WEBVTT 00:00:00.390 --> 00:00:01.050 Thank you to be here. 00:00:01.050 --> 00:00:02.640 This is a privilege to bring today's message. 00:00:02.790 --> 00:00:05.309 We're in a sermon series right now called better together. 00:00:05.940 --> 00:00:14.070 And we're looking at the value of, of those who are around us and that regardless of the challenges we face in life, the path forward is always better. 00:00:14.099 --> 00:00:18.660 When we do that together with the neighbors and the friends and the family who's around us. 00:00:19.379 --> 00:00:27.629 Uh, last week, pastor Micah preached into the value of our neighbor and looked at Galatians five 14, says for the whole law can be summed up in this one. 00:00:27.839 --> 00:00:36.840 Command, love your neighbor as yourself and a love part of what he talked about that took a bunch of notes on was this idea that love is a choice. 00:00:37.289 --> 00:00:47.039 It's a decision that we make, not just a feeling that we feel, and it's a decision to be inclusive rather than to be exclusive in love. 00:00:48.689 --> 00:00:48.899 Right? 00:00:48.901 --> 00:00:52.289 The whole goal is not to figure out who I don't have to love. 00:00:54.479 --> 00:00:58.350 The goal is to figure out who, how do I be more inclusive in my love? 00:00:58.560 --> 00:01:13.680 And that's goes for as people as distant as a stranger, you pass along the road and as close as the family members who are part of your family today, we're looking at the value of our family and how we, the decisions we make can make our families better together. 00:01:14.459 --> 00:01:19.049 It's been said that when a leader gets better, everyone around that leader gets better. 00:01:19.500 --> 00:01:25.049 And I think the same is true for families that when a family gets better, their neighborhood gets better. 00:01:25.051 --> 00:01:26.250 Their community gets better. 00:01:26.251 --> 00:01:27.209 Their church gets better. 00:01:27.210 --> 00:01:29.189 Everyone around them gets better. 00:01:29.790 --> 00:01:31.739 And so today our big idea is this. 00:01:31.769 --> 00:01:42.180 If you're taking notes, you're going to fill this in a big idea, is that when family members get better, families get stronger and communities get transformed for good. 00:01:43.290 --> 00:01:48.719 When family members get better, families get stronger and communities get transformed for good. 00:01:48.750 --> 00:01:51.689 Now we're going to unpack this as we go through this message. 00:01:51.691 --> 00:02:00.629 But one note before we dive too far in a truth about families, everybody's got one. 00:02:02.640 --> 00:02:07.709 And at least from what I've seen, everybody's got baggage and everybody's got blessing. 00:02:09.569 --> 00:02:13.020 And so can we just say that all of us have blessings and all of us have baggage. 00:02:13.110 --> 00:02:20.340 And sometimes our tendency is to cherry pick the blessings and baggage of other families to compare ours against. 00:02:22.289 --> 00:02:24.479 And so we cherry pick the blessing of another family. 00:02:24.480 --> 00:02:27.270 We see in an area and we go, man, I wish we were more like that. 00:02:28.409 --> 00:02:30.449 Or we cherry pick the baggage of another one. 00:02:30.539 --> 00:02:32.400 We go back and I'm glad we're not like that. 00:02:33.780 --> 00:02:36.180 Without really looking at the whole of the picture. 00:02:37.139 --> 00:02:48.060 It's easier to go through a message like this thinking all I know a family that could use this one, or I know a family, I'm going to remember, I'm going to send this to afterwards today. 00:02:48.061 --> 00:02:49.050 Isn't about everybody. 00:02:49.050 --> 00:02:50.069 Else's family. 00:02:50.669 --> 00:02:52.139 This message is about yours. 00:02:53.009 --> 00:03:00.400 And so I encourage you to listen with those, with that eight on that frequency, listen to how might this apply to you and your world. 00:03:00.401 --> 00:03:05.469 I have three commitments to share with you today about getting better together with your family. 00:03:06.189 --> 00:03:08.949 Here's the first commitment honor. 00:03:08.950 --> 00:03:12.310 Your earthly family honor. 00:03:12.311 --> 00:03:13.180 Your earthly family. 00:03:13.181 --> 00:03:14.830 We talked about love last week. 00:03:15.219 --> 00:03:23.319 Love is God's premiere calling to all people, but honor is a way that love is lived out practically within our families. 00:03:24.039 --> 00:03:28.810 When we talk about honor talking about or regard with great respect, right? 00:03:28.979 --> 00:03:34.479 And, and it's something that we're all called to and family, and it begins with individuals choices. 00:03:35.199 --> 00:03:38.080 And here again, as was mentioned, focusing on your family. 00:03:38.199 --> 00:03:43.539 Well, this is a moment to focus again on you versus what everyone around you is called to do. 00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:46.530 And here's one place in scripture. 00:03:46.599 --> 00:03:48.669 It talks about honor within the family, Exodus 20. 00:03:49.240 --> 00:03:50.349 This is the 10 commandments. 00:03:51.370 --> 00:03:53.830 Moses writes honor, your father and mother. 00:03:54.860 --> 00:03:57.639 Then you will live a long, full life in the land. 00:03:57.849 --> 00:03:59.099 The Lord, your God, he's giving you. 00:03:59.759 --> 00:04:02.939 So kids honor your parents. 00:04:04.620 --> 00:04:09.750 And all the parents said, Hey man, Gavin, you need to tune into this part right here. 00:04:09.870 --> 00:04:15.449 All right, kids honor your parents focusing on honoring your parents. 00:04:15.450 --> 00:04:18.029 And by the way, this is not just for kids in middle school. 00:04:19.500 --> 00:04:21.870 Adult kids often have parents, too. 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:29.339 Adult kids honor, your parents honor your father and mother. 00:04:29.341 --> 00:04:31.110 Then you will live a long, full life in the land. 00:04:31.110 --> 00:04:39.959 The Lord, your God is giving you your calling as a kid is not to make your parents honorable it's to honor them. 00:04:41.399 --> 00:04:42.990 And you can't change the parents. 00:04:42.990 --> 00:04:48.810 You've got, you can't change what they've done or what they've not done, what they have or what they don't have. 00:04:49.589 --> 00:04:51.269 You can't change who they are, who they are. 00:04:51.540 --> 00:05:00.689 You might have wishes or desires for what they would be, but your calling is to honor them, regardless of that relationship, regardless of circumstance. 00:05:01.079 --> 00:05:26.189 Now I understand at times there are reasons for, for creating boundaries within relationships and all, but overall, the calling is to honor, regardless of those things, by the way, you can draw a boundary out of respect and out of honor, and with love rather than out of malice or hatred or anger, it's a lot harder, but you can do it kids honor. 00:05:26.190 --> 00:05:30.839 Your parents may have a side note here because sometimes I see some confusion in this. 00:05:30.841 --> 00:05:34.560 There's actually two different commands to kids within scripture about their parents. 00:05:34.949 --> 00:05:39.000 One is honor, like we've been saying the other is the bay. 00:05:41.250 --> 00:05:44.189 I wish that obey applied, applied all the time in every situation. 00:05:44.190 --> 00:05:45.990 But here's a, here's an example in this. 00:05:46.170 --> 00:05:53.970 I could choose any number of examples, but Colossians three says, children obey your parents in the Lord for this pleases, the Lord. 00:05:55.920 --> 00:06:00.170 Now I wrestled with this for a while as a kid, maybe you've you wrestle with this? 00:06:00.230 --> 00:06:07.519 Maybe not, but I'm just throwing it out there as something to maybe ponder that God has a commands to obey and commands to honor now in win. 00:06:07.579 --> 00:06:30.949 And the way that I look at this, the way that I read it is that when you are young and or dependent on your parents, then as long as what they're asking you to do is not totally against and clearly against the calling of God and scripture, then you obey and honor, you honor. 00:06:30.951 --> 00:06:40.399 And you obey once you are out from under the, the dependence on the parents that called honor maintains and continues on into the future. 00:06:40.850 --> 00:06:44.060 But the calling to obey will fall away. 00:06:45.589 --> 00:06:47.149 So honor is, is throughout. 00:06:47.269 --> 00:06:49.610 And every circumstance that calling to honor is universal. 00:06:49.610 --> 00:06:55.100 But the calling to a bay, as I read it is as long as you are in a place of dependence on your parents. 00:06:55.939 --> 00:07:00.379 And as long as what they're calling you to do is not explicitly against the teaching of God in scripture. 00:07:02.860 --> 00:07:11.649 And if that's the case obey, but regardless, choose to honor, all these things start with an individual choice. 00:07:11.651 --> 00:07:18.370 It starts with that choice to say, this is, this is what I'm going to do in regards to what anyone else says that I should do or says I shouldn't do it. 00:07:18.399 --> 00:07:19.540 This is what I'm going to do. 00:07:19.779 --> 00:07:20.980 I'm going to choose to honor. 00:07:20.980 --> 00:07:24.339 So kids honor, husbands honor. 00:07:24.341 --> 00:07:25.100 Your wives. 00:07:25.269 --> 00:07:31.810 This first Peter three seven husbands must give honor to your wives, treat your wife with understanding as you live together. 00:07:33.430 --> 00:07:36.850 Now, before you go too far wives, don't get off the hook here. 00:07:38.569 --> 00:07:41.439 Ephesians five, each man must love his wife as he loves himself. 00:07:41.500 --> 00:07:45.459 And the wife must respect her husband, right? 00:07:45.461 --> 00:07:55.689 There's a call for husbands to honor wives and for wives to honor husbands spouses focus on honoring your spouse, not on making sure that your spouse honors you. 00:07:57.220 --> 00:08:05.889 One of the things I'll talk to in marriage prep with couples often is is this idea that, uh, you know, you're, you can change you a lot more easily than you can change him or her. 00:08:07.149 --> 00:08:14.860 I've learned that when the hard way you're going to have a whole lot more luck changing you than changing them. 00:08:14.860 --> 00:08:23.620 And so as much as it, it depends on you choose to be honorable and choose and, and be by being honor, the honorable, they will honor. 00:08:23.620 --> 00:08:35.350 But regardless of that, choose to honor your spouse, regardless of situation, regardless of how they're acting or not acting, you can always choose, make that choice of honor. 00:08:35.710 --> 00:08:39.700 So kids honor your parents, husbands honor. 00:08:39.701 --> 00:08:41.980 Your wives, wives honor your husbands. 00:08:42.279 --> 00:08:49.389 I think scripture just kind of lays down a Hey, just to honor everybody by first, Peter, two 17, just as honor, all people. 00:08:52.389 --> 00:08:55.500 One of the ways we say this succinctly within our church here is we up. 00:08:55.500 --> 00:09:02.580 We honor down, we honor all around just as there's no escape clause to love. 00:09:03.480 --> 00:09:07.950 And we're not about trying to figure out who we can exclude from having to love the same is true for honor. 00:09:08.940 --> 00:09:13.100 Our goal is to be inclusive in honor, not exclusive with honor. 00:09:14.629 --> 00:09:17.509 So as families, I encourage you honor up honor down honor. 00:09:17.510 --> 00:09:19.070 All around is a faith family. 00:09:19.190 --> 00:09:22.460 I encourage you on her, up on her, down on her all around. 00:09:23.480 --> 00:09:25.879 Be people of honor and families of honor. 00:09:27.259 --> 00:09:29.750 That's a decision that we make as individuals. 00:09:29.750 --> 00:09:37.820 Now, the decisions we make as individuals end up extending by a family's decision of what we'll do together, right? 00:09:37.821 --> 00:09:38.870 Because all of us are unique. 00:09:38.899 --> 00:09:43.759 People, all of us have unique perspectives and, and thoughts and dreams and hopes and fears. 00:09:43.759 --> 00:09:49.580 But we also choose our paths together as it comes to our family, right? 00:09:49.581 --> 00:10:04.190 The me decisions, lay a foundation for we decisions and what you choose as an individual will always be there amplified or diminished by what you end up choosing together as a family. 00:10:05.210 --> 00:10:10.399 And as a family, we, we be a people who elevate honor or diminish that together. 00:10:11.299 --> 00:10:15.440 There's a historical moment with Joshua in Joshua 24. 00:10:15.679 --> 00:10:26.509 This is a familiar passage, familiar verse to a lot of people, but, uh, the nation of Israel, the family of Israel, if you will, the family of God, there has traveled together. 00:10:26.539 --> 00:10:37.970 For some time, they've walked through all sorts of different people and people groups, they fought some battles together and they've come to a place of commitment before God saying, what would we do here? 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:42.409 And they're wrestling with a, with an instruction to fear the Lord and to serve him. 00:10:43.580 --> 00:10:51.950 And Joshua has one of these, uh, you know, taking a stand moments where he says, Hey, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. 00:10:52.879 --> 00:10:58.100 You see that sometimes on, on pictures and people's homes or on social media, it'll get that. 00:10:58.190 --> 00:10:59.330 That'll get tossed around. 00:10:59.539 --> 00:11:11.870 Hey, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord that choice of what, well, what we'll do starts with an individual, but then it'll get amplified or diminished by the people that are around you, by who's with you. 00:11:12.620 --> 00:11:21.049 And what happens immediately after that's just as important as Joshua taking that stand in Joshua 24 15 to say, as for me and my house we'll serve the Lord. 00:11:21.051 --> 00:11:23.450 Well, just after that, the next two verses. 00:11:23.451 --> 00:11:31.340 So the people answered and said far, be it from us that we should forsake the Lord and serve other gods for the Lord. 00:11:31.340 --> 00:11:45.889 Our God is he who brought us in our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of who did those great sites in our signs and our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the people through whom we passed. 00:11:47.090 --> 00:11:50.120 So Joshua made that choice as for me and my house we'll serve the Lord. 00:11:50.149 --> 00:11:53.799 But then the people came around him and said, yeah, that's what we're to do. 00:11:54.909 --> 00:11:56.950 And amplify the decision he made. 00:11:57.690 --> 00:12:01.529 There are benchmark moments like that for our families that we have. 00:12:02.039 --> 00:12:12.570 But there's also a whole lot of little moments in life that we have, that this comes into play beyond me and beyond what I choose, what will we choose together? 00:12:12.571 --> 00:12:15.629 What kind of family will we be together? 00:12:16.250 --> 00:12:19.830 Let me give a few examples here beyond me. 00:12:20.220 --> 00:12:28.110 What will we do when someone acts in an honorable way, one does something that's honorable within our family. 00:12:28.110 --> 00:12:30.299 What will we do as for me and my house? 00:12:30.480 --> 00:12:31.200 What will we do? 00:12:31.240 --> 00:12:33.210 Do, will we ignore? 00:12:33.211 --> 00:12:41.769 It will be treated with some measure of cynicism like us about time miracles do happen. 00:12:44.970 --> 00:12:49.200 Well, we take it for granted or for me and my house. 00:12:49.201 --> 00:12:56.460 Will we be a home that celebrates those things that goes, wow, can you believe that that is awesome, man, what you just did? 00:12:56.461 --> 00:12:57.240 There was great. 00:12:59.250 --> 00:13:06.600 Will we be a home that celebrates the winds that go on around us and that the spurs one another on to love and good deeds, Hey, ask for me and my house. 00:13:06.600 --> 00:13:13.980 We're going to be one that spurs one another on that celebrates what's honorable because we know this what's celebrated gets repeated. 00:13:15.960 --> 00:13:22.629 And so we're going to celebrate these things that are honoring as for me in my house, what will we do together? 00:13:23.259 --> 00:13:24.039 Give me another example. 00:13:24.041 --> 00:13:31.009 On the other side of things beyond me, what would we do when we fail to honor in our home? 00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:40.009 Not that that ever happens, but occasionally something happens in our home where, where someone fails to honor where someone does something wrong. 00:13:41.269 --> 00:13:43.850 Well, beyond me, what kind of a home will we have? 00:13:43.850 --> 00:13:45.769 What are we going to do together? 00:13:46.820 --> 00:13:51.200 Cause I can choose to treat people in certain ways, but what will we do together? 00:13:52.580 --> 00:13:55.190 If someone fails there, are we going to keep a record of wrongs? 00:13:56.629 --> 00:13:57.919 Are we going to hold it over their head? 00:13:57.921 --> 00:14:06.559 When they, when they've, once they've done something or are we going to be an atmosphere that embraces love and forgiveness and grace and mercy? 00:14:07.549 --> 00:14:12.740 You know, one of the things we do in our home is when someone's messed up, when someone's done something that's not honorable. 00:14:13.399 --> 00:14:21.860 When they come to that realization of it, there's a rhythm that we have in our home where we say two phrases, the person who's done wrong will say, will you forgive me? 00:14:23.840 --> 00:14:24.259 And the 00:14:24.259 --> 00:14:31.070 Response will be I, yes, I forgive you now until I say, will you forgive me? 00:14:31.429 --> 00:14:32.870 I've got control. 00:14:34.190 --> 00:14:36.409 But that decision to say, Hey, will you forgive me? 00:14:36.410 --> 00:14:37.429 I release control. 00:14:37.431 --> 00:14:41.269 And I say, Hey, I'm going to leave this in your hands now. 00:14:42.379 --> 00:14:45.139 And when we voiced those words, yes, I forgive you. 00:14:46.490 --> 00:14:49.669 We're releasing the right to hold it over their heads any longer. 00:14:52.190 --> 00:14:54.440 Now, depending on the circumstances, that might be easier. 00:14:54.441 --> 00:14:55.429 That might be harder. 00:14:56.450 --> 00:14:59.090 Sometimes it's a decision of faith to say those words. 00:15:00.409 --> 00:15:06.620 But as for me and my home, we'll be a place where we honor each other and where we extend forgiveness and we experienced grace. 00:15:07.129 --> 00:15:08.450 That's what we want to be. 00:15:09.590 --> 00:15:11.690 I'll give you a last example here beyond me. 00:15:12.049 --> 00:15:26.720 What will we do when we run into places of division places where there's differences of opinion, where we could go this way or we could go that way in and we're, we're not on the same page is a, is this going to be something where it's my way or the highway? 00:15:28.940 --> 00:15:30.950 Or is it going to be something where we're going to come together? 00:15:31.100 --> 00:15:38.509 We're re we're going to allow meaningful discussion where we're going to seek to align our family together in a direction and say, this is the way we're going to go. 00:15:40.679 --> 00:15:42.779 I'll give you a, bring this to life for you in our family. 00:15:42.919 --> 00:15:51.840 Uh, about a year and a half ago, Lindsay and I came to a head on, on a division within us for about 15 years. 00:15:52.710 --> 00:15:57.360 We had been discussing slash debating the idea of getting a dog. 00:15:58.129 --> 00:15:58.129 Okay. 00:16:01.789 --> 00:16:03.200 And I say, ah, we got married. 00:16:03.201 --> 00:16:04.279 I said, Lindsay, you only get a dog. 00:16:04.309 --> 00:16:04.759 No. 00:16:07.370 --> 00:16:09.950 And as we hit different life points and changes. 00:16:10.120 --> 00:16:10.120 Yeah. 00:16:10.120 --> 00:16:10.700 You want to get dog? 00:16:10.730 --> 00:16:12.529 No, Lindsey. 00:16:12.530 --> 00:16:13.669 This might be a great, no. 00:16:14.750 --> 00:16:18.080 And we were just on different sides of the coin and it was something we joke about. 00:16:18.081 --> 00:16:20.000 It wasn't something that was tearing us apart or anything. 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:22.580 But it was something that was a perpetual point of division. 00:16:22.820 --> 00:16:29.659 Well, when our kids got to the age that they're at now, where they're in elementary and middle school, they started picking up on this whole story. 00:16:32.330 --> 00:16:37.879 Praise God, here's what they did. 00:16:37.880 --> 00:16:48.200 They said, Hey, we want a dog and daddy wants a dog, but mommy, she doesn't want a dog. 00:16:50.330 --> 00:16:52.309 Now again, we're starting to hear this. 00:16:52.311 --> 00:16:54.289 And I, and I'm hearing this and I know it's all in good fun. 00:16:54.291 --> 00:16:58.820 I know we're joking about things, but I started to hear some division within our family. 00:16:59.659 --> 00:17:02.779 And what I realized is I will not let that go. 00:17:02.780 --> 00:17:04.099 I want to bring us together. 00:17:04.101 --> 00:17:05.569 I want us to honor each other. 00:17:05.829 --> 00:17:10.490 And yeah, sometimes we'll acknowledge differences of opinions, but I want to align us together in a direction. 00:17:10.670 --> 00:17:14.900 I don't want to allow any measure of division to grow when I see it. 00:17:15.829 --> 00:17:29.660 And so as Lindsay and I sat down on a date lunch one Friday, and we talked this through and I said, look, Linds, we need to come to a point where we decide not me or you, but we decide that this is either going to be a yes or this is going to be a no. 00:17:30.170 --> 00:17:31.940 Or this is going to be a yes, but not now. 00:17:33.049 --> 00:17:36.319 And whatever that decision is, we're going to come to this together. 00:17:36.320 --> 00:17:38.089 And I'm going to communicate this to the kids. 00:17:38.210 --> 00:17:39.950 And we're all going to be aligned together. 00:17:39.951 --> 00:17:43.640 This isn't going to be mommy wants, and daddy wants, this is going to be, this is where we're going. 00:17:45.769 --> 00:17:47.509 And the Lord worked in her life. 00:17:51.299 --> 00:17:52.279 [inaudible] it was 00:17:52.279 --> 00:17:52.730 Amazing. 00:17:52.730 --> 00:17:56.809 Miracles happen, her heart softened before the Lord. 00:17:56.810 --> 00:18:00.950 And um, yeah, gratuitous puppy pic 00:18:05.539 --> 00:18:05.539 [inaudible]. 00:18:06.410 --> 00:18:09.619 This is, uh, that's the reason I've slept very little this last week. 00:18:10.039 --> 00:18:28.940 Uh, we've only had her in our home for about a week now, but um, on her up Otter, down on her all around, make your individual decision, but ma but understand that individual decisions will be amplified or will be diminished by the decisions you make together as a family. 00:18:29.539 --> 00:18:31.579 So that's for me and my house, what will we do? 00:18:32.329 --> 00:18:34.490 I encourage you to honor your earthly family. 00:18:35.029 --> 00:18:35.630 Here's your commitment. 00:18:35.631 --> 00:18:36.079 Number two. 00:18:37.579 --> 00:18:38.539 And number two is a treasure. 00:18:38.540 --> 00:18:49.430 Your faith, family, treasure, your faith family, your family begins at the crib and it extends to the cross expands at the cross. 00:18:51.039 --> 00:18:53.750 Your, your family begins with the crib and it expands at the cross. 00:18:53.750 --> 00:18:58.910 The new Testament consistently talks about believers in Jesus as a family. 00:18:59.750 --> 00:19:04.339 That somehow when we come to that place of faith, we unite together with the family of God. 00:19:04.700 --> 00:19:07.190 And, and throughout the new Testament, you see this unpacked. 00:19:07.191 --> 00:19:12.500 I don't have these on the screen, but first Corinthians 12, 27 refers to us as the body of Christ. 00:19:13.069 --> 00:19:14.990 And that each one of us has a part of it. 00:19:16.279 --> 00:19:24.380 John, one 12 refers to us as the children of God, that all those who believe in him, he has the right to become the children of God. 00:19:24.740 --> 00:19:32.750 Ephesians two 19 refers to us as members of the household of God, Galatians six, 10 refers to us. 00:19:32.750 --> 00:19:35.390 As of the household of faith. 00:19:36.650 --> 00:19:38.869 Now your first family is chosen for you. 00:19:39.740 --> 00:19:44.269 Your first family, you don't have any choice about, but your next family, you choose 00:19:45.440 --> 00:19:46.009 Sort of 00:19:48.109 --> 00:19:48.109 Right. 00:19:48.259 --> 00:19:58.980 There's there is some reality to this, that when I got married to my wife, Lindsay, I was United with the one that I loved and her family. 00:20:01.170 --> 00:20:03.150 And I got a whole family of in-laws there. 00:20:04.980 --> 00:20:16.079 When you believe in Jesus Christ, you are United with your savior and his church, and you become part of the family of God. 00:20:16.740 --> 00:20:21.839 Now, one thing I'll hear popularly in the world around as I talked to people is, you know, I love Jesus. 00:20:22.470 --> 00:20:24.000 I'm just not so sure about the church. 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:26.839 I love Jesus. 00:20:26.840 --> 00:20:28.039 I'm just not real religious. 00:20:28.040 --> 00:20:30.859 I just don't love, you know, I just don't want anything to do with church. 00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:41.000 Now, one hand, I understand that because I understand sadly, when I came to know Jesus, not all sin was not suddenly removed from my life. 00:20:41.509 --> 00:20:42.319 All temptation. 00:20:42.320 --> 00:20:44.420 Wasn't just automatically gone for me. 00:20:44.900 --> 00:20:51.849 And I continued to have moments that were bad moments within that, you know, moments where I'd mess up moments of hypocrisy, moments of sin. 00:20:53.529 --> 00:20:54.430 And I think all of us do. 00:20:54.431 --> 00:20:56.230 There's no such thing as the perfect church. 00:20:57.710 --> 00:21:02.519 And so on one hand, I understand that use the phrase. 00:21:02.520 --> 00:21:05.069 They said, there's no hurt, like church hurt. 00:21:06.240 --> 00:21:09.000 And if you've experienced that before, you know, it can be a tough thing. 00:21:09.079 --> 00:21:11.430 And those relationships, we come in with an expectation of something. 00:21:11.759 --> 00:21:14.609 And when the relationship maybe doesn't meet that expectation. 00:21:14.819 --> 00:21:14.819 Yeah. 00:21:14.849 --> 00:21:15.539 It hurts. 00:21:16.650 --> 00:21:18.869 Here's my trouble with that mentality. 00:21:20.130 --> 00:21:26.369 Ephesians 5 25, Paul says talking about family and he says, husbands, love your wives. 00:21:27.000 --> 00:21:31.740 Just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her. 00:21:32.940 --> 00:21:37.559 So he's looking for he's instructing husbands and wives, and he's saying, husbands, how are you to love your wives? 00:21:38.789 --> 00:21:41.549 And when he searches for a picture to say, how are you to love your wives? 00:21:41.550 --> 00:21:46.890 He points towards the way Christ loved the church and laid down his life for her. 00:21:48.990 --> 00:21:58.079 Now I'm gonna, I suggest to you that you cannot love Jesus and hate the thing that Jesus loves, loves You. 00:21:58.080 --> 00:22:02.789 Can't look love Jesus and hate the church that he loved and laid his life down for. 00:22:03.630 --> 00:22:03.839 Now. 00:22:03.840 --> 00:22:04.920 It can be challenging at times. 00:22:04.921 --> 00:22:11.609 I, I totally get that, but treasure, your faith family choose to press in to your faith family. 00:22:11.970 --> 00:22:15.029 Every family has this blessings and every family has this baggage. 00:22:15.420 --> 00:22:20.819 Every faith family has its blessings and every faith family has its baggage. 00:22:21.690 --> 00:22:25.200 Don't let your faith family's baggage keep you from its blessings. 00:22:26.910 --> 00:22:27.390 Now, where are you? 00:22:27.391 --> 00:22:28.500 Discover these blessings? 00:22:28.529 --> 00:22:31.650 The blessings for your faith family are discovered when you connect in community. 00:22:32.160 --> 00:22:37.950 And when you serve in ministry, this is where you start to experience the blessing of being a part of the faith family. 00:22:37.951 --> 00:22:39.420 This is where you start to treasure 00:22:39.660 --> 00:22:40.589 Those things. 00:22:41.640 --> 00:22:42.299 Now community 00:22:42.299 --> 00:22:48.119 Requires intentionality and half of the battle is just consistently showing up. 00:22:48.569 --> 00:22:52.650 One of the things we talk about in our family is that quality time is often born out of time. 00:22:54.150 --> 00:22:54.690 Let me say that again. 00:22:54.691 --> 00:22:56.130 Quality time is born out of time. 00:22:56.131 --> 00:23:08.569 Sometimes we just have to have time together in order for quality time to develop you a couple of weekends ago, I took Gavin to his first major league baseball game with him, Cleveland guardians, Indians. 00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:15.779 They're still the Indians right now, the sciences Indians, but it took him to his first major league game. 00:23:15.780 --> 00:23:15.900 There. 00:23:15.901 --> 00:23:16.619 It was awesome. 00:23:16.621 --> 00:23:18.210 The game was a great experience. 00:23:18.211 --> 00:23:19.619 I didn't realize I had chosen the night. 00:23:19.621 --> 00:23:21.960 They were going to put off a fireworks display at arrival. 00:23:22.349 --> 00:23:36.690 You know what happens in New York city, but we had a great time with the game, but almost more fun for me was the trip there and back, just time to talk and to connect it, to share about life and to give him a chance to ask questions about things. 00:23:37.259 --> 00:23:39.779 It was fun to hear him ask questions like, Hey, I know that. 00:23:39.809 --> 00:23:48.170 I don't know if you're okay answering this, but I've got a question about this and for me to go, yeah, I'll answer that quality time is born out of time. 00:23:48.410 --> 00:23:52.400 You can't show with your family once a week and expect there to be a good sense of connection. 00:23:53.390 --> 00:23:54.740 And the same is true with your faith. 00:23:54.740 --> 00:23:55.160 Family. 00:23:55.970 --> 00:24:02.299 See rows are great when it comes to worship, but circles are far better when it comes to connection. 00:24:04.009 --> 00:24:11.690 And so for all of us, I think we're in this journey of trying to figure out, as I try to find the blessing for my faith families, I try to treasure my faith family. 00:24:12.319 --> 00:24:15.980 There's a transition we walked through of moving from rows and into circles. 00:24:16.670 --> 00:24:19.309 Let me give you two great places to find circles this way. 00:24:19.339 --> 00:24:21.079 This fall looking ahead. 00:24:21.380 --> 00:24:22.759 One is within our life groups. 00:24:23.269 --> 00:24:27.140 Pastor Micah mentioned these before, but next week is our life group launch. 00:24:27.619 --> 00:24:29.269 And we have a bunch of new groups launching. 00:24:29.270 --> 00:24:39.559 We have a bunch of existing groups continuing, but within our life groups into demystify, life groups, life groups are simply places and environments of groups, of people that are doing life together for a season. 00:24:40.519 --> 00:24:41.990 And they're doing that life together there. 00:24:41.990 --> 00:24:45.259 And they're trying to look for the next steps in their faith together. 00:24:45.500 --> 00:25:00.200 And we have life groups that do everything from basketball to pickleball, to Bible study book, life groups, form around what people are passionate about, but it's an alignment of believers coming together to do life for a season and to say, Hey, what might be our next step in our spiritual life? 00:25:01.220 --> 00:25:04.279 If you're not currently in a life group, I encourage you to be your next week. 00:25:04.279 --> 00:25:04.970 Look at what's there. 00:25:04.971 --> 00:25:07.430 If you can't be in it, your next week, we'll have all this online. 00:25:07.431 --> 00:25:13.400 So you can take a look at what we have available, but look for those groups of believers to align with a life group. 00:25:14.660 --> 00:25:24.619 Another great place to find circles is serving on a team, serving on a team it's oftentimes in a team, we go from that robe to, into a circle where we're serving together. 00:25:24.621 --> 00:25:36.109 We're going to accomplish a mission where we gather together with a group of people in a kids' wing each Sunday and say, Hey, how do we raise these kids to know and love Jesus from the earliest ages? 00:25:37.339 --> 00:25:38.779 How do we encourage them together? 00:25:38.900 --> 00:25:47.900 And so you start serving together and then all of a sudden you find yourself in a conversation about, well, where'd you, you grew up, Hey, did you grow up in the church and suddenly start building some connections. 00:25:47.900 --> 00:25:48.859 You build relationship. 00:25:48.890 --> 00:25:49.700 You start to find that. 00:25:51.289 --> 00:25:54.289 So two great places to find circles. 00:25:54.490 --> 00:25:59.480 This fall life group and in serving, if you're not sure where to serve, I want to point you towards our growth track sessions. 00:25:59.990 --> 00:26:03.109 They're starting off on coming on September 12th. 00:26:03.250 --> 00:26:05.569 They, they begin and it's a three week session. 00:26:05.570 --> 00:26:05.990 That's open. 00:26:05.990 --> 00:26:12.319 Whether you've been here for a couple of weeks or a couple months or a couple of decades, doesn't matter how long you've been around. 00:26:12.320 --> 00:26:14.660 If you find yourself in a spot going, I need to find a circle. 00:26:14.661 --> 00:26:17.630 I need to find a place to connect or to serve growth. 00:26:17.631 --> 00:26:21.279 Track is a perfect environment for you to discover what those next steps. 00:26:23.390 --> 00:26:24.170 Now here's the thing. 00:26:25.190 --> 00:26:36.829 If you remain committed to community and you remain committed to service, I promise you connections will come and you'll learn to treasure your faith family. 00:26:36.830 --> 00:26:41.690 Over the course of time, they bring this to life with, with one person here. 00:26:42.200 --> 00:26:43.740 Her name is Kristy Wagner. 00:26:44.640 --> 00:26:45.359 Christy was a single woman. 00:26:45.361 --> 00:26:49.230 As long as I knew her, she had been married in the past and lost her husband. 00:26:49.230 --> 00:26:56.970 But single, as long as I knew her, about 10 years ago, when I came first came to the church, uh, we didn't just have a welcome center in our lobby. 00:26:58.500 --> 00:27:00.059 Kristi Wagner was the welcome center. 00:27:02.250 --> 00:27:14.549 She would be out there every Sunday, greeting people and saying hi and asking if, if this was someone's first time here, she'd have a camera with her taking pictures of people in the lobby. 00:27:16.549 --> 00:27:18.259 Could she be a little eccentric? 00:27:19.009 --> 00:27:22.099 Yes, but aren't we all the times 00:27:23.240 --> 00:27:25.309 We all have our eccentricities. 00:27:27.259 --> 00:27:28.490 Christie loved this place. 00:27:28.490 --> 00:27:30.049 She loved this faith family. 00:27:30.079 --> 00:27:32.029 She treasured that she engaged in community. 00:27:32.030 --> 00:27:35.750 She served, she had a heart for people to know Jesus, like few people I've known. 00:27:36.289 --> 00:27:37.640 And she looked for every opportunity. 00:27:37.641 --> 00:27:40.009 There was to encourage them toward him. 00:27:41.630 --> 00:27:45.200 Now for the previous years here, his health was failing. 00:27:46.369 --> 00:27:54.890 And as her health failed, there were some saints in this church that invested more in her world in her life than the world will ever know. 00:27:56.690 --> 00:28:06.319 Grey Silliman and Libby Troutman and Donna quarrier and others who came around her and really sustain her life in the last years of her life. 00:28:08.680 --> 00:28:20.359 I think sometimes not anyone can know everyone, but everyone can know someone and be known by someone and those relationships sustain Christie through the end of her life. 00:28:20.361 --> 00:28:22.730 And this summer, she passed away. 00:28:24.230 --> 00:28:27.230 Now in her passing, we were going through some materials that she had. 00:28:27.230 --> 00:28:30.380 And, uh, as we did this, we found one document. 00:28:30.470 --> 00:28:35.119 That was a legal document that talked about her desires for the end of her life. 00:28:35.690 --> 00:28:38.240 This is after everything's said and done in the weeks following. 00:28:38.990 --> 00:28:43.490 And we found this was written in her own handwriting in the middle of a legal document. 00:28:43.490 --> 00:28:45.470 I'm just gonna read it the way that she wrote it. 00:28:46.039 --> 00:28:47.329 She said, I want to make it clear. 00:28:47.330 --> 00:28:56.240 I have no problem with withdrawing any care for me and letting me die to die is gain my blood family. 00:28:57.230 --> 00:28:58.970 She's talking about her faith family here. 00:28:59.390 --> 00:29:03.140 My blood family is already waiting for me with Jesus. 00:29:03.559 --> 00:29:09.529 I'll be overjoyed to join them and see the face of sweet Jesus and rest with him till he comes to earth again. 00:29:10.220 --> 00:29:14.480 Then we all, as believers can start preparing and heaven for a new earth. 00:29:14.869 --> 00:29:15.710 What glory? 00:29:16.549 --> 00:29:22.730 Jesus can not come too soon for me, but if needed, please let me go rest with him in peace. 00:29:25.789 --> 00:29:27.740 Christy treasured, her faith family. 00:29:29.029 --> 00:29:43.839 And because of her treasuring, the faith family, we get the privilege of worshiping Christ with Christy throughout all of eternity honor, your earthly family and your faith, family, treasure, your family and your earthly family. 00:29:44.799 --> 00:29:58.240 Here's the last commitment I'll leave here with you today is worship God with your family, worship God with your family, make worship a priority in the family. 00:29:59.619 --> 00:30:05.589 And I know this commitment is not a small one today, and I know I'm kind of preaching the choir because you're here right now. 00:30:07.150 --> 00:30:10.240 But, um, but I encourage you make worship a priority. 00:30:10.240 --> 00:30:10.960 I know there's challenge. 00:30:10.990 --> 00:30:13.420 There's schedule challenges that come up, right? 00:30:13.421 --> 00:30:22.180 I'm doing life beside people who are, who it is difficult to be here and to elevate worship as a priority in the midst of ice time and field time and gym time and sport time. 00:30:23.710 --> 00:30:25.269 I understand it's a challenge. 00:30:26.529 --> 00:30:32.829 I understand the challenge when you're at the lake house every weekend of the summer, and it's tough to be engaged with, with a faith family. 00:30:34.059 --> 00:30:42.250 One of my favorite life groups we had this summer was a life group led by Pam Dawson and her husband as well that they were, they did a camping LifeGroup. 00:30:43.480 --> 00:30:46.059 They said, we're now we're going to be, we're going to be camping every weekend in the summer. 00:30:46.060 --> 00:30:49.150 So, Hey, let's get together and let's watch the service while we're camp. 00:30:50.819 --> 00:30:54.000 And so on Sunday mornings, they're with us online from campgrounds. 00:30:56.430 --> 00:30:58.740 I understand it's a difficult decision giving schedules. 00:30:59.309 --> 00:31:03.029 It can be difficult decision to worship, given relationships that are around you. 00:31:03.809 --> 00:31:08.160 It can be a tough decision to worship unashamed around people who are distant from God. 00:31:09.569 --> 00:31:12.779 Maybe some of you have family members that are, that are not following Jesus. 00:31:12.780 --> 00:31:20.789 That don't have faith that don't believe it can be difficult to be an unashamed Christian and unashamedly worship around people who believe differently than you. 00:31:22.019 --> 00:31:28.980 It can be difficult, a difficult decision to worship boldly around others who are lukewarm in faith. 00:31:31.690 --> 00:31:34.589 I understand there are some emotional challenges to this. 00:31:35.910 --> 00:31:41.170 It can be a difficult decision to worship openly and verbally and show emotion for some of us. 00:31:41.171 --> 00:31:46.869 I think especially someone who's guys tend to be a little more stoic in who we are and do allow emotion to come up. 00:31:46.960 --> 00:31:49.390 We worship can be a challenge. 00:31:50.950 --> 00:31:53.470 I understand that there are pandemic challenges. 00:31:55.779 --> 00:32:04.410 Nuff said the decision to worship together and to prioritize worshiping together as a family. 00:32:04.440 --> 00:32:10.170 Despite the challenges is one of the most important decisions you'll make together as a family. 00:32:11.130 --> 00:32:24.299 And let me share your why, because when you choose to worship, what you do doing is deciding what, who will I elevate in my life to a place of honor, the place that I adore a place of love. 00:32:24.869 --> 00:32:41.690 And when we put Jesus Christ in that position, when we choose to worship together, then a whole bunch of people that look a whole bunch of different ways start pointing their at one place. 00:32:44.599 --> 00:32:55.400 And so they, as they begin to do that, suddenly a love and a grace and a mercy, and an honor, they begin to receive and begin to point toward. 00:32:55.549 --> 00:33:01.910 And what happens is God takes a whole bunch of people that are unique and points them towards being more like Christ. 00:33:03.200 --> 00:33:12.500 Oftentimes in weddings, I will share that a hus, a groom and a bride are the base of a triangle pointing their lives at Jesus Christ. 00:33:12.950 --> 00:33:38.630 And as they grow closer to him, their lives will grow closer to one another as families here, whether it's within your own family at home or our faith family, when we point our eyes towards Christ, when we choose to come together and worship, when we choose to make that a priority, what we do is elevate God to a position of, of premier importance in our lives and in our families. 00:33:38.809 --> 00:33:42.619 And we begin to follow him with all our heart and soul and mind and strength. 00:33:43.700 --> 00:33:58.339 And I'm convinced that what our world needs is more families that are more committed to worshiping Christ, be vulnerable here with you for a moment. 00:33:58.340 --> 00:34:00.230 The last two weeks have been a tough ones for me. 00:34:01.640 --> 00:34:09.530 Uh, I've been serving for the last two weeks on a Lucas county, grand jury doing my civic duty. 00:34:10.789 --> 00:34:15.230 Uh, now in case you're not familiar with grand jury, I, I did not know about this at the time I was summoned. 00:34:15.860 --> 00:34:25.849 Uh, I was familiar with the thing that, where, where you call in and find out, if you have to go to jury duty, grand jury, they call you and make sure, you know, you're supposed to be there. 00:34:26.750 --> 00:34:30.260 I tried to claim some kind of clergy exemption, like, do I have, is there an out here? 00:34:31.940 --> 00:34:35.869 And they said, well, that's only for cloistered members of religious organizations. 00:34:37.190 --> 00:34:38.090 So what's cloistered. 00:34:38.090 --> 00:34:40.400 They said, well, that's like a convent or a monastery. 00:34:41.539 --> 00:34:49.809 I thought I'm not a part of a convent, but monastery[inaudible]. 00:34:49.900 --> 00:34:50.190