WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.399 Corey can come down the front as well. 00:00:02.399 --> 00:00:03.760 We're going to sit down. 00:00:03.760 --> 00:00:07.320 So you might not see us, but that's an advantage. 00:00:07.320 --> 00:00:10.679 There's some benefits to sitting down. 00:00:10.679 --> 00:00:12.839 Ones at the front we'll see. 00:00:12.839 --> 00:00:15.439 We'll see me anyway. 00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:18.519 Sorry, sorry. 00:00:18.519 --> 00:00:23.480 Just had to put another six inches on the pulpit this evening. 00:00:23.480 --> 00:00:25.120 OK, so we've got five questions. 00:00:25.120 --> 00:00:26.879 I've got four of them. 00:00:26.879 --> 00:00:29.519 I think you've added them right down the fifth one, 00:00:29.519 --> 00:00:30.359 but you've got it. 00:00:30.359 --> 00:00:30.879 So you know it. 00:00:30.879 --> 00:00:31.600 That's fine. 00:00:31.600 --> 00:00:34.439 So I'll read out a question, and then we'll 00:00:34.439 --> 00:00:37.600 both do a wee bit of an answer. 00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:39.480 And we'll see how time goes. 00:00:39.480 --> 00:00:42.119 And if time goes quietly, then that's good. 00:00:42.119 --> 00:00:43.799 You'll get home sooner. 00:00:43.799 --> 00:00:45.600 Or might even give you an opportunity 00:00:45.600 --> 00:00:49.799 to ask a question, but probably not. 00:00:49.799 --> 00:00:50.679 OK, right. 00:00:50.679 --> 00:00:54.239 We'll start with the first question, which 00:00:54.239 --> 00:00:58.480 is do we need to justify not worshiping God 00:00:58.479 --> 00:01:02.239 with every spare moment to ask in another way, 00:01:02.239 --> 00:01:07.759 how should we weigh recreation versus worship in daily life? 00:01:07.759 --> 00:01:08.159 Corey? 00:01:11.120 --> 00:01:13.719 So this may have been prompted by our look 00:01:13.719 --> 00:01:16.560 at the Sabbath commandment, I'm not sure. 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:22.159 So I think what's being asked here is if God is God, 00:01:22.159 --> 00:01:26.199 and he is the Triune God, supreme worthy of all worship, 00:01:26.200 --> 00:01:29.880 and we are made to glorify him, that's our purpose, 00:01:29.880 --> 00:01:33.079 to know God and to glorify him and enjoy him forever, 00:01:33.079 --> 00:01:38.040 how can we justify, why don't we worship more often? 00:01:38.040 --> 00:01:41.359 Like this, why don't we spend more time in worship? 00:01:41.359 --> 00:01:45.159 And why should our days not be full of worship 00:01:45.159 --> 00:01:47.960 in that particular way, some type of other corporate 00:01:47.960 --> 00:01:49.320 or personal, private? 00:01:49.320 --> 00:01:55.040 OK, so God in the beginning made human beings out 00:01:55.040 --> 00:01:57.480 of the human Eve and us in his image, 00:01:57.480 --> 00:02:00.200 and he told us to take dominion over the land, 00:02:00.200 --> 00:02:02.880 he told us to be fruitful and multiply, 00:02:02.880 --> 00:02:05.800 he told us to be gardeners like he was 00:02:05.800 --> 00:02:09.040 and cultivating the land, organizing, designing. 00:02:09.040 --> 00:02:11.280 So we looked at this recently if you've been around St. C's 00:02:11.280 --> 00:02:13.520 for any time in our creation series, 00:02:13.520 --> 00:02:16.439 but God gave us a particular command at the very beginning 00:02:16.439 --> 00:02:19.080 of time to be culture makers. 00:02:19.080 --> 00:02:21.400 And that command is a command to work, 00:02:21.400 --> 00:02:25.000 that is a command to enjoy not only God himself, 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:28.400 but mainly, but also all the things he's made, relatively. 00:02:28.400 --> 00:02:31.479 And so we can't exist, we can't survive 00:02:31.479 --> 00:02:34.159 without doing so much other stuff. 00:02:34.159 --> 00:02:35.879 Corporate worship is to strengthen us, 00:02:35.879 --> 00:02:38.879 to send us back out into the cultural commandments 00:02:38.879 --> 00:02:40.919 that we've been given, the cultural mandate. 00:02:40.919 --> 00:02:45.199 So we can think about a capital W worship, 00:02:45.199 --> 00:02:48.800 which is when God gathers his people together on Sunday 00:02:48.800 --> 00:02:52.520 to mimic, to image the heavenly Jerusalem. 00:02:52.520 --> 00:02:54.159 Right here, right now, the heavenly temple 00:02:54.159 --> 00:02:56.400 is being imaged when we gather together. 00:02:56.400 --> 00:02:58.359 We come to the holy mountain, Hebrew says, 00:02:58.359 --> 00:03:00.840 it's like the Sinai event all over again, 00:03:00.840 --> 00:03:03.919 but through the lens of Christ coming. 00:03:03.919 --> 00:03:06.800 But then when we go out, there's a lower case W worship 00:03:06.800 --> 00:03:08.519 that happens all the time. 00:03:08.519 --> 00:03:11.599 So we don't have to justify not worshiping God 00:03:11.599 --> 00:03:14.919 in the sense of doing leisurely things, 00:03:14.919 --> 00:03:17.439 working, all sorts of stuff. 00:03:17.439 --> 00:03:20.159 The New Testament's really clear that it is possible 00:03:20.159 --> 00:03:23.359 to be in worship at all times, 00:03:23.360 --> 00:03:26.240 and that's different than being actively singing songs 00:03:26.240 --> 00:03:28.320 or reading scripture or something like that. 00:03:28.320 --> 00:03:32.440 So Paul captures this by saying, pray without ceasing. 00:03:32.440 --> 00:03:34.640 So he's saying that the life of prayer 00:03:34.640 --> 00:03:37.440 can become so immersive, you can become so immersed in it, 00:03:38.440 --> 00:03:40.320 that you are simply conscious 00:03:40.320 --> 00:03:43.080 that God is with you at all times. 00:03:43.080 --> 00:03:46.560 And so James four says, never forget the Lord. 00:03:46.560 --> 00:03:49.440 So there's a problem, we lack worship in our daily lives 00:03:49.440 --> 00:03:51.080 when we forget about God. 00:03:51.080 --> 00:03:53.080 But when we remember God at all times, 00:03:53.080 --> 00:03:54.400 and when we know we're standing, 00:03:54.400 --> 00:03:56.640 quorum deo as the reformers told us, 00:03:56.640 --> 00:03:58.400 before the face of God at all times, 00:03:58.400 --> 00:03:59.960 we are able to worship. 00:03:59.960 --> 00:04:01.880 So you can worship and you can pray 00:04:01.880 --> 00:04:05.760 when you brush your teeth, and when you're washing dishes, 00:04:05.760 --> 00:04:08.080 and when you're going to the gym, 00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:11.960 living in righteousness and pursuing God's justice 00:04:11.960 --> 00:04:14.800 for the world, and having a consciousness 00:04:14.800 --> 00:04:16.960 that God is with you, that's worship. 00:04:16.960 --> 00:04:19.639 So there's a capital W worship when we gather, 00:04:19.639 --> 00:04:22.920 there's a lower case W when we depart, 00:04:22.920 --> 00:04:26.520 and so we do worship, we can worship all the time, right? 00:04:26.520 --> 00:04:27.360 So. 00:04:27.360 --> 00:04:28.319 Yeah. 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:30.480 Yeah, I think there's always a, 00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:32.720 I think we have a danger sometimes of being dualistic. 00:04:32.720 --> 00:04:36.240 So we see, we compartmentalize our lives, 00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:39.560 and this is the God bit, and this is my bit, 00:04:39.560 --> 00:04:40.560 this is what I do. 00:04:40.560 --> 00:04:43.120 Whereas in Christ, we're, he's Lord of everything, 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:45.160 he's our sovereign King. 00:04:45.160 --> 00:04:47.319 And so, you know, we're tough for our bodies, 00:04:47.319 --> 00:04:48.920 living sacrifices, holy and acceptable, 00:04:48.920 --> 00:04:52.639 everything we do, Romans one, or whoever you do, 00:04:52.639 --> 00:04:54.479 whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, you know, 00:04:54.479 --> 00:04:55.800 it doesn't say whatever you do, 00:04:55.800 --> 00:04:58.479 whether you sing, Psalms, and listen to sermons, 00:04:58.479 --> 00:05:00.800 it says whatever you do, whether you eat and drink, 00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:02.879 very ordinary things, do it to the glory of God, 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:03.719 one Corinthians 10. 00:05:03.719 --> 00:05:06.159 And so I think everything we do is to be done 00:05:06.159 --> 00:05:08.519 with that consciousness that we've got gifts from God, 00:05:08.519 --> 00:05:10.919 we've got our lives from God, 00:05:10.919 --> 00:05:12.519 we're to thank Him for our leisure, 00:05:12.519 --> 00:05:14.319 for our pleasure and our recreation. 00:05:16.560 --> 00:05:21.039 And so I think that that's, yeah, absolutely right. 00:05:21.040 --> 00:05:25.879 And always, I think, look at our heart and our motives. 00:05:25.879 --> 00:05:29.160 Are we looking for recreation to give us a break from God? 00:05:29.160 --> 00:05:30.720 Ah, great, okay. 00:05:30.720 --> 00:05:32.000 I don't need to think about God now, 00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:33.560 I don't need to worry about that. 00:05:33.560 --> 00:05:35.720 So that it's a heart issue, 00:05:35.720 --> 00:05:37.560 rather than saying, well, this is great. 00:05:37.560 --> 00:05:39.520 I love that God's given me such an amazing ability 00:05:39.520 --> 00:05:43.360 to play football, and I can praise Him for that gift, 00:05:43.360 --> 00:05:45.360 and not be jealous of anyone else 00:05:45.360 --> 00:05:47.680 who's better or worse than me. 00:05:47.680 --> 00:05:48.720 And that kind of thing. 00:05:48.720 --> 00:05:50.560 So it's not, you know, it's not a pie, 00:05:50.560 --> 00:05:53.360 it's not a false piety, it's not a false holiness, 00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:55.680 but we're just genuinely thankful 00:05:55.680 --> 00:05:58.720 for His amazing creativity that allows us 00:05:58.720 --> 00:06:01.680 to have even recreation as something 00:06:01.680 --> 00:06:03.759 that we can give Him the glory for. 00:06:03.759 --> 00:06:06.680 Can I, I just thought of that, 00:06:06.680 --> 00:06:08.439 I mean, you can also think about recreation 00:06:08.439 --> 00:06:10.000 in the sense that in the Old Testament, 00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:12.319 we have these huge seasons of festival. 00:06:13.279 --> 00:06:15.560 This concept of the feast and the festival 00:06:15.560 --> 00:06:19.680 of true leisure is given to us as part of the heartbeat 00:06:19.680 --> 00:06:22.240 of the Old Testament rhythm of life. 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:27.240 Another would be, well, I've just lost it, I had to. 00:06:28.600 --> 00:06:31.680 Maybe you have it, I don't know, I don't have it anymore. 00:06:31.680 --> 00:06:32.639 Jubilee, no. 00:06:32.639 --> 00:06:35.439 Jubilee, yeah, there's another one. 00:06:35.439 --> 00:06:38.600 Yeah, maybe it'll come in a minute, we'll see. 00:06:38.600 --> 00:06:40.519 Okay, in the meantime, I'll go into the second question. 00:06:40.519 --> 00:06:43.439 Was a very short question, well, a short answer. 00:06:43.439 --> 00:06:48.040 It will be, can women lead in a city group meeting? 00:06:48.040 --> 00:06:49.399 Why or why not? 00:06:49.399 --> 00:06:52.120 This would come in a battery from our church position, 00:06:52.120 --> 00:06:56.039 which is that the spiritual leadership is males and men, 00:06:56.039 --> 00:07:00.319 and therefore, should women lead in a city group? 00:07:00.319 --> 00:07:02.919 And as an eldership, as the spiritual leaders of the church, 00:07:02.919 --> 00:07:06.120 we've discussed this and we said, yes, absolutely they can, 00:07:06.120 --> 00:07:09.959 because we recognize that in a city group role, 00:07:09.959 --> 00:07:12.560 as a facilitating role in leadership, 00:07:12.560 --> 00:07:15.359 everyone can speak, everyone can share their own thoughts. 00:07:15.359 --> 00:07:18.519 It's not preaching, it's not speaking authoritatively, 00:07:18.519 --> 00:07:20.839 the spiritual leaders in the church, 00:07:20.839 --> 00:07:24.919 that role is given for men in their position, 00:07:24.919 --> 00:07:28.079 but yeah, we've said that's absolutely fine, 00:07:28.079 --> 00:07:30.839 and some of our city groups are doing that, so yeah. 00:07:30.839 --> 00:07:32.399 Do you want to add to that? 00:07:32.399 --> 00:07:33.439 I don't think so. 00:07:34.680 --> 00:07:36.560 Okay, nice and easy. 00:07:36.560 --> 00:07:37.399 Yeah. 00:07:37.399 --> 00:07:41.399 The next one, it's a good question, interesting question. 00:07:41.399 --> 00:07:44.399 Is it possible to delve in too deep, 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:48.159 sorry, is it possible to delve so deeply into a Bible passage 00:07:48.160 --> 00:07:51.200 that we end up taking meanings out of it 00:07:51.200 --> 00:07:52.800 that is not meant? 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:55.240 Let me start, okay. 00:07:57.960 --> 00:08:02.600 The answer is yes, but with lots of qualifications 00:08:02.600 --> 00:08:04.080 and other things to say, so, 00:08:06.600 --> 00:08:08.440 I think there are two potential dangers here. 00:08:08.440 --> 00:08:11.680 One is to do what this question's asking, 00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:15.120 to delve so deeply into a Bible passage 00:08:15.120 --> 00:08:17.520 that we do take meanings out of it that aren't there, 00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:20.759 but it's probably not an issue of delving deeply 00:08:20.759 --> 00:08:23.919 if we're doing that, probably something else is happening. 00:08:23.919 --> 00:08:28.919 On the other side, we don't see that you actually can 00:08:30.120 --> 00:08:33.759 dive deeply into a passage and never really reach 00:08:33.759 --> 00:08:37.439 the bottom of it, I think that's probably more of the risk. 00:08:37.439 --> 00:08:41.360 So, we've got time, yeah, okay. 00:08:41.360 --> 00:08:46.360 One of the ways, reading the Bible, 00:08:47.720 --> 00:08:51.159 reading the Bible well and reading the Bible deeply 00:08:52.240 --> 00:08:57.000 actually protects us from reading into it the wrong things. 00:08:57.000 --> 00:08:59.320 And so, delving deeply is not as much the issue 00:08:59.320 --> 00:09:02.039 as reading in the wrong things. 00:09:02.039 --> 00:09:04.879 And so, to read well, there's a few things to think about. 00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:08.680 One is that the first order of Bible reading, 00:09:08.679 --> 00:09:12.719 when you're doing Bible study, apart from private worship, 00:09:12.719 --> 00:09:14.719 apart from daily worship, just reading scripture 00:09:14.719 --> 00:09:17.839 in order to draw near to God, when you're doing Bible study, 00:09:17.839 --> 00:09:21.599 the first order of business is you wanna ask the question, 00:09:21.599 --> 00:09:26.599 what does the author mean in the original context 00:09:27.159 --> 00:09:30.439 according to the sentence, the paragraph, the chapter, 00:09:30.439 --> 00:09:34.039 the story, or the book I'm reading as a whole? 00:09:34.039 --> 00:09:36.359 So, we talk about authorial intention, 00:09:36.360 --> 00:09:39.680 so that's the first step, what does the author mean here? 00:09:39.680 --> 00:09:41.800 And we call that the grammatical, 00:09:41.800 --> 00:09:43.639 historical reading of a passage. 00:09:43.639 --> 00:09:45.639 We say, what does the original author mean 00:09:45.639 --> 00:09:47.399 in the original place and time? 00:09:47.399 --> 00:09:49.680 So, you take something like the whole book of Deuteronomy. 00:09:49.680 --> 00:09:52.639 The whole book of Deuteronomy is written as Israel 00:09:52.639 --> 00:09:56.440 is about to enter the Promised Land for the second time. 00:09:56.440 --> 00:09:59.120 The first time they were about to enter, 00:09:59.120 --> 00:10:01.840 they all said, we're not going in because of the giants. 00:10:01.840 --> 00:10:04.320 Now, here they are again, and what is Moses doing? 00:10:04.320 --> 00:10:08.240 He's recounting all the things God has done in Deuteronomy 00:10:08.240 --> 00:10:12.160 and saying, don't reject the call this time 00:10:12.160 --> 00:10:13.360 to go into the Promised Land. 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:16.160 You messed up last time, you were put in the wilderness 00:10:16.160 --> 00:10:17.680 for 40 years, this time, don't do it. 00:10:17.680 --> 00:10:20.160 And so, you've got to read the whole book of Deuteronomy 00:10:20.160 --> 00:10:22.200 in the light of the fact that the Israelites 00:10:22.200 --> 00:10:24.200 are standing there on the brink of the river, 00:10:24.200 --> 00:10:27.560 about to enter, and then ask in every passage, 00:10:27.560 --> 00:10:29.760 therefore, what does this passage mean 00:10:29.760 --> 00:10:32.160 in the light of that particular context? 00:10:32.160 --> 00:10:33.320 So, that's the first order of business. 00:10:33.320 --> 00:10:37.000 But then, because we, as Christians, 00:10:37.840 --> 00:10:41.960 we say that Bible reading then requires more than that. 00:10:41.960 --> 00:10:45.000 So, if you just read a passage in the original context, 00:10:45.000 --> 00:10:47.160 according to what the words say, 00:10:47.160 --> 00:10:49.520 according to where Israel is or something like that, 00:10:49.520 --> 00:10:51.200 what's going on in the history, 00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:55.200 then you haven't finished reading it deeply quite yet. 00:10:55.200 --> 00:10:59.680 And that's because the Bible doesn't just have one author. 00:10:59.680 --> 00:11:02.720 The Bible has the author of the book 00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:04.600 and then the divine author, God. 00:11:05.639 --> 00:11:08.240 And that means that God has something to say here 00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:12.240 that goes way beyond the grammatical historical context. 00:11:12.240 --> 00:11:14.519 And to see that, you've got to read 00:11:14.519 --> 00:11:16.600 then every single passage, 00:11:16.600 --> 00:11:18.720 and this is where the really hard work begins, 00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:21.519 every single passage in the light of the whole Bible. 00:11:21.519 --> 00:11:22.840 So, what does Deuteronomy mean 00:11:22.840 --> 00:11:24.800 in the light of the book of Revelation? 00:11:24.800 --> 00:11:26.040 Right, that's a real question. 00:11:26.040 --> 00:11:28.360 And we believe that we can ask that question 00:11:28.360 --> 00:11:30.560 because God has written every single book 00:11:30.560 --> 00:11:31.560 and gifted that to us. 00:11:31.559 --> 00:11:33.279 And then most importantly, 00:11:33.279 --> 00:11:35.399 we read every single passage 00:11:35.399 --> 00:11:37.519 then through the light in the light 00:11:37.519 --> 00:11:39.439 of Jesus Christ himself. 00:11:39.439 --> 00:11:40.599 And the reason for that is because 00:11:40.599 --> 00:11:44.039 in after Jesus' resurrection in Luke 24, 00:11:44.039 --> 00:11:45.919 Jesus is on the road to Emmaus 00:11:45.919 --> 00:11:47.799 and he turns to the disciples, 00:11:47.799 --> 00:11:49.639 the apostles that are there with them, 00:11:49.639 --> 00:11:52.399 and it says that he opened up the scriptures to them 00:11:52.399 --> 00:11:56.079 and explained to them how he was present, 00:11:56.079 --> 00:11:58.519 how he mattered, how he fulfilled 00:11:58.519 --> 00:12:00.479 every section of the Old Testament. 00:12:00.480 --> 00:12:02.480 And so then we realize, 00:12:02.480 --> 00:12:05.279 oh, the whole Old Testament's about Jesus ultimately. 00:12:05.279 --> 00:12:07.600 And now we need to go back and read the whole Old Testament 00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:09.279 and not only in the grammatical historical, 00:12:09.279 --> 00:12:10.480 but in the light of Christ 00:12:10.480 --> 00:12:12.840 and in the light of the whole biblical canon 00:12:12.840 --> 00:12:15.600 because God authored the whole thing. 00:12:15.600 --> 00:12:17.080 Right now, I'll say one more 00:12:17.080 --> 00:12:18.680 and I'll be, I'm sorry, I'll be done. 00:12:18.680 --> 00:12:19.519 Yeah, okay. 00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:23.399 The last thing we do 00:12:23.399 --> 00:12:25.240 and the last thing to think about 00:12:25.240 --> 00:12:28.320 is then and only then till we begin, 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:30.320 if we're doing a deep Bible study, 00:12:30.320 --> 00:12:32.200 then and only then when we get there, 00:12:32.200 --> 00:12:33.960 what does this passage mean 00:12:33.960 --> 00:12:36.000 in the grammatical historical, 00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:37.760 in the light of Christ, 00:12:37.760 --> 00:12:39.280 in the light of the whole Bible, 00:12:39.280 --> 00:12:40.440 then and only then do we ask, 00:12:40.440 --> 00:12:44.120 okay, now what is God saying to me? 00:12:44.120 --> 00:12:45.720 What is God saying to me? 00:12:45.720 --> 00:12:47.280 So if we've worked through that pattern 00:12:47.280 --> 00:12:50.560 and then finally gotten to what is God saying to me, 00:12:50.560 --> 00:12:51.520 in light of all that, 00:12:51.520 --> 00:12:55.320 we're probably not going to read our own context into it 00:12:55.320 --> 00:12:58.480 to the point of adding meaning that's not there, right? 00:12:58.480 --> 00:13:00.160 We're in the posture at that point 00:13:00.159 --> 00:13:03.079 to really receive what God is saying 00:13:03.079 --> 00:13:05.679 and why it matters still for us today. 00:13:05.679 --> 00:13:07.039 Yeah. 00:13:07.039 --> 00:13:08.319 Yeah, I think that's right. 00:13:08.319 --> 00:13:09.919 It's not so much about the delving deeply 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:12.439 because you have to take meaning out of it, 00:13:12.439 --> 00:13:17.439 it's not meant is probably not delving too deeply. 00:13:20.360 --> 00:13:22.639 It's being too shallow in a sense. 00:13:22.639 --> 00:13:23.480 Yeah. 00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:28.720 I think the original context is really important. 00:13:28.720 --> 00:13:30.279 You can't deny the historicity. 00:13:30.279 --> 00:13:33.800 Interesting, I was at a conference earlier in the week 00:13:33.800 --> 00:13:37.600 and the speaker was speaking about the book of Ruth 00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:41.320 and he was saying that, you know, book of Ruth's history, 00:13:41.320 --> 00:13:44.800 it's not fable, it's not just a pretty story, 00:13:44.800 --> 00:13:47.800 it's a historical account. 00:13:48.920 --> 00:13:53.920 And he says, but the first, other than Ruth's faith 00:13:54.120 --> 00:13:57.160 and the way that she followed the God of her mother-in-law, 00:13:57.159 --> 00:14:01.240 there's also a reality about Boaz 00:14:02.279 --> 00:14:07.279 and his ability to be a good employer. 00:14:09.279 --> 00:14:12.639 The way he treated is the people who worked under him 00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:14.079 and the way he greeted them 00:14:14.079 --> 00:14:16.799 and the way that he allowed the poor to glean from the land. 00:14:16.799 --> 00:14:19.639 And so there's historically practical things 00:14:19.639 --> 00:14:20.759 that we can take out of that 00:14:20.759 --> 00:14:23.559 about how to manage people and how to lead. 00:14:24.519 --> 00:14:26.319 But then of course, if you miss 00:14:26.320 --> 00:14:28.360 in the story of Ruth and Boaz, 00:14:28.360 --> 00:14:30.360 that Boaz is the Kingsman Redeemer, 00:14:30.360 --> 00:14:32.400 one who redeems her and buys her back, 00:14:32.400 --> 00:14:34.320 if you miss that link to Jesus Christ, 00:14:34.320 --> 00:14:35.960 who's our great Kingsman Redeemer, 00:14:35.960 --> 00:14:37.600 then you're losing sight of what's, 00:14:37.600 --> 00:14:40.120 it's not that you're delving too deep, 00:14:40.120 --> 00:14:43.120 but it's absolutely, it's, ah, it's right there, right? 00:14:43.120 --> 00:14:45.840 You know, it's a massive, big foghorn 00:14:45.840 --> 00:14:48.440 that Jesus Christ is the great Kingsman Redeemer. 00:14:48.440 --> 00:14:51.720 So that would be a good third point, wouldn't it? 00:14:51.720 --> 00:14:55.000 Ah, just that alone, just the foghorn. 00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:56.600 Foghorns are good. 00:14:56.600 --> 00:15:01.240 So it's important, you know, to spiritualize the Bible 00:15:01.240 --> 00:15:04.639 out of its context, to deny, don't deny its historicity. 00:15:06.320 --> 00:15:08.519 Don't make it contradict other parts of scripture, 00:15:08.519 --> 00:15:10.399 just to suit your own argument. 00:15:11.480 --> 00:15:14.519 And recognize it as always, as Corey said, 00:15:14.519 --> 00:15:16.919 in its context and as part of the Bible. 00:15:16.919 --> 00:15:18.720 But it's a living, remember, the most important, 00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:21.440 it's a living word, it's a living word of God 00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:26.440 and it's uniquely bound together by that. 00:15:26.760 --> 00:15:28.920 And so we can recognize it in that way. 00:15:28.920 --> 00:15:30.080 Okay, good. 00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:32.760 Okay, fourth question is, 00:15:34.600 --> 00:15:38.040 and this is, I guess, triggered by your sermon last week 00:15:38.040 --> 00:15:39.560 on the Sixth Commandment. 00:15:40.840 --> 00:15:43.000 It's clear that murder is wrong and sinful, 00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:45.800 but is killing of an enemy combatant 00:15:45.800 --> 00:15:47.400 during wartime sinful, 00:15:47.400 --> 00:15:50.800 and what about self-defense or capital punishment? 00:15:50.799 --> 00:15:52.919 Well, you can start out, and since you did the sermon. 00:15:52.919 --> 00:15:54.159 Okay. 00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:57.599 So one thing to say is that if you were here 00:15:57.599 --> 00:15:59.120 for the Sixth Commandment sermon, 00:15:59.120 --> 00:16:01.159 or you listened to it later, 00:16:01.159 --> 00:16:04.399 I said something wrong at the very beginning 00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:07.240 that I was pointed out to me, and that's that. 00:16:07.240 --> 00:16:08.399 Wasn't me, I didn't point it out. 00:16:08.399 --> 00:16:09.599 Yeah, you didn't point it out. 00:16:09.599 --> 00:16:12.319 No, it's that at the very beginning, 00:16:12.319 --> 00:16:14.279 the word murder that's used, 00:16:14.279 --> 00:16:17.000 the word in Hebrew that's used for murder 00:16:17.000 --> 00:16:20.719 in the Sixth Commandment is talking about several contexts. 00:16:20.720 --> 00:16:25.120 We had said it's talking about premeditated murder, 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:27.519 murder in the midst of passion, anger, 00:16:27.519 --> 00:16:28.920 something like that, 00:16:28.920 --> 00:16:32.519 and also the Hebrew word is sometimes used 00:16:32.519 --> 00:16:36.600 for extreme negligence that causes death in some way. 00:16:36.600 --> 00:16:40.160 And then I said, but it's never used for self-harm, 00:16:41.399 --> 00:16:43.480 and I meant to say self-defense. 00:16:43.480 --> 00:16:45.759 That was what was in my notes, self-defense, 00:16:45.759 --> 00:16:47.680 but I said self-harm. 00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:52.000 And so we would have said in that sermon 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:56.439 that the word, the command thou shalt not murder, 00:16:56.439 --> 00:16:59.279 is the command thou shalt not murder 00:16:59.279 --> 00:17:01.879 does not include self-defense. 00:17:01.879 --> 00:17:06.559 So you can actually answer the self-defense 00:17:06.559 --> 00:17:09.720 and the just war, the concept of is it wrong 00:17:09.720 --> 00:17:12.799 to kill an enemy combatant really with the same answer? 00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:17.039 And that's that the church, Christians for 2,000 years now, 00:17:17.039 --> 00:17:21.159 have a immense amount of work and literature 00:17:21.159 --> 00:17:26.000 and time put into the question, what makes killing just? 00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:28.799 And what conditions is killing just? 00:17:28.799 --> 00:17:32.960 And most commonly, those are through the language 00:17:32.960 --> 00:17:35.879 of just war and self-defense. 00:17:35.879 --> 00:17:40.879 And to dive into that subject is very deep, right? 00:17:42.839 --> 00:17:46.200 And there are various opinions 00:17:46.200 --> 00:17:49.319 in the Christian tradition about what makes a word just. 00:17:49.319 --> 00:17:53.000 The simple answer here is that there is, 00:17:53.000 --> 00:17:55.759 Christians have always believed that it is just 00:17:55.759 --> 00:17:58.160 to kill an enemy combatant in certain conditions 00:17:58.160 --> 00:17:59.120 during war time. 00:18:01.840 --> 00:18:02.920 What are those conditions? 00:18:02.920 --> 00:18:04.559 Maybe I'll just list a few of them that have been 00:18:04.559 --> 00:18:07.039 pretty common that most people have agreed on 00:18:07.039 --> 00:18:09.960 in amongst the Christians throughout 00:18:09.960 --> 00:18:11.559 the last couple thousand years. 00:18:11.559 --> 00:18:16.559 One of those would be that the provocation 00:18:17.319 --> 00:18:21.759 that caused somebody to enter into a war 00:18:21.759 --> 00:18:26.519 really did merit a necessity for war 00:18:26.519 --> 00:18:28.639 by the nature of the thing that was done. 00:18:28.639 --> 00:18:30.159 That's one of the first things that they say. 00:18:30.159 --> 00:18:32.679 The second thing they say is, and this is very common 00:18:32.679 --> 00:18:36.519 amongst all sorts of sub-traditions of Christianity, 00:18:36.519 --> 00:18:40.759 that other routes have been explored for peace 00:18:40.759 --> 00:18:43.240 and resolution prior to war. 00:18:43.240 --> 00:18:45.440 That's one of the key things you see across most traditions 00:18:45.440 --> 00:18:48.279 for just war in the Christian tradition. 00:18:48.279 --> 00:18:53.160 A third condition for just war is that every measure 00:18:53.160 --> 00:18:57.480 is taken to protect civilians and innocent people. 00:18:57.480 --> 00:19:02.079 And so that there's no movement towards the taking 00:19:02.079 --> 00:19:03.799 of innocent lives. 00:19:03.799 --> 00:19:07.039 So those are three or four of the main conditions 00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:09.079 that we've seen throughout Christian history 00:19:09.079 --> 00:19:13.599 for just war that is distinct from the Sixth Commandment 00:19:13.599 --> 00:19:17.799 and permissible and a terrible consequence 00:19:17.799 --> 00:19:19.839 of the fall to be sure. 00:19:19.839 --> 00:19:22.679 And then self-defense really follows on the same logic. 00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:28.079 Proportionality, we would also be part of it. 00:19:28.079 --> 00:19:31.639 And not without a colonization. 00:19:31.639 --> 00:19:36.159 You're doing self-defense primarily and nationally as well 00:19:36.160 --> 00:19:40.960 with the aim for the restoration of peace. 00:19:40.960 --> 00:19:42.720 So you can take that into the current situation 00:19:42.720 --> 00:19:44.880 and you can answer it yourselves what you think 00:19:44.880 --> 00:19:46.600 about the current situation in Gaza 00:19:46.600 --> 00:19:50.160 and West Bank and Israel and Palestine. 00:19:51.320 --> 00:19:55.480 I think on both sides, a lot of these particular markers 00:19:55.480 --> 00:19:58.720 are not being met in reality. 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:05.720 So that's just war, a bit of capital punishment. 00:20:05.720 --> 00:20:07.039 Well, that needs to start with that one. 00:20:07.039 --> 00:20:09.000 Yeah, thanks. 00:20:10.200 --> 00:20:11.880 Okay, well, capital punishment, 00:20:11.880 --> 00:20:14.480 there's quite a strong history of it, I guess, 00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:18.120 in the agreement with it in the Christian church, 00:20:18.120 --> 00:20:21.440 maybe going back to Genesis 9, 6 about 00:20:23.240 --> 00:20:27.000 if a man takes, sheds the blood of another man, 00:20:27.000 --> 00:20:29.680 then his blood ought to be shed, 00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:34.680 the taking of life as retributive judgment justice. 00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:40.240 So I think interestingly, although that comes before 00:20:43.440 --> 00:20:48.440 the giving of the law in Sinai, it's very early, 00:20:50.480 --> 00:20:51.480 it's interesting, isn't it, 00:20:51.480 --> 00:20:56.480 that God doesn't choose to kill Cain. 00:20:56.480 --> 00:21:01.480 So that's the first example you would have thought. 00:21:03.319 --> 00:21:06.360 If it's a life or a life, 00:21:06.360 --> 00:21:08.279 that God would have laid that down 00:21:08.279 --> 00:21:11.079 by taking Cain's life who killed Abel. 00:21:11.079 --> 00:21:14.599 So that's an interesting thought for you to mull over. 00:21:17.240 --> 00:21:22.240 I think there is, I don't think the Bible forbids it, 00:21:22.240 --> 00:21:27.240 but I think in Christ, 00:21:30.960 --> 00:21:35.960 we have a desire to see rehabilitation and restoration 00:21:39.440 --> 00:21:43.200 and the example of Christ Himself on the cross, 00:21:43.200 --> 00:21:45.839 which we read, Father, forgive them, 00:21:45.839 --> 00:21:47.680 for they know not what they're doing. 00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:49.359 It doesn't deny justice, 00:21:49.359 --> 00:21:52.879 and it's not a blanket forgiveness 00:21:52.879 --> 00:21:54.719 for those who are involved, 00:21:54.719 --> 00:21:58.919 but it's a recognition that there is that hope 00:21:58.919 --> 00:22:03.919 and even in punishment that there's a hope of restoration. 00:22:05.240 --> 00:22:10.240 I think it's an issue that I would, in theory, 00:22:11.519 --> 00:22:15.000 think is potentially not unbiblical, 00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:19.240 but in practice I wouldn't have confidence 00:22:19.240 --> 00:22:22.039 in the impartiality and the wisdom 00:22:22.039 --> 00:22:26.279 of the governing authorities to make the right decision, 00:22:26.279 --> 00:22:29.160 because we know of so many decisions that have been wrong 00:22:29.160 --> 00:22:34.160 for whatever reason, and it can't be corrected. 00:22:35.519 --> 00:22:39.000 It's too late for correction by that stage, 00:22:39.000 --> 00:22:42.759 but I recognize that in all of this area 00:22:42.759 --> 00:22:47.279 of punishment and justice, that great wisdom is needed, 00:22:47.279 --> 00:22:50.639 but I wouldn't vote for it that way. 00:22:52.359 --> 00:22:56.039 Yeah, I think can capital punishment, 00:22:56.039 --> 00:22:58.920 an instance of capital punishment meet the conditions 00:22:58.920 --> 00:23:00.720 of what we would call biblical justice? 00:23:00.720 --> 00:23:02.960 Yes, is it wise? 00:23:03.960 --> 00:23:06.000 Is a second question an important question, 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:10.240 and I largely agree, I think, with what you're saying. 00:23:11.399 --> 00:23:15.680 I think on these issues, just war, 00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:20.680 capital punishment, it's nearly impossible to talk 00:23:20.799 --> 00:23:23.080 in this venue and in this short time 00:23:23.080 --> 00:23:26.279 about the depth of the issue 00:23:26.279 --> 00:23:30.880 and the myriad of questions that come up, 00:23:30.880 --> 00:23:35.279 and so I think if you want to think more about this 00:23:35.279 --> 00:23:38.440 and talk more about this, there's lots of great resources 00:23:38.440 --> 00:23:40.920 and helpful things from the Christian tradition 00:23:40.920 --> 00:23:42.840 on these things that we can definitely 00:23:42.839 --> 00:23:45.839 help point people to, so. 00:23:45.839 --> 00:23:47.480 You got the last question? 00:23:47.480 --> 00:23:48.639 Yeah, the last question. 00:23:48.639 --> 00:23:50.240 I don't think it's going to come up 00:23:50.240 --> 00:23:51.439 because I didn't give it to Siobhan, 00:23:51.439 --> 00:23:54.480 but the last question was given to me earlier today, 00:23:54.480 --> 00:23:56.720 and I think it's a helpful one to end on, 00:23:56.720 --> 00:24:01.439 and it's the question that comes from, yeah, 00:24:01.439 --> 00:24:02.480 who knows, it's a mystery. 00:24:02.480 --> 00:24:03.679 We're about to find out. 00:24:05.599 --> 00:24:09.639 It's posed from the passage that Derek read for us 00:24:09.639 --> 00:24:12.480 from the book of Luke, Gospel of Luke just earlier, 00:24:12.480 --> 00:24:17.480 which is when Jesus Christ says on the cross, 00:24:18.480 --> 00:24:21.720 forgive them, for they know not what they do. 00:24:21.720 --> 00:24:24.799 Who is it that he's asking forgiveness for? 00:24:24.799 --> 00:24:26.880 Who is it that he's crying out for forgiveness for? 00:24:26.880 --> 00:24:28.839 What is he saying in that moment? 00:24:28.839 --> 00:24:30.240 So that was a question posed earlier, 00:24:30.240 --> 00:24:32.920 and we thought it would be a helpful one to end on. 00:24:32.920 --> 00:24:37.319 A gospel question, that was a little easier for us 00:24:37.319 --> 00:24:38.440 to answer, I think. 00:24:39.680 --> 00:24:40.519 Do you want me to start? 00:24:40.519 --> 00:24:42.519 Yeah, okay. 00:24:42.519 --> 00:24:47.519 So when Jesus cries out, forgive them, 00:24:48.879 --> 00:24:51.960 he's crying out to his father in that moment 00:24:51.960 --> 00:24:52.799 as he's on the cross. 00:24:52.799 --> 00:24:57.799 He has been beaten, he's been spit on, 00:24:58.400 --> 00:25:03.039 he's been flogged, he has marched up the way 00:25:03.039 --> 00:25:06.680 towards Golgotha, he carried his cross part of the way, 00:25:06.680 --> 00:25:10.560 Simon of Cyrene carries it the rest of the way. 00:25:10.560 --> 00:25:12.279 There are some, as we read earlier, 00:25:12.279 --> 00:25:16.560 people mourning and crying, but most are mocking. 00:25:16.560 --> 00:25:19.600 Most hate him, most are jeering at him. 00:25:19.600 --> 00:25:20.640 If you were here with us this morning, 00:25:20.640 --> 00:25:22.279 they shouted Hosanna on Sunday, 00:25:22.279 --> 00:25:25.279 and they mocked and spit at him on Friday. 00:25:26.200 --> 00:25:31.200 And if you look at the passage, Matthew 26, Luke 23, 00:25:31.880 --> 00:25:35.080 you'll see that there, I think Matthew in particular, 00:25:35.079 --> 00:25:38.319 is really deliberate to show all the different groups 00:25:38.319 --> 00:25:40.960 of people that are all represented. 00:25:40.960 --> 00:25:45.240 The rulers, the Sanhedrin is there, regular folk, 00:25:45.240 --> 00:25:50.240 the crowd, the mob is there, the Roman soldiers are there, 00:25:51.319 --> 00:25:54.279 the Roman procouncil members are there. 00:25:54.279 --> 00:25:57.319 Every single type of person represented in the society 00:25:57.319 --> 00:26:00.439 across the classes, they're all there to some degree, 00:26:00.439 --> 00:26:02.319 including the criminals. 00:26:02.319 --> 00:26:03.839 And so we saw earlier, you read that, 00:26:03.839 --> 00:26:08.839 one of the criminals mocked him and jeered at him as well. 00:26:09.399 --> 00:26:11.480 So I think, again, grammatical historical, 00:26:11.480 --> 00:26:14.000 in the immediate moment, who is Jesus 00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:15.839 lifting up his heart towards the Father, 00:26:15.839 --> 00:26:17.159 his voice towards the Father and praying for? 00:26:17.159 --> 00:26:20.919 I think he's praying for every single group around him 00:26:20.919 --> 00:26:23.619 that has participated in the mocking, 00:26:23.619 --> 00:26:25.759 that has jeered at him, that has spit at him, 00:26:25.759 --> 00:26:28.399 that has said, crucify him, every single one, 00:26:28.399 --> 00:26:31.439 the Romans, the Gentiles, the Jews, the leaders, 00:26:31.440 --> 00:26:34.240 the Sanhedrin, the ones that were gambling 00:26:34.240 --> 00:26:37.720 over his clothing, the criminal next to him 00:26:37.720 --> 00:26:39.400 being crucified himself. 00:26:39.400 --> 00:26:41.880 I think that Jesus Christ in that moment 00:26:41.880 --> 00:26:44.960 is showing that his cross is about his priesthood 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:49.400 and that as the priest who stands on behalf of us, 00:26:49.400 --> 00:26:51.519 representing us before the Father, 00:26:51.519 --> 00:26:54.640 he lifts up his heart in prayer to his Father 00:26:54.640 --> 00:26:56.799 and says, forgive them, forgive all these people. 00:26:56.799 --> 00:26:58.680 Now, when you come to Acts chapter two, 00:26:58.680 --> 00:27:00.840 Peter preaches the first sermon 00:27:00.840 --> 00:27:03.680 and Peter says in the first sermon, 00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:07.680 all of you crucified him. 00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:10.920 And we know at that first sermon that 00:27:10.920 --> 00:27:14.920 there were people there that had gathered on Pentecost 00:27:14.920 --> 00:27:17.080 from all over that were not present 00:27:17.080 --> 00:27:19.279 at the crucifixion physically. 00:27:19.279 --> 00:27:20.440 And he looks out and says, 00:27:20.440 --> 00:27:23.440 every single one of you crucified him, all of you did. 00:27:23.440 --> 00:27:25.440 And so in the grammatical historical context, 00:27:25.440 --> 00:27:27.680 we say, Jesus, you are the first one, 00:27:27.680 --> 00:27:29.840 in the broader context, we say, Jesus is saying, 00:27:29.840 --> 00:27:33.080 forgive these people who have spit at me. 00:27:33.080 --> 00:27:35.680 And in the broader context of what God meant, 00:27:35.680 --> 00:27:38.640 of what Jesus meant as the divine Son, 00:27:38.640 --> 00:27:42.039 he's talking about everybody that shouted crucify. 00:27:42.039 --> 00:27:43.680 And Peter says, that's everybody. 00:27:44.960 --> 00:27:48.720 And you see, Jesus is acting as a priest 00:27:48.720 --> 00:27:53.000 and he's praying to his Father on our behalf in this moment. 00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:55.799 And it doesn't mean that it's the proclamation 00:27:55.799 --> 00:28:00.799 or declaration that every single human being is forgiven. 00:28:01.799 --> 00:28:05.279 It means that he is the priest that has the efficacy 00:28:05.279 --> 00:28:08.279 by the cross to do such a work 00:28:08.279 --> 00:28:11.319 that can forgive the sins of the whole world. 00:28:11.319 --> 00:28:14.799 And so he's praying that all these people, 00:28:14.799 --> 00:28:16.079 groups around him would know that, 00:28:16.079 --> 00:28:18.079 particularly the ones that had spit at him 00:28:18.079 --> 00:28:20.759 and mocked him, and jeered him. 00:28:20.759 --> 00:28:25.559 It's a prayer that is truly good news, actually, 00:28:25.559 --> 00:28:26.399 for all of us. 00:28:27.319 --> 00:28:29.159 Yeah, and I think we were talking about earlier, 00:28:29.159 --> 00:28:34.159 it's a prayer that fulfills his own teaching 00:28:34.279 --> 00:28:37.079 and the sermon on the Mount where he says, 00:28:38.279 --> 00:28:40.000 you've heard, you know, 00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:42.759 pray for, love your friends and hate your enemies, 00:28:42.759 --> 00:28:43.839 basically, and he says, no, 00:28:43.839 --> 00:28:47.359 pray for your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. 00:28:47.359 --> 00:28:49.559 Love your enemies rather than pray for those who persecute you. 00:28:49.559 --> 00:28:52.159 And here's a feeling that on the cross, 00:28:52.160 --> 00:28:56.519 very, very powerfully and very visibly 00:28:56.519 --> 00:29:00.080 and very practically in this moment of greatest need. 00:29:00.080 --> 00:29:01.759 And that's what we're to do. 00:29:03.279 --> 00:29:04.600 That's what you're to do. 00:29:04.600 --> 00:29:05.680 That's what I'm gonna do, 00:29:05.680 --> 00:29:08.840 to love those who don't love us back 00:29:08.840 --> 00:29:11.040 and we're to pray for those who persecute us. 00:29:12.920 --> 00:29:14.960 And we don't know much about persecution, 00:29:14.960 --> 00:29:17.560 but we're still to pray for people 00:29:17.560 --> 00:29:19.160 who persecute the Christian faith, 00:29:19.160 --> 00:29:21.320 maybe, maybe not persecute us personally. 00:29:21.319 --> 00:29:23.159 Maybe they do, maybe, 00:29:23.159 --> 00:29:24.879 but we pray for them and love them 00:29:24.879 --> 00:29:26.200 and do what Christ did. 00:29:26.200 --> 00:29:30.200 So good, do you wanna pray, Corey? 00:29:30.200 --> 00:29:31.559 Yeah, let's pray. 00:29:31.559 --> 00:29:35.919 Lord, we give thanks tonight for the fact 00:29:35.919 --> 00:29:38.519 that Jesus lifted up his voice on the cross 00:29:38.519 --> 00:29:39.839 and said, forgive them. 00:29:41.000 --> 00:29:43.240 And we know that the power of forgiveness 00:29:43.240 --> 00:29:46.519 was found in the power of the fact 00:29:46.519 --> 00:29:49.319 that he made and met justice. 00:29:49.319 --> 00:29:53.799 He satisfied in his death the justice 00:29:53.799 --> 00:29:56.000 that was demanded of every single one of us. 00:29:56.000 --> 00:29:58.519 And yet as our great priest and as our sacrifice, 00:29:58.519 --> 00:30:00.000 the Lamb who was slain, 00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:03.039 he could truly say, forgive them and it means something. 00:30:03.039 --> 00:30:05.039 Forgive them and it be powerful. 00:30:05.039 --> 00:30:08.000 So we thank you tonight for that, Lord. 00:30:08.000 --> 00:30:10.720 And Derek and I ask Lord that you would help us 00:30:10.720 --> 00:30:13.519 as we look back and think, 00:30:13.519 --> 00:30:16.799 did we say anything tonight that was unhelpful, Lord? 00:30:16.799 --> 00:30:20.599 In your great wisdom, would you help all of us 00:30:20.599 --> 00:30:25.079 to see that and to say, to see truth, Lord? 00:30:25.079 --> 00:30:27.440 So that we would all be Bereans and just ask, 00:30:27.440 --> 00:30:28.799 well, what's the truth? 00:30:28.799 --> 00:30:31.759 And so we recognize that we are fallible before you 00:30:31.759 --> 00:30:35.119 and we might not know very well. 00:30:35.119 --> 00:30:37.519 And so we pray, Lord, that you would speak the truth 00:30:37.519 --> 00:30:38.680 to all of us in our hearts, 00:30:38.680 --> 00:30:42.200 that we would all be driven from things like question times 00:30:42.200 --> 00:30:45.240 to go and search the Bible for ourselves 00:30:45.240 --> 00:30:47.079 and think carefully about it. 00:30:47.079 --> 00:30:49.480 And ultimately that we could rest tonight 00:30:49.480 --> 00:30:51.759 in the pronouncement of Jesus, 00:30:51.759 --> 00:30:54.680 that forgiveness is truly available 00:30:54.680 --> 00:30:56.279 because of the sacrifice of Christ. 00:30:56.279 --> 00:30:58.359 So we pray for that for all of our hearts. 00:30:58.359 --> 00:31:00.000 In Jesus' name, amen. 00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:28.880 ...