WEBVTT 00:00:00.920 --> 00:00:07.459 So, this morning we are starting a series that we're going to be in for some time. 00:00:07.860 --> 00:00:12.519 In one way or another, we're going to be focusing on this theme all the way until Easter. 00:00:12.900 --> 00:00:16.839 And we're going to be looking this morning at Philippians chapter 2, verses 12 and 13, 00:00:17.379 --> 00:00:25.699 to launch us on a series looking at discipleship, with the aim of building a culture of discipleship 00:00:25.699 --> 00:00:33.399 at Church of the Advent. And by discipleship, I mean, as Christians, our calling to follow Jesus, 00:00:34.299 --> 00:00:42.780 to learn to love as He loved, to live as He lived. And our desire is to build a culture 00:00:42.780 --> 00:00:48.879 in our church that means that everybody in our church takes that very seriously, 00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:53.739 that everybody in our church is very committed to living that out in their lives. 00:00:53.740 --> 00:00:59.380 Now, I recognize as I say this that there's a whole lot going on in our country right now. 00:00:59.500 --> 00:01:04.599 And there may be people who hear this and wonder, of all of the things that we could be focusing on, 00:01:04.700 --> 00:01:08.620 why in the world would we choose to focus on this? It seems like there are so many more 00:01:08.620 --> 00:01:13.480 worthy, relevant things that we could be focusing on. And so, before we jump in, 00:01:13.500 --> 00:01:17.960 I just want to give you three quick reasons why I actually believe that this needs to be our focus 00:01:17.960 --> 00:01:22.960 right now. One of them is a general reason, and then the other two actually come from our text, 00:01:22.959 --> 00:01:27.519 although we won't be looking in detail at that part of the text this morning. Reason number one 00:01:27.519 --> 00:01:32.639 why I think discipleship should be our focus right now is this. Discipleship is already happening. 00:01:34.259 --> 00:01:41.619 You're already being discipled. But the main question is, by what or by whom are you being 00:01:41.619 --> 00:01:51.259 discipled? Social media alone exerts an almost continual influence on us every waking hour of our day. 00:01:51.260 --> 00:01:58.840 It's a continual stream of dopamine hits that reinforce feelings and thought patterns and 00:01:58.840 --> 00:02:04.800 behavior patterns. We're constantly being formed. And so, our desire at Church of the Advent is to 00:02:04.800 --> 00:02:12.439 create a culture that ensures that Jesus and His Word is the primary focus of our formation. That's 00:02:12.439 --> 00:02:18.099 reason number one. Reason number two, there is a gap for most Christians between our beliefs 00:02:18.099 --> 00:02:26.599 and our experiences. There's a gap between belief and experience. We, as Paul says in the passage that 00:02:26.599 --> 00:02:32.439 we're going to look at this morning, the fruit of discipleship is joy. As a disciple, he is able to 00:02:32.439 --> 00:02:38.539 rejoice even in the face of likely death. He invites his hearers to rejoice with him even in the face of 00:02:38.539 --> 00:02:45.319 his imprisonment, suffering, and death. The fruit of discipleship is joy, but for many of us, that is not how we 00:02:45.319 --> 00:02:51.359 experience the Christian life at all. There's a disconnect. And the only way to bridge that gap 00:02:51.359 --> 00:02:59.400 between belief and experience is through the ancient, well-traveled pilgrimage route of discipleship. 00:03:00.439 --> 00:03:08.599 Third reason, Christians are God's illumination for the world. Christians are God's illumination for the 00:03:08.599 --> 00:03:16.120 world. Paul says in this passage that Christians are called to shine as lights in the world amid a crooked 00:03:16.120 --> 00:03:21.079 and twisted generation. Now, there's an Old Testament backdrop to that that we don't have time to get 00:03:21.079 --> 00:03:25.919 into, but the point I want to make is this. As we look around, there's a lot of darkness, right? On this 00:03:25.919 --> 00:03:36.579 weekend in particular, we call to mind the ongoing racial violence, division, injustice in our society. 00:03:36.580 --> 00:03:42.560 We have seen firsthand again and again and again and again and again the ongoing reality of this brokenness. 00:03:42.920 --> 00:03:48.480 We see the political strife and unrest that has soldiers literally marching in the streets of our city right now 00:03:48.480 --> 00:03:57.860 with very real fears of violence and uprest here and in cities all around our country in the coming weeks. 00:03:57.860 --> 00:04:07.060 Right? This world needs illumination. Christians are called to be that illumination, but all too often we get caught up in the brokenness and in the darkness. 00:04:08.420 --> 00:04:09.960 We're complicit in it. 00:04:11.620 --> 00:04:15.080 The only way we become that kind of illumination is through discipleship. 00:04:16.500 --> 00:04:20.040 Right? So that's what we're going to be focusing on, and that's why I think it matters. 00:04:20.040 --> 00:04:27.860 And we're going to start this series by recognizing something very crucial about discipleship, and that is that it's not something that we do alone. 00:04:28.220 --> 00:04:32.280 This is one of the things that sets it apart from the self-improvement movement. 00:04:33.800 --> 00:04:33.939 Right? 00:04:34.480 --> 00:04:36.040 Discipleship is co-participatory. 00:04:36.960 --> 00:04:42.439 In other words, discipleship involves both God's work and our work. 00:04:42.640 --> 00:04:44.140 And that's what we're going to look at in this passage. 00:04:44.240 --> 00:04:46.420 First God's work, and then our work. 00:04:46.420 --> 00:04:47.020 Let's pray. 00:04:48.140 --> 00:05:02.160 Lord, we thank you for your word, and we thank you for the fact that discipleship is ultimately not about us pursuing some course or following steps or even developing the right habits. 00:05:02.620 --> 00:05:04.200 That it's ultimately about a relationship. 00:05:05.259 --> 00:05:11.620 That you're the kind of God who's invited us into a relationship with yourself, and that the focus of discipleship is that relationship. 00:05:11.780 --> 00:05:14.980 And Lord, it ultimately depends on you being present in our lives. 00:05:14.980 --> 00:05:18.620 And so we pray that you would be with us this morning. 00:05:18.920 --> 00:05:22.300 Teach us your word as we seek to follow you. 00:05:22.620 --> 00:05:24.120 We pray this in your son's name. 00:05:24.300 --> 00:05:24.560 Amen. 00:05:24.560 --> 00:05:32.899 So the psychologist David Benner, he's a depth psychologist and writes a lot on spiritual formation. 00:05:33.420 --> 00:05:39.680 And he often says to people he's meeting with, he says, imagine God thinking about you. 00:05:40.840 --> 00:05:42.379 Imagine God thinking about you. 00:05:42.399 --> 00:05:47.819 And then he asks them, what do you think God feels when you come into his mind? 00:05:47.819 --> 00:05:51.879 You know what people most often say? 00:05:53.480 --> 00:05:53.959 Disappointment. 00:05:55.240 --> 00:05:55.759 Frustration. 00:05:58.019 --> 00:05:59.019 Even anger. 00:06:00.819 --> 00:06:00.939 Right? 00:06:00.980 --> 00:06:09.100 So not surprisingly, if most people think that God is disappointed with them or frustrated with them or angry at them, 00:06:09.100 --> 00:06:14.240 then when they think about discipleship, the first thing they're going to feel is what? 00:06:15.280 --> 00:06:16.340 They're going to feel guilt. 00:06:17.640 --> 00:06:19.100 They're going to think things like this. 00:06:19.300 --> 00:06:20.740 I know I should care more. 00:06:21.460 --> 00:06:24.360 I know that I should read the Bible and pray more. 00:06:24.500 --> 00:06:29.900 I know that I should make God a higher priority in my life, but I can never seem to get there. 00:06:29.899 --> 00:06:37.439 I start the Bible reading plan on January 1st, and by January 3rd, I'm already behind. 00:06:38.699 --> 00:06:41.179 God must be so disappointed in me. 00:06:42.439 --> 00:06:47.759 And it's almost become fashionable in our culture to refer to yourself as the very worst disciple. 00:06:48.919 --> 00:06:49.439 Right? 00:06:49.500 --> 00:06:51.299 As a way of trying to deal with this kilt. 00:06:51.300 --> 00:06:58.000 And if that's the way you feel about discipleship, if that's the way you feel about God, 00:06:58.319 --> 00:07:06.699 then discipleship is never going to be the life-giving, joy-filled journey that it is described as being in Scripture. 00:07:06.840 --> 00:07:08.860 It's always going to feel like drudgery. 00:07:10.439 --> 00:07:17.420 And if this is how you feel, it probably means that you have some misconceptions about the gospel and about God's love. 00:07:17.420 --> 00:07:22.580 So let me ask you some questions just to get at this in your own heart. 00:07:24.140 --> 00:07:31.460 When good things happen in your life, do you assume that God is blessing you because you have been faithful? 00:07:33.439 --> 00:07:34.920 Is that where it's coming from? 00:07:35.740 --> 00:07:40.840 When bad things happen in your life, do you assume that God must be teaching you a lesson? 00:07:42.060 --> 00:07:43.139 That's why it's happening. 00:07:43.220 --> 00:07:44.460 God must be teaching you a lesson. 00:07:44.459 --> 00:07:52.719 When God blesses you, do you ever worry that if you don't appreciate the blessing enough, 00:07:52.939 --> 00:07:56.839 that God might take the blessing away just to teach you to appreciate it more? 00:07:59.299 --> 00:08:01.219 Do you ever make deals with God? 00:08:02.120 --> 00:08:06.359 You know, you're sick or somebody you know is sick and you want them to get better, 00:08:06.439 --> 00:08:10.060 or there's something that you really want, and so you pray to God and you say things like, 00:08:10.060 --> 00:08:14.579 look, I promise I'm going to pray every day, I'm going to read scripture every day, 00:08:14.620 --> 00:08:17.500 I'm going to make you the top priority of my life if you just do this for me. 00:08:19.319 --> 00:08:23.980 Or when God doesn't answer your prayer, who do you blame? 00:08:24.199 --> 00:08:25.060 Do you blame God? 00:08:26.079 --> 00:08:27.279 Do you say, how dare you? 00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:31.560 I have prayed every day for a month for this. 00:08:31.639 --> 00:08:32.840 How could you ignore me? 00:08:33.759 --> 00:08:34.639 How dare you? 00:08:34.680 --> 00:08:35.519 I did everything for you. 00:08:35.600 --> 00:08:36.540 Or do you blame yourself? 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:40.660 You say, well, maybe it's because I didn't pray hard enough. 00:08:40.759 --> 00:08:43.820 Maybe it's because my faith isn't strong enough. 00:08:43.920 --> 00:08:46.000 Apparently faith should be able to move mountains. 00:08:46.160 --> 00:08:47.700 Maybe I don't have that kind of faith. 00:08:48.019 --> 00:08:51.960 And so maybe God's not going to answer my prayer because of my insufficient faith. 00:08:52.680 --> 00:08:53.160 Right? 00:08:53.320 --> 00:08:55.879 If you answered yes to any of these questions, 00:08:55.879 --> 00:09:01.039 it probably means that you don't fully grasp how God's love works. 00:09:02.679 --> 00:09:05.879 The sociologist Christian Smith interviewed people all around the country, 00:09:06.059 --> 00:09:08.980 and what he was trying to get at is what are our real religious beliefs? 00:09:09.059 --> 00:09:12.899 We have our labels that we put on census forms, but what do we actually believe? 00:09:13.299 --> 00:09:16.220 And one of the things that he found among many Christians 00:09:16.220 --> 00:09:19.980 is that when you actually look at the beliefs of many Christians in our country, 00:09:20.299 --> 00:09:23.559 they actually believe that God blesses people because they're good. 00:09:23.559 --> 00:09:27.939 That good people get blessed and go to heaven because they're good. 00:09:28.199 --> 00:09:29.399 Bad people get punished. 00:09:30.519 --> 00:09:33.399 In other words, what he found is very interesting. 00:09:33.859 --> 00:09:38.379 Most Christians in our country tend to believe, when you get right down to it, 00:09:38.579 --> 00:09:42.359 that Christianity works like every other religion out there. 00:09:43.399 --> 00:09:48.619 Do good things, be a good person, and God will bless you, and God will save you. 00:09:48.620 --> 00:09:54.620 In other words, it's a paradigm that assumes that we must work for our salvation. 00:09:55.820 --> 00:09:57.840 Do good things, and God will save you. 00:09:58.639 --> 00:10:03.279 But the gospel makes this remarkable claim, as Paul says, just before our passage, 00:10:03.419 --> 00:10:07.259 just earlier in Philippians chapter 2, verse 8, he's talking about Jesus, 00:10:07.399 --> 00:10:07.759 and he says, 00:10:07.899 --> 00:10:10.120 Jesus, being found in human form, 00:10:10.419 --> 00:10:14.539 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, 00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:16.159 even death on a cross. 00:10:16.159 --> 00:10:19.059 And what he's talking about there is the gospel, 00:10:19.539 --> 00:10:20.719 and he's making this point. 00:10:21.439 --> 00:10:24.240 Salvation is something that God has accomplished. 00:10:25.480 --> 00:10:30.019 It's already done, once and for all, through the death of Jesus on the cross. 00:10:30.199 --> 00:10:33.740 When he talks about salvation, which is rooted in our justification, 00:10:34.179 --> 00:10:36.980 he's talking about something that God did in history. 00:10:37.199 --> 00:10:39.799 It's a completed event, a death on the cross. 00:10:39.799 --> 00:10:43.379 Therefore, as Paul says in verse 12, 00:10:43.679 --> 00:10:47.019 disciples of Jesus don't work for our salvation. 00:10:47.819 --> 00:10:49.599 God worked for the salvation. 00:10:49.919 --> 00:10:51.259 God accomplished the salvation. 00:10:51.559 --> 00:10:53.159 We don't work for the salvation. 00:10:54.099 --> 00:10:57.779 Our calling is to work out our salvation. 00:10:58.919 --> 00:11:00.120 Work out our salvation. 00:11:00.339 --> 00:11:01.899 Now, we're going to talk about that more in just a minute, 00:11:01.979 --> 00:11:03.240 but here's the point I want to make first. 00:11:03.240 --> 00:11:05.519 God did this for one simple reason, 00:11:06.379 --> 00:11:11.980 because he loves you and delights in you far more than you could possibly imagine. 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:16.860 He loves you and delights in you more than you would ever dare hope. 00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:22.500 This is one of the differences between Christianity and all other religions. 00:11:23.279 --> 00:11:23.399 Right? 00:11:23.440 --> 00:11:25.639 All other religions, in one way or another, say, 00:11:25.860 --> 00:11:29.120 I obey, therefore I'm loved and accepted. 00:11:30.019 --> 00:11:30.279 Right? 00:11:30.279 --> 00:11:32.240 But Christianity says the exact opposite. 00:11:32.559 --> 00:11:36.439 It says, I am loved and accepted, therefore I obey. 00:11:36.659 --> 00:11:38.720 It begins with God's embrace. 00:11:40.220 --> 00:11:40.439 Right? 00:11:40.459 --> 00:11:43.480 And all that we do in our lives is a response to that. 00:11:45.259 --> 00:11:48.360 So discipleship flows out of the absolute assurance 00:11:48.360 --> 00:11:51.199 that God loves and delights in us 00:11:51.199 --> 00:11:55.480 and has already accomplished everything necessary for our salvation. 00:11:55.480 --> 00:11:57.819 You say, okay, well, that's the justification part. 00:11:57.899 --> 00:11:58.480 That's our salvation. 00:11:58.480 --> 00:12:00.960 It's not salvation, but what about God's blessing? 00:12:01.060 --> 00:12:03.460 What about the fact that God sometimes answers prayers 00:12:03.460 --> 00:12:04.539 and other times it doesn't? 00:12:04.820 --> 00:12:06.139 Is God messing with us? 00:12:06.180 --> 00:12:09.460 Does God want us to learn lessons? 00:12:10.639 --> 00:12:12.360 When it comes to God's blessing, 00:12:13.139 --> 00:12:17.800 what we need to understand is God doesn't dole out blessings sparingly, 00:12:17.860 --> 00:12:20.560 like you might throw scraps to a hungry dog. 00:12:21.220 --> 00:12:23.180 But I think we often operate that way. 00:12:23.179 --> 00:12:26.179 But look at what it says in Ephesians 1.3, 00:12:26.559 --> 00:12:29.399 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 00:12:29.519 --> 00:12:34.559 who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. 00:12:35.079 --> 00:12:35.299 Right? 00:12:35.319 --> 00:12:36.319 That's not ambiguous. 00:12:36.799 --> 00:12:38.479 That's not scraps to a dog. 00:12:38.739 --> 00:12:39.739 And it's past tense. 00:12:39.919 --> 00:12:43.799 He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. 00:12:44.299 --> 00:12:45.620 2 Peter 1.3, 00:12:45.620 --> 00:12:50.659 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:54.200 Not some things, not the bare minimum, but all things. 00:12:54.600 --> 00:12:58.080 Everything that you need, you already have. 00:12:59.139 --> 00:13:01.340 This means that the moment you come to God, 00:13:01.419 --> 00:13:02.840 the moment you ask for forgiveness, 00:13:03.019 --> 00:13:04.679 the moment you put your faith in Jesus, 00:13:05.019 --> 00:13:08.519 you receive every spiritual blessing available. 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:10.840 God holds nothing back. 00:13:10.840 --> 00:13:13.060 He gives you the keys to the vault. 00:13:14.019 --> 00:13:15.980 And He throws the door wide open, 00:13:16.160 --> 00:13:16.600 and He says, 00:13:16.840 --> 00:13:17.519 Help yourself. 00:13:19.280 --> 00:13:21.200 This is all available to you. 00:13:22.820 --> 00:13:25.019 And that includes, first and foremost, 00:13:25.259 --> 00:13:26.860 the blessing of the Holy Spirit. 00:13:28.060 --> 00:13:29.540 And this is why Paul says, 00:13:30.060 --> 00:13:31.639 Work out your salvation. 00:13:31.920 --> 00:13:32.259 Why? 00:13:33.139 --> 00:13:35.720 For it is God who works in you, 00:13:35.820 --> 00:13:37.400 both to will and to work, 00:13:37.759 --> 00:13:38.960 for His good pleasure. 00:13:38.960 --> 00:13:42.620 Our work is contingent on God's work. 00:13:43.400 --> 00:13:46.720 Discipleship begins with the work of God, 00:13:46.860 --> 00:13:48.980 the finished work of Christ on the cross, 00:13:49.280 --> 00:13:52.920 and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 00:13:54.480 --> 00:14:00.200 So there is no sense in which God ever feels disappointment with His children. 00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:07.940 There is no sense in which God ever feels disappointment or frustration with us. 00:14:07.940 --> 00:14:09.560 If you start the Bible reading plan, 00:14:09.740 --> 00:14:10.800 and you don't follow through. 00:14:10.940 --> 00:14:13.260 If you devote yourself to a habit of prayer, 00:14:13.380 --> 00:14:14.260 and you fail. 00:14:14.360 --> 00:14:16.440 If you promise that you're going to prioritize God, 00:14:16.660 --> 00:14:19.280 and then you immediately prioritize something else. 00:14:19.360 --> 00:14:21.520 God isn't sitting there with His arms crossed saying, 00:14:21.640 --> 00:14:22.780 I did so much for you. 00:14:23.840 --> 00:14:25.400 And you don't even appreciate me. 00:14:26.480 --> 00:14:26.640 Right? 00:14:26.660 --> 00:14:30.360 I think we often can turn God into a kind of nagging mother in our minds. 00:14:30.440 --> 00:14:31.420 You know, I do your laundry, 00:14:31.500 --> 00:14:31.920 and I cook, 00:14:31.960 --> 00:14:32.460 and I clean, 00:14:32.600 --> 00:14:34.220 and you can't even do this one thing for me. 00:14:34.220 --> 00:14:37.080 And that's not how God works. 00:14:38.580 --> 00:14:40.240 That's not how God's love works. 00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:41.879 God loves you. 00:14:42.180 --> 00:14:43.160 God delights in you. 00:14:43.379 --> 00:14:45.080 And I'm just going to push this a little further. 00:14:46.480 --> 00:14:50.060 Whenever you assume that God is disappointed in you, 00:14:50.300 --> 00:14:51.720 you are mocking the cross. 00:14:52.840 --> 00:14:54.440 And you're denying its power. 00:14:54.440 --> 00:14:58.960 Our role when it comes to discipleship 00:14:58.960 --> 00:15:02.040 is to work out what we have already been given 00:15:02.040 --> 00:15:04.680 in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. 00:15:05.660 --> 00:15:07.200 That's the first point. 00:15:07.800 --> 00:15:09.720 And we can't talk about discipleship 00:15:09.720 --> 00:15:11.160 if we don't get that clear. 00:15:11.540 --> 00:15:11.660 Right? 00:15:12.880 --> 00:15:14.120 But what does that mean? 00:15:14.680 --> 00:15:16.340 How do we work out our salvation? 00:15:16.480 --> 00:15:17.400 This is the second point. 00:15:17.680 --> 00:15:19.200 We'll spend the rest of our time on this. 00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:22.640 Our role is to work the gospel out 00:15:22.640 --> 00:15:24.940 into every area of our lives. 00:15:25.580 --> 00:15:27.600 To apply the gospel, 00:15:27.920 --> 00:15:30.820 the grace and the love and the power of God 00:15:30.820 --> 00:15:33.740 to every aspect of our lives. 00:15:34.700 --> 00:15:36.600 Now, maybe that sounds easy to you. 00:15:36.840 --> 00:15:37.379 It's not. 00:15:37.440 --> 00:15:38.280 And the reason is this. 00:15:38.540 --> 00:15:40.700 Most human beings tend to live 00:15:40.700 --> 00:15:43.140 fairly compartmentalized lives. 00:15:43.139 --> 00:15:46.039 People don't naturally have 00:15:46.039 --> 00:15:50.120 a unified, seamless, coherent self. 00:15:51.139 --> 00:15:53.960 In fact, our self is more like 00:15:53.960 --> 00:15:56.259 a collection of selves 00:15:56.259 --> 00:15:58.679 that are like watertight containers. 00:15:58.919 --> 00:16:00.980 They are self-contained compartments 00:16:00.980 --> 00:16:04.240 that may or may not interact with one another. 00:16:04.360 --> 00:16:04.500 Right? 00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:07.179 So you have your religious beliefs box. 00:16:07.299 --> 00:16:09.080 You have your love life box. 00:16:09.179 --> 00:16:10.159 You have your politics, 00:16:10.679 --> 00:16:11.340 your family, 00:16:11.700 --> 00:16:12.360 your friends, 00:16:12.360 --> 00:16:13.440 your finances, 00:16:13.800 --> 00:16:14.480 your career, 00:16:14.759 --> 00:16:15.980 the way you think about your neighbors, 00:16:16.259 --> 00:16:17.259 the way you think about your enemies. 00:16:17.379 --> 00:16:19.340 And all of those are separate boxes 00:16:19.340 --> 00:16:21.480 that are sealed off from one another. 00:16:21.620 --> 00:16:23.060 And so our self, 00:16:23.159 --> 00:16:24.019 or rather ourselves, 00:16:24.220 --> 00:16:26.340 are largely determined by context. 00:16:27.100 --> 00:16:29.360 Which box you are operating out of 00:16:29.360 --> 00:16:30.480 at any given time. 00:16:31.139 --> 00:16:31.980 And what this means 00:16:31.980 --> 00:16:32.720 is that most of us 00:16:32.720 --> 00:16:34.159 are full of contradictions. 00:16:34.500 --> 00:16:36.519 Our society loves to point out the hypocrites. 00:16:36.600 --> 00:16:37.860 We love to call out the hypocrites. 00:16:38.060 --> 00:16:39.100 But the bad news is, 00:16:39.220 --> 00:16:40.279 we are all hypocrites. 00:16:40.279 --> 00:16:43.019 We are all walking contradictions 00:16:43.019 --> 00:16:44.079 in one way or another. 00:16:44.339 --> 00:16:45.899 And this is something that has been affirmed 00:16:45.899 --> 00:16:46.879 by everyone, 00:16:47.299 --> 00:16:49.319 from psychologists to poets. 00:16:51.939 --> 00:16:54.720 You might really care about the environment 00:16:54.720 --> 00:16:56.299 and recycle in your home, 00:16:56.379 --> 00:16:57.600 but you still drive cars 00:16:57.600 --> 00:16:58.879 and take planes everywhere. 00:17:00.179 --> 00:17:00.439 You know, 00:17:00.500 --> 00:17:02.779 you may care so much about being healthy 00:17:02.779 --> 00:17:04.779 and even have a really great exercise plan, 00:17:04.940 --> 00:17:06.160 but when you get stressed out, 00:17:06.220 --> 00:17:07.000 you eat sugary, 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:07.960 fatty foods. 00:17:08.759 --> 00:17:09.259 And you're sort of, 00:17:09.319 --> 00:17:09.839 it's sort of, 00:17:09.880 --> 00:17:11.579 it doesn't count in those times. 00:17:12.319 --> 00:17:12.500 Right? 00:17:13.240 --> 00:17:15.180 Some people are super sweet 00:17:15.180 --> 00:17:15.980 and gentle 00:17:15.980 --> 00:17:17.119 and wonderful 00:17:17.119 --> 00:17:18.759 and peaceful in person, 00:17:19.019 --> 00:17:19.920 but online, 00:17:20.079 --> 00:17:21.660 they are vicious and mean. 00:17:23.359 --> 00:17:25.839 Some people are respected leaders 00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:26.960 in their workplace, 00:17:27.240 --> 00:17:28.859 and nobody messes with them, 00:17:28.960 --> 00:17:30.460 and everybody sort of fears them 00:17:30.460 --> 00:17:31.000 in the workplace. 00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:32.700 But in their love life, 00:17:32.799 --> 00:17:34.180 with the people they're dating, 00:17:34.180 --> 00:17:36.560 they let people disrespect them, 00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:37.700 mistreat them, 00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:38.900 walk all over them. 00:17:39.940 --> 00:17:40.200 Right? 00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:42.200 We're all walking contradictions 00:17:42.200 --> 00:17:44.340 because we're all compartmentalized. 00:17:44.759 --> 00:17:46.720 And this can be especially true 00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:48.660 when it comes to our faith. 00:17:49.279 --> 00:17:49.440 You know, 00:17:49.519 --> 00:17:51.019 there are many Christians out there 00:17:51.019 --> 00:17:52.880 who truly believe in Jesus, 00:17:53.380 --> 00:17:54.660 and they've been baptized, 00:17:55.440 --> 00:17:56.980 and they understand the gospel, 00:17:57.420 --> 00:17:58.940 and maybe they go to church, 00:17:59.140 --> 00:18:00.920 and they can quote the Bible, 00:18:00.920 --> 00:18:03.539 but their faith stays in the religion box. 00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:07.019 They never work out the implications 00:18:07.019 --> 00:18:09.120 of the gospel for their job. 00:18:09.660 --> 00:18:10.680 That's a separate box. 00:18:10.740 --> 00:18:11.460 They never think about it 00:18:11.460 --> 00:18:12.519 in terms of their marriage, 00:18:13.080 --> 00:18:14.120 or their family, 00:18:14.660 --> 00:18:16.240 or their neighbors across the street, 00:18:16.660 --> 00:18:17.600 or their politics, 00:18:18.140 --> 00:18:18.940 or their money. 00:18:19.460 --> 00:18:19.580 Right? 00:18:19.660 --> 00:18:19.980 You know, 00:18:20.019 --> 00:18:21.500 you have people who believe in the gospel, 00:18:21.700 --> 00:18:23.080 but if somebody crosses me, 00:18:24.160 --> 00:18:25.360 they're dead to me. 00:18:26.420 --> 00:18:26.880 Right? 00:18:26.940 --> 00:18:28.000 It's a separate compartment. 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:28.500 Right? 00:18:29.500 --> 00:18:31.000 So this helps us understand 00:18:31.640 --> 00:18:33.400 many of the things that we see 00:18:33.400 --> 00:18:34.279 when we look around. 00:18:34.420 --> 00:18:34.539 Right? 00:18:34.740 --> 00:18:36.259 This helps us understand 00:18:36.259 --> 00:18:38.680 how some Christians over here 00:18:38.680 --> 00:18:40.500 have fully embraced 00:18:40.500 --> 00:18:42.740 a nationalist political ideology, 00:18:43.160 --> 00:18:45.900 which is incompatible with Christianity. 00:18:46.539 --> 00:18:48.079 It helps us understand 00:18:48.079 --> 00:18:49.500 how some Christians over there 00:18:49.500 --> 00:18:53.000 have embraced a fully postmodern redefinition 00:18:53.819 --> 00:18:56.140 of human identity and gender and sexuality, 00:18:56.140 --> 00:18:57.540 which is incompatible 00:18:57.540 --> 00:18:58.740 with historic Christian teaching. 00:18:59.880 --> 00:19:00.020 Right? 00:19:00.060 --> 00:19:01.120 It helps us understand 00:19:01.120 --> 00:19:02.980 how some Christians in the white church 00:19:02.980 --> 00:19:05.140 have tacitly supported racist ideas 00:19:05.140 --> 00:19:06.520 and practices and policies 00:19:06.520 --> 00:19:07.440 for generations. 00:19:08.280 --> 00:19:09.320 It helps us understand 00:19:09.320 --> 00:19:10.600 how some Christians in the West 00:19:10.600 --> 00:19:12.700 have become highly consumeristic 00:19:12.700 --> 00:19:13.900 and materialistic 00:19:13.900 --> 00:19:15.660 and seen no problem in their faith. 00:19:17.180 --> 00:19:17.340 Right? 00:19:17.380 --> 00:19:19.300 So our culture loves to look at people like this 00:19:19.300 --> 00:19:19.580 and say, 00:19:19.800 --> 00:19:20.320 hypocrite! 00:19:20.920 --> 00:19:22.140 You're not a real Christian. 00:19:22.140 --> 00:19:24.759 Well, what a Christian would say is, 00:19:24.840 --> 00:19:25.300 in fact, 00:19:26.160 --> 00:19:27.800 that's what a real human being is like. 00:19:29.100 --> 00:19:30.780 That's what all human beings are like. 00:19:31.240 --> 00:19:32.480 It's more pronounced, maybe, 00:19:32.520 --> 00:19:34.140 when you actually claim to believe something. 00:19:34.520 --> 00:19:36.320 Then the contradiction is a little more clear. 00:19:37.620 --> 00:19:38.980 But it's true for everybody. 00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:41.520 And they're all due to the fact 00:19:41.520 --> 00:19:42.880 that we tend to compartmentalize 00:19:42.880 --> 00:19:44.320 our faith as Christians. 00:19:44.620 --> 00:19:46.080 And so discipleship means 00:19:46.080 --> 00:19:48.280 working out our salvation, 00:19:48.279 --> 00:19:52.359 which means decompartmentalizing our faith, 00:19:52.960 --> 00:19:54.759 which means applying the gospel 00:19:54.759 --> 00:19:57.680 to every aspect of our lives. 00:19:57.700 --> 00:19:58.799 And this is not the kind of thing 00:19:58.799 --> 00:19:59.460 that you can do 00:19:59.460 --> 00:20:01.420 over a retreat weekend in the mountains. 00:20:01.720 --> 00:20:04.319 This is a lifelong commitment 00:20:04.319 --> 00:20:07.039 to decompartmentalizing ourselves. 00:20:08.240 --> 00:20:09.879 It means continually asking, 00:20:10.299 --> 00:20:12.059 how does the truth of Jesus 00:20:12.059 --> 00:20:15.220 as my Savior and my Lord, 00:20:15.220 --> 00:20:18.779 how does the truth of God's unlimited grace 00:20:18.779 --> 00:20:20.500 being poured into my life, 00:20:20.880 --> 00:20:22.720 even before I asked for it, 00:20:22.839 --> 00:20:24.140 how does that truth 00:20:24.140 --> 00:20:26.240 completely transform 00:20:26.240 --> 00:20:27.740 the way I think about my identity? 00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:30.700 How I think about my family of origin, 00:20:30.839 --> 00:20:32.019 how I think about my body, 00:20:32.120 --> 00:20:33.220 how I think about my money, 00:20:33.640 --> 00:20:34.960 my time, my neighbors, 00:20:35.100 --> 00:20:36.220 my enemies, my politics. 00:20:37.420 --> 00:20:38.779 Through reading Scripture, 00:20:39.200 --> 00:20:40.640 through applying it to our lives, 00:20:40.860 --> 00:20:41.640 through prayer, 00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:43.100 through spiritual friendships, 00:20:43.099 --> 00:20:45.339 through worshiping in a church community, 00:20:45.659 --> 00:20:47.559 through habits and patterns and liturgies, 00:20:47.779 --> 00:20:49.039 over the course of our lives, 00:20:49.139 --> 00:20:50.839 we apply the gospel in ways 00:20:50.839 --> 00:20:52.639 that transform every aspect 00:20:52.639 --> 00:20:53.859 of who we are. 00:20:55.819 --> 00:20:57.579 Right, so the point of discipleship 00:20:57.579 --> 00:20:59.399 is not just reading the Bible more. 00:21:00.099 --> 00:21:01.139 It's not just praying more. 00:21:01.219 --> 00:21:02.619 It's not just worshiping in a church together. 00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:04.699 It's not just going through studies together. 00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:06.119 All that stuff is great, 00:21:06.359 --> 00:21:07.959 but we can't lose sight of the aim. 00:21:08.519 --> 00:21:10.279 God is at work in me, 00:21:10.279 --> 00:21:12.359 and my calling is to work that out 00:21:12.359 --> 00:21:15.399 into every aspect of my life. 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:20.160 Right, so this is the aim of discipleship. 00:21:21.379 --> 00:21:22.799 It's not just about developing 00:21:22.799 --> 00:21:23.940 better spiritual disciplines 00:21:23.940 --> 00:21:25.180 or learning more theology. 00:21:25.639 --> 00:21:27.579 Right, you can have a lot of theology, 00:21:27.700 --> 00:21:28.500 a lot of doctrine, 00:21:28.599 --> 00:21:29.599 but it does you no good 00:21:29.599 --> 00:21:30.839 if it all stays in the same box. 00:21:32.559 --> 00:21:34.039 The goal is integration, 00:21:34.759 --> 00:21:36.279 that you become integrated. 00:21:36.279 --> 00:21:38.980 Every part is open and connected 00:21:38.980 --> 00:21:41.019 and flowing and interacting 00:21:41.019 --> 00:21:41.879 with every other part, 00:21:41.940 --> 00:21:42.920 and at the very center of it 00:21:42.920 --> 00:21:43.779 is the gospel. 00:21:45.279 --> 00:21:47.720 So I invite you to look at your own life. 00:21:47.819 --> 00:21:49.660 I invite you to look for those places 00:21:49.660 --> 00:21:50.279 in your life 00:21:50.279 --> 00:21:52.200 where there may be inconsistencies. 00:21:52.720 --> 00:21:54.799 Maybe you are fully devoted 00:21:54.799 --> 00:21:55.859 to racial reconciliation. 00:21:56.200 --> 00:21:56.519 Somebody says, 00:21:56.639 --> 00:21:57.720 why do you care about this so much? 00:21:57.759 --> 00:21:59.000 You say, because I believe the gospel. 00:22:00.940 --> 00:22:02.180 But at the same time, 00:22:02.279 --> 00:22:03.559 you're not even speaking 00:22:03.559 --> 00:22:04.759 to certain family members 00:22:04.759 --> 00:22:05.859 because of who they voted for 00:22:05.859 --> 00:22:06.579 in the last election. 00:22:08.539 --> 00:22:09.359 And I would say, 00:22:09.900 --> 00:22:11.400 does the gospel not apply there? 00:22:12.759 --> 00:22:14.539 Has the gospel lost its power 00:22:14.539 --> 00:22:15.339 in your family? 00:22:16.660 --> 00:22:17.920 Right, maybe in your small group, 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:18.599 you're the kind of person 00:22:18.599 --> 00:22:20.240 who talks about the importance 00:22:20.240 --> 00:22:21.819 of loving and serving 00:22:21.819 --> 00:22:22.859 your physical neighbors. 00:22:23.059 --> 00:22:24.359 But then you go online 00:22:24.359 --> 00:22:26.480 and you post inflammatory content 00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:28.519 that mocks and derides 00:22:28.519 --> 00:22:30.000 some of your online neighbors. 00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:32.960 Does the gospel not apply there? 00:22:32.960 --> 00:22:35.039 Maybe you know a lot 00:22:35.039 --> 00:22:36.660 about theology and doctrine, 00:22:36.819 --> 00:22:37.960 but you are smug 00:22:37.960 --> 00:22:39.900 and condescending toward Christians 00:22:39.900 --> 00:22:41.079 that you disagree with. 00:22:41.200 --> 00:22:42.640 Does the gospel not apply there? 00:22:44.420 --> 00:22:46.039 Maybe you strongly desire 00:22:46.039 --> 00:22:47.500 to be a faithful witness 00:22:47.500 --> 00:22:48.240 of the gospel, 00:22:48.420 --> 00:22:49.299 but you're terrified 00:22:49.299 --> 00:22:50.799 of your coworkers discovering 00:22:50.799 --> 00:22:51.680 that you're a Christian. 00:22:51.840 --> 00:22:53.480 Does the gospel not apply there? 00:22:55.079 --> 00:22:55.840 Right, there are a lot of people 00:22:55.840 --> 00:22:57.340 who will go and do overseas missions 00:22:57.340 --> 00:22:58.140 and teach people 00:22:58.140 --> 00:22:59.240 who speak a completely 00:22:59.240 --> 00:23:00.640 different language the gospel, 00:23:00.640 --> 00:23:01.840 who won't even admit 00:23:01.840 --> 00:23:02.360 they're Christians 00:23:02.360 --> 00:23:03.160 in their workplace. 00:23:03.560 --> 00:23:04.780 Does the gospel not apply there? 00:23:06.540 --> 00:23:07.060 And you know, 00:23:07.140 --> 00:23:08.820 I include myself in this. 00:23:08.920 --> 00:23:09.880 You know, just the other week, 00:23:10.040 --> 00:23:11.280 I was feeling tired, 00:23:11.420 --> 00:23:12.600 I was feeling stressed out. 00:23:12.660 --> 00:23:13.560 I mean, no surprise, 00:23:13.660 --> 00:23:14.440 I think many of us 00:23:14.440 --> 00:23:15.200 are feeling that way. 00:23:15.420 --> 00:23:16.400 But some new neighbors 00:23:16.400 --> 00:23:17.620 had recently moved in 00:23:17.620 --> 00:23:18.200 down the street, 00:23:18.280 --> 00:23:18.940 and my wife, 00:23:19.040 --> 00:23:20.000 because she's this kind 00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:20.840 of amazing person, 00:23:21.140 --> 00:23:22.300 really wanted to go 00:23:22.300 --> 00:23:23.480 and greet these neighbors 00:23:23.480 --> 00:23:24.360 and welcome them. 00:23:24.359 --> 00:23:25.679 And I was making up 00:23:25.679 --> 00:23:26.740 all kinds of excuses 00:23:26.740 --> 00:23:28.419 for why I, you know, 00:23:28.479 --> 00:23:29.500 why it wasn't a good time 00:23:29.500 --> 00:23:30.639 and maybe some other time, 00:23:30.659 --> 00:23:31.159 and she just kind of 00:23:31.159 --> 00:23:31.699 looked at me and said, 00:23:31.979 --> 00:23:33.079 don't you preach about this 00:23:33.079 --> 00:23:33.799 all the time? 00:23:35.959 --> 00:23:36.839 It's one of those sort of 00:23:36.839 --> 00:23:37.679 convenient things 00:23:37.679 --> 00:23:38.559 about being a pastor. 00:23:40.039 --> 00:23:40.759 And she said, 00:23:40.799 --> 00:23:41.679 don't you preach about this 00:23:41.679 --> 00:23:42.179 all the time? 00:23:42.299 --> 00:23:42.979 And she was right, 00:23:43.019 --> 00:23:43.799 and I realized right then 00:23:43.799 --> 00:23:43.979 and there, 00:23:44.059 --> 00:23:45.019 I was compartmentalizing. 00:23:46.000 --> 00:23:47.359 I was compartmentalizing 00:23:47.359 --> 00:23:49.439 one aspect of my life 00:23:49.439 --> 00:23:50.699 from another aspect 00:23:50.699 --> 00:23:51.059 of my life. 00:23:51.119 --> 00:23:52.299 I'm in home mode. 00:23:52.759 --> 00:23:54.119 I'm in tired mode. 00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:55.219 Therefore, 00:23:55.319 --> 00:23:55.939 the rules are different. 00:23:56.000 --> 00:23:56.479 No, they're not. 00:23:56.539 --> 00:23:57.219 That's a compartment. 00:23:58.119 --> 00:23:59.459 Those walls need to come down. 00:24:00.919 --> 00:24:02.419 And only by admitting 00:24:02.419 --> 00:24:03.819 these things to ourselves 00:24:03.819 --> 00:24:04.899 can we then begin 00:24:04.899 --> 00:24:06.199 to prayerfully preach 00:24:06.199 --> 00:24:07.479 the gospel to ourselves 00:24:07.479 --> 00:24:08.740 in all of the ways 00:24:08.740 --> 00:24:09.859 that we need to hear it. 00:24:10.399 --> 00:24:11.699 One of the central practices 00:24:11.699 --> 00:24:12.519 of discipleship 00:24:12.519 --> 00:24:13.479 is learning to preach 00:24:13.479 --> 00:24:14.599 the gospel to you, 00:24:15.139 --> 00:24:16.099 to yourself, 00:24:16.579 --> 00:24:17.719 in ways that you need 00:24:17.719 --> 00:24:18.179 to hear it. 00:24:19.299 --> 00:24:20.899 Because of God's work, 00:24:21.319 --> 00:24:22.079 the finished work 00:24:22.079 --> 00:24:22.979 of Christ on the cross, 00:24:23.259 --> 00:24:24.179 His ongoing work 00:24:24.180 --> 00:24:24.900 of the Holy Spirit, 00:24:25.200 --> 00:24:27.039 we have absolute assurance 00:24:27.039 --> 00:24:28.100 of God's love 00:24:28.100 --> 00:24:28.940 and blessing 00:24:28.940 --> 00:24:29.799 and acceptance. 00:24:29.960 --> 00:24:31.620 So we can be brutally 00:24:31.620 --> 00:24:32.720 honest with ourselves. 00:24:33.259 --> 00:24:33.480 I mean, 00:24:33.519 --> 00:24:34.360 God already knows 00:24:34.360 --> 00:24:35.000 this stuff. 00:24:35.940 --> 00:24:36.980 We can be honest 00:24:36.980 --> 00:24:37.620 with ourselves. 00:24:38.200 --> 00:24:39.340 We can confess this 00:24:39.340 --> 00:24:39.779 to a God 00:24:39.779 --> 00:24:41.080 who delights in us 00:24:41.080 --> 00:24:44.480 as we work out 00:24:44.480 --> 00:24:45.200 our salvation 00:24:45.200 --> 00:24:46.019 and overcome 00:24:46.019 --> 00:24:47.880 these inconsistencies. 00:24:47.880 --> 00:24:47.920 peace. 00:24:48.820 --> 00:24:49.520 And over time, 00:24:49.600 --> 00:24:50.780 the goal is for the gospel 00:24:50.780 --> 00:24:51.880 to sort of spill 00:24:51.880 --> 00:24:53.400 out of that faith box, 00:24:54.080 --> 00:24:55.580 to begin to spill out 00:24:55.580 --> 00:24:57.220 into all of the compartments 00:24:57.220 --> 00:24:58.360 inside you, 00:24:58.400 --> 00:24:59.320 to begin to fill up 00:24:59.320 --> 00:25:00.820 all of those other boxes 00:25:00.820 --> 00:25:02.480 until they just collapse 00:25:02.480 --> 00:25:03.480 under the weight. 00:25:03.800 --> 00:25:04.920 And the gospel begins 00:25:04.920 --> 00:25:06.980 to draw all of the disparate 00:25:06.980 --> 00:25:08.640 parts of you together. 00:25:09.140 --> 00:25:09.440 You know, 00:25:09.500 --> 00:25:10.400 there's a word for this 00:25:10.400 --> 00:25:10.860 in the Bible. 00:25:11.000 --> 00:25:11.940 It's the word shalom. 00:25:12.279 --> 00:25:13.860 When God promises shalom 00:25:13.860 --> 00:25:14.680 for His people, 00:25:14.840 --> 00:25:16.080 we often translate that 00:25:16.080 --> 00:25:16.900 as being peace. 00:25:16.940 --> 00:25:17.740 And that's a part of it. 00:25:17.900 --> 00:25:18.840 But shalom is a much 00:25:18.840 --> 00:25:19.500 bigger word. 00:25:19.779 --> 00:25:20.620 Shalom actually means 00:25:20.620 --> 00:25:21.500 wholeness, 00:25:21.820 --> 00:25:23.759 including inner wholeness, 00:25:24.880 --> 00:25:25.480 integrity, 00:25:26.140 --> 00:25:26.860 cohesion, 00:25:27.500 --> 00:25:28.240 seamlessness, 00:25:28.559 --> 00:25:29.820 every part connected 00:25:29.820 --> 00:25:31.140 to every other part. 00:25:31.720 --> 00:25:33.759 And the aim is to merge 00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:34.740 all of those separate 00:25:34.740 --> 00:25:35.860 compartments within us 00:25:35.860 --> 00:25:37.720 into one space, 00:25:38.440 --> 00:25:39.600 one self 00:25:39.599 --> 00:25:42.059 that is filled 00:25:42.059 --> 00:25:42.919 to overflowing 00:25:42.919 --> 00:25:44.240 with the Spirit of God. 00:25:46.480 --> 00:25:47.119 Let's pray. 00:25:50.759 --> 00:25:51.199 Lord, 00:25:51.299 --> 00:25:52.279 as we acknowledged 00:25:52.279 --> 00:25:52.919 at the beginning 00:25:52.919 --> 00:25:54.019 and so will continue 00:25:54.019 --> 00:25:54.779 to acknowledge, 00:25:56.139 --> 00:25:57.039 these are mysteries 00:25:57.039 --> 00:25:57.699 in many ways 00:25:57.699 --> 00:25:59.319 above all of our pay grade. 00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:01.399 And we 00:26:01.399 --> 00:26:03.619 absolutely require 00:26:03.619 --> 00:26:05.099 you 00:26:05.099 --> 00:26:07.219 as the initiator, 00:26:08.119 --> 00:26:08.559 the one, 00:26:08.639 --> 00:26:09.539 as Paul says earlier, 00:26:09.599 --> 00:26:10.059 in this letter, 00:26:10.159 --> 00:26:10.919 who began 00:26:10.919 --> 00:26:11.779 a good work 00:26:11.779 --> 00:26:12.619 in each of us. 00:26:13.159 --> 00:26:14.480 And Paul is absolutely 00:26:14.480 --> 00:26:15.279 certain that he 00:26:15.279 --> 00:26:16.419 who began a good work 00:26:16.419 --> 00:26:17.480 in each of us 00:26:17.480 --> 00:26:18.279 will bring it 00:26:18.279 --> 00:26:18.939 to completion. 00:26:19.659 --> 00:26:20.379 That's our prayer 00:26:20.379 --> 00:26:21.219 for ourselves, 00:26:21.639 --> 00:26:22.299 for Christians 00:26:22.299 --> 00:26:23.240 all around the world 00:26:23.240 --> 00:26:23.799 this morning. 00:26:24.679 --> 00:26:25.659 For the reasons 00:26:25.659 --> 00:26:26.419 that we laid out 00:26:26.419 --> 00:26:26.799 at the beginning 00:26:26.799 --> 00:26:27.379 of this sermon, 00:26:27.559 --> 00:26:27.699 Lord, 00:26:27.759 --> 00:26:29.019 we need you 00:26:29.019 --> 00:26:30.379 to complete your work 00:26:30.379 --> 00:26:31.419 in us. 00:26:31.839 --> 00:26:32.480 And part of that 00:26:32.480 --> 00:26:33.159 we know means 00:26:33.159 --> 00:26:34.399 responding to this call 00:26:34.399 --> 00:26:35.339 to work out 00:26:35.339 --> 00:26:36.699 the gospel 00:26:36.699 --> 00:26:37.579 in our own lives. 00:26:37.619 --> 00:26:38.099 And I pray that you 00:26:38.099 --> 00:26:38.419 would give us 00:26:38.420 --> 00:26:39.000 the vision 00:26:39.000 --> 00:26:39.860 and the courage 00:26:39.860 --> 00:26:40.580 and the humility 00:26:40.580 --> 00:26:42.160 to repent, 00:26:43.100 --> 00:26:44.800 confess our inconsistencies, 00:26:45.060 --> 00:26:46.000 and come and ask 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:46.500 to be filled 00:26:46.500 --> 00:26:47.200 by your grace. 00:26:47.740 --> 00:26:48.420 We pray this 00:26:48.420 --> 00:26:49.080 in your Son's 00:26:49.080 --> 00:26:49.820 holy name. 00:26:50.320 --> 00:26:50.539 Amen.