1 00:00:04,720 --> 00:00:08,360 This is ERC Sundays, the messages at Emmaus Rd. 2 00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:12,280 Church in DeWitt, Iowa. ERC is a Church of people 3 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:15,320 striving to grow in Jesus and make him known to others through 4 00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:19,560 our faith, words and actions. Find out more about our church 5 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:23,360 at emmausrdonline.org. Here's this week's message. 6 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:28,760 We get started this morning we to just run us backwards a 7 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:30,520 little bit. We have been in the book of Acts 8 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:35,200 for quite some time and it's been an interesting ride so far. 9 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:38,920 We've watched the church multiply through through means 10 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:40,760 that on the surface look really great. 11 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:43,560 You know, just people getting to meet Jesus for the first time. 12 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:47,120 But we've also seen the church multiply in ways that on the 13 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:49,960 surface don't look so great. It looks like dispersion and it 14 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:52,960 looks like people getting kicked out of places and they're in 15 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:54,440 danger and all these kinds of things. 16 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:58,200 But we recognize then that God acts. 17 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:02,480 He does his good. No matter what is happening in 18 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:04,400 the world. There is nothing that can 19 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:07,800 dissuade him or stopping him from his mission and doing the 20 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:09,280 good that he knows he wants to do. 21 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:11,800 And that ultimate good is making Jesus known. 22 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:15,200 That is our mission here. In fact, it's to know Jesus and 23 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:18,560 to make him known. And so God is doing that through 24 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:23,040 any means necessary, both what we would say, good or bad. 25 00:01:23,320 --> 00:01:25,320 And it's been, it's been interesting to watch that 26 00:01:25,320 --> 00:01:28,560 happen. In particular, last week, Pastor 27 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:32,840 Matt, he did, gosh, I'm not trying to blow him up, but I 28 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:37,240 think he did a masterful job teaching us the importance 29 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:40,320 through Paul's story, through his life, the importance of 30 00:01:40,320 --> 00:01:45,440 speaking God's word. No matter what we saw, we saw 31 00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:50,440 the early stages of, of Paul doing just that, even if even at 32 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:53,600 the cost of his life, even when he's in danger and all these 33 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:56,040 sorts of things. And we know that Paul did this 34 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:59,400 for the better part of 20 years. And so even though we've been 35 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:02,480 working through the series for probably, I think it's going to 36 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:06,120 be almost 20 weeks by the time it's said and done, we have to 37 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:09,039 also recognize that the number of years that this is spanning 38 00:02:09,039 --> 00:02:12,120 is pretty substantial. And over those years, Paul has 39 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:15,960 dealt with hardship that we could probably only imagine, but 40 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:19,400 we'd probably prefer not to being whipped and being stoned 41 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:22,920 and being thrown in prison and riots and everything in between. 42 00:02:22,920 --> 00:02:26,640 He's experienced these things. Yet one thing remains steadfast 43 00:02:26,640 --> 00:02:30,360 and true, the word of God. And he's preaching it with 44 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:33,840 boldness and courage. And there's, there's been 45 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:37,040 nothing to stop him yet because and that, and that's the point 46 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:43,080 when God gets involved, doesn't matter what people do, he's 47 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:47,320 going to do what he wants to do. And on our best days, we want to 48 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:49,960 be involved in that. We want to be involved in that. 49 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:53,520 And so I would, I would tell you this morning that that's part of 50 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:57,280 part of our call as Christians. And that's, and we'll get to 51 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:01,600 that in a, in a bigger sense today, but is absolutely our job 52 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:04,920 or our call to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ. 53 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:10,760 If we know Christ, if we confess him as our Lord and Savior man, 54 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:15,000 we ought to want to make him known right now. 55 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:16,640 I know how awkward that is sometimes. 56 00:03:16,640 --> 00:03:19,160 And we've had some of these talks already through the book 57 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:21,640 of Acts. But we have to keep pressing in. 58 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:27,240 We have to keep pressing in because the the world as you 59 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:31,880 know, it is not a safe place. It is not a place where 60 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:35,280 Christianity is all out accepted. 61 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:38,640 There's danger to it and we have to accept that. 62 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:42,080 We have to be OK with that. How do we make ourselves OK with 63 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:43,320 that? How do we work through that? 64 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:46,960 Well, over the next two weeks, Paul is going to help us figure 65 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:48,920 that out. I'll tell you right now that 66 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:52,440 what I'm going to tell you today, it's actually part one of 67 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:55,000 two. I would consider the next two 68 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:57,920 weeks really just one big topic and one big sermon. 69 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:01,000 And I would love to deliver all of that to you today. 70 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:04,440 But you have lunch plans. I'm sure you have places you 71 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:06,960 need to go. And so we're going to break up 72 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:09,960 really this moment in Paul's life, we're going to break it up 73 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:13,960 into two different sermons. And so when we read the text 74 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:16,800 today, it's going to feel like we're leaving off on a bit of a 75 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:18,760 cliffhanger. And that's by design. 76 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:22,360 Otherwise we'd be here longer than maybe your stomach would 77 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:27,560 allow you to be. So let me say this too before, 78 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:32,160 before we get to the text, one of the things that's really true 79 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:38,840 about us as people in our faith is how we respond to the 80 00:04:38,840 --> 00:04:43,200 pressures of fitting in and not speaking the name of Jesus, how 81 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:45,360 we respond. What that will do if you're 82 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:48,160 paying attention, is it will tell you something about what 83 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:51,680 you believe about God and what you believe about your future, 84 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:55,400 right? So if I believe that God is how 85 00:04:55,600 --> 00:05:00,080 all powerful, holy and he always has my best in mind and and that 86 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:02,960 my future is secure no matter what happens to me, no matter 87 00:05:02,960 --> 00:05:05,760 what happens in the inside the relationships that I have on 88 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:08,560 this earth. If I believe that God has me 89 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:14,480 securely fastened to his grace and he will give me life, man, 90 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:17,760 it makes those conversations that I may not normally want to 91 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:20,560 have. It makes them a lot easier, but 92 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:24,600 I have to ground myself in that reality that God is my ultimate 93 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:26,800 reality. His grace is my ultimate 94 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:28,640 reality. The life that he wants to give 95 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:32,760 me is, is ultimate reality. And then everything else, I 96 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:37,280 think, as Matt said last week, tends to grow strangely dim and 97 00:05:37,280 --> 00:05:39,000 it makes those things a lot easier. 98 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:41,400 It makes those conversations way more accessible. 99 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:45,480 And so I would, I would encourage you as you, as you 100 00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:51,320 listen, as you listen to the story of Paul today, have these 101 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:53,360 things in the back of your head, have these things in mind. 102 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:56,560 Because I'm sure, very practically speaking, I'm sure 103 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:59,240 that we all have friends and family that man, we would, we 104 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:01,560 would love them to know Jesus the way that we do. 105 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:04,880 And there's something that is hindering us from having those 106 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:10,720 conversations, you know. So take that in for what you 107 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:14,080 want for now. But as we hear the story of Paul 108 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:17,000 and, and what he's going to do and the hardship that he'll go 109 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:20,280 through in order to do it, I hope it's inspiring, but not 110 00:06:20,280 --> 00:06:23,560 inspiring like a Ted Talk, like, Oh yeah, I'm feeling really good 111 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:25,320 now. And and then later we get 112 00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:28,000 scared. No, it should be inspiring in 113 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:32,280 the sense that we see the God that Paul sees and we know he's 114 00:06:32,280 --> 00:06:34,960 powerful and we know he's for us, right? 115 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:37,600 And that can really shape the way we speak to people and how 116 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:41,600 we live. So let me give you a sense of 117 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:45,160 where we're going today. We're going to look at this text 118 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:49,680 ultimately through three lenses, being bound by the spirit, being 119 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:52,320 free from the law. And then we will see how 1 120 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:57,040 broken heart heals them all. Gosh, that when I wrote that, I 121 00:06:57,080 --> 00:07:00,400 was like that rhymes. And that feels a little silly, 122 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:02,360 but it's true. It's true. 123 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:06,120 These are these are the ways that God is working through the 124 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:07,280 text that we're going to read today. 125 00:07:07,280 --> 00:07:12,120 So sorry about the Doctor, Seuss, but it'll be OK. 126 00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:16,240 Yeah, let's let's go ahead and read the text for today. 127 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:20,840 We're in Acts chapter 21. We'll read verses 7 through 14 128 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:24,800 and then 17 through 22 reading in Jesus name. 129 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:29,640 When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at 130 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:32,880 Ptolemais, and we greeted the brothers and stayed with them 131 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:35,960 for one day. On the next day we departed and 132 00:07:35,960 --> 00:07:39,080 we came to Caesarea, and we entered the House of Philip the 133 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:42,320 Evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 134 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:45,360 He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. 135 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:49,480 While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus 136 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:54,480 came down from Judea, and coming to us he took Paul's belt, and 137 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:57,200 he bound his own feet in his, in his hands. 138 00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:01,600 And he said, Thus says the Holy Spirit, this is how the Jews at 139 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:06,240 Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him 140 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:11,040 into the hands of the Gentiles. When we heard this, we and the 141 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:14,000 people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 142 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:17,560 Then Paul answered, What are you doing? 143 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:22,520 We've been in breaking my heart. For I am ready not only to be 144 00:08:22,520 --> 00:08:25,680 imprisoned, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of our 145 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:28,200 Lord Jesus. And since he would not be 146 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:32,159 persuaded, we ceased and said, Let the will of the Lord be 147 00:08:32,159 --> 00:08:35,440 done. When he had come to Jerusalem, 148 00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:38,880 the brothers received us gladly. On the following day Paul. 149 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:43,679 Paul went in with in with us to James, and all the elders were 150 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:46,040 present. After grieving them, he related 151 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:49,760 1 by 1 the things that God had done among the Gentiles through 152 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:52,400 his ministry. And when they heard it, they 153 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:57,520 glorified God, and they said to him, You see, brother, how many 154 00:08:57,520 --> 00:09:01,560 thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, 155 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:04,000 and they are zealous for the law. 156 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:07,280 And they have been told about you, that you teach all the Jews 157 00:09:07,280 --> 00:09:11,040 who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not 158 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:15,560 to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs. 159 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:19,880 What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that 160 00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:22,760 you have come. Here ends the reading of God's 161 00:09:22,760 --> 00:09:30,640 Word. This is this is quite a moment 162 00:09:30,680 --> 00:09:34,600 that Paul is living with. And what I again, I think one of 163 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:37,240 the things that we're going to learn right out of the gate in, 164 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:40,520 in the sense of being bound by the Holy Spirit is that when we 165 00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:45,560 are bound to our convictions that are pushed to us by God, 166 00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:47,960 that can actually change the world. 167 00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:50,640 Let me give you a couple examples of how that works. 168 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:55,720 In 1775, Benjamin Talmadge said at the beginning of the 169 00:09:55,720 --> 00:10:01,120 Revolutionary War that our holy religion, the honor of our God, 170 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:05,800 a glorious country, and a happy Constitution is what we have to 171 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:11,560 defend. Nathan Hale was so inspired that 172 00:10:11,560 --> 00:10:15,520 he went on to become a spy for America during the Revolutionary 173 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:18,640 War, and this is what he said about his conviction. 174 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:23,480 I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country. 175 00:10:24,680 --> 00:10:28,560 Wow. You see what being bound to a 176 00:10:28,560 --> 00:10:32,440 conviction can do for a person, how they can change the world. 177 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:35,000 It's fascinating. Let me give you another one, 178 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:42,280 Rosa Parks in 1955, she had the audacity to sit on the bus in a 179 00:10:42,280 --> 00:10:45,720 seat where a white person wanted to sit, and when they told her 180 00:10:45,720 --> 00:10:48,680 to move, she refused. How dare her. 181 00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:59,000 She was bound by the belief that all people, regardless of race 182 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:03,920 are made in the image of God. She was bound to that conviction 183 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:07,600 and because of that she refused to give up a seat on the bus. 184 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:11,000 She would later go on to say stand for something or you will 185 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:14,080 fall for anything. Today's mighty oak is 186 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:16,560 yesterday's nut that held its ground. 187 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:21,000 Small decisions can change big things. 188 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:24,720 They really can, especially when we are so bound to the 189 00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:27,320 convictions of our hearts that God puts there. 190 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:32,400 Let me give you one more. This is much more recent. 191 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:37,400 John MacArthur, pastor in California, who just very 192 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:43,120 recently died during COVID. What happened was California 193 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:45,960 shut down everything, shut down everything. 194 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:49,200 Places of worship, all of it. Didn't matter who you were, what 195 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:51,960 you were, what kind of thing you were, you were not allowed to 196 00:11:51,960 --> 00:11:57,800 gather whatsoever. And after 20 weeks, 20 weeks of 197 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:02,240 not being able to worship with his people, John MacArthur and 198 00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:06,000 his church had enough and they defied the mandate because they 199 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:08,520 were bound to their conviction. And this is what they said. 200 00:12:08,880 --> 00:12:11,080 The church by definition is an assembly. 201 00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:14,360 That is the literal meaning of the Greek word for church 202 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:18,080 ecclesia, the assembly of the called out ones. 203 00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:22,000 A non assembling assembly is a contradiction in terms. 204 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:25,320 Christians are therefore commanded not to forsake the 205 00:12:25,320 --> 00:12:29,680 practice of meeting together, and no earthly state has the 206 00:12:29,680 --> 00:12:34,200 right to restrict, delimit, or forbid the assembling of 207 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:40,840 believers. John MacArthur and his church 208 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:46,000 went on to battle lawsuits from the state and from LA County 209 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:48,920 because of their biblical convictions. 210 00:12:49,680 --> 00:12:52,600 Now let me tell you the end of that story because it makes me 211 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:56,520 happy. The end of this story is that LA 212 00:12:56,520 --> 00:12:59,200 County in the state of California had to pay back that 213 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:03,840 church over $400,000 in legal fees because they were wrong, 214 00:13:05,560 --> 00:13:07,000 but they were bound to their convictions. 215 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:10,760 That God says we are to meet together. 216 00:13:10,760 --> 00:13:14,200 We are to be a community regardless of the danger. 217 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:18,280 We are to be a community of believers together, not 218 00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:22,480 separate. That's important. 219 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:28,600 That's really important. Now what I want you to notice is 220 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:31,920 that being bound to, to a conviction, especially when it's 221 00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:35,480 led by the Holy Spirit, it can absolutely change the entire 222 00:13:35,480 --> 00:13:37,840 world. And most of us don't think of us 223 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:41,120 as world changers. I suspect we live in our, we, we 224 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:43,640 live in our own kind of happy little community or happy little 225 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:45,920 bubble. And most of the time for us, it 226 00:13:45,920 --> 00:13:51,080 is enough that we have influence over our our kids to whatever 227 00:13:51,080 --> 00:13:53,960 degree that, you know, we're trying to push them into what we 228 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:58,120 know and think is good and true. And usually we, we were OK with 229 00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:01,800 stopping right there. But God in the Holy Spirit is 230 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:04,360 never OK with stopping right there. 231 00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:08,120 He has so many bigger plans than we could ever imagine. 232 00:14:09,560 --> 00:14:13,200 His his ideas are so much more grand than what we're willing to 233 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:15,920 admit. I think sometimes because we 234 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:19,000 don't want to get involved in something that's as scary as 235 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:22,160 changing the world. Right. 236 00:14:22,840 --> 00:14:24,920 Well, let me let me read something back to you that we 237 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:30,320 just caught in the text. This guy, Agnes, he came down 238 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:33,520 from Judea and he did this really interesting illustration. 239 00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:36,800 He took off the belt around Paul's waist, waist, which was 240 00:14:36,800 --> 00:14:39,240 probably a rope or some kind of cloth. 241 00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:44,640 And then what he did was he literally bound himself up right 242 00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:47,280 to, to prove the point that this is what's going to happen to 243 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:50,160 Paul. Now, I really thought about it. 244 00:14:50,520 --> 00:14:53,040 I'm not joking. I thought about doing that to 245 00:14:53,040 --> 00:14:56,760 myself on this stage. Now, what's more weird about it 246 00:14:56,760 --> 00:15:02,560 is I practiced. I did, I did, I I didn't even 247 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:06,680 tell my wife that yet. I was, I was sitting in my 248 00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:09,400 office and I had a belt on. So I kind of kneeled down and 249 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:13,480 like working this thing and I'm like, oh man, this works Like, 250 00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:17,520 and then like, you know, I had to turn my hand in a very 251 00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:19,200 awkward position to get myself out. 252 00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:23,280 I thought about entertaining you guys and doing that, but I 253 00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:27,720 decided better of that. Sorry if that is a 254 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:30,000 disappointment to you, but at least you know, I tried. 255 00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:33,120 I did it. I'm just glad I could get out 256 00:15:33,120 --> 00:15:38,920 because I was alone anyway. I'm sorry, I'm sorry that is 257 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:43,880 that is me going off the rails. But here's here's the thing 258 00:15:43,880 --> 00:15:45,760 about being bound to these convictions. 259 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:49,160 I would tell you from the experience of somebody who's 260 00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:52,160 been a Christian for somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 years 261 00:15:52,160 --> 00:15:55,520 now that there seems to be this tension, right? 262 00:15:55,840 --> 00:15:59,440 There's this tension between what does it look like to be 263 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:04,040 holy and set apart and have personal responsibility. 264 00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:07,640 You can read Ezekiel 18 all about personal responsibility 265 00:16:07,640 --> 00:16:10,600 when it comes to the law. And then on the other side, we 266 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:14,200 have grace, we have the gospel, we have this amazing thing that 267 00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:16,320 God has given us that sets us free. 268 00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:22,160 I can tell you too that for my part, it has been easy, but in 269 00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:24,800 some ways to become the law abiding Pharisee at certain 270 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:27,200 points in my life. You know, if you read Timothy 271 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:30,040 and Titus and some of these New Testament books, you can say, 272 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:31,840 OK, here's the list. This is how I'm going to live. 273 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:34,240 I'm going to nail this thing and I'm going to be really good. 274 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:39,560 And then I've also become the kind of laissez faire Christian 275 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:41,560 who clearly believes in cheap grace. 276 00:16:41,560 --> 00:16:44,200 Well, it's fine. I mean, I know I wasn't supposed 277 00:16:44,200 --> 00:16:47,400 to do that, but God loves me. I know he definitely forgives 278 00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:48,680 me. It's going to be OK. 279 00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:52,600 Oh my gosh, friends, I suspect somewhere in the middle of those 280 00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:56,840 two things is the truth. Now, I would tell you that 281 00:16:56,840 --> 00:17:00,760 because of our cultural moment that we live in and sometimes 282 00:17:00,760 --> 00:17:04,960 what I think is our lack of biblical understanding of of law 283 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:08,400 and gospel, it is really easy to fall one side or the other. 284 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:13,520 Now, Paul, for his part, he is being hunted down by people who 285 00:17:13,520 --> 00:17:16,319 are absolutely zealous for the law. 286 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:21,400 They've come into this place and well, let me, let me give you, 287 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:23,200 let me skip forward a little bit. 288 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:26,359 They've come into this place and they are so zealous for the law 289 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:31,440 that they are outright accusing Paul of things that he hasn't 290 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:33,560 done. And that's hard to do. 291 00:17:33,560 --> 00:17:36,520 I don't know about you guys, but when you're accused of something 292 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:38,560 that you haven't done, that probably doesn't feel great, 293 00:17:38,560 --> 00:17:42,280 does it? No, come on, give me something. 294 00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:47,560 No, in fact, it tends to make us incredibly angry and it makes us 295 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:51,840 bitter and, and, and it breaks relationships, doesn't it? 296 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:54,160 I absolutely know that to be true. 297 00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:58,040 And so these people who are incredibly zealous for the law 298 00:17:58,360 --> 00:18:01,800 and saying that Paul has forsaken Moses and the customs 299 00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:04,480 and all these kinds of things, what it what is he supposed to 300 00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:07,640 do about that? What's he supposed to do? 301 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:11,280 I mean, I'm sorry, we don't have the Internet at this point. 302 00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:14,040 We don't have newspapers. He can't get on a blog, he can't 303 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:18,040 get on Facebook and kind of lay out his, his agenda. 304 00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:22,560 He can't do any of those things. So what's he supposed to do? 305 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:25,880 He's got a pack of people who are ready to kill him. 306 00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:31,720 And, and I mean, he is bound. He is bound to the desires of 307 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:34,840 the Holy Spirit. And so I got to tell you, 308 00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:39,040 friends, when we are bound to the desires of the Holy Spirit, 309 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:45,240 here's what it might cost us. It might cost us relationally, 310 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:54,000 it might cost us socially, It might cost us financially. 311 00:18:56,080 --> 00:19:00,320 All of these things are true. That is the reality of being 312 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:03,080 bound to what the Spirit is calling us to do. 313 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:12,560 Now I have to tell you, I have failed many times. 314 00:19:13,080 --> 00:19:19,320 So many times the prompting of God is there to speak the name 315 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:23,680 of Jesus, to walk it out. And I shrink back. 316 00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:30,840 I shrink back, I get small. I would tell you that some of 317 00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:33,040 the greatest regrets of my life are those moments. 318 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:37,560 It is when I know that God has prompted a conversation. 319 00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:41,680 God has prompted me to speak the law or grace into somebody's 320 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:46,320 life, and I just come just short of speaking Jesus. 321 00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:51,400 Those are moments that I deeply regret. 322 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:56,200 I really do. And it's not because I'm a 323 00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:59,080 pastor and I feel like I failed at my job, which maybe I did, 324 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:02,840 but it's because I know the reality. 325 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:07,040 Of grace inside Jesus Christ. And I know that when Christians 326 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:11,280 are bound by the Holy Spirit to speak, it has the ability to not 327 00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:14,680 just change somebody's moment or change their status, it has the 328 00:20:14,680 --> 00:20:16,840 ability to change their entire eternity. 329 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:20,160 And I can't think of something more important than that, can 330 00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:25,960 you? And so again, it's, it's 331 00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:30,080 difficult for us to sit here and say, OK, I am, I'm I'm going to 332 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:32,080 be bound to the Holy Spirit. I'm going to speak when God 333 00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:35,040 tells me to speak. And I'm at the cost of social or 334 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:37,680 financial or relational like I'm going to walk out of here. 335 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:39,080 I'm going to start doing that today. 336 00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:43,320 Can I tell you that is motivating and spurred on as we 337 00:20:43,320 --> 00:20:45,400 are now. It will feel different when you 338 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:48,560 leave this building. It really will. 339 00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:55,120 And so you will absolutely need, if we are to fulfill God's 340 00:20:55,120 --> 00:20:58,840 mission, if we are to be truly bound by the Spirit, we will 341 00:20:58,840 --> 00:21:01,680 absolutely need that Spirit to be alive and well in US. 342 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:04,280 What does that look like, man? Friends, I got to tell you that 343 00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:08,880 that looks like a lot of prayer. It looks like a lot of time 344 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:12,680 alone with God. It looks like being in His Word 345 00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:16,920 as much as we possibly can so that our vocabulary changes. 346 00:21:18,360 --> 00:21:20,800 You see the what? What I fill myself with, and I'm 347 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:23,200 sure you've heard this before, but the thing that I fill myself 348 00:21:23,200 --> 00:21:25,600 with is the thing that I will also put out. 349 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:30,600 So again, not, not a law heavy thing, but just just an 350 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:32,960 observation and a question. What are we filling ourselves 351 00:21:32,960 --> 00:21:37,000 with? Because it's going to come out 352 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:42,040 whatever that is. I like TV shows and movies and 353 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:45,800 entertainment as much as anybody, but man, if that's what 354 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:48,360 I'm consistently feeling myself with, that's all I got. 355 00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:54,040 And that won't be enough. It won't be enough to give me 356 00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:58,000 courage and strength when I need it most for the most important 357 00:21:58,000 --> 00:21:59,840 conversation that I can have with somebody. 358 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:05,640 It just won't be enough. Now, I, I should keep moving on, 359 00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:10,040 but I and I don't have time. I don't have time today to deal 360 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:13,160 with the fear factor. You might say, like, so I'm 361 00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:16,200 afraid to talk about Jesus. How do I deal with that? 362 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:19,040 We don't have time to get into that today, but I promise Part 363 00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:22,920 2, we'll talk about it next week as we continue on in Paul's 364 00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:24,400 story. We'll definitely, we will 365 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:29,560 absolutely 100% get into how do we deal with this fear of, of 366 00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:32,280 people rather than living in the fear of God. 367 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:35,280 We'll come to that. But for now, at least for the 368 00:22:35,280 --> 00:22:38,760 next week, it's worth it to take the time to examine ourselves in 369 00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:43,080 a couple different ways and just say, Lord, am I feeling myself 370 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:45,800 with the right things? Am I having the right 371 00:22:45,800 --> 00:22:49,720 conversations? It's a good start and we all 372 00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:51,800 have to start somewhere, so why not there? 373 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:55,840 Anyway, let's keep going. I've got this text in front of 374 00:22:55,840 --> 00:23:01,760 you and, and yes, walking this line between holiness and, and 375 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:05,000 cheap grace and all these kinds of things, it's a tough thing to 376 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:07,440 do, right? It's, it's, it can be incredibly 377 00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:10,600 difficult. And I'll, I'll tell you what, I 378 00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:14,960 want to put it to you this way. I think one of the best ways to 379 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:21,120 do this is OK, got it. Here's how we do this. 380 00:23:21,120 --> 00:23:25,440 Let me give you the way, the best way to kind of work in 381 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:29,800 between this holiness that God calls us to and also this grace 382 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:33,720 that He calls us to and living right in those things is to look 383 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:36,520 at our motivations. It's to look at our motivation. 384 00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:39,200 So let me give you an example that I think works. 385 00:23:39,200 --> 00:23:41,680 And if it doesn't work, you can tell me afterwards or you can 386 00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:43,960 just shout at me right now and we'll have a good time. 387 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:46,840 We'll figure it out either way. But let me give you an example 388 00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:50,320 that I think works. OK, so if I am doing something 389 00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:55,800 really good for my wife, for her sake, why am I doing it? 390 00:23:56,880 --> 00:23:59,160 Couple motivational tools could be in play. 391 00:23:59,720 --> 00:24:04,040 I could be doing it because I don't, no offense. 392 00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:06,920 Oh my gosh, I have to be so careful. 393 00:24:08,360 --> 00:24:11,760 I know. Let me walk so gently here. 394 00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:17,320 If I'm doing something for her, but my motivation is I don't 395 00:24:17,320 --> 00:24:21,040 want to get an argument. I don't want to see a look of I 396 00:24:21,040 --> 00:24:23,680 don't want to see her roll, roll her eyes if she comes home and 397 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:26,120 this thing isn't done. So I'll I'll just do it. 398 00:24:26,920 --> 00:24:30,560 OK, That's one motivation. Another motivation could be, 399 00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:33,320 well, I'm going to do this thing for my wife because you know 400 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:37,880 what, she'll be really happy and she'll owe me. 401 00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:42,600 Guys, you know what I'm talking about. 402 00:24:44,120 --> 00:24:46,880 I don't have to spell it out. You know what I'm talking about. 403 00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:52,520 And women, so do you. It doesn't take long for you to 404 00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:57,280 see through that, right? I'm sure those there's two 405 00:24:57,280 --> 00:24:59,320 possible motivations for loving her well. 406 00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:02,800 But as we think about the law, let's let's put this over there. 407 00:25:03,120 --> 00:25:07,240 If I am following God's law because I see I perceive God as 408 00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:09,640 somebody who's going to be angry with me and somebody who's going 409 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:11,520 to yell at me and somebody who's going to strike me down. 410 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:14,640 If that's why I'm doing the law, I'm not doing the law. 411 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:17,920 I'm not following God's way of life for the right reasons. 412 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:22,280 I'm doing it out of this unnatural and unhealthy fear of 413 00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:24,760 Him. That's the wrong reason. 414 00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:27,480 That's the wrong motivation. So I could be a perfectly 415 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:30,400 righteous person on the outside, but if I'm doing it for the 416 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:35,360 reason of I don't want God to be mad at me, that's not the right 417 00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:39,760 heart position. Or in the other case, if I'm 418 00:25:39,760 --> 00:25:43,440 doing this because I think I can make God really happy and now 419 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:47,400 he'll owe me, that's a dangerous place to be in. 420 00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:53,480 I don't think I want God to owe me if I feel that way, man, I 421 00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:57,240 have, I have fallen off a pretty steep ledge theologically and 422 00:25:57,240 --> 00:25:59,760 and that's pretty dangerous, but a lot of people live that way. 423 00:25:59,760 --> 00:26:01,640 They say, you know what? I've lived a really good life. 424 00:26:02,200 --> 00:26:05,160 I, I've, I've, I've honored God. I've given this much money to 425 00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:07,240 the church, I've volunteered, I've done all these things and 426 00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:10,080 God owes me a good life. Why am I getting sick? 427 00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:14,280 He owes me. I've done everything he wanted 428 00:26:14,280 --> 00:26:15,880 me to do. This isn't fair. 429 00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:19,200 Now let's talk a bit about a different motivation that's 430 00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:23,160 better for the law. If I'm going to follow God's law 431 00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:27,160 and I'm going to exercise some personal holiness, what if it's 432 00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:31,920 because I just love him? And the example with a spouse, 433 00:26:33,680 --> 00:26:37,400 if I do something nice for her just because I love her, you 434 00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:40,520 know what's going to happen? She may not even notice. 435 00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:45,640 She may not even notice. She maybe she had a day and I 436 00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:49,160 did all this stuff that normally that she might normally do, but 437 00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:52,680 I did it because I love her and she doesn't even notice. 438 00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:54,880 And you know what, That doesn't hurt me at all. 439 00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:58,840 That doesn't break my heart at all because I'm not looking for 440 00:26:58,840 --> 00:27:01,120 credit. I just want to serve. 441 00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:04,360 That's the motivation to be right with God. 442 00:27:04,360 --> 00:27:08,520 That's the motivation to do the law to to honor him, to honor 443 00:27:08,520 --> 00:27:10,840 our neighbor and all the things that the law says. 444 00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:14,400 That's the reason why we should do it because we love him, not 445 00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:17,640 to get something out of him, not to avoid, you know, the 446 00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:19,920 argument, but just because we love him. 447 00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:22,600 And that's the thing. When we can get to that point in 448 00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:25,280 our relationship with God, it changes us. 449 00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:29,760 We are more joyful people. We are more giving people. 450 00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:33,960 We are more forgiving people. It absolutely changes the way we 451 00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:36,680 think. And so if you are not to that 452 00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:39,600 point in your relationship with God yet and you still feel like, 453 00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:41,360 man, I got to do this thing, he's going to be mad. 454 00:27:41,360 --> 00:27:45,280 I mean, like, Oh my gosh, friends, help yourself out. 455 00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:49,400 Dig into the Gospels, dig into what God says about Jesus Christ 456 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:53,600 and how he's died for you and let your motivations change a 457 00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:56,440 little bit. And I suspect you will be a more 458 00:27:56,440 --> 00:27:59,800 joyful person and you'll be a person who doesn't look at 459 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:03,160 Christianity as a job. Well, I got to go to church, I 460 00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:05,400 guess. Come on. 461 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:10,440 No Change your motivations by knowing who he is and falling in 462 00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:14,040 love with him in his word and through the Holy Spirit. 463 00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:16,440 You can absolutely do that. And I know that for a fact 464 00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:18,400 because I have and it's changed me. 465 00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:23,560 So I got to keep moving forward. I think I'm running out of time. 466 00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:28,000 So let's get to kind of this last idea that there is one 467 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:31,240 broken heart to heal them all. And here's how this goes. 468 00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:35,320 Paul, he answered, What are you doing? 469 00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:39,280 Weeping and breaking my heart? What are you doing? 470 00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:44,720 So Paul, bound by the conviction of the Holy Spirit and free in 471 00:28:44,720 --> 00:28:47,600 Christ, right? He is free in Christ. 472 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:51,640 It's not that he's not honoring the law, but he is free in 473 00:28:51,640 --> 00:28:54,200 Christ. Those two things can coexist. 474 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:57,200 Although the people who hate him don't think that. 475 00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:02,400 But in all of this, his friends, the people who love him the 476 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:05,400 most, they say don't go, don't go. 477 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:09,440 Agabus isn't wrong. If you leave, we'll never see 478 00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:11,680 you again. Don't go. 479 00:29:12,680 --> 00:29:24,440 It breaks his heart. I remember, and I have to be 480 00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:28,520 careful because I don't want to be all weepy on stage, but I 481 00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:32,640 remember what it was like when Lisa and I made the decision for 482 00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:34,920 our family to to leave and go to seminary. 483 00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:39,480 You know, some of you know my story really well and so forgive 484 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:42,800 me, but when we decided that when we were prompted and bound 485 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:46,480 by the Holy Spirit and his call on our lives, it meant that we 486 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:49,640 had to change careers. It meant that we had to move out 487 00:29:49,640 --> 00:29:51,040 of the house that we just bought. 488 00:29:51,040 --> 00:29:53,120 It meant that we had to move away from this church. 489 00:29:53,120 --> 00:29:55,560 It meant that we had to move away from our family and our 490 00:29:55,560 --> 00:29:57,840 friends. And I have little doubt, no, in 491 00:29:57,840 --> 00:30:02,520 fact, I have no doubt that the people closest to me, some of my 492 00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:05,480 family members said don't go. I remember that. 493 00:30:06,240 --> 00:30:08,960 Don't do it. There's a different way. 494 00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:10,600 Serve your church in a different way. 495 00:30:11,080 --> 00:30:13,720 You can be a Christian without being a pastor, which is true, 496 00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:17,800 which is true. But that wasn't what God had 497 00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:26,120 bound me to. And so I remember maybe maybe 498 00:30:26,120 --> 00:30:29,720 one of the most heartbreaking moments of my life, Alyssa was 499 00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:31,960 already gone. She was in Fergus Falls kind of 500 00:30:31,960 --> 00:30:36,200 getting the house ready for me and the kids and my brother 501 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:40,080 followed us to the gas station car packed up, kids in the back 502 00:30:40,080 --> 00:30:43,560 and ready to change our entire lives. 503 00:30:46,680 --> 00:30:49,880 And driving away was one of the hardest things I ever did. 504 00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:57,720 My kids are crying in the back. I'm trying to drive and put my 505 00:30:57,720 --> 00:31:03,240 eyes don't have windshield wipers, you know, and, and, and 506 00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:06,760 I look back and I can see my brother's my best friend. 507 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:09,640 He won't get in his car. He's just watching. 508 00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:16,920 He's just watching. Oh my gosh, friends, I know what 509 00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:20,800 it means to have your heart broken by following God's 510 00:31:20,800 --> 00:31:22,640 prompting. I know what that means. 511 00:31:25,520 --> 00:31:28,560 God knows what that means too. He absolutely knows what it 512 00:31:28,560 --> 00:31:33,400 means to have his heart broken. When Jesus was praying in the 513 00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:38,360 Garden of Gethsemane the night before he was crucified, he 514 00:31:38,360 --> 00:31:42,480 asked, he begged, Lord, if there's any other way, can't we 515 00:31:42,480 --> 00:31:48,880 do this some other way? Nope, Nope, we can't. 516 00:31:52,800 --> 00:31:57,720 Your will be done. And then on the cross says Jesus 517 00:31:57,720 --> 00:32:00,880 was dying. The Bible reminds us that God 518 00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:04,400 turn his back on his Son. How heartbreaking. 519 00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:09,640 How heartbreaking. How could he do it? 520 00:32:11,480 --> 00:32:14,200 He could do it at the expense of his own heart, that's how. 521 00:32:17,240 --> 00:32:20,200 But at that expense, God has healed your heart. 522 00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:23,160 I know it doesn't always feel that way. 523 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:27,320 I know we still experience pain and trauma and hard things. 524 00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:32,280 But God has healed your heart. He has made it so there is no 525 00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:36,280 sin that exists in there that can separate you and Him for all 526 00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:40,400 of eternity. He has healed you. 527 00:32:41,280 --> 00:32:44,200 And because He has healed you and He will call you home 528 00:32:44,400 --> 00:32:47,960 because He has made you right. Because He has sacrificed His 529 00:32:47,960 --> 00:32:50,320 Son, because His heart was broken so that yours could be 530 00:32:50,320 --> 00:32:52,560 mended. You don't have anything to be 531 00:32:52,560 --> 00:32:55,600 afraid of. Can I tell you that honestly? 532 00:32:55,600 --> 00:32:57,320 You don't have anything to be afraid of. 533 00:32:58,400 --> 00:33:05,000 I mean, what could we possibly worry about if God has healed 534 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:07,680 our hearts and guarantees our eternal existence? 535 00:33:07,680 --> 00:33:09,120 What? What is there to fear? 536 00:33:13,480 --> 00:33:17,440 The answer is there is nothing left to fear because we have 537 00:33:17,440 --> 00:33:22,880 God, we have Jesus Christ, we have the the lover of our souls 538 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:27,160 who promises to bring us home. There's nothing left to fear, 539 00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:29,760 friends. There is only freedom left. 540 00:33:30,600 --> 00:33:34,480 And so to the extent, to the degree that you understand that 541 00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:37,400 freedom and you see how God's heart has been broken so that 542 00:33:37,400 --> 00:33:40,360 yours can be healed, to that same degree, these 543 00:33:40,360 --> 00:33:43,560 conversations, and they sure do get a lot easier. 544 00:33:44,520 --> 00:33:49,440 And I know that to be true too. They get a lot easier and the 545 00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:53,040 prompting of God's Spirit when He calls us to move or to stay 546 00:33:53,040 --> 00:33:58,120 or to speak or to stay silent. Those things get far easier to 547 00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:01,080 when I have the joy of the Lord in my heart. 548 00:34:02,800 --> 00:34:06,000 Friends, find it. It's right there. 549 00:34:06,760 --> 00:34:09,199 If you haven't experienced that in your life, find it. 550 00:34:09,639 --> 00:34:14,239 It's in His Word, it's in prayer, it's in His Holy Spirit, 551 00:34:14,239 --> 00:34:17,320 it's in the prompting of your community members who love you. 552 00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:19,920 It's in all these places. Find it. 553 00:34:21,719 --> 00:34:23,239 Don't walk through life without it. 554 00:34:24,400 --> 00:34:33,940 Let's pray. Thanks for listening to ERC 555 00:34:33,940 --> 00:34:36,420 Sundays. To support the work God is doing 556 00:34:36,420 --> 00:34:38,020 and Emmaus Rd. Church, visit 557 00:34:38,060 --> 00:34:41,020 emmausrdonline.org/giving.