WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:16.780 Hi, my name is George Sinclair. I'm the lead pastor of Church of the Messiah. It is wonderful 00:00:16.780 --> 00:00:20.780 that you would like to check out some of the sermons done by Church of the Messiah, either 00:00:20.780 --> 00:00:24.920 by myself or some of the others. Listen, just a couple of things. First of all, would you pray 00:00:24.920 --> 00:00:31.520 for us that we will open God's Word well to His glory and for the good of people like yourself? 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:37.939 The second thing is, if you aren't connected to a church and if you are a Christian, we really, 00:00:38.179 --> 00:00:42.579 I would really like to encourage you to find a good local church where they believe the Bible, 00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:48.760 they preach the gospel, and if you have some trouble finding that, send us an email. We will 00:00:48.760 --> 00:00:54.560 do what we can to help connect you with a good local church wherever you are. And if you're a 00:00:54.560 --> 00:00:59.340 non-Christian checking us out, we're really, really, really glad you're doing that. Don't 00:00:59.340 --> 00:01:04.680 hesitate to send us questions. It helps me actually to know, as I'm preaching, how to deal with the 00:01:04.680 --> 00:01:07.780 types of things that you're really struggling with. So God bless. 00:01:12.120 --> 00:01:17.420 Let's bow our heads in prayer. Father, pour out the Holy Spirit upon us at this time. Pour out the 00:01:17.420 --> 00:01:23.800 Holy Spirit upon us deep within, not just us, but those online and those live right now and those 00:01:23.799 --> 00:01:30.120 watching downstream. Pour out the Holy Spirit upon us. Father, tune our hearts to receive all the 00:01:30.120 --> 00:01:35.159 grace and all the truth and all the wisdom and all the beauty that you desire to give us this 00:01:35.159 --> 00:01:40.620 morning through your Word and later through the Lord's Supper. And we ask this in the name of Jesus, 00:01:40.799 --> 00:01:44.539 your Son and our Savior. Amen. Please be seated. 00:01:44.540 --> 00:01:52.500 You know, sometimes, because we preach through books of the Bible at this church, sometimes I look at the text 00:01:52.500 --> 00:01:58.200 for the week and I think, oh my, like, oh boy. But you know, that's the momentary thing. At the end of the day, 00:01:58.280 --> 00:02:03.980 I'm really glad that I preach through books of the Bible. It makes me talk about things that in my flesh I probably 00:02:03.980 --> 00:02:12.280 wouldn't talk about most times. So what we're looking at today is actually touching on or opening a door or a window, 00:02:12.280 --> 00:02:18.879 depending on the image you want to use, and opening a window into something which is increasingly important in large 00:02:18.879 --> 00:02:30.000 sections of our culture. There's an increasing interest in traditions, in rhythms of life, in habits, in rules of life, 00:02:30.139 --> 00:02:39.340 in rituals, to help to sort of stave off the chaos of life. And there's this ongoing desire to get into these types of 00:02:39.340 --> 00:02:46.080 things with the hope as well that they'll be meaningful and just help to ground them and connect 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:51.740 them to something bigger than themselves. It's a very big growth industry. People go back to ancient China, 00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:58.680 writings of ancient China, writings of the Stoics, listening to Navy SEALs, retired generals, 00:02:59.099 --> 00:03:05.039 and psychologists by the name of somebody like Jordan Peterson, who has, I think, a YouTube channel of six 00:03:05.039 --> 00:03:10.679 or seven hundred million. I'm just a few people. So it's touching on something like that, although at the 00:03:10.679 --> 00:03:18.419 surface level of reading it, it actually would reinforce to many people the problem with Christianity 00:03:18.419 --> 00:03:24.120 and the problem with religion in general. So let's look to go beneath the appearances to see how it's 00:03:24.120 --> 00:03:29.599 opening the door into something which is very important in our culture. And here it's Acts chapter 15. 00:03:29.599 --> 00:03:35.599 That's what we're looking at today. It's going to be verses 1 to 33, or at least verses 1 to 20. 00:03:36.340 --> 00:03:45.340 Let's see if we get to the last few verses. And the context is the book of Acts is written. It's about 00:03:45.340 --> 00:03:52.299 the first 30 or so years of the Jesus movement. It's a history of that movement. It's written by a man 00:03:52.299 --> 00:03:59.120 who was an eyewitness for big pieces of it. And the parts he wasn't an eyewitness for, he consulted 00:03:59.120 --> 00:04:05.219 eyewitnesses. And it was all written while many eyewitnesses were still alive. And what's just 00:04:05.219 --> 00:04:10.980 happened before this in the story, and I've talked about this, I think, two weeks ago. I know it's a 00:04:10.980 --> 00:04:16.040 dirty word in Canada right now, but there'd been the very first ever Christian missionary journey. 00:04:16.800 --> 00:04:20.720 And that's what sort of happened in the previous two chapters. It's come to an end. 00:04:21.680 --> 00:04:26.920 The two men who did that missionary journey, men by the name of Paul and Barnabas, they've returned to 00:04:26.920 --> 00:04:33.960 their sending church to great joy at the way that God had moved. And now the story continues, 00:04:34.060 --> 00:04:42.480 and it goes like this. But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers and sisters, 00:04:43.759 --> 00:04:48.900 unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. 00:04:48.899 --> 00:04:58.079 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of 00:04:58.079 --> 00:05:03.659 the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about the question. 00:05:03.779 --> 00:05:10.799 Now just sort of pause here for a second. You know, some of us use talk and using, 00:05:11.039 --> 00:05:17.039 can be a bit facetious. Some of us can be very ironic in our conversation. And we don't always 00:05:17.040 --> 00:05:22.600 realize that sometimes the Bible speaks in the same type of way. So if you go back and look at that 00:05:22.600 --> 00:05:28.180 part in verse two, where it says, and after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate, 00:05:28.319 --> 00:05:39.360 he's being ironic. This was a full bore argument that went on for a long time. They went at it, 00:05:39.600 --> 00:05:45.740 hammer and tongs over this particular issue. And some of you might be thinking, and this is where, 00:05:45.740 --> 00:05:50.199 you know, on one level, people will tune out at this point in time. You can just imagine sharing 00:05:50.199 --> 00:05:56.400 this story at your local boutique coffee place or your Tim Hortons as you're going there to get your 00:05:56.400 --> 00:06:01.040 double-double or something like that. And people would just, you know, if they were honest with 00:06:01.040 --> 00:06:04.780 you inwardly, they're rolling their eyes. This is exactly why I don't want to have anything to do 00:06:04.780 --> 00:06:10.720 with the Christian faith. Good grief, getting into a big argument over circumcision. Like, 00:06:10.720 --> 00:06:16.640 how crazy is that? Who cares about all those dietary laws and all that thing? That's exactly 00:06:16.640 --> 00:06:22.040 what the problem was with Christianity and other types of religions. That's why I don't have anything 00:06:22.040 --> 00:06:27.820 to do with them. And it sounds at face value as if that's what it's all about. Now, as I said, 00:06:27.860 --> 00:06:32.400 it actually is going to open a door into something that we are, in fact, many people in our culture. 00:06:32.399 --> 00:06:41.639 But I said, not all. Some people want to have more and more chaos in their lives. 00:06:43.699 --> 00:06:49.519 And this text isn't really for them, unless it's to give them a bit of a check. But there are many 00:06:49.519 --> 00:06:54.679 people who want traditions and rituals and other things. And this is actually going to open a door 00:06:54.680 --> 00:07:02.540 on that question in a way that I think people would actually need to hear. But it looks as if 00:07:02.540 --> 00:07:07.720 it's just an argument about words. And they make a decision to go down to Jerusalem. Why to Jerusalem? 00:07:07.939 --> 00:07:16.540 Well, that's, of course, this is probably happening about 48, the year 48, maybe early 49. Depending on 00:07:16.540 --> 00:07:21.939 when you date the death and resurrection of Jesus, either the spring of 30 or the spring of 33, 00:07:21.939 --> 00:07:27.279 this is 15 to 18 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. There's lots and lots and 00:07:27.279 --> 00:07:31.740 lots and lots of people in Jerusalem who would have heard Jesus preach many, many, many times. So 00:07:31.740 --> 00:07:36.800 they're going to the source. That's what they're doing. And they're going to the apostles, the men, 00:07:37.319 --> 00:07:44.220 all of the apostles except one, James, has died. The others are alive. And they're going to the people 00:07:44.220 --> 00:07:50.420 who spent three years with Jesus to bring this question to them. And so the story continues. Verse 3. 00:07:51.939 --> 00:07:53.240 And it goes like this. 00:07:55.180 --> 00:08:01.240 So being sent on their way by the church, that's the church in Antioch, now known as Syria, 00:08:01.240 --> 00:08:08.319 it's sort of Antioch in Syria, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail 00:08:08.319 --> 00:08:14.220 the conversion of the pagans and brought great joy to all the brothers and sisters. So they're telling 00:08:14.220 --> 00:08:19.379 what's happened in their missionary journeys and in their work in Syria. It's just bringing joy to 00:08:19.379 --> 00:08:26.639 everybody who hears it. By the way, it's like a 550 kilometer trip from Antioch to Jerusalem, Antioch 00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:29.920 and Syria to Jerusalem. So they would have, this would have taken quite a while to make the walk. 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:33.639 They would have reported to lots of churches. Everywhere they went, there was great joy. 00:08:34.340 --> 00:08:34.779 Verse 4. 00:08:34.779 --> 00:08:41.240 For when they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, 00:08:41.240 --> 00:08:44.799 and they declared all that God had done with them. 00:08:46.740 --> 00:08:52.059 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees wrote up and said, 00:08:52.059 --> 00:08:56.679 it is necessary to circumcise them and order them to keep the law of Moses. 00:08:57.519 --> 00:09:03.319 Now just sort of pause. So just imagine it's something like this, this big room or bigger room, 00:09:03.419 --> 00:09:09.159 something like Woodvale Pentecostal. I think that's the biggest in terms of seating church in the city, 00:09:09.279 --> 00:09:14.219 and the place is completely packed. Everybody's just really, really having, they're just really 00:09:14.219 --> 00:09:18.119 overjoyed when they hear the things that have been going on. And then in the midst of that, 00:09:18.120 --> 00:09:24.879 a group of people stand up and say, but we worry that things are going off the rails. 00:09:26.039 --> 00:09:31.200 Don't we all believe that they would have called it the Tanakh? Actually, just as a bit of an aside, 00:09:31.320 --> 00:09:36.440 the Gospel of Mark might have been written by now, Galatians had probably been written by now, 00:09:36.580 --> 00:09:41.879 and the Book of James had probably been written by now. And as we're going to see in the story right 00:09:41.879 --> 00:09:46.680 now, in a sense, what they are going to teach in Acts is also, in a sense, already very commonly known. 00:09:46.679 --> 00:09:52.159 Luke is just going to record what they all obviously know. But they get up and say, listen, 00:09:52.239 --> 00:09:57.139 don't we believe in the Tanakh? Don't we believe that that's the infallible authoritative word of God? 00:09:58.120 --> 00:10:02.299 I think these, I'm really happy these people are all becoming Christians, but they're really lacking 00:10:02.299 --> 00:10:08.379 something of the utmost importance. They got to obey the Tanakh. They just got to. The men have to 00:10:08.379 --> 00:10:12.779 be circumcised, and they have to start keeping kosher, and there's a whole range of things that they 00:10:12.779 --> 00:10:22.139 got to do. I mean, that's what the Bible says, is what they say. So what happens? Well, look at verse 6. 00:10:23.299 --> 00:10:29.139 What they do is they don't have the whole congregation decided. And by the way, at this point in time, 00:10:29.699 --> 00:10:36.439 we need to take off our sort of a certain type of lens. When they say the church in Jerusalem, 00:10:36.440 --> 00:10:41.380 I don't know who, there might have been 10,000 Christians there. They didn't all, there was no 00:10:41.380 --> 00:10:47.140 huge 10,000 seat place that they'd all, this was, when they say the church, they're meaning 00:10:47.140 --> 00:10:52.340 the church in the city and all the local churches. That's what they mean. And the apostles and the 00:10:52.340 --> 00:10:58.460 elders who are overall. In some ways, it's more like a diocese, actually. And so what they do is they 00:10:58.460 --> 00:11:02.880 break off from that meeting, verse 6, and the apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider 00:11:02.879 --> 00:11:08.259 this matter. So, I don't know how many that would have been. They leave and they go to a different 00:11:08.259 --> 00:11:17.820 place. At verse 7, and after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, 00:11:18.679 --> 00:11:25.399 brothers, you know that in the early days, God made a choice among you that by my mouth, 00:11:26.360 --> 00:11:32.120 the pagan should hear the word of the gospel and believe. Now, just sort of pause here for a second. 00:11:32.879 --> 00:11:38.059 It doesn't say how long the debate went on, but there was a serious debate. And maybe it was an 00:11:38.059 --> 00:11:43.259 hour, maybe it was six hours, maybe it was a couple of days. They had a lot more time to talk 00:11:43.259 --> 00:11:49.220 about things back in those days. So, there's real back and forward debate amongst the whole room. 00:11:49.299 --> 00:11:54.679 They're a bit confused. Some people would remember what Jesus said, what the Tanakh says. There's a debate. 00:11:55.240 --> 00:12:01.200 And so what Luke is doing now is he's not recording the minutes of the debate. He's set up the primary 00:12:01.200 --> 00:12:06.580 issue. And now he's going to give you the sort of three pieces of evidence that bring the whole 00:12:06.580 --> 00:12:11.920 thing to a conclusion and what the conclusion is. And it's really interesting. I paused on that 00:12:11.920 --> 00:12:18.140 in verse 7. It is by my mouth that the pagan should hear the word of the gospel and believe. That's a 00:12:18.140 --> 00:12:25.680 very encouraging word for us. God uses... God can use your mouth. 00:12:25.679 --> 00:12:31.979 God can use your mouth. He doesn't need you to be super wise. He doesn't say, I only use people who 00:12:31.979 --> 00:12:39.219 have five PhDs and have passed every public speaking course and have a huge YouTube presence. He just, 00:12:39.339 --> 00:12:45.000 he uses your mouth. And it's just, but we bear witness to Jesus in very simple ways and he does 00:12:45.000 --> 00:12:50.419 the work. You know, just a very simple thing. Like often after this service, I stop at a coffee place 00:12:50.419 --> 00:12:55.360 on the way home because I really, really like dark, dark roast coffee. And I stop there on the way 00:12:55.360 --> 00:12:59.639 home and it's a place that I'm familiar with, but often there'll be somebody who doesn't know me. 00:12:59.699 --> 00:13:04.120 And they'll ask the normal barista type of question. What did you do this day? What do you do it? What 00:13:04.120 --> 00:13:08.019 did you do today? And I say, well, I just came from church. 00:13:08.019 --> 00:13:12.759 They often go, oh. 00:13:14.860 --> 00:13:19.159 You know, sometimes they have a big frowny face when I say that. Others are just sort of like puzzled, 00:13:19.360 --> 00:13:23.139 you know, like Monday they asked me what I do yesterday, you know, I'll say, oh, I went to 00:13:23.139 --> 00:13:27.139 church and I did this. And they go, oh, like if they don't know me. That's a simple way of bearing 00:13:27.139 --> 00:13:31.980 witness to Jesus. You never know what doors will open as a result of that. Like I encourage you to do 00:13:31.980 --> 00:13:36.799 it. Anyway, it's just his mouth. But what does Peter keep on saying? So Peter's, I'll talk more about 00:13:36.799 --> 00:13:41.120 in a moment. Peter's just reminding them about something which I'll talk more about in a moment, 00:13:41.240 --> 00:13:44.079 fill you in the details, but let's listen to the rest of what he says. Verse 8. 00:13:45.699 --> 00:13:49.159 So the people have heard, the pagans have heard the word of the gospel and believe. Verse 8. 00:13:49.240 --> 00:13:55.199 And God, who knows the heart, the inner person, not the emotions, that's like the very center of who 00:13:55.199 --> 00:14:02.699 you are, bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us. And he made no 00:14:02.700 --> 00:14:12.060 distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are 00:14:12.060 --> 00:14:20.440 you putting God to the test? That's a bad image. A better way to put it is, in English, it sort of 00:14:20.440 --> 00:14:27.240 sounds neutral, but it's a negative thing. It's the, oh yeah? Oh yeah? That's it. It's an oh yeah 00:14:27.240 --> 00:14:31.680 thing to God. Oh yeah? God? Oh yeah? You can do that? Like, you think that's it? It's an oh yeah 00:14:31.680 --> 00:14:38.399 statement. You know? Or it's a good luck with that statement about God. You think God's going to do 00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:44.100 that? Good luck with that. That's what's trying to be captured there with the test. And then it says, 00:14:44.240 --> 00:14:49.180 first hand again, now therefore, why are you putting God to the test? By placing a yoke on the neck of the 00:14:49.179 --> 00:14:56.559 disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear. The image there, to give it a sort of 00:14:56.559 --> 00:15:02.120 an image which we can get a better sense of, it's like the image you might see in movies or in books 00:15:02.120 --> 00:15:11.099 where the enemy, you've got your enemy down and somebody puts their foot on the person's neck who's 00:15:11.100 --> 00:15:20.040 down. That's the image. Right? It's not a good image. So that's what he's saying. You know, these 00:15:20.040 --> 00:15:24.080 people who are arguing that you need to be circumcised, keep the law, what they're in effect 00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:30.300 doing is testing what God has done. And they're actually, it's like putting a boot to the neck of 00:15:30.300 --> 00:15:37.500 these pagans. Verse 11. And here's the key theological truth. But we believe that we will be saved 00:15:37.500 --> 00:15:44.039 through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will. And so that's the culmination of the long 00:15:44.039 --> 00:15:51.899 debate. There's going to be two more important things that happen here. But here's a couple of 00:15:51.899 --> 00:15:58.820 things about it. So a little while ago, I was talking to a young guy, very, very smart young guy, 00:15:58.919 --> 00:16:04.840 really interested in ideas and talking. I have a feeling he's probably been really influenced by 00:16:04.840 --> 00:16:10.340 Jordan Peterson. And he knows I'm a pastor. And he often asked me different Bible questions and 00:16:10.340 --> 00:16:16.759 stuff like that. And we were talking the other day, and about, I said, about maybe a month ago. And 00:16:16.759 --> 00:16:22.800 all of a sudden, he realized that he and I were missing each other in the conversation a bit. 00:16:23.519 --> 00:16:30.600 He said, one moment, you're just talking about like, psychological structures and like metaphors and 00:16:30.600 --> 00:16:38.259 meanings and lenses to see the world and give meaning. That's a Jordan Peterson's perspective, 00:16:38.440 --> 00:16:43.279 right? It's all just psychology. It's all archetypes and different ways to frame the world and get in 00:16:43.279 --> 00:16:51.200 touch with things deep about being human beings. That's fundamentally what Jordan Peterson has done, 00:16:51.279 --> 00:16:55.220 bringing out great truths about the Bible. But he sees it from that perspective. And I think that guy 00:16:55.220 --> 00:17:00.060 might have been affected by it. And he said that to me. I said, no, no, no, no. No, I believe these 00:17:00.059 --> 00:17:05.639 things actually happened. Like, I believe they're real. Like, I think Jesus really did die on a cross. 00:17:05.779 --> 00:17:11.059 I think he really died. I think he really was buried. I think the grave clothes were there, 00:17:11.220 --> 00:17:17.099 and he rose from the dead. And I think he appeared alive. And I think when I pray, I'm talking to an 00:17:17.099 --> 00:17:25.960 actual God who really is there, who speaks. And he went like this, like, oh. We've been having a 00:17:25.960 --> 00:17:30.420 conversation for maybe a month. But he just thought I'm talking, like, in Jordan Peterson, 00:17:30.640 --> 00:17:36.100 you know, but no, no, I'm talking about something real. And it's a very common, you know, problem. 00:17:36.299 --> 00:17:43.259 And it's even at the—and so here's how we can see with this why it's—how Peter is talking about 00:17:43.259 --> 00:17:50.940 something that's real. In Acts chapter 2, you have the story about how the Holy Spirit falls 00:17:50.940 --> 00:17:58.600 on the first Christians, and they get filled with the Holy Spirit. Now, what didn't happen there is 00:17:58.600 --> 00:18:03.700 this. Okay, what didn't happen? Sometimes, you know, there can be a congregation like, you know, 00:18:03.759 --> 00:18:08.740 like this, or you have a vestry or something. And after the whole service is over, maybe you and your 00:18:08.740 --> 00:18:13.539 buddy or, you know, you and your wife or your whatever, you walk out, you think—you say to yourself, 00:18:13.539 --> 00:18:21.059 I have a sense that something changed today in the church. I just had this real feeling that 00:18:21.059 --> 00:18:27.859 something changed, that a corner was turned. You know, and maybe the person with it said, yeah, 00:18:27.920 --> 00:18:32.700 you know, I sort of felt that too, as if something changed. But that's just very subjective. 00:18:33.579 --> 00:18:40.319 And what happened, what's described in Acts chapter 2 isn't as if Peter and John and James, 00:18:40.319 --> 00:18:45.399 after they leave Acts 2, they say to each other, you know, I really think something changed today. 00:18:45.559 --> 00:18:49.439 Like, I don't know what—you think something changed? No, no. That's not what happened at all. 00:18:50.259 --> 00:18:56.939 Like, God made it abundantly, spectacularly clear that something different had happened. 00:18:57.759 --> 00:19:06.299 First of all, they saw what looked like fire landing on people's heads. Secondly, there was such a loud 00:19:06.299 --> 00:19:12.500 noise of roaring wind that it drew a big crowd from the entire surrounding neighborhood wondering what 00:19:12.500 --> 00:19:19.960 had caused this noise. And then the clencher was that people started speaking in languages that they 00:19:19.960 --> 00:19:26.279 didn't know. It would be as if all of a sudden today that happens, and Jono starts speaking Mongolian. 00:19:26.339 --> 00:19:30.079 You don't know Mongolian, do you, brother? Okay. Jono starts speaking Mongolian. 00:19:30.079 --> 00:19:38.359 Harold starts speaking Mandarin. Andrew starts speaking Swahili. And all of a sudden, 00:19:38.460 --> 00:19:42.279 they're speaking all these other languages, and you really know that something's happened. And it's 00:19:42.279 --> 00:19:46.980 not just something on the outside, it's something on the very inside. And then Peter, under the 00:19:46.980 --> 00:19:53.039 inspiration of the Holy Spirit, realizes that what Jesus had talked about and what the Bible talked 00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:59.059 about, it all actually happened. Now, what's Peter talking about? If you go back to Acts chapter 10, 00:19:59.059 --> 00:20:05.179 they don't tell you all of the details. But pagans, they just, all the Christians sort of thought you'd 00:20:05.179 --> 00:20:09.159 have to be sort of Jewish, or at least know some Jewish stuff before you could really become a 00:20:09.159 --> 00:20:14.679 Christian. And all these visions happen. Peter goes into the house of a pagan, and he starts telling 00:20:14.679 --> 00:20:22.319 them about Jesus, and Peter's there with other Jewish people who'd become Christians. And all of a 00:20:22.319 --> 00:20:28.679 sudden, all heaven breaks loose. And we don't tell the details. They just turned to each other and said, 00:20:29.059 --> 00:20:38.079 good grief. Just like Pentecost, it's happened to the pagans. I don't go into the details, but they 00:20:38.079 --> 00:20:43.480 say, just like us. So maybe all of a sudden, they see the tongues of fire, they hear the rushing noise, 00:20:43.559 --> 00:20:48.419 and they start speaking in languages that they shouldn't know. And Peter realizes that they've 00:20:48.419 --> 00:20:57.299 heard the gospel, received the gospel, and it's objective. It's real. That's what's happened. 00:20:57.299 --> 00:21:10.039 You see, it isn't that they're having an argument about whether the best-tasting ice cream has to 00:21:10.039 --> 00:21:15.440 have chocolate in it or not. I mean, that's just ridiculous, right? That's what people think 00:21:15.440 --> 00:21:21.359 religion is. It's just a matter of taste. Ice cream makes most people feel happy. Some people like 00:21:21.359 --> 00:21:26.439 vanilla. Some people like, I mean, my grandkids like those ones that, you know, the really gross 00:21:26.439 --> 00:21:31.199 colors that look like they're radioactive and will kill you. You know, that if they go for ice cream 00:21:31.199 --> 00:21:36.599 and there's that choice, they'll take the ones with the grossest, brightest, most terrible colors, 00:21:36.699 --> 00:21:41.819 and they eat that, you know? But, you know, we don't get into argument over stuff like that. That doesn't 00:21:41.819 --> 00:21:48.559 matter. But this is talking about real things. And so why is it then that this whole thing actually 00:21:48.559 --> 00:21:55.099 even matters? Well, I'm going to tell you why it matters in a moment. Let's look at how it continues 00:21:55.099 --> 00:22:01.799 to go on. So the main thing is, and by the way, that means if this is talking about something which 00:22:01.799 --> 00:22:08.940 is real, that really happened, if Jesus really did die, if he really did get buried, if he really spent 00:22:08.940 --> 00:22:15.460 three days in the tomb, if the grave clothes were still there and the door was opened and the body was 00:22:15.460 --> 00:22:21.740 gone and they never found the body and Jesus appeared alive, if that really happened, it changes 00:22:21.740 --> 00:22:34.279 everything. Changes everything. The universe is different than they talk about in global and CBC 00:22:34.279 --> 00:22:41.500 and the court and in academia. The world is different. Reality is different. It means there is a God that 00:22:41.500 --> 00:22:46.799 does exist. It means there is a, he does want you to pray. It means he can hear your prayer. It means 00:22:46.799 --> 00:22:53.299 Jesus is alive. It means there really is a Holy Spirit. I mean, it's, everything changes if that's, 00:22:53.339 --> 00:22:57.660 if that's true. And if Pentecost is true, it's, we're talking about objective things, but they're 00:22:57.660 --> 00:23:04.200 objective things that matter. They're not just sort of random facts that weird people know so they can win 00:23:04.200 --> 00:23:09.059 trivia contests. It actually matters. But we'll get to that in a moment. Let's just a little bit further. 00:23:09.059 --> 00:23:16.319 Verse 12. But the key point has been made. You are made right with God completely and utterly by the 00:23:16.319 --> 00:23:21.039 grace of God that you receive by, you receive by faith. That's, that's how you're made right with 00:23:21.039 --> 00:23:28.000 God. And verse 12. And all of the assembly fell silent. And then they listened to Barnabas and Paul 00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:33.980 as they, Paul, Barnabas and Paul, Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done 00:23:33.980 --> 00:23:41.039 through them among the pagans. Once again, saying, listen, we went and a man who'd never walked, 00:23:41.079 --> 00:23:46.680 he was healed. And this happened. The person who was blind received sight. People who, you know, 00:23:46.700 --> 00:23:53.180 had leprosy were healed. Real objective changes as a result of prayer. Verse 13. After they finished 00:23:53.180 --> 00:24:00.700 speaking, James, this is Jesus's half-brother, not the original, not the brother of John, but Jesus's 00:24:00.700 --> 00:24:05.200 half-brother, James. And by the way, did you know, this is a bit of an aside, did you know that 00:24:05.200 --> 00:24:10.900 this isn't, James isn't just somebody known in the Bible, but Josephus, a Jewish historian, writes about 00:24:10.900 --> 00:24:22.519 James. Like, Acts is history. It's not fantasy. It's not mythology. It's not metaphor. It's not myth. 00:24:22.519 --> 00:24:32.639 It's not allegory. It's history. James is known to ancient historians. I'll continue. Brothers, 00:24:32.759 --> 00:24:38.960 listen to me. Verse 13. Simeon, that's another name for Peter, has related how God first visited 00:24:38.960 --> 00:24:45.500 the pagans. Listen to this wonderful phrase, to take from them a people for his name. 00:24:45.500 --> 00:24:54.920 When you and I become a Christian, it's Jesus taking you and me to be part of his people for 00:24:54.920 --> 00:25:03.799 his glory. That's what that means. I, in a sense, am taken out of my life before Christ and my 00:25:03.799 --> 00:25:10.099 allegiances and my citizenship, and I'm transferred to a new kingdom, and God does the taking, and now 00:25:10.099 --> 00:25:21.459 I am his by his action. And it's not just a solo George with Jesus. I've now, it's me, so it's deeply 00:25:21.459 --> 00:25:31.480 personal, but I'm now part of Jesus's people. Verse 15. And with this, what I just described, the words of 00:25:31.480 --> 00:25:36.399 the prophets agree. Now, I'm just going to read it for a moment. It's an actually, if you are really 00:25:36.400 --> 00:25:44.860 interested, you can go online or go other places. It's a fascinating mashup of five prophets all put 00:25:44.860 --> 00:25:53.080 together in a very interesting way. It's Amos, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Hosea, and Zechariah all mashed 00:25:53.080 --> 00:25:59.580 up together. So, for those people listening who really know their Old Testament, their Tanakh, 00:25:59.740 --> 00:26:06.280 they would pick up that he's made five interwoven references in this quote, very cleverly put together. 00:26:06.400 --> 00:26:12.400 But here's how it goes in English. After this, I will return, that's God speaking, and I, God, 00:26:12.500 --> 00:26:19.040 will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen. And God says, I will rebuild its ruins, and I will 00:26:19.040 --> 00:26:26.060 restore it. Why? That the remnant of the human race may seek the Lord, and all the pagans who are 00:26:26.060 --> 00:26:34.019 called by my name. He's going to restore it. He's going to bring, he's going to rebuild, 00:26:34.019 --> 00:26:39.519 a sense of a perfect kingdom and people, and all the pagans that he's called are going to be there, 00:26:40.019 --> 00:26:47.559 says the Lord who made these things known from of old. So, well, here, no, now we get to the really 00:26:47.559 --> 00:26:51.859 weird bit, and that's where I'm going to explain why the gospel matters and what the weird bit means 00:26:51.859 --> 00:27:01.019 in my last 10 minutes. So, they've made a big decision. It doesn't matter if you have grown up as 00:27:01.019 --> 00:27:05.000 a Hindu. It doesn't matter if you've grown up as a Buddhist. It doesn't matter if you've grown up as 00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:09.700 a Confucius. It doesn't matter if you've grown up a Taoist. It doesn't matter if you've grown up as an 00:27:09.700 --> 00:27:14.259 atheist. It doesn't matter if you've grown up Jewish. It doesn't matter if you've grown up Christian. 00:27:14.940 --> 00:27:18.460 We are made right with God. 00:27:18.980 --> 00:27:20.700 He makes us right with himself 00:27:20.700 --> 00:27:24.119 when we put our faith and trust in the person and work of Jesus. 00:27:25.180 --> 00:27:27.859 And we're trusting that everything that had to be done 00:27:27.859 --> 00:27:31.900 to make us right with God is done in the person of Jesus, 00:27:32.079 --> 00:27:34.379 and we receive it by believing into him. 00:27:34.379 --> 00:27:37.140 And believing is not an intellectual word. 00:27:37.240 --> 00:27:38.259 It's a personal word. 00:27:39.019 --> 00:27:41.200 It's believing into a person. 00:27:41.200 --> 00:27:44.660 It's like you're entering, in a sense, into trusting them 00:27:44.660 --> 00:27:46.960 and giving yourself to them and committing to them. 00:27:47.039 --> 00:27:48.440 It's a relationship word, 00:27:48.600 --> 00:27:50.700 which obviously has intellectual components, 00:27:50.799 --> 00:27:52.100 and that's how you're made right with God. 00:27:52.900 --> 00:27:54.220 And that's now been established. 00:27:54.519 --> 00:27:57.880 It's been, in a sense, they'd say it's what the Bible teaches. 00:27:58.140 --> 00:28:01.200 It's what God has obviously shown in an objective way, 00:28:01.200 --> 00:28:02.480 and that's the truth. 00:28:02.600 --> 00:28:04.759 Now they're going to give this weird bit. 00:28:06.420 --> 00:28:07.580 Verse 19. 00:28:07.579 --> 00:28:12.119 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble 00:28:12.119 --> 00:28:14.659 those of the pagans who turn to God, 00:28:15.299 --> 00:28:18.220 but should write to them two, four things. 00:28:18.460 --> 00:28:20.720 Abstain from things polluted by idols, 00:28:21.839 --> 00:28:23.639 abstain from sexual immorality, 00:28:24.659 --> 00:28:26.419 abstain from what has been strangled, 00:28:27.419 --> 00:28:32.119 and abstain from blood. 00:28:32.119 --> 00:28:34.519 Verse 21. 00:28:34.699 --> 00:28:36.139 For from ancient generations, 00:28:36.299 --> 00:28:38.299 Moses has had in every city 00:28:38.299 --> 00:28:40.299 those who proclaim him, 00:28:40.419 --> 00:28:42.319 for he has read every Sabbath in the synagogues. 00:28:42.359 --> 00:28:44.239 That's the conclusion, and that's pretty weird. 00:28:46.759 --> 00:28:48.179 Am I the only one who thinks it's weird? 00:28:48.399 --> 00:28:49.059 It's pretty weird. 00:28:49.799 --> 00:28:51.059 Like, why those four things? 00:28:51.899 --> 00:28:53.219 Why sexual immorality? 00:28:53.419 --> 00:28:54.239 Does that sort of mean, 00:28:55.439 --> 00:28:57.439 well, all of us, I think, here in the room 00:28:57.439 --> 00:28:59.419 are former, from pagan stock. 00:28:59.500 --> 00:29:00.319 It's all right to lie. 00:29:00.459 --> 00:29:01.219 It's all right to kill. 00:29:01.220 --> 00:29:03.019 It's all right to steal. 00:29:04.720 --> 00:29:05.640 That's the only one, 00:29:05.819 --> 00:29:08.259 like, what's going on here with this weird thing? 00:29:08.720 --> 00:29:11.299 Like, you know? 00:29:12.400 --> 00:29:16.059 So here's the two things. 00:29:16.960 --> 00:29:17.680 First is this. 00:29:17.759 --> 00:29:19.059 Why did this whole issue matter? 00:29:19.500 --> 00:29:20.920 And what is the second weird bit? 00:29:24.120 --> 00:29:25.799 As I've talked to you about before, 00:29:26.480 --> 00:29:27.779 but it's, I need to be, 00:29:27.860 --> 00:29:29.539 I need to remind myself of this, 00:29:29.720 --> 00:29:30.579 brothers and sisters, 00:29:31.220 --> 00:29:32.420 and I hope, 00:29:32.860 --> 00:29:34.940 and I think you probably need to have it reminded to you 00:29:34.940 --> 00:29:36.259 time and time and time again, 00:29:36.819 --> 00:29:39.480 the natural way that our mind works 00:29:39.480 --> 00:29:41.539 about connecting to God 00:29:41.539 --> 00:29:43.600 or that connecting to anything is real, 00:29:44.360 --> 00:29:46.039 our natural inclination 00:29:46.039 --> 00:29:48.700 is that first you try to get your life in order, 00:29:49.519 --> 00:29:51.120 then you start to get connected 00:29:51.120 --> 00:29:53.100 with other people whose lives are in order, 00:29:53.579 --> 00:29:55.579 and then maybe God accepts you. 00:29:55.579 --> 00:29:59.720 That's the natural way things work. 00:30:01.339 --> 00:30:02.720 So, you know, 00:30:02.779 --> 00:30:04.220 maybe you've stopped coming to church, 00:30:04.599 --> 00:30:06.339 and maybe you're watching online, 00:30:06.639 --> 00:30:06.919 you know, 00:30:06.980 --> 00:30:08.779 because you're really caught up, 00:30:08.839 --> 00:30:10.159 you're getting drunk all of the time, 00:30:10.240 --> 00:30:12.279 maybe you're watching lots and lots of pornography, 00:30:12.679 --> 00:30:14.419 you're doing a couple of other naughty things, 00:30:14.500 --> 00:30:15.139 and so you think, 00:30:15.199 --> 00:30:16.319 I can't come to church. 00:30:17.159 --> 00:30:18.460 So what do you decide to do? 00:30:18.500 --> 00:30:19.379 You decide, well, you know, 00:30:19.419 --> 00:30:20.359 finally you come to, 00:30:20.419 --> 00:30:21.599 you hit some type of bottom, 00:30:21.599 --> 00:30:22.559 and you say to yourself, 00:30:22.879 --> 00:30:24.539 I'm going to stop drinking, 00:30:25.659 --> 00:30:27.079 I'm going to disconnect from the internet, 00:30:28.379 --> 00:30:29.959 and I start to go for a bit of walk 00:30:29.959 --> 00:30:31.039 and get some exercise. 00:30:31.679 --> 00:30:33.259 And after you've done that, 00:30:33.699 --> 00:30:34.039 you think, 00:30:34.119 --> 00:30:36.139 okay, now I can come and be with other people 00:30:36.139 --> 00:30:37.199 who are doing the same thing. 00:30:38.639 --> 00:30:39.980 And then after you do that, 00:30:40.059 --> 00:30:40.399 you think, 00:30:40.480 --> 00:30:42.539 okay, well, now maybe God will accept me. 00:30:43.639 --> 00:30:46.039 And you can fill in the blanks in different ways. 00:30:46.240 --> 00:30:47.459 It could be, you know, 00:30:47.799 --> 00:30:49.879 whatever it would be for Hinduism or Buddhism 00:30:49.879 --> 00:30:51.359 or different forms of Christianity, 00:30:51.359 --> 00:30:54.019 but that's the way just our natural mind works. 00:30:54.119 --> 00:30:55.699 That's just the way the world works. 00:30:56.399 --> 00:30:58.899 And the gospel is completely and utterly 00:30:58.899 --> 00:31:01.639 upside down, back to front, and inside out. 00:31:02.459 --> 00:31:04.459 The message of the Bible is 00:31:04.459 --> 00:31:08.419 that will never work in 100, 100, 100 billion years. 00:31:08.719 --> 00:31:10.500 You're completely fooling yourself 00:31:10.500 --> 00:31:12.839 if you ever think that that's actually going to work 00:31:12.839 --> 00:31:15.339 with anything like a God who's real, 00:31:15.459 --> 00:31:17.699 who really is goodness himself, 00:31:17.919 --> 00:31:18.919 beauty himself, 00:31:19.419 --> 00:31:20.519 justice himself, 00:31:20.519 --> 00:31:22.160 truth himself. 00:31:22.160 --> 00:31:24.379 To think that you're going to be able to do that 00:31:24.379 --> 00:31:26.619 is you're just fooling and deluding yourselves. 00:31:28.259 --> 00:31:29.579 And so the Bible says something 00:31:29.579 --> 00:31:32.339 that goes completely and utterly against the grain 00:31:32.339 --> 00:31:34.920 of how we naturally think about these things. 00:31:35.379 --> 00:31:36.500 It proclaims, 00:31:36.759 --> 00:31:38.019 Peter proclaims, 00:31:38.720 --> 00:31:40.299 none of that's ever going to work. 00:31:40.299 --> 00:31:43.839 I'm going to tell you something completely and utterly shattering. 00:31:44.159 --> 00:31:47.899 God did everything to make you right with himself, 00:31:47.899 --> 00:31:50.279 and you just come with empty hands, 00:31:50.419 --> 00:31:52.759 and you lay your down and surrender yourself to him, 00:31:53.039 --> 00:31:54.779 and accept what he has done for you, 00:31:54.839 --> 00:31:56.779 and he makes you completely and utterly, 00:31:56.980 --> 00:31:58.519 perfectly right with himself. 00:31:58.779 --> 00:32:01.779 And you receive it just by trusting in him in repentance. 00:32:01.779 --> 00:32:05.200 And out of that, 00:32:05.639 --> 00:32:07.500 you connect with other people. 00:32:08.460 --> 00:32:09.359 And out of that, 00:32:09.639 --> 00:32:10.319 you get better. 00:32:10.639 --> 00:32:12.519 It's a complete opposite direction. 00:32:13.339 --> 00:32:14.500 That's what grace is. 00:32:15.279 --> 00:32:15.839 So you see, 00:32:15.940 --> 00:32:17.740 what these people wanted to do, 00:32:18.160 --> 00:32:19.579 the Judaizers it's called, 00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:21.720 they wanted to actually make 00:32:21.720 --> 00:32:22.740 Christianity, 00:32:23.119 --> 00:32:24.039 unwillingly, 00:32:24.099 --> 00:32:25.319 they wanted to make Christianity 00:32:25.319 --> 00:32:26.559 the way that the normal, 00:32:26.740 --> 00:32:28.180 natural mind works. 00:32:28.180 --> 00:32:29.960 And they wanted to say, 00:32:30.080 --> 00:32:30.320 listen, 00:32:30.420 --> 00:32:31.900 if you're going to route to reach pagans, 00:32:32.759 --> 00:32:34.120 they've got to take on 00:32:34.120 --> 00:32:35.920 some of these practices around food. 00:32:36.620 --> 00:32:37.960 And then after they've taken on 00:32:37.960 --> 00:32:39.220 some practices around food, 00:32:39.299 --> 00:32:40.660 they've got to get circumcised. 00:32:41.019 --> 00:32:42.840 And then they can fit in with the congregation, 00:32:42.840 --> 00:32:44.480 and then God will accept them. 00:32:44.519 --> 00:32:45.039 And Peter says, 00:32:45.100 --> 00:32:47.259 no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. 00:32:47.259 --> 00:32:48.920 That is not what the Bible teaches. 00:32:49.039 --> 00:32:50.200 It's not what Jesus teaches. 00:32:50.200 --> 00:32:52.140 It's not what we've seen the Holy Spirit do. 00:32:52.480 --> 00:32:53.820 That's completely wrong. 00:32:54.259 --> 00:32:54.940 You're leading them. 00:32:55.100 --> 00:32:55.759 You, in fact, 00:32:56.440 --> 00:32:57.460 the well-intentioned, 00:32:57.460 --> 00:32:58.500 are leading them down 00:32:58.500 --> 00:33:00.019 a way that leads to nothing. 00:33:00.600 --> 00:33:02.100 We need to understand. 00:33:03.779 --> 00:33:05.120 And we need to be reminded 00:33:05.120 --> 00:33:06.100 all of the time, 00:33:07.259 --> 00:33:07.700 no, 00:33:08.100 --> 00:33:09.500 everything that had to be done 00:33:09.500 --> 00:33:10.600 to make me right with God 00:33:10.600 --> 00:33:12.140 has been done by God himself 00:33:12.140 --> 00:33:13.160 on my behalf. 00:33:14.819 --> 00:33:15.519 Because he, 00:33:15.880 --> 00:33:18.059 it's his unmerited kindness, 00:33:18.900 --> 00:33:19.620 unmerited because 00:33:19.620 --> 00:33:20.819 I do not deserve it. 00:33:21.100 --> 00:33:21.360 It's my, 00:33:21.539 --> 00:33:21.980 God, 00:33:22.100 --> 00:33:23.840 I don't deserve God's kindness. 00:33:25.079 --> 00:33:26.980 I'm shocked by his kindness. 00:33:28.340 --> 00:33:29.360 I'm actually probably 00:33:29.360 --> 00:33:30.380 in most of my moments 00:33:30.380 --> 00:33:30.740 would say, 00:33:30.819 --> 00:33:31.000 God, 00:33:31.079 --> 00:33:32.600 I would never do this for me. 00:33:37.660 --> 00:33:39.279 How can you do it for me? 00:33:41.279 --> 00:33:43.019 And that's why this issue matters. 00:33:43.400 --> 00:33:44.059 But what about 00:33:44.059 --> 00:33:45.299 these other four weird things? 00:33:45.480 --> 00:33:45.660 Okay, 00:33:46.000 --> 00:33:46.240 here, 00:33:46.440 --> 00:33:47.440 I'm going to give you 00:33:47.440 --> 00:33:48.220 a disclaimer. 00:33:49.019 --> 00:33:50.079 If you go and look 00:33:50.079 --> 00:33:50.900 at most major 00:33:50.900 --> 00:33:51.880 conservative, 00:33:52.360 --> 00:33:53.539 orthodox commentaries 00:33:53.539 --> 00:33:54.240 on this issue, 00:33:54.240 --> 00:33:54.980 they will tell you 00:33:54.980 --> 00:33:55.559 it means 00:33:55.559 --> 00:33:56.859 these are rules 00:33:56.859 --> 00:33:58.500 set up for table fellowship 00:33:58.500 --> 00:33:59.920 between pagans and Jews. 00:34:00.099 --> 00:34:00.579 And I think 00:34:00.579 --> 00:34:02.279 with all due respect, 00:34:02.380 --> 00:34:03.420 I'm just going to let you know 00:34:03.420 --> 00:34:04.799 that if you go and tell 00:34:04.799 --> 00:34:05.660 your pastor about it, 00:34:05.680 --> 00:34:05.900 he'll say, 00:34:05.980 --> 00:34:06.039 well, 00:34:06.059 --> 00:34:06.799 George is wrong. 00:34:07.160 --> 00:34:08.019 Go read, 00:34:08.019 --> 00:34:09.420 go read Stott on this. 00:34:09.539 --> 00:34:10.300 Go read this guy. 00:34:10.420 --> 00:34:11.119 Go read this guy. 00:34:11.239 --> 00:34:11.920 Go read this guy. 00:34:12.000 --> 00:34:12.719 Go read this guy. 00:34:12.840 --> 00:34:13.480 They all say, 00:34:13.579 --> 00:34:13.840 George, 00:34:14.400 --> 00:34:15.260 that it's all about 00:34:15.260 --> 00:34:16.000 table fellowship. 00:34:16.199 --> 00:34:16.880 And when George says 00:34:16.880 --> 00:34:17.139 it's not, 00:34:17.239 --> 00:34:17.940 George is just wrong. 00:34:18.019 --> 00:34:18.559 I need to know 00:34:18.559 --> 00:34:19.299 that I'm taking 00:34:19.299 --> 00:34:20.920 an extreme minority view. 00:34:23.719 --> 00:34:24.539 I think it has nothing 00:34:24.539 --> 00:34:25.659 to do with table fellowship. 00:34:25.960 --> 00:34:26.860 I think it has to do 00:34:26.860 --> 00:34:27.799 with how do you 00:34:27.799 --> 00:34:29.320 de-paganize pagans? 00:34:32.179 --> 00:34:33.039 Why do I not think 00:34:33.039 --> 00:34:33.759 it has anything to do 00:34:33.759 --> 00:34:34.539 with table fellowship? 00:34:34.639 --> 00:34:35.099 I'm going to maybe 00:34:35.099 --> 00:34:35.799 write a little thing 00:34:35.799 --> 00:34:36.980 for the webpage about this 00:34:36.980 --> 00:34:37.860 if you're really interested. 00:34:38.199 --> 00:34:39.980 A couple of reasons. 00:34:40.099 --> 00:34:40.779 One is I don't think 00:34:40.779 --> 00:34:41.900 it fits with the context, 00:34:41.980 --> 00:34:42.840 which is the main reason. 00:34:43.259 --> 00:34:43.799 Other thing is 00:34:43.799 --> 00:34:45.099 I grew up in a Jewish neighborhood. 00:34:47.019 --> 00:34:47.900 I really did. 00:34:47.900 --> 00:34:49.500 From 5.5 to 14.5, 00:34:49.519 --> 00:34:50.519 I grew up in a neighborhood 00:34:50.519 --> 00:34:52.220 which was 96% Jewish. 00:34:52.440 --> 00:34:52.980 And most of them 00:34:52.980 --> 00:34:54.420 were relatively secular Jews. 00:34:54.500 --> 00:34:55.220 And they don't give a hoot 00:34:55.220 --> 00:34:55.880 about any of these 00:34:55.880 --> 00:34:56.599 four requirements. 00:34:57.380 --> 00:34:58.079 And I've also been 00:34:58.079 --> 00:34:59.220 to Israel three times. 00:34:59.280 --> 00:35:00.320 And I've seen lots and lots 00:35:00.320 --> 00:35:01.380 of ultra-Orthodox people. 00:35:01.460 --> 00:35:02.440 And none of the ultra-Orthodox 00:35:02.440 --> 00:35:03.320 would accept these. 00:35:03.800 --> 00:35:04.539 So it has nothing to do 00:35:04.539 --> 00:35:05.380 with Jewish people. 00:35:06.000 --> 00:35:07.180 But what it has to do with 00:35:07.180 --> 00:35:08.680 is that this letter 00:35:08.680 --> 00:35:10.019 is in between 00:35:10.019 --> 00:35:11.440 the first missionary journey 00:35:11.440 --> 00:35:12.900 and the second missionary journey. 00:35:13.019 --> 00:35:13.519 And at the end 00:35:13.519 --> 00:35:14.700 of the first missionary journey, 00:35:14.700 --> 00:35:15.519 we had this story 00:35:15.519 --> 00:35:16.280 that we talked about. 00:35:16.280 --> 00:35:17.420 I think it was last week. 00:35:17.900 --> 00:35:18.940 Of Peter and Paul, 00:35:19.119 --> 00:35:21.240 of Barnabas and Paul, 00:35:21.380 --> 00:35:22.019 and they're preaching, 00:35:22.320 --> 00:35:23.660 and a pagan becomes a Christian 00:35:23.660 --> 00:35:24.400 in a completely, 00:35:24.639 --> 00:35:26.079 utterly pagan background. 00:35:27.079 --> 00:35:27.760 And yet, 00:35:27.840 --> 00:35:28.519 at the same time, 00:35:28.579 --> 00:35:29.019 the whole crowd, 00:35:29.119 --> 00:35:29.639 probably others 00:35:29.639 --> 00:35:30.380 had become Christians, 00:35:30.480 --> 00:35:30.940 but then they want 00:35:30.940 --> 00:35:32.619 to sacrifice animals to them. 00:35:32.980 --> 00:35:33.780 And they realize 00:35:33.780 --> 00:35:35.280 that paganism 00:35:35.280 --> 00:35:36.480 is very, very deep, 00:35:36.599 --> 00:35:37.440 very extensive. 00:35:37.660 --> 00:35:38.860 It's woven into the fabric 00:35:38.860 --> 00:35:39.680 of how they think. 00:35:39.760 --> 00:35:40.760 And people can come 00:35:40.760 --> 00:35:41.660 to a faith in Jesus, 00:35:41.660 --> 00:35:42.500 but now you need 00:35:42.500 --> 00:35:43.960 to de-paganize them. 00:35:44.800 --> 00:35:45.579 And Paul gave a bit 00:35:45.579 --> 00:35:46.119 of an argument 00:35:46.119 --> 00:35:47.240 for about how you would do that 00:35:47.240 --> 00:35:48.420 at the end of chapter 14, 00:35:48.420 --> 00:35:49.159 but this is now 00:35:49.159 --> 00:35:50.000 another part of it. 00:35:52.320 --> 00:35:52.720 Now, 00:35:53.460 --> 00:35:54.720 I'm watching my time. 00:35:55.599 --> 00:35:57.079 If you're watching this online 00:35:57.079 --> 00:35:58.320 or if you're here as a guest, 00:35:59.159 --> 00:35:59.980 everybody outside 00:35:59.980 --> 00:36:00.679 the Christian faith 00:36:00.679 --> 00:36:01.380 knows that Christians 00:36:01.380 --> 00:36:02.260 have different views 00:36:02.260 --> 00:36:03.139 on sexual knowing 00:36:03.139 --> 00:36:03.679 in the world 00:36:03.679 --> 00:36:05.099 than the average Canadian does. 00:36:05.099 --> 00:36:08.139 And I have no particular 00:36:08.139 --> 00:36:09.940 bee in my bonnet about it, 00:36:10.000 --> 00:36:10.759 but the text here 00:36:10.759 --> 00:36:11.380 is talking, 00:36:11.519 --> 00:36:12.819 when it says sexual immorality, 00:36:13.059 --> 00:36:14.519 it's that sin. 00:36:15.119 --> 00:36:16.279 What Christians believe 00:36:16.279 --> 00:36:18.099 is that God designed 00:36:18.099 --> 00:36:18.940 human beings 00:36:18.940 --> 00:36:20.059 to have sexual knowing, 00:36:20.440 --> 00:36:21.440 but sexual knowing 00:36:21.440 --> 00:36:23.739 is to be limited 00:36:23.739 --> 00:36:25.920 to a biological male 00:36:25.920 --> 00:36:27.880 married to a biological female. 00:36:28.880 --> 00:36:30.539 And outside of that marriage, 00:36:30.960 --> 00:36:32.860 people are to practice abstinence. 00:36:33.539 --> 00:36:34.579 And anything that departs 00:36:34.579 --> 00:36:35.099 from that then, 00:36:35.239 --> 00:36:35.599 therefore, 00:36:35.759 --> 00:36:36.500 is wrong. 00:36:37.619 --> 00:36:39.079 So that's just, 00:36:39.500 --> 00:36:40.279 but that's not, 00:36:40.619 --> 00:36:40.840 I mean, 00:36:41.259 --> 00:36:42.259 average Canadian thinks 00:36:42.259 --> 00:36:43.599 we're horrible people, 00:36:43.719 --> 00:36:44.500 but it doesn't surprise, 00:36:44.539 --> 00:36:45.119 shouldn't surprise 00:36:45.119 --> 00:36:45.739 an average Canadian 00:36:45.739 --> 00:36:47.360 to hear that that's the case. 00:36:47.860 --> 00:36:48.239 And by the way, 00:36:48.279 --> 00:36:50.019 I think the Christian position 00:36:50.019 --> 00:36:51.559 is unbelievably wise 00:36:51.559 --> 00:36:53.119 and healthy and whole, 00:36:53.460 --> 00:36:55.880 and it's a perennial thing. 00:36:56.059 --> 00:36:57.340 But here's what's going on 00:36:57.340 --> 00:36:58.880 in these four things. 00:37:01.000 --> 00:37:02.579 In the ancient world, 00:37:02.579 --> 00:37:07.079 the very typical way 00:37:07.079 --> 00:37:07.980 that men would worship 00:37:07.980 --> 00:37:08.900 would be to sleep 00:37:08.900 --> 00:37:09.920 with prostitutes, 00:37:10.519 --> 00:37:11.920 male or female. 00:37:14.099 --> 00:37:15.599 And in the ancient world, 00:37:15.759 --> 00:37:17.639 often blood played 00:37:17.639 --> 00:37:18.980 a very significant role. 00:37:21.219 --> 00:37:22.920 You would be marked with blood 00:37:22.920 --> 00:37:24.199 or covered with blood 00:37:24.199 --> 00:37:25.819 as part of a blessing 00:37:25.819 --> 00:37:26.619 or a curse. 00:37:26.619 --> 00:37:28.559 You would drink blood 00:37:28.559 --> 00:37:29.179 as a way 00:37:29.179 --> 00:37:30.839 to connect yourself 00:37:30.839 --> 00:37:32.039 with the powers 00:37:32.039 --> 00:37:32.799 of nature 00:37:32.799 --> 00:37:34.460 and with success. 00:37:37.339 --> 00:37:38.880 The sacrificing 00:37:38.880 --> 00:37:39.679 to idols 00:37:39.679 --> 00:37:41.079 would also involve 00:37:41.079 --> 00:37:41.859 often meat 00:37:41.859 --> 00:37:42.659 that was connected 00:37:42.659 --> 00:37:43.139 to it. 00:37:43.839 --> 00:37:45.079 And you'd get the blood 00:37:45.079 --> 00:37:45.980 on you 00:37:45.980 --> 00:37:47.179 or often you would 00:37:47.179 --> 00:37:47.900 consume it 00:37:47.900 --> 00:37:49.259 by having the animal 00:37:49.259 --> 00:37:50.279 die without any blood 00:37:50.279 --> 00:37:50.839 being shed 00:37:50.839 --> 00:37:51.599 and then you'd cut 00:37:51.599 --> 00:37:52.480 the animal open 00:37:52.480 --> 00:37:53.819 and you'd eat the meat 00:37:53.819 --> 00:37:54.319 with the blood 00:37:54.320 --> 00:37:55.039 and it's all about 00:37:55.039 --> 00:37:55.800 getting the power 00:37:55.800 --> 00:37:56.400 of the blood. 00:37:57.240 --> 00:37:58.260 And I think what they did 00:37:58.260 --> 00:37:58.860 is they said, 00:37:59.000 --> 00:37:59.519 we're going to give you 00:37:59.519 --> 00:38:01.000 these four simple things. 00:38:01.740 --> 00:38:03.340 We need to de-paganize you 00:38:03.340 --> 00:38:04.840 and it's going to involve 00:38:04.840 --> 00:38:06.180 taking on new habits 00:38:06.180 --> 00:38:07.840 and stopping old ones. 00:38:07.920 --> 00:38:08.640 This is how it fits 00:38:08.640 --> 00:38:09.400 in with traditions. 00:38:10.539 --> 00:38:12.120 And they don't talk about it 00:38:12.120 --> 00:38:12.860 but if you go through 00:38:12.860 --> 00:38:13.500 and you read the rest 00:38:13.500 --> 00:38:14.220 of the book of Acts 00:38:14.220 --> 00:38:15.019 and you read the rest 00:38:15.019 --> 00:38:15.480 of the Bible, 00:38:15.640 --> 00:38:16.600 it's very obvious 00:38:16.600 --> 00:38:17.660 that what the habits are 00:38:17.660 --> 00:38:18.600 that you have to take on 00:38:18.600 --> 00:38:19.380 to grow as a Christian. 00:38:19.580 --> 00:38:21.400 You need to hear 00:38:21.400 --> 00:38:22.519 the apostles' teaching 00:38:22.519 --> 00:38:23.180 in the scriptures. 00:38:23.179 --> 00:38:24.359 You need to be praying. 00:38:24.539 --> 00:38:25.419 You need to be having 00:38:25.419 --> 00:38:26.639 the communion together. 00:38:26.779 --> 00:38:27.259 You need to be 00:38:27.259 --> 00:38:28.339 financially generous. 00:38:28.519 --> 00:38:29.199 You need to be sharing 00:38:29.199 --> 00:38:29.759 the gospel. 00:38:29.940 --> 00:38:30.519 You need to be doing 00:38:30.519 --> 00:38:30.980 these things. 00:38:31.359 --> 00:38:32.539 These are the positive things 00:38:32.539 --> 00:38:33.319 that you do to grow. 00:38:34.139 --> 00:38:35.179 But you also have things 00:38:35.179 --> 00:38:36.099 that you need to put away 00:38:36.099 --> 00:38:38.000 because habits and rituals 00:38:38.000 --> 00:38:39.519 like that form you. 00:38:39.919 --> 00:38:41.059 They form you into 00:38:41.059 --> 00:38:42.500 a particular type of person. 00:38:42.619 --> 00:38:43.719 They form your understanding 00:38:43.719 --> 00:38:44.159 of the world. 00:38:44.279 --> 00:38:45.419 They form your identity. 00:38:45.879 --> 00:38:46.699 You don't just learn 00:38:46.699 --> 00:38:47.980 these things by ideas 00:38:47.980 --> 00:38:48.940 but by practices. 00:38:49.359 --> 00:38:50.079 That's why somebody 00:38:50.079 --> 00:38:50.679 like Ross, 00:38:50.779 --> 00:38:51.659 probably if you asked him 00:38:51.659 --> 00:38:52.139 afterwards, 00:38:52.139 --> 00:38:53.139 what they do 00:38:53.139 --> 00:38:53.699 in the military 00:38:53.699 --> 00:38:54.719 is they don't just give you 00:38:54.719 --> 00:38:55.659 a whole pile of ideas. 00:38:55.779 --> 00:38:56.159 They teach you 00:38:56.159 --> 00:38:56.900 how to make your bed. 00:38:57.000 --> 00:38:57.379 They teach you 00:38:57.379 --> 00:38:57.879 how to salute. 00:38:58.000 --> 00:38:58.420 They teach you 00:38:58.420 --> 00:38:58.920 how to march. 00:38:59.000 --> 00:38:59.420 They teach you 00:38:59.420 --> 00:39:00.359 a whole pile of other things 00:39:00.359 --> 00:39:01.139 because that's how 00:39:01.139 --> 00:39:02.199 human beings are formed. 00:39:02.500 --> 00:39:03.480 They'll give you a lecture 00:39:03.480 --> 00:39:04.739 and they form you 00:39:04.739 --> 00:39:05.599 at the same time. 00:39:05.879 --> 00:39:06.559 That's just what 00:39:06.559 --> 00:39:07.839 human beings are looking for. 00:39:08.179 --> 00:39:08.900 And here's where 00:39:08.900 --> 00:39:09.940 this is really important 00:39:09.940 --> 00:39:10.719 because, you know, 00:39:10.819 --> 00:39:11.159 friends, 00:39:11.259 --> 00:39:12.259 if you're outside the church 00:39:12.259 --> 00:39:13.079 and you want to have 00:39:13.079 --> 00:39:13.639 a tradition 00:39:13.639 --> 00:39:14.579 and a habit 00:39:14.579 --> 00:39:15.099 and a rhythm 00:39:15.099 --> 00:39:15.799 that's real, 00:39:16.179 --> 00:39:16.779 that's beautiful 00:39:16.779 --> 00:39:17.539 and that's deep 00:39:17.539 --> 00:39:18.219 and that's ancient 00:39:18.219 --> 00:39:18.799 and that's connected 00:39:18.799 --> 00:39:19.559 to reality, 00:39:19.559 --> 00:39:20.639 well, good grief, 00:39:20.759 --> 00:39:21.960 Christianity is all about 00:39:21.960 --> 00:39:23.579 Jesus' real defeat of death 00:39:23.579 --> 00:39:24.019 and revealing 00:39:24.019 --> 00:39:25.219 what the real world is 00:39:25.219 --> 00:39:26.579 and so you should want 00:39:26.579 --> 00:39:28.159 to get the habits 00:39:28.159 --> 00:39:28.799 and the rituals 00:39:28.799 --> 00:39:29.500 and the rhythms 00:39:29.500 --> 00:39:30.779 which he has taught. 00:39:33.059 --> 00:39:33.500 Communion, 00:39:34.139 --> 00:39:34.579 scripture, 00:39:35.259 --> 00:39:35.659 worship, 00:39:36.199 --> 00:39:36.639 community, 00:39:36.820 --> 00:39:37.699 all of those things 00:39:37.699 --> 00:39:38.739 and you can't just, 00:39:38.860 --> 00:39:39.000 you know, 00:39:39.019 --> 00:39:39.599 it's like breathing. 00:39:39.699 --> 00:39:40.539 You don't just breathe in, 00:39:40.599 --> 00:39:41.460 you have to breathe out 00:39:41.460 --> 00:39:43.280 and it's like in marriage, 00:39:43.380 --> 00:39:43.940 if you're going to have 00:39:43.940 --> 00:39:44.400 indismy, 00:39:44.500 --> 00:39:45.960 you embrace your wife 00:39:45.960 --> 00:39:47.320 and you reject all others 00:39:47.320 --> 00:39:48.460 and it's the same thing then, 00:39:48.500 --> 00:39:48.940 if you're going to 00:39:48.940 --> 00:39:50.099 deconstruct paganism, 00:39:50.480 --> 00:39:51.920 you not only have to teach people 00:39:51.920 --> 00:39:52.860 these new habits 00:39:52.860 --> 00:39:53.740 that are going to form them 00:39:53.740 --> 00:39:54.639 and give them an identity, 00:39:55.000 --> 00:39:56.039 but you have to break them 00:39:56.039 --> 00:39:56.740 from habits 00:39:56.740 --> 00:39:58.059 that connect them 00:39:58.059 --> 00:39:59.199 to their old worldview 00:39:59.199 --> 00:40:00.000 and form them 00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:01.300 in those old ways 00:40:01.300 --> 00:40:02.980 and so that's what they've said. 00:40:03.199 --> 00:40:04.280 If you're doing anything at all 00:40:04.280 --> 00:40:05.320 that involves sacrifice 00:40:05.320 --> 00:40:06.460 to idols, 00:40:06.579 --> 00:40:07.240 you don't have anything 00:40:07.240 --> 00:40:07.760 to do with it. 00:40:08.059 --> 00:40:09.720 Anything to do with the blood, 00:40:09.900 --> 00:40:10.420 in either way, 00:40:10.420 --> 00:40:11.019 you don't have anything 00:40:11.019 --> 00:40:11.519 to do with it. 00:40:11.579 --> 00:40:12.460 Any type of worship 00:40:12.460 --> 00:40:13.400 that's going to involve 00:40:13.400 --> 00:40:14.940 sleeping with a prostitute, 00:40:15.019 --> 00:40:15.840 whether male or female, 00:40:15.900 --> 00:40:17.139 you have nothing to do with it. 00:40:17.420 --> 00:40:19.340 An analogy would be like this. 00:40:22.260 --> 00:40:22.659 So, 00:40:22.860 --> 00:40:23.980 one of the people 00:40:23.980 --> 00:40:25.320 that I share the gospel with 00:40:25.320 --> 00:40:26.340 at the coffee house 00:40:26.340 --> 00:40:27.380 in the gay village 00:40:27.380 --> 00:40:28.340 and is completely 00:40:28.340 --> 00:40:29.720 and utterly familiar with 00:40:29.720 --> 00:40:30.460 and just formed 00:40:30.460 --> 00:40:32.280 by the entire pride world 00:40:32.280 --> 00:40:34.240 and they become a Christian 00:40:34.240 --> 00:40:36.440 and we would all rejoice 00:40:36.440 --> 00:40:39.740 and we would start to tell them, 00:40:39.860 --> 00:40:39.900 well, 00:40:39.900 --> 00:40:41.119 here's how you read the Bible, 00:40:41.300 --> 00:40:42.180 here's how you sing, 00:40:42.340 --> 00:40:42.800 here's how you, 00:40:42.840 --> 00:40:43.000 you know, 00:40:43.000 --> 00:40:43.780 you come for communion, 00:40:43.900 --> 00:40:44.559 do all of those things, 00:40:44.619 --> 00:40:45.400 but you're going to have to maybe, 00:40:45.579 --> 00:40:46.900 that's not going to be sufficient. 00:40:48.380 --> 00:40:49.160 There's some things 00:40:49.160 --> 00:40:50.039 they need to reject. 00:40:51.500 --> 00:40:52.579 Here's four things. 00:40:53.380 --> 00:40:55.340 You can't go to pride parades anymore. 00:40:55.340 --> 00:40:56.519 You shouldn't go to them. 00:40:59.519 --> 00:41:01.559 You shouldn't go to the pre- 00:41:01.559 --> 00:41:03.800 or post-parties and meals 00:41:03.800 --> 00:41:05.380 of pride events. 00:41:05.380 --> 00:41:07.920 You can't, 00:41:08.039 --> 00:41:09.160 you have to stop wearing 00:41:09.160 --> 00:41:10.519 pride buttons 00:41:10.519 --> 00:41:13.579 and having pride flags 00:41:13.579 --> 00:41:14.300 in your house. 00:41:16.300 --> 00:41:17.880 And you have to say 00:41:17.880 --> 00:41:18.700 that your pronoun 00:41:18.700 --> 00:41:20.740 is your biological sex 00:41:20.740 --> 00:41:22.559 and you're going to stop 00:41:22.559 --> 00:41:23.920 wearing pronoun pins, 00:41:24.059 --> 00:41:24.300 period. 00:41:24.300 --> 00:41:29.620 I probably shocked 00:41:29.620 --> 00:41:30.220 the whole room. 00:41:31.400 --> 00:41:32.680 But how else do you help 00:41:32.680 --> 00:41:34.260 to break them 00:41:34.260 --> 00:41:35.519 from a whole worldview, 00:41:35.680 --> 00:41:37.580 a whole organizing world? 00:41:38.720 --> 00:41:39.120 Well, 00:41:39.140 --> 00:41:39.560 you want to do 00:41:39.560 --> 00:41:40.620 the positive things. 00:41:40.880 --> 00:41:41.720 You read your Bible, 00:41:42.019 --> 00:41:42.980 come to church, 00:41:43.240 --> 00:41:44.100 receive communion, 00:41:44.980 --> 00:41:45.900 give to the spread 00:41:45.900 --> 00:41:46.560 of the gospel 00:41:46.560 --> 00:41:48.300 and the support 00:41:48.300 --> 00:41:48.840 of the church 00:41:48.840 --> 00:41:49.440 and the relief 00:41:49.440 --> 00:41:49.920 of the poor. 00:41:50.019 --> 00:41:50.700 You give financially, 00:41:50.880 --> 00:41:51.480 generously to, 00:41:51.480 --> 00:41:51.699 you know, 00:41:51.780 --> 00:41:52.199 you do, 00:41:52.380 --> 00:41:53.460 there's these habits 00:41:53.460 --> 00:41:53.900 that you need 00:41:53.900 --> 00:41:54.920 that will form you 00:41:54.920 --> 00:41:56.880 into the Christian faith 00:41:56.880 --> 00:41:58.679 and you can't just say yes 00:41:58.679 --> 00:41:59.059 to them 00:41:59.059 --> 00:41:59.920 without saying no 00:41:59.920 --> 00:42:00.719 to other things 00:42:00.719 --> 00:42:01.760 and that's 00:42:01.760 --> 00:42:03.219 what is going on 00:42:03.219 --> 00:42:04.679 in this particular thing. 00:42:05.500 --> 00:42:05.900 How 00:42:05.900 --> 00:42:08.139 do you turn a pagan 00:42:08.139 --> 00:42:09.940 into a Christian? 00:42:13.219 --> 00:42:14.480 Things you take on, 00:42:15.559 --> 00:42:16.380 things you stop. 00:42:17.659 --> 00:42:18.740 But what makes you 00:42:18.740 --> 00:42:19.240 a Christian 00:42:19.239 --> 00:42:21.419 is hearing about Jesus. 00:42:22.739 --> 00:42:24.299 I knew very little theology 00:42:24.299 --> 00:42:25.439 when I became a Christian. 00:42:25.679 --> 00:42:26.359 I didn't know all, 00:42:26.579 --> 00:42:27.259 you know what, 00:42:27.399 --> 00:42:27.500 I, 00:42:28.399 --> 00:42:30.859 some people do. 00:42:32.119 --> 00:42:32.959 I know a guy 00:42:32.959 --> 00:42:33.379 who's now 00:42:33.379 --> 00:42:34.459 a professor of philosophy 00:42:34.459 --> 00:42:35.439 and he had to go through 00:42:35.439 --> 00:42:35.939 a whole pile 00:42:35.939 --> 00:42:36.919 of apologetic stuff 00:42:36.919 --> 00:42:38.019 before he became 00:42:38.019 --> 00:42:38.439 a Christian. 00:42:38.599 --> 00:42:38.939 For me, 00:42:39.000 --> 00:42:40.099 it was just a sense 00:42:40.099 --> 00:42:42.239 of the incompleteness 00:42:42.239 --> 00:42:43.079 of my life 00:42:43.079 --> 00:42:44.019 and a fullness 00:42:44.019 --> 00:42:44.919 which I needed 00:42:44.919 --> 00:42:45.899 and I gave my life 00:42:45.899 --> 00:42:46.419 to Christ. 00:42:46.420 --> 00:42:46.539 Christ. 00:42:47.539 --> 00:42:48.440 And then the formation 00:42:48.440 --> 00:42:49.460 comes afterwards. 00:42:51.380 --> 00:42:52.440 I invite you to stand. 00:43:00.539 --> 00:43:01.680 Bow our heads in prayer. 00:43:01.679 --> 00:43:06.379 Father, 00:43:06.460 --> 00:43:07.000 we thank you 00:43:07.000 --> 00:43:07.879 that everything 00:43:07.879 --> 00:43:08.759 that had to be done 00:43:08.759 --> 00:43:09.440 to make us right 00:43:09.440 --> 00:43:09.779 with you 00:43:09.779 --> 00:43:11.579 was done by you, 00:43:11.659 --> 00:43:12.359 that we receive 00:43:12.359 --> 00:43:13.259 that by faith 00:43:13.259 --> 00:43:15.460 and that out of that truth 00:43:15.460 --> 00:43:16.059 flows 00:43:16.059 --> 00:43:18.119 our worship together, 00:43:18.319 --> 00:43:19.119 our disciplines, 00:43:19.919 --> 00:43:20.839 the changes 00:43:20.839 --> 00:43:21.460 that you help us 00:43:21.460 --> 00:43:21.819 to make 00:43:21.819 --> 00:43:23.079 in our lives, 00:43:23.319 --> 00:43:24.539 you know, 00:43:24.559 --> 00:43:25.219 in terms of being 00:43:25.219 --> 00:43:26.879 more financially responsible 00:43:26.879 --> 00:43:27.839 and more disciplined 00:43:27.839 --> 00:43:28.639 in our time 00:43:28.639 --> 00:43:29.559 and having rhythms 00:43:29.559 --> 00:43:31.039 that come from you. 00:43:31.039 --> 00:43:31.920 And Father, 00:43:32.000 --> 00:43:32.679 we ask that you 00:43:32.679 --> 00:43:34.659 help us to accept that, 00:43:34.759 --> 00:43:35.639 to grow into that, 00:43:35.739 --> 00:43:36.259 to understand 00:43:36.259 --> 00:43:37.480 that it's not just us, 00:43:37.599 --> 00:43:37.719 Father, 00:43:37.800 --> 00:43:38.519 learning things 00:43:38.519 --> 00:43:39.079 in our head, 00:43:39.119 --> 00:43:40.000 although that's really, 00:43:40.059 --> 00:43:41.019 really, really important, 00:43:41.219 --> 00:43:43.199 but developing habits 00:43:43.199 --> 00:43:43.739 and rhythms 00:43:43.739 --> 00:43:44.599 and disciplines 00:43:44.599 --> 00:43:45.599 and traditions 00:43:45.599 --> 00:43:48.719 and ways of being 00:43:48.719 --> 00:43:50.099 that also form us 00:43:50.099 --> 00:43:50.800 into that, Father. 00:43:50.860 --> 00:43:51.420 And we ask that you 00:43:51.420 --> 00:43:52.340 help us to embrace 00:43:52.340 --> 00:43:53.079 these things 00:43:53.079 --> 00:43:53.920 and to turn away 00:43:53.920 --> 00:43:55.739 from those habits 00:43:55.739 --> 00:43:57.559 and traditions 00:43:57.559 --> 00:43:58.219 and rhythms 00:43:58.219 --> 00:43:59.360 which take us away 00:43:59.360 --> 00:43:59.719 from you, 00:43:59.800 --> 00:44:00.360 form us into 00:44:00.360 --> 00:44:01.099 something different. 00:44:01.300 --> 00:44:01.460 Father, 00:44:02.120 --> 00:44:04.280 we're so glad 00:44:04.280 --> 00:44:05.460 that you have saved us 00:44:05.460 --> 00:44:06.099 by Jesus 00:44:06.099 --> 00:44:07.320 and we ask that you 00:44:07.320 --> 00:44:08.440 fan in the flame 00:44:08.440 --> 00:44:08.960 within us 00:44:08.960 --> 00:44:10.519 an ever deeper hunger 00:44:10.519 --> 00:44:11.200 and longing 00:44:11.200 --> 00:44:11.820 and yearning 00:44:11.820 --> 00:44:13.099 to truly be yours 00:44:13.099 --> 00:44:15.160 and to see ourselves 00:44:15.160 --> 00:44:16.300 and see others 00:44:16.300 --> 00:44:17.000 from the lens 00:44:17.000 --> 00:44:17.840 of your grace, 00:44:18.840 --> 00:44:20.280 what you have done 00:44:20.280 --> 00:44:21.300 for us so freely 00:44:21.300 --> 00:44:22.059 and completely 00:44:22.059 --> 00:44:22.660 and thoroughly 00:44:22.660 --> 00:44:23.300 in Jesus. 00:44:24.840 --> 00:44:25.480 Help us, 00:44:25.800 --> 00:44:26.620 Father, to be so rooted 00:44:26.620 --> 00:44:26.980 in that 00:44:26.980 --> 00:44:27.720 and live out of that 00:44:27.720 --> 00:44:28.880 and be shaped by that 00:44:28.880 --> 00:44:30.000 that day by day 00:44:30.000 --> 00:44:30.880 we are being fit 00:44:30.880 --> 00:44:31.660 to spend eternity 00:44:31.660 --> 00:44:32.200 with you. 00:44:32.840 --> 00:44:33.960 And we ask all these things 00:44:33.960 --> 00:44:34.840 in the name of Jesus, 00:44:34.980 --> 00:44:35.940 your Son and our Savior. 00:44:35.940 --> 00:44:37.059 Amen. 00:44:37.059 --> 00:44:37.519 Amen. 00:44:37.519 --> 00:44:37.619 Amen. 00:44:37.660 --> 00:44:37.720 Amen. 00:44:37.720 --> 00:44:37.760 Amen. 00:44:37.820 --> 00:44:38.019 Amen. 00:44:38.019 --> 00:44:41.460 Amen. 00:44:41.460 --> 00:44:41.940 Amen. 00:44:41.940 --> 00:44:42.680 Amen. 00:44:42.680 --> 00:44:43.559 Amen. 00:44:43.559 --> 00:44:43.940 Amen. 00:44:43.940 --> 00:44:47.260 Amen. 00:44:47.260 --> 00:44:48.119 Amen. 00:44:48.119 --> 00:44:48.700 Amen. 00:44:48.700 --> 00:44:50.160 Amen. 00:44:50.160 --> 00:44:50.720 Amen. 00:44:50.720 --> 00:44:50.840 Amen. 00:44:50.840 --> 00:44:52.920 Amen. 00:44:52.920 --> 00:44:55.240 Amen. 00:44:55.240 --> 00:44:55.300 Amen. 00:44:55.300 --> 00:44:55.940 Amen. 00:44:55.940 --> 00:44:56.900 Amen. 00:44:56.900 --> 00:44:58.860 Amen.