WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.320 Well, again, good morning to you all. 00:00:06.780 --> 00:00:12.140 My name is Tommy, and I'm a pastor here, and we've been in a series that we started 00:00:12.140 --> 00:00:15.580 last week called This Is My Body. 00:00:16.580 --> 00:00:20.300 And this is a series focusing on embodiment. 00:00:20.420 --> 00:00:21.900 I'm getting a lot of feedback, guys. 00:00:22.039 --> 00:00:22.920 I'm not sure what that is. 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:24.199 Maybe we can turn the monitors down. 00:00:24.199 --> 00:00:33.359 But this is a series called This Is My Body, and it's focusing on this theme of embodiment. 00:00:34.759 --> 00:00:38.539 We have bodies, and we're asking questions about our bodies. 00:00:38.640 --> 00:00:40.539 What does it mean that we have bodies? 00:00:40.679 --> 00:00:43.960 Are they central to what it means to be human, or are they secondary? 00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:49.140 What do our bodies have to tell us about what it means to be human? 00:00:49.859 --> 00:00:53.939 And last week, we introduced the series, and this week, we're sort of really going to start 00:00:53.939 --> 00:00:58.679 to dig in, and we're going to begin with what is arguably the most important thing that 00:00:58.679 --> 00:01:00.759 you need to know about your body. 00:01:01.539 --> 00:01:06.140 I might say that every week, but this time, I really mean it. 00:01:06.340 --> 00:01:11.259 The most important thing that you need to know about your body is the fact that God made it. 00:01:12.200 --> 00:01:13.340 That God made it. 00:01:13.920 --> 00:01:16.519 These words in Genesis chapter 1, verse 26, 00:01:16.519 --> 00:01:17.500 Then God said, 00:01:18.280 --> 00:01:20.759 Let us make man. 00:01:21.259 --> 00:01:23.459 That can also be translated humankind. 00:01:23.939 --> 00:01:27.000 Let us make humankind. 00:01:27.640 --> 00:01:32.679 It's so important and so foundational that I felt like it deserved a whole sermon. 00:01:33.079 --> 00:01:37.560 So what we're going to do is we're going to say a little bit more about what the Bible says 00:01:37.560 --> 00:01:39.620 about the fact that God made us. 00:01:40.200 --> 00:01:45.599 Then we're going to consider two objections that will likely arise in some of our listeners, 00:01:45.799 --> 00:01:46.299 some of you. 00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:48.459 And then we're going to talk about two implications. 00:01:48.459 --> 00:01:56.519 So God made us, made our bodies, two objections, and then two implications. 00:01:56.899 --> 00:01:57.359 Let's pray. 00:01:57.359 --> 00:02:01.739 Lord, we thank you for your presence among us. 00:02:02.840 --> 00:02:07.359 There's this ancient promise that you gave to your people thousands of years ago, 00:02:07.459 --> 00:02:10.659 that one day you would be a God who dwells in the midst of your people. 00:02:10.659 --> 00:02:17.400 And we thank you that through Jesus, you have fulfilled that promise. 00:02:17.859 --> 00:02:20.539 Through the gift of the Spirit, you have fulfilled that promise. 00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:22.539 You are fulfilling that promise. 00:02:22.819 --> 00:02:23.780 And they are in our midst. 00:02:24.479 --> 00:02:28.139 And Lord, it is your voice that we need to hear, your words that need to be spoken this morning. 00:02:28.240 --> 00:02:33.340 And so we pray that you would speak to us, that we would have, as we just sang together, 00:02:33.340 --> 00:02:37.580 open hearts and open ears to receive what you have to say. 00:02:38.080 --> 00:02:42.219 We pray this, Lord, for our good, but ultimately for your glory. 00:02:42.800 --> 00:02:44.300 We pray this in your Son's holy name. 00:02:44.460 --> 00:02:44.699 Amen. 00:02:46.520 --> 00:02:56.240 So Bob Kramer is widely considered to be one of the greatest American bladesmiths working today. 00:02:56.580 --> 00:03:01.759 So among certain sort of cult-following circles, he is very famous. 00:03:01.759 --> 00:03:09.500 And you can get a mass-produced version of a Bob Kramer knife for about $400. 00:03:10.359 --> 00:03:17.159 This is a knife that is made according to his exact process and specifications. 00:03:17.159 --> 00:03:21.299 It is sort of licensed by him to have his name on it. 00:03:21.299 --> 00:03:29.219 And in every way, it reflects the kind of craftsmanship that he intends to put into every chef's knife that he makes. 00:03:29.280 --> 00:03:30.379 And you can get that for about $400. 00:03:30.379 --> 00:03:35.000 But at the end of the day, that is still a factory-made knife. 00:03:35.699 --> 00:03:39.079 It just is made according to his process and it has his name on it. 00:03:39.859 --> 00:03:45.340 Now, how much do you think that you'd have to pay to get an actual handmade Bob Kramer knife? 00:03:45.419 --> 00:03:47.819 Now, for all I know, somebody in this room has one. 00:03:48.219 --> 00:03:51.539 Does anybody know, knowing this crowd, right? 00:03:51.539 --> 00:03:57.280 Does anybody know how much you'd have to pay for an actual handmade Bob Kramer chef's knife? 00:03:59.719 --> 00:04:01.139 Probably about $30,000. 00:04:02.979 --> 00:04:08.579 Now, one of his knives recently sold at auction for a quarter of a million dollars. 00:04:09.579 --> 00:04:11.599 A quarter of a million dollars for a kitchen tool. 00:04:11.599 --> 00:04:14.280 Now, you may think that that's crazy. 00:04:14.419 --> 00:04:18.279 I mean, certainly nicer than anything I have ever had or will ever have in my kitchen. 00:04:18.500 --> 00:04:19.860 You may think that that's crazy. 00:04:20.159 --> 00:04:21.060 But the point is this. 00:04:21.100 --> 00:04:28.219 When something is handmade, it is far more valuable than something that is made in a factory. 00:04:28.220 --> 00:04:34.300 And now, I want you to keep that in mind as you listen to David's words in Psalm 139. 00:04:34.460 --> 00:04:35.880 Here he says to God, 00:04:36.360 --> 00:04:39.000 For you formed my inward parts. 00:04:39.660 --> 00:04:43.020 You knitted me together in my mother's womb. 00:04:43.220 --> 00:04:47.840 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. 00:04:47.940 --> 00:04:49.740 He's thinking of his own body. 00:04:50.720 --> 00:04:54.740 And he's thinking about the craftsmanship that went into his body. 00:04:55.080 --> 00:04:57.560 And it is moving him to worship the Lord. 00:04:57.560 --> 00:04:59.360 Wonderful are your works. 00:04:59.439 --> 00:05:01.379 He's talking about his own flesh and bone. 00:05:02.319 --> 00:05:03.860 My soul knows it very well. 00:05:03.959 --> 00:05:08.620 My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret. 00:05:09.980 --> 00:05:13.500 Intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 00:05:14.079 --> 00:05:17.160 Your eyes saw my unformed substance. 00:05:17.500 --> 00:05:22.060 In your book were written every one of them, the days that were formed for me, 00:05:22.540 --> 00:05:24.819 when as yet there was none of them. 00:05:24.819 --> 00:05:35.779 Psalm 139 says that your body was fearfully and wonderfully handcrafted by God. 00:05:36.620 --> 00:05:41.019 And this is an amazing thing for us to meditate on. 00:05:41.420 --> 00:05:47.539 You know, if a handmade kitchen tool can be worth a quarter of a million dollars, 00:05:47.540 --> 00:05:51.060 what is a handmade human body worth? 00:05:52.760 --> 00:05:59.340 You know, economists actually last year in the wake of COVID and the economic shutdown and all of that, 00:06:00.120 --> 00:06:02.600 calculated the value of a human life. 00:06:03.580 --> 00:06:06.820 Turns out it's around $10 million per person. 00:06:07.900 --> 00:06:09.860 That's the commonly agreed upon number. 00:06:09.860 --> 00:06:13.100 Now that's economists talking. 00:06:13.920 --> 00:06:20.220 As we read this, what is the value of a human life, of a human body, 00:06:20.759 --> 00:06:24.560 in light of the fact that we're not dealing with something that is factory made, 00:06:24.980 --> 00:06:29.379 but something that has been handmade by the ultimate master craftsman? 00:06:29.379 --> 00:06:35.079 And these words, fearfully and wonderfully, are pretty amazing. 00:06:35.240 --> 00:06:38.680 They can also be translated reverence and awe. 00:06:39.219 --> 00:06:40.040 Now think about that. 00:06:40.079 --> 00:06:43.860 The God of the universe, who creates, as we see in Genesis, all things. 00:06:43.860 --> 00:06:49.040 You know, he creates the stars and the planets and the sun and the moon and the universe 00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:51.279 and puts everything in perfect balance. 00:06:51.459 --> 00:06:52.719 He creates all of these things. 00:06:52.720 --> 00:06:58.320 And yet, the only thing that even, nothing comes close to this kind of language. 00:06:59.140 --> 00:07:04.560 We never read of God sort of fearfully, you know, in a reverent way making the stars, 00:07:04.680 --> 00:07:07.080 although for us that might inspire far more reverence. 00:07:08.040 --> 00:07:12.440 The only thing that I've come across where it uses this kind of language is your body. 00:07:14.260 --> 00:07:16.520 When it came to making the human body, 00:07:17.660 --> 00:07:20.820 God made it with reverence and awe. 00:07:20.819 --> 00:07:22.939 It was his masterpiece. 00:07:24.040 --> 00:07:30.459 It was more glorious, more special, more precious to him than the Alps, right? 00:07:30.480 --> 00:07:32.920 Than the quasars, right? 00:07:32.920 --> 00:07:37.139 It was the masterpiece, the masterwork of his creation. 00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:42.180 You know, I think of my mother-in-law, Nina, who just left town. 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:43.480 She's a wonderful woman. 00:07:43.879 --> 00:07:46.980 I think that she should be considered for sainthood, quite honestly. 00:07:47.060 --> 00:07:49.180 We call her Saint Nina all the time. 00:07:49.180 --> 00:07:56.680 And Nina took it upon herself to make an afghan, to crochet an afghan for each one of our three kids. 00:07:57.740 --> 00:08:07.759 And in her process of crocheting these afghans, it takes something like an hour per inch to make these afghans. 00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:11.599 And so each afghan is roughly 60 hours worth of work. 00:08:11.980 --> 00:08:18.360 And she said that she would sit there crocheting these afghans and that what she enjoyed to do was to sit. 00:08:18.480 --> 00:08:24.699 And as she was making the afghan, she would think about the child for whom she was making this afghan. 00:08:24.699 --> 00:08:28.860 And she would just think about how much she loved them and delighted in them and enjoyed them. 00:08:29.399 --> 00:08:38.100 And so literally, each stitch was done with love for the child to whom she would give this afghan. 00:08:38.480 --> 00:08:44.259 And I think this is similar language to how Psalm 139 talks about God's creation of us. 00:08:44.259 --> 00:08:54.340 As he is forming you together, as he is knitting together your parts in the hidden places, he's thinking about how much he loves you. 00:08:55.360 --> 00:08:57.480 He's thinking about how much he delights in you. 00:08:57.659 --> 00:09:01.019 He's thinking about the days that are laid out for you. 00:09:01.759 --> 00:09:07.879 He's thinking about all of the experiences that you have yet to enjoy through your embodiment. 00:09:07.879 --> 00:09:09.720 That's what it's saying here. 00:09:11.120 --> 00:09:16.379 Now, I know as I say this, this might sort of raise some questions and objections. 00:09:16.639 --> 00:09:18.620 And so I want to try to address a couple of them. 00:09:19.340 --> 00:09:20.620 So two objections to this. 00:09:21.279 --> 00:09:28.539 Objection one, does believing what we just said, does believing that God knit us together and created us as he did, 00:09:28.600 --> 00:09:31.580 does this mean that we believe in creation rather than evolution? 00:09:32.220 --> 00:09:34.940 Is this a sort of argument against evolution? 00:09:34.940 --> 00:09:42.200 Now, some believe there is an irreconcilable conflict between creation and evolution, 00:09:42.240 --> 00:09:44.960 that you either have to believe one or the other. 00:09:45.040 --> 00:09:52.440 You either believe that God made us, or you believe that we were the product of chance and natural selection evolving from apes. 00:09:52.940 --> 00:09:54.400 And those are the only two options. 00:09:54.740 --> 00:10:02.080 And I think that these passages offer a bit of a corrective to some of the ways that we can go wrong in our thinking on this issue. 00:10:02.080 --> 00:10:10.300 For one, there is not nearly as much tension between creation and evolution as many people think there is. 00:10:10.740 --> 00:10:15.560 Part of that is because the Bible is not ultimately a scientific textbook. 00:10:16.340 --> 00:10:23.200 It's only in very recent history that people began looking at the Bible as a source of scientific knowledge. 00:10:23.200 --> 00:10:31.140 But the focus of Genesis 1 is not really on how God made us, but that God made us in the first place. 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:41.660 This was a passage that was written to refute pantheism, the idea that God is in everything, everywhere, and polytheism, 00:10:42.160 --> 00:10:50.080 the idea that there are multiple gods and that the world that exists is perhaps the product of kind of divine warfare or the gods needing servants. 00:10:50.080 --> 00:10:52.580 These were the popular ideas that were out there. 00:10:53.680 --> 00:10:56.020 Genesis is written to refute those ideas. 00:10:56.940 --> 00:11:05.360 There is one God who is outside of creation, and that one God created everything that is, including you and I. 00:11:06.120 --> 00:11:07.560 That's the point of this. 00:11:08.460 --> 00:11:18.300 So there are many top-tier scientists who are also Christians who believe that God could have worked through evolutionary processes to create us. 00:11:18.299 --> 00:11:24.699 And it's beyond the scope of this sermon to sort of investigate and explore all the ins and outs of those various theories, 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:30.679 but the approach is generally known as theistic evolution, God working through these processes. 00:11:31.079 --> 00:11:36.099 I tend to prefer the term coined by Dennis Lamoureux, evolutionary creationism, 00:11:36.559 --> 00:11:39.379 because that puts the word creation as the focus. 00:11:39.939 --> 00:11:42.639 But again, that's sort of beyond the scope of where we are. 00:11:42.639 --> 00:11:50.679 However, the point is simply that we don't need to make the mistake of automatically assuming that there are these polar opposite viewpoints, 00:11:50.759 --> 00:11:51.740 and you have to pick one. 00:11:52.659 --> 00:11:57.679 There are a lot of scientists who are also faithful believers who have found ways to integrate these approaches, 00:11:58.039 --> 00:12:01.139 taking into account the scientific evidence that we have. 00:12:01.539 --> 00:12:02.980 However, on the other hand, 00:12:02.980 --> 00:12:13.240 Psalm 139 also shows us that it's not enough to believe that God merely created the conditions through which human beings would eventually arise. 00:12:14.800 --> 00:12:19.639 That's not something that we can hold on to in light of what David writes here. 00:12:20.180 --> 00:12:20.420 Right? 00:12:20.539 --> 00:12:25.100 That idea would be like evolution is the kind of factory that God set up. 00:12:25.100 --> 00:12:26.720 God built the factory of evolution, 00:12:26.720 --> 00:12:29.779 and that human beings are sort of mass produced, 00:12:29.899 --> 00:12:33.159 coming off onto the factory floor of the evolutionary process, 00:12:33.159 --> 00:12:36.200 while God just sort of sits back and watches it all unfold. 00:12:36.300 --> 00:12:40.060 That's a form of deism that doesn't really reflect Scripture. 00:12:42.800 --> 00:12:44.899 We are not mass produced. 00:12:45.779 --> 00:12:47.480 We are handmade. 00:12:48.159 --> 00:12:48.320 Right? 00:12:48.519 --> 00:12:50.300 We are artisanal. 00:12:50.299 --> 00:12:57.779 Every single human body is individually and lovingly handcrafted by God. 00:12:57.779 --> 00:13:02.719 So whatever else you may believe about creation and evolution and how long that took, 00:13:03.459 --> 00:13:06.199 the theological truth remains essential, 00:13:06.579 --> 00:13:12.240 that God crafts us with love and tenderness and intentionality. 00:13:13.099 --> 00:13:13.240 Right? 00:13:13.439 --> 00:13:14.699 So that's the first objection. 00:13:15.259 --> 00:13:19.779 That gives rise to the next possible objection that some people might be thinking about. 00:13:19.779 --> 00:13:23.679 If we are handcrafted by God in the way that we've just said, 00:13:23.899 --> 00:13:29.259 how can we then explain people who are born with congenital disabilities or other issues? 00:13:29.899 --> 00:13:31.600 And what we need to say to that is this. 00:13:31.740 --> 00:13:37.759 Believing that your body is handmade by God does not mean that your body is perfect. 00:13:38.699 --> 00:13:40.579 It doesn't mean that your body is perfect. 00:13:41.259 --> 00:13:46.079 The gospel, which is the sort of story of the world and Scripture and salvation history, 00:13:46.080 --> 00:13:50.220 the gospel tells us that our bodies, along with the rest of creation, 00:13:50.440 --> 00:13:54.940 are inherently good because God made them and pronounced them good. 00:13:55.540 --> 00:13:59.639 Now that is something that is very different from other religions and worldviews. 00:14:00.240 --> 00:14:00.860 Right? 00:14:00.940 --> 00:14:05.240 The gospel says your body and this world, this material world, 00:14:05.480 --> 00:14:08.300 was good before it fell. 00:14:08.299 --> 00:14:12.179 Creation is inherently good. 00:14:12.899 --> 00:14:20.719 And yet, sin and human rebellion means that everything in the world has become twisted and broken. 00:14:20.919 --> 00:14:23.219 So things are not the way they're supposed to be. 00:14:23.339 --> 00:14:27.740 So our bodies are inherently, originally and ultimately good, 00:14:27.859 --> 00:14:29.419 but they have become broken. 00:14:30.359 --> 00:14:32.419 They don't work the way they should work. 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:35.719 Things don't work the way they're supposed to work. 00:14:35.720 --> 00:14:38.160 And we see this in our bodies. 00:14:38.340 --> 00:14:43.240 Some people, many people have to deal with infertility and miscarriage. 00:14:44.360 --> 00:14:45.519 Longing for a baby. 00:14:45.660 --> 00:14:49.080 Feeling like that is the most godly desire they could possibly have. 00:14:49.420 --> 00:14:52.700 And yet their bodies are not working properly. 00:14:52.920 --> 00:14:54.220 Something is going wrong. 00:14:54.340 --> 00:14:57.500 That's not a result of God deciding to punish people. 00:14:57.580 --> 00:15:00.460 That's a result of our bodies being fallen. 00:15:01.560 --> 00:15:03.740 Of the world not working the way it should. 00:15:03.740 --> 00:15:07.399 Some children are born with congenital disabilities. 00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:10.899 Some people feel trapped in the wrong body. 00:15:11.360 --> 00:15:15.379 All of us have imperfect bodies because we live in a fallen world. 00:15:15.539 --> 00:15:20.019 I have a body that produces like two to three times more cholesterol than I need. 00:15:20.100 --> 00:15:21.120 I'm like, thanks very much. 00:15:21.159 --> 00:15:21.759 I've got enough. 00:15:22.019 --> 00:15:23.500 And my body says, how about more? 00:15:23.680 --> 00:15:24.560 How about more? 00:15:24.620 --> 00:15:25.820 And it just keeps going and going. 00:15:26.120 --> 00:15:29.180 And what I'm told is that as much as I might try to manage this 00:15:29.179 --> 00:15:31.279 through diet and exercise and other things, 00:15:31.379 --> 00:15:35.199 that I have inherited genes that make my body do that. 00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:37.919 So I have a strong family history of cholesterol issues. 00:15:38.599 --> 00:15:42.319 That is my body not doing what it's supposed to do, right? 00:15:42.479 --> 00:15:46.959 Or overachieving, depending on how you want to think of it, right? 00:15:47.059 --> 00:15:48.759 But our bodies don't work right. 00:15:48.759 --> 00:15:57.639 And David, if you know anything about David's life, he knows better than anyone how fallen and broken our bodies can be. 00:15:57.819 --> 00:16:08.100 David made some of the worst decisions anybody could make, including murdering his best friend because he was driven by his bodily appetites. 00:16:08.100 --> 00:16:11.460 That is not the way things are supposed to be. 00:16:11.940 --> 00:16:17.899 And yet, knowing all of this, David is nevertheless able to say of his own imperfect and broken body, 00:16:18.720 --> 00:16:21.200 it is fearfully and wonderfully made. 00:16:23.159 --> 00:16:30.860 And believing that God made our bodies actually determines how we respond to the brokenness of our bodies. 00:16:30.860 --> 00:16:36.039 Because if you believe that your body is handmade by the ultimate master craftsman, 00:16:36.060 --> 00:16:39.039 that's going to dramatically shape how you respond to brokenness. 00:16:39.159 --> 00:16:40.860 When you feel things you don't want to feel. 00:16:41.000 --> 00:16:42.519 When you experience things you don't want to experience. 00:16:42.580 --> 00:16:43.720 When your body doesn't work right. 00:16:44.500 --> 00:16:44.720 Right? 00:16:44.759 --> 00:16:47.039 I told you about Nina's Afghans. 00:16:47.919 --> 00:16:50.960 I would say three of the most precious things in our entire house, right? 00:16:51.159 --> 00:16:53.800 If our house caught on fire and was burning to the ground and we had to only grab, 00:16:53.860 --> 00:16:54.960 but we could only grab a few things, 00:16:55.100 --> 00:16:56.820 we would probably try to grab those Afghans. 00:16:57.320 --> 00:16:57.920 Now, why? 00:16:57.919 --> 00:17:01.219 Because they are packed with meaning. 00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:03.539 Because of how she made them. 00:17:04.819 --> 00:17:05.180 Right? 00:17:05.599 --> 00:17:08.079 Now, if there was just some blanket that we bought at Target, 00:17:09.139 --> 00:17:11.659 I probably wouldn't even think about it. 00:17:11.720 --> 00:17:12.460 I'd just let it burn. 00:17:13.639 --> 00:17:14.000 Right? 00:17:14.139 --> 00:17:15.019 But they're handmade. 00:17:16.339 --> 00:17:19.440 So if they get dirty or if they get stained or if they get torn, 00:17:19.539 --> 00:17:23.139 we would never throw them out just because they're dirty or stained or torn. 00:17:23.559 --> 00:17:25.700 They have far too much meaning to do that, 00:17:25.700 --> 00:17:30.660 so we would do the best we possibly could to clean and restore and preserve them. 00:17:31.460 --> 00:17:34.120 And it's the exact same thing with our bodies. 00:17:34.759 --> 00:17:37.000 Every single body is precious, 00:17:37.259 --> 00:17:39.380 not because of anything it can do, 00:17:40.380 --> 00:17:42.660 but because of who made it. 00:17:42.660 --> 00:17:45.900 And because when he made it, 00:17:45.900 --> 00:17:49.120 he made it with such deep love and affection. 00:17:50.120 --> 00:17:57.040 So our approach to brokenness in the human body is never to discard it or reject it 00:17:57.040 --> 00:17:59.860 or exchange it for another body, 00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:03.840 but rather to seek the renewal of the body that we have been given. 00:18:03.839 --> 00:18:07.579 Because it's too precious. 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:10.099 Because God made it. 00:18:11.299 --> 00:18:14.419 And this is exactly what the gospel promises, by the way. 00:18:14.500 --> 00:18:17.759 In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul is talking about the hope of the gospel. 00:18:18.299 --> 00:18:21.439 And he says that essentially because Jesus died on the cross, 00:18:21.779 --> 00:18:24.740 those who come to him in faith can be saved from their sin. 00:18:24.740 --> 00:18:28.460 But then he goes on to say, you know, 00:18:29.519 --> 00:18:31.900 because Jesus rose from death, 00:18:32.120 --> 00:18:34.500 those who put their faith in him are guaranteed 00:18:34.500 --> 00:18:37.460 that they will also be raised from death 00:18:37.460 --> 00:18:39.799 and given bodies that last for eternity. 00:18:40.319 --> 00:18:42.539 So salvation is not just spiritual. 00:18:43.480 --> 00:18:45.740 We don't one day escape our bodies. 00:18:47.200 --> 00:18:48.880 Salvation is physical. 00:18:49.960 --> 00:18:51.200 Renewal is physical. 00:18:51.200 --> 00:18:56.799 And in verses 35 to 41, Paul says that we should think of the body like a seed. 00:18:57.700 --> 00:18:59.539 You know, he says that you take a seed 00:18:59.539 --> 00:19:03.640 and the substance of the seed will one day be transformed 00:19:03.640 --> 00:19:08.039 when it flowers and comes into full bloom. 00:19:08.900 --> 00:19:11.620 It's the same substance that was in the seed. 00:19:11.700 --> 00:19:12.720 All of it was there, 00:19:13.400 --> 00:19:18.100 but it has flowered and blossomed into something far more magnificent. 00:19:18.099 --> 00:19:21.559 And he says, your body that you have right now is like a seed. 00:19:22.219 --> 00:19:24.480 All of that substance and potential is there. 00:19:24.579 --> 00:19:26.859 And one day when you sow it into the ground, 00:19:27.859 --> 00:19:31.719 one day Christ comes again 00:19:31.719 --> 00:19:36.859 and that seed blossoms and flowers into something truly magnificent. 00:19:37.539 --> 00:19:40.919 Same substance, same body, only better. 00:19:42.079 --> 00:19:43.980 The gospel promises redemption and renewal 00:19:43.980 --> 00:19:47.039 for this body that you have right now. 00:19:47.039 --> 00:19:49.799 There's a continuity between this life and the next. 00:19:50.940 --> 00:19:52.779 So just having dealt with those, 00:19:52.899 --> 00:19:57.500 let's just turn our attention to a couple of implications of this. 00:19:58.460 --> 00:20:02.460 The first implication is simply that our bodies show us that we have a purpose. 00:20:03.980 --> 00:20:06.819 You know, some of us are the product of unplanned pregnancy. 00:20:07.099 --> 00:20:09.879 I mean, some of us have parents that are very honest with us about that. 00:20:10.839 --> 00:20:12.480 Creates a lot of mixed feelings, I think. 00:20:12.940 --> 00:20:14.119 You were such a surprise. 00:20:14.119 --> 00:20:18.500 Some of us may have children who were unplanned. 00:20:18.739 --> 00:20:21.299 One of the things this tells us is that when it comes to God, 00:20:21.699 --> 00:20:23.079 no human being is unplanned. 00:20:25.239 --> 00:20:28.339 Every single one of us is the product of God's deliberate choice. 00:20:29.419 --> 00:20:30.399 Handmade by him. 00:20:32.019 --> 00:20:33.539 No human being is an accident. 00:20:33.539 --> 00:20:38.200 Some people live their lives feeling like they were an accident. 00:20:39.759 --> 00:20:40.019 You know? 00:20:41.119 --> 00:20:43.359 The Bible says no human being is an accident. 00:20:45.119 --> 00:20:50.279 You're here as a product of God's deliberative, creative action. 00:20:50.279 --> 00:20:56.879 And if you are here on purpose, right? 00:20:56.920 --> 00:20:59.160 If you're here on purpose because God wanted you here, 00:20:59.339 --> 00:21:01.980 that means you are here for a purpose. 00:21:03.200 --> 00:21:03.700 Right? 00:21:03.759 --> 00:21:06.079 And knowing that actually shapes how we live. 00:21:06.500 --> 00:21:09.559 To use the example from earlier of a kitchen knife, 00:21:09.839 --> 00:21:11.460 when you look at a kitchen knife, 00:21:11.539 --> 00:21:15.359 you automatically kind of have a sense that it was made for a purpose. 00:21:15.939 --> 00:21:20.279 Nobody would just make a kitchen knife for no purpose. 00:21:21.019 --> 00:21:23.199 And when you look at it, just by the way it's made, 00:21:23.259 --> 00:21:25.859 you can begin to kind of figure out maybe something 00:21:25.859 --> 00:21:28.139 that you might be able to do with it. 00:21:28.219 --> 00:21:28.399 Right? 00:21:28.699 --> 00:21:29.819 It's here for a reason. 00:21:30.819 --> 00:21:31.899 And so then the question arises, 00:21:32.019 --> 00:21:35.179 well, how can we tell whether we have a good knife or a bad knife? 00:21:35.919 --> 00:21:38.539 Well, the only way I know if I have a good knife or a bad knife 00:21:38.539 --> 00:21:40.319 is to know the purpose of the knife. 00:21:40.819 --> 00:21:42.059 What is it here to do? 00:21:42.059 --> 00:21:42.500 Right? 00:21:43.759 --> 00:21:46.639 So if I gave you a handmade Bob Kramer knife 00:21:46.639 --> 00:21:48.419 and I said, this is for cooking, 00:21:48.839 --> 00:21:50.019 and you went into your kitchen 00:21:50.019 --> 00:21:52.339 and you diced up a bunch of vegetables for a stew, 00:21:52.619 --> 00:21:53.779 you might come back and say, 00:21:53.899 --> 00:21:55.539 this is the best knife I've ever used. 00:21:55.619 --> 00:21:56.240 This is amazing. 00:21:56.339 --> 00:21:57.740 One would hope for 30 grand. 00:21:58.139 --> 00:21:59.359 It cuts well. 00:22:00.619 --> 00:22:00.980 Right? 00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:05.059 But if I gave that same handmade Bob Kramer knife to you 00:22:05.059 --> 00:22:07.460 and I said, this is for carving marble statues, 00:22:08.339 --> 00:22:10.119 and you went out and tried it, 00:22:10.159 --> 00:22:11.099 you'd probably come back and say, 00:22:11.099 --> 00:22:11.980 this is a piece of junk. 00:22:12.039 --> 00:22:12.759 You wasted your money. 00:22:14.519 --> 00:22:16.699 The only way you know if it's good or bad 00:22:16.699 --> 00:22:18.639 is to know the purpose for which it was made. 00:22:19.500 --> 00:22:23.000 And this is actually an argument that comes from Jean-Paul Sartre, 00:22:23.119 --> 00:22:24.039 who was an atheist, 00:22:24.519 --> 00:22:25.079 who says, 00:22:25.419 --> 00:22:28.599 the only way that you can know if a person is good or bad, 00:22:29.219 --> 00:22:30.259 right, good or evil, 00:22:30.939 --> 00:22:34.139 is if you know the purpose for which human beings were created. 00:22:34.939 --> 00:22:37.059 If you don't know the purpose of human life, 00:22:37.059 --> 00:22:41.039 how can you possibly evaluate good versus evil? 00:22:41.779 --> 00:22:45.200 And so he is saying to all of his atheist sort of brothers and sisters, 00:22:45.339 --> 00:22:46.179 existentialists, 00:22:46.379 --> 00:22:50.079 if you reject the idea of God and you reject the idea of a creator, 00:22:50.579 --> 00:22:52.799 you can't do that and still hold on to the idea 00:22:52.799 --> 00:22:55.659 that there is some ultimate good and ultimate evil in the world, 00:22:55.659 --> 00:22:57.779 which is what many people were trying to do. 00:22:58.200 --> 00:22:58.659 He says, 00:22:58.660 --> 00:23:00.180 you got to buck up. 00:23:00.600 --> 00:23:02.120 You got to put on your big boy pants. 00:23:02.380 --> 00:23:03.800 That's kind of what he says, 00:23:03.860 --> 00:23:04.240 essentially, 00:23:04.420 --> 00:23:04.960 in his essay. 00:23:05.660 --> 00:23:06.380 And he says, 00:23:06.540 --> 00:23:07.800 if you let go of God, 00:23:07.820 --> 00:23:10.580 you have to let go of the idea that there is any objective standard, 00:23:11.220 --> 00:23:12.380 because if you let go of God, 00:23:12.420 --> 00:23:13.740 then there's no purpose for life. 00:23:14.220 --> 00:23:15.440 And if there's no purpose for life, 00:23:15.480 --> 00:23:18.100 then we have no idea whether we're being good or bad, 00:23:18.100 --> 00:23:23.840 because goodness is essentially living in line with the purpose that you were made for. 00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:26.939 And he says those two things are connected. 00:23:28.299 --> 00:23:28.679 Right? 00:23:28.740 --> 00:23:29.139 So he says, 00:23:29.220 --> 00:23:29.459 you know, 00:23:29.559 --> 00:23:31.319 or for us, 00:23:31.359 --> 00:23:34.720 if we look at our own bodies and we believe that God made our bodies, 00:23:34.839 --> 00:23:37.299 then he must have had a purpose in mind when he made it. 00:23:37.339 --> 00:23:38.679 It's like looking at the knife. 00:23:39.599 --> 00:23:43.579 And this is what gives us our entire sense of right and wrong or good and evil. 00:23:43.779 --> 00:23:48.059 Goodness means living in accordance with the purpose for which God made us. 00:23:48.500 --> 00:23:49.559 And so when it comes to, 00:23:49.599 --> 00:23:53.199 there are all kinds of very controversial issues that we don't have time to get into. 00:23:53.200 --> 00:23:58.059 Like euthanasia and terminating pregnancies and sexuality and gender and prostitution 00:23:58.059 --> 00:24:00.380 and capital punishment and all of these things. 00:24:01.539 --> 00:24:04.600 Christians can disagree on a policy level about these things. 00:24:05.259 --> 00:24:09.240 But all of the thinking that we do on issues like this 00:24:09.240 --> 00:24:13.400 flows directly out of the truth that God created us for his purposes. 00:24:14.120 --> 00:24:15.120 So ultimately, 00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:17.660 we don't have the ability to say, 00:24:17.740 --> 00:24:18.740 like a lot of people say, 00:24:18.840 --> 00:24:19.360 my body, 00:24:19.460 --> 00:24:21.680 my choice in an unqualified kind of way. 00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:23.080 For us, 00:24:23.140 --> 00:24:27.480 we take into account the one who made us and the purpose for which he made us. 00:24:28.019 --> 00:24:28.940 And we say, 00:24:29.160 --> 00:24:29.820 God's body, 00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:30.600 God's choice, 00:24:30.700 --> 00:24:34.240 whether it's pregnancy or mask and vaccine mandates. 00:24:35.420 --> 00:24:36.960 That's how we have to think. 00:24:37.640 --> 00:24:38.120 Right? 00:24:38.180 --> 00:24:40.180 So that's the first implication of this. 00:24:41.220 --> 00:24:43.400 The second implication is simply this. 00:24:43.400 --> 00:24:48.280 Our bodies not only show us our purpose and the fact that we have a purpose, 00:24:48.420 --> 00:24:51.019 but our bodies should inspire our gratitude. 00:24:52.019 --> 00:24:52.980 Our gratitude. 00:24:54.180 --> 00:24:54.420 You know, 00:24:54.480 --> 00:24:57.980 your body is first and foremost a gift. 00:24:58.340 --> 00:25:01.000 And if there's anything that I want you to take away from this time, 00:25:01.280 --> 00:25:01.980 it is that. 00:25:02.080 --> 00:25:06.040 That your body is first and foremost a gift. 00:25:06.039 --> 00:25:10.940 Maybe this year when Christmas comes around, 00:25:11.039 --> 00:25:14.960 we'll be exchanging gifts and maybe you'll have the joy and the fortune of, 00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:16.079 of having someone, 00:25:16.259 --> 00:25:18.420 maybe one of your children give you a handmade gift. 00:25:19.139 --> 00:25:23.359 And I think a handmade gift is just far more precious for all the reasons that we've said. 00:25:24.039 --> 00:25:29.899 But I also hope that you reflect on the fact that the greatest handmade gift that you have is your body. 00:25:29.900 --> 00:25:31.900 Now, 00:25:32.560 --> 00:25:33.240 for most of us, 00:25:33.280 --> 00:25:36.519 that's not our first thought when we think about our bodies. 00:25:37.340 --> 00:25:42.000 Statistics show that 91% of women are perpetually unhappy with their bodies. 00:25:42.780 --> 00:25:43.200 And actually, 00:25:43.300 --> 00:25:48.160 recent studies show a dramatic increase in body image issues among men as well. 00:25:48.259 --> 00:25:51.080 I think with the advent of social media and, 00:25:51.080 --> 00:25:51.180 and, 00:25:51.180 --> 00:25:52.080 and so many, 00:25:52.220 --> 00:25:56.680 so much visual stimulation in the form of photos and videos circling around our, 00:25:56.759 --> 00:25:59.880 our sort of ability to compare ourselves to others, 00:25:59.900 --> 00:26:03.340 has just sort of been radically enhanced. 00:26:03.340 --> 00:26:05.560 And so I think for men and women, 00:26:05.560 --> 00:26:09.840 this could be a source of constant insecurity as we think about our own bodies. 00:26:09.980 --> 00:26:10.200 You know, 00:26:10.500 --> 00:26:11.140 I, 00:26:11.259 --> 00:26:11.500 I, 00:26:11.620 --> 00:26:13.340 over the course of my life when I was younger, 00:26:13.340 --> 00:26:15.480 was very insecure about my body. 00:26:15.519 --> 00:26:15.680 I mean, 00:26:15.780 --> 00:26:16.700 in your mid forties, 00:26:16.700 --> 00:26:18.740 it's hard not to just kind of accept that your body, 00:26:18.840 --> 00:26:19.000 you know, 00:26:19.259 --> 00:26:22.080 you have pants that don't fit anymore and things like that. 00:26:22.180 --> 00:26:22.880 Cholesterol issues. 00:26:23.180 --> 00:26:26.660 I used to be really insecure about my forehead. 00:26:26.960 --> 00:26:29.120 I used to think that I had like a really big forehead. 00:26:29.119 --> 00:26:29.959 And my little brother, 00:26:30.099 --> 00:26:30.879 as little brothers do, 00:26:30.959 --> 00:26:31.099 would, 00:26:31.259 --> 00:26:32.379 would make fun of me and say, 00:26:32.439 --> 00:26:32.559 well, 00:26:32.559 --> 00:26:32.759 yeah, 00:26:32.799 --> 00:26:33.779 because you don't have a forehead. 00:26:33.859 --> 00:26:34.679 You have a five head, 00:26:34.839 --> 00:26:35.659 you know? 00:26:36.000 --> 00:26:36.319 And, 00:26:36.399 --> 00:26:36.639 uh, 00:26:36.639 --> 00:26:39.779 so this used to be the kind of thing that I was really insecure about. 00:26:39.819 --> 00:26:42.619 And we all have those things about our bodies that we're insecure about. 00:26:42.679 --> 00:26:45.139 We don't tend to think of our bodies as gifts. 00:26:45.139 --> 00:26:46.719 They're sources of shame and insecurity. 00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:50.960 Eight million people have eating disorders in the U.S. 00:26:50.960 --> 00:26:53.440 One in four college age women. 00:26:54.180 --> 00:26:54.620 And I know, 00:26:54.700 --> 00:26:55.600 because I know your stories, 00:26:55.720 --> 00:27:00.700 I know there are people in this room who have or are struggling with this right now. 00:27:00.819 --> 00:27:03.180 Weight loss is a $55 billion industry. 00:27:03.180 --> 00:27:12.820 But Psalm 139 drives home this powerful truth that God loves your body even if you don't. 00:27:14.100 --> 00:27:16.840 God delights in your body. 00:27:16.960 --> 00:27:18.940 He delights in your physicality. 00:27:20.620 --> 00:27:25.320 Probably those parts of you that you're most insecure about bring God the greatest joy. 00:27:25.319 --> 00:27:26.619 Right? 00:27:27.939 --> 00:27:29.220 In God's eyes, 00:27:29.319 --> 00:27:30.200 every fold, 00:27:30.339 --> 00:27:31.039 every wrinkle, 00:27:31.220 --> 00:27:34.439 every blemish is as beautiful as the ocean at sunset, 00:27:35.439 --> 00:27:37.839 is as beautiful as the flowers in the field, 00:27:38.379 --> 00:27:40.200 as wondrous as the Alps, 00:27:40.879 --> 00:27:42.579 and worthy of reverence, 00:27:43.200 --> 00:27:44.539 because he made you. 00:27:45.819 --> 00:27:49.839 So here's the challenge that I want to leave us with this week. 00:27:49.960 --> 00:27:50.220 You know, 00:27:50.359 --> 00:27:54.539 we're going this next week into Thanksgiving and all of that. 00:27:54.539 --> 00:27:55.700 And for some people, 00:27:55.779 --> 00:27:56.639 that's a joyous occasion. 00:27:56.759 --> 00:27:57.180 For others, 00:27:57.279 --> 00:28:00.220 all of your bodily anxiety and issues just come to the fore, 00:28:00.279 --> 00:28:04.460 because it's a holiday that is completely built around the idea of feasting. 00:28:05.159 --> 00:28:05.379 Right? 00:28:06.319 --> 00:28:08.940 And so here's what I want to encourage you to do in this. 00:28:10.539 --> 00:28:15.819 We've all heard of spiritual disciplines like fasting or solitude or prayer. 00:28:15.899 --> 00:28:20.440 And I know many of you are striving to cultivate a contemplative life of spirituality. 00:28:20.559 --> 00:28:23.720 That's a value that we hold pretty deeply in our church. 00:28:24.539 --> 00:28:25.920 But I want to encourage you this way. 00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:28.819 I believe that we should add to the list of spiritual disciplines, 00:28:29.259 --> 00:28:31.899 the discipline of practicing gratitude for our bodies. 00:28:33.899 --> 00:28:35.299 So what I mean by that is, 00:28:35.399 --> 00:28:38.039 the next time that you are in front of a mirror, 00:28:38.700 --> 00:28:40.240 stand and look in the mirror, 00:28:41.039 --> 00:28:43.779 and take a moment to look at yourself. 00:28:44.879 --> 00:28:46.059 If you have a full-length mirror, 00:28:46.200 --> 00:28:47.440 stand in front of the full-length mirror. 00:28:48.079 --> 00:28:49.500 Take a moment to look at yourself, 00:28:49.500 --> 00:28:53.700 and then pray and give thanks to God for the body that He's given you. 00:28:54.519 --> 00:28:57.140 And if there are parts of you that you're insecure about, 00:28:58.099 --> 00:29:01.319 I want you to specifically look at those parts of yourself 00:29:01.319 --> 00:29:06.380 and pray to God and give thanks for the body that He's given you. 00:29:06.900 --> 00:29:08.200 You know, we often think, 00:29:08.339 --> 00:29:09.779 and you often hear in popular culture, 00:29:09.900 --> 00:29:12.000 that pride is the root of all evil. 00:29:12.099 --> 00:29:13.839 And I, you know, I think pride is very important. 00:29:13.839 --> 00:29:15.559 But if you look at Romans chapter 1, 00:29:16.619 --> 00:29:18.759 it doesn't actually talk about pride being the root of all evil. 00:29:18.879 --> 00:29:23.559 Paul actually talks about ingratitude being the root of all evil. 00:29:24.179 --> 00:29:26.039 That it all started with ingratitude. 00:29:27.059 --> 00:29:30.480 And I think that at least when it comes to our relationship with our bodies 00:29:30.480 --> 00:29:33.899 and how disordered our relationship with our bodies can be, 00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:36.939 I think pride obviously plays a big role. 00:29:37.019 --> 00:29:39.899 But I think the real issue, at least for me, is ingratitude. 00:29:39.900 --> 00:29:45.519 So is it a sin to wear nice clothes or put on makeup 00:29:45.519 --> 00:29:47.780 or get a tummy tuck or a little Botox? 00:29:47.900 --> 00:29:48.740 No, not necessarily. 00:29:49.560 --> 00:29:50.240 Not necessarily. 00:29:51.840 --> 00:29:53.019 Here's the real issue though. 00:29:53.780 --> 00:29:55.940 You know, if we start saying you can do this and can do this, 00:29:55.980 --> 00:29:58.200 we're going down the road of legalism and that leads to death. 00:29:59.400 --> 00:30:01.080 That's not the right road we want to be on. 00:30:02.140 --> 00:30:03.259 It's more of a question. 00:30:04.360 --> 00:30:08.880 If on a daily basis we were regularly giving thanks to God for our bodies, 00:30:08.880 --> 00:30:11.460 if that was something that was folded into our spirituality, 00:30:12.060 --> 00:30:15.440 how would it change the way we think and feel about these things? 00:30:15.880 --> 00:30:21.760 How would that practice change our sense of necessity around certain things? 00:30:23.440 --> 00:30:28.560 The God who sculpted the Alps, the God who painted the sky and forged the stars, 00:30:28.740 --> 00:30:30.520 considers you to be his masterpiece. 00:30:31.460 --> 00:30:34.600 What would it look like to begin to see yourself through his eyes? 00:30:34.599 --> 00:30:39.399 You know, if we spent even a fraction of the time that we stress over our appearance 00:30:39.399 --> 00:30:42.259 meditating instead on God's love for our bodies, 00:30:42.639 --> 00:30:44.519 how different would our lives be? 00:30:47.379 --> 00:30:48.019 Let's pray. 00:30:48.019 --> 00:30:59.059 Lord, I know that even as we consider these things that, 00:31:00.460 --> 00:31:03.339 Lord, this can inspire a whole mix of feelings in people. 00:31:03.680 --> 00:31:07.039 And I know that for some of us these are areas of great pain, 00:31:07.799 --> 00:31:14.500 trauma, sadness, hurt, insecurity, shame. 00:31:14.500 --> 00:31:22.700 Lord, I pray that your spirit would do with your word what only your spirit can do, 00:31:22.839 --> 00:31:28.299 which is to offer comfort in the specific ways that we need to be comforted right now, 00:31:28.460 --> 00:31:33.500 to maybe challenge or convict us in the ways that we need to be challenged out of our complacency, 00:31:33.880 --> 00:31:37.680 that your spirit would minister to us, do your surgery in us, Lord, 00:31:37.680 --> 00:31:42.600 that we might come to see our bodies as you see us, 00:31:43.220 --> 00:31:46.640 that like David does, that when we consider our bodies, 00:31:46.740 --> 00:31:48.580 that it would move us to praise you, 00:31:49.400 --> 00:31:51.539 for we are fearfully and wonderfully made. 00:31:52.279 --> 00:31:53.920 And we pray this in your son's holy name. 00:31:54.240 --> 00:31:54.500 Amen.