WEBVTT 00:00:00.059 --> 00:00:05.450 I'm going to come back and share, especially as we are entering into the Christmas season. 00:00:05.450 --> 00:00:33.411 There's a particular message that I think is important for us as believers when we look at the Christmas season, because there's an aspect of the Christmas story that is one of the primary ways that distinguishes Christianity from any other faith in the world, and we're going to talk about today how Christianity is not a religion. 00:00:33.411 --> 00:00:40.237 Now, those who are not Christians might define it as a religion, with a broad definition. 00:00:40.237 --> 00:00:44.810 That religion is any set of beliefs in something that you can't see. 00:00:44.810 --> 00:00:48.950 But there's more to quote unquote religion than just that. 00:00:48.950 --> 00:01:02.932 There is a particular way that religion affects people's lives in a way that is different from Christianity, at least the way Christianity is intended to be lived out, based on the truth of the gospel. 00:01:02.932 --> 00:01:08.591 So we're going to talk about today how Christianity is not a religion, and you're going to see why. 00:01:08.591 --> 00:01:30.070 And one of the reasons why I think this is so important is because, especially in our world today I would say this is the case for the past thousands of years, but especially in our world today we need to be more confident and comfortable in our ability to explain to people who are asking the question well, what makes Christianity different than everything else? 00:01:30.070 --> 00:01:30.891 Right? 00:01:30.891 --> 00:01:34.052 Don't all the paths lead to God? 00:01:34.052 --> 00:01:38.625 Or it doesn't matter what you believe, it all goes to the same place anyway. 00:01:38.625 --> 00:01:40.924 And no, it does not. 00:01:40.924 --> 00:01:53.983 But if we're asked that, as Christians, sometimes we can tremble a little bit, because we might know that Christianity is different, but we might not know exactly how or how to explain it simply. 00:01:53.983 --> 00:02:06.290 And so today we're going to talk about something that is very, very unique about Christianity, and we see it in the Christmas story. 00:02:07.420 --> 00:02:13.453 Now I have three young girls at home. 00:02:13.453 --> 00:02:21.328 They're eight and a half, because we have to make sure we have the half Eight and a half, five and a half and three and a half. 00:02:21.328 --> 00:02:25.168 Yeah, that was actually a prayer request. 00:02:25.168 --> 00:02:32.431 And so eight and a half, five and a half and three and a half, and here's the thing. 00:02:32.431 --> 00:02:42.312 Here's the thing Because there is such a distance in my height and theirs. 00:02:42.312 --> 00:02:51.673 In my eight and a half year old, she tries to kind of measure herself, sometimes every day. 00:02:51.673 --> 00:02:52.960 See how much she's grown. 00:02:52.960 --> 00:02:56.349 You know, it used to be like that yardstick or something to mark her. 00:02:56.349 --> 00:03:05.360 Well, now it's my stomach, and so she just comes right there and just, you know, just, I'm like I'm getting, look, I can reach your shoulder, I can do all this stuff. 00:03:05.360 --> 00:03:32.993 I'm like, yeah, you're growing and we keep feeding you and it's happening, but there is a gap in the distance between me and my kids, so that if I want my kids to experience a hug, whether I initiate it or they initiate it, that gap has got to be closed. 00:03:33.960 --> 00:03:45.692 My youngest daughter, who's three and a half, her name is Grace, so I have at least I have Sidney and I have Grace, and when she was younger she would say up, be daddy, up be daddy. 00:03:45.692 --> 00:03:51.424 You know she's asking to be in my arms and here's why this is so important. 00:03:51.424 --> 00:03:56.106 She would need my help because she can't get there on her own. 00:03:56.106 --> 00:03:58.862 She can't get there on her own. 00:03:58.862 --> 00:04:01.085 Now, if that's the Lord calling, tell them. 00:04:01.085 --> 00:04:02.681 I say hello, if that's. 00:04:02.681 --> 00:04:06.850 If that wasn't, she can't. 00:04:06.850 --> 00:04:08.342 So there's this gap. 00:04:08.342 --> 00:04:14.951 She's three and a half and maybe I'm three feet tall or so and I'm six one, six two. 00:04:14.951 --> 00:04:17.564 She can't just jump up there. 00:04:17.564 --> 00:04:20.547 She can't close the gap on her own. 00:04:20.547 --> 00:04:26.252 If I'm going to hug her, I have to come down to her. 00:04:26.252 --> 00:04:34.826 I can either come down and stay down there and hang out, or I can bring her up into my arms, but she cannot close the gap on her own. 00:04:34.826 --> 00:04:40.052 I have to do something to come down to her. 00:04:40.052 --> 00:04:43.629 If I'm going to play a game, I've got to come down to her. 00:04:43.629 --> 00:04:47.850 If we're going to play with Barbies, I've got to come down to her. 00:04:47.850 --> 00:04:49.324 And why is that important? 00:04:49.324 --> 00:04:53.146 Because because that's what God did for us. 00:04:53.146 --> 00:04:59.430 There is nothing we could do to get up to him. 00:04:59.430 --> 00:05:02.208 There is nothing we could do to be united with him. 00:05:02.208 --> 00:05:18.692 There's no amount of, there's no ladder that could have closed the gap between where we were and where he is, and God, as a father, wanted us to experience his embrace, and he knew we could not come up. 00:05:18.692 --> 00:05:21.745 He had to come down. 00:05:21.745 --> 00:05:32.807 So now, when I'm playing with my kids and I decide to come down there maybe they want me to play on the floor or something like that I decide to come down there. 00:05:32.807 --> 00:05:33.983 There are some things I've got to do, though. 00:05:33.983 --> 00:05:45.483 After the decision has been made in my head that I'm going to come down, I've got to communicate that to the rest of my body so we all cooperate with everything that needs to happen so I can get on down there. 00:05:45.483 --> 00:05:48.685 Then, after I get down there immediately I begin my playing. 00:05:48.685 --> 00:05:53.824 Come on now for how I'm going to get back up Like y'all. 00:05:53.824 --> 00:05:55.360 We can't stay down here forever Knees. 00:05:55.360 --> 00:05:58.879 You hear me Ankle hips right Now. 00:05:59.021 --> 00:06:06.470 When I was growing up, one of my favorite serials was Rice Krispies, and one of the things they said in the commercials was snap crackle pop. 00:06:06.470 --> 00:06:08.607 Well, I don't hear that when I eat cereal. 00:06:08.607 --> 00:06:14.043 Now I hear that when I get up off the ground I have to play with my kids Snap crackle pop. 00:06:14.043 --> 00:06:30.483 Now, here's the thing, though Even if there is some kind of inconvenience, even if there is some kind of strain or whatever, it is worth it to have the outcome of looking at my kids in the eyes, of laying down, playing with them or whatever. 00:06:30.483 --> 00:06:40.535 It's worth it to come down to them and to close the gap coming to them that they could not close on their own, trying to come to me. 00:06:41.319 --> 00:06:44.629 This is what the Christmas story is all about. 00:06:44.629 --> 00:06:55.766 It is about God coming down to us as a baby and a manger and the person of Jesus. 00:06:55.766 --> 00:07:07.002 It's God coming down, and that, my Christian friends, is what makes Christianity unique from everything else in the world. 00:07:07.002 --> 00:07:21.213 All these other religions have a different focus, and what I want you to see between Christianity and religions is the direction of movement. 00:07:21.213 --> 00:07:27.766 The direction of movement Y'all stay with me the direction of movement. 00:07:27.766 --> 00:07:33.370 We want to look at who is moving to who and why. 00:07:33.370 --> 00:07:37.286 So let's go to the first slide with the arrow pointing up. 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:40.105 This is what religion looks like. 00:07:40.105 --> 00:07:48.401 I have God little G, because all the other religions are little G gods and whatever that God is. 00:07:48.401 --> 00:07:51.528 And in some religions it's not actually a God. 00:07:51.528 --> 00:07:58.391 There's Nirvana, or this state of being one with the universe, or a state of bliss. 00:07:58.391 --> 00:08:01.204 It's not an actual person, it's a state that you get to. 00:08:01.204 --> 00:08:02.884 But here's the main points. 00:08:02.884 --> 00:08:07.848 Religion originates with humanity reaching up. 00:08:07.848 --> 00:08:11.625 It is an upward movement. 00:08:11.625 --> 00:08:14.384 It's humanity reaching up. 00:08:14.384 --> 00:08:31.766 It's humanity trying to be approved, trying to be accepted, trying to earn favor, trying to earn blessing, trying to do all of these things to appease whatever God is there in that religion. 00:08:31.766 --> 00:08:33.399 That's religion. 00:08:33.399 --> 00:08:37.062 It is an upward movement. 00:08:38.115 --> 00:09:03.500 When you think about some of the movies that depict ancient Rome or ancient Greece or some of those other movies, you oftentimes hear them say things like we have to honor the gods, right, if we're going to go to war, you know they might have a seer or some kind of a druidess or some kind of a person that's their version of a prophet who sees in the spiritual realm, and they'll say things like what does it look like for us? 00:09:03.500 --> 00:09:05.481 Are the odds in our favor? 00:09:05.481 --> 00:09:07.320 Are we going to win this battle? 00:09:07.320 --> 00:09:15.337 If we're gonna sail out on the sea, they might wanna do some kind of an offering to Poseidons in Greek mythology. 00:09:15.337 --> 00:09:17.283 Like, poseidon is the god of the sea. 00:09:17.283 --> 00:09:23.865 If we're gonna sail across the sea, we wanna make sure that it's safe, so we gotta make sure that we are honoring Poseidon. 00:09:23.865 --> 00:09:25.561 Right, there's all these different things. 00:09:25.561 --> 00:09:30.241 So, whether it's Greek mythology or even today in Hinduism, there are over two million gods. 00:09:30.241 --> 00:09:34.701 Can you imagine what your life would have to be like to try to appease over two million? 00:09:34.701 --> 00:09:37.240 Have you ever tried to count to two million? 00:09:37.240 --> 00:09:39.240 No, you didn't, because that's crazy. 00:09:39.240 --> 00:09:40.860 That's just way too many right? 00:09:40.860 --> 00:09:49.081 But that's what this looks like Having to appease this god and this god and all this kind of stuff and all this kind of right. 00:09:49.081 --> 00:09:50.620 That's religion. 00:09:52.475 --> 00:09:54.501 But when it comes to Christianity, go to the next slide. 00:09:54.501 --> 00:10:00.304 This is the movement, the direction of the movement. 00:10:00.304 --> 00:10:04.203 Christianity originated in the heart of God. 00:10:04.203 --> 00:10:06.399 We didn't just create this. 00:10:06.399 --> 00:10:13.004 It originated in the heart of God and it's God reaching down. 00:10:13.004 --> 00:10:15.261 This is the main difference. 00:10:15.261 --> 00:10:21.085 It is God reaching down, it's a downward movement where he is initiating relationship. 00:10:21.085 --> 00:10:26.684 We weren't just living in darkness saying, man, sure, dark down here, wish there was some light. 00:10:26.684 --> 00:10:31.323 No, we were in darkness, enjoying darkness. 00:10:31.323 --> 00:10:33.562 We were in sin, enjoying see. 00:10:33.562 --> 00:10:39.684 We were not looking for a way of escape Because we were unaware of being a sinner. 00:10:39.845 --> 00:10:41.220 Period, the whole concept. 00:10:41.220 --> 00:10:43.880 Someone had to let us know. 00:10:43.880 --> 00:10:45.822 Number one I am the creator. 00:10:45.822 --> 00:10:47.701 Number two I created this to be different. 00:10:47.701 --> 00:10:48.980 Number three sin messed it up. 00:10:48.980 --> 00:10:50.739 Number four I'm going to fix it for you. 00:10:50.739 --> 00:11:03.182 And in order for me to fix it for you, see, you can't come up, I have got to come down. 00:11:03.182 --> 00:11:07.785 And so, in Islam, allah is not coming down. 00:11:07.785 --> 00:11:10.482 In Confucianism, no one's coming down. 00:11:10.482 --> 00:11:12.402 In Buddhism, no one is coming down. 00:11:12.402 --> 00:11:15.602 In Sikhism, no one is coming down. 00:11:15.602 --> 00:11:20.320 In the Bahá'í Faith, no one is coming down In the Jewish faith, they're still waiting for someone to come down. 00:11:25.174 --> 00:11:32.004 In Christianity, someone came down for us and did the work to close the gap for us. 00:11:32.004 --> 00:11:33.861 That's why we call it good news. 00:11:33.861 --> 00:11:41.399 There's no good news of Allah, it's good news of Jesus, it's the gospel of Jesus. 00:11:41.399 --> 00:11:44.621 In Islam, when they die. 00:11:44.621 --> 00:11:54.421 They believe that their good deeds and their bad deeds are going to be put on a scale and they're hoping that they've done enough good deeds to outweigh their bad deeds. 00:11:54.421 --> 00:12:04.485 And that's their version of salvation that they have to do good works and their good works have got to outnumber their bad works. 00:12:04.485 --> 00:12:05.527 What a way to live. 00:12:05.527 --> 00:12:09.342 You can have peace like that, but you can have peace if you know it's finished. 00:12:09.342 --> 00:12:15.870 See, you can't have joy if you know that it's finished. 00:12:15.870 --> 00:12:19.621 This is God coming down. 00:12:19.894 --> 00:12:22.143 This makes Christianity unique. 00:12:22.143 --> 00:12:34.198 No other faith or religion, as they call it, has the God coming down to do the work for the people, to close the gap to the people so they can be united with the people. 00:12:34.198 --> 00:12:35.845 No other one. 00:12:35.845 --> 00:12:38.962 And you need to be able to clearly explain that to people. 00:12:38.962 --> 00:12:40.421 You don't need to explain anything else. 00:12:40.421 --> 00:12:42.740 We'll help them to the dinosaurs I'm talking about no dinosaurs. 00:12:48.254 --> 00:12:51.225 There's a lot of things that you might not have to explain about Christianity. 00:12:51.225 --> 00:12:52.634 There's a lot of things you just won't know. 00:12:52.634 --> 00:12:56.500 Don't be afraid to say I don't know, but one of the things you can know is that here's what makes us different. 00:12:56.500 --> 00:13:05.821 God came down in the person of Jesus Christ and he accomplished the work for us and our role is to believe that it worked. 00:13:05.821 --> 00:13:09.408 Yes, that's what we believe. 00:13:09.408 --> 00:13:28.263 We believe that Jesus is our way to God, that God came down to us in human form, that there was nothing that we could do to earn our way, there was nothing that we could do to climb on up into His presence, to climb on up to His standard of holiness and righteousness and perfection, that there was nothing we could do to get there. 00:13:28.263 --> 00:13:29.519 And he knew that. 00:13:29.519 --> 00:13:31.160 And we've gotta confess that. 00:13:31.160 --> 00:13:35.361 And when we confess that, then we can acknowledge that he's coming down to us. 00:13:35.361 --> 00:13:41.764 This is the gospel and this is what we are celebrating during this Christmas season. 00:13:41.764 --> 00:13:42.818 But let me just tell you what. 00:13:42.818 --> 00:13:43.562 Let me just tell you what. 00:13:43.835 --> 00:13:57.701 The one of the downsides of this message being highlighted just around the Christmas season is that, like I said, it's one of the main distinctions between Christianity and everything else and it is a core message of the gospel. 00:13:57.701 --> 00:14:08.201 And if we only talk about this message during Christmas, once a year, then we will relegate a core element of the gospel that should be preached every day to something that is a seasonal message. 00:14:08.201 --> 00:14:21.542 This is not a seasonal message that it's a core message of the gospel, so much so that at the very beginning of John's gospel he says in the beginning was the word he calls Jesus the word, and the word became flesh so we could see Him at the very beginning of the gospel. 00:14:21.542 --> 00:14:33.580 And, like Nate was saying earlier in Matthew, there's a genealogy that goes all the way down from Adam, all the way down to I mean from Abraham to Jesus right, talking about Jesus. 00:14:33.580 --> 00:14:37.980 And Luke goes all the way from Adam all the way down to Jesus. 00:14:37.980 --> 00:14:40.681 They're talking about beginning their gospels this way. 00:14:40.681 --> 00:14:41.162 Why? 00:14:41.162 --> 00:14:42.264 Because it's so important. 00:14:42.264 --> 00:14:45.844 Let me tell you something the birth of Jesus Christ in a manger. 00:14:45.844 --> 00:14:55.702 It is not a seasonal message, it is a core message of the gospel that has to be taught 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. 00:14:55.702 --> 00:15:00.102 Do not relegate this message to December. 00:15:00.102 --> 00:15:21.296 People need to hear this in January and February and March and April and May and every month of the year, because it is central God becoming flesh and then God dying for us and then God being raised from the dead by God, the Father, like this. 00:15:21.296 --> 00:15:24.004 This is the gospel message. 00:15:24.004 --> 00:15:25.219 And why did he do it? 00:15:25.219 --> 00:15:26.539 Because we couldn't come up. 00:15:26.539 --> 00:15:28.879 He had to come down. 00:15:28.879 --> 00:15:31.346 He had to come down. 00:15:33.434 --> 00:15:40.640 Now let's go back to the first slide, with the arrow going up, you can still live Christianity this way. 00:15:40.640 --> 00:15:55.096 Many of us still live Christianity this way, as if we still have to earn it, as if, even though Jesus died on the cross, that's good. 00:15:55.096 --> 00:16:00.960 Securing our salvation, that's good, but don't I still have to do something? 00:16:00.960 --> 00:16:05.562 Don't I still have to add good works to this? 00:16:05.562 --> 00:16:18.721 No, the works that we do are because of our joy and our rest and our experience of the abundance of God's generosity towards us. 00:16:18.721 --> 00:16:20.601 We work because we're saved. 00:16:20.601 --> 00:16:22.100 We don't work to be saved. 00:16:24.159 --> 00:16:29.302 So the things that we do should come out of a joy, because of what has been finished for us. 00:16:29.302 --> 00:16:36.580 It shouldn't come out of a sense of duty or obligation that there's something we still need to earn, like I still need to do something to make God happy with me. 00:16:36.580 --> 00:16:38.100 I am already in Christ. 00:16:38.100 --> 00:16:43.524 He cannot be more happy with me now if I just do something extra. 00:16:43.524 --> 00:16:48.083 I am in Christ, I am in His Son and His Son is in me. 00:16:48.083 --> 00:16:55.519 There is no more happiness that God adds to how happy he already is with me. 00:16:55.519 --> 00:17:03.736 And you See, but when you believe that you can rest in it. 00:17:04.144 --> 00:17:07.446 If you don't really believe that, you think, ah, that sounds good, that sounds good. 00:17:07.446 --> 00:17:10.692 But now I still think I have to do something. 00:17:10.692 --> 00:17:20.397 And here's why I'm saying this, because so many times, if we're going to live Christianity this way, we still believe that we owe God. 00:17:20.397 --> 00:17:24.315 All right, now, don't raise your hands, okay. 00:17:24.315 --> 00:17:35.252 But how many of you actually, if you're honest with yourself, you still believe at some level that you owe God Because he's been so good, because he's blessed you, that you owe him. 00:17:35.252 --> 00:17:38.892 And the reality is you don't owe him. 00:17:38.892 --> 00:17:45.230 He did what he did to cancel all of your debt, not to create a new debt. 00:17:45.230 --> 00:17:55.695 And so sometimes our guilt and our shame from our past or whatever, that's what's speaking. 00:17:55.695 --> 00:17:56.887 That's not the gospel speaking. 00:17:56.887 --> 00:17:58.271 That's not grace speaking. 00:17:58.271 --> 00:17:59.134 That's guilt speaking. 00:17:59.134 --> 00:18:02.213 It's just like, oh, my God, I got to earn it. 00:18:02.213 --> 00:18:05.554 And here's how you know if you feel like you have to earn it. 00:18:05.554 --> 00:18:19.915 Here's an example Sometimes, if you can come to worship and you're experiencing God's presence, you're with the saints singing to God and you got your hands up, you've got the full extension elbow. 00:18:21.077 --> 00:18:21.719 You know what I'm talking about. 00:18:21.719 --> 00:18:22.686 The full extension elbow. 00:18:22.686 --> 00:18:24.491 Like you just know, god loves you. 00:18:24.491 --> 00:18:33.739 You are happy to be in his presence just because you felt like you did good that week. 00:18:33.739 --> 00:18:37.354 Did anybody ever have a bad sin week? 00:18:37.354 --> 00:18:39.690 You know that. 00:18:39.690 --> 00:18:40.251 You know that. 00:18:40.251 --> 00:18:40.794 You know the week. 00:18:40.794 --> 00:18:43.309 You know you're like, oh, this is not. 00:18:43.309 --> 00:18:48.166 I know God, he can't be proud of me the way I was acting. 00:18:48.166 --> 00:19:01.875 I've been prideful, I've been irritable, I've been jealous, I've been, I had to cuff somebody out and it didn't matter that they deserved it, but I know I shouldn't have done that. 00:19:01.875 --> 00:19:05.469 Then Sunday rolls around. 00:19:05.469 --> 00:19:06.971 You're coming in. 00:19:06.971 --> 00:19:13.491 If you come that Sunday, then you get here and you don't quite have that extension, no more. 00:19:13.491 --> 00:19:16.752 Now you got like the little. 00:19:16.752 --> 00:19:19.464 You know, you got that terrain. 00:19:19.464 --> 00:19:27.207 Final source Rex prays yes, it's like the best you can do, right, joy to the world. 00:19:27.288 --> 00:19:28.992 And we sing and we sing. 00:19:29.744 --> 00:19:30.627 We're not quite singing. 00:19:30.627 --> 00:19:31.069 Why? 00:19:31.069 --> 00:19:33.891 Because we think that something has changed. 00:19:33.891 --> 00:19:54.127 And when you think that something has changed between your relationship with God, because you sinned, you're here, right there, you're living that, because this right here is based on your behavior, it's based on your work. 00:19:54.127 --> 00:19:58.653 If you work hard, are you doing good, then everything's good. 00:19:58.653 --> 00:20:00.067 Right, we have appeased the gods. 00:20:02.025 --> 00:20:05.335 Even if you don't believe in Greek mythology and all that you can still believe the same thing about God. 00:20:05.335 --> 00:20:07.132 Oh, I made God happy today. 00:20:07.132 --> 00:20:08.349 I have appeased him. 00:20:08.349 --> 00:20:14.136 I was, I was, you know, showing love to people around me and I know God is happy with me. 00:20:14.136 --> 00:20:22.138 Like his personality and his mood and his disposition towards me is based on my behavior. 00:20:22.138 --> 00:20:24.971 So what I'm doing good, that he's good towards me. 00:20:24.971 --> 00:20:26.796 If I'm doing bad, I know he's. 00:20:26.796 --> 00:20:31.972 You know I might not be blessed now because I right, that is living Christianity as a religion. 00:20:31.972 --> 00:20:36.287 That is not the gospel, that is not grace, that is not what the cross is about. 00:20:36.287 --> 00:21:00.067 And sometimes we live that and I'm going to tell you right now, if we live that, that would explain why we're not excited to share that, because it's exhausting, there's no certainty, there's no peace, it's a lot of work. 00:21:00.067 --> 00:21:03.651 We don't really want to invite people into that. 00:21:05.146 --> 00:21:09.188 It's like we believe enough about the gospel to go to heaven, but we don't believe enough about the gospel to go to the world. 00:21:09.188 --> 00:21:13.752 This is different than having it here, versus having it here. 00:21:13.752 --> 00:21:20.631 And the word says if you believe in your heart that God raised from the dead, you shall be saved, and confess with your mouth, you shall be saved. 00:21:20.631 --> 00:21:22.567 And some of us. 00:21:22.567 --> 00:21:23.329 We have it here. 00:21:23.329 --> 00:21:24.707 It's not here. 00:21:24.707 --> 00:21:26.288 How do we know? 00:21:26.288 --> 00:21:33.288 Because there's a difference between repeating the truth of the gospel and resting in the power of the gospel. 00:21:33.288 --> 00:21:35.134 You can repeat the truth. 00:21:35.134 --> 00:21:37.352 You can repeat anything you've memorized and anything you've heard. 00:21:37.352 --> 00:21:38.428 Enough you can repeat it. 00:21:38.428 --> 00:21:48.398 You can tell the story of the gospel, but how you live and how you rest is what will tell if you are resting in the truth of the gospel you believe. 00:21:48.398 --> 00:21:53.551 Are you living it this way, or go to the next slide, or are you living it with the arrow going down that way? 00:21:53.551 --> 00:21:55.127 See, there's joy here. 00:21:55.127 --> 00:22:04.451 There's joy here when you're living here, christianity adds a relationship, not just a relationship, but one initiated by God. 00:22:04.545 --> 00:22:06.413 I think we've got to kind of add that to it. 00:22:06.413 --> 00:22:09.114 Oftentimes we say Christianity is not a religion, it's a relationship. 00:22:09.114 --> 00:22:18.035 It's not just a relationship, it's a relationship initiated by God coming down, because it's the nature of the relationship that makes it so amazing. 00:22:18.035 --> 00:22:21.071 It's not just a relationship like I started it. 00:22:21.071 --> 00:22:23.611 It's not just a relationship that I'm keeping together. 00:22:23.611 --> 00:22:29.737 This is not a covenant that I started and I created and I'm holding on my end of the bargain and God does not. 00:22:29.737 --> 00:22:31.970 This is not that kind of relationship We've got to be more specific. 00:22:31.970 --> 00:22:36.260 This is a relationship that God initiated while we were yet sinners. 00:22:36.260 --> 00:22:41.248 Christ died for us when you're at your worst. 00:22:41.248 --> 00:22:46.008 He came to you then At your worst. 00:22:46.008 --> 00:22:52.511 He came then While you were still in darkness. 00:22:52.732 --> 00:22:56.489 How much more has your relationship now changed, now that you are a child of light? 00:22:56.489 --> 00:23:27.066 So the difference is, when I have that bad sin week, when I'm living like this, when I keep pouring that because the TV is right there, but when I'm living like this with that bad sin week, I can come into worship and still go full extension, praise and say God. 00:23:27.066 --> 00:23:30.933 This past week has reminded me of the power of the cross. 00:23:30.933 --> 00:23:36.554 This past week has reminded me that I could not close the gap. 00:23:36.554 --> 00:23:39.291 I cannot do this on my own. 00:23:39.291 --> 00:23:53.356 This past week reminded me and my family and reminded my boss and reminded my kids that I needed a savior, because I can't keep this thing together myself. 00:23:53.356 --> 00:23:56.230 I can't be holding it for the righteous enough. 00:23:56.230 --> 00:24:00.412 So thank you, that joy has come to the world. 00:24:00.412 --> 00:24:02.490 That's why we sing. 00:24:02.490 --> 00:24:05.029 So here's the new flash. 00:24:05.029 --> 00:24:05.811 Here it is, you're ready. 00:24:07.125 --> 00:24:10.655 You don't ever have a good week or a bad sin week. 00:24:10.655 --> 00:24:11.185 You don't ever. 00:24:11.185 --> 00:24:12.650 You just have a forgiven week. 00:24:12.650 --> 00:24:16.065 It's forgiven. 00:24:16.065 --> 00:24:16.888 This, this, right here. 00:24:16.888 --> 00:24:22.792 Are you seeing this, this on your very worst day? 00:24:22.792 --> 00:24:23.766 Remember this. 00:24:23.766 --> 00:24:31.313 When you feel like you've blown it, remember this that the relationship is based on what he did for you. 00:24:31.313 --> 00:24:40.692 That's why your junk can undo it, your sin can undo the cross, your mistakes can undo the redemption. 00:24:40.692 --> 00:24:47.634 Your sin cannot take away the power of the blood of Jesus that has washed you from it. 00:24:47.634 --> 00:24:55.711 So you can worship when you feel like you've had a good day and you can worship when you feel like you've had a bad day. 00:24:55.711 --> 00:25:01.116 But I will tell you this that in Christ, you are forgiven. 00:25:01.116 --> 00:25:05.095 God does not ever see you having a bad sin week. 00:25:05.095 --> 00:25:08.832 He just sees you having a forgiven week. 00:25:08.832 --> 00:25:16.228 That's the gospel. 00:25:16.228 --> 00:25:20.045 See everyone else, in every religion. 00:25:20.045 --> 00:25:26.224 They need to be worried, they need to be concerned, they need to be worried about the scale. 00:25:26.224 --> 00:25:27.743 They need to be, not us. 00:25:27.743 --> 00:25:28.646 It's already finished. 00:25:28.900 --> 00:25:29.181 He did it. 00:25:29.181 --> 00:25:30.665 It makes us unique. 00:25:30.665 --> 00:25:30.987 He did it. 00:25:30.987 --> 00:25:33.380 He came down to us and he did it. 00:25:33.380 --> 00:25:34.404 He died on the cross for us. 00:25:34.404 --> 00:25:35.585 He shed his blood for us. 00:25:35.585 --> 00:25:39.369 He rose on the grave for us, for us, for us. 00:25:39.369 --> 00:25:44.951 He came down for us and there's nothing you did to add to it. 00:25:44.951 --> 00:25:47.125 There's nothing you did to improve the gospel. 00:25:47.125 --> 00:25:48.450 There's nothing that you did. 00:25:48.450 --> 00:25:49.945 You just believe that it worked. 00:25:49.945 --> 00:25:50.981 That's what got you in. 00:25:50.981 --> 00:26:04.143 You believe that the blood of Jesus is what God uses to forgive you of your sin when you trust it. 00:26:04.700 --> 00:26:11.930 When you say I recognize that the gap is too big, I recognize I can't jump up into your arms. 00:26:11.930 --> 00:26:21.711 I recognize I can't feed enough homeless people, I can't pour enough bozo soup, I can't give enough coach to earn your favor, earn your blessing, earn your approval. 00:26:21.711 --> 00:26:32.845 I recognize the gap is too big and because of that, I recognize why you had to come and I recognize you as coming. 00:26:32.845 --> 00:26:40.396 And I recognize and believe why you came and what you accomplished for me and I believe that. 00:26:40.396 --> 00:26:43.809 I believe that my sins have been forgiven. 00:26:43.809 --> 00:26:47.931 I believe that the cross actually worked for me. 00:26:47.931 --> 00:27:04.366 I believe that the blood he shed 2000 years ago is still powerful enough today to keep me cleansed Not just cleanse me back in 85, but to keep me cleansed Because he came down. 00:27:04.366 --> 00:27:09.125 This is why this is good news. 00:27:09.125 --> 00:27:22.470 So let me look at this, this passage that Paul is telling to sharing with the Galatians, and he says this in Galatians, chapter four, versus four through seven. 00:27:23.400 --> 00:27:31.452 But when the right time came, god sent his son, born of a woman subject to the law. 00:27:31.452 --> 00:27:37.132 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law. 00:27:37.132 --> 00:27:45.482 The idea of being slaves to the law is having to abide by the law for approval, for acceptance. 00:27:45.482 --> 00:27:56.267 He bought freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 00:27:56.267 --> 00:28:07.487 And because we are his children, god sent the spirit of his son into our hearts, prompting us to call out Abba, father. 00:28:07.487 --> 00:28:16.852 Now here's the result Now, now, not before, but now you are no longer a slave, but God's own child. 00:28:16.852 --> 00:28:24.073 And since you are his child, god has made you his heir. 00:28:24.073 --> 00:28:25.103 How'd you become his heir? 00:28:25.103 --> 00:28:27.603 How did you become his heir? 00:28:27.603 --> 00:28:34.223 Because you graduated from Sunday school, because you went to VBS, because you served in outreach. 00:28:34.223 --> 00:28:36.343 How did you become his heir? 00:28:36.343 --> 00:28:41.167 God made you his heir. 00:28:41.167 --> 00:28:42.582 That's why it came down. 00:28:42.582 --> 00:28:47.704 Because you were an orphan. 00:28:47.704 --> 00:28:49.685 You were not his child. 00:28:49.685 --> 00:28:52.867 You were his creation, but you were not his child. 00:28:52.867 --> 00:28:53.984 You were not in relationship with him. 00:28:54.319 --> 00:28:57.847 We were in an enmity towards God, a hate towards God. 00:28:57.847 --> 00:28:59.010 We loved darkness. 00:28:59.010 --> 00:28:59.771 We were in darkness. 00:28:59.771 --> 00:29:01.319 We were not looking for the light. 00:29:01.319 --> 00:29:03.227 He knew that we were in darkness. 00:29:03.227 --> 00:29:04.785 He's the one that came to the light. 00:29:04.785 --> 00:29:10.644 As a matter of fact, he says the light came to the world and the darkness tried to squash it out, but it could not do it. 00:29:13.700 --> 00:29:19.511 The word also says that men were in darkness and we love darkness because we love doing evil. 00:29:19.511 --> 00:29:21.219 We were not looking for God. 00:29:21.219 --> 00:29:23.205 God came because he came looking for us. 00:29:23.205 --> 00:29:29.150 Jesus said I've come to seek and to save those who are lost. 00:29:29.150 --> 00:29:30.769 He came looking for us. 00:29:30.769 --> 00:29:32.423 He came looking for us. 00:29:32.423 --> 00:29:48.143 You know, good and well, we were running, we wanted to do our own thing, so I took some of us a long time to just be like, okay, you know what, I'm just going to stop running, because you were running, because you did not want God. 00:29:48.143 --> 00:29:52.171 You didn't. 00:29:52.171 --> 00:29:55.286 He wanted you and he kept pursuing you. 00:29:55.286 --> 00:30:01.568 He kept coming after you and, matter of fact, we probably have seen that song, the reckless love of God. 00:30:01.568 --> 00:30:02.851 Right, there's no shadow. 00:30:02.851 --> 00:30:04.622 He won't light up, no mountain, he won't climb up. 00:30:04.622 --> 00:30:05.625 Coming after me. 00:30:05.625 --> 00:30:08.185 Right, he leaves the 99 and coming after the one. 00:30:08.185 --> 00:30:11.789 Well, you, at one point you were the one that he was coming after. 00:30:11.789 --> 00:30:14.926 You see, this is why he comes down because he's coming to us. 00:30:14.926 --> 00:30:20.365 He's coming to clean up people who don't even acknowledge that they're dirty. 00:30:20.365 --> 00:30:26.365 He's coming to lift up people who don't even acknowledge that they're down. 00:30:29.480 --> 00:30:32.509 As truth comes, he helps us become self aware. 00:30:32.509 --> 00:30:41.307 And then, when we see ourselves, when we see our sin, when we see the gap, god, how can I, how can I get there with you? 00:30:41.307 --> 00:30:42.041 How can I do that? 00:30:42.041 --> 00:30:43.988 No problem, you can't. 00:30:43.988 --> 00:30:48.445 I have to do it for you, I have to do it for you. 00:30:50.180 --> 00:31:02.075 And so when we live that God has made us his heir, when we live, that's where our joy comes from. 00:31:02.075 --> 00:31:07.332 We're arresting in the power of what he has done for us. 00:31:07.332 --> 00:31:10.307 When we're resting in that, that's where our joy comes from. 00:31:10.307 --> 00:31:12.070 That's where our sense of rest comes from. 00:31:12.070 --> 00:31:13.865 That's where our security comes from. 00:31:13.865 --> 00:31:16.526 And that security is again when I make a mistake. 00:31:16.526 --> 00:31:18.611 I know I didn't fall out of God's favor. 00:31:18.611 --> 00:31:21.690 I know I don't have to try to do something to earn his favor back. 00:31:21.690 --> 00:31:23.988 Oh, I made God mad and I got to do something to make God happy. 00:31:23.988 --> 00:31:25.202 That's religion. 00:31:25.202 --> 00:31:26.366 That's not our father. 00:31:26.366 --> 00:31:28.266 That's not our father. 00:31:28.266 --> 00:31:30.106 Remember the power of the cross. 00:31:30.106 --> 00:31:33.041 The power of the cross is what secures your position in Christ. 00:31:34.762 --> 00:31:40.326 Now, if you did cut somebody out, well, that's not cool, right, you need to repair that relationship. 00:31:40.326 --> 00:31:41.063 You need to repair that. 00:31:41.063 --> 00:31:44.387 But God's position towards you hasn't changed. 00:31:44.387 --> 00:31:46.506 God's view of you hasn't changed. 00:31:46.506 --> 00:31:50.227 You really do think that because the people in your lives did that. 00:31:50.227 --> 00:32:13.250 So your experience of other people being disappointed in your behavior, of people being hurt by your behavior, avoiding you because of your behavior, feeling betrayed by you, like all that kind of stuff, their emotions, their facial expressions, their neglect, their abandonment, like all those reactions to your mistakes Sometimes we attribute that to God. 00:32:13.380 --> 00:32:15.047 I'm telling you he is not like that. 00:32:15.047 --> 00:32:19.631 When you are secure in Christ, his view of you does not change. 00:32:19.631 --> 00:32:21.948 His opinion of you does not change. 00:32:21.948 --> 00:32:24.685 That's what it means to be secure in Christ. 00:32:24.685 --> 00:32:31.230 When you are secure in Christ, god's mood doesn't change. 00:32:31.230 --> 00:32:34.887 You don't ever have to worry about God's mood changing about you. 00:32:34.887 --> 00:32:36.852 He's happy today, he's mad tomorrow. 00:32:36.852 --> 00:32:41.463 That's not God, that's not our Father. 00:32:41.463 --> 00:32:44.386 Once he puts you in Christ and we say well, what about the Old Testament? 00:32:44.386 --> 00:32:45.382 That was before Jesus. 00:32:45.382 --> 00:32:52.807 That's why, on the night, we observed community today. 00:32:52.807 --> 00:32:54.290 What did Jesus say at the Last Supper? 00:32:54.290 --> 00:32:58.228 This is the new covenant in my blood. 00:32:58.228 --> 00:33:06.269 No one in the Old Covenant was in Christ as a matter of fact. 00:33:06.269 --> 00:33:07.594 Okay, let me give you an example. 00:33:09.689 --> 00:33:14.133 David never met him, but he's got some cool things happen in his life, king David. 00:33:14.133 --> 00:33:16.444 We admire him for some of the real cool things that he did. 00:33:16.444 --> 00:33:18.375 Of course, we see some of his wins. 00:33:18.375 --> 00:33:19.721 We see some of his mistakes. 00:33:19.721 --> 00:33:23.057 We see him having a filled with faith as he kills Goliath. 00:33:23.057 --> 00:33:35.192 We see him having that issue with morality when he sleep with somebody else's wife and instead of repenting, he kills her husband to cover it up, like I just got you know. 00:33:35.192 --> 00:33:36.316 But he loved God. 00:33:36.316 --> 00:33:44.115 Men after God's own heart, I would describe him. 00:33:44.115 --> 00:33:46.695 How is that possible? 00:33:46.695 --> 00:33:48.444 How is that possible? 00:33:49.470 --> 00:33:52.424 David also knew what it meant for him to be forgiven by God. 00:33:52.424 --> 00:34:00.404 Psalm 51 is him saying creating me a clean heart, oh God, and renew within me a right spirit. 00:34:00.404 --> 00:34:04.404 He's acknowledging I had a wrong one and I need you to renew it in me. 00:34:04.404 --> 00:34:06.210 Renew within me a right spirit. 00:34:06.210 --> 00:34:08.416 My sin is ever before you. 00:34:08.416 --> 00:34:10.213 That's what he says in Psalm 51. 00:34:10.213 --> 00:34:14.414 You go down to verse 11, he says something else that none of us should ever pray. 00:34:14.414 --> 00:34:26.411 He says and don't take your Holy Spirit from me, because in the Old Testament that could happen. 00:34:30.349 --> 00:34:32.255