WEBVTT 00:00:01.520 --> 00:00:04.080 Welcome to the Awakening Church podcast. 00:00:04.240 --> 00:00:08.960 We pray this message encourages you and provides the hope and light of Jesus Christ. 00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:10.640 Thanks for tuning in. 00:00:12.800 --> 00:00:18.399 We've been in a series called Not Your Ordinary Church Service. 00:00:19.199 --> 00:00:23.199 Asking, what does a not ordinary church service look like? 00:00:23.280 --> 00:00:38.320 And after a year plus of not being able to gather, of not being able to do this in person, and for those who aren't yet quite comfortable, we can't wait for you here and grateful that you get to uh at least be with us, you know, in spirit and online. 00:00:40.159 --> 00:00:46.000 But but don't you want to move beyond just kind of the ordinary after not being able to gather for so long? 00:00:46.479 --> 00:00:59.840 And and really go, okay, what would it look like if we were the people of God gathering together to meet with God, to have a fresh encounter from Jesus, and then we move out into our world on behalf of our Savior? 00:01:00.159 --> 00:01:02.799 Like that's the type of church I want to be a part of. 00:01:02.960 --> 00:01:06.959 That's the type of church Jesus dreams for the Silicon Valley. 00:01:07.120 --> 00:01:11.200 And so we've been asking, what does a not ordinary church service look like? 00:01:11.359 --> 00:01:28.079 The first week we we did a series, uh title of the sermon is called Cool Socks, if you remember that, and just talked about that we need new wineskin for the new work that Jesus is doing, that there's some structures and some habits of the way we're going about church that we need to change. 00:01:28.159 --> 00:01:37.920 And then last week we're actually literally talking through the church service, like what we do, worship and preaching, the community and uh communion and all of those things. 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:42.159 So last week we talked about worship, the afterglow. 00:01:42.560 --> 00:01:50.719 Like what would it look like if we moved from a church with just you know worship music to a church filled with passionate worshipers? 00:01:50.959 --> 00:01:53.920 That we'd become that type of church. 00:01:54.239 --> 00:01:58.560 This morning, the sermon title is called In One Ear. 00:01:58.799 --> 00:02:01.280 We're talking about preaching and teaching and the word of God. 00:02:01.439 --> 00:02:06.239 Would you go ahead and say that to your neighbor in one ear, turn to them and say, in one ear. 00:02:07.519 --> 00:02:10.159 And it went out the other ear, didn't it? 00:02:10.319 --> 00:02:14.560 Um, and that's kind of that's kind of like what happens with sermons, right? 00:02:14.719 --> 00:02:20.159 Ryan, you you spend 30 hours or so on a sermon and we come and listen to it and it went in one ear. 00:02:20.240 --> 00:02:29.360 And if I didn't recap the last two weeks, you may not have even known what we talked about for two weeks, because it just sometimes goes in one ear, doesn't it? 00:02:29.520 --> 00:02:32.000 And then out the other. 00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:37.520 And the question is really, why do we sit under the preaching of the word of God? 00:02:37.919 --> 00:02:39.280 We gather together, right? 00:02:39.520 --> 00:02:41.120 We can podcast this, right? 00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:45.759 Why do we sit under the preaching of the word of God together? 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:53.680 You know, a few weeks ago, I saw right before we're going on vacation, I got this Amazon alert. 00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:56.639 You get this, like what packages are arriving at your house? 00:02:56.800 --> 00:02:59.919 And I saw my wife Jenny ordered this book, right? 00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:04.159 And I saw the title of the book and said, She doesn't need this. 00:03:04.319 --> 00:03:05.840 Why did she order this book? 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:07.280 This is silliness. 00:03:07.599 --> 00:03:12.319 And then uh right as we're headed to vacation, she hands me a book. 00:03:13.919 --> 00:03:16.400 I'm like, wait a second, that book was for me. 00:03:16.960 --> 00:03:27.120 And the minute I read the title yet again, I was deeply offended that she saw this book, ordered it on Amazon, and thought, man, my husband could really use this book. 00:03:27.280 --> 00:03:36.639 The title of the book right here is uh Younger Next Year, live strict live strong, fit, sexy, and smart until you're 80 and beyond. 00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:46.240 I turned 40 this year, but I'm not exactly sure what my wife is thinking or what I actually maybe am needing. 00:03:46.319 --> 00:03:48.560 The opening line begins this way. 00:03:48.960 --> 00:03:59.039 So look, you're 53, 58, somewhere in there, great guy, pretty successful, good energy, you're a serious man in a serious life. 00:03:59.199 --> 00:04:01.599 And besides that, you're in decent shape, thank God. 00:04:01.840 --> 00:04:03.280 Solid, weakened athlete. 00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:07.280 Well, fairly solid, maybe a little overweight, and a bikesman in the garage a little. 00:04:07.599 --> 00:04:10.080 Like, why did you get me this book? 00:04:10.639 --> 00:04:12.080 Unbelievable. 00:04:13.439 --> 00:04:20.959 Now, to be fair, my wife was listening to a podcast by uh Rebecca and Gabe Lyons, and Gabe said, Man, his mentor gave him this book. 00:04:21.040 --> 00:04:23.439 He loves it, and he recommends this book. 00:04:23.600 --> 00:04:30.800 And so on vacation, I started reading it, and though deeply offended, soon became very fond of it. 00:04:30.959 --> 00:04:32.959 I was like, I love this book, this is awesome. 00:04:33.120 --> 00:04:35.600 I started telling friends about it, offending them. 00:04:35.680 --> 00:04:37.040 I'm like, no, you need this. 00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:39.680 Hello, uh, this is good for you. 00:04:39.839 --> 00:04:44.800 Um, and now I am a fan, and so you come up afterwards, I'll get you. 00:04:45.279 --> 00:04:46.800 This is my copy, you can't have it. 00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:48.399 Uh, there, younger next year. 00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:52.959 But here's the question like, why do we sit under this book and not this book? 00:04:53.199 --> 00:05:01.040 Or why do why, you know, this isn't on Sunday a book club where we just kind of choose whatever book we want or whatever is going on? 00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:06.319 Why do we sit under the teaching and the preaching of one particular book? 00:05:06.560 --> 00:05:07.839 This is a good book. 00:05:08.079 --> 00:05:10.240 Why do we sit under this book? 00:05:10.560 --> 00:05:11.920 And how do we move? 00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:12.800 This is where I want to go. 00:05:12.879 --> 00:05:14.560 This is what I believe God has for us. 00:05:14.720 --> 00:05:16.720 This is the not ordinary. 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:23.040 How do we move from being informed about God to being deeply formed by God? 00:05:24.240 --> 00:05:31.439 How do we move from coming and gathering new tidbits of information, things that titulate our intellect? 00:05:31.680 --> 00:05:37.040 Maybe something that you can post or somehow, you know, impress a friend with? 00:05:37.360 --> 00:05:45.120 We would never do that, but how do we be deeply formed by God, not just simply informed? 00:05:46.160 --> 00:05:54.720 Well, to do this, I want to pick up a time when the Israelites had a regathering of a church service, if you will. 00:05:54.879 --> 00:05:59.199 If you have your Bible, would you open up to Nehemiah chapter 8? 00:05:59.360 --> 00:06:01.519 And it was this regathering here. 00:06:01.600 --> 00:06:08.800 Uh, and let me give you a little bit of background and the context of why they're regathering and this particular worship service. 00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:21.120 Uh the people of Israel, um, typically uh more technically Judah, uh, they were uh conquered and taken into captivity by the Babylonians in 586 BC. 00:06:21.360 --> 00:06:34.959 Uh Babylon comes against Jerusalem, sieges the city, uh, they tear down the walls, they destroy the temple, they take all of the best and brightest of the land into captivity to Babylon. 00:06:35.199 --> 00:06:41.600 And here is where Israel is for 70 years living in Babylon as exiles. 00:06:41.759 --> 00:06:52.879 And then under uh Babylon gets conquered, and so under the new uh reigning uh empire, the plan is okay, how do I bring stability and peace? 00:06:53.040 --> 00:06:57.759 I'm gonna begin to send all these people who are disgruntled in my kingdom back, they'll like me better. 00:06:57.920 --> 00:07:04.079 And so he begins to send people back, and Israel begins to make their way back to Jerusalem. 00:07:04.319 --> 00:07:09.040 Zerubbabel is the first leader to take some of the exiles back to Jerusalem. 00:07:09.120 --> 00:07:13.199 And he bring comes back and they rebuild the temple of God. 00:07:13.519 --> 00:07:29.759 And then another guy quite a few years later, named Ezra, he's a priest, and he comes back with some people, and they be he's a priest, and so he looks at the the spiritual climate and the chaos and what's happening, and he's he's working to bring spiritual renewal. 00:07:29.839 --> 00:07:41.360 And about 13 years later, Nehemiah, who's a businessman who worked for the king, he is hears about the disarray and and the hardships of the people of God because their walls had been torn down. 00:07:41.439 --> 00:07:50.000 So though they have a temple, though they return, they're unprotected and they're constantly being taken advantage of by the surrounding nations. 00:07:50.160 --> 00:08:01.199 And so God puts it in his heart, Nehemiah, to come back, and he had favor with the king to build the wall so that they could then build a new community and nation together. 00:08:01.360 --> 00:08:03.360 And this is something pretty cool, by the way. 00:08:03.600 --> 00:08:09.199 When a businessman and a priest teamed up, you saw civil renewal and spiritual revival. 00:08:09.439 --> 00:08:10.399 I'd love for that. 00:08:10.480 --> 00:08:23.839 Oh, wouldn't that be not ordinary that we see that in the Silicon Valley where we're seeing the best and the brightest say, hey, as we're coming, we're bringing together the best that we have for God's glory to restore what he wants to do on this planet. 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:26.720 His kingdom come, his will be done. 00:08:26.959 --> 00:08:28.319 This is the context. 00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:38.240 And so the wall had just been completed of the building around Jerusalem, and the people gather together for a worship service. 00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:41.759 And we pick it up in Nehemiah chapter eight. 00:08:41.919 --> 00:09:02.000 Oh, by the way, in this chapter is where a practice for the Jewish people and the church really kind of we see its first origins, if you will, meaning that the practice that happened here is they would stand in honor of the reading of God's word. 00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:14.399 And so this happened for the Jewish people, and then the early church took up this practice, and you'll find many different traditions of Christians who will stand in honor of the word of God. 00:09:14.559 --> 00:09:16.320 And so the public reading that is. 00:09:16.480 --> 00:09:22.159 Would you stand with me and I'm gonna read Nehemiah, our teaching text for today? 00:09:22.399 --> 00:09:24.399 Nehemiah chapter eight, verse one. 00:09:24.960 --> 00:09:32.720 When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people came together as one in the square before the water gate. 00:09:32.879 --> 00:09:39.120 They told Ezra, the teacher of the law, to bring out the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel. 00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:48.080 So on the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, which is made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:50.639 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon. 00:09:50.720 --> 00:09:53.120 This is about five to six hours, by the way. 00:09:53.440 --> 00:10:03.440 As he faced the square before the water gate in the presence of men, women, and others who could understand, and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law. 00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:07.759 Ezra, the teacher of the law, stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:14.559 Beside him, on his right, were a bunch of names that I couldn't pronounce, so I put in your notes thirteen other leaders. 00:10:16.639 --> 00:10:18.559 So you can go look that up. 00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:26.480 Ezra opened the book, all the people could see him because he was standing above them, and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:27.679 This is why we're doing this. 00:10:27.919 --> 00:10:36.080 Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people lifted their hands and responded, Amen, amen, or let it be so. 00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:41.039 Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 00:10:41.200 --> 00:10:47.840 The Levites, and he gives another list of Levite leaders, instructed the people in the law while the people were standing there. 00:10:48.080 --> 00:10:56.240 They read from the book of the law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read. 00:10:56.399 --> 00:11:06.000 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest, and the teacher of the law, and the Levites who were instructing the people, said to them all, This day is holy to the Lord God. 00:11:06.159 --> 00:11:07.360 Do not mourn or weep. 00:11:07.519 --> 00:11:11.279 For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the law. 00:11:11.440 --> 00:11:17.279 Nehemiah said, Go enjoy choice food and sweet drink, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. 00:11:17.440 --> 00:11:18.879 This day is holy to our Lord. 00:11:18.960 --> 00:11:22.159 Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. 00:11:22.399 --> 00:11:26.559 The Levites calmed all the people, saying, Be still, for this is a holy day. 00:11:26.720 --> 00:11:27.440 Do not grieve. 00:11:27.600 --> 00:11:39.679 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food, and to celebrate with great joy, because they now they understood the word that had been made known to them. 00:11:39.919 --> 00:11:41.279 This is the word of the Lord. 00:11:41.519 --> 00:11:42.159 Amen. 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:43.600 You may be seated. 00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:54.000 And so, how do we move from being informed about God to deeply formed by God? 00:11:56.080 --> 00:12:01.120 In this text, I believe there's three elements of a deeply formed church. 00:12:01.360 --> 00:12:14.720 What's amazing is as we read that, uh, scholars will tell us that uh all the elements of synagogue worship are in place here, from the reading of the text to the interpreting of it, to the gathering of the people to worship and prayer. 00:12:14.879 --> 00:12:21.759 And even the post-uh synagogue practice was that you ate and drank and shared a meal together after you had church. 00:12:21.840 --> 00:12:28.639 And then the early church took on those very things, and so they began to incorporate that's the ways of worship. 00:12:28.720 --> 00:12:35.600 And so we're seeing the very first church service, if you will, and a deeply formed church. 00:12:35.759 --> 00:12:41.919 I want to give you just simply three things from the text for us today, if we want to be kind that kind of church. 00:12:42.159 --> 00:12:48.559 First, understands a deeply formed church, understands the Bible is more than a good book, it is God's word. 00:12:50.559 --> 00:12:53.039 Like there's a difference between these. 00:12:53.600 --> 00:12:54.480 This is a good book. 00:12:54.559 --> 00:12:55.759 I highly recommend it. 00:12:55.919 --> 00:12:56.639 I love it. 00:12:56.720 --> 00:13:01.279 Um, changed my life, and I'm gonna be sexy and smart until I'm 80 and beyond. 00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:01.840 Hello. 00:13:01.919 --> 00:13:03.279 Um, but it's a good book. 00:13:03.360 --> 00:13:04.480 That's all it is. 00:13:04.639 --> 00:13:06.399 It's just a book. 00:13:07.200 --> 00:13:09.279 This is more than a book. 00:13:09.440 --> 00:13:12.399 And you know, back in the day we used to call this book something. 00:13:12.559 --> 00:13:13.759 Maybe you don't even remember. 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:19.919 It's kind of fallen out of uh trend, if you will, but they we used to call it the good book, right? 00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:33.840 And I think part of that then starts to relegate it into no, this is a good book, this is a nice book, this is something, you know, uh yeah, I can get some good things out of it, but what if it's more than a good book? 00:13:35.200 --> 00:13:47.279 What if it actually is God's word to you and to me, and he longs to speak to you specifically, and he wants to say things to you and help form and shape you, and it's not just like, oh, this is nice. 00:13:47.360 --> 00:13:51.039 I mean, if God really wrote you a letter, just think about it. 00:13:51.279 --> 00:13:53.919 No, we'd be afraid to open it, I'm sure. 00:13:54.240 --> 00:14:05.840 But think if he like actually wrote you a letter, wrote you a note, had something to say to you, what would you do with that letter? 00:14:08.639 --> 00:14:14.720 You know, we keep notes and letters from people that have written things that are really meaningful, right? 00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:24.080 I write on napkins all the time when I'm meeting with people, and people save those napkins. 00:14:24.480 --> 00:14:33.360 Because I'm a visual learner, and it's like, oh, God showed up in that, and like this is God's word to you. 00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:37.200 It's not just a good book, it's not filled with nice ideas. 00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:43.279 He wants to speak to you, and and we need to have a reference for his word. 00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:54.559 I don't know if you noticed throughout the reading, it said the book of the law, which is the Torah or the first five books of the Bible in the Old Testament, the writings of Moses. 00:14:54.879 --> 00:14:58.879 They stood in reverence to the reading, they stood for five or six hours. 00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:00.480 I'm not gonna go that long today. 00:15:00.559 --> 00:15:02.960 I know we're speaking on preaching, I was tempted. 00:15:03.200 --> 00:15:07.039 Uh, but they stood, there's a reverence about it. 00:15:07.440 --> 00:15:09.679 We've lost the reverence of God's word. 00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:12.159 It's kind of flipping, it's kind of nice. 00:15:12.399 --> 00:15:13.440 Yeah, if I get to it, great, huh? 00:15:13.600 --> 00:15:14.159 It was wonderful. 00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:14.720 No, no, no. 00:15:14.799 --> 00:15:16.159 God wants to speak to you. 00:15:16.399 --> 00:15:18.399 He took time to write it down. 00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:21.679 Notice how the apostle Paul thinks about God's word. 00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:28.320 He says in 2 Timothy 3:16 and 17, all scripture is God breathed. 00:15:28.960 --> 00:15:30.159 The old and the new. 00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:42.720 Like the Spirit of God worked in cooperation with man, and he brought about the very words that he intended to bring about for our good. 00:15:44.320 --> 00:15:46.159 What he wants to say to you. 00:15:46.720 --> 00:15:56.159 All scriptures, God breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, training, and righteousness so that the person of God might be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 00:15:57.679 --> 00:16:00.320 Like most of the time, we don't feel equipped for anything. 00:16:01.279 --> 00:16:07.360 I I flew in this morning because my wife's grandmother had a 98th birthday in um Bakersfield. 00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:14.639 And so I was in Bakersfield this morning, took a flight home this morning, and some of our lovely people at Awakening came pick me up. 00:16:14.799 --> 00:16:18.000 One of them is doing a career change right now. 00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:24.960 And um, in his career change, he's trying to step into the uh user interface side of things. 00:16:25.279 --> 00:16:26.720 Guess what he did? 00:16:27.519 --> 00:16:33.679 He went through a boot camp and studied to be thoroughly equipped for this career change. 00:16:33.919 --> 00:16:40.080 Paul's saying, listen, if you want to be thoroughly equipped for life, do you feel like life has thrown you a curveball? 00:16:40.159 --> 00:16:41.759 Do you feel ill-equipped for COVID? 00:16:41.840 --> 00:16:43.679 Do you feel like, hey, I can't make it through this? 00:16:43.759 --> 00:16:44.159 I don't know. 00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:46.799 He said, It's all here, it's already written down. 00:16:46.960 --> 00:16:48.480 I've already got it taken care of. 00:16:48.639 --> 00:16:53.840 By the way, people of God through history have gone through way worse than what we're currently going through now. 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:56.159 They and God has wisdom for us here. 00:16:56.320 --> 00:16:57.919 All scriptures, God breathed. 00:16:58.159 --> 00:16:58.960 What if? 00:16:59.360 --> 00:17:04.240 What if we as a church, a deeply formed church, is like, no, it's more than a good book. 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:05.680 It is God's word. 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:12.799 Did you know that Jesus viewed God's word as authoritative and true, and he quoted it often? 00:17:13.200 --> 00:17:17.039 Like, I'm just gonna take Jesus' word about God's word. 00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:20.000 Don't take mine, take Jesus'. 00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:28.400 I want to, as we step into this, this Bible is more than a good book, as we begin to lean into God's word. 00:17:28.559 --> 00:17:34.319 I think there's three temptations in our day as we begin to lean into this together. 00:17:34.720 --> 00:17:37.039 Three things that we see quite a bit. 00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:40.559 The first is the first temptation is apathy from accessibility. 00:17:41.359 --> 00:17:43.039 Apathy from accessibility. 00:17:43.440 --> 00:17:46.000 Here's, and this isn't this is crazy. 00:17:46.400 --> 00:18:01.359 Your phone has more access to the Bible, to podcasts, to commentaries, just this right here, than most people have had in all of human history ever. 00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:04.319 Like it's in your pockets. 00:18:04.880 --> 00:18:07.119 You're walking around in your pockets. 00:18:07.599 --> 00:18:10.319 The UVersion app is right there. 00:18:11.359 --> 00:18:14.559 You know, you can do the blue letter Bible, you can do whatever. 00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:20.000 You have so much access to everything. 00:18:22.079 --> 00:18:28.079 And yet our default, my default can just be this kind of death scroll Instagram. 00:18:30.079 --> 00:18:39.920 You know that um believers in closed countries, that is um countries where it's illegal to be a Christian, they don't have a full copy, many of them. 00:18:40.240 --> 00:18:43.359 And if they got caught with a copy, they they would be killed for it. 00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:56.720 And so they'll pull apart part of the Bible and share it with other people, and they'll just trade it in and out, and they might have one part of a letter, or they might have one part of a gospel, and that's what they have, and they cherish it. 00:18:56.880 --> 00:19:01.119 And we have everything on our phone, and we're just apathetic. 00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:04.960 So accessible, it's like, oh yeah, you know. 00:19:07.599 --> 00:19:11.680 First temptation, apathy from accessibility. 00:19:11.839 --> 00:19:18.640 I loved how Nehemiah responded because by the way, the word of God was not accessible to this group. 00:19:19.680 --> 00:19:23.759 He didn't do it in the temple court where you can only have a select few of people. 00:19:23.839 --> 00:19:26.400 He did it at the water gate where you could have everyone. 00:19:26.559 --> 00:19:32.559 And did you notice he said, men, women, and children, anyone who can understand, it's accessible to everyone. 00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:38.400 And culturally, in that day, hey, what would have been acceptable was, hey, we're just gonna have the men learn over here. 00:19:38.559 --> 00:19:40.720 And he said, No, we want everyone to get it. 00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:50.799 I'm gonna put it up on a platform so it's not like the people who showed up early can really hear and see, but everyone else is getting a discounted view and they're gonna have to hear kind of someone else say it behind them. 00:19:51.279 --> 00:19:54.720 It's like, I want everyone to be able to access it. 00:19:54.799 --> 00:19:56.960 The first temptation, apathy from accessibility. 00:19:57.039 --> 00:19:59.039 The second is a pick and choose theology. 00:19:59.279 --> 00:20:02.480 Because when it's a good book, we just pick the parts we like and don't like. 00:20:02.559 --> 00:20:04.240 I can't, that's what I'm kind of doing with this one. 00:20:04.319 --> 00:20:05.440 There's parts that I like. 00:20:05.519 --> 00:20:18.640 Uh this comes from uh really evolutionary biology uh perspective, and it's got a lot of great things, but I'm like, you know, I don't necessarily agree with his conclusions on certain things, so I don't, you know, do that part, but I like some of the other things. 00:20:18.720 --> 00:20:19.599 It's like really good. 00:20:19.680 --> 00:20:20.799 And we do that with God's word. 00:20:21.119 --> 00:20:22.799 Like, I like this part, I don't like this part. 00:20:22.880 --> 00:20:27.359 Um, you know what, this is nice, or that's nice, but uh that's a little uncomfortable. 00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:30.640 I don't really like that part. 00:20:31.599 --> 00:20:37.119 Ezra, by the way, read from the law five to six hours and did that for seven days. 00:20:38.160 --> 00:20:40.319 Like, no, we're gonna do all of this. 00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:46.319 When you pick and choose, by the way, you are then the ultimate authority, not God. 00:20:47.599 --> 00:20:51.839 And you're basically saying, I'm God, and I'm gonna pick the parts that I like, and you're not God. 00:20:52.400 --> 00:20:55.279 One of the temptations is to pick and choose theology. 00:20:55.440 --> 00:20:59.440 Third temptation is chronological snobbery. 00:20:59.759 --> 00:21:00.799 Isn't that just fun to say? 00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:02.160 Just go ahead and say that right now. 00:21:02.319 --> 00:21:04.400 Chronological snobbery. 00:21:04.720 --> 00:21:05.119 C.S. 00:21:05.279 --> 00:21:06.640 Lewis coined this term. 00:21:06.799 --> 00:21:18.480 He wrote that it's the uncritical acceptance of the intellectual climate common to our own age, and the assumption that whatever has gone out of date is on that account discredited. 00:21:19.279 --> 00:21:26.880 Going on, he says, the most recent is not necessarily the best, it is still on trial and has yet to be assessed properly. 00:21:27.039 --> 00:21:33.920 Said another way, the way we think about it, new is true, old, obsolete. 00:21:34.640 --> 00:21:50.079 And then we begin to come to the Bible and the teachings of Jesus and what he talks about how are we to love our neighbors when he talks about uh what it looks like to be a person of integrity in all areas of our life, including our sexuality. 00:21:50.160 --> 00:21:53.839 We go, ah, you know, that's kind of old and outdated. 00:21:54.000 --> 00:21:57.279 We're conditioned to assume that new is better. 00:21:57.599 --> 00:21:59.519 Be aware of three temptations. 00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:05.519 A deeply formed church says first, the Bible's more than a good book. 00:22:05.599 --> 00:22:06.400 It's God's word. 00:22:06.640 --> 00:22:08.480 There's reverence to it. 00:22:09.279 --> 00:22:19.200 Secondly, a deeply formed church, they understand that preaching is not for us to feel good, but to form Christ in us. 00:22:19.759 --> 00:22:25.200 Like what I'm doing right now, and there's even a part, and I had it in the very first service as well. 00:22:25.359 --> 00:22:34.079 There's a little bit of uncomfortableness as I'm talking about the Bible and the Word of God because there's some conviction going on in here, and you're going like, oh my gosh. 00:22:34.240 --> 00:22:40.880 And it's like, I know, and I just would love to make a few more jokes just to ease the pain a little bit. 00:22:41.599 --> 00:22:46.720 And I don't want anybody to feel condemnation, but there is needing for some of us conviction. 00:22:47.200 --> 00:22:50.160 See, preaching isn't about making us feel good. 00:22:50.319 --> 00:22:57.039 What I'm doing, and when we have people come and preach here, it's not like, hey, how do I get the latest self-help younger next year? 00:22:57.200 --> 00:23:01.519 And certainly when you read the scripture, it will help you in life. 00:23:02.079 --> 00:23:03.680 But that's not the aim. 00:23:04.880 --> 00:23:08.559 The aim is to form Christ in you. 00:23:09.359 --> 00:23:16.799 The aim is because of the gathering of the church of Jesus Christ, as we gather, we sit under the preaching and teaching of God's word. 00:23:17.039 --> 00:23:23.039 And as we do that in community, we are gradually being formed more into the likeness of Jesus. 00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:28.960 Where our responses just start to naturally become the way Jesus would respond. 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:31.759 That's spiritual maturity, by the way. 00:23:32.400 --> 00:23:38.240 Is when our responses start to naturally become the very responses that Jesus would have. 00:23:39.519 --> 00:23:45.440 Where we would forgive those who have hurt us, where we'd love our enemy, we would pray for those who persecute us. 00:23:46.400 --> 00:23:49.680 We'd be people full of grace and truth. 00:23:49.839 --> 00:23:53.440 The apostle Paul said it this way in Colossians 1, 28, 29. 00:23:53.519 --> 00:23:59.519 He says, He, speaking of Jesus, is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom. 00:23:59.680 --> 00:24:00.079 Why? 00:24:00.319 --> 00:24:05.200 So that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 00:24:05.359 --> 00:24:06.079 That's the aim. 00:24:06.160 --> 00:24:06.720 That's our goal. 00:24:06.799 --> 00:24:12.720 That's why we have groups, midweek groups, that you are growing together to become more like Jesus. 00:24:12.880 --> 00:24:14.720 That's why we gather. 00:24:14.880 --> 00:24:30.079 I don't know if you notice in the text, and you'll notice that I put the full teaching text in your notes, and I put highlights and I also put um italics and different things, and you'll notice some of the italics was making it clear and giving the meaning. 00:24:30.319 --> 00:24:33.519 Well, why would they need to make it clear and give the meaning? 00:24:33.680 --> 00:24:35.039 Why would they need to do that? 00:24:35.279 --> 00:24:39.599 Well, remember, this people had lived in exile. 00:24:39.759 --> 00:24:42.319 Their home was Babylon, not Jerusalem. 00:24:42.559 --> 00:24:45.599 They grew up learning Aramaic, not Hebrew. 00:24:45.759 --> 00:24:51.680 And so Hebrew would have been a second language, or at least just a difficult language that they weren't familiar with. 00:24:51.839 --> 00:24:59.920 They grew up in the Babylonian culture and not necessarily the Jewish culture, though they still had the remnant of what their time was. 00:25:00.079 --> 00:25:09.039 And so Ezra and the Levites and others were interpreting the word of God, helping make clear what God's word said to them. 00:25:09.279 --> 00:25:13.680 And when they understood it, it said they weeped. 00:25:13.759 --> 00:25:14.160 Why? 00:25:14.319 --> 00:25:27.839 Because the dissonance and the breakdown from what they were doing and what God's word said, what God's best and his way of living and what was actually, you know, being lived out, it broke their heart because there was a conviction that came with it. 00:25:29.599 --> 00:25:34.160 Preaching is not for us to feel good, but to form Christ in us. 00:25:34.559 --> 00:25:40.559 I just want to draw to your attention what Ezra, the priest, did as he pastored this community. 00:25:40.720 --> 00:25:43.440 First, he brought God's word, not his opinions. 00:25:45.519 --> 00:25:47.519 Everybody has an opinion. 00:25:48.640 --> 00:25:54.799 And it feels like over COVID, everybody has to share their opinion. 00:25:57.039 --> 00:26:05.839 My opinion is that we can hold our opinion to ourselves more than we need to share our opinion. 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:07.440 But that's just my opinion. 00:26:10.319 --> 00:26:16.960 What I want to bring and what we want to do is care less about our personal opinion, care more about God's word. 00:26:19.759 --> 00:26:21.519 He didn't say, Hey, I have this idea. 00:26:21.599 --> 00:26:24.480 I, you know, here's something I've been thinking about and chewing on. 00:26:24.559 --> 00:26:26.960 And uh let me test it out here. 00:26:27.200 --> 00:26:28.960 This is what God's word said. 00:26:29.119 --> 00:26:38.400 Secondly, he was concerned with being clear over being clever, and then you're like, Ryan, but you were kind of trying to be clever and clear in that one point there. 00:26:39.440 --> 00:26:42.960 Not to impress, but to impart God's truth. 00:26:45.359 --> 00:26:49.440 The Levites worked with Ezra. 00:26:50.480 --> 00:27:00.000 I I often think this is a lot how just our pastoral team and our small groups, and we're walking around and just trying to make sure that everybody understood. 00:27:00.640 --> 00:27:02.880 You saw that repeated over and over. 00:27:03.119 --> 00:27:04.079 Who could understand? 00:27:04.160 --> 00:27:09.759 And they wanted to make sure everybody understood and took the time to help people truly understand. 00:27:09.839 --> 00:27:14.160 And finally, Ezra preached and he communicated for application, not applause. 00:27:14.799 --> 00:27:22.480 And I think there's a temptation when we communicate, and when I communicate, is to have you go, Wow, what a great sermon. 00:27:25.119 --> 00:27:26.720 You're not slow clapping with me. 00:27:26.799 --> 00:27:27.279 That's fine. 00:27:27.440 --> 00:27:28.559 That's fine. 00:27:29.680 --> 00:27:30.079 Right? 00:27:30.240 --> 00:27:31.680 And all of us want to feel that. 00:27:31.759 --> 00:27:32.880 And he's going, no, no. 00:27:33.039 --> 00:27:40.240 The point of it is a transformed life, not just informed about something new, and that requires application. 00:27:40.640 --> 00:27:44.799 Information without application will never lead to transformation. 00:27:45.599 --> 00:27:49.359 And so we begin to go, okay, it's not about, oh man, that was cool. 00:27:49.519 --> 00:27:50.480 Oh, that was funny. 00:27:50.559 --> 00:27:54.559 Um, I'm gonna read younger next year, but what am I gonna do as a result? 00:27:55.680 --> 00:28:03.279 The second element of a deeply formed church preaching is not for us to feel good, but to form Christ in us. 00:28:03.599 --> 00:28:12.799 Our teaching team, and yeah, I have a team, by the way, before we ever um give a sermon, I actually have a few people that just get feedback on it. 00:28:12.880 --> 00:28:18.559 And they said, you know, something that would be great is how do we go about, you know, these sermon series? 00:28:18.640 --> 00:28:20.559 How do we discern what we're gonna preach about? 00:28:20.640 --> 00:28:24.559 And just thought I'd share one so that you kind of had some of that inside track. 00:28:24.799 --> 00:28:34.720 Um, we typically teach through books of the Bible, and right now we're in kind of a topical series and we'll do those from time to time, but historically we'll teach through books of the Bible. 00:28:34.880 --> 00:28:37.519 We just recently taught through a book of the Bible. 00:28:37.599 --> 00:28:40.000 Now we'll test the N1 ear theory. 00:28:40.079 --> 00:28:44.079 Can any of you tell me what book we spent six months teaching through? 00:28:44.240 --> 00:28:45.359 Help me out. 00:28:45.839 --> 00:28:47.680 Oh, praise Jesus. 00:28:48.000 --> 00:28:49.440 I was so nervous. 00:28:49.599 --> 00:28:52.960 Um, yeah, we spent six months teaching through the book of Acts. 00:28:53.039 --> 00:28:55.039 We spent uh did it in four series. 00:28:55.119 --> 00:28:58.079 So we will we'll do these in series and break them up. 00:28:58.160 --> 00:29:06.559 So we started uh Future Church, and then we did a series called For All People, then we did a series called Purposeful, and we close it out with uh God's Strange Gifts. 00:29:06.720 --> 00:29:13.920 We've taught through the book of Ephesians, we've taught through the book of Titus, we've taught through Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, we teach through books of the Bible. 00:29:14.000 --> 00:29:14.240 Why? 00:29:14.400 --> 00:29:23.440 Because we want you to learn God's word and be uh be able to understand his word and his and be able to understand a book of the Bible as a way uh to do that. 00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:26.720 And so then we pair that with, okay, what is our church needing? 00:29:26.880 --> 00:29:27.759 Where are we at? 00:29:27.839 --> 00:29:29.039 What are you going through? 00:29:29.200 --> 00:29:32.799 And how do we begin to make those fit together? 00:29:33.039 --> 00:29:37.440 So preaching first uh is not to make us feel good, to form Christ. 00:29:37.599 --> 00:29:43.440 The Bible is more than a good book, it's God's word, and finally, a deeply formed church. 00:29:43.680 --> 00:29:48.319 The emphasis is on the people of God, not the pastor. 00:29:48.720 --> 00:29:52.319 This is a little backwards in the way we're doing it in the West right now, right? 00:29:52.640 --> 00:29:55.759 Emphasis kind of on the pastor, persons on the stage. 00:29:56.000 --> 00:30:01.359 And the minute you read this chapter, you saw Ezra got a big old stage. 00:30:01.440 --> 00:30:05.680 And so immediately we're thinking, like, man, Ezra's getting on that stage doing his thing, right? 00:30:06.240 --> 00:30:13.759 Actually, scholars will tell us that the emphasis of this chapter is on the people of God, not Ezra. 00:30:14.079 --> 00:30:16.880 Flip back to the teaching text, if you will. 00:30:17.039 --> 00:30:18.880 I highlighted it for you. 00:30:20.079 --> 00:30:26.000 All the people as one, the people assembled, men, women, and all understood. 00:30:26.240 --> 00:30:32.960 Men, women, and others understand all the people, all the people, all the people, all the people, the people, the people, the people. 00:30:33.039 --> 00:30:36.640 That's gonna be like some crazy gift or something like that, right there. 00:30:36.799 --> 00:30:40.160 The people, all the people, all the people, all the people. 00:30:41.359 --> 00:30:44.880 Thirteen times it says people, and nine of those is all the people. 00:30:45.039 --> 00:30:48.160 The focus and the emphasis is on the people of God gathering together. 00:30:48.240 --> 00:30:50.400 Did you know the people asked for God's word? 00:30:50.960 --> 00:30:53.039 They said, Ezra, bring the word. 00:30:53.279 --> 00:30:54.559 We want to learn. 00:30:55.039 --> 00:30:58.640 There was this sense and this hunger to know God's word. 00:30:58.799 --> 00:30:59.599 There's this desire. 00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:05.119 They're saying, Ezra, would you read the book of the law to us that God gave Moses? 00:31:05.440 --> 00:31:06.480 We want to learn. 00:31:06.559 --> 00:31:08.480 They hungered after God's word. 00:31:08.720 --> 00:31:14.559 And and by the way, they didn't say, you know what, I would love for it to be at about an hour to hour and 15 minutes service. 00:31:14.640 --> 00:31:15.359 That would be fantastic. 00:31:15.440 --> 00:31:20.480 If you can go 30 to 35, 40's pushing it, but if you're funny, I'll do 40, you know. 00:31:20.640 --> 00:31:29.200 But but but if you can keep it right here, five to six hours they stood, there was just an insatiable hunger for the word of God. 00:31:30.480 --> 00:31:34.079 For many, do you remember when you first came to know Jesus? 00:31:34.319 --> 00:31:39.279 Or maybe you've recently been around someone who knows, just first came to know Jesus. 00:31:39.759 --> 00:31:44.160 And there's that like, can't get enough of God's word. 00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:51.519 Like, you just go like, uh, dude, I'm I've had this enough myself and I've had it with other people. 00:31:51.839 --> 00:31:54.160 Tell me, I'm like reading this hours on end. 00:31:54.240 --> 00:32:00.799 I wake up, I read it, I I uh lunch break, I read it, I go home, I read it, I just can't get enough of it. 00:32:02.400 --> 00:32:11.519 Oh, that we would be a church that returns to our first love and that kindled enough that we go, man, it's God's word, and there's this hunger and thirst for God's word. 00:32:11.759 --> 00:32:14.480 They listened attentively to God's word. 00:32:14.720 --> 00:32:21.039 There was a focus and a direction, and they stood, and the text literally says they listen attentively. 00:32:21.200 --> 00:32:26.400 And I think for us, we we actually gotta make sure because we have all the distractions around us. 00:32:26.480 --> 00:32:30.160 We we gotta set aside distractions, turn off the alerts. 00:32:30.400 --> 00:32:38.400 By the way, um, do you know there was a one sermon in particular where I lost the entire audience? 00:32:38.880 --> 00:32:44.000 Not one person, like I will lose some people from time to time or like, hey, praise God, I hope you're having a great nap. 00:32:44.160 --> 00:32:46.160 You know, um that happens. 00:32:46.960 --> 00:32:52.960 But there was one service, I lost the entire uh audience. 00:32:53.200 --> 00:32:55.200 All of a sudden, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. 00:32:55.359 --> 00:32:59.920 I'm looking around, I'm like, oh, I didn't think I was that that off this week. 00:33:01.279 --> 00:33:03.519 It was the week that Kobe Bryant died. 00:33:03.759 --> 00:33:07.680 It was a Sunday morning, and everybody got their alerts. 00:33:07.920 --> 00:33:10.559 Terribly sad and tragic. 00:33:11.359 --> 00:33:18.480 But I wonder what would happen if we just turned off the alerts and were attentive to God in this moment. 00:33:18.640 --> 00:33:27.119 Like, hey, I have this 90 minutes and I'm just gonna be fully attentive, and I don't need any buzzes, I don't need any alerts, I don't, I'm just gonna be focused. 00:33:27.359 --> 00:33:30.880 And something that happened to me over COVID, and maybe this happened to you. 00:33:30.960 --> 00:33:37.920 I I didn't have this problem near as much, but over COVID, when I spend time with Jesus in the morning, my phone is such a distraction. 00:33:38.400 --> 00:33:43.440 It's as if my hand has a mind of its own and it reaches for the phone. 00:33:43.599 --> 00:33:45.359 I don't even know why. 00:33:45.680 --> 00:33:51.680 I have zero understanding of what I'm reaching for the phone to look at, and then I start to look at apps. 00:33:52.000 --> 00:33:59.759 I'm like reading a text or writing a journal, and then all of a sudden I'm like, huh, what is this strange glowing device next to me? 00:34:00.640 --> 00:34:06.400 I literally have to set it in the other room because if it's right next to me, it will distract me. 00:34:06.559 --> 00:34:10.320 And we have to get to our focus of where we go, no, we're gonna be attentive. 00:34:10.559 --> 00:34:12.079 All eyes on. 00:34:12.639 --> 00:34:14.159 And they responded. 00:34:15.039 --> 00:34:18.639 All the people, all the people responded to God's word. 00:34:20.400 --> 00:34:25.679 James 1 says and tells us do not merely listen to the word of God. 00:34:26.320 --> 00:34:28.480 And so, do you know what it said next? 00:34:29.679 --> 00:34:31.199 Deceive yourself. 00:34:31.840 --> 00:34:37.280 Like there's a danger in hearing preaching and not applying it, you become self-deceived. 00:34:39.119 --> 00:34:43.920 Because you feel like you're a good person, but you're not actually doing the good work that Jesus has for you. 00:34:44.880 --> 00:34:49.360 Instead, do what it says. 00:34:49.679 --> 00:34:52.880 That we respond to the word of God. 00:34:53.360 --> 00:35:04.320 A few weeks ago, I now that I got my boot off and played golf with a buddy, uh, we'll call him Terry, because that's his name. 00:35:05.440 --> 00:35:21.440 And and Terry and I were playing, and he's a good buddy of mine, and you know, he kind of treats me a little bit like a doctor, and I don't mean that like a doctor doctor, but you know, like if you're hanging out with a doctor, you're not gonna ask them medical advice because they're off duty, you know. 00:35:21.599 --> 00:35:26.800 Uh, and so he doesn't want to ask me Bible stuff because I'm technically off the clock. 00:35:26.960 --> 00:35:31.679 Um, and he's like, hey man, do you think I could ask you like a Bible question? 00:35:31.920 --> 00:35:34.639 Little, I was Terry, I'm like, you can always ask me a Bible. 00:35:34.880 --> 00:35:36.000 I love talking about this. 00:35:36.079 --> 00:35:38.239 Is not like an on the clock, off the clock thing. 00:35:38.480 --> 00:35:46.159 And so we're we're we're you know hanging out, and I had given him younger next year, and he's loving it too, by the way. 00:35:46.400 --> 00:35:55.039 Um and and he's like, Ryan, I just want my times with God in the morning to be better. 00:35:55.199 --> 00:36:04.159 Like when I read his word, I I like want to hunger after his word his word, but I'm not like I wake up, I want to read younger next year and not his word. 00:36:04.719 --> 00:36:05.840 I love that. 00:36:06.000 --> 00:36:10.239 I love that honesty, and you know what I love even more than that? 00:36:11.760 --> 00:36:15.519 Is he had a longing to have a hungering. 00:36:16.639 --> 00:36:20.159 He had a longing to hunger for God's word the way he was hungering for this. 00:36:20.239 --> 00:36:22.800 And I think that's where some of us or many of us are. 00:36:24.079 --> 00:36:30.639 Like, like Ryan, I don't have that hungering, but I have a longing, like as you're saying, I'd want that, but I'm not there yet now. 00:36:30.800 --> 00:36:33.119 And God answers that prayer, by the way. 00:36:33.360 --> 00:36:36.880 When we bring that honesty, God, I'm just longing for more of you. 00:36:37.119 --> 00:36:38.320 I don't quite have that hungering. 00:36:38.639 --> 00:36:44.800 In fact, there's other things that I kind of am being drawn to more, but I have a longing for a hungering, and he'll meet you there. 00:36:45.039 --> 00:36:51.679 And so I just asked him, I said, Terry, like, what do your times with Jesus look like reading the word? 00:36:51.920 --> 00:36:53.840 And this is what many people's times are. 00:36:54.000 --> 00:37:00.159 And and he it's a lot of the way we just read a book, but it's not a book, it's God's word. 00:37:00.400 --> 00:37:03.519 And so you read a chapter or two, and then you kind of move on. 00:37:03.599 --> 00:37:07.199 And so that's what he was doing, and he would read a chapter or two, close it, and move on. 00:37:07.360 --> 00:37:11.199 I said, Well, let me just give you something that that I think will help. 00:37:11.360 --> 00:37:16.400 And it's an acronym called SOAP, and many of you probably know it, but those who don't, you can write it down. 00:37:16.800 --> 00:37:24.800 Soap just S stands for scripture, O stands for observation, A stands for application, and P stands for poor, uh, prayer. 00:37:25.199 --> 00:37:27.199 Poor, prayer, you know, similar things. 00:37:30.239 --> 00:37:31.920 Scripture, where you just begin to read. 00:37:32.000 --> 00:37:36.079 You you take maybe a chapter or even a paragraph, you read it thoughtfully. 00:37:36.159 --> 00:37:37.760 Okay, and you make observations. 00:37:37.920 --> 00:37:42.079 The reason I put the text in the way it did is I just wanted you to see my observations. 00:37:42.239 --> 00:37:43.840 This is kind of how you make observations. 00:37:43.920 --> 00:37:56.960 You see repeated words throughout it, you begin to notice some things that stand out, and you make some observations, and through that, then you begin to ask the question God, what do you want me to do as a result of what I've just read? 00:37:59.199 --> 00:38:00.000 And then pray. 00:38:00.159 --> 00:38:04.159 I'd pray at the beginning, Holy Spirit, He's the Spirit that illuminates his word. 00:38:04.320 --> 00:38:05.199 Would you speak to me? 00:38:05.280 --> 00:38:07.760 Would you reveal a deeper insight into your word? 00:38:08.239 --> 00:38:10.000 And then pray to close it out. 00:38:11.039 --> 00:38:17.599 And I this is so amazing, and I'd love if this is the type of church we become, where we just share what God's been teaching us. 00:38:17.920 --> 00:38:20.800 One of my favorite questions to ask is what has God been teaching you lately? 00:38:20.880 --> 00:38:21.679 What are you learning? 00:38:22.079 --> 00:38:25.280 It's amazing how deep the conversation goes so quickly. 00:38:25.760 --> 00:38:29.199 But where we just begin to share what God has told us. 00:38:30.800 --> 00:38:32.719 Deeply formed church, three elements. 00:38:32.880 --> 00:38:35.039 The Bible's more than a good book, it's God's word. 00:38:35.280 --> 00:38:38.239 The preaching is not for us to feel good, to form Christ. 00:38:38.320 --> 00:38:41.840 And finally, the emphasis is on the people of God, not the pastor. 00:38:42.079 --> 00:38:45.840 Let me give you some application that I want us to do this week. 00:38:46.000 --> 00:38:49.199 First, come expectant for God to speak to you. 00:38:52.400 --> 00:38:58.000 Your experience on Sunday will change if you actually show up expecting that God will speak to you. 00:38:58.960 --> 00:39:07.039 Through his word, in community, through worship, the preaching of the word of God, he will speak to you. 00:39:07.199 --> 00:39:10.239 Secondly, bring your Bible and take notes. 00:39:10.480 --> 00:39:14.159 Bring an analog, a physical Bible. 00:39:14.960 --> 00:39:25.920 I love that we can get it all on our phone, but we also have all of those alerts and all those distractions, and all of a sudden you see you have emails, and then it sends you a spiral down a whole different way, and you're like, why did they send me that email on Sunday? 00:39:26.000 --> 00:39:28.000 They could have waited till Monday. 00:39:28.559 --> 00:39:30.400 Bring your Bible, take notes. 00:39:30.559 --> 00:39:32.719 What's written is remembered. 00:39:32.960 --> 00:39:36.079 When you write it, I don't put notes for me, I already have it. 00:39:36.400 --> 00:39:37.679 Many of you take notes. 00:39:37.840 --> 00:39:42.880 I love that, and especially out of COVID, we're doing more and more of that, but write it down. 00:39:43.599 --> 00:39:47.519 Third, ask, what am I to do with what I just heard? 00:39:47.840 --> 00:39:51.280 Like, not, hey, did I like it? 00:39:51.599 --> 00:39:52.960 What was that funny? 00:39:53.199 --> 00:39:54.159 Did I enjoy it? 00:39:54.400 --> 00:39:58.800 Ask those things, but then ask, what am I to do with what I just heard? 00:39:58.960 --> 00:40:01.199 And then finally, go enjoy a great meal. 00:40:01.360 --> 00:40:03.199 And I actually mean that literally. 00:40:03.519 --> 00:40:08.480 We can talk about the figurative in a second, but like literally synagogue practice. 00:40:08.719 --> 00:40:11.599 You notice they're weeping, he says, No, no, go feast. 00:40:11.760 --> 00:40:14.079 And then share with somebody who doesn't have. 00:40:15.280 --> 00:40:33.199 Wouldn't it be amazing if after church, and a lot of you already do this, but but you center your your celebration of the Lord's day, and and you go out to eat, and maybe you invite somebody that you realize, hey, maybe they can't afford it, or you just want to get to know them, and you just begin to talk about what God's been teaching you. 00:40:33.440 --> 00:40:37.039 Friends, we'll be a different church if we do that. 00:40:37.519 --> 00:40:40.000 We'll be a Jesus kind of church. 00:40:41.840 --> 00:40:49.119 And then the other side of it is if you're only eating once a week, you're gonna be hungry. 00:40:49.440 --> 00:40:51.280 Get into God's word every day. 00:40:51.519 --> 00:40:54.559 Get into God's word every day. 00:40:55.199 --> 00:40:57.519 We hope you are blessed by this message. 00:40:57.840 --> 00:41:02.800 Please subscribe to our podcast for access to every episode as they're uploaded. 00:41:02.960 --> 00:41:05.280 And hey, we'd love to connect with you. 00:41:05.519 --> 00:41:11.440 Take a next step by filling out our virtual connection card at awakeningchurch.comslash card.