WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.320 Well, friends, this is my last Sunday with you. 00:00:07.020 --> 00:00:14.660 Beginning tomorrow morning, we enter into our first experience of sabbatical as a family. 00:00:15.900 --> 00:00:21.780 Our parish council, your parish council, has been encouraging me for the last several years 00:00:21.780 --> 00:00:23.379 actually to take a sabbatical. 00:00:23.580 --> 00:00:29.859 Our policy at Advent is to encourage pastors to take a sabbatical every five to seven years. 00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:36.439 And I've been serving Advent for ten years, and our parish council essentially said, 00:00:36.659 --> 00:00:38.380 use it or lose it. 00:00:38.820 --> 00:00:41.859 And so we chose the use it option. 00:00:42.320 --> 00:00:45.620 And so we're going to be leaving, and we're going to be gone for about four months. 00:00:45.799 --> 00:00:51.100 And thanks to the incredible generosity of this church and some of our dear friends, 00:00:51.100 --> 00:00:53.060 we're going to have an amazing experience. 00:00:53.740 --> 00:00:58.579 I have no doubt it's going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, especially for our kids. 00:00:58.679 --> 00:00:59.879 So we're thrilled about that. 00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:05.959 And sabbaticals are interesting, you know, because sabbaticals aren't exactly the same 00:01:05.959 --> 00:01:07.760 thing as vacations. 00:01:08.379 --> 00:01:10.359 I mean, I anticipate we're going to do a lot of fun things. 00:01:10.460 --> 00:01:11.560 We're going to get to travel together. 00:01:11.640 --> 00:01:12.359 It's going to be great. 00:01:12.359 --> 00:01:20.859 But the central purpose of a sabbatical is deep spiritual rest and renewal, not just for me, 00:01:20.920 --> 00:01:22.780 but for our whole family. 00:01:22.780 --> 00:01:32.400 The fact is that because pastors lead worship, every Sunday we're up here, we're leading, 00:01:32.540 --> 00:01:35.159 we're preaching, we're teaching, we're leading in the liturgy. 00:01:35.159 --> 00:01:37.239 And it's very easy. 00:01:37.239 --> 00:01:46.099 It's actually deceptively easy for our faith, for my faith, to start to become a profession. 00:01:47.379 --> 00:01:53.079 You know, for my faith to become a performance that is delivered every week. 00:01:53.079 --> 00:02:01.060 And even the best intentions and even the most faithful spiritual practices, having all of 00:02:01.060 --> 00:02:05.340 those things in place, nevertheless, you can feel over the years yourself begin to move 00:02:05.340 --> 00:02:06.420 in that direction. 00:02:06.420 --> 00:02:11.340 I read the Bible every day, but I can feel that sense, even in my own reading of Scripture, 00:02:11.800 --> 00:02:16.000 of how much I'm thinking about a class that I'm developing or a sermon that I'm writing, 00:02:16.319 --> 00:02:20.680 as opposed to simply enjoying and being nourished by God's Word. 00:02:21.379 --> 00:02:28.340 And so, we grant pastors sabbaticals so that they can take an extended break from leading 00:02:28.340 --> 00:02:34.939 worship and remember what it is simply to worship, to be a worshiper, and to go and worship 00:02:34.939 --> 00:02:39.740 in other churches where we don't have leadership responsibilities, and to immerse ourselves 00:02:39.740 --> 00:02:45.240 in prayer and in Scripture, and to invest in our marriages and our kids. 00:02:45.560 --> 00:02:50.000 So, all of the things that I just said are things that I'm really, really excited about 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:50.979 for the next four months. 00:02:51.099 --> 00:02:53.360 So, that's the goal of this time. 00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:58.199 And a lot of you have asked me what I hope to get out of this time. 00:02:58.259 --> 00:02:58.960 What's my goal? 00:02:59.120 --> 00:03:03.740 I have a lot of goals, but I think my top goal I could summarize with one word, and that 00:03:03.740 --> 00:03:04.800 is the word integrity. 00:03:05.939 --> 00:03:11.639 By that I mean, my goal is to spend the time in such a way that when I come back, I'm able 00:03:11.639 --> 00:03:18.740 to stand up before you, and I'm able to preach God's Word as an overflow of what I'm experiencing 00:03:18.740 --> 00:03:20.780 in my own life and relationship with the Lord. 00:03:21.639 --> 00:03:27.479 That there is a continuity between my words and the experience of knowing God that I have 00:03:27.479 --> 00:03:28.719 in my own life. 00:03:28.719 --> 00:03:34.240 And I never want to be a pastor who simply says things that I don't actually believe 00:03:34.240 --> 00:03:34.900 or experience. 00:03:35.120 --> 00:03:36.300 And so, that's my goal. 00:03:36.419 --> 00:03:39.199 It's to have that kind of integrity and continuity. 00:03:39.939 --> 00:03:44.680 And for that to happen, it means that I need to be deeply grounded in God's Word. 00:03:44.680 --> 00:03:51.280 And that's why I wanted to speak tonight, our last night together, about these last few 00:03:51.280 --> 00:03:54.980 verses in 2 Peter chapter 3, the end of the book. 00:03:55.680 --> 00:04:00.460 We write letters today, and a lot of times we just sort of peter out at the end of a letter. 00:04:00.700 --> 00:04:04.540 You know, you sort of say everything up front, and then a few nice things, and then you… 00:04:04.540 --> 00:04:06.659 Very different in the epistles. 00:04:06.659 --> 00:04:13.219 They actually use the last few verses often to summarize what the entire letter is about. 00:04:13.300 --> 00:04:17.000 So, if you want to know what an epistle is about, just read the very last few verses, 00:04:17.120 --> 00:04:19.800 and often you'll see the major themes reappear. 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:22.319 And that's what happens here in 2 Peter. 00:04:22.879 --> 00:04:27.779 And so, I wanted to look at this because Peter's expressing the same desire for Christians, 00:04:28.219 --> 00:04:31.040 for all of us, that I've just expressed for our sabbatical. 00:04:31.040 --> 00:04:36.620 He's expressing this desire that their faith would be deeply rooted in God's Word, 00:04:37.100 --> 00:04:40.700 that they would be grounded in Scripture, and that as a result of that, 00:04:40.780 --> 00:04:44.340 that they would experience growth and change and transformation, 00:04:44.680 --> 00:04:48.280 that their faith would be a kind of life-giving anchor in their life. 00:04:49.220 --> 00:04:52.360 And so, I think we can summarize these last few verses this way, 00:04:52.460 --> 00:04:56.259 and this will be kind of the structure that we follow tonight. 00:04:56.259 --> 00:05:02.719 The more we are grounded in God's Word, the more we grow and glorify God's Son. 00:05:03.219 --> 00:05:08.199 The more we are grounded in God's Word, the more we will grow and glorify God's Son. 00:05:08.459 --> 00:05:10.560 So, let's pray, and then we'll open God's Word together. 00:05:13.259 --> 00:05:16.560 Our Father, we call it Your Word because it's not our Word, 00:05:16.980 --> 00:05:19.719 because our hopes don't hinge on human words, 00:05:20.599 --> 00:05:25.099 but rather they hinge on Your promise and willingness to speak to us. 00:05:25.100 --> 00:05:29.500 And we know that because Your Son, Jesus, has been raised from the dead, 00:05:29.560 --> 00:05:34.220 we know that because He is present with us here in the power of Your Holy Spirit, 00:05:34.980 --> 00:05:37.120 we know that even as we open these written words, 00:05:37.200 --> 00:05:39.060 that You can and will illuminate them, 00:05:39.140 --> 00:05:44.260 that You will use them to speak the truth that we need to hear from You right here and right now. 00:05:44.439 --> 00:05:45.620 And we pray that, Lord. 00:05:46.060 --> 00:05:46.920 We ask that. 00:05:46.960 --> 00:05:47.900 I ask that of You, 00:05:48.540 --> 00:05:50.080 that we would hear Your voice, 00:05:50.600 --> 00:05:51.800 the voice of our true Shepherd, 00:05:51.800 --> 00:05:53.939 and that we would recognize it, 00:05:54.259 --> 00:05:55.400 and that it would nourish us, 00:05:55.439 --> 00:05:56.379 and that we would follow it. 00:05:56.960 --> 00:05:59.699 I pray this, Lord, for our good and ultimately for Your glory. 00:06:00.660 --> 00:06:01.020 Amen. 00:06:03.160 --> 00:06:07.120 So, what does it mean to be grounded in God's Word? 00:06:08.120 --> 00:06:10.199 2 Peter 3, 14. 00:06:10.199 --> 00:06:24.319 What's going on here? 00:06:25.099 --> 00:06:29.360 Well, Peter's speaking to people who are dealing with false prophets, 00:06:29.519 --> 00:06:31.120 false teachers who have come into the community. 00:06:31.639 --> 00:06:34.719 They begin to challenge some of the core doctrines of the Christian faith. 00:06:35.060 --> 00:06:38.199 In particular, they're challenging the idea that Jesus will one day come again. 00:06:38.199 --> 00:06:40.579 These people are facing hardship. 00:06:41.019 --> 00:06:41.979 They're facing anxiety. 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:46.459 They're facing increasing persecution and uncertainty about their own safety 00:06:46.459 --> 00:06:49.459 and their own ability to provide for the needs of their families. 00:06:49.680 --> 00:06:54.099 They're facing all of these things that would very rightly cause fear and anxiety. 00:06:54.659 --> 00:06:57.139 And false teachers are coming among them and saying, 00:06:57.419 --> 00:06:59.339 you think that Jesus is coming again? 00:06:59.399 --> 00:07:00.860 You think Jesus is going to fix all this? 00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:02.319 Jesus is never coming back. 00:07:02.459 --> 00:07:03.699 It's been way too long. 00:07:04.199 --> 00:07:07.139 Every reasonable person knows that Jesus will never come again. 00:07:07.139 --> 00:07:13.039 And Peter recognizes the incredible importance of this doctrine 00:07:13.039 --> 00:07:18.259 for the health and the well-being and the thriving faith of his people. 00:07:18.360 --> 00:07:21.439 He understands this makes a huge difference. 00:07:21.439 --> 00:07:31.959 What Peter recognizes is that what we believe about our circumstances dramatically affects how we experience those circumstances. 00:07:31.959 --> 00:07:41.819 The way we make meaning of our present suffering and struggle dramatically impacts our ability to cope with and thrive in the midst of that struggle. 00:07:41.819 --> 00:07:53.040 Over the last few decades, there's been an emerging consensus among a variety of fields from philosophy to neurobiology to psychology to theology. 00:07:53.519 --> 00:08:01.500 There's a fundamental consensus that has arisen around how we go about making meaning of our lives 00:08:01.500 --> 00:08:05.560 and how we go about developing a sense of identity and purpose in the world. 00:08:05.560 --> 00:08:09.879 And that consensus is around the centrality of story. 00:08:11.040 --> 00:08:17.180 That the way we make meaning, the way we make sense of our lives, the way we have a sense of our own identity and the purpose of our lives 00:08:17.180 --> 00:08:20.319 is by imagining that we are a part of a story. 00:08:20.879 --> 00:08:23.139 Now, you may say, well, I don't think there's any meaning. 00:08:23.279 --> 00:08:25.100 I don't think that all this is an accident. 00:08:25.459 --> 00:08:26.879 But that is still a story. 00:08:27.920 --> 00:08:32.639 We all imagine that we're part of some story and that's how we make sense of our experiences. 00:08:32.639 --> 00:08:38.939 There's a philosopher named Alistair McIntyre who says in his book After Virtue, he says this, 00:08:38.980 --> 00:08:43.500 and I've quoted this before because I think it's just a very important idea for us in our culture. 00:08:43.620 --> 00:08:43.919 He says, 00:08:44.259 --> 00:08:50.899 Man is, in his actions and practice as well as in his fictions, essentially a storytelling animal, 00:08:51.659 --> 00:08:54.080 a teller of stories that aspire to truth. 00:08:54.080 --> 00:09:03.280 I can only answer the question, what am I to do, if I can answer the prior question of what story or stories do I find myself a part. 00:09:03.580 --> 00:09:04.780 So you understand what he's saying. 00:09:04.860 --> 00:09:06.740 He's saying, I don't know what to do with my life. 00:09:06.800 --> 00:09:07.960 I don't know what life is about. 00:09:08.139 --> 00:09:11.280 I can't even make one decision about what I should do or what I should prioritize 00:09:11.280 --> 00:09:17.960 until I become aware of the story that I'm using to make sense of all of this. 00:09:18.040 --> 00:09:18.879 What does it all mean? 00:09:18.879 --> 00:09:23.779 So imagine I were to take everybody in this room and I were to divide you into two groups. 00:09:24.340 --> 00:09:32.120 And imagine I were to take all of you and I put you by yourself in a small, hot, dark, windowless room. 00:09:32.939 --> 00:09:34.620 And I put you in there and I close the door. 00:09:34.679 --> 00:09:36.539 Imagine everybody's in a room just like that. 00:09:36.679 --> 00:09:38.279 Everybody by themselves in a room like that. 00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:40.279 And imagine I come to half of you and I say, 00:09:40.539 --> 00:09:43.399 I'm going to put you in this room and you're going to be here indefinitely. 00:09:44.100 --> 00:09:45.200 And then I close the door. 00:09:45.200 --> 00:09:50.280 And then I go to the next half and I say, I'm going to put you in this room, but don't worry. 00:09:50.600 --> 00:09:52.480 After about an hour, I'm going to come back. 00:09:52.520 --> 00:09:55.400 I'm going to get you and we're going to go away on this great tropical vacation. 00:09:56.900 --> 00:09:57.520 Sit tight. 00:09:58.160 --> 00:09:58.759 Shut the door. 00:09:59.259 --> 00:10:00.020 What's going to happen? 00:10:00.460 --> 00:10:02.860 This is a very simple example, but think about it. 00:10:03.280 --> 00:10:06.500 You have all, everybody in this room, you're all in the exact same room. 00:10:06.879 --> 00:10:11.500 You're all experiencing the exact same things for the exact same amount of time. 00:10:11.500 --> 00:10:17.080 But that one hour is going to be experienced in dramatically different ways. 00:10:17.779 --> 00:10:17.899 Right? 00:10:17.960 --> 00:10:21.559 The people who are told you're going to be here indefinitely, they don't know how long they're in there. 00:10:21.620 --> 00:10:22.700 They don't know how long it's going to last. 00:10:22.759 --> 00:10:24.100 They have no idea what's happening. 00:10:24.620 --> 00:10:27.940 As far as they know, they're going to be in there for years and years and years or decades and decades. 00:10:28.059 --> 00:10:32.059 And that might lead very quickly in 10, 15 minutes to complete utter despair. 00:10:32.879 --> 00:10:35.000 Whereas you have the other group, they know, you know, this is hard. 00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:35.440 It's hot. 00:10:35.500 --> 00:10:35.960 It's windowless. 00:10:36.019 --> 00:10:36.480 It's dark. 00:10:36.679 --> 00:10:37.179 This is miserable. 00:10:37.179 --> 00:10:39.479 But I know, I know that he's coming back. 00:10:39.579 --> 00:10:41.739 I know that eventually I'm going to get out of here. 00:10:41.819 --> 00:10:43.519 I know that things are going to improve. 00:10:44.139 --> 00:10:45.539 Dramatically different experiences. 00:10:46.579 --> 00:10:50.019 Now, life is obviously not just sitting in a room. 00:10:50.139 --> 00:10:52.479 Hopefully, life is a lot more complicated. 00:10:53.459 --> 00:10:57.059 And yet, what I want you to understand is the same principle applies. 00:10:57.059 --> 00:11:08.500 That our experience of the present, especially of our present suffering and struggle, is dramatically shaped by the story that we use to make sense of our lives. 00:11:09.579 --> 00:11:14.519 So, Peter is saying, do you believe the story that Scripture gives us? 00:11:15.239 --> 00:11:16.899 That you were created by God. 00:11:17.000 --> 00:11:19.319 That you were placed in the life that you're in. 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:24.339 That yes, this life has struggle and anxiety and fear as a part of it. 00:11:24.340 --> 00:11:26.780 But this life is a part of a greater story. 00:11:27.780 --> 00:11:35.480 And even though we've fallen and rebelled against God, the story says that God sent His Son, born of a virgin, to give His life for the sins of the world. 00:11:35.620 --> 00:11:38.240 To one day save and restore all of this. 00:11:39.180 --> 00:11:41.820 Is that the story that we're living in? 00:11:42.259 --> 00:11:46.460 Or are we living in the story of the great cosmic accident? 00:11:46.920 --> 00:11:49.400 That all of this simply sprang into being. 00:11:49.399 --> 00:11:53.799 The Big Bang happened and all of the matter and energy of the universe came into being. 00:11:54.240 --> 00:11:57.620 And from that point on, it's simply been mathematics playing out. 00:11:57.720 --> 00:12:01.699 And that we are, as human beings, essentially cosmic accidents. 00:12:01.939 --> 00:12:03.799 We're an anomaly that arose. 00:12:04.159 --> 00:12:13.819 And eventually, and however long it might be, the entire universe is either going to freeze solid or it's going to collapse into a fiery ball. 00:12:13.820 --> 00:12:18.879 But scientists have been debating over the decades which it's going to be. 00:12:19.240 --> 00:12:19.340 Right? 00:12:19.780 --> 00:12:23.240 So which story do we imagine that we are a part of? 00:12:23.280 --> 00:12:27.500 And by the way, this isn't about the difference between believing in miracles and not believing in miracles. 00:12:28.020 --> 00:12:32.420 You either believe in the virgin birth of God's Son or you believe in the virgin birth of the galaxy. 00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:33.780 But either way, it's a miracle. 00:12:34.960 --> 00:12:38.860 The question is, what story do we imagine that we are a part of? 00:12:38.860 --> 00:12:45.100 And Peter knows that whichever story we ground ourselves in is going to dramatically affect how we live. 00:12:45.379 --> 00:12:52.120 And so he's urging us to recognize that the best story, the truest story, is the story of Scripture. 00:12:53.740 --> 00:12:59.399 That that is the thing, that is the orientation that we need to have is toward that story. 00:12:59.399 --> 00:13:06.699 And so he's emphasizing, and really this is a theme that you see throughout the entire letter, the centrality of Scripture. 00:13:06.899 --> 00:13:11.779 That we as Christians must come again and again and again to Scripture to remember the story. 00:13:12.019 --> 00:13:13.199 To remember the story. 00:13:13.319 --> 00:13:14.480 To remember where it's going. 00:13:14.720 --> 00:13:16.079 To remember that Jesus is coming. 00:13:16.319 --> 00:13:21.579 To remember that no matter how hard things get now, we know how the story ends. 00:13:21.580 --> 00:13:22.580 Right? 00:13:23.440 --> 00:13:34.000 And because of the emphasis on Scripture, we can actually draw from this passage out several things about Scripture that I think are very helpful as we think about grounding our lives in it. 00:13:34.520 --> 00:13:37.620 I just want to make a few points about it because I think that it's very important. 00:13:38.040 --> 00:13:42.920 The first thing that we see in this passage from Peter is something that's very, very crucial for our understanding of the Bible. 00:13:42.919 --> 00:13:52.519 And that is that the apostolic writing, the writing in the New Testament, is and was at his time considered Scripture right alongside the Old Testament. 00:13:54.019 --> 00:13:58.579 That the New Testament, the apostolic writing, is considered Scripture right alongside the Old Testament. 00:13:59.059 --> 00:14:02.799 So Paul here, I'm sorry, Peter here refers to the writing of Paul. 00:14:03.839 --> 00:14:04.339 He says, 00:14:04.340 --> 00:14:30.840 Now what's so interesting about that is the word Scriptures is the Greek word graphi. 00:14:30.840 --> 00:14:35.280 And that word graphite shows up about 50 times in the New Testament. 00:14:36.060 --> 00:14:40.720 And every single time, it is used to refer to the canon of Scripture. 00:14:42.300 --> 00:14:42.680 Right? 00:14:42.759 --> 00:14:46.360 So when I say canon, I don't mean like, you know, fires a projectile. 00:14:46.480 --> 00:14:49.580 I mean, the word canon means a measuring rod. 00:14:50.060 --> 00:14:51.100 A measuring rod. 00:14:51.720 --> 00:14:56.700 So what this is telling us is that in Peter's day, and actually back in Jesus' day, 00:14:56.700 --> 00:15:01.040 there was a canon already established, a canon of Scripture. 00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:03.120 And it was a measuring rod. 00:15:03.780 --> 00:15:10.600 In other words, it was a group of writings that was considered authoritative, of the Lord, inspired by God. 00:15:10.860 --> 00:15:16.360 And the idea of a canon is that it is the measuring rod between true doctrine and false doctrine. 00:15:16.460 --> 00:15:22.140 It's the thing that helps us determine whether our beliefs are true or false, inaccurate. 00:15:22.139 --> 00:15:28.519 And so what he's saying here is, is that at the time that Peter is writing, which is around 62 A.D., 00:15:28.519 --> 00:15:34.340 when this letter was written, he refers in this letter to the letters of Paul as Scripture. 00:15:34.740 --> 00:15:42.120 What this tells us is by 62 A.D., we had already a body of work from Paul in circulation among the churches, 00:15:42.120 --> 00:15:48.000 and that was recognized as being graphi, part of the authoritative canon. 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:55.100 So this is very, very helpful for us as Christians to recognize that the tradition of recognizing apostolic authority 00:15:55.100 --> 00:15:56.879 goes all the way back to the first century. 00:15:58.159 --> 00:15:59.820 This is the first point I want to point out. 00:15:59.879 --> 00:16:03.019 So when we talk about grounding ourselves in Scripture, we're talking about the whole Bible, 00:16:03.139 --> 00:16:04.299 Old Testament and New Testament. 00:16:04.519 --> 00:16:06.539 It all tells one great continuous story. 00:16:07.700 --> 00:16:10.539 The second point I want to make about the Scripture is this. 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:17.179 The Bible itself recognizes that there are some things in Scripture that are hard to understand. 00:16:17.179 --> 00:16:19.779 Right here, they are hard to understand. 00:16:19.899 --> 00:16:22.799 And I think, you know, for me, that's incredibly encouraging. 00:16:24.139 --> 00:16:32.259 Now, I've been studying the Bible academically and pastorally, formally, for probably about 16 years. 00:16:32.739 --> 00:16:36.859 And in that time, I feel like I've just barely begun to scratch the surface. 00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:43.399 It's the kind of thing that you can study for your entire life and still feel like you're just barely getting below the surface. 00:16:43.979 --> 00:16:45.559 But I will tell you a couple of things. 00:16:45.559 --> 00:16:47.759 In that time, I've realized a couple of things. 00:16:48.379 --> 00:16:53.759 That, number one, the most essential tenets of the faith, the most essential tenets of the faith, 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:58.679 the things that you, believing them, means that you are a Christian, 00:16:59.419 --> 00:17:03.639 things like the bodily resurrection of Jesus, which is the foundation of our faith, 00:17:04.159 --> 00:17:07.519 things like the authority of Scripture, the divine inspiration of Scripture, 00:17:07.980 --> 00:17:13.139 things like the fact that our only hope for salvation comes through the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, 00:17:13.140 --> 00:17:15.500 and that that's received by faith, right? 00:17:15.820 --> 00:17:19.740 These things are things that, when you open Scripture and read them, they're clear. 00:17:21.500 --> 00:17:21.860 Right? 00:17:22.080 --> 00:17:27.480 Anybody who can read, anybody with a basic ability for reading comprehension can open the Bible, 00:17:27.900 --> 00:17:32.420 turn to the appropriate places, and read those passages, and basically understand what's being said. 00:17:32.680 --> 00:17:34.120 They're relatively clear. 00:17:34.119 --> 00:17:39.119 So there are essentials that are clear in Scripture, and really not up for debate. 00:17:39.679 --> 00:17:45.719 But then there is another category of things in the Christian faith, places in Scripture that are hard to understand. 00:17:46.759 --> 00:17:51.119 And so there are other issues in the Christian faith throughout history that have been debated, 00:17:51.239 --> 00:17:57.279 where there is wiggle room, and where there's the possibility of building a biblical argument on both sides of the issue. 00:17:57.279 --> 00:17:57.720 Right? 00:17:58.119 --> 00:18:03.460 So in the day of the apostles, one of the big issues up for debate was whether or not we can eat meat sacrificed to idols. 00:18:03.579 --> 00:18:07.799 That was an issue that was debated, that people were relying on Scripture to try to figure it out. 00:18:08.759 --> 00:18:09.139 Right? 00:18:09.279 --> 00:18:13.779 These days we have other issues, like whether or not Christians should be able to drink alcohol. 00:18:13.940 --> 00:18:15.119 That's still up for debate. 00:18:15.240 --> 00:18:20.039 There are still, and I have friends who are pastors of churches in D.C., where if you drink alcohol, 00:18:20.460 --> 00:18:23.279 you are not only doing an unchristian thing, 00:18:23.279 --> 00:18:27.619 and they will question whether or not you are saved if you drink wine. 00:18:28.119 --> 00:18:28.220 Right? 00:18:28.259 --> 00:18:30.980 So the idea that we would drink wine at communion is scandalous. 00:18:31.399 --> 00:18:31.500 Right? 00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:32.899 This is up for debate still. 00:18:33.220 --> 00:18:35.519 There are issues like whether or not to baptize babies. 00:18:36.579 --> 00:18:37.379 We do it. 00:18:37.660 --> 00:18:41.420 There's a strong history of that happening in the church, strong tradition, 00:18:41.559 --> 00:18:43.740 and there's a strong biblical argument to be made for it. 00:18:44.019 --> 00:18:45.740 But there's no verse in the Bible that says, 00:18:45.839 --> 00:18:46.639 baptize your babies. 00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:48.339 There's no verse in the Bible that says, 00:18:48.460 --> 00:18:49.660 don't baptize your babies. 00:18:49.660 --> 00:18:54.259 There's no verse in the Bible that talks about the sinfulness of doing that or not doing it. 00:18:54.300 --> 00:18:57.240 And so you can have a biblical argument made from both sides. 00:18:57.320 --> 00:19:00.960 Another example is the role of women in the leadership of the church. 00:19:01.080 --> 00:19:06.400 You can have biblical arguments made for multiple ways of making sense of that. 00:19:07.300 --> 00:19:07.440 Right? 00:19:07.500 --> 00:19:11.060 And so all of these are issues that have been debated over the centuries 00:19:11.060 --> 00:19:15.259 that will continue to be debated probably as long as we're Christians. 00:19:15.259 --> 00:19:21.480 And so recognizing this is extremely important because it's one of the main reasons that at Advent 00:19:21.480 --> 00:19:25.859 we've always distinguished between the essentials and the distinctives. 00:19:26.500 --> 00:19:30.900 And our focus in the life of this church has always been on the essentials. 00:19:31.480 --> 00:19:37.200 And we've been intentional about creating a space for people to have dialogue 00:19:37.200 --> 00:19:41.720 and to disagree and to have civil discourse over those distinctives 00:19:41.720 --> 00:19:45.120 and over the ways that people in this very room might disagree on them. 00:19:46.079 --> 00:19:49.920 This really impacts our posture as we approach Scripture. 00:19:50.140 --> 00:19:53.279 There's an old quote that I love that really captures our ethos. 00:19:53.799 --> 00:19:55.360 In essentials, unity. 00:19:56.019 --> 00:19:57.900 In non-essentials, liberty. 00:19:58.380 --> 00:20:00.200 In all things, charity. 00:20:01.579 --> 00:20:03.620 And I think that's a fantastic way to summarize it. 00:20:03.700 --> 00:20:04.620 In essentials, unity. 00:20:04.839 --> 00:20:06.079 In non-essentials, liberty. 00:20:06.319 --> 00:20:07.880 In all things, charity. 00:20:08.380 --> 00:20:10.420 There are some things that are simply hard to understand. 00:20:10.420 --> 00:20:11.500 It's very validating. 00:20:12.180 --> 00:20:17.759 Because even now, for those of you who are here for the Song of Solomon series 00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:18.740 that we did in January, 00:20:19.279 --> 00:20:21.620 I think I told you many times during that series 00:20:21.620 --> 00:20:23.640 that I would many times open the passage 00:20:23.640 --> 00:20:25.840 and I would just sit there after several hours 00:20:25.840 --> 00:20:28.640 just sort of wringing my hands 00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:31.000 and just sort of wanting to pull my hair out. 00:20:31.080 --> 00:20:32.080 What does this mean? 00:20:33.600 --> 00:20:34.300 That's a reality. 00:20:34.360 --> 00:20:35.220 The Bible admits it. 00:20:35.860 --> 00:20:37.259 So that's one thing we need to be aware of. 00:20:37.320 --> 00:20:39.820 Now the third point is kind of a counterpoint to this. 00:20:39.819 --> 00:20:42.379 Not only are there places in Scripture that are hard to understand, 00:20:42.740 --> 00:20:45.879 but there will always be people who deliberately twist Scripture 00:20:45.879 --> 00:20:47.359 for their own purposes. 00:20:48.500 --> 00:20:50.599 And this is something we need to be aware of. 00:20:51.079 --> 00:20:54.220 History is full of people who deliberately misuse Scripture. 00:20:54.379 --> 00:20:56.399 They take verses out of context. 00:20:57.519 --> 00:21:02.419 They reinterpret or imagine things are happening 00:21:02.419 --> 00:21:03.539 that are not happening in Scripture. 00:21:03.539 --> 00:21:05.960 There's a phrase called eisegesis. 00:21:06.519 --> 00:21:09.480 You know, exegesis is drawing the meaning of a text out 00:21:09.480 --> 00:21:12.920 based on the original culture and history and author and audience 00:21:12.920 --> 00:21:13.740 and all of that stuff. 00:21:14.940 --> 00:21:17.460 Eisegesis is reading your own meaning into the text. 00:21:18.220 --> 00:21:19.819 It's, this is what I want this to mean. 00:21:20.500 --> 00:21:20.599 Right? 00:21:20.659 --> 00:21:22.440 And so throughout history, 00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:23.859 you have the Crusades. 00:21:24.599 --> 00:21:24.920 Right? 00:21:24.920 --> 00:21:25.880 You have slavery. 00:21:26.560 --> 00:21:30.100 You have racism and opposition to interracial marriage. 00:21:30.759 --> 00:21:35.720 You have the liberal Protestant churches' support of eugenics 00:21:35.720 --> 00:21:37.180 around the turn of the century. 00:21:37.340 --> 00:21:38.759 You have all of these, you know, 00:21:38.960 --> 00:21:42.060 nationalism and extreme xenophobia. 00:21:42.519 --> 00:21:44.940 You know, all of these are issues on the left and the right 00:21:44.940 --> 00:21:46.660 where Christians have co-opted Scripture 00:21:46.660 --> 00:21:48.460 and they've twisted it 00:21:48.460 --> 00:21:50.900 and used it to justify human ends. 00:21:52.080 --> 00:21:52.820 And Peter is saying, 00:21:52.980 --> 00:21:56.340 this is something we have to be very, very, very careful about. 00:21:56.600 --> 00:21:59.000 In his day, false teachers were twisting Scripture 00:21:59.000 --> 00:22:02.019 and using it to justify sexual indulgence. 00:22:03.460 --> 00:22:04.500 People can do what they want. 00:22:04.560 --> 00:22:05.560 Jesus is not coming back. 00:22:06.540 --> 00:22:08.820 So we always have to be on guard for that. 00:22:09.240 --> 00:22:10.200 On the one hand, 00:22:10.360 --> 00:22:11.820 there are Scriptures that are hard to understand 00:22:11.820 --> 00:22:12.519 and up for debate. 00:22:12.940 --> 00:22:13.620 On the other hand, 00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:15.720 there are people who deliberately misuse Scripture. 00:22:15.720 --> 00:22:17.660 And that actually brings us to the last point 00:22:17.660 --> 00:22:19.600 I want to make about Scripture before we move on. 00:22:20.019 --> 00:22:21.539 By implication of those points, 00:22:21.620 --> 00:22:22.680 we can draw out another point, 00:22:22.740 --> 00:22:23.319 and that is this. 00:22:23.819 --> 00:22:25.779 There is a right way to interpret Scripture. 00:22:26.920 --> 00:22:28.740 There's a way that it's meant to be read. 00:22:28.839 --> 00:22:31.620 There's a meaning that is meant to be drawn out of it. 00:22:31.860 --> 00:22:33.960 It's not always clear, but it's there. 00:22:34.819 --> 00:22:36.600 And I say that it's a very important point 00:22:36.600 --> 00:22:37.860 because I think in our culture, 00:22:38.000 --> 00:22:38.880 and even in our church, 00:22:39.059 --> 00:22:41.059 it's very common for people to sit down 00:22:41.059 --> 00:22:42.940 and read the Bible or Bible studies, 00:22:43.019 --> 00:22:44.240 even in some of our core groups, 00:22:44.240 --> 00:22:46.339 and some of our leaders have told me over the years 00:22:46.339 --> 00:22:47.440 that they face a challenge. 00:22:47.519 --> 00:22:49.620 They say, we sit down to read this Bible passage together, 00:22:50.019 --> 00:22:52.039 and immediately a conversation ensues 00:22:52.039 --> 00:22:52.680 where people say, 00:22:52.980 --> 00:22:54.220 well, this is what it means to me. 00:22:54.920 --> 00:22:56.120 Well, this is what it means to me. 00:22:56.500 --> 00:22:57.940 Well, this is what it means to me. 00:22:58.079 --> 00:23:00.339 And people all draw out a kind of personal meaning, 00:23:00.519 --> 00:23:02.500 and none of the meanings have anything to do with each other, 00:23:02.539 --> 00:23:04.180 and then everybody kind of goes their separate ways. 00:23:04.839 --> 00:23:05.759 What this is telling us is 00:23:05.759 --> 00:23:07.660 that's not the way we should read Scripture, 00:23:07.779 --> 00:23:08.480 that we should read it, 00:23:08.480 --> 00:23:11.759 understanding that there is an objective meaning 00:23:11.759 --> 00:23:14.680 in this text that was intended by the author, 00:23:14.900 --> 00:23:17.180 that was intended by God as He inspired the author, 00:23:17.519 --> 00:23:18.880 that's intended for us. 00:23:19.860 --> 00:23:22.480 And so our goal as Bible students, 00:23:22.700 --> 00:23:26.839 as we open God's Word together in community, 00:23:27.039 --> 00:23:27.960 the way it's meant to be done, 00:23:28.940 --> 00:23:30.779 our goal is to work together to figure out 00:23:30.779 --> 00:23:32.000 what is that original meaning. 00:23:32.099 --> 00:23:33.960 Now, we'll never be able to do it perfectly, 00:23:34.819 --> 00:23:36.599 right, because some things are very hard to understand. 00:23:36.599 --> 00:23:40.619 But that's the way we need to approach Scripture. 00:23:42.119 --> 00:23:44.740 And Peter warns us about people who twist Scripture 00:23:44.740 --> 00:23:45.699 or who might say, 00:23:45.839 --> 00:23:47.679 well, it can just mean different things to different people. 00:23:47.859 --> 00:23:50.259 And ultimately, he says those are lawless people. 00:23:51.339 --> 00:23:52.939 Lawless meaning they're not in submission 00:23:52.939 --> 00:23:54.219 to anyone other than themselves. 00:23:55.719 --> 00:23:57.139 And he says the way to approach Scripture 00:23:57.139 --> 00:23:58.659 is to not be lawless, 00:23:58.740 --> 00:24:01.240 it's to be in submission to the Word, 00:24:01.379 --> 00:24:02.779 to the community that we're a part of, 00:24:02.959 --> 00:24:04.399 and to seek to figure out 00:24:04.400 --> 00:24:07.019 what the text actually intends to say. 00:24:07.220 --> 00:24:08.820 So in all of these ways, 00:24:09.100 --> 00:24:11.560 Peter is emphasizing the importance of Scripture, 00:24:11.820 --> 00:24:13.940 and he's calling us to be grounded in Scripture. 00:24:14.240 --> 00:24:15.740 He's wanting to root ourselves 00:24:15.740 --> 00:24:17.840 in the orthodox interpretation of Scripture. 00:24:18.759 --> 00:24:20.080 Right, when I say orthodox, 00:24:20.180 --> 00:24:21.660 I mean a tradition of interpretation. 00:24:22.820 --> 00:24:23.519 Right, so you say, 00:24:23.580 --> 00:24:24.740 well, how are we supposed to know 00:24:24.740 --> 00:24:26.500 this person's meaning versus that meaning, 00:24:26.540 --> 00:24:28.000 and who are you to say that it means this 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:29.140 and not that, right? 00:24:29.300 --> 00:24:30.860 Well, that's why it's very helpful 00:24:30.860 --> 00:24:32.600 to have a tradition of interpretation, 00:24:32.599 --> 00:24:34.279 what we call orthodoxy. 00:24:35.039 --> 00:24:36.500 Right, so when I'm reading a passage, 00:24:36.619 --> 00:24:38.599 whether it's 2 Peter 3 or anything else, 00:24:38.619 --> 00:24:39.939 I'm going to get up here and teach you 00:24:39.939 --> 00:24:41.339 that passage. 00:24:41.939 --> 00:24:44.579 I do a lot of research on that. 00:24:44.639 --> 00:24:46.679 I say, okay, what did Jesus say about it? 00:24:47.199 --> 00:24:47.919 Because by the way, 00:24:48.179 --> 00:24:49.819 on virtually every page of the Gospels, 00:24:49.939 --> 00:24:51.099 Jesus is quoting Scripture. 00:24:51.719 --> 00:24:53.039 So, did Jesus say anything 00:24:53.039 --> 00:24:54.139 about this particular passage? 00:24:55.079 --> 00:24:56.139 You know, people say, 00:24:56.259 --> 00:24:56.799 well, you know, 00:24:56.939 --> 00:24:58.399 do you really think that Moses 00:24:58.399 --> 00:24:59.539 was the author of the Pentateuch? 00:24:59.599 --> 00:25:00.899 Because I think it might be this other thing. 00:25:00.900 --> 00:25:02.860 And I say, well, you know, Jesus thought it was. 00:25:03.700 --> 00:25:05.720 You know, that was his take on it, 00:25:05.720 --> 00:25:07.040 so I'm just going to side with him. 00:25:07.540 --> 00:25:08.560 You know, because I think he knows 00:25:08.560 --> 00:25:09.600 what he's talking about, you know? 00:25:09.920 --> 00:25:11.120 And so, I look, 00:25:11.200 --> 00:25:12.480 what did Jesus have to say about it? 00:25:13.120 --> 00:25:15.140 You know, what do other books of the Bible 00:25:15.140 --> 00:25:16.980 have to say about this passage? 00:25:17.060 --> 00:25:17.940 You know, one of the best ways 00:25:17.940 --> 00:25:18.680 to interpret Scripture 00:25:18.680 --> 00:25:21.120 is to allow Scripture to interpret itself. 00:25:21.880 --> 00:25:24.120 And the Bible quotes itself all the time. 00:25:25.360 --> 00:25:26.519 And then I look at what 00:25:26.519 --> 00:25:28.300 the church fathers wrote about it. 00:25:28.299 --> 00:25:29.980 These early writers and church leaders 00:25:29.980 --> 00:25:31.559 in the first few centuries of the church, 00:25:31.759 --> 00:25:33.299 you can go back to the first few centuries 00:25:33.299 --> 00:25:36.200 and look at these leaders 00:25:36.200 --> 00:25:37.940 who are quoting and interpreting 00:25:37.940 --> 00:25:39.379 and preaching and teaching 00:25:39.379 --> 00:25:41.500 on the very same passages of Scripture 00:25:41.500 --> 00:25:42.159 that we have. 00:25:42.539 --> 00:25:43.639 So, you see, what were they saying, 00:25:43.720 --> 00:25:45.539 you know, 1,700 years ago 00:25:45.539 --> 00:25:46.579 about this text? 00:25:47.099 --> 00:25:49.159 Then you can look at the medieval theologians 00:25:49.159 --> 00:25:50.279 and figure out what were the medieval 00:25:50.279 --> 00:25:52.700 Catholic theologians saying about this text. 00:25:52.700 --> 00:25:56.059 And then you can look at the modern Bible scholars 00:25:56.059 --> 00:25:58.059 and see what were the modern Bible scholars, 00:25:58.140 --> 00:25:59.160 what do they think about this text? 00:25:59.319 --> 00:26:00.380 And what you will begin to see 00:26:00.380 --> 00:26:02.160 when you do all that study over time is 00:26:02.160 --> 00:26:05.140 there is a clear tradition of interpretation. 00:26:05.759 --> 00:26:07.940 And that tradition is called orthodoxy. 00:26:09.039 --> 00:26:11.140 And so, what Peter is encouraging us to do 00:26:11.140 --> 00:26:11.819 is to root ourselves, 00:26:11.900 --> 00:26:12.759 not just in the Bible 00:26:12.759 --> 00:26:13.880 as we understand it, 00:26:13.920 --> 00:26:14.740 whatever it means to us, 00:26:14.840 --> 00:26:17.220 but root ourselves in the tradition of orthodoxy, 00:26:17.279 --> 00:26:18.380 the tradition of interpretation 00:26:18.380 --> 00:26:19.779 that's been handed down to us. 00:26:19.779 --> 00:26:23.180 And the reason this is so important 00:26:23.180 --> 00:26:26.599 is because it leads us to two ends. 00:26:27.399 --> 00:26:29.740 First, it enables us to grow in Christ, 00:26:29.980 --> 00:26:34.180 and then it enables us to glorify Christ in our lives. 00:26:34.220 --> 00:26:36.639 And I'll just say a quick word about each of those. 00:26:37.539 --> 00:26:39.480 The more we ground ourselves in God's Word, 00:26:39.519 --> 00:26:40.220 the more we grow. 00:26:41.099 --> 00:26:42.559 That's the simple fact. 00:26:43.139 --> 00:26:44.660 You can go to Christian retreats, 00:26:44.839 --> 00:26:45.779 you can go meditate, 00:26:46.099 --> 00:26:47.559 you can go do contemplative prayer, 00:26:47.940 --> 00:26:49.700 you can do all of those things, 00:26:49.799 --> 00:26:50.519 you can fast, 00:26:50.580 --> 00:26:51.640 you can do all of those disciplines, 00:26:52.059 --> 00:26:53.580 but if you're not grounded in God's Word, 00:26:53.680 --> 00:26:54.779 you simply will not grow. 00:26:55.180 --> 00:26:56.779 It's the only nourishment 00:26:56.779 --> 00:27:01.220 we're made to take in 00:27:01.220 --> 00:27:03.240 that will produce spiritual growth. 00:27:04.120 --> 00:27:06.360 And he's talking about Christians 00:27:06.360 --> 00:27:09.180 growing in the grace and knowledge 00:27:09.180 --> 00:27:11.220 of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 00:27:11.299 --> 00:27:13.400 growing the grace and the knowledge 00:27:13.400 --> 00:27:15.279 of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 00:27:16.140 --> 00:27:17.440 You know, those go together. 00:27:17.440 --> 00:27:17.880 Right? 00:27:19.320 --> 00:27:21.440 Grace, how do I grow in grace? 00:27:22.500 --> 00:27:24.759 Well, I look at Jesus' command for me 00:27:24.759 --> 00:27:25.799 to go and love God 00:27:25.799 --> 00:27:27.160 and go and love my neighbor, 00:27:27.400 --> 00:27:28.559 and I go and I do that. 00:27:29.120 --> 00:27:30.720 And I fail colossally. 00:27:31.400 --> 00:27:32.680 And then I come back 00:27:32.680 --> 00:27:34.600 and I confess that failure. 00:27:35.320 --> 00:27:37.299 And I have words of grace spoken over me. 00:27:37.820 --> 00:27:39.500 And I'm reminded of the fact 00:27:39.500 --> 00:27:40.539 that my relationship with God 00:27:40.539 --> 00:27:42.360 does not hinge on what I do 00:27:42.360 --> 00:27:43.340 or don't do for Him. 00:27:44.079 --> 00:27:45.279 I'm reminded of His grace. 00:27:45.399 --> 00:27:46.179 I'm reminded of the fact 00:27:46.179 --> 00:27:47.279 that there's nothing I can do 00:27:47.279 --> 00:27:49.000 that even if I were to obey perfectly 00:27:49.000 --> 00:27:49.939 for the rest of my life, 00:27:50.039 --> 00:27:52.480 I could never impact His love for me. 00:27:52.539 --> 00:27:53.500 That there's nothing I can do 00:27:53.500 --> 00:27:54.459 that will make Him love me 00:27:54.459 --> 00:27:55.759 any more than He does 00:27:55.759 --> 00:27:56.679 at this very moment. 00:27:57.500 --> 00:27:58.559 And the same is true for you. 00:27:58.599 --> 00:27:59.000 And I'm reminded, 00:27:59.159 --> 00:28:00.480 oh, my relationship is not based 00:28:00.480 --> 00:28:01.279 on what I do for Him. 00:28:01.439 --> 00:28:02.559 It's based on grace. 00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:04.259 And I grow in grace. 00:28:04.459 --> 00:28:05.639 And then I go out and I fail 00:28:05.639 --> 00:28:06.759 and I come a little quicker 00:28:06.759 --> 00:28:07.559 to the throne of grace. 00:28:07.679 --> 00:28:08.599 And then I go out and I fail 00:28:08.599 --> 00:28:09.480 and I come a little quicker. 00:28:09.480 --> 00:28:10.480 And every time, 00:28:10.799 --> 00:28:11.880 and you get to the point 00:28:11.880 --> 00:28:14.339 where you're almost desirous 00:28:14.339 --> 00:28:15.980 of seeing sin in your life 00:28:15.980 --> 00:28:17.099 so that you can come back 00:28:17.099 --> 00:28:17.960 to the throne of grace. 00:28:19.059 --> 00:28:20.420 And you realize that's what it's about. 00:28:21.259 --> 00:28:22.360 That's growing in grace. 00:28:23.099 --> 00:28:24.180 And then the more you do that, 00:28:24.220 --> 00:28:25.220 the more you try to obey 00:28:25.220 --> 00:28:26.680 and the more you try to seek 00:28:26.680 --> 00:28:27.680 God's will for your life 00:28:27.680 --> 00:28:28.500 and the more you fail 00:28:28.500 --> 00:28:29.120 and the more you come 00:28:29.120 --> 00:28:29.779 to the throne of grace, 00:28:30.160 --> 00:28:32.480 the hungrier you become for knowledge. 00:28:33.140 --> 00:28:34.579 How do I obey Jesus here? 00:28:34.660 --> 00:28:36.039 How do I follow the Lord here? 00:28:36.259 --> 00:28:37.140 And you want to know, 00:28:37.319 --> 00:28:38.200 what does Scripture say? 00:28:38.200 --> 00:28:39.880 And that makes you hungry for it. 00:28:40.720 --> 00:28:41.900 So you grow in grace 00:28:41.900 --> 00:28:42.940 and then you grow in knowledge 00:28:42.940 --> 00:28:45.980 and together you mature as a believer. 00:28:47.460 --> 00:28:48.100 And then, of course, 00:28:48.160 --> 00:28:49.319 the ultimate end of all of this 00:28:49.319 --> 00:28:51.299 is captured in the very last line. 00:28:52.220 --> 00:28:53.900 To Him, this is the doxology, 00:28:54.080 --> 00:28:55.740 to Him be the glory, 00:28:56.319 --> 00:28:58.019 both now and to the day of eternity. 00:28:58.680 --> 00:28:59.000 Amen. 00:29:00.740 --> 00:29:02.799 What does it mean to glorify Christ? 00:29:04.120 --> 00:29:05.259 You know, that's one of those 00:29:05.259 --> 00:29:07.319 Christian phrases that you hear it 00:29:07.319 --> 00:29:09.039 and it's easy for preachers 00:29:09.039 --> 00:29:10.500 and anybody reading it 00:29:10.500 --> 00:29:11.319 to just skip over that. 00:29:11.359 --> 00:29:13.539 Oh yeah, to Christ be the glory, right? 00:29:13.779 --> 00:29:14.899 But what does that actually mean 00:29:14.899 --> 00:29:16.720 to glorify Christ in your life? 00:29:17.200 --> 00:29:18.700 This is the whole point. 00:29:21.059 --> 00:29:22.379 Imagine a solar system. 00:29:24.119 --> 00:29:25.419 Imagine our solar system. 00:29:26.460 --> 00:29:28.399 Why do all of the planets 00:29:28.399 --> 00:29:31.099 maintain their own orbits 00:29:31.099 --> 00:29:33.439 and yet at the same time 00:29:33.439 --> 00:29:34.439 there's perfect harmony 00:29:34.439 --> 00:29:37.559 and no planets ever crash into each other. 00:29:37.879 --> 00:29:39.319 There's no hint of chaos. 00:29:39.439 --> 00:29:40.819 In fact, it's incredibly, 00:29:41.319 --> 00:29:42.480 precisely ordered 00:29:42.480 --> 00:29:44.759 to all function in perfect harmony. 00:29:44.859 --> 00:29:46.259 Now, how could that possibly happen? 00:29:47.219 --> 00:29:48.500 Well, obviously, 00:29:48.659 --> 00:29:50.279 it's because all of those objects 00:29:50.279 --> 00:29:52.439 are oriented toward the same center. 00:29:52.819 --> 00:29:54.599 They're all orbiting 00:29:54.599 --> 00:29:56.359 around the same center, 00:29:56.539 --> 00:29:57.819 in our case, the sun. 00:29:57.819 --> 00:30:01.139 Now, take that same image 00:30:01.139 --> 00:30:02.619 and think about our lives. 00:30:03.960 --> 00:30:04.240 Right? 00:30:04.319 --> 00:30:06.159 If you remove that center, 00:30:06.659 --> 00:30:07.379 what would happen? 00:30:07.460 --> 00:30:08.059 If all of a sudden 00:30:08.059 --> 00:30:09.299 the sun blinks out of existence? 00:30:09.439 --> 00:30:10.819 Well, all of those orbits 00:30:10.819 --> 00:30:12.379 would begin to shift and change. 00:30:12.700 --> 00:30:14.519 Things would spin out of control. 00:30:14.679 --> 00:30:16.179 Planets would start colliding 00:30:16.179 --> 00:30:17.019 into one another. 00:30:17.139 --> 00:30:17.819 That would be catastrophe. 00:30:18.679 --> 00:30:19.339 The entire thing 00:30:19.339 --> 00:30:20.439 would begin to break down. 00:30:21.399 --> 00:30:22.359 And that's essentially 00:30:22.359 --> 00:30:23.839 how the Bible describes 00:30:23.839 --> 00:30:26.079 human beings after the fall, 00:30:26.079 --> 00:30:27.259 after our relationship 00:30:27.259 --> 00:30:28.339 with God was broken. 00:30:29.099 --> 00:30:30.720 That each human being 00:30:30.720 --> 00:30:32.439 goes along in our lives, 00:30:32.460 --> 00:30:33.899 and I know this is true for me. 00:30:35.539 --> 00:30:36.720 I live as though 00:30:36.720 --> 00:30:37.480 I'm the center 00:30:37.480 --> 00:30:39.500 of my own solar system. 00:30:39.679 --> 00:30:40.899 I live with the assumption 00:30:40.899 --> 00:30:42.779 that everything and everyone 00:30:42.779 --> 00:30:45.099 should be in orbit around me. 00:30:45.299 --> 00:30:46.759 When I look at the reasons 00:30:46.759 --> 00:30:48.679 that I have conflict with Laura, 00:30:48.839 --> 00:30:50.339 when I look at the times 00:30:50.339 --> 00:30:51.819 that I'm not a good dad 00:30:51.819 --> 00:30:52.539 to my kids, 00:30:52.639 --> 00:30:54.019 I'm neglecting them, 00:30:54.119 --> 00:30:54.980 doing other things, 00:30:54.980 --> 00:30:56.799 or that I'm angry to them, 00:30:57.079 --> 00:30:58.579 almost always, 00:30:58.759 --> 00:30:59.720 when I look at these things 00:30:59.720 --> 00:31:01.839 that I most dislike about myself, 00:31:02.720 --> 00:31:03.779 when I see the self 00:31:03.779 --> 00:31:04.420 that I want to be 00:31:04.420 --> 00:31:05.059 and I see the self 00:31:05.059 --> 00:31:06.079 that I actually am, 00:31:06.579 --> 00:31:07.299 you know what causes 00:31:07.299 --> 00:31:07.900 that disconnect? 00:31:08.160 --> 00:31:09.220 It's because I'm living 00:31:09.220 --> 00:31:10.059 in that moment 00:31:10.059 --> 00:31:11.480 as though I'm the center of things. 00:31:11.620 --> 00:31:12.500 I'm assuming 00:31:12.500 --> 00:31:13.539 that they should be 00:31:13.539 --> 00:31:14.519 orbiting around me. 00:31:15.559 --> 00:31:16.500 I see that again and again 00:31:16.500 --> 00:31:17.319 and again in my life. 00:31:18.079 --> 00:31:18.880 And the Bible says, 00:31:18.980 --> 00:31:19.220 essentially, 00:31:19.339 --> 00:31:20.700 that's the human condition 00:31:20.700 --> 00:31:22.019 apart from God, 00:31:22.120 --> 00:31:23.839 that we all think 00:31:23.839 --> 00:31:24.480 we're the center. 00:31:24.740 --> 00:31:25.059 And you know, 00:31:25.139 --> 00:31:25.799 many people, 00:31:25.839 --> 00:31:26.639 many people who call 00:31:26.639 --> 00:31:27.379 themselves Christians, 00:31:27.859 --> 00:31:29.439 they think of their Christian faith 00:31:29.439 --> 00:31:31.099 as something that orbits 00:31:31.099 --> 00:31:31.879 around them. 00:31:32.379 --> 00:31:32.619 You know, 00:31:32.659 --> 00:31:33.679 I have my job, 00:31:33.779 --> 00:31:35.019 I have my friends, 00:31:35.159 --> 00:31:36.159 I have my hobbies, 00:31:36.159 --> 00:31:37.519 I have my family, 00:31:37.720 --> 00:31:38.839 I have all of these things, 00:31:39.039 --> 00:31:40.359 and one of those things 00:31:40.359 --> 00:31:40.859 out there 00:31:40.859 --> 00:31:42.019 is my Christian faith 00:31:42.019 --> 00:31:43.299 and my church friends. 00:31:43.639 --> 00:31:44.720 And you sort of have 00:31:44.720 --> 00:31:45.919 all of these things 00:31:45.919 --> 00:31:47.859 orbiting around you 00:31:47.859 --> 00:31:48.619 as the center. 00:31:48.619 --> 00:31:51.579 So what it means 00:31:51.579 --> 00:31:53.159 to glorify Christ 00:31:53.159 --> 00:31:55.739 is a Copernican revolution. 00:31:57.059 --> 00:31:58.279 It's where Christ, 00:31:58.379 --> 00:31:59.039 who is out here 00:31:59.039 --> 00:31:59.979 on the periphery, 00:32:00.439 --> 00:32:01.619 an object of interest, 00:32:01.759 --> 00:32:02.759 an object of inquiry, 00:32:02.939 --> 00:32:04.419 an object of maybe 00:32:04.419 --> 00:32:05.639 some further investigation 00:32:05.639 --> 00:32:06.419 or curiosity, 00:32:06.599 --> 00:32:07.359 all of a sudden 00:32:07.359 --> 00:32:08.219 something happens 00:32:08.219 --> 00:32:09.819 and that being 00:32:09.819 --> 00:32:10.819 begins to come 00:32:10.819 --> 00:32:11.559 into the center 00:32:11.559 --> 00:32:12.279 and it begins 00:32:12.279 --> 00:32:13.479 to displace you. 00:32:14.559 --> 00:32:16.419 You cannot have conversion 00:32:16.419 --> 00:32:18.399 without a kind of collision. 00:32:18.619 --> 00:32:20.659 where you are 00:32:20.659 --> 00:32:22.000 forcibly displaced 00:32:22.000 --> 00:32:23.839 and your life 00:32:23.839 --> 00:32:24.859 is reoriented 00:32:24.859 --> 00:32:25.859 and you begin 00:32:25.859 --> 00:32:27.099 to orbit around Jesus 00:32:27.099 --> 00:32:28.379 as your center. 00:32:28.839 --> 00:32:29.439 And you know what? 00:32:29.659 --> 00:32:30.539 Same thing that we see 00:32:30.539 --> 00:32:31.239 in our solar system. 00:32:31.359 --> 00:32:32.039 When that happens, 00:32:32.279 --> 00:32:33.199 all of that chaos 00:32:33.199 --> 00:32:34.339 begins to come back 00:32:34.339 --> 00:32:34.819 into order. 00:32:35.799 --> 00:32:36.000 Right? 00:32:36.019 --> 00:32:36.719 Your life begins 00:32:36.719 --> 00:32:38.059 to go from total chaos 00:32:38.059 --> 00:32:39.539 and it begins to look 00:32:39.539 --> 00:32:40.359 more and more and more 00:32:40.359 --> 00:32:41.859 like a dance, 00:32:41.959 --> 00:32:43.119 like a cosmic dance 00:32:43.119 --> 00:32:44.279 because it begins 00:32:44.279 --> 00:32:45.359 to reorder your loves, 00:32:45.459 --> 00:32:46.219 it begins to reorder 00:32:46.219 --> 00:32:46.899 your priorities, 00:32:47.000 --> 00:32:47.759 it begins to reorder 00:32:47.759 --> 00:32:48.359 everything. 00:32:48.619 --> 00:32:50.679 Right? 00:32:50.739 --> 00:32:51.719 So this is essentially 00:32:51.719 --> 00:32:52.279 what it means 00:32:52.279 --> 00:32:53.419 to glorify Christ. 00:32:53.599 --> 00:32:54.619 The word glory 00:32:54.619 --> 00:32:56.259 is connected to a word 00:32:56.259 --> 00:32:57.159 that means reality 00:32:57.159 --> 00:32:57.859 or real. 00:32:58.199 --> 00:32:59.299 So when you glorify 00:32:59.299 --> 00:32:59.959 Christ in your life, 00:33:00.000 --> 00:33:00.319 you're saying 00:33:00.319 --> 00:33:02.099 He is the most real, 00:33:02.299 --> 00:33:03.679 most central thing 00:33:03.679 --> 00:33:05.259 and I'm in orbit 00:33:05.259 --> 00:33:05.839 around Him. 00:33:06.199 --> 00:33:06.959 And if there's any 00:33:06.959 --> 00:33:08.000 ever discrepancy 00:33:08.000 --> 00:33:09.739 between me and Him, 00:33:10.099 --> 00:33:10.979 it's me 00:33:10.979 --> 00:33:12.399 that needs to change 00:33:12.399 --> 00:33:13.779 because He's the center. 00:33:14.619 --> 00:33:15.139 Right? 00:33:15.140 --> 00:33:16.620 So this is the difference 00:33:16.620 --> 00:33:17.320 between people 00:33:17.320 --> 00:33:18.140 who appreciate 00:33:18.140 --> 00:33:19.259 the teachings of Jesus, 00:33:19.420 --> 00:33:20.500 people who appreciate 00:33:20.500 --> 00:33:21.840 the Christian tradition 00:33:21.840 --> 00:33:22.500 and people who think 00:33:22.500 --> 00:33:23.940 it has a lot to offer 00:33:23.940 --> 00:33:25.220 modern society 00:33:25.220 --> 00:33:26.120 and then people 00:33:26.120 --> 00:33:26.900 who are actually 00:33:26.900 --> 00:33:28.160 converted Christians. 00:33:28.920 --> 00:33:30.180 Has that Copernican 00:33:30.180 --> 00:33:31.160 revolution happened 00:33:31.160 --> 00:33:31.840 in your life? 00:33:31.839 --> 00:33:31.899 life. 00:33:33.019 --> 00:33:33.899 And the Bible 00:33:33.899 --> 00:33:34.720 actually says 00:33:34.720 --> 00:33:35.339 that one day, 00:33:35.379 --> 00:33:35.819 and this is what 00:33:35.819 --> 00:33:37.000 2 Peter is really about, 00:33:37.220 --> 00:33:37.859 that one day 00:33:37.859 --> 00:33:38.779 Jesus is going 00:33:38.779 --> 00:33:39.579 to come again. 00:33:41.339 --> 00:33:42.720 And like it or not, 00:33:42.939 --> 00:33:43.959 on that day, 00:33:44.359 --> 00:33:45.579 everything will be 00:33:45.579 --> 00:33:46.899 reoriented around Him. 00:33:46.900 --> 00:33:47.800 You know, 00:33:47.860 --> 00:33:48.920 we live in a society 00:33:48.920 --> 00:33:50.600 where there's an infinite array 00:33:50.600 --> 00:33:52.880 of people who are oriented 00:33:52.880 --> 00:33:54.000 in all different kinds 00:33:54.000 --> 00:33:54.480 of directions, 00:33:54.660 --> 00:33:56.420 lots of different orientations, 00:33:56.759 --> 00:33:57.540 and everybody's sort of 00:33:57.540 --> 00:33:58.320 going along 00:33:58.320 --> 00:34:00.180 in their own orbit, 00:34:00.440 --> 00:34:01.060 assuming they're 00:34:01.060 --> 00:34:02.080 their own solar system. 00:34:02.280 --> 00:34:02.960 But one day, 00:34:03.040 --> 00:34:04.160 Jesus is going to come 00:34:04.160 --> 00:34:04.860 and when that happens, 00:34:05.180 --> 00:34:06.160 all of those orbits 00:34:06.160 --> 00:34:06.700 are going to be 00:34:06.700 --> 00:34:08.380 forcibly realigned. 00:34:09.240 --> 00:34:11.000 And instead of an infinite 00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:12.740 number of orientations, 00:34:12.739 --> 00:34:15.679 we will all have 00:34:15.679 --> 00:34:17.039 the same orientation 00:34:17.039 --> 00:34:18.339 toward the infinite. 00:34:19.719 --> 00:34:20.759 And that's the day 00:34:20.759 --> 00:34:21.259 of the Lord. 00:34:22.239 --> 00:34:23.819 And it's in that great hope 00:34:23.819 --> 00:34:25.559 that Peter is teaching. 00:34:26.179 --> 00:34:27.399 So here's my final word 00:34:27.399 --> 00:34:29.139 to you before we conclude. 00:34:29.799 --> 00:34:30.519 Here it is. 00:34:30.799 --> 00:34:31.959 Life is hard 00:34:31.959 --> 00:34:33.839 in a place like D.C. 00:34:33.899 --> 00:34:34.679 It is unpredictable. 00:34:35.179 --> 00:34:36.539 It is full of anxiety. 00:34:36.919 --> 00:34:37.839 It's full of fear. 00:34:39.399 --> 00:34:40.579 Many of you I know 00:34:40.579 --> 00:34:41.919 personally are struggling 00:34:41.919 --> 00:34:42.559 even now. 00:34:43.079 --> 00:34:43.939 I know the things 00:34:43.939 --> 00:34:44.539 that you're facing. 00:34:44.759 --> 00:34:45.539 And I know there's a lot more 00:34:45.539 --> 00:34:46.579 that I don't even know about. 00:34:48.159 --> 00:34:49.679 Life is tremendously challenging. 00:34:50.459 --> 00:34:51.539 And what we need 00:34:51.539 --> 00:34:52.279 is a story 00:34:52.279 --> 00:34:53.799 that helps us make sense 00:34:53.799 --> 00:34:55.459 of all of these experiences 00:34:55.459 --> 00:34:56.939 and that gives us hope 00:34:56.939 --> 00:34:58.439 and a direction to move. 00:34:59.279 --> 00:35:00.719 What Peter's telling us here 00:35:00.719 --> 00:35:01.459 and the proposition 00:35:01.459 --> 00:35:03.119 that I leave you with 00:35:03.119 --> 00:35:04.659 is that the story of Scripture 00:35:04.659 --> 00:35:05.519 is the best 00:35:05.519 --> 00:35:07.299 and the truest story 00:35:07.299 --> 00:35:08.419 there is. 00:35:08.659 --> 00:35:10.199 And that when we ground ourselves 00:35:10.199 --> 00:35:11.099 in this story, 00:35:11.239 --> 00:35:11.979 we will become 00:35:11.980 --> 00:35:12.820 more and more 00:35:12.820 --> 00:35:13.820 secure 00:35:13.820 --> 00:35:15.659 and stable. 00:35:15.780 --> 00:35:16.900 He uses the word stable 00:35:16.900 --> 00:35:18.420 and we will be found 00:35:18.420 --> 00:35:19.099 at peace. 00:35:19.800 --> 00:35:20.320 Meaning, 00:35:20.639 --> 00:35:21.760 regardless of what happens, 00:35:21.900 --> 00:35:22.920 regardless of what upheaval 00:35:22.920 --> 00:35:23.519 we face, 00:35:23.820 --> 00:35:24.860 we are steadfast, 00:35:25.219 --> 00:35:25.860 even keel, 00:35:26.139 --> 00:35:27.480 and securely grounded 00:35:27.480 --> 00:35:28.420 and rooted 00:35:28.420 --> 00:35:30.179 in that great story 00:35:30.179 --> 00:35:30.840 of the gospel. 00:35:31.619 --> 00:35:32.740 And the more we ground 00:35:32.740 --> 00:35:33.960 ourselves in God's word, 00:35:33.960 --> 00:35:35.039 the more we will grow 00:35:35.039 --> 00:35:37.099 and the more we will 00:35:37.099 --> 00:35:39.000 come to glorify Jesus, 00:35:39.619 --> 00:35:40.719 gently but firmly 00:35:40.719 --> 00:35:42.019 displacing us 00:35:42.019 --> 00:35:42.759 as the center. 00:35:43.259 --> 00:35:44.259 So this is my prayer 00:35:44.259 --> 00:35:44.679 for you, 00:35:44.779 --> 00:35:45.420 my friends. 00:35:45.940 --> 00:35:46.800 This is my prayer 00:35:46.800 --> 00:35:47.500 for myself 00:35:47.500 --> 00:35:48.259 and our family. 00:35:48.659 --> 00:35:49.179 May the Lord 00:35:49.179 --> 00:35:49.940 make it so 00:35:49.940 --> 00:35:50.840 for His glory. 00:35:51.380 --> 00:35:52.059 Let's pray. 00:35:52.679 --> 00:35:53.320 Let's pray. 00:35:53.320 --> 00:35:55.380 Let's pray.