WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.080 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christ Church. 00:00:05.540 --> 00:00:09.519 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, 00:00:09.880 --> 00:00:15.419 redistribution, or any other use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christ Church. 00:00:15.419 --> 00:00:22.640 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at ChristChurchEastBay.org. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:35.119 Good morning. I'm Constance St. Clair, and I'm part of the Christ Church Youth Group. 00:00:35.780 --> 00:00:51.500 Today's reading is from Psalm 67, verses 1-7, Colossians 4, verses 5-6, and John 15, verses 1-3, 11, 18, and 20. 00:00:52.960 --> 00:00:58.320 For the director of music, with stringed instruments, a psalm, a song. 00:00:58.320 --> 00:01:03.420 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us, 00:01:03.539 --> 00:01:08.099 so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. 00:01:08.859 --> 00:01:12.620 May the peoples praise you, God. May all the peoples praise you. 00:01:13.379 --> 00:01:19.939 May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth. 00:01:20.700 --> 00:01:24.159 May the peoples praise you, God. May all the peoples praise you. 00:01:24.159 --> 00:01:28.619 The land yields its harvest. God, our God, blesses us. 00:01:29.379 --> 00:01:33.479 May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him. 00:01:34.120 --> 00:01:36.179 The grass withers and the flowers fall. 00:01:36.840 --> 00:01:39.060 The word of God stands forever. 00:01:39.640 --> 00:01:42.259 A reading from Paul's letter to the Colossians. 00:01:42.260 --> 00:01:45.520 Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders. 00:01:46.380 --> 00:01:48.100 Make the most of every opportunity. 00:01:49.060 --> 00:01:55.280 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. 00:01:55.900 --> 00:01:57.320 This is the word of the Lord. 00:01:57.820 --> 00:01:59.100 Thanks be to God. 00:01:59.660 --> 00:02:02.300 A reading from the Gospel according to John. 00:02:03.160 --> 00:02:06.280 After Jesus said this, he looked towards heaven and prayed, 00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:08.379 Father, the hour has come. 00:02:09.099 --> 00:02:11.740 Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 00:02:12.420 --> 00:02:18.120 For you granted him authority over all people, that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 00:02:18.719 --> 00:02:25.439 Now this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 00:02:25.439 --> 00:02:33.219 I will remain in the world no longer, but they, the apostles, are still in the world, and I am coming to you. 00:02:34.039 --> 00:02:41.020 Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 00:02:42.099 --> 00:02:45.659 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 00:02:47.139 --> 00:02:49.159 My prayer is not for them alone. 00:02:49.379 --> 00:02:55.099 I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one. 00:02:55.439 --> 00:03:03.960 Father, just as you are in me, and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 00:03:04.419 --> 00:03:06.020 This is the Gospel of the Lord. 00:03:06.680 --> 00:03:07.879 Praise to you, Lord. 00:03:09.079 --> 00:03:11.759 Good morning, Christ Church. 00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:16.159 I know pastors are not supposed to have favorites, but that is one of my favorite scripture readers. 00:03:17.099 --> 00:03:19.699 And it's my daughter, so. 00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:25.259 Well, here we are, two days away from this election. 00:03:25.439 --> 00:03:28.359 And we're going to pray about that in just a bit. 00:03:29.139 --> 00:03:33.780 But I do want to just say a word about it, because it's on all of our hearts and minds. 00:03:33.859 --> 00:03:42.680 And my question for you is, what did Jesus say when he was standing before Pontius Pilate? 00:03:42.780 --> 00:03:43.939 Do you remember what Jesus said? 00:03:45.419 --> 00:03:46.219 Jesus said, 00:03:46.219 --> 00:03:48.580 My kingdom is not of this world. 00:03:48.639 --> 00:03:51.620 If it were, my servants would fight. 00:03:52.460 --> 00:03:55.379 But my kingdom is from another place. 00:03:55.379 --> 00:04:00.120 And do you know what Jesus said just the night before? 00:04:00.219 --> 00:04:02.019 The night before he went to his cross. 00:04:02.099 --> 00:04:05.819 You know what Jesus was thinking about and praying about? 00:04:07.400 --> 00:04:08.439 I'll give you a hint. 00:04:09.639 --> 00:04:12.639 He was not praying for the United States of America. 00:04:12.639 --> 00:04:16.180 He was not praying for election 2024. 00:04:16.399 --> 00:04:18.599 Although these are certainly things we should pray about. 00:04:19.560 --> 00:04:23.659 But what was on his heart and his mind, we just heard in John 17. 00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:27.180 He was praying for the unity of his apostles. 00:04:27.399 --> 00:04:31.539 He was praying for the unity of the church that he would build through his apostles. 00:04:31.539 --> 00:04:37.259 He prays that they may be one, even as the Father and the Son are one. 00:04:37.259 --> 00:04:44.579 And he not only prays for the unity of his church, but he also prays for the people that he's sending his church to reach. 00:04:45.039 --> 00:04:45.519 And he says, 00:04:45.659 --> 00:04:53.159 Father, just as you sent me out, so now I'm sending them out with my message of eternal life. 00:04:54.219 --> 00:04:58.459 And so I pray for the many, many people that they're going out to reach. 00:04:58.699 --> 00:05:03.300 And I pray that those people would encounter that message of eternal life. 00:05:03.300 --> 00:05:08.300 And that when they encounter that message, would you allow them to hear it? 00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:12.220 And when they hear it, would you allow them to believe it? 00:05:13.040 --> 00:05:17.759 And when they believe it, would you allow them to come into a living relationship with us? 00:05:17.800 --> 00:05:23.180 So that just as you are in me, Father, and I am in you, that they may be in us. 00:05:25.160 --> 00:05:28.660 Jesus, on the night before his cross, was not praying for our election. 00:05:28.660 --> 00:05:34.960 He was praying about something much bigger and much more important, which is evangelism. 00:05:36.180 --> 00:05:39.920 And that's what we're going to talk about today, this holy habit of grace. 00:05:40.100 --> 00:05:45.660 We're going to be engaging this question of how do we respond to God's grace in our lives 00:05:45.660 --> 00:05:49.660 by bearing witness of his grace to other people. 00:05:49.660 --> 00:05:58.180 You know how just as like in our lives, when God came into and he entered into our stories, 00:05:58.840 --> 00:05:59.820 everything changed? 00:06:00.820 --> 00:06:06.180 How we were basically hopeless and then God came in and he filled us with hope? 00:06:06.940 --> 00:06:11.580 And we were just weighed down by fear and guilt and shame and then God came in 00:06:11.580 --> 00:06:13.500 and we were filled with love, freedom, and courage? 00:06:13.500 --> 00:06:20.420 Don't we long to see that happen in the lives of other people around us? 00:06:21.519 --> 00:06:22.300 Go like this. 00:06:23.399 --> 00:06:24.139 Go like that. 00:06:24.180 --> 00:06:25.939 If you really believe that. 00:06:27.920 --> 00:06:33.379 In general, I think this idea of Christian evangelism, Christian witness, 00:06:34.519 --> 00:06:38.399 bearing witness about our faith in Jesus Christ, 00:06:38.500 --> 00:06:41.740 I think for many people that can feel overwhelming. 00:06:41.740 --> 00:06:43.840 It can feel overwhelming. 00:06:44.319 --> 00:06:45.519 It can feel awkward. 00:06:46.620 --> 00:06:49.800 And my attempt today is just to take all of that off of you 00:06:49.800 --> 00:06:53.620 by talking about the big picture of Psalm 67 00:06:53.620 --> 00:06:57.079 and then just kind of giving some practical guidance. 00:06:57.840 --> 00:06:58.680 Okay, you ready to do that? 00:06:59.620 --> 00:07:02.040 I have four questions I want to explore. 00:07:02.180 --> 00:07:05.139 And don't freak out because a lot of times I have three points to my sermon. 00:07:05.939 --> 00:07:09.060 But I have four questions and the sermon length is going to be the same. 00:07:09.180 --> 00:07:10.280 Okay, so you don't have to worry. 00:07:10.279 --> 00:07:14.839 But four questions is, what does God want to do in our city? 00:07:16.339 --> 00:07:18.539 Secondly, what do people need from God? 00:07:19.599 --> 00:07:22.439 Third, what role has God given to us? 00:07:23.319 --> 00:07:25.699 And then how do we take some next steps? 00:07:26.559 --> 00:07:28.539 So what does God want in our city? 00:07:29.379 --> 00:07:30.879 What do people need from God? 00:07:31.419 --> 00:07:33.339 What role has God given us? 00:07:33.339 --> 00:07:35.579 And how do we take some next steps? 00:07:36.779 --> 00:07:40.319 All right, so question number one, what does God want in our city? 00:07:40.379 --> 00:07:44.000 We repeat the mission of Christ Church every Sunday and we say this. 00:07:44.060 --> 00:07:47.159 We say that our church exists for the city. 00:07:47.519 --> 00:07:48.579 We exist for the city. 00:07:48.659 --> 00:07:49.879 Well, what in the world does that mean? 00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:53.859 I'm going to give you a couple clues here from Psalm 67 00:07:53.860 --> 00:07:58.699 because it tells us quite plainly God's purpose for the nations. 00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:02.379 And he's not talking there about geopolitical nation states. 00:08:02.580 --> 00:08:03.960 Nations means the peoples. 00:08:04.199 --> 00:08:05.980 Nations means the tribes. 00:08:06.100 --> 00:08:12.040 It's all those ethno-linguistic groups of people that make up the diverse cities of North America. 00:08:12.040 --> 00:08:17.360 So what is God's purpose for the peoples in our cities? 00:08:18.620 --> 00:08:20.140 And God's purpose is this. 00:08:20.220 --> 00:08:28.180 It's to be known, to be praised, to be enjoyed, and to be feared among all the nations. 00:08:29.080 --> 00:08:31.960 Now, if you have a pen, I want to encourage you to pick up your pen 00:08:31.960 --> 00:08:35.460 and circle some of these words that you'll find. 00:08:35.580 --> 00:08:36.259 It's verse 2. 00:08:36.399 --> 00:08:36.700 It says, 00:08:36.700 --> 00:08:39.360 That your ways may be known on the earth. 00:08:39.500 --> 00:08:40.879 Circle that word, known. 00:08:42.039 --> 00:08:43.899 And then in verse 3, it says, 00:08:44.059 --> 00:08:45.980 May the peoples praise you, God. 00:08:46.039 --> 00:08:47.379 Circle that word, praise. 00:08:48.779 --> 00:08:50.120 And then it says in verse 4, 00:08:50.199 --> 00:08:51.579 May the nations be glad. 00:08:51.719 --> 00:08:53.079 Circle that word, glad. 00:08:53.319 --> 00:08:54.459 And may they sing for joy. 00:08:54.519 --> 00:08:55.559 You can circle that word too. 00:08:55.679 --> 00:08:57.240 Joy and gladness. 00:08:58.099 --> 00:09:01.899 And then verse 7 says that all the ends of the earth will fear him. 00:09:02.019 --> 00:09:03.579 Circle that word, fear. 00:09:04.860 --> 00:09:06.099 That is God's purpose. 00:09:07.139 --> 00:09:08.639 That is God's heart. 00:09:08.639 --> 00:09:15.100 He passionately desires that all the people in all the cities of the United States of America 00:09:15.100 --> 00:09:20.500 and all the cities of the world would know, praise, enjoy, and revere him. 00:09:21.939 --> 00:09:23.840 And what are the opposite of these terms? 00:09:23.939 --> 00:09:26.580 The opposite of knowing God is to be ignorant of him. 00:09:27.580 --> 00:09:27.779 Right? 00:09:27.819 --> 00:09:31.220 The opposite of praising God is to be disrespectful of him. 00:09:31.220 --> 00:09:35.120 The opposite of enjoying God is to be bored by him. 00:09:35.720 --> 00:09:43.160 The opposite of fearing God is to have a cavalier attitude or a casual attitude in his presence. 00:09:43.379 --> 00:09:45.480 And that grieves the heart of God. 00:09:46.340 --> 00:09:51.100 It grieves God when people are ignorant, disrespectful, bored, and casual with him. 00:09:51.100 --> 00:09:53.519 And so what do we do with that? 00:09:54.600 --> 00:10:00.840 Like how do we respond in a situation where God's purpose is extremely clear, 00:10:01.879 --> 00:10:05.840 and yet what he wants to see happen is not happening? 00:10:06.980 --> 00:10:10.420 Where his passionate desire is going unmet, 00:10:10.560 --> 00:10:17.200 and all the people around us, they seem to not know and praise and enjoy and honor God. 00:10:17.600 --> 00:10:18.580 What do we do? 00:10:18.580 --> 00:10:24.379 Well, Psalm 67 is a song, but it's also a prayer of the people of God. 00:10:24.420 --> 00:10:30.180 And the people of God, they're crying out to God in accordance with the revealed purpose of God. 00:10:30.240 --> 00:10:33.200 And they're saying, Lord, this is why human beings exist. 00:10:33.639 --> 00:10:33.759 Right? 00:10:33.820 --> 00:10:35.460 This is why we exist. 00:10:35.580 --> 00:10:38.000 This is why we have breath in our lungs. 00:10:38.940 --> 00:10:42.700 And so we're praying that your name would be hallowed, 00:10:42.720 --> 00:10:45.879 and your kingdom would come, and your will would be done. 00:10:46.840 --> 00:10:48.379 And we can join in this prayer too. 00:10:48.379 --> 00:10:54.179 We can pray, Lord, don't let the people in our cities and the peoples that we love, 00:10:54.240 --> 00:10:57.059 who you put into our lives, remain ignorant of you. 00:10:58.039 --> 00:11:00.120 Rather, give them a knowledge of you. 00:11:01.100 --> 00:11:03.480 Lord, don't let them remain disrespectful of you. 00:11:03.600 --> 00:11:07.740 Rather, reveal to them all the things that they have to praise and thank you for. 00:11:08.899 --> 00:11:11.879 Lord, don't let them remain bored by you. 00:11:11.980 --> 00:11:12.639 Heavens know. 00:11:12.639 --> 00:11:17.860 Lord, show them your grace so that they can be glad in you and rejoice in you. 00:11:17.860 --> 00:11:22.960 And, Lord, do not let them be cavalier or casual toward you. 00:11:23.019 --> 00:11:29.980 Just show them the awesomeness of your glory that they might honor you and revere you. 00:11:29.980 --> 00:11:37.759 Friends, what I want to say today is that when we think about Christian evangelism or Christian witness or sharing our faith, 00:11:37.759 --> 00:11:47.379 we need to shift our focus away from ourselves and whatever anxieties we might feel and all the things that we need to do or to be, 00:11:47.759 --> 00:11:49.620 and we need to shift our attention to God. 00:11:50.620 --> 00:11:58.500 Shift our attention to what God has done and what he is doing and what he wants to do in the lives of the people that we meet every day. 00:11:58.500 --> 00:12:06.340 Because God is very clear about his purpose for your friends and neighbors and coworkers and family members. 00:12:06.480 --> 00:12:09.879 He wants them to know, praise, enjoy, and fear him. 00:12:10.720 --> 00:12:15.139 And he cares way more about his purpose in their lives than any of us do. 00:12:16.419 --> 00:12:21.639 And so we don't have to wonder today whether or not God is wanting to reach them or not. 00:12:22.539 --> 00:12:23.460 He does. 00:12:23.460 --> 00:12:27.980 And he's welcoming all of us to join in his work in their lives. 00:12:29.180 --> 00:12:29.300 Right? 00:12:29.400 --> 00:12:32.700 God is already at work in the people around us. 00:12:33.120 --> 00:12:36.680 And we are invited to join God in his work. 00:12:37.639 --> 00:12:40.259 And that means that we get to engage in situations. 00:12:40.500 --> 00:12:50.620 We get to engage in conversations with people in our everyday life with more openness and more curiosity and more compassion. 00:12:50.620 --> 00:13:00.259 Because we know that we're being invited into God's purpose and what God is already wanting to do. 00:13:01.860 --> 00:13:02.759 Does that make sense? 00:13:03.779 --> 00:13:06.299 So, what does God want to do in our city? 00:13:06.419 --> 00:13:09.120 I hope that's become a little bit clearer to you. 00:13:09.200 --> 00:13:12.019 Second question is, what do people need from God? 00:13:12.019 --> 00:13:16.960 What do the people in our lives, the people in our city need from God? 00:13:17.000 --> 00:13:23.500 And I want us to consider the people with whom we live and work and play and study and create. 00:13:24.039 --> 00:13:29.139 What does Psalm 67 reveal about what God wants people to know about him? 00:13:30.500 --> 00:13:30.720 Right? 00:13:30.720 --> 00:13:45.540 And this Israelite poet here in Psalm 67, the assumption is that he's praying that the one true living God would be known instead of all the gods of the nations. 00:13:46.600 --> 00:13:46.800 Right? 00:13:46.820 --> 00:13:49.700 When he prays, may the peoples praise you, God. 00:13:49.700 --> 00:14:03.940 What he means is that he wants all the people to know that the one true living God is the only one that they should praise and serve and not all these false gods of the nations that they're living their lives for. 00:14:05.580 --> 00:14:05.800 Right? 00:14:05.840 --> 00:14:12.140 This true God, he wants to be known for being a very particular kind of God and not some other kind of God. 00:14:12.300 --> 00:14:12.500 Right? 00:14:12.500 --> 00:14:15.179 And what does God want people to know him for? 00:14:15.279 --> 00:14:24.259 Well, he wants the people in our cities, the people in our lives, to know that he's a God of justice, he's a God of power, and he's a God of grace. 00:14:25.159 --> 00:14:26.440 You ready to circle a few more words? 00:14:27.679 --> 00:14:30.200 Verse 4 says, you rule the peoples with equity. 00:14:30.480 --> 00:14:31.860 Circle that word, equity. 00:14:32.740 --> 00:14:36.200 Some translations say you judge with uprightness and fairness. 00:14:37.159 --> 00:14:41.519 The one true living God, he wants to be known as a God who is just. 00:14:42.500 --> 00:14:45.919 As one who does what is fair and right and equitable. 00:14:46.080 --> 00:14:58.120 And the reason why the nations of the world can be glad and sing for joy is because in their heart, they're longing to live in a world where all wrongs will eventually be put right. 00:14:58.899 --> 00:15:03.879 In their heart, they're longing to live in a world where evil will be cleansed from the earth. 00:15:04.899 --> 00:15:07.879 They're longing to live in a world where justice reigns. 00:15:07.879 --> 00:15:18.159 They're longing to live in peace without the specter of bullets and bombs and bullies ripping apart their families and their schools and their communities. 00:15:19.159 --> 00:15:26.580 And what Psalm 67 is saying is that only this God, only the one true living God can fulfill that hope of the nations. 00:15:26.580 --> 00:15:38.240 Only he can make people truly and everlastingly glad and full of joy because only he has the ability and the right to rule with equity. 00:15:39.420 --> 00:15:43.100 And to judge the peoples with righteousness and fairness. 00:15:44.280 --> 00:15:46.680 And in the end, he will put the world right. 00:15:47.220 --> 00:15:49.320 And people will be glad. 00:15:49.320 --> 00:15:54.460 But what else does God want people to know about him? 00:15:54.500 --> 00:15:56.360 If you circle another word, look at verse 4. 00:15:56.540 --> 00:15:57.700 It says, you guide. 00:15:58.240 --> 00:15:59.400 You can circle that word guide. 00:15:59.480 --> 00:16:02.680 You guide or you lead the nations of the earth. 00:16:02.740 --> 00:16:07.040 And that tells us that this one true living God is a God of sovereign power. 00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:09.540 He's a God of power. 00:16:09.539 --> 00:16:21.259 Many nations and many kings and rulers of the nations, they boast about their power as if it's not derived from and dependent upon God. 00:16:22.120 --> 00:16:26.139 And Psalm 2 says that when they do that, God laughs at them. 00:16:27.299 --> 00:16:30.779 God laughs at the kings of the earth that set themselves up against God. 00:16:31.679 --> 00:16:33.360 In fact, Proverbs 21 says this. 00:16:33.360 --> 00:16:39.620 It says, the king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord and he turns it wherever he wills. 00:16:40.899 --> 00:16:44.700 Daniel 2 says that he removes kings and he sets up kings. 00:16:46.139 --> 00:16:51.820 Is this not what anxious people on the eve of a precarious election need to know? 00:16:51.879 --> 00:16:56.740 That there is a sovereign God with saving power who guides the nations of the earth. 00:16:59.539 --> 00:17:00.800 Yes, that is, yes. 00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:04.740 You can say, mm-hmm, yep, that is what people need to know. 00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:12.839 But then in verse 1, we learn something else about this God of justice and this God of power. 00:17:13.480 --> 00:17:15.059 And that is that he's a God of grace. 00:17:15.180 --> 00:17:16.139 Circle that word gracious. 00:17:17.899 --> 00:17:24.639 God, be gracious to us and bless us so that your salvation may be known among all the nations. 00:17:24.640 --> 00:17:36.280 The only true God who is just and who is powerful is a God of grace who saves people who believe in him. 00:17:37.620 --> 00:17:44.500 And isn't this, isn't grace that thing that people in our culture are most longing for but not finding? 00:17:44.500 --> 00:17:50.579 Right, that sense that I can be known all the way to the bottom. 00:17:50.700 --> 00:17:52.740 I can be known warts and all. 00:17:52.839 --> 00:17:58.940 I can be known for all of my deep and serious flaws and all of my embarrassing sins. 00:17:59.339 --> 00:18:01.500 And yet I can also be loved and accepted. 00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:05.599 I can also belong and be delighted in. 00:18:05.599 --> 00:18:09.279 That's what God's grace is all about. 00:18:10.379 --> 00:18:11.619 And I want to ask you this question. 00:18:12.179 --> 00:18:16.419 When you think about your friends and neighbors and coworkers and family members, 00:18:17.679 --> 00:18:26.559 do you think that they have actually heard the whole truth about God's grace from somebody who loves them? 00:18:26.619 --> 00:18:30.619 Do you think they've heard the whole truth about who this God of grace is? 00:18:30.619 --> 00:18:32.899 Probably not. 00:18:34.159 --> 00:18:38.559 And some of them, when you talk to them, they're going to say, you know, I don't believe in God. 00:18:38.679 --> 00:18:42.739 And to that we should respond compassionately and curiously and say, hey, you know what? 00:18:43.219 --> 00:18:48.000 Tell me about this God that you don't believe in because I probably don't believe in him either. 00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:54.159 And then we can start to have conversations about who God isn't and who God is. 00:18:54.939 --> 00:18:59.079 And we can talk about this God who's not a God of injustice but a God of justice. 00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:05.699 This God who's not way off and distant and passive and weak but a God of power. 00:19:06.659 --> 00:19:10.359 We can talk about this God who's not cold and cruel and uncaring. 00:19:10.439 --> 00:19:12.579 We can talk about this God of grace. 00:19:14.099 --> 00:19:14.259 Right? 00:19:14.339 --> 00:19:18.720 He has what people's hearts are longing for. 00:19:19.799 --> 00:19:20.319 Justice. 00:19:21.460 --> 00:19:21.859 Power. 00:19:22.899 --> 00:19:23.339 Grace. 00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:27.779 So what has God won in our city? 00:19:29.079 --> 00:19:31.319 What do people need from God? 00:19:32.399 --> 00:19:35.359 And then third question is, what role has God given to us? 00:19:36.559 --> 00:19:38.179 What role has God given to us? 00:19:38.179 --> 00:19:46.879 And here's the main point of Psalm 67 is that God blesses you so that through you the nations can be blessed. 00:19:46.880 --> 00:19:57.000 The psalmist sees that God wants to be known, praised, enjoyed, and revered because he's the one true living God of justice, power, and grace. 00:19:57.380 --> 00:19:58.320 And so what does he pray? 00:19:58.400 --> 00:19:59.400 He prays verse 1, 00:19:59.400 --> 00:20:10.140 May God be gracious to us and bless us and bless us and make his face shine on us so that your ways may be known on the earth, your salvation among all nations. 00:20:10.180 --> 00:20:11.900 You see that linking phrase, so that? 00:20:12.580 --> 00:20:14.100 Don't circle that or underline it. 00:20:14.180 --> 00:20:15.720 Put asterisks by it. 00:20:15.720 --> 00:20:18.279 Put exclamation points beside that. 00:20:19.180 --> 00:20:34.559 Because God blesses, he's saying, God bless us, your people, so that through us, the nations can come to know, praise, enjoy, and fear you, and be glad in you just as we are glad in you. 00:20:35.960 --> 00:20:37.160 And what is the logic here? 00:20:37.160 --> 00:20:42.120 Well, he's quoting God's covenant promise to Abraham back in the first book of the Bible. 00:20:43.000 --> 00:20:46.360 And it goes like this in Genesis chapter 12, verse 2. 00:20:46.440 --> 00:20:47.519 The Lord said to Abraham, 00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:52.259 I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you. 00:20:52.960 --> 00:20:56.060 I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 00:20:56.920 --> 00:20:57.980 I will bless you. 00:20:58.519 --> 00:21:02.320 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you, I will curse. 00:21:02.320 --> 00:21:07.120 And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. 00:21:08.140 --> 00:21:12.279 You see this prayer of Psalm 67, it's rooted in God's self-revelation. 00:21:12.440 --> 00:21:13.620 It's rooted in God's word. 00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:16.140 It's rooted in God's covenant promises. 00:21:16.340 --> 00:21:23.820 And he basically just brings that covenant with Abraham up to date, and he's praying that covenant into reality here and now. 00:21:23.900 --> 00:21:31.140 He's saying God's plan is that all the peoples of the world would be blessed, that all of them would be glad, that all of them would sing for joy. 00:21:31.140 --> 00:21:34.460 And so to that end, he chose a people. 00:21:35.279 --> 00:21:36.720 To that end, he chose Abraham. 00:21:36.720 --> 00:21:43.059 To that end, he chose Israel to be the bearers of God's blessing to the world. 00:21:44.019 --> 00:21:50.860 He made a covenant and said, I bless you so that you can bring my blessing to the nations. 00:21:52.259 --> 00:21:57.559 And friends, God has beautifully fulfilled that covenant promise in Jesus Christ. 00:21:58.600 --> 00:22:01.279 Jesus came as a child of Abraham. 00:22:01.279 --> 00:22:05.799 Jesus came and lived as the true Israel. 00:22:05.940 --> 00:22:07.599 He came and fulfilled all righteousness. 00:22:08.240 --> 00:22:09.579 He died for sins. 00:22:09.960 --> 00:22:11.019 He defeated death. 00:22:11.460 --> 00:22:18.240 He has made it so that anyone who believes in him would receive that blessing of salvation. 00:22:18.399 --> 00:22:22.859 They would receive the blessing of being in a real living relationship with God. 00:22:22.859 --> 00:22:29.959 Jesus came in order that this prayer of Psalm 67 would be sealed by his blood. 00:22:30.740 --> 00:22:32.879 He stepped out of heaven into earth. 00:22:32.959 --> 00:22:43.119 He stepped out of eternity into time so that people could actually see and touch and hear and experience the one true living God of justice, power, and grace. 00:22:43.119 --> 00:22:45.819 And they could know who he really is once and for all. 00:22:47.719 --> 00:22:50.459 And so what does this mean for us? 00:22:52.679 --> 00:22:54.000 What does this mean for you? 00:22:54.000 --> 00:23:00.240 Just consider this question like, why has God blessed you? 00:23:01.700 --> 00:23:05.119 And if you're sitting here today, God has massively blessed you. 00:23:06.200 --> 00:23:08.119 So why has God done that? 00:23:08.200 --> 00:23:10.019 Why has he been gracious to you? 00:23:11.299 --> 00:23:15.359 Why has he made his face to shine upon you in Jesus Christ? 00:23:15.359 --> 00:23:20.799 The answer is that so that through you he could bless others. 00:23:21.919 --> 00:23:25.899 So that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. 00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:33.779 So that through you he could bless your friends, neighbors, coworkers, and family members with the message of salvation. 00:23:34.779 --> 00:23:36.799 So that they too can be glad. 00:23:37.259 --> 00:23:42.419 And they too can sing for joy in knowing, praising, enjoying, and honoring God. 00:23:42.420 --> 00:23:50.300 And God is inviting you to join him in his work of blessing and transforming people's lives. 00:23:51.380 --> 00:23:55.560 And some of us right now might be thinking, you know, I'm not sure I'm the best person for this. 00:23:56.400 --> 00:24:02.539 And if I found myself in a conversation about faith, I'm not sure what I would say or how I would go about it. 00:24:02.600 --> 00:24:04.860 And if that's you, I totally get that. 00:24:04.920 --> 00:24:08.940 But please allow scripture to apply to you personally here for a moment. 00:24:08.940 --> 00:24:21.920 When you hear God wants to use you to reach and bless other people, you can easily interpret that to mean what God really wants to do is use all the other people here to reach and bless other people. 00:24:23.440 --> 00:24:32.000 Or if you do embrace the idea that God wants to use us, the us that he wants to use is probably not the current version of us. 00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:36.940 What he wants to use is a future version of us that's more confident and more equipped, right? 00:24:37.380 --> 00:24:40.099 And we look forward to God using us someday in the future. 00:24:40.980 --> 00:24:45.079 But friends, the truth is that God wants to use you and me right now. 00:24:45.839 --> 00:24:47.920 In 2024 and 2025. 00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:51.359 Do you think the world needs the message that we have? 00:24:52.220 --> 00:24:54.759 He wants to use us to get that message out. 00:24:54.759 --> 00:25:04.140 And the truth is that God, he never blesses us except to channel his blessing through us to other people. 00:25:05.119 --> 00:25:11.339 He never calls us in except to send us out to reach and to bless and to serve other people. 00:25:12.180 --> 00:25:16.339 When Jesus called his first disciples, he did not say, just come follow me. 00:25:17.059 --> 00:25:17.660 What did he say? 00:25:17.720 --> 00:25:22.259 He said, come follow me and I will make you into fishers of people. 00:25:22.259 --> 00:25:30.480 And when he gave after his resurrection, when Jesus commissions his church and he tells his church, go and make disciples of all the nations. 00:25:30.480 --> 00:25:31.920 He's not saying something new. 00:25:31.980 --> 00:25:33.700 He's saying something very, very old. 00:25:33.799 --> 00:25:39.619 He's saying, I will bless you so that I can make you into a blessing to others. 00:25:40.759 --> 00:25:42.319 He wants the nations to be glad. 00:25:42.420 --> 00:25:44.039 He wants the nations to sing for joy. 00:25:44.160 --> 00:25:51.279 And the instrument he wants to use, the vehicle he wants to use, the channel he wants to use is you. 00:25:52.259 --> 00:25:52.779 And me. 00:25:54.400 --> 00:25:56.039 Now, we may question that strategy. 00:25:56.180 --> 00:25:59.079 It's a questionable strategy, right, when I look around. 00:25:59.079 --> 00:26:04.319 But that is what he wants to do, including me, right? 00:26:05.220 --> 00:26:07.839 He chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. 00:26:10.259 --> 00:26:11.819 And so my last question is this. 00:26:11.879 --> 00:26:13.879 What does God want in our city? 00:26:13.980 --> 00:26:15.259 What do people need from God? 00:26:15.259 --> 00:26:17.359 What role has God given to us? 00:26:18.400 --> 00:26:19.879 And how do we take some next steps? 00:26:21.220 --> 00:26:22.420 How do we take some next steps? 00:26:22.539 --> 00:26:28.200 Step number one is you should have received a red card when you came in, sitting on your pew. 00:26:28.299 --> 00:26:32.140 If you didn't get one, I think we have maybe some people in the back with cards. 00:26:32.299 --> 00:26:35.160 And if you just put your hand up, they'll give you a card if you need that. 00:26:35.160 --> 00:26:42.240 And what I want to encourage you to do is to take a pen out and to write down three names. 00:26:43.279 --> 00:26:47.779 And please don't stuff this in your pocket and put it away and do this later. 00:26:47.860 --> 00:26:50.220 We want you to kind of do it right now while it's fresh. 00:26:50.220 --> 00:27:01.360 And we want you to write down the names of three local friends, neighbors, coworkers, or family members that you would like to see begin to explore faith. 00:27:02.259 --> 00:27:05.000 Just explore their questions about God. 00:27:05.100 --> 00:27:11.220 Just explore, you know, what is in their heart about ultimate reality. 00:27:12.220 --> 00:27:14.180 And begin to write those names down. 00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:19.440 If you're sitting there and you're like, I don't know three names to write down, that's okay. 00:27:19.440 --> 00:27:29.680 Okay, your task this week is to go introduce yourself to three people where you live or where you work and remember their name and go write it down, okay. 00:27:30.640 --> 00:27:34.120 And then you may be wondering, well, what should I do with these three names? 00:27:34.200 --> 00:27:36.740 And step number two is to turn that little card over. 00:27:38.299 --> 00:27:41.019 After you've written down those three names, you can turn that card over. 00:27:41.860 --> 00:27:44.120 And you'll see it says Luke 11.2. 00:27:44.119 --> 00:27:51.439 And that's where Jesus teaches us to pray that the name of God, the kingdom of God, and the will of God would break through into people's lives. 00:27:52.699 --> 00:27:53.919 It's an amazing prayer. 00:27:54.079 --> 00:27:55.539 It's a prayer that's changed the world. 00:27:55.539 --> 00:28:02.159 And what we want to encourage you to do is to begin to pray that prayer for those three names on a daily basis. 00:28:02.359 --> 00:28:06.659 In fact, if it would help you to just pause at 11.02 a.m. 00:28:06.659 --> 00:28:09.159 Or if you're up at 11.02 p.m., you should go to bed. 00:28:09.299 --> 00:28:12.339 But before you go to bed, you know, pray for those three names. 00:28:13.000 --> 00:28:17.579 And if you're willing, we would like to pray for those names as well. 00:28:17.659 --> 00:28:19.000 And I think we have a slide here. 00:28:19.659 --> 00:28:23.240 You can email us at alpha at ChristchurchEastBay.org. 00:28:23.240 --> 00:28:31.640 What we'd like to do is just as a staff, when we gather with our elders, when we gather at our monthly prayer meeting, in our prayer room downstairs, 00:28:32.180 --> 00:28:33.559 you can just email us first names. 00:28:34.120 --> 00:28:36.839 We're not looking to, like, figure out who these people are. 00:28:37.240 --> 00:28:41.160 We just want to talk to God about them and pray for God's blessing upon them. 00:28:41.259 --> 00:28:43.640 Pray that God would do a good work in their hearts. 00:28:43.819 --> 00:28:45.839 And so help us to pray for them. 00:28:45.839 --> 00:28:52.920 The third thing, well, let me just say before I close with that one, I think we sometimes underestimate the power of prayer. 00:28:54.240 --> 00:29:00.799 Because God can go and He can take a closed door and He can open it. 00:29:01.799 --> 00:29:04.819 God can take a closed door and open it up for conversation. 00:29:04.980 --> 00:29:07.500 God can take closed ears and open them up to listen. 00:29:07.640 --> 00:29:11.819 God can take a closed heart and open it up for understanding and belief. 00:29:11.960 --> 00:29:14.420 And so we just want to pray to God about. 00:29:14.420 --> 00:29:15.420 God can take a closed door and open it up for a second. 00:29:15.420 --> 00:29:21.320 The third next step we want to invite you to take is just to invite people to your table between now and Christmas. 00:29:22.620 --> 00:29:28.600 Just think about your table and who you might invite of those three names. 00:29:28.680 --> 00:29:29.400 Maybe all of them. 00:29:30.180 --> 00:29:30.960 Maybe one of them. 00:29:31.060 --> 00:29:33.720 Just carve out some time to invite them to a meal. 00:29:34.480 --> 00:29:36.480 To break bread in a personal way. 00:29:36.660 --> 00:29:41.580 And just to build relationships so that God can open things up and begin to work through conversation. 00:29:41.579 --> 00:29:44.000 This is what Jesus did. 00:29:44.079 --> 00:29:51.199 His method of engaging people was to get them around a table and around a meal where He could open up space to begin working in their lives. 00:29:51.259 --> 00:29:53.859 And this isn't about us turning people into projects. 00:29:54.039 --> 00:29:55.019 It's not about that at all. 00:29:55.799 --> 00:29:58.019 It's just about us loving people really well. 00:29:58.019 --> 00:30:04.319 It's about us being relational in the way that God has been relational toward us. 00:30:04.639 --> 00:30:10.000 And just saying, hey, I want to step in and be a part of what God's doing in this person's life and just play my part. 00:30:11.059 --> 00:30:17.480 The fourth step you can take is to come to our November 16th seminar. 00:30:18.099 --> 00:30:19.619 It's called Faith on the Table. 00:30:20.379 --> 00:30:23.119 How to have spiritual conversations with non-Christians. 00:30:23.119 --> 00:30:28.979 And if you haven't heard about this, it's a seminar on a Saturday morning from 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock. 00:30:29.759 --> 00:30:31.219 It's absolutely free. 00:30:31.779 --> 00:30:33.099 We are going to provide lunch. 00:30:33.719 --> 00:30:36.679 We just figured out a child care option this morning. 00:30:36.680 --> 00:30:41.140 So our hope is that parents, you could come and participate. 00:30:41.480 --> 00:30:44.080 Or maybe spouses, you could come and learn together. 00:30:44.720 --> 00:30:49.940 And your kids are going to have a special lesson where they're going to learn what we're talking about as adults, right? 00:30:51.019 --> 00:30:53.680 But our friend Steve Trevino is going to come. 00:30:53.759 --> 00:31:01.779 And he's going to show us how Jesus trained His disciples to just look for people of peace who are already tilted toward God, already ready to listen. 00:31:01.779 --> 00:31:14.899 And then he's going to train us and equip us on how to just initiate simple conversations that can lead to serious conversations that can lead to spiritual conversations that are not at all awkward or weird or pushy. 00:31:15.440 --> 00:31:15.579 Okay? 00:31:16.339 --> 00:31:21.740 And if you, like, aren't sure whether or not you're going to come, I'll come pick you up. 00:31:22.039 --> 00:31:22.859 Like, just let me know. 00:31:23.220 --> 00:31:24.359 I'll come give you a ride. 00:31:24.359 --> 00:31:29.139 If you're coming, get your whole community group to come or invite a friend. 00:31:29.240 --> 00:31:33.740 But you're not going to be disappointed that you spent some time investing in this opportunity. 00:31:34.859 --> 00:31:45.479 Our fifth next step is this, that when folks come and sit down at your table, just ask the Holy Spirit to come and to help you ask good, open-ended questions. 00:31:46.279 --> 00:31:47.179 And here's an example. 00:31:47.839 --> 00:31:53.459 Instead of saying, how you doing, you can say, what was the best and worst part of your week? 00:31:54.359 --> 00:32:07.839 And then ask the Holy Spirit to help you become a compassionate and curious listener so that when that person's answering that question and they start telling you about the worst part of their week, you can say, hey, that's really tough. 00:32:07.959 --> 00:32:09.159 I'm really sorry to hear that. 00:32:09.319 --> 00:32:14.139 Like, where do you turn for help and strength when life gets hard? 00:32:15.299 --> 00:32:19.539 And that's just simply turning from a simple conversation to a serious conversation, right? 00:32:20.399 --> 00:32:24.539 And then the sixth step I want to encourage you with is just to be ready to respond. 00:32:26.119 --> 00:32:35.259 When you're engaged in that conversation, just be ready to be authentic and be vulnerable and say, you know, when life gets really hard for me, I find strength and help in God. 00:32:35.440 --> 00:32:37.099 Have you ever thought about God? 00:32:37.139 --> 00:32:40.799 Have you ever had an experience in your life that made you think there might be a God? 00:32:40.799 --> 00:32:49.279 And, you know, this is what the Apostle Paul is talking about in Colossians 4 when he says, be wise in the way you act toward outsiders. 00:32:49.440 --> 00:32:51.039 Make the most of every opportunity. 00:32:51.240 --> 00:32:58.299 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt so that you may know how to answer everyone. 00:32:58.299 --> 00:33:15.599 It's just simply letting our questions and our answers be well-seasoned and well-prepared so that we can wisely and graciously move people from a simple to a serious to a spiritual conversation about the most important thing, which is God. 00:33:15.599 --> 00:33:28.679 The seventh thing, next step, and I'm wrapping up, but the seventh next step is just I want to encourage you to take a risk and to go public and to identify with Jesus. 00:33:28.680 --> 00:33:35.380 So when people ask you, for example, you probably get asked this all the time, how was your weekend? 00:33:36.580 --> 00:33:44.480 Instead of saying pretty good, not bad, can't complain, or I'm getting by, you could say this. 00:33:44.539 --> 00:33:47.640 You could say, hey, thanks so much for asking how my weekend was. 00:33:47.759 --> 00:33:49.420 Honestly, it was kind of a mixed bag. 00:33:49.519 --> 00:33:52.600 Like Saturday, we just did chores around the house, and it was pretty boring. 00:33:53.360 --> 00:33:57.820 But, you know, Sunday, we went to church, which is always a highlight for us. 00:33:57.819 --> 00:33:59.259 Have you ever been to church? 00:34:00.240 --> 00:34:07.740 You know, for us, it's just a place where we get together with a deeply meaningful community of ordinary people who are learning about hope from Jesus. 00:34:08.900 --> 00:34:13.480 And I've never been a part of a community where I felt so known and so loved and so hopeful. 00:34:13.599 --> 00:34:15.139 And, you know, we'd love to have you sometime. 00:34:17.119 --> 00:34:20.239 But, you know, if Jesus, here's the challenge for us. 00:34:20.239 --> 00:34:32.619 If Jesus is at the center of our lives, then the only way people are going to ever hear about him is if we stop hiding who we really are to the people around us. 00:34:32.619 --> 00:34:37.539 And we just say the name of Jesus out loud. 00:34:39.299 --> 00:34:45.559 And then my last thing, my last next step is just invite people to whatever the next thing is. 00:34:45.599 --> 00:34:48.159 After they've come to your table, invite them back to your table. 00:34:48.299 --> 00:34:49.359 Invite them to Christmas Eve. 00:34:49.460 --> 00:34:53.239 Invite them to Alpha, which we're going to talk about at our congregational meeting in a moment. 00:34:53.239 --> 00:34:55.879 But Jesus said this. 00:34:55.959 --> 00:35:03.119 He said, the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 00:35:04.519 --> 00:35:12.739 And then he says, ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 00:35:14.119 --> 00:35:16.199 And so that's where we just want to end in prayer right now. 00:35:16.279 --> 00:35:17.439 It's just Lord of the harvest. 00:35:17.440 --> 00:35:33.860 We humbly ask that you would open our eyes and you would open our ears and you would open our hearts to help us see the plentiful harvest that you prepared. 00:35:35.139 --> 00:35:40.360 And to make us the willing workers that you want to send us out to gather that harvest in. 00:35:40.440 --> 00:35:42.559 We pray in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 00:35:43.280 --> 00:35:43.519 Amen.