WEBVTT 00:00:00.840 --> 00:00:09.480 It's my pleasure to be preaching this morning. We're continuing right along in our sermon series through the seven letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation. 00:00:10.200 --> 00:00:15.880 We're looking at the anti-penultimate letter. I love that word, anti-penultimate. The third to last. It's a great word. 00:00:16.359 --> 00:00:20.140 The third to last church, the letter to the church in Sardis. 00:00:20.820 --> 00:00:25.320 And I want to begin this morning with a story that may or may not be based on a true story. 00:00:25.320 --> 00:00:32.820 It is a story about a mother who's struggling trying to get her son excited and motivated to go to church. 00:00:33.380 --> 00:00:41.359 So this mother goes into her son's bedroom, as she often does, and she's expecting him to be asleep and not motivated to go to church. 00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:47.280 And so she says his name. She calls his name and she says, son, wake up. It's time to go to church. 00:00:47.700 --> 00:00:51.299 And she can tell he's stirring, that he really is awake, but he's pretending to be asleep. 00:00:51.299 --> 00:00:58.019 So she leaves. A few minutes later, she comes back in and instead of just saying his name, she shakes him gently and says, son, it's time to wake up. 00:00:58.079 --> 00:01:03.000 It's time to go to church. And he opens his eyes, you know, when people are faking like they were asleep. 00:01:03.759 --> 00:01:07.620 And he says, look, mom, I'm just, I'm not going to go to church. 00:01:07.780 --> 00:01:11.200 In fact, I'm definitely not going to go to church this Sunday. 00:01:11.819 --> 00:01:14.959 And she says, well, can you tell me why not this time? 00:01:15.599 --> 00:01:17.939 And he says, okay, mom, I'll give you three reasons. 00:01:17.939 --> 00:01:22.140 One, church is boring. Two, the people there don't like me. 00:01:22.500 --> 00:01:23.819 And three, I don't like them. 00:01:24.899 --> 00:01:29.319 And his mother gently replied, well, I'll give you three reasons why you are going to church this Sunday. 00:01:29.799 --> 00:01:31.620 One, you're 49 years old. 00:01:32.840 --> 00:01:34.200 Two, you're the pastor. 00:01:34.840 --> 00:01:36.459 And three, you're preaching this morning. 00:01:38.439 --> 00:01:43.439 So I don't know if any of you can relate to this pastor who struggles getting motivated to go to church in the morning. 00:01:44.900 --> 00:01:46.719 Sometimes I feel that way. 00:01:46.719 --> 00:01:47.879 Not this morning, though. 00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:50.719 And I want to look at the situation in Sardis. 00:01:50.840 --> 00:01:56.680 And I want to consider for a moment together why it is that Christians go to church every week. 00:01:56.799 --> 00:01:58.379 Why we go to church every Sunday. 00:01:58.879 --> 00:02:00.519 Why should we go to church every Sunday? 00:02:00.519 --> 00:02:01.799 And why do we need to? 00:02:02.500 --> 00:02:07.319 I think this letter to Sardis teaches us that we go to church to wake up. 00:02:07.640 --> 00:02:08.360 Let's pray together. 00:02:08.360 --> 00:02:16.980 Our Father, with this brief time we have together, I pray that you would wake us up by your spirit. 00:02:16.980 --> 00:02:20.680 That we would come alive to the things of your son. 00:02:21.540 --> 00:02:25.820 That we would come fully alive to the life that you've invited us into. 00:02:27.000 --> 00:02:29.500 And being sent on mission into the kingdom. 00:02:29.600 --> 00:02:32.800 So as we've gathered together, Lord, would you renew us and send us out. 00:02:32.800 --> 00:02:34.680 We pray these things in Christ's name. 00:02:35.320 --> 00:02:35.600 Amen. 00:02:36.360 --> 00:02:39.640 So a little background to the city of Sardis. 00:02:39.880 --> 00:02:43.400 Sardis is a city at the time that this letter was written. 00:02:43.860 --> 00:02:45.920 Whose greatest days were behind it. 00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:50.220 It was once the proud capital of the western portion of the Persian Empire. 00:02:50.219 --> 00:02:55.120 And it was a hub for the trafficking of goods and ideas. 00:02:55.359 --> 00:03:01.500 It was this center of exchange culturally and economically between Mesopotamia and the Greek world. 00:03:02.419 --> 00:03:05.419 But it was a city that fell asleep during the night watch. 00:03:05.579 --> 00:03:07.479 And thieves came in and took over. 00:03:08.159 --> 00:03:13.340 In 334 BC, Alexander the Great and the Greeks took over the city. 00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:16.659 And then some 201 years later, the Romans took over. 00:03:16.659 --> 00:03:19.639 And a few decades before this letter was written. 00:03:20.379 --> 00:03:22.879 Before John wrote the letter to the church in Sardis. 00:03:23.280 --> 00:03:26.000 In the year 17, there was a massive earthquake in Asia Minor. 00:03:26.280 --> 00:03:28.359 And the city of Sardis suffered the worst. 00:03:28.500 --> 00:03:30.219 The city sort of imploded on itself. 00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:32.759 And so it took decades to rebuild. 00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:35.740 And in many ways, it was a city with a rich past. 00:03:35.759 --> 00:03:37.400 But a really uncertain future. 00:03:38.699 --> 00:03:42.259 Perhaps this is the background that John's appealing to as he writes this letter. 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:44.079 He doesn't give us a lot to go on. 00:03:44.080 --> 00:03:47.540 We're not exactly sure why the church is struggling the way it is. 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:50.580 John doesn't really care to tell us. 00:03:50.940 --> 00:03:53.080 Unlike some of the previous churches that we've looked at, 00:03:53.280 --> 00:03:55.220 this church doesn't seem to be suffering, 00:03:55.600 --> 00:03:57.340 or at least the greatest threat to the church, 00:03:57.400 --> 00:04:00.520 isn't external persecution from the Jewish community in the town 00:04:00.520 --> 00:04:02.620 or from the Roman government. 00:04:03.240 --> 00:04:05.500 The greatest threat seems to be an internal one. 00:04:05.880 --> 00:04:08.980 A problem internal to itself, not something external. 00:04:09.700 --> 00:04:12.500 So what is the problem in the city of Sardis? 00:04:12.500 --> 00:04:13.680 What is the problem with the church? 00:04:14.560 --> 00:04:15.940 Well, unlike other letters, 00:04:16.360 --> 00:04:20.040 Jesus doesn't sort of give an affirmation. 00:04:20.120 --> 00:04:20.600 He doesn't say, 00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:21.960 this is something you're doing really well. 00:04:22.020 --> 00:04:23.960 He comes out of the gate swinging in this letter. 00:04:24.500 --> 00:04:25.439 And he says in verse 2, 00:04:25.540 --> 00:04:26.340 I know your works. 00:04:26.439 --> 00:04:28.620 You have the reputation of being alive. 00:04:29.080 --> 00:04:30.540 You have the reputation of being alive. 00:04:30.920 --> 00:04:32.680 But you are, in fact, dead. 00:04:33.420 --> 00:04:34.759 The Christians in Sardis, 00:04:34.900 --> 00:04:36.180 they had an excellent reputation. 00:04:36.420 --> 00:04:38.080 Because of their past faithfulness, 00:04:38.139 --> 00:04:40.520 because of the things that they had done in the past, 00:04:40.519 --> 00:04:41.939 when people saw them, 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:42.919 when they thought of them, 00:04:42.919 --> 00:04:44.060 when their names were mentioned, 00:04:44.899 --> 00:04:46.659 it conjured up good things, 00:04:46.759 --> 00:04:47.519 faithful things. 00:04:48.039 --> 00:04:49.039 Things came to mind like, 00:04:49.199 --> 00:04:51.000 they're a really faithful community in that city. 00:04:51.180 --> 00:04:52.500 Those people really love Jesus. 00:04:52.620 --> 00:04:53.379 They're making a difference. 00:04:53.500 --> 00:04:55.319 They're making an impact in their city. 00:04:56.379 --> 00:04:58.759 They had a great resume of past faithfulness, 00:04:58.759 --> 00:05:00.360 but they're mostly driving on fumes. 00:05:00.459 --> 00:05:02.959 That's what Jesus is telling us in this letter. 00:05:03.839 --> 00:05:05.500 You know, the church may have even been doing 00:05:05.500 --> 00:05:07.879 some of the same things that they had always done. 00:05:08.519 --> 00:05:10.379 They might have been going through the same motions, 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:11.339 regularly serving, 00:05:12.219 --> 00:05:14.939 giving of their time and their talents and their treasure, 00:05:15.680 --> 00:05:16.980 going to their equivalent, 00:05:17.120 --> 00:05:17.980 whatever that would have been, 00:05:18.060 --> 00:05:19.920 of core groups or triads, 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:20.779 doing the things, 00:05:20.860 --> 00:05:21.639 the types of things, 00:05:21.779 --> 00:05:23.620 the behaviors that normally indicate 00:05:23.620 --> 00:05:25.560 and constitute a living faith. 00:05:26.199 --> 00:05:27.120 On the outside, 00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:28.160 they looked alive, 00:05:28.160 --> 00:05:29.180 but on the inside, 00:05:29.280 --> 00:05:30.379 they were spiritually dead. 00:05:30.540 --> 00:05:31.899 They were a people who were there, 00:05:32.019 --> 00:05:33.519 but they weren't really there. 00:05:33.740 --> 00:05:34.920 They showed up on Sundays, 00:05:34.920 --> 00:05:36.280 but they weren't really present. 00:05:36.800 --> 00:05:37.780 They looked alive, 00:05:37.879 --> 00:05:38.480 but they were dead. 00:05:38.560 --> 00:05:40.879 They were a people who were spiritually asleep. 00:05:41.319 --> 00:05:43.040 And so Jesus is writing to them and saying, 00:05:43.439 --> 00:05:43.879 wake up. 00:05:44.620 --> 00:05:47.899 It's interesting that Jesus describes the problem 00:05:47.899 --> 00:05:50.379 as people walking around with soiled garments. 00:05:50.980 --> 00:05:52.079 Every letter we have, 00:05:52.160 --> 00:05:53.819 pretty much every passage in Revelation, 00:05:54.120 --> 00:05:55.600 we should expect something strange 00:05:55.600 --> 00:05:58.220 to sort of draw us deeper into the passage. 00:05:59.220 --> 00:06:01.260 So what's this soiled garments language all about? 00:06:01.340 --> 00:06:01.439 Well, 00:06:01.439 --> 00:06:05.100 I think he's probably referring to portions of the Torah, 00:06:05.379 --> 00:06:06.720 the very beginning of the Bible, 00:06:06.820 --> 00:06:08.939 the first five books of the scriptures, 00:06:08.939 --> 00:06:12.520 which indicate that anything that comes into contact 00:06:12.520 --> 00:06:13.500 with the dead body 00:06:13.500 --> 00:06:19.439 automatically becomes defiled or unclean or soiled. 00:06:19.439 --> 00:06:21.040 So anything that touches a dead body, 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:22.140 whether that's another person 00:06:22.139 --> 00:06:23.339 or whether that's clothing, 00:06:23.879 --> 00:06:26.180 is by virtue of touching it, 00:06:26.539 --> 00:06:27.060 soiled, 00:06:27.060 --> 00:06:28.779 and it needs to be purified. 00:06:30.079 --> 00:06:32.219 Jesus isn't entirely negative in this letter. 00:06:32.399 --> 00:06:33.819 There is some comfort here. 00:06:33.879 --> 00:06:36.699 He says that not everybody in the city of Sardis 00:06:36.699 --> 00:06:37.579 is spiritually dead. 00:06:38.099 --> 00:06:40.459 Not everybody is walking around in soiled garments, 00:06:41.180 --> 00:06:42.180 but many are, 00:06:42.479 --> 00:06:44.779 probably most people in this community are. 00:06:45.779 --> 00:06:48.379 Jesus gives us a powerful layering of images. 00:06:48.379 --> 00:06:49.439 He says, 00:06:49.560 --> 00:06:49.920 Sardis, 00:06:50.060 --> 00:06:50.920 you look alive, 00:06:51.079 --> 00:06:52.079 but you're really dead. 00:06:52.199 --> 00:06:53.199 You're walking around, 00:06:53.399 --> 00:06:54.879 you're doing stuff, 00:06:55.120 --> 00:06:56.399 but you're sleepwalking. 00:06:56.800 --> 00:06:57.519 You're sleep. 00:06:57.860 --> 00:06:59.199 You're walking around asleep 00:06:59.199 --> 00:07:00.620 with your eyes wide open 00:07:00.620 --> 00:07:02.759 and you need to wake up. 00:07:04.399 --> 00:07:06.159 So what is the real problem here? 00:07:06.259 --> 00:07:06.360 Well, 00:07:06.379 --> 00:07:07.060 I think you could say 00:07:07.060 --> 00:07:08.180 that the core issue 00:07:08.180 --> 00:07:09.319 with the church in Sardis 00:07:09.319 --> 00:07:12.459 is that the church is lacking integrity. 00:07:13.019 --> 00:07:14.180 The Christians in Sardis, 00:07:14.600 --> 00:07:16.540 they're a church that's lacking integrity. 00:07:16.540 --> 00:07:18.500 What do I mean by integrity? 00:07:19.340 --> 00:07:19.860 By integrity, 00:07:20.020 --> 00:07:21.620 I mean by lacking integrity, 00:07:21.720 --> 00:07:23.020 I mean that their outside 00:07:23.020 --> 00:07:25.640 is inconsistent with the inside. 00:07:25.800 --> 00:07:26.700 Their outer lives 00:07:26.700 --> 00:07:28.760 do not match their inner lives, 00:07:28.840 --> 00:07:29.580 their convictions, 00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:32.040 the things that they claim to be about 00:07:32.040 --> 00:07:33.800 and the things that they claim to believe. 00:07:34.300 --> 00:07:36.160 The things that they actually say, 00:07:36.680 --> 00:07:37.920 the things that they actually think, 00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:39.439 the things that they actually do 00:07:39.439 --> 00:07:41.220 just don't align with the things 00:07:41.220 --> 00:07:43.420 that they profess to believe about Jesus. 00:07:43.420 --> 00:07:47.600 I won't ask the rhetorical question this morning 00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:49.640 if that state of affairs applies to you 00:07:49.640 --> 00:07:51.280 because it just does. 00:07:51.860 --> 00:07:53.699 All of us are Christians 00:07:53.699 --> 00:07:55.000 who are lacking in integrity. 00:07:55.120 --> 00:07:55.600 It's true of me. 00:07:55.720 --> 00:07:56.340 It's true of you. 00:07:56.500 --> 00:07:58.540 The things that we claim to believe 00:07:58.540 --> 00:08:00.259 don't align with the things we say 00:08:00.259 --> 00:08:00.960 and we think 00:08:00.960 --> 00:08:03.060 and we do every week, 00:08:03.200 --> 00:08:03.819 every day. 00:08:04.139 --> 00:08:05.040 And that's why, 00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:05.720 if you've ever wondered, 00:08:05.920 --> 00:08:07.700 this is why we confess our sins. 00:08:07.819 --> 00:08:08.600 We do it every day 00:08:08.600 --> 00:08:09.400 and we do it every week 00:08:09.400 --> 00:08:10.240 when we come together. 00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:11.759 It's because we're so easily 00:08:11.759 --> 00:08:13.240 falling out of alignment. 00:08:14.180 --> 00:08:15.340 We're prone to wander. 00:08:16.259 --> 00:08:18.220 And this being prone to wander 00:08:18.220 --> 00:08:19.840 doesn't necessarily mean 00:08:19.840 --> 00:08:21.240 or make us bad Christians. 00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:23.319 It just means that each one of us 00:08:23.319 --> 00:08:24.660 is a work in progress. 00:08:25.199 --> 00:08:26.280 We're all on a journey 00:08:26.280 --> 00:08:27.639 and we have yet to arrive. 00:08:27.960 --> 00:08:28.759 And on this journey, 00:08:28.759 --> 00:08:30.860 we require routine maintenance. 00:08:31.819 --> 00:08:33.620 And the journey is not a safe journey. 00:08:34.019 --> 00:08:35.460 The journey is fraught with danger. 00:08:36.039 --> 00:08:36.440 Each week, 00:08:36.500 --> 00:08:37.740 we're assaulted by the world 00:08:37.740 --> 00:08:38.980 and by the flesh and the devil, 00:08:38.980 --> 00:08:40.300 the enemies of our souls. 00:08:41.240 --> 00:08:41.820 And sometimes, 00:08:41.960 --> 00:08:43.039 this assault isn't obvious. 00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:43.980 And I think that's probably 00:08:43.980 --> 00:08:44.980 what was going on 00:08:44.980 --> 00:08:45.899 in the city of Sardis. 00:08:45.980 --> 00:08:46.500 We don't know. 00:08:46.600 --> 00:08:47.639 It's not necessarily clear. 00:08:47.720 --> 00:08:49.240 It's not a full frontal assault. 00:08:49.879 --> 00:08:50.899 It's a sneaky one. 00:08:50.980 --> 00:08:51.940 It's subversive. 00:08:52.000 --> 00:08:53.460 Instead of being knocked over the head, 00:08:53.539 --> 00:08:55.000 we're lulled to sleep. 00:08:55.980 --> 00:08:58.360 This idea of being lulled to sleep 00:08:58.360 --> 00:09:00.899 reminds me of one of the scenes 00:09:00.899 --> 00:09:02.720 in C.S. Lewis' 00:09:03.039 --> 00:09:03.960 The Silver Chair. 00:09:04.700 --> 00:09:06.940 This is part of the Chronicles of Narnia. 00:09:06.940 --> 00:09:07.380 Narnia, 00:09:07.380 --> 00:09:08.780 probably one of the more 00:09:08.780 --> 00:09:11.100 underappreciated stories 00:09:11.100 --> 00:09:12.200 in the Chronicles of Narnia. 00:09:12.560 --> 00:09:13.640 All the main characters 00:09:13.640 --> 00:09:14.920 are in this scene. 00:09:15.020 --> 00:09:15.880 You have Prince Rillian, 00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:16.800 you have Jill Pole, 00:09:16.960 --> 00:09:17.620 Eustace Scrub, 00:09:17.700 --> 00:09:18.400 and Puddleglum, 00:09:18.460 --> 00:09:19.080 the Marsh Wiggle. 00:09:19.740 --> 00:09:21.040 And they had just 00:09:21.040 --> 00:09:23.220 rescued Prince Rillian 00:09:23.220 --> 00:09:24.780 from the enchantment 00:09:24.780 --> 00:09:26.800 of the Queen of Underland. 00:09:27.180 --> 00:09:28.340 They basically saved him. 00:09:28.400 --> 00:09:29.360 That was part of their mission. 00:09:30.140 --> 00:09:31.000 And he came awake. 00:09:31.180 --> 00:09:33.180 The spell was taken off. 00:09:33.839 --> 00:09:36.000 And right after they broke the spell 00:09:36.000 --> 00:09:37.799 and he destroys the Silver Chair, 00:09:38.159 --> 00:09:38.579 the Queen, 00:09:38.719 --> 00:09:39.879 the evil antagonist, 00:09:39.979 --> 00:09:41.399 walks in into the room. 00:09:41.579 --> 00:09:42.519 They were in her lair 00:09:42.519 --> 00:09:43.739 in the Underland. 00:09:44.559 --> 00:09:45.679 And this Queen 00:09:45.679 --> 00:09:46.659 appears beautiful 00:09:46.659 --> 00:09:48.199 and she appears wise 00:09:48.199 --> 00:09:49.639 and she appears kind 00:09:49.639 --> 00:09:50.359 and loving. 00:09:51.139 --> 00:09:51.899 But she's, 00:09:52.039 --> 00:09:52.919 in reality, 00:09:53.039 --> 00:09:53.979 a terrifying snake 00:09:53.979 --> 00:09:55.339 that's taken a different form. 00:09:55.879 --> 00:09:56.979 And she sees that 00:09:56.979 --> 00:09:57.919 her spell on Rillian 00:09:57.919 --> 00:09:58.579 has been broken. 00:09:59.359 --> 00:10:01.000 And rather than attack head-on, 00:10:01.000 --> 00:10:02.080 what she does 00:10:02.080 --> 00:10:03.519 is she tries to enchant them 00:10:03.519 --> 00:10:05.419 with a sweet-smelling smoke 00:10:05.419 --> 00:10:06.419 and the sound 00:10:06.419 --> 00:10:07.379 of her musical, 00:10:07.700 --> 00:10:08.580 magical instrument. 00:10:09.179 --> 00:10:10.019 And so she drops 00:10:10.019 --> 00:10:10.860 this green powder 00:10:10.860 --> 00:10:11.659 on the flames 00:10:11.659 --> 00:10:12.480 and it just 00:10:12.480 --> 00:10:14.159 goes, 00:10:14.360 --> 00:10:15.419 spreads throughout the room. 00:10:16.220 --> 00:10:16.980 The smell of the smoke 00:10:16.980 --> 00:10:17.740 filled the room 00:10:17.740 --> 00:10:19.220 and we read that 00:10:19.220 --> 00:10:19.960 it made it hard 00:10:19.960 --> 00:10:21.000 for them to think. 00:10:21.399 --> 00:10:22.419 The sound of her mandolin, 00:10:22.659 --> 00:10:23.120 Lewis writes, 00:10:23.179 --> 00:10:23.860 was a steady, 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:25.139 monotonous thrumming 00:10:25.139 --> 00:10:26.580 that you didn't notice 00:10:26.580 --> 00:10:27.539 after a few minutes. 00:10:27.919 --> 00:10:29.220 But the less you noticed it, 00:10:29.259 --> 00:10:29.980 the more it got 00:10:29.980 --> 00:10:30.860 into your brain 00:10:30.860 --> 00:10:32.240 and into your blood. 00:10:32.879 --> 00:10:33.519 And all of this 00:10:33.519 --> 00:10:34.460 made it hard to think 00:10:34.460 --> 00:10:35.120 and then the queen 00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:36.360 challenged their sense 00:10:36.360 --> 00:10:37.019 of reality. 00:10:37.580 --> 00:10:39.039 She began to challenge 00:10:39.039 --> 00:10:39.700 and question 00:10:39.700 --> 00:10:40.800 every single thing 00:10:40.800 --> 00:10:41.840 they thought they believed 00:10:41.840 --> 00:10:42.300 and knew. 00:10:43.320 --> 00:10:44.539 They had a conversation. 00:10:45.139 --> 00:10:46.100 She interrogated them 00:10:46.100 --> 00:10:47.279 and one by one 00:10:47.279 --> 00:10:48.440 she dismantled 00:10:48.440 --> 00:10:49.899 their entire notion 00:10:49.899 --> 00:10:50.920 of what was true. 00:10:52.279 --> 00:10:53.659 It's sort of a scene 00:10:53.659 --> 00:10:55.940 of the serpent 00:10:55.940 --> 00:10:56.639 in the garden 00:10:56.639 --> 00:10:58.120 questioning Adam and Eve. 00:10:58.300 --> 00:10:59.440 Did God really say? 00:10:59.440 --> 00:11:00.160 She's challenging 00:11:00.160 --> 00:11:01.160 everything they claim 00:11:01.160 --> 00:11:01.720 to believe. 00:11:02.980 --> 00:11:03.800 And she's doing 00:11:03.800 --> 00:11:04.460 a very good job 00:11:04.460 --> 00:11:04.880 and at the end 00:11:04.880 --> 00:11:05.260 she says, 00:11:05.600 --> 00:11:06.400 come all of you, 00:11:06.600 --> 00:11:08.420 put away these childish tricks. 00:11:09.320 --> 00:11:10.640 I have worked for you 00:11:10.640 --> 00:11:11.740 in the real world. 00:11:12.360 --> 00:11:13.620 There is no Narnia, 00:11:13.860 --> 00:11:14.860 no overworld, 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:15.700 no sky, 00:11:15.860 --> 00:11:16.520 no sun, 00:11:16.940 --> 00:11:17.860 no Aslan. 00:11:18.540 --> 00:11:19.200 And now, 00:11:19.420 --> 00:11:20.280 to bed all. 00:11:21.040 --> 00:11:21.780 And let us begin 00:11:21.780 --> 00:11:23.120 a wiser life tomorrow, 00:11:23.260 --> 00:11:23.880 but first, 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:24.780 to bed, 00:11:25.360 --> 00:11:26.100 to sleep. 00:11:26.700 --> 00:11:27.500 Deep sleep, 00:11:27.500 --> 00:11:28.700 soft pillows, 00:11:29.580 --> 00:11:31.259 sleep without foolish dreams. 00:11:32.580 --> 00:11:33.460 This story, 00:11:33.740 --> 00:11:34.820 I think much like 00:11:34.820 --> 00:11:35.720 the book of Revelation, 00:11:36.379 --> 00:11:37.159 helps us to see 00:11:37.159 --> 00:11:38.419 what's really going on, 00:11:38.480 --> 00:11:39.700 what's really at stake 00:11:39.700 --> 00:11:41.039 in our own lives. 00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:42.600 Each week, 00:11:42.840 --> 00:11:43.259 I think, 00:11:43.360 --> 00:11:44.600 every single one of us 00:11:44.600 --> 00:11:46.200 is lulled to sleep, 00:11:46.320 --> 00:11:46.980 or at least forces 00:11:46.980 --> 00:11:47.940 are trying to lull us 00:11:47.940 --> 00:11:48.340 to sleep. 00:11:48.899 --> 00:11:49.659 This happens by 00:11:49.659 --> 00:11:50.259 the messages, 00:11:50.559 --> 00:11:51.419 the competing narratives 00:11:51.419 --> 00:11:52.519 that are just swirling 00:11:52.519 --> 00:11:53.200 around us 00:11:53.200 --> 00:11:54.019 every single day, 00:11:54.059 --> 00:11:54.419 and the things 00:11:54.419 --> 00:11:55.079 that we watch, 00:11:55.639 --> 00:11:56.779 the things that we read, 00:11:56.860 --> 00:11:58.000 the things that we hear 00:11:58.000 --> 00:11:58.819 and listen to. 00:11:59.500 --> 00:12:00.699 They try to make us 00:12:00.699 --> 00:12:01.819 spiritually drowsy, 00:12:02.019 --> 00:12:03.299 and they tempt us 00:12:03.299 --> 00:12:04.339 to close our eyes 00:12:04.339 --> 00:12:05.000 and inhabit 00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:06.039 a false reality 00:12:06.039 --> 00:12:07.799 where another person, 00:12:07.979 --> 00:12:08.120 maybe, 00:12:08.379 --> 00:12:09.579 or our accomplishments, 00:12:10.079 --> 00:12:11.059 or what others 00:12:11.059 --> 00:12:11.919 think about us, 00:12:12.079 --> 00:12:13.099 or pleasures, 00:12:13.899 --> 00:12:14.759 constitute 00:12:14.759 --> 00:12:16.360 our conception 00:12:16.360 --> 00:12:17.199 of the good life. 00:12:17.639 --> 00:12:18.379 These lies 00:12:18.379 --> 00:12:19.559 that make us believe 00:12:19.559 --> 00:12:20.199 these things 00:12:20.199 --> 00:12:21.120 will make us happy 00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:21.799 and fulfilled 00:12:21.799 --> 00:12:22.500 and complete 00:12:22.500 --> 00:12:23.039 and whole 00:12:23.039 --> 00:12:24.039 and constitute 00:12:24.039 --> 00:12:25.259 our real reality. 00:12:26.139 --> 00:12:27.120 And I think this week, 00:12:27.519 --> 00:12:28.340 in this passage, 00:12:28.500 --> 00:12:29.379 Jesus is saying 00:12:29.379 --> 00:12:30.940 that the greatest danger 00:12:30.940 --> 00:12:31.620 for us 00:12:31.620 --> 00:12:33.179 is falling asleep, 00:12:33.679 --> 00:12:35.179 becoming spiritually drowsy, 00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:37.240 and in being spiritually drowsy, 00:12:37.299 --> 00:12:38.259 being unprepared 00:12:38.259 --> 00:12:39.000 for the return 00:12:39.000 --> 00:12:40.019 of the Son of Man. 00:12:40.860 --> 00:12:41.460 And this, 00:12:41.700 --> 00:12:42.159 my friends, 00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:43.419 is why we go to church 00:12:43.419 --> 00:12:44.580 every single week. 00:12:44.980 --> 00:12:45.860 We come to church 00:12:45.860 --> 00:12:46.700 to wake up 00:12:46.700 --> 00:12:47.299 because we need 00:12:47.299 --> 00:12:48.019 to be reminded 00:12:48.019 --> 00:12:49.720 who we really are. 00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:51.379 We need to be reminded 00:12:51.379 --> 00:12:52.279 of what story 00:12:52.279 --> 00:12:53.299 we're really a part of. 00:12:54.039 --> 00:12:55.159 And we need to be strengthened. 00:12:55.299 --> 00:12:56.000 We need to be fed 00:12:56.000 --> 00:12:57.000 by God's Word 00:12:57.000 --> 00:12:58.679 and the Eucharist. 00:12:59.019 --> 00:12:59.899 And we need 00:12:59.899 --> 00:13:00.519 the opportunity 00:13:00.519 --> 00:13:01.200 to repent, 00:13:01.299 --> 00:13:01.939 to turn away 00:13:01.939 --> 00:13:03.500 from the ways of death, 00:13:03.679 --> 00:13:05.320 and to recommit ourselves 00:13:05.320 --> 00:13:05.960 once again 00:13:05.960 --> 00:13:07.379 to the way of Christ. 00:13:07.840 --> 00:13:09.080 We come to church 00:13:09.080 --> 00:13:09.720 to wake up. 00:13:10.439 --> 00:13:11.000 And this letter 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:13.179 links this exhortation, 00:13:13.340 --> 00:13:13.860 this command 00:13:13.860 --> 00:13:14.679 to wake up, 00:13:15.159 --> 00:13:15.980 to a series 00:13:15.980 --> 00:13:17.620 of three other exhortations. 00:13:17.759 --> 00:13:18.259 And those are 00:13:18.259 --> 00:13:19.059 to remember, 00:13:19.600 --> 00:13:20.159 to strengthen 00:13:20.159 --> 00:13:20.819 what remains 00:13:20.819 --> 00:13:21.899 and is about to die, 00:13:22.459 --> 00:13:23.860 and to repent. 00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:24.600 And so, 00:13:24.759 --> 00:13:26.100 for the rest of our time together, 00:13:26.100 --> 00:13:26.620 we're going to look 00:13:26.620 --> 00:13:27.480 at those three things. 00:13:27.980 --> 00:13:28.980 Why we need to remember, 00:13:29.480 --> 00:13:30.899 how we become strengthened, 00:13:31.519 --> 00:13:32.519 and what it means 00:13:32.519 --> 00:13:33.379 to repent. 00:13:33.799 --> 00:13:34.259 So we'll look 00:13:34.259 --> 00:13:35.100 at those three things 00:13:35.100 --> 00:13:35.939 in the last few minutes 00:13:35.939 --> 00:13:36.539 we have here. 00:13:37.219 --> 00:13:38.120 So I think you can make 00:13:38.120 --> 00:13:38.639 the case 00:13:38.639 --> 00:13:40.719 that the greatest error 00:13:40.719 --> 00:13:42.159 of the people of God, 00:13:42.299 --> 00:13:43.600 particularly Israel, 00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:44.899 the greatest sin, 00:13:45.000 --> 00:13:46.220 or the sin that underlies 00:13:46.220 --> 00:13:47.179 all of their other sins, 00:13:47.279 --> 00:13:48.240 was forgetfulness. 00:13:48.240 --> 00:13:50.100 The failure to remember 00:13:50.100 --> 00:13:51.580 not only who God is, 00:13:51.639 --> 00:13:52.539 but what God has done 00:13:52.539 --> 00:13:53.000 for them 00:13:53.000 --> 00:13:53.720 and what he's promised 00:13:53.720 --> 00:13:54.799 to do for them. 00:13:55.580 --> 00:13:56.399 I think this 00:13:56.399 --> 00:13:57.879 being prone 00:13:57.879 --> 00:13:58.960 to forgetfulness, 00:13:59.139 --> 00:14:00.139 a lack of remembering, 00:14:00.659 --> 00:14:01.820 led to every instance 00:14:01.820 --> 00:14:02.840 of disobedience 00:14:02.840 --> 00:14:03.759 and unbelief 00:14:03.759 --> 00:14:04.480 and idolatry 00:14:04.480 --> 00:14:05.080 that we see 00:14:05.080 --> 00:14:05.779 in the scriptures. 00:14:05.860 --> 00:14:06.360 And we saw that 00:14:06.360 --> 00:14:06.919 particularly, 00:14:07.500 --> 00:14:08.200 that warning 00:14:08.200 --> 00:14:09.220 in the passage 00:14:09.220 --> 00:14:09.779 that we read 00:14:09.779 --> 00:14:10.860 in Deuteronomy 8. 00:14:10.960 --> 00:14:12.120 This is a constant refrain 00:14:12.120 --> 00:14:13.779 in the Old Testament, 00:14:13.919 --> 00:14:14.460 but especially 00:14:14.460 --> 00:14:15.460 in Deuteronomy, 00:14:15.460 --> 00:14:17.360 when Moses gives 00:14:17.360 --> 00:14:17.759 the law 00:14:17.759 --> 00:14:18.600 a second time 00:14:18.600 --> 00:14:19.540 before he leaves 00:14:19.540 --> 00:14:20.440 the people 00:14:20.440 --> 00:14:21.120 to set them 00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:21.840 on the right course, 00:14:22.139 --> 00:14:23.300 there's this constant refrain, 00:14:23.420 --> 00:14:24.000 be careful 00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:25.620 not to forget. 00:14:26.879 --> 00:14:28.139 Because the people of God 00:14:28.139 --> 00:14:28.980 are constantly 00:14:28.980 --> 00:14:29.879 at risk of forgetting. 00:14:30.100 --> 00:14:30.759 And this is true 00:14:30.759 --> 00:14:32.360 when things get really hard. 00:14:32.960 --> 00:14:33.800 We see this 00:14:33.800 --> 00:14:34.980 right after the Exodus 00:14:34.980 --> 00:14:35.879 when God delivers 00:14:35.879 --> 00:14:36.340 his people 00:14:36.340 --> 00:14:37.420 from Egyptian slavery. 00:14:38.040 --> 00:14:38.879 They were hungry 00:14:38.879 --> 00:14:40.179 and they forget 00:14:40.179 --> 00:14:41.019 who God is 00:14:41.019 --> 00:14:41.740 and what he had done 00:14:41.740 --> 00:14:43.379 and they create 00:14:43.379 --> 00:14:44.659 the golden calf 00:14:44.659 --> 00:14:46.259 and are disobedient. 00:14:46.779 --> 00:14:47.679 And it's also true 00:14:47.679 --> 00:14:48.360 when things go 00:14:48.360 --> 00:14:49.320 really well for us. 00:14:49.399 --> 00:14:50.120 And that's what 00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:51.080 the warning was 00:14:51.080 --> 00:14:52.179 in Deuteronomy 8. 00:14:52.240 --> 00:14:53.379 When things go really well, 00:14:53.919 --> 00:14:54.679 we forget 00:14:54.679 --> 00:14:55.740 that we actually need God, 00:14:55.820 --> 00:14:56.740 that we don't depend 00:14:56.740 --> 00:14:58.080 on him for everything. 00:14:58.820 --> 00:15:00.399 We're prone to forget. 00:15:00.480 --> 00:15:01.580 And I think we likewise 00:15:01.580 --> 00:15:04.340 have very short-term memories. 00:15:04.639 --> 00:15:05.220 We have sort of 00:15:05.220 --> 00:15:06.399 the memory of a goldfish 00:15:06.399 --> 00:15:06.879 and that's why 00:15:06.879 --> 00:15:07.500 in verse 3, 00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:08.860 Jesus says, 00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:09.439 remember. 00:15:10.220 --> 00:15:11.220 If you want to wake up, 00:15:11.320 --> 00:15:13.159 remember what you have received 00:15:13.159 --> 00:15:14.240 and what you have heard. 00:15:14.360 --> 00:15:15.820 Remember what you have received 00:15:15.820 --> 00:15:17.240 and what you have heard. 00:15:17.480 --> 00:15:18.439 Because it's so easy to forget. 00:15:18.519 --> 00:15:19.439 So what is he talking about? 00:15:19.519 --> 00:15:20.259 What is it 00:15:20.259 --> 00:15:21.220 that we need to remember? 00:15:22.019 --> 00:15:22.899 I think he's saying 00:15:22.899 --> 00:15:24.000 we need to remember the gospel. 00:15:24.120 --> 00:15:25.019 That's what we've received 00:15:25.019 --> 00:15:26.100 and that's what we have heard. 00:15:26.200 --> 00:15:27.620 We come every Sunday morning 00:15:27.620 --> 00:15:28.779 to remember the gospel. 00:15:29.919 --> 00:15:30.960 We come to remember 00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:31.740 that the one 00:15:31.740 --> 00:15:32.879 who has the seven spirits 00:15:32.879 --> 00:15:33.980 and the seven stars, 00:15:34.279 --> 00:15:35.340 that is Jesus, 00:15:35.539 --> 00:15:36.799 the one who rules the universe 00:15:36.799 --> 00:15:38.240 and holds it all together, 00:15:38.240 --> 00:15:40.820 this God took on flesh 00:15:40.820 --> 00:15:42.060 and he came 00:15:42.060 --> 00:15:44.000 not for the righteous ones 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:44.940 but for sinners 00:15:44.940 --> 00:15:45.759 to die for them 00:15:45.759 --> 00:15:47.440 that he might redeem them. 00:15:48.240 --> 00:15:48.879 We need to remember 00:15:48.879 --> 00:15:49.419 the gospel 00:15:49.419 --> 00:15:50.720 that we're saved by grace, 00:15:50.720 --> 00:15:52.460 that Christ died for us 00:15:52.460 --> 00:15:54.000 when we were his enemies, 00:15:54.180 --> 00:15:55.080 not when we were 00:15:55.080 --> 00:15:56.100 the lovely ones. 00:15:56.519 --> 00:15:57.360 And this means 00:15:57.360 --> 00:15:58.379 that we can do nothing 00:15:58.379 --> 00:16:00.039 to make God love us more 00:16:00.039 --> 00:16:01.840 and we can do nothing 00:16:01.840 --> 00:16:03.639 to make God love us less. 00:16:03.639 --> 00:16:05.580 We need to remember 00:16:05.580 --> 00:16:06.279 the gospel 00:16:06.279 --> 00:16:07.939 and the gospel is that 00:16:07.939 --> 00:16:08.799 we're not just saved 00:16:08.799 --> 00:16:09.539 from something, 00:16:09.620 --> 00:16:10.279 we're not just saved 00:16:10.279 --> 00:16:10.840 from sin 00:16:10.840 --> 00:16:11.519 but we're saved 00:16:11.519 --> 00:16:12.240 for something. 00:16:12.899 --> 00:16:14.059 We're saved for participating 00:16:14.059 --> 00:16:16.139 in the mission of God, 00:16:16.240 --> 00:16:16.840 for participating 00:16:16.840 --> 00:16:18.699 in God's new creation project 00:16:18.699 --> 00:16:20.879 of making all things new, 00:16:20.960 --> 00:16:21.679 as Jesus says 00:16:21.679 --> 00:16:22.720 at the end of Revelation. 00:16:23.960 --> 00:16:24.639 We need to remember 00:16:24.639 --> 00:16:25.179 the gospel 00:16:25.179 --> 00:16:27.000 that it is not about, 00:16:27.240 --> 00:16:28.340 merely about making 00:16:28.340 --> 00:16:29.700 a decision in the past 00:16:29.700 --> 00:16:30.860 but it is about 00:16:30.860 --> 00:16:32.220 an abiding relationship 00:16:32.220 --> 00:16:32.800 with Jesus. 00:16:32.980 --> 00:16:34.120 It's not about things 00:16:34.120 --> 00:16:35.000 that we have to check off 00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:35.879 that we need to do 00:16:35.879 --> 00:16:36.540 and it's not about 00:16:36.540 --> 00:16:37.320 a bunch of behaviors 00:16:37.320 --> 00:16:38.440 that we ought not to do 00:16:38.440 --> 00:16:39.480 but it is about 00:16:39.480 --> 00:16:40.580 coming alive 00:16:40.580 --> 00:16:41.759 to the full humanity 00:16:41.759 --> 00:16:43.340 that Jesus makes available 00:16:43.340 --> 00:16:45.080 in his own redeemed 00:16:45.080 --> 00:16:46.700 and resurrected humanity. 00:16:47.100 --> 00:16:48.440 It's about coming awake 00:16:48.440 --> 00:16:49.320 and coming alive 00:16:49.320 --> 00:16:49.980 to what it means 00:16:49.980 --> 00:16:52.340 to be fully and truly human. 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:54.519 So if we want to wake up, 00:16:54.940 --> 00:16:55.779 we need to remember, 00:16:55.879 --> 00:16:56.420 we need to remember 00:16:56.420 --> 00:16:56.940 the gospel 00:16:56.940 --> 00:16:58.120 and the fullness of the gospel 00:16:58.120 --> 00:16:58.600 and secondly, 00:16:58.759 --> 00:16:59.480 we need to strengthen 00:16:59.480 --> 00:17:00.300 what remains 00:17:00.300 --> 00:17:02.139 and is about to die. 00:17:02.660 --> 00:17:03.620 I think it's important 00:17:03.620 --> 00:17:04.400 just to acknowledge 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:05.380 that being a Christian 00:17:05.380 --> 00:17:06.420 is really hard. 00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:07.960 It's not easy. 00:17:08.079 --> 00:17:09.319 It's not for the faint of heart 00:17:09.319 --> 00:17:11.279 and because it's really hard, 00:17:11.360 --> 00:17:12.200 we need sustenance. 00:17:12.299 --> 00:17:13.759 We need weekly nourishment. 00:17:14.120 --> 00:17:15.160 We need provision 00:17:15.160 --> 00:17:16.339 for the journey of faith 00:17:16.339 --> 00:17:17.779 because it's an arduous journey 00:17:17.779 --> 00:17:20.000 and so one of the ways 00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:20.779 that we are strengthened 00:17:20.779 --> 00:17:22.279 is by eating together. 00:17:23.100 --> 00:17:25.180 We come to church every week 00:17:25.180 --> 00:17:26.000 to be strengthened 00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:28.039 by eating together 00:17:28.039 --> 00:17:28.960 and so I want to explore 00:17:28.960 --> 00:17:30.640 this phrase really briefly, 00:17:31.019 --> 00:17:31.819 eating together 00:17:31.819 --> 00:17:32.740 and first I want to look 00:17:32.740 --> 00:17:34.119 at the last part 00:17:34.119 --> 00:17:34.819 of being together. 00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:35.679 I want to focus on 00:17:35.679 --> 00:17:36.319 how we're strengthened 00:17:36.319 --> 00:17:37.179 by fellowship 00:17:37.179 --> 00:17:38.299 and friendships 00:17:38.299 --> 00:17:39.639 and relationships. 00:17:40.779 --> 00:17:41.700 It's important to know 00:17:41.700 --> 00:17:42.480 that we're not alone 00:17:42.480 --> 00:17:43.539 on the Christian journey. 00:17:43.639 --> 00:17:44.259 We come together, 00:17:44.339 --> 00:17:45.000 we gather together 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:45.919 to see one another, 00:17:46.679 --> 00:17:47.559 to be encouraged 00:17:47.559 --> 00:17:48.460 and to be strengthened 00:17:48.460 --> 00:17:49.980 by knowing that 00:17:49.980 --> 00:17:52.179 other people like us exist. 00:17:52.339 --> 00:17:54.059 I am incredibly encouraged 00:17:54.059 --> 00:17:55.159 and strengthened every week 00:17:55.159 --> 00:17:56.299 when I come in here 00:17:56.299 --> 00:17:57.319 and I see all of you 00:17:57.319 --> 00:17:58.839 and remember that 00:17:58.839 --> 00:18:00.179 my faith in Jesus 00:18:00.179 --> 00:18:01.919 and the things I believe 00:18:01.919 --> 00:18:03.539 are not just in my own head, 00:18:03.960 --> 00:18:05.179 that God actually exists, 00:18:05.240 --> 00:18:06.339 other people believe in him. 00:18:06.359 --> 00:18:07.679 I find that to be incredibly 00:18:07.679 --> 00:18:09.079 strengthening and encouraging. 00:18:09.859 --> 00:18:10.939 We're strengthened and encouraged 00:18:10.939 --> 00:18:11.740 when we see other people 00:18:11.740 --> 00:18:12.899 who are seeking God, 00:18:13.639 --> 00:18:14.460 when we see other people 00:18:14.460 --> 00:18:16.000 who and hear about their lives 00:18:16.000 --> 00:18:16.659 where they're seeking 00:18:16.659 --> 00:18:17.960 to be salt and light 00:18:17.960 --> 00:18:19.099 in their places of work, 00:18:19.619 --> 00:18:21.419 especially when it's risky 00:18:21.419 --> 00:18:22.059 to do so 00:18:22.059 --> 00:18:23.319 and might cause them 00:18:23.319 --> 00:18:25.819 professional challenges. 00:18:25.819 --> 00:18:27.139 We're strengthened 00:18:27.139 --> 00:18:28.179 when we see and hear 00:18:28.179 --> 00:18:28.980 about other parents 00:18:28.980 --> 00:18:30.299 who care more about 00:18:30.299 --> 00:18:33.000 their kids growing 00:18:33.000 --> 00:18:33.859 in Christian virtue. 00:18:34.039 --> 00:18:34.720 They care more about 00:18:34.720 --> 00:18:36.119 their kids being kind 00:18:36.119 --> 00:18:37.599 than winning at all 00:18:37.599 --> 00:18:39.319 of their extracurricular activities. 00:18:39.839 --> 00:18:40.439 We're strengthened 00:18:40.439 --> 00:18:41.700 when we see and hear 00:18:41.700 --> 00:18:42.839 about other married couples 00:18:42.839 --> 00:18:44.539 who care about 00:18:44.539 --> 00:18:46.240 and value creating a home 00:18:46.240 --> 00:18:47.879 where people can experience 00:18:47.879 --> 00:18:48.659 God's peace 00:18:48.659 --> 00:18:50.000 and God's hospitality. 00:18:50.179 --> 00:18:50.859 They care more about 00:18:50.859 --> 00:18:51.619 creating a home 00:18:51.619 --> 00:18:53.799 than buying a larger house. 00:18:54.919 --> 00:18:55.519 We're strengthened 00:18:55.519 --> 00:18:57.200 when we see other singles 00:18:57.200 --> 00:18:59.240 who seek to honor God 00:18:59.240 --> 00:18:59.980 with their bodies 00:18:59.980 --> 00:19:01.379 and with their desires, 00:19:01.940 --> 00:19:03.759 who trust him patiently 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:05.240 and imperfectly 00:19:05.240 --> 00:19:06.599 when almost every other voice 00:19:06.599 --> 00:19:06.980 in the world, 00:19:07.079 --> 00:19:07.859 and sometimes including 00:19:07.859 --> 00:19:08.660 their own voices, 00:19:09.000 --> 00:19:10.619 are saying that the only way 00:19:10.619 --> 00:19:11.319 you can be whole 00:19:11.319 --> 00:19:12.039 is if you're in 00:19:12.039 --> 00:19:13.379 a romantic relationship. 00:19:14.639 --> 00:19:15.400 We're strengthened 00:19:15.400 --> 00:19:16.160 when we see others 00:19:16.160 --> 00:19:17.059 who are seeking to value 00:19:17.059 --> 00:19:18.299 rest over production, 00:19:18.940 --> 00:19:20.440 giving over receiving, 00:19:20.660 --> 00:19:21.819 serving rather than being served. 00:19:21.879 --> 00:19:22.599 The list could go on, 00:19:22.639 --> 00:19:23.160 but we're strengthened 00:19:23.160 --> 00:19:24.059 by being together. 00:19:24.059 --> 00:19:25.200 That's why we come together 00:19:25.200 --> 00:19:26.240 every week 00:19:26.240 --> 00:19:27.299 and we share life together. 00:19:28.119 --> 00:19:28.980 But we're also strengthened 00:19:28.980 --> 00:19:29.579 by eating 00:19:29.579 --> 00:19:30.919 and eating together. 00:19:31.480 --> 00:19:32.179 And the way we eat 00:19:32.179 --> 00:19:32.700 when we're together 00:19:32.700 --> 00:19:35.139 is we're fed by the word 00:19:35.139 --> 00:19:36.419 and by the body 00:19:36.419 --> 00:19:37.919 and blood of Jesus Christ. 00:19:38.519 --> 00:19:39.659 Our passage in Deuteronomy 00:19:39.659 --> 00:19:40.379 reminds us that 00:19:40.379 --> 00:19:41.259 man does not live 00:19:41.259 --> 00:19:42.079 by bread alone, 00:19:42.460 --> 00:19:43.460 but man lives 00:19:43.460 --> 00:19:44.359 by every word 00:19:44.359 --> 00:19:45.279 that comes from 00:19:45.279 --> 00:19:46.539 the mouth of the Lord. 00:19:47.279 --> 00:19:48.019 And so we're fed 00:19:48.019 --> 00:19:48.659 by the preaching 00:19:48.659 --> 00:19:49.440 of God's word. 00:19:49.740 --> 00:19:51.000 And just like the letters 00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:52.220 to Revelation, 00:19:52.220 --> 00:19:53.480 they all have 00:19:53.480 --> 00:19:54.440 a similar formula 00:19:54.440 --> 00:19:55.339 for the most part. 00:19:55.839 --> 00:19:57.440 There is an affirmation, 00:19:57.579 --> 00:19:58.380 there's an element 00:19:58.380 --> 00:19:59.559 of encouragement. 00:19:59.700 --> 00:20:00.319 You're doing well. 00:20:00.519 --> 00:20:01.079 There are things 00:20:01.079 --> 00:20:01.640 you're doing well. 00:20:02.039 --> 00:20:02.920 And then there's correction 00:20:02.920 --> 00:20:04.200 and then there are promises. 00:20:05.160 --> 00:20:05.980 And so every week 00:20:05.980 --> 00:20:07.099 we come to hear sermons 00:20:07.099 --> 00:20:09.460 and we are encouraged 00:20:09.460 --> 00:20:10.059 in the things 00:20:10.059 --> 00:20:10.759 that we're doing well 00:20:10.759 --> 00:20:11.859 and we're corrected 00:20:11.859 --> 00:20:12.420 in the things 00:20:12.420 --> 00:20:13.319 that we're not doing well, 00:20:13.460 --> 00:20:14.059 the ways that we're 00:20:14.059 --> 00:20:14.920 thinking wrongly 00:20:14.920 --> 00:20:15.980 and behaving wrongly 00:20:15.980 --> 00:20:16.579 in the world. 00:20:17.059 --> 00:20:17.700 And then we come 00:20:17.700 --> 00:20:18.460 to be reminded 00:20:18.460 --> 00:20:19.620 of God's great promises 00:20:19.620 --> 00:20:21.200 that help us to endure. 00:20:22.380 --> 00:20:23.380 But we're also fed 00:20:23.380 --> 00:20:24.120 by the Eucharist 00:20:24.120 --> 00:20:24.819 and in a moment 00:20:24.819 --> 00:20:26.000 we'll come together 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:26.900 at the Lord's table 00:20:26.900 --> 00:20:27.799 and this is the climax 00:20:27.799 --> 00:20:28.980 of our worship together. 00:20:29.759 --> 00:20:31.100 And in the liturgy, 00:20:31.240 --> 00:20:31.920 I encourage you, 00:20:31.960 --> 00:20:32.620 sometimes it's easy 00:20:32.620 --> 00:20:33.620 to sort of zone out 00:20:33.620 --> 00:20:35.259 and not pay attention 00:20:35.259 --> 00:20:36.500 because it's so familiar, 00:20:36.640 --> 00:20:37.420 but I encourage you 00:20:37.420 --> 00:20:38.840 as Tommy celebrates 00:20:38.840 --> 00:20:39.940 to listen to the words 00:20:39.940 --> 00:20:40.640 that he's saying. 00:20:41.059 --> 00:20:41.840 He's rehearsing 00:20:41.840 --> 00:20:43.000 the entire drama 00:20:43.000 --> 00:20:43.579 of redemption. 00:20:43.779 --> 00:20:44.660 He's reminding us 00:20:44.660 --> 00:20:45.660 of what God has done 00:20:45.660 --> 00:20:47.059 and the journey 00:20:47.059 --> 00:20:48.400 that we are a part of. 00:20:49.079 --> 00:20:49.920 And we come together 00:20:49.920 --> 00:20:50.360 to eat, 00:20:50.440 --> 00:20:51.559 to feed on the body 00:20:51.559 --> 00:20:52.079 of Christ 00:20:52.079 --> 00:20:52.940 which has been broken 00:20:52.940 --> 00:20:53.579 for us 00:20:53.579 --> 00:20:54.700 and to drink 00:20:54.700 --> 00:20:55.579 the blood of Christ 00:20:55.579 --> 00:20:56.660 which has been shed 00:20:56.660 --> 00:20:57.220 for us. 00:20:57.640 --> 00:20:58.440 And in this, 00:20:58.519 --> 00:20:59.500 in a mysterious way, 00:20:59.600 --> 00:21:00.640 Christ meets us 00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:02.240 and he feeds us. 00:21:02.960 --> 00:21:04.160 So we need to wake up 00:21:04.160 --> 00:21:04.620 and we do that 00:21:04.620 --> 00:21:05.299 by remembering 00:21:05.299 --> 00:21:06.660 and by being strengthened, 00:21:06.840 --> 00:21:07.980 strengthening what remains 00:21:07.980 --> 00:21:08.980 and is about to die. 00:21:09.740 --> 00:21:10.319 And finally, 00:21:10.319 --> 00:21:11.440 we come to church 00:21:11.440 --> 00:21:12.160 to wake up 00:21:12.160 --> 00:21:13.460 by repenting. 00:21:14.740 --> 00:21:15.140 Repenting, 00:21:15.299 --> 00:21:15.579 I think, 00:21:15.700 --> 00:21:16.640 repentance is something 00:21:16.640 --> 00:21:17.420 that can be 00:21:17.420 --> 00:21:18.600 slightly misunderstood. 00:21:19.380 --> 00:21:19.900 When we talk 00:21:19.900 --> 00:21:20.420 about repentance, 00:21:20.660 --> 00:21:21.500 we're not just talking 00:21:21.500 --> 00:21:22.060 about sort of 00:21:22.060 --> 00:21:23.039 the beating of your breast, 00:21:23.120 --> 00:21:23.820 feeling sad 00:21:23.820 --> 00:21:24.360 and guilty 00:21:24.360 --> 00:21:25.460 and sorrowful, 00:21:25.539 --> 00:21:26.120 although that's 00:21:26.120 --> 00:21:26.800 a part of it. 00:21:27.259 --> 00:21:28.000 Repentance is 00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:29.759 changing your course 00:21:29.759 --> 00:21:30.180 of action, 00:21:30.300 --> 00:21:31.060 recommitting to 00:21:31.060 --> 00:21:31.960 a new way. 00:21:32.880 --> 00:21:33.700 And I want to highlight 00:21:33.700 --> 00:21:34.920 as I seek 00:21:34.920 --> 00:21:35.860 to help us understand 00:21:35.860 --> 00:21:37.080 what repentance is, 00:21:37.140 --> 00:21:38.100 the difference between 00:21:38.100 --> 00:21:39.120 penitence 00:21:39.120 --> 00:21:40.019 and repentance. 00:21:40.200 --> 00:21:40.600 They're related 00:21:40.600 --> 00:21:41.660 but they're distinct. 00:21:41.660 --> 00:21:43.600 Penitence is the feeling 00:21:43.600 --> 00:21:44.779 of regret and sorrow, 00:21:45.019 --> 00:21:46.680 holy guilt in a way. 00:21:47.360 --> 00:21:48.500 And this is a part 00:21:48.500 --> 00:21:49.500 of repentance 00:21:49.500 --> 00:21:50.920 but it's not the same thing. 00:21:51.940 --> 00:21:52.740 In a moment, 00:21:52.860 --> 00:21:54.320 we'll confess our sins together 00:21:54.320 --> 00:21:56.019 and as we do so, 00:21:56.180 --> 00:21:57.279 you see both penitence 00:21:57.279 --> 00:21:58.019 and repentance. 00:21:58.860 --> 00:22:00.100 When we confess our sins, 00:22:00.200 --> 00:22:00.560 we say, 00:22:00.779 --> 00:22:01.720 we are truly sorry 00:22:01.720 --> 00:22:02.680 and we humbly repent. 00:22:02.820 --> 00:22:04.180 The truly sorry piece 00:22:04.180 --> 00:22:05.560 is the penitence 00:22:05.560 --> 00:22:06.480 and that leads 00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:07.340 and lends itself 00:22:07.340 --> 00:22:08.460 directly to repentance. 00:22:08.660 --> 00:22:09.600 We are truly sorry 00:22:09.599 --> 00:22:11.339 and we humbly repent. 00:22:12.319 --> 00:22:13.099 Repentance is about 00:22:13.099 --> 00:22:14.179 a reorientation 00:22:14.179 --> 00:22:15.919 where we commit ourselves 00:22:15.919 --> 00:22:17.419 to new action, 00:22:17.559 --> 00:22:18.299 a new way of being, 00:22:18.399 --> 00:22:19.299 getting back on track. 00:22:19.439 --> 00:22:19.899 N.T. Wright, 00:22:20.039 --> 00:22:21.319 he's sort of the patron saint 00:22:21.319 --> 00:22:23.179 of our church 00:22:23.179 --> 00:22:23.779 in a lot of ways. 00:22:23.859 --> 00:22:24.939 He's a biblical scholar 00:22:24.939 --> 00:22:26.419 and he puts it 00:22:26.419 --> 00:22:27.159 so helpfully. 00:22:27.959 --> 00:22:28.939 So is C.S. Lewis. 00:22:29.159 --> 00:22:30.559 So I'm referencing Lewis 00:22:30.559 --> 00:22:31.219 and N.T. Wright 00:22:31.219 --> 00:22:32.339 but N.T. Wright 00:22:32.339 --> 00:22:33.219 is just really, 00:22:33.379 --> 00:22:34.139 really helpful here. 00:22:34.279 --> 00:22:35.219 He puts it so clearly, 00:22:35.359 --> 00:22:36.240 helps us to understand 00:22:36.240 --> 00:22:37.480 what repentance is. 00:22:38.359 --> 00:22:38.939 Wright says, 00:22:39.599 --> 00:22:40.740 when Jesus says, 00:22:40.879 --> 00:22:41.859 repent and follow me, 00:22:42.299 --> 00:22:43.039 when Jesus says, 00:22:43.119 --> 00:22:43.879 repent and follow me, 00:22:43.939 --> 00:22:44.659 he didn't mean 00:22:44.659 --> 00:22:46.059 have some kind of 00:22:46.059 --> 00:22:47.459 sad religious experience. 00:22:47.579 --> 00:22:48.199 He doesn't just mean 00:22:48.199 --> 00:22:48.839 feel bad, 00:22:48.939 --> 00:22:49.480 feel guilty, 00:22:49.679 --> 00:22:50.339 feel ashamed. 00:22:50.759 --> 00:22:52.279 What he actually meant was, 00:22:52.799 --> 00:22:54.119 you're going the wrong way. 00:22:54.939 --> 00:22:56.500 You're going to have to turn around 00:22:56.500 --> 00:22:58.199 because God is doing 00:22:58.199 --> 00:22:59.059 a new thing. 00:22:59.659 --> 00:23:00.439 If you're going to be 00:23:00.439 --> 00:23:01.399 a part of that new thing, 00:23:01.439 --> 00:23:02.779 if you're going to follow me, 00:23:03.079 --> 00:23:04.500 you're going to have to give up 00:23:04.500 --> 00:23:05.740 the way you've been going. 00:23:06.199 --> 00:23:07.379 That's what repentance means. 00:23:07.380 --> 00:23:08.840 For some of us, 00:23:08.840 --> 00:23:11.020 if you've never decided 00:23:11.020 --> 00:23:12.140 and committed yourself 00:23:12.140 --> 00:23:13.840 your way to follow Jesus, 00:23:14.560 --> 00:23:15.520 repentance might mean 00:23:15.520 --> 00:23:17.000 a 180 degree turn 00:23:17.000 --> 00:23:18.800 where you completely change 00:23:18.800 --> 00:23:20.420 your orientation of your life 00:23:20.420 --> 00:23:21.380 and you follow Jesus. 00:23:21.960 --> 00:23:23.160 For others of us, 00:23:23.160 --> 00:23:24.100 if we are committed 00:23:24.100 --> 00:23:24.940 to following Jesus, 00:23:24.940 --> 00:23:26.040 we're still called 00:23:26.040 --> 00:23:27.440 to repent and follow Jesus. 00:23:27.800 --> 00:23:29.440 That might not be as drastic 00:23:29.440 --> 00:23:30.940 as a 180 degree turn. 00:23:31.020 --> 00:23:31.900 It might just be 00:23:31.900 --> 00:23:33.500 a slight course correction, 00:23:33.600 --> 00:23:34.520 getting back on track. 00:23:34.519 --> 00:23:35.579 But every single week, 00:23:35.660 --> 00:23:36.420 we need to repent 00:23:36.420 --> 00:23:37.700 because we're misaligned. 00:23:37.839 --> 00:23:38.680 We're lacking integrity 00:23:38.680 --> 00:23:40.619 and we need to get back on track. 00:23:41.779 --> 00:23:43.119 Repentance actually is a sign 00:23:43.119 --> 00:23:44.480 of spiritual health, 00:23:44.740 --> 00:23:45.759 not unhealth. 00:23:46.400 --> 00:23:47.920 It is a sign of coming awake. 00:23:49.119 --> 00:23:50.019 So I want to end with this. 00:23:50.519 --> 00:23:51.700 The Christian life is a journey 00:23:51.700 --> 00:23:52.400 and it's a journey 00:23:52.400 --> 00:23:53.339 towards integrity. 00:23:53.839 --> 00:23:55.099 It's a journey towards 00:23:55.099 --> 00:23:56.839 recovering our full humanity, 00:23:57.019 --> 00:23:57.900 towards becoming 00:23:57.900 --> 00:23:59.879 more fully alive in Jesus. 00:24:00.700 --> 00:24:01.599 And one of the ways 00:24:01.599 --> 00:24:02.559 that we make progress 00:24:02.559 --> 00:24:03.639 in the way of Jesus 00:24:03.639 --> 00:24:04.980 is by gathering together 00:24:04.980 --> 00:24:06.159 every week to wake up, 00:24:06.240 --> 00:24:06.899 to be renewed, 00:24:07.440 --> 00:24:09.139 and then to be sent out again. 00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:11.119 As Jesus said 00:24:11.119 --> 00:24:12.960 in the Gospel of Luke, 00:24:13.079 --> 00:24:14.240 blessed are those servants 00:24:14.240 --> 00:24:15.899 whom the master finds awake 00:24:15.899 --> 00:24:16.720 when he comes. 00:24:17.679 --> 00:24:18.819 Truly I say to you, 00:24:18.940 --> 00:24:20.099 he will dress himself 00:24:20.099 --> 00:24:20.940 for service 00:24:20.940 --> 00:24:23.220 and have them recline at table 00:24:23.220 --> 00:24:24.700 and he will come 00:24:24.700 --> 00:24:25.960 and serve them. 00:24:26.779 --> 00:24:27.839 We come to church 00:24:27.839 --> 00:24:28.500 to wake up, 00:24:28.579 --> 00:24:29.039 to remember, 00:24:29.220 --> 00:24:30.399 to strengthen what remains 00:24:30.399 --> 00:24:31.599 and is about to die 00:24:31.599 --> 00:24:33.079 and to repent. 00:24:33.519 --> 00:24:34.519 And by the grace of God 00:24:34.519 --> 00:24:35.599 in so doing, 00:24:36.119 --> 00:24:37.240 we will be counted 00:24:37.240 --> 00:24:38.539 among those who conquer. 00:24:39.459 --> 00:24:40.559 And as Jesus says, 00:24:40.659 --> 00:24:41.639 the one who conquers 00:24:41.639 --> 00:24:43.059 will be clothed 00:24:43.059 --> 00:24:44.240 thus in white garments 00:24:44.240 --> 00:24:46.439 and I will never blot his name 00:24:46.439 --> 00:24:47.439 out of the book of life. 00:24:48.079 --> 00:24:49.459 I will confess his name 00:24:49.459 --> 00:24:50.319 before my Father 00:24:50.319 --> 00:24:51.599 and before his angels. 00:24:52.559 --> 00:24:53.539 He who has an ear, 00:24:53.659 --> 00:24:54.439 let him hear 00:24:54.439 --> 00:24:55.599 what the Spirit says 00:24:55.599 --> 00:24:56.439 to the churches. 00:24:56.959 --> 00:24:57.539 Let's pray. 00:24:57.539 --> 00:24:57.619 Amen. 00:24:57.619 --> 00:24:57.659 Amen. 00:24:57.659 --> 00:24:57.699 Amen. 00:24:57.699 --> 00:24:57.719 Amen. 00:24:57.719 --> 00:24:57.740 Amen.