WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.080 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christ Church. 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:11.580 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, redistribution, or any other 00:00:11.580 --> 00:00:15.280 use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christ Church. 00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:22.620 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at ChristChurchEastBay.org. 00:00:27.560 --> 00:00:28.560 Good morning. 00:00:28.719 --> 00:00:29.960 I'm Melissa Arciniega. 00:00:30.239 --> 00:00:32.859 And I'm part of the North Berkeley Community Group. 00:00:34.439 --> 00:00:40.659 Today's scripture reading is from the book of Acts, chapter 20, verses 17 to 38, as printed 00:00:40.659 --> 00:00:41.600 in the liturgy. 00:00:43.140 --> 00:00:46.879 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 00:00:47.400 --> 00:00:52.379 When they arrived, he said to them, you know how I lived the whole time I was with you. 00:00:52.379 --> 00:00:58.340 From the first day I came into the province of Asia, I served the Lord with great humility 00:00:58.340 --> 00:01:03.200 and with tears, and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. 00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:09.200 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you, but 00:01:09.200 --> 00:01:11.920 have taught you publicly and from house to house. 00:01:11.920 --> 00:01:17.900 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have 00:01:17.900 --> 00:01:19.120 faith in our Lord Jesus. 00:01:19.980 --> 00:01:25.280 And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to 00:01:25.280 --> 00:01:25.680 me there. 00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:33.540 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing 00:01:33.540 --> 00:01:33.920 me. 00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:38.080 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me. 00:01:38.660 --> 00:01:44.060 My only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me, the task 00:01:44.060 --> 00:01:46.520 of testifying to the good news of God's grace. 00:01:46.519 --> 00:01:53.299 Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see 00:01:53.299 --> 00:01:54.119 me again. 00:01:54.920 --> 00:01:59.659 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 00:02:00.399 --> 00:02:04.159 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:10.400 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. 00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:14.659 Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 00:02:14.659 --> 00:02:20.639 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:26.740 Even from your own number, men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away 00:02:26.740 --> 00:02:27.960 disciples after them. 00:02:28.900 --> 00:02:30.639 So be on your guard. 00:02:31.240 --> 00:02:36.460 Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. 00:02:37.259 --> 00:02:42.400 Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give 00:02:42.400 --> 00:02:45.280 you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 00:02:46.200 --> 00:02:50.000 I have not coveted anyone's silver or gold or clothing. 00:02:50.780 --> 00:02:55.700 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of 00:02:55.700 --> 00:02:56.460 my companions. 00:02:57.460 --> 00:03:04.000 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work, we must help the weak. 00:03:04.740 --> 00:03:07.360 Remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said, 00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:10.840 It is more blessed to give than to receive. 00:03:11.500 --> 00:03:15.560 When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 00:03:16.200 --> 00:03:18.840 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 00:03:19.480 --> 00:03:23.960 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. 00:03:24.860 --> 00:03:26.660 Then they accompanied him to the ship. 00:03:27.400 --> 00:03:28.780 This is the word of the Lord. 00:03:28.780 --> 00:03:47.639 Good morning, Christ Church. 00:03:48.360 --> 00:03:49.680 It's so good to see you all. 00:03:49.740 --> 00:03:52.840 As you can probably tell, I'm back from vacation. 00:03:52.840 --> 00:04:00.140 I want to thank you all for our session, our staff, and all of you for being so gracious, 00:04:00.360 --> 00:04:06.099 giving me an extended time away after a ridiculously extended season of pandemic ministry. 00:04:06.680 --> 00:04:14.159 It was great to just rest and have some family reunions after two years of not seeing my family 00:04:14.159 --> 00:04:15.159 and Catherine's family. 00:04:15.379 --> 00:04:19.060 Our kids were able to go to summer camp with their cousins and their friends. 00:04:19.060 --> 00:04:26.439 Best of all, Catherine and I had five days without our beloved children at the beach. 00:04:26.620 --> 00:04:28.459 It was glorious. 00:04:30.740 --> 00:04:33.759 We're really glad to be back here and reunited with you. 00:04:33.899 --> 00:04:36.180 You're our family here at Christ Church. 00:04:36.259 --> 00:04:37.360 You're our California family. 00:04:38.379 --> 00:04:42.439 We're excited about strengthening our family ties. 00:04:42.439 --> 00:04:49.480 As we go in two weeks to this retreat, many of us down in the Santa Cruz Mountains to celebrate 00:04:49.480 --> 00:04:57.060 my birthday, to sit at Jesus' feet for a couple days and learn what it means to seek first the 00:04:57.060 --> 00:05:03.720 kingdom of God, to laugh hard, to play hard, to have a lot of fun, and to relaunch into a 00:05:03.720 --> 00:05:04.740 new season of ministry. 00:05:04.899 --> 00:05:06.120 So we're excited about that. 00:05:06.620 --> 00:05:10.159 And if you're new, as Andrew said, we're thrilled to welcome you here. 00:05:10.160 --> 00:05:14.939 We can't wait to get to know you, help you get woven into the tapestry of our community, 00:05:14.939 --> 00:05:18.700 and help you grow into a deeper relationship with Christ. 00:05:18.820 --> 00:05:19.500 That's our mission. 00:05:20.200 --> 00:05:24.580 If you're new and you're kind of concerned about COVID and this Delta variant, I want to 00:05:24.580 --> 00:05:30.840 assure you that we took a survey of our congregation back in May, and 98% of us, ages 12 and older, 00:05:31.160 --> 00:05:32.100 are vaccinated here. 00:05:32.180 --> 00:05:35.760 This is a really good place for you to be in this time. 00:05:35.759 --> 00:05:40.599 And we're just so grateful that God's given us the means to gather back in person and 00:05:40.599 --> 00:05:42.980 carry out our ministry in person together. 00:05:43.240 --> 00:05:50.079 So we have, since Easter, been exploring a New Testament book of the Bible called the 00:05:50.079 --> 00:05:56.719 Acts of the Apostles, which is a study in the earliest history of the Christian church, 00:05:56.719 --> 00:06:00.879 because we're trying to get our hands around what is authentic Christianity? 00:06:01.699 --> 00:06:04.279 What is real Christianity all about? 00:06:04.279 --> 00:06:09.559 Well, and last week and this week, we're focusing on this ancient city of Ephesus. 00:06:09.819 --> 00:06:14.659 There were many city centers in the Roman Empire. 00:06:14.819 --> 00:06:16.539 I forgot how to speak while on vacation. 00:06:17.639 --> 00:06:20.039 There were many city centers in the Roman Empire. 00:06:20.040 --> 00:06:27.980 And these three around the Aegean Sea, Athens, the intellectual center, Corinth, the commercial 00:06:27.980 --> 00:06:35.220 center, and Ephesus, the spiritual center, were strategic places to launch the Christian 00:06:35.220 --> 00:06:36.040 mission. 00:06:36.480 --> 00:06:43.720 And prior to Paul's third missionary journey, there was no church in this city of Ephesus. 00:06:43.720 --> 00:06:50.020 But now in Acts chapter 20, Paul, having spent about three years in the city, the longest he's 00:06:50.020 --> 00:06:53.460 spent in any place, there is a church. 00:06:54.020 --> 00:07:01.300 There's new converts and new leaders in this place of about half a million inhabitants, roughly 00:07:01.300 --> 00:07:03.440 the size of Berkeley and Oakland. 00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:08.019 And one of the things that Paul and Barnabas did when they were there was they appointed 00:07:08.019 --> 00:07:14.000 elders over this church, a ministry team that shared in the leadership and responsibility 00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:19.240 for the nurture and mission of this Christian community of disciples. 00:07:20.259 --> 00:07:25.220 And this is the only text we have in this whole book where the message is strictly to Christians. 00:07:25.379 --> 00:07:29.220 Elsewhere, you have it here, a speech to Jews, a speech to pagan Gentiles. 00:07:29.220 --> 00:07:34.180 But here, it's just a message to Christians about what it means to be Christians, what 00:07:34.180 --> 00:07:38.760 it means to be the church, what it means to have a gospel ministry. 00:07:38.860 --> 00:07:47.100 And it's this deeply touching scene that takes place in the year 56 AD, this famous farewell 00:07:47.100 --> 00:07:53.660 speech from the Apostle Paul to the elders in Ephesus, the message of one Christian leader 00:07:53.660 --> 00:07:56.420 to a group of Christian leaders. 00:07:56.420 --> 00:07:57.860 And here's what Paul says. 00:07:57.860 --> 00:08:08.800 Paul says that good shepherds feed God's truth, fend off wolves, and value the sheep. 00:08:09.319 --> 00:08:14.759 And every Christian needs to think deeply about these things, that good shepherds feed God's 00:08:14.759 --> 00:08:15.220 truth. 00:08:16.160 --> 00:08:20.280 They fend off the wolves, and they value the sheep. 00:08:20.360 --> 00:08:24.500 And I want to talk a little bit about how good shepherds feed God's truth. 00:08:24.500 --> 00:08:30.379 This metaphor of sheep and shepherd is a beautiful, time-honored image. 00:08:30.500 --> 00:08:32.419 Moses was the shepherd leader of Israel. 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:35.820 David was the shepherd king of the people of God. 00:08:35.820 --> 00:08:40.940 Jesus, it says in the gospels, when he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because 00:08:40.940 --> 00:08:43.040 they were like sheep without a shepherd. 00:08:43.820 --> 00:08:49.180 He told parables about how God was the shepherd who went after the one lost sheep. 00:08:49.760 --> 00:08:52.620 And then Jesus says, you know, actually, I'm the good shepherd. 00:08:53.080 --> 00:08:57.940 And at the end of his gospel, he says to Peter, I want you to feed my sheep. 00:08:57.940 --> 00:09:04.880 And that's where Paul gets this imagery in verse 28 when he says, keep watch over yourselves 00:09:04.880 --> 00:09:08.800 and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. 00:09:08.940 --> 00:09:13.500 Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 00:09:14.260 --> 00:09:22.240 In verses 18 to 27, leading up to that verse, Paul presents a pattern, a model of life for 00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:27.360 how he did the work of shepherding this Ephesian church over the course of three years. 00:09:27.360 --> 00:09:34.019 And he set an example for these new leaders, this team of pastors and elders to imitate him. 00:09:34.080 --> 00:09:40.399 And what Paul showed is that the primary work of a shepherd is to feed the sheep. 00:09:41.200 --> 00:09:46.840 It's to teach God's people to nourish themselves on God's truth. 00:09:47.779 --> 00:09:52.100 And what is the truth that Paul, the shepherd, fed his Ephesian flock? 00:09:52.379 --> 00:09:53.940 Some of you were with us last year. 00:09:53.940 --> 00:09:56.000 We went through Paul's letter to the Ephesians. 00:09:56.200 --> 00:10:02.060 And you can go read that letter to get a sense of all that he said about God bringing to unity 00:10:02.060 --> 00:10:05.100 all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. 00:10:05.220 --> 00:10:06.600 That's what he was teaching them about. 00:10:07.260 --> 00:10:13.160 But Paul says here, he says in verse 24, that I was testifying to you the good news of the 00:10:13.160 --> 00:10:13.900 grace of God. 00:10:14.880 --> 00:10:19.880 And in verse 25, he said, as I was preaching to you the kingdom of God. 00:10:19.879 --> 00:10:25.879 And in verse 27, he says, I was proclaiming to you the whole will or counsel of God. 00:10:26.460 --> 00:10:31.159 And then in verse 21, he says, I was declaring to you that you must live a life of repenting 00:10:31.159 --> 00:10:35.700 and believing, of turning to God and trusting in Jesus. 00:10:36.539 --> 00:10:44.159 What does a healthy flock of sheep, a mature, robust Christian church, regularly nourish itself on? 00:10:44.159 --> 00:10:52.559 The grace of God, the kingdom of God, the will of God, repenting and putting your faith in God 00:10:52.559 --> 00:10:54.339 and in his son, Jesus. 00:10:55.339 --> 00:11:01.159 Sheep, Paul says, need to be led into the green pastures of the truth of scripture. 00:11:01.379 --> 00:11:07.620 And they need to be equipped to become self-feeders day by day, morning and evening, 00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:10.299 on the truths of God's word. 00:11:10.299 --> 00:11:16.419 Paul, the shepherd, says that healthy sheep must feast on these particular truths. 00:11:17.019 --> 00:11:21.059 Verse 24, I was testifying to the grace of God. 00:11:21.679 --> 00:11:29.179 In other words, the creator God wants to have a relationship with you as a gracious father. 00:11:30.099 --> 00:11:36.559 And because you and I are not enough, we are not sufficient to heal ourselves or to forgive 00:11:36.559 --> 00:11:37.039 ourselves. 00:11:37.039 --> 00:11:42.819 Our gracious father has given us his son and his spirit to save us from ourselves. 00:11:43.639 --> 00:11:50.679 And God himself has carried in the broken body of Jesus our sin and our suffering to the cross. 00:11:50.759 --> 00:11:52.479 That's what the grace of God is all about. 00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:59.799 And Paul says, you need to chew on the truth of the grace of God. 00:12:00.500 --> 00:12:04.599 He goes on in verse 25, he says, I was preaching to you the kingdom of God. 00:12:04.600 --> 00:12:09.560 And this is the first thing we hear about in the gospel of Mark, chapter 1, verse 15. 00:12:10.180 --> 00:12:13.899 Jesus' first words out of his mouth are that the kingdom of God is here. 00:12:14.740 --> 00:12:22.200 The gracious rule, the liberating reign of God himself has come in and through me, Jesus says. 00:12:22.519 --> 00:12:27.000 The sovereign God has sent his one mediator. 00:12:27.620 --> 00:12:28.660 To do what? 00:12:28.659 --> 00:12:36.279 To bring us out of a kingdom of darkness, out of a kingdom of oppression, and into a kingdom of light, 00:12:36.740 --> 00:12:37.899 and a kingdom of liberty. 00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:43.919 And what that entails precisely is the dethroning of all other kings, namely yourself. 00:12:44.719 --> 00:12:51.679 Your ego, your pride, and your vanity, all the things that you've enthroned about money in your life, 00:12:51.679 --> 00:12:57.399 and sex in your life, and power in your life, all of those idols must be cast down from the throne. 00:12:57.839 --> 00:13:06.500 And Jesus needs to be put on the center, right in the heart of things in your life, on his throne. 00:13:07.519 --> 00:13:13.919 Paul says we need to chew on the truth of the grace of God, and we need to savor the truth of the kingdom of God. 00:13:13.919 --> 00:13:16.639 And then he goes beyond that in verse 27. 00:13:16.759 --> 00:13:23.439 He says, I was proclaiming to you the whole will of God, the whole counsel of God, the whole plan and purpose of God. 00:13:23.479 --> 00:13:24.479 And what did that entail? 00:13:24.559 --> 00:13:30.199 Well, I think it meant three years of Paul teaching them, this is how to interpret the Bible rightly. 00:13:30.339 --> 00:13:34.299 This is how to interpret the Bible from creation to redemption. 00:13:34.299 --> 00:13:45.679 This is how to understand all the dynamics and the continuity from God's covenant with Abraham, with Adam, with Noah, with Abraham, with Moses, with David, and climaxing in Jesus. 00:13:46.279 --> 00:13:57.699 This is how to understand the different sections of the Bible coming to their fullness and their fruition in Jesus' ministry as our prophet, our priest, and our king. 00:13:57.700 --> 00:14:05.720 Paul spent three years telling them about the indicatives of all that God had done for them by his grace to save them, 00:14:06.400 --> 00:14:16.120 and all the imperatives of what it means for us to respond to God's grace in obedience and working out our salvation with fear and trembling. 00:14:16.240 --> 00:14:22.940 He told them all about, in great detail, the Christ-like conduct that God desires from his people. 00:14:22.940 --> 00:14:30.520 He told them to fix their eyes on the coming judgment and the coming salvation of this world. 00:14:31.100 --> 00:14:35.900 Paul told them, you've got to chew on the truth of the grace of God. 00:14:36.520 --> 00:14:39.460 You've got to savor the truth of the kingdom of God. 00:14:39.540 --> 00:14:43.040 You've got to digest the truth of the will of God. 00:14:43.039 --> 00:14:52.219 And Paul says, if sheep will feed themselves on the truth of the grace and the kingdom and the will of God, 00:14:52.679 --> 00:14:54.860 they'll be utterly transformed. 00:14:55.980 --> 00:15:02.419 Paul, in fact, says, this is the reason I was teaching you with all of my effort in these large public gatherings, 00:15:02.620 --> 00:15:05.159 in your smaller home groups. 00:15:05.399 --> 00:15:08.139 This is why I was teaching you at night and teaching you during the day. 00:15:08.139 --> 00:15:13.460 This is why I was teaching you every time with tears in my eyes because he says in verse 21, 00:15:14.080 --> 00:15:23.559 I was declaring to both Jews and Greeks that all of y'all must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. 00:15:23.679 --> 00:15:25.379 That's the whole of the Christian life. 00:15:25.879 --> 00:15:33.819 It's a learning to turn to God in what Paul calls metanoia, repentance. 00:15:34.059 --> 00:15:36.279 Metanoia means to change your mind. 00:15:36.279 --> 00:15:44.879 I want you to learn how to let go of all of your mind and to embrace all of God's mind. 00:15:45.319 --> 00:15:49.100 I want you to learn how to think God's thoughts after him. 00:15:49.179 --> 00:15:52.419 I want you to learn how to see the world through his eyes. 00:15:52.500 --> 00:15:54.899 And the more and more you turn to God and do that, 00:15:54.959 --> 00:16:02.659 the more you're going to be trusting deeper and deeper in his son, Jesus, as your living Lord. 00:16:02.659 --> 00:16:07.620 Now I wonder about you, Christ Church. 00:16:07.699 --> 00:16:11.860 Have you developed predictable patterns in your life to nourish yourself, 00:16:11.959 --> 00:16:15.319 to feed your mind and to feed your heart on these truths? 00:16:15.399 --> 00:16:22.159 Has anyone taught you how to spend time with God and given you a method for how to start your day 00:16:22.159 --> 00:16:26.659 feasting on the truth of God's self-revelation in the scriptures? 00:16:26.659 --> 00:16:31.179 And if you've learned those things, are you doing them? 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:33.860 Are you prioritizing the time? 00:16:33.959 --> 00:16:39.439 Are you giving adequate enough time to let yourself sit and soak in the grace and the kingdom 00:16:39.439 --> 00:16:47.039 and the counsel of God and learning to embody this life of turning to God and trusting in Jesus? 00:16:47.240 --> 00:16:49.299 That's why the church exists. 00:16:49.299 --> 00:16:55.979 That's what the church is here to do, to convey to you this body of truth 00:16:55.979 --> 00:17:00.740 and to equip you to feast yourself on that truth. 00:17:02.099 --> 00:17:04.599 Good shepherds, that's what they do. 00:17:05.039 --> 00:17:06.960 They feed God's truth. 00:17:08.019 --> 00:17:09.220 But Paul goes beyond that. 00:17:09.279 --> 00:17:14.440 He says good shepherds not only feed God's truth, but they also fend off wolves. 00:17:14.759 --> 00:17:18.359 And this is what Paul says in verse 29. 00:17:19.299 --> 00:17:24.419 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 00:17:25.039 --> 00:17:30.940 Even from your own number, some will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 00:17:31.659 --> 00:17:36.940 In the Middle East, the wolf is the chief enemy of the sheep. 00:17:37.019 --> 00:17:42.619 A sheep is utterly defenseless against one wolf, much less a pack of wolves. 00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:47.399 And what would happen is a sheep would just be violently torn from limb to limb. 00:17:47.400 --> 00:17:52.180 There would be just nothing left but blood and guts and just an awful mess. 00:17:53.019 --> 00:17:56.259 And I wonder as you think about that image, what do you think about that image? 00:17:57.100 --> 00:18:00.300 Is that image a little too intense for you? 00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:09.360 Does that sound like a paranoid fundamentalist who's blowing up the spiritual threats to God's people, 00:18:09.460 --> 00:18:11.980 to God's flock out of all proportion? 00:18:11.980 --> 00:18:18.500 I want to remind you that this image comes straight from the mouth of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. 00:18:18.599 --> 00:18:20.799 He said in Matthew chapter 7, 00:18:21.039 --> 00:18:22.559 Watch out for false prophets. 00:18:23.740 --> 00:18:28.799 They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 00:18:28.799 --> 00:18:31.500 Jesus is warning us. 00:18:31.619 --> 00:18:36.740 Paul is warning us about destructive forces that harm the church, 00:18:36.839 --> 00:18:39.519 namely wolves that appear sheep-like. 00:18:40.139 --> 00:18:42.000 They're Christian-seeming. 00:18:42.099 --> 00:18:48.039 They insinuate themselves in the church so that the flock takes them to be the real deal, 00:18:48.180 --> 00:18:51.000 takes them to be trustworthy when really they're dangerous. 00:18:51.000 --> 00:18:57.940 Truth twisters, Paul says, that draw disciples away from Jesus after them, 00:18:58.000 --> 00:19:05.000 away from the Jesus of the New Testament into some sort of sub-biblical pseudo-Christianity. 00:19:06.039 --> 00:19:07.819 Have you ever seen that happen in a church? 00:19:08.680 --> 00:19:11.380 Paul's instinct here is absolutely right. 00:19:11.480 --> 00:19:16.480 His warning is spot on because we read later on in the book of Revelation chapter 2, 00:19:16.980 --> 00:19:19.119 Jesus addresses this Ephesian church. 00:19:19.119 --> 00:19:22.099 And he critiques this church. 00:19:22.199 --> 00:19:23.519 And you know what Jesus says to them? 00:19:23.599 --> 00:19:26.099 He says, I hold this against you. 00:19:26.619 --> 00:19:29.459 You have forsaken your first love. 00:19:30.419 --> 00:19:33.000 You've forsaken your first love. 00:19:33.579 --> 00:19:38.379 You've allowed people to come in among you and twist the truth, distort the truth, 00:19:38.559 --> 00:19:44.379 and draw you away from Jesus in such a way that your love for him grew cold. 00:19:44.380 --> 00:19:49.720 And you began to give your time and your energy and your attention to other things. 00:19:49.800 --> 00:19:52.160 You left your first love. 00:19:53.380 --> 00:19:58.420 Now, I was reading about this this week, and I came across this quote from N.T. Wright, 00:19:58.520 --> 00:20:01.960 who's a great New Testament scholar and scholar of Christian origins. 00:20:03.180 --> 00:20:04.060 And he said this. 00:20:04.120 --> 00:20:04.360 He said, 00:20:04.359 --> 00:20:30.319 I think right is right. 00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:33.720 I think if someone came in here to Christ Church, 00:20:33.779 --> 00:20:37.799 and they took one of the 12 articles of our faith that we just confessed in the creed, 00:20:37.960 --> 00:20:39.759 and they straightforwardly denied it. 00:20:39.799 --> 00:20:41.259 They said, you know, there's not one God. 00:20:41.359 --> 00:20:42.179 There's many gods. 00:20:42.779 --> 00:20:44.299 God isn't a God of infinite power. 00:20:44.399 --> 00:20:45.000 He's limited. 00:20:45.939 --> 00:20:47.379 Jesus is only human. 00:20:47.500 --> 00:20:48.299 He's not divine. 00:20:48.460 --> 00:20:52.659 His death is just a, it's an example of sacrificial love, 00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:55.359 but it can't actually do anything to atone for your sins. 00:20:55.359 --> 00:21:00.879 Jesus, guess what, was spiritually resurrected, but not physically resurrected. 00:21:01.099 --> 00:21:06.079 And the Holy Spirit and the church are optional extra accessories for Christians. 00:21:06.339 --> 00:21:10.539 And there is going to be no judgment at the end of time. 00:21:10.599 --> 00:21:13.379 I think if somebody came in saying those things, 00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:17.059 I hope that we would be grounded enough in the truth of Scripture 00:21:17.059 --> 00:21:22.039 and rooted enough in sound doctrine and strong enough in our faith 00:21:22.039 --> 00:21:24.639 that we would see that for what it is. 00:21:24.640 --> 00:21:30.840 But Wright says there's a more subtle and more pervasive danger to the church, 00:21:30.920 --> 00:21:35.840 and that is that we confuse the center of our faith for the circumference. 00:21:36.640 --> 00:21:42.120 That we confuse the fountainhead of our faith for some sort of downstream tributary. 00:21:42.660 --> 00:21:46.360 That we take something that is important but not central, 00:21:46.360 --> 00:21:52.420 and we fixate on that one thing as if it's the only thing that mattered. 00:21:52.420 --> 00:21:57.720 And I see this happening across the church in the United States. 00:21:57.820 --> 00:21:59.360 I've seen it happen in our own church, 00:21:59.360 --> 00:22:06.300 where we begin to analyze the version of Western Christianity that we inherited, 00:22:06.440 --> 00:22:07.600 that was given to us. 00:22:08.240 --> 00:22:11.940 We begin to scrutinize our North American Christian subculture. 00:22:12.120 --> 00:22:15.580 We dissect the belief system that we grew up with. 00:22:15.579 --> 00:22:20.480 And when you do that, you very quickly become disheartened and disaffected 00:22:20.480 --> 00:22:24.839 by all the failures and hypocrisies and imperfections of the church. 00:22:24.980 --> 00:22:27.319 You look at how the church has handled sex and gender, 00:22:27.439 --> 00:22:29.919 and you say, gosh, that's repressive and oppressive. 00:22:30.619 --> 00:22:33.199 You look at how the church has handled race issues, 00:22:33.259 --> 00:22:34.779 and you say, well, not only is that unjust, 00:22:34.779 --> 00:22:38.859 but the church also seems unaware in its complicity in injustice. 00:22:38.859 --> 00:22:45.500 You look at politics and how the church seems to be encouraging tribal identities. 00:22:45.500 --> 00:22:49.019 And you look at social justice and how the church is so disengaged 00:22:49.019 --> 00:22:52.459 from the poor and economic inequity. 00:22:52.659 --> 00:22:54.559 You look at science and you think to yourself, 00:22:54.719 --> 00:22:58.359 how can so many Christians be so anti-intellectual? 00:22:58.879 --> 00:23:02.639 You look at the doctrine of hell and how the church has used that as a weapon 00:23:02.639 --> 00:23:05.240 to beat people over the head and make them feel excluded. 00:23:05.240 --> 00:23:08.900 And I don't know, like, I don't want to be here. 00:23:09.559 --> 00:23:11.460 Anybody wrestle with these issues? 00:23:12.740 --> 00:23:13.460 Okay, I do. 00:23:13.519 --> 00:23:14.559 I don't know if I'm the only one. 00:23:14.640 --> 00:23:19.160 But if you do, I hear you, I see you, I feel you. 00:23:19.620 --> 00:23:21.799 But I also want to warn you. 00:23:22.500 --> 00:23:27.819 You are primed to fixate on that one thing or that one package of things 00:23:27.819 --> 00:23:29.500 as if they're central to the faith 00:23:29.500 --> 00:23:33.220 and as if they are the only things in our faith that matter. 00:23:33.220 --> 00:23:39.019 And you're also primed, I would say, to go looking for new teachers 00:23:39.019 --> 00:23:42.140 who will teach you new truth, 00:23:42.220 --> 00:23:44.920 which is really probably old truth in a new package 00:23:44.920 --> 00:23:47.539 on the internet, podcast, YouTube, whatever. 00:23:48.339 --> 00:23:52.400 And I think you're probably pretty primed for some of those inklings of doubt 00:23:52.400 --> 00:23:54.420 that are beginning to rise up in your heart 00:23:54.420 --> 00:23:58.180 to very quickly turn from doubt into disbelief. 00:23:58.180 --> 00:24:04.120 And I've seen that happen way too many times at Christ Church, 00:24:04.259 --> 00:24:05.420 even over the past year. 00:24:05.900 --> 00:24:09.779 People that have been drawn away from the global, historic, 00:24:10.240 --> 00:24:11.980 orthodox Christian faith 00:24:11.980 --> 00:24:15.820 into some form of post-Christian, secular, 00:24:16.039 --> 00:24:19.039 even shallower versions of our faith. 00:24:19.680 --> 00:24:22.039 And I'm saying this to be on your guard 00:24:22.039 --> 00:24:24.539 because I don't want it to happen to you. 00:24:25.379 --> 00:24:28.720 If you need to disenculturate your faith, 00:24:28.779 --> 00:24:32.559 and probably everybody here needs to go through that process. 00:24:32.799 --> 00:24:34.559 It was the first year of seminary for me. 00:24:34.639 --> 00:24:36.379 I'm thinking, Andrew, for you as well. 00:24:36.460 --> 00:24:40.259 Like, you need to get broken down in order to get built back up. 00:24:40.319 --> 00:24:43.920 But if you need to disenculturate your faith with all these issues, 00:24:44.500 --> 00:24:46.180 Jesus shows us how to do it. 00:24:46.180 --> 00:24:52.180 Jesus critiqued the culture of the church on the basis of the Bible. 00:24:52.900 --> 00:24:53.240 Right? 00:24:53.299 --> 00:24:54.820 In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, 00:24:55.000 --> 00:24:57.680 you've heard that it was said, but I say to you. 00:24:58.640 --> 00:25:00.000 You've heard that it was said, 00:25:00.400 --> 00:25:02.620 love your neighbors and hate your enemies, 00:25:02.740 --> 00:25:05.080 but I say to you, you know that hate your enemies part? 00:25:05.320 --> 00:25:06.220 That's not in the Bible. 00:25:06.500 --> 00:25:07.759 And somebody added that on, 00:25:07.799 --> 00:25:10.060 and you need to get rid of that and deal with that. 00:25:11.600 --> 00:25:13.860 Jesus deconstructs the norms of his day, 00:25:13.859 --> 00:25:17.299 but he critiques the worldly corruption of the church 00:25:17.299 --> 00:25:19.500 with the truth of the scriptures. 00:25:20.500 --> 00:25:22.359 And Western people have this backwards 00:25:22.359 --> 00:25:25.419 because they use our late modern culture, 00:25:25.519 --> 00:25:27.899 what Paul called the standards of this world, 00:25:28.240 --> 00:25:32.419 they use that standard by which to critique the Bible and the church. 00:25:34.979 --> 00:25:35.979 I'm preaching. 00:25:36.599 --> 00:25:37.019 Sorry. 00:25:38.299 --> 00:25:38.579 Okay. 00:25:39.059 --> 00:25:42.459 Two of my favorite bumper stickers since I moved here in 2005. 00:25:42.460 --> 00:25:45.140 Number one is don't believe everything you think. 00:25:45.700 --> 00:25:48.180 And number two is subvert the dominant paradigm. 00:25:49.039 --> 00:25:50.220 Now, I was on a walk yesterday. 00:25:50.319 --> 00:25:51.620 I saw another bumper sticker that said, 00:25:51.799 --> 00:25:54.180 my inner child is an honor student at Burning Man. 00:25:55.440 --> 00:25:57.640 And I'm going to add that one to my list. 00:25:58.279 --> 00:26:00.180 But don't believe everything you think 00:26:00.180 --> 00:26:01.759 and subvert the dominant paradigm. 00:26:01.960 --> 00:26:03.500 You should absolutely apply that 00:26:03.500 --> 00:26:05.380 to North American Christian subculture. 00:26:06.059 --> 00:26:09.180 But you should also apply that to Western secular culture. 00:26:09.299 --> 00:26:10.840 Don't believe everything everybody's saying. 00:26:10.840 --> 00:26:12.039 Don't believe everything you think. 00:26:12.460 --> 00:26:14.299 And subvert the dominant paradigm. 00:26:14.579 --> 00:26:15.819 Don't go along with the majority. 00:26:16.100 --> 00:26:17.539 Don't swim with the flow. 00:26:19.120 --> 00:26:21.420 Our culture tells you to come to the Bible 00:26:21.420 --> 00:26:23.299 in our individualistic society 00:26:23.299 --> 00:26:26.240 and to put your sovereign enlightened self 00:26:26.240 --> 00:26:28.299 to stand above the Bible 00:26:28.299 --> 00:26:30.059 or stand beside the Bible 00:26:30.059 --> 00:26:31.539 or stand on the Bible 00:26:31.539 --> 00:26:33.240 and to simply deconstruct it, 00:26:33.319 --> 00:26:35.259 which is really, really easy to do. 00:26:35.360 --> 00:26:37.299 It's lazy intellectually. 00:26:37.299 --> 00:26:41.740 But Christians are called to sit under the Bible, 00:26:42.359 --> 00:26:44.859 to humbly submit ourselves to the authority 00:26:44.859 --> 00:26:47.220 of the truth of God's word 00:26:47.220 --> 00:26:49.240 and let it deconstruct us. 00:26:49.919 --> 00:26:52.899 Let it question all of our sub-Christian ways 00:26:52.899 --> 00:26:56.059 of thinking and subvert the dominant paradigms 00:26:56.059 --> 00:26:58.859 that we've inherited from church culture 00:26:58.859 --> 00:27:00.099 or Bay Area culture 00:27:00.099 --> 00:27:03.039 and to be reformed according to a kingdom culture. 00:27:03.039 --> 00:27:06.960 If you're reading the Bible regularly and rightly, 00:27:07.200 --> 00:27:08.519 chewing on the grace of God, 00:27:08.740 --> 00:27:10.319 savoring the kingdom of God, 00:27:10.680 --> 00:27:13.759 digesting the whole counsel of God, 00:27:13.879 --> 00:27:16.180 embodying this life of turning to God 00:27:16.180 --> 00:27:17.279 and trusting in Jesus, 00:27:18.440 --> 00:27:21.139 you're gonna become people of discernment. 00:27:21.819 --> 00:27:23.559 People who can discern 00:27:23.559 --> 00:27:26.399 when someone is clarifying the truth 00:27:26.399 --> 00:27:28.139 and when they're distorting the truth. 00:27:28.140 --> 00:27:31.600 When someone is leading you closer to Jesus 00:27:31.600 --> 00:27:34.860 or leading you further away from your first love. 00:27:34.920 --> 00:27:36.300 And I just, as a shepherd this morning, 00:27:36.380 --> 00:27:38.240 I had to say, be on your guard. 00:27:38.960 --> 00:27:39.740 Be on your guard. 00:27:41.100 --> 00:27:43.759 Okay, good shepherds feed God's truth. 00:27:43.960 --> 00:27:44.860 They fend off wolves. 00:27:44.940 --> 00:27:46.880 And my last thing is that they value the sheep. 00:27:47.520 --> 00:27:48.860 Good shepherds value the sheep. 00:27:48.940 --> 00:27:51.180 This is Pastor Paul's message to these elders, 00:27:51.340 --> 00:27:52.860 these shepherds of the Ephesian flock. 00:27:53.280 --> 00:27:54.640 And he says in verse 28, 00:27:54.640 --> 00:27:56.500 Keep watch over yourselves 00:27:56.500 --> 00:27:58.780 and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit 00:27:58.780 --> 00:27:59.900 has made you overseers. 00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:02.180 Be shepherds of the church of God 00:28:02.180 --> 00:28:04.840 which he bought with his own blood. 00:28:05.600 --> 00:28:08.020 That's a wonderfully Trinitarian verse. 00:28:08.680 --> 00:28:10.880 Shows us how precious the church is 00:28:10.880 --> 00:28:13.200 to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit 00:28:13.200 --> 00:28:16.100 that these sheep belong to God the Father. 00:28:16.420 --> 00:28:17.820 This is not the church of Jonathan. 00:28:18.000 --> 00:28:19.100 It's not the church of Andrew. 00:28:19.460 --> 00:28:21.020 Paul says it's the church of God. 00:28:21.019 --> 00:28:25.639 And he's the supreme overseer and shepherd of the flock. 00:28:26.379 --> 00:28:29.119 And these sheep have been bought by God's own Son 00:28:29.119 --> 00:28:32.500 that Jesus loves everyone in here so much 00:28:32.500 --> 00:28:34.619 that he laid down his life 00:28:34.619 --> 00:28:36.079 and he shed his blood 00:28:36.079 --> 00:28:38.079 and he paid the highest price 00:28:38.079 --> 00:28:40.099 to purchase this flock 00:28:40.099 --> 00:28:43.000 with his sacrificial death on the cross. 00:28:43.099 --> 00:28:44.599 So these sheep belong to God. 00:28:45.059 --> 00:28:47.720 They're redeemed by God the Son. 00:28:47.720 --> 00:28:51.680 And God the Holy Spirit has provided new converts here. 00:28:51.779 --> 00:28:53.299 He's provided mature servants. 00:28:53.440 --> 00:28:54.860 He's provided spiritual gifts 00:28:54.860 --> 00:28:56.880 for the church to be built up. 00:28:56.940 --> 00:28:58.000 And so it's our privilege 00:28:58.000 --> 00:29:01.279 that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit 00:29:01.279 --> 00:29:02.900 has made us a part of his flock. 00:29:03.740 --> 00:29:06.160 And this truth, I think, should humble us, 00:29:06.980 --> 00:29:08.960 inspire us, and motivate us 00:29:08.960 --> 00:29:11.100 to more loving care 00:29:11.100 --> 00:29:14.819 of the people that God cares for so much. 00:29:14.819 --> 00:29:18.419 You know, if you talk to any real-life shepherd, 00:29:18.639 --> 00:29:20.899 they'll keep it real about the sheep, right? 00:29:21.819 --> 00:29:24.480 That sheep are not these clean, cuddly lambs 00:29:24.480 --> 00:29:25.700 that they appear from a distance. 00:29:25.819 --> 00:29:27.099 One writer says they're dirty. 00:29:27.899 --> 00:29:29.460 They're subject to unpleasant pests. 00:29:29.579 --> 00:29:31.799 They need to be regularly dipped in strong chemicals 00:29:31.799 --> 00:29:34.200 in order to be rid of lice, ticks, and worms. 00:29:34.299 --> 00:29:37.200 They are unintelligent, wayward, and obstinate. 00:29:37.339 --> 00:29:39.220 And I hesitate to apply the metaphor, 00:29:39.220 --> 00:29:43.819 or, you know, too closely here this morning, 00:29:43.880 --> 00:29:47.160 it would not be proper to call the beloved people of God 00:29:47.160 --> 00:29:48.519 dirty, lousy, and stupid. 00:29:50.319 --> 00:29:53.200 Nevertheless, some sheep are a great trial 00:29:53.200 --> 00:29:54.180 to their shepherds. 00:29:55.180 --> 00:29:57.779 And some pastors are a great trial to their people. 00:29:57.920 --> 00:29:58.420 Can I get an amen? 00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:02.640 But when you find a sheep or a shepherd 00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:05.900 who's being difficult or irritating or exasperating, 00:30:05.900 --> 00:30:09.240 I want you to remember the infinite value 00:30:09.240 --> 00:30:11.360 that they have in the sight of God. 00:30:12.080 --> 00:30:15.320 That they are so precious that the whole Trinity 00:30:15.320 --> 00:30:17.600 is involved in caring for them. 00:30:17.660 --> 00:30:20.320 Next time you're with a tiresome sheep 00:30:20.320 --> 00:30:22.740 that just puts your battery on drain, 00:30:23.200 --> 00:30:25.860 you can say, not out loud, just say in your heart, 00:30:26.600 --> 00:30:28.420 God the Father loves you. 00:30:29.320 --> 00:30:32.400 God the Son shed his blood for you. 00:30:32.400 --> 00:30:38.259 God the Holy Spirit has appointed me to care for you. 00:30:38.980 --> 00:30:41.460 And as the three persons of the Trinity 00:30:41.460 --> 00:30:42.840 are committed to your welfare, 00:30:43.080 --> 00:30:46.600 so I'm so deeply privileged to serve you 00:30:46.600 --> 00:30:48.560 right here, right now. 00:30:50.100 --> 00:30:53.620 I love where Paul lands the plane of this message. 00:30:53.759 --> 00:30:55.360 It's where I'm gonna land the plane this morning. 00:30:55.980 --> 00:30:58.080 In verse 35, he says, 00:30:58.079 --> 00:31:01.939 we should work really hard to help the weak. 00:31:03.159 --> 00:31:05.759 Remembering the words of the Lord Jesus himself 00:31:05.759 --> 00:31:09.339 who said it's more blessed to give than to receive. 00:31:10.259 --> 00:31:11.240 So I want you to just take a minute 00:31:11.240 --> 00:31:12.379 to look around this flock. 00:31:13.079 --> 00:31:14.839 Look at all the little lambs 00:31:14.839 --> 00:31:17.659 and the more mature sheep around here. 00:31:19.500 --> 00:31:21.000 And I want you to ask this question, 00:31:21.139 --> 00:31:23.839 Lord, who are you calling me to help? 00:31:23.839 --> 00:31:27.179 Who's in a period of weakness 00:31:27.179 --> 00:31:30.059 who needs not just generic help, 00:31:30.139 --> 00:31:31.480 but needs my help? 00:31:32.299 --> 00:31:34.359 How can I help one sheep 00:31:34.359 --> 00:31:37.220 and do so in a way that I expect nothing 00:31:37.220 --> 00:31:39.259 from them in return? 00:31:39.399 --> 00:31:41.559 Jesus said it's better to give than to receive. 00:31:41.819 --> 00:31:44.319 It's better to serve than to be served. 00:31:44.480 --> 00:31:47.299 Freely, we've received the grace of God. 00:31:47.659 --> 00:31:49.740 How can we give the grace of God to others 00:31:49.740 --> 00:31:53.779 with no thought of what is in it for me? 00:31:54.859 --> 00:31:57.380 Paul modeled that so beautifully. 00:31:57.559 --> 00:32:00.960 He modeled this Jesus-shaped life so, so beautifully 00:32:00.960 --> 00:32:03.460 that at the end of this message 00:32:03.460 --> 00:32:07.180 where he reminds God's people of their deepest truths, 00:32:07.299 --> 00:32:09.599 he reminds them of their deepest identity, 00:32:09.799 --> 00:32:10.339 what happens? 00:32:10.440 --> 00:32:13.019 We see this outpouring of emotion, 00:32:13.960 --> 00:32:16.720 tears, embraces, and kisses. 00:32:16.720 --> 00:32:20.079 And that's my prayer for us, 00:32:20.140 --> 00:32:21.360 that such fondness, 00:32:22.440 --> 00:32:23.880 such affection, 00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:25.839 such warmth, 00:32:26.019 --> 00:32:28.220 such heartfelt love 00:32:28.220 --> 00:32:30.960 would grow among us at Christ Church 00:32:30.960 --> 00:32:35.440 as we launch into a new ministry year together. 00:32:36.400 --> 00:32:36.680 Amen? 00:32:37.420 --> 00:32:39.519 In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 00:32:40.140 --> 00:32:40.339 Amen. 00:32:40.339 --> 00:32:40.460 Amen.