WEBVTT 00:30:17.298 --> 00:30:19.397 Well, good morning, Valley View. 00:30:19.931 --> 00:30:21.431 It's great to be back with you. 00:30:21.431 --> 00:30:23.798 I was out last week and I want to say thanks. 00:30:23.798 --> 00:30:24.864 Thanks to Colby. 00:30:24.864 --> 00:30:27.330 He's on the drums today for doing a great job. 00:30:27.330 --> 00:30:29.798 Preaching today. Too many talents. 00:30:29.798 --> 00:30:32.897 Should be illegal to have that much talent in one person. 00:30:32.897 --> 00:30:34.397 But I'm grateful he did such a great job. 00:30:34.397 --> 00:30:39.631 It's grateful to have other folks who can step in and continue to just declare the word of God. 00:30:39.631 --> 00:30:47.397 That's what any of us who up here are try to do is to elevate the Word of God above any individual, above the church. 00:30:47.397 --> 00:30:50.498 We want to be worshiping Jesus as we know him through his word. 00:30:50.498 --> 00:30:52.431 That's the goal. That's the hope. 00:30:52.431 --> 00:30:54.798 And so I'm so glad to be back here with you. 00:30:54.798 --> 00:30:56.663 I just love our time of worship together. 00:30:56.663 --> 00:31:00.064 In fact, I was standing over here waiting for anybody who wanted to pray. 00:31:00.064 --> 00:31:04.564 And all of a sudden I felt the whole building shaking under me to look over here's Isaac jumping around. 00:31:04.564 --> 00:31:06.097 You know, I missed that last week. 00:31:06.097 --> 00:31:07.564 I didn't get to enjoy that. 00:31:07.564 --> 00:31:07.931 Last week. 00:31:07.931 --> 00:31:13.897 I was actually out on a trip with a couple of guys I get together with a couple of times a year. 00:31:13.998 --> 00:31:19.798 These are guys who I've known since college, and I get together with them once or twice a year and we just sharpen one another. 00:31:19.798 --> 00:31:20.931 It's an intentional time. 00:31:20.931 --> 00:31:24.298 We were also mountain biking, doing some other crazy things. 00:31:24.298 --> 00:31:28.798 I kept it pretty calm, but we get together to sharpen one another. 00:31:28.864 --> 00:31:35.131 You got to have people in your life to help give you perspective, to help keep you from getting isolated, who can speak into your life. 00:31:35.131 --> 00:31:37.064 And they've known me a really long time. 00:31:37.064 --> 00:31:39.698 It's hard to put anything over on them. 00:31:39.698 --> 00:31:41.798 They can call me up, but also encourage me. 00:31:41.798 --> 00:31:43.564 You got to have both in your life. 00:31:43.564 --> 00:31:47.530 So it's a really important time for me to connect with these guys. 00:31:47.530 --> 00:31:57.131 Also got to connect with our pastor in Little Rock, who, when we attended church there, he's been an important mentor to me, another guy who continues to sharpen me along the way. 00:31:57.131 --> 00:32:08.830 We all need people like that in our lives, and I'm really grateful for a church where that's valued for the pastor to get away, be able to be sharpened, be refreshed, and I hope come back and and better serve the church long term. 00:32:08.830 --> 00:32:12.530 But that's where I was in the midst of that trip. 00:32:12.530 --> 00:32:17.064 I remember that yesterday was our landscape day. 00:32:17.064 --> 00:32:19.064 Yeah, I know lots of applause for that. 00:32:19.064 --> 00:32:20.663 Right? Is a great day. 00:32:20.663 --> 00:32:25.431 We had about 30 people show up for the landscape, has a great turnout. 00:32:25.431 --> 00:32:27.897 In fact, we got a few photos from that time together. 00:32:27.897 --> 00:32:31.230 One of the things I love about landscape day is heavy equipment. 00:32:31.230 --> 00:32:32.431 Use heavy machinery. 00:32:32.431 --> 00:32:33.631 You know, we never you get to do that. 00:32:33.631 --> 00:32:39.730 That's when they didn't let me on the tractor though If you don't like heavy equipment, what about little kids? 00:32:39.730 --> 00:32:42.963 Like, this is pretty adorable to see her out there. 00:32:42.963 --> 00:32:47.463 Dirt all over her face, all over her body, you know, trying to dig. 00:32:47.463 --> 00:32:48.163 And it is great. 00:32:48.163 --> 00:32:53.163 Then we have some slightly older kids, not quite as adorable, but it was great to have them out there. 00:32:53.163 --> 00:32:59.298 I even got in the mix and this last photo climbed up in the truck and pretended to be moving some dirt around for the photo. 00:32:59.298 --> 00:33:00.698 It was a great day. 00:33:00.698 --> 00:33:02.431 A lot of people out there. 00:33:02.431 --> 00:33:07.364 Part of what we're trying to do and you may have noticed as you come in, it just helps the appearance of the church. 00:33:07.364 --> 00:33:09.631 We don't worship the facility. 00:33:09.631 --> 00:33:12.431 We don't worship the grounds or the landscaping. 00:33:12.431 --> 00:33:13.564 But it's just one way. 00:33:13.564 --> 00:33:16.163 As a church, we say we care about the community. 00:33:16.163 --> 00:33:18.931 We care about stewarding what God has given us. 00:33:18.931 --> 00:33:25.763 We want others to know that hopefully this is a place where we're just trying to take good care of what God has given us, and that's part of landscape. 00:33:25.763 --> 00:33:28.196 There's a lot of fun, a lot of good memories from that as well. 00:33:29.830 --> 00:33:35.564 As I was driving back from this trip, though, however, one thing interesting happened, so I was away with a couple of guys. 00:33:35.564 --> 00:33:37.997 Of course, we sharpened and encouraged one another. 00:33:37.997 --> 00:33:41.463 We also maybe sometimes rough each other up a little bit as well. 00:33:41.463 --> 00:33:48.730 And one of the guys, he's one of these guys who likes to stop in antique stores, likes to stop in interesting places and just check them out a lot. 00:33:48.730 --> 00:33:49.730 He's more of a journey guy. 00:33:49.730 --> 00:33:53.064 I'm more the destination guy know to the minute how long it should take me to get there. 00:33:53.064 --> 00:33:55.631 I don't want anything making me have to stop. 00:33:55.631 --> 00:33:57.763 He's more the journey kind of guy. 00:33:57.763 --> 00:33:59.030 And along the way he's. 00:33:59.030 --> 00:34:00.797 He's driving back from our trip. 00:34:00.797 --> 00:34:01.631 We're driving separate. 00:34:01.631 --> 00:34:02.431 He sends this photo. 00:34:02.431 --> 00:34:04.030 Here's a place where I stopped in a spot. 00:34:04.030 --> 00:34:05.364 You guys would find this photo interesting. 00:34:05.364 --> 00:34:07.730 He sends me this photo flashed up on the screen. 00:34:08.697 --> 00:34:10.364 Life is tough. 00:34:10.396 --> 00:34:12.097 Life is tougher if you're stupid. 00:34:12.097 --> 00:34:12.996 John Wayne. 00:34:12.996 --> 00:34:15.097 I'm sorry, parents, for using the S-word. 00:34:15.097 --> 00:34:17.364 I know that's off limits. 00:34:17.364 --> 00:34:19.364 That's John Wayne's words, not mine. 00:34:20.431 --> 00:34:23.664 My first thought when I got that was, Why are you sending that to me, by the way? 00:34:23.664 --> 00:34:25.331 What are you trying to say? 00:34:25.331 --> 00:34:27.097 What are you trying to tell me? 00:34:27.097 --> 00:34:28.264 The other thought was it. 00:34:28.264 --> 00:34:30.563 There's a lot of truth to that. 00:34:30.563 --> 00:34:33.331 I mean, life is hard, can be tough. 00:34:34.530 --> 00:34:38.130 And sometimes we make it tougher than it should be. 00:34:38.130 --> 00:34:41.496 Sometimes we maybe decide to go our own route. 00:34:41.496 --> 00:34:42.063 Yeah, I know. 00:34:42.063 --> 00:34:43.630 That's what you said is best. 00:34:43.630 --> 00:34:45.630 I'm just gonna try it my way. 00:34:45.630 --> 00:34:47.563 There's reasons to do that. 00:34:47.563 --> 00:34:49.597 Sometimes it's not as wise. 00:34:49.597 --> 00:34:51.496 And of course, we've all been in seasons where we go. 00:34:51.496 --> 00:34:53.130 I know. That's what the Bible says. 00:34:54.731 --> 00:34:56.396 I'm going to try it this way. 00:34:56.396 --> 00:34:57.731 Let's see how that goes. 00:34:57.731 --> 00:35:01.297 Actually, I don't even want to know what the Bible says. 00:35:01.396 --> 00:35:03.063 I'm going to try it this way. 00:35:03.063 --> 00:35:05.630 I'm going to go my own way. 00:35:05.630 --> 00:35:10.931 And what happens, hopefully in the midst of that is we get humbled. 00:35:11.431 --> 00:35:12.697 Life happens. 00:35:12.697 --> 00:35:14.297 We make unwise choices. 00:35:14.297 --> 00:35:17.164 Life gets harder. We get humbled. 00:35:17.164 --> 00:35:20.431 The great part of that is that's the path to humility. 00:35:20.463 --> 00:35:22.063 Humility is a virtue. 00:35:22.063 --> 00:35:27.797 Everybody wants to be called humble, but we don't want to be humbled to get there. 00:35:27.797 --> 00:35:32.264 It's not my first choice to go through being humbled. 00:35:32.264 --> 00:35:38.530 The question I want to wrestle with today is how do we move towards true humility intentionally? 00:35:39.563 --> 00:35:41.797 The passage we're going to look at today is going to wrestle with that. 00:35:41.797 --> 00:35:44.063 We're going to look at the end of John Chapter eight. 00:35:44.063 --> 00:35:46.164 We've been working through the Book of John. 00:35:46.164 --> 00:35:48.030 We're getting to the end of John Chapter eight. 00:35:48.030 --> 00:35:50.697 But there's a verse in first, Peter, first. 00:35:50.697 --> 00:35:57.431 I want to expose you to that is going to set up this whole theme of humility and the whole mental approach I'm going to take with this first. 00:35:57.431 --> 00:36:00.896 Peter's towards the end of the New Testament. 00:36:00.896 --> 00:36:06.831 This verse really sets the tone for the mindset I want us to have as we think about moving towards humility today. 00:36:06.831 --> 00:36:08.331 How do we grow in humility? 00:36:08.331 --> 00:36:11.097 How do we understand what it means to be humble first? 00:36:11.097 --> 00:36:14.963 Peter Chapter five or six is where we're headed first. 00:36:14.963 --> 00:36:16.797 Peter Five, six. 00:36:16.797 --> 00:36:29.130 If you've gone to the first John in Revelation, go back a few pages first to Peter five, six, Humble yourselves, therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time He may exalt you. 00:36:29.331 --> 00:36:33.931 And that phrase, that very first phrase there, humble yourselves, comes to mind all the time. 00:36:33.931 --> 00:36:38.130 Humble yourselves so that he doesn't have to. 00:36:38.431 --> 00:36:39.063 That's the picture. 00:36:39.063 --> 00:36:41.864 That's the mindset I want to have going into this passage today. 00:36:41.864 --> 00:36:54.097 The hope is that, yes, God does humble us at times, sometimes completely unrelated, sometimes because of our own ignorance, our own choices to ignore him, move away from him. 00:36:54.097 --> 00:36:57.630 How can we be intentional to humble ourselves? 00:36:57.630 --> 00:37:09.697 That's a much more pleasant path to go down, submitting ourselves to him, humbling ourselves so that he doesn't have to humble us on the path to humility. 00:37:10.530 --> 00:37:19.164 Well, in John Chapter eight, we're going to see today this passage is going to talk about as we move towards the understanding of what is true humility, what is the true source of humility. 00:37:20.197 --> 00:37:23.097 In this passage in particular, we're going to see six things. 00:37:23.097 --> 00:37:37.396 In fact, I would say these are six ways to rightly order your life, because if you rightly understand who you are in relation to everyone else, that's part of the picture of understanding what it means, what humility is. 00:37:37.396 --> 00:37:47.197 I've got to understand where I am rightly in comparison to someone else and to God of the universe and to my community to know where I stand. 00:37:47.197 --> 00:37:51.197 So we're going to look at these six ways to rightly order your life in John Chapter eight. 00:37:51.197 --> 00:37:53.664 I'm going to start in verse 48. 00:37:53.664 --> 00:37:57.931 Let's just read verse 48 as we start into this passage. 00:37:57.931 --> 00:38:06.364 John 848 The Jews answered him, Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon? 00:38:07.463 --> 00:38:12.231 Okay, maybe that's a kind of a random verse to start in to our passage on humility here. 00:38:12.231 --> 00:38:19.030 But keep in mind, we've been working through the book of John, where John Chapter eight is a long chapter, and there is a lot in there. 00:38:19.030 --> 00:38:29.197 So we've had to break it down into some smaller sections, but it's in the flow of this long conversation Jesus has been having with it, says the Jews in John. 00:38:29.197 --> 00:38:38.063 That's often refers specifically to the Jewish leaders who are antagonistic toward him, who don't believe in him, who are giving him a difficult time. 00:38:38.063 --> 00:38:42.597 We've seen argument after argument after argument all through Chapter seven, all through Chapter eight. 00:38:42.597 --> 00:38:44.331 Jesus knows they're out to kill him. 00:38:44.331 --> 00:38:50.831 By the way, he still continues to converse with them and and to have discussions about who he is or who he isn't. 00:38:51.963 --> 00:38:53.530 And so here they are. 00:38:53.530 --> 00:38:58.063 They're tired of this back and forth, and they're going on the offensive. 00:38:58.063 --> 00:39:03.030 Okay, Jesus, we know you are a Samaritan and a demon. 00:39:03.996 --> 00:39:04.730 Have a demon. 00:39:04.730 --> 00:39:09.063 Now, why would they use those to phrases in particular? 00:39:09.063 --> 00:39:10.896 Why would they call him a Samaritan? 00:39:10.896 --> 00:39:17.929 We know we've looked at the reality that Samaria, about Jewish leaders in particular, was an area looked down upon. 00:39:17.929 --> 00:39:21.396 They didn't think that people from that region were true Jews. 00:39:21.396 --> 00:39:29.929 In fact, they had their own version of the Hebrew scriptures that they followed, kind of had set up a competing religion. 00:39:29.929 --> 00:39:33.429 And so they saw him as as heretics. 00:39:33.429 --> 00:39:35.364 And you remember Jesus went there intentionally. 00:39:35.364 --> 00:39:36.996 This is a place they walked around and avoided. 00:39:36.996 --> 00:39:41.896 He goes there, ministers to a woman there loves on that community. 00:39:41.896 --> 00:39:52.929 Many people are converted partly it would be easy for them to say, you really care about those people that we all know are evil. 00:39:52.929 --> 00:39:54.297 You've really invested there. 00:39:54.297 --> 00:39:55.530 You must be from there. 00:39:55.530 --> 00:39:57.063 That must be who you are at your heart. 00:39:57.063 --> 00:40:01.996 You must be that same kind of heretic that's you're worthless. 00:40:01.996 --> 00:40:07.563 You have nothing good to say about God are following him. 00:40:07.563 --> 00:40:14.130 The other element is, and Colby pointed this out last week when it comes to the comment of him having a demon. 00:40:14.130 --> 00:40:20.597 Colby pointed out last week that they had kind of this tiff going back and forth about, well, who's your daddy? 00:40:20.597 --> 00:40:21.329 Who's your daddy? 00:40:21.329 --> 00:40:22.197 You say he's Abraham. 00:40:22.197 --> 00:40:23.297 I say, he's the devil. 00:40:23.297 --> 00:40:26.597 He's the father of lives back and forth. He's called before. 00:40:26.597 --> 00:40:29.063 And that was kind of this ancient version of your mama jokes. 00:40:29.063 --> 00:40:29.597 Right? 00:40:29.896 --> 00:40:31.764 And I was kind of disappointed. 00:40:31.764 --> 00:40:39.130 I was I was listening to the sermon as I was driving back, really disappointed, Colby, that you didn't give us some examples of some good your mama jokes. 00:40:39.130 --> 00:40:41.730 I would have liked to have heard of you. Maybe. 00:40:41.730 --> 00:40:43.829 Maybe we saved those for Mother's Day. How about that? 00:40:43.829 --> 00:40:45.730 Would that be good? Maybe not. 00:40:45.730 --> 00:40:46.297 Probably not. 00:40:48.164 --> 00:40:51.563 But they're attacking each other's genealogy. 00:40:51.563 --> 00:40:55.164 Your heritage, your the very essence of who you are. 00:40:55.164 --> 00:40:57.496 And where you come from. 00:40:57.496 --> 00:40:58.829 One commentator said it this way. 00:40:58.829 --> 00:41:00.230 Why would they say he has a demon? 00:41:00.230 --> 00:41:03.764 For a Jew to question paternity of other Jews? 00:41:04.764 --> 00:41:09.329 Was so despicable that only a demon possessed person would do that. 00:41:10.396 --> 00:41:14.297 There's no other description for why you would question whether we're from Abraham or not. 00:41:14.297 --> 00:41:16.429 You must have a demon. 00:41:16.429 --> 00:41:18.463 Why else would you do that? 00:41:19.063 --> 00:41:26.429 So here we are entering into this conversation about humility, and they're already attacking Jesus further. 00:41:26.864 --> 00:41:34.530 What we're going to see, though, in this next set of verses is where he begins to introduce us to how we rightly order our lives. 00:41:34.764 --> 00:41:36.396 Look at verse 49 through 51. 00:41:36.396 --> 00:41:44.664 Jesus answered him, Sorry, Jesus answered, I do not have a demon, but I honor my father and you dishonor me. 00:41:46.063 --> 00:41:49.130 Yet I do not seek my own glory. 00:41:49.130 --> 00:41:50.429 There is one who seeks it. 00:41:50.429 --> 00:41:51.929 And he is the judge. 00:41:51.929 --> 00:41:53.463 Truly, Truly. 00:41:53.463 --> 00:42:00.429 I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. 00:42:01.764 --> 00:42:09.297 What we see here in verse 49 is the first, In fact, in this group of verses, we're going to see four of these six ways to rightly order our life. 00:42:09.297 --> 00:42:14.664 And the first one here is he says, I honor my father. 00:42:14.896 --> 00:42:16.097 I honor my father. 00:42:16.097 --> 00:42:30.030 And in this situation, in the midst of being attacked, in the midst of being told you can't be from God, he continues to go back to this standard of honoring his father. 00:42:31.030 --> 00:42:41.664 And there's a powerful application for us in this because you can't control what other people will say to you, what they will call you, what they will accuse you of. 00:42:42.664 --> 00:42:43.230 You can't. 00:42:43.230 --> 00:42:45.563 You have zero control over that. 00:42:45.929 --> 00:42:48.297 Sometimes we like to tell ourselves we do. 00:42:49.030 --> 00:42:50.697 But you have zero control over that. 00:42:50.697 --> 00:42:54.396 The only thing you can control is your response. 00:42:55.264 --> 00:42:57.730 And in the midst of this, Jesus says, I hear you. 00:42:57.730 --> 00:42:59.329 I hear you. 00:42:59.329 --> 00:43:02.230 I'm honoring my father. 00:43:02.463 --> 00:43:26.996 And so when you're in the midst of that of someone else attacking you, accusing you of heinous things, honor your father, rightly ordering your life, what he says is way more valuable in terms of who you are than what others say about you, especially when they're just trying to hurt this. 00:43:27.230 --> 00:43:34.563 That's their only goal here is just to hurt the religious leaders of the era. 00:43:35.697 --> 00:43:37.730 They just want to see Jesus suffer. 00:43:37.730 --> 00:43:41.496 They want to get rid of him in the midst of that honor. 00:43:41.496 --> 00:43:42.764 The father, that's the first one. 00:43:42.764 --> 00:43:50.597 But second, there's another here just within this very beginning, verse 50, I do not seek my own glory. 00:43:51.429 --> 00:43:53.730 So the second way we rightly honor our lives. 00:43:54.264 --> 00:43:56.429 Don't seek your own glory. 00:43:56.429 --> 00:43:58.963 Look the way we rightly order our lives. 00:43:58.963 --> 00:44:01.297 The way we grow in humility. 00:44:02.597 --> 00:44:04.764 Don't seek your own glory. 00:44:04.764 --> 00:44:07.829 Don't make it all about you. 00:44:08.130 --> 00:44:17.929 And even though Jesus was rightly declaring who He was, he really came with the mission of calling people to believe in him. 00:44:17.929 --> 00:44:20.864 And yet, even in the midst of that, he's pointing the glory to the Father. 00:44:20.864 --> 00:44:23.929 He's not making it only about him. 00:44:23.929 --> 00:44:37.630 In the midst of this, we get a just a glimpse into the Trinity, this relationship between Father, Son, Holy Spirit, the perfect love and interplay between them, the way they complement one another. 00:44:38.230 --> 00:44:42.197 And, you know, you think about all that. 00:44:42.197 --> 00:44:46.929 It was all that Jesus had at his disposal. 00:44:47.230 --> 00:44:48.496 I mean, we see the miracles. 00:44:48.496 --> 00:44:51.396 We see the statements he makes about himself. 00:44:51.396 --> 00:44:56.530 He he even hints at phrases before that made it clear, no, I'm actually better than Moses. 00:44:56.530 --> 00:44:58.697 I'm I'm better than Elijah. 00:44:58.697 --> 00:45:01.130 I bring bread that will last forever. 00:45:01.130 --> 00:45:02.597 I bring water that will give you. 00:45:02.597 --> 00:45:04.230 You'll never thirst again. 00:45:04.230 --> 00:45:07.530 He starts this whole section with a 12. 00:45:07.530 --> 00:45:19.829 I am the Light of the world, which was a hint that I have the same direction and wisdom that the Pillar of Fire had in the wilderness to pour out direction for you and your life. 00:45:19.829 --> 00:45:22.929 Big, bold statements. 00:45:23.530 --> 00:45:30.329 If we had that same level of power and authority in your lives, I got to tell you, I wouldn't be so obscure about it. 00:45:31.163 --> 00:45:35.829 I wouldn't take so long to make sure everyone knew how amazing I was. 00:45:35.829 --> 00:45:37.829 In fact, I'd be sure to hand out some of this. 00:45:37.829 --> 00:45:44.262 I'm sure Jesus could have handed out some excellent righteous judgment on a few folks along the way. 00:45:44.262 --> 00:45:55.163 And I know you probably have your own list of people that could use a little bit of that righteous judgment and that if you were God, you would be sure to hand it out quickly, not patiently. 00:45:55.163 --> 00:45:57.563 Don't seek your own glory. 00:45:57.929 --> 00:46:01.829 I think I thought as I thought about this passage, I thought of a couple of different ways that we do that. 00:46:01.829 --> 00:46:12.996 One is just to talk less about yourself and not in a way that's just try and avoid yourself for the sake of avoiding talking about yourself. 00:46:12.996 --> 00:46:16.730 But one way that engages others intentionally. 00:46:16.929 --> 00:46:23.797 One of the one of the most draining people to be around is that person that just goes on and on and on about themselves. 00:46:23.797 --> 00:46:24.963 You know what I'm talking about, right? 00:46:26.563 --> 00:46:27.297 She said, Yes. 00:46:27.297 --> 00:46:30.496 Down here we got a name ready to hand out. 00:46:30.496 --> 00:46:31.697 No, no, no names. 00:46:31.697 --> 00:46:33.329 Do you know what I mean? 00:46:33.396 --> 00:46:36.329 It's exhausting. 00:46:36.329 --> 00:46:39.597 And we've all been in seasons where we've been that person. 00:46:40.230 --> 00:46:42.329 In fact, that's natural. 00:46:42.329 --> 00:46:44.630 It's natural to just want to go on and on about ourselves. 00:46:44.630 --> 00:46:49.663 It's unnatural to pause, take a step back and say, okay, how can I engage others? 00:46:49.663 --> 00:46:51.663 How can I think of them first? 00:46:51.963 --> 00:47:01.530 In fact, Julie sometimes will say this We'll be driving somewhere in the car to an event or a meeting, and she'll say to the kids, But I think hopefully she's hoping that I will over here. 00:47:01.530 --> 00:47:05.429 Hey, kids, let's think of some questions to ask these people We're going to visit with. 00:47:05.429 --> 00:47:07.197 Let's think ahead of time. 00:47:07.197 --> 00:47:08.730 What's the question I could ask? 00:47:08.730 --> 00:47:10.597 How could I get to know them better? 00:47:10.597 --> 00:47:12.530 Here's what's so interesting about them. 00:47:12.530 --> 00:47:14.297 Here's all that we can learn from them. 00:47:14.297 --> 00:47:15.630 Be ready with a question. 00:47:15.630 --> 00:47:17.730 Be prepared because it doesn't come. 00:47:17.730 --> 00:47:19.130 It don't come naturally. 00:47:19.130 --> 00:47:21.730 We've got to work at it. 00:47:21.963 --> 00:47:26.829 And even in the midst of working at it, there's been times where we we've gone to an event or a meeting. 00:47:26.829 --> 00:47:31.030 I come home and I go, Yeah, no, I didn't. 00:47:31.030 --> 00:47:32.963 I made it about me tonight. 00:47:32.963 --> 00:47:33.963 I didn't. 00:47:33.963 --> 00:47:35.896 I didn't ask others questions. 00:47:35.896 --> 00:47:38.530 I didn't see it in the midst of it. 00:47:38.530 --> 00:47:43.362 Now I can see I wasn't focused on others. 00:47:43.530 --> 00:47:51.730 So start number one, just focus on how can I talk less about myself, show interest in others. 00:47:51.730 --> 00:47:55.063 But second, and I think what this passage illustrates. 00:47:55.063 --> 00:47:57.630 Don't just not talk about myself. 00:47:58.496 --> 00:48:01.463 Talk about one who's greater than me. 00:48:01.463 --> 00:48:05.230 What Jesus does here is he talks about the Father a lot. 00:48:05.929 --> 00:48:12.730 If you just go back through chapter eight and circle the word father, it showed up like 21 times. 00:48:13.829 --> 00:48:15.797 I mean, Father, Father, father, father. 00:48:15.797 --> 00:48:18.663 He can't not talk about his father. 00:48:18.663 --> 00:48:19.862 He's talking about one. 00:48:19.862 --> 00:48:22.730 He's so excited for others to truly know the father. 00:48:23.762 --> 00:48:26.829 That's all he can talk about. 00:48:27.163 --> 00:48:34.262 Part of the way we can make sure we're not making about our own glory is to make sure we're talking about the one who is so much greater than us. 00:48:35.829 --> 00:48:38.297 And there's a there's a balance to all this. 00:48:38.297 --> 00:48:48.496 By the way, I've been around those who do that in a way that is becomes kind of fake and forced in a way that actually is trying to draw attention to themselves, too. 00:48:48.762 --> 00:48:51.929 We need wisdom for how to do this rightly. 00:48:51.929 --> 00:48:56.862 But if that's our mindset to begin with, we can start to rightly order ourselves. 00:48:56.862 --> 00:49:05.429 We can start to rightly order and understand where we are in the midst of this crazy world which will bring humility. 00:49:05.929 --> 00:49:12.429 So that's the second way we rightly order our lives. Now let's look at the third way here. 00:49:12.630 --> 00:49:18.262 Verse 50, he says this I do not seek my own glory. 00:49:19.329 --> 00:49:25.262 There's someone else who seeks it, and he is the judge. 00:49:25.262 --> 00:49:32.396 I think a third way here that we rightly order our lives is to recognize that there is a judge. 00:49:32.396 --> 00:49:45.730 I mean, Jesus is saying to them, and we've got to get our head in the space of this with these guys, because this is for two chapters and probably many, many days of back and forth. 00:49:45.730 --> 00:49:47.429 And he's been very patient. 00:49:47.429 --> 00:49:54.762 But Chapter eight keeps building and building and building in intensity and in purposefulness. 00:49:54.762 --> 00:50:00.563 And in the way he's being very directed, in his words. 00:50:00.563 --> 00:50:08.929 And I think in the midst of that, there is some warning, even though these guys are clearly antagonistic toward him, he is still patient. 00:50:10.429 --> 00:50:13.262 He does not delight in the death of the wicked. 00:50:13.362 --> 00:50:19.929 He still has a tone of repent come to know the true father. 00:50:19.929 --> 00:50:23.829 And it's building and it's building and it's building. 00:50:23.829 --> 00:50:25.730 And here he gives just another warning. 00:50:25.730 --> 00:50:39.695 There is a judge, you know, just because and this is a helpful perspective for all of us to have, just because God doesn't judge us right away doesn't mean he can't or won't. 00:50:40.163 --> 00:50:41.295 There is a judge. 00:50:41.295 --> 00:50:47.362 There will be a day, a judgment, but he's showing mercy. 00:50:47.362 --> 00:50:52.295 He's enduring us in the midst of redeeming. 00:50:52.295 --> 00:50:58.262 And so here he gives a warning, in fact, that there are times where a warning is needed. 00:50:59.829 --> 00:51:01.762 I remember here John Piper tells a story. 00:51:01.762 --> 00:51:03.496 John Piper, he's well known pastor. 00:51:03.496 --> 00:51:06.295 He was in Minnesota and now he runs a ministry design god. 00:51:07.596 --> 00:51:17.829 And I remember hearing him say there was a man in this church, either deacon or elder, who left his wife and the fair was on the course to marry someone else. 00:51:17.829 --> 00:51:25.496 And and John met with him and said, listen, I am concerned about your salvation. 00:51:26.530 --> 00:51:27.795 And the guy goes, Whoa, wait a second. 00:51:27.795 --> 00:51:28.530 You're in a question. 00:51:28.530 --> 00:51:29.362 My salvation. 00:51:29.362 --> 00:51:31.929 And the missus, he said, Look, I'm not God. 00:51:31.929 --> 00:51:37.496 I can't know where you are, but your actions have me very concerned. 00:51:37.496 --> 00:51:45.262 When there seems to be no remorse, you seem to be just heading down the path that is opposite of everything. 00:51:45.262 --> 00:51:49.463 You know, there is a warning. 00:51:49.795 --> 00:52:05.630 He comes to him, desperate to warn him and to say, Don't keep going down this path because there will be a day of judgment. There is a judge, and it's easy in life to forget that, to forget that there is a judge. 00:52:05.630 --> 00:52:08.630 There are standards. 00:52:08.630 --> 00:52:10.396 Of course, there's forgiveness and grace. 00:52:10.396 --> 00:52:13.563 Of course, we talk about that all the time here. 00:52:14.762 --> 00:52:24.096 But in the background of that is because there is a righteous God who loves us so much and he has a standard and Jesus reminds them of that. 00:52:24.096 --> 00:52:26.429 Here he is, the judge. 00:52:26.630 --> 00:52:28.762 There will be a day of judgment. 00:52:28.762 --> 00:52:37.063 Don't forget that in the midst of everything else, that helps to rightly order our lives. 00:52:37.063 --> 00:52:41.230 And just to remind us, there is a cost. 00:52:41.896 --> 00:52:46.130 The way I live does matter. 00:52:46.130 --> 00:52:50.230 And we can't forget that in the midst of all of our lives. 00:52:51.063 --> 00:52:52.295 So that's the third element. 00:52:52.295 --> 00:52:54.362 Have we have how we rightly order our lives. 00:52:54.362 --> 00:52:56.730 Next is the fourth in verse 51. 00:52:56.730 --> 00:53:01.829 I love what he says here because in the midst of these heavy statements, I honor my father. You don't. 00:53:03.596 --> 00:53:07.195 There is one who judges in the midst of these very heavy statements. 00:53:07.195 --> 00:53:08.096 He brings hope. 00:53:08.096 --> 00:53:08.963 Look at verse 51. 00:53:08.963 --> 00:53:09.630 Truly, Truly. 00:53:09.630 --> 00:53:16.362 I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. 00:53:17.130 --> 00:53:27.130 So in the midst right after saying there is a judge, but if you keep my word, you will never see death. 00:53:27.929 --> 00:53:41.195 And just even reading that is so hard to read that verse, because we've all seen a verse like that so many times. 00:53:41.195 --> 00:53:50.795 But in reality, when I come across this verse, I mean, it should hit hard and heavy because that's what we're all hoping for. 00:53:50.795 --> 00:53:54.463 Every single one of us wants just another ounce of life. 00:53:54.463 --> 00:53:57.463 We're doing all we can to avoid death. 00:53:57.795 --> 00:54:05.563 I mean, that's why every other ad on TV or the Internet or on a magazine or anywhere is from Big Pharma. 00:54:05.563 --> 00:54:07.195 It's some kind of pill you can take. 00:54:07.195 --> 00:54:12.730 Just give me another minute of life and we just eat it up because that's what we all want, myself included. 00:54:12.730 --> 00:54:16.530 Just give me a little bit more health, a little bit more life, that's all. 00:54:17.762 --> 00:54:21.695 And you have right here, he says to the Jews. 00:54:22.230 --> 00:54:26.396 He's saying it to us if you want to never see death. 00:54:26.396 --> 00:54:30.030 And of course, we know and this is part of the confusing part of John. 00:54:30.030 --> 00:54:31.730 He's often talking on two levels. 00:54:31.730 --> 00:54:33.929 Oftentimes they are go, what do you mean? 00:54:33.929 --> 00:54:36.295 We're we're not dead yet. 00:54:36.295 --> 00:54:37.996 We're all alive here. We're not. 00:54:37.996 --> 00:54:39.329 He's not talking about physical death. 00:54:39.329 --> 00:54:48.929 He's talking about spiritual death and life, which is way more important than physical death and life as much value as we place on that. 00:54:48.963 --> 00:54:55.829 If you want to know, true life, if you want to know life to its fullest, if you want to make sure to never die. 00:54:56.329 --> 00:54:58.295 Follow my word. 00:54:58.663 --> 00:55:00.663 Know him. 00:55:00.663 --> 00:55:02.030 Walk closely with him. 00:55:02.030 --> 00:55:03.362 That's keep his word. 00:55:03.362 --> 00:55:08.530 That's going to be the ultimate source of life beyond all else. 00:55:08.730 --> 00:55:10.563 And of course, the Jews hear this. 00:55:10.563 --> 00:55:16.096 They hear this all this whole weight of what Jesus is saying about rightly ordering your life. 00:55:16.096 --> 00:55:18.530 Humble yourself, know who you are. 00:55:19.695 --> 00:55:22.630 They hear all this and here's how they respond. 00:55:22.630 --> 00:55:31.230 Look at verse 52, 53 Jews said to him, Now we know that you have a demon. 00:55:31.230 --> 00:55:32.563 We accused you of it before. 00:55:32.563 --> 00:55:36.195 Now we're sure Abraham died, as did the prophets. 00:55:36.195 --> 00:55:41.728 Yet you say, if anyone keeps my words, he will never taste death. 00:55:41.728 --> 00:55:47.996 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died and the prophets died? 00:55:47.996 --> 00:55:51.429 Who do you make yourself out to be? 00:55:53.128 --> 00:55:54.628 Who do you think you are? 00:55:54.628 --> 00:55:56.028 Here's another way of saying that. 00:55:56.028 --> 00:55:58.695 What are you really trying to say about yourself? 00:55:58.695 --> 00:55:59.862 Which is actually a great question. 00:55:59.862 --> 00:56:02.695 And that's the very question they should be asking. 00:56:02.695 --> 00:56:06.096 This isn't a sincere version of that question. 00:56:06.228 --> 00:56:07.829 Who are you really? Come out. 00:56:07.829 --> 00:56:09.396 Be clear. 00:56:09.762 --> 00:56:11.896 Stop talking in generalities. 00:56:11.896 --> 00:56:12.996 What do you mean? 00:56:12.996 --> 00:56:16.628 You were before or you might not die. 00:56:16.628 --> 00:56:18.695 How can you be greater than Abraham? 00:56:18.695 --> 00:56:23.996 How can you be greater than the people we all look to as the foundation of our faith? 00:56:23.996 --> 00:56:25.695 That's not even possible. 00:56:25.695 --> 00:56:27.096 Jesus hears that. 00:56:27.096 --> 00:56:35.295 He responds, Look at verse 54, 55 If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. 00:56:35.463 --> 00:56:42.528 It is my father who glorifies me, of whom you say He is our God, but you have not known him. 00:56:42.528 --> 00:56:43.163 I know him. 00:56:43.163 --> 00:56:49.528 If I were to say that I do not know him, I'd be a liar like you. 00:56:49.528 --> 00:56:51.329 But I do know him. 00:56:51.329 --> 00:56:54.429 And I keep his word. 00:56:54.929 --> 00:57:00.496 Here is just another example of how he continues to warn them to specific ways in here. 00:57:00.496 --> 00:57:09.963 If you look back at verse 54, it is my father who glorifies me, of whom you say he is our God. 00:57:09.963 --> 00:57:11.896 You say he's our God. 00:57:11.896 --> 00:57:16.663 You say he's saying to the Jewish leaders, you say he's your God. 00:57:16.663 --> 00:57:21.063 And of course, you can say something all day long and it not be true. 00:57:22.362 --> 00:57:24.496 And they're saying he's our God, No, we follow him. 00:57:24.496 --> 00:57:33.163 But yet their actions don't match up with what they even personally say to follow the very fact that they're trying to kill him, to go around all the laws. 00:57:33.163 --> 00:57:36.829 They care more about control and power than following the law. 00:57:38.228 --> 00:57:42.728 You say he's your God, yet he's not. 00:57:42.996 --> 00:57:45.929 That's the first way he warns them here in this verse. 00:57:46.163 --> 00:57:53.963 But he also points out something that is at the essence of what's going on here, that they are entirely different. 00:57:53.963 --> 00:57:56.195 He says, I know him. 00:57:57.362 --> 00:57:59.028 I'm not a liar like you. 00:57:59.028 --> 00:58:02.128 I know him and I keep his word. 00:58:03.596 --> 00:58:06.862 Jesus knows the father and they don't. 00:58:06.862 --> 00:58:07.829 And he's warning. 00:58:07.829 --> 00:58:10.063 He's warning. I'm telling you. 00:58:10.063 --> 00:58:11.563 Listen, it's not too late. 00:58:11.563 --> 00:58:12.728 Come to know him. 00:58:12.728 --> 00:58:14.163 Come to follow him. 00:58:14.163 --> 00:58:16.228 Don't continue to deny his word. 00:58:16.228 --> 00:58:19.429 Don't continue to act like you follow him when you don't. 00:58:19.429 --> 00:58:22.563 And of course, he can say that he knows. 00:58:22.563 --> 00:58:23.996 There are times when we have to warn. 00:58:23.996 --> 00:58:28.228 And I think rightly, we wonder, do I have this right or not? 00:58:28.228 --> 00:58:29.463 Am I seeing this right? 00:58:29.463 --> 00:58:31.896 That is actually really healthy. 00:58:31.896 --> 00:58:36.496 That's a great place if you need to correct someone to approach it with humility. 00:58:36.496 --> 00:58:38.463 It's going to be a lot better received. 00:58:38.463 --> 00:58:39.996 And you could be wrong. 00:58:39.996 --> 00:58:42.528 It's possible. 00:58:42.528 --> 00:58:43.362 But he's warning. 00:58:43.362 --> 00:58:46.028 He's pressing in. 00:58:46.228 --> 00:58:50.362 He's not just letting things be. 00:58:50.362 --> 00:58:54.329 And all this leads to the fifth way that we rightly order our lives. 00:58:54.329 --> 00:58:55.563 Look at verse 56. 00:58:55.563 --> 00:59:00.528 He says, Your father, Abraham, rejoiced that he would see my day. 00:59:00.528 --> 00:59:02.996 He saw him, was glad. 00:59:02.996 --> 00:59:08.829 So the Jews said to him, You're not yet 50 years old and you've seen Abraham the fifth way. 00:59:08.829 --> 00:59:11.429 We rightly order our lives in verse 56. 00:59:11.429 --> 00:59:14.829 We look forward to the day of Christ. 00:59:14.996 --> 00:59:16.862 Look forward to the day of Christ. 00:59:16.862 --> 00:59:19.096 And this brings perspective to all of life. 00:59:19.096 --> 00:59:21.163 This brings humility in all of life. 00:59:21.163 --> 00:59:32.829 There is a day out ahead of us that's so much greater than now, and that doesn't mean we hate our current life that we don't make the most of it, that we don't try to enjoy it and live it to its fullest. 00:59:32.829 --> 00:59:36.996 But yet also we know this isn't the end game. 00:59:36.996 --> 00:59:39.362 There's a greater day out ahead. 00:59:39.362 --> 00:59:43.728 And he says, Here, Abraham saw my day. 00:59:43.728 --> 00:59:45.829 Now, there's a lot of confusion around that phrase. 00:59:45.829 --> 00:59:46.396 What does that mean? 00:59:46.396 --> 00:59:47.728 Abraham saw my day. 00:59:47.728 --> 00:59:49.829 There's a lot of different perspectives on this. 00:59:49.829 --> 01:00:00.396 As I read across commentaries, one view was that this is simply referring to there were this thing called the often is in the Old Testament, which were appearances of God in person. 01:00:00.695 --> 01:00:07.528 Some say some of those may have been Christ showing up before he was incarnate to make an appearance. 01:00:07.528 --> 01:00:14.362 And so maybe Abraham actually had in-person interaction with Jesus reincarnate before he came later. 01:00:15.496 --> 01:00:17.628 I think that's one approach, that's one possibility. 01:00:17.628 --> 01:00:28.795 I think a stronger view as I looked across this is, you know, back in Genesis chapter 12, God made the promise to Abraham through you all the nations of the world will be blessed through your line. 01:00:29.496 --> 01:00:31.396 One commentator said it this way. 01:00:31.396 --> 01:00:40.563 This was simply Abraham's recognition that it was through Jesus or through someone else out in the future, through his seed, through his lineage. 01:00:40.563 --> 01:00:49.329 It wouldn't be through him personally, but on out ahead of him, that God would ultimately bless the nations. 01:00:49.528 --> 01:00:54.295 He had a glimpse of this when he went to sacrifice Isaac on the mountain. 01:00:54.295 --> 01:00:55.829 Isaac's like, Where's the sacrifice? 01:00:55.829 --> 01:00:56.929 Don't worry, God will provide. 01:00:56.929 --> 01:00:57.396 And God did. 01:00:57.396 --> 01:01:14.561 He provided Abram so that Abraham didn't sacrifice his son, but also pointing forward to a day when he would provide the ultimate sacrifice for everyone, gets a glimpse of God, his day out ahead. 01:01:14.561 --> 01:01:17.128 And so we look forward to that day. 01:01:17.896 --> 01:01:20.262 We look forward to Christ's return. 01:01:20.762 --> 01:01:28.728 We know there will come a day when he returns and when we spend time with him forever. 01:01:28.728 --> 01:01:30.561 That's part of how we rightly order our life now. 01:01:30.561 --> 01:01:38.228 The last way we rightly order our life, number six and this shows up in verse 58, I'm going to read verse 57 again to set it up. 01:01:38.228 --> 01:01:45.961 And by the way, the first five all are building to this huge one in comparison, all very important. 01:01:46.461 --> 01:01:51.628 But in terms of how we rightly order our lives, this is the one that should hit us the hardest. 01:01:51.628 --> 01:01:55.929 When we get to verse 58. 01:01:55.929 --> 01:01:59.228 So the Jews said to him, You are not yet 50 years old. 01:01:59.461 --> 01:02:02.728 50 years old would have been in the temple service retirement age. 01:02:02.728 --> 01:02:11.028 So you're not even old enough to retire. Yet you say you've been around or you'll be around after Abraham or you're before him or whatever. 01:02:11.028 --> 01:02:11.762 You won't die. 01:02:11.762 --> 01:02:12.661 How can that be? 01:02:12.661 --> 01:02:13.896 Are you some kind of Lord of the Rings? 01:02:13.896 --> 01:02:15.528 Ellis, who lives forever? 01:02:15.528 --> 01:02:18.762 No, he says you're not 50 years old. 01:02:19.661 --> 01:02:20.862 And you have seen Abraham. 01:02:20.862 --> 01:02:34.728 Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you before Abraham was, I am now spent a fair amount of time talking about that phrase I am a couple of weeks ago. 01:02:34.728 --> 01:02:37.228 Just to recap, at one level, it's very common. 01:02:37.228 --> 01:02:39.795 Of course, you're going to see if you just do a search on I am. 01:02:39.795 --> 01:02:42.362 You're going to see it thousands of times in scripture. 01:02:43.795 --> 01:02:46.262 But words in context have a different meaning. 01:02:46.262 --> 01:02:57.061 And the way he uses it here is, without a doubt, without question, a direct connection to God, using that as his own title, as his own name, especially in the structure here. 01:02:57.061 --> 01:03:09.762 If he wanted to say, I'm just older than Abraham, many commentators pointed out he would have just said before Abraham was I was I was back there with him to. 01:03:09.762 --> 01:03:11.195 But he's not saying that. 01:03:11.195 --> 01:03:15.528 He's not saying I'm as old as Abraham or just a little bit older. 01:03:15.528 --> 01:03:20.695 I am the very originator of Abraham. 01:03:20.695 --> 01:03:22.829 In fact, I am the creator of the world. 01:03:22.829 --> 01:03:29.896 I am there's no other title that can be used for me Then I am. 01:03:29.896 --> 01:03:54.329 And so as we rightly order our lives in this pursuit of true humility, we got to recognize who Jesus is, recognize who Jesus is when he says, I am, and look, when you encounter those who say Jesus never really claim to be God, how can you say that He is divine? 01:03:54.329 --> 01:04:03.496 Even those who hated him, who wanted to kill him, who didn't believe in him, who didn't want to follow him, look at how they respond. 01:04:04.561 --> 01:04:07.829 They picked up stones to throw at him, verse 59. 01:04:07.829 --> 01:04:09.896 But Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. 01:04:09.896 --> 01:04:12.929 In the immediate instance, they knew exactly what he was saying. 01:04:12.929 --> 01:04:22.329 They knew that he was claiming to be divine, so much so that they're seeking to carry out capital punishment right away, claiming to be God himself. 01:04:22.329 --> 01:04:28.061 They don't even wait for the judge and jury pick up stones to throw. 01:04:28.061 --> 01:04:29.695 They knew what he was saying. 01:04:29.695 --> 01:04:34.862 They knew the claim he was making. 01:04:34.862 --> 01:04:41.862 And if we want to have true humility, if we want to move towards humility in life, you got to rightly order your life. 01:04:41.862 --> 01:04:50.429 You got to know where you stand with him, with the father, with others. 01:04:50.429 --> 01:04:55.661 I remember one summer, Julian, I served at a camp for kids, called out with athletes in action. 01:04:55.661 --> 01:05:01.295 This was when we were both in college and one of the groups that came in one week was a group of inner city kids. 01:05:02.362 --> 01:05:03.429 And it was a fun time. 01:05:03.429 --> 01:05:07.596 It was a great group, completely different dynamic than all the other weeks. 01:05:07.596 --> 01:05:09.596 It was so much fun. 01:05:09.596 --> 01:05:24.096 One of the times they had this Q&A session and the kids were asking questions of one of the pastors that had come with the group, and one of the girls gets up and she goes, How is it that God is always telling us to praise him? 01:05:24.429 --> 01:05:27.628 I'll read through the Psalms, and he's always like, Praise me, praise me, praise me. 01:05:27.628 --> 01:05:32.596 Is he that needy that he needs us to tell him he's all that? 01:05:32.596 --> 01:05:34.596 You know what? Fair question. 01:05:34.596 --> 01:05:35.929 Fair question. 01:05:36.329 --> 01:05:38.262 In fact, this week I was talking with a buddy of mine. 01:05:38.262 --> 01:05:40.528 He's a he's a pastor up in Indiana. 01:05:40.528 --> 01:05:45.829 And he said in the church he grew up in, he would often hear this, you know, garden. 01:05:45.829 --> 01:05:47.161 God needed us so much. 01:05:47.161 --> 01:05:48.795 He created us. 01:05:48.862 --> 01:05:51.028 He just wasn't complete without us. 01:05:51.195 --> 01:05:54.528 He had to make us to be fulfilled. 01:05:54.929 --> 01:06:00.661 In fact, he would be at funerals and hear stuff like, Man, God is getting blessed today with this one. 01:06:00.795 --> 01:06:03.128 Heaven is going to be a better place when this one shows up. 01:06:04.596 --> 01:06:07.061 But no, no, God didn't need us. 01:06:07.061 --> 01:06:15.461 In fact, the book we were discussing together, the whole point of the book was the fact that there is a beginning point in the universe shows it wasn't necessary. 01:06:15.929 --> 01:06:16.996 He chose to create us. 01:06:16.996 --> 01:06:18.961 He loves us, but he didn't have to. 01:06:18.961 --> 01:06:23.028 There wasn't something missing in him that we fill up. Somehow. 01:06:23.028 --> 01:06:24.329 He's not better off. 01:06:24.329 --> 01:06:27.628 He's not more complete because he made us. 01:06:27.628 --> 01:06:30.329 Now that doesn't lessen how much he loves us. 01:06:30.429 --> 01:06:32.461 In fact, it shows how much more he loves us. 01:06:32.461 --> 01:06:37.528 So fair question on the part of why is he always seeking praise as they need people to build up his ego? 01:06:37.528 --> 01:06:38.996 Is he that weak? 01:06:39.728 --> 01:06:40.661 Here's what the God said to her. 01:06:40.661 --> 01:06:46.829 He said, It's not that God needs to hear that He's all that you need to hear. 01:06:46.829 --> 01:06:51.362 That is all that and more because he is all that and more. 01:06:51.362 --> 01:06:55.295 I thought, Man, what a great response he is. 01:06:55.295 --> 01:06:56.094 All that and more. 01:06:56.094 --> 01:07:02.561 And we rightly order ourselves when we tell ourselves time and again, he is all powerful, He is in authority. 01:07:02.561 --> 01:07:03.929 I can trust him fully. 01:07:03.929 --> 01:07:16.929 I don't understand the situation right now, but he's the one I can depend on no matter anything else. 01:07:16.929 --> 01:07:27.228 And the times when I stop remembering that, when I stop declaring that truth to myself, that's when things don't go well. 01:07:27.295 --> 01:07:29.728 That's when the humbling begins. 01:07:29.728 --> 01:07:34.661 That's when that John Wayne quote plays out. 01:07:34.661 --> 01:07:38.394 And so my prayer for us today all comes back to first. 01:07:38.394 --> 01:07:46.695 Peter five, six, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God so that he may exalt you at the proper time. 01:07:46.695 --> 01:07:50.961 Let's pray God, we thank you for this morning. 01:07:50.961 --> 01:07:52.695 We thank you for your word. 01:07:52.695 --> 01:08:12.894 Our prayer is that through the power of your Holy Spirit, we would purposefully, intentionally humble ourselves before you, that we would remind ourselves of who you are, how great you are, that we would remind ourselves, Jesus, that you are God. 01:08:12.894 --> 01:08:14.429 We are not. 01:08:14.929 --> 01:08:16.362 That we would glorify the Father. 01:08:16.362 --> 01:08:19.395 We would not seek our own glory. 01:08:19.395 --> 01:08:34.194 I pray that as a church there would be a spirit of humility here that is just felt when people walk in and others would know we're not perfect. 01:08:34.194 --> 01:08:36.261 We don't have everything together. 01:08:36.261 --> 01:08:42.494 But at least we're trying to say that God is the greatest, that we lean on Jesus. 01:08:42.494 --> 01:08:44.529 We depend on Him. 01:08:44.529 --> 01:08:47.362 Lord help that to be our heart, our posture. 01:08:47.362 --> 01:08:50.229 You're our burden today. 01:08:50.229 --> 01:08:55.662 Thank you for so many who've lived that out so faithfully for so many years and set that example for us. 01:08:56.895 --> 01:08:57.994 Help us to do the same. 01:08:57.994 --> 01:08:58.862 Help us to be faithful. 01:08:58.862 --> 01:08:59.729 We love you, Jesus. 01:08:59.729 --> 01:09:01.429 We pray in your name. Amen.