WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:16.780 Hi, my name is George Sinclair. I'm the lead pastor of Church of the Messiah. It is wonderful 00:00:16.780 --> 00:00:20.780 that you would like to check out some of the sermons done by Church of the Messiah, either 00:00:20.780 --> 00:00:24.920 by myself or some of the others. Listen, just a couple of things. First of all, would you pray 00:00:24.920 --> 00:00:31.520 for us that we will open God's Word well to His glory and for the good of people like yourself? 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:37.939 The second thing is, if you aren't connected to a church and if you are a Christian, we really, 00:00:38.179 --> 00:00:42.579 I would really like to encourage you to find a good local church where they believe the Bible, 00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:48.760 they preach the gospel, and if you have some trouble finding that, send us an email. We will 00:00:48.760 --> 00:00:54.560 do what we can to help connect you with a good local church wherever you are. And if you're a 00:00:54.560 --> 00:00:59.340 non-Christian checking us out, we're really, really, really glad you're doing that. Don't 00:00:59.340 --> 00:01:04.219 hesitate to send us questions. It helps me, actually, to know, as I'm preaching, how to 00:01:04.219 --> 00:01:07.760 deal with the types of things that you're really struggling with. So God bless. 00:01:12.640 --> 00:01:19.079 I invite you to just bow your heads in prayer for a moment, please. Father, we ask that you 00:01:19.079 --> 00:01:26.539 would pour out the Holy Spirit upon us, that as a church, you would reform us week by week by your 00:01:26.539 --> 00:01:34.500 Word written, that by your Holy Spirit, week by week, you will renew us, and that through, Father, 00:01:34.700 --> 00:01:41.219 the ministry of your Word, the renewing power of your Holy Spirit, as the gospel becomes more real 00:01:41.219 --> 00:01:48.480 to our collective hearts, that you, Father, would revive and renew us in mission, not only in this 00:01:48.480 --> 00:01:54.939 city, but to the ends of the earth. And so, Father, we ask that you would do that important work in our 00:01:54.939 --> 00:02:01.200 hearts, and we ask this in the name of Jesus, your Son and our Savior. Amen. Please be seated. 00:02:01.200 --> 00:02:11.000 So I'm going to make some sort of negative, not negative, yeah, negative comments about how some 00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:17.240 churches are later on in the service, and also about us, by the way. But I'm going to begin with 00:02:17.240 --> 00:02:23.099 something about Anglicans, which is a bit weird, at least some Anglicans. So I grew up in Baptist 00:02:23.099 --> 00:02:29.379 churches, and I became a Christian through the Jesus People movement, which was very charismatic, 00:02:29.379 --> 00:02:36.240 charismatic. And for several years, I was part of charismatic-y types of house groups. And I went 00:02:36.240 --> 00:02:42.439 to the Salvation Army Church for two years. And then I stumbled into Anglicanism, and I really fell 00:02:42.439 --> 00:02:46.759 in love with Anglicanism, actually. In fact, the very, very first Sunday that I came to an Anglican 00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:52.939 service, I fell in love with the Anglican way. And after a year or so, I came to the conclusion that 00:02:52.939 --> 00:02:58.599 maybe God was calling me into the ordained ministry. And so you begin to go through a discernment 00:02:58.599 --> 00:03:04.159 process with all of that. First, you know, with the senior pastor of the church I attended. Of course, 00:03:04.239 --> 00:03:12.699 my wife was before all of that. She was the first discernment test. And, you know, go through some 00:03:12.699 --> 00:03:16.979 interviews. And finally, it comes to this second-to-last interview, where I have to appear 00:03:16.979 --> 00:03:23.979 before the bishop, the bishop's executive assistant, and the three examining chaplains. And I know some of 00:03:23.979 --> 00:03:29.519 you, most of you are younger than me, and so you can't imagine what this is like. But to my mind 00:03:29.519 --> 00:03:35.719 at the time, I was a 26-year-old guy, and they seemed impossibly old. They were probably 46 or 00:03:35.719 --> 00:03:42.019 something like that, you know, 48. Impossibly old and mature and competent. And I'm lined up 00:03:42.020 --> 00:03:48.520 outside the bishop's door. And there's this senior archdeacon examining chaplain. Then there's me. 00:03:48.600 --> 00:03:55.360 Then there's the other people, men after me. And the bishop opens his door and says with a smile, 00:03:55.560 --> 00:04:03.740 come on in. And the fellow ahead of me immediately drops to two knees, takes the bishop's ring hand, 00:04:03.740 --> 00:04:11.920 and kisses the bishop's ring. Now, all these things are going on in my mind at the speed of light. 00:04:12.140 --> 00:04:18.800 I'm thinking, good grief. What did he just do? That's the first thing I'm thinking. Then the 00:04:18.800 --> 00:04:22.980 second thing I'm thinking is, is this the way Anglicans are supposed to greet their bishop? Like, 00:04:23.019 --> 00:04:27.460 I'd never greeted a bishop before. Is that what I'm supposed to do? And the third thing went through 00:04:27.460 --> 00:04:32.480 my mind was, there is no way in God's earth I'm going to get down on my knees and kiss the bishop's ring. 00:04:33.740 --> 00:04:38.280 I said, it's not going to happen. And the fourth thing that went through my mind was wondering 00:04:38.280 --> 00:04:43.300 whether I'd just blown all of the discernment process before I'd even gotten in the room. 00:04:44.240 --> 00:04:49.340 So I just shook the bishop's hand. And then to my great relief, everybody afterwards just shook 00:04:49.340 --> 00:04:55.500 the bishop's hand. Now, it's a sort of a weird thing about some Anglicans. But the Bible text that 00:04:55.500 --> 00:05:00.860 we're going to look at today would tell us that what happened with that first man was quite wrong. 00:05:00.860 --> 00:05:07.420 wrong. Was quite wrong. Not because we're Canadians. Not because we should all be Baptists, 00:05:07.560 --> 00:05:11.360 which I don't think the whole world should be Baptists. Baptists should be Baptists. We all have 00:05:11.360 --> 00:05:15.980 to, not because of that, but because actually the Bible would say that the way we relate to our leaders 00:05:15.980 --> 00:05:21.740 shouldn't involve something like that. And so let's have a look. We're going to be looking today at 00:05:21.740 --> 00:05:30.439 1 Corinthians chapter 4, yeah, 1 Corinthians chapter 4 verses 1 to 5. And it begins like this. 00:05:31.240 --> 00:05:37.060 And it's actually a really helpful thing. You know, some Christians get into big fights about what the 00:05:37.060 --> 00:05:42.860 Bible version is that you have to use. And that's fine. You know, basically actually, just so you know, 00:05:42.939 --> 00:05:48.480 if you're watching from the outside, most Christians use the exact same version of the Bible. It's called 00:05:48.480 --> 00:05:54.200 the dusty version of the Bible because they never actually open it and it gets dust. The best version 00:05:54.200 --> 00:05:59.500 of the Bible is one that you'll actually read, by the way. But they get into big fights about it. And 00:05:59.500 --> 00:06:04.280 there's a lot of people, a whole tribe of people who say the ESV is the best version, and that's the 00:06:04.280 --> 00:06:10.360 version we use. And this is an example of when the version's actually weak, the translation's actually 00:06:10.360 --> 00:06:17.900 weak. So it begins by this. Verse 1, chapter 4, this is how one should regard us. Now, I don't know why 00:06:17.899 --> 00:06:21.939 they did it. In the original language, and if you look at the NIV and the NLT and other 00:06:21.939 --> 00:06:29.099 translations, they translated something to the effect of, so this, so this is, or this then 00:06:29.099 --> 00:06:35.379 is. And that's the right translation. It begins with making a comment about what was just said. 00:06:36.019 --> 00:06:41.479 And because of what was just said, this is what follows. That's actually how it begins. 00:06:41.839 --> 00:06:46.719 So we're going to look at the bit just before because you can't actually understand this then 00:06:46.720 --> 00:06:51.500 if you don't know what just happened. A bit of a nerdish point, but it's important to notice 00:06:51.500 --> 00:06:55.700 things like this when you're reading the Bible for yourself. So let's just go up to chapter 3, 00:06:55.760 --> 00:07:00.820 verse 18. And I think Claire will be able to follow along with all of this. Chapter 3, 00:07:00.880 --> 00:07:08.460 verse 18. And it begins like this. So Paul is writing this. This originally was just a letter. 00:07:09.240 --> 00:07:13.740 There's other things I could say about the letter of 1 Corinthians, but Corinth is an important 00:07:13.740 --> 00:07:20.660 city in Greece. And the majority of the people in this congregation, in this church, because there 00:07:20.660 --> 00:07:24.920 would be many congregations, were pagans who had become Christians, although there's some Jewish 00:07:24.920 --> 00:07:29.720 people who'd become Christians, but it's mainly pagans. Deals with a whole pile of issues with 00:07:29.720 --> 00:07:34.860 people coming out of paganism and the rest of the letter. But here's how it begins right here. 00:07:34.860 --> 00:07:44.480 Let no one deceive himself. And it's an imperative in the original language. Don't deceive yourself. 00:07:44.840 --> 00:07:50.220 Okay? Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, 00:07:50.740 --> 00:07:59.400 let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly for God. 00:07:59.399 --> 00:08:05.659 For it is written, he catches the wise in their craftiness. So if you could put up the first point 00:08:05.659 --> 00:08:10.219 here, it's a bit of a surprising beginning to what's going to be talking about in chapter 4. 00:08:10.779 --> 00:08:16.979 But Paul is making, the Bible here is making a very countercultural point. And the point is that 00:08:16.979 --> 00:08:22.459 human beings, he's making several points with that command, but the first aspect of it is that human 00:08:22.459 --> 00:08:32.460 beings are highly prone to self-deception. So this would be, in other words, a human problem for all 00:08:32.460 --> 00:08:38.879 human beings is that human beings are prone to self-deception, highly prone to it. In fact, 00:08:39.100 --> 00:08:44.120 this would be a very good time when all of a sudden, you know, if we had a server, the server would run up, 00:08:44.460 --> 00:08:48.939 hold a mirror up to me so that I can have me looking back and I have to say to me, George, 00:08:48.940 --> 00:08:53.880 you are prone to self-deception. Sorry to point that way, but I'm pointing it myself. George, 00:08:53.940 --> 00:09:02.000 you are prone to self-deception. It's a human problem. And it's a deep human type of problem. 00:09:02.960 --> 00:09:09.460 And human, we basically, everybody acknowledges that self-deception can occasionally be an issue. 00:09:10.080 --> 00:09:14.960 And by the way, this statement here is profoundly un-Canadian. If you wanted to insult, 00:09:14.960 --> 00:09:19.019 it wouldn't matter if you were in a Tim Hortons, it wouldn't matter if you were in a Starbucks, 00:09:19.240 --> 00:09:24.100 it wouldn't matter if you were in a hipster coffee place that I have never heard about because I'm 00:09:24.100 --> 00:09:30.639 not hip. If you said to somebody in there, boy, you really deceive yourself, they would be deeply 00:09:30.639 --> 00:09:36.240 insulted. That's how you insult a Canadian to say that you deceive yourself. And yet the Bible is 00:09:36.240 --> 00:09:44.879 saying this to us. Well, what's going on with it? Well, first of all, I said it's not making an extreme 00:09:44.879 --> 00:09:52.340 statement that human beings only deceive themselves in everything all the time. That would obviously 00:09:52.340 --> 00:09:57.539 be self-refuting. It would mean you can't communicate, you can't know anything. And the Bible's not making 00:09:57.539 --> 00:10:04.299 a statement like that. The statement about us being prone to self-deception. And by the way, 00:10:04.879 --> 00:10:12.959 don't you think, don't you think this is just empirically true? Like, don't you think that you 00:10:12.959 --> 00:10:19.139 know people who are a bit self-deceived? Don't you think sometimes maybe in a family, when you're 00:10:19.139 --> 00:10:23.199 thinking about the parents, or maybe in a marriage, you're thinking about your husband or your wife, 00:10:23.200 --> 00:10:27.460 that you sometimes think, well, boy, they're a bit self-deceived about that, you know? Like, don't 00:10:27.460 --> 00:10:31.840 you think that's true, that we generally look at other people and see within them self-deception? 00:10:32.580 --> 00:10:39.879 Like, on one hand, it requires some explanation, but if we're humble a bit, we know, we might, the hard 00:10:39.879 --> 00:10:46.220 part is to see that I'm prone to self-deception. It's an easy thing to see how others are prone to 00:10:46.220 --> 00:10:53.060 self-deception. And it's even easier if you look at tribes outside of your own. So if you tend 00:10:53.059 --> 00:10:58.299 to be more of a liberal supporter, you would look at the Polyev supporters as just being, 00:10:58.579 --> 00:11:03.659 not only are they being deceived by whoever, but they deceive themselves. And if you're a 00:11:03.659 --> 00:11:09.299 conservative, you look at liberals and think that, well, not only is Trudeau, you know, being deceived 00:11:09.299 --> 00:11:14.479 by others, he deceives himself. So it's easy for us to see it in other people, even though at first 00:11:14.479 --> 00:11:20.000 it's a bit of a jarring type of thing. But it's not making the extreme comment that people are 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:24.559 self-deceived in every, completely, totally all the time. It's a little bit like the doctrine 00:11:24.559 --> 00:11:31.559 of sin, which once again is a very unpopular doctrine that the Bible teaches that every 00:11:31.559 --> 00:11:39.299 human being is fallen. And what that, people don't like that, but it's just so true. It 00:11:39.299 --> 00:11:46.639 means that sin or rebellion against God touches every single aspect of who a human being is. 00:11:46.639 --> 00:11:53.620 No matter how deep you go, no matter how high you go, no matter how superficial or broad you go, 00:11:54.519 --> 00:12:03.620 that our desire to be like God, our desire to be put ourselves first, that that type of aspect is 00:12:03.620 --> 00:12:10.080 going to be present in some small degree all the way through who we are. So for instance, 00:12:10.700 --> 00:12:15.980 obviously people do good things. But the Christian doctrine would say, so even let's say something like 00:12:15.980 --> 00:12:24.879 I, you know, I give money to, I give money to somebody as an act of generosity. But, you know, 00:12:24.960 --> 00:12:29.259 if you were to look inside myself or you're looking inside, you know, that the person making that 00:12:29.259 --> 00:12:33.480 generous statement, they might be giving that generous gift because they want to get some 00:12:33.480 --> 00:12:39.440 recognition or they want to get praise or they want to have some type of power or they want to get 00:12:39.440 --> 00:12:47.960 something out of it. It's not really, in a sense, a sacrifice so much as a way to get something for 00:12:47.960 --> 00:12:55.880 yourself. A friend of mine was just visited a little while ago, a Buddhist temple. And so this 00:12:55.880 --> 00:13:01.260 is a human problem, right? Human problem. So I'm not picking on Buddhists. But he went to visit and 00:13:01.260 --> 00:13:06.080 there was a whole pile of sacrifices to the, in a sense, from a Christian point of view, the idol 00:13:06.080 --> 00:13:11.220 at the front of the temple. And there's a whole pile of food there, non-perishable and perishable 00:13:11.220 --> 00:13:16.660 food. And so after there was some conversation with the monks, my friend just said, well, like, 00:13:16.660 --> 00:13:23.580 what happens to the food? And the monk just said, oh, we'll eat it like we eat it. So it's not really 00:13:23.580 --> 00:13:28.300 a sacrifice. It's them giving themselves something, but looking more holy for giving themselves 00:13:28.300 --> 00:13:35.040 something. That's how sin and self-deception works. And so what the Bible is just saying is that 00:13:35.039 --> 00:13:41.659 there is an aspect of self-deception that constantly goes on in human beings. I'll give 00:13:41.659 --> 00:13:49.199 you another very personal example. One of the things now that I try to pray into myself all 00:13:49.199 --> 00:13:54.039 the time, because I see it as a problem with myself, is there's this wonderful line from, 00:13:54.860 --> 00:14:01.659 I think it might be of the Father's love begotten, written in like the 400s. And it has this line, 00:14:01.659 --> 00:14:08.860 he the source, he the ending, he the source, the ending, he be, or something like that. And I've 00:14:08.860 --> 00:14:14.019 put it down in my notes to say, if I have anything good that comes out of that, the sermon, it comes 00:14:14.019 --> 00:14:21.480 from God. I'm not the source of wisdom in a sermon. And because I'm not the source, I might want to claim 00:14:21.480 --> 00:14:26.079 it as coming from me, but it doesn't come from me. It comes from God. I'm not saying that so you'll all 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:32.800 think, oh, George, forget about it. This is a problem that George or anybody has with wisdom, 00:14:32.800 --> 00:14:37.440 that we think it comes from us. And because we think it comes from us, we think we should get 00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:41.600 some praise for it. But at the end of the day, it comes from God. Like, I need to acknowledge that 00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:49.460 because it comes from God. And therefore, God should get the praise. So that's actually what he's saying 00:14:49.460 --> 00:14:56.940 here, when it says, you know, in verse 18, let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks 00:14:56.940 --> 00:15:03.700 that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. Human beings are highly 00:15:03.700 --> 00:15:09.379 prone to self-deception. Excuse me. But it also goes ahead and says something that if we had our, 00:15:09.820 --> 00:15:14.940 like, if I was to read this to some of my people that I've talked to in coffee shops who are outside 00:15:14.940 --> 00:15:19.800 of the Christian faith, they would sort of, if they were comfortable enough with me, they'd say, 00:15:19.880 --> 00:15:29.360 George, is this insulting me? And that's always an awkward question. But what we'd have to say is, 00:15:29.540 --> 00:15:33.260 well, no, but it's describing something that's a problem for you and for me. 00:15:35.860 --> 00:15:41.100 Because I'm a social creature, and so I am always going to be affected by my culture. 00:15:41.100 --> 00:15:45.080 Right? It is saying that, in fact, 00:15:45.120 --> 00:15:48.840 if you could put up the second point, Claire, that would be very helpful. Wisdom that emerges 00:15:48.840 --> 00:15:52.279 from a rejection of the triune God is really foolishness. 00:15:54.060 --> 00:15:57.740 Wisdom that emerges from a rejection of the triune God 00:15:57.740 --> 00:15:59.120 is really foolishness. 00:16:01.460 --> 00:16:04.899 Now, if the triune God doesn't exist, then, of course, we're the fools. 00:16:05.500 --> 00:16:07.700 But if there really is a God that does exist, 00:16:07.700 --> 00:16:13.660 then to pretend or to talk or to live your life as if there is no God, 00:16:13.800 --> 00:16:18.720 then that is a type of foolishness. 00:16:19.360 --> 00:16:21.400 Not a type. It's profoundly foolish. 00:16:22.160 --> 00:16:25.040 And once again, this sort of goes back right to the fact, 00:16:25.100 --> 00:16:28.840 one of the most important stories in the big story of the Bible. 00:16:29.140 --> 00:16:31.860 The big story of the Bible begins with Genesis 1 and 2 00:16:31.860 --> 00:16:35.259 about the triune God creating all things out of nothing. 00:16:35.899 --> 00:16:38.039 And he creates human beings in his image, 00:16:38.159 --> 00:16:40.620 both male and female, equally in his image. 00:16:41.259 --> 00:16:43.200 And then we have the story of the garden, 00:16:43.600 --> 00:16:45.820 and it's helping us to understand 00:16:45.820 --> 00:16:48.539 that this whole universe was ultimately designed 00:16:48.539 --> 00:16:51.300 for us, the image bearers of God, to live in. 00:16:52.019 --> 00:16:54.300 And in a sense, almost to be like priests 00:16:54.300 --> 00:16:56.560 for the whole created order, 00:16:56.740 --> 00:16:59.120 ordering the created order for the glory of God. 00:16:59.120 --> 00:17:01.340 God wanted us to flourish. 00:17:01.620 --> 00:17:02.960 He wanted us to fill the earth. 00:17:03.100 --> 00:17:05.099 He wanted us to use our human abilities. 00:17:05.299 --> 00:17:08.200 And then Genesis 3 is the second chapter 00:17:08.200 --> 00:17:10.059 in the whole big story of the Bible 00:17:10.059 --> 00:17:13.700 that we human beings decide that we should be, 00:17:13.880 --> 00:17:15.859 we can be like God. 00:17:17.539 --> 00:17:21.039 Now, once again, that's a profoundly foolish thing to believe. 00:17:21.140 --> 00:17:22.059 It's self-deception. 00:17:22.539 --> 00:17:24.319 Like, you know, you think about it for yourself. 00:17:24.319 --> 00:17:27.819 Like, you know, how could Eve stand there, 00:17:27.939 --> 00:17:30.019 or Adam stand there and think, 00:17:30.379 --> 00:17:33.500 yeah, I think I could make planets. 00:17:34.119 --> 00:17:34.579 What? 00:17:38.079 --> 00:17:39.779 Like, even Elon Musk. 00:17:41.419 --> 00:17:43.700 I mean, maybe he does think he's godlike, 00:17:43.779 --> 00:17:45.000 but he can't make a planet. 00:17:45.480 --> 00:17:49.119 Like, you know, he's, you know, 00:17:49.179 --> 00:17:51.200 you could count how much his body's worth 00:17:51.200 --> 00:17:53.179 in terms of the chemicals and everything in it, 00:17:53.180 --> 00:17:54.980 and when he dies, it all starts to dissolve. 00:17:55.220 --> 00:17:59.980 Like, if the triune God really does exist, 00:18:00.100 --> 00:18:03.259 then to have wisdom based on the rejection of the triune God 00:18:03.259 --> 00:18:05.420 is always going to be profoundly foolish. 00:18:05.420 --> 00:18:12.340 And this comes out in all sorts of ways. 00:18:12.560 --> 00:18:15.340 So a little while ago, I was talking to this fellow 00:18:15.340 --> 00:18:16.539 who was a businessman, 00:18:17.380 --> 00:18:20.100 and he'd been successful as a businessman 00:18:20.100 --> 00:18:23.120 in terms of, like, Canadian Ottawa types of standards, 00:18:23.259 --> 00:18:26.019 not Elon Musk standards, but Ottawa standards. 00:18:26.759 --> 00:18:29.560 And, you know, he'd seen me for quite a few years 00:18:29.560 --> 00:18:32.360 in the coffee shop, and finally we got talking. 00:18:32.359 --> 00:18:34.839 He thought because I read big books like this 00:18:34.839 --> 00:18:35.639 that I was a lawyer. 00:18:36.399 --> 00:18:38.379 He was surprised to find out that I was a minister. 00:18:38.500 --> 00:18:40.599 And he's very friendly, a really good guy. 00:18:41.359 --> 00:18:43.359 He's the type of guy you'd want to have as your neighbor. 00:18:44.079 --> 00:18:47.240 And we got talking, he'll often ask me 00:18:47.240 --> 00:18:48.619 what I'm going to talk about on Sunday. 00:18:49.339 --> 00:18:52.179 And one time I was just talking about how, you know, 00:18:52.240 --> 00:18:54.559 you need to have a meaning in life 00:18:54.559 --> 00:18:58.259 that has to be connected to something eternal, 00:18:58.619 --> 00:19:03.000 not just, you know, not just something that's transient. 00:19:03.359 --> 00:19:05.279 And I gave him an example about how, like, you know, 00:19:05.299 --> 00:19:07.139 when death comes, you lose everything. 00:19:07.720 --> 00:19:09.740 And he said, yeah, no, I can see how that's, like, 00:19:09.740 --> 00:19:10.940 a really good idea for people. 00:19:11.159 --> 00:19:13.319 And I said to him, no, no, I'm talking about you. 00:19:13.460 --> 00:19:15.500 Like, when you die, you lose everything. 00:19:16.500 --> 00:19:17.740 And he went like this. 00:19:18.140 --> 00:19:22.000 Like, like it never thought, he never thought about it. 00:19:23.099 --> 00:19:24.700 That when he dies, he loses everything. 00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:27.759 And so if you lose everything in death, 00:19:27.859 --> 00:19:29.079 how do you have meaning in life? 00:19:30.200 --> 00:19:31.759 And he just never thought about it. 00:19:32.759 --> 00:19:35.640 And you see, if you understand that there is no God 00:19:35.640 --> 00:19:37.160 and it's just about this life, 00:19:37.279 --> 00:19:39.099 if wisdom emerges from a world 00:19:39.099 --> 00:19:40.799 where it's just one dang thing after another 00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:43.099 and then you die, and part of wisdom is to pretend 00:19:43.099 --> 00:19:45.539 that and then you die isn't there. 00:19:46.099 --> 00:19:47.740 It's just one dang thing after another 00:19:47.740 --> 00:19:50.039 as if you will live doing one dang thing after another 00:19:50.039 --> 00:19:51.119 for the rest of your life. 00:19:51.500 --> 00:19:53.899 Then when it comes to wisdom, let's say, about money, 00:19:54.039 --> 00:19:56.059 the wisdom about money is to try to accumulate 00:19:56.059 --> 00:19:57.199 as much as you can. 00:19:59.000 --> 00:20:03.319 But if you understand that you are going to die 00:20:03.319 --> 00:20:04.199 and there is a God, 00:20:04.279 --> 00:20:06.279 it might be that money is for something else, 00:20:06.279 --> 00:20:08.779 that maybe it's all about you becoming 00:20:08.779 --> 00:20:10.259 a different type of person 00:20:10.259 --> 00:20:13.279 and that the type of person that you become, 00:20:13.539 --> 00:20:17.339 generosity and care for others and their needs 00:20:17.339 --> 00:20:19.299 is actually going to be a really important part 00:20:19.299 --> 00:20:20.599 of how you get formed to be. 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:22.420 So it doesn't mean that you don't make money, 00:20:23.039 --> 00:20:24.519 you don't try to care for your family. 00:20:24.680 --> 00:20:26.579 In fact, it might be that God gives you abilities 00:20:26.579 --> 00:20:27.640 to make lots of money 00:20:27.640 --> 00:20:28.900 and if he gives you that ability 00:20:28.900 --> 00:20:29.799 and you can do it legally, 00:20:29.900 --> 00:20:31.079 go ahead and make lots of money. 00:20:32.559 --> 00:20:34.879 Because it's not just about the money, 00:20:35.019 --> 00:20:36.539 that's not what God cares about, 00:20:36.539 --> 00:20:39.180 but it's not only is the money going to be your idol, 00:20:39.299 --> 00:20:41.139 which will turn you into a certain type of person, 00:20:41.259 --> 00:20:43.379 but are you fighting that idolatry 00:20:43.379 --> 00:20:45.119 by being financially generous 00:20:45.119 --> 00:20:47.680 to your family, to your neighborhood, 00:20:47.859 --> 00:20:49.700 to the poor, to the mission of the gospel? 00:20:50.720 --> 00:20:52.319 But you see, if it's in fact 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:53.960 that you have to give an account to God, 00:20:54.099 --> 00:20:56.639 then how money or sex or anything like that 00:20:56.639 --> 00:20:58.899 or power works is going to be very different 00:20:58.899 --> 00:21:00.920 because there's an accountability there 00:21:00.920 --> 00:21:03.079 and a design feature there. 00:21:03.079 --> 00:21:06.539 And that's not part of how Canadians in general 00:21:06.539 --> 00:21:07.699 think about wisdom. 00:21:09.059 --> 00:21:11.059 In fact, if you could put up the third point, 00:21:11.139 --> 00:21:12.019 that would be very helpful. 00:21:12.220 --> 00:21:14.139 You cannot choose biblical wisdom 00:21:14.139 --> 00:21:16.159 without also choosing to look foolish. 00:21:16.639 --> 00:21:18.199 That's what the Bible text is saying. 00:21:19.359 --> 00:21:22.299 You cannot choose biblical wisdom 00:21:22.299 --> 00:21:25.259 without also choosing to look foolish 00:21:25.259 --> 00:21:26.559 to your Canadian neighbors. 00:21:29.439 --> 00:21:30.619 I'm not boasting. 00:21:30.839 --> 00:21:31.399 I'm really not. 00:21:31.400 --> 00:21:32.600 And by the way, 00:21:32.620 --> 00:21:34.240 you wouldn't have to give very much money, 00:21:34.860 --> 00:21:36.420 but I think if most people found out 00:21:36.420 --> 00:21:37.580 how much money I give away, 00:21:38.700 --> 00:21:40.000 Louise and I give away every year, 00:21:40.060 --> 00:21:41.480 they'd say, we're really stupid. 00:21:42.480 --> 00:21:43.660 But they wouldn't use the word foolish. 00:21:43.759 --> 00:21:45.040 They'd use the word stupid. 00:21:46.259 --> 00:21:48.820 That's dumb, you know, to do that. 00:21:49.860 --> 00:21:51.400 You know, one of the pressures 00:21:51.400 --> 00:21:53.280 for young people around sexuality 00:21:53.280 --> 00:21:54.140 is that, you know, 00:21:54.220 --> 00:21:55.880 young women often feel pressure 00:21:55.880 --> 00:21:58.460 to sexually know a young guy 00:21:58.460 --> 00:21:59.500 outside of marriage, 00:21:59.500 --> 00:22:01.180 and it's because the wisdom of the world 00:22:01.180 --> 00:22:03.079 tells them they need to do that. 00:22:03.299 --> 00:22:04.680 I had this conversation 00:22:04.680 --> 00:22:06.319 with a Christian guy once 00:22:06.319 --> 00:22:08.859 who really felt that he had to do that 00:22:08.859 --> 00:22:10.920 so he'd be prepared for marriage. 00:22:12.319 --> 00:22:13.799 And I said to him, 00:22:13.960 --> 00:22:16.039 sleeping with lots of people 00:22:16.039 --> 00:22:16.799 outside of marriage 00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:18.900 only forms you to sleep with lots of people. 00:22:19.900 --> 00:22:20.980 It doesn't help you at all 00:22:20.980 --> 00:22:22.720 to be married to one person. 00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:25.059 And he looked at me 00:22:25.059 --> 00:22:27.279 like he'd never even encountered 00:22:27.279 --> 00:22:28.279 an idea like that. 00:22:28.579 --> 00:22:29.539 That's not me being wise. 00:22:29.640 --> 00:22:30.380 That's just trying to hear 00:22:30.380 --> 00:22:31.860 what the Bible has to say, right? 00:22:31.940 --> 00:22:33.000 But the Bible's wisdom 00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:34.420 is going to make you look foolish 00:22:34.420 --> 00:22:35.700 if you want to be wise 00:22:35.700 --> 00:22:37.059 in a biblical perspective. 00:22:37.640 --> 00:22:38.779 And a whole range of things. 00:22:38.920 --> 00:22:40.839 Power, money, sex, 00:22:41.220 --> 00:22:42.160 how you age, 00:22:42.600 --> 00:22:43.779 how you do your parenting. 00:22:44.039 --> 00:22:44.720 You're going to look foolish 00:22:44.720 --> 00:22:47.620 if you choose to try 00:22:47.620 --> 00:22:49.120 to follow with biblical wisdom. 00:22:50.559 --> 00:22:53.579 So that's what's going on. 00:22:53.980 --> 00:22:55.660 And we're going to see why it is. 00:22:55.799 --> 00:22:57.039 So why is it that the Bible 00:22:57.039 --> 00:22:58.079 is talking about this? 00:22:58.120 --> 00:22:58.960 And why is it going to go? 00:22:59.019 --> 00:23:00.880 Well, before we get to our text, 00:23:01.319 --> 00:23:02.460 which will be short, 00:23:02.600 --> 00:23:03.799 far shorter than this, 00:23:04.259 --> 00:23:06.339 the Bible takes a move 00:23:06.339 --> 00:23:08.180 from that idea 00:23:08.180 --> 00:23:11.339 about the need for biblical wisdom 00:23:11.339 --> 00:23:13.579 and that the wisdom of the world 00:23:13.579 --> 00:23:14.539 is going to form you 00:23:14.539 --> 00:23:15.819 in particular ways. 00:23:16.539 --> 00:23:18.119 And part of how the wisdom 00:23:18.119 --> 00:23:19.460 of the world will form you 00:23:19.460 --> 00:23:20.559 is always going to involve 00:23:20.559 --> 00:23:21.919 a degree of self-deception 00:23:21.919 --> 00:23:23.079 because it will involve 00:23:23.079 --> 00:23:24.319 a rejection of the idea 00:23:24.319 --> 00:23:26.079 that the triune God exists. 00:23:28.279 --> 00:23:28.939 And that, you know, 00:23:28.980 --> 00:23:29.679 in fact, actually, you know what? 00:23:29.759 --> 00:23:31.299 The wisdom of Canada is 00:23:31.299 --> 00:23:32.599 that we judge God. 00:23:35.299 --> 00:23:36.539 That's the wisdom of Canada. 00:23:38.519 --> 00:23:40.159 Not that God might judge us. 00:23:41.699 --> 00:23:42.899 So Paul goes on. 00:23:44.539 --> 00:23:46.019 How are we formed? 00:23:46.159 --> 00:23:47.179 Well, he wants us to be formed 00:23:47.179 --> 00:23:47.599 by wisdom. 00:23:47.720 --> 00:23:48.259 Let's continue. 00:23:48.379 --> 00:23:49.559 Chapter 3, verse 20. 00:23:51.119 --> 00:23:53.259 And he's going to move this 00:23:53.259 --> 00:23:55.000 into a bit of a surprising area. 00:23:55.480 --> 00:23:56.119 But once again, 00:23:56.139 --> 00:23:57.759 an area that we deeply need to hear. 00:23:57.899 --> 00:23:58.500 Verse 20. 00:23:59.039 --> 00:23:59.619 And again, 00:23:59.859 --> 00:24:01.000 the Lord knows the thoughts 00:24:01.000 --> 00:24:01.480 of the wise 00:24:01.480 --> 00:24:02.519 that they are futile. 00:24:03.199 --> 00:24:03.879 Verse 21. 00:24:04.039 --> 00:24:05.779 So let no one boast in men. 00:24:06.220 --> 00:24:07.759 Men in here means men and women. 00:24:07.759 --> 00:24:08.379 In people. 00:24:08.539 --> 00:24:09.159 In humans. 00:24:10.019 --> 00:24:11.299 For all things are yours. 00:24:11.299 --> 00:24:11.819 What? 00:24:11.919 --> 00:24:13.180 That's like a weird thing to say. 00:24:13.339 --> 00:24:14.500 For all things are yours. 00:24:16.359 --> 00:24:17.680 Especially if you think about it 00:24:17.680 --> 00:24:18.659 that this was originally 00:24:18.659 --> 00:24:19.639 written to a congregation 00:24:19.639 --> 00:24:21.480 and probably 40% 00:24:21.480 --> 00:24:22.980 of the congregation were slaves. 00:24:25.240 --> 00:24:26.720 And a huge percentage 00:24:26.720 --> 00:24:27.579 of the congregation 00:24:27.579 --> 00:24:28.500 would have been women. 00:24:29.220 --> 00:24:29.960 Neither of whom 00:24:29.960 --> 00:24:31.279 would have had any type of power 00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:33.480 and maybe not even property rights. 00:24:34.859 --> 00:24:36.039 And people would have gone, 00:24:36.039 --> 00:24:36.299 what? 00:24:36.440 --> 00:24:37.420 All things are yours? 00:24:38.379 --> 00:24:39.539 If this is biblical wisdom 00:24:39.539 --> 00:24:40.460 it's sort of foolish. 00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:42.420 Well what Paul is doing 00:24:42.420 --> 00:24:44.599 is he's reversing the order 00:24:44.599 --> 00:24:45.940 of what he wants to say 00:24:45.940 --> 00:24:47.039 to get your attention. 00:24:48.500 --> 00:24:49.579 So if you were to go back 00:24:49.579 --> 00:24:50.399 and read it backwards 00:24:50.399 --> 00:24:51.539 you'd see the point. 00:24:51.680 --> 00:24:52.859 But if he began with the point 00:24:52.859 --> 00:24:53.799 we'd go, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:24:53.879 --> 00:24:54.220 That, that, 00:24:54.899 --> 00:24:55.559 we all know that. 00:24:55.680 --> 00:24:57.079 It wouldn't strike you. 00:24:57.159 --> 00:24:58.659 So he reverses the order 00:24:58.659 --> 00:25:00.339 to catch your attention. 00:25:00.859 --> 00:25:02.399 So just note how it goes. 00:25:03.019 --> 00:25:03.700 Verse 21. 00:25:03.700 --> 00:25:04.700 So let no one boast 00:25:04.700 --> 00:25:05.440 in human beings 00:25:05.440 --> 00:25:06.720 for all things are yours 00:25:06.720 --> 00:25:08.180 whether Paul or Apollos 00:25:08.180 --> 00:25:08.700 or Cephas 00:25:08.700 --> 00:25:10.100 that's another name for Peter 00:25:10.100 --> 00:25:11.640 or the world 00:25:11.640 --> 00:25:12.720 or life or death 00:25:12.720 --> 00:25:13.299 or the present 00:25:13.299 --> 00:25:13.960 or the future 00:25:13.960 --> 00:25:14.740 all are yours 00:25:14.740 --> 00:25:15.539 and you are Christ 00:25:15.539 --> 00:25:16.720 and Christ is God's. 00:25:16.799 --> 00:25:18.299 So basically what it's telling us 00:25:18.299 --> 00:25:19.980 if you're to reverse the order 00:25:19.980 --> 00:25:22.700 is that if we understand 00:25:22.700 --> 00:25:23.700 that God is God 00:25:23.700 --> 00:25:24.420 and we are not 00:25:24.420 --> 00:25:25.620 that no human being 00:25:25.620 --> 00:25:28.660 is God-like 00:25:28.660 --> 00:25:29.940 or anything like that 00:25:29.940 --> 00:25:30.980 but God is God 00:25:30.980 --> 00:25:31.799 and we are not 00:25:31.799 --> 00:25:33.759 and when we put our faith 00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:34.659 and trust in Christ 00:25:34.659 --> 00:25:35.659 that we're reconciled 00:25:35.659 --> 00:25:36.119 to the God 00:25:36.119 --> 00:25:36.899 of the whole universe 00:25:36.899 --> 00:25:39.039 that we belong to God 00:25:39.039 --> 00:25:40.259 then the way to understand 00:25:40.259 --> 00:25:41.419 everything in the world 00:25:41.419 --> 00:25:44.000 is like that old song 00:25:44.000 --> 00:25:45.220 that we sing occasionally 00:25:45.220 --> 00:25:47.419 this is my father's world. 00:25:48.759 --> 00:25:50.379 This is my father's world. 00:25:51.440 --> 00:25:52.279 The part of the lesson 00:25:52.279 --> 00:25:53.119 for us as Christians 00:25:53.119 --> 00:25:53.759 in prayer 00:25:53.759 --> 00:25:55.519 is to pray about anything 00:25:55.519 --> 00:25:57.119 because we have a father 00:25:57.119 --> 00:25:58.299 in heaven who loves us. 00:25:58.299 --> 00:26:00.639 If you're having trouble 00:26:00.639 --> 00:26:01.339 with the teacher 00:26:01.339 --> 00:26:02.659 your kid's teacher at school 00:26:02.659 --> 00:26:03.659 pray into it. 00:26:03.859 --> 00:26:04.779 You have a father in heaven 00:26:04.779 --> 00:26:05.460 who loves you. 00:26:06.019 --> 00:26:06.579 Having problems 00:26:06.579 --> 00:26:07.159 with your neighbors? 00:26:07.419 --> 00:26:08.159 Having problems 00:26:08.159 --> 00:26:08.859 with your car? 00:26:09.159 --> 00:26:09.799 Having problems 00:26:09.799 --> 00:26:10.460 with your money? 00:26:11.000 --> 00:26:11.980 You have a father in heaven 00:26:11.980 --> 00:26:12.480 who loves you. 00:26:12.559 --> 00:26:14.139 This is our father's world. 00:26:14.279 --> 00:26:14.859 Pray to him. 00:26:15.319 --> 00:26:16.259 Live in the world 00:26:16.259 --> 00:26:17.879 as if 00:26:17.879 --> 00:26:19.619 not as if it's ruled 00:26:19.619 --> 00:26:20.919 by Elon Musk 00:26:20.919 --> 00:26:21.539 or Trump 00:26:21.539 --> 00:26:22.259 or Trudeau 00:26:22.259 --> 00:26:24.099 or the Davos Institute 00:26:24.099 --> 00:26:25.659 or who's that bad guy 00:26:25.659 --> 00:26:26.440 they always pick 00:26:26.440 --> 00:26:27.279 you know that. 00:26:27.720 --> 00:26:27.960 Anyway. 00:26:29.080 --> 00:26:29.640 Yeah yeah 00:26:29.640 --> 00:26:30.600 as soon as I say that 00:26:30.600 --> 00:26:31.700 people know the answer right? 00:26:31.940 --> 00:26:32.740 What does that say? 00:26:32.820 --> 00:26:33.420 I wonder if George 00:26:33.420 --> 00:26:34.680 he actually would probably 00:26:34.680 --> 00:26:35.380 be pretty happy 00:26:35.380 --> 00:26:36.240 that he's actually known 00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:36.880 even in Ottawa. 00:26:37.019 --> 00:26:38.100 You say that really bad guy 00:26:38.100 --> 00:26:38.559 and then people 00:26:38.559 --> 00:26:39.779 say George Soros right? 00:26:40.080 --> 00:26:40.820 But the point is 00:26:40.820 --> 00:26:42.460 it's our father's world. 00:26:43.420 --> 00:26:44.180 That's what he's trying 00:26:44.180 --> 00:26:44.720 to communicate. 00:26:45.140 --> 00:26:45.580 And then 00:26:45.580 --> 00:26:46.740 chapter 4 verse 1 00:26:46.740 --> 00:26:47.440 now we go 00:26:47.440 --> 00:26:48.680 this then 00:26:48.680 --> 00:26:50.539 this then 00:26:50.539 --> 00:26:51.740 okay? 00:26:54.180 --> 00:26:55.220 If you want to be 00:26:55.220 --> 00:26:56.220 biblically wise 00:26:56.220 --> 00:26:57.519 you need to be able 00:26:57.519 --> 00:26:57.980 to be willing 00:26:57.980 --> 00:26:58.900 to look like a fool 00:26:58.900 --> 00:27:00.140 in the eyes of Corinth 00:27:00.140 --> 00:27:01.259 in the eyes of Canada 00:27:01.259 --> 00:27:02.799 you have to understand 00:27:02.799 --> 00:27:04.500 this is your father's world 00:27:04.500 --> 00:27:05.279 that's how you have 00:27:05.279 --> 00:27:06.160 to live your life 00:27:06.160 --> 00:27:07.600 this is your father's world 00:27:07.600 --> 00:27:08.319 this then 00:27:08.319 --> 00:27:09.380 chapter 4 verse 1 00:27:09.380 --> 00:27:10.799 is how you should regard us 00:27:10.799 --> 00:27:12.680 as servants of Christ 00:27:12.680 --> 00:27:14.079 and stewards 00:27:14.079 --> 00:27:15.740 of the mysteries of God. 00:27:16.620 --> 00:27:17.259 And this verse 00:27:17.259 --> 00:27:17.680 is going to be 00:27:17.680 --> 00:27:18.140 the main thing 00:27:18.140 --> 00:27:18.740 that we stay with 00:27:18.740 --> 00:27:19.640 for the next 10 minutes 00:27:19.640 --> 00:27:20.019 or so. 00:27:20.460 --> 00:27:20.980 And you might say 00:27:20.980 --> 00:27:21.819 George why would you 00:27:21.819 --> 00:27:22.660 why would this be 00:27:22.660 --> 00:27:23.380 something important 00:27:23.380 --> 00:27:23.799 to say 00:27:23.799 --> 00:27:24.740 to focus on? 00:27:24.740 --> 00:27:25.779 This is how one 00:27:25.779 --> 00:27:26.559 should regard us 00:27:26.559 --> 00:27:27.700 as servants of Christ 00:27:27.700 --> 00:27:28.200 and stewards 00:27:28.200 --> 00:27:29.140 of the mysteries of God. 00:27:29.420 --> 00:27:30.400 Well because the word 00:27:30.400 --> 00:27:31.380 translated as servant 00:27:31.380 --> 00:27:32.460 is really cool 00:27:32.460 --> 00:27:33.620 and I understand 00:27:33.620 --> 00:27:35.019 why the translators 00:27:35.019 --> 00:27:36.279 translated as servant 00:27:36.279 --> 00:27:37.579 and not what it 00:27:37.579 --> 00:27:38.500 literally says 00:27:38.500 --> 00:27:39.660 but what it says 00:27:39.660 --> 00:27:40.319 literally 00:27:40.319 --> 00:27:41.220 is this 00:27:41.220 --> 00:27:42.960 this is how 00:27:42.960 --> 00:27:43.900 one should regard 00:27:43.900 --> 00:27:44.480 us 00:27:44.480 --> 00:27:46.000 now here 00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:46.799 he's talking about 00:27:46.799 --> 00:27:47.400 us meaning 00:27:47.400 --> 00:27:48.279 him Peter 00:27:48.279 --> 00:27:49.140 him Paul 00:27:49.140 --> 00:27:50.740 him Peter 00:27:50.740 --> 00:27:52.900 he's talking about 00:27:52.900 --> 00:27:53.819 all of the leaders 00:27:53.819 --> 00:27:54.640 in the church 00:27:54.640 --> 00:27:55.839 and he's including 00:27:55.839 --> 00:27:56.759 himself with them 00:27:56.759 --> 00:27:57.680 and when it says 00:27:57.680 --> 00:27:58.460 the word servant 00:27:58.460 --> 00:27:59.640 the literal word 00:27:59.640 --> 00:28:01.559 is under rower 00:28:01.559 --> 00:28:03.740 now of course 00:28:03.740 --> 00:28:04.440 people don't get 00:28:04.440 --> 00:28:05.099 what that means 00:28:05.099 --> 00:28:05.640 that's why they 00:28:05.640 --> 00:28:06.480 translated as servant 00:28:06.480 --> 00:28:07.259 but that's literally 00:28:07.259 --> 00:28:08.000 what it says 00:28:08.000 --> 00:28:09.480 you need to understand 00:28:09.480 --> 00:28:10.259 me 00:28:10.259 --> 00:28:12.019 you need to understand 00:28:12.019 --> 00:28:12.500 Peter 00:28:12.500 --> 00:28:14.200 you need to understand 00:28:14.200 --> 00:28:14.880 George 00:28:14.880 --> 00:28:16.460 you need to understand 00:28:16.460 --> 00:28:16.900 George 00:28:16.900 --> 00:28:17.700 you need to understand 00:28:17.700 --> 00:28:18.240 yourself 00:28:18.240 --> 00:28:19.180 and by the way 00:28:19.180 --> 00:28:19.680 the leadership 00:28:19.680 --> 00:28:20.440 here is a 00:28:20.440 --> 00:28:21.900 on one level 00:28:21.900 --> 00:28:22.400 it's a type 00:28:22.400 --> 00:28:22.880 a bit of a 00:28:22.880 --> 00:28:23.799 hierarchical thing 00:28:23.799 --> 00:28:24.920 but it's only 00:28:24.920 --> 00:28:26.039 hierarchical in terms 00:28:26.039 --> 00:28:26.940 of the impact 00:28:26.940 --> 00:28:27.700 of your leadership 00:28:27.700 --> 00:28:29.299 because in a sense 00:28:29.299 --> 00:28:30.299 every single person 00:28:30.299 --> 00:28:31.059 here is a leader 00:28:31.059 --> 00:28:33.220 it might be 00:28:33.220 --> 00:28:34.359 that the main 00:28:34.359 --> 00:28:35.539 area that you 00:28:35.539 --> 00:28:36.180 have leadership 00:28:36.180 --> 00:28:37.200 with is with 00:28:37.200 --> 00:28:38.859 the shut in 00:28:38.859 --> 00:28:39.559 that you visit 00:28:39.559 --> 00:28:40.779 or if you're 00:28:40.779 --> 00:28:41.799 a single mom 00:28:41.799 --> 00:28:43.480 with your child 00:28:43.480 --> 00:28:44.759 or you know 00:28:44.759 --> 00:28:46.079 if you're an aunt 00:28:46.079 --> 00:28:46.599 or an uncle 00:28:46.599 --> 00:28:47.539 and God hasn't 00:28:47.539 --> 00:28:47.920 blessed you 00:28:47.920 --> 00:28:48.420 with children 00:28:48.420 --> 00:28:49.120 it might just be 00:28:49.120 --> 00:28:49.920 that one nephew 00:28:49.920 --> 00:28:50.420 or niece 00:28:50.420 --> 00:28:50.860 that you have 00:28:50.860 --> 00:28:51.680 a good relationship 00:28:51.680 --> 00:28:52.000 with 00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:52.480 and that might 00:28:52.480 --> 00:28:53.200 be the extent 00:28:53.200 --> 00:28:54.519 of how you 00:28:54.519 --> 00:28:55.640 influence other people 00:28:55.640 --> 00:28:56.180 because leadership 00:28:56.180 --> 00:28:57.180 is about influence 00:28:57.180 --> 00:28:58.380 and so for every 00:28:58.380 --> 00:28:59.279 single one of us 00:28:59.279 --> 00:29:00.480 whether you're 00:29:00.480 --> 00:29:01.480 the head of a 00:29:01.480 --> 00:29:02.120 denomination 00:29:02.120 --> 00:29:02.820 whether you're 00:29:02.820 --> 00:29:03.920 a world famous 00:29:03.920 --> 00:29:04.759 theologian 00:29:04.759 --> 00:29:06.640 whether you're 00:29:06.640 --> 00:29:07.200 the head of a 00:29:07.200 --> 00:29:07.800 megachurch 00:29:07.800 --> 00:29:08.620 or whether you 00:29:08.620 --> 00:29:09.940 are an aunt 00:29:09.940 --> 00:29:11.680 who has a niece 00:29:11.680 --> 00:29:12.820 that she can 00:29:12.820 --> 00:29:13.620 influence 00:29:13.620 --> 00:29:14.840 you are 00:29:14.840 --> 00:29:15.980 an under rower 00:29:15.980 --> 00:29:18.220 and if you've 00:29:18.220 --> 00:29:18.620 watched 00:29:18.620 --> 00:29:19.819 the 00:29:19.819 --> 00:29:21.799 Ben-Hur 00:29:21.799 --> 00:29:22.539 I think it is 00:29:22.539 --> 00:29:22.839 the 00:29:22.839 --> 00:29:24.099 you know 00:29:24.099 --> 00:29:25.240 with Charlton Heston 00:29:25.240 --> 00:29:25.700 or the more 00:29:25.700 --> 00:29:26.380 modern one 00:29:26.380 --> 00:29:27.740 it's those 00:29:27.740 --> 00:29:28.779 slave galleys 00:29:28.779 --> 00:29:29.799 those Roman ships 00:29:29.799 --> 00:29:30.660 that are powered 00:29:30.660 --> 00:29:31.740 by people 00:29:31.740 --> 00:29:32.279 rowing 00:29:32.279 --> 00:29:33.500 and it's the 00:29:33.500 --> 00:29:34.039 people at the 00:29:34.039 --> 00:29:34.960 very very bottom 00:29:34.960 --> 00:29:35.500 of the ship 00:29:35.500 --> 00:29:36.059 rowing 00:29:36.059 --> 00:29:39.019 together 00:29:39.019 --> 00:29:40.599 isn't that a 00:29:40.599 --> 00:29:41.519 flattering image 00:29:41.519 --> 00:29:42.140 for Christian 00:29:42.140 --> 00:29:42.579 leadership 00:29:42.579 --> 00:29:44.939 but it's a 00:29:44.939 --> 00:29:45.740 very profound 00:29:45.740 --> 00:29:46.619 image for 00:29:46.619 --> 00:29:47.399 Christian leadership 00:29:47.399 --> 00:29:48.019 if 00:29:48.019 --> 00:29:50.539 Christian leaders 00:29:50.539 --> 00:29:51.819 like all other 00:29:51.819 --> 00:29:52.740 human beings 00:29:52.740 --> 00:29:53.879 are prone 00:29:53.879 --> 00:29:54.740 to self 00:29:54.740 --> 00:29:55.259 deception 00:29:55.259 --> 00:29:57.960 it's a 00:29:57.960 --> 00:30:00.039 spectacularly 00:30:00.039 --> 00:30:00.639 necessary 00:30:00.639 --> 00:30:01.279 image 00:30:01.279 --> 00:30:02.859 I was joking 00:30:02.859 --> 00:30:03.099 with the 00:30:03.099 --> 00:30:03.500 eight o'clock 00:30:03.500 --> 00:30:04.139 congregation 00:30:04.139 --> 00:30:04.879 maybe we should 00:30:04.879 --> 00:30:06.059 change our 00:30:06.059 --> 00:30:06.960 name to the 00:30:06.960 --> 00:30:07.939 congregation of 00:30:07.939 --> 00:30:08.899 under rowers 00:30:08.899 --> 00:30:10.679 or something like 00:30:10.679 --> 00:30:11.460 that except we'd be 00:30:11.460 --> 00:30:12.180 proud that we're the 00:30:12.180 --> 00:30:13.100 only ones who did it 00:30:13.100 --> 00:30:13.940 which destroys the 00:30:13.940 --> 00:30:14.720 whole purpose of the 00:30:14.720 --> 00:30:14.960 name 00:30:14.960 --> 00:30:16.680 but you know 00:30:16.680 --> 00:30:17.539 if you think about 00:30:17.539 --> 00:30:18.200 the under rower 00:30:18.200 --> 00:30:18.860 the under rower 00:30:18.860 --> 00:30:19.640 has to be working 00:30:19.640 --> 00:30:19.900 with it 00:30:19.900 --> 00:30:20.559 I guess not even 00:30:20.559 --> 00:30:21.180 as if he said 00:30:21.180 --> 00:30:21.840 you're like the 00:30:21.840 --> 00:30:22.799 tenth person on the 00:30:22.799 --> 00:30:23.640 Canadian national 00:30:23.640 --> 00:30:25.160 single kayaking team 00:30:25.160 --> 00:30:25.960 no no no no no 00:30:25.960 --> 00:30:26.779 no you're not that 00:30:26.779 --> 00:30:27.579 you're the under rower 00:30:27.579 --> 00:30:28.640 you're working with 00:30:28.640 --> 00:30:29.440 other rowers 00:30:29.440 --> 00:30:30.700 somebody else is 00:30:30.700 --> 00:30:31.660 banging the drums 00:30:31.660 --> 00:30:32.660 somebody else is 00:30:32.660 --> 00:30:33.579 making sure you get 00:30:33.579 --> 00:30:34.319 your rest breaks 00:30:34.319 --> 00:30:35.100 and you get water 00:30:35.100 --> 00:30:35.920 and you get food 00:30:35.920 --> 00:30:37.380 and somebody else is 00:30:37.380 --> 00:30:38.279 telling you when you 00:30:38.279 --> 00:30:39.120 turn left and when 00:30:39.120 --> 00:30:39.700 you turn right 00:30:39.700 --> 00:30:40.579 and when you go fast 00:30:40.579 --> 00:30:41.579 and when you go slow 00:30:41.579 --> 00:30:42.240 and where you're 00:30:42.240 --> 00:30:43.059 even going 00:30:43.059 --> 00:30:44.899 and where you even 00:30:44.899 --> 00:30:45.259 are 00:30:45.259 --> 00:30:46.559 you don't know that 00:30:46.559 --> 00:30:47.539 you're just the 00:30:47.539 --> 00:30:48.119 under rower 00:30:48.119 --> 00:30:50.879 boom boom boom 00:30:50.879 --> 00:30:52.759 and that is what all 00:30:52.759 --> 00:30:53.480 Christian leadership 00:30:53.480 --> 00:30:54.579 is centered around 00:30:54.579 --> 00:30:57.159 to understand 00:30:57.159 --> 00:31:00.159 if you could 00:31:00.159 --> 00:31:01.679 if you could put up 00:31:01.679 --> 00:31:02.379 the fourth point 00:31:02.379 --> 00:31:03.000 Claire that would be 00:31:03.000 --> 00:31:03.639 very helpful 00:31:03.639 --> 00:31:04.819 Christian leaders are 00:31:04.819 --> 00:31:05.819 under rowers 00:31:05.819 --> 00:31:07.359 and stewards 00:31:07.359 --> 00:31:08.939 of the mysteries of God 00:31:08.940 --> 00:31:10.120 and that's a very 00:31:10.120 --> 00:31:11.660 important aspect here 00:31:11.660 --> 00:31:12.820 so because you see 00:31:12.820 --> 00:31:13.700 we've just been 00:31:13.700 --> 00:31:14.140 reminded 00:31:14.140 --> 00:31:15.340 I've just reminded you 00:31:15.340 --> 00:31:15.960 that this is our 00:31:15.960 --> 00:31:16.700 father's world 00:31:16.700 --> 00:31:17.920 the whole world is his 00:31:17.920 --> 00:31:19.160 the whole universe is his 00:31:19.160 --> 00:31:20.440 and I'm to start to try 00:31:20.440 --> 00:31:21.759 to learn to live as a 00:31:21.759 --> 00:31:22.120 person 00:31:22.120 --> 00:31:23.660 and it's very hard for me 00:31:23.660 --> 00:31:24.160 to do that 00:31:24.160 --> 00:31:25.539 because I take my eyes 00:31:25.539 --> 00:31:26.039 off of it 00:31:26.039 --> 00:31:26.960 that's one of the reasons 00:31:26.960 --> 00:31:28.400 I need like you to come 00:31:28.400 --> 00:31:29.519 to church and be reminded 00:31:29.519 --> 00:31:31.400 of these fundamental truths 00:31:31.400 --> 00:31:32.440 about what the real world 00:31:32.440 --> 00:31:32.840 is like 00:31:32.840 --> 00:31:33.720 and in the real world 00:31:33.720 --> 00:31:34.740 if you are in Christ 00:31:34.740 --> 00:31:36.200 this is your father's world 00:31:36.200 --> 00:31:37.380 you have a father in heaven 00:31:37.380 --> 00:31:38.080 who loves you 00:31:38.080 --> 00:31:39.200 that you can open up 00:31:39.200 --> 00:31:39.840 your heart to 00:31:39.840 --> 00:31:41.860 about very very big issues 00:31:41.860 --> 00:31:42.799 like maybe 00:31:42.799 --> 00:31:43.299 you know 00:31:43.299 --> 00:31:44.420 the onset of dementia 00:31:44.420 --> 00:31:45.640 or the coming of cancer 00:31:45.640 --> 00:31:47.279 or very very small issues 00:31:47.279 --> 00:31:47.840 like 00:31:47.840 --> 00:31:49.819 how do I get the ice 00:31:49.819 --> 00:31:50.799 off of my gutter 00:31:50.799 --> 00:31:51.039 like 00:31:51.039 --> 00:31:52.240 everything in between 00:31:52.240 --> 00:31:53.519 you can pray about everything 00:31:53.519 --> 00:31:54.799 and then it might see 00:31:54.799 --> 00:31:55.160 well okay 00:31:55.160 --> 00:31:56.279 even if we're under rowers 00:31:56.279 --> 00:31:57.120 now we're stewards 00:31:57.120 --> 00:31:58.400 but then it goes and says 00:31:58.400 --> 00:31:59.660 stewards of the mysteries of God 00:31:59.660 --> 00:32:00.819 and that's to protect us 00:32:00.819 --> 00:32:01.539 from thinking 00:32:01.539 --> 00:32:03.680 let's just be honest 00:32:03.680 --> 00:32:04.640 I'm not going to ask 00:32:04.640 --> 00:32:05.420 for a show of hands 00:32:05.420 --> 00:32:06.539 how many people 00:32:06.539 --> 00:32:07.980 would like for 24 hours 00:32:07.980 --> 00:32:09.380 to be given control 00:32:09.380 --> 00:32:10.800 of Donald Trump's mind 00:32:10.800 --> 00:32:12.220 or Trudeau's mind 00:32:12.220 --> 00:32:13.700 or the Supreme Court 00:32:13.700 --> 00:32:14.779 Justice's mind 00:32:14.779 --> 00:32:16.100 or our boss's mind 00:32:16.100 --> 00:32:17.279 or our husband's mind 00:32:17.279 --> 00:32:18.380 or our wife's mind 00:32:18.380 --> 00:32:19.600 we would love it 00:32:19.600 --> 00:32:19.940 okay 00:32:19.940 --> 00:32:21.279 keep going until I get a list 00:32:21.279 --> 00:32:21.560 right 00:32:21.560 --> 00:32:22.700 maybe for some of you 00:32:22.700 --> 00:32:23.259 I don't care about 00:32:23.259 --> 00:32:23.840 all of that stuff 00:32:23.840 --> 00:32:25.320 just give me the Toronto Raptors 00:32:25.320 --> 00:32:26.259 or the Maple Leafs 00:32:26.259 --> 00:32:27.180 or something like that 00:32:27.180 --> 00:32:29.300 because I know how to fix it 00:32:29.300 --> 00:32:31.640 well maybe you do 00:32:31.640 --> 00:32:33.100 maybe you do 00:32:33.099 --> 00:32:35.339 but it says instead 00:32:35.339 --> 00:32:37.059 stewards of the mysteries of God 00:32:37.059 --> 00:32:38.639 it really limits 00:32:38.639 --> 00:32:39.959 the lane that we're in 00:32:39.959 --> 00:32:42.019 well what are the mysteries of God 00:32:42.019 --> 00:32:42.859 well there's 00:32:42.859 --> 00:32:43.379 first of all 00:32:43.379 --> 00:32:44.899 the whole idea of the mysteries of God 00:32:44.899 --> 00:32:46.039 isn't like when we say 00:32:46.039 --> 00:32:46.859 there's a certain 00:32:46.859 --> 00:32:49.279 I remember back in the day 00:32:49.279 --> 00:32:50.159 that a fellow 00:32:50.159 --> 00:32:51.240 this is in the 80s 00:32:51.240 --> 00:32:52.539 100 million years ago 00:32:52.539 --> 00:32:53.299 to many of you 00:32:53.299 --> 00:32:54.559 I remember a guy 00:32:54.559 --> 00:32:55.559 with great confidence 00:32:55.559 --> 00:32:56.079 saying 00:32:56.079 --> 00:32:58.259 because Reagan 00:32:58.259 --> 00:32:59.179 had been talking about 00:32:59.179 --> 00:32:59.939 something like this 00:32:59.939 --> 00:33:01.119 and this guy hated Reagan 00:33:01.119 --> 00:33:02.739 and he said they will never 00:33:02.739 --> 00:33:04.659 in a million billion years 00:33:04.659 --> 00:33:05.779 be able to figure out 00:33:05.779 --> 00:33:06.939 something that can knock 00:33:06.939 --> 00:33:08.019 a missile or rocket 00:33:08.019 --> 00:33:08.899 out of the sky 00:33:08.899 --> 00:33:10.539 it will never happen 00:33:10.539 --> 00:33:12.239 he's completely delusional 00:33:12.239 --> 00:33:13.399 blah blah blah 00:33:13.399 --> 00:33:14.659 the biggest fool in the world 00:33:14.659 --> 00:33:15.859 and of course as we see 00:33:15.859 --> 00:33:16.599 Israel does it 00:33:16.599 --> 00:33:17.459 just commonplace 00:33:17.459 --> 00:33:18.139 as do ships 00:33:18.139 --> 00:33:19.039 and all sorts of people 00:33:19.039 --> 00:33:19.399 because 00:33:19.399 --> 00:33:23.000 because they 00:33:23.000 --> 00:33:24.979 they just can 00:33:24.979 --> 00:33:26.019 it wasn't a mystery 00:33:26.019 --> 00:33:26.959 in the sense that we can't 00:33:26.959 --> 00:33:27.479 figure it out 00:33:27.479 --> 00:33:28.539 a mystery in the Bible 00:33:28.539 --> 00:33:29.619 is something we cannot 00:33:29.619 --> 00:33:31.179 possibly know as human beings 00:33:31.179 --> 00:33:33.719 and we can only be told by God 00:33:33.719 --> 00:33:35.839 and so if you just turn with me 00:33:35.839 --> 00:33:37.099 very quickly in your Bibles 00:33:37.099 --> 00:33:37.979 you don't have to guess 00:33:37.979 --> 00:33:39.119 what the mysteries of God are 00:33:39.119 --> 00:33:40.000 because it's something 00:33:40.000 --> 00:33:40.879 which is talked about 00:33:40.879 --> 00:33:42.039 earlier on in the text 00:33:42.039 --> 00:33:43.439 look at chapter 1 00:33:43.439 --> 00:33:45.379 verses 17 and 18 00:33:45.379 --> 00:33:47.599 chapter 1 verses 17 and 18 00:33:47.599 --> 00:33:50.839 for Christ did not send me 00:33:50.839 --> 00:33:51.619 to baptize 00:33:51.619 --> 00:33:52.839 but to preach the gospel 00:33:52.839 --> 00:33:54.479 and not with words 00:33:54.479 --> 00:33:55.619 of eloquent wisdom 00:33:56.139 --> 00:33:57.799 lest the cross of Christ 00:33:57.799 --> 00:33:59.119 be emptied of its power 00:33:59.119 --> 00:34:00.899 for the word of the cross 00:34:00.899 --> 00:34:01.799 is folly 00:34:01.799 --> 00:34:03.559 to those who are perishing 00:34:03.559 --> 00:34:04.859 but to us 00:34:04.859 --> 00:34:05.919 who are being saved 00:34:05.919 --> 00:34:06.819 it is 00:34:06.819 --> 00:34:07.739 the power 00:34:07.739 --> 00:34:08.759 of God 00:34:08.759 --> 00:34:09.579 it's a message 00:34:09.579 --> 00:34:10.279 about the cross 00:34:10.279 --> 00:34:10.960 we're going to see that 00:34:10.960 --> 00:34:11.519 as it continues 00:34:11.519 --> 00:34:13.199 look at verse 20 to 25 00:34:13.199 --> 00:34:14.960 where is the one 00:34:14.960 --> 00:34:15.659 who is wise 00:34:15.659 --> 00:34:16.880 where is the scribe 00:34:16.880 --> 00:34:17.819 where is the debater 00:34:17.819 --> 00:34:18.559 of this age 00:34:18.559 --> 00:34:19.400 has not God 00:34:19.400 --> 00:34:20.139 made foolish 00:34:20.139 --> 00:34:21.380 the wisdom of the world 00:34:21.380 --> 00:34:22.380 for since 00:34:22.380 --> 00:34:23.579 in the wisdom of God 00:34:23.579 --> 00:34:24.839 the world did not 00:34:24.839 --> 00:34:25.500 know God 00:34:25.500 --> 00:34:26.319 through wisdom 00:34:26.319 --> 00:34:27.619 it pleased God 00:34:27.619 --> 00:34:28.859 through the folly 00:34:28.860 --> 00:34:30.340 of what we preach 00:34:30.340 --> 00:34:31.480 to save those 00:34:31.480 --> 00:34:32.160 who believe 00:34:32.160 --> 00:34:33.660 for the Jewish people 00:34:33.660 --> 00:34:34.660 demand signs 00:34:34.660 --> 00:34:35.400 and Greeks 00:34:35.400 --> 00:34:36.539 seek wisdom 00:34:36.539 --> 00:34:37.740 pagans seek wisdom 00:34:37.740 --> 00:34:39.000 but we preach 00:34:39.000 --> 00:34:40.180 Christ crucified 00:34:40.180 --> 00:34:41.800 a stumbling block 00:34:41.800 --> 00:34:42.860 to Jewish people 00:34:42.860 --> 00:34:43.700 and folly 00:34:43.700 --> 00:34:44.960 to the pagans 00:34:44.960 --> 00:34:46.000 but to those 00:34:46.000 --> 00:34:46.640 who are called 00:34:46.640 --> 00:34:47.300 by God 00:34:47.300 --> 00:34:48.140 both Jews 00:34:48.140 --> 00:34:49.000 and pagans 00:34:49.000 --> 00:34:50.400 Christ is the power 00:34:50.400 --> 00:34:50.980 of God 00:34:50.980 --> 00:34:51.720 and the wisdom 00:34:51.720 --> 00:34:52.280 of God 00:34:52.280 --> 00:34:53.519 for the foolishness 00:34:53.519 --> 00:34:54.019 of God 00:34:54.019 --> 00:34:54.780 is wiser 00:34:54.780 --> 00:34:55.740 than human beings 00:34:55.739 --> 00:34:56.439 and the weakness 00:34:56.439 --> 00:34:57.019 of God 00:34:57.019 --> 00:34:57.959 is stronger 00:34:57.959 --> 00:34:58.859 than human beings 00:34:58.859 --> 00:35:00.379 and then just jump down 00:35:00.379 --> 00:35:01.099 to chapter 2 00:35:01.099 --> 00:35:01.779 verse 1 00:35:01.779 --> 00:35:03.119 all the other stuff 00:35:03.119 --> 00:35:03.439 I'm not 00:35:03.439 --> 00:35:04.979 this all fits 00:35:04.979 --> 00:35:05.599 with this theme 00:35:05.599 --> 00:35:07.519 and first chapter 2 00:35:07.519 --> 00:35:07.939 verse 1 00:35:07.939 --> 00:35:09.339 and when I came 00:35:09.339 --> 00:35:09.859 to you brothers 00:35:09.859 --> 00:35:10.479 and sisters 00:35:10.479 --> 00:35:12.099 I did not come 00:35:12.099 --> 00:35:13.079 proclaiming to you 00:35:13.079 --> 00:35:13.579 the test 00:35:13.579 --> 00:35:14.359 sorry 00:35:14.359 --> 00:35:15.399 I did not come 00:35:15.399 --> 00:35:16.759 proclaiming to you 00:35:16.759 --> 00:35:18.039 the wisdom of God 00:35:18.039 --> 00:35:19.039 testimony there means 00:35:19.039 --> 00:35:19.439 sorry 00:35:19.439 --> 00:35:20.379 the mystery of God 00:35:20.379 --> 00:35:21.419 that's where the word 00:35:21.419 --> 00:35:22.059 mystery is 00:35:22.059 --> 00:35:22.859 it's there in the 00:35:22.859 --> 00:35:23.319 original language 00:35:23.320 --> 00:35:23.760 you can see 00:35:23.760 --> 00:35:24.519 in the little footnote 00:35:24.519 --> 00:35:25.400 I did not come 00:35:25.400 --> 00:35:26.220 to you proclaiming 00:35:26.220 --> 00:35:26.519 to you 00:35:26.519 --> 00:35:28.080 the mystery of God 00:35:28.080 --> 00:35:29.140 with lofty speech 00:35:29.140 --> 00:35:29.640 or wisdom 00:35:29.640 --> 00:35:30.880 what did he do 00:35:30.880 --> 00:35:32.100 what is the mystery 00:35:32.100 --> 00:35:32.660 of God 00:35:32.660 --> 00:35:33.800 verse 2 00:35:33.800 --> 00:35:34.960 for I decided 00:35:34.960 --> 00:35:35.700 to know nothing 00:35:35.700 --> 00:35:36.360 among you 00:35:36.360 --> 00:35:37.680 except Jesus Christ 00:35:37.680 --> 00:35:38.800 and him crucified 00:35:38.800 --> 00:35:40.000 that's the mystery 00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:40.460 of God 00:35:40.460 --> 00:35:42.039 that how God 00:35:42.039 --> 00:35:42.600 is going to make 00:35:42.600 --> 00:35:43.180 human beings 00:35:43.180 --> 00:35:43.880 right with him 00:35:43.880 --> 00:35:45.620 goes against 00:35:45.620 --> 00:35:46.380 everything that 00:35:46.380 --> 00:35:46.900 wisdom 00:35:46.900 --> 00:35:48.320 human wisdom 00:35:48.320 --> 00:35:49.580 rejecting the triune 00:35:49.580 --> 00:35:50.640 God would expect 00:35:50.640 --> 00:35:51.820 that God 00:35:51.820 --> 00:35:52.660 the son of God 00:35:52.659 --> 00:35:53.519 would set aside 00:35:53.519 --> 00:35:54.699 his divine splendor 00:35:54.699 --> 00:35:55.119 and honor 00:35:55.119 --> 00:35:55.639 and privilege 00:35:55.639 --> 00:35:56.039 that he would 00:35:56.039 --> 00:35:57.000 take into himself 00:35:57.000 --> 00:35:57.980 our human nature 00:35:57.980 --> 00:35:59.599 that God 00:35:59.599 --> 00:36:00.519 the son of God 00:36:00.519 --> 00:36:01.779 in the person 00:36:01.779 --> 00:36:02.819 of Christ 00:36:02.819 --> 00:36:04.000 as Christ 00:36:04.000 --> 00:36:05.099 would actually 00:36:05.099 --> 00:36:05.819 humble himself 00:36:05.819 --> 00:36:07.079 to being a zygote 00:36:07.079 --> 00:36:07.859 in the womb 00:36:07.859 --> 00:36:08.559 of Mary 00:36:08.559 --> 00:36:09.859 that he would go 00:36:09.859 --> 00:36:10.539 through normal 00:36:10.539 --> 00:36:11.279 gestation 00:36:11.279 --> 00:36:11.980 that he would be 00:36:11.980 --> 00:36:12.920 born in an obscure 00:36:12.920 --> 00:36:14.179 corner of the empire 00:36:14.179 --> 00:36:18.500 that he would have 00:36:18.500 --> 00:36:19.759 a normal human life 00:36:19.759 --> 00:36:21.519 that he would have 00:36:21.519 --> 00:36:22.199 three years 00:36:22.199 --> 00:36:22.739 where he does 00:36:22.739 --> 00:36:24.099 spectacular miracles 00:36:24.099 --> 00:36:25.219 and profound teaching 00:36:25.219 --> 00:36:26.059 but at the end of that 00:36:26.059 --> 00:36:26.619 all it does 00:36:26.619 --> 00:36:27.820 is create great enmity 00:36:27.820 --> 00:36:29.440 sufficient enmity 00:36:29.440 --> 00:36:30.440 that human beings 00:36:30.440 --> 00:36:31.420 would give him 00:36:31.420 --> 00:36:32.679 the death of a slave 00:36:32.679 --> 00:36:34.559 by crucifying him 00:36:34.559 --> 00:36:35.460 upon the cross 00:36:35.460 --> 00:36:37.440 that when we actually 00:36:37.440 --> 00:36:38.380 see him dying 00:36:38.380 --> 00:36:39.519 it's the whole point 00:36:39.519 --> 00:36:40.259 of him coming 00:36:40.259 --> 00:36:41.079 and the whole point 00:36:41.079 --> 00:36:41.739 of him coming 00:36:41.739 --> 00:36:42.400 is that he would 00:36:42.400 --> 00:36:43.440 take upon himself 00:36:43.440 --> 00:36:44.059 the sin 00:36:44.059 --> 00:36:44.719 the rebellion 00:36:44.719 --> 00:36:45.360 the evil 00:36:45.360 --> 00:36:46.619 the shame 00:36:46.619 --> 00:36:48.239 all that separates 00:36:48.239 --> 00:36:49.019 human beings 00:36:49.019 --> 00:36:49.739 from God 00:36:49.739 --> 00:36:50.380 and that he 00:36:50.380 --> 00:36:50.900 in a sense 00:36:50.900 --> 00:36:52.400 dies in our place 00:36:52.400 --> 00:36:53.500 in my place 00:36:53.500 --> 00:36:55.000 that apart 00:36:55.000 --> 00:36:55.820 from Christ 00:36:55.820 --> 00:36:58.259 apart from Christ 00:36:58.259 --> 00:36:59.719 I am 00:36:59.719 --> 00:37:01.659 damned 00:37:01.659 --> 00:37:02.440 and doomed 00:37:02.440 --> 00:37:03.420 and dead 00:37:03.420 --> 00:37:04.019 and done 00:37:04.019 --> 00:37:07.559 but all 00:37:07.559 --> 00:37:08.880 that is placed 00:37:08.880 --> 00:37:09.599 on him 00:37:09.599 --> 00:37:13.880 and he's vindicated 00:37:13.880 --> 00:37:14.539 when he rises 00:37:14.539 --> 00:37:15.320 from the dead 00:37:15.320 --> 00:37:16.940 and so now 00:37:16.940 --> 00:37:18.500 I am not damned 00:37:18.500 --> 00:37:20.019 but given new life 00:37:20.019 --> 00:37:21.340 I am born again 00:37:21.340 --> 00:37:22.900 I am not doomed 00:37:22.900 --> 00:37:23.740 I am destined 00:37:23.740 --> 00:37:24.720 for his destiny 00:37:24.720 --> 00:37:25.559 which was be with 00:37:25.559 --> 00:37:26.519 my father forever 00:37:26.519 --> 00:37:28.440 I am not dead 00:37:28.440 --> 00:37:29.440 I have been born again 00:37:29.440 --> 00:37:29.960 I have been given 00:37:29.960 --> 00:37:30.580 new life 00:37:30.580 --> 00:37:32.220 I am not done 00:37:32.220 --> 00:37:34.080 the future is mine 00:37:34.080 --> 00:37:35.440 past present future 00:37:35.440 --> 00:37:35.980 death 00:37:35.980 --> 00:37:37.100 all those things 00:37:37.100 --> 00:37:38.380 my destiny 00:37:38.380 --> 00:37:39.059 is to be with 00:37:39.059 --> 00:37:40.200 my father in heaven 00:37:40.200 --> 00:37:40.860 and the new heaven 00:37:40.860 --> 00:37:41.559 and the new earth 00:37:41.559 --> 00:37:44.240 that is who I am 00:37:44.240 --> 00:37:44.740 in Christ 00:37:44.739 --> 00:37:45.359 and it comes 00:37:45.359 --> 00:37:45.859 by me 00:37:45.859 --> 00:37:46.979 not clinging 00:37:46.979 --> 00:37:47.739 to what I have done 00:37:47.739 --> 00:37:48.459 or could do 00:37:48.459 --> 00:37:49.739 or have to do 00:37:49.739 --> 00:37:50.559 or certain types 00:37:50.559 --> 00:37:51.339 of accomplishments 00:37:51.339 --> 00:37:52.399 or super holiness 00:37:52.399 --> 00:37:53.959 or anything like that 00:37:53.959 --> 00:37:54.859 it's all done 00:37:54.859 --> 00:37:55.779 by God 00:37:55.779 --> 00:37:56.279 for me 00:37:56.279 --> 00:37:56.799 in the person 00:37:56.799 --> 00:37:57.279 of Christ 00:37:57.279 --> 00:37:58.159 and all I can do 00:37:58.159 --> 00:37:58.719 is come with 00:37:58.719 --> 00:37:59.839 completely and utterly 00:37:59.839 --> 00:38:00.759 empty hands 00:38:00.759 --> 00:38:01.279 and say 00:38:01.279 --> 00:38:03.559 Jesus precious 00:38:03.559 --> 00:38:04.239 saviour 00:38:04.239 --> 00:38:05.000 Emmanuel 00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:06.139 God with us 00:38:06.139 --> 00:38:08.699 I am not worthy 00:38:08.699 --> 00:38:10.579 to be yours 00:38:10.579 --> 00:38:12.239 but I know 00:38:12.239 --> 00:38:12.679 what you did 00:38:12.679 --> 00:38:13.019 for me 00:38:13.019 --> 00:38:13.879 would you take me 00:38:13.880 --> 00:38:15.760 and no human 00:38:15.760 --> 00:38:16.200 being 00:38:16.200 --> 00:38:17.099 no matter 00:38:17.099 --> 00:38:17.720 how far 00:38:17.720 --> 00:38:18.380 from God 00:38:18.380 --> 00:38:19.840 will be turned 00:38:19.840 --> 00:38:20.840 away from Jesus 00:38:20.840 --> 00:38:22.320 if we come to him 00:38:22.320 --> 00:38:23.640 with humble faith 00:38:23.640 --> 00:38:25.780 and that's what 00:38:25.780 --> 00:38:26.340 makes us right 00:38:26.340 --> 00:38:26.840 with God 00:38:26.840 --> 00:38:31.400 Elon Musk 00:38:31.400 --> 00:38:32.420 I have no idea 00:38:32.420 --> 00:38:32.619 where 00:38:32.619 --> 00:38:33.400 but if he's apart 00:38:33.400 --> 00:38:33.900 from Christ 00:38:33.900 --> 00:38:34.760 he is no closer 00:38:34.760 --> 00:38:35.420 to Christ 00:38:35.420 --> 00:38:36.500 than the worst 00:38:36.500 --> 00:38:37.440 fentanyl zombie 00:38:37.440 --> 00:38:38.180 on the street 00:38:38.179 --> 00:38:42.639 he's no closer 00:38:42.639 --> 00:38:45.419 and no farther 00:38:45.419 --> 00:38:49.199 and that is 00:38:49.199 --> 00:38:49.579 the mystery 00:38:49.579 --> 00:38:50.119 of God 00:38:50.119 --> 00:38:53.940 Christian leaders 00:38:53.940 --> 00:38:55.480 are under rowers 00:38:55.480 --> 00:38:57.019 and we are stewards 00:38:57.019 --> 00:38:57.659 of the mysteries 00:38:57.659 --> 00:38:58.219 of God 00:38:58.219 --> 00:39:04.739 let's just 00:39:04.739 --> 00:39:05.619 actually finish it 00:39:05.619 --> 00:39:06.480 our time 00:39:06.480 --> 00:39:07.239 is moving on 00:39:07.239 --> 00:39:08.639 see how 00:39:08.639 --> 00:39:09.239 he's going to 00:39:09.239 --> 00:39:09.919 work this out 00:39:09.919 --> 00:39:11.619 and see 00:39:11.619 --> 00:39:12.539 here's why 00:39:12.539 --> 00:39:13.139 he's talking 00:39:13.139 --> 00:39:13.659 about all that 00:39:13.659 --> 00:39:14.899 if you want 00:39:14.899 --> 00:39:16.219 to be wise 00:39:16.219 --> 00:39:17.299 biblically wise 00:39:17.299 --> 00:39:17.799 you have to be 00:39:17.799 --> 00:39:18.279 willing to look 00:39:18.279 --> 00:39:18.959 like a fool 00:39:18.959 --> 00:39:20.959 that this is 00:39:20.959 --> 00:39:21.839 our father's world 00:39:21.839 --> 00:39:22.319 there's this 00:39:22.319 --> 00:39:22.799 profound 00:39:22.799 --> 00:39:23.799 equality 00:39:23.799 --> 00:39:24.599 that comes 00:39:24.599 --> 00:39:28.119 and then 00:39:28.119 --> 00:39:28.759 this image 00:39:28.759 --> 00:39:29.059 of us 00:39:29.059 --> 00:39:29.659 being under 00:39:29.659 --> 00:39:30.759 rowers 00:39:30.759 --> 00:39:31.440 and stewards 00:39:31.440 --> 00:39:31.880 of this 00:39:31.880 --> 00:39:32.940 particular message 00:39:32.940 --> 00:39:33.779 that's our 00:39:33.779 --> 00:39:34.920 stewardship 00:39:34.920 --> 00:39:36.679 and then it 00:39:36.679 --> 00:39:37.159 talks about 00:39:37.159 --> 00:39:37.599 the fact 00:39:37.599 --> 00:39:38.099 that we can 00:39:38.099 --> 00:39:38.920 get confused 00:39:38.920 --> 00:39:39.619 as Christians 00:39:39.619 --> 00:39:40.119 about how 00:39:40.119 --> 00:39:40.779 to evaluate 00:39:40.779 --> 00:39:41.360 ourselves 00:39:41.360 --> 00:39:42.000 look at 00:39:42.000 --> 00:39:42.799 verse 2 00:39:42.799 --> 00:39:44.199 moreover 00:39:44.199 --> 00:39:45.139 it is required 00:39:45.139 --> 00:39:45.940 of stewards 00:39:45.940 --> 00:39:46.940 that they be 00:39:46.940 --> 00:39:47.739 found trustworthy 00:39:47.739 --> 00:39:48.759 so in other words 00:39:48.759 --> 00:39:49.259 the image 00:39:49.259 --> 00:39:50.440 is it's only 00:39:50.440 --> 00:39:51.119 actually the 00:39:51.119 --> 00:39:51.460 owner 00:39:51.460 --> 00:39:51.839 it's only 00:39:51.839 --> 00:39:52.860 the guy 00:39:52.860 --> 00:39:53.920 who's banging 00:39:53.920 --> 00:39:54.440 the drum 00:39:54.440 --> 00:39:55.079 and giving 00:39:55.079 --> 00:39:55.639 the directions 00:39:55.639 --> 00:39:56.320 even for that 00:39:56.320 --> 00:39:56.800 to send the 00:39:56.800 --> 00:39:57.340 boat in certain 00:39:57.340 --> 00:39:57.760 directions 00:39:57.760 --> 00:39:58.320 he's the only 00:39:58.320 --> 00:39:58.840 one who knows 00:39:58.840 --> 00:40:00.639 he's the one 00:40:00.639 --> 00:40:01.039 who gets to 00:40:01.039 --> 00:40:01.619 determine whether 00:40:01.619 --> 00:40:02.059 we're doing 00:40:02.059 --> 00:40:02.720 a good job 00:40:02.720 --> 00:40:03.360 that's biblical 00:40:03.360 --> 00:40:04.139 wisdom that 00:40:04.139 --> 00:40:04.579 is going to 00:40:04.579 --> 00:40:05.179 determine whether 00:40:05.179 --> 00:40:05.559 we're doing 00:40:05.559 --> 00:40:06.099 a good job 00:40:06.099 --> 00:40:06.619 it's not the 00:40:06.619 --> 00:40:07.740 wisdom of the 00:40:07.740 --> 00:40:08.099 world 00:40:08.099 --> 00:40:09.579 but you see 00:40:09.579 --> 00:40:10.300 and then verse 3 00:40:10.300 --> 00:40:10.500 it says 00:40:10.500 --> 00:40:10.960 but with me 00:40:10.960 --> 00:40:11.340 it's a very 00:40:11.340 --> 00:40:11.920 small thing 00:40:11.920 --> 00:40:12.360 that I should 00:40:12.360 --> 00:40:12.800 be judged 00:40:12.800 --> 00:40:13.179 by you 00:40:13.179 --> 00:40:13.700 or by any 00:40:13.700 --> 00:40:14.380 human court 00:40:14.380 --> 00:40:15.000 in fact 00:40:15.000 --> 00:40:15.460 I do not 00:40:15.460 --> 00:40:15.940 even judge 00:40:15.940 --> 00:40:16.340 myself 00:40:16.340 --> 00:40:16.800 he's not 00:40:16.800 --> 00:40:17.220 saying this 00:40:17.220 --> 00:40:17.599 like he's 00:40:17.599 --> 00:40:18.159 a narcissist 00:40:18.159 --> 00:40:19.480 for I am 00:40:19.480 --> 00:40:20.019 not aware 00:40:20.019 --> 00:40:20.500 of anything 00:40:20.500 --> 00:40:21.039 verse 4 00:40:21.039 --> 00:40:21.880 against myself 00:40:21.880 --> 00:40:22.280 but I am 00:40:22.280 --> 00:40:22.820 not thereby 00:40:22.820 --> 00:40:23.380 acquitted 00:40:23.380 --> 00:40:24.280 it is the 00:40:24.280 --> 00:40:24.720 Lord who 00:40:24.720 --> 00:40:25.320 judges me 00:40:25.320 --> 00:40:25.780 he's not 00:40:25.780 --> 00:40:26.120 being a 00:40:26.120 --> 00:40:26.559 narcissist 00:40:26.559 --> 00:40:27.140 he's not 00:40:27.140 --> 00:40:27.940 saying he's 00:40:27.940 --> 00:40:28.400 immune to 00:40:28.400 --> 00:40:28.920 criticism 00:40:28.920 --> 00:40:29.800 what's he 00:40:29.800 --> 00:40:30.039 saying 00:40:30.039 --> 00:40:30.580 well here's 00:40:30.580 --> 00:40:30.760 this 00:40:30.760 --> 00:40:31.539 verse 5 00:40:31.539 --> 00:40:32.100 therefore do 00:40:32.100 --> 00:40:32.660 not pronounce 00:40:32.660 --> 00:40:33.240 judgment 00:40:33.240 --> 00:40:34.260 before the 00:40:34.260 --> 00:40:34.820 time before 00:40:34.820 --> 00:40:35.220 the Lord 00:40:35.220 --> 00:40:35.600 comes 00:40:35.600 --> 00:40:36.100 will bring 00:40:36.100 --> 00:40:36.539 to light 00:40:36.539 --> 00:40:37.420 things now 00:40:37.420 --> 00:40:37.960 hidden in 00:40:37.960 --> 00:40:38.360 darkness 00:40:38.360 --> 00:40:39.059 and will 00:40:39.059 --> 00:40:39.780 disclose the 00:40:39.780 --> 00:40:40.340 purposes of 00:40:40.340 --> 00:40:40.680 the heart 00:40:40.680 --> 00:40:41.360 then each 00:40:41.360 --> 00:40:41.700 one will 00:40:41.700 --> 00:40:42.360 receive his 00:40:42.360 --> 00:40:43.440 commendation 00:40:43.440 --> 00:40:44.380 from God 00:40:44.380 --> 00:40:45.120 and so what 00:40:45.120 --> 00:40:45.700 the text is 00:40:45.700 --> 00:40:46.360 saying is this 00:40:46.360 --> 00:40:47.519 it's very 00:40:47.519 --> 00:40:48.100 easy for 00:40:48.100 --> 00:40:48.780 churches to 00:40:48.780 --> 00:40:49.480 start to lose 00:40:49.480 --> 00:40:51.680 track of what 00:40:51.680 --> 00:40:52.180 it is that 00:40:52.179 --> 00:40:52.919 they're stewards 00:40:52.919 --> 00:40:54.099 and so it 00:40:54.099 --> 00:40:54.960 can end up 00:40:54.960 --> 00:40:55.519 being that 00:40:55.519 --> 00:40:56.259 the church 00:40:56.259 --> 00:40:56.819 is the 00:40:56.819 --> 00:41:00.000 center of 00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:00.619 activism 00:41:00.619 --> 00:41:01.500 or the 00:41:01.500 --> 00:41:02.139 church is 00:41:02.139 --> 00:41:02.779 the center 00:41:02.779 --> 00:41:03.219 of this 00:41:03.219 --> 00:41:03.480 or it's 00:41:03.480 --> 00:41:03.819 the center 00:41:03.819 --> 00:41:04.239 of that 00:41:04.239 --> 00:41:04.480 or it's 00:41:04.480 --> 00:41:04.779 the center 00:41:04.779 --> 00:41:05.339 of opposition 00:41:05.339 --> 00:41:05.899 it's easy 00:41:05.899 --> 00:41:06.440 for leaders 00:41:06.440 --> 00:41:07.000 to think 00:41:07.000 --> 00:41:07.699 and I'll 00:41:07.699 --> 00:41:08.119 just speak 00:41:08.119 --> 00:41:08.399 as a 00:41:08.399 --> 00:41:08.699 minister 00:41:08.699 --> 00:41:09.480 that my 00:41:09.480 --> 00:41:09.980 job is 00:41:09.980 --> 00:41:10.239 to be 00:41:10.239 --> 00:41:10.739 therapist 00:41:10.739 --> 00:41:11.599 in chief 00:41:11.599 --> 00:41:12.480 my job 00:41:12.480 --> 00:41:12.899 is to be 00:41:12.899 --> 00:41:13.339 coach 00:41:13.339 --> 00:41:13.980 in chief 00:41:13.980 --> 00:41:14.579 my job 00:41:14.579 --> 00:41:14.940 is to be 00:41:14.940 --> 00:41:15.639 the philosopher 00:41:15.639 --> 00:41:16.419 in chief 00:41:16.419 --> 00:41:18.219 my job 00:41:18.219 --> 00:41:18.719 is to be 00:41:18.719 --> 00:41:19.679 the empowerment 00:41:19.679 --> 00:41:21.159 guru 00:41:21.159 --> 00:41:22.159 in chief 00:41:22.159 --> 00:41:22.719 I'm to be 00:41:22.719 --> 00:41:23.599 the liturgist 00:41:23.599 --> 00:41:24.859 in chief 00:41:24.859 --> 00:41:25.579 I am to be 00:41:25.579 --> 00:41:26.239 a CEO 00:41:26.239 --> 00:41:27.440 I am to be 00:41:27.440 --> 00:41:28.179 the strategic 00:41:28.179 --> 00:41:28.839 leader 00:41:28.839 --> 00:41:30.079 for difference 00:41:30.079 --> 00:41:31.379 I am to be 00:41:31.379 --> 00:41:33.039 that type of 00:41:33.039 --> 00:41:34.739 a leader 00:41:34.739 --> 00:41:35.339 that wants to 00:41:35.339 --> 00:41:36.099 have my ring 00:41:36.099 --> 00:41:36.599 kissed 00:41:36.599 --> 00:41:37.339 and have people 00:41:37.339 --> 00:41:38.639 bow at my feet 00:41:38.639 --> 00:41:39.919 that I am to be 00:41:39.919 --> 00:41:41.339 the holiest one 00:41:41.339 --> 00:41:41.980 in the church 00:41:41.980 --> 00:41:42.500 chief 00:41:42.500 --> 00:41:43.079 I am to be 00:41:43.079 --> 00:41:44.019 the change agent 00:41:44.019 --> 00:41:44.500 chief 00:41:44.500 --> 00:41:45.460 I am to be 00:41:45.460 --> 00:41:47.460 the look at how 00:41:47.460 --> 00:41:48.179 wise we are 00:41:48.179 --> 00:41:49.039 in terms of the world 00:41:49.039 --> 00:41:49.519 chief 00:41:49.519 --> 00:41:50.199 I could go 00:41:50.199 --> 00:41:51.019 on and on 00:41:51.019 --> 00:41:51.539 and on 00:41:51.539 --> 00:41:52.039 and on 00:41:52.039 --> 00:41:52.559 and on 00:41:52.559 --> 00:41:53.039 and on 00:41:53.039 --> 00:41:53.480 and on 00:41:53.480 --> 00:41:53.940 at the end 00:41:53.940 --> 00:41:54.420 of the day 00:41:54.420 --> 00:41:55.840 those are the ways 00:41:55.840 --> 00:41:56.420 that churches 00:41:56.420 --> 00:41:57.139 keep getting 00:41:57.139 --> 00:41:57.980 confused 00:41:57.980 --> 00:41:58.759 and mixed up 00:41:58.759 --> 00:41:59.559 that they're all 00:41:59.559 --> 00:42:00.719 about therapy 00:42:00.719 --> 00:42:01.300 they're all 00:42:01.300 --> 00:42:02.659 about moralism 00:42:02.659 --> 00:42:03.079 they're all 00:42:03.079 --> 00:42:03.940 about you know 00:42:03.940 --> 00:42:04.579 making sure 00:42:04.579 --> 00:42:05.000 that they're 00:42:05.000 --> 00:42:05.579 republican 00:42:05.579 --> 00:42:06.279 or democrat 00:42:06.279 --> 00:42:06.980 or they 00:42:06.980 --> 00:42:08.179 love trump 00:42:08.179 --> 00:42:08.759 or they hate 00:42:08.759 --> 00:42:09.099 trump 00:42:09.099 --> 00:42:09.619 or they love 00:42:09.619 --> 00:42:09.960 Trudeau 00:42:09.960 --> 00:42:11.320 we get confused 00:42:11.320 --> 00:42:12.139 about all 00:42:12.139 --> 00:42:12.699 of these things 00:42:12.699 --> 00:42:13.300 and the bible 00:42:13.300 --> 00:42:13.860 is telling 00:42:13.860 --> 00:42:14.659 the church 00:42:14.659 --> 00:42:15.800 to understand 00:42:15.800 --> 00:42:16.460 you're under 00:42:16.460 --> 00:42:16.900 rowers 00:42:16.900 --> 00:42:17.460 and you only 00:42:17.460 --> 00:42:18.099 have one 00:42:18.099 --> 00:42:19.079 thing to do 00:42:19.079 --> 00:42:23.319 tell people 00:42:23.319 --> 00:42:24.079 about Jesus 00:42:24.079 --> 00:42:24.679 Christ 00:42:24.679 --> 00:42:25.440 crucified 00:42:25.440 --> 00:42:28.239 you can do 00:42:28.239 --> 00:42:28.960 other things 00:42:28.960 --> 00:42:29.920 obviously do 00:42:29.920 --> 00:42:30.579 other types 00:42:30.579 --> 00:42:31.199 of things 00:42:31.199 --> 00:42:31.579 you know 00:42:31.579 --> 00:42:32.159 care for 00:42:32.159 --> 00:42:32.559 children 00:42:32.559 --> 00:42:32.960 you know 00:42:32.960 --> 00:42:33.480 have money 00:42:33.480 --> 00:42:33.779 to give 00:42:33.779 --> 00:42:34.099 to the poor 00:42:34.099 --> 00:42:34.480 but you have 00:42:34.480 --> 00:42:35.219 one primary 00:42:35.219 --> 00:42:35.699 job 00:42:35.699 --> 00:42:36.900 there's nobody 00:42:36.900 --> 00:42:37.839 else in the city 00:42:37.839 --> 00:42:38.299 other than 00:42:38.299 --> 00:42:38.779 Christians 00:42:38.779 --> 00:42:39.599 to tell people 00:42:39.599 --> 00:42:40.239 the triune 00:42:40.239 --> 00:42:41.139 God exists 00:42:41.139 --> 00:42:42.219 you're separated 00:42:42.219 --> 00:42:42.819 from him 00:42:42.820 --> 00:42:44.019 there is hope 00:42:44.019 --> 00:42:45.559 there is hope 00:42:45.559 --> 00:42:46.800 there is a savior 00:42:46.800 --> 00:42:47.519 there's nobody 00:42:47.519 --> 00:42:48.180 else to do 00:42:48.180 --> 00:42:48.580 that other 00:42:48.580 --> 00:42:49.300 than us 00:42:49.300 --> 00:42:52.900 you see 00:42:52.900 --> 00:42:53.340 that's why 00:42:53.340 --> 00:42:53.720 we need 00:42:53.720 --> 00:42:54.100 this 00:42:54.100 --> 00:42:55.280 so here's 00:42:55.280 --> 00:42:55.720 the final 00:42:55.720 --> 00:42:56.220 thing about 00:42:56.220 --> 00:42:56.740 the wisdom 00:42:56.740 --> 00:42:57.519 of the world 00:42:57.519 --> 00:42:57.980 and how it 00:42:57.980 --> 00:42:58.460 forms us 00:42:58.460 --> 00:42:58.880 and why we 00:42:58.880 --> 00:42:59.280 need this 00:42:59.280 --> 00:42:59.660 if you could 00:42:59.660 --> 00:42:59.860 put up 00:42:59.860 --> 00:43:00.240 the final 00:43:00.240 --> 00:43:00.620 point 00:43:00.620 --> 00:43:02.000 a couple 00:43:02.000 --> 00:43:02.320 of weeks 00:43:02.320 --> 00:43:02.539 ago 00:43:02.539 --> 00:43:02.860 I've gone 00:43:02.860 --> 00:43:03.260 over my 00:43:03.260 --> 00:43:03.780 40 minutes 00:43:03.780 --> 00:43:04.700 I apologize 00:43:04.700 --> 00:43:05.019 but 00:43:05.019 --> 00:43:06.019 anyway 00:43:06.019 --> 00:43:06.880 here's 00:43:06.880 --> 00:43:07.420 you know 00:43:07.420 --> 00:43:08.120 I said 00:43:08.120 --> 00:43:08.340 to you 00:43:08.340 --> 00:43:08.640 that the 00:43:08.640 --> 00:43:09.100 thing about 00:43:09.100 --> 00:43:09.500 advent 00:43:09.500 --> 00:43:09.980 which is 00:43:09.980 --> 00:43:10.680 really weird 00:43:10.679 --> 00:43:11.239 is that 00:43:11.239 --> 00:43:11.960 when we 00:43:11.960 --> 00:43:12.319 look at 00:43:12.319 --> 00:43:12.899 these old 00:43:12.899 --> 00:43:13.319 advent 00:43:13.319 --> 00:43:13.699 readings 00:43:13.699 --> 00:43:14.039 and these 00:43:14.039 --> 00:43:14.359 old 00:43:14.359 --> 00:43:14.819 advent 00:43:14.819 --> 00:43:15.899 collects 00:43:15.899 --> 00:43:16.379 they don't 00:43:16.379 --> 00:43:16.799 look like 00:43:16.799 --> 00:43:17.000 they're 00:43:17.000 --> 00:43:17.399 advent 00:43:17.399 --> 00:43:17.779 ones 00:43:17.779 --> 00:43:18.219 and that's 00:43:18.219 --> 00:43:18.460 because 00:43:18.460 --> 00:43:18.859 somewhere 00:43:18.859 --> 00:43:19.139 in the 00:43:19.139 --> 00:43:19.440 last 00:43:19.440 --> 00:43:20.219 60, 00:43:20.319 --> 00:43:20.559 70, 00:43:20.659 --> 00:43:21.199 80 years 00:43:21.199 --> 00:43:22.359 and I'm 00:43:22.359 --> 00:43:22.619 not saying 00:43:22.619 --> 00:43:23.000 this is a 00:43:23.000 --> 00:43:23.500 bad thing 00:43:23.500 --> 00:43:23.899 by the way 00:43:23.899 --> 00:43:24.399 but advent 00:43:24.399 --> 00:43:25.039 became a way 00:43:25.039 --> 00:43:25.419 to prepare 00:43:25.419 --> 00:43:26.119 for Christmas 00:43:26.119 --> 00:43:27.500 but you know 00:43:27.500 --> 00:43:28.519 what we have 00:43:28.519 --> 00:43:28.960 in these 00:43:28.960 --> 00:43:29.319 readings 00:43:29.319 --> 00:43:30.079 it preserves 00:43:30.079 --> 00:43:30.619 the wisdom 00:43:30.619 --> 00:43:31.000 that goes 00:43:31.000 --> 00:43:31.419 back to 00:43:31.419 --> 00:43:32.399 the 300s 00:43:32.399 --> 00:43:32.919 maybe even 00:43:32.919 --> 00:43:33.359 earlier 00:43:33.359 --> 00:43:34.579 it's in a 00:43:34.579 --> 00:43:34.759 sense 00:43:34.759 --> 00:43:35.440 we're celebrating 00:43:35.440 --> 00:43:36.139 advent the way 00:43:36.139 --> 00:43:36.419 they did 00:43:36.419 --> 00:43:37.259 in 424 00:43:37.259 --> 00:43:39.460 or 1549 00:43:39.460 --> 00:43:40.840 and they 00:43:40.840 --> 00:43:41.420 understood 00:43:41.420 --> 00:43:41.940 advent 00:43:41.940 --> 00:43:42.559 as being 00:43:42.559 --> 00:43:43.000 the beginning 00:43:43.000 --> 00:43:43.780 of the year 00:43:43.780 --> 00:43:44.639 so there are 00:43:44.639 --> 00:43:45.679 four sermons 00:43:45.679 --> 00:43:46.579 four scripture 00:43:46.579 --> 00:43:46.980 texts 00:43:46.980 --> 00:43:47.980 about recommitting 00:43:47.980 --> 00:43:48.480 your life 00:43:48.480 --> 00:43:49.179 to Christ 00:43:49.179 --> 00:43:50.699 and committing 00:43:50.699 --> 00:43:51.619 yourself to try 00:43:51.619 --> 00:43:52.220 to live a more 00:43:52.220 --> 00:43:53.139 godly life 00:43:53.139 --> 00:43:53.760 in this coming 00:43:53.760 --> 00:43:54.099 year 00:43:54.099 --> 00:43:55.440 so how does 00:43:55.440 --> 00:43:56.179 the average 00:43:56.179 --> 00:43:57.400 consumeristic 00:43:57.400 --> 00:43:58.099 Canadian 00:43:58.099 --> 00:43:58.639 Christian 00:43:58.639 --> 00:43:59.380 think about 00:43:59.380 --> 00:43:59.880 this 00:43:59.880 --> 00:44:02.099 never in 00:44:02.099 --> 00:44:02.519 terms of 00:44:02.519 --> 00:44:02.900 the local 00:44:02.900 --> 00:44:03.440 church 00:44:03.440 --> 00:44:06.880 all about 00:44:06.880 --> 00:44:07.240 me 00:44:07.239 --> 00:44:10.579 that's us 00:44:10.579 --> 00:44:11.179 being formed 00:44:11.179 --> 00:44:11.819 by Canada 00:44:11.819 --> 00:44:12.359 folks 00:44:12.359 --> 00:44:13.899 the wisdom 00:44:13.899 --> 00:44:14.500 of Canada 00:44:14.500 --> 00:44:16.959 these ancient 00:44:16.959 --> 00:44:17.659 Christians said 00:44:17.659 --> 00:44:18.199 no no no no 00:44:18.199 --> 00:44:18.679 you've got to 00:44:18.679 --> 00:44:19.199 figure out how 00:44:19.199 --> 00:44:19.699 to put on 00:44:19.699 --> 00:44:20.099 the you know 00:44:20.099 --> 00:44:20.679 put off the 00:44:20.679 --> 00:44:21.179 sin and put 00:44:21.179 --> 00:44:21.679 on the armor 00:44:21.679 --> 00:44:21.899 of god 00:44:21.899 --> 00:44:22.179 no no 00:44:22.179 --> 00:44:22.519 you've got to 00:44:22.519 --> 00:44:23.919 need the bible 00:44:23.919 --> 00:44:24.279 there's going to 00:44:24.279 --> 00:44:24.699 be some other 00:44:24.699 --> 00:44:25.079 things about 00:44:25.079 --> 00:44:25.699 personal holiness 00:44:25.699 --> 00:44:26.139 next week 00:44:26.139 --> 00:44:26.879 and they're also 00:44:26.879 --> 00:44:27.439 saying oh no 00:44:27.439 --> 00:44:27.899 no but by 00:44:27.899 --> 00:44:28.279 the way 00:44:28.279 --> 00:44:29.479 by the way 00:44:29.479 --> 00:44:31.079 just so you 00:44:31.079 --> 00:44:31.379 know 00:44:31.379 --> 00:44:34.000 you need 00:44:34.000 --> 00:44:34.759 a good local 00:44:34.759 --> 00:44:35.239 church 00:44:35.239 --> 00:44:36.339 if you want 00:44:36.339 --> 00:44:36.719 to grow 00:44:36.719 --> 00:44:37.519 in rejecting 00:44:37.519 --> 00:44:38.419 self-deception 00:44:38.419 --> 00:44:39.439 and be formed 00:44:39.439 --> 00:44:40.039 by the true 00:44:40.039 --> 00:44:40.619 wisdom from 00:44:40.619 --> 00:44:41.319 Jesus Christ 00:44:41.319 --> 00:44:42.219 crucified 00:44:42.219 --> 00:44:42.859 your saviour 00:44:42.859 --> 00:44:43.099 and your 00:44:43.099 --> 00:44:43.359 lord 00:44:43.359 --> 00:44:45.099 you know 00:44:45.099 --> 00:44:46.359 the average 00:44:46.359 --> 00:44:46.939 Canadian would 00:44:46.939 --> 00:44:47.599 say that 00:44:47.599 --> 00:44:49.019 they need 00:44:49.019 --> 00:44:49.799 biblical wisdom 00:44:49.799 --> 00:44:50.379 like a fish 00:44:50.379 --> 00:44:51.039 needs a bike 00:44:51.039 --> 00:44:52.899 and a lot 00:44:52.899 --> 00:44:53.399 of Canadian 00:44:53.399 --> 00:44:54.079 Christians would 00:44:54.079 --> 00:44:54.619 say they need 00:44:54.619 --> 00:44:55.119 the local 00:44:55.119 --> 00:44:55.899 church like a 00:44:55.899 --> 00:44:56.500 fish needs a 00:44:56.500 --> 00:44:56.759 bike 00:44:56.759 --> 00:44:57.759 but the bible 00:44:57.759 --> 00:44:58.259 says 00:44:58.259 --> 00:45:00.919 you need 00:45:00.919 --> 00:45:01.799 a local 00:45:01.799 --> 00:45:02.319 church 00:45:02.319 --> 00:45:03.399 like human 00:45:03.399 --> 00:45:03.939 beings need 00:45:03.939 --> 00:45:04.479 oxygen 00:45:04.480 --> 00:45:07.480 and if 00:45:07.480 --> 00:45:07.740 you're not 00:45:07.740 --> 00:45:08.260 connected to 00:45:08.260 --> 00:45:08.519 a good 00:45:08.519 --> 00:45:08.840 local 00:45:08.840 --> 00:45:09.119 church 00:45:09.119 --> 00:45:09.440 it's going 00:45:09.440 --> 00:45:09.619 to be 00:45:09.619 --> 00:45:10.059 very very 00:45:10.059 --> 00:45:10.480 hard to 00:45:10.480 --> 00:45:10.760 grow in 00:45:10.760 --> 00:45:11.240 godliness 00:45:11.240 --> 00:45:11.740 or commit 00:45:11.740 --> 00:45:12.159 yourself 00:45:12.159 --> 00:45:13.000 commit 00:45:13.000 --> 00:45:13.460 yourself 00:45:13.460 --> 00:45:14.820 once again 00:45:14.820 --> 00:45:15.340 afresh to 00:45:15.340 --> 00:45:15.679 Christ 00:45:15.679 --> 00:45:17.579 that's why 00:45:17.579 --> 00:45:18.099 this text 00:45:18.099 --> 00:45:18.760 was chosen 00:45:18.760 --> 00:45:21.340 so brothers 00:45:21.340 --> 00:45:21.880 and sisters 00:45:21.880 --> 00:45:22.579 let's stand 00:45:22.579 --> 00:45:24.199 pray that we 00:45:24.199 --> 00:45:24.639 all know 00:45:24.639 --> 00:45:24.980 that we're 00:45:24.980 --> 00:45:25.820 under rowers 00:45:25.820 --> 00:45:27.539 we have one 00:45:27.539 --> 00:45:28.400 primary thing 00:45:28.400 --> 00:45:29.079 to steward 00:45:29.079 --> 00:45:30.280 on God's 00:45:30.280 --> 00:45:30.719 behalf 00:45:30.719 --> 00:45:31.519 for this 00:45:31.519 --> 00:45:32.260 fallen world 00:45:32.260 --> 00:45:32.760 and let's 00:45:32.760 --> 00:45:33.000 pray 00:45:33.000 --> 00:45:36.139 father we 00:45:36.139 --> 00:45:36.920 thank you 00:45:36.920 --> 00:45:37.280 for your 00:45:37.280 --> 00:45:37.760 word 00:45:37.760 --> 00:45:38.900 we thank 00:45:38.900 --> 00:45:39.340 you father 00:45:39.340 --> 00:45:39.719 it is 00:45:39.719 --> 00:45:41.960 like a 00:45:41.960 --> 00:45:43.440 cold water 00:45:43.440 --> 00:45:44.440 splashed upon 00:45:44.440 --> 00:45:45.059 us to help 00:45:45.059 --> 00:45:45.719 wake us up 00:45:45.719 --> 00:45:46.320 it is like 00:45:46.320 --> 00:45:47.800 cold water 00:45:47.800 --> 00:45:48.360 coming to 00:45:48.360 --> 00:45:48.880 cool us 00:45:48.880 --> 00:45:49.619 down when 00:45:49.619 --> 00:45:50.099 we're 00:45:50.099 --> 00:45:51.599 getting all 00:45:51.599 --> 00:45:51.940 hot and 00:45:51.940 --> 00:45:52.420 bothered about 00:45:52.420 --> 00:45:52.960 all sorts of 00:45:52.960 --> 00:45:53.440 other stuff 00:45:53.440 --> 00:45:54.500 it's like a 00:45:54.500 --> 00:45:55.380 warm fire 00:45:55.380 --> 00:45:56.159 to warm us 00:45:56.159 --> 00:45:56.679 up when we're 00:45:56.679 --> 00:45:57.659 becoming frozen 00:45:57.659 --> 00:45:59.079 and can hardly 00:45:59.079 --> 00:46:00.000 type of move 00:46:00.000 --> 00:46:00.960 it's food 00:46:00.960 --> 00:46:01.440 for our 00:46:01.440 --> 00:46:01.760 soul 00:46:01.760 --> 00:46:03.420 it's wisdom 00:46:03.420 --> 00:46:04.119 father from 00:46:04.119 --> 00:46:04.300 you 00:46:04.300 --> 00:46:04.679 it is what 00:46:04.679 --> 00:46:05.300 we desperately 00:46:05.300 --> 00:46:05.780 need 00:46:05.780 --> 00:46:07.380 father we 00:46:07.380 --> 00:46:08.000 ask that you 00:46:08.000 --> 00:46:08.719 help us to 00:46:08.719 --> 00:46:09.179 be aware 00:46:09.179 --> 00:46:10.099 that we are 00:46:10.099 --> 00:46:10.619 prone to 00:46:10.619 --> 00:46:11.380 self-deception 00:46:11.380 --> 00:46:13.119 father you 00:46:13.119 --> 00:46:13.719 know how easy 00:46:13.719 --> 00:46:14.300 it is for us 00:46:14.300 --> 00:46:15.320 to see self-deception 00:46:15.320 --> 00:46:15.840 in others 00:46:15.840 --> 00:46:16.719 and not to 00:46:16.719 --> 00:46:17.139 see it in 00:46:17.139 --> 00:46:17.599 ourselves 00:46:17.599 --> 00:46:18.340 and we ask 00:46:18.340 --> 00:46:18.579 that you 00:46:18.579 --> 00:46:18.980 help us 00:46:18.980 --> 00:46:20.059 to father 00:46:20.059 --> 00:46:21.719 as Jesus 00:46:21.719 --> 00:46:22.599 Christ crucified 00:46:22.599 --> 00:46:23.380 becomes more 00:46:23.380 --> 00:46:24.119 real to us 00:46:24.119 --> 00:46:24.960 that from 00:46:24.960 --> 00:46:25.860 that perspective 00:46:25.860 --> 00:46:26.300 and what he 00:46:26.300 --> 00:46:26.639 has done 00:46:26.639 --> 00:46:27.179 for us 00:46:27.179 --> 00:46:27.500 that we 00:46:27.500 --> 00:46:28.019 can begin 00:46:28.019 --> 00:46:28.500 to deal 00:46:28.500 --> 00:46:28.960 with how 00:46:28.960 --> 00:46:29.659 we like 00:46:29.659 --> 00:46:30.199 to deceive 00:46:30.199 --> 00:46:30.820 ourselves 00:46:30.820 --> 00:46:32.139 and father 00:46:32.139 --> 00:46:32.500 you know 00:46:32.500 --> 00:46:33.579 how uncomfortable 00:46:33.579 --> 00:46:34.179 we are 00:46:34.179 --> 00:46:34.659 with looking 00:46:34.659 --> 00:46:35.360 foolish to 00:46:35.360 --> 00:46:35.880 our neighbors 00:46:35.880 --> 00:46:37.400 and we ask 00:46:37.400 --> 00:46:37.960 father that 00:46:37.960 --> 00:46:38.619 Jesus Christ 00:46:38.619 --> 00:46:39.360 crucified would 00:46:39.360 --> 00:46:39.960 become so 00:46:39.960 --> 00:46:40.860 real to us 00:46:40.860 --> 00:46:41.639 that we're 00:46:41.639 --> 00:46:42.059 willing to 00:46:42.059 --> 00:46:42.619 look foolish 00:46:42.619 --> 00:46:43.320 to others 00:46:43.320 --> 00:46:44.539 and seek 00:46:44.539 --> 00:46:45.440 biblical wisdom 00:46:45.440 --> 00:46:46.800 and you know 00:46:46.800 --> 00:46:47.960 father how easy 00:46:47.960 --> 00:46:48.920 it is for us 00:46:48.920 --> 00:46:49.900 and we all 00:46:49.900 --> 00:46:50.400 have some 00:46:50.400 --> 00:46:51.239 leadership role 00:46:51.239 --> 00:46:51.920 in some way 00:46:51.920 --> 00:46:52.619 whether small 00:46:52.619 --> 00:46:53.059 or big 00:46:53.059 --> 00:46:53.480 and for us 00:46:53.480 --> 00:46:54.059 as a church 00:46:54.059 --> 00:46:55.179 to get really 00:46:55.179 --> 00:46:56.019 confused about 00:46:56.019 --> 00:46:56.739 things and we 00:46:56.739 --> 00:46:57.320 ask father 00:46:57.320 --> 00:46:57.900 that you bring 00:46:57.900 --> 00:46:58.519 this profound 00:46:58.519 --> 00:46:59.180 wisdom home 00:46:59.180 --> 00:46:59.640 to us 00:46:59.640 --> 00:47:01.140 every single 00:47:01.140 --> 00:47:01.640 one of us 00:47:01.640 --> 00:47:01.980 are just 00:47:01.980 --> 00:47:02.860 under rowers 00:47:02.860 --> 00:47:03.580 I am just 00:47:03.580 --> 00:47:04.080 an under 00:47:04.080 --> 00:47:04.380 rower 00:47:04.380 --> 00:47:06.039 and we 00:47:06.039 --> 00:47:06.880 father are 00:47:06.880 --> 00:47:07.600 called by 00:47:07.600 --> 00:47:08.059 you to 00:47:08.059 --> 00:47:08.559 steward 00:47:08.559 --> 00:47:09.980 the most 00:47:09.980 --> 00:47:10.720 important 00:47:10.720 --> 00:47:11.200 resource 00:47:11.200 --> 00:47:11.780 and most 00:47:11.780 --> 00:47:12.240 important 00:47:12.240 --> 00:47:12.820 gift that 00:47:12.820 --> 00:47:13.260 the world 00:47:13.260 --> 00:47:13.720 that there 00:47:13.720 --> 00:47:14.059 is in the 00:47:14.059 --> 00:47:14.340 world 00:47:14.340 --> 00:47:14.640 that the 00:47:14.640 --> 00:47:14.780 world 00:47:14.780 --> 00:47:15.220 desperately 00:47:15.220 --> 00:47:15.780 needs 00:47:15.780 --> 00:47:17.640 which is 00:47:17.640 --> 00:47:18.320 to understand 00:47:18.320 --> 00:47:18.820 who Jesus 00:47:18.820 --> 00:47:19.400 is in light 00:47:19.400 --> 00:47:19.940 of the bible 00:47:19.940 --> 00:47:20.260 and to 00:47:20.260 --> 00:47:20.860 understand the 00:47:20.860 --> 00:47:21.480 bible in light 00:47:21.480 --> 00:47:22.039 of who Jesus 00:47:22.039 --> 00:47:22.800 is that we 00:47:22.800 --> 00:47:23.519 might be made 00:47:23.519 --> 00:47:24.039 right with 00:47:24.039 --> 00:47:25.580 you by him 00:47:25.580 --> 00:47:26.080 crucified 00:47:26.079 --> 00:47:27.519 and that we 00:47:27.519 --> 00:47:28.039 would start 00:47:28.039 --> 00:47:28.799 to die 00:47:28.799 --> 00:47:29.299 to self 00:47:29.299 --> 00:47:29.840 deception 00:47:29.840 --> 00:47:31.239 and grow 00:47:31.239 --> 00:47:31.619 in true 00:47:31.619 --> 00:47:32.000 wisdom 00:47:32.000 --> 00:47:33.019 so father 00:47:33.019 --> 00:47:33.460 we ask 00:47:33.460 --> 00:47:33.699 that you 00:47:33.699 --> 00:47:33.960 would do 00:47:33.960 --> 00:47:34.559 these wonderful 00:47:34.559 --> 00:47:35.179 works in our 00:47:35.179 --> 00:47:35.539 hearts 00:47:35.539 --> 00:47:36.440 and we ask 00:47:36.440 --> 00:47:36.779 this in 00:47:36.779 --> 00:47:37.440 Jesus name 00:47:37.440 --> 00:47:38.579 amen 00:47:38.579 --> 00:47:57.980 without