WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.219
 I invite you to turn back again to Isaiah chapter 43.

00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:14.740
 Several years ago, I was working at a church in Jackson, Mississippi.

00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:21.039
 And on Wednesday nights, we would go through various series on different topics.

00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:29.859
 And one time, we announced that the next series would be on the topic of anxiety and fear.

00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:40.920
 And the first Wednesday that we began that series, the attendance to our Wednesday night services somewhere between doubled and tripled.

00:00:42.500 --> 00:00:46.760
 And I don't know what single message to draw from that is.

00:00:46.920 --> 00:00:55.920
 Maybe it's that our society is so desperate for a word about fear and anxiety that they would even go to church to find some resolution to it.

00:00:55.920 --> 00:00:56.880


00:01:25.920 --> 00:01:32.120
 It's about Israelites and the fear that they dealt with at one particular moment in their history, in one particular season.

00:01:33.280 --> 00:01:40.540
 And what God does is not only tell them not to fear, but he gives them a tool to kill their fears with.

00:01:40.540 --> 00:01:48.760
 And that's what I want to talk about tonight is I think in this passage, we see this principle that God doesn't just tell us not to fear.

00:01:49.620 --> 00:01:52.600
 He teaches us how to kill our fears with a word.

00:01:52.599 --> 00:02:00.539
 And the first thing I'll say about that is I'm making an assumption here, which is that our fears can be killed with a word.

00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:08.919
 And what I don't want to do and what this passage doesn't do if you read it closely is this passage does not trivialize fear.

00:02:08.919 --> 00:02:16.219
 It doesn't say that the problem with your fears is that you have silly fears that you just need to to ignore.

00:02:16.679 --> 00:02:18.799
 And one way that we know this is because.

00:02:20.179 --> 00:02:23.119
 Verse one, the first two words, did you see what they were?

00:02:23.179 --> 00:02:24.679
 It says, but now.

00:02:24.899 --> 00:02:27.599
 So this is words spoken in a context.

00:02:27.859 --> 00:02:35.239
 And the context is the people of God are going through one of the worst seasons in all of the Old Testament.

00:02:35.240 --> 00:02:40.520
 This may be the lowest point in the Old Testament where this is a nation.

00:02:40.620 --> 00:02:42.840
 It's really two nations, Israel and Judah.

00:02:43.500 --> 00:02:48.760
 In the past 200 years, Israel has been virtually wiped off the face of the earth.

00:02:48.920 --> 00:02:53.980
 They were conquered by this vicious nation called the Assyrians.

00:02:55.219 --> 00:03:03.240
 And then maybe 150 years later, Judah, another nation of God's people, is conquered by the Babylonians.

00:03:03.240 --> 00:03:10.760
 And the place where the temple of God was, where people would go and worship God, that city was brought to its knees.

00:03:10.879 --> 00:03:11.659
 It was destroyed.

00:03:12.100 --> 00:03:15.140
 The temple of God, where people would go worship God, was destroyed.

00:03:15.719 --> 00:03:19.780
 The last king of Judah was taken outside of the city walls.

00:03:20.219 --> 00:03:22.280
 And he had to watch his own son be executed.

00:03:22.280 --> 00:03:32.800
 And that was a way, from the perspective of the Babylonians, of completely destroying any hope that God's people had for a future.

00:03:33.960 --> 00:03:37.599
 So these are people who are not fearing for no reason.

00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:40.759
 They have reason to be unhappy with the situation that they're in.

00:03:41.099 --> 00:03:43.379
 They're people who live in exile, who have no hope.

00:03:43.379 --> 00:03:53.639
 If you look just before the passage that we read, in chapter 43, one way that Isaiah describes how hopeless their situation was, was in verse 22.

00:03:53.799 --> 00:03:54.219
 He says,

00:03:55.659 --> 00:03:59.319
 This is a people who have been plundered and looted.

00:03:59.719 --> 00:04:02.519
 All of them are trapped in pits or hidden away in prisons.

00:04:03.199 --> 00:04:05.539
 They have become plunder with no one to rescue them.

00:04:06.300 --> 00:04:10.159
 They have been made loot with no one to say, send them back.

00:04:10.159 --> 00:04:16.680
 Isaiah is saying, there's not even a person among these people who has the hope to say, send them back.

00:04:18.579 --> 00:04:24.199
 And if you were to ask God's people in this season, if you were to ask them, what is your problem?

00:04:24.420 --> 00:04:26.319
 What do you need fixed about your situation?

00:04:26.659 --> 00:04:30.279
 What they would not say is, our problem is that we're afraid.

00:04:30.439 --> 00:04:31.379
 Our problem is fear.

00:04:31.759 --> 00:04:34.680
 What they would say is, our problem is the objects of our fear.

00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:38.399
 We're afraid because there are things in our world to be afraid of.

00:04:38.399 --> 00:04:39.980
 We are a conquered people.

00:04:40.520 --> 00:04:41.560
 We are living in exile.

00:04:41.700 --> 00:04:42.820
 We have no hope for a future.

00:04:43.020 --> 00:04:44.580
 We have good reason to be afraid.

00:04:44.980 --> 00:04:52.240
 And we can all in our lives point to fears that we have that, on our best moments, we would say are not legitimate.

00:04:52.840 --> 00:04:59.100
 When a child, one of my children, come to me in the middle of the night and they say, I'm scared of the monsters.

00:04:59.100 --> 00:05:05.820
 One way that I can handle that, one way that I do handle it, is I convince them how silly that fear is.

00:05:06.080 --> 00:05:07.920
 I convince them that there are no such thing as monsters.

00:05:08.439 --> 00:05:11.220
 And to even fear them would be a foolish thing to do.

00:05:11.220 --> 00:05:14.080
 But then there are fears that adults can have.

00:05:14.079 --> 00:05:18.199
 I'm worried about what happens if I'm late to that meeting tomorrow.

00:05:18.199 --> 00:05:25.159
 And if you think about it, and if you really think about it, you might convince yourself, well, actually, if I'm late tomorrow, nothing's going to happen.

00:05:25.839 --> 00:05:32.639
 And I can remember how many times my dad used to tell me, he used to reassure me by giving me this thought experiment.

00:05:32.860 --> 00:05:35.620
 He would say, Hunter, what's the worst thing that could happen?

00:05:35.620 --> 00:05:42.259
 You know, this thing that you keep talking about, how afraid you are, being late to school tomorrow, what's the worst thing that could come of it?

00:05:42.319 --> 00:05:45.459
 And if I really thought about it, not much could happen.

00:05:46.579 --> 00:05:53.560
 But there are some fears in all of our lives that give us good reason to be afraid.

00:05:54.220 --> 00:05:58.340
 It could be fears that we have about future suffering, perhaps that we know are coming.

00:05:58.800 --> 00:06:01.000
 It could be suffering that we're in the midst of right now.

00:06:01.300 --> 00:06:05.340
 It could be mistakes that we know that we've made in the past.

00:06:05.840 --> 00:06:09.519
 And we fear how those mistakes will play themselves out in the future.

00:06:09.780 --> 00:06:14.699
 We fear that we've made, we've messed up in such a way that we cannot fix our situation.

00:06:16.180 --> 00:06:22.840
 All human beings in their best moments have times where we realize the gravity of death.

00:06:22.840 --> 00:06:24.740
 And that can give us a sense of fear.

00:06:26.800 --> 00:06:32.040
 And if you think about it, the fear that the Israelites have is a combination of all those things.

00:06:32.040 --> 00:06:33.500
 Because they're worried about death.

00:06:33.920 --> 00:06:35.160
 They're worried about suffering.

00:06:35.620 --> 00:06:42.439
 And what makes it even more painful is they know that the situation that they're in is their own making.

00:06:43.139 --> 00:06:52.740
 So if you look at the very last verse before the passage that we just read in chapter 43, God has this really terrible message for them.

00:06:52.740 --> 00:06:54.120
 Verse 24.

00:06:55.459 --> 00:06:56.600
 Verse 24 says,

00:06:56.600 --> 00:07:01.460
 Who handed Jacob over to become loot and Israel to the plunderers?

00:07:02.100 --> 00:07:03.980
 Who did this awful thing to the Israelites?

00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:09.200
 Was it not the Lord against whom we have sinned?

00:07:09.300 --> 00:07:11.060
 For they would not follow his ways.

00:07:11.160 --> 00:07:12.480
 They did not obey his law.

00:07:13.260 --> 00:07:18.900
 So he, God, poured on them his burning anger, the violence of war.

00:07:18.899 --> 00:07:22.319
 It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand.

00:07:23.000 --> 00:07:25.759
 It consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.

00:07:25.759 --> 00:07:37.579
 One of the most terrible anxieties that a person can probably go through is to know that part of the reason that you're suffering is something that you had to do with.

00:07:37.620 --> 00:07:39.259
 It was actually a mistake that you made.

00:07:39.259 --> 00:07:45.120
 So these people have reason to fear, and they're facing the worst kind of fear a person could face.

00:07:47.099 --> 00:07:57.099
 And in a fear like that, the answer can't be merely something like breathing exercises or going for a walk.

00:07:57.159 --> 00:07:58.959
 Those things can have short-term help.

00:07:59.199 --> 00:08:07.719
 But the kind of fear Israel is working with, dealing with, is something that needs something stronger than just forgetting about it.

00:08:07.720 --> 00:08:20.700
 And the assumption of my premise tonight is that what a fear like this needs, what our deepest fears in life needs, is a word.

00:08:21.100 --> 00:08:26.580
 Something that we can speak to those fears, that can actually, we can face those fears and how grave they actually are.

00:08:27.040 --> 00:08:28.940
 But we can put those fears to death.

00:08:30.180 --> 00:08:34.720
 And if you notice, when you read Isaiah, and when you read all of Scripture, actually,

00:08:34.720 --> 00:08:38.899
 I spent time trying to actually figure out if this is true, and it is true.

00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:48.279
 Every single time in Scripture that God tells His people, do not fear, He never just says, do not fear.

00:08:49.000 --> 00:08:51.540
 He always gives them a reason not to fear.

00:08:52.519 --> 00:08:59.040
 And even if you just look in the book of Isaiah, God tells His people, or Isaiah, God through Isaiah tells His people,

00:08:59.039 --> 00:09:02.379
 14 times, either do not fear or do not be afraid.

00:09:03.000 --> 00:09:07.419
 And every single time, He attaches to it a reason not to fear.

00:09:08.699 --> 00:09:16.659
 And what that must mean is, the only way for us to conquer our deepest fears is not just by telling ourselves not to fear.

00:09:17.259 --> 00:09:21.899
 But it's by finding a word that we can bring to our fears that can quiet them.

00:09:21.899 --> 00:09:29.519
 And I think this is important to hear, because so often we can carry around a fact like this,

00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:33.319
 a fact that we know that Christians should not fear.

00:09:33.779 --> 00:09:35.899
 And you can walk in a place like this, and you can say,

00:09:36.299 --> 00:09:39.179
 I know that because I'm a Christian, I'm not supposed to fear.

00:09:39.819 --> 00:09:41.879
 But if that's the only thing that we remember,

00:09:42.199 --> 00:09:45.840
 what we end up doing is, we feel guilty for the fear that we have,

00:09:46.139 --> 00:09:50.120
 and we never actually think about the resolution that the Gospel offers to it.

00:09:50.120 --> 00:09:56.399
 So perhaps the worst thing that we can do is only remember that Christians are called not to fear.

00:09:56.919 --> 00:10:03.000
 Christians are called not to fear, and to not fear because we have a reason not to fear.

00:10:03.700 --> 00:10:06.460
 God teaches us to kill our fears with a word.

00:10:08.519 --> 00:10:12.500
 And the word is, redemption.

00:10:13.580 --> 00:10:14.940
 And you see this in verse 2.

00:10:16.740 --> 00:10:18.259
 Excuse me, at the end of verse 1.

00:10:18.259 --> 00:10:21.360
 This is what God tells his people.

00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:24.539
 At a given point in time, in a certain circumstance.

00:10:25.840 --> 00:10:28.840
 He says, do not fear, for I have redeemed you.

00:10:31.879 --> 00:10:33.899
 God says, take that word.

00:10:34.480 --> 00:10:36.700
 He says, do not fear, I have redeemed you.

00:10:36.740 --> 00:10:38.799
 And he says, take that word, I have redeemed you.

00:10:39.179 --> 00:10:42.720
 And Mr. Sladek here could tell you,

00:10:42.879 --> 00:10:45.659
 I have redeemed you in Hebrew is just one word.

00:10:45.980 --> 00:10:47.340
 Take that word, I have redeemed you.

00:10:47.340 --> 00:10:57.120
 And use that as the tool, as the means that I have given you to put to death the fears that you have about your situation, the situation that you're in.

00:10:59.259 --> 00:11:03.980
 Use this single fact that God has redeemed you to kill your fears.

00:11:03.980 --> 00:11:08.180
 And there's a lot of reasons why that's actually really hard to do.

00:11:08.519 --> 00:11:16.060
 One of the reasons is, if you don't actually think about what that word redeemed is, that tool that God has given you becomes blunted.

00:11:16.700 --> 00:11:22.039
 And part of the problem is that in our society today, we use the word redeemed in a lot of different contexts.

00:11:22.039 --> 00:11:26.019
 We love movies that are about redemption.

00:11:26.259 --> 00:11:33.519
 Usually, when we talk about movies that are about redemption, it's usually the story of a man or a woman who has made mistakes in their past.

00:11:34.059 --> 00:11:38.620
 But somewhere along the lines in their life, they figure out how to do better in life.

00:11:39.379 --> 00:11:42.480
 And what we say is that it's a story of redemption.

00:11:42.599 --> 00:11:44.480
 They've figured out how to redeem their past.

00:11:44.480 --> 00:11:48.580
 Or, you know, you're at a job.

00:11:48.659 --> 00:11:49.720
 It can be much more simple than that.

00:11:49.779 --> 00:11:50.340
 You're at a job.

00:11:50.420 --> 00:11:51.240
 You have a bad day.

00:11:51.440 --> 00:11:52.779
 And the next day, you do better.

00:11:53.220 --> 00:11:55.279
 And the boss comes in and says, good job, son.

00:11:55.399 --> 00:11:56.600
 You redeemed yourself.

00:11:57.920 --> 00:12:06.300
 What all those kinds of redemption have in common is, it assumes that the bad things in your life are things that you can fix.

00:12:06.539 --> 00:12:11.060
 And what the Bible is saying, and what the Israelites would have said about their situation is,

00:12:11.059 --> 00:12:14.619
 there are some situations that you can find yourself in.

00:12:14.939 --> 00:12:17.619
 There are some realities about this world that you can accept.

00:12:18.419 --> 00:12:22.359
 And if you accept them, you realize you cannot redeem yourself.

00:12:22.739 --> 00:12:26.219
 You know, for the most obvious example being death.

00:12:26.619 --> 00:12:32.019
 No matter how much you want to avoid death, you cannot, of your own will, avoid that.

00:12:32.079 --> 00:12:33.879
 There's no amount of work you can put into it.

00:12:33.879 --> 00:12:40.279
 Even if you try to be, even if you try it to help, be the healthiest person you can, you cannot redeem yourself from death.

00:12:41.059 --> 00:12:48.959
 When God says, I have redeemed you, when he says it in the Old Testament, when he says it here in verse 1,

00:12:49.239 --> 00:12:50.679
 it has a specific meaning.

00:12:50.779 --> 00:12:54.699
 And you have to know that meaning before you can realize why that would even matter,

00:12:54.839 --> 00:12:56.459
 why that would be an encouragement to someone.

00:12:57.299 --> 00:13:04.399
 Redemption in the Old Testament, generally speaking, has this idea that a person can be bought back.

00:13:04.399 --> 00:13:12.659
 So, for instance, in Leviticus, one of the laws gives an example of a man who becomes impoverished.

00:13:12.779 --> 00:13:19.799
 And he becomes so impoverished, the way that he tries to sustain himself is he sells his own life into slavery.

00:13:19.799 --> 00:13:27.599
 And the Jewish laws were such that one of his family members can come along,

00:13:28.120 --> 00:13:32.639
 and he can pay a price to set his family member free.

00:13:32.839 --> 00:13:34.519
 It's called the redemption price.

00:13:34.759 --> 00:13:36.799
 And he's called the redeemer, the one that redeems.

00:13:36.799 --> 00:13:42.240
 And the very same idea is being pointed to here in this passage.

00:13:42.339 --> 00:13:48.059
 And you know it because when you look at verses 3 and 4, this is what God says.

00:13:48.120 --> 00:13:50.519
 He says, excuse me, in verse 3.

00:13:52.599 --> 00:13:53.799
 He says, I have redeemed you.

00:13:53.859 --> 00:13:54.919
 And in verse 3 he says,

00:13:55.000 --> 00:13:58.500
 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

00:13:58.500 --> 00:14:01.519
 And then this is how he explains himself.

00:14:01.659 --> 00:14:07.179
 He says, I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead.

00:14:08.440 --> 00:14:14.000
 And then halfway down the next verse he says,

00:14:14.919 --> 00:14:19.779
 I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life.

00:14:22.080 --> 00:14:23.919
 So what God is doing is he's saying,

00:14:24.039 --> 00:14:26.919
 the way that I am going to tell you that you don't need to fear

00:14:26.919 --> 00:14:29.639
 is by telling you what's about to happen to you,

00:14:29.679 --> 00:14:31.279
 which is that I have redeemed you.

00:14:32.240 --> 00:14:33.659
 And what God is saying is, he's saying,

00:14:34.539 --> 00:14:36.719
 you are so precious to me.

00:14:37.379 --> 00:14:39.279
 You, my children, are so precious to me

00:14:39.279 --> 00:14:43.399
 that I am willing to give Egypt and Cush and Seba

00:14:43.399 --> 00:14:45.479
 in exchange for your life

00:14:45.479 --> 00:14:48.459
 to free you from the situation that you have found yourselves in.

00:14:49.059 --> 00:14:51.419
 And there's a historical truth to this

00:14:51.419 --> 00:14:55.419
 because in 539 B.C.,

00:14:55.419 --> 00:14:58.299
 the Persians come into power.

00:14:58.299 --> 00:15:00.919
 And one of the first things that the Persians do

00:15:00.919 --> 00:15:03.740
 is they allow all the Israelites,

00:15:04.139 --> 00:15:05.019
 all the people of Judah,

00:15:05.199 --> 00:15:07.539
 to go back home and to rebuild their temple

00:15:07.539 --> 00:15:08.939
 and to worship God again.

00:15:09.099 --> 00:15:10.620
 That's the moment where they find redemption.

00:15:11.860 --> 00:15:14.079
 And around the same period in history,

00:15:15.319 --> 00:15:19.279
 the Persians also conquer Cush and Seba in Egypt,

00:15:19.539 --> 00:15:22.259
 which is, these places are another way of talking about

00:15:22.259 --> 00:15:25.019
 basically all of known Africa in the time period.

00:15:25.759 --> 00:15:28.000
 So the Persians come into power

00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:30.340
 and they set the Israelites free

00:15:30.340 --> 00:15:33.659
 and they also conquer modern Africa,

00:15:33.860 --> 00:15:35.860
 excuse me, what was known of Africa at the time.

00:15:35.860 --> 00:15:39.539
 And one of the themes in the book of Isaiah

00:15:39.539 --> 00:15:43.259
 that comes up over and over again in lots of different ways

00:15:43.259 --> 00:15:46.480
 is God keeps trying to show his people

00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:49.620
 that the circumstances that they find themselves in

00:15:49.620 --> 00:15:52.259
 in this world are not just by chance

00:15:52.259 --> 00:15:56.620
 and they can't be explained merely by military power

00:15:56.620 --> 00:15:58.440
 or by geopolitical power.

00:15:59.440 --> 00:16:03.800
 Cyrus, who helped the Persians rise to power,

00:16:03.799 --> 00:16:05.819
 and if you go read Isaiah chapter 45,

00:16:06.059 --> 00:16:07.459
 one of the things that God says is,

00:16:08.339 --> 00:16:10.120
 he's not just there by chance.

00:16:10.819 --> 00:16:15.059
 He is my servant and he's doing what I want for you,

00:16:15.159 --> 00:16:16.819
 to save you, to redeem you.

00:16:18.339 --> 00:16:20.559
 And do you see how this kills fear?

00:16:20.819 --> 00:16:22.719
 How this one word, I have redeemed you,

00:16:22.859 --> 00:16:24.279
 kills fear for the Israelites?

00:16:25.019 --> 00:16:28.919
 Because it helps them see that the God of the universe

00:16:28.919 --> 00:16:31.719
 has come down and he has guaranteed,

00:16:31.720 --> 00:16:34.620
 you know, in their own language through this idea of redemption.

00:16:34.860 --> 00:16:38.279
 He says, you are so precious to me that I have purchased you back

00:16:38.279 --> 00:16:40.420
 and I've given you some of the most rich,

00:16:40.639 --> 00:16:43.240
 I've given some of the most rich nations in the world

00:16:43.240 --> 00:16:44.340
 in exchange for you.

00:16:44.399 --> 00:16:45.960
 That's how precious you are to me.

00:16:47.139 --> 00:16:50.920
 And this is the kind of idea that if you actually let it sit inside your mind,

00:16:51.440 --> 00:16:55.519
 if you're an Israelite in 550 BC,

00:16:55.519 --> 00:16:58.240
 you allow this to sit inside your mind

00:16:58.240 --> 00:17:01.720
 and you follow the idea to its natural conclusion,

00:17:01.860 --> 00:17:03.039
 which this passage does.

00:17:04.440 --> 00:17:06.680
 Why would God redeem a people?

00:17:08.379 --> 00:17:10.720
 Why would anyone ever redeem someone?

00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:13.660
 And, you know, if you're a Hebrew

00:17:13.660 --> 00:17:15.940
 and you redeem your brother from slavery,

00:17:16.519 --> 00:17:18.379
 maybe you do it out of a sense of obligation.

00:17:18.639 --> 00:17:20.000
 Maybe you do it because you're wealthy

00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:21.980
 and if you didn't redeem your brother,

00:17:22.460 --> 00:17:24.079
 you'd be frowned on in your society.

00:17:24.079 --> 00:17:27.419
 But that's not the reason that God gives

00:17:27.419 --> 00:17:28.919
 for why he redeemed his people.

00:17:29.819 --> 00:17:30.539
 What does he say?

00:17:30.919 --> 00:17:31.379
 He says,

00:17:33.599 --> 00:17:34.679
 I redeemed, you are,

00:17:34.899 --> 00:17:35.379
 verse four,

00:17:35.559 --> 00:17:38.019
 you are precious and honored in my sight

00:17:38.019 --> 00:17:40.240
 and because I love you.

00:17:40.480 --> 00:17:41.699
 That's why I redeemed you.

00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:43.960
 And what I love about this

00:17:43.960 --> 00:17:45.960
 is this idea of God's love

00:17:45.960 --> 00:17:47.679
 and this idea of redemption,

00:17:48.579 --> 00:17:50.339
 they interpret one another.

00:17:51.019 --> 00:17:51.859
 So you could say,

00:17:51.980 --> 00:17:54.039
 what does it mean that God redeemed us?

00:17:54.179 --> 00:17:55.240
 Why does he redeem us?

00:17:55.480 --> 00:17:56.659
 It's because he loves us.

00:17:57.439 --> 00:17:59.619
 And then if you ever were to doubt God's love

00:17:59.619 --> 00:18:00.419
 if you were an Israelite,

00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:00.899
 you would say,

00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:02.579
 well, how do I know that God loves me?

00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:04.319
 Well, you look back at the redemption.

00:18:05.419 --> 00:18:07.960
 He was willing to give Seba in Africa,

00:18:08.019 --> 00:18:09.159
 all these places he said,

00:18:09.240 --> 00:18:11.159
 I was more precious than these nations.

00:18:11.160 --> 00:18:15.000
 And what an Israelite was called to do

00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:18.000
 is to look at their fears in that present moment

00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:20.340
 and put those fears to death,

00:18:20.380 --> 00:18:22.160
 not because those fears weren't legitimate,

00:18:22.880 --> 00:18:25.940
 but because God had offered them a hope

00:18:25.940 --> 00:18:27.360
 that was greater than their fears.

00:18:27.359 --> 00:18:33.419
 Now, it can be a cheap trick

00:18:33.419 --> 00:18:36.059
 for a minister preaching through the Old Testament

00:18:36.059 --> 00:18:38.039
 to look at a word like redemption

00:18:38.039 --> 00:18:38.759
 and say,

00:18:39.159 --> 00:18:40.559
 you see, we're all redeemed.

00:18:41.159 --> 00:18:42.699
 And part of the cheapness of that trick

00:18:42.699 --> 00:18:44.479
 is that this is talking about

00:18:44.479 --> 00:18:45.919
 a specific moment in history.

00:18:46.559 --> 00:18:47.979
 But there's two reasons

00:18:47.979 --> 00:18:49.979
 why this has something to say to us.

00:18:50.059 --> 00:18:53.680
 And one of them is passages like this

00:18:53.680 --> 00:18:54.980
 that talk about a God

00:18:54.980 --> 00:18:56.019
 who would redeem Israel.

00:18:57.299 --> 00:18:59.620
 They're telling us about who God is.

00:18:59.860 --> 00:19:00.860
 God never changes.

00:19:01.519 --> 00:19:03.420
 And the God of 2,500 years ago

00:19:03.420 --> 00:19:04.720
 is the same God today

00:19:04.720 --> 00:19:07.099
 so that we can look at a passage like Isaiah 43

00:19:07.099 --> 00:19:07.880
 and we can say,

00:19:08.279 --> 00:19:10.339
 what I know about my God

00:19:10.339 --> 00:19:12.740
 is that it is in his character

00:19:12.740 --> 00:19:14.799
 to look at a situation,

00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:15.799
 to look at a people

00:19:15.799 --> 00:19:17.819
 who have gone so far away from him

00:19:17.819 --> 00:19:21.299
 and as far away as they can get,

00:19:21.439 --> 00:19:22.639
 he can still redeem them

00:19:22.639 --> 00:19:24.679
 and he can still bring them back to himself.

00:19:25.039 --> 00:19:26.519
 And he can still look at someone

00:19:26.519 --> 00:19:29.119
 who goes as far away as they can,

00:19:29.200 --> 00:19:31.139
 a prodigal son and a prodigal nation,

00:19:31.899 --> 00:19:33.599
 and God can still say,

00:19:33.679 --> 00:19:35.059
 they are precious in my eyes

00:19:35.059 --> 00:19:36.500
 and I will do whatever it takes

00:19:36.500 --> 00:19:37.960
 to bring them back to myself.

00:19:39.939 --> 00:19:42.200
 That's one reason why we can look at a passage like this.

00:19:42.200 --> 00:19:43.220
 But another one is,

00:19:44.419 --> 00:19:45.700
 moments like this

00:19:45.700 --> 00:19:47.099
 in the history of God's people

00:19:47.099 --> 00:19:49.579
 prepared God's people

00:19:49.579 --> 00:19:51.159
 to see Jesus.

00:19:53.299 --> 00:19:55.139
 And this is when my imagination

00:19:55.139 --> 00:19:56.419
 begins to run wild

00:19:56.419 --> 00:19:58.219
 and I admit that I'm speculating here.

00:19:58.919 --> 00:19:59.919
 But I imagine those,

00:20:00.839 --> 00:20:01.059
 you know,

00:20:01.219 --> 00:20:02.299
 I imagine the disciples

00:20:02.299 --> 00:20:04.839
 after Jesus had ascended into heaven

00:20:04.839 --> 00:20:07.259
 and they're sitting around a campfire at nighttime.

00:20:07.399 --> 00:20:08.319
 They're having dinner together.

00:20:09.179 --> 00:20:10.579
 And they're trying to think,

00:20:10.579 --> 00:20:12.459
 how can we communicate

00:20:12.460 --> 00:20:15.720
 what Jesus has done for us

00:20:15.720 --> 00:20:18.480
 to our Jewish brothers and sisters?

00:20:18.960 --> 00:20:21.059
 How can we explain to them

00:20:21.059 --> 00:20:24.200
 that Jesus Christ has died for their sins?

00:20:24.200 --> 00:20:26.519
 And you imagine them going,

00:20:27.200 --> 00:20:28.180
 thinking in their minds,

00:20:28.299 --> 00:20:29.559
 going Genesis,

00:20:29.960 --> 00:20:30.279
 Exodus,

00:20:30.680 --> 00:20:31.160
 Leviticus,

00:20:31.400 --> 00:20:31.779
 Numbers,

00:20:31.940 --> 00:20:32.519
 Deuteronomy,

00:20:32.880 --> 00:20:34.240
 going through all of the Old Testament

00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:34.700
 and saying,

00:20:35.240 --> 00:20:35.960
 how does this,

00:20:36.100 --> 00:20:37.680
 how was this all along

00:20:37.680 --> 00:20:40.279
 preparing us to see who Jesus was?

00:20:40.360 --> 00:20:41.759
 And then they get to a passage like

00:20:41.759 --> 00:20:42.779
 Isaiah 43.

00:20:43.720 --> 00:20:44.960
 And this had to have been

00:20:44.960 --> 00:20:47.120
 one of the most obvious passages for them

00:20:47.120 --> 00:20:47.420
 because

00:20:47.420 --> 00:20:49.220
 the story of God's people

00:20:49.220 --> 00:20:50.420
 in this moment in time

00:20:50.420 --> 00:20:52.600
 is in so many ways

00:20:52.600 --> 00:20:54.960
 the story of the gospel.

00:20:55.779 --> 00:20:58.019
 It's a preview of the gospel

00:20:58.019 --> 00:20:58.759
 because in it

00:20:58.759 --> 00:20:59.779
 you have a people

00:20:59.779 --> 00:21:01.220
 who have gone

00:21:01.220 --> 00:21:03.019
 as far as they can from God,

00:21:03.200 --> 00:21:04.680
 who have no hope

00:21:04.680 --> 00:21:06.580
 and who are looking around in fear.

00:21:08.660 --> 00:21:09.000
 And then

00:21:09.000 --> 00:21:10.620
 Jesus,

00:21:10.880 --> 00:21:11.680
 excuse me,

00:21:11.720 --> 00:21:12.920
 and then God steps in.

00:21:13.300 --> 00:21:14.200
 Jesus steps in

00:21:14.200 --> 00:21:15.539
 and he offers

00:21:15.539 --> 00:21:17.460
 a way out.

00:21:17.580 --> 00:21:18.600
 He offers them a redemption.

00:21:18.840 --> 00:21:19.940
 It's even the same word.

00:21:19.940 --> 00:21:20.580
 The New Testament

00:21:20.580 --> 00:21:21.600
 over and over again

00:21:21.600 --> 00:21:23.320
 describes what Jesus did

00:21:23.320 --> 00:21:24.559
 as redemption.

00:21:24.900 --> 00:21:26.240
 Jesus goes to the cross

00:21:26.240 --> 00:21:28.700
 and he redeems his people

00:21:28.700 --> 00:21:29.820
 from their sins.

00:21:29.840 --> 00:21:30.680
 Just like God

00:21:30.680 --> 00:21:31.920
 redeemed

00:21:31.920 --> 00:21:32.779
 the Israelites

00:21:32.779 --> 00:21:33.779
 from the consequences

00:21:33.779 --> 00:21:34.980
 of what they had to go through.

00:21:38.240 --> 00:21:39.100
 It's like

00:21:39.100 --> 00:21:40.680
 the whole story

00:21:40.680 --> 00:21:42.440
 of Jesus Christ

00:21:42.440 --> 00:21:43.160
 and his redemption

00:21:43.160 --> 00:21:45.559
 is everything that happens

00:21:45.559 --> 00:21:46.519
 in Isaiah 43

00:21:46.519 --> 00:21:47.420
 but greater.

00:21:47.420 --> 00:21:47.480
 fear.

00:21:48.900 --> 00:21:50.180
 And because of that

00:21:50.180 --> 00:21:52.240
 we can look at a passage

00:21:52.240 --> 00:21:52.860
 like this

00:21:52.860 --> 00:21:53.779
 and we can say

00:21:53.779 --> 00:21:55.980
 when God tells us

00:21:55.980 --> 00:21:56.800
 not to fear

00:21:56.800 --> 00:21:58.600
 he even gives us

00:21:58.600 --> 00:21:59.039
 a word

00:21:59.039 --> 00:22:00.140
 to apply to our fears

00:22:00.140 --> 00:22:00.800
 to kill them.

00:22:01.460 --> 00:22:02.500
 And it's the same word

00:22:02.500 --> 00:22:03.100
 it's redemption.

00:22:03.099 --> 00:22:08.339
 And what we have to realize

00:22:08.339 --> 00:22:08.799
 is that

00:22:08.799 --> 00:22:11.299
 when God gives us

00:22:11.299 --> 00:22:11.879
 a word

00:22:11.879 --> 00:22:13.379
 to kill our fears

00:22:13.379 --> 00:22:14.399
 he hasn't just

00:22:14.399 --> 00:22:15.799
 changed our psychology.

00:22:16.539 --> 00:22:17.599
 He hasn't just said

00:22:17.599 --> 00:22:18.379
 you need to think

00:22:18.379 --> 00:22:19.199
 more positively.

00:22:20.480 --> 00:22:21.219
 What he has done

00:22:21.219 --> 00:22:22.299
 is he's changed

00:22:22.299 --> 00:22:23.559
 our objective situation.

00:22:23.759 --> 00:22:24.139
 He's saying

00:22:24.139 --> 00:22:25.240
 I'm telling you

00:22:25.240 --> 00:22:25.959
 not to fear

00:22:25.959 --> 00:22:27.459
 not just because

00:22:27.459 --> 00:22:27.980
 I want you to be

00:22:27.980 --> 00:22:28.619
 more positive

00:22:28.619 --> 00:22:29.219
 but because

00:22:29.219 --> 00:22:30.939
 your objective situation

00:22:30.939 --> 00:22:31.719
 has changed.

00:22:31.720 --> 00:22:32.900
 you were hopeless.

00:22:33.620 --> 00:22:34.360
 You were living

00:22:34.360 --> 00:22:34.980
 in your sins

00:22:34.980 --> 00:22:35.819
 and you had no hope

00:22:35.819 --> 00:22:36.860
 and the fears

00:22:36.860 --> 00:22:38.400
 the fears that you

00:22:38.400 --> 00:22:39.259
 dealt with in life

00:22:39.259 --> 00:22:40.380
 the same fears

00:22:40.380 --> 00:22:41.019
 that everyone deals

00:22:41.019 --> 00:22:41.460
 with in life

00:22:41.460 --> 00:22:42.279
 about death

00:22:42.279 --> 00:22:43.120
 and what comes after

00:22:43.120 --> 00:22:44.180
 these were things

00:22:44.180 --> 00:22:45.500
 that you had no answer to

00:22:45.500 --> 00:22:46.500
 and so you were right

00:22:46.500 --> 00:22:46.900
 to fear.

00:22:47.759 --> 00:22:48.420
 And then God says

00:22:48.420 --> 00:22:49.319
 I have given you

00:22:49.319 --> 00:22:49.720
 an answer

00:22:49.720 --> 00:22:50.160
 which is that

00:22:50.160 --> 00:22:51.120
 you have been redeemed

00:22:51.120 --> 00:22:52.000
 and that you are

00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:52.620
 precious to me

00:22:52.620 --> 00:22:53.220
 in your sight

00:22:53.220 --> 00:22:54.180
 in my sight.

00:22:54.180 --> 00:22:59.240
 So God teaches us

00:22:59.240 --> 00:23:00.340
 to kill our fears

00:23:00.340 --> 00:23:01.259
 with a word

00:23:01.259 --> 00:23:02.460
 and that word

00:23:02.460 --> 00:23:02.980
 is redemption

00:23:02.980 --> 00:23:05.680
 but

00:23:05.680 --> 00:23:08.019
 in some ways

00:23:08.019 --> 00:23:08.940
 that's the easy part

00:23:08.940 --> 00:23:09.360
 isn't it?

00:23:09.400 --> 00:23:10.180
 Just recognizing

00:23:10.180 --> 00:23:11.060
 what is true

00:23:11.060 --> 00:23:11.920
 especially if you're

00:23:11.920 --> 00:23:12.560
 already a Christian

00:23:12.560 --> 00:23:13.680
 it's easy to say

00:23:13.680 --> 00:23:15.360
 I know that God

00:23:15.360 --> 00:23:16.440
 calls me not to fear

00:23:16.440 --> 00:23:18.160
 because he has redeemed me

00:23:18.160 --> 00:23:19.880
 but then the next challenge

00:23:19.880 --> 00:23:20.720
 is and the challenge

00:23:20.720 --> 00:23:21.160
 of every day

00:23:21.160 --> 00:23:21.779
 of our lives

00:23:21.779 --> 00:23:22.860
 is how do you

00:23:22.860 --> 00:23:23.580
 take that truth?

00:23:23.579 --> 00:23:24.099
 How do you take

00:23:24.099 --> 00:23:25.059
 that one word

00:23:25.059 --> 00:23:26.059
 that God gives us

00:23:26.059 --> 00:23:27.759
 and make it a habit?

00:23:27.939 --> 00:23:28.740
 Make it a habit

00:23:28.740 --> 00:23:30.480
 of applying the gospel

00:23:30.480 --> 00:23:31.899
 applying redemption

00:23:31.899 --> 00:23:33.500
 to our lives

00:23:33.500 --> 00:23:34.359
 so that every day

00:23:34.359 --> 00:23:35.220
 we're putting our fears

00:23:35.220 --> 00:23:35.699
 to death.

00:23:36.799 --> 00:23:37.960
 Because isn't it true

00:23:37.960 --> 00:23:40.859
 that you can worship you

00:23:40.859 --> 00:23:42.220
 and you can say

00:23:42.220 --> 00:23:43.119
 I know God calls me

00:23:43.119 --> 00:23:43.639
 not to fear

00:23:43.639 --> 00:23:44.939
 I know he's redeemed me

00:23:44.939 --> 00:23:46.199
 and yet even as you're

00:23:46.199 --> 00:23:47.179
 sitting in this pew

00:23:47.179 --> 00:23:48.000
 you could be thinking

00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:49.419
 about what tomorrow

00:23:49.419 --> 00:23:50.139
 might bring

00:23:50.139 --> 00:23:51.460
 that stressful meeting

00:23:51.460 --> 00:23:51.859
 that you know

00:23:51.859 --> 00:23:52.579
 you're going to have

00:23:52.579 --> 00:23:53.899
 all kinds of anxieties

00:23:53.899 --> 00:23:57.439
 things that keep us

00:23:57.439 --> 00:23:58.139
 awake at night

00:23:58.139 --> 00:24:00.259
 things that we can't sleep

00:24:00.259 --> 00:24:00.919
 and we don't know

00:24:00.919 --> 00:24:01.740
 how to get over it

00:24:01.740 --> 00:24:03.299
 and what we have to do

00:24:03.299 --> 00:24:04.240
 is we have to become

00:24:04.240 --> 00:24:06.059
 midnight theologians

00:24:06.059 --> 00:24:07.259
 people who

00:24:07.259 --> 00:24:07.960
 when we wake up

00:24:07.960 --> 00:24:08.799
 in the middle of the night

00:24:08.799 --> 00:24:10.000
 and we find that

00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:10.939
 we have anxieties

00:24:10.939 --> 00:24:11.799
 that we don't know

00:24:11.799 --> 00:24:12.619
 how to deal with

00:24:12.619 --> 00:24:13.779
 we have to

00:24:13.779 --> 00:24:15.399
 begin the process

00:24:15.399 --> 00:24:15.939
 of saying

00:24:15.940 --> 00:24:18.000
 if I really am

00:24:18.000 --> 00:24:18.480
 redeemed

00:24:18.480 --> 00:24:19.320
 as the gospel

00:24:19.320 --> 00:24:20.420
 tells me that I am

00:24:20.420 --> 00:24:21.940
 what does

00:24:21.940 --> 00:24:22.779
 what does my

00:24:22.779 --> 00:24:23.460
 redemption have

00:24:23.460 --> 00:24:24.440
 to say to this fear

00:24:24.440 --> 00:24:28.320
 because my conviction

00:24:28.320 --> 00:24:28.720
 is

00:24:28.720 --> 00:24:29.759
 and I hope this is

00:24:29.759 --> 00:24:30.259
 your conviction

00:24:30.259 --> 00:24:30.759
 as well

00:24:30.759 --> 00:24:32.420
 that there is no

00:24:32.420 --> 00:24:32.960
 fear

00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:34.220
 in our lives

00:24:34.220 --> 00:24:35.640
 there's literally

00:24:35.640 --> 00:24:36.180
 no fear

00:24:36.180 --> 00:24:36.920
 in our lives

00:24:36.920 --> 00:24:38.279
 that we can face

00:24:38.279 --> 00:24:39.000
 that redemption

00:24:39.000 --> 00:24:39.980
 doesn't touch

00:24:39.980 --> 00:24:41.420
 if we're in Christ

00:24:41.420 --> 00:24:42.820
 and

00:24:42.820 --> 00:24:44.740
 part of the challenge

00:24:44.740 --> 00:24:45.400
 is realizing

00:24:45.400 --> 00:24:46.180
 sometimes I think

00:24:46.180 --> 00:24:46.779
 we fear

00:24:46.779 --> 00:24:47.920
 and we don't even

00:24:47.920 --> 00:24:48.820
 stop to think

00:24:48.820 --> 00:24:49.440
 that the gospel

00:24:49.440 --> 00:24:50.140
 might have something

00:24:50.140 --> 00:24:51.140
 to say to this fear

00:24:51.140 --> 00:24:52.620
 and part of our challenge

00:24:52.620 --> 00:24:53.460
 is to think of all

00:24:53.460 --> 00:24:54.440
 the fears that we face

00:24:54.440 --> 00:24:54.720
 and say

00:24:54.720 --> 00:24:55.539
 what does the gospel

00:24:55.539 --> 00:24:56.680
 have to say to this

00:24:56.680 --> 00:24:58.960
 just to give one

00:24:58.960 --> 00:24:59.600
 example

00:24:59.600 --> 00:25:01.240
 of a new challenge

00:25:01.240 --> 00:25:02.060
 that part of our

00:25:02.060 --> 00:25:03.019
 society is facing

00:25:03.019 --> 00:25:05.019
 there's a

00:25:05.019 --> 00:25:05.740
 New York

00:25:05.740 --> 00:25:07.019
 University psychologist

00:25:07.019 --> 00:25:08.500
 named Jonathan Haidt

00:25:08.500 --> 00:25:09.800
 and he

00:25:09.800 --> 00:25:10.940
 he studies a lot

00:25:10.940 --> 00:25:11.920
 of teenage development

00:25:11.920 --> 00:25:13.380
 and he wrote

00:25:13.380 --> 00:25:14.380
 in an American

00:25:14.380 --> 00:25:15.120
 journal called

00:25:15.120 --> 00:25:15.640
 The Atlantic

00:25:15.640 --> 00:25:16.460
 last year

00:25:16.460 --> 00:25:17.620
 an article

00:25:17.620 --> 00:25:19.059
 that he called

00:25:19.059 --> 00:25:21.279
 The Dangerous

00:25:21.279 --> 00:25:21.940
 Experiment

00:25:21.940 --> 00:25:24.420
 The Dangerous

00:25:24.420 --> 00:25:24.840
 Experiment

00:25:24.840 --> 00:25:26.360
 on Teen Girls

00:25:26.360 --> 00:25:27.299
 The Dangerous

00:25:27.299 --> 00:25:27.660
 Experiment

00:25:27.660 --> 00:25:28.600
 on Teen Girls

00:25:28.600 --> 00:25:30.519
 and what his

00:25:30.519 --> 00:25:31.360
 article was about

00:25:31.360 --> 00:25:32.000
 was

00:25:32.000 --> 00:25:33.460
 as a psychologist

00:25:33.460 --> 00:25:34.299
 he's noticed

00:25:34.299 --> 00:25:34.559
 that

00:25:34.559 --> 00:25:36.640
 when you study

00:25:36.640 --> 00:25:37.920
 teen girls

00:25:37.920 --> 00:25:39.100
 and their experiences

00:25:39.100 --> 00:25:39.779
 of depression

00:25:39.779 --> 00:25:41.599
 over the past

00:25:41.599 --> 00:25:42.879
 15 years

00:25:42.879 --> 00:25:45.980
 teenage girls

00:25:45.980 --> 00:25:46.639
 are reporting

00:25:46.639 --> 00:25:47.920
 about a 66%

00:25:47.920 --> 00:25:48.759
 increase

00:25:48.759 --> 00:25:49.899
 in

00:25:49.899 --> 00:25:52.440
 self-identified

00:25:52.440 --> 00:25:53.000
 depression

00:25:53.000 --> 00:25:53.639
 sorry let me put

00:25:53.639 --> 00:25:53.980
 that a little bit

00:25:53.980 --> 00:25:54.399
 more clearly

00:25:54.399 --> 00:25:56.579
 if you compare

00:25:56.579 --> 00:25:57.619
 a teenage girl

00:25:57.619 --> 00:25:58.579
 15 years ago

00:25:58.579 --> 00:26:00.139
 to a teenage girl

00:26:00.139 --> 00:26:01.420
 in 2021

00:26:01.420 --> 00:26:04.599
 there's 66%

00:26:04.599 --> 00:26:05.519
 more likely

00:26:05.519 --> 00:26:06.559
 in 2021

00:26:06.559 --> 00:26:07.779
 to report

00:26:07.779 --> 00:26:08.599
 having had

00:26:08.599 --> 00:26:09.639
 a depressive

00:26:09.639 --> 00:26:10.299
 episode

00:26:10.299 --> 00:26:11.139
 in the past

00:26:11.139 --> 00:26:11.460
 month

00:26:11.460 --> 00:26:14.240
 and Haidt's

00:26:14.240 --> 00:26:14.639
 argument

00:26:14.639 --> 00:26:15.799
 this psychologist

00:26:15.799 --> 00:26:17.279
 is that

00:26:17.279 --> 00:26:18.359
 the only reason

00:26:18.359 --> 00:26:18.940
 that we can give

00:26:18.940 --> 00:26:19.879
 to explain this

00:26:19.879 --> 00:26:20.720
 and the only reason

00:26:20.720 --> 00:26:21.639
 we can give to explain

00:26:21.639 --> 00:26:22.500
 why this is happening

00:26:22.500 --> 00:26:23.399
 not just in America

00:26:23.399 --> 00:26:24.579
 but in UK

00:26:24.579 --> 00:26:25.700
 and in all western

00:26:25.700 --> 00:26:26.200
 countries

00:26:26.200 --> 00:26:27.220
 is the rise of

00:26:27.220 --> 00:26:27.799
 social media

00:26:27.799 --> 00:26:28.639
 and so his argument

00:26:28.639 --> 00:26:28.980
 is

00:26:28.980 --> 00:26:30.740
 our young women

00:26:30.740 --> 00:26:31.599
 are facing

00:26:31.599 --> 00:26:32.319
 depression

00:26:32.319 --> 00:26:32.960
 at a scale

00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:33.619
 they've never faced

00:26:33.619 --> 00:26:34.000
 before

00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:35.319
 because they're

00:26:35.319 --> 00:26:36.279
 using social media

00:26:36.279 --> 00:26:36.799
 more than they

00:26:36.799 --> 00:26:37.579
 ever have before

00:26:37.579 --> 00:26:39.379
 and you know

00:26:39.379 --> 00:26:40.259
 maybe part of the

00:26:40.259 --> 00:26:41.099
 solution is to think

00:26:41.099 --> 00:26:41.619
 about how much

00:26:41.619 --> 00:26:42.359
 we actually use

00:26:42.359 --> 00:26:42.959
 social media

00:26:42.959 --> 00:26:44.979
 but there is

00:26:44.979 --> 00:26:46.159
 there is an issue

00:26:46.159 --> 00:26:47.179
 there of something

00:26:47.179 --> 00:26:47.719
 that's happening

00:26:47.719 --> 00:26:48.759
 to the teenage girls

00:26:48.759 --> 00:26:49.319
 among us

00:26:49.319 --> 00:26:50.000
 our daughters

00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:50.959
 and our granddaughters

00:26:50.959 --> 00:26:51.459
 and the people

00:26:51.459 --> 00:26:51.899
 that we know

00:26:51.899 --> 00:26:52.319
 and love

00:26:52.319 --> 00:26:53.699
 where because

00:26:53.699 --> 00:26:54.239
 they're using

00:26:54.239 --> 00:26:54.899
 social media

00:26:54.899 --> 00:26:55.639
 more and more

00:26:55.639 --> 00:26:57.139
 they're having

00:26:57.139 --> 00:26:58.239
 their sense of

00:26:58.239 --> 00:26:59.339
 identity challenged

00:26:59.339 --> 00:27:00.339
 every single day

00:27:00.339 --> 00:27:01.219
 where they're

00:27:01.219 --> 00:27:02.059
 looking at pictures

00:27:02.059 --> 00:27:03.240
 of beautiful people

00:27:03.240 --> 00:27:03.679
 online

00:27:03.679 --> 00:27:04.559
 beautiful peers

00:27:04.559 --> 00:27:05.299
 who are using

00:27:05.299 --> 00:27:07.039
 technology to make

00:27:07.039 --> 00:27:07.659
 themselves look

00:27:07.659 --> 00:27:08.240
 more beautiful

00:27:08.240 --> 00:27:09.359
 and then they look

00:27:09.359 --> 00:27:09.899
 at themselves

00:27:09.899 --> 00:27:11.059
 and they might say

00:27:11.059 --> 00:27:12.639
 I am nowhere near

00:27:12.639 --> 00:27:13.419
 as pretty as that

00:27:13.419 --> 00:27:14.139
 I am worthless

00:27:14.139 --> 00:27:17.559
 and that kind of fear

00:27:17.559 --> 00:27:18.359
 when it begins to

00:27:18.359 --> 00:27:19.179
 settle into a young

00:27:19.179 --> 00:27:19.599
 mind

00:27:19.599 --> 00:27:20.679
 that I am

00:27:20.679 --> 00:27:21.679
 I am not beautiful

00:27:21.679 --> 00:27:22.940
 I am not

00:27:22.940 --> 00:27:23.980
 I'm not precious

00:27:23.980 --> 00:27:25.759
 that fear can expand

00:27:25.759 --> 00:27:26.960
 into a person's life

00:27:26.960 --> 00:27:28.480
 I am not lovable

00:27:28.480 --> 00:27:30.000
 and you can begin

00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:30.859
 to look to answers

00:27:30.859 --> 00:27:31.419
 for that fear

00:27:31.419 --> 00:27:31.959
 in all sorts

00:27:31.959 --> 00:27:32.539
 of places

00:27:32.539 --> 00:27:34.699
 and my question

00:27:34.699 --> 00:27:35.159
 tonight is

00:27:35.159 --> 00:27:36.119
 is it not possible

00:27:36.119 --> 00:27:37.699
 that even in

00:27:37.699 --> 00:27:38.959
 something like that

00:27:38.959 --> 00:27:39.799
 that has come around

00:27:39.799 --> 00:27:40.579
 so recently

00:27:40.579 --> 00:27:42.179
 can we not look

00:27:42.179 --> 00:27:43.240
 at a problem

00:27:43.240 --> 00:27:43.719
 like that

00:27:43.719 --> 00:27:44.139
 and say

00:27:44.139 --> 00:27:45.719
 even there

00:27:45.719 --> 00:27:48.719
 the gospel

00:27:48.719 --> 00:27:49.299
 has something

00:27:49.299 --> 00:27:49.719
 to say

00:27:49.719 --> 00:27:50.419
 to that fear

00:27:50.419 --> 00:27:52.979
 that we can teach

00:27:52.979 --> 00:27:53.979
 our young women

00:27:53.979 --> 00:27:55.639
 that the word

00:27:55.639 --> 00:27:56.259
 redemption

00:27:56.259 --> 00:27:57.159
 says something

00:27:57.159 --> 00:27:58.099
 about who they are

00:27:58.099 --> 00:27:59.299
 and about their identity

00:27:59.299 --> 00:28:00.879
 and hope

00:28:00.879 --> 00:28:01.259
 maybe

00:28:01.259 --> 00:28:02.119
 maybe if we can

00:28:02.119 --> 00:28:03.299
 if we can tell them

00:28:03.299 --> 00:28:04.619
 in a thousand different ways

00:28:04.619 --> 00:28:06.539
 that God looks at them

00:28:06.539 --> 00:28:07.099
 and he says

00:28:07.099 --> 00:28:07.879
 that they are precious

00:28:07.879 --> 00:28:08.559
 so precious

00:28:08.559 --> 00:28:09.200
 that he has

00:28:09.200 --> 00:28:10.740
 died for them

00:28:10.740 --> 00:28:11.639
 that he has sent his son

00:28:11.639 --> 00:28:12.279
 to die for them

00:28:12.279 --> 00:28:12.960
 on the cross

00:28:12.960 --> 00:28:14.819
 maybe when they look

00:28:14.819 --> 00:28:15.440
 at those images

00:28:15.440 --> 00:28:15.980
 on the internet

00:28:15.980 --> 00:28:17.419
 they're not thrown

00:28:17.419 --> 00:28:18.379
 so off kilter

00:28:18.379 --> 00:28:19.440
 because they have

00:28:19.440 --> 00:28:19.940
 this anchor

00:28:19.940 --> 00:28:20.539
 in their soul

00:28:20.539 --> 00:28:21.000
 that says

00:28:21.000 --> 00:28:22.220
 I need not fear

00:28:22.220 --> 00:28:22.839
 whether I am

00:28:22.839 --> 00:28:23.659
 beautiful or not

00:28:23.659 --> 00:28:24.960
 because my God

00:28:24.960 --> 00:28:25.440
 has told me

00:28:25.440 --> 00:28:26.039
 that I'm precious

00:28:26.039 --> 00:28:29.279
 now

00:28:29.279 --> 00:28:31.220
 that's not my fear

00:28:31.220 --> 00:28:32.079
 that's

00:28:32.079 --> 00:28:32.740
 that's a fear

00:28:32.740 --> 00:28:33.480
 of someone else

00:28:33.480 --> 00:28:34.619
 but all of us

00:28:34.619 --> 00:28:35.319
 have the responsibility

00:28:35.319 --> 00:28:36.659
 to look into our lives

00:28:36.659 --> 00:28:36.960
 and say

00:28:36.960 --> 00:28:37.899
 what am I fearing

00:28:37.899 --> 00:28:39.099
 that I haven't even

00:28:39.099 --> 00:28:39.980
 put a name on

00:28:39.980 --> 00:28:40.539
 and say

00:28:40.539 --> 00:28:41.940
 what does the gospel

00:28:41.940 --> 00:28:43.059
 have to say to this

00:28:43.059 --> 00:28:43.920
 what does the fact

00:28:43.920 --> 00:28:45.059
 that God has redeemed me

00:28:45.059 --> 00:28:46.139
 have to say to this

00:28:46.139 --> 00:28:50.079
 and one of

00:28:50.079 --> 00:28:51.399
 one of the takeaways

00:28:51.399 --> 00:28:52.079
 from an example

00:28:52.079 --> 00:28:53.059
 like I just gave

00:28:53.059 --> 00:28:53.960
 where you talk about

00:28:53.960 --> 00:28:54.720
 a teenage girl

00:28:54.720 --> 00:28:55.480
 and the hope that

00:28:55.480 --> 00:28:55.900
 you know

00:28:55.900 --> 00:28:57.620
 we can teach

00:28:57.620 --> 00:28:58.299
 our daughters

00:28:58.299 --> 00:28:59.299
 and teach our friends

00:28:59.299 --> 00:29:00.120
 that these are truths

00:29:00.120 --> 00:29:00.980
 is that

00:29:00.980 --> 00:29:01.860
 the redemption

00:29:01.860 --> 00:29:02.720
 that's talked about

00:29:02.720 --> 00:29:03.360
 in a passage

00:29:03.360 --> 00:29:04.360
 like Isaiah 43

00:29:04.360 --> 00:29:05.799
 is not

00:29:05.799 --> 00:29:08.079
 merely individualistic

00:29:08.079 --> 00:29:09.960
 God talks

00:29:09.960 --> 00:29:10.720
 to the nation

00:29:10.720 --> 00:29:11.240
 of Israel

00:29:11.240 --> 00:29:11.900
 and he talks

00:29:11.900 --> 00:29:12.480
 to the nation

00:29:12.480 --> 00:29:12.980
 of Jacob

00:29:12.980 --> 00:29:14.299
 and yes

00:29:14.299 --> 00:29:15.079
 he talks about

00:29:15.079 --> 00:29:16.339
 bringing sons

00:29:16.339 --> 00:29:16.920
 and daughters

00:29:16.920 --> 00:29:17.680
 individually

00:29:17.680 --> 00:29:18.460
 from the far

00:29:18.460 --> 00:29:19.360
 sides of the world

00:29:19.360 --> 00:29:20.079
 back together

00:29:20.079 --> 00:29:22.100
 but this is a redemption

00:29:22.100 --> 00:29:23.180
 that if we really

00:29:23.180 --> 00:29:23.759
 understand it

00:29:23.759 --> 00:29:24.279
 we understand

00:29:24.279 --> 00:29:25.079
 it's a redemption

00:29:25.079 --> 00:29:26.019
 that we all share

00:29:26.019 --> 00:29:27.759
 now the sins

00:29:27.759 --> 00:29:28.359
 that I have been

00:29:28.359 --> 00:29:29.039
 redeemed from

00:29:29.039 --> 00:29:29.980
 and the sins

00:29:29.980 --> 00:29:30.519
 that you have been

00:29:30.519 --> 00:29:31.000
 redeemed from

00:29:31.000 --> 00:29:32.119
 may not be the same

00:29:32.119 --> 00:29:33.240
 but we can look

00:29:33.240 --> 00:29:33.660
 at each other

00:29:33.660 --> 00:29:34.079
 and say

00:29:34.079 --> 00:29:35.779
 we were in the same

00:29:35.779 --> 00:29:36.180
 spot

00:29:36.180 --> 00:29:37.779
 and we needed

00:29:37.779 --> 00:29:38.759
 we needed hope

00:29:38.759 --> 00:29:39.519
 and we needed

00:29:39.519 --> 00:29:40.119
 something to kill

00:29:40.119 --> 00:29:40.660
 our fears

00:29:40.660 --> 00:29:42.200
 and the same God

00:29:42.200 --> 00:29:43.139
 died for both of us

00:29:43.139 --> 00:29:44.019
 and killed our fears

00:29:44.019 --> 00:29:45.460
 and that gives us

00:29:45.460 --> 00:29:46.319
 a reason to celebrate

00:29:46.319 --> 00:29:46.859
 together

00:29:46.859 --> 00:29:50.099
 I'll give one more

00:29:50.099 --> 00:29:51.119
 caveat with this

00:29:51.119 --> 00:29:51.979
 and then

00:29:51.979 --> 00:29:53.639
 I'll close

00:29:53.639 --> 00:29:54.979
 with a

00:29:54.979 --> 00:29:56.519
 with a brief story

00:29:56.519 --> 00:29:58.359
 the caveat

00:29:58.359 --> 00:29:59.059
 is this

00:29:59.059 --> 00:30:00.619
 anytime we talk

00:30:00.619 --> 00:30:01.159
 about things

00:30:01.159 --> 00:30:01.879
 like fear

00:30:01.879 --> 00:30:03.259
 grief

00:30:03.259 --> 00:30:04.859
 it can be easy

00:30:04.859 --> 00:30:06.740
 to hear

00:30:06.740 --> 00:30:08.599
 that God

00:30:08.599 --> 00:30:09.099
 tells us

00:30:09.099 --> 00:30:09.799
 not to fear

00:30:09.799 --> 00:30:11.299
 and that we should

00:30:11.299 --> 00:30:11.919
 just be happy

00:30:11.919 --> 00:30:12.539
 all the time

00:30:12.539 --> 00:30:13.179
 and that we should

00:30:13.179 --> 00:30:13.839
 never do something

00:30:13.839 --> 00:30:14.619
 like grieve

00:30:14.619 --> 00:30:16.479
 that we are not

00:30:16.479 --> 00:30:17.099
 people who should

00:30:17.099 --> 00:30:17.599
 ever admit

00:30:17.599 --> 00:30:18.219
 to suffering

00:30:18.219 --> 00:30:18.959
 or to sorrow

00:30:18.959 --> 00:30:21.239
 but if you were

00:30:21.239 --> 00:30:21.439
 to

00:30:21.439 --> 00:30:22.679
 if you think

00:30:22.679 --> 00:30:23.479
 about the Israelites

00:30:23.479 --> 00:30:24.579
 the day they

00:30:24.579 --> 00:30:25.899
 received this message

00:30:25.899 --> 00:30:26.679
 or the day they

00:30:26.679 --> 00:30:27.679
 realized this message

00:30:27.679 --> 00:30:28.459
 was about them

00:30:28.459 --> 00:30:30.319
 what was the difference

00:30:30.319 --> 00:30:31.079
 between the day

00:30:31.079 --> 00:30:31.859
 before they heard

00:30:31.859 --> 00:30:32.479
 this message

00:30:32.479 --> 00:30:33.219
 and the day

00:30:33.219 --> 00:30:34.019
 after they heard

00:30:34.019 --> 00:30:34.619
 this message

00:30:34.619 --> 00:30:36.619
 the difference

00:30:36.619 --> 00:30:37.359
 wasn't

00:30:37.359 --> 00:30:38.539
 their physical

00:30:38.539 --> 00:30:39.179
 situation

00:30:39.179 --> 00:30:40.079
 they were still

00:30:40.079 --> 00:30:40.739
 as oppressed

00:30:40.739 --> 00:30:41.559
 the day before

00:30:41.559 --> 00:30:42.439
 they heard this prophecy

00:30:42.439 --> 00:30:43.159
 as the day after

00:30:43.159 --> 00:30:44.039
 they heard this prophecy

00:30:44.039 --> 00:30:45.700
 but the difference

00:30:45.700 --> 00:30:46.220
 was

00:30:46.220 --> 00:30:47.279
 they finally knew

00:30:47.279 --> 00:30:47.980
 there was a hope

00:30:47.980 --> 00:30:50.940
 and what God

00:30:50.940 --> 00:30:51.519
 does sometimes

00:30:51.519 --> 00:30:52.740
 is he comes to us

00:30:52.740 --> 00:30:53.940
 in the moments

00:30:53.940 --> 00:30:54.519
 when we are

00:30:54.519 --> 00:30:55.480
 the most grieved

00:30:55.480 --> 00:30:56.359
 and when we have

00:30:56.359 --> 00:30:57.079
 the most reason

00:30:57.079 --> 00:30:57.779
 to objectively

00:30:57.779 --> 00:30:58.659
 have fears

00:30:58.659 --> 00:31:00.159
 and he doesn't say

00:31:00.159 --> 00:31:00.819
 just ignore

00:31:00.819 --> 00:31:01.480
 what's going on

00:31:01.480 --> 00:31:02.039
 around you

00:31:02.039 --> 00:31:03.139
 what he does

00:31:03.139 --> 00:31:03.700
 is he says

00:31:03.700 --> 00:31:04.579
 as grave

00:31:04.579 --> 00:31:05.740
 as you realize

00:31:05.740 --> 00:31:06.859
 that these fears

00:31:06.859 --> 00:31:07.319
 are

00:31:07.319 --> 00:31:09.180
 know that even here

00:31:09.180 --> 00:31:09.819
 I have provided

00:31:09.819 --> 00:31:10.420
 an answer

00:31:10.420 --> 00:31:12.659
 and I haven't

00:31:12.659 --> 00:31:13.259
 been in Becli

00:31:13.259 --> 00:31:13.779
 very often

00:31:13.779 --> 00:31:14.559
 but just before

00:31:14.559 --> 00:31:14.960
 I came into

00:31:14.960 --> 00:31:15.400
 the service

00:31:15.400 --> 00:31:16.000
 I realized

00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:17.019
 I read all

00:31:17.019 --> 00:31:17.700
 those plaques

00:31:17.700 --> 00:31:18.220
 that are just

00:31:18.220 --> 00:31:19.299
 by the entrance

00:31:19.299 --> 00:31:20.299
 and the one

00:31:20.299 --> 00:31:22.019
 right in the corner

00:31:22.019 --> 00:31:23.059
 to I think it was

00:31:23.059 --> 00:31:23.680
 John Simm

00:31:23.680 --> 00:31:24.099
 I believe

00:31:24.099 --> 00:31:25.140
 talked about

00:31:25.140 --> 00:31:25.680
 how he died

00:31:25.680 --> 00:31:26.180
 on the Sabbath

00:31:26.180 --> 00:31:27.440
 and at the bottom

00:31:27.440 --> 00:31:28.660
 one of the passages

00:31:28.660 --> 00:31:29.359
 that it quotes

00:31:29.359 --> 00:31:30.099
 about his death

00:31:30.099 --> 00:31:30.519
 is

00:31:30.519 --> 00:31:31.940
 well now I've

00:31:31.940 --> 00:31:32.379
 just challenged

00:31:32.379 --> 00:31:32.700
 myself

00:31:32.700 --> 00:31:33.119
 I've embarrassed

00:31:33.119 --> 00:31:33.440
 myself

00:31:33.440 --> 00:31:33.960
 it's either

00:31:33.960 --> 00:31:34.400
 I think it's

00:31:34.400 --> 00:31:35.500
 1 Thessalonians

00:31:35.500 --> 00:31:36.160
 chapter 4

00:31:36.160 --> 00:31:37.099
 either 1 or 2

00:31:37.099 --> 00:31:37.480
 Thessalonians

00:31:37.480 --> 00:31:38.099
 chapter 4

00:31:38.099 --> 00:31:39.459
 but it's the passage

00:31:39.459 --> 00:31:40.000
 where

00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:42.480
 Paul says

00:31:42.480 --> 00:31:44.819
 do not grieve

00:31:44.819 --> 00:31:45.599
 as

00:31:45.599 --> 00:31:46.839
 we as Christians

00:31:46.839 --> 00:31:47.639
 do not grieve

00:31:47.639 --> 00:31:48.359
 as those who are

00:31:48.359 --> 00:31:48.959
 without hope

00:31:48.959 --> 00:31:50.659
 and I don't think

00:31:50.659 --> 00:31:51.319
 he was saying

00:31:51.319 --> 00:31:52.179
 don't grieve

00:31:52.179 --> 00:31:53.399
 but he's saying

00:31:53.399 --> 00:31:54.059
 our grief

00:31:54.059 --> 00:31:54.819
 looks different

00:31:54.819 --> 00:31:55.959
 our grief

00:31:55.959 --> 00:31:56.919
 is the kind of grief

00:31:56.919 --> 00:31:57.939
 that even though

00:31:57.939 --> 00:31:58.679
 it is sad

00:31:58.679 --> 00:31:59.539
 and it recognizes

00:31:59.539 --> 00:32:00.379
 that this world

00:32:00.379 --> 00:32:00.899
 is

00:32:00.899 --> 00:32:03.740
 immensely

00:32:03.740 --> 00:32:04.899
 not as it should be

00:32:04.900 --> 00:32:06.440
 we have hope

00:32:06.440 --> 00:32:07.300
 and we have something

00:32:07.300 --> 00:32:08.440
 to look forward to

00:32:08.440 --> 00:32:09.900
 and that allows us

00:32:09.900 --> 00:32:10.440
 to live

00:32:10.440 --> 00:32:11.460
 when we are in the pit

00:32:11.460 --> 00:32:13.300
 and I'll finish

00:32:13.300 --> 00:32:13.759
 with a story

00:32:13.759 --> 00:32:14.320
 which may seem

00:32:14.320 --> 00:32:15.180
 trivial to you

00:32:15.180 --> 00:32:16.019
 but I've thought

00:32:16.019 --> 00:32:16.460
 about a lot

00:32:16.460 --> 00:32:17.080
 over the years

00:32:17.080 --> 00:32:18.240
 I had a friend

00:32:18.240 --> 00:32:18.840
 come visit me

00:32:18.840 --> 00:32:19.460
 once when I was

00:32:19.460 --> 00:32:20.480
 in Washington D.C.

00:32:21.040 --> 00:32:22.019
 and I lived

00:32:22.019 --> 00:32:22.800
 in a small

00:32:22.800 --> 00:32:23.980
 one bedroom flat

00:32:23.980 --> 00:32:24.980
 where the kitchen

00:32:24.980 --> 00:32:25.580
 was right next

00:32:25.580 --> 00:32:26.180
 to the shower

00:32:26.180 --> 00:32:27.400
 and so

00:32:27.400 --> 00:32:28.600
 I was cooking breakfast

00:32:28.600 --> 00:32:29.360
 and my friend

00:32:29.360 --> 00:32:30.300
 was in the shower

00:32:30.300 --> 00:32:31.200
 right next to me

00:32:31.200 --> 00:32:32.220
 in a manner of speaking

00:32:32.220 --> 00:32:34.400
 and I could hear him

00:32:34.400 --> 00:32:35.380
 talking to himself

00:32:35.380 --> 00:32:36.040
 and he began

00:32:36.040 --> 00:32:36.720
 talking to himself

00:32:36.720 --> 00:32:37.500
 very loudly

00:32:37.500 --> 00:32:39.360
 and when he came

00:32:39.360 --> 00:32:39.960
 out of the shower

00:32:39.960 --> 00:32:40.620
 I said

00:32:40.620 --> 00:32:41.380
 just so you know

00:32:41.380 --> 00:32:41.759
 I heard you

00:32:41.759 --> 00:32:42.400
 talking to yourself

00:32:42.400 --> 00:32:42.920
 in the shower

00:32:42.920 --> 00:32:43.780
 but I couldn't

00:32:43.780 --> 00:32:44.800
 make out what he was saying

00:32:44.800 --> 00:32:45.400
 so I asked

00:32:45.400 --> 00:32:46.180
 what he was doing

00:32:46.180 --> 00:32:46.480
 because

00:32:46.480 --> 00:32:47.940
 if you're going to talk

00:32:47.940 --> 00:32:48.500
 at least sing

00:32:48.500 --> 00:32:48.780
 right

00:32:48.780 --> 00:32:50.400
 and he said

00:32:50.400 --> 00:32:52.100
 he said

00:32:52.100 --> 00:32:52.820
 every morning

00:32:52.820 --> 00:32:53.480
 when I wake up

00:32:53.480 --> 00:32:54.320
 and I take a shower

00:32:54.320 --> 00:32:55.900
 I repeat

00:32:55.900 --> 00:32:56.840
 the whole gospel

00:32:56.840 --> 00:32:57.480
 to myself

00:32:57.480 --> 00:32:59.500
 so that every morning

00:32:59.500 --> 00:33:00.860
 I hear the gospel

00:33:00.860 --> 00:33:02.519
 and that may seem

00:33:02.519 --> 00:33:03.440
 trivial to you

00:33:03.440 --> 00:33:05.059
 but let me tell you

00:33:05.059 --> 00:33:05.920
 if that's what it takes

00:33:05.920 --> 00:33:06.779
 that's what it takes

00:33:06.779 --> 00:33:07.880
 all of us need to

00:33:07.880 --> 00:33:08.460
 be reminded

00:33:08.460 --> 00:33:10.000
 that the fears

00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:10.759
 that we experience

00:33:10.759 --> 00:33:11.480
 in this life

00:33:11.480 --> 00:33:12.960
 have an answer

00:33:12.960 --> 00:33:13.660
 and we need to

00:33:13.660 --> 00:33:14.259
 tell ourselves

00:33:14.259 --> 00:33:14.799
 the gospel

00:33:14.799 --> 00:33:16.100
 as often as we can

00:33:16.100 --> 00:33:17.559
 let's pray

00:33:17.559 --> 00:33:20.559
 heavenly father

00:33:20.559 --> 00:33:21.160
 we praise you

00:33:21.160 --> 00:33:21.799
 that you have not

00:33:21.799 --> 00:33:22.360
 left us

00:33:22.360 --> 00:33:23.140
 without hope

00:33:23.140 --> 00:33:24.880
 and you've not

00:33:24.880 --> 00:33:25.480
 just told us

00:33:25.480 --> 00:33:26.580
 to change our minds

00:33:26.580 --> 00:33:27.240
 but you've actually

00:33:27.240 --> 00:33:28.080
 changed our

00:33:28.080 --> 00:33:29.140
 objective situation

00:33:29.140 --> 00:33:30.799
 you have redeemed us

00:33:30.799 --> 00:33:31.559
 from the pit

00:33:31.559 --> 00:33:32.940
 and even when we

00:33:32.940 --> 00:33:33.899
 walk through darkness

00:33:33.899 --> 00:33:34.740
 we know that you're

00:33:34.740 --> 00:33:35.179
 with us

00:33:35.179 --> 00:33:35.720
 and we pray

00:33:35.720 --> 00:33:36.919
 that as we look

00:33:36.919 --> 00:33:37.460
 to tomorrow

00:33:37.460 --> 00:33:38.980
 and the fears

00:33:38.980 --> 00:33:39.639
 that are trivial

00:33:39.639 --> 00:33:40.720
 and the fears

00:33:40.720 --> 00:33:41.500
 that are real

00:33:41.500 --> 00:33:42.639
 and that hurt us

00:33:42.639 --> 00:33:44.139
 would you give us

00:33:44.139 --> 00:33:45.019
 hope

00:33:45.019 --> 00:33:46.159
 in your gospel

00:33:46.159 --> 00:33:47.000
 not in ourselves

00:33:47.000 --> 00:33:48.440
 but in what you

00:33:48.440 --> 00:33:49.339
 can do for us

00:33:49.339 --> 00:33:50.220
 and what you have

00:33:50.220 --> 00:33:50.859
 done for us

00:33:50.859 --> 00:33:51.759
 in Jesus Christ

00:33:51.759 --> 00:33:53.099
 and we ask this

00:33:53.099 --> 00:33:53.919
 in his name

00:33:53.919 --> 00:33:54.779
 amen

00:33:54.779 --> 00:34:04.240
 if you would join me

00:34:04.240 --> 00:34:04.940
 our final hymn

00:34:04.940 --> 00:34:05.440
 this evening

00:34:05.440 --> 00:34:05.839
 is

00:34:05.839 --> 00:34:06.940
 there is a redeemer

00:34:06.940 --> 00:34:08.380
 let's stand

00:34:08.380 --> 00:34:11.400
 this evening

00:34:11.440 --> 00:34:12.280
 please

00:34:12.280 --> 00:34:12.320
 hear me

00:34:12.320 --> 00:34:12.740
 this evening

00:34:12.740 --> 00:34:13.680
 oh

00:34:13.680 --> 00:34:13.820
 you

00:34:13.820 --> 00:34:14.579
 have a hard

00:34:14.579 --> 00:34:15.619
 to do

00:34:15.660 --> 00:34:18.200
 with calling

00:34:18.200 --> 00:34:18.500
 you

00:34:18.500 --> 00:34:19.240
 I saw

00:34:19.340 --> 00:34:36.300
 I