WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.620 Could you turn with me now to some words that we'll find in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 16 and verse 3. 00:00:07.060 --> 00:00:09.220 Matthew 16, verse 3. 00:00:10.019 --> 00:00:12.120 To get the sense, we'll read from verse 2. 00:00:12.120 --> 00:00:16.839 He replied, when evening comes, you say, it will be fair weather for the sky is red. 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:21.320 And in the morning, today, it will be stormy for the sky is red and overcast. 00:00:21.760 --> 00:00:28.900 You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 00:00:29.899 --> 00:00:31.939 And especially those last words. 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:38.780 You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 00:00:40.640 --> 00:00:46.980 At New Year, we're perhaps more acutely aware of the passing of time than other times, 00:00:47.579 --> 00:00:51.939 except perhaps our own birthdays when we remember that we've got a year older. 00:00:52.659 --> 00:00:56.739 And the older you get, the faster that time seems to fly past. 00:00:56.740 --> 00:01:02.480 But as we reflect on the passing of time, many thoughts crowd into our minds. 00:01:03.079 --> 00:01:07.439 From the year that has gone, and maybe the years that have gone. 00:01:08.120 --> 00:01:12.640 The events of family, and of work, and of society at large. 00:01:13.420 --> 00:01:21.540 The joys, successes, the encouragements, but also the hurts, the shames, and the griefs. 00:01:21.540 --> 00:01:25.340 They say that time is a great healer. 00:01:26.380 --> 00:01:27.440 But that's not so. 00:01:28.260 --> 00:01:33.540 The pain can come back just as sharp as it was 50 years or more ago. 00:01:33.960 --> 00:01:40.580 Unless some new force or influence has brought healing in your life. 00:01:40.579 --> 00:01:49.599 But here, Jesus isn't speaking about the mere passing of time, of chronology, of history. 00:01:50.679 --> 00:01:53.539 Because there are two words in Greek for time. 00:01:54.319 --> 00:01:57.819 One is chronos, from which we get chronology. 00:01:58.259 --> 00:02:03.599 Or chronic, when we think about a disease or illness that is going on and on. 00:02:03.799 --> 00:02:06.579 It's about the continuity of time, that word chronos. 00:02:06.579 --> 00:02:07.099 Chronos. 00:02:07.859 --> 00:02:10.039 But there's another word called kairos. 00:02:10.639 --> 00:02:14.579 Which means an opportune time, or a crisis time. 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:16.979 When decisions have to be made. 00:02:17.919 --> 00:02:20.879 And it's the latter that Jesus uses here. 00:02:21.819 --> 00:02:24.740 We're living in critical times, Jesus says. 00:02:25.740 --> 00:02:28.340 He says that the people living at that time, particularly, 00:02:28.599 --> 00:02:32.460 were faced with opportunities that demanded decision. 00:02:32.460 --> 00:02:39.080 I'm reminded of Frodo's conversation with Gandalf in the Fellowship of the Ring. 00:02:40.420 --> 00:02:45.040 Gandalf has just told Frodo about the growth of a great evil power in the world. 00:02:45.039 --> 00:02:50.439 I wish it need not have happened in my time, said Frodo. 00:02:51.199 --> 00:02:52.979 So do I, said Gandalf. 00:02:53.319 --> 00:02:56.120 And so do all who live to see such times. 00:02:56.659 --> 00:02:58.680 But that is not for them to decide. 00:02:59.319 --> 00:03:04.500 All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. 00:03:04.500 --> 00:03:11.699 Jesus here is encouraging us to decide what we're going to do with the time given to us. 00:03:11.900 --> 00:03:14.979 At this particular juncture of history. 00:03:15.740 --> 00:03:19.560 But he also says that there were clear signs to observe. 00:03:20.520 --> 00:03:22.020 Signs of the times. 00:03:22.719 --> 00:03:26.759 That should be known or understood or interpreted aright. 00:03:26.759 --> 00:03:33.780 And this leads us to the main point in this, or sorry, the first main point in this short passage. 00:03:34.039 --> 00:03:37.379 And that is interpreting the evidence. 00:03:39.539 --> 00:03:40.899 Give us some proof. 00:03:41.019 --> 00:03:44.560 That seemed to be the constant cry of Jesus' opponents. 00:03:45.379 --> 00:03:46.500 They asked for a sign. 00:03:46.599 --> 00:03:49.219 This isn't the only time that they asked for it. 00:03:49.859 --> 00:03:52.419 Here they're asking for a sign from heaven. 00:03:52.419 --> 00:03:57.619 Maybe the idea was that he should do something like Moses or Elijah. 00:03:58.139 --> 00:04:03.139 You know, like Moses who brought down manna from heaven. 00:04:03.500 --> 00:04:06.659 Or Elijah who called down fire from heaven. 00:04:07.099 --> 00:04:09.000 Something dramatic like that. 00:04:10.179 --> 00:04:17.259 It's interesting, isn't it, that it's the Pharisees and Sadducees who here combine for a sign. 00:04:17.319 --> 00:04:20.300 Because they disagreed about so much. 00:04:20.300 --> 00:04:24.000 The Sadducees were what we might call the liberals of the day. 00:04:24.480 --> 00:04:26.879 And the Pharisees were the legalists of the day. 00:04:27.300 --> 00:04:30.620 But here they were united in their opposition to Jesus. 00:04:31.819 --> 00:04:34.400 They were trying to test him maliciously. 00:04:34.580 --> 00:04:36.540 To see if he'd put a foot wrong. 00:04:36.660 --> 00:04:38.620 That's the kind of idea of the language here. 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:40.139 To see him fail. 00:04:41.080 --> 00:04:44.480 Prove to our satisfaction that you are the Christ. 00:04:45.240 --> 00:04:47.420 And of course it's still the cry of many today. 00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:49.639 Prove to us that the Bible is true. 00:04:49.639 --> 00:04:50.860 That God exists. 00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:52.399 That there's only one way to God. 00:04:52.479 --> 00:04:53.019 And so on. 00:04:54.219 --> 00:05:02.399 And sometimes, of course, that can be a perfectly genuine and acceptable kind of question or challenge. 00:05:02.680 --> 00:05:05.139 Because Jesus says, seek and you will find. 00:05:05.259 --> 00:05:10.120 And if those kind of questions are being raised in the sense of seeking an answer, that's well and good. 00:05:10.800 --> 00:05:13.339 But so often it can be in a hostile way. 00:05:13.419 --> 00:05:16.120 And more an accusation than a real question. 00:05:16.120 --> 00:05:19.519 Because the idea is, well, you can't prove any of this. 00:05:19.899 --> 00:05:24.079 Just as they were saying here to Jesus, you can't give a sign from heaven. 00:05:25.740 --> 00:05:30.180 And this raises the interesting question as to what proof you will accept. 00:05:30.180 --> 00:05:32.980 What evidence will you acknowledge? 00:05:32.980 --> 00:05:37.660 It reminds me of a line in the Leonard Cohen song that says, 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:40.439 Ah, they'll never ever reach the moon. 00:05:40.939 --> 00:05:42.879 At least not the one that we're after. 00:05:43.680 --> 00:05:50.180 In other words, you define the question in such a way that you're never ever going to get the proof that you're looking for. 00:05:50.180 --> 00:05:57.259 And also there's the question of what kind of method you use to gain proof from the evidence. 00:05:57.680 --> 00:06:02.240 Here, Jesus speaks about two types of evidence and two kinds of method. 00:06:02.800 --> 00:06:07.399 What we may call the scientific method and the historical method. 00:06:07.660 --> 00:06:11.819 Although there are certain similarities between both of these. 00:06:12.420 --> 00:06:15.780 First of all, there's what we may call the scientific evidence. 00:06:15.779 --> 00:06:21.659 Here, Jesus talks about interpreting the appearance of the sky. 00:06:23.199 --> 00:06:26.459 The evidence is the way that things look or appear. 00:06:26.839 --> 00:06:28.679 And the method is observation. 00:06:28.879 --> 00:06:31.659 And he gives an example, of course, a famous example of this. 00:06:32.259 --> 00:06:34.899 Interpreting the appearance of the sky to predict the weather. 00:06:35.779 --> 00:06:41.019 And this is a general observation that has been noted in many areas of the world. 00:06:41.019 --> 00:06:43.779 Where the prevailing winds are from the west. 00:06:43.959 --> 00:06:48.079 As they were in Israel and as they are here in Britain. 00:06:48.899 --> 00:06:51.560 Because our weather comes from the west. 00:06:51.839 --> 00:06:58.479 So when there are clouds that are coming from the west and they have kind of passed. 00:06:59.099 --> 00:07:02.639 The sun shines on them and cause a red sky at night. 00:07:03.219 --> 00:07:05.459 But if it happens in the morning. 00:07:05.859 --> 00:07:08.519 Which is the opposite side of the sky in the east. 00:07:08.519 --> 00:07:11.299 That shows that the clouds are just coming over us. 00:07:11.299 --> 00:07:16.139 So it's quite a reliable way of predicting what the day is going to do. 00:07:16.279 --> 00:07:18.539 It's based on good science, we might say. 00:07:19.060 --> 00:07:23.680 And Jesus doesn't criticize them for this method of observation. 00:07:24.500 --> 00:07:27.659 Because that's something that we're encouraged to do. 00:07:27.740 --> 00:07:33.199 And using our minds to study the world that God has created. 00:07:33.199 --> 00:07:38.979 God has created a universe that has a face or an appearance that can be interpreted by us. 00:07:39.240 --> 00:07:44.279 And he's created us in our own image so that we have minds to interpret or to judge. 00:07:45.519 --> 00:07:47.860 And he has made a correspondence between the two. 00:07:47.959 --> 00:07:50.259 That is one of the great amazing things, isn't it? 00:07:50.339 --> 00:07:52.159 Between the universe and us. 00:07:52.639 --> 00:07:55.219 The reasoning of our minds, including mathematics, 00:07:55.959 --> 00:07:59.620 actually correspond to the nature of the universe. 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:01.060 That's not by accident. 00:08:01.060 --> 00:08:02.639 It's by God's design. 00:08:03.160 --> 00:08:07.319 It's been said that God is the great mathematician, the greatest mathematician. 00:08:08.019 --> 00:08:11.600 Or we could say he is also the greatest scientist, the greatest designer. 00:08:13.639 --> 00:08:19.199 It's no wonder, therefore, that Christians were at the forefront of the development of modern science. 00:08:19.699 --> 00:08:24.379 People like Isaac Newton and James Clark Maxwell and all these great men 00:08:24.379 --> 00:08:27.660 were people who trusted in what God said in his word. 00:08:27.660 --> 00:08:32.580 And look to that correspondence between the universe and our minds. 00:08:33.540 --> 00:08:35.500 James Clark Maxwell prayed, 00:08:35.500 --> 00:08:42.120 Almighty God, who has created man in thine own image and made him a living soul that he might seek after thee 00:08:42.120 --> 00:08:47.059 and have dominion over thy creatures, teach us to study the works of thy hands, 00:08:47.299 --> 00:08:52.840 that we may subdue the earth to our use and strengthen the reason for thy service, 00:08:53.679 --> 00:08:59.100 so to receive thy blessed word, that we may believe on him whom thou hast sent, 00:08:59.100 --> 00:09:02.680 to give us the knowledge of salvation and the remission of our sins, 00:09:03.000 --> 00:09:07.580 all of which we ask in the name of the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. 00:09:08.659 --> 00:09:11.279 So scientific observation is important, 00:09:11.820 --> 00:09:17.540 but it's not enough if we want to know all that God has for us. 00:09:17.539 --> 00:09:22.299 We also need what I call historical evidence, 00:09:22.620 --> 00:09:24.259 and we need that for two reasons. 00:09:25.240 --> 00:09:29.699 Scientific proof is relative, relative to our knowledge. 00:09:30.279 --> 00:09:32.000 For instance, the weather. 00:09:32.399 --> 00:09:37.079 We may perhaps be able to predict today or even up to five days, 00:09:37.259 --> 00:09:43.659 but after that it gets more and more unlikely that we're able to predict exactly, 00:09:43.659 --> 00:09:46.399 even with all the modern tools at our disposal. 00:09:47.539 --> 00:09:53.360 And also, there is a revelation of God in the creation. 00:09:54.059 --> 00:09:55.360 We're told that in scriptures. 00:09:56.159 --> 00:10:00.399 His existence, his wisdom and power is shown there, but it is limited. 00:10:01.559 --> 00:10:04.299 It doesn't tell us all that we need to know about God. 00:10:04.980 --> 00:10:08.079 God revealed himself more fully in history, 00:10:08.079 --> 00:10:13.939 and particularly at particular times in history that are revealed in the Bible. 00:10:14.339 --> 00:10:17.519 And that leads us to the next point, the historical evidence. 00:10:17.539 --> 00:10:22.620 Here Jesus says, you can interpret the appearance of the sky, 00:10:23.259 --> 00:10:26.120 but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 00:10:27.399 --> 00:10:31.919 Jesus saying that just as the face of the sky is not meaningless, 00:10:32.639 --> 00:10:33.759 neither is history. 00:10:34.559 --> 00:10:39.319 History is not a jumble of unconnected and meaningless events, 00:10:39.320 --> 00:10:43.480 but there are particular times. 00:10:43.840 --> 00:10:46.260 We used this word kairos earlier. 00:10:46.460 --> 00:10:49.100 Opportun times where God is at work in history, 00:10:49.620 --> 00:10:52.080 particularly in these events recorded in the Bible, 00:10:52.240 --> 00:10:53.700 especially in the life of Jesus. 00:10:54.180 --> 00:10:57.379 There was something special going on at that time. 00:10:57.379 --> 00:11:02.919 And there are signs, significance, meaning in those events. 00:11:03.320 --> 00:11:06.960 There's evidence that can be adduced, conclusions to be drawn, 00:11:07.460 --> 00:11:09.439 and interpretations to be made. 00:11:10.179 --> 00:11:13.460 So what were the signs of the times that Jesus was talking about then? 00:11:14.200 --> 00:11:15.700 There are various things. 00:11:15.860 --> 00:11:17.879 There's a whole host of things we could mention. 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:19.019 I'll mention one or two. 00:11:20.019 --> 00:11:23.960 Something that's mentioned way back in Genesis chapter 49, verse 10. 00:11:25.179 --> 00:11:28.879 We're told there that the scepter would not depart from Judah 00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:33.379 until he comes to whom it belongs or until Shiloh comes. 00:11:34.879 --> 00:11:39.019 And what we have in this period of history was that the scepter had departed from Judah 00:11:39.019 --> 00:11:42.620 because it wasn't a Jewish person who was, 00:11:42.840 --> 00:11:45.379 it wasn't somebody descended from the tribe of Judah who was ruling. 00:11:45.379 --> 00:11:48.240 It was Herod and his descendants. 00:11:49.639 --> 00:11:50.820 The scepter had departed. 00:11:51.299 --> 00:11:56.019 So people should have been expecting the one to whom the scepter really belonged, 00:11:56.139 --> 00:11:57.460 the kingship really belonged. 00:11:58.399 --> 00:12:01.860 And there was the whole, all the events that we're thinking about in past weeks 00:12:01.860 --> 00:12:03.179 about the birth of the Messiah. 00:12:03.720 --> 00:12:06.019 As Paul put it, when the time had fully come, 00:12:06.600 --> 00:12:09.580 God sent forth his son born of a woman born under the law. 00:12:10.820 --> 00:12:14.419 And all those events connected, say, with the wise men 00:12:14.419 --> 00:12:18.059 when they came from the east and all Jerusalem was in a turmoil. 00:12:18.699 --> 00:12:19.860 These were signs. 00:12:20.879 --> 00:12:24.860 And as we noticed in recent weeks, nobody was paying attention to, 00:12:24.899 --> 00:12:26.740 or very few were paying attention to. 00:12:28.219 --> 00:12:30.879 And then there was Jesus' life, Jesus' miracles. 00:12:31.179 --> 00:12:34.559 Here in chapter 15, we read about the healing of the lame, 00:12:34.699 --> 00:12:36.219 the blind, the crippled, the mute. 00:12:37.319 --> 00:12:39.199 We read about him showing compassion 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:43.020 and feeding those who are hungry. 00:12:45.480 --> 00:12:51.160 But supremely, we have the sign of Jesus' death and resurrection. 00:12:52.100 --> 00:12:59.000 Because here, in this passage, he says that no sign will be given to this generation 00:12:59.000 --> 00:13:01.759 but the sign of Jonah. 00:13:01.759 --> 00:13:03.860 Now, what was the sign of Jonah? 00:13:04.220 --> 00:13:06.519 It's explained earlier in chapter 12, 00:13:07.279 --> 00:13:11.980 where it says that the sign of Jonah was just as he was three days and three nights 00:13:11.980 --> 00:13:12.939 in the belly of the earth, 00:13:13.419 --> 00:13:17.860 so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the belly of the earth. 00:13:18.399 --> 00:13:20.639 Jonah was in the belly of the whale, or the great fish, 00:13:21.480 --> 00:13:23.240 Jesus in the belly of the earth. 00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:25.600 In other words, Jesus would be buried, 00:13:26.220 --> 00:13:27.679 but he would rise again. 00:13:27.679 --> 00:13:34.299 And we have, therefore, this great sign of Jesus' death and rising again, 00:13:34.519 --> 00:13:37.500 the greatest piece of evidence that is given to us. 00:13:37.939 --> 00:13:43.659 Because you know this, I think most reputable historians will say 00:13:43.659 --> 00:13:49.859 it is an indisputed fact of history that the tomb of Jesus was empty on the third day. 00:13:50.939 --> 00:13:53.939 They don't say necessarily that he was raised again from the dead, 00:13:53.940 --> 00:13:57.760 but they will say to explain all the events that took place after that, 00:13:58.300 --> 00:13:59.460 it must have been empty. 00:13:59.960 --> 00:14:02.540 Now, we know that various explanations were put forward, 00:14:02.800 --> 00:14:06.080 but all those explanations fall down in one way or another. 00:14:06.220 --> 00:14:09.320 They don't really explain, for instance, the birth of the church. 00:14:09.420 --> 00:14:13.920 They don't explain how disciples who were totally demoralized by what had happened 00:14:13.920 --> 00:14:19.220 suddenly started preaching publicly that Jesus had risen from the dead, 00:14:19.740 --> 00:14:22.380 and nobody was able to contradict them. 00:14:22.379 --> 00:14:24.860 And so we have this great piece of evidence, 00:14:24.960 --> 00:14:26.840 along with all the other pieces of evidence, 00:14:27.039 --> 00:14:29.799 of who Jesus is and what he has come to do 00:14:29.799 --> 00:14:33.019 and what his death means in paying the price of our sin. 00:14:34.659 --> 00:14:37.939 So although we may be very good at interpreting nature, 00:14:38.120 --> 00:14:39.740 just as they were in those days, 00:14:40.179 --> 00:14:42.059 and we're especially good at it today, 00:14:43.019 --> 00:14:45.279 we are so poor at interpreting history, 00:14:45.740 --> 00:14:48.440 particularly the history in which God has revealed himself. 00:14:48.440 --> 00:14:51.340 The Pharisees and so on, 00:14:51.480 --> 00:14:53.660 they saw the evidence of Jesus' miracles. 00:14:54.480 --> 00:14:55.940 They saw it with their own eyes, 00:14:56.680 --> 00:14:57.940 but they explained it away. 00:14:58.600 --> 00:15:00.560 They said it was the power of Beelzebub, 00:15:00.960 --> 00:15:02.060 the prince of demons, 00:15:02.460 --> 00:15:03.800 that he did this. 00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:07.880 And Jesus demolishes that theory 00:15:07.880 --> 00:15:12.060 when he shows that a kingdom divided against itself 00:15:12.060 --> 00:15:13.020 could not stand. 00:15:13.019 --> 00:15:17.699 And so also with the resurrection itself, 00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:20.379 the chief priest devised a plan 00:15:20.379 --> 00:15:22.179 to explain away the empty tomb, 00:15:22.419 --> 00:15:24.419 to say that his disciples had come 00:15:24.419 --> 00:15:26.460 and smuggled away the body, 00:15:26.659 --> 00:15:28.480 even although there were guards there, 00:15:29.019 --> 00:15:32.600 even although the stone was such a weighty thing 00:15:32.600 --> 00:15:33.919 that it could not have been removed 00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:35.779 without some great struggle 00:15:35.779 --> 00:15:38.079 and some great noise. 00:15:38.080 --> 00:15:41.620 All these things devised did not make sense. 00:15:42.620 --> 00:15:44.420 And so we've got this great evidence 00:15:44.420 --> 00:15:45.560 that's put before us 00:15:45.560 --> 00:15:48.500 that the Lord Jesus Christ is whom he claimed to be. 00:15:49.759 --> 00:15:53.639 But you know, this passage is not just talking 00:15:53.639 --> 00:15:55.480 about the evidence, 00:15:56.300 --> 00:15:58.600 the evidence that can lead to showing 00:15:58.600 --> 00:16:02.040 who Jesus is and what he's done, 00:16:02.460 --> 00:16:06.400 but also he speaks about the signs of the times. 00:16:06.399 --> 00:16:09.860 Now, those were some of the signs of the times 00:16:09.860 --> 00:16:11.659 when he was speaking there. 00:16:12.799 --> 00:16:13.879 And in one sense, 00:16:14.139 --> 00:16:16.519 these signs of the times are the same as they were then. 00:16:16.659 --> 00:16:18.360 The life, the miracles, the death, 00:16:18.439 --> 00:16:20.459 the rising again of Jesus 00:16:20.459 --> 00:16:24.199 and the impact that they made on people's lives 00:16:24.199 --> 00:16:26.939 and continue to make on people's lives. 00:16:27.519 --> 00:16:29.480 And that's because we are still living 00:16:29.480 --> 00:16:31.039 in what the New Testament calls 00:16:31.039 --> 00:16:33.799 the last times or the last days. 00:16:34.340 --> 00:16:35.620 From Pentecost on, 00:16:35.620 --> 00:16:37.399 Peter spoke on the day of Pentecost 00:16:37.399 --> 00:16:39.580 and quoting from the Old Testament, 00:16:40.200 --> 00:16:42.779 says these are the last days. 00:16:44.060 --> 00:16:45.419 But in another sense, 00:16:45.500 --> 00:16:47.480 the particular times we're living in 00:16:47.480 --> 00:16:48.799 are different from the times 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:50.700 in which Jesus and the apostles lived. 00:16:51.060 --> 00:16:53.100 As, of course, Dylan famously sang, 00:16:53.419 --> 00:16:54.799 the times, they are a-changing. 00:16:55.679 --> 00:16:57.299 And that's the problem with times. 00:16:57.440 --> 00:16:58.500 They keep on changing. 00:16:59.460 --> 00:17:02.299 And so the challenges that we may face yesterday 00:17:02.299 --> 00:17:04.859 are not the same challenges as we may face tomorrow. 00:17:05.619 --> 00:17:07.759 So what are the signs of the times today? 00:17:07.879 --> 00:17:10.279 And how are we to relate the signs of Jesus' life, 00:17:10.379 --> 00:17:13.599 death, and rising again to our times today? 00:17:13.599 --> 00:17:16.379 I want to mention one or two things 00:17:16.379 --> 00:17:21.419 that appear to be happening in the history of our world today. 00:17:22.119 --> 00:17:25.599 One, of course, is this whole great movement 00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:28.539 towards atheism and secularism. 00:17:28.539 --> 00:17:32.399 And one of the fundamentals of that movement 00:17:32.399 --> 00:17:35.539 seems to be the idea that has crept in 00:17:35.539 --> 00:17:38.680 and been given credence by a whole lot of people 00:17:38.680 --> 00:17:42.759 that religion is based on something called faith 00:17:42.759 --> 00:17:45.940 and secularism is based on evidence. 00:17:45.940 --> 00:17:52.580 So the idea of faith there is faith without evidence. 00:17:52.759 --> 00:17:53.920 In other words, blind faith. 00:17:54.299 --> 00:17:57.320 That's what religion is based on, secularism and evidence. 00:18:00.259 --> 00:18:03.759 So faith is belief without evidence. 00:18:04.279 --> 00:18:07.920 Secularism is firmly based on what can be scientifically proven. 00:18:08.779 --> 00:18:10.820 But there are huge problems with that view 00:18:10.820 --> 00:18:13.740 because one of the basic ideas 00:18:13.740 --> 00:18:16.420 that has led to this kind of secular view 00:18:16.420 --> 00:18:18.400 is this principle. 00:18:18.640 --> 00:18:20.420 We should not believe something 00:18:20.420 --> 00:18:23.079 unless we can prove it empirically. 00:18:23.079 --> 00:18:25.660 That means by observation and scientific method. 00:18:26.519 --> 00:18:28.640 There's one great problem with that right away. 00:18:29.319 --> 00:18:31.660 That principle does not meet its own standard. 00:18:32.880 --> 00:18:35.460 It can't be proved empirically. 00:18:36.120 --> 00:18:39.660 It's a statement that's taken on trust or on faith. 00:18:40.500 --> 00:18:43.680 So right away, the root of it is cut. 00:18:44.740 --> 00:18:48.779 Also, we can prove physical or chemical reactions 00:18:48.779 --> 00:18:50.019 in that kind of way, 00:18:50.620 --> 00:18:54.539 but we can't prove beliefs about justice, 00:18:54.779 --> 00:18:57.759 human rights or equality in that way. 00:18:58.740 --> 00:19:01.799 We take them on faith in some way or other. 00:19:03.259 --> 00:19:05.779 And reason depends on our faith 00:19:05.779 --> 00:19:08.180 that our senses are not tricking us 00:19:08.180 --> 00:19:11.059 or that the world is not some kind of illusion 00:19:11.059 --> 00:19:12.940 like in the film The Matrix. 00:19:14.039 --> 00:19:16.240 You know, that it's all unreal somehow. 00:19:17.500 --> 00:19:19.759 And as a philosopher Stephen Evans says, 00:19:20.099 --> 00:19:21.500 science by its very nature 00:19:21.500 --> 00:19:23.200 is not fit to investigate 00:19:23.200 --> 00:19:24.960 whether there is more to reality 00:19:24.960 --> 00:19:26.339 than the natural world. 00:19:26.819 --> 00:19:27.519 What's that saying? 00:19:27.579 --> 00:19:28.440 It's basically saying 00:19:28.440 --> 00:19:30.619 science is investigating the natural world. 00:19:30.779 --> 00:19:33.619 That's the rules according to which it operates. 00:19:34.679 --> 00:19:36.240 Therefore, it cannot say anything 00:19:36.240 --> 00:19:38.220 about whether there's a reality 00:19:38.220 --> 00:19:39.759 more than the natural world. 00:19:41.140 --> 00:19:43.180 Therefore, we must refuse to be taken in 00:19:43.180 --> 00:19:46.240 by this religion equals blind faith. 00:19:46.700 --> 00:19:48.720 Secularism is evidence-based. 00:19:49.240 --> 00:19:51.599 We must refuse to be taken in by that 00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:52.779 and to expose it. 00:19:52.779 --> 00:19:55.680 Because, of course, there are other types of proof 00:19:55.680 --> 00:19:57.680 apart from scientific proof. 00:19:58.000 --> 00:20:00.700 There's legal proof beyond reasonable doubt 00:20:00.700 --> 00:20:02.960 or on the balance of probabilities 00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:05.200 or historical proof, 00:20:05.299 --> 00:20:07.200 such as the kind of things we've been looking at, 00:20:07.420 --> 00:20:10.240 looking at what actually happened in the past. 00:20:10.799 --> 00:20:14.460 So we must remember that as we talk to people 00:20:14.460 --> 00:20:16.639 and as we hear these arguments are put forward. 00:20:17.519 --> 00:20:19.960 Second thing is something that Andrew McKeever 00:20:19.960 --> 00:20:23.140 actually mentioned this Sunday evening past 00:20:23.140 --> 00:20:26.140 about a recently published book, 00:20:26.299 --> 00:20:28.579 That Hideous Strength, How the West Was Lost. 00:20:29.079 --> 00:20:32.299 This whole idea of cultural Marxism, as it's called. 00:20:32.920 --> 00:20:34.440 I read this book a few weeks ago. 00:20:34.620 --> 00:20:37.840 And, of course, the title is based on a more famous work 00:20:37.840 --> 00:20:40.360 by C.S. Lewis called That Hideous Strength. 00:20:41.120 --> 00:20:43.559 And also I'd recommend, as well as reading those books, 00:20:43.559 --> 00:20:45.799 I'd recommend reading another book of C.S. Lewis, 00:20:45.940 --> 00:20:47.160 The Abolition of Man, 00:20:47.160 --> 00:20:50.740 which really was predicting the kind of things 00:20:50.740 --> 00:20:52.500 that we've seen happening in the world today. 00:20:53.800 --> 00:20:55.900 Without sort of boring you too much, 00:20:56.019 --> 00:21:00.420 cultural Marxism is a blending of the thinking 00:21:00.420 --> 00:21:03.140 of Marx, Darwin, and Freud, 00:21:04.200 --> 00:21:07.220 who are regarded as the three wise men 00:21:07.220 --> 00:21:08.180 of the modern world. 00:21:08.900 --> 00:21:10.700 Now, you'll not hear the expression 00:21:10.700 --> 00:21:13.160 cultural Marxism or neo-Marxism 00:21:13.160 --> 00:21:14.680 in any popular media. 00:21:14.840 --> 00:21:17.600 You'll perhaps come across in academic circles. 00:21:18.340 --> 00:21:21.100 And that is because any mention of Marxism 00:21:21.100 --> 00:21:25.160 conjures up pictures of the communist despotism 00:21:25.160 --> 00:21:28.440 of Stalin or Mao Zedong or Pol Pot 00:21:28.440 --> 00:21:31.200 and all the millions that were killed by them. 00:21:31.740 --> 00:21:34.259 Nonetheless, the influence of such thinkers 00:21:34.259 --> 00:21:36.420 as Herbert Marcuse and others 00:21:36.420 --> 00:21:38.820 continues to be huge. 00:21:38.819 --> 00:21:42.139 Their emphasis is that the necessary revolution 00:21:42.139 --> 00:21:45.599 to overthrow capitalism and bourgeois values 00:21:45.599 --> 00:21:47.980 is not primarily an economic one, 00:21:48.220 --> 00:21:49.599 but a cultural one. 00:21:50.439 --> 00:21:52.359 Therefore, this involves the destruction 00:21:52.359 --> 00:21:54.539 of all social institutions 00:21:54.539 --> 00:21:58.099 that are regarded as upholding the status quo, 00:21:58.500 --> 00:22:00.559 the family, the church, 00:22:00.819 --> 00:22:02.759 and any other social institutions 00:22:02.759 --> 00:22:05.399 which are deemed to be counter-revolutionary 00:22:05.400 --> 00:22:06.600 or fascist. 00:22:06.720 --> 00:22:08.780 And you'll see this growing fashion 00:22:08.780 --> 00:22:10.500 of using the word fascist 00:22:10.500 --> 00:22:12.400 to describe anything 00:22:12.400 --> 00:22:14.320 that those people disagree with. 00:22:15.140 --> 00:22:16.780 And a key element in that 00:22:16.780 --> 00:22:18.620 was sexual liberation. 00:22:19.040 --> 00:22:21.220 As far back as the 1930s, 00:22:21.600 --> 00:22:23.660 Eric Fromm, one of these philosophers, 00:22:23.860 --> 00:22:26.500 was arguing that sexual orientation 00:22:26.500 --> 00:22:28.960 is merely a social construct. 00:22:29.759 --> 00:22:31.060 Sexuality and gender 00:22:31.060 --> 00:22:32.780 are socially determined. 00:22:33.560 --> 00:22:34.759 Where have we heard that before? 00:22:34.759 --> 00:22:37.740 That is all the rage at the present time. 00:22:38.119 --> 00:22:40.140 Sometimes these seeds that are sown 00:22:40.140 --> 00:22:43.220 take a long time to germinate and grow. 00:22:44.180 --> 00:22:45.240 Another key element 00:22:45.240 --> 00:22:47.619 is the destabilization of language. 00:22:48.119 --> 00:22:50.379 Words are mere tools to be used 00:22:50.379 --> 00:22:52.579 to mean whatever the speaker wants them to mean. 00:22:53.220 --> 00:22:56.119 It's a bit reminiscent of George Orwell's 1984 00:22:56.119 --> 00:22:58.839 and Doublethink and so on. 00:23:00.980 --> 00:23:02.259 Particularly of interest 00:23:02.259 --> 00:23:04.299 was their view of tolerance. 00:23:05.579 --> 00:23:07.319 Certain things cannot be said, 00:23:07.640 --> 00:23:08.480 Marcuse said. 00:23:08.859 --> 00:23:10.900 Certain ideas cannot be expressed. 00:23:11.180 --> 00:23:12.920 Certain policies cannot be promoted. 00:23:13.299 --> 00:23:15.160 Certain behavior cannot be permitted. 00:23:16.819 --> 00:23:18.359 That's the kind of tolerance 00:23:18.359 --> 00:23:21.220 that we begin to see creeping in 00:23:21.220 --> 00:23:22.759 in our world today. 00:23:23.519 --> 00:23:25.099 In our universities today. 00:23:25.740 --> 00:23:27.660 Many students will not tolerate 00:23:27.660 --> 00:23:30.400 hearing an opinion that they disagree with. 00:23:30.400 --> 00:23:34.100 It's the end of real investigation 00:23:34.100 --> 00:23:36.360 and research into reality. 00:23:37.620 --> 00:23:40.880 So we must see that this is just as much 00:23:40.880 --> 00:23:43.300 a revolution as a violent revolution. 00:23:44.060 --> 00:23:45.160 And we must point out 00:23:45.160 --> 00:23:48.920 it's destructive of meaning, 00:23:49.400 --> 00:23:50.780 value, and reality. 00:23:50.780 --> 00:23:53.300 As Christians, we must also see ourselves 00:23:53.300 --> 00:23:55.000 as true revolutionaries, 00:23:55.140 --> 00:23:58.140 as rebels against this monolithic influence 00:23:58.140 --> 00:24:00.580 that's eating up the brains and imaginations 00:24:00.580 --> 00:24:02.340 of rising generations. 00:24:04.300 --> 00:24:07.000 The third area I want to focus on 00:24:07.000 --> 00:24:09.160 is the area of identity. 00:24:10.040 --> 00:24:11.980 And here I'm indebted to Tim Keller 00:24:11.980 --> 00:24:13.960 in his book Making Sense of God. 00:24:15.400 --> 00:24:18.580 Our identity, our idea of who we are 00:24:18.580 --> 00:24:21.500 as people, is composed of a sense of self 00:24:21.500 --> 00:24:23.200 and a sense of worth. 00:24:23.820 --> 00:24:24.860 You know, who we are, 00:24:24.859 --> 00:24:26.539 what our life is worth, 00:24:26.639 --> 00:24:28.179 what it's about, what it means. 00:24:29.379 --> 00:24:31.039 In pre-modern times, 00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:33.359 and in still areas of the world 00:24:33.359 --> 00:24:34.359 where the modern world 00:24:34.359 --> 00:24:35.779 has not impinged too much, 00:24:36.299 --> 00:24:37.240 the idea is, 00:24:37.379 --> 00:24:39.439 I am what my community makes me. 00:24:40.399 --> 00:24:42.759 And Tim Keller gives an example 00:24:42.759 --> 00:24:45.639 of a warrior in the 10th century 00:24:45.639 --> 00:24:46.859 Anglo-Saxon poem, 00:24:47.019 --> 00:24:48.379 The Battle of Malden. 00:24:49.639 --> 00:24:51.579 He knows that they've lost the battle 00:24:51.579 --> 00:24:52.480 with the Danes, 00:24:53.139 --> 00:24:54.899 but instead of saving his own skin, 00:24:55.019 --> 00:24:56.699 he believes that the glory of his people 00:24:56.699 --> 00:24:58.139 would be better served 00:24:58.139 --> 00:24:59.779 by taking a last stand. 00:25:00.179 --> 00:25:01.299 And this is what he says, 00:25:01.720 --> 00:25:03.039 Here lies our Lord, 00:25:03.159 --> 00:25:04.159 all hewn down, 00:25:04.579 --> 00:25:05.839 good man on the ground. 00:25:06.500 --> 00:25:08.059 From here I will not turn, 00:25:08.639 --> 00:25:10.059 but by my Lord's side, 00:25:10.159 --> 00:25:11.199 by the man I loved, 00:25:11.759 --> 00:25:12.960 I intend to lie. 00:25:14.240 --> 00:25:14.879 Now, of course, 00:25:14.919 --> 00:25:16.399 the strength of that kind of view 00:25:16.400 --> 00:25:18.519 is in the idea of community 00:25:18.519 --> 00:25:19.500 and family 00:25:19.500 --> 00:25:21.420 and self-sacrifice, 00:25:21.600 --> 00:25:23.120 sacrificing your own interests 00:25:23.120 --> 00:25:25.180 for the good of others 00:25:25.180 --> 00:25:28.160 or even for the glory of others. 00:25:29.040 --> 00:25:30.380 The weakness, of course, 00:25:30.460 --> 00:25:31.680 is in that kind of way of thinking 00:25:31.680 --> 00:25:32.560 that it could become 00:25:32.560 --> 00:25:34.519 a rigid hierarchical system 00:25:34.519 --> 00:25:37.120 where everyone had to know their place. 00:25:39.080 --> 00:25:40.820 The modern view of identity 00:25:40.820 --> 00:25:42.140 is very different from that. 00:25:43.180 --> 00:25:43.940 Instead of, 00:25:43.940 --> 00:25:46.039 I am what the community makes me 00:25:46.039 --> 00:25:46.779 or tells me, 00:25:47.600 --> 00:25:48.860 I am what I am. 00:25:49.259 --> 00:25:50.120 Strangely enough, 00:25:50.500 --> 00:25:51.259 Shirley MacLaine, 00:25:51.799 --> 00:25:52.940 an actress famous 00:25:52.940 --> 00:25:54.220 for her New Age views, 00:25:54.539 --> 00:25:55.100 took that, 00:25:55.620 --> 00:25:56.840 those words from Scripture, 00:25:57.019 --> 00:25:58.380 which is the very name of God, 00:25:58.519 --> 00:25:59.559 I am that I am, 00:26:00.160 --> 00:26:01.340 but applied it to herself 00:26:01.340 --> 00:26:01.620 and said, 00:26:01.700 --> 00:26:02.660 I am that I am. 00:26:03.259 --> 00:26:04.200 I make myself. 00:26:05.799 --> 00:26:07.580 And we see this in all kinds of ways, 00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:09.740 even in the Disney movie Frozen. 00:26:10.759 --> 00:26:11.539 Elsa sings, 00:26:11.539 --> 00:26:13.620 It's time to see what I can do 00:26:13.619 --> 00:26:14.719 to test the limits 00:26:14.719 --> 00:26:15.539 and break through. 00:26:15.979 --> 00:26:16.519 No right, 00:26:16.659 --> 00:26:17.219 no wrong, 00:26:17.419 --> 00:26:18.539 no rules for me. 00:26:18.939 --> 00:26:19.519 I'm free. 00:26:20.439 --> 00:26:22.379 That expresses very clearly 00:26:22.379 --> 00:26:23.899 the idea people have 00:26:23.899 --> 00:26:25.099 of identity today. 00:26:25.539 --> 00:26:26.639 Reminded of the words 00:26:26.639 --> 00:26:28.079 of the band Queen, 00:26:28.299 --> 00:26:29.559 I want to break free. 00:26:30.939 --> 00:26:32.219 Keller sums it up like this, 00:26:32.259 --> 00:26:33.179 I find myself 00:26:33.179 --> 00:26:34.519 not by self-giving 00:26:34.519 --> 00:26:35.799 to something outside, 00:26:36.439 --> 00:26:38.139 but through self-expression 00:26:38.139 --> 00:26:40.099 of something inside. 00:26:40.099 --> 00:26:42.519 Now, of course, 00:26:42.579 --> 00:26:43.519 there are certain strengths 00:26:43.519 --> 00:26:45.339 in this kind of individualism. 00:26:45.879 --> 00:26:47.199 It's sometimes played a part 00:26:47.199 --> 00:26:48.119 in freeing people 00:26:48.119 --> 00:26:49.500 from oppressive systems. 00:26:49.639 --> 00:26:50.299 It played a part 00:26:50.299 --> 00:26:51.559 in the civil rights movement 00:26:51.559 --> 00:26:52.799 in the USA, 00:26:53.279 --> 00:26:53.579 although, 00:26:53.699 --> 00:26:54.639 as Keller points out, 00:26:54.699 --> 00:26:55.659 the main part of that 00:26:55.659 --> 00:26:57.779 was played by the African-American church 00:26:57.779 --> 00:26:59.899 using biblical terminology 00:26:59.899 --> 00:27:00.559 and thinking. 00:27:01.419 --> 00:27:02.579 But the weaknesses 00:27:02.579 --> 00:27:04.179 of this point of view 00:27:04.179 --> 00:27:05.399 are great. 00:27:05.400 --> 00:27:07.340 One problem is 00:27:07.340 --> 00:27:08.700 when we look within 00:27:08.700 --> 00:27:10.100 for our meaning and purpose, 00:27:10.300 --> 00:27:12.480 we find many conflicting thoughts 00:27:12.480 --> 00:27:13.300 and ideas. 00:27:14.019 --> 00:27:14.560 For instance, 00:27:14.700 --> 00:27:15.120 you could take 00:27:15.120 --> 00:27:16.200 the classic conflict 00:27:16.200 --> 00:27:17.880 between someone 00:27:17.880 --> 00:27:18.800 who has a desire 00:27:18.800 --> 00:27:20.320 to leave his wife and family 00:27:20.320 --> 00:27:21.280 for someone else 00:27:21.280 --> 00:27:22.560 and the desire 00:27:22.560 --> 00:27:24.320 to remain a good father and mother. 00:27:25.300 --> 00:27:26.440 Those are contradictory, 00:27:27.200 --> 00:27:27.960 and we can think of 00:27:27.960 --> 00:27:29.000 so many other examples. 00:27:29.740 --> 00:27:31.300 So you can't just be guided 00:27:31.300 --> 00:27:32.360 by what is within. 00:27:32.359 --> 00:27:34.519 Another is that 00:27:34.519 --> 00:27:35.599 it just can't be done. 00:27:36.559 --> 00:27:37.579 People who reject 00:27:37.579 --> 00:27:38.799 the perceived restraints 00:27:38.799 --> 00:27:39.979 of one group of people, 00:27:40.159 --> 00:27:41.599 family or church or whatever, 00:27:42.219 --> 00:27:43.079 they then embrace 00:27:43.079 --> 00:27:44.379 the values of another group 00:27:44.379 --> 00:27:45.179 perceived to be 00:27:45.179 --> 00:27:45.919 more progressive. 00:27:46.839 --> 00:27:47.779 They're not really 00:27:47.779 --> 00:27:49.119 just expressing 00:27:49.119 --> 00:27:49.899 from what is in. 00:27:49.959 --> 00:27:51.419 They get their sense of self 00:27:51.419 --> 00:27:52.779 and their self-worth 00:27:52.779 --> 00:27:53.519 from belonging 00:27:53.519 --> 00:27:54.959 to this new group. 00:27:56.319 --> 00:27:58.039 It is also very crushing. 00:27:58.919 --> 00:27:59.559 For example, 00:27:59.819 --> 00:28:01.139 if we seek our identity 00:28:01.140 --> 00:28:02.060 and self-worth 00:28:02.060 --> 00:28:03.240 in love and romance, 00:28:03.620 --> 00:28:04.960 we're doomed to failure. 00:28:05.520 --> 00:28:06.640 We're elevating 00:28:06.640 --> 00:28:07.500 the love partner 00:28:07.500 --> 00:28:08.500 to the very position 00:28:08.500 --> 00:28:09.420 of God himself 00:28:09.420 --> 00:28:10.600 to give us meaning 00:28:10.600 --> 00:28:11.460 and self-worth. 00:28:11.920 --> 00:28:12.600 We will crush 00:28:12.600 --> 00:28:13.780 both them and ourselves. 00:28:15.460 --> 00:28:16.000 And of course, 00:28:16.100 --> 00:28:16.400 finally, 00:28:16.500 --> 00:28:17.660 it destroys community. 00:28:18.120 --> 00:28:18.860 And we see that 00:28:18.860 --> 00:28:20.259 in our world today, 00:28:20.360 --> 00:28:21.160 our modern world, 00:28:21.240 --> 00:28:22.400 the breakup of marriage, 00:28:22.480 --> 00:28:23.060 of families, 00:28:23.840 --> 00:28:24.880 also society 00:28:24.880 --> 00:28:26.340 becoming more fractured, 00:28:26.740 --> 00:28:28.400 no idea of the common good. 00:28:28.400 --> 00:28:31.900 In contrast to that, 00:28:31.960 --> 00:28:32.700 there's the Christian 00:28:32.700 --> 00:28:34.100 attitude to identity. 00:28:34.340 --> 00:28:35.380 And that's best illustrated 00:28:35.380 --> 00:28:36.500 by the Apostle Paul. 00:28:36.860 --> 00:28:37.680 He doesn't say, 00:28:37.960 --> 00:28:38.820 I am what I am. 00:28:38.880 --> 00:28:39.340 He says, 00:28:39.500 --> 00:28:40.860 by the grace of God, 00:28:41.080 --> 00:28:42.580 I am what I am. 00:28:42.759 --> 00:28:44.180 1 Corinthians 15, 00:28:44.259 --> 00:28:44.920 verse 10. 00:28:46.740 --> 00:28:47.440 He's saying, 00:28:47.600 --> 00:28:48.920 I'm made in the image of God. 00:28:49.000 --> 00:28:49.900 I know who I am 00:28:49.900 --> 00:28:51.280 because God has made me. 00:28:52.840 --> 00:28:53.840 And I've got worth 00:28:53.840 --> 00:28:54.440 and abilities 00:28:54.440 --> 00:28:55.900 because of that likeness 00:28:55.900 --> 00:28:56.460 to God. 00:28:56.460 --> 00:28:58.539 He's also saying, 00:28:58.700 --> 00:29:00.340 I'm a sinner saved by grace. 00:29:01.120 --> 00:29:01.700 John Newton, 00:29:01.860 --> 00:29:03.140 the author of Amazing Grace, 00:29:03.220 --> 00:29:04.319 said on his deathbed, 00:29:04.740 --> 00:29:05.779 I am a great sinner 00:29:05.779 --> 00:29:06.980 and Christ 00:29:06.980 --> 00:29:08.380 is a great Savior. 00:29:08.700 --> 00:29:09.920 He knew who he was. 00:29:09.980 --> 00:29:11.120 He knew his identity. 00:29:12.759 --> 00:29:14.220 This deals with the problems 00:29:14.220 --> 00:29:15.400 of the traditional 00:29:15.400 --> 00:29:17.100 and modern views 00:29:17.100 --> 00:29:17.980 of identity 00:29:17.980 --> 00:29:19.740 because I'm part 00:29:19.740 --> 00:29:20.319 of a community 00:29:20.319 --> 00:29:21.059 of persons 00:29:21.059 --> 00:29:22.600 made in God's image 00:29:22.600 --> 00:29:24.360 because part of that image 00:29:24.360 --> 00:29:25.380 is community 00:29:25.380 --> 00:29:26.440 because God himself 00:29:26.440 --> 00:29:27.160 is a community 00:29:27.160 --> 00:29:27.840 of persons. 00:29:28.600 --> 00:29:29.740 So our identity, 00:29:30.040 --> 00:29:30.360 yes, 00:29:31.100 --> 00:29:31.980 it is partly 00:29:31.980 --> 00:29:33.480 as part of a community. 00:29:34.100 --> 00:29:34.980 But I derive 00:29:34.980 --> 00:29:36.080 my ultimate meaning 00:29:36.080 --> 00:29:36.600 and worth 00:29:36.600 --> 00:29:37.620 not from others 00:29:37.620 --> 00:29:38.860 but from God 00:29:38.860 --> 00:29:39.480 and Christ. 00:29:40.220 --> 00:29:40.960 He tells me 00:29:40.960 --> 00:29:41.660 who I am 00:29:41.660 --> 00:29:43.100 and he tells me 00:29:43.100 --> 00:29:43.700 what I am. 00:29:44.260 --> 00:29:45.140 I have gifts 00:29:45.140 --> 00:29:45.760 and abilities 00:29:45.760 --> 00:29:46.460 and ideas 00:29:46.460 --> 00:29:47.100 and dreams 00:29:47.100 --> 00:29:48.740 but I don't need 00:29:48.740 --> 00:29:49.580 to derive 00:29:49.580 --> 00:29:50.400 my identity 00:29:50.400 --> 00:29:51.220 from them 00:29:51.220 --> 00:29:53.039 because I know 00:29:53.039 --> 00:29:53.579 that they're all 00:29:53.579 --> 00:29:54.480 tainted with sin 00:29:54.480 --> 00:29:55.900 and they all 00:29:55.900 --> 00:29:56.960 need to be transformed 00:29:56.960 --> 00:29:58.440 by the grace 00:29:58.440 --> 00:29:58.920 of God 00:29:58.920 --> 00:29:59.600 in Christ. 00:30:03.240 --> 00:30:04.339 Bob Dylan said 00:30:04.339 --> 00:30:05.279 in one of his songs, 00:30:06.000 --> 00:30:07.039 people are crazy 00:30:07.039 --> 00:30:08.860 and times are strange. 00:30:09.059 --> 00:30:10.220 I'm locked in tight, 00:30:10.380 --> 00:30:11.420 I'm out of range. 00:30:11.960 --> 00:30:12.980 I used to care 00:30:12.980 --> 00:30:14.839 but things have changed. 00:30:15.880 --> 00:30:16.660 It's very easy 00:30:16.660 --> 00:30:17.559 to slip into that 00:30:17.559 --> 00:30:18.059 way of thinking, 00:30:18.200 --> 00:30:18.559 isn't it? 00:30:18.900 --> 00:30:19.720 People are crazy 00:30:19.720 --> 00:30:20.920 and times are changed. 00:30:21.500 --> 00:30:22.380 I used to care 00:30:22.380 --> 00:30:24.240 but things have changed. 00:30:25.339 --> 00:30:26.019 Is that our kind 00:30:26.019 --> 00:30:26.460 of attitude? 00:30:26.600 --> 00:30:27.059 Things are just 00:30:27.059 --> 00:30:28.160 too crazy out there, 00:30:28.259 --> 00:30:29.000 too strange. 00:30:30.220 --> 00:30:31.420 We've just used up 00:30:31.420 --> 00:30:32.160 all our care 00:30:32.160 --> 00:30:32.839 and compassion. 00:30:33.740 --> 00:30:34.660 Surely that's not 00:30:34.660 --> 00:30:35.440 the way 00:30:35.440 --> 00:30:36.299 in which the Christians 00:30:36.299 --> 00:30:37.079 should respond. 00:30:38.600 --> 00:30:39.460 Desmond Tutu 00:30:39.460 --> 00:30:40.299 from South Africa 00:30:40.299 --> 00:30:40.680 said, 00:30:41.039 --> 00:30:41.920 a time of crisis 00:30:41.920 --> 00:30:43.000 is not just a time 00:30:43.000 --> 00:30:43.640 of anxiety 00:30:43.640 --> 00:30:44.240 and worry. 00:30:44.900 --> 00:30:45.900 It gives a chance 00:30:45.900 --> 00:30:46.579 and opportunity 00:30:46.579 --> 00:30:47.740 to choose well 00:30:47.740 --> 00:30:49.400 or to choose badly. 00:30:49.720 --> 00:30:50.100 You see, 00:30:50.180 --> 00:30:50.680 he's talking there 00:30:50.680 --> 00:30:51.880 about the kairos time, 00:30:51.980 --> 00:30:53.000 the crisis time, 00:30:53.380 --> 00:30:54.500 time to choose well 00:30:54.500 --> 00:30:55.279 or to choose badly. 00:30:55.339 --> 00:30:56.180 That's the kind of time 00:30:56.180 --> 00:30:57.180 we're living in today. 00:30:58.140 --> 00:30:59.000 Are we going to choose 00:30:59.000 --> 00:31:00.200 just to go with the flow, 00:31:00.319 --> 00:31:01.299 all these influences 00:31:01.299 --> 00:31:02.640 that are washing around us, 00:31:02.839 --> 00:31:04.319 or are we going to go 00:31:04.319 --> 00:31:04.819 with Jesus? 00:31:06.819 --> 00:31:08.000 The singer and author 00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:08.860 Sheila Walsh, 00:31:08.860 --> 00:31:10.220 who came from Scotland 00:31:10.220 --> 00:31:11.779 but has lived in the USA 00:31:11.779 --> 00:31:12.680 for many years, 00:31:13.480 --> 00:31:14.019 she struggled 00:31:14.019 --> 00:31:15.140 with deep depression, 00:31:15.680 --> 00:31:16.460 but she says, 00:31:16.460 --> 00:31:18.799 in these uncertain times, 00:31:19.000 --> 00:31:20.620 I know 100% 00:31:20.620 --> 00:31:22.660 that I can stake my life 00:31:22.660 --> 00:31:23.880 on the unshakable, 00:31:24.420 --> 00:31:26.819 unchanging promises of God. 00:31:27.720 --> 00:31:30.259 Is that your unshakable belief 00:31:30.259 --> 00:31:30.799 at the beginning 00:31:30.799 --> 00:31:32.299 of this new year, 00:31:32.519 --> 00:31:34.100 that you can stake your life 00:31:34.100 --> 00:31:35.579 on the unshakable, 00:31:35.840 --> 00:31:38.019 unchanging promises of God? 00:31:38.019 --> 00:31:40.579 I pray that it's so.