400 --> 00:28:03.560 and I'll never meet him. 00:28:04.900 --> 00:28:05.240 And boy, 00:28:05.380 --> 00:28:05.840 so many, 00:28:05.960 --> 00:28:06.940 so many events 00:28:06.940 --> 00:28:07.519 had to transpire 00:28:07.519 --> 00:28:08.180 to get this to me. 00:28:08.320 --> 00:28:08.960 So many gifts 00:28:08.960 --> 00:28:09.440 and, 00:28:09.840 --> 00:28:09.980 you know, 00:28:10.040 --> 00:28:11.440 the farmer put the beans down 00:28:11.440 --> 00:28:13.340 but the Lord gave the harvest, 00:28:13.580 --> 00:28:13.740 right? 00:28:14.040 --> 00:28:14.900 The farmer watered, 00:28:14.920 --> 00:28:15.980 the Lord gave the harvest 00:28:15.980 --> 00:28:16.840 and I said, 00:28:16.940 --> 00:28:17.100 I'm, 00:28:17.259 --> 00:28:17.640 thank you. 00:28:17.860 --> 00:28:18.420 You can say, 00:28:18.560 --> 00:28:19.300 thank you Lord 00:28:19.300 --> 00:28:20.800 for this morning coffee 00:28:20.800 --> 00:28:21.540 but boy, 00:28:21.860 --> 00:28:22.920 coffee is nothing. 00:28:23.160 --> 00:28:23.680 It's nothing. 00:28:24.200 --> 00:28:24.940 We don't need it. 00:28:25.660 --> 00:28:26.280 It's a gift. 00:28:27.120 --> 00:28:27.720 Can you say, 00:28:27.900 --> 00:28:28.860 will you say tomorrow, 00:28:30.200 --> 00:28:30.960 my sins, 00:28:31.100 --> 00:28:31.700 they are many, 00:28:31.700 --> 00:28:32.200 Lord, 00:28:32.279 --> 00:28:33.220 your mercy is more? 00:28:34.480 --> 00:28:36.019 I killed you, 00:28:36.140 --> 00:28:36.480 Lord Jesus. 00:28:36.539 --> 00:28:37.680 I put you on the cross. 00:28:37.920 --> 00:28:39.100 You hung there for me 00:28:39.100 --> 00:28:41.600 and yet by that very act, 00:28:41.819 --> 00:28:42.720 you saved me. 00:28:44.200 --> 00:28:44.880 My sins, 00:28:44.960 --> 00:28:45.360 they are many, 00:28:45.480 --> 00:28:45.580 Lord, 00:28:45.660 --> 00:28:46.220 your mercy is more. 00:28:46.319 --> 00:28:46.900 Thank you Lord. 00:28:47.019 --> 00:28:47.600 Thank you Lord. 00:28:47.720 --> 00:28:48.299 Thank you Lord. 00:28:48.360 --> 00:28:49.019 And throughout the day, 00:28:49.360 --> 00:28:51.900 just take up the practice of gratitude 00:28:51.900 --> 00:28:53.259 and what will happen in your life 00:28:53.259 --> 00:28:54.720 will be verse 17. 00:28:55.240 --> 00:28:56.559 The more you practice gratitude, 00:28:56.720 --> 00:28:58.380 the more verse 17 will become true 00:28:58.380 --> 00:29:00.480 that you'll walk around 00:29:00.480 --> 00:29:01.920 in your words 00:29:01.920 --> 00:29:03.100 and in your deeds, 00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:04.060 whatever you do, 00:29:04.800 --> 00:29:06.080 bearing the name of the Lord, 00:29:06.500 --> 00:29:07.100 conveying, 00:29:07.640 --> 00:29:08.180 I'm a Christian 00:29:08.180 --> 00:29:09.700 in word and deed. 00:29:09.840 --> 00:29:10.000 Why? 00:29:10.200 --> 00:29:11.160 Because gratitude, 00:29:11.440 --> 00:29:12.740 gratitude will change you 00:29:12.740 --> 00:29:13.580 from the inside out. 00:29:14.580 --> 00:29:14.780 Lord, 00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:16.460 I don't deserve it. 00:29:17.440 --> 00:29:18.620 Everything I have is a gift. 00:29:21.100 --> 00:29:21.660 Let's pray. 00:29:21.860 --> 00:29:22.080 Father, 00:29:22.880 --> 00:29:23.180 Lord, 00:29:23.180 --> 00:29:24.299 we don't deserve it. 00:29:24.360 --> 00:29:25.240 We don't deserve the coffee. 00:29:25.340 --> 00:29:26.600 We don't deserve the mercy. 00:29:27.140 --> 00:29:28.320 Everything we have is a gift. 00:29:29.200 --> 00:29:29.620 And so now, 00:29:29.720 --> 00:29:32.220 as we come to this table of thanksgiving, 00:29:32.640 --> 00:29:34.120 this meal of thanksgiving, 00:29:34.299 --> 00:29:35.980 we ask that you would give us 00:29:35.980 --> 00:29:36.519 grateful, 00:29:36.840 --> 00:29:37.640 thankful hearts. 00:29:38.799 --> 00:29:39.200 Help us, 00:29:39.279 --> 00:29:39.539 O Lord, 00:29:39.620 --> 00:29:40.299 we pray now. 00:29:40.600 --> 00:29:41.519 Come and meet with us, 00:29:41.580 --> 00:29:41.880 O God, 00:29:41.920 --> 00:29:42.480 we ask now. 00:29:42.660 --> 00:29:43.960 And we pray this in Jesus' name. 00:29:44.360 --> 00:29:44.620 Amen.