1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,160 What does this mean? It's a question we're responding 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:05,720 to throughout the message. Today we're going to start with 3 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:09,320 a clip from one of my favorite movies based on a true story. 4 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:11,920 I've shown a clip from this before, Chariots of Fire. 5 00:00:12,040 --> 00:00:13,440 I don't think I've shown this clip. 6 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:15,360 I'm actually doing 2. I don't think I've shown either 7 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:21,760 of these clips here yet. So Eric Little is is a runner 8 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:28,400 for Scotland, for Great Britain in the 1920s and he's he's 9 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:33,040 training and preparing to compete in the 1924 Olympics. 10 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:36,880 And this is a race that he ran in preparation for that. 11 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:40,600 True story. So what you're about to see 12 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:44,520 represents actual events. So let's watch together. 13 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:47,720 At this point, I showed a clip from the movie Chariots of Fire. 14 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:51,440 The scene is of 1/4 mile race in which Eric Little is not down 15 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:53,600 early in the race but comes back to win. 16 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:56,880 I didn't include the audio here because the clip is mostly 17 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:59,720 visual and the audio alone wouldn't have added anything. 18 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:02,880 Now back to the sermon. What does this mean? 19 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:08,160 What does it mean that that Eric Little got knocked to the ground 20 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:11,800 early on in 1/4 mile race and was able to come back and win 21 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:13,280 the race? What does it mean when he throws 22 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:16,360 his head back while he's running and flails his arms in a crazy 23 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,680 way while he's running? It means the same kind of thing, 24 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:24,080 oddly enough, that it meant when Jesus's followers, the men and 25 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:27,760 the women, gathered in the upper room 50 days after the 26 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:31,240 resurrection, when the Holy Spirit descended on them and 27 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:34,800 they began telling the good news and languages that they did not 28 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:38,000 know themselves, but the hearers, the listeners knew. 29 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:40,960 What does it mean? What it means is that this 30 00:01:40,960 --> 00:01:45,640 Easter life that we're living, one of the aspects of this life, 31 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:49,920 it's absolutely essential. Without this, our Easter life 32 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:53,240 doesn't exist. But the Easter life that we live 33 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:57,800 is a life that is empowered. Empowered not by our effort, not 34 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:00,440 by our energy, not by our intelligence, not by our 35 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:04,920 talents, empowered by God, empowered by the Holy Spirit. 36 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:08,320 That is how we live this Easter life. 37 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:09,880 It's how we live a life of faith. 38 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:11,520 It's how we live a life of service. 39 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:15,040 It's how we live a life of love. It's how we live a life in a 40 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:20,880 world that's been turned upside down is through the power, the 41 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:25,720 gifting, the presence, the indwelling, and the dwelling 42 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:28,520 upon in the community of the Holy Spirit. 43 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:35,120 Jesus promised his disciples you will receive power when the Holy 44 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:39,160 Spirit falls upon you. We're going to talk about that 45 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:41,280 here today. And, and I hate to do this 46 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:47,720 again, but Star Wars, it's such a great comparison because the 47 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:50,880 story is so well known and so popular and so widespread these 48 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:53,840 days. And, and, and it provides, I 49 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:56,600 think, a, a wonderful distinction to help us 50 00:02:56,600 --> 00:03:00,600 understand the Holy Spirit by contrast, because in the, in 51 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:03,320 the, the universe of Star Wars, there is a great power. 52 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:06,560 They call it the Force. And the force, you know, if 53 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:09,640 you're in the first 3 movies, it's a, it's a mystical thing 54 00:03:09,640 --> 00:03:12,840 that isn't really explained. If you're in the 2nd 3 movies, 55 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:14,640 it's the midichlorians. We'll forget about the 56 00:03:14,640 --> 00:03:18,040 midichlorians for now. And, and now I'm way off in the 57 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:21,880 nerd weeds. So, but there's this force, it's 58 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:25,480 got a good side and a dark side, a good side and a bad side. 59 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:30,440 It's, it's got this power, this energy that exists that that the 60 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:34,720 Jedi and the Sith, they can, they can seize hold of the 61 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:37,840 force. They can use the force to 62 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:40,200 accomplish and do amazing things. 63 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:42,160 They can move things with the Force. 64 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:44,760 They can, they can run fast with the Force. 65 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:47,960 They can, they can kind of see a little bit almost into the 66 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:51,720 future with the Force. They can, they can fly better 67 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:55,280 their spaceships with the force. The force enhances them. 68 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:59,680 It gives them power to do things that no human being, no mortal 69 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:04,200 creature could ordinarily do. And when Luke is first asking, I 70 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:07,440 don't, I don't remember this conversation was with Obi Wan or 71 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:09,440 Yoda. I kind of think it was with Yoda 72 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:13,840 and and he's asking Yoda or Obi Wan, you know, how this works? 73 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:16,680 And he says, is it do you do you control it? 74 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:21,160 And and, and, and and and Yoda says, well, yes, partly you 75 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:23,880 control it, but also it controls you. 76 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:26,520 And that's the force. That's how the force works. 77 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:29,600 It's a it's a tremendous empowerment. 78 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:34,800 If a Jedi is filled with the Force or a Sith is filled with 79 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:38,880 the Force, the Holy Spirit is not the Force. 80 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:41,360 Not at all. I love the Star Wars movies. 81 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:43,320 They're, they're fun. They are. 82 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:45,760 Well, I love the first six Star Wars movies. 83 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:48,160 They're fun, they're exciting, they're great, they're 84 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:52,440 wonderful. The Holy Spirit is not the Force 85 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:57,320 because the Force obeys the will of the Jedi. 86 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:01,840 The Force follows the command in the direction of the Sith. 87 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:06,840 Try giving the Holy Spirit orders sometimes and see how 88 00:05:06,840 --> 00:05:10,960 that works out for you. The Holy Spirit does not exist 89 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:14,200 to do our will. Jedi's can control the force and 90 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:19,440 use it to do what they want to do, but the Holy Spirit empowers 91 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:24,200 us to do what God wants to do. The Holy Spirit is not our 92 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:27,520 cosmic Butler. It's it's not our power up 93 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:30,880 package that we pick up. And now suddenly we've got more 94 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:34,360 health points and more strength points and more defense points 95 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:36,880 and all of these, the whole that's not how the Holy Spirit 96 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:39,520 works. The Holy Spirit doesn't exist to 97 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:43,800 make our lives better and easier and give us the power and the 98 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:47,400 strength and the energy to do all of the things that we want 99 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:51,560 and dream of doing that would make the Holy Spirit some sort 100 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:55,800 of cosmic Butler or bellhop or our personal trainer or our 101 00:05:55,800 --> 00:06:01,120 personal advisor. It's really quite the opposite. 102 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:08,080 The Holy Spirit empowers us to do God's will, to do what God 103 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:12,000 wants, not what we want, not what we want. 104 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:15,640 Take a look at Luke, What Luke Jesus says at the end of the 105 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:18,360 Gospel of Luke, Just for where? His resurrect or just after his 106 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:21,600 resurrection, repentance for that he's talking again to his 107 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:23,640 disciples. Repentance for the forgiveness 108 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:26,080 of sins will be proclaimed in his name. 109 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:28,760 Jesus is talking here, referring to himself in the third person 110 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:33,600 in Jesus name to all the nations beginning at Jerusalem. 111 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:38,440 Jesus prophesized this to his disciples on resurrection 112 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:40,200 Sunday. They've he's been to Emmaus. 113 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:43,480 Now he's gone back to Jerusalem and met the disciples in the 114 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:48,240 upper room, and he tells them that this is what's going to 115 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:51,360 happen. All nations beginning in 116 00:06:51,360 --> 00:06:55,760 Jerusalem, all nations will hear the good news, the good news of 117 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:59,800 forgiveness of sins through repentance in Acts. 118 00:06:59,800 --> 00:07:01,840 He says it this way just before he ascends. 119 00:07:01,840 --> 00:07:04,320 This is 50 days later. I don't know. 120 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:06,200 This is a little less than 50 days later. 121 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:09,080 Pentecost was actually 50 days later, but this is might have 122 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:11,560 been right around today because next week is Pentecost. 123 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:15,840 Jesus says you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has 124 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:19,880 come on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and the 125 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:23,160 ends of the earth. Said same phrase starting in 126 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:25,200 Jerusalem, going to the ends of the earth. 127 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:26,840 There's more stuff in it, he adds in there. 128 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:30,080 Samaria and Judea he puts in there when he's talking to them 129 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:34,160 and just before his ascension. But the Holy Spirit's going to 130 00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:37,920 come and this thing that I've already told you about, you're 131 00:07:37,920 --> 00:07:41,320 going to be my witnesses all throughout the world, all 132 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:44,560 throughout the world. Now let's remember who the 133 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:47,120 disciples were and who Jesus was talking to. 134 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:49,640 These were not highly educated people. 135 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:53,000 These were just regular folks. These were working class folks. 136 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:57,600 Many of them were women and, and, and, and would have had 137 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:00,800 most likely less education than the men. 138 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:03,920 None of them were world travelers. 139 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:07,880 And Israel existed at the crossroads of great 140 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:11,800 civilizations of the world. They would have known folks 141 00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:14,680 traveling through Israel. They would have encountered 142 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:17,480 people from India, maybe perhaps even China. 143 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:20,440 They would have encountered people from from Rome and from 144 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:22,120 from parts other parts of Europe. 145 00:08:22,280 --> 00:08:24,120 They would have encountered people from the great 146 00:08:24,120 --> 00:08:27,440 civilizations of Africa, Egypt, and Ethiopia. 147 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:30,960 They would have encountered all of these and known that there 148 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:34,559 were wildly different cultures of wildly different people 149 00:08:34,559 --> 00:08:36,720 speaking wildly different languages. 150 00:08:37,159 --> 00:08:41,720 And Jesus has told them, you are going to be my witnesses to the 151 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:44,240 ends of the earth everywhere in the world. 152 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:48,760 The disciples were not prepared for this assignment. 153 00:08:49,400 --> 00:08:52,120 They were not adequate to this assignment. 154 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:56,760 They would almost certainly have been wondering how is this even 155 00:08:56,760 --> 00:09:00,160 going to be possible. We don't even have where are we 156 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:01,880 going to get the money to go to the ends of the earth? 157 00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:04,320 And once we're there, how are we going to tell people that we 158 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:07,240 can't understand and they can't understand us about the good 159 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:10,200 news of Jesus. They they were almost certainly 160 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:12,440 asking themselves these kinds of questions. 161 00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:17,280 How can this possibly be and Jesus had given them the answer. 162 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:21,360 Although again, as as always is when God is leading us, even 163 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:24,440 though we know the words we really don't understand, until 164 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:29,160 it happens, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit's going to fall upon 165 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:33,880 you and you will receive power. Not power to do everything 166 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:37,800 you've ever wanted to do, not power to live your best life 167 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:41,800 now, not power to be the best you you can be. 168 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:46,960 You will receive the power to do what I've told you to do. 169 00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:51,920 You will receive power to live out the prophecies that I have 170 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:54,920 made about you. That is the power that you will 171 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:57,400 receive. And we see it happening right 172 00:09:57,400 --> 00:10:00,600 there on the day of Pentecost. All of this was in Jerusalem. 173 00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:03,880 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak 174 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:06,720 in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 175 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:09,560 They were staying in there were staying in Jerusalem, God 176 00:10:09,560 --> 00:10:11,680 fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 177 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:14,800 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together and 178 00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:19,360 bewilderment because each one heard their own language being 179 00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:23,920 spoken. That's just this is how it 180 00:10:23,920 --> 00:10:29,120 works, beginning in Jerusalem where because of the the feast 181 00:10:29,120 --> 00:10:31,160 of Pentecost that's being celebrated. 182 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:35,040 They're Jews from all over the world here right now, and you 183 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:38,080 can see it and experience it with your own eyes. 184 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:42,200 You speak the good news and they hear in their own language. 185 00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:47,400 Because the Holy Spirit has come, the Holy Spirit has filled 186 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:50,520 you, the Holy Spirit has fallen upon you, and the Holy Spirit 187 00:10:50,520 --> 00:10:54,840 has given you power to do my will in ways that are beyond 188 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:57,840 your own capacity. This is the empowered life that 189 00:10:57,840 --> 00:11:02,080 we're called to. We're not called to be Jedi, to 190 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:06,720 go out and use the Holy Spirit to accomplish good in the world. 191 00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:11,320 We are called to surrender to and receive the Holy Spirit. 192 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:15,440 And so we can be guided by the Holy Spirit to do God's work in 193 00:11:15,440 --> 00:11:18,560 the world, whatever work that God gives us to do. 194 00:11:19,320 --> 00:11:21,720 Now I got to double check to see where I am yet. 195 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:25,800 Not quite there yet, OK? The Holy Spirit empowers us to 196 00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:29,360 do what God wants. What God wants. 197 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:33,680 The Holy Spirit does not power everyone to do the same thing 198 00:11:33,680 --> 00:11:37,120 though. Again, with Jedi, with Jedi, 199 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:39,320 when you look at the Jedi and you look at the Sith, they all 200 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:42,240 have the same, some of them have a few things that they can do 201 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:45,120 that maybe other folks can't do as well, but they all basically 202 00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:48,000 the same skill set. And, and the Jedi all had kind 203 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:49,640 of 1 mission. They were, they were sort of 204 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:53,080 the, the, the Guardians of the Galaxy, although I know that's a 205 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:55,680 different cinematic universe. They were, they were there to 206 00:11:55,680 --> 00:11:59,560 protect and defend justice and rightness in the Galaxy and the 207 00:11:59,560 --> 00:12:01,360 Sith. We're there to, you know, 208 00:12:01,560 --> 00:12:04,680 dominate and control and rule and destroy and those kinds of 209 00:12:04,680 --> 00:12:06,240 things. But they all could do the same 210 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:09,760 basic kinds of things. The Holy Spirit doesn't empower 211 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:12,840 every one of us to do the exact same thing. 212 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:16,400 We are individual people. We're like members of a body, 213 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:19,160 you know, not the some parts of the body. 214 00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:21,440 The hand doesn't do the same things the heart does. 215 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:23,480 The heart doesn't do the same thing the knees do. 216 00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:25,840 The lungs don't do the same thing the ears do. 217 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:30,240 And each of us as followers of Jesus Christ, we don't do the 218 00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:31,880 same thing that everyone else does. 219 00:12:32,760 --> 00:12:37,000 God gives us, some of us some. Well, God gives us the things 220 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:42,400 that each of us as individuals, the things that we need, the 221 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:46,800 power that we need to do what God has called us as individuals 222 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:50,640 to do and to be what God has called us as individuals to be. 223 00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:52,840 And that can be wildly different things. 224 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:54,960 I think I'm at where I think I'm supposed to be. 225 00:12:54,960 --> 00:12:56,400 Nope. I got one more, one more. 226 00:12:58,520 --> 00:13:02,880 This brings us back to Eric Little and and his ordinary 227 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:06,680 extraordinary example. Extraordinary because what Eric 228 00:13:06,680 --> 00:13:09,920 Little did I think is extraordinary, Maybe not to the 229 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:13,600 same degree of extraordinary as the Day of Pentecost itself, but 230 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:15,440 certainly well beyond the ordinary. 231 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:21,320 It's ordinary because God does this a lot, not identically the 232 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:24,640 same thing in every person, but this is the sort of thing we can 233 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:28,160 expect from the Holy Spirit. Now we're asking what what is 234 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:30,680 Eric Little's race that we saw there at the beginning? 235 00:13:30,680 --> 00:13:32,720 What does this have to do with the power of the Holy Spirit 236 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:34,720 living in the Spirit empowered life? 237 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:38,920 Little talks about that himself. And and then we're going to want 238 00:13:38,920 --> 00:13:40,280 to watch a clip. We're, we're going to watch a 239 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:44,280 clip that's actually from the 1924 Olympics where Eric Little 240 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:46,760 is running in the 400 meters, not his event. 241 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:50,200 Why he's running an event that wasn't his event is a longer 242 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:51,520 story. Watch the movie, you'll get 243 00:13:51,520 --> 00:13:53,880 that. But he's running the 400 meters. 244 00:13:53,880 --> 00:14:00,120 He trained for the Olympics for the 100 meters and, and as he 245 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:02,640 runs, we're going to hear his thoughts. 246 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:05,720 And as we hear his thoughts, we're hearing things that he 247 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:09,040 actually said earlier in the movie when he was talking to his 248 00:14:09,040 --> 00:14:12,840 sister and and a friend. Eric Little was in training to 249 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:16,480 be a missionary and he had been a missionary in China. 250 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:20,840 He was back in Scotland, he was planning to go back to China and 251 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:24,040 his sister and his friends from the mission field thought that 252 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:27,920 his time spent running and playing rugby as he was also a 253 00:14:27,920 --> 00:14:30,120 rugby player. Skinny little guy for a rugby 254 00:14:30,120 --> 00:14:32,480 player, right? I think he was bigger in real 255 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:36,480 life than the actor was. They thought it was a waste of 256 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:40,880 time, a frivolous waste of effort, a frivolous waste of 257 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:44,560 energy that was distracting him from the work that God has given 258 00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:46,520 him to do. We're going to watch this clip 259 00:14:46,520 --> 00:14:48,960 that we're going to talk a little bit more about Eric 260 00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:51,040 Little's example. Let's let's watch together. 261 00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:53,880 My computer has been doing weird things with the volume, so I'm 262 00:14:53,880 --> 00:14:56,640 going to do that and we should be good. 263 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:08,240 Good luck, don't expect I'll see you till after the race. 264 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:15,120 What's the deal with this guy? Little coach? 265 00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:16,800 Your problem. No problem. 266 00:15:16,960 --> 00:15:19,400 He's a flyer. He's had two races today 267 00:15:19,400 --> 00:15:20,600 already. He'll die. 268 00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:23,760 Just swing along, you guys and wait. 269 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:28,520 After 300 meters, rigor mortis sets in. 270 00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:35,920 You'll pull him in on a rope. Good luck. 271 00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:39,040 Watch out for a little. Coach says no problem. 272 00:15:39,640 --> 00:15:42,000 He's got something to prove, something personal, something 273 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:43,280 guys like Coach will never understand. 274 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:10,120 Says in the old book, he that honours me, I will honour good 275 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:12,000 luck. Jackson Shores. 276 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:43,840 So where does the power come from to see the race to its end 277 00:16:44,760 --> 00:17:09,400 from within? Jenny, I believe God made me for 278 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:15,400 a purpose. He also made me fast and when I 279 00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:46,670 run I feel his pleasure. The quotes we hear in his head 280 00:17:47,710 --> 00:17:51,480 are partial quotes from what he said earlier in the movie when 281 00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:54,000 he talks about where does the power come from, it comes from 282 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:57,560 within this full quotation. What he said earlier in the 283 00:17:57,560 --> 00:18:00,960 movie and made perfectly clear was it comes from within, from 284 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:06,240 God dwelling within us. And when he said God made me for 285 00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:08,320 a purpose, he said, God, Jenny, you're talking to his sister 286 00:18:08,320 --> 00:18:09,840 Jenny. God made, I know God made me for 287 00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:12,400 a purpose. God made me for China, but God 288 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:17,240 also made me fast. And when I run, I feel his 289 00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:21,440 pleasure, his throwing his head back. 290 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:24,960 There's not a track coach in the world that will ever tell one of 291 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:28,200 their athletes to imitate Eric Little's running style. 292 00:18:29,080 --> 00:18:32,760 He threw his head back, closed his eyes and flailed his arms as 293 00:18:32,760 --> 00:18:37,920 he won a gold medal. And that's how he ran, as an act 294 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:42,760 of worship and an act of praise, feeling the pleasure of God. 295 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:47,280 So my question for you is what? What do you do that lets you 296 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:50,920 feel God's pleasure? It's probably not going to be 297 00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:52,920 the same thing as the person sitting next to you. 298 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:57,680 Some, some of you wouldn't. It might be might be sports, it 299 00:18:57,680 --> 00:18:58,640 might be. It might be. 300 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:01,440 It might be some sort of book worker academically, it might be 301 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:05,120 some kind of of skill or talent you use caring for others. 302 00:19:05,120 --> 00:19:07,720 Maybe it's teaching, maybe it's healing, maybe it's serving, 303 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:10,000 maybe it's building, maybe it's growing. 304 00:19:10,120 --> 00:19:11,520 What? I don't know what it is. 305 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:17,360 I don't know what it is, but what do you do that lets you 306 00:19:17,360 --> 00:19:23,680 feel God's pleasure? Whatever that is, do that. 307 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:28,120 Do that. No matter what folks around you 308 00:19:28,120 --> 00:19:32,320 say, do that. Now listen to your parents. 309 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:34,120 You got to throw. I don't want to get in trouble, 310 00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:36,920 you know, just wait till they're not looking. 311 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:44,960 Then it wasn't a waste of time. It wasn't a distraction from his 312 00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:46,520 purpose. Eric Little went on to go on 313 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:49,880 China, had a very effective, very tremendous ministry in 314 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:55,120 China where he experienced some great suffering as World War 2 315 00:19:55,280 --> 00:20:02,800 came along. Why did God make Eric fast? 316 00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:07,320 Why did he give him that gift? Why did he empower him to run 317 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:09,440 that way? And Eric himself will tell you 318 00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:12,240 that his winning that gold medal was not his power. 319 00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:16,040 It was the power of God in him. Why I, I don't know. 320 00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:19,440 I don't know. I know it's an amazing story. 321 00:20:20,320 --> 00:20:24,080 I know it's a tremendous witness of the good news and the power 322 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:26,200 and the grace of God through Jesus Christ. 323 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:28,920 But why that and not something else? 324 00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:33,160 I why the thing for you and not something else? 325 00:20:33,160 --> 00:20:35,440 I don't know. I don't know. 326 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:39,560 God doesn't give us all the same thing. 327 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:42,760 God doesn't make us all tremendous athletes, doesn't 328 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:45,240 give us all the gift for singing, the gift of music. 329 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:49,720 God doesn't for each individuals, and God gives us 330 00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:55,080 what we need in order to do what God has called us to do, 331 00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:58,800 whatever that thing is. God calls different people to do 332 00:20:58,800 --> 00:21:00,520 different things. And so we got to let other 333 00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:05,240 people do their thing while we do the thing that when we do it, 334 00:21:05,360 --> 00:21:08,760 we feel God's pleasure. We feel God's joy in our life. 335 00:21:08,760 --> 00:21:10,600 We got to be careful. It's not just something that we 336 00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:15,360 like and something that makes us happy, that there's a difference 337 00:21:15,360 --> 00:21:18,200 between feeling happy and feeling God's pleasure, but we 338 00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:22,080 can work those things out. The Holy Spirit will guide us in 339 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:25,320 that, and we got to let other people do their thing as well. 340 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:28,520 At the same time, there are some things that the Holy Spirit 341 00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:31,440 empowers you to do whatever God calls you to do. 342 00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:35,240 There's some things that are across the board for followers 343 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:37,640 of Jesus Christ. We get this promise when the 344 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:40,440 Holy Spirit falls upon us, when the Holy Spirit fills us. 345 00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:42,400 These are the things that God we can. 346 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:45,760 These are signs, evidence of the Holy Spirit and anyone and 347 00:21:45,760 --> 00:21:48,280 everyone. And essentially Paul is saying 348 00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:51,720 in that letter to the Galatians that that Elena read earlier 349 00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:56,240 that that when you see this in people, this is a sign of God. 350 00:21:57,200 --> 00:22:00,680 This is evidence of the Holy Spirit in their life. 351 00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:05,520 What is the Holy Spirit empowers all to do whatever our specific 352 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:11,720 calling is, these common things that we have, the Holy Spirit 353 00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:14,120 produces this kind of fruit in our lives. 354 00:22:14,360 --> 00:22:18,520 Love. That screen just went blank. 355 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:20,840 It didn't stop at love I'm oh there, it's back. 356 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:26,960 Wow, weird hasn't done that. Lovejoy, peace, patience, 357 00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:29,840 kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and 358 00:22:29,840 --> 00:22:32,480 self-control. And by the way, there is no law 359 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:33,880 against doing any of these things. 360 00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:36,520 Paul says he was writing to the Galatians. 361 00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:40,040 They were, they were sliding back into legalism or sliding 362 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:42,360 into legalism. And they're like, we can't do 363 00:22:42,360 --> 00:22:45,160 these things because the law says we can't eat that with law 364 00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:46,960 says we can't go hang out with these folks. 365 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:48,560 And, and, and Paul says, you know what? 366 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:50,800 There is no law that says you can't love someone. 367 00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:54,800 There is no law against joy, peace, patience, kindness, 368 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:57,480 goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 369 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:01,600 This is what the Holy Spirit produces in us. 370 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:04,760 There are some folks that that that say when they read this 371 00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:07,960 list that that's really just one fruit because the Greek is 372 00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:10,040 singular. It's not the fruits of the Holy 373 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:13,120 Spirit. Paul says the fruit of the Holy 374 00:23:13,120 --> 00:23:18,080 Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, and, and, and there's 375 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:21,560 some folks that say that love is the fruit of the Holy Spirit and 376 00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:24,600 all of those other words are just descriptors of love. 377 00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:29,600 It is loving with joy, loving with peace, loving patiently and 378 00:23:29,600 --> 00:23:32,560 kindly, and loving with goodness, loving faithfully, 379 00:23:32,920 --> 00:23:36,160 loving gently, and loving with self-control. 380 00:23:37,240 --> 00:23:41,480 However, you read it as a bunch of different things or one thing 381 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:44,800 with different aspects. It's all empowered by the Holy 382 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:51,480 Spirit and and that fruit and that empowerment often comes 383 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:54,520 together with that, that sense of joy and giving God's 384 00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:56,160 pleasure. I want to give you an example 385 00:23:56,160 --> 00:24:00,280 from my life and Amy's life and and she, she had something else 386 00:24:00,280 --> 00:24:02,120 she had to tend to this morning and she's not here. 387 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:03,600 She didn't know I was going to tell this. 388 00:24:06,640 --> 00:24:09,240 If you tell her and she gets mad, you didn't hear it from me. 389 00:24:12,080 --> 00:24:16,280 But we had Amy's mom who lived with us for three years and then 390 00:24:16,280 --> 00:24:19,640 was in an assisted living for three years, and she had 391 00:24:19,640 --> 00:24:21,720 Alzheimer's when she was with us. 392 00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:25,880 And I'm going to say this. Amy's mom's name is Phyllis. 393 00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:29,640 Phyllis lived a too much information kind of life. 394 00:24:29,920 --> 00:24:33,320 You could spend 15 minutes with Phyllis and know things about 395 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:35,480 her that only your doctor knows about you. 396 00:24:35,760 --> 00:24:39,360 So I'm I'm going to be over sharing a little bit here. 397 00:24:39,360 --> 00:24:41,560 Phyllis wouldn't mind. That's how she lived. 398 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:45,560 Phyllis was a hard person to get along with. 399 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:51,840 And there was a point a few years earlier on when when we 400 00:24:51,840 --> 00:24:55,000 were interacting with Phyllis and I looked over at Amy after 401 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:57,720 Phyllis had left, and I said, I don't care what happens to her. 402 00:24:57,720 --> 00:25:01,720 She is never living with us. And Amy agreed. 403 00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:03,960 She's like, yeah, you're right, you're right, you're right. 404 00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:09,680 But there was a moment when we saw the Alzheimer's, we saw the 405 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:14,960 disease, and it was undeniable. And we looked at each other and 406 00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:17,280 we said she needs to come live with us. 407 00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:20,000 And there was not a moment's hesitation. 408 00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:23,600 I make promises all the time that God says shut up. 409 00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:27,960 Just stop talking, Blevins. You're just embarrassing 410 00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:30,720 yourself. You might be thinking that right 411 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:37,480 now. We had said deaf. 412 00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:41,040 Never, never. Phyllis is not an easy person to 413 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:48,480 get along with, but we knew we needed to and and she moved in 414 00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:50,480 with us. And I don't know how. 415 00:25:50,480 --> 00:25:52,800 If you've spent a lot of time caring for someone with 416 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:55,800 Alzheimer's, it's the hardest thing we have ever done in our 417 00:25:55,800 --> 00:26:03,360 lives by far. And it was a period in our lives 418 00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:07,720 when we were both absolutely convinced on the hardest of days 419 00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:10,320 that we were doing exactly what God wanted us to do. 420 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:15,640 And we experienced throughout that time the power of the Holy 421 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:19,160 Spirit to do it. Because I can swear to you on 422 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:23,320 the Bible that what we did for her I could not do on my own 423 00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:27,520 strength. It's not in me to do that. 424 00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:35,320 And yet we did that. And, and I believe that that was 425 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:41,680 the Holy Spirit working in us to, as Jackson Schultz wrote in 426 00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:45,360 that note to Eric Little, to honor those who honor him. 427 00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:48,560 And Phyllis was not a perfect person, but she worked really 428 00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:52,640 hard in her life to honor God. And I believe the whole reason 429 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:57,560 that God gave that to us was so that God could care for Phyllis 430 00:26:58,920 --> 00:27:03,680 and provide a place for her, not for us. 431 00:27:05,080 --> 00:27:09,080 But we had that ongoing, what is hard? 432 00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:12,000 There were tears, there was anger, there was frustration. 433 00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:16,480 But through it all, there was that sense of God's pleasure of 434 00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:18,160 when we're cleaning up the messes. 435 00:27:18,520 --> 00:27:22,800 We were feeling God's pleasure when we were telling her the bad 436 00:27:22,800 --> 00:27:25,680 news for the 10th time in a week that she had Alzheimer's. 437 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:31,640 We were it hurt, but there was that sense of God saying this is 438 00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:35,560 right, this is what you need to be doing right now, and I'm 439 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:37,200 giving you everything you need to do it. 440 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:44,680 And when it was done and Phyllis passed on, it was the the 441 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:53,160 exhaustion was real. But it's the Holy Spirit that's 442 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:58,120 a it's not the happiness. Taking care of a loved one with 443 00:27:58,120 --> 00:28:03,000 Alzheimer's is not an occasion for happiness, but the pleasure 444 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:08,720 and the joy of God were there. And, and and it's hard, but I I 445 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:11,760 was at that gone a couple times for spiritual retreat to a 446 00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:14,640 monastery. Jesuit monastery or not, it's 447 00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:17,120 not Jesuit. I've forgotten which Benedictine 448 00:28:17,120 --> 00:28:21,520 maybe in New York and got spiritual direction from one of 449 00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:24,160 the monks there at one point. And I was whining about 450 00:28:24,160 --> 00:28:25,080 something, I can't remember what. 451 00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:27,520 I was whining about how hard something in life was. 452 00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:32,360 This old guy looks at me and said, yeah, he said, you suppose 453 00:28:32,360 --> 00:28:34,800 it was uncomfortable for Jesus being crucified? 454 00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:39,160 All right, fine, if that's where you're going. 455 00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:44,800 It's not about us being comfortable. 456 00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:53,480 Jesus suffered in his faithful obedience to God, but God 457 00:28:53,480 --> 00:28:58,240 sustained him through that. And it's the same for what God 458 00:28:58,240 --> 00:28:59,520 calls us. It's not about being 459 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:01,320 comfortable. It's not about being happy. 460 00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:03,920 It's not about doing the thing that makes us feel 461 00:29:03,920 --> 00:29:05,880 self-righteous and morally superior. 462 00:29:06,040 --> 00:29:10,480 It's about God giving us the power to do whatever God calls 463 00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:13,520 us to do as a church and as individuals. 464 00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:18,960 That is the spirit filled life. That is a spirit empowered life. 465 00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:22,640 And that means surrendering things like seek conceit and 466 00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:26,760 jealousy and envy and and pride, letting go of all of those 467 00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:29,800 things because those are incompatible with a life of love 468 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:32,680 and they're incompatible with a life empowered by the Holy 469 00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:36,520 Spirit. It's about surrendering every 470 00:29:36,520 --> 00:29:39,360 part of our lives. Let us follow the spirits 471 00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:45,760 leading in every part of our lives, whether it's when we're 472 00:29:45,760 --> 00:29:49,320 alone, or when we're with family or friends, or at work or at 473 00:29:49,320 --> 00:29:54,720 school or at church, wherever it is, even at the ball games, no 474 00:29:54,720 --> 00:30:01,120 matter how bad the refs are. We live by the Spirit following 475 00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:03,520 the spirits leading in every part of our lives. 476 00:30:03,520 --> 00:30:09,320 This is the Easter life, a life empowered by the Holy Spirit to 477 00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:13,160 do whatever God calls us to do, wherever God calls us to do it, 478 00:30:13,400 --> 00:30:15,080 in Jesus name. Amen. 479 00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:15,720 Amen.