1 00:00:01,440 --> 00:00:03,560 Good morning, church. Today we're going to be reading 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:08,680 from Genesis 25, verses 19 through 28. 3 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:11,320 And if you don't have a Bible, you can look under your seat. 4 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:19,600 It'll be on page 18, starting in verse 19. 5 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:24,160 These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son. 6 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:28,320 Abraham fathered Isaac, and Isaac was 40 years old when he 7 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:32,119 took Rebecca, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramaean of Pidan, 8 00:00:32,119 --> 00:00:36,080 Aram the sister of Laban the Aramaean, to be his wife. 9 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:39,480 And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was 10 00:00:39,480 --> 00:00:42,120 barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, 11 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:46,760 and Rebecca his wife conceived. The children struggled together 12 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:49,920 within her. And she said, if it is thus, why 13 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:52,840 is this happening to me? So she went to inquire of the 14 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:56,800 Lord, And the Lord said to her, Two nations are in your womb, 15 00:00:56,920 --> 00:00:59,480 and two peoples from within you shall be divided. 16 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:03,600 The one shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall 17 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:06,680 serve the younger. When her days to give birth were 18 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:09,360 completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. 19 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:13,120 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak. 20 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:17,200 So they named him Esau. Afterward his brother came out 21 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:20,440 with his hand holding Esau's heel, so his name was called 22 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:23,320 Jacob. Isaac was six years old when she 23 00:01:23,320 --> 00:01:26,240 bore them. When the boys grew up, Esau was 24 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:29,520 a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet 25 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:33,480 man dwelling in tents. Isaac loved Esau because he ate 26 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:35,520 of his game, but Rebecca loved Jacob. 27 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:45,930 This is the word of the Lord. Good morning, Port City family 28 00:01:45,930 --> 00:01:47,010 and friends. How we doing? 29 00:01:48,130 --> 00:01:50,010 My name is Tanner, one of the pastors here. 30 00:01:50,010 --> 00:01:53,210 It's a blessing to be with you. I recently had a birthday. 31 00:01:53,210 --> 00:01:55,810 I've been following Jesus for a little over 15 years. 32 00:01:55,810 --> 00:02:00,320 I'm just feeling nostalgic. Yeah, I, I feel old. 33 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:04,640 OK, people, one of the things I wanted to share with y'all is 34 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:07,200 just the the story of how Port City started that some of you 35 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:09,800 may not know, is that this church is a little over 2 years 36 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:11,640 old now. And we just started in my house. 37 00:02:11,640 --> 00:02:14,400 And when I was preaching, my kid was clinging to my leg. 38 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:19,200 And you know, just looking over the last two years, what's so 39 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:23,480 unique about a church plant in a younger church and newer church 40 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:25,160 is it just takes a lot of sacrifice. 41 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:27,280 There's just a lot of sacrifice in this room. 42 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:30,400 It takes a lot of people going first, you know, the first 43 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:33,360 person to be a college student when you could go to some church 44 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:35,160 where there's hundreds of college student or the first 45 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:37,560 minorities to buy into. Like I'm a primary. 46 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:40,200 I'm the primary teacher here and I'm white, OK. 47 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:42,800 And they're like, hey, I'm buying into the vision of being 48 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:44,960 a multi ethnic church and there's sacrifice. 49 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:48,880 There are the first couples that are north of 60 years old in the 50 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:51,960 midst of a bunch of 20s and 30s and 40 year olds. 51 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:55,040 And they're going first so that those next people is not first 52 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:56,920 for them. And there's lots of first. 53 00:02:56,920 --> 00:02:59,760 There was the first Navy couples and the first people that didn't 54 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:02,160 live in Norfolk. But we have a Norfolk centered 55 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:04,640 vision and they're like, we buy into this, even though we don't 56 00:03:04,640 --> 00:03:07,320 live in that neighborhood. Or maybe the first person from 57 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:09,520 your neighborhood that that came here. 58 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:11,760 And we're hoping to have neighborhoods all over the city 59 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:14,520 of Norfolk. And y'all, I just am feeling in 60 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:18,280 this season like maybe God's calling more of us to be first. 61 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:19,520 So somebody else could be second. 62 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:23,560 And maybe for some of you, it's just with Jesus, this can happen 63 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:25,680 for a lot of people. Maybe you grew up in a house 64 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:29,440 where Jesus was respected. Maybe it was tradition, maybe it 65 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:31,520 was some sort of religious sentiment. 66 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:34,600 But to actually love him? Base your life. 67 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:37,560 On him. Preach the gospel, you will get 68 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:40,160 pushback. From your own family many times, 69 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:44,760 maybe God's just calling you to go first to really like love 70 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:47,000 Jesus. Maybe he's calling you to go 71 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:48,960 first with the church. And we could just get so 72 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:52,200 comfortable with maybe how we saw, you know, our parents live 73 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:54,480 out their faith in our house or maybe a friend or we just don't 74 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:56,360 even know what this is. I've never seen it modeled. 75 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:57,680 And it just takes like going first. 76 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:00,040 We got people on our worship team who taught themselves that 77 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:03,360 instrument for the purpose of leading us in worship. 78 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:06,800 And so I just want to call you to, to maybe God is just calling 79 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:09,160 you to go first in some way, either with Jesus or his church 80 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:11,800 or his mission. But for anybody who's done that, 81 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:13,360 it's always worth it when you look back. 82 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:16,839 And, and if you need a story of going first and feeling silly as 83 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:18,720 you do it, I'm happy to share with you. 84 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:20,600 And there are a lot of people in this room who would do that too. 85 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:24,040 OK, And y'all, we all just figuring this out with Jesus. 86 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:26,520 We all know what we're doing. So it's just a blessing to be 87 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:27,840 with you. God is good. 88 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:29,360 Let's pray. And then we're going to dive 89 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:33,200 into the biggest full scoundrel in the book of Genesis, that is 90 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:35,320 Jacob. Even even from the womb, this 91 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:37,600 man was wildling. Let's, let's, let's pray and 92 00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:40,560 then we'll, we'll dive in. Our Father, we love you. 93 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:43,600 Thank you so much for the gospel story of sacrifice. 94 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:46,400 How you, God, do for us what we can't do for ourselves. 95 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:49,800 A story of, of rescue, of redemption, of your heroic 96 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:52,600 effort to save us. God, this is all about you. 97 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:56,200 So today exalt your own name and by your spirit, make this word 98 00:04:56,200 --> 00:04:57,400 fresh. Make it pop. 99 00:04:57,880 --> 00:05:00,960 Lord, just squeeze out of us the tradition, the religion, the 100 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:05,080 superstition, the the self righteousness, the the making 101 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:08,960 excuses got just by your spirit Pierce your word says you Pierce 102 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:12,040 all the way to the division of the soul God and I pray you 103 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:14,520 would do that. So God, what we know not right 104 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:16,360 now, please teach us what we have not. 105 00:05:16,360 --> 00:05:18,280 Please give us and who we are not. 106 00:05:18,280 --> 00:05:21,200 Would you please make us let the words of my mouth and the 107 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:23,400 meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight and 108 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:25,720 everybody who agree with that said Amen. 109 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:31,720 We all I love movies and one of the things I love about movies 110 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:34,680 is in a lot of ways they're all kind of the same thing. 111 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:37,560 They're they're sprinkled different side characters 112 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:40,400 subplot, but at the end of the. Day, a lot of them are just 113 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:42,800 rescue stories. Somebody say rescue. 114 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:46,280 Whether we talking Shrek, Black Panther, Lion King, it don't 115 00:05:46,280 --> 00:05:48,320 really matter. It's a rescue story. 116 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:51,440 You got a hero, you got a villain, you got victims, and 117 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:54,880 you got a need for somebody to go in there and do the thing to 118 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:57,280 make it right, Right. That's a rescue story. 119 00:05:57,280 --> 00:06:00,240 It's the best kind of story. And I wonder. 120 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:03,000 Today, what kind of story you think the Bible is? 121 00:06:04,400 --> 00:06:06,920 There's a technical answer to that, and then there's a really 122 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:09,040 simple answer to that. Here's the technical answer. 123 00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:13,840 The Bible is. 66 books compiled into one book, all centering on 124 00:06:13,840 --> 00:06:17,600 the person of Jesus who is the eternal Son of God, who was born 125 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:19,680 in the Roman Empire full of the Spirit. 126 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:23,760 To walk in reconciling relationship, to unite us back 127 00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:25,920 to the Father and the purpose we are designed to have. 128 00:06:25,920 --> 00:06:28,440 And one day He will make all things new. 129 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:31,480 Here's the really simple version of what I just said. 130 00:06:31,840 --> 00:06:34,600 The Bible is a rescue story. That's what it is. 131 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:38,200 It's not about us. It's not our path to climb a 132 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:40,080 ladder. It is about the Son of God 133 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:43,080 coming down the ladder and living it out and gifting us His 134 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:44,520 victory. That's the Bible. 135 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:49,880 It's a rescue story. And so as we come back to the 136 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:52,880 Book of Genesis, this is season 3 of Saints and Scoundrels. 137 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:55,360 We started it a few years ago. With Abraham and then we went 138 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:59,000 Isaac and now we're in Jacob. Y'all, what I hope to show you 139 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:00,640 is we're going to answer this question of. 140 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:02,560 Why would God? Choose me. 141 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:05,280 Maybe that's a question you've had in your life before. 142 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:09,400 Here's a really simple answer. Because God is writing a rescue 143 00:07:09,400 --> 00:07:12,160 story and you need rescue. That's why He would choose you. 144 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:14,880 And He would choose you and bring you in. 145 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:16,880 And here's a miraculous grace, y'all. 146 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:20,800 He then includes us in the ongoing rescue story. 147 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:24,280 We don't just receive it. We become a conduit of it when 148 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:26,920 we trust Him. So to get there, I want to show 149 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:29,400 us through the story of Jacob. We're going to. 150 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:31,520 Look at how God is authoring a rescue story. 151 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:34,680 We're going to look at how God is the hero of the story and how 152 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:37,160 we can play a part in His ongoing rescue story. 153 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:38,800 If you are ready, let me hear you say I'm ready. 154 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:42,880 All right, point #1 God is authoring a rescue story. 155 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:46,880 Let's look here in chapter 25 at verses 19 and 20. 156 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:51,160 These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son. 157 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:54,600 Abraham fathered Isaac, and Isaac was 40 years old when he 158 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:56,160 took. Rebecca, the daughter of Bethul, 159 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:58,960 the Aramaean of Paran. Aram the sister of Laban the 160 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:03,440 Aramaean to be his wife. Hey this phrase these are the 161 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:06,640 generations of it happens 10 times in the book of Genesis. 162 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:09,920 That's the structure of the book comes when that phrase is said 163 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:13,120 it's the the Bible writers way of saying something new is 164 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:15,360 happening. OK So what I want to do for just 165 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:19,520 a minute is catch you up on what Genesis is OK God creates all 166 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:23,920 things good full of potential Genesis 1 and 2 humanity is the 167 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:26,440 chief crown of creation. We. 168 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:29,280 Bear God's. Image as man and woman, we are 169 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:31,880 living in our purpose and jobs and marriage. 170 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:35,960 We're naked, we're unashamed no sin and then humanity falls into 171 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:40,320 sin and with the fall there's just a fracturing the curse of 172 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:43,919 sin enters and there's just total brokenness right away. 173 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:47,480 We are not right with ourselves. We're not right with the earth. 174 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:51,200 We're not right with one another or with God in the opening 175 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:55,080 chapters of Genesis thereafter just show chaos in many 176 00:08:55,080 --> 00:08:57,720 different ways. And so we're left wondering 177 00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:02,280 like, what's going to happen? And as humanity is being kicked 178 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:05,320 out of the garden because they fell into sin, God makes this 179 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:11,120 just tucked away promise that one day somebody would come born 180 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:13,680 of the woman who would crush the serpent's head, who was the 181 00:09:13,680 --> 00:09:18,160 source of how we were deceived. OK, so the the readers of the 182 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:21,600 text are left looking for who is going to be the one to make it 183 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:22,960 all right? Who is going to crush the 184 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:24,440 serpent? Who is going to redeem the 185 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:26,280 curse? How is this going to be made 186 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:27,480 right? And with each character, you're 187 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:30,520 like, are you the one? And quickly, chapter after 188 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:33,680 chapter in Genesis, you're like, it ain't you, It ain't you, it 189 00:09:33,680 --> 00:09:36,360 ain't you. Then we get to Genesis Chapter 190 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:39,240 11, which is a unique moment in Scripture where the Tower of 191 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:41,440 Babel occurs. This is kind of humanity 192 00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:43,880 thinking it's at its best, but it's actually at its worst, 193 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:46,040 which is often goes together. Amen. 194 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:49,520 Somebody and they think they're like God, they're trying to make 195 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:51,520 themselves like God, and God laughs at it. 196 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:54,640 And his response to what happens in Genesis 11? 197 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:57,160 You're going to see the phrase, these are the generations of 198 00:09:57,160 --> 00:09:59,920 right after the Tower of Babel, which means I'm doing something 199 00:09:59,920 --> 00:10:01,640 about it. You see, when God wants to do 200 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:03,520 something for us, he calls a person. 201 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:06,960 So he calls Abraham to solve Adam's problem. 202 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:10,320 Y'all track it with that. The solution to Adam's curse is 203 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:13,600 to call Abraham. OK, And he calls Abraham, he 204 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:17,520 says from you all nations on earth will be blessed. 205 00:10:17,680 --> 00:10:19,200 That's that's the plan a little bit. 206 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:21,080 OK, so here's the two ingredients. 207 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:23,680 I just want us to get in us as we get back into thinking about 208 00:10:23,680 --> 00:10:26,000 Genesis and and this series Saints and scoundrels. 209 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:30,200 Here's the two ingredients. First, God is authoring a rescue 210 00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:32,080 story. The story is a rescue story. 211 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:37,000 Somebody say rescue. It is clear as you read Genesis. 212 00:10:37,280 --> 00:10:42,040 What we need is rescue. We need total like God choosing 213 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:46,400 Abraham, God calling Abraham. If he doesn't babbles, all we 214 00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:49,680 get are you all with me? Like if God doesn't intervene, 215 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:52,400 no rescue. So you have to start with that 216 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:54,640 premise that intervention is required. 217 00:10:54,680 --> 00:10:57,760 The default is total wreckage. Are you all with me? 218 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:01,320 So you have to read the story correctly, which is that God is 219 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:05,200 authoring intervention. And whatever you think about how 220 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:07,480 he's authoring that, you've got to think about what the 221 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:10,680 alternative would be, which is no intervention, just Babble. 222 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:13,240 OK, so God is authoring a rescue story. 223 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:16,920 Here's the second ingredient is that the plan is to get to the 224 00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:21,720 many through the one. You'll see that the plan is 1 to 225 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:24,080 many. Goal is many, but I'm going to 226 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:26,600 get to the many through the one. He. 227 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:30,400 Called Abraham with all nations on earth in mind. 228 00:11:31,560 --> 00:11:33,280 It's. So important in Genesis, 12/1 229 00:11:33,280 --> 00:11:34,720 through three. You can go back and read that 230 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:37,200 promise. It's through the one to the 231 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:41,080 many. Now you might think, why didn't 232 00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:44,480 God just start the story over once sin entered and rewrite it 233 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:47,800 where there's no sin? Well, if you were God, you might 234 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:50,840 have written it that way. OK, But again, a premise of 235 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:54,600 Genesis is we're not God. This is the story of. 236 00:11:54,600 --> 00:11:58,640 God. He is the author and his plan is 237 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:02,200 to solve the problem from the inside God's. 238 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:07,280 Plan is to redeem and redeeming is beautiful because it uses 239 00:12:07,280 --> 00:12:11,280 fallenness and in the midst of brokenness and ash creates 240 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:13,640 beauty. He's kind of God is the the the 241 00:12:13,640 --> 00:12:16,480 person on your street that planted a a tree there a long 242 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:18,400 time ago and they tell you that story if I remember when there 243 00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:20,200 was nothing there. And now look at that tree and 244 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:22,520 it's the biggest tree ever and you don't even notice the tree 245 00:12:22,520 --> 00:12:24,520 and you kind of ain't even listen to that person, OK? 246 00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:27,000 God is the person that just thinks like that. 247 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:29,960 He's playing the long game and. I get that that's hard. 248 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:32,200 And what about all those people that were dying or didn't know 249 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:34,200 Abraham? That's hard. 250 00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:38,120 The plan is to the many through the one that's the plan. 251 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:41,800 So before we go on here today and get into some details with 252 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:44,240 Jacob, I just want you to process. 253 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:48,120 Do you see that the stories ingredients are a rescue story? 254 00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:51,400 Do you see? That do you see that the the 255 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:53,520 the. Center of the universe is a 256 00:12:53,560 --> 00:12:55,840 person. It's not an energy, it's not 257 00:12:55,840 --> 00:12:57,840 karma. All the money you threw in your 258 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:00,480 secular jar this week where you hear the words universe, karma 259 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:02,760 or energy, you just throw a dollar in there and by the end 260 00:13:02,760 --> 00:13:04,800 of a month of watching TV, you're going to have like $100. 261 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:06,520 OK? Our culture is telling us it's 262 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:08,200 just randomness, it's vibes, it's energy. 263 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:10,800 It's not true. Y'all The the the center of the 264 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:13,480 universe is a person reality itself. 265 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:16,760 Is a story OK, And it's the story of a God who is 266 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:20,280 intervening to rescue people. Y'all. 267 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:23,640 And it's not just like fairy tale type story, it's truth. 268 00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:27,920 What I love to tell people is that Christianity is helpful. 269 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:30,440 No doubt. I get asked all the time, how do 270 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:32,920 you deal with X? How does your faith help you? 271 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:35,080 Whatever. And I always pause them and I 272 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:40,160 say, well, real quick, I think what I believe is true and I 273 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:42,600 have good historical grounds to stand on. 274 00:13:42,600 --> 00:13:44,280 And because it's true, it's helpful. 275 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:47,760 But we do not believe this story because it's helpful. 276 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:50,560 We believe it because it's true and there's good historical 277 00:13:50,560 --> 00:13:53,520 ground to stand on. All those dynamics play in. 278 00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:56,960 But y'all, we have good reason to believe that the the 279 00:13:56,960 --> 00:13:58,280 universe, you see what I just did? 280 00:13:58,280 --> 00:14:03,240 I got tricked that the center of reality itself is God, and he is 281 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:05,680 writing a story, and that story is a rescue story. 282 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:08,720 So is it possible that you already know that here today, 283 00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:11,120 even if you're not a believer, part of you knows that's true, 284 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:14,840 that reality has meaning and purpose and it feels like a 285 00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:17,480 story because it is. And God is the author of the 286 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:20,440 story that you're in, and he is seeking to rescue. 287 00:14:20,440 --> 00:14:23,520 People. From the one to the many, we 288 00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:28,560 good so far. OK, point #2 God is the hero of 289 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:30,920 this rescue story. God is the hero. 290 00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:34,080 Let's read the rest of our text starting in verse 21. 291 00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:38,440 And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because. 292 00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:43,240 She was barren and the Lord granted his prayer and Rebecca 293 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:46,680 his wife conceived. The children struggled together 294 00:14:46,680 --> 00:14:49,600 within her. And she says is if it is thus, 295 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:53,040 why is this happening to me? So she went to inquire of the 296 00:14:53,040 --> 00:14:55,840 Lord, and the Lord said to her, Two nations are in your womb, 297 00:14:56,680 --> 00:14:58,680 and two peoples from within you. Shall be divided. 298 00:14:58,680 --> 00:15:00,560 The one shall be stronger than the other. 299 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:02,080 The older shall serve the younger. 300 00:15:02,800 --> 00:15:05,720 When her days to give birth were completed, behold there were 301 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:09,080 twins in her womb. The first came out red, all his 302 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:11,240 body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. 303 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:14,840 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau's 304 00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:16,880 heel, so his name was called Jacob. 305 00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:20,800 Isaac was 60 years old when she bore them. 306 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:24,160 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the 307 00:15:24,160 --> 00:15:26,800 field, while Jacob was a quiet man dwelling in tents. 308 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,880 Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebecca loved 309 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:33,320 Jacob. Yeah, there are three 310 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:36,280 ingredients in what we just read, that God is the hero. 311 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:40,240 God is the hero, God is the hero ingredient #1 barrenness. 312 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:43,720 Barrenness. So the text said that Rebecca 313 00:15:43,720 --> 00:15:46,160 was barren. And if you you know the story of 314 00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:49,920 Genesis, the first person to experience barrenness was Sarah. 315 00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:53,640 OK, so this reminds us of that, that when Abraham was called, he 316 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:56,600 was 75 years old. By the time that Sarah gave 317 00:15:56,600 --> 00:16:01,520 birth to her son Isaac, he was 100 years old. 318 00:16:01,520 --> 00:16:04,120 So there's 25 years. So God's plan is everything we 319 00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:05,880 just talked about, He calls Abraham. 320 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:08,320 And then for 25 years, nothing happens. 321 00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:10,760 OK, No child is born, no child of promise. 322 00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:13,400 They tried to force it with some things and the question. 323 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:16,400 Just has to be raised because we see in our text that he was. 324 00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:19,240 Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebecca. 325 00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:22,240 And how old was he? Did you notice by the time the 326 00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:26,120 twins were born, 60. So that's another 20 years of 327 00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:28,800 barrenness. OK, why so much barrenness 328 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:31,840 y'all? The reason is it's 329 00:16:31,840 --> 00:16:33,960 communicating. This is still me. 330 00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:35,840 This is all God. God is doing this. 331 00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:39,840 Baroness is the most helpless. Some of you all know this. 332 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:42,560 It is so painful. There's nothing you can do. 333 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:46,040 You feel just so. You just feel like. 334 00:16:46,040 --> 00:16:51,400 What am I supposed to do? OK and God uses Baroness in his 335 00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:54,760 story to send the message. Even though I chose you, this 336 00:16:54,760 --> 00:16:55,480 is. Still me. 337 00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:59,480 It's showing that humanity's strength will not be the source 338 00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:02,080 of how this comes about. South Baroness is our first 339 00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:05,520 ingredient, second backwardsness backwards. 340 00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:11,240 In this and the text. Rebecca's pregnancy is so rough, 341 00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:14,119 so brutal. She's like, I just want to die, 342 00:17:14,119 --> 00:17:15,839 God. What is happening? 343 00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:18,599 She inquires of the Lord, and he answers her. 344 00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:20,680 Don't you love it when you pray and you get an answer and 345 00:17:20,680 --> 00:17:23,520 sometimes you're like, OK, the funny. 346 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:25,960 Thing is, we think we'd be fine if we got our answer. 347 00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:30,000 It's like that's what you think. So she gets her answer and the 348 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:32,640 answer is 2 nations are in your womb, 2 people. 349 00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:38,480 And the phrase the older will serve the younger means that the 350 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:42,680 second child, not the first born will carry for the line the 351 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:45,760 promise, the lineage of Abraham. It's going to go Abraham, then 352 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:51,160 Isaac, then Jacob, not Esau. OK, this is backwards y'all. 353 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:55,400 It's upside down in our culture. We just don't get the power of 354 00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:58,320 the first born. We don't get how assumed and 355 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:02,800 default that was that all of the privilege of the family went 356 00:18:02,800 --> 00:18:05,680 into that first born. If ever you are first born in 357 00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:07,880 here and you felt like that carried the most pressure for 358 00:18:07,880 --> 00:18:10,160 you and you've got stories of trauma or whatever it is, or 359 00:18:10,160 --> 00:18:13,720 maybe you're the kid that you you have no idea, OK. 360 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:17,600 Because back then, culturally, not only was whatever you think, 361 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:20,640 you feel a thing, which in our culture it ain't, it actually 362 00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:22,360 was and it was on paper and it was written down. 363 00:18:22,360 --> 00:18:24,840 And my first born will be this and that. 364 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:28,920 Particularly if you were a male. OK, all of the family rode on 365 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:33,120 the shoulders of that first born, and God says the older 366 00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:37,760 will serve the younger. Well, Paul brings us up in 367 00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:38,720 Romans 9. He makes it. 368 00:18:38,720 --> 00:18:41,200 Clear, he says God didn't look ahead. 369 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:43,160 They hadn't done anything good or bad yet. 370 00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:44,960 He didn't look into the future to see how they act. 371 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:46,560 And let me take. The younger because I like him 372 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:49,280 more. OK, The point here is just sheer 373 00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:52,960 divine choice of God. He just chooses that the older 374 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:54,600 will serve the younger. And that's just backwards. 375 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:58,280 It's just not what we would do. It doesn't make sense to us. 376 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:00,440 We don't get it. And guess what, y'all? 377 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:05,720 That's sort of the point. It's unconventional because it's 378 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:08,640 not the convention, Amen. It's backwards. 379 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:12,040 It's upside down. So if you're reading Genesis as 380 00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:16,520 you go, you're getting a picture of a God who knows exactly what 381 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:18,960 he's doing. But even when he tells you what 382 00:19:18,960 --> 00:19:21,040 he's doing, you don't know how. He's going to do it. 383 00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:22,400 It's not just what he's going to do. 384 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:24,280 How he's going to do it is upside down. 385 00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:26,880 Right. So when you hear that God is 386 00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:30,200 redeeming and rescuing all things, it makes sense that one 387 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:33,760 day the way God would go about that blows your mind, makes 388 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:36,080 sense. And yet so much of humanity for 389 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:37,480 thousands of years is going to ignore it. 390 00:19:37,680 --> 00:19:42,400 That God himself would step onto a piece of wood naked on a hill 391 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:46,240 in Jerusalem under the Roman Empire and be killed. 392 00:19:46,360 --> 00:19:49,560 That's our victory. That's your plan. 393 00:19:50,120 --> 00:19:53,080 That's how we're saved. That's how it's going to go. 394 00:19:53,360 --> 00:19:56,240 So in some ways, backwardness was baked into the very 395 00:19:56,240 --> 00:19:58,200 beginning. Do you see that to the one 396 00:19:58,200 --> 00:20:00,480 through the many? And then the one, the lineage 397 00:20:00,480 --> 00:20:01,920 I'm going through, it ain't him. It's him. 398 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:03,800 And it's like, wow, it's backwards. 399 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:06,760 And the third thing we see in our text is brokenness, 400 00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:10,160 brokenness, third ingredient that God is the hero. 401 00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:14,000 We see kind of some brokenness of of Jacob already. 402 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:15,840 He comes out of the womb grasping. 403 00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:18,720 His his brother's heel. Now, some of us already know the 404 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:20,920 story of Jacob. And what you can do that I want 405 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:24,360 to encourage you not to do is we can view the Jacob story through 406 00:20:24,360 --> 00:20:27,240 a really clean conversionistic lens. 407 00:20:27,240 --> 00:20:30,360 Meaning we know he gets rest, he wrestles with God at the end and 408 00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:32,440 that's when he comes to Christ. And then he's a new Jacob. 409 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:34,760 And I would just encourage you try not to do that. 410 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:36,720 OK? The way Genesis thinks is a 411 00:20:36,720 --> 00:20:38,280 little different. Like think about Abraham for 412 00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:42,760 example, believes God chapter 12, believes God chapter 15. 413 00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:45,920 Romans 4 says he believed God and it was credited to him as 414 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:48,360 righteousness, referring to the Genesis 15. 415 00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:51,080 And then in Genesis 16 he sleeps with Hagar. 416 00:20:51,080 --> 00:20:55,000 OK. So Genesis just doesn't think 417 00:20:55,760 --> 00:20:57,960 conversion clean. It's more like through a like 418 00:20:57,960 --> 00:21:01,520 you've got to view it through a a belief in formational kind of 419 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:02,600 lens. Does that make sense? 420 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:07,280 So Jacob is going to go from a false grasping clutching. 421 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:09,680 I'm going to take it to I've been. 422 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:12,160 Wrestled into I'll just receive it by the end of his life. 423 00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:15,080 Does that make sense? But it's it's not the way we 424 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:16,880 tend to think of it. Of when was the, it's sort of 425 00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:18,520 like when you watch the disciples, like when did they 426 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:20,880 get saved? It's just different, like it's a 427 00:21:20,880 --> 00:21:23,120 different moment in history. And it's hard to 1:00 to 1:00 428 00:21:23,120 --> 00:21:24,960 what our experience of salvation is. 429 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:27,320 Does that make sense? So I just want to encourage us 430 00:21:27,320 --> 00:21:29,000 as we're watching the life of Jacob. 431 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:32,480 The point is God is using the brokenness. 432 00:21:32,480 --> 00:21:35,120 The point is, is he purposefully chose. 433 00:21:35,120 --> 00:21:38,120 Them in the midst of it. That's why we named this series 434 00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:42,200 Saints and Scoundrels. It's not that you were a 435 00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:44,200 scoundrel. Now you're a St. in function. 436 00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:46,440 That's the way that it works in status. 437 00:21:46,440 --> 00:21:49,280 When Christ saves you on this side of the cross in your 438 00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:51,640 status, you will go from scoundrel to Saint. 439 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:54,480 Right now, if I die, God is going to treat me as a St. 440 00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:56,480 Why? Not because of what I've done 441 00:21:56,480 --> 00:21:59,800 and how saintly I've been, but because Christ made me a St. 442 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:03,560 But best believe there's still some scoundrel in this man. 443 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:07,880 OK, So what we're going to see is God continue to use the 444 00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:11,320 brokenness of this family which is a dysfunctional family. 445 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:14,480 The text pointed out to us the parents preference for each kid. 446 00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:17,960 You see that? Why did Isaac love Esau Moore? 447 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:21,720 Because of the food. Did anything else bad happen in 448 00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:24,680 Genesis around food? People from somebody not leading 449 00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:27,600 their life but listening to their wife when she gave him 450 00:22:27,600 --> 00:22:31,280 some food and hello, this has happened before. 451 00:22:31,520 --> 00:22:35,200 And then Rebecca loves loves Jacob because they just hang out 452 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:37,000 and chill in the tents. It's my baby. 453 00:22:37,360 --> 00:22:40,920 OK, so we just see all kinds of all kinds of brokenness. 454 00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:44,040 Why is God doing this? Why the barrenness? 455 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:45,960 Why the backwardsness? Why the brokenness? 456 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:51,600 Why his rescue story this way? So that it's clear there's one 457 00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:57,000 Hero 1. He's going out of his way to 458 00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:00,400 make sure nobody could say there's a hero other than him. 459 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:04,160 Here's the way First Corinthians put this First Corinthians one. 460 00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:05,640 If you could turn there, get there. 461 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:09,720 If you can't, that's OK. If you get there, you got about 462 00:23:09,720 --> 00:23:11,800 7 seconds. Tell me what page is on. 463 00:23:11,800 --> 00:23:16,400 We're going to be in chapter 1, verses 26 to 31. 464 00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:19,440 This is Paul. Talking about God's plan and the 465 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:22,120 way he did it and the gospel and Jesus died on the cross and 466 00:23:22,120 --> 00:23:24,360 preaching and how he's not a good preacher. 467 00:23:24,360 --> 00:23:26,440 It's not words of eloquence. He's just up there telling 468 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:28,400 people they killed Jesus and they're believing it. 469 00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:33,080 And this is Paul describing the way God thinks, OK? 470 00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:39,760 Here we go for consider your calling, brothers. 471 00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:42,800 Not many of you were wise according to worldly standards. 472 00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:45,320 Not many were powerful. Not many were of noble birth, 473 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:49,480 but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. 474 00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:52,240 God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. 475 00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:55,640 God chose what is low and despise in the world, even 476 00:23:55,640 --> 00:24:00,480 things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that 477 00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:04,320 no human being might. Boast in the presence of God, 478 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:07,520 and because of him you're in Christ Jesus who became to us 479 00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:10,040 wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and 480 00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:12,960 redemption. So that as it is written, let 481 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:15,440 the one who boasts boast in the Lord. 482 00:24:16,360 --> 00:24:20,120 Y'all, the Bible is painting a picture of a rescue story with 483 00:24:20,120 --> 00:24:23,160 one hero. One hero. 484 00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:27,240 What leads us to point #3 we could play a part in God's 485 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:32,600 ongoing rescue story. Let the one who boasts boast in 486 00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:36,840 the Lord. Ephesians 289 says, for by grace 487 00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:37,920 you have been saved through faith. 488 00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:41,640 This is not your own doing. It is the gift of God, not a 489 00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:44,840 result of work, so that no one may boast. 490 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:50,400 It's not a result of works. God has specifically designed 491 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:53,440 this that we get no credit, zero credit. 492 00:24:53,960 --> 00:24:57,760 Like I want to be clear, somebody say 0YO no credit. 493 00:24:58,520 --> 00:25:01,840 If it's a football field, Jesus don't run at 99 and you take it 494 00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:05,800 1 yard that this is a zero to 100 situation. 495 00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:09,840 OK, so I just want to be clear, there's one hero. 496 00:25:09,960 --> 00:25:13,800 Ephesians 2 just said even the faith that we have is a gift. 497 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:18,440 Even the belief is a gift from beginning to end. 498 00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:22,600 One hero that's that's specifically the design and for 499 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:24,400 some of you who have come to Christ. 500 00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:27,680 That makes sense to you on this side of things, right? 501 00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:30,360 Like I had this friend in college, he was like one of our 502 00:25:30,360 --> 00:25:32,880 leaders. He's probably like 5-6 years 503 00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:34,520 older than me. He had this habit of during 504 00:25:34,520 --> 00:25:36,680 worship, he will come up behind you and put his hand on his 505 00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:39,120 shoulder and he go. Can you believe you're here 506 00:25:39,120 --> 00:25:42,320 right now? And he was dead serious. 507 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:43,320 And I used to think it was weird. 508 00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:47,080 And I was like, just think about it some of y'all. 509 00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:48,720 Just think about the life you used to live. 510 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:52,840 And now I remember walking into my first church service and I 511 00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:54,240 saw somebody. Like this, I was like, they 512 00:25:54,240 --> 00:26:00,040 crazy, crazy watch. Them and then years later, I'm 513 00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:06,960 like, you look back and you're like, no, I can't. 514 00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:09,200 Believe I'm here. I used to think I was the 515 00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:12,120 coolest person in the world. I thought I was a good person. 516 00:26:12,120 --> 00:26:14,040 I thought I was this, I thought I was that, Didn't care about 517 00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:16,680 this, didn't care about that. And God just slowly what he did 518 00:26:16,680 --> 00:26:18,120 in your life. It happens different ways for 519 00:26:18,120 --> 00:26:21,400 different people, but you just start to think and you're like, 520 00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:25,280 you know what? Maybe I am a Sinner. 521 00:26:26,080 --> 00:26:28,840 Maybe sin is actually a thing, you know, Everybody knows 522 00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:31,840 they're not perfect, but to actually believe? 523 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:33,600 That you are. Sinful. 524 00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:38,360 So the Bible. Genesis view of sin isn't just 525 00:26:38,360 --> 00:26:41,200 that we do it, it's that you. Are a Sinner. 526 00:26:41,560 --> 00:26:45,280 You sin because you're a Sinner, like your nature has fallen, not 527 00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:48,840 just your actions. So the idea is that you have to 528 00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:53,080 come to a place where you agree that you actually can't help 529 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:54,200 but. Sin. 530 00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:58,080 That's tough. As much as we New Year's 531 00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:00,240 resolution, bad habits and all that stuff, you can't. 532 00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:02,800 Bad habit, a broken heart you can't unhabit. 533 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:05,160 What's broken and cursed? Does that make sense? 534 00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:13,280 And I did not agree with that and now I do God just slowly 535 00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:18,080 just just brought me to a place where I saw oh like the cross is 536 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:21,560 not just God saying I love you. Now go your live your life and 537 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:24,520 try to be as good as you can. I came to a place where I saw 538 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:27,200 this is a rescue story. This is him doing for me what I 539 00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:29,720 couldn't do for myself and for those of y'all who are in 540 00:27:29,720 --> 00:27:32,520 Christ, like, yeah, now I'm there and I wasn't there for 541 00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:34,800 some of you. You're in that process right 542 00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:36,800 now. I don't know how God has started 543 00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:39,960 to chase you, but He is. Sometimes it happens through 544 00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:41,280 just a Christian getting in your life. 545 00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:43,680 You're like, I thought they were weird and now I don't. 546 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:46,480 You see how that works now I respect them and like. 547 00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:49,640 That God is pursuing you like He Maybe it's. 548 00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:53,680 You, you just genuinely want to live a just and good life. 549 00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:55,960 And you look around the world and you're like, this place is 550 00:27:55,960 --> 00:27:58,440 busted. I would have thought by 2026 551 00:27:58,440 --> 00:27:59,880 wars and all these things wouldn't be a thing. 552 00:27:59,880 --> 00:28:02,040 And I'm just looking for the story that makes sense of why 553 00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:03,640 things the way are the way they are. 554 00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:06,240 And yeah, I don't think secularism or any other 555 00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:08,280 philosophical thinking is doing it. 556 00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:09,720 And I'm intrigued by Christianity. 557 00:28:11,120 --> 00:28:13,520 Maybe you're reading the scriptures and coming under 558 00:28:13,520 --> 00:28:15,960 conviction of sin, and you're agreeing with with God's 559 00:28:15,960 --> 00:28:19,200 assessment of your need for him. God pursues people in all kinds 560 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:21,800 of different ways, but this is what it comes down to. 561 00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:26,560 This is really the question, do you think you need rescue? 562 00:28:26,960 --> 00:28:28,200 That's really what it comes down to. 563 00:28:29,160 --> 00:28:31,800 You have to come to a place where you agree with God that 564 00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:35,400 you need rescue. Don't matter the house you grew 565 00:28:35,400 --> 00:28:41,520 up in, where your parents are or weren't or aren't, We really 566 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:42,720 don't need that much more knowledge. 567 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:46,040 It really comes down to do we agree with God that we need 568 00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:53,160 rescue? And do we see the way the rescue 569 00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:54,840 comes? Y'all, this is important. 570 00:28:55,560 --> 00:28:59,240 Do you see the way the Bible story as we zoom out to the 571 00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:02,360 person of Jesus? Do we see the way the rescue 572 00:29:02,360 --> 00:29:05,400 comes? Because Jesus would be born of a 573 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:09,480 woman from the lineage of Abraham, from the lineage of 574 00:29:09,480 --> 00:29:11,960 Isaac, from the lineage of Jacob. 575 00:29:12,840 --> 00:29:16,720 He would come and be the one y'all who was all St. no 576 00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:19,840 scoundrel. He would be the one who lived a 577 00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:22,680 life of beauty and goodness and truth love. 578 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:26,080 Full of the Spirit, walking with the Father at all times. 579 00:29:26,320 --> 00:29:28,680 No curse in him, no Babble in this man. 580 00:29:29,680 --> 00:29:33,200 And at the end of his life, what he is doing is he is taking upon 581 00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:35,880 himself on the cross as if he was scoundrel. 582 00:29:36,120 --> 00:29:39,480 He's taking upon himself the life that all of us live, that 583 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:41,480 Jacob lives, because Jacob is us. 584 00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:43,600 We are the ones. Who take what God wants to give. 585 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:45,440 We are the ones who over function. 586 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:47,760 We are the ones who live in anxiety instead of trust. 587 00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:51,760 We are the ones y'all who can't help but sin and Jesus. 588 00:29:51,760 --> 00:29:56,760 Died as if that was him, but the curse had no claim on him. 589 00:29:56,760 --> 00:30:00,840 But he rightfully, willfully just gave over his life on 590 00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:03,160 behalf of those who were helpless. 591 00:30:04,240 --> 00:30:09,000 So the way the rescue comes is not through coaching you how to 592 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:10,000 be like. Jesus. 593 00:30:11,160 --> 00:30:14,480 It's not through giving you God, God's road map, OK? 594 00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:19,360 The way the rescue comes is through a hero dying for the 595 00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:20,960 villain. You know when we. 596 00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:23,600 Think about the ingredients of the stories we get told. 597 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:25,800 We tend to think of ourselves as the victim. 598 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:29,520 What's unique about the Bible story is that you are victim and 599 00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:32,600 villain simultaneously. There is a sense of which we are 600 00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:36,640 held captive by sin and Satan's schemes and death, but there's 601 00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:40,440 another sense of which we are culpable villains of the very 602 00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:42,760 process we found ourselves victims of. 603 00:30:42,760 --> 00:30:45,640 Isn't that crazy? Like if you begin to lean into 604 00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:48,160 you feeling like victim, keep. Reading the scriptures until you 605 00:30:48,160 --> 00:30:50,960 see yourself as villain. And if you lean villain, the 606 00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:53,440 victim paradigm is helpful because there is a hero who 607 00:30:53,440 --> 00:30:55,840 wants to save you. It's just part of how he does 608 00:30:55,840 --> 00:30:58,240 that is by helping you see you've been part of the problem. 609 00:30:58,240 --> 00:31:01,040 Does that make sense? It's just coming to agree with 610 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:04,920 the assessment that the villain is alive and well in you as 611 00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:07,680 well. So you are part victim, but you 612 00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:10,160 are villain. That's the curse of sin. 613 00:31:10,440 --> 00:31:14,160 And So what the hero did is he came to die for the villains. 614 00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:16,720 He didn't come to die for people looking for him. 615 00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:20,360 He came and gave his life away. To those who wanted nothing to 616 00:31:20,360 --> 00:31:23,160 do with him, the way the one goes to the many isn't through 617 00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:25,040 coaching them. It isn't through throwing some 618 00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:27,800 bread crumbs now follow me. It's through laying his life 619 00:31:27,800 --> 00:31:29,360 down for them. It's total. 620 00:31:29,360 --> 00:31:32,080 Gift. Total, total, Total gift. 621 00:31:34,080 --> 00:31:35,440 Yeah. For some of y'all, this is the 622 00:31:35,440 --> 00:31:38,880 season of life where God is seeking you out. 623 00:31:39,160 --> 00:31:42,880 He wants to rescue you. And the way he does that is you 624 00:31:42,880 --> 00:31:45,000 just agree with him. I received that. 625 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:47,200 I agree that I need to rescue, and I agree. 626 00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:49,360 You're total hero. I agree. 627 00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:54,000 What if faith is more agreement than it is some weird concept? 628 00:31:54,320 --> 00:31:55,920 Faith is trust. It's agreement. 629 00:31:55,920 --> 00:31:59,760 It's living like it's true, living in alignment with things 630 00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:01,640 as they're truly revealed. And that's the truth. 631 00:32:02,640 --> 00:32:05,600 Here's the second way you can play a part in God's ongoing 632 00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:08,800 story. The first way was you could be a 633 00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:10,600 picture of his grace. That's what we just talked 634 00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:11,920 about. You receive grace. 635 00:32:11,920 --> 00:32:14,280 You're a picture of the hero down for the villain. 636 00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:16,760 The second way is you be a part of the picture. 637 00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:19,320 So the first. Way it's like you as a testimony 638 00:32:19,320 --> 00:32:21,720 become like a trophy of God's grace. 639 00:32:21,920 --> 00:32:25,320 But the second way that we become a part of God's ongoing 640 00:32:25,320 --> 00:32:27,440 story is we become a part of the picture. 641 00:32:27,920 --> 00:32:31,000 It's like every believer is a picture, and then you're 642 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:33,480 supposed to be a part of the picture that is the church. 643 00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:35,240 Does that make sense? Like the way the Bible. 644 00:32:35,240 --> 00:32:38,360 Thinks about it is imagine like a heavenly council where people 645 00:32:38,360 --> 00:32:41,360 are like talking trash to God, OK and imagine some of God's 646 00:32:41,360 --> 00:32:43,960 fans are around and everybody like imagine like a council of 647 00:32:43,960 --> 00:32:46,400 people being like God. What are you most proud of? 648 00:32:46,400 --> 00:32:49,080 And he's like, what is my gospel done? 649 00:32:49,080 --> 00:32:51,720 What is Christ dying done? What is it accomplished? 650 00:32:51,920 --> 00:32:55,160 It's the church, it's the union of Jew and Gentile, it's the 651 00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:58,280 bringing together of diverse backgrounds and languages and 652 00:32:58,280 --> 00:33:00,600 tribes and tongues from all nations from all times. 653 00:33:00,800 --> 00:33:04,120 Then being united together is what makes me most proud. 654 00:33:04,120 --> 00:33:06,320 Let me read that over you. That's not my idea. 655 00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:13,840 This comes from Ephesians 3. Ephesians 3, 7 through 12. 656 00:33:13,840 --> 00:33:18,880 This is what Paul says of this gospel. 657 00:33:19,040 --> 00:33:21,840 I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, 658 00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:24,960 which was given to me by the working of his power to me, 659 00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:27,080 though I am the very least of all the Saints. 660 00:33:27,080 --> 00:33:30,560 This grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable 661 00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:31,720 riches of Christ. Hey. 662 00:33:31,920 --> 00:33:35,120 And to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the 663 00:33:35,120 --> 00:33:39,240 mystery hidden for ages, and God, who created all things, so 664 00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:45,240 that through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might now 665 00:33:45,240 --> 00:33:48,200 be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly 666 00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:50,280 places. This was according to the 667 00:33:50,280 --> 00:33:54,000 eternal purpose that He has realized in Christ Jesus our 668 00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:58,040 Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence 669 00:33:58,040 --> 00:34:00,440 through our faith. In him. 670 00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:05,160 Y'all what he's saying is the plan hidden forever now revealed 671 00:34:05,160 --> 00:34:09,080 in Christ is to unite all people around King Jesus in this thing 672 00:34:09,080 --> 00:34:13,880 this people called the church. Y'all nothing makes God look as 673 00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:16,360 good as when the only reason something's happening is because 674 00:34:16,400 --> 00:34:19,639 Jesus. It makes God look so good when 675 00:34:19,639 --> 00:34:23,360 an Arabic speaking background new believer is serving some 676 00:34:23,360 --> 00:34:25,320 white woman helping them move houses. 677 00:34:25,480 --> 00:34:27,840 Why? Because we both love. 678 00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:32,280 Jesus, that does not happen any other way, and that stuff 679 00:34:32,280 --> 00:34:33,760 happens. In the church all over the 680 00:34:33,760 --> 00:34:35,159 world. And that's why we're committed 681 00:34:35,320 --> 00:34:37,639 to being multiethnic and multigenerational, because we 682 00:34:37,639 --> 00:34:39,880 want to be a picture of why are you all together? 683 00:34:40,719 --> 00:34:41,760 Jesus? That's why. 684 00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:44,480 And if Jesus wasn't alive, we wouldn't be together. 685 00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:46,760 Does that make sense? We don't all like LeBron or 686 00:34:46,760 --> 00:34:49,560 whatever it is. We love Jesus and he rescued all 687 00:34:49,560 --> 00:34:52,000 of us. The church becomes the group of 688 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:55,880 rescued people who are committed to making their hero look good. 689 00:34:56,120 --> 00:34:58,680 So for some of y'all, yeah, we're going to keep talking 690 00:34:58,680 --> 00:35:01,280 about the church because the church isn't port City. 691 00:35:01,280 --> 00:35:02,680 The brand. You know what I'm saying? 692 00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:06,840 It's not the five O 1C3. It's the people in this room, so 693 00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:10,160 you can become a. Picture and become part of the 694 00:35:10,160 --> 00:35:13,920 picture and the third thing you can do is become a mouthpiece of 695 00:35:13,920 --> 00:35:18,320 his grace just become a walking, breathing, living testimony. 696 00:35:20,240 --> 00:35:23,160 A lot of y'all know so so the text we read today from Genesis 697 00:35:23,160 --> 00:35:28,520 25 gets quoted in Romans 9 because y'all again God is 698 00:35:28,520 --> 00:35:32,000 author and how it all works in the mind of God like Paul dips 699 00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:35,240 his toes in that and Romans 910 and 11 of just the calculus of. 700 00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:38,680 Who God chooses and why? Why Jacob Esau, it just the 701 00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:40,880 calculus of it all can blow our minds. 702 00:35:41,120 --> 00:35:44,320 Y'all there is great mystery because the reality is God. 703 00:35:44,640 --> 00:35:47,680 Desires all to come to the knowledge of the truth and not 704 00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:52,360 all will just facts. He has made access for all. 705 00:35:53,040 --> 00:35:55,240 We are accountable. For what we choose to do and not 706 00:35:55,240 --> 00:35:57,480 do. And it's clear that we are not 707 00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:01,720 in a pool struggling and we're all looking for the Lord. 708 00:36:01,720 --> 00:36:03,080 We dead at the bottom of the pool. 709 00:36:03,080 --> 00:36:06,840 So if God doesn't intervene and hero us, rescue us, we won't get 710 00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:08,840 out the pool. But then we're accountable for 711 00:36:08,840 --> 00:36:11,240 if we get out the pool. And in some great mystery, Paul, 712 00:36:11,240 --> 00:36:13,880 just going to say yeah, and just hold that mystery, OK? 713 00:36:13,880 --> 00:36:15,480 Just hold it. All right? 714 00:36:15,720 --> 00:36:18,720 Just hold the mystery that got it. 715 00:36:18,960 --> 00:36:21,400 Got to do it or you won't do it. But you got to do it, OK? 716 00:36:21,400 --> 00:36:22,760 You got to believe. You got to see Christ 717 00:36:22,760 --> 00:36:24,720 accurately. The mysteries of Scripture stay 718 00:36:24,720 --> 00:36:26,320 mysterious because he's God and we ain't. 719 00:36:26,360 --> 00:36:29,840 That's hard, but in the middle of that argument is some of the 720 00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:32,840 most important verses on sharing the gospel in all Scripture. 721 00:36:33,160 --> 00:36:35,960 Romans 10 is in the middle of Romans 9 through 11 and that 722 00:36:35,960 --> 00:36:38,440 gospel calculus argument. Here's what he says in Romans 723 00:36:38,440 --> 00:36:40,200 10. Maybe I've heard this passage 724 00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:41,920 before. If not, you've got to be 725 00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:43,440 blessed. Romans 10. 726 00:36:43,440 --> 00:36:48,520 I'm going to start in verse 9 and we'll go through verse 17. 727 00:36:48,520 --> 00:36:52,760 Check this out. Because if you confess with your 728 00:36:52,760 --> 00:36:55,880 mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God 729 00:36:55,880 --> 00:36:59,160 raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 730 00:36:59,880 --> 00:37:02,440 For with the heart 1 believes and is justified, and with the 731 00:37:02,440 --> 00:37:06,480 mouth 1 confesses and is saved. For the scripture says everyone 732 00:37:06,680 --> 00:37:08,800 who believes in him will not be put to shame. 733 00:37:08,800 --> 00:37:10,840 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. 734 00:37:11,120 --> 00:37:13,840 For the same Lord is the Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all 735 00:37:13,840 --> 00:37:17,080 who call on him. For everyone who calls on the 736 00:37:17,080 --> 00:37:19,800 name of the Lord will be saved. How then? 737 00:37:20,600 --> 00:37:23,080 Will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? 738 00:37:23,800 --> 00:37:27,280 And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never 739 00:37:27,280 --> 00:37:30,040 heard? And how are they to hear without 740 00:37:30,040 --> 00:37:33,000 someone preaching? And how are they to preach 741 00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:35,840 unless they are sent as it is written? 742 00:37:35,840 --> 00:37:39,120 How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news. 743 00:37:39,920 --> 00:37:42,080 But they have not obeyed. All obeyed the gospel. 744 00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:44,880 For Isaiah says Lord, who has believed what he has heard from 745 00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:48,400 us, from us. So faith comes from hearing and 746 00:37:48,400 --> 00:37:49,720 hearing through the word of Christ. 747 00:37:50,200 --> 00:37:53,920 Y'all here's the way this works. We have no idea what God's going 748 00:37:53,920 --> 00:37:58,040 to do on this side. We don't, we really don't know 749 00:37:58,040 --> 00:38:00,360 how this is going to go. We know what God wants and we 750 00:38:00,360 --> 00:38:03,640 know the means of how to get what he wants, which means we 751 00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:07,200 share the gospel, we share Christ. 752 00:38:07,400 --> 00:38:09,560 We share them in big ways and little ways. 753 00:38:09,560 --> 00:38:13,000 We talk about them, we brag about them and it, it, it's 754 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:15,960 going to look super organic and friendship and long term. 755 00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:18,600 And it needs to be zealous, just short, just quick. 756 00:38:18,840 --> 00:38:21,360 I think if you've been walking with Jesus for a while, you're 757 00:38:21,360 --> 00:38:23,560 going to go through phases of what you're sharing the gospel 758 00:38:23,560 --> 00:38:25,240 looks like. And I think maturity is just 759 00:38:25,240 --> 00:38:27,280 getting to where you just share the gospel a lot in a lot of 760 00:38:27,280 --> 00:38:28,040 different ways. OK. 761 00:38:28,360 --> 00:38:30,440 Sometimes what you could do is you can get in the mode of like 762 00:38:30,440 --> 00:38:33,520 it means to share these 5 words in this succession with these 763 00:38:33,520 --> 00:38:36,240 verses, with this diagram. In this way, it's handing out a 764 00:38:36,240 --> 00:38:36,840 track. It's doing. 765 00:38:36,840 --> 00:38:39,560 This. And then, as with many things, 766 00:38:39,560 --> 00:38:41,720 you might think you've moved past that and think you're 767 00:38:41,720 --> 00:38:43,880 beyond that. And be careful that don't you 768 00:38:43,880 --> 00:38:45,760 don't become one who never shares the gospel. 769 00:38:46,360 --> 00:38:49,960 OK so the idea is be friends of people love them in the long. 770 00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:53,160 Term have them over for dinner, share good truth with them ask 771 00:38:53,160 --> 00:38:55,160 them questions, get to know their story, share your 772 00:38:55,160 --> 00:38:58,080 testimony and share the gospel right when you meet them like 773 00:38:58,080 --> 00:39:02,480 the idea is do it all OK share the gospel through your favorite 774 00:39:02,480 --> 00:39:03,760 movie. I love to talk to people about 775 00:39:03,760 --> 00:39:05,320 Lord of the rings. I'm like, did you know that 776 00:39:05,320 --> 00:39:07,000 Smeagol is what sin does to your heart? 777 00:39:07,400 --> 00:39:11,280 People can be like, huh, Like if they have no backgrounding, but 778 00:39:11,280 --> 00:39:12,640 like, what? It's like, yeah, man. 779 00:39:12,880 --> 00:39:15,160 Smeagle loved the ring, but the ring owns Smeagle. 780 00:39:15,160 --> 00:39:17,720 Smeagle was voluntarily A victim. 781 00:39:17,720 --> 00:39:19,880 He's villain and victim. Perfect villain. 782 00:39:19,880 --> 00:39:22,400 Victim is Smeagle. So if you're wondering how does 783 00:39:22,400 --> 00:39:25,680 that work, there you go. OK, Just share the gospel 784 00:39:25,680 --> 00:39:26,760 through the themes and the movies. 785 00:39:26,760 --> 00:39:28,800 You see. Oh, this person sacrificed that 786 00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:29,840 Batman. I don't care. 787 00:39:29,840 --> 00:39:32,120 Share it and read the scriptures. 788 00:39:32,120 --> 00:39:34,120 Ask people to read the Bible. Invite them here. 789 00:39:34,440 --> 00:39:38,560 Pray for them, share your testimony, share Christ, because 790 00:39:38,560 --> 00:39:42,920 God is rescuing people from every tribe in Tongue and 791 00:39:42,920 --> 00:39:46,040 Nation, every neighborhood in Norfolk, all over the 757. 792 00:39:46,320 --> 00:39:50,120 And the means by which he does that is through teaching, just 793 00:39:50,120 --> 00:39:52,280 through sharing. If you don't know what else to 794 00:39:52,280 --> 00:39:54,480 say, hey, if you ever read the Bible, Nope. 795 00:39:54,640 --> 00:39:55,640 Do you know what it is? Nope. 796 00:39:55,920 --> 00:39:57,400 Can I tell you what it is? Yep. 797 00:39:57,720 --> 00:39:59,960 It's a rescue story. You need rescue and God wants to 798 00:39:59,960 --> 00:40:05,360 rescue you. What if we complicate it, but 799 00:40:05,360 --> 00:40:08,200 it's not that complicated. We read Jonah a couple weeks 800 00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:09,400 ago. Jonah was the worst preacher 801 00:40:09,400 --> 00:40:12,480 ever and he led like 240,000 people to Christ maybe I don't 802 00:40:12,480 --> 00:40:15,120 know we don't you know again, how does all that work? 803 00:40:15,120 --> 00:40:19,840 We don't know be all the point is is God is seeking to rescue 804 00:40:19,840 --> 00:40:20,920 people. He is the hero. 805 00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:22,720 He has done all the work. We're talking about a. 806 00:40:22,720 --> 00:40:25,320 Victory that he gifts. It's just a gift. 807 00:40:26,880 --> 00:40:29,120 We just got to, we just got to, we just got to ask. 808 00:40:29,120 --> 00:40:31,600 People, if they want the gift and God is in the business of 809 00:40:31,600 --> 00:40:34,520 he's slowly changing people's hearts and minds and 810 00:40:34,520 --> 00:40:35,880 perspectives. He does it quickly. 811 00:40:35,880 --> 00:40:37,920 He does it over the long run. He's playing the short game and 812 00:40:37,920 --> 00:40:40,680 the long game and you get to play the role of just begging 813 00:40:40,680 --> 00:40:43,920 God to opens people's talk to people about God and talk to God 814 00:40:43,920 --> 00:40:45,160 about people. That's it. 815 00:40:45,240 --> 00:40:47,720 That's living Micheline, and intentionally go on your prayer. 816 00:40:47,720 --> 00:40:50,840 Closet and talk to God like if. He don't change, then they ain't 817 00:40:50,840 --> 00:40:52,560 going to change. OK, because it's true. 818 00:40:53,520 --> 00:40:55,120 God, get them off the bottom of that pool. 819 00:40:55,120 --> 00:40:58,600 Resurrect them by the power that rose your son, please. 820 00:40:58,920 --> 00:41:03,120 Then go plead with your friend. Like if you don't plead really 821 00:41:03,120 --> 00:41:06,120 well, don't be lazy. Plead with them according to 822 00:41:06,120 --> 00:41:08,640 their temperament, personality in the short game, in the long 823 00:41:08,640 --> 00:41:09,840 game. Like if they don't listen to 824 00:41:09,840 --> 00:41:13,360 you, it's on them because it is. And you're living with missional 825 00:41:13,360 --> 00:41:15,680 intentionality and God is going to lead people to Christ, OK. 826 00:41:16,720 --> 00:41:19,160 Why would God choose you so that you could be a picture of His 827 00:41:19,160 --> 00:41:20,840 grace, so that you could be a part of the picture of His 828 00:41:20,840 --> 00:41:22,480 grace, and so that you could be a. 829 00:41:22,480 --> 00:41:26,320 Mouthpiece of His grace. And here's the funniest thing if 830 00:41:26,320 --> 00:41:28,120 you ever thought you don't know what I did. 831 00:41:28,520 --> 00:41:32,000 Do you hear how, in light of this story, whatever you think 832 00:41:32,000 --> 00:41:35,320 is keeping you from being worthy is exactly why he would rescue 833 00:41:35,320 --> 00:41:36,880 you? Does that make sense? 834 00:41:37,080 --> 00:41:39,320 Like, we think I'm not worthy, I'm not good enough, I don't 835 00:41:39,320 --> 00:41:42,320 know nothing. It's like if you listen to the 836 00:41:42,320 --> 00:41:45,200 sermon, that actually makes you a better candidate, not a worse 837 00:41:45,200 --> 00:41:46,360 one. Are you tracking? 838 00:41:46,760 --> 00:41:49,120 Paul says. He says I'm the worst of sinners 839 00:41:49,120 --> 00:41:52,720 at first Timothy 1. He says and God saved me so that 840 00:41:52,720 --> 00:41:56,120 I would be an eternal demonstration of God's patience. 841 00:41:56,920 --> 00:41:59,920 So some of y'all don't tell me what you did, just read the 842 00:41:59,920 --> 00:42:01,880 story. You are a. 843 00:42:01,880 --> 00:42:05,000 Perfect candidate for rescue. And then to go tell other people 844 00:42:05,000 --> 00:42:06,600 that they need rescue. And when they look at you and 845 00:42:06,600 --> 00:42:07,880 say, who are you to tell me you need rescue? 846 00:42:07,880 --> 00:42:10,320 You're going to say I'm exactly the person I needed to tell you 847 00:42:10,320 --> 00:42:12,040 that you need rescue. Do you see that? 848 00:42:12,240 --> 00:42:15,160 Like we get it backwards. Because what that reveals is we 849 00:42:15,160 --> 00:42:19,520 want to be the hero. We're afraid we won't be the 850 00:42:19,520 --> 00:42:21,640 hero on the story, so we don't want to enlist. 851 00:42:21,640 --> 00:42:24,360 Until we feel worthy to be recruited, you will never be a 852 00:42:24,360 --> 00:42:28,040 recruit. You are not a potential hero. 853 00:42:28,040 --> 00:42:32,880 You are a zero that God wants to gift victory and once you get 854 00:42:32,880 --> 00:42:35,560 that you just so free man. Like you let go of all 855 00:42:35,560 --> 00:42:40,960 pretension, all pretending and you just receive a gift and your 856 00:42:40,960 --> 00:42:43,480 life changes. He's the hero. 857 00:42:43,640 --> 00:42:45,480 We get the victory. Let's pray. 858 00:42:46,480 --> 00:42:49,360 Our Father, we love you. Thank you so much for the 859 00:42:49,360 --> 00:42:53,280 victory of Christ. God that you gift it to us. 860 00:42:53,280 --> 00:42:54,960 Praise be to God the Father who gives. 861 00:42:54,960 --> 00:42:56,880 Us the victory through Christ Jesus and God. 862 00:42:56,880 --> 00:42:59,520 The next verse in First Corinthians said therefore. 863 00:43:00,320 --> 00:43:03,280 Let us be abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in Him 864 00:43:03,280 --> 00:43:05,520 our labor is not in vain. I pray for your church here 865 00:43:05,520 --> 00:43:07,840 under the sound of my voice. I pray God that we would 866 00:43:07,840 --> 00:43:10,880 understand what it means to be your church and that God, we 867 00:43:10,880 --> 00:43:12,480 would be abounding in the work of the Lord. 868 00:43:12,640 --> 00:43:14,080 We play the short game, the long game. 869 00:43:14,080 --> 00:43:16,640 We'd work hard in our jobs. We'd love our neighborhoods. 870 00:43:16,640 --> 00:43:18,200 We would give money. We would. 871 00:43:18,400 --> 00:43:21,840 Just Lord, live with such intentionality and share Christ 872 00:43:21,840 --> 00:43:26,080 with people and God, we get one shot at this to be a part of 873 00:43:26,080 --> 00:43:28,720 your rescue story in this way. God, what an honor and a 874 00:43:28,720 --> 00:43:31,040 privilege. God, would you awaken us to the 875 00:43:31,040 --> 00:43:34,240 boldness and the access through your spirit that we have in 876 00:43:34,400 --> 00:43:37,040 Jesus and got to pray for my friends who need rescue. 877 00:43:37,040 --> 00:43:40,440 God, would they just see that you want to gift them rescue? 878 00:43:40,440 --> 00:43:43,680 You want to gift them this through the death, burial, 879 00:43:43,680 --> 00:43:48,080 resurrection of Jesus Christ. God that they are not the center 880 00:43:48,080 --> 00:43:50,400 and that would be freeing to them. 881 00:43:50,400 --> 00:43:52,480 They would be relieved of that burden. 882 00:43:52,480 --> 00:43:55,520 They would just receive a gift. So Father, have your hand on 883 00:43:55,520 --> 00:43:56,520 this time. We love you. 884 00:43:56,560 --> 00:43:57,760 Pray in Christ's name, Amen.