WEBVTT 00:00:09.740 --> 00:00:13.300 Hello and welcome to the Kalamazoo Church of Christ podcast. 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:14.820 Thank you so much for listening. 00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:16.160 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. 00:00:23.559 --> 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. 00:00:32.600 --> 00:00:36.439 You can visit kalamazoo.church in order to do that. 00:00:36.920 --> 00:00:40.439 We pray that you are inspired by what you hear today. 00:00:42.340 --> 00:00:43.899 Good morning, everybody. 00:00:44.479 --> 00:00:46.240 It's good to see you all. 00:00:46.340 --> 00:00:51.460 I'm grateful that you decided to make the trip despite the weather. 00:00:52.079 --> 00:00:53.359 We didn't plan for it. 00:00:53.359 --> 00:01:09.079 I don't know, for those of you who have been a part of the Kalamazoo church for a series of years, when we first started, the majority of where we met was outside, at least for the first, I think, five, actually through most of October. 00:01:09.180 --> 00:01:12.620 We came here in August and through most of October, we were outside. 00:01:13.120 --> 00:01:18.439 And for whatever reason, well, I know the reason, but there was no storms, no rain at all. 00:01:18.519 --> 00:01:23.959 And so we were like, we felt super blessed for like, I guess Sundays in Michigan, it just doesn't rain. 00:01:24.120 --> 00:01:31.439 There's no, the weather, the weather would be like 40, even right about the end of September, the weather would be 40s or 50s, random day. 00:01:31.599 --> 00:01:35.019 Every Sunday was about 60 degrees and we were able to worship. 00:01:35.719 --> 00:01:39.200 What God said, your faith is strong enough that we're not going to do that anymore. 00:01:39.920 --> 00:01:43.480 And so despite it, despite the weather, we're still worshiping outside. 00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:43.780 Amen. 00:01:44.579 --> 00:01:47.280 You guys can open up to 2nd Peter. 00:01:50.099 --> 00:01:56.599 You know, we've been, we've been going through a series and first it was 1st Peter and now it's 2nd Peter. 00:01:56.700 --> 00:02:06.319 1st Peter talks basically all about the struggles of the outside into the church and some of the difficulties and to be strong in the faith. 00:02:06.379 --> 00:02:08.740 And it's written to a group, what it says is exiles. 00:02:08.860 --> 00:02:15.039 And so there's little pockets of Christianity inside of the culture that's not Christian. 00:02:15.039 --> 00:02:27.960 This, this letter though, is written pretty much to Christians and it's written in a way that says, you know, you've got to be aware of what you're hearing and what you're learning from people. 00:02:28.740 --> 00:02:35.020 The difficulty, I think, as I had preparing this, like 2nd Peter 1, there's something there. 00:02:35.259 --> 00:02:43.180 2nd Peter 2, we'll read and I just had a really difficult time preparing the lesson for us this morning. 00:02:43.180 --> 00:02:45.900 It was tough because we're outside. 00:02:46.039 --> 00:02:52.479 I want to be joyful, energetic, and we'll read the text and a lot of it is, it doesn't come off that way. 00:02:52.539 --> 00:02:57.020 It comes off pretty strong, pretty direct, a lot of warnings inside of there. 00:02:57.300 --> 00:03:03.520 But what I would say is I think it communicates so much of how God feels about what we consume. 00:03:04.419 --> 00:03:09.120 Specifically, what God feels about what we consume, even inside of the realm of Christianity. 00:03:09.620 --> 00:03:28.099 I think my job today is to illuminate this chapter and what I, what I want to do is I was preparing it, something clicked right towards the end of my preparation because initially it was written and I'm like, man, this is what we should be focused on as we're looking at who we can follow, who are we going to follow, who are we going to follow? 00:03:28.159 --> 00:03:38.939 And then something clicked that was, what if we didn't necessarily, we still read it like this is some of these teachings of who we should follow, but what if we just assumed that it was actually talking about us? 00:03:40.300 --> 00:03:43.259 And I'm going to ask you guys to do something that's pretty mature this morning. 00:03:43.379 --> 00:03:47.879 And that's to, as we read, to assume the Bible is talking about us. 00:03:47.919 --> 00:03:49.099 And now why is it mature? 00:03:49.180 --> 00:03:55.479 Because you'll read, there's a lot that doesn't necessarily apply to your life situation, but there's some stuff that will. 00:03:55.580 --> 00:04:00.000 And so I ask that we grow in our maturity and just decide this is going to be about me. 00:04:00.060 --> 00:04:05.139 Of course, it's about who's teaching and of course it's about what we're learning, but it's going to speak to me this morning. 00:04:05.240 --> 00:04:05.379 Amen. 00:04:06.219 --> 00:04:07.599 Now you'll see what I mean in a sec. 00:04:07.699 --> 00:04:13.960 We're in first Peter, second Peter, rather, uh, we're going to pick up here right at the beginning. 00:04:17.540 --> 00:04:29.920 Uh, second Peter two says, but, but there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. 00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:39.379 They will secretly introduced destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them bringing swift destruction on themselves. 00:04:40.300 --> 00:04:47.240 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute and their greed. 00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:50.220 These teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. 00:04:50.740 --> 00:04:56.060 Their condemnation has long been hanging over them and their destruction has not been sleeping. 00:04:57.220 --> 00:04:58.160 All right. 00:04:58.639 --> 00:04:59.379 Pause here. 00:05:00.540 --> 00:05:03.339 Um, this first part is what the Bible says. 00:05:03.420 --> 00:05:06.160 There's going to be false teachers among you. 00:05:06.319 --> 00:05:14.199 It's written a bunch of years ago, but what it's going to come up later and say is even before it was written, there was false teachers after it was written. 00:05:14.339 --> 00:05:15.079 There was false teachers. 00:05:15.160 --> 00:05:18.139 And so, you know, just like I know there are false teachers today. 00:05:18.139 --> 00:05:29.680 And when I say false teachers and when the Bible is talking about it in this text is not talking exclusively about false teachers from the world, it's talking about false teachers who call themselves Christians and who are supposed to act like Christians. 00:05:30.300 --> 00:05:35.579 What it does though, there's a little bit of a roadmap then of what to follow, but of who not to follow. 00:05:35.680 --> 00:05:37.199 And what is the Bible saying? 00:05:37.339 --> 00:05:39.939 Well, this is, this is what it says, who are these false teachers? 00:05:40.339 --> 00:05:50.939 And this is where the challenge now is for you guys to see, okay, where does this, where does it apply in my life specifically is that on one hand, it says they operate in secret. 00:05:51.899 --> 00:05:56.100 It says they deny God in the work of salvation. 00:05:56.319 --> 00:06:04.480 And so that could mean exclusively a grace-based theology that I don't have to do any work that what the Bible outlines, I don't have to listen to. 00:06:05.120 --> 00:06:14.279 It could also mean though, a workspace that I'm going to work super hard to get to a good spot in salvation, but you deny God in his work in salvation. 00:06:14.279 --> 00:06:18.579 It says they bring swift destruction on themselves. 00:06:18.579 --> 00:06:21.959 How Peter uses the word is not a total annihilation. 00:06:22.399 --> 00:06:25.199 It's, it's like a judgment basically. 00:06:26.259 --> 00:06:28.160 It's a popular attractive option. 00:06:28.220 --> 00:06:30.319 We can't just look and say, what are most people following? 00:06:30.459 --> 00:06:31.379 That's what we should follow. 00:06:32.759 --> 00:06:45.720 It says that it says there needs to be, they need to answer to it because you give Christianity a bad name and people from the outside malign Christianity because they see that men, us Christians, we don't really follow what we, what we talk about. 00:06:46.480 --> 00:06:48.000 It says they're motivated by greed. 00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:50.839 This could be money or power or status or something. 00:06:51.339 --> 00:06:53.360 And at the end of it, people are exploited. 00:06:53.519 --> 00:06:56.279 And so it's for a personal gain and people feel it. 00:06:58.300 --> 00:07:06.899 You know, I bet just, just see, I bet you this week, if you were to talk to somebody and you were just to, I'm not telling you to invite them to church. 00:07:06.959 --> 00:07:08.480 I think the Bible wouldn't, it's a good idea. 00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:11.839 But if you just invited them to church, if you said, Hey, I would come to my church. 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:12.899 And they said, no, no way. 00:07:13.439 --> 00:07:14.579 I don't believe in God. 00:07:14.579 --> 00:07:16.220 And you started to ask them more. 00:07:17.079 --> 00:07:23.319 There's a, there's a high likelihood that the reason that they don't go to church or attend church is for one of these things, right? 00:07:23.379 --> 00:07:27.420 That they tried to show up or they were supposed to, or they grew up in church. 00:07:27.839 --> 00:07:34.459 And at some point along the way, some leader acted in, in one or a few of these ways. 00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:36.620 They didn't practice what they preach. 00:07:36.639 --> 00:07:39.660 They preach something that was less than what the gospel teaches. 00:07:39.660 --> 00:07:48.759 And, and you can, you can go on and on, but, but so many people, maybe you're in this room right now, not this room, whatever this pavilion right now. 00:07:48.980 --> 00:07:50.959 And maybe you're, you're still on the edge. 00:07:51.040 --> 00:07:52.500 Like, I don't know about Christianity. 00:07:52.579 --> 00:08:01.060 I'm kind of either way I could take it or leave it, or it's a good teaching, but I don't know if I want to give my entire life, meaning how I live, not just what I believe. 00:08:01.279 --> 00:08:03.439 I don't know if I want to give it all to God. 00:08:03.660 --> 00:08:10.439 I bet you, if you've been in church for any length of time, you've probably been burned by a leader who acted in this way. 00:08:12.629 --> 00:08:19.389 The response though, the mature response is not to say that because somebody acted this way, then that gives me the right to not act. 00:08:19.550 --> 00:08:24.389 It's not be a Christian, not to follow what the Bible teaches because Peter's not giving them that out. 00:08:24.430 --> 00:08:27.529 He says, you guys, people are going to be jacked up and live this type of way. 00:08:27.829 --> 00:08:29.050 You guys can't follow that though. 00:08:29.089 --> 00:08:30.329 You've got to follow sound teaching. 00:08:33.389 --> 00:08:34.408 Let's keep reading. 00:08:34.529 --> 00:08:42.529 It says, for if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment. 00:08:42.529 --> 00:08:59.730 If he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness and seven others, if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly. 00:09:00.429 --> 00:09:06.789 And if he rescued lots, a righteous man who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless. 00:09:08.190 --> 00:09:18.990 If this is so drop down to verse nine, if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. 00:09:19.330 --> 00:09:25.129 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority. 00:09:27.039 --> 00:09:31.200 So Peter, then he says, don't follow what these guys are teaching. 00:09:31.320 --> 00:09:31.799 And what does he do? 00:09:31.799 --> 00:09:34.240 He points to three examples of judgment in the Bible. 00:09:34.240 --> 00:09:40.759 The last two you've probably heard about the flood, the first, the flood. 00:09:41.139 --> 00:09:42.600 And basically God saw people. 00:09:42.779 --> 00:09:44.779 It said that he was distressed in his heart. 00:09:44.940 --> 00:09:48.019 He was like, man, these people, they just can't listen to me. 00:09:48.059 --> 00:09:51.340 And he identified Noah as being the righteous, this righteous family. 00:09:51.860 --> 00:09:54.799 And he gave them direction and Noah was saved. 00:09:55.159 --> 00:09:55.980 The rest were not. 00:09:56.419 --> 00:10:02.019 Sodom and Gomorrah, we understand God's righteous judgment to say that people are doing bad things. 00:10:02.139 --> 00:10:05.220 And so they're not going to just, I'm not going to just allow that to happen. 00:10:06.220 --> 00:10:12.340 This last one is, uh, it's not from the Bible that you're going to read this morning. 00:10:12.659 --> 00:10:23.879 Um, it's from the book of Enoch, but it's similarly, it's used to remind people that the same God who we serve today and who they serve then is righteous in his judgment. 00:10:25.559 --> 00:10:37.080 Um, you know, if you, if you had, if you had siblings growing up, uh, then you would understand that there were a few things worse than an empty threat of punishment when your brother or sister did something they weren't supposed to do. 00:10:37.919 --> 00:10:43.039 Um, you know, your sibling, they say something, they speak some type of way to your, your mom or dad. 00:10:43.059 --> 00:10:44.879 And what does your mom or dad say? 00:10:45.000 --> 00:10:46.320 You know, this is what's going to happen. 00:10:46.539 --> 00:10:51.559 Uh, maybe you said, Hey, how are we just going to let my younger sister say this thing? 00:10:52.019 --> 00:10:54.580 Um, you got to do something right. 00:10:55.220 --> 00:11:00.919 Uh, you know, if you are, if you're a sibling and you can't relate to that feeling, then you're probably the youngest is what I would say. 00:11:04.480 --> 00:11:09.100 You know, I, I, I sometimes I have, I struggle because my, my dad's in the audience. 00:11:09.139 --> 00:11:10.659 And so I'm like, what, what can I say? 00:11:10.820 --> 00:11:12.320 What, what, but, but here, okay. 00:11:12.320 --> 00:11:15.820 So there was a time, there was a point I was 12. 00:11:15.919 --> 00:11:20.240 My sister was 10 and we figured out that my dad didn't understand what the word grounded meant. 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:25.659 Uh, so, so growing up, so growing up, my mouth will be what, what gets me in trouble. 00:11:25.840 --> 00:11:28.080 Um, it still is what gets me in trouble, oddly enough. 00:11:28.080 --> 00:11:31.340 Uh, but, but it wouldn't, it wouldn't usually be to my dad. 00:11:31.440 --> 00:11:32.639 It would at times. 00:11:32.700 --> 00:11:32.940 Yes. 00:11:33.179 --> 00:11:36.759 Most of the time it'd be at school, uh, is where I get in trouble. 00:11:36.940 --> 00:11:41.240 And then, but at home, I think I was, I was pretty compliant. 00:11:41.779 --> 00:11:43.659 Like I didn't want to, I didn't want to test my dad. 00:11:43.720 --> 00:11:44.080 Basically. 00:11:44.500 --> 00:11:46.200 My sister, she's two years younger. 00:11:46.299 --> 00:11:47.320 She was the exact opposite. 00:11:48.620 --> 00:11:51.720 Uh, you know, she, so there was one time we're eating dinner. 00:11:52.080 --> 00:11:53.320 My dad made some type of food. 00:11:53.399 --> 00:11:54.120 She didn't like it. 00:11:54.519 --> 00:11:59.759 Um, I don't have the problem of not liking food, but my sister, my sister didn't, didn't like the food. 00:11:59.799 --> 00:12:00.340 And she was like that. 00:12:00.340 --> 00:12:01.100 I'm not going to eat this. 00:12:01.139 --> 00:12:01.779 I don't like this. 00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:03.740 And I'm like, man, okay, you're testing them. 00:12:03.860 --> 00:12:07.740 And then, then he kind of did some kind of finagling, put something extra in it. 00:12:07.740 --> 00:12:08.779 And she said, you know, I don't want that either. 00:12:09.600 --> 00:12:12.019 And I'm like, okay, this is going to get interesting here. 00:12:12.059 --> 00:12:13.259 How could you say that to my dad? 00:12:13.799 --> 00:12:16.960 Um, and so, you know, she said something smart. 00:12:17.519 --> 00:12:20.000 Um, and, and he just said, Hey, you're grounded for three days. 00:12:20.980 --> 00:12:21.639 So, okay. 00:12:21.940 --> 00:12:22.879 Uh, and I'm like, good. 00:12:22.940 --> 00:12:23.500 She got grounded. 00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:24.220 She deserves it. 00:12:24.220 --> 00:12:24.480 Right. 00:12:25.399 --> 00:12:26.759 Um, she did something bad. 00:12:26.759 --> 00:12:27.879 She deserves to be grounded. 00:12:28.059 --> 00:12:28.159 Right. 00:12:28.460 --> 00:12:32.580 The next day we come back from school and, and we, you know, the neighborhood, we're like, let's go. 00:12:32.659 --> 00:12:33.539 We're going to go play football. 00:12:33.620 --> 00:12:35.679 I'm like, Ronnie, you got to stay back. 00:12:35.759 --> 00:12:36.879 You can't go play with us. 00:12:37.179 --> 00:12:38.759 Um, we need you, but you can't play. 00:12:39.220 --> 00:12:41.460 And she, she wasn't even fazed. 00:12:41.460 --> 00:12:43.679 She said, I'm just going to call him and ask him if I can go outside. 00:12:44.259 --> 00:12:45.039 I was like, no, no, no. 00:12:45.039 --> 00:12:45.580 You're grounded. 00:12:45.779 --> 00:12:47.740 You don't know what he, he, you're grounded. 00:12:47.799 --> 00:12:48.379 You can't go outside. 00:12:48.440 --> 00:12:50.639 He was like, she was like, he doesn't know what grounded means. 00:12:52.279 --> 00:12:56.179 And, and so 10 years old, unfazed calls him up from, from work. 00:12:56.240 --> 00:12:58.639 Hey, can I talk to Calvin saying, okay, it gets redirected. 00:12:58.659 --> 00:12:58.860 Great. 00:12:59.480 --> 00:13:03.039 And she just says, Hey dad, uh, can I, can I go play outside? 00:13:03.799 --> 00:13:05.919 Um, he says, well, Ronnie, are you really sorry? 00:13:06.639 --> 00:13:07.419 Yeah, I'm really sorry. 00:13:07.559 --> 00:13:08.399 Ronnie, will you do it again? 00:13:09.080 --> 00:13:10.019 No, I'm never going to do it again. 00:13:10.080 --> 00:13:11.399 He said, okay, go, go ahead and have fun. 00:13:12.440 --> 00:13:13.259 I'm like, right. 00:13:13.320 --> 00:13:16.139 This is three days turned into one pretty quickly. 00:13:16.200 --> 00:13:16.399 Right. 00:13:17.460 --> 00:13:20.480 The empty threat of punishment, it frustrates people, doesn't it? 00:13:22.750 --> 00:13:25.450 This is, I mean, it's a, it's a, it's a benign example, right? 00:13:25.549 --> 00:13:27.909 You, you're, you're, you're sibling doing something foolish. 00:13:28.110 --> 00:13:28.389 Great. 00:13:29.070 --> 00:13:32.710 Uh, but this is, this is speaking something a little bit similar though. 00:13:32.809 --> 00:13:34.070 The same feeling you can feel. 00:13:34.350 --> 00:13:35.809 That's what it's talking about here. 00:13:35.830 --> 00:13:39.470 And it says, Hey, you know, the, the messed up way that these people are teaching. 00:13:39.669 --> 00:13:41.450 I see it is what God is saying. 00:13:41.509 --> 00:13:42.669 I know what's happening. 00:13:42.710 --> 00:13:43.309 I see it. 00:13:43.850 --> 00:13:44.789 They'll have to pay. 00:13:47.769 --> 00:13:49.570 He's saying that there, there will be judgment. 00:13:49.789 --> 00:13:52.429 I, I'm, I, I know what the word grounded means. 00:13:52.450 --> 00:13:52.990 I get it. 00:13:53.009 --> 00:14:03.149 I'm going to, I'm going to act what that means for you and me though, is that means that when your boss, uh, is being unreasonable, that means God actually sees it. 00:14:03.389 --> 00:14:04.309 Nobody gets it. 00:14:04.350 --> 00:14:04.629 No, no, no. 00:14:04.629 --> 00:14:09.149 God does when your coworker is just tending towards gossip. 00:14:09.149 --> 00:14:12.929 And then you're like, I, I, I want to fight the urge to know. 00:14:14.649 --> 00:14:15.610 He sees that. 00:14:16.389 --> 00:14:18.590 He sees when your children aren't responding to correction. 00:14:18.789 --> 00:14:21.149 He sees when your spouse is acting distant. 00:14:21.649 --> 00:14:22.830 He sees all of it. 00:14:23.769 --> 00:14:27.509 And he says, if you do good, and if you follow me, good things will happen. 00:14:27.610 --> 00:14:29.009 Just take that to the bank. 00:14:29.090 --> 00:14:34.230 You can trust that the Bible sees the Bible. 00:14:34.230 --> 00:14:35.289 The Bible speaks to it. 00:14:35.350 --> 00:14:36.149 Jesus sees all of it. 00:14:36.190 --> 00:14:37.129 Let's keep reading here. 00:14:38.830 --> 00:14:40.610 Uh, tough lesson, tough lesson. 00:14:40.669 --> 00:14:41.909 This morning says bold and arrogant. 00:14:41.909 --> 00:14:46.250 They are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings. 00:14:46.929 --> 00:14:56.629 Even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on, on them from the Lord. 00:14:57.769 --> 00:14:59.450 These people blaspheme and matters. 00:14:59.549 --> 00:15:00.370 They do not understand. 00:15:00.529 --> 00:15:06.870 They're like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct born only to be caught and destroyed and like animals. 00:15:06.970 --> 00:15:07.850 They too will perish. 00:15:08.929 --> 00:15:11.169 They'll be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. 00:15:11.950 --> 00:15:15.789 Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. 00:15:16.429 --> 00:15:21.330 They are blots and blemishes reveling in their pleasure while they feast with you. 00:15:22.450 --> 00:15:25.370 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning. 00:15:25.710 --> 00:15:27.049 They seduce the unstable. 00:15:27.250 --> 00:15:30.110 They are experts in greed and a cursed brood. 00:15:30.990 --> 00:15:38.649 They have left a straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam, son of Bazar, who loved the wages of wickedness. 00:15:38.649 --> 00:15:48.409 But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey, an animal without speech, who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet's madness. 00:15:49.950 --> 00:15:50.730 Pause here. 00:15:53.529 --> 00:15:54.610 Peter's not mincing words. 00:15:54.870 --> 00:15:58.210 You don't have to wonder what he thinks about these people. 00:15:58.450 --> 00:16:00.409 But as he's writing, it's inspired scripture. 00:16:00.529 --> 00:16:04.210 You don't have to wonder what God thinks about these people either, right? 00:16:05.269 --> 00:16:15.149 The one thing that he says, and this is something that you sit with the frame like the time you realize the world tries to do this as much as possible, is to divorce the idea of leadership and character. 00:16:16.090 --> 00:16:27.129 The world will say that the character of somebody is not, it's inconsequential in terms of how great of a leader they are or how worthy they are to follow. 00:16:27.470 --> 00:16:28.970 If they make you money, it's all good. 00:16:29.009 --> 00:16:32.750 Or if they do this or that or they got to this spot, we better buy their book. 00:16:33.190 --> 00:16:34.350 They know what they're talking about. 00:16:34.470 --> 00:16:36.950 They made this money or they reached this level of success. 00:16:37.470 --> 00:16:41.190 What the Bible is saying is you can't divorce the two ideas. 00:16:41.750 --> 00:16:47.669 You can't divorce the idea of somebody having strong character and somebody being a great leader just because you're a great leader. 00:16:48.070 --> 00:16:50.169 You have a lot of people who follow you. 00:16:50.429 --> 00:16:53.529 Does that mean that you're somebody who has strong character? 00:16:57.269 --> 00:17:00.350 And what is the characteristic that it gives? 00:17:00.450 --> 00:17:06.130 It says at the top of the list, it calls people that act this way bold and arrogant. 00:17:07.710 --> 00:17:09.828 So this is where, sit with me for a moment. 00:17:09.930 --> 00:17:11.450 This is where I think we can apply it to ourselves. 00:17:11.710 --> 00:17:24.130 Maybe there's already been things, but when you're thinking about the idea of arrogance, I met with somebody this week and he's like, of all the sins, arrogance is not something I care very much about. 00:17:25.170 --> 00:17:25.990 What's the big deal? 00:17:26.068 --> 00:17:26.630 Who does it hurt? 00:17:27.009 --> 00:17:27.750 What does it affect? 00:17:31.190 --> 00:17:33.190 And the thing is, I don't think it's his fault. 00:17:33.309 --> 00:17:33.910 I really don't. 00:17:33.990 --> 00:17:35.250 I mean, sure, you can study the fight. 00:17:35.250 --> 00:17:39.410 I think the world is pretty okay with arrogance, especially if you're a leader. 00:17:39.569 --> 00:17:41.809 I think there's an acceptance, right? 00:17:42.849 --> 00:17:50.630 You're like, oh, man, this guy, he knows what he's talking about, so I have to wade through this level that shows that he's better, that he knows more. 00:17:54.059 --> 00:17:57.539 This is contrary to what the Bible's teaching, though. 00:17:57.740 --> 00:18:01.079 And so how do you know if you are someone who's arrogant? 00:18:01.220 --> 00:18:02.400 What else does it say? 00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:10.920 It says they left the straight path, they followed this way, they seduced the unstable, they're experts in greed. 00:18:12.740 --> 00:18:16.700 Before that even, they blaspheme in matters they don't understand. 00:18:16.839 --> 00:18:23.279 If you're somebody who tends to want to be right about things you don't know very much about, you're probably a little bit arrogant. 00:18:24.299 --> 00:18:25.740 Maybe you're a little more than arrogant. 00:18:26.019 --> 00:18:27.980 If you're somebody, though, what else does it say? 00:18:28.740 --> 00:18:30.019 They're unreasoning animals. 00:18:30.019 --> 00:18:35.200 If you look at your life, and maybe this is, I think the question is not are we arrogant. 00:18:35.599 --> 00:18:40.019 The question is probably in which area of our lives are we most arrogant? 00:18:42.059 --> 00:18:43.039 How do I know? 00:18:43.140 --> 00:18:43.700 Good question. 00:18:43.859 --> 00:18:53.940 I think if there's an area of your life that you're not willing to seek regular advice about, then you're probably arrogant in that area. 00:18:54.480 --> 00:18:58.880 But I think I know how to spend my money the best possible way, and so I'm not going to seek advice about that. 00:18:58.880 --> 00:19:02.160 Well, I'm arrogant in the way that I determine how to spend my money. 00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:08.039 In your marriage, if you decide I don't need, what's the point of giving advice or getting advice? 00:19:08.359 --> 00:19:09.940 If somebody sees something, they'll bring it up. 00:19:10.460 --> 00:19:15.059 Fine, maybe, okay, but why put it on them when it's your marriage, isn't it? 00:19:16.200 --> 00:19:28.779 There's a level where whatever area of your life that you feel like, I haven't sought advice about it, I don't know the importance, I don't really see the importance, I put before you that you're probably arrogant in your understanding of that area. 00:19:32.430 --> 00:19:37.109 The illustration given is there's so much here that's in Numbers 25. 00:19:37.329 --> 00:19:54.809 We're not going to look at it, but it talks about essentially this leader that decides the best way to gather the most following is by just telling the people what they want to hear and doing so in a way that's going to create goodwill for myself. 00:19:54.869 --> 00:19:57.150 It's going to create a good relationship with the people. 00:19:57.230 --> 00:19:59.109 They're going to like me more and more will follow me. 00:19:59.109 --> 00:20:03.829 I'm going to have a status that grows with it and this donkey speaks up. 00:20:03.950 --> 00:20:19.829 What's interesting is the Bible's calling these men after Jesus resurrecting worse than even one of these guys that if we understood the Old Testament well and understood the culture, it was one of those things that you pointed to that were like, don't be like Balaam, don't be like that guy. 00:20:19.910 --> 00:20:20.730 He's messed up. 00:20:20.809 --> 00:20:23.450 He's saying, no, he's messed up because he listened to an animal. 00:20:23.829 --> 00:20:24.970 These guys are just animals. 00:20:25.549 --> 00:20:27.369 It takes it to another level. 00:20:28.769 --> 00:20:32.309 We're going to keep, we're going to keep reading here and then we're going to make a little bit of sense of it. 00:20:32.369 --> 00:20:33.730 Just stay, stay with us here. 00:20:33.809 --> 00:20:42.569 It says in verse 17, these people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. 00:20:42.789 --> 00:20:57.289 Blackest darkness is reserved for them, but they mouth empty, boastful words and by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. 00:20:58.430 --> 00:21:05.849 They promised them freedom while they themselves are slaves of depravity for people are slaves to whatever has mastered them. 00:21:06.710 --> 00:21:15.670 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing their Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 00:21:16.369 --> 00:21:24.130 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then turn their back on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 00:21:24.730 --> 00:21:27.569 Of them, of them, the Proverbs are true. 00:21:28.109 --> 00:21:34.029 A dog returns to its vomit and a sow that is washed returns to wallowing in the mud. 00:21:40.609 --> 00:21:49.789 Maybe there's a reason that it's raining and that it's just not, if it was sunny, then I may maybe would have a difficult, more difficult time preaching this because I feel like, well, it's just a day's going good. 00:21:50.069 --> 00:21:51.029 I'm like, it's already raining. 00:21:51.150 --> 00:21:53.589 So I might as well just, just read what the Bible says. 00:21:53.609 --> 00:21:53.890 Right. 00:21:54.029 --> 00:22:01.190 Uh, you know, you know, as, as we read this text, uh, it feels, it can feel hopeless. 00:22:01.190 --> 00:22:10.569 I think as you read it and we, we look at these people and if you'll, if you, if you went where we wanted to go and you said, where do, where does this talk about our lives? 00:22:10.569 --> 00:22:13.509 Actually, how does this communicate to us? 00:22:13.509 --> 00:22:16.849 And what is it saying specifically about us in this text? 00:22:17.769 --> 00:22:18.950 It's a heavy place to be. 00:22:19.009 --> 00:22:22.750 It's a much easier place to say, well, that's just for a specific group of leaders. 00:22:23.029 --> 00:22:26.109 Uh, it doesn't apply to me in my life. 00:22:26.109 --> 00:22:37.009 And yet there's, there's these, these strong, these strong promises or these strong, uh, these promises that, that are, that are difficult to embrace and, and to, um, to sit with. 00:22:37.390 --> 00:22:41.490 Uh, I think what, what do we do with all of it? 00:22:41.549 --> 00:22:43.150 How do we, how do we make sense of it? 00:22:43.150 --> 00:22:52.349 And I, I think if you'll, if you'll sit with me, everybody on this earth, except for one person has been guilty of the stuff that's talked about here. 00:22:52.609 --> 00:22:55.029 Everybody's been guilty of speaking about things. 00:22:55.089 --> 00:22:56.869 They don't know much about everyone's been guilty. 00:22:56.869 --> 00:23:04.130 Of, of following what sounds good to them as opposed to what, what actually is right. 00:23:04.329 --> 00:23:09.630 Everyone's been guilty of actually blaming somebody else and saying that the leaders are doing it. 00:23:09.670 --> 00:23:11.890 And so they're the ones that are going to have to answer. 00:23:12.029 --> 00:23:17.990 Everyone's been guilty of it at some point or another, at least in one facet of our lives. 00:23:18.250 --> 00:23:20.250 And, and I've sat with it. 00:23:20.269 --> 00:23:28.309 I'm like, man, there's, there's more than one, um, everyone, but one, why don't, why don't we go over to John 18? 00:23:28.549 --> 00:23:33.009 We'll, we'll make a little bit of sense of this tax, and then we're going to take communion together. 00:23:39.599 --> 00:23:43.279 Jesus had every right to be bold and arrogant. 00:23:43.619 --> 00:23:46.839 Did he like, there's, it's, it's even worth questioning. 00:23:47.000 --> 00:23:53.700 Is there, could he have said anything about himself that that would be deemed bold or arrogant? 00:23:54.119 --> 00:23:56.240 Is there, is there anything he could have said? 00:23:56.319 --> 00:23:56.839 I'm God. 00:23:57.079 --> 00:23:58.259 Yeah, that's not bold or arrogant. 00:23:58.380 --> 00:23:59.319 Anything less than that. 00:23:59.319 --> 00:24:00.680 Can't be bold or arrogant either. 00:24:00.759 --> 00:24:01.680 I've never been wrong. 00:24:02.079 --> 00:24:03.079 Can't be bold or arrogant. 00:24:03.279 --> 00:24:06.660 When somebody spoke, you get the impression of Jesus sitting and listening. 00:24:07.140 --> 00:24:08.920 Why would he want to listen to you and me? 00:24:09.019 --> 00:24:12.619 We have, we have nothing good compared to his infinite wisdom, right? 00:24:16.430 --> 00:24:19.710 And so our, our, our challenge, what are we supposed to do? 00:24:19.750 --> 00:24:22.809 I think, how do we, how do we turn away from this, this stuff? 00:24:22.869 --> 00:24:26.650 Maybe you're not there this morning, but how do we never get to this spot? 00:24:26.990 --> 00:24:33.349 I think the response is we have to look at the life of Jesus and do everything we can to cling and try to actually follow it. 00:24:35.049 --> 00:24:39.150 We're going to look just a little bit about at his, at his crucifixion or leading up to his crucifixion. 00:24:40.410 --> 00:24:44.410 And what you're going to see is you're going to see absolutely no arrogance. 00:24:44.890 --> 00:24:47.990 You're going to see absolutely no pride. 00:24:48.289 --> 00:24:50.049 You're going to see infinite patience. 00:24:50.849 --> 00:25:00.029 And these are all characteristics of leaders that I know you want to follow leaders that I want to follow, but people who I want, the person who I want to become and the person who I know you want to be as well. 00:25:00.029 --> 00:25:01.609 Let's pick up in verse 28. 00:25:04.819 --> 00:25:11.259 It says, then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the place of the Roman governor. 00:25:12.619 --> 00:25:21.819 By now, it was early in the morning and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness, they did not enter the palace because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 00:25:22.519 --> 00:25:26.519 So pilot came to them and asked, what charges are you bringing against this man? 00:25:27.740 --> 00:25:30.859 If you were not a criminal, we would not have handed them over to you. 00:25:30.859 --> 00:25:34.680 Pilot said, take him yourselves and judge him by your own law. 00:25:35.119 --> 00:25:36.839 We have no right to execute anyone. 00:25:37.019 --> 00:25:37.599 And they objected. 00:25:38.180 --> 00:25:41.799 This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die. 00:25:43.559 --> 00:25:48.299 Pilot then went back inside the palace, summon Jesus and asked him, are you the king of the Jews? 00:25:49.740 --> 00:25:50.619 That's your own idea. 00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:53.500 Jesus asked her, did others talk to you about me? 00:25:54.279 --> 00:25:55.079 Am I a Jew? 00:25:55.259 --> 00:25:58.819 Pilot replied, your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. 00:25:59.259 --> 00:26:00.339 What is it you have done? 00:26:01.880 --> 00:26:03.940 Jesus said, my kingdom is not of this world. 00:26:04.079 --> 00:26:07.440 If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. 00:26:08.319 --> 00:26:10.539 But now my kingdom is from another place. 00:26:11.140 --> 00:26:13.119 You are a king then said pilot. 00:26:13.640 --> 00:26:15.460 Jesus answered, you say that I'm a king. 00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:20.119 In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. 00:26:20.839 --> 00:26:23.099 Everyone on the side of truth listens to me. 00:26:23.799 --> 00:26:24.660 What is truth? 00:26:24.819 --> 00:26:27.019 Pilot retorted with this. 00:26:27.099 --> 00:26:37.099 He went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, I find no basis for a charge against them, but it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. 00:26:37.579 --> 00:26:39.900 Do you want me to release the king of the Jews? 00:26:40.319 --> 00:26:41.400 They shouted back. 00:26:41.660 --> 00:26:42.319 No, not him. 00:26:42.880 --> 00:26:43.779 Give us Barabbas. 00:26:48.960 --> 00:27:01.140 There's certainly there's many places where we understand even even because Jesus is God, he could have, he could have just thought something and it would have been certainly there were times when he did just think things and they just happened. 00:27:01.140 --> 00:27:09.319 I imagine, you know, this, this, the fig tree dying, or you, you think about with just his words, he was able to speak the waves to be silent. 00:27:09.420 --> 00:27:15.140 He was able to pick and raise a little girl from the dead by just grabbing her and saying, she's, she's actually alive. 00:27:15.400 --> 00:27:20.720 He was able to just speak and it would happen in a, in a, in a divine way. 00:27:21.880 --> 00:27:24.700 But this isn't even that the impression that we get with this. 00:27:24.720 --> 00:27:26.920 If you, if you say Jesus is God, we can't relate. 00:27:26.980 --> 00:27:28.579 We can't do anything like him. 00:27:28.579 --> 00:27:29.359 You'd be right. 00:27:29.359 --> 00:27:33.900 But here, he's not, he's not calling to any of his divinity, right? 00:27:34.420 --> 00:27:41.480 All that he said, he's actually engaging in this conversation, leaving in some ways, his divinity at the door. 00:27:42.119 --> 00:27:44.299 He could have just like you are. 00:27:44.339 --> 00:27:47.220 He could have explained his way out of that situation. 00:27:49.019 --> 00:27:55.359 He didn't have to, he didn't have to call down legions of angels, although he could, he could have just spoke it and it would have happened. 00:27:55.440 --> 00:27:57.940 He could have just, he could have just convinced pilot pilot. 00:27:57.940 --> 00:28:01.700 It seemed like he was really ready to just not, not allow him to die. 00:28:01.759 --> 00:28:05.500 And yet he decided that I'm leaving my divinity at the door during this time. 00:28:10.309 --> 00:28:12.529 Certainly this is who we, we want to follow. 00:28:12.710 --> 00:28:30.890 And so as you look at your life and as we prepare our hearts to take communion, to take the bread that represents his body and to take the juice that represents the blood, he said, my, my, my challenge, what I'm asking all of us is to consider who we followed this week and, and make decisions to follow Jesus. 00:28:31.930 --> 00:28:34.069 Certainly next week, but for the rest of your lives, amen. 00:28:34.630 --> 00:28:35.930 Let's, let's, let's pray right now. 00:28:43.640 --> 00:28:49.200 Jesus, we, we come before you and, and we, we can't measure up Lord left to our own devices. 00:28:49.900 --> 00:28:51.140 Uh, there'd be nothing good. 00:28:51.160 --> 00:28:53.200 We could try to point to you and we've messed. 00:28:53.299 --> 00:28:55.240 We, we, we mess up every step of the way. 00:28:55.240 --> 00:28:56.420 Father, we're, we're grateful. 00:28:57.000 --> 00:28:58.759 Uh, we're grateful that you overcome. 00:28:58.859 --> 00:29:00.299 We're grateful that you've overcame. 00:29:00.740 --> 00:29:09.720 Uh, we're grateful that we have examples all over the Bible of you, uh, divinely, uh, using, using your power for good Lord. 00:29:09.819 --> 00:29:21.000 I'm so grateful that we even have in the Bible of, of areas of you just, you just living as a man and, and, and not even calling on your divinity at all. 00:29:21.039 --> 00:29:26.099 Lord, this being one of them, father, you Jesus, you are who we want to follow. 00:29:26.140 --> 00:29:29.819 You are the only one worthy of absolute followership. 00:29:30.160 --> 00:29:32.220 Uh, Lord, we, we need you. 00:29:32.339 --> 00:29:37.079 We desperately, we call, we call to you, God, please convict us Lord. 00:29:37.240 --> 00:29:43.220 Let us show us in our hearts where we're not, uh, where we are rather acting like, like those in second Peter to father. 00:29:43.319 --> 00:29:44.160 We don't want to be that. 00:29:44.519 --> 00:29:46.980 Uh, we certainly don't want to, don't want to die that way. 00:29:46.980 --> 00:29:49.380 Father, uh, we love you, Jesus. 00:29:49.619 --> 00:29:51.779 Thank you so much for your sacrifice. 00:29:52.119 --> 00:29:56.200 Uh, Lord, I pray that, that for us, it is not in vain. 00:29:56.420 --> 00:29:58.619 Um, this is in your name that we pray. 00:29:58.819 --> 00:29:59.240 Amen. 00:30:00.440 --> 00:30:02.880 Uh, in the back is, is communion. 00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:03.640 Feel free. 00:30:04.039 --> 00:30:09.140 Um, feel, feel free to, to take communion and then you can throw away, uh, the trash after that. 00:30:14.730 --> 00:30:19.269 Thank you so much for listening to the Kalamazoo church of Christ podcast. 00:30:19.650 --> 00:30:22.950 If you're in the Kalamazoo area, we'd love to get connected. 00:30:23.170 --> 00:30:30.569 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. 00:30:30.670 --> 00:30:33.190 In any case, you'll be hearing from us next week.