WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.960 Good morning. 00:00:01.480 --> 00:00:05.620 My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church, 00:00:05.620 --> 00:00:08.640 and it's my joy to bring God's word to you today. 00:00:08.900 --> 00:00:11.120 Special welcome if you are new or visiting. 00:00:11.240 --> 00:00:15.460 We're glad that you're here, and we're glad that you're here not because we're trying to fill seats 00:00:15.460 --> 00:00:18.640 but because we're following Jesus together as one community, 00:00:18.640 --> 00:00:23.820 and as we follow Jesus together, we've become convinced that there's no one so good 00:00:23.820 --> 00:00:27.980 that they don't need God's grace and no one so bad that they can't have it, 00:00:27.980 --> 00:00:32.560 which means that we know that everyone has something to hear from God and his word, 00:00:32.659 --> 00:00:38.659 which is why we open it week after week on Sunday mornings to look at what God has to say to us. 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:43.620 If you've been with us, you know that we are studying the book of 1 Peter, 00:00:43.659 --> 00:00:45.079 and the book of 1 Peter is a letter. 00:00:45.079 --> 00:00:51.219 It's a letter written by a man named Peter, and he writes it to a church in the 60s A.D. 00:00:51.380 --> 00:00:57.320 somewhere in the Roman Empire, and he writes it with one goal, one purpose in mind. 00:00:57.320 --> 00:01:04.019 He wants this church to grow, and he wants them to grow in two ways. 00:01:04.019 --> 00:01:08.460 As we've seen, he wants them to grow in both knowledge and grace, 00:01:08.460 --> 00:01:14.960 and I've been emphasizing as we've started the first chapter the dangers of knowledge. 00:01:15.379 --> 00:01:19.140 We've talked about the ways we can have knowledge, but it doesn't do what it's supposed to do. 00:01:19.200 --> 00:01:22.579 We've talked about how knowledge is not enough, 00:01:22.579 --> 00:01:25.980 and you might be thinking at this point, as I've talked about the dangers of these things, 00:01:26.019 --> 00:01:27.280 that I'm anti-knowledge. 00:01:28.840 --> 00:01:31.140 Maybe you think Peter is anti-knowledge. 00:01:32.280 --> 00:01:35.000 Of course, it's not that there's anything wrong with knowledge. 00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:37.579 It's that knowledge is necessary. 00:01:37.739 --> 00:01:42.140 It's just not sufficient, and we are now going to turn a little bit towards knowledge 00:01:42.140 --> 00:01:43.739 and see the necessity of it. 00:01:44.400 --> 00:01:47.180 Of course, we have to have knowledge, right? 00:01:47.180 --> 00:01:51.980 If our growth in grace comes from knowledge, then we won't grow without it. 00:01:52.860 --> 00:01:54.200 Knowledge is essential. 00:01:55.140 --> 00:01:58.000 Even more than that, if we must have knowledge, 00:01:58.680 --> 00:02:02.080 that knowledge must be true. 00:02:02.079 --> 00:02:06.819 If it is what is going to lead us to grow, 00:02:06.920 --> 00:02:08.740 if it is, as we talked about last time, 00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:11.120 the thing that stirs us up, 00:02:11.819 --> 00:02:14.400 then we want it to be something we can rely on. 00:02:14.439 --> 00:02:16.479 We want it to be something that's trustworthy, right? 00:02:16.539 --> 00:02:19.060 And so that leads us to the question of this passage. 00:02:19.199 --> 00:02:21.900 We're in 2 Peter 1, starting at verse 16, 00:02:21.900 --> 00:02:23.120 and we're going to ask this question. 00:02:23.659 --> 00:02:25.500 Why do we trust the Bible? 00:02:28.020 --> 00:02:29.879 Why do we believe that it's true? 00:02:29.879 --> 00:02:33.099 And by the way, it better be true, right? 00:02:33.159 --> 00:02:36.359 The Bible says it can hold up the weight of our lives, can it? 00:02:37.900 --> 00:02:40.180 If we are going to love our enemies, 00:02:41.099 --> 00:02:44.799 if we're going to sacrifice for the sake of the poor, 00:02:45.419 --> 00:02:49.439 if we're going to say no to sexual experiences that our culture celebrates, 00:02:49.439 --> 00:02:52.300 if we're going to come here every Sunday 00:02:52.300 --> 00:02:54.379 rather than going to the mountains or watching Netflix, 00:02:54.560 --> 00:02:57.599 if we're going to lay ourselves down for the sake of others, 00:02:57.599 --> 00:03:04.019 what we believe and celebrate here on Sunday mornings better be true. 00:03:06.299 --> 00:03:09.099 And so how can we trust it and have confidence in it? 00:03:09.139 --> 00:03:13.379 Of course, the Apostle Paul raises this same issue in 1 Corinthians 15. 00:03:14.299 --> 00:03:14.879 He says, 00:03:14.879 --> 00:03:18.159 In Christ, if we have hope in this life only, 00:03:18.699 --> 00:03:21.060 we are of all people most to be pitied. 00:03:21.060 --> 00:03:23.800 In other words, if this isn't true, 00:03:24.500 --> 00:03:26.860 you and I, we're idiots. 00:03:29.420 --> 00:03:31.960 And so why is it that we have such confidence? 00:03:32.120 --> 00:03:33.800 It's that question that we're going to turn now. 00:03:33.879 --> 00:03:36.840 I invite you to turn with me in your worship guide. 00:03:36.920 --> 00:03:37.780 This passage is printed. 00:03:37.900 --> 00:03:40.319 Of course, you can find it on your phone or in your Bible. 00:03:40.900 --> 00:03:44.539 No matter where you turn, though, remember that this is God's word. 00:03:44.539 --> 00:03:49.759 Isaiah chapter 40 tells us that the grass withers and the flowers fade, 00:03:50.459 --> 00:03:53.120 but the word of God remains forever. 00:03:53.280 --> 00:03:55.680 And so that's why we read it now, starting at verse 16. 00:03:55.680 --> 00:04:00.379 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths 00:04:00.379 --> 00:04:05.080 when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, 00:04:05.520 --> 00:04:08.020 but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 00:04:08.980 --> 00:04:12.680 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, 00:04:13.319 --> 00:04:15.900 and the voice was born to him by the majestic glory, 00:04:16.579 --> 00:04:19.439 this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, 00:04:19.920 --> 00:04:23.439 we ourselves heard this very voice born from heaven, 00:04:23.439 --> 00:04:26.779 for we were with him on the holy mountain. 00:04:28.040 --> 00:04:31.740 I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word. 00:04:34.420 --> 00:04:37.819 Our Father in heaven, we thank you again for your word, 00:04:37.819 --> 00:04:43.220 which is not just comforting and challenging, but also true. 00:04:44.759 --> 00:04:48.279 And so we ask that you would send your spirit to help us this morning 00:04:48.279 --> 00:04:51.000 to understand it and to believe it, 00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:55.199 that we would have the confidence comes from knowing that these are not myths, 00:04:56.220 --> 00:04:58.759 that they're things that are based in fact. 00:04:58.860 --> 00:05:02.120 They're things that you guarantee and secure through us. 00:05:02.160 --> 00:05:05.339 And so we ask these things in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. 00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:06.360 Amen. 00:05:06.360 --> 00:05:15.540 I have shared with you all before that one of my highlights of growing up 00:05:15.540 --> 00:05:18.759 was going to a wilderness camp every summer. 00:05:19.300 --> 00:05:20.620 That was in West Virginia. 00:05:20.620 --> 00:05:23.639 It was right on the border of the George Washington National Forest. 00:05:24.660 --> 00:05:26.480 And if you add up all the weeks that I spent there, 00:05:26.520 --> 00:05:30.080 I probably have spent multiple months of my life in West Virginia, 00:05:30.180 --> 00:05:33.180 from when I was in elementary school all the way through college. 00:05:33.180 --> 00:05:37.400 And when I first started going, what I would do is I would go with these weeks called Father-Son Weeks. 00:05:37.400 --> 00:05:42.240 So you would go as a young boy with your dad, and you get to do all these things together. 00:05:42.920 --> 00:05:45.980 And one of the things that you would get to do is to go rappelling. 00:05:46.199 --> 00:05:50.899 Now, if you're familiar with rock climbing, of course, you know there's rock climbing where you climb up a wall, right? 00:05:51.079 --> 00:05:52.860 Rappelling is where you go down the wall. 00:05:53.660 --> 00:05:55.899 So there's, you know, a flat rock face. 00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:56.860 You're at the very top. 00:05:56.939 --> 00:05:59.840 You secure some ropes to something that's solid and not going to move. 00:05:59.899 --> 00:06:00.420 That's important. 00:06:00.420 --> 00:06:06.040 And then you kind of lean backwards like you're sitting, and you climb down the wall all the way to the bottom. 00:06:06.620 --> 00:06:11.160 And you can avoid any climbing to the top, right, if you're able to take a trail up to the top. 00:06:11.220 --> 00:06:12.300 It's got strength on your part. 00:06:12.980 --> 00:06:17.560 The only problem with rappelling is that it's very scary. 00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:24.000 And it's very scary because you are literally sitting down into thin air. 00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:28.459 So you're doing something your body is telling you is incredibly dangerous. 00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:36.620 What will happen often then is if you have someone who's young, say a young kid, you might freeze at the top because you suddenly realize, 00:06:36.819 --> 00:06:38.860 I'm about to sit down onto thin air. 00:06:39.839 --> 00:06:40.920 There's nothing here. 00:06:41.019 --> 00:06:43.860 This goes against everything I've been trained to believe and do. 00:06:44.060 --> 00:06:47.720 I am walking out, and it feels like I'm going to die. 00:06:48.500 --> 00:06:50.240 So it requires some coaching, right? 00:06:51.140 --> 00:06:53.320 Now, at some point, I made it through that. 00:06:53.420 --> 00:06:55.360 I was able to rappel down with my dad, I believe. 00:06:56.300 --> 00:07:02.040 But later in my camp experience, there came a time where this was at that age reserved for father-son camps. 00:07:02.120 --> 00:07:04.700 You couldn't do this if you came without your dad in elementary school. 00:07:05.080 --> 00:07:06.580 My guess is it was a little too scary. 00:07:06.680 --> 00:07:08.260 It's helpful if dad's there to coach you through it. 00:07:09.160 --> 00:07:13.960 But I remember when I was in junior high school, and now this is a point where even if your dad wasn't there, 00:07:13.959 --> 00:07:17.560 people were allowed to rappel, and so I was there at one point. 00:07:17.639 --> 00:07:19.739 I was probably, I don't know, 12 years old or so, 00:07:20.699 --> 00:07:23.399 and I was there with another kid who was rappelling for the first time, 00:07:23.419 --> 00:07:26.799 and he hit that moment, that moment where you're sitting backwards onto nothing, 00:07:27.579 --> 00:07:30.000 and he froze, as often happens. 00:07:30.439 --> 00:07:35.620 He could not continue and keep going down because he felt like he was going to die, right? 00:07:36.299 --> 00:07:41.219 And so the man running this ropes course was trying to talk him through this to get him to go down the mountain. 00:07:41.299 --> 00:07:42.879 I remember vividly what he said to him. 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:43.759 He asked him a question. 00:07:43.860 --> 00:07:46.139 He said, do you trust me? 00:07:49.019 --> 00:07:51.699 And do you trust these ropes? 00:07:57.019 --> 00:07:59.360 Are you able to rest and rely? 00:07:59.480 --> 00:08:01.759 Your senses, right, might be telling you you're going to die. 00:08:02.120 --> 00:08:03.360 Do you trust all this equipment? 00:08:03.540 --> 00:08:05.199 Do you trust me that I'm not going to kill you? 00:08:07.399 --> 00:08:08.879 It's an important question, right? 00:08:08.879 --> 00:08:13.420 The same question of that is the one that comes before us this morning. 00:08:13.839 --> 00:08:17.519 When it comes to God's word, do we trust it? 00:08:19.040 --> 00:08:23.319 Do we trust that we're not going to die? 00:08:23.319 --> 00:08:26.839 It is not an academic or theoretical question, right? 00:08:26.920 --> 00:08:32.220 He was not asking this junior hire, you know, in this theoretical world, if we're shopping at an outdoor store, 00:08:32.299 --> 00:08:34.519 do you have confidence that these ropes you're buying are going to work? 00:08:35.939 --> 00:08:37.319 It wasn't a theoretical question. 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:38.399 It was an urgent question. 00:08:38.620 --> 00:08:40.720 You're about to step off the side of a mountain. 00:08:41.080 --> 00:08:42.519 Either you're going to die or you're not. 00:08:42.519 --> 00:08:45.120 And it's going to depend on whether you can rely on this equipment. 00:08:46.659 --> 00:08:48.299 The same is true for us. 00:08:48.419 --> 00:08:52.960 When we come to God's word, it is not an academic or theoretical question. 00:08:53.319 --> 00:08:55.699 If we believe that's the case, we've missed the point. 00:08:55.819 --> 00:08:58.840 It is an urgent question for us as well. 00:08:58.939 --> 00:09:04.379 If we are going to live the life of faith, what we believe better be true. 00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:10.379 And if it isn't, we are going to choose a different path. 00:09:10.379 --> 00:09:13.600 Of course, this raises the question that I haven't answered yet. 00:09:14.139 --> 00:09:17.720 Why does Peter write a letter about knowledge? 00:09:19.259 --> 00:09:21.899 Why is knowledge so important to him? 00:09:22.340 --> 00:09:25.600 Knowledge wasn't an emphasis in other letters that we've gone through. 00:09:26.559 --> 00:09:27.960 And the answer is this. 00:09:28.100 --> 00:09:31.939 Peter is writing to people who are under attack from false teachers. 00:09:33.320 --> 00:09:36.299 These false teachers, we're going to meet them in chapter 2, 00:09:36.700 --> 00:09:39.980 are telling this church all sorts of things that aren't true. 00:09:41.139 --> 00:09:45.080 And these untruths have the potential to lead them to sin, right? 00:09:45.120 --> 00:09:47.299 Because knowledge and growth and grace go together. 00:09:47.399 --> 00:09:49.200 So if there's an attack on knowledge, 00:09:49.320 --> 00:09:53.720 there's also going to be an attack on the way that we live our lives. 00:09:53.879 --> 00:09:55.659 And so they're telling, we find out, 00:09:55.700 --> 00:09:58.299 what these false prophets are teaching in verse 16. 00:09:58.860 --> 00:10:01.559 We did not follow cleverly devised myths. 00:10:02.100 --> 00:10:05.340 Peter here is responding to what these false teachers are saying. 00:10:05.340 --> 00:10:10.399 They are telling the Christians at this church that what they believe is a made-up story. 00:10:13.000 --> 00:10:17.220 And so Peter comes in having to respond to that teaching. 00:10:17.340 --> 00:10:24.420 In fact, in chapter 3, Peter's going to talk about how these false teachers are mocking the idea that Jesus would return to the earth. 00:10:24.759 --> 00:10:27.720 They're making fun of Christians for believing it. 00:10:27.720 --> 00:10:31.519 And so we can understand why knowledge is so important for this letter and these people. 00:10:31.700 --> 00:10:33.220 Knowledge is under attack. 00:10:33.480 --> 00:10:36.399 Their confidence in what they've been taught is under attack. 00:10:36.899 --> 00:10:38.759 And it's not just knowledge in general, 00:10:38.879 --> 00:10:42.540 but we find out it's a specific teaching that's under attack in verse 16. 00:10:42.539 --> 00:10:51.199 Now this word coming in the New Testament is a technical term. 00:10:51.379 --> 00:10:55.620 It's talking about the promise that Jesus is going to return to the earth. 00:10:55.719 --> 00:10:58.699 It's talking about what we refer to as Jesus' second coming. 00:10:59.159 --> 00:11:01.279 Jesus' first coming we celebrate at Christmas. 00:11:02.279 --> 00:11:06.639 Jesus' second coming we look forward to and anticipate. 00:11:06.959 --> 00:11:08.759 And so he has been teaching them this, 00:11:08.799 --> 00:11:10.339 that there's going to be a power and a coming. 00:11:10.340 --> 00:11:12.399 Jesus Christ is going to arrive. 00:11:12.740 --> 00:11:16.740 The false teachers are telling them that this is nothing but a myth. 00:11:18.019 --> 00:11:22.700 In other words, these false teachers are telling them these ropes won't hold you. 00:11:24.120 --> 00:11:29.980 You are putting your life on something that is not strong enough to hold it up. 00:11:31.100 --> 00:11:34.060 Now you might be wondering why I brought my keys with me up front, 00:11:34.500 --> 00:11:35.500 which I typically don't do. 00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:38.720 My keys are on this carabiner. 00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:45.600 And I bought this carabiner at an REI in Richmond, Virginia in 2016 to help hold up a hammock. 00:11:46.220 --> 00:11:48.240 So it needed to be able to hold a lot of pounds, right? 00:11:48.960 --> 00:11:56.220 This carabiner, this one I have right here, is rated for 22 kilonewtons of force. 00:11:57.840 --> 00:12:00.580 Now I assume most of you have translated that in your mind to pounds, 00:12:00.660 --> 00:12:04.240 but for those of you who haven't, that's almost 5,000 pounds of force. 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:08.419 So that's why I chose this one, because my keys are so heavy, I want to make sure nothing happens. 00:12:10.120 --> 00:12:11.700 There are other carabiners, however. 00:12:12.399 --> 00:12:13.639 I also have this one. 00:12:14.460 --> 00:12:17.539 Now this one is specifically made to be a keychain. 00:12:17.620 --> 00:12:19.779 It's not made for what this other one is. 00:12:20.080 --> 00:12:21.080 And it says on it, 00:12:23.080 --> 00:12:25.500 China, not for climbing. 00:12:25.500 --> 00:12:29.659 In fact, if you look on it, it tells you, 00:12:30.080 --> 00:12:34.000 not intended for climbing, supporting human weight, or heavy loads over 10 pounds. 00:12:35.080 --> 00:12:37.039 5,000 pounds, 10 pounds. 00:12:37.519 --> 00:12:41.299 And then I also have this other little one that I got at Home Depot. 00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:45.419 It was an extra when I was hanging up outdoor lights under the deck at my old house. 00:12:45.419 --> 00:12:48.500 These false teachers are telling them, 00:12:48.860 --> 00:12:52.439 when you rely on the stories about Jesus' second coming, 00:12:52.579 --> 00:12:55.799 you are taking a 10-pound weight and you're resting your life on it. 00:12:57.279 --> 00:12:58.539 It is a myth. 00:12:58.939 --> 00:13:01.179 You are going to die. 00:13:02.339 --> 00:13:06.479 Peter is saying, it's actually this, it's actually a 5,000-pound carabiner. 00:13:06.779 --> 00:13:09.779 It is able to hold your weight and maybe a car. 00:13:11.539 --> 00:13:12.599 Which one is true? 00:13:12.600 --> 00:13:15.639 Are we idiots? 00:13:16.540 --> 00:13:18.580 Is this a 10-pound keychain? 00:13:19.740 --> 00:13:22.600 Or is it a 5,000-pound climbing carabiner? 00:13:23.379 --> 00:13:28.200 Well, Peter gives us the answer here why these are not cleverly devised myths. 00:13:28.340 --> 00:13:31.700 Verse 16, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 00:13:31.779 --> 00:13:34.300 One of the emphases of the New Testament is the importance 00:13:34.300 --> 00:13:38.980 and the presence of eyewitness testimony to what Jesus did and said. 00:13:39.040 --> 00:13:41.279 It's something that's emphasized over and over again. 00:13:41.279 --> 00:13:44.759 Two Easter's ago, we looked at 1 Corinthians chapter 15, 00:13:44.879 --> 00:13:48.120 which talks about the fact there were multiple witnesses to Jesus 00:13:48.120 --> 00:13:52.360 after he died and rose from the dead, including 500 people at one time. 00:13:52.939 --> 00:13:55.220 Paul's point in telling us this is, 00:13:55.639 --> 00:13:59.139 you can go ask and check out the facts for yourself if you don't believe me. 00:13:59.419 --> 00:14:01.600 These things have not happened in secret. 00:14:02.459 --> 00:14:06.500 That's not the only place, by the way, that eyewitness testimony is emphasized. 00:14:06.500 --> 00:14:08.600 Luke chapter 1, the beginning of that gospel. 00:14:09.100 --> 00:14:14.559 Luke tells us he's writing it based on, wait for it, eyewitnesses. 00:14:14.879 --> 00:14:16.559 He has gathered the evidence. 00:14:16.879 --> 00:14:19.779 He's now trying to report his historical investigation. 00:14:20.259 --> 00:14:24.059 There are details throughout the gospel of Luke that would only be there 00:14:24.059 --> 00:14:28.480 from someone who is concerned with accurate telling of something that's happened in history. 00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:33.379 Also, 1 John chapter 1, verse 1, John tells us, 00:14:33.960 --> 00:14:37.899 I'm writing these things and we saw them happen. 00:14:39.659 --> 00:14:43.360 Over and over again, the New Testament emphasizes 00:14:43.360 --> 00:14:47.240 these are things that many people witness and act on as a result. 00:14:47.379 --> 00:14:50.960 This could not be a delusion that was shared by just a few people. 00:14:51.080 --> 00:14:53.019 It's something that was seen by many people, 00:14:53.300 --> 00:14:56.080 and they reoriented their lives as a result. 00:14:56.080 --> 00:15:00.139 You can rest on this, Peter is telling them, 00:15:00.280 --> 00:15:03.720 as something strong enough to hold up your life, 00:15:03.800 --> 00:15:08.040 not only but in part because of eyewitness testimony. 00:15:08.259 --> 00:15:15.460 By the way, those things they witnessed caused them to change their lives 00:15:15.460 --> 00:15:18.160 in such a way that they lost and suffered. 00:15:19.540 --> 00:15:24.520 It caused them to change their lives in such a way that they lost and they suffered. 00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:27.600 Peter gives up his great career as a fisherman, 00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:29.699 ends up being hung upside down. 00:15:30.579 --> 00:15:33.559 This is very different from other major religions. 00:15:33.860 --> 00:15:38.059 Think about, for example, Islam, Mormonism. 00:15:38.480 --> 00:15:40.679 In those cases, there's something very private that happens 00:15:40.679 --> 00:15:42.159 that other people didn't witness, 00:15:43.159 --> 00:15:48.100 and the people who witnessed them gain wives and power. 00:15:48.100 --> 00:15:54.779 The eyewitnesses of Christianity did not gain wives and power. 00:15:54.899 --> 00:15:56.580 They gained lots and lots of suffering. 00:15:58.159 --> 00:16:01.440 And so they have put their skin in the game. 00:16:01.600 --> 00:16:05.560 They are tons of people who were witnesses to the same thing 00:16:05.560 --> 00:16:10.800 that caused them to realign their lives in such a way that they lost in this world. 00:16:10.799 --> 00:16:16.459 And so why do we have confidence in the Bible? 00:16:16.559 --> 00:16:18.120 Why do we have confidence in God's Word? 00:16:18.219 --> 00:16:19.519 There are many reasons. 00:16:19.879 --> 00:16:22.500 Peter emphasizes one of them for us this morning. 00:16:22.659 --> 00:16:25.979 We have confidence because of the eyewitnesses. 00:16:26.859 --> 00:16:29.759 The Bible is very concerned with evidence. 00:16:31.539 --> 00:16:35.620 Notice, by the way, the way that we handle doubts here. 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:36.779 Peter doesn't say, 00:16:36.779 --> 00:16:37.980 Oh, you have doubts? 00:16:38.059 --> 00:16:39.379 You're attacked by these false teachers? 00:16:40.240 --> 00:16:41.539 You just need to have more faith. 00:16:43.159 --> 00:16:44.480 You just need to believe harder. 00:16:46.039 --> 00:16:48.659 No, he realizes these are intellectual people. 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:50.059 God's given them minds. 00:16:50.459 --> 00:16:53.439 He presents them with the evidence for what they believe. 00:16:53.620 --> 00:16:58.459 He was there, and he was there with Peter, James, and John. 00:16:58.539 --> 00:17:00.559 Of course, which brings us to our next point here, 00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:02.079 what they were eyewitnesses of. 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:06.200 What I discussed earlier in terms of eyewitnesses in Luke and John and Paul 00:17:06.200 --> 00:17:10.220 were eyewitnesses of Jesus' life and his resurrection. 00:17:11.080 --> 00:17:13.600 Peter, however, chooses something very different. 00:17:14.059 --> 00:17:18.319 He says we were eyewitnesses of what happened to Jesus 00:17:18.319 --> 00:17:20.940 when he received honor and glory from God the Father. 00:17:21.700 --> 00:17:22.940 What is he talking about here? 00:17:23.400 --> 00:17:29.740 Well, he's making a reference to an episode that we see in Matthew 17, Mark 9, and Luke 9, 00:17:29.840 --> 00:17:31.880 which is referred to as the transfiguration. 00:17:31.880 --> 00:17:36.140 The transfiguration is an event in which Jesus takes Peter, James, and John 00:17:36.140 --> 00:17:41.040 up to the top of a mountain, and while he's up there, he is transfigured. 00:17:41.120 --> 00:17:45.440 That's why it's called the transfiguration, because Jesus changes in his appearance. 00:17:45.560 --> 00:17:48.260 We're told that his face is like the sun. 00:17:49.380 --> 00:17:52.360 And so he's given this new appearance, this new power. 00:17:52.760 --> 00:17:54.580 Peter, James, and John are witnesses to it. 00:17:54.900 --> 00:17:57.420 We're also told that Moses and Elijah were there. 00:17:57.420 --> 00:18:02.220 And so it's this moment, remember, most of Jesus' earthly ministry, 00:18:02.660 --> 00:18:04.200 he just appears to be a man. 00:18:05.140 --> 00:18:09.259 In fact, Isaiah tells us there's nothing in his appearance that would have made him attractive. 00:18:09.820 --> 00:18:12.940 But in this one moment, for these three people, 00:18:13.100 --> 00:18:17.039 God chooses to give them a glimpse of what's going to come in the future. 00:18:17.140 --> 00:18:19.460 He gives them a glimpse of Jesus' glory. 00:18:19.560 --> 00:18:21.759 And that's what this honor and glory is telling us about. 00:18:21.800 --> 00:18:22.740 It's about this episode. 00:18:22.740 --> 00:18:27.740 The honor is what God the Father says about Jesus at the transfiguration. 00:18:28.420 --> 00:18:31.339 He says, this is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. 00:18:31.900 --> 00:18:32.539 Listen to him. 00:18:33.599 --> 00:18:37.660 So there's this moment where they see God giving his favor on Jesus. 00:18:38.500 --> 00:18:42.039 They also see his glory, which is when his face looks like the sun. 00:18:42.880 --> 00:18:46.720 So he's telling them, remember, this story that we all know about Jesus 00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:50.680 and what's told about him, which for us is now recorded in the Gospels, 00:18:50.680 --> 00:18:52.640 we were eyewitnesses of it. 00:18:53.799 --> 00:18:55.000 We were there. 00:18:55.480 --> 00:18:56.320 We saw. 00:18:57.200 --> 00:19:01.539 We have seen with our own eyes that Jesus is this. 00:19:03.660 --> 00:19:04.960 He's not this. 00:19:06.840 --> 00:19:09.640 And because we have seen it with our own eyes, 00:19:09.720 --> 00:19:11.320 we have changed our lives. 00:19:11.840 --> 00:19:15.799 You can change your lives as well. 00:19:15.799 --> 00:19:22.539 We had a small experience in part of what you all will experience one day in full 00:19:22.539 --> 00:19:23.619 when Jesus comes back. 00:19:25.299 --> 00:19:27.779 And so there's something a little bit different here that's happening 00:19:27.779 --> 00:19:30.000 from other eyewitness emphasis in the New Testament 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:32.180 because he's focusing on this one episode. 00:19:32.659 --> 00:19:35.099 The reason he's focusing on the episode of the transfiguration 00:19:35.099 --> 00:19:37.839 is he's talking not just about knowledge in general, 00:19:37.960 --> 00:19:40.319 but about the doctrine of Jesus coming back to the earth. 00:19:40.319 --> 00:19:42.659 When Jesus comes back to the earth, 00:19:42.960 --> 00:19:45.359 and we're going to go into detail on that in chapter 3, 00:19:45.480 --> 00:19:48.659 so I'm not going to take a deep dive this morning. 00:19:49.059 --> 00:19:50.720 When Jesus comes back to the earth, 00:19:50.759 --> 00:19:52.759 it's going to be a coming of power and glory. 00:19:54.259 --> 00:19:55.200 And so he's saying, 00:19:55.339 --> 00:19:58.299 we saw him a little bit in power and glory when he was here on earth, 00:19:59.039 --> 00:20:00.319 and that's the evidence we need. 00:20:00.399 --> 00:20:03.740 That's the small sample we need to know he's coming in great power and glory. 00:20:04.439 --> 00:20:06.960 So this specific doctrine of the second coming, 00:20:07.059 --> 00:20:08.299 Jesus returning, being attacked, 00:20:08.299 --> 00:20:11.859 here's the evidence we have of that specific doctrine being true. 00:20:12.659 --> 00:20:15.259 That's the reason it's the transfiguration he focuses on, 00:20:15.319 --> 00:20:17.639 not saying we were present when Jesus taught. 00:20:17.740 --> 00:20:19.980 Of course these people knew that he was present when Jesus taught. 00:20:20.059 --> 00:20:22.599 No one was arguing about whether Jesus existed or not. 00:20:23.879 --> 00:20:26.119 The question is whether he's returning to the earth. 00:20:27.099 --> 00:20:30.980 We'll dive into that question deeply when we get to chapter 3. 00:20:32.200 --> 00:20:34.240 The point for us is this. 00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:38.559 No matter how we feel, we hold on to the facts. 00:20:40.519 --> 00:20:42.120 No matter what we're experiencing, 00:20:42.779 --> 00:20:47.500 we hold on to what we know to be true in time and history. 00:20:48.779 --> 00:20:51.380 Now, when I was growing up in the Capone family, 00:20:51.620 --> 00:20:55.079 we were more of a national park family than a theme park family. 00:20:56.279 --> 00:20:58.120 We would take trips outside. 00:20:58.119 --> 00:21:00.059 We wouldn't visit theme parks as much. 00:21:00.119 --> 00:21:02.299 So that was something I wasn't very familiar with. 00:21:02.379 --> 00:21:05.239 In fact, I'm the only person in my immediate family 00:21:05.239 --> 00:21:06.639 who's willing to get on a roller coaster. 00:21:08.239 --> 00:21:12.039 Now, I moved and lived for three years in Williamsburg, Virginia, 00:21:12.119 --> 00:21:14.759 which if you're familiar with it, you know it's the home of Busch Gardens. 00:21:15.919 --> 00:21:17.179 Now, I'm not a theme park person, 00:21:17.319 --> 00:21:20.500 but I wasn't just going to hole up in my apartment by myself 00:21:20.500 --> 00:21:21.419 and never hang out with people. 00:21:21.860 --> 00:21:23.660 So I did what great locals do, 00:21:23.740 --> 00:21:24.700 and I got a year pass. 00:21:24.779 --> 00:21:28.279 Actually, I got a two-year pass to Busch Gardens and to Water Country. 00:21:29.600 --> 00:21:31.900 And so the locals would show up in the evenings 00:21:31.900 --> 00:21:33.279 after all the tourists had gone. 00:21:33.380 --> 00:21:35.140 We'd just be there for a couple hours, and then we'd leave. 00:21:35.500 --> 00:21:36.680 We didn't need to make a whole day of it. 00:21:36.700 --> 00:21:37.720 We didn't need to be there in the sun. 00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:39.860 That was for those poor people who had to travel to visit. 00:21:41.259 --> 00:21:42.759 That's why you have a yearly pass, right? 00:21:43.759 --> 00:21:45.900 Well, you don't go and not ride a roller coaster. 00:21:45.900 --> 00:21:48.340 And, of course, these roller coasters, for me, 00:21:48.460 --> 00:21:50.220 you feel like you're going to die, 00:21:50.220 --> 00:21:52.740 especially when you're coming up to the very top. 00:21:52.839 --> 00:21:54.059 You know, it goes very, very slowly, 00:21:54.059 --> 00:21:56.019 and then you have that moment where you think, 00:21:56.240 --> 00:21:57.860 what in the world have I gotten myself into? 00:21:59.200 --> 00:22:01.860 Well, there's only one way I knew how to overcome this. 00:22:02.640 --> 00:22:05.039 I was involved in youth ministry at that church, by the way, 00:22:05.059 --> 00:22:06.460 and so this is what the youth loved to do. 00:22:06.500 --> 00:22:07.500 If I wanted to hang out with them, 00:22:07.600 --> 00:22:09.380 part of what I needed to do was ride roller coasters. 00:22:10.480 --> 00:22:12.200 So when I was on the roller coaster, 00:22:12.900 --> 00:22:14.579 kid you not, this is how I would think through it. 00:22:15.299 --> 00:22:17.539 Right now, I feel like I'm going to die. 00:22:17.539 --> 00:22:23.759 However, I also know that many people have ridden this roller coaster before me 00:22:23.759 --> 00:22:24.779 and they have not died. 00:22:25.599 --> 00:22:27.819 Many people are going to ride it after me and not die. 00:22:28.460 --> 00:22:31.339 I know that there are mechanics, 00:22:31.599 --> 00:22:33.019 people who work on this roller coaster, 00:22:33.079 --> 00:22:34.440 to keep it in good working condition. 00:22:35.099 --> 00:22:37.480 And so no matter how I feel, 00:22:37.779 --> 00:22:40.339 I know that I'm going to make it to the end alive. 00:22:41.279 --> 00:22:44.379 And so when I'd get to that pause at the very top of the mountain, 00:22:44.879 --> 00:22:46.139 I'd have to hold on to that. 00:22:46.140 --> 00:22:48.380 But I am not going to die. 00:22:50.140 --> 00:22:52.140 No matter how I felt, 00:22:52.380 --> 00:22:55.840 I knew what the facts were for the saints who had come before me. 00:22:56.680 --> 00:22:59.740 And I knew what the facts were for the saints who had come after. 00:22:59.840 --> 00:23:01.880 And so I would be able for that moment 00:23:01.880 --> 00:23:05.320 to embrace the experience of dropping vertically at 90 degrees 00:23:05.320 --> 00:23:06.700 and know it was going to be okay. 00:23:08.240 --> 00:23:10.680 And I was able to enjoy it. 00:23:11.460 --> 00:23:13.660 No matter how I felt in the moment, right, 00:23:13.700 --> 00:23:15.360 I was able to hold on to that truth. 00:23:15.359 --> 00:23:18.199 Now, you'll know if you've been on a roller coaster 00:23:18.199 --> 00:23:21.459 that they like to snap pictures right as you're at the worst section. 00:23:23.059 --> 00:23:24.779 And I'm very proud to tell you 00:23:24.779 --> 00:23:27.240 that while most people, when they get their pictures snapped, 00:23:27.299 --> 00:23:29.000 they make sure they throw their hands up in the air, 00:23:29.059 --> 00:23:30.719 they put a terrified look on their face, 00:23:31.139 --> 00:23:32.339 I kept my face blank. 00:23:34.899 --> 00:23:36.099 It's excited on the inside. 00:23:36.359 --> 00:23:37.899 Don't need to be excited on the outside. 00:23:38.619 --> 00:23:39.240 Hands in. 00:23:39.240 --> 00:23:43.559 The same is true for us. 00:23:43.700 --> 00:23:48.140 We live as Christians in this world often with fear and doubt. 00:23:49.680 --> 00:23:51.240 And when we do, 00:23:51.539 --> 00:23:54.700 we have to hold on to what we know to be true 00:23:54.700 --> 00:23:56.700 in time and space and history. 00:23:58.779 --> 00:24:02.740 Otherwise, we will not be able to keep going. 00:24:02.740 --> 00:24:04.880 I have a friend who at one point in his life told me 00:24:04.880 --> 00:24:07.120 he would get up every morning and he would ask one question. 00:24:07.960 --> 00:24:09.559 It's a very challenging time in his life. 00:24:10.220 --> 00:24:12.500 Did Jesus rise from the dead or not? 00:24:15.099 --> 00:24:18.000 Yes, he could go on with the day. 00:24:20.579 --> 00:24:22.079 5,000 pounds of force. 00:24:23.000 --> 00:24:24.059 I can trust it. 00:24:24.059 --> 00:24:28.940 And so that's what we do as Christians. 00:24:29.359 --> 00:24:30.099 We ask, 00:24:31.819 --> 00:24:34.599 is Jesus coming back or not? 00:24:34.679 --> 00:24:37.539 If he is, we live our lives in light of that. 00:24:38.799 --> 00:24:42.700 That is the one piece of knowledge that we need to keep going. 00:24:44.579 --> 00:24:47.059 Same is true for these people as well. 00:24:47.159 --> 00:24:48.480 Of course, he is, right? 00:24:48.659 --> 00:24:51.220 The emphasis in this passage is on Jesus' return. 00:24:51.359 --> 00:24:52.379 He's coming back. 00:24:52.380 --> 00:24:55.240 That's meant to be a motivator for these people. 00:24:57.080 --> 00:24:59.920 Because what happens to us at Jesus' return 00:24:59.920 --> 00:25:01.360 depends on our faith in him. 00:25:02.160 --> 00:25:04.160 When Jesus comes back to the earth, 00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:06.420 he is bringing full and final justice. 00:25:06.560 --> 00:25:07.780 He's going to bring judgment 00:25:07.780 --> 00:25:10.840 for those who do not have faith in him 00:25:10.840 --> 00:25:12.600 and salvation for those who do. 00:25:13.040 --> 00:25:14.280 And so this knowledge, 00:25:14.400 --> 00:25:15.680 the fact that this is true, 00:25:15.980 --> 00:25:18.220 is meant to be a motivation for these people, 00:25:18.380 --> 00:25:20.720 encouragement that they are to hold on 00:25:20.720 --> 00:25:24.039 and a reminder of what their holy living is pointing towards. 00:25:24.740 --> 00:25:26.980 That they have only one hope, 00:25:27.360 --> 00:25:28.539 and that is Jesus' return. 00:25:28.660 --> 00:25:32.140 And so their faith is worth it. 00:25:33.539 --> 00:25:35.380 By the way, when we think about faith, 00:25:35.480 --> 00:25:37.420 many people think about faith as something 00:25:37.420 --> 00:25:40.200 where it's climbing up a wall rather than repelling down. 00:25:40.200 --> 00:25:42.059 If you're climbing up a wall, 00:25:43.019 --> 00:25:43.819 a rock face, 00:25:44.460 --> 00:25:46.480 your grip strength is what matters. 00:25:47.160 --> 00:25:49.779 Your upper body strength is what matters. 00:25:50.180 --> 00:25:51.720 It is up to you. 00:25:51.819 --> 00:25:53.259 If you are repelling down, 00:25:53.840 --> 00:25:55.680 repelling requires not strength, 00:25:56.059 --> 00:25:57.380 but trust. 00:25:59.420 --> 00:26:03.000 The same is true for us and our faith. 00:26:03.080 --> 00:26:04.000 When you are repelling, 00:26:04.140 --> 00:26:06.059 you are resting on and trusting 00:26:06.059 --> 00:26:08.899 the strength of the ropes and the harness. 00:26:10.279 --> 00:26:12.159 When we have faith, 00:26:12.299 --> 00:26:15.179 we are resting on the strength of another, 00:26:15.519 --> 00:26:18.579 not our own moral goodness or performance. 00:26:19.599 --> 00:26:21.859 Your harness, when you're repelling, 00:26:22.179 --> 00:26:24.579 does not care how large your biceps are. 00:26:26.799 --> 00:26:30.259 It's either strong enough to hold you up and save you, 00:26:30.500 --> 00:26:34.119 or it's not and you'll fall to the bottom and die. 00:26:34.119 --> 00:26:36.699 And so that's the offer of the gospel. 00:26:37.139 --> 00:26:38.439 God tells us in the gospel, 00:26:38.719 --> 00:26:40.859 we are not good enough. 00:26:41.859 --> 00:26:44.259 Our strength is too small. 00:26:44.679 --> 00:26:47.139 There is a wall, maybe we could climb it, 00:26:47.399 --> 00:26:49.500 except we're not powerful enough. 00:26:50.099 --> 00:26:51.379 We're not strong enough. 00:26:51.439 --> 00:26:52.379 In fact, we're sinful. 00:26:52.599 --> 00:26:55.779 We need to trust and rest on another. 00:26:56.319 --> 00:26:59.899 We have to put ourselves on Jesus and his strength 00:26:59.899 --> 00:27:01.959 because there is only one way down. 00:27:01.960 --> 00:27:05.380 And there's only one way down that's safe. 00:27:06.640 --> 00:27:08.380 Jesus tells us he has come, 00:27:08.980 --> 00:27:11.319 not for the righteous, but for sinners. 00:27:11.440 --> 00:27:12.700 He says in Mark chapter two, 00:27:13.579 --> 00:27:15.460 those who are well have no need of a physician, 00:27:15.579 --> 00:27:16.460 but those who are sick, 00:27:16.940 --> 00:27:19.360 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. 00:27:20.140 --> 00:27:21.319 And so faith is saying this, 00:27:21.519 --> 00:27:23.380 I am not strong enough. 00:27:23.559 --> 00:27:26.579 Outside of the strength of God's harness 00:27:26.579 --> 00:27:28.620 and his ropes, I will die. 00:27:28.619 --> 00:27:34.639 But because Jesus was willing to give up 00:27:34.639 --> 00:27:35.859 that harness and those ropes, 00:27:35.979 --> 00:27:37.599 he died on my behalf. 00:27:37.699 --> 00:27:40.759 And so God's strength, his provision is for me. 00:27:40.879 --> 00:27:43.879 It's for anyone and everyone who has faith in Jesus Christ. 00:27:44.279 --> 00:27:46.079 Anyone and everyone who's willing to admit, 00:27:46.619 --> 00:27:49.219 I am not strong enough to save myself. 00:27:50.359 --> 00:27:53.079 But God in his power is. 00:27:53.079 --> 00:27:56.039 And so I rest on him and trust on him. 00:27:56.899 --> 00:27:59.960 And I do it because of the facts. 00:28:00.960 --> 00:28:02.720 There are many people who believe 00:28:02.720 --> 00:28:04.339 that because of their strength, 00:28:04.759 --> 00:28:08.539 they've earned themselves a way into heaven. 00:28:08.639 --> 00:28:10.919 But Jesus talks about this in Matthew chapter seven. 00:28:11.059 --> 00:28:12.839 He says, not everyone who says to me, 00:28:13.359 --> 00:28:15.179 Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. 00:28:15.859 --> 00:28:19.079 But the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven. 00:28:19.759 --> 00:28:21.339 On that day, many will say to me, 00:28:21.339 --> 00:28:23.579 Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name 00:28:23.579 --> 00:28:25.539 and cast out demons in your name 00:28:25.539 --> 00:28:27.319 and do many mighty works in your name? 00:28:28.179 --> 00:28:29.359 And then will I declare to them, 00:28:29.399 --> 00:28:30.279 I never knew you. 00:28:30.740 --> 00:28:33.159 Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. 00:28:34.480 --> 00:28:35.959 In other words, there will be many people 00:28:35.959 --> 00:28:37.099 who come to Jesus and say, 00:28:37.220 --> 00:28:39.459 don't you remember how strong I was? 00:28:40.899 --> 00:28:43.779 Don't you remember how many walls I climbed up 00:28:43.779 --> 00:28:45.099 because my grip was so good? 00:28:46.759 --> 00:28:48.079 And Jesus is going to say, 00:28:48.179 --> 00:28:50.139 depart from me, I never knew you. 00:28:51.339 --> 00:28:53.919 I came not for the well, but for the sick, 00:28:54.439 --> 00:28:57.399 for those who need a physician. 00:28:58.699 --> 00:29:02.319 But for those who have faith and trust in Jesus Christ, 00:29:02.459 --> 00:29:05.220 he is powerful enough to hold us up. 00:29:09.220 --> 00:29:10.980 This can hold 5,000 pounds. 00:29:11.119 --> 00:29:12.759 I have just my keys on it. 00:29:14.519 --> 00:29:16.419 Hebrews chapter one tells us 00:29:16.420 --> 00:29:18.660 that God holds the world together 00:29:18.660 --> 00:29:20.140 by the word of his power. 00:29:21.640 --> 00:29:24.420 If he can hold together the world, 00:29:25.160 --> 00:29:29.759 how much more can he hold up your small life? 00:29:29.759 --> 00:29:35.839 I had a friend recently shared with me 00:29:35.839 --> 00:29:39.400 a story about a time in her life 00:29:39.400 --> 00:29:40.359 that was very challenging, 00:29:40.480 --> 00:29:41.440 and it was so challenging. 00:29:41.779 --> 00:29:43.599 She experienced multiple things 00:29:43.599 --> 00:29:45.160 that were incredibly traumatic. 00:29:46.180 --> 00:29:47.700 She began having panic attacks. 00:29:48.799 --> 00:29:51.000 And if you're familiar with panic attacks, 00:29:51.059 --> 00:29:53.000 you know that when they become severe, 00:29:53.220 --> 00:29:54.079 they mimic, 00:29:54.220 --> 00:29:56.200 they have the same symptoms as a heart attack. 00:29:56.200 --> 00:29:59.460 And so she was afraid in this moment 00:29:59.460 --> 00:30:00.460 of what was happening to her 00:30:00.460 --> 00:30:01.440 when she would have these attacks. 00:30:01.860 --> 00:30:03.880 And so she went to her doctor. 00:30:05.460 --> 00:30:06.440 And her doctor said, 00:30:06.559 --> 00:30:07.980 well, let's do a workup. 00:30:08.059 --> 00:30:09.819 Let's look at your heart and see how it's doing. 00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:12.299 And they did a full workup on her heart 00:30:12.299 --> 00:30:13.500 to see what the help was. 00:30:14.120 --> 00:30:16.920 Came out, her heart was in amazing, wonderful shape. 00:30:17.000 --> 00:30:19.799 And so the doctor printed out the report for her, 00:30:20.200 --> 00:30:22.160 all the details and graphs on her heart. 00:30:22.160 --> 00:30:24.259 And he handed it to her and he said, 00:30:24.420 --> 00:30:26.660 when you have a panic attack 00:30:26.660 --> 00:30:28.880 and you feel like you're having a heart attack, 00:30:29.600 --> 00:30:32.620 I want you to pull this sheet out 00:30:32.620 --> 00:30:34.720 and look at the health of your heart 00:30:34.720 --> 00:30:36.060 and know what's true. 00:30:37.340 --> 00:30:40.480 I want you to rely on the facts, 00:30:41.060 --> 00:30:42.620 not on what you feel. 00:30:44.140 --> 00:30:47.640 Brothers and sisters, the same is true for us. 00:30:47.660 --> 00:30:49.240 As we live in this world, 00:30:49.240 --> 00:30:52.100 when we are tempted to believe what's false, 00:30:52.160 --> 00:30:53.460 when we're tempted to give up 00:30:53.460 --> 00:30:55.700 and forget what is true of Jesus 00:30:55.700 --> 00:30:57.640 and what he has done for us, 00:30:57.759 --> 00:31:01.440 Peter is telling us to take out the sheet 00:31:01.440 --> 00:31:02.640 and look at the facts. 00:31:03.759 --> 00:31:06.160 That no matter how we feel 00:31:06.160 --> 00:31:09.180 and no matter what's happening in the world, 00:31:10.180 --> 00:31:12.019 God has not given up on us. 00:31:12.180 --> 00:31:14.600 There is life in Jesus Christ. 00:31:16.380 --> 00:31:17.380 Please pray with me. 00:31:17.380 --> 00:31:21.380 Our Father in heaven, 00:31:21.540 --> 00:31:24.320 we thank you again for your word 00:31:24.320 --> 00:31:25.220 that you've given to us. 00:31:25.300 --> 00:31:27.540 We ask that you would use what is true 00:31:27.540 --> 00:31:31.340 to override what we think and feel 00:31:31.340 --> 00:31:33.180 in the moments and chaos of this world, 00:31:33.240 --> 00:31:36.000 that we would remember that you are a God 00:31:36.000 --> 00:31:37.800 who showed up in real time and real space 00:31:37.800 --> 00:31:40.660 and real history to pay for our sins 00:31:40.660 --> 00:31:42.460 and to bring us to yourself. 00:31:42.460 --> 00:31:44.920 We thank you that we cannot climb up. 00:31:45.019 --> 00:31:46.100 We are not strong enough, 00:31:46.900 --> 00:31:49.279 but that Jesus is strong for us. 00:31:49.460 --> 00:31:51.279 And so we ask these things in his name. 00:31:51.920 --> 00:31:52.140 Amen.