WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:16.800 Hi, my name is George Sinclair. I'm the lead pastor of Church of the Messiah. It is wonderful 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:20.760 that you would like to check out some of the sermons done by Church of the Messiah, either 00:00:20.760 --> 00:00:24.920 by myself or some of the others. Listen, just a couple of things. First of all, would you pray 00:00:24.920 --> 00:00:31.520 for us that we will open God's Word well to His glory and for the good of people like yourself? 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:37.939 The second thing is, if you aren't connected to a church and if you are a Christian, we really, 00:00:38.179 --> 00:00:42.579 I would really like to encourage you to find a good local church where they believe the Bible, 00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:48.760 they preach the gospel, and if you have some trouble finding that, send us an email. We will 00:00:48.760 --> 00:00:54.560 do what we can to help connect you with a good local church wherever you are. And if you're a 00:00:54.560 --> 00:00:59.340 non-Christian checking us out, we're really, really, really glad you're doing that. Don't 00:00:59.340 --> 00:01:04.680 hesitate to send us questions. It helps me actually to know, as I'm preaching, how to deal with the 00:01:04.680 --> 00:01:07.760 types of things that you're really struggling with. So God bless. 00:01:12.400 --> 00:01:20.159 Let's just bow our heads in prayer. Father, sometimes your Word sort of shocks us and jars us. 00:01:20.159 --> 00:01:28.079 It says things about us that make us uncomfortable. In fact, Father, sometimes your Word says things 00:01:28.079 --> 00:01:35.439 that make it easy for others to mock us or to mock your Word. So Father, we're looking at a text like 00:01:35.439 --> 00:01:44.780 this today. We ask that you help us to trust you, to trust that this is your Word. You speak this Word 00:01:44.780 --> 00:01:51.760 to us because you love us and you want us to know these truths. And we ask, Father, that your Word and 00:01:51.760 --> 00:01:59.180 these truths, by the power of the Holy Spirit, would come deep within us to form how we live each day. 00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:05.920 And we ask these things in Jesus's name, your Son and our Savior. Amen. Please be seated. 00:02:08.139 --> 00:02:12.680 So one of the things that bothers me sometimes is when somebody says, this is a really, really famous 00:02:12.680 --> 00:02:17.700 person and nobody's ever heard it. And you feel sort of like a, can be like a accidental way of 00:02:17.700 --> 00:02:22.760 putting a whole pile of people down. Usually it's said accidentally, just as when I first had to 00:02:22.760 --> 00:02:29.980 start wearing glasses at 49. By accident, I kept putting my glasses back up on my nose like this. 00:02:30.680 --> 00:02:34.500 And at the time I had a son living at home. And every Sunday when I got home, he'd tell me, 00:02:34.960 --> 00:02:41.760 Dad, you gave the congregation the finger so many times. He was paying very close attention to the 00:02:41.759 --> 00:02:46.699 service. He always told me how many times I gave them the finger. There's a book, if you could put 00:02:46.699 --> 00:02:50.679 the picture of the book up right now, there's a very interesting person by the name of Rosaria 00:02:50.679 --> 00:02:55.419 Butterfield. Some of you have read the book or have heard of her, watched some of her YouTube videos. 00:02:56.479 --> 00:03:02.899 It's a very interesting book, very good book, originally written to a very tiny little 00:03:02.899 --> 00:03:08.719 niche publishing company, but it ended up selling, I think, several hundred thousand copies. But here's 00:03:08.719 --> 00:03:12.639 the reason I'm mentioning it. Can leave it up there in case one of you want to try buying the book or 00:03:12.639 --> 00:03:21.460 reading it later on. There's this very, very powerful scene of how she had been gone to Catholic 00:03:21.460 --> 00:03:26.560 church up until she was like nine or ten or eleven or something like that, and completely turned her 00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:34.680 back on everything against Christianity, and how in her early forties, one morning she gets up and 00:03:34.680 --> 00:03:40.719 goes to church for the first time in literally decades. And what makes the book so interesting 00:03:40.719 --> 00:03:46.060 is that at the time, not only would she have had lots of all of the multicolored hair and everything 00:03:46.060 --> 00:03:51.159 like that, but she was a professor at Syracuse University, which is a tier one university in the 00:03:51.159 --> 00:03:59.020 United States. She was the academic sponsor of all of the LGBTQ plus groups on campus. I think there were 00:03:59.020 --> 00:04:05.560 10 or 11 or 12. She was the academic sponsor. She taught queer studies and feminist studies at the 00:04:05.560 --> 00:04:13.520 university. She did expert testimony at state and state court levels to try to change the laws in a 00:04:13.520 --> 00:04:23.300 pro-LGBTQ plus way. She was an outspoken activist, and she was a scholar who was very highly thought of 00:04:23.300 --> 00:04:30.840 in the whole area of gender studies, queer studies, feminist studies. And she wrote one day sort of an 00:04:30.840 --> 00:04:37.580 essay in the local paper, really dissing Christians, putting them down. Some people got very, very upset, 00:04:37.580 --> 00:04:43.340 but out of all of the letters that came to her, there was this one letter by an older man who was a 00:04:43.340 --> 00:04:51.439 Presbyterian minister, and she found it sort of, well, she found it gracious, and she actually found it 00:04:51.439 --> 00:04:59.279 thought-provoking. So she wrote him back, and he wrote her back. And they eventually had coffee 00:04:59.279 --> 00:05:04.420 together, and the coffee together eventually came to a variety of meals, even her going to his house 00:05:04.420 --> 00:05:11.019 quite a few times. And after a process of about a year, I don't know how long it was, maybe it was 00:05:11.019 --> 00:05:17.759 longer than, maybe a little bit later, she writes, and this is, it's about, I don't know, 15 or 20 pages 00:05:17.759 --> 00:05:23.939 into the book. I've always found it very moving when I read it. She talks about how she gets out of the bed 00:05:23.939 --> 00:05:31.199 of her lesbian lover, that she's sharing with her lesbian lover, to walk to church. It's a very 00:05:31.199 --> 00:05:41.659 powerfully written scene. She really communicates how radical a change this is for her, leaving this bed, 00:05:41.660 --> 00:05:49.740 and walking and going to church. And she does become a Christian. I mention this because 00:05:49.740 --> 00:06:00.080 you guys are weird. By Canadian standards, you're all a bunch of non-conformist weirdos. Can I say 00:06:00.080 --> 00:06:06.360 that? I mean, the biblical word is that you're, I don't know, you're a peculiar people. You know, 00:06:06.360 --> 00:06:16.560 increasingly in Canada, when somebody becomes a Christian, it's a big journey. It's a very big 00:06:16.560 --> 00:06:20.780 thing. I mean, for some people, maybe who grew up in a very devout Catholic home, or a very devout 00:06:20.780 --> 00:06:24.900 Baptist or Pentecostal home, and maybe wandered away from the faith, to come to the faith is still a bit 00:06:24.900 --> 00:06:28.699 of a journey. But Christians believe a lot of things that are out of step with our culture. 00:06:29.939 --> 00:06:35.960 And to pave that journey to become a Christian is increasingly a very difficult journey to take. 00:06:36.360 --> 00:06:41.860 And it's really important to remember this. Some of you come from different places in the world, 00:06:42.020 --> 00:06:48.280 where it is not only very difficult to walk away from the religions and the practices of your culture, 00:06:48.699 --> 00:06:54.879 it can even mean complete and utter exclusion from your families. In some countries, some Muslim 00:06:54.879 --> 00:07:01.480 countries, some Hindu countries, in India, it can lead to violence, even murder against you. In Pakistan, 00:07:01.480 --> 00:07:05.600 other places like that, it is a very, very, very major and serious step. 00:07:06.360 --> 00:07:13.020 The Bible text is going to talk about that, and help us to name it and claim it, so to speak. Not in 00:07:13.020 --> 00:07:19.360 the way health and wealth gospels name it and claim it, but it's going to help us to understand it. And 00:07:19.360 --> 00:07:26.439 it's going to help us to understand both how, when we're sharing the gospel with people, I think we have 00:07:26.439 --> 00:07:31.839 to take a bit of a longer view. Like, if you go back and you read this opening from Rosaria Butterfield, 00:07:31.920 --> 00:07:35.839 you realize that for somebody to give their life to Christ and actually come to church, that's a really 00:07:35.839 --> 00:07:40.939 big step. Like, that's not just, oh, like, I think I'll go to the 7-Eleven, or I think I'll go to the 00:07:40.939 --> 00:07:46.300 Ottawa Little Theatre to see a play. It's a really big step. And it's a very countercultural step. 00:07:46.300 --> 00:07:53.220 And anyway, we're going to look at it. So if you turn in your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 1, 00:07:54.060 --> 00:07:58.560 today we're just going to look at verses Peter 1 to 2. And what, in a sense, the book of whole 1 Peter 00:07:58.560 --> 00:08:06.319 is about, it's written, like, if you read it, it's only five chapters, it probably only takes you about 00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:10.939 15 minutes or so if you want to go home and read the whole letter. And you'll see what I mean. On one 00:08:10.939 --> 00:08:15.040 level, when you're first reading it superficially, it looks a little bit confusing, because it looks 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:19.460 like, you know, he says this, and then he talks about something else, and then he seems to return 00:08:19.460 --> 00:08:23.060 to this, and then he talks about something else, and he returns to this, and he returns to that. It seems a 00:08:23.060 --> 00:08:28.340 little bit like it's all, like a bit, the flow chart would be a bit confused. But it's actually a very 00:08:28.340 --> 00:08:34.000 simple idea. What he really is doing is he's talking, he wants to talk about what your identity is as a 00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:41.019 Christian. And then he basically also, as he wants to talk about your identity as a Christian, and how you got 00:08:41.019 --> 00:08:46.860 that identity, and how you grow in it. And then in particular, how you're going to live, if that's 00:08:46.860 --> 00:08:57.480 true. Actually, just a bit of a time out. A lot of Bible study guides and other Bible study things, 00:08:57.559 --> 00:09:01.799 they mean to be very helpful. They'll ask the question, so you read the Bible text, and you study 00:09:01.799 --> 00:09:07.620 the Bible text, and then they'll say, okay, so what? So that it says that, so what does that mean you do? 00:09:08.259 --> 00:09:13.579 And a lot of Bible study materials say, so what? And I just, you know, a bit of a time out, so what is a 00:09:13.579 --> 00:09:24.019 terrible question. Why is it a terrible question? It implies this, so what? Well, that's not the right 00:09:24.019 --> 00:09:29.679 way to read the Bible, sitting back in sort of pride and arrogance. It's the same thing for the other 00:09:29.679 --> 00:09:34.319 version of the question, now what? You know, once again, you ask the now what question, you can just 00:09:34.319 --> 00:09:37.779 easily picture somebody sitting back here with their, when you're sitting, you know, if you're in a 00:09:37.779 --> 00:09:41.500 counseling session, and people are sitting here like this with a set expression, that's not a good sign. 00:09:41.579 --> 00:09:46.859 They're not being open. Right? You'd know that. Like, if you're in a, if you're talking to your friend, 00:09:46.899 --> 00:09:51.599 and they sit there like this, and say, so what? Or now what? Those aren't friendly questions. 00:09:51.600 --> 00:09:56.420 The better question is this, how shall we then live? 00:09:58.899 --> 00:10:04.680 How shall we live if this is true? And that's what the book of Peter is going to keep coming back, 00:10:04.720 --> 00:10:10.399 because why? How do we live in a world, if we have this identity, and God is doing this stuff in us, 00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:15.580 and giving us this future, how do you live in a world where there's an emperor? How do you live in a 00:10:15.580 --> 00:10:19.620 world where there's kings and governors? How do you live in a world where there's suffering? 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:25.279 How do you live in a world where you fail when you come to some type of a time to show your 00:10:25.279 --> 00:10:28.620 Christian faith, and you fail? How do you live in a world like that? How do you live in a world where 00:10:28.620 --> 00:10:33.159 there's slavery? How do you live in a world where there's bosses? How do you live in a world where 00:10:33.159 --> 00:10:38.580 there's marriage, and husbands and wives? How do you live in a world like that? And that's what the 00:10:38.580 --> 00:10:42.200 rest of the book of 1 Peter is going to do. It's going to, but it's going to keep weaving back about what 00:10:42.200 --> 00:10:46.779 your identity is, and how you get that identity, and then in a sense, say, okay, this is how you live. 00:10:46.779 --> 00:10:51.659 This is what this means in terms of how you live, and giving us some guidance. It all sort of gets 00:10:51.659 --> 00:10:55.799 set up with these two first verses. Now, one other little sort of moment. It's a bit of a geeky 00:10:55.799 --> 00:11:01.419 moment. When I read these first two verses from the Bible, they're a bit confusing to understand. 00:11:02.959 --> 00:11:07.620 Okay, well, let's read them, and you'll see what I mean. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, 00:11:07.620 --> 00:11:16.560 to those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. 00:11:17.620 --> 00:11:21.700 There's all sorts of, you know, issues here, of course, but here's the odd thing. According to, 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:27.000 okay, well, like, what's it referring to? Like, what's the according to, like, what's going on 00:11:27.000 --> 00:11:30.820 there? According to the foreknowledge of God the Father and the sanctification of the Spirit 00:11:30.820 --> 00:11:36.340 for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood, and may grace and peace be 00:11:36.340 --> 00:11:40.760 multiplied to you. Now, it's very, very literal, but so here's what I'm going to do. I was going 00:11:40.760 --> 00:11:47.000 to actually call it the dummies version, but I realize dummies is probably copyrighted. So, 00:11:47.260 --> 00:11:54.020 I'm going to, what we're going to do is we're going to use the simple version, and the simple version 00:11:54.019 --> 00:12:01.919 is the absolute best conservative Christian commentary, academic commentary in the book 00:12:01.919 --> 00:12:07.639 of 1 Peter is written by a woman named Karen Jobes, and it's, and I've read it this week in 00:12:07.639 --> 00:12:13.740 terms of preparation for the sermon, and what I've done is I've taken her translation, and following 00:12:13.740 --> 00:12:20.759 the commentary, I've reformatted it in a simple way, and so hopefully, that's what's called the 00:12:20.759 --> 00:12:28.779 simple version, but brackets George's adaptation of Karen Jobes' work, and here, hopefully, it'll be 00:12:28.779 --> 00:12:33.700 up there. It will be, I hope, and here's how it goes in the simple version, and then we'll go into it, 00:12:33.759 --> 00:12:38.559 because I'm not getting away from that. Like, some people, what, chosen? Like, elect? Like, what's going 00:12:38.559 --> 00:12:49.439 on here? That's, those are very, okay. From Peter, apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are the 00:12:49.440 --> 00:12:58.160 chosen or the elect, I'll explain that in a moment, foreigners slash exiles of the diaspora, 00:12:59.680 --> 00:13:04.500 Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. That, by the way, those areas are basically what's 00:13:04.500 --> 00:13:11.260 modern-day Turkey. Second verse, this is making clear what it's actually saying in the original 00:13:11.260 --> 00:13:15.740 language, where you have sort of something controlling it, and then it just skips a whole 00:13:15.740 --> 00:13:20.019 pile of things, and you have to, unless you know the grammar of the Greek, you're not going to realize 00:13:20.019 --> 00:13:26.240 that there's something controlling these statements, or, and so I've just made it clear. Chosen, according 00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:32.539 to the foreknowledge of God the Father. Chosen by the consecration or sanctification, both good ways to 00:13:32.539 --> 00:13:39.139 translate the word, of the Spirit, and chosen for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus. 00:13:39.139 --> 00:13:49.199 May grace and peace be multiplied to you. Now, some of you are going, whoa, George, you've not just said 00:13:49.199 --> 00:13:54.500 the word elect or chosen, like you've really, like, not rubbed our face in it, but you've really made it, 00:13:54.539 --> 00:13:59.500 like, chosen, chosen, chosen. That's actually what the original language says. I'm just trying to make 00:13:59.500 --> 00:14:03.860 it very simple and clear and understandable and able for you to follow, and I'm going to preach from 00:14:03.860 --> 00:14:09.879 this simple version, rather than the ESV, which we normally use. And, and for some of you, that's, 00:14:09.960 --> 00:14:16.259 they say, George, okay, that sounds like Calvinism. You know, George, you do know that the Eastern 00:14:16.259 --> 00:14:25.080 Orthodox churches say that Calvinism is a heresy. That's truth, by the way, that you have to repent of 00:14:25.080 --> 00:14:31.620 to know the Christian faith. You know what, George, it's elitist. It's, it seems like we're all puppets, 00:14:31.620 --> 00:14:40.220 like, there's all these problems, and like, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da. So, that's in verse 2. I'm going to talk 00:14:40.220 --> 00:14:45.120 about that in a moment, and it's actually just to warn you, this idea is going to come up over the next 00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:50.360 two weeks or three weeks, in fact, of sermons. So, I'm not going to deal with the whole thing in just 00:14:50.360 --> 00:14:55.240 one week. I'm going to give you some hints or some ways to reframe the issue, to understand why this, 00:14:56.240 --> 00:15:00.779 this is really in the Bible, and it's really precious, and it's really beautiful. 00:15:01.620 --> 00:15:04.539 It is really beautiful. 00:15:07.639 --> 00:15:12.659 Like, it's so beautiful, you want a tattoo? Tattoo that on your hand, or something, you know? 00:15:13.179 --> 00:15:19.940 It's really beautiful. Well, let's look at verse 1 first, and then we'll get to the first go at this 00:15:19.940 --> 00:15:26.639 whole chosen thing. So, first of all, you just, you just notice here, right? Look at it again, 00:15:26.639 --> 00:15:31.259 verse 1. Who is it? It's from Peter. He's an apostle of Jesus Christ, so that means has an authority. 00:15:32.980 --> 00:15:38.139 And it's two, and there's these three different words which is describing our identity, 00:15:39.139 --> 00:15:46.399 that Christians are chosen, or the elect. Christians are foreigners, or exiles, 00:15:46.399 --> 00:15:54.620 and Christians live in the diaspora. And we're going to get into the chosen and elect in a moment, 00:15:54.740 --> 00:15:57.980 but one of the ways to understand how he's trying to place this, 00:15:58.980 --> 00:16:07.240 in terms of our relationship with God, I'm chosen. In terms of how I now live in Canada, 00:16:07.240 --> 00:16:14.960 I live as an exile or a foreigner. And not only that, in terms of how I think about where I live 00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:21.259 in the world, I'm part of a diaspora. It's actually, literally, diaspora is what's translated. 00:16:21.340 --> 00:16:25.580 It's one of those funny things in translators. They try to figure out what people will understand 00:16:25.580 --> 00:16:31.340 better, and so they think dispersion's easier to understand than the diaspora, but it's actually, 00:16:31.460 --> 00:16:37.080 it's literally the technical word for the diaspora. Just a bit of an aside, when he's writing 00:16:37.080 --> 00:16:42.620 this letter, there's the majority of Jewish people at the time lived in what we now would call Israel, 00:16:43.220 --> 00:16:48.340 but there's two other very, very, very significant large Christian communities in the world, 00:16:48.400 --> 00:16:53.160 and one of them is in what we now call Egypt, and the other one is what we now call Iran, 00:16:53.660 --> 00:17:00.560 or used to be called Persia. And because of the different conquests of Israel, large numbers of 00:17:00.559 --> 00:17:06.859 Jewish people were left. And anyway, well, and actually, so what it's saying, this is actually 00:17:06.859 --> 00:17:11.539 important. It's really funny, as we mentioned it, because of course, you know, I'm speaking under the 00:17:11.539 --> 00:17:17.740 shadow. Some of you are probably very concerned about the fact that there is war brewing, potential 00:17:17.740 --> 00:17:26.000 war brewing, even as we speak, between Iran and Israel. And as we all know, we're talking about this 00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:31.420 in the context where Jordan and the U.S. and several other countries have gotten involved in 00:17:31.420 --> 00:17:39.579 the war, and it has a possibility to spread. So it's a very serious, it's a very, very serious thing. 00:17:40.819 --> 00:17:47.200 And part of all of this is going on is Israel as being the Jewish homeland. That's the claim made 00:17:47.200 --> 00:17:54.559 by Jewish people. And I'll say they have good historical grounds for it. But when the Bible here 00:17:54.559 --> 00:17:59.859 describes Christians as part of a diaspora, it's telling us that we don't form a Christian nation. 00:18:02.619 --> 00:18:10.379 For Hindus, India is the homeland. And what's going on right now with the increasing conflicts 00:18:10.379 --> 00:18:15.740 in India with Muslim communities and Christians is that the Hindus are trying to really claim that 00:18:15.740 --> 00:18:22.019 Hindu and Indian is synonymous, and this is our homeland. We don't want foreigners there. 00:18:22.019 --> 00:18:29.839 But when the Bible is describing Christians as being part of a diaspora, it's actually saying 00:18:29.839 --> 00:18:36.579 there is, it's God's intention is that there will be Christian communities in Ottawa and Tehran 00:18:36.579 --> 00:18:47.519 and Beijing and Manhattan and Vancouver and London and Nairobi and Cape Town. 00:18:47.519 --> 00:18:55.519 That's God's plan. It's not a failure. It's God's plan. We have no home here. 00:18:57.460 --> 00:19:00.819 When you put your faith and trust in Christ, you get a new allegiance. 00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:07.519 And the other thing which is very powerful and wonderful about the term diaspora, 00:19:08.599 --> 00:19:15.900 and I failed to put the thing down, but if you go and you look up, it's somewhere in Ezekiel, 00:19:15.900 --> 00:19:20.360 and I forgot to put it down in my preaching notes. I just realized I forgot to put it down. 00:19:21.519 --> 00:19:29.100 There's this very powerful part in the book of Ezekiel where Ezekiel writes to the Jewish people 00:19:29.100 --> 00:19:36.460 who are living in Persia and says to them, people are telling you there's going to be all these 00:19:36.460 --> 00:19:40.680 dramatic things that are going to happen. Don't believe them. They're just, they're not talking the truth. 00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:44.160 You need to seek the good of the city where you are. 00:19:46.240 --> 00:19:52.680 And so the idea of diaspora means that even though we are foreigners in Canada, we seek the good of our country. 00:19:53.060 --> 00:19:55.960 We seek the good of our city, the true good of our city. 00:19:56.519 --> 00:19:58.980 But at the same time that we maintain our identity. 00:19:58.980 --> 00:20:07.180 We maintain our identity as those who have been chosen by God to belong to him and be in a covenant with the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:20:07.779 --> 00:20:10.440 So it's a very powerful and very precious image. 00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:14.640 And the idea of being a foreigner or being an alien is also very, 00:20:14.720 --> 00:20:19.240 that's why I began the story with the sermon with the story of Rosaria Butterfield. 00:20:19.240 --> 00:20:21.940 And increasingly we feel that. 00:20:22.039 --> 00:20:26.539 There's been times obviously in Canada where being a Christian makes you feel very at home in the country. 00:20:27.120 --> 00:20:31.819 Almost everybody in the room is too young to know that there was a time like that in Canada. 00:20:32.460 --> 00:20:34.380 Or at least for large segments of Canada. 00:20:34.500 --> 00:20:35.920 But that's not the case anymore. 00:20:36.880 --> 00:20:42.059 And this letter is not a call for us therefore to take back the country and force it to be Christians. 00:20:42.059 --> 00:20:46.359 Maybe to do something to manipulate some political party in the Supreme Court. 00:20:46.359 --> 00:20:49.339 So we only, no, no, no, no, that's not what this letter is calling us to do. 00:20:50.379 --> 00:20:51.659 It's telling us to have an influence. 00:20:51.799 --> 00:20:54.299 If you work in the civil service, have an influence for Christ. 00:20:54.399 --> 00:20:59.359 If you have an influence in political parties, have an influence them according to a Christian worldview. 00:20:59.500 --> 00:21:02.099 If you are starting a business or running a business, do that. 00:21:02.399 --> 00:21:04.779 In your neighborhood association, stand for Christ. 00:21:05.099 --> 00:21:07.319 Articulate a Christian way of understanding the world. 00:21:07.399 --> 00:21:08.259 You're called to do that. 00:21:08.339 --> 00:21:13.479 It's only within that perspective that the city will start to understand what its true good is. 00:21:13.480 --> 00:21:18.559 It is not for the true good of Canada to kill the innocent. 00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:22.460 Which is what we do with medically assisted dying. 00:21:24.940 --> 00:21:27.860 Our country thinks it's for the good of this country, but it's not. 00:21:28.440 --> 00:21:30.440 That's part of how Christians bear witness. 00:21:31.579 --> 00:21:35.039 Increasing use of pornography is not for the good of this country. 00:21:35.940 --> 00:21:39.819 There's many in our country who think it is part of the good of this country, but they're mistaken. 00:21:39.819 --> 00:21:45.720 We work to try to minimize that according to Christian values, but we work for the good of our city. 00:21:47.179 --> 00:21:55.179 Interestingly enough, one of the reasons that people say that having this idea of being chosen or elect is it can make us feel very, very superior. 00:21:55.740 --> 00:21:57.919 But that's what's so brilliant about this text. 00:21:58.019 --> 00:22:00.079 It's so spectacularly brilliant. 00:22:00.220 --> 00:22:00.899 Look at it again. 00:22:00.900 --> 00:22:07.980 It says, to those who are the chosen slash elect, foreigners and exiles of the diaspora. 00:22:08.320 --> 00:22:10.519 That whole thing means we don't have power. 00:22:14.220 --> 00:22:21.259 And the other thing is, if we start to understand ourselves and are gripped with the idea that we are foreigners in this country, 00:22:21.259 --> 00:22:26.819 that should give us a profound heart for immigrants and for refugees. 00:22:29.220 --> 00:22:30.980 A profound heart for them. 00:22:34.680 --> 00:22:37.519 You know, there's another thing which is really sort of key in here. 00:22:37.579 --> 00:22:38.779 It's just like a little bit of a hint. 00:22:39.660 --> 00:22:40.940 This word exile. 00:22:42.240 --> 00:22:42.680 Foreigner. 00:22:45.779 --> 00:22:46.500 Yeah, go ahead. 00:22:46.619 --> 00:22:48.700 It's just, you know, we don't think about things like this. 00:22:48.700 --> 00:22:52.720 There's all sorts of hints that Christianity is true. 00:22:53.759 --> 00:22:57.039 And that no other system of thought can solve these hints. 00:22:57.759 --> 00:23:01.840 Why is it that you've been born, that human beings have been born in this world? 00:23:02.059 --> 00:23:04.940 We're obviously completely and utterly at home in this world. 00:23:05.400 --> 00:23:13.759 But why is it that human beings, part of this world system, have a sense or a longing that there's another world? 00:23:14.779 --> 00:23:16.039 Like, why does that even exist? 00:23:18.700 --> 00:23:25.180 Like, why is it that very, very common, many of us in the room, and if you go to a coffee shop and you just talk to people, 00:23:25.240 --> 00:23:31.160 I don't care if it's a Tim Horton, I don't care if it's a Starbucks, I don't care if it's some really hipster type place that I've never heard of 00:23:31.160 --> 00:23:34.120 because I'm really old and uncool and you know where they are. 00:23:34.400 --> 00:23:39.380 If you go talking about the idea that there's these, you know, why is it that you live in a seamless universe, 00:23:39.380 --> 00:23:43.060 but everybody has a sense that there's seams in reality? 00:23:44.100 --> 00:23:51.260 Where, and you're in some situation or some place and you have a sense that there's another world that's trying to break in. 00:23:51.600 --> 00:23:57.520 Why is it that you can be in some place of ancient prayer and have that sense that there's some other world? 00:23:57.519 --> 00:24:05.619 Why is it that sometimes if you're up early enough for a sunrise or a sunset and you're looking over as the light begins to change 00:24:05.619 --> 00:24:13.180 and you just have this sense that there's another world just on the other side of that, yet so close and you have a sense of longing, 00:24:13.420 --> 00:24:14.839 how does that even exist? 00:24:17.019 --> 00:24:18.559 Human Christians know. 00:24:18.799 --> 00:24:19.420 They'll tell you. 00:24:19.579 --> 00:24:20.420 Why does it exist? 00:24:20.420 --> 00:24:29.240 It's because on one hand we have both a memory of the past or in a sense if we go, whether you look at it as going backwards or going deep, 00:24:29.840 --> 00:24:38.539 there's this fundamental sense that God, the biblical story is true, that God made all things and he made all things good 00:24:38.539 --> 00:24:45.320 and there's been a tragic cosmic accident and catastrophe where human beings rebelled against God 00:24:45.320 --> 00:24:47.340 and now there's evil and the world is broken. 00:24:47.339 --> 00:24:54.179 And human beings, God has left within human beings some type of sense, whether it's looking up or looking forward, 00:24:55.000 --> 00:24:58.539 that there will be a new heaven and a new earth, that God continues to reign, 00:24:59.259 --> 00:25:03.619 that the world isn't empty, that there are angels and demons. 00:25:07.480 --> 00:25:13.559 And secularism doesn't have an answer for that, neither does Hinduism or Islam, 00:25:13.559 --> 00:25:16.759 but it's a very powerful hint in human experience. 00:25:19.500 --> 00:25:20.899 So who's the letter written to? 00:25:21.899 --> 00:25:26.299 The chosen elect who are foreigners or exiles of the diaspora, 00:25:27.220 --> 00:25:30.019 it pontes da-da-da-da-da, basically modern day Turkey. 00:25:30.539 --> 00:25:32.000 Who's the letter written to? 00:25:32.039 --> 00:25:32.839 Look at verse 2. 00:25:32.839 --> 00:25:35.799 Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, 00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:39.759 chosen by the consecration or sanctification of the Spirit, 00:25:39.959 --> 00:25:44.579 and chosen for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus. 00:25:45.119 --> 00:25:46.939 May grace and peace be multiplied to you. 00:25:46.939 --> 00:25:47.539 What's the big idea? 00:25:47.659 --> 00:25:48.059 Chosen. 00:25:48.339 --> 00:25:48.480 Okay. 00:25:49.419 --> 00:25:52.740 And once again, I've just made clear what the grammar is saying, 00:25:52.819 --> 00:25:54.980 and if you go to the commentaries, the academic commentaries, 00:25:55.039 --> 00:25:56.500 each one of those sections begins with 00:25:56.500 --> 00:25:59.039 chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, chosen. 00:25:59.039 --> 00:26:04.539 So I'm just putting it together in a simple way that can't maybe be made in terms of an official Bible, 00:26:04.680 --> 00:26:07.559 but that's actually what the original verse is saying. 00:26:08.420 --> 00:26:10.879 And so what's going on in here? 00:26:13.819 --> 00:26:16.559 Well, actually, just at a very simple level, it's saying this. 00:26:18.379 --> 00:26:20.740 That the God that really does exist is the Trinity, 00:26:21.319 --> 00:26:24.960 the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, three persons, one God, 00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:26.759 and the Bible's not embarrassed about that. 00:26:26.759 --> 00:26:29.000 In fact, as I'm going to explain in a moment, 00:26:29.099 --> 00:26:32.480 it is one of the most wonderful and beautiful things about the Christian faith. 00:26:33.859 --> 00:26:37.039 Hard to understand, not opposed to reason, 00:26:37.940 --> 00:26:42.140 and deeply wonderful, deeply beautiful and emotionally satisfying 00:26:42.140 --> 00:26:45.799 once you start to walk towards it rather than walk away from it in fear. 00:26:46.700 --> 00:26:50.160 And what it's saying is that all three persons of the Trinity were involved 00:26:50.160 --> 00:26:51.559 in you becoming a Christian. 00:26:52.059 --> 00:26:54.900 Some of us afterwards, if we went out in the lobby and I say, 00:26:54.900 --> 00:26:56.660 you know, we're going to have a bit of a different section today, 00:26:56.720 --> 00:27:00.680 would several of you be willing to share with the rest of the room how you became a Christian? 00:27:01.560 --> 00:27:03.400 And some of us would get up and say, 00:27:03.480 --> 00:27:07.080 listen, I just want to be, I'm so thankful for my parents, 00:27:07.180 --> 00:27:08.400 I'm so thankful for the church. 00:27:08.480 --> 00:27:11.600 I grew up in a Christian home with mom and dad who prayed for me 00:27:11.600 --> 00:27:13.759 and read Bible stories to me, 00:27:13.800 --> 00:27:17.320 and I don't know a time when I didn't trust Jesus as my Savior and my Lord. 00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:20.000 And I've just been able to grow in that, 00:27:20.040 --> 00:27:20.840 and that's my testimony. 00:27:20.839 --> 00:27:24.879 And boy, a lot of us who are parents would love it if our kids said something like that. 00:27:25.980 --> 00:27:27.119 And others of you will say, 00:27:27.199 --> 00:27:29.359 you know, I sort of grew up in a nominal home, 00:27:29.439 --> 00:27:32.199 and then I, you know, got involved in drinking and partying or whatever, 00:27:32.339 --> 00:27:34.459 or I grew up as a Muslim, or I grew up as a Hindu, 00:27:34.639 --> 00:27:36.899 or, you know, I grew up in an atheist house, 00:27:36.959 --> 00:27:37.759 and then, you know, one day, 00:27:37.859 --> 00:27:40.019 and you tell the story about how you became a Christian. 00:27:40.899 --> 00:27:43.899 You know, I know there's people in here who grew up not going to anything, 00:27:44.039 --> 00:27:46.299 and with people who didn't have any interest in Christianity, 00:27:46.299 --> 00:27:49.419 looking at, you know, one of my brothers over here, 00:27:49.559 --> 00:27:54.000 who sort of his journey towards Christianity was through Jehovah Witnesses, 00:27:54.259 --> 00:27:57.079 because God has the biggest sense of humor in the world 00:27:57.079 --> 00:28:03.139 to use Jehovah Witnesses to start having a person move towards the Christian faith. 00:28:03.720 --> 00:28:04.619 Right, Jason? 00:28:04.839 --> 00:28:06.720 Just God has a huge sense of humor. 00:28:06.819 --> 00:28:08.039 That gave us a big thumb up. 00:28:08.799 --> 00:28:10.359 We should have a sense of humor, too. 00:28:10.500 --> 00:28:11.779 But we could give that testimony. 00:28:11.779 --> 00:28:14.799 And that's, in a sense, completely valid, 00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:16.099 and that's from our point of view. 00:28:16.319 --> 00:28:18.799 What this verse 2 is describing is very beautiful. 00:28:18.980 --> 00:28:20.259 What's going on underneath the hood? 00:28:21.480 --> 00:28:22.819 And here's this profound knowledge. 00:28:22.899 --> 00:28:24.379 I just used Jason as an example. 00:28:24.539 --> 00:28:25.599 I'll continue to use this. 00:28:26.399 --> 00:28:30.200 Jason, before you were even born, 00:28:31.000 --> 00:28:34.920 God the Father knew that he was going to choose you to be his. 00:28:37.740 --> 00:28:39.779 That's why the word foreknowledge is there. 00:28:39.779 --> 00:28:41.660 Like, if you think about it, 00:28:41.740 --> 00:28:43.220 if God knows everything, 00:28:43.319 --> 00:28:44.759 why is the word foreknowledge there? 00:28:44.819 --> 00:28:50.740 Well, the foreknowledge is connected to a little cluster of ideas. 00:28:51.180 --> 00:28:53.940 And it's clustered with the ideas of calling, 00:28:54.819 --> 00:28:56.319 of effectual calling, 00:28:56.500 --> 00:28:58.339 like a calling that actually works, 00:28:58.839 --> 00:29:02.180 and a calling to himself in a covenant. 00:29:04.259 --> 00:29:07.000 So, Jason, I've heard parts of your testimony. 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:09.039 It's a great testimony. 00:29:09.579 --> 00:29:10.799 You should write it up someday. 00:29:10.880 --> 00:29:12.839 You should do a YouTube video about it someday. 00:29:14.039 --> 00:29:17.240 But underneath all of that is before you were even born, 00:29:18.380 --> 00:29:19.559 God knew you, 00:29:20.140 --> 00:29:21.539 and he started calling you. 00:29:22.660 --> 00:29:23.839 And you want to know something else? 00:29:24.019 --> 00:29:25.259 Even before you were born, 00:29:25.339 --> 00:29:26.759 the second you were born, 00:29:28.059 --> 00:29:31.400 God the Holy Spirit started to work in your life 00:29:31.400 --> 00:29:32.660 to set you apart 00:29:32.660 --> 00:29:35.580 and to begin processes 00:29:35.580 --> 00:29:38.500 which would culminate in you giving your life to Christ. 00:29:39.280 --> 00:29:42.460 And that work of the Holy Spirit continues in you 00:29:42.460 --> 00:29:44.560 and will continue in you 00:29:44.560 --> 00:29:46.759 until you see Jesus face to face 00:29:46.759 --> 00:29:47.840 in the new heaven and the new earth. 00:29:47.839 --> 00:29:53.859 And Jason, 00:29:54.859 --> 00:29:57.339 God was calling you 00:29:57.339 --> 00:29:59.399 not to just have this sort of like 00:29:59.399 --> 00:30:02.019 lonely, naked, 00:30:02.799 --> 00:30:04.339 bare-naked experience 00:30:04.339 --> 00:30:06.119 with God. 00:30:06.879 --> 00:30:08.199 We've already talked about 00:30:08.199 --> 00:30:09.299 how the Holy Spirit 00:30:09.299 --> 00:30:11.139 was working in choosing you 00:30:11.139 --> 00:30:12.279 and setting you aside 00:30:12.279 --> 00:30:13.359 and working your life 00:30:13.359 --> 00:30:14.279 to that point in time 00:30:14.279 --> 00:30:15.679 that you would give your life to Christ. 00:30:15.680 --> 00:30:17.680 And when you come to Christ, 00:30:17.799 --> 00:30:18.539 you don't realize 00:30:18.539 --> 00:30:20.000 that you're not just coming to Christ. 00:30:20.580 --> 00:30:22.200 Well, you are coming to Christ, 00:30:22.320 --> 00:30:22.940 but what you're coming, 00:30:23.039 --> 00:30:24.100 this language of 00:30:24.100 --> 00:30:26.080 chosen for obedience 00:30:26.080 --> 00:30:27.880 and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus, 00:30:28.019 --> 00:30:29.500 it's a direct reference 00:30:29.500 --> 00:30:32.460 to how the Israelite nation 00:30:32.460 --> 00:30:34.299 entered into a new covenant with God 00:30:34.299 --> 00:30:36.320 when they entered into the promised land. 00:30:36.700 --> 00:30:37.799 And there was a ceremony 00:30:37.799 --> 00:30:39.720 and they pledged their obedience 00:30:39.720 --> 00:30:42.840 to the Lord God. 00:30:42.840 --> 00:30:44.340 And the Lord God takes them 00:30:44.339 --> 00:30:45.720 as his covenant people 00:30:45.720 --> 00:30:47.959 and they're sprinkled with the blood 00:30:47.959 --> 00:30:49.379 that takes away their sins 00:30:49.379 --> 00:30:50.980 and God takes them to themselves. 00:30:51.599 --> 00:30:53.959 And when Jesus died upon the cross, 00:30:54.119 --> 00:30:55.899 he was the Lamb of God 00:30:55.899 --> 00:30:58.220 who takes away the sin of the world. 00:30:58.939 --> 00:31:00.439 He is both our good shepherd 00:31:00.439 --> 00:31:01.919 and the Lamb of God 00:31:01.919 --> 00:31:03.819 who takes away the sin of the world. 00:31:04.299 --> 00:31:06.879 And when we celebrate the Lord's Supper, 00:31:07.019 --> 00:31:08.359 this is a covenant meal. 00:31:08.519 --> 00:31:09.679 We are being reminded 00:31:09.680 --> 00:31:12.779 that Jesus inaugurated a new covenant. 00:31:13.440 --> 00:31:14.660 And in this new covenant, 00:31:15.160 --> 00:31:16.840 people from Hindu backgrounds 00:31:16.840 --> 00:31:18.220 and pagan backgrounds 00:31:18.220 --> 00:31:19.720 and Muslim backgrounds 00:31:19.720 --> 00:31:21.200 and Buddhist backgrounds 00:31:21.200 --> 00:31:22.840 and atheist backgrounds, 00:31:22.840 --> 00:31:24.560 when they put their faith and trust 00:31:24.560 --> 00:31:25.759 in the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:31:25.980 --> 00:31:27.759 they enter into a new covenant 00:31:27.759 --> 00:31:29.420 with the Almighty God 00:31:29.420 --> 00:31:31.019 in a new covenant community. 00:31:31.640 --> 00:31:32.940 And in that covenant, 00:31:33.180 --> 00:31:34.500 Jesus is our King. 00:31:34.500 --> 00:31:37.500 He is the King of Kings 00:31:37.500 --> 00:31:38.500 and Lord of Lords. 00:31:38.720 --> 00:31:40.259 He is our King over Trudeau, 00:31:40.640 --> 00:31:42.640 King over the Supreme Court of Canada, 00:31:43.180 --> 00:31:44.480 King over the CBC 00:31:44.480 --> 00:31:46.500 and all of the institutions of this place. 00:31:46.720 --> 00:31:48.519 And we seek the good of this city. 00:31:49.039 --> 00:31:50.759 I don't say that to put them down. 00:31:51.599 --> 00:31:52.599 I say that to say 00:31:52.599 --> 00:31:54.799 we're going to serve them well 00:31:54.799 --> 00:31:56.019 under King Jesus. 00:31:57.099 --> 00:31:58.420 But we come into a covenant 00:31:58.420 --> 00:32:00.180 and you were chosen for that. 00:32:00.920 --> 00:32:02.200 And what at the end of the day 00:32:02.200 --> 00:32:03.960 is God's heart for you and for us? 00:32:04.220 --> 00:32:05.180 God's heart for you 00:32:05.180 --> 00:32:06.480 is that grace and peace 00:32:06.480 --> 00:32:07.360 will be multiplied. 00:32:09.259 --> 00:32:10.700 And so for the rest of the book, 00:32:10.940 --> 00:32:11.740 we're going to talk about 00:32:11.740 --> 00:32:13.420 what it means to live as a Christian, 00:32:13.539 --> 00:32:14.840 what it means to deal with suffering, 00:32:14.980 --> 00:32:17.120 what it means to deal with being persecuted. 00:32:17.380 --> 00:32:18.519 What does it mean to be married? 00:32:18.660 --> 00:32:19.819 What does it mean to be a slave? 00:32:20.019 --> 00:32:21.620 What does it mean to have a society 00:32:21.620 --> 00:32:22.539 where there are slaves? 00:32:22.640 --> 00:32:23.420 What does it mean to be 00:32:23.420 --> 00:32:25.840 in having to deal with a world 00:32:25.840 --> 00:32:26.539 where there's demons? 00:32:26.680 --> 00:32:27.460 What does it mean to actually 00:32:27.460 --> 00:32:28.600 be part of a church? 00:32:29.539 --> 00:32:31.279 Well, at the heart of all of these things 00:32:31.279 --> 00:32:33.059 is God talks about what it means 00:32:33.059 --> 00:32:34.279 with your identity in Christ. 00:32:34.279 --> 00:32:34.839 He's going to say, 00:32:34.919 --> 00:32:35.819 what's my heart for you? 00:32:36.579 --> 00:32:38.039 My heart for you is that 00:32:38.039 --> 00:32:39.980 grace and peace will be multiplied 00:32:39.980 --> 00:32:40.700 in your life. 00:32:42.700 --> 00:32:43.960 That's my heart for you. 00:32:45.099 --> 00:32:46.059 That's my heart. 00:32:48.359 --> 00:32:48.679 Well, George, 00:32:48.720 --> 00:32:49.460 you may have chosen 00:32:49.460 --> 00:32:50.980 sound a little bit attractive, 00:32:51.319 --> 00:32:52.399 but don't you think 00:32:52.399 --> 00:32:56.720 there's lots of problems with it, 00:32:56.819 --> 00:32:57.980 like free will 00:32:57.980 --> 00:32:59.940 and all of that type of stuff. 00:32:59.940 --> 00:33:01.340 Don't you think it leads to pride? 00:33:02.080 --> 00:33:03.080 And we're going to close 00:33:03.080 --> 00:33:04.680 with why it doesn't mean those things. 00:33:06.660 --> 00:33:06.840 I mean, 00:33:06.980 --> 00:33:07.880 there's just the first thing. 00:33:07.960 --> 00:33:09.180 I'll talk about it a little bit more 00:33:09.180 --> 00:33:10.019 in the weeks to come. 00:33:11.140 --> 00:33:11.840 One of the things 00:33:11.840 --> 00:33:13.320 which is so wonderful 00:33:13.320 --> 00:33:14.519 about the Christian faith 00:33:14.519 --> 00:33:15.600 and about texts like this 00:33:15.600 --> 00:33:16.940 is it brings us face to face 00:33:16.940 --> 00:33:18.039 with a human problem. 00:33:22.620 --> 00:33:24.519 I was telling my wife the other day, 00:33:24.580 --> 00:33:25.960 I watched a YouTube video, 00:33:25.960 --> 00:33:29.079 and there were a couple of them, 00:33:29.140 --> 00:33:29.700 and they were people 00:33:29.700 --> 00:33:31.400 very hostile to the Christian faith. 00:33:31.819 --> 00:33:32.220 And one of them, 00:33:32.240 --> 00:33:32.380 you know, 00:33:32.400 --> 00:33:33.460 had that really educated 00:33:33.460 --> 00:33:34.160 British accent 00:33:34.160 --> 00:33:34.720 that makes it, 00:33:34.759 --> 00:33:34.880 you know, 00:33:34.900 --> 00:33:35.480 whatever they say, 00:33:35.559 --> 00:33:36.100 they could say 00:33:36.100 --> 00:33:37.079 the dumbest thing in the world, 00:33:37.120 --> 00:33:37.740 but because they have 00:33:37.740 --> 00:33:38.680 that Oxbridge accent, 00:33:38.779 --> 00:33:39.620 it sounds like it's, 00:33:39.900 --> 00:33:41.180 like you should all bow down to it 00:33:41.180 --> 00:33:41.920 and just accept it. 00:33:41.940 --> 00:33:42.480 You know what I mean. 00:33:42.559 --> 00:33:44.000 You know that type of accent. 00:33:44.480 --> 00:33:45.460 If one of you guests 00:33:45.460 --> 00:33:46.160 have that accent, 00:33:46.299 --> 00:33:47.500 we're really glad you're here 00:33:47.500 --> 00:33:48.380 and we're going to use you 00:33:48.380 --> 00:33:49.340 in public announcements 00:33:49.340 --> 00:33:51.059 because everybody will just think 00:33:51.059 --> 00:33:52.039 that it's really, 00:33:52.140 --> 00:33:53.200 really, really smart. 00:33:53.340 --> 00:33:53.400 You know, 00:33:53.420 --> 00:33:54.259 and the other ones had these, 00:33:54.259 --> 00:33:55.220 just they're really quick 00:33:55.220 --> 00:33:56.420 and very aggressive 00:33:56.420 --> 00:33:57.319 and very assertive, 00:33:57.359 --> 00:33:58.640 and they went boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. 00:33:58.660 --> 00:33:59.779 And I'm always intimidated 00:33:59.779 --> 00:34:01.660 by those guys and gals, 00:34:01.819 --> 00:34:03.240 always intimidated by them. 00:34:03.779 --> 00:34:04.960 And when I've had conversations 00:34:04.960 --> 00:34:05.839 in coffee shop 00:34:05.839 --> 00:34:06.839 and somebody just turns 00:34:06.839 --> 00:34:08.079 their full guns on me 00:34:08.079 --> 00:34:09.539 and just go bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, 00:34:09.539 --> 00:34:10.639 all these quick points, 00:34:11.019 --> 00:34:11.760 really confident, 00:34:11.920 --> 00:34:12.599 really assertive, 00:34:12.639 --> 00:34:13.059 and I just, 00:34:13.719 --> 00:34:14.420 I just, 00:34:14.960 --> 00:34:15.260 whoa, 00:34:15.739 --> 00:34:17.599 I'm not a fast thinker. 00:34:19.199 --> 00:34:20.780 But I was sharing with my wife, 00:34:21.119 --> 00:34:21.440 and, uh, 00:34:21.780 --> 00:34:22.000 but I, 00:34:22.139 --> 00:34:22.900 but the comfort I have 00:34:22.900 --> 00:34:24.059 listening to them is this. 00:34:24.260 --> 00:34:24.940 I don't, 00:34:25.040 --> 00:34:26.240 it's not because I think I'm smarter. 00:34:26.320 --> 00:34:27.140 I know I'm not smarter 00:34:27.140 --> 00:34:27.760 than most of them. 00:34:28.560 --> 00:34:29.980 I know two things about them. 00:34:30.700 --> 00:34:31.600 I know that when they talk 00:34:31.600 --> 00:34:32.200 about the Bible, 00:34:32.300 --> 00:34:33.520 they don't really want to understand 00:34:33.520 --> 00:34:34.380 what the Bible says. 00:34:34.460 --> 00:34:35.780 They've just gone cherry-picking 00:34:35.780 --> 00:34:37.560 for verses to make me look stupid. 00:34:39.480 --> 00:34:40.800 And that if there's time, 00:34:40.860 --> 00:34:41.740 you can show how they've 00:34:41.740 --> 00:34:42.860 just misquoted everything. 00:34:43.380 --> 00:34:44.220 The second thing is, 00:34:44.280 --> 00:34:45.780 I know they're not self-reflective 00:34:45.780 --> 00:34:46.580 about the problems 00:34:46.580 --> 00:34:47.480 of their own position. 00:34:51.220 --> 00:34:53.020 99.999% of the time, 00:34:53.019 --> 00:34:54.300 they're not self-reflective. 00:34:56.480 --> 00:34:56.759 I, 00:34:56.759 --> 00:34:57.639 I can think of, 00:34:57.759 --> 00:34:57.940 uh, 00:34:58.420 --> 00:34:59.460 I went into a, 00:34:59.539 --> 00:35:00.780 to see a doctor once, 00:35:00.900 --> 00:35:02.019 at one of the walk-in clinics, 00:35:02.019 --> 00:35:03.159 and he asked me what I did, 00:35:03.179 --> 00:35:04.320 and I told him I was a pastor, 00:35:04.619 --> 00:35:05.860 and he went from doing this 00:35:05.860 --> 00:35:06.719 to doing this, 00:35:07.619 --> 00:35:08.400 looking at me, 00:35:08.400 --> 00:35:10.360 and he was ready to go 00:35:10.360 --> 00:35:11.639 ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom, 00:35:11.780 --> 00:35:12.039 ba-boom, 00:35:12.139 --> 00:35:13.180 because he was a very, 00:35:13.420 --> 00:35:14.059 as I discovered, 00:35:14.139 --> 00:35:16.039 a very outspoken atheist, 00:35:16.980 --> 00:35:18.980 and wanted to really blast me 00:35:18.980 --> 00:35:19.980 with all the problems 00:35:19.980 --> 00:35:20.880 that Christians had done 00:35:20.880 --> 00:35:21.380 in the world. 00:35:22.400 --> 00:35:23.480 Now, that was one of those moments 00:35:23.480 --> 00:35:24.220 that probably, 00:35:24.460 --> 00:35:24.760 uh, 00:35:24.760 --> 00:35:25.780 some little old lady 00:35:25.780 --> 00:35:26.800 was praying for me, 00:35:26.800 --> 00:35:28.700 because I just sort of took it, 00:35:28.740 --> 00:35:29.200 and I said, 00:35:29.840 --> 00:35:30.860 I don't know why you can say 00:35:30.860 --> 00:35:32.019 those types of things. 00:35:32.620 --> 00:35:33.620 The only societies 00:35:33.620 --> 00:35:34.560 that have been atheists 00:35:34.560 --> 00:35:35.260 like yours, 00:35:35.460 --> 00:35:35.720 Russia, 00:35:35.940 --> 00:35:38.920 USSR killed 50 million people, 00:35:39.320 --> 00:35:39.820 Communists, 00:35:39.880 --> 00:35:41.240 China killed 50 million people, 00:35:41.300 --> 00:35:43.019 the Communists in Cambodia 00:35:43.019 --> 00:35:43.780 killed over a third 00:35:43.780 --> 00:35:44.519 of their population. 00:35:44.660 --> 00:35:44.780 Like, 00:35:44.780 --> 00:35:45.600 what gives you a right 00:35:45.600 --> 00:35:46.440 to talk about anything 00:35:46.440 --> 00:35:47.320 about Christianity? 00:35:48.000 --> 00:35:49.300 Only been atheist societies 00:35:49.300 --> 00:35:50.240 for a few decades, 00:35:50.340 --> 00:35:51.120 and you've already killed 00:35:51.120 --> 00:35:52.340 hundreds of millions of people. 00:35:52.340 --> 00:35:53.700 And he just went, 00:35:55.500 --> 00:35:56.500 changed the topic. 00:35:57.440 --> 00:35:58.420 Not reflective 00:35:58.420 --> 00:36:00.160 about his own position. 00:36:01.019 --> 00:36:01.760 So here's the thing 00:36:01.760 --> 00:36:02.579 going back to this. 00:36:03.220 --> 00:36:04.380 The fact of the matter is, 00:36:04.620 --> 00:36:05.700 it's a very well-known 00:36:05.700 --> 00:36:06.740 problem of thought 00:36:06.740 --> 00:36:07.600 of how you can have 00:36:07.600 --> 00:36:08.160 free world 00:36:08.160 --> 00:36:08.539 in a world 00:36:08.539 --> 00:36:09.500 where there's causality. 00:36:10.559 --> 00:36:11.660 Within Hinduism 00:36:11.660 --> 00:36:12.180 and Buddhism, 00:36:12.340 --> 00:36:13.000 when you have these 00:36:13.000 --> 00:36:14.519 iron laws of, 00:36:14.519 --> 00:36:15.019 of, 00:36:15.019 --> 00:36:15.260 uh, 00:36:15.260 --> 00:36:15.740 karma, 00:36:15.920 --> 00:36:16.880 how can you actually 00:36:16.880 --> 00:36:17.480 have freedom 00:36:17.480 --> 00:36:18.480 within that system? 00:36:19.300 --> 00:36:20.360 Islam is the 00:36:20.360 --> 00:36:21.680 pure religion 00:36:21.679 --> 00:36:22.500 of complete 00:36:22.500 --> 00:36:23.519 and utter control 00:36:23.519 --> 00:36:23.899 of Allah. 00:36:24.219 --> 00:36:25.059 And if that's the case, 00:36:25.119 --> 00:36:25.559 how do you have 00:36:25.559 --> 00:36:26.440 any type of freedom 00:36:26.440 --> 00:36:26.919 whatsoever? 00:36:27.739 --> 00:36:28.739 And let me tell you, 00:36:28.779 --> 00:36:29.559 you might not be 00:36:29.559 --> 00:36:30.539 completely happy 00:36:30.539 --> 00:36:31.299 about the Christian 00:36:31.299 --> 00:36:32.079 solution to this 00:36:32.079 --> 00:36:32.980 over the next few weeks, 00:36:33.000 --> 00:36:33.619 but Christianity 00:36:33.619 --> 00:36:34.359 is very honest 00:36:34.359 --> 00:36:34.779 and upfront 00:36:34.779 --> 00:36:35.980 that there's something here, 00:36:36.559 --> 00:36:37.239 and it gives you 00:36:37.239 --> 00:36:37.919 the most beautiful 00:36:37.919 --> 00:36:38.839 answer in the world. 00:36:40.399 --> 00:36:41.119 Here's the beginning 00:36:41.119 --> 00:36:41.699 of the answer. 00:36:41.799 --> 00:36:42.379 We'll talk about it 00:36:42.379 --> 00:36:42.839 more in the next 00:36:42.839 --> 00:36:43.500 couple of weeks. 00:36:44.539 --> 00:36:45.559 Only Christianity 00:36:45.559 --> 00:36:47.179 believes that God 00:36:47.179 --> 00:36:47.980 is a God of love. 00:36:49.139 --> 00:36:49.279 Actually, 00:36:49.359 --> 00:36:50.159 all religions 00:36:50.159 --> 00:36:51.159 basically try to say 00:36:51.159 --> 00:36:51.779 that's the case, 00:36:51.839 --> 00:36:52.480 but only Christians 00:36:52.480 --> 00:36:53.539 can actually claim it. 00:36:54.879 --> 00:36:55.159 Well, 00:36:55.179 --> 00:36:55.739 that sounds like 00:36:55.739 --> 00:36:56.619 an awfully bold claim. 00:36:56.679 --> 00:36:57.259 Why do you say it? 00:36:57.319 --> 00:36:57.379 Well, 00:36:57.420 --> 00:36:58.379 some of you have 00:36:58.379 --> 00:36:58.980 heard me say this 00:36:58.980 --> 00:36:59.239 before, 00:36:59.319 --> 00:37:00.199 but it's very deeply 00:37:00.199 --> 00:37:00.619 true. 00:37:01.739 --> 00:37:02.879 If Allah is the 00:37:02.879 --> 00:37:04.019 only being that exists, 00:37:04.139 --> 00:37:04.759 how can he be, 00:37:05.219 --> 00:37:06.319 how can he love? 00:37:07.099 --> 00:37:07.940 There has to be 00:37:07.940 --> 00:37:09.299 another for love. 00:37:11.719 --> 00:37:12.239 And if, 00:37:12.239 --> 00:37:13.059 whether it's in 00:37:13.059 --> 00:37:14.259 Hinduism or Buddhism 00:37:14.259 --> 00:37:14.859 and all that, 00:37:14.940 --> 00:37:15.480 at the end of the day, 00:37:15.539 --> 00:37:16.059 there's only this 00:37:16.059 --> 00:37:16.759 one God, 00:37:16.879 --> 00:37:17.559 this one thing 00:37:17.559 --> 00:37:18.299 which is everything, 00:37:18.500 --> 00:37:19.699 and if there's just 00:37:19.699 --> 00:37:20.359 this one thing 00:37:20.359 --> 00:37:20.819 that's everything, 00:37:20.939 --> 00:37:22.039 how can there be love? 00:37:22.919 --> 00:37:23.779 You need to have 00:37:23.779 --> 00:37:24.579 another. 00:37:27.019 --> 00:37:28.019 Only Christians 00:37:28.019 --> 00:37:29.899 say and understand, 00:37:30.059 --> 00:37:31.039 not because we're smart, 00:37:31.159 --> 00:37:32.139 not because we're clever, 00:37:32.359 --> 00:37:33.199 but because it's been 00:37:33.199 --> 00:37:34.259 revealed by Christ, 00:37:35.079 --> 00:37:37.619 there is three persons 00:37:37.619 --> 00:37:38.439 in one God. 00:37:39.099 --> 00:37:40.159 From all eternity, 00:37:40.279 --> 00:37:40.659 the Father 00:37:40.659 --> 00:37:41.439 has loved the Son. 00:37:42.279 --> 00:37:43.379 From all eternity, 00:37:43.480 --> 00:37:43.799 the Son 00:37:43.799 --> 00:37:44.819 has loved the Holy Spirit. 00:37:45.460 --> 00:37:46.519 From all eternity, 00:37:46.639 --> 00:37:47.199 the Holy Spirit 00:37:47.199 --> 00:37:48.019 has loved the Father, 00:37:48.019 --> 00:37:48.539 and the Father 00:37:48.539 --> 00:37:49.659 has loved the Holy Spirit. 00:37:51.579 --> 00:37:52.900 And back and forth, 00:37:53.159 --> 00:37:54.360 from all eternity, 00:37:56.559 --> 00:37:58.659 the very, very foundation, 00:37:59.239 --> 00:37:59.960 before there is 00:37:59.960 --> 00:38:00.860 any other type 00:38:00.860 --> 00:38:02.239 of reality or creation, 00:38:02.840 --> 00:38:03.800 there is a God 00:38:03.800 --> 00:38:04.380 who is a God 00:38:04.380 --> 00:38:05.559 of unending love. 00:38:05.679 --> 00:38:06.320 And doesn't it 00:38:06.320 --> 00:38:07.079 make a difference 00:38:07.079 --> 00:38:08.199 for you if you think 00:38:08.199 --> 00:38:09.659 that this God of love 00:38:09.659 --> 00:38:10.840 chooses? 00:38:10.840 --> 00:38:17.660 doesn't it make sense 00:38:17.660 --> 00:38:18.320 that if there is, 00:38:18.480 --> 00:38:18.700 in fact, 00:38:18.760 --> 00:38:20.320 a true God of love 00:38:20.320 --> 00:38:21.380 that he will make 00:38:21.380 --> 00:38:21.880 a world 00:38:21.880 --> 00:38:22.700 where there is 00:38:22.700 --> 00:38:23.579 both some type 00:38:23.579 --> 00:38:24.840 of control and order, 00:38:24.980 --> 00:38:25.500 yet there is 00:38:25.500 --> 00:38:26.200 human freedom? 00:38:26.300 --> 00:38:26.920 Because you can't 00:38:26.920 --> 00:38:27.820 have love 00:38:27.820 --> 00:38:29.180 without freedom. 00:38:31.780 --> 00:38:32.940 Only Christianity 00:38:32.940 --> 00:38:34.059 starts to make you think, 00:38:35.120 --> 00:38:36.039 oh, 00:38:36.360 --> 00:38:37.440 that's a bit 00:38:37.440 --> 00:38:38.019 of a hint 00:38:38.019 --> 00:38:38.320 that, 00:38:38.320 --> 00:38:40.660 gosh, 00:38:40.760 --> 00:38:41.160 like maybe 00:38:41.160 --> 00:38:42.820 Christianity is true. 00:38:45.539 --> 00:38:45.940 Like, 00:38:46.000 --> 00:38:46.140 in fact, 00:38:46.180 --> 00:38:46.620 once you start 00:38:46.620 --> 00:38:47.360 to understand that, 00:38:47.720 --> 00:38:48.580 why wouldn't you 00:38:48.580 --> 00:38:49.180 want God 00:38:49.180 --> 00:38:50.140 to be like that? 00:38:51.720 --> 00:38:52.300 Isn't that 00:38:52.300 --> 00:38:52.780 the God 00:38:52.780 --> 00:38:53.600 you long for? 00:38:55.440 --> 00:38:55.980 Isn't that 00:38:55.980 --> 00:38:56.380 the God 00:38:56.380 --> 00:38:57.220 you yearn for? 00:38:57.219 --> 00:38:58.219 God 00:38:58.219 --> 00:39:02.179 and just 00:39:02.179 --> 00:39:02.779 in closing, 00:39:03.139 --> 00:39:03.480 but you say, 00:39:03.559 --> 00:39:03.679 okay, 00:39:03.699 --> 00:39:04.019 but George, 00:39:04.139 --> 00:39:04.739 there has to be 00:39:04.739 --> 00:39:05.359 some basis 00:39:05.359 --> 00:39:06.419 of God 00:39:06.419 --> 00:39:07.279 choosing 00:39:07.279 --> 00:39:08.039 and all of that. 00:39:08.679 --> 00:39:08.819 Okay, 00:39:08.919 --> 00:39:09.239 really? 00:39:09.699 --> 00:39:10.359 Think about it 00:39:10.359 --> 00:39:10.879 for a second. 00:39:12.579 --> 00:39:13.500 What this text 00:39:13.500 --> 00:39:13.959 is saying 00:39:13.959 --> 00:39:14.659 is that love 00:39:14.659 --> 00:39:15.339 chose you. 00:39:16.379 --> 00:39:17.179 Only love 00:39:17.179 --> 00:39:17.859 chose you. 00:39:19.059 --> 00:39:19.819 What's better 00:39:19.819 --> 00:39:20.539 than that? 00:39:22.419 --> 00:39:23.219 Do you really 00:39:23.219 --> 00:39:23.719 want to know 00:39:23.719 --> 00:39:24.639 that he chose you 00:39:24.639 --> 00:39:25.659 just because, 00:39:25.779 --> 00:39:26.059 I don't know, 00:39:26.059 --> 00:39:26.820 you're good looking 00:39:26.820 --> 00:39:27.579 or you're rich 00:39:27.579 --> 00:39:28.880 or you're ugly 00:39:28.880 --> 00:39:29.779 or you're poor 00:39:29.779 --> 00:39:30.940 or anything like that. 00:39:31.000 --> 00:39:31.139 Like, 00:39:31.219 --> 00:39:31.739 what's better 00:39:31.739 --> 00:39:32.460 than love 00:39:32.460 --> 00:39:33.219 choosing? 00:39:33.340 --> 00:39:33.779 What can be 00:39:33.779 --> 00:39:34.440 more basic 00:39:34.440 --> 00:39:34.880 than that? 00:39:34.980 --> 00:39:35.400 What's more 00:39:35.400 --> 00:39:36.559 beautiful than that? 00:39:39.739 --> 00:39:40.340 It's 00:39:40.340 --> 00:39:42.259 love. 00:39:43.059 --> 00:39:43.739 That's why 00:39:43.739 --> 00:39:44.480 he chose you. 00:39:44.739 --> 00:39:45.239 Love. 00:39:46.259 --> 00:39:47.299 Only love. 00:39:49.219 --> 00:39:49.779 Love 00:39:49.779 --> 00:39:50.719 for love. 00:39:50.719 --> 00:39:50.779 love. 00:39:54.159 --> 00:39:54.959 What could be 00:39:54.959 --> 00:39:55.299 more? 00:39:57.719 --> 00:39:58.519 What could be 00:39:58.519 --> 00:39:58.799 more? 00:40:01.039 --> 00:40:01.500 You see, 00:40:01.559 --> 00:40:02.179 that's what's so 00:40:02.179 --> 00:40:03.599 profoundly powerful 00:40:03.599 --> 00:40:04.679 about this text 00:40:04.679 --> 00:40:05.659 is that on one 00:40:05.659 --> 00:40:05.899 hand, 00:40:05.959 --> 00:40:06.899 when you understand 00:40:06.899 --> 00:40:08.539 that love is, 00:40:08.919 --> 00:40:10.039 you are chosen 00:40:10.039 --> 00:40:11.199 to become Christ 00:40:11.199 --> 00:40:12.259 purely and utterly 00:40:12.259 --> 00:40:13.279 because of love. 00:40:13.339 --> 00:40:14.159 On one hand, 00:40:14.639 --> 00:40:15.819 all of the pride, 00:40:16.019 --> 00:40:16.839 all of the reasons 00:40:16.839 --> 00:40:18.039 I think I'm strong 00:40:18.039 --> 00:40:18.539 or wonderful, 00:40:18.539 --> 00:40:19.079 they're all 00:40:19.079 --> 00:40:19.860 completely and 00:40:19.860 --> 00:40:20.860 utterly undercut. 00:40:21.219 --> 00:40:21.920 But he doesn't 00:40:21.920 --> 00:40:22.840 undercut me to 00:40:22.840 --> 00:40:23.619 grovel. 00:40:23.800 --> 00:40:24.539 All of a sudden, 00:40:25.000 --> 00:40:25.920 the same things 00:40:25.920 --> 00:40:27.420 that topples my 00:40:27.420 --> 00:40:27.860 pride, 00:40:28.019 --> 00:40:29.059 gives me confidence 00:40:29.059 --> 00:40:29.820 and joy. 00:40:31.400 --> 00:40:32.659 I can go forward 00:40:32.659 --> 00:40:33.420 and face life 00:40:33.420 --> 00:40:34.460 because he has 00:40:34.460 --> 00:40:35.599 chosen me, 00:40:36.900 --> 00:40:38.300 unworthy as I am. 00:40:40.779 --> 00:40:41.900 Invite you to stand. 00:40:46.579 --> 00:40:47.679 If you were here 00:40:47.679 --> 00:40:48.659 and maybe you've 00:40:48.659 --> 00:40:49.399 wandered away from 00:40:49.399 --> 00:40:50.239 the Christian faith 00:40:50.239 --> 00:40:50.739 or maybe you're 00:40:50.739 --> 00:40:51.559 online watching 00:40:51.559 --> 00:40:52.899 or maybe you've 00:40:52.899 --> 00:40:53.480 never given your 00:40:53.480 --> 00:40:54.159 life to Christ 00:40:54.159 --> 00:40:54.899 and you feel that 00:40:54.899 --> 00:40:55.639 bit of a tug, 00:40:56.239 --> 00:40:56.879 some of you might 00:40:56.879 --> 00:40:57.259 be saying, 00:40:57.339 --> 00:40:57.599 George, 00:40:57.719 --> 00:40:57.899 you know, 00:40:57.960 --> 00:40:58.659 all my life I've 00:40:58.659 --> 00:40:59.119 been missed. 00:40:59.219 --> 00:40:59.899 When it comes time 00:40:59.899 --> 00:41:00.460 for dating, 00:41:00.619 --> 00:41:01.059 I missed. 00:41:01.579 --> 00:41:02.419 When it comes time 00:41:02.419 --> 00:41:02.940 for marriage, 00:41:03.059 --> 00:41:03.500 I missed. 00:41:03.599 --> 00:41:04.199 When it comes time 00:41:04.199 --> 00:41:04.699 for children, 00:41:04.839 --> 00:41:05.199 I missed. 00:41:05.319 --> 00:41:05.919 When it comes time 00:41:05.919 --> 00:41:06.440 to make money, 00:41:06.539 --> 00:41:06.980 I missed. 00:41:07.399 --> 00:41:08.279 When it comes time 00:41:08.279 --> 00:41:09.559 for all of these 00:41:09.559 --> 00:41:10.079 good things, 00:41:10.179 --> 00:41:10.559 promotions, 00:41:10.779 --> 00:41:11.299 I missed. 00:41:11.519 --> 00:41:13.219 And I can't believe 00:41:13.219 --> 00:41:13.659 it's true. 00:41:13.759 --> 00:41:14.319 Let me tell you, 00:41:14.359 --> 00:41:15.500 if you've heard this 00:41:15.500 --> 00:41:16.179 and you feel that 00:41:16.179 --> 00:41:16.300 all, 00:41:16.400 --> 00:41:17.400 even by you saying 00:41:17.400 --> 00:41:17.719 that, 00:41:18.099 --> 00:41:18.880 it's showing that 00:41:18.880 --> 00:41:19.539 God is at work 00:41:19.539 --> 00:41:20.260 in your heart 00:41:20.260 --> 00:41:22.340 and he wants you 00:41:22.340 --> 00:41:22.960 to recognize 00:41:22.960 --> 00:41:24.380 that he's chosen you. 00:41:27.480 --> 00:41:27.920 Like, 00:41:28.099 --> 00:41:28.360 yes, 00:41:28.460 --> 00:41:29.019 like you. 00:41:31.280 --> 00:41:32.239 The final word 00:41:32.239 --> 00:41:32.659 about you 00:41:32.659 --> 00:41:33.539 will not be missed. 00:41:34.800 --> 00:41:35.360 The final word 00:41:35.360 --> 00:41:35.699 about you 00:41:35.699 --> 00:41:36.199 has already been 00:41:36.199 --> 00:41:37.059 spoken and it's 00:41:37.059 --> 00:41:37.500 chosen. 00:41:39.579 --> 00:41:40.820 Chosen for love's 00:41:40.820 --> 00:41:41.099 sake, 00:41:41.519 --> 00:41:42.159 by love, 00:41:42.400 --> 00:41:43.239 for love's sake. 00:41:43.239 --> 00:41:44.379 He loves you. 00:41:46.439 --> 00:41:47.279 Let's bow our heads 00:41:47.279 --> 00:41:47.699 in prayer. 00:41:50.519 --> 00:41:50.959 Father, 00:41:51.119 --> 00:41:52.319 whether it's 00:41:52.319 --> 00:41:52.719 just sort of 00:41:52.719 --> 00:41:53.359 dawning on us 00:41:53.359 --> 00:41:54.139 for the first time 00:41:54.139 --> 00:41:54.619 and our hearts 00:41:54.619 --> 00:41:55.619 are turning to Christ 00:41:55.619 --> 00:41:57.959 in humble gratitude 00:41:57.959 --> 00:41:59.199 and amazement 00:41:59.199 --> 00:41:59.919 that he would 00:41:59.919 --> 00:42:01.959 choose somebody 00:42:01.959 --> 00:42:02.699 like me, 00:42:02.899 --> 00:42:03.739 somebody like us, 00:42:04.219 --> 00:42:05.379 or whether we 00:42:05.379 --> 00:42:06.979 have known you 00:42:06.979 --> 00:42:08.059 for a long time 00:42:08.059 --> 00:42:08.659 and are just 00:42:08.659 --> 00:42:09.359 once again 00:42:09.359 --> 00:42:11.279 enchanted 00:42:11.279 --> 00:42:12.639 or moved 00:42:12.639 --> 00:42:13.920 by the beauty 00:42:13.920 --> 00:42:14.739 of what you've 00:42:14.739 --> 00:42:15.420 done so that 00:42:15.420 --> 00:42:15.839 we would be 00:42:15.839 --> 00:42:16.400 your children 00:42:16.400 --> 00:42:18.019 by adoption 00:42:18.019 --> 00:42:18.500 and grace. 00:42:18.659 --> 00:42:18.799 Father, 00:42:18.900 --> 00:42:19.480 we ask that 00:42:19.480 --> 00:42:20.920 these beautiful 00:42:20.920 --> 00:42:22.079 words have chosen 00:42:22.079 --> 00:42:22.719 that they would 00:42:22.719 --> 00:42:23.099 be etched 00:42:23.099 --> 00:42:23.900 on our heart, 00:42:24.259 --> 00:42:24.639 that they would 00:42:24.639 --> 00:42:24.980 be etched 00:42:24.980 --> 00:42:25.799 on our mind, 00:42:26.940 --> 00:42:27.159 that, 00:42:27.500 --> 00:42:27.699 Father, 00:42:27.799 --> 00:42:28.219 it would be 00:42:28.219 --> 00:42:29.799 the ground 00:42:29.799 --> 00:42:30.420 on which we 00:42:30.420 --> 00:42:31.339 stand as we 00:42:31.339 --> 00:42:31.859 look at our 00:42:31.859 --> 00:42:32.259 world, 00:42:32.400 --> 00:42:33.960 that it would 00:42:33.960 --> 00:42:34.599 be that which 00:42:34.599 --> 00:42:35.400 propels us 00:42:35.400 --> 00:42:36.139 to move forward, 00:42:36.299 --> 00:42:37.079 that which draws 00:42:37.079 --> 00:42:38.059 us to move forward, 00:42:38.239 --> 00:42:39.319 that which helps 00:42:39.319 --> 00:42:39.980 us to see the 00:42:39.980 --> 00:42:40.619 world and see 00:42:40.619 --> 00:42:41.519 ourselves and 00:42:41.519 --> 00:42:42.219 what you've 00:42:42.219 --> 00:42:42.759 called us to 00:42:42.759 --> 00:42:42.960 do. 00:42:43.460 --> 00:42:43.880 We ask, 00:42:44.099 --> 00:42:44.179 Father, 00:42:44.280 --> 00:42:44.820 that your Holy 00:42:44.820 --> 00:42:45.320 Spirit would 00:42:45.320 --> 00:42:45.840 take these 00:42:45.840 --> 00:42:47.420 words and weave 00:42:47.420 --> 00:42:48.000 them deeply 00:42:48.000 --> 00:42:48.599 into who we 00:42:48.599 --> 00:42:48.800 are. 00:42:49.380 --> 00:42:49.920 And we ask 00:42:49.920 --> 00:42:50.599 all these things 00:42:50.599 --> 00:42:51.039 in the name 00:42:51.039 --> 00:42:51.500 of Jesus, 00:42:51.639 --> 00:42:52.059 your Son 00:42:52.059 --> 00:42:52.699 and our Savior, 00:42:53.360 --> 00:42:53.920 and all God's 00:42:53.920 --> 00:42:54.579 people said, 00:42:55.079 --> 00:42:55.699 Amen.