WEBVTT 00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:05.080 Well, welcome again to those of you who are returning, especially those of you who are 00:00:05.080 --> 00:00:05.799 visiting. 00:00:06.660 --> 00:00:11.380 I said a little while ago that we're in the season of Advent, that one of the themes that 00:00:11.380 --> 00:00:18.080 we speak about a lot is the theme of waiting, anticipating someone's return. 00:00:19.580 --> 00:00:21.379 My wife left on Thursday. 00:00:23.080 --> 00:00:25.019 We have a three-year-old and a five-year-old. 00:00:25.019 --> 00:00:32.500 I had parents who were supposed to come and help, but they got the flu, and so they were 00:00:32.500 --> 00:00:36.460 unable to come, and so it's been a full weekend. 00:00:37.420 --> 00:00:43.140 And we have all, my five-year-old, my three-year-old, and myself said to one another, I really can't 00:00:43.140 --> 00:00:44.480 wait until Mama comes home. 00:00:46.239 --> 00:00:48.700 Many times, actually, if I'm totally honest. 00:00:48.700 --> 00:00:58.080 But as much as we have anticipated Mommy's return, it is nothing like the kind of anticipation 00:00:58.080 --> 00:01:06.340 we talk about at Advent, the anticipation of this world for the coming of Jesus. 00:01:07.280 --> 00:01:09.280 And so that's what we've been talking about. 00:01:09.420 --> 00:01:15.680 We've been talking about what it means that Jesus has come, that he will come again, and 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:16.900 what that means for us. 00:01:16.900 --> 00:01:22.200 And in order to understand this better, we've been spending this season looking at Isaiah. 00:01:23.820 --> 00:01:24.800 Isaiah the prophet. 00:01:25.120 --> 00:01:31.160 Isaiah was a prophet who lived in the 8th century B.C., so a long time ago. 00:01:31.880 --> 00:01:38.520 And it may lead you to ask, how could we possibly learn anything about the coming of Jesus from 00:01:38.520 --> 00:01:45.400 somebody who wrote so long before Jesus ever came, before anybody had any idea that there 00:01:45.400 --> 00:01:46.820 was such a person as Jesus? 00:01:47.820 --> 00:01:53.500 And yet, when we look at the New Testament writers whose central goal was to teach us 00:01:53.500 --> 00:02:00.300 about Jesus and help us understand about Jesus, all throughout the New Testament, you see Isaiah, 00:02:00.460 --> 00:02:01.439 the prophet, quoted. 00:02:01.960 --> 00:02:06.640 In fact, Isaiah is quoted some 85 times in the New Testament. 00:02:06.640 --> 00:02:08.620 85 different quotations. 00:02:09.020 --> 00:02:13.419 In virtually every book of the New Testament, virtually every chapter of Isaiah is showing 00:02:13.419 --> 00:02:14.599 up somewhere. 00:02:15.840 --> 00:02:17.360 And the reason is very simple. 00:02:17.479 --> 00:02:22.699 It's because Isaiah was writing all about the day when God's Messiah or God's anointed 00:02:22.699 --> 00:02:24.379 Savior would come. 00:02:24.460 --> 00:02:30.039 And so the New Testament writers, they had met Jesus and interacted with him and seen who he 00:02:30.039 --> 00:02:32.060 was and what he did. 00:02:32.060 --> 00:02:34.939 And to them, the connection was clear. 00:02:35.240 --> 00:02:37.640 This is the person Isaiah was talking about. 00:02:38.699 --> 00:02:43.479 And so all throughout the New Testament, you have, it is literally infused with Isaiah. 00:02:44.939 --> 00:02:52.020 So we've come to chapter 55 in Isaiah, and Isaiah has basically just laid out this picture 00:02:52.020 --> 00:02:55.960 of this Messiah as not a conquering king. 00:02:56.060 --> 00:02:59.039 Later he talks about that, but rather as this suffering servant. 00:02:59.039 --> 00:03:01.439 Like a lamb led to the slaughter. 00:03:01.719 --> 00:03:08.560 And this is the place in Isaiah where the Ethiopian eunuch is reading in the lesson from the book 00:03:08.560 --> 00:03:12.939 of Acts that Megan read a little while ago, where he's reading and he says, who is this 00:03:12.939 --> 00:03:13.239 person? 00:03:13.319 --> 00:03:14.639 He asks Philip, who is this? 00:03:14.680 --> 00:03:15.680 I want to know who this is. 00:03:16.840 --> 00:03:23.299 So we've just heard about this suffering servant who's going to reconcile the world to God through 00:03:23.299 --> 00:03:24.659 his suffering and through his death. 00:03:24.659 --> 00:03:30.599 And now we've come to Isaiah chapter 55, and Isaiah is talking about the implications of 00:03:30.599 --> 00:03:30.819 this. 00:03:30.900 --> 00:03:34.939 Well, now that we know about the suffering servant, once he comes, then what? 00:03:35.719 --> 00:03:37.780 And the major implication is this. 00:03:37.939 --> 00:03:42.479 When you see that person, it's time to seek the Lord. 00:03:43.859 --> 00:03:44.800 Seek the Lord. 00:03:45.460 --> 00:03:52.400 And so that's where we are in Isaiah 55, beginning in verse 6, with this call to seek the Lord. 00:03:52.400 --> 00:03:55.260 And, you know, the word seek is pretty loaded. 00:03:55.480 --> 00:03:57.319 It's a word that I hear fairly common. 00:03:57.420 --> 00:03:59.620 Maybe it's because of what I do for a living. 00:03:59.700 --> 00:04:05.319 But I talk to a lot of people in D.C. who talk about being spiritual seekers. 00:04:06.540 --> 00:04:11.500 You know, this is a very spiritually curious city. 00:04:12.620 --> 00:04:14.719 Most people I talk to are curious. 00:04:15.080 --> 00:04:16.759 They're asking questions. 00:04:16.879 --> 00:04:17.460 They're interested. 00:04:17.459 --> 00:04:21.120 Even if they're not Christian or nowhere close, they're thinking. 00:04:21.319 --> 00:04:21.939 They're wondering. 00:04:22.620 --> 00:04:25.519 Most people have pretty strong opinions about these things. 00:04:28.199 --> 00:04:33.000 The coming of Jesus completely transforms what it means to be a spiritual seeker. 00:04:33.979 --> 00:04:38.039 It completely redefines what it means to be a spiritual seeker. 00:04:38.299 --> 00:04:44.719 In light of Jesus' coming, Isaiah tells us that seeking the Lord entails four things. 00:04:44.720 --> 00:04:54.720 It entails responding to God's call, embracing God's thoughts and ways, trusting God's word, and then finally hoping for God's renewal. 00:04:55.500 --> 00:04:56.960 So that's our outline. 00:04:57.240 --> 00:04:58.720 We're going to look at this piece by piece. 00:04:58.800 --> 00:05:00.260 Let's take a moment to pray for God's help. 00:05:03.460 --> 00:05:06.800 Heavenly Father, we've said already tonight that you promise to speak. 00:05:07.820 --> 00:05:09.360 And you do that through your word. 00:05:09.360 --> 00:05:19.400 So we pray that these spoken words would be faithful to your written word. 00:05:19.620 --> 00:05:24.319 And that your written word would reveal to us your living word, your son Jesus. 00:05:26.020 --> 00:05:27.580 And we pray in his name. 00:05:28.040 --> 00:05:28.360 Amen. 00:05:30.780 --> 00:05:33.980 So first of all, responding to God's call. 00:05:34.040 --> 00:05:35.040 That's the first thing. 00:05:35.080 --> 00:05:36.220 And you say, well, that's kind of interesting. 00:05:36.220 --> 00:05:41.840 We're talking about seeking God, and the first thing we say is that seeking God is actually responding to God. 00:05:41.880 --> 00:05:43.660 And I would say, yeah, that's exactly right. 00:05:44.580 --> 00:05:50.200 We're dipping into verse 6, but if you look at the first five verses of chapter 55, verses 1 through 5, 00:05:51.220 --> 00:05:56.520 what we see is that our passage begins with the word seek, but if you go back to the beginning of the chapter, 00:05:57.120 --> 00:05:59.640 the beginning of the chapter begins with the word come. 00:05:59.639 --> 00:06:03.240 And it's actually God's invitation. 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:10.259 God's invitation to not just the Israelites, but at this point we're talking about the whole world. 00:06:10.579 --> 00:06:12.599 So God is inviting the world, come. 00:06:13.620 --> 00:06:14.519 Come to me. 00:06:15.639 --> 00:06:20.360 And then the response in verse 6 is that we respond by seeking. 00:06:21.019 --> 00:06:27.659 But I want to spend a little time talking about this, talking about God's call or God's invitation to the world. 00:06:27.660 --> 00:06:30.960 Because the first thing we see about spiritual seeking is this. 00:06:31.340 --> 00:06:34.740 Our search for God begins with God, not us. 00:06:35.840 --> 00:06:37.580 Which is an important point to make. 00:06:38.880 --> 00:06:42.000 I think many people today, at least a lot of the people that I talk to, 00:06:42.220 --> 00:06:45.640 we think of spiritual seeking as something that we initiate. 00:06:46.640 --> 00:06:50.820 You know, so you think about, well, I've got a pretty good professional thing going on. 00:06:51.020 --> 00:06:51.920 Pretty happy with that. 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:52.820 I've got good friendships. 00:06:53.060 --> 00:06:55.040 My social sphere is doing well. 00:06:55.760 --> 00:06:57.100 I'm getting plenty of exercise. 00:06:57.439 --> 00:06:58.180 I'm eating right. 00:06:58.280 --> 00:06:58.780 That's good. 00:06:58.900 --> 00:06:59.220 That's good. 00:06:59.280 --> 00:07:01.080 I'm not, but maybe you are. 00:07:01.379 --> 00:07:02.260 I'm doing all of that. 00:07:02.680 --> 00:07:04.760 And you say, you know, all that's kind of good. 00:07:04.840 --> 00:07:05.500 You know what I need? 00:07:05.560 --> 00:07:08.280 You know what would make for a really well-rounded life? 00:07:09.180 --> 00:07:10.400 Is some spirituality. 00:07:11.520 --> 00:07:14.780 And I talk to a lot of people who say, you know, I'm really just, you know, 00:07:14.820 --> 00:07:17.900 maybe they visit here and maybe this describes you and why you're here tonight. 00:07:17.960 --> 00:07:19.540 And they say, well, I kind of want to dip in. 00:07:19.540 --> 00:07:21.640 And I just feel like that's something that's missing. 00:07:21.640 --> 00:07:25.720 And, you know, now that we're having kids, we want to raise our kids with some spirituality. 00:07:25.939 --> 00:07:28.100 And so we're just kind of looking for something that's a good fit. 00:07:28.220 --> 00:07:30.360 But all part of having a well-rounded life. 00:07:32.640 --> 00:07:35.180 This would say something completely different. 00:07:36.379 --> 00:07:42.259 In Isaiah 55, verses 1 through 5, Isaiah is painting this very different picture. 00:07:43.140 --> 00:07:44.000 And he's saying this. 00:07:44.040 --> 00:07:46.600 And I want you to think about this and see if it resonates with you. 00:07:46.600 --> 00:07:51.300 He's saying that under the surface, on a spiritual level, we are all desperately hungry. 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:54.060 That we're desperately hungry. 00:07:55.340 --> 00:07:57.180 Our souls are starving to death. 00:07:58.400 --> 00:08:00.280 And you say, well, I don't really feel that. 00:08:01.180 --> 00:08:02.780 That could mean a number of different things. 00:08:02.820 --> 00:08:05.540 But I would say, you know, if you know anything about physical hunger, 00:08:05.820 --> 00:08:09.340 in the latter stages of hunger, you actually lose your appetite. 00:08:10.640 --> 00:08:14.700 You actually no longer even experience hunger. 00:08:14.699 --> 00:08:16.439 And that means that you're pretty far along. 00:08:17.159 --> 00:08:20.680 And I've seen the same to be true, even in my own life, spiritually. 00:08:21.819 --> 00:08:28.620 That the latter stages of spiritual starvation, you feel less and less the appetite. 00:08:30.039 --> 00:08:32.960 So Isaiah is saying we have this soul-level hunger. 00:08:33.080 --> 00:08:33.759 This soul hunger. 00:08:33.860 --> 00:08:34.620 He says in verse 2, 00:08:34.939 --> 00:08:37.240 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, 00:08:37.419 --> 00:08:39.840 and your labor for that which does not satisfy? 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:42.700 And what he's saying here is that our lives, whether we know it or not, 00:08:43.180 --> 00:08:48.460 are basically spent in constant lookout for things that will satisfy our soul hunger. 00:08:49.620 --> 00:08:54.420 So whether we're buying stuff, you know, this time of year, that kicks into overdrive. 00:08:55.700 --> 00:09:00.960 You know, whether we're buying stuff, or whether we're looking for it in our jobs, 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:04.100 or doing things that make us feel important, 00:09:04.100 --> 00:09:07.220 or whether we're looking to our relationships, 00:09:07.220 --> 00:09:09.740 we're driven to satisfy this soul hunger. 00:09:10.200 --> 00:09:14.060 You know, this is what C.S. Lewis called that inconsolable longing. 00:09:16.180 --> 00:09:18.740 I've always been haunted by that phrase. 00:09:19.840 --> 00:09:21.659 That inconsolable longing. 00:09:22.519 --> 00:09:25.000 It's inconsolable because even the best things in this life, 00:09:25.300 --> 00:09:26.480 even the best things, 00:09:26.860 --> 00:09:29.759 even the best things can't satisfy it. 00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:30.460 You're friends. 00:09:31.659 --> 00:09:32.980 Even the best friendships. 00:09:34.759 --> 00:09:35.600 You know, some of you are lonely, 00:09:35.720 --> 00:09:37.700 and you think, if I could just make a few friends, 00:09:37.759 --> 00:09:38.439 and don't get me wrong, 00:09:38.659 --> 00:09:40.659 we all need good, deep friendships. 00:09:40.899 --> 00:09:41.220 Absolutely. 00:09:42.319 --> 00:09:43.379 But that's not enough. 00:09:45.200 --> 00:09:46.980 You know, you think, well, maybe this, 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:48.879 maybe I'm lacking a sense of purpose and meaning, 00:09:48.960 --> 00:09:51.139 and so you find something to really devote yourself to. 00:09:51.299 --> 00:09:52.539 A lot of causes in D.C. 00:09:52.779 --> 00:09:55.000 Different cause, different nonprofit on every corner, right? 00:09:56.200 --> 00:09:58.200 You devote yourself fully to that, it's not enough. 00:09:58.200 --> 00:09:59.960 And you think, well, maybe if I get married, 00:10:00.100 --> 00:10:02.879 maybe just having somebody to share my life with, 00:10:02.920 --> 00:10:03.879 that's really going to do it. 00:10:05.700 --> 00:10:06.680 And don't get me wrong. 00:10:08.460 --> 00:10:11.560 I have a great marriage, like many of you. 00:10:12.700 --> 00:10:14.660 But Laura and I will both readily admit 00:10:14.660 --> 00:10:16.920 that we're not enough for one another. 00:10:18.460 --> 00:10:20.400 You look to your spouse to be that for you, 00:10:20.440 --> 00:10:22.500 to be everything, you'll crush your spouse 00:10:22.500 --> 00:10:24.720 under the weight of expectations 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:25.879 they're not designed to bear. 00:10:26.780 --> 00:10:28.000 We're not enough for one another. 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:29.460 You think, well, maybe we'll have kids, 00:10:30.200 --> 00:10:31.039 and that'll do it. 00:10:31.080 --> 00:10:32.980 And again, kids are amazing. 00:10:33.779 --> 00:10:35.000 For those of you called to have children, 00:10:35.100 --> 00:10:37.220 I encourage you to do it, but not enough. 00:10:40.059 --> 00:10:43.600 So we search and search and search. 00:10:43.679 --> 00:10:45.340 This is what Augustine meant when he said, 00:10:45.759 --> 00:10:47.279 oh God, you've made us for yourself, 00:10:47.379 --> 00:10:48.360 and our hearts are restless 00:10:48.360 --> 00:10:50.919 until they find their rest in you. 00:10:51.080 --> 00:10:51.759 Restless hearts. 00:10:51.840 --> 00:10:52.759 What do restless hearts do? 00:10:53.019 --> 00:10:56.539 Well, restless hearts drive us to eat too much. 00:10:56.539 --> 00:10:58.719 And to drink too much. 00:10:59.579 --> 00:11:01.639 To work too much. 00:11:02.480 --> 00:11:04.279 To spend too much. 00:11:04.879 --> 00:11:07.579 To leave perfectly good jobs thinking, 00:11:07.839 --> 00:11:09.719 that's the problem, if I could just get a better job. 00:11:10.360 --> 00:11:12.179 Or to have affairs. 00:11:13.000 --> 00:11:14.219 Or to end marriages. 00:11:14.220 --> 00:11:20.759 All of this is the drive of a restless heart. 00:11:22.019 --> 00:11:26.720 And the only thing that can satisfy our soul hunger is God. 00:11:26.779 --> 00:11:27.660 That's the point here. 00:11:27.659 --> 00:11:30.500 So what does God do? 00:11:33.699 --> 00:11:39.639 God calls to us through the dissatisfaction in our lives. 00:11:41.799 --> 00:11:43.539 Every time something falls short, 00:11:44.699 --> 00:11:47.839 every time something doesn't live up to the hype, 00:11:47.919 --> 00:11:49.519 or doesn't live up to the expectations, 00:11:50.019 --> 00:11:53.039 that can either simply be a source of profound disappointment, 00:11:53.039 --> 00:11:55.000 or if you listen, 00:11:56.379 --> 00:11:58.679 you hear God whispering in that, 00:12:00.059 --> 00:12:01.879 you weren't made for this. 00:12:02.959 --> 00:12:04.539 You're made for so much more. 00:12:05.059 --> 00:12:05.919 You're made for me. 00:12:07.360 --> 00:12:12.059 God whispers to us through our experiences of dissatisfaction, 00:12:12.240 --> 00:12:14.799 through our experiences of unmet longing. 00:12:15.000 --> 00:12:19.459 There is constantly the whisper of God in those experiences saying, 00:12:19.839 --> 00:12:20.639 come a little further. 00:12:20.639 --> 00:12:25.699 So that's why there's such urgency in verse 6, 00:12:25.799 --> 00:12:26.279 where he says, 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:28.379 seek the Lord while he may be found. 00:12:28.740 --> 00:12:30.460 Call upon him while he's near. 00:12:30.600 --> 00:12:32.240 He's saying, now's your chance. 00:12:32.819 --> 00:12:33.519 This is it. 00:12:34.460 --> 00:12:36.879 You know, in Jesus, the God who made you for himself, 00:12:37.139 --> 00:12:39.559 the one God who can satisfy you, 00:12:39.740 --> 00:12:40.879 has actually come near. 00:12:41.080 --> 00:12:42.620 And you know the amazing thing about that word? 00:12:42.679 --> 00:12:44.379 I didn't know that until a few days ago. 00:12:45.019 --> 00:12:47.720 But this word near actually doesn't just talk about proximity. 00:12:47.720 --> 00:12:51.279 Not just kind of like I'm standing near the drum set. 00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:53.980 This is actually a familial word. 00:12:54.759 --> 00:12:56.500 It's a word of relationship. 00:12:57.100 --> 00:12:58.940 In other words, it's a word that describes, 00:12:59.160 --> 00:13:01.139 when you're talking about your extended family, 00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:04.940 it's the word that you would use to describe your near relatives, 00:13:05.120 --> 00:13:07.279 the ones who are more intimately related to you, 00:13:07.279 --> 00:13:09.740 as opposed to the distant relatives. 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:12.279 So do you hear what he's saying here? 00:13:12.959 --> 00:13:15.919 He's saying now is the time when the unknowable, 00:13:16.120 --> 00:13:19.919 transcendent, otherworldly, beyond all human reckoning God, 00:13:20.059 --> 00:13:22.620 this other being, 00:13:23.559 --> 00:13:28.819 has drawn near in the sense that he's made it possible 00:13:28.819 --> 00:13:31.559 to know him like an intimate family member. 00:13:31.559 --> 00:13:34.039 It's possible now. 00:13:34.500 --> 00:13:35.839 But it won't be for always. 00:13:35.959 --> 00:13:37.059 And so he's saying, respond. 00:13:37.299 --> 00:13:38.159 He's calling you. 00:13:38.359 --> 00:13:39.359 So call back to him. 00:13:41.699 --> 00:13:43.159 So the point I want to make about this, 00:13:43.219 --> 00:13:44.279 we could go in several directions, 00:13:44.539 --> 00:13:45.459 but before we move on, 00:13:45.479 --> 00:13:46.779 I just want to make a point about this. 00:13:47.359 --> 00:13:51.159 Quite simply, the purpose of seeking is finding. 00:13:53.459 --> 00:13:55.039 Now, that may seem obvious. 00:13:55.039 --> 00:13:58.599 But the purpose of seeking is finding. 00:13:58.779 --> 00:14:00.819 I talk to a lot of people, some here, 00:14:01.159 --> 00:14:03.879 who really love the idea of perpetual seeking. 00:14:05.259 --> 00:14:07.099 You know, to be truly open-minded, 00:14:07.219 --> 00:14:08.099 to be truly humble, 00:14:08.219 --> 00:14:10.519 to be truly intellectual, 00:14:10.759 --> 00:14:12.139 to be truly authentic, 00:14:12.659 --> 00:14:14.419 you have to constantly be seeking. 00:14:15.399 --> 00:14:18.079 And if you're seeking, the world applauds you. 00:14:19.339 --> 00:14:20.559 But when you say, 00:14:21.339 --> 00:14:22.740 I think I found something. 00:14:22.740 --> 00:14:24.959 I think I found what I was looking for. 00:14:25.039 --> 00:14:26.679 People say, oh, you've sold out. 00:14:27.500 --> 00:14:28.740 Oh, you're so arrogant 00:14:28.740 --> 00:14:31.759 to possibly think that you could find. 00:14:32.120 --> 00:14:34.620 And, you know, I had a conversation this week, actually, 00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:37.099 where somebody said, you know, 00:14:37.219 --> 00:14:40.500 my focus really is on the experience of seeking. 00:14:40.699 --> 00:14:42.519 And I want to spend my whole life 00:14:42.519 --> 00:14:44.439 experiencing what it's like to seek. 00:14:45.419 --> 00:14:47.039 And, you know, that sounds great. 00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:49.699 But if someone came to you 00:14:49.699 --> 00:14:52.039 and they said, I'm dying of thirst. 00:14:52.699 --> 00:14:54.839 If I don't have something to drink, I'm going to die. 00:14:55.039 --> 00:14:57.279 Would you say to them, 00:14:57.339 --> 00:14:59.039 well, you know, it's really about the experience. 00:14:59.980 --> 00:15:03.759 It's really about enjoying this time of dying of thirst. 00:15:04.519 --> 00:15:06.319 And I'm not going to give you the water 00:15:06.319 --> 00:15:08.799 because I really think that you should recognize 00:15:08.799 --> 00:15:11.240 it's about the thirst and not about the water. 00:15:11.799 --> 00:15:12.899 That would be absurd. 00:15:13.879 --> 00:15:14.139 Right? 00:15:14.179 --> 00:15:15.219 As Chesterton said, 00:15:15.539 --> 00:15:16.980 thirst was made for water 00:15:16.980 --> 00:15:18.699 and inquiry was made for truth. 00:15:18.700 --> 00:15:21.180 The reason you have it 00:15:21.180 --> 00:15:23.500 is because you're made for something that you don't have. 00:15:25.060 --> 00:15:26.060 So Isaiah is saying, 00:15:26.200 --> 00:15:28.680 Jesus is the one who can quench that thirst. 00:15:29.200 --> 00:15:30.460 Come to him while he's here. 00:15:30.900 --> 00:15:32.240 So being a spiritual seeker 00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:35.820 begins with recognizing that God is calling to us. 00:15:36.160 --> 00:15:37.900 He's using the disappointments 00:15:37.900 --> 00:15:40.840 and unfulfilled longings of this life 00:15:40.840 --> 00:15:41.860 to call us to himself. 00:15:41.860 --> 00:15:44.180 That's the first thing. 00:15:44.440 --> 00:15:47.000 The second aspect of true spiritual seeking 00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:48.259 in light of Jesus is this. 00:15:48.539 --> 00:15:50.860 It means embracing God's thoughts and ways. 00:15:51.759 --> 00:15:53.379 Embracing God's thoughts and ways. 00:15:55.019 --> 00:15:56.300 So say that you're here 00:15:56.300 --> 00:15:58.700 and say that at some point in your life, 00:15:58.779 --> 00:15:59.399 if you're not a Christian, 00:15:59.519 --> 00:16:02.240 you become open to the idea that there is a God 00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:05.320 and that this God has made himself knowable 00:16:05.320 --> 00:16:07.019 in Jesus Christ. 00:16:07.120 --> 00:16:07.740 Well, what then? 00:16:09.039 --> 00:16:10.200 Here's what Isaiah says. 00:16:10.200 --> 00:16:12.440 Let the wicked forsake his way, 00:16:12.980 --> 00:16:14.660 the unrighteous man his thoughts. 00:16:14.780 --> 00:16:15.960 Let him return to the Lord 00:16:15.960 --> 00:16:18.140 that he may have compassion on him 00:16:18.140 --> 00:16:19.240 and to our God, 00:16:19.320 --> 00:16:20.540 for he will abundantly pardon. 00:16:22.060 --> 00:16:23.660 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 00:16:24.320 --> 00:16:25.740 neither are your ways my ways, 00:16:25.820 --> 00:16:26.620 declares the Lord. 00:16:26.700 --> 00:16:28.340 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 00:16:28.440 --> 00:16:30.580 so are my ways higher than your ways 00:16:30.580 --> 00:16:32.940 and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. 00:16:34.000 --> 00:16:36.720 You understand that Jesus said the very same thing 00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:38.220 only with fewer words. 00:16:38.220 --> 00:16:40.180 In Matthew chapter 4, verse 17, 00:16:40.379 --> 00:16:42.180 Jesus begins his public ministry 00:16:42.180 --> 00:16:45.220 and he begins traveling all over the region preaching. 00:16:46.420 --> 00:16:49.220 And it's probably many, many, many different sermons, 00:16:49.480 --> 00:16:52.540 but every sermon has the same main idea. 00:16:53.540 --> 00:16:55.500 You know, there's a joke that after a while, 00:16:55.600 --> 00:16:58.360 most preachers only have about 10 or 15 sermons 00:16:58.360 --> 00:17:01.740 and they just kind of repackage them in different ways. 00:17:01.740 --> 00:17:04.539 Jesus only had really one sermon. 00:17:05.539 --> 00:17:06.720 So I don't feel that bad. 00:17:09.319 --> 00:17:10.700 And his sermon was this, 00:17:10.819 --> 00:17:12.859 repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 00:17:14.140 --> 00:17:15.019 Repent for the kingdom. 00:17:15.140 --> 00:17:16.240 It's drawn near to you. 00:17:16.299 --> 00:17:17.660 It's possible to know God now. 00:17:19.160 --> 00:17:21.000 And the word repent means, in essence, 00:17:21.079 --> 00:17:21.859 what Isaiah is saying, 00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:23.700 turning from our thoughts and ways 00:17:23.700 --> 00:17:25.759 and embracing God's thoughts and ways. 00:17:25.759 --> 00:17:30.339 So listen, there's a place to ask all of our questions. 00:17:30.539 --> 00:17:32.779 No question is stupid, especially in this church. 00:17:33.920 --> 00:17:35.119 Questions are welcome. 00:17:35.559 --> 00:17:36.440 Doubt is welcome. 00:17:36.539 --> 00:17:37.940 You can't believe without doubt. 00:17:38.059 --> 00:17:39.160 Doubt is a part of belief. 00:17:40.500 --> 00:17:42.220 There's a time for every question. 00:17:42.359 --> 00:17:43.420 There's a time to explore. 00:17:43.539 --> 00:17:45.359 But at some point, Isaiah is saying, 00:17:45.619 --> 00:17:46.920 there needs to be a shift. 00:17:47.599 --> 00:17:49.339 There needs to be a change of posture. 00:17:49.799 --> 00:17:51.180 And you might think of it this way. 00:17:51.180 --> 00:17:53.080 There needs to be a shift at some point 00:17:53.080 --> 00:17:55.600 when we stop calling God into question 00:17:55.600 --> 00:17:59.039 and we begin to allow God to call us into question. 00:18:00.140 --> 00:18:00.580 Right? 00:18:00.640 --> 00:18:01.460 There needs to be a shift 00:18:01.460 --> 00:18:04.420 where we stop demanding God do what we want 00:18:04.420 --> 00:18:08.400 and we begin to ask what God wants of us. 00:18:09.640 --> 00:18:10.539 There needs to be a shift 00:18:10.539 --> 00:18:13.000 where we stop trying to have God on our terms 00:18:13.000 --> 00:18:18.320 and we begin to try to relate to God on his terms. 00:18:18.319 --> 00:18:22.720 For those of us who are here and we're spiritual seekers, 00:18:22.839 --> 00:18:24.079 one of the best ways to know, 00:18:24.339 --> 00:18:25.740 here's, you want a diagnostic? 00:18:26.839 --> 00:18:27.859 You want a litmus test? 00:18:28.779 --> 00:18:30.299 If you're seeking right now, 00:18:30.799 --> 00:18:33.720 whether you're an unbeliever or you're a Christian, 00:18:33.919 --> 00:18:36.879 but maybe you're not sure you believe anymore, 00:18:36.980 --> 00:18:39.099 maybe you're dry, maybe it's been a long time 00:18:39.099 --> 00:18:40.859 since you really felt in connection to God, 00:18:41.059 --> 00:18:43.299 here's how you know that you're moving closer 00:18:43.299 --> 00:18:45.200 to the real God in your seeking. 00:18:45.200 --> 00:18:49.400 It's because the closer you get to the true God, 00:18:50.100 --> 00:18:55.720 the more your estimation of yourself shrinks 00:18:55.720 --> 00:19:01.400 and the more your estimation of God increases. 00:19:02.539 --> 00:19:03.640 That's the litmus test. 00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:04.559 That's how you know. 00:19:07.400 --> 00:19:09.960 This is exactly what happens when you look at Jesus. 00:19:10.920 --> 00:19:13.340 You know, I think I'm compassionate, right? 00:19:13.339 --> 00:19:15.480 Because every now and then I'm able to muster up 00:19:15.480 --> 00:19:18.459 some genuine empathy for somebody other than myself. 00:19:19.480 --> 00:19:20.679 And then I look at Jesus. 00:19:21.480 --> 00:19:23.039 And I look at Jesus reaching out 00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:26.740 and wholly unnecessarily touching the leper when he heals him, 00:19:27.419 --> 00:19:29.839 violating every health and religious taboo, 00:19:31.319 --> 00:19:33.539 simply because he knows that man needed to be touched. 00:19:35.079 --> 00:19:36.859 Yeah, I think that I'm forgiving 00:19:36.859 --> 00:19:39.039 because every now and then I'm in the moment 00:19:39.039 --> 00:19:41.139 instead of exploding with defensive anger, 00:19:41.619 --> 00:19:46.460 I will say, you know, or self-righteous indignation, 00:19:47.420 --> 00:19:50.259 I'll say, you know what, I'm a sinner too and I forgive you. 00:19:50.839 --> 00:19:51.920 Every now and then I do that. 00:19:52.200 --> 00:19:55.159 Jesus prays for the people who nailed him to a cross 00:19:55.159 --> 00:19:56.720 while he's hanging there. 00:19:57.319 --> 00:19:58.519 Please, God, forgive them. 00:19:59.680 --> 00:20:02.639 You know, I think of myself as a pretty generous person 00:20:02.639 --> 00:20:05.359 because we have different things that we give our money to, 00:20:05.359 --> 00:20:06.619 especially this time of year. 00:20:07.939 --> 00:20:09.599 And then I see Jesus giving his life 00:20:09.599 --> 00:20:11.119 for people who hate him and mock him. 00:20:11.639 --> 00:20:13.859 And I think I haven't the first clue what generosity is. 00:20:14.099 --> 00:20:15.279 And the more you look at Jesus, 00:20:15.419 --> 00:20:17.359 the more your own estimation of yourself shrinks. 00:20:18.259 --> 00:20:20.500 It's painful, but it's so good. 00:20:20.639 --> 00:20:22.939 And the more your sense of God begins to expand. 00:20:23.199 --> 00:20:24.619 I can't believe God is that great. 00:20:24.799 --> 00:20:25.899 I can't believe he's that generous. 00:20:26.119 --> 00:20:27.219 I can't believe he's that loving. 00:20:27.919 --> 00:20:29.019 And the more this happens, 00:20:29.119 --> 00:20:31.000 the more the gospel begins to make sense. 00:20:31.859 --> 00:20:35.059 The gospel which says God's standards are so high 00:20:35.059 --> 00:20:37.740 that we can't possibly live lives that please him. 00:20:38.039 --> 00:20:39.639 And this is why Jesus came, 00:20:39.759 --> 00:20:41.659 to live the life we should have lived. 00:20:42.579 --> 00:20:45.359 For us, to die the death that we deserve to die 00:20:45.359 --> 00:20:46.500 because we didn't. 00:20:48.339 --> 00:20:50.099 And then to give us new life, 00:20:51.419 --> 00:20:52.539 reconciling us to God. 00:20:52.559 --> 00:20:53.759 That begins to make sense. 00:20:53.819 --> 00:20:56.740 It doesn't make sense when your view of yourself is like this 00:20:56.740 --> 00:20:58.259 and God is like this, 00:20:58.460 --> 00:21:01.480 fitting into your well-rounded life. 00:21:01.480 --> 00:21:04.360 But it does make sense when you realize 00:21:04.360 --> 00:21:05.259 that compared to God, 00:21:05.360 --> 00:21:06.720 we're very, very, very small. 00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:08.559 And he owes us nothing. 00:21:12.980 --> 00:21:15.279 So this is why Jesus said not, 00:21:16.019 --> 00:21:17.700 hey, I know the way, let me show you. 00:21:18.440 --> 00:21:19.720 But he said, I am the way. 00:21:21.079 --> 00:21:24.440 So repentance means turning from our own thoughts and ways 00:21:24.440 --> 00:21:29.640 and embracing Jesus as the way to know God. 00:21:30.539 --> 00:21:31.100 And as we come, 00:21:31.220 --> 00:21:32.279 and here's the funny thing, 00:21:32.420 --> 00:21:36.980 as the more we come to trust God over ourselves, 00:21:37.080 --> 00:21:37.920 the more we come to realize 00:21:37.920 --> 00:21:40.779 actually he is much more capable and competent than we are 00:21:40.779 --> 00:21:42.360 to know what a human life is, 00:21:43.360 --> 00:21:46.299 the easier it becomes to yield our lives to him, 00:21:46.380 --> 00:21:47.640 to allow him to take charge. 00:21:48.720 --> 00:21:51.100 But if your view of yourself is this big, 00:21:52.160 --> 00:21:52.980 never gonna happen. 00:21:54.440 --> 00:21:56.100 So spiritual seeking is, 00:21:56.440 --> 00:21:56.799 first of all, 00:21:56.860 --> 00:21:58.340 it's our response to God's call. 00:21:58.700 --> 00:21:59.299 Second of all, 00:21:59.500 --> 00:22:02.500 it's turning our own thoughts 00:22:02.500 --> 00:22:04.820 and turning from our own thoughts and ways 00:22:04.820 --> 00:22:07.240 and embracing God's thoughts and ways. 00:22:07.400 --> 00:22:08.380 And then thirdly, 00:22:09.400 --> 00:22:10.559 none of this is possible, 00:22:10.680 --> 00:22:11.360 none of the turning, 00:22:11.539 --> 00:22:12.279 none of the embracing, 00:22:12.519 --> 00:22:13.360 none of the responding, 00:22:13.519 --> 00:22:16.440 none of this is possible without God's word. 00:22:17.259 --> 00:22:18.940 It's not possible without God's word. 00:22:20.259 --> 00:22:22.580 We have to be able to trust God's word. 00:22:22.579 --> 00:22:27.220 But verses 10 and 11 are lovely 00:22:27.220 --> 00:22:31.819 because Isaiah is making this beautiful metaphor here. 00:22:31.859 --> 00:22:33.220 I don't know if we can pull it up on the screen, 00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:33.519 Diana, 00:22:33.639 --> 00:22:36.500 but Isaiah makes this beautiful metaphor 00:22:36.500 --> 00:22:39.019 where he compares God's word to the rain 00:22:39.019 --> 00:22:41.579 that falls from the heavens 00:22:41.579 --> 00:22:43.819 and waters the earth. 00:22:44.039 --> 00:22:45.019 And because rain, 00:22:45.139 --> 00:22:45.319 you know, 00:22:45.379 --> 00:22:46.759 in an agrarian society, 00:22:46.919 --> 00:22:48.179 rain was all important. 00:22:48.180 --> 00:22:50.620 You would pray for and hope for and wait for rain 00:22:50.620 --> 00:22:51.440 and when it came, 00:22:51.740 --> 00:22:52.900 the ground would drink it in 00:22:52.900 --> 00:22:54.200 and then your crops would grow 00:22:54.200 --> 00:22:55.420 and then you would flourish. 00:22:56.440 --> 00:22:57.539 And without the rain, 00:22:57.720 --> 00:22:58.660 no growth 00:22:58.660 --> 00:23:00.080 and you would perish. 00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:01.980 And so he's saying, 00:23:02.100 --> 00:23:03.160 just like that rain, 00:23:03.660 --> 00:23:04.900 so is the word of God 00:23:04.900 --> 00:23:06.180 when it comes into the human heart. 00:23:07.620 --> 00:23:08.640 And God says 00:23:08.640 --> 00:23:10.940 that he sends his word out into the world 00:23:10.940 --> 00:23:11.460 and that it accomplishes 00:23:12.200 --> 00:23:14.759 all that he purposes for it to accomplish. 00:23:14.880 --> 00:23:16.480 It never returns to him. 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:18.160 And the word never comes back and says, 00:23:18.440 --> 00:23:18.599 well, 00:23:18.640 --> 00:23:19.279 I really tried, 00:23:19.360 --> 00:23:20.599 but it just wasn't happening this time. 00:23:21.599 --> 00:23:22.680 The word goes out 00:23:22.680 --> 00:23:24.000 and it always comes back 00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:24.299 and says, 00:23:24.380 --> 00:23:25.059 mission complete. 00:23:26.480 --> 00:23:27.360 So seeking 00:23:27.360 --> 00:23:29.339 has to involve God's word. 00:23:29.420 --> 00:23:30.660 It has to involve the scripture. 00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:33.059 And I know, 00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:33.339 I mean, 00:23:33.360 --> 00:23:34.440 I've talked to a number of you 00:23:34.440 --> 00:23:34.940 who say, 00:23:35.039 --> 00:23:35.259 well, 00:23:35.339 --> 00:23:36.579 I believe in Jesus, 00:23:37.360 --> 00:23:38.960 but I'm not sure 00:23:38.960 --> 00:23:39.819 what I think about the Bible. 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:41.839 But my faith is primarily about Jesus 00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:42.720 and I follow Jesus, 00:23:42.860 --> 00:23:43.839 but I'm not really sure 00:23:43.839 --> 00:23:45.500 what I think about scripture. 00:23:45.500 --> 00:23:47.960 And if that speaks to you, 00:23:48.059 --> 00:23:49.180 if that's where you are, 00:23:49.279 --> 00:23:50.859 then I would actually encourage you 00:23:50.859 --> 00:23:51.819 to spend some time 00:23:51.819 --> 00:23:52.319 looking at 00:23:52.319 --> 00:23:53.359 how Jesus 00:23:53.359 --> 00:23:54.920 approaches scripture 00:23:54.920 --> 00:23:56.660 and what Jesus believed 00:23:56.660 --> 00:23:57.700 about scripture. 00:23:58.200 --> 00:23:59.299 If you follow him, 00:23:59.339 --> 00:24:00.000 I would encourage you 00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:00.579 to consider 00:24:00.579 --> 00:24:02.279 sharing his doctrine 00:24:02.279 --> 00:24:03.700 of scripture. 00:24:03.920 --> 00:24:04.079 I mean, 00:24:04.359 --> 00:24:05.599 Jesus himself 00:24:05.599 --> 00:24:06.859 referred to scripture 00:24:06.859 --> 00:24:08.039 as the word of God 00:24:08.039 --> 00:24:09.380 in places like Matthew 10 00:24:09.380 --> 00:24:10.099 and Mark 7 00:24:10.099 --> 00:24:10.859 and John 10. 00:24:11.119 --> 00:24:12.319 He's continually quoting 00:24:12.319 --> 00:24:13.220 from the Old Testament. 00:24:13.220 --> 00:24:15.660 Virtually everything 00:24:15.660 --> 00:24:16.440 Jesus does, 00:24:16.539 --> 00:24:16.980 he says, 00:24:17.259 --> 00:24:18.200 or the gospel writers 00:24:18.200 --> 00:24:18.539 tell us, 00:24:18.579 --> 00:24:19.100 he did this 00:24:19.100 --> 00:24:20.440 to fulfill this prophecy. 00:24:21.339 --> 00:24:21.980 Or when Jesus 00:24:21.980 --> 00:24:22.819 responds to people, 00:24:22.900 --> 00:24:23.720 he responds by quoting 00:24:23.720 --> 00:24:24.079 scripture. 00:24:24.839 --> 00:24:26.140 When Satan tempts him 00:24:26.140 --> 00:24:26.539 in the wilderness, 00:24:26.700 --> 00:24:27.880 he responds by quoting 00:24:27.880 --> 00:24:28.539 scripture. 00:24:29.880 --> 00:24:31.440 He's continually doing that. 00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:32.420 In Luke 24, 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:33.519 he actually sits down 00:24:33.519 --> 00:24:34.500 with some of his disciples 00:24:34.500 --> 00:24:35.700 and shows them 00:24:35.700 --> 00:24:36.660 how the scriptures 00:24:36.660 --> 00:24:37.880 are all about him 00:24:37.880 --> 00:24:38.880 and they all point to him. 00:24:38.880 --> 00:24:41.300 And in places 00:24:41.300 --> 00:24:42.480 like 2 Peter 3, 00:24:43.320 --> 00:24:45.260 we see that the writings 00:24:45.260 --> 00:24:45.980 of Paul 00:24:45.980 --> 00:24:46.820 and the New Testament 00:24:46.820 --> 00:24:48.400 writers were considered 00:24:48.400 --> 00:24:50.500 just as much scripture 00:24:50.500 --> 00:24:51.520 as the Old Testament 00:24:51.520 --> 00:24:51.980 writings, 00:24:52.100 --> 00:24:52.720 that they were treated 00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:53.460 with the same level 00:24:53.460 --> 00:24:54.000 of authority. 00:24:56.120 --> 00:24:56.960 So the thing is, 00:24:57.000 --> 00:24:58.000 we don't believe in Jesus 00:24:58.000 --> 00:24:58.840 because of the Bible, 00:24:58.940 --> 00:24:59.820 we believe in the Bible 00:24:59.820 --> 00:25:00.700 because of Jesus. 00:25:02.340 --> 00:25:03.340 So if you believe 00:25:03.340 --> 00:25:03.860 in Jesus, 00:25:04.020 --> 00:25:04.760 should you not have 00:25:04.760 --> 00:25:05.460 the same doctrine 00:25:05.460 --> 00:25:05.900 of scripture 00:25:05.900 --> 00:25:07.100 that he does? 00:25:07.099 --> 00:25:08.159 You know, 00:25:08.199 --> 00:25:08.719 and I would say 00:25:08.719 --> 00:25:09.299 to those of you 00:25:09.299 --> 00:25:09.980 who do, 00:25:10.119 --> 00:25:10.480 who say, 00:25:10.579 --> 00:25:10.679 yeah, 00:25:10.719 --> 00:25:11.339 I believe this, 00:25:11.439 --> 00:25:12.740 but I find reading 00:25:12.740 --> 00:25:13.779 the Bible really hard, 00:25:13.879 --> 00:25:14.959 it's really challenging 00:25:14.959 --> 00:25:15.740 and often I don't 00:25:15.740 --> 00:25:16.299 understand it, 00:25:16.319 --> 00:25:16.819 I would say, 00:25:17.419 --> 00:25:17.819 right, 00:25:18.500 --> 00:25:19.159 it is. 00:25:19.199 --> 00:25:19.779 You're not dealing 00:25:19.779 --> 00:25:20.779 with a book 00:25:20.779 --> 00:25:22.219 from the Christian 00:25:22.219 --> 00:25:23.339 inspiration section 00:25:23.339 --> 00:25:25.879 written over the course 00:25:25.879 --> 00:25:26.379 of a weekend 00:25:26.379 --> 00:25:27.299 with a lot of caffeine. 00:25:29.799 --> 00:25:30.459 You're dealing 00:25:30.459 --> 00:25:31.399 with what is more 00:25:31.399 --> 00:25:32.259 like a library 00:25:32.259 --> 00:25:34.000 that spans 00:25:34.000 --> 00:25:35.259 thousands of years 00:25:35.259 --> 00:25:37.359 years. 00:25:37.359 --> 00:25:38.019 The best way 00:25:38.019 --> 00:25:38.299 I've, 00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:40.379 the best way 00:25:40.379 --> 00:25:40.819 I think 00:25:40.819 --> 00:25:41.559 to begin 00:25:41.559 --> 00:25:41.940 to learn 00:25:41.940 --> 00:25:42.339 how to read 00:25:42.339 --> 00:25:42.720 the Bible 00:25:42.720 --> 00:25:43.519 is to ask 00:25:43.519 --> 00:25:44.000 somebody 00:25:44.000 --> 00:25:44.640 who's a mature 00:25:44.640 --> 00:25:45.079 Christian 00:25:45.079 --> 00:25:46.460 who's been 00:25:46.460 --> 00:25:46.980 doing this 00:25:46.980 --> 00:25:47.619 in their life. 00:25:48.440 --> 00:25:49.279 You gotta begin 00:25:49.279 --> 00:25:49.720 to learn 00:25:49.720 --> 00:25:50.519 what different 00:25:50.519 --> 00:25:50.980 genres 00:25:50.980 --> 00:25:52.200 are represented 00:25:52.200 --> 00:25:52.879 and how our 00:25:52.879 --> 00:25:53.359 interpretation 00:25:53.359 --> 00:25:54.119 is affected 00:25:54.119 --> 00:25:54.879 by the genre. 00:25:55.319 --> 00:25:56.019 You have to learn 00:25:56.019 --> 00:25:57.440 things like context, 00:25:58.099 --> 00:25:58.819 who wrote it, 00:25:58.900 --> 00:25:59.200 who were they 00:25:59.200 --> 00:25:59.779 writing to, 00:26:00.339 --> 00:26:00.900 what was the 00:26:00.900 --> 00:26:01.740 cultural climate 00:26:01.740 --> 00:26:02.660 in which they 00:26:02.660 --> 00:26:03.079 were writing. 00:26:03.079 --> 00:26:05.139 you need 00:26:05.139 --> 00:26:05.419 to learn 00:26:05.419 --> 00:26:05.899 how to use 00:26:05.899 --> 00:26:06.839 tools and resources 00:26:06.839 --> 00:26:07.899 like commentaries. 00:26:10.359 --> 00:26:11.399 It takes time, 00:26:11.480 --> 00:26:12.159 it takes effort, 00:26:13.000 --> 00:26:13.480 but that's 00:26:13.480 --> 00:26:14.079 because the goal 00:26:14.079 --> 00:26:14.500 isn't just 00:26:14.500 --> 00:26:15.159 to read it 00:26:15.159 --> 00:26:16.559 or to memorize it. 00:26:17.559 --> 00:26:18.439 I met somebody 00:26:18.439 --> 00:26:18.839 recently 00:26:18.839 --> 00:26:19.779 who went on 00:26:19.779 --> 00:26:20.019 and on 00:26:20.019 --> 00:26:20.480 about how much 00:26:20.480 --> 00:26:20.759 scripture 00:26:20.759 --> 00:26:21.319 they had memorized, 00:26:21.519 --> 00:26:22.139 but I don't think 00:26:22.139 --> 00:26:22.919 it was clear 00:26:22.919 --> 00:26:23.659 that they understood 00:26:23.659 --> 00:26:24.359 any of it. 00:26:27.559 --> 00:26:28.480 All of this, 00:26:29.619 --> 00:26:29.879 well, 00:26:30.019 --> 00:26:30.960 the best description 00:26:30.960 --> 00:26:31.599 I've ever seen 00:26:31.599 --> 00:26:32.399 of how we engage 00:26:32.400 --> 00:26:33.840 scripture actually 00:26:33.840 --> 00:26:34.400 comes from 00:26:34.400 --> 00:26:35.040 the prayer book. 00:26:35.200 --> 00:26:35.860 It comes from 00:26:35.860 --> 00:26:36.940 a prayer that 00:26:36.940 --> 00:26:37.840 Thomas Cranmer 00:26:37.840 --> 00:26:38.900 wrote back in 00:26:38.900 --> 00:26:39.660 the 1500s. 00:26:39.700 --> 00:26:40.320 We actually prayed 00:26:40.320 --> 00:26:40.860 it a few weeks 00:26:40.860 --> 00:26:41.560 ago in the service. 00:26:41.940 --> 00:26:42.780 It starts this way, 00:26:42.840 --> 00:26:43.100 it says, 00:26:43.480 --> 00:26:44.140 blessed Lord 00:26:44.140 --> 00:26:45.019 who caused 00:26:45.019 --> 00:26:45.960 all holy scriptures 00:26:45.960 --> 00:26:46.580 to be written 00:26:46.580 --> 00:26:47.380 for our learning, 00:26:48.000 --> 00:26:48.759 grant us so 00:26:48.759 --> 00:26:49.660 to hear them, 00:26:50.160 --> 00:26:50.620 read, 00:26:51.120 --> 00:26:51.460 mark, 00:26:51.980 --> 00:26:52.340 learn, 00:26:52.500 --> 00:26:53.360 and inwardly 00:26:53.360 --> 00:26:53.980 digest them. 00:26:54.780 --> 00:26:55.600 Isn't that fantastic? 00:26:56.400 --> 00:26:56.840 Read, 00:26:57.040 --> 00:26:57.220 mark, 00:26:57.380 --> 00:26:57.600 learn, 00:26:57.700 --> 00:26:58.320 and inwardly 00:26:58.320 --> 00:26:58.640 digest. 00:26:59.000 --> 00:26:59.480 That's how 00:26:59.480 --> 00:26:59.820 we're called 00:26:59.820 --> 00:27:00.240 to interact 00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:00.680 with scripture. 00:27:00.680 --> 00:27:01.860 That's how 00:27:01.860 --> 00:27:02.920 scripture becomes 00:27:02.920 --> 00:27:03.680 like the rain 00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:04.360 that nourishes 00:27:04.360 --> 00:27:04.940 the growth 00:27:04.940 --> 00:27:06.000 in our hearts. 00:27:07.279 --> 00:27:08.299 But all of this 00:27:08.299 --> 00:27:09.019 has to be grounded 00:27:09.019 --> 00:27:09.840 in a fundamental 00:27:09.840 --> 00:27:11.019 trust and openness 00:27:11.019 --> 00:27:11.960 to God's word 00:27:11.960 --> 00:27:12.920 doing God's work 00:27:12.920 --> 00:27:13.620 in your life. 00:27:13.660 --> 00:27:14.039 If you're not 00:27:14.039 --> 00:27:14.620 open to that, 00:27:14.660 --> 00:27:15.080 it's not going 00:27:15.080 --> 00:27:15.420 to happen. 00:27:16.740 --> 00:27:17.740 So seeking the Lord 00:27:17.740 --> 00:27:19.220 means what? 00:27:19.279 --> 00:27:19.920 It means three things. 00:27:19.980 --> 00:27:21.100 It means responding 00:27:21.100 --> 00:27:21.940 to God's call. 00:27:22.360 --> 00:27:23.259 It means turning 00:27:23.259 --> 00:27:24.000 from our thoughts 00:27:24.000 --> 00:27:24.460 and ways 00:27:24.460 --> 00:27:25.160 and embracing 00:27:25.160 --> 00:27:25.900 God's thoughts 00:27:25.900 --> 00:27:26.460 and ways. 00:27:27.960 --> 00:27:28.299 Thirdly, 00:27:28.299 --> 00:27:29.059 it means trusting 00:27:29.059 --> 00:27:29.819 God's work 00:27:29.819 --> 00:27:30.799 to do God's 00:27:30.799 --> 00:27:32.200 word to do 00:27:32.200 --> 00:27:32.720 God's work 00:27:32.720 --> 00:27:33.539 in your life. 00:27:34.480 --> 00:27:35.119 Approaching it 00:27:35.119 --> 00:27:35.639 and saying, 00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:36.480 I want you 00:27:36.480 --> 00:27:37.139 to change me. 00:27:37.200 --> 00:27:37.519 I want you 00:27:37.519 --> 00:27:38.019 to speak 00:27:38.019 --> 00:27:38.960 into my life. 00:27:39.059 --> 00:27:39.500 I want you 00:27:39.500 --> 00:27:40.200 to call me 00:27:40.200 --> 00:27:40.799 into question. 00:27:41.579 --> 00:27:42.059 I want you 00:27:42.059 --> 00:27:42.980 to illuminate 00:27:42.980 --> 00:27:43.919 ways that I need 00:27:43.919 --> 00:27:44.480 to experience 00:27:44.480 --> 00:27:45.000 your grace. 00:27:45.099 --> 00:27:45.659 Putting yourself 00:27:45.659 --> 00:27:46.879 under the word. 00:27:48.419 --> 00:27:49.539 Living under it. 00:27:50.619 --> 00:27:51.299 Taking it off 00:27:51.299 --> 00:27:52.299 the dissection table. 00:27:54.480 --> 00:27:55.500 And then lastly, 00:27:55.500 --> 00:27:56.680 all of this 00:27:56.680 --> 00:27:57.740 points us 00:27:57.740 --> 00:27:58.180 to the hope 00:27:58.180 --> 00:27:58.799 that we have 00:27:58.799 --> 00:28:00.279 in God's renewal. 00:28:00.420 --> 00:28:01.559 This is Christian hope. 00:28:03.140 --> 00:28:04.339 Hoping for God's renewal. 00:28:04.640 --> 00:28:05.299 The first time 00:28:05.299 --> 00:28:06.019 Jesus came, 00:28:07.019 --> 00:28:08.000 it was Christmas, 00:28:08.119 --> 00:28:08.279 right? 00:28:08.299 --> 00:28:08.960 The first Christmas. 00:28:09.819 --> 00:28:10.839 Total obscurity. 00:28:11.579 --> 00:28:12.400 We've heard the story 00:28:12.400 --> 00:28:13.220 every year, right? 00:28:13.680 --> 00:28:14.160 Manger, 00:28:14.519 --> 00:28:14.700 you know, 00:28:14.740 --> 00:28:15.200 stable, 00:28:15.619 --> 00:28:16.559 backwater part 00:28:16.559 --> 00:28:17.680 of the world. 00:28:19.240 --> 00:28:20.400 The second time 00:28:20.400 --> 00:28:21.180 Jesus comes, 00:28:21.900 --> 00:28:23.460 the second time 00:28:23.460 --> 00:28:24.099 Jesus comes, 00:28:24.220 --> 00:28:24.539 there will be 00:28:24.539 --> 00:28:25.460 no mistaking it. 00:28:26.299 --> 00:28:27.079 The Bible says 00:28:27.079 --> 00:28:28.039 the entire world 00:28:28.039 --> 00:28:29.039 will, like that, 00:28:30.799 --> 00:28:31.339 recognize 00:28:31.339 --> 00:28:32.779 that the King 00:28:32.779 --> 00:28:33.279 has come. 00:28:34.420 --> 00:28:34.900 And Isaiah 00:28:34.900 --> 00:28:35.480 gives us 00:28:35.480 --> 00:28:36.099 this brief 00:28:36.099 --> 00:28:36.900 but staggering 00:28:36.900 --> 00:28:37.500 image 00:28:37.500 --> 00:28:38.319 that the very 00:28:38.319 --> 00:28:38.940 mountains, 00:28:39.180 --> 00:28:40.119 the very mountains 00:28:40.119 --> 00:28:40.859 will break out 00:28:40.859 --> 00:28:41.299 and sing. 00:28:42.140 --> 00:28:43.359 The very trees 00:28:43.359 --> 00:28:44.660 will clap their hands 00:28:44.660 --> 00:28:45.720 with joy. 00:28:46.660 --> 00:28:47.839 That the entire world, 00:28:47.940 --> 00:28:48.819 that creation itself, 00:28:48.920 --> 00:28:49.519 the stones 00:28:49.519 --> 00:28:50.299 and the rocks, 00:28:51.099 --> 00:28:51.819 in another place 00:28:51.819 --> 00:28:52.880 we heard quoted earlier, 00:28:53.220 --> 00:28:53.859 Isaiah says 00:28:53.859 --> 00:28:54.619 that the valleys 00:28:54.619 --> 00:28:55.440 will be lifted up, 00:28:55.440 --> 00:28:56.019 the mountains 00:28:56.019 --> 00:28:56.960 will be brought low. 00:28:58.720 --> 00:28:59.000 Right? 00:28:59.120 --> 00:29:00.400 So in the ancient Near East 00:29:00.400 --> 00:29:01.420 when a king would come, 00:29:01.480 --> 00:29:02.240 they would go ahead 00:29:02.240 --> 00:29:02.680 of the king 00:29:02.680 --> 00:29:03.580 and they would prepare 00:29:03.580 --> 00:29:04.880 a road so that the king 00:29:04.880 --> 00:29:06.200 could travel safely 00:29:06.200 --> 00:29:07.259 from place to place 00:29:07.259 --> 00:29:08.140 when the king would go 00:29:08.140 --> 00:29:09.100 to see his people 00:29:09.100 --> 00:29:10.360 and to announce his kingship. 00:29:11.400 --> 00:29:11.820 Right? 00:29:11.880 --> 00:29:12.420 Well, this is saying 00:29:12.420 --> 00:29:13.500 the very creation 00:29:13.500 --> 00:29:14.180 will do that. 00:29:14.240 --> 00:29:15.799 The valleys will rise up 00:29:15.799 --> 00:29:16.559 to meet him. 00:29:16.820 --> 00:29:17.620 The mountains 00:29:17.620 --> 00:29:18.580 will bow low 00:29:18.580 --> 00:29:19.340 before him. 00:29:19.339 --> 00:29:20.220 all of creation 00:29:20.220 --> 00:29:21.699 will be united, 00:29:22.699 --> 00:29:24.220 turned in praise 00:29:24.220 --> 00:29:25.879 of her king. 00:29:30.299 --> 00:29:31.319 And the reason 00:29:31.319 --> 00:29:32.279 for such rejoicing 00:29:32.279 --> 00:29:32.759 is this. 00:29:32.819 --> 00:29:33.179 It's because 00:29:33.179 --> 00:29:34.480 when that king comes, 00:29:35.619 --> 00:29:36.599 he comes to heal 00:29:36.599 --> 00:29:37.119 the world. 00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:38.879 He comes to heal 00:29:38.879 --> 00:29:39.679 what's been broken. 00:29:40.419 --> 00:29:41.079 Isaiah says, 00:29:41.079 --> 00:29:42.240 instead of thorns, 00:29:42.740 --> 00:29:43.619 cypress trees. 00:29:43.619 --> 00:29:46.199 Instead of briars, 00:29:47.019 --> 00:29:47.879 myrtles will bloom. 00:29:49.339 --> 00:29:50.239 What's he saying? 00:29:50.419 --> 00:29:51.219 No more curse. 00:29:52.359 --> 00:29:53.139 No more thorns 00:29:53.139 --> 00:29:53.619 and thistles. 00:29:55.119 --> 00:29:56.259 Instead of sadness, 00:29:56.439 --> 00:29:57.419 there will be celebration. 00:29:58.239 --> 00:29:59.079 Instead of weeping, 00:29:59.159 --> 00:29:59.919 as we sang earlier, 00:30:00.039 --> 00:30:00.759 there will be joy. 00:30:02.339 --> 00:30:03.319 Instead of death, 00:30:03.419 --> 00:30:03.959 there will be life. 00:30:04.019 --> 00:30:04.179 You know, 00:30:04.219 --> 00:30:04.819 we live in a world 00:30:04.819 --> 00:30:05.519 where death is one 00:30:05.519 --> 00:30:06.059 of the only things 00:30:06.059 --> 00:30:06.739 you can count on. 00:30:06.779 --> 00:30:07.199 They say, 00:30:07.439 --> 00:30:08.379 no matter how healthy 00:30:08.379 --> 00:30:08.819 you are, 00:30:08.899 --> 00:30:09.859 no matter how well 00:30:09.859 --> 00:30:10.259 you eat, 00:30:10.339 --> 00:30:11.359 no matter how much 00:30:11.359 --> 00:30:12.219 you exercise, 00:30:12.439 --> 00:30:13.119 no matter how careful 00:30:13.119 --> 00:30:13.639 you are, 00:30:13.879 --> 00:30:14.679 at some point 00:30:14.679 --> 00:30:16.039 you will die 00:30:16.039 --> 00:30:17.739 because in this world, 00:30:18.579 --> 00:30:19.439 at some point, 00:30:19.559 --> 00:30:21.619 life always gives way 00:30:21.619 --> 00:30:22.659 to death 00:30:22.659 --> 00:30:23.919 and this is saying, 00:30:24.359 --> 00:30:24.659 no, 00:30:25.179 --> 00:30:26.459 Jesus reverses that. 00:30:26.919 --> 00:30:27.879 When Jesus comes, 00:30:27.979 --> 00:30:29.000 that will all change 00:30:29.000 --> 00:30:30.119 and all death 00:30:30.119 --> 00:30:31.579 will give way to life 00:30:31.579 --> 00:30:33.399 and life will be 00:30:33.399 --> 00:30:34.099 the final word. 00:30:35.599 --> 00:30:37.099 So this is the Christian hope. 00:30:37.199 --> 00:30:38.099 This is the hope 00:30:38.099 --> 00:30:40.699 shared by those people 00:30:40.699 --> 00:30:41.119 who 00:30:41.119 --> 00:30:44.699 respond to Isaiah's call, 00:30:45.079 --> 00:30:46.500 respond to God's invitation 00:30:46.500 --> 00:30:48.519 to come, 00:30:49.459 --> 00:30:50.199 to seek, 00:30:50.679 --> 00:30:51.739 and to find. 00:30:52.839 --> 00:30:53.879 And you'll find 00:30:53.879 --> 00:30:54.399 that Christians 00:30:54.399 --> 00:30:55.619 who have this hope, 00:30:56.019 --> 00:30:57.399 what they themselves find 00:30:57.399 --> 00:30:58.479 is that they become 00:30:58.479 --> 00:30:59.699 incredibly resilient 00:30:59.699 --> 00:31:01.579 in the face 00:31:01.579 --> 00:31:02.619 of whatever comes. 00:31:03.099 --> 00:31:03.559 They become 00:31:03.559 --> 00:31:04.459 incredibly resilient 00:31:04.459 --> 00:31:05.619 both in the best of times 00:31:05.619 --> 00:31:06.599 and the worst of times. 00:31:07.159 --> 00:31:08.039 Because Christians 00:31:08.039 --> 00:31:09.000 who have this hope, 00:31:09.000 --> 00:31:10.380 of this vision 00:31:10.380 --> 00:31:11.059 for their future 00:31:11.059 --> 00:31:12.440 who know that it's secure, 00:31:13.380 --> 00:31:15.079 no matter how good things get, 00:31:15.160 --> 00:31:16.480 they're never taken away by it. 00:31:17.539 --> 00:31:17.799 You know, 00:31:17.839 --> 00:31:19.299 they never get carried away. 00:31:20.279 --> 00:31:20.500 You know, 00:31:20.539 --> 00:31:21.359 one of the big problems 00:31:21.359 --> 00:31:21.859 a lot of people 00:31:21.859 --> 00:31:22.700 moving to this country 00:31:22.700 --> 00:31:23.339 is they thought 00:31:23.339 --> 00:31:24.640 that the founding 00:31:24.640 --> 00:31:25.440 of the new world, 00:31:25.559 --> 00:31:25.960 this country, 00:31:26.079 --> 00:31:27.000 was going to become 00:31:27.000 --> 00:31:28.400 the kind of realization 00:31:28.400 --> 00:31:29.960 of all of these visions 00:31:29.960 --> 00:31:31.599 of what God 00:31:31.599 --> 00:31:32.039 was going to do 00:31:32.039 --> 00:31:32.460 in the world. 00:31:32.579 --> 00:31:33.200 This is God's 00:31:33.200 --> 00:31:34.319 kind of promised land. 00:31:35.579 --> 00:31:36.180 But Christians 00:31:36.180 --> 00:31:36.740 who understand 00:31:36.740 --> 00:31:37.660 this promise in Isaiah 00:31:37.660 --> 00:31:38.200 recognize, 00:31:38.500 --> 00:31:39.100 no, no, no, no. 00:31:39.340 --> 00:31:40.720 That falls well short. 00:31:42.880 --> 00:31:43.700 Because the trees 00:31:43.700 --> 00:31:44.300 aren't clapping, 00:31:44.440 --> 00:31:45.440 the mountains aren't singing. 00:31:47.660 --> 00:31:48.259 We're waiting 00:31:48.259 --> 00:31:49.400 for something far greater. 00:31:50.080 --> 00:31:51.400 So you never get carried away 00:31:51.400 --> 00:31:51.800 when you have 00:31:51.800 --> 00:31:52.400 this kind of hope. 00:31:52.460 --> 00:31:53.060 You can enjoy 00:31:53.060 --> 00:31:54.100 the goodness of this life, 00:31:54.220 --> 00:31:54.960 but you never get 00:31:54.960 --> 00:31:56.040 swept away by it. 00:31:56.680 --> 00:31:57.500 You never get 00:31:57.500 --> 00:31:58.600 unrooted by it. 00:32:00.060 --> 00:32:00.460 Likewise, 00:32:00.720 --> 00:32:01.300 when you share 00:32:01.300 --> 00:32:02.100 this kind of hope, 00:32:02.400 --> 00:32:02.860 when you know 00:32:02.860 --> 00:32:03.340 that your future 00:32:03.340 --> 00:32:03.759 is secure, 00:32:03.820 --> 00:32:04.560 no matter how bad 00:32:04.560 --> 00:32:05.019 things get, 00:32:05.060 --> 00:32:05.740 no matter how dismal 00:32:05.740 --> 00:32:06.120 they get, 00:32:06.320 --> 00:32:07.320 no matter how many tears 00:32:07.319 --> 00:32:07.879 you're shedding. 00:32:09.779 --> 00:32:10.939 You're never crushed. 00:32:12.839 --> 00:32:14.559 You're never totally undone. 00:32:16.079 --> 00:32:16.839 Because you know 00:32:16.839 --> 00:32:17.159 that no matter 00:32:17.159 --> 00:32:18.159 how bad things get, 00:32:18.240 --> 00:32:18.819 we do know 00:32:18.819 --> 00:32:19.960 how the story ends. 00:32:21.179 --> 00:32:21.899 So Christians 00:32:21.899 --> 00:32:22.659 who have this hope 00:32:22.659 --> 00:32:23.899 are incredibly resilient. 00:32:25.220 --> 00:32:26.059 So the invitation 00:32:26.059 --> 00:32:26.960 from Isaiah is this. 00:32:27.000 --> 00:32:28.000 Do you want a hope 00:32:28.000 --> 00:32:29.799 like this 00:32:29.799 --> 00:32:31.439 in your life? 00:32:31.480 --> 00:32:32.139 Here's the deal. 00:32:32.140 --> 00:32:33.980 I know that there 00:32:33.980 --> 00:32:34.800 are some of you here 00:32:34.800 --> 00:32:37.460 who have been 00:32:37.460 --> 00:32:39.160 feeling this stirring, 00:32:39.340 --> 00:32:40.640 who know that 00:32:40.640 --> 00:32:42.100 there's something 00:32:42.100 --> 00:32:42.720 out there. 00:32:43.000 --> 00:32:43.600 You're not sure 00:32:43.600 --> 00:32:44.040 what it is. 00:32:44.120 --> 00:32:44.560 Maybe you're not 00:32:44.560 --> 00:32:45.520 convinced of any of this, 00:32:45.700 --> 00:32:46.540 but there's something 00:32:46.540 --> 00:32:47.980 tugging at the edges 00:32:47.980 --> 00:32:48.720 of your heart. 00:32:49.860 --> 00:32:50.580 And you're here 00:32:50.580 --> 00:32:51.360 and you're wondering. 00:32:53.759 --> 00:32:54.880 You know who you are. 00:32:54.880 --> 00:32:55.940 I would encourage you, 00:32:56.620 --> 00:32:57.500 I would encourage you 00:32:57.500 --> 00:32:58.360 to open yourself, 00:32:58.940 --> 00:33:00.040 to ask God 00:33:00.040 --> 00:33:00.760 if that is you, 00:33:00.860 --> 00:33:01.420 if you're real, 00:33:01.500 --> 00:33:02.080 if you exist, 00:33:02.400 --> 00:33:03.560 make yourself known to me. 00:33:03.800 --> 00:33:05.000 Please reveal yourself to me. 00:33:05.800 --> 00:33:06.760 The God who invites you 00:33:06.760 --> 00:33:07.260 to come to him 00:33:07.260 --> 00:33:08.440 will answer that prayer. 00:33:10.040 --> 00:33:10.840 And that means 00:33:10.840 --> 00:33:12.340 responding to God's call, 00:33:12.500 --> 00:33:13.120 opening ourselves 00:33:13.120 --> 00:33:13.620 to Jesus. 00:33:13.820 --> 00:33:15.080 It means embracing 00:33:15.080 --> 00:33:16.660 God's thoughts and ways, 00:33:17.400 --> 00:33:18.020 looking at Jesus 00:33:18.020 --> 00:33:18.620 on the cross, 00:33:18.820 --> 00:33:20.140 recognizing that 00:33:20.140 --> 00:33:21.160 that is God's way 00:33:21.160 --> 00:33:22.280 of salvation, 00:33:22.279 --> 00:33:22.819 and lastly, 00:33:22.940 --> 00:33:23.879 trusting God's word, 00:33:24.599 --> 00:33:25.819 letting it be like rain 00:33:25.819 --> 00:33:26.799 to your thirsty soul. 00:33:27.819 --> 00:33:28.440 Let's pray. 00:33:30.779 --> 00:33:31.460 Our Father, 00:33:31.519 --> 00:33:33.359 we do recognize 00:33:33.359 --> 00:33:34.680 that all of us 00:33:34.680 --> 00:33:36.240 need to hear this 00:33:36.240 --> 00:33:37.259 because all of us, 00:33:37.559 --> 00:33:38.460 whether we know it or not, 00:33:38.539 --> 00:33:39.480 whether we admit it or not, 00:33:39.599 --> 00:33:40.839 are longing for you, 00:33:41.940 --> 00:33:43.119 longing to know 00:33:43.119 --> 00:33:45.660 our Father, 00:33:46.420 --> 00:33:47.139 longing to know 00:33:47.139 --> 00:33:47.619 the God 00:33:47.619 --> 00:33:48.579 for whom we were made. 00:33:49.660 --> 00:33:50.059 Lord, 00:33:50.119 --> 00:33:51.039 in our restlessness 00:33:51.039 --> 00:33:52.039 and in even 00:33:52.039 --> 00:33:53.599 the bitter disappointments 00:33:53.599 --> 00:33:54.079 of life, 00:33:54.579 --> 00:33:55.480 we pray that you would 00:33:55.480 --> 00:33:56.299 speak to us 00:33:56.299 --> 00:33:57.259 and remind us 00:33:57.259 --> 00:33:58.379 of the promise 00:33:58.379 --> 00:33:59.240 that we have in you 00:33:59.240 --> 00:33:59.740 and the hope 00:33:59.740 --> 00:34:00.240 that we share 00:34:00.240 --> 00:34:00.920 because of you, 00:34:01.759 --> 00:34:03.159 especially this Advent season 00:34:03.159 --> 00:34:03.680 as we wait 00:34:03.680 --> 00:34:04.279 for the coming 00:34:04.279 --> 00:34:05.879 of our Lord Jesus Christ 00:34:05.879 --> 00:34:06.899 in whose name we pray. 00:34:07.259 --> 00:34:07.559 Amen.