WEBVTT 00:00:17.109 --> 00:00:23.910 Hear now the word of the Lord, first as it's written in portions of 1 Kings chapter 16 and 18. 00:00:26.549 --> 00:00:34.549 Now Ahab, the son of Omri, did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. 00:00:35.030 --> 00:00:47.669 And it came to pass as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nabot, that he took as wife Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbal, king of the Sidonians. 00:00:48.469 --> 00:00:51.829 And he went and served Baal and worshipped him. 00:00:52.149 --> 00:00:57.030 Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 00:00:58.070 --> 00:01:00.710 And Ahab made a wooden image. 00:01:01.030 --> 00:01:08.310 Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 00:01:09.670 --> 00:01:15.510 And Ahab had called Obadiah, who was in charge of his house. 00:01:15.750 --> 00:01:18.549 Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly. 00:01:18.790 --> 00:01:32.469 For so it was while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water. 00:01:33.109 --> 00:01:49.190 And Ahab had said to Obadiah, Go into the land, to all the springs of water and to all the brooks, perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, so that we will not have to kill any livestock. 00:01:50.070 --> 00:01:53.270 So they divided the land between them to explore it. 00:01:53.590 --> 00:01:59.590 Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. 00:02:01.510 --> 00:02:04.550 And reading further from the seventeenth chapter of John. 00:02:06.950 --> 00:02:14.949 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to you. 00:02:15.349 --> 00:02:22.310 Holy Father, keep through your name those whom you have given to me, that they may be one as we are. 00:02:23.430 --> 00:02:27.509 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name. 00:02:27.750 --> 00:02:36.789 Those whom you gave me I have kept, and none of them is lost except the Son of Perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 00:02:37.429 --> 00:02:45.750 But now I come to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 00:02:46.229 --> 00:02:55.189 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 00:02:55.829 --> 00:03:02.629 I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one. 00:03:03.429 --> 00:03:08.389 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 00:03:08.870 --> 00:03:10.949 Sanctify them by your truth. 00:03:11.269 --> 00:03:13.269 Your word is truth. 00:03:13.669 --> 00:03:25.989 As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world, and for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. 00:03:27.750 --> 00:03:34.069 And finally, from New Church Teachings, New Jerusalem and its heavenly teachings, number one hundred and twenty-six. 00:03:35.109 --> 00:04:01.909 As for renunciation of the world, many believe that renouncing the world and living for the spirit and not for the flesh is a matter of casting aside worldly things, primarily wealth and status, going around in constant devout meditation concerning God, salvation and eternal life, and spending our lives in prayer and in reading the word and devotional literature, not to mention self-affliction. 00:04:03.269 --> 00:04:09.189 This, though, is not at all what renouncing the world means. 00:04:09.590 --> 00:04:13.590 It means loving God and loving our neighbor. 00:04:13.829 --> 00:04:19.430 We love God when we live by his commandments, and we love our neighbor when we do things that are useful. 00:04:20.149 --> 00:04:29.030 If we wish to receive the life of heaven, we must by all means live in this world and be involved in its responsibilities and dealings. 00:04:29.750 --> 00:04:40.949 A life withdrawn from worldly concerns is a life of thought and faith, and yet is completely separate from a life of love and caring. 00:04:41.909 --> 00:04:42.550 Amen. 00:04:43.189 --> 00:04:44.550 Here end our lessons. 00:04:44.789 --> 00:04:47.829 Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it. 00:04:48.149 --> 00:04:48.789 Amen. 00:04:51.269 --> 00:04:56.550 What do you do if someone you know is making poor choices? 00:04:57.189 --> 00:04:58.629 Do you run away? 00:04:58.870 --> 00:05:03.509 Or do you stick around to support and possibly improve the situation? 00:05:04.709 --> 00:05:14.789 I'm going to tip my hand and tell you that your answer one way or the other isn't necessarily right or wrong. 00:05:15.029 --> 00:05:18.149 But it'll depend on something else that we'll get into. 00:05:18.550 --> 00:05:30.629 What I hope you'll take away from today's message is some tools for making these decisions yourself, and also some mercy and understanding for those who choose a different path. 00:05:31.990 --> 00:05:34.789 We aren't talking about politics today. 00:05:34.870 --> 00:05:41.430 We're talking about relationships and making good decisions and how we support each other on the path to heaven. 00:05:43.029 --> 00:05:46.870 Allow me to start by offering some situation examples. 00:05:47.189 --> 00:05:51.829 Your best friend of 20 years does something that really upsets you. 00:05:52.069 --> 00:05:55.509 And so you question your very friendship with them. 00:05:56.149 --> 00:06:01.909 Do you keep putting effort into the relationship or do you just let it dissolve? 00:06:04.069 --> 00:06:12.709 A family member makes life choices or simply has a different ideology that isn't just different, but runs contrary to your own beliefs. 00:06:13.430 --> 00:06:16.469 Stay in contact or cut them off. 00:06:17.509 --> 00:06:25.110 A larger social group or even your community seemed to have diverged from the core values that you thought used to bind you together. 00:06:25.829 --> 00:06:29.509 Do you stay involved or find another community? 00:06:31.269 --> 00:06:34.310 Let's talk about Obadiah now from today's story. 00:06:34.550 --> 00:06:39.829 Obadiah feared God, which in today's terms we would say that he loved the Lord. 00:06:40.149 --> 00:06:46.870 Obadiah was the head of the king's house, meaning he was kind of the manager and made sure things ran smoothly. 00:06:47.670 --> 00:06:52.389 So Obadiah feared God, but his boss, Ahab, really didn't. 00:06:52.629 --> 00:07:01.829 In fact, Obadiah's boss was the worst king Israel had seen to that point, worshipping other gods and disregarding the word of Jehovah. 00:07:03.029 --> 00:07:15.750 Despite how evil his boss was, not to mention Ahab's wicked wife Jezebel, who murdered all the prophets of Jehovah that she could find, Obadiah stayed in his position. 00:07:16.069 --> 00:07:22.069 And we saw him in today's story venturing out to find pasture for Ahab's animals. 00:07:24.310 --> 00:07:29.269 Shouldn't Obadiah have left his position in the king's house? 00:07:29.589 --> 00:07:34.149 Was Obadiah supporting evil by sticking around and helping Ahab? 00:07:34.949 --> 00:07:37.829 Shouldn't he have left it to crumble? 00:07:39.349 --> 00:07:40.230 How about you? 00:07:40.469 --> 00:07:44.310 If you were Obadiah, would you have stayed or left? 00:07:46.230 --> 00:07:51.349 There are some other stories in the Lord's word somewhat similar to Obadiah's. 00:07:51.670 --> 00:07:56.629 In Genesis, Joseph was a Hebrew who served under the Egyptian Pharaoh. 00:07:57.110 --> 00:07:59.509 Well, whom did Pharaoh worship? 00:07:59.750 --> 00:08:00.949 Not Jehovah. 00:08:01.110 --> 00:08:03.589 He worshipped a pantheon of gods. 00:08:04.310 --> 00:08:14.389 And another example is Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who served before kings Nebuchadnezzar and Darius in Babylon. 00:08:14.629 --> 00:08:20.310 Those kings had other gods and tyrannically forced their people to worship those gods. 00:08:20.629 --> 00:08:25.509 Not to mention Nebuchadnezzar was the one who took the Jews captive in the first place. 00:08:26.389 --> 00:08:30.709 Imagine you are in a similar situation to Joseph or Daniel and friends. 00:08:31.029 --> 00:08:33.670 Would you stay or would you go? 00:08:35.990 --> 00:08:39.909 You may remember that I tipped my hand at the beginning of the service. 00:08:40.149 --> 00:08:42.870 There isn't really one right answer. 00:08:43.430 --> 00:08:48.629 Or in other words, your staying or going is not what makes it right or wrong. 00:08:48.950 --> 00:08:55.909 The real question is whether or not we are following the Lord and loving others in line with his commandments. 00:08:56.629 --> 00:09:00.710 As with pretty much everything we do in life, it's our intentions. 00:09:00.950 --> 00:09:03.909 What's in our heart that really matters? 00:09:06.149 --> 00:09:10.230 Let's take just a moment to talk about figuring out the right thing to do. 00:09:10.470 --> 00:09:15.269 What are some reasons that might make it a good idea to leave a situation? 00:09:16.230 --> 00:09:29.110 First of all, if you think you might be in any sort of danger by remaining in a friendship with someone or by staying in a social or community group, you might consider stepping away from those connections. 00:09:29.669 --> 00:09:44.870 Possible physical injury or emotional harm resulting from a manipulative or narcissistic relationship, or situations that bring up spiritual temptations that would result in hurting someone else or your own path to heaven? 00:09:45.350 --> 00:09:51.909 These are all good reasons to keep your distance from certain situations, people, or groups. 00:09:53.110 --> 00:09:55.750 But there are other reasons to stay away as well. 00:09:55.990 --> 00:10:02.230 For example, we may be concerned that staying might support the continuation of some evil or another. 00:10:04.389 --> 00:10:07.750 So, what then are reasons we might choose to stay? 00:10:08.069 --> 00:10:17.110 Well, in the story of Obadiah, he stuck around and was able to save alive 100 prophets of the Lord from the murderous hand of Ahab's wife. 00:10:17.830 --> 00:10:25.669 Joseph stuck around and listened to the Lord, and his actions preserved the lives of probably millions of innocent people. 00:10:27.110 --> 00:10:35.909 Daniel and company stuck around and ended up serving as governors, providing wisdom and fairness where corruption probably would have ruled. 00:10:37.509 --> 00:10:42.549 Can we do something similar when we elect to remain in challenging circumstances? 00:10:43.110 --> 00:10:55.830 We can choose to keep and even foster connections with a friend, a family member, or community groups that don't seem to us to be ideal, but we do it because we care about those people. 00:10:56.629 --> 00:11:02.549 By sticking around and staying connected, we have the chance to be a healthy support when it is needed. 00:11:02.789 --> 00:11:10.950 Instead of serving those connect severing those connections, we might just be the lifeline the Lord uses to bring them to a better place. 00:11:11.830 --> 00:11:24.470 And in our community, we can choose to stay involved even when the odds seem stacked against us, and even when we disagree with the direction of the status quo, because communities need good people in them. 00:11:27.909 --> 00:11:38.149 As a prime example of showing up in challenging circumstances, when the Lord was walking around in this world, he spent a significant amount of time with sinners. 00:11:38.309 --> 00:11:42.470 The very people the Pharisees shunned like the plague. 00:11:42.870 --> 00:11:44.950 He wasn't loving the person. 00:11:46.629 --> 00:11:49.429 And he definitely wasn't loving their evil. 00:11:50.069 --> 00:11:54.069 He was supporting and loving their humanity and the goodness in them. 00:11:54.470 --> 00:11:58.230 He was support helping them on their way to heaven. 00:11:58.549 --> 00:12:06.789 Keep in mind that our neighbor isn't the person, our neighbor is the goodness in the person that we want to love and support. 00:12:06.950 --> 00:12:10.789 And we can love and support goodness even in difficult situations. 00:12:13.429 --> 00:12:21.269 Once, when I visited a Holocaust museum, one of the exhibits had excerpts from journals and diaries of some of the victims. 00:12:21.509 --> 00:12:27.350 One of them mentioned observing one person sharing bread with another in those horrible circumstances. 00:12:28.069 --> 00:12:39.669 This has stuck with me all these years that no matter the circumstances in which we find ourselves, we can always choose to act like a human and treat other people like humans as well. 00:12:41.350 --> 00:12:51.029 No matter what happens within our families, our community, or our country, our one job is to still act like a human and treat other people like humans. 00:12:51.750 --> 00:12:54.710 What does it mean to treat a person like a human? 00:12:55.029 --> 00:12:58.149 Of course, we don't support bad or evil habits. 00:12:58.470 --> 00:13:04.389 But when we stick around with the Lord's help, we might just have an opportunity to support something good. 00:13:07.189 --> 00:13:16.870 Whatever decision we make, whether it's to leave the situation or to stay, either one of them can be done in charity, with love. 00:13:17.189 --> 00:13:21.110 And the decision I make might be very different from the one that you make. 00:13:22.230 --> 00:13:29.429 But when confronted with these circumstances, we ought to pray for the Lord to inspire us with the right decision. 00:13:29.830 --> 00:13:34.389 Leaving a toxic or dangerous situation can be the right thing to do. 00:13:35.269 --> 00:13:38.789 But today, I'm banging the drum for stay and help. 00:13:40.069 --> 00:13:54.470 The title of today's message is In the World, Not of the World, with the idea that we won't necessarily have to renounce the world, cancel relationships with people with whom we disagree, or run away from our communities that seem to turn a different direction. 00:13:55.590 --> 00:14:05.909 In John 17, we earlier read this verse in which the Lord said, I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one. 00:14:07.350 --> 00:14:15.110 To the degree that we are able, we are supposed to interact with this messy world, but with prudence. 00:14:16.069 --> 00:14:19.990 Well, to what degree do we interact and get involved in the messiness? 00:14:20.149 --> 00:14:22.629 And to what extent should we be careful? 00:14:23.509 --> 00:14:26.230 Let's compare it to our body's immune system. 00:14:26.549 --> 00:14:32.149 The body has a line of defense that is active all day, every day, in fending off diseases. 00:14:32.389 --> 00:14:37.909 Right now, your body is fighting a cold virus or taking care of bacteria that shouldn't be there. 00:14:38.149 --> 00:14:40.870 And a thousand or million other things. 00:14:41.669 --> 00:14:47.590 Some people's immune systems work better than others, and some people's immune systems are compromised. 00:14:48.789 --> 00:14:56.789 With a relatively healthy body, I'm willing to spend time with someone with a common cold, but I'm not willing to make contact with the Ebola virus. 00:14:58.870 --> 00:15:01.669 We also have a spiritual immune system. 00:15:01.990 --> 00:15:05.269 It's constantly fighting off the influences of hell. 00:15:05.590 --> 00:15:11.029 Some people are more resistant to certain evils, and others are more susceptible. 00:15:11.269 --> 00:15:17.029 And if you are aware of your spiritual immunity weaknesses, you stay away from those. 00:15:17.269 --> 00:15:27.590 For example, someone who struggles with any kind of addiction should seriously think twice about spending time with other people who actively and openly engage in those addictions. 00:15:30.789 --> 00:15:42.069 In a similar way, that a healthy diet, good sleep, and vitamins can help improve your body's immune system, there's a way also to improve your spiritual immune system. 00:15:43.269 --> 00:15:51.110 Again, in John 17, just after he says, keep them from the evil one, Jesus says, Sanctify them by your truth. 00:15:51.350 --> 00:15:53.269 Your word is truth. 00:15:54.549 --> 00:16:01.509 The Lord's truth can strengthen our spiritual immune systems to make us stronger, to resist hell's influence. 00:16:01.750 --> 00:16:11.189 The more we stay away from the Lord's word and his truth, the more the ways of the world that go against the Lord's word seem acceptable to us. 00:16:11.669 --> 00:16:18.870 And the more susceptible we are going we are to engaging in worldly activities in unhealthy ways. 00:16:21.110 --> 00:16:22.950 So here are some closing thoughts. 00:16:23.750 --> 00:16:39.669 To the extent that it will endanger you, that it will not endanger you, stay connected with friends and family, and stay engaged in your community because you might just be the support or help that someone needs. 00:16:40.950 --> 00:16:53.669 Keep reading, or start reading, the Lord's word to keep the Lord's word to keep your spiritual immunity up so that you can be there for people in their spirit in their difficult situations. 00:16:54.950 --> 00:17:00.149 Over the years, I've heard stories of people who weren't living their best life. 00:17:00.309 --> 00:17:11.190 And they got through to a better life thanks to other people who were there for them, sometimes with an abundance of kindness and understanding, and sometimes with some corrective instruction. 00:17:11.430 --> 00:17:13.029 And sometimes both. 00:17:32.390 --> 00:17:35.349 So let us now end with these words of Jesus. 00:17:35.829 --> 00:17:41.990 I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one. 00:17:42.710 --> 00:17:46.549 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 00:17:47.509 --> 00:17:49.990 Sanctify them by your truth. 00:17:50.789 --> 00:17:52.789 Your word is truth. 00:17:53.430 --> 00:17:54.069 Amen.