1 00:00:00,460 --> 00:00:06,550 So a fun fact about the maji the very first solo I ever sang in 2 00:00:06,560 --> 00:00:10,950 church. I was nine years old and it was, 3 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:13,110 it was about, it was a little song about the magi. 4 00:00:13,340 --> 00:00:14,900 We things. What's that? 5 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:16,050 We? No, no, no, it's not. 6 00:00:16,059 --> 00:00:18,750 No, it was some like random like little Christmas production we 7 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:20,470 did. And I can still hear. 8 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:22,300 I did like singing to my little falsetto voice. 9 00:00:22,310 --> 00:00:23,580 I'm not going to sing it right now. 10 00:00:23,620 --> 00:00:25,200 Maybe I'll sing it for you after, OK? 11 00:00:25,210 --> 00:00:32,870 OK, Hey friend, welcome to another episode of the Sunday 12 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:36,210 Sit down and we are happy to have you joining us wherever 13 00:00:36,220 --> 00:00:39,150 that may be. Happy almost Christmas, Merry 14 00:00:39,160 --> 00:00:41,510 almost Christmas. We're we're most of the way 15 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:43,090 there. I mean, I've even got my 16 00:00:43,100 --> 00:00:44,730 Christmas tree sweater on today. You do. 17 00:00:44,740 --> 00:00:47,100 So absolutely, those who are just listening, you're missing 18 00:00:47,110 --> 00:00:51,040 out. You are listen, we know that 19 00:00:51,050 --> 00:00:53,590 many of you are already starting into your plans and into your 20 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:57,400 travels and are maybe joining us from a whole variety of places. 21 00:00:57,630 --> 00:00:59,220 Welcome. Glad to have you. 22 00:00:59,290 --> 00:01:03,560 We are jumping into a conversation around the story 23 00:01:03,570 --> 00:01:08,540 from Matthew 21 to 18 ish one to yeah. 24 00:01:08,610 --> 00:01:13,900 And it's the story of the Magi and their visit to Jesus. 25 00:01:13,910 --> 00:01:15,760 We're not going to get into there are a lot of technical 26 00:01:15,770 --> 00:01:19,520 questions about this story, like when did it happen? 27 00:01:20,690 --> 00:01:25,920 Did it happen with so when you know a lot of different things 28 00:01:25,930 --> 00:01:28,460 like that. And I don't think we're gonna 29 00:01:28,470 --> 00:01:32,500 get into all of those questions, but I wanted to start just with 30 00:01:32,510 --> 00:01:37,980 one thing that didn't make it into the sermon explicitly. 31 00:01:38,260 --> 00:01:40,280 Tell me more. So the one thing that didn't 32 00:01:40,290 --> 00:01:44,660 make it into the sermon about these magi who visited Jesus is 33 00:01:44,670 --> 00:01:47,290 not the fact that, you know, maybe they visited him right 34 00:01:47,300 --> 00:01:49,890 after he was born. Probably he was actually maybe a 35 00:01:49,900 --> 00:01:52,380 couple years old. We're not sure. 36 00:01:52,430 --> 00:01:54,930 Definitely took months for them to get there, which, you know, 37 00:01:54,940 --> 00:01:57,560 we might get into. But the one thing that that 38 00:01:57,570 --> 00:02:00,220 didn't make it into my sermon explicitly that I think is worth 39 00:02:00,230 --> 00:02:05,180 mentioning is that Matthew is doing something really specific 40 00:02:05,190 --> 00:02:07,960 with this story. And what he's doing, and I kind 41 00:02:07,970 --> 00:02:13,300 of alluded to it, is he is declaring Jesus from the very 42 00:02:13,310 --> 00:02:18,020 beginning to be king, not only of the Jews, like they were 43 00:02:18,030 --> 00:02:21,030 anticipating Messiah, not just to them, Savior not just to 44 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:24,040 them, but Savior for the whole world. 45 00:02:24,370 --> 00:02:28,860 So to the entire world. And that's the IT I think we can 46 00:02:28,870 --> 00:02:32,670 lose 1 of the things that I was I even just in my own reading 47 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:35,300 and research and thinking and praying through the message is 48 00:02:35,310 --> 00:02:37,880 like, I've heard this story. I don't know how many hundreds 49 00:02:37,890 --> 00:02:45,520 of times, if not more. And I have always thought about 50 00:02:45,570 --> 00:02:51,560 these magi just as wise men, maybe kings who came to visit 51 00:02:51,570 --> 00:02:56,080 Jesus, maybe from a different nation, probably if they're 52 00:02:56,090 --> 00:02:59,100 kings, if they're magi, likely right. 53 00:02:59,110 --> 00:03:01,550 Like they just they've kind of taken on this character. 54 00:03:01,590 --> 00:03:06,180 Hmm. But I I didn't think until much 55 00:03:06,190 --> 00:03:09,500 more recently, like in these last few years, about the fact 56 00:03:09,510 --> 00:03:19,260 that their arrival as Magi, as priests on behalf of very likely 57 00:03:19,270 --> 00:03:23,630 the king of Persia is very shocking. 58 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:26,070 Like, we read it and it's kind of cozy, comforting. 59 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:27,010 Like. Nice. 60 00:03:27,020 --> 00:03:28,350 They bring gifts. Cool. 61 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:30,410 Great. That sounds like Christmas. 62 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:31,270 Yeah. Awesome. 63 00:03:31,730 --> 00:03:38,220 But what they're doing is priests whose role it was to 64 00:03:38,270 --> 00:03:42,990 make famous the king of Persia is making or are them together 65 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:47,650 are making famous Jesus as true king of king and Lord of Lords 66 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:51,410 for the entire world. So it it is like this radical 67 00:03:51,420 --> 00:03:55,330 explosion of what Jesus life and ministry and Kingdom and death 68 00:03:55,340 --> 00:03:58,350 and resurrection and then sending of the church presence 69 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:01,750 coming of the Holy Spirit would all fulfill, which is the line 70 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:03,710 in in Acts. You will be my witnesses in 71 00:04:04,060 --> 00:04:06,730 Jerusalem and Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. 72 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:09,310 Matthews declaring the ends of the earth from the very 73 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:14,380 beginning of his story by bringing these guys in from way 74 00:04:14,390 --> 00:04:17,500 out of town. It's interesting as you, as you 75 00:04:17,510 --> 00:04:22,260 spell that out like that not only are they from another 76 00:04:22,270 --> 00:04:26,170 nation, but like likely they, they, I mean, they can't imagine 77 00:04:26,180 --> 00:04:30,120 they would have been, you know, like Jews from the Diaspora. 78 00:04:30,170 --> 00:04:35,000 Like no, like they're following another religious system of some 79 00:04:35,010 --> 00:04:40,340 sort, most likely like that. That strikes me as like super 80 00:04:40,350 --> 00:04:42,420 curious Like. Yeah, yeah. 81 00:04:42,430 --> 00:04:46,160 So they're very likely Persian Zoroastrians. 82 00:04:46,210 --> 00:04:50,920 Zoroastrians, yeah is yeah would be their, their like hometown 83 00:04:50,930 --> 00:04:55,160 religion. And they as priests would would 84 00:04:55,170 --> 00:05:02,330 be like devout followers and devoutly, you know, allied to 85 00:05:02,340 --> 00:05:04,260 the king, like their allegiance would have been to the king of 86 00:05:04,270 --> 00:05:07,140 Persia. And I, I like I said, like not 87 00:05:07,150 --> 00:05:09,070 exactly sure what their motivation was to come. 88 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:13,340 Like, maybe they're curious. But to to travel that far, to 89 00:05:13,350 --> 00:05:18,880 bring these gifts to a king who was born when there is a king 90 00:05:18,890 --> 00:05:24,460 already in, you know, in the land, is like a radical thing. 91 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:27,180 In that particularly feels because of what we see happening 92 00:05:27,190 --> 00:05:31,500 with Herod, which I think you touched on a bit, Lindsey will 93 00:05:31,510 --> 00:05:34,920 touch on it for this week. But like just the fact that 94 00:05:34,930 --> 00:05:38,200 there's a contrast there of these kind of emissaries of a 95 00:05:38,210 --> 00:05:43,620 king that are seeking versus this king of from, you know, 96 00:05:43,630 --> 00:05:47,040 within the local land. That's just having a meltdown 97 00:05:47,050 --> 00:05:48,530 about what's happening here, right? 98 00:05:48,610 --> 00:05:51,660 It's the the contrast is very is very fascinating. 99 00:05:51,670 --> 00:05:54,540 Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. And like, here's Herod, who 100 00:05:54,550 --> 00:05:58,540 represents all the worst things of humanity. 101 00:05:58,750 --> 00:06:01,740 And like, let's not pretend that we don't, you know, also at 102 00:06:01,750 --> 00:06:04,170 times live. They're the same like Herod 103 00:06:05,370 --> 00:06:08,400 reactions to threats and things like that. 104 00:06:08,490 --> 00:06:12,220 We can be insecure and feel threatened and react and respond 105 00:06:12,230 --> 00:06:15,730 accordingly. But he does like he represents 106 00:06:15,740 --> 00:06:19,720 so much of the worst of the human reaction to those to those 107 00:06:19,730 --> 00:06:22,650 emotions. And I mean, the dude is a prop 108 00:06:22,660 --> 00:06:24,290 king. Like he, you know, he doesn't 109 00:06:24,300 --> 00:06:27,270 have any authority in and of himself all. 110 00:06:27,280 --> 00:06:31,410 His he made him feel, I kind of, you know, self-conscious to 111 00:06:31,420 --> 00:06:33,330 begin with, right? You kind of feel like I'm, I'm 112 00:06:33,340 --> 00:06:37,390 just, I'm just here, you know, doing my thing and, and, and I 113 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:40,210 don't have any real power. Right, Yeah, yeah. 114 00:06:40,220 --> 00:06:42,650 So, you know, you can you can get into the mind of hard a 115 00:06:42,660 --> 00:06:47,570 little bit, but represents significant opposition to in a 116 00:06:47,580 --> 00:06:51,920 sense to the magi, more so to to Jesus and what Jesus is doing. 117 00:06:51,930 --> 00:06:54,810 And again, we're gonna see much more of that this coming week. 118 00:06:54,820 --> 00:07:00,900 Yeah, but let's jump into a conversation around a large 119 00:07:00,910 --> 00:07:03,380 topic that we won't have time to cover all of. 120 00:07:03,500 --> 00:07:05,880 We're going to. Yeah, not a chance. 121 00:07:05,890 --> 00:07:08,790 We are going to dissolve about discernment. 122 00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:09,990 We're going to solve discernment. 123 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:11,260 Yeah. So that's. 124 00:07:11,270 --> 00:07:15,560 So that's the idea. So I talked through I talked 125 00:07:15,570 --> 00:07:19,100 through these three points on Sunday, which was let's see if I 126 00:07:19,110 --> 00:07:21,020 can remember them off the right, off the cuff. 127 00:07:21,250 --> 00:07:24,380 But no, no sermon notes or manuscript in front of me if 128 00:07:24,390 --> 00:07:28,060 you're listening. So number one, that when you 129 00:07:28,070 --> 00:07:31,390 allow God into your story and when you finally begin to do the 130 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:33,120 thing that we've been encouraging you to do, which is 131 00:07:33,130 --> 00:07:36,770 listen to what God is saying and begin to obey the things that 132 00:07:36,780 --> 00:07:39,140 you believe he's calling you to do and that others would speak 133 00:07:39,150 --> 00:07:41,040 in a firm into your life. Going to come back to those 134 00:07:41,050 --> 00:07:43,070 ideas. A couple things are gonna 135 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:44,220 happen. One, there's going to be change. 136 00:07:44,230 --> 00:07:46,210 Like, you're not going to remain the same. 137 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:48,600 Following Jesus doesn't mean staying where you are. 138 00:07:48,670 --> 00:07:54,460 And you can't follow Jesus while remaining exactly where you are. 139 00:07:54,670 --> 00:07:58,660 And that's true for all of us. And no matter where we are, no 140 00:07:58,670 --> 00:08:01,750 matter how long we've been following Jesus, the goal is not 141 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:05,800 to stay the same as today. And so that's why Scripture 142 00:08:05,810 --> 00:08:08,480 writers talk about being made every day more and more into the 143 00:08:08,490 --> 00:08:12,120 likeness of Jesus, like into who he is and who he's designed you 144 00:08:12,130 --> 00:08:14,450 to be. So #1 there's going to be 145 00:08:14,460 --> 00:08:16,000 change. Change is hard. 146 00:08:16,050 --> 00:08:19,950 None of us enjoy change, love it when it comes to our own change. 147 00:08:20,820 --> 00:08:25,160 So #1 #2 there's gonna be opposition and people will see 148 00:08:25,170 --> 00:08:27,870 what's happening in your life and like there will be push back 149 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:30,240 against it. And at times that opposition 150 00:08:30,250 --> 00:08:33,159 comes from inside ourselves, probably more so than we'd like 151 00:08:33,169 --> 00:08:37,610 to admit, that the opposition is actually internal and we don't 152 00:08:37,620 --> 00:08:40,169 like the change that we feel God is calling us to make, or the 153 00:08:40,179 --> 00:08:42,480 level of accountability or vulnerability, transparency, 154 00:08:42,490 --> 00:08:44,270 etcetera. And so we're like, well, that 155 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:46,910 sounds too hard and not comfortable in any way, shape or 156 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:50,650 form internal opposition, but that on the other side of those 157 00:08:50,660 --> 00:08:52,680 things, on the other side of change and on the other side of 158 00:08:52,690 --> 00:08:55,540 opposition, not even say like as you are working them through. 159 00:08:56,350 --> 00:08:59,100 What we see in the Magi stories is that they discover joy, this 160 00:08:59,110 --> 00:09:01,620 deep joy. They rejoice. 161 00:09:01,730 --> 00:09:03,920 They are actively participating in joy. 162 00:09:03,980 --> 00:09:07,880 That's the the language because they get to witness Jesus in his 163 00:09:07,890 --> 00:09:13,540 birth in his early years as a young child born to Mary and 164 00:09:13,550 --> 00:09:19,670 Joseph's soon to be Messiah and step into all of all of the the 165 00:09:19,680 --> 00:09:22,910 things that that he does through his life and his ministry. 166 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:28,430 So change opposition and joy. But I could imagine people out 167 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:34,860 there thinking, how do I, how do I know like that kind of 168 00:09:34,870 --> 00:09:35,610 question. Yeah. 169 00:09:35,680 --> 00:09:40,150 And and so when I look, when I look at the Magi, you know, like 170 00:09:40,230 --> 00:09:45,070 it starts with them seeing a potential sign, right? 171 00:09:45,140 --> 00:09:48,520 You know, they, they see these these stars and and they're 172 00:09:48,530 --> 00:09:51,510 like, hey, like there's something interesting happening. 173 00:09:51,520 --> 00:09:56,010 Now, again, I'm not, you know, not into astrology. 174 00:09:56,020 --> 00:09:57,710 I always get those two mixed up. Astrology. 175 00:09:57,750 --> 00:10:00,790 That's the right one, right? Like, although, you know, it is 176 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:04,900 very fascinating that that the, the fixation on some of this 177 00:10:04,910 --> 00:10:07,150 kind of stuff. But but I think that they, they 178 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:10,890 see something different. They see something going on that 179 00:10:10,900 --> 00:10:12,330 are like, OK, we need to check this out. 180 00:10:12,340 --> 00:10:14,980 Like, so there's, there's a moment that kind of has provoked 181 00:10:14,990 --> 00:10:17,830 curiosity for them that they don't just stay still. 182 00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:21,290 They literally go what you said like 12 to 1600 kilometers or 183 00:10:21,300 --> 00:10:23,850 something like that, like just like months long journey. 184 00:10:24,420 --> 00:10:27,370 So they they see this. So I think, yeah, like when we 185 00:10:27,380 --> 00:10:29,730 starting there, they they see the sign and then they got to 186 00:10:29,740 --> 00:10:31,120 figure out what do we do with that? 187 00:10:31,260 --> 00:10:33,470 Like there's something there to even just talk about. 188 00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:38,650 Like our lives of us noticing something, you know, we're like, 189 00:10:38,660 --> 00:10:41,750 OK, I'm getting the sense of of, you know, maybe it's someone 190 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:46,990 keeps telling me something or maybe maybe I'm getting a sense 191 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:48,760 from God, but I'm uncertain about it. 192 00:10:48,830 --> 00:10:52,900 Or, or maybe this one thing keeps happening to me over and 193 00:10:52,910 --> 00:10:54,840 over again. And like, you can border into 194 00:10:54,850 --> 00:10:57,530 like superstition if you're not careful, you can border and see 195 00:10:57,540 --> 00:11:02,950 like just sort of going with whatever, you know? 196 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:05,410 Like it's kind of like when you when you're like looking at a 197 00:11:05,420 --> 00:11:08,430 car and you and you're like, I'm gonna buy that car. 198 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:10,170 And then you start seeing that car everywhere, right? 199 00:11:10,180 --> 00:11:11,810 It's kind of the confirmation bias, right? 200 00:11:11,820 --> 00:11:13,570 Yeah. And so you don't want that. 201 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:16,640 But at the same time, when you start noticing something, what 202 00:11:16,650 --> 00:11:19,580 do you do with it, you know? So, yeah, and it's interesting 203 00:11:19,590 --> 00:11:23,290 that for the Magi. So if, if they are like again, 204 00:11:23,300 --> 00:11:26,180 we don't know a ton about the Magi, but I think I said on 205 00:11:26,190 --> 00:11:30,010 Sunday, yeah, from what we do know is they they were Persian 206 00:11:31,390 --> 00:11:35,230 clergy, like priests. And specifically they were one, 207 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:37,450 they were astrologers. They were ones who read the 208 00:11:37,460 --> 00:11:42,360 stars and looked for signs, which is explicitly forbidden in 209 00:11:42,370 --> 00:11:43,970 the Old Testament. Yeah, right. 210 00:11:43,980 --> 00:11:47,170 So it is interesting. And I think worth naming that 211 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:51,770 like so practical, the practical like next step for you is not to 212 00:11:51,780 --> 00:11:56,330 go and start looking at the stars and getting fascinated 213 00:11:56,340 --> 00:11:59,370 with like astrology and signs and etcetera. 214 00:11:59,450 --> 00:12:02,090 Like don't go buy a newspaper and look at whatever is. 215 00:12:02,100 --> 00:12:03,950 Out here, what's right? What's your sign, baby? 216 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:05,870 That's not it. That's not it. 217 00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:10,490 So it's it's fascinating to me that what draws them in is 218 00:12:10,540 --> 00:12:14,530 something that is explicitly forbidden in the Old Testament 219 00:12:14,540 --> 00:12:16,690 law. So that's number one. 220 00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:21,370 I just find it interesting. What I find theological about 221 00:12:21,380 --> 00:12:27,550 that is that the birth of Jesus into the world altered the world 222 00:12:27,620 --> 00:12:30,370 like the, the the universe, the cause, right? 223 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:34,500 And So what what John does at the beginning of his gospel is 224 00:12:34,510 --> 00:12:36,660 pick up that thread. In the beginning was the Word, 225 00:12:36,670 --> 00:12:38,860 and the Word was with God and the Word was God. 226 00:12:38,870 --> 00:12:42,240 And he says nothing that has come into being, basically 227 00:12:42,250 --> 00:12:45,740 nothing that is that exists came into being without without the 228 00:12:45,750 --> 00:12:47,870 Word, without Jesus. Jesus was with God in the 229 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:51,720 beginning. Through him the universe spun 230 00:12:51,730 --> 00:12:55,660 into creation. So the birth of Jesus then into 231 00:12:55,670 --> 00:12:59,930 that universe alters the universe in a way that people 232 00:12:59,940 --> 00:13:03,690 who were not even looking for it saw because they were busy 233 00:13:03,700 --> 00:13:06,830 looking at other things and other signs and other, you know, 234 00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:08,370 figuring other things out. Yeah. 235 00:13:08,410 --> 00:13:13,250 So it it Jesus birth kind of exploded into the world in a way 236 00:13:13,260 --> 00:13:15,790 that altered the very world he created. 237 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:20,610 And so that I think is just, I think there's, it's 238 00:13:20,620 --> 00:13:25,270 theologically interesting to me that there is a power in Jesus 239 00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:28,920 already in his in his birth as he arrives into the world, 240 00:13:28,930 --> 00:13:33,260 things are shifting and changing because of his presence and 241 00:13:33,270 --> 00:13:36,020 people are noticing it. So let's talk about that for a 242 00:13:36,030 --> 00:13:42,330 little bit because I think the, the magi notice the thing that 243 00:13:42,340 --> 00:13:44,650 has changed. They notice that something is 244 00:13:44,660 --> 00:13:48,240 different, and maybe we've got people who are starting to 245 00:13:48,250 --> 00:13:53,130 notice things as well. What are some really practical 246 00:13:53,140 --> 00:13:55,420 things for you to do in the midst of that? 247 00:13:55,490 --> 00:14:01,810 Yeah, one I think very quickly. Prey and read scripture so you 248 00:14:01,820 --> 00:14:07,610 know, I I think that if something is drawing you closer 249 00:14:07,660 --> 00:14:12,430 to God, or at least so here's what I see in the magi to pursue 250 00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:15,760 God then felt like follow that through. 251 00:14:15,770 --> 00:14:20,240 I think lean into that. So if it is drawing you toward a 252 00:14:20,250 --> 00:14:23,530 posture of prayer and toward Scripture in a way that like I 253 00:14:23,540 --> 00:14:26,860 had to read and kind of see if what I'm sensing and noticing 254 00:14:26,870 --> 00:14:31,160 aligns with Scripture, aligns with the story that that God has 255 00:14:31,170 --> 00:14:34,770 been writing. And I need to pray and actually 256 00:14:34,780 --> 00:14:38,910 start searching myself and God and allowing God to speak and 257 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:42,190 get quiet and, and do those, I think very quickly two things 258 00:14:42,260 --> 00:14:43,700 that you should be doing. Yeah. 259 00:14:43,740 --> 00:14:47,990 And then notice, all right, is the thing that I'm seeing or 260 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:53,390 feeling or sensing, is it, is it pulling me toward God or is it 261 00:14:53,400 --> 00:14:56,330 making me flee or kind of run from God? 262 00:14:57,050 --> 00:15:01,110 Like, do I want to bring this? So, you know, let's use 263 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:04,880 something fairly innocuous. Career path. 264 00:15:06,130 --> 00:15:08,240 Yeah, OK. Like, what do you, what do you 265 00:15:08,250 --> 00:15:09,380 want to do with your life? Right. 266 00:15:09,390 --> 00:15:11,270 Maybe you're at a position where you have to make a decision. 267 00:15:12,150 --> 00:15:15,660 And on the one hand, you've been thinking, well, really, since 268 00:15:15,670 --> 00:15:20,180 that God is calling me to do this thing, right? 269 00:15:20,430 --> 00:15:21,480 And. You want to name any 270 00:15:21,490 --> 00:15:23,360 professions? Not professional. 271 00:15:23,450 --> 00:15:25,230 And then on the other hand, you're like, but I really want 272 00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:31,560 to do this thing, OK. And if if wanting to do this 273 00:15:31,570 --> 00:15:34,220 thing, you're like, well, I'm not gonna pray about that 274 00:15:34,230 --> 00:15:35,920 because I know what God's gonna say. 275 00:15:37,090 --> 00:15:39,130 Cause you're probably dealing with something that, you know, 276 00:15:39,140 --> 00:15:43,160 like maybe 1 is borders on, you know, it's gonna make you a lot 277 00:15:43,170 --> 00:15:46,870 of money, but maybe it borders on some ethical conundrums. 278 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:53,060 Sure, maybe it's, maybe it's something that is, you know, 279 00:15:53,070 --> 00:15:55,750 going to be more beneficial for society versus not. 280 00:15:55,800 --> 00:15:58,250 But I think sometimes, like there could just be two 281 00:15:58,260 --> 00:16:02,210 decisions and you're like, both of them viable, both of them 282 00:16:02,220 --> 00:16:06,070 good options, both of them equally, whatever. 283 00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:10,530 And and then so like, what do we do with with the pull toward one 284 00:16:10,540 --> 00:16:12,890 versus the sensing that God might be calling us to? 285 00:16:12,900 --> 00:16:16,330 And now they're like, that's where it feels a bit messier to 286 00:16:16,340 --> 00:16:17,890 me. Ever like when they're both 287 00:16:17,900 --> 00:16:22,270 like, these are both good calls. You know, I think, I think watch 288 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:26,840 for what you're willing to like submit to God and what you're 289 00:16:26,850 --> 00:16:31,680 willing to bring to God and what draws you closer to God and what 290 00:16:31,690 --> 00:16:35,590 you're trying to like, keep to yourself and trying to like, 291 00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:38,610 well, like I'm like I said, like I'm not going to pray about this 292 00:16:38,620 --> 00:16:40,790 or I'm not going to think about it too much because I want to do 293 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:42,420 it. And I know, like I just know if 294 00:16:42,430 --> 00:16:46,240 I come to a place where I'm actually in prayer and thinking 295 00:16:46,250 --> 00:16:49,720 and reading and surrendering it, I know like, yeah, yeah, OK. 296 00:16:49,730 --> 00:16:51,410 Like that's, that's not going to be the thing. 297 00:16:51,420 --> 00:16:53,660 And I'm going to sense, you know, God is calling me away 298 00:16:53,670 --> 00:16:55,060 from it. So I think just pay attention. 299 00:16:55,070 --> 00:16:58,960 I mean, with decisions that you have to make in general in life, 300 00:17:00,270 --> 00:17:02,920 it changes that that may come things that you're trying to 301 00:17:02,930 --> 00:17:05,819 pursue, people, relationships you're trying to pursue, like 302 00:17:05,829 --> 00:17:11,839 what are you, what, how do they impact or what is your relation 303 00:17:11,849 --> 00:17:16,160 to God in them? So, you know, are you willing to 304 00:17:16,230 --> 00:17:19,680 surrender them to God in a sense of saying, OK, God, like what, 305 00:17:19,690 --> 00:17:23,780 what what's your desire and design in this for me or not? 306 00:17:23,790 --> 00:17:26,000 I think the things that you're trying to kind of hide back and 307 00:17:26,010 --> 00:17:28,800 hold, like that's a good indicator of whether it is 308 00:17:28,810 --> 00:17:32,660 something to pursue or not. Whether it's something that is 309 00:17:32,670 --> 00:17:36,280 maybe a direction that God is leading you in or a direction 310 00:17:36,290 --> 00:17:40,580 that is more based on your own want or desire or wishes, right? 311 00:17:40,790 --> 00:17:44,540 So are you willing to come to a place of prayer, reading 312 00:17:44,550 --> 00:17:48,500 scripture and surrendering it to God? 313 00:17:48,510 --> 00:17:50,840 Is it drawing you toward or is it pushing you away? 314 00:17:50,850 --> 00:17:53,780 That's a great indicator. So number one, number two, 315 00:17:53,850 --> 00:17:56,930 number three is those around you. 316 00:17:56,940 --> 00:18:00,160 We've got no reference for this in the Magi story. 317 00:18:00,230 --> 00:18:01,590 But they are together. There's more. 318 00:18:01,660 --> 00:18:03,490 And one of there's more than. One they're not making the 319 00:18:03,500 --> 00:18:07,020 decision is in in a silo. It's it's not one who has come. 320 00:18:07,030 --> 00:18:09,880 It's there. Yeah, you gotta you gotta 321 00:18:09,890 --> 00:18:12,840 imagine again, not here. You have to imagine that there 322 00:18:12,850 --> 00:18:14,500 would be conversation along the road. 323 00:18:14,510 --> 00:18:15,860 What are we doing? Yeah. 324 00:18:15,950 --> 00:18:18,440 Are we really going to do this? Like, I thought that guy was the 325 00:18:18,450 --> 00:18:19,860 king of Kings. Like, what's going on? 326 00:18:19,870 --> 00:18:22,200 Like how we're going to go. We're not visiting Harrod. 327 00:18:22,210 --> 00:18:23,700 Like, what are we. We're looking for a baby. 328 00:18:23,710 --> 00:18:24,760 Are we sure? It's like. 329 00:18:24,770 --> 00:18:27,480 So they show up and they're look, they're they show up to 330 00:18:27,490 --> 00:18:29,370 Jerusalem and they're like. But somebody point us in the 331 00:18:29,380 --> 00:18:31,730 right direction. Like, where's this kid supposed 332 00:18:31,740 --> 00:18:35,010 to be born? And it's interesting that that 333 00:18:35,120 --> 00:18:39,350 Herod's own guys like, you know, talk to Herod and tell him where 334 00:18:39,360 --> 00:18:42,070 the Messiah is meant to be born. And then Herod tells the Maggie 335 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:44,090 to go anyways. Like it's, it's interesting how 336 00:18:44,100 --> 00:18:47,270 all of it is still working. Like even even inherits 337 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:50,230 insecurity and fear and anger and confusion and all of it. 338 00:18:50,240 --> 00:18:53,840 He's still working toward, you know, the thing that, the thing 339 00:18:53,850 --> 00:18:58,830 that God is doing. And so I, I think #1 pray #2 you 340 00:18:58,840 --> 00:19:04,560 got to look at Scripture and #3 you've got to have a level of 341 00:19:04,570 --> 00:19:07,630 accountability with others and, and have people in your life who 342 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:11,350 can say, yes, absolutely. This is, this is something that 343 00:19:11,360 --> 00:19:14,220 we have all sensed in you. And we think that you should be 344 00:19:14,230 --> 00:19:17,810 pursuing this or no dummy, like you're just listening to your 345 00:19:17,820 --> 00:19:20,650 own, your own brain, Like this is your own feedback loop. 346 00:19:20,660 --> 00:19:23,970 And you just have created an environment where what you want, 347 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:26,980 you're now portraying or you're projecting onto what God wants 348 00:19:26,990 --> 00:19:29,100 for you. And you have, so you have to 349 00:19:29,110 --> 00:19:31,890 have people in your life who know you well enough and who 350 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:36,060 trust you enough and who you trust enough for them to be able 351 00:19:36,070 --> 00:19:38,300 to say that like literally like what I want them to say is, hey, 352 00:19:38,310 --> 00:19:40,500 dummy, like this is not the thing. 353 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:42,720 Right. Yeah, yeah, which is OK. 354 00:19:42,730 --> 00:19:44,240 So that's a, that's an interesting one. 355 00:19:44,250 --> 00:19:46,880 I'm just kind of like parsing this out for myself because I'm 356 00:19:46,890 --> 00:19:50,280 the type of person and maybe there are others out there that 357 00:19:50,290 --> 00:19:53,520 are similarly temperament Ted, if that's a word, it probably 358 00:19:53,530 --> 00:19:57,910 isn't, but that's OK where if someone comes to me and they're 359 00:19:57,920 --> 00:20:00,420 like, I've got a I've got I've got this thing, I'm trying to 360 00:20:00,430 --> 00:20:03,520 figure it out and people do come to us, you know, seeking some of 361 00:20:03,530 --> 00:20:05,970 these things for me, like I want to be like a cheerleader. 362 00:20:06,020 --> 00:20:09,360 I want to be like, yes, like that sounds amazing, like like 363 00:20:09,370 --> 00:20:11,810 God is doing a cool work in you in this way. 364 00:20:11,820 --> 00:20:14,640 And like I just want to be like Uber supportive all the time, 365 00:20:14,650 --> 00:20:16,650 right. That's that's then tends to be 366 00:20:16,660 --> 00:20:19,430 my approach. So This is why people should go 367 00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:21,050 to you if they want encouragement. 368 00:20:21,060 --> 00:20:22,470 Because, well, you do the opposite. 369 00:20:22,660 --> 00:20:24,160 Have you prayed? Have you prayed about it? 370 00:20:24,540 --> 00:20:26,510 Right. Like, it's going to be one of my 371 00:20:26,520 --> 00:20:27,370 first questions. Yeah. 372 00:20:27,380 --> 00:20:30,050 Like, have you prayed about it? And tell me about that, right. 373 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:34,110 Who in your life is is pointing you in the same direction? 374 00:20:35,620 --> 00:20:37,870 OK, so they should go to you and then come to me. 375 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:38,670 Afterwards. Yeah, Yeah. 376 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:40,240 Yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah. 377 00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:41,810 Perfect. So you've heard it, you've heard 378 00:20:41,820 --> 00:20:43,470 it here. That's the that's the protocol. 379 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:46,030 If you're looking for discernment, Grant will will do 380 00:20:46,040 --> 00:20:49,830 like the the hard work and then I get to just like cherry on. 381 00:20:50,060 --> 00:20:55,130 So I think, yeah, I think that's the that is the challenge is, 382 00:20:56,390 --> 00:21:00,060 you know, I think the the one of the hardest things in life is to 383 00:21:00,210 --> 00:21:04,020 remain accountable. Yeah, right, is to live 384 00:21:04,250 --> 00:21:08,240 accountable lives. And that takes like it takes 385 00:21:08,250 --> 00:21:11,980 courage and it takes vulnerability and you've got it 386 00:21:11,990 --> 00:21:14,660 takes relationship, like it takes time and effort and energy 387 00:21:14,670 --> 00:21:17,280 and, and not. Superficial relationship, like 388 00:21:17,290 --> 00:21:20,660 it's there. There has to be like a, a depth 389 00:21:20,710 --> 00:21:22,780 of, of knowing, yeah. Yeah. 390 00:21:22,830 --> 00:21:26,440 So, you know, I think for me, if somebody comes and says, yeah, I 391 00:21:26,450 --> 00:21:28,870 have, I'm sensing like I'm hearing this from God. 392 00:21:28,980 --> 00:21:31,310 I'm in the back of my head. I'm looking for those same 393 00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:34,150 markers, right? So have they prayed about it? 394 00:21:34,440 --> 00:21:35,730 And what are they sensing in that? 395 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:38,970 And how does it align with Scripture? 396 00:21:39,020 --> 00:21:42,840 Because I'm convinced like there's not gonna be something 397 00:21:42,850 --> 00:21:46,150 that somebody comes and says, God said this to me. 398 00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:50,390 Like, well, that is like glaringly in opposition to the 399 00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:52,270 story of the gospel as it unfolds. 400 00:21:52,340 --> 00:21:55,950 So help me understand that. Like how how do we like, how do 401 00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:58,450 you parse this out? How do you make sense of the 402 00:21:58,460 --> 00:22:02,940 fact that what you're hearing from God is very different from 403 00:22:02,950 --> 00:22:04,250 the way God shows up in Scripture? 404 00:22:04,260 --> 00:22:07,420 That's just not going to happen. And, and it's tricky because 405 00:22:07,430 --> 00:22:10,710 it's not like every single scenario we encounter today in 406 00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:14,510 2025, almost 2026 is going to show up in Scripture, right? 407 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:19,310 But the the undergirding themes and and the trajectory of those 408 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:25,230 decisions, you know, we can ask ourselves, is this, is this in 409 00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:29,080 some way bringing God's Kingdom great in a greater way to earth, 410 00:22:29,140 --> 00:22:30,890 or is it doing the exact opposite? 411 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:31,490 Yeah. OK. 412 00:22:31,500 --> 00:22:34,570 So we have, let me give you a really practical example before 413 00:22:34,580 --> 00:22:37,890 we move on. In our ordination system, within 414 00:22:37,900 --> 00:22:42,570 our denomination, there are a couple or many different steps, 415 00:22:43,900 --> 00:22:48,340 but in order to become a minister, you can't just believe 416 00:22:48,410 --> 00:22:50,760 God is calling you to ministry. That's not good enough. 417 00:22:50,770 --> 00:22:55,750 Like it's not enough. Yeah, we have a process where, 418 00:22:55,820 --> 00:22:58,410 yes, you need to be deeply convinced that God is calling 419 00:22:58,420 --> 00:23:01,800 you to ministry. You may not even want to do it, 420 00:23:01,850 --> 00:23:04,570 but you are convinced that God is calling you and you then are 421 00:23:04,580 --> 00:23:07,990 taking a step of obedience to wrestle out that discernment 422 00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:11,670 very, very quickly within our process. 423 00:23:11,680 --> 00:23:16,590 Then you get into groups of of people and so session like the 424 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:21,890 the elders at your church need to affirm that call in you and 425 00:23:21,900 --> 00:23:25,400 then presbytery, our geographical region, we're part 426 00:23:25,410 --> 00:23:28,640 of Waterloo Wellington Presbytery. 427 00:23:28,730 --> 00:23:31,920 So all the ministers and elders from those areas, they also need 428 00:23:31,930 --> 00:23:35,020 to affirm that in you. And it's not that they like 429 00:23:35,030 --> 00:23:36,810 everything about you. It's not that they even agree 430 00:23:36,820 --> 00:23:38,800 with all of your theology or you've figured everything out. 431 00:23:38,810 --> 00:23:40,640 Like far from it. You are wrestling it out. 432 00:23:40,650 --> 00:23:44,800 But what needs to happen is that every step there is this like 433 00:23:44,810 --> 00:23:51,420 call and response where you believe and, and are convinced 434 00:23:51,430 --> 00:23:55,960 that God is calling you to ministry and then others affirm 435 00:23:55,970 --> 00:23:59,480 that calling in you. And at any point, if the 436 00:23:59,490 --> 00:24:03,540 majority of people don't affirm that God is calling you into 437 00:24:03,550 --> 00:24:06,720 ministry, that's a that's a barrier to you. 438 00:24:06,730 --> 00:24:09,220 That's not going to, that's not necessarily going to rule you 439 00:24:09,230 --> 00:24:14,800 out forever for all time, but but there are multiple steps. 440 00:24:14,810 --> 00:24:16,440 And then you need to actually receive a call from a 441 00:24:16,450 --> 00:24:19,300 congregation in order to be ordained that there's just, 442 00:24:19,310 --> 00:24:23,840 there's so many steps along the way where it's groups of people 443 00:24:23,910 --> 00:24:28,360 who affirm the thing in you. And that's what I wish for all 444 00:24:28,370 --> 00:24:33,960 of our people, is to get yourself into a group of 445 00:24:33,970 --> 00:24:36,540 individuals. It doesn't need to be a lot, but 446 00:24:36,550 --> 00:24:39,860 have a few people around you who you can text and say, hey, I'm 447 00:24:39,870 --> 00:24:41,700 starting to sense this thing from God. 448 00:24:42,360 --> 00:24:43,870 Can you pray for me? Yeah. 449 00:24:43,930 --> 00:24:46,250 And then eventually, can we have a conversation about it. 450 00:24:46,320 --> 00:24:48,450 And I need you to ask me the hard questions. 451 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:51,010 And I need you to, like, really challenge me on it. 452 00:24:51,140 --> 00:24:56,430 And then, you know, then you can start to really become convinced 453 00:24:56,440 --> 00:24:59,210 that, yeah, this is this is this is from God. 454 00:24:59,220 --> 00:25:00,890 And I think, you know, we see it. 455 00:25:01,380 --> 00:25:06,840 We see it throughout Scripture. And that's not to say that human 456 00:25:06,850 --> 00:25:10,010 beings can't get it messed up. Like we, we can mix it up and we 457 00:25:10,020 --> 00:25:11,910 can make mistakes. Absolutely. 458 00:25:12,740 --> 00:25:16,030 You know, I remember the story one, one person coming into 459 00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:20,900 ministry and I I think early on the session was like, no, we 460 00:25:20,910 --> 00:25:23,040 don't see it. We don't see it. 461 00:25:23,270 --> 00:25:27,580 And that that person says that person has gone on to become a 462 00:25:27,590 --> 00:25:31,520 very, I'll use this word carefully, like successful, like 463 00:25:31,530 --> 00:25:37,320 a very successful pastor. Pastor is a church so well and 464 00:25:37,330 --> 00:25:41,680 carefully and intentionally and was exactly the person that that 465 00:25:41,690 --> 00:25:43,840 congregation needed. Probably the opposite happened. 466 00:25:43,850 --> 00:25:46,560 To and the opposite has happened yeah, absolutely where somebody 467 00:25:46,570 --> 00:25:49,880 comes in and you know like raring to go and they're like 468 00:25:49,890 --> 00:25:51,580 yeah absolutely. I feel called to go into 469 00:25:51,590 --> 00:25:54,450 ministry and yeah, they shouldn't. 470 00:25:55,060 --> 00:25:57,550 Well, but as you're talking that through, like, I think that 471 00:25:57,560 --> 00:26:01,620 there are not a lot of career paths just using that cause it's 472 00:26:01,630 --> 00:26:04,550 the most tangible. I think, yeah, that that offer 473 00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:06,990 that level of discernment. Unless you're kind of like, you 474 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:10,370 know, if you're vying for a, you know, for like a, a sea level, 475 00:26:10,380 --> 00:26:12,770 you know, job at an organization, maybe they're 476 00:26:12,780 --> 00:26:15,670 gonna do their vetting process in a similar way. 477 00:26:16,140 --> 00:26:19,990 But but I think that there's such a cool opportunity for the 478 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:24,220 body of Christ to be that discernment process for one 479 00:26:24,230 --> 00:26:27,180 another in in a way that, like, you know, if you're applying for 480 00:26:27,190 --> 00:26:29,000 a job, they're gonna look at whether you're qualified and 481 00:26:29,010 --> 00:26:31,380 whether you're gonna be a fit. And that if you're those things, 482 00:26:31,390 --> 00:26:33,960 maybe they'll hire you if you're the the cream of the crop, 483 00:26:33,970 --> 00:26:34,620 right? Yeah. 484 00:26:34,970 --> 00:26:40,380 Versus like truly asking ourselves, is this where God is 485 00:26:40,390 --> 00:26:41,290 leading me? Right. 486 00:26:41,300 --> 00:26:44,200 Like that is such a gift that that the body of Christ can 487 00:26:44,250 --> 00:26:48,360 offer that other places simply can't. 488 00:26:48,430 --> 00:26:50,620 Yeah. So just to bring it all home, I 489 00:26:50,630 --> 00:26:55,210 think we're, you know, very practically talking about change 490 00:26:55,220 --> 00:26:59,620 and God calling you to a life of change and growth. 491 00:26:59,630 --> 00:27:01,700 Like to grow is to change. Yeah. 492 00:27:01,810 --> 00:27:03,610 To become more like Jesus is to change. 493 00:27:03,620 --> 00:27:08,060 Those changes are difficult. Um, but you know, I absolutely 494 00:27:08,070 --> 00:27:11,490 believe that you're called to get up and go, go where? 495 00:27:11,500 --> 00:27:14,370 That's where the discernment process comes in, right? 496 00:27:14,420 --> 00:27:17,010 Change how grow how, in what ways? 497 00:27:17,020 --> 00:27:20,360 What do I need to leave behind? How is God calling me to move 498 00:27:20,370 --> 00:27:21,880 forward? Those are things that are meant 499 00:27:21,890 --> 00:27:25,350 to be wrestled out in community. And when it comes to opposition, 500 00:27:25,360 --> 00:27:28,530 like what, what is opposition or what is my own fear? 501 00:27:28,540 --> 00:27:31,030 Like what's the difference between opposition and fear? 502 00:27:31,700 --> 00:27:35,520 Or how do I understand? How do I know whether like, is 503 00:27:35,530 --> 00:27:38,260 this opposition to the change or is this actually the change that 504 00:27:38,270 --> 00:27:40,470 God wants me to make? Like I don't want to do it. 505 00:27:40,480 --> 00:27:43,650 Is that position or is that a change that I just don't want to 506 00:27:43,660 --> 00:27:45,530 do? All of those really practical 507 00:27:45,540 --> 00:27:48,970 questions that I can imagine people having after the message 508 00:27:48,980 --> 00:27:53,810 on Sunday community is the answer to those and meaningful 509 00:27:53,860 --> 00:27:57,770 relationships that do hold your feet to the fire in a way that 510 00:27:57,840 --> 00:28:00,470 like, yes, it's aligned with what we see and are praying for 511 00:28:00,480 --> 00:28:03,170 you and have been sensing. No, it's not. 512 00:28:03,240 --> 00:28:05,940 Yes, it's aligned with scripture and what we see in throughout 513 00:28:05,950 --> 00:28:09,160 the the the breadth of it and the gospel coming, the Kingdom 514 00:28:09,170 --> 00:28:10,750 arriving. No, it's not. 515 00:28:11,340 --> 00:28:15,030 Those are hard conversations, but um, to the person asking 516 00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:19,290 like how, how change, how opposition from where, like 517 00:28:19,300 --> 00:28:21,970 those are the, those are the conversations that I think is, 518 00:28:22,100 --> 00:28:25,730 is indicating to you that you ought to be having a 519 00:28:25,740 --> 00:28:28,970 conversation about that thing with somebody. 520 00:28:30,700 --> 00:28:33,950 Opposition is, you know, especially in Christian circles 521 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:37,710 can be an interesting thing because because we do believe in 522 00:28:38,340 --> 00:28:42,310 kind of external forces, even spiritual forces that that 523 00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:46,330 exists. And and so sometimes, you know, 524 00:28:46,820 --> 00:28:49,330 I've heard it, I've heard it in certain circles of like any 525 00:28:49,340 --> 00:28:52,790 opposition to this is clearly, you know, from, from the evil 526 00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:55,690 one, right? And I'm like, man, that that's 527 00:28:55,820 --> 00:29:00,390 like maybe, maybe, but also it might not be. 528 00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:03,750 And if you're just unilaterally deciding that that can be a 529 00:29:03,760 --> 00:29:06,070 problem, right? And that that feels like I I've 530 00:29:06,080 --> 00:29:09,170 seen it happen and it's dangerous when someone can just 531 00:29:09,230 --> 00:29:11,640 self declare that hey, this opposition I'm facing is from 532 00:29:11,650 --> 00:29:14,240 the devil. Absolutely. 533 00:29:14,250 --> 00:29:19,750 Or especially so when somebody declares you in your opposition 534 00:29:19,760 --> 00:29:22,000 toward me. Like that's from the Get Behind 535 00:29:22,010 --> 00:29:23,840 Me Satan kind of. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 536 00:29:23,930 --> 00:29:25,320 Yeah. So, yeah, it can. 537 00:29:25,330 --> 00:29:26,900 It can turn, it can turn unhealthy. 538 00:29:26,910 --> 00:29:28,860 So yes, there's opposition from Satan. 539 00:29:29,350 --> 00:29:34,610 Yes, absolutely. The accuser higher like that, 540 00:29:34,620 --> 00:29:39,710 that is opposition. What I want for people to see 541 00:29:39,780 --> 00:29:46,460 when we talk about opposition is in in this story, especially the 542 00:29:46,470 --> 00:29:51,330 opposition is not toward the magi here. 543 00:29:51,340 --> 00:29:54,380 It helps them find Jesus. Yeah, right. 544 00:29:54,890 --> 00:29:56,840 Like ironic. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 545 00:29:56,850 --> 00:29:58,840 So. So what hard does he calls his 546 00:29:58,850 --> 00:30:00,620 own scribes, teachers of the law. 547 00:30:00,630 --> 00:30:02,040 He's like, guys, remind me, where's this? 548 00:30:02,050 --> 00:30:03,740 Where's this Messiah supposed to be coming from? 549 00:30:03,750 --> 00:30:08,260 Like, help me out here. And then he tells them that 550 00:30:08,270 --> 00:30:10,820 that's where like he's he's supposed to be born in 551 00:30:10,830 --> 00:30:12,260 Bethlehem. That's where you'll find him. 552 00:30:12,330 --> 00:30:15,640 Oh, and by the way, when you find him, come back and report 553 00:30:15,650 --> 00:30:17,310 him to me. Like he's manipulating the 554 00:30:17,320 --> 00:30:20,050 thing. Yeah, but but the opposition. 555 00:30:20,060 --> 00:30:21,750 So. So yes, there's opposition. 556 00:30:22,410 --> 00:30:27,060 It's not the opposition isn't hair doesn't strike up an army 557 00:30:27,070 --> 00:30:29,790 and prevent the magi from finding Jesus and going and 558 00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:32,660 worshiping him, right? They're they're like, yeah, 559 00:30:32,670 --> 00:30:35,380 dude, like we know that you're kind of the king, but apparently 560 00:30:35,390 --> 00:30:36,880 there's a new better king who's born. 561 00:30:36,890 --> 00:30:39,530 We're going to go worship him. Like I know that the gold and 562 00:30:39,540 --> 00:30:41,290 the murder, the frankincense, like it looks nice. 563 00:30:41,300 --> 00:30:44,460 Like, like we got it. We're taking it to this baby and 564 00:30:44,470 --> 00:30:47,000 hard doesn't stop them. That's not the opposition. 565 00:30:47,270 --> 00:30:51,300 He he helps them find Jesus. The opposition is entirely 566 00:30:51,310 --> 00:30:53,920 against what God is doing and I think that that's the other 567 00:30:53,930 --> 00:30:57,920 thing that I want for people to wrestle out and understand is 568 00:30:57,930 --> 00:31:01,840 that there will be opposition because of what God is doing in 569 00:31:01,850 --> 00:31:06,430 your life. Sometimes you make a mistake and 570 00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:09,330 there's like quote, I'm using air quotes here opposition 571 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:15,650 because you you made a mistake and you were wrong and somebody 572 00:31:15,660 --> 00:31:18,840 challenged you on that. That's not opposition like we're 573 00:31:18,850 --> 00:31:22,260 talking about. It's the opposition that we see 574 00:31:22,270 --> 00:31:24,110 in this story. We're going to see it in like 575 00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:29,310 100 fold exponential measure next Sunday is toward 576 00:31:29,360 --> 00:31:33,450 exclusively what God is doing and not toward the individual 577 00:31:33,460 --> 00:31:38,110 human beings involved. And so for us like that, I think 578 00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:43,500 is worth remembering that that like if I make a poor decision 579 00:31:43,760 --> 00:31:50,440 and there is a, there's some some feedback or fallout or 580 00:31:50,450 --> 00:31:53,890 pushback about a decision that might not be a good decision. 581 00:31:54,620 --> 00:31:56,950 That's not necessarily opposition that that could be 582 00:31:56,960 --> 00:31:58,690 mean with me making a poor decision. 583 00:31:58,740 --> 00:32:02,150 You never. And OHS, yeah, just wait. 584 00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:05,320 No, I, I right. Like, I think we're, we can be 585 00:32:05,330 --> 00:32:08,910 very quick to say opposition. I don't need to listen to that. 586 00:32:09,120 --> 00:32:12,550 And you know, that's a dangerous card to play as well. 587 00:32:12,650 --> 00:32:16,840 So you know, where there's opposition, it is to what God is 588 00:32:16,850 --> 00:32:21,240 doing. And that will also, I think, be 589 00:32:21,250 --> 00:32:25,790 confirmed by those around you. And yeah, I I have stories that 590 00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:27,620 we don't need to go into, but yeah. 591 00:32:27,690 --> 00:32:30,360 I, I think there's another form of opposition that that can take 592 00:32:30,370 --> 00:32:32,260 on in our, in our own minds, right? 593 00:32:32,630 --> 00:32:38,160 That I know for me that I can be externally and even internally 594 00:32:38,170 --> 00:32:42,440 confirmed of, of a calling or a decision or whatever. 595 00:32:43,360 --> 00:32:46,790 And yet what happens in, in, you know, as we're trying to fall 596 00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:48,770 asleep at night or we wake up in the middle of the night and 597 00:32:48,780 --> 00:32:53,270 we're just like plagued with, with like self doubts or just 598 00:32:53,280 --> 00:32:58,690 doubt or, or just all of those negative thoughts. 599 00:32:59,220 --> 00:33:02,670 And, and I think at some point it can turn into almost a 600 00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:05,230 spiritual battle, right? That that it's it. 601 00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:11,010 There is there is opposition that is happening to cause us to 602 00:33:11,060 --> 00:33:13,990 stop doing what God might be calling us to. 603 00:33:14,850 --> 00:33:19,160 So this is, this is, uh, I've talked about this book before. 604 00:33:19,210 --> 00:33:23,540 There's a great book and it's called antipyretic Toss. 605 00:33:24,090 --> 00:33:27,400 The subtitle is so, so in English that is, that's the 606 00:33:27,410 --> 00:33:32,080 Greek word for talking back. And it's funny because like, as 607 00:33:32,090 --> 00:33:34,450 a what parent has not said, don't talk back to me. 608 00:33:36,610 --> 00:33:41,640 That's what this book encourages you, follower of Jesus, to do to 609 00:33:41,650 --> 00:33:49,200 those intrusive thoughts, those anxious patterns that are very 610 00:33:49,210 --> 00:33:53,920 often from Satan, from the evil one, from the accuser, from the 611 00:33:53,930 --> 00:33:57,390 devil. And so the subtitle of this book 612 00:33:57,400 --> 00:34:00,450 is A Monastic Handbook for Combating Demons. 613 00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:03,640 OHS that one, Yeah. And if you buy any book this 614 00:34:03,650 --> 00:34:06,740 Christmas for a loved one, please buy that one. 615 00:34:07,590 --> 00:34:11,739 I just think the conversations that you will have when somebody 616 00:34:11,750 --> 00:34:14,030 opens that book will be incredible. 617 00:34:14,290 --> 00:34:16,400 I'm monastic handbook for combating demons. 618 00:34:16,409 --> 00:34:21,080 But when you open it up, it's this incredible, thoughtful, 619 00:34:21,170 --> 00:34:28,730 simple practice of linking, linking intrusive thoughts to 620 00:34:28,739 --> 00:34:32,820 Scripture that remind you of deeper truths about you and 621 00:34:32,830 --> 00:34:35,570 about God. That's that's all it does. 622 00:34:36,030 --> 00:34:39,239 But it's so profound because what it does is it gives you 623 00:34:39,250 --> 00:34:43,210 language to talk back to the anxious thought. 624 00:34:44,350 --> 00:34:48,199 I love so so, he says against the demon of sadness. 625 00:34:49,370 --> 00:34:52,270 And then he has all these different like against the 626 00:34:52,280 --> 00:34:57,300 thought that tells me that I and this I'm I'm making up, I I 627 00:34:57,310 --> 00:34:59,580 can't quote a specific one, but like against the thought that 628 00:34:59,590 --> 00:35:01,870 tells me I am unloved. Hmm. 629 00:35:02,170 --> 00:35:05,420 Right against the thought that tells me I will not be happy. 630 00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:08,390 Or worse, against the thought that tells me I do not deserve 631 00:35:08,400 --> 00:35:10,530 to be happy. And then he links the scripture 632 00:35:11,240 --> 00:35:13,830 and all all he's encouraging you to do. 633 00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:18,310 So this guy's name, Evagrius of Pontus, and he was a desert 634 00:35:18,320 --> 00:35:20,830 father and he traveled around the desert people. 635 00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:21,920 Would how far back we going here? 636 00:35:21,930 --> 00:35:23,160 Like so like 3? Hundreds. 637 00:35:23,170 --> 00:35:25,620 Yeah, yeah, yeah. So early, early days. 638 00:35:25,630 --> 00:35:28,710 Yeah, yeah. So he would travel around the 639 00:35:28,720 --> 00:35:32,140 desert and basically he saw Jesus being tempted by the devil 640 00:35:32,820 --> 00:35:36,230 in the desert after fasting for 40 days and he's like, great, me 641 00:35:36,240 --> 00:35:40,010 too, sign me up, I'll go. And he's like, so he's, he spent 642 00:35:40,020 --> 00:35:45,050 his life like wrestling out combating the devil and using 643 00:35:45,120 --> 00:35:47,310 scripture to do it. So people would would search him 644 00:35:47,320 --> 00:35:51,900 out and ask for his advice and ask for him to teach them how to 645 00:35:51,910 --> 00:35:53,840 do the same thing. And then he started 646 00:35:53,850 --> 00:35:58,780 corresponding with some some early monastics in letters and 647 00:35:58,790 --> 00:36:00,760 and that's what turned into this book. 648 00:36:00,930 --> 00:36:05,700 So it just gives you very simple scripture truths about who you 649 00:36:05,710 --> 00:36:08,290 are, about who God is. That pushes against those 650 00:36:08,300 --> 00:36:10,210 thoughts. And sometimes you read it and 651 00:36:10,220 --> 00:36:11,310 you're like, this is the thought. 652 00:36:11,320 --> 00:36:13,230 This is the literal thought that I have been having. 653 00:36:13,240 --> 00:36:15,880 And sometimes you're like, I my thought is not in here, but what 654 00:36:15,890 --> 00:36:20,550 it gives us a pattern. And I think that that there is 655 00:36:20,630 --> 00:36:23,040 there is power in naming what is true. 656 00:36:23,050 --> 00:36:24,700 It's the pattern that Jesus used. 657 00:36:24,710 --> 00:36:28,300 Have you not heard like in Scripture, it says, do not put 658 00:36:28,310 --> 00:36:30,980 the Lord your God to the test. And there's no response. 659 00:36:30,990 --> 00:36:33,100 There's no retort. There's no throwback from the 660 00:36:33,110 --> 00:36:34,680 from the devil. It's just like, OK, fine. 661 00:36:34,690 --> 00:36:37,720 You know what is true. And This is why for centuries 662 00:36:37,730 --> 00:36:41,520 Christians have been so intent on memorizing Scripture. 663 00:36:41,630 --> 00:36:46,220 That's not to like win a certificate, right? 664 00:36:46,230 --> 00:36:49,820 It's so that you can, in these moments, recall the things that 665 00:36:50,030 --> 00:36:51,480 that push against those thoughts. 666 00:36:51,490 --> 00:36:54,780 So it's a really practical, fascinating book. 667 00:36:54,790 --> 00:36:55,890 Here's what I want people to hear. 668 00:36:57,410 --> 00:37:05,320 Yes, I, I believe and I know that the opposition can and is 669 00:37:05,390 --> 00:37:09,020 often spiritual. And you will feel it like the 670 00:37:09,270 --> 00:37:12,480 anxiety that blasts you in the middle of the night and wakes 671 00:37:12,490 --> 00:37:14,240 you up and your heart's racing, right? 672 00:37:14,250 --> 00:37:17,060 Like, you know, there might be a whole lot of pattern things that 673 00:37:17,070 --> 00:37:21,500 have led you to that moment, but there are also spiritual 674 00:37:21,630 --> 00:37:24,660 realities that you can speak into those moments. 675 00:37:25,030 --> 00:37:31,520 Listen, like Bible verses are not necessarily gonna cure your 676 00:37:31,530 --> 00:37:32,940 anxiety. No. 677 00:37:33,010 --> 00:37:36,480 Nor is like memorizing scripture going to fix your depression. 678 00:37:36,590 --> 00:37:39,810 Like there are clinical reasons for those things. 679 00:37:40,820 --> 00:37:44,550 There are also spiritual things that attach themselves to those 680 00:37:44,560 --> 00:37:47,970 emotions and moments. So Connie uses my wife uses this 681 00:37:47,980 --> 00:37:49,330 language and I'm not sure where she got it. 682 00:37:49,340 --> 00:37:52,150 So until I figure out where she got it, she gets all the credit. 683 00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:56,490 Rats are attracted to garbage. I think we might have figured 684 00:37:56,500 --> 00:37:57,800 out where that was from. I think it was like Charles 685 00:37:57,810 --> 00:38:00,020 Kraft or something. Like that someone, but until I 686 00:38:00,030 --> 00:38:03,060 remember where it came from. Yeah, she gets all the credit. 687 00:38:03,070 --> 00:38:09,600 So, so into those, you know, I think, I think the opposition, 688 00:38:09,610 --> 00:38:13,000 the spiritual opposition that can attach itself to those 689 00:38:13,010 --> 00:38:15,520 depression moments, that can attach themselves to those 690 00:38:15,530 --> 00:38:21,590 anxious moments are very real. And so this, you know, there's a 691 00:38:21,600 --> 00:38:23,500 there's a power in just speaking against it. 692 00:38:23,790 --> 00:38:26,560 And then then what's beautiful about this book is like he moves 693 00:38:26,570 --> 00:38:29,330 on music and then move on. Do you speak against it? 694 00:38:29,880 --> 00:38:33,010 The language that I really love is there's there's power in 695 00:38:33,020 --> 00:38:34,910 speaking the name of Jesus out loud. 696 00:38:35,300 --> 00:38:40,650 Like I remember where I was. I can like, and, and for me, 697 00:38:40,660 --> 00:38:42,310 like that's a big thing. Like I can close my eyes and 698 00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:46,190 picture the entire house where I was when I heard for the very 699 00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:53,210 first time a pastor into a house and a for a family that was 700 00:38:53,220 --> 00:38:57,550 filled with oppression and like spiritual oppression and what I 701 00:38:57,560 --> 00:38:59,650 can only describe as like, demonic oppression. 702 00:38:59,720 --> 00:39:03,330 Yeah. Spoke the name of Jesus and the 703 00:39:03,340 --> 00:39:08,010 veil like the hood, the the darkness that lifted like I it 704 00:39:08,020 --> 00:39:11,000 it is not like I don't listen, like I don't want everybody to 705 00:39:11,010 --> 00:39:13,190 go down that path all the time about everything. 706 00:39:13,280 --> 00:39:16,700 Yeah. But I can remember exactly where 707 00:39:16,710 --> 00:39:19,200 I was when I heard for the first time just, hey, we're going to 708 00:39:19,210 --> 00:39:21,980 speak the the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus is stronger 709 00:39:21,990 --> 00:39:24,740 than anything that could be or is here. 710 00:39:25,530 --> 00:39:29,640 And the shift that happened, and there's way more to that story 711 00:39:29,650 --> 00:39:30,820 that we're not going to get into. 712 00:39:30,830 --> 00:39:32,560 Yeah. But the shift that that happened 713 00:39:32,570 --> 00:39:36,920 in that moment was for me, like, that transformed my my identity 714 00:39:36,930 --> 00:39:40,560 as a pastor because I grew up in a denomination that that doesn't 715 00:39:40,570 --> 00:39:42,640 dismiss these things, but certainly doesn't talk about 716 00:39:42,650 --> 00:39:45,380 them openly readily. And I didn't grow up in a 717 00:39:45,390 --> 00:39:48,400 denomination that like, almost idolizes it, right? 718 00:39:48,410 --> 00:39:50,320 Where it's like, if you haven't had one of these experiences, 719 00:39:50,330 --> 00:39:51,460 then you must not be a Christian. 720 00:39:51,470 --> 00:39:54,720 Like, you can air on both sides where you talk about it all the 721 00:39:54,730 --> 00:39:55,840 time. You can talk about it none of 722 00:39:55,850 --> 00:39:57,760 the time. Um, thanks. 723 00:39:57,770 --> 00:39:59,240 Yes, Los has a quote about that, right? 724 00:39:59,250 --> 00:40:03,300 It's like, yeah, just, yeah, don't do either of those things. 725 00:40:03,340 --> 00:40:04,810 But there's power in the name of Jesus. 726 00:40:04,820 --> 00:40:06,980 And so I think for the person who needs to hear that. 727 00:40:07,830 --> 00:40:14,550 There is more power in seeking that name into into a moment 728 00:40:14,660 --> 00:40:21,170 then we often believe or think or tend to act upon. 729 00:40:21,320 --> 00:40:25,590 Yeah, so. So, so, so when we look at the 730 00:40:25,680 --> 00:40:29,210 discernment process of, of, of making the decision and moving 731 00:40:29,220 --> 00:40:32,510 forward the decision, and then we kind of contrast that with 732 00:40:32,520 --> 00:40:35,330 the potential opposition and discerning whether that is a 733 00:40:35,340 --> 00:40:39,830 genuine opposition or a, an external force or internal force 734 00:40:39,840 --> 00:40:43,240 of some kind that that gives us a lot to chew on. 735 00:40:44,690 --> 00:40:48,780 There's probably a lot of other places we could go, but perhaps 736 00:40:48,790 --> 00:40:51,680 that's probably a good. Anything else you wanted? 737 00:40:51,690 --> 00:40:53,510 To say, let's let's end here, Let's end here. 738 00:40:53,580 --> 00:40:57,460 Yeah. So the magi make it to Jesus and 739 00:40:57,470 --> 00:40:58,590 they're overjoyed. Right. 740 00:40:58,600 --> 00:41:00,750 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's they're overjoyed and they 741 00:41:00,760 --> 00:41:03,600 worship. They bring gifts. 742 00:41:04,460 --> 00:41:08,650 I think one thing that I didn't name in in my sermon. 743 00:41:09,500 --> 00:41:14,040 So you've got worship as like man, the, the, the amount of joy 744 00:41:14,050 --> 00:41:16,170 that you can access in the presence of Jesus through 745 00:41:16,180 --> 00:41:18,410 worship is significant. Yeah. 746 00:41:18,480 --> 00:41:21,790 And so for sure, part of that is is song singing and you know, 747 00:41:21,800 --> 00:41:25,670 but ordering all of your life around the presence of Jesus. 748 00:41:26,280 --> 00:41:31,690 Number 2, they, they give him, they bring him gifts, they lay 749 00:41:31,700 --> 00:41:34,510 them at his as there's a surrender there, there is an 750 00:41:34,520 --> 00:41:36,230 honoring, there's a lifting high. 751 00:41:36,240 --> 00:41:39,010 There is a declaring Jesus to be who he says he is. 752 00:41:39,720 --> 00:41:43,700 And I think there's power in worship to access joy. 753 00:41:43,710 --> 00:41:47,850 There's power in declaring Jesus to be who he says he is in, in 754 00:41:47,860 --> 00:41:51,150 terms of understanding joy and peace and hope in the face of 755 00:41:51,160 --> 00:41:53,060 maybe opposition that you have, right? 756 00:41:53,100 --> 00:41:55,770 So to declare Jesus to be who he says he is, like almost in the 757 00:41:55,780 --> 00:41:58,990 face of opposition, it's like, Hey, you're not going to change. 758 00:41:59,000 --> 00:42:01,920 You're going to change my position, my posture, right? 759 00:42:02,300 --> 00:42:04,530 There's a declaration there. The other thing that I would add 760 00:42:04,540 --> 00:42:06,860 is gratitude. We talked about this last week 761 00:42:06,870 --> 00:42:11,190 with Allison a little bit, but gratitude is the amount of joy I 762 00:42:11,200 --> 00:42:13,110 think that you can access by practicing. 763 00:42:13,120 --> 00:42:16,410 Gratitude is tremendous. Yeah. 764 00:42:16,460 --> 00:42:22,650 So worship, declare Jesus who he says he is and be grateful. 765 00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:26,670 And I think on the other side, in the midst of, as you change, 766 00:42:26,680 --> 00:42:30,310 as you wrestle that out, as you face opposition, you will still 767 00:42:30,320 --> 00:42:33,810 yet while on the road experience joy. 768 00:42:34,340 --> 00:42:36,340 And it's when we lose the worship. 769 00:42:36,350 --> 00:42:38,550 It's when we lose the declaration of who Jesus is. 770 00:42:38,560 --> 00:42:42,570 It's when we just shift our eyes away from those truths and 771 00:42:42,580 --> 00:42:46,730 realities, when we fail to be grateful and when we start being 772 00:42:46,740 --> 00:42:52,780 resentful and bitter and woe is me and how could I be where I am 773 00:42:52,790 --> 00:42:56,060 in in life and, and man, people wrestle with really hard things. 774 00:42:56,290 --> 00:42:59,340 But it's when we lose sight of those things that I think joy 775 00:42:59,350 --> 00:43:00,990 erodes. Hmm. 776 00:43:01,030 --> 00:43:05,290 And so don't lose sight of those 3 worshipped clergy is to be who 777 00:43:05,300 --> 00:43:07,280 he is. Be grateful. 778 00:43:07,630 --> 00:43:10,860 And I think joy in the midst of change, in the midst of 779 00:43:10,870 --> 00:43:12,860 opposition, absolutely accessible. 780 00:43:13,250 --> 00:43:15,980 That's a way better place and that's great. 781 00:43:16,830 --> 00:43:19,240 Well, let's, yeah, let's let's close out there. 782 00:43:19,250 --> 00:43:23,340 And so if you have any further thoughts or like we've been 783 00:43:23,350 --> 00:43:26,460 saying, if you have anything that you've been practicing, 784 00:43:26,550 --> 00:43:30,380 particularly over Advent into Christmas that you'd love to to 785 00:43:30,390 --> 00:43:32,920 share or other questions you have, you can send those to you 786 00:43:32,930 --> 00:43:37,080 questions at courtrightchurch.org and we will 787 00:43:37,090 --> 00:43:38,550 see you next week.