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Welcome to the River City Church
podcast and a message by our 

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lead pastor, Jason Powers. 
Our prayer is that this message 

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would inspire and encourage you,
build your faith and point you 

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to the life changing love of 
Jesus. 

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May you enjoy the goodness of 
God as you follow Him today. 

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Hi, everybody. 
Man, it's good to see you here. 

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It's a little cooler than it was
last week. 

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We fixed the air conditioner. 
I told you we would. 

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You know, we care about things 
like that. 

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We also care about telling the 
truth. 

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And so we begin each week with a
confession. 

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Our confession, again, 
confession is doesn't mean that 

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I always feel it. 
It doesn't mean that I always 

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understand, certainly doesn't 
mean that I always like it. 

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But we plant our flag, we stake 
our anchor and what we believe 

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is truth. 
And we keep coming back to that.

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And so our confession this week 
and every week you say we're 

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badly broken. 
Yes, you are. 

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Grace and peace to you. 
We started looking at the book 

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of Ephesians last week and I'm 
going to tell you we're going to

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be in Ephesians forever. 
It just seems like that maybe I 

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do want to acknowledge, like 
Johnny taught last week, this is

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a truly we're going to do a team
teaching. 

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So I'll teach a couple weeks and
then you'll hear from Johnny 

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again and then I'll come back 
for a couple weeks and Johnny, 

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we'll do it because it's really 
important to get this book into 

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us. 
I love it. 

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It's one of my favorite books. 
It is powerful and, and, and 

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unashamedly. 
Our goal right now is to study 

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what we're doing in this book is
picking it apart. 

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And so my encouragement to you 
is to work along with us. 

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We're going to go slow. 
Several verses in Egypt. 

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In fact, we're going to look 
this week at what Nikki just 

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read us verse 3 through 14. 
We're going to pick up again 

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next week. 
We'll still be in chapter 1. 

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That'll be 3 weeks just on 
chapter 1. 

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It's a six chapter book. 
You do the math, you can figure 

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it out, right? 
But here's what you can do to be

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ready. 
I do believe we're going to try 

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to handle this in such a way 
that if you just show up, you'll

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be able to get along. 
We're going to try to unpack it 

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and we're going to talk about 
what the. 

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Words. 
Mean and what the ideas and 

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where they came from and the 
context and all of that. 

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But you. 
Can be a participant in this and

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what you can. 
Do is just read the book of? 

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Ephesians And then when it's 
done, read it again. 

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And then when it's done, read it
again. 

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And here's what you say. 
You say, but I'll get bored. 

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Yes, yes, probably. 
But the boredom will be the 

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expectation that I know what's 
coming next. 

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Is that all? 
I've already, I've already read 

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this. 
The hope is that when you read 

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it for the 14th time, you'll see
something that you didn't see on

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the 13th time. 
You go, Oh my gosh, what's that 

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about? 
That I believe is what God 

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speaks. 
That's how he leads US and 

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guides us. 
And so my encouragement it. 

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Doesn't have to be the only 
thing that you read if you want 

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to do something else. 
But my encouragement for you 

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would be to come back time and 
again, back to the word, back to

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the book of Ephesians, and just 
approach it with a listening 

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spirit. 
What are you trying to say? 

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What do you want to tell me? 
I would encourage we when Nikki 

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read it, she read verse 3 
through 14 out of the New Living

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Translation. 
I love. 

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The new Living Translation. 
That translation is what we call

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thought by thought. 
The translators, they took the 

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the kind of thing and they just 
say what's he? 

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Trying to communicate here and 
he read and he translated that 

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that idea. 
It's great, super readable. 

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We'll read some out of the, the 
message, which is one guy's 

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translation. 
I call it a paraphrase, right? 

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Like it, it's just kind of one 
guy. 

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So there can be some bias in it,
but we'll read it out of that 

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too. 
But when I preach from this, 

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when I teach from this and 
Johnny's going to do the same 

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thing I'm going to teach out of 
the New American Standard 2020 

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version, right? 
Some of you started crafting 

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during COVID. 
This group of people, they 

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translated this scripture. 
You know, it's what they do, how

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they go, and again. 
Is it a? 

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Perfect translation? 
No, probably not. 

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There will probably be another 
one after it. 

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But the way the new American 
Standard was translated was word

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by word. 
So they go to the original 

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language is the Greek and the 
Hebrew in the Old Testament, and

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they put us like, what does that
word mean? 

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And they adjust it. 
So sometimes it can be a little 

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bit clunky in English. 
But that's OK. 

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And what I would tell you is if 
you go and it's clunky in the 

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New American Standard, go read 
it in the Christian Standard 

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Bible. 
Go read it in the go, read it in

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the New Living, read a bunch of 
them, and then you'll kind of 

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start to get an idea of the big 
broad texture of the script. 

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This is my favorite kind of 
teaching to do. 

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It's because, listen, I think in
a straight line, right? 

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And so we can just work through 
the text and just pick this up 

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and see and highlight what does 
it say? 

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I especially love teaching like 
this because I love the book of 

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Ephesians. 
When we started this year, when 

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2025 started, I was talking, I 
actually had had a conversation 

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with Johnny about something I 
wanted to teach this entire 

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year. 
I wanted to talk about the 

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church, the body of Christ. 
Active in the world, active in 

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our community and what it looked
like and what it meant. 

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And the book of Ephesians is all
about that. 

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It's got some. 
Deep theological, like when we 

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talk about about the Church, 
about they call it ecclesiology,

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right? 
The study of the Church. 

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It's got some deep theological 
insights into what makes the 

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church the church, but it's also
got, at the end, some extremely 

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some annoyingly and 
frustratingly practical ideas 

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about how to walk out what we've
seen. 

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And so we're going to get to all
of that slowly, but the reason 

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that we're kind of going so slow
on this is because I believe 

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that the book of Ephesians is so
relevant for where we are today.

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It's important to remember, and 
Johnny touched on this last 

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week, what we call as what we 
call the book of Ephesians is 

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actually a letter. 
It was a letter written by a 

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guy, the apostle Paul. 
We know him from the biblical 

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record and he wrote it to it 
says to the to the Saints and 

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the holy ones who are. 
In Ephesus. 

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Now Ephesus was a city we saw 
last week. 

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It was probably a circular 
letter when we read in 

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Revelation chapter 2, right? 
Like there's this, he says this 

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is a message to the churches, 
right? 

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And it goes to Ephesus and 
Smyrna and Pergamum and 

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Thyrotyra and Sardis and 
Colossi. 

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All of these cities that were on
this global route, Ephesians was

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on there. 
We think that Ephesians was 

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probably a letter that was to be
passed around that. 

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And you know why we call it 
Ephesians? 

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Because the copy that we found. 
Was an Ephesus OK right so it 

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was the letter was it to the 
Ephesians Of course it was to 

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the Ephesians also to some other
people right. 

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We said it was written to the 
Saints who are in Ephesus and 

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around and we said that that 
word Saints can be a stumbling 

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block to someone's because when 
I asked you are you a St. you're

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like heck no, I cuss like a 
sailor. 

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That's not what he's talking 
about necessarily. 

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To say that you are a St. 
doesn't imply that you are more 

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morally superior to someone 
else. 

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When Paul writes to the the 
Saints, to the holy ones, he's 

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talking about. 
Are you listening? 

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He's talking about those who 
have chosen. 

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The. 
Crucified Jesus over everything 

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else. 
He's talking about the Saints 

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are the ones whose primary, 
whose first love an allegiance 

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is to Jesus Christ. 
It doesn't mean that they don't 

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love their neighbors. 
It means that they love their 

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neighbors because they love 
Jesus. 

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It doesn't mean that they're 
fire starters in their 

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communities. 
It means that they love Jesus 

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and everything else. 
Flows out of that and that 

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causes problems. 
To be Allegiant to to I must 

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have my son Jackson, which is 
not even in the city, which is 

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weird. 
To pledge one's allegiance to 

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Jesus. 
Like that would cause problems. 

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We saw last week that the city 
of Ephesus was a major city in 

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the Roman Empire. 
It was the third in size and 

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economy after Rome itself. 
And then Alexandria there was 

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Ephesus and Ephesus had a 
booming economy. 

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And they're kind of two parts to
it. 

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The first part was the port 
ships would come around the 

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world and they would have all 
their. 

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Stuff. 
So it was a. 

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Major center of trade, right? 
So you have all the stuff, you 

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have people coming in and 
selling stuff and passing it on,

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right? 
The second source of their 

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income was the temple, one of 
the seven wonders of the ancient

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world, the temple to Artemis, 
and it was huge and it was giant

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and it was a significant part of
the economy because there were 

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local. 
Artisans in Ephesus and in the 

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community, and what they would 
do is they would create all 

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kinds of trinkets and idols. 
There was particularly a silver 

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industry in emphasis that would 
make these silver idols and 

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these silver statues and 
trinkets and all of them were 

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for use in the temple to 
worship, to worship Caesar, who 

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was the king. 
And so here we have these 

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Christians, they're these 
Ephesians, Romans, and they're 

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in their city and they're doing 
the thing and they, they, you 

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know, Caesar's going there like 
man, Tiberius is our guy or man,

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I long for the days when we 
would have, you know, Bob was 

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the Caesar on that. 
So they're participating in 

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that. 
They're going to the temple. 

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They they're doing their thing. 
They're buying their trinkets. 

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They're doing that. 
And along comes Jesus. 

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And what Jesus says is. 
I'm the king and a new Kingdom. 

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Remember Matthew chapter 4 what 
he says that the Kingdom of 

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heaven is at hand and so you 
can. 

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Only have allegiance to 1 king, 
and so if Jesus is king then 

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Caesar's not king, and if Jesus 
is king then Artemis. 

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If Jesus is God, then Artemis is
not God, and so not only can I 

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not declare that Caesar is king,
because that's how it comes, 

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right? 
Hail Caesar. 

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Caesar is Lord. 
Well, as a Christian, I can't 

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say. 
Caesar is Lord, not even tongue 

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in cheek. 
I can't declare that there's any

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Lord over him. 
I certainly can't buy idols to 

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take to the temple to 
participate in worship there. 

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And so as Roman followers of 
Jesus, the Ephesian Christians 

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found themselves in a tricky 
spot, in a difficult situation. 

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Men and women who had maybe 
worked their entire lives in one

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industry now found that that 
industry not only just didn't 

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serve them, but was opposed to 
the direction that their new 

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faith that they came to believe 
it, called them to walk. 

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And there's when you see it like
this, there's wasn't just a 

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faith that said, do you believe 
that there was a 1st century 

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Carpenter named Jesus? 
That's easy enough to verify or 

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not verify if you want. 
The question wasn't did Jesus 

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live? 
The question was, is Jesus Lord 

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the Anointed One, the King, the 
Ruler, the King over all 

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creation? 
Because that's a pretty 

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exclusive claim. 
And so as the Ephesian Christian

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said, Jesus is Lord and we 
worship him. 

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That placed them in a pretty 
fractured situation. 

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To be a Christian in Ephesus was
to be disloyal to Rome. 

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Not only that, right? 
Because you're thinking, oh, 

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well, that's fine. 
I can be disloyal to Rome 

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because I'll just run to my 
homies in Jerusalem, right? 

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Like, like I'm a Christian now. 
We're all together. 

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No, not exactly. 
Because you're still a Gentile 

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dog. 
You're excluded from the 

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promises. 
You're not invited into the 

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temple. 
You don't get the worship with 

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00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:33,840
them. 
You're an outsider. 

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00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:37,760
To be a. 
Christian in Ephesus was to be 

229
00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:42,480
outside of the power structure 
in the economy of Rome and to be

230
00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:46,200
outside of the power structure 
in the economy of Israel. 

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00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:51,360
It was to be staked to Jesus and
Jesus alone. 

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00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:55,760
And what I would say is that 
kind of fractured reality is 

233
00:11:55,760 --> 00:12:00,440
similar to ours. 
It's similar to what we walk 

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00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:04,200
through and experience. 
Because today everything demands

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00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:06,680
your primary attention, doesn't 
it? 

236
00:12:06,680 --> 00:12:09,720
Everything wants to be first in 
your brain and in your mind and 

237
00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:12,960
in your head and your heart. 
And it tells us why it wants to 

238
00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:15,040
be first. 
It tells us why it demands to be

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00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:16,720
first, right? 
And it the way it tells us this 

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00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:19,640
is it. 
It promises your work, promises 

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00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:22,520
you that if you'll just work a 
little bit more than you'll be 

242
00:12:22,520 --> 00:12:24,840
secure, you'll have enough, 
You'll be safe. 

243
00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:27,560
I just need an extra shift. 
I just need a little bit more 

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00:12:27,560 --> 00:12:29,160
time. 
I just need you to work a little

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00:12:29,160 --> 00:12:31,160
bit on the weekends. 
I need you to take some work 

246
00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:32,480
home. 
I need you to be available. 

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00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:37,840
I need when I call. 
You to answer man, that's tough.

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00:12:39,560 --> 00:12:47,400
Work promises security for more,
but in effect the only more that

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00:12:47,400 --> 00:12:52,440
we get is anxiety. 
My guess is if I could talk to 

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00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:54,920
most of you about your work 
history, the chances you make 

251
00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:57,720
more money now than you did when
you began working. 

252
00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:02,280
My guess is if I could go back 
15 years to you when you started

253
00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:06,240
working and I could show 15 year
ago you the house that you live 

254
00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:09,040
in and the paycheck that you 
bring home and the family that 

255
00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:10,360
you have surrounded yourself 
with. 

256
00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:14,080
My guess is 15 year ago you 
would say, well, I have 

257
00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:17,640
everything that I ever need. 
That's enough. 

258
00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:21,080
And yet in our hearts, we don't,
do we? 

259
00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:24,200
We put our hopes in family and 
family promises. 

260
00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:25,560
We grow up. 
I'm looking at our youth over 

261
00:13:25,560 --> 00:13:26,960
here, right? 
And we dream and we just look 

262
00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:29,640
and see, man, if I could just 
get married and have a house and

263
00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:33,120
have have, you know, a dog and 
2.3 children and make it 

264
00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:35,800
instead, then I would be fine. 
And you know, here's the thing. 

265
00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:36,800
And right? 
And that's a great deal. 

266
00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:39,200
Family is so significant and 
it's so important. 

267
00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:40,800
But here's the thing. 
When you get married, you know 

268
00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:43,080
you're going to get married to a
person. 

269
00:13:50,140 --> 00:13:53,840
Listen, that person is going to 
have expectations of you that 

270
00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:56,720
you can't possibly fulfill, and 
then you know what you have in 

271
00:13:56,720 --> 00:14:01,240
your marriage? 
Disappointment and pain. 

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00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:04,640
See, it promises you if you'll 
just do the stuff, then you'll 

273
00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:07,040
be OK. 
What about politics? 

274
00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:09,520
Our politics tell us that we 
will be safe. 

275
00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:11,840
If we are strong, then we'll be 
safe. 

276
00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:15,840
If we have power, we will be. 
Safe if we can find the bad guy 

277
00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:19,440
and just eradicate them and 
excuse them and get that away. 

278
00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:21,680
And what I want to tell you is 
that's false gospel. 

279
00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:27,640
That's not the good news. 
What that breeds is more fear, 

280
00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:32,440
more distrust, more anger, more 
separation, more division. 

281
00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:35,040
We're as powerful now in this 
country as we've ever is. 

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00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:37,680
It maybe any other country has 
ever been in the history of the 

283
00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:39,240
world. 
If there were peace through 

284
00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:41,320
power, we would have it. 
How we doing? 

285
00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:46,120
Is this the most peaceful and at
rest generation that's ever 

286
00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:50,000
lived? 
Recreation tells. 

287
00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:54,200
Us that you are one vacation 
away, you just need a little 

288
00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:57,480
bigger boat right, that's a 
little bigger boat then I could.

289
00:14:57,480 --> 00:15:00,200
Get more people than I could 
have community on the waters and

290
00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:02,120
we can catch fish. 
And it could be all that. 

291
00:15:02,240 --> 00:15:04,800
Just one more boat. 
You just need a little bit 

292
00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:06,680
bigger house. 
You need a play room. 

293
00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:09,120
You need a little bit bigger TV 
and a new game system. 

294
00:15:09,120 --> 00:15:11,440
If you just had that, then you 
would be OK. 

295
00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:13,200
Listen, here's what my problem 
is. 

296
00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:15,480
My problem is the mountains are 
too far away. 

297
00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:17,080
The only place I can go is the 
beach. 

298
00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:19,440
And the beach is fine. 
It's fine. 

299
00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:21,440
It's fine. 
I'm fine. 

300
00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:25,760
I'm fine with the beach. 
But the mountainous, if I could 

301
00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:29,640
just go where it's cool, then I 
would be at rest. 

302
00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:32,320
But you know what? 
I've been to the mountains and I

303
00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:37,640
come back and here I am. 
Wherever you go, there you are. 

304
00:15:39,080 --> 00:15:41,440
We live in this fractured world.
And listen, I'm not saying to 

305
00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:42,560
holding this up to shame 
anybody. 

306
00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:44,800
I'm holding this up. 
So that we can all identify and 

307
00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:47,360
just go, hey, we've all heard 
the promises. 

308
00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:48,960
Not just we've heard the 
promises. 

309
00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:53,120
We've all chased the promises. 
We have all been a part of full 

310
00:15:53,120 --> 00:15:56,560
till boogie, flat out all the 
way chasing the promises and 

311
00:15:56,560 --> 00:15:59,040
what they want. 
And when we don't experience the

312
00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:02,040
promise, what we're promised, we
think it's our fault. 

313
00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:04,600
And so we just try a little bit 
harder and go a little bit more.

314
00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:07,400
What if the promise can never 
deliver? 

315
00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:11,200
What if your work can you can 
never be what you need it to be?

316
00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:14,040
Are you listening to me? 
What if your family can never be

317
00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:17,640
what you need it to be? 
What if you can never recreate 

318
00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:21,200
yourself and to rest because you
weren't created for that? 

319
00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:24,120
What if there's something deeper
inside you, woven into the 

320
00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:28,200
fabric of your life and all of 
creation that is meant to set 

321
00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:31,880
you free, but all we have? 
To do is break away from the 

322
00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:36,560
fractured promises, but instead 
what we do is we lean into them.

323
00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:40,600
We double down and when it 
doesn't work, when we still feel

324
00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:44,240
anxiety, when we work hard and 
we go to work and we do all the 

325
00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:46,920
things and it doesn't pay off 
and we start to get restless and

326
00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:49,360
we start to get insecure and we 
start to wonder, is this the 

327
00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:50,760
right thing? 
Am I doing it right away? 

328
00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:51,800
Do right? 
What do we do? 

329
00:16:51,800 --> 00:16:54,360
We go talk to people. 
Or we turn on the news, we just 

330
00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:57,080
go what's wrong and we're 
looking for diagnosis and listen

331
00:16:57,240 --> 00:16:59,600
out. 
There is always willing to tell 

332
00:16:59,600 --> 00:17:01,680
you what the problem is. 
You know why you're not 

333
00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:03,240
achieving what you're supposed 
to achieve. 

334
00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:05,839
You know why you don't have way 
like you're going to work, 

335
00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:07,839
you're doing it. 
You know who's the fault, You 

336
00:17:07,839 --> 00:17:10,400
know who's the blame? 
Them. 

337
00:17:11,839 --> 00:17:18,000
Them. 
It's their fault and them can be

338
00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:21,079
anybody. 
You know why you're insecure at 

339
00:17:21,079 --> 00:17:22,680
work? 
Because at any moment they could

340
00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:25,160
hire someone younger with a 
better degree or more 

341
00:17:25,160 --> 00:17:29,080
willingness to work, or less 
scruples. 

342
00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:35,960
Wow, right. 
That new guy at work is a threat

343
00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:37,120
to you. 
You got to watch him. 

344
00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:39,320
You got to be careful because 
what if they come and get you? 

345
00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:43,240
And then what? 
Then now your future is shaken. 

346
00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:45,400
They'll tell you it's the 
foreigners fault. 

347
00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:48,720
The reason you don't have enough
is the foreigner they're taking 

348
00:17:48,720 --> 00:17:50,200
from you. 
They're stealing from you. 

349
00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:52,040
You got to be careful. 
You got to watch out for him. 

350
00:17:52,320 --> 00:17:54,880
The foreigners, they're bad. 
Which foreigners? 

351
00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:57,960
All of them. 
But I'm kind of a foreigner. 

352
00:17:59,120 --> 00:18:01,480
You're not the bad one. 
It's them out there, the ones 

353
00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:03,640
that aren't like you. 
You got to be careful. 

354
00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:05,240
They'll tell you know who the 
problem is? 

355
00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:07,800
It's the rich people. 
Rich people have too much. 

356
00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:10,120
They have more than yet. 
It wasn't for those stinking, 

357
00:18:10,120 --> 00:18:13,320
selfish rich people. 
Then you would have enough, 

358
00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:14,600
right? 
It's always out there. 

359
00:18:16,840 --> 00:18:22,160
This this feeling I'm seeking 
and searching and fractured and 

360
00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:26,080
insecurity. 
This is the emotional bridge to 

361
00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:28,680
the text that we're going to 
look at today. 

362
00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:33,600
Like I said, this passage, verse
3 through verse 14, if you go 

363
00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:39,280
back to the Greek, it is one 
long sentence. 

364
00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:41,880
So here's what I'm going to give
you some good news for that. 

365
00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:44,920
If you've ever read the letters 
of Paul in particular and you're

366
00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:48,280
like, what the? 
Heck, are you talking about bro 

367
00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:52,280
mix in a comma mix in a period 
every now I want you to tell you

368
00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:56,400
have been reading faithfully 
because he didn't and he hasn't 

369
00:18:56,480 --> 00:19:01,720
and it's 1 long now in the Greek
it is beautiful and flowing and 

370
00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:04,200
all of it, and it's less so in 
English. 

371
00:19:04,280 --> 00:19:06,360
So we're going to do our best 
and we're going to go and we're 

372
00:19:06,360 --> 00:19:09,200
going to unpack and we're going 
to walk slowly and we're going 

373
00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:11,120
to sing, but then we're going to
look at it, but we're going to 

374
00:19:11,120 --> 00:19:14,640
remember that Paul is talking. 
He's not talking to us. 

375
00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:18,120
He did not have your more 
specific context in mind, but he

376
00:19:18,120 --> 00:19:22,160
did have people trying to figure
out what it looks like to follow

377
00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:25,440
Jesus in a fractured world. 
So all you have to do to 

378
00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:29,520
identify with the Scripture is 
recognize where in my life do I 

379
00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:32,200
feel fractured? 
Where in my life do I feel like 

380
00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:34,440
I'm chasing a promise that 
hasn't delivered? 

381
00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:36,480
That I'm looking for something 
that I can't? 

382
00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:39,640
Find that's not out there 
because what I believe Paul can 

383
00:19:39,640 --> 00:19:43,880
show us is deep into the heart 
of God where we can begin to be 

384
00:19:43,880 --> 00:19:45,800
transformed. 
So he starts, remember last 

385
00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:50,800
week, right, Paul to the Saints 
that are in Ephesus, grace and 

386
00:19:50,800 --> 00:19:52,480
peace to you. 
So I just want to start. 

387
00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:55,800
Are you listening? 
Look, grace and peace to you. 

388
00:19:57,360 --> 00:20:01,040
This is good news. 
It's good news for you. 

389
00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:03,920
It's good news for your 
neighbor, It's good news for the

390
00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:06,960
world and he talked. 
So how does Paul start talking 

391
00:20:06,960 --> 00:20:10,080
to this fractured culture? 
The first thing he says, grace 

392
00:20:10,080 --> 00:20:11,600
and peace you. 
The first thing he says is 

393
00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:16,720
blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ. 

394
00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:19,280
He begins with blessing. 
And here's one thing, he begins 

395
00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:22,400
by blessing God our Father. 
Now here's a let me back up and 

396
00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:24,560
just give you a 10,000 foot view
of what we're going to do. 

397
00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:27,160
What we're going to see in 
Paul's blessing is this 

398
00:20:27,360 --> 00:20:31,200
trinitarian movement. 
He begins with the Father, and 

399
00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:33,600
he moves. 
To the Son and he culminates 

400
00:20:33,680 --> 00:20:37,480
with the Spirit and his praise 
is just overflowing for the work

401
00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:38,600
of them. 
But notice again where he 

402
00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:41,880
begins. 
Blessed be the name of God our 

403
00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:43,240
Father. 
I want you to notice how He 

404
00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:47,480
didn't introduce our Father. 
He did not introduce God as 

405
00:20:47,480 --> 00:20:49,880
King. 
He didn't say, blessed be the 

406
00:20:49,880 --> 00:20:52,640
King who bosses you around. 
Hallelujah. 

407
00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:56,280
He did not say blessed be the 
creator of all things. 

408
00:20:56,280 --> 00:21:00,320
He didn't say blessed be the one
who is coming again in my and 

409
00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:03,040
power. 
He said blessed be the God and. 

410
00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:10,240
You should say that out loud. 
Before he was your creator, he 

411
00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:14,680
was a father. 
Before he was the ruler, the 

412
00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:18,280
Redeemer, the Savior, he was 
your father. 

413
00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:21,360
If you ever want to know what 
fathers, what God feels about 

414
00:21:21,360 --> 00:21:26,080
you right now in this moment, he
feels about you like a father. 

415
00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:29,280
And what? 
Paul then goes on and shows us 

416
00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:31,440
throughout this passage what 
that means. 

417
00:21:31,480 --> 00:21:34,880
Why is he blessing? 
What is it like to have this God

418
00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:36,480
as a father? 
Because your father may have 

419
00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:41,600
been cranky, he may have been 
mean, he may have been abusive, 

420
00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:47,120
he may have been absent. 
You may have all kinds of ideas 

421
00:21:47,120 --> 00:21:51,680
about what Father means that 
we're only too happy to plug in 

422
00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:53,760
and apply to God. 
So let's see what He says about 

423
00:21:54,120 --> 00:21:59,200
this Father first thing and says
He has blessed us with every 

424
00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:01,960
spiritual blessing in the 
heavenly places in Christ. 

425
00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:03,800
So one of the things that's 
going to happen as we read 

426
00:22:03,800 --> 00:22:07,400
through this, there's a couple 
of words, specific words or 

427
00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:10,880
phrases that really mean 
everything to this. 

428
00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:16,640
One of those words and phrases 
is that phrase in Him. 

429
00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:22,200
It implies being in Him. 
Do you remember a couple of 

430
00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:24,320
weeks ago in our membership 
series, we talked about 

431
00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:27,640
immersion? 
The symbol of participation in 

432
00:22:27,640 --> 00:22:31,280
the church, in the Kingdom is to
be immersed, to be immersed in 

433
00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:33,320
the Father and the Son and the 
Holy Spirit. 

434
00:22:33,320 --> 00:22:34,680
And that's what Paul's talking 
about. 

435
00:22:35,400 --> 00:22:38,520
If you are living that 
immersion, he says, you're 

436
00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:41,400
blessed in the heavens with 
every spiritual blessing, some 

437
00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:48,400
spiritual blessings, a few a 
lot, every spiritual blessing. 

438
00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:53,680
Every single spiritual blessing 
you can imagine, we're told in 

439
00:22:53,720 --> 00:22:55,880
Jesus. 
We have access to that. 

440
00:22:55,920 --> 00:22:58,000
You know what that means? 
That means our father is 

441
00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:01,360
generous. 
He is good for you. 

442
00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:03,920
He has enough. 
He's not on a budget. 

443
00:23:04,120 --> 00:23:06,800
He's not counting pennies. 
Me, I'm on a budget a lot, 

444
00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:08,800
right? 
My Father, not so much. 

445
00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:11,280
Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who has 

446
00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:13,840
blessed us with every spiritual 
blessing in the heavenly places,

447
00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:17,640
just as he chose us in Him 
before the foundation of the 

448
00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:22,400
world. 
Listen, He chose us. 

449
00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:27,840
Who's us? 
You think you know what if 

450
00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:34,640
that's the surprise today? 
He chose us where in Him He 

451
00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:39,120
chose us, in Him. 
The choice was Him. 

452
00:23:39,200 --> 00:23:42,840
He chose us in Him before the 
Foundation. 

453
00:23:43,280 --> 00:23:45,280
Of the. 
World that means that God is 

454
00:23:45,280 --> 00:23:48,920
intentional. 
To choose is to say He picked. 

455
00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:54,080
Matt and not Al. 
He chose Jason and not Greg. 

456
00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:56,880
And see listen. 
There are some theological 

457
00:23:56,880 --> 00:23:58,720
constructs that tell you 
exactly. 

458
00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:02,400
In fact, they attach this next 
theological word onto it. 

459
00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:05,720
Right. 
He chose us in Him before the 

460
00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:08,320
foundation of the world, that we
would be holy and blameless 

461
00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:15,080
before Him in love. 
He predestined us to adoption. 

462
00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:18,120
As sons and daughters through 
Jesus Christ to himself, 

463
00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:21,200
according to the good pleasure 
of His will, to the praise of 

464
00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:25,000
the glory of His grace, which it
which he favored us in the 

465
00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:28,000
beloved. 
Here we see God blessing, we see

466
00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:31,320
Him choosing, we see him 
predestining. 

467
00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:33,440
Here's a good theological word. 
And what I want to say is some 

468
00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:36,520
of you went to churches and they
told you something theologically

469
00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:39,640
like this before the foundation 
of the world. 

470
00:24:39,760 --> 00:24:43,800
God said you are going to spend 
eternity with me. 

471
00:24:43,840 --> 00:24:47,400
Isn't that good? 
Aren't you glad that decision he

472
00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:50,520
also. 
Said you are not. 

473
00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:55,320
I have predestined you for 
glory. 

474
00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:59,440
I have predestined you to show 
my glory through destruction. 

475
00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:05,440
You don't know who's who. 
You don't know who was 

476
00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:07,360
predestined and who wasn't 
predestined. 

477
00:25:08,480 --> 00:25:11,280
And So what I would say is when 
we hold up this predestination, 

478
00:25:11,280 --> 00:25:12,520
where we got to look at that 
search, right? 

479
00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:14,600
What's the subject? 
Who's who's doing the 

480
00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:17,240
predestining? 
God, what he's doing is 

481
00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:20,160
predestining. 
And who he's predestining is US.

482
00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:23,880
Who's us? 
You're not so sure anymore, are 

483
00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:25,280
you? 
All right, that's good. 

484
00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:28,000
That little hesitation is OK, 
right? 

485
00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:32,600
So he chose us. 
He predestined us. 

486
00:25:32,680 --> 00:25:36,000
He predestined us to be what? 
Adopted. 

487
00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:40,160
In Roman culture, to be adopted 
was to be an outside person, 

488
00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:42,440
whether it was a slave or a 
neighbor, whatever. 

489
00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:45,520
To be outside the family and to 
be adopted in and to be an 

490
00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:49,320
adopted child in the family was 
to have all the rights and 

491
00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:52,320
privileges of the family. 
You don't get to say like I have

492
00:25:52,320 --> 00:25:55,120
my my children Jackson and 
Reagan and Madison. 

493
00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:57,920
And if I were to adopt my friend
Matt here, Matt, it wouldn't be 

494
00:25:57,920 --> 00:26:00,960
like their inheritance and then 
a slightly lesser inheritance 

495
00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:02,240
for Matt. 
It's everybody. 

496
00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:05,040
They get all of that. 
And what what we're told is that

497
00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:13,240
God predestined us to be family.
That's the good news. 

498
00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:19,320
God's solution to. 
Fracture is to build a family 

499
00:26:21,320 --> 00:26:25,120
the way that he expresses his 
grace, the way that he. 

500
00:26:25,120 --> 00:26:27,520
Expresses his choice right. 
He chose us. 

501
00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:31,120
The way that he does that what 
he chooses is family. 

502
00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:34,520
The way that he expresses his 
love and goodness and grace and 

503
00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:37,240
mercy to you is by creating a 
family. 

504
00:26:37,320 --> 00:26:39,520
So now we go to this word us, 
right? 

505
00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:41,560
You think about us. 
And I asked him the first time I

506
00:26:41,560 --> 00:26:44,040
said, who's US? 
Several people like me. 

507
00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:46,280
I'm us. 
Here's the problem. 

508
00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:50,920
Are you ready? 
You are all Gentile dogs. 

509
00:26:53,280 --> 00:27:01,680
You don't like that when Paul 
writes about us, he is not 

510
00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:05,680
speaking individually to 
individualistic believers. 

511
00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:13,720
He's talking about Israel. 
You don't believe me, But we're 

512
00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:16,200
going to see it and it's going 
to come, right? 

513
00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:20,640
Here's what that means. 
The one predestined before the 

514
00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:23,640
foundation of the earth was 
Jesus. 

515
00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:26,840
Before there was. 
Anything. 

516
00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:31,520
There was Jesus, his Son, the 
God who is going to reign and. 

517
00:27:31,520 --> 00:27:34,720
Rule. 
Over all of the earth and the 

518
00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:41,200
choices he chooses, Jesus, along
with whoever is in him. 

519
00:27:42,320 --> 00:27:44,440
Does God's. 
Is God's choice sovereign? 

520
00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:47,200
Yes. 
Does he give you, Now listen, 

521
00:27:47,360 --> 00:27:49,320
this predestination, that 
doesn't mean that you can't go 

522
00:27:49,320 --> 00:27:52,280
to other passages, right, And 
kind of make the case that 

523
00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:55,480
predestination is about your. 
What I'm saying is this passage 

524
00:27:55,480 --> 00:27:59,600
isn't about that. 
This passage is about since the 

525
00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:02,240
beginning, before the 
foundations of the world, It's 

526
00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:06,240
all been about Jesus and the 
family that he was making. 

527
00:28:06,360 --> 00:28:08,440
And here let me say this. 
You remember when he called 

528
00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:11,120
Abram in Genesis chapter 12, 
what did he said? 

529
00:28:11,120 --> 00:28:14,680
He said leave your father, the 
father of natural birth of a sin

530
00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:16,080
on that. 
And he said, and go to your 

531
00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:17,720
land, go to a different land. 
I'm going to show you a 

532
00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:19,320
different place. 
And what did he say? 

533
00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:21,920
He said I'm going to make you 
what a people. 

534
00:28:21,920 --> 00:28:26,280
I'm going to make you a family. 
And he said, I'm going to give 

535
00:28:26,280 --> 00:28:29,000
you a son, and your son's going 
to have sons, and your son's son

536
00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:32,000
is going to have sons. 
And we see Abraham and Isaac and

537
00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:35,880
Jacob, and that family becomes 
the nation of Israel. 

538
00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:40,360
In Egypt, Dodd planned the 
family and then Jesus comes in 

539
00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:42,640
and what Jesus does is complete 
it. 

540
00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:45,920
This is deep. 
This is biblical theology, OK. 

541
00:28:46,080 --> 00:28:48,520
This is the story of scripture 
written out. 

542
00:28:48,520 --> 00:28:51,480
This is the whole story. 
Anywhere you find it fits in 

543
00:28:51,480 --> 00:28:56,080
this line, right? 
So we go find Jesus verse 7 in 

544
00:28:56,080 --> 00:28:59,040
him We also we always know who 
him is, right? 

545
00:28:59,040 --> 00:29:02,680
It's Jesus in him, we us and we 
is the same person. 

546
00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:05,080
Who's we? 
Israel. 

547
00:29:05,080 --> 00:29:06,520
Good. 
Who's us? 

548
00:29:07,240 --> 00:29:09,160
Israel. 
Are you Israel? 

549
00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:12,520
No. 
Are you feeling left out? 

550
00:29:14,280 --> 00:29:15,960
Do you feel uncomfortable right 
now? 

551
00:29:16,280 --> 00:29:17,760
Are you worried that I'm going a
little crazy? 

552
00:29:17,760 --> 00:29:19,160
We have elders in the room, 
right? 

553
00:29:19,160 --> 00:29:21,960
The heresy whistle. 
Is ready to come out if we need 

554
00:29:21,960 --> 00:29:24,240
to, right? 
I just want to hold up and talk 

555
00:29:24,240 --> 00:29:26,200
about what Paul is saying right 
in him. 

556
00:29:26,280 --> 00:29:29,680
We, we were Jews, have 
redemption through his blood, 

557
00:29:29,840 --> 00:29:32,360
the forgiveness of our 
wrongdoings according to the 

558
00:29:32,360 --> 00:29:35,000
riches of his grace, right? 
We have forgiveness now. 

559
00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:38,000
The Jewish people have been 
forgiven, which He lavished on 

560
00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:42,760
us in all wisdom and insight. 
He made known to us the mystery 

561
00:29:42,760 --> 00:29:45,280
of His will according to His 
good pleasure. 

562
00:29:45,360 --> 00:29:49,680
What he which He set forth in 
Him regarding His plan of the 

563
00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:54,720
fullness of times to bring all 
things together in Christ, 

564
00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:56,800
things in the heavens and on the
earth. 

565
00:29:56,920 --> 00:29:59,560
He's making a family. 
He's building something. 

566
00:29:59,640 --> 00:30:01,920
But it's not just about Jews and
Gentiles. 

567
00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:05,360
It's about all the things. 
It's about the sky and the 

568
00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:07,280
water. 
It's about powers and 

569
00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:11,600
principalities and spirits and 
economies and government and 

570
00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:13,360
everything. 
He's bringing all. 

571
00:30:13,360 --> 00:30:16,320
Of it together. 
In him and how is he doing it? 

572
00:30:16,320 --> 00:30:19,760
This is so important, you 
listening the way that he does 

573
00:30:19,760 --> 00:30:21,360
it. 
How does he take and bring it 

574
00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:25,680
all together and make one and 
bring unity with strength and 

575
00:30:25,680 --> 00:30:32,400
might and power and force or 
with forgiveness and redemption 

576
00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:37,120
and reconciliation. 
You know why we're so fractured?

577
00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:39,680
Because we're not using the 
right tools. 

578
00:30:40,400 --> 00:30:44,720
I can listen, I can use this to 
drive a nail, but it's probably 

579
00:30:44,720 --> 00:30:46,200
not going to work very well, is 
it? 

580
00:30:46,680 --> 00:30:48,720
It's going to break everything, 
right? 

581
00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:53,560
We're using might and force and 
gossip and strength and self 

582
00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:56,840
promotion and selfishness and 
all this to get we want and it 

583
00:30:56,840 --> 00:30:59,200
doesn't work. 
And God's got a plan to bring 

584
00:30:59,200 --> 00:31:01,240
everything together, he says. 
Oh, do you want to be less 

585
00:31:01,240 --> 00:31:05,000
fractured, more unified? 
Stop talking about yourself and 

586
00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:09,280
start forgiving. 
Start building bridges. 

587
00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:12,040
Stop burning them. 
Start reaching out. 

588
00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:13,720
Start going. 
Start fighting it. 

589
00:31:13,720 --> 00:31:15,160
Right. 
And what he says is this has 

590
00:31:15,160 --> 00:31:19,560
been a mystery, not a mystery. 
Like nobody ever told me that 

591
00:31:19,560 --> 00:31:22,160
before. 
Listen, mystery is like an open 

592
00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:23,960
secret. 
It's something that if you look 

593
00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:25,560
at it, you look back, you. 
Oh. 

594
00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:26,440
Yeah, I know. 
I was right there the whole 

595
00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:27,240
time. 
I should have seen it. 

596
00:31:27,960 --> 00:31:30,080
Do not believe me. 
Listen, you go to the book of 

597
00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:32,280
Judges. 
Do you know how the Israelites, 

598
00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:34,000
you know how the Jewish people 
got into the promise? 

599
00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:37,480
And listen, the promised land is
God's presence, promise of rest.

600
00:31:37,600 --> 00:31:39,480
This I'm going to give you a 
land and it's going to be 

601
00:31:39,480 --> 00:31:42,160
flowing with milk and honey so 
you don't have to plan all the 

602
00:31:42,160 --> 00:31:44,000
time. 
It's going to be a fruitful land

603
00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:46,400
so that you can have the 
promises and you can experience 

604
00:31:46,400 --> 00:31:49,080
what God has, but you got to go 
get people out. 

605
00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:52,160
So you know what they did? 
They walked in to Jericho and 

606
00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:55,000
you know who they met? 
They met a prostitute named 

607
00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:57,880
Rahab, and she was a foreigner. 
And you know what she said. 

608
00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:01,000
She said, she said I've heard 
about your God. 

609
00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:05,000
She said when you take this 
land, Remember Me. 

610
00:32:05,880 --> 00:32:09,560
And you know where we read about
Rahab after the book of Judges, 

611
00:32:10,400 --> 00:32:13,640
we read about her and Matthew in
the lineage of Jesus. 

612
00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:18,320
We read about another foreigner 
named Ruth, and Ruth was a 

613
00:32:18,320 --> 00:32:21,320
Moabitess. 
I don't know that there is a 

614
00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:25,280
cultural. 
Kind of similarity to that, she 

615
00:32:25,280 --> 00:32:32,240
was a A despised people who used
some shady maybe kind of means 

616
00:32:32,240 --> 00:32:34,720
to endear herself kind of to 
power. 

617
00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:37,760
And she snuggled up late at 
night next to a guy. 

618
00:32:37,880 --> 00:32:41,000
But she believed and she told 
her kind of cranky Jewish 

619
00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:42,760
mother-in-law. 
She's like, well, I'm sticking 

620
00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:44,080
with you and I'm sticking with 
your God. 

621
00:32:44,080 --> 00:32:45,520
And where y'all go? 
That's where I'm going. 

622
00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:47,120
And that's what that's what 
we're going to do and we're 

623
00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:50,040
going to figure it out, right? 
And we read about Ruth became 

624
00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:55,200
the grandmother of King David, a
Moabite woman. 

625
00:32:55,720 --> 00:32:58,280
She's not Jewish. 
She's not Israelite. 

626
00:32:58,280 --> 00:33:02,280
She is outside by every measure.
What about if we go to 

627
00:33:02,280 --> 00:33:06,040
Deuteronomy and read the book of
the Law over and over and over 

628
00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:07,840
again? 
Take care of the foreigner 

629
00:33:07,840 --> 00:33:10,880
that's in your presence. 
Don't abuse them. 

630
00:33:10,880 --> 00:33:12,960
Don't neglect them. 
Don't dismiss them. 

631
00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:16,320
Treat them well, he says. 
Because you're my people, and I 

632
00:33:16,320 --> 00:33:20,160
chose. 
You, you didn't belong here, but

633
00:33:20,160 --> 00:33:22,840
I picked you and I showed grace 
to you. 

634
00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:27,920
Now you as my people go and do 
the same. 

635
00:33:29,800 --> 00:33:33,440
The prophets talk about Zion as 
the city of God on his mountain.

636
00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:38,680
And what does it say? 
It says all nations will stream 

637
00:33:39,480 --> 00:33:44,040
to Mount Zion. 
This is a mystery. 

638
00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:47,080
And again, the Jewish people, 
they got so and they got the law

639
00:33:47,080 --> 00:33:50,440
and they got so wrapped up in 
keeping and protecting and, and 

640
00:33:50,440 --> 00:33:54,120
boundaries and economies and 
and, and temples and and 

641
00:33:54,120 --> 00:33:55,600
politics and all of a sudden 
they got. 

642
00:33:55,600 --> 00:33:57,720
So. 
Intrigued at in what Paul says, 

643
00:33:57,720 --> 00:33:59,680
This is that apocalypse. 
Remember, we saw last week. 

644
00:33:59,680 --> 00:34:02,720
Apocalypse isn't just like, It's
not like a nuclear bomb. 

645
00:34:02,720 --> 00:34:07,440
It's a revelation. 
It's the scales falling off. 

646
00:34:07,440 --> 00:34:09,159
It's the cover being pulled 
back. 

647
00:34:09,159 --> 00:34:10,679
It's Paul. 
Going Oh my God, now I. 

648
00:34:10,679 --> 00:34:12,280
See it? 
I see. 

649
00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:15,080
What it's been about since the 
beginning, it hasn't just been 

650
00:34:15,080 --> 00:34:17,639
about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 
He told Abraham at the 

651
00:34:17,639 --> 00:34:22,040
beginning, I'm going to bless 
the whole world through you. 

652
00:34:22,040 --> 00:34:26,679
God desire has always been about
not just one group of people in 

653
00:34:26,679 --> 00:34:30,280
one place with one thing. 
It's about all things. 

654
00:34:30,280 --> 00:34:33,800
Listen, Jesus didn't die on the 
cross so that we could have some

655
00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:35,639
like social. 
Harmony. 

656
00:34:38,360 --> 00:34:46,280
Jesus died to bring all things 
together, to make one body out 

657
00:34:46,280 --> 00:34:49,920
of the nations. 
And the only way to do that, 

658
00:34:50,199 --> 00:34:51,480
Jesus showed us. 
What did he do? 

659
00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:55,760
He forgave, he redeemed, He 
reconciled. 

660
00:34:56,080 --> 00:35:00,360
The family of God begins in the 
grace of Jesus. 

661
00:35:01,080 --> 00:35:06,160
God's plan to bring all things 
together fulfilled in the life 

662
00:35:06,160 --> 00:35:09,680
and the ministry of Jesus, who 
redeemed and reconciled people 

663
00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:11,720
to himself. 
And then finally he comes back 

664
00:35:11,720 --> 00:35:15,560
to the Spirit and listen. 
I want you to feel the weight of

665
00:35:15,560 --> 00:35:18,960
that US thing. 
All these things that he's 

666
00:35:18,960 --> 00:35:24,640
talking about, they're not for 
you, they're not for you and I 

667
00:35:24,640 --> 00:35:28,480
want you to feel how weird it is
to sit in the church and to hear

668
00:35:28,480 --> 00:35:31,160
that my gut listen, I'm going to
be 100% honest you until I 

669
00:35:31,160 --> 00:35:35,480
studied for this, I didn't know 
that and I'm just happily going 

670
00:35:35,600 --> 00:35:37,080
oh every. 
Blessing all the things. 

671
00:35:37,080 --> 00:35:38,960
Oh good, like God you've been. 
Thinking about me since the 

672
00:35:38,960 --> 00:35:43,840
beginning like yes but no, he 
started somewhere else. 

673
00:35:43,920 --> 00:35:45,520
And so I want to say to you is 
this. 

674
00:35:45,520 --> 00:35:47,040
I say this with. 
Love because I love you. 

675
00:35:47,160 --> 00:35:51,560
You're an outsider. 
You're an outsider to this. 

676
00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:54,640
This isn't your story that you 
were born into. 

677
00:35:54,640 --> 00:35:56,880
So what's the good news Is there
good news in this You're like 

678
00:35:56,880 --> 00:36:03,960
yeah, you're bumming me out man.
Verse 11 in him we again there's

679
00:36:03,960 --> 00:36:07,480
that we right like we have 
obtained an inheritance so 

680
00:36:07,480 --> 00:36:09,600
anytime that. 
The Jewish people would have 

681
00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:11,800
talked, thought about an 
inheritance, They were thinking 

682
00:36:11,800 --> 00:36:15,720
about the promised land rest 
they have received an 

683
00:36:15,720 --> 00:36:17,440
inheritance. 
They were waiting for the 

684
00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:19,240
inheritance, right? 
He says we received an 

685
00:36:19,240 --> 00:36:22,040
inheritance having been 
predestined again. 

686
00:36:22,120 --> 00:36:27,680
So who's we Israelites who's 
been predestined? 

687
00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:33,400
The Israelites in him, according
to the purpose of him who works 

688
00:36:33,400 --> 00:36:37,040
all things in accordance with 
the plan of his will, right. 

689
00:36:37,120 --> 00:36:41,920
So remember, Israel was first 
right to the end that he, we who

690
00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:44,840
were the first to hope in Christ
could be to the praise of the 

691
00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:46,760
glory. 
Here's our like, you can't argue

692
00:36:46,760 --> 00:36:48,000
with me on this, right? 
Because it's the deal. 

693
00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:52,080
Who were the first people to 
trust in Jesus as a Messiah? 

694
00:36:52,160 --> 00:36:55,240
Who were the first people to 
hope for Messiah? 

695
00:36:55,320 --> 00:36:59,240
It wasn't the Romans, it was the
Jewish people from the beginning

696
00:36:59,360 --> 00:37:02,600
when Adam and Eve fell, he said,
I'm going to send someone who's 

697
00:37:02,600 --> 00:37:04,960
going to crush the head. 
He made promises to God's 

698
00:37:04,960 --> 00:37:07,400
people, I'm going to redeem the 
world through you. 

699
00:37:07,480 --> 00:37:11,240
The 1st the ones to hope for 
Messiah were the Jewish people 

700
00:37:11,320 --> 00:37:14,240
who were the first ones to 
believe in Jesus, a group of 

701
00:37:14,240 --> 00:37:16,440
Jewish. 
Boys named Peter and Andrew and 

702
00:37:16,440 --> 00:37:19,520
James and John, Thaddeus and 
Bartholomew. 

703
00:37:19,680 --> 00:37:23,000
They believed that Jesus they 
had they had seen the 

704
00:37:23,000 --> 00:37:26,400
resurrected King. 
The entire First Church was a 

705
00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:32,160
sect of Judaism based in 
Jerusalem promises, the temple, 

706
00:37:32,160 --> 00:37:37,320
God's presence, the law, God's 
character, the land, his rest 

707
00:37:37,360 --> 00:37:42,120
those were all promises and 
inheritance to the people of of 

708
00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:46,920
Israel. 
Man, I wish I'd kept my place 

709
00:37:47,440 --> 00:37:49,560
right to the end that we who 
were the. 

710
00:37:49,560 --> 00:37:51,240
First, those are the Jews would 
be the praise of his glory. 

711
00:37:51,240 --> 00:37:52,440
Now here's the good stuff. 
You ready? 

712
00:37:52,440 --> 00:37:58,880
In him how's that listen? 
In him you also woo. 

713
00:38:01,600 --> 00:38:04,960
That's the gospel bomb. 
That's the good news right 

714
00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:06,760
there. 
In him you. 

715
00:38:07,120 --> 00:38:10,920
Also, where are you? 
After listening to the message 

716
00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:14,160
of truth, the gospel of your 
salvation, having also believed,

717
00:38:14,160 --> 00:38:17,240
says, yeah, you heard about 
Jesus, you believed in it. 

718
00:38:17,320 --> 00:38:20,760
You were sealed in him with the 
Holy Spirit of the promise, who 

719
00:38:20,760 --> 00:38:24,200
is a first installment of our 
inheritance in regard to the 

720
00:38:24,200 --> 00:38:27,120
redemption of God's own 
possessions to the praise of his

721
00:38:27,120 --> 00:38:28,640
glory. 
What he's saying is I'm not. 

722
00:38:28,640 --> 00:38:30,560
It's not done yet. 
The story's not done yet, but 

723
00:38:30,560 --> 00:38:33,160
he's going to get put like a 
little a down payment in your 

724
00:38:33,160 --> 00:38:34,600
eye. 
And this is where we see the 

725
00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:38,320
movement from Israel to us. 
See what he told the Israelites 

726
00:38:38,320 --> 00:38:41,560
was I'm going to give you my law
to show you my character. 

727
00:38:41,680 --> 00:38:42,920
I'm going to show you what I'm 
like. 

728
00:38:42,920 --> 00:38:45,480
I'm going to show you what 
holiness and righteousness looks

729
00:38:45,480 --> 00:38:47,000
like. 
It looks like my law. 

730
00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:49,000
Here's the problem. 
We looked at the law and it 

731
00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:52,960
said, bring the foreigner in. 
And we looked at him and said 

732
00:38:52,960 --> 00:38:55,840
don't want that. 
Not interested in that at all. 

733
00:38:56,240 --> 00:38:59,680
It said every seven years, 
forgive the debts of everybody 

734
00:38:59,680 --> 00:39:02,080
who owes you. 
Anything and we said don't like 

735
00:39:02,080 --> 00:39:05,760
that, not going to do that. 
It said don't charge any 

736
00:39:05,760 --> 00:39:08,600
interest on the money that you 
lend. 

737
00:39:08,600 --> 00:39:10,800
We're like, well, I sure don't 
like that. 

738
00:39:10,800 --> 00:39:14,120
Jesus. 
I, I, I like, I don't want to do

739
00:39:14,120 --> 00:39:16,480
that. 
So in the Old Testament, he gave

740
00:39:16,480 --> 00:39:19,120
us his law, which we couldn't, 
we didn't want to do. 

741
00:39:19,120 --> 00:39:22,080
We didn't barely even try. 
We used it for our advantage. 

742
00:39:22,080 --> 00:39:24,080
Do you know what we get now? 
We get the holy. 

743
00:39:24,080 --> 00:39:26,800
Spirit who comes into our hearts
and transforms us from the 

744
00:39:26,800 --> 00:39:30,040
inside. 
And so sometimes he may go in 

745
00:39:30,040 --> 00:39:31,920
the whisper of your heart. 
He goes, you know what? 

746
00:39:32,880 --> 00:39:35,600
I don't think you like people 
who don't look like you. 

747
00:39:37,600 --> 00:39:40,320
I don't think you like people 
who are different from you. 

748
00:39:41,400 --> 00:39:45,360
And we now have that choice. 
Do we agree with that voice and 

749
00:39:45,360 --> 00:39:47,640
look and see, or do we deny it 
and keep going? 

750
00:39:47,960 --> 00:39:51,360
He gave them a temple. 
The presence of God dwelt in the

751
00:39:51,360 --> 00:39:54,200
temple so that everybody in 
Israel could go and know where 

752
00:39:54,200 --> 00:39:56,680
the presence of God was. 
Do you know where the temple is 

753
00:39:56,680 --> 00:40:00,320
now? 
It says you, right you or later 

754
00:40:00,320 --> 00:40:01,520
on you. 
Here's the thing. 

755
00:40:01,520 --> 00:40:04,200
This is so important. 
I'm going to make you Immaculate

756
00:40:04,200 --> 00:40:07,120
Bible interpreters in the book 
of Ephesians. 

757
00:40:07,120 --> 00:40:08,840
I don't have to remind myself of
this because I forget all the 

758
00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:12,280
time. 
In the book of Ephesians, every 

759
00:40:12,280 --> 00:40:17,640
single time OK, remember every 
time Is there one time that this

760
00:40:17,640 --> 00:40:20,320
isn't true? 
No, never of the time. 

761
00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:30,000
Every time it says you, you 
should read all y'all right? 

762
00:40:30,840 --> 00:40:37,960
There is no individual you. 
This book isn't to Jason or 

763
00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:43,800
Ephesian Jason, this is. 
To all y'all you've heard, 

764
00:40:44,160 --> 00:40:48,800
wherever two or three are 
gathered in his name, there I am

765
00:40:48,960 --> 00:40:51,680
with you and. 
That doesn't just mean saying in

766
00:40:51,720 --> 00:40:54,480
Jesus name at the end of your 
prayers, it means when we gather

767
00:40:54,480 --> 00:40:56,880
to be the body of Christ, He is 
there. 

768
00:40:56,920 --> 00:40:58,880
Israel had a temple and that was
great. 

769
00:40:58,880 --> 00:41:01,440
It was a picture of what he was 
doing, but it wasn't the 

770
00:41:01,440 --> 00:41:04,120
completed work. 
Now we have His spirit and our 

771
00:41:04,120 --> 00:41:07,360
hearts making us his people. 
We had the law and the 

772
00:41:07,360 --> 00:41:10,080
inherence, the land, right? 
The Israelites had the land and 

773
00:41:10,080 --> 00:41:12,680
they're fighting for it and 
they're defending it and they 

774
00:41:13,040 --> 00:41:15,200
sucked at it and they were 
terrible at it and they couldn't

775
00:41:15,200 --> 00:41:17,160
hold it. 
But that was to be their rest. 

776
00:41:17,360 --> 00:41:20,920
Our hope and our rest is not in 
landscape. 

777
00:41:20,920 --> 00:41:22,720
It's not in things that we can 
do. 

778
00:41:22,760 --> 00:41:26,640
It's in an eternity where he has
set all things right. 

779
00:41:26,760 --> 00:41:28,680
We haven't achieved it yet. 
We're still. 

780
00:41:28,800 --> 00:41:30,880
Looking for it, we're waiting 
for it. 

781
00:41:30,880 --> 00:41:35,520
But what he says is in Christ. 
All these things have been 

782
00:41:35,520 --> 00:41:39,800
summed up in that, in Jesus and 
by his Spirit. 

783
00:41:39,920 --> 00:41:47,000
We are God's family and this is 
the deep theological truth for 

784
00:41:47,000 --> 00:41:51,320
our fractured lives. 
The fractured part is that we 

785
00:41:51,320 --> 00:41:54,520
read the scripture like it's a 
letter to me and I try to make 

786
00:41:54,520 --> 00:41:57,040
it make sense. 
And not only do that, but once I

787
00:41:57,160 --> 00:42:00,520
try to make it make sense, now I
start to see Eddie is my enemy 

788
00:42:00,520 --> 00:42:03,280
in this because God has promised
something to me and Eddie's 

789
00:42:03,280 --> 00:42:08,640
trying to get it. 
Know this is for y'all, for us. 

790
00:42:09,440 --> 00:42:14,760
You want to know who we is? 
We was them and you were on the 

791
00:42:14,760 --> 00:42:19,240
outside. 
So what do we do with this deep 

792
00:42:19,240 --> 00:42:22,360
theological truth? 
So real quick, how Ephesians 

793
00:42:22,360 --> 00:42:25,240
lays out is there's three 
chapters right up front that are

794
00:42:25,240 --> 00:42:28,200
pretty serious theology, right? 
Some pretty deep stuff. 

795
00:42:28,440 --> 00:42:30,640
And then in the backside we 
start working on some 

796
00:42:30,640 --> 00:42:33,080
application of that, how we walk
that out. 

797
00:42:33,480 --> 00:42:36,440
But I think they're the big 
thing for us right now is to 

798
00:42:36,440 --> 00:42:40,360
just acknowledge kind of where 
we are in the story to begin to 

799
00:42:40,360 --> 00:42:43,240
re examine some things that 
maybe we bring to this a 

800
00:42:43,240 --> 00:42:46,280
narrative, things like identity.
And here's the important thing. 

801
00:42:46,280 --> 00:42:47,960
Here's what I want to say, and I
want to say this lovingly. 

802
00:42:48,080 --> 00:42:50,640
When I started this passage and 
I was reading about all the 

803
00:42:50,640 --> 00:42:54,160
things that God had given to us 
and then God had planned for us 

804
00:42:54,160 --> 00:42:57,480
and then got it predestined 
before the foundation of the 

805
00:42:57,480 --> 00:42:59,960
world to give to us. 
And by us you thought I meant 

806
00:42:59,960 --> 00:43:05,640
you, and you were wrong. 
You thought that your. 

807
00:43:05,640 --> 00:43:08,280
Identity meant something that it
doesn't mean. 

808
00:43:08,280 --> 00:43:13,160
And what I want to humbly and 
lovingly invite you to consider 

809
00:43:13,160 --> 00:43:18,520
is what other labels about 
people might you be wrong about?

810
00:43:20,680 --> 00:43:26,360
What other ways of seeing and 
classifying people may you have 

811
00:43:26,680 --> 00:43:33,240
gotten wrong? 
Who have you considered of them?

812
00:43:34,360 --> 00:43:40,840
That very well may be us and who
have you considered us that may 

813
00:43:40,840 --> 00:43:45,480
very well be them. 
My invitation this week is to 

814
00:43:45,480 --> 00:43:49,680
just challenge your labels and 
let me tell you something that 

815
00:43:49,680 --> 00:43:52,960
will be in make this incredibly 
difficult for you. 

816
00:43:53,680 --> 00:43:58,560
Incredibly difficult for you. 
Maybe the greatest obstacle to 

817
00:43:58,600 --> 00:44:04,920
people today identifying and 
challenging their you know, I 

818
00:44:05,160 --> 00:44:11,840
assumptions about identity is 
the news because CNN is going to

819
00:44:11,840 --> 00:44:15,560
tell you who the problem is, Fox
News will tell you who the 

820
00:44:15,560 --> 00:44:19,480
problem is, and Jesus will tell 
you who the problem is. 

821
00:44:19,880 --> 00:44:21,840
You're going to only believe one
of them because their messages 

822
00:44:21,840 --> 00:44:25,680
are contrary. 
My hope and invitation is that 

823
00:44:25,680 --> 00:44:30,160
we'll believe Jesus, however 
much reworking or re evaluation 

824
00:44:30,160 --> 00:44:33,200
that requires of us. 
So how do we do that? 

825
00:44:33,200 --> 00:44:35,680
How do we begin to to evaluate 
our identity? 

826
00:44:35,680 --> 00:44:37,520
Well, the process of that is 
worship. 

827
00:44:38,600 --> 00:44:41,120
We re examine identity and we 
examine worship. 

828
00:44:41,120 --> 00:44:43,640
See, we think worship is what we
do when we come into this place 

829
00:44:43,640 --> 00:44:47,000
while the band is playing. 
But worship is not a feeling. 

830
00:44:47,000 --> 00:44:50,840
Worship is attention. 
Worship is focus. 

831
00:44:51,680 --> 00:44:55,560
And So what we do too much right
now is we focus on them and what

832
00:44:55,560 --> 00:44:57,840
they're doing. 
They're taking from us, they're 

833
00:44:57,840 --> 00:45:00,400
causing problems. 
They're not representing us 

834
00:45:00,400 --> 00:45:02,360
well. 
They're they're, they're the 

835
00:45:02,360 --> 00:45:04,560
problem. 
If we could just be more like 

836
00:45:04,560 --> 00:45:07,320
we, then we'd be fine if we 
could just do one of them. 

837
00:45:07,440 --> 00:45:11,600
And what worship instead does is
it turns our attention from them

838
00:45:11,720 --> 00:45:15,280
to him, to the blessedness of 
God our Father. 

839
00:45:15,560 --> 00:45:20,480
Paul can hardly say the name 
without just overflowing and 

840
00:45:20,480 --> 00:45:23,440
rapture about this great God. 
Oh, He's blessed us, He's chosen

841
00:45:23,440 --> 00:45:24,320
us. 
He's predestined us. 

842
00:45:24,440 --> 00:45:26,680
He's adopted us. 
He's done all of these things 

843
00:45:26,680 --> 00:45:28,360
for us. 
That is the attention. 

844
00:45:28,520 --> 00:45:32,000
As long as we're worried about 
what someone else is taking from

845
00:45:32,000 --> 00:45:35,600
us or getting from us, we're 
oblivious to all that God is 

846
00:45:35,600 --> 00:45:37,960
pouring into us that He's giving
us. 

847
00:45:38,040 --> 00:45:40,520
We're not abandoned. 
We are chosen. 

848
00:45:40,640 --> 00:45:44,400
We are His. 
We focus on grace that we 

849
00:45:44,400 --> 00:45:47,800
receive from Him moment by 
moment, morning by morning. 

850
00:45:47,800 --> 00:45:50,080
And then you know what? 
You don't have to protect 

851
00:45:50,080 --> 00:45:54,320
yourself. 
I feel like if I could take a 

852
00:45:54,320 --> 00:45:58,240
picture of your life in your 
house today and your bank 

853
00:45:58,240 --> 00:46:03,880
statement today and I could 
travel back in time 25 years and

854
00:46:03,880 --> 00:46:04,840
I could. 
Show you a. 

855
00:46:04,840 --> 00:46:09,800
Picture of your life today. 
My guess is 25 year ago you 

856
00:46:09,800 --> 00:46:12,480
would say I don't have any 
problems. 

857
00:46:13,320 --> 00:46:15,440
I have every single thing that 
I've ever wanted. 

858
00:46:16,360 --> 00:46:19,600
What possible problems could 
that person have? 

859
00:46:21,040 --> 00:46:23,120
And at that point you would go 
into the litany of all the 

860
00:46:23,120 --> 00:46:24,640
problems and all of the things, 
right? 

861
00:46:24,640 --> 00:46:27,280
There will never not be problems
here. 

862
00:46:27,800 --> 00:46:33,240
But our worship focuses on our 
God who puts back our focus 

863
00:46:33,240 --> 00:46:36,920
worship. 
Our worship focuses on a God who

864
00:46:36,920 --> 00:46:43,400
gives to us and to them, not 
because of who they are. 

865
00:46:43,520 --> 00:46:46,400
See, we're real concerned about 
who they are. 

866
00:46:47,400 --> 00:46:49,600
God gives to them because of who
He is. 

867
00:46:50,880 --> 00:46:54,600
That's worship. 
When we identify that and walk 

868
00:46:54,600 --> 00:46:58,320
in that, we don't have to 
protect ourselves. 

869
00:46:58,320 --> 00:46:59,720
We don't have to stay of the 
pack. 

870
00:47:00,480 --> 00:47:03,360
And when we begin to worship and
we begin to identify His grace 

871
00:47:03,360 --> 00:47:06,680
and goodness towards us, it 
overflows into gratitude. 

872
00:47:07,160 --> 00:47:11,080
And gratitude is how worship and
identity take root. 

873
00:47:12,800 --> 00:47:16,600
And they take root in a family. 
Listen, you didn't earn your 

874
00:47:16,600 --> 00:47:20,040
family. 
You had no choice whatsoever. 

875
00:47:20,040 --> 00:47:23,240
Where to be born, When to be 
born, under what circumstances? 

876
00:47:24,480 --> 00:47:28,120
You have no say over the 
economic factors that allowed 

877
00:47:28,120 --> 00:47:29,840
you to become who you are and 
who you are. 

878
00:47:29,840 --> 00:47:31,760
And I'm not saying that you 
haven't done anything. 

879
00:47:31,760 --> 00:47:34,920
I'm saying that your life is 
marked by grace. 

880
00:47:35,920 --> 00:47:40,200
Your your life is marked by the 
goodness of a God who sees you 

881
00:47:40,240 --> 00:47:46,720
and his intention for giving you
grace is to bring all things 

882
00:47:46,720 --> 00:47:49,840
together. 
He may have put some in your 

883
00:47:49,840 --> 00:47:52,880
hands so that you could put some
in the hands of someone else who

884
00:47:52,880 --> 00:47:56,320
doesn't have he may have given 
you a voice. 

885
00:47:56,600 --> 00:47:59,560
I said last a couple weeks ago. 
We were talking about the apest 

886
00:47:59,560 --> 00:48:02,520
right, apostles, prophets, 
abandons, talked about like 

887
00:48:02,520 --> 00:48:05,560
justice and all that. 
And I'm and I'm AI have that 

888
00:48:05,560 --> 00:48:08,760
kind of prophetic thing, right? 
Like I want to find the smallest

889
00:48:08,760 --> 00:48:10,640
person and I want to give them a
voice. 

890
00:48:11,840 --> 00:48:14,240
I have a voice, I have a stage, 
I have a place I can stand. 

891
00:48:14,240 --> 00:48:16,680
People will sometimes listen to 
me, not my kids, but some people

892
00:48:16,680 --> 00:48:18,000
will listen to me sometimes, 
right? 

893
00:48:18,200 --> 00:48:20,600
And so, you know, what I want to
say is I just want to say is we 

894
00:48:20,600 --> 00:48:22,240
have enough. 
Let's find people that don't 

895
00:48:22,360 --> 00:48:24,880
like let's find more foster kids
and make sure that they have 

896
00:48:25,040 --> 00:48:27,360
everything that they need. 
Like let's let's gather food for

897
00:48:27,360 --> 00:48:29,160
hungry. 
People and listen, I don't think

898
00:48:29,160 --> 00:48:31,160
you're rich. 
I think you're banging out a 

899
00:48:31,160 --> 00:48:34,200
living just like everybody else.
I think there's what listen, 

900
00:48:34,360 --> 00:48:36,800
this coming pay period's got 
three weekends in it. 

901
00:48:36,800 --> 00:48:40,160
I know you're all eating ramen 
three weekends from now. 

902
00:48:40,280 --> 00:48:42,160
I get it. 
I know it runs out. 

903
00:48:42,160 --> 00:48:44,440
We live in a world of scarcity, 
but I want to tell you, if you 

904
00:48:44,440 --> 00:48:48,120
are a child of the King and you 
are part of his church that is 

905
00:48:48,120 --> 00:48:52,560
going to reign with him forever,
you have enough to be generous 

906
00:48:52,680 --> 00:48:57,040
because of who you are. 
And we worship that God, blessed

907
00:48:57,360 --> 00:49:02,600
be the God and Father of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, who has 

908
00:49:02,600 --> 00:49:06,960
blessed us in the heavenly 
realms with every spiritual 

909
00:49:07,200 --> 00:49:10,640
blessing. 
It's hard. 

910
00:49:11,080 --> 00:49:13,840
This teaching is heavy. 
It challenges us. 

911
00:49:14,120 --> 00:49:16,520
It flies in the face of 
conventional wisdom and 

912
00:49:16,520 --> 00:49:19,080
everything that we see on the 
news and on the team, and it 

913
00:49:19,080 --> 00:49:22,040
tells us what I want to say is 
the practices of this aren't 

914
00:49:22,040 --> 00:49:25,760
heavy. 
To acknowledge that you're going

915
00:49:25,760 --> 00:49:29,240
to be in between and to find 
Jesus there and his church. 

916
00:49:29,240 --> 00:49:32,480
There is rest, and it is 
comfort. 

917
00:49:34,240 --> 00:49:38,160
These practices will shift how 
you walk through this fractured 

918
00:49:38,160 --> 00:49:41,040
life. 
It will undermine the things 

919
00:49:41,040 --> 00:49:44,280
that separate us from what God 
is doing. 

920
00:49:45,080 --> 00:49:50,800
Paul had his apocalypse, and my 
prayer for you is that you'll 

921
00:49:50,800 --> 00:49:54,280
have one too. 
Next week we're going to look at

922
00:49:54,280 --> 00:49:57,160
that Paul's prayer for the 
apocalypse of his people. 

923
00:49:57,160 --> 00:50:00,600
I hope you'll come, I hope 
you'll spend this week reading 

924
00:50:00,600 --> 00:50:04,000
about what He's done for you and
how much he loves you and for 

925
00:50:04,000 --> 00:50:09,160
us, and how he has taken us who 
were outsiders and He has given 

926
00:50:09,160 --> 00:50:14,040
us a place at his table, 
blessing and goodness and peace 

927
00:50:14,320 --> 00:50:19,320
and mercy. 
So Jesus, blessings to you 

928
00:50:20,880 --> 00:50:23,760
seated in the heavenly realms at
the right hand of the Father, 

929
00:50:25,160 --> 00:50:28,520
give us your grace today. 
And Jesus, we acknowledge and we

930
00:50:28,520 --> 00:50:30,400
accept. 
We have been conformed, we have 

931
00:50:30,400 --> 00:50:32,840
been shaped. 
We believe the things that we're

932
00:50:32,840 --> 00:50:36,200
told and we believe all of this 
Father, but we also recognize 

933
00:50:36,200 --> 00:50:40,200
man, It's, it's hard and we 
don't want to live fractured 

934
00:50:40,200 --> 00:50:44,600
lives anymore. 
So I pray that you would help us

935
00:50:45,440 --> 00:50:48,880
to see people as you see them. 
I pray that you would help us to

936
00:50:48,880 --> 00:50:53,040
worship you well. 
And I pray, Father, that you 

937
00:50:53,040 --> 00:50:57,960
would meet us, make us a 
grateful people, grateful to 

938
00:50:57,960 --> 00:51:00,840
have been included in this 
unbelievable story of grace and 

939
00:51:00,840 --> 00:51:03,440
mercy and life and abundance and
blessing. 

940
00:51:04,280 --> 00:51:05,520
Jesus, we love you and we thank 
you. 

941
00:51:05,520 --> 00:51:08,160
And we ask all of these. 
Things in your name and for your

942
00:51:08,160 --> 00:51:09,680
glory. 
Amen. 

943
00:51:10,040 --> 00:51:13,080
Thank you for joining us today. 
River City Church is all about 

944
00:51:13,080 --> 00:51:15,800
experiencing and expressing 
God's love in our lives and 

945
00:51:15,800 --> 00:51:18,480
community, and we hope that 
you've been able to experience 

946
00:51:18,480 --> 00:51:21,120
that today. 
As grateful as I am that you've 

947
00:51:21,120 --> 00:51:24,400
spent this time listening in 
this morning, this podcast is no

948
00:51:24,400 --> 00:51:27,440
substitute for full 
participation in a local church.

949
00:51:27,880 --> 00:51:31,040
I love it when River City people
listen to other pastors, but it 

950
00:51:31,040 --> 00:51:34,080
is those who show up week after 
week, faithfully giving their 

951
00:51:34,080 --> 00:51:37,000
support and time and resources 
that make all of this possible. 

952
00:51:37,520 --> 00:51:40,840
If we can help you get connected
to a local church, pray for you,

953
00:51:41,000 --> 00:51:44,120
or support you in any way, click
the link in the description and 

954
00:51:44,120 --> 00:51:46,240
let us know. 
If you'd like to financially 

955
00:51:46,240 --> 00:51:49,080
support the ministry of River 
City, click the give link on our

956
00:51:49,080 --> 00:51:52,280
website in the description. 
Don't forget to subscribe and 

957
00:51:52,280 --> 00:51:54,000
don't forget to share this with 
your friends. 

958
00:51:54,200 --> 00:51:57,000
Thanks so much for listening. 
May the Lord bless and keep you 

959
00:51:57,080 --> 00:51:58,600
in all grace and peace.