WEBVTT 00:00:09.740 --> 00:00:13.300 Hello and welcome to the Kalamazoo Church of Christ podcast. 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:14.820 Thank you so much for listening. 00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:16.160 We're Startup Church. 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:23.460 We just planted in September, 2020 and at the Kalamazoo church, we believe that Christianity is done best when it is done together. 00:00:23.559 --> 00:00:32.299 And so if you live in the Kalamazoo area, we would love to connect, be it coming to a Sunday service, one of our small groups, or even just grabbing coffee with a member to learn more. 00:00:32.700 --> 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. 00:00:42.140 --> 00:00:45.899 Like Mark said, today's lesson is becoming fully human. 00:00:46.060 --> 00:01:00.939 It is the next progression in our story through thread and a little background thread is this awesome, hopefully this really, you know, long program that we're going to embark on and digging through the story of us via the Bible. 00:01:01.500 --> 00:01:07.120 You know, how does the Bible just connect with our lives, with just the whole story of how God wove us. 00:01:07.819 --> 00:01:13.159 And this is, I was saying, I was like, this is a really important lesson, which I was like, oh dear, why am I preaching this? 00:01:13.400 --> 00:01:20.760 But at the same time, I was like, amen, I'm so happy that I get to, you know, we get to talk about becoming fully human because this is the story of why God created man. 00:01:22.739 --> 00:01:28.920 But this idea of becoming fully human, I have felt a lot in the last two weeks. 00:01:30.260 --> 00:01:36.939 Two weeks ago, me and about half of this church got a lovely stomach virus. 00:01:38.280 --> 00:01:46.799 We, I've had about multiple conversations where it's like, yeah, I also, you know, lost everything that my body seemed to have holed up in liquid state. 00:01:47.239 --> 00:01:51.420 And, right, that's about all I can say without trying to, you know, not ruin everyone's breakfast. 00:01:51.819 --> 00:01:55.560 Right, but like, last week was, it was humbling, right? 00:01:55.579 --> 00:02:03.620 I felt really sick, and then like in the middle of me feeling sick, I hear this scream from Jordan and Maddie's room. 00:02:03.659 --> 00:02:05.040 So I live with the, with the sings. 00:02:05.579 --> 00:02:06.680 I'm like, I'm sick. 00:02:06.819 --> 00:02:09.659 I hear this, oh, and I'm like, oh, that's not good. 00:02:09.979 --> 00:02:11.520 And I'm like sick. 00:02:11.560 --> 00:02:12.979 I'm barely keeping together, opening the door. 00:02:13.580 --> 00:02:16.780 And Bianca's there and she goes, yeah, George just threw up all over. 00:02:16.780 --> 00:02:18.759 And I'm like, nice. 00:02:19.960 --> 00:02:24.319 And, but then like I get to church and people are like, yeah, I've not felt good this week. 00:02:24.379 --> 00:02:25.180 I went to campus. 00:02:25.319 --> 00:02:27.020 I had like three guys that were studying the Bible. 00:02:27.159 --> 00:02:28.639 It's like, I can't do anything this week. 00:02:28.659 --> 00:02:29.699 I'm like, no worries. 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:34.379 Right, it's just like this like really just like weak thing where it's like, it happens. 00:02:34.759 --> 00:02:36.180 But like, we're like, please don't tell me. 00:02:36.240 --> 00:02:37.180 Don't ask me a question. 00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:38.599 It's a humbling moment. 00:02:38.919 --> 00:02:41.340 We can all think back to some of those really humbling moments. 00:02:41.759 --> 00:02:46.099 And then this week, so a lot of you know who like has seen me. 00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:49.099 And you know that there's something different to my face. 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:52.539 I have, I have sadly lost my beard. 00:02:52.560 --> 00:02:55.520 If I could do a moment of silence, I would, but we got to keep this train rolling. 00:02:57.180 --> 00:03:01.560 So I was like trying to like, I've been doing like a chin strap like into the beard. 00:03:01.639 --> 00:03:02.620 I was like, it kind of looks cool. 00:03:02.680 --> 00:03:03.460 I thought I liked it. 00:03:03.860 --> 00:03:05.599 But when you do that, obviously you have to trim up. 00:03:05.659 --> 00:03:06.460 Like, yeah, trim it. 00:03:06.580 --> 00:03:07.620 And I just was tired. 00:03:07.740 --> 00:03:08.900 I wasn't thinking in the morning. 00:03:08.900 --> 00:03:12.680 And I just went, and I was like, no, I don't know why I did that. 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:15.800 And so the next step is like, all right, all right, I messed up the beard. 00:03:15.860 --> 00:03:16.319 That's fine. 00:03:16.500 --> 00:03:17.479 We'll go goatee. 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:19.259 And it was fun. 00:03:19.400 --> 00:03:20.860 Ryan over here, like we had a good talk. 00:03:20.879 --> 00:03:22.919 He goes, you shouldn't have done it the way you did it. 00:03:22.919 --> 00:03:25.979 Because I like tried to line it up like this, right, like straight up. 00:03:26.139 --> 00:03:27.759 And Ryan, I was telling this to Ryan. 00:03:27.840 --> 00:03:29.460 He goes, you don't have that face structure, buddy. 00:03:29.620 --> 00:03:30.639 And I was like, you're right. 00:03:30.680 --> 00:03:31.180 I don't. 00:03:31.439 --> 00:03:32.620 He goes, you needed to do it like this. 00:03:32.620 --> 00:03:35.280 And I was like, I'm aware after I did it. 00:03:35.780 --> 00:03:42.060 So then the next step, I mean, you know, 27-year-olds, I just don't want a baby face anymore. 00:03:43.039 --> 00:03:48.379 So we're rocking the mustache for the foreseeable next three days. 00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:51.340 So there's that. 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:59.319 This week, so Jaron's gone, right, and he's gracious enough to give me his Prius to drive. 00:03:59.379 --> 00:04:00.520 Because I also don't have a vehicle, right? 00:04:00.740 --> 00:04:01.919 He's just human things. 00:04:02.259 --> 00:04:03.300 So I'm driving his Prius. 00:04:03.759 --> 00:04:06.120 And I'm a country boy to the core. 00:04:06.319 --> 00:04:07.139 I love country music. 00:04:08.199 --> 00:04:14.300 There's nothing that makes me feel less just like strong than trying to blast country music in a Prius. 00:04:14.419 --> 00:04:15.360 It just humbles me. 00:04:15.500 --> 00:04:18.980 I'm like, I want to like roll windows down, like blast it. 00:04:19.060 --> 00:04:22.620 And I'm like, I'm like, turn that down. 00:04:22.759 --> 00:04:24.180 I'm like, you can't listen to this, right? 00:04:24.800 --> 00:04:27.600 I say these things, and you're like, what the heck does this have to do with being human? 00:04:28.480 --> 00:04:33.939 I just like, I took this, you know, this second to gather my thoughts, gather just these weeks. 00:04:34.019 --> 00:04:37.319 I'm like, wow, these are just so much a part of the human experience. 00:04:37.699 --> 00:04:39.720 They make me feel anxious sometimes. 00:04:39.779 --> 00:04:43.579 They make me feel, you know, like in my head, like right, the mustache thing. 00:04:43.660 --> 00:04:46.279 I'm like, I, like in my own head, I'm like, I look awful. 00:04:46.439 --> 00:04:47.079 Don't look at myself. 00:04:47.079 --> 00:04:49.439 I'm just like doubting who I am as a human being, right? 00:04:49.439 --> 00:04:52.939 Like everyone up here has probably looked in the mirror at some point and be like, what's happening? 00:04:53.079 --> 00:04:54.639 What's happening with this, everything I'm doing? 00:04:55.019 --> 00:04:55.259 Right? 00:04:55.420 --> 00:04:57.300 We're so just naturally human. 00:04:57.300 --> 00:04:58.439 We go day to day. 00:04:58.560 --> 00:05:00.079 We have all these things, right? 00:05:00.139 --> 00:05:01.240 They're a part of our flaws. 00:05:01.399 --> 00:05:02.819 They're part of the character that we are. 00:05:03.500 --> 00:05:07.199 And more importantly, though, it shows how truly unique we are. 00:05:07.459 --> 00:05:15.040 But we're also going to dig into kind of some of how those things have progressed since the beginning of our creation and what we were actually supposed to be made as. 00:05:15.399 --> 00:05:20.639 And so today, I want to talk about two parts of our humanity. 00:05:21.379 --> 00:05:26.040 As a part of the Thread series, we've been going back to the beginning and looking at God's world created. 00:05:26.620 --> 00:05:31.000 And a huge part of that beginning is this idea of tension. 00:05:31.120 --> 00:05:33.319 I'm going to use that word hopefully a lot about this tension. 00:05:33.899 --> 00:05:44.819 And it's this tension of being created as God's image, being the bearers of that image, and then also being created from and connected to the earth, the dust that we came from. 00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:46.800 And so we're going to dig into this. 00:05:46.879 --> 00:05:48.699 We're going to dig into Genesis 1. 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:50.660 We're going to be there for most of this day. 00:05:50.779 --> 00:05:53.959 So Genesis 1, we're going to start in verses 26. 00:05:53.959 --> 00:05:55.660 I'm going to go to the next slide. 00:05:55.740 --> 00:05:57.839 We'll have it up here. 00:05:57.920 --> 00:06:04.699 So 26 through 31, and then it's chapter 2, verses 4 through 7, and then verse 15 if you guys want to write that down. 00:06:06.459 --> 00:06:07.740 Actually, I don't think I need this. 00:06:08.399 --> 00:06:09.519 This does not help. 00:06:09.839 --> 00:06:10.620 I don't know why I'm doing that. 00:06:18.610 --> 00:06:36.990 So verse 26 in chapter 1, it says, Then God said, Let us make mankind in our image and our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. 00:06:37.709 --> 00:06:40.410 So God created mankind in his own image. 00:06:41.029 --> 00:06:45.069 In the image of God, he created them, male and female, he created them. 00:06:45.709 --> 00:06:48.850 God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number. 00:06:49.329 --> 00:06:50.689 Fill the earth and subdue it. 00:06:50.689 --> 00:06:56.290 Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. 00:06:56.930 --> 00:07:03.689 Then God said, I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. 00:07:03.970 --> 00:07:05.569 They will be yours for food. 00:07:06.209 --> 00:07:15.509 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground, everything that has breath of life in it, I give every green plant for food. 00:07:16.050 --> 00:07:17.370 And it was so. 00:07:18.310 --> 00:07:21.170 God saw all he made and it was very good. 00:07:21.689 --> 00:07:24.470 And there was evening and there was morning the sixth day. 00:07:24.910 --> 00:07:26.949 Let's jump to verse four, it will be on the next slide. 00:07:28.370 --> 00:07:34.850 This is the account of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. 00:07:36.009 --> 00:07:43.649 Now no shrub had yet appeared on earth and no plant had yet sprung, for the Lord God had not sent rain on earth and there was no one to work the ground. 00:07:43.649 --> 00:07:47.810 But streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 00:07:48.370 --> 00:07:54.829 And the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. 00:07:55.230 --> 00:07:57.250 And the man became a living being. 00:07:57.810 --> 00:08:00.170 And then we'll just jump down to verse 15 and we'll end. 00:08:00.589 --> 00:08:05.870 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and to take care of it. 00:08:07.470 --> 00:08:08.189 This is awesome. 00:08:08.310 --> 00:08:09.370 This is our creation. 00:08:09.629 --> 00:08:11.250 This is the start of us. 00:08:11.250 --> 00:08:13.470 All of us start from this moment. 00:08:14.589 --> 00:08:17.610 The Bible has always been clear about our creation. 00:08:18.850 --> 00:08:34.509 The call to be image bearers who produce fruit is a high calling that can inspire, that we should be excited to take as a challenge, but also, talking about us becoming fully human, it also can be discouraging, can be overwhelming. 00:08:35.428 --> 00:08:41.710 The space between bearing the very image of God and the reality of our lives as humans can be great. 00:08:42.490 --> 00:08:47.429 But even in these opening chapters, we are given direction for closing that gap. 00:08:47.950 --> 00:08:51.110 Walking with God with the intimacy He desires. 00:08:52.190 --> 00:09:02.350 Living in this tension and striving after a God who would and has done anything to be close to us is at the heart of becoming fully human. 00:09:03.350 --> 00:09:05.289 So I want to talk about this again like I did. 00:09:05.289 --> 00:09:08.190 I call them first account and second account. 00:09:08.269 --> 00:09:12.669 The first account of what we were made for and the second account of how we were made. 00:09:12.769 --> 00:09:15.649 They show truly how we are human in everything we do. 00:09:16.110 --> 00:09:20.669 This first account is the idea of being created in the image of God. 00:09:23.250 --> 00:09:28.110 This first account is the fact that we were created by the Creator. 00:09:28.590 --> 00:09:31.110 We were created from a divine being. 00:09:31.110 --> 00:09:32.990 I love it. 00:09:33.370 --> 00:09:37.529 Back in the verse it says, I created mankind in my own image. 00:09:39.470 --> 00:09:42.429 It's a weird thought because I think about this week. 00:09:42.450 --> 00:09:45.370 I think about how many flaws I have. 00:09:46.210 --> 00:09:47.909 We are divine in nature. 00:09:48.049 --> 00:09:49.309 God created us to be like Him. 00:09:49.350 --> 00:09:51.350 He created us to have this connection to the divinity. 00:09:51.549 --> 00:09:54.009 There's that part of us that is supposed to be like this. 00:09:54.009 --> 00:09:58.730 We are supposed to be a reflection of the Creator, the divine. 00:09:59.750 --> 00:10:04.850 We are created to be relational and above all to have a relationship with God. 00:10:06.129 --> 00:10:07.549 That's the first thought. 00:10:07.610 --> 00:10:09.169 That was God's intention. 00:10:09.769 --> 00:10:14.409 He wanted someone, a being to be connected with. 00:10:14.809 --> 00:10:15.710 Something that was special. 00:10:16.450 --> 00:10:18.909 I love dogs. 00:10:18.909 --> 00:10:20.210 I love dogs. 00:10:20.309 --> 00:10:20.809 They're awesome. 00:10:22.169 --> 00:10:27.570 God can't create with the same connection with a dog that He can with us. 00:10:28.289 --> 00:10:29.190 Dogs are so good. 00:10:29.990 --> 00:10:33.389 That's the connection we want to have with pets of any kind. 00:10:33.929 --> 00:10:37.009 God is like, no, you guys are the ones that created. 00:10:37.389 --> 00:10:41.350 You're the special reason that this earth goes around. 00:10:41.450 --> 00:10:42.669 I want to have this relationship with you. 00:10:43.289 --> 00:10:50.509 The second part of that is the beauty of the relationship is that we had to come from what was created. 00:10:51.929 --> 00:10:53.549 The second account is the total opposite. 00:10:54.529 --> 00:11:02.590 Instead of just being formed from the heavens above, when He spoke the world to existence, He spoke it and it happened. 00:11:03.350 --> 00:11:06.190 It wasn't just that with humanity. 00:11:06.649 --> 00:11:08.409 He created us from something. 00:11:08.409 --> 00:11:10.830 He created us from dust. 00:11:10.970 --> 00:11:12.389 He created us from the earth. 00:11:14.730 --> 00:11:16.470 That is the meaning of Adam. 00:11:16.570 --> 00:11:18.169 Adam means to be from dust. 00:11:19.529 --> 00:11:22.710 We are breathed into by God. 00:11:24.529 --> 00:11:25.350 There's this part. 00:11:26.529 --> 00:11:28.889 We're supposed to be super divine. 00:11:28.970 --> 00:11:30.309 We're supposed to be straight from the Creator. 00:11:30.370 --> 00:11:31.309 That's how we were made. 00:11:31.309 --> 00:11:35.129 We're very earthly in everything we do. 00:11:36.009 --> 00:11:36.789 That's the cool part. 00:11:36.889 --> 00:11:42.049 That's the reason we have the opportunity to be the bears of this world. 00:11:42.289 --> 00:11:47.649 That's why God calls us to be the ones who take care of the animals, to take care of the water, to take care of the land. 00:11:48.029 --> 00:11:50.090 We are the stewards of this earth. 00:11:50.389 --> 00:11:56.509 I think it's because we were the ones who were created from this earth and not just from God's statements, from God's words. 00:11:57.830 --> 00:12:06.750 We're going to jump into three ideas about what this looks like and an idea of closing the gap. 00:12:07.009 --> 00:12:15.389 Closing this gap between the human side, the earth side, which is faulty, where we sin a lot, and then the divine side. 00:12:15.470 --> 00:12:16.690 How we're trying to close this gap. 00:12:16.750 --> 00:12:19.850 That's how we're continually trying to do in our idea of becoming human. 00:12:20.210 --> 00:12:23.610 This first idea is to dig more into the image and likeness of God. 00:12:23.610 --> 00:12:24.870 This will be on the next slide. 00:12:25.769 --> 00:12:28.909 Created in the image and likeness of God. 00:12:29.269 --> 00:12:30.210 There's two parts here. 00:12:30.269 --> 00:12:32.149 Let's look at this image part first. 00:12:33.549 --> 00:12:34.730 Think about image. 00:12:35.710 --> 00:12:41.490 This idea of image is not even just from a spiritual aspect, from a social aspect. 00:12:41.570 --> 00:12:44.610 It's maybe the most important thing that we look at in our culture. 00:12:45.350 --> 00:12:47.070 What image do you have? 00:12:47.929 --> 00:12:59.149 There are people in this world that get paid way more money than I'll ever make my entire life just to make someone look good on Instagram, in the papers. 00:12:59.470 --> 00:13:08.570 There's PR teams that devise these pictures, these events, these articles just for us to have a good image. 00:13:09.250 --> 00:13:13.309 Image is so important for everything we do. 00:13:14.230 --> 00:13:18.090 But the issue is, whose image are we trying to enhance? 00:13:18.909 --> 00:13:19.629 It's ours. 00:13:21.509 --> 00:13:26.129 The image that we think about, once again, talk about my face, my beard. 00:13:26.710 --> 00:13:28.210 I want to enhance my image. 00:13:28.370 --> 00:13:29.730 I want to look rugged. 00:13:31.009 --> 00:13:33.629 Whatever in my mind makes me look good. 00:13:34.169 --> 00:13:35.950 What do I think I look the best at? 00:13:36.190 --> 00:13:37.190 It's my image. 00:13:37.289 --> 00:13:38.870 I want to enhance myself. 00:13:39.250 --> 00:13:40.769 We do that with everything we do. 00:13:40.769 --> 00:13:41.830 It's the clothes we buy. 00:13:42.049 --> 00:13:44.250 It's what we put on a social media app. 00:13:44.350 --> 00:13:46.970 It's the way we talk. 00:13:47.090 --> 00:13:48.129 It's the way we interact with people. 00:13:48.230 --> 00:13:49.070 It's the image we bring. 00:13:49.549 --> 00:13:50.750 We want to look good. 00:13:53.139 --> 00:13:58.519 The bridge between that and the image God tried to create in us isn't that far. 00:13:58.960 --> 00:14:00.840 God really cares about our image. 00:14:00.840 --> 00:14:03.220 He truly cares about our image. 00:14:05.299 --> 00:14:11.039 But the difference here is God didn't create us to have an image that tries to enhance ourselves. 00:14:11.679 --> 00:14:15.840 We're trying to enhance God's image in everything we do. 00:14:17.019 --> 00:14:18.240 That's the divine part. 00:14:18.519 --> 00:14:24.419 We're supposed to enhance God's image in everything we do. 00:14:26.139 --> 00:14:31.279 I think of one of my favorite movies when I was growing up. 00:14:32.379 --> 00:14:36.019 Two weeks ago, Jaron was showing it to Jordan and Madison. 00:14:36.179 --> 00:14:36.779 It's The Lion King. 00:14:37.299 --> 00:14:38.240 I love The Lion King. 00:14:38.299 --> 00:14:39.779 It's one of my favorite movies of all time. 00:14:41.440 --> 00:14:51.480 I think about that scene when Simba finds Rafiki again and he's looking in the water. 00:14:51.580 --> 00:14:55.379 He's like, I see a loser. 00:14:55.559 --> 00:14:57.279 I see someone who isn't fit to be king. 00:14:57.580 --> 00:15:00.299 He's like, no, you're looking at it wrong. 00:15:00.700 --> 00:15:02.360 You're looking at the image wrong. 00:15:02.740 --> 00:15:03.960 What do you see? 00:15:04.279 --> 00:15:06.379 I think we do that with God. 00:15:06.379 --> 00:15:17.980 If we were to put ourselves in the same text of that movie but within a spiritual context, we look into the reflecting water and God's like, what do you see? 00:15:18.419 --> 00:15:22.059 I see someone who is insecure. 00:15:22.360 --> 00:15:24.600 I see someone who isn't good enough at this. 00:15:24.679 --> 00:15:27.700 I see someone who is scared. 00:15:27.700 --> 00:15:28.759 Or whatever it is. 00:15:28.820 --> 00:15:31.080 Or I see someone who's like, I'm so awesome, I'm great. 00:15:31.200 --> 00:15:37.299 Whatever side of the spectrum you fall on, God with his proverbial sticks smacks you. 00:15:37.580 --> 00:15:38.659 What do you see? 00:15:40.080 --> 00:15:42.179 I see that you created me. 00:15:42.759 --> 00:15:43.639 That's what we should be. 00:15:43.980 --> 00:15:46.000 That's the refocus. 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:49.299 We should reflect God. 00:15:50.519 --> 00:15:52.100 We should reflect what he is. 00:15:52.559 --> 00:15:53.919 And that jumps to the likeness. 00:15:53.960 --> 00:15:56.139 That's why image and likeness are so tied together. 00:15:58.320 --> 00:16:07.899 Because if we think about that first part, if we can try to put our minds in the divinity side, trying to reflect to God, this likeness part is super essential. 00:16:07.899 --> 00:16:17.059 When people see us, how we behave, how we love, we are showing them the likeness of God. 00:16:18.720 --> 00:16:24.039 Like when you see someone who looks just like someone you know, this is another problem. 00:16:24.519 --> 00:16:27.720 When Ryan first came out, Ryan's a fixture of this lesson. 00:16:28.379 --> 00:16:29.879 He's new, so it's a good part. 00:16:29.879 --> 00:16:34.659 First time he came out, everyone came up to me like, we found someone that just looks like you. 00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:36.500 He's like you in everything. 00:16:40.120 --> 00:16:41.500 It's cool because it's these ideas. 00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:46.460 Ryan's a big fisherman. 00:16:46.840 --> 00:16:49.279 We have a lot of ties, similar connections. 00:16:50.159 --> 00:16:55.539 The cool part was everyone around us knew that connection would be easy. 00:16:55.539 --> 00:16:58.480 We'd be like, oh yeah, you guys are two peas in a pod. 00:17:00.039 --> 00:17:02.620 But we want to connect that. 00:17:02.659 --> 00:17:06.039 We want to connect likeness because we're like, hey, this is what that's tied to. 00:17:06.539 --> 00:17:07.799 I can make connections. 00:17:07.980 --> 00:17:08.700 They're good. 00:17:09.118 --> 00:17:11.680 You want to have good likeness about you. 00:17:11.799 --> 00:17:13.960 You want to be known for something. 00:17:16.519 --> 00:17:27.660 We've been tasked with this monumental expectation that when people see us, what God wanted is that we also see, they see him. 00:17:29.200 --> 00:17:32.259 When they see us, they should also be seeing him. 00:17:33.859 --> 00:17:37.839 It's a great expectation, but it's also an amazing privilege. 00:17:39.160 --> 00:17:41.440 God believes, this is the reason we were created. 00:17:41.660 --> 00:17:46.140 If he didn't believe that you could be an image of him, I don't think he would have created us at all. 00:17:47.220 --> 00:17:54.039 But he knew that, he believed that you can reflect his image and show his likeness in the world that he created. 00:17:57.960 --> 00:18:04.400 While we're digging through thread, we're always going to go back to Jesus because Jesus is the reason that we're doing all this. 00:18:04.920 --> 00:18:06.960 Jesus is that perfect man. 00:18:07.299 --> 00:18:08.720 He fulfilled this idea. 00:18:09.160 --> 00:18:17.960 It took thousands of years to be like the Israelites and just humanity couldn't get it right and to a point we also can't get it right a lot of times. 00:18:18.220 --> 00:18:19.119 That's why we have Jesus. 00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:24.240 We know what it looks like to be the exact likeness of God in human form. 00:18:24.339 --> 00:18:27.039 It's like, this is a snapshot of what it should look like. 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:29.000 That's what it should be. 00:18:29.259 --> 00:18:41.279 I don't have these up here on a slide, but Colossians 1, 1-15, Hebrews 1-3 are great scriptures of looking at how Jesus is the exact fulfillment of the likeness of God. 00:18:43.299 --> 00:18:44.319 But there's the other part. 00:18:44.900 --> 00:18:46.000 We are not Jesus. 00:18:46.460 --> 00:18:47.220 None of us are Jesus. 00:18:47.880 --> 00:18:49.559 We fall short of the divine. 00:18:50.039 --> 00:18:50.900 The dirt part. 00:18:51.619 --> 00:18:58.460 We were created from the dirt and we were the ones who fell short of the glory of God. 00:18:58.460 --> 00:19:02.000 You can think of Romans 6-23. 00:19:02.140 --> 00:19:05.319 You can think of Romans 3-23 about that. 00:19:06.579 --> 00:19:08.779 So I have a couple of questions on this next slide here. 00:19:10.500 --> 00:19:13.059 Some thought process for this first point. 00:19:13.819 --> 00:19:21.480 When you think about the created and the image and the likeness of God, when people see you, what image of God are you projecting? 00:19:23.849 --> 00:19:26.609 When people see you, what image of God are you projecting? 00:19:27.450 --> 00:19:28.950 That's a humbling fact. 00:19:29.390 --> 00:19:45.730 No matter the humanistic part of us, that we sin, we fall short, when we interact with people, and especially if they know that we want to follow God, that we're disciples, they're going to attach God to whatever you do. 00:19:46.390 --> 00:19:50.309 That's been a very humbling fact for me in my life. 00:19:51.190 --> 00:19:58.809 I've shared with a few of you, but when I made Jesus Lord, the hardest part of making Jesus Lord was my family. 00:20:00.069 --> 00:20:03.170 Everyone here could probably tie you like, yeah, family's tough. 00:20:03.529 --> 00:20:06.470 It's messy, it's muddy, it's complicated. 00:20:07.150 --> 00:20:14.809 I had such a hard time for some reason truly making Jesus Lord and being His likeness with my family. 00:20:15.210 --> 00:20:20.069 Whenever my parents would say something, I act like a 17-year-old out of anger still. 00:20:20.190 --> 00:20:21.589 I'm like, why did I do that? 00:20:22.809 --> 00:20:28.950 Three, four months ago, my mom sent me something and I just responded in a snotty way. 00:20:29.789 --> 00:20:31.509 I was so 15-year-old. 00:20:31.650 --> 00:20:34.150 She got on me and I had to apologize. 00:20:34.369 --> 00:20:35.109 I was like, I'm so sorry. 00:20:37.309 --> 00:20:40.950 My parents know that I changed my life for God. 00:20:41.349 --> 00:20:51.150 So everything I do, however small, to an Instagram message, to the direction I put my life in, they're going to see God in that. 00:20:51.509 --> 00:20:54.269 They're going to attach who God is to what I'm doing. 00:20:54.730 --> 00:20:56.269 Whether that's fair or not. 00:20:57.009 --> 00:20:58.470 That's just how we are as people. 00:20:58.569 --> 00:20:59.470 We look at images. 00:20:59.690 --> 00:21:01.130 That's how we create assumptions. 00:21:01.230 --> 00:21:03.369 That's how we create thoughts, processes. 00:21:03.369 --> 00:21:04.130 We look at the image. 00:21:04.690 --> 00:21:06.950 So what kind of image are you projecting God as? 00:21:08.049 --> 00:21:11.089 And if they could only see you, what would they think God is like? 00:21:14.390 --> 00:21:18.470 Going off that same statement, do they think He's loving? 00:21:19.609 --> 00:21:20.990 Do they think He cares about people? 00:21:21.569 --> 00:21:23.230 Do they think He's selfish? 00:21:24.029 --> 00:21:26.529 Do they think He's a power-hungry God? 00:21:27.809 --> 00:21:32.230 We're going to be the ones who project that to a lot of people in our lives. 00:21:32.829 --> 00:21:33.890 I want to go back to this statement. 00:21:34.210 --> 00:21:37.650 It's a great expectation, but it's also a great privilege. 00:21:38.849 --> 00:21:40.190 It's a great expectation. 00:21:40.289 --> 00:21:40.970 It can feel daunting. 00:21:41.269 --> 00:21:44.029 I'm like, I'm messed up. 00:21:45.450 --> 00:21:47.809 But also, what a great privilege. 00:21:49.470 --> 00:21:53.049 I love superheroes. 00:21:53.950 --> 00:21:57.009 Spiderman has probably the biggest one-liner. 00:21:58.009 --> 00:22:00.109 With great power comes great responsibility. 00:22:02.069 --> 00:22:06.049 And God has given us this earth to be stewards of. 00:22:06.250 --> 00:22:08.470 So we also should be responsible for it in every way. 00:22:09.089 --> 00:22:11.250 So let's go on. 00:22:11.329 --> 00:22:13.509 Let's go to number two here. 00:22:13.829 --> 00:22:14.710 Talk about purpose. 00:22:16.150 --> 00:22:17.869 We were created with purpose. 00:22:17.869 --> 00:22:19.809 I love this part. 00:22:19.970 --> 00:22:26.170 This is one of the things that, just from a sidebar, truly made me become a disciple. 00:22:27.049 --> 00:22:31.150 It made me go, I'm going to live my life every day because I know my purpose. 00:22:31.289 --> 00:22:33.470 I felt so concrete in who I was. 00:22:34.309 --> 00:22:37.829 We have also been created with a purpose on purpose. 00:22:38.509 --> 00:22:38.910 This is cool. 00:22:39.210 --> 00:22:41.029 You can look back in your notes. 00:22:41.029 --> 00:22:53.009 This is actually the last lesson I did on Thread, which was talking about the parable of the tenants and our story and how important our story is in the fabric of the story of the Bible. 00:22:54.670 --> 00:22:56.650 God created us on purpose. 00:22:58.769 --> 00:23:05.220 In both accounts, in the first and the second, we're given a purpose. 00:23:06.299 --> 00:23:11.220 We're just not here randomly or for nothing in order to even figure out our purpose on our own. 00:23:12.480 --> 00:23:14.900 It's right here in chapter one and two. 00:23:16.819 --> 00:23:19.859 I go around on campus and I share my faith. 00:23:21.119 --> 00:23:23.779 Me and Toby talked about this last week. 00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:26.559 A lot of kids have this question. 00:23:26.900 --> 00:23:27.799 What am I here for? 00:23:27.859 --> 00:23:28.579 What's my purpose? 00:23:29.720 --> 00:23:37.240 We were just talking through it and I didn't even connect it straight to Genesis 1 and 2 yet because I hadn't digged into this lesson just yet, but it was such a cool connection. 00:23:38.759 --> 00:23:42.000 It was like God being like, hey, when people share, this is the answer. 00:23:42.339 --> 00:23:45.480 This is exactly what our purpose is here for. 00:23:46.039 --> 00:23:47.700 You don't have to read very far. 00:23:48.759 --> 00:23:52.619 In the first account, it says, Be fruitful and multiply. 00:23:53.500 --> 00:23:58.779 Fill the earth and rule it, like how God would, not how we would rule it. 00:23:59.740 --> 00:24:02.900 And in the second account, we are to work and keep. 00:24:03.299 --> 00:24:05.940 Watch over the garden we've been placed in. 00:24:07.720 --> 00:24:08.519 That's awesome. 00:24:09.460 --> 00:24:11.400 It's so specific. 00:24:11.599 --> 00:24:17.339 The cool part is I'm going to look at some purposeful practicalities of how we should do it. 00:24:18.640 --> 00:24:19.319 So let's dig into that. 00:24:19.420 --> 00:24:21.019 What does this practically look like? 00:24:21.019 --> 00:24:27.440 The idea of bearing fruit, it's all over the Bible, but even when I was young, I'm like, so what, am I supposed to be a gardener for my life? 00:24:27.680 --> 00:24:30.359 Am I just raising strawberries until the day I die? 00:24:30.440 --> 00:24:31.859 Is that what God wants from me? 00:24:32.599 --> 00:24:34.400 No, that's not what fruit means. 00:24:34.960 --> 00:24:38.359 But bearing fruit, producing good God things. 00:24:40.039 --> 00:24:40.700 It's simple. 00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:46.200 They look like outward things that can be daunting, but do you talk about your faith to people? 00:24:46.200 --> 00:24:50.519 Do people want to come out to church because you've been a good steward? 00:24:50.599 --> 00:24:52.539 Have you been a good image of God? 00:24:53.500 --> 00:24:57.539 That's a very clear idea of what fruit looks like in your life. 00:24:58.799 --> 00:25:01.220 Dominic, I appreciate you sharing for a contribution today. 00:25:01.900 --> 00:25:02.920 Me and Jaron talked about this. 00:25:03.559 --> 00:25:10.900 If you're someone who produces a sacrificial life, a disciplined life, and give financially, that's producing fruit. 00:25:10.900 --> 00:25:13.960 As someone who produces fruit in their life, it's explicit. 00:25:14.740 --> 00:25:18.000 You think about how you share your time. 00:25:18.099 --> 00:25:18.880 That's a big one for me. 00:25:19.059 --> 00:25:20.400 I'm naturally prideful. 00:25:20.460 --> 00:25:21.140 I'm naturally selfish. 00:25:21.700 --> 00:25:27.680 Am I someone who I can look at my week and be like, there's more time where I'm probably serving than I'm giving to myself? 00:25:27.920 --> 00:25:28.660 That's good. 00:25:29.579 --> 00:25:32.180 In our day and age, it's all about me. 00:25:32.259 --> 00:25:34.519 It's about my free time, my me time. 00:25:34.519 --> 00:25:36.720 I said that one way too much in Disciple Time. 00:25:36.819 --> 00:25:37.619 I'm like, I need me time. 00:25:38.839 --> 00:25:40.980 Then my disciple was like, you're going to get it. 00:25:41.019 --> 00:25:41.500 I'm like, I'm sorry. 00:25:42.500 --> 00:25:43.160 I'm simple. 00:25:44.640 --> 00:25:45.940 But they're specific. 00:25:46.779 --> 00:25:47.880 We should be serving. 00:25:48.140 --> 00:25:49.579 We should be giving in everything. 00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:51.900 Our finances, our time, our energy. 00:25:52.400 --> 00:25:56.619 We should be someone who shares our life with others because we want them to know God. 00:25:56.619 --> 00:25:57.779 It's specific. 00:25:59.000 --> 00:26:01.339 I think there's something cool. 00:26:02.319 --> 00:26:09.000 I've been talking a lot about spiritual discipline on campus and how the first time you start something, it should look kind of weak. 00:26:09.819 --> 00:26:13.200 I've been talking a lot about basketball because that's how I connect things. 00:26:13.279 --> 00:26:13.940 I'm a sports guy. 00:26:15.319 --> 00:26:19.660 I remember the first time I did a one-on-one workout with this guy's name. 00:26:20.180 --> 00:26:20.940 It was Jordan Long. 00:26:21.059 --> 00:26:22.319 He's a great basketball player. 00:26:22.319 --> 00:26:24.480 I had no right being trained by him. 00:26:25.059 --> 00:26:28.400 Not even close to the athleticism or wisdom that he had. 00:26:29.259 --> 00:26:32.039 I had to learn how to do jump rope in 7th grade. 00:26:32.119 --> 00:26:32.980 That was embarrassing. 00:26:33.539 --> 00:26:36.460 It was a July day out in the sun. 00:26:36.880 --> 00:26:37.680 I'm trying. 00:26:38.200 --> 00:26:39.140 I'm hitting. 00:26:39.339 --> 00:26:39.819 I'm falling. 00:26:40.900 --> 00:26:42.859 We were 15 minutes in. 00:26:44.099 --> 00:26:45.140 He goes, are you okay? 00:26:45.220 --> 00:26:45.799 I'm like, no. 00:26:46.440 --> 00:26:47.859 I am not okay. 00:26:47.859 --> 00:26:50.019 This is what basketball is? 00:26:50.059 --> 00:26:50.680 I don't want it. 00:26:51.200 --> 00:26:52.740 I was so weak. 00:26:52.859 --> 00:26:55.220 I was physically so weak. 00:26:55.859 --> 00:26:57.480 Spiritually, I was also like that. 00:26:57.980 --> 00:27:02.920 The first time I had to read the Bible for more than 5 minutes was gouging my eyes out. 00:27:03.039 --> 00:27:04.400 I was like, people do this? 00:27:04.500 --> 00:27:05.420 This is a lot. 00:27:05.720 --> 00:27:06.559 I was spiritually weak. 00:27:06.579 --> 00:27:08.119 It was a muscle I had not learned. 00:27:10.599 --> 00:27:12.920 What does it look like to multiply? 00:27:12.920 --> 00:27:16.700 We should multiply the things that we have and make them stronger. 00:27:17.220 --> 00:27:21.720 No matter if you're the youngest person here, like Paul Stannett. 00:27:23.000 --> 00:27:25.680 Or the oldest one here, Dugan. 00:27:29.180 --> 00:27:30.599 You can produce fruit. 00:27:30.700 --> 00:27:31.359 You can grow. 00:27:31.559 --> 00:27:32.299 You can multiply. 00:27:32.460 --> 00:27:34.259 That's something you can do no matter the age. 00:27:34.839 --> 00:27:38.019 If you were praying for 45 minutes, you can make it an hour. 00:27:38.740 --> 00:27:40.559 If you're doing an hour, make it an hour 15. 00:27:40.559 --> 00:27:43.380 If that's not in the schedule, take a day. 00:27:43.559 --> 00:27:44.640 Like your Saturday or something. 00:27:44.759 --> 00:27:45.680 Take a special time. 00:27:45.900 --> 00:27:47.039 We can all grow. 00:27:47.359 --> 00:27:51.140 I love what we're doing with the sharing in our house churches. 00:27:51.579 --> 00:27:54.960 It shouldn't be something that we do as just a big event. 00:27:55.579 --> 00:27:56.940 We can multiply that. 00:27:57.200 --> 00:27:58.500 It's like, hey, I love that. 00:27:58.599 --> 00:28:00.680 How about we do that 2 weeks from now? 00:28:01.200 --> 00:28:03.440 Jared doesn't have to put it on the schedule for us to share. 00:28:03.579 --> 00:28:04.880 We should always be multiplying. 00:28:04.880 --> 00:28:09.920 I think about these next ones. 00:28:10.079 --> 00:28:11.880 You look at subduing. 00:28:13.099 --> 00:28:15.839 That one's the emotional part I look at. 00:28:16.299 --> 00:28:22.299 When you're looking at how I handled stuff with my family, there should be less chaos in our lives. 00:28:23.039 --> 00:28:27.119 It's a clear way to see if you're producing what God wants you into your life. 00:28:27.180 --> 00:28:27.859 If you have purpose. 00:28:28.220 --> 00:28:32.880 Your purpose isn't to be someone who creates division. 00:28:33.880 --> 00:28:38.440 We looked at this as well on Friday for our Debo. 00:28:38.480 --> 00:28:39.900 We looked at one another unity. 00:28:40.099 --> 00:28:40.839 We looked at what that looks like. 00:28:41.940 --> 00:28:47.259 It's so important to fight for what's good for a group. 00:28:48.160 --> 00:28:56.460 I think our generation, I think even 3 plus generations haven't had a big goal of doing that. 00:28:56.559 --> 00:28:57.900 You think of World War II. 00:28:58.019 --> 00:28:58.880 You think of these wars. 00:29:00.099 --> 00:29:02.240 Don't think we need a war to be unified. 00:29:02.460 --> 00:29:03.220 I'm not saying that. 00:29:04.079 --> 00:29:06.039 There were some that unified people. 00:29:06.660 --> 00:29:12.059 There's these moments in time where it doesn't matter the division, what we disagree with. 00:29:12.519 --> 00:29:13.460 We're going to be unified. 00:29:13.900 --> 00:29:15.180 There shouldn't be as much chaos. 00:29:15.279 --> 00:29:16.200 We shouldn't divide. 00:29:16.279 --> 00:29:17.859 We shouldn't fight each other. 00:29:17.859 --> 00:29:25.920 We should be subduing some of the sinful emotions or the sinful feelings that our heart has for the betterment of a group. 00:29:26.160 --> 00:29:29.779 That sounds weird because that's so countercultural to what we're living. 00:29:29.900 --> 00:29:34.019 I would say that at school and everyone would be like, you're a loser. 00:29:34.400 --> 00:29:35.599 Why would you think that? 00:29:36.420 --> 00:29:39.279 That's hard because we have not taught that for a long time. 00:29:39.279 --> 00:29:40.859 But it is so important. 00:29:41.119 --> 00:29:43.000 There are times where you're going to disagree with someone. 00:29:43.480 --> 00:29:45.680 You're not going to like maybe what I say up here. 00:29:45.799 --> 00:29:47.480 You could be like, I disagree with what Josh said. 00:29:47.819 --> 00:29:49.640 Or I'm going to disagree with what Jaron said. 00:29:50.799 --> 00:30:00.680 Sometimes, and there's wisdom in the statement, but sometimes there's character, there's high character in fighting for what's better for the church than fighting for what's right for you. 00:30:01.359 --> 00:30:05.059 That's a clear thing in your heart that you have purpose of doing. 00:30:06.099 --> 00:30:08.759 I can just put working with multiplying. 00:30:08.880 --> 00:30:11.119 I don't think I have to hit that one anymore. 00:30:11.539 --> 00:30:12.900 And the last one, just keep watch. 00:30:13.480 --> 00:30:15.920 This is the idea of being protectors of this earth. 00:30:16.259 --> 00:30:19.079 We should be protecting this earth in everything we do. 00:30:19.480 --> 00:30:21.160 We have a great family here. 00:30:22.440 --> 00:30:29.460 I would ask you, do you know how everyone, not maybe everyone, but the people that are close to your house, church, your friends, are you protecting them? 00:30:29.680 --> 00:30:34.519 Are you watching out over their heart, who they are, loving them in every way that you can? 00:30:34.900 --> 00:30:37.759 That's a very clear thing we can do on a day-to-day basis. 00:30:38.059 --> 00:30:44.839 We can love, we can protect, and we can fight for our brothers and sisters in the kingdom of God no matter the circumstances. 00:30:44.839 --> 00:30:48.160 That is something so clear that we have a purpose in doing. 00:30:50.759 --> 00:30:57.839 So kind of jumping off this, tying it back to the image and likeness, what are people seeing you produce in the world? 00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:01.960 Are you more like the first account? 00:31:03.000 --> 00:31:11.039 Do people look at the purpose that you have and it's like that man is a man of God or that woman is a woman of God? 00:31:11.440 --> 00:31:14.299 Can that be clearly seen by the purpose that you have? 00:31:14.299 --> 00:31:19.119 Or is it something that you would have to specifically tell them? 00:31:19.500 --> 00:31:21.019 Like, oh, no, no, no, I'm a Christian. 00:31:22.519 --> 00:31:24.420 Well, your life maybe don't reflect that, right? 00:31:24.720 --> 00:31:25.380 That's humbling. 00:31:25.599 --> 00:31:27.220 I've had that told to me before. 00:31:27.539 --> 00:31:31.900 And that truly is one of the reasons I study the Bible because someone's like, I don't think you're a man of God. 00:31:31.940 --> 00:31:33.619 And I was like, that hurt, right? 00:31:33.660 --> 00:31:34.920 And I had to be really reflective. 00:31:35.180 --> 00:31:40.440 And I had to see that my purpose up to that point in my life was not one that was for God. 00:31:40.880 --> 00:31:42.539 And I think we should all be reflecting. 00:31:43.119 --> 00:31:50.339 Are we someone that has goodness, has love, who make every effort to find peace, kindness, and grace in those that we love? 00:31:51.400 --> 00:31:53.880 And we're going to end with this third one, it's intimacy. 00:31:54.339 --> 00:31:55.380 I love this one, intimacy. 00:31:59.299 --> 00:32:02.640 So we live in this tension between the divine and the dirt. 00:32:04.819 --> 00:32:10.319 Our busy brains might be tempted to strive after perfection and to be the most fruitful, right? 00:32:11.660 --> 00:32:15.019 Hardworking humans that the world has ever seen, right? 00:32:15.519 --> 00:32:17.740 Get as close to the divine as possible, right? 00:32:17.799 --> 00:32:20.619 All these things I've said, they're very much work things, right? 00:32:20.660 --> 00:32:23.839 Where it's like, okay, well, Josh has told me, so I just have to go produce fruit. 00:32:24.500 --> 00:32:32.640 Everyone I know in my life has to come to church and I have to be this great steward to everyone in this room and I have to protect them. 00:32:33.119 --> 00:32:39.819 Those things are true, but if they come from just this idea of like, I'm going to get to the divine, you will never get there. 00:32:39.819 --> 00:32:43.299 And that's why this third part is like the glue to all of it. 00:32:43.460 --> 00:32:44.079 It's intimacy. 00:32:49.220 --> 00:32:51.259 It's not the way that we deal with tension. 00:32:51.519 --> 00:32:53.140 It's the way of us trying to work it out. 00:32:54.200 --> 00:32:59.539 In this account, in the Bible, God has shown us how to live within the dirt and the divine. 00:33:00.740 --> 00:33:02.700 The answer is within intimacy. 00:33:04.019 --> 00:33:06.660 So how do we achieve this image, this intent, this purpose? 00:33:08.519 --> 00:33:19.119 The cool part is, the idea of thread is going to answer that within like a three-year time span, so you should be here for the next three years and you'll find out. 00:33:20.500 --> 00:33:35.859 But the bigger idea of it is, the whole rest of the story, the Bible, is God's relentless effort to restore intimacy that we will see in our lives every day. 00:33:35.980 --> 00:33:37.140 I did not write that right in my notes. 00:33:37.140 --> 00:33:42.440 And we're going to look at that next week as well, about the idea of when we struggle with sin. 00:33:43.539 --> 00:33:48.819 But go back to the statement I said about the image and likeness of God. 00:33:49.099 --> 00:33:50.440 Who is the image and likeness of God? 00:33:50.859 --> 00:33:52.680 It's Jesus, right? 00:33:53.920 --> 00:34:04.039 The whole story of the Bible from the beginning of time, like I said, next week we're going to look at the actual sin part, how we fall from the graces of God, how we fall into the dirt. 00:34:04.839 --> 00:34:09.219 But from that moment, God has been trying to restore that intimacy. 00:34:09.780 --> 00:34:11.460 It's what the Bible is about, right? 00:34:11.820 --> 00:34:25.699 Most of the New Testament is how we mess up this idea of intimacy, how we're trying to do it ourselves, how we look at the Bible in our own sinful ways and we try to make it more useful to how we think about it. 00:34:26.019 --> 00:34:29.559 We look at how we interact with people and we want to do it our way. 00:34:31.380 --> 00:34:38.980 Intimacy is such a core part, the Bible will go through, the whole story of the Bible is all about intimacy. 00:34:40.679 --> 00:34:45.840 And this idea, I love this, if we don't have this relationship with God, intimacy equals relationship, right? 00:34:46.059 --> 00:34:48.159 That's such a huge part, intimacy equals relationship. 00:34:49.119 --> 00:34:56.380 If we do not have this relationship with God, we are not living up to our full human potential. 00:34:58.300 --> 00:35:04.579 This intimacy, this relationship, it's the only thing that can connect you to the image and likeness of God. 00:35:05.159 --> 00:35:09.960 And the cool part, I talked a little bit about the dog thing, there's no other creature that has this potential. 00:35:11.159 --> 00:35:14.059 We were specifically made to have this potential. 00:35:16.539 --> 00:35:27.559 And so as we end here and we think about this idea of becoming fully human, examine your walk with God, examine what it looks like. 00:35:27.659 --> 00:35:30.260 I think that should be on the next slide, I think it's the last one. 00:35:31.639 --> 00:35:34.199 You should examine your walk with God. 00:35:35.440 --> 00:35:37.599 This first part, I thought about this. 00:35:37.599 --> 00:35:38.780 Do you understand intimacy? 00:35:39.840 --> 00:35:40.699 It's a weird word. 00:35:42.460 --> 00:35:46.820 I'm still single, so I think I got intimacy, and I still feel like a 16-year-old boy. 00:35:48.079 --> 00:35:51.159 Intimacy, that sounds too grown up. 00:35:53.199 --> 00:35:56.320 But there's an intimacy, there's a deepness, there's a love, a connection. 00:35:56.739 --> 00:35:58.780 It's kind of hard to describe in human emotions. 00:35:58.920 --> 00:35:59.739 It's something you feel. 00:36:00.119 --> 00:36:01.260 It's something that connects you. 00:36:01.340 --> 00:36:03.239 It's something that makes it truly personal. 00:36:03.780 --> 00:36:04.280 Think about it. 00:36:04.340 --> 00:36:11.519 If you're married, your husband or your wife, there's something about the way you love them that maybe you can't explain, but you feel it. 00:36:11.519 --> 00:36:13.280 It's tied, it's a connection to who you are. 00:36:13.659 --> 00:36:16.440 We should have that same intimacy with God. 00:36:17.440 --> 00:36:18.760 Do you understand it? 00:36:18.880 --> 00:36:20.039 Do you understand intimacy? 00:36:21.739 --> 00:36:27.860 And then, if you think about that, you reflect on that, has your intimacy been damaged? 00:36:29.699 --> 00:36:33.360 I'll go back to the idea of husband and wife. 00:36:34.280 --> 00:36:36.639 If your intimacy's been damaged, you work on it. 00:36:37.519 --> 00:36:39.820 If you didn't work on it, you wouldn't be married anymore. 00:36:39.820 --> 00:36:43.860 The sad part is, about the dirt, that's what the world does. 00:36:44.280 --> 00:36:46.420 You lose that intimacy, it's like, oh, we'll just get divorced. 00:36:47.920 --> 00:36:49.599 You separate yourself from God. 00:36:49.739 --> 00:36:53.420 You separate yourself from this person because you don't want to work on it. 00:36:53.860 --> 00:36:55.099 Obviously, there's deeper things in that. 00:36:56.639 --> 00:37:03.639 But, when it comes to that relationship with God, so often, I think, when we look at the spiritual, so many people just divorce themselves from God. 00:37:05.639 --> 00:37:06.420 God hurt me. 00:37:07.940 --> 00:37:09.079 The church hurt me. 00:37:12.579 --> 00:37:17.219 Somebody showed me a likeness that I didn't like, so obviously, it's been damaged, I can't restore it. 00:37:18.880 --> 00:37:20.519 We break that full potential. 00:37:20.659 --> 00:37:21.920 We will never get there. 00:37:22.659 --> 00:37:28.760 You cap yourself off at 30%, 40%, or whatever, probably lower than that, like 15%. 00:37:30.019 --> 00:37:31.260 All those have been damaged. 00:37:31.400 --> 00:37:32.159 It's part of the dirt. 00:37:32.760 --> 00:37:33.960 It's part of the sin. 00:37:34.039 --> 00:37:35.099 It's part of the mess. 00:37:35.099 --> 00:37:37.300 We should be reflecting on that. 00:37:37.480 --> 00:37:39.460 There is a way to restore it. 00:37:39.579 --> 00:37:40.119 It's intimacy. 00:37:40.400 --> 00:37:41.460 It's digging back into it. 00:37:41.880 --> 00:37:42.400 Think about it. 00:37:42.400 --> 00:37:43.000 Is there distance? 00:37:44.519 --> 00:37:46.239 How far are you away from God? 00:37:48.159 --> 00:38:02.599 And so, as we think about the way that we were created, the purpose that we have, and the way that we were molded, God still saw us and all the things that we could be weak in. 00:38:02.599 --> 00:38:08.579 He saw the parts that we were made from dust, and He wanted to create us anyway. 00:38:08.760 --> 00:38:19.699 He wanted to create us with this beautiful purpose to grow close to Him, to have His image, to have His likeness, to have His purpose, and to do it with a deep intimacy. 00:38:20.519 --> 00:38:23.400 And so, with that, that's the end of our thread lesson. 00:38:23.519 --> 00:38:27.679 I'll pray us out, and after that, I don't think there is an ending song or anything. 00:38:27.679 --> 00:38:31.900 After I pray, go get your kids, and church will be dismissed, right? 00:38:32.840 --> 00:38:36.820 Dear God, I am so grateful that I am a human. 00:38:38.000 --> 00:38:39.619 I am so grateful that I am fully human. 00:38:39.739 --> 00:38:41.219 I am part divine. 00:38:41.420 --> 00:38:42.739 I am part made from Your creation. 00:38:43.239 --> 00:38:44.579 I am also made from this dirt. 00:38:47.599 --> 00:38:48.760 I am weak. 00:38:50.340 --> 00:38:51.260 My back hurts. 00:38:51.280 --> 00:38:51.780 My knees hurt. 00:38:52.360 --> 00:38:53.619 I have fears. 00:38:53.760 --> 00:38:54.320 I have doubts. 00:38:54.320 --> 00:38:55.679 I mess up. 00:38:57.920 --> 00:39:05.539 I'm flawed by my initial self, but You created us with a deeper purpose to fulfill us, God. 00:39:05.800 --> 00:39:07.659 I'm so grateful that we get to look at that. 00:39:07.719 --> 00:39:21.260 We get to look at what it means to be Your image, to be Your bear, to go out into this world, to show people what it looks like to be like God, to grow close to God, to have a true purpose in this life. 00:39:21.380 --> 00:39:25.260 God, we all have probably asked ourselves at some point, what am I doing here? 00:39:25.280 --> 00:39:26.019 What's my purpose? 00:39:26.280 --> 00:39:27.159 You are our purpose. 00:39:27.500 --> 00:39:29.059 You've given us intentionality. 00:39:29.500 --> 00:39:31.179 We were not made by mistake. 00:39:31.300 --> 00:39:33.619 We were not made to figure it out on our own. 00:39:33.820 --> 00:39:37.440 You gave us clear intent of who we should be and why we should be here, God. 00:39:37.860 --> 00:39:53.760 And the last part, guys, pray that myself, everyone here can go back home and can be reflective on their intimacy with You, God, the deepness of it, the connection, why it's so important to have a deep love for You as deeper than anything that we've ever gone after before in our lives. 00:39:54.059 --> 00:39:55.460 So grateful for You in everything You do. 00:39:55.539 --> 00:39:56.099 In Your name I pray. 00:39:56.460 --> 00:39:56.679 Amen. 00:39:57.360 --> 00:40:01.900 Thank you so much for listening to the Kalamazoo Church of Christ podcast. 00:40:02.300 --> 00:40:05.579 If you're in the Kalamazoo area, we'd love to get connected. 00:40:05.820 --> 00:40:13.219 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. 00:40:13.440 --> 00:40:15.840 In any case, you'll be hearing from us next week.