1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,880 Welcome to the River City Church podcast and a message by our 2 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:07,960 lead pastor Jason Powers. Our prayer is that this message 3 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:12,240 would inspire and encourage you, build your faith and point you 4 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:14,840 to the life changing love of Jesus. 5 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:20,720 May you enjoy the goodness of God as you follow him today and 6 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:24,840 greet you church and greet you in the name of Jesus who is 7 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:28,520 risen and in the love of the Father. 8 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:33,400 And I greet you in the life we share in the Holy Spirit who is 9 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:36,680 with us now. Grace and peace to you. 10 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:42,720 A little bit of housekeeping, if we can upfront, just if you've 11 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:48,440 got space around you, if you can kind of scooch in to make room. 12 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:50,560 If we've got more people coming in or those who don't have a 13 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:54,000 seat yet, that would be helpful. So if you see room, if you can 14 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:56,320 just kind of move together and make a little room on the end so 15 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:58,160 that people can get in, that would be really cool. 16 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:02,440 Other housekeeping points. My name's Johnny Griffiths, 17 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:04,800 volunteer member of the teaching team here. 18 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:07,640 My wife Sarah, and I've been married for 21 years. 19 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:10,480 Celebrated that this week. Thank you. 20 00:01:15,710 --> 00:01:19,390 Sarah's my favorite human. Just so you know, none of y'all 21 00:01:19,390 --> 00:01:21,430 can have that spot ever. So that's taken. 22 00:01:21,990 --> 00:01:26,230 And we have four other favorite humans that we get to shepherd 23 00:01:26,230 --> 00:01:29,680 into adulthood. And and so that's our spot. 24 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:32,960 We've we've been here with River City for just over three years 25 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:37,880 and it's just a joy to be with you. 2 are the housekeeping 26 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:40,400 things. Number one, yes, this accent is 27 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:41,920 a mess. I can't help it. 28 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:44,680 I grew up in the UKI spent 12 years in Idaho. 29 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:48,360 I went back to England for some kind of accent reform for five 30 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:49,760 years, but then I moved to Texas. 31 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:55,880 And this is what you get. And because it was asked by 32 00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:59,200 people after first service, and I don't want you to be 33 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:01,240 distracted trying to figure out the puzzle. 34 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:05,200 My T-shirt says thou. That's what it says. 35 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:07,160 If you were thinking, it said thou, you were correct. 36 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:10,320 You, you win the prize of feeling right about something 37 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:13,920 today. And it is it. 38 00:02:13,920 --> 00:02:16,600 My Sarah designed it. My wife designed it, drawing 39 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:20,600 from some teachings from a theologian called Martin Buber, 40 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:25,000 who talks about the distinction between I it and I, thou 41 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:31,720 relationships thou, because every single one of us is a 42 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:35,360 sacred thou, made in the image of God. 43 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:43,120 And yet we get weeks like this, weeks where we're asking what on 44 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:50,840 earth is going on. It has been a heavy and complex 45 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:56,040 week. I leave later today to fly to 46 00:02:56,040 --> 00:03:00,760 the UK to visit my dad who lives with Alzheimer's, and it's my 47 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:06,040 first time to go back to the UK since my mum passed earlier in 48 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:09,240 the year. So I found that grief was 49 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:12,480 already waiting in the wings for me this week. 50 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:19,000 And then Wednesday came when we were celebrating our anniversary 51 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:21,760 and I saw a message from a friend who said, hey, some days 52 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:23,240 you just got to stay away from the news. 53 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:28,280 And I wish that I had, but the news would still have happened. 54 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:39,080 And as my phone showed me the headlines, I discovered that the 55 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:42,520 news feeds didn't quite know what to do with placing certain 56 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:45,360 stories. Because how do you prioritize 57 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:51,480 which awful thing you put first? And so somehow another school 58 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:58,280 shooting was lower down as all of us had to wrestle with and 59 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:03,320 reckon with the events of the assassination of Charlie Kirk. 60 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:16,959 A thou like you and like me, I want to say that my prayers are 61 00:04:16,959 --> 00:04:20,720 with all those touched by these and other grievous events. 62 00:04:22,079 --> 00:04:24,680 And some of you are carrying grievous events that are just 63 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:26,480 the part of your story and your life. 64 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:28,640 And they're not on the headlines, but you walk with 65 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:32,680 them today. And I want to acknowledge that 66 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:36,040 there's a range of possible reactions in the room. 67 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:43,000 Some are dealing with anger and fear and sorrow. 68 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:48,280 Some are trying to process shame that they may feel about some of 69 00:04:48,280 --> 00:04:53,640 their responses. I got to tell you, some of the 70 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:56,400 community reactions have been deeply unsettling for me. 71 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:14,360 And as much as I feel the grief at this shocking murder, I also 72 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:17,400 know that that man has confessed his faith in Jesus. 73 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:21,760 And so I am confident about where he is. 74 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:25,560 And my prayers rest with his wife and children and family. 75 00:05:29,280 --> 00:05:31,920 He's beloved not because he's perfect and not because he had 76 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:36,720 the right ideas and not because he raised his voice, but because 77 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:42,760 he's made in the image of God. And yet because we have as a 78 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:46,400 culture, come to a point of such polarization and dehumanizing. 79 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:51,400 I have heard reports, first hand accounts, and I've seen it on 80 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:57,680 the Internet, the celebration of his death, and it has wounded me 81 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:06,200 and what I found. I never thought that I would sit 82 00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:10,720 at the dinner table and have my children tell me that they had 83 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:14,720 to decide what to do when classmates were celebrating an 84 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:17,800 assassination. Never thought that I would have 85 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:20,280 to figure out as a dad, how do I handle that? 86 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:25,960 And the words that almost automatically left my mouth was 87 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:31,040 what is wrong with those people? And then I realized, well, what 88 00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:37,800 is wrong with me? Because as soon as I do that and 89 00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:41,480 say those people, I have separated them and dehumanized 90 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:48,320 them in the same way they are. Thou's just as much as me, just 91 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:51,480 as much as you, just as much as Charlie Kirk. 92 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:02,120 It feels good to demonize those who dehumanize, right? 93 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:04,800 We feel like I got to say it. They got to get theirs. 94 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:06,440 I got to put the record right here. 95 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:13,280 And I feel the pull of culture that makes me want to respond 96 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:20,200 like for like. The problem church is that that 97 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:22,680 does not align with what the Scriptures say. 98 00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:28,600 Not even close. See, Jesus didn't tell us to 99 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:38,080 tolerate our enemies. He didn't tell us to go and do 100 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:44,000 to them what they've done to us. He commands us in Matthew 5 to 101 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:49,200 love our enemies and there's no room for manoeuvre. 102 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:59,630 No one gets off the hook. So I feel so many different 103 00:07:59,630 --> 00:08:02,510 things. And maybe you come to second 104 00:08:02,510 --> 00:08:04,910 service thinking like they'll work the kinks out of the 105 00:08:04,910 --> 00:08:07,910 message and it'll be like a little more on point and short. 106 00:08:07,910 --> 00:08:09,030 I don't know what your choices are. 107 00:08:09,030 --> 00:08:11,710 Maybe it's just you love brunch and it's like it's done and you 108 00:08:11,710 --> 00:08:17,760 like 11:00 is cool. I came up here for the second 109 00:08:17,760 --> 00:08:19,840 service feeling like I don't want to rob you with the 110 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:22,560 realness of the emotion that I'm feeling, but I'm also really 111 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:25,560 tired because I already put it all out there in first service. 112 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:35,840 I'm tired of feeling these things, but I have to give 113 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:39,120 consent and say, God let me feel what you want me to feel. 114 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:43,559 Because when our emotions are healthy, they reflect the heart 115 00:08:43,559 --> 00:08:49,160 of God who grieves even over the death of the wicked, even over 116 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:54,960 the wicked. So I hope that today our message 117 00:08:54,960 --> 00:08:59,200 is going to help give some understanding, some answers to 118 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:01,400 the question, what on earth is happening? 119 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:08,080 But I also want for us to get our eyes fixed on God's response 120 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:11,200 and what that means for us as a church. 121 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:16,120 It can be so easy to just breathe past and be like, I just 122 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:18,320 don't want to look at it, think about it, talk about it. 123 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:23,960 Some people ask, well, why are we so fixed on one tragedy when 124 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:26,560 there's tragedies every day? And I'm like, whoa, because my 125 00:09:26,560 --> 00:09:31,480 little heart can only handle so much, but every single one of 126 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:34,440 them is tragic. And God cares for every person. 127 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:39,120 Before we get into the message, I think it's appropriate and 128 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:42,920 necessary that we come before our Father and make our weekly 129 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:47,920 confession our truth telling because the problem isn't those 130 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:52,040 people. The problem is all of us walking 131 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:54,840 in a way that doesn't reflect the love of God. 132 00:09:56,160 --> 00:09:59,360 So our confession is a two-part statement that we make every 133 00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:02,200 week. The frames the story of who we 134 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:05,280 are and how we understand life and what God's response is. 135 00:10:05,280 --> 00:10:07,800 And so if you're visiting, if this is your first time here 136 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:10,040 today, I'm so glad that you chose to come. 137 00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:14,400 You are so welcome here. I genuinely greet you in the 138 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:20,480 name of Jesus, and I call you beloved and a sacred thou made 139 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:24,080 in God's image. I also recognize none of us is 140 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:26,720 quite there yet. However long we've been walking 141 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:30,120 with Jesus, we've all got stuff in the shadows that we're 142 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:32,040 dealing with. And so we say this together, 143 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:36,280 that we are badly broken. We are deeply loved. 144 00:10:37,680 --> 00:10:42,600 All right, Church, you know the series and this message was 145 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:45,440 prepped well in advance of this week happening. 146 00:10:46,560 --> 00:10:49,840 And I find myself by God's Providence, being the one to 147 00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:53,400 open the Scriptures today. And so we're going to continue 148 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:57,880 on with what we had because this is the Scriptures and this is 149 00:10:57,880 --> 00:11:02,280 good for us, but it just happens to fall in a very timely space 150 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:05,880 with a message that we need at a heart level, not just 151 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:08,480 theological instruction, but soul formation. 152 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:12,400 And before we open these words again, I just want to give a few 153 00:11:12,560 --> 00:11:15,880 pointers on big ideas that play out across Ephesians. 154 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:19,600 If you're first time in today, we began a Series A few weeks 155 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:22,160 ago studying the book of Ephesians from start to finish. 156 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:25,320 We're going to take 14 weeks to cover the whole material. 157 00:11:25,680 --> 00:11:28,000 I wish we had like double that four times that. 158 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:30,840 It's the kind of books that no matter how long you give it for 159 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:32,800 teaching, you could fill it and more. 160 00:11:33,480 --> 00:11:35,280 But we are just doing the 14 weeks. 161 00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:37,200 Don't panic. There's not been a revision of 162 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:38,240 this. You're not going to live in 163 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:40,160 Ephesians for the rest of your life. 164 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:45,160 But some ideas will help as we work through the text. 165 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:49,080 One of those is around these phrases of the heavens and the 166 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:51,440 earth. What are we talking about? 167 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:54,000 What does Paul mean when he talks about the heavens? 168 00:11:55,400 --> 00:11:58,080 In the time that he was writing, there was Hellenistic or Greek 169 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:00,920 thinking that considered the air. 170 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:04,640 I had space up there where now we watch planes and satellites 171 00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:07,760 and everything go was the abode of demons kind of changes 172 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:11,480 stargazing a little bit, I think like what's going on up there. 173 00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:14,600 But there was this idea that there was a spiritual reality 174 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:17,960 that was operating invisibly around us. 175 00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:23,080 The Jewish thought had more kind of levels, levels of the heavens 176 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:27,840 and the air was the lowest of the heavens or the unseen realm. 177 00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:32,920 I think we if we consider that there is a spiritual reality 178 00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:36,520 that is as true as our physical reality, we think of them as 179 00:12:36,520 --> 00:12:39,080 very distinct and separate places. 180 00:12:39,240 --> 00:12:43,000 Much like in the physical we might think of Houston and Rome 181 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:45,880 as being distinct and separate. And the way you get from one to 182 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:49,600 the other is you get on a plane or a boat and you go there. 183 00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:55,440 Whilst the heavens and the earth are distinct, they're also more 184 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:59,200 connected and interwoven than we tend to consider when we look at 185 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:05,320 it from a biblical perspective. Next up, the powers, not our 186 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:07,800 pastors. OK, just to be clear, it was a 187 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:09,840 kind of awkward when we got into the series and I was like, 188 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:12,760 there's some negative talk about the powers in the Scripture 189 00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:15,600 here. And we just need to be very 190 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:19,240 clear when we talk about it. Paul talks about the powers, He 191 00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:22,480 talks about rulers, Thrones, dominions and principalities. 192 00:13:22,480 --> 00:13:25,320 These big words that were like, oh, what does that even mean? 193 00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:30,600 There's definitely talk of spiritual created beings going 194 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:33,680 on and possibly talk of angels and demons makes you think of 195 00:13:33,680 --> 00:13:35,960 outdated and redundant belief systems. 196 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:38,920 You may find yourself automatically translating these 197 00:13:38,920 --> 00:13:41,920 terms into the realms of politics and culture and these 198 00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:45,880 kind of forces at work in our life that we just kind of go, 199 00:13:45,880 --> 00:13:49,160 well, those people didn't know better and we've got it all 200 00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:51,360 figured out now. Modern psychology has told us 201 00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:53,960 everything, right? And we dismissed the unseen 202 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:56,760 realm. Or maybe you're of a more 203 00:13:56,760 --> 00:13:59,360 Pentecostal or charismatic theological background and 204 00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:02,560 you're thinking about hierarchies of spiritual beings, 205 00:14:02,560 --> 00:14:05,680 some of which are aligned with God and some are in rebellion. 206 00:14:05,680 --> 00:14:08,720 And often times I think we have an either or mentality when 207 00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:10,520 we're thinking about these phrases. 208 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:14,360 But in the biblical imagination, there's an interweaving of the 209 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:17,760 visible and the unseen realm so that the powers refers to 210 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:22,920 physical and spiritual beings, social and abstract structures 211 00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:27,000 all operating in and through one another. 212 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:32,520 So was it Pharaoh or was it demonic forces? 213 00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:37,440 Yes, right. The throne represents the human 214 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:45,200 authority going on through which other agencies are working for. 215 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:47,440 A great primer on this. We keep talking about the Bible 216 00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:51,160 Project Classroom. It's a free resource. 217 00:14:51,640 --> 00:14:55,240 It is a deep course that you can take on the book of Ephesians. 218 00:14:55,240 --> 00:14:56,760 Eventually, I'm going to take a sip of water. 219 00:14:56,760 --> 00:14:59,160 I promise I'm not going to hold this bottle the whole time 220 00:14:59,840 --> 00:15:01,640 you're all wondering. You're like, is he going to do 221 00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:02,720 it? I don't know. 222 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:10,680 Thank you. You just found one of my other 223 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:14,080 anxieties is eating and drinking in front of a crowd of people. 224 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:19,760 If you want to dig deeper, Bible Projects Classroom on Ephesians 225 00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:22,880 has some great material on understanding the powers and 226 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:25,360 principalities. It will open your eyes in a 227 00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:28,240 different way. So I just really recommend that 228 00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:29,640 to you. So we've got the heavens and the 229 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:32,000 earth, we've got the powers, and then we've got the ages. 230 00:15:33,440 --> 00:15:36,000 What are we talking about when we talk about the ages, when we 231 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:38,520 come across these phrases in the Scriptures? 232 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:42,120 Time is a big concept. I don't know if you've noticed. 233 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:47,160 And the Scriptures talk about the age now and the age to come 234 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:51,840 or the ages to come. And when we talk about this age, 235 00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:55,960 we're discussing our ongoing experience of human history, 236 00:15:56,040 --> 00:16:00,280 chronological from the from the garden until now. 237 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:05,280 Then the age to come refers to the coming experience of 238 00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:09,200 restored humanity under Messiah's rule, right? 239 00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:15,800 The age and the age to come. Now, back when Jesus was walking 240 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:18,760 and teaching and doing miracles, faithful Israelites who had been 241 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:22,280 waiting for the Messiah were expecting a very clear linear 242 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:25,480 progression. When Messiah comes, we will be 243 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:28,640 liberated from Rome. Spiritual oppression, injustice, 244 00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:32,840 sin, wickedness, taxes. Here's the powers at work, this 245 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:36,400 whole conglomerate of different forces and systems, right? 246 00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:39,040 That we would be liberated from these. 247 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:43,120 And the expectation would be that Jesus would finish the job, 248 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:46,480 usher in the age to come, and that we would be like, right 249 00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:50,320 there We go from there to there in one move. 250 00:16:51,720 --> 00:16:56,600 How bleak the first Holy Saturday must have felt because 251 00:16:56,600 --> 00:17:03,320 it it wasn't just the Lord whom they loved buried in a tomb, but 252 00:17:03,320 --> 00:17:07,680 all of their hopes of real time, real world liberation, what they 253 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:11,359 expected it to look like, were in the tomb with him. 254 00:17:13,079 --> 00:17:17,400 But then the resurrection happened, and these things kind 255 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:21,079 of got weird with people's timelines, Like, theology books 256 00:17:21,079 --> 00:17:25,520 needed diagrams to explain what on earth is going on here. 257 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:28,400 And over the millennia, we've come up with some theological 258 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:31,080 shorthand. And this one comes with two big 259 00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:35,640 money words for you. OK, inaugurated eschatology. 260 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:38,720 If you can spell them, you can score well at Scrabble with 261 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:40,560 them. OK, They're big and long. 262 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:47,960 What we mean by this is the age to come has already broken in. 263 00:17:47,960 --> 00:17:51,120 When Jesus says the Kingdom is near or the Kingdom has come, 264 00:17:51,120 --> 00:17:54,440 he's saying that all of this promise of Messiah's rule and 265 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:58,960 reign, of Shalom, of peace with God and of unity with people has 266 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:03,280 broken into this point in our experience of time. 267 00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:09,600 And the eschatology is the promise of the future when Jesus 268 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:14,440 the Lord rules and reigns and we are with him and under him and 269 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:19,440 living in freedom and true life. But it's been inaugurated, it's 270 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:22,360 started, it's now, but it's not yet. 271 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:27,120 It's it's like there's been the invasion of a force of 272 00:18:27,120 --> 00:18:30,680 peacekeepers who have now taken up residence in occupied 273 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:34,040 territory and are living according to a different set of 274 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:41,640 rules and expectations. The coming age, which we will 275 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:45,360 one day fully enter, has already broken into this age so that 276 00:18:45,360 --> 00:18:49,120 those who belong to Jesus are now living in between. 277 00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:55,720 We're living in between, which explains why sometimes we're 278 00:18:55,720 --> 00:19:01,480 just like what is happening. I feel turned around and 279 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:05,720 confused and conflicted and intention and some days I feel 280 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:09,240 disappointed, even disappointed in God. 281 00:19:10,840 --> 00:19:13,960 Did you know that you can feel disappointed in God and that you 282 00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:16,680 can tell Him and that He won't smite you? 283 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:22,640 Because there's a whole section of Scripture, the Psalms that 284 00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:27,440 give voice to lament and sorrow and grief and confusion. 285 00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:33,720 What you're feeling this week is acceptable to bring before God 286 00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:37,920 and to hold it there in fear and trembling. 287 00:19:37,920 --> 00:19:41,600 God, I'm, I'm wound up, I'm angry, I'm disillusioned, I'm 288 00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:43,080 broken out. This is where I'm at. 289 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:47,720 And God says, come, sacred thou come. 290 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:54,920 So now to the text. Ephesians 2. 291 00:19:54,920 --> 00:19:58,000 I'm reading this now from the NASB, which we're using as our 292 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:00,880 teaching text specifically because it is a bit more clunky 293 00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:04,400 in the translation because it stays closer to the original 294 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:07,360 text in trying to express what's there and leaving us sometimes 295 00:20:07,360 --> 00:20:11,160 going, what is this? Which is why we also are using 296 00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:13,480 the message and the new living translation for our public 297 00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:16,600 readings so that you kind of get the tip off ahead of time. 298 00:20:17,120 --> 00:20:21,920 But then we're studying with this and a way to think of this 299 00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:24,760 passage, which is like this wonderful condensed expression 300 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:29,960 of the gospel, is to think in terms of a medical process that 301 00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:33,880 if you are not well, you may go to a doctor and the doctor might 302 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:37,640 give, may give you a diagnosis. And you might ask, what's the 303 00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:40,720 prognosis? Here's what's wrong with me now, 304 00:20:40,720 --> 00:20:43,560 what's likely to happen with this disease? 305 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:47,600 That's the prognosis. But then what you're hoping for 306 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:51,160 is that there is a treatment plan, and that from that 307 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:55,040 treatment plan there's a recovery plan that we don't want 308 00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:57,040 to stay in sickness. We want to come into health and 309 00:20:57,040 --> 00:20:59,720 life. And this passage provides that 310 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:03,000 sort of structure for us. But it starts with bleak news. 311 00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:06,560 I remember Paul is writing to a church that is primarily made-up 312 00:21:06,560 --> 00:21:10,840 of Gentiles, and he says, y'all a lot in the Greek, right? 313 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:12,360 It's official translation, y'all. 314 00:21:12,720 --> 00:21:15,520 And then this is probably why I'm losing my British accent is 315 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:18,320 because I'm adopting y'all as like a really valid and 316 00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:23,040 important word. Thank you, Texas, thank you. 317 00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:29,720 And y'all were dead in your offenses and sins, right? 318 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:31,920 This isn't the start. How's it? 319 00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:34,480 How's about that for an opener? You were dead. 320 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:41,320 And we're not just mostly dead. Not just mostly dead. 321 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:43,800 As Miracle Max says in The Princess Bride, there is a big 322 00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:46,960 difference between mostly dead and all dead. 323 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:50,200 I knew my people were in the room this morning. 324 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:54,960 Come on. What kind of death could Paul be 325 00:21:54,960 --> 00:21:58,040 referring to here? Because he's writing to people 326 00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:00,520 that still, you know, all right. They didn't have their Keurig 327 00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:03,160 and their croissant, but they had their, like, morning 328 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:05,360 routine, right? Like we were dead. 329 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:09,760 Pretty sure I had a pulse, did some stuff with my days, took a 330 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:12,080 stroll, went to the temple of Artemis, Right? 331 00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:14,880 Like I did these things. You were dead. 332 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:18,320 Where were you dead in your offenses and sins? 333 00:22:18,320 --> 00:22:22,160 And this immediately made me think of Genesis chapter 2, when 334 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:26,080 God has created this beautiful place, a Garden City in which 335 00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:31,120 his people could dwell in union with him and exercise God-given 336 00:22:31,120 --> 00:22:33,520 authority to steward the creation. 337 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:35,680 And he says you can have all of this. 338 00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:39,440 There's so many good kinds of trees here for you, and you can 339 00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:42,160 eat from every single one, but you can't eat from that one, 340 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:46,960 that tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 341 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:49,760 Do not eat from it because on the day that you eat from it, 342 00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:52,920 you will surely die. That's what he says. 343 00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:56,160 Didn't say they couldn't climb the tree, paint the tree, ask 344 00:22:56,160 --> 00:22:58,160 questions about the tree. He said just don't eat from the 345 00:22:58,160 --> 00:22:59,720 tree. And what did people do? 346 00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:03,400 I ate from the tree. That's what we did. 347 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:07,520 There's one area that God said, trust me. 348 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:10,800 We said, Nope, pretty sure you're holding out. 349 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:15,240 I'm going to eat that fruit. And Adam and Eve didn't drop 350 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:19,240 down dead. They ate and then they went and 351 00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:22,960 hid and they like, got themselves some new clothes made 352 00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:24,960 out of fig leaves because they were suddenly aware they were 353 00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:27,120 naked and that that was some kind of a problem. 354 00:23:28,360 --> 00:23:31,080 They didn't drop down dead. So what did God mean? 355 00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:36,880 God meant that they would enter in the separation between people 356 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:38,600 and him that was never meant to be there. 357 00:23:40,120 --> 00:23:44,000 And Mark Roberts says it this way, that this death is to live 358 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:47,840 apart from God in a death saturated existence. 359 00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:51,400 The biblical picture from the fall onwards is of a people 360 00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:54,240 marked by death and slowly dying. 361 00:23:54,560 --> 00:23:59,560 The diagnosis and the prognosis is you are terminal with this. 362 00:24:00,280 --> 00:24:04,760 You were dead, cut off from the source of life. 363 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:07,880 Much as we, we pick flowers and cut flowers and we stick them in 364 00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:10,080 a vase and we put them on the table and we're like, they're so 365 00:24:10,080 --> 00:24:13,760 beautiful, but also they're dying right there. 366 00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:15,960 And we're just going to keep them there as long as we can 367 00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:18,960 tolerate the death, right? Eventually the day comes, you're 368 00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:22,840 like there's mold in there. Now you're laughing because 369 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:29,520 you've done it. I know we are terminal, which 370 00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:32,800 lets me say welcome to Zombieland. 371 00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:38,320 Welcome to Zombieland. If you didn't know it, zombies 372 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:39,800 are in the Bible. They're right here. 373 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:43,400 You were dead and you were walking verse 2, which you 374 00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:46,480 previously walked. And some of you who are here for 375 00:24:46,480 --> 00:24:48,920 the opening of this series and we're like, Johnny, you said 376 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:51,360 that it wasn't that kind of dystopian future apocalypse 377 00:24:51,360 --> 00:24:53,040 we're talking about. You're like, I knew it. 378 00:24:53,800 --> 00:24:56,960 I knew the zombies were coming. I was certain of it. 379 00:24:57,080 --> 00:24:59,120 And you've tricked us. And here we are talking about 380 00:24:59,120 --> 00:25:01,440 zombies on a Sunday morning. What is happening? 381 00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:05,600 Well, actually there's a kind of a cultural fascination with The 382 00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:12,120 Walking Dead and I I wonder why to Mark Roberts, just as a great 383 00:25:12,120 --> 00:25:14,520 analysis on this, he says cultural experts offer their 384 00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:17,600 reasons for the popularity of zombies in our day. 385 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:20,840 But I have my own hunch. I agree with those who believe 386 00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:24,120 zombies embody our fears about a world run amok with apocalyptic 387 00:25:24,120 --> 00:25:26,120 dangers. But I think many people are 388 00:25:26,120 --> 00:25:29,520 drawn to zombies because they themselves feel like zombies 389 00:25:29,520 --> 00:25:32,960 much of the time. Zombies experience no pleasure 390 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:36,120 in life, but still they keep trudging on in search of 391 00:25:36,120 --> 00:25:37,960 something that will never satisfy them. 392 00:25:38,440 --> 00:25:41,680 They are driven, insatiable, unhappy, helpless and barely 393 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:46,000 conscious, just like many people in today's world. 394 00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:49,400 You had a day that felt like that recently at all. 395 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:52,720 Ever. Because I still get those days 396 00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:55,240 sometimes. And I kind of get stuck in the 397 00:25:55,240 --> 00:25:57,560 mire and the muck of what life can be like. 398 00:25:57,560 --> 00:26:01,480 And I just, like, head down to if I could just get to the end 399 00:26:01,480 --> 00:26:04,800 of the day. Here's the plot twist. 400 00:26:05,760 --> 00:26:10,520 So, yeah, zombies were coming, but the apocalypse isn't the 401 00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:13,800 zombies are coming, it's that they're already here, and we've 402 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:21,880 been walking in them and with them for a long time already 403 00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:26,800 dead and dying. You were dead in your offenses 404 00:26:26,800 --> 00:26:29,920 and sins in which you previously walked according to the course 405 00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:32,560 of this world, according to the Prince of the power of the air, 406 00:26:32,560 --> 00:26:36,440 of the spirit that's now working in the sons of disobedience. 407 00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:40,560 How are we so stuck? Well, number one, we're dead. 408 00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:43,480 There's no life in US to change this. 409 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:48,280 I'm just plodding along. And our way of life is a way of 410 00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:51,200 brokenness. But not only that, Paul says 411 00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:55,440 you're you're stuck. You walked according to the 412 00:26:55,440 --> 00:27:00,960 course of this world or this, this cosmos victory, life being 413 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:03,720 stuck in a rut. Like when there's been heavy 414 00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:05,800 rains, Texas, you bring the rain. 415 00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:08,200 Good job. And then a heavy vehicle, you 416 00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:12,600 bring those two drives through the mud and creates that Channel 417 00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:16,000 that then Texas is really, really hot at times as well and 418 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:19,320 dries that mud solid, right? And now you've got a rut. 419 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:23,320 And if your vehicle falls into that rut and doesn't have bigger 420 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:26,720 tires than whoever made it, that's where you're going, baby. 421 00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:31,480 You will stay in that course and follow it to its natural 422 00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:34,760 conclusion. Paul's saying you were dead in 423 00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:37,200 your sins and you were stuck in the course of this world, which 424 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:40,400 is like the whole of culture. Did you go on Facebook this 425 00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:43,680 week? Did you go on there and find 426 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:46,120 yourself like, just want to throw up? 427 00:27:46,120 --> 00:27:48,840 But also I want to say something, but I just want to 428 00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:52,120 turn this off. But I have to, and I have to. 429 00:27:52,120 --> 00:27:55,960 That you feel rise up in you is the tractor beam of culture that 430 00:27:55,960 --> 00:27:58,720 wants to keep you in the course of this world. 431 00:27:59,680 --> 00:28:01,960 See, we're in enemy occupied territory. 432 00:28:01,960 --> 00:28:04,920 The enemy is on on, you know, is running away. 433 00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:08,360 But we're still here and they're still marked by it. 434 00:28:08,360 --> 00:28:11,520 And this is where we used to live. 435 00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:16,240 But not only were we stuck in the course of the world, but we 436 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:18,840 were living according to the Prince of the power of the air, 437 00:28:18,840 --> 00:28:25,360 which is like a biblical fancy title for Satan, Demonic force 438 00:28:25,360 --> 00:28:29,440 at work. We like to think that we're 439 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:35,680 free, but we're not. Apart from Christ, we are 440 00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:40,360 dominated spiritually. And Paul engages this idea 441 00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:43,600 because he wants to stress that we aren't dealing with merely 442 00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:51,400 human, tangible issues. This isn't merely a political or 443 00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:57,400 a social situation, but equally we aren't talking about some 444 00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:01,440 distant spiritual realm. It seems to me that one of the 445 00:29:01,440 --> 00:29:05,040 apocalypses that Paul has and wants to invite us into is 446 00:29:05,040 --> 00:29:10,080 around the idea of concurrency, things happening together at the 447 00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:13,720 same time. The powers and principalities 448 00:29:13,720 --> 00:29:17,640 are an unholy alliance between fallen spiritual, physical, 449 00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:21,760 systemic and relational beings and structures and the whole of 450 00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:25,000 humanity. All the nations have fallen 451 00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:28,920 under this rule. John Chrysostom from the 4th 452 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:32,080 century wrote that humanity surrendered to the devil. 453 00:29:32,360 --> 00:29:37,520 All are his voluntary and willing slaves, which dispels 454 00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:43,080 the myths of secularism. Everyone is spiritual. 455 00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:50,560 CS Lewis says that you have never talked with a mere mortal. 456 00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:55,360 Right before that, he said there are no ordinary humans, which 457 00:29:55,360 --> 00:29:57,600 gives you permission to turn to your neighbor and say, I knew 458 00:29:57,600 --> 00:29:59,280 you weren't ordinary. I knew it. 459 00:30:02,760 --> 00:30:04,600 Maybe some of you will do that. We'll see. 460 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:11,480 Since this spirit was working in the sons of disobedience. 461 00:30:11,480 --> 00:30:15,400 You see, the issue isn't just that we do some bad things apart 462 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:18,840 from Christ, but we are completely stuck in the system, 463 00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:23,600 enslaved to the spiritual forces to the point that it's our 464 00:30:23,600 --> 00:30:26,680 spiritual DNA. We're in trouble. 465 00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:34,920 And then just to show that this isn't at those people situation, 466 00:30:34,920 --> 00:30:40,080 Paul says. And among them, we too, the 467 00:30:40,080 --> 00:30:45,200 Jews, all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, 468 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:48,840 indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were 469 00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:51,480 by nature children of wrath, just as the rest. 470 00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:59,920 Paul diagnosis that the entire human race, all people, have 471 00:30:59,920 --> 00:31:06,080 been subject to spiritual forces and a way of being that has 472 00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:08,960 brought us into and will lead us to death. 473 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:14,920 We're stuck and we're complicit in it. 474 00:31:15,480 --> 00:31:19,480 The lusts of the flesh, the desires of our thought, life, 475 00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:22,920 and our bodies line us up with this brokenness. 476 00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:27,720 We want more and more brokenness, which tells us not 477 00:31:27,720 --> 00:31:30,520 only is everyone spiritual, but everyone is badly broken. 478 00:31:30,520 --> 00:31:35,320 Gentile and Jew, like some dystopian family tree said about 479 00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:38,280 as bluntly as I found it in any of the commentaries. 480 00:31:38,280 --> 00:31:41,760 The ESV gospel transformation notes said that mankind was 481 00:31:41,760 --> 00:31:46,160 dead, disobedient, demonic, and destined for destruction. 482 00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:48,960 Who knows what would have happened if he got into words 483 00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:51,000 beginning with E as well. I mean, we were just like, we're 484 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:55,600 going to hang out in D. We are caught up in a cosmic 485 00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:59,200 battle. You didn't just wake up this 486 00:31:59,200 --> 00:32:01,360 morning to a normal Sunday morning. 487 00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:06,640 You woke up in the midst of cosmic battle going on around 488 00:32:06,640 --> 00:32:11,720 you and, and in the forces of the world that we live within. 489 00:32:12,400 --> 00:32:18,000 It's pretty difficult news. And then we get to verse four 490 00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:22,280 and the treatment plan begins, because verse four starts with 491 00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:25,360 these two words. But God. 492 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:33,800 But God to God is not surprised by or thrown off by any of the 493 00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:36,600 events of this week or the whole some of human history. 494 00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:41,920 God has had a plan and has taken action in the plan. 495 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:46,280 But God being rich in mercy because of his great love with 496 00:32:46,280 --> 00:32:49,920 which he loved us even when we were dead, in our wrongdoings, 497 00:32:50,120 --> 00:32:52,400 made us alive together with Christ. 498 00:32:53,000 --> 00:33:00,640 By grace you have been saved. Divine interruption is the 499 00:33:00,640 --> 00:33:04,760 response to our plight and the whole of humanity. 500 00:33:07,120 --> 00:33:09,880 And there's enough to go around. The Scriptures tell us God is 501 00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:13,400 rich in mercy. He's not just got like some 502 00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:19,120 leftover in his pocket. He's rich in mercy, abundant in 503 00:33:19,280 --> 00:33:22,160 his mercy. Why? 504 00:33:22,880 --> 00:33:27,280 Because we're so great? Because we could be so great? 505 00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:30,880 Is this all based on our future potential? 506 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:34,680 No. We were dead in our wrongdoings. 507 00:33:34,880 --> 00:33:40,400 And God acted because of his great love. 508 00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:44,360 The great love with which He loved us when we were at our 509 00:33:44,360 --> 00:33:48,680 bleakest, darkest, most despondent, most depraved, is 510 00:33:48,680 --> 00:33:53,160 the love that compels Him to act for our welfare, not to rub our 511 00:33:53,160 --> 00:33:56,280 noses in the dirt, not to shame us. 512 00:33:56,600 --> 00:34:02,160 But to say You are beloved, I choose you is what God says to 513 00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:07,200 us in Christ. Our brokenness cannot outweigh 514 00:34:07,200 --> 00:34:11,719 His love, and His love is powerful enough to rescue us on 515 00:34:11,719 --> 00:34:15,520 a cosmic scale. I think there's a reason that 516 00:34:15,520 --> 00:34:18,719 grand narratives like Lord of the Rings stir things up in us. 517 00:34:18,920 --> 00:34:21,760 It's because it's actually reflecting some of the reality 518 00:34:21,760 --> 00:34:25,280 of what's going on around us. There is a real battle going on, 519 00:34:25,600 --> 00:34:27,920 and there is a real king who will come again. 520 00:34:28,159 --> 00:34:31,800 And I need a real rescuer right now because the gates of hell 521 00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:34,400 are here and the forces are invading, and I don't know what 522 00:34:34,400 --> 00:34:40,440 to do. Come Lord Jesus, His love is so 523 00:34:40,440 --> 00:34:42,800 powerful and it is the precedent. 524 00:34:44,040 --> 00:34:51,639 God's love comes first. It's found in Jesus and that is 525 00:34:51,639 --> 00:34:54,280 the only place that we find our rescue. 526 00:34:54,480 --> 00:34:58,360 The treatment plan is him. Even when we were dead in our 527 00:34:58,360 --> 00:35:02,960 wrongdoings, he made us alive. There's there's the outcome. 528 00:35:02,960 --> 00:35:10,040 How together with Christ, the life of Jesus is made available 529 00:35:10,040 --> 00:35:16,200 for you so that this ache and this longing and this struggle 530 00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:22,960 can find peace and comfort and hope made alive so that your sin 531 00:35:23,080 --> 00:35:26,880 can be dealt with. Not pretend it never happened, 532 00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:31,120 but dealt with so that there never needs to be a day when 533 00:35:31,120 --> 00:35:32,520 you're looking over your shoulder going. 534 00:35:32,520 --> 00:35:34,600 What if God finds out about that? 535 00:35:34,720 --> 00:35:39,120 He already knows and He already made provision, that in Jesus 536 00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:47,360 you can be set free. The apocalypse is this, that you 537 00:35:47,360 --> 00:35:52,600 are already loved and wanted. You are already loved and 538 00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:55,560 wanted. There is no performance needed 539 00:35:55,680 --> 00:35:58,160 to gain His attention or admiration. 540 00:35:58,360 --> 00:36:03,720 You are beloved to the Father, but you cannot have it on your 541 00:36:03,720 --> 00:36:08,640 own terms. You must receive it as a gift in 542 00:36:08,640 --> 00:36:14,280 God's way in Christ. So we have a treatment plan, 543 00:36:14,440 --> 00:36:17,080 Jesus. He is the treatment plan. 544 00:36:17,800 --> 00:36:24,960 What does recovery look like? Verses 6 through 7 and raised us 545 00:36:24,960 --> 00:36:30,280 up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in 546 00:36:30,280 --> 00:36:32,600 Christ Jesus in the Greek, who would be in the heavenlies? 547 00:36:33,520 --> 00:36:38,360 NESP in my Bible puts places in italics so that I know, oh, 548 00:36:38,360 --> 00:36:40,600 we're we're adding a word for clarity here. 549 00:36:40,600 --> 00:36:45,320 But the heavenlies, that's why we need to know what do we mean 550 00:36:45,320 --> 00:36:50,800 when we say the heavenlies Jesus is seated above everything and 551 00:36:51,920 --> 00:36:55,080 we have been seated with him and raised with him. 552 00:36:56,160 --> 00:37:00,120 So this salvation, is it like a ticket that I cash in later? 553 00:37:00,200 --> 00:37:05,120 Not at all according to Paul, because of God uniting us in and 554 00:37:05,120 --> 00:37:07,720 with Christ, there are some present tense realities 555 00:37:07,720 --> 00:37:11,560 unfolding. The not yet has broken into the 556 00:37:11,560 --> 00:37:15,400 now. And as one who belongs to Jesus, 557 00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:19,360 you have been raised with him, which means that resurrection 558 00:37:19,360 --> 00:37:21,760 life is already a reality in you now. 559 00:37:21,760 --> 00:37:24,360 This body has done just over 40 years. 560 00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:27,640 Thank you buddy. I have You know I am part body 561 00:37:27,720 --> 00:37:33,240 and soul and mind and will. Now it's all here, but this body 562 00:37:33,240 --> 00:37:37,480 will be renewed and changed and hopefully my hip won't hurt when 563 00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:40,200 I run. Yeah, that'd be cool like that. 564 00:37:40,600 --> 00:37:43,080 No one says you're going to hit 40 and wish you'd done a bit 565 00:37:43,080 --> 00:37:45,320 more physical activity. You know, just they don't tell 566 00:37:45,320 --> 00:37:47,880 you that or or they do and you're like blah, blah, blah. 567 00:37:47,880 --> 00:37:52,480 I'm not listening. I've been raised up. 568 00:37:52,560 --> 00:37:55,920 I have resurrection life. Therefore, I already experienced 569 00:37:55,920 --> 00:38:00,840 victory over death, which means you cannot take this from me. 570 00:38:02,480 --> 00:38:07,360 You cannot take the life I have in Christ from me. 571 00:38:08,360 --> 00:38:11,560 Which means I don't have to be afraid and I don't have to 572 00:38:11,560 --> 00:38:14,880 respond to people in fear and hate. 573 00:38:15,600 --> 00:38:19,080 I don't have to meet violence with violence because you can't 574 00:38:19,080 --> 00:38:21,960 kill this and you can't kill the church. 575 00:38:23,080 --> 00:38:27,720 You can't kill the love of God at work in our lives. 576 00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:32,520 So being raised up has real present day effect for us, but 577 00:38:32,520 --> 00:38:36,120 it also says that we've been seated with Him in the 578 00:38:36,120 --> 00:38:39,920 heavenlies. And that means that we share in 579 00:38:39,920 --> 00:38:43,520 Christ's victory over demonic powers and sin, the cosmic 580 00:38:43,520 --> 00:38:48,480 forces and fallen flesh. Which means there is nothing 581 00:38:48,480 --> 00:38:52,280 that can separate you from the love of God, and there is not a 582 00:38:52,280 --> 00:38:55,960 single urgent temptation over which you cannot say no. 583 00:38:58,680 --> 00:39:01,440 There's a lot of lies that go on that tell you you're bound up, 584 00:39:01,440 --> 00:39:05,960 but actually in Christ you have authority to say no to the ways 585 00:39:05,960 --> 00:39:13,560 that don't reflect the Kingdom. Why does God do this now? 586 00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:17,920 Verse 7 tells us that in the ages to come He might show the 587 00:39:17,920 --> 00:39:21,240 boundless riches of His grace and kindness towards us in 588 00:39:21,320 --> 00:39:25,920 Christ Jesus. We will glory in Him because He 589 00:39:25,920 --> 00:39:31,280 has been abundantly gracious and shown it in kindness to us so 590 00:39:31,280 --> 00:39:35,240 that we would know His grace and actually as a nod forward to 591 00:39:35,240 --> 00:39:40,840 chapter 3, so that we would display to the whole cosmos His 592 00:39:40,840 --> 00:39:45,040 kindness. God's kindness raises us up and 593 00:39:45,040 --> 00:39:47,760 shares significance and ruling authority. 594 00:39:48,440 --> 00:39:50,760 Can you imagine what our world would look like if we weren't 595 00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:53,680 ones who grabbed for power, but we gave it away for the sake of 596 00:39:53,680 --> 00:39:56,880 the Kingdom? The greatest others are, and on 597 00:39:56,880 --> 00:40:00,480 to them. And I see the state of Thou in 598 00:40:00,520 --> 00:40:02,640 the image of God. Is it on display? 599 00:40:02,640 --> 00:40:09,800 I see it. We're not just talking about the 600 00:40:09,800 --> 00:40:12,640 future age. We're not just talking about a 601 00:40:12,640 --> 00:40:15,880 later resurrection. Our ruling and reigning with 602 00:40:15,880 --> 00:40:19,240 Christ is happening now and not yet. 603 00:40:20,400 --> 00:40:23,600 So these big theological ideas are like inaugurated 604 00:40:23,600 --> 00:40:25,600 eschatology. Why are we talking about that? 605 00:40:25,680 --> 00:40:28,080 It's because I don't want you to be afraid today. 606 00:40:29,440 --> 00:40:33,200 I don't want you to live in the shadow of hate and fear and and 607 00:40:33,200 --> 00:40:35,000 just trying to hold on to something. 608 00:40:35,120 --> 00:40:38,520 Nothing can be taken from you that wouldn't be lost anyway. 609 00:40:39,960 --> 00:40:47,840 Nothing. Your life is both now and not 610 00:40:47,840 --> 00:40:50,000 yet. And this matters because the bad 611 00:40:50,000 --> 00:40:54,200 news was really bad, and we saw the effect of the bad news 612 00:40:54,200 --> 00:40:55,920 played out in the headlines this week. 613 00:40:55,920 --> 00:40:58,360 But the good news is even better. 614 00:41:00,360 --> 00:41:07,080 We were dead before Jesus, and then in Him we've been made 615 00:41:07,080 --> 00:41:11,280 alive and raised with him so that this experience of 616 00:41:11,280 --> 00:41:13,440 resurrection life is happening now. 617 00:41:13,640 --> 00:41:17,520 I can go into the secret place and sit in the presence of the 618 00:41:17,520 --> 00:41:20,640 Father because I'm in Christ, and I can have a genuine 619 00:41:20,640 --> 00:41:23,560 experience of the presence of God because of what Jesus has 620 00:41:23,560 --> 00:41:25,840 done. The future reality of living 621 00:41:25,840 --> 00:41:29,920 before his face is already available experientially to me 622 00:41:29,920 --> 00:41:32,120 in prayer and communion with him. 623 00:41:32,360 --> 00:41:36,400 We are never separated from the love of God because Jesus has 624 00:41:36,400 --> 00:41:39,400 done it. The ultimate death of sin has 625 00:41:39,400 --> 00:41:45,240 been overcome. We were dominated and enslaved, 626 00:41:45,240 --> 00:41:49,360 but now we are seated with Him. Above all, we're no longer 627 00:41:49,360 --> 00:41:53,240 victims to either the spiritual powers or our old natures. 628 00:41:53,640 --> 00:41:56,400 We live from the victory of Christ and His finished work. 629 00:41:56,400 --> 00:42:00,240 Therefore, the truth can be lived out, though we are not 630 00:42:00,240 --> 00:42:04,280 controlled and can actively choose to resist sin, temptation 631 00:42:04,400 --> 00:42:07,440 and the powers. That's good news. 632 00:42:07,800 --> 00:42:10,520 You are free. You are free. 633 00:42:11,760 --> 00:42:16,800 Much like the Israelites were liberated from the enslavement 634 00:42:16,800 --> 00:42:19,160 in Egypt. And then they had to learn how 635 00:42:19,160 --> 00:42:22,320 to walk that out because, man, those cucumbers were good. 636 00:42:22,560 --> 00:42:26,880 And they kind of had days where, like, I don't know, I could 637 00:42:26,880 --> 00:42:30,920 maybe we should go back and God's like, Nope, that's death. 638 00:42:31,880 --> 00:42:34,040 Those are death cucumbers. And we're not going back there. 639 00:42:34,040 --> 00:42:36,000 We're moving forward to the promised land. 640 00:42:36,720 --> 00:42:39,160 We're moving forward into the life of the Kingdom. 641 00:42:40,280 --> 00:42:43,600 Why? Because because we're not just, 642 00:42:44,880 --> 00:42:48,760 you know, nice, nice little puppy dogs that the God is like, 643 00:42:48,760 --> 00:42:51,600 oh, you're sweet. We're not his pet. 644 00:42:53,720 --> 00:42:56,840 We're his beloved children who he has given purpose to. 645 00:42:58,040 --> 00:43:01,680 And in Christ, we have been restored to our purpose. 646 00:43:02,240 --> 00:43:04,080 Verses 8 through 10. And maybe some of you were 647 00:43:04,080 --> 00:43:06,800 hoping there was going to be like a big long section on like, 648 00:43:06,800 --> 00:43:08,960 what does it mean to be saved by grace through faith? 649 00:43:08,960 --> 00:43:11,080 And are we going to plow through all of the theological 650 00:43:11,080 --> 00:43:13,240 constructs? I'm like, you've got 2000 years 651 00:43:13,240 --> 00:43:15,480 of church history to read if that's what you need. 652 00:43:15,840 --> 00:43:21,600 That's not what we needed today. Now, in light of this week, by 653 00:43:21,600 --> 00:43:23,680 grace, you've been saved through faith. 654 00:43:23,680 --> 00:43:27,040 And this is not of yourselves. It's the gift of God, not a 655 00:43:27,040 --> 00:43:31,360 result of work, so that no one may boast, For we are His 656 00:43:31,360 --> 00:43:34,920 workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God 657 00:43:34,920 --> 00:43:38,800 prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. 658 00:43:40,240 --> 00:43:43,320 So it is there. We are saved by grace through 659 00:43:43,320 --> 00:43:47,160 faith, and there's a lot of different perspectives even in 660 00:43:47,160 --> 00:43:50,760 this room on how that works out. But what we can agree on and 661 00:43:50,760 --> 00:43:54,560 must agree on is that God is the one who takes action exclusively 662 00:43:54,560 --> 00:43:58,640 in Jesus to rescue us from sin and death and to give us life. 663 00:43:58,640 --> 00:44:01,640 And it wasn't because we were worthy, but because He is loving 664 00:44:01,760 --> 00:44:04,360 and gracious and kind and merciful. 665 00:44:04,360 --> 00:44:11,000 God acted on our behalf, but also we're not saved just to 666 00:44:11,000 --> 00:44:12,960 twiddle our thumbs and squander it. 667 00:44:13,440 --> 00:44:16,640 Tim Mackie from Bible Projects says that for Paul, the gift of 668 00:44:16,640 --> 00:44:21,320 grace is unconditioned, but it is not unconditional. 669 00:44:22,200 --> 00:44:26,680 It's not given on the basis of worth, but there is an 670 00:44:26,680 --> 00:44:30,640 expectation that we will reciprocate by living for Jesus 671 00:44:30,640 --> 00:44:32,480 through the power of the Holy Spirit. 672 00:44:32,800 --> 00:44:36,680 I summarize that for myself by saying that salvation is given 673 00:44:36,680 --> 00:44:44,040 freely but it isn't cheap. Some of us, we've left it on the 674 00:44:44,040 --> 00:44:47,720 shelf and said I'll get to that later, thanks God. 675 00:44:51,520 --> 00:44:56,920 Salvation is given freely, but it isn't chi Salvation is based 676 00:44:56,920 --> 00:45:02,600 on love, not works. And we respond, So what? 677 00:45:02,600 --> 00:45:06,080 He's saying you were saved through faith. 678 00:45:06,200 --> 00:45:09,840 He was saved by grace, but it's not of yourselves. 679 00:45:09,840 --> 00:45:12,120 It's a gift of God. It's not a result of works 680 00:45:12,120 --> 00:45:13,320 because otherwise, what do we do? 681 00:45:13,400 --> 00:45:15,840 We always do this. We're like, quick, I did 682 00:45:15,840 --> 00:45:17,840 something cool. I need to get an Instagram 683 00:45:17,840 --> 00:45:20,720 account, build a platform, let everybody know, let's hype this 684 00:45:20,720 --> 00:45:22,240 thing up. And actually humanity's been 685 00:45:22,240 --> 00:45:24,400 wanting to do that all the time. They wanted Jesus to do that. 686 00:45:24,400 --> 00:45:27,760 And he was like, actually, we're going to go peace out from here 687 00:45:27,760 --> 00:45:30,000 where all the cool stuffs happening and we're going to go 688 00:45:30,000 --> 00:45:32,680 over there. Instead, Jesus resisted the 689 00:45:32,680 --> 00:45:37,560 platform mentality. It's not about us and it's not 690 00:45:37,560 --> 00:45:40,640 about boasting in us. We boast in God who has done it. 691 00:45:41,480 --> 00:45:43,160 And then he goes on. He says, for we are his 692 00:45:43,160 --> 00:45:46,960 workmanship. We've not been just saved from, 693 00:45:46,960 --> 00:45:51,120 we've been saved to. We are his workmanship created 694 00:45:51,120 --> 00:45:55,280 in Christ for good works which God prepared beforehand. 695 00:45:56,080 --> 00:46:01,080 He already had a place for us as his people to walk into before 696 00:46:01,080 --> 00:46:04,480 the treatment plan came. He knew what he was doing. 697 00:46:07,760 --> 00:46:11,640 These words are so beautiful. We are his workmanship, like an 698 00:46:11,680 --> 00:46:15,040 artisan crafting with intentionality. 699 00:46:16,280 --> 00:46:23,680 We as individuals together are the temple now, right? 700 00:46:23,680 --> 00:46:27,920 This temple language going on here, Just as God commissioned 701 00:46:28,160 --> 00:46:32,400 artisans to craft things for the temple, God is the artisan who 702 00:46:32,400 --> 00:46:36,600 crafted the church, us. And he says we were created, 703 00:46:36,600 --> 00:46:38,400 which throws us back into Genesis 1. 704 00:46:38,400 --> 00:46:40,720 We're in new creation territory, people. 705 00:46:41,480 --> 00:46:44,920 We're back in the garden and we're back in the city and 706 00:46:44,920 --> 00:46:48,720 dwelling place of God. Who you are is so significant 707 00:46:48,720 --> 00:46:51,560 and wonderful and more than you imagined when you were eating 708 00:46:51,560 --> 00:46:52,960 your croissant this morning, right? 709 00:46:53,760 --> 00:46:56,440 I, I like croissants. I think they're thank you 710 00:46:56,440 --> 00:46:58,560 friends and pastry chefs everywhere. 711 00:46:58,960 --> 00:47:01,800 You are good and may your craft go on in heaven. 712 00:47:03,400 --> 00:47:07,440 I'm not joking. This is nervous laughter. 713 00:47:07,440 --> 00:47:10,400 Like, what if it's not? It's going to be we're good. 714 00:47:11,720 --> 00:47:15,360 But you have been rescued to be restored and restored to our 715 00:47:15,360 --> 00:47:20,280 true human vocation, union with God, partnership in his mission, 716 00:47:20,400 --> 00:47:24,360 unity with people, stewardship of God's created order, but done 717 00:47:24,360 --> 00:47:29,080 now from the place of spiritual life and victory won by Christ. 718 00:47:29,200 --> 00:47:32,800 So this isn't actually primarily about your individual vocation. 719 00:47:32,960 --> 00:47:35,400 I'm not saying the Lord has nothing to say about that. 720 00:47:35,800 --> 00:47:39,200 We need accountants and we need artists and we need firefighters 721 00:47:39,200 --> 00:47:42,560 and we need all the full gamma of ways that we work. 722 00:47:42,960 --> 00:47:47,480 And God may have some specific things to call you into, but God 723 00:47:47,480 --> 00:47:51,040 also has a great and glorious purpose collectively as the new 724 00:47:51,040 --> 00:47:55,320 family of God, for us to live out as ones who build unity and 725 00:47:55,320 --> 00:47:58,920 trust and love. And we cross borders both 726 00:47:58,920 --> 00:48:02,840 literally and relationally in order to win people into this 727 00:48:02,840 --> 00:48:05,680 family and share the love that we have received. 728 00:48:05,680 --> 00:48:08,360 This is Our Calling. We haven't been commissioned to 729 00:48:08,360 --> 00:48:10,080 kill zombies. We've been commissioned to 730 00:48:10,080 --> 00:48:14,120 transform them. We've not been commissioned to 731 00:48:14,120 --> 00:48:17,680 rehabilitate zombies so that they just act the right way and 732 00:48:17,680 --> 00:48:21,560 stop eating brains. That's not what God is doing. 733 00:48:21,720 --> 00:48:25,480 God is saying I'm taking zombies and I'm making people real, 734 00:48:25,480 --> 00:48:29,880 full, truly deep, transformed human beings who live and love 735 00:48:29,880 --> 00:48:31,800 in my image. And that's what. 736 00:48:31,800 --> 00:48:34,520 We're called to participate. In and you thought you were just 737 00:48:34,520 --> 00:48:36,520 like trying to get through the next tax return. 738 00:48:36,960 --> 00:48:42,800 But no, you have a remarkable place to play in the mission of 739 00:48:42,800 --> 00:48:45,640 God, and you do it from a place of victory. 740 00:48:45,640 --> 00:48:49,440 And you get to walk now in the new ways of life, not in sin and 741 00:48:49,440 --> 00:48:52,640 death and brokenness, but in life and love and goodness. 742 00:48:53,160 --> 00:48:55,560 Mark Roberts says grace doesn't leave us untouched. 743 00:48:55,560 --> 00:49:00,560 It leads to new creation, new community, and a whole new way 744 00:49:00,560 --> 00:49:02,560 of living. And next week, Pastor Jason is 745 00:49:02,560 --> 00:49:05,400 going to take us down the covenantal rabbit trail of the 746 00:49:05,400 --> 00:49:07,760 rest of Ephesians chapter 2. You're welcome, pastor. 747 00:49:07,760 --> 00:49:09,400 I'm glad that I dished that one your way. 748 00:49:11,160 --> 00:49:12,240 But what do we do with this week? 749 00:49:12,240 --> 00:49:16,080 Well, first, know the story. There's so many stories 750 00:49:16,080 --> 00:49:20,640 competing in the media and in our communities outside of the 751 00:49:20,640 --> 00:49:23,880 church, even inside the church. Narratives that form how we 752 00:49:23,880 --> 00:49:25,400 think of ourselves and other people. 753 00:49:25,480 --> 00:49:28,680 Know the true story. Know what this says? 754 00:49:28,680 --> 00:49:32,120 This is God's word and we can know it front to back if we'll 755 00:49:32,120 --> 00:49:33,720 just spend time every day reading. 756 00:49:33,720 --> 00:49:38,120 God, Tell me the story again. Rehearse your story out loud 757 00:49:38,120 --> 00:49:40,880 with other people. This was my life before Jesus. 758 00:49:41,000 --> 00:49:44,320 There I was, Mr. Zombie, and then gone broke in and brought 759 00:49:44,320 --> 00:49:47,680 light Into Darkness and life, and I was freed from addictions. 760 00:49:47,680 --> 00:49:50,000 And then it took me a few years to figure out how to not keep 761 00:49:50,000 --> 00:49:53,600 doing those same things. But He was patient and merciful 762 00:49:53,760 --> 00:49:55,760 and He gave me more than I could have asked for. 763 00:49:55,760 --> 00:50:01,520 And now I get to walk with Him. Tell your story of Jesus at work 764 00:50:01,520 --> 00:50:04,920 in your life. And secondly, receive new life. 765 00:50:05,400 --> 00:50:08,840 If you don't know Jesus, this is the option in or out. 766 00:50:08,840 --> 00:50:12,320 You can say, yes, I put in my trust, my allegiance, my faith 767 00:50:12,320 --> 00:50:15,120 in him, or I'm going to try and do this my own way. 768 00:50:15,200 --> 00:50:18,320 If you know Jesus, every morning your eyes pop open, or maybe 769 00:50:18,320 --> 00:50:20,680 they don't, but the inner man wakes up and it's like the body 770 00:50:20,680 --> 00:50:23,600 will get there and you just go, Jesus, I'm yours. 771 00:50:24,080 --> 00:50:27,000 I need your life today because it's wild out there. 772 00:50:28,320 --> 00:50:34,840 Receive new life that's found in Him nowhere else, and then align 773 00:50:34,840 --> 00:50:38,480 it all with reality that you would live in a way that is 774 00:50:38,760 --> 00:50:43,600 concurrent with His Kingdom. Live in a way that displays the 775 00:50:43,600 --> 00:50:48,240 kindness of God to other people when you are so rock solid in 776 00:50:48,240 --> 00:50:51,160 His love. This way when that comment comes 777 00:50:51,160 --> 00:50:54,200 out that just turns you sideways and makes you mad, you can go. 778 00:50:54,200 --> 00:50:56,560 God, I'm so angry right now, give me your love. 779 00:50:56,920 --> 00:50:57,760 OK? I've got your love. 780 00:50:57,760 --> 00:51:00,720 Let me look and see the downness of that person in front of me. 781 00:51:02,000 --> 00:51:06,000 Let me speak life over them. Let me try and liberate them 782 00:51:06,000 --> 00:51:08,520 from the shackles that they're in right now. 783 00:51:08,960 --> 00:51:12,240 Let me not add to the course of this world. 784 00:51:16,760 --> 00:51:20,120 This is the summons. So much more than just to save 785 00:51:20,120 --> 00:51:24,080 it for later salvation. We are called to be ones who 786 00:51:24,080 --> 00:51:26,560 represent the Kingdom to come right now. 787 00:51:28,080 --> 00:51:30,080 And church, I just know it's been like, it's been a tough 788 00:51:30,080 --> 00:51:34,200 week until Jesus comes. There may be more tough weeks, 789 00:51:34,200 --> 00:51:36,840 but this one's been especially difficult for a lot of people. 790 00:51:37,520 --> 00:51:40,200 So talking with Pastor Jason, we just thought it was appropriate 791 00:51:40,200 --> 00:51:42,600 to have a time as we close. And thanks for your patience. 792 00:51:42,600 --> 00:51:44,760 I went. I have more on the tank today. 793 00:51:44,760 --> 00:51:47,520 Thank you. You don't have to go. 794 00:51:48,560 --> 00:51:51,800 Anywhere we're playing this probably a little before the 795 00:51:51,800 --> 00:51:54,400 summer. And so we, Johnny and I talked 796 00:51:54,400 --> 00:51:56,360 this week like, what do you do in a moment like this? 797 00:51:56,360 --> 00:51:58,040 And always just senses the Lord knew. 798 00:51:58,640 --> 00:52:00,440 And So what I want to do is I just want to affirm everything 799 00:52:00,440 --> 00:52:02,760 and he said this is not you're not sermon Part 2. 800 00:52:02,760 --> 00:52:04,640 You're like I got lunch man, I got to go. 801 00:52:05,680 --> 00:52:07,640 Here's what I want to say lovingly, gently. 802 00:52:08,800 --> 00:52:15,320 If you're angry, if you're sad, if you are lost, if you are 803 00:52:15,320 --> 00:52:21,120 hopeless, are you listening? You are feeling what it means to 804 00:52:21,120 --> 00:52:26,000 be dead in your trespass. You are experiencing a culture 805 00:52:26,240 --> 00:52:29,600 of death. And what I want to say is the 806 00:52:29,600 --> 00:52:37,880 hope in this is that's what we're saved from now. 807 00:52:39,240 --> 00:52:41,640 And so here's the hope. These verses we memorized in 808 00:52:41,640 --> 00:52:43,920 grade school, many as if you've been around the church for a 809 00:52:43,920 --> 00:52:46,720 long time and you take this great personal like I got them 810 00:52:46,720 --> 00:52:49,080 saved by grace through faith. And this is not myself right 811 00:52:49,080 --> 00:52:51,480 into this like that's what we're saved from. 812 00:52:51,480 --> 00:52:55,800 So here's what I say Church, this is our moment. 813 00:52:56,440 --> 00:53:00,200 Are you listening? How are we saved from a culture 814 00:53:00,200 --> 00:53:07,440 of death? By what grace we are saved from 815 00:53:07,440 --> 00:53:15,560 that by grace anytime in any fashion that our worldview 816 00:53:15,560 --> 00:53:20,600 breaks down into us. And then it will always, always, 817 00:53:20,680 --> 00:53:24,920 always end. And what we saw this week, there 818 00:53:24,920 --> 00:53:30,040 is simply no room in the Kingdom for us and them. 819 00:53:30,160 --> 00:53:34,040 It is Jesus and those who are with Him and the the 820 00:53:34,040 --> 00:53:38,160 demonstration of strength and grace that we find in the person 821 00:53:38,160 --> 00:53:43,480 of Jesus as a towel and a wash basin as he cleans those who 822 00:53:43,480 --> 00:53:47,600 betrayed them in the very shadow of the cross. 823 00:53:48,280 --> 00:53:56,040 There is no space in the Kingdom and the church for retaliation. 824 00:53:58,280 --> 00:54:00,040 And you go, but it was so. But he didn't listen. 825 00:54:00,040 --> 00:54:02,680 Jesus at the foot of the cross said what? 826 00:54:02,680 --> 00:54:07,560 Forgive them or they don't know what they're doing. 827 00:54:08,920 --> 00:54:12,200 The fact in this matter isn't whether you agreed or disagreed, 828 00:54:13,440 --> 00:54:16,160 because if you, you know that. Here's the thing. 829 00:54:16,720 --> 00:54:19,120 You can look on the news. Charlie Kirk. 830 00:54:19,320 --> 00:54:23,120 We grieve the loss and the passing of Charlie Kirk that 831 00:54:23,120 --> 00:54:28,480 happened right in front of us. I grieve that my 14 year old has 832 00:54:28,480 --> 00:54:34,640 those images in her head. It's not just Charlie Kirk, it's 833 00:54:34,640 --> 00:54:37,120 Melissa Hortman in Minnesota. It's. 834 00:54:37,120 --> 00:54:42,760 Children in Denver, Co whose names didn't even make the news. 835 00:54:44,400 --> 00:54:47,760 I remember 1999, April 20th, 1999. 836 00:54:47,760 --> 00:54:48,880 You know what's special about that? 837 00:54:49,400 --> 00:54:52,280 That's the day that students walked into Columbine, Columbine 838 00:54:52,280 --> 00:54:54,040 High School and started blowing things up. 839 00:54:55,040 --> 00:54:58,200 I was riveted, couldn't take my eyes off the TV for weeks and 840 00:54:58,200 --> 00:55:02,400 now that doesn't even make the news. 841 00:55:03,680 --> 00:55:09,800 Church, this world needs salvation, and salvation comes 842 00:55:09,800 --> 00:55:17,120 when we all, y'all and me, we feel our feelings to the depth, 843 00:55:17,280 --> 00:55:21,200 to the dregs of them. We let them empty us, we weep 844 00:55:21,200 --> 00:55:24,840 and we lament before God and go. How could you? 845 00:55:25,240 --> 00:55:28,560 How could this? And then we walk out of our 846 00:55:28,560 --> 00:55:31,880 prayer closet with a towel and a heart to serve. 847 00:55:32,000 --> 00:55:35,320 And we love, and we forgive, and we pray. 848 00:55:36,440 --> 00:55:41,360 By grace you're saved. So Jesus, I pray that you would 849 00:55:41,360 --> 00:55:44,880 give us grace today, not that we would ignore or minimize our 850 00:55:44,880 --> 00:55:47,520 feelings or our pain or our loss or our hurt. 851 00:55:47,600 --> 00:55:51,040 I pray that we would enter in it to it by your Spirit, that you 852 00:55:51,040 --> 00:55:53,920 would need us in the pain and the grief and the sorrow, that 853 00:55:53,920 --> 00:55:56,320 we would tell you all the truth. And then I pray that we would be 854 00:55:56,320 --> 00:56:03,440 transformed, that we would know. Father, you've defeated the 855 00:56:03,440 --> 00:56:08,680 powers. You sit enthroned over them, and 856 00:56:08,680 --> 00:56:15,560 when we forgive, we win. When we humble ourselves, we 857 00:56:15,560 --> 00:56:18,680 win. Oh Jesus, I pray that you would 858 00:56:18,680 --> 00:56:26,640 make us like you. Your name, Amen. 859 00:56:26,640 --> 00:56:33,160 Wait, don't get up. They'll be fine as you go. 860 00:56:34,560 --> 00:56:39,960 May the Lord bless you and keep you. 861 00:56:41,800 --> 00:56:47,320 May He make his face to shine upon you, give you peace. 862 00:56:48,640 --> 00:56:54,480 May He lift his countenance, the smile of His eternal presence. 863 00:56:54,480 --> 00:56:58,760 May He lift that to you and give you peace. 864 00:56:59,560 --> 00:57:02,560 Thank you for joining us today. River City Church is all about 865 00:57:02,560 --> 00:57:05,280 experiencing and expressing God's love in our lives and 866 00:57:05,280 --> 00:57:07,960 community, and we hope that you've been able to experience 867 00:57:07,960 --> 00:57:10,600 that today. As grateful as I am that you've 868 00:57:10,600 --> 00:57:13,920 spent this time listening in this morning, this podcast is no 869 00:57:13,920 --> 00:57:16,920 substitute for full participation in a local church. 870 00:57:17,360 --> 00:57:20,520 I love it when River City people listen to other pastors, but it 871 00:57:20,520 --> 00:57:23,600 is those who show up week after week faithfully giving their 872 00:57:23,600 --> 00:57:26,480 support and time and resources that make all of this possible. 873 00:57:27,040 --> 00:57:30,320 If we can help you get connected to a local church, pray for you, 874 00:57:30,480 --> 00:57:33,600 or support you in any way, click the link in the description and 875 00:57:33,600 --> 00:57:35,720 let us know. If you'd like to financially 876 00:57:35,720 --> 00:57:38,560 support the ministry of River City, click the give link on our 877 00:57:38,560 --> 00:57:41,760 website in the description. Don't forget to subscribe and 878 00:57:41,760 --> 00:57:43,480 don't forget to share this with your friends. 879 00:57:43,680 --> 00:57:46,480 Thanks so much for listening. May the Lord bless and keep you 880 00:57:46,560 --> 00:57:48,080 in all grace and peace.