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 --> 00:00:18,600 May you enjoy the goodness of God as you follow Him today. 6 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:22,240 Hi everybody. So good to be back. 7 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:25,480 Natalie was right, man. We love being here, Love just 8 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:27,560 seeing you guys and seeing what God's doing here. 9 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:34,480 And you know, Psalm One is the perfect way to end our Proverbs 10 00:00:34,480 --> 00:00:36,400 series. You know, like it's not even the 11 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:38,520 same book, man. How can you like you're 12 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:42,600 conflicted. It is. 13 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:47,560 Psalm one tells a story of our choices and two paths, halves 14 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:49,800 that we walk based on the decisions that we make. 15 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:53,360 So with that said, I want to bring us to our confession. 16 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:57,280 Our confession is, you know, the truth is the part that you say 17 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:00,160 our, our, our identity is, is in our belovedness. 18 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:04,280 And the reality that we have to walk that out in is the reality 19 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:08,720 that despite the fact that we are so loved by our Father, we 20 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:12,200 are so loved in his name. We continue to walk out things 21 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:13,680 that are destructive, that are hurtful. 22 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:17,000 We continue to practice selfishness and division and 23 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,080 hurt and pain. And yet this unbelievable love 24 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:25,160 of God, he continues to meet us in that place with love and 25 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:27,320 invite us into a deeper experience of that. 26 00:01:27,320 --> 00:01:30,920 So our confession, each week we declare this, we say we are 27 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:34,120 badly broken. Yes, you are. 28 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:37,000 Grace and peace to you. Deeply loved indeed. 29 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:41,240 So again, Psalm One talks about these two paths, right? 30 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:46,000 One that leads to life like a tree planted by streams of water 31 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:49,000 in season and the other this wicked this way that leads to 32 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:51,600 destruction. And that's kind of been this. 33 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:55,080 The idea behind our whole Proverb series is wisdom is laid 34 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:59,040 out before us and it's an invitation to choose based on 35 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:01,920 who we are, based on our belovedness. 36 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:03,640 And so if you'll. Allow me just a second. 37 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:07,040 I want to speculate what some of you may have experienced 38 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:08,800 throughout this throughout this series. 39 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:11,840 At some point, we've talked about our speech, the way that 40 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:13,240 we've talked. We talked with the fear of the 41 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:15,880 Lord and just being this acknowledgement and recognition 42 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:17,920 that God is God and that we're not. 43 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:19,520 We've talked about our relationships. 44 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:23,200 We've talked about about provision and security and work 45 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:26,600 and finances and money. And my guess is at some point 46 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:29,520 you may have experienced what we call conviction. 47 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:32,320 It's that sense in your heart or that sense in your spirit where 48 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:35,080 you just go, Oh, that's about me, Dang it. 49 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:37,000 Right. Like, and I, and I've heard 50 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:39,000 several of you have come up to me and you just said like, Hey, 51 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:39,920 it's like you're reading my mail. 52 00:02:39,920 --> 00:02:42,360 I just want you to know I'm not that's a felony. 53 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:44,280 I wouldn't, I don't, I don't do that. 54 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:48,240 But the reality is I'm not really, I can't be that familiar 55 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:50,240 with the details that are going on in your life. 56 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:53,560 So if you come to this place and you hear a guy who doesn't 57 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:56,440 really know the insurance and outs and the details of your 58 00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:59,400 life, and yet you have that experience that you should go, 59 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:03,320 that's about me. We call that conviction. 60 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,400 And what I want to tell you is it feels weird, right? 61 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:08,800 Like I don't like it. I don't, I don't like the way 62 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:10,560 that it, it feels right. It can feel invasive. 63 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:14,920 What I want to say to you is that is actually really good 64 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:19,120 news because what I would say to you is that is what it feels 65 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:23,200 like when the Holy Spirit uses the Scripture to show. 66 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:26,960 Us, our own heart. And the good news in that is 67 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:29,800 when he shows us that it is never. 68 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:32,480 I never say always and never except what I do. 69 00:03:32,640 --> 00:03:37,160 And it is never. God never says that to shame 70 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:39,960 you. He never says that to make you 71 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:42,680 feel just terrible about yourself. 72 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:47,440 He always says that to invite you into something deeper and 73 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:51,280 more real. He invites you out of death into 74 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:53,360 life. And so if he exposes something 75 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:55,960 in your language, what he's showing you is your heart. 76 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:58,600 So you can say, hey, there's something there that needs to be 77 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:01,520 tweaked right when the check engine light in your car comes 78 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:03,800 on, it's not so that you feel bad. 79 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:06,800 It's so that you go to the mechanic and so at some. 80 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:09,640 Point in this series, you may have felt a moment of conviction 81 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:12,440 where you're like. And my guess is at some point 82 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:15,040 you stood up and you go. I'm going to fix that I'm. 83 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:17,519 Going to walk out of here and I'm going to get it right. 84 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:20,600 So you walk out of here and you have this conviction about your 85 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:22,079 speech and you're committed, man. 86 00:04:22,079 --> 00:04:24,960 And you walk out of here and you are so serious about changing 87 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:27,200 the way you talk. And then you got home and you 88 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:29,480 have children. And so it immediately went out 89 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:31,920 the window, right? Like you're trying to decide 90 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:34,760 what you want for dinner and there's just no, like nobody can 91 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:38,080 disagree. And so anger just comes flying 92 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:39,960 out of your mouth and your face again. 93 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:42,840 And then you have this rant and then you have this moment where 94 00:04:42,840 --> 00:04:45,760 we have to decide, do I double down or do I back off? 95 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:49,080 And at this point you may think something like, I can't do it 96 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:49,680 anyway. So I'm just. 97 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:52,960 Going to double down. I know what I can get with 98 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:57,320 anger. Maybe you walked out of here and 99 00:04:57,320 --> 00:04:59,640 we talked about gossip or we talked about our relationships 100 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:02,140 and you just you had that conviction about that that Co 101 00:05:02,140 --> 00:05:03,880 worker at work. Or is it maybe it's about your 102 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:07,200 own heart and you realize like maybe I'm the the gossipy Co 103 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:08,520 worker. And so you walked out and you 104 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:11,840 committed, man, when I go to work, I'm not like I'm not, I'm 105 00:05:11,840 --> 00:05:15,480 not rejecting anybody. But I'm going to try to gently, 106 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:20,080 sincerely, but gently put some space in that relationship just 107 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:22,840 for a little while so that I can get my bearings under me. 108 00:05:22,840 --> 00:05:25,280 And I'm going to, I'm going to really do better about not kind 109 00:05:25,280 --> 00:05:27,880 of gossiping in that. First lunch and sit down and the 110 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:30,880 lady that sits next to you just wore this terrible thing and 111 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:32,840 you're just like, well, I I can't ignore that. 112 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:40,800 I like I have to address that. Almost the inevitable. 113 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:46,120 Result of that is shame. Right, like, why can't I just be 114 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:50,000 better for Jesus? I mean, like I, I like, I hear 115 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,320 and I know and I understand, I know the problems in my own 116 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:53,760 heart. I know the problem is, is 117 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:55,080 insecurity. I want to do right. 118 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:57,280 And listen, I, I even see some good stuff, right. 119 00:05:57,400 --> 00:05:59,480 Last one we talked about margin. You walked out here and it's 120 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:01,360 like, I'm going to have margin, man. 121 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:04,080 I'm going to, I'm going to wake up 15 minutes early and I'm 122 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:05,800 going to pray and I'm going to read my Bible. 123 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:09,080 And then you just woke up in the cedar and attacked your face and 124 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:12,240 you're just like, I need to sleep more than I need anything 125 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:15,720 else. And it just seems unrealistic. 126 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:19,800 And my guess is if you're like me, in those moments where you 127 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:22,520 said the thing that you weren't going to say anymore, you, you 128 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:24,480 gossip the way that you weren't going to gossip anymore. 129 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:27,920 You, you just lived with the same minimal or non existent 130 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:31,320 margin or ever you start chalking those things up to wins 131 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:34,280 and losses, right? And it becomes this very binary 132 00:06:34,280 --> 00:06:38,000 system of I'm either doing what the Lord wants or I'm not doing 133 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:40,800 what the Lord wants. And and so we're we're kind of 134 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:44,080 conditioned to feel this way about things either I've the one 135 00:06:44,080 --> 00:06:47,320 or I've lost. I'm either good or I'm bad. 136 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:51,600 And what happens then is when we have this kind of binary way of 137 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:55,480 looking at life, when I when my willpower gives out and your 138 00:06:55,480 --> 00:06:58,680 willpower is inevitable, like you're, listen, I love you so 139 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:01,400 much. Willpower is never going to 140 00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:04,720 sustain you. It's not, it's not really even 141 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:07,920 even a thing. But the problem is then when our 142 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:12,880 willpower inevitably gives out, what we do is we tag that with 143 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:17,960 the word failure, right? I failed at that. 144 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:22,680 I failed at establishing margin. I failed at guarding my heart. 145 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:26,360 I failed at guarding my tongue. And what happens is it doesn't 146 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:31,920 take very long to for I failed at that to become I am a 147 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:34,280 failure. And let me just first tell you. 148 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:36,240 The. Best. 149 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:39,880 Thing that you can do. For yourself is remove that way 150 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:43,920 of thinking. Remove that binary sense of I 151 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:50,000 either got it or I didn't. That perspective always bear. 152 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:53,960 That's twice, right? Never and always, always bears 153 00:07:54,120 --> 00:07:59,240 bad fruit because if the only choices are I either won or I 154 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:02,880 lost, that puts us in a position to start having to defend things 155 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:05,160 that we shouldn't be defending, right? 156 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:07,880 Because we don't want to stand before the Lord and go, I failed 157 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:10,080 again, Lord, I know that I'm a failure. 158 00:08:10,080 --> 00:08:12,760 And So what we do is we start doubling down and then we start 159 00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:15,560 getting defensive, right? Like when people just say, man, 160 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:18,120 that hurt my feelings When you say that we get defensive, we 161 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:20,600 go, well, that's your problem. You shouldn't be so sensitive 162 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:22,640 all the time, right? Because I can't bear the 163 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:25,120 thought. I'm standing before a righteous 164 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:29,120 God again, having failed and let him down. 165 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:32,760 The other side of that, right? Like we talked about fight and 166 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:34,360 flight last week, That's kind of the fighters. 167 00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:35,840 That's kind of the puncher's instinct, right? 168 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:38,960 Just get defensive and and just make sure that everybody knows 169 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:41,280 why I did the things that I did and why it really is justified. 170 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:44,960 On the other side of that, as we begin to embrace defeat, we 171 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:47,160 begin to walk in that identity. It's right. 172 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:50,560 Not that I didn't measure up, but I don't measure up. 173 00:08:51,880 --> 00:08:54,440 And if we're not careful, right? Like we can take even that even 174 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:58,240 our our confession, right? Like I'm badly broken. 175 00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:00,920 And we don't see that as an irreparable condition. 176 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:04,240 We don't see that as our final or ultimate identity. 177 00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:07,840 We see it as the reality of the day that we walk in. 178 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:11,120 I'm not able to live the life that I know that God has killed 179 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:13,120 me or I'm able, but I'm not doing it yet. 180 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:16,440 I haven't chosen it yet. And So what happens is as we 181 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:19,840 place to feed and over again, we begin to embrace it. 182 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:22,120 And we don't just go, I didn't measure up, I don't measure up. 183 00:09:22,360 --> 00:09:25,520 I didn't just fail at this. I am a failure. 184 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:28,320 What happens is we get hardened against change. 185 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:32,000 We start to believe, well, I can never live the kind of life that 186 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:34,520 Jesus calls me to. I could never be the kind of 187 00:09:34,520 --> 00:09:36,800 person that God wants of me. I could never do that. 188 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:39,080 And so maybe we keep going through the motions. 189 00:09:39,080 --> 00:09:41,600 Maybe we keep coming to church, we go to the small group. 190 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:44,160 We maybe we, you know, we say, well, maybe if I put an extra 191 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:47,320 percent in the tithe box, we do those things, maybe that'll 192 00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:49,720 measure up. But we lose the hope that we can 193 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:54,440 ever really be different. And that point? 194 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:58,800 When we either get defensive against change, defensive 195 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:02,480 against our need to change, or we embrace our brokenness so 196 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:05,840 fully that it becomes identity. At that point, we become what 197 00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:12,760 the proverbs call foolish. Failure can lead to foolishness. 198 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:15,480 But let me say this here, if you, if you've identified 199 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:17,680 yourself already as kind of one of those places, what I want to 200 00:10:17,680 --> 00:10:19,960 say is failure. Failure doesn't have to 201 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:23,920 inevitably lead to foolishness. It's not an inevitable result of 202 00:10:23,920 --> 00:10:26,040 right. Like it's possible to not 203 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:28,760 complete the things that we want to do, not do the things that we 204 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:32,040 swore up and down that we were going to do, and still not be 205 00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:35,240 lumped in with what the proverbs call fools or their folly. 206 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:39,960 The only way that failure doesn't become foolishness is if 207 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:43,280 we are willing. And able to recognize and then 208 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:47,680 adjust our direction. If we can recognize, man, no 209 00:10:47,680 --> 00:10:50,280 matter how much I swear I'm not going to do that. 210 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:54,480 I just keep doing it and then say maybe I need to find a 211 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:58,880 different way. That is when our failure 212 00:10:58,880 --> 00:11:02,760 actually leads to life. When we look at our failure as a 213 00:11:02,760 --> 00:11:06,760 diagnostic and just go, man, no matter how bad, I don't want to, 214 00:11:06,760 --> 00:11:11,000 my kids keep triggering me. The kids keep making me want to 215 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:13,480 pull my hair out right. I got to that realization too 216 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:18,160 late. So what I would say for you? 217 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:20,000 Right now, and this is kind of where the proverbs are going to 218 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:22,720 come in today, one of the first things that we can do, and this 219 00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:25,320 isn't just in our own personal formation and development, but 220 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:28,280 as a general rule, right? Like when we look at at the 221 00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:33,320 world at all of it, de emphasize this binary reality of winning 222 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:35,960 and losing. The world doesn't. 223 00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:39,400 I mean, now in baseball it does, right, because one team will 224 00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:42,000 score more runs than the other. One team will score more 225 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:44,200 touchdowns than the other and you know, and all those things. 226 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:48,160 But in most places in our life, it's not an either or 227 00:11:48,160 --> 00:11:51,720 proposition. In most places in our life, it's 228 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:55,360 not he won and he didn't. In most cases in our life, we 229 00:11:55,360 --> 00:11:59,880 can much more find a spectrum or a graduation that is movement. 230 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:03,960 We call it growth and growth is better. 231 00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:09,200 Growth is a better evaluative metric than winning and losing. 232 00:12:09,880 --> 00:12:12,520 So what that allows us to do is wake up and walk through our 233 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:15,800 lives and recognize or realize progress, movement. 234 00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:20,400 Hey, I was less angry today. It took me longer to start 235 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:23,760 pulling my hair out. It took me longer to engage with 236 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:27,560 that gossipy person and then to recognize and realize that's 237 00:12:27,560 --> 00:12:30,600 progress. That is movement and small 238 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:34,840 victories are OK. As your pastor who is so 239 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:37,480 invested in you learning to follow Jesus, I want you to 240 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:38,880 tell. I want you to hear from me. 241 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:44,000 Small victories are victories. Small movement is movement. 242 00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:49,280 Small growth is growth. At one point I weighed 8 lbs and 243 00:12:49,280 --> 00:12:54,320 1 oz. I'm significantly more than that 244 00:12:54,320 --> 00:12:58,160 today. And it's been a process of 50 245 00:12:58,160 --> 00:13:01,920 years to get here. And that's OK. 246 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:04,040 That's how it. Works. 247 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:07,440 Mostly, and that's what the proverbs show us. 248 00:13:07,560 --> 00:13:10,880 That's where we find ourselves in Proverbs, how moments of 249 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:16,520 failure are actually they, the way that wisdom is formed in US 250 00:13:17,240 --> 00:13:20,440 by acknowledging and recognizing those moments that are not 251 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:24,840 absolute and interminable and undoable moments of failure, but 252 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:28,280 are actually ways that we can begin to align to ultimate 253 00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:30,680 reality. That's how wisdom gets into it. 254 00:13:30,680 --> 00:13:33,960 So what does it look like when we read in Proverbs chapter 4, 255 00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:39,440 verse 18, it says this, the way of the righteous is like, 256 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:41,040 there's that word. What does a like tell us? 257 00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:43,120 What kind of figure of speech is this? 258 00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:44,720 Simile. You guys are. 259 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:46,800 English majors, now you even know it, right? 260 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:50,680 The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which 261 00:13:50,680 --> 00:13:53,920 shines ever brighter until the first light of day. 262 00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:56,840 So now that we know that this is a simile, what that tells us is 263 00:13:57,000 --> 00:14:00,480 slow down. This tells us that we don't rush 264 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:02,560 through this. So here's I want to give you a 265 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:05,400 super important Bible study technique. 266 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:08,840 Are you ready? Close your eyes and imagine 267 00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:11,000 this. I want you in your brain to 268 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:16,200 think about what is the first gleam of dawn like. 269 00:14:18,520 --> 00:14:21,520 Can you imagine a sunrise in your in your mindset? 270 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:27,400 Have you ever seen one? The Sun. 271 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:32,360 Rises over the corner of our house and so long before I ever 272 00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:34,080 see the sun. Keep imagining this, keep seeing 273 00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:35,720 this. Long before I ever actually see 274 00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:40,680 the sun, I begin to see the clouds light up what is dark and 275 00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:45,920 Gray with the night gently becomes purple and then orange. 276 00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:52,400 And after I see the sunrise on the clouds and in the sky after 277 00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:56,000 that, then I begin to see just gently at first, the first 278 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:58,640 Crescent of light. And it's different now. 279 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:01,920 The colors really change. Things that were hidden or 280 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:05,040 invisible before become visible now. 281 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:10,760 Things that were dull and and featureless begin to take on 282 00:15:10,760 --> 00:15:15,880 shape and substance. You see it. 283 00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:20,720 You can open your eyes now if you want. 284 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:21,440 You don't have to. May. 285 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:26,560 If you're in a nap, that's OK. The Scripture tells us is that 286 00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:30,360 righteousness is like that. So what's the first light of 287 00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:33,520 dawn like? It's gradual, it's progressive, 288 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:37,400 it's visible. We see things before we ever see 289 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:42,240 the thing. It's not like the noonday 290 00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:46,120 intensity all at once. The gradual light of dawn, it 291 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:49,920 grows and it progressive and it and it builds and it begins to 292 00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:52,320 color things and what the scripture tells us, are you 293 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:54,920 listening? What the scripture tells us is 294 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:59,560 that righteousness is like that. Some of you think, whoa, man, 295 00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:01,880 like Al talks about they got saved within the last three 296 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:04,440 years here at this church. And the most the greatest thing 297 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:07,160 that our enemy wants to tell you is you're doing it wrong or 298 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:09,560 you'd be better. And what the scripture tells us, 299 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:13,600 it's not like that at all. It's gradual, it's progressive, 300 00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:19,040 it's little bit by little, maybe the. 1st. 301 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:22,840 Light of righteousness that you've seen through this Proverb 302 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:26,160 series is that the simple awareness that I never knew that 303 00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:29,560 the Bible talked about my speech before. 304 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:34,000 I never knew that the Bible had anything to say about the way 305 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:38,160 that I have my relationships. Maybe you never understood what 306 00:16:38,160 --> 00:16:40,360 the Scripture has. Maybe you always heard the 307 00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:43,520 Scripture just talk about money as some preacher trying to get 308 00:16:43,520 --> 00:16:45,400 in your pocket. And maybe this week for the 309 00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:48,600 first time in in a way and it's and it's not complete. 310 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:50,400 It's not full, it's not fully formed. 311 00:16:50,480 --> 00:16:53,480 Maybe it's just a sense in your gut and in your soul that says 312 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:56,320 I've never thought about that. I never knew that the Bible 313 00:16:56,320 --> 00:17:00,680 wanted to say that about this. And what I would say is that is 314 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:04,560 progress. And I want you to know, do you 315 00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:06,920 know why it goes? Like that because the Lord is 316 00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:11,560 gentle and He is kind and he is faithful and he doesn't want to 317 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:14,520 just beat you over the head with a hammer and go. 318 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:17,200 Why haven't you fixed all your habits? 319 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:23,119 Yet that may have been your dad. That may be your boss. 320 00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:27,760 That may be you, but the Lord is different. 321 00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:31,640 He is gentle, He is progressive. He's willing to say slow. 322 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:36,800 And the promise is, and the wisdom in this passage is that 323 00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:41,080 if, then we will stay with that, if we will continue to look at 324 00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:42,440 the horizon. That's the thing about the 325 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:44,600 sunrise, right? When I walk out my door and I 326 00:17:44,600 --> 00:17:48,320 see the sunrise coming over there and I see the colors on 327 00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:52,240 the sky, it's perfectly realistic for me to turn around 328 00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:55,640 and walk back inside and miss the whole thing, right? 329 00:17:55,920 --> 00:18:00,240 But if we will remain, if we will stay, if we'll even park 330 00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:02,720 and camp out and put a little chair out and look off at the 331 00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:05,040 horizon, the eastern horizon, then we'll see them. 332 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:09,160 If we will continue to stare at wisdom, what happens then is 333 00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:11,080 that we'll begin to see ourselves. 334 00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:14,800 Begin to see, hey, it's not just that the Bible talks about our 335 00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:18,040 relationships, but I see through the scripture that my 336 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:22,000 relationships are causing me to have the anxiety that I have. 337 00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:25,880 Maybe my anxiety isn't out there, it's in here. 338 00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:30,200 And with some simple changes, I can begin to see different 339 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:32,040 fruits. Maybe if I'll just reorder my 340 00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:35,480 time, maybe I would. Maybe if I would just start, you 341 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:38,440 know, practicing generosity. If I would start practicing 342 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:40,960 getting up and putting some margin in my life and in my 343 00:18:40,960 --> 00:18:43,200 space, I'll begin to be free in some areas. 344 00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:45,920 We begin to see not just out there, but how the scripture and 345 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:49,160 how wisdom grows in US. And notice you haven't done 346 00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:53,120 anything yet. You're just acknowledging this 347 00:18:53,120 --> 00:18:56,640 is for me. You just see the world 348 00:18:56,960 --> 00:19:00,240 differently. This is the key moment. 349 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:04,560 This is the moment where we're going to set out on that path to 350 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:06,680 decide. Are we going to be transformed 351 00:19:06,680 --> 00:19:08,480 by wisdom? Are we going to keep looking 352 00:19:08,520 --> 00:19:11,360 because it's uncomfortable? I don't want to think that my 353 00:19:11,360 --> 00:19:14,560 relationships have anything to do with my internal sins because 354 00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:15,840 then I might have to change something. 355 00:19:15,840 --> 00:19:18,160 And change is uncomfortable. And what if I offend them? 356 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:19,320 Or what if I hurt their feelings? 357 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:22,480 Or what if I do it wrong? Or what if I'm just crazy person 358 00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:26,960 thinking that God talks to me? Will we stay with that sun? 359 00:19:27,120 --> 00:19:31,240 Will we look at the sunrise and watch it continue to grow if we 360 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:35,520 face it or not? That is the key of whether we 361 00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:39,240 will increasingly walk the path of wisdom or we'll go off the 362 00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:40,880 trail. Now let's acknowledge something. 363 00:19:40,880 --> 00:19:42,160 I want to acknowledge something real quick. 364 00:19:42,360 --> 00:19:46,320 This passage in Proverbs doesn't use the word wisdom. 365 00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:50,280 It uses the word righteousness and some of you may have been 366 00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:52,240 beat up. By the word righteousness, but 367 00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:55,280 we're not going to let that happen when we. 368 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:57,160 Read about like what you may have heard about. 369 00:19:57,160 --> 00:20:02,120 Righteousness is some standard of moral goodness that you don't 370 00:20:02,120 --> 00:20:05,520 measure up to. When you read the Bible and the 371 00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:09,560 Bible talks about righteousness, it is always man, I'm saying. 372 00:20:09,560 --> 00:20:17,600 Always a lot this week, right? Righteousness is always 373 00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:21,560 relational first, Remember, we talked about relationships. 374 00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:22,840 We talked about proximity, right? 375 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:26,160 Like how we're transformed by the people that we're close to, 376 00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:29,960 and if we bring people close to us that that draws to the Lord 377 00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:33,520 will begin to bear that fruit. What righteousness is, First of 378 00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:37,920 all, proximity to Jesus's heart and to Jesus's character. 379 00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:41,000 We find it in the Word, we find it in community, right? 380 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:43,320 A group of people that love us that point us to Jesus. 381 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:46,880 That's where as we draw close to him through these, through these 382 00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:48,680 things like, listen, I want you to know, like we're talking 383 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:51,160 about Ash Wednesday coming up. We're not becoming a Catholic 384 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:52,800 Church. You're, you're just like, well, 385 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:56,040 Lent is for the Catholic people. I love my Catholic friends love 386 00:20:56,040 --> 00:20:58,880 to celebrate Lent. We're not becoming Catholic, but 387 00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:00,800 we are acknowledging that there are seasons. 388 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:04,360 In the year that allow us to draw close to him, allow us to 389 00:21:04,360 --> 00:21:06,920 recognize him in the seasons and in the scripture. 390 00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:10,640 And so for the Lenten season, we're focused on the journey to 391 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:13,240 the cross. How Jesus get, how do we get 392 00:21:13,240 --> 00:21:14,480 right? Because we want to talk about 393 00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:15,960 Easter. Well, we got to talk about the 394 00:21:15,960 --> 00:21:17,760 cross. If we don't know about Good 395 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:20,440 Friday, then Easter's just another day with bunnies and 396 00:21:20,440 --> 00:21:23,560 rabbits and stuff. So we're going to talk about the 397 00:21:23,560 --> 00:21:25,520 long part. We're going to stare into truth 398 00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:27,880 and wisdom and let it transform us. 399 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:33,080 So righteousness is being transformed by just simply 400 00:21:33,080 --> 00:21:38,080 staying with Jesus. And what the Proverbs tell us is 401 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:43,240 that it is progressive, that it is ongoing transformation. 402 00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:48,080 It's not, man. Listen, if if you grew up and 403 00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:52,880 every third word that you heard was a cuss word, Jesus isn't mad 404 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:56,760 that your first 40 years take a little bit of time to deprogram. 405 00:21:57,800 --> 00:22:00,720 Jesus may be perfectly Jesus, perfectly willing for you to 406 00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:04,160 just go, man. I kind of feel like maybe I need 407 00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:06,920 to deal with that. You realize that's growth. 408 00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:09,240 And listen, here's what I want to tell you. 409 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:14,400 Are you listening? That growth, Jesus in heaven, is 410 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:22,160 like, yeah, we're getting it. Because as soon as you say that, 411 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:25,680 you're ready for the next step. You're ready for Jesus to just 412 00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:28,960 go, Hey, now, let's talk about why you say those things. 413 00:22:29,120 --> 00:22:32,360 Now let's talk about the wounds that cause you to be defensive. 414 00:22:32,520 --> 00:22:35,120 Let's talk about the things that were taken from you when you're 415 00:22:35,120 --> 00:22:37,760 a child that caused you to feel like you have to provide for 416 00:22:37,760 --> 00:22:40,760 yourself and anticipate every fear and failure that comes, 417 00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:42,040 right? Let's talk about that. 418 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:44,320 And you don't have to get that all at first either. 419 00:22:44,320 --> 00:22:47,080 It's a path, it's a progress, it's walking in. 420 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:49,760 See, when we talk about righteousness and wisdom in the 421 00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:53,840 Scriptures, wisdom is formed simply in staying with the 422 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:58,120 light. Just stay there a little bit 423 00:22:58,120 --> 00:23:01,440 longer. Just keep going a little bit 424 00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:03,200 more. How about the end of the road? 425 00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:05,320 I don't know. I'm not there yet. 426 00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:09,520 I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, but I know 427 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:14,000 what's in front of me today and I know what I'm feeling today. 428 00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:16,960 I don't want to let a lot of you off the. 429 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:19,600 Hook, if you've looked at this wisdom and you walk down and 430 00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:22,000 just go, man, I don't have any wisdom at all. 431 00:23:23,120 --> 00:23:27,160 Listen. You cannot produce wisdom. 432 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:31,120 You cannot manufacture it on your own. 433 00:23:32,120 --> 00:23:35,640 You can't white knuckle it. You can't extract it from 434 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:39,040 moments. You can simply stay where you 435 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:42,920 are, oriented to the light that God shows you, and you know what 436 00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:45,280 happens. Then you get to spend a lot of 437 00:23:45,280 --> 00:23:48,880 time with Jesus and you get to spend those moments where you 438 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:51,200 just go, Lord, I don't feel like I'm very good at all. 439 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:53,400 And you get to. Hear him whisper in your ear. 440 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:56,440 Are you listening? You get to hear the God of all 441 00:23:56,440 --> 00:23:58,920 creation go. I just love being with you, man. 442 00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:11,070 My kids are sinners. There's almost no one in the 443 00:24:11,070 --> 00:24:12,510 world I'd rather spend my time with. 444 00:24:14,990 --> 00:24:18,270 And I will drop what I'm doing to be with them. 445 00:24:19,270 --> 00:24:23,720 And when they've screwed it up and they're hurting because 446 00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:28,920 they've screwed it up, those are my favorite times because I, I 447 00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:30,880 don't have the answers. You know what? 448 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:33,320 I can tell them you're going to be OK. 449 00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:38,680 This isn't going to define you. What if we just let the Holy 450 00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:42,800 Spirit say that to us? What if instead of running to 451 00:24:42,800 --> 00:24:46,960 the next thing, we just pause and stop and let Him speak to 452 00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:50,680 us? If we read righteousness. 453 00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:55,640 Has some behavior set that we have to that that allows us to 454 00:24:55,720 --> 00:25:00,000 earn or to keep access to God? If we read of righteousness as 455 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:03,880 this thing that we have to do to make Jesus approve of us, we're 456 00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:05,720 going to miss it. We're going to miss the Father. 457 00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:07,640 We're going to miss all of his goodness and his comfort. 458 00:25:07,760 --> 00:25:10,480 And most of all, we're going to miss the contrast that's coming. 459 00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:13,000 Because the next thing that he says is this, and I want you to 460 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:15,240 know this is hard, right? He says this. 461 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:17,960 The way of the wicked is like total darkness. 462 00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:19,680 There's that word like again, right? 463 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:23,320 It's like total darkness. They have no idea what they're 464 00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:25,720 stumbling over, right? So here's another simile. 465 00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:28,560 So what is total darkness? Like we read about total 466 00:25:28,560 --> 00:25:30,400 darkness. It's the opposite of the 467 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:32,640 sunrise. It is not progressive in any 468 00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:34,600 way. It doesn't dawn on us. 469 00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:36,280 It doesn't get progressively darker. 470 00:25:36,360 --> 00:25:40,160 It is total, absolute right now, everywhere. 471 00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:44,080 It's like walking into a cave so dark that your eyes will never 472 00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:47,600 adjust. Now you can reach around and try 473 00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:49,600 to find a way. You can try to find a wall. 474 00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:51,600 But listen, you don't know what's in The Cave. 475 00:25:51,600 --> 00:25:54,720 You might be poking a bear, bear about to bite your arm off 476 00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:56,440 because you don't know what's going on. 477 00:25:57,720 --> 00:25:59,320 And here's the uncomfortable part. 478 00:25:59,920 --> 00:26:03,680 The word that the Scripture uses to define this kind of lifestyle 479 00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:07,080 is wicked. And my great fear is we're going 480 00:26:07,080 --> 00:26:09,240 to hear that wicked and instantly go, well, that's not 481 00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:10,240 me. I'm not wicked. 482 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:12,840 I don't kick puppies. I'm not. 483 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:16,160 I'm not cruel. That's what wickedness is. 484 00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:20,520 The problem is that's not how the Scripture talks about 485 00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:23,240 wickedness in the same way. And this is a contrast, right? 486 00:26:23,920 --> 00:26:27,040 Righteousness is like this and wickedness is like this. 487 00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:32,840 If righteousness is a relational trajectory over time, then so is 488 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:35,800 wickedness. The. 489 00:26:36,120 --> 00:26:38,520 Comparison between righteous person and the wicked person 490 00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:43,280 isn't a contrast between a nice person, a generally moral 491 00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:46,040 person, a civic minded person and a cruel. 492 00:26:46,040 --> 00:26:51,960 Person who steals and kills and does all that, The wicked person 493 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:56,320 in Proverbs, the wicked person in Psalm chapter 1 is a person 494 00:26:56,320 --> 00:27:02,040 who just quietly, sincerely says, I see what the Scripture 495 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:09,000 says and I'm just not. I see what the Bible tells me 496 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:13,240 about my relationships, but I'm just not going to align with it. 497 00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:19,960 It's possible, and I say this because I love you. 498 00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:23,360 I don't want you to hear this. It is entirely possible to think 499 00:27:23,360 --> 00:27:26,480 a great deal about God and not actually be with Him. 500 00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:30,640 It's possible to talk a lot about God. 501 00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:34,400 It's possible to attend a lot of church services. 502 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:39,760 It is possible to have an unbelievable volume of devotion. 503 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:43,560 So you can it's possible to have the most rigorous quiet time in 504 00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:47,720 your in anybody that you know. And it may just be self 505 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:50,400 righteousness. That may just be you standing 506 00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:54,280 before the Lord and going look at what I've done for you Jesus, 507 00:27:55,000 --> 00:28:00,400 instead of. Submitting to his way because of 508 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:03,680 look at what you've done for me, Jesus. 509 00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:07,720 Look at how far you've gone from me. 510 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:15,440 Getting closer to God is not simply giving more, being more 511 00:28:15,440 --> 00:28:21,320 generous, attending more stuff. Getting closer to Jesus is 512 00:28:21,320 --> 00:28:29,640 simply submitting. It is simply growing, is simply 513 00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:33,600 being obedient. That's the way that we measure 514 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:37,600 growth. And So what the picture tells us 515 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:39,560 is that this relational contrast, right? 516 00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:42,800 The the contrast between righteousness, which is his way, 517 00:28:42,800 --> 00:28:45,440 staying close to him in his way, versus my way, which the 518 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:48,480 Scripture calls wickedness, that different those two paths, they 519 00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:52,480 bear different fruit, right? So the idea is I love you so 520 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:53,600 much. This is so hard. 521 00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:56,640 I just want to hold that like the goal is not the shame of the 522 00:28:56,640 --> 00:28:58,720 goals to invite us into a reality. 523 00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:02,800 The reality is as I spend time with him, as I walk with him in 524 00:29:02,800 --> 00:29:05,360 relational proximity, my heart will be trained. 525 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:09,120 I am either my love for other people that are different from 526 00:29:09,120 --> 00:29:11,840 me, that don't look like me, that don't come from the same 527 00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:14,680 place I come from, that don't have the same socioeconomic 528 00:29:14,680 --> 00:29:17,520 standard that I do, that vote differently, that raise their 529 00:29:17,520 --> 00:29:19,800 kids differently. My love for them is either 530 00:29:19,800 --> 00:29:24,400 growing and I'm becoming more like Jesus, or I am becoming. 531 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:28,600 I'm more rigid in my categories of who does and doesn't get in, 532 00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:33,760 and that is not a binary that the scripture presents. 533 00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:37,400 Now, I don't perfectly love everybody. 534 00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:42,240 I don't perfectly love anybody. But the question is, am I 535 00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:47,040 growing more like him? I am either becoming moment by 536 00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:49,600 moment more aware that the. Person in the world who needs 537 00:29:49,600 --> 00:29:52,720 the most grace is me. It's not them. 538 00:29:52,880 --> 00:29:55,160 It's not those guys, it's not the other guy. 539 00:29:55,280 --> 00:29:58,640 The person in the world who needs the most grace is me. 540 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:04,600 Or I am doubling down on my reality that I am right and they 541 00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:07,400 are wrong. I am in and they are out. 542 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:14,320 I am good and they are bad. And what it says here is verse 543 00:30:14,320 --> 00:30:17,840 19. They have no idea what they are 544 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:20,560 stumbling. Over the fruit of this reality 545 00:30:20,560 --> 00:30:23,080 is right, Like when we when we double down and we get more 546 00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:26,800 rigid and we get less flexible and we get more certain in 547 00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:28,360 ourselves and more self righteousness. 548 00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:31,480 What happens is we begin to keep bumping into the same walls, 549 00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:35,200 right? We keep making the same mistakes 550 00:30:35,200 --> 00:30:38,200 over and over and over again. And listen, I've known people 551 00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:44,480 that have had the same relationship 15 different times. 552 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:47,400 Why do I keep, man? Why do I keep? 553 00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:52,120 Marrying people that are so selfish because you're not 554 00:30:52,120 --> 00:30:55,600 growing, because you're not changing, because you haven't 555 00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:58,240 learned anything, because there's no progress, because you 556 00:30:58,240 --> 00:31:00,520 haven't stopped this And what is always. 557 00:31:00,760 --> 00:31:02,000 Always. Not this time. 558 00:31:03,680 --> 00:31:08,640 What is often the case in those situations is I prioritize 559 00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:10,880 myself. And what I've said is I want 560 00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:14,240 this. I want to feel this and they 561 00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:17,560 offer me that. I want to experience that and 562 00:31:17,560 --> 00:31:22,120 this offers me that. This isn't neutral ignorance. 563 00:31:22,560 --> 00:31:24,200 Right. Like this isn't the person who 564 00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:26,840 doesn't know anything, the person that has to figure it 565 00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:28,440 out. This isn't that first time you 566 00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:30,680 walk in place. This is the person who just 567 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:34,520 won't walk out of the darkness. This is the person who just 568 00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:36,680 says, man, I don't know. And this amounts to a 569 00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:40,720 determination not to be transformed, A determination to 570 00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:43,920 say, I'm not going that way. And the reason that we won't be 571 00:31:43,920 --> 00:31:46,200 transformed is because we just won't submit. 572 00:31:47,640 --> 00:31:49,120 We refuse. To let what he. 573 00:31:49,120 --> 00:31:53,040 Says into our lives we listen. Ultimately what it comes down to 574 00:31:53,040 --> 00:31:56,920 is we refuse to let him be God in that area of our lives, our 575 00:31:56,920 --> 00:32:00,240 speech, our, our security, our our hopes, our dreams or 576 00:32:00,240 --> 00:32:03,760 whatever it is. We won't be transformed. 577 00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:07,640 And again, this idea is is big and I want to get in the picture 578 00:32:07,640 --> 00:32:12,200 right from 8 lbs one ounce to significantly more than that was 579 00:32:12,360 --> 00:32:16,040 long. It was a progress over time, 580 00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:19,120 moment by moment. And there were seasons where I 581 00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:21,800 added a lot. There were seasons where I 582 00:32:21,800 --> 00:32:24,200 dropped some. It hasn't been linear. 583 00:32:24,200 --> 00:32:28,720 It hasn't all been up and to the right, and I honestly haven't 584 00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:30,680 always even been looking at the sunrise. 585 00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:34,600 There was a long season of my life where I walked inside and 586 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:36,000 slammed the door against the light. 587 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:39,480 But guess what? I found a moment that I opened 588 00:32:39,480 --> 00:32:40,880 the door. I didn't even open the door, so 589 00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:43,200 I peeked out the window. One time was like peeking behind 590 00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:47,640 the blinds and I see the light and the Father's still waiting 591 00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:50,920 there to love me. Father's still waiting there to 592 00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:54,320 invite me into his presence. You realize, church, This is why 593 00:32:54,320 --> 00:32:58,640 we don't judge people, because this is where the light is. 594 00:32:59,640 --> 00:33:02,680 We talk about a Jesus who meets us and loves us, and we don't 595 00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:04,840 want this to be a place of closed doors. 596 00:33:05,720 --> 00:33:09,080 This wisdom in Proverbs, it's not just Old Testament wisdom, 597 00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:11,880 this Proverbs, every week that we've seen, this wisdom is 598 00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:15,120 embodied in Jesus. This wisdom is embodied by the 599 00:33:15,120 --> 00:33:17,880 person of Jesus. It's his story. 600 00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:21,320 And so the idea is if we hear the teachings of Jesus, if we 601 00:33:21,320 --> 00:33:26,360 hear this wisdom and we just go, yeah, but yeah, I hear that. 602 00:33:26,360 --> 00:33:29,160 But yeah, but. Listen, I love you so much as 603 00:33:29,160 --> 00:33:33,080 your pastor be pastoral. Malpractice to say, yeah, but we 604 00:33:33,080 --> 00:33:36,760 may be slipping. He may be walking off the path. 605 00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:41,200 So what does this righteous wisdom sound like in Jesus's 606 00:33:41,200 --> 00:33:43,680 voice? It sounds like a story. 607 00:33:44,120 --> 00:33:47,400 It sounds like a parable. Jesus tells a story in Luke 608 00:33:47,400 --> 00:33:49,920 chapter 8 where he says there was a farmer and he had some 609 00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:52,880 seed and he went out and he scattered the seed. 610 00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:57,920 And then the story in this parable in Luke 8, it's the same 611 00:33:57,920 --> 00:34:00,600 farmer. It's the same kind of seed. 612 00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:03,320 He didn't say, oh, that's almost carrot seed and some was lettuce 613 00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:04,720 seed. And like, no, it's just seed. 614 00:34:04,720 --> 00:34:06,720 It was all the seed. And the farmer went out and he 615 00:34:06,720 --> 00:34:10,199 scattered some seed. Same technique. 616 00:34:10,840 --> 00:34:14,560 But what he says is. Some of the seed got scooped up, 617 00:34:15,560 --> 00:34:19,159 some of the seed grew up real quick, but then it went away 618 00:34:20,040 --> 00:34:24,880 some of the seed. Man it took root and it grew and 619 00:34:24,880 --> 00:34:29,440 grew and grew and what it said it produced 100 times what was 620 00:34:29,679 --> 00:34:33,560 planted. The only variable in Jesus 621 00:34:33,560 --> 00:34:36,239 parable was the condition of the soil. 622 00:34:37,679 --> 00:34:40,800 The only variable, the only thing that was different, the 623 00:34:40,840 --> 00:34:44,639 only difference between the seed that blossoms and bears fruit 624 00:34:44,639 --> 00:34:47,639 and the seed that doesn't, is what's going on in that soil. 625 00:34:47,719 --> 00:34:50,000 The thing that's crazy about this, this is the thing that 626 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:52,800 confronts us, right? There's no villain in the story. 627 00:34:53,199 --> 00:34:56,280 There's no bad guy. It's not like all of a sudden it 628 00:34:56,280 --> 00:34:58,400 doesn't even talk about a big flood that came, right? 629 00:34:58,480 --> 00:35:01,720 There was no defiant rejection. There's no person standing and 630 00:35:01,720 --> 00:35:05,560 shaking their fists at God. There's just this gradual, 631 00:35:05,680 --> 00:35:11,400 persistent erosion over time. Except in the case of the good. 632 00:35:11,400 --> 00:35:17,840 Soil where the roots went. That's a picture of foolishness. 633 00:35:19,040 --> 00:35:23,160 Foolishness in the Scripture is to have access to seed and the 634 00:35:23,160 --> 00:35:27,920 wisdom of the sower and to not prepare our hearts but look at 635 00:35:27,920 --> 00:35:30,320 how Jesus describes this good soil. 636 00:35:30,320 --> 00:35:35,120 Luke chapter 815. He says this the seed that fell 637 00:35:35,120 --> 00:35:40,160 on the good soil represent honest, good hearted people who 638 00:35:40,160 --> 00:35:42,480 hear God's word and what what does it say? 639 00:35:43,080 --> 00:35:45,640 He cling to it and what's that next word? 640 00:35:45,640 --> 00:35:50,320 They what patiently produce a huge. 641 00:35:50,800 --> 00:35:51,720 Harvest. You know what? 642 00:35:51,720 --> 00:35:54,640 My instinct is white. Knuckles, if you go to recovery, 643 00:35:54,640 --> 00:35:56,960 right, they talk about white knuckling their sobriety, right? 644 00:35:56,960 --> 00:35:58,160 Like it's just like clinging to it. 645 00:35:58,320 --> 00:36:00,400 It is. Determined not to do it. 646 00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:02,800 By my own willpower, friend, Your willpower's not going to 647 00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:05,600 make it. Moment's going to be too big, 648 00:36:05,600 --> 00:36:07,480 too scary for you, and we're going to let go. 649 00:36:07,480 --> 00:36:10,920 But what the scripture talks about is perseverance. 650 00:36:11,960 --> 00:36:14,640 Just don't. Walk. 651 00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:19,400 Away. Just don't quit hoping that 652 00:36:19,400 --> 00:36:22,360 Jesus can do a work in you. It doesn't talk about intense 653 00:36:22,360 --> 00:36:24,360 feelings. It doesn't talk about making 654 00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:27,080 promises to God. Look, Oh yeah, Lord, I'm going 655 00:36:27,080 --> 00:36:28,920 to get it right this time. I'm going to get it right 656 00:36:28,920 --> 00:36:29,760 tomorrow. It walks. 657 00:36:29,760 --> 00:36:31,560 Out of here and goes, man, I'm going to bet a dollar to 658 00:36:31,560 --> 00:36:33,840 doughnuts I'm going to walk out of here and screw it up. 659 00:36:34,800 --> 00:36:37,480 And as soon as I do, I'm going to point at it and I'm going to 660 00:36:37,480 --> 00:36:38,440 go. That's not it. 661 00:36:39,240 --> 00:36:46,080 Nope, didn't want to do that. Lord help me right to talk about 662 00:36:46,080 --> 00:36:49,960 the Jesus prayer. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, 663 00:36:49,960 --> 00:36:55,320 have mercy on me, a Sinner. Listen, I'm a child of God. 664 00:36:55,920 --> 00:36:57,880 I am indwelled by his Holy Spirit. 665 00:36:57,880 --> 00:37:01,120 He is transforming me. He's making me new on the 666 00:37:01,120 --> 00:37:03,760 inside, but I can acknowledge I screw it up. 667 00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:06,840 One of my favorite authors, Eugene Peterson, he wrote a book 668 00:37:06,840 --> 00:37:11,960 and he it's called a long obedience in the same direction. 669 00:37:13,160 --> 00:37:14,640 That's the picture of discipleship. 670 00:37:15,360 --> 00:37:18,880 That's what it is. The parable of the point of 671 00:37:18,880 --> 00:37:23,760 Jesus is parable is that good things grow over a lifetime when 672 00:37:23,760 --> 00:37:29,400 we follow Jesus. I don't, I don't like that. 673 00:37:29,480 --> 00:37:33,920 I like instant fruit. I like, you know, microwave 674 00:37:33,920 --> 00:37:36,480 oatmeal. I like things that I can like 675 00:37:36,560 --> 00:37:40,680 get instantly. And right now, Jesus never 676 00:37:40,680 --> 00:37:44,360 promises comfort. Jesus never says that you're 677 00:37:44,360 --> 00:37:47,120 going to be healthy or wealthy, but he does say that you'll have 678 00:37:47,120 --> 00:37:50,600 access to wisdom. He never says it'll be easy. 679 00:37:50,600 --> 00:37:53,600 He never says that everything that you want will find its way 680 00:37:53,600 --> 00:37:58,120 to you. What he says is that even though 681 00:37:58,120 --> 00:38:03,080 we live in a world that tears itself apart, that divides us 682 00:38:03,080 --> 00:38:07,520 and destroys us and yells at us and makes us feel like a failure 683 00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:10,800 and then judges us for being a failure, he says even in that 684 00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:14,200 kind of world, you can predictably bear fruit. 685 00:38:14,640 --> 00:38:18,240 What does fruit look like? Galatians 5 says it it's love. 686 00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:22,040 Even in a world that hates its enemies, you can be the kind of 687 00:38:22,040 --> 00:38:24,880 person that loves, talks about joy. 688 00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:28,440 Even in a world that tells you that that there's sorrow and 689 00:38:28,440 --> 00:38:31,400 sadness and things are falling apart, you can have joy. 690 00:38:32,920 --> 00:38:38,680 How different would your life? Be if you had durable joy, not. 691 00:38:39,200 --> 00:38:43,880 Cancer. But I know that my Lord is with 692 00:38:43,880 --> 00:38:46,760 me, and I know that he is God, and I know that he is good. 693 00:38:46,760 --> 00:38:51,440 And I know that even this doesn't get the final say. 694 00:38:52,720 --> 00:38:58,160 Peace, not peace because we're winning peace because we serve 695 00:38:58,160 --> 00:39:02,000 the God who created the cosmos and surely he's with me in this. 696 00:39:02,560 --> 00:39:06,200 It's the whole 9, the big nine right out of Galatians 522 and 697 00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:10,080 23. Lovejoy, peace, patience. 698 00:39:10,400 --> 00:39:11,960 Would you like to have patience? Would you like to be more 699 00:39:11,960 --> 00:39:15,720 patient, less volatile? Kindness. 700 00:39:17,440 --> 00:39:21,040 You know, I see those stupid things on TikTok that are, you 701 00:39:21,040 --> 00:39:23,760 know, soldiers coming home and surprising their kids and like, 702 00:39:23,760 --> 00:39:26,240 and people paying for their neighbors groceries. 703 00:39:26,760 --> 00:39:29,320 Nothing gets me shook like kindness. 704 00:39:30,640 --> 00:39:32,080 You live in such a hateful world. 705 00:39:34,480 --> 00:39:37,320 Church of Jesus is supposed to be the kindest people in the 706 00:39:37,320 --> 00:39:40,920 world because he's transforming us, making us new. 707 00:39:42,160 --> 00:39:46,920 Those things grow slowly. They grow almost imperceptible 708 00:39:46,920 --> 00:39:48,280 sometimes. So don't give up. 709 00:39:48,400 --> 00:39:50,400 Don't quit. Don't quit walking. 710 00:39:50,400 --> 00:39:52,520 Forward. Don't believe that God has done 711 00:39:52,520 --> 00:39:56,720 with you yet because He's not. So the question is, do you see 712 00:39:56,720 --> 00:39:58,280 those things growing in your life? 713 00:39:59,600 --> 00:40:02,040 Do you see fruits of the Spirit in your life? 714 00:40:02,960 --> 00:40:07,560 Not necessarily huge, giant prize winning pumpkins, but the 715 00:40:07,560 --> 00:40:14,200 dawn of light on the horizon. If you don't listen, listen, 716 00:40:14,200 --> 00:40:15,880 really. I mean, one minute, I know. 717 00:40:17,040 --> 00:40:20,080 If you don't see that, what I want you to hear from me as your 718 00:40:20,080 --> 00:40:23,280 pastor who has a very. Real intent of like representing 719 00:40:23,320 --> 00:40:25,480 Jesus faithfully to you. What I want you to hear me say 720 00:40:25,480 --> 00:40:28,840 is Jesus isn't mad at you. Jesus isn't here trying to shame 721 00:40:28,840 --> 00:40:30,200 you. He's not here clicking his 722 00:40:30,200 --> 00:40:32,320 tongue or shaking his finger at you. 723 00:40:32,440 --> 00:40:35,120 If you feel that, if you look at your life and just go, I'm doing 724 00:40:35,120 --> 00:40:37,240 everything I can and I got none of that fruit. 725 00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:40,240 What I want you to hear is Jesus going, hey, come here. 726 00:40:42,120 --> 00:40:45,160 Hey, hey, come here. And you know what? 727 00:40:45,160 --> 00:40:47,240 I think he's going to say to you first, I think he's going to 728 00:40:47,240 --> 00:40:52,960 look you right in your eye and go, you must be exhausted trying 729 00:40:52,960 --> 00:40:57,920 so hard doing all that work. What Jesus is going to do it 730 00:40:57,920 --> 00:40:59,920 invite you into a different path. 731 00:41:00,880 --> 00:41:04,800 He's going to invite you into a different way of life and that 732 00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:07,000 begins by considering and this is the reality. 733 00:41:07,800 --> 00:41:13,920 If you don't see that, then it's probable that something else has 734 00:41:13,920 --> 00:41:17,080 been some other kind of soil has been shaping your heart. 735 00:41:17,760 --> 00:41:20,680 Busyness or fear or concern or worry. 736 00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:27,040 And so my is dawning. Just don't turn away from it. 737 00:41:27,920 --> 00:41:31,320 Just keep looking at it. What we call that is confession. 738 00:41:32,480 --> 00:41:34,800 And confession is not, you don't have to stand up in here, right? 739 00:41:34,800 --> 00:41:36,800 If you want to come talk and confess your, it's good to 740 00:41:36,800 --> 00:41:39,200 confess your sentence to somebody else, but just that 741 00:41:39,200 --> 00:41:41,040 acknowledgement and just go like, I'm not doing that. 742 00:41:41,040 --> 00:41:43,320 I'm not bearing that fruit. My life doesn't look 743 00:41:43,440 --> 00:41:46,240 progressively more patient. My life doesn't look I'm the 744 00:41:46,240 --> 00:41:51,080 same 8 LB one ounce baby boy that I was in 1976. 745 00:41:52,120 --> 00:41:55,720 Call that confession. I'm not producing the light that 746 00:41:55,720 --> 00:41:59,320 I want to. And then with that confession 747 00:41:59,320 --> 00:42:04,000 should come the realization that some things, not everything at 748 00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:07,800 once, not all of the things, that some things are probably 749 00:42:07,800 --> 00:42:10,360 going to need to change. You don't have to. 750 00:42:10,400 --> 00:42:15,560 Figure it all out yet just set your face to the light and say 751 00:42:15,720 --> 00:42:20,480 I'm willing to say yes to what you show me, Father, That's 752 00:42:20,480 --> 00:42:24,120 progress, that's growth, and the Lord loves that. 753 00:42:25,120 --> 00:42:28,520 We call that repentance. It's opening the door. 754 00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:32,040 It's turning from the West to the east to see the sunrise in 755 00:42:32,040 --> 00:42:36,680 the morning. And that that is what being a 756 00:42:36,680 --> 00:42:41,880 Christian means. It doesn't mean being good it. 757 00:42:41,880 --> 00:42:46,720 Doesn't mean winning. It doesn't mean saving the day. 758 00:42:46,840 --> 00:42:49,720 It doesn't mean standing up for what's right. 759 00:42:49,720 --> 00:42:53,520 It means being transformed and my inner person so that I 760 00:42:53,520 --> 00:42:56,320 reflect the nature and goodness of God. 761 00:42:56,400 --> 00:42:59,280 It's. Not hard labor hauling rocks. 762 00:42:59,600 --> 00:43:02,800 It's the willingness to give him the rocks and the thorns as he 763 00:43:02,800 --> 00:43:09,200 shows them to us. And if you want that today, it's 764 00:43:09,200 --> 00:43:10,720 as easy as this. Close your eyes. 765 00:43:13,240 --> 00:43:17,320 You just say, Lord, I confess that my life doesn't bear the 766 00:43:17,320 --> 00:43:23,720 fruit that you tell me it should, and I really want that 767 00:43:23,720 --> 00:43:27,880 kind of fruit. And I realized, Jesus, that that 768 00:43:27,920 --> 00:43:32,920 only comes from you. So I confess, Jesus, that you're 769 00:43:32,920 --> 00:43:36,120 the light. I'm not the light and I turn my 770 00:43:36,120 --> 00:43:38,640 face to you and I asked. That you would be gentle with 771 00:43:38,640 --> 00:43:43,520 me. That you would never let me go. 772 00:43:46,280 --> 00:43:51,600 Jesus, teach me how to love you and teach me how to love others 773 00:43:52,040 --> 00:43:56,040 as I follow you. And maybe you're in here and 774 00:43:56,040 --> 00:43:58,400 you've been following Jesus for a long time, but you recognize 775 00:43:58,400 --> 00:44:00,480 it's been a fruitless season in your life. 776 00:44:02,360 --> 00:44:06,240 Turn your face to the sun. Ask him to make you new. 777 00:44:06,240 --> 00:44:11,040 And Jesus, we love you, and we ask all of these things in your 778 00:44:11,040 --> 00:44:12,840 name. Amen. 779 00:44:13,080 --> 00:44:16,080 Thank you for joining us today. River City Church is all about 780 00:44:16,080 --> 00:44:18,840 experiencing and expressing God's love in our lives and 781 00:44:18,840 --> 00:44:21,520 community, and we hope that you've been able to experience 782 00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:24,160 that today. As grateful as I am that you've 783 00:44:24,160 --> 00:44:27,440 spent this time listening in this morning, this podcast is no 784 00:44:27,440 --> 00:44:30,480 substitute for full participation in a local church. 785 00:44:30,920 --> 00:44:34,080 I love it when River City people listen to other pastors, but it 786 00:44:34,080 --> 00:44:37,120 is those who show up week after week faithfully giving their 787 00:44:37,120 --> 00:44:39,960 support and time and resources that make all of this possible. 788 00:44:40,720 --> 00:44:43,840 If we can help you get connected to a local church, pray for you, 789 00:44:44,120 --> 00:44:47,200 or support you in any way, click the link in the description and 790 00:44:47,200 --> 00:44:49,320 let us know. If you'd like to financially 791 00:44:49,320 --> 00:44:52,120 support the ministry of River City, click the give link on our 792 00:44:52,120 --> 00:44:55,320 website in the description. Don't forget to subscribe and 793 00:44:55,320 --> 00:44:57,040 don't forget to share this with your friends. 794 00:44:57,280 --> 00:45:00,040 Thanks so much for listening. May the Lord bless and keep you 795 00:45:00,160 --> 00:45:01,640 in all grace and peace.