WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.320 Welcome to all of you. Welcome to Church of the Advent. Happy Valentine's Day. 00:00:06.179 --> 00:00:08.640 Glad that we could be here to celebrate Valentine's Day together. 00:00:09.339 --> 00:00:15.980 It's an interesting, fortuitous, amusing coincidence that these two days would occur on the same day. 00:00:16.160 --> 00:00:24.080 It's a wonderful illustration in many ways of the contrast between the culture that we live in 00:00:24.080 --> 00:00:26.879 and the faith that some of us in this room profess. 00:00:26.879 --> 00:00:33.179 Yes. You may not know this about Valentine's Day, but it actually has a sort of assorted history. 00:00:33.600 --> 00:00:38.920 It's named after St. Valentine, but long before that, even before probably the Roman Empire, 00:00:39.320 --> 00:00:42.359 it was originally a festival called Lupercalia. 00:00:43.299 --> 00:00:49.700 And you may have read about this, but Lupercalia was a little bit different than our modern version of Valentine's Day. 00:00:49.700 --> 00:00:57.240 And they would say, priests would gather in a cave and they would sacrifice a dog and a goat, 00:00:57.420 --> 00:01:01.240 or sometimes multiple goats, depending on, I suppose, the year. 00:01:01.700 --> 00:01:07.520 And they would then take the bodies of the animals and they would take the flesh off 00:01:07.520 --> 00:01:10.020 and they would turn the hides into whips. 00:01:10.480 --> 00:01:13.680 And then they would take all of their clothes off and they would run through the streets 00:01:13.680 --> 00:01:18.500 whipping the women because they believed it would bless them with greater fertility. 00:01:18.500 --> 00:01:21.459 So this is the origins of Valentine's Day. 00:01:21.939 --> 00:01:24.599 So the next time you want to complain about the D.C. dating culture, 00:01:25.079 --> 00:01:28.579 just be thankful that we don't live back then. 00:01:29.159 --> 00:01:31.599 So this is the history of Valentine's Day. 00:01:31.700 --> 00:01:36.939 Since then, it has become this ode to romantic love and desire. 00:01:36.939 --> 00:01:43.219 And tonight, maybe many of us or some of us are maybe even going to go out after this. 00:01:43.480 --> 00:01:51.759 It's a night to sort of escape the realities of our life for a night to seek romance and passion and erotic desire. 00:01:51.959 --> 00:01:54.700 It's a great celebration of those things in our culture. 00:01:55.560 --> 00:02:00.340 It feels like you couldn't contrast that more with what we're doing here. 00:02:00.420 --> 00:02:02.159 We are gathered to talk about death. 00:02:02.159 --> 00:02:04.560 Now, why would anybody want to do that? 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:10.159 It feels like such a joyless thing to focus on mortality and sin. 00:02:10.819 --> 00:02:17.879 But in reality, if you begin to push into the heart of what we're here to do this evening, 00:02:17.879 --> 00:02:25.719 it has a lot more to do with joy and pleasure than we might originally think. 00:02:26.620 --> 00:02:28.340 Because when we talk about sin, 00:02:29.479 --> 00:02:33.199 and tonight begins a series for those of us who are part of Church of the Advent 00:02:33.199 --> 00:02:36.099 looking at what are called the seven deadly sins, 00:02:36.979 --> 00:02:40.639 when we push into the reality of what sin is, 00:02:40.699 --> 00:02:42.300 what the seven deadly sins are, 00:02:42.300 --> 00:02:51.840 they are all ways in which amazing, beautiful, glorious gifts that God has given his people 00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:56.719 have become twisted, disconnected from the giver, 00:02:57.560 --> 00:03:00.939 distorted, so that instead of giving joy and pleasure, 00:03:01.280 --> 00:03:04.140 they rob us of those things. 00:03:04.139 --> 00:03:10.299 And so the more we understand sin and how to escape the power of sin, 00:03:10.359 --> 00:03:14.039 the more we are actually delving into the territory of pure joy, 00:03:14.519 --> 00:03:19.059 the likes of which a holiday like Valentine's Day could never hope to touch. 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:24.560 And so tonight we're going to begin by talking about what most people consider to be, 00:03:24.599 --> 00:03:25.839 and I think biblically speaking, 00:03:25.839 --> 00:03:31.439 what is the sin that gave birth to all sin in the world, 00:03:31.539 --> 00:03:33.699 which is, of course, the sin of pride. 00:03:34.139 --> 00:03:38.839 And we have this parable that Jesus told that Zachary just read for us 00:03:38.839 --> 00:03:40.599 that comes from Luke chapter 18. 00:03:41.179 --> 00:03:44.619 Most of the time, Jesus' parables are hard to understand. 00:03:44.779 --> 00:03:47.459 They're obscure, and you need to pull open a commentary 00:03:47.459 --> 00:03:50.299 and sometimes see what people think they mean. 00:03:50.979 --> 00:03:54.219 Well, this parable is actually an exception to that rule. 00:03:54.579 --> 00:03:58.979 This parable is completely straightforward in its meaning. 00:03:58.979 --> 00:04:04.199 Suspiciously straightforward in its meaning. 00:04:04.439 --> 00:04:07.659 You read it and you think it can't be this obvious. 00:04:09.659 --> 00:04:13.679 It's a story of two men who go to the temple to pray, 00:04:13.839 --> 00:04:17.779 and the Pharisee prays aloud, stands off by himself, 00:04:17.879 --> 00:04:19.500 and prays aloud so that everybody can hear, 00:04:19.500 --> 00:04:27.439 God, I thank you that I'm not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, 00:04:28.120 --> 00:04:31.639 people who voted for Hillary, people who voted for Trump, whatever. 00:04:32.300 --> 00:04:35.740 I thank you that I'm not like those men or even like this tax collector. 00:04:36.199 --> 00:04:37.680 I fast twice a week. 00:04:37.740 --> 00:04:39.540 I give tithes of all that I get. 00:04:39.540 --> 00:04:43.439 And Jesus contrasts that with the tax collector 00:04:43.439 --> 00:04:46.660 who can't even raise his eyes from the ground 00:04:46.660 --> 00:04:49.340 and can only beat his breast and cry out, 00:04:49.439 --> 00:04:51.360 God, have mercy on me, a sinner. 00:04:53.400 --> 00:04:56.500 You read this parable and you think, it's so obvious. 00:04:57.520 --> 00:04:59.020 The meaning, it's right there. 00:05:00.060 --> 00:05:00.300 Right? 00:05:00.379 --> 00:05:01.160 What's the answer? 00:05:01.320 --> 00:05:02.900 What does the parable tell us? 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:07.240 Well, it tells us, don't be like that Pharisee 00:05:07.240 --> 00:05:10.780 and pray in the prideful way that he prayed. 00:05:10.980 --> 00:05:12.319 Be like the tax collector. 00:05:13.139 --> 00:05:13.879 Beat your breast. 00:05:14.819 --> 00:05:16.019 Cry out to God for mercy. 00:05:17.120 --> 00:05:18.180 And then we do that and we say, 00:05:18.300 --> 00:05:21.900 thank God I was smart enough not to be like that Pharisee. 00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:25.360 And then we realize all too quickly, 00:05:25.800 --> 00:05:27.939 a little too late, that the trap has sprung 00:05:27.939 --> 00:05:32.720 and that Jesus purposefully laid this parable out 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:35.340 to be temptingly simple 00:05:35.339 --> 00:05:39.899 so that it would be like reaching for peanut butter 00:05:39.899 --> 00:05:42.279 on the trigger of a rat trap 00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:44.099 and we're caught. 00:05:45.099 --> 00:05:47.639 And we realize that this is the way human beings 00:05:47.639 --> 00:05:51.099 are wired to think in terms of comparison. 00:05:51.779 --> 00:05:51.899 Right? 00:05:52.519 --> 00:05:55.839 Jesus understands something about human nature 00:05:55.839 --> 00:05:58.079 and something specifically about pride. 00:05:58.339 --> 00:06:00.120 That pride, and this is not his language, 00:06:00.239 --> 00:06:01.319 this is my language, 00:06:01.419 --> 00:06:02.659 that pride is like a rat. 00:06:02.660 --> 00:06:06.000 That pride is something that hides 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:08.060 in the basement of our hearts 00:06:08.060 --> 00:06:12.380 and it spreads sin and division 00:06:12.380 --> 00:06:16.860 and discontentment and evil wherever it goes. 00:06:19.100 --> 00:06:22.440 And so pride, Jonathan Edwards said, 00:06:23.080 --> 00:06:26.080 Jonathan Edwards is the 18th century pastor 00:06:26.080 --> 00:06:28.820 and theologian who was one of the principal players 00:06:28.819 --> 00:06:30.120 in the Great Awakening, 00:06:30.259 --> 00:06:32.879 this huge movement of spiritual revival. 00:06:33.659 --> 00:06:36.300 When he wrote about revival 00:06:36.300 --> 00:06:38.959 and then he wrote about things that inhibited revival, 00:06:39.199 --> 00:06:41.800 he said the thing that most inhibits revival 00:06:41.800 --> 00:06:43.480 is pride. 00:06:44.219 --> 00:06:45.680 Hidden spiritual pride. 00:06:45.800 --> 00:06:47.139 Pride that you don't even know is there 00:06:47.139 --> 00:06:48.819 but it's hiding like rats 00:06:49.379 --> 00:06:51.019 in the basement of your heart. 00:06:51.019 --> 00:06:53.279 And like rats, 00:06:53.459 --> 00:06:57.019 pride is extremely difficult to exterminate. 00:06:57.099 --> 00:06:59.180 You can't just go down into the basement 00:06:59.180 --> 00:07:01.319 with a broom and sweep it out the door. 00:07:02.519 --> 00:07:03.519 The problem is, 00:07:03.579 --> 00:07:04.419 the minute you do that 00:07:04.419 --> 00:07:05.799 and then you turn your attention elsewhere, 00:07:06.019 --> 00:07:07.319 it sneaks right back in. 00:07:08.699 --> 00:07:09.560 And you know, D.C., 00:07:09.560 --> 00:07:11.079 if you live in a row house in D.C., 00:07:11.079 --> 00:07:12.959 they're just rats that just go from one house 00:07:12.959 --> 00:07:13.839 to another. 00:07:14.279 --> 00:07:15.799 And it's the same with pride. 00:07:16.539 --> 00:07:17.740 Pride just gets transferred 00:07:17.740 --> 00:07:20.120 from one person to another, 00:07:20.259 --> 00:07:21.480 one situation to another. 00:07:22.079 --> 00:07:23.720 It has to be baited. 00:07:23.819 --> 00:07:25.319 It has to be coaxed out. 00:07:25.480 --> 00:07:26.579 It has to be killed. 00:07:27.740 --> 00:07:29.540 This is why Jesus tells this parable. 00:07:29.540 --> 00:07:31.220 It's a rat trap for our pride. 00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:36.439 And so as we think about this 00:07:36.439 --> 00:07:37.540 and the nature of pride 00:07:37.540 --> 00:07:39.400 and we wonder how much of this is an issue 00:07:39.400 --> 00:07:40.519 in my heart, 00:07:40.620 --> 00:07:41.660 we have to ask the question, 00:07:41.780 --> 00:07:45.900 how do we see spiritual pride in our own lives? 00:07:45.960 --> 00:07:47.699 How do we actually lay eyes on it? 00:07:48.220 --> 00:07:49.560 In the darkness of the basement. 00:07:50.300 --> 00:07:51.900 And coming back to Jonathan Edwards, 00:07:52.040 --> 00:07:53.040 he actually writes this. 00:07:53.300 --> 00:07:53.639 He says, 00:07:53.920 --> 00:07:54.180 quote, 00:07:54.319 --> 00:07:56.740 Since spiritual pride in its own nature 00:07:56.740 --> 00:07:57.840 is so secret, 00:07:58.639 --> 00:08:00.560 it cannot be so well discerned 00:08:00.560 --> 00:08:02.840 by immediate intuition on the thing itself. 00:08:02.900 --> 00:08:04.560 So you can't just turn inward 00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:06.560 and sort of spot your pride 00:08:06.560 --> 00:08:06.800 and say, 00:08:06.879 --> 00:08:07.639 oh, there it is. 00:08:08.240 --> 00:08:09.840 Oh, there's where I'm being prideful. 00:08:09.900 --> 00:08:10.139 He says, 00:08:10.180 --> 00:08:11.480 that's fruitless. 00:08:11.980 --> 00:08:12.379 He says, 00:08:12.439 --> 00:08:13.680 it is best identified 00:08:13.680 --> 00:08:16.000 by its fruits and effects. 00:08:16.860 --> 00:08:17.500 In other words, 00:08:17.560 --> 00:08:18.720 and this is as far as we'll go 00:08:18.720 --> 00:08:19.339 with this metaphor, 00:08:19.959 --> 00:08:22.060 pride like rats leaves droppings. 00:08:23.139 --> 00:08:24.279 As far as I'm going to go. 00:08:25.019 --> 00:08:27.120 It leaves droppings. 00:08:27.319 --> 00:08:27.740 In other words, 00:08:27.879 --> 00:08:30.459 there are fruits and effects of pride. 00:08:30.560 --> 00:08:32.139 And when you see those things in your life, 00:08:32.200 --> 00:08:32.779 those symptoms, 00:08:33.019 --> 00:08:35.000 if you follow them like a trail, 00:08:35.100 --> 00:08:36.259 they will lead you to the nest. 00:08:37.539 --> 00:08:39.519 And so Edwards lists some things. 00:08:40.019 --> 00:08:40.419 He says, 00:08:40.419 --> 00:08:42.379 if these things show up in your life, 00:08:42.399 --> 00:08:43.479 if you see these things, 00:08:43.839 --> 00:08:45.559 these are evidence of hidden pride. 00:08:46.039 --> 00:08:48.219 So the first thing he talks about is criticism. 00:08:48.500 --> 00:08:50.659 Are you a person who has a critical spirit? 00:08:51.899 --> 00:08:54.139 Do you tend to find faults in others 00:08:54.139 --> 00:08:55.740 and minimize them in yourself? 00:08:56.839 --> 00:08:57.979 Are you the kind of person 00:08:57.979 --> 00:09:00.079 that hears a sermon on spiritual pride 00:09:00.079 --> 00:09:00.519 and thinks, 00:09:00.620 --> 00:09:02.159 I really know somebody 00:09:02.159 --> 00:09:04.740 who needs to hear this sermon on spiritual pride? 00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:06.279 If you're thinking that way, 00:09:06.279 --> 00:09:10.679 chances are there is some pridefulness underneath it. 00:09:10.980 --> 00:09:12.360 He also says that contempt, 00:09:13.299 --> 00:09:13.439 right, 00:09:13.500 --> 00:09:15.600 so the devaluing of other people, 00:09:15.720 --> 00:09:18.600 that that is evidence of spiritual pride. 00:09:18.759 --> 00:09:20.659 He also talks about defensiveness. 00:09:22.059 --> 00:09:22.240 You know, 00:09:22.299 --> 00:09:22.879 people who, 00:09:23.240 --> 00:09:24.439 the moment you're questioned, 00:09:24.799 --> 00:09:26.240 the moment you are challenged, 00:09:26.379 --> 00:09:28.779 the moment someone tries to rebuke you, 00:09:28.819 --> 00:09:30.120 even someone who loves you, 00:09:30.419 --> 00:09:31.199 your hands come up. 00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:33.159 He says that's actually evidence 00:09:33.159 --> 00:09:34.679 of spiritual pride. 00:09:34.679 --> 00:09:37.599 He talks about indifference 00:09:37.599 --> 00:09:38.679 to the needs of others. 00:09:38.759 --> 00:09:39.739 Do you have a hard time 00:09:39.739 --> 00:09:42.719 generating compassion and empathy 00:09:42.719 --> 00:09:45.099 for people in your life, 00:09:45.179 --> 00:09:46.179 people with real needs? 00:09:46.239 --> 00:09:47.159 Do you have a hard time caring? 00:09:47.839 --> 00:09:49.939 He says that's actually connected to pride. 00:09:50.000 --> 00:09:51.359 So all of these things that he's listing, 00:09:51.479 --> 00:09:51.919 he's saying, 00:09:52.219 --> 00:09:54.099 the real reason that you're critical, 00:09:54.199 --> 00:09:56.000 the real reason that you're contemptuous, 00:09:56.059 --> 00:09:57.219 the real reason that you don't care 00:09:57.219 --> 00:09:58.679 about the needs of the people around you 00:09:58.679 --> 00:09:59.559 is pride. 00:10:00.639 --> 00:10:01.759 And actually what's interesting 00:10:01.759 --> 00:10:02.959 about these first four 00:10:02.959 --> 00:10:04.579 is John Gottman, 00:10:04.679 --> 00:10:05.899 who some of you know 00:10:05.899 --> 00:10:08.339 from his work on marriage. 00:10:08.479 --> 00:10:10.259 He's the famous marriage researcher 00:10:10.259 --> 00:10:12.979 who says that he can predict 00:10:12.979 --> 00:10:14.620 with over 90% accuracy 00:10:14.620 --> 00:10:15.839 whether or not a couple 00:10:15.839 --> 00:10:16.899 is going to be together 00:10:16.899 --> 00:10:17.659 in five years. 00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:19.139 Just by hearing a snippet 00:10:19.139 --> 00:10:19.959 of their conversation, 00:10:20.099 --> 00:10:20.899 he can predict 00:10:20.899 --> 00:10:21.519 whether or not 00:10:21.519 --> 00:10:22.259 they're going to stay together. 00:10:22.479 --> 00:10:23.739 And he says one of the main ways 00:10:23.739 --> 00:10:24.559 he does that 00:10:24.559 --> 00:10:26.219 is by detecting 00:10:26.219 --> 00:10:27.439 what he calls 00:10:27.439 --> 00:10:28.439 the four horsemen 00:10:28.439 --> 00:10:29.179 of the apocalypse. 00:10:29.179 --> 00:10:31.199 So when he hears 00:10:31.199 --> 00:10:32.500 a couple interact, 00:10:33.099 --> 00:10:35.620 he's looking for four things. 00:10:36.539 --> 00:10:37.099 And he says, 00:10:37.239 --> 00:10:38.259 if any of these things 00:10:38.259 --> 00:10:40.299 show up significantly 00:10:40.299 --> 00:10:41.379 in their interactions, 00:10:41.839 --> 00:10:42.939 there's a very good chance 00:10:42.939 --> 00:10:44.399 the marriage is going to fall apart 00:10:44.399 --> 00:10:45.839 and the couple's going to end up divorced. 00:10:46.079 --> 00:10:47.579 And guess what those four things are? 00:10:48.139 --> 00:10:48.839 The four horsemen 00:10:48.839 --> 00:10:49.459 of the apocalypse. 00:10:51.339 --> 00:10:51.739 Criticism, 00:10:52.839 --> 00:10:53.399 contempt, 00:10:55.399 --> 00:10:55.799 defensiveness, 00:10:55.799 --> 00:10:57.500 and indifference. 00:10:58.259 --> 00:10:58.879 It's interesting. 00:10:59.299 --> 00:10:59.959 He's not quoting 00:10:59.959 --> 00:11:00.679 Jonathan Edwards. 00:11:00.819 --> 00:11:01.839 He's found this on his own. 00:11:01.959 --> 00:11:03.659 So what that shows us is 00:11:03.659 --> 00:11:05.379 is that Gottman has found 00:11:05.379 --> 00:11:06.719 that the real killer 00:11:06.719 --> 00:11:07.639 of marriage, 00:11:09.179 --> 00:11:09.620 in other words, 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:10.359 the real killer 00:11:10.359 --> 00:11:11.719 of intimate relationships, 00:11:12.299 --> 00:11:14.159 is actually pride 00:11:14.159 --> 00:11:16.740 underneath criticism 00:11:16.740 --> 00:11:17.359 and defensiveness 00:11:17.359 --> 00:11:18.199 and all of these things. 00:11:18.539 --> 00:11:19.139 And then he adds 00:11:19.139 --> 00:11:20.079 a couple of more 00:11:20.079 --> 00:11:23.139 signs or leavings, 00:11:23.279 --> 00:11:24.179 if you will, 00:11:24.259 --> 00:11:24.939 in our lives 00:11:24.940 --> 00:11:26.260 that evidence pride. 00:11:27.080 --> 00:11:27.640 Superficiality, 00:11:27.820 --> 00:11:27.980 you know, 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:28.840 people who tend to 00:11:28.840 --> 00:11:29.820 care more about 00:11:29.820 --> 00:11:30.620 how they're perceived 00:11:30.620 --> 00:11:32.280 than the actual state 00:11:32.280 --> 00:11:32.880 of their heart. 00:11:33.300 --> 00:11:34.640 The religious community 00:11:34.640 --> 00:11:36.240 is full of this, 00:11:36.380 --> 00:11:37.080 full of people 00:11:37.080 --> 00:11:38.700 who are experts 00:11:38.700 --> 00:11:40.460 at visible holiness. 00:11:41.400 --> 00:11:42.480 The holiness 00:11:42.480 --> 00:11:44.000 that is observable 00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:44.760 and measurable, 00:11:45.020 --> 00:11:45.300 right? 00:11:45.680 --> 00:11:46.460 He says that 00:11:46.460 --> 00:11:47.740 conceals pride. 00:11:48.360 --> 00:11:49.740 Presumption before God. 00:11:50.260 --> 00:11:51.300 How dare you, God? 00:11:51.360 --> 00:11:52.160 How dare you 00:11:52.160 --> 00:11:53.320 not answer the prayer 00:11:53.320 --> 00:11:54.220 that I prayed 00:11:54.220 --> 00:11:54.940 in the way 00:11:54.940 --> 00:11:56.080 that I hoped. 00:11:56.960 --> 00:11:57.879 If there is a God 00:11:57.879 --> 00:11:58.460 and he's loving, 00:11:58.640 --> 00:11:59.820 surely he would love 00:11:59.820 --> 00:12:00.640 and accept a person 00:12:00.640 --> 00:12:01.540 like me. 00:12:01.580 --> 00:12:02.320 He says that's evidence 00:12:02.320 --> 00:12:03.140 of pride. 00:12:03.220 --> 00:12:03.740 And then lastly, 00:12:03.879 --> 00:12:04.800 attention seeking. 00:12:05.600 --> 00:12:06.400 Now, I don't think 00:12:06.400 --> 00:12:07.460 we go out and say, 00:12:07.640 --> 00:12:08.020 look at me, 00:12:08.100 --> 00:12:08.400 look at me, 00:12:08.460 --> 00:12:08.740 look at me. 00:12:08.780 --> 00:12:09.520 At least most of us 00:12:09.520 --> 00:12:09.840 don't. 00:12:09.840 --> 00:12:10.560 Don't do that. 00:12:10.600 --> 00:12:11.000 If you do, 00:12:11.100 --> 00:12:11.600 you shouldn't. 00:12:12.400 --> 00:12:13.120 But I think that 00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:13.780 there are other ways 00:12:13.780 --> 00:12:14.760 that we seek attention. 00:12:14.920 --> 00:12:15.560 I think that 00:12:15.560 --> 00:12:17.420 an inability to say no 00:12:17.420 --> 00:12:18.060 to people, 00:12:19.300 --> 00:12:20.260 a need to be needed, 00:12:20.819 --> 00:12:21.080 you know? 00:12:22.080 --> 00:12:23.500 I think that's 00:12:23.500 --> 00:12:25.120 a form of attention. 00:12:25.259 --> 00:12:26.059 He says that's rooted 00:12:26.059 --> 00:12:27.519 in pride, right? 00:12:27.819 --> 00:12:29.080 So all of these things 00:12:29.080 --> 00:12:30.860 are evidences of pride. 00:12:31.059 --> 00:12:31.860 And so, you know, 00:12:31.899 --> 00:12:32.639 another way of looking 00:12:32.639 --> 00:12:34.059 at this is this. 00:12:34.100 --> 00:12:34.720 He says, you know, 00:12:34.759 --> 00:12:35.360 if you want to become 00:12:35.360 --> 00:12:36.139 less critical, 00:12:36.360 --> 00:12:36.960 if you want to become 00:12:36.960 --> 00:12:37.879 more compassionate 00:12:37.879 --> 00:12:39.319 toward the needs 00:12:39.319 --> 00:12:39.759 of others, 00:12:39.840 --> 00:12:40.600 if you want to become 00:12:40.600 --> 00:12:41.500 more open 00:12:41.500 --> 00:12:42.539 to critical feedback, 00:12:42.799 --> 00:12:43.740 these are issues 00:12:43.740 --> 00:12:44.899 that you are wanting. 00:12:45.220 --> 00:12:46.340 He says you shouldn't 00:12:46.340 --> 00:12:47.399 target those things. 00:12:47.539 --> 00:12:48.279 Target pride. 00:12:48.279 --> 00:12:50.360 And by targeting pride 00:12:50.360 --> 00:12:51.079 in your life, 00:12:51.079 --> 00:12:52.059 you root out 00:12:52.059 --> 00:12:53.199 all of these other things. 00:12:53.860 --> 00:12:55.179 You clean out the nest. 00:12:56.639 --> 00:12:57.899 Fortunately for us, 00:12:58.659 --> 00:13:00.919 we have Ash Wednesday 00:13:00.919 --> 00:13:02.799 and the season of Lent. 00:13:03.419 --> 00:13:04.120 And if you're new 00:13:04.120 --> 00:13:05.519 to this observance, 00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:05.939 if you're new 00:13:05.939 --> 00:13:06.639 to this season, 00:13:07.120 --> 00:13:09.179 then it is custom designed 00:13:09.179 --> 00:13:11.100 to enable us 00:13:11.100 --> 00:13:11.899 to seed out 00:13:11.899 --> 00:13:13.620 and to root it out 00:13:13.620 --> 00:13:14.779 and ultimately 00:13:14.779 --> 00:13:15.480 to leave it 00:13:15.480 --> 00:13:16.339 at the foot of the cross. 00:13:16.699 --> 00:13:18.259 That's why we're here tonight. 00:13:18.279 --> 00:13:19.539 tonight is to begin 00:13:19.539 --> 00:13:21.699 this war on pride 00:13:21.699 --> 00:13:22.740 in our own hearts. 00:13:23.399 --> 00:13:24.699 The extermination 00:13:24.699 --> 00:13:25.639 has begun. 00:13:26.539 --> 00:13:27.620 And so tonight, 00:13:27.699 --> 00:13:28.439 in just a little while, 00:13:28.519 --> 00:13:29.159 Dan and I are going 00:13:29.159 --> 00:13:29.759 to stand up here 00:13:29.759 --> 00:13:30.000 and we're going 00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:30.419 to invite you 00:13:30.419 --> 00:13:31.059 to come forward 00:13:31.059 --> 00:13:31.600 and we're going 00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:32.220 to put ashes 00:13:32.220 --> 00:13:33.439 on your forehead 00:13:33.439 --> 00:13:33.879 and we're going 00:13:33.879 --> 00:13:34.319 to tell you, 00:13:34.419 --> 00:13:35.299 remember that you 00:13:35.299 --> 00:13:36.419 have come from dust 00:13:36.419 --> 00:13:38.740 and that one day 00:13:38.740 --> 00:13:39.439 you will go back 00:13:39.439 --> 00:13:39.959 to dust. 00:13:40.059 --> 00:13:41.139 From dust you have come 00:13:41.139 --> 00:13:41.860 and to dust 00:13:41.860 --> 00:13:42.980 you shall return. 00:13:43.819 --> 00:13:45.079 That sounds morbid, 00:13:45.600 --> 00:13:46.240 but think about 00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:47.100 what we just said. 00:13:47.100 --> 00:13:49.360 There's no such thing 00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:50.920 as proud dust. 00:13:52.600 --> 00:13:53.120 Right? 00:13:53.180 --> 00:13:53.779 There's no such thing. 00:13:53.899 --> 00:13:55.360 There's nothing proud 00:13:55.360 --> 00:13:56.580 about dust, 00:13:56.980 --> 00:13:58.159 about mortality. 00:13:59.180 --> 00:14:00.000 I think perhaps 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:00.940 that may be why 00:14:00.940 --> 00:14:01.800 our culture 00:14:01.800 --> 00:14:02.480 has such 00:14:02.480 --> 00:14:03.920 a vigorous focus 00:14:03.920 --> 00:14:05.019 on youth. 00:14:05.560 --> 00:14:06.700 We spend billions 00:14:06.700 --> 00:14:07.279 of dollars 00:14:07.279 --> 00:14:07.920 to continue 00:14:07.920 --> 00:14:09.019 looking young. 00:14:09.180 --> 00:14:11.100 We deny death 00:14:11.100 --> 00:14:11.600 in every way 00:14:11.600 --> 00:14:12.580 we possibly can. 00:14:12.580 --> 00:14:13.120 We do everything 00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:13.480 we can 00:14:13.480 --> 00:14:14.040 to extend 00:14:14.040 --> 00:14:14.879 life 00:14:14.879 --> 00:14:16.520 because mortality 00:14:16.520 --> 00:14:17.900 is humiliating. 00:14:18.960 --> 00:14:19.560 You know? 00:14:19.720 --> 00:14:20.720 It's humiliating. 00:14:21.820 --> 00:14:22.800 So we put ashes 00:14:22.800 --> 00:14:23.400 on our head 00:14:23.400 --> 00:14:24.379 to remind ourselves 00:14:24.379 --> 00:14:24.780 of that. 00:14:25.020 --> 00:14:25.940 We also fast 00:14:25.940 --> 00:14:26.920 during Lent 00:14:26.920 --> 00:14:27.660 because guess what? 00:14:27.700 --> 00:14:28.259 When you go down 00:14:28.259 --> 00:14:28.840 into the basement 00:14:28.840 --> 00:14:29.460 of your heart, 00:14:29.900 --> 00:14:31.639 that rat 00:14:31.639 --> 00:14:32.460 of pride 00:14:32.460 --> 00:14:33.280 is not going 00:14:33.280 --> 00:14:33.660 to be out 00:14:33.660 --> 00:14:34.160 in the open. 00:14:34.320 --> 00:14:35.320 Pride hides 00:14:35.320 --> 00:14:37.520 behind our comforts. 00:14:37.519 --> 00:14:39.579 So when you begin 00:14:39.579 --> 00:14:40.460 to strip away 00:14:40.460 --> 00:14:41.579 your comforts, 00:14:42.360 --> 00:14:42.539 you know, 00:14:42.579 --> 00:14:43.659 even little things 00:14:43.659 --> 00:14:44.399 like caffeine 00:14:44.399 --> 00:14:45.179 or alcohol 00:14:45.179 --> 00:14:46.100 or any of the things 00:14:46.100 --> 00:14:46.679 that people give up, 00:14:46.740 --> 00:14:47.220 you strip away 00:14:47.220 --> 00:14:48.740 even the smallest things 00:14:48.740 --> 00:14:49.319 and sometimes, 00:14:49.659 --> 00:14:49.840 you know, 00:14:49.860 --> 00:14:50.460 the little things 00:14:50.460 --> 00:14:51.340 are even more effective 00:14:51.340 --> 00:14:52.379 because then you go 00:14:52.379 --> 00:14:53.199 a week or two 00:14:53.199 --> 00:14:54.039 and you're about 00:14:54.039 --> 00:14:54.799 ready to crumble 00:14:54.799 --> 00:14:57.000 and then you realize 00:14:57.000 --> 00:14:58.279 how utterly dependent 00:14:58.279 --> 00:14:59.279 we are on all 00:14:59.279 --> 00:14:59.860 of these stupid 00:14:59.860 --> 00:15:00.860 little comforts. 00:15:01.579 --> 00:15:02.019 And that is 00:15:02.019 --> 00:15:03.139 severely humbling. 00:15:03.819 --> 00:15:05.299 It's incredibly humbling. 00:15:05.919 --> 00:15:06.960 So we fast. 00:15:08.059 --> 00:15:09.139 To show ourselves 00:15:09.139 --> 00:15:09.919 that while we love 00:15:09.919 --> 00:15:10.659 to think of ourselves 00:15:10.659 --> 00:15:11.319 as autonomous, 00:15:11.579 --> 00:15:12.179 independent, 00:15:12.819 --> 00:15:13.879 self-possessed beings, 00:15:14.059 --> 00:15:15.079 that we are in fact 00:15:15.079 --> 00:15:16.279 creatures of 00:15:16.279 --> 00:15:18.799 quasi-addictive habits 00:15:18.799 --> 00:15:20.379 in all areas 00:15:20.379 --> 00:15:20.960 of our life. 00:15:22.259 --> 00:15:23.019 And then thirdly, 00:15:23.120 --> 00:15:23.860 Lent is a time 00:15:23.860 --> 00:15:24.960 to focus on 00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:26.120 more than ever before. 00:15:26.240 --> 00:15:26.699 Christians should 00:15:26.699 --> 00:15:27.199 always do this, 00:15:27.259 --> 00:15:28.279 but Lent this season 00:15:28.279 --> 00:15:29.120 that we're entering into 00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:30.480 is a time to focus 00:15:30.480 --> 00:15:31.120 on the needs 00:15:31.120 --> 00:15:32.620 of those around you. 00:15:33.419 --> 00:15:34.919 Isaiah 58 says, 00:15:34.919 --> 00:15:36.199 the kind of fasting 00:15:36.199 --> 00:15:36.919 that the Lord desires 00:15:37.519 --> 00:15:39.379 is to care for the poor, 00:15:40.559 --> 00:15:40.699 right, 00:15:40.740 --> 00:15:41.919 to free the oppressed. 00:15:42.860 --> 00:15:44.179 That's the kind of fasting 00:15:44.179 --> 00:15:45.480 that glorifies God. 00:15:45.659 --> 00:15:46.720 The reason we give 00:15:46.720 --> 00:15:47.379 these things up 00:15:47.379 --> 00:15:48.139 is to focus 00:15:48.139 --> 00:15:49.419 on the needs around us 00:15:49.419 --> 00:15:50.419 because guess what? 00:15:50.519 --> 00:15:52.220 That annihilates pride 00:15:52.220 --> 00:15:54.379 because pride 00:15:54.379 --> 00:15:55.039 is not so much 00:15:55.039 --> 00:15:56.579 thinking less of yourself, 00:15:57.319 --> 00:15:57.699 or I'm sorry, 00:15:57.779 --> 00:15:58.759 humility is not so much 00:15:58.759 --> 00:15:59.740 thinking less of yourself, 00:15:59.899 --> 00:16:01.199 it's thinking of yourself 00:16:01.199 --> 00:16:02.019 less, 00:16:02.360 --> 00:16:03.639 as has often been said. 00:16:03.639 --> 00:16:05.799 And then lastly, 00:16:06.620 --> 00:16:07.740 and most importantly, 00:16:08.519 --> 00:16:09.240 Lent is a time 00:16:09.240 --> 00:16:09.879 to remember 00:16:09.879 --> 00:16:11.279 why we need Easter 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:13.559 and why we need 00:16:13.559 --> 00:16:15.019 a Savior 00:16:15.019 --> 00:16:16.840 precisely like Jesus, 00:16:17.620 --> 00:16:18.960 why He is the only one 00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:20.039 who can offer hope 00:16:20.039 --> 00:16:21.819 to people like us. 00:16:22.460 --> 00:16:24.139 And there are two things 00:16:24.139 --> 00:16:24.899 that we see 00:16:24.899 --> 00:16:26.100 that offer that hope. 00:16:26.199 --> 00:16:26.500 First, 00:16:26.819 --> 00:16:28.519 His life and His death. 00:16:29.319 --> 00:16:30.000 You cannot look 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:31.080 at the life of Jesus, 00:16:31.879 --> 00:16:33.000 compare it to your own, 00:16:33.280 --> 00:16:34.300 and remain proud. 00:16:35.139 --> 00:16:35.980 If you think of yourself 00:16:35.980 --> 00:16:36.960 as a loving person 00:16:36.960 --> 00:16:37.820 or a kind person, 00:16:37.879 --> 00:16:38.300 or if you think 00:16:38.300 --> 00:16:39.000 that you care about 00:16:39.000 --> 00:16:39.800 the downtrodden, 00:16:40.220 --> 00:16:41.160 or that you're doing good 00:16:41.160 --> 00:16:41.740 in the world, 00:16:42.180 --> 00:16:43.360 compare yourself to Jesus. 00:16:44.500 --> 00:16:45.480 And then look at His death 00:16:45.480 --> 00:16:46.060 on the cross. 00:16:46.920 --> 00:16:47.139 You know, 00:16:47.139 --> 00:16:48.280 as this parable says, 00:16:48.320 --> 00:16:49.560 and I think in many ways 00:16:49.560 --> 00:16:50.700 foretells, 00:16:51.780 --> 00:16:52.160 you know, 00:16:52.820 --> 00:16:54.300 the cross humbles the proud. 00:16:55.280 --> 00:16:56.460 You cannot look at the cross 00:16:56.460 --> 00:16:58.440 and the innocent suffering 00:16:58.440 --> 00:17:00.800 and remain proud. 00:17:01.080 --> 00:17:03.100 If you really look at it, 00:17:03.600 --> 00:17:05.340 the cross humbles the proud. 00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:08.660 And then as we continue 00:17:08.660 --> 00:17:09.720 in this story 00:17:09.720 --> 00:17:10.519 and in this journey, 00:17:10.620 --> 00:17:11.539 we will eventually come 00:17:11.539 --> 00:17:12.299 to Easter morning. 00:17:13.039 --> 00:17:13.940 And on Easter morning, 00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:14.620 we will celebrate 00:17:14.620 --> 00:17:15.240 the resurrection. 00:17:16.360 --> 00:17:17.319 And the resurrection 00:17:17.319 --> 00:17:19.279 shows the exaltation 00:17:19.860 --> 00:17:21.059 of the humble. 00:17:21.579 --> 00:17:23.140 The resurrection shows 00:17:23.140 --> 00:17:24.319 the great mystery 00:17:24.319 --> 00:17:25.440 at the heart of our faith, 00:17:25.840 --> 00:17:27.380 where the path 00:17:27.380 --> 00:17:28.279 of humility leads, 00:17:28.279 --> 00:17:29.039 leads, 00:17:29.379 --> 00:17:30.799 where all of this 00:17:30.799 --> 00:17:32.619 is meant to take us. 00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:34.879 And that is why 00:17:34.879 --> 00:17:37.220 we end this journey 00:17:37.220 --> 00:17:38.200 in the celebration 00:17:38.200 --> 00:17:39.279 of Easter. 00:17:39.420 --> 00:17:40.119 It shows us 00:17:40.119 --> 00:17:40.960 that the man 00:17:40.960 --> 00:17:42.119 who was most humbled, 00:17:42.799 --> 00:17:45.920 once that had been accomplished, 00:17:46.559 --> 00:17:47.619 rose from death 00:17:47.619 --> 00:17:49.079 and was glorified. 00:17:49.079 --> 00:17:50.799 And the promise of Easter 00:17:50.799 --> 00:17:51.799 is that we will one day 00:17:51.799 --> 00:17:53.460 share in that glory. 00:17:53.579 --> 00:17:54.720 But the road to life 00:17:54.720 --> 00:17:56.659 passes through death. 00:17:57.339 --> 00:17:58.720 And so that's why we're here. 00:17:59.359 --> 00:18:01.199 We are entering into death 00:18:01.199 --> 00:18:02.859 that we might one day 00:18:02.859 --> 00:18:04.679 taste life anew. 00:18:05.960 --> 00:18:06.699 Let's pray. 00:18:06.700 --> 00:18:36.680 Let's pray.