WEBVTT 00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:04.740 Welcome again. Good morning to you all, especially if you're here for the first time. 00:00:05.020 --> 00:00:09.800 I'm really glad that you're here and hope to have a chance to meet you after our time of worship. 00:00:10.880 --> 00:00:17.600 I'm sure most of you are familiar with the current concerns around the problem of fake news 00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:24.780 and the spread of misinformation and how damaging that can be to a society. 00:00:24.780 --> 00:00:36.320 And one of the main ways that fake news is spread is when a photo or a video is taken in its entirety and it's cropped. 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:43.040 And so you crop the photo or you crop the video and you cut out all the context. 00:00:43.760 --> 00:00:49.579 And you give a very ambiguous image to the internet and you watch chaos ensue. 00:00:49.579 --> 00:00:53.960 Because people make all kinds of meaning out of this image that has no context. 00:00:53.960 --> 00:01:01.259 So a more benign example would be a photo that looks like somebody is hanging from a cliff thousands of feet in the air. 00:01:01.920 --> 00:01:03.200 Right? That's the cropped photo. 00:01:03.460 --> 00:01:09.980 If you step out and look at the entire photo, you realize that that person is only a few feet off the ground. 00:01:10.240 --> 00:01:11.540 Right? That's a benign example. 00:01:11.760 --> 00:01:14.439 But there are many more harmful examples out there. 00:01:15.060 --> 00:01:19.040 Examples of cropped photos and videos that have been done so intentionally 00:01:19.040 --> 00:01:26.520 by people with an agenda who are wanting to sow division and anger and mistrust in our society. 00:01:26.520 --> 00:01:29.380 And we all recognize that this is a major problem. 00:01:30.480 --> 00:01:34.900 The point I'm trying to make is that context is everything. 00:01:35.180 --> 00:01:41.140 If you have the context, you know how to make sense of the thing that you're looking at. 00:01:41.200 --> 00:01:46.780 If you don't have the context, then people are going to make whatever meaning they choose. 00:01:46.780 --> 00:01:51.299 And many of the ways that we make meaning of those things may not be at all accurate. 00:01:51.920 --> 00:01:56.180 Now the reason I'm telling you this is because three times in the book of Revelation, 00:01:56.359 --> 00:01:58.320 which is what we've been looking at for the past several months, 00:01:58.680 --> 00:02:01.040 three times, in the beginning and the end, 00:02:02.079 --> 00:02:05.400 Jesus refers to himself with this strange title. 00:02:05.939 --> 00:02:08.780 He says, I am the Alpha and the Omega. 00:02:08.780 --> 00:02:14.180 So in Revelation 21, which is this beautiful passage that Mark just read, 00:02:14.240 --> 00:02:16.659 we're going to be looking at this for the next two weeks. 00:02:17.520 --> 00:02:20.240 But first, before we dive into the whole passage, 00:02:20.319 --> 00:02:24.640 I wanted to take a week and look at this specific phrase, Alpha and Omega, 00:02:25.420 --> 00:02:28.740 because anytime the Bible repeats something three times, 00:02:28.800 --> 00:02:30.020 I think we need to pay attention. 00:02:30.620 --> 00:02:32.780 And so in Revelation 21, 6, Jesus says, 00:02:32.780 --> 00:02:37.319 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. 00:02:37.319 --> 00:02:41.060 And I think this is very important because what this really means, 00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:44.219 what it's really saying, is that Jesus is the context. 00:02:45.539 --> 00:02:47.819 Jesus is the frame of reference. 00:02:49.099 --> 00:02:54.699 Jesus is the context through which we make sense of reality itself. 00:02:56.400 --> 00:03:00.199 And so the only way to see things as they truly are in this world 00:03:00.199 --> 00:03:04.740 is to recognize that Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega. 00:03:04.740 --> 00:03:10.820 If we crop Jesus out, then we cannot see the whole picture. 00:03:12.240 --> 00:03:15.600 And we're essentially dealing with fake news. 00:03:17.040 --> 00:03:20.000 And so what we're going to do is to look at some examples 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:21.860 of how this actually plays out 00:03:21.860 --> 00:03:24.740 when it comes to some of life's most important questions. 00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:27.320 So we're going to look at the question of meaning, 00:03:27.800 --> 00:03:30.540 the question of identity, and the question of hope. 00:03:30.860 --> 00:03:31.800 The question of meaning. 00:03:31.800 --> 00:03:34.200 Why are we here? 00:03:34.360 --> 00:03:35.480 What is life all about? 00:03:35.880 --> 00:03:37.200 What is the meaning of life? 00:03:37.500 --> 00:03:38.520 The question of identity. 00:03:38.660 --> 00:03:40.060 What does it mean to be a human being? 00:03:41.340 --> 00:03:42.580 And then the question of hope. 00:03:42.820 --> 00:03:44.160 What reason is there? 00:03:44.219 --> 00:03:47.380 Is there a real reason for hope in the world or not? 00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:49.320 So let's pray, and then we're going to get started. 00:03:50.580 --> 00:03:52.220 Lord, we thank you for your word, 00:03:52.340 --> 00:03:55.540 and we thank you for the freedom and the joy 00:03:55.540 --> 00:03:56.980 of gathering together as your people. 00:03:57.760 --> 00:03:59.480 We thank you for this neighborhood. 00:03:59.479 --> 00:04:02.500 We thank you for the extraordinary beauty 00:04:02.500 --> 00:04:04.379 of the world that you've made. 00:04:05.039 --> 00:04:07.519 We thank you most of all that we can open this book 00:04:07.519 --> 00:04:11.099 and that our hope doesn't rest in human wisdom or ideas, 00:04:11.339 --> 00:04:14.199 but that you're actually a God who can speak through your word, 00:04:14.280 --> 00:04:16.360 that your Holy Spirit can speak to each of us 00:04:16.360 --> 00:04:18.399 as we most need to hear from you. 00:04:18.920 --> 00:04:21.039 So we pray that you would illuminate your word for us. 00:04:21.099 --> 00:04:23.480 We also pray that you would bring us face-to-face 00:04:23.480 --> 00:04:25.159 with your living word, Jesus Christ. 00:04:25.579 --> 00:04:26.980 And it's in his name that we pray. 00:04:26.980 --> 00:04:27.860 Amen. 00:04:29.240 --> 00:04:31.200 So first of all, the question of meaning. 00:04:31.460 --> 00:04:33.720 What happens when we crop Jesus out 00:04:33.720 --> 00:04:36.800 and we can't see the whole picture 00:04:36.800 --> 00:04:39.360 when it comes to making meaning out of life? 00:04:39.500 --> 00:04:41.280 And quite simply, what happens is this. 00:04:41.319 --> 00:04:42.780 When we crop Jesus out, 00:04:43.720 --> 00:04:46.460 life essentially becomes meaningless. 00:04:47.640 --> 00:04:49.200 In the early 20th century, 00:04:49.420 --> 00:04:52.980 more and more people in academia and at a popular level 00:04:52.980 --> 00:04:55.740 had begun to do away with the idea of God. 00:04:55.740 --> 00:04:59.280 They had begun to crop God out of the photo, so to speak. 00:05:00.220 --> 00:05:02.920 And yet many philosophers around the turn of the century 00:05:02.920 --> 00:05:05.439 wanted to essentially have their cake and eat it too. 00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:07.860 They wanted to be able to do away with the idea of God, 00:05:08.120 --> 00:05:10.720 but they wanted to be able to hold on to the idea 00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:12.900 that life has meaning, 00:05:13.579 --> 00:05:15.180 that there is a purpose, 00:05:15.680 --> 00:05:18.620 that there are such things as a priori values, 00:05:18.780 --> 00:05:20.280 universal values. 00:05:20.279 --> 00:05:24.419 And in 1945, Jean-Paul Sartre gave 00:05:24.419 --> 00:05:27.319 what was essentially a career-defining lecture 00:05:27.319 --> 00:05:29.839 called Existentialism is a Humanism. 00:05:30.579 --> 00:05:34.699 This is what launched him into the stratosphere of fame. 00:05:34.919 --> 00:05:36.859 And he essentially makes this point. 00:05:37.239 --> 00:05:37.879 He says, listen, 00:05:37.879 --> 00:05:40.540 if there is a God, 00:05:41.219 --> 00:05:44.560 and that God created the world and us, 00:05:45.259 --> 00:05:49.240 what that means is that there is divine intentionality 00:05:49.240 --> 00:05:50.259 behind our existence. 00:05:51.079 --> 00:05:52.459 God made us for a purpose, 00:05:53.459 --> 00:05:55.139 and because there is a purpose, 00:05:55.699 --> 00:05:57.040 there is meaning. 00:05:57.240 --> 00:05:58.939 And because there is purpose and meaning, 00:05:59.259 --> 00:06:00.639 we can assume that there are 00:06:00.639 --> 00:06:03.579 certain a priori universal values, 00:06:03.719 --> 00:06:05.759 ways that we live in alignment with that purpose, 00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:08.620 or ways that we depart from that purpose. 00:06:08.920 --> 00:06:10.420 He says, okay, if you believe in God, 00:06:10.480 --> 00:06:11.519 then you can believe in all of that. 00:06:12.039 --> 00:06:12.920 But here's the rub. 00:06:13.219 --> 00:06:15.079 He says, if you do away with the idea of God, 00:06:15.959 --> 00:06:19.639 then you have to do away with the idea 00:06:19.639 --> 00:06:22.060 that there is any meaning in the world. 00:06:22.819 --> 00:06:23.879 Because if there's no creator, 00:06:23.980 --> 00:06:25.459 and there's no purpose for creation, 00:06:25.740 --> 00:06:27.060 and all of this is just random, 00:06:27.759 --> 00:06:30.079 then there can't really be any meaning. 00:06:31.240 --> 00:06:32.959 The only meaning that exists 00:06:32.959 --> 00:06:34.659 is the meaning that we fabricate, 00:06:34.660 --> 00:06:37.320 but there's no universal meaning. 00:06:37.480 --> 00:06:40.000 So essentially, his lecture amounts to 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:42.260 be intellectually consistent. 00:06:43.580 --> 00:06:45.040 If you do away with God, 00:06:45.700 --> 00:06:49.620 you have to accept what Richard Dawkins says, 00:06:50.420 --> 00:06:51.140 where he says, 00:06:51.440 --> 00:06:52.500 life has no design, 00:06:52.760 --> 00:06:53.620 no purpose, 00:06:53.920 --> 00:06:54.680 no evil, 00:06:54.860 --> 00:06:55.660 and no good, 00:06:56.020 --> 00:06:57.040 nothing but blind, 00:06:57.500 --> 00:06:59.220 pitiless indifference. 00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:01.340 And so the point is essentially this. 00:07:01.340 --> 00:07:02.360 Without Jesus, 00:07:02.360 --> 00:07:04.020 we can't see the whole picture. 00:07:05.240 --> 00:07:05.400 You know, 00:07:05.500 --> 00:07:06.420 we're told, 00:07:07.020 --> 00:07:08.220 and I think this is very popular, 00:07:08.340 --> 00:07:09.100 like if you look at books, 00:07:09.439 --> 00:07:10.280 if you look at movies, 00:07:10.600 --> 00:07:12.500 if you look at a lot of the songs 00:07:12.500 --> 00:07:13.139 that are out there, 00:07:13.400 --> 00:07:14.340 we are told 00:07:14.340 --> 00:07:16.500 that we are free to create 00:07:16.500 --> 00:07:17.980 whatever meaning we want. 00:07:18.080 --> 00:07:19.900 And we're told that this is a great freedom 00:07:19.900 --> 00:07:21.520 that we should celebrate. 00:07:22.139 --> 00:07:23.280 But the reality is, 00:07:23.699 --> 00:07:26.020 it's like we're looking at a cropped photo. 00:07:26.019 --> 00:07:28.979 And this person makes this meaning out of it, 00:07:29.000 --> 00:07:30.479 and this person makes this meaning out of it, 00:07:30.500 --> 00:07:32.459 and there are as many different meanings 00:07:32.459 --> 00:07:34.899 as there are people to make them, 00:07:35.099 --> 00:07:36.399 and we have no way of knowing 00:07:36.399 --> 00:07:37.699 whether our sense of meaning 00:07:37.699 --> 00:07:39.079 is the right one or not, 00:07:39.099 --> 00:07:40.319 because we have no context. 00:07:41.839 --> 00:07:44.159 And you compare that with Colossians 1, 00:07:44.240 --> 00:07:45.579 which says this about Jesus. 00:07:45.719 --> 00:07:46.079 It says, 00:07:46.599 --> 00:07:48.620 all things were created through him 00:07:48.620 --> 00:07:50.339 and for him. 00:07:50.680 --> 00:07:51.319 In other words, 00:07:51.379 --> 00:07:52.319 it's one of the many ways 00:07:52.319 --> 00:07:53.060 the Bible says 00:07:53.060 --> 00:07:55.360 Jesus is the alpha and the omega. 00:07:55.500 --> 00:07:57.219 He's the beginning and the end. 00:07:57.339 --> 00:07:58.480 He's the context. 00:08:00.040 --> 00:08:01.560 And when you recognize that, 00:08:01.680 --> 00:08:02.240 you realize 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:04.199 that's how we look at the big picture. 00:08:04.379 --> 00:08:06.019 That is the uncropped photo. 00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:08.219 Reality with Jesus 00:08:08.219 --> 00:08:10.060 is the alpha and the omega. 00:08:11.879 --> 00:08:13.620 And this has a lot of implications. 00:08:13.819 --> 00:08:15.259 We don't have time to get into all of them, 00:08:15.420 --> 00:08:16.539 but as we think, 00:08:16.620 --> 00:08:17.199 well, so what? 00:08:17.240 --> 00:08:17.980 What does this matter? 00:08:18.139 --> 00:08:19.899 Well, contrary to popular opinion, 00:08:19.899 --> 00:08:23.500 you will never find the meaning of life 00:08:23.500 --> 00:08:24.259 by looking within. 00:08:25.560 --> 00:08:26.000 Right? 00:08:26.019 --> 00:08:27.099 This is a very popular idea, 00:08:27.339 --> 00:08:28.919 but the truth is 00:08:28.919 --> 00:08:30.219 you're never going to figure out 00:08:30.219 --> 00:08:31.279 what life is all about 00:08:31.279 --> 00:08:33.379 by looking inside yourself. 00:08:34.299 --> 00:08:35.220 Because quite simply, 00:08:35.379 --> 00:08:37.059 you didn't make yourself. 00:08:38.639 --> 00:08:40.899 And because you didn't make yourself, 00:08:41.039 --> 00:08:42.459 you can't tell yourself 00:08:42.459 --> 00:08:44.000 why you were made, 00:08:44.460 --> 00:08:45.259 why you're here. 00:08:45.259 --> 00:08:46.980 Only the one who made you 00:08:46.980 --> 00:08:48.319 can actually tell you 00:08:48.320 --> 00:08:49.920 what your purpose is. 00:08:51.280 --> 00:08:53.020 And if we keep living 00:08:53.020 --> 00:08:54.320 like all of this, 00:08:54.379 --> 00:08:56.200 that our lives are all about us, 00:08:56.660 --> 00:08:57.900 if you keep assuming 00:08:57.900 --> 00:08:59.720 that this is all about you, 00:09:00.180 --> 00:09:02.240 your life is never going to make sense. 00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:04.620 You're going to be confused 00:09:04.620 --> 00:09:07.000 and baffled and frustrated. 00:09:07.500 --> 00:09:08.060 You're going to be 00:09:08.060 --> 00:09:09.220 constantly disappointed. 00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:10.340 Because the truth is, 00:09:10.379 --> 00:09:11.840 if your life is anything like mine, 00:09:12.800 --> 00:09:15.560 our lives rarely look 00:09:15.560 --> 00:09:16.760 how we want them to look. 00:09:16.759 --> 00:09:18.059 Right? 00:09:18.799 --> 00:09:20.100 Very rarely in your life 00:09:20.100 --> 00:09:20.819 are you looking around 00:09:20.819 --> 00:09:21.159 and thinking, 00:09:21.319 --> 00:09:22.080 this is exactly 00:09:22.080 --> 00:09:23.279 what I thought it would be. 00:09:25.080 --> 00:09:25.399 Well, you know, 00:09:25.419 --> 00:09:26.360 I'm about to turn 40, 00:09:26.419 --> 00:09:28.500 I turned 42 on Monday. 00:09:29.220 --> 00:09:31.080 And this is what you think 00:09:31.080 --> 00:09:32.139 when you're turning 42. 00:09:32.299 --> 00:09:32.860 You think, you know, 00:09:32.879 --> 00:09:33.600 you look at your life 00:09:33.600 --> 00:09:34.000 and you're like, 00:09:34.159 --> 00:09:35.379 when I was, you know, 20 00:09:35.379 --> 00:09:36.460 and somebody asked me 00:09:36.460 --> 00:09:37.659 what would life be like at 42? 00:09:37.840 --> 00:09:38.419 And then I look at 00:09:38.419 --> 00:09:39.819 what my life is like at 42. 00:09:40.720 --> 00:09:42.100 There's very little similarity. 00:09:42.299 --> 00:09:43.220 It's two completely different 00:09:43.220 --> 00:09:44.720 plot lines, right? 00:09:45.299 --> 00:09:46.059 Many of the characters 00:09:46.059 --> 00:09:46.699 that I thought were going 00:09:46.699 --> 00:09:47.419 to figure prominently 00:09:47.419 --> 00:09:48.000 are gone. 00:09:48.919 --> 00:09:49.679 Many of the issues 00:09:49.679 --> 00:09:50.239 that I thought were going 00:09:50.239 --> 00:09:50.859 to matter to me 00:09:50.859 --> 00:09:51.979 are irrelevant now. 00:09:52.179 --> 00:09:52.979 And I've got a whole new 00:09:52.979 --> 00:09:54.039 set of people in my life 00:09:54.039 --> 00:09:54.699 and a whole new set 00:09:54.699 --> 00:09:55.699 of issues to worry about. 00:09:56.139 --> 00:09:57.199 And I love my life 00:09:57.199 --> 00:09:58.119 and I'm thankful for my life, 00:09:58.179 --> 00:09:58.819 but this is not what 00:09:58.819 --> 00:09:59.819 I would have planned for myself. 00:10:01.219 --> 00:10:02.699 You know, it took me 30 years 00:10:02.699 --> 00:10:04.000 to become remotely comfortable 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:04.379 with the idea 00:10:04.379 --> 00:10:05.139 that I would be a pastor. 00:10:06.259 --> 00:10:07.599 My wife is still adjusting 00:10:07.599 --> 00:10:08.139 to the idea. 00:10:09.139 --> 00:10:10.159 It's only been a decade. 00:10:10.159 --> 00:10:13.419 So our lives are rarely 00:10:13.419 --> 00:10:14.120 going to look like 00:10:14.120 --> 00:10:14.779 we want them to look, 00:10:14.839 --> 00:10:15.719 which is a clear sign 00:10:15.719 --> 00:10:16.759 that we're not in charge. 00:10:17.899 --> 00:10:18.019 Right? 00:10:18.079 --> 00:10:19.219 So if we think that we are, 00:10:19.339 --> 00:10:20.159 we're going to be 00:10:20.159 --> 00:10:21.199 constantly disappointed. 00:10:21.419 --> 00:10:22.079 We have to look 00:10:22.079 --> 00:10:22.860 at the whole picture. 00:10:23.779 --> 00:10:25.419 So if Jesus is the Alpha 00:10:25.419 --> 00:10:26.299 and the Omega, 00:10:26.439 --> 00:10:27.399 this means that all of this 00:10:27.399 --> 00:10:28.480 was made by Him 00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:29.639 and for Him, 00:10:29.679 --> 00:10:30.799 which means not for me, 00:10:30.939 --> 00:10:31.679 not for you. 00:10:33.459 --> 00:10:34.959 So life is about much more 00:10:34.959 --> 00:10:35.939 than just being happy 00:10:35.939 --> 00:10:37.199 or successful. 00:10:37.200 --> 00:10:39.020 You know, your job, 00:10:39.180 --> 00:10:40.040 your money, 00:10:40.500 --> 00:10:41.759 your marriage, 00:10:42.180 --> 00:10:42.900 you know, 00:10:42.980 --> 00:10:44.960 your successes and failures, 00:10:45.120 --> 00:10:45.420 all that, 00:10:45.560 --> 00:10:46.500 it's not for you. 00:10:47.379 --> 00:10:49.140 All these things exist for Him. 00:10:50.060 --> 00:10:51.000 They were made for Him. 00:10:51.940 --> 00:10:52.940 And so we recognize 00:10:52.940 --> 00:10:54.840 that Jesus directs our lives 00:10:54.840 --> 00:10:56.000 according to His purposes, 00:10:56.120 --> 00:10:56.660 not our own. 00:10:58.000 --> 00:10:59.200 And so you look at the ways 00:10:59.200 --> 00:11:00.120 that you're flourishing 00:11:00.120 --> 00:11:01.280 and excited and happy 00:11:01.280 --> 00:11:01.820 in your life. 00:11:02.180 --> 00:11:02.820 You look at the ways 00:11:02.820 --> 00:11:03.500 that you're struggling 00:11:03.500 --> 00:11:04.240 and suffering 00:11:04.240 --> 00:11:05.240 and facing despair 00:11:05.240 --> 00:11:05.840 in your life. 00:11:05.840 --> 00:11:07.580 and you recognize 00:11:07.580 --> 00:11:09.899 my purposes are not 00:11:09.899 --> 00:11:10.899 driving the ship here. 00:11:11.540 --> 00:11:12.360 There's a God 00:11:12.360 --> 00:11:14.259 who is unfathomably 00:11:14.259 --> 00:11:16.379 more intelligent than I am, 00:11:16.940 --> 00:11:18.060 who is unfathomably 00:11:18.060 --> 00:11:19.620 wiser than I am. 00:11:20.060 --> 00:11:21.100 And His purposes 00:11:21.100 --> 00:11:22.180 are driving the ship. 00:11:22.860 --> 00:11:24.440 And the more you accept that, 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:25.259 the more your life 00:11:25.259 --> 00:11:25.720 is going to start 00:11:25.720 --> 00:11:26.480 to make sense. 00:11:27.080 --> 00:11:27.840 And the less you're 00:11:27.840 --> 00:11:28.680 going to be prone to think 00:11:28.680 --> 00:11:29.840 when life isn't going your way 00:11:29.840 --> 00:11:31.120 that God has just forgotten you 00:11:31.120 --> 00:11:31.820 or abandoned you. 00:11:31.879 --> 00:11:32.400 You're going to recognize, 00:11:32.759 --> 00:11:33.960 oh, I made the mistake 00:11:33.960 --> 00:11:35.259 of thinking I was in charge. 00:11:35.840 --> 00:11:36.740 But God is doing 00:11:36.740 --> 00:11:37.940 something way bigger. 00:11:39.200 --> 00:11:39.940 That's what it means 00:11:39.940 --> 00:11:41.180 to look at the whole picture, 00:11:41.399 --> 00:11:42.560 to see reality 00:11:42.560 --> 00:11:44.200 and your life in context. 00:11:44.399 --> 00:11:46.019 Jesus is the Alpha 00:11:46.019 --> 00:11:46.680 and the Omega. 00:11:47.660 --> 00:11:49.340 So let's look at another question. 00:11:49.420 --> 00:11:50.340 That's the question of meaning. 00:11:50.440 --> 00:11:51.360 But what about identity? 00:11:51.560 --> 00:11:52.019 What does it mean 00:11:52.019 --> 00:11:52.960 to think of Jesus 00:11:52.960 --> 00:11:53.660 as the Alpha 00:11:53.660 --> 00:11:54.560 and the Omega 00:11:54.560 --> 00:11:55.700 of human identity? 00:11:55.700 --> 00:11:56.340 And what happens 00:11:56.340 --> 00:11:57.580 when we crop Jesus 00:11:57.580 --> 00:11:58.399 out of the photo? 00:11:59.360 --> 00:12:00.259 Well, in this case, 00:12:00.300 --> 00:12:01.259 if you crop Jesus out, 00:12:01.280 --> 00:12:02.220 if you lose the context, 00:12:02.440 --> 00:12:04.320 it leads to an identity crisis. 00:12:05.220 --> 00:12:06.580 And I think human beings 00:12:06.580 --> 00:12:07.120 are in the midst 00:12:07.120 --> 00:12:08.700 of a massive identity crisis. 00:12:09.420 --> 00:12:09.960 I think kids, 00:12:10.160 --> 00:12:10.320 you know, 00:12:10.800 --> 00:12:12.020 you go to college students today. 00:12:12.120 --> 00:12:12.740 I was, you know, 00:12:12.780 --> 00:12:14.820 hearing from a university professor 00:12:14.820 --> 00:12:15.520 who's been teaching 00:12:15.520 --> 00:12:16.240 for 20 years 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:16.900 and said, you know, 00:12:16.920 --> 00:12:17.780 the first 15 years, 00:12:17.900 --> 00:12:19.140 kids were more or less the same. 00:12:19.240 --> 00:12:19.860 Things changed, 00:12:19.920 --> 00:12:20.400 but not really. 00:12:20.600 --> 00:12:21.820 The last five years, 00:12:23.300 --> 00:12:23.600 he says, 00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:24.640 kids are completely different. 00:12:26.500 --> 00:12:28.600 And many of the sources 00:12:28.600 --> 00:12:29.400 of confusion 00:12:29.400 --> 00:12:30.560 and many of the questions 00:12:30.560 --> 00:12:31.760 and much of the anxiety 00:12:31.759 --> 00:12:33.720 is coming out of this sense 00:12:33.720 --> 00:12:34.700 of I have no idea 00:12:34.700 --> 00:12:35.379 who I am. 00:12:37.360 --> 00:12:37.759 Right? 00:12:37.840 --> 00:12:38.939 How do we figure out 00:12:38.939 --> 00:12:39.679 who we are? 00:12:39.860 --> 00:12:40.700 Because there are a lot 00:12:40.700 --> 00:12:41.600 of voices out there 00:12:41.600 --> 00:12:42.700 that are trying to tell us 00:12:42.700 --> 00:12:43.379 who we are. 00:12:45.700 --> 00:12:46.639 Culture tells us 00:12:46.639 --> 00:12:48.159 that our feelings define us. 00:12:48.299 --> 00:12:49.340 That's how to figure out 00:12:49.340 --> 00:12:50.039 who you really are. 00:12:51.419 --> 00:12:51.819 Advertisers, 00:12:52.319 --> 00:12:53.299 I'll let you in on a secret, 00:12:53.720 --> 00:12:55.059 they want their products 00:12:55.059 --> 00:12:56.299 to define your identity. 00:12:56.759 --> 00:12:57.159 In other words, 00:12:57.159 --> 00:12:58.279 they want you to feel 00:12:58.279 --> 00:12:59.539 that you're not whole 00:12:59.539 --> 00:13:01.919 until you have their product. 00:13:02.220 --> 00:13:03.059 The best advertisers 00:13:03.059 --> 00:13:03.620 know how to do that 00:13:03.620 --> 00:13:04.299 really well. 00:13:05.339 --> 00:13:05.959 This will make you 00:13:05.959 --> 00:13:06.559 fully human. 00:13:08.019 --> 00:13:09.360 Politicians want 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:11.120 their ideologies 00:13:11.120 --> 00:13:12.759 to define you. 00:13:12.860 --> 00:13:13.360 They want you 00:13:13.360 --> 00:13:14.480 to identify with them, 00:13:14.519 --> 00:13:15.819 not just intellectual support, 00:13:16.019 --> 00:13:17.159 but feel like you belong 00:13:17.159 --> 00:13:18.459 to that family. 00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:21.220 Those are your people. 00:13:21.379 --> 00:13:22.100 That's about identity. 00:13:22.980 --> 00:13:23.799 And then there are all 00:13:23.799 --> 00:13:25.480 socially constructed labels 00:13:25.480 --> 00:13:26.480 out there. 00:13:26.620 --> 00:13:28.139 Labels like race labels 00:13:28.139 --> 00:13:30.080 or sexual orientation labels 00:13:30.080 --> 00:13:31.460 or gender labels. 00:13:31.559 --> 00:13:32.179 Now the problem 00:13:32.179 --> 00:13:33.539 with socially constructed 00:13:33.539 --> 00:13:35.319 ideas about identity 00:13:35.319 --> 00:13:36.399 is that they change. 00:13:37.059 --> 00:13:38.620 They constantly change. 00:13:39.279 --> 00:13:40.659 They're constantly in flux. 00:13:41.539 --> 00:13:42.220 And so you can have 00:13:42.220 --> 00:13:43.000 three different people 00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:44.399 who are 15 or 20 years 00:13:44.399 --> 00:13:45.199 apart from one another 00:13:45.199 --> 00:13:45.779 and they can use 00:13:45.779 --> 00:13:46.399 the same words 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:46.919 and they're going to mean 00:13:46.919 --> 00:13:47.860 three different things 00:13:47.860 --> 00:13:50.399 because they change. 00:13:51.000 --> 00:13:52.159 There are lots of voices 00:13:52.159 --> 00:13:53.340 from our childhood 00:13:53.340 --> 00:13:54.659 that try to tell us 00:13:54.659 --> 00:13:55.519 who we are. 00:13:55.759 --> 00:13:56.779 Lies that come 00:13:56.779 --> 00:13:58.019 to define us 00:13:58.019 --> 00:13:59.000 right? 00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:00.779 So maybe some of you 00:14:00.779 --> 00:14:01.299 grew up 00:14:01.299 --> 00:14:03.539 and maybe you grew up 00:14:03.539 --> 00:14:03.919 thinking 00:14:03.919 --> 00:14:05.279 and it was maybe 00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:07.579 parents conveyed this 00:14:07.579 --> 00:14:09.539 or teachers conveyed this 00:14:09.539 --> 00:14:10.539 and maybe not intentionally 00:14:10.539 --> 00:14:11.519 but maybe somehow 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:12.980 you internalize the idea 00:14:12.980 --> 00:14:15.240 that you have to be perfect 00:14:15.240 --> 00:14:17.240 and if you're not perfect 00:14:17.240 --> 00:14:18.000 and if you don't have 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:18.919 your life together 00:14:18.919 --> 00:14:20.519 you're a failure 00:14:20.519 --> 00:14:22.000 and it's all or none. 00:14:23.319 --> 00:14:24.399 Maybe some of us 00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:25.139 grew up 00:14:25.139 --> 00:14:26.779 sort of internalizing 00:14:26.779 --> 00:14:27.580 the lie 00:14:27.580 --> 00:14:30.120 that on my own 00:14:30.120 --> 00:14:31.819 my feelings 00:14:31.819 --> 00:14:33.539 my opinions 00:14:33.539 --> 00:14:34.399 don't really matter 00:14:34.399 --> 00:14:36.659 and if I assert myself 00:14:36.659 --> 00:14:37.159 too much 00:14:37.159 --> 00:14:38.679 I'm going to make people angry 00:14:38.679 --> 00:14:39.399 and I'm not going to have 00:14:39.399 --> 00:14:39.939 any friends 00:14:39.939 --> 00:14:41.500 and so the best thing 00:14:41.500 --> 00:14:41.980 I can do 00:14:41.980 --> 00:14:43.319 is just put myself aside 00:14:43.319 --> 00:14:46.259 and merge 00:14:46.259 --> 00:14:47.740 with the stronger personalities 00:14:47.740 --> 00:14:49.240 in my life. 00:14:49.399 --> 00:14:49.480 Right? 00:14:49.700 --> 00:14:50.659 Maybe you grew up 00:14:50.659 --> 00:14:51.019 thinking 00:14:51.019 --> 00:14:51.799 that in order 00:14:51.799 --> 00:14:52.799 to guarantee 00:14:52.799 --> 00:14:53.939 that you will be loved 00:14:53.939 --> 00:14:56.299 you have to make sure 00:14:56.299 --> 00:14:56.799 you're meeting 00:14:56.799 --> 00:14:57.899 other people's needs. 00:14:58.019 --> 00:14:59.079 You have to earn that love 00:14:59.079 --> 00:15:00.500 and if you're not useful 00:15:00.500 --> 00:15:01.899 and helpful to people 00:15:01.899 --> 00:15:04.059 nobody's going to love you 00:15:04.059 --> 00:15:04.759 or care about you. 00:15:04.919 --> 00:15:06.019 Yeah, maybe you grew up 00:15:06.019 --> 00:15:06.419 thinking 00:15:06.419 --> 00:15:08.639 that you cannot handle 00:15:08.639 --> 00:15:09.639 the negative feelings 00:15:09.639 --> 00:15:10.360 in your life. 00:15:10.879 --> 00:15:11.299 Maybe you grew up 00:15:11.299 --> 00:15:11.679 in a family 00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:12.639 that just would not allow 00:15:12.639 --> 00:15:13.419 negative feelings 00:15:13.419 --> 00:15:14.500 to be expressed 00:15:14.500 --> 00:15:15.500 and so you learned 00:15:15.500 --> 00:15:16.019 the best way 00:15:16.019 --> 00:15:17.019 to deal with my sadness 00:15:17.019 --> 00:15:17.699 my depression 00:15:17.699 --> 00:15:18.539 my anxiety 00:15:18.539 --> 00:15:19.179 my despair 00:15:19.179 --> 00:15:20.379 is to run. 00:15:20.659 --> 00:15:22.319 And you have no idea 00:15:22.319 --> 00:15:23.559 as a 30 year old 00:15:23.559 --> 00:15:25.579 how to be sad. 00:15:26.360 --> 00:15:27.019 You don't know 00:15:27.019 --> 00:15:27.500 how to lament 00:15:27.500 --> 00:15:28.360 because you're terrified 00:15:28.360 --> 00:15:28.779 of it, right? 00:15:29.039 --> 00:15:30.059 Now we grew up 00:15:30.059 --> 00:15:31.039 with these ideas 00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:31.699 we grew up 00:15:31.699 --> 00:15:34.059 with well-intentioned 00:15:34.059 --> 00:15:34.480 parents 00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:35.199 who are human 00:15:35.199 --> 00:15:36.779 well-intentioned 00:15:36.779 --> 00:15:37.620 teachers who are human 00:15:37.620 --> 00:15:38.519 well-intentioned coaches 00:15:38.519 --> 00:15:39.500 who are human 00:15:39.500 --> 00:15:40.719 and we internalize 00:15:40.719 --> 00:15:41.079 these lies 00:15:41.079 --> 00:15:41.579 and they come 00:15:41.579 --> 00:15:42.459 to define us 00:15:42.459 --> 00:15:44.399 and then your entire 00:15:44.399 --> 00:15:44.939 personality 00:15:44.939 --> 00:15:45.519 can be built 00:15:45.519 --> 00:15:46.360 around lies. 00:15:47.799 --> 00:15:48.240 Right? 00:15:49.240 --> 00:15:50.220 There's an enormous 00:15:50.220 --> 00:15:51.240 amount of contradiction 00:15:51.240 --> 00:15:51.639 out there 00:15:51.639 --> 00:15:52.180 when it comes 00:15:52.180 --> 00:15:53.379 to identity 00:15:53.379 --> 00:15:54.340 you know 00:15:54.340 --> 00:15:55.080 and so when you 00:15:55.080 --> 00:15:56.480 compare your feelings 00:15:56.480 --> 00:15:58.320 with the lies inside 00:15:58.320 --> 00:15:59.519 with the voices 00:15:59.519 --> 00:16:00.200 that you're hearing 00:16:00.200 --> 00:16:01.060 from the outside 00:16:01.060 --> 00:16:01.560 you know 00:16:01.560 --> 00:16:02.019 I mean 00:16:02.019 --> 00:16:03.060 where do you even begin? 00:16:03.139 --> 00:16:03.600 It's no wonder 00:16:03.600 --> 00:16:04.320 people are deeply 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:05.840 confused about identity. 00:16:06.180 --> 00:16:06.279 You know 00:16:06.279 --> 00:16:07.040 one of my favorite 00:16:07.040 --> 00:16:07.779 contradictions 00:16:07.779 --> 00:16:08.820 comes in the form 00:16:08.820 --> 00:16:09.399 of a commercial 00:16:09.399 --> 00:16:10.180 it was a Super Bowl 00:16:10.180 --> 00:16:10.620 commercial 00:16:10.620 --> 00:16:12.259 from Alfa Romeo 00:16:12.259 --> 00:16:14.680 and it's this commercial 00:16:14.680 --> 00:16:15.360 about a car 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:16.120 but has nothing 00:16:16.120 --> 00:16:16.879 to do with a car 00:16:16.879 --> 00:16:17.399 it's all about 00:16:17.399 --> 00:16:18.060 human identity 00:16:18.059 --> 00:16:19.319 and in the same 00:16:19.319 --> 00:16:19.779 commercial 00:16:19.779 --> 00:16:20.719 back to back 00:16:20.719 --> 00:16:21.299 it says this 00:16:21.299 --> 00:16:21.639 it says 00:16:21.639 --> 00:16:22.500 staying true 00:16:22.500 --> 00:16:23.059 to ourselves 00:16:23.059 --> 00:16:24.259 is all that matters 00:16:24.259 --> 00:16:25.539 staying true 00:16:25.539 --> 00:16:25.859 to ourselves 00:16:25.859 --> 00:16:26.339 is all that matters 00:16:26.339 --> 00:16:27.059 and then it says 00:16:27.059 --> 00:16:28.000 right after that 00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:28.959 the ability 00:16:28.959 --> 00:16:30.119 to reinvent ourselves 00:16:30.119 --> 00:16:30.919 is the most human 00:16:30.919 --> 00:16:31.500 trait of all 00:16:31.500 --> 00:16:33.000 and I love that 00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:33.419 because it's like 00:16:33.419 --> 00:16:35.879 if I reinvent myself 00:16:35.879 --> 00:16:38.059 I'm not being true 00:16:38.059 --> 00:16:38.679 to myself 00:16:38.679 --> 00:16:38.919 right? 00:16:38.979 --> 00:16:39.799 So which is it? 00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:40.259 You know? 00:16:41.139 --> 00:16:42.279 And these contradictions 00:16:42.279 --> 00:16:42.959 are everywhere 00:16:42.959 --> 00:16:44.759 so again 00:16:44.759 --> 00:16:45.479 the point is this 00:16:45.480 --> 00:16:46.340 without Jesus 00:16:46.340 --> 00:16:47.360 we can't see 00:16:47.360 --> 00:16:48.220 the whole picture 00:16:48.220 --> 00:16:49.519 of who we are 00:16:49.519 --> 00:16:50.379 as human beings 00:16:50.379 --> 00:16:52.200 but with the context 00:16:52.200 --> 00:16:52.700 of Jesus 00:16:52.700 --> 00:16:53.519 it all begins 00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:54.420 to make sense 00:16:54.420 --> 00:16:54.940 you know 00:16:54.940 --> 00:16:55.820 one of the best places 00:16:55.820 --> 00:16:57.240 to see how this works 00:16:57.240 --> 00:16:58.560 is to look at Paul's 00:16:58.560 --> 00:16:59.639 letter to the Galatians 00:16:59.639 --> 00:17:01.200 Galatians is all 00:17:01.200 --> 00:17:01.920 about identity 00:17:01.920 --> 00:17:03.620 it's all about identity 00:17:03.620 --> 00:17:05.620 the church was divided 00:17:05.620 --> 00:17:06.620 along ethnic 00:17:06.620 --> 00:17:08.019 and cultural lines 00:17:08.019 --> 00:17:09.500 because the Jews 00:17:09.500 --> 00:17:10.940 were defining themselves 00:17:10.940 --> 00:17:12.220 by their Jewishness 00:17:12.220 --> 00:17:15.480 which was a socio-cultural 00:17:15.480 --> 00:17:16.519 religious identity 00:17:16.519 --> 00:17:18.839 and the Gentiles 00:17:18.839 --> 00:17:20.279 by their non-Jewishness 00:17:20.279 --> 00:17:23.279 and here's what Paul says 00:17:23.279 --> 00:17:24.640 in Galatians 2.20 00:17:24.640 --> 00:17:25.600 he says 00:17:25.600 --> 00:17:26.720 I've been crucified 00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:27.420 with Christ 00:17:27.420 --> 00:17:27.980 he's talking about 00:17:27.980 --> 00:17:28.579 his own identity 00:17:28.579 --> 00:17:29.500 my identity 00:17:29.500 --> 00:17:30.259 I've been crucified 00:17:30.259 --> 00:17:30.960 with Christ 00:17:30.960 --> 00:17:32.299 it's no longer 00:17:32.299 --> 00:17:33.160 I who live 00:17:33.160 --> 00:17:33.779 but Christ 00:17:33.779 --> 00:17:34.700 who lives 00:17:34.700 --> 00:17:35.680 in me 00:17:35.680 --> 00:17:36.980 and what he's trying 00:17:36.980 --> 00:17:38.059 to convince them of 00:17:38.059 --> 00:17:38.400 is that 00:17:38.400 --> 00:17:40.000 your true self 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:40.660 is not defined 00:17:40.660 --> 00:17:41.680 by your Jewishness 00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:43.220 or your non-Jewishness 00:17:43.220 --> 00:17:44.279 your true identity 00:17:44.279 --> 00:17:46.440 your true self 00:17:46.440 --> 00:17:48.019 is not going to be found 00:17:48.019 --> 00:17:49.120 by looking at your culture 00:17:49.120 --> 00:17:50.259 or listening to the 00:17:50.259 --> 00:17:51.539 to the voices 00:17:51.539 --> 00:17:52.700 that you grew up with 00:17:52.700 --> 00:17:54.380 or listening to your feelings 00:17:54.380 --> 00:17:56.240 your true self 00:17:56.240 --> 00:17:57.120 is going to be found 00:17:57.120 --> 00:17:58.240 when you give yourself 00:17:58.240 --> 00:17:58.980 away to Jesus 00:17:58.980 --> 00:18:00.360 when it is as though 00:18:00.360 --> 00:18:01.380 you have been crucified 00:18:01.380 --> 00:18:02.019 with him 00:18:02.019 --> 00:18:04.019 and then you allow him 00:18:04.019 --> 00:18:05.220 to define you 00:18:05.220 --> 00:18:06.160 from the ground up 00:18:06.160 --> 00:18:09.080 so Jesus shows us 00:18:09.080 --> 00:18:09.740 what human beings 00:18:09.740 --> 00:18:10.759 were supposed to be like 00:18:10.759 --> 00:18:11.379 you know when you look 00:18:11.379 --> 00:18:11.779 at Jesus 00:18:11.779 --> 00:18:12.279 you're seeing 00:18:12.279 --> 00:18:13.940 here's what human beings 00:18:13.940 --> 00:18:14.960 were supposed to be like 00:18:14.960 --> 00:18:16.779 and you're seeing 00:18:16.779 --> 00:18:17.759 here's what human beings 00:18:17.759 --> 00:18:18.539 will be like 00:18:18.539 --> 00:18:19.900 one day 00:18:19.900 --> 00:18:21.039 when God's work 00:18:21.039 --> 00:18:22.319 is completed in us 00:18:22.319 --> 00:18:23.579 Jesus is a picture 00:18:23.579 --> 00:18:24.339 of human identity 00:18:24.339 --> 00:18:26.839 as it will one day be 00:18:26.839 --> 00:18:28.879 so again 00:18:28.879 --> 00:18:30.180 the point is this 00:18:30.180 --> 00:18:31.359 without Jesus 00:18:31.359 --> 00:18:32.920 you're going to be pulled 00:18:32.920 --> 00:18:34.599 in every direction 00:18:34.599 --> 00:18:35.759 possible 00:18:35.759 --> 00:18:37.079 when it comes to 00:18:37.079 --> 00:18:37.599 defining 00:18:37.599 --> 00:18:38.879 a sense of identity 00:18:38.879 --> 00:18:39.539 for yourself 00:18:39.539 --> 00:18:40.259 some of them 00:18:40.259 --> 00:18:40.619 are going to be 00:18:40.619 --> 00:18:41.259 inside you 00:18:41.259 --> 00:18:41.700 some of them 00:18:41.700 --> 00:18:42.079 are going to be 00:18:42.079 --> 00:18:42.779 outside you 00:18:42.779 --> 00:18:43.379 but they're all 00:18:43.379 --> 00:18:43.940 going to try to tell 00:18:43.940 --> 00:18:44.700 you who you are 00:18:44.700 --> 00:18:46.359 and if you've 00:18:46.359 --> 00:18:47.399 cropped Jesus out 00:18:47.399 --> 00:18:48.299 there is no 00:18:48.299 --> 00:18:49.899 objective standard 00:18:49.899 --> 00:18:51.680 by which to determine 00:18:51.680 --> 00:18:52.299 what is true 00:18:52.299 --> 00:18:53.000 and what is not 00:18:53.000 --> 00:18:53.839 is that lie 00:18:53.839 --> 00:18:54.420 I grew up with 00:18:54.420 --> 00:18:55.039 is it true 00:18:55.039 --> 00:18:56.700 well does it 00:18:56.700 --> 00:18:57.440 feel true 00:18:57.440 --> 00:18:59.039 yeah 00:18:59.039 --> 00:19:01.079 it feels true 00:19:01.079 --> 00:19:02.180 in fact 00:19:02.180 --> 00:19:02.639 there are a lot 00:19:02.639 --> 00:19:02.980 of things 00:19:02.980 --> 00:19:04.059 that feel true 00:19:04.059 --> 00:19:06.200 but I'm not sure 00:19:06.200 --> 00:19:07.019 they are true 00:19:07.019 --> 00:19:09.000 I feel like 00:19:09.000 --> 00:19:09.859 I have to prove 00:19:09.859 --> 00:19:10.660 myself to you 00:19:10.660 --> 00:19:11.460 every day 00:19:11.460 --> 00:19:12.139 or you're going 00:19:12.139 --> 00:19:12.519 to hate me 00:19:12.519 --> 00:19:13.200 and reject me 00:19:13.200 --> 00:19:14.920 that's how 00:19:14.920 --> 00:19:15.700 that feels 00:19:15.700 --> 00:19:16.440 true to me 00:19:16.440 --> 00:19:17.980 how are you going 00:19:17.980 --> 00:19:18.480 to know 00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:20.200 whether it is true 00:19:20.200 --> 00:19:21.039 how are you going 00:19:21.039 --> 00:19:21.700 to know those times 00:19:21.700 --> 00:19:22.139 that you need 00:19:22.139 --> 00:19:23.200 to take your feelings 00:19:23.200 --> 00:19:25.900 and recognize them 00:19:25.900 --> 00:19:26.579 for what they are 00:19:26.579 --> 00:19:27.500 like what Jeremiah 00:19:27.500 --> 00:19:27.879 says 00:19:27.879 --> 00:19:29.079 the heart is deceitful 00:19:29.079 --> 00:19:30.519 above all things 00:19:30.519 --> 00:19:30.839 right 00:19:30.839 --> 00:19:33.740 if Jesus is the 00:19:33.740 --> 00:19:34.740 alpha and the omega 00:19:34.740 --> 00:19:35.720 it means you're not 00:19:35.720 --> 00:19:36.779 defined by your feelings 00:19:36.779 --> 00:19:37.699 or your failures 00:19:37.699 --> 00:19:38.679 or your family 00:19:38.679 --> 00:19:39.659 or whatever labels 00:19:39.659 --> 00:19:40.659 you apply to yourself 00:19:40.659 --> 00:19:41.859 Jesus Christ 00:19:41.859 --> 00:19:42.899 is the one 00:19:42.899 --> 00:19:43.959 who can define you 00:19:43.959 --> 00:19:44.259 right 00:19:44.259 --> 00:19:45.399 so we've talked 00:19:45.399 --> 00:19:46.039 about meaning 00:19:46.039 --> 00:19:46.679 we've talked 00:19:46.679 --> 00:19:47.539 about identity 00:19:47.539 --> 00:19:49.679 what about hope 00:19:49.679 --> 00:19:51.699 last question 00:19:51.699 --> 00:19:52.500 we'll consider today 00:19:52.500 --> 00:19:53.439 what about hope 00:19:53.439 --> 00:19:54.699 you know I think 00:19:54.699 --> 00:19:55.740 more now than ever 00:19:55.740 --> 00:19:56.839 many people struggle 00:19:56.839 --> 00:19:57.759 to have hope 00:19:57.759 --> 00:19:58.919 and I think 00:19:58.919 --> 00:19:59.319 there's a lot 00:19:59.319 --> 00:20:00.099 of good reasons 00:20:00.099 --> 00:20:00.659 for that 00:20:00.660 --> 00:20:02.660 some people 00:20:02.660 --> 00:20:03.600 struggle with depression 00:20:03.600 --> 00:20:04.400 I know some of you 00:20:04.400 --> 00:20:04.860 many of you 00:20:04.860 --> 00:20:05.820 I have in the past 00:20:05.820 --> 00:20:07.040 struggle with depression 00:20:07.040 --> 00:20:09.740 and people who 00:20:09.740 --> 00:20:10.640 struggle with depression 00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:11.300 tend to dwell 00:20:11.300 --> 00:20:11.920 in the past 00:20:11.920 --> 00:20:13.240 you know 00:20:13.240 --> 00:20:14.420 they struggle with guilt 00:20:14.420 --> 00:20:15.779 they struggle with regret 00:20:15.779 --> 00:20:16.840 they struggle over feeling 00:20:16.840 --> 00:20:17.940 like they made decisions 00:20:17.940 --> 00:20:18.960 once and for all 00:20:18.960 --> 00:20:20.500 that they can't unmake 00:20:20.500 --> 00:20:22.180 that they struggle 00:20:22.180 --> 00:20:24.220 with a sense of shame 00:20:24.220 --> 00:20:26.400 over experiences 00:20:26.400 --> 00:20:27.300 and disappointments 00:20:27.300 --> 00:20:27.840 and failures 00:20:27.840 --> 00:20:30.360 I know a lot of people 00:20:30.359 --> 00:20:31.319 who struggle with anxiety 00:20:31.319 --> 00:20:33.719 and anxiety 00:20:33.719 --> 00:20:35.719 tends to pull us 00:20:35.719 --> 00:20:36.299 into the future 00:20:36.299 --> 00:20:38.000 you know we're looking 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:38.579 down the road 00:20:38.579 --> 00:20:39.500 and it's dark 00:20:39.500 --> 00:20:40.399 and we can't see 00:20:40.399 --> 00:20:41.099 anything that's coming 00:20:41.099 --> 00:20:41.619 down the road 00:20:41.619 --> 00:20:42.679 or make sense of anything 00:20:42.679 --> 00:20:43.359 that's coming down the road 00:20:43.359 --> 00:20:44.319 we can't anticipate 00:20:44.319 --> 00:20:45.199 what's going to happen 00:20:45.199 --> 00:20:46.879 with our jobs 00:20:46.879 --> 00:20:47.740 or our desire 00:20:47.740 --> 00:20:48.279 to be married 00:20:48.279 --> 00:20:50.119 or our fraught marriages 00:20:50.119 --> 00:20:50.859 or our kids 00:20:50.859 --> 00:20:51.579 we have no idea 00:20:51.579 --> 00:20:52.019 what's coming 00:20:52.019 --> 00:20:53.279 and that causes 00:20:53.279 --> 00:20:54.039 tremendous anxiety 00:20:54.039 --> 00:20:55.000 because we have no control 00:20:55.000 --> 00:20:55.659 over the future 00:20:55.659 --> 00:20:56.699 and so we're looking 00:20:56.699 --> 00:20:57.219 into the darkness 00:20:57.220 --> 00:20:57.620 and we feel 00:20:57.620 --> 00:20:58.759 tremendous anxiety 00:20:58.759 --> 00:21:00.059 because we can't 00:21:00.059 --> 00:21:00.700 control it 00:21:00.700 --> 00:21:03.059 and every day 00:21:03.059 --> 00:21:03.720 seems to bring 00:21:03.720 --> 00:21:04.819 more and more news 00:21:04.819 --> 00:21:05.579 of catastrophe 00:21:05.579 --> 00:21:07.079 all around the world 00:21:07.079 --> 00:21:07.980 some of the recent news 00:21:07.980 --> 00:21:08.779 being you know 00:21:08.779 --> 00:21:09.779 random shootings 00:21:09.779 --> 00:21:10.460 on the highway 00:21:10.460 --> 00:21:12.380 and you read 00:21:12.380 --> 00:21:13.180 that kind of stuff 00:21:13.180 --> 00:21:13.940 day in and day out 00:21:13.940 --> 00:21:14.559 and it makes you feel 00:21:14.559 --> 00:21:16.339 like a massive tragedy 00:21:16.339 --> 00:21:17.240 is just around the corner 00:21:17.240 --> 00:21:17.799 in your life 00:21:17.799 --> 00:21:19.100 stokes tremendous anxiety 00:21:19.100 --> 00:21:21.200 and so you have 00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:21.740 mass shootings 00:21:21.740 --> 00:21:22.860 environmental degradation 00:21:22.860 --> 00:21:23.460 violence 00:21:23.460 --> 00:21:23.960 injustice 00:21:23.960 --> 00:21:24.720 it's overwhelming 00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:25.700 and you know 00:21:25.700 --> 00:21:26.779 so if you crop Jesus 00:21:26.779 --> 00:21:27.559 out of the photo 00:21:27.559 --> 00:21:28.720 everything looks 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:29.460 pretty hopeless 00:21:29.460 --> 00:21:31.759 I mean it looks hopeless 00:21:31.759 --> 00:21:33.640 it looks like the world 00:21:33.640 --> 00:21:34.559 has gone off the rails 00:21:34.559 --> 00:21:36.620 I think historically 00:21:36.620 --> 00:21:37.700 if we compare this era 00:21:37.700 --> 00:21:38.360 to other eras 00:21:38.360 --> 00:21:39.220 it's not quite as bad 00:21:39.220 --> 00:21:39.759 as we think 00:21:39.759 --> 00:21:41.380 that's my personal opinion 00:21:41.380 --> 00:21:42.920 but I think it seems 00:21:42.920 --> 00:21:43.779 awful 00:21:43.779 --> 00:21:46.519 but in Revelation 21 5 00:21:46.519 --> 00:21:47.460 Jesus says 00:21:47.460 --> 00:21:49.259 behold 00:21:49.259 --> 00:21:51.819 I'm making all things new 00:21:51.819 --> 00:21:53.299 also he said 00:21:53.299 --> 00:21:54.339 write this down 00:21:54.339 --> 00:21:54.980 for these words 00:21:54.980 --> 00:21:55.519 are trustworthy 00:21:55.519 --> 00:21:56.500 and true 00:21:56.500 --> 00:21:57.459 and he said to me 00:21:57.459 --> 00:21:58.519 it is done 00:21:58.519 --> 00:22:00.000 I am the alpha 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:00.659 and the omega 00:22:00.659 --> 00:22:01.519 the beginning 00:22:01.519 --> 00:22:02.579 and the end 00:22:02.579 --> 00:22:03.879 and you need to understand 00:22:03.879 --> 00:22:04.740 when Jesus says 00:22:04.740 --> 00:22:05.740 it is done 00:22:05.740 --> 00:22:08.159 it means all of his purposes 00:22:08.159 --> 00:22:09.359 have been accomplished 00:22:09.359 --> 00:22:11.000 in creation 00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:12.699 all of his purposes 00:22:12.699 --> 00:22:13.539 have been accomplished 00:22:13.539 --> 00:22:15.659 and part of what this means 00:22:15.659 --> 00:22:16.319 is that Jesus 00:22:16.319 --> 00:22:17.899 has done everything necessary 00:22:17.899 --> 00:22:20.559 to deal with our past 00:22:20.559 --> 00:22:22.980 and to deal with our future 00:22:22.980 --> 00:22:25.220 and to secure 00:22:25.220 --> 00:22:27.240 an eternal future 00:22:27.240 --> 00:22:27.819 with him 00:22:27.819 --> 00:22:28.980 for us 00:22:28.980 --> 00:22:30.059 right 00:22:30.059 --> 00:22:30.920 so this is the thing 00:22:30.920 --> 00:22:31.839 that sets Christianity 00:22:31.839 --> 00:22:33.259 apart from other religions 00:22:33.259 --> 00:22:36.319 other religions say 00:22:36.319 --> 00:22:39.099 here's how salvation works 00:22:39.099 --> 00:22:41.380 now get to work 00:22:41.380 --> 00:22:44.279 you have to accomplish this 00:22:44.279 --> 00:22:45.200 for yourself 00:22:45.200 --> 00:22:46.940 if you don't 00:22:46.940 --> 00:22:48.500 you will have no hope 00:22:48.500 --> 00:22:49.880 if you do 00:22:49.880 --> 00:22:51.000 you will have 00:22:51.000 --> 00:22:52.180 every reason to hope 00:22:52.180 --> 00:22:53.859 but it all hinges on you 00:22:53.859 --> 00:22:55.380 right 00:22:55.380 --> 00:22:57.140 if you're morally 00:22:57.140 --> 00:22:57.880 excellent 00:22:57.880 --> 00:22:58.759 as a person 00:22:58.759 --> 00:23:00.059 if you are disciplined 00:23:00.059 --> 00:23:01.460 if you are intelligent 00:23:01.460 --> 00:23:03.880 then you've got a good shot 00:23:03.880 --> 00:23:04.380 at eternity 00:23:04.380 --> 00:23:06.660 or wherever you hope to go 00:23:06.660 --> 00:23:09.039 if you're morally bankrupt 00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:12.019 if you're undisciplined 00:23:12.019 --> 00:23:15.519 if you come from such brokenness 00:23:15.519 --> 00:23:18.879 that you're just trying to stay afloat 00:23:18.879 --> 00:23:20.599 right 00:23:20.599 --> 00:23:22.539 if you've been so wounded 00:23:22.539 --> 00:23:23.420 and hurt in your life 00:23:23.420 --> 00:23:25.139 that you can't even fathom 00:23:25.139 --> 00:23:27.259 anything beyond just surviving 00:23:27.259 --> 00:23:29.680 then there's not much hope for you 00:23:29.680 --> 00:23:31.759 if your salvation hinges on you 00:23:31.759 --> 00:23:34.079 some people just don't have the resources 00:23:34.079 --> 00:23:36.279 or the intelligence 00:23:36.279 --> 00:23:37.000 or the discipline 00:23:37.000 --> 00:23:39.139 to accomplish anything 00:23:39.139 --> 00:23:40.240 on behalf of themselves 00:23:40.240 --> 00:23:42.859 the good news of the gospel 00:23:42.859 --> 00:23:45.000 and only the gospel says this 00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:46.879 Jesus is the alpha 00:23:46.879 --> 00:23:47.960 and the omega 00:23:47.960 --> 00:23:49.859 of our salvation 00:23:49.859 --> 00:23:52.139 Jesus is the one 00:23:52.139 --> 00:23:53.460 who created the plan 00:23:53.460 --> 00:23:54.359 for the rescue mission 00:23:54.359 --> 00:23:56.960 he wrote that plan 00:23:56.960 --> 00:23:58.399 when the world fell apart 00:23:58.399 --> 00:24:00.220 when human beings rebelled against God 00:24:00.220 --> 00:24:01.159 Jesus is the one 00:24:01.159 --> 00:24:03.059 who initiated the cosmic rescue mission 00:24:03.059 --> 00:24:06.039 and then Jesus is the one 00:24:06.039 --> 00:24:07.059 who fulfilled it 00:24:07.059 --> 00:24:08.599 Jesus says 00:24:08.599 --> 00:24:10.119 here's the plan of salvation 00:24:10.119 --> 00:24:12.460 and then he doesn't say 00:24:12.460 --> 00:24:13.039 get to work 00:24:13.039 --> 00:24:14.159 he gets to work 00:24:14.159 --> 00:24:16.419 and he fulfills 00:24:16.419 --> 00:24:18.019 everything that is required 00:24:18.019 --> 00:24:18.980 right 00:24:18.980 --> 00:24:19.919 he lives the life 00:24:19.919 --> 00:24:21.099 that we should have lived 00:24:21.099 --> 00:24:22.599 then he dies the death 00:24:22.599 --> 00:24:23.740 that we deserve to die 00:24:23.740 --> 00:24:24.879 because we didn't live 00:24:24.879 --> 00:24:26.700 the life that we should have lived 00:24:26.700 --> 00:24:28.779 and then he rises from death 00:24:28.779 --> 00:24:29.799 and then he judges 00:24:29.799 --> 00:24:33.119 and ultimately does away with death 00:24:33.119 --> 00:24:36.019 and then he turns to us 00:24:36.019 --> 00:24:36.879 not with a challenge 00:24:36.879 --> 00:24:37.619 to get to work 00:24:37.619 --> 00:24:39.259 but with an invitation 00:24:39.259 --> 00:24:40.960 come to me 00:24:40.960 --> 00:24:41.700 all who are weary 00:24:41.700 --> 00:24:42.379 and heavy laden 00:24:42.379 --> 00:24:43.779 and I will give you rest 00:24:43.779 --> 00:24:44.940 come to me 00:24:44.940 --> 00:24:45.720 because I've accomplished 00:24:45.720 --> 00:24:47.779 everything necessary 00:24:47.779 --> 00:24:48.619 on your behalf 00:24:48.619 --> 00:24:49.279 come to me 00:24:49.279 --> 00:24:50.819 because it is finished 00:24:50.819 --> 00:24:53.919 and when you recognize that 00:24:53.919 --> 00:24:56.180 when you recognize 00:24:56.180 --> 00:24:57.859 what that means for us 00:24:57.859 --> 00:24:59.839 you recognize that 00:24:59.839 --> 00:25:01.619 if you are in Christ 00:25:01.619 --> 00:25:04.359 when you are tempted 00:25:04.359 --> 00:25:05.719 to look into your past 00:25:05.719 --> 00:25:07.259 and to reflect on 00:25:07.259 --> 00:25:08.399 the deep regrets 00:25:08.399 --> 00:25:10.059 and the shame 00:25:10.059 --> 00:25:11.740 and the failures 00:25:11.740 --> 00:25:13.079 and the things 00:25:13.079 --> 00:25:14.319 that you can't undo 00:25:14.319 --> 00:25:14.919 the decisions 00:25:14.919 --> 00:25:16.339 that you can't unmake 00:25:16.339 --> 00:25:17.719 when you look at 00:25:17.719 --> 00:25:18.559 all of that stuff 00:25:18.559 --> 00:25:20.699 you also see Jesus 00:25:20.699 --> 00:25:21.579 dying on the cross 00:25:21.579 --> 00:25:23.019 and you recognize 00:25:23.019 --> 00:25:23.799 he is dying 00:25:23.799 --> 00:25:24.959 to set you free 00:25:24.959 --> 00:25:26.159 from all of those things 00:25:26.160 --> 00:25:27.759 and when you are tempted 00:25:27.759 --> 00:25:28.840 to look into the future 00:25:28.840 --> 00:25:31.040 and to fret 00:25:31.040 --> 00:25:33.240 and to wring your hands 00:25:33.240 --> 00:25:34.519 and to try to peer 00:25:34.519 --> 00:25:35.360 into the darkness 00:25:35.360 --> 00:25:36.759 and to try to anticipate 00:25:36.759 --> 00:25:37.519 what is coming 00:25:37.519 --> 00:25:41.100 you also see Jesus 00:25:41.100 --> 00:25:44.240 saying it is finished 00:25:44.240 --> 00:25:46.340 behold I am making 00:25:46.340 --> 00:25:47.140 all things new 00:25:47.140 --> 00:25:49.560 whatever you are facing now 00:25:49.560 --> 00:25:50.560 however bad you think 00:25:50.560 --> 00:25:51.220 it is going to get 00:25:51.220 --> 00:25:53.180 the end of the story 00:25:53.180 --> 00:25:54.800 is Jesus making 00:25:54.799 --> 00:25:55.720 all things new 00:25:55.720 --> 00:25:57.220 and us joining him 00:25:57.220 --> 00:25:58.220 in that secured 00:25:58.220 --> 00:26:00.480 eternal renewed future 00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:02.180 and so we recognize 00:26:02.180 --> 00:26:03.639 that Jesus is the alpha 00:26:03.639 --> 00:26:04.319 he is in the past 00:26:04.319 --> 00:26:05.019 he is the omega 00:26:05.019 --> 00:26:06.039 he is in the future 00:26:06.039 --> 00:26:07.200 he has done everything 00:26:07.200 --> 00:26:08.419 necessary on our behalf 00:26:08.419 --> 00:26:13.119 and so as we think 00:26:13.119 --> 00:26:14.480 about these questions 00:26:14.480 --> 00:26:16.980 as we think about Jesus 00:26:16.980 --> 00:26:17.700 as the alpha 00:26:17.700 --> 00:26:18.399 and the omega 00:26:18.399 --> 00:26:19.059 if we want to kind of 00:26:19.059 --> 00:26:20.379 bring all of this together 00:26:20.379 --> 00:26:21.720 here is the point 00:26:21.720 --> 00:26:24.740 if we crop Jesus out 00:26:24.740 --> 00:26:26.940 we cannot see 00:26:26.940 --> 00:26:27.600 the whole picture 00:26:27.600 --> 00:26:30.319 we cannot see reality 00:26:30.319 --> 00:26:31.279 as it truly is 00:26:31.279 --> 00:26:33.600 and however we go about 00:26:33.600 --> 00:26:34.319 trying to answer 00:26:34.319 --> 00:26:35.500 the questions of meaning 00:26:35.500 --> 00:26:36.740 or the question of identity 00:26:36.740 --> 00:26:38.059 or the question of hope 00:26:38.059 --> 00:26:38.920 however we go about 00:26:38.920 --> 00:26:39.600 trying to do that 00:26:39.600 --> 00:26:41.039 it is all going to be 00:26:41.039 --> 00:26:41.960 fake news 00:26:41.960 --> 00:26:43.380 it is just one person's 00:26:43.380 --> 00:26:43.980 interpretation 00:26:43.980 --> 00:26:44.920 held up against 00:26:44.920 --> 00:26:45.640 another person's 00:26:45.640 --> 00:26:46.059 interpretation 00:26:46.059 --> 00:26:49.599 if we recognize 00:26:49.599 --> 00:26:50.200 that Jesus 00:26:50.200 --> 00:26:51.079 is the alpha 00:26:51.079 --> 00:26:51.720 and the omega 00:26:51.720 --> 00:26:53.399 then we can begin 00:26:53.399 --> 00:26:54.779 to see the whole picture 00:26:54.779 --> 00:26:55.839 we can see 00:26:55.839 --> 00:26:56.539 that we were made 00:26:56.539 --> 00:26:57.379 by him 00:26:57.379 --> 00:26:58.879 and for him 00:26:58.879 --> 00:26:59.480 and that's what 00:26:59.480 --> 00:27:00.200 life is about 00:27:00.200 --> 00:27:01.519 we can see 00:27:01.519 --> 00:27:02.159 that we can only 00:27:02.159 --> 00:27:03.419 find our true selves 00:27:03.419 --> 00:27:04.839 in him 00:27:04.839 --> 00:27:05.960 and we can see 00:27:05.960 --> 00:27:06.940 that all of our hopes 00:27:06.940 --> 00:27:07.619 will one day 00:27:07.619 --> 00:27:09.099 ultimately be fulfilled 00:27:09.099 --> 00:27:10.139 by him 00:27:10.139 --> 00:27:11.899 let's pray 00:27:11.899 --> 00:27:14.039 Lord we thank you 00:27:14.039 --> 00:27:15.259 we thank you 00:27:15.259 --> 00:27:16.599 because we're talking 00:27:16.599 --> 00:27:17.160 about this 00:27:17.160 --> 00:27:18.000 as though we can 00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:19.519 even begin 00:27:19.519 --> 00:27:20.299 to fully understand 00:27:20.299 --> 00:27:20.839 what it means 00:27:20.839 --> 00:27:21.279 for you to be 00:27:21.279 --> 00:27:21.779 an alpha 00:27:21.779 --> 00:27:22.619 and omega 00:27:22.619 --> 00:27:24.059 the alpha 00:27:24.059 --> 00:27:24.799 and omega 00:27:24.799 --> 00:27:26.119 but Lord 00:27:26.119 --> 00:27:26.599 we know 00:27:26.599 --> 00:27:27.519 what we're intended 00:27:27.519 --> 00:27:28.660 to see in this 00:27:28.660 --> 00:27:29.700 and that is 00:27:29.700 --> 00:27:30.819 tremendous comfort 00:27:30.819 --> 00:27:32.480 Lord 00:27:32.480 --> 00:27:33.680 tremendous comfort 00:27:33.680 --> 00:27:35.259 and we know 00:27:35.259 --> 00:27:35.920 who to go to 00:27:35.920 --> 00:27:36.680 when we wonder 00:27:36.680 --> 00:27:37.680 what life is all about 00:27:37.680 --> 00:27:39.240 we know who to go to 00:27:39.240 --> 00:27:40.079 when we have no idea 00:27:40.079 --> 00:27:40.740 who we are 00:27:40.740 --> 00:27:41.619 or why we're here 00:27:41.619 --> 00:27:43.200 we know who to go to 00:27:43.200 --> 00:27:43.680 when we feel 00:27:43.680 --> 00:27:44.339 utterly hopeless 00:27:44.339 --> 00:27:44.980 or overwhelmed 00:27:44.980 --> 00:27:45.539 with fear 00:27:45.539 --> 00:27:46.860 Lord 00:27:46.860 --> 00:27:47.319 so we pray 00:27:47.319 --> 00:27:48.000 that even as we 00:27:48.000 --> 00:27:49.220 continue in our singing 00:27:49.220 --> 00:27:50.440 and in our prayers 00:27:50.440 --> 00:27:52.059 and as we come to your table 00:27:52.059 --> 00:27:52.980 that you would make 00:27:52.980 --> 00:27:55.400 these intellectual realities 00:27:55.400 --> 00:27:56.900 flesh and blood 00:27:56.900 --> 00:27:57.620 in our hearts 00:27:57.620 --> 00:27:59.799 that you would build 00:27:59.799 --> 00:28:00.640 these truths 00:28:00.640 --> 00:28:01.480 into us 00:28:01.480 --> 00:28:02.319 wire them 00:28:02.319 --> 00:28:03.319 into our souls 00:28:03.319 --> 00:28:04.299 Lord 00:28:04.299 --> 00:28:04.920 so that we would be 00:28:04.920 --> 00:28:06.000 grounded in you 00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:07.299 and so that we would be 00:28:07.299 --> 00:28:08.680 hoping in you 00:28:08.680 --> 00:28:09.740 for your glory 00:28:09.740 --> 00:28:10.640 and it's in your son's 00:28:10.640 --> 00:28:11.740 name that we pray 00:28:11.740 --> 00:28:12.440 Amen 00:28:12.440 --> 00:28:12.960 Amen 00:28:12.960 --> 00:28:14.539 Amen 00:28:14.539 --> 00:28:15.680 Links in teto 00:28:15.680 --> 00:28:16.700 flowing moody