WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.080 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christ Church. 00:00:05.700 --> 00:00:11.580 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, redistribution, or any other 00:00:11.580 --> 00:00:15.280 use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christ Church. 00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:22.620 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at ChristChurchEastBay.org. 00:00:25.179 --> 00:00:26.060 Good morning. 00:00:26.600 --> 00:00:27.719 My name is Allie. 00:00:27.719 --> 00:00:31.059 I'm a member of the Central Berkeley Community Group. 00:00:31.839 --> 00:00:39.799 Today's reading is going to be from Deuteronomy, chapters 9, verses 6 through 7, 11 through 00:00:39.799 --> 00:00:46.759 17, 21, 26 through 29, and chapter 10, verses 12 through 22. 00:00:50.599 --> 00:00:55.019 Understand then that this is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God 00:00:55.019 --> 00:00:57.239 is giving you this good land to possess. 00:00:57.719 --> 00:00:59.619 For you are a stiff-necked people. 00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:06.140 Remember this and never forget how you aroused the anger of your Lord, your God, in the wilderness. 00:01:06.640 --> 00:01:11.579 From the day you left Egypt until you arrived here, you have been rebellious against the 00:01:11.579 --> 00:01:11.799 Lord. 00:01:12.680 --> 00:01:18.920 At the end of 40 days and 40 nights, the Lord gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets 00:01:18.920 --> 00:01:19.579 of the covenant. 00:01:19.579 --> 00:01:21.480 Then the Lord told me, 00:01:21.480 --> 00:01:27.420 Go down from here at once, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have become corrupt. 00:01:27.920 --> 00:01:32.780 They have turned away quickly from what I commanded them and have made an idol for themselves. 00:01:33.320 --> 00:01:37.920 And the Lord said to me, I have seen this people, and they are a stiff-necked people. 00:01:38.120 --> 00:01:43.439 Indeed, let me alone so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. 00:01:43.439 --> 00:01:48.539 And I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they. 00:01:49.299 --> 00:01:54.319 So I turned and went down from the mountains while it was ablaze with fire, and the two 00:01:54.319 --> 00:01:56.319 tablets of the covenant were in my hands. 00:01:56.859 --> 00:02:00.239 When I looked, I saw that you had sinned against the Lord your God. 00:02:00.739 --> 00:02:04.340 You had made for yourselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. 00:02:04.900 --> 00:02:08.659 You had turned aside quickly from the way that the Lord had commanded you. 00:02:08.659 --> 00:02:15.599 So I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands, breaking them into pieces before 00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:16.139 your eyes. 00:02:17.659 --> 00:02:23.120 Also, I took that sinful thing of yours, the calf you had made, and burned it in the fire. 00:02:23.560 --> 00:02:28.659 Then I crushed it and ground it to powder as fine as dust and threw the dust into a stream 00:02:28.659 --> 00:02:30.359 that flowed down the mountain. 00:02:31.180 --> 00:02:36.680 I prayed to the Lord and said, Sovereign Lord, do not destroy your people, your own inheritance 00:02:36.680 --> 00:02:40.800 that you redeemed by your great power and brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 00:02:41.480 --> 00:02:44.140 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 00:02:44.620 --> 00:02:48.099 Overlook the stubbornness of this people, their wickedness, and their sin. 00:02:48.960 --> 00:02:53.780 Otherwise, the country from which you brought us will say, Because the Lord was not able 00:02:53.780 --> 00:02:58.680 to take them into the land he had promised them, and because he had hated them, he brought 00:02:58.680 --> 00:03:01.219 them out to put them to death in the wilderness. 00:03:01.219 --> 00:03:06.620 But they are your people, your inheritance that you brought out by your great power and 00:03:06.620 --> 00:03:07.620 your outstretched arm. 00:03:08.580 --> 00:03:13.539 And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, 00:03:13.800 --> 00:03:19.400 to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart 00:03:19.400 --> 00:03:24.479 and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord's commands and decrees that I am giving 00:03:24.479 --> 00:03:25.900 you today for your own good. 00:03:25.900 --> 00:03:31.599 To the Lord our God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything 00:03:31.599 --> 00:03:32.080 in it. 00:03:32.480 --> 00:03:35.719 Yet the Lord set his affection on your ancestors and loved them. 00:03:36.259 --> 00:03:41.020 And he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations as it is today. 00:03:41.879 --> 00:03:45.939 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. 00:03:46.580 --> 00:03:52.180 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords. 00:03:52.180 --> 00:03:58.200 The great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 00:03:58.700 --> 00:04:03.840 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing 00:04:03.840 --> 00:04:06.300 among you, giving them food and clothing. 00:04:07.000 --> 00:04:09.180 And you are to love those who are foreigners. 00:04:09.860 --> 00:04:12.000 For you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. 00:04:12.800 --> 00:04:14.760 Fear the Lord your God and serve him. 00:04:15.319 --> 00:04:18.040 Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. 00:04:18.840 --> 00:04:20.240 He is the one you praise. 00:04:20.240 --> 00:04:25.900 He is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your 00:04:25.900 --> 00:04:26.500 own eyes. 00:04:26.960 --> 00:04:32.319 Your ancestors who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now the Lord your God has 00:04:32.319 --> 00:04:34.560 made you as numerous as the stars in the sky. 00:04:34.960 --> 00:04:37.259 The grass withers and the flowers fade. 00:04:37.259 --> 00:04:52.219 Good morning, friends. 00:04:52.360 --> 00:04:56.079 Congratulations on being here today and just making it out of the house. 00:04:57.259 --> 00:05:04.079 You know, after I graduated from college, I found myself in a pub in Western Ireland, 00:05:04.079 --> 00:05:06.939 and I met a friendly local there. 00:05:07.019 --> 00:05:10.819 It was a little town called Doolin, sort of known for its session music, pub music, and 00:05:10.819 --> 00:05:13.279 a friendly local started buying me pints of Guinness. 00:05:13.979 --> 00:05:18.319 And when he discovered that I was training to be a pastor, he said, oh, you hatch, match, 00:05:18.360 --> 00:05:18.779 and dispatch. 00:05:20.240 --> 00:05:25.199 And by hatch, match, and dispatch, he meant I was in the business of births, weddings, and 00:05:25.199 --> 00:05:25.740 funerals. 00:05:25.740 --> 00:05:32.560 And fortunately, over the years, we've done more matching and hatching here at Christ Church 00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:33.720 than we have dispatching. 00:05:34.460 --> 00:05:37.780 And yesterday, we had another match. 00:05:38.060 --> 00:05:41.579 We had a wedding of Ethan Van Andel and Kate Mallison. 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:42.180 It was beautiful. 00:05:42.300 --> 00:05:46.840 Some of you were there under the Redwood Grove, and then here at the reception last night. 00:05:47.360 --> 00:05:48.540 Really joyous event. 00:05:49.579 --> 00:05:53.500 And I was thinking at the reception last night about a wedding I officiated a few years ago 00:05:53.500 --> 00:05:55.439 from a couple that met here at Cal. 00:05:56.180 --> 00:06:01.660 And at the reception, the mother-in-law stood up to give a toast to her new son-in-law. 00:06:01.720 --> 00:06:08.000 And she said, so you're the husband now, and from now on, you make all the major decisions 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:08.819 in the household. 00:06:09.459 --> 00:06:14.120 And all the egalitarians in the room started sweating, and the feminists were feeling super 00:06:14.120 --> 00:06:14.540 uncomfortable. 00:06:14.540 --> 00:06:18.199 She said, yeah, now you make all the major decisions, but your new wife decides what's 00:06:18.199 --> 00:06:19.939 a major decision and what's a minor decision. 00:06:20.720 --> 00:06:22.560 And I thought, yeah, that's pretty smart. 00:06:23.500 --> 00:06:26.259 You know, I love being married. 00:06:27.180 --> 00:06:31.199 It's so great to find that one very special person that you can annoy for the rest of your 00:06:31.199 --> 00:06:31.500 life. 00:06:32.740 --> 00:06:36.860 And when Catherine and I got married for better, for worse, I couldn't have done better. 00:06:36.959 --> 00:06:37.959 She couldn't have done worse. 00:06:39.120 --> 00:06:40.980 And it's a beautiful thing. 00:06:41.040 --> 00:06:42.800 But we also know that Jesus was single. 00:06:43.079 --> 00:06:48.060 Jesus charted a path, a high and noble path for all of his disciples that would come after 00:06:48.060 --> 00:06:49.540 him and be single. 00:06:49.540 --> 00:06:56.260 But as we begin today, I just want to say it fascinates me that one of the primary metaphors 00:06:56.260 --> 00:07:00.200 to describe the relationship between God and his people is marriage. 00:07:00.960 --> 00:07:06.160 This exclusive, intense covenant bonds between a husband and wife. 00:07:06.160 --> 00:07:07.100 That's what God says. 00:07:07.180 --> 00:07:10.400 That's what his relationship with us is like. 00:07:10.439 --> 00:07:12.080 And I just want us to think about that metaphor. 00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:17.879 As we open up Deuteronomy, we come to this fifth and final book in the Torah, which is the 00:07:17.879 --> 00:07:21.000 capstone and the summary of everything that's gone before it. 00:07:21.060 --> 00:07:25.360 It's Moses' last words to the people of God before he dies. 00:07:26.420 --> 00:07:32.100 And what I think this text in Deuteronomy 9 and 10 is telling us today, God's word for 00:07:32.100 --> 00:07:42.159 us, is that our broken vows call for a selfless advocate and a new life of gratitude. 00:07:42.160 --> 00:07:52.380 Let's think for a minute about our broken vows. 00:07:52.420 --> 00:07:56.200 I want you to imagine a newlywed couple and they're on their honeymoon. 00:07:56.380 --> 00:08:00.300 They plan this special wedding weekend for all their family and friends. 00:08:00.420 --> 00:08:03.060 They've had the rehearsal, the dinner. 00:08:03.240 --> 00:08:04.100 They've had the ceremony. 00:08:04.100 --> 00:08:05.180 They've made the vows. 00:08:05.180 --> 00:08:11.639 They've had a big rocking party and they've made these serious covenant promises to one 00:08:11.639 --> 00:08:16.800 another before the eyes of God and each other and their community to love and cherish each 00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:18.500 other until death do us part. 00:08:18.600 --> 00:08:20.120 Pretty serious stuff. 00:08:20.900 --> 00:08:25.840 And then they go on their honeymoon to a tropical island, not just for like a week. 00:08:25.920 --> 00:08:27.280 They go for 40 days. 00:08:27.379 --> 00:08:29.180 I mean, who goes for 40 days? 00:08:29.180 --> 00:08:36.139 But they spare no expense and they're having a great time swimming in the ocean, walking 00:08:36.139 --> 00:08:43.019 on the beach, reading books, eating well, seeing the sights, making love, luxuriating in the 00:08:43.019 --> 00:08:46.639 rest and the joy of their covenant that they've just made. 00:08:47.360 --> 00:08:53.639 And then all of a sudden, just out of the blue, one of them is unfaithful. 00:08:53.639 --> 00:08:59.899 On their honeymoon, one of them is found in the arms of another and their covenant is 00:08:59.899 --> 00:09:01.100 shattered into pieces. 00:09:01.980 --> 00:09:06.120 How would you feel if you were the one to be so betrayed? 00:09:06.299 --> 00:09:07.519 You'd be heartbroken. 00:09:07.639 --> 00:09:09.100 You'd be outraged. 00:09:09.259 --> 00:09:16.220 How could you so quickly stab me in the back after such high promises, after such deep sacrifices 00:09:16.220 --> 00:09:20.899 that we just made to commit ourselves exclusively to one another? 00:09:20.899 --> 00:09:24.639 It's hard to describe the emotions you would feel. 00:09:24.699 --> 00:09:25.959 That's why we have country music. 00:09:26.419 --> 00:09:28.879 That's why we have the blues. 00:09:29.159 --> 00:09:32.779 You know, like, what does it feel like to be cheated on? 00:09:34.100 --> 00:09:40.039 And that's exactly what happens between Yahweh and his people with the golden calf. 00:09:40.720 --> 00:09:44.519 And we're told this didn't just happen one time on their honeymoon and they made up and 00:09:44.519 --> 00:09:45.879 then they lived happily ever after. 00:09:45.879 --> 00:09:51.539 The prophets tell us that this happened over and over and over again. 00:09:51.700 --> 00:09:57.259 God's chosen people, his beloved people, the treasured possession for whom God went to 00:09:57.259 --> 00:10:00.580 great lengths to save from slavery in Egypt. 00:10:00.580 --> 00:10:06.820 They entered into this exclusive relationship with God and they made these covenant promises 00:10:06.820 --> 00:10:07.960 in response to his. 00:10:08.019 --> 00:10:10.279 And they said, you will be our love supreme. 00:10:10.279 --> 00:10:14.779 You will be our one and only everywhere and always. 00:10:15.159 --> 00:10:16.059 And yet what happened? 00:10:16.759 --> 00:10:18.899 They adulterated the relationship. 00:10:19.699 --> 00:10:25.639 They adulterated the relationship by introducing another lover and another allegiance into the 00:10:25.639 --> 00:10:26.100 relationship. 00:10:26.860 --> 00:10:32.959 And we hear about that in verse 16 where Moses says, when I looked, I saw that you had sinned 00:10:32.959 --> 00:10:38.919 against the Lord your God and you had made for yourselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. 00:10:38.919 --> 00:10:43.360 You turned aside quickly from the way that the Lord had commanded you. 00:10:43.979 --> 00:10:49.740 The people of God decide, you know, we no longer want to live by faith in this living God that 00:10:49.740 --> 00:10:50.559 we cannot see. 00:10:50.659 --> 00:10:56.059 We want to live by sight and we want to make God less than he is. 00:10:56.899 --> 00:10:58.959 And so they cast him in the shape of a bull. 00:10:59.059 --> 00:11:03.059 Now, some of you know this statue on Wall Street, Charging Bull. 00:11:03.179 --> 00:11:04.319 Anybody seen this statue? 00:11:04.320 --> 00:11:10.100 It's been there since the 80s after a market crash as a symbol of financial optimism. 00:11:10.620 --> 00:11:12.420 And this golden calf wasn't that different. 00:11:12.500 --> 00:11:17.879 It was a symbol of strength and vitality and energy and prosperity where the people said, 00:11:18.379 --> 00:11:23.740 we are going to make God into who we want him to be and to do for us what we want him to do. 00:11:24.680 --> 00:11:27.500 God doesn't define us and fashion us. 00:11:27.640 --> 00:11:30.300 We define and fashion God. 00:11:30.299 --> 00:11:37.019 And the Apostle Paul reflects on this as not just one incident in the life of Israel, 00:11:37.240 --> 00:11:42.959 but the consistent theme in the history of humanity where he says in Romans 1, 00:11:43.799 --> 00:11:48.899 they, all people, exchanged the truth about God for a lie 00:11:48.899 --> 00:11:53.979 and worshiped and served created things rather than their creator. 00:11:53.980 --> 00:11:58.440 Another theologian commented, this is John Calvin. 00:11:58.539 --> 00:12:01.060 He said, the human heart is a factory of idols. 00:12:01.879 --> 00:12:07.360 Every one of us is, from his mother's womb, expert in inventing idols. 00:12:08.220 --> 00:12:13.700 Now, I doubt that many of us have statues at home that we pray to and seek good fortune from, 00:12:14.100 --> 00:12:19.300 but an idol is anything more important to you than God. 00:12:19.299 --> 00:12:24.259 An idol is anything that absorbs your imagination more than God. 00:12:24.319 --> 00:12:29.039 An idol is something that you seek to give you what only God can give. 00:12:29.799 --> 00:12:33.219 And you know you have a counterfeit God, a false God, 00:12:33.279 --> 00:12:38.679 when anything becomes so central and so essential that if it's lost to you, 00:12:38.740 --> 00:12:40.959 your life hardly feels worth living. 00:12:40.960 --> 00:12:46.320 You can kind of hear the self-talk in your own heart when you say, 00:12:46.480 --> 00:12:54.879 you know, my life only has meaning and I only have worth if I have power and influence over other people. 00:12:55.340 --> 00:13:01.080 Or if I win the love and respect of this group or that person, 00:13:01.080 --> 00:13:04.660 or if I have this quality of life and this standard of living, 00:13:04.659 --> 00:13:07.959 or if I'm this productive or this successful, 00:13:08.360 --> 00:13:13.079 then my life has meaning and my life has worth and value. 00:13:14.079 --> 00:13:16.719 And these become our functional gods. 00:13:17.419 --> 00:13:20.039 The gods that we're living for are gods of power, 00:13:20.620 --> 00:13:24.539 a god of approval, a god of comfort, a god of control, 00:13:24.539 --> 00:13:25.919 and on and on. 00:13:26.039 --> 00:13:32.159 We're expert in inventing idols in which we reduce God and redefine God 00:13:32.159 --> 00:13:34.779 and replace God with something he's not. 00:13:35.819 --> 00:13:40.980 And so why does Moses remind the people of this painful honeymoon affair? 00:13:42.120 --> 00:13:45.480 Because we didn't read this verse, but in verse 4 it says, 00:13:45.480 --> 00:13:47.019 you might say to yourself, 00:13:48.259 --> 00:13:53.480 the Lord has brought us to the promised land because of our righteousness. 00:13:54.659 --> 00:13:56.759 And then verse 6 picks up and it says, 00:13:57.059 --> 00:13:59.959 understand then that it is not because of your righteousness 00:13:59.960 --> 00:14:02.720 that the Lord your God is giving you this good land 00:14:02.720 --> 00:14:05.700 for you are a stiff-necked people. 00:14:06.740 --> 00:14:11.300 We tend to either think too low of ourselves or too high of ourselves. 00:14:11.300 --> 00:14:16.540 And the danger here is thinking about ourselves with moral self-congratulation, 00:14:17.240 --> 00:14:21.740 with a self-righteous superiority complex over other people. 00:14:21.900 --> 00:14:26.540 And Moses says, actually, you have a history of being stiff-necked. 00:14:26.539 --> 00:14:31.679 It's this image of an animal that refuses to listen to its owner, 00:14:32.559 --> 00:14:37.019 that has this unbending, stubborn, willfully obstinate, 00:14:37.199 --> 00:14:42.939 not readily submissive, not easily led sort of attitude to its master. 00:14:44.039 --> 00:14:46.419 And I think Moses brings this up because he's saying, 00:14:46.519 --> 00:14:49.299 look, this golden calf was not an exceptional lapse. 00:14:49.299 --> 00:14:53.620 It's just the most obvious and most horrendous example 00:14:53.620 --> 00:15:00.559 of our human, congenital, ingrained, characteristic tendency 00:15:00.559 --> 00:15:07.359 of habitual rebellion that seeks life from other sources than the living God. 00:15:08.139 --> 00:15:11.219 And the prophets repeat Moses over and over. 00:15:11.299 --> 00:15:12.359 Here's the prophet Jeremiah. 00:15:12.539 --> 00:15:14.519 He says, my people have committed two sins. 00:15:14.519 --> 00:15:18.199 They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, 00:15:18.439 --> 00:15:23.019 and have dug out their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. 00:15:24.220 --> 00:15:27.720 And so how does Moses respond to the broken vows of God's people? 00:15:28.079 --> 00:15:29.659 It says in verse 17 that, 00:15:29.860 --> 00:15:32.699 so I took the two tablets and I threw them out of my hands, 00:15:33.120 --> 00:15:35.179 breaking them to pieces before your eyes. 00:15:35.960 --> 00:15:41.019 And this isn't so much an impetuous act as it is a prophetic symbol 00:15:41.019 --> 00:15:47.340 that the moral law of God and God's covenant bond of love with his people 00:15:47.340 --> 00:15:52.039 has been shattered because they've adulterated the relationship 00:15:52.039 --> 00:15:55.919 by allowing other lovers to creep in, 00:15:56.879 --> 00:16:01.279 rendering the relationship null and void, null and void. 00:16:02.019 --> 00:16:07.120 And this is a desperate situation that the people of God find themselves in. 00:16:07.120 --> 00:16:10.679 And so that leads me to my next point, 00:16:10.759 --> 00:16:14.879 that our broken vows call for a selfless advocate. 00:16:15.799 --> 00:16:18.820 Our broken vows call for a selfless advocate. 00:16:18.919 --> 00:16:24.460 Anybody ever had somebody plead your case when you royally screwed up 00:16:24.460 --> 00:16:26.820 or you just totally didn't deserve it? 00:16:26.840 --> 00:16:31.899 Maybe a parent, a teacher, a coach, a colleague, a friend went about for you, 00:16:31.980 --> 00:16:34.980 put in a good word for you when you just didn't deserve it. 00:16:34.980 --> 00:16:39.259 Well, if any nation in the ancient Near East deserved to be destroyed, 00:16:39.899 --> 00:16:43.200 the scriptures tell us over and over again, it was the people of God. 00:16:43.779 --> 00:16:45.240 More than any other nation, 00:16:45.620 --> 00:16:48.399 their very existence here on the edge of the promised land 00:16:48.399 --> 00:16:51.720 is proof of the mercy and the grace of God. 00:16:52.560 --> 00:16:55.060 And the question is, how did they get God's mercy? 00:16:55.240 --> 00:16:57.460 What changed in this situation? 00:16:58.360 --> 00:17:03.240 What changed is that Moses stepped up to advocate for them. 00:17:03.240 --> 00:17:08.420 Moses went to become their mediator and their reconciler 00:17:08.420 --> 00:17:10.839 who interceded before God on their behalf. 00:17:10.900 --> 00:17:14.039 And you can hear him doing it in verse 26. 00:17:14.299 --> 00:17:14.620 He says, 00:17:14.700 --> 00:17:17.160 I prayed to the Lord and said, 00:17:17.299 --> 00:17:21.359 Sovereign Lord, do not destroy your people. 00:17:22.240 --> 00:17:26.420 And what follows is this model prayer for all who feel the tension 00:17:26.420 --> 00:17:29.700 between what the people of God are called to be 00:17:29.700 --> 00:17:31.500 and what we actually are. 00:17:31.559 --> 00:17:32.539 Anybody feel that tension? 00:17:33.120 --> 00:17:35.000 What the people of God are called to be 00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:36.380 and what we actually are. 00:17:36.440 --> 00:17:37.220 And this tells us, 00:17:37.360 --> 00:17:39.500 don't give up on the people of God. 00:17:39.960 --> 00:17:41.299 Learn how to pray like Moses. 00:17:42.539 --> 00:17:45.980 And how does Moses stand in the gap between God and his people? 00:17:46.080 --> 00:17:47.740 Well, first of all, he's selfless. 00:17:48.440 --> 00:17:51.380 He completely empties himself of his ego. 00:17:51.380 --> 00:17:52.100 And he says, 00:17:52.180 --> 00:17:53.740 You know, this is not about me. 00:17:54.599 --> 00:17:56.680 Because God had said in verse 14, 00:17:56.920 --> 00:17:59.099 he was so ready to be done. 00:17:59.200 --> 00:17:59.460 He said, 00:17:59.640 --> 00:18:00.440 Let me alone, Moses, 00:18:00.519 --> 00:18:01.740 so that I may destroy them 00:18:01.740 --> 00:18:03.420 and blot out their name from under heaven. 00:18:04.019 --> 00:18:05.720 And I will make you, Moses, 00:18:05.880 --> 00:18:09.680 into a nation stronger and more numerous than they. 00:18:09.799 --> 00:18:11.859 God is ready to scrap plan A, 00:18:12.259 --> 00:18:13.279 start plan B. 00:18:13.380 --> 00:18:13.539 He says, 00:18:13.640 --> 00:18:17.120 Moses, you and your family can be the new chosen people. 00:18:17.880 --> 00:18:20.660 But Moses ignores that offer completely. 00:18:20.660 --> 00:18:22.560 And he just kind of says, 00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:23.940 Okay, whatever, God. 00:18:24.000 --> 00:18:26.019 But I'm going to redirect your attention 00:18:26.019 --> 00:18:27.800 to things that are way more important 00:18:27.800 --> 00:18:29.640 than little old Moses. 00:18:30.440 --> 00:18:33.080 Namely, God, I want you to pay attention to your love 00:18:33.080 --> 00:18:35.740 and to your promises 00:18:35.740 --> 00:18:36.940 and to your character 00:18:36.940 --> 00:18:38.100 and to your reputation 00:18:38.100 --> 00:18:39.560 and to your power. 00:18:40.600 --> 00:18:43.600 Walk with me through this prayer in verse 26. 00:18:43.740 --> 00:18:45.880 Sovereign Lord, do not destroy your people, 00:18:46.480 --> 00:18:48.660 your own inheritance that you redeem. 00:18:48.660 --> 00:18:49.259 Redeemed. 00:18:49.340 --> 00:18:52.080 God, remember your special love for your people. 00:18:52.240 --> 00:18:55.019 Remember that they are your treasured possession, 00:18:55.840 --> 00:18:57.560 your inheritance in the world. 00:18:58.540 --> 00:18:59.960 And then he says in verse 27, 00:19:00.120 --> 00:19:03.420 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:07.100 God, remember the covenant promises that you've made, 00:19:07.160 --> 00:19:08.700 that you swore to Abraham. 00:19:08.860 --> 00:19:10.720 You'd give him seed and land, 00:19:10.820 --> 00:19:13.040 that you'd give him a people and a place, 00:19:13.120 --> 00:19:14.680 that you would provide him kids 00:19:14.680 --> 00:19:16.840 and a home where they can live. 00:19:16.839 --> 00:19:19.379 And God, you cannot go back on your word. 00:19:20.139 --> 00:19:21.980 You have to be faithful and follow through 00:19:21.980 --> 00:19:24.000 on what you said you're going to do. 00:19:25.079 --> 00:19:26.619 And then he goes on in verse 27. 00:19:26.740 --> 00:19:27.000 He says, 00:19:27.339 --> 00:19:29.279 Overlook the stubbornness of this people, 00:19:29.740 --> 00:19:31.439 their wickedness and their sin. 00:19:31.519 --> 00:19:32.779 God, be who you are. 00:19:33.599 --> 00:19:34.220 Be gracious. 00:19:34.919 --> 00:19:35.839 Be patient. 00:19:36.399 --> 00:19:37.019 Be forgiving. 00:19:37.279 --> 00:19:41.039 Overlook and cover their sin by your mercy. 00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:43.839 And then in verse 28, he says, 00:19:44.339 --> 00:19:47.619 Otherwise, Egypt, the country from which you brought us, 00:19:47.680 --> 00:19:48.180 will say, 00:19:48.819 --> 00:19:51.759 Because the Lord was not able to take them, 00:19:52.519 --> 00:19:53.359 and because he, 00:19:53.779 --> 00:19:55.339 into the land that he promised them, 00:19:55.379 --> 00:19:56.599 and because he hated them, 00:19:56.859 --> 00:19:59.579 he brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness. 00:20:00.279 --> 00:20:02.720 God, consider your reputation. 00:20:03.720 --> 00:20:07.039 Do not let yourself become the laughingstock of the nations. 00:20:07.039 --> 00:20:11.180 Do not let people misinterpret you as unable or unloving. 00:20:11.359 --> 00:20:13.500 Father, hallowed be your name. 00:20:13.740 --> 00:20:15.659 Do not let your name be dishonored 00:20:15.659 --> 00:20:18.079 because of the stupidity of your people, 00:20:18.579 --> 00:20:19.240 Moses says. 00:20:20.039 --> 00:20:21.980 And then in verse 29, he says, 00:20:22.980 --> 00:20:24.240 But they are your people, 00:20:25.279 --> 00:20:27.259 your inheritance that you brought out 00:20:27.259 --> 00:20:30.940 by your great power and your outstretched arm. 00:20:30.980 --> 00:20:33.059 And Moses comes back to where he started this prayer 00:20:33.059 --> 00:20:36.039 in verse 26 with the redeeming power of God. 00:20:36.039 --> 00:20:36.440 And he says, 00:20:36.519 --> 00:20:38.500 God, do what you do. 00:20:39.379 --> 00:20:41.119 You rescued us in the past, 00:20:41.500 --> 00:20:42.539 and now I'm asking, 00:20:43.440 --> 00:20:46.240 save us from ourselves. 00:20:47.480 --> 00:20:48.940 Can you imagine what would happen 00:20:48.940 --> 00:20:51.819 if we begun to pray like this? 00:20:52.799 --> 00:20:54.220 And if you pour out your hearts 00:20:54.220 --> 00:20:56.799 and your longings and your hopes to God 00:20:56.799 --> 00:20:58.180 like Moses does, 00:20:59.339 --> 00:21:01.899 1 Peter 5 says that we're to cast our anxieties 00:21:01.899 --> 00:21:04.500 on the Lord because he cares for us. 00:21:04.500 --> 00:21:08.039 And a simple way that the Bible urges us to do this 00:21:08.039 --> 00:21:11.259 is to tell God not only what we need 00:21:11.259 --> 00:21:12.319 or what we want, 00:21:12.660 --> 00:21:15.619 but to tell him why he should grant our requests. 00:21:16.779 --> 00:21:18.359 Moses pours out his heart 00:21:18.359 --> 00:21:21.859 by supporting his requests for mercy with arguments. 00:21:23.279 --> 00:21:25.240 Moses makes a case to God, 00:21:25.259 --> 00:21:26.400 and he appeals to God. 00:21:26.460 --> 00:21:26.720 He says, 00:21:26.720 --> 00:21:29.100 it's on the basis of what you've revealed about yourself, 00:21:29.200 --> 00:21:30.680 your special covenant love, 00:21:31.259 --> 00:21:32.600 the promises you've made, 00:21:32.680 --> 00:21:33.980 your character of compassion, 00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:35.700 your glory in the world, 00:21:35.779 --> 00:21:36.960 your power to redeem. 00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:41.539 And I want to suggest that we adopt Moses' example 00:21:41.539 --> 00:21:45.079 of chutzpah in our prayers. 00:21:45.700 --> 00:21:48.740 Could we be more bold and direct with God? 00:21:48.779 --> 00:21:50.600 Rather than telling God what we need, 00:21:50.599 --> 00:21:55.019 tell him why we need it on the basis of his word. 00:21:55.099 --> 00:21:56.480 Imagine what God would do 00:21:56.480 --> 00:22:00.519 if we prayed with this kind of persuasive urgency. 00:22:02.399 --> 00:22:05.659 Now I've been slowly working my way 00:22:05.659 --> 00:22:08.259 through the Marvel movies, 00:22:08.480 --> 00:22:11.779 the Marvel Cinematic Universe with my kids, 00:22:11.839 --> 00:22:12.619 and we're a little behind. 00:22:12.740 --> 00:22:13.599 We're on Ant-Man, 00:22:14.099 --> 00:22:16.259 and Ant-Man and the Wasp is our latest. 00:22:16.759 --> 00:22:20.079 So pray for us as we try to catch up with the rest of you. 00:22:20.140 --> 00:22:21.720 But I've learned that action films, 00:22:22.259 --> 00:22:22.940 in action films, 00:22:23.019 --> 00:22:26.119 the main actor or main actress has stand-ins 00:22:26.119 --> 00:22:30.259 because it can take hours to set up a scene. 00:22:31.079 --> 00:22:32.460 And so you get an actor 00:22:32.460 --> 00:22:35.920 and then somebody who looks and acts like the actor 00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:36.920 to stand there 00:22:36.920 --> 00:22:41.059 until you're ready to film the actual scene, right? 00:22:41.640 --> 00:22:42.980 And that's what's going on here. 00:22:43.099 --> 00:22:44.259 Moses is a stand-in. 00:22:44.259 --> 00:22:46.379 Moses is a placeholder, 00:22:46.559 --> 00:22:48.180 a pointer to the main actor, 00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:50.619 one better than Moses, 00:22:51.379 --> 00:22:54.059 who will be an even more selfless advocate. 00:22:54.200 --> 00:22:56.819 And that main actor comes on the scene, 00:22:56.859 --> 00:22:58.019 and what does he pray for us? 00:22:58.059 --> 00:22:58.559 He prays, 00:22:58.920 --> 00:23:00.299 Father, forgive them, 00:23:01.039 --> 00:23:03.099 for they don't know what they're doing. 00:23:04.299 --> 00:23:05.119 Moses prays, 00:23:05.400 --> 00:23:08.000 overlook their stubbornness and wickedness and sin. 00:23:08.099 --> 00:23:09.500 And Jesus, the main actor, 00:23:09.599 --> 00:23:11.579 when the final scene comes to be played, 00:23:11.579 --> 00:23:11.960 he says, 00:23:12.359 --> 00:23:13.960 Father, forgive them. 00:23:14.839 --> 00:23:17.059 And when does Jesus pray this prayer for us? 00:23:17.259 --> 00:23:18.099 He prays it 00:23:18.099 --> 00:23:20.500 when he's slowly suffocating on the cross. 00:23:22.099 --> 00:23:23.379 Historians tell us that 00:23:23.379 --> 00:23:25.559 crucified revolutionaries died 00:23:25.559 --> 00:23:26.960 with curses on their lips. 00:23:27.759 --> 00:23:29.220 These were gruesome scenes. 00:23:29.339 --> 00:23:32.440 There were screams of rage and pain and despair. 00:23:32.740 --> 00:23:34.339 And so of all the words 00:23:34.339 --> 00:23:36.240 of recrimination, 00:23:37.160 --> 00:23:38.539 of condemnation, 00:23:38.539 --> 00:23:41.240 of accusation that could have rung out, 00:23:41.299 --> 00:23:42.000 what does Jesus say? 00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:42.539 He says, 00:23:43.000 --> 00:23:43.240 forgive. 00:23:44.579 --> 00:23:46.900 Of all the prayers that I need prayed for me, 00:23:47.019 --> 00:23:48.240 this one's the most essential. 00:23:48.480 --> 00:23:50.500 Father, forgive him. 00:23:51.420 --> 00:23:53.460 Not Father, help me, 00:23:53.579 --> 00:23:55.259 but Father, forgive them. 00:23:55.500 --> 00:23:57.799 Not Father, relieve me, 00:23:57.920 --> 00:23:59.599 but Father, save them. 00:23:59.700 --> 00:24:01.240 Jesus doesn't pray for himself. 00:24:01.460 --> 00:24:03.240 He prays for us. 00:24:03.240 --> 00:24:06.019 Jesus emptied himself 00:24:06.019 --> 00:24:08.420 to become one of us 00:24:08.420 --> 00:24:10.480 and he humbled himself to death on a cross 00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:12.920 to become the selfless advocate 00:24:12.920 --> 00:24:15.579 that we desperately need. 00:24:15.660 --> 00:24:17.240 And he dares to ask God 00:24:17.240 --> 00:24:20.259 for what only God can give. 00:24:20.259 --> 00:24:23.000 Why does Jesus have the right 00:24:23.000 --> 00:24:23.900 and the authority 00:24:23.900 --> 00:24:25.440 to pray, 00:24:25.660 --> 00:24:27.759 Father, overlook their stubbornness, 00:24:28.059 --> 00:24:29.140 forgive their sin? 00:24:30.240 --> 00:24:31.579 Because he's there, 00:24:32.640 --> 00:24:33.400 fully God 00:24:33.400 --> 00:24:35.579 and fully man 00:24:35.579 --> 00:24:37.079 on the cross, 00:24:37.220 --> 00:24:38.000 in our place, 00:24:38.680 --> 00:24:39.960 as our substitute, 00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:42.140 bearing our sin, 00:24:42.279 --> 00:24:42.799 our guilt, 00:24:42.980 --> 00:24:43.519 our shame, 00:24:43.660 --> 00:24:45.259 receiving God's just judgment 00:24:45.259 --> 00:24:46.500 judgment of death 00:24:46.500 --> 00:24:47.579 that we deserve 00:24:47.579 --> 00:24:50.119 in order that we might receive 00:24:50.119 --> 00:24:51.500 the infinite mercy 00:24:51.500 --> 00:24:53.879 and astonishing grace of God 00:24:53.879 --> 00:24:55.359 that we don't deserve. 00:24:56.720 --> 00:24:57.660 And the Apostle Paul 00:24:57.660 --> 00:24:58.839 summarizes it this way 00:24:58.839 --> 00:24:59.839 in 2 Corinthians 5. 00:24:59.960 --> 00:25:00.220 He says, 00:25:00.519 --> 00:25:01.160 God made him 00:25:01.160 --> 00:25:03.640 who had no sin 00:25:03.640 --> 00:25:05.819 to be sin for us 00:25:05.819 --> 00:25:06.779 so that in him 00:25:06.779 --> 00:25:07.859 we might become 00:25:07.859 --> 00:25:10.099 the righteousness of God. 00:25:10.180 --> 00:25:10.859 And so friends, 00:25:11.200 --> 00:25:12.180 my question for us 00:25:12.180 --> 00:25:13.779 is have you placed 00:25:13.779 --> 00:25:14.740 your confidence 00:25:14.740 --> 00:25:16.660 in this one 00:25:16.660 --> 00:25:18.359 who's your only 00:25:18.359 --> 00:25:19.799 selfless advocate 00:25:19.799 --> 00:25:21.099 before God? 00:25:22.380 --> 00:25:23.220 And are we ready 00:25:23.220 --> 00:25:25.039 to renew our trust 00:25:25.039 --> 00:25:26.140 and renew our covenant 00:25:26.140 --> 00:25:27.200 with him today 00:25:27.200 --> 00:25:28.079 in this one 00:25:28.079 --> 00:25:29.059 who has secured 00:25:29.059 --> 00:25:30.640 God's mercy for us 00:25:30.640 --> 00:25:32.059 when he prayed for us 00:25:32.059 --> 00:25:33.120 with us in mind 00:25:33.120 --> 00:25:33.420 saying, 00:25:33.640 --> 00:25:34.000 Father, 00:25:35.440 --> 00:25:36.259 forgive him. 00:25:36.579 --> 00:25:36.980 Father, 00:25:38.079 --> 00:25:39.319 forgive her. 00:25:40.339 --> 00:25:42.000 This is what we most need. 00:25:42.900 --> 00:25:44.019 Our broken vows 00:25:44.019 --> 00:25:46.440 call for a selfless advocate 00:25:46.440 --> 00:25:48.599 but they also call 00:25:48.599 --> 00:25:50.400 for a new life 00:25:50.400 --> 00:25:51.619 of gratitude. 00:25:52.359 --> 00:25:53.139 Our broken vows 00:25:53.139 --> 00:25:54.900 call for a selfless advocate 00:25:54.900 --> 00:25:55.839 and a new life 00:25:55.839 --> 00:25:56.879 of gratitude. 00:25:57.139 --> 00:25:58.819 It says in verse 12 00:25:58.819 --> 00:25:59.539 of chapter 10, 00:25:59.639 --> 00:26:00.440 now Israel, 00:26:01.099 --> 00:26:02.039 what does the Lord 00:26:02.039 --> 00:26:02.440 your God 00:26:02.440 --> 00:26:03.279 ask of you? 00:26:04.279 --> 00:26:05.079 Now that you've 00:26:05.079 --> 00:26:06.119 experienced 00:26:06.119 --> 00:26:06.900 the astonishing 00:26:06.900 --> 00:26:08.259 mercy of God 00:26:08.259 --> 00:26:09.339 and you've received 00:26:09.339 --> 00:26:10.339 the infinite grace 00:26:10.339 --> 00:26:10.740 of God 00:26:10.740 --> 00:26:11.240 and you've been 00:26:11.240 --> 00:26:12.740 powerfully saved, 00:26:12.819 --> 00:26:13.660 what does the Lord 00:26:13.660 --> 00:26:15.559 require of you? 00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:17.059 What is the basic 00:26:17.059 --> 00:26:18.539 grateful response 00:26:18.539 --> 00:26:19.259 that's fitting 00:26:19.259 --> 00:26:20.859 to such a reality? 00:26:22.240 --> 00:26:23.180 And Moses says, 00:26:24.059 --> 00:26:24.680 we're to fear, 00:26:25.660 --> 00:26:26.220 walk, 00:26:27.079 --> 00:26:27.500 love, 00:26:28.240 --> 00:26:28.640 serve, 00:26:29.160 --> 00:26:29.700 and observe. 00:26:29.700 --> 00:26:32.759 Listen to verse 12. 00:26:32.860 --> 00:26:33.460 This is what 00:26:33.460 --> 00:26:34.700 it means to show 00:26:34.700 --> 00:26:35.940 that we're grateful 00:26:35.940 --> 00:26:36.980 to be the redeemed, 00:26:37.140 --> 00:26:38.259 forgiven people 00:26:38.259 --> 00:26:38.740 of God. 00:26:38.840 --> 00:26:39.580 What does he ask 00:26:39.580 --> 00:26:40.460 of you but to fear 00:26:40.460 --> 00:26:41.259 the Lord your God, 00:26:42.120 --> 00:26:43.180 to walk in obedience 00:26:43.180 --> 00:26:43.720 to him, 00:26:43.779 --> 00:26:44.460 to love him, 00:26:44.779 --> 00:26:45.720 to serve the Lord 00:26:45.720 --> 00:26:46.059 your God 00:26:46.059 --> 00:26:46.819 with all your heart 00:26:46.819 --> 00:26:47.620 and with all your soul 00:26:47.620 --> 00:26:48.259 and to observe 00:26:48.259 --> 00:26:49.140 the Lord's commands 00:26:49.140 --> 00:26:49.660 and decrees 00:26:49.660 --> 00:26:50.460 that I am giving you 00:26:50.460 --> 00:26:52.140 today for your own good. 00:26:52.180 --> 00:26:52.660 What does it mean 00:26:52.660 --> 00:26:53.460 to fear the Lord? 00:26:54.319 --> 00:26:55.000 It means to have 00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:56.500 an attitude of respect 00:26:56.500 --> 00:26:57.220 and reverence 00:26:57.220 --> 00:26:58.100 for God 00:26:58.100 --> 00:26:59.259 in everything that we do 00:26:59.259 --> 00:26:59.980 that permeates 00:26:59.980 --> 00:27:00.759 all other attitudes. 00:27:01.740 --> 00:27:02.599 What does it mean 00:27:02.599 --> 00:27:03.599 to walk in obedience? 00:27:03.779 --> 00:27:05.059 It means to imitate God 00:27:05.059 --> 00:27:06.259 in our ethical life. 00:27:07.299 --> 00:27:08.240 What does it mean 00:27:08.240 --> 00:27:09.200 that that word 00:27:09.200 --> 00:27:10.279 in the center of the list 00:27:10.279 --> 00:27:10.960 to love? 00:27:11.759 --> 00:27:13.460 It means we're to reflect 00:27:13.460 --> 00:27:15.019 the loyal love of God 00:27:15.019 --> 00:27:15.759 back to him. 00:27:16.480 --> 00:27:17.400 And what does it mean 00:27:17.400 --> 00:27:17.839 when it says 00:27:17.839 --> 00:27:18.839 we're to serve him? 00:27:19.119 --> 00:27:20.240 It means we're to worship him 00:27:20.240 --> 00:27:21.059 with our time 00:27:21.059 --> 00:27:22.720 and our talents 00:27:22.720 --> 00:27:24.039 and our treasures. 00:27:24.940 --> 00:27:25.960 And then what does it mean 00:27:25.960 --> 00:27:27.099 to observe his commands? 00:27:27.200 --> 00:27:28.079 It means that we're to give 00:27:28.079 --> 00:27:30.179 constant careful attention 00:27:30.179 --> 00:27:31.839 to his revelation 00:27:31.839 --> 00:27:33.759 in his written word. 00:27:34.899 --> 00:27:36.059 And so I want to close 00:27:36.059 --> 00:27:38.599 with two practical applications. 00:27:39.879 --> 00:27:41.159 First for the Bible-less 00:27:41.159 --> 00:27:43.379 and then for the fatherless. 00:27:44.039 --> 00:27:45.299 A word about the Bible-less 00:27:45.299 --> 00:27:47.159 and a word about the fatherless. 00:27:47.220 --> 00:27:48.519 I've been reflecting on this term 00:27:48.519 --> 00:27:50.119 a Bible-less Christian 00:27:50.119 --> 00:27:52.799 which is a grotesque anomaly. 00:27:52.799 --> 00:27:53.960 I know it's a contradiction 00:27:53.960 --> 00:27:55.139 in terms 00:27:55.140 --> 00:27:55.980 and I think it's not 00:27:55.980 --> 00:27:57.020 a lack of Bibles. 00:27:57.820 --> 00:27:59.259 It's not that we don't own them. 00:27:59.400 --> 00:28:01.259 We have many of them at home. 00:28:01.380 --> 00:28:02.520 We have infinite number 00:28:02.520 --> 00:28:03.300 on our phones. 00:28:03.759 --> 00:28:04.740 The problem is 00:28:04.740 --> 00:28:05.500 that many Christians 00:28:05.500 --> 00:28:06.640 just don't open them 00:28:06.640 --> 00:28:07.380 or read them. 00:28:08.300 --> 00:28:09.480 And why is that a problem? 00:28:09.560 --> 00:28:10.800 Because if you claim 00:28:10.800 --> 00:28:11.800 the mercy of God, 00:28:12.520 --> 00:28:14.700 the mercy that Moses hopes for 00:28:14.700 --> 00:28:16.420 and the mercy that Jesus secures, 00:28:16.800 --> 00:28:18.020 then the basic thing 00:28:18.020 --> 00:28:19.640 the Lord asks of us 00:28:19.640 --> 00:28:21.660 is to observe his commands. 00:28:21.740 --> 00:28:23.160 And where do we find those? 00:28:23.160 --> 00:28:25.440 How can we observe 00:28:25.440 --> 00:28:26.700 what we do not know 00:28:26.700 --> 00:28:28.420 and what we're not regularly 00:28:28.420 --> 00:28:30.580 informing ourselves about? 00:28:31.279 --> 00:28:32.320 I want you to imagine 00:28:32.320 --> 00:28:33.960 this newlywed couple, right? 00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:35.440 And the husband says 00:28:35.440 --> 00:28:36.320 to his new bride, 00:28:36.380 --> 00:28:37.019 he says, you know, 00:28:37.220 --> 00:28:38.759 I'm enjoying this relationship 00:28:38.759 --> 00:28:39.840 but from now on 00:28:39.840 --> 00:28:40.460 I'm not going to listen 00:28:40.460 --> 00:28:41.240 to what you say. 00:28:42.380 --> 00:28:43.580 I know words are going 00:28:43.580 --> 00:28:44.440 to come out of your mouth. 00:28:44.540 --> 00:28:45.160 I know you're going to 00:28:45.160 --> 00:28:46.880 communicate things to me 00:28:46.880 --> 00:28:48.460 but I've come up 00:28:48.460 --> 00:28:49.500 with this brilliant idea 00:28:49.500 --> 00:28:50.580 that we can have 00:28:50.579 --> 00:28:51.879 a wordless relationship. 00:28:52.980 --> 00:28:55.159 And so I don't really need 00:28:55.159 --> 00:28:55.980 to hear from you 00:28:55.980 --> 00:28:56.740 what you're thinking. 00:28:57.179 --> 00:28:58.179 I don't really want 00:28:58.179 --> 00:28:59.059 to hear from you 00:28:59.059 --> 00:29:00.059 what you want 00:29:00.059 --> 00:29:00.939 or what you need. 00:29:01.159 --> 00:29:02.039 I'm just going to pop 00:29:02.039 --> 00:29:03.199 these AirPods in 00:29:03.199 --> 00:29:04.859 and I'm going to kind of 00:29:04.859 --> 00:29:05.899 feel my way through 00:29:05.899 --> 00:29:06.619 the vibes 00:29:06.619 --> 00:29:08.720 of how to please you. 00:29:09.799 --> 00:29:11.179 Now how is it going to go 00:29:11.179 --> 00:29:13.339 for this new husband? 00:29:13.980 --> 00:29:14.480 How do you think 00:29:14.480 --> 00:29:15.659 the wife is going to 00:29:15.659 --> 00:29:17.819 appreciate being ignored? 00:29:17.819 --> 00:29:20.279 Or imagine if you have 00:29:20.279 --> 00:29:21.559 a car and you need 00:29:21.559 --> 00:29:22.559 to change the oil 00:29:22.559 --> 00:29:24.480 and instead of consulting 00:29:24.480 --> 00:29:25.919 the manual 00:29:25.919 --> 00:29:26.899 from the manufacturer 00:29:26.899 --> 00:29:28.279 you just pop the hood 00:29:28.279 --> 00:29:29.039 and you start banging 00:29:29.039 --> 00:29:29.720 around on the engine 00:29:29.720 --> 00:29:30.059 and you go, 00:29:30.419 --> 00:29:30.720 you know what, 00:29:30.720 --> 00:29:31.839 I have a brilliant idea. 00:29:32.879 --> 00:29:34.740 Water is so much cheaper 00:29:34.740 --> 00:29:36.000 and cleaner than oil. 00:29:36.819 --> 00:29:37.839 I think I'm going to put 00:29:37.839 --> 00:29:39.259 water in this engine. 00:29:40.099 --> 00:29:40.740 How's that going 00:29:40.740 --> 00:29:41.419 to go for you? 00:29:42.339 --> 00:29:42.939 Aren't you going 00:29:42.939 --> 00:29:44.240 to wish that you 00:29:44.240 --> 00:29:45.339 had relied on the maker 00:29:45.339 --> 00:29:46.039 of the car 00:29:46.039 --> 00:29:47.319 to tell you 00:29:47.319 --> 00:29:48.159 how it runs? 00:29:49.379 --> 00:29:50.359 Brothers and sisters, 00:29:50.740 --> 00:29:51.940 we cannot live 00:29:51.940 --> 00:29:52.879 a life of gratitude 00:29:52.879 --> 00:29:53.619 to God 00:29:53.619 --> 00:29:55.559 without His written 00:29:55.559 --> 00:29:56.279 instructions 00:29:56.279 --> 00:29:57.159 that He's given 00:29:57.159 --> 00:29:58.019 to us 00:29:58.019 --> 00:29:59.539 for what He wants 00:29:59.539 --> 00:30:00.119 from us 00:30:00.119 --> 00:30:01.359 and what will please Him 00:30:01.359 --> 00:30:02.299 and how He's built 00:30:02.299 --> 00:30:03.740 our lives to work. 00:30:04.539 --> 00:30:05.839 And so if you find yourself 00:30:05.839 --> 00:30:07.480 as a Bible-less Christian 00:30:07.480 --> 00:30:07.980 this morning 00:30:07.980 --> 00:30:08.779 and you feel 00:30:08.779 --> 00:30:09.559 a little uncomfortable, 00:30:10.200 --> 00:30:10.619 good, 00:30:11.240 --> 00:30:12.200 I've done my job, 00:30:12.200 --> 00:30:12.240 God, 00:30:12.580 --> 00:30:14.180 we want you 00:30:14.180 --> 00:30:14.799 to become 00:30:14.799 --> 00:30:16.100 a self-feeder. 00:30:16.700 --> 00:30:17.559 We want you 00:30:17.559 --> 00:30:18.660 to go from nothing 00:30:18.660 --> 00:30:19.680 to something. 00:30:19.759 --> 00:30:20.140 We want you 00:30:20.140 --> 00:30:21.120 to wake up tomorrow 00:30:21.120 --> 00:30:22.360 and turn to Psalm 1. 00:30:23.019 --> 00:30:23.880 Turn to the Gospel 00:30:23.880 --> 00:30:25.160 of Matthew chapter 1. 00:30:25.539 --> 00:30:26.340 If you don't know 00:30:26.340 --> 00:30:27.100 what to do, 00:30:27.220 --> 00:30:27.880 don't have a plan 00:30:27.880 --> 00:30:28.539 for how to do it, 00:30:28.580 --> 00:30:29.259 don't have a method, 00:30:29.620 --> 00:30:30.279 come talk to me, 00:30:30.360 --> 00:30:31.019 come talk to Andrew. 00:30:31.259 --> 00:30:32.039 We want 00:30:32.039 --> 00:30:33.819 no one here 00:30:33.819 --> 00:30:34.900 to be a Bible-less 00:30:34.900 --> 00:30:35.740 Christian 00:30:35.740 --> 00:30:37.480 because God's 00:30:37.480 --> 00:30:38.019 calling us 00:30:38.019 --> 00:30:39.200 to observe 00:30:39.200 --> 00:30:40.099 His commands 00:30:40.099 --> 00:30:41.539 and to walk 00:30:41.539 --> 00:30:42.079 in obedience 00:30:42.079 --> 00:30:43.180 to what He said. 00:30:44.279 --> 00:30:44.960 And the last thing 00:30:44.960 --> 00:30:45.379 I want to say 00:30:45.379 --> 00:30:46.240 is not just a word 00:30:46.240 --> 00:30:47.039 for the Bible-less 00:30:47.039 --> 00:30:47.480 but a word 00:30:47.480 --> 00:30:49.019 about the fatherless 00:30:49.019 --> 00:30:51.119 because when we open 00:30:51.119 --> 00:30:52.039 and when we read 00:30:52.039 --> 00:30:52.680 our Bibles, 00:30:53.480 --> 00:30:54.559 we find it reveals 00:30:54.559 --> 00:30:55.460 to us the heart 00:30:55.460 --> 00:30:56.119 of our Creator 00:30:56.119 --> 00:30:57.079 for His creation 00:30:57.079 --> 00:30:58.460 and for the creatures 00:30:58.460 --> 00:30:59.519 that He's made 00:30:59.519 --> 00:31:00.299 in His image. 00:31:01.299 --> 00:31:02.279 And we read things 00:31:02.279 --> 00:31:03.039 like this 00:31:03.039 --> 00:31:03.900 in verse 18. 00:31:04.400 --> 00:31:05.000 He defends 00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:05.619 the cause 00:31:05.619 --> 00:31:06.379 of the fatherless 00:31:06.379 --> 00:31:06.900 and the widow 00:31:06.900 --> 00:31:07.980 and He loves 00:31:07.980 --> 00:31:08.560 the foreigners 00:31:08.560 --> 00:31:09.660 residing among you 00:31:09.660 --> 00:31:10.700 giving them food 00:31:10.700 --> 00:31:11.720 and clothing. 00:31:12.560 --> 00:31:13.580 This tells us 00:31:13.580 --> 00:31:14.740 that the Creator God 00:31:14.740 --> 00:31:15.940 fixes His attention 00:31:15.940 --> 00:31:17.880 not on the glory 00:31:17.880 --> 00:31:18.820 and the power 00:31:18.820 --> 00:31:19.860 of the wealthy 00:31:19.860 --> 00:31:20.700 and the strong 00:31:20.700 --> 00:31:21.500 but on the needs 00:31:21.500 --> 00:31:22.160 of the poor 00:31:22.160 --> 00:31:23.160 and the weak 00:31:23.160 --> 00:31:24.180 and the vulnerable 00:31:24.180 --> 00:31:25.400 and this fundamental 00:31:25.400 --> 00:31:26.600 moral character 00:31:26.600 --> 00:31:27.400 of a just 00:31:27.400 --> 00:31:28.720 and merciful God 00:31:28.720 --> 00:31:29.880 is to be reflected 00:31:29.880 --> 00:31:30.960 in the society 00:31:30.960 --> 00:31:32.360 and the culture 00:31:32.360 --> 00:31:34.340 of His people. 00:31:35.480 --> 00:31:36.080 And so I want 00:31:36.080 --> 00:31:36.740 to just encourage 00:31:36.740 --> 00:31:37.599 us as we close 00:31:37.599 --> 00:31:39.779 to find one way 00:31:39.779 --> 00:31:41.059 for every person 00:31:41.059 --> 00:31:42.740 here to find one way 00:31:42.740 --> 00:31:43.440 in this upcoming 00:31:43.440 --> 00:31:44.420 holiday season 00:31:44.420 --> 00:31:47.880 to defend one child. 00:31:48.759 --> 00:31:49.579 One child 00:31:49.579 --> 00:31:50.420 who at no fault 00:31:50.420 --> 00:31:50.880 of their own 00:31:50.880 --> 00:31:51.920 has become fatherless, 00:31:51.980 --> 00:31:52.880 has become motherless. 00:31:52.960 --> 00:31:53.500 One child 00:31:53.500 --> 00:31:54.539 who's been orphaned 00:31:54.539 --> 00:31:55.500 and whose needs 00:31:55.500 --> 00:31:56.259 can be met 00:31:56.259 --> 00:31:57.920 by your resources 00:31:57.920 --> 00:31:59.400 and my resources. 00:31:59.559 --> 00:32:00.019 And if you want 00:32:00.019 --> 00:32:00.500 to know more 00:32:00.500 --> 00:32:01.779 about what we're doing 00:32:01.779 --> 00:32:02.579 with Care Portal 00:32:02.579 --> 00:32:04.240 or Foster the City 00:32:04.240 --> 00:32:05.859 or Compassion International 00:32:05.859 --> 00:32:06.799 and other things, 00:32:07.179 --> 00:32:08.359 email Andrew 00:32:08.359 --> 00:32:09.819 and he will send you 00:32:09.819 --> 00:32:10.919 to the right people 00:32:10.919 --> 00:32:12.839 and the right opportunities 00:32:12.839 --> 00:32:13.539 for how we're trying 00:32:13.539 --> 00:32:14.439 to set up our church 00:32:14.439 --> 00:32:16.220 to defend the fatherless. 00:32:16.259 --> 00:32:16.679 But I want you 00:32:16.679 --> 00:32:17.299 to imagine. 00:32:18.500 --> 00:32:19.539 Imagine us being 00:32:19.539 --> 00:32:20.000 a people 00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:21.240 who with one hand 00:32:21.240 --> 00:32:22.839 we've opened up 00:32:22.839 --> 00:32:23.759 the powerful word 00:32:23.759 --> 00:32:24.240 of God 00:32:24.240 --> 00:32:26.279 and with the other hand 00:32:26.279 --> 00:32:26.879 we're blessing 00:32:26.879 --> 00:32:27.759 the vulnerable 00:32:27.759 --> 00:32:29.279 image of God. 00:32:29.279 --> 00:32:30.660 and I think 00:32:30.660 --> 00:32:31.259 if we could do 00:32:31.259 --> 00:32:32.539 those two things 00:32:32.539 --> 00:32:34.599 open the word of God 00:32:34.599 --> 00:32:36.579 and bless the vulnerable 00:32:36.579 --> 00:32:37.539 image of God 00:32:37.539 --> 00:32:39.259 we will have moved 00:32:39.259 --> 00:32:39.920 the needle 00:32:39.920 --> 00:32:41.899 pretty significantly 00:32:41.899 --> 00:32:43.879 toward this new life 00:32:43.879 --> 00:32:44.500 of gratitude 00:32:44.500 --> 00:32:46.720 that God is inviting us 00:32:46.720 --> 00:32:47.500 into us 00:32:47.500 --> 00:32:48.579 whose sins 00:32:48.579 --> 00:32:49.579 have been mercifully 00:32:49.579 --> 00:32:50.559 forgiven. 00:32:50.779 --> 00:32:51.079 Us 00:32:51.079 --> 00:32:52.899 whose sins 00:32:52.899 --> 00:32:53.539 have been 00:32:53.539 --> 00:32:54.480 graciously 00:32:54.480 --> 00:32:55.980 overlooked. 00:32:57.519 --> 00:32:58.619 I hope and pray 00:32:58.619 --> 00:32:59.220 this is so 00:32:59.220 --> 00:32:59.700 in the name 00:32:59.700 --> 00:33:00.660 of the Father, 00:33:00.779 --> 00:33:01.160 the Son, 00:33:01.680 --> 00:33:02.579 and the Holy Spirit. 00:33:03.360 --> 00:33:03.600 Amen.