WEBVTT 00:00:00.600 --> 00:00:08.660 Heavenly Father, we have come from all different parts of the city and we have had all sorts of different types of weeks. 00:00:09.599 --> 00:00:16.600 Some of us have had really crummy weeks, others have had really good weeks. 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:23.019 Some of us are dealing with some tough stuff, others are just kind of flying high. 00:00:23.719 --> 00:00:35.799 Lord, wherever we may be, Lord, I pray that you will come and by your word, by your Holy Spirit, minister to us in the place that we need your correction and your encouragement and your great love. 00:00:36.140 --> 00:00:38.179 We pray all these things in Christ's name. Amen. 00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:39.780 Please be seated. 00:00:39.780 --> 00:00:39.880 Good. 00:00:44.200 --> 00:00:59.040 Obviously, we live in a celebrity culture and a part of a celebrity culture is that we look to celebrities as almost transcendent types of people. 00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:01.000 They're not like you and I. 00:01:02.260 --> 00:01:07.740 They're somehow on like a plateau, a next level of existence. 00:01:07.739 --> 00:01:11.979 And yet, we want to come near to them. 00:01:12.060 --> 00:01:14.039 We want to connect with them. 00:01:14.119 --> 00:01:16.019 We want them to be intimate with us. 00:01:16.099 --> 00:01:17.659 We want to be friends with them. 00:01:18.259 --> 00:01:19.739 At least some of us might. 00:01:20.280 --> 00:01:21.659 You might be too shy. 00:01:21.759 --> 00:01:22.659 That's totally fine. 00:01:22.959 --> 00:01:23.759 A couple of stories. 00:01:24.039 --> 00:01:26.399 When I was 11, I don't exactly know. 00:01:26.479 --> 00:01:27.079 We were in Toronto. 00:01:27.239 --> 00:01:31.140 We were at some kind of, I think it was like a car show or something. 00:01:31.560 --> 00:01:32.899 Anyways, Daryl Sittler was there. 00:01:33.199 --> 00:01:34.060 I was 11 years old. 00:01:34.119 --> 00:01:35.539 I had no idea who Daryl Sittler was. 00:01:35.540 --> 00:01:37.520 There was a famous guy giving autographs. 00:01:37.600 --> 00:01:38.680 So, I went up to him. 00:01:38.820 --> 00:01:40.360 I had no idea who he was. 00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:48.900 And I don't know if this is like revisionist history, but I remember him kind of making fun of me that I didn't know who he was. 00:01:50.400 --> 00:01:51.020 I don't know. 00:01:51.080 --> 00:01:53.820 I was, you'll have to forgive me. 00:01:53.860 --> 00:01:58.280 It's like a generation removed if you're like a diehard Leafs fan saying this I know in Ottawa. 00:01:58.280 --> 00:02:02.560 But, I mean, that's well before my time, Daryl Sittler was. 00:02:03.159 --> 00:02:08.420 Anyways, it was just interesting that, at least in my memory, I could be totally wrong. 00:02:09.460 --> 00:02:10.840 But, I'm pretty sure I'm right. 00:02:11.180 --> 00:02:14.500 Daryl Sittler treated me with contempt because I had no idea who he was. 00:02:15.180 --> 00:02:16.900 Another story, a bit more positive. 00:02:17.080 --> 00:02:19.599 I was helping out at a summer camp. 00:02:19.599 --> 00:02:21.659 I was volunteering for Youth Week. 00:02:22.159 --> 00:02:27.039 And out of nowhere, again, Toronto area, Tony Fernandez visited. 00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:33.579 I don't know if any of you Blue Jays fans, yeah, if you know who Tony Fernandez was, but he's a World Series champion. 00:02:34.039 --> 00:02:38.400 And when I was a kid, I mean, I, the Blue Jays, they were everything. 00:02:38.840 --> 00:02:40.340 And I recognized who he was. 00:02:40.539 --> 00:02:43.000 And I was a bit like, whoa, that's Tony Fernandez. 00:02:43.099 --> 00:02:44.039 And he was really nice. 00:02:44.099 --> 00:02:45.359 It was just really interesting. 00:02:45.519 --> 00:02:46.680 I was like, oh, he's just a regular guy. 00:02:46.680 --> 00:02:57.599 Anyways, I bring up those stories just to say how it seems like one of the reasons why we're so maybe given to celebrity culture 00:02:57.599 --> 00:03:01.040 is because we want to touch something that's beyond or greater than us 00:03:01.040 --> 00:03:06.700 and have some kind of intimate interaction with this transcendent figure. 00:03:07.500 --> 00:03:13.879 This morning, we're actually going to be wrapping up our summer series on the attributes of God or knowing God. 00:03:13.879 --> 00:03:21.859 And this morning, we're going to be talking about God's divine transcendence and imminence. 00:03:22.799 --> 00:03:24.719 We'll unpack that if you're like, what? 00:03:25.460 --> 00:03:32.159 But yeah, that's what we're going to be looking at, this idea that God is both transcendent, exalted, 00:03:32.800 --> 00:03:37.060 but also imminent, close to us. 00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:41.319 There's this intimacy involved with God. 00:03:41.319 --> 00:03:43.900 So let's just jump right into it. 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:45.319 This idea of divine transcendence. 00:03:46.219 --> 00:03:49.319 What do we mean by God being transcendent? 00:03:50.479 --> 00:03:54.939 The term is actually not a biblical term, but it's more or less like an umbrella term 00:03:54.939 --> 00:04:00.519 that kind of captures who God is in terms of his exaltedness, 00:04:00.759 --> 00:04:04.799 that he is high and above all of creation. 00:04:04.800 --> 00:04:08.620 In fact, it, in a way, describes him as creator. 00:04:10.360 --> 00:04:14.820 That God is Lord of all, that there's nobody who comes close to God. 00:04:14.880 --> 00:04:18.580 He has complete authority, complete control over everything. 00:04:19.139 --> 00:04:27.160 And just to be clear, it's not as if we're talking about God being on a spectrum of transcendence, 00:04:27.160 --> 00:04:33.140 where he's at kind of the very end and we're maybe somehow, you know, on the spectrum, 00:04:33.260 --> 00:04:37.700 but like farther down this, on this side of the spectrum. 00:04:37.700 --> 00:04:41.180 Like we can somehow compare God's transcendence with us. 00:04:41.300 --> 00:04:42.320 It's not like that at all. 00:04:42.380 --> 00:04:49.360 Actually, God, he is, we can't understand his transcendence on a spectrum even akin to us. 00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:54.879 That would somehow imply that God is subject to the same things we're subject to. 00:04:55.020 --> 00:04:56.060 We can't think of it that way. 00:04:56.460 --> 00:04:58.819 God is completely other than us. 00:05:00.020 --> 00:05:03.980 Separate, distinct in everything. 00:05:05.639 --> 00:05:08.920 He is completely different than us. 00:05:09.759 --> 00:05:11.939 If you have a Bible, you can follow along. 00:05:12.020 --> 00:05:16.040 I'll kind of go through some of these texts a bit quickly. 00:05:16.040 --> 00:05:23.220 But here's just a small sample size of something that the Bible talks about profusely, 00:05:23.319 --> 00:05:25.040 about God's transcendence. 00:05:25.700 --> 00:05:27.760 Psalm 57 verse 5 says this, 00:05:28.960 --> 00:05:30.960 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. 00:05:31.520 --> 00:05:33.680 Let your glory be over all the earth. 00:05:34.379 --> 00:05:35.740 Psalm 97, 9. 00:05:36.080 --> 00:05:39.020 For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth. 00:05:39.100 --> 00:05:41.939 You are exalted far above all gods. 00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:45.300 From Deuteronomy 4, 39, it says, 00:05:45.300 --> 00:05:53.520 Know therefore today and lay it to your heart that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath. 00:05:53.900 --> 00:05:55.319 There is no other. 00:05:56.960 --> 00:06:00.259 And then what Shane read, Isaiah 55, 8 and 9. 00:06:01.379 --> 00:06:05.400 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declare the Lord. 00:06:06.100 --> 00:06:10.540 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, 00:06:11.060 --> 00:06:12.980 and my thoughts than your thoughts. 00:06:12.980 --> 00:06:19.500 You get a bit of a sense that God is, he is not just some kind of like superhuman celebrity. 00:06:20.020 --> 00:06:22.960 He is completely other than who we are. 00:06:23.740 --> 00:06:27.379 He is completely separate from his creation. 00:06:27.379 --> 00:06:37.659 That although we can comprehend God, we can never exhaustively comprehend him, ever, for all of eternity. 00:06:38.079 --> 00:06:43.519 This describes God's authority, his dignity, his control over everything. 00:06:43.899 --> 00:06:46.759 And although we have dignity and control and authority, 00:06:47.279 --> 00:06:52.620 it can't even be compared to who God is. 00:06:52.620 --> 00:06:57.620 So it raises an interesting question, because if God is so transcendent, 00:06:57.780 --> 00:07:01.240 as we have seen in the scriptures here, 00:07:01.879 --> 00:07:04.340 really, how can we know him? 00:07:04.819 --> 00:07:07.060 How can we come to know this transcendent God? 00:07:07.780 --> 00:07:11.060 I mean, can we even trust the scriptures to describe who God is? 00:07:11.139 --> 00:07:12.579 Because, I mean, this is just language. 00:07:12.579 --> 00:07:17.740 If God transcends everything, can we truly come to know him? 00:07:17.879 --> 00:07:19.159 And the simple answer is yes. 00:07:20.339 --> 00:07:26.899 And really, it's because God has chosen to reveal himself to us. 00:07:28.120 --> 00:07:30.439 And he does this primarily in two ways. 00:07:31.819 --> 00:07:34.839 The first is a natural revelation. 00:07:35.519 --> 00:07:37.839 That God has revealed himself in his creation. 00:07:37.839 --> 00:07:41.479 We look at creation, and what do we see? 00:07:41.579 --> 00:07:43.739 We see that it is orderly. 00:07:44.139 --> 00:07:44.439 Why? 00:07:44.939 --> 00:07:46.399 Because God is orderly. 00:07:46.479 --> 00:07:48.659 We see that, hold on a second, 00:07:49.219 --> 00:07:51.919 the creation is pointing to something greater. 00:07:52.779 --> 00:07:58.120 So why some of the language around empiricism, 00:07:58.120 --> 00:08:05.239 or aspects of certain kind of scientific philosophies, 00:08:05.240 --> 00:08:08.420 that really say that what we see is what we get. 00:08:13.420 --> 00:08:14.620 Intelligent design. 00:08:15.439 --> 00:08:20.639 It fails to comprehend that all of creation 00:08:20.639 --> 00:08:24.500 has God's fingerprints all over it. 00:08:24.560 --> 00:08:27.120 So, like I mentioned before, creation is orderly. 00:08:27.220 --> 00:08:27.420 Why? 00:08:27.540 --> 00:08:29.259 Because God is an orderly God. 00:08:29.259 --> 00:08:35.919 Creation is incredibly and precisely designed 00:08:35.919 --> 00:08:40.100 because God is a perfect creator. 00:08:40.340 --> 00:08:44.019 He is intentional in everything he does. 00:08:46.080 --> 00:08:50.039 There is a rationality that we can observe 00:08:50.039 --> 00:08:52.799 because God is a rational God. 00:08:53.279 --> 00:08:55.819 This intelligent design, like I mentioned. 00:08:55.980 --> 00:08:56.159 Why? 00:08:56.279 --> 00:08:58.240 Because God is intelligent. 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:01.860 And all of a sudden, through the created order, 00:09:02.080 --> 00:09:06.620 we can see that there has to be something behind the created order, 00:09:06.779 --> 00:09:08.500 something that has created it. 00:09:08.720 --> 00:09:12.200 Romans 1, 18-22, it talks about this. 00:09:12.440 --> 00:09:12.740 It says, 00:09:13.100 --> 00:09:15.159 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven 00:09:15.159 --> 00:09:17.960 against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men 00:09:17.960 --> 00:09:20.320 who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 00:09:20.379 --> 00:09:20.899 Verse 19, 00:09:20.899 --> 00:09:23.659 For what can be known about God is plain to them 00:09:23.659 --> 00:09:25.519 because God has shown it to them 00:09:25.519 --> 00:09:27.840 for his invisible attributes, 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:31.600 namely his eternal power and divine nature, 00:09:31.600 --> 00:09:33.319 have been clearly perceived 00:09:33.319 --> 00:09:35.379 ever since the creation of the world 00:09:35.379 --> 00:09:37.559 in the things that have been made. 00:09:41.059 --> 00:09:43.240 What we see in creation 00:09:43.240 --> 00:09:46.659 proclaims that there is a creator. 00:09:46.659 --> 00:09:51.519 But that doesn't tell us the whole story. 00:09:51.779 --> 00:09:54.480 That's not God revealing everything about who he is. 00:09:54.719 --> 00:09:57.059 Because if we observe creation, 00:09:57.559 --> 00:10:02.699 we can't observe that God wants to be friends with us. 00:10:03.659 --> 00:10:05.539 We can't observe from creation 00:10:05.539 --> 00:10:08.279 that we are sinners 00:10:08.279 --> 00:10:11.079 with an inability not to sin, 00:10:11.080 --> 00:10:14.960 that we are in deep need of a savior, 00:10:15.240 --> 00:10:16.480 that God is triune, 00:10:16.600 --> 00:10:18.180 that the second member of the Trinity, 00:10:18.360 --> 00:10:19.300 God, the Son of God, 00:10:19.700 --> 00:10:20.800 has condescended, 00:10:21.220 --> 00:10:22.460 taking on human flesh 00:10:22.460 --> 00:10:24.060 to die for the sins of the world. 00:10:24.060 --> 00:10:24.540 That is, 00:10:25.980 --> 00:10:29.520 that's not what we can derive from nature. 00:10:30.400 --> 00:10:31.720 So God, what does he do? 00:10:32.020 --> 00:10:34.740 Is he gives us his special revelation. 00:10:34.980 --> 00:10:37.180 He proclaims who he is 00:10:37.180 --> 00:10:38.660 and the nature of us 00:10:38.660 --> 00:10:39.840 and our deep need for a savior. 00:10:39.840 --> 00:10:41.639 In the words of scripture, 00:10:42.139 --> 00:10:43.100 through his prophets, 00:10:44.060 --> 00:10:46.259 through the stories and events 00:10:46.259 --> 00:10:49.680 that we can read in the Old and New Testament. 00:10:50.540 --> 00:10:52.019 This is God's special revelation. 00:10:53.300 --> 00:10:55.180 And through this, we can know him. 00:10:56.639 --> 00:10:59.460 So God reveals himself primarily in two different ways. 00:10:59.759 --> 00:11:01.139 Kind of a natural revelation 00:11:01.139 --> 00:11:02.580 or a general revelation 00:11:02.580 --> 00:11:03.759 and then a special 00:11:03.759 --> 00:11:05.960 or a salvific type of revelation 00:11:05.960 --> 00:11:07.460 that we see in scripture. 00:11:07.460 --> 00:11:10.700 So all of that, 00:11:10.920 --> 00:11:12.300 all of the very things 00:11:12.300 --> 00:11:14.259 that would transcend our ability 00:11:14.259 --> 00:11:15.660 to know God, 00:11:16.200 --> 00:11:19.160 he presents it to us. 00:11:19.600 --> 00:11:20.360 And it's a gift. 00:11:20.540 --> 00:11:22.060 It really, truly is wonderful. 00:11:24.759 --> 00:11:25.680 All scripture, 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:27.759 it says in 2 Timothy chapter 3, 00:11:27.840 --> 00:11:28.980 is God breathed. 00:11:29.460 --> 00:11:30.879 It is for us, 00:11:30.920 --> 00:11:31.980 it is for our benefit 00:11:31.980 --> 00:11:32.759 to know God, 00:11:32.840 --> 00:11:33.600 to know ourselves, 00:11:33.600 --> 00:11:35.840 to find Jesus, 00:11:36.040 --> 00:11:37.019 to find salvation. 00:11:39.180 --> 00:11:41.580 So, I talked about God's transcendence 00:11:41.580 --> 00:11:46.100 and God's revealing himself to us. 00:11:46.800 --> 00:11:48.240 But what about his imminence? 00:11:48.279 --> 00:11:49.100 What does this mean? 00:11:49.899 --> 00:11:51.320 God's divine imminence 00:11:51.320 --> 00:11:53.560 refers to God's presence 00:11:53.560 --> 00:11:55.019 in time and space. 00:11:55.120 --> 00:11:56.659 He is an involved God. 00:11:57.660 --> 00:11:58.820 He is not aloof. 00:11:59.640 --> 00:12:00.300 He is not, 00:12:00.420 --> 00:12:03.040 kind of the classic illustration 00:12:03.040 --> 00:12:04.180 is the watchmaker 00:12:04.180 --> 00:12:05.840 who builds a beautiful watch, 00:12:06.560 --> 00:12:07.280 winds it up, 00:12:07.720 --> 00:12:08.220 leaves it. 00:12:08.500 --> 00:12:09.000 The watch, 00:12:09.280 --> 00:12:10.260 he has nothing to do 00:12:10.260 --> 00:12:11.000 with the watch anymore. 00:12:11.200 --> 00:12:13.420 The watch is just self-perpetuating. 00:12:14.379 --> 00:12:15.220 Not at all. 00:12:16.060 --> 00:12:18.140 God is no absentee landlord. 00:12:18.960 --> 00:12:21.879 A couple bits of scripture here 00:12:21.879 --> 00:12:23.020 that communicate this. 00:12:23.100 --> 00:12:24.520 Leviticus 26, 12, 00:12:24.600 --> 00:12:24.920 it says, 00:12:25.520 --> 00:12:25.940 and I, 00:12:26.040 --> 00:12:26.700 God speaking, 00:12:26.700 --> 00:12:28.259 and I will walk among you 00:12:28.259 --> 00:12:29.720 and will be your God 00:12:29.720 --> 00:12:31.060 and you shall be my people. 00:12:32.180 --> 00:12:33.360 Jeremiah 31, 00:12:33.780 --> 00:12:35.040 33 says, 00:12:35.180 --> 00:12:36.100 for this is the covenant 00:12:36.100 --> 00:12:37.160 that I will make 00:12:37.160 --> 00:12:38.220 with the house of Israel 00:12:38.220 --> 00:12:39.160 after those days, 00:12:39.259 --> 00:12:39.900 declares the Lord. 00:12:40.320 --> 00:12:41.920 I will put my law within them 00:12:41.920 --> 00:12:43.500 and I will write it on their hearts 00:12:43.500 --> 00:12:44.860 and I will be their God 00:12:44.860 --> 00:12:46.720 and they shall be my people. 00:12:47.900 --> 00:12:50.480 There's this involved care 00:12:50.480 --> 00:12:54.820 in these bits of scripture. 00:12:54.820 --> 00:12:57.640 This is not an aloof God, 00:12:57.780 --> 00:12:59.400 an absentee parent. 00:13:00.060 --> 00:13:01.420 This is an involved, 00:13:01.560 --> 00:13:02.600 involved God. 00:13:05.720 --> 00:13:06.820 God's lordship, 00:13:06.920 --> 00:13:08.120 his transcendence, 00:13:08.220 --> 00:13:09.300 means that he has authority 00:13:09.300 --> 00:13:11.080 and control over all things, 00:13:11.440 --> 00:13:12.800 meaning he's connected 00:13:12.800 --> 00:13:14.560 and involved in all things. 00:13:14.940 --> 00:13:16.720 Matthew 6, 25 to 30, 00:13:16.760 --> 00:13:17.640 if you're not a Christian, 00:13:18.060 --> 00:13:18.800 this comes from 00:13:18.800 --> 00:13:19.860 the Sermon on the Mount 00:13:19.860 --> 00:13:23.200 and it is a weighty, 00:13:23.279 --> 00:13:25.060 thick, beautiful 00:13:25.060 --> 00:13:26.580 three chapters in scripture. 00:13:26.919 --> 00:13:28.639 Incredible portion of scripture. 00:13:29.340 --> 00:13:31.519 Matthew 6, 25 to 30 says this, 00:13:32.240 --> 00:13:33.240 this is Jesus speaking. 00:13:33.659 --> 00:13:34.800 Therefore I tell you, 00:13:34.899 --> 00:13:36.480 do not be anxious about your life, 00:13:36.740 --> 00:13:37.680 what you will eat 00:13:37.680 --> 00:13:38.639 or what you will drink, 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:40.100 nor about your body, 00:13:40.220 --> 00:13:41.139 what you will put on. 00:13:41.919 --> 00:13:43.779 Is not life more than food 00:13:43.779 --> 00:13:45.139 and the body more than clothing? 00:13:45.920 --> 00:13:46.960 Look at the birds of the air, 00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:48.540 they neither sow nor reap 00:13:48.540 --> 00:13:50.100 nor gather into barns 00:13:50.100 --> 00:13:51.600 and yet your heavenly father 00:13:51.600 --> 00:13:52.280 feeds them. 00:13:53.440 --> 00:13:54.019 And you, 00:13:54.560 --> 00:13:57.100 are you not of more value than they? 00:13:57.900 --> 00:13:58.560 And which of you, 00:13:58.680 --> 00:13:59.379 by being anxious, 00:13:59.500 --> 00:14:00.740 can add a single hour 00:14:00.740 --> 00:14:02.240 to his span of life? 00:14:02.879 --> 00:14:04.080 And why are you anxious 00:14:04.080 --> 00:14:04.720 about clothing? 00:14:04.840 --> 00:14:06.840 Consider the lilies of the field, 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:08.200 how they grow, 00:14:08.300 --> 00:14:09.840 they neither toil nor spin. 00:14:09.900 --> 00:14:10.639 Yet I tell you, 00:14:11.000 --> 00:14:12.800 even Solomon in all his glory 00:14:12.800 --> 00:14:14.160 was not arrayed like one of these. 00:14:14.879 --> 00:14:16.500 But if God so clothes 00:14:16.500 --> 00:14:17.679 to the grass of the field, 00:14:17.740 --> 00:14:18.720 which today is alive 00:14:18.720 --> 00:14:19.779 and tomorrow is thrown 00:14:19.779 --> 00:14:20.419 into the oven, 00:14:21.139 --> 00:14:22.860 will he not much more clothe you, 00:14:22.919 --> 00:14:23.879 O you of little faith? 00:14:23.899 --> 00:14:24.840 Does that sound 00:14:24.840 --> 00:14:28.200 like an absentee God to you? 00:14:29.899 --> 00:14:31.480 It sounds like an imminent God, 00:14:31.559 --> 00:14:32.679 a God that is close, 00:14:32.779 --> 00:14:33.700 that is involved. 00:14:35.759 --> 00:14:36.340 I mean, 00:14:36.580 --> 00:14:38.120 that portion alone 00:14:38.120 --> 00:14:42.559 can dispel any notion 00:14:42.559 --> 00:14:45.439 that God does not care 00:14:45.439 --> 00:14:46.459 about your day to day. 00:14:48.259 --> 00:14:50.059 That you might be a bit 00:14:50.059 --> 00:14:50.979 too insignificant 00:14:50.979 --> 00:14:51.839 for God to care. 00:14:53.919 --> 00:14:55.239 It is a beautiful, 00:14:55.399 --> 00:14:56.500 beautiful portion of scripture 00:14:56.500 --> 00:14:58.879 that describes God's involvement 00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:00.619 in his creation. 00:15:01.399 --> 00:15:02.899 The transcendent God 00:15:02.899 --> 00:15:04.739 imminently involved. 00:15:05.199 --> 00:15:05.719 It's beautiful. 00:15:05.720 --> 00:15:08.840 There's always a closeness, 00:15:09.040 --> 00:15:09.440 a nearness, 00:15:09.660 --> 00:15:10.240 and a care, 00:15:10.779 --> 00:15:11.820 an intimate friendship 00:15:11.820 --> 00:15:13.180 between God 00:15:13.180 --> 00:15:13.960 and his creation, 00:15:14.180 --> 00:15:14.759 and especially 00:15:14.759 --> 00:15:15.720 his covenant people, 00:15:15.960 --> 00:15:17.200 the people that he calls 00:15:17.200 --> 00:15:18.340 to himself, 00:15:19.100 --> 00:15:20.899 to a deep relationship with. 00:15:22.320 --> 00:15:22.580 So, 00:15:23.320 --> 00:15:23.660 friends, 00:15:23.740 --> 00:15:24.580 we can't talk about 00:15:24.580 --> 00:15:26.720 God's divine transcendence 00:15:26.720 --> 00:15:27.460 and divorce it 00:15:27.460 --> 00:15:28.560 from his divine imminence. 00:15:29.060 --> 00:15:29.500 We can't. 00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:30.940 We have to talk about them 00:15:30.940 --> 00:15:31.639 in the same breath, 00:15:32.139 --> 00:15:33.300 two sides of the same coin. 00:15:33.700 --> 00:15:34.320 We have to. 00:15:34.320 --> 00:15:37.500 Few ways we can go wrong 00:15:37.500 --> 00:15:38.760 if we decide 00:15:38.760 --> 00:15:39.800 to divorce these two. 00:15:41.920 --> 00:15:43.560 If there's an overemphasis 00:15:43.560 --> 00:15:44.320 on God's transcendence 00:15:45.060 --> 00:15:45.879 at the expense 00:15:45.879 --> 00:15:46.660 of his imminence, 00:15:47.820 --> 00:15:50.740 we can become like a, 00:15:51.060 --> 00:15:52.340 it's like classical deism, 00:15:52.420 --> 00:15:53.260 like I mentioned before, 00:15:53.420 --> 00:15:54.760 the illustration 00:15:54.760 --> 00:15:56.000 of the watchmaker, 00:15:56.240 --> 00:15:56.920 making the watch, 00:15:57.120 --> 00:15:57.700 winding it up, 00:15:58.260 --> 00:15:59.680 has no more to do with it. 00:16:00.060 --> 00:16:01.280 That God is not intimate, 00:16:01.380 --> 00:16:02.100 he's not close. 00:16:03.140 --> 00:16:03.920 In many ways, 00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:05.419 this reflects the God of Islam, 00:16:05.839 --> 00:16:08.419 who is not an intimate God, 00:16:08.699 --> 00:16:11.599 but is more of this kind of 00:16:11.599 --> 00:16:13.479 transcendent type of figure 00:16:13.479 --> 00:16:15.339 that is more or less aloof. 00:16:17.319 --> 00:16:19.620 We want to be on our guard 00:16:19.620 --> 00:16:20.179 against that, 00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:21.579 this laissez-faire God. 00:16:22.240 --> 00:16:23.039 Somehow that God, 00:16:23.120 --> 00:16:23.939 if we get it in our minds 00:16:23.939 --> 00:16:25.139 that he doesn't see us, 00:16:25.719 --> 00:16:26.579 he doesn't care, 00:16:27.419 --> 00:16:29.159 we can get away with certain things 00:16:29.159 --> 00:16:30.860 because he's transcendent, 00:16:30.919 --> 00:16:31.559 he's not imminent, 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:32.579 he doesn't see us, 00:16:32.639 --> 00:16:33.360 it's a big problem. 00:16:34.339 --> 00:16:35.620 The other aspect is 00:16:35.620 --> 00:16:38.399 if we emphasize his imminence 00:16:38.399 --> 00:16:39.620 against his transcendence, 00:16:39.679 --> 00:16:40.500 and what ends up happening 00:16:40.500 --> 00:16:41.519 is we blur the line 00:16:41.519 --> 00:16:43.299 between creation 00:16:43.299 --> 00:16:44.799 and the creator. 00:16:45.500 --> 00:16:46.600 What happens there 00:16:46.600 --> 00:16:48.480 is something similar to, 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:49.219 and again, 00:16:49.299 --> 00:16:50.299 these are generalizations, 00:16:50.299 --> 00:16:52.339 like a New Age type 00:16:52.339 --> 00:16:53.199 of spirituality 00:16:53.199 --> 00:16:54.240 or a Buddhist type 00:16:54.240 --> 00:16:55.039 of spirituality, 00:16:55.879 --> 00:16:56.899 pantheism, 00:16:57.019 --> 00:17:00.899 where we end up sharing 00:17:00.899 --> 00:17:02.099 divine authority. 00:17:03.039 --> 00:17:04.619 We, like I mentioned, 00:17:04.759 --> 00:17:05.700 there's no separation, 00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:06.740 and what ends up happening 00:17:06.740 --> 00:17:08.579 is that human ideologies 00:17:08.579 --> 00:17:10.779 take on divine authority. 00:17:11.480 --> 00:17:12.599 When that happens, 00:17:12.919 --> 00:17:14.819 very dangerous things can happen. 00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:15.700 In many ways, 00:17:15.700 --> 00:17:17.700 this is the type of emphasis 00:17:18.259 --> 00:17:19.580 that Nazism had. 00:17:21.660 --> 00:17:22.819 This was something more 00:17:22.819 --> 00:17:24.039 than just human ideology. 00:17:24.620 --> 00:17:30.080 It was the Aryan takeover. 00:17:30.259 --> 00:17:34.180 It was divinely ordained, 00:17:34.340 --> 00:17:36.299 which it most certainly was not. 00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:38.600 We see some of those hints 00:17:38.600 --> 00:17:41.700 in maybe the intensely woke 00:17:42.380 --> 00:17:44.420 kind of liberalism that we see. 00:17:44.420 --> 00:17:45.120 And I mean, 00:17:45.160 --> 00:17:46.519 if you start scratching the surface, 00:17:47.420 --> 00:17:48.700 we might see it even 00:17:48.700 --> 00:17:50.539 in other places as well. 00:17:50.880 --> 00:17:52.140 But we need to be careful 00:17:52.140 --> 00:17:54.440 that we don't sacrifice 00:17:54.440 --> 00:17:55.779 the transcendence 00:17:55.779 --> 00:17:58.320 for just the imminence of God. 00:17:59.640 --> 00:18:00.220 You know, 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:01.620 another way we get this wrong 00:18:01.620 --> 00:18:06.220 is we, 00:18:06.580 --> 00:18:09.360 being made in God's image, 00:18:09.460 --> 00:18:11.340 it says in Ecclesiastes chapter 3, 00:18:11.480 --> 00:18:12.680 that God has put eternity 00:18:12.680 --> 00:18:13.480 into our hearts. 00:18:14.420 --> 00:18:16.620 we have this desire, 00:18:16.740 --> 00:18:17.440 and it kind of goes back 00:18:17.440 --> 00:18:18.460 to the celebrity culture 00:18:18.460 --> 00:18:19.300 a little bit, 00:18:19.519 --> 00:18:21.080 example I gave at the beginning. 00:18:21.539 --> 00:18:22.740 We have this desire 00:18:22.740 --> 00:18:24.759 to touch the transcendent, 00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:26.900 to experience 00:18:26.900 --> 00:18:29.340 some kind of posterity 00:18:29.340 --> 00:18:30.700 beyond this life, right? 00:18:30.740 --> 00:18:32.120 A legacy beyond this life. 00:18:32.220 --> 00:18:33.300 And yet, at the same time, 00:18:33.560 --> 00:18:35.460 we have this deep desire 00:18:35.460 --> 00:18:38.420 for intimate connection 00:18:39.060 --> 00:18:40.900 with deep friendship. 00:18:40.900 --> 00:18:41.900 friendship. 00:18:41.900 --> 00:18:42.680 And in God, 00:18:42.780 --> 00:18:44.080 we have both of those things, 00:18:44.420 --> 00:18:44.780 perfectly. 00:18:45.220 --> 00:18:46.860 But what we do is 00:18:46.860 --> 00:18:48.100 we don't look to 00:18:48.100 --> 00:18:50.140 the perfectly transcendent, 00:18:50.240 --> 00:18:50.740 imminent God. 00:18:50.800 --> 00:18:52.440 We look to things, 00:18:52.980 --> 00:18:53.740 or people, 00:18:54.220 --> 00:18:55.640 or reputation, 00:18:55.940 --> 00:18:56.460 or money, 00:18:56.640 --> 00:18:57.200 or a house, 00:18:57.280 --> 00:18:58.580 or whatever it may be 00:18:58.580 --> 00:18:59.720 in place of God 00:18:59.720 --> 00:19:00.320 that we think 00:19:00.320 --> 00:19:01.560 will somehow give us 00:19:01.560 --> 00:19:02.180 a legacy, 00:19:02.400 --> 00:19:03.080 will connect us 00:19:03.080 --> 00:19:04.060 to the eternal, 00:19:04.280 --> 00:19:05.320 and yet bring us 00:19:05.320 --> 00:19:06.900 great peace, 00:19:07.040 --> 00:19:07.900 great connection. 00:19:07.900 --> 00:19:09.620 And those things 00:19:09.620 --> 00:19:10.519 can't satisfy. 00:19:10.620 --> 00:19:11.340 The Bible calls this 00:19:11.340 --> 00:19:12.000 idolatry. 00:19:13.019 --> 00:19:14.259 Putting in place 00:19:14.259 --> 00:19:15.540 a person, 00:19:15.640 --> 00:19:16.480 or a thing, 00:19:17.120 --> 00:19:19.580 in the place of God. 00:19:20.340 --> 00:19:20.980 Those things 00:19:20.980 --> 00:19:22.259 will never hold up. 00:19:22.980 --> 00:19:23.780 They will never be 00:19:23.780 --> 00:19:24.840 a suitable replacement 00:19:24.840 --> 00:19:25.540 for God. 00:19:25.860 --> 00:19:27.080 They are doomed to fail 00:19:27.080 --> 00:19:28.640 because things rust, 00:19:29.460 --> 00:19:32.080 and things decompose, 00:19:32.680 --> 00:19:33.600 and reputations 00:19:33.600 --> 00:19:34.620 don't last. 00:19:37.900 --> 00:19:40.700 Matthew chapter 6, 00:19:41.519 --> 00:19:42.380 just actually before 00:19:42.380 --> 00:19:43.320 the portion of Scripture 00:19:43.320 --> 00:19:44.000 we just read, 00:19:44.300 --> 00:19:45.500 verses 19 to 24, 00:19:45.620 --> 00:19:46.440 Jesus says this, 00:19:47.120 --> 00:19:48.360 Do not lay up for yourselves 00:19:48.360 --> 00:19:49.620 treasures on earth. 00:19:50.120 --> 00:19:50.800 And when he's talking 00:19:50.800 --> 00:19:52.280 about laying up treasures, 00:19:52.460 --> 00:19:53.300 he is talking about 00:19:53.300 --> 00:19:56.080 finding ultimate satisfaction. 00:19:56.800 --> 00:19:57.780 Because treasure itself 00:19:57.780 --> 00:19:58.780 isn't necessarily bad. 00:19:58.840 --> 00:19:59.680 Anyways, let me continue. 00:20:00.160 --> 00:20:02.080 Where moth and rust destroy, 00:20:02.180 --> 00:20:03.480 and where thieves break in 00:20:03.480 --> 00:20:04.060 and steal, 00:20:04.420 --> 00:20:05.500 but lay up for yourselves 00:20:05.500 --> 00:20:06.420 treasures in heaven, 00:20:06.420 --> 00:20:07.960 where neither moth 00:20:07.960 --> 00:20:09.220 nor rust destroys, 00:20:09.400 --> 00:20:10.000 and where thieves 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:11.300 do not break in and steal. 00:20:11.700 --> 00:20:12.880 For where your treasure is, 00:20:13.240 --> 00:20:14.120 there your heart 00:20:14.120 --> 00:20:15.120 will be also. 00:20:15.880 --> 00:20:16.580 Verse 24, 00:20:16.759 --> 00:20:17.560 it says you can't serve 00:20:17.560 --> 00:20:18.200 two masters. 00:20:18.420 --> 00:20:19.279 Either he will hate 00:20:19.279 --> 00:20:20.120 the one 00:20:20.120 --> 00:20:21.200 and love the other, 00:20:21.300 --> 00:20:22.340 or he will be devoted 00:20:22.340 --> 00:20:22.900 to the one 00:20:22.900 --> 00:20:24.240 and despise the other. 00:20:24.300 --> 00:20:25.380 You cannot serve 00:20:25.380 --> 00:20:26.900 God and money. 00:20:28.580 --> 00:20:30.240 You cannot find 00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:31.900 eternal transcendence 00:20:32.460 --> 00:20:33.560 and eternal imminence 00:20:33.560 --> 00:20:34.880 in stuff. 00:20:34.880 --> 00:20:37.280 or in people. 00:20:39.160 --> 00:20:40.700 And you have to ask God 00:20:40.700 --> 00:20:41.740 to reveal this 00:20:41.740 --> 00:20:42.260 in your heart 00:20:42.260 --> 00:20:43.180 because we are 00:20:43.180 --> 00:20:44.600 very, very clever people. 00:20:44.800 --> 00:20:46.480 We mask our idols 00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:47.300 really, really well. 00:20:47.400 --> 00:20:48.900 We deny that we have idols 00:20:48.900 --> 00:20:49.940 really, really well. 00:20:50.360 --> 00:20:50.760 We do. 00:20:52.660 --> 00:20:53.720 But when we find 00:20:53.720 --> 00:20:54.540 our hope 00:20:54.540 --> 00:20:55.840 in the very things 00:20:55.840 --> 00:20:57.120 that will let us down, 00:20:57.340 --> 00:20:58.280 it's a big problem. 00:21:00.100 --> 00:21:00.700 By the way, 00:21:00.760 --> 00:21:01.540 this is not a call 00:21:01.540 --> 00:21:02.440 for complete, 00:21:02.440 --> 00:21:04.259 like disconnection 00:21:04.259 --> 00:21:04.779 from the world. 00:21:04.900 --> 00:21:06.779 We are involved 00:21:06.779 --> 00:21:07.680 in the world completely, 00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:08.840 so I'm not advocating 00:21:08.840 --> 00:21:09.940 for a type of like 00:21:09.940 --> 00:21:11.480 disconnect. 00:21:12.440 --> 00:21:13.240 But ask yourself 00:21:13.240 --> 00:21:13.740 the question, 00:21:13.820 --> 00:21:14.340 am I finding 00:21:14.340 --> 00:21:15.180 my eternal hope 00:21:15.180 --> 00:21:17.019 in my spouse, 00:21:17.120 --> 00:21:17.759 in my friend, 00:21:17.860 --> 00:21:18.519 in my children, 00:21:19.120 --> 00:21:20.519 in my reputation, 00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:21.400 my job, 00:21:21.519 --> 00:21:22.240 my things, 00:21:22.680 --> 00:21:23.600 whatever it may be? 00:21:26.160 --> 00:21:27.279 Another way 00:21:27.279 --> 00:21:28.279 we can get it wrong, 00:21:28.279 --> 00:21:30.399 and this is especially 00:21:30.399 --> 00:21:31.539 the case for Christians, 00:21:32.339 --> 00:21:37.460 is we can focus 00:21:37.460 --> 00:21:38.359 on God 00:21:38.359 --> 00:21:39.920 as being the transcendent. 00:21:39.960 --> 00:21:40.500 I kind of touched 00:21:40.500 --> 00:21:41.480 on this a little bit. 00:21:42.220 --> 00:21:44.579 And it's like 00:21:44.579 --> 00:21:45.899 our hearts are cold. 00:21:46.500 --> 00:21:47.639 We don't worship God. 00:21:47.700 --> 00:21:49.059 We don't seek God's face. 00:21:50.779 --> 00:21:51.940 And that might be 00:21:51.940 --> 00:21:53.240 for a whole host of reasons. 00:21:53.859 --> 00:21:54.819 Because you've been 00:21:54.819 --> 00:21:56.359 let down by a church leader 00:21:56.359 --> 00:21:59.240 or you've grown callous 00:21:59.240 --> 00:22:00.000 from a hurt 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:02.139 and you're angry at God. 00:22:02.199 --> 00:22:03.199 So you kind of go 00:22:03.199 --> 00:22:03.740 through the motions 00:22:03.740 --> 00:22:04.799 of recognizing God 00:22:04.799 --> 00:22:05.659 and his transcendence. 00:22:05.759 --> 00:22:06.099 But I mean, 00:22:06.139 --> 00:22:07.259 you couldn't care less 00:22:07.259 --> 00:22:08.319 if your heart is warmed. 00:22:09.179 --> 00:22:10.339 On the flip side, 00:22:11.159 --> 00:22:12.819 and this is the case, 00:22:12.879 --> 00:22:13.879 and I think I can speak 00:22:13.879 --> 00:22:14.839 on this because I come 00:22:14.839 --> 00:22:15.899 from a bit of a charismatic 00:22:15.899 --> 00:22:16.519 background, 00:22:17.399 --> 00:22:18.899 the ultra-charismatics 00:22:18.899 --> 00:22:19.699 or the charismatics 00:22:19.699 --> 00:22:22.119 can have a tendency 00:22:22.119 --> 00:22:22.779 to emphasize 00:22:22.779 --> 00:22:24.000 the imminence of God, 00:22:24.059 --> 00:22:25.199 the presence of God. 00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:26.660 At the expense 00:22:26.660 --> 00:22:27.660 of the truth of Scripture 00:22:27.660 --> 00:22:28.600 about who he is. 00:22:30.380 --> 00:22:31.340 And all of a sudden, 00:22:31.539 --> 00:22:32.819 what drives 00:22:32.819 --> 00:22:33.660 their understanding 00:22:33.660 --> 00:22:34.120 of God? 00:22:34.220 --> 00:22:35.340 It's actually experience. 00:22:36.120 --> 00:22:36.940 It's not the truth 00:22:36.940 --> 00:22:37.360 of Scripture. 00:22:37.519 --> 00:22:38.640 It's not the transcendence 00:22:38.640 --> 00:22:39.180 of God. 00:22:39.640 --> 00:22:40.019 And you see, 00:22:40.100 --> 00:22:40.620 in worship, 00:22:41.160 --> 00:22:42.240 as we interact with God, 00:22:42.299 --> 00:22:43.759 we have to just keep in mind 00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:44.440 that God is both 00:22:44.440 --> 00:22:46.120 transcendent and imminent. 00:22:46.980 --> 00:22:47.360 Friends, 00:22:47.759 --> 00:22:48.779 the reality is 00:22:48.779 --> 00:22:50.460 your heart will grow cold 00:22:50.460 --> 00:22:52.559 if you're charismatic. 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:53.500 It will, 00:22:54.099 --> 00:22:55.019 if you're seeking 00:22:55.019 --> 00:22:55.899 after a feeling. 00:22:55.980 --> 00:22:56.339 By the way, 00:22:56.440 --> 00:22:56.940 feelings, 00:22:57.119 --> 00:22:57.639 emoting, 00:22:57.700 --> 00:22:58.599 however you emote, 00:23:00.200 --> 00:23:01.359 having emotions 00:23:01.359 --> 00:23:02.179 is a good thing 00:23:02.179 --> 00:23:02.659 in worship. 00:23:03.379 --> 00:23:04.159 Getting goosebumps 00:23:04.159 --> 00:23:05.220 because, like, 00:23:05.700 --> 00:23:06.859 you're singing a praise song 00:23:06.859 --> 00:23:07.299 and you're just 00:23:07.299 --> 00:23:09.019 feeling like you might be 00:23:09.019 --> 00:23:09.980 touching heaven, 00:23:10.139 --> 00:23:11.200 there's nothing wrong 00:23:11.200 --> 00:23:11.700 with that. 00:23:12.039 --> 00:23:12.460 But that 00:23:12.460 --> 00:23:14.339 is bound to grow cold. 00:23:15.079 --> 00:23:15.980 It's bound to. 00:23:16.279 --> 00:23:17.099 So what do you do? 00:23:17.359 --> 00:23:18.119 Do you just give up? 00:23:18.419 --> 00:23:18.679 No, 00:23:18.779 --> 00:23:20.619 you feed on the truth 00:23:20.619 --> 00:23:21.639 of who God is. 00:23:21.939 --> 00:23:22.759 You feed on it. 00:23:24.419 --> 00:23:25.639 You feed on it. 00:23:25.819 --> 00:23:28.279 If it feels like 00:23:28.279 --> 00:23:29.019 you're going through 00:23:29.019 --> 00:23:29.579 the motions 00:23:29.579 --> 00:23:30.439 when you do 00:23:30.439 --> 00:23:31.439 your Bible reading 00:23:31.439 --> 00:23:32.519 or if you come to church, 00:23:33.219 --> 00:23:33.779 I'll say this. 00:23:33.859 --> 00:23:34.139 This is, 00:23:34.419 --> 00:23:35.079 I don't know if this is 00:23:35.079 --> 00:23:35.939 a good thing for a pastor 00:23:35.939 --> 00:23:36.319 to say, 00:23:36.419 --> 00:23:36.919 but hear me out. 00:23:37.199 --> 00:23:38.159 Go through the motions. 00:23:39.179 --> 00:23:39.859 Go through it. 00:23:41.559 --> 00:23:42.699 Go through the motions 00:23:42.699 --> 00:23:44.099 and even if you don't feel it, 00:23:44.339 --> 00:23:44.739 do it 00:23:44.739 --> 00:23:45.659 because it's not 00:23:45.659 --> 00:23:46.379 going to last forever. 00:23:46.459 --> 00:23:47.059 You're not going to go 00:23:47.059 --> 00:23:47.979 through the motions forever 00:23:47.980 --> 00:23:49.039 and there's a consistency 00:23:49.039 --> 00:23:49.980 and a faithfulness 00:23:49.980 --> 00:23:50.460 that's there. 00:23:51.079 --> 00:23:52.279 And you can cry out to God, 00:23:52.400 --> 00:23:52.700 Lord, 00:23:53.000 --> 00:23:54.079 change my heart, 00:23:54.440 --> 00:23:55.299 warm my heart, 00:23:55.700 --> 00:23:57.839 help me not to disbelieve. 00:23:58.480 --> 00:23:58.860 And listen, 00:23:59.059 --> 00:23:59.400 God, 00:23:59.940 --> 00:24:01.259 it's a beautiful thing 00:24:01.259 --> 00:24:03.039 to push through. 00:24:03.099 --> 00:24:03.799 It really is. 00:24:04.299 --> 00:24:04.599 Remember, 00:24:04.720 --> 00:24:05.839 we are marathon runners 00:24:05.839 --> 00:24:06.279 in this, 00:24:06.339 --> 00:24:06.559 right? 00:24:07.360 --> 00:24:08.860 In this life. 00:24:08.940 --> 00:24:09.819 Whether God gives us 00:24:09.819 --> 00:24:10.720 90 years, 00:24:10.799 --> 00:24:11.519 100 years, 00:24:11.660 --> 00:24:13.200 or he takes us home early, 00:24:13.279 --> 00:24:14.079 it's a marathon. 00:24:14.819 --> 00:24:15.539 And sometimes, 00:24:16.559 --> 00:24:16.940 you know, 00:24:16.940 --> 00:24:18.940 we don't run too well. 00:24:20.440 --> 00:24:21.440 And if you are 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:22.620 the type of person 00:24:22.620 --> 00:24:25.160 that is just kind of fine 00:24:25.160 --> 00:24:27.000 with potentially 00:24:27.000 --> 00:24:27.759 going through the motions 00:24:27.759 --> 00:24:28.500 or your spirituality 00:24:28.500 --> 00:24:30.039 is almost stoic, 00:24:30.640 --> 00:24:31.900 push into it. 00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:35.019 Don't be the type of person 00:24:35.019 --> 00:24:37.700 that is satisfied 00:24:37.700 --> 00:24:38.400 with just having 00:24:38.400 --> 00:24:39.900 really rock-solid theology 00:24:39.900 --> 00:24:40.980 and yet your heart 00:24:40.980 --> 00:24:41.660 and your life 00:24:41.660 --> 00:24:42.539 is not moved 00:24:42.539 --> 00:24:44.000 closer towards God. 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:46.920 embrace the divine 00:24:46.920 --> 00:24:48.119 transcendence of God 00:24:48.119 --> 00:24:49.720 and seek after 00:24:49.720 --> 00:24:50.720 his closeness 00:24:50.720 --> 00:24:51.740 and his presence. 00:24:58.740 --> 00:25:00.640 How can we interact 00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:02.019 with God? 00:25:02.940 --> 00:25:04.279 This transcendent God? 00:25:04.359 --> 00:25:04.420 Well, 00:25:04.440 --> 00:25:05.160 here's a few ways. 00:25:05.460 --> 00:25:06.539 One thing I love about 00:25:06.539 --> 00:25:08.160 our communion liturgy, 00:25:08.240 --> 00:25:09.319 but communion especially, 00:25:09.319 --> 00:25:11.980 is that it is 00:25:11.980 --> 00:25:13.740 the transcendent God 00:25:13.740 --> 00:25:14.579 inviting us 00:25:14.579 --> 00:25:15.339 to dine with him 00:25:15.339 --> 00:25:15.980 at his table. 00:25:16.879 --> 00:25:18.299 The first communion 00:25:18.299 --> 00:25:19.319 was at Passover. 00:25:20.599 --> 00:25:21.879 A wonderful, 00:25:22.079 --> 00:25:23.319 wonderful remembrance 00:25:23.939 --> 00:25:25.119 of God's deliverance 00:25:25.119 --> 00:25:26.439 of Israel from Egypt. 00:25:26.559 --> 00:25:27.480 And how do we remember? 00:25:27.619 --> 00:25:28.619 How do we take joy 00:25:28.619 --> 00:25:29.119 in all this? 00:25:29.679 --> 00:25:30.539 We eat. 00:25:30.819 --> 00:25:31.359 We feast. 00:25:32.059 --> 00:25:33.500 And this is what communion is. 00:25:33.700 --> 00:25:34.539 In our liturgy, 00:25:34.859 --> 00:25:35.740 we will say 00:25:35.740 --> 00:25:36.619 in our liturgy, 00:25:36.739 --> 00:25:37.059 holy, 00:25:37.199 --> 00:25:37.439 holy, 00:25:37.559 --> 00:25:37.779 holy, 00:25:37.879 --> 00:25:38.719 Lord God of hosts, 00:25:39.079 --> 00:25:39.599 heaven and earth 00:25:39.599 --> 00:25:40.939 are full of your glory. 00:25:41.019 --> 00:25:41.619 And what is that 00:25:41.619 --> 00:25:43.119 if not the declaration 00:25:43.119 --> 00:25:44.959 of God's transcendence 00:25:44.959 --> 00:25:45.299 in heaven? 00:25:45.859 --> 00:25:46.899 We recognize it. 00:25:46.919 --> 00:25:47.799 But what else do we do? 00:25:47.839 --> 00:25:48.819 We come to his table 00:25:48.819 --> 00:25:50.439 and we partake 00:25:50.439 --> 00:25:51.619 of Christ himself. 00:25:52.739 --> 00:25:54.279 That we feed on him 00:25:54.279 --> 00:25:55.579 in our hearts 00:25:55.579 --> 00:25:56.259 by faith 00:25:56.259 --> 00:25:57.099 with thanksgiving. 00:25:58.339 --> 00:25:59.279 Intimately connected 00:25:59.279 --> 00:25:59.799 to God. 00:25:59.879 --> 00:26:00.459 Another way 00:26:00.459 --> 00:26:02.179 we connect with God 00:26:02.179 --> 00:26:03.339 is through his word 00:26:03.339 --> 00:26:03.959 absolutely. 00:26:04.699 --> 00:26:05.979 His special revelation 00:26:05.980 --> 00:26:06.480 to us. 00:26:06.519 --> 00:26:08.120 His truth revealed to us. 00:26:08.160 --> 00:26:08.920 It's also being 00:26:08.920 --> 00:26:09.680 with his people. 00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:10.480 Fellowshiping 00:26:10.480 --> 00:26:11.259 with his people. 00:26:11.360 --> 00:26:11.900 And this is why 00:26:11.900 --> 00:26:12.799 COVID has really, 00:26:13.740 --> 00:26:14.400 the restrictions 00:26:14.400 --> 00:26:15.980 have been really detrimental 00:26:15.980 --> 00:26:16.759 to the life 00:26:16.759 --> 00:26:17.339 of the church. 00:26:18.380 --> 00:26:18.740 Because, 00:26:19.680 --> 00:26:20.079 I mean, 00:26:20.279 --> 00:26:21.579 Zoom has been excellent 00:26:21.579 --> 00:26:23.000 in many different ways, 00:26:23.079 --> 00:26:24.120 but you can't fellowship 00:26:24.120 --> 00:26:25.380 in the same type of way. 00:26:25.799 --> 00:26:26.500 You can't connect 00:26:26.500 --> 00:26:27.019 with people. 00:26:27.400 --> 00:26:28.440 And God is amongst 00:26:28.440 --> 00:26:29.180 his people. 00:26:29.660 --> 00:26:30.180 He is. 00:26:31.140 --> 00:26:31.900 That's how we connect 00:26:31.900 --> 00:26:32.299 with God. 00:26:32.360 --> 00:26:32.860 That's an aspect 00:26:32.860 --> 00:26:33.680 of how we connect 00:26:33.680 --> 00:26:34.240 with God. 00:26:34.240 --> 00:26:35.400 God, 00:26:35.559 --> 00:26:36.480 through your friend, 00:26:36.660 --> 00:26:37.680 will encourage you. 00:26:38.099 --> 00:26:38.380 God, 00:26:38.480 --> 00:26:39.079 through your brother 00:26:39.079 --> 00:26:39.640 or sister, 00:26:40.059 --> 00:26:41.200 will call you out, 00:26:41.620 --> 00:26:42.740 hopefully in a gentle, 00:26:42.940 --> 00:26:43.500 kind way. 00:26:45.059 --> 00:26:46.200 In a private way, 00:26:46.319 --> 00:26:46.599 ideally, 00:26:46.740 --> 00:26:47.359 not publicly. 00:26:48.339 --> 00:26:48.640 But, 00:26:48.700 --> 00:26:49.480 you know, 00:26:49.519 --> 00:26:50.299 will reveal sin 00:26:50.299 --> 00:26:50.700 in your life. 00:26:50.740 --> 00:26:51.740 And is that not God 00:26:51.740 --> 00:26:52.920 working through his people? 00:26:55.859 --> 00:26:57.660 We feast on God's word, 00:26:57.700 --> 00:26:58.339 like I mentioned. 00:26:58.779 --> 00:27:00.420 We partake at the table. 00:27:00.420 --> 00:27:02.300 We fellowship with one another. 00:27:02.820 --> 00:27:03.420 We pray. 00:27:04.759 --> 00:27:05.539 If you guys 00:27:05.539 --> 00:27:07.539 haven't 00:27:07.539 --> 00:27:10.240 some kind of 00:27:10.240 --> 00:27:12.340 prayer structure 00:27:12.340 --> 00:27:12.880 type of thing, 00:27:12.920 --> 00:27:13.539 and maybe structure 00:27:13.539 --> 00:27:14.500 is not your thing, 00:27:14.660 --> 00:27:15.759 you're more of a spontaneous person, 00:27:15.820 --> 00:27:16.259 that's fine. 00:27:16.580 --> 00:27:17.240 I encourage you guys 00:27:17.240 --> 00:27:17.600 to give 00:27:17.600 --> 00:27:19.160 Praying the Daily Offices 00:27:19.160 --> 00:27:20.140 a go. 00:27:21.039 --> 00:27:22.120 There's some apps, 00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:22.860 and I owe 00:27:22.860 --> 00:27:24.380 one person in particular 00:27:24.380 --> 00:27:25.300 an email 00:27:25.300 --> 00:27:26.240 with a couple apps 00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:26.700 on it, 00:27:26.700 --> 00:27:27.700 but there's apps 00:27:27.700 --> 00:27:28.360 that will help you 00:27:28.360 --> 00:27:28.860 and guide you. 00:27:28.859 --> 00:27:29.359 You can get a book 00:27:29.359 --> 00:27:30.019 of common prayer. 00:27:31.299 --> 00:27:32.779 But it's just a way 00:27:32.779 --> 00:27:33.299 to pray 00:27:33.299 --> 00:27:33.959 and engage 00:27:33.959 --> 00:27:34.719 with the scriptures. 00:27:37.359 --> 00:27:37.799 Ultimately, 00:27:38.119 --> 00:27:39.719 Jesus is the greatest example 00:27:39.719 --> 00:27:41.839 of God's divine transcendence 00:27:41.839 --> 00:27:43.679 and God's divine imminence. 00:27:45.059 --> 00:27:45.539 Jesus, 00:27:45.879 --> 00:27:46.679 the second member 00:27:46.679 --> 00:27:47.299 of the Trinity, 00:27:47.539 --> 00:27:48.579 condescends, 00:27:50.519 --> 00:27:51.279 wraps himself 00:27:51.279 --> 00:27:52.639 in humanity, 00:27:53.399 --> 00:27:54.639 becomes enfleshed, 00:27:54.639 --> 00:27:55.339 fully man, 00:27:56.179 --> 00:27:57.079 and yet fully God, 00:27:57.219 --> 00:27:57.879 fully imminent, 00:27:57.880 --> 00:27:59.580 but fully transcendent. 00:28:01.200 --> 00:28:02.160 Listen to a couple 00:28:02.160 --> 00:28:02.900 of these scriptures. 00:28:03.840 --> 00:28:04.860 Isaiah chapter 7, 00:28:04.920 --> 00:28:05.460 verse 14, 00:28:05.540 --> 00:28:06.720 Therefore the Lord himself 00:28:06.720 --> 00:28:07.540 will give you a sign. 00:28:07.620 --> 00:28:08.020 Behold, 00:28:08.420 --> 00:28:09.740 the virgin shall conceive 00:28:09.740 --> 00:28:10.960 and bear a son 00:28:10.960 --> 00:28:12.880 and shall call his name 00:28:12.880 --> 00:28:13.300 Emmanuel. 00:28:13.420 --> 00:28:14.800 A lovely Christmas passage. 00:28:15.280 --> 00:28:16.100 What is Emmanuel? 00:28:16.300 --> 00:28:17.440 God with us. 00:28:18.320 --> 00:28:19.400 John 1, 14, 00:28:19.480 --> 00:28:20.560 that George read, 00:28:21.320 --> 00:28:21.960 And the word, 00:28:22.140 --> 00:28:22.500 Jesus, 00:28:23.660 --> 00:28:24.820 the God, 00:28:24.880 --> 00:28:25.380 the Son of God, 00:28:25.480 --> 00:28:26.260 the second member 00:28:26.259 --> 00:28:26.660 of the Trinity, 00:28:26.740 --> 00:28:27.420 became flesh 00:28:27.420 --> 00:28:28.500 and dwelt among us 00:28:28.500 --> 00:28:29.559 and we have seen 00:28:29.559 --> 00:28:30.099 his glory, 00:28:30.220 --> 00:28:32.000 glory as of the only Son 00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:32.660 from the Father, 00:28:32.779 --> 00:28:34.200 full of grace and truth. 00:28:37.259 --> 00:28:37.759 God, 00:28:39.400 --> 00:28:40.039 transcend, 00:28:40.799 --> 00:28:42.519 the transcendent God 00:28:42.519 --> 00:28:44.559 becomes so intimate, 00:28:44.859 --> 00:28:45.879 so involved, 00:28:46.279 --> 00:28:47.539 that he dies 00:28:47.539 --> 00:28:48.559 on our behalf, 00:28:49.339 --> 00:28:50.019 on a cross, 00:28:50.079 --> 00:28:51.879 a cross made 00:28:51.880 --> 00:28:52.960 by human hands 00:28:52.960 --> 00:28:54.940 for our sins, 00:28:54.940 --> 00:28:56.680 so that we might have 00:28:56.680 --> 00:28:58.900 this intimate relationship 00:28:58.900 --> 00:29:00.300 with the transcendent God, 00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:02.240 that we don't have to 00:29:02.240 --> 00:29:03.800 live a life 00:29:03.800 --> 00:29:05.160 of striving 00:29:05.160 --> 00:29:06.020 or a life 00:29:06.020 --> 00:29:07.300 riddled with guilt, 00:29:07.840 --> 00:29:09.980 that we can embrace 00:29:09.980 --> 00:29:11.020 the transcendent, 00:29:11.160 --> 00:29:11.520 perfect, 00:29:11.820 --> 00:29:13.640 the perfect transcendent God. 00:29:13.920 --> 00:29:14.340 We can know 00:29:14.340 --> 00:29:17.600 that our deepest longings 00:29:17.600 --> 00:29:18.560 are met in him. 00:29:18.559 --> 00:29:20.319 We can. 00:29:22.419 --> 00:29:23.720 He will not leave us 00:29:23.720 --> 00:29:24.639 or forsake us. 00:29:24.960 --> 00:29:25.419 And isn't this 00:29:25.419 --> 00:29:26.299 an interesting bit 00:29:26.299 --> 00:29:26.659 because, 00:29:26.759 --> 00:29:27.579 and I'll close with this, 00:29:28.940 --> 00:29:31.099 God connecting 00:29:31.099 --> 00:29:33.019 to his people 00:29:33.019 --> 00:29:34.480 says this often, 00:29:34.579 --> 00:29:35.119 and you can read 00:29:35.119 --> 00:29:35.599 through it 00:29:35.599 --> 00:29:37.319 in scripture, 00:29:38.139 --> 00:29:38.960 that God constantly 00:29:38.960 --> 00:29:39.599 says to his people, 00:29:39.720 --> 00:29:40.480 I will be with you. 00:29:40.799 --> 00:29:41.599 I will be with you. 00:29:41.659 --> 00:29:42.339 I will be with you. 00:29:42.359 --> 00:29:43.220 He says it to Abraham. 00:29:43.700 --> 00:29:44.740 He says it to Joseph. 00:29:44.960 --> 00:29:45.980 He says it to Moses. 00:29:46.119 --> 00:29:47.019 He says it to Israel. 00:29:47.119 --> 00:29:48.539 He says it to his church. 00:29:48.559 --> 00:29:49.480 He says it to us 00:29:49.480 --> 00:29:50.179 this morning. 00:29:51.359 --> 00:29:53.000 If you are in Christ Jesus, 00:29:53.659 --> 00:29:54.960 God says this. 00:29:55.019 --> 00:29:55.279 He says, 00:29:55.399 --> 00:29:56.659 I am with you. 00:29:58.460 --> 00:29:59.980 That is intimate talk. 00:30:00.519 --> 00:30:01.700 That is close talk. 00:30:01.779 --> 00:30:02.720 That is caring talk. 00:30:02.819 --> 00:30:03.879 That is involved talk. 00:30:05.839 --> 00:30:07.519 That is patient talk. 00:30:09.200 --> 00:30:10.079 Loving talk. 00:30:11.599 --> 00:30:12.980 Matthew 28, verse 20. 00:30:13.079 --> 00:30:13.919 What does Jesus say 00:30:13.919 --> 00:30:14.619 to his disciples 00:30:14.619 --> 00:30:15.500 at the end 00:30:15.500 --> 00:30:17.240 of this gospel text? 00:30:17.319 --> 00:30:17.619 It says, 00:30:17.619 --> 00:30:19.539 And lo, 00:30:19.759 --> 00:30:22.819 I am with you always 00:30:22.819 --> 00:30:24.000 to the end of the age. 00:30:24.679 --> 00:30:25.839 We can go through 00:30:25.839 --> 00:30:27.000 ups and downs. 00:30:27.459 --> 00:30:28.500 We can go through 00:30:28.500 --> 00:30:29.819 seasons where we 00:30:29.819 --> 00:30:30.879 feel like we are 00:30:30.879 --> 00:30:31.439 on the verge 00:30:31.439 --> 00:30:32.359 of apostasy. 00:30:33.879 --> 00:30:35.519 And he will hold us tight. 00:30:36.459 --> 00:30:37.379 If you are 00:30:37.379 --> 00:30:39.099 in Christ, 00:30:39.159 --> 00:30:39.979 if you confess 00:30:39.979 --> 00:30:41.339 your faith to him, 00:30:42.299 --> 00:30:43.500 his grip on you 00:30:43.500 --> 00:30:44.139 is very, 00:30:44.299 --> 00:30:44.859 very tight. 00:30:44.859 --> 00:30:47.319 even when you are 00:30:47.319 --> 00:30:48.139 not quite gripping 00:30:48.139 --> 00:30:48.799 God at all. 00:30:49.919 --> 00:30:50.879 That if you have been 00:30:50.879 --> 00:30:52.019 baptized and have 00:30:52.019 --> 00:30:53.139 confessed your sins, 00:30:53.379 --> 00:30:54.299 there is a promise 00:30:54.299 --> 00:30:55.740 on your life 00:30:55.740 --> 00:30:57.319 from God Almighty 00:30:57.319 --> 00:30:58.619 saying, 00:30:58.740 --> 00:30:59.419 I will always be 00:30:59.419 --> 00:31:00.500 intimate with you. 00:31:00.579 --> 00:31:01.759 I will always care for you. 00:31:01.839 --> 00:31:03.019 I will always take care of you. 00:31:03.819 --> 00:31:04.299 Always. 00:31:05.339 --> 00:31:05.799 Always. 00:31:05.799 --> 00:31:08.379 And those are the types 00:31:08.379 --> 00:31:08.819 of truths 00:31:08.819 --> 00:31:10.240 we need to feed on. 00:31:10.319 --> 00:31:11.759 And if you are 00:31:11.759 --> 00:31:13.839 considering the Christian faith, 00:31:14.480 --> 00:31:16.279 whether it's for the first time 00:31:16.279 --> 00:31:17.240 or maybe you're 00:31:17.240 --> 00:31:19.180 giving the church a try, 00:31:19.419 --> 00:31:20.419 giving the faith a try, 00:31:20.899 --> 00:31:22.440 this is what it boils down to. 00:31:23.079 --> 00:31:24.079 That God, 00:31:24.359 --> 00:31:25.039 through Jesus, 00:31:25.579 --> 00:31:26.519 has made a way 00:31:26.519 --> 00:31:28.180 for all of our longings 00:31:28.180 --> 00:31:28.960 to be met, 00:31:29.059 --> 00:31:29.799 all of our sins 00:31:29.799 --> 00:31:30.940 to be taken care of, 00:31:30.940 --> 00:31:33.220 so that we can have 00:31:33.220 --> 00:31:33.860 fellowship 00:31:33.860 --> 00:31:36.140 with the transcendent God 00:31:36.140 --> 00:31:36.880 in a very, 00:31:37.039 --> 00:31:37.820 very intimate way. 00:31:38.980 --> 00:31:39.460 Friends, 00:31:39.720 --> 00:31:40.820 like I said before, 00:31:41.279 --> 00:31:43.160 do not grow weary. 00:31:43.440 --> 00:31:44.279 Push through 00:31:44.279 --> 00:31:45.019 if you're feeling 00:31:45.019 --> 00:31:45.700 cold-hearted. 00:31:46.400 --> 00:31:47.360 And it doesn't mean 00:31:47.360 --> 00:31:48.460 you have to emote 00:31:48.460 --> 00:31:49.279 a certain way. 00:31:49.519 --> 00:31:50.059 You don't have to 00:31:50.059 --> 00:31:50.980 put up your hands 00:31:50.980 --> 00:31:52.539 during worship. 00:31:53.220 --> 00:31:53.700 Although, 00:31:54.120 --> 00:31:55.240 the rousing worship 00:31:55.240 --> 00:31:55.799 we had today, 00:31:55.840 --> 00:31:56.059 actually, 00:31:56.120 --> 00:31:56.799 I thought it was great, 00:31:57.240 --> 00:31:57.600 George, 00:31:57.680 --> 00:31:58.100 by the way. 00:31:58.099 --> 00:32:01.319 You know how you 00:32:01.319 --> 00:32:02.599 emote, 00:32:02.699 --> 00:32:03.319 how your heart 00:32:03.319 --> 00:32:04.000 gets warm. 00:32:05.139 --> 00:32:05.980 And that's awesome. 00:32:06.139 --> 00:32:06.679 It really is. 00:32:06.759 --> 00:32:07.819 Whatever way 00:32:07.819 --> 00:32:08.579 you kind of show 00:32:08.579 --> 00:32:09.179 your emotions, 00:32:09.419 --> 00:32:09.740 but like, 00:32:09.939 --> 00:32:11.259 press into it. 00:32:11.839 --> 00:32:12.719 Don't give up. 00:32:13.439 --> 00:32:14.579 God will not give up 00:32:14.579 --> 00:32:14.819 on you. 00:32:14.879 --> 00:32:15.279 Let's pray. 00:32:16.019 --> 00:32:17.019 Lord God in heaven, 00:32:17.099 --> 00:32:17.559 we thank you 00:32:17.559 --> 00:32:18.179 that you are 00:32:18.179 --> 00:32:20.019 completely other 00:32:20.019 --> 00:32:20.699 than us. 00:32:20.819 --> 00:32:21.959 You are transcendent. 00:32:23.199 --> 00:32:24.139 That we aren't 00:32:24.139 --> 00:32:24.939 even on a spectrum 00:32:24.939 --> 00:32:25.740 with you. 00:32:25.799 --> 00:32:26.219 We don't share 00:32:26.219 --> 00:32:27.059 a spectrum with you. 00:32:27.139 --> 00:32:27.599 That you are 00:32:27.599 --> 00:32:29.199 completely other than 00:32:29.199 --> 00:32:30.259 in your authority, 00:32:30.419 --> 00:32:31.599 in your dignity, 00:32:31.799 --> 00:32:32.539 in your control, 00:32:32.959 --> 00:32:33.839 in your majesty, 00:32:34.079 --> 00:32:34.879 in your lordship. 00:32:35.299 --> 00:32:35.919 And yet, 00:32:36.039 --> 00:32:37.199 you are so intimately 00:32:37.199 --> 00:32:38.299 close to us. 00:32:39.299 --> 00:32:40.279 That you desire 00:32:40.279 --> 00:32:41.679 our fellowship 00:32:41.679 --> 00:32:42.980 so much so 00:32:42.980 --> 00:32:44.079 that your son 00:32:44.079 --> 00:32:45.199 dies on the cross 00:32:45.199 --> 00:32:45.919 for sins 00:32:45.919 --> 00:32:47.199 that he didn't commit. 00:32:48.000 --> 00:32:49.259 So that we might 00:32:49.259 --> 00:32:50.079 be made right 00:32:50.079 --> 00:32:50.519 with you. 00:32:50.679 --> 00:32:50.879 Lord, 00:32:51.339 --> 00:32:52.519 draw us closer 00:32:52.519 --> 00:32:53.159 to yourself. 00:32:53.980 --> 00:32:54.500 Help us to be 00:32:54.500 --> 00:32:55.039 ever aware 00:32:55.039 --> 00:32:55.480 that you are 00:32:55.480 --> 00:32:56.619 both a transcendent God 00:32:56.619 --> 00:32:57.279 and an intimate, 00:32:57.479 --> 00:32:58.299 intimate God 00:32:58.299 --> 00:32:58.719 as well. 00:32:59.219 --> 00:32:59.419 Lord, 00:32:59.500 --> 00:32:59.819 thank you 00:32:59.819 --> 00:33:00.519 that you invite us 00:33:00.519 --> 00:33:01.039 into friendship 00:33:01.039 --> 00:33:01.500 with you. 00:33:02.159 --> 00:33:03.279 We pray in Jesus' name. 00:33:03.879 --> 00:33:04.139 Amen. 00:33:04.139 --> 00:33:04.479 Amen. 00:33:04.480 --> 00:33:34.460 Thank you.