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This is ERC Sundays, the 
messages at Emmaus Rd. 

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Church in DeWitt, Iowa. 
ERC is a Church of people 

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striving to grow in Jesus and 
make him known to others through

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our faith, words and actions. 
Find out more about our church 

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at emmausrdonline.org. 
Here's this week's message. 

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Well, man, good to be with you 
here this morning. 

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Church, it's, it's, it's always 
a gift, honestly, to be able to 

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to stand up here and to be able 
to talk about Jesus. 

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That's not something I take for 
granted. 

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Now, as we've been going through
the summer, we've been in the 

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book of Acts and in the book of 
Acts, we've been thinking about 

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this through the lens of what we
call the multiplying church. 

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That's what we see happening all
throughout the early church is 

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it multiplies. 
Now I do have to say one thing 

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that I think is obvious, but I 
just want to say it out loud so 

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we all get it. 
It's really difficult for the 

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church to multiply if we only 
hang out with people who believe

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like us. 
Now please don't hear something 

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me say something I didn't say. 
We should hang out with our 

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brothers and sisters in Christ 
as often as possible. 

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We are called to bear burdens 
together. 

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We're called to rejoice together
and do everything in between. 

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Truly, the church is a gift to 
its people. 

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And so I'm not, I'm absolutely 
not saying don't hang out with 

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them. 
But what I am saying is that if 

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we never have interactions and 
conversations with people who 

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don't think and believe like us,
I don't know how the church 

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multiplies. 
Because quite frankly, and I'm 

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being honest here, I would love 
to see Emmaus Rd. church explode

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in this room, not be nearly 
enough space for all the people 

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who come to hear the gospel and 
worship and be in community with

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us. 
But I'll also say on the same 

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hand, that if if it's just 
people from other churches who 

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happen to like this place a 
little bit better, that's not 

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the church multiplying. 
That's just, you know, taking 

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people from a different team 
with a different logo and a 

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different name and putting them 
on our team. 

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That's not multiplication, 
right? 

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So that's not what we should be 
hoping and praying for. 

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What we should be hoping and 
praying for is the fact that God

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puts us on mission, that God 
wants us to have meaningful 

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conversations with people, that 
God absolutely wants us to be 

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his ambassadors and go speak the
name of Jesus to a world that so

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desperately needs to, to, to 
hear the gospel. 

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So if you are hearing what I'm 
saying and you're like, Oh no, 

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he's going to talk about talking
to people, and that makes me 

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very uncomfortable. 
Let me tell you, friends, you've

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come to the right place. 
This is a good place for you to 

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be today, because what we're 
going to see in the book of Acts

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today is we're going to see Paul
put on an absolute clinic. 

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He is. 
And, and The thing is, he's 

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talking to two different kinds 
of people. 

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Basically. 
They have two different world 

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views or philosophies, you might
say, and they're the Epicureans 

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and the Stoics. 
And he's going to address them 

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both simultaneously. 
And they have very different 

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you, you might call them needs. 
They have very different things.

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But he's going to teach a master
class on how to talk to people 

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about the gospel who maybe they 
outright reject grace as as an 

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idea, or maybe they just don't 
believe in God at all or, and 

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there's any number of things 
that are going to happen here 

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when Paul talks to them. 
But what we're getting at here 

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today is the fact that the 
gospel is for everyone and God 

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wants us to participate in that.
OK, so just know that when you 

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come to a service on Sunday or 
on a Wednesday or any Bible 

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study or whatever, that service 
is good for your spiritual 

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health and growth, but it's also
not about you. 

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It's there to train you up and 
to move you out into the world 

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as an ambassador of Jesus 
Christ. 

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Again, that might make you 
uncomfortable. 

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Sorry, but it's, it's, it's 
what, it's what God's Word is 

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for, for us to come into that 
relationship with him in such a 

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meaningful way that we can't 
help but talk about it because 

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that's our life, That's our 
heart, right? 

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We talk about things that matter
to us. 

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So I'll say this to the text 
that we're going to look at. 

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It's kind of a famous text. 
It's Paul at the Areopagus where

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you'll maybe some people call it
Mars Hill, but either way, it's,

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it's a pretty phenomenal text. 
And I just got to be really 

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honest with you out of the gate 
that I cannot possibly, I cannot

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possibly cover all the things 
that are happening in this text.

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And so I'm not even going to 
try. 

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We're going to, we're going to 
focus in on this text with, with

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looking through this lens. 
OK, By the way, I've been 

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thinking about this. 
If if you're note takers and you

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want any of these slides, or if 
you just want to pull up your 

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camera real quick, I won't be 
offended. 

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It's fine. 
You can do that. 

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But here's where we're going 
today. 

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We're going to see the gospel to
the relativist or the 

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freethinker, That's the 
Epicureans. 

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We're going to see the gospel to
the strong moralist, that's the 

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Stoics. 
And then we are going to see the

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outrageous gospel that saves us 
all. 

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That's the lens which with which
we'll look through this text 

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today. 
So if you're ready or if you're 

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not, we're going to do this. 
And we read this text in the 

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name of Jesus Christ because it 
is His Word, not ours. 

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Oh, by the way, we're in Acts 
chapter 17. 

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Welcome. 
We're in Acts chapter 17, 

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starting in verse 16. 
Now while Paul was waiting for 

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them at Athens, his spirit was 
provoked within him as he saw 

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that the city was full of idols.
So he reasoned in the synagogue 

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with the Jews and the devout 
persons, and in the marketplace 

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every day with those who happen 
to be there. 

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Some of the Epicurean and Stoic 
philosophers also conversed with

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him, and some said, what does 
this babbler wish to say? 

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Others said He seems to be a 
preacher of foreign divinities 

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because he was preaching Jesus 
and the resurrection. 

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And they took him and they 
brought him to the Areopagus, 

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saying, May we know what this 
new teaching is that you are 

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presenting for? 
You bring some strange things to

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our ears. 
We wish to know, therefore, what

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these things mean. 
Now all the Athenians and the 

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foreigners who live there would 
spend their time in nothing 

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except telling or hearing 
something new. 

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So Paul, standing in the midst 
of the Areopagus, said, Men of 

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Athens, I perceive that in every
way you are very religious. 

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For as I passed along and 
observed the objects of your 

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worship, I found also an altar 
with this inscription to the 

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unknown God. 
What therefore you worship as 

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unknown. 
This I proclaim to you. 

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The God who made the world and 
everything in it, being Lord of 

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heaven and earth, does not live 
in temples made by man, nor is 

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He served by human hands as 
though He needed anything, since

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He Himself gives to all mankind 
the left, the life and breath 

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and everything. 
And He made from one man every 

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nation of mankind, to live on 
all the face of the earth, 

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having determined allotted 
periods in the boundaries of 

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their dwelling place, that they 
should seek God and perhaps feel

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their way toward Him and find 
Him. 

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Yet He is actually not far from 
each one of us, for in Him we 

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live and move and have our 
being, as even some of your own 

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poets have said, for we are 
indeed His offspring. 

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Being then God's offspring, we 
ought not to think that the 

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divine being is like gold or 
silver or stone, an image formed

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by the art and imagination of a 
man. 

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The times of ignorance God 
overlooked, but now he commands 

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all people everywhere to repent,
because he has fixed a day on 

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which he will judge the world in
righteousness by a man whom he 

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has appointed. 
And of this He has given 

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assurance to all by raising him 
from the dead. 

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Now when they heard of the 
resurrection of of the dead, 

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some mocked, but others said, 
We'll hear you again about this.

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So Paul went out from their 
midst, but some men joined him 

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and believed, among whom also 
were Dionysus the Areopagate and

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a woman named Demarius and 
others with them. 

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Here ends the reading of God's 
word. 

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So again, we're going to look at
this through the lens of two 

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different people groups. 
Now before I get into the 

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particulars of either of these 
people groups, the Epicureans, 

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not people groups so much as 
life, you know, world views or, 

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or philosophers, before I get 
into that, what you're going to 

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hear this morning is interesting
in that both of these, both of 

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these philosophies, they date 
back to a similar time around 

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2300 years ago. 
And so in ancient Greece and 

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throughout Rome and Athens and 
all these kinds of places, there

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were things that were happening 
in their world that really 

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shaped the way people viewed the
world and shaped how they 

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thought about their lives and 
about other people and about 

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God. 
And so in both of these things, 

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what I think we're going to see 
is we're going to see something 

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that's not so unfamiliar. 
It's not so unfamiliar. 

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In fact, I'll, I'll, I'll take 
it here carefully. 

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But if you look at America today
and you look at our politics, we

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have a primarily A2 party 
system. 

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I think what you'll find is our 
two party system 2300 years 

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later is very influenced by the 
philosophers of Millennium ago. 

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And I think you're going to see 
that. 

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But it's not just politics. 
It's it's, it's everybody you're

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going to I, I bet you'll find 
parts of yourself and in large 

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parts of other people that you 
know inside these descriptions. 

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And we need to learn how to talk
to these people, don't we? 

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Because God calls us to be 
ambassadors. 

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He calls us to participate. 
So first, the Epicureans. 

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These are liberal, individual 
focused and personal approaches 

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to life. 
Now, their guidance towards 

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individual achievement and 
living the good life really, 

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really spurs them on. 
They're focusing on their 

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individual well-being. 
They're materialistic in some 

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ways and not necessarily 
atheistic, but the philosophy, 

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it would tell you that if God is
there or the gods, as it were, 

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they're pretty far away. 
They don't really get involved 

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in anything. 
They're they're, they're, 

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they're just kind of out there. 
And then finally, if you pay 

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close attention, if you're 
looking at this philosophy and 

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you can look it up, you can find
all these things online, you're 

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going to find that modern 
liberal humanism, man, they're 

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almost identical. 
Nothing new under the sun, 

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friends. 
We, we think we're, we're this 

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kind of cool population and oh, 
we're so advanced and we're so 

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much further along 
philosophically and otherwise. 

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No, we're not No, we're not 
That's ridiculous. 

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Anybody who tells you that we 
are different than people 2300 

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years ago, they haven't done 
their research and I have. 

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So I'm telling you they're 
wrong. 

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They're wrong. 
Work hard at this stuff. 

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I know what I'm talking about. 
So here's the deal. 

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How let let's look specifically 
at the, the correlation today's 

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people, all right? 
It's what we're dealing with 

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here. 
And what Paul is dealing with as

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he's talking to them is a a way 
of life that is all about 

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personal self enhancement. 
This is the philosophy. 

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I get this thing and and I know 
how to live my life right. 

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So why is it difficult to 
deliver the gospel to a person 

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like this? 
Well, here's why. 

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When you have these kind of 
philosophies inside you, when 

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you are kind of self autonomous,
let's say you're not probably 

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willing to look at a God who has
expectations and say, you know 

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what? 
I'm going to bend my knee to 

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those things. 
Because here's the thing, we are

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so enlightened that I know what 
to do and I know how to do it 

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best and I know when to do it. 
Like I'm really good at this 

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whole life thing. 
Therefore, you can't really tell

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me about a God who's going to 
try and dictate. 

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That's what they think. 
Who's going to try and dictate 

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and micromanage my movements and
my thoughts and the way I'm 

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supposed to live my life and who
I sleep with or I don't and all 

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this kind of stuff. 
No, I am a autonomous being. 

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I do what I want when I want, 
right? 

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Because I am wise enough to do 
that. 

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This is the Epicurean way, 
right? 

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And, and again, I just don't 
think that's that different than

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a lot of people we meet today. 
I really don't. 

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So I want you to notice 
something. 

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I want you to notice that Paul 
in no way tries to convince them

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00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:10,040
of the reality of God. 
He doesn't do it. 

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00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:12,680
He could sit there and he could 
try and debate with them like 

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00:13:12,680 --> 00:13:17,360
no, God is real. 
He has expectations, but he 

230
00:13:17,360 --> 00:13:19,840
doesn't even try. 
I'll tell you why he doesn't 

231
00:13:19,840 --> 00:13:21,840
try. 
Because he knows something about

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them that maybe they don't even 
know about themselves. 

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Themselves. 
They're searching. 

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00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:32,560
They're searching. 
Now what they're searching for, 

235
00:13:32,560 --> 00:13:34,080
they're grasping at. 
In the dark. 

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00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:37,280
We kind of saw that they're 
groping around in the dark and 

237
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they don't know what they're 
searching for. 

238
00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:40,920
And so they're constantly 
looking for fulfillment in 

239
00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:43,800
places that is never actually 
going to fulfill anything for 

240
00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:45,000
them. 
They're going to get what they 

241
00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:45,840
need. 
They're going to get their 

242
00:13:45,840 --> 00:13:48,600
little emotional or physical 
high or whatever, and then it's 

243
00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:51,160
not going to be enough. 
They'll constantly be chasing 

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00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:55,200
the dragon, right? 
I, I saw this quote and, and I 

245
00:13:55,440 --> 00:13:59,440
loved it. 
This quote says all sins are 

246
00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:06,480
attempts to fill voids. 
All sins are attempts to fill 

247
00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:09,160
voids. 
Let me put it to you this way. 

248
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Why do we have to have so many 
sexual partners to feel like 

249
00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:15,880
we're we're valuable or we're 
seeing? 

250
00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:19,360
Why do we have to have the next 
biggest and best thing? 

251
00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:20,960
Why? 
Why do we have to have certain 

252
00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:23,760
job titles? 
Why do I have to weigh a certain

253
00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:26,000
amount? 
Because I'm chasing something, 

254
00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:29,320
I'm chasing something. 
I'm chasing fulfillment in such 

255
00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:31,480
a way that I think I will 
finally make it. 

256
00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:35,000
Maybe I will finally be enough. 
If that person likes me, or if I

257
00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:37,960
have that job title or if I make
this much money, maybe then I'll

258
00:14:37,960 --> 00:14:43,200
finally think I'm enough. 
And it always fails. 

259
00:14:44,280 --> 00:14:47,600
It always fails and it leaves us
running in the hamster wheel 

260
00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:50,080
over and over and over again. 
Paul knows that. 

261
00:14:50,840 --> 00:14:53,640
He knows what they're searching 
for, even if they don't know 

262
00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:55,680
what they're searching for. 
But they're never going to find 

263
00:14:55,680 --> 00:14:57,440
it. 
And that breaks his heart, and 

264
00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:00,000
it should break ours too. 
Here's what he says to them 

265
00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:03,680
specifically. 
He's getting right at them that 

266
00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:06,400
they should seek God and perhaps
feel their way toward him and 

267
00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:08,880
find Him. 
Yet he is actually not far from 

268
00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:12,280
each one of us. 
For in Him we live and we move, 

269
00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:14,960
and we have our being, as even 
some of your own poets have 

270
00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:17,000
said, for we are indeed his 
offspring. 

271
00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:21,240
Friends, I'm telling you, 
bringing the gospel to a person 

272
00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:23,520
like this, it's not that 
complex. 

273
00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:27,400
It's not easy because we're 
breaking through some walls, 

274
00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:31,520
some some worldview walls. 
But it's very possible. 

275
00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:35,720
It's very possible because 
here's the thing, just like Paul

276
00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:40,480
tells us, he's not far from us. 
He's right there. 

277
00:15:41,040 --> 00:15:45,440
And, and I am not an autonomous 
being here randomly. 

278
00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:49,120
I am put here for a time and a 
season and a reason. 

279
00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:52,520
And so are you. 
And to the, to the degree that 

280
00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:56,720
we can point to people that man,
this God who you've been chasing

281
00:15:56,720 --> 00:16:00,080
after through jobs or any number
of other things, he's right 

282
00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:04,480
there the, the, the slightest 
turn of our hearts and he's 

283
00:16:04,480 --> 00:16:07,680
grabbing at us. 
He's right there all the time. 

284
00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:11,920
And so to speak this to somebody
is to show them that there is 

285
00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:14,200
more to life than getting more 
stuff. 

286
00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:17,200
There's more to life than having
this person think I'm 

287
00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:19,080
attractive. 
There's more to life than if I 

288
00:16:19,080 --> 00:16:22,240
have abs or not. 
Gosh, there's so much more than 

289
00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:25,320
all this stuff. 
And a lot of these things, quite

290
00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:27,080
honestly, they're good. 
They're good things. 

291
00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:29,960
It's good to have a good job. 
It's great, it's fine. 

292
00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:33,520
Nothing wrong with that on the 
surface, but man, when we make 

293
00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:36,920
that the thing, we've made a 
major mistake. 

294
00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:39,080
And so how do we speak to these 
people? 

295
00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:41,640
We show them that God is not far
from them. 

296
00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:45,360
We show them that God has 
sacrificed so that they can feel

297
00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:48,280
fulfilled, right? 
Because we know that in the 

298
00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:51,480
cross and, and in the 
resurrection of Jesus Christ, I 

299
00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:54,400
have total fulfillment. 
I no longer have to worry about 

300
00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:57,000
what you think. 
I don't. 

301
00:16:57,200 --> 00:16:59,720
I can care about you, but I 
don't have to worry about what 

302
00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:02,040
you think because I am 
completely fulfilled in the 

303
00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:04,319
gospel. 
Jesus Christ is the one who 

304
00:17:04,319 --> 00:17:06,920
defines me. 
Not my stuff, not my job, not 

305
00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:11,280
anything, none of it. 
Now, I would love to keep 

306
00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:14,440
talking about these guys, but we
need to kind of keep moving on. 

307
00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:19,040
One thing I'll tell you 
tomorrow, I'm going to make a 

308
00:17:19,040 --> 00:17:24,160
shameless plug tomorrow on the 
podcast we're going to, we're 

309
00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:27,119
going to talk about also the 
epic hearings from the sense of 

310
00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:30,280
when you talk to people like 
this, usually there's a justice 

311
00:17:30,280 --> 00:17:33,320
issue or there's a morality 
issue that comes up. 

312
00:17:33,320 --> 00:17:35,440
If you're going to talk to them 
about the gospel. 

313
00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:38,600
And often times that kind of 
looks like, well, if God's real,

314
00:17:38,600 --> 00:17:40,440
if God's close, why do bad 
things happen? 

315
00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:44,040
All these kind of questions. 
I, Matt and I will definitely 

316
00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:45,480
cover that in the podcast 
tomorrow. 

317
00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:48,800
So please, if you're interested 
in in how to talk to people like

318
00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:51,040
this more, please tune into 
that. 

319
00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:54,360
And if you're not sure how to 
get that, come see me or JT or 

320
00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:56,240
Matt or, you know, we're going 
to do that. 

321
00:17:56,680 --> 00:18:00,640
But we got to keep moving on. 
So the Stoics, I love the 

322
00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:02,080
Stoics. 
You want to know why? 

323
00:18:02,320 --> 00:18:05,120
Because the Stoics are probably 
so much like Midwesterners. 

324
00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:09,480
Let's get the description. 
Stoicism rose out of response to

325
00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:12,120
life's uncertainty. 
So in other words, Stoicism came

326
00:18:12,120 --> 00:18:14,880
around as a philosophy at the 
point when there was war and 

327
00:18:14,880 --> 00:18:17,360
there's turmoil and people are 
being removed from their homes 

328
00:18:17,360 --> 00:18:19,560
and all sorts of stuff. 
And so how do you deal with 

329
00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:21,640
that? 
How do you work through those 

330
00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:23,440
things that you have no control 
over? 

331
00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:27,560
Well, here's how we put an 
emphasis on self-sufficiency and

332
00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:30,240
simplicity. 
Not bad things necessarily. 

333
00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:35,160
Practical ethics and personal 
resilience, duty, emotional 

334
00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:38,880
self-control. 
Don't you dare change your face,

335
00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:42,960
poker face all day. 
Emotional self-control and 

336
00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:45,880
acceptance of your fate. 
Now of course, this is related 

337
00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:50,760
most closely to modern moral 
conservatives, conservatism and 

338
00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:53,920
denying feelings in favor of 
self-control. 

339
00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:59,520
Again, this philosophy dates 
back to about 2300 years ago. 

340
00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:06,360
But man, friends, doesn't that 
sound like you or somebody you 

341
00:19:06,360 --> 00:19:09,520
know? 
I mean, honestly, and if it's 

342
00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:12,360
not you, you were probably 
raised by people who are like 

343
00:19:12,360 --> 00:19:15,640
this. 
Let let me give you a test. 

344
00:19:15,840 --> 00:19:19,600
Let me give you a test. 
When life is hard, when things 

345
00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:23,000
are difficult, when when the 
bottom falls out, how do you 

346
00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:26,120
react? 
How do you react? 

347
00:19:26,840 --> 00:19:29,960
You know, what if you're a good 
middle class Midwesterner, you 

348
00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:31,880
know what you're going to do. 
You're going to put your head 

349
00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:34,760
down, you're going to work hard,
you're going to get a stiff 

350
00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:37,600
upper lip, and you're going to 
drive through this stupid moment

351
00:19:37,600 --> 00:19:43,400
of your life. 
Aren't you Stoicism? 

352
00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:46,400
It's right there. 
But what's the problem with 

353
00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:49,080
Stoicism? 
What's what's the downfall of 

354
00:19:49,080 --> 00:19:49,440
it? 
Why? 

355
00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:52,800
Why can't I be Stoic? 
Why can't I do these things and 

356
00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:56,200
still love and worship God the 
way I'm supposed to? 

357
00:19:56,520 --> 00:19:59,800
Here's the problem with most 
people who exercise these kinds 

358
00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:01,920
of philosophies inside their 
life. 

359
00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:08,560
What happens is because of very 
high moral standards that people

360
00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:11,560
who are Stoic, they exercise, 
because of very high moral 

361
00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:14,520
standards and because of 
emotional control. 

362
00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:19,480
What tends to happen is we don't
need God because I'm in control.

363
00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:23,560
The idea of a God who I can't 
control being the one who's 

364
00:20:23,560 --> 00:20:28,520
running the show 'cause he may 
put me through some stuff that I

365
00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:30,480
won't be able to emotionally 
control. 

366
00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:32,720
Therefore, I need to control the
things. 

367
00:20:33,120 --> 00:20:36,000
Additionally, what's going to 
happen is I'm going to look at 

368
00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:41,040
those lazy liberal Epicureans 
who drink too much on the 

369
00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:44,520
weekend and sleep with too many 
people and I am better than 

370
00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:47,080
them. 
I am way better than them. 

371
00:20:47,080 --> 00:20:49,760
And you know what? 
Because because the God who is 

372
00:20:49,760 --> 00:20:53,480
out there, he cracks the whip. 
That's his personality. 

373
00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:56,200
He cracks the whip. 
He's there to keep you in line. 

374
00:20:56,480 --> 00:21:00,160
And you know what? 
I walked the line, I do. 

375
00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:01,640
And you know what I'm going to 
tell you? 

376
00:21:01,640 --> 00:21:03,800
I do. 
Whether that's verbally or 

377
00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:06,960
because I'm just going to let 
you know that I'm just better at

378
00:21:06,960 --> 00:21:10,080
this thing called life. 
I see you getting all weepy and 

379
00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:12,440
emotional. 
Not me, not me. 

380
00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:15,760
No, man, I hold that stuff in. 
I am strong. 

381
00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:23,280
You cannot break me. 
So what do we do with them? 

382
00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:28,520
What do we do with these people?
Well, Paul tells us the times of

383
00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:32,080
ignorance got overlooked, but 
now he commands all people 

384
00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:36,480
everywhere to repent because he 
has fixed a day on which he will

385
00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:38,600
judge the world in 
righteousness. 

386
00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:43,000
Do you see it? 
Do you see how we talk to the 

387
00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:47,040
Stoic person, the person who is 
morally righteous in themselves,

388
00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:50,600
who have self justified because,
well, I'm a pretty good person 

389
00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:55,400
And all those people over there,
those liberal weirdos, they 

390
00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:57,800
don't have any morals. 
Do you see it? 

391
00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:04,760
How do we talk to them? 
Well, gosh, first and foremost, 

392
00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:06,840
we just have to give them the 
law. 

393
00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:09,880
I love doing that. 
Don't you love just giving 

394
00:22:09,880 --> 00:22:12,760
people a kick in the rear end? 
Like, no, you're not as good as 

395
00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:14,720
you think you are sometimes I 
do. 

396
00:22:15,400 --> 00:22:18,440
I like that stuff, man. 
Knock somebody down a peg or 

397
00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:20,360
two. 
That's prideful. 

398
00:22:20,360 --> 00:22:22,480
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I 
shouldn't do that, but it's 

399
00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:24,360
true. 
It's fun to do that sometimes. 

400
00:22:24,960 --> 00:22:29,240
But what does God's Word say? 
All people everywhere repent 

401
00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:32,280
because He judge in right. 
He judges in righteousness. 

402
00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:35,440
You see, we talked about this a 
couple weeks ago where we said 

403
00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:39,560
that God's standard is 
perfection, not 99.9% 

404
00:22:39,920 --> 00:22:44,520
perfection. 
Let me do a test on you guys. 

405
00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:47,640
This is going to be fun. 
You're going to like it. 

406
00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:54,840
Have you in your life ever lied?
Ever. 

407
00:22:56,880 --> 00:22:58,080
Oh, my gosh. 
You guys are so. 

408
00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:00,200
Oh, we nailed it. 
That's it. 

409
00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:03,000
This is this is a stoic 
audience. 

410
00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:05,400
You're just like, I'm not buying
this. 

411
00:23:06,440 --> 00:23:07,840
I'm not. 
I'm not playing this stupid 

412
00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:10,440
game. 
Have you ever lied? 

413
00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:14,360
Thank you. 
But you shouldn't do that. 

414
00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:16,320
I'm kidding. 
Yeah. 

415
00:23:17,360 --> 00:23:20,040
Let me ask you this. 
Have you ever in your entire 

416
00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:22,680
life taken something that 
doesn't belong to you? 

417
00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:28,640
Yeah, you have. 
Have you ever looked at somebody

418
00:23:28,640 --> 00:23:31,360
who's not your spouse? 
This is a touchy 1, isn't it? 

419
00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:34,680
Have you ever looked at somebody
who's not your spouse with any 

420
00:23:34,680 --> 00:23:39,440
kind of lust in your heart? 
Have you ever looked at somebody

421
00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:44,760
who treated you so badly they 
messed up your life? 

422
00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:52,040
I hate that person. 
Guess what? 

423
00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:58,400
The law says that you're a liar,
a murderer, an adulterer, and a 

424
00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:01,320
thief. 
How's that working out for you? 

425
00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:05,200
Because I don't care if you're 
better than the person down the 

426
00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:07,760
block, morally, you are all of 
these things. 

427
00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:10,960
The law has convicted you. 
And so when we talked to the 

428
00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:14,880
person who we can't seem to 
breakthrough to man, we need to 

429
00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:17,480
test them. 
You're a liar. 

430
00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:19,760
You're you're a thief. 
You're a murderer. 

431
00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:22,720
You're an adulterer. 
That's real. 

432
00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:25,480
That's not for stage. 
That's a real thing. 

433
00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:32,240
I am all of those things. 
So what do we do? 

434
00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:34,600
Do we leave them there? 
No, we don't leave them there. 

435
00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:37,840
We can't leave them there 
because the gospel is real. 

436
00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:42,760
Paul doesn't leave them there. 
Paul speaks of a resurrection. 

437
00:24:43,680 --> 00:24:49,000
He speaks of life beyond 
judgement, and it only comes 

438
00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:55,360
through Jesus Christ. 
So I, we'll talk more about the 

439
00:24:55,360 --> 00:24:57,200
Stoics tomorrow. 
We will. 

440
00:24:57,680 --> 00:25:00,360
I've got some more things that 
I, I, I think are good to be 

441
00:25:00,360 --> 00:25:03,360
able to say to somebody like 
this or to be able to talk 

442
00:25:03,360 --> 00:25:06,440
through some issues with again, 
Matt and I will deal with that 

443
00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:10,760
tomorrow. 
But let's let's look at the 

444
00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:15,640
gospel, the outrageous gospel 
that changes and saves all of 

445
00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:18,200
us. 
Now, something that Paul does 

446
00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:22,480
here is he stops them, or they 
rather that I guess they stop 

447
00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:27,520
him because at the moment that 
he talks about Jesus's 

448
00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:31,560
resurrection, both sides are 
like, yeah, we're done, we're 

449
00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:34,880
done. 
No more today we have had 

450
00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:37,080
enough. 
Why? 

451
00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:41,040
Here's why. 
Both sets of philosophies, what 

452
00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:44,280
they would, what they would tell
you is that the body, the flesh,

453
00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:50,360
it's evil, it's dirty, it's bad.
And so the, the soul or the 

454
00:25:50,360 --> 00:25:54,640
spirit is the thing inside of us
which is actually lovely and 

455
00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:57,720
actually has some, some, some 
merit and some value. 

456
00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:01,320
And so the idea of a 
resurrection, of a resurrected 

457
00:26:01,320 --> 00:26:05,640
body actually having flesh and 
blood come back, that's 

458
00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:08,240
ridiculous to them because this 
is bad. 

459
00:26:08,240 --> 00:26:11,120
All of this is bad. 
We need to someday, if we're 

460
00:26:11,120 --> 00:26:13,920
good enough people, if we do all
the right things, we need to 

461
00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:17,760
someday go float around in the 
atmosphere. 

462
00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:24,120
Come on, that's ridiculous. 
That is a ridiculous idea. 

463
00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:28,080
The Bible clearly teaches that 
there is a bodily resurrection. 

464
00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:32,880
And because Jesus Christ in his 
righteousness was brought back 

465
00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:36,760
from the dead by the power of 
God through the Holy Spirit, we 

466
00:26:36,760 --> 00:26:39,320
too as his children. 
That's what Paul says we are. 

467
00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:42,800
We are his children. 
We too have bodily resurrection 

468
00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:45,720
and will be brought back from 
the dead, right? 

469
00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:50,000
So that is outrageous and quite 
frankly, it's offensive. 

470
00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:52,840
It's offensive to say some stuff
like that to people. 

471
00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:54,440
But you know what God wants you 
to do? 

472
00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:58,520
He wants you to proclaim it. 
He wants you to look right at 

473
00:26:58,520 --> 00:27:01,560
that person and say, I'll give 
you the reason for my hope. 

474
00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:04,640
I'll give you the reason that I 
don't get down the way you do. 

475
00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:07,800
I'll give you the reason that I 
weep bigger than you do. 

476
00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:10,480
I do both. 
I, you can't put me in a box 

477
00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:12,280
because God doesn't put us in a 
box. 

478
00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:14,640
He pulls us out of the grave, 
doesn't he? 

479
00:27:15,120 --> 00:27:17,320
Amen. 
That's what he does. 

480
00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:21,080
And so as we talk to people, as 
we share the gospel with people,

481
00:27:21,080 --> 00:27:25,440
friends, do not be afraid. 
Don't be afraid. 

482
00:27:27,840 --> 00:27:32,000
The God who brought Jesus Christ
back from the dead is the God 

483
00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:35,160
who's got your back. 
What are you afraid of? 

484
00:27:36,080 --> 00:27:38,880
I heard a camp, I heard a camp 
counselor this week and they 

485
00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:41,360
were sharing with the youth 
group and I was amazed. 

486
00:27:41,360 --> 00:27:44,240
I was blown away. 
This counselor, and I'm going to

487
00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:46,840
paraphrase a little bit, said, 
yeah, we need to talk about the 

488
00:27:46,840 --> 00:27:47,920
gospel. 
We need to witness. 

489
00:27:47,920 --> 00:27:50,440
We need to, we need to tell 
people where our faith comes 

490
00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:54,080
from, where hope comes from. 
And he said, and I couldn't 

491
00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:56,040
believe it, but I believe it 
when it came out of his mouth. 

492
00:27:56,520 --> 00:27:58,480
What, you worried about losing a
relationship? 

493
00:28:00,360 --> 00:28:03,120
You've already got the only 
relationship that matters. 

494
00:28:03,240 --> 00:28:05,240
You've got the relationship that
gives you life. 

495
00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:07,200
You've got the relationship that
saves you. 

496
00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:10,680
And that relationship isn't 
based on your goodness. 

497
00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:14,520
It's not based. 
It is through Jesus Christ that 

498
00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:17,080
you have this perfect 
relationship and it cannot be 

499
00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:19,680
lost. 
There's nothing in heaven or 

500
00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:23,320
earth or hell that can pull God 
away from you when you have 

501
00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:26,760
Jesus Christ. 
Not a thing, man. 

502
00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:34,240
So come on, have the 
conversation, Be bold. 

503
00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:37,200
That's what they've been praying
for all throughout the book of 

504
00:28:37,200 --> 00:28:38,440
Acts. 
They haven't been praying for 

505
00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:40,120
safety. 
They haven't been praying well, 

506
00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:43,160
I hope that friend who I talk to
once every six months doesn't 

507
00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:44,680
kick me out of his life. 
Really. 

508
00:28:45,240 --> 00:28:48,320
No Be bold. 
Speak the gospel, speak truth to

509
00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:50,000
people. 
And here's the thing, I'm going 

510
00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:52,000
to bring up one more thing and 
I'll be very quick and then 

511
00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:58,520
we're going to be done. 
Paul looks around at all of 

512
00:28:58,520 --> 00:29:04,840
their idols and he notices that 
they are worshipping an unknown 

513
00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:11,000
God. 
We have an entire world of 

514
00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:15,680
people who are worshipping an 
unknown God. 

515
00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:20,000
Give him a name. 
Give him a name. 

516
00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:27,000
What more do you need to do? 
Give them a name, let them know 

517
00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:29,640
what they've been chasing after.
Let them know who they've been 

518
00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:31,920
trying to impress through their 
good morals. 

519
00:29:32,360 --> 00:29:34,400
Give them a name, give them 
Jesus. 

520
00:29:36,040 --> 00:29:43,560
Let's pray. 
Our Father in heaven, you are 

521
00:29:43,560 --> 00:29:51,480
good beyond measure. 
Lord, we confess that we have 

522
00:29:51,480 --> 00:30:00,520
sometimes been cowards, that we 
have not spoken your truth, that

523
00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:05,440
Jesus has been on the tip of our
tongues, and we stay silent. 

524
00:30:06,920 --> 00:30:08,680
Lord, give us boldness and 
courage. 

525
00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:14,800
Give us wisdom. 
You know exactly what we need to

526
00:30:14,800 --> 00:30:17,760
fulfill the role as ambassador 
for your Kingdom. 

527
00:30:18,440 --> 00:30:23,400
And Lord, remind us too, Even in
all this talk about talking to 

528
00:30:23,400 --> 00:30:28,920
people, remind us often that 
it's not about us, that we don't

529
00:30:28,920 --> 00:30:33,280
save anybody, that you always do
the saving, that it is by your 

530
00:30:33,280 --> 00:30:37,920
grace and your mercy that people
are saved and not our effort. 

531
00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:44,800
So Lord, work in our hearts, 
convict us, set us free by the 

532
00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:49,640
power of the gospel. 
Lord, bring Jesus straight into 

533
00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:52,840
our hearts, that we might give 
him out, that we might give him 

534
00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:54,720
away freely to anybody who needs
him. 

535
00:30:55,960 --> 00:30:58,600
Lord, we pray all these things 
in the name of Jesus Christ, who

536
00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:00,760
is our Lord and our King. 
Amen. 

537
00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:10,320
Thanks for. 
Listening to ERC Sundays to 

538
00:31:10,320 --> 00:31:12,840
support the work God is doing. 
An Emmaus Rd. church. 

539
00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:16,360
Visit emmausrdonline.org/giving.