WEBVTT 00:00:09.820 --> 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. 00:00:16.260 --> 00:00:23.480 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. 00:00:32.539 --> 00:00:36.439 You can visit kalamazoo.church in order to do that. 00:00:36.920 --> 00:00:40.380 We pray that you are inspired by what you hear today. 00:00:53.799 --> 00:00:54.219 Great. 00:00:54.380 --> 00:00:56.100 Well, it's good to see you all. 00:00:56.579 --> 00:01:03.459 It's been for at least for since I've been with you guys, it's been at least, oh, I guess this is like going on three weeks now. 00:01:03.598 --> 00:01:04.439 So it's really good. 00:01:04.480 --> 00:01:09.099 It's great to see you guys in person and not just through group me or through text. 00:01:09.099 --> 00:01:15.180 I wanted to share where me and Bianca were this last weekend. 00:01:15.879 --> 00:01:19.540 So we went to a small church leaders conference. 00:01:19.780 --> 00:01:22.400 And so this is the fourth iteration of it. 00:01:22.700 --> 00:01:26.760 It's happened in Irving, Texas, basically it's like Dallas area. 00:01:27.180 --> 00:01:34.180 And there's about 200 church leaders or lay leaders really that came from just a bunch of different churches. 00:01:34.180 --> 00:01:42.700 It was specifically a conference intended to be for those who are leading small churches. 00:01:42.840 --> 00:01:48.340 And we define that as basically over there, there was anywhere from eight to 150 congregants. 00:01:48.620 --> 00:01:51.760 And so a lot of them were in different contexts. 00:01:51.920 --> 00:02:03.640 Some had full staffs where there was a campus minister or a youth minister and others were, they were just basically a small house church meeting, getting together and trying to grow. 00:02:05.079 --> 00:02:07.019 It was just, it was really encouraging. 00:02:07.120 --> 00:02:20.680 It was a great time to, it's probably the most relevant teaching that I've received at being on staff or off staff, because you're speaking to a group of people and it's just a very focused, it's a very focused conference. 00:02:22.060 --> 00:02:24.039 Yeah, I think the content was extremely relevant. 00:02:24.460 --> 00:02:25.840 The spirit of the group was high. 00:02:26.060 --> 00:02:35.039 There's times where I've been to different conferences and you feel like I've got a posture, I've got to show how good we're doing or how awesome our church is. 00:02:35.240 --> 00:02:39.659 And even at times when I feel like it's, you know, there's stuff going on or it's not all awesome. 00:02:39.840 --> 00:02:44.740 And that's not how you, the spirit of that group is we all want to, we want to grow that. 00:02:44.840 --> 00:02:46.939 And so how, what's the best way to do that? 00:02:47.219 --> 00:02:48.120 How can we do that? 00:02:48.180 --> 00:02:50.060 How can we lead our churches in order to do that? 00:02:50.379 --> 00:02:51.659 So it was, it was a great time. 00:02:51.699 --> 00:03:01.039 I guess there's this little video, I took the audio off because I don't, I mean, you don't even really need to see the audio, but this just gives a little bit of an image of who was all there. 00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:07.960 And it was a great time. 00:03:08.199 --> 00:03:11.460 And then, and then as far as our lesson went, I just want to thank you guys so much. 00:03:11.500 --> 00:03:15.439 So we had the opportunity to share a lesson at that, at the conference. 00:03:15.479 --> 00:03:19.240 And I really want to thank you for your prayers, the class, it was received really well. 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:23.379 Most of it was just giving us the opportunity to brag about you guys, essentially. 00:03:23.939 --> 00:03:30.360 And I think as I was, as I was thinking about, you know, I was just thinking about you guys. 00:03:30.400 --> 00:03:37.460 I just, I'm just so grateful for your, your love for God, your hope in what He's doing, your unity with one another. 00:03:37.879 --> 00:03:49.539 And I really do feel, maybe it's just the Christmas season, or maybe I'm a father of two daughters, but I do feel a little bit sappy about this, but I just, I really feel grateful for your trust in me and Bianca. 00:03:50.039 --> 00:04:05.039 It's just, it's not lost on us, the amount of grace that you've shown to us over these last three years and change, you know, the scripture, it's 1 Peter 4, 8, it just says above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins. 00:04:05.639 --> 00:04:10.900 And I just, I've seen that in the way that you guys have really loved, really loved me and Bianca. 00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:17.740 This isn't, I was just sharing it and we're not going anywhere, but I just mean to say like, thank you guys so much, is really what I mean. 00:04:19.699 --> 00:04:30.519 So right now, what's going to happen is there's going to be over this Advent holiday season, there's a few churches in the Midwest that put together some devotionals, basically. 00:04:30.620 --> 00:04:35.079 It's like 12 days of Christmas, but devotionals. 00:04:35.139 --> 00:04:40.439 And so I'm asking the, there's the teen boys are just going to pass one out to every family. 00:04:40.740 --> 00:04:51.220 And I, and I believe inside of this devotional booklet, there's also, there might also be a QR code or a link for the mobile app as well. 00:04:51.279 --> 00:04:56.319 So there's a mobile, like it runs right, like you don't got to download anything and you can scroll. 00:04:56.560 --> 00:05:01.920 And so if you're like, man, my wife has it, I wanted the devotional, she took it to work or whatever, no big deal. 00:05:02.019 --> 00:05:05.319 You can just go on the mobile and navigate it that way. 00:05:05.319 --> 00:05:11.279 You know, we know the holidays are just a difficult time to stay focused on the most important thing. 00:05:11.300 --> 00:05:14.740 And I think this is going to be one, one way that we can do it. 00:05:15.019 --> 00:05:17.379 If somehow we're short, just let me know. 00:05:17.439 --> 00:05:18.399 We'll order some more. 00:05:19.560 --> 00:05:23.699 You know, we, yeah, we can order some more, but I think we might be good or no. 00:05:24.160 --> 00:05:24.699 So we'll see. 00:05:27.540 --> 00:05:31.620 Today, today we're going to look at James, the brother of Jesus. 00:05:32.339 --> 00:05:32.839 All right. 00:05:32.839 --> 00:05:35.079 So you guys can go over to Mark three. 00:05:39.490 --> 00:05:41.329 There's not an awful lot written about James. 00:05:41.430 --> 00:05:43.930 We're going to extract as much as we possibly can. 00:05:43.970 --> 00:05:47.290 I believe there's, I believe there's something in here for all of us. 00:05:47.430 --> 00:05:53.410 I also believe that there's something in here that we're going to be able to take to our holiday dinners. 00:05:53.410 --> 00:05:55.149 We're going to be able to take with our coworkers. 00:05:55.569 --> 00:05:58.089 We're going to be able to take with our family members. 00:05:58.350 --> 00:05:59.730 I think there's something here. 00:05:59.930 --> 00:06:02.870 This is kind of the image that I had as I was writing it. 00:06:03.389 --> 00:06:07.790 Just to be really clear, though, so there's, there's, there's a thought. 00:06:08.550 --> 00:06:14.389 This guy, this guy, James, he was likely that Jesus's closest in age to Jesus. 00:06:16.029 --> 00:06:25.589 He, this is where there's, there's old denominations that will teach that Mary was perpetually a virgin and that she never gave birth. 00:06:25.689 --> 00:06:27.009 Although the Bible is quite clear. 00:06:27.689 --> 00:06:29.910 She never, she never had more children. 00:06:29.990 --> 00:06:30.750 The Bible is quite clear. 00:06:30.750 --> 00:06:33.870 It says that Jesus actually had sisters and he had brothers. 00:06:33.970 --> 00:06:35.569 It actually names his brothers. 00:06:37.470 --> 00:06:39.889 You know, and so I, you can, you can look up for yourself. 00:06:40.050 --> 00:06:41.209 I found it really surprising. 00:06:41.329 --> 00:06:48.170 I grew up in a fellowship of churches that never taught that Mary was perpetually a virgin and that Mary was a sinful person. 00:06:48.269 --> 00:06:49.009 She did have sin. 00:06:49.449 --> 00:06:53.769 But, and so the idea that the Mary is a perpetual virgin, this is going to make sense to us in a moment. 00:06:54.410 --> 00:06:56.670 That's it's, it's just not a biblical concept. 00:06:57.089 --> 00:07:01.050 You're only going to see her virginity affirmed prior to Jesus being born. 00:07:01.769 --> 00:07:21.529 One of the early teachings that the, the, the, the people in this day were fighting against was not basically from Gnostics Gnosticism taught that one of the teachings was that everything physical is bad and so Mary in that way, I think this filtered into even how some of Christians practice their belief. 00:07:21.569 --> 00:07:28.430 And so Mary then had to be a virgin her whole life because she's so holy and so amazing and anything physical is evil and it's bad. 00:07:28.569 --> 00:07:30.490 And so it should be looked down upon. 00:07:30.910 --> 00:07:33.069 That's, that's not Bible though is what I would say. 00:07:35.029 --> 00:07:38.470 And this is important because then Jesus, James is mentioned. 00:07:38.629 --> 00:07:43.189 He's the first brother mentioned whenever it mentions Jesus's brothers. 00:07:43.350 --> 00:07:44.670 And so work with me here. 00:07:44.730 --> 00:07:50.430 That means that, that Jesus and James were, were the closest in age from all of his other brothers. 00:07:50.430 --> 00:07:54.230 You imagine the amount of time and energy that they just spent together. 00:07:54.230 --> 00:07:56.290 If you have siblings, you wouldn't know that. 00:07:56.430 --> 00:08:13.629 If I asked you to do it, to share your favorite memory with your sibling, you could share it, but then that, that memory might lead you to think of another memory and another memory and another memory and things that are just mundane in our day-to-day lives, you would probably think, oh man, it was just more fun when I had somebody by my side to do it. 00:08:13.689 --> 00:08:14.509 My, my sibling, right? 00:08:15.990 --> 00:08:21.930 This, this then was probably the, this interaction or this, the way that James and Jesus grew up. 00:08:21.930 --> 00:08:25.069 Um, so we're going to, we're going to meet James here. 00:08:25.170 --> 00:08:31.548 Uh, he went from someone who believed Jesus was crazy to being one of his most devoted followers. 00:08:31.850 --> 00:08:41.808 He wrote a book in the Bible and he was, was identified as the voice, the leader of the, of the main church in the early time, uh, in Jerusalem. 00:08:42.730 --> 00:08:44.190 How could this happen? 00:08:44.269 --> 00:08:49.230 Well, we'll, we'll figure out a little bit and, uh, yeah, we'll figure out a little bit of it. 00:08:49.250 --> 00:08:49.929 Let's, let's just read. 00:08:49.929 --> 00:08:58.889 It says in Mark three, it says that Jesus entered a house and again, a crowd gathered so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 00:09:00.009 --> 00:09:14.370 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him for they said he is out of his mind and the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said he's possessed by Beelzebul by the prince of demons. 00:09:14.570 --> 00:09:16.529 He's driving out demons. 00:09:16.529 --> 00:09:19.570 Jesus talks a little bit and then they go. 00:09:19.690 --> 00:09:21.710 So they say, we got to go get it. 00:09:22.289 --> 00:09:23.789 We're part of, we got to go get it. 00:09:23.789 --> 00:09:24.409 This is Mark three. 00:09:24.490 --> 00:09:25.730 Now it's Mark three, right? 00:09:25.750 --> 00:09:26.330 Towards the end. 00:09:26.389 --> 00:09:30.450 It says, Jesus says, mother and brothers arrived standing outside. 00:09:30.549 --> 00:09:33.090 They sent someone into this house to call him. 00:09:33.350 --> 00:09:37.389 A crowd was sitting around him and they told him your mother and brother are outside looking for you. 00:09:38.309 --> 00:09:40.470 Jesus says this, who are my mother and my brothers? 00:09:40.570 --> 00:09:45.330 He asked, and he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, here are my mother and my brothers. 00:09:45.330 --> 00:09:49.330 Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother. 00:09:49.769 --> 00:09:57.539 And so we, we, we, we see that they're trying to take charge of Jesus. 00:09:57.679 --> 00:09:59.139 They say he's out of our mind. 00:09:59.600 --> 00:10:01.299 He's, he's lost it in order. 00:10:01.460 --> 00:10:02.899 It's going to help him. 00:10:02.960 --> 00:10:04.659 If we just remove him, he's going through a phase. 00:10:04.820 --> 00:10:06.059 He's going through a tough time. 00:10:06.159 --> 00:10:06.860 He's lost it. 00:10:06.879 --> 00:10:07.580 Let's go get him. 00:10:07.899 --> 00:10:10.779 And when we read this passage, we said, amen. 00:10:11.379 --> 00:10:11.679 Right. 00:10:12.120 --> 00:10:13.200 That's so powerful. 00:10:13.200 --> 00:10:17.419 Think about being James and hearing this said from a distance about, about you. 00:10:17.879 --> 00:10:21.159 You're trying to, this is your, this is, this is your, your brother. 00:10:21.259 --> 00:10:22.360 This is your older brother. 00:10:22.360 --> 00:10:28.500 The guy that you looked up to this was maybe on this earth, the one who spent the most amount of time with you. 00:10:30.799 --> 00:10:32.700 So on one hand, you have his family. 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:36.259 It's like, he's a danger to all those who are close to him. 00:10:36.259 --> 00:10:37.820 He's lost his mind. 00:10:38.039 --> 00:10:38.940 He's out of it. 00:10:38.980 --> 00:10:39.899 He's going through a phase. 00:10:39.960 --> 00:10:40.679 We've got to get him. 00:10:40.679 --> 00:10:47.419 But then I'd have to imagine being, being James, the guy who spent the most time with Jesus than anybody else. 00:10:47.460 --> 00:10:48.820 You guys were the older brothers. 00:10:49.440 --> 00:10:53.840 You, you played together, you talked together, you dreamed together. 00:10:54.039 --> 00:10:57.720 Think about how many nights were spent just looking at the stars together. 00:10:58.360 --> 00:11:03.940 Uh, he had your back when a kid was trying to pick on you and you stood up for him in front of your family members. 00:11:03.940 --> 00:11:05.080 When they said, where's Jesus? 00:11:05.299 --> 00:11:07.700 He's, he's just going off to do his thing to pray. 00:11:07.700 --> 00:11:11.100 You probably knew where Jesus prayed before anybody else knew where Jesus prayed. 00:11:12.299 --> 00:11:15.759 If you're James work with me here, Jesus was probably your hero. 00:11:16.759 --> 00:11:26.299 The older brother, you know, Joseph, uh, their, their father, he's not mentioned in the Bible at all, really after Jesus was about 12 years old. 00:11:26.340 --> 00:11:37.019 And so we could say that either, uh, perhaps there's a chance that if she's just is not mentioned and he's present, uh, more likely and more scholars will believe that either he deserted the family or he passed away. 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:42.940 So you got Jesus and you got James and your older brother, he was the guy who looked up to. 00:11:43.700 --> 00:11:45.120 And now he's lost his mind. 00:11:45.500 --> 00:11:46.700 And then he just said, you know what? 00:11:47.419 --> 00:11:52.820 Anybody who just does what I say, that's actually who I'm going to follow, or that's actually who's a follower of me. 00:11:52.960 --> 00:11:53.360 Excuse me. 00:11:54.820 --> 00:11:55.940 Think about the sadness. 00:11:56.139 --> 00:11:57.159 Think about the frustration. 00:11:57.360 --> 00:11:58.320 Think about the betrayal. 00:11:58.460 --> 00:12:05.240 You would have felt hearing those words and maybe not even hearing him from Jesus's mouth, just hearing them communicated from somebody else. 00:12:05.240 --> 00:12:08.419 He doesn't have the decency to look me in the eye and tell me this. 00:12:12.029 --> 00:12:15.809 There's a truth here that that's true for all of us sitting here. 00:12:15.889 --> 00:12:21.850 Now, it was true for them back then is that you can't have a close experience with Jesus and leave indifferent. 00:12:24.360 --> 00:12:25.299 There's, there's no record. 00:12:25.379 --> 00:12:26.539 There's no record in the Bible. 00:12:26.679 --> 00:12:31.860 Anybody having a close experience with Jesus and leaving like, man, right. 00:12:31.980 --> 00:12:32.419 It's good. 00:12:32.500 --> 00:12:32.919 He's all right. 00:12:32.980 --> 00:12:34.179 You know, nothing bad, nothing good. 00:12:34.460 --> 00:12:36.360 I feel neutral about Jesus. 00:12:36.399 --> 00:12:37.419 You can't find that. 00:12:38.500 --> 00:12:41.320 If you ask James in this moment, how do you feel about Jesus? 00:12:42.220 --> 00:12:44.580 Indifference is not the word you would say, right? 00:12:45.100 --> 00:12:45.679 I love him. 00:12:45.799 --> 00:12:55.580 But I, you know, and, and in today's culture, though, you, you see me, this is, I might be dating myself a little bit, but there was this, this whole big movement, uh, years ago. 00:12:55.580 --> 00:12:56.980 And I don't think it's still popular. 00:12:57.019 --> 00:12:57.379 I don't know. 00:12:57.440 --> 00:13:01.919 I was almost going to show stuff on the screen, but it was that Jesus is my homeboy. 00:13:01.960 --> 00:13:03.720 They had like trucker caps. 00:13:03.799 --> 00:13:04.480 Do you guys remember that? 00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:05.240 Or is that just me? 00:13:06.159 --> 00:13:06.879 Ashton really? 00:13:07.740 --> 00:13:10.460 Any, uh, any Gen Zers don't know what I'm talking about. 00:13:10.559 --> 00:13:11.940 Actually the older people don't either. 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:13.080 It's just the millennials guys. 00:13:13.179 --> 00:13:13.899 We got to stay strong. 00:13:14.259 --> 00:13:18.840 I think Ashton Kutcher would wear this, you know, this, this trucker cap. 00:13:18.919 --> 00:13:19.960 Jesus is my homeboy. 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:21.820 You got celebrities putting on that. 00:13:21.860 --> 00:13:22.980 Jesus is my homeboy. 00:13:23.379 --> 00:13:24.220 What does it communicate? 00:13:24.340 --> 00:13:25.320 Well, I'm good with Jesus. 00:13:25.820 --> 00:13:26.519 We're all right. 00:13:26.580 --> 00:13:27.580 I'm doing okay with him. 00:13:27.620 --> 00:13:30.039 And that's, that's ridiculous. 00:13:30.379 --> 00:13:32.120 You don't, you don't see that in the Bible. 00:13:32.120 --> 00:13:35.820 Um, you, you'd interact with people. 00:13:35.899 --> 00:13:38.460 If you went on the street and you asked her, Hey, what do you think of Jesus? 00:13:38.940 --> 00:13:53.720 They might, a lot of people would say I'm a follower of him, but even the ones who said, no, I'm not a follower of him and we're going to, we're going to break down how, how ludicrous this is, those who say I'm not a follower, you would ask, well, do you agree with his teachings and what they would say is, yeah, I think he's, he's a pretty good teacher. 00:13:54.059 --> 00:14:10.379 Uh, it's been said that I, I love Christ, but I don't like his, his followers or his disciples that don't like the Christians and so people can say, or people would say, you know, I'm pretty good with Jesus's teachings, but Jesus himself, or rather I'm good with Jesus's teachings. 00:14:10.720 --> 00:14:12.539 Jesus himself, I'm good with his followers. 00:14:12.679 --> 00:14:13.179 Not at all. 00:14:14.320 --> 00:14:15.960 That doesn't, that doesn't make any sense though. 00:14:16.419 --> 00:14:26.980 Uh, there, there's a, this C.S. Lewis is a Christian theologian and he popularized a belief that we're actually going to read in the Bible, how, how it fits. 00:14:26.980 --> 00:14:33.000 Uh, but basically he says that Jesus is either a lunatic, a liar, or Lord. 00:14:33.080 --> 00:14:40.799 I'm going to read this quote and then we're going to break down some of the bold claims that Jesus made that if he wasn't Lord, you should not follow him. 00:14:40.899 --> 00:14:41.879 You wouldn't want to follow him. 00:14:41.879 --> 00:14:44.120 And his teachings are, are, are ridiculous. 00:14:44.919 --> 00:14:46.840 This is, this is what C.S. Lewis says. 00:14:46.899 --> 00:14:53.279 He says, I'm trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about him. 00:14:53.820 --> 00:14:59.059 I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God. 00:15:00.220 --> 00:15:03.039 That is the one thing we must not say. 00:15:04.120 --> 00:15:09.120 A man who is merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. 00:15:09.299 --> 00:15:17.120 He would either be a lunatic on the level with a man who said he's a poached egg or else he would be the devil of hell or the devil of hell. 00:15:17.720 --> 00:15:19.159 You must make your choice. 00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:20.179 He goes on. 00:15:20.259 --> 00:15:24.759 This is, uh, this was written in the, it was actually communicated in the forties. 00:15:25.399 --> 00:15:27.720 Uh, it was a radio broadcast during world war two. 00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:34.460 Uh, the, the, some of the British or UK, they asked him, Hey, go ahead and explain what Christianity is. 00:15:34.460 --> 00:15:35.720 Um, but then it's written in a book. 00:15:35.840 --> 00:15:36.700 You can read it as well. 00:15:37.159 --> 00:15:39.700 Uh, C.S. Lewis is communicating. 00:15:39.840 --> 00:15:41.980 You can't be on the fence with Jesus. 00:15:42.059 --> 00:15:43.740 You can't be 50, 50 with Jesus. 00:15:44.299 --> 00:15:47.159 Uh, these, these, these people understood him. 00:15:47.299 --> 00:15:49.940 Uh, you would read this first part about his family. 00:15:50.039 --> 00:15:50.740 Well, what did they say? 00:15:50.779 --> 00:15:52.500 He said, they said he's a lunatic essentially. 00:15:52.620 --> 00:15:52.820 Right. 00:15:53.320 --> 00:15:55.899 And, and then the teachers of the law, we just read the scripture. 00:15:56.039 --> 00:15:56.679 I'm not going to read it again. 00:15:56.720 --> 00:15:58.580 The teachers of the law said, no, he's a liar. 00:15:58.679 --> 00:15:59.620 He's actually from the devil. 00:16:01.960 --> 00:16:02.299 Wow. 00:16:03.899 --> 00:16:08.440 Think about, think about for yourself and who, who do you say Jesus is? 00:16:08.519 --> 00:16:10.720 Where, how do you identify it? 00:16:10.740 --> 00:16:14.779 Do you say, well, he's a great teacher and there's somebody that some, some of it, I can't get behind. 00:16:15.379 --> 00:16:19.899 Uh, or are you believing like he's the guy that you can't leave 50 50. 00:16:21.659 --> 00:16:33.360 Some of the crazy claims that Jesus makes that if anybody else were to make these claims, you should run and run far away, Jesus says, I am the way, the truth. 00:16:33.559 --> 00:16:36.480 The life, no one comes to the father, except through me. 00:16:36.620 --> 00:16:42.840 No one, you can't read about any moral teacher who will say, I'm the only way to get to where you're going. 00:16:42.919 --> 00:16:47.919 Any moral teachers that I, I know the way I can teach you the way they will not say I am the way. 00:16:48.059 --> 00:16:49.240 And yet this is what Jesus says. 00:16:49.879 --> 00:16:52.440 Jesus says, your sins are forgiven. 00:16:52.600 --> 00:16:56.500 And he doesn't say it just once consider that your sins are forgiven. 00:16:56.539 --> 00:16:59.059 Who's going to tell me my sins are forgiven, but God himself. 00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:07.039 I am the Lord of the Sabbath claims to grew up in a Jewish culture and Jewish understanding. 00:17:07.098 --> 00:17:11.039 He says, you know what the guy who organized this, I'm, I'm, I'm Lord. 00:17:11.140 --> 00:17:15.039 I don't have to listen to him putting himself the level of the father. 00:17:17.289 --> 00:17:21.588 Jesus says, whatever I say, these words, that's what's going to condemn you at the last day. 00:17:22.049 --> 00:17:22.470 Wow. 00:17:23.710 --> 00:17:26.049 Then he says, I am the light of the world, not a light. 00:17:26.269 --> 00:17:28.470 I am the light of the world. 00:17:28.569 --> 00:17:29.150 That's right. 00:17:30.089 --> 00:17:30.569 Wow. 00:17:31.490 --> 00:17:33.930 Anybody saying Jesus teaches good moral things. 00:17:33.990 --> 00:17:34.750 They haven't read the Bible. 00:17:34.829 --> 00:17:36.569 They haven't had a deep experience with him. 00:17:36.890 --> 00:17:40.150 If he's not Lord, this is a new word for me. 00:17:40.230 --> 00:17:42.009 A new word defined for me. 00:17:42.329 --> 00:17:51.589 He's a, he's a megalomaniac, someone who has an unnaturally strong wish for power and control, or thinks they are more important and powerful than they really are. 00:17:54.210 --> 00:17:54.609 Megalomaniac. 00:17:55.049 --> 00:17:57.250 Don't call your spouse that this week. 00:17:57.910 --> 00:17:59.210 That's not that that's free. 00:17:59.289 --> 00:18:00.170 I didn't put that in here. 00:18:07.089 --> 00:18:08.730 You can't be neutral about Jesus. 00:18:09.670 --> 00:18:10.609 James wasn't neutral. 00:18:10.690 --> 00:18:11.910 And this is, this is, we're going to bring it. 00:18:11.950 --> 00:18:13.049 We're going to, we're going to bring it around. 00:18:13.130 --> 00:18:14.369 James wasn't neutral about Jesus. 00:18:14.470 --> 00:18:18.529 I'm sure there was a love and then there was a, there's this, this thing, man. 00:18:18.529 --> 00:18:23.910 Bailed on us first, my dad, then him, what's going on now? 00:18:23.970 --> 00:18:24.529 It's just me. 00:18:24.589 --> 00:18:27.069 And I got to care for my brothers and my mom. 00:18:30.630 --> 00:18:32.490 How do you feel about Jesus this morning? 00:18:33.869 --> 00:18:36.150 You know, it's an incredible concept. 00:18:36.309 --> 00:18:39.970 I think you're closer to being a devoted follower of him. 00:18:40.029 --> 00:18:58.789 If you despise him, then if you just consider him decent, you're closer to being a devoted follower, if you despise Jesus, then if you just consider him decent, we don't, we don't hear or see much about James until after the resurrection. 00:18:59.049 --> 00:19:02.829 And so we're going to read just a, just a bit first Corinthians 15. 00:19:02.829 --> 00:19:08.170 This is Paul talking and he's explaining to the Corinthians, what basically is interaction. 00:19:08.309 --> 00:19:12.569 It says, but what I received, I passed on to you as a first importance. 00:19:13.849 --> 00:19:27.369 That Christ died for your, for our sins, according to the scriptures that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day, according to the scriptures, then it dropped down to verse 70 shares, he appeared to different people that he says, then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 00:19:27.490 --> 00:19:31.589 And last of all, he appeared to me also as to what I've normally born. 00:19:35.609 --> 00:19:43.990 Think about this interaction that, that Jesus and his brother had when, when Jesus was actually resurrected. 00:19:48.480 --> 00:19:51.859 I, I don't, I obviously I can't, I can't share about that. 00:19:51.900 --> 00:19:53.299 That's one of the cool questions in heaven. 00:19:53.299 --> 00:20:03.019 I'm looking forward to asking how, what was that like to be able to, and I want to ask from James's perspective, like to see your brother, you heard about him. 00:20:03.140 --> 00:20:07.880 Maybe you started it and you actually got to see him and you realized everything he said was true. 00:20:07.980 --> 00:20:08.640 He wasn't lying. 00:20:09.380 --> 00:20:10.200 He wasn't crazy. 00:20:10.700 --> 00:20:13.400 He was actually the Lord of this whole world. 00:20:14.319 --> 00:20:17.900 And, and you would, there has to be tears coming down. 00:20:18.099 --> 00:20:19.640 You're probably laughing. 00:20:19.640 --> 00:20:25.160 You're probably going back and thinking of all those times that you call him, whatever name you call them. 00:20:25.299 --> 00:20:28.140 And you're probably, you're like, I'm sorry about, yeah, I don't care. 00:20:28.240 --> 00:20:29.180 So it's no big deal. 00:20:29.319 --> 00:20:30.400 It's no big deal, James. 00:20:30.440 --> 00:20:31.619 I'm here for you, man. 00:20:32.019 --> 00:20:44.740 And consider the hug that would have, would have happened and the embrace that Jesus would have, would have been able to just grab his younger brother and imagine him hugging him so tight, maybe even giving him, maybe even giving him a kiss. 00:20:44.920 --> 00:20:47.960 And just, and we're, we're united again. 00:20:49.039 --> 00:20:49.519 Wow. 00:20:52.259 --> 00:20:55.220 This, this interaction, we're not told how long it is. 00:20:55.420 --> 00:20:56.519 It's just mentioned. 00:20:56.640 --> 00:20:57.619 Then he appeared to James. 00:20:59.059 --> 00:21:05.940 We understand that this, this interaction motivated James to, to live an entirely different life. 00:21:05.960 --> 00:21:10.279 And James goes on to be one of the main leaders of the church in Jerusalem. 00:21:10.279 --> 00:21:12.279 In fact, we're going to read a passage. 00:21:12.720 --> 00:21:18.839 He, it seems that he has the final say over, over what to do in this specific interaction. 00:21:18.839 --> 00:21:27.900 They're wondering, uh, it's an act 15 and you can read the whole context, but they're wondering, should we allow Gentiles in, although, you know, and Peter's explained, this is what happened, right? 00:21:28.180 --> 00:21:29.720 Gentiles should be allowed in. 00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:30.680 And I don't know. 00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:31.440 I just dreamt it. 00:21:31.480 --> 00:21:33.200 This is, you know, this is what occurred. 00:21:33.940 --> 00:21:38.660 And they look to James, Jesus's brother for, for guidance. 00:21:38.900 --> 00:21:40.559 Uh, it says, this is what he says. 00:21:40.599 --> 00:21:45.279 It's my judgment therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 00:21:45.299 --> 00:21:57.619 Instead, we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood for the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times. 00:21:57.700 --> 00:22:03.559 And it's read in the synagogues on every Sabbath, they look for James. 00:22:03.599 --> 00:22:04.740 Everyone weighed in. 00:22:04.920 --> 00:22:08.799 And then James is the one that said, no, this is, this is what I really believe ought to happen. 00:22:08.980 --> 00:22:23.359 And what he says is he says things that are not, uh, some of it's outright sin, obviously sexual immorality, uh, some he's saying, Hey, I'm going to make an edict and I'm going to make this, this, these regulations, these rules, uh, just for our church culture. 00:22:23.420 --> 00:22:35.859 Just so that the Jews who have a weaker consciences regarding, uh, strangled animals and this kind of thing, or the food from idols, those, I'm just going to, let's make this rule so that we can remain united, basically. 00:22:37.740 --> 00:22:45.420 And I think about the power in, in James's words, and you'd wonder what else does he say? 00:22:45.420 --> 00:22:48.940 Well, we have a lot, uh, we have a lot that shares about what else he says. 00:22:49.279 --> 00:22:51.539 Uh, he, he writes a book in the Bible. 00:22:51.700 --> 00:22:58.059 And if you, uh, again, there are whole denominations that will say that this is the most problematic book in the entire Bible. 00:22:58.059 --> 00:23:13.140 And I, I don't necessarily, uh, I don't necessarily disagree because it talks about the tension, basically all in the book of James, there's a tension between Jesus being the one who's the perfecter, he does everything. 00:23:13.140 --> 00:23:14.759 He's doing all of the work. 00:23:14.759 --> 00:23:16.240 He's so powerful. 00:23:16.420 --> 00:23:18.859 He's working way more than we can ever imagine. 00:23:19.079 --> 00:23:20.279 He makes us clean. 00:23:20.460 --> 00:23:21.440 He makes us pure. 00:23:21.559 --> 00:23:22.339 He makes us holy. 00:23:23.440 --> 00:23:28.420 And yet there's still something on our end that we ought to do as well. 00:23:29.160 --> 00:23:34.380 And there's this, this tension that if you'll sit with it for any length of time, it's really uncomfortable. 00:23:34.619 --> 00:23:44.559 And maybe you felt like somebody, I remember being a kid and, uh, and I was just kind of talking about some of my convictions, um, to my basketball team. 00:23:44.559 --> 00:23:49.599 I remember being 15, 16 years old and somebody just said, well, Jesus, he's going to forgive you. 00:23:49.660 --> 00:23:50.640 So who cares if you sin? 00:23:52.140 --> 00:23:55.859 And as a 16 year old, that was actually really like, I don't know. 00:23:55.920 --> 00:23:56.200 I don't know. 00:23:56.200 --> 00:23:57.359 I mean, you just shouldn't do it. 00:23:57.500 --> 00:24:00.720 Well, based on what, based on like, if he just, he's going to forgive you. 00:24:01.140 --> 00:24:02.819 Isn't that like, doesn't he love you? 00:24:03.180 --> 00:24:07.019 And, and this tension, now somebody was able to share in Romans six. 00:24:07.220 --> 00:24:08.720 Uh, it just said, what shall we do? 00:24:08.779 --> 00:24:11.119 Shall we go on sending so that grace may increase by no means. 00:24:11.579 --> 00:24:13.299 And, and so that's awesome. 00:24:13.440 --> 00:24:21.500 But there's this tension that maybe you feel, maybe you, you've seen interaction, maybe that's been the excuse given when you brought things up and you said, Hey, what happens? 00:24:21.579 --> 00:24:22.700 I got, you gotta forgive me. 00:24:23.000 --> 00:24:24.180 It'll work itself out. 00:24:26.720 --> 00:24:31.619 There's, there's this, there's this tension that James is able to, to write so eloquently. 00:24:32.180 --> 00:24:36.380 Uh, I'd imagine I, I want to, there's, there's a small challenge. 00:24:36.480 --> 00:24:49.680 If you find time to read through the book of James this week, but actually read it through the frame of, of this resurrection, that Jesus is, is the guy's brother and he's writing and when, what, what is going through his mind? 00:24:49.779 --> 00:24:52.220 What experience with Jesus is he thinking about as he's writing it? 00:24:52.299 --> 00:24:53.599 Here's, here's one little one. 00:24:53.660 --> 00:24:55.259 It says, do not merely listen to the word. 00:24:55.299 --> 00:24:56.180 And so deceive yourself. 00:24:56.220 --> 00:24:57.900 Instead, do what it says. 00:24:58.200 --> 00:25:00.539 Anyone who listens to the word, but does not do what it says. 00:25:00.539 --> 00:25:03.140 It's like someone who looks at his face in the mirror. 00:25:03.140 --> 00:25:07.259 And after looking at himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 00:25:07.720 --> 00:25:16.579 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law, that gives freedom and continues in it, not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it, they will be blessed in what they do. 00:25:18.259 --> 00:25:21.140 So you're, you see it just in this passage, right? 00:25:21.200 --> 00:25:22.599 Don't, don't just listen to the word. 00:25:23.119 --> 00:25:25.680 Uh, it's deceitful if you just listen to the word. 00:25:25.960 --> 00:25:30.099 Um, but you're going to be, you're going to be blessed in what you do if you actually act on it. 00:25:30.119 --> 00:25:35.839 And, and there's a tension that that's all over, uh, all over the book of James. 00:25:35.839 --> 00:25:39.799 I bet you there was a tension that was probably in James's heart as he, as he was writing it as well. 00:25:42.890 --> 00:25:44.750 And so what, what does this mean then? 00:25:44.990 --> 00:25:52.809 Uh, we're going to wrap it in, wrap it up, bring it, like, make sense of what, what does this mean, what does it mean for you? 00:25:53.049 --> 00:25:54.890 What does it mean for the people you interact with? 00:25:54.890 --> 00:25:56.769 And what does it mean for us as a church? 00:25:57.650 --> 00:26:01.730 Well, I think what this means for you is this is a chance to reflect. 00:26:01.829 --> 00:26:23.309 We've got not a month, maybe we got two, three weeks between now and the 31st, this new year, I don't know where you've been with Jesus over this last year, I don't know where you've been with Jesus over this last month, but I want to challenge you to really identify, are you passionate about your relationship with Jesus or are you just neutral? 00:26:23.869 --> 00:26:26.190 Now we'd all say you're here because you love him. 00:26:26.769 --> 00:26:30.769 You hear, if I were to ask any of us, do you love Jesus answers? 00:26:30.970 --> 00:26:32.329 Yes, I, I know it. 00:26:32.349 --> 00:26:33.890 And I've seen it in your guys' lives. 00:26:35.210 --> 00:26:39.029 Are you, are you, are you passionate about your relationship with Jesus? 00:26:39.349 --> 00:26:40.650 There, there ought to be an emotion. 00:26:40.789 --> 00:26:42.390 It's not, it's, it's both. 00:26:42.509 --> 00:26:46.009 It's not just this devotion that I'm going to be there regardless. 00:26:46.369 --> 00:26:48.029 There ought to be an emotion as well. 00:26:48.289 --> 00:26:51.589 Is that how you feel about Jesus this morning? 00:26:54.190 --> 00:26:56.470 You think about the people that you interact with? 00:26:56.569 --> 00:27:06.009 Well, when I read this, actually, I feel a bunch of hope for my family, uh, who are not Christians because they are, they're, they're far from God. 00:27:06.210 --> 00:27:07.769 They're, they're not, they're not close to them. 00:27:08.289 --> 00:27:10.769 They don't, if you ask, they despise them. 00:27:10.970 --> 00:27:14.029 I don't know, but they're, they're, they're not far from it. 00:27:14.490 --> 00:27:17.849 I know that they look down on those who follow and all of that. 00:27:18.329 --> 00:27:19.730 It gives me hope though, right? 00:27:20.269 --> 00:27:29.910 Because if that means that if our family members despise Jesus, they're actually, they're closer to being devout followers than if they just feel like he's pretty good, I can go to church and feel okay about that. 00:27:31.569 --> 00:27:33.069 It gives me, it gives me great hope. 00:27:33.190 --> 00:27:42.730 What I think about this for my family members, something else it does is I think it ought to give us urgency to those who are neutral about it. 00:27:42.750 --> 00:27:45.349 And we'll define neutral as somebody who kind of goes to church. 00:27:45.569 --> 00:27:54.529 Sometimes someone who shows up to church, they're in and out, maybe, maybe, but there's a depth that they're lacking that we should feel an urgency. 00:27:54.769 --> 00:27:57.049 We were not the only, we, you guys know it. 00:27:57.069 --> 00:27:58.650 I don't even got to say we're not the only church. 00:27:58.730 --> 00:27:59.990 That's that's we got it right. 00:28:00.089 --> 00:28:04.130 We're doing not the only church, not even close, but we're one of them or we're trying to be. 00:28:04.210 --> 00:28:06.349 And if we're not bring it up and let's, let's get there. 00:28:06.809 --> 00:28:10.309 And, and so it should, it's not just, do you go to church? 00:28:10.369 --> 00:28:12.650 I can feel, I can feel stonewalled too. 00:28:12.750 --> 00:28:13.670 Maybe you guys haven't. 00:28:13.710 --> 00:28:16.170 I know I have like talking to somebody. 00:28:16.509 --> 00:28:17.089 Oh yeah. 00:28:17.089 --> 00:28:17.630 I'm a Christian. 00:28:17.750 --> 00:28:18.210 Oh yeah. 00:28:18.349 --> 00:28:18.670 Church. 00:28:19.369 --> 00:28:20.009 Oh yeah. 00:28:20.009 --> 00:28:20.769 I go to church already. 00:28:21.170 --> 00:28:21.430 Okay. 00:28:21.490 --> 00:28:22.369 Well, what's next? 00:28:22.430 --> 00:28:24.049 You know, like, is there another conversation? 00:28:24.130 --> 00:28:25.529 Is there another question that I asked? 00:28:26.009 --> 00:28:29.809 Or am I like, well, oftentimes shame on me. 00:28:29.849 --> 00:28:32.509 I'd be like, well, they're, they're actually, they don't need, they don't need this. 00:28:32.509 --> 00:28:33.490 And they're not looking for this. 00:28:33.589 --> 00:28:35.450 And so let me, let me find somebody else. 00:28:35.470 --> 00:28:49.569 So let me, that like next time I go to the store, that, that's some, that person will, will maybe be on the last leg and really need God and those who are neutral about Jesus need him just as much as anybody else, right. 00:28:51.650 --> 00:28:59.750 And then, and then what does this mean for us as a church in the year, finishing off 2023 and then going into 2024? 00:29:00.490 --> 00:29:04.390 Uh, well, I think if I'm going to say anything, it's just, we just can't be lukewarm. 00:29:05.029 --> 00:29:07.730 Uh, there's a, there's a church in the Bible that's, that's lukewarm. 00:29:07.970 --> 00:29:09.470 Uh, there's probably more than a few. 00:29:09.549 --> 00:29:10.910 This is one in Laodicea. 00:29:11.130 --> 00:29:15.210 Uh, it says in revelation three, this is after Jesus rose from the dead. 00:29:16.109 --> 00:29:18.490 John is, uh, is sharing this revelation. 00:29:18.490 --> 00:29:20.869 He says, I know your deeds to this whole church. 00:29:20.910 --> 00:29:21.569 I know your deeds. 00:29:21.809 --> 00:29:23.930 You're neither cold nor hot. 00:29:23.990 --> 00:29:25.670 I wish you were either one or the other. 00:29:25.950 --> 00:29:29.390 So because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold. 00:29:29.470 --> 00:29:31.210 I don't want to spit you out of my mouth. 00:29:33.579 --> 00:29:35.559 Let that not be said about us, right? 00:29:37.019 --> 00:29:38.059 What, whatever that means. 00:29:38.119 --> 00:29:41.319 And you say, well, as a church, we're not, okay, great. 00:29:41.440 --> 00:29:41.920 I don't know. 00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:46.180 I we've, we've got to, we've got a ways to go to be, to be hot, right? 00:29:46.200 --> 00:29:50.940 I bet you, if you looked at your life, you would identify, well, there's some, there's some areas that I need to grow in. 00:29:51.000 --> 00:29:53.359 There's some, there's some things I need to be more passionate about. 00:29:53.359 --> 00:29:56.680 Or when I was, when I first became a Christian, I was super passionate right now. 00:29:56.740 --> 00:29:57.579 I'm not this way. 00:29:58.539 --> 00:30:00.039 There's probably room for you to grow. 00:30:00.119 --> 00:30:02.119 If there's room for you to grow and there's room for me to grow. 00:30:02.539 --> 00:30:03.880 And there's probably room for us to go. 00:30:03.940 --> 00:30:04.059 Right. 00:30:04.539 --> 00:30:13.059 So as, as a church, whatever this looks like, whatever it means, we want to be those who are not cold and are not lukewarm. 00:30:13.240 --> 00:30:15.700 We want to be those who are on fire for Jesus. 00:30:18.640 --> 00:30:22.160 One of the, one of the big areas, and we're going to talk more about this. 00:30:22.220 --> 00:30:45.259 This is not the last time we're going to talk about it, but one of the big areas that I I've, I've heard it actually from more than a few people that I really believe in 2024, we're going to grow a bunch in one of the characteristics of this church is just in the way that we interact with each other, one on a weekly basis, but even at church on Sunday, specifically in, in what our, what our speech is about. 00:30:45.720 --> 00:30:46.440 It's not bad. 00:30:46.539 --> 00:30:49.819 Nobody's I'm not, you know, I love football as much as anybody else. 00:30:49.880 --> 00:30:51.640 I love sports as much as anybody. 00:30:51.759 --> 00:30:53.240 I love talking about what's going on. 00:30:53.319 --> 00:31:00.740 And, and, but there's going to be, I already know in the year 2024, there's going to be a depth in our conversation that that's extremely rich. 00:31:00.839 --> 00:31:04.119 There's going to be people that you, man, I got to talk to this person. 00:31:04.740 --> 00:31:07.039 You know, they said something that didn't sit quite right. 00:31:07.119 --> 00:31:08.039 I got to open the scripture. 00:31:08.259 --> 00:31:15.880 And I, I don't, I'm not going to wait until all that set up a time, two weeks later, and now we get this time and I share it, it's already two weeks later. 00:31:15.920 --> 00:31:17.440 So I don't really care that much about it. 00:31:17.480 --> 00:31:20.339 And they, they probably don't, they don't, don't even remember. 00:31:20.440 --> 00:31:26.579 No, when they say it, let's, we're going to share it in our, our spiritual conversation as a church is going to grow in 2024. 00:31:26.579 --> 00:31:27.920 I already know it. 00:31:28.220 --> 00:31:30.220 This is just, just one small area. 00:31:30.299 --> 00:31:30.839 And I mentioned it. 00:31:30.880 --> 00:31:35.039 If you thought of, if you just spent a couple of minutes, you'd probably think of many more. 00:31:35.420 --> 00:31:42.400 Um, as those come up, as you think about them, I'll say that I'm, I'm an open, uh, I'm a Dropbox, you can share it. 00:31:42.420 --> 00:31:46.380 Uh, we're not going to, we can't do everything tomorrow, but I'm a Dropbox. 00:31:46.440 --> 00:31:46.960 You feel free. 00:31:46.960 --> 00:31:48.099 Like you can contact me. 00:31:48.140 --> 00:31:49.960 You can tell me, this is what I feel like. 00:31:49.960 --> 00:31:50.720 This is what I've seen. 00:31:50.759 --> 00:31:51.720 You can share with Bianca. 00:31:51.940 --> 00:31:58.319 If you don't feel, if you don't feel like you can share that with us, then share that with somebody who you feel like let's bring it to him. 00:31:58.339 --> 00:31:58.980 He's not going to hear it. 00:31:59.039 --> 00:32:01.880 Well, bring it with a few people and let's, let's, let's grow together. 00:32:01.940 --> 00:32:02.160 Amen. 00:32:02.819 --> 00:32:07.880 Uh, we're going to, we're going to bring it in for communion right now. 00:32:07.960 --> 00:32:12.180 And as we take communion, I want to challenge us. 00:32:12.299 --> 00:32:19.579 We're going to take the bread that represents his body and the juice that represents the blood that Jesus shed. 00:32:19.700 --> 00:32:25.460 And I want you to go back to a time that you had the strongest connection with Jesus. 00:32:25.460 --> 00:32:30.559 Now, maybe that time is this morning or maybe it's weeks, months, years ago. 00:32:30.680 --> 00:32:31.859 Go back to that time. 00:32:34.019 --> 00:32:36.160 Think about how you felt about it. 00:32:36.240 --> 00:32:42.940 Not, not the stuff that he did for you, but how you felt his interactions, closeness, and then, and then make a point. 00:32:43.019 --> 00:32:43.859 Share that with somebody. 00:32:43.980 --> 00:32:44.799 Share it this week. 00:32:44.900 --> 00:32:51.440 Share with somebody the closeness of your relationship with God, what it was, what happened and all of the stuff around it. 00:32:51.519 --> 00:32:51.640 Amen. 00:32:51.640 --> 00:32:55.940 Right now we're going to pray and then we'll, we'll take that communion. 00:33:00.460 --> 00:33:04.220 Dear God, Lord, we, we come before you, Jesus. 00:33:04.480 --> 00:33:06.440 And we're, we're impressed. 00:33:06.720 --> 00:33:07.440 We're in awe. 00:33:07.839 --> 00:33:18.980 I, nobody can, nobody can look at you, interact with you, go, go deep with you and leave neutral, but we can't leave feeling like you're decent. 00:33:19.140 --> 00:33:21.259 Uh, we can leave feeling like you're a liar. 00:33:21.259 --> 00:33:25.220 You're a lunatic or we can leave, uh, knowing that you're Lord father. 00:33:25.359 --> 00:33:26.619 And that is Jesus. 00:33:26.819 --> 00:33:29.859 That's why we are, are at your feet, Lord. 00:33:29.960 --> 00:33:32.859 We're, we, we realize that we've fallen short. 00:33:33.039 --> 00:33:34.599 We know that we don't measure up. 00:33:34.799 --> 00:33:38.900 We know that there's nothing that we can do to, uh, to be good. 00:33:39.000 --> 00:33:40.279 We know that you make us good. 00:33:40.299 --> 00:33:47.940 And yet we know there's a tension that, that will necessitate action on our end as we truly embrace your love for us. 00:33:48.539 --> 00:33:57.880 Jesus, we know that there, there's no greater expression of your love than, than you giving your, your life for us, physically giving your life for us. 00:33:58.480 --> 00:34:00.960 Thank you so much for your sacrifice on the cross. 00:34:01.299 --> 00:34:04.539 I pray that, that it will move us Lord. 00:34:04.660 --> 00:34:08.880 I pray that it will continue to move us as we, as we enter this holiday season. 00:34:09.840 --> 00:34:11.980 Jesus, this is in your name that we pray. 00:34:12.159 --> 00:34:12.420 Amen. 00:34:21.900 --> 00:34:26.579 Thank you so much for listening to the Kalamazoo church of Christ podcast. 00:34:26.900 --> 00:34:30.239 If you're in the Kalamazoo area, we'd love to get connected. 00:34:30.480 --> 00:34:40.519 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 in any case, you'll be hearing from us next week.