WEBVTT 00:00:09.820 --> 00:00:13.320 Hello, and welcome to the Kalamazoo church of Christ podcast. 00:00:13.580 --> 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. 00:00:23.600 --> 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. 00:00:32.460 --> 00:00:36.439 You can visit kalamazoo.church in order to do that. 00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:40.479 We pray that you are inspired by what you hear today. 00:01:12.150 --> 00:01:12.549 Amen. 00:01:12.870 --> 00:01:13.269 Family. 00:01:13.409 --> 00:01:22.269 It's great to, it's great to see you all, it's great to be able to worship, uh, here at the Kalamazoo church in the park, um, we ran an extension course, it worked out. 00:01:22.349 --> 00:01:23.609 We got everything set up. 00:01:23.709 --> 00:01:25.930 Thank God for the 21st century. 00:01:26.349 --> 00:01:31.769 There's some, there's some cool things that I just wanted to just follow up with and announce last week. 00:01:31.909 --> 00:01:33.530 Uh, we weren't, we weren't here. 00:01:33.629 --> 00:01:34.609 Me and Bianca were not. 00:01:35.170 --> 00:01:37.269 Um, and then Natalia wasn't either. 00:01:37.370 --> 00:01:45.189 And then Gavin and uh, Dugan, uh, two, uh, you know, disciples in the campus ministry, they weren't either. 00:01:45.189 --> 00:01:51.870 Uh, we were all in Oklahoma for a, a college ministry, uh, retreat of sorts, or it was a conference. 00:01:52.010 --> 00:01:54.489 Um, there was 1300 college students there. 00:01:54.670 --> 00:01:56.069 There's a bunch of great worship. 00:01:56.689 --> 00:02:01.269 It was, uh, I, when I go to these things, this is, uh, doing the math here. 00:02:01.290 --> 00:02:04.069 I think this is the 10th or 11th that I've been to. 00:02:04.530 --> 00:02:13.610 Um, and I haven't been in college for all that time, but, uh, but I'd be a doctor, uh, or I'd just be a bad student. 00:02:13.669 --> 00:02:14.189 One of the two. 00:02:14.370 --> 00:02:49.930 Um, no, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, the answer to all that, especially ears being theirs full risen, clapping. 00:02:49.930 --> 00:03:01.770 Uh, these are these are college students, young people in 18 to 20 something years old who have so much, uh, so many other things that they could be doing, but instead you're deciding, I want to live my life for Jesus. 00:03:01.830 --> 00:03:11.150 And I think it's incredible because when I listen to some songs, um, on the radio or when I listened to songs on YouTube and try to connect with God that way it's awesome. 00:03:11.150 --> 00:03:12.490 It's really, really powerful. 00:03:13.849 --> 00:03:20.370 Maybe it's the cynic in me, but whenever I hear your songs live, I'm like, yeah, but everyone's singing it. 00:03:20.370 --> 00:03:22.409 Who's actually following it? 00:03:22.490 --> 00:03:23.090 You know what I'm saying? 00:03:23.310 --> 00:03:30.610 And again, maybe that's just me, but both of these conferences are so powerful because I know that these students really believe it. 00:03:30.889 --> 00:03:34.389 They're doing everything they can to really follow this call. 00:03:34.509 --> 00:03:36.389 And so that's the power in it. 00:03:36.629 --> 00:03:44.310 On top of that, Natalia came back from the conference and decided, I hope you stay in the way of me being baptized. 00:03:44.550 --> 00:03:46.009 So we're gonna do that. 00:03:46.009 --> 00:03:47.590 So Natalia was baptized this Sunday. 00:03:50.610 --> 00:03:57.009 And I don't think you guys missed it, but if you did miss it, Tony was baptized a week prior to that, a couple of Sundays ago. 00:03:57.389 --> 00:04:03.370 And we praise God. 00:04:03.469 --> 00:04:09.289 It's so cool that we're not a church that just schedules baptisms a couple of times a year and is like, go for it. 00:04:09.430 --> 00:04:10.889 You know, who wants to sign up? 00:04:11.729 --> 00:04:14.969 We're people who decide we're gonna live our lives for Jesus. 00:04:15.229 --> 00:04:19.569 We go through a series of Bible studies to see is this really what you wanna do? 00:04:20.370 --> 00:04:31.170 And so these two are two of many, two of many of us, two of many to come, who decided, you know, I'm giving up everything that my life stood for and I'm turning to him. 00:04:31.250 --> 00:04:31.430 Amen? 00:04:31.670 --> 00:04:31.870 Amen. 00:04:32.170 --> 00:04:33.730 Let's go over to 2nd Peter. 00:04:33.730 --> 00:04:34.430 2nd Peter, all right. 00:04:38.209 --> 00:04:40.050 We kind of closed up. 00:04:40.310 --> 00:04:41.370 We've got a little bit of time. 00:04:46.089 --> 00:04:50.750 So we kind of wrapped up or finished up 1st Peter last week. 00:04:51.430 --> 00:05:05.709 And you guys remember, some of the themes really of 1st Peter was talking about the stress and the struggles from the outside world and making a point to not to acknowledge them, but then still turn to God throughout all of it. 00:05:06.629 --> 00:05:08.509 2nd Peter, it's really cool. 00:05:08.870 --> 00:05:12.050 Peter actually communicates why he's writing this letter. 00:05:12.209 --> 00:05:20.189 And he says, this is a little bit, it's not in the first chapter, but he says the reason that he's writing is to stimulate them to wholesome thinking. 00:05:20.370 --> 00:05:23.670 And so that's why he's writing to us as well, why we're reading it. 00:05:24.110 --> 00:05:24.810 What's the point? 00:05:24.889 --> 00:05:26.550 Well, it's to stimulate us to wholesome thinking. 00:05:27.990 --> 00:05:45.089 One of the other cool things is if 1st Peter was intended to warn people about the outside world and what to be aware of, then 2nd Peter is actually talking about what's going on in the church in that day and to be aware of the false teachings. 00:05:45.209 --> 00:05:51.490 And not just to say that every teaching is good or as long as you mention Jesus's name, that's all that it's about. 00:05:52.129 --> 00:06:00.069 There are even 60, 70 AD, there's already false teachers that have spread in Christianity. 00:06:00.269 --> 00:06:03.509 And so this is him saying, no, no, no, I'm writing this letter with my own hand. 00:06:03.810 --> 00:06:05.230 Trust what I'm saying. 00:06:05.610 --> 00:06:06.750 It is true. 00:06:07.269 --> 00:06:10.250 Anyone who teaches something different about Jesus is wrong. 00:06:11.850 --> 00:06:19.310 Another thing he does that's pretty cool that we're not gonna talk about this morning that much is he actually validates Paul's letters as being scripture. 00:06:19.490 --> 00:06:26.310 And so he says it in 2nd Peter 3, he says, he compares Paul's letters to scripture. 00:06:26.310 --> 00:06:27.769 He said, hey, you guys know this scripture? 00:06:28.269 --> 00:06:34.470 Just like Paul's letters, they take that people try to mess with them, don't mess with them, take them for what they are. 00:06:34.930 --> 00:06:38.350 And that matters in the context of the whole Bible. 00:06:39.689 --> 00:06:46.569 We're gonna start here in 2nd Peter 1 and there's a lot to pull. 00:06:46.930 --> 00:07:00.870 If there's one main thing that we can pull, I think that the big key that he's talking about, especially in this first chapter, is just you've already been called so that you live as if you are called. 00:07:01.050 --> 00:07:03.009 We'll make sense of it in a minute. 00:07:03.209 --> 00:07:09.050 It's 2nd Peter 1, starting in verse, I'll start in verse one, this will pick up in verse three. 00:07:09.790 --> 00:07:20.170 To 2nd Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a face as precious as ours. 00:07:21.550 --> 00:07:27.430 Grace and peace be yours and upon us through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 00:07:28.790 --> 00:07:36.730 His divine power has given us everything we need for a Godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 00:07:40.089 --> 00:07:50.910 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in this world caused by evil desires. 00:07:52.509 --> 00:07:53.250 There's a pause here. 00:07:54.209 --> 00:07:56.329 To start, what does the Bible say? 00:07:56.449 --> 00:08:06.370 He says, he tells us we have everything we need to live a Godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and by his own goodness. 00:08:07.149 --> 00:08:10.790 We'll talk about what that means, that we have everything we need. 00:08:10.829 --> 00:08:12.110 It's a pretty incredible promise. 00:08:13.370 --> 00:08:16.050 But notice for a second how it starts. 00:08:16.050 --> 00:08:20.629 It says, he called us by his own glory and goodness, okay? 00:08:21.269 --> 00:08:22.870 So what does that mean? 00:08:22.990 --> 00:08:24.449 What's the significance of it? 00:08:25.689 --> 00:08:33.288 Well, it shows us his glory because he's still able to work despite us, right? 00:08:33.370 --> 00:08:35.210 And so God's saying, I'm going to use you. 00:08:35.308 --> 00:08:36.308 You have everything you need. 00:08:36.710 --> 00:08:45.470 It's pretty glorious that he still decides to use us and to do something great because I know just like me, you guys haven't done everything great. 00:08:45.470 --> 00:08:47.230 You guys have made mistakes along the way. 00:08:47.409 --> 00:08:50.450 Even deciding to live for Jesus, we've made mistakes along the way. 00:08:50.950 --> 00:08:52.210 There's shortcomings, there's failures. 00:08:52.409 --> 00:08:56.490 I bet you even perhaps this morning, maybe you had a great morning, at least yesterday. 00:08:56.929 --> 00:08:59.909 There's something that you did that you messed up. 00:09:01.169 --> 00:09:02.409 It's according to his glory. 00:09:02.549 --> 00:09:03.129 He says, you know what? 00:09:03.149 --> 00:09:04.330 It doesn't matter that you messed up. 00:09:04.409 --> 00:09:05.250 I still called you. 00:09:05.590 --> 00:09:10.169 It's glorious when someone can take something so messed up like you and me and make it great, right? 00:09:11.730 --> 00:09:13.309 And then it says according to his goodness. 00:09:13.470 --> 00:09:19.889 And so his goodness, it means basically that he's not looking at us saying, ah, shucks, I've got to use these people. 00:09:20.690 --> 00:09:21.429 That's tough. 00:09:21.529 --> 00:09:25.690 He's saying, no, no, no, according to my goodness, I just really, really, really want to use these people. 00:09:26.250 --> 00:09:33.710 What an amazing opportunity I have to partner with these people in order to do good things and in order to live a Godly life. 00:09:36.330 --> 00:09:49.850 You know, I think really this brings to mind the idea of God using us, basically God being the father and teaching us as children, okay? 00:09:50.450 --> 00:10:02.429 So me and Keith and Dominique, we'll get together just about every week just to talk about our lives, what's going on, how are we doing as dads, as husbands, just as Christians. 00:10:02.649 --> 00:10:04.370 What's some of the difficult parts of life? 00:10:04.490 --> 00:10:06.830 What are some of the things that we can really glory in? 00:10:07.110 --> 00:10:09.090 We'll do that just about every week. 00:10:09.090 --> 00:10:16.289 And I think about this, and I think about Keith talking about how he interacts with Sam, specifically. 00:10:16.549 --> 00:10:21.830 Is this, you know, at three, four, there you go, yeah, four-year-old son. 00:10:21.929 --> 00:10:24.970 So if you guys don't know, I'm sorry to put him out there. 00:10:25.029 --> 00:10:27.029 Keith is like the handiest in our church, okay? 00:10:27.429 --> 00:10:31.029 So if you've got a problem, this is what I'll say. 00:10:31.049 --> 00:10:36.149 If you've got a problem, I know Keith can fix it in your house, but you don't have to ask Dominique right away, okay? 00:10:36.149 --> 00:10:39.789 Or you can ask for guidance instead of, hey, come on over. 00:10:40.629 --> 00:10:42.009 And so Keith, he's the handyman. 00:10:42.070 --> 00:10:45.330 He knows what he's doing, and he's great at home reno stuff. 00:10:45.830 --> 00:10:52.070 Specifically, they took their upstairs, their attic, and basically converted it into a bedroom. 00:10:55.250 --> 00:11:17.049 And I remember Keith talking about how he would interact with Sam, and he said, you know, it does take a little bit, it takes a lot more time out of my day, but I want to do this project, and I want to get it done, and it's just taking so long, but Sammy just kind of dolls up the stairs, and I'm like, I'm committed that I'm going to help Sammy to help me, basically. 00:11:17.149 --> 00:11:25.950 I'm going to go a little bit slower, I'm gonna make sure that he doesn't use the wrong tools, but there's gonna be some things that he's gonna be able to help me to be able to accomplish. 00:11:30.110 --> 00:11:36.350 It's to Keith's, it's rather to Keith's glory, or to his power, that it doesn't turn out poorly. 00:11:36.690 --> 00:11:42.870 If it was somebody like, maybe like me, and I say, I'm just gonna let, me and Jordan are gonna do it together, it's gonna end up messed up. 00:11:43.529 --> 00:11:47.750 If it's just me doing it, it'll still end up messed up, but if it's me and Jordan, it'll end up even more messed up. 00:11:48.389 --> 00:11:52.750 So it's to his power that he's able to use somebody, and it still turns out great. 00:11:53.750 --> 00:12:05.529 It speaks to his goodness as a father, that he's able to do that, not because, not begrudgingly, oh man, again, no, because he really, really wants to do it. 00:12:05.629 --> 00:12:12.450 And we were talking, and you just explained why he really wanted to help Sam along the way, and you kind of mentioned a couple of things. 00:12:12.850 --> 00:12:16.009 One is he wants to create memories for him and Sammy. 00:12:16.210 --> 00:12:18.470 Growing up, man, I helped dad to do this. 00:12:18.590 --> 00:12:22.809 One, to create memories, and the second is that so he can eventually do it himself. 00:12:22.950 --> 00:12:24.309 He can learn a little bit and do it himself. 00:12:25.809 --> 00:12:26.590 It's really cool. 00:12:26.669 --> 00:12:28.389 God does the same thing with us, though, doesn't he? 00:12:29.029 --> 00:12:37.950 He decides, I'm gonna go a little bit slower, it's gonna take a little bit longer, it's not gonna be the most convenient for me, but doing it, so these guys can create memories. 00:12:38.250 --> 00:12:41.090 Peter talks about some of these memories we're gonna read even a little bit later. 00:12:41.250 --> 00:12:46.649 He says, I'm gonna use these people, so they can know that we're partners in this whole thing. 00:12:47.330 --> 00:12:47.730 Come on. 00:12:48.769 --> 00:12:49.070 Wow. 00:12:50.450 --> 00:12:54.129 And the Bible says, though, that we have everything we need to live a Godly life. 00:12:55.450 --> 00:12:57.690 Again, I don't know about how your week was. 00:12:57.909 --> 00:13:04.289 Maybe you feel like you had a great week and you have everything you need and I know it, or maybe you just feel like, hey, it wasn't that week. 00:13:04.370 --> 00:13:05.669 I don't know that I got everything. 00:13:06.049 --> 00:13:15.850 I know for me, even, I feel it oftentimes in interactions with people, where I feel like just a little bit unequipped, or just late to the party a little bit. 00:13:17.190 --> 00:13:22.549 There's a conversation that I answer, and I put, how do I bring up God? 00:13:22.629 --> 00:13:27.309 Maybe there's even an opportunity to bring up God and I just, I bail out. 00:13:27.429 --> 00:13:29.570 I don't have, maybe he's not open. 00:13:29.669 --> 00:13:30.769 I don't have the right words to say. 00:13:30.830 --> 00:13:31.590 It doesn't make sense. 00:13:32.029 --> 00:13:33.610 So I'm just gonna let it, I'm just gonna let it rock. 00:13:34.250 --> 00:13:36.830 It's those times, I wish I had a scripture to share. 00:13:36.950 --> 00:13:39.629 I wish I could, the Bible says we have everything we need. 00:13:39.750 --> 00:13:40.269 Doesn't it? 00:13:40.789 --> 00:13:40.889 Right. 00:13:42.490 --> 00:13:43.370 I would ask this. 00:13:43.450 --> 00:13:45.389 How often do you feel unprepared spiritually? 00:13:47.269 --> 00:13:51.769 And then maybe even more specifically, where do you feel most unprepared spiritually? 00:13:54.950 --> 00:13:57.950 Maybe it's the start of the morning, and you feel like, well, what am I reading the Bible? 00:13:58.190 --> 00:13:59.049 It's a big book. 00:13:59.090 --> 00:13:59.970 I don't know where to go. 00:14:00.509 --> 00:14:10.629 Maybe it's at school, and you just, it's just tough to know how to schedule day by day, to know what to do, when, and when to figure it out. 00:14:12.190 --> 00:14:14.889 Maybe at work, like, what is my role at work? 00:14:15.210 --> 00:14:23.110 I know that I'm supposed to do everything for Christ, but it's really difficult to work for this person who doesn't even acknowledge me as being a good employee. 00:14:24.710 --> 00:14:27.070 Maybe it's coming home, and you feel like you've had a day at work. 00:14:27.590 --> 00:14:33.769 Now you gotta have another day with your family, or maybe it's just being a parent, and the struggles that go with that. 00:14:33.850 --> 00:14:34.549 How do we discipline? 00:14:34.970 --> 00:14:35.730 When do we discipline? 00:14:36.129 --> 00:14:38.529 Or what do we discipline, and to what nature do we discipline? 00:14:39.429 --> 00:14:43.850 How am I possibly gonna be patient every single time with my children? 00:14:44.570 --> 00:14:47.710 God says you have everything you need, but maybe it's with being a spouse. 00:14:47.850 --> 00:14:50.490 Maybe your spouse is struggling spiritually, and you're frustrated. 00:14:50.649 --> 00:14:54.649 Maybe your spouse is doing so well spiritually, and you're looking at me like, hey, this is fake. 00:14:54.750 --> 00:14:56.710 Why are you doing so good when I'm struggling? 00:14:57.230 --> 00:15:02.269 Whatever it is, though, I'm just gonna give everything we need to live a godly life. 00:15:04.149 --> 00:15:10.610 It's not necessarily everything we want all the time, right, it's not what someone else has, but it is everything we need. 00:15:10.649 --> 00:15:19.450 That's a rallying cry, I hope, for us this week, when you are going through it, when you're struggling, when you're in a conversation, that you don't have that scripture. 00:15:20.509 --> 00:15:24.509 The Bible's clear, you have everything you absolutely need to live a godly life, it doesn't really matter. 00:15:25.250 --> 00:15:27.649 Let's keep reading here, verse five. 00:15:29.110 --> 00:15:41.509 It says, for this reason, make every effort to add to your faith, goodness, and to goodness, knowledge, and to knowledge, self-control, and to self-control, perseverance, and to perseverance, godliness, and to godliness, mutual affection, and to mutual affection, love. 00:15:42.610 --> 00:15:43.610 Man, that's a lot of things. 00:15:43.710 --> 00:15:52.509 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:15:53.009 --> 00:15:58.649 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting they've been cleansed from their past sins. 00:16:00.330 --> 00:16:05.409 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. 00:16:05.590 --> 00:16:12.830 For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 00:16:13.370 --> 00:16:19.029 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 00:16:20.129 --> 00:16:39.110 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside as I look forward to the days ahead of me, and I will make every effort to see that after my departure, you will always be able to remember these things. 00:16:40.789 --> 00:16:42.029 There's a lot in this scripture. 00:16:44.730 --> 00:17:08.450 We're gonna unpack it in a sec, but I wanna put before you that the religion, perhaps the religion that you grew up with, maybe it was Christian, but listen now, the religion that you grew up with and what the Bible teaches are in disagreement for this area specifically, because I think we're probably taught growing up that we have to act a certain way, we have to look a certain way, we have to respond a certain way in order to be good-looking God. 00:17:08.529 --> 00:17:11.289 And if we do all of these things, oh, here we go. 00:17:11.289 --> 00:17:13.029 Ooh, that's very cool. 00:17:15.009 --> 00:17:16.150 That's my Holy Spirit. 00:17:19.650 --> 00:17:21.710 I hope I didn't blaspheme the Holy Spirit. 00:17:23.470 --> 00:17:34.049 Yeah, so we're taught growing up you have to act a certain way, you have to do a certain way, you have to, if you do this list of things, then you're gonna be okay with God. 00:17:34.170 --> 00:17:37.589 Then God is able to commune with you and be right with you. 00:17:38.990 --> 00:17:40.730 That's not what the Bible teaches, right? 00:17:41.650 --> 00:17:44.009 This is what, this is the jump, really. 00:17:44.210 --> 00:17:48.809 The Bible makes extremely clear that our actions, they're not what can save us. 00:17:49.750 --> 00:17:56.549 Living for Jesus and according to his teachings is what we're supposed to do when we've been saved, okay? 00:17:57.309 --> 00:18:04.210 You notice in the last passage that Peter says that we have the opportunity to participate in the divine nature. 00:18:04.369 --> 00:18:07.950 So he's saying, you guys are participating in the divine, I think it's in verse four. 00:18:08.589 --> 00:18:16.390 And then in verse nine, he says, for this reason, for this reason that you can participate, for this reason, make every effort. 00:18:16.569 --> 00:18:21.970 Not make every effort and then you can be good, but no, because you are good, you should be able to participate. 00:18:22.430 --> 00:18:23.950 Then for this reason, make every effort. 00:18:24.170 --> 00:18:25.130 We're having a fun time. 00:18:37.859 --> 00:18:44.759 And then notice again, though, in verse nine, it says, if you aren't doing this, then you just forgot that you've been saved. 00:18:44.940 --> 00:18:46.200 Thank you, Paul, I appreciate that. 00:18:47.640 --> 00:18:48.980 You did a lot of good things. 00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:53.160 If you aren't doing this, it means you've forgotten that you're good with God. 00:18:53.640 --> 00:18:55.460 And it's something to a group of saved Christians. 00:18:55.539 --> 00:19:00.359 And then in verse 10, he says, it says to confirm your calling and election. 00:19:00.539 --> 00:19:02.740 And so it's not saying to earn your calling and election. 00:19:02.900 --> 00:19:05.119 It's not saying you got to get there with your calling and election. 00:19:05.279 --> 00:19:09.839 He's saying, no, no, no, to confirm your calling and election, live this way. 00:19:09.920 --> 00:19:22.960 And so as we read all of these things to continue it, and even reading it felt a bit overwhelming to you, or to me, rather, I wanted to give to you, that's all in response to being good with God. 00:19:22.960 --> 00:19:25.920 That's in response to it, that's not to get there. 00:19:29.000 --> 00:19:36.079 It's such an important concept that I hope we don't miss it, because Peter made very clear, he said, I've talked about this before. 00:19:36.200 --> 00:19:37.160 I've mentioned it before. 00:19:37.680 --> 00:19:39.720 And you probably think I'm a broken record. 00:19:40.039 --> 00:19:45.819 I got to do it again, because there's going to be a time when I'm not here, and I need you all to remember that, is what he's saying. 00:19:46.579 --> 00:19:51.559 Specifically, remember that we are called to make every effort, absolutely. 00:19:52.220 --> 00:19:58.140 We're called to make every effort not to get saved, but because we have the opportunity to be saved. 00:19:58.299 --> 00:19:59.559 We have the opportunity to be saved. 00:20:00.619 --> 00:20:05.980 This doesn't, I hope you don't take this wrong, it doesn't negate the call to repent, that's clear. 00:20:06.480 --> 00:20:17.700 But if you've been living as a Christian for any length of time, I think we'd be lying to ourselves if we said that we were committed of all of our sins, as far as, and when I say repent, I mean, turn away and change our mind about it. 00:20:17.720 --> 00:20:19.220 The Bible's clear, we have to do that. 00:20:19.220 --> 00:20:28.400 But if we totally change all of our actions prior to becoming a Christian, if you think, man, I changed my actions one time, and then I just lived like it. 00:20:28.779 --> 00:20:30.259 You're missing it, right? 00:20:30.779 --> 00:20:42.380 Because the reality is there's a continual call, and the way we were living, I bet as soon as you came out of the waters of baptism, and if you're thriving as a Christian, the way you're living now, you actually have become more closer to Jesus, right? 00:20:42.640 --> 00:20:49.140 The way that you're living has become closer to Jesus, and so it'd be foolish for us to say, we've got to do all this in order to get saved. 00:20:49.140 --> 00:20:51.839 No, no, no, we do this in response to Jesus. 00:20:56.309 --> 00:20:59.690 This is a concept that we understand pretty acutely. 00:20:59.849 --> 00:21:05.589 You think about your children, or you think about somebody close to you, you don't make them earn their way into the family, right? 00:21:05.990 --> 00:21:07.369 They're born, they're in a family. 00:21:08.430 --> 00:21:19.990 It's not about how many chores they do, it'd be ignorance, and if you do these chores, that's the only way you're gonna even get any kind of, maybe you don't even need an ice cream parlor, and you mix it up, right? 00:21:19.990 --> 00:21:22.809 In order to get fed, you've gotta walk the distance. 00:21:23.890 --> 00:21:24.930 It's tough, right? 00:21:25.009 --> 00:21:29.589 Unless there's a certain age, then there's a context to it, but it'd be detrimental to us. 00:21:30.250 --> 00:21:35.250 And to even say, in order to be a part of the family, you've gotta get A's and B's. 00:21:35.410 --> 00:21:37.410 If you don't get A's and B's, you're out. 00:21:38.269 --> 00:21:39.950 That doesn't make any sense. 00:21:40.049 --> 00:21:41.190 Nobody would ever do that. 00:21:41.309 --> 00:21:48.730 It creates, in your child, I would assume, it hasn't happened to me, but it would create this constant insecurity, right? 00:21:48.730 --> 00:21:53.289 Like, I'm not living up to it, I'm not doing enough, I've got a little bit more to go, I'm missing it. 00:21:53.329 --> 00:21:59.609 It would produce a sense of fear in your average day-to-day life, that you're trying to not fail. 00:21:59.750 --> 00:22:02.529 Let me try to not fail, let me try to not fail, let me try to not fail. 00:22:02.970 --> 00:22:10.410 What the Bible's saying is, as Christians, we need to be those who just try to not fail, and if we are, then we're entirely missing God. 00:22:12.950 --> 00:22:14.289 So what do we do to our children? 00:22:14.470 --> 00:22:25.809 We give everything we possibly can to our children, within reason, we give advice and all that stuff, absolutely, we give everything we can, all the love we possibly can, and we teach them, this is what it means to be a part of the problem man. 00:22:26.609 --> 00:22:32.130 And so when our children say, well, Sally does this, we're like, okay, great, is Sally a saint? 00:22:32.210 --> 00:22:32.930 I don't know, is she? 00:22:33.049 --> 00:22:34.670 No, okay, so let's not worry about Sally. 00:22:36.950 --> 00:22:40.309 You know, we say, let's just, but what do you want me to do? 00:22:40.930 --> 00:22:41.910 Dad, what do you want me to do? 00:22:42.029 --> 00:22:44.849 We're just, and my brother's for you to make me proud, right? 00:22:45.789 --> 00:22:48.789 Now we do have to, we have to act like saints, and what do saints do? 00:22:49.130 --> 00:22:53.210 Well, we'll see, I'm old, but saints get good grades. 00:22:53.769 --> 00:22:54.950 Saints are neither good nor good. 00:22:55.609 --> 00:22:58.369 Saints give our money, and every time we give it free. 00:22:59.349 --> 00:23:05.069 And so we honor our parents, because they are our parents, and so we should act like them. 00:23:05.130 --> 00:23:13.549 And these are all things that when you're a part of the family, you want to pursue more and more and more, and that's what we're here for, we're here to help our parents, we're here to support our parents. 00:23:14.589 --> 00:23:18.769 There's a quote by, this guy, I think it's a great name, so he has a quote that I love. 00:23:18.809 --> 00:23:24.390 He passed out a few times, he loves me, and it's really powerful, it shaped the way that I view Christianity, I would say. 00:23:26.410 --> 00:23:31.470 He said, the most compelled argument in our day to know God is the horror of not knowing something. 00:23:32.670 --> 00:23:37.269 But Jesus didn't use fear, because he knew that fear was the heart of the problem. 00:23:37.950 --> 00:23:40.029 Fear is only a temporary fix. 00:23:41.349 --> 00:23:44.470 Certainly, you can fear your way into acting right, can't you? 00:23:45.170 --> 00:23:49.789 Just like you can fear your way into getting a good grade if you know that you can't go home without it. 00:23:51.650 --> 00:23:59.069 That's not gonna create lasting discipleship, it's not gonna create lasting connection to God, and so Peter is saying, don't forget about this. 00:24:00.269 --> 00:24:02.549 We ought to do the same, we ought to not forget about it. 00:24:02.569 --> 00:24:06.509 I want to ask how, this week, how would your week have been different? 00:24:07.029 --> 00:24:11.230 Had you just viewed, I'm just a little-earned Christian, because God already loves me. 00:24:11.549 --> 00:24:14.049 God already loves me, so that's why I'm living this way. 00:24:14.109 --> 00:24:21.150 Not, I'm on the fence, I'm teetering between the two, that's faithful religion, that's what we were taught growing up, that's not real. 00:24:26.049 --> 00:24:30.349 Takes us to a place that actually, and then this difficult question we gotta answer in our heart then, right? 00:24:30.490 --> 00:24:33.130 Because then the question is, why do I do what I do? 00:24:34.529 --> 00:24:35.750 That's a scary thought. 00:24:36.009 --> 00:24:40.230 If all I was is compelled by Jesus' love, what would I do? 00:24:41.089 --> 00:24:44.769 If I knew that nobody was gonna hold me accountable, what would I do? 00:24:44.829 --> 00:24:51.809 If all I was was Jesus' love, that's the only thing that's holding me accountable for what I do, that's a scary thought to think about. 00:24:52.490 --> 00:24:55.289 But if we're mature, we'd run towards it, right? 00:24:55.849 --> 00:24:56.069 Yeah. 00:24:57.750 --> 00:25:01.769 Let's keep reading, and we'll bring it in for a close here, for a few minutes. 00:25:06.940 --> 00:25:14.619 The Bible says, well, we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we were told about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 00:25:15.299 --> 00:25:24.940 He received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice came to him from the majestic glory, saying, this is my son whom I love, with him I am well pleased. 00:25:25.440 --> 00:25:30.619 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on that sacred mountain. 00:25:31.500 --> 00:25:40.079 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place. 00:25:40.079 --> 00:25:50.160 Until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, above all, you must understand that no prophecy or scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. 00:25:50.740 --> 00:25:57.660 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, no human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 00:26:01.759 --> 00:26:10.119 We're gonna look at one of the memories that, you said God loves to make memories with us, that's what brings him great joy. 00:26:10.119 --> 00:26:15.039 In Mark 9, it talks about one of these memories, and it's what Peter references here. 00:26:15.240 --> 00:26:21.220 Certainly, we had to ask, what's the evidence of his majesty? 00:26:21.960 --> 00:26:23.519 We might be able to answer personally. 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:26.960 Peter walked with Jesus for three years and was able to answer this. 00:26:27.259 --> 00:26:33.079 It seemed like more relevant than anything else in this part, as he's recording this text. 00:26:33.180 --> 00:26:38.980 He says when he was interacting with, we'll read about it in a moment. 00:26:40.500 --> 00:26:46.059 But it actually ends up, Peter actually was almost, he was almost corrected, basically. 00:26:46.259 --> 00:26:51.220 He was rebuked, essentially, on this mountain, and it came to be this great source of joy for him. 00:26:51.640 --> 00:26:56.079 But it's one of the memories of the transfiguration. 00:26:56.299 --> 00:27:10.000 It says in Mark 9, verse 11, after six days, Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were called, and there he was transfigured before them. 00:27:10.259 --> 00:27:14.380 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 00:27:14.799 --> 00:27:18.599 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking to Jesus. 00:27:19.539 --> 00:27:21.980 Peter said to Jesus, Rabbi, it's good for us to be here. 00:27:23.539 --> 00:27:27.039 Let us go to three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. 00:27:27.700 --> 00:27:29.259 He didn't know what to say. 00:27:29.579 --> 00:27:31.539 He didn't know what to say, and they were so frightened. 00:27:33.160 --> 00:27:40.200 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came to the cloud, this is my son whom I love, listen to him. 00:27:41.140 --> 00:27:45.339 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. 00:27:46.079 --> 00:27:53.099 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 00:27:53.380 --> 00:27:57.240 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what does rising from the dead mean. 00:27:58.799 --> 00:28:02.500 And they asked him, why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first? 00:28:02.500 --> 00:28:06.539 Jesus replied, to be sure, Elijah must come first and restore all things. 00:28:07.039 --> 00:28:11.220 Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? 00:28:11.779 --> 00:28:16.900 But I tell you, Elijah has come and they have done to him everything they wish, just as it is written about him. 00:28:17.500 --> 00:28:18.099 Stop here. 00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:25.920 Here, when he's talking about Jesus's majesty, goes to this story, goes to this place. 00:28:27.519 --> 00:28:29.039 I can't even imagine, right? 00:28:29.099 --> 00:28:35.460 And this is one of those things in heaven where you're like, let me get the videotape of what actually occurred. 00:28:35.619 --> 00:28:37.519 I just wanna see it for myself, right? 00:28:37.700 --> 00:28:43.799 There's so much, there's so many things that I think we don't even understand, even the, I'd love to hear them interact. 00:28:43.980 --> 00:28:46.000 Like, what is he talking about, rising from the dead? 00:28:47.480 --> 00:28:54.880 It's really powerful that Jesus, in almost every story and every interaction, he's pointing to his death, right? 00:28:55.960 --> 00:29:02.160 In this story, he was referencing it, and he says, the Son of Man must suffer and be rejected. 00:29:02.299 --> 00:29:02.980 Do you know that? 00:29:03.299 --> 00:29:04.000 What does that mean? 00:29:04.079 --> 00:29:06.940 Jesus is like, no, this was the plan all along. 00:29:07.079 --> 00:29:10.059 This was to suffer, to be rejected, and then rise from the dead. 00:29:10.180 --> 00:29:13.740 In fact, don't mention this to anyone until this happens to us. 00:29:15.640 --> 00:29:23.240 And so, as you and I, as we prepare to take communion, it's important to remember, Jesus went to the cross voluntarily. 00:29:23.460 --> 00:29:26.880 It wasn't something we could ask, why did Jesus do it, what was the point? 00:29:27.319 --> 00:29:27.539 Why? 00:29:28.279 --> 00:29:29.900 Oh, because it was the plan. 00:29:30.140 --> 00:29:30.700 Oh, yes, it was. 00:29:30.799 --> 00:29:32.279 Oh, this is the path that he chose. 00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:35.160 I wanted to get him, I wanted to, yes. 00:29:35.599 --> 00:29:36.200 But why? 00:29:36.900 --> 00:29:39.480 He did it voluntarily, he did it because he loves us. 00:29:39.480 --> 00:29:45.240 He wanted to give us the opportunity to participate with him according to his glory and goodness, amen? 00:29:45.660 --> 00:29:45.920 Amen. 00:29:47.079 --> 00:29:49.079 And so, right now, we're gonna take communion. 00:29:49.259 --> 00:30:07.420 I really wanna ask that we just take this time to consider his sacrifice, but then also consider the reason why he did all that he did and then consider, though, what our motivation is for pursuing him, amen? 00:30:08.119 --> 00:30:10.259 And the communion's gonna be right at the back. 00:30:10.380 --> 00:30:11.559 We're not gonna pass it out. 00:30:12.039 --> 00:30:19.240 And so, as you feel compelled and you feel moved after the prayer, feel free to get up and take some communion. 00:30:22.200 --> 00:30:29.380 Dear God, Lord, we don't deserve to interact with you in the way that we do, Father. 00:30:29.420 --> 00:30:35.500 We come before you, we're honored, we're challenged by your sacrifice, Jesus. 00:30:36.140 --> 00:30:41.420 Lord, we feel challenged at the prospect of being motivated by love, Lord. 00:30:42.180 --> 00:30:52.000 It's so cool to know that you were motivated by love when you went on the cross, and then you call us to live that same way as we love other people. 00:30:52.079 --> 00:30:59.359 But as we really reflect your love back to you, Father, we just ask that we will do that in the best possible way. 00:30:59.700 --> 00:31:03.119 We'll ask that right now we'll just embrace your loving arms. 00:31:03.380 --> 00:31:04.000 We love you. 00:31:04.420 --> 00:31:06.220 This is in Jesus' name that we pray, amen. 00:31:10.259 --> 00:31:14.839 Thank you so much for listening to the Kalamazoo Church of Christ podcast. 00:31:15.279 --> 00:31:18.559 If you're in the Kalamazoo area, we'd love to get connected. 00:31:18.839 --> 00:31:26.180 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. 00:31:26.180 --> 00:31:28.799 In any case, you'll be hearing from us next week.