WEBVTT 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:06.339 You know, these days when I read the news, I find myself asking the same question again 00:00:06.339 --> 00:00:06.759 and again. 00:00:06.900 --> 00:00:13.300 I find myself asking, how do we make sense of and explain these headlines? 00:00:14.019 --> 00:00:19.719 You know, just this week I was reading my news feed and there are headlines about the 00:00:19.719 --> 00:00:22.940 ongoing reality of racial injustice, sexual violence. 00:00:23.580 --> 00:00:27.460 There are headlines about the rise of nationalism in the West. 00:00:27.460 --> 00:00:35.939 There are headlines about the outrage culture and the call-out culture that has arisen over 00:00:35.939 --> 00:00:38.980 the last decade and continues to wreak havoc. 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:47.219 Headlines about the rising political polarization that's dividing our country into smaller and 00:00:47.219 --> 00:00:49.340 smaller subgroups. 00:00:49.780 --> 00:00:54.520 And you look at headlines like this and realities like this and you ask, is this just the result 00:00:54.520 --> 00:00:55.320 of technology? 00:00:55.320 --> 00:00:57.980 Is this just the result of smartphones? 00:00:58.340 --> 00:01:01.600 Is it just the impact that Twitter has had on our culture? 00:01:01.799 --> 00:01:04.280 Or is there something deeper at work? 00:01:04.340 --> 00:01:11.120 And I find myself longing for some kind of unified theory of everything that can explain what's 00:01:11.120 --> 00:01:11.500 happening. 00:01:12.620 --> 00:01:16.379 And I've been thinking about that and I've been reading and studying Paul's letter to 00:01:16.379 --> 00:01:22.159 the Galatians and I began to realize that if we were to ask the Apostle Paul to explain 00:01:22.159 --> 00:01:27.819 these headlines, that he would probably pull out his letter to the Galatians and he would 00:01:27.819 --> 00:01:33.500 probably turn to the middle of the letter to chapter 4 and he would probably point us to 00:01:33.500 --> 00:01:34.699 the middle of that chapter. 00:01:34.700 --> 00:01:40.840 This is the very heart of Paul's letter to the Galatians and many of the themes that we've 00:01:40.840 --> 00:01:45.600 been looking at over the past several weeks as we've been looking at this letter are distilled 00:01:45.600 --> 00:01:47.320 here in these verses. 00:01:47.620 --> 00:01:50.340 Paul would probably start in verse 8 and read this. 00:01:50.340 --> 00:02:20.319 Now that phrase, the elementary principles of the world, that's our focus this evening. 00:02:20.319 --> 00:02:24.079 Because that word in the Greek is the word stoikia. 00:02:24.939 --> 00:02:28.919 And stoikia is a very philosophically dense word. 00:02:29.239 --> 00:02:34.699 Entire books have been written about the meaning of this word and so it's not often explored 00:02:34.699 --> 00:02:40.519 or preached on because it's frankly kind of difficult to understand exactly what Paul means 00:02:40.519 --> 00:02:41.959 with this word. 00:02:42.240 --> 00:02:46.699 We translate it as the elementary principles of the world but I want to give you maybe a more 00:02:46.699 --> 00:02:48.199 helpful way to think about it. 00:02:48.199 --> 00:02:56.419 When Paul talks about the stoikia, he's talking about all of the ways that sin has been written 00:02:56.419 --> 00:02:58.459 into the operating system of the world. 00:02:59.799 --> 00:03:03.699 He's talking about all of the ways that sin has been written into the code. 00:03:05.319 --> 00:03:12.399 These are all of the manifestations of sin that tend to show up in societies everywhere. 00:03:12.400 --> 00:03:17.219 And that's interesting sociologically speaking that when you look at societies both ancient 00:03:17.219 --> 00:03:23.659 and modern, when you look at societies both eastern and western, there are certain tendencies, 00:03:24.080 --> 00:03:29.259 certain characteristics that tend to manifest themselves across the board. 00:03:29.860 --> 00:03:31.939 And Paul would say these are the stoikia. 00:03:32.080 --> 00:03:36.400 These are the ways that sin has been written into the operating system. 00:03:36.400 --> 00:03:37.659 They govern us. 00:03:37.659 --> 00:03:40.240 They, as he says, enslave us. 00:03:40.360 --> 00:03:45.540 They limit and constrain what is possible in life. 00:03:47.060 --> 00:03:53.719 And he says in the point of Galatians, really, is that Paul is saying that Jesus Christ came 00:03:53.719 --> 00:03:56.219 to set us free from sin. 00:03:57.360 --> 00:04:02.659 And thus he came to set us free from these stoikia, these limiting factors. 00:04:02.659 --> 00:04:06.900 Jesus came to bring an entirely new operating system. 00:04:08.079 --> 00:04:10.800 And so the gospel isn't just about being saved from sin. 00:04:11.079 --> 00:04:16.980 The gospel is about discovering and making possible a new way to be human together. 00:04:18.199 --> 00:04:20.839 A new way for society to operate. 00:04:22.319 --> 00:04:28.540 And so Paul's entire concern with the Galatians is that they are people who have been set free 00:04:28.540 --> 00:04:30.819 by Jesus and yet they're not living like it. 00:04:30.819 --> 00:04:35.719 He says you're living like you're still under the old regime, the old operating system. 00:04:36.300 --> 00:04:41.099 So what we're going to do with our time this evening is we're going to look at these stoikia, 00:04:41.219 --> 00:04:42.800 these elementary principles. 00:04:43.319 --> 00:04:48.899 And we're going to look at three examples, three ways that sin has been written into the 00:04:48.899 --> 00:04:49.240 code. 00:04:49.399 --> 00:04:51.199 And these are things that Paul was facing. 00:04:51.379 --> 00:04:55.699 But as you'll see, they're things that we face as well because they're present everywhere. 00:04:55.920 --> 00:04:58.039 Apart from the gospel, they're unavoidable. 00:04:58.040 --> 00:05:01.500 So let's pray and then we'll look at Galatians chapter 4 together. 00:05:02.340 --> 00:05:03.980 Lord, we thank you for your word. 00:05:04.140 --> 00:05:10.420 And we now ask that rather than relying on human insight or wisdom, rather than relying 00:05:10.420 --> 00:05:15.580 on spiritual platitudes or principles to live by, that Lord, we would sit under your living 00:05:15.580 --> 00:05:17.820 word and that you would speak. 00:05:19.020 --> 00:05:24.140 And Lord, we pray that by hearing your word, we would be nourished, we would be strengthened, 00:05:24.820 --> 00:05:26.020 and you would be glorified. 00:05:26.019 --> 00:05:28.060 And we pray this in your son's holy name. 00:05:28.259 --> 00:05:28.500 Amen. 00:05:29.620 --> 00:05:33.079 So three ways that sin is hardwired into the world. 00:05:33.599 --> 00:05:37.219 The first example is the example of tribalism. 00:05:38.539 --> 00:05:39.219 Tribalism. 00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:48.479 By tribalism, I simply mean the innate human tendency to see people in terms of in-group 00:05:48.480 --> 00:05:52.400 and out-group, us and them. 00:05:52.800 --> 00:05:55.920 People in my group and everyone else. 00:05:56.620 --> 00:06:02.759 And Paul would say that apart from the gospel, all human beings tend to divide the world into 00:06:02.759 --> 00:06:04.740 insiders and outsiders. 00:06:05.140 --> 00:06:07.600 And you know, this is very evident in Galatia. 00:06:07.720 --> 00:06:11.920 We've already talked in this series about how divided Galatia was. 00:06:11.920 --> 00:06:13.879 It was divided religiously. 00:06:13.980 --> 00:06:15.100 It was divided politically. 00:06:15.379 --> 00:06:18.580 It was divided along racial and ethnic lines. 00:06:18.699 --> 00:06:21.540 It was divided in basically every way you can imagine. 00:06:21.640 --> 00:06:23.580 Very divided society. 00:06:24.620 --> 00:06:28.900 But this is also something that happens in societies everywhere. 00:06:29.560 --> 00:06:33.960 And in fact, there's a huge body of research that we've mentioned in this series already, 00:06:34.040 --> 00:06:38.759 but I think it's worth mentioning again, on this innate tendency in human beings. 00:06:38.759 --> 00:06:40.719 It's called in-group, out-group bias. 00:06:41.319 --> 00:06:46.439 And this research shows conclusively that you can take any group of people and you can 00:06:46.439 --> 00:06:51.719 divide them arbitrarily by a coin toss, heads group, tails group. 00:06:52.079 --> 00:06:58.420 And that within hours, those groups will begin to manifest more positive attitudes toward 00:06:58.420 --> 00:07:02.620 their own group and more negative attitudes toward the other group. 00:07:02.740 --> 00:07:05.399 This is hardwired into human nature. 00:07:05.399 --> 00:07:12.459 And the same realities that divided Paul's society divide our society as a result. 00:07:12.659 --> 00:07:16.719 Paul would say that when you see that phenomenon, you're not just seeing sociology. 00:07:17.120 --> 00:07:19.599 You're not just seeing evolutionary psychology. 00:07:20.379 --> 00:07:22.000 That you're seeing stoichia. 00:07:22.719 --> 00:07:25.199 You're seeing sin wired into the world. 00:07:26.819 --> 00:07:31.959 And you know, our society is subdivided into smaller and smaller special interest groups. 00:07:31.959 --> 00:07:35.379 And you ask people, what's wrong with the world today? 00:07:35.539 --> 00:07:37.839 And most people have some group that they blame. 00:07:38.500 --> 00:07:40.719 You know, people will say, well, it's all those on the radical left. 00:07:40.819 --> 00:07:42.459 It's those neo-Marxists. 00:07:42.479 --> 00:07:44.299 Or it's Trump and his supporters. 00:07:44.500 --> 00:07:46.399 Or it's the rich and big business. 00:07:46.539 --> 00:07:48.179 Or it's those conservative Christians. 00:07:48.359 --> 00:07:50.240 Or it's those secular atheists. 00:07:50.319 --> 00:07:51.399 Or it's the terrorists. 00:07:51.539 --> 00:07:53.319 And everybody has some group they want to blame. 00:07:54.139 --> 00:07:56.179 It happens in this very church. 00:07:57.599 --> 00:07:58.039 Right? 00:07:58.099 --> 00:08:00.859 This happens in churches all around the world. 00:08:00.860 --> 00:08:09.759 One of the most damaging realities that churches have to contend with is the development of factions and cliques within the body of Christ. 00:08:10.480 --> 00:08:13.560 This is the path of least resistance for any group of people. 00:08:14.600 --> 00:08:18.220 But Paul would say that this is what life is like under the stoichia. 00:08:18.439 --> 00:08:20.360 And that is exactly why Jesus came. 00:08:21.139 --> 00:08:23.660 The gospel changes everything. 00:08:23.840 --> 00:08:25.340 It reformats us. 00:08:25.339 --> 00:08:32.139 And a great example of this is Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who was a Marxist officer of the Red Army. 00:08:33.259 --> 00:08:38.139 And in their society, they had very clear lines between good guys and bad guys. 00:08:38.839 --> 00:08:43.519 And in their world, you sent all of the bad people to the prison labor camps. 00:08:44.360 --> 00:08:46.819 And then the unthinkable happened. 00:08:46.820 --> 00:08:51.920 Solzhenitsyn was actually caught criticizing Stalin. 00:08:52.740 --> 00:08:56.520 And so he was then sent to a labor camp himself. 00:08:57.020 --> 00:09:00.740 And this radically transformed him because he began to form relationships. 00:09:01.320 --> 00:09:03.400 And his entire worldview began to break down. 00:09:04.160 --> 00:09:06.780 And he began to rethink what does it mean to be human. 00:09:07.260 --> 00:09:12.080 And he began to realize that there's not such a clear line between good people and bad people. 00:09:12.080 --> 00:09:19.820 And in fact, he says, gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, 00:09:20.080 --> 00:09:23.560 nor between classes, nor between political parties, 00:09:23.820 --> 00:09:31.000 but right through every human heart and through all human hearts. 00:09:31.980 --> 00:09:36.320 And once he realized that, he realized that his entire worldview needed to change. 00:09:36.320 --> 00:09:40.660 And he began to search, who can offer hope to someone with a heart like that? 00:09:42.080 --> 00:09:44.200 And that's what led him to Jesus Christ. 00:09:46.560 --> 00:09:47.040 Right? 00:09:47.100 --> 00:09:50.000 So the gospel rewrites the operating system. 00:09:51.060 --> 00:09:54.259 The gospel says that there's no such thing as good people and bad people, 00:09:54.300 --> 00:09:55.540 that all hearts are broken. 00:09:56.620 --> 00:10:00.520 And yet all hearts are at the same time beautiful because they were created by God. 00:10:01.080 --> 00:10:06.740 The gospel says that ultimately all human beings are at a fundamental level the same 00:10:06.740 --> 00:10:09.400 because we're all created by God to bear his image. 00:10:09.399 --> 00:10:14.539 And yet we've all been broken and twisted by sin. 00:10:15.740 --> 00:10:19.659 And yet for all of those who come to Jesus and ask for forgiveness, 00:10:20.419 --> 00:10:23.620 we are all able to become one in him. 00:10:24.079 --> 00:10:25.659 One in Christ. 00:10:25.779 --> 00:10:29.139 And that's this explosive verse that we spent three weeks looking at. 00:10:29.419 --> 00:10:33.019 That for those who are in Christ, there is no longer Jew nor Greek. 00:10:33.139 --> 00:10:34.639 There is neither slave nor free. 00:10:34.740 --> 00:10:36.379 There is no male and female. 00:10:36.379 --> 00:10:39.320 He says all of those distinctions have been done away with. 00:10:39.399 --> 00:10:40.559 You're all one in Christ. 00:10:42.220 --> 00:10:47.700 So this reality, this new operating system, this new way of being human that the gospel 00:10:47.700 --> 00:10:51.240 brings into the world has been transformative throughout history. 00:10:52.740 --> 00:10:56.580 I'm always reminded of the city of Antioch, the ancient city of Antioch. 00:10:56.679 --> 00:11:00.200 This is the place where followers of Jesus were first called Christians. 00:11:00.200 --> 00:11:07.020 And when the city was built, they didn't just build a wall around the perimeter of the city. 00:11:07.160 --> 00:11:10.259 They also built walls all throughout the city. 00:11:10.560 --> 00:11:18.100 And in fact, the goal was to create separate zones for every ethnic and racial group represented 00:11:18.100 --> 00:11:19.720 in the population of Antioch. 00:11:19.800 --> 00:11:23.240 So they had 18 different walled-off ghettos. 00:11:23.240 --> 00:11:29.220 And each of those areas had their own cultures and customs and religions. 00:11:29.519 --> 00:11:32.379 This is literally the architecture of tribalism. 00:11:33.779 --> 00:11:37.639 I mean, this is what a tribalistic city planner would do. 00:11:38.860 --> 00:11:42.019 And this is the way Antioch was until the Christians came. 00:11:42.799 --> 00:11:46.000 Because the Christians were the first people to go over the walls. 00:11:46.759 --> 00:11:50.659 They were the first people to believe in a God who wasn't limited to one ethnic group 00:11:50.659 --> 00:11:55.879 or one geographic area, they believed that Jesus came to save people from all nations. 00:11:56.360 --> 00:11:58.579 And that the gospel was meant to be preached to everyone. 00:11:59.779 --> 00:12:04.279 And so they went over the walls and you look at this new forming church in Antioch. 00:12:04.339 --> 00:12:05.799 You read about it in Acts chapter 13. 00:12:06.199 --> 00:12:12.399 The leadership team of the church in Antioch was made up of people from four different ethnic groups. 00:12:13.860 --> 00:12:17.000 That's an amazing thing to look at at this point in history. 00:12:17.000 --> 00:12:24.139 And what it shows you is because of the gospel, Christians no longer have to be governed by tribalism. 00:12:25.299 --> 00:12:27.480 In other words, let me put a finer point on it. 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:29.299 Christians don't build walls. 00:12:30.399 --> 00:12:32.000 We go over the walls. 00:12:32.759 --> 00:12:35.539 That's what it means to be a Christian in our world. 00:12:36.700 --> 00:12:38.279 So that's the first example. 00:12:39.259 --> 00:12:43.080 Tribalism, you see it everywhere, but the gospel frees us from it. 00:12:43.159 --> 00:12:45.000 We don't have to be subject to it anymore. 00:12:45.000 --> 00:12:50.960 The second example of these elementary principles is the example of idolatry. 00:12:52.620 --> 00:12:53.100 Idolatry. 00:12:53.299 --> 00:13:00.820 Again, apart from the gospel, all human beings tend to turn good things into ultimate things. 00:13:01.899 --> 00:13:06.340 To take things that are important and make them ultimately life or death important. 00:13:07.620 --> 00:13:09.000 And you see this in Galatia. 00:13:09.679 --> 00:13:11.960 You had lots of different kinds of idolatry. 00:13:11.960 --> 00:13:17.240 Paul was dealing with pagans who were worshiping pagan deities. 00:13:17.620 --> 00:13:20.200 He was dealing with the emperor cult. 00:13:20.519 --> 00:13:23.660 People who worshiped the Roman emperor as a divine being. 00:13:24.379 --> 00:13:27.980 But he was also dealing with Jewish converts to Christianity. 00:13:29.259 --> 00:13:33.700 Who insisted on continuing to live under the Mosaic law. 00:13:33.700 --> 00:13:38.080 They had taken the Mosaic law, which was a good thing, and they had turned it into an ultimate thing. 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:39.820 This is what determines salvation. 00:13:40.020 --> 00:13:42.759 This is what determines who's really in with God. 00:13:43.740 --> 00:13:45.840 And Paul does something shocking with that. 00:13:45.920 --> 00:13:48.320 He essentially tells these Jewish converts to Christianity. 00:13:49.280 --> 00:13:54.180 He says, when you do that, when you elevate the law to the level of importance that you've given it, 00:13:55.160 --> 00:13:56.420 you're just like the pagans. 00:13:56.419 --> 00:14:00.939 And you see, in their worldview, there were two kinds of people. 00:14:02.019 --> 00:14:06.219 Jews who were in with God, people under the law, and everyone else. 00:14:07.000 --> 00:14:07.959 And Paul says, no, no, no. 00:14:07.979 --> 00:14:09.879 When you live like that, there's no difference. 00:14:10.659 --> 00:14:11.699 You might as well be a pagan. 00:14:12.500 --> 00:14:14.339 And for them, that would have been deeply offensive. 00:14:14.979 --> 00:14:16.659 And that's exactly why Paul says it. 00:14:16.839 --> 00:14:18.240 He's trying to shock them awake. 00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:22.539 He's saying, all of this is idolatry of one sort or another. 00:14:23.860 --> 00:14:26.019 And you know, idols, as I said before, 00:14:26.180 --> 00:14:29.200 it's simply things that we take that are often good things, 00:14:29.299 --> 00:14:30.379 and we make them ultimate. 00:14:30.539 --> 00:14:32.620 So it could be any good thing in our lives. 00:14:32.659 --> 00:14:34.000 It could be marriage. 00:14:35.060 --> 00:14:37.100 You know, the marriages that we have are the marriages that we want. 00:14:37.779 --> 00:14:41.259 It could be our kids, or the kids that we hope to have. 00:14:41.620 --> 00:14:43.159 It could be comfort. 00:14:44.440 --> 00:14:45.879 It could be convenience. 00:14:45.879 --> 00:14:48.960 It could be the approval of others, 00:14:49.080 --> 00:14:51.399 and wanting other people to like us, 00:14:51.500 --> 00:14:53.080 and think well of us, and respect us. 00:14:53.120 --> 00:14:54.939 It could be financial security. 00:14:55.139 --> 00:14:57.159 See, all of these things are good things. 00:14:57.279 --> 00:14:58.679 It's good to be thought well of. 00:14:58.720 --> 00:14:59.639 It's good to have a family. 00:15:00.799 --> 00:15:03.480 And yet, these things can very subtly 00:15:03.480 --> 00:15:07.700 become more and more and more important 00:15:07.700 --> 00:15:09.720 until we find ourselves thinking, 00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:12.600 unless I have that, 00:15:13.639 --> 00:15:15.659 I don't know if I'm going to be okay. 00:15:16.879 --> 00:15:20.059 Unless I, unless that happens for me, 00:15:21.000 --> 00:15:22.799 I don't think that I'm going to be, 00:15:23.820 --> 00:15:25.340 I don't think that I'll survive. 00:15:25.939 --> 00:15:28.100 Or if I ever lose this, 00:15:28.600 --> 00:15:30.460 it will destroy me. 00:15:30.659 --> 00:15:32.639 And when you begin to think that way 00:15:32.639 --> 00:15:33.860 about anything in your life, 00:15:34.340 --> 00:15:36.500 that thing has started to become 00:15:36.500 --> 00:15:38.019 an ultimate thing for you. 00:15:38.100 --> 00:15:39.639 It's taken hold of your heart 00:15:39.639 --> 00:15:41.879 in a religious way. 00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:43.340 So think of the role, 00:15:43.419 --> 00:15:45.439 just to give one deeper example of this, 00:15:45.720 --> 00:15:47.620 think of the role that politics 00:15:47.620 --> 00:15:51.139 has come to play in many people's lives 00:15:51.139 --> 00:15:52.899 in our society today. 00:15:53.340 --> 00:15:54.539 You know, 30 years ago, 00:15:54.620 --> 00:15:56.720 you could disagree with somebody 00:15:56.720 --> 00:15:58.200 over the presidential candidate 00:15:58.200 --> 00:15:59.179 that they voted for. 00:15:59.299 --> 00:16:00.580 You could disagree with somebody 00:16:00.580 --> 00:16:02.500 over the platforms or policies 00:16:02.500 --> 00:16:03.279 that they like. 00:16:03.399 --> 00:16:05.720 And you could disagree and still be friends. 00:16:05.720 --> 00:16:08.100 And nobody would think 00:16:08.100 --> 00:16:09.500 that it would threaten your friendship. 00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:11.779 And yet these days, 00:16:12.660 --> 00:16:14.019 and I hear this all the time, 00:16:14.120 --> 00:16:15.360 I see it in my own family, 00:16:15.500 --> 00:16:17.580 politics and disagreements 00:16:17.580 --> 00:16:19.040 rip families apart. 00:16:19.639 --> 00:16:20.560 I mean, there are family members 00:16:20.560 --> 00:16:21.940 who will not speak to each other 00:16:21.940 --> 00:16:24.120 because of the presidential election. 00:16:24.519 --> 00:16:26.379 People who have broken off all contact. 00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:27.160 Right? 00:16:27.159 --> 00:16:28.779 And so we ask, 00:16:29.000 --> 00:16:30.539 why are we so deeply divided? 00:16:30.659 --> 00:16:32.579 And the answer is because politics, 00:16:32.879 --> 00:16:33.879 which is a good thing. 00:16:34.519 --> 00:16:36.199 You know, God instituted 00:16:36.199 --> 00:16:37.199 our political leaders. 00:16:37.399 --> 00:16:39.219 God decrees that He works 00:16:39.219 --> 00:16:40.699 through our political leaders. 00:16:40.819 --> 00:16:41.600 He calls Christians 00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:42.839 to pray for our leaders 00:16:42.839 --> 00:16:44.980 and to submit to our leaders. 00:16:45.639 --> 00:16:47.159 And yet this good thing 00:16:47.159 --> 00:16:49.139 has become an ultimate thing 00:16:49.139 --> 00:16:50.620 for many people in our country. 00:16:51.539 --> 00:16:52.639 There was a great piece 00:16:52.639 --> 00:16:53.519 by Andrew Sullivan 00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:54.139 that came out 00:16:54.139 --> 00:16:55.299 at the end of last year 00:16:55.299 --> 00:16:57.859 called America's New Religions. 00:16:58.219 --> 00:16:59.379 And he's talking about 00:16:59.379 --> 00:17:00.799 the decline of Christianity 00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:01.719 in the West 00:17:01.719 --> 00:17:04.619 and the subsequent impact 00:17:04.619 --> 00:17:05.359 that that's had 00:17:05.359 --> 00:17:07.019 on the way we view politics. 00:17:07.839 --> 00:17:08.819 And here's what he says. 00:17:08.940 --> 00:17:09.220 He says, 00:17:09.500 --> 00:17:10.259 so what happens 00:17:10.259 --> 00:17:11.859 when this religious rampart 00:17:11.859 --> 00:17:12.940 of the entire system 00:17:12.940 --> 00:17:13.759 is removed? 00:17:14.259 --> 00:17:15.619 I think what happens 00:17:15.619 --> 00:17:17.579 is illiberal politics. 00:17:18.139 --> 00:17:19.480 The need for meaning 00:17:19.480 --> 00:17:20.599 hasn't gone away, 00:17:20.599 --> 00:17:21.879 but without Christianity, 00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:24.440 this yearning looks to politics 00:17:24.440 --> 00:17:25.860 for satisfaction. 00:17:28.240 --> 00:17:30.360 We no longer just endorse 00:17:30.360 --> 00:17:30.920 a candidate. 00:17:32.019 --> 00:17:33.680 We no longer support 00:17:33.680 --> 00:17:36.140 this or that policy. 00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:39.500 People are increasingly finding 00:17:39.500 --> 00:17:40.980 their entire sense of meaning 00:17:40.980 --> 00:17:42.740 and identity 00:17:42.740 --> 00:17:44.420 and purpose 00:17:44.420 --> 00:17:46.059 in politics, 00:17:46.420 --> 00:17:48.960 in their political party affiliation. 00:17:48.960 --> 00:17:52.340 our political world 00:17:52.340 --> 00:17:53.039 has become 00:17:53.039 --> 00:17:54.220 a kind of ultimate 00:17:54.220 --> 00:17:55.319 battleground 00:17:55.319 --> 00:17:57.620 of good versus evil. 00:17:58.460 --> 00:17:59.039 And it's interesting, 00:17:59.259 --> 00:17:59.400 you know, 00:17:59.440 --> 00:18:00.360 people increasingly 00:18:00.360 --> 00:18:01.600 don't think of their 00:18:01.600 --> 00:18:02.539 political opponents 00:18:02.539 --> 00:18:03.539 as simply people 00:18:03.539 --> 00:18:04.460 with whom they disagree. 00:18:05.759 --> 00:18:07.400 We treat political opponents 00:18:07.400 --> 00:18:08.100 like heretics. 00:18:09.160 --> 00:18:10.120 We treat them 00:18:10.120 --> 00:18:10.779 like a heretic 00:18:10.779 --> 00:18:11.460 would have been treated 00:18:11.460 --> 00:18:12.620 500 years ago. 00:18:13.340 --> 00:18:13.519 You know, 00:18:13.539 --> 00:18:14.100 and I'm sure there are 00:18:14.100 --> 00:18:14.579 many people, 00:18:14.680 --> 00:18:15.039 if they could, 00:18:15.100 --> 00:18:15.559 they would burn 00:18:15.559 --> 00:18:16.039 their opponents 00:18:16.039 --> 00:18:16.619 at the stake. 00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:21.240 We may be less 00:18:21.240 --> 00:18:22.539 religiously affiliated 00:18:22.539 --> 00:18:23.500 according to a lot 00:18:23.500 --> 00:18:24.039 of the research. 00:18:24.139 --> 00:18:25.359 I think that's absolutely true. 00:18:25.460 --> 00:18:25.879 We're less 00:18:25.879 --> 00:18:27.159 religiously affiliated, 00:18:27.720 --> 00:18:29.379 but we're every bit 00:18:29.379 --> 00:18:29.960 as much 00:18:29.960 --> 00:18:31.460 religiously inclined 00:18:31.460 --> 00:18:32.740 as people. 00:18:33.279 --> 00:18:34.099 And the reason is 00:18:34.099 --> 00:18:35.019 because human beings 00:18:35.019 --> 00:18:36.279 are by design 00:18:36.279 --> 00:18:37.299 worshipers. 00:18:38.079 --> 00:18:39.579 We are made to worship. 00:18:40.299 --> 00:18:41.619 And so if you remove 00:18:41.619 --> 00:18:43.440 the object of your worship, 00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:45.480 if you remove that, 00:18:46.340 --> 00:18:47.019 a lot of people 00:18:47.019 --> 00:18:47.420 would think, 00:18:47.539 --> 00:18:47.660 well, 00:18:47.740 --> 00:18:48.299 then you just 00:18:48.299 --> 00:18:49.600 continue through life 00:18:49.600 --> 00:18:50.620 not worshiping anything. 00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:51.559 But that's not, 00:18:51.700 --> 00:18:51.880 in fact, 00:18:51.920 --> 00:18:52.380 what happens. 00:18:52.440 --> 00:18:53.019 What happens is 00:18:53.019 --> 00:18:53.940 when you remove 00:18:53.940 --> 00:18:54.920 the thing that's up here, 00:18:55.059 --> 00:18:56.340 it creates a vacuum. 00:18:57.720 --> 00:18:59.120 And then all of the things 00:18:59.120 --> 00:18:59.740 that are down here, 00:18:59.820 --> 00:19:01.320 all of those penultimate 00:19:01.320 --> 00:19:02.400 things in your life, 00:19:02.500 --> 00:19:03.900 your political involvement, 00:19:04.039 --> 00:19:04.580 your family, 00:19:04.740 --> 00:19:05.380 your job, 00:19:05.720 --> 00:19:06.940 your desire for security, 00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:07.960 your desire for affirmation, 00:19:08.019 --> 00:19:08.700 all of those things 00:19:08.700 --> 00:19:09.240 that are down here, 00:19:09.240 --> 00:19:10.220 they start to get 00:19:10.220 --> 00:19:11.259 pulled upward 00:19:11.259 --> 00:19:12.420 to fill that vacuum. 00:19:12.420 --> 00:19:14.400 And so inevitably 00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:15.160 when you create 00:19:15.160 --> 00:19:15.660 that vacuum, 00:19:15.800 --> 00:19:16.480 something else 00:19:16.480 --> 00:19:17.100 is going to come in 00:19:17.100 --> 00:19:17.600 and fill it. 00:19:19.580 --> 00:19:20.519 And so Sullivan is saying 00:19:20.519 --> 00:19:20.820 that's what, 00:19:20.960 --> 00:19:21.420 for many people, 00:19:21.500 --> 00:19:22.120 it's their political 00:19:22.120 --> 00:19:23.300 involvement. 00:19:23.900 --> 00:19:25.019 But it could be anything. 00:19:26.140 --> 00:19:27.019 And so this is what 00:19:27.019 --> 00:19:27.940 Paul is getting at 00:19:27.940 --> 00:19:28.840 in verse 8. 00:19:28.940 --> 00:19:29.360 He says, 00:19:29.820 --> 00:19:30.380 Formerly, 00:19:30.460 --> 00:19:31.840 when you did not know God, 00:19:31.860 --> 00:19:32.560 when there was nothing 00:19:32.560 --> 00:19:33.140 up here, 00:19:34.660 --> 00:19:35.720 you were enslaved 00:19:35.720 --> 00:19:37.200 to those that by nature 00:19:37.200 --> 00:19:38.240 are not gods. 00:19:38.300 --> 00:19:38.900 That's an idol. 00:19:39.240 --> 00:19:40.240 Something that's not a god 00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:41.320 that you treat like a god. 00:19:41.319 --> 00:19:42.379 But now, 00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:42.839 he says, 00:19:42.899 --> 00:19:44.480 you have come to know God 00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:46.019 or rather to be known 00:19:46.019 --> 00:19:46.980 by God. 00:19:47.079 --> 00:19:47.720 The old preacher 00:19:47.720 --> 00:19:48.539 Thomas Chalmers 00:19:48.539 --> 00:19:49.279 used to call this 00:19:49.279 --> 00:19:50.779 the expulsive power 00:19:50.779 --> 00:19:51.919 of a new affection. 00:19:52.099 --> 00:19:52.659 You have something 00:19:52.659 --> 00:19:53.559 that you're worshiping 00:19:53.559 --> 00:19:54.759 and that God comes 00:19:54.759 --> 00:19:55.319 into your life, 00:19:55.379 --> 00:19:56.700 he breaks into your life. 00:19:57.039 --> 00:19:58.039 His love and his grace 00:19:58.039 --> 00:19:59.019 invade your life 00:19:59.019 --> 00:20:00.220 and they displace 00:20:00.220 --> 00:20:00.859 that thing. 00:20:02.000 --> 00:20:03.220 And God rightfully 00:20:03.220 --> 00:20:04.259 takes his place 00:20:04.259 --> 00:20:05.799 as your object of worship. 00:20:05.879 --> 00:20:06.639 And everything else 00:20:06.639 --> 00:20:07.500 has to take a shift 00:20:07.500 --> 00:20:08.299 down 00:20:08.299 --> 00:20:10.759 to accommodate 00:20:10.759 --> 00:20:13.399 your new object 00:20:13.399 --> 00:20:14.419 of worship. 00:20:16.099 --> 00:20:17.740 Because of this reality 00:20:17.740 --> 00:20:19.119 and because Christians 00:20:19.119 --> 00:20:20.619 experience this 00:20:20.619 --> 00:20:21.519 when the gospel 00:20:21.519 --> 00:20:22.579 restores them 00:20:22.579 --> 00:20:23.619 to right relationship 00:20:23.619 --> 00:20:24.279 with God, 00:20:24.500 --> 00:20:25.720 to the right worship 00:20:25.720 --> 00:20:26.259 of God, 00:20:26.659 --> 00:20:28.339 and because everything else 00:20:28.339 --> 00:20:29.559 has to shift downward, 00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:32.680 Christians don't worship 00:20:32.680 --> 00:20:33.460 political leaders. 00:20:33.460 --> 00:20:34.500 They don't worship 00:20:34.500 --> 00:20:35.539 kings or emperors 00:20:35.539 --> 00:20:36.839 as being divine beings. 00:20:36.839 --> 00:20:38.599 And so all throughout 00:20:38.599 --> 00:20:39.179 history, 00:20:39.659 --> 00:20:40.500 Christians have been 00:20:40.500 --> 00:20:42.379 instrumental in challenging 00:20:42.379 --> 00:20:44.199 totalitarianism on the right 00:20:44.199 --> 00:20:45.839 and on the left. 00:20:46.539 --> 00:20:47.859 Because Christians know 00:20:47.859 --> 00:20:48.720 that at the end of the day 00:20:48.720 --> 00:20:50.359 there is only one true king. 00:20:51.579 --> 00:20:53.339 And his name is Jesus Christ. 00:20:54.379 --> 00:20:56.059 And while in this period 00:20:56.059 --> 00:20:56.879 of time we're called 00:20:56.879 --> 00:20:57.839 to honor and respect 00:20:57.839 --> 00:20:58.899 and submit to our leaders, 00:20:59.119 --> 00:21:00.379 one day those leaders 00:21:00.379 --> 00:21:01.339 will be held accountable 00:21:01.339 --> 00:21:04.359 by the one who truly 00:21:04.359 --> 00:21:05.039 has authority, 00:21:05.459 --> 00:21:06.099 Jesus Christ. 00:21:06.839 --> 00:21:08.939 So Christians are no longer 00:21:08.939 --> 00:21:10.579 governed by idolatry. 00:21:10.799 --> 00:21:12.240 We don't have to be slaves 00:21:12.240 --> 00:21:13.199 to idols. 00:21:15.119 --> 00:21:16.359 Because we've been set free 00:21:16.359 --> 00:21:17.279 to worship the one 00:21:17.279 --> 00:21:18.799 for whom we were made. 00:21:20.299 --> 00:21:21.599 So that's the second example. 00:21:21.720 --> 00:21:22.500 Christians are set free 00:21:22.500 --> 00:21:23.339 from tribalism. 00:21:23.439 --> 00:21:24.659 We're set free from idolatry. 00:21:24.740 --> 00:21:25.980 The third and the final example 00:21:25.980 --> 00:21:28.019 of the way that sin 00:21:28.019 --> 00:21:29.799 has been wired into the world, 00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:30.819 wired into us, 00:21:30.819 --> 00:21:33.220 is the example of moralism. 00:21:33.220 --> 00:21:34.940 Moralism. 00:21:35.940 --> 00:21:37.160 Apart from the gospel, 00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:38.579 all human beings 00:21:38.579 --> 00:21:40.259 tend to become moralistic. 00:21:40.360 --> 00:21:41.279 You see this in societies 00:21:41.279 --> 00:21:42.019 ancient and modern, 00:21:42.120 --> 00:21:42.660 east, west, 00:21:42.779 --> 00:21:43.640 happens everywhere. 00:21:44.220 --> 00:21:44.980 And by moralism, 00:21:45.039 --> 00:21:45.740 I don't just mean 00:21:45.740 --> 00:21:46.640 that we all have a sense 00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:47.319 of right and wrong. 00:21:47.420 --> 00:21:48.559 Every society has a sense 00:21:48.559 --> 00:21:49.200 of right and wrong. 00:21:49.480 --> 00:21:50.360 But more than that, 00:21:50.420 --> 00:21:51.160 every society 00:21:51.160 --> 00:21:52.740 and every person 00:21:52.740 --> 00:21:54.720 tends to want to assert 00:21:54.720 --> 00:21:56.279 their moral righteousness 00:21:56.279 --> 00:21:58.799 and their moral superiority 00:21:58.799 --> 00:22:00.519 over other people. 00:22:01.759 --> 00:22:03.019 So every society 00:22:03.019 --> 00:22:03.660 on its own 00:22:03.660 --> 00:22:04.440 develops a kind 00:22:04.440 --> 00:22:05.619 of moral hierarchy. 00:22:06.539 --> 00:22:07.519 Now the moral codes 00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:08.539 shift from one side 00:22:08.539 --> 00:22:09.079 to the next. 00:22:09.559 --> 00:22:10.420 But that impulse 00:22:10.420 --> 00:22:12.019 to assert your superiority 00:22:12.019 --> 00:22:13.279 over another person, 00:22:13.720 --> 00:22:14.599 that's hardwired 00:22:14.599 --> 00:22:15.379 into all of us. 00:22:16.859 --> 00:22:17.759 So Paul was, 00:22:17.940 --> 00:22:18.200 of course, 00:22:18.299 --> 00:22:19.319 speaking to a very 00:22:19.319 --> 00:22:20.700 moralistic culture. 00:22:20.799 --> 00:22:21.420 We've talked a lot 00:22:21.420 --> 00:22:22.420 about that in this series. 00:22:22.660 --> 00:22:23.559 But what we need to see 00:22:23.559 --> 00:22:24.440 is that our culture 00:22:24.440 --> 00:22:25.940 is every bit as moralistic. 00:22:25.940 --> 00:22:26.380 And in fact, 00:22:26.460 --> 00:22:27.160 I think you can make 00:22:27.160 --> 00:22:27.500 the argument 00:22:27.500 --> 00:22:28.180 that our culture 00:22:28.180 --> 00:22:29.460 is more moralistic 00:22:29.460 --> 00:22:31.460 than the first century world 00:22:31.460 --> 00:22:32.680 that Paul was speaking into. 00:22:33.019 --> 00:22:34.660 It's just that the moral codes 00:22:34.660 --> 00:22:36.720 are defined differently. 00:22:37.320 --> 00:22:38.740 So think about food. 00:22:40.160 --> 00:22:40.400 Right? 00:22:40.460 --> 00:22:41.400 In Paul's day, 00:22:42.019 --> 00:22:42.960 the Jewish converts 00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:43.720 to Christianity 00:22:43.720 --> 00:22:45.759 believed that they were 00:22:45.759 --> 00:22:46.820 morally superior 00:22:46.820 --> 00:22:48.200 over other Christians 00:22:48.200 --> 00:22:51.700 because they maintained 00:22:51.700 --> 00:22:52.980 the practice 00:22:52.980 --> 00:22:54.100 of only eating food 00:22:54.100 --> 00:22:55.420 that was considered clean 00:22:55.420 --> 00:22:56.560 by the Mosaic Law. 00:22:57.420 --> 00:22:59.000 Because I eat clean food, 00:22:59.519 --> 00:23:01.180 I'm morally superior to you. 00:23:01.860 --> 00:23:03.360 I have a closer relationship 00:23:03.360 --> 00:23:04.200 to God than you do. 00:23:05.860 --> 00:23:06.400 And yet, 00:23:06.460 --> 00:23:07.420 we do the same thing. 00:23:08.519 --> 00:23:09.259 In our society, 00:23:09.360 --> 00:23:11.220 we have a very strong 00:23:11.220 --> 00:23:12.779 moral sense 00:23:12.779 --> 00:23:14.620 when it comes to the food 00:23:14.620 --> 00:23:15.180 that we eat. 00:23:15.259 --> 00:23:16.440 It's just that we define 00:23:16.440 --> 00:23:17.820 clean food differently. 00:23:18.320 --> 00:23:18.420 You know, 00:23:18.460 --> 00:23:19.759 we define it in terms of, 00:23:19.800 --> 00:23:19.960 you know, 00:23:19.960 --> 00:23:20.800 non-GMO, 00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:21.360 organic, 00:23:21.759 --> 00:23:22.160 sustainable, 00:23:22.759 --> 00:23:23.480 locally sourced. 00:23:23.480 --> 00:23:24.680 That's our version 00:23:24.680 --> 00:23:26.559 of eating clean food. 00:23:26.900 --> 00:23:27.099 Right? 00:23:28.259 --> 00:23:29.420 But it's the same thing. 00:23:29.480 --> 00:23:30.620 And so you get to feel 00:23:30.620 --> 00:23:32.720 a sense of moral superiority 00:23:32.720 --> 00:23:34.180 walking out of the store 00:23:34.180 --> 00:23:35.519 with your bag of Whole Foods. 00:23:36.900 --> 00:23:37.180 You know, 00:23:37.259 --> 00:23:37.980 you're asserting 00:23:37.980 --> 00:23:38.960 your righteousness. 00:23:40.680 --> 00:23:40.960 And, 00:23:41.059 --> 00:23:41.160 you know, 00:23:41.180 --> 00:23:41.640 it's interesting. 00:23:41.819 --> 00:23:42.079 You know, 00:23:42.079 --> 00:23:42.660 along those lines, 00:23:42.720 --> 00:23:43.940 I kind of have a confession 00:23:43.940 --> 00:23:44.299 to make. 00:23:44.420 --> 00:23:44.799 I was, 00:23:45.180 --> 00:23:45.380 you know, 00:23:45.460 --> 00:23:46.799 the other weekend, 00:23:46.920 --> 00:23:48.079 I took Maddox 00:23:48.079 --> 00:23:48.660 to basketball 00:23:48.660 --> 00:23:50.060 and he did a great job 00:23:50.060 --> 00:23:50.980 and he did all the things 00:23:50.980 --> 00:23:51.460 we talk about, 00:23:51.540 --> 00:23:52.320 good sportsmanship 00:23:52.320 --> 00:23:53.160 and play hard 00:23:53.160 --> 00:23:53.960 and listen to the coach. 00:23:54.500 --> 00:23:55.340 And so I wanted to get him 00:23:55.340 --> 00:23:55.860 this reward 00:23:55.860 --> 00:23:56.300 and so I said, 00:23:56.380 --> 00:23:56.600 hey buddy, 00:23:56.660 --> 00:23:57.660 let's get a milkshake 00:23:57.660 --> 00:23:58.440 afterwards. 00:23:58.840 --> 00:24:00.620 And so the only place 00:24:00.620 --> 00:24:01.240 that we pass 00:24:01.240 --> 00:24:02.380 where you can get a milkshake 00:24:02.380 --> 00:24:03.660 on the way home 00:24:03.660 --> 00:24:04.640 is McDonald's. 00:24:05.779 --> 00:24:07.120 So we go to McDonald's 00:24:07.120 --> 00:24:07.759 and we pull up 00:24:07.759 --> 00:24:09.200 and I say, 00:24:09.240 --> 00:24:09.400 hey, 00:24:09.500 --> 00:24:10.460 I'll have one milkshake. 00:24:10.540 --> 00:24:10.960 Thank you. 00:24:11.500 --> 00:24:12.940 And the lady says, 00:24:13.060 --> 00:24:13.380 is that, 00:24:13.460 --> 00:24:14.040 will that be all? 00:24:14.779 --> 00:24:15.360 And I'm like, 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:16.920 oh man, 00:24:16.920 --> 00:24:17.340 you know, 00:24:17.800 --> 00:24:19.420 and I look at that menu 00:24:19.420 --> 00:24:20.420 and I end up ordering 00:24:20.420 --> 00:24:22.720 a bacon double quarter pounder. 00:24:24.120 --> 00:24:25.400 This is my confession to you. 00:24:26.920 --> 00:24:28.620 And it was so good. 00:24:29.360 --> 00:24:30.440 It was so good. 00:24:30.620 --> 00:24:31.700 I slammed that thing 00:24:31.700 --> 00:24:34.360 and on the way home 00:24:34.360 --> 00:24:35.900 and I'm eating as fast as I can 00:24:35.900 --> 00:24:37.060 so I don't have to admit to Laura 00:24:37.060 --> 00:24:37.759 that I've done this. 00:24:38.539 --> 00:24:39.200 And no, 00:24:39.259 --> 00:24:40.019 it was just the milkshake, 00:24:40.060 --> 00:24:40.460 I promise. 00:24:41.019 --> 00:24:42.820 And so I eat this thing 00:24:42.820 --> 00:24:43.960 and the entire time I'm eating it 00:24:43.960 --> 00:24:46.160 I have Isaiah's words in my mind, 00:24:46.240 --> 00:24:46.480 you know, 00:24:46.480 --> 00:24:47.480 woe is me 00:24:47.480 --> 00:24:49.200 for I am a man of unclean lips, 00:24:49.400 --> 00:24:49.720 you know, 00:24:49.759 --> 00:24:51.220 because I just slammed 00:24:51.220 --> 00:24:52.220 a double quarter pounder. 00:24:52.660 --> 00:24:53.819 And I felt such shame 00:24:53.819 --> 00:24:54.579 and I felt this sense 00:24:54.579 --> 00:24:54.700 that, 00:24:54.900 --> 00:24:54.920 oh, 00:24:54.920 --> 00:24:56.039 if anybody knew, 00:24:56.220 --> 00:24:56.420 you know, 00:24:56.440 --> 00:24:57.000 I would just feel, 00:24:57.140 --> 00:24:58.160 I feel unclean. 00:24:58.420 --> 00:24:59.180 I feel unclean. 00:24:59.279 --> 00:24:59.960 But that's the way 00:24:59.960 --> 00:25:01.079 we think about our food. 00:25:02.160 --> 00:25:03.319 That's the sense of morality 00:25:03.319 --> 00:25:04.940 that often accompanies our diets. 00:25:06.160 --> 00:25:07.740 And so the problem with this, 00:25:07.799 --> 00:25:09.039 the problem with moralism 00:25:09.039 --> 00:25:11.039 is that every society 00:25:11.039 --> 00:25:12.480 has these moral codes 00:25:12.480 --> 00:25:13.960 but moralism quickly 00:25:13.960 --> 00:25:15.319 becomes judgmentalism. 00:25:15.319 --> 00:25:16.960 And this is what we see 00:25:16.960 --> 00:25:17.619 in our culture. 00:25:18.200 --> 00:25:19.759 We have an extremely 00:25:19.759 --> 00:25:20.919 judgmental culture. 00:25:21.220 --> 00:25:21.240 We, 00:25:21.599 --> 00:25:22.460 especially online, 00:25:22.559 --> 00:25:22.960 the internet 00:25:22.960 --> 00:25:24.700 is filled with judgment 00:25:24.700 --> 00:25:25.619 and shame. 00:25:26.359 --> 00:25:27.539 And every day 00:25:27.539 --> 00:25:29.000 there's a new outrage 00:25:29.000 --> 00:25:29.960 du jour. 00:25:30.639 --> 00:25:32.700 And people want to feel 00:25:32.700 --> 00:25:34.099 a sense of their superiority 00:25:34.099 --> 00:25:36.059 and the easiest way 00:25:36.059 --> 00:25:36.819 to do that 00:25:36.819 --> 00:25:38.419 without having to get up 00:25:38.419 --> 00:25:39.539 from behind your computer 00:25:39.539 --> 00:25:41.279 is simply to 00:25:41.279 --> 00:25:42.679 call someone out 00:25:42.679 --> 00:25:44.659 for the slightest infraction. 00:25:45.619 --> 00:25:46.759 And when you do that, 00:25:46.819 --> 00:25:47.539 you get to feel better 00:25:47.539 --> 00:25:48.019 about yourself. 00:25:48.139 --> 00:25:48.719 You're signaling 00:25:48.719 --> 00:25:49.779 your moral excellence. 00:25:51.539 --> 00:25:52.599 And so people have no qualms 00:25:52.599 --> 00:25:53.279 about doing this. 00:25:53.719 --> 00:25:54.599 And so what we have 00:25:54.599 --> 00:25:55.399 are we have careers 00:25:55.399 --> 00:25:56.019 being ruined 00:25:56.019 --> 00:25:56.959 in an afternoon. 00:25:57.559 --> 00:25:58.539 We have lives 00:25:58.539 --> 00:25:59.299 being destroyed. 00:25:59.419 --> 00:25:59.879 We have people 00:25:59.879 --> 00:26:00.919 getting death threats 00:26:00.920 --> 00:26:03.460 from people 00:26:03.460 --> 00:26:04.220 they don't even know. 00:26:05.180 --> 00:26:06.519 And these are public 00:26:06.519 --> 00:26:07.600 excommunications 00:26:07.600 --> 00:26:08.660 and they are swift 00:26:08.660 --> 00:26:09.720 and they're brutal 00:26:09.720 --> 00:26:10.539 and they're final. 00:26:10.680 --> 00:26:11.220 Once you've been 00:26:11.220 --> 00:26:12.140 excommunicated, 00:26:12.500 --> 00:26:13.800 there's no coming back. 00:26:14.860 --> 00:26:16.320 And the problem is 00:26:16.320 --> 00:26:17.720 is that most religions 00:26:17.720 --> 00:26:18.940 are built around 00:26:18.940 --> 00:26:20.100 a similar sense 00:26:20.100 --> 00:26:21.400 of moralism. 00:26:22.060 --> 00:26:22.920 Most religions 00:26:22.920 --> 00:26:23.519 of the world 00:26:23.519 --> 00:26:24.259 are built around 00:26:24.259 --> 00:26:25.279 the same assumptions 00:26:25.279 --> 00:26:26.160 that if you are 00:26:26.160 --> 00:26:27.080 a good person 00:26:27.080 --> 00:26:28.300 and you do good, 00:26:28.299 --> 00:26:29.779 then you will be 00:26:29.779 --> 00:26:30.720 blessed and rewarded. 00:26:30.919 --> 00:26:32.039 And if you're a bad person 00:26:32.039 --> 00:26:33.000 and you're found out, 00:26:33.180 --> 00:26:33.940 then you will be 00:26:33.940 --> 00:26:35.079 punished and condemned. 00:26:36.079 --> 00:26:36.940 All religions 00:26:36.940 --> 00:26:37.839 essentially operate 00:26:37.839 --> 00:26:38.259 that way 00:26:38.259 --> 00:26:40.359 except Christianity. 00:26:40.940 --> 00:26:42.000 Because Christianity 00:26:42.000 --> 00:26:43.039 is not built 00:26:43.039 --> 00:26:43.919 within the old 00:26:43.919 --> 00:26:44.799 operating system. 00:26:45.019 --> 00:26:46.059 Christianity brings 00:26:46.059 --> 00:26:47.519 something entirely new. 00:26:48.119 --> 00:26:49.099 It's built around 00:26:49.099 --> 00:26:50.359 the concept of grace. 00:26:51.779 --> 00:26:52.339 Grace. 00:26:53.279 --> 00:26:54.180 Completely different 00:26:54.180 --> 00:26:54.879 way to operate. 00:26:55.759 --> 00:26:56.500 So verse 4, 00:26:56.500 --> 00:26:57.539 when the fullness 00:26:57.539 --> 00:26:58.579 of time had come, 00:26:59.039 --> 00:26:59.779 God sent forth 00:26:59.779 --> 00:27:00.480 his son, 00:27:01.140 --> 00:27:01.920 born of a woman, 00:27:02.460 --> 00:27:03.400 born under the law 00:27:03.400 --> 00:27:04.440 to redeem those 00:27:04.440 --> 00:27:05.380 who were under the law 00:27:05.380 --> 00:27:06.299 so that we might 00:27:06.299 --> 00:27:07.359 receive adoption 00:27:07.359 --> 00:27:08.220 as sons. 00:27:08.720 --> 00:27:09.240 And because you 00:27:09.240 --> 00:27:09.779 are sons, 00:27:09.920 --> 00:27:10.380 he says, 00:27:10.660 --> 00:27:11.279 God has sent 00:27:11.279 --> 00:27:12.440 the spirit of his son 00:27:12.440 --> 00:27:13.599 into our hearts 00:27:13.599 --> 00:27:14.079 crying, 00:27:14.579 --> 00:27:14.920 Abba, 00:27:15.279 --> 00:27:15.940 Father. 00:27:16.599 --> 00:27:17.400 So the gospel 00:27:17.400 --> 00:27:18.680 utterly destroys 00:27:18.680 --> 00:27:19.359 moralism 00:27:19.359 --> 00:27:21.160 because the gospel 00:27:21.160 --> 00:27:22.660 says that your hope 00:27:22.660 --> 00:27:23.799 and your salvation 00:27:23.799 --> 00:27:24.500 is no longer 00:27:24.500 --> 00:27:25.319 based on your 00:27:25.319 --> 00:27:26.079 moral excellence. 00:27:26.500 --> 00:27:28.000 it's no longer 00:27:28.000 --> 00:27:29.240 prevented by your 00:27:29.240 --> 00:27:30.099 moral bankruptcy. 00:27:30.279 --> 00:27:30.619 In fact, 00:27:30.819 --> 00:27:32.420 your moral performance 00:27:32.420 --> 00:27:33.799 has nothing to do 00:27:33.799 --> 00:27:34.160 with it. 00:27:35.059 --> 00:27:35.900 It says that God 00:27:35.900 --> 00:27:37.099 has come into your life 00:27:37.099 --> 00:27:38.299 and redeemed you 00:27:38.299 --> 00:27:39.200 through his son. 00:27:39.359 --> 00:27:40.000 Not because you 00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:40.559 earned it, 00:27:41.299 --> 00:27:42.500 but because he loves you. 00:27:43.039 --> 00:27:43.940 And that when he does 00:27:43.940 --> 00:27:44.140 this, 00:27:44.180 --> 00:27:44.880 he doesn't just 00:27:44.880 --> 00:27:45.720 forgive you 00:27:45.720 --> 00:27:46.140 and say, 00:27:46.440 --> 00:27:47.720 now try not to do it again. 00:27:49.000 --> 00:27:50.460 He adopts you 00:27:50.460 --> 00:27:51.660 as his child. 00:27:51.819 --> 00:27:52.359 And it says, 00:27:52.759 --> 00:27:54.240 as a son of God, 00:27:54.240 --> 00:27:55.539 now for us, 00:27:55.620 --> 00:27:56.599 we miss the power 00:27:56.599 --> 00:27:57.019 of that. 00:27:57.099 --> 00:27:57.819 In the first century, 00:27:57.900 --> 00:27:58.680 you would have read that. 00:27:59.180 --> 00:28:00.180 A son of God, 00:28:00.359 --> 00:28:01.579 firstborn son of God, 00:28:01.640 --> 00:28:02.440 that's the most 00:28:02.440 --> 00:28:03.839 privileged position 00:28:03.839 --> 00:28:04.700 you could hold 00:28:04.700 --> 00:28:05.680 in their society 00:28:05.680 --> 00:28:06.620 was to be the firstborn 00:28:06.620 --> 00:28:07.359 son of a family. 00:28:08.299 --> 00:28:09.279 And so Paul is saying 00:28:09.279 --> 00:28:10.460 that when you're adopted, 00:28:10.579 --> 00:28:11.220 you become like 00:28:11.220 --> 00:28:12.259 a firstborn son. 00:28:12.519 --> 00:28:13.599 You get the position 00:28:13.599 --> 00:28:14.539 of highest privilege 00:28:14.539 --> 00:28:15.539 and highest honor 00:28:15.539 --> 00:28:16.299 they could imagine. 00:28:18.000 --> 00:28:19.440 An entirely new identity 00:28:19.440 --> 00:28:20.740 as a child of God. 00:28:20.740 --> 00:28:21.859 And you know 00:28:21.859 --> 00:28:22.460 what it means 00:28:22.460 --> 00:28:23.640 to be a child of God 00:28:23.640 --> 00:28:25.039 rather than a servant of God 00:28:25.039 --> 00:28:26.440 or simply a follower of God. 00:28:27.519 --> 00:28:28.480 A child 00:28:28.480 --> 00:28:30.599 knows that 00:28:30.599 --> 00:28:32.279 no matter what you do, 00:28:32.380 --> 00:28:33.000 there's nothing 00:28:33.000 --> 00:28:34.120 that you can do 00:28:34.120 --> 00:28:35.140 that will make God 00:28:35.140 --> 00:28:36.160 love you any more 00:28:36.160 --> 00:28:37.140 than he loves you 00:28:37.140 --> 00:28:37.940 at this very moment. 00:28:39.039 --> 00:28:40.000 And there's nothing 00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:40.759 that you can do 00:28:40.759 --> 00:28:41.519 that will make God 00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:42.579 love you any less 00:28:42.579 --> 00:28:43.339 than he does 00:28:43.339 --> 00:28:44.640 at this very moment. 00:28:45.259 --> 00:28:46.240 You know that 00:28:46.240 --> 00:28:47.259 if you're a child, 00:28:47.259 --> 00:28:50.240 you always have 00:28:50.240 --> 00:28:51.039 God's love, 00:28:51.200 --> 00:28:52.160 you always have 00:28:52.160 --> 00:28:53.240 God's embrace, 00:28:53.519 --> 00:28:54.319 you always know 00:28:54.319 --> 00:28:55.539 that you belong to him 00:28:55.539 --> 00:28:56.279 because you will 00:28:56.279 --> 00:28:57.400 always be his child. 00:28:57.759 --> 00:28:59.259 And so this eradicates 00:28:59.259 --> 00:29:00.339 moralism. 00:29:00.420 --> 00:29:01.200 It just takes it 00:29:01.200 --> 00:29:02.500 out of the equation 00:29:02.500 --> 00:29:03.240 altogether. 00:29:03.440 --> 00:29:03.579 You know, 00:29:03.640 --> 00:29:04.900 to push the metaphor 00:29:04.900 --> 00:29:06.879 maybe a little far, 00:29:07.839 --> 00:29:09.900 moralism is incompatible 00:29:09.900 --> 00:29:10.759 with the new operating 00:29:10.759 --> 00:29:11.660 system of the gospel. 00:29:12.319 --> 00:29:13.460 It has no place 00:29:13.460 --> 00:29:15.019 in this new way 00:29:15.019 --> 00:29:16.099 of being human together. 00:29:16.099 --> 00:29:17.819 So the gospel 00:29:17.819 --> 00:29:18.559 sets us free 00:29:18.559 --> 00:29:19.059 which means 00:29:19.059 --> 00:29:19.919 there's no place 00:29:19.919 --> 00:29:20.619 for moralism 00:29:20.619 --> 00:29:21.599 in the Christian community. 00:29:22.639 --> 00:29:23.399 There's no place 00:29:23.399 --> 00:29:24.319 for judgmentalism 00:29:24.319 --> 00:29:25.779 in the Christian community. 00:29:26.539 --> 00:29:27.039 Now you ask, 00:29:27.119 --> 00:29:27.799 well what does that mean? 00:29:27.859 --> 00:29:28.500 Like when people 00:29:28.500 --> 00:29:28.939 are sinning, 00:29:28.980 --> 00:29:29.679 do we just ignore it? 00:29:29.699 --> 00:29:30.099 Do we just say 00:29:30.099 --> 00:29:30.619 it's all okay? 00:29:30.719 --> 00:29:31.259 No, no, no, no. 00:29:31.399 --> 00:29:32.259 Quite the opposite. 00:29:32.639 --> 00:29:33.579 We confront people 00:29:33.579 --> 00:29:34.259 in their sin. 00:29:35.039 --> 00:29:36.059 But not because 00:29:36.059 --> 00:29:37.019 we're being moralistic, 00:29:37.119 --> 00:29:38.079 not because we're judging, 00:29:38.359 --> 00:29:39.240 not because we're asserting 00:29:39.240 --> 00:29:40.159 our own superiority 00:29:40.159 --> 00:29:40.939 over them. 00:29:41.799 --> 00:29:43.019 We confront sin 00:29:43.019 --> 00:29:43.699 because we know 00:29:43.699 --> 00:29:44.339 that we are children 00:29:44.339 --> 00:29:44.959 of God. 00:29:44.960 --> 00:29:46.240 And we know 00:29:46.240 --> 00:29:47.480 that one of the best ways 00:29:47.480 --> 00:29:48.519 to experience 00:29:48.519 --> 00:29:51.240 the fact that you belong 00:29:51.240 --> 00:29:51.579 to God 00:29:51.579 --> 00:29:52.360 and have His love 00:29:52.360 --> 00:29:53.039 is to repent. 00:29:54.120 --> 00:29:54.779 Because we know 00:29:54.779 --> 00:29:56.000 the moment that you repent 00:29:56.000 --> 00:29:56.740 you are drinking 00:29:56.740 --> 00:29:57.519 more deeply 00:29:57.519 --> 00:29:58.100 from the well 00:29:58.100 --> 00:29:58.880 of God's grace. 00:29:59.420 --> 00:30:00.539 You're being reminded 00:30:00.539 --> 00:30:01.319 yet again 00:30:01.319 --> 00:30:03.039 of the depth 00:30:03.039 --> 00:30:04.000 and the power 00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:05.640 and the strength 00:30:05.640 --> 00:30:06.660 of God's love for you. 00:30:07.600 --> 00:30:08.380 And so people say, 00:30:08.480 --> 00:30:09.140 well I want to feel 00:30:09.140 --> 00:30:10.039 the love of God more. 00:30:10.100 --> 00:30:10.740 I often say, 00:30:10.960 --> 00:30:11.539 when's the last time 00:30:11.539 --> 00:30:12.039 you repented? 00:30:12.039 --> 00:30:13.759 When's the last time 00:30:13.759 --> 00:30:15.039 you did a moral inventory 00:30:15.039 --> 00:30:16.460 and went to your knees 00:30:16.460 --> 00:30:17.159 before God? 00:30:17.639 --> 00:30:18.720 It's one of the best ways 00:30:18.720 --> 00:30:19.619 to experience 00:30:19.619 --> 00:30:20.680 the fact that you're 00:30:20.680 --> 00:30:21.279 His child 00:30:21.279 --> 00:30:23.559 and that He loves you 00:30:23.559 --> 00:30:24.379 and delights in you. 00:30:25.659 --> 00:30:26.420 So the gospel 00:30:26.420 --> 00:30:27.639 eradicates moralism. 00:30:29.019 --> 00:30:29.119 Right? 00:30:29.240 --> 00:30:30.159 So just to kind of 00:30:30.159 --> 00:30:31.359 draw all this together, 00:30:31.839 --> 00:30:32.879 and this is just kind of 00:30:32.879 --> 00:30:34.039 my take on things, 00:30:34.200 --> 00:30:35.639 I don't think 00:30:35.639 --> 00:30:36.359 it's a coincidence 00:30:36.359 --> 00:30:37.779 that as Christianity 00:30:37.779 --> 00:30:39.139 recedes in the West, 00:30:39.819 --> 00:30:42.119 at the same time, 00:30:42.419 --> 00:30:43.199 we are becoming 00:30:43.199 --> 00:30:44.279 more tribalistic, 00:30:45.179 --> 00:30:46.099 we're becoming 00:30:46.099 --> 00:30:46.959 more politically 00:30:46.959 --> 00:30:47.699 idolatrous, 00:30:48.219 --> 00:30:50.039 and we're becoming 00:30:50.039 --> 00:30:51.759 more and more 00:30:51.759 --> 00:30:53.059 and more moralistic 00:30:53.059 --> 00:30:54.240 and judgmental, 00:30:54.359 --> 00:30:55.000 and we have this 00:30:55.000 --> 00:30:55.799 outrage culture. 00:30:55.919 --> 00:30:56.419 I don't think 00:30:56.419 --> 00:30:57.059 that's a coincidence 00:30:57.059 --> 00:30:57.899 because I think 00:30:57.899 --> 00:30:59.479 Paul would say, 00:30:59.639 --> 00:31:00.419 Paul's explanation 00:31:00.419 --> 00:31:01.259 would be, 00:31:02.359 --> 00:31:03.500 in the West, 00:31:03.500 --> 00:31:05.019 our imaginations 00:31:05.019 --> 00:31:06.440 are shaped less 00:31:06.440 --> 00:31:07.039 and less and less 00:31:07.039 --> 00:31:07.660 by the gospel. 00:31:08.319 --> 00:31:09.720 And whenever that happens, 00:31:10.339 --> 00:31:11.220 the stoichia 00:31:11.220 --> 00:31:13.119 become more prominent. 00:31:14.819 --> 00:31:16.079 And so this is why 00:31:16.079 --> 00:31:17.720 it is absolutely essential 00:31:17.720 --> 00:31:18.940 that we recognize 00:31:18.940 --> 00:31:19.759 that our calling 00:31:19.759 --> 00:31:20.420 is not simply 00:31:20.420 --> 00:31:21.240 to intellectually 00:31:21.240 --> 00:31:22.539 believe the gospel, 00:31:23.160 --> 00:31:24.440 but what the world 00:31:24.440 --> 00:31:25.440 actually needs 00:31:25.440 --> 00:31:26.779 is people who live 00:31:26.779 --> 00:31:27.680 the gospel out 00:31:27.680 --> 00:31:28.779 in community, 00:31:29.400 --> 00:31:30.420 make the gospel 00:31:30.420 --> 00:31:31.279 visible, 00:31:31.519 --> 00:31:32.559 make visible 00:31:32.559 --> 00:31:33.599 a new way 00:31:33.599 --> 00:31:34.339 of being human 00:31:34.339 --> 00:31:34.759 together, 00:31:34.980 --> 00:31:35.679 a new way 00:31:35.679 --> 00:31:37.019 of building society, 00:31:37.559 --> 00:31:38.279 a new way 00:31:38.279 --> 00:31:38.899 of relating 00:31:38.899 --> 00:31:39.559 to one another. 00:31:39.679 --> 00:31:40.159 This is what 00:31:40.159 --> 00:31:41.079 the gospel is for. 00:31:42.919 --> 00:31:44.139 And so in our world, 00:31:44.319 --> 00:31:45.079 when you see 00:31:45.079 --> 00:31:46.139 a community of people 00:31:46.139 --> 00:31:47.460 who are actively 00:31:47.460 --> 00:31:48.460 breaking down 00:31:48.460 --> 00:31:49.619 walls of tribalism, 00:31:50.379 --> 00:31:51.159 and when you see 00:31:51.159 --> 00:31:51.740 a community 00:31:51.740 --> 00:31:52.919 of people 00:31:52.919 --> 00:31:53.639 who are politically 00:31:53.639 --> 00:31:54.460 engaged 00:31:54.460 --> 00:31:55.679 without being 00:31:55.679 --> 00:31:56.859 politically idolatrous, 00:31:57.799 --> 00:31:58.700 and when you see 00:31:58.700 --> 00:31:59.639 a community of people 00:31:59.639 --> 00:32:00.919 who believe in grace 00:32:00.920 --> 00:32:02.080 and forgiveness 00:32:02.080 --> 00:32:03.220 and restoration 00:32:03.220 --> 00:32:04.700 rather than moralism 00:32:04.700 --> 00:32:05.560 and judgmentalism 00:32:05.560 --> 00:32:06.279 so that anyone 00:32:06.279 --> 00:32:06.860 can come, 00:32:07.039 --> 00:32:07.880 no matter how morally 00:32:07.880 --> 00:32:08.860 bankrupt they are, 00:32:09.960 --> 00:32:10.519 when you see 00:32:10.519 --> 00:32:11.380 that kind of community, 00:32:11.660 --> 00:32:12.620 it is like seeing 00:32:12.620 --> 00:32:13.519 someone walking 00:32:13.519 --> 00:32:14.120 on water. 00:32:15.500 --> 00:32:16.360 And people look 00:32:16.360 --> 00:32:17.100 at that and they say, 00:32:17.560 --> 00:32:19.000 how is that possible? 00:32:20.140 --> 00:32:20.940 And of course, 00:32:21.019 --> 00:32:21.460 then we know 00:32:21.460 --> 00:32:22.019 the answer. 00:32:23.680 --> 00:32:24.560 It's possible 00:32:24.560 --> 00:32:25.720 because of Jesus Christ. 00:32:26.360 --> 00:32:27.320 And it's possible 00:32:27.320 --> 00:32:28.460 because of the new life 00:32:28.460 --> 00:32:29.400 and the new way 00:32:29.400 --> 00:32:30.680 of being human 00:32:30.680 --> 00:32:31.860 that He is bringing 00:32:31.860 --> 00:32:32.460 into the world. 00:32:33.600 --> 00:32:34.240 Let's pray. 00:32:34.240 --> 00:32:34.299 Let's pray. 00:32:34.299 --> 00:32:34.319 Let's pray. 00:32:34.319 --> 00:32:34.340 Let's pray. 00:32:34.940 --> 00:32:35.319 Let's pray. 00:32:35.319 --> 00:32:35.420 Let's pray. 00:32:35.420 --> 00:32:35.500 Let's pray. 00:32:35.500 --> 00:32:36.120 Let's pray.