WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.960 And we invite everyone to be seated. 00:00:05.660 --> 00:00:09.400 Good morning, welcome. I'm Thomas. I'm the rector here at Church of the Advent. 00:00:09.660 --> 00:00:12.720 ! And if you're new, some of you are new, joining us for the first time. 00:00:13.400 --> 00:00:18.879 This is a really great time to be here visiting, exploring Church of the Advent 00:00:18.879 --> 00:00:25.039 because we're taking time right now to remind ourselves who we are, why we're here, 00:00:25.980 --> 00:00:29.900 what we're aiming at as a community, and some of the values that are most important to us. 00:00:30.859 --> 00:00:34.399 So this week is the second week in that. If you look at our bulletin, 00:00:34.460 --> 00:00:37.359 all of the topics we're covering are printed on the front page. 00:00:38.899 --> 00:00:41.840 This week we're asking a really particular question. 00:00:42.439 --> 00:00:44.280 It's a very personal question for us as a church. 00:00:45.579 --> 00:00:48.539 What does it mean to live by the Holy Spirit? 00:00:49.679 --> 00:00:54.019 What does it mean when Christians use this phrase, living by the Spirit? 00:00:55.359 --> 00:00:59.120 If you're not a church-going type person, if you're not a Christian, 00:00:59.119 --> 00:01:01.939 this might sound like a bizarre kind of question. 00:01:03.079 --> 00:01:05.379 Living by the Spirit, what does that mean? 00:01:07.120 --> 00:01:12.700 If you're not somebody who sort of knows the lingo, I understand it might sound strange. 00:01:13.759 --> 00:01:18.060 There's also a lot of Christians who, depending on our background or how long we've been in church, 00:01:18.859 --> 00:01:22.340 have different associations when it comes to a question like this. 00:01:22.340 --> 00:01:29.760 So really any time we reference the Holy Spirit, by that I mean the third member of the Trinity, 00:01:29.900 --> 00:01:33.040 the God we believe in, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:40.080 Some of us come from a more purely intellectual background or grew up in churches where this wasn't emphasized. 00:01:40.079 --> 00:01:45.700 So on the one hand, what we're going to see this morning is that the church is not just a social club 00:01:45.700 --> 00:01:48.840 or a social service organization. 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:55.219 And we're not just here to do a few rituals and to hear an inspirational talk. 00:01:56.400 --> 00:02:02.659 That this is a place where we come expecting to encounter something, someone. 00:02:02.659 --> 00:02:08.319 When we gather here, we expect to encounter God. 00:02:09.280 --> 00:02:13.960 So on the one hand, Christianity is more than just a set of beliefs and practices. 00:02:14.879 --> 00:02:18.060 It hinges on our experience of God. 00:02:18.139 --> 00:02:23.519 And I would go so far as to say, if that is missing from our life as Christians, 00:02:23.759 --> 00:02:26.819 then something very crucial and central is missing. 00:02:26.819 --> 00:02:35.340 On the other hand, experiencing God doesn't always mean miraculous signs and wonders, 00:02:35.659 --> 00:02:38.019 the things that people often think of. 00:02:38.099 --> 00:02:43.120 Most often, the Holy Spirit is at work in very subtle ways, 00:02:43.240 --> 00:02:47.799 through very ordinary means that we may not even be aware of. 00:02:48.900 --> 00:02:51.500 Over the last couple of years, if you've been a part of our church 00:02:51.500 --> 00:02:53.340 and been on the journey that we've been on, 00:02:53.340 --> 00:02:59.000 you know that the Holy Spirit has worked in very powerful and very subtle ways, 00:03:00.439 --> 00:03:02.120 but undeniably so, 00:03:02.240 --> 00:03:07.620 in ways that have inspired us to actually spend time on this right now. 00:03:07.960 --> 00:03:13.120 Part of what we're doing is making sense of what we've seen and heard and experienced ourselves. 00:03:13.860 --> 00:03:16.400 So we're going to be leaning into that in the months and years to come. 00:03:16.460 --> 00:03:18.280 What does it look like to do this well? 00:03:18.340 --> 00:03:21.439 So we're going to be looking at Ephesians chapter 5, verses 15 to 21. 00:03:21.439 --> 00:03:23.659 What does it mean to live by the Spirit? 00:03:23.780 --> 00:03:25.659 We're going to look at the text and what it means, 00:03:25.740 --> 00:03:28.419 and then we'll ask a few questions about what it means for us. 00:03:29.120 --> 00:03:30.300 Please join me. Let's pray. 00:03:31.579 --> 00:03:33.199 Lord, we thank you for your word. 00:03:33.979 --> 00:03:37.840 We thank you for the fact that it's not merely ink on paper. 00:03:38.819 --> 00:03:41.340 We thank you that when we open these words, 00:03:42.099 --> 00:03:45.060 because of your Holy Spirit, these words come to life. 00:03:45.199 --> 00:03:47.539 Lord, through them you speak to us. 00:03:47.539 --> 00:03:51.219 Lord, I pray in us that we would have open and receptive hearts. 00:03:51.780 --> 00:03:54.180 I pray that you would do your work through your word, 00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:56.780 and that because of your Spirit, 00:03:57.719 --> 00:03:59.379 as we open your written word, 00:03:59.439 --> 00:04:02.199 we would come face to face with your living word, Jesus Christ. 00:04:02.840 --> 00:04:04.840 And it's in his name that we pray this morning. 00:04:05.139 --> 00:04:05.379 Amen. 00:04:07.519 --> 00:04:11.379 So I want to look a little bit at Ephesians 5, verses 15 to 21, 00:04:11.579 --> 00:04:14.500 and you can turn to that in the Pew Bible if you'd like, 00:04:14.500 --> 00:04:16.660 or you can just follow along with me. 00:04:17.839 --> 00:04:20.579 Throughout his letter to the Ephesians, 00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:24.699 Paul uses various metaphors to talk about Christian conversion, 00:04:24.839 --> 00:04:27.920 the process of going from a non-Christian to a Christian. 00:04:28.600 --> 00:04:31.620 So in some places he says it's like being dead 00:04:31.620 --> 00:04:35.120 and then coming to life again, Ephesians chapter 2. 00:04:35.899 --> 00:04:38.560 He also says that it's like being in darkness 00:04:38.560 --> 00:04:41.360 and then coming into the light, 00:04:41.439 --> 00:04:43.180 moving from darkness to light. 00:04:43.180 --> 00:04:47.420 Just before our passage, he says it's like being asleep 00:04:47.420 --> 00:04:49.879 and then waking up. 00:04:50.840 --> 00:04:52.579 And he quotes an old hymn, 00:04:52.680 --> 00:04:56.400 a hymn that was old and known in the time that he's writing. 00:04:57.000 --> 00:04:57.819 And the hymn says, 00:04:57.960 --> 00:05:00.540 Awake, O sleeper, arise from the dead, 00:05:00.639 --> 00:05:03.240 and Christ will shine on you. 00:05:04.920 --> 00:05:07.300 Now this image is really helpful for us because, 00:05:07.819 --> 00:05:09.379 and maybe some of you can relate to this, 00:05:09.379 --> 00:05:14.939 many, many people go through their lives spiritually asleep. 00:05:17.740 --> 00:05:20.579 Get up, go to work, spend money, 00:05:21.199 --> 00:05:22.779 go out and have fun on the weekends, 00:05:22.939 --> 00:05:26.300 date, marry, have kids, raise kids, retire. 00:05:26.300 --> 00:05:30.060 Without ever wondering, 00:05:30.540 --> 00:05:31.900 how did I get here? 00:05:33.560 --> 00:05:34.920 What is my purpose? 00:05:35.720 --> 00:05:37.680 Is there anything more to life? 00:05:38.580 --> 00:05:39.439 Where am I going? 00:05:39.620 --> 00:05:41.759 And what's going to happen after I die one day? 00:05:42.720 --> 00:05:43.939 Some people go through their lives 00:05:43.939 --> 00:05:45.560 never even asking those questions. 00:05:45.639 --> 00:05:47.800 They're not concerned with those things at all. 00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:49.699 There's no spiritual curiosity. 00:05:49.699 --> 00:05:52.680 They don't feel a longing or desire 00:05:52.680 --> 00:05:54.740 to connect with anything bigger than themselves. 00:05:56.620 --> 00:05:58.339 This isn't a lack of intelligence. 00:05:58.839 --> 00:06:00.479 It's not about where you grew up 00:06:00.479 --> 00:06:01.319 or who raised you 00:06:01.319 --> 00:06:02.899 or what culture you were a part of. 00:06:03.500 --> 00:06:05.740 And it has nothing to do with the lack of education 00:06:05.740 --> 00:06:09.319 or exposure to various ways of living in the world. 00:06:09.759 --> 00:06:12.980 It simply means that people are spiritually asleep. 00:06:14.139 --> 00:06:16.399 That part of them is dormant. 00:06:16.399 --> 00:06:23.299 But then the Holy Spirit begins to work in some people. 00:06:23.979 --> 00:06:25.539 And you begin to stir. 00:06:26.039 --> 00:06:28.679 You begin to become curious. 00:06:30.219 --> 00:06:31.099 And so for some people, 00:06:31.239 --> 00:06:33.859 this simply begins with a basic curiosity. 00:06:34.199 --> 00:06:35.099 Where did I come from? 00:06:35.179 --> 00:06:36.279 What is all this for? 00:06:37.139 --> 00:06:40.859 Or it can come with a sense that something is missing. 00:06:42.099 --> 00:06:43.439 You know, I did all the things 00:06:43.439 --> 00:06:46.179 that the life script told me I was supposed to do. 00:06:46.180 --> 00:06:47.639 I went to school and got good grades. 00:06:47.740 --> 00:06:49.280 I went to college and got good grades. 00:06:49.579 --> 00:06:52.040 Maybe I went to grad school and got good grades. 00:06:52.139 --> 00:06:54.660 I got an internship and a fellowship and a residency. 00:06:54.900 --> 00:06:57.620 And now I have a family and I have kids 00:06:57.620 --> 00:06:58.759 and I have a job. 00:06:58.900 --> 00:07:00.460 And I've done all the things 00:07:00.460 --> 00:07:02.340 that the life script tells me I'm supposed to do. 00:07:02.399 --> 00:07:04.939 And I'm at this place in my 30s or 40s 00:07:04.939 --> 00:07:06.420 where it feels like I have it all 00:07:06.420 --> 00:07:07.819 and I should feel satisfied. 00:07:10.500 --> 00:07:11.319 But I'm not. 00:07:11.399 --> 00:07:12.319 I still feel empty. 00:07:12.540 --> 00:07:14.340 And I'm married, but I still feel lonely. 00:07:14.340 --> 00:07:15.360 And what's that all about? 00:07:16.180 --> 00:07:18.100 Something's missing. 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:20.420 For me, I grew up, some of you know my story, 00:07:20.500 --> 00:07:21.459 I grew up going to church, 00:07:21.540 --> 00:07:23.220 but none of it mattered at all to me. 00:07:23.319 --> 00:07:25.060 Completely irrelevant to my life. 00:07:25.139 --> 00:07:27.939 As a teenager, growing up in the 90s, 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:29.759 I didn't care about any of it. 00:07:30.400 --> 00:07:31.800 And then around age 22, 00:07:32.079 --> 00:07:33.879 it just started to matter more. 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:36.379 And I can't tell you why. 00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:37.899 There was no one thing that happened. 00:07:38.259 --> 00:07:40.759 I just started to care more. 00:07:40.759 --> 00:07:43.399 I felt this openness inside me 00:07:43.399 --> 00:07:46.159 and this desire that I was embarrassed to admit 00:07:46.159 --> 00:07:48.120 that I wanted to know more about Jesus 00:07:48.120 --> 00:07:49.959 and who Jesus really was. 00:07:50.699 --> 00:07:51.819 And then for the first time, really, 00:07:51.920 --> 00:07:53.659 that I could remember when my Christian friends, 00:07:53.779 --> 00:07:55.079 I had a few Christian friends 00:07:55.079 --> 00:07:55.759 where I went to school, 00:07:55.959 --> 00:07:58.099 when they started to talk about their faith, 00:07:58.180 --> 00:08:00.319 I wouldn't cringe and try to get away 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:01.939 like I always would have done. 00:08:02.939 --> 00:08:04.339 I actually wanted to listen. 00:08:04.439 --> 00:08:05.500 I wanted to ask questions. 00:08:05.620 --> 00:08:06.459 I wanted to know. 00:08:06.459 --> 00:08:09.060 And I was hungry to know more. 00:08:09.859 --> 00:08:11.539 And only later did I realize 00:08:11.539 --> 00:08:12.879 that this was the Holy Spirit 00:08:12.879 --> 00:08:14.599 working inside me to wake me up. 00:08:14.680 --> 00:08:17.060 I didn't, I wasn't aware of that at the time. 00:08:17.139 --> 00:08:18.180 I didn't even know what that meant. 00:08:19.099 --> 00:08:21.000 And ultimately, as Paul says, 00:08:21.259 --> 00:08:23.079 it was the Holy Spirit working in me 00:08:23.079 --> 00:08:26.219 so that the light of Christ could shine into my life 00:08:26.219 --> 00:08:28.039 so that I could come to faith in Him. 00:08:29.159 --> 00:08:30.099 But at the time, 00:08:30.779 --> 00:08:32.980 it just felt like looking around and thinking, 00:08:33.079 --> 00:08:34.019 there's got to be more. 00:08:34.019 --> 00:08:38.399 But the process of spiritually waking up 00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:42.360 doesn't always happen all at once. 00:08:43.340 --> 00:08:45.139 And many of you know this from your own experiences. 00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:46.799 It's not like you're sitting there one day 00:08:46.799 --> 00:08:48.279 and then, bam, all of a sudden, 00:08:48.439 --> 00:08:49.840 you're awake, the lights come on. 00:08:50.059 --> 00:08:50.159 Right? 00:08:50.220 --> 00:08:53.199 For some people, that's the case. 00:08:53.259 --> 00:08:56.460 But even the most powerful conversion experiences 00:08:56.460 --> 00:08:57.079 in the Bible, 00:08:57.199 --> 00:08:59.340 like what we call the Damascus Road experience, 00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:00.419 the Apostle Paul, 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:01.340 this is a different sermon, 00:09:01.899 --> 00:09:03.939 people think of that as a sudden conversion. 00:09:03.940 --> 00:09:05.420 I would say absolutely not. 00:09:05.500 --> 00:09:07.380 In one place, Jesus says to him, 00:09:07.480 --> 00:09:09.260 why are you kicking against the goads? 00:09:09.980 --> 00:09:10.980 And what he means by that is, 00:09:11.100 --> 00:09:13.680 I've been working in your life for a long time. 00:09:13.780 --> 00:09:14.840 Why are you resisting me? 00:09:15.640 --> 00:09:17.280 And this is what we come to. 00:09:17.440 --> 00:09:19.300 The process of spiritually waking up 00:09:19.300 --> 00:09:21.560 doesn't necessarily happen all at once. 00:09:23.140 --> 00:09:23.540 And you know, 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:25.960 this is where the parallel to sleep is really helpful. 00:09:26.180 --> 00:09:26.860 Sleep studies, 00:09:27.340 --> 00:09:29.320 I've historically had trouble sleeping, 00:09:29.400 --> 00:09:30.860 and so I read a lot about sleep studies. 00:09:31.500 --> 00:09:34.120 And sleep studies show that the process of awakening 00:09:34.120 --> 00:09:36.820 actually involves two levels of awareness. 00:09:38.220 --> 00:09:40.720 You can be awake enough to be conscious, 00:09:41.620 --> 00:09:44.019 but not necessarily alert and aware. 00:09:45.180 --> 00:09:47.680 And those are the times when you're conscious enough 00:09:47.680 --> 00:09:49.620 to want to hit the snooze button, 00:09:49.820 --> 00:09:52.600 but you're not alert enough to realize 00:09:52.600 --> 00:09:53.980 that you're already late for work. 00:09:54.340 --> 00:09:54.620 Right? 00:09:54.680 --> 00:09:56.779 There's this sort of in-between time 00:09:56.779 --> 00:09:59.100 where you're not sufficiently aware of your surroundings. 00:09:59.639 --> 00:10:02.039 And I have found that the same can be true spiritually. 00:10:04.199 --> 00:10:05.620 Listen to how St. Augustine 00:10:05.620 --> 00:10:09.360 talks about his own conversion in his confessions. 00:10:10.339 --> 00:10:11.899 It's a little snippet from the confessions, 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:12.779 and I'm going to give it to you 00:10:12.779 --> 00:10:15.319 in a kind of more modern version of English 00:10:15.319 --> 00:10:17.360 just to make it easier to understand. 00:10:17.500 --> 00:10:19.059 He says, he's writing this, 00:10:19.139 --> 00:10:20.899 the weight of my worldly attachments 00:10:20.899 --> 00:10:22.579 felt strangely comfortable, 00:10:22.879 --> 00:10:24.379 like the heaviness of sleep. 00:10:24.379 --> 00:10:27.139 When I thought about you, 00:10:27.220 --> 00:10:28.139 and he's talking to God, 00:10:28.179 --> 00:10:29.059 when I thought about you, 00:10:29.179 --> 00:10:31.379 I was like someone trying to wake up, 00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:33.700 but repeatedly drifting back to sleep. 00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:36.779 Nobody wants to sleep forever. 00:10:36.980 --> 00:10:38.379 We know we need to get up, 00:10:38.840 --> 00:10:41.439 yet when we feel heavy and drowsy, 00:10:41.539 --> 00:10:42.939 we keep putting it off. 00:10:43.399 --> 00:10:45.220 Even when we know it's time to rise, 00:10:45.379 --> 00:10:47.740 we give in to the pleasure of staying asleep. 00:10:48.919 --> 00:10:51.139 And Augustine says, that's how I felt. 00:10:51.139 --> 00:10:55.620 I knew it was much better to surrender to your love 00:10:55.620 --> 00:10:57.659 than to follow my selfish desires. 00:10:58.000 --> 00:11:00.919 You showed me in every way that your words were true. 00:11:01.179 --> 00:11:02.580 I knew you were right, 00:11:03.379 --> 00:11:07.080 but all I could offer were the sleepy replies. 00:11:08.379 --> 00:11:11.199 Soon, yeah, soon, just give me a little longer. 00:11:12.840 --> 00:11:14.279 He's writing this centuries ago, 00:11:14.360 --> 00:11:15.879 but how many can relate to that? 00:11:15.879 --> 00:11:18.480 I read those words, 00:11:18.580 --> 00:11:20.879 and I think about so many times in my life 00:11:20.879 --> 00:11:22.519 when that's exactly how I felt 00:11:22.519 --> 00:11:24.580 in my relationship with God. 00:11:25.059 --> 00:11:26.720 I think we all know that feeling. 00:11:27.939 --> 00:11:29.279 And we certainly know it physically. 00:11:29.480 --> 00:11:30.759 You know, you're in bed, 00:11:30.840 --> 00:11:31.620 the alarm goes off, 00:11:31.679 --> 00:11:32.519 you know you need to get up, 00:11:32.559 --> 00:11:33.820 but the bed feels so warm, 00:11:33.879 --> 00:11:35.220 and you're like five more minutes, 00:11:35.299 --> 00:11:36.980 and so you keep hitting the snooze button. 00:11:37.240 --> 00:11:39.679 If you were here last night for the dance that we had, 00:11:39.720 --> 00:11:40.820 which was awesome, by the way, 00:11:40.840 --> 00:11:41.860 we had so much fun. 00:11:42.539 --> 00:11:44.100 You know, I think partly because of that, 00:11:44.100 --> 00:11:45.379 that's how I felt this morning. 00:11:45.920 --> 00:11:47.320 I was like, I know I need to get up, 00:11:47.379 --> 00:11:48.379 but I'm so tired. 00:11:49.980 --> 00:11:53.200 So in verses 15 through 17 of Ephesians chapter 5, 00:11:53.500 --> 00:11:54.920 Paul is talking to Christians 00:11:54.920 --> 00:11:56.820 who are just now waking up 00:11:56.820 --> 00:11:57.960 because of the Holy Spirit. 00:11:59.120 --> 00:12:01.180 So that's the context for him to say, 00:12:01.560 --> 00:12:03.600 be very careful then how you live, 00:12:04.620 --> 00:12:06.920 not as unwise, but as wise, 00:12:07.500 --> 00:12:09.220 making the most of every opportunity 00:12:09.220 --> 00:12:10.680 because the days are evil. 00:12:11.180 --> 00:12:13.259 We need to be sufficiently aware of our surroundings. 00:12:14.100 --> 00:12:16.360 Therefore, he says, do not be foolish, 00:12:16.680 --> 00:12:19.240 but understand what the Lord's will is. 00:12:21.220 --> 00:12:24.100 He's really addressing Christians who are awake, 00:12:24.360 --> 00:12:25.879 but they refuse to get out of bed. 00:12:27.580 --> 00:12:27.960 Right? 00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:29.240 And he's like, you need to wake up. 00:12:31.019 --> 00:12:34.220 The Holy Spirit has given you consciousness. 00:12:34.800 --> 00:12:36.860 There's something alive inside you now. 00:12:37.100 --> 00:12:39.019 Now it's time to get up and start living. 00:12:39.019 --> 00:12:42.399 You're in a kind of half-life. 00:12:43.840 --> 00:12:45.120 And you need to get out of bed. 00:12:45.220 --> 00:12:47.460 You need to seek the Lord's will for your life. 00:12:49.779 --> 00:12:52.120 So, you know, if Paul had the language for it, 00:12:52.139 --> 00:12:53.220 he would probably say something like, 00:12:53.360 --> 00:12:55.620 stop hitting the spiritual snooze button in your life. 00:12:57.439 --> 00:12:59.199 But then Paul keeps going. 00:13:00.460 --> 00:13:01.299 He says in verse 18, 00:13:01.299 --> 00:13:03.039 do not get drunk on wine, 00:13:03.139 --> 00:13:04.639 which leads to debauchery. 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:07.479 Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit. 00:13:08.459 --> 00:13:10.719 And the way we need to understand that 00:13:10.719 --> 00:13:13.719 is that the Christian life is about more than just waking up. 00:13:15.719 --> 00:13:17.639 That is just the beginning. 00:13:18.779 --> 00:13:20.259 That is just the beginning. 00:13:20.679 --> 00:13:22.099 The Christian life, friends, 00:13:22.359 --> 00:13:25.120 is an invitation into fullness. 00:13:25.120 --> 00:13:27.279 Jesus says, 00:13:27.419 --> 00:13:29.080 I came that they might have life 00:13:29.080 --> 00:13:31.060 and have it abundantly, 00:13:31.159 --> 00:13:32.320 have it in abundance. 00:13:33.940 --> 00:13:35.779 It's an invitation to fullness. 00:13:35.960 --> 00:13:38.000 The Christian life is an invitation 00:13:38.000 --> 00:13:41.120 to share in the life of God 00:13:41.120 --> 00:13:45.159 so much that it touches every corner of our lives. 00:13:45.240 --> 00:13:47.399 There's no aspect of our life 00:13:47.399 --> 00:13:48.940 that is not infused 00:13:48.940 --> 00:13:51.840 with the power and the presence 00:13:51.840 --> 00:13:53.740 and the life of the living God. 00:13:53.740 --> 00:13:56.259 And you know, you read this out of context 00:13:56.259 --> 00:13:57.799 and at first it may seem odd 00:13:57.799 --> 00:13:59.980 for Paul to compare getting drunk 00:13:59.980 --> 00:14:01.399 and being filled with the Spirit. 00:14:02.680 --> 00:14:04.759 But I just want to make it clear in context 00:14:04.759 --> 00:14:07.180 that the focus is not on the fact 00:14:07.180 --> 00:14:09.600 that drinking alcohol is a sin. 00:14:11.240 --> 00:14:13.379 Some of us struggle with alcohol addiction 00:14:13.379 --> 00:14:15.779 and that's a battle that we have to fight. 00:14:15.879 --> 00:14:17.759 But drinking alcohol itself is not a sin. 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:20.100 You see Jesus drinking wine 00:14:20.100 --> 00:14:21.060 on a number of occasions 00:14:21.060 --> 00:14:22.480 such that he's actually accused 00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:23.740 of being a glutton and a drunkard 00:14:23.740 --> 00:14:25.519 even though I don't believe he was. 00:14:26.200 --> 00:14:27.920 You see him actually turning water 00:14:27.920 --> 00:14:28.820 into some of the best wine 00:14:28.820 --> 00:14:29.740 people had ever tasted. 00:14:30.180 --> 00:14:31.680 I hope one day when we're with him 00:14:31.680 --> 00:14:32.300 in the New Jerusalem 00:14:32.300 --> 00:14:33.460 we get to try that wine. 00:14:33.920 --> 00:14:35.480 I think it's probably pretty good. 00:14:36.440 --> 00:14:37.860 So it's not about that. 00:14:37.940 --> 00:14:38.320 The point, 00:14:38.879 --> 00:14:41.740 the emphasis here is on influence. 00:14:43.779 --> 00:14:46.000 Don't be under the influence of alcohol 00:14:46.000 --> 00:14:47.240 because you know where that leads. 00:14:47.240 --> 00:14:50.200 chaos and destruction. 00:14:51.460 --> 00:14:53.840 Be under the influence of God. 00:14:54.919 --> 00:14:56.899 Let that be your primary influence. 00:14:57.259 --> 00:14:58.879 So friends, it's worth reflecting 00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:02.820 what are the influences 00:15:02.820 --> 00:15:05.820 that most shape how we live? 00:15:07.139 --> 00:15:08.560 What are the influences 00:15:08.560 --> 00:15:11.940 that hold sway in your life? 00:15:11.940 --> 00:15:14.200 Now it might be alcohol. 00:15:15.900 --> 00:15:17.080 Or you might have found 00:15:17.080 --> 00:15:18.900 other ways to numb yourself. 00:15:19.320 --> 00:15:20.200 It could be food. 00:15:20.960 --> 00:15:21.540 You know, that's one 00:15:21.540 --> 00:15:22.220 that I struggle with. 00:15:22.260 --> 00:15:23.040 You know I love food. 00:15:23.080 --> 00:15:23.920 If you were here last week, 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:24.940 you know I love food. 00:15:25.600 --> 00:15:26.940 And I found in myself 00:15:26.940 --> 00:15:29.840 a tendency to use food to escape. 00:15:31.840 --> 00:15:33.140 It could be shopping. 00:15:34.640 --> 00:15:35.700 It could be pornography. 00:15:37.440 --> 00:15:39.120 It could be any number of things. 00:15:39.120 --> 00:15:40.639 So that might be the influence 00:15:40.639 --> 00:15:41.600 that we're talking about here. 00:15:41.759 --> 00:15:43.200 It could just be the amount of time 00:15:43.200 --> 00:15:44.240 we spend on screens. 00:15:44.419 --> 00:15:46.200 You know, statistics tell us 00:15:46.200 --> 00:15:47.879 that the average person these days 00:15:47.879 --> 00:15:50.740 spends about 49 hours a week on screens. 00:15:52.539 --> 00:15:54.360 And a lot of that is being shaped 00:15:54.360 --> 00:15:56.000 by the algorithms, right? 00:15:56.080 --> 00:15:57.120 The social media algorithm. 00:15:57.360 --> 00:15:58.360 And we need to understand 00:15:58.360 --> 00:16:00.860 that is a profoundly powerful influence 00:16:00.860 --> 00:16:04.480 that is constantly shaping and forming us. 00:16:04.840 --> 00:16:07.220 Many of us who refer to ourselves 00:16:07.220 --> 00:16:09.060 as Christians are actually being discipled 00:16:09.059 --> 00:16:10.879 far more effectively by our algorithm 00:16:10.879 --> 00:16:13.339 than by anything to do with our faith. 00:16:13.459 --> 00:16:14.239 And so what that means 00:16:14.239 --> 00:16:15.619 is that our entire view of ourselves, 00:16:16.259 --> 00:16:18.119 our world, God, 00:16:18.399 --> 00:16:20.419 is constantly being shaped 00:16:20.419 --> 00:16:21.239 and influenced 00:16:21.239 --> 00:16:24.159 by something like the algorithm 00:16:24.159 --> 00:16:26.559 shapes everything. 00:16:27.699 --> 00:16:28.179 Right? 00:16:28.299 --> 00:16:29.479 And so it's worth asking, 00:16:29.579 --> 00:16:30.339 what are the influences 00:16:30.339 --> 00:16:32.619 that most shape how we live? 00:16:32.679 --> 00:16:34.000 And the larger point here, friends, 00:16:34.059 --> 00:16:36.000 is that some Christians are awake, 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:38.539 but our lives are still primarily 00:16:38.539 --> 00:16:40.139 under the influence of something 00:16:40.139 --> 00:16:40.960 or someone else. 00:16:42.120 --> 00:16:43.919 So if you ever feel that sense of disconnect, 00:16:44.120 --> 00:16:44.879 like I know I'm a Christian, 00:16:45.039 --> 00:16:46.960 but my faith just feels irrelevant. 00:16:47.220 --> 00:16:48.179 It doesn't feel like it really 00:16:48.179 --> 00:16:50.220 has anything to do with my job 00:16:50.220 --> 00:16:51.100 or, you know, 00:16:51.220 --> 00:16:52.779 or you deal with Christians 00:16:52.779 --> 00:16:53.259 who they, 00:16:53.460 --> 00:16:54.460 we talk about kindness 00:16:54.460 --> 00:16:55.279 and love and charity 00:16:55.279 --> 00:16:56.019 until you get into 00:16:56.019 --> 00:16:57.080 a political conversation. 00:16:57.820 --> 00:16:58.559 And then all of a sudden 00:16:58.559 --> 00:16:59.659 it's like the rules change 00:16:59.659 --> 00:17:00.580 and it's like bam, bam, bam. 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:00.960 You know? 00:17:00.960 --> 00:17:02.379 I love and care 00:17:02.379 --> 00:17:03.220 and pray for my enemies, 00:17:03.340 --> 00:17:04.319 but I pound these people 00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:04.960 into the ground, 00:17:05.220 --> 00:17:05.420 you know, 00:17:05.460 --> 00:17:06.220 every chance I get. 00:17:06.840 --> 00:17:08.539 Or any number of things, 00:17:08.600 --> 00:17:09.519 when you feel that sense 00:17:09.519 --> 00:17:10.000 of disconnect, 00:17:10.519 --> 00:17:11.220 I think it's often 00:17:11.220 --> 00:17:12.420 because the primary influence 00:17:12.420 --> 00:17:15.100 is driving us 00:17:15.100 --> 00:17:16.019 or that person 00:17:16.019 --> 00:17:17.579 is not Christ, 00:17:17.700 --> 00:17:18.539 it's something else. 00:17:20.340 --> 00:17:21.840 This is Paul's concern. 00:17:23.120 --> 00:17:24.779 The aim of conversion, 00:17:25.140 --> 00:17:26.019 the whole reason 00:17:26.019 --> 00:17:27.559 the Spirit of God wakes us up 00:17:27.559 --> 00:17:29.240 is, as I said before, 00:17:29.240 --> 00:17:30.500 so that we can be filled 00:17:30.500 --> 00:17:33.000 with the Holy Spirit. 00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:35.799 And when you say that 00:17:35.799 --> 00:17:36.319 to a room 00:17:36.319 --> 00:17:37.180 where there are 00:17:37.180 --> 00:17:37.740 a lot of Christians, 00:17:37.880 --> 00:17:39.000 some people always get confused 00:17:39.000 --> 00:17:39.400 and we say, 00:17:39.480 --> 00:17:39.980 well, I thought 00:17:39.980 --> 00:17:41.140 when I came to faith 00:17:41.140 --> 00:17:43.319 I received the Holy Spirit 00:17:43.319 --> 00:17:44.000 and how could you 00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:45.500 talk about being filled 00:17:45.500 --> 00:17:46.120 with the Holy Spirit? 00:17:46.180 --> 00:17:47.819 Because what's interesting here 00:17:47.819 --> 00:17:48.460 is that Paul's actually 00:17:48.460 --> 00:17:49.339 talking to Christians. 00:17:49.660 --> 00:17:50.859 He's just spent several chapters 00:17:50.859 --> 00:17:51.519 talking about their 00:17:51.519 --> 00:17:52.480 coming to faith 00:17:52.480 --> 00:17:53.519 and that they have the Spirit. 00:17:54.299 --> 00:17:55.099 And now he's saying 00:17:55.099 --> 00:17:56.400 we should be filled 00:17:56.400 --> 00:17:57.000 with the Spirit. 00:17:57.000 --> 00:17:59.799 and he's not just talking 00:17:59.799 --> 00:18:01.039 about being like a top-off, 00:18:01.140 --> 00:18:01.900 like it leaks out 00:18:01.900 --> 00:18:02.980 and we need a little top-off. 00:18:03.119 --> 00:18:03.619 He's talking 00:18:03.619 --> 00:18:04.880 you need to be filled 00:18:04.880 --> 00:18:05.539 to overflowing. 00:18:08.460 --> 00:18:10.599 My favorite image of this 00:18:10.599 --> 00:18:11.960 is an oldie but a goodie 00:18:11.960 --> 00:18:13.059 and I didn't come up with it. 00:18:13.819 --> 00:18:15.539 But the image is of a balloon. 00:18:16.759 --> 00:18:17.000 You know, 00:18:17.099 --> 00:18:18.839 and you blow some air 00:18:18.839 --> 00:18:19.339 into the balloon 00:18:19.339 --> 00:18:20.579 and then you ask 00:18:20.579 --> 00:18:22.420 is this full? 00:18:22.420 --> 00:18:24.700 People say, 00:18:24.820 --> 00:18:25.000 yeah. 00:18:25.940 --> 00:18:26.480 And then you take it 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:27.400 and you blow a little more air 00:18:27.400 --> 00:18:27.779 into it. 00:18:29.000 --> 00:18:30.539 Is it full? 00:18:30.680 --> 00:18:31.100 People say, 00:18:31.220 --> 00:18:31.380 yeah. 00:18:31.539 --> 00:18:32.660 Then you blow a little more air. 00:18:33.560 --> 00:18:33.960 Right? 00:18:34.160 --> 00:18:35.180 And every time 00:18:35.180 --> 00:18:35.960 the answer is yes, 00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:36.600 it's full. 00:18:36.759 --> 00:18:38.720 But can it get more in it? 00:18:38.880 --> 00:18:39.200 Yes. 00:18:39.500 --> 00:18:40.920 So a couple of chapters earlier 00:18:40.920 --> 00:18:41.720 in chapter 3 00:18:41.720 --> 00:18:42.960 Paul prays 00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:43.860 essentially 00:18:43.860 --> 00:18:45.400 that our capacity 00:18:45.400 --> 00:18:46.680 would be 00:18:46.680 --> 00:18:48.220 expanded. 00:18:49.420 --> 00:18:49.800 Right? 00:18:49.799 --> 00:18:50.579 So that we would be able 00:18:50.579 --> 00:18:51.460 to come closer 00:18:51.460 --> 00:18:52.440 to comprehending 00:18:52.440 --> 00:18:53.379 the magnitude 00:18:53.379 --> 00:18:54.799 of the love of God 00:18:54.799 --> 00:18:55.419 in us. 00:18:56.039 --> 00:18:56.680 And this is, 00:18:56.859 --> 00:18:57.339 I think, 00:18:57.399 --> 00:18:58.279 going back to that. 00:18:58.359 --> 00:18:58.740 He's saying, 00:18:58.879 --> 00:18:59.799 you need to be filled. 00:19:00.139 --> 00:19:01.119 Your capacity 00:19:01.119 --> 00:19:02.220 needs to be expanded 00:19:02.220 --> 00:19:03.059 because there's more. 00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:03.779 You're dealing with 00:19:03.779 --> 00:19:04.819 an infinite God 00:19:04.819 --> 00:19:06.119 who wants to pour 00:19:06.119 --> 00:19:07.119 his life into you. 00:19:07.759 --> 00:19:08.139 And you say, 00:19:08.200 --> 00:19:09.259 don't you want more of that? 00:19:09.339 --> 00:19:09.460 Yeah, 00:19:09.539 --> 00:19:10.399 give me more capacity 00:19:10.399 --> 00:19:10.899 for that. 00:19:11.159 --> 00:19:12.299 That's what he's talking about. 00:19:14.639 --> 00:19:16.079 So those who have 00:19:16.079 --> 00:19:16.639 the Spirit, 00:19:16.839 --> 00:19:17.399 Paul is saying, 00:19:17.460 --> 00:19:17.940 I would say, 00:19:18.039 --> 00:19:18.180 yeah, 00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:18.940 if you're a believer 00:19:18.940 --> 00:19:20.160 and you have the Holy Spirit, 00:19:20.259 --> 00:19:21.580 one of the evidences 00:19:21.580 --> 00:19:22.580 of that is that 00:19:22.580 --> 00:19:23.620 you should have a hunger 00:19:23.620 --> 00:19:24.820 for more of the Spirit. 00:19:25.660 --> 00:19:26.320 And there should never 00:19:26.320 --> 00:19:27.140 even point in our lives 00:19:27.140 --> 00:19:27.420 where we say, 00:19:27.519 --> 00:19:27.680 you know, 00:19:27.740 --> 00:19:28.279 that's enough. 00:19:28.740 --> 00:19:29.240 I'm good. 00:19:30.799 --> 00:19:31.160 More, 00:19:31.240 --> 00:19:31.400 more, 00:19:31.480 --> 00:19:31.700 more. 00:19:33.180 --> 00:19:34.500 And so then Paul, 00:19:34.700 --> 00:19:36.059 as we have this image 00:19:36.059 --> 00:19:36.900 of overflowing 00:19:36.900 --> 00:19:37.500 with the Spirit, 00:19:37.580 --> 00:19:38.740 he sort of sketches out 00:19:38.740 --> 00:19:40.600 a non-exhaustive, 00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:40.860 right? 00:19:40.900 --> 00:19:41.880 This is just a representative, 00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:43.820 non-exhaustive list. 00:19:44.180 --> 00:19:45.680 Here's some of the things 00:19:45.680 --> 00:19:47.059 that you see 00:19:47.059 --> 00:19:48.559 when people are filled 00:19:48.559 --> 00:19:49.399 to overflowing 00:19:49.399 --> 00:19:50.299 with the Holy Spirit. 00:19:52.139 --> 00:19:53.359 First thing you see 00:19:53.359 --> 00:19:55.059 is singing. 00:19:57.279 --> 00:19:57.759 Singing. 00:19:58.079 --> 00:19:59.940 Spirit-filled singing. 00:20:01.279 --> 00:20:02.179 Praising Jesus 00:20:02.179 --> 00:20:03.019 with our voices. 00:20:04.200 --> 00:20:05.119 Not just people 00:20:05.119 --> 00:20:06.079 who like to sing. 00:20:07.259 --> 00:20:07.539 You know, 00:20:07.639 --> 00:20:08.359 people like Michael 00:20:08.359 --> 00:20:08.759 and Nate 00:20:08.759 --> 00:20:09.819 who can sing, 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:10.940 unlike people like me. 00:20:13.139 --> 00:20:14.599 But people so moved 00:20:14.599 --> 00:20:15.059 to sing 00:20:15.059 --> 00:20:15.940 that there's a kind 00:20:15.940 --> 00:20:17.019 of self-forgetfulness. 00:20:17.500 --> 00:20:18.480 They sing with abandon. 00:20:19.379 --> 00:20:20.720 Singing praise to the Lord. 00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:21.799 Singing can be 00:20:21.799 --> 00:20:24.019 a profoundly spiritual act. 00:20:25.639 --> 00:20:26.379 It's interesting, 00:20:26.519 --> 00:20:27.079 Charles Darwin 00:20:27.079 --> 00:20:27.919 had no idea 00:20:27.919 --> 00:20:29.019 how to make sense 00:20:29.019 --> 00:20:30.099 of music and singing. 00:20:30.879 --> 00:20:31.460 Did you know this? 00:20:31.519 --> 00:20:33.139 In all of his evolutionary theory, 00:20:33.339 --> 00:20:34.980 it explains so much. 00:20:35.019 --> 00:20:35.879 It made so much sense. 00:20:36.440 --> 00:20:37.000 But he says, 00:20:37.059 --> 00:20:37.319 all the way 00:20:37.319 --> 00:20:37.899 to the end of his days, 00:20:37.980 --> 00:20:38.099 you know, 00:20:38.099 --> 00:20:39.059 I never really figured out 00:20:39.059 --> 00:20:39.980 what to do with music. 00:20:40.960 --> 00:20:41.659 And the fact that 00:20:41.659 --> 00:20:42.500 all human beings 00:20:42.500 --> 00:20:43.440 and all cultures everywhere, 00:20:43.440 --> 00:20:45.120 they all seem 00:20:45.120 --> 00:20:46.220 to really care about 00:20:46.220 --> 00:20:48.259 creating and celebrating 00:20:48.259 --> 00:20:49.660 and performing musically. 00:20:49.799 --> 00:20:50.480 They want to sing 00:20:50.480 --> 00:20:51.140 and play instruments. 00:20:51.660 --> 00:20:52.380 Doesn't make sense. 00:20:52.880 --> 00:20:54.180 No evolutionary benefit 00:20:54.180 --> 00:20:54.880 that he can find. 00:20:55.220 --> 00:20:56.200 People have researched this 00:20:56.200 --> 00:20:57.240 ever since his day. 00:20:57.500 --> 00:20:58.500 And to this day, 00:20:58.840 --> 00:20:59.799 no one has ever 00:20:59.799 --> 00:21:00.539 really been able 00:21:00.539 --> 00:21:01.460 to explain 00:21:01.460 --> 00:21:02.519 why, 00:21:02.700 --> 00:21:03.779 from an evolutionary, 00:21:04.299 --> 00:21:05.580 biological perspective, 00:21:06.039 --> 00:21:07.360 all human beings 00:21:07.360 --> 00:21:08.019 everywhere 00:21:08.019 --> 00:21:09.160 want to sing 00:21:09.160 --> 00:21:10.700 and make music. 00:21:10.700 --> 00:21:11.259 You know, 00:21:11.319 --> 00:21:12.380 one contemporary 00:21:12.380 --> 00:21:13.299 neuroscientist 00:21:13.299 --> 00:21:14.400 named Daniela Samler, 00:21:14.660 --> 00:21:15.220 there was an article 00:21:15.220 --> 00:21:16.640 maybe last year 00:21:16.640 --> 00:21:17.440 in the New York Times 00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:18.259 about this, 00:21:18.779 --> 00:21:20.039 but they quote 00:21:20.039 --> 00:21:21.279 Daniela Samler 00:21:21.279 --> 00:21:22.019 and she says, 00:21:22.140 --> 00:21:23.100 here's her conclusion. 00:21:23.740 --> 00:21:24.620 This shows us 00:21:24.620 --> 00:21:26.080 that there may really be 00:21:26.080 --> 00:21:27.700 something that is universal 00:21:27.700 --> 00:21:28.920 to all humans 00:21:28.920 --> 00:21:30.299 that cannot simply 00:21:30.299 --> 00:21:31.580 be explained by culture. 00:21:33.259 --> 00:21:33.819 And you know, 00:21:33.860 --> 00:21:34.440 I read this 00:21:34.440 --> 00:21:34.940 and I thought, 00:21:35.059 --> 00:21:35.779 that's right. 00:21:35.779 --> 00:21:38.399 Of course there's no 00:21:38.399 --> 00:21:40.119 purely evolutionary 00:21:40.119 --> 00:21:41.039 explanation 00:21:41.039 --> 00:21:43.200 for the human impulse 00:21:43.200 --> 00:21:45.000 to create music. 00:21:47.299 --> 00:21:49.420 Because we were created 00:21:49.420 --> 00:21:50.799 to be worshipers. 00:21:51.879 --> 00:21:53.599 Our capacity 00:21:53.599 --> 00:21:54.559 and desire 00:21:54.559 --> 00:21:55.500 for music 00:21:55.500 --> 00:21:57.099 comes from the fact 00:21:57.099 --> 00:21:58.440 that we are living 00:21:58.440 --> 00:22:01.000 musical instruments. 00:22:02.079 --> 00:22:03.559 So imagine 00:22:03.559 --> 00:22:04.440 coming across 00:22:04.440 --> 00:22:05.200 a clarinet 00:22:05.200 --> 00:22:06.580 or an oboe 00:22:06.580 --> 00:22:09.420 and having no concept 00:22:09.420 --> 00:22:10.880 of human breath 00:22:10.880 --> 00:22:13.920 and looking at it 00:22:13.920 --> 00:22:14.680 from a purely 00:22:14.680 --> 00:22:17.299 materialistic lens. 00:22:18.019 --> 00:22:19.240 What is this? 00:22:19.380 --> 00:22:20.440 What's it for? 00:22:20.620 --> 00:22:22.140 How did it get here? 00:22:22.279 --> 00:22:23.920 Why does it look like this? 00:22:26.279 --> 00:22:26.559 You know, 00:22:26.640 --> 00:22:27.640 Jamie in our church 00:22:27.640 --> 00:22:29.740 plays for the NSO. 00:22:29.840 --> 00:22:30.759 If you were to invite 00:22:30.759 --> 00:22:31.799 Jamie to come 00:22:31.799 --> 00:22:34.519 and to blow her breath 00:22:34.519 --> 00:22:35.220 into that 00:22:35.220 --> 00:22:36.339 instrument 00:22:36.339 --> 00:22:38.440 and you hear the sound 00:22:38.440 --> 00:22:39.200 that comes out, 00:22:40.559 --> 00:22:43.740 it all makes sense. 00:22:44.899 --> 00:22:46.139 In the same way, 00:22:46.759 --> 00:22:47.659 when you see 00:22:47.659 --> 00:22:48.639 a human being 00:22:48.639 --> 00:22:51.240 filled with the breath 00:22:51.240 --> 00:22:51.720 of God, 00:22:52.599 --> 00:22:53.319 that's how the Bible 00:22:53.319 --> 00:22:54.220 talks about the spirit, 00:22:54.359 --> 00:22:54.879 the ruach, 00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:55.480 the breath, 00:22:56.119 --> 00:22:56.680 the wind. 00:22:56.680 --> 00:22:57.600 when you see 00:22:57.600 --> 00:22:58.279 a human being 00:22:58.279 --> 00:23:00.080 filled with the breath 00:23:00.080 --> 00:23:00.560 of God 00:23:00.560 --> 00:23:02.160 and they are singing 00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:03.460 with abandon 00:23:03.460 --> 00:23:05.440 praises to the living God, 00:23:05.740 --> 00:23:06.259 you say, 00:23:06.539 --> 00:23:08.960 it all makes sense. 00:23:09.779 --> 00:23:10.860 We were created 00:23:10.860 --> 00:23:11.940 to be worshipers. 00:23:12.940 --> 00:23:14.080 We were created 00:23:14.080 --> 00:23:15.720 like a woodwind instrument 00:23:15.720 --> 00:23:16.480 to be filled 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:17.460 with the breath of God 00:23:17.460 --> 00:23:19.160 until we overflow 00:23:19.160 --> 00:23:19.779 with song. 00:23:22.060 --> 00:23:23.380 So it looks like singing. 00:23:23.519 --> 00:23:24.560 It looks like gratitude. 00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:27.000 Paul says spirit-filled people 00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:29.539 are thankful people. 00:23:30.740 --> 00:23:31.039 You know, 00:23:31.279 --> 00:23:33.200 everyone's thankful 00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:33.899 sometimes, 00:23:34.099 --> 00:23:34.599 you would hope. 00:23:36.159 --> 00:23:37.399 The spirit leads us 00:23:37.399 --> 00:23:38.079 to be thankful 00:23:38.079 --> 00:23:39.399 always 00:23:39.399 --> 00:23:40.960 for everything, 00:23:41.779 --> 00:23:43.500 even the hard stuff, 00:23:43.779 --> 00:23:44.919 even the experiences 00:23:44.919 --> 00:23:46.159 that we wouldn't choose, 00:23:46.679 --> 00:23:47.859 that we have to face. 00:23:48.639 --> 00:23:50.079 Because when you're filled 00:23:50.079 --> 00:23:51.799 with the spirit 00:23:51.799 --> 00:23:53.179 such that the overwhelming 00:23:53.180 --> 00:23:54.820 influence in your life, 00:23:54.900 --> 00:23:56.380 the way you make sense 00:23:56.380 --> 00:23:57.100 of everything, 00:23:57.820 --> 00:23:58.960 is through the lens 00:23:58.960 --> 00:24:00.400 of God and his love, 00:24:01.259 --> 00:24:01.840 then you know 00:24:01.840 --> 00:24:02.920 that even in the hardest 00:24:02.920 --> 00:24:04.240 situations we face, 00:24:04.340 --> 00:24:05.279 God is intimately 00:24:05.279 --> 00:24:06.779 and lovingly involved 00:24:06.779 --> 00:24:07.960 in every aspect 00:24:07.960 --> 00:24:08.940 of our lives. 00:24:10.500 --> 00:24:11.039 And so there's 00:24:11.039 --> 00:24:11.880 a kind of gratitude. 00:24:12.060 --> 00:24:13.080 Even if I don't understand 00:24:13.080 --> 00:24:13.740 why, Lord, 00:24:13.820 --> 00:24:14.600 why, why, why? 00:24:15.000 --> 00:24:16.000 Make it stop, Lord. 00:24:16.640 --> 00:24:17.460 But I thank you 00:24:17.460 --> 00:24:18.160 because I know you 00:24:18.160 --> 00:24:18.700 and I trust 00:24:18.700 --> 00:24:19.259 that something 00:24:19.259 --> 00:24:21.060 is happening in my life 00:24:21.060 --> 00:24:22.240 that ultimately 00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:22.900 is for my good. 00:24:23.180 --> 00:24:25.600 It looks like 00:24:25.600 --> 00:24:26.900 self-giving love. 00:24:28.140 --> 00:24:28.320 You know, 00:24:28.420 --> 00:24:29.759 if you read on to verse, 00:24:29.920 --> 00:24:30.759 different translations 00:24:30.759 --> 00:24:31.680 handle this differently. 00:24:31.820 --> 00:24:33.240 The NIV versus the ESV. 00:24:33.880 --> 00:24:34.799 And this passage 00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:35.600 originally is just 00:24:35.600 --> 00:24:36.460 one whole passage. 00:24:36.600 --> 00:24:37.000 It says, 00:24:37.420 --> 00:24:38.140 being thankful to God 00:24:38.140 --> 00:24:38.700 for everything 00:24:38.700 --> 00:24:39.019 in the name 00:24:39.019 --> 00:24:39.880 of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:24:40.039 --> 00:24:40.680 And then it says, 00:24:40.799 --> 00:24:41.080 comma, 00:24:41.500 --> 00:24:43.740 submitting to one another, 00:24:44.100 --> 00:24:44.320 right, 00:24:44.360 --> 00:24:45.360 out of reverence for Christ. 00:24:46.039 --> 00:24:47.840 And so it's all 00:24:47.840 --> 00:24:48.279 a continuation 00:24:48.279 --> 00:24:49.400 of the same thought. 00:24:49.519 --> 00:24:49.960 And so, 00:24:50.340 --> 00:24:51.700 so some translations 00:24:51.700 --> 00:24:52.620 separate that 00:24:52.619 --> 00:24:53.779 and some hold it together. 00:24:54.099 --> 00:24:55.079 But the point is this, 00:24:55.659 --> 00:24:56.539 one of the marks 00:24:56.539 --> 00:24:58.099 of being a spirit-filled person 00:24:58.099 --> 00:25:00.179 is the posture 00:25:00.179 --> 00:25:01.059 and the attitude 00:25:01.059 --> 00:25:02.199 of self-giving love 00:25:02.199 --> 00:25:03.079 toward other people. 00:25:04.219 --> 00:25:04.979 And I would say 00:25:04.979 --> 00:25:06.099 it's a distinct mark 00:25:06.099 --> 00:25:06.639 of the spirit 00:25:06.639 --> 00:25:07.479 to be willing 00:25:07.479 --> 00:25:08.319 to live 00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:09.519 in a posture 00:25:09.519 --> 00:25:10.419 of submission 00:25:10.419 --> 00:25:11.479 to other people. 00:25:11.559 --> 00:25:12.259 What do I mean by that? 00:25:12.299 --> 00:25:12.619 I mean, 00:25:12.859 --> 00:25:14.319 to willingly put aside 00:25:14.319 --> 00:25:15.199 your own agenda 00:25:15.200 --> 00:25:16.860 and to prioritize 00:25:16.860 --> 00:25:17.860 the well-being 00:25:17.860 --> 00:25:18.799 of that person 00:25:18.799 --> 00:25:20.600 even at your own expense. 00:25:22.200 --> 00:25:23.180 Because our culture 00:25:23.180 --> 00:25:24.080 tends to value 00:25:24.080 --> 00:25:24.759 the opposite. 00:25:24.940 --> 00:25:25.940 We value independence 00:25:25.940 --> 00:25:26.740 and autonomy 00:25:26.740 --> 00:25:28.180 and competence 00:25:28.180 --> 00:25:29.360 and ambition 00:25:29.360 --> 00:25:30.200 and success 00:25:30.200 --> 00:25:31.019 and strength 00:25:31.019 --> 00:25:31.960 and self-promotion. 00:25:32.240 --> 00:25:33.080 We learn how to do it 00:25:33.080 --> 00:25:33.580 in ways that aren't 00:25:33.580 --> 00:25:34.299 so obvious. 00:25:34.500 --> 00:25:35.360 We don't just brag. 00:25:35.440 --> 00:25:36.160 We humble brag, 00:25:36.259 --> 00:25:36.500 you know. 00:25:36.640 --> 00:25:37.680 We know how to do it. 00:25:37.740 --> 00:25:38.700 We know how to kind of like, 00:25:38.920 --> 00:25:40.299 but really what we value 00:25:40.299 --> 00:25:41.180 is that. 00:25:41.180 --> 00:25:42.640 And what this is saying 00:25:42.640 --> 00:25:43.900 is that spirit-filled Christians 00:25:43.900 --> 00:25:45.920 reflect a different influence. 00:25:47.840 --> 00:25:48.880 And we reflect 00:25:48.880 --> 00:25:49.680 the heart of Christ. 00:25:52.440 --> 00:25:53.180 You know, 00:25:53.259 --> 00:25:54.420 as Paul says 00:25:54.420 --> 00:25:55.120 in Philippians, 00:25:55.279 --> 00:25:56.380 Jesus didn't grasp 00:25:56.380 --> 00:25:57.200 after glory. 00:25:58.160 --> 00:25:59.680 He wasn't self-promotional. 00:26:00.640 --> 00:26:02.299 He had 00:26:02.299 --> 00:26:04.259 greater glory, 00:26:05.200 --> 00:26:05.900 greater esteem 00:26:05.900 --> 00:26:06.480 than any of us 00:26:06.480 --> 00:26:07.620 could possibly imagine. 00:26:07.779 --> 00:26:08.440 He was willing 00:26:08.440 --> 00:26:09.740 to empty himself 00:26:09.740 --> 00:26:10.180 of that. 00:26:12.180 --> 00:26:13.180 To let it go 00:26:13.180 --> 00:26:14.980 and to become 00:26:14.980 --> 00:26:16.160 a way of saying 00:26:16.160 --> 00:26:16.480 it would be 00:26:16.480 --> 00:26:17.500 the ultimate servant 00:26:17.500 --> 00:26:18.240 of humanity. 00:26:20.680 --> 00:26:21.460 Willing to give 00:26:21.460 --> 00:26:22.220 his own life, 00:26:22.799 --> 00:26:24.420 to be humiliated, 00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:25.120 to suffer, 00:26:25.200 --> 00:26:25.820 and to die 00:26:25.820 --> 00:26:27.519 on the cross 00:26:27.519 --> 00:26:29.620 to set human beings free. 00:26:30.220 --> 00:26:31.039 And so Paul is saying 00:26:31.039 --> 00:26:32.259 spirit-filled Christians 00:26:32.259 --> 00:26:33.380 reflect that heart 00:26:33.380 --> 00:26:35.140 in all of their, 00:26:35.380 --> 00:26:36.799 it just radiates out 00:26:36.799 --> 00:26:39.160 in all of our relationships. 00:26:39.160 --> 00:26:39.279 relationships. 00:26:40.759 --> 00:26:42.120 And as a final note, 00:26:42.259 --> 00:26:42.540 friends, 00:26:43.300 --> 00:26:45.200 this is not an exhaustive list 00:26:45.200 --> 00:26:45.860 of what it means 00:26:45.860 --> 00:26:46.380 to be filled 00:26:46.380 --> 00:26:47.180 with the Holy Spirit. 00:26:47.620 --> 00:26:49.140 Paul is such a wonderful 00:26:49.140 --> 00:26:50.500 theologian of the Holy Spirit. 00:26:51.220 --> 00:26:52.360 He is thoroughly charismatic. 00:26:52.900 --> 00:26:54.019 And he writes about this 00:26:54.019 --> 00:26:55.400 in Ephesians and Galatians 00:26:55.400 --> 00:26:56.580 and 1 Corinthians and Romans. 00:26:56.740 --> 00:26:58.160 He describes the impact 00:26:58.160 --> 00:26:59.320 of this on our character 00:26:59.320 --> 00:27:00.220 in Galatians 5, 00:27:00.320 --> 00:27:01.440 the fruits of the Spirit. 00:27:02.540 --> 00:27:04.900 In Ephesians and 1 Corinthians 00:27:04.900 --> 00:27:05.420 and Romans, 00:27:05.560 --> 00:27:06.420 he talks about 00:27:06.420 --> 00:27:07.400 the spiritual gifts, 00:27:07.539 --> 00:27:08.500 all the ways God works 00:27:08.500 --> 00:27:09.820 through us 00:27:09.820 --> 00:27:11.180 in the life 00:27:11.180 --> 00:27:12.300 of the church. 00:27:13.039 --> 00:27:14.039 But all of this 00:27:14.039 --> 00:27:15.620 comes from the same place, 00:27:16.120 --> 00:27:16.940 from Christians 00:27:16.940 --> 00:27:18.160 who are fully alive, 00:27:18.560 --> 00:27:19.420 fully awake, 00:27:19.700 --> 00:27:20.200 and filled 00:27:20.200 --> 00:27:21.039 with the life of God. 00:27:21.880 --> 00:27:23.039 And that's the aim. 00:27:23.900 --> 00:27:25.039 So I just want to spend 00:27:25.039 --> 00:27:26.900 a little of our remaining time 00:27:26.900 --> 00:27:29.640 asking what this means for us. 00:27:30.860 --> 00:27:31.900 Because as we said 00:27:31.900 --> 00:27:32.300 at the beginning, 00:27:32.420 --> 00:27:33.539 the Christian life 00:27:33.539 --> 00:27:34.580 is more than just 00:27:34.579 --> 00:27:35.460 a set of beliefs 00:27:35.460 --> 00:27:37.079 and practices. 00:27:39.399 --> 00:27:40.819 It is sharing 00:27:40.819 --> 00:27:41.699 in the life of God. 00:27:43.740 --> 00:27:45.339 And what we see here, 00:27:45.399 --> 00:27:45.799 I hope, 00:27:45.859 --> 00:27:47.119 is that the Holy Spirit 00:27:47.119 --> 00:27:47.960 is at work 00:27:47.960 --> 00:27:50.119 in every single one of us 00:27:50.119 --> 00:27:52.199 every step of the way. 00:27:52.699 --> 00:27:53.740 The Holy Spirit 00:27:53.740 --> 00:27:54.399 is at work 00:27:54.399 --> 00:27:56.679 every step of the way. 00:27:57.740 --> 00:27:59.720 So living by the Spirit, 00:28:00.699 --> 00:28:00.919 right, 00:28:00.960 --> 00:28:01.259 if you're going to be 00:28:01.259 --> 00:28:01.980 part of this community, 00:28:02.039 --> 00:28:02.319 we ask, 00:28:02.399 --> 00:28:02.819 what does it mean 00:28:02.819 --> 00:28:03.559 that we care about this, 00:28:03.559 --> 00:28:04.919 that we live by the Spirit? 00:28:04.980 --> 00:28:05.859 It means a couple of things. 00:28:05.960 --> 00:28:06.139 One, 00:28:06.480 --> 00:28:07.960 it means that we depend 00:28:07.960 --> 00:28:09.279 on the Spirit 00:28:09.279 --> 00:28:10.740 for our life 00:28:10.740 --> 00:28:12.019 and growth. 00:28:12.159 --> 00:28:13.039 There's this great place 00:28:13.039 --> 00:28:13.839 in Galatians 3 00:28:13.839 --> 00:28:14.460 where Paul says, 00:28:14.539 --> 00:28:14.700 listen, 00:28:14.980 --> 00:28:16.940 did you come to your faith 00:28:16.940 --> 00:28:17.720 by the law 00:28:17.720 --> 00:28:19.079 or by the Spirit? 00:28:19.440 --> 00:28:20.339 And so then he goes on 00:28:20.339 --> 00:28:20.779 to ask them, 00:28:20.859 --> 00:28:22.000 then why are you continuing 00:28:22.000 --> 00:28:23.059 to believe 00:28:23.059 --> 00:28:23.819 that your growth 00:28:23.819 --> 00:28:24.779 and your sanctification 00:28:24.779 --> 00:28:26.079 is entirely dependent 00:28:26.079 --> 00:28:26.899 on words? 00:28:26.940 --> 00:28:27.500 It's not. 00:28:27.700 --> 00:28:28.440 You need the work 00:28:28.440 --> 00:28:29.139 of the Spirit, 00:28:29.339 --> 00:28:29.579 right? 00:28:30.899 --> 00:28:31.940 It's the same for us. 00:28:33.559 --> 00:28:35.179 So this is not just 00:28:35.179 --> 00:28:36.539 about swapping out 00:28:36.539 --> 00:28:37.720 one way of living 00:28:37.720 --> 00:28:38.319 for another. 00:28:38.480 --> 00:28:39.059 It's not just 00:28:39.059 --> 00:28:40.279 behavior modification. 00:28:42.139 --> 00:28:43.139 We should come 00:28:43.139 --> 00:28:44.740 expecting to encounter 00:28:44.740 --> 00:28:46.500 the Spirit here 00:28:46.500 --> 00:28:48.259 through the worship, 00:28:49.059 --> 00:28:50.500 through the prayers, 00:28:50.859 --> 00:28:51.559 through the preaching 00:28:51.559 --> 00:28:52.399 of God's Word, 00:28:52.759 --> 00:28:53.779 through the sacraments. 00:28:53.879 --> 00:28:54.899 When we come to the table, 00:28:55.019 --> 00:28:56.399 we should be sufficiently aware 00:28:56.399 --> 00:28:57.539 of what we are about 00:28:57.539 --> 00:28:58.240 to receive. 00:28:58.240 --> 00:29:00.900 We should come 00:29:00.900 --> 00:29:03.019 with that expectancy. 00:29:04.640 --> 00:29:05.500 And the second thing 00:29:05.500 --> 00:29:05.839 it means, 00:29:05.940 --> 00:29:07.000 if it means depending 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:07.500 on the Spirit 00:29:07.500 --> 00:29:08.339 for all of our life 00:29:08.339 --> 00:29:08.700 and growth, 00:29:08.900 --> 00:29:09.720 the second thing 00:29:09.720 --> 00:29:10.380 it means is this. 00:29:10.839 --> 00:29:11.660 Living in the Spirit, 00:29:11.779 --> 00:29:12.500 living by the Spirit 00:29:12.500 --> 00:29:13.880 means that we encourage 00:29:13.880 --> 00:29:15.240 the work of the Spirit. 00:29:15.960 --> 00:29:16.859 We encourage 00:29:16.859 --> 00:29:18.480 that each person 00:29:18.480 --> 00:29:20.700 to take that next step 00:29:20.700 --> 00:29:22.660 no matter where you are 00:29:22.660 --> 00:29:23.359 on the journey. 00:29:23.680 --> 00:29:24.500 It's a community 00:29:24.500 --> 00:29:24.740 that says, 00:29:24.859 --> 00:29:26.400 my job in your life 00:29:26.400 --> 00:29:27.519 and your job in my life 00:29:27.519 --> 00:29:28.800 is to help you figure out 00:29:28.800 --> 00:29:29.420 where you are 00:29:29.420 --> 00:29:30.259 in the life of the Spirit 00:29:30.259 --> 00:29:31.740 and what does that next step 00:29:31.740 --> 00:29:32.240 look like? 00:29:33.120 --> 00:29:33.259 Right? 00:29:33.340 --> 00:29:34.280 So some of us 00:29:34.280 --> 00:29:35.900 may still be asleep 00:29:35.900 --> 00:29:39.240 and that's totally fine. 00:29:40.440 --> 00:29:41.440 We're just delighted 00:29:41.440 --> 00:29:42.100 that you're here. 00:29:44.280 --> 00:29:45.200 No one's going to try 00:29:45.200 --> 00:29:45.700 to force you 00:29:45.700 --> 00:29:46.660 to believe anything 00:29:46.660 --> 00:29:47.519 or change anything 00:29:47.519 --> 00:29:48.140 about your life. 00:29:49.700 --> 00:29:50.540 I'm just delighted 00:29:50.540 --> 00:29:51.140 that you're here. 00:29:52.960 --> 00:29:53.740 Whatever change 00:29:53.740 --> 00:29:54.280 is going to happen 00:29:54.280 --> 00:29:54.740 in you, 00:29:54.740 --> 00:29:56.799 it's going to have 00:29:56.799 --> 00:29:57.240 to come through 00:29:57.240 --> 00:29:58.220 the work of the Holy Spirit 00:29:58.220 --> 00:29:58.880 in your life. 00:30:00.380 --> 00:30:01.539 So our role 00:30:01.539 --> 00:30:02.380 is just to make you 00:30:02.380 --> 00:30:02.859 feel welcome. 00:30:03.640 --> 00:30:04.519 It's just to make sure 00:30:04.519 --> 00:30:05.720 you know what's going on. 00:30:06.519 --> 00:30:07.440 It's just to help you 00:30:07.440 --> 00:30:08.099 meet people 00:30:08.099 --> 00:30:09.380 who want to be your friend 00:30:09.380 --> 00:30:11.099 and we're going 00:30:11.099 --> 00:30:11.779 to be praying for you 00:30:11.779 --> 00:30:12.579 and if you want us 00:30:12.579 --> 00:30:13.279 to pray with you 00:30:13.279 --> 00:30:14.440 we would love to do that 00:30:14.440 --> 00:30:15.660 but you don't have, 00:30:15.740 --> 00:30:17.019 there's nothing required. 00:30:17.240 --> 00:30:17.980 You're just welcome 00:30:17.980 --> 00:30:18.500 to be here. 00:30:20.319 --> 00:30:21.099 Some of us 00:30:21.099 --> 00:30:21.599 and I know 00:30:21.599 --> 00:30:22.140 because we've had 00:30:22.140 --> 00:30:22.819 these conversations 00:30:22.819 --> 00:30:23.880 actually in the last few weeks 00:30:23.880 --> 00:30:24.520 some of us, 00:30:25.280 --> 00:30:26.460 you're just starting 00:30:26.460 --> 00:30:27.020 to wake up 00:30:27.020 --> 00:30:27.880 and I think that's 00:30:27.880 --> 00:30:28.780 tremendously exciting. 00:30:29.700 --> 00:30:30.740 You're just starting 00:30:30.740 --> 00:30:31.240 to be open 00:30:31.240 --> 00:30:32.060 to the possibility 00:30:32.060 --> 00:30:32.660 of God 00:30:32.660 --> 00:30:34.100 and there's a longing 00:30:34.100 --> 00:30:34.480 in you 00:30:34.480 --> 00:30:36.040 that you can't quite place 00:30:36.040 --> 00:30:37.780 and what you need 00:30:37.780 --> 00:30:38.520 is slightly different. 00:30:38.720 --> 00:30:39.600 You need a place 00:30:39.600 --> 00:30:41.120 where you can ask questions 00:30:41.120 --> 00:30:42.280 and never have to worry 00:30:42.280 --> 00:30:44.340 about being made fun of 00:30:44.340 --> 00:30:44.920 or judged. 00:30:46.320 --> 00:30:47.280 You need a place 00:30:47.280 --> 00:30:48.700 where you're allowed 00:30:48.700 --> 00:30:50.280 to just sort of explore 00:30:50.279 --> 00:30:52.859 and you do frankly 00:30:52.859 --> 00:30:53.940 it would be great 00:30:53.940 --> 00:30:54.700 for you to have people 00:30:54.700 --> 00:30:55.180 in your life 00:30:55.180 --> 00:30:56.259 who can help you understand 00:30:56.259 --> 00:30:57.119 some of the words 00:30:57.119 --> 00:30:57.599 we use 00:30:57.599 --> 00:30:58.440 like gospel 00:30:58.440 --> 00:31:00.519 or how to read 00:31:00.519 --> 00:31:01.759 and understand the Bible 00:31:01.759 --> 00:31:03.519 or you know 00:31:03.519 --> 00:31:04.639 why are we wearing 00:31:04.639 --> 00:31:05.740 these robes 00:31:05.740 --> 00:31:06.759 or any of the other things 00:31:06.759 --> 00:31:07.859 that might be confusing. 00:31:08.779 --> 00:31:09.539 You just need people 00:31:09.539 --> 00:31:10.139 to help you understand 00:31:10.139 --> 00:31:10.799 that we would love 00:31:10.799 --> 00:31:11.180 to do that. 00:31:11.259 --> 00:31:11.680 Tons of people 00:31:11.680 --> 00:31:12.039 in this church 00:31:12.039 --> 00:31:13.220 we have core groups 00:31:13.220 --> 00:31:14.200 that are for that. 00:31:14.279 --> 00:31:14.819 We have classes 00:31:14.819 --> 00:31:15.799 that happen at 9 o'clock 00:31:15.799 --> 00:31:16.240 in the morning 00:31:16.240 --> 00:31:17.240 that are for that. 00:31:17.240 --> 00:31:17.940 We're going to be 00:31:17.940 --> 00:31:19.259 offering the Alpha Course 00:31:19.259 --> 00:31:19.799 next year 00:31:19.799 --> 00:31:20.579 which is an introduction 00:31:20.579 --> 00:31:21.180 to Christianity 00:31:21.180 --> 00:31:22.339 that's exactly who it's for. 00:31:23.740 --> 00:31:24.500 So some of you 00:31:24.500 --> 00:31:25.420 are just starting to wake up. 00:31:25.700 --> 00:31:26.960 Some of us are awake 00:31:26.960 --> 00:31:29.819 but we keep hitting 00:31:29.819 --> 00:31:30.480 the snooze button. 00:31:32.200 --> 00:31:32.339 Right? 00:31:32.440 --> 00:31:32.940 You keep hitting 00:31:32.940 --> 00:31:33.920 five more minutes 00:31:33.920 --> 00:31:35.140 five more minutes 00:31:35.140 --> 00:31:35.500 you know 00:31:35.500 --> 00:31:37.680 I'll get serious 00:31:37.680 --> 00:31:38.779 about following Jesus 00:31:38.779 --> 00:31:40.000 you know 00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:41.759 next month 00:31:41.759 --> 00:31:42.700 you know 00:31:42.700 --> 00:31:44.960 I know I should be 00:31:44.960 --> 00:31:45.620 more generous 00:31:45.619 --> 00:31:47.619 and I'm hoping 00:31:47.619 --> 00:31:48.039 that when I get 00:31:48.039 --> 00:31:48.479 to this place 00:31:48.479 --> 00:31:48.959 in my career 00:31:48.959 --> 00:31:49.419 I'll be able 00:31:49.419 --> 00:31:49.899 to do that. 00:31:50.939 --> 00:31:51.159 You know 00:31:51.159 --> 00:31:52.319 I know I need to 00:31:52.319 --> 00:31:53.019 I know I need to 00:31:53.019 --> 00:31:54.139 apologize to that person 00:31:54.139 --> 00:31:55.059 but I'm just not ready 00:31:55.059 --> 00:31:56.419 to have that conversation yet. 00:31:56.599 --> 00:31:56.719 You know 00:31:56.719 --> 00:31:57.519 whatever it may be 00:31:57.519 --> 00:31:58.239 you're hitting 00:31:58.239 --> 00:31:58.859 the snooze button 00:31:58.859 --> 00:31:59.359 on Jesus 00:31:59.359 --> 00:32:00.899 and so you believe 00:32:00.899 --> 00:32:01.619 but you keep getting 00:32:01.619 --> 00:32:02.559 lulled back into living 00:32:02.559 --> 00:32:03.719 as though he doesn't exist. 00:32:04.859 --> 00:32:05.259 And listen 00:32:05.259 --> 00:32:06.259 we've all been there 00:32:06.259 --> 00:32:06.879 I've been there 00:32:06.879 --> 00:32:07.639 many times 00:32:07.639 --> 00:32:09.399 but you need something 00:32:09.399 --> 00:32:10.019 slightly different 00:32:10.019 --> 00:32:10.739 in your life. 00:32:11.479 --> 00:32:12.339 You need accountability. 00:32:13.699 --> 00:32:14.579 You need people 00:32:14.579 --> 00:32:15.179 you trust. 00:32:16.079 --> 00:32:16.559 Asking 00:32:16.559 --> 00:32:17.759 where in your life 00:32:17.759 --> 00:32:19.459 might you be refusing 00:32:19.459 --> 00:32:20.619 to follow Jesus? 00:32:22.079 --> 00:32:22.899 Where are the parts 00:32:22.899 --> 00:32:23.319 of your life 00:32:23.319 --> 00:32:23.699 where you're still 00:32:23.699 --> 00:32:24.439 saying to God 00:32:24.439 --> 00:32:25.179 that's mine 00:32:25.179 --> 00:32:26.099 you can't have that 00:32:26.099 --> 00:32:27.079 you can't touch that. 00:32:27.839 --> 00:32:28.139 And 00:32:28.139 --> 00:32:30.039 you need those people 00:32:30.039 --> 00:32:30.679 encouraging you 00:32:30.679 --> 00:32:31.059 to make 00:32:31.059 --> 00:32:32.500 Christ your highest 00:32:32.500 --> 00:32:33.339 priority in life. 00:32:35.059 --> 00:32:36.159 And then some of us 00:32:36.159 --> 00:32:37.159 are fully awake. 00:32:39.279 --> 00:32:39.719 Right? 00:32:39.779 --> 00:32:40.500 Because here's the thing 00:32:40.500 --> 00:32:41.379 if you have active 00:32:41.379 --> 00:32:42.079 disobedience 00:32:42.079 --> 00:32:42.819 in your life 00:32:42.819 --> 00:32:46.200 that has to get 00:32:46.200 --> 00:32:46.779 sorted out 00:32:46.779 --> 00:32:48.599 if you want to have 00:32:48.599 --> 00:32:49.500 the ability 00:32:49.500 --> 00:32:50.339 to experience 00:32:50.339 --> 00:32:50.960 the fullness 00:32:50.960 --> 00:32:51.899 in the life of God. 00:32:51.980 --> 00:32:52.519 If there are areas 00:32:52.519 --> 00:32:52.839 in your life 00:32:52.839 --> 00:32:53.439 where you're actively 00:32:53.439 --> 00:32:54.419 rebelling against him 00:32:54.419 --> 00:32:56.099 then that needs to be 00:32:56.099 --> 00:32:56.899 your highest priority. 00:32:58.099 --> 00:32:58.720 But then there are 00:32:58.720 --> 00:32:59.179 some of us 00:32:59.179 --> 00:33:00.139 who are fully awake 00:33:00.139 --> 00:33:01.079 and we are hungry 00:33:01.079 --> 00:33:01.639 for more. 00:33:02.700 --> 00:33:03.980 And we have a posture 00:33:03.980 --> 00:33:04.599 of repentance 00:33:04.599 --> 00:33:06.099 we're doing everything 00:33:06.099 --> 00:33:06.720 that we can do 00:33:06.720 --> 00:33:07.220 to surrender 00:33:07.220 --> 00:33:07.960 all of ourselves 00:33:07.960 --> 00:33:08.480 to God 00:33:08.480 --> 00:33:09.240 and we just want 00:33:09.240 --> 00:33:10.000 more of him. 00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:11.339 And what you need 00:33:11.339 --> 00:33:12.400 you need spirit filled 00:33:12.400 --> 00:33:12.740 worship. 00:33:13.059 --> 00:33:13.720 You need people 00:33:13.720 --> 00:33:14.740 praying for you 00:33:14.740 --> 00:33:15.480 and with you. 00:33:16.160 --> 00:33:17.200 You need to know 00:33:17.200 --> 00:33:17.900 and be using 00:33:17.900 --> 00:33:18.859 your spiritual gifts. 00:33:20.119 --> 00:33:21.200 You need the Holy Spirit 00:33:21.200 --> 00:33:22.319 to continue to transform 00:33:22.319 --> 00:33:23.059 your character 00:33:23.059 --> 00:33:24.420 and your relationships. 00:33:26.599 --> 00:33:27.339 So you need 00:33:27.339 --> 00:33:28.240 a community around you 00:33:28.240 --> 00:33:28.559 that's going to 00:33:28.559 --> 00:33:29.660 encourage that in you. 00:33:30.619 --> 00:33:31.259 So I would just 00:33:31.259 --> 00:33:31.960 leave you with this 00:33:31.960 --> 00:33:33.140 question for reflection. 00:33:34.180 --> 00:33:35.500 Where are you 00:33:35.500 --> 00:33:36.240 right now? 00:33:36.519 --> 00:33:37.460 Does one of these 00:33:37.460 --> 00:33:38.740 categories seem to fit you 00:33:38.740 --> 00:33:39.680 or are you somewhere 00:33:39.680 --> 00:33:40.380 in between? 00:33:43.200 --> 00:33:44.120 Where are you? 00:33:44.259 --> 00:33:45.240 Where is the spirit 00:33:45.240 --> 00:33:46.319 at work in your life? 00:33:46.400 --> 00:33:46.960 And what would it 00:33:46.960 --> 00:33:48.200 look like for you 00:33:48.200 --> 00:33:49.700 to take that next step? 00:33:51.599 --> 00:33:52.559 And how can this 00:33:52.559 --> 00:33:53.599 community help you 00:33:53.599 --> 00:33:53.980 do that? 00:33:55.519 --> 00:33:56.440 That's what it means 00:33:56.440 --> 00:33:57.140 to be a church 00:33:57.140 --> 00:33:58.240 that lives by the spirit. 00:33:59.220 --> 00:33:59.859 Let's pray. 00:34:04.380 --> 00:34:05.259 Lord, apart from 00:34:05.259 --> 00:34:05.779 your spirit 00:34:05.779 --> 00:34:06.799 these are just words 00:34:06.799 --> 00:34:07.440 and ideas. 00:34:07.440 --> 00:34:09.679 we need this 00:34:09.679 --> 00:34:10.480 to become flesh 00:34:10.480 --> 00:34:10.920 in us. 00:34:11.099 --> 00:34:11.860 We need your spirit 00:34:11.860 --> 00:34:13.340 to make possible 00:34:13.340 --> 00:34:14.340 what is not possible 00:34:14.340 --> 00:34:15.940 in human wisdom 00:34:15.940 --> 00:34:16.340 and effort. 00:34:17.380 --> 00:34:18.360 Lord, but we know 00:34:18.360 --> 00:34:19.760 this, that we are 00:34:19.760 --> 00:34:20.440 created, 00:34:20.860 --> 00:34:21.599 we are here 00:34:21.599 --> 00:34:22.720 to experience 00:34:22.720 --> 00:34:23.280 your life 00:34:23.280 --> 00:34:24.880 and to share in it. 00:34:25.119 --> 00:34:25.820 And so we pray 00:34:25.820 --> 00:34:26.240 that Lord, 00:34:26.320 --> 00:34:27.099 even as we gather 00:34:27.099 --> 00:34:28.240 in confession 00:34:28.240 --> 00:34:29.559 and in prayer 00:34:29.559 --> 00:34:31.000 and around your table, 00:34:31.720 --> 00:34:32.440 Lord, that we would 00:34:32.440 --> 00:34:34.139 have that sense 00:34:34.139 --> 00:34:35.300 that we would know 00:34:35.300 --> 00:34:36.119 that you're with us, 00:34:36.119 --> 00:34:37.019 that we would know 00:34:37.019 --> 00:34:37.839 that you love us, 00:34:38.440 --> 00:34:38.739 that we would be 00:34:38.739 --> 00:34:39.579 filled with your life. 00:34:40.279 --> 00:34:41.179 It's in Jesus' name 00:34:41.179 --> 00:34:41.679 that we pray. 00:34:41.859 --> 00:34:42.119 Amen. 00:34:42.119 --> 00:34:42.219 Amen. 00:34:42.219 --> 00:34:42.339 Amen. 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:42.339 00:34:42.340 --> 00:35:12.320 Thank you.