1 00:00:01,480 --> 00:00:05,040 You believe 100 college students put College in here. 2 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:06,840 Raise your hand if you are, don't be shy. 3 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:11,040 I mean, 7500 college students. I was in, it was two years ago 4 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:15,800 at a salt kind of event and they let us go to one of the college 5 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:17,360 nights or one of the salt nights. 6 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:21,920 It was like 2500 and that was one of the best nights ever of 7 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:24,160 worship that I experienced. So I'm, I'm hoping they're 8 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:26,240 having a lot of fun. I get some. 9 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:30,800 Can I get it like a little? Is there a table or some sort of 10 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:33,080 music stand or something I can get? 11 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:35,040 Sorry. Oh, right here. 12 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:38,520 Here we go. One second. 13 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:47,280 OK. As Brandon said, my name is 14 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:50,840 Seth. I am a lead pastor at 15 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:57,640 Christchurch and I serve in Peoria and so happy to be here. 16 00:00:57,640 --> 00:00:59,640 I love your pastor. He is a good man. 17 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:01,920 He's a wild dude. I mean, he's wild man. 18 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:05,040 He is. He's become a, a quick friend of 19 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:06,320 mine. We've known each other for a few 20 00:01:06,320 --> 00:01:08,120 years. We kind of grew up in the same 21 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:10,480 environment. We're both from Chicago. 22 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:13,280 We, we kind of grew up in that church, but I got to know him 23 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:16,920 here in Arizona. And one of the things I do I, I 24 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:19,920 lead our Peoria congregation, but I also work with Vintage 25 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:24,160 Mission, the coach church planners and the trained church 26 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:26,000 planners. And I've had the opportunity to 27 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:29,520 walk alongside Brandon now for probably about a year and 28 00:01:29,960 --> 00:01:33,880 coaching him ever since you guys launched at on August 3rd. 29 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:37,360 So it's been a such a privilege. You got a passionate pastor, 30 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:40,920 you've got a man who loves Jesus, you've got a family 31 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:44,360 pursuing Christ. You have, he's so teachable. 32 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:46,960 I just want to, I want to share this because he's not going to 33 00:01:46,960 --> 00:01:48,920 get up here and share this kind of stuff. 34 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:51,960 He, he is passionate. He is pursuing Christ. 35 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:54,960 The, the guy is so teachable and he's so humble. 36 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:57,400 And we meet every week. We, we do a coaching call every 37 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:00,160 week and I'm able to hear about you and pray for you. 38 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:04,480 So such, such a privilege and such a pleasure to be with you. 39 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:08,199 And I feel the burden, I feel the weight of bringing God's 40 00:02:08,199 --> 00:02:10,400 word in its context to you this morning. 41 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:12,440 So I want to do, I'm going to kind of do a double prayer. 42 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:16,640 So we're going to pray again and ask the Holy Spirit to work in 43 00:02:16,640 --> 00:02:20,800 our lives through my voice in his word as we continue Heavenly 44 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:24,040 Father, we want, we cannot do that part from your spirit. 45 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:28,560 And we ask that your spirit would be present among us that I 46 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:31,480 would not be a distraction to the word, but I would be a 47 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:35,440 compliment to it as we open up and study it in the First 48 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:39,520 Thessalonians this morning. So we, we ask your blessing, may 49 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:44,080 we lean in, may we tune our hearts to receive your word, the 50 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:46,840 only word, the living word that transforms. 51 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:50,360 We pray these things in Jesus name, Amen. 52 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:52,360 Amen. So take your Bibles. 53 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:56,040 If you would take your Bibles and turn to 1st Thessalonians, 54 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:59,360 that is in your New Testament. If you're not familiar with your 55 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,720 Bible, hit Matthew. Go all the way past the Gospels. 56 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:05,200 You'll go through books like first, Second Corinthians, 57 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:06,920 Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians. 58 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:11,280 If you go on to Hebrews, just take a quick left and you'll be 59 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:13,680 in First Thessalonians. We're going to be looking at 60 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:18,800 this passage of Scripture this morning and really love this. 61 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:23,320 Really love what Paul says to us in the inspiration and in the 62 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:26,840 power of the Holy Spirit. We got a whole list of things 63 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:30,360 we're going to see this morning for our church, for Saint City. 64 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,520 But before we do that, remember our group projects in high 65 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:35,520 school. Anybody you remember those group 66 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:37,120 projects? I mean, they were great for some 67 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:38,800 of us. I mean, if you were an 68 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:41,240 overachiever, you always had a couple in the group. 69 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:43,880 You know, the Stargazers, they didn't really bring in much. 70 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:47,240 They brought the vibes a little bit, but that's about all they 71 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:48,800 brought. And you were kind of left with 72 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:53,760 all the work and group projects. I was, I was the stargazer, by 73 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:56,320 the way. My wife was the overachiever for 74 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:59,960 sure, in every one of our group challenges. 75 00:03:59,960 --> 00:04:02,320 That's my wife, Laurie. She came in with me today, 76 00:04:02,320 --> 00:04:04,480 actually. We've been married for 25 years. 77 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:06,520 Isn't that great? 25 years? 78 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:09,480 We have two kids. We have two kids. 79 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:12,280 One's in college, one just graduated from college. 80 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:16,560 Macy and Gabriel, 20 and 22, happy to be here today. 81 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:20,160 But my wife, she was the overachiever in the group 82 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:22,880 projects. I was the sort of stargazer. 83 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:25,560 I didn't get much done. Group projects were sort of a 84 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:28,920 double edged sword, right? Because in one sense, in one 85 00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:31,120 sense, if you're anything like me, they're A+. 86 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:32,280 You don't have to do a lot of work. 87 00:04:32,280 --> 00:04:34,320 You just kind of got to get to sit and hang out. 88 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:38,040 If you're like my wife, they're they're hard because guys like 89 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:41,960 me affected every person's grade. 90 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:45,080 And and I want to tell you, like the church is kind of like a 91 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:48,800 group project. We're talking every member 92 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:51,440 ministry. And the thing about group 93 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:55,280 projects is the health of the projects depends on everybody 94 00:04:55,280 --> 00:04:58,080 contributing and doing their part in the whole. 95 00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:01,240 And the health of the body of Christ is really a shared 96 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:04,240 responsibility. You're not a consumer if you're 97 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:08,000 part of Saint City today, in 2026, in this new year, you are 98 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:11,160 not a consumer. You are part of the whole, and 99 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:15,960 every part has a job, a responsibility, and it requires 100 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:19,360 each person faithfully doing their part. 101 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:24,080 This is what Paul addresses this morning in Thessalonians chapter 102 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:26,360 5. We're going to be looking at 103 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:30,720 verses 12 through 21, and I want to read these verses. 104 00:05:31,280 --> 00:05:33,200 Be before us. You can follow along as I read. 105 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:35,360 And then we're going to take a few moments this morning and 106 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:37,520 we're just going to unpack them together. 107 00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:40,760 Here's what Paul says. He says, we ask you, brothers, 108 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:45,360 to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord 109 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:50,280 and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love because 110 00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:53,360 of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 111 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:57,840 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idol, encourage the 112 00:05:57,840 --> 00:06:02,520 faint hearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 113 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:07,080 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seeks 114 00:06:07,080 --> 00:06:10,120 to do good to one another and to everyone. 115 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:13,640 Rejoice always pray without ceasing. 116 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:17,920 Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the 117 00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:21,000 will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 118 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:25,600 Verse 19. Do not quench the Spirit, do not 119 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:29,600 despise the prophecies, but test everything. 120 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:36,000 Hold fast to what is good. These are the words of God. 121 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:38,680 And I want to give you a simple sentence this morning that kind 122 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:42,320 of hangs over the top of this section that I want you to take 123 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:44,560 home with you. So if you take a nap today, just 124 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:47,520 get this sentence down. Just make sure, make sure you 125 00:06:47,520 --> 00:06:53,240 have this sentence here it is gospel hope thrives in a healthy 126 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:56,440 local church. We're talking about a healthy 127 00:06:56,440 --> 00:06:59,160 church today. That's it's, that's perfect, 128 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:00,960 right? You all just launched August 129 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:02,920 3rd. You're a new, you're a fledgling 130 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:03,880 church. You're young. 131 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:07,920 By the way, the people in Thessalonica, this Paul's 132 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:09,600 writing to a church that was young. 133 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:12,480 It isn't long established. This is a very young church, 134 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:16,520 very young congregation. This is actually brand new. 135 00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:19,280 They were planted in the middle of pressure. 136 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:22,680 Persecution was real. Confusion is present. 137 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:26,280 This is kind of the context of First Thessalonians and the 138 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:28,200 leaders. They're just still learning how 139 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:30,960 to do things and they're learning how to lead well while 140 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:33,240 people are still learning how to follow Jesus. 141 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:36,200 And then you get to the end of First Thessalonians. 142 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:40,160 This 2 Pauls writing to you and you see in verses 12 through 21, 143 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:43,200 it kind of kind of felt like a rapid fire, didn't it? 144 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:46,040 When I read it kind of felt like, like it was like a, it was 145 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:48,960 just like a checklist. It felt like sort of one of 146 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:52,680 those kinds of lists. These aren't random commands. 147 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:57,440 These aren't checks just to check off their relational 148 00:07:57,640 --> 00:08:00,720 instructions. In fact, Paul closes this letter 149 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:04,240 and he's saying basically, if if gospel hope is going to survive 150 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:07,360 in a church like St. City, is what he's saying, he's 151 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:11,600 saying you, you got to you got to have a healthy church. 152 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:15,840 And here's what health actually looks like on the ground. 153 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:19,920 Which brings us really to the real question that we're asking 154 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:21,400 this morning. And here's a question. 155 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:27,360 How can we make sure St. City Chapel functions in a life 156 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:29,680 giving way? That's the question we're going 157 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:31,280 to answer in the next few moments. 158 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:34,919 And from this tech I'm going to, I'm going to show you 5 aspects. 159 00:08:34,919 --> 00:08:39,280 Just I have six, OK, but I cut, I cut it down to 5 because I 160 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:40,679 know you don't want to be here all day. 161 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:44,920 So I'm going to show you 5 aspects, 5 aspects of a healthy 162 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:49,880 local church where gospel hope thrives. 163 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:52,840 Every member contributes to the health of the whole. 164 00:08:52,840 --> 00:09:00,160 The first one is just simply valuing our leaders, valuing our 165 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:03,120 leaders. Gospel hope thrives as we value 166 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:05,560 our leaders. Now you all know, you all know 167 00:09:05,560 --> 00:09:08,440 about value you all. You all know what you value. 168 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:12,840 The stuff you value you protect the stuff you value you, you 169 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:15,720 prioritize you. You don't forget exists. 170 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:19,840 So that tool that you really value doesn't live on the bottom 171 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:22,760 floor of the garage, right? You have a special place for 172 00:09:22,760 --> 00:09:24,880 that thing. I, I collect, I'm a bit of a 173 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:27,040 musician. I collect guitars, acoustic 174 00:09:27,040 --> 00:09:28,960 guitars. It's an expensive habit. 175 00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:33,000 And I'm telling you what, man, I never forget not to humidify 176 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:34,480 those things. I take care of them. 177 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:38,080 Every one of them is in it's blasphemy to have a guitar out 178 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:40,520 of the case for any period of time in Arizona. 179 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:43,560 I take care of because I value it. 180 00:09:43,560 --> 00:09:47,520 It is think about relationships, a relationship that goes the 181 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:51,040 extra mile doesn't give sort of like a emoji thumbs up in 182 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:53,760 silence. They get treatment and they're 183 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:57,560 valued and that relationship and friendship is valued. 184 00:09:57,560 --> 00:09:59,840 That's exactly what Paul's talking about here this morning. 185 00:10:00,680 --> 00:10:03,560 He's saying these these leaders that lead you, they should be 186 00:10:03,560 --> 00:10:06,400 valued by you. They should be prioritized. 187 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:10,120 They should be protected. This is what Paul's talking 188 00:10:10,120 --> 00:10:12,640 about. And at its heart it's really 189 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:17,360 obedience to Christ because how we treat those he's appointed 190 00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:21,920 reflects really how we treat Jesus Christ. 191 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:27,240 And so these verses show us how how we value our leaders. 192 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:30,880 Look at what it says. The first one is really respect. 193 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:35,960 We respect them. We ask you brothers, to respect 194 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:40,320 those who labor among you and are over you and the Lord and 195 00:10:40,640 --> 00:10:46,440 admonish you that word translated respect some 196 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:51,800 translations, I believe the NASP it it says appreciate and I like 197 00:10:51,800 --> 00:10:53,960 that. That's what it means. 198 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:58,880 You appreciate your leaders, you respect them. 199 00:10:58,880 --> 00:11:02,240 Really in the Greek, the word no, So not like I just know 200 00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:04,800 their name, but but I know them deeply. 201 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:08,560 It's a deep experiential knowledge. 202 00:11:08,560 --> 00:11:11,000 So it's it's like I appreciate them. 203 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:13,840 I know them in that I'm watching their lives. 204 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:17,800 I'm understanding the sacrifices they're giving day in and day 205 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:19,520 out. By the way, so awkward for 206 00:11:19,520 --> 00:11:22,600 preachers to preach this. If you ever come to this text in 207 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:25,480 your own church and you're like, hey, value me, value me. 208 00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:27,560 It's a good thing Brandon's gone because I could do that for I'll 209 00:11:27,560 --> 00:11:30,240 take the bullet and I'll handle that for him. 210 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:34,200 You need to value your in this case leader, but soon to be 211 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:38,480 leaders. He says respect. 212 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:41,560 Why? Look at the three reasons here, 213 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:46,640 3 reasons Paul gives for respecting or appreciating they 214 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:49,440 labor among you. You know what ministry is? 215 00:11:49,440 --> 00:11:54,560 Exhaustion ministry. Ministry is hard work. 216 00:11:54,560 --> 00:11:58,000 It takes a lot of effort when you're in pastoral ministry. 217 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:01,760 Anybody who's not tired in pastoral ministry, I'm not sure 218 00:12:01,760 --> 00:12:06,120 they should be a pastor. Pastoral ministry is exhausting. 219 00:12:06,120 --> 00:12:09,560 It's labouring. Shepherding is not distant, 220 00:12:09,560 --> 00:12:12,240 right? Shepherding is not detached. 221 00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:16,760 Shepherding is personal and it's present, it's teaching, it's 222 00:12:16,760 --> 00:12:21,200 applying, it's confronting, it's warning, it's counseling, it's 223 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:25,040 helping. We see in Acts chapter 20, 224 00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:28,640 there's a whole section. Paul hangs out with the Ephesian 225 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:30,400 elders before he goes to Jerusalem. 226 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:35,280 And we see in Acts chapter 20, Paul is showing them going house 227 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:39,680 to house, pouring their lives into the flock that is faithful 228 00:12:39,680 --> 00:12:42,680 shepherding. They labor among. 229 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:46,280 And I meet with Brandon every week or bi weekly now on the 230 00:12:46,280 --> 00:12:49,120 phone and he gives me this list. We go through this an agenda. 231 00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:51,640 I got to tell you that guy is such a hard worker. 232 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:53,840 He goes 90 miles an hour all the time. 233 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:57,160 The guy's got no governor right. You got to you got to slow that 234 00:12:57,160 --> 00:12:59,720 guy down a little bit, you know, in order to have him take a 235 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:02,320 breath once in a while. But he really laborers on your 236 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:04,440 behalf. All the things that we're 237 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:06,960 talking about and all the things that we're praying for and all 238 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:10,040 the things that we're going through really do impact and 239 00:13:10,040 --> 00:13:14,040 affect your lives. Your leaders love you and they 240 00:13:14,040 --> 00:13:17,560 want to shepherd you and you should know that and respect 241 00:13:17,560 --> 00:13:20,240 them. The second thing they have 242 00:13:20,560 --> 00:13:25,240 charge over you, that's another reason they have spiritual 243 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:27,440 oversight. This is not dictatorship by the 244 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:30,520 way. This is an authority that comes 245 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:33,080 from God's word. This is an authority that comes 246 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:36,080 from faithfully handling the word of God. 247 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:39,480 So I got to tell you, the only authority any pastor has over 248 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:43,280 you is thus says the Lord. He has no authority to go, hey, 249 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:46,000 move here, get a job here. You belong over there. 250 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:48,880 He has zero authority. I have 0 authority in your 251 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:53,600 lives, Brandon, and whoever will pastor over you alongside him 252 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:55,880 has zero authority in your lives. 253 00:13:55,880 --> 00:14:02,160 But for thus says the Lord, they have charge of they have charge 254 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:08,040 over you, they're over you. Meaning when you step beyond the 255 00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:11,880 word of God use, oh, you've overstepped and they have a 256 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:16,000 charge to help you understand that they have charge over you 257 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:19,320 and then they admonish you. Do you see that that word 258 00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:21,040 admonish, this means to instruct. 259 00:14:21,280 --> 00:14:23,920 That's what it means, the good and the bad, the hard and the 260 00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:27,840 easy to instruct. Sometimes we get the idea that 261 00:14:27,840 --> 00:14:30,760 pastoring is like running around and having coffee and lunch with 262 00:14:30,760 --> 00:14:34,840 everybody. And whether public or personal 263 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:36,920 instruction from God's word is pastoring. 264 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:40,280 Coffee is optional. OK, coffee is on the table, but 265 00:14:40,280 --> 00:14:44,320 it's optional. This is a this is a admonishing 266 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:47,600 role. This is an instructive role. 267 00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:51,120 Nothing is more valuable to a church than the faithful 268 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:55,040 handling of the Word of God. And, and listen, your leaders 269 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:58,440 work hard on that. They work hard on that. 270 00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:01,040 You all know Preston, Preston was part of our preaching 271 00:15:01,040 --> 00:15:04,480 meetings for almost a year, really working hard on 272 00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:07,640 faithfully handling the word. We, Brandon and I, we meet on a 273 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:12,160 regular basis just studying God's word together, faithfully 274 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:15,480 handling so that they can instruct and admonish. 275 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:18,560 That's respecting. But there's a second thing. 276 00:15:19,360 --> 00:15:23,400 You see it in the text. Not only respect them, but 277 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:27,960 esteem them. Paul moves from appreciation to 278 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:31,080 esteem. Now notice the intensity. 279 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:33,160 It says esteem them. What does it say? 280 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:38,480 Esteem them very highly. I love that. 281 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:41,520 Appreciation is in the mind, right? 282 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:43,520 Esteem is in the heart. It's affectionate. 283 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:47,680 It's love rooted in gratitude. I love that. 284 00:15:47,680 --> 00:15:50,800 Superlative, extraordinarily high. 285 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:54,600 It's like when you were a kid, you know, you added superlatives 286 00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:57,520 with everything. I was super duper awesome, 287 00:15:57,720 --> 00:15:59,920 right? That was incredibly, incredibly, 288 00:15:59,920 --> 00:16:02,280 wonderfully awesome. You're right. 289 00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:05,400 And this is what Paul is doing. He's like, he's like, esteem 290 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:07,520 them. Like super duper like, like 291 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:11,360 extraordinary. I like, I love you to the sky 292 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:13,640 and beyond. Like, like esteem them. 293 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:18,160 This is what he's saying. And his point is that we owe our 294 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:23,760 leaders exceptional honour because they labour in the 295 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:26,680 gospel. Their work is a gospel work. 296 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:30,120 In fact, in Galatians, Paul wasn't. 297 00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:33,520 I don't know if you know about the life of Paul, you kind of 298 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:35,920 get some idea. What do you look like? 299 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:40,320 And he wasn't exactly winning any cover of men's health 300 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:42,880 awards, that's for sure. The guy was like, he, he looked 301 00:16:42,880 --> 00:16:44,600 pretty bad. Evidently. 302 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:49,080 Paul even says my condition. He's talking physically here. 303 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:53,360 My condition was a trial to you? Like, that's Yikes, isn't it? 304 00:16:53,800 --> 00:16:59,360 Yet these Galatians received him as an Angel of God. 305 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:02,600 And that's what Paul means by steaming someone in love. 306 00:17:02,600 --> 00:17:07,560 Not for charisma, not for works, not for charm, not for looks, 307 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:10,599 but for faithful service to Christ. 308 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:13,640 I mean, the take away is like, do you speak words of 309 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:15,280 encouragement to your leadership? 310 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:21,359 Do you express your heartfelt gratitude for your leaders? 311 00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:25,760 Do you protect their hearts from criticism and discouragement? 312 00:17:26,440 --> 00:17:29,400 This is what it means to esteem. He has one more here though. 313 00:17:31,280 --> 00:17:33,440 Be at peace. Do you see that? 314 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:40,360 Live, live peaceably among them. So y'all get along. 315 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:43,320 One of the reasons is for their sake. 316 00:17:44,160 --> 00:17:47,640 If you truly value your leaders, you will actually be a 317 00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:49,600 peacemaker. You want to know what breaks a 318 00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:51,680 pastor's heart? Kind of than anything. 319 00:17:51,880 --> 00:17:56,640 When their people cannot get along, When there is discord, 320 00:17:56,640 --> 00:17:59,760 when there is disunity, when there is whispering, when there 321 00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:03,360 is gossip, when their ego fights and turf battles. 322 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:06,800 Anything that disrupts peace in the body of Christ. 323 00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:09,120 Man, that is heartbreaking to a shepherd. 324 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:15,840 The Bible calls us over and over again. 325 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:18,360 You could do your own Bible study, but it's all over the 326 00:18:18,360 --> 00:18:21,480 place in Scripture. Romans 12, Matthew 5 calls us to 327 00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:25,040 be peacemakers first and foremost among each other. 328 00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:30,400 How are they going to know that? Remember what they they asked 329 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:31,960 Jesus. How are they going to know that? 330 00:18:31,960 --> 00:18:36,320 We're with you if you love one another, if you love one 331 00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:39,320 another, if you get along, if you pursue peace. 332 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:44,720 Hebrews 13 says let them do it with joy and not grief. 333 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:49,560 So, so let your leaders minister to you and shepherd to you in a 334 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:53,760 way that's going to cause them joy and not grief. 335 00:18:56,360 --> 00:18:59,160 Because pastoral grief doesn't just doesn't just weigh on the 336 00:18:59,160 --> 00:19:01,040 shepherd itself. It kind of ripples through the 337 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:04,080 congregation. You want a happy congregation, 338 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:07,000 you got to have a happy pastor. You want a happy pastor, you're 339 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:08,600 going to have a happy congregation. 340 00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:13,880 And part of the reason is if we just live peaceably with each 341 00:19:13,880 --> 00:19:20,200 other, and when that flock values, that your leaders will 342 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:24,160 lead with joy, and that joy is going to shape everybody around. 343 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:28,960 Gospel hope thrives in a healthy local church. 344 00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:30,800 That's just the first one. We're going to blaze through 345 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:32,720 these other ones. But I think that's really 346 00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:36,840 important. Do you love, do you value your 347 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:40,160 leaders? Secondly, here's the second 348 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:42,080 aspect. Gospel hope thrives. 349 00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:46,000 We want hope because hope is really one of the themes of 350 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:48,360 First Thessalonians. Paul's trying to give the 351 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:52,520 Thessalonian Church hope. Gospel hope is going to thrive 352 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:55,800 not just when we value our leaders, but when we minister 353 00:19:56,040 --> 00:19:58,320 with awareness. That's the second thing. 354 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:00,440 This is every member of ministry. 355 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:03,640 This is not just the pastor's job, not just the ministry team 356 00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:05,880 leader's job. This is everybody's job in the 357 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:11,440 life of Saint City Chapel is to minister with awareness. 358 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:15,360 So if you want to build up the body of Christ, we need 359 00:20:15,360 --> 00:20:17,320 together. We need eyes of awareness. 360 00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:22,320 We need to see people where they really are spiritually. 361 00:20:22,320 --> 00:20:27,040 Paul starts here because, I mean, to be honest, people are 362 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:28,920 messy, right? We want to vote on that. 363 00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:32,040 Like people are messy, you're messy, I'm messy. 364 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:36,120 People are always in the ditch. I mean, you go to any sort of 365 00:20:36,120 --> 00:20:39,560 church, there's always people in the ditch battling sin. 366 00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:43,520 And and what Paul is saying is we together as a local 367 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:47,120 expression, the church need to get in the ditch and need to get 368 00:20:47,120 --> 00:20:50,360 them out of the ditch. We need to do this together. 369 00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:53,080 We don't just need to leave them and ditch them. 370 00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:56,360 We need to help them. Gospel people getting involved 371 00:20:56,360 --> 00:20:58,760 with messy lies. But he says it's going to take 372 00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:02,120 an awareness in fact. In fact, in verse 14, he 373 00:21:02,120 --> 00:21:05,160 highlights three kinds of sort of you can call them problem 374 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:08,240 people, three kinds of people in the church. 375 00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:11,520 You need careful attention. You know the first one is the 376 00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:15,760 first one is the idol. You all know that phrase, right? 377 00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:18,640 The idol's hand is the devil's playground, right? 378 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:21,840 Right. The idol hand is the devil's 379 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:25,320 playground. This is this word actually is a 380 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:29,040 military word in the Greek. It was used for a soldier who 381 00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:31,840 got out of line. So whether it was failing to 382 00:21:31,840 --> 00:21:36,000 carry out his duty or whether it was laziness, whether it was a 383 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:40,000 rebellion, over time it came to refer to any person who just 384 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:41,800 failed to do what they were supposed to do. 385 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:45,920 They fell in their responsibility. 386 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:49,760 They were lazy. They neglected what they needed 387 00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:52,600 to uphold. They there was deliberate 388 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:54,640 rebellion. Paul says they're out of step of 389 00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:56,920 the body. You got to get them back in 390 00:21:56,920 --> 00:21:58,360 step. That's what he's saying. 391 00:21:58,560 --> 00:22:01,440 He's not just saying it to the pastors of the Thessalonian 392 00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:03,160 church. He's saying it to you guys. 393 00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:06,160 He's like, you got to get them back. 394 00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:08,480 You got to call them back into alignment. 395 00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:13,480 In fact, in Titus one, Paul uses that with the the Titus with the 396 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:15,720 Crete elders. He says you got to you got to 397 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:20,000 get some elders here to put in order the things of the church. 398 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:22,720 Now I was thinking about that. Here's here's the picture. 399 00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:25,520 Imagine if you're hiking with somebody, you're hiking with a 400 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:29,120 friend and they fall and you realize, well, this is not a 401 00:22:29,120 --> 00:22:32,720 walk it off kind of fall. This is like a your, your legs 402 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:35,080 not supposed to bend that way kind of fall, right? 403 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:36,160 What are you? What are you going to do? 404 00:22:36,160 --> 00:22:38,440 You're going to say just suck it up and get up and let's walk. 405 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:41,160 Or you're going to shrug it off and just say whatever you're 406 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:43,880 not, you're going to help him. You're going to put that thing 407 00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:46,040 in order. You're going to call the help 408 00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:47,520 that they need. You're going to give them the 409 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:49,440 care that they need. You're going to help them walk 410 00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:51,920 again. That's your job as a friend. 411 00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:57,960 And this is the picture Paul is showing us for the church when a 412 00:22:57,960 --> 00:23:03,000 brother or sister falls. And we all do, every single one 413 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:05,720 of us do. When we fall, when we stumble, 414 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:09,040 when we struggle, we don't ignore. 415 00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:12,040 We go to that person and we put things right. 416 00:23:12,040 --> 00:23:15,400 We set the bone. Setting the bone is ultimately 417 00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:17,880 the most healthy thing to do, but it's sometimes the most 418 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:21,560 painful thing to do. By the way, this is not 419 00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:24,240 legalism. This is truth and love. 420 00:23:25,120 --> 00:23:29,040 This is this is mercy. Legalism punishes failure. 421 00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:32,880 That's what legalism does. Mercy pursues restoration. 422 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:37,280 So this isn't like rule keeping. This is rescue. 423 00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:40,160 And when done right, guess what happens in the church. 424 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:44,880 Church becomes healthy because relationships are restored and 425 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:48,080 strengthened in a way that glorifies Christ. 426 00:23:49,360 --> 00:23:53,240 Here's the second group. This is the faint hearted. 427 00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:57,840 Do you see that they're not on the edge like a lot of people 428 00:23:57,840 --> 00:24:00,640 are, you know, just one step away from falling off the Cliff. 429 00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:02,160 Cliff. They're in the middle of the 430 00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:04,160 huddle. These are the, these are the 431 00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:05,840 faint hearted. They're in the middle. 432 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:07,360 They're trying not to get too close. 433 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:11,120 Paul says these faint hearted people, you got to encourage 434 00:24:11,120 --> 00:24:14,000 them. Now that's an interesting term. 435 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:17,760 Faint hearted means it's 2 words, small and sold. 436 00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:24,200 Faint hearted means small sold. It means these are people that 437 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:27,760 hate change, right? These are folks that love 438 00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:29,440 tradition. They fear the unknown. 439 00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:31,400 They're they cling to what is safe. 440 00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:36,200 These are the people who often worry, they're often 441 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:38,400 discouraged. I was reading 1 preacher this 442 00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:41,880 week on this one commentator. He said these are the people who 443 00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:44,800 see the manure pile in every field. 444 00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:47,360 These are the that kind of people, right? 445 00:24:47,360 --> 00:24:51,120 It's always imagining the worst, afraid to step out, stuck in 446 00:24:51,120 --> 00:24:53,760 safe routines. So what do we do with these 447 00:24:53,760 --> 00:24:57,120 people? Paul says we just help them we 448 00:24:57,120 --> 00:25:00,920 by encouraging them that word literally means to come 449 00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:03,280 alongside. Do you know that that that word 450 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:07,800 there's it's in the same family of language Jesus uses for the 451 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:13,200 Holy Spirit in John 14 through 16 means to come alongside. 452 00:25:14,120 --> 00:25:18,120 It means no shortcuts is a faint hearted person. 453 00:25:18,120 --> 00:25:20,880 You got to help them. It means sit with them. 454 00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:23,480 It means speak to them. It means console them and 455 00:25:23,480 --> 00:25:25,960 comfort and strengthen and reassure. 456 00:25:26,120 --> 00:25:28,800 Whatever. Encouragement means cheer, 457 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:33,280 refresh. So encouragement isn't cheering 458 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:37,240 from a distant, it's actually walking with someone right in 459 00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:40,760 the middle of it, idle, faint hearted. 460 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:46,440 And then we see the weak. This is the third group. 461 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:51,240 Paul calls him weak at first. You're like, that's offensive. 462 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:53,960 What does he mean pathetic? Like what does he mean? 463 00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:57,000 He doesn't mean pathetic. He doesn't mean no get it 464 00:25:57,000 --> 00:25:58,920 together. He just means people who don't 465 00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:03,800 have much margin right now, specifically when it comes to 466 00:26:03,800 --> 00:26:07,480 sin. These are the morally fragile 467 00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:09,480 Christians. These these are the immature 468 00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:13,560 Christians. A lot of new believers, these 469 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:17,080 are inconsistent in their discipline. 470 00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:19,680 They're easily pulled back into the same sins. 471 00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:25,000 Paul's like you dust them off, you admonish him, and then 472 00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:26,720 before long they're back ended again. 473 00:26:27,560 --> 00:26:29,840 Paul says, listen, they're struggling to obey God 474 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:32,920 consistently. They demand attention, then they 475 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:37,680 demand correction and care. Paul says don't ignore them, go 476 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:40,440 into the ditch and help them out of the ditch. 477 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:43,600 And when they go back into the ditch, go into the ditch again 478 00:26:43,840 --> 00:26:47,120 and help them out. Don't go frustrated with them, 479 00:26:47,120 --> 00:26:49,800 but support them by helping them grow. 480 00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:53,960 Support them by pointing them to the power of the gospel in daily 481 00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:57,120 life. The idol, right, the faint 482 00:26:57,120 --> 00:27:02,480 hearted and the weak. And to round it off, Paul's like 483 00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:06,520 it's going to take patience. Do you see that it's going to 484 00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:11,920 take a lot of patience, which is awesome because I'm impatient at 485 00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:15,400 the at the microwave like my my, my patients level. 486 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:17,960 It needs to needs to expand greatly. 487 00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:21,680 And I imagine you're with me. I imagine that you're, most of 488 00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:26,680 you me live with a short fuse and are low on patients, which 489 00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:28,480 doesn't this doesn't happen accidentally. 490 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:31,840 It takes effort, It takes honest awareness. 491 00:27:31,920 --> 00:27:35,240 This is where the gospel thrives though, when a church becomes 492 00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:38,760 healthy by ministering to one another with awareness, by 493 00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:42,160 exercising the patience of Jesus Christ himself. 494 00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:47,680 So you got to ask yourself, who in my life right now needs that 495 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:48,880 kind of awareness? Who? 496 00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:51,200 Who is it? Who around me? 497 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:55,520 Or, or maybe you're hearing this today and you're thinking, hey, 498 00:27:55,520 --> 00:27:58,840 man, that's me. Like I'm like one of these 499 00:27:58,840 --> 00:28:01,160 people. And I would say to you, that's 500 00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:04,040 awesome. The Spirit's convicting you and 501 00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:06,320 you're, you're, you're, you're digging in. 502 00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:08,920 You understand it. That's the Spirit's conviction. 503 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:11,960 The real question is, is what are you going to do about that? 504 00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:16,080 What are you going to do about that in 2026? 505 00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:21,080 Because gospel hope thrives in a healthy local church. 506 00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:25,480 And a healthy local church depends on every member doing 507 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:28,880 their part for the whole. Here's the third aspect. 508 00:28:29,720 --> 00:28:35,640 Gospel hope thrives also as we live out gospel culture. 509 00:28:36,600 --> 00:28:40,360 There's a massive gospel culture here that we see here. 510 00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:43,320 I want to show you in verses 15 through 18, you know what 511 00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:46,840 culture is, right? Culture is just really like 512 00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:52,800 shared values, their shared beliefs that are made visible in 513 00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:56,520 in your community. And everything is about the list 514 00:28:56,520 --> 00:29:00,400 here. Rejoicing and praying and giving 515 00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:04,400 thanks and avoiding evil. All of these things point to 516 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:08,840 Christ's grace at work in your life, developing and cultivating 517 00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:13,480 a culture. Here's what hits US in the face 518 00:29:13,480 --> 00:29:16,920 often. We love getting God's grace 519 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:21,000 right, but we struggle dispensing it when we love 520 00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:24,840 getting it, we love getting it, but the temptation is is not to 521 00:29:24,840 --> 00:29:28,760 give it away. The hardship that often times is 522 00:29:28,760 --> 00:29:33,200 dispensing that grace. So Paul is calling us as 523 00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:37,040 recipients of that grace to more than enjoyment. 524 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:41,640 He's actually holding us accountable to live that out. 525 00:29:41,760 --> 00:29:47,040 Look at verse 15 and he just shoots a list here all the way 526 00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:49,280 through verse 18 repaying on evil. 527 00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:52,600 So that's awesome. Don't mirror the world. 528 00:29:52,600 --> 00:29:54,080 That's how they that's what they do. 529 00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:56,080 Someone slaps you, that's karma, right? 530 00:29:56,080 --> 00:29:59,280 You slap them back, break that cycle. 531 00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:02,640 The verse 15 seek to do good. So this is this is seeking. 532 00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:06,560 This is like actively pursuing ever actively pursue something 533 00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:08,400 pretty intentional about that, right? 534 00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:10,960 You're pretty intentional. You're pretty you're pretty 535 00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:13,720 vigilant about that. This is what this means, to 536 00:30:13,720 --> 00:30:17,640 pursue what blesses others, even at your own cost. 537 00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:22,240 Then he says in verse 16, he says, rejoice always. 538 00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:27,040 Oh, that's a hard one, because joy isn't first and foremost a 539 00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:30,920 feeling. Joy is a supernatural delight in 540 00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:35,000 the person of Christ. Joy doesn't depend on what your 541 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:37,600 circumstance is in a particular moment. 542 00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:42,800 It is the choice. It is the will to choose Christ 543 00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:47,200 and to choose joy anchored in Christ, in the moment when you'd 544 00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:53,040 rather not rejoice always and then pray without ceasing. 545 00:30:54,920 --> 00:30:56,560 Let's stay connected. I mean, praying is a 546 00:30:56,560 --> 00:30:58,560 relationship, right? It's communication. 547 00:30:59,080 --> 00:31:01,760 Let's not make prayer hard. Prayer is not hard. 548 00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:05,520 Prayer is talking with the One who's over you. 549 00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:09,280 Prayer is a child communicating with their Father. 550 00:31:09,280 --> 00:31:12,760 Prayer is connection. So let every moment be lined up 551 00:31:12,760 --> 00:31:14,360 with God. That's what he means. 552 00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:17,920 He doesn't mean get in the closet and pray 24 hours a day. 553 00:31:18,080 --> 00:31:21,920 He said, listen, God's thoughts should be in your mind all the 554 00:31:21,920 --> 00:31:26,960 time, interacting, connecting with the Lord. 555 00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:30,560 And then he says give thanks in all circumstances. 556 00:31:32,520 --> 00:31:36,680 I love that in all circumstances, you know, in 557 00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:40,400 another place, Paul says not just in all circumstances, but 558 00:31:40,520 --> 00:31:46,600 in for all circumstances, not just in but for, which means 559 00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:53,000 gratitude in a believer in a local church is the lens for all 560 00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:56,360 of life. Now, as I said earlier, this is 561 00:31:56,360 --> 00:31:58,760 not a checklist. This is a way of life. 562 00:31:59,920 --> 00:32:05,440 If you count this whole section, there is around 13 imperatives. 563 00:32:05,800 --> 00:32:10,440 I mean just boom, it's like 1 after another 13 imperatives 564 00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:13,880 packed in this whole section. But that's Paul's not meaning to 565 00:32:13,880 --> 00:32:18,240 have this as a rule factory. This is the character of Christ 566 00:32:18,240 --> 00:32:22,840 being formed in you. If you go back to chapter one of 567 00:32:22,840 --> 00:32:26,280 First Thessalonians, the Thessalonian Church, as I said 568 00:32:26,280 --> 00:32:28,400 earlier, they didn't have APR plan. 569 00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:31,000 They didn't have a staff, they didn't have a budget, they 570 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:34,080 didn't have their own building. They were young, they were new, 571 00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:35,640 but they were known for one thing. 572 00:32:36,240 --> 00:32:41,920 And Paul said that the word of the Lord sounded forth from them 573 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:44,800 everywhere. This small little fledgling 574 00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:48,720 church, the word of the Lord. That means, that means the 575 00:32:48,720 --> 00:32:50,520 Thessalonian church wasn't subtle. 576 00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:55,080 They were loud in their faith. That means they trumpeted the 577 00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:58,240 gospel clearly and boldly and unashamedly. 578 00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:01,080 And people everywhere knew exactly who they were and 579 00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:04,640 exactly what they believed, not just with their lips, but with 580 00:33:04,640 --> 00:33:07,600 their life. That's gospel culture in action. 581 00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:13,000 Not perfect people, but gospel shaped church making a loud, 582 00:33:13,040 --> 00:33:18,680 unmistakable noise for Christ. Which means that our life 583 00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:22,680 together at Saint City Chapel, that means that means our life 584 00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:26,640 together isn't driven by preferences, it's not driven by 585 00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:32,920 personality or or control, but by the by our identity in 586 00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:34,720 Christ. So the question is, is like 587 00:33:34,720 --> 00:33:36,520 what? What kind of culture am I 588 00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:40,400 creating around me? What does that look like? 589 00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:42,600 Is it one that seeks good? That is it? 590 00:33:43,160 --> 00:33:47,720 Is it one that rejoices often? Is that one that lives on 591 00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:53,720 ceasing the independence on God? Is it a life that overflows? 592 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:57,480 These are the rhythms. These are the rhythms. 593 00:33:59,680 --> 00:34:03,040 This is, this is, these are the rhythms that make the character 594 00:34:03,040 --> 00:34:07,680 of Christ visible to others. And this is the kind of place 595 00:34:07,680 --> 00:34:12,639 where a gospel hope thrives. All right, I want to show you #4 596 00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:20,199 #4 4th aspect, not, not none of this is possible apart from the 597 00:34:20,199 --> 00:34:22,320 Spirit. That's number four. 598 00:34:23,239 --> 00:34:27,639 We celebrate the Spirit. None of this is possible. 599 00:34:27,639 --> 00:34:31,840 This church meeting today is not possible apart from the Holy 600 00:34:31,840 --> 00:34:34,760 Spirit, That engagement that we had to worship this morning. 601 00:34:34,920 --> 00:34:36,639 That you feel that? Did you feel that? 602 00:34:36,679 --> 00:34:40,120 I felt that that vertical engagement that we shared 603 00:34:40,120 --> 00:34:45,199 together is not possible apart from the work of the Holy Spirit 604 00:34:45,199 --> 00:34:52,000 in the life of His church. Paul, actually, his command here 605 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:54,719 is in the negative. Look at it with me, verse 19. 606 00:34:55,639 --> 00:34:58,800 Verse 19 says don't quench the Spirit. 607 00:35:01,160 --> 00:35:04,880 Don't quench the Spirit. Here's what he's saying. 608 00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:09,360 He is saying inappropriate, joyful relationship with the 609 00:35:09,360 --> 00:35:14,000 Holy Spirit actually increases the health of the church. 610 00:35:14,680 --> 00:35:18,400 Romans 5 Paul says that the Holy Spirit, God's love, has been 611 00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:21,840 poured out into us through the Holy Spirit. 612 00:35:21,880 --> 00:35:26,160 And we think of the Holy Spirit. We think of the one who comes 613 00:35:26,160 --> 00:35:31,560 and baptizes us and fills us and adopts us and seals us and 614 00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:35,480 empowers us and gifts us. All of those things are true. 615 00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:41,520 But running through all of that, the primary ministry, maybe 616 00:35:41,520 --> 00:35:45,160 maybe you didn't know this. I want to shed some light on 617 00:35:45,160 --> 00:35:49,920 this this morning. The primary job, the primary 618 00:35:49,920 --> 00:35:53,360 ministry of the Holy Spirit. You know what it is? 619 00:35:54,040 --> 00:35:59,000 It's a spotlight ministry. The job of the Holy Spirit, the 620 00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:03,720 whole job of his, his whole being is the spotlight on Jesus 621 00:36:03,720 --> 00:36:06,800 Christ. And if you've ever been in a 622 00:36:06,800 --> 00:36:09,480 play before, you know, you go and you sit down and you, you 623 00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:12,760 kind of luckily they have the light somewhat on so you can 624 00:36:12,760 --> 00:36:15,320 find your seat. But there's some point before 625 00:36:15,320 --> 00:36:17,600 the play starts that all the lights go down. 626 00:36:17,600 --> 00:36:21,480 You can't see anything except what the spotlight is shining. 627 00:36:21,720 --> 00:36:25,360 Everything else fades away and the spotlight is shining on that 628 00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:30,920 person or that thing that is the, the, the, the, the main 629 00:36:30,920 --> 00:36:33,560 agenda of the night. And that's the only thing you 630 00:36:33,560 --> 00:36:35,040 can see. You can't even see the people 631 00:36:35,040 --> 00:36:37,160 beside you. You can't see the people beside 632 00:36:37,160 --> 00:36:41,840 the person being spotlighted on. That is the job of the Holy 633 00:36:41,840 --> 00:36:45,240 Spirit. It's the spotlight Jesus. 634 00:36:45,240 --> 00:36:49,440 In fact, Jesus says he's going to take when he's Speaking of 635 00:36:49,440 --> 00:36:51,720 the Holy Spirit. He says to the disciples, he's 636 00:36:51,720 --> 00:36:55,160 going to take what is mine and declare it to you. 637 00:36:55,160 --> 00:36:58,840 He's the ultimate preacher. That's how you know if the 638 00:36:58,840 --> 00:37:03,720 spirits that work in your life, what Jesus is saying to you, 639 00:37:03,720 --> 00:37:08,320 what Jesus is doing in you, who Jesus is becoming to you, the 640 00:37:08,320 --> 00:37:13,440 Holy Spirit is spotlighting that he is you are his spotlight 641 00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:17,360 ministry on Jesus Christ. So how does Jesus look in your 642 00:37:17,360 --> 00:37:21,560 life? Little by little he keeps making 643 00:37:21,560 --> 00:37:25,760 Jesus look bigger in your life. He keeps making look, making 644 00:37:25,760 --> 00:37:30,360 Jesus look clearer in your life, making Jesus look sweeter. 645 00:37:32,400 --> 00:37:36,480 Now the opposite happens. When you're not spotlighting, 646 00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:40,520 when you're not allowing the Holy Spirit to spotlight, you're 647 00:37:40,520 --> 00:37:45,480 actually quenching. Quenching just simply means to 648 00:37:45,480 --> 00:37:47,360 put out the fire. That's what it means. 649 00:37:47,360 --> 00:37:52,400 It means to extinguish, it means to snuff out. 650 00:37:53,040 --> 00:37:55,720 Ephesians 4 says we can grieve the Spirit. 651 00:37:57,080 --> 00:37:58,600 And that's just think of it this way. 652 00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:02,360 Grieving is how you do it. Quenching is the result of it. 653 00:38:03,960 --> 00:38:08,840 So Jesus told his disciples, He said, I've been with you, He'll 654 00:38:08,840 --> 00:38:11,560 be in you. I've been a fire around you. 655 00:38:11,760 --> 00:38:13,880 He's going to be the fire in you. 656 00:38:15,040 --> 00:38:17,520 You're like, well, how do we quench that fire in US? 657 00:38:17,520 --> 00:38:21,480 How do we quench his power, his work in US? 658 00:38:21,840 --> 00:38:23,200 I mean, there's a bunch of ways, right? 659 00:38:23,800 --> 00:38:25,760 But a good way to quench him is to ignore him. 660 00:38:26,920 --> 00:38:30,440 Resist him whenever he feels conviction, whenever he 661 00:38:30,440 --> 00:38:33,040 illuminates on your life, you just sort of ignore. 662 00:38:33,520 --> 00:38:37,080 You resist his leading. You keep doing your own thing. 663 00:38:37,680 --> 00:38:40,040 Another way is just to deny his reality. 664 00:38:40,720 --> 00:38:44,080 How do you do that? Well, by minimizing him, we deny 665 00:38:44,080 --> 00:38:50,320 his reality by by using his name to excuse behavior, behavior he 666 00:38:50,320 --> 00:38:54,760 actually opposes, sinful behavior he actually opposes. 667 00:38:54,760 --> 00:38:58,440 We just sort of use his name to justify what we're doing. 668 00:38:59,480 --> 00:39:02,720 That's quenching. If that's done over and over and 669 00:39:02,720 --> 00:39:08,880 over again, just flat out resisting as well, resisting his 670 00:39:08,880 --> 00:39:11,240 work of sanctification through His word. 671 00:39:11,480 --> 00:39:14,640 See, the core problem in a believer's life isn't the 672 00:39:14,640 --> 00:39:17,120 absence of the Holy Spirit. When you get the Holy Spirit, 673 00:39:17,120 --> 00:39:19,160 you get all of the Holy Spirit. You get them forever. 674 00:39:19,160 --> 00:39:22,240 Amen. The core problem isn't the 675 00:39:22,240 --> 00:39:25,080 absence of the Spirit. It's the Spirit being sidelined 676 00:39:25,080 --> 00:39:29,400 in our lives and in our church through our sinfulness and 677 00:39:29,400 --> 00:39:34,040 through our preferences for for human solutions or our spiritual 678 00:39:34,040 --> 00:39:36,680 substitutes. But the opposite opposite 679 00:39:36,680 --> 00:39:40,160 opposite quench to celebrate the Spirit. 680 00:39:41,280 --> 00:39:44,720 It's the welcome, the Spirit. It's the respond to the Spirit 681 00:39:44,720 --> 00:39:48,760 in obedience. It's to rejoice in the Spirit as 682 00:39:48,760 --> 00:39:52,360 he makes much of Christ in me. So the question, am I 683 00:39:52,360 --> 00:39:59,520 celebrating or am I quenching? Am I celebrating every choice, 684 00:40:00,040 --> 00:40:04,280 every word, every action? Either fans of flame. 685 00:40:04,840 --> 00:40:08,360 Of God's work through the Holy Spirit, or it snuffs it out. 686 00:40:09,080 --> 00:40:14,720 Where am I? And as the church celebrates, 687 00:40:14,720 --> 00:40:18,320 and as a church that celebrates the Spirit, that is a church 688 00:40:18,320 --> 00:40:21,560 where Jesus has seen clearly and that our goal anyways, 689 00:40:21,560 --> 00:40:24,200 everybody, right? Isn't that why we got up today? 690 00:40:24,200 --> 00:40:27,120 I don't know why you got up today, but that's why I got up 691 00:40:27,120 --> 00:40:29,120 today. And I'm pretty sure that's why 692 00:40:29,120 --> 00:40:33,040 you got up to come to Saint City Chapel to worship together, to 693 00:40:33,040 --> 00:40:36,000 open God's Word together and study together, because you just 694 00:40:36,000 --> 00:40:40,760 want to see Jesus more clearly known and seen in your life. 695 00:40:41,840 --> 00:40:43,440 That's the work of the Holy Spirit. 696 00:40:44,160 --> 00:40:48,680 He's really good at his job. Let him do his job, and he never 697 00:40:48,680 --> 00:40:51,120 does his job apart from his Word. 698 00:40:51,120 --> 00:40:53,120 And that's the final aspect this morning. 699 00:40:54,240 --> 00:40:59,840 Gospel hope thrives as we love the preached Word. 700 00:41:00,960 --> 00:41:04,240 You love it when you open up God's Word. 701 00:41:04,240 --> 00:41:05,720 You love it. Do you delight? 702 00:41:06,800 --> 00:41:10,720 Blessed is a man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, 703 00:41:10,920 --> 00:41:14,040 nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of 704 00:41:14,040 --> 00:41:17,080 the scoffer. What does it say, Psalm one. 705 00:41:17,200 --> 00:41:22,000 But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law. 706 00:41:22,200 --> 00:41:28,080 He meditates, he ponders, he soaks day and night. 707 00:41:28,560 --> 00:41:34,600 That is loving the preached word, the declared word. 708 00:41:34,600 --> 00:41:39,920 Actually, just quick footnote for for anybody who's a Bible 709 00:41:39,920 --> 00:41:44,000 nerd in here, I hope there are a few quick, quick footnote in 710 00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:46,960 each of these commands from verse 19. 711 00:41:46,960 --> 00:41:49,880 We're not going to hit verse 22 today, but all the way down 712 00:41:49,880 --> 00:41:53,720 through verse 22. The the subject is the object. 713 00:41:54,280 --> 00:41:56,800 So the subject is coming first in the Greek. 714 00:41:56,800 --> 00:41:59,080 So in the Greek, the subject is always first. 715 00:41:59,080 --> 00:42:06,360 So, so the spirit do not quench prophecies, do not despise what 716 00:42:06,360 --> 00:42:09,040 is good, hold fast. That's that's how it reads in 717 00:42:09,040 --> 00:42:14,080 the Greek evil abstain and so right here Paul's being 718 00:42:14,080 --> 00:42:16,360 intentional. He's like pay attention, pay 719 00:42:16,360 --> 00:42:18,960 attention to the object, pay attention to the subject. 720 00:42:19,120 --> 00:42:22,800 The emphasis is on what you're responding to and here right 721 00:42:22,800 --> 00:42:27,280 here in verse 21 in verse 20 and 21 is the preached word. 722 00:42:27,680 --> 00:42:30,280 Look at what it says it says don't despise the prophecies. 723 00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:34,440 The prophecies is the subject don't despise them. 724 00:42:36,560 --> 00:42:40,200 So, so in New Testament context, prophecies were were the 725 00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:43,520 proclamation of God's word. That's that's prophecy. 726 00:42:43,520 --> 00:42:48,320 Prophecy was the declaration of God's revealed truth. 727 00:42:48,320 --> 00:42:52,400 So when we read, when they read scripture and in their assembly, 728 00:42:52,640 --> 00:42:57,680 when they explain the Scriptures in their assembly, they heralded 729 00:42:57,680 --> 00:43:02,200 to God's people God's truth. So Paul says don't despise, 730 00:43:03,520 --> 00:43:07,240 don't downgrade. Don't just read the parts you 731 00:43:07,240 --> 00:43:10,320 like. Don't be offended by the parts 732 00:43:10,320 --> 00:43:13,640 you don't like. Don't just read the comfortable. 733 00:43:14,880 --> 00:43:18,640 Don't downgrade it. Don't look down on revelation. 734 00:43:18,640 --> 00:43:22,320 Don't diminish the words authority over your life. 735 00:43:22,320 --> 00:43:27,440 In short, fill your life Psalm one, fill your life with the 736 00:43:27,440 --> 00:43:30,440 word God and and notice what it says in verse 21. 737 00:43:30,920 --> 00:43:35,400 Test you see that test everything. 738 00:43:37,800 --> 00:43:44,880 I love that and hold to it every message, every claim, every 739 00:43:44,880 --> 00:43:50,240 impression by the revealed word of God, tested by the revealed 740 00:43:50,400 --> 00:43:52,480 word of God. Don't, don't test it by 741 00:43:52,520 --> 00:43:55,720 preference. Don't test it by personality. 742 00:43:55,960 --> 00:43:58,800 I'll tell you, most people will spend their whole life reacting 743 00:43:58,800 --> 00:44:03,480 like like like a knee jerk reaction to whatever, whatever's 744 00:44:03,480 --> 00:44:05,880 bouncing around. That's that's how most people 745 00:44:05,880 --> 00:44:09,560 respond, knee jerk to whatever's bouncing around, doing whatever 746 00:44:09,560 --> 00:44:11,560 the mood indicates them to do Why? 747 00:44:11,720 --> 00:44:15,760 Because they never learn. They never discern. 748 00:44:16,120 --> 00:44:20,680 They never throw these things through the filter of truth. 749 00:44:21,440 --> 00:44:23,760 They are not Psalm one kind of people. 750 00:44:24,120 --> 00:44:26,480 They don't ponder and meditate on the scripture. 751 00:44:26,480 --> 00:44:29,120 So when something comes their way, it feels good. 752 00:44:29,280 --> 00:44:32,280 They don't put it through the filter of scripture and 753 00:44:32,280 --> 00:44:35,280 therefore they're deceived. I love them. 754 00:44:36,120 --> 00:44:38,320 What Martin Luther. You know who Martin Luther was? 755 00:44:39,120 --> 00:44:42,240 He lived a few years ago in Germany. 756 00:44:42,800 --> 00:44:47,040 He's the guy who nailed the 95 thesis on the Catholic Church 757 00:44:47,040 --> 00:44:49,600 door. And he said, I want to quote. 758 00:44:49,720 --> 00:44:52,960 I want to quote him. He said I study my Bible like I 759 00:44:52,960 --> 00:44:58,600 gather apples. I shake the whole tree 1st that 760 00:44:58,600 --> 00:45:02,760 the ripe may fall. Then I shake each limb. 761 00:45:03,360 --> 00:45:06,280 Then I shake each branch, then every twig. 762 00:45:06,400 --> 00:45:10,280 Then I look under every leaf. Isn't that awesome? 763 00:45:11,720 --> 00:45:15,200 The only way to examine carefully, the only way to truly 764 00:45:15,200 --> 00:45:19,560 hold on to what is good, is to be a person rooted in truth. 765 00:45:19,560 --> 00:45:21,640 And I'm so thankful for the Saint City Chapel. 766 00:45:21,880 --> 00:45:24,720 Y'all are fired up about that. Y'all are fired up about the 767 00:45:24,720 --> 00:45:27,480 truth. You are committed to the Here's 768 00:45:27,480 --> 00:45:32,240 the thing. Here's the thing, most people, 769 00:45:33,760 --> 00:45:35,920 it isn't about the danger isn't rejection. 770 00:45:36,800 --> 00:45:38,680 I mean, it's not like you guys are sitting here right now and 771 00:45:38,680 --> 00:45:42,560 going I reject, right? You're not, you're not doing 772 00:45:42,560 --> 00:45:45,880 that. For most of us, it's not about 773 00:45:45,880 --> 00:45:48,960 rejection. It's about indifference, right? 774 00:45:49,280 --> 00:45:54,400 So do I love the word now the way I once did, or have I heard 775 00:45:54,400 --> 00:45:57,040 it so long? It's just sort of a sort of a 776 00:45:57,040 --> 00:46:00,040 gone. It started to lose its edge. 777 00:46:00,280 --> 00:46:02,640 It's familiar. It's no longer treasured. 778 00:46:04,200 --> 00:46:06,520 As we close, let's zoom out for a moment. 779 00:46:09,200 --> 00:46:11,280 As a brand new, this is a brand new church. 780 00:46:12,920 --> 00:46:16,040 And as a brand new local expression of the church, Paul's 781 00:46:16,080 --> 00:46:20,040 given some pretty clear markers on how to have a healthy church. 782 00:46:20,040 --> 00:46:23,920 You got to value your leaders. You got to minister with 783 00:46:23,920 --> 00:46:26,640 awareness. You've got to cultivate this 784 00:46:26,640 --> 00:46:29,680 sort of gospel culture. You've got to celebrate the 785 00:46:29,680 --> 00:46:34,560 Spirit always, all the time. You've got to love, treasure, 786 00:46:34,560 --> 00:46:37,360 cherish the preached word. Not perfect. 787 00:46:37,360 --> 00:46:41,120 We're not perfect, OK, not flashy, but alive. 788 00:46:41,120 --> 00:46:45,520 And when you pursue these, you pursue these, you can't go 789 00:46:45,520 --> 00:46:47,160 wrong. And they won't just shape you, 790 00:46:47,400 --> 00:46:49,960 they'll shape that culture. You guys talk a lot of culture 791 00:46:49,960 --> 00:46:52,000 around you. Brandon and I spent a lot of 792 00:46:52,000 --> 00:46:54,000 time talking about the culture around you. 793 00:46:54,400 --> 00:46:56,400 He has a heart for the culture around. 794 00:46:56,880 --> 00:46:59,840 And I know that you do too. I'm telling you, if you do these 795 00:46:59,840 --> 00:47:04,000 things, this will shape the culture not just in you, but 796 00:47:04,000 --> 00:47:05,680 around you for the sake of the gospel. 797 00:47:06,880 --> 00:47:08,400 One more thing, and I'll be done. 798 00:47:09,360 --> 00:47:11,440 Reality of it is you may be here today. 799 00:47:11,640 --> 00:47:15,720 I just want to share with you this important but critical and 800 00:47:15,720 --> 00:47:19,400 critical truth. You you can go through church. 801 00:47:19,400 --> 00:47:21,920 You can be a church person. You can go to church every week 802 00:47:22,360 --> 00:47:24,400 without ever being transformed by Christ. 803 00:47:24,400 --> 00:47:27,120 You can admire the culture of Saint City, right? 804 00:47:27,600 --> 00:47:30,800 You can, you can benefit from community, community. 805 00:47:30,800 --> 00:47:36,440 You can even mimic Christian Church behaviors and still never 806 00:47:36,440 --> 00:47:40,840 be shaped by Jesus. You need Jesus. 807 00:47:41,600 --> 00:47:43,600 You don't need a bunch of rules, you need Jesus. 808 00:47:44,240 --> 00:47:47,240 You don't need an event to attend every week, you need 809 00:47:47,280 --> 00:47:49,720 Jesus Christ. Gospel hope doesn't start with a 810 00:47:49,960 --> 00:47:53,600 bunch of dudes. It starts with a person. 811 00:47:53,880 --> 00:47:56,200 And some of you, if you're honest, you're, you're on the 812 00:47:56,200 --> 00:47:59,440 outside looking in because you've never surrendered your 813 00:47:59,440 --> 00:48:02,160 life to the King of kings and the Lord of Lords and the only 814 00:48:02,160 --> 00:48:05,440 person who can make these things happen in your life. 815 00:48:05,720 --> 00:48:08,400 This is the person who came down to live the life we could never 816 00:48:08,400 --> 00:48:12,160 live and died to death. Each one of us deserved to die 817 00:48:12,160 --> 00:48:15,320 and rose again from the grave to conquer death and sin. 818 00:48:15,560 --> 00:48:18,880 The Bible says if you surrender and you receive him, you wave 819 00:48:18,880 --> 00:48:23,080 the white flag and declare him as your Lord, you will be saved 820 00:48:23,200 --> 00:48:26,640 and these things will be true in your life. 821 00:48:26,640 --> 00:48:30,480 So I want to encourage you with that as we end. 822 00:48:31,680 --> 00:48:34,440 Today's such a very good day. This is stop hovering and 823 00:48:34,440 --> 00:48:38,840 finally step into the gospel experience. 824 00:48:39,360 --> 00:48:43,360 Hope thrives in a healthy local church. 825 00:48:43,360 --> 00:48:46,280 Father, we thank you that the gospel is not just a suggestion, 826 00:48:46,280 --> 00:48:48,600 but the power for life and transformation. 827 00:48:48,600 --> 00:48:53,960 So shape, shape us. May we be willing to be shaped. 828 00:48:53,960 --> 00:48:57,000 May we be pliable and moldable. I pray for the people in here, 829 00:48:57,000 --> 00:49:01,120 maybe this morning, who have not come in connection with the King 830 00:49:01,120 --> 00:49:03,600 of Kings and the Lord of Lords. May they surrender their lives 831 00:49:03,600 --> 00:49:06,840 to you. May they run from their sin and 832 00:49:06,840 --> 00:49:13,040 run to Jesus for hope, and may Gospel hope thrive at Saint City 833 00:49:13,040 --> 00:49:16,480 Chapel as they do the work of the mission of Jesus Christ. 834 00:49:16,480 --> 00:49:19,640 To the glory of God. We pray these things in Jesus 835 00:49:19,640 --> 00:49:20,800 name, Amen.