WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:01.439 Tell you a little bit more about myself. 00:00:01.679 --> 00:00:08.000 I got married back in August, and if you know me, this was a super long-awaited day. 00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:11.119 This was like the longest time coming in my life. 00:00:11.199 --> 00:00:22.000 My my wife Grace and I started dating when we were 16 and 17 years old, juniors and sophomores in high school, and we're like the 1% that actually survived through long distance and through college. 00:00:22.559 --> 00:00:29.039 And we muscled through all four years of college in different schools, different states, different time zones. 00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:36.000 And then I made the mistake of proposing over a year before we got married, which just made the waiting process even longer. 00:00:36.320 --> 00:00:47.600 And it was it was a mistake to be engaged for that long for a few reasons, but one of the most difficult parts was every weekend seeing her crying with her because we had to say goodbye one more time. 00:00:47.920 --> 00:00:50.799 We had to say goodbye again and again and again. 00:00:51.039 --> 00:00:59.280 And for these reasons, August 29th, our wedding day, was a day that I put all the pressure of the world on. 00:00:59.600 --> 00:01:14.560 I was thinking, man, if I can just make it to that day, if I can make it to August 29th, all my problems will be fixed, all my sadness will go away, and then my life will magically become a fairy tale like every Julia Roberts rom-com promises me that it will be. 00:01:14.879 --> 00:01:20.319 So finally, we make it to August 29th, the wedding day, and I honestly woke up feeling super weird. 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:24.159 I was expecting to wake up feeling like Christmas morning, but I woke up feeling really weird. 00:01:24.319 --> 00:01:25.760 I was excited, I was anxious. 00:01:25.920 --> 00:01:30.799 I had chicken and French toast the night before, so it might have been that coming up, I don't know, but I felt weird. 00:01:31.040 --> 00:01:35.599 And all I remember is that I was just in such a weird spot emotionally that day. 00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:45.599 I kind of felt like a ghost just like floating through the day until all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I'm at the altar, and then my soon-to-be wife is walking down and I'm crying. 00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:47.439 That's kind of what the day felt like. 00:01:47.599 --> 00:01:52.239 Uh and then, you know, we we get married, we danced, we laughed, we cried. 00:01:52.560 --> 00:01:57.599 Grace threw cake at my face, and all of a sudden, we walked through the sparkler shower. 00:01:57.760 --> 00:02:02.480 I'm not in a great mood because my blood sugar was dangerously too low at that point. 00:02:02.640 --> 00:02:05.519 I already kind of got salty at the DJ at this point. 00:02:05.680 --> 00:02:10.319 And then we get in the car and Grace and I look at each other and we're like, what? 00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:11.599 It's over? 00:02:12.639 --> 00:02:21.199 Every day for that entire year before I was putting all of this pressure and hope and anticipation for that one day. 00:02:21.439 --> 00:02:33.919 And hear me, being excited about a wedding day or an exciting event or a marriage, obviously that that is a good thing, but the wedding day in Grace and I's marriage could never be Jesus for me. 00:02:34.960 --> 00:02:39.199 The wedding, my wife, my honeymoon were all great things. 00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:44.800 And again, hear me, these are wonderful gifts from God, but they make terrible gods. 00:02:45.360 --> 00:02:50.000 My wife is the most incredible, godly woman I could have ever dreamed of. 00:02:50.080 --> 00:02:53.759 She's the most amazing image of the gospel that I could have prayed for. 00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:58.000 However, no matter how incredible she is, she cannot be my God. 00:02:58.479 --> 00:03:06.000 And to put my hope and my anticipation and trust in her to be that will leave me very unsatisfied. 00:03:06.240 --> 00:03:11.439 And with that being said, we as humans are naturally moved by anticipation. 00:03:11.599 --> 00:03:18.240 It's what gets us out of bed in the morning, it's what keeps us working hard, it's what keeps us driven and excited for the next thing. 00:03:18.479 --> 00:03:20.639 We're always thinking of the next thing. 00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:26.719 The next trip, the next vacation, the next weekend off, the next weekend where we finally have nothing planned. 00:03:27.680 --> 00:03:31.439 See, we're entering into the season of Advent, as Sam mentioned. 00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:36.800 And Advent literally means the arrival of a notable person or thing. 00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:48.879 And we're in what's known as the holidays, where the next like 28 days or so will be filled with excitement, stress, anxiety, Michael Bublé, endlessly until December 25th, when all of a sudden it's all over. 00:03:49.280 --> 00:04:07.120 And so today, as we begin this Advent season, as we sit under God's word, as we anticipate the arrival, the advent of Jesus' birth, I've just been praying that the Lord would stir up our affections for him and that our anticipation would be ultimately in his presence in our life. 00:04:07.520 --> 00:04:10.240 And so, with that being said, let's jump into God's word together. 00:04:10.319 --> 00:04:14.800 This is 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verses 3 through 9. 00:04:15.039 --> 00:04:16.639 So y'all hear this with me. 00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:21.600 Grace to you in peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:46.560 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and knowledge, even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you until the end guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:52.800 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. 00:04:52.959 --> 00:04:54.000 This is God's word. 00:04:56.560 --> 00:05:09.120 Father, thank you for your word that it has uh, Lord, sustained through thousands of years to be sitting in our laps right now, sitting on our smartphones, Lord, we have access to it at every moment. 00:05:09.279 --> 00:05:20.399 And so, Father, I just pray that as we sit under it this morning, that you uh would speak, that you would get me out of the way, uh, so that Lord, you and your word would uh resonate in our hearts. 00:05:20.560 --> 00:05:24.639 Uh so I pray, Father, that you prepare all of us to hear what you have for us. 00:05:24.720 --> 00:05:30.639 Um, that for those of us who are hurting, that you would comfort us, for those of us who are hungry, that you would fill us. 00:05:30.720 --> 00:05:34.560 Um please, Lord, help us look more like Jesus through uh your word. 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:35.759 In Jesus' name. 00:05:36.079 --> 00:05:36.720 Amen. 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:41.680 I want to start by giving us a little context about this passage, about what's going on. 00:05:41.920 --> 00:06:01.759 So, Paul, the writer of this, basically received word from some of his faithful friends, uh, members of this congregation, members of the Corinthian church, that there were divisions, sin issues, and an overall spiritual immaturity going on in this church, which seemed like it was faithful and going well for a while. 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:10.160 And Paul is writing this letter, 1 Corinthians, Corinthians, to essentially challenge this church. 00:06:10.399 --> 00:06:17.120 However, Paul does something that I think we see Jesus all throughout the gospel doing to the people that he meets. 00:06:17.360 --> 00:06:25.040 Before Paul gets into the ugly parts of this letter, he reminds the Corinthians of the massive hope they have in Jesus. 00:06:25.680 --> 00:06:32.399 Before he gets into the ugly parts of the Corinthian church, he reminds them of the riches that Jesus has offered them. 00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:36.160 Before he confronts them in their sin, he begins with grace. 00:06:36.319 --> 00:06:40.319 And that brings me to my first point for us this morning. 00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:50.480 It says this our hope and anticipation of Christ's coming rest entirely upon the riches of grace he has given us. 00:06:51.199 --> 00:06:54.879 That might be the most important thing that I say all morning. 00:06:55.040 --> 00:07:03.920 Our salvation, sanctification, and effort towards godliness begins and is sustained only by God's grace. 00:07:04.160 --> 00:07:08.240 When I was growing up, I was terrified of God and of hell. 00:07:08.399 --> 00:07:14.959 I was terrified to not believe hard enough or like God enough or like going to church enough. 00:07:15.120 --> 00:07:19.839 So by my own willpower growing up, I went to church, I did what I needed to do. 00:07:19.920 --> 00:07:25.360 Um, but this willpower was not driven by true faith and grace. 00:07:25.600 --> 00:07:28.240 This was driven by Sam trying harder. 00:07:28.399 --> 00:07:34.480 And so, because of that, when I faced high school and faced temptations, I fell. 00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:39.199 I seemed to be growing up in my faith in my youth group because I had a leadership role. 00:07:39.279 --> 00:07:46.639 I seemed like a good kid on the outside, but I grew among thorns with no real roots. 00:07:46.959 --> 00:07:57.120 And then these thorns, the temptations of high school, choked me until the Lord came and truly gave me an experience of his grace my junior year. 00:07:57.519 --> 00:08:09.519 See, before that, my motivation for godliness, my motivation for going to church was so that I would just escape hell rather than because of the sweet experience of grace I had with Jesus. 00:08:09.759 --> 00:08:11.519 I sometimes like to think about it this way. 00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:14.000 Let's say I had a jar of honey, right? 00:08:14.079 --> 00:08:18.959 And I got a couple of y'all to come up here or in your seats to describe this honey. 00:08:19.439 --> 00:08:25.920 You know, one of you who's a realist might just say it's honey, it's sticky, it's brown, it's messy, it goes pretty well on toast, right? 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:26.879 That's number one. 00:08:27.040 --> 00:08:37.440 Number two, who, one of you who might be a little bit more creative, more artistic, might describe the honey's color and its thickness and how it could be sculpted to make a beautiful work of art, right? 00:08:37.679 --> 00:08:46.399 Then one of you who is more analytical might look at the honey and describe its chemical properties, its viscosity, its rate of acceleration as it falls from the sky, right? 00:08:47.600 --> 00:08:51.759 The thing is, we could sit here and describe this honey all day. 00:08:51.919 --> 00:08:57.759 We could know every detail about it all the way down to its anatomical structure, right? 00:08:58.399 --> 00:09:02.320 And we could literally know everything on paper that there is to know about this honey. 00:09:02.559 --> 00:09:14.320 But then, let's say my nephew, John Henry, who's three and a half, comes up, gets his gross little finger, sticks it in the honey, gets a huge, delicious, sweet, amazing taste of that honey. 00:09:14.480 --> 00:09:18.879 And then all of a sudden, John Henry knows more about honey than any of us did. 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:20.159 Why? 00:09:20.720 --> 00:09:26.720 Because a personal experience with something trumps every speculative description of it. 00:09:27.039 --> 00:09:30.000 And that brings me to point number two this morning. 00:09:30.639 --> 00:09:38.799 A true and personal experience with the grace of Jesus will propel us towards a godly anticipation of Christmas. 00:09:38.960 --> 00:09:43.840 A true and personal experience will propel us towards this. 00:09:44.399 --> 00:09:53.360 Paul begins this letter, this challenging letter with a reminder of the grace that was given to them in Christ. 00:09:53.600 --> 00:09:57.440 I want you all to hear verses four and five one more time. 00:09:58.159 --> 00:10:05.759 Paul says, I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus. 00:10:06.000 --> 00:10:10.799 That in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and knowledge. 00:10:11.039 --> 00:10:19.360 Paul doesn't say here that he's thankful for how good the Corinthians are, or how amazing Christians they are, or all the work that they've done. 00:10:19.600 --> 00:10:25.360 He wants to remind them of the beautiful and glorious riches of grace first. 00:10:27.039 --> 00:10:37.120 So, you know, we can sit here this morning and talk about how, you know, we need to be better Christians, how we need to be more thankful, more loving, how we need to get our hearts right for this Christmas season, right? 00:10:37.200 --> 00:10:44.399 But before we can start talking about godliness and those things, we have to begin with this idea of grace. 00:10:44.720 --> 00:10:47.600 It has to begin and move out of that. 00:10:48.639 --> 00:11:00.639 When we think about this idea of anticipation or hope or looking forward to things, it begins with our experience or remembrance of a previous time, right? 00:11:00.799 --> 00:11:04.480 We're excited to go on a beach trip, to go to Hilton Head, to go to St. 00:11:04.639 --> 00:11:09.120 Simon's because we've been there before, because we've been on that beautiful beach. 00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:10.320 We had a great vacation. 00:11:10.399 --> 00:11:16.720 We we're excited to go on a trip to Disney World because we know that Disney is the most magical place on earth, right? 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:23.679 We're not excited or anticipating something that we are neutral towards. 00:11:23.919 --> 00:11:30.639 And that's the thing about anticipation, about Advent, about hope, is that it crushes apathy. 00:11:31.039 --> 00:11:40.799 This season of Advent, when God's people come together to remember and pray and worship this idea of Christ's birth. 00:11:41.039 --> 00:11:53.039 We remember how incredible the truth of the gospel actually is when we really think about what the gospel of Christ has actually done, that we were dead in our sin, living in our slavery, enslaved to our flesh. 00:11:53.200 --> 00:12:01.600 But then Jesus came and didn't give us a bunch of rules to follow, but he offered himself for us so that we wouldn't have to sustain ourselves. 00:12:02.080 --> 00:12:08.559 He is the one that is promising to deliver us and offer us these things. 00:12:08.960 --> 00:12:18.240 This Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, came and crushed every speculation of religion, politics, power, meekness, and humility that the world had. 00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:29.039 Saying you no longer have to live in accordance with a law talking to these Jewish people, but hey, listen, I came, I fulfilled it, and here it is for you, fully in myself freedom. 00:12:29.440 --> 00:12:32.639 And this brings me to my last point for us this morning. 00:12:33.440 --> 00:12:34.960 Point number three. 00:12:35.200 --> 00:12:42.399 It is only by the grace of Jesus Christ that we will be sustained through this life and into the next. 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:48.559 I find the church at Corinth to be really similar to us in certain ways. 00:12:48.799 --> 00:12:55.759 They're financially stable, they're successful, they're in a location of a lot of strong commerce, and they're safe. 00:12:56.000 --> 00:13:03.200 See, I don't know about y'all, but Jesus can often be a really uh intense afterthought for me, especially during Christmas. 00:13:03.440 --> 00:13:15.120 And the lie that the Corinthians were believing is that they themselves, in their wealth and their knowledge about God, could be their own sustainers through this life. 00:13:15.360 --> 00:13:23.519 That the Corinthians could keep God at arm's length because they knew about him and because of their financial success, they were drawn to unbelief. 00:13:23.759 --> 00:13:28.799 And this unbelief for the Corinthians didn't look like an angry, yelling, screaming atheist. 00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:34.080 It looked like a very complacent and apathetic church, the Corinthians. 00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:36.960 And that's the thing about unbelief that's really challenging. 00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:40.799 Jackie LePerry talks about unbelief in this way. 00:13:41.039 --> 00:13:48.480 He says this unbelief doesn't see God as the ultimate good, so it can't see sin as the ultimate evil. 00:13:48.639 --> 00:13:54.000 It instead sees sin as a good thing, and thus God's commands as a stumbling block to joy. 00:13:54.320 --> 00:14:00.559 In believing the devil, I didn't need a pentagram pendant to wear, neither did I need to memorize a hex or two. 00:14:00.720 --> 00:14:04.159 All I had to do was trust myself more than God's word. 00:14:04.559 --> 00:14:12.000 I had to believe that my thoughts, my affections, my rights, my wishes were worthy of absolute obedience. 00:14:12.159 --> 00:14:18.480 And that in laying prostrate before the flimsy throne I'd made for myself, that I'd be doing a good thing. 00:14:19.360 --> 00:14:32.559 See, I could sit here and through this verse try to challenge us to go out and do more, to go out and be the Christians that we know that we should be, to try to get our spirits right for this Christmas season, right? 00:14:32.799 --> 00:14:36.240 But that is the opposite of what the gospel promises. 00:14:36.399 --> 00:14:39.039 Let's look at verses 7 through 9 one more time. 00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:53.600 Paul says this so that you are not lacking in any gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:14:53.919 --> 00:15:01.039 God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. 00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:18.639 You are sustained in your faith, not because of how strong you believe, not because of how much you like God or how much you go to church, but you are sustained only because of what God in Christ has done for you. 00:15:18.879 --> 00:15:24.720 And that he is holding on to you tight so that even if you let go a little bit, he's not dropping you. 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:27.279 Not because of how hard you hold on to him. 00:15:29.200 --> 00:15:37.759 As we mentioned, today is the beginning of Advent, of this anticipation for what has already happened, but what we're anticipating to come. 00:15:38.320 --> 00:15:47.919 And this is the Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent, where we focus specifically on the hope of the incarnation, of the birth of Jesus. 00:15:49.039 --> 00:15:56.159 The hope of our lives, the hope of this season can and will only be sustained by the grace of Jesus. 00:15:56.480 --> 00:16:13.840 Not by how hard you believe, not on your efforts, not on any of your own earnings, but only on the fact that if you are in Christ, your faith, your joy, your peace, your satisfaction, and your life are found only in Jesus. 00:16:14.240 --> 00:16:19.600 I want to leave us with a quote from my personal faith hero, this 19th-century British guy. 00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:21.440 His name's Charles Spurgeon. 00:16:21.519 --> 00:16:32.240 He says this hope may arise out of our joy, but we must remind that we do not fix our confidence in it, or we shall have a sandy foundation. 00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:38.960 The solid grace of hope which abides and remains in the soul is born of faith through the word. 00:16:39.360 --> 00:16:43.360 It is only the abounding of hope which comes out of our joy and peace. 00:16:43.519 --> 00:16:48.240 If you believe in the Christ of God, you obtain joy and peace. 00:16:48.559 --> 00:16:51.759 But these are the results, not the causes. 00:16:52.080 --> 00:17:00.159 You must not begin with your own joy and peace and say, My hope of salvation is built upon the happiness I have felt of late. 00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:01.840 This will never do. 00:17:02.240 --> 00:17:09.519 Begin first of all with the scriptures, not with your feelings or fancies, nor with your impressions and excitements. 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:11.920 These will fail as a foundation. 00:17:12.400 --> 00:17:19.440 Begin with God, revealed in Christ Jesus as the God of hope, and let your joy and peace come from your believing in Him. 00:17:19.920 --> 00:17:26.240 Beloved, go forward, keeping close to the groundwork of faith, and you will feel joy and peace in your hearts. 00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:27.839 Let's pray together. 00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:32.400 Father, thank you for uh, Lord, your word. 00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:42.240 Thank you for the fact that you sent Jesus to be a man who took on flesh in its entirety. 00:17:42.480 --> 00:17:50.799 Not just this idea that we have on paper, but Lord, uh, you sent Jesus to come be in our shoes for us. 00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:54.079 So that Lord, we don't have to hold on tight to the law anymore. 00:17:54.160 --> 00:17:57.920 We don't have to hold on tight to you in fear that we'll fall off. 00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:06.319 But Lord, you have offered yourself to us so that we no longer have to try for our salvation anymore. 00:18:06.720 --> 00:18:11.759 So, Father, thank you for the gospel, for what it has done in our lives, what it offers us. 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:12.559 Thank you for your word. 00:18:12.960 --> 00:18:23.519 I pray, Lord, that um even one of us had uh and will have an encounter with you here this morning that we would get a deeper, uh more glorious, beautiful taste of your presence. 00:18:24.400 --> 00:18:28.799 Please, uh Lord, help us and sustain us in Jesus' name. 00:18:29.119 --> 00:18:29.279 Amen.