WEBVTT

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 Father, some of us today might feel like weeds, and some of us might feel like wheat.

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 Some of us, Father, might be worried by this parable of Jesus.

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 Some of us, Father, might be very excited at the possibility of being gathered into his barn.

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 Father, we ask that your Holy Spirit would gently but deeply fall upon us.

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 And, Father, today may you deliver us from any hardness of heart, soften our heart, soften our mind and our will,

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 so that we will be responsive to you speaking to us, to you speaking deep within us.

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 We ask, Father, that your Holy Spirit would move and work upon us to make us good soil,

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 where your word will come into our lives and bear much fruit to your glory.

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 And all this we ask in the name of Jesus, your Son, and our Savior. Amen.

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 Please be seated.

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 What advice would a monk give to pastors in terms of how to do their job?

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 Before I was in this church, I looked after four little country parishes, about two hours.

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 Well, one of them would have been about a two-hour drive from here.

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 I looked after a tiny little church in Eganville and an even smaller church in Clontarf,

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 a small church in Tremor, and a small church in Killaloo.

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 From the names of some of them, you can tell the ethnicity of the original European settlers that came into the region.

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 And in that neck of the woods, and neck of the woods is an appropriate description up there,

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 there happened to be a place where there were several monks who lived a semi-reclusive life devoted to prayer.

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 And I was the regional dean for several years.

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 That's a sort of Anglicanese term.

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 I was responsible for gathering Anglican clergy in the region for a monthly meeting.

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 And occasionally, I would bring in somebody to speak to us.

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 And I, through a friend, had contact with this semi-reclusive monk who had a great name for a monk.

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 His name was Father Wilde.

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 He was the Wilde monk.

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 And I think if you're going to be a monk, having a last name like Wilde is just so fantastic.

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 Anyway, he agreed to come and speak to this group of Anglican clergy.

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 And I told him he could speak on whatever he wanted to speak on.

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 And he actually gave a very, very interesting talk.

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 In fact, I've always remembered part of what he said that day.

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 I'll just share it with you.

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 It has nothing to do with the sermon, but it's really cool.

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 He said that part of the problem for Christians and for everybody is that we always have voices in our head.

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 Not just schizophrenics, but all of us talk to ourselves.

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 And things go on in our minds.

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 And he said the hard part for us to figure out is, out of all the words that are going on in our heads,

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 which of them are actually from God?

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 Because if we believe that there is a God who does exist and who lives and who speaks,

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 who's spoken to us through the Bible,

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 then it makes sense that sometimes he would speak directly words to us that we should act on.

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 And I've always remembered that.

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 And that led him into his one piece of advice.

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 He said if God ever, for some reason, made him the rector of a parish,

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 the head pastor of a parish,

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 what he would try to do every Sunday is he would try to teach the congregation how to pray.

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 I mean, I guess this is exactly what you'd think a monk would want us to do,

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 a monk who spent many, many, many, many hours every week in prayer by himself.

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 But he said he would try to teach the congregation how to read the Bible and how to pray,

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 how to pray the Bible.

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 And so I don't know how well I do that every week,

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 but I'm going to try to do that a little bit today in this very, very interesting passage

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 which Nora read for us just a few moments ago.

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 So if you would turn in your Bibles to Revelation chapter 10,

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 once again, if you've forgotten your Bible,

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 we always have extra Bibles here at the front, which you're welcome to use.

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 You can leave it afterwards or you can take it home as a gift from us to you.

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 And there's always some there.

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 And if we run out of them, I think we have extras.

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 And somebody can find you extras if we ever run out of the ones at the front.

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 And in our day and age, we're most used to people who talk about the book of Revelation

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 talking about it in terms of trying to figure out what if North Korea is the Antichrist

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 or the Pope is the Antichrist or, you know, what about Russia?

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 Is that Gog and Magog?

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 And what about China?

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 And that's what we're sort of most used to.

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 But there's actually a very, very long tradition that the book of Revelation is the source of imagery for meditation and prayer.

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 And that's sort of been forgotten by a lot of the church, the modern, postmodern church of the West.

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 And this text of Revelation 10 is a very appropriate place to think a little bit about prayer,

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 especially because in the flow of the book, it has a very, very interesting sort of flow.

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 If you're a guest here this morning, you might not know.

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 But in this church, what we do is as often as possible, we try to preach through books of the Bible.

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 And so we're going through the book of Revelation.

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 And, you know, in the flow of this book, there's been these series of judgments called, led by trumpets.

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 And there were four trumpets that we looked at two weeks ago, and then there was another chapter.

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 And last week was really, it was very, very technicolor.

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 It's this image of demons emerging and, in a sense, completely and utterly destroying many of the people who are most devoted to them.

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 And it allowed us to really look a lot about what is the nature of evil and the demonic and what do we give our lives to.

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 And it was a series of six, two chapters of six very stark types of images.

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 And what we have here in this chapter as we begin to read it is there's an interlude.

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 There's a pause.

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 Those of you who have seen the X-Men movies, this is a great help.

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 And at one time, I was going to try to get a film clip up here.

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 This is going to come up again.

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 And so maybe sometime I'll get a film clip.

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 If you've never seen what Dr. X can do, you can have a scene like in a cafeteria or something like that.

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 And the fight's about to burst out and somebody starts to throw their pop at somebody.

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 And then you can see the pop in the air and then everything freezes.

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 Everybody completely freezes.

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 And it's as if, in the midst of it freezing, those whom he wants can walk amongst the still people.

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 It's as if time suspends for them.

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 And it's almost as if they step outside of time and then they can talk to each other about what's going on or what has to be done.

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 And then the spell or whatever is lifted and the pop continues to fly.

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 The fist moves.

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 All of that happens.

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 And that's exactly the type of thing which is happening here in the book of Revelation.

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 We have this series of thunders and six very powerful different images of judgment.

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 And then all of a sudden, there's this interlude that in the midst of it all,

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 it's as if all of these things just freeze.

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 And God says something to John.

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 And by saying something to John, he's saying something to those who've given their lives to Jesus.

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 It's an interlude, a pause, where God, in images and in other ways, speaks to us.

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 So, Revelation 10.

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 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud with a rainbow over his head.

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 And his face was like the sun and his legs like pillars of fire.

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 He had a little scroll open in his hand.

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 And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land.

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 And he called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring.

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 And when he called out, the seven thunders sounded.

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 And just sort of pause here for a second.

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 One of the things we're going to really discover, which is going to make me surprised us,

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 is how practical the book of Revelation is.

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 And right off the bat, it's going to be doing something very practical.

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 But we have to sort of understand something about the image.

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 There's a little boy who comes to this church many weeks, most weeks.

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 And he's like this tall.

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 I don't know, maybe this tall.

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 Like tiny.

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 And for at least like the last three months, sometimes after the service, he comes up to me.

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 And he looks at me like this.

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 And he says, I'm bigger than you.

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 I'm bigger than you.

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 And it's very cute.

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 I mean, here he is down here.

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 And he has to look way up at me.

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 And he says, I'm bigger than you.

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 And so on one hand, we could well imagine that this little kid could go to the seaside.

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 And if the sea was still, he could put one foot on the land and one foot in the ocean.

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 And that's not the image at all that the Bible is trying to portray.

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 What the Bible is trying to portray is immensity.

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 Is immensity.

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 And solidity.

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 And a type of finality.

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 And a type of depth and weight and deepness.

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 It's picturing something, a being that is so completely and utterly huge.

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 That it's not just that his one foot is touching the land and the other foot is touching the sea.

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 But it's as if his foot is planted on the land like a conqueror who claims the land.

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 And it's like the other foot is in the sea as one whose foot is claiming the sea.

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 That it somehow now owns or controls the sea.

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 And in a few moments, or if you remember when Nora read,

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 and the whole image of his reaching his right hand up to heaven,

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 it's as if he is an immense being.

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 An immense being.

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 Astride the earth, the dry land, the sea, and even the heavens.

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 He is completely and utterly immense.

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 And one of the things that happens if you read through the book of Revelation

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 is that there's a constant shyness about portraying God.

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 You might remember, if you go back and read Revelation chapter 4,

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 which is a vision of God in heaven, you actually never see God.

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 All you see are colors and a throne.

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 And then the reaction of people around God on the throne.

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 And so it is here that the image, while on one level it's an image of an angel,

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 it's not an image of God, but the language of the sun, the rainbow, the cloud,

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 it's an image of glory, of shining, of brightness, of protection.

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 It's images which are often used of God to show that this is a mighty angel,

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 that he's God's representative, and no matter how immense he is,

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 that God is far more immense.

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 That God is far more sovereign, far deeper, far, just far more.

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 It's part of the shyness of how Revelation portrays God.

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 Just as later on, when you hear the voice,

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 in the original language, actually what it does is it uses the plural for the voice,

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 to show that the voice that speaks is God.

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 And it makes no sense grammatically in English.

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 So in English they translate it as if it's singular.

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 But in the original language, it isn't voices, it's a plural connected to the singular.

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 And there's no English grammar that works properly.

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 But it's all helping to show that there's this immensity,

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 that even the voice, when it speaks, it's like thunder.

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 It's something which, actually, it's like if you go near a very heavy machine,

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 if you go very near Niagara Falls,

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 and it's almost as if you feel the sound pulsating inside your body.

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 And that's what's being portrayed.

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 And here's the first practical thing,

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 and I have to apologize for the poor grammar.

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 I did it on Friday to try to meet a deadline,

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 and afterwards I was thinking I should have changed the wording.

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 But I'll show you the wording so you can fill in the thing.

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 Here's the first, and I'll tell you in a minute why it's so practical.

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 Grow in me a humble, trusting knowledge

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 of how incomparably immense and sovereign the living God truly is.

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 Grow in me a humble, trusting knowledge

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 of how incomparably immense and sovereign the living God truly is.

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 It should really have been a prayer.

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 The grammar is sort of sketchy.

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 I apologize for it.

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 I needed a little bit more editing.

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 I'll tell you in a moment how I would turn it into a prayer

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 to make it better grammar.

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 But here's the thing.

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 Some of you who have been going to the church for about nine or ten years,

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 you might remember that there was a time in our congregation

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 when a multimillionaire attended, and his name was Tom.

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 He's passed away, so I can say his name.

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 His name was Tom.

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 And he didn't look like a multimillionaire.

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 If you saw him, he just looked like an older guy,

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 just wearing sort of older clothes,

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 sit at the back of the church very quiet.

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 But he was a multimillionaire.

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 And, you know, I've always thought he died about a year before we began our legal problems

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 that culminated with us having to walk away from the building.

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 And I've often thought how, in an odd way, it was very kind of God to have Tom die at that time.

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 I mean, I hope it was kind to Tom, but it was also kind to us,

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 because it would have been very, very easy for us while we were in trouble,

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 and even now maybe, you know, wanting to get rental space or buy something.

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 I mean, like Tom owned the property where the LCBO is, right over there.

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 He owned that property.

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 He sold that property.

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 It used to be an empty lot just eight years ago or whatever.

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 He owned that property.

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 I mean, if things had worked out a little bit different,

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 I mean, we might have all as a congregation said,

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 Tom, okay, we need to pray to God for him to help us.

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 But inwardly, we're hoping that Tom is listening in to the conversation,

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 because Tom could just give us that land,

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 and it would hardly make a dent in his wealth.

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 And in fact, it would have made it very easy for us

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 not to try to trust in God's providence, but Tom's providence.

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 Because, you see, as it became,

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 most people in the congregation didn't necessarily know that Tom.

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 I knew that he was wealthy.

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 I also knew that he had a very, very wise policy of not tithing to us,

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 because that would completely make everything crazy for our budgets.

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 And so he gave a very modest amount.

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 He was generous, but very, very modest in his amounts.

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 And, you see, we would have always been aware

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 of who the wealthiest person in the room was

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 whenever we talked about an issue.

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 And here's where it's very, here's, you see,

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 here's where grow in me a humble, trusting knowledge

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 of how incomparably immense and sovereign the living God truly is.

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 That, like, a lot of us struggle with, you know,

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 maybe we have a problem right now.

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 We have a problem in our family.

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 Maybe we're struggling with anxiety.

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 Maybe we have a problem with our work.

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 And here's the thing is, that what happens,

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 and you've heard me talk about this before with Revelation.

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 I haven't talked about it for a few weeks.

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 But part of what Revelation wants us to get into

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 is just understand and pray into us how big God is.

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 And most of us live most of our lives

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 as if God is small and people are big.

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 As if God is small and institutions are big.

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 As if God is small and I am big.

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 As if God is small and money is big.

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 As if God is small and my problems are big.

00:16:19.820 --> 00:16:22.300
 And that's how most of us live our lives.

00:16:23.420 --> 00:16:26.660
 And often, a lot of the self-help literature

00:16:26.660 --> 00:16:31.080
 which people read is to try to understand

00:16:31.080 --> 00:16:34.280
 how big I am compared to my problems.

00:16:34.400 --> 00:16:37.040
 And how big I am compared to my boss.

00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:41.460
 And how big I am compared to my wife or my kids.

00:16:42.820 --> 00:16:45.500
 And the Bible, I mean, the thing is, you know,

00:16:45.540 --> 00:16:47.260
 that might work for us for a while.

00:16:47.259 --> 00:16:49.759
 Well, that might work for us for a while.

00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:50.659
 But you know what?

00:16:50.740 --> 00:16:52.340
 It doesn't really work.

00:16:52.799 --> 00:16:57.620
 All that does is create a whole new level of anxiety.

00:16:58.179 --> 00:17:01.220
 It creates a whole new level of us looking at the world

00:17:01.220 --> 00:17:03.539
 from the perspective of threats.

00:17:03.919 --> 00:17:07.220
 Of other people who seem to maybe be faster, smarter,

00:17:07.460 --> 00:17:09.119
 stronger, younger, better looking,

00:17:09.259 --> 00:17:10.660
 better connected, more money,

00:17:11.180 --> 00:17:12.559
 you know, better heritage,

00:17:12.879 --> 00:17:14.359
 better future, better mentors.

00:17:14.359 --> 00:17:16.599
 And it creates a competitive world

00:17:16.599 --> 00:17:19.639
 that actually just feeds anxiety.

00:17:20.339 --> 00:17:22.919
 And the book of Revelation is trying to help us to understand,

00:17:23.199 --> 00:17:24.379
 to pray out to God,

00:17:24.679 --> 00:17:26.899
 grow in me a humble, trusting knowledge

00:17:26.899 --> 00:17:30.639
 of how incomparably immense and sovereign the living God truly is.

00:17:30.919 --> 00:17:32.159
 So we as a congregation,

00:17:32.319 --> 00:17:33.439
 when we gather at our vestry,

00:17:33.519 --> 00:17:35.000
 who is the richest person in the room?

00:17:35.599 --> 00:17:36.079
 It's God.

00:17:36.740 --> 00:17:38.299
 Who's the wisest person in the room?

00:17:38.379 --> 00:17:38.799
 It's God.

00:17:38.799 --> 00:17:41.539
 Who's the strongest, most powerful,

00:17:41.960 --> 00:17:44.480
 most compassionate, most loving person in the room

00:17:44.480 --> 00:17:45.460
 as we make that decision?

00:17:45.579 --> 00:17:46.119
 It's God.

00:17:47.180 --> 00:17:48.779
 As I try to figure out things,

00:17:48.839 --> 00:17:51.119
 maybe with my family or, you know,

00:17:51.159 --> 00:17:53.119
 in my marriage or, you know,

00:17:53.139 --> 00:17:55.099
 with other types of things that go on

00:17:55.099 --> 00:17:56.859
 or any type of anxiety that I have

00:17:56.859 --> 00:17:58.680
 or dealing with my bishop or whatever it is,

00:17:58.919 --> 00:18:00.680
 not that I have problems in all those areas.

00:18:00.779 --> 00:18:01.259
 Don't go home and say,

00:18:01.299 --> 00:18:03.619
 oh, George has problems with all those things.

00:18:04.379 --> 00:18:05.819
 Please pray for me all the time.

00:18:05.819 --> 00:18:06.720
 I need your prayers.

00:18:06.859 --> 00:18:09.299
 But it's so easy for anxiety,

00:18:09.460 --> 00:18:10.939
 for other things to come up in my life

00:18:10.939 --> 00:18:12.779
 because I think God is small.

00:18:13.460 --> 00:18:14.519
 As soon as I say that,

00:18:14.599 --> 00:18:16.879
 I know, okay, theologically I can't say that.

00:18:17.379 --> 00:18:18.720
 Okay, that can't be right.

00:18:18.980 --> 00:18:20.819
 But at an existential level,

00:18:20.960 --> 00:18:21.779
 sorry, a big word,

00:18:21.879 --> 00:18:23.460
 at a level of my habits,

00:18:23.720 --> 00:18:25.519
 at the level of my feelings,

00:18:25.679 --> 00:18:26.980
 at the level of my emotions,

00:18:27.159 --> 00:18:28.480
 at the level of my images,

00:18:28.679 --> 00:18:30.419
 at the level of my planning,

00:18:30.519 --> 00:18:31.759
 at the level of my budget,

00:18:32.139 --> 00:18:34.579
 at the level of how I go about my day,

00:18:34.579 --> 00:18:36.220
 time after time after time,

00:18:36.319 --> 00:18:37.279
 I live in a world,

00:18:37.379 --> 00:18:38.599
 you and I live in a world,

00:18:38.980 --> 00:18:40.359
 that tends to think of God,

00:18:40.539 --> 00:18:41.659
 if you think of him at all,

00:18:41.740 --> 00:18:44.019
 as being very, very small and smaller

00:18:44.019 --> 00:18:45.599
 than the other person

00:18:45.599 --> 00:18:46.919
 or the other people in the room.

00:18:47.819 --> 00:18:49.679
 And one of the most practical things

00:18:49.679 --> 00:18:50.980
 that we can begin to do

00:18:50.980 --> 00:18:54.339
 is to understand how big God is.

00:18:56.699 --> 00:18:58.539
 See, here's how I should have done it.

00:18:59.119 --> 00:19:00.119
 I should have said,

00:19:00.679 --> 00:19:01.799
 turned it into a prayer.

00:19:01.799 --> 00:19:02.659
 Living God,

00:19:03.220 --> 00:19:04.159
 please grow in me

00:19:04.159 --> 00:19:05.700
 a humble, trusting knowledge

00:19:05.700 --> 00:19:08.000
 of how incomparably immense

00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:10.200
 and sovereign you truly are.

00:19:11.899 --> 00:19:13.940
 Wouldn't that be a wonderful prayer

00:19:13.940 --> 00:19:14.859
 for you to pray every day?

00:19:14.960 --> 00:19:16.379
 Wouldn't that be a wonderful prayer

00:19:16.379 --> 00:19:17.759
 for you or I to think of

00:19:17.759 --> 00:19:19.639
 as we're dealing with a situation,

00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:22.000
 whether it's a situation of success

00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:23.559
 or a situation of a problem?

00:19:24.379 --> 00:19:25.119
 To say,

00:19:25.700 --> 00:19:26.399
 Living God,

00:19:26.539 --> 00:19:27.940
 please grow in me.

00:19:28.019 --> 00:19:29.720
 As I think about this situation,

00:19:29.720 --> 00:19:31.319
 as I think about the conversation,

00:19:31.480 --> 00:19:32.799
 as I think about this course,

00:19:32.920 --> 00:19:33.900
 as I think about my,

00:19:34.600 --> 00:19:35.440
 whatever it is,

00:19:35.640 --> 00:19:36.440
 Living God,

00:19:36.779 --> 00:19:37.900
 please grow in me

00:19:37.900 --> 00:19:39.660
 a humble, trusting knowledge

00:19:39.660 --> 00:19:41.660
 of how incomparably immense

00:19:41.660 --> 00:19:44.259
 and sovereign you truly are.

00:19:45.900 --> 00:19:46.980
 Now, some of you might say,

00:19:47.039 --> 00:19:48.180
 George, if that's the case,

00:19:48.279 --> 00:19:49.220
 how come it is

00:19:49.220 --> 00:19:51.039
 that God doesn't often seem to help me?

00:19:53.579 --> 00:19:56.019
 George, I've done some of those types of things,

00:19:56.019 --> 00:19:58.099
 and it doesn't seem as if God helps me.

00:19:59.000 --> 00:20:01.740
 It just doesn't seem like he does help me.

00:20:04.359 --> 00:20:08.099
 Well, let's see what the next text,

00:20:08.200 --> 00:20:08.859
 it actually says,

00:20:09.039 --> 00:20:11.240
 it continues to sort of develop this theme.

00:20:11.299 --> 00:20:12.539
 Remember, this is an interlude,

00:20:13.500 --> 00:20:15.700
 and the interlude is that

00:20:15.700 --> 00:20:16.339
 there's all,

00:20:16.460 --> 00:20:17.839
 there's just like demons

00:20:17.839 --> 00:20:20.759
 and plagues that have just come,

00:20:21.160 --> 00:20:22.019
 and after this,

00:20:22.059 --> 00:20:22.980
 there's going to be this very,

00:20:23.079 --> 00:20:24.660
 very puzzling part of an interlude

00:20:24.660 --> 00:20:26.200
 which talks about

00:20:26.200 --> 00:20:29.380
 how hated Christian witnesses,

00:20:30.400 --> 00:20:31.320
 and then there's going to be

00:20:31.320 --> 00:20:32.480
 sort of a summary statement,

00:20:32.560 --> 00:20:34.480
 and then we go into these three chapters

00:20:34.480 --> 00:20:37.360
 of a repicturing of Christian theology

00:20:37.360 --> 00:20:38.940
 in terms of imagery

00:20:38.940 --> 00:20:40.400
 and demonic,

00:20:41.060 --> 00:20:42.320
 and like it just struggles.

00:20:43.380 --> 00:20:44.460
 In fact, in two weeks' time,

00:20:44.519 --> 00:20:45.380
 we get this image

00:20:45.380 --> 00:20:46.940
 of a whole birth of Jesus,

00:20:47.200 --> 00:20:48.840
 of the devil as a dragon

00:20:48.840 --> 00:20:49.900
 waiting for the baby

00:20:49.900 --> 00:20:51.560
 to come out of Mary's womb

00:20:51.560 --> 00:20:53.620
 so that the dragon can eat the baby.

00:20:54.660 --> 00:20:57.500
 I jokingly said

00:20:57.500 --> 00:20:58.160
 I was going to do it

00:20:58.160 --> 00:20:59.380
 as my Christmas Eve sermon

00:20:59.380 --> 00:21:01.019
 so I could give children nightmares

00:21:01.019 --> 00:21:05.680
 for years to come.

00:21:06.700 --> 00:21:08.080
 It's a completely different type

00:21:08.080 --> 00:21:09.380
 of Christmas pageant,

00:21:09.940 --> 00:21:13.560
 a demon about to eat the baby,

00:21:14.060 --> 00:21:16.360
 and then we go into other plagues.

00:21:16.500 --> 00:21:17.420
 So this is an interlude

00:21:17.420 --> 00:21:19.160
 where God's speaking to us,

00:21:19.640 --> 00:21:21.980
 and he's speaking to John,

00:21:21.980 --> 00:21:22.920
 but by speaking to John,

00:21:22.960 --> 00:21:23.880
 he's speaking to you and me.

00:21:24.460 --> 00:21:26.259
 Let's go back to verse 3.

00:21:27.559 --> 00:21:28.839
 Go back to verse 2.

00:21:28.940 --> 00:21:30.680
 He had a little scroll open in his hand,

00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:32.819
 and he set his right foot on the sea

00:21:32.819 --> 00:21:34.680
 and his left foot on the land

00:21:34.680 --> 00:21:36.720
 and called out with a loud voice

00:21:36.720 --> 00:21:37.960
 like a lion roaring.

00:21:38.960 --> 00:21:39.579
 Think of that.

00:21:39.819 --> 00:21:42.920
 I saw David Crowder sing once live,

00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:44.880
 and he has a song about roaring.

00:21:45.339 --> 00:21:46.360
 Anyway, every time I see that,

00:21:46.440 --> 00:21:47.860
 I can just picture him,

00:21:48.160 --> 00:21:49.759
 the way he sings that song.

00:21:49.759 --> 00:21:50.720
 It's a very good song.

00:21:51.519 --> 00:21:52.319
 When he called out,

00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:53.980
 the seven thunders sounded,

00:21:54.339 --> 00:21:56.379
 and when the seven thunders had sounded,

00:21:56.460 --> 00:21:57.299
 I was about to write,

00:21:57.400 --> 00:21:58.879
 but I heard a voice from heaven saying,

00:21:59.539 --> 00:22:01.640
 Seal up what the seven thunders have said

00:22:01.640 --> 00:22:02.700
 and do not write it down.

00:22:03.259 --> 00:22:05.420
 And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea

00:22:05.420 --> 00:22:06.000
 and on the land

00:22:06.000 --> 00:22:07.519
 raised his right hand to heaven

00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:11.680
 and swore by him who lives forever and ever,

00:22:11.879 --> 00:22:14.200
 who created heaven and what is in it,

00:22:14.400 --> 00:22:16.240
 the earth and what is in it,

00:22:16.400 --> 00:22:18.680
 and the sea and what is in it,

00:22:18.680 --> 00:22:20.880
 that there would be no more delay,

00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:23.360
 but that in the days of the trumpet

00:22:23.360 --> 00:22:26.700
 called to be sounded by the seventh angel,

00:22:26.799 --> 00:22:28.900
 the mystery of God would be fulfilled,

00:22:29.340 --> 00:22:31.740
 just as he announced to his servants,

00:22:32.279 --> 00:22:32.840
 the prophets.

00:22:33.240 --> 00:22:35.200
 And we'll just sort of pause there for a second.

00:22:41.039 --> 00:22:43.080
 Remember I said how the imagery

00:22:43.080 --> 00:22:45.660
 is trying to capture the immensity of God?

00:22:45.660 --> 00:22:48.860
 And here, if you notice how God is described,

00:22:49.040 --> 00:22:51.720
 it tries to capture the immensity of God,

00:22:51.800 --> 00:22:53.800
 why it is so appropriate for us to pray

00:22:53.800 --> 00:22:55.460
 that God would give us a humble,

00:22:55.660 --> 00:22:57.860
 trusting knowledge of how incomparably immense

00:22:57.860 --> 00:22:59.600
 and sovereign the living God truly is.

00:22:59.960 --> 00:23:01.700
 Because, you know, look how it is.

00:23:02.440 --> 00:23:03.100
 Verse 6,

00:23:03.779 --> 00:23:06.840
 He who, to him who lives forever and ever,

00:23:07.140 --> 00:23:09.320
 who created heaven and what is in it,

00:23:09.660 --> 00:23:11.200
 the earth and what is in it,

00:23:11.279 --> 00:23:13.480
 the sea and what is in it.

00:23:13.480 --> 00:23:15.240
 And that's how God's described.

00:23:15.960 --> 00:23:18.460
 And here, if you put up the next point, Andrew,

00:23:18.559 --> 00:23:21.400
 here's what this text is trying to describe.

00:23:22.200 --> 00:23:25.160
 Grow in me a humble, trusting knowledge

00:23:25.160 --> 00:23:27.120
 that only the eternal God,

00:23:27.759 --> 00:23:29.880
 who alone has created all things,

00:23:30.539 --> 00:23:33.599
 speaks with finality, authority, and power.

00:23:34.860 --> 00:23:38.120
 Grow in me a humble, trusting knowledge

00:23:38.120 --> 00:23:39.860
 that only the eternal God,

00:23:39.859 --> 00:23:41.959
 who alone has created all things,

00:23:42.359 --> 00:23:45.819
 speaks with finality, authority, and power.

00:23:46.839 --> 00:23:51.619
 Now, here's the problem.

00:23:51.839 --> 00:23:52.240
 Remember I said,

00:23:52.500 --> 00:23:57.119
 why is it that God doesn't seem to help us as much?

00:23:57.219 --> 00:24:00.000
 Well, that's a very interesting question.

00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:03.920
 And part of it is that, you know,

00:24:04.099 --> 00:24:06.720
 often when we think we're asking God a question,

00:24:06.880 --> 00:24:07.839
 if we look at the text,

00:24:07.940 --> 00:24:11.500
 we see that the text is actually asking us

00:24:11.500 --> 00:24:14.619
 to understand a whole range of things about ourselves.

00:24:15.759 --> 00:24:18.779
 So, like, take this verse where God speaks,

00:24:18.900 --> 00:24:22.140
 and because it portrays God as eternal and the creator,

00:24:22.140 --> 00:24:26.740
 it means that he has a context to know about me

00:24:26.740 --> 00:24:30.140
 and speak to me that's just bigger than mine,

00:24:30.460 --> 00:24:32.020
 that's smarter and wiser than mine.

00:24:32.840 --> 00:24:36.780
 Like, you know, if we see a parent with a kid,

00:24:37.580 --> 00:24:38.360
 or with children,

00:24:38.580 --> 00:24:40.440
 and if we see that that parent's view

00:24:40.440 --> 00:24:42.140
 is that the child should be able to determine

00:24:42.140 --> 00:24:43.500
 what they eat every day,

00:24:44.180 --> 00:24:46.259
 and completely and utterly determine

00:24:46.259 --> 00:24:47.820
 everything about their lives,

00:24:48.380 --> 00:24:50.580
 and they merely just say that they want something

00:24:50.579 --> 00:24:52.199
 and they get it, we'd say that parent

00:24:52.199 --> 00:24:53.599
 is spoiling the child.

00:24:53.740 --> 00:24:54.960
 Surely the parent has to say

00:24:54.960 --> 00:24:58.240
 a diet of lollipops is not sufficient

00:24:58.240 --> 00:24:59.299
 for healthy growth.

00:24:59.799 --> 00:25:02.199
 That, you know, occasionally you have to eat vegetables

00:25:02.199 --> 00:25:03.899
 or meat or, you know,

00:25:03.980 --> 00:25:05.879
 or whole grains or something like that.

00:25:06.099 --> 00:25:08.339
 And we understand that the parent

00:25:08.339 --> 00:25:10.379
 is supposed to have a wider, broader,

00:25:11.019 --> 00:25:14.059
 deeper context for living than the child,

00:25:14.179 --> 00:25:15.740
 and so that the parent's obligation

00:25:15.740 --> 00:25:17.960
 for a young child is to speak into that

00:25:17.960 --> 00:25:21.380
 and not obviously to ignore the child's wishes

00:25:21.380 --> 00:25:25.460
 and treat the child as if they're completely clueless,

00:25:25.559 --> 00:25:27.440
 but to understand the child,

00:25:27.539 --> 00:25:29.819
 to notice maybe what the child is allergic to

00:25:29.819 --> 00:25:32.579
 or what seems to cause them irritations,

00:25:32.700 --> 00:25:35.519
 and also just to understand basic things

00:25:35.519 --> 00:25:37.819
 about diet and time and everything

00:25:37.819 --> 00:25:39.460
 and to act into it.

00:25:39.920 --> 00:25:41.500
 And so the portrayal here,

00:25:41.579 --> 00:25:42.799
 when we said, when we prayed,

00:25:42.900 --> 00:25:44.360
 give me a humble, trusting knowledge

00:25:44.360 --> 00:25:45.620
 that only the eternal God,

00:25:45.619 --> 00:25:47.079
 who alone has created all things,

00:25:47.179 --> 00:25:48.899
 speaks with finality, authority, and power.

00:25:49.239 --> 00:25:51.859
 That's what the text is inviting us to meditate upon.

00:25:52.679 --> 00:25:54.599
 That at a fundamental level,

00:25:54.719 --> 00:25:56.459
 that God is not just looking at me

00:25:56.459 --> 00:25:58.079
 for me and my desires

00:25:58.079 --> 00:26:00.500
 and my ambitions at this moment.

00:26:01.539 --> 00:26:02.639
 He's looking at me

00:26:02.639 --> 00:26:04.119
 from the moment of my conception

00:26:04.119 --> 00:26:05.279
 to the moment of my death

00:26:05.279 --> 00:26:07.899
 and into all eternity.

00:26:09.500 --> 00:26:11.559
 And that's what this text is inviting us

00:26:11.559 --> 00:26:13.539
 to understand about the words

00:26:13.539 --> 00:26:14.920
 in the speaking of God.

00:26:16.200 --> 00:26:17.759
 And it's also challenging us

00:26:17.759 --> 00:26:18.980
 to understand something else

00:26:18.980 --> 00:26:19.879
 about all of this.

00:26:20.259 --> 00:26:22.319
 You see, because here's what a lot of us want

00:26:22.319 --> 00:26:23.720
 with how God should speak.

00:26:24.059 --> 00:26:25.139
 When I'm in trouble,

00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:28.000
 what I really hope,

00:26:28.539 --> 00:26:29.920
 I know that intellectually

00:26:29.920 --> 00:26:30.960
 I can't say this.

00:26:31.240 --> 00:26:32.759
 Theologically, it's improper.

00:26:32.879 --> 00:26:33.839
 I'm not talking about

00:26:33.839 --> 00:26:36.200
 what I can write on a theology exam.

00:26:36.319 --> 00:26:36.980
 I'm talking about

00:26:36.980 --> 00:26:39.119
 what goes actually on between the ears,

00:26:39.559 --> 00:26:41.039
 what actually goes on in the heart,

00:26:41.119 --> 00:26:42.440
 what actually goes on in the will.

00:26:42.440 --> 00:26:44.000
 And what I hope is

00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:45.080
 that as I pray,

00:26:45.480 --> 00:26:47.080
 God will speak to this person

00:26:47.080 --> 00:26:47.440
 and say,

00:26:47.660 --> 00:26:48.400
 shut up.

00:26:48.620 --> 00:26:49.519
 And to this person,

00:26:49.840 --> 00:26:50.779
 listen to George.

00:26:50.980 --> 00:26:52.019
 And to this person,

00:26:52.340 --> 00:26:53.559
 give him a second chance.

00:26:53.799 --> 00:26:54.680
 I've already given him a second chance.

00:26:54.779 --> 00:26:56.000
 Give him another chance.

00:26:56.080 --> 00:26:57.580
 And he'll speak to another person

00:26:57.580 --> 00:26:58.080
 and say,

00:26:58.320 --> 00:26:58.880
 and you,

00:26:59.120 --> 00:27:00.120
 you have to start at,

00:27:00.160 --> 00:27:01.420
 you have to give him this stuff.

00:27:01.519 --> 00:27:02.799
 And you do this.

00:27:02.860 --> 00:27:04.039
 And that's what we want God to do.

00:27:04.880 --> 00:27:06.440
 Or maybe I'm just far more wicked

00:27:06.440 --> 00:27:07.240
 than the rest of you.

00:27:07.240 --> 00:27:09.740
 But,

00:27:10.579 --> 00:27:10.960
 you see,

00:27:11.359 --> 00:27:12.380
 that's what we want God to do.

00:27:12.440 --> 00:27:12.599
 That's,

00:27:12.720 --> 00:27:12.900
 you know,

00:27:13.019 --> 00:27:14.059
 when we're in trouble,

00:27:14.220 --> 00:27:15.500
 we want God to speak

00:27:15.500 --> 00:27:16.620
 to a whole pile of people

00:27:16.620 --> 00:27:17.299
 with sonality,

00:27:17.420 --> 00:27:17.720
 authority,

00:27:17.779 --> 00:27:18.220
 and power.

00:27:18.500 --> 00:27:19.640
 And we also even want him

00:27:19.640 --> 00:27:21.000
 to do that to us a little bit

00:27:21.000 --> 00:27:21.319
 because,

00:27:21.620 --> 00:27:21.799
 you know,

00:27:21.799 --> 00:27:22.599
 maybe we acknowledge

00:27:22.599 --> 00:27:23.420
 that we shouldn't be

00:27:23.420 --> 00:27:24.759
 so snippy with our wife.

00:27:24.880 --> 00:27:25.779
 We shouldn't be so,

00:27:25.779 --> 00:27:26.819
 so driven with,

00:27:26.900 --> 00:27:27.579
 driven to,

00:27:27.700 --> 00:27:28.339
 with greed.

00:27:28.460 --> 00:27:29.259
 Or we shouldn't be

00:27:29.259 --> 00:27:30.559
 so consumed with envy.

00:27:30.880 --> 00:27:31.700
 Or we shouldn't be

00:27:31.700 --> 00:27:32.839
 so completely and utterly

00:27:32.839 --> 00:27:33.960
 consumed with bitterness

00:27:33.960 --> 00:27:34.940
 and memory.

00:27:35.059 --> 00:27:35.960
 So we'd sort of like God

00:27:35.960 --> 00:27:37.319
 to speak into those things

00:27:37.319 --> 00:27:38.400
 that I happen to find

00:27:38.400 --> 00:27:40.059
 inconvenient and bad

00:27:40.059 --> 00:27:40.519
 and wrong

00:27:40.519 --> 00:27:41.519
 and speak to me

00:27:41.519 --> 00:27:42.059
 in such a way

00:27:42.059 --> 00:27:42.400
 that it goes,

00:27:42.620 --> 00:27:42.940
 whoa,

00:27:43.079 --> 00:27:44.200
 and it just takes that

00:27:44.200 --> 00:27:44.700
 all away.

00:27:45.940 --> 00:27:47.640
 But then if I am honest,

00:27:47.740 --> 00:27:48.579
 I would like him

00:27:48.579 --> 00:27:49.380
 to be silent

00:27:49.380 --> 00:27:50.340
 the rest of the time

00:27:50.340 --> 00:27:51.819
 so I can do what I want.

00:27:53.819 --> 00:27:55.180
 Or am I the only wicked

00:27:55.180 --> 00:27:56.079
 and evil person

00:27:56.079 --> 00:27:56.680
 here in the room?

00:27:58.980 --> 00:27:59.380
 See,

00:27:59.420 --> 00:28:00.200
 that's what we want.

00:28:01.440 --> 00:28:02.539
 We don't actually

00:28:02.539 --> 00:28:03.559
 really want

00:28:03.559 --> 00:28:04.679
 an eternal God

00:28:04.679 --> 00:28:05.440
 who alone has created

00:28:05.440 --> 00:28:05.919
 all things

00:28:05.919 --> 00:28:06.579
 who speaks with

00:28:06.579 --> 00:28:06.960
 finality,

00:28:07.119 --> 00:28:07.399
 authority,

00:28:07.480 --> 00:28:08.019
 and power.

00:28:08.519 --> 00:28:09.779
 We sort of do sometimes

00:28:09.779 --> 00:28:10.859
 and other times we don't.

00:28:11.159 --> 00:28:11.399
 You see,

00:28:11.500 --> 00:28:12.039
 here's the thing,

00:28:12.099 --> 00:28:12.740
 is at the end of the day

00:28:12.740 --> 00:28:13.379
 we want to be able

00:28:13.379 --> 00:28:14.720
 to say what we think

00:28:14.720 --> 00:28:15.480
 matters.

00:28:16.279 --> 00:28:16.500
 You know,

00:28:17.319 --> 00:28:17.539
 in,

00:28:17.740 --> 00:28:19.259
 in,

00:28:19.419 --> 00:28:19.599
 if,

00:28:19.759 --> 00:28:20.079
 you know,

00:28:20.079 --> 00:28:20.579
 a lot of people

00:28:20.579 --> 00:28:20.919
 when they're trying

00:28:20.919 --> 00:28:21.619
 to sort out God,

00:28:21.700 --> 00:28:22.500
 they don't realize

00:28:22.500 --> 00:28:23.159
 that on one level

00:28:23.159 --> 00:28:24.299
 they need to recuse

00:28:24.299 --> 00:28:24.819
 themselves.

00:28:24.960 --> 00:28:25.740
 I hope I've said

00:28:25.740 --> 00:28:26.539
 the word correctly.

00:28:26.919 --> 00:28:27.819
 Like if a case

00:28:27.819 --> 00:28:29.079
 went before a judge

00:28:29.079 --> 00:28:30.099
 and,

00:28:30.200 --> 00:28:31.519
 and it turned out

00:28:31.519 --> 00:28:32.500
 that either the judge

00:28:32.500 --> 00:28:33.299
 or maybe the judge

00:28:33.299 --> 00:28:33.919
's spouse

00:28:33.919 --> 00:28:35.639
 had a direct input

00:28:35.639 --> 00:28:37.059
 into that particular thing.

00:28:37.119 --> 00:28:37.379
 I don't know,

00:28:37.440 --> 00:28:38.319
 maybe it was a case

00:28:38.319 --> 00:28:38.980
 about oil,

00:28:39.220 --> 00:28:39.700
 you know,

00:28:39.720 --> 00:28:40.019
 something to do

00:28:40.019 --> 00:28:40.879
 with oil prices

00:28:40.879 --> 00:28:41.440
 or something,

00:28:41.980 --> 00:28:43.759
 and the judge's husband

00:28:43.759 --> 00:28:45.099
 worked in the oil industry,

00:28:45.200 --> 00:28:45.819
 then that judge

00:28:45.819 --> 00:28:46.919
 should recuse

00:28:46.919 --> 00:28:47.759
 themselves from

00:28:47.759 --> 00:28:48.680
 the judgment

00:28:48.680 --> 00:28:49.500
 because they'd be,

00:28:49.599 --> 00:28:50.240
 have to be worried

00:28:50.240 --> 00:28:51.079
 about having

00:28:51.079 --> 00:28:52.119
 a biased opinion.

00:28:52.619 --> 00:28:52.700
 And,

00:28:52.740 --> 00:28:53.399
 and yet often

00:28:53.399 --> 00:28:53.799
 when it is,

00:28:53.839 --> 00:28:54.319
 and we come to

00:28:54.319 --> 00:28:55.079
 thinking about God,

00:28:55.139 --> 00:28:55.720
 we don't realize

00:28:55.720 --> 00:28:56.319
 that on one level

00:28:56.319 --> 00:28:57.039
 we have a very

00:28:57.039 --> 00:28:58.059
 biased opinion.

00:28:58.480 --> 00:28:59.460
 Because on one level

00:28:59.460 --> 00:29:00.359
 I would like God

00:29:00.359 --> 00:29:01.220
 to speak all those

00:29:01.220 --> 00:29:01.680
 direct things

00:29:01.680 --> 00:29:02.140
 to all those

00:29:02.140 --> 00:29:02.560
 other people

00:29:02.560 --> 00:29:02.920
 and to me

00:29:02.920 --> 00:29:03.600
 and my problems

00:29:03.600 --> 00:29:03.960
 that I have

00:29:03.960 --> 00:29:04.279
 determined

00:29:04.279 --> 00:29:04.880
 are my problems,

00:29:05.080 --> 00:29:05.620
 but the rest

00:29:05.620 --> 00:29:06.140
 of the time

00:29:06.140 --> 00:29:07.400
 I don't want

00:29:07.400 --> 00:29:07.799
 him to do

00:29:07.799 --> 00:29:08.380
 any of those

00:29:08.380 --> 00:29:09.420
 things in my life.

00:29:10.860 --> 00:29:11.640
 And so it makes

00:29:11.640 --> 00:29:12.299
 it hard for me

00:29:12.299 --> 00:29:12.920
 even to read

00:29:12.920 --> 00:29:13.400
 the Bible

00:29:13.400 --> 00:29:14.240
 and see it.

00:29:16.259 --> 00:29:17.000
 And it's hard

00:29:17.000 --> 00:29:17.860
 for me to honestly

00:29:17.860 --> 00:29:18.519
 assess it

00:29:18.519 --> 00:29:19.539
 and listen into it.

00:29:19.600 --> 00:29:20.320
 Remember earlier on

00:29:20.320 --> 00:29:20.660
 in the beginning,

00:29:20.820 --> 00:29:21.600
 you probably don't remember,

00:29:21.660 --> 00:29:22.160
 I prayed

00:29:22.160 --> 00:29:22.779
 the beginning

00:29:22.779 --> 00:29:23.360
 of the sermon

00:29:23.360 --> 00:29:23.880
 that God

00:29:23.880 --> 00:29:24.680
 would not harden

00:29:24.680 --> 00:29:25.220
 our hearts

00:29:25.220 --> 00:29:26.320
 but soften our hearts,

00:29:26.400 --> 00:29:26.980
 that our hearts

00:29:26.980 --> 00:29:27.640
 would be open

00:29:27.640 --> 00:29:28.660
 to the truth

00:29:28.660 --> 00:29:29.340
 that he will speak

00:29:29.340 --> 00:29:29.940
 to our minds

00:29:29.940 --> 00:29:30.400
 and hearts

00:29:30.400 --> 00:29:30.900
 and wills,

00:29:30.900 --> 00:29:31.420
 that we would be

00:29:31.420 --> 00:29:32.060
 good soil,

00:29:32.180 --> 00:29:33.160
 that his word

00:29:33.160 --> 00:29:34.440
 will come into our lives

00:29:34.440 --> 00:29:35.100
 and bear fruit

00:29:35.100 --> 00:29:35.820
 for his glory.

00:29:37.680 --> 00:29:38.220
 And so,

00:29:39.400 --> 00:29:39.640
 you know,

00:29:39.759 --> 00:29:41.360
 I should have

00:29:41.360 --> 00:29:42.820
 written it this way,

00:29:42.920 --> 00:29:43.540
 I should have said,

00:29:43.680 --> 00:29:44.400
 eternal God,

00:29:44.640 --> 00:29:45.320
 who alone

00:29:45.320 --> 00:29:45.960
 has created

00:29:45.960 --> 00:29:46.880
 all things,

00:29:47.380 --> 00:29:48.920
 please grow in me

00:29:48.920 --> 00:29:49.560
 a humble,

00:29:49.780 --> 00:29:50.680
 trusting knowledge

00:29:50.680 --> 00:29:51.940
 that you speak

00:29:51.940 --> 00:29:52.820
 with finality,

00:29:53.100 --> 00:29:53.500
 authority,

00:29:53.600 --> 00:29:54.040
 and power.

00:29:54.780 --> 00:29:55.640
 Isn't that a good

00:29:55.640 --> 00:29:56.320
 prayer to pray?

00:29:57.640 --> 00:29:58.820
 Eternal God,

00:29:59.080 --> 00:29:59.720
 who alone

00:29:59.720 --> 00:30:00.320
 has created

00:30:00.320 --> 00:30:01.320
 all things,

00:30:02.080 --> 00:30:02.780
 I'm remembering

00:30:02.780 --> 00:30:03.620
 before God

00:30:03.620 --> 00:30:04.440
 that he's eternal

00:30:04.440 --> 00:30:05.120
 and he's created

00:30:05.120 --> 00:30:05.600
 all things.

00:30:05.680 --> 00:30:06.380
 Eternal God,

00:30:06.440 --> 00:30:06.820
 who alone

00:30:06.820 --> 00:30:07.220
 has created

00:30:07.220 --> 00:30:07.700
 all things,

00:30:07.820 --> 00:30:08.780
 please grow in me

00:30:08.780 --> 00:30:09.740
 a humble,

00:30:09.960 --> 00:30:10.860
 trusting knowledge

00:30:10.860 --> 00:30:12.060
 that you speak

00:30:12.060 --> 00:30:12.780
 with finality,

00:30:13.240 --> 00:30:13.700
 authority,

00:30:14.340 --> 00:30:14.860
 and power.

00:30:18.100 --> 00:30:18.320
 Now,

00:30:18.320 --> 00:30:18.680
 some of you

00:30:18.680 --> 00:30:19.060
 might say,

00:30:19.120 --> 00:30:19.320
 George,

00:30:19.380 --> 00:30:19.840
 that's very,

00:30:19.940 --> 00:30:20.560
 very interesting,

00:30:20.740 --> 00:30:20.920
 but,

00:30:20.980 --> 00:30:21.780
 you know,

00:30:21.820 --> 00:30:22.780
 surely it's the case

00:30:22.780 --> 00:30:23.320
 that people

00:30:23.320 --> 00:30:24.600
 have abused

00:30:24.600 --> 00:30:25.140
 scripture

00:30:25.140 --> 00:30:26.500
 and abused

00:30:26.500 --> 00:30:27.340
 religion

00:30:27.339 --> 00:30:27.939
 for their own

00:30:27.939 --> 00:30:29.039
 power and advancement.

00:30:30.019 --> 00:30:30.899
 It's very interesting.

00:30:31.000 --> 00:30:31.679
 I had two things

00:30:31.679 --> 00:30:32.740
 happen to me yesterday,

00:30:33.279 --> 00:30:33.959
 separated,

00:30:34.099 --> 00:30:34.339
 obviously,

00:30:34.419 --> 00:30:35.099
 by a few hours.

00:30:36.059 --> 00:30:37.179
 Most Saturday mornings

00:30:37.179 --> 00:30:38.399
 I go to a Starbucks

00:30:38.399 --> 00:30:39.119
 to try to finish

00:30:39.119 --> 00:30:39.639
 my sermon

00:30:39.639 --> 00:30:41.819
 and there was

00:30:41.819 --> 00:30:42.439
 a fellow

00:30:42.439 --> 00:30:43.159
 who was there

00:30:43.159 --> 00:30:44.119
 that I've attempted

00:30:44.119 --> 00:30:44.359
 to have.

00:30:44.359 --> 00:30:45.240
 He's a very regular

00:30:45.240 --> 00:30:45.919
 fellow at this

00:30:45.919 --> 00:30:46.559
 particular one

00:30:46.559 --> 00:30:47.019
 and I attempted

00:30:47.019 --> 00:30:47.679
 to have a bit of a

00:30:47.679 --> 00:30:48.959
 just say hi to him.

00:30:49.539 --> 00:30:50.359
 I've had two other

00:30:50.359 --> 00:30:51.319
 interactions with him

00:30:51.319 --> 00:30:52.259
 where he was sort of

00:30:52.259 --> 00:30:54.399
 mildly hostile to me

00:30:54.400 --> 00:30:55.759
 and I thought,

00:30:55.840 --> 00:30:56.420
 if I see him all the

00:30:56.420 --> 00:30:56.560
 time,

00:30:56.600 --> 00:30:57.400
 I try to be friendly

00:30:57.400 --> 00:30:58.380
 again and say hi

00:30:58.380 --> 00:31:00.200
 and he immediately

00:31:00.200 --> 00:31:00.540
 said,

00:31:00.620 --> 00:31:01.180
 what are you doing?

00:31:01.780 --> 00:31:02.500
 He knew what I was

00:31:02.500 --> 00:31:02.800
 doing.

00:31:03.160 --> 00:31:03.300
 I mean,

00:31:03.320 --> 00:31:03.900
 I had my Bible

00:31:03.900 --> 00:31:05.200
 open and he knew

00:31:05.200 --> 00:31:05.880
 I was a Christian.

00:31:06.259 --> 00:31:06.600
 He said,

00:31:06.660 --> 00:31:07.220
 what are you doing?

00:31:07.900 --> 00:31:08.360
 And I said,

00:31:08.400 --> 00:31:08.519
 well,

00:31:08.580 --> 00:31:10.259
 I'm working on my

00:31:10.259 --> 00:31:11.160
 sermon for tomorrow.

00:31:11.280 --> 00:31:11.480
 He said,

00:31:11.560 --> 00:31:11.900
 ah,

00:31:12.560 --> 00:31:13.759
 social engineering

00:31:13.759 --> 00:31:15.800
 with a very loud

00:31:15.800 --> 00:31:16.240
 voice,

00:31:16.320 --> 00:31:16.780
 by the way.

00:31:17.320 --> 00:31:17.500
 In fact,

00:31:17.540 --> 00:31:17.759
 actually,

00:31:17.820 --> 00:31:18.240
 it was a very

00:31:18.240 --> 00:31:19.300
 interesting challenge

00:31:19.300 --> 00:31:19.900
 for me to,

00:31:20.080 --> 00:31:20.380
 because I,

00:31:20.519 --> 00:31:20.960
 gosh,

00:31:20.960 --> 00:31:21.340
 I,

00:31:21.519 --> 00:31:21.799
 okay,

00:31:21.960 --> 00:31:22.819
 I ended up having

00:31:22.819 --> 00:31:23.700
 this conversation

00:31:23.700 --> 00:31:25.140
 where he was low

00:31:25.140 --> 00:31:27.019
 level hostility

00:31:27.019 --> 00:31:27.980
 towards me with a

00:31:27.980 --> 00:31:28.220
 very,

00:31:28.400 --> 00:31:29.120
 very loud voice

00:31:29.120 --> 00:31:29.740
 on the complete

00:31:29.740 --> 00:31:30.819
 diagonal side

00:31:30.819 --> 00:31:31.600
 from the Starbucks

00:31:31.600 --> 00:31:32.860
 so that the whole

00:31:32.860 --> 00:31:33.980
 restaurant could hear.

00:31:34.440 --> 00:31:35.160
 This was a very

00:31:35.160 --> 00:31:36.240
 good lesson for me

00:31:36.240 --> 00:31:36.920
 when he finally

00:31:36.920 --> 00:31:37.819
 was quiet for me

00:31:37.819 --> 00:31:38.220
 to ask,

00:31:38.600 --> 00:31:39.319
 is God bigger

00:31:39.319 --> 00:31:39.980
 than this guy

00:31:39.980 --> 00:31:40.620
 in this room?

00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:42.740
 Can I grow

00:31:42.740 --> 00:31:43.299
 in a humble,

00:31:43.460 --> 00:31:44.299
 trusty knowledge

00:31:44.299 --> 00:31:45.440
 that God is the

00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:46.420
 biggest guy in this

00:31:46.420 --> 00:31:47.420
 room and that

00:31:47.420 --> 00:31:48.079
 it's not me,

00:31:48.200 --> 00:31:48.600
 thank you?

00:31:48.700 --> 00:31:48.940
 Anyway,

00:31:49.420 --> 00:31:49.559
 and,

00:31:49.559 --> 00:31:50.200
 you know,

00:31:50.259 --> 00:31:50.600
 he was,

00:31:50.599 --> 00:31:51.199
 you know,

00:31:51.219 --> 00:31:51.519
 very,

00:31:51.659 --> 00:31:52.019
 very direct.

00:31:52.099 --> 00:31:52.679
 It's all just

00:31:52.679 --> 00:31:53.740
 social engineering.

00:31:55.019 --> 00:31:56.059
 That's all it is.

00:31:56.119 --> 00:31:56.719
 It's just you

00:31:56.719 --> 00:31:57.859
 manipulating people

00:31:57.859 --> 00:31:59.059
 and Christians

00:31:59.059 --> 00:32:00.059
 manipulating people

00:32:00.059 --> 00:32:00.719
 to get them to do

00:32:00.719 --> 00:32:01.539
 the types of things

00:32:01.539 --> 00:32:02.799
 that you want them

00:32:02.799 --> 00:32:03.019
 to do.

00:32:03.099 --> 00:32:03.899
 That's all it's about.

00:32:05.079 --> 00:32:06.179
 And I kept

00:32:06.179 --> 00:32:06.819
 trying to say,

00:32:07.219 --> 00:32:07.799
 stammer,

00:32:08.039 --> 00:32:08.679
 this was not one

00:32:08.679 --> 00:32:10.459
 of my great moments,

00:32:10.599 --> 00:32:10.959
 okay,

00:32:11.079 --> 00:32:12.079
 in terms of witnessing

00:32:12.079 --> 00:32:12.759
 in a Starbucks.

00:32:12.939 --> 00:32:13.519
 I kept trying to,

00:32:13.759 --> 00:32:14.919
 all I could say to him

00:32:14.919 --> 00:32:15.819
 over and over and over

00:32:15.819 --> 00:32:16.099
 again is,

00:32:16.159 --> 00:32:16.899
 I'd love to sit down

00:32:16.899 --> 00:32:17.480
 with you sometime

00:32:17.480 --> 00:32:18.159
 and have a coffee

00:32:18.159 --> 00:32:19.099
 and talk about it.

00:32:19.099 --> 00:32:20.339
 I said it about

00:32:20.339 --> 00:32:21.059
 three times

00:32:21.059 --> 00:32:21.699
 and he would just

00:32:21.699 --> 00:32:22.659
 shout over me,

00:32:23.000 --> 00:32:24.139
 you know,

00:32:24.339 --> 00:32:25.579
 in terms of what the,

00:32:25.619 --> 00:32:25.759
 you know,

00:32:25.799 --> 00:32:26.539
 the Bible is

00:32:26.539 --> 00:32:26.959
 and it's just

00:32:26.959 --> 00:32:27.740
 social engineering.

00:32:28.159 --> 00:32:28.699
 He didn't shout

00:32:28.699 --> 00:32:29.599
 but he was very loud.

00:32:29.699 --> 00:32:30.419
 Everybody in the restaurant

00:32:30.419 --> 00:32:31.619
 knew and I was

00:32:31.619 --> 00:32:32.679
 trying to focus on him

00:32:32.679 --> 00:32:33.319
 but I knew everybody

00:32:33.319 --> 00:32:34.199
 was looking at the two

00:32:34.199 --> 00:32:35.539
 of us in the Starbucks.

00:32:36.299 --> 00:32:36.319
 And,

00:32:36.439 --> 00:32:36.740
 but like,

00:32:36.899 --> 00:32:36.980
 here,

00:32:37.119 --> 00:32:38.439
 look again at verse 7.

00:32:40.159 --> 00:32:41.339
 Look again at verse 7.

00:32:41.339 --> 00:32:44.599
 But in the,

00:32:44.899 --> 00:32:45.220
 sorry,

00:32:45.319 --> 00:32:45.899
 maybe up to,

00:32:46.419 --> 00:32:47.259
 verse 6,

00:32:47.439 --> 00:32:48.319
 and swore by him

00:32:48.319 --> 00:32:49.339
 who lives forever and ever

00:32:49.339 --> 00:32:50.220
 who created heaven

00:32:50.220 --> 00:32:52.399
 and what is in it,

00:32:52.459 --> 00:32:53.419
 the earth and what is in it

00:32:53.419 --> 00:32:54.859
 and the sea and what is in it

00:32:54.859 --> 00:32:55.720
 that there would be

00:32:55.720 --> 00:32:56.359
 no more delay.

00:32:56.859 --> 00:32:57.519
 But then the day

00:32:57.519 --> 00:32:58.519
 of the trumpet call

00:32:58.519 --> 00:32:59.240
 to be sounded

00:32:59.240 --> 00:33:00.500
 by the seventh angel,

00:33:01.000 --> 00:33:02.019
 the mystery of God

00:33:02.019 --> 00:33:02.980
 would be fulfilled

00:33:02.980 --> 00:33:04.500
 just as he announced

00:33:04.500 --> 00:33:05.379
 to his servants,

00:33:05.679 --> 00:33:06.179
 the prophets.

00:33:06.879 --> 00:33:07.199
 Now,

00:33:07.319 --> 00:33:08.359
 in the original language,

00:33:08.659 --> 00:33:09.399
 you can sort of maybe

00:33:09.399 --> 00:33:10.599
 get an idea about this

00:33:10.599 --> 00:33:11.879
 but it becomes far more clear

00:33:11.879 --> 00:33:12.899
 in the original language.

00:33:13.619 --> 00:33:14.480
 The word fulfilled

00:33:14.480 --> 00:33:15.819
 is actually a word

00:33:15.819 --> 00:33:16.879
 which is regularly

00:33:16.879 --> 00:33:17.719
 throughout the book

00:33:17.719 --> 00:33:18.240
 of Revelation

00:33:18.240 --> 00:33:20.199
 and it's a telos word

00:33:20.199 --> 00:33:22.619
 in terms of end.

00:33:23.659 --> 00:33:24.759
 And the book of Revelation

00:33:24.759 --> 00:33:26.240
 regularly talks about

00:33:26.240 --> 00:33:27.279
 something which is sort of

00:33:27.279 --> 00:33:28.659
 lost to the modern mind

00:33:28.659 --> 00:33:29.879
 or the postmodern mind.

00:33:30.399 --> 00:33:31.819
 The end idea of a telos

00:33:31.819 --> 00:33:33.000
 or an end

00:33:33.000 --> 00:33:34.379
 of something moving

00:33:34.379 --> 00:33:35.879
 towards something.

00:33:36.759 --> 00:33:37.719
 That things aren't just

00:33:37.719 --> 00:33:38.480
 like at the very,

00:33:38.559 --> 00:33:39.839
 very heart of the modern

00:33:39.839 --> 00:33:41.139
 and postmodern imagination

00:33:41.139 --> 00:33:42.039
 is the image

00:33:42.039 --> 00:33:43.240
 of evolution.

00:33:44.039 --> 00:33:45.159
 And on one level,

00:33:45.439 --> 00:33:46.459
 the image of evolution,

00:33:46.759 --> 00:33:47.959
 the inappropriate one

00:33:47.959 --> 00:33:49.000
 is we want to try to think

00:33:49.000 --> 00:33:49.740
 that there's some type

00:33:49.740 --> 00:33:50.899
 of inevitable progress

00:33:50.899 --> 00:33:51.559
 to the better.

00:33:52.379 --> 00:33:53.019
 But really,

00:33:53.139 --> 00:33:53.799
 that's always

00:33:53.799 --> 00:33:55.500
 misunderstanding evolution

00:33:55.500 --> 00:33:56.559
 because at the very heart

00:33:56.559 --> 00:33:57.699
 of it is just chance.

00:33:58.559 --> 00:33:59.699
 Pure and complete

00:33:59.699 --> 00:34:00.799
 and utter chance.

00:34:01.039 --> 00:34:01.919
 Time and chance

00:34:01.919 --> 00:34:02.579
 creates everything

00:34:02.579 --> 00:34:03.139
 that there is.

00:34:04.039 --> 00:34:04.619
 And so,

00:34:04.779 --> 00:34:06.019
 and even in science

00:34:06.019 --> 00:34:07.160
 and scientific explanation,

00:34:07.579 --> 00:34:08.280
 they want to get away

00:34:08.280 --> 00:34:09.119
 from the language

00:34:09.119 --> 00:34:09.960
 of purpose

00:34:09.960 --> 00:34:11.559
 and look at causality.

00:34:12.320 --> 00:34:13.000
 They don't want to look

00:34:13.000 --> 00:34:13.400
 at the idea

00:34:13.400 --> 00:34:14.019
 that there's something

00:34:14.019 --> 00:34:16.139
 from the future

00:34:16.139 --> 00:34:18.039
 drawing things

00:34:18.039 --> 00:34:18.719
 to itself

00:34:18.719 --> 00:34:19.400
 or that things

00:34:19.400 --> 00:34:19.940
 are moving

00:34:19.940 --> 00:34:21.219
 towards a purpose

00:34:21.219 --> 00:34:22.480
 which is determined

00:34:22.480 --> 00:34:24.079
 by something other

00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:24.940
 than the human being.

00:34:25.340 --> 00:34:25.900
 We just want to look

00:34:25.900 --> 00:34:26.639
 at causality.

00:34:26.800 --> 00:34:27.900
 But the book of Revelation,

00:34:28.079 --> 00:34:28.179
 sorry,

00:34:28.239 --> 00:34:28.820
 that was a bit

00:34:28.820 --> 00:34:29.840
 of a philosophical aside.

00:34:29.880 --> 00:34:30.599
 I hope I didn't lose you

00:34:30.599 --> 00:34:30.960
 with that.

00:34:31.820 --> 00:34:32.099
 Sorry.

00:34:32.099 --> 00:34:34.039
 This idea

00:34:34.039 --> 00:34:35.460
 that there's a purpose,

00:34:35.579 --> 00:34:36.500
 that there's an end.

00:34:37.000 --> 00:34:37.400
 And so,

00:34:37.480 --> 00:34:38.539
 it says here

00:34:38.539 --> 00:34:39.259
 in the text

00:34:39.259 --> 00:34:40.759
 that in the day

00:34:40.759 --> 00:34:41.480
 of the trumpet call

00:34:41.480 --> 00:34:42.000
 to be sounded

00:34:42.000 --> 00:34:42.779
 by the seventh angel,

00:34:42.880 --> 00:34:43.480
 the mystery of God

00:34:43.480 --> 00:34:44.360
 would be fulfilled.

00:34:45.019 --> 00:34:45.799
 It's talking about

00:34:45.799 --> 00:34:46.279
 this idea

00:34:46.279 --> 00:34:46.880
 that God

00:34:46.880 --> 00:34:47.920
 is bringing things

00:34:47.920 --> 00:34:49.019
 to an end

00:34:49.019 --> 00:34:50.799
 and that this end

00:34:50.799 --> 00:34:52.239
 will be a fulfillment,

00:34:52.539 --> 00:34:53.659
 that what the end

00:34:53.659 --> 00:34:54.299
 was for

00:34:54.299 --> 00:34:55.440
 will be accomplished.

00:34:56.199 --> 00:34:56.940
 And then the word

00:34:56.940 --> 00:34:57.500
 announced

00:34:57.500 --> 00:34:58.119
 is actually

00:34:58.119 --> 00:34:59.239
 the exact same word

00:34:59.239 --> 00:34:59.639
 that's used

00:34:59.639 --> 00:35:00.159
 throughout the rest

00:35:00.159 --> 00:35:01.199
 of the New Testament

00:35:01.199 --> 00:35:02.219
 for proclaiming

00:35:02.219 --> 00:35:02.799
 the gospel.

00:35:04.480 --> 00:35:05.719
 It's evangelon.

00:35:06.099 --> 00:35:06.779
 It's a word

00:35:06.779 --> 00:35:07.699
 of evangelism.

00:35:09.099 --> 00:35:11.059
 And it's the same

00:35:11.059 --> 00:35:11.619
 as used

00:35:11.619 --> 00:35:12.359
 in the book of Acts

00:35:12.359 --> 00:35:12.799
 when it's talking

00:35:12.799 --> 00:35:13.139
 about Jesus.

00:35:13.179 --> 00:35:13.899
 It's the same word.

00:35:13.960 --> 00:35:15.419
 It's the same basic idea.

00:35:16.500 --> 00:35:17.619
 Hidden in English

00:35:17.619 --> 00:35:18.739
 but very present

00:35:18.739 --> 00:35:19.659
 in the original language.

00:35:19.980 --> 00:35:20.379
 And maybe

00:35:20.379 --> 00:35:21.059
 if you get familiar

00:35:21.059 --> 00:35:21.799
 with reading the Bible,

00:35:21.939 --> 00:35:22.539
 you might start

00:35:22.539 --> 00:35:23.000
 to realize

00:35:23.000 --> 00:35:23.759
 that often

00:35:23.759 --> 00:35:24.279
 that word

00:35:24.279 --> 00:35:24.960
 announced

00:35:24.960 --> 00:35:26.639
 has an idea

00:35:26.639 --> 00:35:27.480
 of proclaiming

00:35:27.480 --> 00:35:28.359
 of good news.

00:35:28.799 --> 00:35:29.559
 And the good news

00:35:29.559 --> 00:35:30.299
 is just never

00:35:30.300 --> 00:35:31.420
 Canada

00:35:31.420 --> 00:35:31.980
 is,

00:35:32.480 --> 00:35:32.680
 you know,

00:35:32.740 --> 00:35:33.200
 last night

00:35:33.200 --> 00:35:34.080
 was number two

00:35:34.080 --> 00:35:35.000
 in medal count

00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:36.220
 in the Winter Olympics.

00:35:36.360 --> 00:35:37.240
 That's not the good news.

00:35:37.300 --> 00:35:38.240
 It's always about Jesus,

00:35:38.680 --> 00:35:39.380
 about who he is

00:35:39.380 --> 00:35:40.000
 and what he's done.

00:35:40.280 --> 00:35:40.560
 Here's,

00:35:40.620 --> 00:35:40.980
 if you put up

00:35:40.980 --> 00:35:41.560
 the next point,

00:35:42.220 --> 00:35:42.760
 it's this.

00:35:43.400 --> 00:35:43.860
 Grow in me

00:35:43.860 --> 00:35:45.280
 a humble trusting knowledge

00:35:45.280 --> 00:35:45.960
 that the person

00:35:45.960 --> 00:35:46.880
 and work of Jesus

00:35:46.880 --> 00:35:48.200
 is central

00:35:48.200 --> 00:35:49.080
 to the end

00:35:49.080 --> 00:35:50.360
 God has

00:35:50.360 --> 00:35:51.600
 unfailingly

00:35:51.600 --> 00:35:52.280
 willed.

00:35:53.200 --> 00:35:53.680
 That's what

00:35:53.680 --> 00:35:54.460
 the text is saying.

00:35:54.980 --> 00:35:55.400
 Grow in me

00:35:55.400 --> 00:35:56.880
 a humble trusting knowledge

00:35:56.880 --> 00:35:57.580
 that the person

00:35:57.580 --> 00:35:58.440
 and work of Jesus

00:35:58.440 --> 00:35:59.360
 is central

00:35:59.360 --> 00:36:00.880
 to the end

00:36:00.880 --> 00:36:01.920
 God has

00:36:01.920 --> 00:36:02.980
 unfailingly

00:36:02.980 --> 00:36:03.599
 willed.

00:36:04.599 --> 00:36:04.840
 Now,

00:36:05.639 --> 00:36:06.559
 how does this

00:36:06.559 --> 00:36:07.019
 fit in with

00:36:07.019 --> 00:36:08.240
 my friend's concern?

00:36:08.619 --> 00:36:09.099
 I'm calling him

00:36:09.099 --> 00:36:09.599
 my friend.

00:36:10.240 --> 00:36:11.400
 My friend's concern

00:36:11.400 --> 00:36:12.579
 about social engineering.

00:36:13.860 --> 00:36:14.099
 You see,

00:36:14.220 --> 00:36:15.099
 the fact is

00:36:15.099 --> 00:36:16.200
 that for a lot

00:36:16.200 --> 00:36:16.639
 of us

00:36:16.639 --> 00:36:17.400
 when we think

00:36:17.400 --> 00:36:18.019
 of God

00:36:18.019 --> 00:36:19.260
 and we think

00:36:19.260 --> 00:36:19.920
 of the immensity

00:36:19.920 --> 00:36:20.539
 of God,

00:36:20.720 --> 00:36:21.639
 we naturally

00:36:21.639 --> 00:36:22.619
 think of

00:36:22.619 --> 00:36:23.960
 God being big

00:36:23.960 --> 00:36:25.360
 as a zero-sum game.

00:36:26.179 --> 00:36:26.340
 See,

00:36:26.420 --> 00:36:27.019
 what we're doing,

00:36:27.019 --> 00:36:28.300
 you know what a zero-sum game is?

00:36:28.340 --> 00:36:28.880
 For those of us

00:36:28.880 --> 00:36:29.639
 who are really old,

00:36:29.719 --> 00:36:30.280
 remember when there were

00:36:30.280 --> 00:36:31.300
 these things in playgrounds

00:36:31.300 --> 00:36:32.759
 called teeter-totters

00:36:32.759 --> 00:36:33.639
 or seesaws?

00:36:34.739 --> 00:36:35.500
 Young people

00:36:35.500 --> 00:36:36.239
 who've just grown up

00:36:36.239 --> 00:36:36.699
 with helmets

00:36:36.699 --> 00:36:38.300
 and hockey pads

00:36:38.300 --> 00:36:39.780
 just to walk everywhere.

00:36:40.259 --> 00:36:41.099
 There used to be

00:36:41.099 --> 00:36:41.639
 a time when

00:36:41.639 --> 00:36:42.860
 people were crazy

00:36:42.860 --> 00:36:43.840
 and parents didn't care

00:36:43.840 --> 00:36:44.360
 if their kids

00:36:44.360 --> 00:36:45.079
 had concussions

00:36:45.079 --> 00:36:45.980
 and all that stuff

00:36:45.980 --> 00:36:47.380
 and they had

00:36:47.380 --> 00:36:49.219
 tall slides

00:36:49.219 --> 00:36:51.059
 without proper armrests

00:36:51.059 --> 00:36:51.920
 and things called

00:36:51.920 --> 00:36:52.739
 teeter-totters.

00:36:53.019 --> 00:36:54.159
 It was a piece of wood

00:36:54.159 --> 00:36:55.300
 on a balance

00:36:55.300 --> 00:36:56.139
 on a piece of metal

00:36:56.139 --> 00:36:56.920
 and one kid

00:36:56.920 --> 00:36:57.699
 would get on one end

00:36:57.699 --> 00:36:58.159
 and the other kid

00:36:58.159 --> 00:36:58.900
 would get on the other end.

00:36:59.039 --> 00:36:59.799
 One kid goes up,

00:36:59.839 --> 00:37:00.579
 the other goes down

00:37:00.579 --> 00:37:01.480
 and back and forward

00:37:01.480 --> 00:37:02.519
 and kids could have fun

00:37:02.519 --> 00:37:04.099
 doing such completely

00:37:04.099 --> 00:37:05.099
 and utterly unsafe

00:37:05.099 --> 00:37:06.319
 things

00:37:06.319 --> 00:37:08.099
 back in the day.

00:37:09.539 --> 00:37:10.319
 And so,

00:37:10.379 --> 00:37:11.119
 but for a lot of us,

00:37:11.179 --> 00:37:11.799
 because you see,

00:37:11.879 --> 00:37:12.119
 really,

00:37:12.259 --> 00:37:13.219
 we live in a world

00:37:13.219 --> 00:37:15.019
 where we think

00:37:15.019 --> 00:37:16.539
 that God is small

00:37:16.539 --> 00:37:17.519
 and therefore,

00:37:17.819 --> 00:37:18.659
 if God is small,

00:37:18.739 --> 00:37:19.579
 other things are big

00:37:19.579 --> 00:37:20.279
 and we want to be

00:37:20.279 --> 00:37:20.879
 really big

00:37:20.880 --> 00:37:22.500
 and we think of it,

00:37:22.559 --> 00:37:23.539
 we think in terms of

00:37:23.539 --> 00:37:25.160
 if somebody else

00:37:25.160 --> 00:37:26.140
 gets bigger than me

00:37:26.140 --> 00:37:26.800
 then I'm actually

00:37:26.800 --> 00:37:27.740
 getting smaller

00:37:27.740 --> 00:37:28.820
 and that's a bad thing

00:37:28.820 --> 00:37:29.700
 and we see the world

00:37:29.700 --> 00:37:31.099
 in a zero-sum way,

00:37:31.460 --> 00:37:32.660
 as a teeter-totter,

00:37:32.780 --> 00:37:33.980
 seesaw type of way

00:37:33.980 --> 00:37:35.480
 and so,

00:37:35.740 --> 00:37:36.860
 when we hear of God

00:37:36.860 --> 00:37:37.680
 getting immense,

00:37:38.480 --> 00:37:39.280
 we worry that we're

00:37:39.280 --> 00:37:40.019
 getting small

00:37:40.019 --> 00:37:41.619
 and there's good reasons

00:37:41.619 --> 00:37:42.680
 for people to worry

00:37:42.680 --> 00:37:43.360
 about that.

00:37:44.920 --> 00:37:46.420
 There's no denying

00:37:46.420 --> 00:37:47.280
 that there have been

00:37:47.280 --> 00:37:48.280
 ways of portraying

00:37:48.280 --> 00:37:49.160
 the Christian faith

00:37:49.159 --> 00:37:50.739
 which make it look

00:37:50.739 --> 00:37:52.079
 as if God getting big

00:37:52.079 --> 00:37:52.940
 means that you are

00:37:52.940 --> 00:37:54.500
 an itty-bitty little person

00:37:54.500 --> 00:37:55.420
 who shouldn't think

00:37:55.420 --> 00:37:55.960
 about this,

00:37:56.219 --> 00:37:57.219
 this is for matters

00:37:57.219 --> 00:37:58.139
 bigger than you

00:37:58.139 --> 00:37:58.859
 and you just need

00:37:58.859 --> 00:37:59.539
 to suffer

00:37:59.539 --> 00:38:00.579
 and somehow

00:38:00.579 --> 00:38:01.399
 we never notice

00:38:01.399 --> 00:38:01.960
 that the person

00:38:01.960 --> 00:38:02.839
 speaking that

00:38:02.839 --> 00:38:03.319
 doesn't seem

00:38:03.319 --> 00:38:04.339
 they have to suffer

00:38:04.339 --> 00:38:05.599
 because somehow

00:38:05.599 --> 00:38:05.920
 or another

00:38:05.920 --> 00:38:07.199
 that gets blinded to us

00:38:07.199 --> 00:38:09.519
 and religions

00:38:09.519 --> 00:38:10.659
 like Islam,

00:38:11.359 --> 00:38:12.199
 it almost seems

00:38:12.199 --> 00:38:13.440
 as God gets greater

00:38:13.440 --> 00:38:13.940
 and greater

00:38:13.940 --> 00:38:14.399
 and greater

00:38:14.399 --> 00:38:15.279
 that the individual

00:38:15.279 --> 00:38:15.799
 and the person

00:38:15.799 --> 00:38:16.519
 seems to matter

00:38:16.519 --> 00:38:17.539
 littler and littler

00:38:17.539 --> 00:38:18.079
 and littler

00:38:18.079 --> 00:38:19.279
 and so,

00:38:19.659 --> 00:38:19.920
 you know,

00:38:20.119 --> 00:38:21.579
 it's not only projection

00:38:21.579 --> 00:38:23.199
 but the way that religion

00:38:23.199 --> 00:38:24.420
 often is portrayed

00:38:24.420 --> 00:38:26.219
 it's a very valid thing

00:38:26.219 --> 00:38:27.239
 for people to worry

00:38:27.239 --> 00:38:28.079
 that this talk

00:38:28.079 --> 00:38:29.259
 about God getting bigger

00:38:29.259 --> 00:38:29.679
 and bigger

00:38:29.679 --> 00:38:30.119
 and bigger

00:38:30.119 --> 00:38:30.619
 and bigger

00:38:30.619 --> 00:38:31.659
 is going to mean

00:38:31.659 --> 00:38:32.739
 that I get smaller

00:38:32.739 --> 00:38:33.299
 and smaller

00:38:33.299 --> 00:38:33.819
 and smaller

00:38:33.819 --> 00:38:35.179
 until I'm squashed

00:38:35.179 --> 00:38:37.239
 but this language

00:38:37.239 --> 00:38:38.079
 of fulfilled

00:38:38.079 --> 00:38:39.219
 and of the gospel

00:38:39.219 --> 00:38:40.199
 language of announcing

00:38:40.199 --> 00:38:42.799
 turn to 2 Corinthians

00:38:42.799 --> 00:38:43.619
 chapter 8

00:38:43.619 --> 00:38:46.420
 2 Corinthians

00:38:46.420 --> 00:38:47.219
 chapter 8

00:38:47.219 --> 00:38:49.039
 and we're going

00:38:49.039 --> 00:38:49.339
 to look at

00:38:49.339 --> 00:38:50.319
 verses 8 and 9

00:38:50.319 --> 00:38:52.179
 2 Corinthians

00:38:52.179 --> 00:38:52.959
 chapter 8

00:38:52.959 --> 00:38:54.019
 verses 8 and 9

00:38:54.019 --> 00:38:55.139
 and this is

00:38:55.139 --> 00:38:56.500
 you see

00:38:56.500 --> 00:38:57.519
 the fact of the matter

00:38:57.519 --> 00:38:57.859
 is

00:38:57.859 --> 00:38:59.099
 is that the gospel

00:38:59.099 --> 00:39:00.719
 changes everything

00:39:00.719 --> 00:39:02.799
 what is

00:39:02.799 --> 00:39:03.639
 Islam does not

00:39:03.639 --> 00:39:04.459
 have a savior

00:39:04.459 --> 00:39:07.019
 it has law

00:39:07.019 --> 00:39:07.719
 and submission

00:39:07.719 --> 00:39:11.059
 a lot of religion

00:39:11.059 --> 00:39:12.519
 a lot of Christianity

00:39:12.519 --> 00:39:14.259
 is just mere religion

00:39:14.260 --> 00:39:15.920
 which just merely

00:39:15.920 --> 00:39:16.960
 has rituals

00:39:16.960 --> 00:39:18.080
 and laws

00:39:18.080 --> 00:39:18.920
 and rules

00:39:18.920 --> 00:39:20.700
 and that's all

00:39:20.700 --> 00:39:21.280
 it has

00:39:21.280 --> 00:39:22.900
 and it's lost sight

00:39:22.900 --> 00:39:23.760
 of the savior

00:39:23.760 --> 00:39:25.900
 but the very very heart

00:39:25.900 --> 00:39:26.780
 there is no

00:39:26.780 --> 00:39:28.020
 there's no

00:39:28.020 --> 00:39:28.760
 fulfilling

00:39:28.760 --> 00:39:30.220
 of God's will

00:39:30.220 --> 00:39:31.360
 apart from the

00:39:31.360 --> 00:39:32.560
 person work of Jesus

00:39:32.560 --> 00:39:34.200
 there's no end

00:39:34.200 --> 00:39:34.860
 of God

00:39:34.860 --> 00:39:35.760
 apart from the

00:39:35.760 --> 00:39:36.820
 person work of Jesus

00:39:36.820 --> 00:39:37.360
 there's no

00:39:37.360 --> 00:39:38.700
 immensity of God

00:39:38.700 --> 00:39:39.840
 without the person

00:39:39.840 --> 00:39:40.520
 work of Jesus

00:39:40.520 --> 00:39:41.640
 there's no finality

00:39:41.639 --> 00:39:42.759
 to God's word

00:39:42.759 --> 00:39:44.480
 without the person

00:39:44.480 --> 00:39:45.259
 and the work

00:39:45.259 --> 00:39:45.779
 of Jesus

00:39:45.779 --> 00:39:46.659
 the gospel

00:39:46.659 --> 00:39:48.799
 changes everything

00:39:48.799 --> 00:39:50.159
 and look at this

00:39:50.159 --> 00:39:51.279
 beautiful way here

00:39:51.279 --> 00:39:52.519
 about how the gospel

00:39:52.519 --> 00:39:53.779
 is portrayed

00:39:53.779 --> 00:39:54.619
 for what it is

00:39:54.619 --> 00:39:55.279
 that Jesus does

00:39:55.279 --> 00:39:56.119
 first on the cross

00:39:56.119 --> 00:39:56.759
 verse 8

00:39:56.759 --> 00:39:57.759
 of 2 Corinthians

00:39:57.759 --> 00:39:59.440
 chapter 8

00:39:59.440 --> 00:40:00.420
 I say this

00:40:00.420 --> 00:40:01.259
 not as a command

00:40:01.259 --> 00:40:02.039
 but to prove

00:40:02.039 --> 00:40:03.019
 by the earnestness

00:40:03.019 --> 00:40:03.480
 of others

00:40:03.480 --> 00:40:04.119
 that your love

00:40:04.119 --> 00:40:05.039
 also is genuine

00:40:05.039 --> 00:40:05.719
 verse 9

00:40:05.719 --> 00:40:08.440
 good verse to memorize

00:40:08.440 --> 00:40:09.379
 for you know

00:40:09.379 --> 00:40:10.159
 the grace of our

00:40:10.159 --> 00:40:11.099
 Lord Jesus Christ

00:40:11.099 --> 00:40:12.259
 that though he was

00:40:12.259 --> 00:40:12.619
 rich

00:40:12.619 --> 00:40:13.880
 yet for your sake

00:40:13.880 --> 00:40:14.759
 he became poor

00:40:14.759 --> 00:40:16.019
 so that you

00:40:16.019 --> 00:40:17.559
 by his poverty

00:40:17.559 --> 00:40:19.360
 might become

00:40:19.360 --> 00:40:20.259
 rich

00:40:20.259 --> 00:40:23.960
 for you know

00:40:23.960 --> 00:40:24.719
 the grace of our

00:40:24.719 --> 00:40:25.639
 Lord Jesus Christ

00:40:25.639 --> 00:40:26.360
 that though he was

00:40:26.360 --> 00:40:26.699
 rich

00:40:26.699 --> 00:40:27.699
 yet for your sake

00:40:27.699 --> 00:40:28.599
 he became poor

00:40:28.599 --> 00:40:29.860
 so that you

00:40:29.860 --> 00:40:30.719
 by his poverty

00:40:30.719 --> 00:40:32.619
 might become

00:40:32.619 --> 00:40:33.239
 rich

00:40:33.239 --> 00:40:35.839
 the very very

00:40:35.839 --> 00:40:36.299
 heart

00:40:36.299 --> 00:40:37.179
 of whatever

00:40:37.179 --> 00:40:38.779
 unfailing end

00:40:38.779 --> 00:40:39.519
 that God has

00:40:39.519 --> 00:40:40.000
 willed

00:40:40.000 --> 00:40:40.519
 at the very

00:40:40.519 --> 00:40:41.380
 central of his

00:40:41.380 --> 00:40:41.900
 purposes

00:40:41.900 --> 00:40:43.360
 is the

00:40:43.360 --> 00:40:43.920
 person

00:40:43.920 --> 00:40:44.380
 the work

00:40:44.380 --> 00:40:44.860
 of Jesus

00:40:44.860 --> 00:40:46.119
 and he came

00:40:46.119 --> 00:40:48.400
 and made himself

00:40:48.400 --> 00:40:48.980
 poor

00:40:48.980 --> 00:40:50.380
 and you can't

00:40:50.380 --> 00:40:51.219
 be any poorer

00:40:51.219 --> 00:40:51.880
 than dead

00:40:51.880 --> 00:40:55.480
 I helped

00:40:55.480 --> 00:40:56.480
 my daughter

00:40:56.480 --> 00:40:57.079
 very

00:40:57.079 --> 00:40:58.219
 one of my

00:40:58.219 --> 00:40:58.559
 daughters

00:40:58.559 --> 00:40:59.380
 and her husband

00:40:59.380 --> 00:40:59.699
 move

00:40:59.699 --> 00:41:00.420
 they had to move

00:41:00.420 --> 00:41:01.639
 and they'd just

00:41:01.639 --> 00:41:02.119
 been married

00:41:02.119 --> 00:41:02.860
 a very short

00:41:02.860 --> 00:41:03.199
 period of time

00:41:03.199 --> 00:41:03.739
 they have hardly

00:41:03.739 --> 00:41:04.599
 any stuff

00:41:04.599 --> 00:41:05.139
 that can be moved

00:41:05.139 --> 00:41:05.699
 like in a couple

00:41:05.699 --> 00:41:06.039
 of trips

00:41:06.039 --> 00:41:06.539
 in a minivan

00:41:06.539 --> 00:41:07.279
 and I

00:41:07.279 --> 00:41:08.679
 cheered them

00:41:08.679 --> 00:41:09.019
 all up

00:41:09.019 --> 00:41:09.480
 afterwards

00:41:09.480 --> 00:41:10.300
 I said

00:41:10.300 --> 00:41:10.639
 you know

00:41:10.639 --> 00:41:10.840
 we should

00:41:10.840 --> 00:41:11.360
 take a picture

00:41:11.360 --> 00:41:11.779
 of this

00:41:11.779 --> 00:41:12.800
 and in 10 years

00:41:12.800 --> 00:41:13.179
 time

00:41:13.179 --> 00:41:13.599
 you can try

00:41:13.599 --> 00:41:14.119
 to take a picture

00:41:14.119 --> 00:41:14.719
 of all the stuff

00:41:14.719 --> 00:41:15.099
 you're going to owe

00:41:15.099 --> 00:41:15.759
 in 10 years

00:41:15.759 --> 00:41:16.119
 time

00:41:16.119 --> 00:41:16.500
 own

00:41:16.500 --> 00:41:17.039
 compared to

00:41:17.039 --> 00:41:17.539
 this stuff

00:41:17.539 --> 00:41:18.980
 and then I said

00:41:18.980 --> 00:41:19.279
 of course

00:41:19.279 --> 00:41:20.039
 eventually you get

00:41:20.039 --> 00:41:20.500
 so old

00:41:20.500 --> 00:41:20.779
 you move

00:41:20.779 --> 00:41:21.500
 into a senior's

00:41:21.500 --> 00:41:21.739
 residence

00:41:21.739 --> 00:41:22.119
 and you're

00:41:22.119 --> 00:41:22.539
 back down

00:41:22.539 --> 00:41:22.960
 to this amount

00:41:22.960 --> 00:41:23.259
 of stuff

00:41:23.259 --> 00:41:23.619
 that sits

00:41:23.619 --> 00:41:24.059
 in a minivan

00:41:24.059 --> 00:41:25.440
 and then you die

00:41:25.440 --> 00:41:26.519
 and in the casket

00:41:26.519 --> 00:41:27.539
 you have just as much

00:41:27.539 --> 00:41:28.480
 money as Bill Gates

00:41:28.480 --> 00:41:30.559
 the father

00:41:30.559 --> 00:41:31.639
 of the fellow

00:41:31.639 --> 00:41:32.219
 said thank you

00:41:32.219 --> 00:41:32.960
 for cheering me up

00:41:32.960 --> 00:41:33.320
 pastor

00:41:33.320 --> 00:41:33.940
 that was a very

00:41:33.940 --> 00:41:34.800
 encouraging word

00:41:34.800 --> 00:41:39.000
 I have the gift

00:41:39.000 --> 00:41:39.700
 of encouragement

00:41:39.700 --> 00:41:40.560
 as you discover

00:41:40.560 --> 00:41:41.120
 week in

00:41:41.120 --> 00:41:41.800
 and week out

00:41:41.800 --> 00:41:45.039
 but here's the thing

00:41:45.039 --> 00:41:45.940
 is that you can't

00:41:45.940 --> 00:41:46.519
 get any poorer

00:41:46.519 --> 00:41:47.019
 than dead

00:41:47.019 --> 00:41:48.480
 Jesus came to die

00:41:48.480 --> 00:41:50.240
 he came to die

00:41:50.240 --> 00:41:51.440
 that I might be rich

00:41:51.440 --> 00:41:52.360
 in the father's love

00:41:52.360 --> 00:41:54.580
 and in his

00:41:54.580 --> 00:41:55.720
 eternal purpose

00:41:55.720 --> 00:41:58.080
 the gospel

00:41:58.080 --> 00:41:59.100
 changes

00:41:59.100 --> 00:42:00.220
 everything

00:42:00.220 --> 00:42:02.720
 I would

00:42:02.720 --> 00:42:03.580
 rephrase this

00:42:03.580 --> 00:42:04.000
 as a prayer

00:42:04.000 --> 00:42:04.519
 by saying

00:42:04.519 --> 00:42:05.159
 dear God

00:42:05.159 --> 00:42:06.440
 please grow in me

00:42:06.440 --> 00:42:07.500
 a humble trusting

00:42:07.500 --> 00:42:08.119
 knowledge

00:42:08.119 --> 00:42:09.239
 that the person

00:42:09.239 --> 00:42:10.119
 and work of Jesus

00:42:10.119 --> 00:42:11.079
 is central

00:42:11.079 --> 00:42:12.199
 to the end

00:42:12.199 --> 00:42:13.559
 you unfailingly

00:42:13.559 --> 00:42:13.860
 will

00:42:13.860 --> 00:42:14.500
 dear God

00:42:14.500 --> 00:42:15.579
 please grow in me

00:42:15.579 --> 00:42:16.519
 a humble trusting

00:42:16.519 --> 00:42:16.920
 knowledge

00:42:16.920 --> 00:42:17.539
 that the person

00:42:17.539 --> 00:42:18.260
 and work of Jesus

00:42:18.260 --> 00:42:19.380
 is central

00:42:19.380 --> 00:42:20.119
 to the end

00:42:20.119 --> 00:42:22.440
 you unfailingly

00:42:22.440 --> 00:42:23.079
 will

00:42:23.079 --> 00:42:25.819
 I see

00:42:25.819 --> 00:42:26.420
 by my time

00:42:26.420 --> 00:42:26.920
 I should

00:42:26.920 --> 00:42:29.059
 let's just look

00:42:29.059 --> 00:42:29.519
 at these last

00:42:29.519 --> 00:42:30.019
 few verses

00:42:30.019 --> 00:42:30.599
 very very

00:42:30.599 --> 00:42:31.599
 slow

00:42:31.599 --> 00:42:32.779
 just in closing

00:42:32.779 --> 00:42:33.480
 turn back to

00:42:33.480 --> 00:42:34.360
 Revelation chapter

00:42:34.360 --> 00:42:35.059
 10

00:42:35.059 --> 00:42:37.219
 Revelation 10

00:42:37.219 --> 00:42:37.920
 let's just look

00:42:37.920 --> 00:42:39.219
 very quickly

00:42:39.219 --> 00:42:39.920
 in closing

00:42:39.920 --> 00:42:40.519
 at the last

00:42:40.519 --> 00:42:41.139
 few verses

00:42:41.139 --> 00:42:42.659
 verses 8

00:42:42.659 --> 00:42:43.679
 through 11

00:42:43.679 --> 00:42:45.559
 and here's

00:42:45.559 --> 00:42:45.980
 what it says

00:42:45.980 --> 00:42:46.579
 then the voice

00:42:46.579 --> 00:42:47.159
 that I heard

00:42:47.159 --> 00:42:47.699
 from heaven

00:42:47.699 --> 00:42:48.400
 spoke to me

00:42:48.400 --> 00:42:49.139
 again saying

00:42:49.139 --> 00:42:50.799
 go take the scroll

00:42:50.799 --> 00:42:51.319
 that is open

00:42:51.319 --> 00:42:51.699
 in the hand

00:42:51.699 --> 00:42:52.279
 of the angel

00:42:52.279 --> 00:42:53.179
 who is standing

00:42:53.179 --> 00:42:53.599
 on the sea

00:42:53.599 --> 00:42:54.179
 and on the land

00:42:54.179 --> 00:42:55.299
 so I went

00:42:55.299 --> 00:42:56.019
 to the angel

00:42:56.019 --> 00:42:57.319
 and told him

00:42:57.319 --> 00:42:57.779
 to give me

00:42:57.779 --> 00:42:58.579
 the little scroll

00:42:58.579 --> 00:42:59.980
 and he said

00:42:59.980 --> 00:43:00.379
 to me

00:43:00.379 --> 00:43:01.440
 take it

00:43:01.440 --> 00:43:03.199
 take and eat it

00:43:03.199 --> 00:43:04.879
 it will make

00:43:04.879 --> 00:43:05.900
 your stomach bitter

00:43:05.900 --> 00:43:07.420
 but in your mouth

00:43:07.420 --> 00:43:08.440
 it will be sweet

00:43:08.440 --> 00:43:08.819
 as honey

00:43:08.819 --> 00:43:10.059
 and I took

00:43:10.059 --> 00:43:10.779
 the little scroll

00:43:10.779 --> 00:43:11.440
 from the hand

00:43:11.440 --> 00:43:11.960
 of the angel

00:43:11.960 --> 00:43:12.539
 and ate it

00:43:12.539 --> 00:43:13.799
 it was sweet

00:43:13.799 --> 00:43:14.239
 as honey

00:43:14.239 --> 00:43:14.819
 in my mouth

00:43:14.819 --> 00:43:16.279
 but when I had

00:43:16.279 --> 00:43:16.799
 eaten it

00:43:16.800 --> 00:43:17.860
 my stomach

00:43:17.860 --> 00:43:18.660
 was made bitter

00:43:18.660 --> 00:43:20.120
 and I was told

00:43:20.120 --> 00:43:20.840
 you must again

00:43:20.840 --> 00:43:21.800
 prophesy about

00:43:21.800 --> 00:43:22.519
 many peoples

00:43:22.519 --> 00:43:23.060
 and nations

00:43:23.060 --> 00:43:23.740
 and languages

00:43:23.740 --> 00:43:24.420
 and kings

00:43:24.420 --> 00:43:26.760
 here's how I would

00:43:26.760 --> 00:43:27.780
 summarize this point

00:43:27.780 --> 00:43:29.120
 Andrew

00:43:29.120 --> 00:43:30.720
 give me a humble

00:43:30.720 --> 00:43:31.740
 trusting knowledge

00:43:31.740 --> 00:43:32.460
 of the Bible

00:43:32.460 --> 00:43:33.600
 God's word written

00:43:33.600 --> 00:43:34.620
 as I read it

00:43:34.620 --> 00:43:35.480
 and memorize it

00:43:35.480 --> 00:43:37.080
 give me a humble

00:43:37.080 --> 00:43:38.019
 trusting knowledge

00:43:38.019 --> 00:43:38.600
 of the Bible

00:43:38.600 --> 00:43:39.519
 God's word written

00:43:39.519 --> 00:43:40.880
 as I read it

00:43:40.880 --> 00:43:42.380
 and memorize it

00:43:42.380 --> 00:43:43.280
 it should be an and

00:43:43.280 --> 00:43:43.840
 not an and

00:43:43.840 --> 00:43:44.720
 and

00:43:44.719 --> 00:43:46.579
 and I

00:43:46.579 --> 00:43:47.019
 I'm going to

00:43:47.019 --> 00:43:47.519
 change it into

00:43:47.519 --> 00:43:47.919
 a prayer

00:43:47.919 --> 00:43:49.199
 in a few moments

00:43:49.199 --> 00:43:50.059
 it's talking about

00:43:50.059 --> 00:43:50.819
 the very words

00:43:50.819 --> 00:43:51.359
 of God

00:43:51.359 --> 00:43:52.519
 and it's not

00:43:52.519 --> 00:43:54.039
 and it's basically

00:43:54.039 --> 00:43:55.459
 it's it's it's

00:43:55.459 --> 00:43:56.319
 telling us to

00:43:56.319 --> 00:43:57.319
 eat the word

00:43:57.319 --> 00:43:59.259
 and we eat the

00:43:59.259 --> 00:44:00.439
 word by reading

00:44:00.439 --> 00:44:00.899
 the Bible

00:44:00.899 --> 00:44:01.980
 and by memorizing

00:44:01.980 --> 00:44:02.299
 it

00:44:02.299 --> 00:44:03.459
 and

00:44:03.459 --> 00:44:06.379
 and it's telling

00:44:06.379 --> 00:44:07.359
 us that as we

00:44:07.359 --> 00:44:08.299
 as we

00:44:08.299 --> 00:44:08.919
 and it's very

00:44:08.919 --> 00:44:09.500
 interesting to think

00:44:09.500 --> 00:44:09.879
 of the whole

00:44:09.879 --> 00:44:10.439
 progression

00:44:10.439 --> 00:44:11.079
 because remember

00:44:11.079 --> 00:44:12.000
 it begins with

00:44:12.000 --> 00:44:12.699
 the first point

00:44:12.699 --> 00:44:13.239
 about growing

00:44:13.239 --> 00:44:14.439
 in us a humble

00:44:14.440 --> 00:44:15.519
 growing me a

00:44:15.519 --> 00:44:16.139
 humble trusting

00:44:16.139 --> 00:44:16.780
 knowledge of how

00:44:16.780 --> 00:44:17.940
 incomparably immense

00:44:17.940 --> 00:44:18.700
 and sovereign you

00:44:18.700 --> 00:44:19.300
 truly are

00:44:19.300 --> 00:44:20.440
 and then the text

00:44:20.440 --> 00:44:21.320
 moves us to say

00:44:21.320 --> 00:44:22.340
 grow in me

00:44:22.340 --> 00:44:24.420
 grow eternal God

00:44:24.420 --> 00:44:24.900
 who alone has

00:44:24.900 --> 00:44:25.500
 created all things

00:44:25.500 --> 00:44:26.300
 please grow in me

00:44:26.300 --> 00:44:27.079
 a humble trusting

00:44:27.079 --> 00:44:27.780
 knowledge that you

00:44:27.780 --> 00:44:28.700
 speak with finality

00:44:28.700 --> 00:44:29.679
 authority and power

00:44:29.679 --> 00:44:30.820
 and then it sort of

00:44:30.820 --> 00:44:31.579
 moves us to say

00:44:31.579 --> 00:44:32.039
 dear God

00:44:32.039 --> 00:44:32.740
 please grow in me

00:44:32.740 --> 00:44:33.559
 a humble trusting

00:44:33.559 --> 00:44:34.280
 knowledge that the

00:44:34.280 --> 00:44:34.940
 personal work of

00:44:34.940 --> 00:44:36.019
 Jesus is central to

00:44:36.019 --> 00:44:36.420
 the end you

00:44:36.420 --> 00:44:37.280
 unfailingly will

00:44:37.280 --> 00:44:38.340
 and then in that

00:44:38.340 --> 00:44:39.460
 context we now

00:44:39.460 --> 00:44:40.519
 come to grow in me

00:44:40.519 --> 00:44:41.659
 dear God

00:44:41.659 --> 00:44:42.599
 please grow in me

00:44:42.599 --> 00:44:43.539
 a humble trusting

00:44:43.539 --> 00:44:44.420
 knowledge of your

00:44:44.420 --> 00:44:44.980
 word written

00:44:44.980 --> 00:44:45.539
 the Bible

00:44:45.539 --> 00:44:46.719
 as I read it

00:44:46.719 --> 00:44:47.500
 and memorize it

00:44:47.500 --> 00:44:48.039
 dear God

00:44:48.039 --> 00:44:48.960
 please grow in me

00:44:48.960 --> 00:44:49.980
 a humble trusting

00:44:49.980 --> 00:44:51.059
 knowledge of your

00:44:51.059 --> 00:44:51.739
 word written

00:44:51.739 --> 00:44:52.579
 the Bible

00:44:52.579 --> 00:44:53.699
 as I read it

00:44:53.699 --> 00:44:54.920
 and memorize it

00:44:54.920 --> 00:44:56.259
 and as we read

00:44:56.259 --> 00:44:57.079
 and memorize the

00:44:57.079 --> 00:44:57.500
 Bible

00:44:57.500 --> 00:44:58.440
 mindful of the

00:44:58.440 --> 00:44:59.099
 immensity of God

00:44:59.099 --> 00:44:59.900
 and it helps to

00:44:59.900 --> 00:45:00.699
 keep pushing us

00:45:00.699 --> 00:45:01.420
 to understand the

00:45:01.420 --> 00:45:02.079
 immensity of God

00:45:02.079 --> 00:45:03.000
 the immensity of

00:45:03.000 --> 00:45:03.380
 grace

00:45:03.380 --> 00:45:04.820
 the centrality of

00:45:04.820 --> 00:45:05.320
 the gospel

00:45:05.320 --> 00:45:06.480
 how the gospel

00:45:06.480 --> 00:45:08.440
 changes everything

00:45:08.440 --> 00:45:10.239
 as it grips us

00:45:10.239 --> 00:45:11.400
 as the gospel

00:45:11.400 --> 00:45:11.960
 grips us

00:45:11.960 --> 00:45:12.639
 it changes

00:45:12.639 --> 00:45:13.139
 everything

00:45:13.139 --> 00:45:14.000
 and here we

00:45:14.000 --> 00:45:14.360
 see that it's

00:45:14.360 --> 00:45:14.920
 going to change

00:45:14.920 --> 00:45:15.900
 our expectations

00:45:15.900 --> 00:45:19.000
 that as the

00:45:19.000 --> 00:45:20.159
 Bible comes into

00:45:20.159 --> 00:45:20.579
 us

00:45:20.579 --> 00:45:21.400
 there's going to

00:45:21.400 --> 00:45:22.019
 be a mixture

00:45:22.019 --> 00:45:22.599
 of bitterness

00:45:22.599 --> 00:45:23.400
 and sweetness

00:45:23.400 --> 00:45:25.760
 the constant

00:45:25.760 --> 00:45:26.659
 challenge to

00:45:26.659 --> 00:45:27.420
 the Christianity

00:45:27.420 --> 00:45:28.800
 in the postmodern

00:45:28.800 --> 00:45:30.059
 or modern West

00:45:30.059 --> 00:45:31.619
 is to invent a

00:45:31.619 --> 00:45:32.559
 form of Christianity

00:45:32.559 --> 00:45:33.920
 which is only sweet

00:45:33.920 --> 00:45:36.679
 and that will take

00:45:36.679 --> 00:45:37.780
 its hipster version

00:45:37.780 --> 00:45:39.440
 it'll take its

00:45:39.440 --> 00:45:40.600
 soccer mom version

00:45:40.600 --> 00:45:42.340
 it'll take its

00:45:42.340 --> 00:45:43.720
 immigrant version

00:45:43.720 --> 00:45:44.820
 it'll take its

00:45:44.820 --> 00:45:46.120
 old money version

00:45:46.120 --> 00:45:48.120
 it will take its

00:45:48.120 --> 00:45:49.260
 athletic version

00:45:49.260 --> 00:45:51.080
 it'll take its

00:45:51.080 --> 00:45:52.360
 charismatic version

00:45:52.360 --> 00:45:53.700
 its Catholic version

00:45:53.700 --> 00:45:55.340
 its evangelical version

00:45:55.340 --> 00:45:56.460
 but there's a

00:45:56.460 --> 00:45:57.980
 constant pressure

00:45:57.980 --> 00:45:59.000
 in the modern

00:45:59.000 --> 00:46:00.160
 and postmodern West

00:46:00.160 --> 00:46:01.280
 to try to conceive

00:46:01.280 --> 00:46:02.180
 of a Christianity

00:46:02.180 --> 00:46:03.700
 which is only sweet

00:46:03.699 --> 00:46:08.859
 and this text

00:46:08.859 --> 00:46:09.279
 is saying

00:46:09.279 --> 00:46:09.839
 as we read

00:46:09.839 --> 00:46:10.219
 the Bible

00:46:10.219 --> 00:46:11.000
 and memorize it

00:46:11.000 --> 00:46:12.159
 the word

00:46:12.159 --> 00:46:12.980
 will be sweet

00:46:12.980 --> 00:46:13.559
 to us

00:46:13.559 --> 00:46:14.799
 but there will

00:46:14.799 --> 00:46:15.619
 be some bitterness

00:46:15.619 --> 00:46:16.619
 and upsetness

00:46:16.619 --> 00:46:17.419
 in our stomach

00:46:17.419 --> 00:46:19.000
 well what does

00:46:19.000 --> 00:46:19.239
 that mean

00:46:19.239 --> 00:46:20.259
 well because

00:46:20.259 --> 00:46:20.659
 you see

00:46:20.659 --> 00:46:21.519
 as the word

00:46:21.519 --> 00:46:22.359
 comes into us

00:46:22.359 --> 00:46:22.839
 it's going to

00:46:22.839 --> 00:46:23.439
 challenge us

00:46:23.439 --> 00:46:23.839
 it's going to

00:46:23.839 --> 00:46:24.319
 challenge us

00:46:24.319 --> 00:46:24.779
 like it did

00:46:24.779 --> 00:46:25.039
 today

00:46:25.039 --> 00:46:26.179
 why is it

00:46:26.179 --> 00:46:26.899
 that I want

00:46:26.899 --> 00:46:27.500
 God to speak

00:46:27.500 --> 00:46:28.139
 with finality

00:46:28.139 --> 00:46:28.539
 and power

00:46:28.539 --> 00:46:29.119
 to tell other

00:46:29.119 --> 00:46:29.879
 people to shut

00:46:29.879 --> 00:46:30.159
 up

00:46:30.159 --> 00:46:31.659
 but I don't

00:46:31.659 --> 00:46:32.000
 want it

00:46:32.000 --> 00:46:32.599
 to speak

00:46:32.599 --> 00:46:33.359
 into my life

00:46:33.359 --> 00:46:33.779
 in a whole

00:46:33.779 --> 00:46:34.379
 lot of ways

00:46:34.379 --> 00:46:34.859
 why is it

00:46:34.859 --> 00:46:35.219
 I want

00:46:35.219 --> 00:46:36.539
 it to speak

00:46:36.539 --> 00:46:37.199
 into finality

00:46:37.199 --> 00:46:37.719
 maybe with

00:46:37.719 --> 00:46:38.420
 that bank

00:46:38.420 --> 00:46:38.819
 or that

00:46:38.819 --> 00:46:39.699
 that loan

00:46:39.699 --> 00:46:40.199
 officer

00:46:40.199 --> 00:46:40.980
 about money

00:46:40.980 --> 00:46:41.399
 but I don't

00:46:41.399 --> 00:46:41.879
 want the word

00:46:41.879 --> 00:46:42.239
 to speak

00:46:42.239 --> 00:46:42.839
 into my life

00:46:42.839 --> 00:46:43.319
 about money

00:46:43.319 --> 00:46:43.960
 why is it

00:46:43.960 --> 00:46:44.339
 like

00:46:44.339 --> 00:46:45.480
 and it's

00:46:45.480 --> 00:46:45.759
 going to

00:46:45.759 --> 00:46:46.639
 tell us

00:46:46.639 --> 00:46:47.000
 that maybe

00:46:47.000 --> 00:46:47.559
 rather than

00:46:47.559 --> 00:46:47.739
 that

00:46:47.739 --> 00:46:48.319
 that fellow

00:46:48.319 --> 00:46:49.299
 who tried

00:46:49.299 --> 00:46:49.899
 to embarrass

00:46:49.899 --> 00:46:50.379
 me in front

00:46:50.379 --> 00:46:51.059
 of the Starbucks

00:46:51.059 --> 00:46:51.519
 that rather

00:46:51.519 --> 00:46:52.019
 than viewing

00:46:52.019 --> 00:46:52.519
 him as an

00:46:52.519 --> 00:46:52.699
 enemy

00:46:52.699 --> 00:46:53.079
 I should

00:46:53.079 --> 00:46:53.399
 view him

00:46:53.399 --> 00:46:54.059
 as a friend

00:46:54.059 --> 00:46:54.460
 like that

00:46:54.460 --> 00:46:55.139
 you see what

00:46:55.139 --> 00:46:55.359
 I mean

00:46:55.359 --> 00:46:55.859
 like that

00:46:55.859 --> 00:46:56.339
 even that

00:46:56.339 --> 00:46:56.619
 that would

00:46:56.619 --> 00:46:57.440
 happen to me

00:46:57.440 --> 00:46:59.000
 that in fact

00:46:59.000 --> 00:47:00.000
 it's

00:47:00.000 --> 00:47:00.599
 changing

00:47:00.599 --> 00:47:02.099
 and transforming

00:47:02.099 --> 00:47:03.000
 my expectations

00:47:03.000 --> 00:47:03.880
 it's teaching

00:47:03.880 --> 00:47:04.599
 me to understand

00:47:04.599 --> 00:47:05.019
 that there's

00:47:05.019 --> 00:47:05.380
 going to be

00:47:05.380 --> 00:47:05.800
 a type

00:47:05.800 --> 00:47:06.480
 of suffering

00:47:06.480 --> 00:47:07.440
 that might

00:47:07.440 --> 00:47:08.139
 befall me

00:47:08.139 --> 00:47:08.960
 as a Christian

00:47:08.960 --> 00:47:10.500
 which comes

00:47:10.500 --> 00:47:11.579
 from the sweetness

00:47:11.579 --> 00:47:12.079
 of the word

00:47:12.079 --> 00:47:12.519
 of God

00:47:12.519 --> 00:47:15.380
 that there's

00:47:15.380 --> 00:47:15.699
 going to be

00:47:15.699 --> 00:47:16.559
 times at night

00:47:16.559 --> 00:47:17.059
 where I am

00:47:17.059 --> 00:47:17.679
 upset

00:47:17.679 --> 00:47:18.559
 and anxious

00:47:18.559 --> 00:47:19.599
 and as

00:47:19.599 --> 00:47:20.059
 Philippians

00:47:20.059 --> 00:47:20.559
 tell me

00:47:20.559 --> 00:47:21.300
 that's an

00:47:21.300 --> 00:47:21.900
 invitation

00:47:21.900 --> 00:47:22.360
 for me

00:47:22.360 --> 00:47:22.980
 to pray

00:47:22.980 --> 00:47:23.719
 into it

00:47:23.719 --> 00:47:24.880
 and to pray

00:47:24.880 --> 00:47:25.860
 into understanding

00:47:25.860 --> 00:47:26.519
 the immensity

00:47:26.519 --> 00:47:27.019
 of God

00:47:27.019 --> 00:47:27.659
 and the finality

00:47:27.659 --> 00:47:28.239
 of his word

00:47:28.239 --> 00:47:28.820
 and trust

00:47:28.820 --> 00:47:29.300
 in it

00:47:29.300 --> 00:47:31.660
 just

00:47:31.660 --> 00:47:33.000
 I don't have

00:47:33.000 --> 00:47:33.519
 my bulletin

00:47:33.519 --> 00:47:34.080
 up here today

00:47:34.080 --> 00:47:34.600
 but if you

00:47:34.600 --> 00:47:35.100
 look in the

00:47:35.100 --> 00:47:35.440
 bulletin

00:47:35.440 --> 00:47:36.100
 every week

00:47:36.100 --> 00:47:37.860
 I provide

00:47:37.860 --> 00:47:38.620
 something in the

00:47:38.620 --> 00:47:39.000
 bulletin

00:47:39.000 --> 00:47:39.519
 there's something

00:47:39.519 --> 00:47:39.800
 called

00:47:39.800 --> 00:47:40.440
 going deeper

00:47:40.440 --> 00:47:41.060
 which is a

00:47:41.060 --> 00:47:41.340
 way

00:47:41.340 --> 00:47:41.900
 this week

00:47:41.900 --> 00:47:42.280
 it's like

00:47:42.280 --> 00:47:42.640
 looking at

00:47:42.640 --> 00:47:43.120
 Ezekiel

00:47:43.120 --> 00:47:43.680
 and Psalm

00:47:43.680 --> 00:47:44.100
 29

00:47:44.100 --> 00:47:44.780
 and 1 Peter

00:47:44.780 --> 00:47:45.039
 4

00:47:45.039 --> 00:47:45.400
 to give you

00:47:45.400 --> 00:47:46.100
 some background

00:47:46.100 --> 00:47:46.980
 to help

00:47:46.980 --> 00:47:47.640
 we understand

00:47:47.640 --> 00:47:48.500
 Revelation 10

00:47:48.500 --> 00:47:49.200
 and there's

00:47:49.200 --> 00:47:49.640
 another thing

00:47:49.640 --> 00:47:49.960
 in there

00:47:49.960 --> 00:47:50.200
 called

00:47:50.200 --> 00:47:50.680
 growing in

00:47:50.680 --> 00:47:50.960
 grace

00:47:50.960 --> 00:47:51.480
 which tries

00:47:51.480 --> 00:47:52.160
 to show

00:47:52.160 --> 00:47:52.720
 us a Bible

00:47:52.720 --> 00:47:53.019
 verse

00:47:53.019 --> 00:47:53.440
 so we can

00:47:53.440 --> 00:47:53.720
 memorize

00:47:53.720 --> 00:47:54.420
 every week

00:47:54.420 --> 00:47:55.060
 it tries

00:47:55.060 --> 00:47:55.700
 to turn

00:47:55.700 --> 00:47:56.580
 part of the

00:47:56.580 --> 00:47:56.860
 text

00:47:56.860 --> 00:47:57.280
 into a

00:47:57.280 --> 00:47:57.580
 prayer

00:47:57.579 --> 00:47:58.559
 today I

00:47:58.559 --> 00:47:58.900
 could do

00:47:58.900 --> 00:47:59.319
 no better

00:47:59.319 --> 00:47:59.759
 than use

00:47:59.759 --> 00:48:00.440
 a prayer

00:48:00.440 --> 00:48:00.659
 that

00:48:00.659 --> 00:48:01.039
 Cramner

00:48:01.039 --> 00:48:01.319
 wrote

00:48:01.319 --> 00:48:02.000
 almost

00:48:02.000 --> 00:48:02.440
 600

00:48:02.440 --> 00:48:03.179
 years ago

00:48:03.179 --> 00:48:03.860
 it's called

00:48:03.860 --> 00:48:04.239
 the second

00:48:04.239 --> 00:48:04.799
 colic for

00:48:04.799 --> 00:48:05.079
 Advent

00:48:05.079 --> 00:48:05.900
 couldn't do

00:48:05.900 --> 00:48:06.219
 any better

00:48:06.219 --> 00:48:06.559
 than that

00:48:06.559 --> 00:48:06.799
 I just

00:48:06.799 --> 00:48:07.039
 thought I'll

00:48:07.039 --> 00:48:07.559
 let Cramner

00:48:07.559 --> 00:48:08.000
 speak

00:48:08.000 --> 00:48:09.219
 and some

00:48:09.219 --> 00:48:09.619
 attitudes

00:48:09.619 --> 00:48:10.460
 and it's

00:48:10.460 --> 00:48:11.059
 all part of

00:48:11.059 --> 00:48:11.619
 how we get

00:48:11.619 --> 00:48:12.219
 the word

00:48:12.219 --> 00:48:12.960
 into our

00:48:12.960 --> 00:48:13.219
 lives

00:48:13.219 --> 00:48:13.500
 let's

00:48:13.500 --> 00:48:13.840
 stand

00:48:13.840 --> 00:48:24.059
 let's

00:48:24.059 --> 00:48:24.360
 pray

00:48:24.360 --> 00:48:27.380
 living God

00:48:27.380 --> 00:48:28.039
 please grow

00:48:28.039 --> 00:48:28.539
 in me

00:48:28.539 --> 00:48:29.260
 please grow

00:48:29.260 --> 00:48:29.559
 in each

00:48:29.559 --> 00:48:30.160
 person who

00:48:30.160 --> 00:48:30.539
 is here

00:48:30.539 --> 00:48:31.079
 a humble

00:48:31.079 --> 00:48:31.660
 trusting

00:48:31.660 --> 00:48:32.200
 knowledge

00:48:32.200 --> 00:48:32.600
 of how

00:48:32.600 --> 00:48:33.579
 incomparably

00:48:33.579 --> 00:48:34.100
 immense

00:48:34.100 --> 00:48:34.780
 and sovereign

00:48:34.780 --> 00:48:35.360
 you truly

00:48:35.360 --> 00:48:35.700
 are

00:48:35.700 --> 00:48:37.980
 eternal

00:48:37.980 --> 00:48:38.400
 God

00:48:38.400 --> 00:48:39.360
 who alone

00:48:39.360 --> 00:48:39.820
 has created

00:48:39.820 --> 00:48:40.500
 all things

00:48:40.500 --> 00:48:41.180
 please grow

00:48:41.180 --> 00:48:41.539
 in me

00:48:41.539 --> 00:48:41.960
 and please

00:48:41.960 --> 00:48:42.500
 grow in us

00:48:42.500 --> 00:48:43.000
 a humble

00:48:43.000 --> 00:48:43.480
 trusting

00:48:43.480 --> 00:48:43.900
 knowledge

00:48:43.900 --> 00:48:44.340
 that you

00:48:44.340 --> 00:48:44.760
 speak

00:48:44.760 --> 00:48:44.980
 with

00:48:44.980 --> 00:48:45.500
 finality

00:48:45.500 --> 00:48:46.139
 authority

00:48:46.139 --> 00:48:46.780
 and power

00:48:46.780 --> 00:48:49.179
 dear God

00:48:49.179 --> 00:48:50.320
 please grow

00:48:50.320 --> 00:48:50.719
 in me

00:48:50.719 --> 00:48:51.159
 and please

00:48:51.159 --> 00:48:51.780
 grow in us

00:48:51.780 --> 00:48:52.360
 a humble

00:48:52.360 --> 00:48:52.900
 trusting

00:48:52.900 --> 00:48:53.400
 knowledge

00:48:53.400 --> 00:48:53.719
 that the

00:48:53.719 --> 00:48:54.099
 person

00:48:54.099 --> 00:48:54.579
 and work

00:48:54.579 --> 00:48:55.079
 of Jesus

00:48:55.079 --> 00:48:55.880
 is central

00:48:55.880 --> 00:48:56.300
 to the

00:48:56.300 --> 00:48:56.679
 end

00:48:56.679 --> 00:48:57.300
 you

00:48:57.300 --> 00:48:58.239
 unfailingly

00:48:58.239 --> 00:48:58.639
 will

00:48:58.639 --> 00:49:00.960
 we thank

00:49:00.960 --> 00:49:01.119
 you

00:49:01.119 --> 00:49:01.460
 father

00:49:01.460 --> 00:49:01.800
 that

00:49:01.800 --> 00:49:03.099
 as you

00:49:03.099 --> 00:49:03.440
 become

00:49:03.440 --> 00:49:03.679
 more

00:49:03.679 --> 00:49:04.079
 immense

00:49:04.079 --> 00:49:04.380
 in our

00:49:04.380 --> 00:49:04.739
 lives

00:49:04.739 --> 00:49:05.059
 we do

00:49:05.059 --> 00:49:05.219
 not

00:49:05.219 --> 00:49:05.539
 become

00:49:05.539 --> 00:49:06.199
 smaller

00:49:06.199 --> 00:49:07.019
 we become

00:49:07.019 --> 00:49:07.280
 more

00:49:07.280 --> 00:49:07.739
 human

00:49:07.739 --> 00:49:08.460
 we become

00:49:08.460 --> 00:49:08.760
 more

00:49:08.760 --> 00:49:09.199
 free

00:49:09.199 --> 00:49:11.320
 we can

00:49:11.320 --> 00:49:11.800
 have more

00:49:11.800 --> 00:49:12.480
 courage

00:49:12.480 --> 00:49:13.460
 and more

00:49:13.460 --> 00:49:14.099
 perseverance

00:49:14.099 --> 00:49:14.679
 and more

00:49:14.679 --> 00:49:15.240
 patience

00:49:15.240 --> 00:49:16.380
 father

00:49:16.380 --> 00:49:16.860
 grow

00:49:16.860 --> 00:49:17.539
 in me

00:49:17.539 --> 00:49:17.920
 grow

00:49:17.920 --> 00:49:18.860
 in us

00:49:18.860 --> 00:49:19.559
 a humble

00:49:19.559 --> 00:49:20.119
 trusting

00:49:20.119 --> 00:49:20.639
 knowledge

00:49:20.639 --> 00:49:21.059
 of your

00:49:21.059 --> 00:49:21.579
 immensity

00:49:21.579 --> 00:49:23.119
 and of the

00:49:23.119 --> 00:49:23.539
 immensity

00:49:23.539 --> 00:49:24.260
 of grace

00:49:24.260 --> 00:49:26.039
 dear God

00:49:26.039 --> 00:49:26.639
 please grow

00:49:26.639 --> 00:49:26.980
 in me

00:49:26.980 --> 00:49:27.599
 and please

00:49:27.599 --> 00:49:28.159
 grow in us

00:49:28.159 --> 00:49:28.699
 a humble

00:49:28.699 --> 00:49:29.219
 trusting

00:49:29.219 --> 00:49:29.699
 knowledge

00:49:29.699 --> 00:49:30.079
 of your

00:49:30.079 --> 00:49:30.360
 word

00:49:30.360 --> 00:49:30.579
 written

00:49:30.579 --> 00:49:31.079
 the Bible

00:49:31.079 --> 00:49:32.019
 as we

00:49:32.019 --> 00:49:32.480
 read it

00:49:32.480 --> 00:49:33.280
 and memorize

00:49:33.280 --> 00:49:33.960
 it together

00:49:33.960 --> 00:49:34.900
 and we

00:49:34.900 --> 00:49:35.300
 ask this

00:49:35.300 --> 00:49:35.519
 in the

00:49:35.519 --> 00:49:35.840
 name of

00:49:35.840 --> 00:49:36.179
 Jesus

00:49:36.179 --> 00:49:37.300
 Amen

00:49:37.300 --> 00:49:38.039