WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.839 For those of you who are just joining us, maybe have not been a part of our community before, 00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:11.980 what is happening here is really the culmination of something that started close to three years ago in prayer and dreaming. 00:00:12.599 --> 00:00:18.699 It's a collaboration between three churches, Church of the Resurrection, Church of the Advent, Church of the Ascension, 00:00:18.839 --> 00:00:25.060 three other churches in the D.C. area who have a dream to start new worshiping communities together. 00:00:25.059 --> 00:00:33.420 And when this whole thing started over 10 years ago, we had the hope that one day we would look at a neighborhood like Brooklyn 00:00:33.420 --> 00:00:43.200 and that we would see a worshiping community birthed here that would come alongside the other churches that are doing great work to serve the city and to bring glory to God. 00:00:43.340 --> 00:00:46.640 And so we're here. This is our inaugural gathering. 00:00:47.019 --> 00:00:53.560 Some of us have been meeting and working and planning this for, as I said, two and a half, three years now. 00:00:53.560 --> 00:01:02.820 But this is our first time gathering here as a church to worship, to hear the word of God and to share in the Lord's Supper. 00:01:03.240 --> 00:01:05.520 So it's a great time to be here. 00:01:05.719 --> 00:01:16.340 And as I was thinking about this and praying about it, I was realizing that one of the things that we need to think about as we're gathering together for the first time is our expectations. 00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:20.659 You know, what are we expecting of this? 00:01:20.659 --> 00:01:26.840 And now that it's here, now that we're here, what should we expect of this community? 00:01:26.959 --> 00:01:29.179 And as we go forward, what will it look like? 00:01:30.340 --> 00:01:32.659 So we have to do a little expectation management. 00:01:33.560 --> 00:01:40.659 For me, that's very important in my life to make sure that my expectations align with reality. 00:01:40.659 --> 00:01:41.140 Reality. 00:01:42.259 --> 00:01:49.239 And in the vein of that, one of the things that's central to the life of all of our communities, including this one, 00:01:49.780 --> 00:01:55.359 is that we want to allow God's word to shape how we think about these things. 00:01:55.459 --> 00:01:58.519 We want to pattern our lives as a community after scripture. 00:01:59.000 --> 00:02:00.120 And so that's what we're going to do. 00:02:00.179 --> 00:02:03.560 And we're going to do that by looking at the book of Acts today. 00:02:03.560 --> 00:02:08.259 Acts is written by Luke, who was a physician and a historian. 00:02:08.659 --> 00:02:18.259 And it's wonderful because it gives us some eyewitness accounts of the very first churches as they were being born. 00:02:19.039 --> 00:02:25.000 And so if we want to understand and have a sense of what to expect here, it's great that we're able to look there. 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:31.379 And in particular, we're going to look at chapter 16 and the beginning of the church in a place called Philippi. 00:02:32.240 --> 00:02:38.180 And what's really cool is that we're going to look at the birth of this church this week in Acts chapter 16. 00:02:38.580 --> 00:02:46.319 And then beginning next week, we're actually going to be able to look at a letter that Paul wrote to this church 10 years after it began. 00:02:46.900 --> 00:02:54.000 And then we're going to do an in-depth study and try to understand some of the things that Paul had to say to this church 10 years after it began. 00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:59.539 But today the focus is Acts chapter 16, the birth of the church in Philippi. 00:03:00.300 --> 00:03:07.800 While there's a lot in this passage that we're not going to be able to cover in depth and a lot that is unique to that culture, 00:03:08.039 --> 00:03:15.420 there are some things that we can glean in terms of our central question, which is what should we expect? 00:03:15.939 --> 00:03:18.860 And this is for people who have been laboring for this long and hard. 00:03:18.860 --> 00:03:23.740 And this is also for people who maybe you just kind of wandered in the door because you smelled coffee. 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:26.400 And you're here wondering what this is all about. 00:03:26.500 --> 00:03:31.620 For all of us here, there is a need to understand what is this about? 00:03:31.919 --> 00:03:35.900 What should we expect out of our time together as we continue to meet? 00:03:36.419 --> 00:03:39.780 And so we're going to first look at a couple of things that we should not expect. 00:03:40.920 --> 00:03:42.520 A couple of things that we should not expect. 00:03:42.599 --> 00:03:44.939 And then we're going to look at a couple of things that we should expect. 00:03:45.420 --> 00:03:46.439 Acts chapter 16. 00:03:46.539 --> 00:03:47.180 Let's pray together. 00:03:47.180 --> 00:03:56.140 Our Heavenly Father, all of our planning, all of our striving, all of our strategizing, all of our effort, all of the setup, all the coordinating, 00:03:57.140 --> 00:03:59.319 Lord, all of that is mere human effort. 00:04:00.020 --> 00:04:05.319 And if our hope was based on that alone, we would have no hope. 00:04:05.319 --> 00:04:12.280 But we know that somewhere in all of this, you are here and that you're at work and that you speak. 00:04:13.199 --> 00:04:17.920 And so, God, we pray that you would speak to us now through your word because we need desperately to hear from you. 00:04:18.339 --> 00:04:19.980 We pray this in your son's holy name. 00:04:20.699 --> 00:04:21.040 Amen. 00:04:22.319 --> 00:04:23.659 So Acts chapter 16. 00:04:23.800 --> 00:04:24.680 What should we expect? 00:04:24.740 --> 00:04:30.199 A couple of things that we should not expect here in Brooklyn as we look at the church in Philippi. 00:04:30.199 --> 00:04:32.079 First thing is this. 00:04:32.719 --> 00:04:36.199 We should not expect that everything will go according to plan. 00:04:37.740 --> 00:04:41.439 We should not expect that everything will go according to plan. 00:04:41.539 --> 00:04:42.839 I think that we've learned that. 00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:46.339 But it's good to be reminded of that. 00:04:47.039 --> 00:04:47.259 Right? 00:04:47.319 --> 00:04:51.240 If you look at verses 6 through 10 of Acts 16, what does it say? 00:04:51.279 --> 00:04:53.060 It says Paul wanted to go to where? 00:04:53.279 --> 00:04:53.579 Asia. 00:04:54.199 --> 00:04:55.319 I don't know if we can bring it up here. 00:04:55.399 --> 00:04:56.099 I don't know if that's possible. 00:04:56.339 --> 00:04:56.759 That's okay. 00:04:56.839 --> 00:04:57.839 We'll figure that out. 00:04:57.839 --> 00:05:02.199 Hopefully, maybe you have a Bible or an iPhone or something that you can look at if you'd like. 00:05:02.519 --> 00:05:05.179 But it says that Paul wants to go to Asia and to Bithynia. 00:05:05.879 --> 00:05:06.919 But then what does it say? 00:05:07.079 --> 00:05:09.019 The spirit of Jesus prevented it. 00:05:10.759 --> 00:05:14.439 Now, I wish I could say, you know, well, according to the commentaries, this is what that actually means. 00:05:15.500 --> 00:05:16.979 But that's really all we're given. 00:05:18.219 --> 00:05:21.519 Paul wanted to go there and Jesus said, no. 00:05:21.519 --> 00:05:31.579 And instead, Paul is given this vision of a man calling them to come into Europe and to preach the gospel there. 00:05:31.899 --> 00:05:34.439 And when we say the gospel, we mean the good news about Jesus. 00:05:35.859 --> 00:05:37.339 And this man says, come. 00:05:37.459 --> 00:05:38.560 We need the gospel here. 00:05:38.759 --> 00:05:39.839 And so that's where they go. 00:05:39.979 --> 00:05:41.079 And there's no reason given. 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:42.339 We have no reason why. 00:05:42.339 --> 00:05:45.219 But Paul obediently goes. 00:05:46.179 --> 00:05:51.659 And it's good to be reminded right off the bat that God is the one calling the shots, not us. 00:05:53.099 --> 00:05:53.519 Right? 00:05:53.599 --> 00:05:57.479 That life in the church, life in God's community is like this dance. 00:05:57.480 --> 00:06:04.840 And it's a dance between us and God, between human striving and divine sovereignty. 00:06:06.680 --> 00:06:08.680 And God is the one leading the dance. 00:06:09.819 --> 00:06:19.400 And, you know, anytime you see, you know, if you watch Dancing with the Stars or anything like that, you know, the one leading the dance has to be very tuned in with and aware of their partner. 00:06:19.399 --> 00:06:24.639 And yet they initiate the movement and the partner has to be very tuned into and aware of the lead. 00:06:24.739 --> 00:06:30.039 And they need to be able to respond in a way where their movement looks fluid and unified. 00:06:30.219 --> 00:06:32.479 So Paul has a sense, God is not leading me here. 00:06:32.620 --> 00:06:33.419 He's leading me here. 00:06:33.620 --> 00:06:35.539 And so Paul immediately yields to that. 00:06:36.039 --> 00:06:37.239 And the dance goes on. 00:06:38.979 --> 00:06:42.939 So God is always inviting us into the dance. 00:06:45.099 --> 00:06:48.679 He's always inviting us to be a part of what he's doing. 00:06:48.680 --> 00:06:51.680 And the question that we always have to ask is, how do we respond? 00:06:52.480 --> 00:06:53.420 Do we respond? 00:06:54.900 --> 00:06:59.280 How much do we struggle before we allow him to lead the dance? 00:06:59.819 --> 00:07:06.340 We had three meeting spaces fall through over two years before our fourth attempt. 00:07:07.240 --> 00:07:08.439 And we came here. 00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:15.840 It felt in many ways like we were wrestling and struggling with God during that time. 00:07:15.839 --> 00:07:19.939 And yet as I look at this, I cannot believe that we have such a wonderful space. 00:07:20.139 --> 00:07:24.419 I'm actually more excited about the people we get to work with here than the space. 00:07:24.819 --> 00:07:29.299 I mean, the stage is nice and all, but the people that are hosting us, if you haven't had a chance to meet them, 00:07:29.779 --> 00:07:33.759 Beth and Royale and all of the team that they're going to be working with us, they're amazing. 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:36.259 And I look at that and I look at God and I just say thank you. 00:07:37.179 --> 00:07:38.439 Thank you for this blessing. 00:07:38.439 --> 00:08:08.420 Thank you. 00:08:08.420 --> 00:08:10.420 Thank you. 00:08:10.420 --> 00:08:12.420 Thank you. 00:08:12.420 --> 00:08:14.420 Thank you. 00:08:14.420 --> 00:08:19.840 If this is your life and these are the terms, then where's the invitation? 00:08:19.839 --> 00:08:23.060 because the one thing we know for sure is this, 00:08:23.119 --> 00:08:27.699 that God is always continually inviting us into the dance. 00:08:29.359 --> 00:08:32.039 If this is your life and these are the terms, where's the invitation? 00:08:34.120 --> 00:08:38.179 So we should not always expect that things will go according to our plans. 00:08:38.539 --> 00:08:42.000 Often they don't because we are not the ones leading the dance. 00:08:43.139 --> 00:08:45.000 The second thing we should not expect is this. 00:08:45.000 --> 00:08:47.399 We should not expect this to be easy all the time. 00:08:47.399 --> 00:08:51.659 You know, Philippi was a proud Roman city. 00:08:51.819 --> 00:08:54.899 There was a kind of a noble military heritage here. 00:08:55.340 --> 00:08:56.879 Latin was the official language. 00:08:57.019 --> 00:08:59.459 It's a European Roman city. 00:08:59.980 --> 00:09:03.120 So if you're a Greek speaker, you're lower class. 00:09:03.220 --> 00:09:05.419 If you're a Jew, there are hardly any Jews here. 00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:07.799 So you're considered lower class. 00:09:07.899 --> 00:09:12.899 So Paul, a Greek-speaking Jew, and his team would have been looked down upon 00:09:12.899 --> 00:09:15.199 as soon as they crossed the threshold of the city. 00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:19.640 And so you see, even though Paul and Silas are Roman citizens, 00:09:19.900 --> 00:09:21.420 once they begin to do ministry, 00:09:21.420 --> 00:09:24.820 and once people begin to see the kind of work that they're doing, 00:09:25.100 --> 00:09:26.259 they're treated horribly. 00:09:27.300 --> 00:09:29.879 And you can read about it in verses 19 to 37. 00:09:30.060 --> 00:09:32.540 They're dragged into the marketplace to face the authorities. 00:09:33.379 --> 00:09:34.340 They're stripped. 00:09:34.780 --> 00:09:36.200 They're severely flogged. 00:09:36.340 --> 00:09:38.220 They're thrown into prison without a trial. 00:09:38.580 --> 00:09:41.480 They're sent into the maximum security inner cell. 00:09:41.480 --> 00:09:43.379 And their feet are put in the stocks. 00:09:46.019 --> 00:09:49.920 And the persecution only got worse for this church over time. 00:09:50.060 --> 00:09:53.200 Things only got worse for a while before they got better. 00:09:53.860 --> 00:09:55.659 So the question becomes, why does this happen? 00:09:58.360 --> 00:09:59.320 Why does it happen? 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:02.659 You know, when things get hard for us, 00:10:02.759 --> 00:10:05.620 a lot of times we will say, 00:10:05.620 --> 00:10:07.779 well, this is probably a sign that we shouldn't be doing it. 00:10:09.279 --> 00:10:10.480 But not so here. 00:10:11.659 --> 00:10:15.120 See, there are surface reasons why they face these issues, 00:10:15.200 --> 00:10:16.460 probably cultural reasons. 00:10:17.220 --> 00:10:19.259 But Jesus did say plainly that people, 00:10:19.560 --> 00:10:20.399 you know, Jesus said, 00:10:20.480 --> 00:10:21.820 people treated me this way, 00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:24.220 and they're going to treat you this way. 00:10:26.120 --> 00:10:28.340 And yet, they persevere, 00:10:28.519 --> 00:10:30.360 Paul and Silas in this church persevere, 00:10:30.720 --> 00:10:33.299 and it's amazing to look in another of Paul's letters, 00:10:33.299 --> 00:10:34.779 2 Corinthians chapter 8, 00:10:34.979 --> 00:10:37.479 he actually references this church in Philippi. 00:10:38.459 --> 00:10:39.179 And he says this, 00:10:39.419 --> 00:10:41.379 for in a severe test of affliction, 00:10:41.779 --> 00:10:44.740 their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty 00:10:44.740 --> 00:10:46.479 have overflowed in what? 00:10:47.740 --> 00:10:52.120 Their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty 00:10:52.120 --> 00:10:54.879 have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 00:10:54.879 --> 00:10:59.919 So, not only did the hardship not overcome the church, 00:11:00.039 --> 00:11:02.860 but rather it produced in them a joy 00:11:02.860 --> 00:11:04.960 and a generosity and a gratitude 00:11:04.960 --> 00:11:06.340 and a worshipfulness. 00:11:07.679 --> 00:11:08.679 It's a mystery. 00:11:08.840 --> 00:11:10.899 How could persecution and hardship and suffering 00:11:10.899 --> 00:11:12.639 make people more joyful, 00:11:13.059 --> 00:11:13.960 more generous, 00:11:14.379 --> 00:11:15.539 more worshipful? 00:11:16.659 --> 00:11:18.419 We'll get more into that next week. 00:11:19.179 --> 00:11:21.559 That's the question as we look at Philippians. 00:11:21.559 --> 00:11:25.679 Now, let's look at some things that we should expect. 00:11:25.779 --> 00:11:27.059 Those are some things that we shouldn't expect. 00:11:27.179 --> 00:11:28.359 It's not going to go according to plan. 00:11:28.599 --> 00:11:29.679 It's not always going to be easy. 00:11:30.099 --> 00:11:31.459 But here's what we should expect 00:11:31.459 --> 00:11:32.599 as we move on in the passage. 00:11:33.079 --> 00:11:34.019 First thing is this. 00:11:34.479 --> 00:11:36.279 We should expect this, friends, 00:11:36.959 --> 00:11:38.839 that hearts would be open to God's Word. 00:11:39.959 --> 00:11:43.379 That hearts would be opened to God's Word. 00:11:43.439 --> 00:11:45.479 The first person we meet here in Philippi 00:11:45.479 --> 00:11:46.399 is a woman named Lydia. 00:11:46.839 --> 00:11:48.399 She's a dealer in purple goods, 00:11:48.399 --> 00:11:49.579 which is the Bible's way of saying 00:11:49.579 --> 00:11:51.099 she's a very successful businesswoman. 00:11:52.319 --> 00:11:53.819 And she's probably fairly wealthy, 00:11:54.000 --> 00:11:54.719 fairly well off, 00:11:55.179 --> 00:11:56.679 fairly prominent member of society. 00:11:57.779 --> 00:11:58.519 We know that. 00:11:58.599 --> 00:12:00.559 We know that she wants a relationship with God. 00:12:00.639 --> 00:12:01.419 And the reason we know that 00:12:01.419 --> 00:12:02.619 is because, as I said before, 00:12:02.939 --> 00:12:04.479 there are not enough Jews in Philippi 00:12:04.479 --> 00:12:06.179 to have quorum for a synagogue. 00:12:06.439 --> 00:12:07.019 You had to have ten. 00:12:07.839 --> 00:12:08.599 They don't have that many. 00:12:08.719 --> 00:12:10.599 They have somehow less than that, 00:12:10.659 --> 00:12:11.939 less Jewish men anyway. 00:12:12.899 --> 00:12:14.919 And so what they did instead, 00:12:15.000 --> 00:12:15.839 because they didn't have a synagogue, 00:12:16.019 --> 00:12:17.139 is on the Sabbath they would go 00:12:17.139 --> 00:12:18.039 and they would essentially have 00:12:18.039 --> 00:12:19.859 a time of prayer and Bible study. 00:12:19.860 --> 00:12:21.440 So on the Sabbath, 00:12:21.580 --> 00:12:22.300 Paul and Silas, 00:12:22.360 --> 00:12:22.980 as they always did, 00:12:23.019 --> 00:12:23.680 they say, you know, 00:12:23.740 --> 00:12:25.899 where are the Jews worshiping? 00:12:25.919 --> 00:12:28.220 And they find a small group of people, 00:12:28.919 --> 00:12:30.039 sounds like it was mostly women, 00:12:30.539 --> 00:12:31.860 reading the Bible together. 00:12:32.620 --> 00:12:33.740 And they join in, 00:12:33.800 --> 00:12:34.860 and they begin to talk, 00:12:34.899 --> 00:12:36.159 and they begin to tell them 00:12:36.159 --> 00:12:37.919 about Jesus. 00:12:37.919 --> 00:12:40.719 And we know that they were talking 00:12:40.719 --> 00:12:41.759 about Jesus in the gospel 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:42.860 because of the very beginning, 00:12:43.879 --> 00:12:44.419 the vision, 00:12:45.299 --> 00:12:46.240 the man says to Paul, 00:12:46.360 --> 00:12:47.360 come and preach the gospel. 00:12:47.500 --> 00:12:48.500 So this is what Paul does. 00:12:48.740 --> 00:12:50.439 He comes and ostensibly finds Lydia, 00:12:50.559 --> 00:12:51.139 finds this group, 00:12:51.319 --> 00:12:52.299 and begins to tell them 00:12:52.299 --> 00:12:53.259 the gospel about Jesus. 00:12:54.879 --> 00:12:55.679 And it says, 00:12:55.819 --> 00:12:56.679 it's this amazing thing. 00:12:56.740 --> 00:12:57.179 It doesn't say, 00:12:57.399 --> 00:12:58.719 Paul made a really compelling case. 00:12:59.659 --> 00:13:01.319 Paul's apologetics were watertight. 00:13:01.320 --> 00:13:03.200 You know, 00:13:03.600 --> 00:13:04.520 Paul gave them 00:13:04.520 --> 00:13:06.220 Tim Keller's reason for God, 00:13:06.340 --> 00:13:07.800 and they all believed. 00:13:07.879 --> 00:13:08.600 It doesn't say that. 00:13:08.680 --> 00:13:09.440 Great book, by the way. 00:13:12.340 --> 00:13:13.320 That's not a nox. 00:13:14.720 --> 00:13:16.320 And God opens her heart 00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:17.020 to these words. 00:13:18.040 --> 00:13:19.220 And this is a great image 00:13:19.220 --> 00:13:20.660 because it's the exact same image 00:13:20.660 --> 00:13:21.540 that the Bible uses. 00:13:21.680 --> 00:13:22.500 The same language 00:13:22.500 --> 00:13:25.040 is used when God opens a womb. 00:13:26.680 --> 00:13:27.740 It's the same phrasing. 00:13:28.780 --> 00:13:28.960 You know, 00:13:28.960 --> 00:13:29.960 in the Bible, 00:13:30.060 --> 00:13:31.180 God opens a womb 00:13:31.180 --> 00:13:33.660 so that life can be sort of 00:13:33.660 --> 00:13:35.240 implanted and grow there. 00:13:35.580 --> 00:13:36.660 In the very same language 00:13:36.660 --> 00:13:36.980 is used. 00:13:37.080 --> 00:13:38.300 God opens Lydia's heart 00:13:38.300 --> 00:13:40.000 so that life can be implanted 00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:41.240 and grow there. 00:13:42.040 --> 00:13:43.560 And it's this great image 00:13:43.560 --> 00:13:45.280 of what God does 00:13:45.280 --> 00:13:46.000 in Lydia's heart. 00:13:46.139 --> 00:13:47.080 And what we see in Lydia 00:13:47.080 --> 00:13:47.440 is this. 00:13:47.740 --> 00:13:49.600 Lydia already knew about God. 00:13:50.160 --> 00:13:51.180 She already had a desire 00:13:51.180 --> 00:13:51.900 to know God. 00:13:53.460 --> 00:13:55.180 She had an interest, 00:13:55.300 --> 00:13:55.980 a curiosity. 00:13:56.200 --> 00:13:57.060 She was drawn, 00:13:57.059 --> 00:13:59.199 and yet she didn't know 00:13:59.199 --> 00:13:59.939 how to actually have 00:13:59.939 --> 00:14:01.219 a relationship with God. 00:14:01.779 --> 00:14:03.119 And that's the missing piece 00:14:03.119 --> 00:14:04.059 that Paul gives her 00:14:04.059 --> 00:14:05.219 when he talks about Jesus. 00:14:05.639 --> 00:14:06.799 And God opens her heart 00:14:06.799 --> 00:14:07.859 to receive this truth 00:14:07.859 --> 00:14:09.039 and it says immediately 00:14:09.039 --> 00:14:09.979 she believes, 00:14:10.339 --> 00:14:11.679 immediately she gets baptized, 00:14:12.039 --> 00:14:12.639 and immediately 00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:13.859 her whole household 00:14:13.859 --> 00:14:14.559 gets baptized. 00:14:16.299 --> 00:14:17.099 And she becomes 00:14:17.099 --> 00:14:17.959 a huge part of the church. 00:14:18.019 --> 00:14:18.759 At the end of the chapter, 00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:19.979 we see that she's actually 00:14:19.979 --> 00:14:21.039 hosting a church meeting 00:14:21.039 --> 00:14:21.979 in her home. 00:14:23.199 --> 00:14:24.139 And this is something 00:14:24.139 --> 00:14:25.139 that we should expect 00:14:25.139 --> 00:14:26.199 to see in this community, 00:14:26.340 --> 00:14:26.460 friends. 00:14:26.500 --> 00:14:27.580 We should expect 00:14:27.580 --> 00:14:30.139 to see hearts opened. 00:14:30.899 --> 00:14:31.139 You know, 00:14:31.159 --> 00:14:31.860 this is a community 00:14:31.860 --> 00:14:33.679 where we can ask questions, 00:14:34.059 --> 00:14:35.500 we can share doubts, 00:14:35.639 --> 00:14:37.319 we can explore ideas, 00:14:37.399 --> 00:14:38.379 and I'll tell you this right now. 00:14:39.340 --> 00:14:40.139 Nobody's going to tell you 00:14:40.139 --> 00:14:40.799 what to think here. 00:14:42.100 --> 00:14:43.159 So if you're here, 00:14:43.220 --> 00:14:43.559 if you're new, 00:14:43.620 --> 00:14:44.059 if you're not sure 00:14:44.059 --> 00:14:44.600 what you believe, 00:14:44.600 --> 00:14:46.240 if you're checking things out, 00:14:46.659 --> 00:14:47.879 nobody will ever tell you, 00:14:47.960 --> 00:14:48.240 hopefully, 00:14:49.279 --> 00:14:51.480 I hope nobody will ever tell you 00:14:51.480 --> 00:14:52.379 what to think here. 00:14:52.899 --> 00:14:53.580 I don't think Christians 00:14:53.580 --> 00:14:54.480 should ever tell people 00:14:54.480 --> 00:14:55.080 what to think. 00:14:55.759 --> 00:14:57.039 But we will encourage 00:14:57.039 --> 00:14:58.259 one another to think, 00:14:59.000 --> 00:15:00.180 and to think well, 00:15:00.580 --> 00:15:02.139 and to ask good questions, 00:15:02.420 --> 00:15:03.480 and to ask questions 00:15:03.480 --> 00:15:04.779 hoping for answers. 00:15:06.019 --> 00:15:07.279 We'll encourage one another 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:08.340 to do the due diligence 00:15:08.340 --> 00:15:09.720 of trying to make sure 00:15:09.720 --> 00:15:10.300 that our thinking 00:15:10.300 --> 00:15:11.600 is intellectually consistent. 00:15:13.039 --> 00:15:14.220 And we do want 00:15:14.220 --> 00:15:15.240 to encourage one another 00:15:15.240 --> 00:15:17.500 to learn more about Jesus. 00:15:17.740 --> 00:15:19.019 We want to create a space 00:15:19.019 --> 00:15:20.460 where people can read 00:15:20.460 --> 00:15:21.980 and also come to understand 00:15:21.980 --> 00:15:23.259 God's Word. 00:15:23.259 --> 00:15:24.899 and we do that 00:15:24.899 --> 00:15:26.360 hoping and expecting 00:15:26.360 --> 00:15:28.519 that God will open 00:15:28.519 --> 00:15:29.600 some people's hearts 00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:30.659 to the truth of His Word. 00:15:31.779 --> 00:15:32.860 So when we come here 00:15:32.860 --> 00:15:33.620 and when we gather here, 00:15:33.679 --> 00:15:35.000 we should expect that 00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:35.840 to happen. 00:15:35.919 --> 00:15:37.100 We should hope for that. 00:15:37.179 --> 00:15:38.159 We should pray for that 00:15:38.159 --> 00:15:39.240 when we pray for this community. 00:15:39.960 --> 00:15:40.799 That's what happened to me 00:15:40.799 --> 00:15:41.500 when I was 22. 00:15:42.679 --> 00:15:43.659 Some of you know my story. 00:15:43.860 --> 00:15:45.319 I was very much 00:15:45.319 --> 00:15:46.360 against the church 00:15:46.360 --> 00:15:48.299 and against the institutional church 00:15:48.299 --> 00:15:49.480 and against Christians 00:15:49.480 --> 00:15:50.939 and had a lot of my own rhetoric 00:15:50.940 --> 00:15:52.180 about how they were all hypocrites. 00:15:52.420 --> 00:15:53.700 And it wasn't until somebody said, 00:15:53.800 --> 00:15:55.400 have you ever actually read the Bible 00:15:55.400 --> 00:15:56.600 and read about Jesus? 00:15:56.700 --> 00:15:57.360 And I said, no. 00:15:57.540 --> 00:15:59.000 And it was because I sat down 00:15:59.000 --> 00:16:00.200 and began to read the Bible 00:16:00.200 --> 00:16:00.860 with this guy 00:16:00.860 --> 00:16:02.560 who was very patient with me 00:16:02.560 --> 00:16:05.180 that I came to really begin 00:16:05.180 --> 00:16:05.820 to understand 00:16:05.820 --> 00:16:07.220 what Jesus was all about. 00:16:07.580 --> 00:16:08.220 And it was as though 00:16:08.220 --> 00:16:09.580 it just began to come alive, 00:16:09.680 --> 00:16:10.640 just jump off the page 00:16:10.640 --> 00:16:13.440 against my struggle. 00:16:13.780 --> 00:16:15.500 It began to become real for me. 00:16:15.500 --> 00:16:18.080 And we should expect 00:16:18.080 --> 00:16:18.980 that this will happen here. 00:16:20.120 --> 00:16:20.799 So that's the first thing. 00:16:20.860 --> 00:16:21.379 We should expect 00:16:21.379 --> 00:16:23.139 that God will open hearts 00:16:23.139 --> 00:16:23.720 to His Word. 00:16:23.940 --> 00:16:24.600 The second thing 00:16:24.600 --> 00:16:25.279 as we move forward 00:16:25.279 --> 00:16:26.100 in the passage is this. 00:16:26.279 --> 00:16:27.120 We should expect 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:28.039 that the oppressed 00:16:28.039 --> 00:16:28.860 would be liberated. 00:16:30.639 --> 00:16:32.100 That people who are oppressed, 00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:34.179 that God would liberate them. 00:16:35.539 --> 00:16:37.019 I, as a pastor, 00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:37.919 you'll see why in a second, 00:16:38.019 --> 00:16:39.039 I particularly love 00:16:39.039 --> 00:16:40.399 this little vignette. 00:16:40.700 --> 00:16:41.320 Paul and Silas 00:16:41.320 --> 00:16:42.460 begin to be harassed 00:16:42.460 --> 00:16:43.340 by this young girl 00:16:43.340 --> 00:16:45.379 who's oppressed by a demon. 00:16:45.899 --> 00:16:47.240 And people have recognized 00:16:47.240 --> 00:16:49.519 that she has this condition 00:16:49.519 --> 00:16:50.500 and so they've taken her 00:16:50.500 --> 00:16:51.480 as a slave. 00:16:52.440 --> 00:16:53.320 They've taken advantage 00:16:53.320 --> 00:16:54.000 of her vulnerability. 00:16:54.300 --> 00:16:55.180 They've made her a slave 00:16:55.180 --> 00:16:55.720 and they're actually 00:16:55.720 --> 00:16:57.500 making money off of her. 00:16:58.420 --> 00:16:59.019 And we think, 00:16:59.100 --> 00:16:59.980 well, that's kind of weird, 00:17:00.060 --> 00:17:01.240 a demon-possessed girl, 00:17:01.720 --> 00:17:02.259 slave, 00:17:02.500 --> 00:17:03.560 and how do I relate to that? 00:17:03.620 --> 00:17:04.779 Well, we do have 00:17:04.779 --> 00:17:05.840 all kinds of examples 00:17:05.840 --> 00:17:06.500 of people 00:17:06.500 --> 00:17:08.700 in the very same condition. 00:17:09.799 --> 00:17:10.980 People who are oppressed 00:17:10.980 --> 00:17:11.740 or enslaved 00:17:11.740 --> 00:17:13.059 or addicted 00:17:13.059 --> 00:17:14.599 and that makes them vulnerable 00:17:14.599 --> 00:17:15.619 and people know that 00:17:15.619 --> 00:17:16.619 and they exploit them. 00:17:17.379 --> 00:17:17.639 Right? 00:17:17.720 --> 00:17:18.839 So there are the major examples 00:17:18.839 --> 00:17:19.799 like sex trafficking, 00:17:20.399 --> 00:17:21.059 like drugs, 00:17:21.220 --> 00:17:21.839 like porn, 00:17:22.019 --> 00:17:22.779 like the lottery, 00:17:23.220 --> 00:17:24.700 like predatory lending practices. 00:17:24.940 --> 00:17:26.119 All of these are examples 00:17:26.119 --> 00:17:26.619 of people 00:17:26.619 --> 00:17:28.379 who are taking advantage of 00:17:28.379 --> 00:17:30.319 and exploiting other people. 00:17:31.000 --> 00:17:32.220 And they're able to do it 00:17:32.220 --> 00:17:32.919 because those people 00:17:32.919 --> 00:17:33.700 are oppressed. 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:34.940 They're oppressed by addiction. 00:17:35.440 --> 00:17:36.599 They're oppressed by debt. 00:17:36.940 --> 00:17:37.519 They're oppressed 00:17:37.519 --> 00:17:38.940 by any number of things. 00:17:38.940 --> 00:17:42.740 And then many more of us 00:17:42.740 --> 00:17:43.799 are enslaved to things 00:17:43.799 --> 00:17:44.940 in our lives, 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:45.900 I think probably more 00:17:45.900 --> 00:17:46.860 than we realize. 00:17:47.799 --> 00:17:47.920 Right? 00:17:47.960 --> 00:17:48.519 So what does it mean 00:17:48.519 --> 00:17:49.059 to be a slave? 00:17:49.120 --> 00:17:50.140 It means you can't say no. 00:17:51.420 --> 00:17:51.759 Right? 00:17:51.799 --> 00:17:52.100 If you're, 00:17:52.160 --> 00:17:52.500 if you're, 00:17:52.580 --> 00:17:54.140 if a slave master 00:17:54.140 --> 00:17:54.900 tells you to do something, 00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:55.720 you can't say no. 00:17:57.019 --> 00:17:57.799 If an employer 00:17:57.799 --> 00:17:58.799 tells you to do something, 00:17:58.980 --> 00:17:59.860 you can say no. 00:17:59.980 --> 00:18:00.940 You may lose your job. 00:18:01.620 --> 00:18:02.420 But if you're a slave, 00:18:02.500 --> 00:18:03.299 you may lose your life. 00:18:04.220 --> 00:18:05.140 You can't say no. 00:18:06.020 --> 00:18:08.060 So if you can't stop overeating, 00:18:08.180 --> 00:18:09.460 you may be a slave to food. 00:18:11.000 --> 00:18:11.360 Right? 00:18:11.420 --> 00:18:11.600 I mean, 00:18:11.620 --> 00:18:11.820 if you, 00:18:11.860 --> 00:18:12.880 if you gave something up 00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:13.320 for Lent, 00:18:13.380 --> 00:18:13.980 those of you who know 00:18:13.980 --> 00:18:14.640 what Lent is, 00:18:14.680 --> 00:18:15.640 it's a time when Christians 00:18:15.640 --> 00:18:16.840 typically try to fast 00:18:16.840 --> 00:18:17.500 from certain things. 00:18:17.620 --> 00:18:18.480 If you gave it up 00:18:18.480 --> 00:18:19.100 for like a week, 00:18:20.020 --> 00:18:20.700 you know, 00:18:20.800 --> 00:18:21.860 and you're like, 00:18:21.920 --> 00:18:23.040 40 days is way too long. 00:18:23.860 --> 00:18:24.940 You may be more a slave 00:18:24.940 --> 00:18:25.440 to that thing 00:18:25.440 --> 00:18:26.080 than you realize. 00:18:26.740 --> 00:18:27.759 If you can't stop 00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:28.600 overspending, 00:18:28.740 --> 00:18:29.740 then maybe you're a slave 00:18:29.740 --> 00:18:30.380 to shopping 00:18:30.380 --> 00:18:31.300 or consumerism 00:18:31.300 --> 00:18:32.060 or materialism. 00:18:33.480 --> 00:18:34.940 If you hold grudges, 00:18:35.140 --> 00:18:37.120 if you just kind of 00:18:37.120 --> 00:18:38.080 hold on to things, 00:18:38.580 --> 00:18:39.500 then maybe you're 00:18:39.500 --> 00:18:40.220 a slave to anger. 00:18:41.840 --> 00:18:42.060 You know, 00:18:42.120 --> 00:18:42.380 if you, 00:18:42.380 --> 00:18:42.680 if you, 00:18:42.680 --> 00:18:43.920 if you can't say no 00:18:43.920 --> 00:18:44.460 to people 00:18:44.460 --> 00:18:45.940 and you feel like 00:18:45.940 --> 00:18:46.520 people are constantly 00:18:46.520 --> 00:18:47.280 walking all over you 00:18:47.280 --> 00:18:48.259 and taking advantage of you, 00:18:48.380 --> 00:18:49.500 then maybe you're a slave 00:18:49.500 --> 00:18:50.360 to people's approval 00:18:50.360 --> 00:18:51.920 if you can't set 00:18:51.920 --> 00:18:52.660 healthy boundaries. 00:18:53.400 --> 00:18:54.560 But chances are, 00:18:54.800 --> 00:18:56.380 if you look at your life, 00:18:56.440 --> 00:18:57.440 we probably have things 00:18:57.440 --> 00:18:58.440 that come very close 00:18:58.440 --> 00:18:59.440 to being slave masters. 00:19:01.340 --> 00:19:02.620 So what's needed here? 00:19:03.220 --> 00:19:03.900 What do we need? 00:19:05.140 --> 00:19:06.460 What does this woman need? 00:19:07.060 --> 00:19:08.520 Here's an interesting difference 00:19:08.520 --> 00:19:09.200 between Lydia, 00:19:09.320 --> 00:19:09.960 the first woman, 00:19:10.060 --> 00:19:10.860 the business woman. 00:19:11.300 --> 00:19:11.940 She just needs 00:19:11.940 --> 00:19:12.780 the truth of God 00:19:12.780 --> 00:19:13.640 explained to her. 00:19:14.820 --> 00:19:15.700 But this woman 00:19:15.700 --> 00:19:16.720 needs something different. 00:19:17.259 --> 00:19:18.080 Lydia needed truth. 00:19:18.180 --> 00:19:18.680 She needs Paul 00:19:18.680 --> 00:19:19.540 to explain the truth 00:19:19.540 --> 00:19:20.340 of the gospel to her. 00:19:21.040 --> 00:19:22.280 But here's the interesting thing. 00:19:22.360 --> 00:19:23.040 And I remember 00:19:23.040 --> 00:19:23.980 reading this years ago 00:19:23.980 --> 00:19:24.580 and really trying 00:19:24.580 --> 00:19:25.120 to get into it. 00:19:25.259 --> 00:19:26.340 And it is fascinating 00:19:26.340 --> 00:19:27.220 because this woman, 00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:28.640 this demon-possessed girl, 00:19:28.640 --> 00:19:29.660 she knows the truth 00:19:29.660 --> 00:19:30.180 about Jesus. 00:19:31.860 --> 00:19:32.060 I mean, 00:19:32.120 --> 00:19:33.880 if you read what it says, 00:19:33.940 --> 00:19:35.000 she knows her theology 00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:35.720 is correct. 00:19:36.800 --> 00:19:37.520 Isn't that fascinating? 00:19:38.920 --> 00:19:40.160 She's got the right theology, 00:19:40.320 --> 00:19:41.060 but that's not enough. 00:19:43.600 --> 00:19:44.220 What's more, 00:19:44.420 --> 00:19:45.820 here's why I'm comforted 00:19:45.820 --> 00:19:48.259 by this as a pastor. 00:19:49.320 --> 00:19:50.500 Paul doesn't exactly 00:19:50.500 --> 00:19:51.860 handle this situation well. 00:19:51.859 --> 00:19:55.839 There's no way 00:19:55.839 --> 00:19:56.919 to get around 00:19:56.919 --> 00:19:58.079 what it says, you know? 00:19:58.319 --> 00:19:59.359 Like when the Greek says 00:19:59.359 --> 00:19:59.799 annoyed, 00:19:59.939 --> 00:20:00.699 what it really means 00:20:00.699 --> 00:20:01.939 is pastorally concerned. 00:20:03.519 --> 00:20:04.259 I've been trying 00:20:04.259 --> 00:20:05.000 to convince people 00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:06.240 that that's true for years. 00:20:06.500 --> 00:20:06.839 And, you know, 00:20:07.019 --> 00:20:08.079 no, I wasn't angry. 00:20:08.159 --> 00:20:09.079 I was just really passionate, 00:20:09.319 --> 00:20:09.599 you know? 00:20:11.339 --> 00:20:12.299 Paul's annoyed. 00:20:12.559 --> 00:20:13.399 He's ticked off. 00:20:13.679 --> 00:20:14.500 She's following them 00:20:14.500 --> 00:20:15.019 for days, 00:20:15.139 --> 00:20:15.919 harassing them, 00:20:16.079 --> 00:20:16.839 screaming at them, 00:20:16.899 --> 00:20:17.859 drawing huge, 00:20:17.979 --> 00:20:19.159 unwanted attention to them. 00:20:19.619 --> 00:20:20.139 And finally, 00:20:20.219 --> 00:20:20.399 he's like, 00:20:20.439 --> 00:20:21.699 I can't take it, Silas. 00:20:21.859 --> 00:20:22.599 And he turns around 00:20:22.599 --> 00:20:23.099 and he's like, 00:20:23.799 --> 00:20:25.019 no of her, you know? 00:20:25.099 --> 00:20:25.939 And you can imagine him 00:20:25.939 --> 00:20:26.979 just kind of blowing up. 00:20:29.000 --> 00:20:29.939 But God doesn't. 00:20:31.759 --> 00:20:33.519 So it's not the right theology. 00:20:33.740 --> 00:20:34.379 It's not the right 00:20:34.379 --> 00:20:35.399 pastoral response. 00:20:35.500 --> 00:20:36.559 I think Paul 00:20:36.559 --> 00:20:38.339 misfires here. 00:20:39.299 --> 00:20:39.579 You know? 00:20:40.379 --> 00:20:41.219 He doesn't do, 00:20:41.219 --> 00:20:42.299 he doesn't handle it well. 00:20:44.419 --> 00:20:45.799 The power of God, 00:20:45.899 --> 00:20:47.279 the power of God 00:20:47.279 --> 00:20:48.039 was still at work. 00:20:49.719 --> 00:20:49.979 You know, 00:20:50.039 --> 00:20:51.659 we think so often 00:20:51.660 --> 00:20:52.140 that it's about 00:20:52.140 --> 00:20:53.080 getting the right theology 00:20:53.080 --> 00:20:53.820 or having the right 00:20:53.820 --> 00:20:54.720 pastoral response 00:20:54.720 --> 00:20:55.600 that we forget 00:20:55.600 --> 00:20:57.240 it's not actually about us. 00:20:57.880 --> 00:20:58.980 That our entire faith 00:20:58.980 --> 00:21:00.500 is based on amazing things 00:21:00.500 --> 00:21:01.019 that God does 00:21:01.019 --> 00:21:02.140 in our lives. 00:21:02.540 --> 00:21:03.580 Things that we can't predict, 00:21:03.700 --> 00:21:04.540 things that we don't deserve, 00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:05.580 but God entering in, 00:21:05.660 --> 00:21:06.160 breaking it, 00:21:06.220 --> 00:21:07.980 and doing incredible things. 00:21:08.340 --> 00:21:09.140 Liberating people. 00:21:09.600 --> 00:21:10.200 Liberating people 00:21:10.200 --> 00:21:11.240 who don't have it all together, 00:21:11.360 --> 00:21:12.340 who don't even really 00:21:12.340 --> 00:21:13.180 fully understand 00:21:13.180 --> 00:21:13.779 who he is. 00:21:13.900 --> 00:21:14.840 He comes in and says, 00:21:14.839 --> 00:21:16.019 be free. 00:21:17.559 --> 00:21:18.459 And that's what he does 00:21:18.459 --> 00:21:19.019 for this woman. 00:21:20.959 --> 00:21:22.259 And it's incredible to see. 00:21:24.220 --> 00:21:25.319 So we should expect 00:21:25.319 --> 00:21:26.139 the power of God 00:21:26.139 --> 00:21:26.859 to be at work 00:21:26.859 --> 00:21:27.740 in this church. 00:21:28.459 --> 00:21:29.319 Sometimes in, 00:21:29.379 --> 00:21:30.299 in, 00:21:30.379 --> 00:21:31.359 in step with us, 00:21:31.439 --> 00:21:33.240 oftentimes in spite of us, 00:21:33.240 --> 00:21:33.480 right? 00:21:33.859 --> 00:21:34.980 We should expect 00:21:34.980 --> 00:21:36.119 to see people be freed 00:21:36.119 --> 00:21:36.980 from addiction here. 00:21:37.480 --> 00:21:38.359 We should expect 00:21:38.359 --> 00:21:39.419 to see people be freed 00:21:39.419 --> 00:21:40.079 from resentment 00:21:40.079 --> 00:21:41.019 and anger 00:21:41.019 --> 00:21:41.759 and all the things 00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:43.000 that we've come to depend on 00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:44.220 and love more than God. 00:21:44.359 --> 00:21:46.579 We should see people liberated. 00:21:47.059 --> 00:21:47.740 And we should come 00:21:47.740 --> 00:21:48.480 every week thinking 00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:49.500 when we gather together 00:21:49.500 --> 00:21:50.680 and when we sing 00:21:50.680 --> 00:21:52.180 and when we pray 00:21:52.180 --> 00:21:53.440 and when we share this meal 00:21:53.440 --> 00:21:54.400 and when we read 00:21:54.400 --> 00:21:55.200 from this word 00:21:55.200 --> 00:21:56.460 and when we do all the things 00:21:56.460 --> 00:21:56.880 that we're doing, 00:21:57.099 --> 00:21:57.720 that the power 00:21:57.720 --> 00:21:58.619 and the presence of God 00:21:58.619 --> 00:21:59.599 are at work here. 00:21:59.680 --> 00:22:00.680 And we should expect 00:22:00.680 --> 00:22:02.119 that regularly 00:22:02.119 --> 00:22:02.940 people will come 00:22:02.940 --> 00:22:03.539 and their hearts 00:22:03.539 --> 00:22:04.220 will be released. 00:22:06.240 --> 00:22:07.319 What we're doing here, 00:22:07.440 --> 00:22:08.640 invoking the very presence 00:22:08.640 --> 00:22:09.259 of God, 00:22:10.819 --> 00:22:12.160 hearing him in the word, 00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:14.240 proclaiming and experiencing 00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:15.160 him in the bread 00:22:15.160 --> 00:22:15.640 and the wine, 00:22:15.720 --> 00:22:16.900 we believe in the real presence 00:22:16.900 --> 00:22:18.620 of Christ in this meal, 00:22:19.040 --> 00:22:19.500 that somehow 00:22:19.500 --> 00:22:20.620 as we receive this meal 00:22:20.620 --> 00:22:21.080 in faith, 00:22:21.240 --> 00:22:21.920 we are receiving 00:22:21.920 --> 00:22:23.060 the very presence of Christ 00:22:23.060 --> 00:22:23.900 into our being. 00:22:25.040 --> 00:22:26.420 I can't explain that. 00:22:26.920 --> 00:22:27.900 I don't know how it happens, 00:22:28.259 --> 00:22:28.900 but I know that it's 00:22:28.900 --> 00:22:29.960 the power of God at work. 00:22:32.640 --> 00:22:33.840 So this is the second thing 00:22:33.840 --> 00:22:34.620 that we should expect 00:22:34.620 --> 00:22:35.440 that as we gather 00:22:35.440 --> 00:22:36.000 every week 00:22:36.000 --> 00:22:37.040 that people would be 00:22:37.040 --> 00:22:38.360 liberated from oppression. 00:22:38.580 --> 00:22:39.340 Hearts would be open, 00:22:39.700 --> 00:22:40.519 people would be liberated. 00:22:40.519 --> 00:22:42.859 The third thing is this, 00:22:44.740 --> 00:22:46.000 that we should expect 00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:46.819 that relationships 00:22:46.819 --> 00:22:47.879 in this community 00:22:47.879 --> 00:22:48.720 would be marked 00:22:48.720 --> 00:22:50.480 by mercy and compassion. 00:22:51.700 --> 00:22:52.859 Mercy and compassion. 00:22:53.779 --> 00:22:54.700 So Paul and Silas, 00:22:54.740 --> 00:22:55.559 a little later in the story, 00:22:55.619 --> 00:22:56.339 they've been beaten 00:22:56.339 --> 00:22:57.680 because of this interaction 00:22:57.680 --> 00:22:58.279 with this woman, 00:22:59.299 --> 00:23:00.819 because she's no longer 00:23:00.819 --> 00:23:01.960 financially valuable 00:23:01.960 --> 00:23:02.779 to her owners. 00:23:03.799 --> 00:23:04.960 They're beaten, 00:23:05.099 --> 00:23:05.579 they're stripped, 00:23:05.680 --> 00:23:06.619 they're wrongfully accused, 00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:07.460 they're put in prison 00:23:07.460 --> 00:23:08.139 without a trial, 00:23:08.599 --> 00:23:09.359 feet in the stocks, 00:23:09.359 --> 00:23:10.419 it's incredibly uncomfortable, 00:23:10.579 --> 00:23:12.339 they undoubtedly had stripes 00:23:12.339 --> 00:23:13.919 and scars across their back. 00:23:16.419 --> 00:23:18.419 God miraculously rescues them. 00:23:20.279 --> 00:23:22.579 Earthquake, doors swing open, 00:23:23.579 --> 00:23:23.859 right? 00:23:24.079 --> 00:23:25.319 The jailer comes down, 00:23:25.639 --> 00:23:26.159 what happened, 00:23:26.219 --> 00:23:26.619 what happened, 00:23:26.699 --> 00:23:27.639 sees all the doors open, 00:23:27.879 --> 00:23:29.179 immediately assumes that 00:23:29.179 --> 00:23:31.119 all the prisoners have escaped, 00:23:31.659 --> 00:23:31.919 right? 00:23:32.740 --> 00:23:33.659 Immediately thinks, 00:23:33.959 --> 00:23:34.399 oh my goodness, 00:23:34.459 --> 00:23:35.259 I failed in my duty, 00:23:35.359 --> 00:23:36.459 this guy's a civil servant, 00:23:36.460 --> 00:23:37.920 we know that because, 00:23:38.180 --> 00:23:39.000 and we know that he was 00:23:39.000 --> 00:23:39.740 a former soldier 00:23:39.740 --> 00:23:41.120 because all of these kinds 00:23:41.120 --> 00:23:41.620 of jobs, 00:23:41.680 --> 00:23:42.380 like being a jailer, 00:23:42.420 --> 00:23:43.279 those were only given 00:23:43.279 --> 00:23:44.140 to former soldiers. 00:23:44.860 --> 00:23:45.860 So we know that he's a man 00:23:45.860 --> 00:23:47.120 who really cares about duty, 00:23:47.240 --> 00:23:48.220 he really cares about 00:23:48.220 --> 00:23:49.440 doing his job well, 00:23:50.160 --> 00:23:51.240 and he sees I failed, 00:23:51.319 --> 00:23:51.819 so what does he do? 00:23:51.840 --> 00:23:52.819 He draws his sword deeper, 00:23:53.259 --> 00:23:54.779 because he knows 00:23:54.779 --> 00:23:55.620 he's going to be killed 00:23:55.620 --> 00:23:56.400 when they find out 00:23:56.400 --> 00:23:56.960 that he's failed, 00:23:57.120 --> 00:23:57.960 so he wants to do 00:23:57.960 --> 00:23:58.640 the honorable thing 00:23:58.640 --> 00:23:59.460 and take his own life. 00:24:00.759 --> 00:24:01.840 He's about to commit suicide, 00:24:01.980 --> 00:24:02.539 Paul comes out and says, 00:24:02.600 --> 00:24:03.360 no, no, no, wait, stop! 00:24:03.359 --> 00:24:06.779 And he says, 00:24:06.859 --> 00:24:08.379 look, we're all here, 00:24:09.439 --> 00:24:10.399 nobody left. 00:24:12.439 --> 00:24:13.919 What's Paul's concern here? 00:24:16.299 --> 00:24:17.539 His primary concern 00:24:17.539 --> 00:24:18.959 is the welfare of the jailer. 00:24:19.879 --> 00:24:21.159 Can you believe that? 00:24:21.639 --> 00:24:22.959 So this is the man 00:24:22.959 --> 00:24:23.359 who's responsible 00:24:23.919 --> 00:24:25.279 for all of the suffering 00:24:25.279 --> 00:24:25.919 that they've endured. 00:24:26.159 --> 00:24:26.819 He's responsible 00:24:26.819 --> 00:24:28.039 for all of this wrongful, 00:24:28.119 --> 00:24:28.839 undeserved suffering 00:24:28.839 --> 00:24:29.779 that has come upon 00:24:29.779 --> 00:24:30.539 Paul and his team. 00:24:31.939 --> 00:24:32.699 And yet when they come 00:24:32.700 --> 00:24:33.360 face to face, 00:24:33.480 --> 00:24:34.519 and Paul sees the sword 00:24:34.519 --> 00:24:35.620 in the guy's hand, 00:24:36.460 --> 00:24:37.480 getting ready to kill himself, 00:24:38.319 --> 00:24:39.779 I mean, most people would say, 00:24:40.080 --> 00:24:41.340 here, I'll do that for you. 00:24:42.220 --> 00:24:42.920 Take the sword, 00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:43.920 you know, do it yourself. 00:24:45.100 --> 00:24:46.080 Paul says, no, no, no, 00:24:46.080 --> 00:24:46.700 no need for that. 00:24:46.779 --> 00:24:47.299 We're all here. 00:24:47.400 --> 00:24:47.860 We stayed here 00:24:47.860 --> 00:24:48.799 to make sure that you were okay. 00:24:50.779 --> 00:24:52.160 It's an amazing act 00:24:52.160 --> 00:24:53.259 of mercy and compassion. 00:24:53.880 --> 00:24:55.059 And it says that this man 00:24:55.059 --> 00:24:55.880 is so struck 00:24:55.880 --> 00:24:57.100 by the mercy and compassion 00:24:57.100 --> 00:24:58.340 that he just cries out. 00:24:58.640 --> 00:24:59.539 And how does he know 00:24:59.539 --> 00:25:00.180 to cry this out? 00:25:00.360 --> 00:25:01.059 Well, it says that Paul 00:25:01.059 --> 00:25:02.120 and Silas have been singing 00:25:02.119 --> 00:25:03.659 and praising God 00:25:03.659 --> 00:25:04.939 and singing hymns and psalms 00:25:04.939 --> 00:25:05.739 all night, 00:25:05.779 --> 00:25:06.500 and it says that everybody 00:25:06.500 --> 00:25:07.379 was listening to them. 00:25:07.859 --> 00:25:08.959 They're singing about Jesus. 00:25:09.119 --> 00:25:10.159 They're singing about salvation. 00:25:10.279 --> 00:25:11.099 They're singing about mercy, 00:25:11.139 --> 00:25:12.319 all the things that we sing about. 00:25:13.339 --> 00:25:14.879 And the jailers heard all this. 00:25:15.119 --> 00:25:16.099 And when he sees this act 00:25:16.099 --> 00:25:16.939 of mercy and compassion, 00:25:17.179 --> 00:25:17.659 he says, 00:25:17.779 --> 00:25:18.639 what do I have to do 00:25:18.639 --> 00:25:19.419 to be a part of this? 00:25:20.719 --> 00:25:21.979 What hope is there for me? 00:25:22.039 --> 00:25:22.399 Right now, 00:25:22.439 --> 00:25:23.279 I'm at the end of my rope. 00:25:23.339 --> 00:25:24.259 I'm about to kill myself. 00:25:24.699 --> 00:25:24.799 How do, 00:25:24.799 --> 00:25:25.239 how do, 00:25:25.599 --> 00:25:26.759 where do I go from here? 00:25:27.219 --> 00:25:28.399 Paul tells him about Jesus. 00:25:28.400 --> 00:25:30.019 And it says, 00:25:30.160 --> 00:25:31.440 he and his entire household 00:25:31.440 --> 00:25:32.500 become followers of Jesus. 00:25:32.580 --> 00:25:33.920 And they're so excited about this 00:25:33.920 --> 00:25:35.060 that it says that the passage 00:25:35.060 --> 00:25:36.220 ends with him praising God 00:25:36.220 --> 00:25:37.720 that they had believed in him. 00:25:39.140 --> 00:25:39.580 You know, 00:25:39.620 --> 00:25:40.740 yesterday we were coming back 00:25:40.740 --> 00:25:41.700 from a conference 00:25:41.700 --> 00:25:42.400 that we had to be at, 00:25:42.440 --> 00:25:42.820 some of us, 00:25:42.900 --> 00:25:44.040 Dan and Josh and I. 00:25:44.380 --> 00:25:45.220 And we were driving 00:25:45.220 --> 00:25:46.000 through Pennsylvania. 00:25:46.200 --> 00:25:47.259 And as we were driving through, 00:25:47.500 --> 00:25:48.880 I was thinking about the events 00:25:48.880 --> 00:25:50.360 roughly 10 years ago. 00:25:50.420 --> 00:25:51.140 I think in October 00:25:51.140 --> 00:25:52.060 it'll be 10 years. 00:25:53.519 --> 00:25:55.640 The events in Lancaster County, 00:25:55.640 --> 00:25:56.320 Pennsylvania, 00:25:57.580 --> 00:25:58.560 when a man named 00:25:58.560 --> 00:26:00.320 Charles Carl Roberts IV 00:26:00.320 --> 00:26:02.820 walked into an Amish schoolhouse 00:26:02.820 --> 00:26:04.160 in Lancaster County 00:26:04.160 --> 00:26:05.320 and he was armed to the teeth 00:26:05.320 --> 00:26:07.000 and he shot eight girls 00:26:07.000 --> 00:26:08.700 and he killed five 00:26:08.700 --> 00:26:10.540 and then he took his own life 00:26:10.540 --> 00:26:12.340 before anybody could intervene. 00:26:13.540 --> 00:26:13.720 You know, 00:26:13.740 --> 00:26:14.540 you read a story like this 00:26:14.540 --> 00:26:14.880 and it's just, 00:26:14.960 --> 00:26:16.060 it's the worst kind of tragedy 00:26:16.060 --> 00:26:17.140 you can possibly imagine. 00:26:17.820 --> 00:26:18.900 One room schoolhouse, 00:26:19.860 --> 00:26:20.280 you know, 00:26:20.380 --> 00:26:21.380 armed to the teeth man 00:26:21.380 --> 00:26:22.580 against these unarmed kids. 00:26:23.340 --> 00:26:24.020 Girls, nonetheless. 00:26:25.640 --> 00:26:26.540 Within hours, 00:26:26.640 --> 00:26:27.280 you know the story, 00:26:27.360 --> 00:26:28.280 within hours, 00:26:28.440 --> 00:26:28.960 the Amish, 00:26:29.360 --> 00:26:30.740 not just the Amish community 00:26:30.740 --> 00:26:32.660 but the parents of the victims, 00:26:32.860 --> 00:26:34.020 the families of the victims, 00:26:34.300 --> 00:26:35.680 within hours the same day 00:26:35.680 --> 00:26:36.940 were reaching out 00:26:36.940 --> 00:26:38.860 to Charles' family. 00:26:40.600 --> 00:26:41.880 They came to make sure, 00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:43.160 Charles' family said, 00:26:43.240 --> 00:26:43.940 we gotta get out of here. 00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:44.259 They said, 00:26:44.300 --> 00:26:44.420 no, 00:26:44.480 --> 00:26:45.420 we want you to stay. 00:26:46.860 --> 00:26:47.980 There are stories of, 00:26:48.060 --> 00:26:50.160 within an hour of the events, 00:26:50.520 --> 00:26:51.660 the word of the events 00:26:51.660 --> 00:26:52.820 that one grandfather 00:26:52.820 --> 00:26:54.540 of one of the girls who died 00:26:54.539 --> 00:26:56.059 was overheard saying, 00:26:56.339 --> 00:26:56.399 well, 00:26:56.440 --> 00:26:58.319 we mustn't harbor anger 00:26:58.319 --> 00:26:59.359 against this family. 00:27:01.099 --> 00:27:02.000 There are stories 00:27:02.000 --> 00:27:04.339 of one of the other fathers 00:27:04.339 --> 00:27:05.220 of one of the girls 00:27:05.220 --> 00:27:05.700 who died 00:27:05.700 --> 00:27:07.359 holding Charles' father 00:27:07.359 --> 00:27:08.920 as he sobbed for an hour. 00:27:10.680 --> 00:27:12.599 They began to serve 00:27:12.599 --> 00:27:14.480 and to care for Charles' family, 00:27:14.559 --> 00:27:15.460 the killer's family. 00:27:16.399 --> 00:27:17.259 And the Amish community 00:27:17.259 --> 00:27:18.579 even set up a fund 00:27:18.579 --> 00:27:19.940 to make sure 00:27:19.940 --> 00:27:20.940 that they would be okay. 00:27:20.940 --> 00:27:23.100 And it radically, 00:27:23.160 --> 00:27:24.000 you can read the stories 00:27:24.000 --> 00:27:24.440 in the news, 00:27:24.519 --> 00:27:25.980 it radically changed, 00:27:26.360 --> 00:27:27.380 radically transformed 00:27:27.380 --> 00:27:29.539 the Shooters' family. 00:27:30.960 --> 00:27:32.600 So you read stories like this, 00:27:34.059 --> 00:27:35.740 it's the amazing impact 00:27:35.740 --> 00:27:37.340 of the gospel. 00:27:37.620 --> 00:27:38.900 It's the same pattern. 00:27:39.000 --> 00:27:40.539 These people come face to face 00:27:40.539 --> 00:27:42.340 with the family of a man 00:27:42.340 --> 00:27:42.980 who caused them 00:27:42.980 --> 00:27:44.940 tremendous undeserved suffering, 00:27:45.340 --> 00:27:46.259 and yet they respond 00:27:46.259 --> 00:27:47.360 not with anger, 00:27:48.059 --> 00:27:49.320 but with mercy and compassion. 00:27:49.319 --> 00:27:52.119 And here's the thing, friends, 00:27:52.220 --> 00:27:53.000 Christian communities 00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:54.200 should be marked 00:27:54.200 --> 00:27:55.179 by mercy and compassion. 00:27:55.500 --> 00:27:56.419 They aren't always. 00:27:56.559 --> 00:27:57.819 Some of you bear scars 00:27:57.819 --> 00:27:58.539 from communities 00:27:58.539 --> 00:27:59.179 that aren't, 00:27:59.460 --> 00:28:00.059 or weren't. 00:28:01.099 --> 00:28:02.159 But they should always 00:28:02.159 --> 00:28:03.019 be marked by mercy 00:28:03.019 --> 00:28:03.639 and compassion. 00:28:04.659 --> 00:28:05.679 And the reason is simple, 00:28:05.720 --> 00:28:06.779 it's because at the very core 00:28:06.779 --> 00:28:07.500 of our faith 00:28:07.500 --> 00:28:09.220 is a God who 00:28:09.220 --> 00:28:12.119 prayed for, 00:28:12.939 --> 00:28:13.700 cared for, 00:28:14.519 --> 00:28:15.519 attended to our 00:28:15.519 --> 00:28:16.559 deepest needs, 00:28:16.619 --> 00:28:17.599 and even gave His life 00:28:17.599 --> 00:28:18.899 for us 00:28:18.899 --> 00:28:21.159 as we were actively 00:28:21.159 --> 00:28:22.419 causing Him to suffer. 00:28:22.779 --> 00:28:22.939 Right? 00:28:24.319 --> 00:28:25.959 And so this is the pattern 00:28:25.959 --> 00:28:27.039 of our God, 00:28:27.439 --> 00:28:28.399 and so it becomes 00:28:28.399 --> 00:28:28.980 the pattern 00:28:28.980 --> 00:28:30.279 of God's people. 00:28:32.219 --> 00:28:33.240 So we should hope 00:28:33.240 --> 00:28:34.039 and expect this 00:28:34.039 --> 00:28:34.939 to be true of us. 00:28:35.500 --> 00:28:36.299 We should hope 00:28:36.299 --> 00:28:36.919 and expect that 00:28:36.919 --> 00:28:37.959 every week when we gather, 00:28:38.279 --> 00:28:38.899 this liturgy, 00:28:39.000 --> 00:28:39.519 all the words, 00:28:39.579 --> 00:28:40.480 that may be totally new to you. 00:28:40.539 --> 00:28:41.240 Do you know what we're doing? 00:28:41.419 --> 00:28:42.559 We are embodying 00:28:42.559 --> 00:28:43.139 and enacting 00:28:43.139 --> 00:28:44.439 the story of the gospel together. 00:28:44.659 --> 00:28:45.740 The story of our sin, 00:28:45.740 --> 00:28:48.180 the story of our creation, 00:28:48.620 --> 00:28:49.579 the story of our sin, 00:28:49.839 --> 00:28:50.960 the story of God's forgiveness, 00:28:51.180 --> 00:28:52.120 and the story that God 00:28:52.120 --> 00:28:53.319 is restoring 00:28:53.319 --> 00:28:54.200 and renewing 00:28:54.200 --> 00:28:55.099 this place 00:28:55.099 --> 00:28:55.640 and us 00:28:55.640 --> 00:28:56.480 right now. 00:28:56.519 --> 00:28:56.980 And we are 00:28:56.980 --> 00:28:59.140 embodying that story together, 00:28:59.259 --> 00:29:00.220 and as we do that, 00:29:00.259 --> 00:29:00.720 the hope is 00:29:00.720 --> 00:29:01.799 it shapes us, 00:29:02.319 --> 00:29:03.480 and it shapes our hearts, 00:29:03.680 --> 00:29:04.420 and that we become 00:29:04.420 --> 00:29:05.200 more and more 00:29:05.200 --> 00:29:06.799 merciful and compassionate 00:29:06.799 --> 00:29:07.839 as our God 00:29:07.839 --> 00:29:08.420 is merciful 00:29:08.420 --> 00:29:09.579 and compassionate. 00:29:11.099 --> 00:29:12.559 So we should expect this. 00:29:12.559 --> 00:29:14.119 And the last thing 00:29:14.119 --> 00:29:15.000 really quickly is this. 00:29:15.079 --> 00:29:15.720 The fourth thing, 00:29:15.779 --> 00:29:16.279 the last thing 00:29:16.279 --> 00:29:17.059 that we should expect 00:29:17.059 --> 00:29:17.940 as we gather every week, 00:29:18.019 --> 00:29:18.259 friends, 00:29:19.000 --> 00:29:20.240 is that this would be 00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:20.619 a community 00:29:20.619 --> 00:29:21.299 where strangers 00:29:21.299 --> 00:29:22.659 become family. 00:29:23.980 --> 00:29:24.679 Where strangers 00:29:24.679 --> 00:29:25.440 become family. 00:29:25.960 --> 00:29:27.220 At the very end, 00:29:27.379 --> 00:29:27.960 verse 40, 00:29:28.519 --> 00:29:28.919 it says, 00:29:29.159 --> 00:29:29.679 Paul and Silas 00:29:29.679 --> 00:29:30.200 are getting ready 00:29:30.200 --> 00:29:30.639 to leave, 00:29:30.960 --> 00:29:31.539 and it says, 00:29:31.659 --> 00:29:32.980 they go to visit Lydia again, 00:29:33.419 --> 00:29:33.980 and then it says, 00:29:34.059 --> 00:29:34.919 they went to see thee, 00:29:35.019 --> 00:29:35.599 and in the Greek, 00:29:35.740 --> 00:29:36.539 it's adelphous. 00:29:38.200 --> 00:29:39.740 It comes from adelphos, 00:29:39.740 --> 00:29:40.980 and it's a word 00:29:40.980 --> 00:29:41.819 that in this context 00:29:41.819 --> 00:29:42.960 means the brothers 00:29:42.960 --> 00:29:43.579 and sisters. 00:29:44.539 --> 00:29:45.680 The brothers and sisters. 00:29:46.759 --> 00:29:47.420 In other words, 00:29:47.660 --> 00:29:48.819 they went to see the family. 00:29:51.140 --> 00:29:51.839 And you've got to 00:29:51.839 --> 00:29:52.440 check this out. 00:29:52.440 --> 00:29:53.420 At the beginning 00:29:53.420 --> 00:29:54.380 of the chapter, 00:29:55.339 --> 00:29:55.839 you have three 00:29:55.839 --> 00:29:56.980 incredibly different people. 00:29:57.779 --> 00:29:58.839 Successful businesswoman, 00:29:59.660 --> 00:30:00.779 oppressed slave girl, 00:30:00.859 --> 00:30:01.880 now a former slave girl, 00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:03.700 and then a civil servant, 00:30:03.819 --> 00:30:04.420 former soldier. 00:30:04.980 --> 00:30:05.880 In Roman society, 00:30:05.960 --> 00:30:06.279 these people 00:30:06.279 --> 00:30:07.140 would have never 00:30:07.140 --> 00:30:08.019 commingled. 00:30:08.819 --> 00:30:09.599 Totally different 00:30:09.599 --> 00:30:10.259 social circles. 00:30:10.379 --> 00:30:10.899 Totally different 00:30:10.899 --> 00:30:11.919 socioeconomic status. 00:30:13.179 --> 00:30:14.179 And yet here, 00:30:14.799 --> 00:30:16.079 here, 00:30:17.059 --> 00:30:18.519 at the end 00:30:18.519 --> 00:30:19.079 of the chapter, 00:30:19.859 --> 00:30:21.259 this is the amazing 00:30:21.259 --> 00:30:22.219 impact of the gospel. 00:30:22.339 --> 00:30:23.039 By the end, 00:30:23.859 --> 00:30:24.719 they and many others 00:30:24.719 --> 00:30:25.339 have become 00:30:25.339 --> 00:30:26.659 brothers and sisters. 00:30:27.480 --> 00:30:27.980 They've become 00:30:27.980 --> 00:30:28.539 a family. 00:30:29.799 --> 00:30:30.679 Total strangers 00:30:30.679 --> 00:30:31.539 who turn to Jesus 00:30:31.539 --> 00:30:32.179 for forgiveness, 00:30:32.339 --> 00:30:32.859 what happens? 00:30:33.639 --> 00:30:34.279 They become, 00:30:34.359 --> 00:30:34.879 as the Bible says, 00:30:34.980 --> 00:30:36.199 spiritually adopted 00:30:36.199 --> 00:30:36.779 by God. 00:30:36.839 --> 00:30:37.379 They become 00:30:37.379 --> 00:30:38.219 God's children, 00:30:38.339 --> 00:30:38.719 which means 00:30:38.719 --> 00:30:39.279 they become 00:30:39.279 --> 00:30:40.440 brothers and sisters. 00:30:41.500 --> 00:30:42.220 And I believe 00:30:42.220 --> 00:30:42.980 that the early church 00:30:42.980 --> 00:30:43.660 recognized 00:30:43.660 --> 00:30:44.440 the significance 00:30:44.440 --> 00:30:45.180 of this. 00:30:46.440 --> 00:30:47.379 As people came 00:30:47.379 --> 00:30:47.960 to know Jesus 00:30:47.960 --> 00:30:48.740 in their community, 00:30:48.819 --> 00:30:49.299 and you can read 00:30:49.299 --> 00:30:49.839 about this, 00:30:50.279 --> 00:30:51.180 the early historians 00:30:51.180 --> 00:30:51.960 and people like, 00:30:53.000 --> 00:30:53.940 people have written 00:30:53.940 --> 00:30:55.339 and tried to explain 00:30:55.339 --> 00:30:56.480 people like Rodney Stark. 00:30:58.180 --> 00:30:59.059 As people came 00:30:59.059 --> 00:30:59.619 to know Jesus, 00:30:59.740 --> 00:31:00.160 they took in 00:31:00.160 --> 00:31:01.019 all kinds of people 00:31:01.019 --> 00:31:01.579 who didn't have 00:31:01.579 --> 00:31:02.359 nuclear families, 00:31:02.740 --> 00:31:03.079 people who, 00:31:03.200 --> 00:31:03.819 for whatever reason, 00:31:03.899 --> 00:31:04.480 didn't have 00:31:04.480 --> 00:31:06.460 immediate biological families. 00:31:06.460 --> 00:31:07.299 And the church 00:31:07.299 --> 00:31:07.799 again and again 00:31:07.799 --> 00:31:08.240 and again said, 00:31:08.400 --> 00:31:09.000 we will be 00:31:09.000 --> 00:31:09.860 your family now 00:31:09.860 --> 00:31:10.380 because God 00:31:10.380 --> 00:31:11.120 has already made 00:31:11.120 --> 00:31:11.740 us into one 00:31:11.740 --> 00:31:12.340 great family. 00:31:13.620 --> 00:31:14.840 So Psalm 68, 00:31:14.980 --> 00:31:15.460 6 says, 00:31:15.559 --> 00:31:16.600 God sets the lonely 00:31:16.600 --> 00:31:17.380 in families. 00:31:18.900 --> 00:31:19.900 Who in the world 00:31:19.900 --> 00:31:20.799 is he talking about 00:31:20.799 --> 00:31:22.519 if not the church? 00:31:23.400 --> 00:31:24.519 We are that family. 00:31:25.200 --> 00:31:25.900 And if we're not 00:31:25.900 --> 00:31:26.400 that family, 00:31:26.460 --> 00:31:27.200 I wonder if we're 00:31:27.200 --> 00:31:28.519 failing in our calling 00:31:28.519 --> 00:31:29.160 to be the church. 00:31:30.519 --> 00:31:31.480 So if you're here 00:31:31.480 --> 00:31:32.120 and you're lonely, 00:31:32.220 --> 00:31:32.600 if you're here 00:31:32.600 --> 00:31:33.140 and you don't know 00:31:33.140 --> 00:31:33.400 anybody, 00:31:33.559 --> 00:31:33.980 if you're here 00:31:33.980 --> 00:31:34.400 and you don't 00:31:34.400 --> 00:31:35.059 have a family, 00:31:35.519 --> 00:31:36.259 and I mean this 00:31:36.259 --> 00:31:37.059 as sincerely 00:31:37.059 --> 00:31:38.079 as I possibly can, 00:31:38.339 --> 00:31:39.220 we want to be 00:31:39.220 --> 00:31:40.140 a family for you. 00:31:41.160 --> 00:31:42.160 We want to be 00:31:42.160 --> 00:31:43.420 that kind of family. 00:31:44.680 --> 00:31:45.500 Even if you do 00:31:45.500 --> 00:31:46.140 have a family 00:31:46.140 --> 00:31:47.200 and you're here, 00:31:48.360 --> 00:31:49.640 you can't cut it alone. 00:31:50.220 --> 00:31:51.019 Your family needs 00:31:51.019 --> 00:31:51.620 to be a part 00:31:51.620 --> 00:31:53.240 of a larger family. 00:31:53.360 --> 00:31:53.900 Your marriage 00:31:53.900 --> 00:31:54.620 needs support. 00:31:55.240 --> 00:31:55.860 Your parenting 00:31:55.860 --> 00:31:56.799 needs support. 00:31:56.900 --> 00:31:57.640 You need friends 00:31:57.640 --> 00:31:58.059 in that. 00:31:58.420 --> 00:31:59.559 It's a very recent 00:31:59.559 --> 00:32:00.819 modern invention 00:32:00.819 --> 00:32:01.420 that we do 00:32:01.420 --> 00:32:02.500 all of this alone 00:32:02.500 --> 00:32:03.640 as siloed off 00:32:03.640 --> 00:32:04.660 nuclear families. 00:32:04.759 --> 00:32:05.500 It does not reflect 00:32:05.500 --> 00:32:06.360 most of human history. 00:32:09.940 --> 00:32:10.820 So as we begin 00:32:10.820 --> 00:32:11.800 this community together, 00:32:11.920 --> 00:32:12.560 as we begin 00:32:12.560 --> 00:32:13.680 this church 00:32:13.680 --> 00:32:15.100 worship gathering 00:32:15.100 --> 00:32:15.720 together, 00:32:16.700 --> 00:32:17.680 what are we expecting? 00:32:18.460 --> 00:32:19.220 Well, we shouldn't 00:32:19.220 --> 00:32:19.840 expect everything 00:32:19.840 --> 00:32:20.840 to go according to plan. 00:32:20.900 --> 00:32:21.780 We know that very well. 00:32:22.500 --> 00:32:23.380 We shouldn't expect 00:32:23.380 --> 00:32:24.040 it to be easy 00:32:24.040 --> 00:32:24.660 and at times 00:32:24.660 --> 00:32:25.040 it's going to be 00:32:25.040 --> 00:32:25.580 really hard. 00:32:26.140 --> 00:32:27.380 But we should expect 00:32:27.380 --> 00:32:28.220 that people's hearts 00:32:28.220 --> 00:32:28.720 would be open 00:32:28.720 --> 00:32:29.420 to God's word. 00:32:30.320 --> 00:32:31.160 We should expect 00:32:31.160 --> 00:32:31.759 that people who 00:32:31.759 --> 00:32:32.240 are oppressed 00:32:32.240 --> 00:32:33.100 would be liberated 00:32:33.099 --> 00:32:34.039 week after week 00:32:34.039 --> 00:32:34.619 after week. 00:32:35.279 --> 00:32:36.199 We should expect 00:32:36.199 --> 00:32:36.980 that our relationships 00:32:36.980 --> 00:32:37.779 would be marked 00:32:37.779 --> 00:32:38.480 with the same 00:32:38.480 --> 00:32:39.759 mercy and compassion 00:32:39.759 --> 00:32:40.279 that Jesus 00:32:40.279 --> 00:32:41.099 has shown us. 00:32:42.019 --> 00:32:43.199 And we should expect 00:32:43.199 --> 00:32:43.980 that ours would be 00:32:43.980 --> 00:32:44.480 a community 00:32:44.480 --> 00:32:45.240 where strangers 00:32:45.240 --> 00:32:46.779 are able to come in 00:32:46.779 --> 00:32:47.480 and to belong 00:32:47.480 --> 00:32:48.559 and to become 00:32:48.559 --> 00:32:49.799 family. 00:32:50.799 --> 00:32:51.619 So I hope 00:32:51.619 --> 00:32:51.959 and pray 00:32:51.959 --> 00:32:53.119 as we gather together 00:32:53.119 --> 00:32:53.859 week after week 00:32:53.859 --> 00:32:54.579 that we would come 00:32:54.579 --> 00:32:55.219 each week 00:32:55.219 --> 00:32:55.740 with a sense 00:32:55.740 --> 00:32:56.759 of expectancy 00:32:56.759 --> 00:32:58.259 and hope 00:32:58.259 --> 00:32:59.539 and excitement 00:32:59.539 --> 00:33:00.700 over what God 00:33:00.700 --> 00:33:01.539 might do in our midst. 00:33:02.500 --> 00:33:03.180 Let's pray. 00:33:04.660 --> 00:33:05.440 Our Heavenly Father,