WEBVTT

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 So, I don't know, you know, when I was reading 2 Corinthians, and I don't know if you noticed it when Jeremiah was reading it,

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 there was a particular phrase that really, really jumped out at me, and it's verse 30.

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 I don't know if it jumped out at you when you were listening to it.

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 You know, I know it can be hard to listen to Scripture, but it says this in verse 30,

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 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

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 And that's a bit of a complicated phrase if you think about it.

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 I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

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 Like, is this text saying to us that if Usain Bolt was a Christian, I have no idea whether he is or not,

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 but that Usain Bolt should say that he's actually pretty slow and terrible at running?

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 Should he actually try to become a worse runner so he could say this?

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 Like, is this telling us that Serena Williams should say that she has a terrible serve?

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 Or that Haley Wickenheiser can hardly play hockey at all?

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 Or that it's wrong for them to try to get better at their sports, that they should try to get, like, worse at it?

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 Like, when it says here, I will boast of the things that show my weakness,

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 like, is that one of these just, you know, religious or spiritual things?

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 And yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

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 It just sort of means you confess your sins, but, you know, you go on living life.

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 Like, if you were to read this in your office or at your coffee shop, would people roll their eyes at it?

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 Is it one of those things?

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 Would people say, you know, George, I think texts like that are just the way that religion tries to sort of say,

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 oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm a rich, powerful person.

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 I'm just acknowledging my weakness.

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 But it's really just a way for rich and powerful people to keep poor people poor.

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 Because the rich and powerful don't believe it, but they want the poor to believe it.

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 And then they can stay strong.

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 Like, what's going on with that?

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 It's a very, it's an odd statement, isn't it?

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 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

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 In fact, you know, for some who might actually really be struggling with things in their life,

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 and they come maybe to a church service like this, where they come to read the Bible,

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 hoping that they can find some meaning in their life,

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 like, a text like that can end up making you think,

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 well, you know, George, I'm already really beat up by life,

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 and I'm already feeling pretty weak.

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 And I don't know, George, I'm looking for something that will give me some type of peace

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 and some type of inner calm and self-possession and strength.

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 I'm not really looking for something that's going to make me weaker.

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 So it's a very curious text, isn't it?

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 So let's look.

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 Let's just look at it in this context.

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 It'd be a great help if you open your Bibles.

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 And the text is 2 Corinthians 11, beginning at the 16th verse.

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 It'd be a great help if you open the Bibles, and let's look and see.

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 Maybe the context makes it better.

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 Maybe the context makes it worse.

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 Maybe what's going on in the text.

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 Is anything at all going on?

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 And just so you know, as you're starting to read the text,

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 just before this, Paul was talking about he was having trouble in the congregation.

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 And the congregation, part of the problem in the congregation was that there's this group of people

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 who are trying to lead the people astray.

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 And you can sort of imagine they all sort of look like George Clooney or take your favorite actress

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 who just looks good-looking and poised and knows how to dress and knows how to move

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 and knows how to charm.

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 And at the same time, they're sort of very culturally connected and culturally savvy.

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 And they're trying to recommend a way of living that's far more culturally sophisticated and culturally savvy.

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 And they're sort of convincing the congregation that Paul is a bit of a, you know, a bit of a rough hick type

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 whose gospel has too many rough edges and they want to smooth them out, you know.

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 And that's what's going on just before this.

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 He ends up saying that they're really more like the way the serpent was with Eve.

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 And if you remember the story in Genesis 3, the serpent says to Eve, did God really say?

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 Did God really say?

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 And what's going to happen after this, which we'll look at next week,

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 is Paul's talking about somebody who's had a spectacular vision of heaven.

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 And so anyway, that's what goes on on either side.

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 Look at, let's start with verse 16.

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 And here's how it goes.

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 I repeat, because he said this earlier, let no one think me foolish.

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 Okay, so he said, I'm not a fool.

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 But even if you do, accept me as a fool so that I may, but even if you do, in other words,

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 even if you actually do think I'm foolish, because you've been listening to these people

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 who've said that I'm a bit of a hick, accept me as a fool so that I too may boast a little.

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 What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would, but as a fool.

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 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast.

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 Now, what Paul's sort of sitting up here is he's going to say, to try to make a point,

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 he's going to play the fool, to make a point.

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 It's a little bit like a, yeah, he's just going to play the fool in the hope that by playing a fool,

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 he's going to sort of disarm them and get them to sort of understand a few things.

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 And then in verse 18, just before we go any further, I'm just going to say a few things about this.

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 And I want to, they're going to be a little bit provocative,

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 but it's actually a really significant sentence to understand this whole thing about weakness.

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 And it's in verse 18, it's actually pretty significant.

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 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast.

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 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast.

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 See, one of the things that we're going to see as we go on is that what Paul is doing in this full speech

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 and this statement about weakness, he's sort of, he's trying to understand,

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 he's going to help us to try to understand two different types of weakness,

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 and he's going to help us to try to understand what boasting, human boasting reveals about our hearts.

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 Because that's always what the Bible is wanting to do.

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 The Bible is wanting us to understand our heart,

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 this sort of the command center of our lives in light of the reality of the living God.

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 That's what the Bible is always pushing us towards.

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 And so Paul is going to play the fool, but here's these, a couple of provocative statements.

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 If you could put the first one up, Andrew.

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 The flesh boasts.

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 The flesh boasts.

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 And now what the Bible here means, it's not just, in this case, the flesh doesn't just mean,

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 you know, just our body, like the physical stuff,

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 as if there's somehow every human being is, there's a physical stuff,

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 and then there's some type of divine spark within us which is eternal,

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 or that the soul is closer to God and the body doesn't really matter.

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 That's not what he means.

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 In the Bible, one of the uses of the flesh, the most common in the New Testament,

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 is to describe that there's something in human beings which likes to either ignore God or rebel against God.

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 That there's something in every human being that loves to ignore God or rebel against God or resent God.

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 If God's not doing anything to bug us, that's fine.

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 We can just ignore him.

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 But once he starts to do something that sort of intrudes upon our interests,

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 there's a resentment to him, an enmity towards him, not a longing.

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 And that's what's meant by the flesh.

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 And so one of the things that the Bible teaches and that Paul is saying here in verse 18

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 is that the flesh boasts.

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 The next point, Andrew.

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 In fact, the flesh, that part of us which is in rebellion against God,

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 not, I mean, the soul, our mind, our heart, our will, our affections, our imagination, our memory,

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 there's part of everything that makes us us that is in rebellion against God and resents him.

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 And the Bible is also trying to tell us that the flesh, that part of me, is addicted to boasting.

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 Just as some people can be horribly addicted to crack cocaine and it can ruin and wreck their lives,

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 that the flesh in human beings is addicted to boasting.

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 And then the final controversial thing,

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 all human beings are addicted to boasting, myself included.

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 All human beings are addicted to boasting, myself included.

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 If any of you are interested in writing any of these things down,

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 it's all going to be on the webpage tomorrow if I go too quickly.

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 So in this little verse 18, behind it is this basic sense,

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 some of which Paul has been pointing out throughout the book of 2 Corinthians

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 and in 1 Corinthians, his first letter to Corinth,

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 is that all human beings boast.

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 All human beings are addicted to boasting, myself included.

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 And some of you think this is probably wrong.

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 I'm going to try to illustrate it later on in the sermon.

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 But I just want you to understand that this is a bit of a context within which Paul is playing the fool

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 and he's going to talk about weakness as being something that he wants to learn to boast in.

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 So let's continue on.

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 Let's continue on verse 19.

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 Sort of lost my place there for a second.

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 19.

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 Now he's still talking to the congregation.

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 For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves.

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 For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you or devours you

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 or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or strikes you in the face.

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 To my shame, I must say we were too weak for that.

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 Now just pause.

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 This is a combination of irony and sarcasm.

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 Many of us don't realize that sometimes the Bible uses irony.

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 You know, irony isn't just something that hipsters invented.

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 Like, it's something that goes right back.

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 Like, the ancients understood irony and sarcasm.

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 The hard part is that often Christians, you know,

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 who always think that the Bible has to be unbelievably serious,

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 that it never has a bit of a joke or never using irony or sarcasm.

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 And Paul is just going to, you know, because you see,

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 what these false apostles have been doing that have been causing the trouble

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 is they're getting paid lots of money to teach.

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 And who knows, maybe they're really all of a sudden,

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 as we're going to see in a moment,

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 if they're starting to put a whole pile of rules on them

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 and they're beating them up and poor Paul says,

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 you know, I was just too strong to take any money for you.

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 I did everything for free.

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 You know, he means,

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 it's too bad I was beating you up in such a terrible way

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 by only giving to you and never receiving a penny from you.

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 And it's too bad I was only trying to teach you about grace

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 rather than having you weighed down with a whole pile of advice you can't keep,

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 where people then mock you because you can't keep the advice.

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 So he's being sarcastic.

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 He's being, he's full of irony with them.

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 He's trying to use the irony and the sarcasm to make them think,

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 oh yeah, Paul did all of this for free,

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 but you want hundreds and hundreds.

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 I remember years ago, there was a guy who used to come to the church

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 and I mean, you know, he was like a lot of Anglicans.

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 I don't want to make anybody feel guilty here,

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 but he's like a lot of Anglicans.

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 I think he put like two bucks a week in the plate or something,

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 a hundred bucks a year,

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 maybe an extra 50 at Christmas, you know.

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 Anyway, he told me,

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 he had a really messed up life

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 and he told me that he'd just gone off on a weekend

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 and this is about almost 20 years ago

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 and he went off on a weekend

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 and he paid somebody 850 bucks.

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 I don't know what that,

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 like today in today's dollars,

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 that'd probably be like over two grand.

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 And he paid them this for a weekend

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 for the guy to just basically keep yelling at them

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 and the basic message is

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 you need to make a distinction

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 between women you just want to sleep with once or twice,

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 women you want to sleep with for six months,

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 and women you might want to marry.

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 And he paid 850 dollars to be yelled at about that.

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 And he put two bucks in the plate at my church.

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 I could have told him that for free.

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 Except that I would have said,

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 don't sleep with women, you know.

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 I mean, and that's what he wouldn't have liked, right.

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 So it's, you know,

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 the fact of the matter is that a lot of times

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 people will do all these crazy things with their money, right.

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 You know, I didn't say this when I was talking about money,

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 but you know, if our culture thinks

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 it's not messed up about money,

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 I learned this from John Maxwell.

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 Many people in our offices

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 and many people that we see on the street,

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 because they use credit cards and line of credit,

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 they spend money they don't have

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 to buy things they don't need

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 to impress people they don't like.

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 And then they think

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 that they have no problem with money

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 and Christians are uptight

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 about talking about money.

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 The Bible wants to free us

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 from doing all that stuff, right.

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 So that's a bit of a long aside.

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 But here, so get,

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 what's going to happen next?

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 Verse 21 again.

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 To my shame, I must say

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 we were too weak for that.

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 But whatever anyone else dares to boast of,

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 I am speaking as a fool.

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 I also dare to boast of that.

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 Are they Hebrews? So am I.

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 Are they Israelites? So am I.

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 Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I.

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 Are they servants of Christ?

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 I am a better one.

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 I am talking like a madman.

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 Pause right here.

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 Two things about boasting.

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 Now, most of you couldn't give a hoot.

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 I almost said a bad word.

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 Couldn't give a hoot

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 about that list of qualifications.

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 Right?

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 Who cares?

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 In fact, in our culture,

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 with a bit of an increase in anti-Semitism,

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 it might actually be a bad thing

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 for many in our culture.

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 That's one of the things about all boasting, you know?

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 Like, it might very well be

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 that the thing that we put down in a resume

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 or the thing that we like to boast about,

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 if we went to another culture,

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 they'd go,

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 yuck.

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 Or that future generations will go,

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 yuck.

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 Like, you know,

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 couldn't you see that,

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 like in a certain point in time

00:14:06.600 --> 00:14:07.399
 in South Africa,

00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:09.500
 one of the things that they would put down

00:14:09.500 --> 00:14:11.059
 is that they've always maintained

00:14:11.059 --> 00:14:11.899
 the color ban.

00:14:12.740 --> 00:14:14.100
 Couldn't you see that Christians

00:14:14.100 --> 00:14:16.079
 in the American South

00:14:16.079 --> 00:14:17.059
 at one point of time

00:14:17.059 --> 00:14:17.559
 could have had,

00:14:17.840 --> 00:14:18.039
 in fact,

00:14:18.100 --> 00:14:19.679
 it's one of the things on Hell on Wheels,

00:14:19.759 --> 00:14:21.220
 if you've seen that television series,

00:14:21.319 --> 00:14:22.500
 is the guy gets a promotion

00:14:22.500 --> 00:14:23.779
 in the first season

00:14:23.779 --> 00:14:26.259
 because he was good at managing slaves.

00:14:26.259 --> 00:14:29.740
 How would we think about that

00:14:29.740 --> 00:14:30.639
 on a resume today?

00:14:31.299 --> 00:14:32.000
 So that's one of the things

00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:32.860
 about all these things

00:14:32.860 --> 00:14:33.580
 that we boast in

00:14:33.580 --> 00:14:34.539
 is that we boast in them.

00:14:34.580 --> 00:14:36.120
 We think they're really important right now,

00:14:36.240 --> 00:14:37.679
 but in another part of the world,

00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:38.059
 they'd go,

00:14:38.220 --> 00:14:38.480
 yuck,

00:14:38.519 --> 00:14:39.419
 or who cares?

00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:42.340
 And it might very well be

00:14:42.340 --> 00:14:43.399
 that for some of those things

00:14:43.399 --> 00:14:45.559
 that in 20, 30, 50, 100 years,

00:14:45.620 --> 00:14:46.480
 if they were to find it,

00:14:46.519 --> 00:14:47.879
 if your great-grandkids

00:14:47.879 --> 00:14:48.379
 were to find it,

00:14:48.399 --> 00:14:48.659
 they'd go,

00:14:49.139 --> 00:14:49.840
 oh, that's terrible.

00:14:49.919 --> 00:14:50.639
 I don't want anybody to know

00:14:50.639 --> 00:14:51.740
 my parents were like that.

00:14:54.379 --> 00:14:55.600
 The other thing about this

00:14:55.600 --> 00:14:56.460
 is it shows a little bit

00:14:56.460 --> 00:14:58.340
 about what Paul is dealing with here.

00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:00.220
 And some of you know,

00:15:00.820 --> 00:15:02.820
 there's certain types of Christians

00:15:02.820 --> 00:15:07.340
 who have like an unhealthy fascination

00:15:07.340 --> 00:15:08.580
 with Jewish people.

00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:13.840
 And it's almost like,

00:15:13.960 --> 00:15:15.340
 friends like Daniel Avitan

00:15:15.340 --> 00:15:17.120
 and Daniel Gilman can tell you

00:15:17.120 --> 00:15:17.680
 that if people,

00:15:17.899 --> 00:15:19.440
 like there's some Christian circles,

00:15:19.519 --> 00:15:20.100
 if they find out

00:15:20.100 --> 00:15:21.200
 that the person's Jewish,

00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:22.820
 it's almost like they want to touch you

00:15:22.820 --> 00:15:25.300
 because they're going to get extra blessed.

00:15:25.600 --> 00:15:26.320
 Or something.

00:15:27.580 --> 00:15:28.100
 And it's,

00:15:28.240 --> 00:15:29.000
 you ask them.

00:15:29.279 --> 00:15:30.300
 It's a real thing.

00:15:31.139 --> 00:15:33.019
 And so it looks as if

00:15:33.019 --> 00:15:33.840
 maybe one of the things

00:15:33.840 --> 00:15:34.320
 that's going on

00:15:34.320 --> 00:15:35.300
 with these false apostles

00:15:35.300 --> 00:15:37.220
 is not only do they look like George Clooney

00:15:37.220 --> 00:15:39.980
 or not only are they culturally smooth,

00:15:40.279 --> 00:15:41.940
 but they're probably trying to trade in

00:15:41.940 --> 00:15:43.259
 with their Jewishness

00:15:43.259 --> 00:15:45.420
 or some type of Jewish claim.

00:15:45.920 --> 00:15:47.040
 They're probably more like

00:15:47.040 --> 00:15:48.740
 that guy Boyden,

00:15:48.879 --> 00:15:50.860
 the author claiming native hair,

00:15:51.860 --> 00:15:53.440
 doesn't have any, right?

00:15:53.440 --> 00:15:54.020
 You know the guy.

00:15:54.760 --> 00:15:55.260
 And, um,

00:15:55.680 --> 00:15:56.280
 but they're trying to,

00:15:56.360 --> 00:15:57.120
 and it's probably something

00:15:57.120 --> 00:15:57.920
 a bit Jewish

00:15:57.920 --> 00:15:59.160
 and rule oriented

00:15:59.160 --> 00:16:00.120
 that they're going with

00:16:00.120 --> 00:16:01.160
 as opposed to grace.

00:16:03.020 --> 00:16:03.380
 Anyway,

00:16:03.460 --> 00:16:03.780
 that's,

00:16:03.840 --> 00:16:04.980
 that's just the thing

00:16:04.980 --> 00:16:06.020
 about boasting, right?

00:16:06.080 --> 00:16:06.600
 It's to try to,

00:16:06.700 --> 00:16:06.880
 just,

00:16:06.960 --> 00:16:07.720
 you see the Bible,

00:16:08.640 --> 00:16:09.800
 at first it can look boring

00:16:09.800 --> 00:16:10.320
 or irrelevant,

00:16:10.320 --> 00:16:11.460
 but if you actually spend

00:16:11.460 --> 00:16:12.500
 some time thinking about it,

00:16:12.560 --> 00:16:13.320
 you realize it's,

00:16:14.320 --> 00:16:15.620
 um,

00:16:15.620 --> 00:16:19.200
 sorry.

00:16:19.620 --> 00:16:19.940
 Anyway,

00:16:20.120 --> 00:16:21.200
 let's go back to 23.

00:16:21.960 --> 00:16:23.200
 Are they servants of Christ?

00:16:23.259 --> 00:16:23.799
 I am a better one.

00:16:23.899 --> 00:16:25.799
 I am talking like a madman.

00:16:26.100 --> 00:16:26.500
 I mean,

00:16:26.539 --> 00:16:27.679
 you should almost yell it

00:16:27.679 --> 00:16:28.600
 if you were reading it,

00:16:28.639 --> 00:16:28.960
 okay?

00:16:29.700 --> 00:16:30.100
 Now,

00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:31.179
 just pause.

00:16:31.539 --> 00:16:32.539
 What do you put in resumes?

00:16:33.899 --> 00:16:34.220
 Okay,

00:16:34.379 --> 00:16:35.060
 here's the fact.

00:16:35.139 --> 00:16:35.580
 If you,

00:16:35.779 --> 00:16:36.019
 in fact,

00:16:36.060 --> 00:16:37.080
 took nine years

00:16:37.080 --> 00:16:38.600
 to get your four-year degree,

00:16:39.340 --> 00:16:39.820
 you don't,

00:16:39.940 --> 00:16:41.220
 you usually try to figure out

00:16:41.220 --> 00:16:42.259
 some way to get around

00:16:42.259 --> 00:16:43.680
 that inconvenient fact.

00:16:43.679 --> 00:16:45.859
 Right?

00:16:47.219 --> 00:16:47.779
 You know,

00:16:47.859 --> 00:16:48.059
 if,

00:16:48.099 --> 00:16:49.239
 if grade nine

00:16:49.239 --> 00:16:50.379
 was the three best years

00:16:50.379 --> 00:16:51.120
 of your life,

00:16:51.859 --> 00:16:51.979
 you,

00:16:52.199 --> 00:16:56.359
 you tend to not want

00:16:56.359 --> 00:16:57.000
 to put that

00:16:57.000 --> 00:16:57.759
 in your resume,

00:16:58.120 --> 00:16:58.500
 okay?

00:16:59.139 --> 00:16:59.839
 And so,

00:16:59.959 --> 00:17:01.979
 how would a Christian pastor

00:17:01.979 --> 00:17:02.379
 want to,

00:17:02.439 --> 00:17:02.599
 like,

00:17:02.639 --> 00:17:03.139
 if you're looking

00:17:03.139 --> 00:17:04.000
 for a new pastor

00:17:04.000 --> 00:17:04.659
 after I,

00:17:04.740 --> 00:17:04.980
 you know,

00:17:05.079 --> 00:17:05.259
 I,

00:17:05.259 --> 00:17:06.379
 I move on,

00:17:06.879 --> 00:17:07.720
 and you know,

00:17:07.799 --> 00:17:08.700
 what would you want to say?

00:17:08.799 --> 00:17:09.559
 You'd want him to say,

00:17:09.639 --> 00:17:09.779
 well,

00:17:09.859 --> 00:17:10.039
 you know,

00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:11.419
 I planted six churches,

00:17:11.700 --> 00:17:11.960
 you know,

00:17:12.059 --> 00:17:13.200
 the last church grew

00:17:13.200 --> 00:17:14.299
 to 5,000 people

00:17:14.299 --> 00:17:14.980
 on a Sunday.

00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:16.519
 I don't know,

00:17:16.620 --> 00:17:16.819
 you know,

00:17:16.880 --> 00:17:17.799
 10,000 people

00:17:17.799 --> 00:17:18.559
 have come to faith

00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:19.779
 through my message.

00:17:20.460 --> 00:17:20.980
 You know,

00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:21.580
 some of the people

00:17:21.580 --> 00:17:21.860
 who've,

00:17:22.100 --> 00:17:22.360
 you know,

00:17:22.360 --> 00:17:23.539
 that I discipled,

00:17:23.580 --> 00:17:23.759
 you know,

00:17:23.799 --> 00:17:24.220
 they're now,

00:17:24.220 --> 00:17:24.640
 like,

00:17:25.319 --> 00:17:26.180
 Regis professors

00:17:26.180 --> 00:17:26.980
 of divinity

00:17:26.980 --> 00:17:27.700
 at Oxford.

00:17:28.360 --> 00:17:28.539
 I mean,

00:17:28.580 --> 00:17:29.039
 that's what you're

00:17:29.039 --> 00:17:29.539
 looking for,

00:17:29.580 --> 00:17:29.799
 right?

00:17:30.960 --> 00:17:31.740
 That's what resumes

00:17:31.740 --> 00:17:32.180
 do,

00:17:32.240 --> 00:17:32.460
 right?

00:17:33.720 --> 00:17:34.080
 So,

00:17:34.120 --> 00:17:34.700
 Paul is trying

00:17:34.700 --> 00:17:35.240
 to impress

00:17:35.240 --> 00:17:35.860
 these people,

00:17:35.960 --> 00:17:36.240
 right?

00:17:37.279 --> 00:17:38.100
 What does he say?

00:17:39.059 --> 00:17:40.059
 With far greater

00:17:40.059 --> 00:17:40.620
 labors,

00:17:40.840 --> 00:17:42.279
 far more imprisonments,

00:17:42.279 --> 00:17:43.799
 that would really

00:17:43.799 --> 00:17:44.759
 impress a search

00:17:44.759 --> 00:17:45.119
 committee.

00:17:45.660 --> 00:17:46.599
 I've been in jail

00:17:46.599 --> 00:17:47.720
 10 times.

00:17:48.099 --> 00:17:48.819
 My record

00:17:48.819 --> 00:17:49.799
 is as long

00:17:49.799 --> 00:17:50.539
 as my arm.

00:17:51.200 --> 00:17:52.000
 With countless

00:17:52.000 --> 00:17:52.680
 beatings

00:17:52.680 --> 00:17:53.839
 and often near death,

00:17:53.960 --> 00:17:55.220
 five times I received

00:17:55.220 --> 00:17:55.779
 at the hands

00:17:55.779 --> 00:17:56.440
 of the Jews

00:17:56.440 --> 00:17:57.359
 the 40 lashes

00:17:57.359 --> 00:17:58.000
 less one.

00:17:58.740 --> 00:17:59.460
 That means

00:17:59.460 --> 00:18:00.619
 he pissed off

00:18:00.619 --> 00:18:01.539
 the Jewish people.

00:18:02.399 --> 00:18:03.139
 Three times

00:18:03.139 --> 00:18:03.660
 I was beaten

00:18:03.660 --> 00:18:04.319
 with rods.

00:18:04.639 --> 00:18:05.139
 That means

00:18:05.139 --> 00:18:06.160
 he got the pagans

00:18:06.160 --> 00:18:06.559
 mad,

00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:07.720
 different punishments.

00:18:08.379 --> 00:18:09.680
 Once I was stoned.

00:18:09.680 --> 00:18:11.700
 Three times

00:18:11.700 --> 00:18:12.740
 I was shipwrecked.

00:18:13.160 --> 00:18:13.480
 A night

00:18:13.480 --> 00:18:13.920
 and a day

00:18:13.920 --> 00:18:15.039
 I was adrift

00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:15.500
 at sea.

00:18:15.580 --> 00:18:15.940
 That means

00:18:15.940 --> 00:18:16.940
 24 hours.

00:18:17.700 --> 00:18:18.360
 On frequent

00:18:18.360 --> 00:18:18.779
 journeys

00:18:18.779 --> 00:18:19.299
 and danger

00:18:19.299 --> 00:18:19.860
 from rivers,

00:18:20.019 --> 00:18:20.259
 danger

00:18:20.259 --> 00:18:20.940
 from robbers,

00:18:21.080 --> 00:18:21.320
 danger

00:18:21.320 --> 00:18:21.920
 from my own

00:18:21.920 --> 00:18:22.240
 people,

00:18:22.400 --> 00:18:22.640
 danger

00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:23.460
 from Gentiles,

00:18:23.600 --> 00:18:23.840
 danger

00:18:23.840 --> 00:18:24.299
 in the city,

00:18:24.460 --> 00:18:24.680
 danger

00:18:24.680 --> 00:18:25.240
 in the wilderness,

00:18:26.060 --> 00:18:26.360
 danger

00:18:26.360 --> 00:18:26.880
 of sea,

00:18:27.060 --> 00:18:27.299
 danger

00:18:27.299 --> 00:18:27.940
 from false

00:18:27.940 --> 00:18:28.299
 brothers,

00:18:28.480 --> 00:18:28.880
 and toil

00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:29.500
 and hardship

00:18:29.500 --> 00:18:30.560
 through many

00:18:30.560 --> 00:18:31.120
 a sleepless

00:18:31.120 --> 00:18:31.940
 night in hunger

00:18:31.940 --> 00:18:32.400
 and thirst,

00:18:32.519 --> 00:18:33.299
 often without

00:18:33.299 --> 00:18:33.740
 food,

00:18:34.180 --> 00:18:34.560
 in cold

00:18:34.560 --> 00:18:35.240
 and exposure.

00:18:35.400 --> 00:18:35.980
 And by the way,

00:18:36.100 --> 00:18:36.799
 in the original

00:18:36.799 --> 00:18:37.539
 language,

00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:38.820
 with the verb

00:18:38.819 --> 00:18:39.399
 tenses,

00:18:39.759 --> 00:18:40.500
 the implication

00:18:40.500 --> 00:18:41.460
 is this is just

00:18:41.460 --> 00:18:42.639
 a sample,

00:18:42.919 --> 00:18:44.079
 not exhaustive.

00:18:45.059 --> 00:18:45.539
 And apart

00:18:45.539 --> 00:18:46.019
 from other

00:18:46.019 --> 00:18:46.519
 things,

00:18:47.299 --> 00:18:48.240
 and in the

00:18:48.240 --> 00:18:49.099
 original language

00:18:49.099 --> 00:18:49.579
 as well,

00:18:50.359 --> 00:18:51.419
 it culminates

00:18:51.419 --> 00:18:52.399
 in verse 29

00:18:52.399 --> 00:18:53.259
 as the greatest

00:18:53.259 --> 00:18:54.379
 thing which

00:18:54.379 --> 00:18:55.919
 has beset him,

00:18:56.019 --> 00:18:56.720
 that's hurt him.

00:18:57.240 --> 00:18:57.879
 And apart

00:18:57.879 --> 00:18:58.299
 from other

00:18:58.299 --> 00:18:58.599
 things,

00:18:58.700 --> 00:18:59.139
 there is the

00:18:59.139 --> 00:19:00.119
 daily pressure

00:19:00.119 --> 00:19:01.119
 on me of my

00:19:01.119 --> 00:19:02.259
 anxiety for all

00:19:02.259 --> 00:19:02.720
 the churches.

00:19:02.879 --> 00:19:03.359
 Who is weak

00:19:03.359 --> 00:19:03.939
 and I am not

00:19:03.939 --> 00:19:04.279
 weak?

00:19:04.799 --> 00:19:05.319
 Who is made

00:19:05.319 --> 00:19:05.779
 to fall

00:19:05.779 --> 00:19:06.359
 and I am not

00:19:06.359 --> 00:19:06.799
 indignant?

00:19:06.799 --> 00:19:08.279
 If I must

00:19:08.279 --> 00:19:08.779
 boast,

00:19:09.379 --> 00:19:11.339
 I will boast

00:19:11.339 --> 00:19:11.940
 of the things

00:19:11.940 --> 00:19:12.399
 that show

00:19:12.399 --> 00:19:13.159
 my weakness.

00:19:14.460 --> 00:19:15.200
 The God

00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:15.799
 and Father

00:19:15.799 --> 00:19:16.940
 of the Lord

00:19:16.940 --> 00:19:17.359
 Jesus,

00:19:17.700 --> 00:19:19.259
 he who is

00:19:19.259 --> 00:19:20.079
 blessed forever,

00:19:20.859 --> 00:19:21.339
 knows that I

00:19:21.339 --> 00:19:21.980
 am not lying.

00:19:22.859 --> 00:19:23.299
 And we'll just

00:19:23.299 --> 00:19:24.859
 sort of pause

00:19:24.859 --> 00:19:25.399
 there for a

00:19:25.399 --> 00:19:26.259
 second and

00:19:26.259 --> 00:19:27.500
 think about it.

00:19:29.259 --> 00:19:29.819
 So,

00:19:30.019 --> 00:19:32.259
 it's a bit

00:19:32.259 --> 00:19:32.740
 of a weird

00:19:32.740 --> 00:19:33.180
 thing.

00:19:36.920 --> 00:19:37.379
 And we

00:19:37.379 --> 00:19:37.660
 need to

00:19:37.660 --> 00:19:37.980
 think a

00:19:37.980 --> 00:19:38.240
 little bit

00:19:38.240 --> 00:19:39.259
 about all

00:19:39.259 --> 00:19:39.599
 of these

00:19:39.599 --> 00:19:40.220
 things that

00:19:40.220 --> 00:19:40.640
 have happened

00:19:40.640 --> 00:19:41.140
 to him that

00:19:41.140 --> 00:19:42.319
 are very,

00:19:42.460 --> 00:19:43.180
 very hard.

00:19:44.440 --> 00:19:44.960
 In fact,

00:19:45.059 --> 00:19:46.039
 in the eyes

00:19:46.039 --> 00:19:46.839
 of the world,

00:19:47.599 --> 00:19:48.779
 many of these

00:19:48.779 --> 00:19:49.339
 things in this

00:19:49.339 --> 00:19:49.960
 list would show

00:19:49.960 --> 00:19:50.599
 that Paul's a

00:19:50.599 --> 00:19:50.900
 loser.

00:19:54.480 --> 00:19:55.119
 They wouldn't

00:19:55.119 --> 00:19:55.839
 be things that

00:19:55.839 --> 00:19:56.440
 show there's

00:19:56.440 --> 00:19:57.140
 any particular

00:19:57.140 --> 00:19:57.839
 excellence in

00:19:57.839 --> 00:19:57.960
 him.

00:19:58.039 --> 00:19:58.500
 It would show

00:19:58.500 --> 00:19:58.920
 that he's a

00:19:58.920 --> 00:19:59.180
 loser.

00:19:59.180 --> 00:20:03.840
 But Paul

00:20:03.840 --> 00:20:04.299
 goes and

00:20:04.299 --> 00:20:04.680
 puts them

00:20:04.680 --> 00:20:05.039
 all out

00:20:05.039 --> 00:20:05.539
 before them

00:20:05.539 --> 00:20:05.820
 as a

00:20:05.820 --> 00:20:06.120
 people.

00:20:07.660 --> 00:20:08.039
 So,

00:20:08.400 --> 00:20:09.060
 what on

00:20:09.060 --> 00:20:09.299
 earth is

00:20:09.299 --> 00:20:09.759
 going on

00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:09.980
 here?

00:20:10.500 --> 00:20:10.900
 And some

00:20:10.900 --> 00:20:11.080
 of you

00:20:11.080 --> 00:20:11.400
 might say,

00:20:11.440 --> 00:20:11.799
 George,

00:20:12.060 --> 00:20:12.380
 okay,

00:20:13.060 --> 00:20:13.660
 I can just

00:20:13.660 --> 00:20:14.759
 imagine one

00:20:14.759 --> 00:20:15.080
 of the guys

00:20:15.080 --> 00:20:15.560
 that I talk

00:20:15.560 --> 00:20:16.019
 with all the

00:20:16.019 --> 00:20:16.360
 time in

00:20:16.360 --> 00:20:16.640
 one of the

00:20:16.640 --> 00:20:17.200
 Starbucks.

00:20:17.840 --> 00:20:18.259
 Just the

00:20:18.259 --> 00:20:18.700
 other day,

00:20:19.400 --> 00:20:20.580
 he was

00:20:20.580 --> 00:20:21.320
 telling me

00:20:21.320 --> 00:20:22.120
 how,

00:20:22.980 --> 00:20:23.340
 he always

00:20:23.340 --> 00:20:23.680
 asked me

00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:23.900
 how many

00:20:23.900 --> 00:20:24.420
 people came

00:20:24.420 --> 00:20:24.880
 to church.

00:20:25.900 --> 00:20:27.600
 And he

00:20:27.600 --> 00:20:27.860
 sort of

00:20:27.860 --> 00:20:28.420
 nods,

00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:28.940
 you know,

00:20:28.940 --> 00:20:29.259
 and says,

00:20:29.320 --> 00:20:29.400
 well,

00:20:29.400 --> 00:20:29.519
 you know,

00:20:29.559 --> 00:20:29.840
 that's not

00:20:29.840 --> 00:20:30.320
 very many.

00:20:31.019 --> 00:20:31.799
 And he

00:20:31.799 --> 00:20:32.240
 really likes

00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:32.519
 to make

00:20:32.519 --> 00:20:32.840
 me feel

00:20:32.840 --> 00:20:33.100
 good.

00:20:33.940 --> 00:20:36.000
 And then

00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:36.340
 he says,

00:20:36.400 --> 00:20:36.600
 you know,

00:20:36.740 --> 00:20:37.100
 George,

00:20:37.220 --> 00:20:37.559
 like young

00:20:37.559 --> 00:20:37.980
 people are

00:20:37.980 --> 00:20:38.299
 all just

00:20:38.299 --> 00:20:38.759
 leaving the

00:20:38.759 --> 00:20:39.860
 church and

00:20:39.860 --> 00:20:40.120
 our whole

00:20:40.120 --> 00:20:40.620
 culture is

00:20:40.620 --> 00:20:41.080
 going away

00:20:41.080 --> 00:20:41.640
 from this.

00:20:42.420 --> 00:20:43.680
 And you're

00:20:43.680 --> 00:20:44.120
 on the

00:20:44.120 --> 00:20:45.019
 losing side

00:20:45.019 --> 00:20:45.799
 of how the

00:20:45.799 --> 00:20:46.259
 culture is

00:20:46.259 --> 00:20:46.580
 moving.

00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:47.440
 He just

00:20:47.440 --> 00:20:47.779
 said this

00:20:47.779 --> 00:20:48.200
 to me this

00:20:48.200 --> 00:20:48.440
 week,

00:20:48.500 --> 00:20:48.820
 actually,

00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:49.059
 and I

00:20:49.059 --> 00:20:49.380
 said to

00:20:49.380 --> 00:20:49.480
 him,

00:20:49.539 --> 00:20:49.660
 well,

00:20:50.340 --> 00:20:50.660
 I almost

00:20:50.660 --> 00:20:50.920
 said his

00:20:50.920 --> 00:20:51.120
 name,

00:20:51.180 --> 00:20:51.420
 we'll call

00:20:51.420 --> 00:20:51.860
 him Bob.

00:20:52.039 --> 00:20:52.259
 Well,

00:20:52.340 --> 00:20:52.660
 Bob,

00:20:53.299 --> 00:20:54.059
 first of all,

00:20:54.200 --> 00:20:54.980
 whoever thinks

00:20:54.980 --> 00:20:55.600
 that opinion

00:20:55.600 --> 00:20:56.400
 polls tell you

00:20:56.400 --> 00:20:56.880
 the truth,

00:20:56.880 --> 00:20:58.440
 that taking

00:20:58.440 --> 00:20:58.960
 a vote

00:20:58.960 --> 00:20:59.980
 will tell you

00:20:59.980 --> 00:21:00.340
 what's true

00:21:00.340 --> 00:21:00.900
 and false.

00:21:01.520 --> 00:21:02.120
 And there's

00:21:02.120 --> 00:21:02.440
 lots of

00:21:02.440 --> 00:21:03.180
 examples of

00:21:03.180 --> 00:21:04.360
 cultures leading

00:21:04.360 --> 00:21:05.220
 people astray,

00:21:05.660 --> 00:21:05.980
 you know.

00:21:06.420 --> 00:21:06.680
 And,

00:21:06.740 --> 00:21:08.000
 but he would

00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:08.900
 take a text

00:21:08.900 --> 00:21:09.480
 like this and

00:21:09.480 --> 00:21:09.880
 just say,

00:21:09.940 --> 00:21:10.100
 you know,

00:21:10.160 --> 00:21:10.580
 there's nothing

00:21:10.580 --> 00:21:10.940
 in this,

00:21:11.080 --> 00:21:11.320
 you know,

00:21:11.420 --> 00:21:11.960
 being boasting

00:21:11.960 --> 00:21:12.240
 of your

00:21:12.240 --> 00:21:12.560
 weakness,

00:21:12.700 --> 00:21:12.840
 George,

00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:13.200
 you gave me

00:21:13.200 --> 00:21:13.820
 the context,

00:21:13.940 --> 00:21:14.280
 but it's not

00:21:14.280 --> 00:21:14.940
 very helpful.

00:21:14.940 --> 00:21:16.080
 And it's

00:21:16.080 --> 00:21:16.440
 only made

00:21:16.440 --> 00:21:16.840
 Christianity

00:21:16.840 --> 00:21:17.299
 look a bit

00:21:17.299 --> 00:21:17.660
 weird.

00:21:18.980 --> 00:21:19.539
 Let's just

00:21:19.539 --> 00:21:20.019
 look at these

00:21:20.019 --> 00:21:20.400
 last,

00:21:20.500 --> 00:21:20.820
 the thing,

00:21:20.900 --> 00:21:21.559
 the culminating

00:21:21.559 --> 00:21:21.920
 thing in

00:21:21.920 --> 00:21:22.460
 the list,

00:21:23.220 --> 00:21:23.559
 29,

00:21:23.759 --> 00:21:24.000
 30,

00:21:24.059 --> 00:21:24.600
 and 31.

00:21:25.539 --> 00:21:25.960
 And just

00:21:25.960 --> 00:21:26.340
 keep in

00:21:26.340 --> 00:21:26.640
 mind,

00:21:26.799 --> 00:21:27.080
 in fact,

00:21:27.180 --> 00:21:27.380
 what I

00:21:27.380 --> 00:21:27.700
 remember I

00:21:27.700 --> 00:21:28.320
 said earlier,

00:21:29.240 --> 00:21:30.340
 that the

00:21:30.340 --> 00:21:31.200
 flesh boasts,

00:21:31.680 --> 00:21:32.259
 the flesh is

00:21:32.259 --> 00:21:33.140
 addicted to

00:21:33.140 --> 00:21:33.519
 boasting,

00:21:33.820 --> 00:21:34.580
 and all human

00:21:34.580 --> 00:21:35.059
 beings are

00:21:35.059 --> 00:21:35.720
 addicted to

00:21:35.720 --> 00:21:36.059
 boasting,

00:21:36.200 --> 00:21:37.039
 myself included.

00:21:37.480 --> 00:21:37.820
 Look at

00:21:37.820 --> 00:21:38.259
 29,

00:21:38.400 --> 00:21:39.400
 the pinnacle,

00:21:39.900 --> 00:21:40.519
 who is weak

00:21:40.519 --> 00:21:41.059
 and I am not

00:21:41.059 --> 00:21:41.440
 weak,

00:21:41.779 --> 00:21:42.400
 who is made

00:21:42.400 --> 00:21:42.960
 to fall and

00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:43.360
 I am not

00:21:43.360 --> 00:21:43.759
 indignant.

00:21:43.900 --> 00:21:44.420
 If I must

00:21:44.420 --> 00:21:44.740
 boast,

00:21:44.740 --> 00:21:45.339
 I will boast

00:21:45.339 --> 00:21:45.799
 of the things

00:21:45.799 --> 00:21:46.120
 that show

00:21:46.120 --> 00:21:47.180
 my weaknesses.

00:21:47.819 --> 00:21:48.500
 The God

00:21:48.500 --> 00:21:49.019
 and Father

00:21:49.019 --> 00:21:49.660
 of the Lord

00:21:49.660 --> 00:21:50.059
 Jesus,

00:21:50.299 --> 00:21:50.620
 he who is

00:21:50.620 --> 00:21:51.240
 blessed forever,

00:21:51.400 --> 00:21:51.720
 knows that

00:21:51.720 --> 00:21:52.059
 I am not

00:21:52.059 --> 00:21:52.400
 lying.

00:21:53.599 --> 00:21:53.859
 Now,

00:21:54.660 --> 00:21:56.200
 you see,

00:21:56.299 --> 00:21:56.620
 if you're a

00:21:56.620 --> 00:21:57.200
 very careful

00:21:57.200 --> 00:21:57.620
 reader,

00:21:57.900 --> 00:21:58.240
 you'd see

00:21:58.240 --> 00:21:58.700
 that Paul

00:21:58.700 --> 00:21:59.500
 is contradicting

00:21:59.500 --> 00:22:00.000
 himself.

00:22:02.640 --> 00:22:03.220
 You see,

00:22:03.299 --> 00:22:04.120
 in verse 29,

00:22:04.440 --> 00:22:04.980
 when it says,

00:22:05.120 --> 00:22:05.519
 who is weak

00:22:05.519 --> 00:22:06.059
 and I am not

00:22:06.059 --> 00:22:06.380
 weak,

00:22:07.000 --> 00:22:07.680
 who is made

00:22:07.680 --> 00:22:08.079
 to fall

00:22:08.079 --> 00:22:08.420
 and I am

00:22:08.420 --> 00:22:09.039
 not indignant,

00:22:09.240 --> 00:22:09.779
 and indignant

00:22:09.779 --> 00:22:10.519
 could also be

00:22:10.519 --> 00:22:11.279
 translated as,

00:22:11.480 --> 00:22:12.079
 have my heart

00:22:12.079 --> 00:22:12.620
 burn with

00:22:12.620 --> 00:22:13.099
 fire,

00:22:13.579 --> 00:22:14.480
 a hot fire.

00:22:14.740 --> 00:22:16.759
 he doesn't

00:22:16.759 --> 00:22:17.240
 think these

00:22:17.240 --> 00:22:17.640
 things are

00:22:17.640 --> 00:22:18.079
 good,

00:22:18.799 --> 00:22:20.279
 this type

00:22:20.279 --> 00:22:20.779
 of weakness

00:22:20.779 --> 00:22:21.380
 and falling.

00:22:22.380 --> 00:22:23.000
 And then he

00:22:23.000 --> 00:22:23.380
 says he's

00:22:23.380 --> 00:22:24.079
 boasting in his

00:22:24.079 --> 00:22:24.559
 weakness.

00:22:26.759 --> 00:22:27.160
 Well,

00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:27.720
 maybe he's an

00:22:27.720 --> 00:22:28.019
 idiot,

00:22:28.519 --> 00:22:30.680
 but maybe

00:22:30.680 --> 00:22:31.279
 it's wisdom.

00:22:31.279 --> 00:22:44.920
 God does not

00:22:44.920 --> 00:22:45.920
 desire the death

00:22:45.920 --> 00:22:46.279
 of the wicked,

00:22:46.279 --> 00:22:58.259
 but rather that they

00:22:58.259 --> 00:22:59.700
 would turn from

00:22:59.700 --> 00:23:00.440
 their wickedness

00:23:00.440 --> 00:23:00.880
 and live.

00:23:01.000 --> 00:23:01.220
 In fact,

00:23:01.319 --> 00:23:01.880
 the original

00:23:01.880 --> 00:23:02.180
 one is,

00:23:02.640 --> 00:23:03.920
 God desires

00:23:03.920 --> 00:23:04.620
 not the death

00:23:04.620 --> 00:23:05.660
 of the wicked,

00:23:06.140 --> 00:23:07.660
 but that he

00:23:07.660 --> 00:23:08.759
 would turn from

00:23:08.759 --> 00:23:09.480
 his wickedness

00:23:09.480 --> 00:23:09.960
 and live.

00:23:10.940 --> 00:23:11.620
 And that's a

00:23:11.620 --> 00:23:11.860
 very,

00:23:11.980 --> 00:23:12.720
 very powerful

00:23:12.720 --> 00:23:13.279
 phrase.

00:23:13.400 --> 00:23:13.779
 It's a very

00:23:13.779 --> 00:23:14.680
 gospel phrase.

00:23:14.819 --> 00:23:15.200
 It comes,

00:23:15.319 --> 00:23:15.980
 it's said three

00:23:15.980 --> 00:23:16.519
 times,

00:23:16.620 --> 00:23:17.440
 virtually word for

00:23:17.440 --> 00:23:17.860
 word in the

00:23:17.860 --> 00:23:18.720
 book of Ezekiel.

00:23:19.120 --> 00:23:19.680
 So it's just

00:23:19.680 --> 00:23:20.480
 the book of

00:23:20.480 --> 00:23:20.980
 common prayer

00:23:20.980 --> 00:23:21.620
 quoting it.

00:23:22.059 --> 00:23:22.500
 And it's a

00:23:22.500 --> 00:23:22.700
 very,

00:23:22.840 --> 00:23:23.519
 very important

00:23:23.519 --> 00:23:24.840
 verse and

00:23:24.840 --> 00:23:25.380
 idea to

00:23:25.380 --> 00:23:26.240
 understand everything

00:23:26.240 --> 00:23:26.900
 in the Bible.

00:23:27.700 --> 00:23:28.859
 God takes no

00:23:28.859 --> 00:23:30.380
 delight in the

00:23:30.380 --> 00:23:30.940
 death of a

00:23:30.940 --> 00:23:31.160
 sinner,

00:23:31.700 --> 00:23:32.940
 but rather that

00:23:32.940 --> 00:23:33.759
 he or she

00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:34.900
 would turn from

00:23:34.900 --> 00:23:35.680
 their wickedness

00:23:35.680 --> 00:23:36.180
 and live.

00:23:37.160 --> 00:23:37.680
 And just to

00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:38.359
 paraphrase it

00:23:38.359 --> 00:23:39.180
 very slightly,

00:23:39.359 --> 00:23:39.799
 but in a way

00:23:39.799 --> 00:23:40.299
 which is in

00:23:40.299 --> 00:23:41.200
 complete congruence

00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:41.960
 with the text,

00:23:42.759 --> 00:23:43.579
 God does not

00:23:43.579 --> 00:23:44.660
 take delight in

00:23:44.660 --> 00:23:45.579
 anyone dying.

00:23:46.620 --> 00:23:47.420
 God does not

00:23:47.420 --> 00:23:48.940
 take delight in

00:23:48.940 --> 00:23:49.779
 anyone being

00:23:49.779 --> 00:23:50.359
 diminished.

00:23:51.220 --> 00:23:52.099
 God does not

00:23:52.099 --> 00:23:53.440
 take delight in

00:23:53.440 --> 00:23:54.259
 anyone being

00:23:54.259 --> 00:23:55.079
 beaten up.

00:23:55.779 --> 00:23:56.720
 God does not

00:23:56.720 --> 00:23:57.839
 take delight in

00:23:57.839 --> 00:23:59.059
 people understanding

00:23:59.059 --> 00:24:00.359
 how frail and

00:24:00.359 --> 00:24:01.680
 weak they are,

00:24:01.920 --> 00:24:02.819
 per se.

00:24:04.640 --> 00:24:05.900
 What he loves

00:24:05.900 --> 00:24:08.539
 is when,

00:24:08.700 --> 00:24:09.059
 whether it's

00:24:09.059 --> 00:24:09.599
 thinking of your

00:24:09.599 --> 00:24:10.400
 own mortality

00:24:10.400 --> 00:24:13.279
 and realizing

00:24:13.279 --> 00:24:13.859
 that one day

00:24:13.859 --> 00:24:14.759
 you die and

00:24:14.759 --> 00:24:15.299
 there must be

00:24:15.299 --> 00:24:16.140
 something more,

00:24:16.920 --> 00:24:17.680
 whether it's,

00:24:17.940 --> 00:24:18.500
 like in my

00:24:18.500 --> 00:24:18.859
 case,

00:24:18.920 --> 00:24:19.400
 it was my

00:24:19.400 --> 00:24:20.299
 weakness which

00:24:20.299 --> 00:24:20.839
 led me to

00:24:20.839 --> 00:24:21.279
 Christ.

00:24:22.559 --> 00:24:23.579
 It was my

00:24:23.579 --> 00:24:24.299
 diminishment

00:24:24.299 --> 00:24:24.799
 and my

00:24:24.799 --> 00:24:25.579
 brokenness

00:24:25.579 --> 00:24:27.079
 that led me

00:24:27.079 --> 00:24:27.659
 to Christ.

00:24:28.879 --> 00:24:29.460
 That's what

00:24:29.460 --> 00:24:30.299
 Christ loves.

00:24:30.500 --> 00:24:30.819
 That's what

00:24:30.819 --> 00:24:31.619
 God loves.

00:24:33.199 --> 00:24:33.980
 So you see,

00:24:34.059 --> 00:24:34.619
 there's a type

00:24:34.619 --> 00:24:35.220
 of weakness

00:24:35.220 --> 00:24:35.899
 and a type

00:24:35.899 --> 00:24:36.980
 of brokenness

00:24:36.980 --> 00:24:37.799
 and a type

00:24:37.799 --> 00:24:38.799
 of diminishment

00:24:38.799 --> 00:24:40.240
 and an attempt

00:24:40.240 --> 00:24:41.159
 and a type

00:24:41.159 --> 00:24:42.019
 of just getting

00:24:42.019 --> 00:24:42.599
 weaker and

00:24:42.599 --> 00:24:43.139
 weaker and

00:24:43.139 --> 00:24:44.839
 weaker that God

00:24:44.839 --> 00:24:45.500
 takes no

00:24:45.500 --> 00:24:46.119
 delight in.

00:24:46.619 --> 00:24:47.199
 There's nothing

00:24:47.199 --> 00:24:48.179
 good or holy

00:24:48.179 --> 00:24:48.919
 about that.

00:24:49.119 --> 00:24:49.819
 This isn't

00:24:49.819 --> 00:24:50.500
 teaching us,

00:24:50.899 --> 00:24:51.799
 this text isn't

00:24:51.799 --> 00:24:52.339
 teaching us

00:24:52.339 --> 00:24:53.539
 to cut

00:24:53.539 --> 00:24:54.440
 ourselves or

00:24:54.440 --> 00:24:55.359
 whip ourselves

00:24:55.359 --> 00:24:56.099
 or beat

00:24:56.099 --> 00:24:56.940
 ourselves up

00:24:56.940 --> 00:24:57.460
 so that somehow

00:24:57.460 --> 00:24:57.720
 or another

00:24:57.720 --> 00:24:58.139
 we're more

00:24:58.139 --> 00:24:58.519
 holy.

00:24:59.159 --> 00:24:59.839
 It's not

00:24:59.839 --> 00:25:00.399
 talking about

00:25:00.399 --> 00:25:01.000
 that at all.

00:25:01.119 --> 00:25:01.399
 And this

00:25:01.399 --> 00:25:02.139
 other weakness

00:25:02.139 --> 00:25:02.879
 that Paul is

00:25:02.879 --> 00:25:03.579
 talking about,

00:25:03.720 --> 00:25:04.460
 it's talking

00:25:04.460 --> 00:25:04.759
 about,

00:25:05.180 --> 00:25:05.759
 it's a little

00:25:05.759 --> 00:25:06.579
 bit like this.

00:25:06.919 --> 00:25:07.240
 I know it's

00:25:07.240 --> 00:25:07.700
 a bit of a,

00:25:07.919 --> 00:25:08.079
 you know,

00:25:08.099 --> 00:25:08.379
 I don't know,

00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:09.539
 I was worried

00:25:09.539 --> 00:25:09.960
 about whether

00:25:09.960 --> 00:25:10.440
 this is going

00:25:10.440 --> 00:25:10.700
 to be an

00:25:10.700 --> 00:25:11.279
 analogy that

00:25:11.279 --> 00:25:11.700
 will help

00:25:11.700 --> 00:25:11.940
 you.

00:25:13.899 --> 00:25:14.720
 Humpty Dumpty

00:25:14.720 --> 00:25:15.319
 sat on a

00:25:15.319 --> 00:25:15.559
 wall.

00:25:16.240 --> 00:25:17.019
 Humpty Dumpty

00:25:17.019 --> 00:25:17.559
 had a great

00:25:17.559 --> 00:25:17.839
 fall.

00:25:18.559 --> 00:25:18.940
 All the

00:25:18.940 --> 00:25:19.440
 king's horses

00:25:19.440 --> 00:25:20.039
 and all the

00:25:20.039 --> 00:25:20.559
 king's men

00:25:20.559 --> 00:25:21.399
 couldn't put

00:25:21.399 --> 00:25:21.700
 Humpty

00:25:21.700 --> 00:25:22.500
 together again.

00:25:24.099 --> 00:25:24.899
 All of us

00:25:24.899 --> 00:25:25.379
 are Humpty

00:25:25.379 --> 00:25:25.799
 Dumpty.

00:25:28.440 --> 00:25:29.200
 Every one

00:25:29.200 --> 00:25:29.539
 of us

00:25:29.539 --> 00:25:30.159
 will fall.

00:25:31.200 --> 00:25:31.919
 And when

00:25:31.919 --> 00:25:32.500
 we fall,

00:25:33.039 --> 00:25:34.159
 all of the

00:25:34.159 --> 00:25:34.879
 ingenuity

00:25:34.879 --> 00:25:35.759
 of Apple

00:25:35.759 --> 00:25:36.419
 and of

00:25:36.419 --> 00:25:36.839
 Google

00:25:36.839 --> 00:25:38.200
 and all

00:25:38.200 --> 00:25:38.500
 of the

00:25:38.500 --> 00:25:39.019
 power,

00:25:39.240 --> 00:25:39.700
 whether it's

00:25:39.700 --> 00:25:40.339
 Trump and

00:25:40.339 --> 00:25:40.940
 Putin and

00:25:40.940 --> 00:25:41.579
 China and

00:25:41.579 --> 00:25:42.079
 all of the

00:25:42.079 --> 00:25:42.679
 power can't

00:25:42.679 --> 00:25:42.940
 put us

00:25:42.940 --> 00:25:43.500
 back together

00:25:43.500 --> 00:25:43.879
 again.

00:25:44.720 --> 00:25:45.319
 And one

00:25:45.319 --> 00:25:45.539
 of the

00:25:45.539 --> 00:25:45.980
 things that

00:25:45.980 --> 00:25:46.500
 the gospel

00:25:46.500 --> 00:25:47.000
 is all

00:25:47.000 --> 00:25:48.399
 about is

00:25:48.399 --> 00:25:48.779
 that God

00:25:48.779 --> 00:25:49.460
 sees that

00:25:49.460 --> 00:25:49.740
 we are

00:25:49.740 --> 00:25:50.120
 Humpty

00:25:50.120 --> 00:25:50.579
 Dumpty.

00:25:52.100 --> 00:25:53.779
 And God,

00:25:53.980 --> 00:25:54.700
 the Son of

00:25:54.700 --> 00:25:55.120
 God,

00:25:55.220 --> 00:25:56.100
 became weak

00:25:56.100 --> 00:25:57.100
 and he

00:25:57.100 --> 00:25:58.100
 became broken

00:25:58.100 --> 00:25:59.059
 and he

00:25:59.059 --> 00:26:00.180
 became poor

00:26:00.180 --> 00:26:01.640
 and he

00:26:01.640 --> 00:26:02.480
 dies the

00:26:02.480 --> 00:26:03.579
 death that

00:26:03.579 --> 00:26:04.279
 every human

00:26:04.279 --> 00:26:04.920
 being has

00:26:04.920 --> 00:26:05.440
 to die,

00:26:05.579 --> 00:26:05.880
 but he

00:26:05.880 --> 00:26:06.539
 dies it in

00:26:06.539 --> 00:26:07.140
 such a way

00:26:07.140 --> 00:26:07.779
 that it

00:26:07.779 --> 00:26:08.740
 is for us

00:26:08.740 --> 00:26:09.220
 that when

00:26:09.220 --> 00:26:09.960
 we receive

00:26:09.960 --> 00:26:10.720
 this gracious

00:26:10.720 --> 00:26:11.460
 act of

00:26:11.460 --> 00:26:11.860
 God's,

00:26:12.460 --> 00:26:12.660
 you know,

00:26:12.799 --> 00:26:13.059
 what is it

00:26:13.059 --> 00:26:13.340
 in Isaiah?

00:26:13.460 --> 00:26:13.779
 He was

00:26:13.779 --> 00:26:14.440
 wounded for

00:26:14.440 --> 00:26:15.440
 our transgressions.

00:26:15.559 --> 00:26:15.840
 He was

00:26:15.840 --> 00:26:16.460
 bruised for

00:26:16.460 --> 00:26:17.140
 our iniquities.

00:26:17.259 --> 00:26:17.740
 The punishment

00:26:17.740 --> 00:26:18.259
 that brought

00:26:18.259 --> 00:26:19.120
 us peace

00:26:19.120 --> 00:26:19.700
 was upon

00:26:19.700 --> 00:26:20.099
 him,

00:26:20.500 --> 00:26:20.940
 for by

00:26:20.940 --> 00:26:22.180
 his wounds

00:26:22.180 --> 00:26:23.099
 we are

00:26:23.099 --> 00:26:23.579
 healed.

00:26:24.559 --> 00:26:25.660
 By his

00:26:25.660 --> 00:26:26.460
 wounds

00:26:26.460 --> 00:26:27.420
 we are

00:26:27.420 --> 00:26:27.740
 healed.

00:26:29.339 --> 00:26:30.099
 And the

00:26:30.099 --> 00:26:31.180
 gospel is

00:26:31.180 --> 00:26:31.859
 this message

00:26:31.859 --> 00:26:34.500
 of unimaginable

00:26:34.500 --> 00:26:35.120
 grace,

00:26:35.400 --> 00:26:36.019
 that God

00:26:36.019 --> 00:26:36.839
 seeing human

00:26:36.839 --> 00:26:37.440
 beings that

00:26:37.440 --> 00:26:37.880
 are addicted

00:26:37.880 --> 00:26:38.599
 to boasting

00:26:38.599 --> 00:26:39.839
 and pretending

00:26:39.839 --> 00:26:40.319
 that they're

00:26:40.319 --> 00:26:40.940
 God and

00:26:40.940 --> 00:26:41.579
 walking around

00:26:41.579 --> 00:26:42.079
 as if they're

00:26:42.079 --> 00:26:42.579
 God and

00:26:42.579 --> 00:26:43.220
 wanting to

00:26:43.220 --> 00:26:43.740
 have only

00:26:43.740 --> 00:26:44.279
 intermittent

00:26:44.279 --> 00:26:45.180
 connections with

00:26:45.180 --> 00:26:45.720
 God and

00:26:45.720 --> 00:26:46.299
 God seeing

00:26:46.299 --> 00:26:46.900
 human beings

00:26:46.900 --> 00:26:47.400
 like that

00:26:47.400 --> 00:26:47.940
 and still

00:26:47.940 --> 00:26:48.660
 he loves

00:26:48.660 --> 00:26:49.540
 us and

00:26:49.540 --> 00:26:49.960
 still he

00:26:49.960 --> 00:26:50.580
 loved us

00:26:50.580 --> 00:26:51.060
 and sends

00:26:51.060 --> 00:26:51.740
 his son to

00:26:51.740 --> 00:26:52.320
 die upon

00:26:52.320 --> 00:26:52.860
 the cross

00:26:52.860 --> 00:26:53.160
 for us

00:26:53.160 --> 00:26:53.900
 knowing full

00:26:53.900 --> 00:26:54.600
 well what

00:26:54.600 --> 00:26:54.900
 we are

00:26:54.900 --> 00:26:55.320
 like.

00:26:56.320 --> 00:26:57.080
 And he

00:26:57.080 --> 00:26:57.980
 dies our

00:26:57.980 --> 00:26:58.759
 death and

00:26:58.759 --> 00:26:59.640
 dies our

00:26:59.640 --> 00:27:00.240
 and takes

00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:01.280
 our punishment

00:27:01.280 --> 00:27:04.460
 so that

00:27:04.460 --> 00:27:07.780
 he takes,

00:27:07.880 --> 00:27:08.360
 as I like to

00:27:08.360 --> 00:27:08.640
 put it,

00:27:08.700 --> 00:27:09.300
 our doom.

00:27:10.420 --> 00:27:11.240
 And as he

00:27:11.240 --> 00:27:11.720
 takes our

00:27:11.720 --> 00:27:12.240
 doom upon

00:27:12.240 --> 00:27:12.600
 us, he

00:27:12.600 --> 00:27:13.140
 offers us

00:27:13.140 --> 00:27:13.840
 his destiny.

00:27:14.920 --> 00:27:15.300
 In other

00:27:15.300 --> 00:27:15.560
 words,

00:27:15.559 --> 00:27:16.379
 another way

00:27:16.379 --> 00:27:16.679
 to put

00:27:16.679 --> 00:27:17.139
 it is,

00:27:18.559 --> 00:27:18.960
 and this

00:27:18.960 --> 00:27:19.279
 is sort

00:27:19.279 --> 00:27:19.679
 of something

00:27:19.679 --> 00:27:20.119
 that's all

00:27:20.119 --> 00:27:20.399
 the way

00:27:20.399 --> 00:27:20.720
 through the

00:27:20.720 --> 00:27:21.299
 New Testament

00:27:21.299 --> 00:27:22.139
 about changing

00:27:22.139 --> 00:27:23.139
 stories and

00:27:23.139 --> 00:27:24.059
 changing states

00:27:24.059 --> 00:27:24.639
 of being,

00:27:25.579 --> 00:27:26.099
 that in a

00:27:26.099 --> 00:27:26.619
 sense I'm

00:27:26.619 --> 00:27:27.859
 humpty dumpty

00:27:27.859 --> 00:27:29.679
 and as I'm

00:27:29.679 --> 00:27:30.299
 falling,

00:27:30.980 --> 00:27:32.859
 and before I

00:27:32.859 --> 00:27:33.720
 hit the ground

00:27:33.720 --> 00:27:34.960
 and fall into

00:27:34.960 --> 00:27:35.419
 all these

00:27:35.419 --> 00:27:35.960
 pieces,

00:27:36.359 --> 00:27:36.819
 and I call

00:27:36.819 --> 00:27:37.399
 out to Jesus

00:27:37.399 --> 00:27:38.099
 for mercy,

00:27:38.759 --> 00:27:39.240
 and he

00:27:39.240 --> 00:27:39.700
 comes and

00:27:39.700 --> 00:27:40.240
 grabs my

00:27:40.240 --> 00:27:40.700
 hand.

00:27:42.359 --> 00:27:43.000
 You ready

00:27:43.000 --> 00:27:43.519
 for this?

00:27:43.519 --> 00:27:44.700
 and he

00:27:44.700 --> 00:27:45.160
 turns me

00:27:45.160 --> 00:27:45.480
 into the

00:27:45.480 --> 00:27:46.139
 ugly duckling.

00:27:48.639 --> 00:27:49.220
 Here's where

00:27:49.220 --> 00:27:49.619
 I'm not sure

00:27:49.619 --> 00:27:49.839
 if the

00:27:49.839 --> 00:27:50.460
 analogy would

00:27:50.460 --> 00:27:50.839
 work.

00:27:52.799 --> 00:27:53.339
 But you

00:27:53.339 --> 00:27:53.480
 know, in

00:27:53.480 --> 00:27:53.819
 the ugly

00:27:53.819 --> 00:27:54.339
 duckling,

00:27:55.059 --> 00:27:56.420
 the story of

00:27:56.420 --> 00:27:56.799
 the ugly

00:27:56.799 --> 00:27:57.440
 duckling is

00:27:57.440 --> 00:27:57.779
 that you're

00:27:57.779 --> 00:27:58.400
 a swan,

00:27:58.920 --> 00:28:00.160
 and the

00:28:00.160 --> 00:28:01.460
 swan egg

00:28:01.460 --> 00:28:02.440
 breaks amongst,

00:28:02.639 --> 00:28:03.139
 opens up

00:28:03.139 --> 00:28:03.639
 amongst the

00:28:03.639 --> 00:28:04.079
 ducklings,

00:28:04.299 --> 00:28:05.079
 and the

00:28:05.079 --> 00:28:05.740
 ducklings make

00:28:05.740 --> 00:28:06.660
 fun of the

00:28:06.660 --> 00:28:07.359
 swan because

00:28:07.359 --> 00:28:08.119
 it's big and

00:28:08.119 --> 00:28:08.740
 gangly and

00:28:08.740 --> 00:28:09.259
 everything like

00:28:09.259 --> 00:28:09.599
 that, and

00:28:09.599 --> 00:28:10.240
 then eventually

00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:10.740
 the ugly

00:28:10.740 --> 00:28:11.500
 duckling becomes

00:28:11.500 --> 00:28:12.200
 a swan, and

00:28:12.200 --> 00:28:13.099
 the other

00:28:13.099 --> 00:28:13.640
 ducks are

00:28:13.640 --> 00:28:14.019
 just in

00:28:14.019 --> 00:28:14.599
 amazement at

00:28:14.599 --> 00:28:15.279
 this unbelievably

00:28:15.279 --> 00:28:16.460
 beautiful and

00:28:16.460 --> 00:28:17.400
 glorious creature.

00:28:18.920 --> 00:28:19.680
 And in a

00:28:19.680 --> 00:28:20.119
 sense, what

00:28:20.119 --> 00:28:20.799
 happens in the

00:28:20.799 --> 00:28:21.680
 gospel is that

00:28:21.680 --> 00:28:22.420
 God changes

00:28:22.420 --> 00:28:23.299
 the story of

00:28:23.299 --> 00:28:24.160
 our lives

00:28:24.160 --> 00:28:25.839
 when we

00:28:25.839 --> 00:28:26.700
 give who

00:28:26.700 --> 00:28:27.279
 we are in

00:28:27.279 --> 00:28:27.880
 the story of

00:28:27.880 --> 00:28:28.440
 our lives

00:28:28.440 --> 00:28:29.000
 into his

00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:29.700
 hands.

00:28:31.180 --> 00:28:31.660
 And God

00:28:31.660 --> 00:28:32.059
 takes

00:28:32.059 --> 00:28:34.579
 humpty

00:28:34.579 --> 00:28:35.259
 dumpties and

00:28:35.259 --> 00:28:36.180
 turns us into

00:28:36.180 --> 00:28:36.819
 swans,

00:28:38.339 --> 00:28:39.440
 who right

00:28:39.440 --> 00:28:39.859
 now we're

00:28:39.859 --> 00:28:40.339
 sort of living

00:28:40.339 --> 00:28:40.839
 like ugly

00:28:40.839 --> 00:28:41.279
 ducklings.

00:28:41.500 --> 00:28:41.759
 If you could

00:28:41.759 --> 00:28:42.160
 put up the

00:28:42.160 --> 00:28:42.400
 point,

00:28:42.539 --> 00:28:42.740
 Andrew,

00:28:43.519 --> 00:28:45.559
 when I

00:28:45.559 --> 00:28:46.079
 accept the

00:28:46.079 --> 00:28:47.099
 gospel, I

00:28:47.099 --> 00:28:48.140
 cease being

00:28:48.140 --> 00:28:48.619
 humpty

00:28:48.619 --> 00:28:50.299
 dumpty, and

00:28:50.299 --> 00:28:51.160
 God himself

00:28:51.160 --> 00:28:52.460
 makes me his

00:28:52.460 --> 00:28:53.299
 ugly duckling.

00:28:54.460 --> 00:28:55.279
 But some of

00:28:55.279 --> 00:28:55.740
 you might say,

00:28:55.799 --> 00:28:56.019
 well, the

00:28:56.019 --> 00:28:56.700
 ugly duckling

00:28:56.700 --> 00:28:57.619
 suffered abuse,

00:28:58.059 --> 00:28:58.539
 the ugly

00:28:58.539 --> 00:28:59.160
 duckling was

00:28:59.160 --> 00:28:59.740
 sad.

00:29:00.539 --> 00:29:01.220
 But why is

00:29:01.220 --> 00:29:01.619
 the ugly

00:29:01.619 --> 00:29:02.500
 duckling sad?

00:29:03.640 --> 00:29:04.599
 This gets to

00:29:04.599 --> 00:29:05.220
 what's going on

00:29:05.220 --> 00:29:05.740
 in this whole

00:29:05.740 --> 00:29:06.759
 text and the

00:29:06.759 --> 00:29:07.500
 whole issue of

00:29:07.500 --> 00:29:08.180
 human boasting.

00:29:09.680 --> 00:29:10.900
 The reason the

00:29:10.900 --> 00:29:11.640
 ugly duckling

00:29:11.640 --> 00:29:12.840
 was sad is

00:29:12.840 --> 00:29:13.660
 because she

00:29:13.660 --> 00:29:14.300
 did not

00:29:14.300 --> 00:29:14.820
 know who

00:29:14.820 --> 00:29:15.560
 she was.

00:29:16.900 --> 00:29:17.480
 And the

00:29:17.480 --> 00:29:18.000
 other reason

00:29:18.000 --> 00:29:18.360
 that she

00:29:18.360 --> 00:29:19.080
 was sad is

00:29:19.080 --> 00:29:19.840
 because she

00:29:19.840 --> 00:29:20.780
 believed she

00:29:20.780 --> 00:29:21.780
 should be or

00:29:21.780 --> 00:29:22.800
 needed to be

00:29:22.800 --> 00:29:23.800
 like a

00:29:23.800 --> 00:29:24.100
 duck.

00:29:26.820 --> 00:29:27.380
 Her

00:29:27.380 --> 00:29:28.320
 longings and

00:29:28.320 --> 00:29:29.019
 her yearnings,

00:29:29.460 --> 00:29:30.019
 the things that

00:29:30.019 --> 00:29:30.840
 she desired to

00:29:30.840 --> 00:29:31.620
 boast in,

00:29:32.019 --> 00:29:32.660
 were what going

00:29:32.660 --> 00:29:33.220
 around in her

00:29:33.220 --> 00:29:33.880
 culture, and

00:29:33.880 --> 00:29:34.320
 she didn't

00:29:34.320 --> 00:29:35.120
 realize that she

00:29:35.120 --> 00:29:35.820
 was a swan.

00:29:35.819 --> 00:29:39.460
 listen again to

00:29:39.460 --> 00:29:41.019
 verses 29, 30,

00:29:41.500 --> 00:29:42.819
 and following.

00:29:42.960 --> 00:29:43.500
 Who is weak

00:29:43.500 --> 00:29:44.000
 and I am not

00:29:44.000 --> 00:29:44.339
 weak?

00:29:44.859 --> 00:29:45.599
 Who is made

00:29:45.599 --> 00:29:46.720
 to fall and I

00:29:46.720 --> 00:29:47.460
 am not indignant?

00:29:48.359 --> 00:29:49.039
 He doesn't take

00:29:49.039 --> 00:29:50.759
 any pleasure in

00:29:50.759 --> 00:29:51.339
 just seeing

00:29:51.339 --> 00:29:52.659
 Christians persecuted,

00:29:52.839 --> 00:29:53.439
 having things

00:29:53.439 --> 00:29:54.200
 robbed from them,

00:29:54.299 --> 00:29:54.859
 having things

00:29:54.859 --> 00:29:55.740
 stolen from them,

00:29:55.839 --> 00:29:56.500
 seeing them fall

00:29:56.500 --> 00:29:57.299
 morally, seeing

00:29:57.299 --> 00:29:58.159
 them get confused

00:29:58.159 --> 00:29:58.939
 theologically.

00:29:59.419 --> 00:30:00.159
 That doesn't

00:30:00.159 --> 00:30:00.799
 please God's

00:30:00.799 --> 00:30:01.079
 heart, it

00:30:01.079 --> 00:30:01.599
 doesn't please

00:30:01.599 --> 00:30:02.279
 Paul's.

00:30:02.619 --> 00:30:03.279
 If I must

00:30:03.279 --> 00:30:03.879
 boast, I will

00:30:03.879 --> 00:30:04.339
 boast of the

00:30:04.339 --> 00:30:04.899
 things that show

00:30:04.900 --> 00:30:05.720
 my weakness, the

00:30:05.720 --> 00:30:06.460
 God and Father

00:30:06.460 --> 00:30:06.920
 of the Lord

00:30:06.920 --> 00:30:09.600
 Jesus, he who

00:30:09.600 --> 00:30:10.080
 is blessed

00:30:10.080 --> 00:30:11.720
 forever, knows

00:30:11.720 --> 00:30:12.320
 that I am not

00:30:12.320 --> 00:30:12.700
 lying.

00:30:14.440 --> 00:30:15.500
 In the context

00:30:15.500 --> 00:30:16.340
 of his weakness,

00:30:17.180 --> 00:30:17.960
 he makes this

00:30:17.960 --> 00:30:20.220
 great claim that

00:30:20.220 --> 00:30:21.740
 only the God

00:30:21.740 --> 00:30:22.480
 who really does

00:30:22.480 --> 00:30:23.440
 exist, who is

00:30:23.440 --> 00:30:24.259
 the Father of

00:30:24.259 --> 00:30:25.160
 the Lord Jesus,

00:30:25.759 --> 00:30:27.160
 he alone is

00:30:27.160 --> 00:30:27.820
 blessed forever.

00:30:28.500 --> 00:30:29.060
 I want to

00:30:29.060 --> 00:30:29.900
 share you a

00:30:29.900 --> 00:30:30.519
 terrible thing

00:30:30.519 --> 00:30:30.980
 about my

00:30:30.980 --> 00:30:31.360
 heart.

00:30:31.359 --> 00:30:34.719
 God, you

00:30:34.719 --> 00:30:35.359
 know, I

00:30:35.359 --> 00:30:35.859
 am quite

00:30:35.859 --> 00:30:36.759
 comfortable if

00:30:36.759 --> 00:30:37.399
 something goes

00:30:37.399 --> 00:30:38.859
 very well with

00:30:38.859 --> 00:30:39.319
 something I

00:30:39.319 --> 00:30:40.099
 organize or

00:30:40.099 --> 00:30:40.740
 something in my

00:30:40.740 --> 00:30:41.399
 family or

00:30:41.399 --> 00:30:41.899
 something in the

00:30:41.899 --> 00:30:42.079
 church.

00:30:42.319 --> 00:30:42.859
 You know, I

00:30:42.859 --> 00:30:43.699
 have to confess

00:30:43.699 --> 00:30:45.099
 before you, I'm

00:30:45.099 --> 00:30:45.819
 quite comfortable

00:30:45.819 --> 00:30:46.699
 if I get all the

00:30:46.699 --> 00:30:47.359
 glory and don't

00:30:47.359 --> 00:30:47.979
 think about God

00:30:47.979 --> 00:30:48.359
 at all.

00:30:52.359 --> 00:30:53.119
 Maybe I'm the

00:30:53.119 --> 00:30:53.799
 worst person in

00:30:53.799 --> 00:30:54.079
 the room.

00:30:55.559 --> 00:30:56.419
 And I have to

00:30:56.419 --> 00:30:57.699
 confess that

00:30:57.699 --> 00:30:58.299
 most of my

00:30:58.299 --> 00:30:58.919
 attempts at

00:30:58.919 --> 00:30:59.339
 holiness,

00:30:59.339 --> 00:31:01.459
 as I'm

00:31:01.459 --> 00:31:01.980
 trying to learn

00:31:01.980 --> 00:31:02.459
 to be gripped

00:31:02.459 --> 00:31:02.819
 by the

00:31:02.819 --> 00:31:04.619
 gospel, is

00:31:04.619 --> 00:31:05.119
 that at times

00:31:05.119 --> 00:31:05.839
 I realize that

00:31:05.839 --> 00:31:06.500
 that's wrong.

00:31:08.159 --> 00:31:09.359
 And so, if

00:31:09.359 --> 00:31:10.459
 I'm honest, what

00:31:10.459 --> 00:31:11.179
 I really hope is

00:31:11.179 --> 00:31:11.779
 that I still get

00:31:11.779 --> 00:31:12.279
 most of the

00:31:12.279 --> 00:31:12.939
 glory, but God

00:31:12.939 --> 00:31:13.399
 can get a

00:31:13.399 --> 00:31:13.839
 little bit.

00:31:15.759 --> 00:31:16.439
 And then as

00:31:16.439 --> 00:31:17.099
 the Holy Spirit

00:31:17.099 --> 00:31:18.059
 starts to convict

00:31:18.059 --> 00:31:18.899
 me, maybe I

00:31:18.899 --> 00:31:19.740
 think to myself,

00:31:19.879 --> 00:31:20.480
 okay, God, I

00:31:20.480 --> 00:31:21.079
 know you need to

00:31:21.079 --> 00:31:21.480
 get all the

00:31:21.480 --> 00:31:23.639
 glory as long

00:31:23.639 --> 00:31:24.259
 as I get a

00:31:24.259 --> 00:31:24.720
 little bit.

00:31:27.439 --> 00:31:27.819
 Yeah, yeah,

00:31:27.819 --> 00:31:28.339
 yeah, you're

00:31:28.339 --> 00:31:28.959
 blessed forever

00:31:28.960 --> 00:31:29.620
 in George.

00:31:31.500 --> 00:31:32.079
 That's the

00:31:32.079 --> 00:31:32.759
 story of my

00:31:32.759 --> 00:31:33.180
 heart.

00:31:35.660 --> 00:31:36.200
 And the

00:31:36.200 --> 00:31:36.960
 gospel wants

00:31:36.960 --> 00:31:37.700
 us to move

00:31:37.700 --> 00:31:38.420
 to this place

00:31:38.420 --> 00:31:39.160
 to understand,

00:31:39.319 --> 00:31:40.559
 George, you

00:31:40.559 --> 00:31:41.200
 were humpty

00:31:41.200 --> 00:31:42.120
 dumpty falling

00:31:42.120 --> 00:31:42.920
 towards a great

00:31:42.920 --> 00:31:44.480
 fall, and all

00:31:44.480 --> 00:31:45.160
 the king's horses

00:31:45.160 --> 00:31:45.779
 and all the

00:31:45.779 --> 00:31:46.240
 king's men

00:31:46.240 --> 00:31:46.900
 wouldn't be able

00:31:46.900 --> 00:31:47.400
 to put you

00:31:47.400 --> 00:31:48.180
 together again.

00:31:48.759 --> 00:31:49.299
 And you

00:31:49.299 --> 00:31:49.980
 called out to

00:31:49.980 --> 00:31:50.799
 me for mercy,

00:31:51.440 --> 00:31:52.579
 and I, in my

00:31:52.579 --> 00:31:53.340
 grace, no matter

00:31:53.340 --> 00:31:54.100
 how deep you

00:31:54.100 --> 00:31:54.819
 had fallen, no

00:31:54.819 --> 00:31:55.579
 matter how broken

00:31:55.579 --> 00:31:56.500
 you already were,

00:31:56.880 --> 00:31:57.860
 I went far

00:31:57.860 --> 00:31:58.779
 deeper still and

00:31:58.779 --> 00:31:59.579
 was completely

00:31:59.579 --> 00:32:00.059
 and utterly

00:32:00.059 --> 00:32:01.000
 broken, even

00:32:01.000 --> 00:32:01.720
 broken in my

00:32:01.720 --> 00:32:02.519
 relationship with

00:32:02.519 --> 00:32:03.460
 Almighty God, and

00:32:03.460 --> 00:32:04.339
 I bore all that

00:32:04.339 --> 00:32:05.039
 in myself.

00:32:05.519 --> 00:32:06.980
 By my wounds, you

00:32:06.980 --> 00:32:07.519
 are healed.

00:32:08.160 --> 00:32:08.899
 And when you put

00:32:08.899 --> 00:32:10.059
 your hands in me, you

00:32:10.059 --> 00:32:10.720
 could do nothing.

00:32:10.859 --> 00:32:11.700
 You were about to be

00:32:11.700 --> 00:32:12.039
 broken.

00:32:12.539 --> 00:32:13.319
 I did this

00:32:13.319 --> 00:32:14.460
 unbelievable miracle

00:32:14.460 --> 00:32:14.859
 in you.

00:32:15.000 --> 00:32:16.240
 I turned you into a

00:32:16.240 --> 00:32:18.839
 swan, a creature of

00:32:18.839 --> 00:32:20.819
 beauty and glory, who

00:32:20.819 --> 00:32:22.579
 can fly and can soar.

00:32:22.579 --> 00:32:25.619
 And George, shouldn't

00:32:25.619 --> 00:32:26.559
 the desire of your

00:32:26.559 --> 00:32:31.059
 heart be that God

00:32:31.059 --> 00:32:32.039
 gets all the glory,

00:32:32.419 --> 00:32:33.579
 and you are quite

00:32:33.579 --> 00:32:34.859
 happy and quite

00:32:34.859 --> 00:32:36.879
 content if you get

00:32:36.879 --> 00:32:37.159
 none?

00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:41.960
 George, isn't that

00:32:41.960 --> 00:32:42.419
 wisdom?

00:32:42.420 --> 00:32:49.820
 I want to just ask

00:32:49.820 --> 00:32:52.140
 you, remember

00:32:52.140 --> 00:32:53.039
 earlier I said that

00:32:53.039 --> 00:32:54.000
 people are addicted to

00:32:54.000 --> 00:32:54.860
 boasting and maybe you

00:32:54.860 --> 00:32:55.660
 think that that's not

00:32:55.660 --> 00:32:55.960
 true.

00:32:56.640 --> 00:32:58.800
 How many of us, maybe

00:32:58.800 --> 00:33:00.019
 even within these past

00:33:00.019 --> 00:33:02.039
 few days, have felt a

00:33:02.039 --> 00:33:02.880
 little bit beaten up

00:33:02.880 --> 00:33:03.759
 because we've said to

00:33:03.759 --> 00:33:06.279
 ourselves, I thought by

00:33:06.279 --> 00:33:09.200
 this point in time, you

00:33:09.200 --> 00:33:09.700
 know, I don't know,

00:33:09.759 --> 00:33:11.019
 here I am, I'm 24 years

00:33:11.019 --> 00:33:12.619
 old, the guys and

00:33:12.619 --> 00:33:13.460
 gals I went to high

00:33:13.460 --> 00:33:14.039
 school with, they're

00:33:14.039 --> 00:33:14.660
 already finished

00:33:14.660 --> 00:33:15.599
 university, they're in

00:33:15.599 --> 00:33:16.400
 law school, or they

00:33:16.400 --> 00:33:17.180
 have a job, and

00:33:17.180 --> 00:33:18.119
 they're, you know, maybe

00:33:18.119 --> 00:33:18.859
 they're an engineer,

00:33:19.000 --> 00:33:19.539
 they're doing something

00:33:19.539 --> 00:33:21.200
 making $75,000 a year,

00:33:21.220 --> 00:33:22.079
 and here I am living in

00:33:22.079 --> 00:33:22.980
 this crummy apartment

00:33:22.980 --> 00:33:23.819
 with a whole pile of

00:33:23.819 --> 00:33:25.420
 people, and I'm still in

00:33:25.420 --> 00:33:25.660
 school.

00:33:25.759 --> 00:33:27.500
 I thought it would be

00:33:27.500 --> 00:33:27.799
 better.

00:33:28.039 --> 00:33:28.660
 I thought I'd be done

00:33:28.660 --> 00:33:29.039
 by now.

00:33:29.779 --> 00:33:30.680
 How many of us are

00:33:30.680 --> 00:33:31.740
 beaten up thinking,

00:33:31.839 --> 00:33:32.720
 you know, I thought by

00:33:32.720 --> 00:33:33.639
 now I'd be healthier.

00:33:34.259 --> 00:33:35.480
 I thought by now I'd be

00:33:35.480 --> 00:33:36.240
 more popular.

00:33:37.139 --> 00:33:38.240
 I thought by now I

00:33:38.240 --> 00:33:39.000
 would be slimmer.

00:33:39.240 --> 00:33:40.059
 I thought by now I

00:33:40.059 --> 00:33:40.859
 would be stronger.

00:33:41.019 --> 00:33:42.000
 I thought by now I

00:33:42.000 --> 00:33:42.639
 would be richer.

00:33:43.059 --> 00:33:43.920
 I thought by now I

00:33:43.920 --> 00:33:44.779
 would have that special

00:33:44.779 --> 00:33:45.799
 person in my life.

00:33:46.619 --> 00:33:48.839
 I thought by now I

00:33:48.839 --> 00:33:49.460
 would have more

00:33:49.460 --> 00:33:50.000
 promotions.

00:33:50.839 --> 00:33:51.799
 I thought by now I

00:33:51.799 --> 00:33:52.299
 would be more

00:33:52.299 --> 00:33:52.759
 important.

00:33:54.599 --> 00:33:55.740
 I thought by now I

00:33:55.740 --> 00:33:56.299
 would be a more

00:33:56.299 --> 00:33:57.619
 superior Christian and

00:33:57.619 --> 00:33:58.039
 people would

00:33:58.039 --> 00:33:58.720
 acknowledge it.

00:33:59.240 --> 00:34:00.319
 I thought by now my

00:34:00.319 --> 00:34:01.220
 church would be bigger.

00:34:03.099 --> 00:34:04.200
 I thought by now I

00:34:04.200 --> 00:34:04.660
 would be more

00:34:04.660 --> 00:34:05.160
 talented.

00:34:06.619 --> 00:34:07.980
 Am I the only person

00:34:07.980 --> 00:34:08.960
 who ever thinks any of

00:34:08.960 --> 00:34:09.500
 those things?

00:34:09.500 --> 00:34:12.460
 you see, here's the

00:34:12.460 --> 00:34:14.019
 thing that this text,

00:34:14.559 --> 00:34:16.380
 if you take for a

00:34:16.380 --> 00:34:17.119
 second and say, let's

00:34:17.119 --> 00:34:18.019
 just assume for a

00:34:18.019 --> 00:34:19.480
 moment that Paul was

00:34:19.480 --> 00:34:20.139
 not an idiot.

00:34:21.159 --> 00:34:22.400
 Let's just take for a

00:34:22.400 --> 00:34:24.019
 moment if Jesus really

00:34:24.019 --> 00:34:25.800
 died and rose from the

00:34:25.800 --> 00:34:27.179
 dead and will come

00:34:27.179 --> 00:34:28.539
 again and that he was

00:34:28.539 --> 00:34:29.679
 able to teach his

00:34:29.679 --> 00:34:31.539
 apostles to write words

00:34:31.539 --> 00:34:32.659
 of wisdom that touch

00:34:32.659 --> 00:34:33.659
 our hearts, that reveal

00:34:33.659 --> 00:34:34.780
 our hearts, so that our

00:34:34.780 --> 00:34:35.940
 hearts would become more

00:34:35.940 --> 00:34:37.119
 tender and open to him.

00:34:37.119 --> 00:34:38.639
 Let's just assume for a

00:34:38.639 --> 00:34:39.739
 second that the Bible is

00:34:39.739 --> 00:34:41.799
 wise and spend some time

00:34:41.799 --> 00:34:42.599
 thinking and meditating

00:34:42.599 --> 00:34:43.179
 upon it.

00:34:43.380 --> 00:34:44.299
 What we see is this, if

00:34:44.299 --> 00:34:44.980
 you could put it up,

00:34:45.099 --> 00:34:47.239
 Andrew, boasting and

00:34:47.239 --> 00:34:49.539
 shame slash self-accusation

00:34:49.539 --> 00:34:51.239
 are two sides of the

00:34:51.239 --> 00:34:52.099
 same coin.

00:34:54.539 --> 00:34:55.059
 Why?

00:34:55.400 --> 00:34:56.420
 Because I'd like to

00:34:56.420 --> 00:34:56.759
 boast.

00:34:57.319 --> 00:34:57.960
 You should see my

00:34:57.960 --> 00:34:58.420
 promotions.

00:34:59.179 --> 00:35:00.099
 You should see the size

00:35:00.099 --> 00:35:00.799
 of my church.

00:35:01.719 --> 00:35:02.579
 Boy, am I ever

00:35:02.579 --> 00:35:03.159
 articulate.

00:35:04.359 --> 00:35:05.500
 Boy, do people ever

00:35:05.500 --> 00:35:06.119
 like me.

00:35:10.820 --> 00:35:12.079
 Next point, Andrew.

00:35:12.860 --> 00:35:15.280
 The idols which

00:35:15.280 --> 00:35:16.780
 shape my longings to

00:35:16.780 --> 00:35:20.559
 boast shape my shame

00:35:20.559 --> 00:35:22.780
 and self-accusation.

00:35:26.880 --> 00:35:28.380
 If we make an idol of

00:35:28.380 --> 00:35:29.159
 having that special

00:35:29.159 --> 00:35:30.119
 person in our life, if

00:35:30.119 --> 00:35:31.699
 we make an idol of

00:35:31.699 --> 00:35:33.380
 having the right type of

00:35:33.380 --> 00:35:36.039
 relationship, we make an

00:35:36.039 --> 00:35:37.300
 idol of having a certain

00:35:37.300 --> 00:35:38.260
 amount of power, if we

00:35:38.260 --> 00:35:39.220
 make an idol of

00:35:39.220 --> 00:35:40.700
 popularity, if we make an

00:35:40.700 --> 00:35:42.260
 idol of money, if we

00:35:42.260 --> 00:35:43.579
 make these things, some

00:35:43.579 --> 00:35:44.519
 of which are not bad in

00:35:44.519 --> 00:35:45.360
 and of themselves, but

00:35:45.360 --> 00:35:46.400
 they become the source of

00:35:46.400 --> 00:35:46.960
 our identity.

00:35:47.140 --> 00:35:47.960
 They become the source

00:35:47.960 --> 00:35:49.320
 that gives us meaning.

00:35:49.720 --> 00:35:50.599
 They become the thing

00:35:50.599 --> 00:35:51.340
 that we surrender

00:35:51.340 --> 00:35:52.579
 ourselves to, become the

00:35:52.579 --> 00:35:53.240
 things that we want to

00:35:53.240 --> 00:35:54.200
 give ourselves to.

00:35:54.460 --> 00:35:55.140
 And they are just

00:35:55.140 --> 00:35:55.960
 ephemeral things.

00:35:56.059 --> 00:35:56.559
 Some of these are

00:35:56.559 --> 00:35:57.820
 things that if we put

00:35:57.820 --> 00:35:58.940
 them down in our

00:35:58.940 --> 00:35:59.880
 resume or if we were to

00:35:59.880 --> 00:36:00.660
 actually say them out

00:36:00.660 --> 00:36:02.320
 loud in public, people

00:36:02.320 --> 00:36:03.080
 would want to turn

00:36:03.080 --> 00:36:03.960
 from us, especially in

00:36:03.960 --> 00:36:04.240
 Canada.

00:36:04.320 --> 00:36:04.900
 Some parts of the

00:36:04.900 --> 00:36:05.460
 world you can go ahead

00:36:05.460 --> 00:36:06.180
 and boast in Canada

00:36:06.180 --> 00:36:07.640
 it would be viewed as

00:36:07.640 --> 00:36:08.660
 tacky to say a lot of

00:36:08.660 --> 00:36:09.440
 these things out loud.

00:36:09.720 --> 00:36:10.519
 And some of the things

00:36:10.519 --> 00:36:11.500
 that we might put down

00:36:11.500 --> 00:36:12.840
 in our resume that we

00:36:12.840 --> 00:36:13.820
 wish that we'd had this

00:36:13.820 --> 00:36:15.059
 by now, you know, if

00:36:15.059 --> 00:36:16.000
 we're 20 and by the

00:36:16.000 --> 00:36:17.039
 time we're 50 we look

00:36:17.039 --> 00:36:17.740
 back and we think that

00:36:17.740 --> 00:36:18.620
 was so ridiculous.

00:36:19.000 --> 00:36:20.000
 Or if our kids or

00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:20.980
 grandkids were to see

00:36:20.980 --> 00:36:22.140
 it, they'd look, gosh

00:36:22.140 --> 00:36:23.920
 is that ever lame, dad.

00:36:25.120 --> 00:36:26.039
 And yet we give our

00:36:26.039 --> 00:36:26.900
 lives to that.

00:36:26.980 --> 00:36:27.880
 We think that is

00:36:27.880 --> 00:36:28.740
 important for our

00:36:28.740 --> 00:36:29.320
 meaning and our

00:36:29.320 --> 00:36:29.820
 identity.

00:36:30.460 --> 00:36:31.380
 Next point, Andrew.

00:36:32.320 --> 00:36:34.000
 The boasts which I

00:36:34.000 --> 00:36:35.539
 base my identity on

00:36:35.539 --> 00:36:38.539
 become my relentless

00:36:38.539 --> 00:36:41.800
 and merciless accuser

00:36:41.800 --> 00:36:44.080
 as we suffer shame

00:36:44.080 --> 00:36:45.760
 and four o'clock in the

00:36:45.760 --> 00:36:46.960
 morning times that just

00:36:46.960 --> 00:36:47.880
 go on all night because

00:36:47.880 --> 00:36:48.720
 we can't fall back

00:36:48.720 --> 00:36:49.100
 asleep.

00:36:54.360 --> 00:36:56.120
 Too bad the gospel is

00:36:56.120 --> 00:36:57.680
 too weak.

00:36:57.679 --> 00:37:00.960
 And wants to tell us

00:37:00.960 --> 00:37:02.139
 about God's grace.

00:37:05.139 --> 00:37:06.079
 What is it that the

00:37:06.079 --> 00:37:07.219
 Bible wants us to tell?

00:37:08.599 --> 00:37:09.299
 Here's the thing.

00:37:09.359 --> 00:37:09.940
 Andrew, if you could put

00:37:09.940 --> 00:37:10.739
 up the next point.

00:37:12.359 --> 00:37:15.839
 To my fallen heart, I can

00:37:15.839 --> 00:37:19.139
 only be a god or garbage.

00:37:19.139 --> 00:37:24.900
 To my idols, I can only be a

00:37:24.900 --> 00:37:26.679
 god or garbage.

00:37:27.779 --> 00:37:28.879
 And what is the gospel?

00:37:29.539 --> 00:37:30.920
 Next slide, Andrew.

00:37:32.139 --> 00:37:33.679
 To the gospel, in the gospel,

00:37:33.879 --> 00:37:36.879
 I am never a god and I am

00:37:36.879 --> 00:37:37.940
 never garbage.

00:37:38.699 --> 00:37:40.799
 I am always a jar of clay

00:37:40.799 --> 00:37:43.500
 redeemed by God's grace

00:37:43.500 --> 00:37:45.699
 alone through faith alone

00:37:45.699 --> 00:37:48.039
 in Jesus and his saving

00:37:48.039 --> 00:37:49.000
 death alone.

00:37:51.480 --> 00:37:53.159
 I am always a jar of clay

00:37:53.159 --> 00:37:55.819
 who will live loved by him

00:37:55.819 --> 00:37:56.839
 for all eternity.

00:37:58.879 --> 00:38:00.119
 Just turn back in your

00:38:00.119 --> 00:38:02.000
 Bibles to 2 Corinthians 4.

00:38:03.460 --> 00:38:05.019
 2 Corinthians 4.

00:38:07.799 --> 00:38:09.539
 And listen to what Paul says

00:38:09.539 --> 00:38:10.339
 just earlier.

00:38:10.939 --> 00:38:12.119
 Therefore, having this

00:38:12.119 --> 00:38:13.139
 ministry, and the ministry

00:38:13.139 --> 00:38:14.439
 is telling people about

00:38:14.440 --> 00:38:15.860
 Jesus dying on the cross,

00:38:15.900 --> 00:38:16.800
 about the fact that we're

00:38:16.800 --> 00:38:17.800
 jars of clay.

00:38:18.880 --> 00:38:20.360
 Having this ministry by the

00:38:20.360 --> 00:38:21.599
 mercy of God, we do not

00:38:21.599 --> 00:38:22.240
 lose heart.

00:38:22.400 --> 00:38:23.480
 But we have renounced

00:38:23.480 --> 00:38:24.900
 disgraceful, underhanded

00:38:24.900 --> 00:38:25.300
 ways.

00:38:25.420 --> 00:38:26.559
 We refuse to practice

00:38:26.559 --> 00:38:27.960
 cunning or to tamper with

00:38:27.960 --> 00:38:28.679
 God's word.

00:38:29.019 --> 00:38:30.200
 But by the open statement

00:38:30.200 --> 00:38:31.200
 of the truth, we would

00:38:31.200 --> 00:38:32.480
 commend ourselves.

00:38:32.639 --> 00:38:33.539
 He's commending the

00:38:33.539 --> 00:38:34.639
 message to everyone's

00:38:34.639 --> 00:38:35.679
 conscience in the sight of

00:38:35.679 --> 00:38:35.960
 God.

00:38:36.420 --> 00:38:37.780
 And even if our gospel is

00:38:37.780 --> 00:38:38.960
 veiled, it is veiled to

00:38:38.960 --> 00:38:40.079
 those who are perishing,

00:38:40.420 --> 00:38:41.139
 humpty dumpty.

00:38:41.720 --> 00:38:43.260
 In their case, the God of

00:38:43.260 --> 00:38:44.420
 this world has blinded

00:38:44.420 --> 00:38:45.160
 the minds of the

00:38:45.160 --> 00:38:46.200
 unbelievers to keep

00:38:46.200 --> 00:38:46.460
 them.

00:38:46.660 --> 00:38:47.540
 What is it to keep them

00:38:47.540 --> 00:38:47.840
 from?

00:38:48.060 --> 00:38:48.880
 What is it that the

00:38:48.880 --> 00:38:50.000
 serpent wanted to keep

00:38:50.000 --> 00:38:50.880
 us from?

00:38:51.020 --> 00:38:52.920
 To keep us from seeing

00:38:52.920 --> 00:38:54.160
 the light of the gospel

00:38:54.160 --> 00:38:55.600
 of the glory of Christ,

00:38:55.740 --> 00:38:57.240
 who is the image of God.

00:38:57.580 --> 00:38:59.000
 For what we proclaim is

00:38:59.000 --> 00:38:59.960
 not ourselves.

00:39:00.960 --> 00:39:02.500
 I boast in my weakness.

00:39:04.500 --> 00:39:06.400
 But Jesus Christ is Lord.

00:39:06.960 --> 00:39:08.100
 Blessed be the God and

00:39:08.100 --> 00:39:09.260
 Father of our Lord Jesus

00:39:09.260 --> 00:39:10.460
 Christ, who is blessed

00:39:10.460 --> 00:39:14.079
 forever with ourselves as

00:39:14.079 --> 00:39:15.880
 your servants for Jesus'

00:39:16.159 --> 00:39:16.460
 sake.

00:39:16.940 --> 00:39:18.440
 For God, who said, let

00:39:18.440 --> 00:39:19.599
 light shine out of

00:39:19.599 --> 00:39:20.800
 darkness, that's in

00:39:20.800 --> 00:39:23.000
 Genesis, has shown in our

00:39:23.000 --> 00:39:25.019
 hearts when we receive the

00:39:25.019 --> 00:39:26.639
 gospel to give the light

00:39:26.639 --> 00:39:27.639
 of the knowledge of the

00:39:27.639 --> 00:39:29.019
 glory of God in the face

00:39:29.019 --> 00:39:30.000
 of Jesus Christ.

00:39:30.380 --> 00:39:32.059
 But we have this treasure in

00:39:32.059 --> 00:39:33.780
 jars of clay to show that

00:39:33.780 --> 00:39:35.519
 the surpassing power belongs

00:39:35.519 --> 00:39:37.019
 to God and not to us.

00:39:37.579 --> 00:39:39.320
 We are afflicted in every way

00:39:39.320 --> 00:39:40.800
 but not crushed, perplexed

00:39:40.800 --> 00:39:42.019
 but not driven to despair,

00:39:42.240 --> 00:39:43.740
 persecuted but not forsaken,

00:39:43.940 --> 00:39:45.019
 struck down but not

00:39:45.019 --> 00:39:47.019
 destroyed, always carrying

00:39:47.019 --> 00:39:48.760
 in the body the death of

00:39:48.760 --> 00:39:50.740
 Jesus so that the life of

00:39:50.740 --> 00:39:51.880
 Jesus may also be

00:39:51.880 --> 00:39:53.200
 manifested in our bodies.

00:39:54.059 --> 00:39:55.380
 That when Jesus takes us

00:39:55.380 --> 00:39:57.000
 into himself, he takes us

00:39:57.000 --> 00:39:57.660
 into himself.

00:39:57.780 --> 00:39:59.039
 He takes us into his death

00:39:59.039 --> 00:40:00.280
 for us and into his

00:40:00.280 --> 00:40:00.780
 resurrection.

00:40:01.080 --> 00:40:02.860
 That enters into us and we

00:40:02.860 --> 00:40:03.720
 enter into him.

00:40:04.860 --> 00:40:05.720
 Verse 11.

00:40:06.100 --> 00:40:07.660
 For we who live are always

00:40:07.659 --> 00:40:08.960
 being given over to death

00:40:08.960 --> 00:40:10.539
 for Jesus' sake, we always

00:40:10.539 --> 00:40:11.679
 stay jars of clay.

00:40:12.599 --> 00:40:14.119
 So that the life of Jesus

00:40:14.119 --> 00:40:15.940
 may also be manifested in

00:40:15.940 --> 00:40:16.759
 our mortal flesh.

00:40:17.119 --> 00:40:18.379
 So death is at work in us

00:40:18.379 --> 00:40:19.159
 but life in you.

00:40:19.759 --> 00:40:20.980
 Since we have the same

00:40:20.980 --> 00:40:22.420
 spirit of faith according to

00:40:22.420 --> 00:40:23.519
 what has been written, I

00:40:23.519 --> 00:40:24.719
 believed and so I spoke.

00:40:24.839 --> 00:40:26.359
 We also believe and so we

00:40:26.359 --> 00:40:28.519
 also speak knowing that he

00:40:28.519 --> 00:40:30.119
 who raised the Lord Jesus

00:40:30.119 --> 00:40:32.239
 will raise us also with

00:40:32.239 --> 00:40:34.899
 Jesus and bring us with you

00:40:34.900 --> 00:40:36.260
 into his presence.

00:40:37.320 --> 00:40:38.760
 For it is all for your

00:40:38.760 --> 00:40:40.099
 sake so that his grace

00:40:40.099 --> 00:40:41.400
 extends to more and more

00:40:41.400 --> 00:40:42.480
 people it may increase

00:40:42.480 --> 00:40:43.639
 thanksgiving to the glory

00:40:43.639 --> 00:40:44.160
 of God.

00:40:44.880 --> 00:40:46.019
 You see, Usain Bolt should

00:40:46.019 --> 00:40:47.720
 never say, I'm going to

00:40:47.720 --> 00:40:48.920
 hurt my legs so I run

00:40:48.920 --> 00:40:49.360
 slower.

00:40:52.039 --> 00:40:53.119
 Einstein, if he was still

00:40:53.119 --> 00:40:54.019
 alive, should say, I'm

00:40:54.019 --> 00:40:54.980
 going to start taking, I'm

00:40:54.980 --> 00:40:56.039
 going to start smoking lots

00:40:56.039 --> 00:40:57.099
 of marijuana because it

00:40:57.099 --> 00:40:57.840
 will make me dumber.

00:40:58.340 --> 00:40:59.380
 That's actually true by the

00:40:59.380 --> 00:40:59.559
 way.

00:41:01.420 --> 00:41:04.039
 No, they should say, I'm a

00:41:04.039 --> 00:41:04.779
 jar of clay.

00:41:05.460 --> 00:41:06.539
 God has blessed me with

00:41:06.539 --> 00:41:09.400
 this speed but he is the

00:41:09.400 --> 00:41:10.579
 one who is blessed forever.

00:41:11.300 --> 00:41:12.300
 I will die.

00:41:13.440 --> 00:41:15.059
 My legs will become

00:41:15.059 --> 00:41:16.699
 crippled and not able to

00:41:16.699 --> 00:41:17.039
 move.

00:41:17.739 --> 00:41:18.840
 They will become dust.

00:41:19.980 --> 00:41:23.239
 But my hope is found in

00:41:23.239 --> 00:41:24.340
 the one who has defeated

00:41:24.340 --> 00:41:26.340
 death, who died for me,

00:41:26.960 --> 00:41:28.340
 who has loved me and loves

00:41:28.340 --> 00:41:29.500
 me now and will love me for

00:41:29.500 --> 00:41:30.079
 all eternity.

00:41:30.719 --> 00:41:31.940
 And I do not get my

00:41:31.940 --> 00:41:33.059
 identity from my speed.

00:41:33.059 --> 00:41:34.519
 I am so grateful for God

00:41:34.519 --> 00:41:35.420
 for my speed.

00:41:37.380 --> 00:41:38.699
 It doesn't make me special

00:41:38.699 --> 00:41:40.279
 but I'm so grateful for it

00:41:40.279 --> 00:41:42.340
 that God has blessed me

00:41:42.340 --> 00:41:43.159
 with such a thing.

00:41:46.719 --> 00:41:47.420
 Keep going.

00:41:49.019 --> 00:41:50.400
 Let's go to verse 12 again.

00:41:50.400 --> 00:41:51.360
 Since we have the same

00:41:51.360 --> 00:41:52.539
 spirit of faith according to

00:41:52.539 --> 00:41:53.259
 what has been written, I

00:41:53.259 --> 00:41:54.380
 believed and so I spoke.

00:41:54.960 --> 00:41:56.279
 We also believe and so we

00:41:56.279 --> 00:41:57.639
 also speak, knowing that he

00:41:57.639 --> 00:41:58.840
 who raised the Lord Jesus

00:41:58.840 --> 00:42:00.259
 will raise us also with

00:42:00.260 --> 00:42:03.620
 Jesus and bring us with you

00:42:03.620 --> 00:42:04.420
 into his presence.

00:42:04.540 --> 00:42:05.620
 For it is all for your

00:42:05.620 --> 00:42:07.000
 sake so that as grace

00:42:07.000 --> 00:42:08.360
 extends to more and more

00:42:08.360 --> 00:42:09.480
 people it may increase

00:42:09.480 --> 00:42:10.780
 thanksgiving to the glory of

00:42:10.780 --> 00:42:11.060
 God.

00:42:11.360 --> 00:42:13.460
 So we do not lose heart.

00:42:14.160 --> 00:42:16.100
 Though our outer self is

00:42:16.100 --> 00:42:17.980
 wasting away, our inner self

00:42:17.980 --> 00:42:20.360
 is being renewed day by day.

00:42:20.400 --> 00:42:21.700
 That part of us which

00:42:21.700 --> 00:42:23.780
 belongs to Jesus, which will

00:42:23.780 --> 00:42:25.600
 become more like him, which

00:42:25.600 --> 00:42:27.180
 will be glorified and live in

00:42:27.180 --> 00:42:28.120
 the new heaven and the new

00:42:28.119 --> 00:42:29.059
 earth for all eternity.

00:42:29.599 --> 00:42:31.199
 For this, verse 17, this

00:42:31.199 --> 00:42:34.039
 slight momentary affliction is

00:42:34.039 --> 00:42:36.940
 preparing for us jars of clay,

00:42:37.539 --> 00:42:39.719
 an eternal weight of glory

00:42:39.719 --> 00:42:41.819
 beyond all comparison.

00:42:42.880 --> 00:42:45.480
 As we look, not at the things

00:42:45.480 --> 00:42:48.679
 that are seen, the ducklings who

00:42:48.679 --> 00:42:50.199
 say that we're an ugly duckling,

00:42:50.699 --> 00:42:52.460
 but to the things that are

00:42:52.460 --> 00:42:56.299
 unseen, to the God who does

00:42:56.300 --> 00:42:59.440
 exist and who lives, to Jesus

00:42:59.440 --> 00:43:01.580
 who is now, who died for us, we

00:43:01.580 --> 00:43:03.100
 can no longer see it, we can

00:43:03.100 --> 00:43:04.140
 only hear about it.

00:43:04.740 --> 00:43:07.340
 For the things that are seen are

00:43:07.340 --> 00:43:09.680
 transient, but the things that

00:43:09.680 --> 00:43:10.660
 are unseen are eternal.

00:43:12.160 --> 00:43:13.700
 For we know that if the tent that

00:43:13.700 --> 00:43:16.220
 is our earthly home is destroyed,

00:43:16.300 --> 00:43:17.660
 we have a building from God, a

00:43:17.660 --> 00:43:19.380
 house not made with hands, eternal

00:43:19.380 --> 00:43:19.940
 in the heavens.

00:43:20.840 --> 00:43:22.720
 For in this tent we groan, longing

00:43:22.720 --> 00:43:24.240
 to put on our heavenly dwelling.

00:43:24.239 --> 00:43:27.319
 If indeed by putting it on we may

00:43:27.319 --> 00:43:28.379
 not be found naked.

00:43:29.019 --> 00:43:30.759
 For while we are still in this

00:43:30.759 --> 00:43:32.719
 tent we groan, being burdened, not

00:43:32.719 --> 00:43:34.319
 that we would be unclothed, but

00:43:34.319 --> 00:43:36.599
 that we would be further clothed, so

00:43:36.599 --> 00:43:39.199
 that what is mortal jars of clay may

00:43:39.199 --> 00:43:40.500
 be swallowed up by life.

00:43:42.019 --> 00:43:45.659
 He who has prepared us for this

00:43:45.659 --> 00:43:49.259
 very thing is God, who has given us

00:43:49.259 --> 00:43:50.539
 the Spirit as a guarantee.

00:43:50.539 --> 00:43:56.119
 In the gospel, I am never a God, and

00:43:56.119 --> 00:43:57.139
 I am never garbage.

00:43:57.980 --> 00:43:59.480
 I am always a jar of clay.

00:44:00.179 --> 00:44:02.460
 I am redeemed by God's grace alone,

00:44:02.820 --> 00:44:05.940
 through faith alone, not my works, in

00:44:05.940 --> 00:44:07.519
 Jesus and his saving death alone.

00:44:09.119 --> 00:44:11.300
 And I am always a jar of clay who

00:44:11.300 --> 00:44:14.820
 will live loved by him for all

00:44:14.820 --> 00:44:15.880
 eternity.

00:44:15.880 --> 00:44:20.019
 As the gospel grips me, the Holy

00:44:20.019 --> 00:44:23.180
 Spirit frees me up to say, if I must

00:44:23.180 --> 00:44:26.079
 boast, I will boast of the things that

00:44:26.079 --> 00:44:27.720
 show my weakness.

00:44:28.340 --> 00:44:29.460
 I invite you to stand.

00:44:29.460 --> 00:44:47.880
 If you're here and

00:44:47.880 --> 00:44:52.199
 maybe you've heard the gospel explained

00:44:52.199 --> 00:44:53.720
 in a way which has touched your heart

00:44:53.720 --> 00:44:57.159
 for the first time, and maybe you

00:44:57.159 --> 00:44:58.740
 wouldn't call yourself a Christian, or

00:44:58.739 --> 00:45:00.319
 maybe you'd say you're a lapsed Christian,

00:45:01.319 --> 00:45:03.519
 if God is, there might be a pressure in

00:45:03.519 --> 00:45:05.819
 your heart to do something in terms of

00:45:05.819 --> 00:45:08.779
 God, and what that pressure is, is God

00:45:08.779 --> 00:45:10.739
 is inviting you to surrender and let go.

00:45:12.000 --> 00:45:14.039
 And to lift your hands to him and say,

00:45:14.799 --> 00:45:15.739
 Jesus, save me.

00:45:17.159 --> 00:45:19.659
 Thank you that by your wounds I am healed.

00:45:20.039 --> 00:45:22.079
 Thank you that your punishment has brought

00:45:22.079 --> 00:45:22.739
 me peace.

00:45:23.419 --> 00:45:24.939
 I want to be yours forever.

00:45:24.940 --> 00:45:28.240
 I want to get off of this treadmill of

00:45:28.240 --> 00:45:29.639
 either being a God or garbage.

00:45:30.519 --> 00:45:34.240
 I want to know I'm a jar of clay saved

00:45:34.240 --> 00:45:36.700
 by you and eternally loved by you, and I

00:45:36.700 --> 00:45:38.579
 want to have my identity formed by that.

00:45:38.639 --> 00:45:39.599
 I give myself to you.

00:45:39.659 --> 00:45:41.139
 Just don't have to use my words.

00:45:41.200 --> 00:45:43.220
 Just say, Lord, I give myself to you.

00:45:43.599 --> 00:45:45.099
 I give myself to you.

00:45:46.099 --> 00:45:48.539
 I never want, I just only want to give

00:45:48.539 --> 00:45:49.440
 myself to you.

00:45:49.539 --> 00:45:50.420
 Your own words.

00:45:50.420 --> 00:45:52.360
 There's no time better than now to say it.

00:45:52.960 --> 00:45:57.860
 And for all of us who struggle with being a

00:45:57.860 --> 00:46:00.680
 God or being garbage, there's no better time

00:46:00.680 --> 00:46:03.019
 now than to just say out to God, Lord, I want

00:46:03.019 --> 00:46:04.180
 to be gripped by the gospel.

00:46:05.119 --> 00:46:08.340
 I want to be a disciple of Jesus who's so

00:46:08.340 --> 00:46:10.680
 gripped and rooted by the gospel that it so

00:46:10.680 --> 00:46:13.960
 forms my affections and my identity and my

00:46:13.960 --> 00:46:17.320
 longings that I can live free in this life.

00:46:17.320 --> 00:46:20.380
 It's time to just surrender to the Holy Spirit

00:46:20.380 --> 00:46:21.920
 and do that as well.

00:46:22.200 --> 00:46:23.280
 Just bow our heads in prayer.

00:46:25.100 --> 00:46:27.100
 Father, if there's those here who are maybe

00:46:27.100 --> 00:46:30.940
 crossing the threshold of hope to put their

00:46:30.940 --> 00:46:32.940
 faith and trust in you, pour out your Holy Spirit

00:46:32.940 --> 00:46:33.580
 upon them.

00:46:33.920 --> 00:46:34.880
 Guide their words.

00:46:35.740 --> 00:46:37.900
 May your Holy Spirit flood them so they know

00:46:37.900 --> 00:46:40.460
 your peace and assurance and receptivity as

00:46:40.460 --> 00:46:42.500
 they surrender their lives to you.

00:46:43.320 --> 00:46:46.720
 Father, for those of us who are maybe here and

00:46:46.719 --> 00:46:48.759
 we're still searching, we're not ready for that,

00:46:48.899 --> 00:46:50.500
 pour out your Holy Spirit and your love upon

00:46:50.500 --> 00:46:50.659
 them.

00:46:50.699 --> 00:46:52.159
 Make the gospel real to them.

00:46:52.939 --> 00:46:55.079
 And Father, for those of us who have put our

00:46:55.079 --> 00:46:57.719
 faith and trust in Jesus, and we know that he

00:46:57.719 --> 00:46:59.919
 is our Savior and Lord, but Father, we struggle

00:46:59.919 --> 00:47:00.659
 with boasting.

00:47:01.119 --> 00:47:04.059
 We struggle with being either a God or garbage.

00:47:04.299 --> 00:47:06.059
 Father, we struggle with idols.

00:47:06.899 --> 00:47:09.039
 And Father, you know the struggles of our heart,

00:47:09.119 --> 00:47:11.879
 and we thank you so much that you have saved us,

00:47:11.919 --> 00:47:13.259
 that you will never let us go.

00:47:13.260 --> 00:47:16.120
 And we ask that your Holy Spirit would move a mighty

00:47:16.120 --> 00:47:18.980
 work in our heart, that your word would do a mighty

00:47:18.980 --> 00:47:22.740
 work in our heart, that we would become, grow day by day

00:47:22.740 --> 00:47:26.680
 to be ones who say no to idols, that are gripped by the

00:47:26.680 --> 00:47:33.640
 gospel and are learning to live day by day as jars of clay,

00:47:34.640 --> 00:47:38.500
 confident in your love and living for your glory and not our

00:47:38.500 --> 00:47:38.720
 own.

00:47:38.719 --> 00:47:42.599
 Father, do this work in our hearts, we pray in Jesus' name.

00:47:43.139 --> 00:47:43.500
 Amen.