1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,240 Aloha, and welcome to Eamon Podcast. 2 00:00:02,240 --> 00:00:05,960 I'm Lukilani, your host, and I'm here with my husband Alex, who's 3 00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:11,800 going to walk us through Matthew 28 verses 11 through 15. 4 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:15,120 The religious leaders just heard the news. 5 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:18,760 Jesus is risen, and instead of falling to their knees, they 6 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:22,440 pull out their wallets. They bribe the guards, spread a 7 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:27,080 lie, and use every bit of political leverage they have to 8 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:29,560 try to stop what God already did. 9 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:32,520 And here's the thing, none of it worked. 10 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:39,920 And if it could work because you cannot move an immovable God, no 11 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:43,560 bribe, no lie, no human power can shift His purposes. 12 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:50,160 So today Alex will walk us through three P ways people try 13 00:00:50,160 --> 00:00:54,760 to stop the resurrection and why every single one of them failed. 14 00:00:56,760 --> 00:00:59,960 This is the episode God is immovable and we're so glad 15 00:00:59,960 --> 00:01:02,120 you're here for it. Let's read. 16 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:06,800 We're in the ESP version today starting at verse 11. 17 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:10,840 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the 18 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:14,440 city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 19 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:18,240 And when they had assembled with the elders, and taking counsel, 20 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:22,160 they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers, and said, 21 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:26,280 Tell people his disciples came by night and stole him away 22 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:29,840 while we were asleep. And if this comes to the 23 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:33,320 governor's ears we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble. 24 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:37,360 So they took the money and did as they were directed. 25 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:41,000 And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day. 26 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:45,120 Amen. We're almost to the end of the 27 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:47,440 Gospel of Matthew. We've been in it a while. 28 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:51,000 If you've caught up on all these episodes and you've listened to 29 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:55,120 everyone, God bless you and that is amazing. 30 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:57,840 But we do know that's actually like characteristic of you guys, 31 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:01,520 of our followers that you like to listen to every episode and 32 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:04,080 and stay up to date with it. And so thank you for following 33 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:05,400 along. And it's been fun teaching 34 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:07,760 through this and we're excited to see what we're going to jump 35 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:11,520 into next, most likely a letter, you know, take a break from the 36 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:13,560 Gospels, but we love the Gospels. 37 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:16,720 We'll always come back to the gospels at some point because in 38 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:20,440 the gospel, we hear the gospel and that's a part of every 39 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:22,800 episode. Part of that good news is that 40 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:25,560 God is immovable. God is immovable. 41 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:29,120 The empty tomb, the resurrection, the cross, all of 42 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:31,040 it shows us that you can't move God. 43 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:33,720 And what I mean by that is like you can't. 44 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:38,440 There's no God is impassable. So he doesn't experience emotion 45 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:43,640 or suffering in or anything or person like even personality the 46 00:02:43,640 --> 00:02:45,840 same that we the same way that we do. 47 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:50,120 And so he's not Moody, he doesn't have bad days, He's not 48 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:52,600 fluctuated upon with his emotions. 49 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:56,880 And so when we look at him not being and him being immovable, 50 00:02:57,040 --> 00:03:00,240 that means there doesn't matter what happens on this earth, it 51 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:05,640 cannot change God's plans. No matter how many culprits or 52 00:03:05,640 --> 00:03:09,280 how many plans his enemies come up with, you cannot change the 53 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:11,880 plans and the purposes of God that he's already set in place 54 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:13,880 before the foundation of the earth. 55 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:18,160 There is nothing new or surprising that God is going to 56 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:20,120 come across and not be ready for. 57 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:26,880 So there's three areas that the wicked today try to cover up God 58 00:03:26,880 --> 00:03:29,720 or move God or, or, or, or take God out of the picture. 59 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:31,880 And I want you to see if they're, I want you to see how 60 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:34,640 they're characteristic of what's going on in the church today and 61 00:03:34,640 --> 00:03:36,720 also in our culture today. Because I believe it'll really 62 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:41,040 help you grasp for just what kind of world we live in. 63 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:44,080 But it'll also help you be encouraged to know that if God 64 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:48,360 is immovable, then in every circumstance, we shall not be 65 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:49,680 moved. And we'll tie that all together 66 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:52,600 at the end with the gospel. But just to frame this all, I 67 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:55,120 want you to have a picture of what leverage is. 68 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:58,080 If we're talking about God being immovable, there's no amount of 69 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:01,200 leverage that humans can get to try to move him. 70 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:04,280 And if that's true about God, it's also true about us because 71 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:08,280 we are he is for us. Even though we are wicked and we 72 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:14,680 we do accept bribery, we do involve ourselves in dishonesty 73 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:17,040 and, and get too caught up in politics and all that. 74 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:21,720 Ultimately, God takes the the what we meant for evil and turn 75 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:24,800 it for good. And ultimately our salvation 76 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:26,920 shall not be moved. We'll be with him for eternity. 77 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:30,960 So picture there's a giant rock and it's on top of a trap door. 78 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:33,400 And in that trap door is treasure. 79 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:36,640 And all you have is no humans to help you. 80 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:39,400 All you have is a very strong plank of wood and then another 81 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:45,760 smaller rock and then a bunch of bags, 100 bags of 50 LB sand. 82 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:49,560 What would you do to move that giant rock off the trap door? 83 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:53,920 You would wedge that plank underneath the bottom of that 84 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:55,720 big rock. You would put the plank on top 85 00:04:55,720 --> 00:05:00,120 of the smaller rock and then you just pile on 50 LB bags of of 86 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:02,760 sand until the rock started to move. 87 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:05,720 And that's what the wicked tries to do. 88 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:09,040 When there's this immovable object in front of like this 89 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:12,120 truth of the resurrection, this truth of who God is, we try to 90 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:15,360 do whatever we can to move it. And the wicked is definitely 91 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:17,720 trying to do that in the past and is still doing it today. 92 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:21,160 We cannot dispute the resurrection. 93 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:26,280 It's too heavy of a truth to roll away and eventually, let's 94 00:05:26,280 --> 00:05:28,960 say there is some truth that you do get to roll away like some 95 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:32,080 lie you try to cover up and use leverage or money or power or 96 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:35,120 whatever to cover it up. Eventually everyone comes across 97 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:37,520 a truth that they cannot leverage to roll away. 98 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:42,160 So let's look at verses 11 through 12 first and we'll see 99 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:46,280 how bribery cannot move God. So it says while they were 100 00:05:46,280 --> 00:05:50,280 going, behold, some of the guard went to into the city and told 101 00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:52,240 the chief priests all that had taken place. 102 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:56,440 So the guard who was at the tomb, they see the Angel, they 103 00:05:56,440 --> 00:06:00,200 see the empty tomb, and now they go back and they go to the city 104 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:03,880 of Jerusalem to tell the chief priests and the Sanhedrin guys 105 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:06,520 what had happened. In verse 12 it says, and when 106 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:09,600 they assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a 107 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:11,960 sufficient sum of money to the soldiers. 108 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:15,360 So it would have taken a lot of money to get the soldiers to 109 00:06:16,520 --> 00:06:18,880 lie. So they're bribing the soldiers. 110 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:22,760 In so doing, it's showing us that bribery is the leverage of 111 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:26,640 the wicked, the those who are apart from Christ, humans, 112 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:30,760 wicked people. What we do is we try to bribe. 113 00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:34,160 It's how we operate. We, we try to do whatever we can 114 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:37,920 to get what we want by using bribery of some sort, usually 115 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:40,440 money, but it could be bribery of other ways. 116 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:42,000 I'll do this. I'll scratch your back if you 117 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:43,760 scratch mine. This is the way we operate. 118 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:48,800 We're so depraved that we choose to find whatever we can to 119 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:52,200 leverage what we want now. God makes his decisions and 120 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:55,960 stands by him, by them, and he cannot be bought. 121 00:06:56,480 --> 00:06:59,840 We can't put God in our debt. We can't make God do what we 122 00:06:59,840 --> 00:07:02,560 want him to do. And the gates of hell will not 123 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:05,240 prevail against what God has set in motion. 124 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:10,240 There is no amount of plans or schemes of man or power of hell 125 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:12,200 that can make God change his mind. 126 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:13,840 So. So how does God save us? 127 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:15,560 So how does God come up with anything? 128 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:19,680 How does God respond to us? Through worship, through our 129 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:22,960 life? He does so already knowing what 130 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:26,800 He shall do, already knowing the decision that He'd made, already 131 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:30,000 having His purposes set out before the foundation of the 132 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:33,400 earth. And Isaiah 4610, it tells us 133 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:37,720 that my purpose will stand. I will do all that I please. 134 00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:41,600 This is what God says. His purposes shall stand. 135 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:44,920 So where do you see bribery? In your own heart or in the 136 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:48,320 world, wherever you live, where do you see it? 137 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:51,600 Where are you trying to maybe put God in your debt, or where 138 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:55,000 have you bribed someone? That's a part of the 139 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:57,360 characteristic of just being wicked and being depraved in our 140 00:07:57,360 --> 00:07:59,560 hearts. But the good news is we have a 141 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:02,800 God who cannot be bribed, who cannot be pressured. 142 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:07,960 Now, if bribery is the leverage of the wicked, dishonesty is the 143 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:11,440 way of life for the wicked. Dishonesty can't move God. 144 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:13,840 There's no amount of dishonesty that you could do that can 145 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:15,920 ultimately make God not love you. 146 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:19,040 There's no amount of dishonesty in the world that could 147 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:21,200 ultimately over shadow who God is. 148 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:24,680 So look at verse 13. It says and the people's and 149 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:28,120 they said tell people his disciples came by night and 150 00:08:28,120 --> 00:08:32,960 stole away while we were asleep. So they give a lot of money to 151 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:35,960 the soldiers to lie about what happened to the body. 152 00:08:39,159 --> 00:08:41,200 This is the way of life for the wicked. 153 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:45,840 Dishonesty, lying, trying to cover up the truth with lies. 154 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:50,520 But the way that this works is first, John 15 tells us that God 155 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:53,520 is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. 156 00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:57,320 Meaning there is no amount of shadows or darkness that could 157 00:08:57,320 --> 00:08:59,800 cover up the brightness of who God is. 158 00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:03,880 Truth is too heavy for any lie to move. 159 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:08,440 It always comes out. You cannot push away light with 160 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:12,000 darkness. Where do you see dishonesty? 161 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:14,640 In your church or in your culture or in your own heart. 162 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:19,880 There is the story in veggie Tales and we don't really like 163 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:21,760 let our kids watch veggie tales too much. 164 00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:23,760 Like we pick and choose the episodes because some of the 165 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:26,760 theology in in veggie tales is not great. 166 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:29,280 But there's one episode that is a good illustration. 167 00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:31,000 It's called the fib from outer space. 168 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:32,200 You might have seen this episode. 169 00:09:32,440 --> 00:09:36,440 It's a Larry Boy episode. And in it, this alien comes from 170 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:40,040 outer space, meets Junior Asparagus and befriends him and 171 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:45,080 and and Junior starts to lie through the temptation of this 172 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:46,840 alien. And the more Junior lies, the 173 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:50,120 bigger this fib. This alien gets to the point 174 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:54,120 where Larry Boy has to step in and help defeat this fib. 175 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:57,600 And that is a great picture because the the life of the 176 00:09:57,600 --> 00:09:59,640 wicked is characterized by dishonesty. 177 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:02,640 It's one lie after another. It's caught up in a web of lies. 178 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:04,560 It's lies that just get bigger and bigger and bigger and 179 00:10:04,560 --> 00:10:06,440 bigger. And it's the characteristic of 180 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:08,280 it's characteristic of dishonesty. 181 00:10:08,480 --> 00:10:11,520 It just gets bigger and bigger and bigger until it becomes too 182 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:14,440 much for you to handle. The good news is that there's no 183 00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:16,440 amount of dishonesty that God cannot handle. 184 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:19,320 There's no amount of darkness that God can't shine his light 185 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:24,000 into and ultimately extinguish. So we know that bribery cannot 186 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:26,280 move God. Dishonesty cannot move God. 187 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:29,520 But lastly, policy cannot move God. 188 00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:31,720 And I'll tell you what I mean by policy before we read the next 189 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:36,040 couple of verses. Policy is when a bunch of 190 00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:39,800 politicians, presidents, leaders, governors get together 191 00:10:39,800 --> 00:10:44,320 and come up with rules to abide by for our countries, for our 192 00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:47,480 states. They are policies that we will 193 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:52,000 follow. Politics is all about getting a 194 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:56,080 bunch of people on your side and saying these people are with me, 195 00:10:56,080 --> 00:11:00,880 so I don't care about what this other team has to say. 196 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:04,520 I have all my people with me. It's policy. 197 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:07,120 Politics is looking for who is on my side. 198 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:10,240 And we are constantly caught up in this, whether it's in actual 199 00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:12,560 politics with Republicans and Democratic and the other 200 00:11:12,560 --> 00:11:14,840 parties, or just in our own lives. 201 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:18,600 We're constantly trying to look for who is with me, who is on my 202 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:22,000 side, who are my people. And this can be very detrimental 203 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:26,040 because the Bible says that a man of many companions comes to 204 00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:29,520 ruin. Now look at Matthew 28 through 205 00:11:29,520 --> 00:11:33,440 14 to see this policy that is unable to move God. 206 00:11:35,680 --> 00:11:38,600 And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy 207 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:43,400 him and keep you out of trouble. So the religious leaders say if 208 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:49,000 the governor hears back what happened, that you guys lied and 209 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:53,560 that the body is stolen on your watch, we will bribe him too and 210 00:11:53,560 --> 00:11:55,920 we'll keep you out of trouble. Verse 15. 211 00:11:55,920 --> 00:11:58,760 So they took the money. The Romans took the money and 212 00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:01,560 did as they were directed. And this story has been spread 213 00:12:01,560 --> 00:12:05,200 among the Jews to this day. So I want you to see both sides 214 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:07,600 and put at play here. There's the Romans, the pagans, 215 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:10,600 the Gentiles who are accepting the money, who are lying. 216 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:15,000 There is the religious leaders, the Jews, the spiritual ones who 217 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:17,640 are telling them to lie, who are giving them the money, who's 218 00:12:17,640 --> 00:12:20,600 making the bribe. So you see how both sides are 219 00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:23,440 examples of wickedness. And that's meant by Matthew to 220 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:26,400 show you that whether you grew up religious or you grew up 221 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:29,440 spiritual, or you're Catholic or Buddhist or whatever you are, 222 00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:33,360 you are not off the hook. If you are a Pagan person, you 223 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:35,920 grew up without God. You know, if you, which is 224 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:38,600 really all of us, you grew up separated from God. 225 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:40,760 That's all of us. If you grew up with no spiritual 226 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:44,680 background or the not not the right spiritual background, it 227 00:12:44,680 --> 00:12:46,080 doesn't matter. You're not off the hook. 228 00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:50,280 We are all wicked in God's eyes. All have fallen short of the 229 00:12:50,280 --> 00:12:52,960 glory of God, for all have sinned. 230 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:55,160 And that Greek word all means all. 231 00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:59,680 So policy is the love language of the wicked. 232 00:12:59,920 --> 00:13:02,480 They leverage power to get what they want to protect themselves. 233 00:13:02,480 --> 00:13:05,880 And this is what we do. We come up with policy. 234 00:13:05,920 --> 00:13:07,760 I'm going to live this way. I'm going to like this, I'm 235 00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:10,040 going to not like this. I'm going to support this. 236 00:13:10,040 --> 00:13:12,160 I'm not going to support this. And what we're doing is we're 237 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:15,560 just trying to see and gather who is on our side. 238 00:13:15,560 --> 00:13:19,080 And humans are swayed by humans. That's why we act this way. 239 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:22,240 However, God is not swayed by humans. 240 00:13:22,560 --> 00:13:24,880 So there's there's this phenomenon happening in our 241 00:13:24,880 --> 00:13:26,920 culture today called exhibitionism. 242 00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:30,080 Exhibitionism. And it's the idea that we are 243 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:33,760 obsessed with desire. We're obsessed with needing to 244 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:37,680 be seen, needing to be desired. And this has been largely 245 00:13:37,680 --> 00:13:44,800 inflated by social media likes, comments, story, views, views, 246 00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:49,080 whatever it is, it makes it gives us a huge dopamine hit and 247 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:50,760 it makes us feel like we're going to be OK. 248 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:53,760 It makes us feel safe knowing that all these people are 249 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:56,920 watching our exposition, that we're making ourselves an 250 00:13:56,920 --> 00:13:58,640 exhibit. And as long as people are paying 251 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:01,560 attention to us, then they're on our side and they love us. 252 00:14:01,560 --> 00:14:05,600 And if that is true, then maybe, just maybe, God will give us 253 00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:08,400 extra favor too. Because surely if people like 254 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:09,880 us, then God has to like us, right? 255 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:12,760 It's not how this works. And it's actually seeped off of 256 00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:17,200 online to on land. So now people are immodest in 257 00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:19,720 public. Men and women practice 258 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:21,160 immodesty. Why? 259 00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:23,320 Because we're they're putting themselves on exhibit. 260 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:28,680 It's exposition, exhibitionism. Who likes me, who desires me, 261 00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:31,160 who wants me, who finds me attractive, who accepts me. 262 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:35,240 And we become, even in public, it's a dopamine hit when we get 263 00:14:35,240 --> 00:14:38,360 that second look, when someone pays attention to us, whether 264 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:41,640 it's wearing not enough clothes or wearing odd clothes or weird 265 00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:44,920 clothes or clothes that gather a lot of attention, whether it's 266 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:48,400 due the amount of money that the clothes cost you or the amount 267 00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:51,880 of weird graphics on the shirt. We're just constantly trying to 268 00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:56,720 put ourselves on exhibit and display so that people pay 269 00:14:56,720 --> 00:15:00,880 attention to us. Now, Barbara Fredrickson points 270 00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:08,400 out that for women specifically, women often internalize an 271 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:14,680 observer's perspective of them. So how observers see them, women 272 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:19,080 often internalize that meaning. When someone calls you a woman 273 00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:23,680 pretty, when someone double takes out a woman, when someone 274 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:26,160 likes or comments you're so beautiful. 275 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:30,560 We and women internalize that. Men definitely do this too, but 276 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:34,920 specifically women internalize it and they see that as their 277 00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:37,400 worth. It confirms I'm valuable. 278 00:15:37,400 --> 00:15:40,240 I am worthy because this observer and their perspective 279 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:43,840 of me says so. That is unhealthy because now 280 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:46,320 your value, your worth is in the hands of strangers. 281 00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:49,000 And the Bible says beauty is fleeting. 282 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:51,760 It's fleeting. So from not just from year to 283 00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:55,480 year, a decade to decade, from day-to-day, that can change. 284 00:15:55,760 --> 00:15:58,080 You can go to bed right now and wake up with a pimple the size 285 00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:02,560 of 1/4 on your face and then all of a sudden beauty is that 286 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:03,720 fleeting. You see what I'm saying? 287 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:08,080 It's as fleeting as the steam coming off the top of your cup 288 00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:09,960 of coffee. It's here in one moment and it's 289 00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:13,400 gone another, and it flies by. And so we shouldn't put our 290 00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:15,640 worth and our value in that, ladies. 291 00:16:15,960 --> 00:16:19,840 But also for men, this exhibitionism works its way out 292 00:16:19,840 --> 00:16:23,640 in a different way. So sociologist Catherine Hakim 293 00:16:24,160 --> 00:16:28,640 says that men use physical attraction as social currency. 294 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:32,560 And so they see if I am ripped my, if I'm buff, if I dress 295 00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:35,640 well, if I'm on exhibit and I'm getting enough attention from 296 00:16:35,640 --> 00:16:39,680 people, whether it's on land or online, then I can use that as 297 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:42,280 social currency. I can use that to leverage 298 00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:46,080 power. All of it is policy. 299 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:50,640 All of it is you politicking. All is, all of it is you looking 300 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:54,600 for who's going to vote for you, who's going to keep you in mind 301 00:16:54,600 --> 00:16:58,160 when stuff hits the fan. And all of it is about 302 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:02,120 acceptance. God is not swayed by politics. 303 00:17:02,280 --> 00:17:05,040 He's not swayed by policy. He's not swayed by what humans 304 00:17:05,079 --> 00:17:07,400 have to say. He makes his decisions and 305 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:10,280 stands by them regardless of who is in power. 306 00:17:10,520 --> 00:17:13,480 You might be thinking, well, Alex, what about the example of 307 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:16,119 Saul? Didn't the people of Israel ask 308 00:17:16,119 --> 00:17:17,960 for a king? And so the God gave them the 309 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:21,920 first king of Israel, Saul. That's not how it pans out. 310 00:17:22,560 --> 00:17:26,960 While God did give them a king and chose Saul, God was giving 311 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:30,280 them a king to show them that they did not need a king. 312 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:36,120 And every single one of the king of Israel's, king of Israel 313 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:39,600 failed except Jesus. Every single one. 314 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:42,960 Yet a lot of really good ones, and a lot of terrible ones. 315 00:17:43,120 --> 00:17:47,000 The point is they all failed and that was God's point in even 316 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:48,600 giving them a king in the 1st place. 317 00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:51,720 It wasn't that they were saying please God, please we want this 318 00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:54,680 and God was swayed by that and said fine OK I'll give it. 319 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:56,880 I'll go against my better judgement and just give you what 320 00:17:56,880 --> 00:17:58,640 you want. That's not how God works. 321 00:17:58,640 --> 00:18:02,640 When God does anything, God had already decided to do it before 322 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:09,480 anybody asked for it. With that said, when we choose 323 00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:12,200 policy, when we choose exhibitionism, we're choosing 324 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:15,640 what the Bible calls vain glory with the church fathers called 325 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:18,600 vain glory. We're trying to take glory from 326 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:21,080 God and attribute it to ourselves, glory that only 327 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:23,280 belongs to God. We're trying to keep it for 328 00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:25,840 ourselves and that is no way to live. 329 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:30,520 An example of this from our culture, and we'll get into the 330 00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:32,880 application next is from Mean Girls. 331 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:34,520 You know, I don't know if you've ever seen this movie. 332 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:37,560 You don't really need to see it. It's a it's a cult film, but 333 00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:40,280 I'll, I'll explain it to you. There's a New Girl at the 334 00:18:40,280 --> 00:18:42,960 school. She grew up in Africa and it's a 335 00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:45,840 classic high school where it's hierarchy, cheerleaders, 336 00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:50,360 football players, popular kids, nerds, unpopular kids sections 337 00:18:50,360 --> 00:18:53,720 in the cafeteria that you cannot sit in if you are not a part of 338 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:55,880 that crew. And she comes right in the 339 00:18:55,880 --> 00:18:59,400 middle of it, knowing none of this like she grew up in Africa 340 00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:01,560 in the plains. And so when she gets to the 341 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:05,040 cafeteria, this one group of popular girls thinks that thinks 342 00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:07,520 that she's pretty and they invite her into her group. 343 00:19:07,520 --> 00:19:11,120 Well, she much more identifies with this nerdy group. 344 00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:13,840 And so the whole movie, she's constantly jumping back and 345 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:17,360 forth between this popular group and this unpopular group. 346 00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:21,480 And it's she's pulled from side to side and she's very anxious 347 00:19:21,480 --> 00:19:25,160 and unhappy because of it. And she spends the whole time 348 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:28,160 politicking, finding the policy. Who likes me? 349 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:29,920 Who doesn't like me? I'm this person. 350 00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:31,840 I'm this person. When I'm with them like this, 351 00:19:31,840 --> 00:19:34,000 when I'm like this, when I'm with them, I'm like that. 352 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:38,240 And this is how most of us live, accepting dishonesty and bribery 353 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:41,160 and policy into our lives, just trying to find a place to be 354 00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:44,240 happy. What Christ shows us is that you 355 00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:45,760 don't have to live that way to be happy. 356 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:49,560 What Christ shows us is that if there's an alternative, there's 357 00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:55,360 a power in him that we tap into to truly be satisfied with God 358 00:19:55,360 --> 00:20:00,960 and God alone, because Christ is the King who never took a bribe. 359 00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:03,320 Christ is the King who never lied. 360 00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:06,920 He's the King that never was swayed by political pressure. 361 00:20:07,120 --> 00:20:11,600 People couldn't make him do what they wanted him to do. 362 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:15,520 But what about salvation? He came and saved us because we 363 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:17,400 needed it, so he must have been swayed by us. 364 00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:21,520 God came to save us because that was God's plan. 365 00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:27,920 Jesus came and obedience to the Father's will to to save us and 366 00:20:27,920 --> 00:20:31,360 thus so doing first and foremost glorifying the Father. 367 00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:36,280 The plan was that God would get the glory so that all would see 368 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:40,000 that God is beautiful and and and perfect and worthy of our 369 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:42,520 worship and praise. That's the first reason why he 370 00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:46,640 died for us on the cross. And also with that he loved you, 371 00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:50,720 but he set his gaze and his love on you before you were even 372 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:52,920 born, before the stars were even made. 373 00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:58,960 And so he wasn't swayed by what you would do or or what bad you 374 00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:00,640 had done or what good you had done. 375 00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:04,840 He made the decision to come and save you way before you were 376 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:08,080 even born, way before anything even ever existed. 377 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:13,000 So in Christ, what this all means is God is immovable, 378 00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:16,760 bribery, dishonesty, policy can't move him. 379 00:21:17,120 --> 00:21:21,440 And if this is true, that in if Christ is the only one to not 380 00:21:21,440 --> 00:21:24,400 take a bribe, to not be swayed by political pressure, to not be 381 00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:29,240 dishonest, then that means if we are in Christ, we are made new. 382 00:21:29,560 --> 00:21:33,640 We leave the we leave the leverage of bribery behind. 383 00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:37,240 We leave the lifestyle of dishonesty behind. 384 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:44,400 We we leave the love language of policy behind to exist in Christ 385 00:21:44,400 --> 00:21:46,400 as new creations. And that means at least three 386 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:48,640 things. Number one, we are free in 387 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:50,360 Christ. We are free in Christ. 388 00:21:50,360 --> 00:21:54,440 That means bribes lose their power against us because in 389 00:21:54,440 --> 00:21:59,440 Christ we have everything. We have infinite value in Christ 390 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:02,680 because of who loves us. There's a song out there that 391 00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:04,600 says you're nobody until Somebody Loves You. 392 00:22:05,360 --> 00:22:10,480 And a better way of saying it, a more honest way is you are 393 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:13,360 nobody until you realize how much God loves you. 394 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:17,880 That is infinite value. Infinite value. 395 00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:22,480 And if that is true, what amount of bribery could you give a 396 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:27,880 Christian to get him to choose dishonesty, to choose people 397 00:22:27,880 --> 00:22:29,280 over God? There is no amount. 398 00:22:29,480 --> 00:22:32,640 Eventually it will always go back to God because the gates of 399 00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:35,120 hell will not prevail against God's children. 400 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:39,080 Also, in Christ we are fully known. 401 00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:44,520 Fully known. So lies don't stick or tempt the 402 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:48,040 Christian. Whether it's lies told to you or 403 00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:51,600 lies told about you, they don't work against the Christian. 404 00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:53,640 Why? Because God fully knows you. 405 00:22:54,080 --> 00:22:58,600 And if I'm fully known in God, it makes no difference what 406 00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:01,720 people think they know about me or what people do know about me, 407 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:05,320 because I'm fully known by God. Even if the people are right 408 00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:08,400 about the things that are said about you, you are fully known 409 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:10,960 by God. And if God knew you and all your 410 00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:14,320 dirt and all your sin and still chose to save you and love you 411 00:23:14,680 --> 00:23:17,760 and to pour out and lavish His love upon you, then what could 412 00:23:17,760 --> 00:23:20,600 you pause? What, what possible new things 413 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:23,640 could God discover about you that would make him change His 414 00:23:23,640 --> 00:23:25,560 mind about you? Nothing. 415 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:30,400 The last thing is, in Christ we are fully understood by God. 416 00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:35,320 We don't have to live for acceptance, because acceptance 417 00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:38,160 all it is policy. Looking for who's on your side, 418 00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:41,120 who table, which table to sit at, what do I got to do? 419 00:23:41,120 --> 00:23:44,400 Who sees me, who desires me? All of that is basically you 420 00:23:44,400 --> 00:23:47,320 just trying to be understood because you think if people 421 00:23:47,320 --> 00:23:49,920 understand you, then they'll accept you and they'll be with 422 00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:52,880 you forever and they'll protect you and they'll and, and maybe 423 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:55,040 God will like you because they like you. 424 00:23:56,520 --> 00:24:01,160 No, we don't live for acceptance because we're already understood 425 00:24:01,160 --> 00:24:04,240 by God. Understand that God literally 426 00:24:04,240 --> 00:24:08,200 walked in your shoes in Christ. He was tempted in every way, yet 427 00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:14,760 without sin, which means he experienced A temptation you can 428 00:24:14,760 --> 00:24:17,960 only dream about. He he experienced A temptation 429 00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:21,120 you can only imagine, but he didn't give into it. 430 00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:26,840 So the full force of temptation, he experienced it, yet not 431 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:29,160 giving in to sin. So he knows exactly what it's 432 00:24:29,160 --> 00:24:32,920 like to be you. More than anyone, He understands 433 00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:35,440 you. I'm going to close with this 434 00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:40,320 Psalms 121 three, which says He will not let your foot be moved. 435 00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:43,600 He who keeps you will not slumber. 436 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:48,840 God is not like you and I. He doesn't need sleep and so He 437 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:53,200 is awake all the time, keeping you, taking care of you. 438 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:58,480 And He in Psalms 121 verse 3 says He will not let your foot 439 00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:02,440 be moved. If God is immovable and we are 440 00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:05,880 in Christ, that means in Christ you shall not be moved. 441 00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:10,160 So whatever you feel like is moving you, whether it is fear, 442 00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:14,920 finances, lies, dishonesty, bribery, politics, whatever is 443 00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:18,680 unsettling you ultimately will not move you. 444 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:23,440 It cannot work because you are in Christ and God himself shall 445 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:25,560 not be moved. And if God shall not be moved, 446 00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:30,440 what He is doing is He's in the process of making you like 447 00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:33,880 Himself. Even if you slip, even if you 448 00:25:33,880 --> 00:25:38,120 make mistakes, even if you fall, even if you give in, ultimately 449 00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:42,120 your status and who he is cannot be moved. 450 00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:45,040 So that's the good news in all this. 451 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:50,160 If the cross, the resurrection, show us that not even death can 452 00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:55,480 move God, and that means in Christ you shall not be moved. 453 00:25:55,640 --> 00:26:00,720 You are with him and he gets the final say, not bribery, not 454 00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:03,640 dishonesty, not policy, not sin, not destruction. 455 00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:05,640 On any of that. He gets the final say. 456 00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:07,000 Amen. Let's pray. 457 00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:09,520 Father, we thank you for this opportunity to just open up your 458 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:12,360 word and to be blessed by it and to be encouraged by it. 459 00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:18,760 And we take courage, we take faith and knowing, and we take 460 00:26:18,760 --> 00:26:22,000 hope and knowing that you are immovable. 461 00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:24,360 And with you, we shall not be moved. 462 00:26:25,280 --> 00:26:27,280 Thank you for this reminder. And you're going to pray. 463 00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:29,240 Amen. Amen. 464 00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:31,880 This is the part of the episode called After the Amen where we 465 00:26:31,880 --> 00:26:35,480 ask you a question to help you apply this message to your life. 466 00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:38,720 Our question for you today is how is it encouraging to know 467 00:26:38,720 --> 00:26:42,520 you won't be moved? How is it encouraging to know 468 00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:46,560 you won't be moved? I'll answer 1st and then you can 469 00:26:46,560 --> 00:26:55,360 take it away from me, I think. Yeah, it just is summed up in 470 00:26:55,880 --> 00:27:01,360 all of the different examples I think that you shared, I guess 471 00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:07,160 with those last three, like I've shared this countless times, but 472 00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:12,040 the desire to be understood. And I think even since I've like 473 00:27:12,040 --> 00:27:15,240 shared that on the podcast, that struggle, like God has worked so 474 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:20,720 much in my life to help me not to worry so much about that. 475 00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:25,640 And this is just like that on the top sermon. 476 00:27:25,840 --> 00:27:32,720 And I think it's just, it's so freeing to be able to just rest 477 00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:39,400 in the truth that we are fully understood by God, whether it's 478 00:27:39,400 --> 00:27:46,200 that's the good things that he has produced in US or even the 479 00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:49,760 sinful things that we've done that he's ready to forgive. 480 00:27:50,520 --> 00:27:52,880 We are fully understood and known by him. 481 00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:55,640 And we don't have to prove ourselves to others or make 482 00:27:55,960 --> 00:28:03,760 people understand why we believe what we believe or why we did 483 00:28:03,760 --> 00:28:07,680 what we did or why we choose to live in a certain way. 484 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:09,920 And I think that's so encouraging. 485 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:14,440 I think I don't really struggle with that with non believers 486 00:28:15,120 --> 00:28:16,600 because it's like, well, they're blind. 487 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:20,480 I can't make them understand. It's literally not up to me to 488 00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:23,680 make them understand. It's my job to just continue to 489 00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:28,000 show them Christ's love. And that brings me into some 490 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:30,480 thoughts about like some of your points today too. 491 00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:37,040 Is is our responsibility as Christians to unbelievers like 492 00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:39,920 how we display ourselves kind of like what you're talking about 493 00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:44,520 with the exhibitionism. But just to finish this point 494 00:28:44,520 --> 00:28:49,080 about not needing to make people feel understood, Yeah, like even 495 00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:52,680 other Christians of like why we choose to have as many kids as 496 00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:57,240 we have or why we choose to talk about the thought theology that 497 00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:00,160 we believe in. Or I don't need to make them 498 00:29:00,160 --> 00:29:01,760 understand. I just need to stand on the 499 00:29:01,760 --> 00:29:07,600 truth and graciously and gently live that way or speak in a way 500 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:11,640 that displays that. And I found this so encouraging, 501 00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:16,400 like because it's like, I think with the we don't need to make 502 00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:18,960 people understand people go, what about that verse where it's 503 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:21,000 like always be ready to give an answer. 504 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:25,480 But it's not saying like, oh, you have to defend every part of 505 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:27,920 your life. It's saying be able to give a 506 00:29:27,920 --> 00:29:29,840 defense for the hope inside of you. 507 00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:34,520 And that if we are living in a way that is God honoring, then 508 00:29:34,560 --> 00:29:38,800 we should be able to describe why I choose to live with them. 509 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:41,080 I choose to have a lot of kids because I believe they're 510 00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:43,480 blessings from the Lord. And I believe that's how he 511 00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:49,440 wants to sanctify me. And it makes me love it like 512 00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:52,280 grows my love for others. You know, the more children I 513 00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:55,760 have, the more I love others because we're bringing all these 514 00:29:55,760 --> 00:29:58,120 different personality types into our home. 515 00:29:58,120 --> 00:30:01,280 And it helps me love people outside of my home better and 516 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:03,480 understand them. There's so many different 517 00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:08,920 things, but those are just a few of you know the reasons why and 518 00:30:09,240 --> 00:30:12,400 I have this with so encouraging and first Peter. 519 00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:17,520 I just wanted to read it. 313 and it's suffering for 520 00:30:17,520 --> 00:30:20,280 righteousness sake. And it says now who is there to 521 00:30:20,280 --> 00:30:22,600 harm you If you are zealous for what is good. 522 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:25,640 But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you will 523 00:30:25,640 --> 00:30:29,280 be blessed. Have No Fear of them, nor be 524 00:30:29,280 --> 00:30:34,080 troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ as Lord, Christ the 525 00:30:34,080 --> 00:30:36,680 Lord as holy. Always being prepared to make a 526 00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:40,120 defense to anyone who asks for a reason, for the hope that is in 527 00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:42,320 you. Yet do it with gentleness and 528 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:45,360 respect, having a good conscience, so that when you are 529 00:30:45,360 --> 00:30:50,040 slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be 530 00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:53,520 put to shame. For it is better to suffer for 531 00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:58,000 for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing 532 00:30:58,440 --> 00:30:59,320 evil. And I love that. 533 00:30:59,320 --> 00:31:03,640 It's like, don't have fear. You can make a defense for the 534 00:31:03,640 --> 00:31:05,480 hope inside of you. You don't have to make a defense 535 00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:08,360 for every single little point in your life or make them 536 00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:12,240 understand how just why you have that hope. 537 00:31:12,280 --> 00:31:13,680 Do it with gentleness and respect. 538 00:31:13,680 --> 00:31:20,120 It doesn't have to be a debate, you know, And that like 539 00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:24,680 ultimately, Christ well has your back. 540 00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:26,320 You know, he'll take care of it all. 541 00:31:26,320 --> 00:31:29,120 And it. Yeah, it's just so encouraging 542 00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:37,840 to me. And I also like the part in 543 00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:43,080 verse 16 where it says when you are slandered, those who revile 544 00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:45,680 your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 545 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:48,840 And so I think that kind of like ties into this exhibitionism 546 00:31:48,840 --> 00:31:55,680 stuff because it's like if we are slandered, yet we are living 547 00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:58,960 in a way and that isn't choosing right. 548 00:31:58,960 --> 00:32:02,840 This is saying like suffering for righteousness sake, not just 549 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:06,600 suffering as a Christian, like suffering for a living a life of 550 00:32:06,600 --> 00:32:09,520 godliness, a living a life of repentance. 551 00:32:09,520 --> 00:32:11,040 And we're not always going to do it perfect. 552 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:15,200 But if we are in Christ, like he has revealed things that to us 553 00:32:15,200 --> 00:32:19,920 that we need to change or that we need to trust him with. 554 00:32:19,920 --> 00:32:24,080 And yeah, I was just thinking how about the how this 555 00:32:24,080 --> 00:32:28,000 exhibitionist stuff, like it's kind of like all of these 556 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:30,480 points. It's dishonest because you're, 557 00:32:30,760 --> 00:32:34,040 you're telling the world, especially those who are lost 558 00:32:34,040 --> 00:32:35,920 and even those within Christianity, but like those who 559 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:38,520 are lost, that like my value doesn't come from Christ. 560 00:32:38,520 --> 00:32:43,040 It comes from what you guys think about me or what other 561 00:32:43,040 --> 00:32:46,440 people think of me or what I can offer the world. 562 00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:51,480 And it's dishonest. And in a way, like people, I 563 00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:55,200 think people like to like be like, OK, well, we can't be so 564 00:32:55,200 --> 00:33:00,040 like Amish, you know, like we can't like live so set apart 565 00:33:00,040 --> 00:33:04,320 that like we're not relatable. So that's why I think it's OK to 566 00:33:04,320 --> 00:33:09,080 like live this way or to dress like more immodest or whatever. 567 00:33:10,160 --> 00:33:13,440 You know, it's a way to meet people where they're at, but 568 00:33:13,440 --> 00:33:15,960 it's lying to them. And then you're also trying to 569 00:33:15,960 --> 00:33:19,800 bribe them into thinking like, oh, because I'm this way, like 570 00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:25,040 anyone can be in Christ. So like, this is how you come to 571 00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:26,960 Christ. And it's like, no, you, you 572 00:33:26,960 --> 00:33:31,000 don't need to like become like them to do that. 573 00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:34,080 You need to show them a different way through love and 574 00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:38,360 even in those verses with gentleness and respect, like not 575 00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:41,200 arguing with people and like politics brings that out of 576 00:33:41,200 --> 00:33:43,800 people. It just totally draws a wedge 577 00:33:43,800 --> 00:33:47,160 between Christians in the world because of how we handle our 578 00:33:47,160 --> 00:33:49,840 politics. We're not saying don't stand on 579 00:33:49,840 --> 00:33:54,200 righteousness, like don't stand on the truth, but how are you 580 00:33:54,200 --> 00:33:59,360 going about it? You know, and I think that's 581 00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:02,880 just in our culture today that exhibitionism like this is how 582 00:34:02,880 --> 00:34:05,920 all of these things are on such display. 583 00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:13,120 And but like applying those like last three points of being fully 584 00:34:13,120 --> 00:34:16,679 known, fully understand, understood by Christ because 585 00:34:16,679 --> 00:34:22,159 he's a movable, like we don't have to give into that. 586 00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:26,800 We can just live freely, live lovingly. 587 00:34:27,159 --> 00:34:31,360 And I'll help the Lord to work through that instead. 588 00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:34,360 And so that's so encouraging to me. 589 00:34:34,360 --> 00:34:39,520 And it you truly will be free when you like, accept that, when 590 00:34:39,520 --> 00:34:42,920 you understand that and you accept that and just tell 591 00:34:42,920 --> 00:34:47,440 yourself, I don't have to live in a way to please others, but 592 00:34:47,440 --> 00:34:51,320 through gentleness and respect, I can live the life that God has 593 00:34:51,320 --> 00:34:53,800 called me to. And that's it. 594 00:34:54,239 --> 00:34:57,280 And don't get arrogant though, that ruins it all. 595 00:34:58,360 --> 00:35:03,360 Yeah, like it doesn't get worse or versus because he's saying 596 00:35:03,360 --> 00:35:06,720 that we shouldn't live by fear to give a response or an answer 597 00:35:06,720 --> 00:35:09,480 to what we believe. Because what's going to happen 598 00:35:09,480 --> 00:35:13,680 if people don't like it? They might kill you, they might 599 00:35:13,800 --> 00:35:15,720 slander you, they might make fun of you more. 600 00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:19,400 But how is how is any of that more powerful than what Christ 601 00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:22,320 offers us in the cross? You know, like if they kill us 602 00:35:22,320 --> 00:35:25,320 and we go to be with him, if they don't accept us, we're 603 00:35:25,320 --> 00:35:28,520 already accepted. So he's saying there should not 604 00:35:28,520 --> 00:35:32,840 be fear in our hearts that people won't like us for the 605 00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:36,400 answer that we give, but also like you're saying, we should do 606 00:35:36,400 --> 00:35:41,480 it gently and with respect because we didn't come across 607 00:35:41,480 --> 00:35:44,640 the truth because we found it. We came across the truth because 608 00:35:44,640 --> 00:35:47,000 he revealed it to us. That we see that in Matthew 609 00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:50,120 chapter 16 when Peter's confession that Jesus is the 610 00:35:50,120 --> 00:35:56,080 Messiah, the Son of God, Jesus says, Simon Barjona, you did not 611 00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:57,920 learn this on your own, that God revealed it to you. 612 00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:00,760 And if it's true about Peter, that's true about all of us, 613 00:36:00,760 --> 00:36:02,360 right? That we don't get to the 614 00:36:02,360 --> 00:36:06,720 knowledge of who God is without the Holy Spirit revealing it to 615 00:36:06,720 --> 00:36:10,480 us according to God's sovereign predestination and election and 616 00:36:10,480 --> 00:36:13,400 chose and choosing to reveal it to us. 617 00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:18,160 And so how can we get arrogant and unrespecting and ungentle 618 00:36:18,200 --> 00:36:20,760 with anybody talking about the Gospel? 619 00:36:21,040 --> 00:36:23,600 And we didn't come to know it on our own. 620 00:36:24,040 --> 00:36:26,880 And so he's saying you shouldn't have fear because you're fully 621 00:36:26,880 --> 00:36:30,120 accepted and and loved by God, but you shouldn't have 622 00:36:31,640 --> 00:36:34,840 disrespect and you shouldn't be rude because of your own 623 00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:38,520 depravity in God choosing you. You're not choosing him. 624 00:36:39,040 --> 00:36:41,680 And so, yeah, it's all like, really encouraging. 625 00:36:42,360 --> 00:36:49,560 And really it is saying like, if people don't like it and you're 626 00:36:49,560 --> 00:36:51,600 gentle and you're respectful and people don't like it and they 627 00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:54,800 don't want to hear it, really the gospel says, who cares? 628 00:36:55,440 --> 00:36:59,840 You know you're going to be OK. But they those who do like it, 629 00:36:59,920 --> 00:37:02,920 they will hear you. That's the promise too, because 630 00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:06,200 God is so irresistible that those whom God has put you in 631 00:37:06,200 --> 00:37:08,640 their lives to share the gospel with them, they will hear you. 632 00:37:08,920 --> 00:37:11,400 They will join your community. They will be forever changed. 633 00:37:11,760 --> 00:37:15,400 And there is that promise. And so go, don't sit on it. 634 00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:19,240 Like talk about it and, you know, because God is immovable 635 00:37:19,560 --> 00:37:22,960 and he's irresistible. So that's all the more reason to 636 00:37:22,960 --> 00:37:24,520 share. That doesn't mean like, well, I 637 00:37:24,520 --> 00:37:26,240 should sit back and do nothing, right? 638 00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:29,760 They will come, those whom God is drawing, yes. 639 00:37:29,760 --> 00:37:33,360 And so we certainly should go. That's so good, yeah. 640 00:37:33,840 --> 00:37:40,160 And that just like, yeah, reminds me of that like NBA 641 00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:47,920 player who was like, I'm not going to like, well, I don't 642 00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:50,080 know the full story. It was like Pride month or 643 00:37:50,080 --> 00:37:51,600 something like that. Like I'm not going to 644 00:37:51,600 --> 00:37:53,320 participate in part Pride month. Yeah. 645 00:37:54,840 --> 00:37:58,880 And just how his I think back to your exhibition some point like 646 00:38:00,200 --> 00:38:03,760 his social currency is not necessarily looks maybe in the 647 00:38:03,760 --> 00:38:05,880 situation, but like his abilities. 648 00:38:05,880 --> 00:38:09,800 And if he put his hope and that he would be like, OK, like I'll 649 00:38:09,800 --> 00:38:13,720 just, I'm not going to like make a video and say I support pride, 650 00:38:13,720 --> 00:38:16,880 but I'll just wear the stuff and just keep on going. 651 00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:20,720 But like his hope was not in basketball or his capabilities, 652 00:38:20,720 --> 00:38:24,320 like, but it was in Christ. And I think the good, like we're 653 00:38:24,320 --> 00:38:27,920 just seeing all the good that has come from that as well. 654 00:38:27,920 --> 00:38:30,200 And his life, like you were sharing that like all of his 655 00:38:30,200 --> 00:38:33,640 jerseys sold out the next day that they fired him or whatever. 656 00:38:34,280 --> 00:38:38,320 And like, it's just a beautiful example of like when you do 657 00:38:38,320 --> 00:38:40,960 choose to say like, OK, I'm not going to give into this. 658 00:38:41,400 --> 00:38:44,400 Like God will take care of you. It's not always going to be huge 659 00:38:44,400 --> 00:38:48,520 like that where you might get wealthy because someone bought 660 00:38:48,520 --> 00:38:50,920 all your merch. But like he will take care of 661 00:38:50,920 --> 00:38:52,840 you and there will be good that comes from it. 662 00:38:53,280 --> 00:38:55,800 And it'll be a much more freeing and enjoyable life. 663 00:38:55,800 --> 00:39:00,280 I'm sure he loves basketball, wishes he was maybe still part 664 00:39:00,280 --> 00:39:04,320 of the NBA right now. But like, it seems like he has a 665 00:39:04,320 --> 00:39:07,040 lot of joy doing what whatever he's doing right now, like 666 00:39:07,520 --> 00:39:12,960 sharing the gospel and all that. And that's just let that be an 667 00:39:12,960 --> 00:39:15,760 encouragement If you're really struggling with letting go of 668 00:39:15,760 --> 00:39:19,800 some of the things that you think gives you value outside of 669 00:39:19,800 --> 00:39:24,360 Christ. I think we all need it in big or 670 00:39:24,360 --> 00:39:25,120 small ways. Yeah. 671 00:39:25,120 --> 00:39:27,920 And there's nothing that you can do that can get the world on 672 00:39:27,920 --> 00:39:30,760 your side. You know, like he, he did that. 673 00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:35,280 He said those things. But everybody to to the Gentile, 674 00:39:35,280 --> 00:39:38,320 the gospel is foolishness. And so all the Gentiles and all 675 00:39:38,320 --> 00:39:41,560 those are apart from Christ. They see that and they say, oh, 676 00:39:41,560 --> 00:39:45,000 he's just trying to go viral. He's trying to have his moment. 677 00:39:45,400 --> 00:39:47,680 He's just saying that because he, he wants to get views. 678 00:39:47,680 --> 00:39:49,280 He wants to get likes. That's why he's talking about 679 00:39:49,280 --> 00:39:51,480 the gospel and Jesus and pride month and stuff like that. 680 00:39:51,720 --> 00:39:54,080 So it doesn't matter what you do, they're just not going to be 681 00:39:54,080 --> 00:39:55,760 down with it. They're not There are there is 682 00:39:55,760 --> 00:39:58,640 some people who see it and be like, wow, he would sacrifice 683 00:39:58,640 --> 00:40:00,440 his career to talk about his God. 684 00:40:00,440 --> 00:40:01,840 Like I want to learn more about this God. 685 00:40:02,120 --> 00:40:03,800 There's that. But there's people who are like, 686 00:40:03,800 --> 00:40:06,720 he's just trying to go viral and then the jerseys sell out and we 687 00:40:06,720 --> 00:40:09,800 think, oh, that'll be a. That'll be a They're going to be 688 00:40:09,800 --> 00:40:12,440 put to shame right there because, like, God is 689 00:40:12,440 --> 00:40:13,760 vindicating him. Yeah. 690 00:40:13,760 --> 00:40:15,680 But then there's a lot of people who are like the people who 691 00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:20,040 bought those jerseys just are collecting memorabilia so that 692 00:40:20,040 --> 00:40:23,400 when this is a historical. They can resell. 693 00:40:23,640 --> 00:40:28,280 And ten years later, they can get those notorious jerseys of 694 00:40:28,280 --> 00:40:33,760 this one outspoken, outspoken basketball player so that the 695 00:40:33,760 --> 00:40:36,800 people who aren't in Christ seeing the jerseys sell out, 696 00:40:36,800 --> 00:40:38,560 they're just saying, well, they're just money involved in 697 00:40:38,560 --> 00:40:40,640 that, right? When the Christians or the 698 00:40:40,640 --> 00:40:43,640 people who are being drawn by God, they would say, wow, if 699 00:40:43,640 --> 00:40:46,080 that would happen and they would say that. 700 00:40:46,080 --> 00:40:47,440 And then people would buy the jerseys. 701 00:40:47,440 --> 00:40:51,200 And maybe like, maybe God is like showing us that this guy 702 00:40:51,200 --> 00:40:52,760 actually does have something to say. 703 00:40:53,040 --> 00:40:54,400 And maybe I should look into this. 704 00:40:54,400 --> 00:40:57,040 Why do people buy these jerseys? So you see what I'm saying? 705 00:40:57,040 --> 00:41:01,880 There's no use in trying to try to get the people on your side. 706 00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:06,480 You know, we might as well join God and being immovable because 707 00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:10,240 God is not swayed by people. And we don't have to continue to 708 00:41:10,240 --> 00:41:13,520 be swayed by people. We can just say our piece, live 709 00:41:13,520 --> 00:41:16,440 for God, enjoy the life that we've God has given us, enjoy 710 00:41:16,440 --> 00:41:20,800 the community, enjoy the freedom, enjoy the purpose like 711 00:41:20,800 --> 00:41:23,680 that's that basketball player is certainly enjoying his purpose 712 00:41:24,120 --> 00:41:27,200 and not just being a basketball player, but being a basketball 713 00:41:27,200 --> 00:41:30,760 player that glorifies God. And if that means losing it all, 714 00:41:31,040 --> 00:41:33,880 he's in his purpose and that is satisfying to him. 715 00:41:33,880 --> 00:41:36,760 There's nothing more satisfying, you know, than that glorifying 716 00:41:36,760 --> 00:41:38,920 God. So Amen. 717 00:41:39,440 --> 00:41:41,560 God bless you, aimandpodcast.com. 718 00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:44,400 If you'd like to support us, we need to start saying it at the 719 00:41:44,400 --> 00:41:46,640 beginning of our episodes. We always forget to because we 720 00:41:46,640 --> 00:41:49,120 just want to get into the word, but so excited. 721 00:41:49,120 --> 00:41:52,160 We can't do this without you. And yeah, thank you for everyone 722 00:41:52,160 --> 00:41:55,480 that supports us. Like subscribe, go to our sub 723 00:41:55,480 --> 00:41:59,120 stack and subscribe on there. There's a lot of fun content on 724 00:41:59,120 --> 00:42:01,280 there. And there's an e-mail list. 725 00:42:01,280 --> 00:42:04,240 So if you join our sub stack, then you get an e-mail every 726 00:42:04,240 --> 00:42:06,960 episode so that you don't miss an episode goes right to your 727 00:42:06,960 --> 00:42:09,000 inbox. And yeah, we love you. 728 00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:11,640 We'll see you in the next one. Until then, go out and be the 729 00:42:11,640 --> 00:42:13,360 church. Amen.