1 00:00:02,240 --> 00:00:05,080 Oh, crossing family, it is so good to be with you on and 2 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:07,440 welcome those of you joining at our different locations, those 3 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:11,240 of you watching online and inside, and also a special 4 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:14,720 welcome to those of you who are joining us for the first time or 5 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:19,000 the first time in a long time. We are in the middle of a series 6 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:23,000 called Decisions in the Desert. All of us are going to spend 7 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:26,720 some amount of time at some point in our life in the desert. 8 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:29,400 And the decisions that you make, they will define you. 9 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:32,320 They will determine your destiny. 10 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:34,600 And today we're going to do something a little bit 11 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:36,760 different. I'm going to put on my professor 12 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:39,360 hat, which Can you imagine me being a college professor? 13 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:44,040 I would be fired quickly and but I'm going to have you. 14 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:45,880 I'm going to put on my professor hat and we're going to go to 15 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:49,440 school like old school school. And but at the very end, I have 16 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:53,960 a strong belief that you will have a new appreciation for the 17 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:57,600 work of God and the love of Jesus that has been poured out 18 00:00:57,600 --> 00:00:59,240 on your behalf. So turn to your neighbor and 19 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:03,240 just say hang on 'cause you're gonna have to hang on for a 20 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:06,920 little bit, but it'll all make sense in the end. 21 00:01:07,320 --> 00:01:12,360 We begin in the Garden of Eden. God says let us make man in our 22 00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:15,400 image. And so they created Adam and Eve 23 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:17,920 and they were in perfect harmony with God. 24 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:21,920 The Creator and His creation were in perfect harmony. 25 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:26,680 And then Adam and Eve sinned and the relationship was forever 26 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:28,960 fractured. It was changed. 27 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:35,840 Why God is holy. Exodus chapter 33 starting in 28 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:38,360 verse 18 unpacks this a bit for us. 29 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:41,160 Then Moses said, now show me your glory. 30 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:45,160 And the Lord said, I will cause all of my goodness to pass in 31 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:48,560 front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord in 32 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:51,880 your presence. I will have mercy on whom I have 33 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:54,840 mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have will 34 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:58,760 have compassion. But he said, You cannot see my 35 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:03,600 face, for no one may see my face and live. 36 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:07,320 Then the Lord said, There is a place near me where you may 37 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:11,720 stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will 38 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:15,720 put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until 39 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:19,120 I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and 40 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:24,040 you will see my back. But my face must not be seen. 41 00:02:24,640 --> 00:02:29,040 If you were to be in the presence of a holy God, you 42 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:33,320 would be destroyed. God's holiness is really hard 43 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:37,920 for us to kind of comprehend. Holy means separate, different, 44 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:42,680 all together, apart. I'm going to explain this to you 45 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:46,880 in two ways. One is old school and one is if 46 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:48,400 you were to be hanging out in my house. 47 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:53,440 Here's the old school version. The Latin word for book is 48 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,160 Bible. So if you were to be in a place 49 00:02:56,160 --> 00:02:59,080 that spoke Latin, you could say and you were say, hey, I need a 50 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:00,760 book. You would say, hey, I need a 51 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:02,360 Bible. Well, you'd have to come up with 52 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:07,320 different words for hey, I need a but book and Bible, same word 53 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:11,280 and you're going, that's kind of weird because I have a Bible. 54 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,480 And when we say Bible, we mean something different than just a 55 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:17,880 book. We mean the book, which is why 56 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:21,360 even on your app, or if you were to open up the real Bible that 57 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:24,640 you have either on the front or on the title page, there's a 58 00:03:24,640 --> 00:03:27,800 different word. There's an adjective describing 59 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:34,440 this book, this Bible. The word is holy, the Holy 60 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:40,080 Bible, the altogether different Bible, the separate Bible, or 61 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:43,480 the altogether different book. There are lots of books, but 62 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,480 there's only one that is completely different than all 63 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:50,240 the others because all the other books contain the words of man, 64 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:52,960 but this book contains the words of God. 65 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:58,160 This book is holy. Here is how I describe it. 66 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:02,280 If you were hanging out in my house, in our house and and 67 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:04,440 husband's plate cool here because I want you to be able to 68 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:06,120 ride home with the woman that you came with. 69 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:10,320 But we have a bunch of towels in our house. 70 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:13,160 We have towels for you drying off our hands. 71 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:15,040 We have towels for drying off our bodies. 72 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:17,519 But then if you were to go into the kitchen, we have kitchen 73 00:04:17,519 --> 00:04:18,839 towels for you to dry off your hand. 74 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:21,040 But then we have these other towels. 75 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:27,360 They're called decorative towels, and these towels are 76 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:29,000 different than all the other towels. 77 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:35,760 These towels are holy. And what we do, ladies, because 78 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:39,120 you guys are smart. You hang your decorative towel 79 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:43,120 in the most convenient place for a towel that you would use to be 80 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:46,040 hung. So that way when you get done 81 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:48,520 and you turn to use the towel that's right there hanging on 82 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:50,960 the oven door, you're not allowed to use that towel. 83 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:54,640 This towel just for us to look at. 84 00:04:55,280 --> 00:04:58,760 Now, I want you to go home and look in the mirror, ladies, when 85 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:02,440 you were in high school, college, you're an absolute 86 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:06,920 smoke show. And I want you to tell old you, 87 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:11,680 when you get older, you're going to look for cute little sayings 88 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:14,000 to put on towels to decorate your house with. 89 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:17,920 Say that to your daughter. Say, sweetie, there's a day 90 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:20,320 coming when you're going to be going. 91 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:23,720 Oh, yeah, We're going to put towels with words on them all 92 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:26,880 over our house. Yeah, that your high school 93 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:29,400 daughter would go. You're weird because, ladies, 94 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:34,800 you're weird. And then you get mad at us for 95 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:37,480 using the towel that has words on it. 96 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:39,160 That's still just a normal towel. 97 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:44,600 You wonder why, Fellas, this kitchen towel is holy. 98 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:49,200 It's altogether different. It may have some qualities like 99 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:52,320 the other towels, but no, this towel has been set apart. 100 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:57,720 It is holy unto your wife. Now, after the Israelites have 101 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:03,120 been given the law, God tells Moses to build him a Tabernacle, 102 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:09,360 which is a tent, a temporary dwelling place. 103 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:15,320 And this Tabernacle was going to be a portable place of worship. 104 00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:18,360 The reason is because God has been separated from his people 105 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:21,480 because of sin, but he wants to be in the presence of his 106 00:06:21,480 --> 00:06:23,960 people. And so they begin to build the 107 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:27,480 tent, the Tabernacle, and they're the people will be able 108 00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:31,560 to worship God and offer the sacrifices for their sins that 109 00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:35,040 they had committed as a result of failing to live up to the 110 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:39,040 standard of the law. Here's how it goes down. 111 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:43,400 It was going to be a special place inside of this Tabernacle 112 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:48,200 where God's presence would dwell in the midst of his people. 113 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:53,520 God is trying to get back in the presence of his people. 114 00:06:53,840 --> 00:06:58,520 It began by creating a courtyard that was about 75 feet by 150 115 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:03,120 feet, making the square footage of this courtyard about 11,000 116 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:05,440 square feet. And as you entered the 117 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:08,440 courtyard, the very first thing that you would see would be the 118 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:12,520 altar of burnt offering. Now, the altar of burnt offering 119 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:16,400 was a square structure about 7 1/2 feet on each side and about 120 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:20,480 four and a half feet tall. And upon this altar, every 121 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:24,960 morning and every evening, a lamb was sacrificed on behalf of 122 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:26,680 the people to pay for their sins. 123 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:30,080 In addition to this sacrifice, there were many other sacrifices 124 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:33,320 that would take place on Sabbath days and during special days on 125 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:36,600 their calendar. There were burnt offerings. 126 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:39,120 There were grain offerings. There were fellowship offerings. 127 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:42,680 There were sin offerings. There were guilt offerings. 128 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:45,840 Have you ever experienced sin and guilt and shame? 129 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:48,480 You would pay for that if you ever made a mistake. 130 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:52,160 If you were an Israelite, you were constantly paying for your 131 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:57,280 sins in sacrifices. Exodus chapter 29, verse 37 and 132 00:07:57,280 --> 00:07:59,720 record these words for seven days. 133 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:03,120 Make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. 134 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:10,720 Then the altar will be most holy, and whatever touches it 135 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:16,520 will be holy. Whatever touches the altar of 136 00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:20,160 burnt offering, where the sacrifices of sins take place 137 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:25,720 will be holy. Past the altar of burnt offering 138 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:28,960 was a place called the Lavar or the lava. 139 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:33,640 Here this structure was placed right before they went into the 140 00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:36,640 tab or the Tabernacle. It was a place for the priest to 141 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:40,799 wash themselves, to purify themselves for their duties. 142 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:44,520 And before you could walk into the next place, the Tabernacle, 143 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:47,400 it was the last thing that they would encounter before they went 144 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:50,920 into what the Bible records as the Holy Place. 145 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:55,640 You see on the afar side of the courtyard, there was the 146 00:08:55,640 --> 00:08:59,120 Tabernacle. It was 45 feet by 15 feet. 147 00:08:59,560 --> 00:09:03,400 It had walls that were 15 feet high and it had large pieces of 148 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:06,480 fabric draped over the top. It was a big tent. 149 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:09,600 And this Tabernacle had two rooms in it. 150 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:12,920 The first room that you entered was the Holy Place. 151 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:17,000 It was a rectangle about 30 feet by 15 feet with 15 foot high 152 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:19,800 walls. And it had three items in it. 153 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:23,240 If you look right over here, they have the table of presents. 154 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:28,600 It was a small table and on it were 12 loaves of bread that 155 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:31,040 were placed there every single week. 156 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:36,520 This signified the 12 tribes or the 12 families of the 157 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:39,920 Israelites. It signified them as a people 158 00:09:39,920 --> 00:09:44,280 group, the sons of Jacob or Israel. 159 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:47,120 Then on the other side was a lampstand. 160 00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:50,880 The word for lampstand is menorah for those of you who've 161 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:54,200 ever hung out with people who have Jewish descent. 162 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:58,240 It was made of pure gold. And every morning and every 163 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:01,800 evening they would pure pour, they would pour pure olive oil 164 00:10:02,080 --> 00:10:05,680 into it to to light it. So that way it was continually 165 00:10:05,680 --> 00:10:09,040 burning and giving light to the holy place. 166 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:12,320 And then before you could go into the next room, you'd be 167 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:14,800 confronted with the altar of incense. 168 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:18,800 Here at the altar of incense, both morning and evening, they 169 00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:22,360 were to burn incense on the altar as a regular offering to 170 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:25,080 the Lord. The fire was to burn. 171 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:27,720 Incense was always taken from the altar of burnt offering. 172 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:30,840 Ladies, this is where you get your spiritual reasoning for 173 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:32,720 having a Sensi burner in your house. 174 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:35,600 This they were. The God was the original Sensi 175 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:37,640 distributor. He's like on a regular basis 176 00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:40,120 we're going to have smell good stuff through the whole house. 177 00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:43,800 And they would go in order to light the altar of incense. 178 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:46,200 They would go out and they would get the hot coals and the fire 179 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:48,440 from the altar of burnt offering, and they would bring 180 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:50,840 it in and they would light it and the fragrant offering would 181 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:55,080 ascend up to the Lord. Separating the holy place from 182 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:59,200 the next room, which was the most Holy Place or the Holy of 183 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:03,840 Holies, was a veil, a large curtain that was 15 feet tall, 184 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:08,280 15 feet wide, and it was 4 inches thick. 185 00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:12,680 And if you were to go inside of there, what you'd find is you'd 186 00:11:12,680 --> 00:11:16,040 find the arc of the covenant. It was about four and a half 187 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:19,520 feet long and 2 1/2 feet wide and 2 1/2 feet high. 188 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:23,200 It was a wooden chest but had been completely covered inside 189 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:28,600 and out in pure gold and inside the ark were the stone tablets 190 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:32,000 that God had written the 10 commandments on as well as a jar 191 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:34,840 of manna because remember God was providing food for them 192 00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:40,160 every morning with manna. The ark was covered by a solid 193 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:46,280 gold lid called the Atonement cover or the Mercy Seat. 194 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:50,640 And sitting on top of this mercy seat, this cover, were gold 195 00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:54,280 figures of cherubim, which were Angel like creatures facing each 196 00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:56,120 other with their wings almost touching. 197 00:11:56,920 --> 00:12:03,200 And it was here at this mercy seat that the presence of God 198 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:09,080 would descend and God would be in the midst of his people. 199 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:14,680 All of this was put in place so that way a holy God could be 200 00:12:14,680 --> 00:12:20,320 close to his fallen people. So they did this. 201 00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:22,680 They did all the things that God required. 202 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:26,440 They finished completing the Tabernacle, and this is what 203 00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:32,040 happens in Exodus chapter 40. Then the cloud covered the tent 204 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:36,000 of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. 205 00:12:36,160 --> 00:12:39,520 Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had 206 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:43,960 settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. 207 00:12:44,840 --> 00:12:47,760 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud 208 00:12:47,760 --> 00:12:50,720 lifted from above the Tabernacle, they would set out, 209 00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:54,560 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out until the 210 00:12:54,560 --> 00:12:58,640 day it lifted. So the cloud of the Lord was 211 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:03,120 over the Tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, 212 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:07,920 and insight of the Israelites during all of their travels. 213 00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:11,480 So if you were an Israelite, you would be able to peer into the 214 00:13:11,480 --> 00:13:15,360 courtyard and you could see the Tabernacle, and above the Most 215 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:17,880 Holy Place, it was a pillar of cloud. 216 00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:21,320 And if the cloud moved, the people knew to pack up, because 217 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:24,320 if God was on the move, the people of God were going to be 218 00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:27,000 on the move because God and his people were going to be 219 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:29,560 together. But if the cloud stayed, the 220 00:13:29,560 --> 00:13:31,840 people stayed. And as they went to bed at 221 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:33,920 night, they could see the pillar of fire. 222 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:38,280 And God had descended. He had rested in the most Holy 223 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:40,840 Place. He had sent his presence there 224 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:45,360 to be close to the people. Much later, the Israelites take 225 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:49,840 possession of the promised land, which is modern day Israel, and 226 00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:53,720 they set up their capital city in a city called Jerusalem. 227 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:57,520 Yeah, you know that one, the one that's in the news. 228 00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:02,400 And here King David is allowed to accumulate all of the 229 00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:06,880 necessary materials to move away from the Tabernacle, a temporary 230 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:11,920 place to worship God and create a temple, a permanent place to 231 00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:15,600 worship God. But he wasn't allowed to build 232 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:20,480 it, but his son Solomon was. And Solomon built this permanent 233 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:24,080 place of worship, the temple. And when the temple was 234 00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:27,040 completed, Solomon finished dedicating it. 235 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:30,960 Fire came down from heaven, consumed all the burnt 236 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:35,920 offerings, and the glory of the Lord filled that place. 237 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:42,200 Later this temple is destroyed and King Herod came or Herod the 238 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:46,560 Great came along and rebuilt it over many, many years. 239 00:14:47,040 --> 00:14:50,200 It is this temple that was rebuilt by Herod that is the 240 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:52,920 temple during the lifetime of Jesus. 241 00:14:53,040 --> 00:14:56,400 So when Jesus is walking around in Jerusalem and he's talking 242 00:14:56,400 --> 00:15:00,200 about the temple, he's talking about the one that Solomon built 243 00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:04,280 was destroyed and Herod the Great had rebuilt. 244 00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:06,800 Let's look at actually what happens when Jesus walks onto 245 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:10,080 the scene. John records these words. 246 00:15:10,640 --> 00:15:14,480 John chapter 1. In the beginning was the Word, 247 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:19,920 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 248 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:22,800 He was with God in the beginning. 249 00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:24,440 Through Him all things were made. 250 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:28,600 Without Him nothing was made that has been made. 251 00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:35,200 In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 252 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:37,560 The light. The light shines in the 253 00:15:37,560 --> 00:15:40,520 darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it. 254 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:48,160 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the 255 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:51,560 world. He was in the world, and though 256 00:15:51,560 --> 00:15:56,440 the world was made through him, the world did not recognize Him. 257 00:15:57,280 --> 00:16:01,440 He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive 258 00:16:01,440 --> 00:16:05,040 him. Yet to all who receive Him, to 259 00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:10,440 those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become 260 00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:15,080 children of God. These children are not born of 261 00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:20,280 natural descent, nor of a human decision or a husband's will, 262 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:29,040 but born of God. The Word became flesh and made 263 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:34,840 His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the 264 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:39,600 glory of the one and only Son who came from the Father, full 265 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:44,000 of grace and truth. Let me unpack a couple of the 266 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:51,440 highlighted parts. This Word is God, and this God, 267 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:56,040 this Word is coming in the flesh. 268 00:16:56,920 --> 00:17:02,520 God is descending again into the midst of his people. 269 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:09,040 He has wrapped himself in skin, in humanity, in the person of 270 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:15,440 Jesus, and it says and made his dwelling, the word here, 271 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:20,000 Tabernacle. He's tenting. 272 00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:23,920 God is in the midst of his people. 273 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:28,319 He's setting up a tent to be in the presence of the people that 274 00:17:28,319 --> 00:17:31,120 don't deserve to be in his presence. 275 00:17:31,360 --> 00:17:34,680 We are. He is tabernacling with us in 276 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:37,040 Jesus. And in the very next chapter, 277 00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:42,320 Jesus goes to the temple and he starts to drive people out of 278 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:45,640 the temple who are acting in a way in which they should not 279 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:48,120 act. And people are frustrated by 280 00:17:48,120 --> 00:17:50,040 this and they begin to question him. 281 00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:51,680 Why are you doing what you're doing? 282 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:54,560 And this is what it says in John chapter 2, verse 18. 283 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:58,080 The Jews then responded to him, him as Jesus. 284 00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:02,240 What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all 285 00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:03,600 this? By what authority do you get to 286 00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:07,840 kick people out of this temple? Jesus answered them. 287 00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:12,520 Destroy this temple. And I will raise it again in 288 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:18,880 three days, they replied. It has taken 46 years to build 289 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:23,880 this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days. 290 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:28,160 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 291 00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:32,200 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled 292 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:35,040 what he had said. They believe the Scripture and 293 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:40,440 the words that Jesus had spoken. The Jews are looking at Jesus 294 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:45,200 and Jesus says destroy this temple and I'll raise it again 295 00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:48,880 in three days. And the Jews are like this big 296 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:53,040 building temple. It's taken us 46 years, but 297 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:57,720 Jesus is talking about him because Jesus is tabernacling, 298 00:18:57,720 --> 00:19:02,800 He's tempting, He's templing with his people. 299 00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:07,960 Fast forward to Jesus on the cross, Matthew chapter 27. 300 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:12,520 I want us to pick up right here. From noon until 3:00 in the 301 00:19:12,520 --> 00:19:15,080 afternoon, darkness came over all the land. 302 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:19,120 About 3:00 in the afternoon, Jesus cried out in a loud voice. 303 00:19:19,360 --> 00:19:24,600 Eli, Eli, Lama Sabakhthanai, which means my God, my God, why 304 00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:28,480 have you forsaken me? And when Jesus had cried out 305 00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:32,480 again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 306 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:37,920 That's verse 50. Why is God forsaking Jesus? 307 00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:44,800 Because in that moment Jesus is covered in all of my sin and all 308 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:50,440 of your sin, and God is holy, and God cannot be in the 309 00:19:50,440 --> 00:19:54,560 presence of sin. And so Jesus, for the very first 310 00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:59,640 time is experiencing the absence and the separation from God, 311 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:03,400 because he is covered in what you and I have done. 312 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:06,480 Jesus, who has always been in the presence of the Father, has 313 00:20:06,480 --> 00:20:08,560 now been removed from the presence of the Father. 314 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:12,880 Because God is holy and Jesus is covered in what you and I 315 00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:16,280 deserve. Look at what happens in the very 316 00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:20,360 next verse, Matthew 27, verse 51. 317 00:20:21,120 --> 00:20:24,920 At that moment, the moment that Jesus cried out His last name, 318 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:30,920 gave up His Spirit, the curtain of the temple was torn in two 319 00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:37,080 from top to bottom, you see, in the most Holy Place, and we're 320 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:39,440 going to get into this next week, the place that you and I 321 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:42,200 were not allowed to go into because the presence of God was 322 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:44,440 in there. All of a sudden, because Jesus 323 00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:47,560 is dying on the cross, the curtain is torn, not from the 324 00:20:47,560 --> 00:20:50,360 bottom to the top where the people grabbed a hold and ripped 325 00:20:50,360 --> 00:20:52,320 it. But it is if God himself placed 326 00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:55,840 his hands on the temple that separated us from His presence. 327 00:20:55,840 --> 00:20:59,960 And he rips it in half with his own hands, saying that you and I 328 00:20:59,960 --> 00:21:02,080 can now be in the presence of Him. 329 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:07,640 Because the that which made us unholy has now been purified by 330 00:21:07,640 --> 00:21:12,920 the One who always was holy. You see, there's no longer a 331 00:21:12,960 --> 00:21:17,360 barrier between US and God. We have access to the Father. 332 00:21:17,360 --> 00:21:20,920 But hear me, it doesn't end there. 333 00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:24,240 Let's recap. In the Garden of Eden, people 334 00:21:24,240 --> 00:21:26,240 are separated from God because of sin. 335 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:29,440 God makes a Tabernacle in the desert so the people could be in 336 00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:31,960 the presence of God. Then they make a temple, which 337 00:21:31,960 --> 00:21:35,240 is a permanent place for people to be in the presence of God and 338 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:39,080 have their sins atoned for. Then God comes as a temple in 339 00:21:39,080 --> 00:21:42,800 Jesus and becomes the place for us to be in the presence of God. 340 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:46,440 And then Jesus goes on the cross and removes the need for the 341 00:21:46,440 --> 00:21:49,000 temple so that way we could be in the presence of God. 342 00:21:49,120 --> 00:21:51,360 But it just keeps getting getting better. 343 00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:56,360 You see, in Acts chapter 2 we find these words on the day of 344 00:21:56,360 --> 00:21:59,000 Pentecost. This is 50 days after Jesus was 345 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:01,720 on the cross. They were all together in one 346 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:05,040 place. Suddenly a sound like the 347 00:22:05,040 --> 00:22:09,160 blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole 348 00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:12,920 house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be 349 00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:18,760 tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of 350 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:22,920 them. All of them were filled with the 351 00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:26,960 Holy Spirit. There's lots of spirits, but 352 00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:29,200 there's only one that's all together different. 353 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:32,560 There's only one that has God like qualities. 354 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:35,480 There's only one God, and here he comes. 355 00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:39,280 And he began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled 356 00:22:39,280 --> 00:22:42,040 them. Hold on a second, when God was 357 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:46,000 on the mountain giving Moses the 10 commandments, it was filled 358 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:48,840 with fire and smoke and lightning and Thunder. 359 00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:52,880 And when God descended into the Tabernacle, His presence filled 360 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:54,880 the place. And then when God entered the 361 00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:58,280 temple, His presence filled and His glory filled the place. 362 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:01,040 And there was fire that consecrated absolutely 363 00:23:01,360 --> 00:23:03,960 everything. And then all of a sudden, hold 364 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:05,160 on a second. What? 365 00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:10,640 The Spirit is descending not on a place, but on a people. 366 00:23:12,680 --> 00:23:17,960 God is taking up residence in His people. 367 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:22,840 He is making His people a temple. 368 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:27,640 He is consecrating it and removing the barrier. 369 00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:30,600 You see, we don't just have access to God. 370 00:23:30,760 --> 00:23:35,120 We are becoming, through Jesus, the residence of God. 371 00:23:35,480 --> 00:23:38,800 You and I get to become the temple. 372 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:43,440 That is why the very first sermon ended with these life 373 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:48,520 changing, soul altering words. Watch how Peter describes it. 374 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:51,880 Acts chapter 2. Peter replied. 375 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:59,400 Repent and be baptized everyone of you, in the name of Jesus 376 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:05,960 Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive 377 00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:14,760 the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you and all 378 00:24:14,760 --> 00:24:20,920 of your children, and who all who are far off, for all whom 379 00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:27,520 the Lord our God will call. When you and I come to faith in 380 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:31,960 Jesus, our sins are forgiven because of the work that He is 381 00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:36,160 done, and then He places His presence in US. 382 00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:40,960 And when this happens, look at how Paul describes it in 383 00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:46,160 Ephesians chapter 2. Consequently you are no longer 384 00:24:46,320 --> 00:24:51,520 foreigners or strangers, but fellow citizens with God's 385 00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:56,520 people, and also members of His household built on the 386 00:24:56,520 --> 00:25:00,920 foundation of the apostles and prophets, which with Jesus 387 00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:07,360 Christ Himself as the chief cornerstone in Him the whole 388 00:25:07,360 --> 00:25:12,520 building is joined together and it rises to become a holy temple 389 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:19,200 in the Lord. And in Him you 2 are being built 390 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:26,200 together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit. 391 00:25:27,360 --> 00:25:30,760 Now let me take the professor hat off and let me preach for a 392 00:25:30,760 --> 00:25:33,560 second. Look back at the temple. 393 00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:38,280 Your sins and my sins are atoned for through the blood of Christ 394 00:25:38,280 --> 00:25:41,160 that was shed on the cross, the altar of burnt offering. 395 00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:44,080 And whatever touches the blood, whatever touches the altar, 396 00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:48,920 becomes holy unto the Lord. You move past this, and we go to 397 00:25:48,920 --> 00:25:52,480 the law of our which are sins are washed away in the waters of 398 00:25:52,480 --> 00:25:55,080 baptism. We go into the the holy place 399 00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:59,240 and Jesus is the bread of life and we are continually before 400 00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:02,680 him in his presence. But this is not just the 12 401 00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:05,480 tribes. This is for all who call on the 402 00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:08,080 name of the Lord. And we look over to the other 403 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:11,080 side and we see the lampstand and we remember that Jesus is 404 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:13,560 the light of the world. But it's not just Jesus that is 405 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:16,120 the light of the world. Because of what he has done in 406 00:26:16,120 --> 00:26:18,720 us, we too become the light of the world. 407 00:26:18,720 --> 00:26:21,880 A city on a hill, a lamp on a stand that should not be hidden. 408 00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:25,480 And then we go past that into the altar of incense, and the 409 00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:28,880 Bible tells us that when we lift our prayers, it is an incense 410 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:34,800 unto God, a fragrant offering to Him when we walk in love towards 411 00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:37,680 one another. This is why you and I are to 412 00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:41,440 live a life worthy of the calling we have received because 413 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:46,000 we have been made holy. Because He is holy. 414 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:53,040 God has been making you and I into a temple, a place for us to 415 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:57,040 be able to worship and experience the closeness and the 416 00:26:57,040 --> 00:27:00,600 proximity of God. And not only that, we are a 417 00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:04,080 place when other people come into contact with us, that they 418 00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:07,200 have an opportunity to come into contact with the life changing 419 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:12,360 power of the Holy Spirit. We are the temple of the living 420 00:27:12,360 --> 00:27:19,280 God. God is Emmanuel, He is with us. 421 00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:24,480 And when the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our lives, God 422 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:30,000 is in us. God is going through all of this 423 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:37,160 work, all the way back to from Eden to get back to you, to make 424 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:41,640 you a place where He can be in an intimate, personal 425 00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:47,000 relationship with you. And guess what happens when you 426 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:51,040 get to heaven? We are forever in the physical 427 00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:57,080 presence of God because there's no longer any sin, there's no 428 00:27:57,080 --> 00:28:00,960 longer any shame, there's no longer any guilt because we have 429 00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:03,440 been made right by the work of Jesus. 430 00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:06,800 We've been cleansed in the waters of baptism and the Holy 431 00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:11,160 Spirit, the presence of God, has taken up residence in our lives. 432 00:28:11,360 --> 00:28:14,280 And you might be asking yourself, who is this promise 433 00:28:14,280 --> 00:28:17,560 for? This is for everyone. 434 00:28:18,600 --> 00:28:23,160 It is for you and for your children and all who are far 435 00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:25,960 off. And I just want those of you who 436 00:28:25,960 --> 00:28:32,120 might find yourself far off. God is a whole lot closer than 437 00:28:32,120 --> 00:28:33,680 you think. We're moving to a time of 438 00:28:33,680 --> 00:28:41,040 decision. If you're here today and you've 439 00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:43,920 never started an intimate personal relationship with Jesus 440 00:28:43,920 --> 00:28:46,760 Christ, you might be going Clayton, I love this. 441 00:28:46,880 --> 00:28:48,880 I'd love to be, you know, part of this little temple thing 442 00:28:48,880 --> 00:28:50,880 you're talking about. But I got to be honest with you, 443 00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:52,720 I'm not the best building material. 444 00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:54,960 I'm kind of, I'm a little jacked up. 445 00:28:55,960 --> 00:28:58,000 You know, some of my edges have been kind of worn off. 446 00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:03,200 And of all the rocks in the rock garden, I'm not the most, I'm 447 00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:05,880 not the best rock. And I, I just want you to know, 448 00:29:06,760 --> 00:29:09,920 welcome to the club. That's kind of where we all are. 449 00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:12,960 And the good news is, is that it's not about the quality of 450 00:29:12,960 --> 00:29:14,200 the rock. It's about the quality of the 451 00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:16,640 architect and the builder. And God can build beautiful 452 00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:19,880 things out of bust up pieces. For instance, if you were to go 453 00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:22,640 to like an old school church, you know what the the people 454 00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:24,600 there get super frustrated if you take out of there. 455 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:27,240 They get super frustrated if you take out the stained glass 456 00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:30,320 windows. And stained glass windows are 457 00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:33,520 just broken pieces of glass arranged in such a way that they 458 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:38,440 reflect all kinds of beauty. Let that be a testimony to you 459 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:42,000 that even though you may be broken and you may not have the 460 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:44,920 same shade as everybody else, and your sin looks a little bit 461 00:29:44,920 --> 00:29:47,960 different than everybody else's, when you are placed in the hands 462 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:51,240 of Jesus, He can make something beautiful out of it. 463 00:29:52,440 --> 00:29:55,000 The question is not whether or not you're busted up and broken. 464 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:57,600 The question is, is whether or not you are busted up and broken 465 00:29:57,600 --> 00:30:00,400 and you are willing to place your hands or your life in the 466 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:03,000 hands of the builder, the chief architect. 467 00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:06,640 And I would just tell you from my personal experience, the best 468 00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:09,480 decision I ever made was making Jesus Christ, the Lord and 469 00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:11,600 Savior of my life, and beginning an intimate, personal 470 00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:14,680 relationship with him. My biggest regret is that I 471 00:30:14,680 --> 00:30:17,040 didn't do it sooner. And you might be going, Clayton, 472 00:30:17,360 --> 00:30:19,200 I get it. That's just what you know you're 473 00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:21,320 supposed to say. But I want you to know that I'm 474 00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:22,880 not the only person who believes that. 475 00:30:23,440 --> 00:30:26,280 In fact, this room is filled and this region is filled with 476 00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:28,360 people who that is their testimony. 477 00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:31,080 And if you're going, you know what, I think this is great. 478 00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:33,440 And in about a month and a half, I really think I'm going to have 479 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:35,760 things figured out and I'm really going to turn my life 480 00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:37,880 over to Jesus. What I would tell you is that if 481 00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:42,920 you could figure things out, God wouldn't have sent Jesus if you 482 00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:44,800 could get it together in the right kind of way. 483 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:48,000 This is not, hear me, this is not about you getting it right. 484 00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:51,120 God has already got it right in Jesus. 485 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:56,000 This is about you receiving what Jesus has done on your behalf. 486 00:30:56,280 --> 00:30:59,680 Our job is believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of living 487 00:30:59,680 --> 00:31:02,240 God. Our job is believing in His work 488 00:31:02,240 --> 00:31:04,920 on our behalf. Our job is repenting for doing 489 00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:07,400 it our own way. Our job is being obedient in the 490 00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:10,920 waters of baptism and our job is to receive the Holy Spirit that 491 00:31:10,920 --> 00:31:13,120 He is aching to pour out into your life. 492 00:31:13,920 --> 00:31:15,520 And if you're here today and you've never started that 493 00:31:15,520 --> 00:31:16,840 relationship, I'll just encourage you. 494 00:31:17,160 --> 00:31:19,360 While the people around you stand and worship and some of 495 00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:22,240 them come to the steps and pray. I want to encourage you to take 496 00:31:22,240 --> 00:31:25,080 a faith filled walk right over there underneath that screen 497 00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:28,080 next to the baptistry and talk to somebody about what it means 498 00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:31,800 to start that relationship, to put your life in His hands. 499 00:31:32,560 --> 00:31:35,120 To the rest of you, to those of you who already have a 500 00:31:35,120 --> 00:31:40,120 relationship with Jesus Christ, you are supposed to be a temple 501 00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:49,680 residents of God. His Spirit is supposed to 502 00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:55,240 produce fruit in your life. And when people come in contact 503 00:31:55,240 --> 00:31:59,600 with you, they're supposed to be coming into contact with the 504 00:31:59,600 --> 00:32:05,520 presence of God as His Spirit controls you, directs you, 505 00:32:06,600 --> 00:32:09,920 empowers you. And that's why the cry of the 506 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:15,560 New Testament is for you and I to live in a manner worthy of 507 00:32:15,560 --> 00:32:19,880 the calling we have received. So the Bible says that you and I 508 00:32:19,880 --> 00:32:25,360 are ambassadors as if God himself were making his appeal 509 00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:27,720 through us. And if we were to just kind of 510 00:32:27,720 --> 00:32:31,120 leave the sermon where we're a temple of God, we'd all high 5 511 00:32:31,120 --> 00:32:36,160 each other and we'd leave here. But I, you just, you know me 512 00:32:36,160 --> 00:32:38,080 well enough to know that that's not where we're going to end. 513 00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:46,160 My question is, do the people in your family, do the people that 514 00:32:46,160 --> 00:32:53,280 you work with at work, get the impression that a temple clocked 515 00:32:53,280 --> 00:33:00,440 in, that the presence of God is in the cubicle, that there's 516 00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:05,400 something altogether different, separate, set apart? 517 00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:08,000 Like Clayton? Leave my workplace out of it. 518 00:33:08,560 --> 00:33:12,160 Leave my marriage out of it. You don't understand. 519 00:33:13,080 --> 00:33:17,400 This good news is not just for your children, it's for all who 520 00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:23,760 are far off. And God is wanting to use you as 521 00:33:23,760 --> 00:33:28,440 a temple, as a place for other people to begin their connection 522 00:33:28,560 --> 00:33:30,600 with Him. And so I know some of you are 523 00:33:30,600 --> 00:33:32,840 going to come to the steps and pray because you've got health 524 00:33:32,840 --> 00:33:35,280 stuff going on in your life. I know some of you are going to 525 00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:37,720 come up to the steps and pray because you've got marriage 526 00:33:37,720 --> 00:33:40,800 stuff going on in your life and you've got parenting stuff going 527 00:33:40,800 --> 00:33:43,360 on in your life and you've got work stuff going on in your 528 00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:44,600 life. And I, I get all of that. 529 00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:48,000 But maybe some of us would, whether we come up to the steps 530 00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:51,960 or we want to bend a knee in our seat, just spend a little bit 531 00:33:51,960 --> 00:33:54,760 time going. God help me to be holy like 532 00:33:54,760 --> 00:33:56,720 you've created me to be. Would you stand with me, 533 00:33:58,520 --> 00:34:07,080 Heavenly Father? It is crazy to me, all that you 534 00:34:07,080 --> 00:34:12,800 have gone through to be in relationship with us because 535 00:34:12,800 --> 00:34:16,800 God, we know us and we know we don't deserve it. 536 00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:24,920 And I can't imagine how much it frustrates you when you hear us 537 00:34:24,920 --> 00:34:27,400 say things like, you know the God of the Old Testament. 538 00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:34,280 We try to explain it away because here you are at the very 539 00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:38,199 beginning, revealing the redemptive arc that you are 540 00:34:38,199 --> 00:34:42,639 doing on our behalf. And God, I'm thankful you have 541 00:34:42,639 --> 00:34:45,040 big shoulders because we say all kinds of things in our 542 00:34:45,040 --> 00:34:49,199 frustration at you, accuse you of doing all kinds of wrong that 543 00:34:49,199 --> 00:34:54,560 you've never done. But here you are, still pursuing 544 00:34:54,560 --> 00:35:03,120 us, still purifying us, still making us new, still doing 545 00:35:03,120 --> 00:35:07,200 everything in your power to be in proximity to us. 546 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:11,600 God, thank you for making us holy, something we could have 547 00:35:11,600 --> 00:35:14,440 never done ourselves. But God, we're going to need 548 00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:17,440 your strength to be your holy people to a lost world. 549 00:35:17,440 --> 00:35:19,120 And you're in my praying. Amen.