WEBVTT

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 Just to bow your heads in prayer for a moment, please.

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 Father, we, Father, most of the time we're not really aware of this,

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 but sometimes your word or your Holy Spirit makes clear to us that,

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 Father, we're like a bundle of contradictory things.

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 You know, we want to, you know, we easily see ourselves as the victim,

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 and then the very next moment we see ourselves as triumphing,

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 and maybe you want to have lots of money one moment,

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 and another moment we want to be just very, very generous and live simple lives,

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 and the next minute we want fame,

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 and then the other moment we just want to be left alone,

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 and some moments, Father, we want you to act sort of almost like a divine puppeteer

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 and just make everything move around to fix our problems,

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 and then the next moment we want you to not have any type of control over our lives,

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 and Father, we are not always aware of just how unruly we are

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 and contradictory we are,

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 but, Father, we rejoice and just marvel that you see us perfectly,

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 and still you love us,

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 and still your Son died on the cross for us.

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 We ask, Father, that your Holy Spirit would so bring the gospel home,

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 the beautiful way, Father, that you continually invite us to,

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 that that beautiful way, Father, would become more and more real to our hearts,

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 that it might structure and form and shape and propel and draw us

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 in terms of how we live our day-to-day lives

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 until that day, Father, when we, your children, see you face to face.

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 So, Father, do that gentle but powerful work of your Holy Spirit in our lives,

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

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 Amen.

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 Amen.

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 Please be seated.

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 Excuse me, I seem to have something stuck in my throat.

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 Hopefully, it'll just clear itself up.

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 So, that was quite a scripture text.

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 If you're wondering why we would talk a text about that describes other people's religions

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 as being abominations, as forbidding your sons and daughters to marry other people,

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 that seems to talk about there being a holy race, and it's terrible

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 if anybody who's not part of that holy race becomes part of your family.

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 It's not because I have a weird personality,

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 and I intentionally go looking for weird texts like that to speak on.

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 Like, I'm actually very Canadian, and I, you know, my wife and the staff can tell me

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 that when I first read this text again in preparation for,

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 I mean, I'd read it many, many times as part of my daily Bible reading,

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 but when I first read it, knowing that I was going to preach on it,

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 I was a bit appalled by it.

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 And I said to people, you need to pray for me.

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 I'm not quite sure what I'm going to say about a text like this.

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 It's really, really quite something.

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 So, but the reason we do it is that one of the things we want to do here

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 is we want to, Paul in Acts chapter 20 says he wants to declare the whole counsel of God.

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 And that's what we want to do here at this church,

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 and one of the ways that we do this is by preaching through books in the Bible,

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 Old Testament, New Testament.

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 And so what that means is that we preach,

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 sometimes we have to look at texts which are just very difficult.

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 And so actually, if you're sort of trying to figure out the Christian faith,

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 or maybe you're trying to figure out like whether you should stay a Christian

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 or whether you should join and become a Christian,

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 in some ways we're the perfect church for you

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 because, you know, if you sign a contract or a deal somewhere,

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 and then you find out in the small print that there's these rules

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 that you didn't know about and now you're sort of screwed,

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 we look at the fine print.

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 And we don't sort of hide from these uncomfortable things

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 and things which sort of go against the grain of Canadians and how we think.

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 So let's look at the text.

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 And so what I'm going to do, it's a bit different from how I normally preach.

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 I'm going to read, again, all of chapter 9,

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 and I'll just point out a couple of very, very small things.

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 And then, but because the issues of intermarriage and abominations

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 and the holy race and other things

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 are all sort of intermingled throughout the whole thing,

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 you know, normally I would read a couple of verses, explain it,

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 a couple of verses, explain it.

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 I think what I need to do is we're just going to look at it

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 so you can see that we're not hiding from anything.

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 And one of the things I would suggest to you,

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 if you have little notes or something,

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 is make a note.

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 Okay, is George going to talk about this?

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 Okay, is he going to talk about this?

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 And if I don't in the sermon sort of address these big issues,

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 make sure you, if you're online, send me an email.

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 If you're here, make sure you ask me at the end of the service.

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 But let's sort of look at the text.

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 I'm not going to read chapter 10.

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 It's 44 verses.

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 It's the continuation of the story.

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 But just to give you, in a sense,

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 the summary of what happens in chapter 10.

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 And actually, let's read the text,

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 and I'll give you the summary.

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 And then we'll sort of try to figure out

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 what's going on in this text.

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 And just so you know,

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 a very typical way out of a text like this

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 is to say, oh, well, that's just the Old Testament.

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 And they're just sort of hard and judgmental,

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 and we're Christians,

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 and that's not what the New Testament is like.

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 And I'm not going to say that.

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 Because actually, that's not true.

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 And I'm not going to repudiate the text,

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 and I'm not going to do tap dancing around the text.

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 Believe it or not, I think this text,

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 in a very stark way,

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 which grabs our attention,

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 brings before us the importance

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 of embracing the beautiful vision of the Bible.

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 If we get over our fears about the text,

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 I think the text is calling us

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 to embrace a beautiful vision

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 and help us know what it means

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 to embrace this beautiful vision

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 and move forward to life.

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 Now you're really worried.

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 Is George going to say racism

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 and all his beautiful vision?

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 No, I'm not.

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 Let's look at what it says.

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 So it's Ezra chapter 9,

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 and here's how it begins.

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 After these things had been done,

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 now what that means is,

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 if you go back and you read

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 all of the book of Ezra,

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 which is a good thing to do,

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 about 80 years earlier,

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 after the nation of Israel

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 had been taken away into captivity,

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 there's basically no Jewish people left

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 in what the Jewish people call the promised land,

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 or we would now call Israel.

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 And they'd been gone for over like 140 years,

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 130 years.

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 And then about 80 years earlier,

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 a large group,

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 a fairly large group of people

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 returned from exile.

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 And in chapters 1 to 6,

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 it describes what happened

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 sort of in the first 20 years

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 of them coming back.

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 And then between chapter 6 and chapter 7,

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 there's almost 60 years of sort of silence.

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 And then Ezra leaves a very small group of people

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 to come back from exile.

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 And so in chapter 9 here,

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 it's five months after what we talked about

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 in chapter 7 and 8.

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 So it's about five months later,

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 and Ezra's been given the task

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 by the pagan emperor of Persia

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 to teach the Torah,

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 the Tanakh,

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 and to make it the law of the region.

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 And that's his job.

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 So now it's about five months later,

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 and we'll take it up again.

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 And after these things had been done,

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 the officials approached me

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 and said,

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 the people of Israel

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 and the priests and the Levites

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 have not separated themselves

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 from the peoples of the lands

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 with their abominations.

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 If you're doing little pins

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 or little marks,

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 put a mark there.

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 Make sure I come back

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 and talk about it.

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 Why is it that God wants,

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 that Ezra thinks God wants them

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 to separate from the people of the land

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 and to describe what they do

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 as abominations?

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 And then it mentions

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 from the Canaanites,

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 the Hittites,

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 the Perizzites,

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 the Jebusites,

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 the Ammonites,

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 the Moabites,

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 the Egyptians,

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 and the Amorites.

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 Now, just to be clear,

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 so the first thing is

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 the officials come

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 and tell Ezra this,

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 and it's not that

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 they've just not separated,

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 but they're actually doing it.

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 So they've taken up

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 what Ezra's calling

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 an abomination.

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 The things that

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 the neighboring nations do,

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 Ezra describes

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 as abominations

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 and he discovers

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 that there's a significant part

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 of the community

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 which are doing them.

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 Then verse 2,

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 and this is sort of now

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 describing a little bit

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 about the means

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 by which this,

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 a key aspect

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 of how this has come about.

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 Verse 2,

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 for they have taken

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 some of their daughters,

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 that's the Canaanites,

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 et cetera,

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 to be wives for themselves

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 and for their sons,

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 so that the holy race

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 has mixed itself

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 with the peoples

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 of the lands.

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 And in this faithlessness,

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 the hand of the officials

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 and the chief men

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 has been foremost.

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 Now, there's that phrase,

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 the holy race,

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 and for many of us

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 reading this today,

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 it sounds like

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 the Deep South

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 and slavery

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 in the United States.

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 It sounds like apartheid.

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 It sounds like

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 what the Nazis did

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 by looking for

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 a small trace

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 of Jewish blood.

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 It sounds like

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 these racial purity movements

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 and it's a

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 pretty stark thing.

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 So what does Ezra do?

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 So the people

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 have told him this.

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 Some of the leaders

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 have come and told him this.

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 It might very well be

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 that because he's been there

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 for five months

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 and been teaching the Torah,

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 they now realize,

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 some of them,

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 that there's been things

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 going on in the Torah

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 and the Tanakh forbid.

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 So how does Ezra respond?

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 And he responds

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 in a very interesting way.

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 He doesn't repudiate it

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 or tell them

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 that he's wrong,

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 but he also doesn't act

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 in a judgmental way.

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 He's going to identify

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 with the people,

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 but he's going to identify

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 with them by mourning

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 and grieving.

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 Listen to what it says,

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 verse 3.

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 As soon as I heard this,

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 I tore my garment

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 and my cloak

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 and pulled hair

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 from my head

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 and beard

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 and sat appalled.

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 Now just pause.

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 We all know

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 that there's different,

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 you know,

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 because we have the media now,

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 we can see how grief works

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 in different countries

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 and, you know,

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 like here in Canada,

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 like most people

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 now don't even have

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 funerals anymore.

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 We don't really,

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 and a lot of our grief now

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 in Canada,

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 it's done very private

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 and it's often medicated.

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 This is a very,

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 some people in the world,

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 they're very demonstrative

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 emotionally

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 about their grieving

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 and mourning

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 and that's what's going on here.

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 The Bible's not telling us

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 that we should become like this,

00:11:13.539 --> 00:11:14.699
 but it's showing

00:11:14.699 --> 00:11:15.819
 how they grieved

00:11:15.819 --> 00:11:16.879
 and that's what he's doing.

00:11:17.659 --> 00:11:18.159
 Verse 4,

00:11:19.120 --> 00:11:20.000
 and here's a really

00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:20.759
 interesting phrase,

00:11:20.839 --> 00:11:21.279
 you know that,

00:11:21.279 --> 00:11:23.099
 that old spiritual,

00:11:24.039 --> 00:11:27.579
 it causes me to tremble,

00:11:28.079 --> 00:11:29.679
 tremble, tremble.

00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:32.459
 That's where they get this from.

00:11:33.219 --> 00:11:34.039
 The next verse,

00:11:34.259 --> 00:11:35.719
 then all who trembled

00:11:35.719 --> 00:11:37.360
 at the words of God,

00:11:38.319 --> 00:11:40.199
 it causes me to tremble,

00:11:40.579 --> 00:11:41.679
 tremble, tremble.

00:11:41.679 --> 00:11:43.459
 Then all who trembled

00:11:43.459 --> 00:11:44.579
 at the words of God,

00:11:44.899 --> 00:11:45.839
 the God of Israel,

00:11:46.359 --> 00:11:47.679
 because of the faithfulness,

00:11:47.839 --> 00:11:48.000
 sorry,

00:11:48.079 --> 00:11:49.099
 then all who trembled

00:11:49.099 --> 00:11:49.559
 at the words

00:11:49.559 --> 00:11:50.359
 of the God of Israel

00:11:50.359 --> 00:11:51.620
 because of the faithlessness

00:11:51.620 --> 00:11:53.500
 of the returned exiles,

00:11:54.139 --> 00:11:55.519
 gathered around me

00:11:55.519 --> 00:11:56.859
 while I sat appalled

00:11:56.859 --> 00:11:58.959
 until the evening sacrifice.

00:12:00.019 --> 00:12:01.120
 And at the evening sacrifice,

00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:02.959
 I arose from my fasting

00:12:02.959 --> 00:12:04.319
 with my garment

00:12:04.319 --> 00:12:05.459
 and my cloak torn

00:12:05.459 --> 00:12:07.539
 and fell upon my knees

00:12:07.539 --> 00:12:08.799
 and spread out my hands

00:12:08.799 --> 00:12:10.079
 to the Lord my God,

00:12:10.240 --> 00:12:10.519
 saying,

00:12:10.519 --> 00:12:11.740
 now just,

00:12:11.919 --> 00:12:13.059
 it's very interesting,

00:12:13.399 --> 00:12:14.039
 you know,

00:12:14.159 --> 00:12:15.279
 that he's appalled.

00:12:16.679 --> 00:12:17.960
 But as you're going to see

00:12:17.960 --> 00:12:19.059
 and what he's just done

00:12:19.059 --> 00:12:19.819
 is in a sense

00:12:19.819 --> 00:12:20.759
 he sees himself

00:12:20.759 --> 00:12:21.960
 as needing to grieve

00:12:21.960 --> 00:12:23.720
 and mourn for the nation.

00:12:24.579 --> 00:12:24.860
 Now,

00:12:25.039 --> 00:12:26.439
 this is still problematic

00:12:26.439 --> 00:12:27.819
 if it's grieving

00:12:27.819 --> 00:12:29.319
 that they're not racist enough.

00:12:29.659 --> 00:12:30.079
 Obviously,

00:12:30.259 --> 00:12:31.699
 that makes it even worse,

00:12:32.019 --> 00:12:32.279
 right?

00:12:33.879 --> 00:12:35.100
 But he's grieving

00:12:35.100 --> 00:12:36.980
 and others are grieving

00:12:36.980 --> 00:12:38.879
 and now he prays.

00:12:39.100 --> 00:12:39.500
 Like,

00:12:39.560 --> 00:12:40.320
 he doesn't immediately

00:12:40.320 --> 00:12:41.320
 take up a sword

00:12:41.320 --> 00:12:42.600
 and go starting killing people.

00:12:42.700 --> 00:12:43.800
 He doesn't do anything like that.

00:12:43.879 --> 00:12:44.659
 He grieves

00:12:44.659 --> 00:12:46.600
 and he prays.

00:12:46.680 --> 00:12:47.420
 And you'll notice

00:12:47.420 --> 00:12:48.980
 in the words of the prayer,

00:12:49.080 --> 00:12:49.899
 there's still problematic

00:12:49.899 --> 00:12:50.920
 things in them

00:12:50.920 --> 00:12:51.700
 for us Canadians,

00:12:51.920 --> 00:12:54.100
 but he constantly identifies

00:12:54.100 --> 00:12:54.899
 with the people.

00:12:56.560 --> 00:12:58.139
 So here's how he prays.

00:12:59.139 --> 00:13:00.080
 Verse 6,

00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:14.240
 Notice the R language,

00:13:14.379 --> 00:13:15.220
 not these people,

00:13:15.400 --> 00:13:15.840
 but R.

00:13:17.139 --> 00:13:17.780
 Verse 7,

00:13:22.200 --> 00:13:23.440
 We have been in great guilt

00:13:23.440 --> 00:13:25.720
 and for our iniquities,

00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:26.800
 we, our kings,

00:13:26.900 --> 00:13:27.500
 and our priests

00:13:27.500 --> 00:13:28.720
 have been given into the hand

00:13:28.720 --> 00:13:29.980
 of the kings of the lands

00:13:29.980 --> 00:13:30.660
 to the sword,

00:13:30.800 --> 00:13:31.360
 to captivity,

00:13:31.620 --> 00:13:32.960
 to plundering,

00:13:33.580 --> 00:13:34.820
 and utter shame

00:13:34.820 --> 00:13:35.600
 as it is today.

00:13:36.519 --> 00:13:36.720
 Now,

00:13:36.820 --> 00:13:37.720
 just sort of pause here

00:13:37.720 --> 00:13:38.259
 for a second.

00:13:38.899 --> 00:13:40.320
 Ezra understands,

00:13:41.480 --> 00:13:42.840
 and this is a problematic thing

00:13:42.840 --> 00:13:43.779
 for lots of Canadians,

00:13:44.019 --> 00:13:46.019
 that what has happened

00:13:46.019 --> 00:13:46.759
 to them,

00:13:46.899 --> 00:13:48.580
 they're having their city destroyed,

00:13:48.800 --> 00:13:50.300
 the people carried away,

00:13:50.840 --> 00:13:52.700
 that that is all God's judgment.

00:13:53.399 --> 00:13:53.639
 I mean,

00:13:53.660 --> 00:13:54.100
 on one level,

00:13:54.180 --> 00:13:55.220
 Nebuchadnezzar just did it

00:13:55.220 --> 00:13:55.660
 because he wanted

00:13:55.660 --> 00:13:56.420
 a bigger empire

00:13:56.420 --> 00:13:57.820
 and he wanted more tax revenues.

00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:00.040
 But Ezra understands

00:14:00.040 --> 00:14:01.080
 that what's happened

00:14:01.080 --> 00:14:03.779
 is actually God's judgment.

00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:06.180
 And I'm not going to be able

00:14:06.180 --> 00:14:07.360
 to talk about God's judgment.

00:14:07.460 --> 00:14:07.620
 I mean,

00:14:07.620 --> 00:14:08.120
 I'm going to have enough

00:14:08.120 --> 00:14:08.740
 just trying to talk

00:14:08.740 --> 00:14:10.220
 about abominations and racism

00:14:10.220 --> 00:14:11.139
 without talking about

00:14:11.139 --> 00:14:11.840
 God's judgment,

00:14:12.080 --> 00:14:14.720
 but it's a key part

00:14:14.720 --> 00:14:15.420
 of his prayer.

00:14:16.180 --> 00:14:18.500
 It's not that he's having

00:14:18.500 --> 00:14:20.180
 this power of positive thinking,

00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:21.500
 putting the best face forward.

00:14:21.720 --> 00:14:22.779
 He's acknowledging

00:14:22.779 --> 00:14:23.940
 the deep guilt

00:14:23.940 --> 00:14:26.019
 that led to God's judgment.

00:14:26.019 --> 00:14:28.000
 And he sees them now

00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:29.199
 continuing that

00:14:29.199 --> 00:14:30.600
 which led to God's judgment

00:14:30.600 --> 00:14:31.179
 on them.

00:14:32.059 --> 00:14:33.079
 But he's also going to talk

00:14:33.079 --> 00:14:34.139
 about grace and mercy.

00:14:34.539 --> 00:14:35.779
 Let's see how he goes on.

00:14:35.840 --> 00:14:36.340
 Verse 8.

00:14:37.419 --> 00:14:38.720
 But now for a brief moment,

00:14:38.879 --> 00:14:40.600
 favor or grace

00:14:40.600 --> 00:14:41.919
 has been shown

00:14:41.919 --> 00:14:43.100
 by the Lord our God

00:14:43.100 --> 00:14:45.159
 to leave us a remnant

00:14:45.159 --> 00:14:46.360
 and to give us

00:14:46.360 --> 00:14:47.399
 a secure hold

00:14:47.399 --> 00:14:49.139
 within his holy place

00:14:49.139 --> 00:14:50.460
 that our God

00:14:50.460 --> 00:14:51.740
 might brighten our eyes.

00:14:51.960 --> 00:14:53.039
 It's a wonderful phrase.

00:14:53.039 --> 00:14:54.279
 excuse me,

00:14:54.719 --> 00:14:55.639
 it's a wonderful phrase.

00:14:59.000 --> 00:15:00.679
 That he might brighten our eyes.

00:15:00.740 --> 00:15:01.939
 That's a wonderful phrase,

00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:02.399
 isn't it?

00:15:03.219 --> 00:15:03.500
 And,

00:15:03.559 --> 00:15:05.620
 sorry,

00:15:05.699 --> 00:15:06.539
 I've lost my place

00:15:06.539 --> 00:15:07.179
 turning around.

00:15:11.240 --> 00:15:12.539
 If he has shown us favor

00:15:12.539 --> 00:15:13.419
 to leave us around,

00:15:13.659 --> 00:15:15.379
 brighten our eyes,

00:15:15.439 --> 00:15:16.240
 that's verse 8,

00:15:16.740 --> 00:15:17.599
 and grant us

00:15:17.599 --> 00:15:19.120
 a little reviving

00:15:19.120 --> 00:15:20.339
 in our slavery.

00:15:20.340 --> 00:15:22.620
 For we are slaves,

00:15:23.639 --> 00:15:24.300
 yet our God

00:15:24.300 --> 00:15:25.840
 has not forsaken us

00:15:25.840 --> 00:15:26.860
 in our slavery.

00:15:28.160 --> 00:15:28.540
 You see,

00:15:28.639 --> 00:15:29.399
 here's acknowledgement

00:15:29.399 --> 00:15:30.980
 of God's steadfast love.

00:15:31.139 --> 00:15:31.960
 And once again,

00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:33.320
 if he's acknowledging

00:15:33.320 --> 00:15:34.600
 God's steadfast love

00:15:34.600 --> 00:15:35.420
 in the context

00:15:35.420 --> 00:15:36.580
 of being racist himself,

00:15:36.700 --> 00:15:38.060
 this makes it even worse,

00:15:38.240 --> 00:15:38.820
 not better.

00:15:39.720 --> 00:15:40.720
 That's the question

00:15:40.720 --> 00:15:41.639
 that we need to go back

00:15:41.639 --> 00:15:42.360
 and think about.

00:15:43.320 --> 00:15:44.240
 Verse 9 again.

00:15:44.340 --> 00:15:44.860
 Yet our God

00:15:44.860 --> 00:15:46.060
 has not forsaken us

00:15:46.060 --> 00:15:46.820
 in our slavery,

00:15:47.139 --> 00:15:48.740
 but has extended to us

00:15:48.740 --> 00:15:50.320
 his steadfast love

00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:51.200
 before the kings

00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:51.860
 of Persia

00:15:51.860 --> 00:15:53.159
 to grant us

00:15:53.159 --> 00:15:54.879
 some reviving

00:15:54.879 --> 00:15:56.100
 to set up

00:15:56.100 --> 00:15:57.279
 the house of our God

00:15:57.279 --> 00:15:59.299
 to repair its ruins

00:15:59.299 --> 00:16:01.279
 and give us protection

00:16:01.279 --> 00:16:02.720
 in Judea and Jerusalem.

00:16:03.860 --> 00:16:04.240
 And now,

00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:04.680
 our God,

00:16:04.740 --> 00:16:05.340
 what shall we say

00:16:05.340 --> 00:16:05.960
 after this?

00:16:06.960 --> 00:16:08.200
 For we are forsaken

00:16:08.200 --> 00:16:08.899
 your commandments,

00:16:09.259 --> 00:16:09.980
 which you commanded

00:16:09.980 --> 00:16:10.840
 by your servants,

00:16:10.980 --> 00:16:11.440
 the prophets,

00:16:11.620 --> 00:16:11.860
 saying,

00:16:13.240 --> 00:16:14.519
 now here comes

00:16:14.519 --> 00:16:14.960
 once again

00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:15.720
 for us Canadians

00:16:15.720 --> 00:16:17.060
 the problematic bit.

00:16:17.059 --> 00:16:19.139
 The land

00:16:19.139 --> 00:16:19.839
 that you are entering

00:16:19.839 --> 00:16:20.819
 to take possession of

00:16:20.819 --> 00:16:23.039
 is a land impure

00:16:23.039 --> 00:16:23.859
 with the impurity

00:16:23.859 --> 00:16:24.559
 of the peoples

00:16:24.559 --> 00:16:25.399
 of the lands,

00:16:26.579 --> 00:16:27.839
 with their abominations

00:16:27.839 --> 00:16:28.579
 that have filled it

00:16:28.579 --> 00:16:29.639
 from end to end

00:16:29.639 --> 00:16:30.839
 with their uncleanness.

00:16:32.039 --> 00:16:32.339
 Therefore,

00:16:32.459 --> 00:16:33.579
 do not give your daughters

00:16:33.579 --> 00:16:34.599
 to their sons,

00:16:35.119 --> 00:16:36.379
 neither take their daughters

00:16:36.379 --> 00:16:37.399
 for your sons,

00:16:37.939 --> 00:16:39.519
 and never seek their peace

00:16:39.519 --> 00:16:40.339
 or prosperity.

00:16:41.659 --> 00:16:42.899
 That's a hard phrase,

00:16:43.000 --> 00:16:43.279
 isn't it?

00:16:43.279 --> 00:16:44.639
 Never seek their peace

00:16:44.639 --> 00:16:45.399
 or prosperity,

00:16:45.399 --> 00:16:47.699
 that you may be strong

00:16:47.699 --> 00:16:48.319
 and eat the good

00:16:48.319 --> 00:16:48.860
 of the land

00:16:48.860 --> 00:16:49.399
 and leave it

00:16:49.399 --> 00:16:50.259
 for an inheritance

00:16:50.259 --> 00:16:51.659
 to your children forever.

00:16:52.919 --> 00:16:54.179
 He's basically quoting

00:16:54.179 --> 00:16:57.919
 or paraphrasing

00:16:57.919 --> 00:16:59.559
 parts of Deuteronomy,

00:16:59.899 --> 00:17:00.519
 but as well as that,

00:17:00.600 --> 00:17:00.899
 Exodus,

00:17:02.139 --> 00:17:02.840
 and as well as that,

00:17:02.899 --> 00:17:03.120
 actually,

00:17:03.179 --> 00:17:04.019
 the book of Judges

00:17:04.019 --> 00:17:04.980
 and Joshua.

00:17:06.460 --> 00:17:06.900
 And after,

00:17:07.019 --> 00:17:07.559
 verse 13,

00:17:07.619 --> 00:17:08.559
 after all that has come

00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:09.099
 upon us

00:17:09.099 --> 00:17:10.200
 for our evil deeds

00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:12.500
 and for our great guilt,

00:17:12.500 --> 00:17:13.859
 seeing that you are God,

00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:14.660
 have punished us

00:17:14.660 --> 00:17:16.480
 less than our iniquities

00:17:16.480 --> 00:17:16.980
 deserve,

00:17:17.940 --> 00:17:19.839
 and have given us

00:17:19.839 --> 00:17:21.180
 such a remnant as this,

00:17:22.039 --> 00:17:22.900
 shall we break

00:17:22.900 --> 00:17:24.019
 your commandments again

00:17:24.019 --> 00:17:24.799
 and intermarry

00:17:24.799 --> 00:17:25.420
 with the people

00:17:25.420 --> 00:17:26.160
 who practice

00:17:26.160 --> 00:17:28.160
 these abominations?

00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:30.279
 Would you not be angry

00:17:30.279 --> 00:17:30.799
 with us

00:17:30.799 --> 00:17:32.339
 until you consumed us

00:17:32.339 --> 00:17:33.839
 so that there should be

00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:34.480
 no remnant

00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:35.779
 nor any to escape?

00:17:36.579 --> 00:17:37.119
 O Lord,

00:17:37.240 --> 00:17:38.119
 the God of Israel,

00:17:38.579 --> 00:17:39.599
 you are just,

00:17:39.599 --> 00:17:41.240
 for we are left

00:17:41.240 --> 00:17:41.819
 a remnant

00:17:41.819 --> 00:17:42.719
 that has escaped

00:17:42.719 --> 00:17:43.899
 as it is today.

00:17:44.539 --> 00:17:44.980
 Behold,

00:17:45.500 --> 00:17:46.699
 we are before you

00:17:46.699 --> 00:17:47.319
 in our guilt,

00:17:48.099 --> 00:17:49.619
 for none can stand

00:17:49.619 --> 00:17:50.399
 before you

00:17:50.399 --> 00:17:51.259
 because of this.

00:17:53.759 --> 00:17:54.279
 Now,

00:17:54.759 --> 00:17:56.779
 you'll see

00:17:56.779 --> 00:17:58.059
 there's 44 more verses

00:17:58.059 --> 00:17:58.719
 after this,

00:17:58.799 --> 00:17:59.980
 and I can just tell you

00:17:59.980 --> 00:18:02.419
 that the short answer

00:18:02.419 --> 00:18:03.099
 about what's going

00:18:03.099 --> 00:18:04.379
 to happen after this

00:18:04.379 --> 00:18:07.779
 is some of the secular leaders

00:18:07.779 --> 00:18:09.240
 are struck by this,

00:18:09.599 --> 00:18:12.000
 as Ezra continues to pray.

00:18:12.899 --> 00:18:13.759
 They say that

00:18:13.759 --> 00:18:15.439
 we need to deal with this,

00:18:15.539 --> 00:18:16.359
 we need to put away,

00:18:16.619 --> 00:18:17.019
 literally,

00:18:17.219 --> 00:18:17.980
 they need to put away

00:18:17.980 --> 00:18:18.859
 their foreign wives

00:18:18.859 --> 00:18:19.500
 and the children

00:18:19.500 --> 00:18:20.899
 from the foreign wives

00:18:20.899 --> 00:18:21.639
 and that we need

00:18:21.639 --> 00:18:22.399
 to deal with this,

00:18:23.119 --> 00:18:24.899
 and they start to deal

00:18:24.899 --> 00:18:25.699
 with it right away.

00:18:26.319 --> 00:18:26.659
 In fact,

00:18:26.719 --> 00:18:27.899
 this has probably happened,

00:18:28.119 --> 00:18:29.039
 they can date it

00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:30.359
 if you're sort of curious.

00:18:31.379 --> 00:18:32.819
 This has started to happen,

00:18:32.819 --> 00:18:36.480
 I've lost the dates here,

00:18:36.539 --> 00:18:37.139
 but I think it's something

00:18:37.139 --> 00:18:38.119
 like the 12th of,

00:18:38.339 --> 00:18:38.559
 oh yeah,

00:18:38.659 --> 00:18:39.799
 the 16th of December

00:18:39.799 --> 00:18:40.759
 is when this happens.

00:18:41.460 --> 00:18:42.819
 The 19th of December,

00:18:42.819 --> 00:18:44.240
 they call everybody together

00:18:44.240 --> 00:18:45.480
 and they say

00:18:45.480 --> 00:18:46.559
 that if you don't come together,

00:18:46.679 --> 00:18:48.119
 your property's forfeit.

00:18:49.919 --> 00:18:50.899
 Ezra wants to deal

00:18:50.899 --> 00:18:51.599
 with it right away,

00:18:51.720 --> 00:18:52.980
 but the leaders

00:18:52.980 --> 00:18:53.659
 of the community

00:18:53.659 --> 00:18:53.960
 say,

00:18:54.019 --> 00:18:54.240
 no, no,

00:18:54.279 --> 00:18:55.059
 this is a very,

00:18:55.179 --> 00:18:55.759
 very big issue,

00:18:55.819 --> 00:18:56.419
 we want to make sure

00:18:56.419 --> 00:18:57.559
 we do it in a just way,

00:18:58.419 --> 00:19:00.619
 and so people go home

00:19:00.619 --> 00:19:01.659
 and on the beginning

00:19:01.659 --> 00:19:03.139
 of the 29th of December,

00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:04.639
 they begin looking

00:19:04.639 --> 00:19:05.839
 at individual cases

00:19:05.839 --> 00:19:07.519
 and they are to judge

00:19:07.519 --> 00:19:08.200
 these people,

00:19:08.519 --> 00:19:09.700
 the goal is to have

00:19:09.700 --> 00:19:10.539
 the wives

00:19:10.539 --> 00:19:11.899
 and the children put away,

00:19:12.460 --> 00:19:13.039
 I'll talk about it

00:19:13.039 --> 00:19:13.799
 a little bit in a moment,

00:19:14.659 --> 00:19:16.599
 but they're all to be judged

00:19:16.599 --> 00:19:17.519
 according to the law,

00:19:17.679 --> 00:19:18.460
 according to what we call

00:19:18.460 --> 00:19:19.519
 the Tanakh or the Torah

00:19:19.519 --> 00:19:20.519
 or the Old Testament,

00:19:21.119 --> 00:19:22.659
 and by the 27th of March,

00:19:22.659 --> 00:19:24.500
 so they take three months

00:19:24.500 --> 00:19:26.759
 and it's all dealt with.

00:19:28.359 --> 00:19:29.539
 So what's going on?

00:19:34.299 --> 00:19:34.980
 As I said,

00:19:35.099 --> 00:19:36.059
 I didn't go out of my way

00:19:36.059 --> 00:19:37.539
 to find a chapter like this

00:19:37.539 --> 00:19:38.859
 and I've read it many times

00:19:38.859 --> 00:19:40.039
 but it never really struck me,

00:19:40.099 --> 00:19:40.980
 I guess it strikes you

00:19:40.980 --> 00:19:41.519
 very different

00:19:41.519 --> 00:19:42.279
 if you have to speak

00:19:42.279 --> 00:19:43.039
 about it in public,

00:19:43.619 --> 00:19:44.319
 and in our case,

00:19:44.359 --> 00:19:44.899
 it's on YouTube,

00:19:45.139 --> 00:19:45.659
 so who knows

00:19:45.659 --> 00:19:46.319
 what's going to happen

00:19:46.319 --> 00:19:46.919
 downstream.

00:19:48.079 --> 00:19:49.480
 So here's a couple of things,

00:19:49.639 --> 00:19:51.440
 let's just walk towards,

00:19:51.440 --> 00:19:52.139
 if you could put up

00:19:52.139 --> 00:19:52.819
 the first point,

00:19:52.980 --> 00:19:53.579
 that would be

00:19:53.579 --> 00:19:54.460
 very, very helpful,

00:19:55.639 --> 00:19:56.619
 and this is something

00:19:56.619 --> 00:19:57.719
 which I've only been

00:19:57.719 --> 00:19:59.119
 becoming aware of

00:19:59.119 --> 00:20:01.119
 over the last couple of years.

00:20:01.959 --> 00:20:02.919
 The world has been

00:20:02.919 --> 00:20:04.819
 so changed by Jesus

00:20:04.819 --> 00:20:06.079
 that it is hard

00:20:06.079 --> 00:20:07.179
 to look at anything

00:20:07.179 --> 00:20:10.199
 the way an ancient pagan would.

00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:12.039
 This is a very odd way

00:20:12.039 --> 00:20:12.659
 to begin this,

00:20:12.719 --> 00:20:12.979
 isn't it,

00:20:13.000 --> 00:20:13.500
 for some of you,

00:20:13.539 --> 00:20:14.339
 but it's the truth.

00:20:14.419 --> 00:20:15.039
 The world has been

00:20:15.039 --> 00:20:16.359
 so changed by Jesus

00:20:16.359 --> 00:20:17.839
 that it is hard

00:20:17.839 --> 00:20:18.879
 to look at anything

00:20:18.879 --> 00:20:23.119
 the way an ancient pagan would.

00:20:23.119 --> 00:20:26.219
 There's a fellow

00:20:26.219 --> 00:20:27.299
 by the name of Tom Holland

00:20:27.299 --> 00:20:28.519
 who wrote a best-selling book

00:20:28.519 --> 00:20:29.319
 called Dominion,

00:20:29.599 --> 00:20:30.439
 and some of you

00:20:30.439 --> 00:20:31.319
 are aware of him.

00:20:31.939 --> 00:20:33.259
 There's a very, very good book

00:20:33.259 --> 00:20:34.439
 brought by Glenn Scrivener

00:20:34.439 --> 00:20:35.859
 called The Air We Breathe,

00:20:36.019 --> 00:20:37.779
 and he looks at seven things

00:20:37.779 --> 00:20:40.279
 which most modern Western people

00:20:40.279 --> 00:20:41.759
 just think of as obvious,

00:20:42.299 --> 00:20:43.739
 and he does a very, very clever thing.

00:20:43.819 --> 00:20:45.659
 He uses non-Christian scholars

00:20:45.659 --> 00:20:46.299
 and experts

00:20:46.299 --> 00:20:48.059
 to show how all of those ideas

00:20:48.059 --> 00:20:49.439
 that the average Canadian think

00:20:49.439 --> 00:20:51.139
 is just obvious and reasonable

00:20:51.140 --> 00:20:53.040
 aren't obvious and reasonable,

00:20:53.200 --> 00:20:53.820
 but all, in fact,

00:20:53.880 --> 00:20:55.100
 come from the Christian faith,

00:20:55.160 --> 00:20:55.759
 all of them.

00:20:56.600 --> 00:21:00.140
 And so we're so used

00:21:00.140 --> 00:21:01.700
 to thinking in these categories.

00:21:01.920 --> 00:21:04.220
 Like, Jesus is so completely changed

00:21:04.220 --> 00:21:06.640
 the way people in the world think

00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:09.100
 that when they look at stories like this,

00:21:09.340 --> 00:21:11.140
 whether people realize it or not,

00:21:11.640 --> 00:21:12.820
 they're looking at it

00:21:12.820 --> 00:21:14.440
 from part of the way

00:21:14.440 --> 00:21:15.700
 that they've learned to think

00:21:15.700 --> 00:21:16.540
 because of Jesus.

00:21:17.840 --> 00:21:19.520
 And so when we hear a text like this,

00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:22.500
 we think of the soccer moms

00:21:22.500 --> 00:21:23.680
 who live next door to us,

00:21:23.740 --> 00:21:24.900
 we think of our nice neighbor,

00:21:25.619 --> 00:21:26.960
 and we think this sounds

00:21:26.960 --> 00:21:28.160
 like very, very, very type

00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:29.700
 of extreme type of behavior

00:21:29.700 --> 00:21:31.200
 and way of discussing it with them.

00:21:31.680 --> 00:21:33.059
 But what we don't understand

00:21:33.059 --> 00:21:34.000
 is what actually,

00:21:34.119 --> 00:21:35.539
 what is it that the people did?

00:21:36.819 --> 00:21:38.559
 Like, what were those people

00:21:38.559 --> 00:21:39.440
 doing around there?

00:21:39.960 --> 00:21:41.839
 And what did they believe?

00:21:42.019 --> 00:21:43.400
 And what were the stories

00:21:43.400 --> 00:21:44.639
 that they told themselves?

00:21:44.759 --> 00:21:46.639
 If their kids went to Sunday school,

00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:48.000
 what would they be taught

00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:49.040
 in Sunday school?

00:21:49.600 --> 00:21:50.380
 And how did that,

00:21:50.540 --> 00:21:51.240
 that they were taught

00:21:51.240 --> 00:21:52.000
 in Sunday school,

00:21:52.080 --> 00:21:53.160
 then how did that reflect

00:21:53.160 --> 00:21:54.300
 in their religion

00:21:54.300 --> 00:21:55.120
 and their culture

00:21:55.120 --> 00:21:56.040
 and their politics?

00:21:56.660 --> 00:21:57.980
 Well, here's what they were taught.

00:21:59.860 --> 00:22:01.259
 Baal, the main god

00:22:01.259 --> 00:22:02.180
 that they worshipped,

00:22:02.580 --> 00:22:03.880
 had sex with his mother.

00:22:04.980 --> 00:22:06.060
 Why did he have sex

00:22:06.060 --> 00:22:06.640
 with his mother?

00:22:07.180 --> 00:22:08.240
 Because his father,

00:22:08.360 --> 00:22:09.420
 who was a higher god,

00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:11.620
 was mad at his wife

00:22:11.619 --> 00:22:13.439
 and he wanted to humiliate her.

00:22:13.799 --> 00:22:15.379
 So he encouraged Baal

00:22:15.379 --> 00:22:16.819
 to have sex with his mom.

00:22:19.459 --> 00:22:20.579
 You can just picture

00:22:20.579 --> 00:22:22.099
 some of the moms here

00:22:22.099 --> 00:22:23.759
 telling them a nice sweet story.

00:22:24.259 --> 00:22:25.179
 Yes, I want to tell you

00:22:25.179 --> 00:22:26.079
 all about Baal.

00:22:26.599 --> 00:22:28.000
 He had sex with his mother.

00:22:29.839 --> 00:22:30.659
 Because his dad

00:22:30.659 --> 00:22:32.019
 wanted to humiliate his wife.

00:22:33.479 --> 00:22:34.500
 It gets worse.

00:22:36.119 --> 00:22:37.599
 Baal, sister,

00:22:37.839 --> 00:22:38.659
 one of his sisters

00:22:38.659 --> 00:22:40.019
 took the form of a cow

00:22:40.019 --> 00:22:41.759
 and while she was

00:22:41.759 --> 00:22:42.740
 in the form of a cow,

00:22:42.879 --> 00:22:43.579
 he raped her

00:22:43.579 --> 00:22:46.119
 77 to 88 times.

00:22:50.440 --> 00:22:51.480
 He raped her

00:22:51.480 --> 00:22:53.400
 77 to 88 times.

00:22:54.859 --> 00:22:56.079
 This is their gods.

00:22:57.519 --> 00:22:58.500
 As well as that,

00:22:58.759 --> 00:22:59.200
 Baal

00:22:59.200 --> 00:23:01.319
 regularly had sex

00:23:01.319 --> 00:23:02.039
 with his daughter.

00:23:07.379 --> 00:23:08.420
 And Baal

00:23:08.420 --> 00:23:09.700
 fought with

00:23:09.700 --> 00:23:10.400
 and murdered

00:23:10.400 --> 00:23:11.080
 his brothers.

00:23:15.980 --> 00:23:17.560
 And part of their mythology

00:23:17.560 --> 00:23:18.700
 and part of their worship

00:23:18.700 --> 00:23:19.980
 is that after this

00:23:19.980 --> 00:23:20.460
 had happened,

00:23:20.519 --> 00:23:21.759
 it was like an endless cycle.

00:23:21.920 --> 00:23:22.660
 So it's not as if

00:23:22.660 --> 00:23:24.000
 Baal just once did it.

00:23:24.960 --> 00:23:26.380
 It's how they understand

00:23:26.380 --> 00:23:28.080
 how fruitfulness happens.

00:23:29.840 --> 00:23:30.940
 Like part of fruitfulness

00:23:30.940 --> 00:23:32.519
 is to, in a sense,

00:23:32.880 --> 00:23:34.480
 worship and reenact

00:23:34.480 --> 00:23:36.320
 Baal having sex

00:23:36.319 --> 00:23:37.000
 with his mom.

00:23:40.740 --> 00:23:41.659
 And as well as that,

00:23:41.720 --> 00:23:42.419
 the whole purpose

00:23:42.419 --> 00:23:43.779
 that any of the gods

00:23:43.779 --> 00:23:44.759
 had any human beings

00:23:44.759 --> 00:23:45.720
 created was so that

00:23:45.720 --> 00:23:46.220
 human beings

00:23:46.220 --> 00:23:47.319
 could be their slaves.

00:23:48.679 --> 00:23:49.519
 Every human being

00:23:49.519 --> 00:23:50.259
 was a slave.

00:23:53.220 --> 00:23:54.059
 Glenn Scrivner,

00:23:54.159 --> 00:23:55.139
 if you go googling,

00:23:55.339 --> 00:23:55.859
 he has this

00:23:55.859 --> 00:23:57.159
 very powerful video

00:23:57.159 --> 00:23:57.500
 called

00:23:57.500 --> 00:23:58.579
 The Night Before Christmas

00:23:58.579 --> 00:23:59.359
 and one of the things

00:23:59.359 --> 00:23:59.899
 he says

00:23:59.899 --> 00:24:02.019
 is that for the pagan gods,

00:24:02.099 --> 00:24:03.139
 if a pagan god

00:24:03.139 --> 00:24:03.960
 was to arrive,

00:24:04.139 --> 00:24:05.000
 people would flee.

00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:07.759
 And it's a stark

00:24:07.759 --> 00:24:09.539
 contrast with Emmanuel,

00:24:10.440 --> 00:24:11.460
 the Christian notion

00:24:11.460 --> 00:24:12.240
 of God with us

00:24:12.240 --> 00:24:12.740
 as Jesus.

00:24:13.599 --> 00:24:14.339
 So imagine

00:24:14.339 --> 00:24:15.500
 you live in the neighborhood

00:24:15.500 --> 00:24:17.140
 with people like this

00:24:17.140 --> 00:24:18.059
 and they're your neighbors

00:24:18.059 --> 00:24:19.900
 and you start to realize

00:24:19.900 --> 00:24:20.880
 that the neighbors,

00:24:21.160 --> 00:24:21.880
 that's the stories

00:24:21.880 --> 00:24:23.140
 they tell their kids.

00:24:23.680 --> 00:24:24.720
 Would you let your kids

00:24:24.720 --> 00:24:25.400
 play with them?

00:24:29.220 --> 00:24:30.140
 And then you get

00:24:30.140 --> 00:24:30.960
 to know the neighbors

00:24:30.960 --> 00:24:31.759
 and one day

00:24:31.759 --> 00:24:32.079
 they're saying,

00:24:32.140 --> 00:24:32.640
 oh yeah, yeah,

00:24:32.740 --> 00:24:33.180
 you know God,

00:24:33.180 --> 00:24:33.680
 you know,

00:24:34.019 --> 00:24:34.500
 the gods,

00:24:34.600 --> 00:24:35.560
 Bahal and Asherah,

00:24:35.620 --> 00:24:36.180
 they've given us

00:24:36.180 --> 00:24:36.960
 two boys

00:24:36.960 --> 00:24:38.640
 and four girls

00:24:38.640 --> 00:24:39.560
 and then you sort of

00:24:39.560 --> 00:24:40.000
 ask them,

00:24:40.120 --> 00:24:40.220
 well,

00:24:40.620 --> 00:24:41.000
 one moment

00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:41.560
 there's just like

00:24:41.560 --> 00:24:42.920
 two boys and two girls.

00:24:43.080 --> 00:24:44.539
 Did something tragic

00:24:44.539 --> 00:24:45.560
 happen to two

00:24:45.560 --> 00:24:46.220
 of your daughters?

00:24:46.380 --> 00:24:46.519
 They say,

00:24:46.560 --> 00:24:46.900
 oh no, no,

00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:47.820
 nothing tragic.

00:24:49.120 --> 00:24:50.299
 One of our daughters,

00:24:50.539 --> 00:24:51.320
 we gave them

00:24:51.320 --> 00:24:52.360
 to the temple priest.

00:24:52.420 --> 00:24:52.980
 You know when you go

00:24:52.980 --> 00:24:53.700
 to see the priest

00:24:53.700 --> 00:24:54.740
 having sex with somebody?

00:24:54.840 --> 00:24:55.220
 Well, one of them

00:24:55.220 --> 00:24:55.799
 is my daughter.

00:24:57.539 --> 00:24:58.120
 And what about

00:24:58.120 --> 00:24:58.720
 your other daughter?

00:24:58.920 --> 00:24:59.120
 Well,

00:25:00.039 --> 00:25:01.120
 we needed to deal

00:25:01.119 --> 00:25:01.779
 with the gods

00:25:01.779 --> 00:25:02.779
 being angry at us

00:25:02.779 --> 00:25:03.159
 and they needed

00:25:03.159 --> 00:25:04.099
 a human sacrifice

00:25:04.099 --> 00:25:04.739
 and it was our

00:25:04.739 --> 00:25:05.699
 great honor and privilege

00:25:05.699 --> 00:25:06.799
 to give our other daughters

00:25:06.799 --> 00:25:08.139
 so the priest

00:25:08.139 --> 00:25:08.959
 could kill the daughter.

00:25:09.779 --> 00:25:11.119
 Would you let your children

00:25:11.119 --> 00:25:12.239
 play with your neighbors?

00:25:14.779 --> 00:25:15.759
 Would you want

00:25:15.759 --> 00:25:17.419
 your son or your daughter

00:25:17.419 --> 00:25:18.359
 to marry

00:25:18.359 --> 00:25:19.799
 one of the neighbors?

00:25:23.079 --> 00:25:23.479
 Well,

00:25:23.559 --> 00:25:24.139
 my George,

00:25:24.179 --> 00:25:25.500
 that paints this whole picture

00:25:25.500 --> 00:25:26.659
 in a very different light.

00:25:26.660 --> 00:25:29.540
 what do you think

00:25:29.540 --> 00:25:30.640
 the family structures

00:25:30.640 --> 00:25:31.460
 would be like

00:25:31.460 --> 00:25:33.040
 where the stories

00:25:33.040 --> 00:25:33.960
 that they tell you

00:25:33.960 --> 00:25:35.300
 to structure the universe

00:25:35.300 --> 00:25:39.380
 is of this type of...

00:25:39.380 --> 00:25:39.660
 I mean,

00:25:40.060 --> 00:25:41.320
 let's...

00:25:41.320 --> 00:25:43.300
 How many of you

00:25:43.300 --> 00:25:43.940
 want to agree

00:25:43.940 --> 00:25:45.120
 with the word abomination?

00:25:48.620 --> 00:25:50.200
 That's not a judgmental phrase.

00:25:50.300 --> 00:25:50.680
 It's actually

00:25:50.680 --> 00:25:51.660
 a pretty good phrase.

00:25:51.660 --> 00:25:55.860
 Really?

00:25:55.980 --> 00:25:56.940
 That's how your family

00:25:56.940 --> 00:25:57.440
 is structured?

00:25:57.660 --> 00:25:58.759
 That's how you see the world?

00:25:58.940 --> 00:26:00.019
 That's what you reenact?

00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:01.200
 You reenact

00:26:01.200 --> 00:26:02.360
 the regular rape

00:26:02.360 --> 00:26:04.320
 of Baal of his sister?

00:26:05.140 --> 00:26:05.380
 Like,

00:26:05.440 --> 00:26:06.279
 that's how you

00:26:06.279 --> 00:26:07.340
 understand the world?

00:26:10.220 --> 00:26:10.660
 Now,

00:26:10.779 --> 00:26:11.620
 here's the other thing

00:26:11.620 --> 00:26:12.320
 to understand

00:26:12.320 --> 00:26:13.380
 and this...

00:26:13.380 --> 00:26:14.360
 When I tell you this

00:26:14.360 --> 00:26:15.160
 and you might want

00:26:15.160 --> 00:26:16.480
 to read Glenn Scrivener's book

00:26:16.480 --> 00:26:17.519
 or Tom Holland's book

00:26:17.519 --> 00:26:18.019
 Dominion

00:26:18.019 --> 00:26:19.640
 or hear Tom Holland

00:26:19.640 --> 00:26:20.660
 do some interviews.

00:26:20.660 --> 00:26:22.660
 And...

00:26:22.660 --> 00:26:24.019
 You see,

00:26:24.180 --> 00:26:24.779
 this great...

00:26:24.779 --> 00:26:25.880
 This profound project

00:26:25.880 --> 00:26:26.720
 is...

00:26:26.720 --> 00:26:28.540
 That's how everybody thought.

00:26:28.680 --> 00:26:28.840
 Like,

00:26:28.860 --> 00:26:30.400
 if you could go back in time,

00:26:31.340 --> 00:26:31.640
 okay,

00:26:31.700 --> 00:26:33.500
 the equivalent of the CBC,

00:26:33.900 --> 00:26:34.759
 the equivalent

00:26:34.759 --> 00:26:36.000
 of the Supreme Court,

00:26:36.279 --> 00:26:37.279
 the government,

00:26:37.840 --> 00:26:39.180
 the spiritual leaders,

00:26:40.220 --> 00:26:41.640
 the universities,

00:26:42.900 --> 00:26:43.940
 the artists,

00:26:44.759 --> 00:26:44.980
 like,

00:26:44.980 --> 00:26:45.640
 that's just...

00:26:45.640 --> 00:26:47.500
 That's just how everybody thinks

00:26:47.500 --> 00:26:48.380
 and that's just what

00:26:48.380 --> 00:26:49.420
 everybody knows.

00:26:50.660 --> 00:26:51.860
 And...

00:26:51.860 --> 00:26:52.660
 And...

00:26:52.660 --> 00:26:53.019
 And...

00:26:53.019 --> 00:26:54.360
 If you can think about it,

00:26:54.380 --> 00:26:55.180
 so God is actually

00:26:55.180 --> 00:26:56.420
 trying to form a people

00:26:56.420 --> 00:26:58.080
 that are centered around

00:26:58.080 --> 00:26:59.040
 a beautiful vision

00:26:59.040 --> 00:27:01.120
 which is radically...

00:27:01.120 --> 00:27:02.060
 To say radically

00:27:02.060 --> 00:27:03.640
 is too weak a word

00:27:03.640 --> 00:27:05.180
 for how different it is

00:27:05.180 --> 00:27:06.620
 from what everybody knows.

00:27:08.380 --> 00:27:09.840
 And you can understand

00:27:09.840 --> 00:27:10.440
 a little bit

00:27:10.440 --> 00:27:11.100
 if they...

00:27:11.100 --> 00:27:12.940
 If people are told...

00:27:12.940 --> 00:27:13.720
 I'm going to describe

00:27:13.720 --> 00:27:14.580
 more of it in a moment

00:27:14.579 --> 00:27:15.159
 that no,

00:27:15.259 --> 00:27:15.779
 we...

00:27:15.779 --> 00:27:16.460
 We...

00:27:16.460 --> 00:27:17.059
 No,

00:27:17.199 --> 00:27:18.039
 we actually

00:27:18.039 --> 00:27:19.819
 don't have a priest

00:27:19.819 --> 00:27:20.559
 having sex

00:27:20.559 --> 00:27:21.259
 with a whole pile

00:27:21.259 --> 00:27:21.980
 of young girls

00:27:21.980 --> 00:27:22.960
 as a way of worship.

00:27:24.059 --> 00:27:25.899
 We read the scripture.

00:27:26.980 --> 00:27:27.460
 Boy,

00:27:27.539 --> 00:27:28.359
 is that ever lame.

00:27:29.839 --> 00:27:31.419
 No power in that.

00:27:33.299 --> 00:27:33.980
 No...

00:27:33.980 --> 00:27:35.599
 With that.

00:27:36.559 --> 00:27:37.559
 What wimps.

00:27:38.299 --> 00:27:38.740
 And don't you know

00:27:38.740 --> 00:27:39.740
 this is how the world is,

00:27:39.779 --> 00:27:40.539
 you Jewish people?

00:27:40.539 --> 00:27:42.639
 Now you understand

00:27:42.639 --> 00:27:43.240
 a little bit

00:27:43.240 --> 00:27:44.359
 about what the constant

00:27:44.359 --> 00:27:45.200
 struggle is

00:27:45.200 --> 00:27:46.200
 that God is trying

00:27:46.200 --> 00:27:47.279
 to form a people

00:27:47.279 --> 00:27:48.240
 in the midst of

00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:49.659
 how everybody thinks

00:27:49.659 --> 00:27:50.399
 like this

00:27:50.399 --> 00:27:52.159
 which is very,

00:27:52.299 --> 00:27:53.000
 very different.

00:27:55.619 --> 00:27:56.839
 G.K. Chesterton

00:27:56.839 --> 00:27:57.460
 wrote a book

00:27:57.460 --> 00:27:58.819
 over a hundred years ago

00:27:58.819 --> 00:27:59.980
 called Orthodoxy.

00:28:00.059 --> 00:28:01.539
 It's still well worth reading.

00:28:02.799 --> 00:28:03.839
 And one of the things

00:28:03.839 --> 00:28:04.639
 that he said

00:28:04.639 --> 00:28:05.539
 is that

00:28:05.539 --> 00:28:07.339
 the sort of

00:28:07.339 --> 00:28:07.859
 in some ways

00:28:07.859 --> 00:28:08.740
 the modern world

00:28:08.740 --> 00:28:09.799
 has gone mad

00:28:09.799 --> 00:28:11.559
 and it's gone mad

00:28:11.559 --> 00:28:13.039
 because the modern world

00:28:13.039 --> 00:28:13.539
 has taken

00:28:13.539 --> 00:28:14.940
 some of the Christian virtues

00:28:14.940 --> 00:28:16.379
 maybe one or two of them

00:28:16.379 --> 00:28:17.799
 out of the whole range of them

00:28:17.799 --> 00:28:19.079
 and they've

00:28:19.079 --> 00:28:20.079
 followed them

00:28:20.079 --> 00:28:20.839
 to the utmost

00:28:20.839 --> 00:28:22.859
 but they follow

00:28:22.859 --> 00:28:23.599
 these virtues.

00:28:23.819 --> 00:28:24.419
 It's very interesting.

00:28:24.500 --> 00:28:25.059
 I was just watching

00:28:25.059 --> 00:28:25.859
 Tom Holland

00:28:25.859 --> 00:28:28.700
 who's still not a...

00:28:28.700 --> 00:28:30.000
 He's basically

00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:30.919
 become a Christian

00:28:30.919 --> 00:28:31.639
 in his thinking

00:28:31.639 --> 00:28:33.059
 but he acknowledges

00:28:33.059 --> 00:28:33.659
 that he hasn't

00:28:33.659 --> 00:28:34.599
 become a Christian.

00:28:35.819 --> 00:28:36.759
 But he now

00:28:36.759 --> 00:28:37.299
 just sees

00:28:37.299 --> 00:28:37.839
 that it's hard

00:28:37.839 --> 00:28:38.419
 for him to see

00:28:38.419 --> 00:28:38.839
 the world

00:28:38.839 --> 00:28:39.419
 through anything

00:28:39.419 --> 00:28:40.899
 other than Christian eyes

00:28:40.899 --> 00:28:41.919
 but he can't quite

00:28:41.919 --> 00:28:43.299
 have that giving

00:28:43.299 --> 00:28:44.039
 of himself.

00:28:45.779 --> 00:28:48.959
 And, you know,

00:28:49.019 --> 00:28:49.519
 he said

00:28:49.519 --> 00:28:50.939
 in this conversation

00:28:50.939 --> 00:28:51.399
 that

00:28:51.399 --> 00:28:53.480
 the modern world

00:28:53.480 --> 00:28:55.139
 takes a different virtue

00:28:55.139 --> 00:28:56.419
 and sort of drives it

00:28:56.419 --> 00:28:58.639
 like a sledgehammer

00:28:58.639 --> 00:28:59.459
 through everything

00:28:59.459 --> 00:29:01.359
 and has disconnected it

00:29:01.359 --> 00:29:01.899
 from the other

00:29:01.899 --> 00:29:03.039
 Christian virtues

00:29:03.039 --> 00:29:03.939
 and it's also

00:29:03.939 --> 00:29:05.240
 disconnected it

00:29:05.240 --> 00:29:05.859
 from God,

00:29:06.179 --> 00:29:06.439
 grace,

00:29:06.440 --> 00:29:07.120
 forgiveness

00:29:07.120 --> 00:29:07.140
 and forgiveness

00:29:07.140 --> 00:29:08.660
 and that that's

00:29:08.660 --> 00:29:09.259
 what's describing

00:29:09.259 --> 00:29:10.100
 the modern world.

00:29:12.640 --> 00:29:13.720
 So, if you could

00:29:13.720 --> 00:29:14.720
 put up the next point,

00:29:15.620 --> 00:29:16.220
 this would be

00:29:16.220 --> 00:29:16.840
 very helpful.

00:29:19.299 --> 00:29:20.100
 There can be

00:29:20.100 --> 00:29:21.220
 no good yes

00:29:21.220 --> 00:29:22.440
 without saying

00:29:22.440 --> 00:29:23.600
 multiple no's.

00:29:24.559 --> 00:29:25.380
 This is something

00:29:25.380 --> 00:29:26.299
 which is very hard

00:29:26.299 --> 00:29:27.559
 for us to think about

00:29:27.559 --> 00:29:28.480
 but if you think about it

00:29:28.480 --> 00:29:28.620
 all,

00:29:28.740 --> 00:29:29.559
 that's actually just

00:29:29.559 --> 00:29:30.340
 true all of the time.

00:29:30.339 --> 00:29:31.799
 If one of you decides

00:29:31.799 --> 00:29:32.339
 that you want to get

00:29:32.339 --> 00:29:33.079
 your PhD

00:29:33.079 --> 00:29:35.740
 which is a good thing

00:29:35.740 --> 00:29:36.480
 to do to pursue

00:29:36.480 --> 00:29:37.500
 that higher education,

00:29:37.559 --> 00:29:37.899
 you're going to have

00:29:37.899 --> 00:29:38.559
 to say no to all

00:29:38.559 --> 00:29:39.139
 sorts of things.

00:29:39.220 --> 00:29:39.619
 You're going to have

00:29:39.619 --> 00:29:40.659
 to say no to spending

00:29:40.659 --> 00:29:41.939
 the money that you spend

00:29:41.939 --> 00:29:42.659
 on your PhD

00:29:42.659 --> 00:29:43.759
 to maybe buy a car

00:29:43.759 --> 00:29:44.659
 or some other types

00:29:44.659 --> 00:29:44.980
 of things

00:29:44.980 --> 00:29:45.919
 or a nicer car.

00:29:46.359 --> 00:29:47.359
 You're going to say no

00:29:47.359 --> 00:29:47.839
 to spending,

00:29:47.980 --> 00:29:48.099
 you know,

00:29:48.119 --> 00:29:48.759
 on a nice day

00:29:48.759 --> 00:29:49.599
 you're going to go study

00:29:49.599 --> 00:29:50.379
 rather than go play

00:29:50.379 --> 00:29:51.000
 some sports.

00:29:51.119 --> 00:29:51.619
 Like, you have to see

00:29:51.619 --> 00:29:52.500
 a range of no's.

00:29:52.639 --> 00:29:53.519
 If you're going

00:29:53.519 --> 00:29:54.240
 to have children,

00:29:54.819 --> 00:29:56.319
 if God gives you

00:29:56.319 --> 00:29:56.879
 that ability

00:29:56.879 --> 00:29:57.679
 and the opportunity

00:29:57.679 --> 00:29:58.119
 to have children,

00:29:58.159 --> 00:29:58.720
 you have children,

00:29:58.799 --> 00:29:59.679
 you say yes to children,

00:29:59.680 --> 00:30:00.039
 you're going to have

00:30:00.039 --> 00:30:00.500
 to say no

00:30:00.500 --> 00:30:01.279
 to all sorts of things.

00:30:01.360 --> 00:30:02.000
 Your house won't be

00:30:02.000 --> 00:30:02.480
 as tidy,

00:30:02.620 --> 00:30:03.140
 you won't have

00:30:03.140 --> 00:30:03.660
 as much money

00:30:03.660 --> 00:30:04.680
 to spend on yourself.

00:30:05.160 --> 00:30:05.960
 You have to all of a sudden

00:30:05.960 --> 00:30:07.100
 take them into the account

00:30:07.100 --> 00:30:07.940
 when you do things

00:30:07.940 --> 00:30:09.759
 and if I want to say yes

00:30:09.759 --> 00:30:10.620
 in marriage to Louise,

00:30:10.720 --> 00:30:11.500
 I say no to three

00:30:11.500 --> 00:30:12.120
 and a half billion

00:30:12.120 --> 00:30:12.640
 other women.

00:30:12.799 --> 00:30:13.299
 That's like that.

00:30:13.380 --> 00:30:14.400
 You can't say yes

00:30:14.400 --> 00:30:15.500
 to something good

00:30:15.500 --> 00:30:16.080
 without saying

00:30:16.080 --> 00:30:17.200
 a whole range of no's.

00:30:17.279 --> 00:30:19.279
 The yes forms the no's.

00:30:19.900 --> 00:30:21.340
 That just makes sense,

00:30:22.060 --> 00:30:22.279
 right?

00:30:23.259 --> 00:30:24.279
 We want people

00:30:24.279 --> 00:30:24.960
 to say yes

00:30:24.960 --> 00:30:26.080
 to things which are good

00:30:26.080 --> 00:30:27.279
 and once you say that,

00:30:27.340 --> 00:30:27.820
 there's going to have

00:30:27.820 --> 00:30:28.600
 to be a whole pile

00:30:28.600 --> 00:30:29.320
 of no's.

00:30:29.680 --> 00:30:31.060
 And so that's what we see

00:30:31.060 --> 00:30:31.779
 working out here

00:30:31.779 --> 00:30:32.440
 in the text.

00:30:32.920 --> 00:30:33.500
 And if you cover up

00:30:33.500 --> 00:30:34.160
 the next point,

00:30:34.539 --> 00:30:34.980
 here it is.

00:30:35.080 --> 00:30:36.140
 The Lord is inviting you

00:30:36.140 --> 00:30:36.940
 to say yes

00:30:36.940 --> 00:30:37.680
 and embrace

00:30:37.680 --> 00:30:39.320
 his grace-given

00:30:39.320 --> 00:30:40.820
 beautiful way.

00:30:41.340 --> 00:30:42.799
 The Lord is inviting you

00:30:42.799 --> 00:30:43.720
 to say yes

00:30:43.720 --> 00:30:46.039
 and embrace

00:30:46.039 --> 00:30:47.660
 his grace-given

00:30:47.660 --> 00:30:49.400
 beautiful way.

00:30:50.500 --> 00:30:51.140
 You see,

00:30:51.240 --> 00:30:52.019
 here's what's going on

00:30:52.019 --> 00:30:52.500
 in the text

00:30:52.500 --> 00:30:52.960
 which we don't

00:30:52.960 --> 00:30:54.019
 entirely realize.

00:30:55.340 --> 00:30:56.360
 What they're saying,

00:30:56.359 --> 00:30:57.839
 what the Jewish people

00:30:57.839 --> 00:30:58.979
 are invited to learn

00:30:58.979 --> 00:30:59.740
 and we're invited

00:30:59.740 --> 00:31:00.599
 to learn from this

00:31:00.599 --> 00:31:01.019
 is to say,

00:31:01.179 --> 00:31:02.279
 no, no, no, no, no, no.

00:31:03.199 --> 00:31:03.939
 Human beings

00:31:03.939 --> 00:31:04.399
 aren't made

00:31:04.399 --> 00:31:05.439
 to be slaves.

00:31:06.279 --> 00:31:07.699
 God made human beings

00:31:07.699 --> 00:31:08.879
 so that we could be

00:31:08.879 --> 00:31:09.479
 in a covenant

00:31:09.479 --> 00:31:10.419
 of love with him.

00:31:10.500 --> 00:31:11.619
 His desire was

00:31:11.619 --> 00:31:12.539
 that we would walk

00:31:12.539 --> 00:31:12.859
 with him

00:31:12.859 --> 00:31:13.559
 and have talks

00:31:13.559 --> 00:31:14.240
 in the garden

00:31:14.240 --> 00:31:14.819
 with him

00:31:14.819 --> 00:31:15.779
 that he could have

00:31:15.779 --> 00:31:16.719
 fellowship with us.

00:31:16.959 --> 00:31:17.799
 That's the vision,

00:31:17.919 --> 00:31:18.819
 not slavery.

00:31:19.359 --> 00:31:20.219
 No, no, no, no, no, no.

00:31:20.279 --> 00:31:20.839
 You don't just,

00:31:20.899 --> 00:31:21.779
 you don't just do

00:31:21.779 --> 00:31:22.500
 all of these things

00:31:22.500 --> 00:31:22.839
 to people.

00:31:22.919 --> 00:31:23.500
 You don't just sort

00:31:23.500 --> 00:31:24.480
 of treat your children

00:31:24.480 --> 00:31:25.220
 and your wife

00:31:25.220 --> 00:31:25.839
 and your kids

00:31:25.839 --> 00:31:26.679
 like property.

00:31:27.059 --> 00:31:28.240
 No, every human being

00:31:28.240 --> 00:31:29.159
 is made in the image

00:31:29.159 --> 00:31:29.619
 of God.

00:31:29.740 --> 00:31:31.059
 They have an integrity.

00:31:31.539 --> 00:31:32.379
 They have a dignity.

00:31:32.559 --> 00:31:33.419
 They have a value

00:31:33.419 --> 00:31:33.879
 that works.

00:31:34.139 --> 00:31:34.879
 No, no, no, no, no.

00:31:34.899 --> 00:31:35.480
 Everybody doesn't

00:31:35.480 --> 00:31:36.179
 have to be married.

00:31:36.319 --> 00:31:36.619
 Like, just,

00:31:36.740 --> 00:31:37.659
 what did I just say?

00:31:37.919 --> 00:31:38.759
 Every human being,

00:31:38.859 --> 00:31:39.799
 even if they're single,

00:31:39.959 --> 00:31:40.879
 even if they're a widow,

00:31:41.119 --> 00:31:42.199
 even if they're an orphan,

00:31:42.379 --> 00:31:43.699
 they have a value.

00:31:43.819 --> 00:31:45.279
 You can't just oppress them.

00:31:45.720 --> 00:31:46.819
 No, no, no, no, no, no.

00:31:46.879 --> 00:31:47.439
 The community

00:31:47.439 --> 00:31:49.099
 that should be formed

00:31:49.099 --> 00:31:50.159
 around this beautiful way

00:31:50.159 --> 00:31:51.619
 is one where they acknowledge

00:31:51.619 --> 00:31:53.699
 that there's the broken,

00:31:53.879 --> 00:31:54.559
 there's the poor,

00:31:54.679 --> 00:31:55.619
 there's the orphans,

00:31:55.759 --> 00:31:57.459
 there's the stranger,

00:31:57.699 --> 00:31:58.459
 and we're supposed

00:31:58.459 --> 00:31:59.519
 to care for them,

00:31:59.539 --> 00:32:00.199
 and we're not allowed

00:32:00.199 --> 00:32:01.279
 to oppress them.

00:32:01.679 --> 00:32:03.099
 And no, no, no, no, no, no.

00:32:03.179 --> 00:32:04.319
 It's not as if men

00:32:04.319 --> 00:32:05.019
 are sort of somehow

00:32:05.019 --> 00:32:06.239
 better than women.

00:32:06.359 --> 00:32:06.699
 No, no.

00:32:06.739 --> 00:32:07.859
 There's this beautiful vision

00:32:07.859 --> 00:32:08.779
 that every man

00:32:08.779 --> 00:32:09.919
 bears the image of God

00:32:09.919 --> 00:32:10.439
 and a woman

00:32:10.439 --> 00:32:11.779
 bears the image of God.

00:32:12.259 --> 00:32:14.000
 And God wants

00:32:14.000 --> 00:32:15.199
 a husband and wife

00:32:15.199 --> 00:32:16.379
 to cleave to each other

00:32:16.379 --> 00:32:17.659
 and forsake all others

00:32:17.659 --> 00:32:19.979
 and to be generous

00:32:19.980 --> 00:32:21.019
 and to be fruitful

00:32:21.019 --> 00:32:22.099
 and to be multiply

00:32:22.099 --> 00:32:23.599
 and to make the world

00:32:23.599 --> 00:32:24.599
 into a garden

00:32:24.599 --> 00:32:26.039
 and into a beautiful place.

00:32:26.539 --> 00:32:27.759
 And it's to be characterized

00:32:27.759 --> 00:32:29.279
 not by the darkness

00:32:29.279 --> 00:32:30.279
 of doing these things,

00:32:30.480 --> 00:32:32.860
 but God wants there

00:32:32.860 --> 00:32:33.579
 to be light

00:32:33.579 --> 00:32:34.180
 and he wants there

00:32:34.180 --> 00:32:34.839
 to be life

00:32:34.839 --> 00:32:35.400
 and he wants there

00:32:35.400 --> 00:32:36.279
 to be generosity.

00:32:37.079 --> 00:32:38.559
 And he wants to be able

00:32:38.559 --> 00:32:39.700
 to walk with you.

00:32:40.099 --> 00:32:42.660
 And that's this beautiful vision.

00:32:42.660 --> 00:32:47.320
 And why wouldn't you

00:32:47.320 --> 00:32:48.440
 want to embrace that?

00:32:49.100 --> 00:32:50.080
 If you're watching this

00:32:50.080 --> 00:32:50.420
 and you don't know

00:32:50.420 --> 00:32:51.040
 where you are with Christ,

00:32:51.120 --> 00:32:52.040
 why wouldn't you want

00:32:52.040 --> 00:32:52.800
 to embrace that?

00:32:52.860 --> 00:32:53.880
 That's the vision.

00:32:55.700 --> 00:32:56.740
 Don't you want that

00:32:56.740 --> 00:32:57.420
 to be true?

00:33:01.759 --> 00:33:02.500
 That's what we want

00:33:02.500 --> 00:33:03.040
 to be true.

00:33:03.300 --> 00:33:04.200
 And the Bible says

00:33:04.200 --> 00:33:04.940
 God's,

00:33:05.060 --> 00:33:06.040
 and if you embrace

00:33:06.040 --> 00:33:06.720
 that vision,

00:33:07.120 --> 00:33:07.860
 you say no

00:33:07.860 --> 00:33:08.980
 to child sacrifice.

00:33:09.380 --> 00:33:10.340
 You say no

00:33:10.340 --> 00:33:11.240
 to incest.

00:33:11.240 --> 00:33:13.359
 You say no

00:33:13.359 --> 00:33:14.599
 to murdering your brother.

00:33:15.160 --> 00:33:16.420
 The beautiful way says

00:33:16.420 --> 00:33:17.240
 we're going to figure out

00:33:17.240 --> 00:33:18.059
 reconciliation

00:33:18.059 --> 00:33:19.579
 rather than murder.

00:33:20.519 --> 00:33:21.680
 We're going to figure out

00:33:21.680 --> 00:33:22.519
 truth-telling.

00:33:22.779 --> 00:33:23.680
 We're going to figure out

00:33:23.680 --> 00:33:24.299
 repentance.

00:33:24.980 --> 00:33:26.059
 We're going to figure out

00:33:26.059 --> 00:33:26.559
 prayer.

00:33:27.940 --> 00:33:28.640
 We're going to learn

00:33:28.640 --> 00:33:29.240
 how to walk

00:33:29.240 --> 00:33:30.539
 with our God together.

00:33:31.799 --> 00:33:32.720
 We want to row

00:33:32.720 --> 00:33:33.839
 in the same direction

00:33:33.839 --> 00:33:34.539
 in the family

00:33:34.539 --> 00:33:35.200
 and the community.

00:33:35.359 --> 00:33:36.420
 Isn't that a beautiful vision?

00:33:37.200 --> 00:33:38.099
 And if you do that,

00:33:38.160 --> 00:33:38.799
 you've got to say no

00:33:38.799 --> 00:33:40.000
 to all this other stuff.

00:33:41.240 --> 00:33:43.500
 So even in chapter 10,

00:33:44.620 --> 00:33:46.319
 I have to watch my time.

00:33:46.960 --> 00:33:47.799
 I'm sort of already

00:33:47.799 --> 00:33:48.480
 at the end of it.

00:33:49.359 --> 00:33:50.140
 Here's the thing,

00:33:50.339 --> 00:33:51.339
 is that from the law's

00:33:51.339 --> 00:33:52.019
 point of view,

00:33:52.140 --> 00:33:52.740
 and this is just

00:33:52.740 --> 00:33:53.680
 to give you a sense

00:33:53.680 --> 00:33:55.740
 of the complexity

00:33:55.740 --> 00:33:56.519
 of the issue,

00:33:57.380 --> 00:33:58.259
 not the complexity,

00:33:59.019 --> 00:34:00.700
 the closest modern

00:34:00.700 --> 00:34:01.799
 Canadian example

00:34:01.799 --> 00:34:02.980
 of what they're facing

00:34:02.980 --> 00:34:03.759
 is the issue

00:34:03.759 --> 00:34:04.299
 of bigamy.

00:34:05.880 --> 00:34:06.160
 You see,

00:34:06.220 --> 00:34:07.079
 according to Jewish law,

00:34:07.180 --> 00:34:08.019
 these relationships

00:34:08.019 --> 00:34:08.900
 were all illegal.

00:34:08.900 --> 00:34:10.240
 So just in Canada,

00:34:10.480 --> 00:34:12.400
 if it turned out

00:34:12.400 --> 00:34:13.840
 that I have

00:34:13.840 --> 00:34:14.820
 a second wife,

00:34:16.780 --> 00:34:17.160
 well,

00:34:17.200 --> 00:34:18.019
 that's against the law.

00:34:19.139 --> 00:34:19.900
 You folks would have,

00:34:20.139 --> 00:34:20.940
 if Louise didn't

00:34:20.940 --> 00:34:21.740
 kill me first,

00:34:21.880 --> 00:34:22.460
 you would have to

00:34:22.460 --> 00:34:23.360
 figure out what to do

00:34:23.360 --> 00:34:24.740
 with me about

00:34:24.740 --> 00:34:26.639
 having two wives.

00:34:26.720 --> 00:34:27.840
 But what the Canadian law

00:34:27.840 --> 00:34:28.460
 doesn't allow

00:34:28.460 --> 00:34:29.400
 is for there to continue

00:34:29.400 --> 00:34:30.300
 to be two wives.

00:34:30.380 --> 00:34:31.400
 One of them has to be

00:34:31.400 --> 00:34:32.880
 put away.

00:34:34.079 --> 00:34:34.800
 But how are they

00:34:34.800 --> 00:34:35.280
 put away?

00:34:36.160 --> 00:34:37.039
 There's two things

00:34:37.039 --> 00:34:37.619
 in the text

00:34:37.619 --> 00:34:38.639
 which give you a hint.

00:34:39.139 --> 00:34:39.820
 The first is,

00:34:39.960 --> 00:34:40.400
 by the way,

00:34:40.860 --> 00:34:42.400
 that there's conversion.

00:34:42.960 --> 00:34:43.599
 If you go back

00:34:43.599 --> 00:34:45.039
 and read Ezra 6,

00:34:45.139 --> 00:34:45.800
 verse 21,

00:34:45.980 --> 00:34:46.599
 you'll see that

00:34:46.599 --> 00:34:47.199
 part of what's

00:34:47.199 --> 00:34:47.860
 been going on

00:34:47.860 --> 00:34:48.460
 on this whole

00:34:48.460 --> 00:34:49.960
 80, 100-year journey

00:34:49.960 --> 00:34:51.679
 is that the peoples

00:34:51.679 --> 00:34:53.219
 of the nations

00:34:53.219 --> 00:34:54.759
 get captivated

00:34:54.759 --> 00:34:56.119
 by this beautiful vision

00:34:56.119 --> 00:34:57.259
 and are included

00:34:57.259 --> 00:34:58.279
 in the beautiful vision.

00:34:59.079 --> 00:34:59.940
 And so conversion

00:34:59.940 --> 00:35:00.880
 is an option.

00:35:00.880 --> 00:35:05.039
 And the other thing

00:35:05.039 --> 00:35:06.059
 is that the law

00:35:06.059 --> 00:35:07.260
 which is used to judge,

00:35:07.340 --> 00:35:07.680
 and they don't go

00:35:07.680 --> 00:35:08.500
 into all the details,

00:35:08.640 --> 00:35:09.099
 there's literally

00:35:09.099 --> 00:35:10.140
 thousands of cases,

00:35:10.220 --> 00:35:10.860
 they can't go into

00:35:10.860 --> 00:35:11.660
 all of the details.

00:35:12.380 --> 00:35:13.840
 Well, they're judged

00:35:13.840 --> 00:35:14.559
 not according to

00:35:14.559 --> 00:35:15.559
 the pagan myths,

00:35:16.720 --> 00:35:17.660
 but they're judged

00:35:17.660 --> 00:35:18.480
 according to the law.

00:35:19.619 --> 00:35:20.280
 And the law

00:35:20.280 --> 00:35:21.300
 specifically says

00:35:21.300 --> 00:35:21.880
 you are to care

00:35:21.880 --> 00:35:22.460
 for the orphan

00:35:22.460 --> 00:35:22.940
 and the widow,

00:35:23.900 --> 00:35:24.500
 that justice

00:35:24.500 --> 00:35:25.579
 is to be done to them.

00:35:25.740 --> 00:35:26.300
 So it doesn't go

00:35:26.300 --> 00:35:27.000
 into the details,

00:35:27.160 --> 00:35:27.480
 but you know

00:35:27.480 --> 00:35:27.980
 that that's how

00:35:27.980 --> 00:35:28.760
 they're to be judged.

00:35:28.760 --> 00:35:32.780
 Now, just in my last

00:35:32.780 --> 00:35:33.340
 couple of minutes,

00:35:33.440 --> 00:35:34.440
 what about the racism

00:35:34.440 --> 00:35:36.920
 and the holy race?

00:35:37.260 --> 00:35:38.060
 If you could put up

00:35:38.060 --> 00:35:40.000
 the fourth point,

00:35:40.060 --> 00:35:40.920
 that would be very helpful.

00:35:41.680 --> 00:35:42.780
 The holy race

00:35:42.780 --> 00:35:45.600
 is not a biological reality,

00:35:45.960 --> 00:35:49.040
 but a grace-created reality.

00:35:49.760 --> 00:35:51.060
 The holy race

00:35:51.060 --> 00:35:52.760
 is not a biological reality,

00:35:53.660 --> 00:35:55.880
 but a grace-created reality.

00:35:55.880 --> 00:35:58.900
 In fact, actually,

00:35:59.019 --> 00:35:59.320
 literally,

00:35:59.500 --> 00:36:00.619
 it doesn't say race.

00:36:00.800 --> 00:36:02.260
 The Bible has no category

00:36:02.260 --> 00:36:03.039
 for race.

00:36:03.900 --> 00:36:06.220
 Race is a secular idea,

00:36:06.660 --> 00:36:08.880
 not a biblical idea.

00:36:09.960 --> 00:36:10.500
 Biblically,

00:36:10.740 --> 00:36:12.519
 there are only human beings,

00:36:12.780 --> 00:36:13.920
 and every human being

00:36:13.920 --> 00:36:15.280
 is made in the image of God,

00:36:15.440 --> 00:36:16.780
 and that's the only reality.

00:36:17.880 --> 00:36:19.220
 There's just human beings.

00:36:22.099 --> 00:36:23.240
 That's all there is.

00:36:23.239 --> 00:36:26.879
 But the actual literal word

00:36:26.879 --> 00:36:27.719
 isn't holy race,

00:36:27.819 --> 00:36:28.879
 but holy seed.

00:36:30.959 --> 00:36:34.859
 And it's a collective singular,

00:36:35.379 --> 00:36:36.939
 which is a weird tense.

00:36:37.819 --> 00:36:38.619
 But you see,

00:36:38.799 --> 00:36:39.579
 what makes,

00:36:39.839 --> 00:36:40.359
 in a sense,

00:36:40.739 --> 00:36:41.799
 so on one level,

00:36:41.859 --> 00:36:42.579
 it's describing

00:36:42.579 --> 00:36:43.919
 the people that God

00:36:43.919 --> 00:36:45.099
 has called apart

00:36:45.099 --> 00:36:45.939
 for himself,

00:36:46.079 --> 00:36:47.579
 but God calls them apart.

00:36:47.679 --> 00:36:48.339
 He doesn't just say,

00:36:48.439 --> 00:36:48.779
 oh, well,

00:36:49.199 --> 00:36:50.699
 you have the right chromosomes,

00:36:50.699 --> 00:36:52.799
 or you have the right skin color.

00:36:52.919 --> 00:36:53.119
 No,

00:36:53.259 --> 00:36:54.799
 everybody enters by grace.

00:36:54.919 --> 00:36:56.179
 God is the only one

00:36:56.179 --> 00:36:57.139
 who can set us aside

00:36:57.139 --> 00:36:57.759
 for himself.

00:36:58.519 --> 00:37:00.179
 It's a grace-driven reality,

00:37:00.439 --> 00:37:02.159
 and it's this odd

00:37:02.159 --> 00:37:03.539
 double symbolism,

00:37:03.739 --> 00:37:04.319
 because you see,

00:37:04.439 --> 00:37:04.519
 right,

00:37:04.619 --> 00:37:05.059
 if you go right,

00:37:05.199 --> 00:37:06.659
 the term first comes up

00:37:06.659 --> 00:37:07.539
 in Genesis 12,

00:37:07.619 --> 00:37:08.199
 where God said

00:37:08.199 --> 00:37:08.819
 he's going to bless

00:37:08.819 --> 00:37:09.919
 all of the people groups

00:37:09.919 --> 00:37:10.539
 of the world,

00:37:11.259 --> 00:37:12.099
 and he's going to bless

00:37:12.099 --> 00:37:13.099
 all of the people groups

00:37:13.099 --> 00:37:13.579
 of the world

00:37:13.579 --> 00:37:14.879
 through his holy seed.

00:37:15.000 --> 00:37:15.719
 And on one level,

00:37:15.719 --> 00:37:17.379
 it describes those people

00:37:17.379 --> 00:37:18.219
 that God has called

00:37:18.219 --> 00:37:19.319
 apart from himself,

00:37:19.799 --> 00:37:21.779
 but it also describes

00:37:21.779 --> 00:37:23.659
 the one who would come

00:37:23.659 --> 00:37:25.279
 from that people group,

00:37:25.359 --> 00:37:26.279
 which is the Messiah.

00:37:27.480 --> 00:37:27.859
 It's this,

00:37:28.199 --> 00:37:29.859
 because it's a collective singular,

00:37:30.239 --> 00:37:30.980
 it on one level

00:37:30.980 --> 00:37:32.079
 describes the people,

00:37:32.219 --> 00:37:33.299
 but it also can describe

00:37:33.299 --> 00:37:34.079
 one person.

00:37:35.539 --> 00:37:36.039
 And you see,

00:37:36.119 --> 00:37:37.039
 all the way through this,

00:37:37.159 --> 00:37:37.779
 even if you listen

00:37:37.779 --> 00:37:38.539
 to this text,

00:37:41.539 --> 00:37:41.819
 Ezra,

00:37:41.959 --> 00:37:42.219
 there's a,

00:37:42.259 --> 00:37:42.419
 you know,

00:37:42.480 --> 00:37:43.639
 there's both a promise

00:37:43.639 --> 00:37:44.299
 and a riddle

00:37:44.299 --> 00:37:46.199
 to how Ezra thinks.

00:37:46.960 --> 00:37:48.559
 He knows about this

00:37:48.559 --> 00:37:50.379
 holy seed,

00:37:51.619 --> 00:37:52.739
 and God is going to,

00:37:52.819 --> 00:37:53.659
 is doing something

00:37:53.659 --> 00:37:54.440
 through the holy seed,

00:37:54.500 --> 00:37:55.079
 and one day he's going

00:37:55.079 --> 00:37:55.940
 to go through something

00:37:55.940 --> 00:37:56.599
 with the holy seed.

00:37:56.839 --> 00:37:58.059
 He also understands

00:37:58.059 --> 00:37:59.259
 that he can't stand

00:37:59.259 --> 00:38:00.460
 in God's presence

00:38:00.460 --> 00:38:01.739
 because his sins

00:38:01.739 --> 00:38:02.699
 are so bad,

00:38:03.039 --> 00:38:04.199
 and he understands

00:38:04.199 --> 00:38:04.719
 there's something

00:38:04.719 --> 00:38:05.339
 grace there,

00:38:05.379 --> 00:38:06.019
 but he can't quite

00:38:06.019 --> 00:38:06.940
 get his mind around

00:38:06.940 --> 00:38:07.559
 how that's going

00:38:07.559 --> 00:38:08.239
 to all work out,

00:38:08.319 --> 00:38:08.920
 because you see,

00:38:09.440 --> 00:38:10.940
 if you just have,

00:38:11.719 --> 00:38:12.659
 if God just sort of

00:38:12.659 --> 00:38:13.500
 lets you just go

00:38:13.500 --> 00:38:14.340
 for the wrong things

00:38:14.340 --> 00:38:14.679
 you've done,

00:38:14.719 --> 00:38:15.980
 that's called favoritism,

00:38:16.079 --> 00:38:17.099
 that's called prejudice,

00:38:17.280 --> 00:38:18.079
 it's actually not

00:38:18.079 --> 00:38:19.000
 anything good.

00:38:19.699 --> 00:38:20.539
 And so there's this,

00:38:20.599 --> 00:38:21.860
 there's this profound

00:38:21.860 --> 00:38:23.300
 mystery and riddle

00:38:23.300 --> 00:38:23.900
 which is there

00:38:23.900 --> 00:38:24.780
 that somehow or another

00:38:24.780 --> 00:38:26.179
 there's this promise

00:38:26.179 --> 00:38:26.840
 of grace,

00:38:27.420 --> 00:38:28.559
 we don't see how grace

00:38:28.559 --> 00:38:29.159
 is going to work

00:38:29.159 --> 00:38:31.039
 because we do things

00:38:31.039 --> 00:38:32.500
 which are wrong,

00:38:33.219 --> 00:38:34.260
 and yet at the same time

00:38:34.260 --> 00:38:34.699
 we understand

00:38:34.699 --> 00:38:35.159
 that there's going

00:38:35.159 --> 00:38:35.579
 to be a way

00:38:35.579 --> 00:38:36.420
 that God is going

00:38:36.420 --> 00:38:37.420
 to make us holy

00:38:37.420 --> 00:38:38.599
 and stand in his presence,

00:38:38.719 --> 00:38:39.400
 and if you could put up

00:38:39.400 --> 00:38:40.039
 the final point

00:38:40.039 --> 00:38:41.059
 that would be very helpful.

00:38:41.059 --> 00:38:43.840
 it's a promise

00:38:43.840 --> 00:38:44.480
 and a riddle,

00:38:44.579 --> 00:38:45.619
 this beautiful way

00:38:45.619 --> 00:38:47.619
 points to the beautiful way

00:38:47.619 --> 00:38:48.619
 in all of its fullness

00:38:48.619 --> 00:38:49.519
 and completeness

00:38:49.519 --> 00:38:51.440
 that comes to Jesus,

00:38:51.779 --> 00:38:52.420
 from Jesus,

00:38:52.619 --> 00:38:54.119
 where even though

00:38:54.119 --> 00:38:55.779
 people reject Jesus,

00:38:56.480 --> 00:38:57.960
 virtually nobody in the world

00:38:57.960 --> 00:38:59.320
 anymore can think

00:38:59.320 --> 00:39:01.699
 apart from Jesus' teaching.

00:39:02.759 --> 00:39:04.679
 It's because of Jesus' teaching

00:39:04.679 --> 00:39:06.059
 that we're at first

00:39:06.059 --> 00:39:09.199
 struck with what's been

00:39:09.199 --> 00:39:10.139
 happening to the women.

00:39:10.279 --> 00:39:11.279
 That's not how pagans

00:39:11.279 --> 00:39:11.899
 would view it.

00:39:11.960 --> 00:39:12.539
 They would just say,

00:39:12.579 --> 00:39:13.079
 oh, well, you know,

00:39:13.139 --> 00:39:14.099
 sucks to be those women.

00:39:14.239 --> 00:39:15.619
 You know, we can kill them anyway.

00:39:16.059 --> 00:39:17.139
 Like, we can just kill

00:39:17.139 --> 00:39:17.879
 the children anyway.

00:39:18.099 --> 00:39:20.279
 But on one hand,

00:39:20.699 --> 00:39:22.879
 yeah, the Savior that comes

00:39:22.879 --> 00:39:24.559
 that changes how the world thinks,

00:39:24.899 --> 00:39:25.799
 at the same time,

00:39:26.460 --> 00:39:27.219
 well, here's the thing,

00:39:27.319 --> 00:39:28.319
 Jesus dies,

00:39:29.359 --> 00:39:29.919
 you know how all

00:39:29.919 --> 00:39:30.839
 of the pagan myths

00:39:30.839 --> 00:39:31.859
 say that human beings

00:39:31.859 --> 00:39:33.059
 are created to be slaves,

00:39:33.159 --> 00:39:34.219
 and part of the beautiful way

00:39:34.219 --> 00:39:35.339
 is that God did not make

00:39:35.339 --> 00:39:36.799
 human beings to be slaves.

00:39:36.800 --> 00:39:40.940
 But Jesus dies a slave's death

00:39:40.940 --> 00:39:42.800
 so that you, a slave

00:39:42.800 --> 00:39:43.940
 to the world, the flesh,

00:39:44.000 --> 00:39:45.200
 and the devil, and to idols,

00:39:45.720 --> 00:39:46.900
 and your passions

00:39:46.900 --> 00:39:48.920
 might be free in him.

00:39:50.220 --> 00:39:51.580
 That's the culmination

00:39:51.580 --> 00:39:52.560
 and the propulsion

00:39:52.560 --> 00:39:53.700
 of the beautiful vision.

00:39:59.780 --> 00:40:01.660
 If the pagan gods come,

00:40:01.780 --> 00:40:03.680
 you run because they want to kill.

00:40:03.679 --> 00:40:08.179
 when Emmanuel comes,

00:40:09.219 --> 00:40:11.119
 he dies

00:40:11.119 --> 00:40:13.859
 for those of us

00:40:13.859 --> 00:40:14.659
 who are slaves

00:40:14.659 --> 00:40:17.359
 so that we could be his children

00:40:17.359 --> 00:40:18.619
 by adoption and grace.

00:40:19.639 --> 00:40:20.839
 Isn't that a beautiful vision?

00:40:21.599 --> 00:40:23.119
 That is the beautiful vision.

00:40:25.460 --> 00:40:27.659
 And he wants to include you.

00:40:28.879 --> 00:40:29.940
 And he wants you

00:40:29.940 --> 00:40:31.339
 to embrace the beautiful vision,

00:40:31.440 --> 00:40:32.139
 and if you embrace

00:40:32.139 --> 00:40:32.940
 the beautiful vision,

00:40:33.019 --> 00:40:33.440
 there's going to be

00:40:33.440 --> 00:40:34.659
 a whole range of no's

00:40:34.659 --> 00:40:35.559
 that you have to say.

00:40:36.980 --> 00:40:37.519
 And by the way,

00:40:37.579 --> 00:40:38.219
 this whole issue

00:40:38.219 --> 00:40:38.940
 of intermarriage,

00:40:39.119 --> 00:40:40.079
 it's part of the reason

00:40:40.079 --> 00:40:42.299
 why it still is

00:40:42.299 --> 00:40:43.460
 a Christian teaching,

00:40:43.639 --> 00:40:44.799
 and it's a Christian teaching

00:40:44.799 --> 00:40:45.799
 if you just think about it

00:40:45.799 --> 00:40:46.299
 for a second.

00:40:50.359 --> 00:40:51.619
 I'm called to be generous

00:40:51.619 --> 00:40:52.359
 with my money,

00:40:52.420 --> 00:40:53.759
 and I think that the Bible

00:40:53.759 --> 00:40:54.699
 wants me to try

00:40:54.699 --> 00:40:55.219
 to be generous

00:40:55.219 --> 00:40:56.460
 with 10% of my money,

00:40:56.460 --> 00:40:57.920
 and if I marry somebody

00:40:57.920 --> 00:40:59.059
 who actually thinks

00:40:59.059 --> 00:40:59.980
 that's really wrong,

00:41:00.079 --> 00:41:01.199
 how's that going to work out?

00:41:01.199 --> 00:41:03.799
 I think I need to gather

00:41:03.799 --> 00:41:04.819
 with the Lord's people

00:41:04.819 --> 00:41:05.779
 on a Sunday morning,

00:41:05.779 --> 00:41:06.980
 and if I marry somebody

00:41:06.980 --> 00:41:07.379
 who says,

00:41:07.460 --> 00:41:08.219
 no, Sunday mornings

00:41:08.219 --> 00:41:09.099
 is when you sleep in,

00:41:09.159 --> 00:41:09.779
 and then maybe go

00:41:09.779 --> 00:41:12.179
 and have some really nice

00:41:12.179 --> 00:41:13.619
 croissants and coffee,

00:41:13.839 --> 00:41:15.259
 how's that going to work out?

00:41:16.980 --> 00:41:19.919
 And if you say,

00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:21.099
 I think I really need to go

00:41:21.099 --> 00:41:22.039
 and spend some time

00:41:22.039 --> 00:41:23.219
 in Bible reading and prayer,

00:41:23.460 --> 00:41:24.119
 and they say,

00:41:24.179 --> 00:41:25.619
 well, I wanted to spend

00:41:25.619 --> 00:41:26.419
 some time with you,

00:41:26.460 --> 00:41:27.879
 how's that going to work out?

00:41:27.880 --> 00:41:34.460
 And it can go on

00:41:34.460 --> 00:41:35.160
 and on and on,

00:41:35.480 --> 00:41:37.099
 and it's not that

00:41:37.099 --> 00:41:39.980
 the Lord is cruel to you,

00:41:40.780 --> 00:41:42.260
 he wants you to embrace

00:41:42.260 --> 00:41:43.220
 the beautiful vision,

00:41:43.599 --> 00:41:44.559
 and he wants you to walk

00:41:44.559 --> 00:41:45.539
 in the beautiful vision,

00:41:45.820 --> 00:41:47.500
 and he wants you to walk

00:41:47.500 --> 00:41:48.420
 in the beautiful vision

00:41:48.420 --> 00:41:49.039
 and the power

00:41:49.039 --> 00:41:49.980
 of the Holy Spirit

00:41:49.980 --> 00:41:51.519
 for your great good

00:41:51.519 --> 00:41:52.320
 and the good of the world,

00:41:52.900 --> 00:41:54.119
 and I urge you

00:41:54.119 --> 00:41:55.039
 to embrace it,

00:41:55.380 --> 00:41:56.400
 but stand in prayer.

00:41:56.400 --> 00:42:07.360
 Father,

00:42:08.360 --> 00:42:10.840
 I began by praying

00:42:10.840 --> 00:42:12.039
 about how we seem

00:42:12.039 --> 00:42:13.160
 to be contradictory

00:42:13.160 --> 00:42:14.280
 and we want it all,

00:42:15.220 --> 00:42:17.780
 and we want people

00:42:17.780 --> 00:42:18.639
 to think we're generous,

00:42:18.820 --> 00:42:19.240
 but we don't want

00:42:19.240 --> 00:42:20.119
 to give away any money.

00:42:21.099 --> 00:42:22.280
 We want people

00:42:22.280 --> 00:42:23.059
 to think we're smart,

00:42:23.160 --> 00:42:24.000
 but we don't want to read.

00:42:24.000 --> 00:42:25.659
 We want to be athletic,

00:42:25.840 --> 00:42:26.739
 but not work out,

00:42:27.059 --> 00:42:28.119
 and we never even

00:42:28.119 --> 00:42:29.280
 see ourselves usually

00:42:29.280 --> 00:42:30.000
 most of the time,

00:42:30.179 --> 00:42:30.579
 and Father,

00:42:30.780 --> 00:42:32.260
 we give you thanks

00:42:32.260 --> 00:42:33.039
 and praise for this

00:42:33.039 --> 00:42:33.800
 beautiful vision

00:42:33.800 --> 00:42:34.679
 and how it's anchored

00:42:34.679 --> 00:42:35.260
 in grace,

00:42:35.280 --> 00:42:35.860
 and we ask,

00:42:36.019 --> 00:42:36.139
 Lord,

00:42:36.239 --> 00:42:37.559
 that your grace

00:42:37.559 --> 00:42:38.820
 given to us in Jesus

00:42:38.820 --> 00:42:39.719
 would become such

00:42:39.719 --> 00:42:41.019
 an anchor to our soul

00:42:41.019 --> 00:42:42.400
 and such a strong

00:42:42.400 --> 00:42:43.460
 place to stand

00:42:43.460 --> 00:42:45.760
 and such a reality

00:42:45.760 --> 00:42:46.500
 in our lives

00:42:46.500 --> 00:42:47.719
 that pushes us

00:42:47.719 --> 00:42:48.420
 to be generous,

00:42:48.420 --> 00:42:50.000
 and it pushes us

00:42:50.000 --> 00:42:51.039
 even to look at ourselves

00:42:51.039 --> 00:42:51.760
 and on one hand,

00:42:51.820 --> 00:42:51.960
 Father,

00:42:52.019 --> 00:42:53.059
 just laugh at ourselves

00:42:53.059 --> 00:42:54.420
 at how ridiculous we are

00:42:54.420 --> 00:42:55.280
 and at the same time

00:42:55.280 --> 00:42:56.599
 call out to you

00:42:56.599 --> 00:42:57.079
 for help,

00:42:57.240 --> 00:42:57.900
 that Father,

00:42:58.059 --> 00:42:58.820
 our lives,

00:42:59.200 --> 00:42:59.460
 Father,

00:42:59.579 --> 00:43:00.440
 more and more and more

00:43:00.440 --> 00:43:01.139
 might embrace

00:43:01.139 --> 00:43:02.139
 the beautiful vision

00:43:02.139 --> 00:43:04.340
 in all of its completeness

00:43:04.340 --> 00:43:05.599
 in all of whom we are,

00:43:05.800 --> 00:43:07.800
 that this beautiful vision

00:43:07.800 --> 00:43:08.559
 would be that

00:43:08.559 --> 00:43:09.800
 which guides our church,

00:43:10.039 --> 00:43:11.519
 our individual lives,

00:43:11.639 --> 00:43:12.320
 our friendships,

00:43:13.200 --> 00:43:14.280
 our interactions,

00:43:14.579 --> 00:43:14.780
 Father,

00:43:14.880 --> 00:43:15.740
 with the state

00:43:15.739 --> 00:43:17.299
 as we try to get them

00:43:17.299 --> 00:43:19.759
 to cast away things

00:43:19.759 --> 00:43:22.719
 which aren't in keeping

00:43:22.719 --> 00:43:23.219
 with it,

00:43:23.500 --> 00:43:24.239
 not that they all

00:43:24.239 --> 00:43:25.000
 become Christians,

00:43:25.219 --> 00:43:26.379
 but that it's ultimately

00:43:26.379 --> 00:43:27.299
 a beautiful vision

00:43:27.299 --> 00:43:27.939
 for everybody,

00:43:28.500 --> 00:43:28.839
 and so,

00:43:28.939 --> 00:43:29.039
 Father,

00:43:29.099 --> 00:43:29.719
 we ask that this

00:43:29.719 --> 00:43:30.399
 beautiful vision

00:43:30.399 --> 00:43:31.279
 would become more real

00:43:31.279 --> 00:43:31.979
 to our hearts,

00:43:32.519 --> 00:43:33.239
 and we ask this

00:43:33.239 --> 00:43:34.059
 in the name of Jesus,

00:43:34.219 --> 00:43:35.219
 your Son and our Savior.

00:43:35.939 --> 00:43:36.299
 Amen.