WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.060 Good morning to everybody. 00:00:02.859 --> 00:00:08.080 We are living in a time that many would describe a time of deconstruction. 00:00:08.859 --> 00:00:17.679 This is a time in our society when many ideas and institutions are being challenged. 00:00:18.440 --> 00:00:21.120 They are being redefined. 00:00:21.519 --> 00:00:26.140 In some cases, they're being altogether dismantled and done away with. 00:00:26.140 --> 00:00:33.899 And that's happening throughout our culture right now as it tends to from time to time throughout history. 00:00:34.079 --> 00:00:36.560 Societies go through periods like this. 00:00:37.179 --> 00:00:45.960 And not surprisingly, there are many Christians who are consequently going through their own period of deconstruction. 00:00:45.960 --> 00:00:56.840 And by deconstruction, I mean going through a time of taking apart and reexamining all of the pieces of their faith. 00:00:56.920 --> 00:01:01.299 And trying to figure out, what do I actually believe and why? 00:01:01.600 --> 00:01:10.960 So asking really hard questions, trying to push in to figure out, especially those who grew up as Christians, what they actually believe. 00:01:11.319 --> 00:01:14.079 I heard somebody describe it kind of like Legos. 00:01:14.079 --> 00:01:20.459 If you've ever been building something that's complicated out of Legos and you're going along and you're putting the pieces together. 00:01:20.780 --> 00:01:25.759 And then at some point, you start to realize that the pieces just aren't holding together. 00:01:26.039 --> 00:01:28.859 That the part that's supposed to go here just isn't fitting. 00:01:28.959 --> 00:01:32.539 And you realize that at some point along the way, you made a mistake. 00:01:33.099 --> 00:01:37.180 And that you left a piece out or the pieces didn't get put together in the proper order. 00:01:37.180 --> 00:01:45.320 And so the only thing that you can do is to start taking it apart until you get down and find the place where you made the mistake. 00:01:45.520 --> 00:01:48.100 And then you can begin to rebuild it and it will all hold together. 00:01:48.240 --> 00:01:51.760 And so I heard somebody describe it that way in terms of their faith. 00:01:51.860 --> 00:01:56.560 I'm taking it apart and trying to figure out kind of where things went wrong. 00:01:57.380 --> 00:01:59.440 And I want to say this. 00:01:59.439 --> 00:02:02.480 Deconstruction, I don't think, is a bad thing in and of itself. 00:02:02.599 --> 00:02:08.939 In fact, I think if you're especially the kind of person who maybe grew up in a very strict environment, strict church, 00:02:09.340 --> 00:02:16.039 where you weren't really allowed to ask questions, where that was seen as evidence of a weak faith or something else, 00:02:16.319 --> 00:02:20.900 then I think going through a time of really asking hard questions is absolutely necessary. 00:02:20.900 --> 00:02:28.740 This can be a vital step in the process of maturing in your faith. 00:02:29.460 --> 00:02:35.800 Having doubts and really wrestling with those doubts, that's vital for growing in our faith. 00:02:36.540 --> 00:02:41.159 But there are ways that this can kind of, you might say, go off the rails. 00:02:41.659 --> 00:02:47.140 There are ways that this approach to deconstruction can actually do more harm than good. 00:02:47.139 --> 00:02:55.279 And, you know, as I listen to, you know, part of what I do is I listen to a lot of podcasts and audio content. 00:02:55.679 --> 00:02:56.959 I read a lot of books. 00:02:57.719 --> 00:03:03.139 I'm constantly trying to stay tuned in to the major conversations that are happening in our culture as much as I can. 00:03:03.399 --> 00:03:10.279 And more and more I find myself listening to certain podcasts or reading certain popular authors or hearing people speak. 00:03:10.280 --> 00:03:14.620 And underneath a lot of the messages out there is this sentiment. 00:03:15.840 --> 00:03:24.599 That the Christian faith that we inherited from previous generations is somehow primitive or deficient. 00:03:25.180 --> 00:03:27.439 And it needs to evolve. 00:03:28.300 --> 00:03:30.180 It needs to be revised. 00:03:30.439 --> 00:03:34.439 It needs to be updated to fit the current cultural moment. 00:03:34.699 --> 00:03:38.340 If it's going to survive and stay relevant and all of those things. 00:03:38.340 --> 00:03:43.460 And that's a kind of undercurrent that I'm hearing more and more and reading more and more and more. 00:03:43.719 --> 00:03:46.219 And so that's what I want to focus on this morning. 00:03:46.860 --> 00:03:49.860 Because if you know anything about church history, that's not a new idea. 00:03:51.219 --> 00:03:56.259 In fact, almost every generation has said the same thing. 00:03:56.980 --> 00:04:02.360 Going all the way back literally 2,000 years to the very first generation of believers. 00:04:03.240 --> 00:04:05.640 And this is exactly what you see in Colossae. 00:04:05.639 --> 00:04:11.779 This is the conversation that was happening among the very first generation of Christians in Colossae. 00:04:12.019 --> 00:04:15.519 You had a man who was sent by Paul to this area. 00:04:15.899 --> 00:04:18.039 And he first preached the gospel, Epaphras. 00:04:18.419 --> 00:04:23.099 And a lot of Colossians received Christ and became Christ followers. 00:04:23.560 --> 00:04:25.159 And it really began to transform the area. 00:04:25.800 --> 00:04:27.419 And then other teachers came in. 00:04:27.439 --> 00:04:28.500 And they said, well, that's nice. 00:04:28.599 --> 00:04:29.459 You've got the basics. 00:04:29.680 --> 00:04:32.439 You've got the kind of primitive form of this faith. 00:04:32.439 --> 00:04:37.019 But then they began to offer some new ideas, some exciting ideas. 00:04:37.660 --> 00:04:42.519 And they began to sort of suggest, take the primitive faith that you learned from Epaphras. 00:04:42.740 --> 00:04:45.459 And then we're going to go through an evolution. 00:04:45.740 --> 00:04:48.120 And there's some new ideas that we want you to incorporate. 00:04:48.519 --> 00:04:49.639 And they're very exciting. 00:04:49.899 --> 00:04:51.180 And they're going to make your life better. 00:04:51.759 --> 00:04:59.519 And a lot of these young Christians who hadn't really been discipled for very long were very taken in by these ideas. 00:04:59.519 --> 00:05:01.680 And so Paul gets word of this. 00:05:01.759 --> 00:05:04.839 And this is why he writes the letter to the Colossians that he does. 00:05:04.919 --> 00:05:06.039 That's the entire backdrop. 00:05:06.839 --> 00:05:15.219 And what's so interesting about Paul's response to this situation, as we're going to see in beginning in chapter 1, verses 15 to 20, 00:05:15.899 --> 00:05:18.979 he essentially says this to all of these Christians who are wondering, 00:05:18.980 --> 00:05:26.960 is the faith that I've inherited, is it still strong enough to face the complexity of the world that I live in now? 00:05:27.259 --> 00:05:29.860 Are these new teachers on to something? 00:05:30.360 --> 00:05:36.720 And Paul essentially says this, if you want to build a faith that will stand the test of time, 00:05:37.020 --> 00:05:41.439 if you want to build a faith that is unshakable, whether you're a Christian doubting your faith, 00:05:41.580 --> 00:05:45.340 or somebody who's never heard the gospel and trying to consider the faith for the first time, 00:05:45.339 --> 00:05:50.039 if you want to build an unshakable, timeless faith, you have to start with this truth, 00:05:50.979 --> 00:05:53.539 that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. 00:05:54.560 --> 00:05:55.719 That is the foundation. 00:05:56.319 --> 00:05:58.560 So what we're going to do this morning is we're going to break that out. 00:05:59.000 --> 00:06:02.659 A faith built on this truth, Jesus Christ is Lord of all. 00:06:02.739 --> 00:06:04.399 We're going to see three ways that plays out. 00:06:04.579 --> 00:06:04.939 Let's pray. 00:06:04.939 --> 00:06:08.199 Lord, we thank you. 00:06:08.420 --> 00:06:11.779 And we thank you for, there's so many blessings that we take for granted. 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:15.579 But Lord, even as I'm reminded that we were coming here this morning, 00:06:15.959 --> 00:06:18.339 questioning whether or not we would have running water, 00:06:18.879 --> 00:06:22.620 questioning whether or not the water main would be fixed in time for us to be here, Lord. 00:06:23.279 --> 00:06:27.680 But praise you that we don't have to question whether or not there will be living water here. 00:06:27.680 --> 00:06:36.900 That we know as we open your word that streams of living water can flow out of our own hearts 00:06:36.900 --> 00:06:37.920 because of your spirit. 00:06:38.540 --> 00:06:46.019 That you are here to nourish us, to feed us, to sate our thirst, to change us, Lord. 00:06:46.060 --> 00:06:50.420 That we might leave here full of your spirit and ready to do your work in the world, Lord. 00:06:50.540 --> 00:06:52.060 So we thank you and praise you for that. 00:06:52.300 --> 00:06:56.579 We praise you also for the waters of baptism that we will witness in a moment. 00:06:56.579 --> 00:07:00.939 And Lord, we ask now that you would bless this time as we open your word together. 00:07:01.139 --> 00:07:02.339 In your son's name, amen. 00:07:03.859 --> 00:07:06.439 So Jesus Christ is Lord of all. 00:07:06.519 --> 00:07:10.279 That's the first thing that Paul wants to get across to these Colossians. 00:07:11.120 --> 00:07:15.899 And if we read the opening verses of our passage, beginning in verse 16, he says, 00:07:16.479 --> 00:07:21.979 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. 00:07:21.980 --> 00:07:28.280 Whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him. 00:07:29.160 --> 00:07:30.680 And he is before all things. 00:07:30.980 --> 00:07:32.480 And in him all things hold together. 00:07:33.420 --> 00:07:36.560 So this is probably the most fundamental question of life. 00:07:37.879 --> 00:07:41.200 Why is there something rather than nothing? 00:07:42.360 --> 00:07:45.160 Why is there something rather than nothing? 00:07:45.160 --> 00:07:48.880 You know, we're all familiar with Big Bang cosmology. 00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:57.680 Approximately 13.8 billion years ago, there was no space or time or matter or energy. 00:07:57.900 --> 00:08:01.000 Only a single infinitesimal point. 00:08:02.520 --> 00:08:05.420 An unimaginably small point. 00:08:05.420 --> 00:08:16.100 And then this point spontaneously exploded, flinging matter and energy at roughly the speed of light outward. 00:08:16.620 --> 00:08:24.980 And this explosion resulted in the creation of billions and billions of galaxies. 00:08:26.259 --> 00:08:26.639 Right? 00:08:26.680 --> 00:08:31.439 If you think about our planet in one solar system, billions of solar systems in our galaxy, 00:08:31.660 --> 00:08:34.159 billions of galaxies in the universe. 00:08:34.159 --> 00:08:35.980 Quite a big place. 00:08:36.959 --> 00:08:43.459 Now we know something like this happened, but we have no scientific explanation for what caused it. 00:08:43.699 --> 00:08:47.839 And as we look around the world and make the observations that we can make, 00:08:47.899 --> 00:08:49.980 we realize something that is very consistent. 00:08:50.139 --> 00:08:53.879 And that is that everything that exists is contingent. 00:08:54.699 --> 00:09:01.000 Meaning everything that exists, exists because it was caused by something that came before it. 00:09:01.000 --> 00:09:06.059 Everything is causally, causally in existence. 00:09:06.240 --> 00:09:07.200 It has a cause. 00:09:07.340 --> 00:09:07.539 Right? 00:09:07.960 --> 00:09:11.679 And so philosophically, if you begin to go back further and further and further, 00:09:11.779 --> 00:09:12.600 well, what caused this? 00:09:12.679 --> 00:09:13.340 What caused this? 00:09:13.419 --> 00:09:14.059 What caused this? 00:09:14.220 --> 00:09:18.139 You eventually reach a point where there has to be a first cause. 00:09:18.139 --> 00:09:21.819 There has to be something that caused all of the other somethings. 00:09:21.819 --> 00:09:24.139 And that something has to be causeless. 00:09:25.080 --> 00:09:31.059 It also has to be powerful enough to result in something like this Big Bang expansion event 00:09:31.059 --> 00:09:35.699 that we believe happened so long ago. 00:09:35.700 --> 00:09:45.580 So when Paul is saying Jesus is before all things, this is the claim that Paul is making. 00:09:45.720 --> 00:09:48.960 He is essentially saying Jesus is the first cause. 00:09:49.540 --> 00:09:49.640 Right? 00:09:49.720 --> 00:09:50.840 Capital F, capital C. 00:09:50.980 --> 00:09:54.900 Jesus is the first cause who caused everything else. 00:09:55.920 --> 00:10:00.140 And then he also goes on to say that in Christ all things hold together. 00:10:00.139 --> 00:10:06.960 So not only is there this massive question of why is there something rather than nothing, 00:10:07.519 --> 00:10:13.120 but then you have to ask what are the odds of having not only a universe, 00:10:14.059 --> 00:10:18.819 but of having a universe like ours that can sustain life. 00:10:20.100 --> 00:10:20.419 Right? 00:10:20.480 --> 00:10:25.559 In the past 40 or so years, physicists have discovered more and more and more 00:10:25.559 --> 00:10:33.039 what we might call fundamental constants and quantities that govern the universe. 00:10:33.639 --> 00:10:43.059 Things like the gravitational constant or the expansion rate of the universe or the mass density of the universe. 00:10:43.419 --> 00:10:46.319 There are dozens of these constants. 00:10:46.639 --> 00:10:50.319 And the interesting thing about them is any of these constants and quantities, 00:10:50.519 --> 00:10:54.039 if you were to vary them even by a fraction in either direction, 00:10:54.039 --> 00:10:57.039 just a fraction more or a fraction less, 00:10:57.679 --> 00:11:00.360 we would have no planets, we would have no stars, 00:11:00.839 --> 00:11:03.079 we would lack many of the elements that exist, 00:11:03.379 --> 00:11:05.099 and certainly we would have no life. 00:11:06.959 --> 00:11:12.679 And so this is what many of you are familiar with is called the fine-tuning of the universe. 00:11:12.839 --> 00:11:15.959 And it's something that physicists have had to wrestle with up to the present day. 00:11:17.120 --> 00:11:21.679 It's one of the last things that Stephen Hawking was talking about before he passed away. 00:11:21.679 --> 00:11:25.679 This mystery of a finely tuned universe. 00:11:26.579 --> 00:11:28.439 You know, again, let's come back to Legos. 00:11:29.339 --> 00:11:31.519 I love Lego, as you can tell. 00:11:31.659 --> 00:11:33.259 My sons and I have a lot of fun with it. 00:11:33.439 --> 00:11:37.419 And we spent weeks one time putting together the Lego Millennium Falcon. 00:11:37.599 --> 00:11:39.899 This is a major undertaking. 00:11:40.039 --> 00:11:41.659 It's one of the great accomplishments of my life, 00:11:41.699 --> 00:11:42.659 was putting that thing together. 00:11:42.659 --> 00:11:47.439 And then we were so afraid that once we had gotten this thing together, 00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:50.620 we were so afraid that the kids, you know how kids are, would break it. 00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:55.139 And so I was going to move it to a safe place where, you see where this is going, 00:11:55.240 --> 00:11:56.480 where it wasn't going to get broken. 00:11:56.860 --> 00:11:58.659 And so I picked this thing up and I'm carrying it, 00:11:58.919 --> 00:12:01.319 and then I stepped on a Lego. 00:12:01.579 --> 00:12:03.319 And I don't know if you've ever stepped on a Lego, 00:12:04.319 --> 00:12:07.360 but I think it's on par with childbirth, personally. 00:12:07.459 --> 00:12:08.220 It's the closest thing. 00:12:08.319 --> 00:12:09.220 Just kidding, it's not. 00:12:09.220 --> 00:12:11.519 It's the closest I'll ever get. 00:12:11.680 --> 00:12:12.899 It's the closest I'll ever get, okay? 00:12:13.779 --> 00:12:18.420 You know, but I step on a Lego and I drop the Millennium Falcon 00:12:18.420 --> 00:12:21.800 and very predictably this highly ordered creation 00:12:21.800 --> 00:12:24.139 smashes into utter chaos all over the floor. 00:12:24.340 --> 00:12:26.560 We've never really repaired the Millennium Falcon 00:12:26.560 --> 00:12:29.680 or my relationship with my kids as a result of that, right? 00:12:30.060 --> 00:12:31.000 But here's the point. 00:12:31.160 --> 00:12:33.360 When you drop something like the Lego Millennium Falcon, 00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:34.879 that's what you expect to happen. 00:12:34.980 --> 00:12:36.860 It hits the ground, smashes it into a million pieces. 00:12:36.860 --> 00:12:38.740 Now what if I told you the opposite happened? 00:12:39.920 --> 00:12:42.160 What if I told you I took a box of Lego pieces 00:12:42.160 --> 00:12:43.980 and I dumped them on the floor, 00:12:44.300 --> 00:12:45.920 and they just happened to land 00:12:45.920 --> 00:12:48.139 as a perfectly assembled Lego Millennium Falcon? 00:12:49.320 --> 00:12:50.720 You probably wouldn't believe me 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:53.420 because the odds of that happening are astronomically low. 00:12:54.019 --> 00:12:56.340 That's kind of like what we're talking about 00:12:56.340 --> 00:12:59.639 when we talk about the odds of a finely tuned universe 00:12:59.639 --> 00:13:01.279 just springing into existence. 00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:03.879 If you calculate odds, 00:13:04.139 --> 00:13:07.579 it would be like the odds of taking a die, rolling dice, 00:13:07.919 --> 00:13:10.259 and rolling it 70 times in a row 00:13:10.259 --> 00:13:12.299 and rolling a six every single time. 00:13:13.240 --> 00:13:14.740 And if you know anything about probability, 00:13:14.839 --> 00:13:16.199 if you want to calculate that up, right, 00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:19.339 like six to the 70th power and divide one by that number, 00:13:19.699 --> 00:13:21.759 it's a very, very, very, very small chance, 00:13:21.839 --> 00:13:23.639 akin to impossible, right? 00:13:23.639 --> 00:13:27.279 So this is something that everybody has to make sense of 00:13:27.279 --> 00:13:28.139 in one way or another. 00:13:28.899 --> 00:13:30.019 So the question is, 00:13:30.399 --> 00:13:32.019 why is there something rather than nothing, 00:13:32.819 --> 00:13:34.399 and why is that something, 00:13:35.899 --> 00:13:38.679 a cosmos, rather than pure chaos? 00:13:38.679 --> 00:13:44.539 Jesus Christ would be the answer that Paul would give us, 00:13:44.620 --> 00:13:45.339 Jesus Christ. 00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:47.399 So what Paul's saying is, 00:13:47.479 --> 00:13:50.399 a solid faith starts with the most fundamental question, 00:13:50.759 --> 00:13:53.259 why did all of this come into existence? 00:13:53.439 --> 00:13:54.359 Where did it come from? 00:13:54.819 --> 00:13:56.459 And there's an implication there 00:13:56.459 --> 00:13:59.959 that if you want to know or I want to know why I'm here, 00:14:00.479 --> 00:14:02.099 if we want to know what life is all about, 00:14:02.159 --> 00:14:03.959 if we want to know what our purpose is, 00:14:04.099 --> 00:14:06.000 the only way we're going to ever know that 00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:06.959 is to go to the source, 00:14:06.960 --> 00:14:10.340 is to go to the one who made it all and ask Him. 00:14:11.940 --> 00:14:13.379 And the good news of Christianity 00:14:13.379 --> 00:14:15.840 is that that Creator, 00:14:16.040 --> 00:14:18.400 that first cause has come to us, 00:14:18.920 --> 00:14:20.759 Jesus Christ, in the flesh, 00:14:20.879 --> 00:14:22.360 because He wants to be known. 00:14:23.259 --> 00:14:25.920 The one who made all of this wants us to know Him. 00:14:27.100 --> 00:14:28.040 And here's the thing. 00:14:29.040 --> 00:14:30.800 As you're going through a time of questioning 00:14:30.800 --> 00:14:32.759 and deconstructing and all of that 00:14:32.759 --> 00:14:34.379 that you may be going through, 00:14:34.379 --> 00:14:37.159 you can totally dismiss the idea 00:14:37.159 --> 00:14:38.419 of the virgin birth of Jesus 00:14:38.419 --> 00:14:40.360 and say that's absolutely ridiculous. 00:14:40.500 --> 00:14:41.639 You're free to do that. 00:14:41.879 --> 00:14:43.519 But then you still have to make sense 00:14:43.519 --> 00:14:44.939 of the virgin birth of the galaxy 00:14:44.939 --> 00:14:47.080 in one way or another. 00:14:49.240 --> 00:14:51.500 So Jesus Christ is the Lord of creation. 00:14:51.639 --> 00:14:53.200 He made it, He sustains it, 00:14:53.240 --> 00:14:55.059 and only He can tell us what it's all for. 00:14:55.120 --> 00:14:56.919 That's the first thing that I want us to see here. 00:14:56.980 --> 00:14:57.899 He's the Lord of creation. 00:14:58.519 --> 00:15:00.159 But then Paul goes a step further 00:15:00.159 --> 00:15:03.319 and he says Jesus Christ is also the Lord of the church. 00:15:04.219 --> 00:15:07.259 That He's established a body on earth, 00:15:07.360 --> 00:15:10.679 a way to be in communion with Him 00:15:10.679 --> 00:15:12.980 and other people called the church. 00:15:13.159 --> 00:15:14.279 It says in verse 18, 00:15:14.600 --> 00:15:17.120 He's the head of the body, the church, right? 00:15:17.179 --> 00:15:18.579 And the church, as we understand it, 00:15:18.600 --> 00:15:20.719 is the beginning of the new creation of the world. 00:15:20.799 --> 00:15:21.899 So if He's Lord of creation, 00:15:22.299 --> 00:15:24.939 it makes sense that He's the Lord of the church, 00:15:24.939 --> 00:15:27.519 which is the foretaste of new creation. 00:15:27.519 --> 00:15:29.799 Now when He says the head of the church, 00:15:29.919 --> 00:15:33.159 He means origin, He means source, 00:15:33.659 --> 00:15:35.159 and He means authority. 00:15:35.399 --> 00:15:38.340 And in this case, it means all of these things. 00:15:38.639 --> 00:15:41.299 So Jesus is the origin of the church. 00:15:42.059 --> 00:15:44.079 The entire reason there is a church, 00:15:44.379 --> 00:15:45.899 capital C, universal church, 00:15:46.139 --> 00:15:47.399 the only reason there is a church 00:15:47.399 --> 00:15:50.899 is because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 00:15:51.439 --> 00:15:53.819 And that's why Paul says in Romans 10 verse 9, 00:15:54.220 --> 00:15:57.120 if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord 00:15:57.120 --> 00:16:00.360 and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, 00:16:00.740 --> 00:16:01.879 you will be saved. 00:16:01.960 --> 00:16:02.519 Paul is saying, 00:16:02.600 --> 00:16:03.940 do you want to know the essence 00:16:03.940 --> 00:16:05.179 of what it means to be a Christian? 00:16:06.600 --> 00:16:08.600 You confess that Jesus is Lord, 00:16:08.740 --> 00:16:10.259 public confession of faith, 00:16:11.060 --> 00:16:12.799 and then inward you believe in your heart 00:16:12.799 --> 00:16:14.779 that the resurrection happened. 00:16:14.860 --> 00:16:16.560 The resurrection is the foundation. 00:16:17.139 --> 00:16:18.340 He's not just a good teacher. 00:16:18.460 --> 00:16:20.000 He's not just a social reformer. 00:16:21.500 --> 00:16:25.039 He is the Lord who rose from death. 00:16:25.039 --> 00:16:26.599 That's what makes someone a Christian. 00:16:27.419 --> 00:16:29.740 And then we also see that Jesus is the source 00:16:29.740 --> 00:16:32.419 of all of the life and the strength in the church. 00:16:32.559 --> 00:16:35.959 Jesus Himself teaches this not long before He's taken away. 00:16:36.339 --> 00:16:38.019 In John chapter 15 verse 5, 00:16:38.159 --> 00:16:39.559 Jesus says to His followers, 00:16:40.139 --> 00:16:41.219 I am the vine, 00:16:42.039 --> 00:16:43.179 you are the branches. 00:16:44.139 --> 00:16:46.559 Whoever abides in Me and I in him, 00:16:46.719 --> 00:16:48.939 he it is that bears much fruit. 00:16:49.339 --> 00:16:51.459 For apart from Me you can do nothing. 00:16:51.460 --> 00:16:54.400 Now some of the things that Jesus says 00:16:54.400 --> 00:16:55.879 from time to time are unclear. 00:16:56.060 --> 00:16:56.920 They're hard to understand. 00:16:57.040 --> 00:16:59.860 In my opinion, it's not this verse. 00:16:59.960 --> 00:17:01.360 I think that's fairly clear. 00:17:01.700 --> 00:17:03.220 If you want to do stuff and be fruitful, 00:17:03.480 --> 00:17:04.620 you have to abide in Me. 00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:06.480 If you want to die on the vine, 00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:09.380 then you disconnect yourself from Me. 00:17:09.559 --> 00:17:11.539 I'm the vine, you're the branches. 00:17:12.120 --> 00:17:13.759 So He's the source of all the life 00:17:13.759 --> 00:17:14.720 and the strength in the church. 00:17:15.480 --> 00:17:16.880 And then related to that, 00:17:16.960 --> 00:17:20.039 He's the authority who guides and directs the church. 00:17:20.039 --> 00:17:21.519 By His Word. 00:17:21.619 --> 00:17:22.039 So we ask, 00:17:22.339 --> 00:17:24.059 well how do I abide in Jesus? 00:17:24.960 --> 00:17:26.839 And Jesus demystifies that. 00:17:28.859 --> 00:17:30.519 What does it mean to abide in Jesus? 00:17:30.619 --> 00:17:31.740 You go a couple of verses down 00:17:31.740 --> 00:17:33.099 in that same chapter in John. 00:17:33.220 --> 00:17:33.619 He says, 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:35.039 if you abide in Me, 00:17:35.319 --> 00:17:37.839 it means My words abide in you. 00:17:39.180 --> 00:17:39.639 Right? 00:17:39.759 --> 00:17:41.039 So if you want to abide in Me, 00:17:41.139 --> 00:17:42.259 that means that you 00:17:42.259 --> 00:17:45.059 take whatever message is necessary 00:17:45.059 --> 00:17:49.139 to see that My words are abiding in you. 00:17:49.140 --> 00:17:50.720 That you internalize them. 00:17:50.860 --> 00:17:51.000 That you, 00:17:51.300 --> 00:17:54.120 like the collect, 00:17:54.259 --> 00:17:55.500 the prayer that we prayed last week, 00:17:55.580 --> 00:17:56.580 that you read, 00:17:56.960 --> 00:17:57.280 mark, 00:17:57.680 --> 00:17:58.020 learn, 00:17:58.220 --> 00:18:00.540 and inwardly digest My words 00:18:00.540 --> 00:18:03.140 so that you are breathing them out unconsciously. 00:18:04.180 --> 00:18:06.020 Scripture is shaping every aspect of your life. 00:18:07.180 --> 00:18:08.640 And so if you're going through a time 00:18:08.640 --> 00:18:09.759 of deconstructing your faith 00:18:09.759 --> 00:18:10.480 and trying to figure out 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:11.780 what do I believe about this and that, 00:18:11.820 --> 00:18:12.880 what do I believe about Scripture, 00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:16.740 we as Christians don't believe in Jesus 00:18:16.740 --> 00:18:18.900 because we believe in the Bible. 00:18:19.020 --> 00:18:20.380 The Bible isn't the foundation of our faith. 00:18:20.760 --> 00:18:21.600 We believe in the Bible 00:18:21.600 --> 00:18:23.460 because we believe in Jesus. 00:18:23.700 --> 00:18:23.800 Right? 00:18:23.900 --> 00:18:26.700 So when we see the way Jesus treats Scripture, 00:18:27.520 --> 00:18:29.700 the way on almost every page of the Gospels 00:18:29.700 --> 00:18:31.600 Jesus is quoting Scripture, 00:18:32.040 --> 00:18:34.340 the way Jesus is continually assuming 00:18:34.340 --> 00:18:36.400 that the written Scriptures 00:18:36.400 --> 00:18:38.160 are the very Word of God 00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:40.060 and treating them with that kind of authority. 00:18:40.059 --> 00:18:42.339 And then when Jesus begins to say the same thing 00:18:42.339 --> 00:18:43.359 about His words 00:18:43.359 --> 00:18:44.079 and about the words 00:18:44.079 --> 00:18:46.139 and the teaching of His apostles, right? 00:18:46.200 --> 00:18:47.700 When we see all of those connections, 00:18:47.839 --> 00:18:48.679 we begin to realize, 00:18:48.799 --> 00:18:50.179 when we see Peter 00:18:50.179 --> 00:18:51.419 in the end of one of his letters 00:18:51.419 --> 00:18:55.159 referring to Paul's letter as Scripture 00:18:55.159 --> 00:18:56.879 in the same way he would talk about 00:18:56.879 --> 00:18:58.019 the Old Testament Scriptures, 00:18:58.119 --> 00:18:59.539 when we begin to make all of these connections, 00:18:59.659 --> 00:19:02.460 we realize we believe in the authority of Scripture 00:19:02.460 --> 00:19:04.679 because of the fact that Jesus did. 00:19:04.819 --> 00:19:06.440 I mean, Jesus had a higher view of Scripture 00:19:06.440 --> 00:19:06.899 than anybody. 00:19:06.900 --> 00:19:10.480 So this is how we understand 00:19:10.480 --> 00:19:13.400 Jesus' lordship being the foundation of our faith. 00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:15.519 And you know, I think it matters 00:19:15.519 --> 00:19:16.800 for lots of reasons 00:19:16.800 --> 00:19:19.259 when we say that Jesus is the Lord of the church. 00:19:20.220 --> 00:19:21.800 Here's one of the reasons I think it matters. 00:19:21.860 --> 00:19:22.640 I think it matters because 00:19:22.640 --> 00:19:24.400 when we look out in the world, 00:19:25.080 --> 00:19:27.560 there are lots of different kinds of churches out there. 00:19:27.640 --> 00:19:29.200 There are lots of different denominations, 00:19:29.360 --> 00:19:31.980 lots of different styles and traditions, right? 00:19:32.040 --> 00:19:34.040 Some are more traditional, 00:19:34.280 --> 00:19:35.820 some are more contemporary, right? 00:19:35.819 --> 00:19:38.399 We have churches that kind of skew on the liberal end 00:19:38.399 --> 00:19:39.960 and we have more conservative churches. 00:19:40.179 --> 00:19:41.399 And so in all of these ways, 00:19:41.460 --> 00:19:43.240 there are lots of different kinds of churches. 00:19:43.899 --> 00:19:46.259 And so it's easy for us from our perspective 00:19:46.259 --> 00:19:47.659 to think that because of this, 00:19:47.939 --> 00:19:50.000 there are lots of different kinds of Christian. 00:19:51.399 --> 00:19:52.659 You know, I can be this kind of Christian 00:19:52.659 --> 00:19:53.379 or this kind of Christian 00:19:53.379 --> 00:19:54.039 or this kind of Christian 00:19:54.039 --> 00:19:54.759 or this kind of Christian. 00:19:54.839 --> 00:19:57.819 There's almost an ever-expanding array 00:19:58.500 --> 00:20:00.240 of ways to be Christian. 00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:02.359 So some people say, 00:20:02.480 --> 00:20:03.180 well, I'm a Christian, 00:20:03.319 --> 00:20:04.500 but I only read Jesus. 00:20:05.460 --> 00:20:08.620 I hate Paul, right? 00:20:09.299 --> 00:20:12.279 Now, I mean, sometimes I can sympathize with that view, right? 00:20:12.380 --> 00:20:14.140 Paul can be very frustrating at times. 00:20:14.839 --> 00:20:15.839 But I only read Jesus, 00:20:15.880 --> 00:20:17.059 only if the letters are read, right? 00:20:17.279 --> 00:20:18.240 Other people say, 00:20:18.359 --> 00:20:20.039 well, you know, I'm a Christian, 00:20:20.259 --> 00:20:21.539 but I'm also a Buddhist. 00:20:22.680 --> 00:20:25.039 You know, because I think there's a lot of similarity there, right? 00:20:25.039 --> 00:20:28.559 Which, by the way, it's interesting. 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:30.960 If you compare the final words, right? 00:20:31.019 --> 00:20:33.960 Buddha said, you know, strive unceasingly. 00:20:35.379 --> 00:20:36.779 Jesus said, it is finished. 00:20:37.839 --> 00:20:39.639 I'm not sure that's compatible, right? 00:20:41.220 --> 00:20:42.480 And then some people say, you know, 00:20:42.519 --> 00:20:44.440 the former dean of the National Cathedral 00:20:44.440 --> 00:20:45.539 right here in D.C., 00:20:45.539 --> 00:20:47.339 he was interviewed by the Washington Post, 00:20:47.379 --> 00:20:49.879 and he described himself as a non-theistic Christian. 00:20:51.559 --> 00:20:52.539 Meaning, I'm a Christian, 00:20:52.639 --> 00:20:54.779 but I don't actually believe that there's a God. 00:20:55.299 --> 00:20:55.440 Right? 00:20:55.579 --> 00:20:57.460 So, lots of different ways to be Christian 00:20:57.460 --> 00:20:58.259 from our perspective. 00:20:59.359 --> 00:21:00.359 Now, I will say, 00:21:01.059 --> 00:21:02.059 and all due respect, 00:21:02.220 --> 00:21:03.379 there are lots of different people here 00:21:03.379 --> 00:21:04.440 with lots of different beliefs, 00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:06.299 and I'm not going to assume anything about what you believe, 00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:07.200 just because you're here. 00:21:07.920 --> 00:21:09.139 But I will say this. 00:21:09.519 --> 00:21:11.599 People are free to believe whatever they want. 00:21:12.099 --> 00:21:13.379 That's one of the great things about our country. 00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:14.639 Free to believe whatever you want. 00:21:15.399 --> 00:21:18.319 But if Christ really is the head of the church 00:21:18.319 --> 00:21:20.420 in the ways that we've just described, 00:21:20.819 --> 00:21:22.059 what that means is 00:21:22.059 --> 00:21:24.940 there are really only two kinds of churches, 00:21:25.039 --> 00:21:27.879 and two kinds of Christians. 00:21:28.599 --> 00:21:28.759 Right? 00:21:29.019 --> 00:21:31.759 There are spiritually alive churches 00:21:31.759 --> 00:21:33.420 and Christians 00:21:33.420 --> 00:21:36.500 where the lordship of Christ is central, 00:21:37.500 --> 00:21:41.220 where it is the defining feature of the community, 00:21:41.220 --> 00:21:44.259 and the lordship of Christ is held high. 00:21:44.259 --> 00:21:48.920 And then there are spiritually dying churches 00:21:48.920 --> 00:21:50.619 or dead churches, 00:21:50.779 --> 00:21:52.240 spiritually dying Christians 00:21:52.240 --> 00:21:54.119 or dead Christians, 00:21:54.220 --> 00:21:56.440 where other beliefs and priorities 00:21:56.440 --> 00:21:59.879 have displaced Jesus as the head, 00:21:59.960 --> 00:22:03.079 where the head has effectively been cut off. 00:22:03.480 --> 00:22:05.259 Now, the confusing thing is 00:22:05.259 --> 00:22:06.319 is that those churches 00:22:06.319 --> 00:22:07.839 can have great music 00:22:07.839 --> 00:22:08.759 and great programs 00:22:08.759 --> 00:22:09.619 and great energy. 00:22:09.619 --> 00:22:11.819 Those Christians can be very active 00:22:11.819 --> 00:22:13.639 and doing lots of amazing things 00:22:13.639 --> 00:22:14.519 and very compelling. 00:22:15.259 --> 00:22:16.239 But at the end of the day, 00:22:16.319 --> 00:22:18.159 the question that a discerning person 00:22:18.159 --> 00:22:19.359 needs to ask is, 00:22:20.359 --> 00:22:24.179 are they recognizing Jesus as the vine? 00:22:24.459 --> 00:22:26.559 Are they abiding in Jesus 00:22:26.559 --> 00:22:29.439 and recognizing that they are merely a branch? 00:22:29.440 --> 00:22:34.759 Because a church without Christ as the head 00:22:34.759 --> 00:22:36.600 is not a body. 00:22:37.460 --> 00:22:38.500 It's a corpse. 00:22:40.840 --> 00:22:42.640 And that can be very confusing 00:22:42.640 --> 00:22:46.600 because appearances sometimes 00:22:46.600 --> 00:22:48.059 don't line up with that reality. 00:22:48.680 --> 00:22:50.240 But the reason this matters 00:22:50.240 --> 00:22:52.080 is if you're somebody 00:22:52.080 --> 00:22:53.299 who is trying to figure out 00:22:53.299 --> 00:22:54.320 whether you want to be a Christian 00:22:54.320 --> 00:22:55.000 or you're somebody 00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:55.940 who's going through a period 00:22:55.940 --> 00:22:57.100 of deconstruction in your faith, 00:22:57.340 --> 00:22:58.640 I simply want you to understand 00:22:58.640 --> 00:22:59.300 that that is not 00:22:59.300 --> 00:23:01.120 a purely intellectual exercise. 00:23:02.700 --> 00:23:04.520 It is a spiritual struggle. 00:23:05.440 --> 00:23:06.980 It is a spiritual struggle. 00:23:07.240 --> 00:23:08.680 And if you've cut yourself off 00:23:08.680 --> 00:23:10.480 from the source of spiritual vitality 00:23:10.480 --> 00:23:11.840 and you think that you're going to 00:23:11.840 --> 00:23:13.140 come out of this unscathed, 00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:16.820 you don't have to go 00:23:16.820 --> 00:23:17.720 to Church of the Advent, 00:23:17.800 --> 00:23:19.800 although I'm biased. 00:23:19.920 --> 00:23:21.060 I think that it would be great 00:23:21.060 --> 00:23:21.480 if you did. 00:23:21.540 --> 00:23:22.420 But you don't have to. 00:23:22.640 --> 00:23:24.160 But the thing that matters 00:23:24.160 --> 00:23:27.280 is that you are involving yourself 00:23:27.279 --> 00:23:28.039 in a community 00:23:28.039 --> 00:23:31.599 where the branches abide in the vine, 00:23:31.960 --> 00:23:33.039 where there is access 00:23:33.039 --> 00:23:35.019 to spiritual life and vitality, 00:23:35.339 --> 00:23:36.980 where you're not going to starve to death. 00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:39.639 Praise Jesus, 00:23:40.200 --> 00:23:41.180 this city is filled 00:23:41.180 --> 00:23:42.579 with churches like that. 00:23:43.279 --> 00:23:45.139 So I hope that that's where you 00:23:45.139 --> 00:23:47.019 work these things out. 00:23:47.019 --> 00:23:50.720 So when we say that Jesus is Lord, 00:23:51.180 --> 00:23:52.139 we're talking about the fact 00:23:52.139 --> 00:23:53.559 that Jesus is the Lord of creation. 00:23:53.700 --> 00:23:54.819 We're also talking about the fact 00:23:54.819 --> 00:23:57.680 that Jesus is the Lord of His church. 00:23:57.920 --> 00:23:58.559 He's the head. 00:23:58.639 --> 00:23:59.279 He's the vine. 00:23:59.940 --> 00:24:00.839 But by far, 00:24:00.940 --> 00:24:02.680 I think the most compelling reason 00:24:02.680 --> 00:24:03.920 to build your faith 00:24:03.920 --> 00:24:05.460 on the Lordship of Jesus Christ 00:24:05.460 --> 00:24:05.980 is this, 00:24:06.220 --> 00:24:07.680 is that when we look at Jesus Christ, 00:24:08.759 --> 00:24:10.420 He's the Lord on the cross. 00:24:10.420 --> 00:24:13.080 He's the only Lord you'll see 00:24:13.080 --> 00:24:16.420 who goes to the cross. 00:24:17.539 --> 00:24:19.019 It says in verse 19, 00:24:19.140 --> 00:24:20.840 For in Him all the fullness of God 00:24:20.840 --> 00:24:21.820 was pleased to dwell, 00:24:22.279 --> 00:24:24.080 and through Him to reconcile 00:24:24.080 --> 00:24:25.800 to Himself all things, 00:24:26.200 --> 00:24:27.380 whether on earth or in heaven, 00:24:27.800 --> 00:24:30.460 making peace by the blood of His cross. 00:24:31.300 --> 00:24:31.720 Right? 00:24:31.800 --> 00:24:33.580 When Paul in verse 15 says 00:24:33.580 --> 00:24:34.900 that Jesus is the image 00:24:34.900 --> 00:24:36.120 of the invisible God, 00:24:36.279 --> 00:24:37.880 and then when he says in verse 19 00:24:37.880 --> 00:24:39.640 that in Him the fullness of God 00:24:39.640 --> 00:24:40.880 was pleased to dwell, 00:24:41.260 --> 00:24:41.820 he's saying, 00:24:42.200 --> 00:24:43.840 if you want to know what God is like, 00:24:44.120 --> 00:24:46.920 this unknowable, unsearchable God 00:24:46.920 --> 00:24:48.140 who made the cosmos, 00:24:48.400 --> 00:24:50.180 this unimaginably complex, 00:24:50.340 --> 00:24:51.460 expansive being 00:24:51.460 --> 00:24:54.600 within whom all things hold together, 00:24:54.660 --> 00:24:55.960 if you want to know that God, 00:24:56.780 --> 00:24:58.500 if you want to know the heart of that God, 00:24:59.180 --> 00:24:59.920 look at Jesus. 00:25:00.820 --> 00:25:03.040 You'll see the heart of God 00:25:03.040 --> 00:25:05.540 on display in Jesus Christ. 00:25:06.540 --> 00:25:07.560 And that is so important 00:25:07.559 --> 00:25:08.119 because listen, 00:25:08.399 --> 00:25:10.419 there are many, many, many hard questions 00:25:10.419 --> 00:25:11.799 that drive people 00:25:11.799 --> 00:25:14.539 into times of deep deconstruction and doubt. 00:25:15.299 --> 00:25:17.059 Many real hard questions 00:25:17.059 --> 00:25:18.079 that we need to wrestle with. 00:25:18.419 --> 00:25:19.839 Why is there so much suffering 00:25:19.839 --> 00:25:20.859 and evil in the world? 00:25:22.200 --> 00:25:24.940 There is no great answer 00:25:24.940 --> 00:25:25.599 to that question. 00:25:26.059 --> 00:25:27.200 There are good answers, 00:25:27.859 --> 00:25:29.119 and there are better answers 00:25:29.119 --> 00:25:30.679 than other answers, 00:25:30.919 --> 00:25:32.899 but there are no great answers. 00:25:33.019 --> 00:25:34.359 There are certainly no perfect answers. 00:25:34.419 --> 00:25:35.099 It's a mystery. 00:25:35.519 --> 00:25:36.819 And anybody who doesn't acknowledge that, 00:25:36.819 --> 00:25:37.259 I don't think, 00:25:37.299 --> 00:25:38.299 is really being honest. 00:25:39.059 --> 00:25:40.119 That's a hard question. 00:25:40.559 --> 00:25:41.559 How do we understand 00:25:41.559 --> 00:25:43.000 and make sense of holy war? 00:25:44.179 --> 00:25:45.539 That's a hard question. 00:25:45.919 --> 00:25:47.159 I don't have any great answers 00:25:47.159 --> 00:25:47.859 to that question. 00:25:48.659 --> 00:25:48.779 Right? 00:25:48.960 --> 00:25:49.839 What about people 00:25:49.839 --> 00:25:50.799 of other religions 00:25:50.799 --> 00:25:51.619 and belief systems? 00:25:51.679 --> 00:25:52.639 When I travel around the world 00:25:52.639 --> 00:25:53.539 and I see so many people 00:25:53.539 --> 00:25:56.119 who are so incredibly faithful 00:25:56.119 --> 00:25:57.299 in their traditions 00:25:57.299 --> 00:25:58.179 that they grew up in, 00:25:58.279 --> 00:25:59.559 how do I make sense of that? 00:25:59.559 --> 00:26:01.899 When I look at Scripture 00:26:01.899 --> 00:26:02.740 clearly saying 00:26:02.740 --> 00:26:04.159 that Jesus is the only way 00:26:04.159 --> 00:26:06.000 to know and be saved 00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:07.359 by God. 00:26:07.940 --> 00:26:08.039 Right? 00:26:08.099 --> 00:26:08.700 How do I make sense? 00:26:08.720 --> 00:26:09.799 These are hard questions, 00:26:09.960 --> 00:26:11.240 and they don't have easy answers, 00:26:11.319 --> 00:26:12.019 and I'm challenged 00:26:12.019 --> 00:26:13.579 by all of these questions as well. 00:26:14.379 --> 00:26:15.259 But here's the thing, 00:26:15.359 --> 00:26:16.559 and we said this last week, 00:26:16.599 --> 00:26:17.819 but I think it bears repeating. 00:26:18.480 --> 00:26:19.859 If we spend all of our time 00:26:19.859 --> 00:26:20.460 and energy 00:26:20.460 --> 00:26:22.399 simply trying to understand 00:26:22.399 --> 00:26:23.440 God's motives, 00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:25.600 we will always be frustrated. 00:26:26.360 --> 00:26:27.660 We will always be frustrated. 00:26:29.400 --> 00:26:30.680 Scripture clearly says 00:26:30.680 --> 00:26:33.380 His ways are higher than our ways, 00:26:33.480 --> 00:26:34.259 which simply means 00:26:34.259 --> 00:26:35.480 you will never understand 00:26:35.480 --> 00:26:36.680 all of God's motives. 00:26:36.779 --> 00:26:37.660 It will never make sense 00:26:37.660 --> 00:26:38.360 to your brain. 00:26:39.940 --> 00:26:41.779 But the Bible actually says 00:26:41.779 --> 00:26:42.880 that that is a kind of 00:26:42.880 --> 00:26:44.700 a fruitless path to walk down. 00:26:46.160 --> 00:26:47.539 But as we said last week 00:26:47.539 --> 00:26:48.500 for those who are here, 00:26:49.519 --> 00:26:50.840 faith in God is not ultimately 00:26:50.840 --> 00:26:52.539 about understanding God's motives. 00:26:52.539 --> 00:26:53.819 It's about understanding 00:26:53.819 --> 00:26:54.799 God's character. 00:26:56.079 --> 00:26:58.059 It's about trusting His character 00:26:58.059 --> 00:27:00.500 in the face of unanswerable questions. 00:27:01.399 --> 00:27:02.659 So I don't know why 00:27:02.659 --> 00:27:04.000 there is so much evil 00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:04.960 and suffering in the world. 00:27:05.059 --> 00:27:06.259 I don't understand why. 00:27:07.019 --> 00:27:09.019 But I know that on the cross, 00:27:09.879 --> 00:27:11.039 God suffered more 00:27:11.039 --> 00:27:12.740 than we can possibly imagine 00:27:12.740 --> 00:27:13.960 in order to bring an end 00:27:13.960 --> 00:27:14.779 to suffering and evil. 00:27:15.559 --> 00:27:16.839 And I don't know why 00:27:16.839 --> 00:27:19.059 holy war was ever a part 00:27:19.059 --> 00:27:20.319 of salvation history. 00:27:20.319 --> 00:27:23.279 But I know that on the cross, 00:27:23.439 --> 00:27:25.659 Jesus fought the ultimate holy war 00:27:25.659 --> 00:27:27.579 against sin and death. 00:27:28.240 --> 00:27:29.319 And I know that He won. 00:27:31.319 --> 00:27:33.679 And I don't know or understand, 00:27:33.899 --> 00:27:35.460 I can't possibly fathom 00:27:35.460 --> 00:27:37.259 the ultimate future of people 00:27:37.259 --> 00:27:39.299 who have different belief systems. 00:27:39.460 --> 00:27:40.859 That's something that nobody 00:27:40.859 --> 00:27:42.359 should assume that we know 00:27:42.359 --> 00:27:43.579 the state of somebody's heart 00:27:43.579 --> 00:27:44.480 at any point. 00:27:44.659 --> 00:27:46.579 Only God knows the outcome 00:27:46.579 --> 00:27:48.039 for all of those people. 00:27:49.039 --> 00:27:50.379 But I do know this, 00:27:50.960 --> 00:27:52.099 that on the cross, 00:27:53.059 --> 00:27:54.720 God's response to people 00:27:54.720 --> 00:27:55.759 who rejected Him 00:27:55.759 --> 00:27:56.779 and denied Him 00:27:56.779 --> 00:27:57.759 and spit on Him 00:27:57.759 --> 00:27:58.919 and mocked Him 00:27:58.919 --> 00:28:00.159 and hated Him 00:28:00.159 --> 00:28:02.960 was to love them 00:28:02.960 --> 00:28:05.099 by dying for them 00:28:05.099 --> 00:28:08.480 so that He could make peace with them. 00:28:09.480 --> 00:28:11.539 And I don't know how that plays out, 00:28:11.919 --> 00:28:13.119 but I know that if I try 00:28:13.119 --> 00:28:14.439 to understand God's motives, 00:28:14.519 --> 00:28:15.979 it's going to be confusing 00:28:15.979 --> 00:28:16.879 and frustrating, 00:28:17.119 --> 00:28:18.519 but there's no question 00:28:18.519 --> 00:28:19.179 about His character. 00:28:20.299 --> 00:28:21.179 There's no question 00:28:21.179 --> 00:28:21.899 about His intentions. 00:28:22.539 --> 00:28:23.339 There's no question 00:28:23.339 --> 00:28:23.919 about His heart. 00:28:26.379 --> 00:28:27.579 Now, maybe all of this 00:28:27.579 --> 00:28:28.359 just kind of sounds 00:28:28.359 --> 00:28:29.759 like an OK Boomer sermon, 00:28:30.319 --> 00:28:30.519 you know, 00:28:30.599 --> 00:28:32.000 kind of a stuffy old conservative, 00:28:32.479 --> 00:28:32.779 right? 00:28:33.919 --> 00:28:35.859 But I think that this brings us 00:28:35.859 --> 00:28:36.959 to the biggest reason 00:28:36.960 --> 00:28:38.740 why we should never give in 00:28:38.740 --> 00:28:39.900 to the idea 00:28:39.900 --> 00:28:41.779 that the Christian gospel 00:28:41.779 --> 00:28:42.960 needs to evolve 00:28:42.960 --> 00:28:44.360 or be updated. 00:28:46.460 --> 00:28:47.620 And that reason is this. 00:28:47.660 --> 00:28:48.440 I don't know if you saw 00:28:48.440 --> 00:28:49.620 in the New York Times 00:28:49.620 --> 00:28:50.880 the piece by, 00:28:50.960 --> 00:28:51.779 it was an opinion piece 00:28:51.779 --> 00:28:52.860 by Maureen Dowd, 00:28:53.579 --> 00:28:54.880 and she was writing 00:28:54.880 --> 00:28:56.579 about how younger generations, 00:28:56.700 --> 00:28:57.579 she was essentially saying 00:28:57.579 --> 00:28:58.420 younger generations 00:28:58.420 --> 00:28:59.700 need to be very careful 00:28:59.700 --> 00:29:00.400 what they post 00:29:00.400 --> 00:29:01.160 and put online 00:29:01.160 --> 00:29:02.559 because that may very well 00:29:02.559 --> 00:29:03.620 come back to haunt you 00:29:03.620 --> 00:29:05.620 later in your career 00:29:05.620 --> 00:29:06.299 when you're a professional. 00:29:06.299 --> 00:29:07.000 So she's saying, 00:29:07.079 --> 00:29:07.500 be careful. 00:29:07.919 --> 00:29:09.440 And here's what she says 00:29:09.440 --> 00:29:09.859 that I think 00:29:09.859 --> 00:29:10.960 that I wanted to repeat. 00:29:11.819 --> 00:29:12.519 She says this, 00:29:13.139 --> 00:29:15.000 the shiny tools of modernity 00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:16.799 will always fall prey 00:29:16.799 --> 00:29:18.139 to the ancient flaws 00:29:18.139 --> 00:29:18.799 of humanity. 00:29:20.119 --> 00:29:21.000 And she says, 00:29:21.240 --> 00:29:24.440 while society can be reshaped, 00:29:25.240 --> 00:29:27.279 human nature is immutable. 00:29:28.519 --> 00:29:29.579 So here's what she's saying, 00:29:29.859 --> 00:29:31.119 society evolves, 00:29:32.419 --> 00:29:33.319 human nature does not. 00:29:34.379 --> 00:29:34.480 Right? 00:29:34.539 --> 00:29:36.019 Societies rise and fall, 00:29:36.019 --> 00:29:37.660 governments and regimes 00:29:37.660 --> 00:29:38.359 come to power 00:29:38.359 --> 00:29:39.259 and they fade away. 00:29:39.359 --> 00:29:41.279 There are great civilizations, 00:29:42.119 --> 00:29:43.220 great civilizations 00:29:43.220 --> 00:29:45.500 that span the known world, 00:29:45.559 --> 00:29:46.740 the most powerful rulers 00:29:46.740 --> 00:29:47.200 in existence. 00:29:47.359 --> 00:29:47.859 We don't even know 00:29:47.859 --> 00:29:48.500 their names, 00:29:48.940 --> 00:29:49.779 their dust. 00:29:50.940 --> 00:29:52.019 The world changes, 00:29:52.200 --> 00:29:52.879 society evolves, 00:29:53.160 --> 00:29:53.799 human nature, 00:29:54.940 --> 00:29:56.740 always the same 00:29:56.740 --> 00:29:58.680 at every time in history. 00:30:00.240 --> 00:30:02.299 Sin has always been 00:30:02.299 --> 00:30:04.779 and will always be the core 00:30:04.779 --> 00:30:05.639 of everything 00:30:05.639 --> 00:30:06.500 that is wrong 00:30:06.500 --> 00:30:07.299 in this world. 00:30:09.399 --> 00:30:11.200 Racism is not the original sin 00:30:11.200 --> 00:30:11.799 of our country. 00:30:12.579 --> 00:30:13.279 Sin is. 00:30:14.319 --> 00:30:15.599 Racism is the result. 00:30:16.639 --> 00:30:17.599 It's horrible. 00:30:18.440 --> 00:30:19.700 But it's because of sin. 00:30:20.839 --> 00:30:20.919 Right? 00:30:21.359 --> 00:30:23.119 Injustice seems massive. 00:30:23.259 --> 00:30:24.299 The immigration crisis 00:30:24.299 --> 00:30:25.940 seems unresolvable. 00:30:26.159 --> 00:30:27.339 Systemic corruption 00:30:27.339 --> 00:30:28.119 and injustice, 00:30:28.359 --> 00:30:29.339 not only in our government, 00:30:29.339 --> 00:30:30.259 but around the world 00:30:30.259 --> 00:30:31.339 seems like the thing 00:30:31.339 --> 00:30:33.139 that we should be most focused on. 00:30:33.199 --> 00:30:33.879 And all of those things 00:30:33.879 --> 00:30:35.179 require all of our time 00:30:35.179 --> 00:30:35.579 and energy. 00:30:35.699 --> 00:30:36.399 Christians need to be 00:30:36.399 --> 00:30:37.220 pouring ourselves 00:30:37.220 --> 00:30:38.799 into trying to rid the world 00:30:38.799 --> 00:30:39.480 of these evils. 00:30:39.619 --> 00:30:40.619 But we cannot forget 00:30:40.619 --> 00:30:41.819 that under all of it, 00:30:42.079 --> 00:30:44.019 there is the unchanging reality 00:30:44.019 --> 00:30:45.220 of human sin. 00:30:46.339 --> 00:30:47.519 The problem of sin. 00:30:49.559 --> 00:30:50.679 And in the same way 00:30:50.679 --> 00:30:52.579 that you would never revise 00:30:52.579 --> 00:30:54.399 a sign that you found 00:30:54.399 --> 00:30:55.119 in the desert 00:30:55.119 --> 00:30:56.439 that points to an oasis, 00:30:56.440 --> 00:30:58.880 if you come to a sign 00:30:58.880 --> 00:30:59.680 like that in the desert, 00:31:00.200 --> 00:31:01.220 you wouldn't touch it. 00:31:01.840 --> 00:31:02.940 You would protect it. 00:31:03.299 --> 00:31:04.220 You would surround it 00:31:04.220 --> 00:31:04.940 with a wall 00:31:04.940 --> 00:31:05.880 and make sure 00:31:05.880 --> 00:31:07.140 that nobody can alter 00:31:07.140 --> 00:31:07.740 that sign 00:31:07.740 --> 00:31:08.940 because it's pointing 00:31:08.940 --> 00:31:10.900 the way to an oasis. 00:31:11.740 --> 00:31:12.860 In that same way, 00:31:12.960 --> 00:31:13.960 we should never, 00:31:13.960 --> 00:31:15.299 ever revise 00:31:15.299 --> 00:31:18.340 the Christian gospel. 00:31:19.840 --> 00:31:21.200 It's our only hope 00:31:21.200 --> 00:31:22.100 against sin. 00:31:23.120 --> 00:31:23.900 Jesus Christ 00:31:23.900 --> 00:31:25.600 is the only answer 00:31:25.599 --> 00:31:26.219 there is 00:31:26.219 --> 00:31:27.379 to the problem of sin. 00:31:27.859 --> 00:31:29.839 He was in the first century. 00:31:30.159 --> 00:31:32.059 He is in the 21st century. 00:31:32.379 --> 00:31:33.759 He will always be 00:31:33.759 --> 00:31:36.199 the only sufficient answer 00:31:36.199 --> 00:31:37.119 to the problem of sin. 00:31:37.480 --> 00:31:38.039 Everything else 00:31:38.039 --> 00:31:38.619 is a band-aid. 00:31:40.219 --> 00:31:41.679 So in every age, 00:31:41.879 --> 00:31:43.179 nations will rise and fall. 00:31:43.359 --> 00:31:44.379 Societies will pass 00:31:44.379 --> 00:31:44.939 through times 00:31:44.939 --> 00:31:45.879 of deconstruction 00:31:45.879 --> 00:31:46.959 and reconstruction. 00:31:47.339 --> 00:31:48.259 Following this time 00:31:48.259 --> 00:31:48.839 in our culture, 00:31:49.179 --> 00:31:50.299 there will be rebuilding. 00:31:50.459 --> 00:31:51.279 There will be reconstruction. 00:31:51.439 --> 00:31:52.459 There will be new institutions. 00:31:52.779 --> 00:31:53.659 There will be new ideas. 00:31:53.660 --> 00:31:55.160 There may even be a new country 00:31:55.160 --> 00:31:56.759 where our country once stood. 00:31:58.759 --> 00:32:00.360 But in all generations, 00:32:00.880 --> 00:32:02.300 Jesus Christ is Lord. 00:32:03.279 --> 00:32:04.680 And that is the hope 00:32:04.680 --> 00:32:05.380 of humanity. 00:32:05.880 --> 00:32:07.000 He's the Lord of creation. 00:32:07.340 --> 00:32:08.480 He's the Lord of the church. 00:32:08.660 --> 00:32:09.560 And He's the Lord 00:32:09.560 --> 00:32:10.800 who died on the cross 00:32:10.800 --> 00:32:11.840 because He loves 00:32:11.840 --> 00:32:13.040 the world that He made. 00:32:13.600 --> 00:32:14.240 Let's pray. 00:32:15.720 --> 00:32:16.820 Lord, we thank You 00:32:16.820 --> 00:32:17.759 for Your Word. 00:32:17.759 --> 00:32:19.819 And sometimes it's painful 00:32:19.819 --> 00:32:20.460 to acknowledge 00:32:20.460 --> 00:32:21.240 that You're Lord 00:32:21.240 --> 00:32:22.359 because sometimes, 00:32:22.619 --> 00:32:23.859 many times for me, 00:32:23.940 --> 00:32:24.599 it means admitting 00:32:24.599 --> 00:32:25.279 that I'm not. 00:32:26.299 --> 00:32:28.379 And it means following You, 00:32:28.980 --> 00:32:29.940 even if I don't fully 00:32:29.940 --> 00:32:31.579 always understand You. 00:32:32.240 --> 00:32:33.180 But I pray that 00:32:33.180 --> 00:32:34.059 as we gather 00:32:34.059 --> 00:32:35.379 around Your cross 00:32:35.379 --> 00:32:36.180 and as we look 00:32:36.180 --> 00:32:37.299 at the waters of baptism 00:32:37.299 --> 00:32:38.519 and as we share 00:32:38.519 --> 00:32:39.980 in this Eucharistic feast, 00:32:40.319 --> 00:32:41.559 that in all of these ways, 00:32:41.660 --> 00:32:42.019 intellectually, 00:32:42.339 --> 00:32:42.740 emotionally, 00:32:42.859 --> 00:32:43.559 and spiritually, 00:32:43.839 --> 00:32:45.019 You would remind us 00:32:45.019 --> 00:32:45.819 of Your character, 00:32:46.460 --> 00:32:47.019 Your heart, 00:32:47.579 --> 00:32:48.139 Your love 00:32:48.139 --> 00:32:49.259 that is on display 00:32:49.259 --> 00:32:50.639 for the world to see. 00:32:51.460 --> 00:32:51.819 And Lord, 00:32:51.859 --> 00:32:53.019 we pray this for our good 00:32:53.019 --> 00:32:54.039 and for Your glory. 00:32:54.720 --> 00:32:55.700 In Your Son's name. 00:32:55.960 --> 00:32:56.180 Amen.