WEBVTT 00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:00.800 Well, good morning. 00:00:01.040 --> 00:00:02.319 I'm excited about this morning. 00:00:02.479 --> 00:00:03.680 Last week Brad preached. 00:00:03.759 --> 00:00:09.359 Well, I was out, I was, I was in Costa Rica on a missionary retreat, uh teaching missionary families. 00:00:09.439 --> 00:00:11.599 I'll talk more about that in the coming weeks. 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:18.000 Brad preached last week and answered everybody's prayers on uh or questions on prayer, solved all that last week. 00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:21.440 So I'm looking forward to listening to that because I have a lot of questions about prayer. 00:00:21.600 --> 00:00:26.239 And uh so I got out of town for that one and handed it to Brad, so that worked out. 00:00:26.480 --> 00:00:27.679 So I'm looking forward to that. 00:00:27.760 --> 00:00:30.559 And and this week we're finishing uh 1 John. 00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:35.600 We as a church have been going through the book of 1 John for three and a half months. 00:00:35.920 --> 00:00:38.320 Now, when I was 10 years old, I met my idol. 00:00:38.399 --> 00:00:40.240 Here's a picture of my idol. 00:00:40.399 --> 00:00:42.719 Uh this is him, Michael Jordan. 00:00:43.039 --> 00:00:49.200 This picture actually was wallpaper on my bedroom wall, one entire wall behind my bed. 00:00:49.280 --> 00:00:51.840 So I literally laid in bed and looked up to him at night. 00:00:51.920 --> 00:00:53.520 I mean, a true idol, right? 00:00:53.840 --> 00:00:56.880 And so when I was 10 years old, I met him. 00:00:57.039 --> 00:00:58.479 I met Michael Jordan. 00:00:58.799 --> 00:01:04.480 I was at a charity basketball tournament with my dad, and I walked out into the lobby. 00:01:04.640 --> 00:01:17.040 Um, and it wasn't big, there wasn't tons of people there, maybe a few hundred people, and I walked out into lobby's restroom, just a 10-year-old little boy, and I had Michael Jordan's basketball card in one pocket, I had a pen in the other pocket just in hopes, just maybe, right? 00:01:17.120 --> 00:01:18.319 Like just maybe. 00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:23.120 And I walked out in the lobby, I heard a little bit of commotion over on the other side. 00:01:23.439 --> 00:01:34.879 And I look over, and and Michael Jordan had walked in in a classic 1990s windbreaker suit, and he had his daughter in one arm, and I and I turned around because this is my moment. 00:01:35.120 --> 00:01:36.400 This was destiny. 00:01:36.560 --> 00:01:38.159 I mean, this is my idol. 00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:43.439 And I walked up to him and I said, and I pulled the card out, I had the pen out. 00:01:43.680 --> 00:01:45.200 I mean, I took the cap off the pen. 00:01:45.439 --> 00:01:47.519 Like I made this as easy as possible. 00:01:47.760 --> 00:01:50.799 And I said, Well, can I have your autograph? 00:01:51.760 --> 00:01:57.280 And he looked down at me in my moment of destiny, and he said, Not right now. 00:01:58.319 --> 00:01:59.359 Oh, right? 00:01:59.920 --> 00:02:00.480 Right? 00:02:00.799 --> 00:02:03.519 As if we're gonna meet many more times. 00:02:04.079 --> 00:02:07.200 We're gonna have so much time together in the future. 00:02:08.479 --> 00:02:10.240 This is how idols work, right? 00:02:10.400 --> 00:02:10.719 Right, right. 00:02:10.879 --> 00:02:12.319 We learn it early on. 00:02:12.639 --> 00:02:18.800 We give our hearts to them, but they really have no power to bring to us what we're asking of them. 00:02:19.759 --> 00:02:22.159 Some sort of saving and worth. 00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:32.479 Because, you know, really, he was just a dad who had ridden in a car with his like two-year-old, okay? 00:02:32.719 --> 00:02:33.199 Right? 00:02:33.360 --> 00:02:34.639 I can see this now. 00:02:34.800 --> 00:02:36.560 I've had two-year-olds. 00:02:36.879 --> 00:02:42.240 And then he's got to come to a charity basketball tourner that maybe his publicist signed him up for. 00:02:42.960 --> 00:02:51.360 Maybe he's had a hard morning, and then there's like a 10-year-old showing up, and he's juggling kids and trying to get in, and he's just a guy. 00:02:51.599 --> 00:02:51.919 Right? 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:55.680 It's just money, um, it's just a job, it's just a person. 00:02:56.639 --> 00:03:01.759 But we ask things of these other things that we shouldn't. 00:03:02.400 --> 00:03:04.000 So we can look to the screen. 00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:12.240 Idols are anything we love too much that end up holding power over our hearts from being at peace. 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:17.680 So, because idols aren't God, but we position them in our hearts as God. 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:19.520 That's why it doesn't work, right? 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:27.680 We position something, someone, in our hearts as God to do some saving, to give us some peace, maybe fulfillment. 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:30.560 And it doesn't work because they're not God. 00:03:31.360 --> 00:03:32.719 John Calvin said this. 00:03:32.800 --> 00:03:35.759 He said, The human heart is an idol factory. 00:03:35.919 --> 00:03:42.879 Every one of us from our mother's womb is an expert in inventing idols. 00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:51.439 So if we begin with the last verse of the entire book of 1 John, we'll work our way back to the passage. 00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:55.840 The last verse was little children keep yourselves from idols. 00:03:56.080 --> 00:04:02.719 So point number one is this idolatry is sin, and I am an idolater. 00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:09.280 Now, that's not my full story, it's not your full story. 00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:10.319 It is part of our story. 00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:12.240 Our full story begins in Genesis 1, right? 00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:13.360 Not Genesis 3. 00:04:13.520 --> 00:04:18.480 So we were created beautiful in God's image, and that's the beginning of our story. 00:04:19.040 --> 00:04:26.319 But in Genesis 3 starts all this other stuff: sin, idolatry, control, stubbornness, selfishness. 00:04:26.639 --> 00:04:28.560 You probably relate with something. 00:04:28.879 --> 00:04:31.839 So we started our church six years ago. 00:04:32.079 --> 00:04:41.759 Uh many of you are familiar with the storyline because you've been a part of our church, and uh I think it's important this morning because it helps me talk about my idolatry. 00:04:41.920 --> 00:04:49.439 Uh I had worked at a megachurch in the high school department when I first went into ministry, and when I mean mega church, I mean we had 300 high schoolers. 00:04:49.680 --> 00:04:53.680 And so, you know, that really strokes the ego, right? 00:04:53.839 --> 00:04:59.279 I mean, you're a young minister, you have 300 high schoolers showing up to, you know, you think to listen to you. 00:04:59.360 --> 00:05:04.079 Um they're not really there to listen to you, but you think that, and it really strokes the ego. 00:05:04.319 --> 00:05:08.720 And then I went and I worked at a very large, prestigious church, a wonderful church. 00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:15.040 And that kind of strokes the ego also, because you have a fancy office and it's large and prestigious. 00:05:16.000 --> 00:05:19.839 And then I was in a dentist office lobby with like a few of you. 00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:30.240 And I have a I had a I had a desk in an extra building of a friend of mine who donated this space, and it was sort of like storage. 00:05:30.319 --> 00:05:34.560 So I had a desk in the back corner of this building or surrounded by storage. 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:36.800 Um, this was not glamorous. 00:05:36.959 --> 00:05:39.439 Let's just go ahead and I can put that out there. 00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:49.279 And what I didn't realize, and I discovered in those first couple years of us being a church, was I didn't realize how much I lived off of people's approval until all that was pulled away. 00:05:49.680 --> 00:05:54.079 How much I lived off of people's respect until that was pulled away, it was gone. 00:05:55.680 --> 00:06:01.120 And I felt exposed to failure because before in those other organizations, if I failed it didn't matter, right? 00:06:01.199 --> 00:06:04.000 You could always point to somebody else or point to the organization. 00:06:04.319 --> 00:06:11.680 But now this was different because if this failed, um, I was sort of the one there to point at. 00:06:12.319 --> 00:06:14.000 And that felt different. 00:06:14.240 --> 00:06:21.839 And I was saying, and I really meant, I truly did meant, and I still mean, you know, God loves you and God loves you, and by God's love you're defined in your worth and justification. 00:06:22.160 --> 00:06:23.199 I truly meant that then. 00:06:23.279 --> 00:06:25.279 That's what our church was founded on. 00:06:26.399 --> 00:06:31.439 But the process of being exposed made me feel different. 00:06:31.759 --> 00:06:34.800 And the result was my heart was closed off at times. 00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:38.800 I felt exhausted at times, I felt condemned at times. 00:06:39.360 --> 00:06:46.800 I had pretty large fluctuations between being at peace and being very, very, very anxious. 00:06:47.040 --> 00:06:49.040 Um I thought about quitting. 00:06:49.199 --> 00:06:51.199 Um, probably never said that. 00:06:51.279 --> 00:06:54.319 Um, not a popular thing to say the first couple years you start a church. 00:06:54.399 --> 00:06:57.680 Um, definitely not to your elders or your people that you're trying to, hey, please come. 00:06:58.879 --> 00:07:00.160 Come to our church. 00:07:00.319 --> 00:07:04.319 I I might quit, but um you should you should come. 00:07:04.480 --> 00:07:06.000 It would be good for you. 00:07:06.399 --> 00:07:10.480 Um but I felt trapped and I couldn't leave. 00:07:10.560 --> 00:07:11.680 I wouldn't have left. 00:07:11.759 --> 00:07:13.759 It's just just just my mind. 00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:16.639 Um, but I felt overwhelmed. 00:07:16.800 --> 00:07:21.199 And when you feel overwhelmed, you start thinking wild things. 00:07:21.439 --> 00:07:26.079 I felt isolated because before I was on a large staff and a lot of friends, and that was gone. 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:27.439 I felt lonely. 00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:33.120 And then I began a relationship with a mentor that allowed me to say all of that. 00:07:33.839 --> 00:07:37.839 So I began to actually say some things that were underneath. 00:07:38.480 --> 00:07:44.720 And he would he would do this thing where he would say, Oh, I know. 00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:47.279 I remember that. 00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:50.319 Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:07:50.560 --> 00:07:55.120 Oh yeah, I I I I I thought I might just want to run a Starbucks at one point. 00:07:55.360 --> 00:07:58.480 I mean, this is a guy who started a church, ran a church for like 29 years. 00:07:58.639 --> 00:08:04.160 I mean, and just to say it to somebody and have somebody say, like, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it'll it'll pass. 00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:05.439 It'll pass. 00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:08.000 Oh yeah, of course that's there. 00:08:09.680 --> 00:08:16.240 And then Grace, he would just tell me that God loves me and wanted even greater freedom for me. 00:08:18.800 --> 00:08:21.439 To be free of some idols. 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:23.519 And here's what had to happen. 00:08:23.600 --> 00:08:28.720 I had to grow aware of my idolatry and my coping mechanisms, and I still am, mind you, okay? 00:08:28.959 --> 00:08:29.920 I'm not at the end of this. 00:08:30.079 --> 00:08:38.240 But I had to grow aware of uh my idolatry and my coping mechanisms, which are at the intersection of my woundedness and my sin. 00:08:41.840 --> 00:08:43.840 Now hold on to all that, we'll circle back around. 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:45.679 1 John 5, 16 and 17. 00:08:45.840 --> 00:08:54.879 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin, not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. 00:08:55.120 --> 00:08:56.799 There is sin that leads to death. 00:08:56.879 --> 00:09:00.080 I do not say that one should pray for that. 00:09:00.240 --> 00:09:04.480 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. 00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:07.679 So point number two is this. 00:09:08.639 --> 00:09:13.279 There is sin that leads to death, and there is sin that limits peace. 00:09:13.519 --> 00:09:16.559 Maybe that's two ways to think about these two different things John's talking about. 00:09:16.720 --> 00:09:18.559 There's sin that does this, and there's sin that does this. 00:09:18.639 --> 00:09:26.720 And so I think what he's talking about, he's talking about two different things here, both sin, but what he's saying is there's sin that's the continual refusal of the grace of God. 00:09:27.519 --> 00:09:30.799 And if you refuse the grace of God, you're refusing life. 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:34.720 It's death here, now, and forever. 00:09:35.919 --> 00:09:45.039 And then there's sin inside of Christ, in Christ, in the grace of God, where we look, so he's moving toward this comment about idols, mind you, right? 00:09:45.200 --> 00:09:49.440 And so we look for wholeness and worth and fulfillment somewhere else. 00:09:49.519 --> 00:09:51.679 And of course that limits our peace. 00:09:53.039 --> 00:10:02.320 Verse 18, we know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. 00:10:02.399 --> 00:10:06.159 So point number three is this Christians are sinners, but the grace of God liberates. 00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:18.720 Now, of course, John isn't saying you won't sin, because if that's true, he wouldn't have had 1 John chapter 1, which we've talked about, and we'd all be in trouble, right? 00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:20.480 I'd be in trouble first one. 00:10:21.279 --> 00:10:32.639 John's just saying the Christian life, and this is what he was saying in 1 John 2, the Christian life, the walk is the word he likes to use, is an imperfect walk in a continued direction toward godliness. 00:10:32.720 --> 00:10:33.600 It's all those things. 00:10:33.840 --> 00:10:38.320 Imperfect walk, continued direction toward godliness. 00:10:38.799 --> 00:10:48.000 So last week I went to Costa Rica, a team of nine of us, we landed in San Jose, Costa Rica, uh, to make our way up into the mountains to care for these seven missionary families. 00:10:48.080 --> 00:10:56.320 But when we got off the plane, we had to go through customs, we had to get our bags, we had to make our way through this big crowd and out into the parking lot, and through that crowd, out into this to get to this van. 00:10:56.399 --> 00:11:00.080 Now, along the way, that walk, the nine of us, here we are at the airport. 00:11:00.240 --> 00:11:05.919 These nine of us, um, you done have you done group travel? 00:11:06.080 --> 00:11:07.360 I mean, are you familiar with it? 00:11:07.519 --> 00:11:10.240 Like, it's just not perfect, right? 00:11:10.399 --> 00:11:16.879 Like, um, you know, Jonathan will have to like use the restroom, and then you know, five minutes later, somebody else has to use the restroom. 00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:25.440 We were just there, but okay, now we're going to the bathroom again, and I have to tie my shoe, or you know, somebody else has to rearrange their bag on top of the rolling suitcase. 00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:27.600 And everybody's to stop every time. 00:11:27.679 --> 00:11:28.720 So it's just not perfect. 00:11:29.120 --> 00:11:30.480 It's definitely not efficient, right? 00:11:30.559 --> 00:11:33.840 I mean, and I like some efficiency in an airport, mind you. 00:11:34.320 --> 00:11:38.320 So it's an imperfect relational walk in an ongoing direction. 00:11:40.080 --> 00:11:46.480 And because it's imperfect, what do we all, what would all of us have to have had toward each other? 00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:47.600 Well, grace. 00:11:48.879 --> 00:11:51.440 That's why we have the second part of this verse. 00:11:53.440 --> 00:11:56.320 But he who is born of God protects him. 00:11:56.720 --> 00:11:59.600 Now that's not talking about you, that's talking about Jesus. 00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:03.919 Because the walk's imperfect, we need, we need Jesus. 00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:04.720 What a promise. 00:12:04.879 --> 00:12:06.080 You're protected by God. 00:12:06.720 --> 00:12:13.919 Even your failure, your failure, your sin, your guilt, your shame, all that's protected by God Himself, his grace to you. 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:18.960 And not even the evil one can ultimately affect your life. 00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:20.159 That's that's what John's saying. 00:12:20.320 --> 00:12:22.080 Verses 19 and 20. 00:12:22.559 --> 00:12:37.039 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one, but he just said the evil one can't get to you, so that's not, you know, we're going, okay, the world, the values of the world are not our values, but they don't have to be, they're not our values. 00:12:37.279 --> 00:12:49.840 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his son, Jesus Christ, he's the true God and eternal life. 00:12:50.159 --> 00:12:57.279 So we're called out of the values of the world into the values of the kingdom, into relationship with Jesus. 00:12:57.440 --> 00:12:59.120 Then this last verse, 21. 00:12:59.200 --> 00:13:03.919 What a what an interesting sentence to end an entire book with. 00:13:04.639 --> 00:13:09.039 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. 00:13:09.279 --> 00:13:21.679 And so point number four is this God's grace liberates us and grows us in our liberation as we keep from idols and enjoy our loving God. 00:13:21.759 --> 00:13:24.080 Now that's a long sentence, but I think it's all needed. 00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:25.840 God's grace liberates us. 00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:32.159 We're liberated in the grace, nothing else, no, no, no earning, no effort to be liberated by God. 00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:37.519 But we grow in our liberation as we keep from idols and enjoy our loving God. 00:13:38.559 --> 00:13:43.039 I love this sentence because he proclaims to the little children, right? 00:13:43.120 --> 00:13:44.480 Like this is what he's been doing this whole book. 00:13:44.639 --> 00:13:47.679 Six times he calls the people, beloved, this is who you are. 00:13:48.480 --> 00:13:49.840 It's your position. 00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:52.159 And then he does. 00:13:52.320 --> 00:13:59.759 He says, hey, inside of that position, inside of that fullness of the grace of God, earning is over, but effort is not over. 00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:01.519 Keep yourself from idols. 00:14:02.320 --> 00:14:03.519 Don't give yourself to that. 00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:05.200 Don't limit your peace. 00:14:07.120 --> 00:14:10.879 And what's beautiful is inside the grace of God, their earning is over, but not the effort. 00:14:11.039 --> 00:14:20.960 So the effort inside of the grace, we get to be a part of this process, but we don't have to be obsessed with it to the point that this is what justifies us. 00:14:23.759 --> 00:14:27.440 Tim Keller has this great little Bible study called Gospel and Life. 00:14:27.519 --> 00:14:29.120 It's been very helpful to me. 00:14:29.279 --> 00:14:38.080 And for me, what it's helped is it has helped me dig through and get down to that intersection of my woundedness and my sin where my idolatry tends to form. 00:14:40.399 --> 00:14:45.519 Here's some of the things that he says about power idolatry. 00:14:46.399 --> 00:14:55.120 Idolatry in our hearts begins with this sentence sort of like life only has meaning, or I only have worth if I have power and influence over others. 00:14:55.440 --> 00:15:00.320 Life only has meaning, or I only have worth if I am loved or respected by. 00:15:03.840 --> 00:15:10.879 Life only has meaning, or I only have worth if I have this kind of pleasure experience or particular quality of life. 00:15:11.039 --> 00:15:13.279 If I don't have it, I don't have worth. 00:15:14.559 --> 00:15:18.320 I only have worth if I'm highly productive and get a lot done. 00:15:19.919 --> 00:15:25.600 I only have worth if I'm being recognized and I'm excelling in my work. 00:15:27.200 --> 00:15:34.399 I only have worth if I am fulfilling my religious and moral codes and accomplishing what is expected of me. 00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:48.799 And so that's that's a you got power idolatry, you got approval idolatry, you got comfort idolatry, work, achievement, uh, religious, and all of this is an idolatry of the heart instead of just resting in the fullness of the grace of God in Jesus' sufficiency for you. 00:15:50.559 --> 00:15:52.320 What does all this mean? 00:15:53.120 --> 00:15:59.759 Well, I think number one is a great thing for us to do, is to prayerfully consider what you tell yourself. 00:16:01.679 --> 00:16:05.120 If I had blank, I'd be happy or be okay. 00:16:05.840 --> 00:16:07.519 And what would you write in there? 00:16:08.080 --> 00:16:14.960 We all tend to write something in there, and maybe, perhaps, perhaps that's an idol of your heart. 00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:22.639 Now, at that moment, because we're inside the grace of God, we get to, yes, sorrowfully, but also joyfully repent, because we're already beloved. 00:16:23.039 --> 00:16:25.279 We just get to be a part of this process. 00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:33.360 Joyfully repent as God already loves you and wants to further grow you in the freedom in Christ, in your freedom in Christ. 00:16:33.600 --> 00:16:40.639 And then, number three, we get to rest our hearts in the riches of God's grace, as this is a lifelong journey. 00:16:41.039 --> 00:16:45.200 An imperfect walk and an ongoing direction toward godliness. 00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:58.559 So after we landed at the airport there in San Jose, we did finally make our way out and got into this big van and packed it up and shoved all of ourselves in there and packed in for a four-hour drive. 00:16:58.639 --> 00:17:01.679 And by the time we got up into the mountains, we went up to Arnall Volcano. 00:17:01.759 --> 00:17:04.160 By the time we got up into there, it was nighttime, it was dark. 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:05.839 Couldn't see anything. 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:09.519 We ate dinner, we went into our little, like, little houses. 00:17:09.680 --> 00:17:15.920 The rooms were like these little got a cabana hut houses and went to sleep. 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:18.799 I woke up the next morning, 5.30. 00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:20.720 I opened the door. 00:17:22.400 --> 00:17:23.279 Behold. 00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:23.759 Right? 00:17:23.920 --> 00:17:26.000 If you've been around, we've been talking about this moment. 00:17:26.160 --> 00:17:27.759 This is the moment right here. 00:17:28.720 --> 00:17:30.000 I mean, this is what I saw. 00:17:30.079 --> 00:17:32.559 I mean, suffering for the gospel is what I was doing this week. 00:17:32.720 --> 00:17:34.480 For you, for y'all, I was doing this. 00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:38.319 1 John 3.1. 00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:45.839 Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we, that we should be called children of God. 00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:52.960 Now, my roommate was my buddy Jonathan, who came to lead worship, and I didn't turn around, right? 00:17:53.039 --> 00:17:58.799 I didn't turn around, like we've been saying, I didn't turn around and say, Jonathan, wait, hey, behold, there's a volcano. 00:17:58.880 --> 00:17:59.680 You've got to come out. 00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:03.440 Like, behold, behold, no, no, that's not the that's not our language, right? 00:18:03.519 --> 00:18:10.079 Our language is when he did wake up two hours later, what he what I said was, hey, you you you gotta get out here. 00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:12.559 Like you've got to see this. 00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:16.400 There is a massive volcano here. 00:18:16.960 --> 00:18:17.680 And you know what? 00:18:17.839 --> 00:18:22.960 Every morning, every morning, wow, amazing, look at that. 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:29.200 And I didn't even realize it until it was in the airport coming home, and I went through to delete pictures, you know, because you're just taking pictures all over the place. 00:18:29.279 --> 00:18:34.319 And so I went through to kind of clean out, and I just kept taking pictures of the same thing all week. 00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:38.720 I just kept taking pictures of the mountain, that volcano. 00:18:39.839 --> 00:18:44.160 Because the light would hit it one way or I'd be at a different angle or something else, right? 00:18:44.559 --> 00:18:47.279 And it I never got tired. 00:18:47.920 --> 00:18:49.920 I never got tired of looking at it. 00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:52.880 Behold. 00:18:55.279 --> 00:18:57.279 It means don't move on. 00:18:59.839 --> 00:19:03.200 I mean, it's completely what our church is entirely about. 00:19:03.599 --> 00:19:07.920 It's saying do not move on from the love of God. 00:19:08.960 --> 00:19:12.559 Back into some law or back into some merit or back into some performance. 00:19:12.720 --> 00:19:14.400 Do not move on from that. 00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:15.759 Don't go into that. 00:19:16.559 --> 00:19:18.000 Behold the lavish love of God. 00:19:18.079 --> 00:19:19.279 You are a child of God. 00:19:19.359 --> 00:19:22.559 Now you stay there, you gaze upon Jesus. 00:19:23.119 --> 00:19:26.319 You root deeper into Jesus' word for you. 00:19:26.559 --> 00:19:40.799 And in that freedom, and in that security that you have, that you're already forgiven, you're already righteous, and you're already beloved, you are so secure that you can go and look at the intersection of your woundedness and your sin. 00:19:43.759 --> 00:19:47.359 And that is good news that we do not have to move on from the love of God. 00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:55.599 And whatever you find deep in your heart, God is not surprised, and he's not even disappointed because he's already handled all that on the cross. 00:19:56.640 --> 00:20:07.759 And he is waiting for us to surrender that over, to confess that, repent of that, and move even further into the freedom he desires for us. 00:20:09.279 --> 00:20:10.640 For we're his children. 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:14.079 And that's how a father wants his children to be. 00:20:14.559 --> 00:20:15.599 Let's pray together. 00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:19.200 God, thank you for your good news to us. 00:20:20.640 --> 00:20:22.319 That the earning is over. 00:20:24.960 --> 00:20:29.519 And inside the grace of God, that we get to be active. 00:20:31.839 --> 00:20:37.759 In our deep security in Christ, we get to say, what is going on inside of our hearts? 00:20:38.720 --> 00:20:41.519 What woundedness has been there the whole time? 00:20:42.079 --> 00:20:44.559 What is the sin under my behaviors? 00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:49.200 And that we get to process that. 00:20:50.240 --> 00:20:54.160 Not to live in condemnation, but to live in greater freedom. 00:20:55.359 --> 00:20:57.039 Thank you that you deem us beloved. 00:20:57.200 --> 00:21:02.480 May we live deeper and deeper and deeper in our belovedness, which is given to us in Jesus Christ our Lord. 00:21:02.720 --> 00:21:03.279 Amen.