WEBVTT 00:00:09.699 --> 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. 00:00:15.279 --> 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. 00:00:23.539 --> 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. 00:00:32.500 --> 00:00:36.439 You can visit kalamazoo.church in order to do that. 00:00:36.840 --> 00:00:40.399 We pray that you are inspired by what you hear today. 00:00:41.079 --> 00:00:41.539 Cool. 00:00:43.159 --> 00:00:46.579 You guys can open up to, well, no, well, let's talk about this for a second. 00:00:46.740 --> 00:00:55.500 So this is our first week, uh, talk, uh, really digging into Thread, um, by now, hopefully you have, uh, the Thread app downloaded. 00:00:55.500 --> 00:01:04.180 If you don't, you can go to your app store and type in Thread Disciple Center for Education or Thread Disciple Center, or you can type in Thread Podcast. 00:01:04.819 --> 00:01:10.840 All of those should work and should bring you to, it's like a, you know, a wavy word Thread. 00:01:11.260 --> 00:01:27.019 What this is, is this is going to be our, uh, our source of content for our Sunday lessons, but also it's going to be our source of content throughout the week as there's daily quiet times, like personal times with God that we're going to be able to spend, um, I have a, I have a code. 00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:31.500 I'm not going to say the code, uh, like to everybody, whatever there's recording. 00:01:31.579 --> 00:01:31.840 I don't know. 00:01:31.859 --> 00:01:35.819 I just want to be, uh, I just want to be wise with it, but mention it to me. 00:01:35.840 --> 00:01:36.659 If you're like, what's the code? 00:01:36.700 --> 00:01:37.420 I don't know how to get on. 00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:38.640 Talk to me about it. 00:01:38.719 --> 00:01:39.780 I will give you the code. 00:01:39.900 --> 00:01:49.500 And what that's going to do is it's going to allow you to have this daily, uh, source of connection to God, all of it's leading to what we're going to talk about next Sunday. 00:01:49.500 --> 00:01:58.219 And then the Sunday after that, the Sunday after that, it's going to be an opportunity for us to have some kind of unification of, of what we're learning and how we're growing with God. 00:01:58.280 --> 00:01:58.459 Amen. 00:01:58.719 --> 00:01:58.980 Amen. 00:01:59.459 --> 00:02:04.799 Um, if that was a bad sell, then just talk to somebody and say, Hey, do I really got to do this? 00:02:04.819 --> 00:02:06.319 And then they might tell you, yeah, you should. 00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:07.280 And this is for this reason. 00:02:07.459 --> 00:02:14.360 And, um, so before, before I get started, uh, we're going to be in Luke 15. 00:02:14.819 --> 00:02:23.840 I, uh, you know, I, I don't, I don't want to just paint, uh, paint over, you know, it's there's, there's a lot of, there's a lot of stuff going on always in everybody's life. 00:02:24.020 --> 00:02:37.520 I would say, I think specifically in the Kalamazoo church, I think we've been, uh, hit by a rash of, uh, health stuff and then people who are close to us who are in a difficult financial or sorry, difficult, like health situations. 00:02:37.840 --> 00:02:48.340 Um, I'm, I'm really, I'm impressed by Jesus, uh, the Bible says that he was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. 00:02:48.340 --> 00:02:55.039 And as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised and we esteem him and we esteemed him not. 00:02:55.379 --> 00:03:01.340 Uh, I'm impressed because it says that Jesus was a man of sorrows and he was acquainted with grief. 00:03:01.419 --> 00:03:16.280 And so as we, uh, as we think about, uh, certainly Paul and Lorraine and, uh, without, I don't want to get into all of the, Paul and Lorraine's, sorry, Lorraine's father, um, maybe many of you know, Lorraine's father passed away, uh, just last night or this morning. 00:03:16.280 --> 00:03:22.000 Um, and he, he was going through a difficult, uh, health situation and, and I think that they knew the end was near. 00:03:22.060 --> 00:03:23.139 They didn't know it was this near. 00:03:23.379 --> 00:03:28.379 And so if we can keep them in our prayers, uh, I understand that there's more, there's more than just that. 00:03:28.400 --> 00:03:33.460 We're going through health, uh, stuff and there's just, there's, they're just being humans. 00:03:33.620 --> 00:03:37.159 We experienced death and we experienced trials and we experienced hardship. 00:03:38.539 --> 00:03:39.639 Jesus did as well. 00:03:39.699 --> 00:03:46.120 Uh, and so as we grieve, uh, understand that Jesus was a man of sorrows and he was acquainted with grief. 00:03:46.259 --> 00:04:16.420 And as we view our, uh, as we begin this, this series talking about our, what, what image we hold of God, understand that he was a God who allowed himself to feel all of the human emotions that, that we feel, um, and how much, uh, how much solace we can take understanding that our Lord also went through all of the difficulties that we go through and then we're, we're going to go into Luke 15 and that's, that's where our lesson is going to be this, this morning. 00:04:17.199 --> 00:04:29.459 The beginning thread, it's this, it's, it's comprehensive and, uh, but in order to really have a good idea of what, what's the point this, this first four weeks is just the starting point is, is what it's called. 00:04:29.519 --> 00:04:33.860 And this is the, for the next four weeks, the lesson series is starting point. 00:04:33.860 --> 00:04:38.459 The title today is your image of God. 00:04:38.980 --> 00:04:43.560 And the goal is that we really consider what is our image of God. 00:04:44.319 --> 00:04:52.660 You know, if you, if you're at any place, if you are at the wrong starting point, then you're going to not get to where you want to go. 00:04:53.459 --> 00:05:05.980 I don't know if you guys still go to malls, but I know one, I'm horrible at directions to malls or a place where you go to and you get into a new mall and like, I gotta go to finish line. 00:05:06.040 --> 00:05:08.740 I gotta go to, uh, TJ Maxx. 00:05:08.800 --> 00:05:10.100 I gotta get to the Boston store. 00:05:10.120 --> 00:05:13.759 I don't know if they still have Boston stores, but I gotta get to Macy's wherever I gotta go. 00:05:14.620 --> 00:05:16.680 You would say, okay, the, you are here is right here. 00:05:16.699 --> 00:05:19.699 And then I gotta, I gotta get there from, from the, you are here. 00:05:21.139 --> 00:05:24.100 Um, now it's, it's pretty obsolete for many of us. 00:05:24.139 --> 00:05:25.139 I don't know if you're good at directions. 00:05:25.180 --> 00:05:26.279 I'm very bad at them. 00:05:26.279 --> 00:05:30.920 And so ordinarily I'm like a, you know, Google search and Google maps. 00:05:31.019 --> 00:05:33.060 And so I know where I'm at and where I gotta go. 00:05:33.319 --> 00:05:34.620 Some people are so good. 00:05:34.639 --> 00:05:43.139 And I bet you, your, your grandfather was so good that he would tell you, go past this stop sign and take a left and then go past Farmer Johnson's farm. 00:05:43.300 --> 00:05:46.620 And then you're going to take a right on highway I, and I'm like, what does that even mean? 00:05:46.720 --> 00:05:53.120 And we've got, anyways, if you, if you don't know where you're at, you're not going to get to where you need to go. 00:05:53.459 --> 00:05:53.560 Right. 00:05:56.589 --> 00:06:01.910 I want to challenge us to consider our starting point of, of where we pull our perception of God. 00:06:02.350 --> 00:06:09.170 We're taught in movies, we're taught at school, we learn at church, we're taught by our friends. 00:06:09.329 --> 00:06:12.250 Our image of God is shaped by our familial connections. 00:06:13.870 --> 00:06:20.709 We get, there's so many outside sources of who is God and how we view God by our, by our culture as a whole. 00:06:20.709 --> 00:06:24.089 If you didn't grow up in America, you have a different perception of God. 00:06:25.829 --> 00:06:32.410 Ultimately, we understand that God's word and what it says about it is the thing that matters as we, as we try to figure out what, how we view God though. 00:06:32.569 --> 00:06:35.470 But I want you to consider, just close your eyes just for a second. 00:06:37.269 --> 00:06:51.060 And when I say, think about God, what, what, what comes to mind and you can share that right when, when you think about what, what do you think about when you, when you think about God? 00:06:53.660 --> 00:06:54.019 Father. 00:06:54.019 --> 00:06:54.800 Father. 00:06:55.899 --> 00:06:56.360 Love. 00:06:57.139 --> 00:06:57.600 Love. 00:06:57.879 --> 00:06:57.980 Yep. 00:06:57.980 --> 00:06:58.300 Grace. 00:06:58.500 --> 00:06:58.939 Grace. 00:06:59.139 --> 00:06:59.259 Yep. 00:06:59.480 --> 00:06:59.920 Infinite. 00:07:00.360 --> 00:07:00.759 Infinite. 00:07:00.939 --> 00:07:01.079 Yep. 00:07:01.439 --> 00:07:01.899 Forgiving. 00:07:02.259 --> 00:07:02.680 Forgiving. 00:07:02.899 --> 00:07:03.100 Yeah. 00:07:03.480 --> 00:07:03.740 Light. 00:07:03.779 --> 00:07:04.220 Powerful. 00:07:04.680 --> 00:07:05.139 Powerful. 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:05.480 Yeah. 00:07:05.740 --> 00:07:06.000 Light. 00:07:06.579 --> 00:07:07.379 Light, you said? 00:07:07.800 --> 00:07:08.139 Awesome. 00:07:10.410 --> 00:07:15.029 You know, I, I, and I, I say that culture plays such a massive role in our deciding this. 00:07:15.670 --> 00:07:18.110 Joe's first, you know, Joe grew up in America. 00:07:18.209 --> 00:07:19.569 Obviously spent time in Philippines. 00:07:20.250 --> 00:07:34.569 His, but his first word is, would have been something that would have been understood in, in Hebraic culture a bunch is there's tangible metaphors when, when, if we were to go to, to Jesus day and say, close your eyes, what do you think about God? 00:07:34.970 --> 00:07:43.230 They would share with you that he's a judge or he's a shepherd or he's a father and he's all of those things, but kind of none of those things exactly. 00:07:43.230 --> 00:07:44.670 And he's much more than all of those things. 00:07:44.709 --> 00:07:46.209 And there's tangible. 00:07:46.209 --> 00:07:50.410 I can, I can, I can hold on to what, who, who, who God is in some way. 00:07:50.470 --> 00:07:52.069 And Joe went to the place of saying he's a father. 00:07:52.910 --> 00:07:59.529 Most everybody else went to places of saying, well, he's, he's big, he's powerful, he's light. 00:07:59.709 --> 00:08:02.990 And the, you know, other words we can say is he's he's without sin. 00:08:03.089 --> 00:08:04.689 He's omnipresent. 00:08:04.850 --> 00:08:05.370 He's omnipotent. 00:08:06.449 --> 00:08:07.550 He does not sin. 00:08:07.569 --> 00:08:15.750 We can go to these places and in the Greek or the Western ideology, we might identify a lot of intangible ideas and characteristics of who God is. 00:08:16.790 --> 00:08:20.410 Jesus ultimately, he came to reshape our entire image of God. 00:08:21.089 --> 00:08:35.830 And so whatever image that you have of God going into when you first started or when you first start digging into the Bible, I would bet if you left the same and you said, well, I viewed God this way, I studied the Bible and I still view him the same way. 00:08:35.928 --> 00:08:39.129 You probably haven't let the word of God transform your heart. 00:08:39.610 --> 00:08:50.190 There's, there's all, there's stuff inside of all of us that has an inaccurate image and inaccurate view of God and we're trying to do ultimately, we're going to be able to see perfectly on that final day. 00:08:50.490 --> 00:08:54.350 We're trying to grow as close as we can to how God paints himself in his Bible. 00:08:54.470 --> 00:08:54.570 Amen. 00:08:55.049 --> 00:08:55.309 Amen. 00:08:55.409 --> 00:09:07.490 Today, today we're going to look in Luke 15 at three different passages that talk about these are, these are metaphors that we're going to use to help shape our image of God. 00:09:07.570 --> 00:09:08.690 And we're looking at three of them. 00:09:08.690 --> 00:09:10.809 This is, we're going to read a whole chapter in the Bible. 00:09:11.169 --> 00:09:13.350 This is more texts than generally we look at. 00:09:13.830 --> 00:09:18.190 So, and a lot of this, this time is going to be me spent explaining to you. 00:09:18.289 --> 00:09:22.669 There's going to be examples that perhaps I give, I would say I would be probably doing the text. 00:09:23.070 --> 00:09:31.029 I probably wouldn't be doing the text justice if my intention was just to give you an example of how the parable would have been lived out. 00:09:31.110 --> 00:09:38.649 Because I really believe you guys are able to, what the parables are, is they're stories or examples of who God is. 00:09:38.850 --> 00:09:41.470 And so you guys are going to be able to pull a bunch from this text. 00:09:41.549 --> 00:09:47.690 I hope to pull a little bit more out by the end of it, my prayers that we leave with a more full understanding of who God is. 00:09:47.769 --> 00:09:47.909 Amen. 00:09:48.169 --> 00:09:48.350 Amen. 00:09:48.669 --> 00:09:50.129 We're in Luke 15. 00:09:50.529 --> 00:10:04.389 It says, now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus, but the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, this man welcomes sinners and eats with them. 00:10:05.230 --> 00:10:15.610 Then Jesus told them this parable, suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. 00:10:15.730 --> 00:10:21.110 Doesn't he leave the 99 in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 00:10:21.309 --> 00:10:24.490 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. 00:10:24.789 --> 00:10:28.350 Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, rejoice, I found my lost sheep. 00:10:28.590 --> 00:10:37.009 I tell you that in the same way, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who do not need to repent. 00:10:37.269 --> 00:10:37.889 So pause here. 00:10:39.710 --> 00:10:46.389 And so we, we've got the start and there are tax collectors and, and sinners and he's Jesus is eating with them. 00:10:46.610 --> 00:10:47.429 Tax collector. 00:10:47.549 --> 00:10:48.330 You'd have been a traitor. 00:10:48.490 --> 00:10:56.029 You were somebody who decided that it's better for me to, uh, to extort my people than to be a part of my people. 00:10:56.029 --> 00:11:04.149 I'd rather, I'm going to put myself in a different Avenue and I'm going to become wealthy at the expense of, of my people, uh, a sinner. 00:11:04.350 --> 00:11:08.570 This would have been maybe whatever we view as like this outward obvious sin. 00:11:08.629 --> 00:11:19.429 Certainly we're all sinners, the outward obvious stuff and it says, then these, these holy or these religious people look, look, they start muttering like, man, this guy, look at him. 00:11:19.490 --> 00:11:26.570 He's, he just wants to be a part of these, this lower community and Jesus, uh, hears them. 00:11:26.850 --> 00:11:29.889 And, and then he, he shares this, this story. 00:11:29.889 --> 00:11:34.710 And he says, if you've got a hundred sheep, of course you're going to go find the one to gather it. 00:11:34.870 --> 00:11:43.470 And I guess it's of course, because I don't know, I think that makes sense to me, but we don't understand what shepherding all that much, uh, in our day and age. 00:11:43.710 --> 00:11:58.690 Uh, but understand that, that Jesus, this is opening his eyes, that he cares about each individual sheep, that, that, that God cares about each of us on a personal level, understanding that God cares about us on a personal level to you and me makes a lot of sense. 00:11:58.690 --> 00:12:04.629 We are living in, in a day of individualism and we are individual, individualized people. 00:12:04.730 --> 00:12:08.169 And it's my own walk with God and my personal quiet time. 00:12:08.169 --> 00:12:13.429 And I studied the Bible for myself and I come to conclusions, uh, for myself. 00:12:14.009 --> 00:12:16.690 This would have been a little bit like, wow, my eyes are opened. 00:12:16.809 --> 00:12:31.210 Uh, if I hear that and I'm in a Hebraic mindset or if I'm in a, in that, you know, an Eastern, you know, Jesus day mindset, because I understand my whole context of faith and religion and all of that stuff is through the lens of, of the community. 00:12:31.710 --> 00:12:46.169 And so the, the reality of God caring for an individual, now it's communicated in the old Testament, but it would be something that would be a little bit on the, it'd be, it'd be, we're beginning to become more radical and saying, wow, he cares about individuals as well. 00:12:46.529 --> 00:12:48.830 And, and their eyes would have been open. 00:12:48.850 --> 00:12:52.049 And then on top of that, he communicates something so powerful. 00:12:52.149 --> 00:12:54.710 He says, what is he saying? 00:12:54.710 --> 00:12:58.269 He's saying, well, if you don't need to repent, then, then don't come to me. 00:12:58.610 --> 00:13:01.730 Uh, but he says, if you need to repent, go ahead and come to me. 00:13:01.730 --> 00:13:02.009 Right. 00:13:02.330 --> 00:13:09.570 I tell you, as it says in verse seven, I tell you, there's more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents the 99 righteous persons who do not need to repent. 00:13:09.669 --> 00:13:17.250 We understand that all of us need to repent and yet he's asking individuals, if you, if you feel like you don't need to repent, then you don't got to come, come to us. 00:13:17.289 --> 00:13:21.830 We understand though, that we are, we are the one who needs to repent. 00:13:21.929 --> 00:13:22.250 Right. 00:13:22.730 --> 00:13:26.210 And, and it's interesting because we are all the one who need to repent. 00:13:26.350 --> 00:13:29.309 It's not like we're anyone who's going to stand up and say, well, I'm righteous. 00:13:29.669 --> 00:13:30.710 Uh, good for you. 00:13:30.769 --> 00:13:36.649 I don't, you know, we don't want to be, we don't, we certainly God makes us righteous, but that's not, that's, that shouldn't be our default. 00:13:36.649 --> 00:13:37.990 Like I'm, I'm good with God. 00:13:37.990 --> 00:13:38.330 I'm right. 00:13:38.370 --> 00:13:40.629 I don't have to do anything to, to grow with God. 00:13:40.649 --> 00:13:44.090 We want to be those who are, have the humility to say, I'm lost. 00:13:44.149 --> 00:13:45.169 I just, I really need help. 00:13:45.230 --> 00:13:45.669 I don't know. 00:13:45.710 --> 00:13:46.490 I don't know where to go. 00:13:46.549 --> 00:13:47.370 I don't know what to do. 00:13:47.789 --> 00:13:48.429 Please come. 00:13:48.509 --> 00:13:51.350 You, I trust your, your providence. 00:13:51.350 --> 00:13:53.110 You just come rescue me. 00:13:53.169 --> 00:13:58.250 And so this is the, the first, this is God showing that he cares like a good shepherd would care. 00:14:01.379 --> 00:14:11.740 In Luke 15 in verse eight, and we're going to get through this one and then we're going to talk over in greater detail about what, what set of the stories that these are setting up. 00:14:12.259 --> 00:14:17.279 It says, or suppose a woman has 10 silver coins and loses one. 00:14:17.340 --> 00:14:20.500 Doesn't she light a lamp, sweep the house, search carefully until she finds it. 00:14:20.500 --> 00:14:24.220 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, rejoice with me. 00:14:24.259 --> 00:14:25.480 I found my lost coin. 00:14:26.720 --> 00:14:33.899 And the same way I tell you there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. 00:14:36.259 --> 00:14:39.779 This silver coin would have been like, I understand like a day's wages. 00:14:39.960 --> 00:14:44.299 And so I don't, depending on how much, but a work workers way, 120 bucks, a hundred bucks. 00:14:44.419 --> 00:14:49.019 How are you figure loses one and searches really hard to find it. 00:14:49.019 --> 00:14:56.600 There was a time in our life when we, me and Bianca, like four, I forget what it was. 00:14:56.720 --> 00:14:57.460 I forget what it was for. 00:14:57.539 --> 00:15:00.299 I think it was one of, one of our close family friends. 00:15:01.240 --> 00:15:04.919 She gave us a card with, with some money in it. 00:15:05.299 --> 00:15:07.899 And and I'm horrible at cleaning. 00:15:08.159 --> 00:15:15.299 Bianca is much better at cleaning, but Bianca has a cleaning streak that sometimes just goes crazy with, with the cleaning. 00:15:15.440 --> 00:15:17.840 Like she's, she's willing to throw a bunch of stuff. 00:15:17.840 --> 00:15:20.340 Well, she's good at throwing stuff away, getting rid of it. 00:15:20.360 --> 00:15:21.639 And I'm like, just put it in the area. 00:15:21.740 --> 00:15:24.059 We never know when we're going to need this, this specific thing. 00:15:26.259 --> 00:15:29.740 And so she said, Hey, did you, Hey, I got all these cards, a stack of cards here. 00:15:30.379 --> 00:15:30.820 Is it? 00:15:30.860 --> 00:15:31.480 I said, yeah, yeah. 00:15:31.539 --> 00:15:33.620 I took the, I took, you know, took the money out of all of them. 00:15:33.620 --> 00:15:34.700 I don't birthday, whatever it was. 00:15:34.720 --> 00:15:36.000 I took the money out of all of them were good. 00:15:37.759 --> 00:15:39.559 And so she tosses the cards away. 00:15:39.700 --> 00:15:42.740 And maybe I didn't say that now that I think about it, but I'll assume that I did. 00:15:44.179 --> 00:15:46.220 She tosses, she tosses the cards away. 00:15:47.299 --> 00:15:59.179 And then a couple of like a couple of days later, I'm like, you know, I thought this person, like, where's, where's the money that this person gave, gave to us, like for, for whatever birthday. 00:15:59.620 --> 00:16:00.980 And she said, yeah, I don't know. 00:16:01.039 --> 00:16:01.899 I gave it to you. 00:16:01.919 --> 00:16:02.679 You, you should have it. 00:16:02.759 --> 00:16:04.399 I said, I don't, I know I don't have it. 00:16:04.519 --> 00:16:05.720 Um, don't, where's your stash? 00:16:05.779 --> 00:16:07.620 Like, don't you have, don't you have it? 00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:08.980 And she said, I don't have it. 00:16:09.240 --> 00:16:14.299 And then like, it was like five, 1000 and we both looked and we're like, oh my gosh, it's in the trash. 00:16:14.779 --> 00:16:24.139 And it wasn't trash day yet, but, um, but even so we, we went in, we pulled out the trash and there's, I mean, we're not the grossest people, but I mean, it was before kids, it was before kids. 00:16:24.200 --> 00:16:24.539 Thank God. 00:16:24.600 --> 00:16:26.100 Otherwise we'd be in even, even more trouble. 00:16:26.500 --> 00:16:29.480 But we're, you're searching every, you're doing everything you can, right. 00:16:29.519 --> 00:16:33.419 To pull out, uh, this, this money, um, we found the money. 00:16:33.460 --> 00:16:34.240 We praise God. 00:16:34.299 --> 00:16:34.419 Wow. 00:16:34.460 --> 00:16:35.279 God is so good. 00:16:35.320 --> 00:16:36.580 You know, he's so, wow. 00:16:36.759 --> 00:16:37.279 Thank you. 00:16:37.299 --> 00:16:41.559 You know, we're, we're both, you know, neither, there was, we're not blaming each other for neither one of us blaming. 00:16:41.639 --> 00:16:41.980 We're like, wow. 00:16:41.980 --> 00:16:43.179 We both messed that one up. 00:16:43.320 --> 00:16:43.840 But thank God. 00:16:44.440 --> 00:16:53.379 Uh, so, so God is saying, man, you, I care about you guys. 00:16:53.399 --> 00:16:57.879 Like a woman cares for a coin, like, like I'm going to search for you and go find you. 00:16:58.620 --> 00:17:07.200 It doesn't, it doesn't matter to us that he really, that he brings up the word and he identifies God as being a woman, but to them and hearing that, that's another level of shock factor. 00:17:07.220 --> 00:17:09.358 So the first is, oh, he's a good shepherd. 00:17:09.700 --> 00:17:15.640 Of course he cares for his sheep, but there's an individual relationship that God desperately wants to have with you. 00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:16.259 This next one. 00:17:16.318 --> 00:17:32.980 Now he's saying, God is bigger than even your, your image and perception, uh, that he can be described as, as, uh, this widow or this, this, this woman, and it still brings value and power to, to, to how he's, how he's preaching. 00:17:35.859 --> 00:17:38.279 It also, it's, it's also crazy guys. 00:17:38.400 --> 00:17:39.099 I don't know. 00:17:39.180 --> 00:17:45.700 Like I, when we found this money, we didn't throw a party though, because we would have to spend the money that we just found to throw the party. 00:17:49.059 --> 00:17:50.059 The love of God. 00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:51.940 It's like, it's kind of ridiculous, right? 00:17:52.359 --> 00:17:53.680 This is, and this is what it doesn't make any sense. 00:17:53.740 --> 00:17:54.700 Why you found some money. 00:17:54.740 --> 00:17:55.700 So now I'm going to go spend it on. 00:17:55.759 --> 00:17:59.660 No, I, it was, why would I spend it on everybody else if I just found the money? 00:17:59.720 --> 00:18:02.140 Like I, this is, this is what God is communicating. 00:18:02.259 --> 00:18:02.960 It's ridiculous. 00:18:03.000 --> 00:18:08.039 The amount of love that God has for each and every one of us so much so that it doesn't make sense. 00:18:08.059 --> 00:18:09.079 But he's like, I'm just going to throw a party. 00:18:09.119 --> 00:18:12.599 I'm having so much fun with, with this, this money that I found. 00:18:16.740 --> 00:18:40.059 And so now in the, in the same way that you might, uh, to set up, uh, if you're describing somebody to someone who does not know them very well, you might start like, there's this amazing story that you're going to tell about how, uh, you know, I have buddies in, in college where you're like, man, if I told this story without giving you a context of who they are, you might not understand the full gravity of the story. 00:18:40.359 --> 00:18:46.000 Like if I, if I just said, oh yeah, my buddy, yeah, he just, he just decided to, you know, I don't even want to say this stuff. 00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:48.440 I'm going to say like he, we just, we did this thing. 00:18:49.220 --> 00:18:50.380 You'd be like, wow, that's weird though. 00:18:50.400 --> 00:18:50.960 Why is that funny? 00:18:51.000 --> 00:18:52.079 I don't understand the context. 00:18:52.240 --> 00:19:00.440 But, but if I shared with you all, well, this guy actually, you know, he came from this tough situation and he doesn't understand, you know, or if I said, you know, he came from a different culture. 00:19:00.519 --> 00:19:04.380 And so when he, you know, then you would say, oh, I get this story and it makes more sense. 00:19:04.579 --> 00:19:06.200 This is some of what Jesus is doing. 00:19:06.240 --> 00:19:14.619 And he says, in order for you to understand what I'm going to share next, I have to begin to open your minds about who God is and how he's not exactly how you thought he was going to be. 00:19:15.140 --> 00:19:23.019 It says here in Luke 15, verse 11, it says, Jesus continued, there was a man who had two sons. 00:19:23.980 --> 00:19:29.400 The younger one said to his father, father, give me my share of the estate. 00:19:29.519 --> 00:19:32.440 So he divided his property between them. 00:19:35.240 --> 00:19:44.599 Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth and wild living. 00:19:45.559 --> 00:19:51.500 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country and he began to be in need. 00:19:51.880 --> 00:19:58.420 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 00:19:58.940 --> 00:20:03.220 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 00:20:04.180 --> 00:20:11.799 When he came to his senses, he said, how many of my father's hired servants have food to spare and here I am starving to death. 00:20:11.799 --> 00:20:16.859 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him, father, I've sinned against heaven and against you. 00:20:16.920 --> 00:20:18.720 I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. 00:20:19.440 --> 00:20:21.599 Make me like one of your hired servants. 00:20:22.980 --> 00:20:31.720 So he got up and went to his father, but while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him. 00:20:32.539 --> 00:20:36.220 He ran to his son through his arms around him and kissed him. 00:20:36.660 --> 00:20:39.640 The son said to him, father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 00:20:39.640 --> 00:20:41.500 I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. 00:20:42.279 --> 00:20:48.900 But the father said to his servant, quick, bring the best robe, put it on and put a ring on his finger, sandals on his feet, bring the fattened calf and kill it. 00:20:49.240 --> 00:20:52.400 Let's have a feast and celebrate for the son of mine was dead and is alive again. 00:20:52.480 --> 00:20:54.079 He was lost and is found. 00:20:54.339 --> 00:20:55.640 So they began to celebrate. 00:20:55.920 --> 00:20:57.740 We'll pause here for a moment. 00:21:00.200 --> 00:21:02.700 Jesus, it's important to understand Jesus is telling a story. 00:21:03.900 --> 00:21:05.920 This didn't actually happen. 00:21:06.539 --> 00:21:10.140 This is a parable of communicating God's love. 00:21:10.599 --> 00:21:11.660 There's two sons. 00:21:11.859 --> 00:21:19.319 We've got one son who the younger son, it says that he he said, father, give me my share of the estate. 00:21:19.579 --> 00:21:25.119 What this would have looked like would be basically he's communicating you are only as good as your money. 00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:30.500 You're as and you're as good as as dead to me, basically, because when I when he died, he would receive his estate. 00:21:30.519 --> 00:21:31.299 So he said, go ahead. 00:21:31.559 --> 00:21:34.640 And before you die, just give me what what I'm owed. 00:21:35.160 --> 00:21:44.740 What would have had to happen in order for for this to occur is that this this father would have had to sell part of like part of his his land. 00:21:44.880 --> 00:21:46.339 It's not like physical money that he has. 00:21:46.380 --> 00:21:47.920 So he's to sell part of his land. 00:21:47.980 --> 00:21:52.700 And then he has to basically live on this this borrowed land or at least sell some of it. 00:21:52.799 --> 00:21:53.859 And however you figure. 00:21:53.940 --> 00:21:57.500 And this would have been this would have brought great shame to the whole family. 00:21:57.599 --> 00:22:01.859 It would about great shame to the father to give up so much for the son. 00:22:03.579 --> 00:22:07.400 Think about how many people would have been talking, talking behind the father's back. 00:22:07.480 --> 00:22:08.339 Did you hear what happened? 00:22:08.619 --> 00:22:09.220 Did you hear? 00:22:09.759 --> 00:22:10.299 Oh, man. 00:22:10.400 --> 00:22:10.660 Yeah. 00:22:10.900 --> 00:22:12.319 How did he raise his kid? 00:22:12.400 --> 00:22:13.819 Man, I don't raise my kid that way. 00:22:13.920 --> 00:22:15.599 And oh, my goodness. 00:22:15.859 --> 00:22:16.940 And he said, what? 00:22:19.859 --> 00:22:31.079 There's this ceremony that would have what I understand would have had to occur in Jewish culture if you were going to be basically separated not only from your family, but from the whole community. 00:22:31.079 --> 00:22:33.980 You were you were essentially as good as a Gentile and even worse. 00:22:33.980 --> 00:22:45.920 And that that you were so far removed in a way that there was this ceremony that would have been full of shame, enough shame that for most everybody would have prevented you from saying, just give me my share of the estate. 00:22:45.960 --> 00:22:58.640 It was that they would put you in this area and then they'd like, you know, break stuff and not on you, but just to show like, hey, we're there's a full break between who you are and who you want to be and who we are as a culture. 00:22:58.640 --> 00:23:00.880 Like we we're not going to acknowledge you at all. 00:23:00.920 --> 00:23:01.720 Don't come back. 00:23:01.720 --> 00:23:07.279 Basically, son gets together all he has. 00:23:07.400 --> 00:23:14.730 And throughout this, you see the father is obliges, says he spends everything. 00:23:14.829 --> 00:23:15.910 There's a severe famine. 00:23:16.190 --> 00:23:17.049 He's in need. 00:23:17.529 --> 00:23:20.029 And so he goes to feed pigs. 00:23:20.069 --> 00:23:25.130 You'd understand that that pigs to a Jew are unclean. 00:23:25.269 --> 00:23:26.009 You can't eat it. 00:23:26.009 --> 00:23:31.049 But he's in the spot where not only is he not allowed to eat it, he's he's helping them get food. 00:23:31.069 --> 00:23:40.390 And not only is is he not allowed to eat the pigs, but now he's working with the pigs and he's longing to be in the same space as the pigs are. 00:23:40.509 --> 00:23:43.170 He's longing to eat these these pods that the pigs are eating. 00:23:43.410 --> 00:23:43.589 Wow. 00:23:45.769 --> 00:23:47.069 This is no one gave him anything. 00:23:47.190 --> 00:23:54.450 And then it says it says when he came to his senses and we can read that without without context and think, wow, this is when finally it made sense. 00:23:54.509 --> 00:23:55.930 Something clicked in his head. 00:23:56.650 --> 00:23:59.809 That's what I understand to be not a great translation when he came to a sense. 00:23:59.890 --> 00:24:16.750 It's like when he when he thought about himself is kind of a better way or when he viewed where he was at or something to the effect of when I'm considering what's going on in my with me, then it says and this this time, this this whole passages to talk about himself and this is what I want. 00:24:16.849 --> 00:24:20.009 This is what I and so he's coming to a sense that this is where I'm at. 00:24:21.029 --> 00:24:23.309 He says, I'm going to go back and work for my father. 00:24:23.430 --> 00:24:32.809 You think about if if it was shameful to allow your son to to leave, how much more shameful is it to allow your son to work for you? 00:24:33.690 --> 00:24:36.829 Like you, you, you, you just got kicked off. 00:24:36.849 --> 00:24:41.910 And now, along with all of the other slaves, now your son is working right alongside of them. 00:24:42.109 --> 00:24:45.190 If they were talking about you as a father, they were talking about you before. 00:24:45.410 --> 00:24:47.230 They're talking about you even more so right now. 00:24:51.240 --> 00:24:55.839 He says, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 00:24:55.920 --> 00:24:57.940 I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. 00:24:58.039 --> 00:25:00.099 Make me like one of your hired servants. 00:25:00.720 --> 00:25:07.240 And we we read that and think, wow, there's an air of humility in that, that I'm no longer worthy. 00:25:07.480 --> 00:25:15.359 And what I want to bring up is actually this is it's the same phrasing that that Pharaoh uses as he's talking to Moses. 00:25:18.680 --> 00:25:22.500 Says in as he's going to let his people go, but then he decides not to. 00:25:22.619 --> 00:25:24.039 And you guys are familiar with the story. 00:25:24.099 --> 00:25:34.140 It says in Exodus 10, 16, then Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, I've sinned against heaven and sorry, I've sinned against the Lord, your God and against you. 00:25:34.140 --> 00:25:41.079 Now, therefore, forgive my sin, please only this once and plead with the Lord, your God only to remove this death from me. 00:25:41.740 --> 00:25:46.200 So this guy understands some scripture, but he's pulling the wrong, the wrong bit of it. 00:25:49.519 --> 00:25:53.980 So he got up and he goes to his father and says something. 00:25:54.079 --> 00:25:56.960 If you were listening, we think it's crazy. 00:25:57.839 --> 00:26:06.200 Whatever further length we can understand, it says his father sees him and is filled with compassion for him and he runs and throws his arm around the son. 00:26:06.200 --> 00:26:08.039 And so what it means is a few things. 00:26:08.099 --> 00:26:10.440 One, the father was looking for him the whole time, right? 00:26:10.500 --> 00:26:13.579 The father was waiting for him to come back. 00:26:16.279 --> 00:26:21.259 He would have had to like lift up his his his garments in order to run. 00:26:21.500 --> 00:26:23.279 This would have been real. 00:26:23.339 --> 00:26:26.019 It would have been like it would have been a bad sight. 00:26:26.759 --> 00:26:39.480 It would have been like if you if you were to see somebody like a guy running in his underwear, like it's it's not you're not going to like die from it, but it's just like you don't want to see that like nobody wants to see that. 00:26:40.079 --> 00:26:43.880 And it's it's embarrassing for the person you see that and you're like that that guy is a fool. 00:26:44.039 --> 00:26:47.539 They the people would have seen that and said, wow, this guy's a fool. 00:26:51.630 --> 00:27:03.549 Understanding the culture, I guess him running out to go meet his son was also doing everything he can to save his son from the shame of all of the rest of the people in the culture. 00:27:03.650 --> 00:27:04.930 Like they would not have let him in. 00:27:04.990 --> 00:27:08.069 So the father had to go out and get him and bring him back. 00:27:11.599 --> 00:27:13.599 Says I've sinned against heaven and against you. 00:27:13.700 --> 00:27:15.500 I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. 00:27:16.640 --> 00:27:19.420 Says the father said to his servant, quick, bring the best robe. 00:27:19.460 --> 00:27:22.160 And he just doesn't even acknowledge what the son is saying. 00:27:23.619 --> 00:27:24.799 You know, this is how this is. 00:27:24.859 --> 00:27:28.200 This is us with God so often, though, you know, it's powerful. 00:27:28.279 --> 00:27:34.759 I don't know if you guys can see this is a really well-known painting of by Rembrandt, I believe, which I don't know. 00:27:34.839 --> 00:27:37.220 I'm not as I don't maybe Natasha knows more than me. 00:27:37.240 --> 00:27:37.559 I don't know. 00:27:37.559 --> 00:27:40.660 But but this is this is sounds about right. 00:27:42.140 --> 00:27:49.339 It's an image of the the story is called the prodigal son, prodigal, meaning like lavish or extravagant. 00:27:49.839 --> 00:28:05.019 Other people have changed it to say like the story of the prodigal father, like you're extravagantly loving to your son because you see here we don't we don't get to see the son's face. 00:28:05.900 --> 00:28:06.819 That's not so important. 00:28:06.819 --> 00:28:08.779 We see the father's love and that's all you look at. 00:28:08.900 --> 00:28:09.700 Where's the son? 00:28:09.799 --> 00:28:10.920 What what does he look like? 00:28:10.960 --> 00:28:14.140 No, the more important thing is the father's the one that's embracing it. 00:28:14.539 --> 00:28:14.940 Wow. 00:28:16.440 --> 00:28:22.319 We we are at one point or another and maybe more than one point or another. 00:28:22.460 --> 00:28:24.539 We're we're we're this prodigal son. 00:28:24.640 --> 00:28:26.799 We think we have all of the answers. 00:28:26.799 --> 00:28:28.900 We think we've got it figured out. 00:28:29.019 --> 00:28:31.720 We know exactly what to say, what to do. 00:28:31.940 --> 00:28:35.980 We we maybe we realize and I think so many of us are in a spot. 00:28:35.980 --> 00:28:41.500 Some of us maybe are running far away and are going to be extravagant in our lifestyle. 00:28:42.880 --> 00:28:48.359 Probably what might be more fitting is is we're in a spot of realizing, well, we're not we can't we don't have it all figured out. 00:28:48.440 --> 00:28:49.299 We can't do it ourselves. 00:28:49.299 --> 00:28:51.640 And so let's go back to the father. 00:28:51.740 --> 00:28:58.960 Let's organize a way and a system to get in good graces with him or at least to not get in the worst graces with him. 00:28:59.039 --> 00:29:02.619 And then after that, we might be able to work our way on up. 00:29:02.619 --> 00:29:07.859 This is this is our perception of if this is our perception of religion, then we're just wrong. 00:29:13.230 --> 00:29:18.029 There's no way that either either we are sons and daughters or we're not. 00:29:18.210 --> 00:29:22.549 There's we're not and we're not going to earn it is is is the truth. 00:29:22.970 --> 00:29:26.289 The father doesn't the father says, son, come here. 00:29:26.390 --> 00:29:26.930 Come quick. 00:29:27.769 --> 00:29:29.630 I I think it's it's it's powerful. 00:29:29.730 --> 00:29:32.829 It doesn't say, OK, well, you'll work your way back up. 00:29:32.869 --> 00:29:33.970 You'll get there one day. 00:29:34.029 --> 00:29:34.930 You keep working. 00:29:35.009 --> 00:29:36.849 We're going to put you on a five step program. 00:29:36.849 --> 00:29:39.210 He just says, you're you're mine. 00:29:39.329 --> 00:29:39.990 You're you're here. 00:29:40.089 --> 00:29:41.230 It's it's amazing. 00:29:41.970 --> 00:29:46.430 In verse 21, even him saying, father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 00:29:46.589 --> 00:29:49.349 He understands a bit that he can even call him. 00:29:49.529 --> 00:29:50.710 He can even call him father. 00:29:51.130 --> 00:29:54.630 So there's a bit that he understands his love and you see maybe his heart softening. 00:29:55.970 --> 00:29:58.390 But then the father gives him no way out. 00:29:58.450 --> 00:29:59.650 Just hey, you're back. 00:29:59.690 --> 00:30:01.349 And I'm so happy that you're back. 00:30:02.910 --> 00:30:03.069 Wow. 00:30:03.250 --> 00:30:06.589 So this is how this is how God wants to be with with all of us. 00:30:06.589 --> 00:30:10.410 He wants to be someone who says, hey, come come all the way back. 00:30:10.490 --> 00:30:11.109 We love you. 00:30:11.269 --> 00:30:11.890 You're you're here. 00:30:11.970 --> 00:30:13.230 You don't have to work your way back. 00:30:13.309 --> 00:30:15.650 You don't have to go to a place and then and then get back. 00:30:15.750 --> 00:30:16.549 You're just back. 00:30:18.299 --> 00:30:23.460 So maybe you'd identify here that that you're a bit you're a bit like that. 00:30:23.500 --> 00:30:27.799 Your perception of God is once I do these good things, then I can come to God. 00:30:32.210 --> 00:30:40.089 If you've been living a spiritual life, then I'd say you might be more inclined to be a little bit like this older son, though. 00:30:40.369 --> 00:30:42.809 It says in Luke 15 and verse 25. 00:30:42.990 --> 00:30:45.130 Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. 00:30:45.289 --> 00:30:50.950 Well, when he came near the house, he heard music and dancing, called one of the servants, asked him what was going on. 00:30:51.009 --> 00:30:57.910 Your brother has come and your father has killed the fattened calf because sorry, because he has him back safe and sound. 00:30:58.450 --> 00:31:00.690 The older brother became angry and refused to go in. 00:31:00.750 --> 00:31:03.670 His father went out and pleaded with him, but he answered the father. 00:31:03.769 --> 00:31:12.910 Look, all these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeying and never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 00:31:13.930 --> 00:31:19.829 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him. 00:31:21.390 --> 00:31:26.170 My son, father said, you are always with me and everything I have is yours. 00:31:26.849 --> 00:31:33.289 But we had to celebrate and be glad because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again. 00:31:33.390 --> 00:31:34.930 He was lost and is found. 00:31:40.400 --> 00:31:49.019 The older brother represents anyone who is living and is able to view somebody from the outside in and says, they don't deserve you. 00:31:49.200 --> 00:31:50.759 They haven't done, what have they done? 00:31:50.799 --> 00:31:52.079 Look at me, look at what I've done. 00:31:55.160 --> 00:32:07.200 Applies to anyone, if you view God as being someone who's exclusive or someone who is a punishing God and that's your primary sense of who God is, then this would be somebody that you might be inclined with. 00:32:07.259 --> 00:32:09.519 I'm doing good, so good things should happen to me. 00:32:09.519 --> 00:32:13.039 When something bad happens, they've got to pay the price. 00:32:16.059 --> 00:32:19.980 The older brother, he knows his father, but there's still a distance there. 00:32:20.039 --> 00:32:28.079 I wonder how many times, if you were to get inside the older brother's heart, how many times did he obey because he thought, well, if I don't obey, then my dad's going to hate me. 00:32:28.160 --> 00:32:30.759 Or if I don't obey, then my dad's going to look down on me. 00:32:30.779 --> 00:32:35.339 Or if I don't obey, then my dad is just, he's not going to treat me well. 00:32:35.720 --> 00:32:39.599 And maybe if I obey enough, he'll give me what I really want. 00:32:42.079 --> 00:32:43.079 I bet you we can do that with God. 00:32:43.559 --> 00:32:55.880 I'm going to, we're a church, we read our Bibles because if we don't, well, maybe God won't, I won't, we can never go to these places, but it's easy to. 00:32:56.359 --> 00:33:01.000 I feel like I, maybe if I do what God wants, then he's going to give me what I really want. 00:33:01.119 --> 00:33:05.200 Maybe if I follow God, then he's going to give me what I really want. 00:33:05.259 --> 00:33:09.799 You know, the Bible says, you know, follow God, he'll give you the desires of your heart. 00:33:09.880 --> 00:33:13.680 What that's meaning to communicate is not that if I follow God, he's going to make me rich. 00:33:13.759 --> 00:33:15.779 If I follow God, he's going to give me a great job. 00:33:15.859 --> 00:33:19.140 If I follow God, he's going to give me all of what I really want. 00:33:19.559 --> 00:33:24.319 What it's meaning to communicate is if you entrust yourself and give yourself to God, he's going to show himself to you. 00:33:24.380 --> 00:33:29.279 He's going to give you all of this desire because you're connecting with him. 00:33:31.539 --> 00:33:36.319 The deeper our relationship with God is, the more we're going to desire to connect with him, the more he's going to connect with us. 00:33:44.200 --> 00:34:07.319 As we close up, as we kind of close up this lesson, but close up lesson one of many year project, but at least if it's at least a few month project or many month project, I want to close just with this idea that what the father says to this older son, you are always with me and all that I have is yours. 00:34:09.719 --> 00:34:11.280 Think about God saying that to you. 00:34:11.719 --> 00:34:12.539 You're always with me. 00:34:12.559 --> 00:34:13.400 Everything I have is yours. 00:34:17.070 --> 00:34:17.769 You're always with me. 00:34:17.769 --> 00:34:19.510 The Holy Spirit's here. 00:34:19.789 --> 00:34:23.650 The Holy Spirit has the opportunity to dwell and live within all of us. 00:34:23.929 --> 00:34:28.150 And Tim French is going to be able to experience that in a couple of short hours, right? 00:34:30.550 --> 00:34:33.949 God's presence is he's showing himself at every step of the way. 00:34:34.010 --> 00:34:36.630 He's trying to show himself to you, to us. 00:34:36.809 --> 00:34:37.409 I'm here. 00:34:37.590 --> 00:34:38.230 I'm present. 00:34:38.429 --> 00:34:40.369 I want you to walk with me. 00:34:42.320 --> 00:34:43.679 All that I have is yours. 00:34:43.780 --> 00:34:45.519 Do you really, do you believe that you're rich in God? 00:34:49.530 --> 00:34:51.090 We have everything we need. 00:34:51.090 --> 00:34:52.630 Do you believe you're rich in God? 00:34:55.190 --> 00:34:59.909 All of us or many of us or virtually none of us are going to be rich according to the world. 00:35:00.909 --> 00:35:06.110 Some of us, we're not going to be rich according to even hear me for even our relationships. 00:35:06.289 --> 00:35:06.989 We might not identify. 00:35:07.190 --> 00:35:09.849 Someone from the outside in might not say, oh, you have very rich relationships. 00:35:10.010 --> 00:35:10.590 Perhaps not. 00:35:11.610 --> 00:35:20.409 But all of us have the opportunity to be rich in God, rich in the way we walk with him, rich in the way we know him, rich in our understanding of him. 00:35:21.090 --> 00:35:22.809 He's ready for us. 00:35:22.829 --> 00:35:26.309 And he's right there asking us, please, please come closer. 00:35:27.809 --> 00:35:31.050 We're standing at the beginning of this journey. 00:35:31.869 --> 00:35:39.690 And so as we close, my prayer is that we identify where are we missing in our view of God? 00:35:40.369 --> 00:35:41.170 Where are we missing? 00:35:41.250 --> 00:35:42.309 Is it in the way? 00:35:42.349 --> 00:35:44.269 I don't view God as being this loving. 00:35:45.269 --> 00:35:49.130 And because of that, I just want him for all of the promises that he gives. 00:35:49.610 --> 00:35:54.710 Maybe it's, I don't really, you know, God is good, but I've got to work my way back. 00:35:54.769 --> 00:35:57.869 I got to do some things in order to get back with God. 00:35:57.969 --> 00:35:59.389 And so I got to do this, this, and this. 00:35:59.409 --> 00:36:02.090 And then maybe he'll get me to a decent spot. 00:36:02.150 --> 00:36:07.909 Or maybe you feel like, no, I'm doing all this stuff, but he hasn't given anything back to me. 00:36:08.630 --> 00:36:18.989 Wherever it's at, or whatever shade of God that you have that's a little bit off, my prayer this week is that we identify that and begin to work through it. 00:36:18.989 --> 00:36:24.369 Right now we're going to pray and then we'll be done and we can pick up our children. 00:36:25.730 --> 00:36:28.530 Dear God, we're grateful for you. 00:36:29.030 --> 00:36:31.429 We're grateful for your love. 00:36:32.110 --> 00:36:33.550 We know we can't measure up. 00:36:34.230 --> 00:36:37.190 I just ask that we will understand it better. 00:36:37.489 --> 00:36:44.090 Lord, I realize if we understood your love, as we understand your love, like we'll just grow closer to you. 00:36:44.170 --> 00:36:46.929 We'll just be inclined to follow you. 00:36:46.929 --> 00:36:49.869 You will make it so that we can't say no. 00:36:49.909 --> 00:36:55.090 Anybody who is able to view you in the right way is not able to say no to you. 00:36:55.269 --> 00:36:58.489 And it's not in a way of extortion or anything. 00:36:58.570 --> 00:37:04.349 It's a way of gratefulness for you that this is the only best response that I can give. 00:37:04.409 --> 00:37:08.329 And so we're asking that you allow us to see you more fully. 00:37:08.769 --> 00:37:13.889 Allow us the self-awareness to see where we're missing it in our relationship with you. 00:37:13.889 --> 00:37:17.050 Lord, I thank you for this journey. 00:37:19.289 --> 00:37:24.849 I'm just so grateful that you're with us and you're alongside us and you go before us at every step of the way. 00:37:25.070 --> 00:37:25.929 We love you, God. 00:37:26.409 --> 00:37:27.389 This is in Jesus. 00:37:27.510 --> 00:37:28.590 This is in your name that we pray. 00:37:28.769 --> 00:37:28.949 Amen. 00:37:29.690 --> 00:37:30.090 Awesome. 00:37:30.230 --> 00:37:30.989 You guys are dismissed. 00:37:31.170 --> 00:37:32.030 Have a great Sunday. 00:37:32.550 --> 00:37:33.190 Pick up your children. 00:37:39.329 --> 00:37:43.889 Thank you so much for listening to the Kalamazoo Church of Christ podcast. 00:37:44.309 --> 00:37:47.550 If you're in the Kalamazoo area, we'd love to get connected. 00:37:47.550 --> 00:37:55.190 Please go to kalamazoo.church and fill in your information to come to a Sunday service or any other event that we have going on. 00:37:55.349 --> 00:37:57.809 In any case, you'll be hearing from us next week.