WEBVTT 00:00:09.779 --> 00:00:13.300 Hello, and welcome to the Kalamazoo church of Christ podcast. 00:00:13.539 --> 00:00:14.839 Thank you so much for listening. 00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:16.199 We're startup church. 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:23.460 We just planted in September, 2020 and at the Kalamazoo church, we believe that Christianity is done best when it is done together. 00:00:23.579 --> 00:00:32.299 And so if you live in the Kalamazoo area, we would love to connect, be it coming to a Sunday service, one of our small groups, or even just grabbing coffee with a member to learn more. 00:00:32.659 --> 00:00:36.439 You can visit kalamazoo.church in order to do that. 00:00:36.840 --> 00:00:40.380 We pray that you are inspired by what you hear today. 00:00:42.159 --> 00:00:42.600 Amen. 00:00:43.159 --> 00:00:44.200 Well, good to see you. 00:00:44.200 --> 00:00:44.859 Good to see everybody. 00:00:45.020 --> 00:00:48.960 It's been a few weeks since, since I've been in church. 00:00:49.140 --> 00:00:52.119 I wanted to, or well, it's physically here. 00:00:52.439 --> 00:00:54.200 I was at, this is what we'll talk about. 00:00:54.200 --> 00:01:05.000 So actually two weeks ago, I went to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I was a part of some meetings that's like the Baltic Nordic Missions Alliance. 00:01:05.219 --> 00:01:06.060 That's a lot of words. 00:01:06.140 --> 00:01:17.659 Basically it's a group of churches that are giving some of their, some of their money in addition to their regular contribution to churches overseas. 00:01:17.939 --> 00:01:24.519 And it's really encouraging a lot of it's to plant, to plant churches overseas or to help a ministry staff. 00:01:24.799 --> 00:01:42.219 There's, there's a lot of people who have given up, certainly given up jobs and stuff over the, and really there's different situations that we've, we've found out about overseas where churches maybe haven't given raises to their, their ministers for seven or 10 years and they're horribly underpaid. 00:01:42.319 --> 00:01:45.700 And so stuff like that, we heard about that and we just don't want that to happen. 00:01:46.000 --> 00:01:49.599 Especially people who are giving their hearts to, to the mission. 00:01:49.599 --> 00:01:55.180 And so the, the purpose of those meetings is really to come together and make sure everyone's on the same page. 00:01:55.500 --> 00:02:11.340 But in addition to that, and this is where, this is where the biggest growth and the most encouragement is happening is that it really is not just, we're not just a bank and you guys are not just a bank and we give a small portion of our money as we become self-supporting. 00:02:11.500 --> 00:02:18.560 We'll give a larger portion of our, our special missions money to, to overseas missions, but we're not just a bank. 00:02:18.560 --> 00:02:23.199 We also, we also want to provide spiritual support, spiritual health, and spiritual guidance. 00:02:23.340 --> 00:02:29.099 And so the, the, the, the cool thing is that the churches over there, they don't want just money. 00:02:29.159 --> 00:02:31.479 They want spiritual support and help and guidance as well. 00:02:31.919 --> 00:02:34.860 And here's, here's a picture, it's tough to see you. 00:02:34.960 --> 00:02:35.960 Here's some of us. 00:02:35.979 --> 00:02:38.620 This is this meeting, a group of about 20 people. 00:02:39.360 --> 00:02:39.939 What's that? 00:02:41.139 --> 00:02:42.680 Trevor's in the building. 00:02:42.879 --> 00:02:42.979 Yeah. 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:47.560 So Trevor, they put him to work as soon as he, as soon as, as soon as they left. 00:02:47.560 --> 00:02:59.680 So Trevor is he's interning or kind of in the interim process of maybe taking over some of the financial administration, all the stuff with money and, and stuff like that. 00:02:59.759 --> 00:03:02.960 And that's a, that's a maybe, but he was sitting in, yeah, good catch there. 00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:07.599 Here's a couple we were able to worship then in Milwaukee on Sunday. 00:03:07.599 --> 00:03:15.520 And then this other video is just the war memorial where we meet at in, in, in Milwaukee, just the outside of it really is. 00:03:15.580 --> 00:03:16.439 It really is beautiful. 00:03:16.960 --> 00:03:21.719 It's nothing like, you know, it's, it's, it's, but Kalamazoo is much better is what I want to say. 00:03:24.419 --> 00:03:28.659 It pales in comparison to Kalamazoo, Michigan is all that I've got to say. 00:03:28.759 --> 00:03:30.479 We're actually, it's, it's fun. 00:03:30.539 --> 00:03:36.120 We're entering in a new series here and we're looking at the book of first Peter and then the book of second Peter as well. 00:03:36.780 --> 00:03:40.939 And the question you might have, I don't know if you've spent any time studying them. 00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:44.860 A lot of times they're kind of the, the books in the Bible that's right towards the end. 00:03:44.860 --> 00:03:48.360 There's this little clump and you're like, it's somewhere right towards the back. 00:03:48.840 --> 00:03:50.379 We can pull it here and there. 00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:53.139 What we're going to do is we're going to, we're going to study it. 00:03:53.219 --> 00:03:55.099 It's really, it's really powerful. 00:03:55.319 --> 00:03:56.919 There's some, some main takeaways. 00:03:57.699 --> 00:03:59.860 I might have this out of order. 00:04:00.280 --> 00:04:00.659 We'll, we'll see. 00:04:00.759 --> 00:04:02.000 We'll, we'll look at this one first. 00:04:02.259 --> 00:04:08.520 I think as we start out, you might ask one of the questions that on Sunday we listened to a lesson. 00:04:08.639 --> 00:04:10.500 This was on the 21st in Milwaukee. 00:04:10.500 --> 00:04:20.579 And the speaker said, one of the, one of the fun ways to read the Bible is to ask yourself, how would the Bible change if this book were not a part of it? 00:04:20.680 --> 00:04:24.240 Or how would, how would the scripture change if this story were not a part of it? 00:04:24.319 --> 00:04:26.079 What would be taken away? 00:04:26.279 --> 00:04:31.579 And so the question that you might have, and it's a good question is what does first Peter add to the Bible? 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:42.579 Some of the things that we are going to see in just for sure today, but, but over the next few weeks as well, is it, it's a confirmation of the church as God's chosen people. 00:04:42.819 --> 00:04:52.079 If you remember, maybe as you were studying the Bible, you, you looked at a scripture in first Peter two that says we're the chosen people, the holy priesthood. 00:04:52.519 --> 00:04:57.860 And he's talking about you and I, and not just the Jewish people. 00:04:59.360 --> 00:05:12.620 And then the other, the other really cool thing, and we're going to see this today as well, is it identifies some of the unique roles of the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit and, and the role that they have in our salvation. 00:05:12.620 --> 00:05:16.399 But then it also makes clear about some of the role. 00:05:16.639 --> 00:05:17.779 This can sound weird. 00:05:17.879 --> 00:05:18.699 We'll, we'll make sense of it. 00:05:18.759 --> 00:05:21.439 Some of the role that we actually have in our salvation. 00:05:22.259 --> 00:05:23.860 And we're going to, we're going to look at it this morning. 00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:27.240 So that, if that causes your ears to perk up, then, then listen up. 00:05:27.259 --> 00:05:29.279 It's, it's a really powerful book though. 00:05:29.279 --> 00:05:36.699 It's powerful because it's speaking to a Jewish audience, or rather a Gentile audience, which is like you and me. 00:05:36.939 --> 00:05:47.139 It's and it's important because there's so many ramifications that, that are, that are maybe assumed in other books in the Bible that are totally solidified in this, in this book. 00:05:47.259 --> 00:05:50.860 It's written somewhere between 64 to 67 AD. 00:05:52.740 --> 00:05:57.079 Most most will hold that Peter, the apostle, he died in 68 AD. 00:05:57.079 --> 00:05:59.279 And so it was shortly before his death. 00:06:01.060 --> 00:06:05.060 And we, we understand Jesus rose somewhere between 30 and 33 AD. 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:10.079 You can just do a cursory Google search and get, get these, it might be within a year or two. 00:06:10.420 --> 00:06:13.220 And so it's a little after 30 years since the church formed. 00:06:13.360 --> 00:06:26.240 Some of the things that we'll look at opponents to the message will say that it was this, this was formalized 150 or 200 years, or at least a hundred years after Jesus rose. 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:32.680 Because some of the teachings are contrary to what Jesus taught and, and, or some of the teachings go in addition to what Jesus taught. 00:06:32.740 --> 00:06:35.019 And none of this, none of this is true or accurate. 00:06:35.160 --> 00:06:39.959 We understand with just a little bit of, of, of searching that's about 30 years. 00:06:40.079 --> 00:06:46.720 And so the people that walked with Jesus, certainly Peter was one of them also would have, would have listened and heard this letter. 00:06:47.839 --> 00:06:52.740 Let's go to first Peter one, and we're going to start out right in verse one. 00:06:52.740 --> 00:07:00.319 I promise we're not going to go this slow, but we're only going to read the first foot. 00:07:00.339 --> 00:07:03.439 Well, for at least most of it, but we're, we're just going to read the first verse right now. 00:07:03.459 --> 00:07:15.240 It says, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ to God's elect exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia. 00:07:15.860 --> 00:07:20.160 And your guess is as good as mine, okay. 00:07:21.500 --> 00:07:35.519 It starts out and I want to, I want to make mention why I'm not, I'm not just making this stuff up, but this is what the Bible teaches about God's people being a you and I, or everybody having the opportunity to be God's people and not just the Jewish people. 00:07:35.939 --> 00:07:38.600 Why do I say that this word exiles scattered? 00:07:38.899 --> 00:07:42.899 The word scattered is a, it's a, it's a Greek word, diaspora. 00:07:43.100 --> 00:07:59.899 And basically this was always referenced talking about what happened to the Israelites, the Northern kingdom, and then a little bit, the Southern kingdom as well in between 700 to like 500 BC as they, as they spread out. 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:10.540 So the Jewish people were centrally located and then as they got taken over by other nations and as they led themselves, uh, led into sin, they then spread out and they scattered. 00:08:10.699 --> 00:08:19.980 And so it was no, you, if you look up a Jewish diaspora, you would be able to find, oh, this is roughly when it took place and these are the years and it's just commonplace. 00:08:19.980 --> 00:08:43.840 If you would go from what I understand and learn from any kind of Jewish scholar, they would be able to talk about this and it would be a widely understood thing that the diaspora is referring to the Jewish people when they were separated and then they were in little pockets of, of Judaism, trying to live as Jews in a world that was pushing against them from everywhere and saying, it's, you can't live like a Jew in this, in this space. 00:08:45.340 --> 00:08:47.700 Why can we take encouragement from that? 00:08:47.700 --> 00:09:10.399 Well, if you'll, if you'll work with me, if Peter's writing to an audience that is primarily Gentile, and if he's communicating that you guys are scattered, meaning you are living as Christians now in specific pockets with the outside world pushing in on you, remain strong, take heart, then you and I can, can connect with that pretty, pretty readily. 00:09:10.539 --> 00:09:23.399 Right now we, we're, uh, you guys are also, we're living in a different culture, uh, or you, you are living in a culture that's different than what's appropriate or understood, uh, by the world around you. 00:09:23.720 --> 00:09:30.159 Uh, there, there's, uh, you know, later on, we understand that later on in the Bible, you're going to pull stuff and it just says, don't be ashamed. 00:09:30.259 --> 00:09:33.440 You're not, you're, you're going to do things differently than what you used to. 00:09:33.500 --> 00:09:35.360 And people are going to look down on you for that. 00:09:35.679 --> 00:09:36.659 Don't be ashamed of that. 00:09:37.919 --> 00:09:42.200 Uh, this is, this is such a great encouragement, direct encouragement that we can pull. 00:09:42.500 --> 00:09:47.840 Uh, we are some of these exiled and dispersed people, aren't we? 00:09:47.879 --> 00:09:52.879 Uh, we, we have, we're in a community, it's a pocket and it's a beautiful safe haven. 00:09:52.940 --> 00:10:00.200 I love coming to church and being able to smile and give hugs and just talk about how was your week and then ask, well, how was your week actually? 00:10:00.299 --> 00:10:02.620 And we can, we can get real pretty quickly, right? 00:10:02.659 --> 00:10:05.039 That this is, this is, it's amazing. 00:10:05.179 --> 00:10:06.440 It's, it's what God created. 00:10:06.879 --> 00:10:33.860 But every day that you go to the grocery store or you go to work or you go to your, uh, to, to where you go grab a bite to eat or you get a coffee somewhere, or if you go to the gym to work out or if you go out for a walk or if you go to class, there is this nagging pressure that, that if you're, if you're listening, that, that you'll feel, or if you're, if you're actually aware that you'll feel to do what the world deems appropriate, uh, it's tough, right? 00:10:33.860 --> 00:10:39.500 It's nagging because it's not, uh, oftentimes it's not directly in front of your face, punching you, right? 00:10:39.559 --> 00:10:47.480 If, when there's the direct punch, you guys have been directly punched by the world and you guys have chosen to stand up and you've also been directly punched by the world. 00:10:47.639 --> 00:10:53.500 And if you're like me, there's probably been a time where you've shrunk back and you're like, man, I knew I got punched there. 00:10:53.700 --> 00:11:12.940 Uh, perhaps what's more, what's more sinister, what, what happens on a more day to day basis is this constant nagging to, to just listen to this a little bit more, to engage in this gossip, to take a second glance, to, to just consume whatever you want to consume. 00:11:13.519 --> 00:11:18.899 These are the things that are probably a little bit more sinister because we can explain them away pretty quickly. 00:11:19.019 --> 00:11:21.779 Can't we, there's this nagging. 00:11:21.879 --> 00:11:27.559 If we are going to be exile scattered and there's this nagging that we're going to feel just as we, as we live in this world. 00:11:27.559 --> 00:11:33.639 Uh, the joy that we can take from it though, is that this is how our brothers and sisters felt thousands of years ago. 00:11:34.399 --> 00:11:40.279 Peter's writing and Peter's writing to them and he's saying, this is who you are now and don't be ashamed of it. 00:11:40.360 --> 00:11:41.279 Be proud of it. 00:11:41.340 --> 00:11:43.220 Uh, wear it like a badge of honor. 00:11:43.379 --> 00:11:46.940 And later on, it'll talk about being a Christian and being, that's a good thing. 00:11:46.960 --> 00:11:48.340 It's good to be called a Christian. 00:11:48.460 --> 00:11:56.740 Back then it was used as like a kind of not derogatory in maybe the traditional sense, but as a negative word, that's like kind of diminutive that, that you're just a little Christ. 00:11:56.740 --> 00:11:58.179 He said, don't be ashamed of that. 00:11:58.259 --> 00:11:59.360 Be proud of that. 00:11:59.720 --> 00:12:01.899 And that's stuff that we can, we can feel as well. 00:12:01.940 --> 00:12:13.500 I don't know if you've ever been shamed for calling yourself a Christian or maybe you, you felt like, I don't know if I can say that I'm standing against this because that's going to mean that I'm a Christian, that I'm different and I hate feeling different. 00:12:16.700 --> 00:12:18.740 Maybe you'll say, I don't feel this tension. 00:12:18.899 --> 00:12:23.519 And if you don't feel this tension, then perhaps there's, there's really one of two options. 00:12:23.519 --> 00:12:29.159 Either you're naive and unaware, or you're just not living a life like one who's scattered. 00:12:31.460 --> 00:12:33.460 Let's, let's, let's keep reading here. 00:12:35.429 --> 00:12:38.269 It says, so it picks up right in verse two and we'll read it. 00:12:38.389 --> 00:12:39.730 It's a little bit longer of a text here. 00:12:39.809 --> 00:12:57.889 It says, uh, so he identifies these people and then he says, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God, the father through the sanctifying work of the spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood, grace and peace be yours in abundance. 00:12:58.529 --> 00:13:02.730 Praise be to the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:13:02.889 --> 00:13:13.309 In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. 00:13:14.769 --> 00:13:24.450 This inheritance is kept in heaven for you who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 00:13:25.149 --> 00:13:26.710 In all this, you greatly rejoice. 00:13:26.789 --> 00:13:32.250 So now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 00:13:33.029 --> 00:13:34.769 Uh, well, yeah, we'll get there in a sec then. 00:13:34.990 --> 00:13:35.309 Pause. 00:13:35.409 --> 00:13:35.789 We'll pause. 00:13:35.870 --> 00:13:36.509 We'll pause right before. 00:13:36.990 --> 00:13:37.629 All right, here we go. 00:13:38.669 --> 00:13:41.110 I have to be honest with you guys. 00:13:41.230 --> 00:13:52.129 As I was preparing this, I felt like if I, I, I had weight, I feel like I just had way too much information and I'm like, this is going to be a 50 minute lesson and I'm going to lose you guys at about 25 minutes. 00:13:52.409 --> 00:13:54.149 Uh, so I, it's not going to be that long. 00:13:54.149 --> 00:13:59.970 I hope it's about a little over 25, but I was, I was pretty fired up cause I was kind of, I, it was supposed to be, usually I'll do three points. 00:14:00.029 --> 00:14:01.950 This was like, it was like six points. 00:14:01.990 --> 00:14:03.409 And I'm like, I can't, I can't do that. 00:14:03.470 --> 00:14:05.210 Uh, I didn't prepare all of it. 00:14:05.269 --> 00:14:07.769 I kind of stopped and then I realized it wasn't going to work well. 00:14:07.830 --> 00:14:08.889 I appreciate that though. 00:14:11.529 --> 00:14:17.990 Um, Peter's job, one of his jobs he takes on is to help us in the delineation between the father, the son and the Holy spirit. 00:14:18.070 --> 00:14:22.370 And, and if you read just in this passage, there's some unique roles that are communicated. 00:14:22.370 --> 00:14:24.529 Uh, what is the father do? 00:14:24.629 --> 00:14:26.049 What is the Jesus? 00:14:26.350 --> 00:14:27.350 What does Jesus do? 00:14:27.629 --> 00:14:29.450 And then what is the Holy spirit do? 00:14:29.549 --> 00:14:31.309 And then how, what do we do? 00:14:31.350 --> 00:14:36.929 And, and so these are just, this is just a few, and this is just looking at verses two through five. 00:14:37.049 --> 00:14:42.909 Uh, we understand God, the father, it says he chooses people according to his four knowledge. 00:14:42.970 --> 00:14:44.570 So he has, what does that mean? 00:14:44.610 --> 00:14:47.950 Does that mean, does that mean predestination and predetermination? 00:14:47.970 --> 00:14:49.830 And we'll, we'll get to that just sec. 00:14:49.830 --> 00:14:57.610 Uh, so people are chosen somehow in some way, shape or form, according to what his great mercy into his living hope. 00:14:57.750 --> 00:15:03.029 And then later on, it says that he actually shields people, Lord Jesus Christ. 00:15:03.110 --> 00:15:04.250 What is, what does he do? 00:15:04.529 --> 00:15:07.970 Uh, people are called to be obedient to him. 00:15:08.289 --> 00:15:11.549 Uh, and there's a living hope through his resurrection. 00:15:11.669 --> 00:15:12.570 It's only through his resurrection. 00:15:12.570 --> 00:15:13.909 Is there any hope at all? 00:15:13.950 --> 00:15:22.389 This living hope just in this passage, we understand that in some way, shape or form people are sanctified by the spirit's work. 00:15:23.470 --> 00:15:25.590 And then what's, what's our role? 00:15:25.889 --> 00:15:28.149 Uh, we have to do something though. 00:15:28.169 --> 00:15:33.830 It says in, in verse, in verse five, uh, through faith, we are shielded by God's power. 00:15:35.820 --> 00:15:41.700 And so good luck working all of this out in just, in just a few minutes, but it's, it's incredible, right? 00:15:41.740 --> 00:15:45.000 That, that God is working and you could say, God is, God is for us. 00:15:45.019 --> 00:15:45.980 He's working for us. 00:15:46.039 --> 00:15:47.000 Jesus died for us. 00:15:47.019 --> 00:15:48.139 He's, he's going for it. 00:15:48.139 --> 00:15:54.860 The Holy spirit is constantly at work around us and, and, and for those who are saved inside of us. 00:15:55.840 --> 00:16:03.940 And, and, and yet it doesn't, that doesn't negate our responsibility that through faith we, we can be shielded by God's power. 00:16:04.440 --> 00:16:05.899 So does he choose people? 00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:06.399 Yeah. 00:16:06.399 --> 00:16:07.940 In some ways, but is it whose faith is it? 00:16:07.960 --> 00:16:09.500 Well, it has to be our faith though. 00:16:09.940 --> 00:16:10.960 It's only a little bit. 00:16:10.960 --> 00:16:13.580 It's a very small sliver, but it is something. 00:16:15.639 --> 00:16:20.899 Yeah, let's, let's, uh, we'll keep, we'll keep reading then in, in, in verse six. 00:16:20.980 --> 00:16:25.080 And in all this, you greatly rejoice though. 00:16:25.159 --> 00:16:29.919 Now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 00:16:30.100 --> 00:16:42.379 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith of greater worth than gold, which perishes, even though refined by fire may result in praise, glory, and honor. 00:16:42.940 --> 00:16:48.039 When Jesus Christ is revealed, though you have not seen him, you love him. 00:16:48.159 --> 00:17:01.080 And even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:05.880 Again, there's, there's so much here, isn't there? 00:17:05.980 --> 00:17:09.740 I it's, it's, it's cool. 00:17:09.818 --> 00:17:19.380 The one, the one quick takeaway, I don't know if you saw this, but I don't know if you've ever felt guilty for why, why are you doing good things or why are you a Christian? 00:17:19.920 --> 00:17:21.078 Sometimes you can feel guilty. 00:17:21.118 --> 00:17:21.900 I want to go to heaven. 00:17:22.160 --> 00:17:23.880 Um, I don't think that's a bad thing. 00:17:23.920 --> 00:17:24.660 I think it's great. 00:17:24.779 --> 00:17:25.980 You can feel bad. 00:17:26.098 --> 00:17:27.880 Oh, he's dangling the carrot. 00:17:28.000 --> 00:17:29.519 I want to do it just out of the sheer love. 00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:30.740 Yes, absolutely. 00:17:31.400 --> 00:17:33.579 But this is what, what Peter's saying. 00:17:33.680 --> 00:17:39.240 He's saying that the end result of your faith is the salvation of your soul. 00:17:39.299 --> 00:17:42.140 And so it's okay to, to look towards heaven. 00:17:42.140 --> 00:17:50.480 But when it says salvation, don't look just to heaven because the, the salvation process and the sanctifying is going on right now. 00:17:50.680 --> 00:17:51.079 Exactly. 00:17:51.599 --> 00:17:57.319 And so of course it's, it's appropriate to look to heaven and say, this is the end result of my faith. 00:17:57.940 --> 00:18:03.440 But one of the results of your faith is that you get to be in a community of people who genuinely love you. 00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:05.400 Again, we're going to get to that a little bit later. 00:18:05.400 --> 00:18:12.299 The call of a Christian being one that shows a deep and sincere love to one another. 00:18:12.519 --> 00:18:14.039 And that's, it's unique. 00:18:14.200 --> 00:18:15.920 It's unique to Christianity actually. 00:18:17.160 --> 00:18:21.900 And so this salvation, of course it's heaven, but it's not exclusive. 00:18:22.039 --> 00:18:22.880 It's not just heaven. 00:18:23.099 --> 00:18:24.420 It is right now as well. 00:18:25.019 --> 00:18:28.339 There's a lot to look forward to on this earth as we're living with one another. 00:18:29.619 --> 00:18:31.980 Before that though, this is, this is powerful. 00:18:32.119 --> 00:18:34.539 This, it says your faith is a greater worth than gold. 00:18:34.539 --> 00:18:35.839 And we're not going to read it later on. 00:18:36.059 --> 00:18:39.140 It says, Jesus, he says, your soul was bought with a price. 00:18:39.299 --> 00:18:41.599 It wasn't bought with silver or gold. 00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:43.799 It's like saying, Hey, it wasn't, it wasn't bought with millions of dollars. 00:18:44.180 --> 00:18:45.819 It was bought with Jesus's blood. 00:18:45.960 --> 00:18:50.059 And he's saying your faith though is worth greater, is greater worth than gold. 00:18:50.519 --> 00:18:55.279 And so I, we looked up and then it says you got to, it perishes, even though we're fined by fire and it results. 00:18:55.500 --> 00:19:05.900 I looked up just a little bit about what it takes to, especially in that day without all of the technology that we have to turn whatever the process is to make gold. 00:19:06.059 --> 00:19:06.180 Okay. 00:19:06.380 --> 00:19:07.920 And so I'm going to read a little bit. 00:19:08.519 --> 00:19:14.000 There's three main, main, main processes though, that are identified. 00:19:14.000 --> 00:19:17.460 The first is to pound shatter and crush the ore into a powder. 00:19:17.759 --> 00:19:23.980 And it says the initial step in this process is to crush the ore into a fine powder. 00:19:24.380 --> 00:19:33.759 The elements that made up the ore, dirt, rock, minerals, gold, and whatever other metals and unwanted materials remained were totally pulverized. 00:19:33.880 --> 00:19:38.119 So you take this bit of ore and it's totally pulverized. 00:19:38.859 --> 00:19:50.039 And then from there, it says in the physical gold refining process, after the mind or is crushed and pounded into powder, it must go through frequent washings and cleansings. 00:19:50.940 --> 00:19:57.960 During these washings, the unwanted nonmetallic metallic elements are to a large extent eliminated. 00:19:57.960 --> 00:20:00.779 Only the metallic elements are left behind. 00:20:01.660 --> 00:20:09.160 And so now you go from this rock that now is turned, we got a bunch of garbage that's out of the way, and now it's just metallic stuff. 00:20:09.259 --> 00:20:14.619 And then after that, this is when the burning process occurs. 00:20:15.579 --> 00:20:24.099 It says at this point in the purification process, the crushed and cleansed ore is collected and placed in crucibles of clay. 00:20:24.900 --> 00:20:28.339 Then it must be submitted to the furnace. 00:20:30.420 --> 00:20:43.579 The impurity filled gold ore melts at the extreme temperature of, I think this is right, 1948 degrees Fahrenheit, over a thousand degrees Celsius. 00:20:44.079 --> 00:20:50.460 In order to raise the furnace to that white hot temperature, bellows are used to pump oxygen into the raging fire. 00:20:50.960 --> 00:20:53.079 Once the ore melts, an amazing thing happens. 00:20:53.079 --> 00:20:56.059 The impurities in the gold begin to rise to the top. 00:20:56.619 --> 00:21:00.640 The refiner is then able to skim the impurities off the top of the molten metal. 00:21:01.180 --> 00:21:05.299 The more this process is repeated, the purer the gold becomes. 00:21:07.140 --> 00:21:15.079 Saying your faith is of greater worth and he compares your faith to being like gold refined by fire. 00:21:16.279 --> 00:21:18.700 How does this relate to us though? 00:21:18.759 --> 00:21:24.440 This is where it gets really, I think there's beautiful connections that are made even just Peter's couple of sentences. 00:21:25.160 --> 00:21:31.839 This first part, this pounding and refined by fire, isn't that the initial process that everyone has to have when they come to Christ? 00:21:32.059 --> 00:21:34.819 That you can't be saved without seeing your need for a savior. 00:21:34.960 --> 00:21:36.839 There has to be pure humility. 00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:43.140 This is the initial process of beginning this repentance that I know that I messed up. 00:21:43.180 --> 00:21:44.559 I don't have it all figured out. 00:21:44.880 --> 00:21:48.240 I need help and this is the pounding. 00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:54.180 You can reference in Matthew 21, it talks a little bit about this. 00:21:54.900 --> 00:21:59.119 Then the next thing, this is the washing the ore powder is baptism. 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:03.039 This washing, this physical washing. 00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:08.319 And then there's an ongoing cleansing that you'll continue to confess your sins. 00:22:08.460 --> 00:22:14.519 In 1 John 1, it talks about if you continue to confess your sins, you'll be made new again, you'll be made clean. 00:22:15.339 --> 00:22:18.599 And then what is this fired in the furnace processes? 00:22:18.599 --> 00:22:32.279 There's no replacement for some of these struggles and these griefs and these difficulties in order to make us stronger Christians, in order for our gold character, our gold faith or however you want to define it to be refined. 00:22:34.819 --> 00:22:36.119 This connects really well. 00:22:36.240 --> 00:22:38.240 As I was reading it, I was like, man, this is perfect. 00:22:38.400 --> 00:22:42.400 It's in Matthew 28 in verse 18, you can probably quote the scripture. 00:22:42.400 --> 00:22:46.619 It says, Jesus came to them and said, all authority in heaven has been given to me. 00:22:46.920 --> 00:22:48.740 Therefore, go and make disciples. 00:22:48.960 --> 00:22:56.680 Maybe this initial process of somebody having to be crushed or learning to be crushed by what's going on that's not good in their life. 00:22:56.759 --> 00:23:00.980 This making disciples process, this being washed, the baptizing process. 00:23:01.579 --> 00:23:03.880 And then in verse 20 and teaching them to obey everything. 00:23:04.240 --> 00:23:13.000 I'd have to believe that a lot of teaching people to obey everything means allowing people and helping people through very difficult circumstances and trials that they're going through. 00:23:14.500 --> 00:23:15.740 That's what the Bible teaches. 00:23:15.819 --> 00:23:19.859 This is our responsibility to one another to help each other to get there. 00:23:20.720 --> 00:23:21.660 Let's keep reading. 00:23:23.180 --> 00:23:24.920 We'll just go to verse 15. 00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:29.380 It says, but just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do. 00:23:30.400 --> 00:23:32.220 For it is written, be holy because I am holy. 00:23:32.680 --> 00:23:39.359 Since you call on a father who judges each person's work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 00:23:39.619 --> 00:23:49.279 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors. 00:23:49.819 --> 00:23:53.500 But with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 00:23:55.079 --> 00:24:04.000 This is one of the proof texts that people use to determine that this is written to a Gentile audience. 00:24:04.000 --> 00:24:07.779 It says that there's an empty way that's handed down. 00:24:08.079 --> 00:24:09.259 Run away from that way. 00:24:10.059 --> 00:24:11.059 That's the run. 00:24:11.119 --> 00:24:11.880 Run away from that. 00:24:11.980 --> 00:24:13.180 That's not how you were redeemed. 00:24:15.640 --> 00:24:17.960 And rather, you're redeemed by the blood of Christ. 00:24:19.180 --> 00:24:22.019 The cool thing, it just says, be holy as I am holy. 00:24:22.180 --> 00:24:25.680 You'd understand this to be such a difficult task, right? 00:24:25.700 --> 00:24:27.299 How can we go about being holy? 00:24:27.420 --> 00:24:30.680 Or how do we go about being holy as God is holy? 00:24:30.680 --> 00:24:35.059 There's never going to be a time that we can say, well, I am holy just like God is holy. 00:24:35.160 --> 00:24:36.500 I don't have any way to grow. 00:24:36.579 --> 00:24:43.539 There's always going to be things that we got to improve upon and grow in and grow to become more like Jesus. 00:24:44.039 --> 00:24:49.759 But the call though, this is where I really, I do love the connection that it makes between our responsibility. 00:24:50.039 --> 00:24:57.680 But then what God has already done is that he sees it's in some ways, it's like living up to, I'm already looking at you like you're holy. 00:24:58.200 --> 00:24:59.500 Just live like it then. 00:25:00.279 --> 00:25:04.619 I'm looking at you like you are set apart, like you're different than everybody else. 00:25:04.680 --> 00:25:07.099 So go ahead and live like you're different than everybody else. 00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:11.880 There's a great, it's actually a great responsibility then, right? 00:25:11.900 --> 00:25:14.480 That your father is looking at you and he says, you know what? 00:25:14.579 --> 00:25:15.900 I know you're better than that. 00:25:15.980 --> 00:25:18.160 I know you can do more than what you think you can do. 00:25:18.539 --> 00:25:19.819 That's why you're being refined. 00:25:20.420 --> 00:25:21.640 So just, you can do it. 00:25:21.819 --> 00:25:23.460 I'm already looking at you like you've overcome. 00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:25.839 So just be holy, be set apart. 00:25:28.880 --> 00:25:32.119 But the other call though is this word holiness. 00:25:32.299 --> 00:25:33.779 That means that we have to be set apart. 00:25:33.900 --> 00:25:37.539 And so people ought to know you're a Christian by your words and your actions. 00:25:37.960 --> 00:25:44.559 It's not enough for people to know you're a Christian, you a Christian. 00:25:46.099 --> 00:25:47.279 Yeah, typo there. 00:25:48.299 --> 00:25:53.099 People ought to know by your words, you a Christian. 00:25:55.279 --> 00:25:56.059 There we go. 00:25:59.019 --> 00:25:59.940 It's with your words. 00:26:00.079 --> 00:26:06.339 You know, it's great to say, if I live my life this certain way, then everyone's going to ask me, what is it about you? 00:26:06.400 --> 00:26:07.500 Why are you always smiling? 00:26:08.039 --> 00:26:09.880 Why do you high five me when I walk in? 00:26:10.420 --> 00:26:11.640 That's a great thought. 00:26:13.299 --> 00:26:15.359 In practice, I don't, it happens. 00:26:15.460 --> 00:26:16.880 I don't know how practical that is though. 00:26:16.940 --> 00:26:22.799 If it's just, if it's just with your actions that you're living like a Christian, that's, I think that's the better of the two is what I would say. 00:26:23.680 --> 00:26:25.799 But I think you're probably missing out a little bit. 00:26:25.859 --> 00:26:32.619 I think you're probably missing out on some of the fun part about partnering with God to help him restore his lost, his lost creation. 00:26:33.559 --> 00:26:39.500 Then the other part though is, is you can't just say with your words, okay, I'm this way, I'm that way, I'm the other way. 00:26:39.759 --> 00:26:41.420 If you're not actually living it out either. 00:26:41.579 --> 00:26:42.759 But people ought to know you're a Christian. 00:26:42.880 --> 00:26:47.180 People ought to know that you're set apart based on your words and your actions. 00:26:48.960 --> 00:26:53.859 We're going to, we're going to close up here in a few minutes. 00:26:54.000 --> 00:26:56.279 If you keep going to verse 22 now. 00:26:57.339 --> 00:27:11.549 It says, now that you have been pure, now that you have purified yourself by obeying the truth so that you have a, so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply from the heart. 00:27:12.529 --> 00:27:22.029 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable through the living and enduring word of God. 00:27:22.589 --> 00:27:26.630 For all people are like grass and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. 00:27:26.970 --> 00:27:30.970 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever. 00:27:31.569 --> 00:27:34.069 And this is the word that was preached to you. 00:27:36.660 --> 00:27:38.259 I think I've read this. 00:27:38.339 --> 00:27:38.900 I've read this. 00:27:39.000 --> 00:27:41.440 I don't know how many times, even in the last week. 00:27:41.500 --> 00:27:43.819 I've read it many times prior to that. 00:27:43.880 --> 00:27:54.339 I've read it many times and there's so many, uh, well, why don't we say, what are some, what are some churchy words or some Jesus, like religious words that you hear in this passage? 00:27:54.480 --> 00:27:55.400 You guys can just shout them out. 00:27:59.529 --> 00:28:00.170 Purify yourself. 00:28:00.289 --> 00:28:00.869 Yeah, absolutely. 00:28:02.490 --> 00:28:02.809 Perishable. 00:28:02.970 --> 00:28:03.170 Yeah. 00:28:04.250 --> 00:28:06.210 Love one another sincere. 00:28:06.349 --> 00:28:06.490 Yeah. 00:28:06.670 --> 00:28:07.390 Sincere love. 00:28:07.450 --> 00:28:09.430 You're like, well, I don't ever really hear that any other time. 00:28:10.430 --> 00:28:11.109 Obey, obey. 00:28:11.250 --> 00:28:11.430 Yeah. 00:28:11.430 --> 00:28:12.069 We don't like that. 00:28:12.089 --> 00:28:15.029 And we hear, we hear that the word of the Lord endures forever. 00:28:15.029 --> 00:28:20.809 You know, like these, these are, and what I did was as I was reading this, I just kind of, I was like, you know what? 00:28:20.809 --> 00:28:23.289 That just all means you just got to live like a Christian. 00:28:23.450 --> 00:28:25.049 You know, that was kind of my, my, okay, good. 00:28:25.589 --> 00:28:34.170 And I, as I studied it, as I really sat with it, I hope to communicate it well, but I found that, um, that it's even more powerful than that. 00:28:34.309 --> 00:28:36.750 And so this is, this is, this is some of it. 00:28:36.809 --> 00:28:45.470 It's, it starts out and it, it, this first word, where this sincere love is the word Philadelphia, um, city of brotherly love. 00:28:45.509 --> 00:28:49.910 Maybe, I don't know if you, you knew that, but, uh, that's, that's this, this Greek word. 00:28:49.910 --> 00:28:55.789 So, um, or Phila, whatever, however you figure, but we get that we get Philadelphia from that the city of brotherly love. 00:28:56.069 --> 00:28:58.710 He says, first, you guys got to show a sincere love. 00:28:59.329 --> 00:29:00.089 Very good. 00:29:00.329 --> 00:29:06.410 Um, but the sincere love comes through purification, which comes through the obedience to the truth. 00:29:06.950 --> 00:29:07.349 Okay. 00:29:07.369 --> 00:29:13.789 So to start this, this sincere love that we can have for, for, for one another, that you might feel this. 00:29:14.089 --> 00:29:17.450 When I think of sincere love, I just think of this great gratitude, right? 00:29:17.450 --> 00:29:23.430 You just, oh man, I'm just so grateful for this group, or I'm just so grateful for this person. 00:29:23.609 --> 00:29:25.250 And I'll, I think about moving. 00:29:25.690 --> 00:29:38.809 Um, I, well, I grew up in Milwaukee until I was five, but then I think about moving back to Milwaukee and there were many people who I didn't have much relationship with, but I remember there, what I would call sincere love, inviting me over to their house. 00:29:38.950 --> 00:29:41.730 They, one guy drove me 40 minutes to his house. 00:29:41.869 --> 00:29:45.329 We had lunch and then he drove me 40 minutes right back on campus on a Sunday. 00:29:45.789 --> 00:29:50.930 And, um, and just out of this sincere love that I just, he just wants to, to love me. 00:29:50.930 --> 00:30:09.210 Um, and that, that, that, that comes through obedience to the truth, uh, that doesn't come from, from other means and other avenues because you, you'd understand that, that I don't know if you felt it in the world, in the world, whenever somebody does something nice for me, I do feel like, well, there's something I got to do nice for them. 00:30:09.269 --> 00:30:21.309 Now I got to, and maybe I, maybe they don't even, perhaps they don't expect it, but maybe they do that there's, there's, I kind of owe them one, or I want to give a little, take a little in, in relationship. 00:30:21.309 --> 00:30:36.250 And you can, you can maybe feel that this, it says that sincere love, this, this brotherly love comes from obedience to the truth or through comes this sincere love comes purification, which comes through the obedience to the truth. 00:30:36.609 --> 00:30:59.690 But then this is another thing that I found because there's another word that, that it talks about, uh, right here, this, this word, um, love one another deeply is the word agape and it's a one maybe you, you've heard before, but this is a word that even, uh, in, in many big circles that, that will be known actually as, as being a kind of a, a uniquely Christian term. 00:30:59.750 --> 00:31:05.910 It's used elsewhere, but it's, it's uniquely Christian in the, the expansiveness of the word. 00:31:06.390 --> 00:31:08.069 It's the, uh, it's the love. 00:31:08.230 --> 00:31:10.230 Jesus has all both of these loves for us. 00:31:10.589 --> 00:31:19.009 Um, but it, it's the love that you might think about when somebody goes above and beyond because they know you so well, they know how you need to be loved. 00:31:19.369 --> 00:31:22.049 Um, it's that, it's that kind of love. 00:31:22.069 --> 00:31:25.289 And he says, so what does that mean for us? 00:31:25.309 --> 00:31:35.049 He said, well, you, when you became a Christian, you, you just, you were baptized into, you walked into this sincere love that you just felt like, I just really love everybody. 00:31:35.049 --> 00:31:41.609 Uh, but now that you do that, uh, go ahead and learn how to love each other. 00:31:41.710 --> 00:31:46.250 Deeply that you have, we, you have this love and don't, it's not being replaced. 00:31:46.269 --> 00:31:47.509 It's being added onto, right. 00:31:47.509 --> 00:32:05.430 That you have this genuine caring consideration and you want to help, but then this love each other deeply is to get to know who somebody is, what, what their fears are, what their struggles are, and to go ahead and, and invest yourself in their life so much so that, that it's only out of this, this love. 00:32:05.589 --> 00:32:09.450 As you look at the life of Christ, you, that's the only way you can show them this kind of love. 00:32:11.849 --> 00:32:14.849 And how do we, how do we grow in, in these loves? 00:32:14.910 --> 00:32:17.710 How do we grow specifically in this agape love? 00:32:18.069 --> 00:32:26.269 Uh, the, the Bible, the, the Bible gives this, he says, you've been born again through the living and enduring word of God. 00:32:26.470 --> 00:32:28.910 And then he says the word endures forever. 00:32:28.930 --> 00:32:30.910 And that's the word that was preached to you. 00:32:31.230 --> 00:32:32.329 What does that communicate to me? 00:32:32.329 --> 00:32:40.130 It communicates to me, if I'm looking to love you guys better, then I'm going to have to look in my Bible and what am I looking for? 00:32:40.210 --> 00:32:41.109 What am I trying to study? 00:32:41.190 --> 00:32:45.890 I don't know yet, but, but I have to, I have to be connected to Jesus is what I do know. 00:32:45.930 --> 00:32:48.009 And one of the ways is through, through the word. 00:32:48.069 --> 00:32:51.170 It has to be something that I'm sure overflows out of my mouth. 00:32:51.230 --> 00:32:55.150 It has to be something that just emulates how I live and how I act. 00:32:55.390 --> 00:33:03.769 If you want to grow in your agape love for, uh, for, for the church, as you should, because if you call yourself a Christian, then yes, you should. 00:33:04.250 --> 00:33:06.509 Uh, if you want to grow, then you've got to read the Bible. 00:33:07.049 --> 00:33:08.450 There's, there's not two ways about it. 00:33:08.509 --> 00:33:11.410 It's not this checklist of things I've got to do in the morning. 00:33:11.410 --> 00:33:16.589 It's, it's this connection to God that then overflows out and you can spread to other people. 00:33:16.670 --> 00:33:16.849 Amen. 00:33:20.859 --> 00:33:24.480 You know, I, I, I think, uh, I don't even know if this fits. 00:33:24.559 --> 00:33:25.920 I, I, I, well, I think it does. 00:33:26.160 --> 00:33:35.759 Um, you know, I remember, uh, the, the call that you realize how good it is to be loved, how you want to be loved or to be like encouraged, how you want to be encouraged. 00:33:35.940 --> 00:33:42.740 I think about, uh, I remember going into, this was when I, it was in 2017 ish. 00:33:42.779 --> 00:33:50.779 I started coaching basketball and I, and I went into one of my, uh, one of my basketball, like coach's office, DaVinci DaVinci's office. 00:33:50.980 --> 00:33:57.180 And it is, uh, it, when I walked into his office, it was like the most stressful work environment I've ever seen in my life. 00:33:57.180 --> 00:33:59.940 Like there's 50 cent blasting on the radio. 00:34:00.380 --> 00:34:04.019 Mind you, he's in like the student center of, uh, the, the, the student union. 00:34:04.180 --> 00:34:07.219 He just has a little tucked away office and there's 50 cent blasting. 00:34:07.359 --> 00:34:09.159 And there is like, he has two daughters. 00:34:09.320 --> 00:34:16.860 There's probably a hundred pictures of just like drawing, like some of you guys know how children draw some of those kinds of pictures. 00:34:17.000 --> 00:34:19.179 There's like five and three at the time. 00:34:19.199 --> 00:34:21.900 And it's just the, the growth, you know, it's so stressful. 00:34:21.900 --> 00:34:24.199 As I walked in, there's pictures everywhere. 00:34:24.480 --> 00:34:28.420 And I'm like, man, I said, DaVinci, do you, what do you, why do you do this? 00:34:28.420 --> 00:34:30.079 Like, why do you do this to yourself? 00:34:30.719 --> 00:34:33.900 And he just said, well, I just, you know, they made them for me. 00:34:33.940 --> 00:34:36.460 And so I got to put them up and I was like, okay, that's great. 00:34:38.760 --> 00:34:48.019 I, uh, you know, I, and so I think about, you know, when, when I, I love, I love both of my daughters so much and I, Jordan is amazing. 00:34:48.980 --> 00:34:53.440 You know, when she, when she draws things for me, it's, I could take it or leave it. 00:34:53.539 --> 00:34:55.480 You know, I, I'm, I'm super grateful. 00:34:55.480 --> 00:34:56.840 I, I'm super grateful. 00:34:57.059 --> 00:34:59.800 Mostly I'm grateful because I don't care what she draws. 00:34:59.880 --> 00:35:02.400 I'm grateful when she gives it to me and says, Daddy, I love you. 00:35:02.820 --> 00:35:04.559 That's, that's what I care way more about, right? 00:35:04.699 --> 00:35:06.260 I, the picture, I could take it or leave it. 00:35:07.360 --> 00:35:08.420 I could leave it, actually. 00:35:08.500 --> 00:35:09.260 I don't even need to take it. 00:35:13.960 --> 00:35:16.840 I, I, I share that to say that the picture is great. 00:35:18.360 --> 00:35:24.679 But what I care more about, you know, if she'll get to know me and she'll learn that the picture, I mean, I'm sure she'll always give me the picture. 00:35:24.719 --> 00:35:25.199 That's fine. 00:35:25.579 --> 00:35:31.420 But I think there's going to be a time when she learns, wow, if I just, if I just tell that how much I love him, that means even more to him. 00:35:31.500 --> 00:35:35.659 I can just keep talking with my words and I don't even got to take the time to make the picture. 00:35:35.780 --> 00:35:40.840 I just got to say some nice words and he'll do any, virtually anything for me with just these words. 00:35:42.420 --> 00:35:43.699 Maybe you're a picture person. 00:35:43.940 --> 00:35:45.280 Maybe you're a words person. 00:35:45.440 --> 00:35:48.340 I don't want to go into the five love languages and all of that stuff. 00:35:48.420 --> 00:36:01.000 That's not, what I mean to communicate is the responsibility that you and I have is to figure out how we can love each other, not just how we can encourage them, but how they'll actually feel encouraged. 00:36:01.360 --> 00:36:07.119 If anyone thinks of you, I know if anyone sends you a text this week, Hey, just thinking of you, appreciate you. 00:36:07.380 --> 00:36:08.800 I can bet a million dollars. 00:36:08.880 --> 00:36:09.980 You'll feel encouraged by that. 00:36:10.920 --> 00:36:17.340 If they knew something about you, they knew that you needed this thing or they wanted to give you a meal, whatever it is, or they just, they wanted to pray with you over the phone. 00:36:17.400 --> 00:36:22.840 Whatever it was, if you, I think if that's exactly what you need, you'll feel even more encouraged. 00:36:22.860 --> 00:36:24.559 That's the responsibility that we have though. 00:36:24.559 --> 00:36:25.639 This, this agape love. 00:36:27.519 --> 00:36:46.760 And so as we, as we kind of, as we bring it in, um, for a, for a landing here, uh, uh, you can, you know, take, take mental stock then of, of the different ways in which, uh, just in this little bit, just in the student, just in the first chapter that, that Peter really confirmed the church as God's people. 00:36:46.880 --> 00:36:48.360 He said, you guys were, you guys are exiles. 00:36:48.380 --> 00:36:50.380 Like they were exiles, but you guys are different now. 00:36:50.380 --> 00:37:02.659 And then even in just this first chapter, he identified just these different ways in which we work, but God works, the Holy spirit works, uh, Jesus, Jesus, our Lord works in all of this. 00:37:02.760 --> 00:37:14.539 And we realized that right now there's, there's more than a few passages even here that talks about, uh, in verse 19, um, you were bought with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 00:37:14.739 --> 00:37:17.059 Uh, let's, let's remember his sacrifice. 00:37:17.059 --> 00:37:20.699 You can come up and pray for, uh, for communion right now. 00:37:21.559 --> 00:37:26.159 Thank you so much for listening to the Kalamazoo church of Christ podcast. 00:37:26.639 --> 00:37:29.840 If you're in the Kalamazoo area, we'd love to get connected. 00:37:30.039 --> 00:37:37.440 Please go to kalamazoo.church and fill in your information to come to a Sunday service or any other event that we have going on. 00:37:37.559 --> 00:37:40.079 In any case, you'll be hearing from us next week.