WEBVTT 00:00:00.133 --> 00:00:01.665 Well, go ahead and be seated. 00:00:01.665 --> 00:00:03.866 It's great to gather with you today. 00:00:03.866 --> 00:00:10.432 How many of you are of the vein where you are kind of tired of all the snow? 00:00:10.432 --> 00:00:12.965 Let me see a few of those hands. 00:00:12.965 --> 00:00:14.666 Yeah, most of you over 50. 00:00:14.666 --> 00:00:17.666 I see they raise your hand for that. 00:00:17.765 --> 00:00:18.765 What about the other? 00:00:18.765 --> 00:00:20.265 How many of you are like. 00:00:20.265 --> 00:00:22.399 I wish it would start snowing right now. 00:00:22.399 --> 00:00:22.966 Again? 00:00:22.966 --> 00:00:25.533 Let me see a few of those hands. Okay. 00:00:25.533 --> 00:00:25.932 All right. 00:00:25.932 --> 00:00:27.500 There's a few of you over 50. 00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:30.765 Most of you trend a little younger than that. 00:00:30.765 --> 00:00:31.500 Yeah. You know what? 00:00:31.500 --> 00:00:36.332 There's just something about a weather event like this that just breaks up the pattern of life. 00:00:36.332 --> 00:00:37.399 That's kind of nice. 00:00:37.399 --> 00:00:40.232 It's kind of refreshing to have a change of pace. 00:00:40.232 --> 00:00:42.865 I'm sorry we had to cancel church last week. 00:00:42.865 --> 00:00:44.466 I'm going to make it up to you today, though. 00:00:44.466 --> 00:00:49.600 I'll give you two sermons today, this morning, and we'll go twice as long. 00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:52.265 Hey, I wasn't expecting that. 00:00:53.399 --> 00:00:55.500 That's nice. 00:00:55.500 --> 00:00:58.399 Well, I'm not going to test you on that today. 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:02.600 I appreciate the applause, but we'll we'll just stick to one sermon today. 00:01:02.600 --> 00:01:08.233 It is nice to have some of the break in rhythms of life, and it's good to come back together. 00:01:08.233 --> 00:01:15.766 I know some of you were dying to get out of the house, and it's great to be able to come together today to launch into a new year. 00:01:16.799 --> 00:01:19.799 Our theme for 2025 is to grow. 00:01:20.465 --> 00:01:24.599 And when I say that we're not we're not talking about numbers per se. 00:01:24.599 --> 00:01:27.465 Of course, I'd love to see this full. 00:01:27.465 --> 00:01:32.266 Plenty of people, more people wanting to worship together week in and week out. 00:01:32.266 --> 00:01:40.365 But what's as important, in fact, what's a precursor to that is that we are individually growing deep in Christ. 00:01:40.365 --> 00:01:42.066 And that's the focus of the word grow. 00:01:42.066 --> 00:01:52.299 In fact, the phrase is grow into oaks of righteousness, and an oak is strong, and an oak gives life to others around it. 00:01:52.500 --> 00:01:54.965 An oak can endure in the hard times. 00:01:54.965 --> 00:01:57.965 And we want to be individually oaks of righteousness. 00:01:57.965 --> 00:02:03.599 And as we grow individually, and God will use that to bless our community. 00:02:04.665 --> 00:02:07.665 Now the question is, how do we do that? 00:02:07.700 --> 00:02:12.366 How do we grow into oaks of righteousness going into 2025? 00:02:12.366 --> 00:02:13.366 How do we do that? 00:02:13.366 --> 00:02:19.066 An important step, and something we're going to talk about today is first to do a little bit of self-assessment. 00:02:19.066 --> 00:02:25.765 In fact, the phrase that has come to mind as I thought of the first few messages of this New Year phrase phrases come to mind over and over again. 00:02:25.765 --> 00:02:33.099 It's a phrase that goes back to Socrates, who wasn't in the Bible, but he summed up this idea when he said, it's important to know thyself. 00:02:34.932 --> 00:02:37.900 If you want to move forward, you have to know where you are. 00:02:37.900 --> 00:02:41.699 You got to know who you are, and you got to be honest about that. 00:02:41.699 --> 00:02:44.165 You got to deal with reality. 00:02:44.165 --> 00:02:52.966 In fact, I want to turn to a passage in Second Peter, we've been going through first Peter, we're going to take a short break from First Peter these next couple of weeks. 00:02:52.966 --> 00:02:55.066 Look at second Peter. 00:02:55.066 --> 00:02:56.332 Do this for a couple of reasons. 00:02:56.332 --> 00:02:59.765 One, First Peter, let's be real here. 00:02:59.765 --> 00:03:03.699 It can get a little heavy because the theme is all on suffering. 00:03:03.699 --> 00:03:05.800 But Peter talks about other things as well. 00:03:05.800 --> 00:03:18.332 Second Peter is more about hope and truth, things we all need, and I think things that are important to Valley View and things that are needed when we want to grow, we need hope and truth. 00:03:18.332 --> 00:03:23.432 But in Second Peter chapter one, and if you don't have a Bible, we have Bibles out in the lobby. 00:03:23.432 --> 00:03:24.500 Those are free to you. 00:03:24.500 --> 00:03:27.199 You can slip out and grab one anytime. 00:03:27.199 --> 00:03:32.032 Second Peter is going to be almost to the very end of the New Testament, so it's towards the back. 00:03:32.032 --> 00:03:34.966 If you find revelation back up a few pages. 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:42.400 In Second Peter chapter one, there's a section starting at verse five that is heavily focused on growth. 00:03:42.665 --> 00:03:43.566 How do you grow? 00:03:43.566 --> 00:03:44.832 What does growth mean? 00:03:44.832 --> 00:03:48.000 How does God work in your life to help you to grow? 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:54.665 And in that, we're going to see an important element of us doing a little bit of self assessment in order to move forward. 00:03:54.665 --> 00:03:57.199 Look at Second Peter chapter one verse five. 00:03:57.199 --> 00:04:01.099 I'm going to read just the first few verses here of five through 8 or 9. 00:04:04.300 --> 00:04:05.332 Chapter one, verse five 00:04:05.332 --> 00:04:25.333 for this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection and brotherly affection with love. 00:04:25.333 --> 00:04:31.165 So we get this list of character qualities, of attributes, of things that should be true of us as we're growing. 00:04:31.165 --> 00:04:45.300 In fact, he says in the next verse, for if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:04:45.300 --> 00:04:54.432 If we want to be fruitful and effective for him, these qualities should be growing and increasing in our lives. 00:04:54.432 --> 00:05:02.399 Part of the challenge is, though, that sometimes we become, we lose perspective on where we are. 00:05:02.399 --> 00:05:05.932 In fact, the next verse addresses this directly. 00:05:07.033 --> 00:05:19.333 Verse nine for whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 00:05:19.365 --> 00:05:24.466 Does this ever happen where you lose perspective on where you are? 00:05:24.665 --> 00:05:28.766 You think you're here and maybe you're not there? 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:35.266 One of the highlights of my week when we lived in Little Rock, we served there in ministry for a number of years. 00:05:35.266 --> 00:05:43.632 One of the highlights of the week was this midweek pickup basketball game with a group of guys from from the office, and we'd meet up at a local church a couple times a week. 00:05:43.632 --> 00:05:46.333 Loved it was so much fun. 00:05:46.333 --> 00:05:48.665 Good group of guys, all pretty skilled. 00:05:48.665 --> 00:05:53.132 It was a pretty skilled group of guys, and I felt like I was there in the mix with them and the pace was pretty good. 00:05:53.132 --> 00:05:59.266 It was a great time getting out aggression from the day at the office, a good time of exercise, good bro time. 00:05:59.266 --> 00:06:04.365 It was a great time of hanging out and I remember one day I had to sit on the bench for a minute because we had too many guys. 00:06:04.365 --> 00:06:15.966 Guys need to rotate in to play and I was sitting there on the bench watching these guys play, and I thought, you know, when I'm not in there, they really do slow down and they look a lot older. 00:06:15.966 --> 00:06:18.300 They don't play nearly as well when I'm in there. 00:06:18.300 --> 00:06:20.533 The thing is it's moving fast, okay? 00:06:20.533 --> 00:06:23.533 Everybody's playing so well. 00:06:23.966 --> 00:06:29.065 But then it hit me actually no, John, from the bench it looks slow. 00:06:29.065 --> 00:06:30.199 It feels fast in there. 00:06:30.199 --> 00:06:32.065 But guess what? It's just slow. 00:06:32.065 --> 00:06:32.665 Yep. 00:06:32.665 --> 00:06:36.000 Sometimes it's easy to think I'm here, but actually we're here. 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:38.266 We got you got to do a little self-assessment. 00:06:38.266 --> 00:06:43.865 You got to be real about and honest about where we are in order to grow. 00:06:43.865 --> 00:06:47.432 And that doesn't mean you don't want it to turn into self-loathing. 00:06:47.432 --> 00:06:50.033 I'm the worst person on earth because I'm here and I want to be there. 00:06:50.033 --> 00:06:55.533 No, it's just you got to deal with reality, do a little self-assessment. 00:06:55.533 --> 00:06:57.233 You got to know yourself. 00:06:57.233 --> 00:07:01.199 You got to know who you are and where you are. 00:07:02.665 --> 00:07:07.600 And so this year, going into this year, I want to talk about who Valley View is. 00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:13.132 I who when you think of Valley View, you know every church has its different characteristics. 00:07:13.132 --> 00:07:21.233 Every group of people, when they come together, they have different emphasis, they have different burdens, they have a different take on things. 00:07:21.233 --> 00:07:26.165 And when you think of Valley View, what are some things that describe Valley View as a church? 00:07:26.165 --> 00:07:27.699 Who are we? 00:07:27.699 --> 00:07:30.865 Because if we want to grow, we got to know who we are. 00:07:30.865 --> 00:07:33.632 We got to know ourselves. 00:07:33.632 --> 00:07:49.932 I there's a few phrases I want to focus on today and next week that are things that I think Valley View is about and values that are so critical to who we are and so critical to us growing individually and collectively. 00:07:49.966 --> 00:07:57.199 And so I'm going to walk through three of those today and for my dedicated note takers, you're going to have to listen more closely to that, because I didn't put any notes on the screen. 00:07:57.199 --> 00:08:01.165 I just want to talk with you some and just connect. 00:08:01.165 --> 00:08:10.500 These are going to be some familiar phrases by the way, I'm going to repeat some things that you have heard before, but I want to give it a little more emphasis today. 00:08:11.665 --> 00:08:13.300 So a few things we value. 00:08:13.300 --> 00:08:15.466 The first thing that came to mind as I thought about this. 00:08:15.466 --> 00:08:24.500 What is what is something that Valley View really values that summarizes up our approach to life and ministry? 00:08:24.565 --> 00:08:31.300 There's a phrase that came to mind that we say all the time, I want to unpack it a little more because it can mean a few different things. 00:08:31.300 --> 00:08:34.299 It's this phrase we say, come as you are. 00:08:34.899 --> 00:08:39.133 When I think of Valley View, I think of that phrase come as you are. 00:08:40.500 --> 00:08:43.799 We don't care, for instance, what you look like. 00:08:43.799 --> 00:08:45.533 We don't. 00:08:45.533 --> 00:08:48.066 I don't care what you're wearing. 00:08:48.066 --> 00:08:52.166 Come in a three piece suit, come in a sweat suit, I don't care, just come. 00:08:52.166 --> 00:08:54.633 Not in a swimsuit. Okay? 00:08:54.633 --> 00:08:56.899 And if you do, we'll find some clothes for you. 00:08:56.899 --> 00:08:58.700 Because people here are so generous. 00:08:58.700 --> 00:08:59.600 They want you here. 00:09:00.633 --> 00:09:01.566 We don't care. 00:09:01.566 --> 00:09:04.566 Come as you are. 00:09:05.265 --> 00:09:08.265 That's so critical. 00:09:08.799 --> 00:09:11.533 To a church, being able to reach others. 00:09:11.533 --> 00:09:13.500 It's not about appearances. 00:09:13.500 --> 00:09:14.966 It's not. 00:09:14.966 --> 00:09:20.066 I don't know why it is that many churches focus on behaviors and appearances. 00:09:20.265 --> 00:09:22.566 I mean, I kind of know part of it is we can't know. 00:09:22.566 --> 00:09:24.666 You can't just look at someone and know their heart. 00:09:24.666 --> 00:09:26.166 You can't by looking at someone. 00:09:26.166 --> 00:09:29.100 No know where they stand spiritually. 00:09:29.100 --> 00:09:31.600 But sometimes we'll say, okay, I see this about them. 00:09:31.600 --> 00:09:33.765 Therefore I know their this about their heart. 00:09:33.765 --> 00:09:35.466 We make assumptions. 00:09:35.466 --> 00:09:40.432 We want to put people in categories based on how they appear. 00:09:40.633 --> 00:09:43.566 That's not how Jesus went about it. 00:09:43.566 --> 00:09:46.566 Of course he knew their heart. 00:09:46.899 --> 00:09:53.832 Churches tend to focus on appearances and and of course, there are times where we do that when we shouldn't. 00:09:53.832 --> 00:10:01.932 None of us are perfect, but I think as an overall general reality, Valley View says, come as you are, we don't care how you look. 00:10:01.932 --> 00:10:03.600 We want to meet you where you are. 00:10:05.265 --> 00:10:12.865 There's a story I've heard told so many times and you know you've heard it so many times and so many different ways. 00:10:12.865 --> 00:10:17.700 I don't even know if it's fully true, but it's the kind of story that should be true the way I've heard it. 00:10:17.700 --> 00:10:29.732 The version I've heard was about a Baptist church in southern California in the 70s, and it was it the season where there was a lot of growth happening, the Jesus movement was happening, a lot of hippies were getting saved. 00:10:29.732 --> 00:10:32.066 But this is a very traditional, very straight laced church. 00:10:32.066 --> 00:10:40.600 Everybody had on their Sunday best choir robes were all perfectly ironed for the perfect choir, the you had the organ on the piano and that was it. 00:10:40.600 --> 00:10:43.600 Very traditional. 00:10:43.799 --> 00:10:54.399 But one day in the back, here comes this hippie had come to know Christ, and he's just in a t shirt and shorts and barefoot, kind of scraggly, long hair, dirty. 00:10:54.399 --> 00:11:00.000 And he's walking up the middle aisle and everybody's staring at him wondering, what is this dude doing here? 00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:02.000 Where is this going to go? 00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:04.200 He walks right down front and sits in the floor. 00:11:04.200 --> 00:11:09.666 Right in front of the pastor, just right down there like you would naturally if you were going to hang out with some friends. 00:11:09.666 --> 00:11:10.799 Just sit down to learn. 00:11:12.299 --> 00:11:14.666 And so everybody's looking around, what are we going to do? 00:11:14.666 --> 00:11:15.600 What do we do about this? 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:16.732 Who's going to say something? 00:11:16.732 --> 00:11:19.533 That's not how we do church. 00:11:19.533 --> 00:11:26.533 And the oldest guy, the most respected guy in the church who had on the fanciest suit gets up. 00:11:26.533 --> 00:11:28.399 He's in the back tending the door. 00:11:28.399 --> 00:11:37.200 It takes him a while because he's got a cane, and everybody watches him slowly hobble down the aisle and they think, what is he gonna say? 00:11:37.200 --> 00:11:46.332 And he comes up to that guy and he just sits down right next to him, cross-legged on the floor. 00:11:46.332 --> 00:11:49.799 Come as you are, come as you are. 00:11:49.799 --> 00:11:51.000 That's what we want. 00:11:51.000 --> 00:11:55.133 I want hunger for Christ, hunger to know his word. 00:11:55.133 --> 00:11:57.966 Not even worried about what do I look like? 00:11:57.966 --> 00:12:00.365 Where am I coming from? Come as you are. 00:12:01.799 --> 00:12:06.600 That's something I think that we're about now. 00:12:06.600 --> 00:12:09.200 That also means it's not just for those who are out there. 00:12:09.200 --> 00:12:12.732 By the way, if this is your first week, come as you are. I hope you feel that. 00:12:12.732 --> 00:12:14.432 It's not just that. 00:12:14.432 --> 00:12:19.200 It's also for us who who have been here a while. Come as you are. 00:12:19.200 --> 00:12:27.832 Meaning you don't have to come acting like you have it all together every week because you don't I don't, so I know you don't. 00:12:27.832 --> 00:12:29.000 We don't. 00:12:29.000 --> 00:12:32.966 And you don't have to come acting like everything's perfect every week. 00:12:32.966 --> 00:12:36.966 We’ve got to come-- in fact, I love this phrase. 00:12:36.966 --> 00:12:37.566 Tommy Nelson. 00:12:37.566 --> 00:12:39.232 He's a pastor in Dallas. 00:12:39.232 --> 00:12:40.666 I love listening to his stuff. 00:12:40.666 --> 00:12:41.932 He said it this way. 00:12:41.932 --> 00:12:46.299 You don't have to get cleaned up to get in the shower, right? 00:12:46.299 --> 00:12:48.600 I don't have to take a pre-shower to get in the shower. 00:12:48.600 --> 00:12:59.133 No, I come as I am and I come to Christ, and he is the one who gives you the strength and the ability to get cleaned up. 00:12:59.533 --> 00:13:03.899 I don't get my life in order so that then I can become a Christian. 00:13:03.899 --> 00:13:07.166 If who's tried that, Aw, come on. 00:13:07.166 --> 00:13:08.700 I know I have. 00:13:08.700 --> 00:13:10.166 Let me get everything in order. 00:13:10.166 --> 00:13:17.399 Let me have my appearances right, so then I can go to church and look right now. 00:13:17.399 --> 00:13:21.232 Come as you are, come as you are when you first come to him. 00:13:21.232 --> 00:13:24.232 And every week come as you are. 00:13:24.500 --> 00:13:27.500 The phrase for that is humility. 00:13:28.732 --> 00:13:31.033 We need to come in humility. 00:13:31.033 --> 00:13:34.466 In fact, look at verse three and four here in Second Peter. 00:13:34.466 --> 00:13:36.432 Look back at this chapter one, verse three and four. 00:13:38.332 --> 00:13:54.133 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises. 00:13:54.133 --> 00:14:00.332 The key word here up to this point that showed up twice is he has granted that to us. 00:14:00.332 --> 00:14:02.600 His divine power has been granted to us. 00:14:02.600 --> 00:14:05.133 He has granted to us his precious and very great promises. 00:14:05.133 --> 00:14:07.365 He granted it to us. 00:14:07.365 --> 00:14:09.033 I didn't have to get cleaned up on my own. 00:14:09.033 --> 00:14:11.399 He granted me that ability. 00:14:11.399 --> 00:14:13.533 He is the one who has that power, not me. 00:14:13.533 --> 00:14:16.533 I don't have that power. 00:14:17.365 --> 00:14:22.566 So that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature. 00:14:23.600 --> 00:14:25.466 And then. But look at this last phrase. 00:14:25.466 --> 00:14:30.200 Having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 00:14:30.200 --> 00:14:45.566 The reality is we all walk around with sinful desire, and we've got to come every week as we are, in humility, with the strength to say, I need Christ to move in my life to deal with that. 00:14:45.566 --> 00:14:48.365 I can't deal with that on my own. 00:14:50.066 --> 00:15:04.033 That's why we do a memory verse every month in our memory verse to start this years first Peter back and first Peter, first Peter five six humble yourselves, therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time. 00:15:04.033 --> 00:15:10.299 Humble yourselves, come in humility, and come as you are. 00:15:10.299 --> 00:15:11.232 Come as you are. 00:15:11.232 --> 00:15:12.000 I love that phrase. 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:12.865 It's so powerful. 00:15:12.865 --> 00:15:15.865 Now there's another side to this. 00:15:15.865 --> 00:15:20.000 That's the first phrase I think that sums up who we are as a church. 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:22.133 Come as you are, I hope. 00:15:22.133 --> 00:15:28.166 I hope you can bring any friend and they feel welcomed. 00:15:28.166 --> 00:15:39.932 They feel invited, they feel accepted, and yet also maybe just a little uncomfortable because that's how I feel when I come to church. 00:15:39.932 --> 00:15:47.166 And that's the second half of that phrase, come as you are, so that you don't have to stay as you are. 00:15:47.166 --> 00:15:49.200 That's the other side of it. 00:15:49.200 --> 00:15:49.932 Come as you are. 00:15:49.932 --> 00:15:52.000 Please do. 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:54.265 But we don't want to stay as we are now. 00:15:54.265 --> 00:15:55.066 That's why you're here. 00:15:55.066 --> 00:15:57.365 None of us do. 00:15:57.365 --> 00:16:02.600 That's not some kind of judging you, or looking down on you because you're not perfect. 00:16:02.600 --> 00:16:03.865 That's what we all want. 00:16:03.865 --> 00:16:06.865 We all want to be growing. 00:16:06.932 --> 00:16:09.765 None of us want to stay where we are. 00:16:09.765 --> 00:16:14.633 Come as you are so you don't have to stay as you are. 00:16:14.700 --> 00:16:19.466 I hope at the end of 2025 I can look back and go, here's what God did in my life. 00:16:19.466 --> 00:16:23.265 Here's how he helped me grow and change and become a better husband. 00:16:23.265 --> 00:16:24.566 Become a better pastor. 00:16:24.566 --> 00:16:26.033 Become a better father. 00:16:26.033 --> 00:16:28.232 Become a better friend. 00:16:28.232 --> 00:16:28.932 Who wants that? 00:16:28.932 --> 00:16:30.899 Doesn't everyone want that? 00:16:30.899 --> 00:16:31.832 That's what we all want. 00:16:31.832 --> 00:16:34.633 That's why we're here. Come as you are. 00:16:36.066 --> 00:16:38.633 So you don't have to stay as you are. 00:16:38.633 --> 00:16:41.365 You know, that's an emphasis here in this passage. 00:16:41.365 --> 00:16:49.765 If you look back at verse five, for this is the very reason make every effort to supplement your faith. 00:16:50.666 --> 00:16:53.100 This doesn't mean that you somehow create your faith. 00:16:53.100 --> 00:16:59.533 You take supplements, not in place of food, but they are supposed to help enhance the food, make it work better in your body. 00:16:59.533 --> 00:17:05.066 You're supplementing your faith, meaning you're coming alongside what Christ is already doing and seeking to grow. 00:17:05.066 --> 00:17:05.932 Supplement your faith. 00:17:05.932 --> 00:17:11.599 Also in verse eight, if these qualities are yours and are increasing. 00:17:13.432 --> 00:17:21.133 Our burden is to be growing, to be changing, and sometimes. 00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:24.633 The reality that is sometimes that's hard. 00:17:24.633 --> 00:17:28.965 Sometimes that requires hard conversations with one another. 00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:31.232 Sometimes we don't like that. 00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:33.232 What's the whole phrase? 00:17:33.232 --> 00:17:35.900 Iron sharpens iron from Proverbs 27. 00:17:35.900 --> 00:17:38.066 Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. 00:17:38.066 --> 00:17:42.165 What's the problem with iron sharpening iron? 00:17:42.299 --> 00:17:45.432 Sparks metal grinding against metal. 00:17:45.432 --> 00:17:46.799 That's not comfortable. 00:17:46.799 --> 00:17:49.799 That's not fun in the moment. 00:17:51.766 --> 00:17:56.400 I was talking to a pastor friend of mine this week, and he shared with me the story. 00:17:56.400 --> 00:18:00.900 He was out to lunch one day, and he saw one of his key ministry leaders in the church. 00:18:00.900 --> 00:18:08.633 Wasn't a staff member, but one of the guys he leaned on for ministry and he was out at lunch with another lady from work, and he said, I was watching them eat lunch together. 00:18:08.633 --> 00:18:13.165 He didn't know I was there, and it was clear they were way too comfortable with one another. 00:18:14.365 --> 00:18:19.232 And so I called him later that day and I said, hey, man, tell me what's going on, because I saw you at the lunch. 00:18:19.232 --> 00:18:21.099 Is that a normal thing you do at your work, by the way? 00:18:21.099 --> 00:18:23.432 One man, one woman not related out to lunch. 00:18:23.432 --> 00:18:25.532 And you guys looked way too close. 00:18:25.532 --> 00:18:26.333 What's going on? 00:18:26.333 --> 00:18:30.599 He said, I just hit it head on and the guy said, oh man, nothing. 00:18:30.599 --> 00:18:31.465 There's nothing going on there. 00:18:31.465 --> 00:18:32.200 No big deal. 00:18:32.200 --> 00:18:34.066 You don't need to. Don't worry about it. 00:18:34.066 --> 00:18:36.566 Yeah, we I won't go out to lunch with her again. 00:18:36.566 --> 00:18:39.566 That probably wasn’t best, no big deal. 00:18:40.465 --> 00:18:42.432 He said okay, thought nothing else of it. 00:18:42.432 --> 00:18:46.032 A few months later, the guy comes back to him and he goes. 00:18:47.365 --> 00:18:49.932 God tried to use you in my life and I didn't listen. 00:18:51.333 --> 00:19:00.732 A week later, we became very intimate physically, and God brought you into my life to confront me, to confront my sin, to confront where I was. 00:19:00.732 --> 00:19:03.732 I was already way down a road. 00:19:05.833 --> 00:19:08.465 And God tried to wake me up through you. 00:19:08.465 --> 00:19:11.400 And I didn't listen. 00:19:11.400 --> 00:19:13.032 And now I want to repent. 00:19:13.032 --> 00:19:16.665 And I want to see if God can work in my life. 00:19:16.665 --> 00:19:22.732 I don't know what all that means, but I want to be free. 00:19:23.865 --> 00:19:26.965 Sometimes growth requires hard conversations. 00:19:26.965 --> 00:19:29.400 In fact, that same guy I served in ministry with him. 00:19:29.400 --> 00:19:32.200 He came to me once and said, John, I shared something with you. 00:19:32.200 --> 00:19:33.766 You shared it with someone else. 00:19:33.766 --> 00:19:36.932 I feel like you've broken my trust. 00:19:39.299 --> 00:19:40.799 I didn't want to hear that. 00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:41.732 And he was right. 00:19:43.900 --> 00:19:45.432 I'm so sorry. 00:19:45.432 --> 00:19:48.200 I hope I can rebuild trust with you. 00:19:48.200 --> 00:19:50.133 I see what you mean. 00:19:50.133 --> 00:19:51.799 I see what you said. 00:19:51.799 --> 00:19:56.532 Thank you for being willing to come to me and bring that up and not just write me off. 00:19:56.532 --> 00:19:59.032 I can't trust that guy anymore. 00:19:59.032 --> 00:20:01.633 I guess he's I better never share anything with him again. 00:20:01.633 --> 00:20:12.665 Might be some wisdom in that in the moment, but I'm so grateful that he came to me and that wasn't a fun conversation for him or me. 00:20:13.532 --> 00:20:22.833 But we don't want to stay where we are, and that's a key part of growth, and that's going to need to happen here at times. 00:20:22.833 --> 00:20:25.833 In fact, I would say to you. 00:20:26.900 --> 00:20:33.900 I know there's a temptation at times when you're upset with someone to go get some perspective from some other people. 00:20:34.932 --> 00:20:36.365 Sometimes you need that. 00:20:36.365 --> 00:20:38.099 Sometimes that's a cover for gossip. 00:20:38.099 --> 00:20:39.932 You know what I'm talking about. 00:20:39.932 --> 00:20:42.932 I have a prayer request for my group. 00:20:44.400 --> 00:20:45.965 Go as much as you can. 00:20:45.965 --> 00:20:50.299 Go directly to that person as often as you can. 00:20:50.299 --> 00:20:51.766 Go directly to that person. 00:20:51.766 --> 00:20:54.865 Follow the biblical pattern in the book of Matthew. 00:20:54.865 --> 00:20:58.633 Go to them and if they don't respond, you bring another. 00:20:58.633 --> 00:21:01.232 And if they don't respond, you bring the church. 00:21:01.232 --> 00:21:04.232 That's the biblical pattern. 00:21:04.833 --> 00:21:07.566 That is going to help us to grow. 00:21:07.566 --> 00:21:08.932 It's going to help you to grow. 00:21:08.932 --> 00:21:12.165 It's going to help Valley View to grow in 2025. 00:21:12.165 --> 00:21:17.066 And it's a big part of coming as you are so you don't have to stay as you are. 00:21:17.133 --> 00:21:25.333 Now the third thing I think that sums up Valley View, and it's probably the one that I think when I think of Valley View, I think of more than anything else. 00:21:25.333 --> 00:21:28.099 Because of my experience here growing up. 00:21:28.099 --> 00:21:33.200 I've been pastor here about three years now, but I grew up here as a kid. 00:21:33.200 --> 00:21:39.432 And here's the phrase, and I love how our worship songs tied into this today. 00:21:39.432 --> 00:21:45.032 To know who you are, you have to know who he is. 00:21:45.532 --> 00:21:48.532 And how do we know who he is? 00:21:48.665 --> 00:21:51.000 It's through his word. 00:21:51.000 --> 00:21:55.799 You got to be in his word. To know who you are, you got to know who he is. 00:21:55.799 --> 00:21:58.766 You've got to be a student of his word. 00:21:58.766 --> 00:22:05.465 You got to be able to have perspective, to have some standard of truth in your life. 00:22:05.465 --> 00:22:10.133 I love that Valley View is all about knowing God's word. 00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:20.400 It's been that way from the very first memory I have here is sitting in some kids class with someone teaching me about the Bible. 00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:27.532 I mean, I was probably 4 or 5 years old and we’re sitting in a circle being taught the Bible, not entertained. 00:22:28.766 --> 00:22:40.599 We were being taught God's Word even at that age, because this church knows how critical that is to know God's Word, to be in God's Word, to know truth. 00:22:40.799 --> 00:22:46.299 Because if you want to know who you are, if you want to know how to grow, you got to know who he is. 00:22:46.299 --> 00:22:50.365 You gotta have some standard of truth. 00:22:50.365 --> 00:22:51.833 This is all over this passage. 00:22:51.833 --> 00:23:04.799 If you look back at Second Peter, verse three, his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him. 00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:07.932 Know God's word. 00:23:07.932 --> 00:23:12.365 It's the path to knowing him, to knowing him personally. 00:23:12.365 --> 00:23:17.099 And this is so critical in our day and age. 00:23:17.099 --> 00:23:20.400 You gotta have some standard of truth to live by. 00:23:20.400 --> 00:23:26.066 It can be really trendy and cliche to say you have your truth and I have my truth. 00:23:26.066 --> 00:23:29.099 What happens when your truth is different than my truth? 00:23:29.099 --> 00:23:30.232 What do we do? 00:23:30.232 --> 00:23:31.500 Who wins? 00:23:31.500 --> 00:23:34.500 Who is right? 00:23:34.599 --> 00:23:44.532 Usually it's whoever is stronger, to be frank. In the history of the world might becomes right if we have no other standard of truth. 00:23:44.532 --> 00:23:47.099 If we have no standard outside of ourselves. 00:23:47.099 --> 00:23:48.165 What do you do? 00:23:48.165 --> 00:23:51.000 What do you look to for strength outside of yourself? 00:23:51.000 --> 00:23:55.165 If you think you are the standard of truth and that falls apart, where do you turn? 00:23:57.299 --> 00:23:59.432 You got to know God's Word. 00:23:59.432 --> 00:24:00.900 You've got to be in His Word. 00:24:00.900 --> 00:24:03.566 And I love that this church is all about that. 00:24:03.566 --> 00:24:06.532 Every pastor I've known here has been all about that. 00:24:06.532 --> 00:24:08.099 I gotta teach God's Word. 00:24:08.099 --> 00:24:10.900 When I walk up here, I walk up here in confidence. 00:24:10.900 --> 00:24:15.766 Not because of me, but because I'm trying to point you to this. 00:24:15.766 --> 00:24:20.066 And I can be confident that his word will guide you. 00:24:20.133 --> 00:24:27.066 And so in the coming year, make being in His word one of your highest priorities. 00:24:27.133 --> 00:24:30.000 That's why we do a daily Bible reading plan. 00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:32.165 There's printed copies of those in the lobby. 00:24:32.165 --> 00:24:37.200 There's links to digital versions of that where it can just be read to you. 00:24:37.200 --> 00:24:42.633 Be in God's Word, absorb a standard of truth in your heart every day. 00:24:43.799 --> 00:24:45.532 I can't stress this enough. 00:24:45.532 --> 00:24:48.532 Make this your highest commitment of the coming year. 00:24:48.532 --> 00:24:50.566 Be in His word every day. 00:24:50.566 --> 00:24:52.532 And look, if you miss a day. Okay? Great. 00:24:52.532 --> 00:24:53.865 Move on to the next day. 00:24:53.865 --> 00:24:59.532 This isn't a legalistic thing, but I pray there is a hunger to be in his word. 00:25:02.099 --> 00:25:07.833 We live in a world where people want to take Christianity like the buffet. 00:25:07.833 --> 00:25:09.032 I'm. I'm gonna take a little of this. 00:25:09.032 --> 00:25:10.500 This makes me feel good. 00:25:10.500 --> 00:25:11.500 I don't like that. 00:25:11.500 --> 00:25:12.900 I'm going to avoid that. 00:25:12.900 --> 00:25:14.200 But I'm going to take a little bit of this. 00:25:14.200 --> 00:25:17.165 The ala carte Christianity. 00:25:17.165 --> 00:25:27.932 I heard a pastor in Atlanta listen to an Andy Stanley sermon this week, and this guy grew up under his dad, Charles Stanley, who was this fantastic Bible teacher. 00:25:27.932 --> 00:25:29.532 And I listened to him say, you know what? 00:25:29.532 --> 00:25:33.333 We need to get away from the Bible being the standard of our faith. 00:25:33.333 --> 00:25:42.766 We need to get away from the Bible being the foundation of our faith, because a lot of people have problems with the Bible, and if they have problems with the Bible, we need to make it easier for them to come to the faith. 00:25:42.766 --> 00:25:45.900 So the Bible shouldn't be our foundation of our faith anymore. 00:25:45.900 --> 00:25:47.000 It should be the resurrection. 00:25:49.633 --> 00:25:52.965 Now, the hard part of that is it's not either or. 00:25:52.965 --> 00:26:00.865 Andy Wood and by the way, he spent the next 20 minutes using the Bible to explain why that's the case. 00:26:01.200 --> 00:26:06.232 Yeah, you should laugh, because how do we know about the resurrection, by the way? 00:26:06.232 --> 00:26:08.400 How do we know everything we know about the resurrection? 00:26:08.400 --> 00:26:10.932 How do we know? 00:26:10.932 --> 00:26:12.566 From the Bible? 00:26:12.566 --> 00:26:18.633 It's not either or, Andy, we don't go and say, I don't like that. 00:26:18.633 --> 00:26:20.500 So I'm going to put that aside. 00:26:20.500 --> 00:26:23.500 And I don't like this, but I like this. 00:26:24.165 --> 00:26:26.432 No, here's here's what we do. 00:26:26.432 --> 00:26:29.432 Here's what Valley View does. 00:26:29.599 --> 00:26:32.500 Here's God's Word and here's how I feel. 00:26:32.500 --> 00:26:36.165 And how I feel is going to come up under what his word says. 00:26:36.165 --> 00:26:42.200 I'm going to align my feelings to His word rather than trying to make his word align to my feelings. 00:26:42.200 --> 00:26:43.032 You see the difference. 00:26:44.965 --> 00:26:47.000 This is our foundation. 00:26:47.000 --> 00:26:50.000 This is our standard of truth. 00:26:57.133 --> 00:27:01.333 If you want to know who you are, you got to know who he is. 00:27:01.732 --> 00:27:04.732 All this is important. 00:27:05.633 --> 00:27:09.566 Because what do you do when you don't know what else to do? 00:27:09.766 --> 00:27:11.900 What do you do? 00:27:11.900 --> 00:27:16.165 I listen to an interview this week with an with an actor. 00:27:16.165 --> 00:27:18.700 His name is Neal McDonough. 00:27:18.700 --> 00:27:20.465 And he is. 00:27:20.465 --> 00:27:26.400 You may have seen him, and he's one of these guys that you don't really think about, but you've probably seen him over and over again. 00:27:26.400 --> 00:27:28.500 He often plays a villain. 00:27:28.500 --> 00:27:35.365 In fact, he said he was gearing up for a part recently and the make up lady was like, how many times have you died on screen? 00:27:35.365 --> 00:27:37.465 And he said, I don't know, 20 or 30. 00:27:37.465 --> 00:27:40.099 She said, today is number 61. 00:27:40.099 --> 00:27:43.232 He's like, oof, that's a lot of death. 00:27:43.232 --> 00:27:46.000 He's the villain and he's part of his job. 00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:49.000 But the path on how he got there. 00:27:51.099 --> 00:27:55.633 He grew up a Christian, wandered in his faith. 00:27:55.633 --> 00:27:59.099 He would even say, I made some poor decisions about some of the roles I took. 00:27:59.099 --> 00:28:01.232 I'm not proud of that. 00:28:01.232 --> 00:28:06.665 But I felt like God had given me the gift of acting, and I didn't know what else to do. 00:28:06.665 --> 00:28:10.599 But then there came a day where he said, I'm no longer going to compromise. 00:28:10.599 --> 00:28:12.299 I'm no longer going to compromise. 00:28:12.299 --> 00:28:21.165 I'm no longer going to put myself in situations on screen that I'd be ashamed of, physically intimate with someone who's not my spouse. 00:28:21.165 --> 00:28:25.400 I'm never going to put my lips on another woman who's not my wife. 00:28:27.099 --> 00:28:32.965 And he said, and I took that stand, and it became known, and no one would hire me. 00:28:33.833 --> 00:28:38.133 Which I got to say, I just. 00:28:40.400 --> 00:28:51.066 The fact that so much of what we're consuming has that undergirding their core values in media, that people would say, we don't want a guy like that on our screen. 00:28:51.066 --> 00:28:54.365 A guy who would take that kind of stand, who just wants to be faithful to his wife. 00:28:54.365 --> 00:28:56.232 We don't want him on our screen. 00:28:56.232 --> 00:29:03.732 That says a lot about the state of Hollywood and media and I'm we're never going to tell you, watch this. Don't watch that. 00:29:03.732 --> 00:29:05.200 But just don't be deceived. 00:29:05.200 --> 00:29:11.700 Don't be naive to the reality of what the values are of that whole world and culture. 00:29:12.532 --> 00:29:15.432 And he said, for two years I couldn't get a job. 00:29:15.432 --> 00:29:17.799 Nothing. I lost my house. 00:29:17.799 --> 00:29:19.900 I lost my second house. 00:29:19.900 --> 00:29:22.200 I lost my nice Mercedes and cars. 00:29:22.200 --> 00:29:27.299 And I got five kids to feed, and I can't get an acting job and no one will hire me because of this. 00:29:28.365 --> 00:29:30.299 He said I turned back to drinking again. 00:29:30.299 --> 00:29:34.232 I had put that aside and I was putting on weight and I was struggling. 00:29:34.232 --> 00:29:38.932 And one night I'm laying on the floor just crying out to God, why have you allowed this to happen? 00:29:38.932 --> 00:29:39.932 What is going on? 00:29:39.932 --> 00:29:42.365 God, I need you to show up. 00:29:42.365 --> 00:29:48.932 He said I was desperate and I was turning to him and calling out for him. 00:29:48.932 --> 00:29:50.465 I'm on my face, he said. 00:29:50.465 --> 00:29:56.633 I'm on my face screaming, God, show up! And the phone rings. 00:29:57.599 --> 00:29:58.799 Can you show up? 00:29:58.799 --> 00:30:00.599 We need you in a part. 00:30:00.599 --> 00:30:09.965 Two years of waiting, wondering, but standing firm and depending on the cross. 00:30:10.799 --> 00:30:13.500 Turning to truth. 00:30:13.500 --> 00:30:16.200 If you want to know who you are. 00:30:16.200 --> 00:30:21.932 If Valley View wants to know how to grow in 2025, we got to know who he is. 00:30:21.932 --> 00:30:23.700 And I know that's what you value. 00:30:24.799 --> 00:30:33.266 And my prayer is that this year that this book would come alive to you like never before. 00:30:33.266 --> 00:30:37.232 It doesn't matter how much of it you've read already. 00:30:38.365 --> 00:30:42.865 Pick any verse, even a verse you've memorized inside it over and over again. 00:30:42.865 --> 00:30:47.700 There are thousands of insights to be seen. 00:30:47.732 --> 00:30:49.900 Make it your highest priority for this year. 00:30:49.900 --> 00:30:53.633 To know him, to know his word, to have that as the foundation in your life. 00:30:53.633 --> 00:30:59.865 And I promise he will do things in your life like never before. 00:30:59.865 --> 00:31:02.865 Let's pray. 00:31:03.799 --> 00:31:26.500 God, we thank you that we do have a standard of truth in your word. We thank you that Jesus came to rescue us from the self-deception of sin, from ignorance of who you are, from the desire to make ourselves the center of the universe, from our desire to make you in our likeness. 00:31:26.500 --> 00:31:28.266 But you made us in your likeness. 00:31:28.266 --> 00:31:30.700 God help us to conform to your truth. 00:31:30.700 --> 00:31:44.365 I pray that 2025 at Valley View, our hunger for Your Word, our growth in holiness, and our desire for righteousness would grow like never before. 00:31:46.000 --> 00:31:58.633 And as we grow in knowing who we are because of we knowing who you are, I pray, as Second Peter said, that we would become increasing in our fruitfulness for you. 00:32:00.133 --> 00:32:09.299 I pray that all of the south end of Louisville, Valley Station, and PRP, they would know you're at work here. 00:32:09.299 --> 00:32:12.266 They would know you're alive here. 00:32:12.266 --> 00:32:16.932 They would know when they come here, they're going to experience your presence. 00:32:17.865 --> 00:32:19.200 Move in our lives this year. 00:32:19.200 --> 00:32:24.099 Jesus, help us to be submitting to you and all that we do. 00:32:24.099 --> 00:32:27.099 Thank you for loving us. 00:32:28.665 --> 00:32:31.032 We love you, Jesus. 00:32:31.032 --> 00:32:31.566 Amen.