WEBVTT 00:00:31.600 --> 00:00:45.600 I pray that our hearts would learn to sing that very long more deeply, or that all the different areas and anxieties and fears that we have in our life for learn to trust you more and more deeper into this. 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:02.799 Or we are fearful or concerned. 00:01:04.079 --> 00:01:11.120 Some of us may be feeling confused about some of the issues, but Lord, I pray that we would see in your word this Lord that you are. 00:01:11.920 --> 00:01:13.920 You are good, you are God. 00:01:14.400 --> 00:01:16.079 We will take care of all of this. 00:01:16.239 --> 00:01:20.560 And when we take care of the gospel, Lord, I pray that we would learn to trust you in all of that. 00:01:20.959 --> 00:01:25.840 Father, continue to unite our church around these things and bring the glory to Jesus in all of it. 00:01:26.079 --> 00:01:27.920 Pray all in Christ's name. 00:01:28.799 --> 00:01:29.200 Amen. 00:01:29.359 --> 00:01:35.040 We'll go ahead and I'll grab a seat, just a couple of announcements for you. 00:01:35.120 --> 00:01:37.359 I know old school, we don't have a video announcements going today. 00:01:37.439 --> 00:01:39.359 Don't worry, those will come back for everybody's sake. 00:01:39.439 --> 00:01:41.200 It's better than hearing me talk about it. 00:01:41.519 --> 00:01:43.280 But a couple of things for you today. 00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:45.599 We have those, uh we have connection cards for you. 00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:47.840 We'll leave or not cards anymore, of course. 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:51.439 Uh, we've got QR codes, you'll see that on a couple of uh seats in front of you. 00:01:51.519 --> 00:02:00.400 You can scan that, and that is a really helpful way for us to be able to track with you this week and figure out what's going on in your life and pray for you and uh take care of any questions that you have. 00:02:00.480 --> 00:02:01.680 So please actually do that. 00:02:01.840 --> 00:02:02.879 That would be really helpful to us. 00:02:02.959 --> 00:02:04.079 It's a really important way. 00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:09.840 Um we want to care for you, we'd love to see more and more people, and by more and all people uh using that. 00:02:10.080 --> 00:02:16.080 We've got uh that you can fill out uh after the service in uh in the lobby as well. 00:02:16.319 --> 00:02:19.759 Okay, all of our uh giving uh is happening in two different ways. 00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:22.400 Uh either online you go into our website and do that. 00:02:22.560 --> 00:02:27.759 You can crack open uh the church center map on as well as you can give uh that way. 00:02:27.919 --> 00:02:29.120 Uh or you can give in person. 00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:34.000 We've got a box at the back here, and uh you can give if you uh prefer it that way. 00:02:34.080 --> 00:02:41.280 Uh multiple ways you can do e-transfers and all of that credibility funds you can give to all of those uh things for you to be able to give. 00:02:41.439 --> 00:02:44.479 And uh so appreciate uh you in doing that. 00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:52.800 And also I just want to make it uh really clear here uh as well that uh there's no pressure for you to give your guest with us here today. 00:02:52.879 --> 00:02:54.000 Uh just for God's here. 00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:55.039 We're glad you're here. 00:02:55.439 --> 00:02:59.120 We want you to be able to worship the Lord and uh to be able to focus on that. 00:02:59.199 --> 00:03:04.639 And so this is the way that our regular tendency members support their ministry uh here. 00:03:05.120 --> 00:03:10.080 Okay, online hair prayer meetings have been happening on Tuesday mornings all throughout the pandemic. 00:03:10.240 --> 00:03:13.120 Uh, it's one of my favorite times of the week. 00:03:13.199 --> 00:03:18.400 Uh, most certainly to gather with a number of leaders in our church to lift up our needs. 00:03:18.479 --> 00:03:21.039 Uh, it really sets the tone to the rest of my day and our week. 00:03:21.120 --> 00:03:26.479 And so I want to invite you to join us on now to be doing them on Zoom at the bright hour of 6 a.m. 00:03:26.719 --> 00:03:33.280 Uh kind of gets us to allow us to be able to do that before maybe we need to get the kids up and uh vet and to work and all of that. 00:03:33.360 --> 00:03:35.599 Uh so appreciate you uh joining us in that. 00:03:35.759 --> 00:03:37.280 We'd love to have you come. 00:03:37.680 --> 00:03:40.240 Okay, last thing before we get into God's word is an important one. 00:03:40.319 --> 00:03:44.479 We've got men's and women's industry starting up here uh in just the next couple of weeks. 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:46.639 And so we're gonna be doing this on Zoom. 00:03:46.719 --> 00:03:55.520 Uh, men's is gonna be on uh Thursday mornings starting October 14th, that's from 6 till 7, hard stop at 7 for the ladies. 00:03:55.599 --> 00:03:58.800 It's what we have in Saturday mornings at 8 a.m. 00:03:59.199 --> 00:04:00.319 also on Zoom. 00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:04.719 So if you were a part of what we did in the last iteration of this, the same schedule. 00:04:04.800 --> 00:04:09.520 Okay, Thursdays for the guys, Saturday mornings for uh the ladies. 00:04:09.680 --> 00:04:14.560 And so for both groups, though, even though we're doing this separately, we're both going to be working our way through the same book. 00:04:14.719 --> 00:04:19.120 So we're gonna be looking at instructing a child's heart by uh Ted Tripp. 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:20.720 I'm kind of laughing to myself. 00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:24.560 It seems that we only do books by Paul Tripp or his brother Ted in this church. 00:04:24.720 --> 00:04:30.639 It's probably not entirely true, but those guys have a lot of great things to say about how to get the gospel into the hearts of our kids. 00:04:31.040 --> 00:04:32.000 This is so key. 00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:48.000 My kids, our kids as a church, our families have been on my mind uh a lot over the last uh year or plus, uh helping them kind of work through things that are going on in the world as everything has changed, not only for us, but for them as well. 00:04:48.160 --> 00:04:59.360 And so as parents, uh, I would put my hand up and say, I have room to grow me in this, and so we invite all parents to sign up for this, order yourself a book, and then we're gonna be meeting. 00:04:59.439 --> 00:05:01.759 Okay, but also we're gonna say this, not just for parents. 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:07.040 Maybe you're gonna think, well, I'm single or I'm not married yet, or I'm a grandparent, so you're invited too. 00:05:07.120 --> 00:05:14.399 We would love to have you, uh grandparents, as they come alongside to support uh their kids and raising their grandkids, of course. 00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:23.279 And then uh young people, if they're single and you're thinking down the line at Lightchet Married, and have a child, this can get you ahead of the meeting and learning what that's all about. 00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:24.560 Again, so this is for everybody. 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:27.360 We would love to have you come and be a part of that. 00:05:27.680 --> 00:05:32.639 Alright, let's get our Bibles open to Psal 2 today. 00:05:32.879 --> 00:05:35.279 Psalm 2 is where we're going to be this morning. 00:05:35.360 --> 00:05:53.519 Uh, and as you are finding it, uh I remember once uh during recess uh when I was in grade 7, I think I was in grade seven, uh, my friends and I were playing football as we often did, tactical football courts in the old school days, and you could certainly do that uh at school. 00:05:53.600 --> 00:05:59.439 Um I remember after one of the plays, there was uh there were rows of sharp disagreements, you know, as a student scripture. 00:05:59.680 --> 00:06:09.680 There was one of those that happened at every one of the plays, and uh I remember um it was between myself, of course, and this other kid named Sean. 00:06:10.399 --> 00:06:20.800 Okay, and after kind of jerking each other a little bit, kind of informed about all of that, uh we basically dropped the glove, so to speak, and started a scrap. 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:21.360 Okay? 00:06:21.680 --> 00:06:28.480 And really what I mean by that is it turned into this wrestling match between the two of us right there on the field in the grass. 00:06:29.120 --> 00:06:38.240 Okay, well, before we knew it, uh our teacher actually happened to be on reset to me the other day, and him and I sean kind of wrestling, and my teacher, name was Mr. 00:06:38.399 --> 00:06:46.560 Little, and he came over and he just grabbed us and separated us and just angrily asked us, what are you guys doing? 00:06:46.720 --> 00:06:53.360 And then dragged us down to the principal's office before Sean and I really had a moment to react. 00:06:53.439 --> 00:06:56.160 But he gets us to the principal's office, same thing with Mr. 00:06:56.240 --> 00:06:56.560 Friesen. 00:06:56.879 --> 00:06:58.639 I can't even remember everybody's name. 00:06:59.040 --> 00:07:06.319 And he kind of pulls us into the office and says, These two were fighting, this is unacceptable, take care of it, and then he walks off and shuts the door. 00:07:06.480 --> 00:07:10.160 And so our principal is like, what seems to be the problem, John? 00:07:10.879 --> 00:07:17.279 And Sean and I, we kind of look at each other and we're like, it was a play function. 00:07:17.920 --> 00:07:22.079 Like we were we were actually smiling and laughing the entire time. 00:07:22.160 --> 00:07:29.759 I think Sean and I were giving each other like those fake punches that we were doing, and we were like, this has been blown way out of proportion here. 00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:35.040 We were not, we were not serious at all, which is actually uh the truth. 00:07:35.279 --> 00:07:36.879 Now that being said, all Mr. 00:07:37.120 --> 00:07:42.720 Little sees is two guys wrestling and so-called duking it out on the field. 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:46.800 Of course he had to come in, and of course he has to do something about that. 00:07:46.879 --> 00:07:54.879 And honestly, this kid Sean, he had a reputation for running pots and actually getting angry and upset. 00:07:54.959 --> 00:07:59.680 I remember seeing him swinging hockey sticks at kids during his three hockey games that couldn't be in his mind. 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:03.040 And so it was not unreasonable of Mr. 00:08:03.199 --> 00:08:06.319 Little to jump in here and uh and do this. 00:08:06.480 --> 00:08:14.639 But once we we talked and we worked it out with the principal, we realized okay, there's a misunderstanding here, and everyone kind of had different perspectives on this. 00:08:14.800 --> 00:08:22.800 Now, listen, the point is having the right perspective in a tense situation is so important. 00:08:24.240 --> 00:08:24.959 It really is. 00:08:25.120 --> 00:08:32.240 Now, I've been thinking about that a lot, often on here in recent days, is I just consider the world that we have to live in. 00:08:32.399 --> 00:08:32.639 Right? 00:08:32.799 --> 00:08:39.679 The world that we are in now, and how it just appears to be, you know, in a lot of different ways are they coming apart and scenes. 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:46.159 You look at it, you see what is happening in the US, you see what's happening here, Australia. 00:08:46.799 --> 00:08:48.240 That's the whole thing right now. 00:08:48.320 --> 00:08:56.559 Like you see all of this and politically, on all kinds of levels, uh, we look at it and we're like, it's not great. 00:08:56.799 --> 00:08:58.240 It's really not great. 00:08:58.559 --> 00:09:05.840 As Christians, though, it's so imperative that you and I learn to keep our wits about us. 00:09:06.559 --> 00:09:09.279 You recognize how important that is for us? 00:09:09.759 --> 00:09:20.879 That we embrace a biblical perspective or mindset or attitude or posture towards all of these things as we look out on them. 00:09:21.039 --> 00:09:23.279 Having the right perspective is so key. 00:09:23.519 --> 00:09:31.840 And it's fun too, for me, over the last year or plus, has been so helpful as I've sought to think clearly. 00:09:32.240 --> 00:09:40.720 As I have tried to stay sane, even in some of this, or remain hopeful and anchored the truth throughout everything that we're seeing. 00:09:40.879 --> 00:09:46.240 I just love the perspective that we find here in this passage. 00:09:46.320 --> 00:09:52.159 And so I want to just read that now, and then we'll jump into our thing. 00:09:52.240 --> 00:09:53.120 Okay, here's what it says. 00:09:53.200 --> 00:09:57.120 It says, Why do the nations rage and the peoples flight in vain? 00:09:57.759 --> 00:10:11.360 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us. 00:10:13.120 --> 00:10:15.600 He who sits in the heavens, laughs. 00:10:16.480 --> 00:10:28.480 The Lord holds them in derision, that he will speak to them in his wrath and terrify them in his fury, saying, As for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill. 00:10:33.440 --> 00:10:35.120 We've got two points right here today. 00:10:35.200 --> 00:10:36.399 Uh here's the first thing. 00:10:36.559 --> 00:10:40.639 How to have the right perspective when the world is coming apart. 00:10:41.039 --> 00:10:42.559 I think it's important that we look at that. 00:10:42.720 --> 00:10:43.519 Here's the first thing. 00:10:44.080 --> 00:10:49.039 We've got to accept that governments behave badly and persecution will come. 00:10:49.519 --> 00:10:50.480 We've got to accept that. 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:54.879 When I say accept that, I don't mean that we should like it. 00:10:56.240 --> 00:11:02.240 I don't think that we should agree with it, you know, with the immorality of it when that happens. 00:11:02.399 --> 00:11:16.639 What I'm getting at, though, is that on some level, we do need to learn how to live with the reality that these things are just part of life for those of us who live in a fallen world, which is every single one of us. 00:11:16.799 --> 00:11:17.039 Right? 00:11:17.120 --> 00:11:18.080 It's true. 00:11:18.879 --> 00:11:32.240 It's important that you and I grow in godliness and in maturity through these things so that we're not just bent out of shape all the time about what we're seeing, whether what's happening, one way or another. 00:11:32.399 --> 00:11:35.200 No matter what that bent-out of shape tends to look like. 00:11:35.519 --> 00:11:38.399 Okay, so let's look at that through these six verses again. 00:11:38.480 --> 00:11:43.200 I think the old song's great, but looking at the first six, look at verse one says. 00:11:43.519 --> 00:11:50.240 It says, Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain, or scheme in vain? 00:11:51.279 --> 00:11:55.279 Okay, that this psalm starts off with the question, right? 00:11:55.679 --> 00:11:55.919 Why? 00:11:56.240 --> 00:11:57.360 Why is this happening? 00:11:57.679 --> 00:12:03.919 It helps us understand the tone of what's being said here. 00:12:04.559 --> 00:12:22.480 Okay, that you and I, that we would survey the landscape of our world, that we would look at the government and any decisions being made or whatever, or the various injustices that we've seen happening out in culture and ask, why is this, why is this happening? 00:12:23.039 --> 00:12:28.879 I think this is just a very common and natural part of the human experience. 00:12:29.759 --> 00:12:32.080 We would look out on that and be like, what is going on? 00:12:32.240 --> 00:12:35.360 Again, fairly standard, especially scriptures. 00:12:36.320 --> 00:12:44.159 After all, we have a very strong sense, I think, of right and wrong, of truth and error. 00:12:44.399 --> 00:12:49.679 We should have a very, very, again, strong sense of love and hate. 00:12:50.399 --> 00:12:58.639 We of all people should have a, I think, a pretty good handle on these things, which have very strong passions and convictions about all of it. 00:12:59.120 --> 00:13:10.639 When you and I see evil and we see injustices and we see corruption in the world, it should naturally provoke displeasure within us. 00:13:11.360 --> 00:13:13.679 We shouldn't feel that way. 00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:28.000 There's a senselessness to the world's rejection of God and the things of God that you and I are right to be bothered by. 00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:31.919 To not be bothered by anything, that's actually a problem. 00:13:34.639 --> 00:13:39.840 It's the rejection of God that lies at the root of the world's rebellion here. 00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:42.639 Take a look at verse 2. 00:13:42.960 --> 00:13:45.279 He says the kings of earth. 00:13:49.039 --> 00:13:53.759 There's really the word governments of any kind and politicians, all of that. 00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:57.120 The kings of earth set themselves. 00:13:57.440 --> 00:14:05.600 And it set themselves, meaning that they're digging in their heels, that there's a certain obstinate within them to their approach. 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:27.679 If you see the uniting of leaders in their rebellion and in their philosophies and the different ways that they go about politicking and leaning, they take counsel together against who? 00:14:27.840 --> 00:14:39.279 Well look, against the Lord, against his anointed, saying, Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us. 00:15:04.720 --> 00:15:09.840 Saul and then David have been anointed by the Lord. 00:15:10.080 --> 00:15:10.559 Remember that? 00:15:10.799 --> 00:15:19.279 Anointed by the Lord as king over Israel, king over Israel, and anointed by Samuel, who's a human being in that. 00:15:19.840 --> 00:15:23.840 And so David is the one that these verses are immediately referring to. 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:29.519 And so we know, we've read many of the Psalms before, we know that he faced all kinds of political problems. 00:15:39.679 --> 00:15:42.879 And there was all kinds of bad things going on. 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:50.000 That being said, understand that this passage is also messianic. 00:15:50.240 --> 00:15:54.240 It's prophetic and that points ahead to Jesus Christ. 00:15:54.720 --> 00:16:06.080 And in the tyranny of Christ himself, remember, as the Lord's anointed, with face on a bunch of different levels, on a political level, certainly, in his days of the man of Rome. 00:16:06.559 --> 00:16:09.840 And in the Jewish leaders as well, which we've got a mix. 00:16:10.159 --> 00:16:16.559 We don't have Pilate, Herod, I mean, they absolutely are absolutely killed Christ. 00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:29.919 And we know that it's referring prophetically to Jesus and how the early church quoted Psalm 2 as they gathered together after being persecuted and prayed these very words in Acts chapter 4. 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:31.679 We looked at that a number of months ago. 00:16:53.039 --> 00:16:58.799 It was against the Lord, against his anointed Messiah, Jesus Christ, first and foremost. 00:17:00.320 --> 00:17:03.519 But of course, it was something that spilled over into their lives. 00:17:04.079 --> 00:17:09.759 It was something that they were targeted and they were harassed simply for being followers of Jesus. 00:17:11.359 --> 00:17:15.519 So understand this: that the government's behaving badly. 00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:26.960 Persecution against the Lord and his people is something that's always been a part of life, one way or another, for Christians and for the church. 00:17:27.279 --> 00:17:30.400 And it always will be on some level. 00:17:30.880 --> 00:17:37.359 We will and certainly face this right up until the time Christ returns. 00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:42.000 Now, Christians in Canada, I don't think this is a surprise for anybody to hear this. 00:17:42.480 --> 00:17:46.480 We've come through a prolonged period of peace. 00:17:47.200 --> 00:17:53.839 A prolonged period of religious freedoms that we've been able to enjoy, and it's been great. 00:17:54.319 --> 00:18:04.960 Now, I know there's maybe a downside, I can easily argue that those peace, those freedoms have kind of made the church a little bit spiritually fat and lazy. 00:18:05.200 --> 00:18:07.680 Maybe we're not as fired up as we should be. 00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:14.079 Maybe we've embraced too much of the world's philosophies and the world's things that they go after. 00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:34.160 So those days of peace and the freedoms that we've been able to enjoy, they seem to be starting to turn. 00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:53.279 Now, in our current political climate in Canada, I know there's been lots of debate among evangelicals as to as to whether what we're facing as a church in the days of COVID specifically could even rightly be late in this persecution. 00:18:54.880 --> 00:18:59.039 You've got some people who want to label everything persecution. 00:18:59.279 --> 00:19:06.799 Everything is against the church, it's mass, it's social distancing, it's those lame flexi glass things we had up between people. 00:19:13.839 --> 00:19:25.119 And to be sure though, whenever the government begins to wade into matters of the church and how we should function and how we should operate, I mean it should raise our eyebrows. 00:19:26.400 --> 00:19:29.200 Look back on history, that doesn't seem to go very well. 00:19:31.599 --> 00:19:40.000 Let's also remember here that nowhere in Scripture are we promised that we're going to have freedom of religious rights to lean into. 00:19:43.359 --> 00:19:46.160 We seem to have that at the moment, kind of. 00:19:46.720 --> 00:19:48.880 But we're not promised that we're always going to. 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:05.759 Meanwhile, you literally have a couple of pastors in Canada who spent time in prison. 00:20:07.039 --> 00:20:14.240 For their convictions around meeting and gathering and the biblical mandates that like they're not there. 00:20:14.960 --> 00:20:24.079 And so it would seem to me anyway that maybe some of our definitions of what persecution is is maybe slightly too narrow sometimes. 00:20:24.799 --> 00:20:26.480 Maybe it's too wide. 00:20:27.519 --> 00:20:39.519 And obviously, the most recent and current situation we're all kind of facing right now, and it's kind of looming and it's coming towards us is the whole vaccine passport mandate. 00:20:40.319 --> 00:20:45.039 And so, you know, very quickly, I'll try to give you my personal sort of take on this. 00:20:45.119 --> 00:20:46.559 I think it's very simple. 00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:50.480 Hey, I'm not anti-vaxx, I'm not pro-vax. 00:20:52.000 --> 00:20:54.240 I would be pro-informed consent. 00:20:54.799 --> 00:20:57.440 Hey, and everyone should be able to make the choice. 00:20:57.599 --> 00:21:04.079 Everyone should be able to look and kind of go through research and decide, is this going to be the best thing for me and my family? 00:21:04.319 --> 00:21:06.000 Or is it not? 00:21:06.160 --> 00:21:07.920 Like that's that's what I would be for. 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:08.880 That's what I am pro. 00:21:09.599 --> 00:21:13.359 Let's have a choice to be able to do this or not do this. 00:21:13.839 --> 00:21:20.240 And what I would be anti, what I would be against is the coercion that I think we're seeing. 00:21:20.480 --> 00:21:24.079 You know, people being forced, they're gonna lose their job if they don't do this. 00:21:24.559 --> 00:21:28.160 And this is being rammed down our throat all the time. 00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:28.799 It's tyranny. 00:21:28.880 --> 00:21:32.640 I don't have to be against the tyranny of all of that. 00:21:33.599 --> 00:21:37.599 Now maybe you hear me talking about this, and why isn't we waiting for this? 00:21:39.440 --> 00:21:39.680 Right? 00:21:39.839 --> 00:21:41.119 There's laughter. 00:21:44.720 --> 00:21:49.440 Listen, I just believe it's important that Christians take carefully at all. 00:21:52.240 --> 00:21:54.000 Take carefully, I wisdom. 00:21:54.640 --> 00:21:57.359 They have a retrospective on the acronym. 00:21:58.160 --> 00:22:04.480 And also has this very Issue is going to spill over into the church at some point very soon. 00:22:04.960 --> 00:22:12.000 There's already plenty of whispers that the Canadian government will soon make Vax passports mandatory to attend church event. 00:22:12.960 --> 00:22:23.200 In fact, just the other week, the Gospel Coalition, which many of you would be familiar with, was urging churches themselves to enforce Vaxi passports. 00:22:23.759 --> 00:22:28.799 Which I don't know about you, but that doesn't apply with me. 00:22:29.279 --> 00:22:30.559 It really doesn't. 00:22:36.559 --> 00:22:53.440 Or all of it is, or you're kind of like me, you're somewhere sort of in the middle, you're wrestling with the tension of this, and you know, wanting to obey our leaders, and yet seeing that some of this stuff, a lot of this stuff doesn't need to pass the snip test, and there's that tension and that turmoil in your soul a little bit. 00:22:55.519 --> 00:23:01.680 The point is again, we're gonna have the right perspective. 00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:04.000 We really are. 00:23:05.440 --> 00:23:08.319 Whether you believe it all is persecution or not. 00:23:08.480 --> 00:23:11.200 The point is that persecution is certainly coming, isn't it? 00:23:11.440 --> 00:23:12.720 One way or the other. 00:23:12.960 --> 00:23:14.319 If it hasn't already. 00:23:14.880 --> 00:23:16.720 We can set our watches to that. 00:23:16.880 --> 00:23:27.920 And it'll look, it'll look maybe like some of the things that we're going to be censored happening, maybe some stuff will come out of that field, not really sure, but at the end of the day, governments, we know this already, they have a track record throughout history of being corrupt. 00:23:28.880 --> 00:23:34.880 They have a track record throughout history of behaving, or these worship citizens, and Christians in particular. 00:23:35.440 --> 00:23:38.799 And the stage is being set for more of it. 00:23:38.960 --> 00:23:43.440 And while it's ultimately against the Lord, guess who's going to be the target? 00:23:44.480 --> 00:23:45.759 It's you and I. 00:23:47.440 --> 00:24:00.000 A big part of having the right perspective when the world comes apart and the shrapnel's hitting us from all sides here is to acknowledge and accept that this is exactly what the Lord shows us will happen. 00:24:00.240 --> 00:24:00.480 Right? 00:24:01.119 --> 00:24:05.119 Somehow be in this place where we can just, okay, this is what the Lord says. 00:24:05.599 --> 00:24:07.519 I've got to somehow roll with this. 00:24:07.839 --> 00:24:10.400 Again, we don't like it, we don't celebrate it. 00:24:10.640 --> 00:24:15.039 We don't villainize and cannibalize each other's viewpoints along the way. 00:24:15.200 --> 00:24:18.799 I've really tried really hard to be careful of. 00:24:18.960 --> 00:24:19.200 Right? 00:24:19.680 --> 00:24:22.240 Church unity, the unity of the church is so important. 00:24:23.599 --> 00:24:26.160 To Jesus, it should be important to us as well. 00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:31.759 And we should separate and rip each other from different viewpoints that we may have. 00:24:31.839 --> 00:24:35.039 I recognize not everyone's going to agree with my viewpoint. 00:24:35.279 --> 00:24:37.359 I'm not going to agree with all of yours. 00:24:37.599 --> 00:24:39.119 But we're the church. 00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:42.480 Yes, hold together and love each other through all of this. 00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:48.079 Unless we also don't put our hope in the government, being our Savior. 00:24:48.720 --> 00:24:50.960 How many times have I talked to people? 00:24:51.279 --> 00:24:56.000 Friends, neighbors, relatives, who are just like, man, I think the government's going to figure this out too. 00:24:57.279 --> 00:24:58.880 You're right to laugh. 00:25:00.079 --> 00:25:04.079 Pretty soon I think we're about to get back to the normal. 00:25:04.480 --> 00:25:04.720 Right? 00:25:04.880 --> 00:25:06.400 Don't put your hope in that. 00:25:06.799 --> 00:25:08.960 Don't do it, our eyes key on Christ. 00:25:09.839 --> 00:25:11.200 Jesus alone. 00:25:11.680 --> 00:25:16.880 And we're going to get to that more in a second and start getting some of this hope stuff for our souls. 00:25:17.119 --> 00:25:28.160 Before we do, I want to share with you what I think I kind of recognize as five hormone perspectives that you and I should resist as we live in a world that's coming apart. 00:25:28.640 --> 00:25:34.319 And for you, you might have one or more of these, maybe you flip-flop back and forth between them. 00:25:34.480 --> 00:25:42.240 But these are some that I have certainly seen as I've kind of looked, you've been a little retrospective in my own life and talked to many people. 00:25:42.319 --> 00:25:43.920 But here's the first one here. 00:25:44.319 --> 00:25:46.720 Constant frustration in my soul. 00:25:46.960 --> 00:25:47.279 Right? 00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:49.119 This is me, my hands up. 00:25:49.440 --> 00:25:53.119 Constantly like triggered, constantly annoying. 00:25:53.839 --> 00:25:56.000 And I realize this is not helping. 00:25:56.400 --> 00:25:58.319 I can't stay like this forever. 00:25:58.880 --> 00:26:05.440 It's not good for me to be perpetually angsty in my soul. 00:26:06.240 --> 00:26:15.200 You know, I think there's you know the government and mainstream media certainly doesn't help in all of this, and they're shoving one narrative down our throat all the time. 00:26:15.519 --> 00:26:26.000 And as I rethink, and as you see things and read things and hear stuff and do research, this isn't, this doesn't seem to be lining up with what's true, and that frustration can foil. 00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:29.599 Perhaps you know what I'm talking about. 00:26:29.680 --> 00:26:30.880 Oh, that's harmful though. 00:26:31.039 --> 00:26:33.839 It's a harmful perspective, you're just constantly frustrated. 00:26:33.920 --> 00:26:37.839 You're just like fear-driven in my decision making. 00:26:38.240 --> 00:26:40.480 This is also harmful. 00:26:41.039 --> 00:26:54.720 Maybe for you, you're watching those cringy government commercials that are forcing you to get vaccinated, or you're listening to a lot of global news and CBC and just the mainstream media, and it's got you all anxious. 00:26:54.960 --> 00:27:03.759 And we'd be fearful of COVID, and we need to be terrified of all of this stuff, and it's causing dread and depression maybe, and making you make decisions based out of fear. 00:27:03.920 --> 00:27:05.200 That's fucking either. 00:27:06.559 --> 00:27:07.519 Is that where we were at? 00:27:07.759 --> 00:27:09.119 Fear-driven in our decision. 00:27:09.200 --> 00:27:10.880 Maybe Christians are not to be fearful. 00:27:11.200 --> 00:27:12.240 Purity, stop. 00:27:12.640 --> 00:27:13.200 End of story. 00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:14.160 We're not be fearful. 00:27:14.240 --> 00:27:15.920 We're not be driven by that. 00:27:16.880 --> 00:27:21.359 About anchoring our hope and our and our emotions to the Lord. 00:27:21.519 --> 00:27:22.559 Here's a good point. 00:27:23.119 --> 00:27:25.759 About confusion in my understanding of facts. 00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:28.160 I'm sure we've all felt that way. 00:27:28.400 --> 00:27:28.640 Right? 00:27:28.799 --> 00:27:31.759 Confused, like when we hear one thing and then hear another thing. 00:27:31.920 --> 00:27:37.039 And they seem to be opposed to each other, and we're like, what am I supposed to believe? 00:27:37.759 --> 00:27:41.279 How am I supposed to chart my way through all of this? 00:27:41.440 --> 00:27:44.000 Again, mainstream media, not helpful. 00:27:44.720 --> 00:27:46.160 It's confusing. 00:27:46.799 --> 00:27:50.960 And confusion, I don't want to say that the initial parts of confusion are wrong. 00:27:51.200 --> 00:27:51.519 It's not. 00:27:51.599 --> 00:27:55.759 But to just throw ourselves, you know, our hands up and say, well, I guess I can always be confused. 00:27:55.920 --> 00:27:58.000 And be willing to live in that place of confusion. 00:27:58.240 --> 00:28:00.160 That's not a healthy perspective. 00:28:00.400 --> 00:28:02.079 We can do some research. 00:28:02.400 --> 00:28:05.920 We can look into some of the facts and figures and the evidence. 00:28:06.799 --> 00:28:10.480 Confusion is a place where we're all evolving from time to time. 00:28:10.720 --> 00:28:12.400 Well, let's not just stay there. 00:28:13.359 --> 00:28:17.920 Here's a fourth, I think, armiable perspective versus. 00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:21.119 Ignorance in my awareness of the issues. 00:28:22.000 --> 00:28:25.359 Ignorance is not a good thing, but we think it can be. 00:28:25.599 --> 00:28:28.720 Sometimes we live in this ignorance is bliss, type place. 00:28:29.599 --> 00:28:33.279 And maybe you talk to people who just team like, they have no clue what's going on anymore. 00:28:33.759 --> 00:28:37.440 There's like, ah, they're just kind of going about their business and kind of doing their thing. 00:28:37.599 --> 00:28:39.599 Part of us probably weird because we like that too. 00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:41.119 Yeah, that'd be a lot easier. 00:28:41.279 --> 00:28:42.480 Probably sleep at night. 00:28:42.960 --> 00:28:43.599 Right? 00:28:43.839 --> 00:28:45.759 But staying ignorant isn't helpful. 00:28:45.839 --> 00:28:47.440 We're not to be ignorant as Christians. 00:28:47.839 --> 00:28:48.720 You should know what's going on. 00:28:48.799 --> 00:28:52.319 You should interact with some of the issues that are taking place. 00:28:52.960 --> 00:29:02.000 Again, remember Christians, I think why Christians have struggled with this throughout the last year or two is because we generally are about truth, aren't we? 00:29:02.480 --> 00:29:04.319 We're about what is true. 00:29:04.880 --> 00:29:05.440 What is real? 00:29:06.160 --> 00:29:08.720 We look for facts, we look for evidence. 00:29:08.960 --> 00:29:12.000 Why do many of us believe the Bible as adults? 00:29:12.240 --> 00:29:15.440 Hopefully not just because mom and dad told us to. 00:29:18.559 --> 00:29:26.319 I'm not saying we shouldn't tell our kids to believe in this, but as we get older, you know, and our faith is being tested and for it to become real. 00:29:26.400 --> 00:29:29.920 We need to look at the evidence that supports the Bible's claims. 00:29:30.079 --> 00:29:34.480 I believe the Bible not just because I've gone to church since I was a kid. 00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:40.640 But because I've looked through some of this and speaking to the evidence to support the facts of the scriptures. 00:29:40.799 --> 00:29:41.839 And it's true. 00:29:42.079 --> 00:29:43.759 That's why I believe it. 00:29:44.319 --> 00:29:55.359 And so I think that's that's maybe where many of us are at, and so I think we can look for that with evidence when it comes to some of the things that we're being told these days. 00:29:55.440 --> 00:29:57.599 Even the challenges of our presupposition. 00:29:58.240 --> 00:30:01.519 We're not looking for like people's opinions here in this way, right? 00:30:01.680 --> 00:30:04.400 We're looking for whole heart attacks. 00:30:07.119 --> 00:30:13.200 And then here's the last one, the fifth one, harmful perspective, complacent in my attitude towards reality. 00:30:14.880 --> 00:30:18.000 Maybe this is kind of where we were tempted to get sometimes. 00:30:18.160 --> 00:30:29.759 Get frustrated, we're fearful, we start to do some dating, we find some facts to support our position, where we were we were confused, maybe we know how we feel confused, and in the end we're just like, forget, I don't have any care. 00:30:29.920 --> 00:30:33.839 I'm complacent now, I'm kind of jaded about the whole thing. 00:30:34.559 --> 00:30:36.480 Like that, who cares type attitude? 00:30:36.720 --> 00:30:38.240 That doesn't fly. 00:30:38.960 --> 00:30:41.680 That's how we have the right attitude to have aspirations. 00:30:42.000 --> 00:30:43.039 Be complacent. 00:30:43.359 --> 00:30:45.119 No, we should be passionate. 00:30:45.519 --> 00:30:48.319 Should be passionate for truth, should be passionate for people. 00:30:49.359 --> 00:30:50.799 Not complacent in all of this. 00:30:50.960 --> 00:30:58.799 So these are all perspectives that you know, if you say it's one or worthy only for our souls these days, we need to bring to the word. 00:30:59.440 --> 00:31:13.200 We need to lift up our souls to the word and ask him to meet us there by his Holy Spirit, the truth of the scriptures, so we can find our hope and our stability and our peace in him. 00:31:14.640 --> 00:31:18.480 This next thing here I think really helps us with that. 00:31:18.720 --> 00:31:21.839 How to have the right perspective when the world is coming apart. 00:31:22.640 --> 00:31:27.440 Know that the Lord will laugh at the nonsense and deals with it. 00:31:28.079 --> 00:31:28.880 It's good. 00:31:29.599 --> 00:31:34.640 I think that this verse right here is personally one of my all-time favorites in the entire Bible. 00:31:34.720 --> 00:31:35.680 I think it's amazing, right? 00:31:38.559 --> 00:31:53.519 Nations are raging, people are plotting and fame, you've got evil leaders taking counsel and coming together and setting themselves against the Lord, against Jesus, against Christians, against their against society, and then you've got this here, verse 4. 00:31:53.920 --> 00:31:56.960 He who sits in the heavens laughs. 00:31:58.000 --> 00:31:59.519 He laughs, how good is that? 00:31:59.680 --> 00:32:06.319 The Lord holds them in derision and says, I don't know about how they use the word derision in a regular sentence. 00:32:06.480 --> 00:32:08.720 Um, me not at all, probably. 00:32:08.799 --> 00:32:10.559 But it literally means to mock. 00:32:11.359 --> 00:32:14.319 It means to mock or ritual. 00:32:15.680 --> 00:32:16.480 How good is that? 00:32:16.640 --> 00:32:17.440 Make no mistake. 00:32:17.519 --> 00:32:22.720 The Lord is laughing at and mocking the holes that they're going against them. 00:32:23.839 --> 00:32:27.039 Then I don't know about even handsome worship. 00:32:27.519 --> 00:32:29.599 But I think we're like this. 00:32:29.920 --> 00:32:32.240 I think that's I think that's the enhanced way. 00:32:32.480 --> 00:32:40.799 And I think we see that that number that ability will start a number of mics from the scriptures. 00:32:41.200 --> 00:32:53.200 When you think about the line, when the home physical battle is a high money, and then all the problems will and then all the time is the problem that comes in. 00:32:54.559 --> 00:32:57.920 This all the time is a lot of these journal. 00:32:58.640 --> 00:32:58.799 Right? 00:32:58.960 --> 00:33:00.079 He's just staying in the background. 00:33:00.240 --> 00:33:01.279 Maybe he can hear you. 00:33:01.359 --> 00:33:02.880 Maybe your company can hear you. 00:33:03.039 --> 00:33:05.200 Perhaps he's believing himself. 00:33:05.920 --> 00:33:07.519 That's an everyday church. 00:33:09.119 --> 00:33:14.880 That he keeps mocking them and just sarcastic all of that that I think is so appropriate and good. 00:33:15.200 --> 00:33:20.720 We know that Paul was sarcastic to the Judaism and Galatians. 00:33:21.359 --> 00:33:23.599 It's a circumcision crowd. 00:33:24.079 --> 00:33:30.000 They have to go through exactly what he said today, but go back and read it again, hilarious. 00:33:30.640 --> 00:33:31.920 Very sarcastic to you. 00:33:32.240 --> 00:33:33.519 I mean, Jesus himself. 00:33:34.480 --> 00:33:39.119 Use appropriate sarcasm and he poked at the Pharisees. 00:33:39.519 --> 00:33:41.599 He poked at the Sadducees. 00:33:41.839 --> 00:33:43.440 Do you not read the scriptures? 00:33:43.599 --> 00:33:44.960 Have you not read them? 00:33:45.200 --> 00:33:46.720 Well, what works they read them. 00:33:46.799 --> 00:33:48.480 There are professionals at United. 00:33:49.359 --> 00:33:50.240 He's poking after. 00:33:55.519 --> 00:34:00.640 And so he's looking after the arrogance and the pride of those leaders. 00:34:01.440 --> 00:34:08.000 And in this type of idea of laughing, mockery, that's why I think there's so much room for like a Babylon Musical world. 00:34:09.599 --> 00:34:16.320 If you're not following Babylon B and you're kind of going crazy with everything in the reading and seeing, you are missing out on like deep soul care. 00:34:18.320 --> 00:34:20.559 You've got to reread that stuff, all of them. 00:34:21.280 --> 00:34:22.159 They're just poking. 00:34:22.800 --> 00:34:23.519 They're just torching. 00:34:23.679 --> 00:34:24.960 It's hilarious. 00:34:25.360 --> 00:34:25.679 Right? 00:34:25.760 --> 00:34:26.639 It really is. 00:34:28.159 --> 00:34:35.760 Because I think it's so important that we learn to keep our sense of humor a little bit as the world appears to burn around us. 00:34:36.320 --> 00:34:46.480