WEBVTT

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 Well, good morning, everybody. Happy Thanksgiving to you. Good morning. Good morning. Good to see you.

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 This is our first year ever staying and not traveling for Thanksgiving. And I think it's

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 habit forming. I think that we're here. We will never travel again. So somebody call my parents

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 and tell me, tell them the bad news. I hope everybody had a good Thanksgiving. To be totally

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 honest, for me, Thanksgiving is the start of a season that's always kind of hard. I don't know

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 why. I'm just one of these people that gets depressed around this time of year, even with

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 friends and family. I think that it's a hard time of year. I think it's a mixed bag for a lot of people.

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 It's a time of relationship focus, hopefully, spending time with friends and family. But if

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 I could be totally honest, I think that's part of the reason it's hard. You know, you're focusing on

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 trying to be with and to love people in your family, people who are your friends, and that could be kind

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 of a mixed bag. You know, in my family, I have people who are family members. I've known them my

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 whole life, and yet politically, they're completely on the opposite end of the spectrum from me. And

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 when they talk, I feel like there's no common ground. And it's hard to have a relationship

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 with people like that, even family members. You know, and then I have friends who are making

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 choices that I don't agree with, and it's frustrating. And it's hard when you see people

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 doing things that you wish they wouldn't do, that you feel like are damaging. And so it's a mixed bag

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 because I feel like I want to focus on loving people, and yet people are hard to love. And I find

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 myself thinking, you know, I would be a lot more loving if you were just a better person.

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 You know? By which I mean more like me. If you were more like me, I would be a much more loving

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 person toward you. And of course, that's not a realistic solution. But the Bible offers a better

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 solution for how to think about relationships, how to build relationships, what it takes to have a good,

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 loving relationship with people who are very different from us. We're looking at the book of

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 Galatians. And Galatians, you may not realize it, but it's a book all about relationships.

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 It's about what it means to build a good, healthy relationship with God and with other people.

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 And Galatia, as some of you may know, the region where this letter was originally intended to go,

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 Galatia was a very diverse place. You had religious and political and racial and ethnic diversity

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 in a major way. And so lots of division as a result. And so this letter is all about what it

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 takes to build relationships with God and a very diverse array of people who are sharing the same

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 community. So what we're going to do is we're going to look at Galatians chapter 3. And we're going to

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 start in verse 15. And John a moment ago read all the way through verse 29. I wanted to get the

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 overview for you so that you can see the whole passage because it's really beautiful. But we're

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 not going to get through the whole passage today. We're going to get through verse 22 about. And then

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 what we're going to do is beginning next week, we're going to take a break for the season of Advent

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 and Christmas. And then we're going to come back, I promise, to pick up where we left off in the

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 new year. So this is the last sermon on Galatians for a few weeks. But what we're going to do is

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 look at verses 15 to 22. And we're going to look first at what it says. I got to do a little unpacking

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 for you. And once we're on the same page with what it says, then we'll talk about what it means

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 for relationships with God and one another. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for your word. And as we

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 pray every week, we know that we are here not simply because we belong to this church or we

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 like to attend this church or because we're a friend who was invited or a family member who's

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 in town. Lord, we know that we're actually here by divine appointment, that somehow in your sovereignty,

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 you decided that we would be here in this time, in this place, to look at these words. And so we pray

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 that you would do your work through these words. I need it. We all need it. So Lord, we ask that in

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 the name of your son, Jesus Christ, the living word. Amen. So let's look at what this says. And to get

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 into what it says, I want to give you an image to think about as we get into this text together.

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 Imagine that you're building a house. Some of you have built a house or you've renovated a house.

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 But imagine that you're building a house. And imagine that you have to choose your building

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 material. And imagine that you have a choice between two options. Building material number one

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 for your house is material that's cheap. It is plentiful. It is abundant. You can find it everywhere.

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 And so it's the cost efficient way to go. And yet the problem is it's very brittle and it's a very low

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 quality. And if you build a house out of this cheap, plentiful material, the house is going to

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 be crooked. It's going to be unstable. And the slightest gust of wind is going to knock it down.

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 Or you can choose to build your house out of a very rare and precious and costly material.

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 The problem is that material is probably going to cost everything that you have. And yet it will last

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 through anything. The house that comes out of that material will weather any storm. It will never

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 let you down. This is kind of like what's going on in Galatians. Galatians says that it's the same

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 when we're building relationships. Right? So we're not building a house. We're building relationships.

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 But Galatians essentially says when you are building your relationship, your friendships,

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 your marriage, your church community, you have essentially two materials you can build those

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 relationships out of. Up until Paul came, the Galatians had only been using one of these materials,

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 which we might call the way of the law. Relationships with God and other people were built on the law

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 and all of the assumptions that come with the law. And as a result of that, the relationships,

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 relationships were very brittle and fragile and society was deeply divided and these relationships

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 easily crumbled. And people who had built their relationship with God on the law, on law keeping,

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 never knew where they stood with God. The relationship was always in question. And so Paul comes to Galatia

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 and he says the law was never meant to be a building material for relationships. You were never meant to base

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 your relationship with God or anyone on the law. And he says you were always meant to build these

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 relationships on grace, which is a very costly, very precious, and very rare material. And yet when you

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 build a relationship on grace, it lasts forever. And Paul says God always intended this to be the way

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 we build relationships with him and other people. And now Jesus Christ has made this possible in a way

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 that it was never possible before. So the core disagreement when we get into this letter is

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 this. What is the relationship between law and grace? Are law and grace fundamentally opposed?

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 Opposite ways to build relationships? Or are they part of the same thing? Is there some way in which

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 law and grace work together? That's the question. So let's get into this. Are law and grace

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 diametrically opposed or not? As I think Paul says in verse 21, is the law opposed to the promises of God?

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 And here's what Paul says. Here's how he answers it. And this gets fairly technical. So what I want to do

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 is just sort of summarize in my own words what Paul says here. But Paul uses the analogy of a will,

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 like a legal will. So imagine that you and your spouse sit down and you make out a will. Last will

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 and testament. And imagine you say, you know what? If the worst happens and we pass away,

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 we're going to leave everything to our oldest son. That's going to be the way. That's the way it was

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 in the ancient Near East, right? So everything, worst happens and we die, our oldest son gets everything.

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 You write that will, you sign it, it's done. And imagine a few years later the worst happens and God forbid,

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 you pass away. And then imagine the lawyer sits down with your oldest son and gets out your will

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 and says, well, according to this will, now that your parents have passed away, the full inheritance

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 is yours. And then imagine the lawyer sets down the will and says, but only if you graduate with

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 honors and you get a good job and you get a good spouse and you prove that you can be a respectable

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 member of society, then you'll get the inheritance. Now Paul says, does the lawyer have the right to do that?

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 Absolutely not, right? Because once that will has been ratified, once that covenant has been ratified,

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 you can't add to it. You can't edit it. You can't amend it. The lawyer does not have the right to do that.

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 Your will says, my son gets everything. No ifs, ands, or buts, no contingencies.

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 And so Paul says something similar has happened with God and his people.

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 That long ago, God essentially made his will known. He comes to Abraham and he says,

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 I'm going to make you a promise and I'm going to bless you and I'm going to bless all of your family

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 and I'm going to make you into a great nation and I'm going to give you land and I'm going to give you honor

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 and then eventually

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 an offspring is going to be born. A seed.

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 Not offspring, plural.

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 Paul clarifies, one single individual is going to be born

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 and God is going to pass his full inheritance to that individual.

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 He's going to get everything.

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 He's going to get all the power, all the blessing, all the authority, all the privilege.

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 It's all going to go to him.

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 And of course, Paul says, this is Jesus Christ.

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 And then God says, and through him, everybody's going to be blessed.

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 In other words, anybody who comes to Jesus,

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 Jesus is going to share the inheritance with those people.

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 If you come to Jesus in faith and repentance, Jesus says, take your share of the inheritance.

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 It was promised to you long ago and now because you are in me,

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 it belongs to you as well.

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 So this is the promise.

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 This is the last will and testament, so to speak, that God gives to Abraham.

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 And so Paul says, if this is the case,

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 then why after another 430 years does God then give the law?

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 And the question is, is this like the lawyer sitting down and adding things to the will?

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 Right?

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 Is God changing and revising his will?

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 Is he going back on his word?

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 Is he second guessing his promise that he made to Abraham?

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 And Paul says, absolutely not.

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 Certainly not.

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 So then this begs the question, what is the point of the law?

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 If God said, I promise to bless you and your descendants, that's it.

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 Then why was the law ever added?

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 What role does it serve?

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 And this is the question that this passage answers.

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 Because verse 19 says this, the law was added because of transgressions.

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 In other words, the law was added to expose and reveal sin.

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 To expose and reveal sin.

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 So imagine that somebody comes to your house.

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 I don't know what your house looks like after Thanksgiving.

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 Our house kind of looked like a bomb went off.

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 But it always kind of looks like that.

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 But especially it looked like that this time.

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 And so imagine that somebody comes to your house, it's post-Thanksgiving meal.

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 And they say, we're going to clean your house and we're going to disinfect it for free.

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 Right?

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 That would be amazing.

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 Right?

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 But imagine that it's not post-Thanksgiving.

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 It's not like a bomb has gone off.

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 And it's your house.

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 Those of you who are clean people.

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 And imagine it's your house in its normal state.

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 Right?

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 And you look around at your house and you say, well, yeah, there are a few dirty dishes.

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 And they're, you know, but I don't really think we need a professional intervention here.

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 I think we're going to be fine.

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 Right?

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 Well, then what happens if you hold up a UV light?

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 Right?

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 I mean, at least in our house.

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 I don't know about your house.

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 You're not going to want to come over after this sermon.

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 But if you hold up a UV light, what?

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 You're going to think, you think your problem is just you had a few dirty dishes in the sink.

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 But you hold up that UV light and you start to realize, oh my gosh, there are all kinds of stains.

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 And all kinds of filth that are now glowing that I couldn't see with my eye.

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 And now I see them.

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 Right?

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 And Paul says that's the function of the law.

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 The law is like the UV light that reveals things that we couldn't see before.

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 Our house is a lot dirtier than we think.

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 Right?

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 Or imagine somebody comes to you and says, I'm going to give you all of the treatment, all of the surgery, everything you need to save your life.

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 And you say, well, thanks, but I feel fine.

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 And then imagine that person holds up an MRI scan and you see the tumor.

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 Right?

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 And you realize, oh, I'm not fine.

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 That's the law.

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 The law is the MRI scan that shows you the reality of what's going on in here.

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 Right?

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 So Paul says the law was given for the sake of transgressions, because of transgressions.

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 And so his point is this.

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 The law is not opposed to grace.

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 It's not law or grace.

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 The entire purpose of the law is to convince us of our desperate need for grace.

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 We need grace.

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 So, you know, legalists will use the law as a way to prove themselves righteous.

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 But Paul says, no, the law isn't a way to prove that you're righteous.

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 The law is here to prove that we're sinners.

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 It's here to prove that we're unrighteous.

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 It's here to prove that we need grace.

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 There's a writer named John Shore.

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 You may be familiar with him.

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 I don't agree with a lot of what he says.

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 But he wrote a post a few years ago that I saved because I thought it was really interesting.

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 Because it was about his Christian conversion.

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 And I think it's noteworthy because it illustrates what we're talking about here today.

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 It's an article, if you want to look it up, called,

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 I, a rabid anti-Christian, very suddenly convert.

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 He wrote it in the Huffington Post.

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 But he's a guy, he describes himself, John Shore was not religious.

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 He was actually pretty anti-religious.

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 He thought Christianity was immature and manipulative.

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 And for people of low intelligence, he had kind of bought into the prevailing religion of the age.

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 You know, he said, I believed in myself.

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 I loved myself.

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 And when necessary, I forgave myself.

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 It's essentially like every Disney movie ever.

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 And that was essentially his view.

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 And then one day, one day he's just sitting at work.

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 And he says he's sitting there and he's kind of mulling over, as he says,

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 a particularly immature, semi-destructive thing I'd done.

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 And he's mulling this over and feeling some regret.

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 And all of a sudden, he begins to feel this strange feeling come over him.

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 And he doesn't know what's going on.

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 But he senses that there's something spiritual or psychological happening to him.

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 And he immediately feels the need to stand up and to get somewhere private.

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 But in his kind of, you know, open floor plan workspace,

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 the only privacy he can find is the broom closet.

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 So he literally stands up, tells his co-workers he'll be right back,

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 runs to the broom closet, opens the door, and just shuts the door,

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 and just stands in the broom closet.

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 And he says that he stood there kind of waiting,

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 having this sense that something was going to happen.

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 So he's standing in the broom closet by himself.

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 And here's what he says.

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 All at once, the truth was before me that instead of being a good guy

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 who's basically always trying to do the right thing,

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 I was a selfish, emotional weakling

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 who was always doing and saying whatever best served my own needs at the time.

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 And he goes on to say this.

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 What suddenly became a fact to me

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 was that I'd been fooling myself for so long I'd forgotten the act.

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 I wasn't the great, honorable person I started out to be,

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 that I'd meant to become, that I actually thought I was.

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 And here's the key.

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 I was just another guy so busy thinking he's constructing the perfect home

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 that he doesn't realize how long ago he stopped using a level.

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 He essentially realizes that he's been deceiving himself.

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 And the level, the level that shows you whether your house is straight or crooked,

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 the level that is your gauge of whether or not you are in fact the great,

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 amazing person you think you are,

00:16:46.519 --> 00:16:47.659
 that level is the law.

00:16:47.659 --> 00:16:50.620
 That's the function of the law, right?

00:16:50.740 --> 00:16:52.699
 It's the great level of life.

00:16:53.480 --> 00:16:56.679
 It shows us just how crooked we have become.

00:16:57.199 --> 00:16:58.899
 And so Shore sort of realizes

00:16:58.899 --> 00:17:02.719
 that everything he thought was upright is actually crooked

00:17:02.719 --> 00:17:04.879
 and falling apart in his life.

00:17:05.500 --> 00:17:07.139
 And he's been deceiving himself.

00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:09.759
 And so he sees this crushing truth.

00:17:10.859 --> 00:17:12.539
 And then beyond that he says,

00:17:12.740 --> 00:17:13.839
 and that wasn't the worst part,

00:17:13.899 --> 00:17:16.099
 he says the worst part is I realized I was never going to change.

00:17:16.099 --> 00:17:21.079
 That I was never going to have the force of will

00:17:21.079 --> 00:17:24.059
 and the strength of character to ever be any different.

00:17:24.579 --> 00:17:25.000
 And then he says,

00:17:25.079 --> 00:17:26.399
 and then I saw my own death.

00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:27.359
 He says,

00:17:27.419 --> 00:17:28.799
 I realized that the day was going to come

00:17:28.799 --> 00:17:29.759
 and I was going to die

00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:32.639
 and I was going to be the exact same person that I am right now

00:17:32.639 --> 00:17:34.359
 and I was never going to be any different

00:17:34.359 --> 00:17:36.379
 or any better than I am right now.

00:17:36.619 --> 00:17:39.159
 And it says that this realization hits him and he starts to cry.

00:17:40.039 --> 00:17:41.259
 So imagine this man,

00:17:41.599 --> 00:17:42.659
 this kind of secular humanist,

00:17:43.019 --> 00:17:44.079
 anti-religious person,

00:17:44.219 --> 00:17:46.000
 standing in a broom closet by himself weeping.

00:17:46.619 --> 00:17:47.759
 You know, right?

00:17:47.939 --> 00:17:50.699
 That's an amazing moment for anybody, right?

00:17:51.099 --> 00:17:52.199
 And then he says this,

00:17:52.219 --> 00:17:53.039
 he starts crying

00:17:53.039 --> 00:17:55.219
 and then he says he hears a voice

00:17:55.219 --> 00:17:57.199
 and the voice says,

00:17:57.799 --> 00:18:00.439
 isn't this what Jesus is for?

00:18:01.899 --> 00:18:03.299
 Isn't this what Jesus is for?

00:18:03.799 --> 00:18:04.579
 And here's what he says,

00:18:04.679 --> 00:18:06.119
 and just like that I stopped crying.

00:18:07.159 --> 00:18:08.699
 And do you know what I knew at that moment?

00:18:09.000 --> 00:18:11.319
 What instantly imprinted itself upon me?

00:18:11.659 --> 00:18:14.219
 That the story of Jesus is historically true.

00:18:14.600 --> 00:18:15.360
 That it happened.

00:18:15.799 --> 00:18:17.440
 That God desiring above all else

00:18:17.440 --> 00:18:18.759
 to show the people he'd created

00:18:18.759 --> 00:18:19.799
 that he loved them,

00:18:20.059 --> 00:18:20.839
 became a human

00:18:20.839 --> 00:18:21.960
 and came to earth

00:18:21.960 --> 00:18:23.400
 and sacrificed himself

00:18:23.400 --> 00:18:24.420
 and in every way

00:18:24.420 --> 00:18:26.079
 did everything he possibly could

00:18:26.079 --> 00:18:27.600
 to show people exactly

00:18:27.600 --> 00:18:29.339
 how deeply and terribly

00:18:29.339 --> 00:18:30.400
 he loves them.

00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:34.420
 So it wasn't that he was historically convinced

00:18:34.420 --> 00:18:35.640
 of the truth of Jesus

00:18:35.640 --> 00:18:37.100
 and then tried to figure out

00:18:37.100 --> 00:18:38.400
 how that was relevant to him.

00:18:39.519 --> 00:18:40.600
 What happened to him

00:18:40.600 --> 00:18:42.940
 is that he saw the truth about his own heart.

00:18:43.240 --> 00:18:45.519
 He saw the truth about his own condition.

00:18:45.880 --> 00:18:46.640
 And at that point,

00:18:46.740 --> 00:18:48.280
 the only thing that made sense,

00:18:48.360 --> 00:18:50.860
 the only way he could possibly make sense of that

00:18:50.860 --> 00:18:52.900
 was to look to Jesus.

00:18:52.900 --> 00:18:56.060
 And everything began to fall into place.

00:18:56.740 --> 00:18:58.019
 And what we see in this story

00:18:58.019 --> 00:19:00.340
 is the very purpose of the law at work.

00:19:00.460 --> 00:19:02.000
 It's this level that comes in,

00:19:02.060 --> 00:19:03.540
 this plumb line that comes in,

00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:04.740
 this MRI scan,

00:19:04.820 --> 00:19:06.380
 this UV light that comes in

00:19:06.380 --> 00:19:08.019
 that brings us to that place

00:19:08.019 --> 00:19:08.860
 where we realize,

00:19:09.120 --> 00:19:11.200
 isn't this what Jesus is for?

00:19:11.920 --> 00:19:13.180
 That's the entire purpose.

00:19:14.340 --> 00:19:16.060
 So this is what Paul is saying.

00:19:17.000 --> 00:19:18.780
 That's the relationship between the law

00:19:18.780 --> 00:19:20.720
 and the grace of Jesus Christ.

00:19:20.720 --> 00:19:20.900
 That's right.

00:19:20.940 --> 00:19:22.079
 The law is meant to show us

00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:22.860
 that we need the grace.

00:19:23.220 --> 00:19:24.660
 So now I want to bring this back

00:19:24.660 --> 00:19:25.620
 to our original question.

00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:27.120
 How does it look different

00:19:27.120 --> 00:19:28.740
 when we build relationships

00:19:28.740 --> 00:19:30.240
 with God and one another

00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:31.740
 based on the law,

00:19:32.579 --> 00:19:34.059
 my ability to do the right thing,

00:19:34.339 --> 00:19:35.720
 to be a morally upright person,

00:19:35.900 --> 00:19:37.440
 versus on grace?

00:19:37.779 --> 00:19:39.279
 This idea that from the start,

00:19:39.640 --> 00:19:41.200
 we are the undeserving recipients

00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:42.880
 of tremendous blessing.

00:19:43.220 --> 00:19:44.880
 What does that look like

00:19:44.880 --> 00:19:46.500
 when it plays out in our relationships?

00:19:47.360 --> 00:19:47.900
 So first,

00:19:47.980 --> 00:19:48.480
 let's just talk about

00:19:48.480 --> 00:19:49.539
 our relationship with God.

00:19:50.720 --> 00:19:52.220
 What does it look like

00:19:52.220 --> 00:19:54.220
 to build your relationship with God

00:19:54.220 --> 00:19:56.740
 on your own excellence?

00:19:56.960 --> 00:19:58.740
 Which I think is human nature, right?

00:19:58.920 --> 00:20:00.240
 We assume that most people

00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:02.259
 are pretty good people,

00:20:02.559 --> 00:20:04.160
 and when you ask me about me,

00:20:04.279 --> 00:20:05.700
 I assume that I'm probably

00:20:05.700 --> 00:20:07.660
 on at least the top 50%

00:20:07.660 --> 00:20:08.860
 of most people.

00:20:09.240 --> 00:20:10.880
 Maybe top 20%.

00:20:10.880 --> 00:20:12.700
 Maybe on a good day,

00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:13.660
 you know,

00:20:13.700 --> 00:20:14.579
 when I'm like volunteering

00:20:14.579 --> 00:20:15.180
 in the holidays,

00:20:15.420 --> 00:20:16.559
 maybe like top 10%,

00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:17.059
 you know?

00:20:17.059 --> 00:20:19.279
 And relative to most people,

00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:20.460
 I'm a pretty good person, right?

00:20:20.559 --> 00:20:21.919
 And so if God is gonna decide

00:20:21.919 --> 00:20:22.559
 between good people

00:20:22.559 --> 00:20:23.019
 and bad people,

00:20:23.099 --> 00:20:24.299
 I'm probably gonna be

00:20:24.299 --> 00:20:25.740
 one of the good guys.

00:20:26.579 --> 00:20:28.059
 I'm not a murderer, right?

00:20:28.119 --> 00:20:28.980
 I'm not a serial killer.

00:20:29.440 --> 00:20:30.099
 So I'm probably

00:20:30.099 --> 00:20:30.859
 one of the good guys.

00:20:31.559 --> 00:20:33.200
 And yet we realize

00:20:33.200 --> 00:20:34.119
 that if we try to build

00:20:34.119 --> 00:20:35.179
 our relationship with God

00:20:35.179 --> 00:20:36.119
 on law keeping,

00:20:36.919 --> 00:20:38.200
 and that's the foundation,

00:20:38.579 --> 00:20:39.319
 you know what's gonna happen

00:20:39.319 --> 00:20:39.919
 to your faith?

00:20:39.920 --> 00:20:42.539
 Your faith,

00:20:43.140 --> 00:20:44.400
 your sense of your relationship

00:20:44.400 --> 00:20:44.980
 with God

00:20:44.980 --> 00:20:46.440
 is either going to be

00:20:46.440 --> 00:20:47.720
 associated with guilt

00:20:47.720 --> 00:20:48.660
 and discouragement

00:20:48.660 --> 00:20:50.600
 because you're never gonna feel

00:20:50.600 --> 00:20:51.380
 like you're doing enough,

00:20:52.039 --> 00:20:53.519
 or it's gonna be associated

00:20:53.519 --> 00:20:55.400
 with a kind of mild sense

00:20:55.400 --> 00:20:56.039
 of superiority.

00:20:57.380 --> 00:20:57.519
 You know,

00:20:57.539 --> 00:20:58.300
 and there are people like this

00:20:58.300 --> 00:20:58.820
 in the church

00:20:58.820 --> 00:21:00.519
 with kind of a vague sense

00:21:00.519 --> 00:21:01.080
 of superiority,

00:21:01.519 --> 00:21:01.800
 you know?

00:21:02.660 --> 00:21:03.880
 Your prayer life

00:21:03.880 --> 00:21:05.620
 is gonna be primarily

00:21:05.620 --> 00:21:06.539
 about getting God

00:21:06.539 --> 00:21:07.279
 to do his part.

00:21:08.220 --> 00:21:08.480
 You know,

00:21:08.480 --> 00:21:10.160
 I've done my part for you, God.

00:21:10.660 --> 00:21:11.779
 I've been involved at church.

00:21:11.860 --> 00:21:12.279
 I've volunteered.

00:21:12.380 --> 00:21:13.019
 I've done these things.

00:21:13.120 --> 00:21:14.019
 And now I expect you

00:21:14.019 --> 00:21:15.120
 to uphold your end of the bargain.

00:21:15.200 --> 00:21:16.900
 That's a law-based relationship

00:21:16.900 --> 00:21:17.440
 with God.

00:21:18.180 --> 00:21:19.400
 You're gonna assume

00:21:19.400 --> 00:21:20.700
 most of the time

00:21:20.700 --> 00:21:21.759
 you're gonna assume

00:21:21.759 --> 00:21:22.660
 that God is kind of

00:21:22.660 --> 00:21:23.460
 disappointed in you.

00:21:24.860 --> 00:21:25.740
 We talk about this

00:21:25.740 --> 00:21:26.360
 a lot in the church

00:21:26.360 --> 00:21:27.360
 because it's very common

00:21:27.360 --> 00:21:28.400
 for people to feel

00:21:28.400 --> 00:21:29.599
 that God is disappointed in them.

00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:31.079
 I have this vague sense

00:21:31.079 --> 00:21:31.900
 that I should probably

00:21:31.900 --> 00:21:32.960
 be doing more than I am.

00:21:34.220 --> 00:21:34.500
 You know,

00:21:34.599 --> 00:21:35.259
 in church

00:21:35.259 --> 00:21:36.539
 when a preacher brings up

00:21:36.539 --> 00:21:37.000
 praying,

00:21:37.240 --> 00:21:38.059
 your first thought is,

00:21:38.059 --> 00:21:38.379
 oh,

00:21:38.399 --> 00:21:39.339
 I should be praying more.

00:21:40.079 --> 00:21:40.279
 You know?

00:21:40.679 --> 00:21:42.079
 And there's this vague sense

00:21:42.079 --> 00:21:43.500
 that I'm never quite doing enough.

00:21:44.159 --> 00:21:45.220
 This nagging sense

00:21:45.220 --> 00:21:46.440
 of spiritual inadequacy.

00:21:47.119 --> 00:21:49.159
 That's a good diagnostic indicator

00:21:49.159 --> 00:21:50.139
 that your relationship

00:21:50.139 --> 00:21:50.799
 with God

00:21:50.799 --> 00:21:51.919
 is connected

00:21:51.919 --> 00:21:53.179
 to your own

00:21:53.179 --> 00:21:54.399
 moral excellence.

00:21:55.700 --> 00:21:56.940
 There's a very different

00:21:56.940 --> 00:21:57.740
 kind of relationship

00:21:57.740 --> 00:21:58.339
 that happens

00:21:58.339 --> 00:21:59.000
 when we base

00:21:59.000 --> 00:21:59.579
 our relationship

00:21:59.579 --> 00:22:00.159
 with God

00:22:00.159 --> 00:22:01.279
 on grace.

00:22:01.839 --> 00:22:02.399
 And this is what

00:22:02.399 --> 00:22:03.079
 Christians do.

00:22:03.659 --> 00:22:04.379
 Christians build

00:22:04.379 --> 00:22:05.000
 their relationship

00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:06.740
 on the grace of God.

00:22:06.740 --> 00:22:06.779
 God.

00:22:07.319 --> 00:22:08.259
 Which means,

00:22:08.400 --> 00:22:09.460
 going back to what we said,

00:22:10.759 --> 00:22:11.500
 you see

00:22:11.500 --> 00:22:12.440
 the blessing

00:22:12.440 --> 00:22:14.000
 and the presence

00:22:14.000 --> 00:22:14.400
 of God

00:22:14.400 --> 00:22:15.059
 in your life

00:22:15.059 --> 00:22:16.500
 as your inheritance.

00:22:17.799 --> 00:22:18.039
 I mean,

00:22:18.059 --> 00:22:18.900
 that's an amazing idea,

00:22:18.960 --> 00:22:19.180
 right?

00:22:19.660 --> 00:22:21.299
 That before you were ever born,

00:22:21.400 --> 00:22:22.579
 way back in ancient history,

00:22:22.980 --> 00:22:24.299
 God came to a man

00:22:24.299 --> 00:22:26.180
 that we can only imagine,

00:22:26.539 --> 00:22:27.339
 this guy named Abraham,

00:22:27.779 --> 00:22:28.240
 and said,

00:22:28.339 --> 00:22:28.940
 I'm going to leave

00:22:28.940 --> 00:22:29.480
 an inheritance

00:22:29.480 --> 00:22:30.539
 with you.

00:22:30.960 --> 00:22:31.680
 I'm going to pass

00:22:31.680 --> 00:22:32.160
 this inheritance

00:22:32.160 --> 00:22:33.740
 down through your family line.

00:22:33.740 --> 00:22:34.539
 And eventually

00:22:34.539 --> 00:22:35.180
 this inheritance

00:22:35.180 --> 00:22:35.859
 is going to be given

00:22:35.859 --> 00:22:36.339
 to Jesus.

00:22:36.579 --> 00:22:37.059
 And eventually

00:22:37.059 --> 00:22:37.920
 everyone who comes

00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:38.299
 to Jesus

00:22:38.299 --> 00:22:39.039
 is going to share

00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:39.740
 in that inheritance.

00:22:39.960 --> 00:22:40.819
 And when God said that,

00:22:40.839 --> 00:22:41.519
 he had you in mind.

00:22:42.799 --> 00:22:43.660
 That when you came

00:22:43.660 --> 00:22:44.059
 to Jesus,

00:22:44.180 --> 00:22:44.859
 you had an inheritance

00:22:44.859 --> 00:22:45.660
 waiting for you.

00:22:46.400 --> 00:22:47.259
 And you didn't do anything

00:22:47.259 --> 00:22:47.660
 to earn it.

00:22:47.700 --> 00:22:48.480
 You weren't even alive.

00:22:49.299 --> 00:22:50.120
 But God said,

00:22:50.200 --> 00:22:50.559
 it's yours.

00:22:51.640 --> 00:22:52.519
 And when you come,

00:22:53.519 --> 00:22:54.200
 you can have it.

00:22:55.120 --> 00:22:55.660
 That's it.

00:22:55.740 --> 00:22:56.339
 That's the promise.

00:22:56.880 --> 00:22:57.940
 And when you realize

00:22:57.940 --> 00:22:58.980
 my relationship with God

00:22:58.980 --> 00:23:00.120
 is based on that,

00:23:00.640 --> 00:23:01.779
 on God's promise

00:23:01.779 --> 00:23:02.380
 to me

00:23:02.380 --> 00:23:03.480
 through all of these people

00:23:03.480 --> 00:23:04.100
 I don't know.

00:23:04.820 --> 00:23:06.020
 Through all of this history

00:23:06.020 --> 00:23:07.140
 that I'm only learning about.

00:23:07.640 --> 00:23:08.560
 When you realize that,

00:23:08.620 --> 00:23:09.540
 it sort of fills you

00:23:09.540 --> 00:23:10.480
 with this sense of gratitude

00:23:10.480 --> 00:23:11.900
 and surprise

00:23:11.900 --> 00:23:12.960
 and joy.

00:23:14.540 --> 00:23:15.860
 Your faith becomes

00:23:15.860 --> 00:23:16.940
 this place of freedom

00:23:16.940 --> 00:23:18.380
 and joy.

00:23:18.680 --> 00:23:19.420
 When you realize

00:23:19.420 --> 00:23:20.020
 that it's a gift,

00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:21.720
 you begin to pray to God,

00:23:21.900 --> 00:23:22.820
 not because you want

00:23:22.820 --> 00:23:23.680
 to get something from God,

00:23:23.720 --> 00:23:24.720
 but just to spend time

00:23:24.720 --> 00:23:25.380
 with God,

00:23:25.400 --> 00:23:26.340
 to be closer to God.

00:23:27.220 --> 00:23:28.180
 You're going to assume

00:23:28.180 --> 00:23:29.000
 that God's love

00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:30.340
 and delight is yours.

00:23:30.840 --> 00:23:32.280
 And that's going to motivate you

00:23:32.279 --> 00:23:32.859
 to want to become

00:23:32.859 --> 00:23:33.619
 more the person

00:23:33.619 --> 00:23:35.119
 that God is turning you into.

00:23:35.700 --> 00:23:36.720
 Because you're going to know.

00:23:37.500 --> 00:23:38.940
 His love and approval

00:23:38.940 --> 00:23:40.319
 is not up for debate.

00:23:41.259 --> 00:23:42.379
 So this is the difference

00:23:42.379 --> 00:23:43.920
 that grace can make, right?

00:23:44.079 --> 00:23:45.639
 So churches can be built

00:23:45.639 --> 00:23:46.339
 on the law

00:23:46.339 --> 00:23:48.099
 or on grace as well.

00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:48.420
 I don't know

00:23:48.420 --> 00:23:49.039
 if you've ever been

00:23:49.039 --> 00:23:50.059
 to a church

00:23:50.059 --> 00:23:51.220
 that was built squarely

00:23:51.220 --> 00:23:52.279
 on the law,

00:23:52.379 --> 00:23:53.259
 but there are plenty

00:23:53.259 --> 00:23:54.059
 of them around.

00:23:54.799 --> 00:23:55.839
 And you can tell,

00:23:55.980 --> 00:23:56.960
 and often churches

00:23:56.960 --> 00:23:57.819
 are not one or the other.

00:23:58.339 --> 00:23:58.480
 You know,

00:23:58.539 --> 00:23:59.319
 I've had conversations

00:23:59.319 --> 00:23:59.899
 in our church,

00:23:59.960 --> 00:24:00.720
 and I've had encounters

00:24:00.720 --> 00:24:01.140
 where I think,

00:24:01.440 --> 00:24:01.640
 wow,

00:24:01.759 --> 00:24:03.500
 there's a lot of law

00:24:03.500 --> 00:24:04.299
 going on here.

00:24:04.980 --> 00:24:06.200
 And I'll tell you

00:24:06.200 --> 00:24:06.680
 what I mean.

00:24:07.880 --> 00:24:09.240
 In church cultures

00:24:09.240 --> 00:24:10.180
 that are defined

00:24:10.180 --> 00:24:11.799
 by law rather than grace,

00:24:12.640 --> 00:24:14.059
 everybody seems

00:24:14.059 --> 00:24:14.860
 to have it together.

00:24:16.019 --> 00:24:16.860
 That's how you tell.

00:24:16.980 --> 00:24:17.940
 You walk into the room,

00:24:18.500 --> 00:24:19.480
 everybody looks good,

00:24:19.880 --> 00:24:21.000
 everybody's manicured,

00:24:21.500 --> 00:24:21.660
 you know,

00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:22.480
 they're as put together

00:24:22.480 --> 00:24:23.579
 as their online profile

00:24:23.579 --> 00:24:24.160
 would indicate.

00:24:25.059 --> 00:24:25.660
 You know,

00:24:25.720 --> 00:24:26.420
 everything is great.

00:24:26.420 --> 00:24:27.440
 And you ask them

00:24:27.440 --> 00:24:28.480
 how life is,

00:24:28.580 --> 00:24:29.279
 and how is it

00:24:29.279 --> 00:24:29.980
 having young kids,

00:24:30.100 --> 00:24:31.120
 and how's your first

00:24:31.120 --> 00:24:31.660
 year of marriage?

00:24:31.759 --> 00:24:32.500
 Oh, it's great.

00:24:33.019 --> 00:24:33.800
 Everything's great.

00:24:34.200 --> 00:24:34.920
 It's fine.

00:24:35.019 --> 00:24:36.039
 It's perfect, right?

00:24:37.560 --> 00:24:38.259
 And that's how

00:24:38.259 --> 00:24:39.200
 you begin to sense,

00:24:39.300 --> 00:24:40.220
 ah, this might be

00:24:40.220 --> 00:24:41.420
 a law culture, right?

00:24:41.560 --> 00:24:42.380
 Because people are

00:24:42.380 --> 00:24:43.820
 really good at hiding sin

00:24:43.820 --> 00:24:44.779
 in a law culture.

00:24:44.900 --> 00:24:45.660
 Because there's nothing

00:24:45.660 --> 00:24:46.320
 to do with,

00:24:46.360 --> 00:24:47.220
 you can't deal with

00:24:47.220 --> 00:24:48.600
 your sin in a law culture.

00:24:48.600 --> 00:24:48.940
 There's nothing

00:24:48.940 --> 00:24:49.539
 to do with it.

00:24:50.060 --> 00:24:50.740
 And so the best thing

00:24:50.740 --> 00:24:51.120
 that you can do

00:24:51.120 --> 00:24:51.740
 is hide it.

00:24:52.960 --> 00:24:53.080
 Right?

00:24:53.140 --> 00:24:54.060
 And along with that,

00:24:54.059 --> 00:24:54.799
 there tends to be

00:24:54.799 --> 00:24:55.759
 an over-focus

00:24:55.759 --> 00:24:58.240
 on certain visible sins.

00:24:59.059 --> 00:24:59.480
 Right?

00:24:59.559 --> 00:25:00.759
 So you'll over-focus

00:25:00.759 --> 00:25:01.980
 on sexual sin

00:25:01.980 --> 00:25:02.440
 because that's

00:25:02.440 --> 00:25:03.200
 a visible sin.

00:25:03.339 --> 00:25:04.279
 You know if people

00:25:04.279 --> 00:25:04.980
 walk in together,

00:25:05.559 --> 00:25:06.099
 they have their arms

00:25:06.099 --> 00:25:06.599
 around each other.

00:25:06.659 --> 00:25:07.319
 If they're living together,

00:25:07.379 --> 00:25:08.179
 they're sleeping together.

00:25:08.419 --> 00:25:08.619
 Right?

00:25:08.879 --> 00:25:09.359
 And so there's

00:25:09.359 --> 00:25:09.940
 an over-focus

00:25:09.940 --> 00:25:10.740
 on those sins,

00:25:11.480 --> 00:25:12.740
 but an under-focus

00:25:12.740 --> 00:25:14.019
 or altogether omission

00:25:14.019 --> 00:25:15.539
 of other kinds of sin,

00:25:15.539 --> 00:25:16.599
 like gossip,

00:25:17.119 --> 00:25:18.679
 or greed.

00:25:19.240 --> 00:25:19.299
 Right?

00:25:19.359 --> 00:25:20.240
 Things that actually

00:25:20.240 --> 00:25:21.700
 can be just as destructive

00:25:21.700 --> 00:25:22.619
 to a church community.

00:25:22.940 --> 00:25:23.119
 Right?

00:25:23.119 --> 00:25:24.279
 But there's

00:25:24.279 --> 00:25:26.279
 a selective focus

00:25:26.279 --> 00:25:26.959
 because there are

00:25:26.959 --> 00:25:27.439
 certain sins

00:25:27.439 --> 00:25:27.979
 that it's just easier

00:25:27.979 --> 00:25:28.399
 to hide.

00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:30.699
 And certain ways

00:25:30.699 --> 00:25:31.299
 that we can be

00:25:31.299 --> 00:25:32.879
 more demonstrative

00:25:32.879 --> 00:25:33.579
 of our righteousness.

00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:34.379
 This is what you see

00:25:34.379 --> 00:25:35.399
 in a law-based

00:25:35.399 --> 00:25:36.000
 church culture.

00:25:36.179 --> 00:25:36.279
 Right?

00:25:36.619 --> 00:25:38.059
 Also in a law-based

00:25:38.059 --> 00:25:38.639
 church culture,

00:25:38.939 --> 00:25:39.619
 people tend to

00:25:39.619 --> 00:25:40.500
 compartmentalize

00:25:40.500 --> 00:25:41.419
 their spiritual life.

00:25:42.739 --> 00:25:43.519
 Because man,

00:25:43.619 --> 00:25:44.419
 I just can't,

00:25:44.419 --> 00:25:45.539
 I can't uphold

00:25:45.539 --> 00:25:46.559
 this facade

00:25:46.559 --> 00:25:47.419
 all the time.

00:25:47.500 --> 00:25:48.079
 It's exhausting.

00:25:48.839 --> 00:25:49.500
 And so you sort of

00:25:49.500 --> 00:25:50.479
 have your church persona

00:25:50.479 --> 00:25:52.079
 and then you go to work

00:25:52.079 --> 00:25:52.859
 and you sort of like

00:25:52.859 --> 00:25:54.439
 let down the church persona

00:25:54.439 --> 00:25:55.240
 and you can just be

00:25:55.240 --> 00:25:56.019
 the other person.

00:25:56.219 --> 00:25:56.419
 Right?

00:25:56.559 --> 00:25:57.719
 You're compartmentalized.

00:25:58.519 --> 00:26:00.299
 In a law-based church culture,

00:26:00.399 --> 00:26:01.619
 there are clear insiders

00:26:01.619 --> 00:26:02.159
 and outsiders.

00:26:02.879 --> 00:26:04.019
 So a great indicator

00:26:04.019 --> 00:26:05.219
 of a law-based church culture

00:26:05.219 --> 00:26:06.240
 is cliques.

00:26:07.199 --> 00:26:08.099
 Lots of cliques.

00:26:08.659 --> 00:26:10.199
 Because there's a high focus

00:26:10.199 --> 00:26:11.779
 on external factors,

00:26:12.199 --> 00:26:12.779
 on appearance,

00:26:13.240 --> 00:26:14.479
 on markers of belonging,

00:26:14.859 --> 00:26:15.719
 on status.

00:26:16.179 --> 00:26:17.240
 And so there are

00:26:17.240 --> 00:26:18.059
 insiders and outsiders.

00:26:19.019 --> 00:26:19.939
 This is a great way to tell.

00:26:19.940 --> 00:26:22.200
 And churches that are built

00:26:22.200 --> 00:26:23.120
 around a culture

00:26:23.120 --> 00:26:24.860
 of gospel and grace

00:26:24.860 --> 00:26:26.039
 are completely

00:26:26.039 --> 00:26:27.180
 the opposite from this.

00:26:27.500 --> 00:26:28.420
 In a church like this,

00:26:28.620 --> 00:26:29.600
 people are free

00:26:29.600 --> 00:26:30.759
 and willing to share

00:26:30.759 --> 00:26:31.620
 their brokenness.

00:26:33.240 --> 00:26:33.420
 You know,

00:26:33.660 --> 00:26:34.039
 people,

00:26:34.380 --> 00:26:34.759
 you know,

00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:35.320
 if you've ever been

00:26:35.320 --> 00:26:36.220
 to an AA meeting

00:26:36.220 --> 00:26:37.860
 or any kind of recovery meeting,

00:26:38.120 --> 00:26:39.200
 most times,

00:26:39.320 --> 00:26:40.440
 the first time you go

00:26:40.440 --> 00:26:41.340
 into a meeting like that,

00:26:41.500 --> 00:26:42.480
 it'll blow your mind

00:26:42.480 --> 00:26:43.779
 because of how candid

00:26:43.779 --> 00:26:44.720
 and honest people are.

00:26:45.720 --> 00:26:45.960
 I mean,

00:26:45.980 --> 00:26:47.019
 it'll absolutely blow your mind

00:26:47.019 --> 00:26:48.140
 if you've never experienced it.

00:26:48.140 --> 00:26:49.240
 You should just go sometime,

00:26:49.320 --> 00:26:50.140
 find an open meeting.

00:26:50.420 --> 00:26:51.220
 Some of them are not open.

00:26:51.300 --> 00:26:51.920
 Some of them are open.

00:26:52.140 --> 00:26:53.060
 Go and just sit in the back row

00:26:53.060 --> 00:26:53.920
 and just listen to people.

00:26:54.340 --> 00:26:55.300
 You will be amazed

00:26:55.300 --> 00:26:56.400
 at the candid culture

00:26:56.400 --> 00:26:57.100
 that exists there.

00:26:57.340 --> 00:26:57.840
 It's because people

00:26:57.840 --> 00:26:58.460
 have no illusions

00:26:58.460 --> 00:26:59.220
 about their righteousness.

00:26:59.740 --> 00:27:00.420
 They have no illusions

00:27:00.420 --> 00:27:01.320
 about the power

00:27:01.320 --> 00:27:02.440
 that they have over sin

00:27:02.440 --> 00:27:02.900
 in their lives.

00:27:02.980 --> 00:27:05.200
 They are fully willing

00:27:05.200 --> 00:27:05.720
 to admit

00:27:05.720 --> 00:27:06.940
 their powerlessness

00:27:06.940 --> 00:27:08.040
 over sin.

00:27:08.080 --> 00:27:08.759
 And so they're candid.

00:27:09.440 --> 00:27:09.640
 Right?

00:27:09.680 --> 00:27:10.580
 And the same thing,

00:27:10.720 --> 00:27:11.380
 to some degree,

00:27:11.640 --> 00:27:12.820
 exists in a grace-based

00:27:12.820 --> 00:27:13.980
 church culture.

00:27:14.160 --> 00:27:15.700
 People are not sharing

00:27:15.700 --> 00:27:16.600
 gratuitously,

00:27:16.599 --> 00:27:18.379
 sharing to get attention,

00:27:18.659 --> 00:27:20.119
 but they are open

00:27:20.119 --> 00:27:21.240
 because they realize

00:27:21.240 --> 00:27:22.179
 that they're one sinner

00:27:22.179 --> 00:27:23.319
 in a community of sinners

00:27:23.319 --> 00:27:24.819
 and nobody has it together.

00:27:25.579 --> 00:27:25.699
 You know,

00:27:25.740 --> 00:27:26.299
 so you walk in

00:27:26.299 --> 00:27:27.459
 and you see all the pretty faces

00:27:27.459 --> 00:27:28.339
 and all the nice clothes

00:27:28.339 --> 00:27:29.359
 and you're not fooled by that.

00:27:29.639 --> 00:27:30.619
 You realize that these people

00:27:30.619 --> 00:27:31.799
 are a raging mess.

00:27:32.279 --> 00:27:32.480
 You know,

00:27:32.579 --> 00:27:33.899
 they just look good.

00:27:34.379 --> 00:27:34.559
 Right?

00:27:35.079 --> 00:27:35.539
 So,

00:27:35.639 --> 00:27:35.919
 so,

00:27:36.240 --> 00:27:37.319
 beyond that,

00:27:37.379 --> 00:27:38.459
 there's a deep desire

00:27:38.459 --> 00:27:39.699
 to deal with all sin,

00:27:39.980 --> 00:27:42.299
 not just certain visible sins.

00:27:42.759 --> 00:27:43.159
 And so,

00:27:44.359 --> 00:27:45.179
 paradoxically,

00:27:45.180 --> 00:27:46.279
 or maybe counterintuitively,

00:27:46.660 --> 00:27:48.660
 in a grace-based church culture,

00:27:49.000 --> 00:27:50.400
 people actually take sin

00:27:50.400 --> 00:27:51.120
 more seriously.

00:27:51.840 --> 00:27:53.000
 And they're more willing

00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:53.880
 to confront sin.

00:27:54.900 --> 00:27:56.220
 And it is not the person

00:27:56.220 --> 00:27:56.820
 who says,

00:27:57.279 --> 00:27:58.519
 I think that this is an area

00:27:58.519 --> 00:27:59.259
 of sin in your life.

00:27:59.320 --> 00:27:59.920
 I think that you need

00:27:59.920 --> 00:28:00.820
 to seek the Lord on that.

00:28:01.000 --> 00:28:02.940
 That's not a legalistic response

00:28:02.940 --> 00:28:03.940
 to sin.

00:28:04.299 --> 00:28:04.880
 I'll tell you what

00:28:04.880 --> 00:28:06.120
 a legalistic response is.

00:28:06.759 --> 00:28:08.160
 Legalism is the other person

00:28:08.160 --> 00:28:08.759
 who says,

00:28:09.299 --> 00:28:10.160
 I thought this was

00:28:10.160 --> 00:28:11.580
 a grace-based church.

00:28:11.820 --> 00:28:12.660
 Why are you focusing

00:28:12.660 --> 00:28:13.240
 on my sin?

00:28:13.240 --> 00:28:14.700
 I thought you guys

00:28:14.700 --> 00:28:15.400
 were all about grace.

00:28:15.519 --> 00:28:16.579
 You're being so judgmental.

00:28:17.319 --> 00:28:17.680
 Right?

00:28:17.740 --> 00:28:18.779
 You know why that's legalism?

00:28:18.960 --> 00:28:19.759
 Because what that person

00:28:19.759 --> 00:28:20.880
 is really saying is,

00:28:21.480 --> 00:28:22.359
 please leave me alone

00:28:22.359 --> 00:28:23.120
 to hide my sin.

00:28:24.680 --> 00:28:25.740
 That's the only thing

00:28:25.740 --> 00:28:26.500
 I know to do with it,

00:28:26.579 --> 00:28:27.460
 so just leave me alone

00:28:27.460 --> 00:28:28.200
 so I can hide it

00:28:28.200 --> 00:28:28.759
 and minimize it

00:28:28.759 --> 00:28:29.140
 because that's what

00:28:29.140 --> 00:28:29.579
 I want to do.

00:28:30.500 --> 00:28:31.420
 That's a legalist.

00:28:32.200 --> 00:28:32.440
 Right?

00:28:33.019 --> 00:28:34.859
 A grace-based person says,

00:28:35.059 --> 00:28:36.400
 we take sin seriously

00:28:36.400 --> 00:28:38.359
 and we take repentance seriously

00:28:38.359 --> 00:28:39.140
 because we realize

00:28:39.140 --> 00:28:39.839
 that every time

00:28:39.839 --> 00:28:40.759
 I'm confronted with sin,

00:28:40.759 --> 00:28:42.079
 that's another opportunity

00:28:42.079 --> 00:28:43.279
 to go to the throne of grace

00:28:43.279 --> 00:28:44.740
 and to drink deeply

00:28:44.740 --> 00:28:45.660
 from the well of mercy.

00:28:45.900 --> 00:28:47.759
 That's why I want

00:28:47.759 --> 00:28:48.839
 to know about my sin.

00:28:48.920 --> 00:28:49.500
 That's why I want

00:28:49.500 --> 00:28:50.259
 to be confronted

00:28:50.259 --> 00:28:51.039
 in my sin

00:28:51.039 --> 00:28:52.019
 so that I can draw

00:28:52.019 --> 00:28:52.660
 more deeply

00:28:52.660 --> 00:28:54.640
 from that well of mercy.

00:28:55.879 --> 00:28:56.000
 Right?

00:28:56.140 --> 00:28:57.299
 So grace-based churches

00:28:57.299 --> 00:28:58.400
 take sin very seriously

00:28:58.400 --> 00:28:59.359
 because we know

00:28:59.359 --> 00:29:00.220
 that repentance leads

00:29:00.220 --> 00:29:01.039
 to deeper life

00:29:01.039 --> 00:29:02.059
 and love in God.

00:29:02.500 --> 00:29:03.940
 In a grace-based church culture,

00:29:04.200 --> 00:29:05.519
 people decompartmentalize

00:29:05.519 --> 00:29:06.000
 their lives

00:29:06.000 --> 00:29:07.039
 because their new identity

00:29:07.039 --> 00:29:07.599
 in Christ

00:29:07.599 --> 00:29:09.379
 supersedes everything else.

00:29:09.380 --> 00:29:11.520
 And grace-filled communities

00:29:11.520 --> 00:29:13.340
 are radically inclusive

00:29:13.340 --> 00:29:15.760
 because every single person

00:29:15.760 --> 00:29:16.880
 in a grace-based community

00:29:16.880 --> 00:29:17.600
 knows that

00:29:17.600 --> 00:29:20.000
 they used to be an outsider.

00:29:22.000 --> 00:29:22.180
 And,

00:29:22.940 --> 00:29:24.480
 but for the grace of God,

00:29:24.580 --> 00:29:25.600
 they would still be an outsider.

00:29:26.280 --> 00:29:27.300
 But because Jesus

00:29:27.300 --> 00:29:28.520
 became an outsider,

00:29:29.200 --> 00:29:30.500
 because he was cast out,

00:29:31.180 --> 00:29:32.160
 we were welcomed in.

00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:33.320
 And so in a grace-based

00:29:33.320 --> 00:29:33.940
 church community,

00:29:34.140 --> 00:29:35.080
 there are very few,

00:29:35.200 --> 00:29:35.960
 if any, strangers.

00:29:36.760 --> 00:29:37.500
 Because the minute

00:29:37.500 --> 00:29:38.080
 you see somebody

00:29:38.080 --> 00:29:38.680
 walk in the door

00:29:38.680 --> 00:29:39.440
 that you don't know,

00:29:40.340 --> 00:29:41.240
 and the minute you realize

00:29:41.240 --> 00:29:42.320
 that they may feel left out

00:29:42.320 --> 00:29:43.060
 or excluded,

00:29:43.480 --> 00:29:44.120
 you will immediately

00:29:44.120 --> 00:29:45.200
 beeline over to that person

00:29:45.200 --> 00:29:45.440
 and say,

00:29:45.519 --> 00:29:46.240
 hey, how are you doing?

00:29:46.820 --> 00:29:47.140
 Welcome.

00:29:47.240 --> 00:29:47.720
 My name's Tommy.

00:29:47.759 --> 00:29:48.680
 I'm so glad that you're here.

00:29:48.759 --> 00:29:50.240
 Can I help you find a place to sit?

00:29:50.360 --> 00:29:50.580
 Why?

00:29:50.799 --> 00:29:51.860
 Because you don't want that person

00:29:51.860 --> 00:29:52.600
 to feel like an outsider

00:29:52.600 --> 00:29:53.600
 because you know what it's like.

00:29:54.000 --> 00:29:54.580
 And you know that

00:29:54.580 --> 00:29:56.480
 unless somebody showed you grace,

00:29:56.539 --> 00:29:57.560
 you would still be in that state.

00:29:58.320 --> 00:29:59.000
 So that's how

00:29:59.000 --> 00:30:00.700
 a grace-based community operates.

00:30:01.480 --> 00:30:01.799
 Now,

00:30:01.920 --> 00:30:03.140
 I know we're almost out of time

00:30:03.140 --> 00:30:04.019
 and if we had time,

00:30:04.140 --> 00:30:05.039
 we could apply this

00:30:05.039 --> 00:30:06.340
 and I encourage you to apply this

00:30:06.339 --> 00:30:07.339
 in your own life

00:30:07.339 --> 00:30:08.839
 to think about your friendships,

00:30:09.179 --> 00:30:10.159
 to think about your roommates,

00:30:10.299 --> 00:30:11.199
 to think about your family,

00:30:11.500 --> 00:30:12.519
 to think about what this looks like

00:30:12.519 --> 00:30:13.039
 in parenting,

00:30:13.259 --> 00:30:14.579
 to continue to ask these questions.

00:30:14.839 --> 00:30:15.459
 Am I parenting

00:30:15.459 --> 00:30:16.939
 with a framework of the law

00:30:16.939 --> 00:30:18.079
 or am I parenting

00:30:18.079 --> 00:30:19.279
 with a framework of grace?

00:30:19.720 --> 00:30:20.799
 Am I loving my friends?

00:30:20.899 --> 00:30:21.759
 Am I loving my spouse?

00:30:21.899 --> 00:30:22.000
 Right?

00:30:22.179 --> 00:30:23.539
 I'll just say this last thing.

00:30:25.000 --> 00:30:26.439
 When it comes to my marriage,

00:30:26.919 --> 00:30:30.220
 the only reason that Laura and I

00:30:30.220 --> 00:30:30.939
 have a healthy,

00:30:31.519 --> 00:30:32.539
 thriving marriage

00:30:32.539 --> 00:30:33.500
 is because of grace.

00:30:33.500 --> 00:30:35.440
 That's the only way it's possible.

00:30:36.799 --> 00:30:38.099
 Grace is the only reason

00:30:38.099 --> 00:30:40.539
 we can have healthy marriages

00:30:40.539 --> 00:30:42.519
 because most people,

00:30:42.880 --> 00:30:43.500
 I think,

00:30:43.779 --> 00:30:43.920
 you know,

00:30:43.960 --> 00:30:44.180
 after,

00:30:44.779 --> 00:30:45.160
 I don't know,

00:30:45.200 --> 00:30:47.119
 12 years of counseling couples,

00:30:47.279 --> 00:30:47.420
 I mean,

00:30:47.460 --> 00:30:47.920
 I can tell you,

00:30:47.960 --> 00:30:48.519
 most people

00:30:48.519 --> 00:30:51.299
 default unconsciously

00:30:51.299 --> 00:30:52.940
 into an approach to marriage

00:30:52.940 --> 00:30:54.099
 that's defined by law.

00:30:55.160 --> 00:30:55.700
 In other words,

00:30:55.720 --> 00:30:56.380
 you think of marriage

00:30:56.380 --> 00:30:57.160
 like a contract.

00:30:58.339 --> 00:30:58.579
 You know,

00:30:58.720 --> 00:31:00.579
 I'm going to agree

00:31:00.579 --> 00:31:01.279
 to meet your needs

00:31:01.279 --> 00:31:01.920
 in all these ways

00:31:01.920 --> 00:31:02.619
 and you agree

00:31:02.619 --> 00:31:03.420
 to meet my needs

00:31:03.420 --> 00:31:05.019
 and as long as we're both

00:31:05.019 --> 00:31:05.820
 happy and fulfilled,

00:31:06.300 --> 00:31:07.880
 then we'll stay married

00:31:07.880 --> 00:31:09.279
 but if all of a sudden

00:31:09.279 --> 00:31:10.320
 you stop upholding

00:31:10.320 --> 00:31:10.940
 your end of the bargain

00:31:10.940 --> 00:31:12.340
 or I just no longer feel

00:31:12.340 --> 00:31:13.200
 happy or fulfilled,

00:31:13.680 --> 00:31:15.120
 the marriage is nullified.

00:31:15.700 --> 00:31:16.880
 We go and find happiness

00:31:16.880 --> 00:31:17.860
 and fulfillment elsewhere.

00:31:18.360 --> 00:31:18.400
 Right?

00:31:18.560 --> 00:31:19.900
 And that's a very contractual

00:31:19.900 --> 00:31:20.480
 view of marriage

00:31:20.480 --> 00:31:22.000
 that's a very legal view

00:31:22.000 --> 00:31:22.420
 of marriage.

00:31:22.539 --> 00:31:23.420
 It's marriage defined

00:31:23.420 --> 00:31:24.000
 by the law.

00:31:25.120 --> 00:31:26.080
 But what we see in Scripture

00:31:26.080 --> 00:31:27.460
 is that true marriage,

00:31:28.160 --> 00:31:29.940
 true marriage is not a contract

00:31:29.940 --> 00:31:30.460
 but a covenant.

00:31:30.460 --> 00:31:31.140
 Right?

00:31:32.440 --> 00:31:33.640
 So that means committing

00:31:33.640 --> 00:31:34.480
 yourself wholly

00:31:34.480 --> 00:31:35.400
 to another person

00:31:35.400 --> 00:31:36.360
 no matter what.

00:31:37.200 --> 00:31:38.319
 And I'll tell you right now,

00:31:38.460 --> 00:31:39.259
 have you ever committed

00:31:39.259 --> 00:31:40.019
 yourself wholly

00:31:40.019 --> 00:31:41.160
 no matter what

00:31:41.160 --> 00:31:41.840
 to another person?

00:31:42.740 --> 00:31:42.920
 I mean,

00:31:42.940 --> 00:31:43.500
 even those of you

00:31:43.500 --> 00:31:44.160
 who are married,

00:31:44.259 --> 00:31:44.860
 do you actually think

00:31:44.860 --> 00:31:45.360
 about your marriage

00:31:45.360 --> 00:31:45.740
 in that way?

00:31:45.880 --> 00:31:46.840
 Because if you have,

00:31:46.900 --> 00:31:47.920
 you realize that immediately

00:31:47.920 --> 00:31:48.720
 what you're going to need

00:31:48.720 --> 00:31:49.400
 is grace.

00:31:50.400 --> 00:31:51.000
 It's grace!

00:31:51.360 --> 00:31:52.100
 Because immediately

00:31:52.100 --> 00:31:52.799
 you're going to realize

00:31:52.799 --> 00:31:53.259
 that that person

00:31:53.259 --> 00:31:53.980
 is going to hurt you

00:31:53.980 --> 00:31:54.920
 and let you down

00:31:54.920 --> 00:31:56.720
 and say and do mean things

00:31:56.720 --> 00:31:58.019
 and they're going to

00:31:58.019 --> 00:31:58.740
 act out toward you

00:31:58.740 --> 00:31:59.299
 in ways that you

00:31:59.299 --> 00:31:59.900
 didn't anticipate

00:31:59.900 --> 00:32:01.400
 and that's why

00:32:01.400 --> 00:32:02.019
 you need grace.

00:32:03.240 --> 00:32:04.299
 That's why you continually

00:32:04.299 --> 00:32:04.940
 need to forgive.

00:32:05.140 --> 00:32:06.220
 You continually need to repent.

00:32:06.380 --> 00:32:07.460
 You continually need to

00:32:07.460 --> 00:32:08.559
 restore the relationship.

00:32:08.720 --> 00:32:09.319
 This is grace.

00:32:10.400 --> 00:32:10.759
 And you know,

00:32:10.860 --> 00:32:12.539
 I constantly experience

00:32:12.539 --> 00:32:14.019
 the tension between law

00:32:14.019 --> 00:32:14.920
 and grace

00:32:14.920 --> 00:32:15.860
 in my own heart.

00:32:16.860 --> 00:32:17.079
 You know,

00:32:17.279 --> 00:32:18.019
 when Laura,

00:32:18.259 --> 00:32:18.960
 as this has happened

00:32:18.960 --> 00:32:19.779
 once or twice

00:32:19.779 --> 00:32:20.380
 in our marriage,

00:32:21.539 --> 00:32:23.680
 where Laura will come to me,

00:32:23.819 --> 00:32:24.839
 I think there was one time

00:32:24.839 --> 00:32:25.460
 a few years ago

00:32:25.460 --> 00:32:26.400
 where Laura came to me

00:32:26.400 --> 00:32:28.620
 and I had hurt her.

00:32:29.059 --> 00:32:30.200
 I had said something hurtful,

00:32:30.400 --> 00:32:30.620
 right?

00:32:31.079 --> 00:32:31.660
 And it was like

00:32:31.660 --> 00:32:33.200
 back in the early 2000s

00:32:33.200 --> 00:32:34.039
 that I had hurt her

00:32:34.039 --> 00:32:37.019
 and she confronted me

00:32:37.019 --> 00:32:37.620
 about this

00:32:37.620 --> 00:32:39.000
 and you know the first thing

00:32:39.000 --> 00:32:39.940
 I do in a situation

00:32:39.940 --> 00:32:40.420
 like that?

00:32:41.900 --> 00:32:42.640
 The first thing

00:32:42.640 --> 00:32:43.240
 that happens to me

00:32:43.240 --> 00:32:44.380
 is there's a law response

00:32:44.380 --> 00:32:46.160
 and by that I literally mean

00:32:46.160 --> 00:32:47.259
 it's like a lawyer,

00:32:47.519 --> 00:32:48.519
 a little lawyer

00:32:48.519 --> 00:32:49.799
 pops out on my shoulder

00:32:49.799 --> 00:32:51.680
 and this little lawyer

00:32:51.680 --> 00:32:52.240
 starts saying

00:32:52.240 --> 00:32:53.299
 all this crazy stuff.

00:32:53.559 --> 00:32:53.660
 You know,

00:32:53.799 --> 00:32:54.819
 the lawyer takes all the,

00:32:55.000 --> 00:32:55.160
 you know,

00:32:55.160 --> 00:32:56.000
 the lawyer starts

00:32:56.000 --> 00:32:57.940
 to justify me

00:32:57.940 --> 00:32:59.019
 and the lawyer starts

00:32:59.019 --> 00:33:00.180
 to, you know,

00:33:00.200 --> 00:33:01.259
 bring up all the evidence

00:33:01.259 --> 00:33:02.580
 of why it wasn't in fact

00:33:02.580 --> 00:33:03.380
 wrong for me to say

00:33:03.380 --> 00:33:03.700
 or do that.

00:33:03.740 --> 00:33:04.000
 In fact,

00:33:04.040 --> 00:33:04.940
 I was actually right

00:33:04.940 --> 00:33:06.200
 and the lawyer starts

00:33:06.200 --> 00:33:07.320
 to discredit the witness,

00:33:08.000 --> 00:33:08.100
 right?

00:33:08.120 --> 00:33:09.500
 It's a great lawyer tactic

00:33:09.500 --> 00:33:10.600
 is to discredit the witness,

00:33:10.680 --> 00:33:10.779
 right?

00:33:10.880 --> 00:33:11.680
 And the lawyer starts

00:33:11.680 --> 00:33:12.560
 to minimize it

00:33:12.560 --> 00:33:13.580
 and the lawyer starts to say,

00:33:13.700 --> 00:33:13.740
 well,

00:33:13.779 --> 00:33:14.500
 what about all the things

00:33:14.500 --> 00:33:15.140
 that you did?

00:33:15.240 --> 00:33:16.220
 What about all the ways

00:33:16.220 --> 00:33:17.000
 that you actually,

00:33:17.240 --> 00:33:18.120
 the reason that I said

00:33:18.120 --> 00:33:18.660
 that hurtful thing

00:33:18.660 --> 00:33:19.759
 was actually because of you.

00:33:20.519 --> 00:33:20.660
 I mean,

00:33:20.680 --> 00:33:21.400
 if you hadn't done this

00:33:21.400 --> 00:33:22.279
 then I wouldn't have done that,

00:33:22.380 --> 00:33:22.620
 right?

00:33:22.759 --> 00:33:24.140
 And the lawyer is brilliant.

00:33:24.140 --> 00:33:25.900
 The lawyer is brilliant

00:33:25.900 --> 00:33:26.660
 and I'm sort of hiding

00:33:26.660 --> 00:33:27.400
 behind the lawyer

00:33:27.400 --> 00:33:27.660
 like,

00:33:27.800 --> 00:33:28.540
 get her,

00:33:28.660 --> 00:33:28.960
 you know?

00:33:30.740 --> 00:33:31.460
 And then I hear

00:33:31.460 --> 00:33:32.100
 this little voice

00:33:32.100 --> 00:33:34.400
 and the voice says,

00:33:34.600 --> 00:33:36.500
 isn't this what Jesus is for?

00:33:38.660 --> 00:33:40.720
 And the lawyer goes away

00:33:40.720 --> 00:33:43.340
 and the defense has come down

00:33:43.340 --> 00:33:47.060
 and this little trickle

00:33:47.060 --> 00:33:47.540
 of empathy

00:33:47.540 --> 00:33:48.900
 starts to flow in my heart,

00:33:49.540 --> 00:33:50.140
 you know,

00:33:50.180 --> 00:33:51.200
 like a melting glacier

00:33:51.200 --> 00:33:52.799
 and this little stream

00:33:52.799 --> 00:33:53.660
 starts to flow

00:33:53.660 --> 00:33:56.900
 and I stop justifying myself

00:33:56.900 --> 00:33:58.900
 and I start to become

00:33:58.900 --> 00:34:00.160
 more open to the fact

00:34:00.160 --> 00:34:01.039
 that I might have sinned

00:34:01.039 --> 00:34:03.039
 and maybe I need to ask

00:34:03.039 --> 00:34:03.440
 for forgiveness.

00:34:04.420 --> 00:34:05.840
 And this happens again

00:34:05.840 --> 00:34:06.920
 and again and again

00:34:06.920 --> 00:34:07.640
 and I think maybe

00:34:07.640 --> 00:34:09.619
 this is the greatest litmus test

00:34:09.619 --> 00:34:11.500
 to know whether or not

00:34:11.500 --> 00:34:12.960
 we are people of grace,

00:34:13.900 --> 00:34:15.360
 whether or not we're Christians.

00:34:16.119 --> 00:34:17.699
 When somebody confronts you,

00:34:17.699 --> 00:34:19.699
 when somebody holds

00:34:19.699 --> 00:34:20.739
 your sin up into your face,

00:34:21.519 --> 00:34:23.899
 does the lawyer come out

00:34:23.899 --> 00:34:25.179
 and say,

00:34:25.980 --> 00:34:26.139
 hey,

00:34:26.199 --> 00:34:27.059
 I'll take it from here?

00:34:29.559 --> 00:34:30.699
 Or at some point,

00:34:30.779 --> 00:34:31.599
 do you hear a voice

00:34:31.599 --> 00:34:32.259
 in your heart

00:34:32.259 --> 00:34:33.939
 that asks you,

00:34:34.619 --> 00:34:35.819
 isn't this what Jesus is for?

00:34:36.960 --> 00:34:37.539
 Let's pray.

00:34:37.539 --> 00:34:37.559
 Let's pray.