WEBVTT 00:00:00.260 --> 00:00:06.459 So if you look at all of the cultures around the world, both past and present, and you 00:00:06.459 --> 00:00:14.280 look at their mythologies and their fairy tales, the children's stories, you'll see 00:00:14.280 --> 00:00:18.219 a number of things that are different, but you'll see a few things that most cultures 00:00:18.219 --> 00:00:21.900 around the world have in common when it comes to these kinds of stories. 00:00:22.379 --> 00:00:27.060 And one of those common aspects that you see in virtually every society is the concept 00:00:27.060 --> 00:00:27.760 of a curse. 00:00:28.740 --> 00:00:32.920 It seems that societies, both past and present, all around the world, all have some kind 00:00:32.920 --> 00:00:35.200 of understanding of a curse. 00:00:36.600 --> 00:00:40.160 If you look at the Greek and Roman cultures, curses are very prevalent. 00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:46.020 If you anger the gods and goddesses, you're liable to wind up being cursed. 00:00:46.480 --> 00:00:48.920 It's also very common in Celtic cultures. 00:00:49.460 --> 00:00:55.079 It's also common in cultures that practice voodoo, the idea of a voodoo curse. 00:00:55.079 --> 00:01:01.460 The Mediterranean people have the concept of the evil eye, and you have to protect yourself. 00:01:01.460 --> 00:01:08.400 And many people will wear jewels, specific kinds of necklaces and jewelry that's meant 00:01:08.400 --> 00:01:09.920 to ward off the evil eye. 00:01:10.679 --> 00:01:14.719 If you look in German cultures, traditional German culture has the concept of the hex. 00:01:14.719 --> 00:01:18.719 And even Indian culture has the concept of the shrop. 00:01:19.500 --> 00:01:24.539 But whatever we call it, whatever name it goes by, most cultures have a concept of a curse 00:01:24.539 --> 00:01:27.760 embedded in their fairy tales and in their mythology. 00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:32.020 And if you look at these stories, they all kind of involve a similar thing. 00:01:32.100 --> 00:01:36.719 You have somebody who was going along, living their life, then they crossed a line or transgressed 00:01:36.719 --> 00:01:37.700 or did something wrong. 00:01:37.780 --> 00:01:41.439 They broke the rules or angered somebody who was more powerful than they were. 00:01:41.580 --> 00:01:43.719 And so they wound up being cursed. 00:01:43.719 --> 00:01:49.700 So if you look, for instance, at the Greek myth of Sisyphus, this is fairly well known, 00:01:50.019 --> 00:01:56.980 Sisyphus was cursed to spend all of eternity rolling a boulder up a mountain. 00:01:57.219 --> 00:02:02.180 But every time he gets near the top, the boulder rolls back down to the bottom and he has to 00:02:02.180 --> 00:02:03.460 start all over again. 00:02:03.560 --> 00:02:04.640 Many of us know this story. 00:02:05.579 --> 00:02:10.639 If you look at the old French fairy tale that we call Beauty and the Beast, what's that 00:02:10.639 --> 00:02:10.960 about? 00:02:11.719 --> 00:02:13.780 That's about a man who is cursed. 00:02:14.480 --> 00:02:16.760 And because of the curse, he no longer looks like a man. 00:02:16.840 --> 00:02:20.120 He looks like a terrifying animal, a beast, a monster. 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:24.780 And the only way that he can ever be free from this curse is if he gets true love's kiss. 00:02:25.439 --> 00:02:25.700 Right? 00:02:26.100 --> 00:02:31.340 There's another old French fairy tale that we call Sleeping Beauty about a woman who pricks 00:02:31.340 --> 00:02:36.319 her finger on a poison spinning wheel and ends up falling into an enchanted slumber. 00:02:36.480 --> 00:02:40.800 And she'll sleep for a hundred years unless someone with royal blood, 00:02:40.960 --> 00:02:42.480 comes and wakes her up. 00:02:42.800 --> 00:02:44.200 Has to be royal blood. 00:02:44.980 --> 00:02:45.219 Right? 00:02:45.360 --> 00:02:48.740 There's even in Hindu culture the story of Lord Vishnu. 00:02:49.120 --> 00:02:53.439 Lord Vishnu is very powerful, but even Lord Vishnu falls under a curse. 00:02:54.680 --> 00:02:55.860 Vishnu's curse is interesting. 00:02:55.860 --> 00:03:03.060 His curse is to be forced to become incarnate in the world and to have to live as a human 00:03:03.060 --> 00:03:08.860 being and experience all of the suffering that human beings experience in their lives here 00:03:08.860 --> 00:03:09.340 on earth. 00:03:10.040 --> 00:03:12.440 And so you have this concept of a curse that's very widespread. 00:03:12.900 --> 00:03:14.360 So here's the question I want to ask. 00:03:15.680 --> 00:03:20.760 Are these stories just for entertainment value or getting our kids to fall asleep at night? 00:03:20.759 --> 00:03:26.319 Or are they reflecting something deeper about the human condition? 00:03:27.000 --> 00:03:36.879 Are all of these stories human and cultural ways of trying to make sense of life and what 00:03:36.879 --> 00:03:39.539 it means to live in this world as human beings? 00:03:39.539 --> 00:03:43.099 I mean, how many people identify with Sisyphus? 00:03:43.659 --> 00:03:43.799 Right? 00:03:43.939 --> 00:03:47.060 You work and you strive and you do the best you can. 00:03:47.419 --> 00:03:49.780 And no matter how hard you work, the work is never done. 00:03:50.060 --> 00:03:51.099 There's always more to do. 00:03:51.259 --> 00:03:54.780 And even the work that you do do, most of it never lasts. 00:03:55.840 --> 00:03:59.639 Even the best buildings, the best construction fades over time. 00:04:00.280 --> 00:04:00.419 Right? 00:04:00.599 --> 00:04:03.979 Or you work really hard, but your boss doesn't even seem to notice. 00:04:04.620 --> 00:04:04.780 Right? 00:04:04.780 --> 00:04:08.460 Or you excel far beyond your peers and yet you never get promoted. 00:04:08.580 --> 00:04:12.340 The sense of futility, I think, is present in most everybody's job. 00:04:13.159 --> 00:04:13.319 Right? 00:04:13.460 --> 00:04:18.579 Or if you look at Beauty and the Beast, are there people here who would identify with the 00:04:18.579 --> 00:04:18.860 beast? 00:04:19.899 --> 00:04:20.120 Right? 00:04:20.199 --> 00:04:24.120 There's the person that I know I am, that I should be, that I want to be, the kind of 00:04:24.120 --> 00:04:25.019 dad that I want to be. 00:04:25.699 --> 00:04:29.180 You know, the kind of husband I want to be, the kind of Christian that I want to be, the 00:04:29.180 --> 00:04:30.379 kind of pastor I want to be. 00:04:30.379 --> 00:04:35.659 And all too often I feel like what actually comes out is not that person. 00:04:36.319 --> 00:04:37.540 It's a beast. 00:04:37.680 --> 00:04:38.360 It's a monster. 00:04:38.719 --> 00:04:42.300 You know, words will leave your mouth and you'll think, how in the world did that come 00:04:42.300 --> 00:04:42.759 out of me? 00:04:43.259 --> 00:04:44.259 I'm not like that. 00:04:45.560 --> 00:04:50.339 And yet all too often you feel that if somebody really saw the truth about you, they would 00:04:50.339 --> 00:04:51.439 say, man, that's a monster. 00:04:51.540 --> 00:04:52.459 They'd run away in fear. 00:04:53.319 --> 00:04:53.500 Right? 00:04:54.120 --> 00:04:56.120 Do some of us feel like Sleeping Beauty? 00:04:56.259 --> 00:04:58.560 Feel like inside, spiritually, I'm numb. 00:04:58.560 --> 00:05:00.319 I'm, I'm lifeless. 00:05:00.920 --> 00:05:01.699 I'm dead. 00:05:03.360 --> 00:05:08.600 Even the curse that befalls Lord Vishnu, there, you know, you look at the suffering in the 00:05:08.600 --> 00:05:09.120 world today. 00:05:09.199 --> 00:05:12.620 You go online and look at all of the atrocious things that are happening around the world. 00:05:12.959 --> 00:05:17.220 It's easy to begin to think that maybe life itself is a curse. 00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:19.319 Right? 00:05:19.399 --> 00:05:23.840 So today what we're going to do is we're going to look at the concept of the curse and we're 00:05:23.840 --> 00:05:27.340 going to look at what Scripture has to say about it because this is a very prevalent 00:05:27.339 --> 00:05:28.859 theme in the Bible. 00:05:29.119 --> 00:05:33.379 And we're going to look at this wonderful passage, Galatians chapter 3, verses 6 to 14. 00:05:33.699 --> 00:05:38.159 And we're going to look at this story in three parts because all good stories, right, have 00:05:38.159 --> 00:05:39.159 three parts, right? 00:05:39.219 --> 00:05:39.899 Three acts. 00:05:40.239 --> 00:05:41.519 First, we're going to look at the curse. 00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:43.719 Then we're going to look at our redemption. 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:46.099 How does redemption come from the curse? 00:05:46.679 --> 00:05:50.199 And then finally the blessing that follows that redemption. 00:05:50.199 --> 00:05:53.679 So curse, redemption, blessing. 00:05:53.939 --> 00:05:54.359 Let's pray. 00:05:54.360 --> 00:06:01.120 Our Father, we just sang and then we prayed a moment ago about your Word. 00:06:02.100 --> 00:06:07.540 We prayed that your Word, which is precious, that comes to us from your mouth, that's meant 00:06:07.540 --> 00:06:08.860 for our good and your glory. 00:06:09.840 --> 00:06:15.660 We prayed that that would be something that we are able to read, mark, learn, and inwardly 00:06:15.660 --> 00:06:16.020 digest. 00:06:16.340 --> 00:06:20.080 And so I pray that by the power of your Spirit you would enable us to do just that, Lord, 00:06:20.540 --> 00:06:22.240 that you would do your work in us through your Word. 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:23.939 In your Son's name, amen. 00:06:25.360 --> 00:06:27.400 So first we're going to look at the curse. 00:06:28.720 --> 00:06:31.759 Let me give you a little context of what's going on here in Galatians. 00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:38.639 There's a major controversy that Paul is addressing in Galatia, and we may word it like this. 00:06:38.720 --> 00:06:39.720 Big disagreement. 00:06:40.960 --> 00:06:46.019 Who is entitled to God's blessing and who is still under God's curse? 00:06:46.720 --> 00:06:50.699 Who can expect blessing from God and who is still under the curse? 00:06:50.699 --> 00:06:56.279 And there were a number of Jews in Galatia who had converted to Christianity, and yet 00:06:56.279 --> 00:07:01.959 they believed that they were entitled to God's blessing not because of Jesus, but because 00:07:01.959 --> 00:07:03.219 of their Jewish identity. 00:07:03.719 --> 00:07:05.319 They had been born Jews. 00:07:05.480 --> 00:07:09.339 They had been circumcised, if they were male, like any faithful Jew. 00:07:09.500 --> 00:07:16.240 They had kept the ceremonial law to stay clean, and they had observed these things. 00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:21.740 They had kept themselves separate from the Gentiles, and so they could reasonably assume, according 00:07:21.740 --> 00:07:26.439 to Jewish teaching, that they were among the blessed, the chosen. 00:07:27.639 --> 00:07:33.519 They were unlike the uncircumcised, those people who don't have the law, those people who are 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:35.740 unclean, the Gentile outsiders. 00:07:36.040 --> 00:07:38.900 Those people are very obviously still under the curse. 00:07:39.720 --> 00:07:41.220 So this is what was going on. 00:07:41.220 --> 00:07:43.860 And Paul's very upset about this. 00:07:44.120 --> 00:07:47.660 And you know, some of you have asked, why in this series on Galatians have we talked 00:07:47.660 --> 00:07:50.460 so much about racism over the last several weeks? 00:07:50.600 --> 00:07:51.560 And the reason is this. 00:07:51.620 --> 00:07:57.300 What we see happening is a form of religiously justified racism. 00:07:59.120 --> 00:07:59.600 Right? 00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:04.380 Why should I care about people whom God has cursed? 00:08:04.379 --> 00:08:09.399 Why should I spend five minutes thinking about such people? 00:08:10.680 --> 00:08:15.839 If God's cursed them, they're not worth my time, nor should I even associate with them. 00:08:16.100 --> 00:08:19.219 Certainly I shouldn't eat with them or invite them into my home. 00:08:19.459 --> 00:08:20.600 I might become tainted. 00:08:20.740 --> 00:08:24.899 I might become cursed yet again, that the curse may be contagious. 00:08:25.100 --> 00:08:27.759 Therefore, stay away. 00:08:28.560 --> 00:08:33.600 So Paul's very upset about this, and so he's confronting this entire way of thinking. 00:08:34.379 --> 00:08:37.059 And here's what Paul says. 00:08:37.779 --> 00:08:39.019 Listen to Paul's words. 00:08:39.759 --> 00:08:43.200 He says this in verse 10. 00:08:44.360 --> 00:08:47.659 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse. 00:08:47.820 --> 00:08:48.700 So what is he saying? 00:08:48.960 --> 00:08:54.179 Not just those people who are unclean or uncircumcised, but he says, 00:08:54.740 --> 00:08:58.139 all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse. 00:08:58.259 --> 00:09:00.220 For it is written, and he quotes Deuteronomy, 00:09:00.220 --> 00:09:06.759 cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law and do them. 00:09:06.820 --> 00:09:08.120 The implication is clear. 00:09:08.840 --> 00:09:11.720 No one can keep everything that's written in the book of the law. 00:09:12.200 --> 00:09:13.940 But there's something else that I want to clarify. 00:09:13.940 --> 00:09:16.639 He uses a phrase, the works of the law. 00:09:16.720 --> 00:09:17.680 And I just want to be clear. 00:09:17.899 --> 00:09:22.379 This is a specific phrase with a specific connotation that Paul is fond of. 00:09:22.379 --> 00:09:26.820 And it's almost always used in a negative sense. 00:09:27.200 --> 00:09:29.360 So he's not talking about the law in general. 00:09:29.439 --> 00:09:32.340 He's not saying the law is bad or evil or broken. 00:09:32.519 --> 00:09:35.000 What he's saying is the works of the law. 00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:41.860 And when he talks about that, he's talking about the idea that one can be saved by observing the law. 00:09:42.059 --> 00:09:43.360 In other words, it's legalism. 00:09:44.120 --> 00:09:49.399 So when Paul talks about the works of the law, that's a biblical phrase that means legalism. 00:09:50.720 --> 00:09:54.120 And he says if you live that way, if that's the way you think you're going to get blessed, 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:57.360 if that's the way you think you're going to escape this curse that you're under, 00:09:57.800 --> 00:09:59.080 you're deluding yourself. 00:09:59.460 --> 00:10:01.820 Anyone who does that is still under the curse. 00:10:01.820 --> 00:10:05.840 This would have been utterly shocking to Paul's Jewish hearers. 00:10:06.379 --> 00:10:10.639 Because they assumed that if anybody would be blessed by God, it would be them. 00:10:10.639 --> 00:10:14.639 Now let's talk a little bit about what the curse is. 00:10:15.340 --> 00:10:20.659 You know, we talked about some fairy tales, but Scripture actually also uses this language of curse. 00:10:23.000 --> 00:10:27.659 Scripture says, and if you look at the Bible, even though there's lots of different books 00:10:27.659 --> 00:10:32.659 and lots of different genres, the Bible tells actually one great complete whole story. 00:10:32.879 --> 00:10:34.819 And if you go back to the beginning of that story, 00:10:34.820 --> 00:10:41.180 it tells us that God actually created the world as a good and beautiful and perfect place. 00:10:41.280 --> 00:10:42.200 And yet it was incomplete. 00:10:42.680 --> 00:10:46.660 It was a world that by design required human agency. 00:10:47.440 --> 00:10:50.879 It was a world that was designed to need us, 00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:56.300 to care for it, to cultivate it, to bring it to its fullest potential. 00:10:56.720 --> 00:10:59.940 And then he created human beings to do that kind of work. 00:10:59.940 --> 00:11:04.820 But then the Bible says that human beings rejected that vocation. 00:11:05.160 --> 00:11:07.400 We rejected our place in God's creation. 00:11:07.920 --> 00:11:11.000 We said we would rather be God than serve God. 00:11:11.060 --> 00:11:15.760 And because of that act of rebellion, that act of sin, we fell. 00:11:16.600 --> 00:11:19.560 And at that point, the world came under a curse. 00:11:20.460 --> 00:11:22.540 That's when the curse set in. 00:11:22.760 --> 00:11:25.180 So all of the world is under that curse. 00:11:26.380 --> 00:11:28.320 So what does it mean to live under the curse? 00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:29.220 What's life like? 00:11:29.420 --> 00:11:30.520 How do you know you're cursed? 00:11:31.540 --> 00:11:34.280 Well, think about the fairy tales that we talked about a moment ago. 00:11:35.560 --> 00:11:35.680 Right? 00:11:36.080 --> 00:11:39.280 Living under the curse means we face futility in our work. 00:11:40.260 --> 00:11:42.960 Genesis 3 talks about the thorns and the thistles. 00:11:43.100 --> 00:11:44.160 Think about your job. 00:11:45.140 --> 00:11:48.460 Think about all of the times you feel like you're slamming up against a brick wall, 00:11:48.640 --> 00:11:50.540 either with something that you're trying to get done 00:11:50.540 --> 00:11:52.300 or with people that you're trying to deal with, 00:11:52.400 --> 00:11:53.820 with a deal that you're trying to broker. 00:11:53.820 --> 00:11:58.560 You feel like again and again and again, you're slamming up against a brick wall. 00:11:58.620 --> 00:12:00.240 That's life under the curse. 00:12:01.060 --> 00:12:01.180 Right? 00:12:01.379 --> 00:12:04.240 Life under the curse means that there is always a disconnect 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:06.400 between the person that we wish we could be 00:12:06.400 --> 00:12:10.520 and the beast that we often become under the right circumstances, 00:12:10.680 --> 00:12:12.520 or shall I say the wrong circumstances. 00:12:13.280 --> 00:12:14.879 You know, the nicest person, 00:12:15.200 --> 00:12:19.520 the most agreeable person under the right circumstances can become a monster. 00:12:19.519 --> 00:12:21.679 There's a disconnect. 00:12:22.779 --> 00:12:22.860 Right? 00:12:23.039 --> 00:12:24.879 Especially if you're, you know, I've talked about this already, 00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:26.980 but if you haven't felt it before, 00:12:27.139 --> 00:12:28.299 when you become a parent, 00:12:28.659 --> 00:12:30.480 you really feel it. 00:12:31.340 --> 00:12:34.620 You really, you have all these ideals of the kind of mom or dad you want to be. 00:12:35.199 --> 00:12:36.840 And almost every day, 00:12:37.019 --> 00:12:40.000 you're painfully aware of how short you fall of those standards. 00:12:41.120 --> 00:12:41.319 Right? 00:12:41.399 --> 00:12:43.399 Living under the curse means being sleeping beauty. 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:45.360 It means being spiritually asleep. 00:12:45.419 --> 00:12:47.299 And actually, the Bible says we're spiritually dead. 00:12:47.299 --> 00:12:49.439 We're cold and we're frozen inside. 00:12:50.139 --> 00:12:51.199 We need to be thawed out. 00:12:52.919 --> 00:12:56.139 Life under the curse means that much of life is suffering. 00:12:56.319 --> 00:13:01.079 The unbearable burden of being in this world is overwhelming sometimes. 00:13:02.500 --> 00:13:02.579 Right? 00:13:02.699 --> 00:13:07.039 Life under the curse means there are wildfires tearing California apart, 00:13:07.559 --> 00:13:09.120 destroying homes, killing people. 00:13:10.340 --> 00:13:12.579 You know, life under the curse means that Jewish worshippers 00:13:12.579 --> 00:13:14.360 sitting in their own synagogue get shot. 00:13:15.860 --> 00:13:16.419 Right? 00:13:16.559 --> 00:13:19.299 Life under the curse means again and again and again, 00:13:19.299 --> 00:13:21.339 we pick up the paper and we read about, 00:13:21.620 --> 00:13:23.159 we don't really pick up the paper anymore, 00:13:23.500 --> 00:13:26.439 but we read about atrocious things happening around the world. 00:13:26.699 --> 00:13:29.079 We read about a study that tells us our environment 00:13:29.079 --> 00:13:31.339 is on the brink of irreversible collapse 00:13:31.339 --> 00:13:34.599 because of human exploitation and inaction. 00:13:35.479 --> 00:13:36.979 This is life under the curse. 00:13:36.980 --> 00:13:40.279 But the worst thing about the curse, 00:13:40.600 --> 00:13:43.000 the worst ramification of this state 00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:46.399 is the fact that the word curse in the Bible 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:48.060 is ultimately a covenant word. 00:13:48.759 --> 00:13:51.060 And it's used to describe what happens to people 00:13:51.060 --> 00:13:54.080 who don't keep the covenant that God makes with humanity. 00:13:54.080 --> 00:13:55.540 And ultimately, 00:13:55.800 --> 00:13:58.759 what God says to people who want to have nothing to do with Him, 00:13:58.840 --> 00:14:00.360 people who go their own way, 00:14:00.460 --> 00:14:01.259 who reject God, 00:14:01.300 --> 00:14:01.460 who say, 00:14:01.520 --> 00:14:02.420 I don't even believe in you. 00:14:02.560 --> 00:14:04.340 I don't want anybody telling me how to live my life. 00:14:04.560 --> 00:14:05.600 God ultimately says, 00:14:05.800 --> 00:14:06.060 what? 00:14:07.240 --> 00:14:08.200 Have it your way. 00:14:09.840 --> 00:14:10.780 Spend eternity 00:14:10.780 --> 00:14:13.860 completely and utterly cut off from me. 00:14:14.340 --> 00:14:15.580 The Bible uses the phrase, 00:14:15.680 --> 00:14:16.379 the outer darkness. 00:14:16.379 --> 00:14:20.220 That's the end of the curse. 00:14:20.600 --> 00:14:22.439 That's the ultimate destiny 00:14:22.439 --> 00:14:23.980 for those who are under the curse. 00:14:24.240 --> 00:14:25.539 And it's a horrible fate. 00:14:26.659 --> 00:14:28.419 So some people, like the Jews, 00:14:29.379 --> 00:14:32.779 believe this great and pernicious lie 00:14:32.779 --> 00:14:34.200 that says, 00:14:34.460 --> 00:14:35.179 even though I'm cursed, 00:14:35.320 --> 00:14:38.820 I can reverse the curse myself. 00:14:39.379 --> 00:14:39.639 Right? 00:14:39.720 --> 00:14:41.679 I can escape this curse. 00:14:41.840 --> 00:14:43.120 I can gain blessing 00:14:43.120 --> 00:14:46.220 by keeping the ceremonial law, 00:14:46.220 --> 00:14:47.720 by making sure I'm circumcised, 00:14:47.779 --> 00:14:49.080 by making sure I'm clean. 00:14:49.800 --> 00:14:49.899 Right? 00:14:50.080 --> 00:14:52.019 But even the most irreligious person, 00:14:52.139 --> 00:14:52.600 and, you know, 00:14:52.660 --> 00:14:53.379 I think D.C. 00:14:53.639 --> 00:14:54.660 is the kind of city 00:14:54.660 --> 00:14:56.040 that attracts people like this, 00:14:56.120 --> 00:14:57.720 like moths to a flame. 00:14:58.019 --> 00:15:00.000 Even the most irreligious people out there, 00:15:00.680 --> 00:15:02.820 when we look at all that's wrong with the world, 00:15:03.060 --> 00:15:04.300 all the injustice, 00:15:04.500 --> 00:15:05.160 all the racism, 00:15:05.320 --> 00:15:05.940 all the poverty, 00:15:06.120 --> 00:15:07.340 the economic inequalities, 00:15:07.820 --> 00:15:08.899 all of these things, 00:15:09.800 --> 00:15:11.920 there are many, many, many people in this city 00:15:11.920 --> 00:15:14.759 who believe that with enough willpower, 00:15:14.759 --> 00:15:16.139 with enough ingenuity, 00:15:16.220 --> 00:15:18.320 with enough education and awareness, 00:15:18.820 --> 00:15:20.000 with enough legislation, 00:15:20.139 --> 00:15:21.460 and the right people in power, 00:15:21.800 --> 00:15:25.180 we can fix this world once and for all. 00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:28.300 Many people are driven by this utopian dream 00:15:28.300 --> 00:15:29.660 of what could be, 00:15:29.779 --> 00:15:30.620 if only. 00:15:33.320 --> 00:15:36.160 And the harsh reality that we have to accept is, 00:15:37.000 --> 00:15:39.720 that utopian dream is never going to be realized. 00:15:40.320 --> 00:15:41.620 It's never going to come. 00:15:42.620 --> 00:15:44.379 Thousands and thousands of years, 00:15:44.480 --> 00:15:47.320 and we love to talk about all the progress that we've made, 00:15:47.399 --> 00:15:50.259 but all of the core issues in the world are still there. 00:15:51.320 --> 00:15:52.179 They're still there. 00:15:53.240 --> 00:15:53.500 You know, 00:15:53.580 --> 00:15:55.120 I was blessed to be, 00:15:55.179 --> 00:15:55.940 earlier this week, 00:15:56.360 --> 00:15:57.440 able to be, 00:15:57.600 --> 00:15:59.080 Dan and Kevin and I, 00:15:59.360 --> 00:16:01.419 went to listen to a series of lectures 00:16:01.419 --> 00:16:03.399 given over a couple of days by N.T. Wright, 00:16:03.580 --> 00:16:04.759 who's a, you know, 00:16:04.759 --> 00:16:06.080 great Bible scholar, 00:16:06.279 --> 00:16:07.179 scholar of history, 00:16:07.419 --> 00:16:08.240 and somebody that, 00:16:08.240 --> 00:16:09.799 that I've read a lot of. 00:16:09.960 --> 00:16:10.639 And anyway, 00:16:10.759 --> 00:16:12.379 his talks are always very eloquent, 00:16:12.500 --> 00:16:13.200 very inspiring. 00:16:13.439 --> 00:16:14.580 But one of the talks in particular, 00:16:14.639 --> 00:16:15.960 I thought was very relevant to, 00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:17.399 to the things I've been thinking about, 00:16:17.439 --> 00:16:18.000 because he said, 00:16:18.000 --> 00:16:20.919 that in many cultures and societies around the world, 00:16:21.000 --> 00:16:22.860 we all share these common ideals. 00:16:23.639 --> 00:16:24.860 Things like justice, 00:16:25.539 --> 00:16:26.399 truth, 00:16:27.820 --> 00:16:28.259 beauty, 00:16:29.100 --> 00:16:30.960 the priority of relationships, 00:16:31.340 --> 00:16:32.120 even spirituality. 00:16:32.539 --> 00:16:33.779 These are things that you find, 00:16:34.019 --> 00:16:35.679 in virtually every culture and society, 00:16:35.799 --> 00:16:37.200 some concept of these things. 00:16:37.799 --> 00:16:38.419 And yet he said, 00:16:38.460 --> 00:16:39.080 in every case, 00:16:39.139 --> 00:16:40.179 you're looking at a paradox. 00:16:40.779 --> 00:16:41.759 Because in every case, 00:16:41.919 --> 00:16:43.419 you have something like justice, 00:16:43.639 --> 00:16:44.480 that we value. 00:16:44.600 --> 00:16:45.899 Virtually every society says, 00:16:45.899 --> 00:16:47.139 we have to have justice. 00:16:48.360 --> 00:16:49.519 And yet here's the paradox, 00:16:49.679 --> 00:16:50.559 we value it, 00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:52.659 and yet no matter how hard we try, 00:16:52.699 --> 00:16:53.740 and how long we try, 00:16:53.899 --> 00:16:55.759 we can never fully attain it. 00:16:56.679 --> 00:16:56.919 Right? 00:16:56.980 --> 00:16:58.159 Why would we value something, 00:16:58.259 --> 00:16:59.079 that we can't attain? 00:17:00.159 --> 00:17:00.579 You know, 00:17:00.659 --> 00:17:01.980 you look at something like justice, 00:17:02.079 --> 00:17:02.439 and you say, 00:17:02.519 --> 00:17:02.659 well, 00:17:02.840 --> 00:17:03.059 you know, 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:04.639 we've done a lot in the realm of justice, 00:17:04.720 --> 00:17:05.539 and maybe we have. 00:17:05.619 --> 00:17:05.759 See, 00:17:05.819 --> 00:17:06.500 everybody says, 00:17:06.740 --> 00:17:06.940 you know, 00:17:07.099 --> 00:17:07.400 yes, 00:17:07.539 --> 00:17:09.379 that person needs to be brought to justice. 00:17:09.579 --> 00:17:10.859 That wrong needs to be punished. 00:17:10.960 --> 00:17:12.639 That inequality needs to be rectified. 00:17:12.639 --> 00:17:15.220 Anybody in this room would say that. 00:17:15.900 --> 00:17:17.259 But how quickly, 00:17:17.560 --> 00:17:20.519 how quickly will we shrug off justice, 00:17:20.519 --> 00:17:22.700 if it's going to be applied to us? 00:17:23.400 --> 00:17:23.580 You know, 00:17:23.620 --> 00:17:25.220 what's the first thing you do when you're in trouble? 00:17:25.400 --> 00:17:26.540 You go hire a lawyer. 00:17:27.100 --> 00:17:27.980 And all of a sudden, 00:17:28.100 --> 00:17:29.720 it's not about justice anymore, 00:17:29.820 --> 00:17:32.200 it's about how good your lawyer is at getting you off. 00:17:33.360 --> 00:17:33.580 Right? 00:17:33.660 --> 00:17:35.800 And you look at our criminal justice system. 00:17:35.860 --> 00:17:38.680 I think lots of people on both sides of the political aisle, 00:17:38.940 --> 00:17:41.140 would agree that our criminal justice system, 00:17:41.140 --> 00:17:42.320 is more often than not, 00:17:42.700 --> 00:17:43.720 criminally unjust. 00:17:43.720 --> 00:17:44.440 Right? 00:17:46.740 --> 00:17:49.240 How many people are just wasting away in prison 00:17:49.240 --> 00:17:53.339 because of harsh minimum sentencing laws, 00:17:54.100 --> 00:17:57.960 and some minor infraction has them spending years of their life? 00:17:59.059 --> 00:17:59.180 Right? 00:17:59.220 --> 00:18:00.779 These are things that many people agree, 00:18:00.900 --> 00:18:02.220 this is not justice. 00:18:03.000 --> 00:18:05.380 While people with much greater crimes go free, 00:18:05.440 --> 00:18:06.480 this is not justice. 00:18:07.299 --> 00:18:07.779 Right? 00:18:07.819 --> 00:18:08.980 It's a broken system. 00:18:09.559 --> 00:18:11.799 It's a proximate form of justice at best, 00:18:11.799 --> 00:18:13.279 but this is the paradox again and again. 00:18:13.859 --> 00:18:14.240 Now, 00:18:14.319 --> 00:18:17.159 why would we value something like justice or power or truth 00:18:17.159 --> 00:18:18.899 and yet never be able to attain it? 00:18:19.879 --> 00:18:21.159 That's life under the curse. 00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:24.079 That's the stone being pushed up the mountain 00:18:24.079 --> 00:18:27.279 that again and again and again rolls down to the bottom. 00:18:29.619 --> 00:18:30.039 Right? 00:18:30.139 --> 00:18:31.440 So this is life under the curse, 00:18:31.500 --> 00:18:32.599 and we cannot save ourselves. 00:18:32.799 --> 00:18:34.319 So where does redemption come from? 00:18:34.319 --> 00:18:35.460 Where does hope come from? 00:18:36.879 --> 00:18:37.919 You may be familiar, 00:18:38.159 --> 00:18:39.240 I think most of you are, 00:18:39.299 --> 00:18:41.419 with C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:43.579 and one of the books is the book called 00:18:43.579 --> 00:18:45.019 The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. 00:18:45.419 --> 00:18:46.839 And in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, 00:18:46.919 --> 00:18:48.500 like any children's fairy tale, 00:18:48.579 --> 00:18:49.399 any good fairy tale, 00:18:49.579 --> 00:18:50.399 there is a curse. 00:18:51.159 --> 00:18:54.259 In fact, the entire land of Narnia is under a curse. 00:18:55.419 --> 00:18:57.579 And because of that curse, 00:18:57.679 --> 00:18:58.700 everything is cold, 00:18:59.019 --> 00:18:59.960 everything is dark, 00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:01.279 everything is frozen. 00:19:01.279 --> 00:19:03.240 It's always winter, 00:19:03.539 --> 00:19:04.500 but it's never Christmas. 00:19:05.079 --> 00:19:06.259 Christmas never comes. 00:19:07.460 --> 00:19:08.480 And it's under a curse, 00:19:08.559 --> 00:19:09.859 and it's held in bondage 00:19:09.859 --> 00:19:11.619 to the villain 00:19:11.619 --> 00:19:14.460 who's the evil white witch. 00:19:14.879 --> 00:19:16.480 And she has set herself up 00:19:16.480 --> 00:19:18.460 as the pretender to the throne, 00:19:18.599 --> 00:19:20.240 the false ruler of Narnia. 00:19:21.139 --> 00:19:22.980 And so one of the characters, Edmund, 00:19:23.180 --> 00:19:25.220 falls under the spell of the white witch. 00:19:25.779 --> 00:19:27.119 You know, he gives in to his pride 00:19:27.119 --> 00:19:28.099 and his self-pity 00:19:28.099 --> 00:19:29.259 and his grandiosity. 00:19:29.259 --> 00:19:31.420 And as a result, 00:19:31.519 --> 00:19:33.900 he betrays his brother and sisters. 00:19:34.819 --> 00:19:36.480 And because of this act of betrayal, 00:19:36.940 --> 00:19:38.039 the white witch says, 00:19:38.480 --> 00:19:41.180 there is a deep magic in Narnia, 00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:44.379 a deep law that has been written 00:19:44.379 --> 00:19:45.759 into the stones themselves. 00:19:46.279 --> 00:19:47.960 And this deep magic says 00:19:47.960 --> 00:19:49.579 that anyone who commits 00:19:49.579 --> 00:19:50.960 such an act of treachery 00:19:50.960 --> 00:19:52.119 belongs to me. 00:19:53.420 --> 00:19:54.940 I get their blood. 00:19:56.079 --> 00:19:57.799 He's forfeited his life. 00:19:57.799 --> 00:20:00.180 She has a hold on him. 00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:02.539 And there's seemingly no way out. 00:20:03.819 --> 00:20:05.700 And then Aslan, the lion, 00:20:05.919 --> 00:20:07.399 the god figure in this story, 00:20:07.559 --> 00:20:09.419 the true ruler of Narnia, 00:20:09.659 --> 00:20:10.319 he comes, 00:20:10.680 --> 00:20:12.159 and he alone knows 00:20:12.159 --> 00:20:13.740 that below and behind 00:20:13.740 --> 00:20:14.619 the deep magic 00:20:14.619 --> 00:20:16.279 is a deeper magic. 00:20:16.399 --> 00:20:16.839 And he says, 00:20:17.059 --> 00:20:18.200 the witch can only see back 00:20:18.200 --> 00:20:19.139 to the beginning of time, 00:20:19.240 --> 00:20:20.519 but if she were able to see 00:20:20.519 --> 00:20:21.700 before time, 00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:22.940 before creation, 00:20:23.139 --> 00:20:23.839 she would know 00:20:23.839 --> 00:20:24.879 that before the foundations 00:20:24.879 --> 00:20:25.700 of the earth were laid, 00:20:25.700 --> 00:20:26.980 there was a deeper magic 00:20:26.980 --> 00:20:28.080 written into the fabric 00:20:28.080 --> 00:20:29.100 of reality itself. 00:20:29.360 --> 00:20:30.360 And this deeper magic 00:20:30.360 --> 00:20:31.059 says this. 00:20:31.299 --> 00:20:32.299 The deeper magic says 00:20:32.299 --> 00:20:33.440 that when a willing victim 00:20:33.440 --> 00:20:35.200 who has committed no treachery 00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:37.039 is killed in the traitor's stead, 00:20:37.299 --> 00:20:38.380 the curse will be broken. 00:20:39.279 --> 00:20:40.700 And even death itself 00:20:40.700 --> 00:20:42.680 will start to work backwards. 00:20:43.920 --> 00:20:45.380 And so, as many of you know, 00:20:45.500 --> 00:20:47.200 Aslan sacrifices himself 00:20:47.200 --> 00:20:48.460 on the stone table. 00:20:48.860 --> 00:20:50.400 And he breaks the curse. 00:20:51.080 --> 00:20:52.759 And he rescues Edmund. 00:20:53.100 --> 00:20:54.900 And death begins to work backward 00:20:54.900 --> 00:20:56.580 and he comes back to life. 00:20:56.700 --> 00:20:57.580 And then he is able 00:20:57.580 --> 00:20:59.140 to liberate Narnia 00:20:59.140 --> 00:21:00.060 from the curse 00:21:00.060 --> 00:21:01.280 that has held it enslaved 00:21:01.280 --> 00:21:02.340 for so long. 00:21:02.960 --> 00:21:04.000 It's a great story. 00:21:04.759 --> 00:21:05.759 And what I want you to understand, 00:21:05.840 --> 00:21:06.980 the reason I'm telling you this story 00:21:06.980 --> 00:21:07.980 is because Paul is saying 00:21:07.980 --> 00:21:09.180 something very similar here 00:21:09.180 --> 00:21:09.960 to the Jews. 00:21:10.759 --> 00:21:11.480 You know, the law 00:21:11.480 --> 00:21:12.840 is like the deep magic. 00:21:12.940 --> 00:21:13.860 And the Jews point back 00:21:13.860 --> 00:21:14.880 to Moses and they say, 00:21:15.040 --> 00:21:17.000 God gave Moses the law 00:21:17.000 --> 00:21:18.019 and we live under the law. 00:21:18.080 --> 00:21:18.980 That's how to be blessed. 00:21:18.980 --> 00:21:20.279 That's how to save ourselves 00:21:20.279 --> 00:21:21.059 and escape the curse. 00:21:21.380 --> 00:21:22.180 And Paul says, 00:21:22.240 --> 00:21:22.680 no, no, no, no. 00:21:23.200 --> 00:21:24.500 There's a deeper magic. 00:21:25.660 --> 00:21:26.460 Don't you see? 00:21:27.180 --> 00:21:28.000 And he points them 00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:29.059 all the way back to Abraham. 00:21:30.880 --> 00:21:32.360 And I think further still, 00:21:32.460 --> 00:21:33.420 all the way back to before 00:21:33.420 --> 00:21:34.339 the heavens and the earth 00:21:34.339 --> 00:21:35.640 were even created. 00:21:36.039 --> 00:21:36.660 And he says, 00:21:36.700 --> 00:21:37.640 there's a deeper magic. 00:21:38.839 --> 00:21:39.759 It's the gospel. 00:21:40.839 --> 00:21:42.240 It's the gospel of grace. 00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:43.620 And he says, 00:21:43.680 --> 00:21:44.420 how do you think 00:21:44.420 --> 00:21:45.420 that your forefather, 00:21:45.819 --> 00:21:46.240 Abraham, 00:21:46.480 --> 00:21:47.319 how do you think 00:21:47.319 --> 00:21:48.019 that he gained 00:21:48.019 --> 00:21:48.819 the blessing of God? 00:21:48.819 --> 00:21:49.779 Was it through the law? 00:21:50.019 --> 00:21:50.919 No, the law had not 00:21:50.919 --> 00:21:51.579 even been given. 00:21:51.919 --> 00:21:52.639 Then what happened? 00:21:55.539 --> 00:21:57.099 Abraham believed God 00:21:57.099 --> 00:21:59.619 and it was credited to him 00:21:59.619 --> 00:22:00.539 as righteousness. 00:22:01.220 --> 00:22:02.559 It was an act of faith. 00:22:03.379 --> 00:22:03.819 Paul says, 00:22:03.939 --> 00:22:05.659 this is the deepest magic of all. 00:22:05.919 --> 00:22:06.659 It's the gospel. 00:22:06.879 --> 00:22:08.000 It's the gospel of grace 00:22:08.000 --> 00:22:09.079 that comes through faith. 00:22:09.439 --> 00:22:10.339 And here's the gospel. 00:22:11.460 --> 00:22:12.139 Verse 13, 00:22:12.399 --> 00:22:13.919 Christ redeemed us 00:22:13.919 --> 00:22:15.200 from the curse of the law 00:22:15.200 --> 00:22:17.599 by becoming a curse for us. 00:22:17.599 --> 00:22:18.779 For it is written, 00:22:19.139 --> 00:22:20.179 curse it is everyone 00:22:20.179 --> 00:22:22.299 who is hanged on a tree. 00:22:22.879 --> 00:22:23.399 Paul says, 00:22:23.480 --> 00:22:24.219 don't you get it? 00:22:24.359 --> 00:22:25.500 You're dealing with the God 00:22:25.500 --> 00:22:26.639 whose eternal nature 00:22:26.639 --> 00:22:27.959 is to have mercy. 00:22:30.019 --> 00:22:31.619 His plan all along 00:22:31.619 --> 00:22:34.339 was to send his son 00:22:34.339 --> 00:22:35.459 to become a curse. 00:22:36.319 --> 00:22:37.679 Now notice what it doesn't say. 00:22:38.719 --> 00:22:39.980 It doesn't say that Jesus 00:22:39.980 --> 00:22:42.500 paid the penalty for our sin. 00:22:42.500 --> 00:22:43.920 It doesn't say that he 00:22:43.920 --> 00:22:45.039 paid what was due. 00:22:45.180 --> 00:22:46.319 He paid the debt. 00:22:46.759 --> 00:22:47.759 It doesn't say that he 00:22:47.759 --> 00:22:50.460 experienced part of the curse, 00:22:50.579 --> 00:22:52.160 the part that he would have experienced 00:22:52.160 --> 00:22:53.079 if he were one of us. 00:22:54.119 --> 00:22:55.880 It says he became the curse. 00:22:58.220 --> 00:22:58.859 Now honestly, 00:22:58.960 --> 00:22:59.720 most commentators 00:22:59.720 --> 00:23:01.019 don't really get into 00:23:01.019 --> 00:23:01.640 what that means 00:23:01.640 --> 00:23:03.099 because it's 00:23:03.099 --> 00:23:05.480 very strong language. 00:23:06.599 --> 00:23:07.579 He didn't just pay the penalty 00:23:07.579 --> 00:23:08.019 for the curse. 00:23:08.140 --> 00:23:09.279 He became the curse. 00:23:09.920 --> 00:23:10.920 Now what does that mean? 00:23:10.920 --> 00:23:11.759 He says something 00:23:11.759 --> 00:23:12.720 similarly mysterious 00:23:12.720 --> 00:23:14.279 in 2 Corinthians 5.21. 00:23:14.779 --> 00:23:15.900 God made the one 00:23:15.900 --> 00:23:16.940 who did not know sin 00:23:16.940 --> 00:23:18.920 to be sin for us. 00:23:19.800 --> 00:23:21.240 Here's the best I can do 00:23:21.240 --> 00:23:22.019 to help you understand 00:23:22.019 --> 00:23:22.779 what this means. 00:23:24.940 --> 00:23:26.519 Every single thing 00:23:26.519 --> 00:23:28.200 that we have ever done 00:23:28.200 --> 00:23:29.060 against God, 00:23:29.180 --> 00:23:30.279 every time we've yelled 00:23:30.279 --> 00:23:30.960 at our kids, 00:23:31.200 --> 00:23:32.480 every time we've wished 00:23:32.480 --> 00:23:33.380 somebody was dead, 00:23:33.480 --> 00:23:34.759 every time we fantasize 00:23:34.759 --> 00:23:36.000 about committing adultery 00:23:36.000 --> 00:23:36.500 with somebody, 00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:37.400 every time we've done 00:23:37.400 --> 00:23:38.259 anything like that, 00:23:38.460 --> 00:23:39.660 every time every evil 00:23:39.660 --> 00:23:41.019 was ever committed, 00:23:41.120 --> 00:23:42.620 every time a gun 00:23:42.620 --> 00:23:43.300 was ever fired 00:23:43.300 --> 00:23:44.080 that ended a life, 00:23:44.160 --> 00:23:45.080 every time a crime 00:23:45.080 --> 00:23:45.980 was ever committed 00:23:45.980 --> 00:23:47.100 or an act of racism 00:23:47.100 --> 00:23:47.860 or injustice 00:23:47.860 --> 00:23:48.700 was perpetrated 00:23:48.700 --> 00:23:49.640 on another human being, 00:23:49.900 --> 00:23:51.620 every time any sin 00:23:51.620 --> 00:23:52.700 was ever committed, 00:23:54.140 --> 00:23:56.500 God treated Jesus 00:23:56.500 --> 00:23:57.340 as though he were 00:23:57.340 --> 00:23:58.560 personally responsible 00:23:58.560 --> 00:24:00.820 for each and every act 00:24:00.820 --> 00:24:01.220 of sin 00:24:01.220 --> 00:24:02.360 that has ever been committed. 00:24:03.060 --> 00:24:04.380 The full weight, 00:24:05.340 --> 00:24:06.720 the full crushing weight 00:24:06.720 --> 00:24:07.519 of that curse, 00:24:07.620 --> 00:24:08.759 that global curse, 00:24:08.759 --> 00:24:11.079 slammed down on Jesus 00:24:11.079 --> 00:24:11.839 on the cross. 00:24:13.359 --> 00:24:14.319 And remember what we said 00:24:14.319 --> 00:24:15.079 a little while ago 00:24:15.079 --> 00:24:16.240 about the ultimate end 00:24:16.240 --> 00:24:17.299 of those who are cursed. 00:24:18.460 --> 00:24:18.640 You know, 00:24:18.700 --> 00:24:19.879 when does Jesus cry out? 00:24:19.940 --> 00:24:20.720 He doesn't cry out 00:24:20.720 --> 00:24:21.500 when the nails go 00:24:21.500 --> 00:24:22.140 into his hands. 00:24:23.799 --> 00:24:24.819 Jesus cries out 00:24:24.819 --> 00:24:25.720 when in his heart 00:24:25.720 --> 00:24:27.079 he feels that break 00:24:27.079 --> 00:24:28.140 for the first time 00:24:28.140 --> 00:24:29.579 and he realizes 00:24:29.579 --> 00:24:30.740 that he's been cut off. 00:24:31.839 --> 00:24:32.859 He's been alienated. 00:24:33.539 --> 00:24:34.759 And he experiences 00:24:34.759 --> 00:24:35.900 the full pain 00:24:35.900 --> 00:24:37.800 of eternal alienation. 00:24:39.120 --> 00:24:39.940 Jesus is cast 00:24:39.940 --> 00:24:40.860 into the outer darkness 00:24:40.860 --> 00:24:43.300 and he cries out 00:24:43.300 --> 00:24:44.240 in pain and agony 00:24:44.240 --> 00:24:45.620 and fear and dread. 00:24:46.780 --> 00:24:49.220 But then as Jesus died 00:24:49.220 --> 00:24:50.780 and then as death 00:24:50.780 --> 00:24:52.360 began to work backwards 00:24:52.360 --> 00:24:53.340 and then as Jesus 00:24:53.340 --> 00:24:54.560 rose from death 00:24:54.560 --> 00:24:55.759 we see the same thing 00:24:55.759 --> 00:24:56.660 that the curse 00:24:56.660 --> 00:24:57.680 was broken, 00:24:57.840 --> 00:24:59.040 the curse was lifted 00:24:59.040 --> 00:25:00.320 and those who had no hope 00:25:00.320 --> 00:25:02.120 began to gain hope. 00:25:02.560 --> 00:25:02.920 Right? 00:25:02.920 --> 00:25:04.019 What happens in all 00:25:04.019 --> 00:25:04.779 of the great myths 00:25:04.779 --> 00:25:05.620 and fairy tales? 00:25:05.800 --> 00:25:07.140 People can't save themselves. 00:25:07.420 --> 00:25:08.160 They need something 00:25:08.160 --> 00:25:08.800 or someone 00:25:08.800 --> 00:25:09.960 of immense power 00:25:09.960 --> 00:25:10.640 to save them 00:25:10.640 --> 00:25:11.240 from the curse. 00:25:11.759 --> 00:25:12.320 And so they need 00:25:12.320 --> 00:25:13.180 either an act 00:25:13.180 --> 00:25:14.100 of divine intervention 00:25:14.100 --> 00:25:14.920 or they need 00:25:14.920 --> 00:25:15.840 true love's kiss 00:25:15.840 --> 00:25:16.820 or they need somebody 00:25:16.820 --> 00:25:17.680 of royal blood. 00:25:18.820 --> 00:25:19.920 And don't you see? 00:25:20.779 --> 00:25:20.920 Right? 00:25:20.960 --> 00:25:21.680 None of these stories 00:25:21.680 --> 00:25:22.640 are true in themselves 00:25:22.640 --> 00:25:23.720 but they all point 00:25:23.720 --> 00:25:25.140 to the one great story, 00:25:25.240 --> 00:25:26.060 the deeper story 00:25:26.060 --> 00:25:26.980 that is true. 00:25:27.480 --> 00:25:27.600 Right? 00:25:27.860 --> 00:25:29.180 Jesus is God 00:25:29.180 --> 00:25:30.180 intervening 00:25:30.180 --> 00:25:31.340 in history. 00:25:31.339 --> 00:25:33.679 Jesus is true love's kiss. 00:25:34.039 --> 00:25:35.019 Jesus is one 00:25:35.019 --> 00:25:35.799 with royal blood 00:25:35.799 --> 00:25:36.919 but not just the prince. 00:25:37.259 --> 00:25:37.980 He's the king. 00:25:39.339 --> 00:25:39.539 Right? 00:25:39.699 --> 00:25:40.740 And unlike Vishnu 00:25:40.740 --> 00:25:41.500 who is cursed 00:25:41.500 --> 00:25:42.799 to become a human being, 00:25:43.059 --> 00:25:44.179 Jesus joyfully 00:25:44.179 --> 00:25:45.799 took on human flesh. 00:25:46.319 --> 00:25:47.699 Not because he was cursed 00:25:47.699 --> 00:25:48.179 but in order 00:25:48.179 --> 00:25:49.179 to end the curse. 00:25:50.779 --> 00:25:51.959 This is the story 00:25:51.959 --> 00:25:53.419 under all of the stories. 00:25:54.240 --> 00:25:55.579 The one true story 00:25:55.579 --> 00:25:56.379 from which all 00:25:56.379 --> 00:25:57.480 of the great stories 00:25:57.480 --> 00:25:58.639 around the world 00:25:58.639 --> 00:26:00.220 derive themselves. 00:26:01.339 --> 00:26:03.379 So those who put 00:26:03.379 --> 00:26:03.939 their faith 00:26:03.939 --> 00:26:04.919 in Jesus Christ 00:26:04.919 --> 00:26:06.319 rather than their own 00:26:06.319 --> 00:26:08.259 self-salvation projects 00:26:08.259 --> 00:26:09.359 are set free 00:26:09.359 --> 00:26:09.959 from the curse 00:26:09.959 --> 00:26:10.699 and this is Paul's 00:26:10.699 --> 00:26:11.319 great point. 00:26:12.099 --> 00:26:13.019 But then Paul goes on 00:26:13.019 --> 00:26:13.599 and says something 00:26:13.599 --> 00:26:14.399 even more amazing. 00:26:14.659 --> 00:26:15.319 It doesn't just 00:26:15.319 --> 00:26:16.399 stop there. 00:26:16.699 --> 00:26:17.439 Such people aren't 00:26:17.439 --> 00:26:18.199 just set free 00:26:18.199 --> 00:26:19.240 to go on their merry way. 00:26:19.459 --> 00:26:20.199 They're set free 00:26:20.199 --> 00:26:21.740 and then they are blessed. 00:26:22.599 --> 00:26:23.279 Because remember 00:26:23.279 --> 00:26:23.720 what we said 00:26:23.720 --> 00:26:24.419 at the very beginning. 00:26:24.839 --> 00:26:25.919 God created the world 00:26:25.919 --> 00:26:27.439 to need human vocation, 00:26:27.559 --> 00:26:28.659 to need human beings 00:26:28.659 --> 00:26:29.819 to work and to serve 00:26:29.819 --> 00:26:31.039 in the world, right? 00:26:31.220 --> 00:26:32.460 And so the entire purpose 00:26:32.460 --> 00:26:33.059 of salvation 00:26:33.059 --> 00:26:34.439 is to restore to us 00:26:34.439 --> 00:26:35.279 that vocation. 00:26:35.980 --> 00:26:36.539 And so then God 00:26:36.539 --> 00:26:37.539 has to bless us 00:26:37.539 --> 00:26:38.579 and empower us 00:26:38.579 --> 00:26:40.359 to take up that mantle again. 00:26:40.599 --> 00:26:41.439 And so what does he do? 00:26:42.039 --> 00:26:43.519 He sends the Holy Spirit. 00:26:44.799 --> 00:26:45.899 God's blessing, right? 00:26:45.960 --> 00:26:46.579 Verse 14. 00:26:46.859 --> 00:26:48.419 So that in Christ Jesus 00:26:48.419 --> 00:26:49.679 the blessing of Abraham 00:26:49.679 --> 00:26:51.480 might come to the Gentiles 00:26:51.480 --> 00:26:53.000 so that we might receive 00:26:53.000 --> 00:26:54.519 the promised spirit 00:26:54.519 --> 00:26:55.299 through faith. 00:26:55.879 --> 00:26:56.919 Thousands of years earlier 00:26:56.919 --> 00:26:57.839 God had come to Abram 00:26:57.839 --> 00:26:58.879 and said I'm going to build 00:26:58.879 --> 00:26:59.759 of you a great nation 00:26:59.759 --> 00:27:02.059 and from your offspring, 00:27:02.339 --> 00:27:03.399 through your offspring 00:27:03.399 --> 00:27:05.659 I will bless all of the nations. 00:27:06.439 --> 00:27:07.480 We've seen that blessing 00:27:07.480 --> 00:27:08.259 come to pass 00:27:08.259 --> 00:27:08.919 through Jesus 00:27:08.919 --> 00:27:10.399 and the pouring out 00:27:10.399 --> 00:27:11.240 of God's spirit 00:27:11.240 --> 00:27:12.559 on his people. 00:27:13.899 --> 00:27:15.139 And the Bible says 00:27:15.139 --> 00:27:15.899 that the resurrection 00:27:15.899 --> 00:27:16.500 of Jesus 00:27:16.500 --> 00:27:18.079 and the pouring out 00:27:18.079 --> 00:27:18.879 of the Holy Spirit 00:27:18.879 --> 00:27:20.859 are the first signs 00:27:20.859 --> 00:27:21.459 we have 00:27:21.459 --> 00:27:22.139 that the curse 00:27:22.139 --> 00:27:23.699 has lost its power 00:27:23.699 --> 00:27:25.500 and that it's fading. 00:27:25.500 --> 00:27:27.900 that one day night 00:27:27.900 --> 00:27:28.839 is going to give way 00:27:28.839 --> 00:27:29.339 to dawn. 00:27:29.759 --> 00:27:30.559 One day winter 00:27:30.559 --> 00:27:31.160 will give way 00:27:31.160 --> 00:27:31.759 to spring. 00:27:33.559 --> 00:27:34.500 In Narnia 00:27:34.500 --> 00:27:36.900 once Aslan comes 00:27:36.900 --> 00:27:38.180 everything begins 00:27:38.180 --> 00:27:38.880 to change. 00:27:39.640 --> 00:27:40.819 And my favorite scene 00:27:40.819 --> 00:27:41.319 in the book 00:27:41.319 --> 00:27:42.920 is this point 00:27:42.920 --> 00:27:43.819 where the White Witch 00:27:43.819 --> 00:27:46.819 and her dwarven thrall 00:27:46.819 --> 00:27:48.279 and Edmund 00:27:48.279 --> 00:27:49.000 who's still 00:27:49.000 --> 00:27:50.740 by her side 00:27:50.740 --> 00:27:52.339 and utterly hopeless 00:27:52.339 --> 00:27:53.119 by this point 00:27:53.119 --> 00:27:54.459 they're racing 00:27:54.459 --> 00:27:55.959 in the sled 00:27:55.959 --> 00:27:56.879 that she travels in 00:27:56.879 --> 00:27:57.599 because it's been 00:27:57.599 --> 00:27:59.419 snow and ice 00:27:59.419 --> 00:27:59.919 for as long 00:27:59.919 --> 00:28:00.819 as anyone can remember. 00:28:01.079 --> 00:28:01.679 So they're racing 00:28:01.679 --> 00:28:02.519 along the sled 00:28:02.519 --> 00:28:03.379 and all of a sudden 00:28:03.379 --> 00:28:04.059 the sled begins 00:28:04.059 --> 00:28:04.799 to slow down 00:28:04.799 --> 00:28:06.279 because it's getting slushy. 00:28:07.079 --> 00:28:08.279 And here's what it says. 00:28:09.119 --> 00:28:10.000 Every moment 00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:11.159 the patches of green 00:28:11.159 --> 00:28:11.799 grew bigger 00:28:11.799 --> 00:28:13.239 and the patches of snow 00:28:13.239 --> 00:28:14.000 grew smaller. 00:28:14.659 --> 00:28:15.479 Every moment 00:28:15.479 --> 00:28:16.139 more and more 00:28:16.139 --> 00:28:16.679 of the trees 00:28:16.679 --> 00:28:17.859 shook off their robes 00:28:17.859 --> 00:28:18.399 of snow. 00:28:19.199 --> 00:28:20.339 Soon wherever you looked 00:28:20.339 --> 00:28:21.739 instead of white shapes 00:28:21.740 --> 00:28:22.980 you saw the dark green 00:28:22.980 --> 00:28:23.680 of firs 00:28:23.680 --> 00:28:25.039 or the black prickly branches 00:28:25.039 --> 00:28:25.960 of bare oaks 00:28:25.960 --> 00:28:26.720 and beaches 00:28:26.720 --> 00:28:27.759 and elms. 00:28:28.920 --> 00:28:29.440 Then the mist 00:28:29.440 --> 00:28:30.480 turned from white 00:28:30.480 --> 00:28:31.460 to gold 00:28:31.460 --> 00:28:32.579 and presently cleared 00:28:32.579 --> 00:28:33.519 away altogether. 00:28:34.240 --> 00:28:35.640 Shafts of delicious sunlight 00:28:35.640 --> 00:28:36.359 struck down 00:28:36.359 --> 00:28:37.299 on the forest floor 00:28:37.299 --> 00:28:38.019 and overhead 00:28:38.019 --> 00:28:39.720 you could see a blue sky 00:28:39.720 --> 00:28:40.779 between the treetops. 00:28:42.140 --> 00:28:43.339 Faster, faster 00:28:43.339 --> 00:28:43.980 said the witch. 00:28:44.940 --> 00:28:45.779 There was no trace 00:28:45.779 --> 00:28:46.559 of fog now. 00:28:47.400 --> 00:28:48.259 The sky became 00:28:48.259 --> 00:28:49.120 bluer and bluer 00:28:49.119 --> 00:28:50.699 and now there were 00:28:50.699 --> 00:28:51.379 white clouds 00:28:51.379 --> 00:28:52.299 hurrying across it 00:28:52.299 --> 00:28:53.179 from time to time. 00:28:54.259 --> 00:28:55.619 In the wide glades 00:28:55.619 --> 00:28:56.759 there were primroses. 00:28:57.199 --> 00:28:58.000 A light breeze 00:28:58.000 --> 00:28:58.599 sprang up 00:28:58.599 --> 00:28:59.159 which scattered 00:28:59.159 --> 00:29:00.019 drops of moisture 00:29:00.019 --> 00:29:01.139 from the swaying branches 00:29:01.139 --> 00:29:02.339 and carried cool 00:29:02.339 --> 00:29:03.399 delicious scents 00:29:03.399 --> 00:29:04.559 against the faces 00:29:04.559 --> 00:29:05.319 of the travelers. 00:29:06.059 --> 00:29:07.000 The trees began 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:08.119 to come fully alive. 00:29:08.439 --> 00:29:09.219 The larches 00:29:09.219 --> 00:29:10.039 and birches 00:29:10.039 --> 00:29:11.139 were covered with green. 00:29:11.379 --> 00:29:12.019 The laburnums 00:29:12.019 --> 00:29:12.679 with gold. 00:29:13.059 --> 00:29:14.000 Soon the beech trees 00:29:14.000 --> 00:29:14.679 had put forth 00:29:14.679 --> 00:29:15.319 their delicate 00:29:15.319 --> 00:29:16.719 transparent leaves. 00:29:17.019 --> 00:29:17.779 As the travelers 00:29:17.779 --> 00:29:18.739 walked under them 00:29:18.740 --> 00:29:19.319 the light 00:29:19.319 --> 00:29:20.759 also became green. 00:29:21.319 --> 00:29:22.599 A bee buzzed 00:29:22.599 --> 00:29:24.859 as it crossed 00:29:24.859 --> 00:29:25.559 their path. 00:29:27.740 --> 00:29:29.259 This is no thaw 00:29:29.259 --> 00:29:31.120 said the dwarf 00:29:31.120 --> 00:29:32.180 suddenly stopping. 00:29:33.180 --> 00:29:34.299 This is spring. 00:29:35.819 --> 00:29:37.059 What are we to do? 00:29:38.059 --> 00:29:38.980 Your winter 00:29:38.980 --> 00:29:39.960 has been destroyed 00:29:39.960 --> 00:29:40.640 I tell you. 00:29:41.900 --> 00:29:43.440 This is Aslan's doing. 00:29:43.440 --> 00:29:48.400 When God's people 00:29:48.400 --> 00:29:50.700 in faith 00:29:50.700 --> 00:29:51.180 and the power 00:29:51.180 --> 00:29:52.019 of the Holy Spirit 00:29:52.019 --> 00:29:54.519 act in God's name 00:29:54.519 --> 00:29:57.000 and do the good work 00:29:57.000 --> 00:29:57.500 of justice 00:29:57.500 --> 00:29:57.980 and mercy 00:29:57.980 --> 00:29:58.680 in this world 00:29:58.680 --> 00:30:01.340 these are signs 00:30:01.340 --> 00:30:02.900 that the winter 00:30:02.900 --> 00:30:03.559 has ended 00:30:03.559 --> 00:30:05.059 that the curse 00:30:05.059 --> 00:30:05.700 has been lifted 00:30:05.700 --> 00:30:07.220 and that spring 00:30:07.220 --> 00:30:08.299 is on its way. 00:30:08.299 --> 00:30:11.079 when we take 00:30:11.079 --> 00:30:12.680 in foster children 00:30:12.680 --> 00:30:13.779 through DC 127 00:30:13.779 --> 00:30:15.460 who need homes 00:30:15.460 --> 00:30:16.859 that's when you see 00:30:16.859 --> 00:30:17.659 the ice beginning 00:30:17.659 --> 00:30:18.519 to break apart. 00:30:19.279 --> 00:30:19.639 You know 00:30:19.639 --> 00:30:20.279 when we humble 00:30:20.279 --> 00:30:20.779 ourselves 00:30:20.779 --> 00:30:21.839 and ask forgiveness 00:30:21.839 --> 00:30:23.519 when we do 00:30:23.519 --> 00:30:24.220 the hard work 00:30:24.220 --> 00:30:25.279 of trying to understand 00:30:25.279 --> 00:30:26.059 and even love 00:30:26.059 --> 00:30:27.319 our enemies 00:30:27.319 --> 00:30:27.940 when we 00:30:27.940 --> 00:30:29.000 are willing 00:30:29.000 --> 00:30:29.659 to forgive 00:30:29.659 --> 00:30:31.200 seemingly unforgivable 00:30:31.200 --> 00:30:33.359 hurt and pain 00:30:33.359 --> 00:30:35.259 the sun 00:30:35.259 --> 00:30:35.699 is starting 00:30:35.699 --> 00:30:36.119 to shine 00:30:36.119 --> 00:30:37.019 through the trees 00:30:37.019 --> 00:30:38.639 when we invite 00:30:38.639 --> 00:30:39.240 strangers 00:30:39.240 --> 00:30:40.459 into our home 00:30:40.459 --> 00:30:41.899 so that they 00:30:41.899 --> 00:30:42.399 might become 00:30:42.399 --> 00:30:42.839 friends 00:30:42.839 --> 00:30:43.279 and even 00:30:43.279 --> 00:30:44.519 family 00:30:44.519 --> 00:30:46.299 the grass 00:30:46.299 --> 00:30:46.779 is beginning 00:30:46.779 --> 00:30:47.539 to push up 00:30:47.539 --> 00:30:48.639 through the permafrost 00:30:48.639 --> 00:30:50.359 when we do 00:30:50.359 --> 00:30:51.339 the hard work 00:30:51.339 --> 00:30:52.159 of racial 00:30:52.159 --> 00:30:53.139 reconciliation 00:30:53.139 --> 00:30:54.500 humbling 00:30:54.500 --> 00:30:55.179 ourselves 00:30:55.179 --> 00:30:56.319 listening 00:30:56.319 --> 00:30:57.899 repenting 00:30:57.899 --> 00:30:59.979 the flowers 00:30:59.979 --> 00:31:00.399 are beginning 00:31:00.399 --> 00:31:00.979 to bloom 00:31:00.980 --> 00:31:02.819 when we care 00:31:02.819 --> 00:31:03.519 for immigrants 00:31:03.519 --> 00:31:04.620 or refugees 00:31:04.620 --> 00:31:06.220 or young children 00:31:06.220 --> 00:31:07.819 who need mentors 00:31:07.819 --> 00:31:09.500 when we as the church 00:31:09.500 --> 00:31:10.860 do all of these things 00:31:10.860 --> 00:31:11.579 be very clear 00:31:11.579 --> 00:31:12.120 on this point 00:31:12.120 --> 00:31:12.700 when we do 00:31:12.700 --> 00:31:13.799 all of these things 00:31:13.799 --> 00:31:14.839 we're not trying 00:31:14.839 --> 00:31:15.759 to end the curse 00:31:15.759 --> 00:31:18.599 we are declaring 00:31:18.599 --> 00:31:19.180 that the curse 00:31:19.180 --> 00:31:19.940 has been ended 00:31:19.940 --> 00:31:22.900 right 00:31:22.900 --> 00:31:23.680 we live in a world 00:31:23.680 --> 00:31:24.599 that feels dark 00:31:24.599 --> 00:31:25.839 and it feels cold 00:31:25.839 --> 00:31:26.819 and it feels frozen 00:31:26.819 --> 00:31:27.759 most of the time 00:31:27.759 --> 00:31:30.120 but though the world 00:31:30.119 --> 00:31:31.419 still feels dark 00:31:31.419 --> 00:31:31.939 and cold 00:31:31.939 --> 00:31:33.079 it is only a matter 00:31:33.079 --> 00:31:33.639 of time 00:31:33.639 --> 00:31:35.459 the night will give way 00:31:35.459 --> 00:31:36.099 to the dawn 00:31:36.099 --> 00:31:37.439 the winter will give way 00:31:37.439 --> 00:31:38.039 to spring 00:31:38.039 --> 00:31:39.219 and so our job 00:31:39.219 --> 00:31:39.779 as the church 00:31:39.779 --> 00:31:40.539 our calling 00:31:40.539 --> 00:31:41.939 our holy purpose 00:31:41.939 --> 00:31:43.599 is to stand 00:31:43.599 --> 00:31:44.259 in the darkness 00:31:44.259 --> 00:31:45.539 and to point 00:31:45.539 --> 00:31:46.559 to the western horizon 00:31:46.559 --> 00:31:48.619 let's pray 00:31:48.619 --> 00:31:50.559 the king 00:31:50.559 --> 00:31:54.739 to the south 00:31:54.739 --> 00:31:55.299 and the forth 00:31:55.299 --> 00:31:56.399 where the làm 00:31:56.399 --> 00:31:58.299 will give way 00:31:58.299 --> 00:31:58.899 and automotive 00:31:58.899 --> 00:32:08.259 is to перв 00:32:08.259 --> 00:32:11.539 to the earth 00:32:11.539 --> 00:32:12.779 and to other 00:32:12.779 --> 00:32:14.039 beings 00:32:14.039 --> 00:32:14.759 and one 00:32:14.759 --> 00:32:16.719 to the earth