WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:03.200 We believe that Jesus is the answer for life. 00:00:03.279 --> 00:00:06.240 I talked about this at the beginning of the morning, but but it's it's big. 00:00:06.559 --> 00:00:08.080 We believe that he's God. 00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:12.400 We believe that he's exactly who he says that he is, that he is the answer for life. 00:00:12.640 --> 00:00:17.679 And so it's kind of a spoiler alert because almost every message that we give, every conversation that we have always ends up in with Jesus. 00:00:17.760 --> 00:00:20.879 Like we always get to Jesus because we believe that he is that answer. 00:00:20.960 --> 00:00:22.640 And we love to study his word. 00:00:22.879 --> 00:00:24.160 We love to study the Bible. 00:00:24.320 --> 00:00:31.199 Not because it's some old book that has some interesting perspective on life or anything like that, but because we believe it's the word of God. 00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:36.719 And we believe that there are things that God reveals to us in Scripture that we can never understand apart from what he reveals. 00:00:36.799 --> 00:00:38.640 We can never come to these conclusions on our own. 00:00:38.799 --> 00:00:44.560 We can never fathom how good he is, how big he is, how powerful he is, if it wasn't for what he's revealed to us. 00:00:44.799 --> 00:00:51.520 And something that I believe very much is that you should never settle for what a person can observe when you can understand what God can reveal. 00:00:51.759 --> 00:00:53.520 Never settle for observation over revelation. 00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:57.520 And so we want to ask God to speak to us through his word this morning. 00:00:57.679 --> 00:00:58.000 Okay? 00:00:58.159 --> 00:01:00.079 And what we're gonna do is we're gonna start a new study. 00:01:00.240 --> 00:01:05.200 We're calling this study Resurrected, and it's a study of Ephesians chapter 2, verses 1 through 10. 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:10.799 We're gonna read that together here in just a second, but let me kind of let me kind of set this up a little bit by asking a rhetorical question. 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:15.120 And I ask this rhetorically because I don't want to get any of you in trouble. 00:01:15.200 --> 00:01:20.000 Like if there happens to be someone here who is in the witness protection program, I don't know if that's true or not. 00:01:20.159 --> 00:01:22.400 I really shouldn't know if that's true or not. 00:01:22.560 --> 00:01:26.400 So like don't raise your hand, go, yeah, me, because that, like, dude, you're don't do that. 00:01:26.719 --> 00:01:28.799 But I wouldn't want to put you on the spot. 00:01:28.879 --> 00:01:33.359 And so rhetorically, I'm curious, just think this, and maybe some people are with me. 00:01:33.519 --> 00:01:35.760 Have you ever have you ever faked your death? 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:39.040 Like, has anyone here ever faked your own death before? 00:01:39.359 --> 00:01:41.120 You know, again, you don't have to answer, it's rhetorical. 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:41.599 I have. 00:01:41.680 --> 00:01:42.959 I faked my death one time. 00:01:43.120 --> 00:01:44.799 I was 10 years old. 00:01:46.079 --> 00:01:47.280 And I'll tell you this story. 00:01:47.359 --> 00:01:49.680 I didn't witness something from like the mafia. 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:53.519 Um, just out of curiosity, because I don't know, some weeks, is my little brother here? 00:01:53.680 --> 00:01:54.799 Aaron, are you here somewhere? 00:01:54.879 --> 00:01:56.560 And if you are, is he here? 00:01:56.799 --> 00:01:58.480 My little brother didn't come to church this morning. 00:01:58.640 --> 00:02:00.239 I'll call him as soon as this is done. 00:02:00.400 --> 00:02:02.799 Uh well, cool. 00:02:02.879 --> 00:02:04.560 I can tell this however I want. 00:02:04.719 --> 00:02:05.439 This is awesome. 00:02:05.519 --> 00:02:07.840 I can give you the the the unabridged version. 00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:08.800 So here's here's what happened. 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:09.520 I was 10 years old. 00:02:09.599 --> 00:02:11.759 When I was 10, my little brother was like three and a half, four. 00:02:11.919 --> 00:02:13.280 And uh he's an awesome guy. 00:02:13.360 --> 00:02:14.240 He's one of my best friends. 00:02:14.319 --> 00:02:16.159 I respect him, he's a good man, he has great character. 00:02:16.240 --> 00:02:17.919 When he was three and a half, horrible human being. 00:02:18.159 --> 00:02:20.800 Horrible person, just the just the worst. 00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:22.159 Okay, he was the worst. 00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:35.919 And so I was about seven years older than him, which was good because had we been two years apart, like the blows that we would have given each other, the bones that would have been broken, like we would have, we would have been at each other's throats day and night, because we just didn't get along for a long time. 00:02:36.080 --> 00:02:40.000 But fortunately, I was so much older than him that he didn't really pose a threat. 00:02:40.080 --> 00:02:47.439 And I was also so much older than him that I knew I couldn't really do anything back to him because my mom would be like, You're seven years older than him, and and you should know better. 00:02:47.520 --> 00:02:49.840 And so it actually kept things working pretty well. 00:02:49.919 --> 00:02:51.280 Well, one day I'm 10 years old. 00:02:51.360 --> 00:02:56.400 We had just moved into a new house, and I was I was in my bedroom and I was hanging posters on my wall. 00:02:56.560 --> 00:02:58.080 When I was 10, I was obsessed with baseball. 00:02:58.240 --> 00:02:59.199 Ken Griffey Jr. 00:02:59.280 --> 00:03:04.000 was my my favorite player, and I just like I just basically wallpapered my room in Ken Griffey Jr. 00:03:04.240 --> 00:03:04.719 posters. 00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:06.479 And so I'm I'm hanging up Ken Griffey Jr. 00:03:06.639 --> 00:03:12.159 posters and in walks that three and a half-year-old punk brother of mine to ruin my day because that's what he did. 00:03:12.319 --> 00:03:16.240 That's what he lived for was how can I make my older brother miserable? 00:03:16.400 --> 00:03:17.439 How can I ruin his day? 00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:19.759 So he walks in my room and he's doing something stupid. 00:03:19.840 --> 00:03:20.960 I don't remember what it was. 00:03:21.039 --> 00:03:24.080 And and as a 10-year-old, you know, I didn't have any patience for it. 00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:26.719 So I'm like, Aaron, go away, get out of my room. 00:03:26.879 --> 00:03:28.960 It's a very typical fight between siblings, right? 00:03:29.120 --> 00:03:31.520 Like, this is my room, go get out. 00:03:31.680 --> 00:03:33.520 And this was the first time I'd ever had my own room. 00:03:33.599 --> 00:03:36.000 This was the first house we moved into where we weren't sharing a room. 00:03:36.080 --> 00:03:38.000 So I was like, this is mine, you get out. 00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:39.599 And he didn't like that answer. 00:03:39.759 --> 00:03:41.039 And so he got violent with me. 00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:42.879 And that was pretty normal for Aaron at that age. 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:45.360 He would he would punch me, but he was like three and a half. 00:03:45.439 --> 00:03:46.159 It didn't hurt. 00:03:46.319 --> 00:03:54.960 Sometimes he would jump on top of me and try to strangle me, like try to choke the life out of me, but again, three and a half, couldn't really do much damage. 00:03:55.199 --> 00:03:58.000 This time, though, he did something he'd never done before. 00:03:58.240 --> 00:03:59.520 He stabbed me. 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:01.680 Legit. 00:04:02.719 --> 00:04:06.080 He grabbed a pushpin from the dresser. 00:04:07.360 --> 00:04:10.639 It was one of the pushpins I was using to hang the posters on the wall. 00:04:10.800 --> 00:04:16.240 He grabs this pushpin and he runs and he just jabs it, just jabs it right into my leg. 00:04:16.480 --> 00:04:17.920 And it sticks. 00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:20.480 I have been stabbed, people. 00:04:22.079 --> 00:04:26.399 I'm not sure if hospital attention is necessary at this point or not, but I'm in pain. 00:04:26.560 --> 00:04:28.560 Have you ever been stabbed with a pushpin? 00:04:28.879 --> 00:04:29.600 Anyone in the room with me? 00:04:29.759 --> 00:04:30.720 Has anyone ever had that experience? 00:04:30.879 --> 00:04:31.600 Are you serious? 00:04:31.759 --> 00:04:34.319 I honestly did not expect one point. 00:04:34.639 --> 00:04:37.439 I want to hear your I want to hear those stories later, all right? 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:41.120 So I've been stabbed and I'm in pain, it hurts. 00:04:41.360 --> 00:04:46.399 And then I have this idea, because you know, pain breeds it breeds creativity in a powerful way. 00:04:46.639 --> 00:04:51.120 And I'm an older brother, and you know, I said he was a horrible human being, so was I. 00:04:51.279 --> 00:04:57.839 I'm an older brother, and I'm thinking, how can I traumatize him in retaliation for this? 00:04:58.160 --> 00:05:05.040 And I knew, I knew I couldn't stab him back because if he runs upstairs with a push pin in his leg, I can't look at my mom and be like, well, he did it to me first. 00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:06.800 You know, that's not gonna fly. 00:05:07.040 --> 00:05:08.959 So I had this awesome idea. 00:05:09.519 --> 00:05:14.800 I pretended to die right in front of him. 00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:18.079 You know, he's three and a half, he's dumb, he doesn't know anything, right? 00:05:18.240 --> 00:05:22.560 Like he has no idea how circulation works and where major organs are or anything like that. 00:05:22.639 --> 00:05:23.920 He just knows that stabbing is bad. 00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:25.040 He knew that, I know that. 00:05:25.199 --> 00:05:34.560 And so, so I'm like, Aaron, you stabbed me in the leg, and then I start doing this whole Superman with kryptonite thing where I'm like, I'm like staggering and I'm I'm slurring my speech, and then I just collapse and fall. 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:40.079 And I lay there lifeless, and for two minutes, nothing. 00:05:40.639 --> 00:05:41.439 Silence. 00:05:42.079 --> 00:05:44.879 And then I hear him start to say my name. 00:05:45.279 --> 00:05:48.319 And he's like, Justin? 00:05:49.839 --> 00:05:50.720 Justin? 00:05:51.199 --> 00:05:53.519 I don't move, I don't, I don't do anything. 00:05:53.600 --> 00:05:58.879 And then he starts shaking my arm, and he's like, I can hear him crying, which was actually a beautiful thing. 00:05:59.839 --> 00:06:02.480 Not, I realize I sound so bad. 00:06:02.720 --> 00:06:04.240 I wasn't a Christian yet, by the way. 00:06:04.399 --> 00:06:11.199 So, like number one, it was a beautiful thing because up to that point I didn't know he really loved me. 00:06:11.279 --> 00:06:14.079 Like, I had no idea that he actually cared about me until he thought he killed me. 00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:17.199 So, like, he's crying and I'm thinking, well, at least I know he cares. 00:06:17.279 --> 00:06:19.360 And he's he's like starting to really freak out. 00:06:19.439 --> 00:06:23.600 He's shaking me, going, like, Justin, Justin, like I've convinced my brother that he's murdered me. 00:06:23.920 --> 00:06:24.560 You know? 00:06:25.680 --> 00:06:29.439 And I realize now that that's that's gotta be like severe trauma. 00:06:30.399 --> 00:06:33.839 And he's even told me that's one of his earliest memories in life. 00:06:34.079 --> 00:06:36.800 Because like, you don't remember much until you're four or five, right? 00:06:36.879 --> 00:06:37.920 That's one of his earliest memories. 00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:46.480 But I just laid there and I milked it for all it's worth, and and I I wake up and I'm like, haha, and then we go back to our normal dynamic, but but I faked my own death. 00:06:46.720 --> 00:06:50.879 And if you, by the way, if you're judging me, remember, I was stabbed, okay? 00:06:51.199 --> 00:06:53.279 I know it's a little blade, but it counts. 00:06:53.360 --> 00:06:55.120 I have been, I was stabbed. 00:06:55.519 --> 00:06:58.160 I don't know how common it is to fake your death. 00:06:58.319 --> 00:07:05.120 I'm not sure how many people have a story related to that, but I do know it's incredibly common to fake life. 00:07:05.759 --> 00:07:08.000 You know, to fake, to fake living. 00:07:08.240 --> 00:07:13.199 I love what Ben shared during Lord's Supper, that Jesus is life itself, that he offers us life. 00:07:13.279 --> 00:07:15.040 It's a promise that we see constantly in Scripture. 00:07:15.279 --> 00:07:16.879 John 10, 10, it's one of the most famous. 00:07:17.040 --> 00:07:19.600 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. 00:07:19.759 --> 00:07:22.720 I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. 00:07:22.800 --> 00:07:26.720 Some translations say, I've come that they may have life and life abundant. 00:07:26.879 --> 00:07:31.040 And what Jesus is really promising there is that I'm coming to give you something you don't have. 00:07:31.199 --> 00:07:34.319 Why would you offer life to someone who's alive? 00:07:34.800 --> 00:07:37.600 Like that just doesn't, that would be like offering a fish water. 00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:38.240 Like, what, why? 00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:39.680 I don't need this, you know? 00:07:39.920 --> 00:07:41.839 Why would you offer life to someone who's alive? 00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:51.279 And what we find in the teachings of Scripture, what we find with Jesus is that when he talks, excuse me, when he talks about life, he's talking about something very different than what we think of when we think of life. 00:07:51.680 --> 00:08:03.839 That Jesus is actually describing a quality of living, a kind of life that is so much more alive than any life that we've experienced that it makes what we've experienced up to this point seem like death. 00:08:05.199 --> 00:08:08.319 That Jesus gives us life. 00:08:08.399 --> 00:08:12.639 And when we have the life of Jesus, we don't have to fake life anymore. 00:08:12.720 --> 00:08:16.639 We don't have to go through the motions, we don't have to pretend like it's all okay when we're a mess. 00:08:17.759 --> 00:08:30.079 We don't have to say, fine, every time someone asks us how we're doing, we don't have to, we don't have to wonder why we have no joy, we have no peace, we have no certainty, we don't have to go through that because when we have the life of Jesus, we have something that conquers all of those things. 00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:32.559 And it's the life abundant. 00:08:33.360 --> 00:08:35.679 But we have to receive this life. 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:45.919 And actually, what Ephesians 2, 1 through 10 teaches us, this scripture that we're gonna study for the next several weeks, is that we've got to realize that we're dead. 00:08:47.039 --> 00:08:48.720 That we actually need to be resurrected. 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:51.120 Usually when we hear the word resurrected in church, we think of Jesus. 00:08:51.200 --> 00:08:53.120 You know, he rose from the tomb, and that is the story. 00:08:53.200 --> 00:08:57.679 But Ephesians 2, 1 through 10 talks about a different resurrection, and it's ours. 00:08:58.159 --> 00:09:02.639 It's our resurrection that we need to be brought to life by Jesus. 00:09:02.799 --> 00:09:04.000 And so let's go ahead and dive into this. 00:09:04.080 --> 00:09:05.679 If you have a Bible, turn to Ephesians 2. 00:09:05.759 --> 00:09:06.879 If you don't, we'll put it on the screens. 00:09:06.960 --> 00:09:10.080 If you have our mobile app, it's all there connected to the message, and you can even take notes. 00:09:10.159 --> 00:09:10.720 It's really cool. 00:09:10.879 --> 00:09:17.039 Ephesians 2, 1 through 10 says, Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:22.159 You used to live in sin just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil, the commander of the powers and the unseen world. 00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:26.159 He is the spirit at work in the hearts of all those who refuse to obey God. 00:09:26.320 --> 00:09:31.360 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. 00:09:31.600 --> 00:09:36.159 By our very nature, we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else. 00:09:36.240 --> 00:09:38.559 And up to this point, this is kind of bleak. 00:09:39.120 --> 00:09:41.519 But then check this out a huge turn. 00:09:41.840 --> 00:09:52.960 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:55.039 I'm gonna read that verse again because it's powerful. 00:09:55.120 --> 00:09:57.039 Everyone, everyone, real quick, say but God. 00:09:57.360 --> 00:09:58.320 All right, here we go. 00:09:58.480 --> 00:10:00.240 That's a big but with one T. 00:10:00.639 --> 00:10:10.159 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much that even though we were dead, we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. 00:10:10.240 --> 00:10:19.279 It's only by God's grace that you've been saved, for he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and he seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 00:10:19.600 --> 00:10:25.120 So God can point to all of us in future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness towards us. 00:10:25.279 --> 00:10:28.559 As shown in all he's done for us, who are united with Christ Jesus. 00:10:28.799 --> 00:10:33.840 God saved you by his grace when you believed, and you can't take credit from this, it's a gift from God. 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:41.519 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we've done, so none of us can boast about it, for we are God's masterpiece. 00:10:41.759 --> 00:10:47.200 He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. 00:10:47.519 --> 00:10:50.240 All right, so that's what we're gonna go through, and it's a lot. 00:10:50.639 --> 00:10:52.320 Like Paul is dense. 00:10:52.559 --> 00:10:55.120 When he writes, he's the author of the Apostle Paul of Ephesians. 00:10:55.200 --> 00:11:03.840 When he writes, there's just so much going on, and in these short few sentences, we go from being dead to being living masterpieces, doing the good things God planned for us long ago. 00:11:04.159 --> 00:11:05.840 That is a big jump. 00:11:06.639 --> 00:11:12.240 And so we're gonna walk through this, we're gonna explore this, and we're gonna look at what it means to live the resurrected life. 00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:19.519 To live this different kind of life that brings us to life, that makes us come alive in ways that we haven't before. 00:11:19.840 --> 00:11:22.639 And we're gonna start with those first four words. 00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:25.039 Because Paul doesn't really mince words here. 00:11:25.120 --> 00:11:29.759 He doesn't he doesn't like ease into this, he just says, once you were dead. 00:11:30.480 --> 00:11:35.120 And you might be thinking to yourself, I'm I'm pretty sure that I I have been alive all this time. 00:11:35.919 --> 00:11:37.519 I'm pretty sure that I wasn't. 00:11:37.759 --> 00:11:39.840 I'm trying to think when I was when I was when was I dead? 00:11:39.919 --> 00:11:41.600 Oh, I haven't been yet, right? 00:11:41.759 --> 00:11:43.679 That's that that's in the future. 00:11:43.919 --> 00:11:49.360 But I'm alive, and yet Paul talks past tense and says, once you were dead. 00:11:49.600 --> 00:11:50.799 And what's he talking about? 00:11:50.960 --> 00:11:54.240 Well, when he he says the word dead, he uses this Greek word necros, and it can mean two things. 00:11:54.320 --> 00:11:59.919 It can mean physical death, but it can also mean spiritual death, and that's actually the context that he's using it in. 00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:03.120 He's saying, once you were spiritually dead. 00:12:03.519 --> 00:12:06.399 In other words, you were spiritually inactive. 00:12:07.120 --> 00:12:09.919 You were spiritually without power. 00:12:10.799 --> 00:12:14.399 You were spiritually unable to function as you are meant to function. 00:12:14.559 --> 00:12:22.799 You were devoid of power, you were devoid of strength, you were not able to do what you were created to do because you were spiritually speaking dead. 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:28.159 Not not dying, not weak, but dead. 00:12:29.279 --> 00:12:31.279 And that might sound confusing to us, but it's interesting. 00:12:31.360 --> 00:12:38.159 We actually use that same word to mean something very much like what Paul is talking about almost every single day, at least every week. 00:12:38.639 --> 00:12:41.200 Like how many of you have a have a phone on you right now? 00:12:41.519 --> 00:12:41.840 Okay? 00:12:42.559 --> 00:12:43.519 Awesome. 00:12:44.240 --> 00:12:48.000 How many of you in the last week have said the phrase, my phone is dead? 00:12:48.159 --> 00:12:48.960 Show of hands, real quick. 00:12:49.039 --> 00:12:50.000 How many of you said that? 00:12:50.080 --> 00:12:51.279 Yeah, my phone is is dead. 00:12:51.440 --> 00:12:54.320 When you said that your phone was dead, did someone console you? 00:12:55.200 --> 00:12:55.519 No. 00:12:56.799 --> 00:13:00.799 When you said that your phone was dead, did you go bury it in the backyard? 00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:01.679 No. 00:13:02.240 --> 00:13:05.759 Because when you said your phone was dead, you didn't mean that it was physically dead. 00:13:05.919 --> 00:13:06.639 Physically, it's fine. 00:13:06.720 --> 00:13:09.919 It has all of its components, it's capable of doing whatever it needs to do. 00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:11.519 It's not broken or anything like that. 00:13:11.679 --> 00:13:13.440 Physically, it's all there. 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:24.639 But when you said your phone was dead, what you meant is it has no power, it has no charge, it is not able to function as it's intended because there is no life in it. 00:13:24.960 --> 00:13:26.080 It's dead. 00:13:27.279 --> 00:13:29.519 There's no spirit in it bringing it to life. 00:13:29.600 --> 00:13:34.240 And that is the same way that Paul is using that word dead to describe us. 00:13:34.639 --> 00:13:42.720 He's saying that that before we knew Jesus, apart from Jesus, we were spiritually devoid of power. 00:13:43.759 --> 00:13:52.960 And that's a really big deal to Paul, because what we have to understand is that from his perspective, our spirit is far more valuable than our physical body. 00:13:53.360 --> 00:13:57.440 Like we might read that in our culture and go, well, yeah, spiritually dead, but not physically dead, you know. 00:13:57.600 --> 00:13:59.200 Whew, thank God, I'm not physically dead. 00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:00.720 That'd be real bad. 00:14:01.120 --> 00:14:07.919 But the reality is to God, spiritual life is far more real than physical life. 00:14:08.799 --> 00:14:12.240 That it's our spirit that is above our flesh. 00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:14.799 We have this tendency in our world to only buy into the flesh. 00:14:14.960 --> 00:14:18.159 Like I want to see it, I want to be able to sense it with my senses. 00:14:18.320 --> 00:14:20.000 Someone asked once if faith is nonsense. 00:14:20.080 --> 00:14:27.600 I heard a pastor say, absolutely it's nonsense, because you cannot explain it or describe it based on the five senses that we have as human beings. 00:14:27.759 --> 00:14:30.159 It is a nonsensical thing. 00:14:31.120 --> 00:14:31.519 Right? 00:14:31.600 --> 00:14:37.360 We have this tendency as people to place the physical ahead of the spiritual, but but God never does. 00:14:37.600 --> 00:14:40.960 So when Paul says, hey, you are spiritually dead, this is a big deal. 00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:42.799 Like this should actually concern us. 00:14:42.879 --> 00:14:47.519 The idea of spiritual death should concern us far more, far more than physical death. 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:50.960 In fact, Jesus actually emphasizes this in Matthew chapter 10. 00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:55.919 He's talking to people about not being afraid of what other people think of you, what other people can do to you. 00:14:56.000 --> 00:15:00.320 In verse 26, he begins by saying, But don't be afraid of those who threaten you. 00:15:00.559 --> 00:15:05.840 For the time is coming when everything that is covered will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. 00:15:06.320 --> 00:15:10.480 What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. 00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:14.960 What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear. 00:15:15.200 --> 00:15:17.919 Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body. 00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:19.120 Now stop right there. 00:15:19.279 --> 00:15:21.440 That's an interesting piece of advice. 00:15:23.039 --> 00:15:25.519 Because this was real for Jesus' followers. 00:15:25.840 --> 00:15:27.679 Following Jesus was risking your life. 00:15:27.759 --> 00:15:29.600 And Jesus says, Hey, you know those people that want to kill you? 00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:31.039 Don't worry about them. 00:15:31.360 --> 00:15:33.519 All they want to do is kill your body. 00:15:34.240 --> 00:15:36.639 And we might go, uh, yeah. 00:15:37.519 --> 00:15:39.120 That's kind of a big deal, Jesus. 00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:40.639 But he's like, Yeah, don't worry about it. 00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:42.320 And then he goes on. 00:15:42.559 --> 00:15:44.320 He says, Fear only God. 00:15:45.120 --> 00:15:45.440 Right? 00:15:45.519 --> 00:15:47.360 He says, Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body. 00:15:47.440 --> 00:15:48.960 They cannot touch your soul. 00:15:49.200 --> 00:15:53.039 Fear only God who can destroy both body and soul in hell. 00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:54.720 What is the price of two sparrows? 00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:56.080 One copper coin? 00:15:56.480 --> 00:15:59.279 But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your father knowing it. 00:15:59.360 --> 00:16:02.399 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered, so don't be afraid. 00:16:02.559 --> 00:16:05.759 You are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. 00:16:06.720 --> 00:16:08.240 So it's a very encouraging scripture. 00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:14.639 I mean, Jesus is saying, hey, don't be afraid because God is with you, He loves you, He values you more than any other part of creation. 00:16:14.799 --> 00:16:18.720 He's so obsessed with you that He knows how many hairs are on your head. 00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:20.399 That's crazy. 00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:22.960 Like that's legitimately crazy. 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:28.639 If you're here, like anyone here ever count the number of hairs on the head of someone you love? 00:16:28.720 --> 00:16:30.320 Like you've actually counted them, you know the number. 00:16:30.480 --> 00:16:33.600 Okay, police officers, restraining orders for these people, they're free, they're weird. 00:16:33.679 --> 00:16:34.320 Like, don't do that. 00:16:34.399 --> 00:16:34.960 That's crazy. 00:16:35.039 --> 00:16:35.519 That's crazy. 00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:38.399 Unless the person you're with is bald, and then that makes all the sense in the world. 00:16:39.519 --> 00:16:45.279 But like, seriously, God is so in love with you that He knows that many details about you. 00:16:45.759 --> 00:16:48.080 And Jesus says, You should be you should be encouraged by this. 00:16:48.159 --> 00:16:49.440 This should give you strength. 00:16:49.679 --> 00:16:55.679 But buried in this incredibly encouraging conversation is this statement that Jesus makes. 00:17:00.399 --> 00:17:02.399 Worry about your soul, your spirit. 00:17:02.559 --> 00:17:04.960 That that is what is real to God. 00:17:05.680 --> 00:17:08.480 And we see this emphasized so often in Jesus' ministry. 00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:10.640 In Mark chapter 2, for example, verses 1 through 12. 00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:16.079 This this guy is brought to Jesus, he's paralyzed, he's been paralyzed for as long as we can tell, his whole life. 00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:22.960 And people hear that Jesus is in town, he's in Capernaum, and so his friends, the friends of this paralyzed man, they bring him to Jesus. 00:17:23.119 --> 00:17:27.680 But there's so many people that have gathered at the house Jesus is in to hear him teach that they can't get through the door. 00:17:27.839 --> 00:17:33.119 And the people there, I guess, are so enthralled with Jesus they don't recognize that the guy's there, they're not willing to move or to budge. 00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:40.000 And so his friends have to take him to the top of the roof and they break through the roof and they lower this paralyzed man right in front of Jesus. 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:45.599 And Jesus looks at this man and he says, My son, your sins are forgiven. 00:17:46.160 --> 00:17:48.799 And everyone's kind of like, What? 00:17:50.720 --> 00:17:52.319 He's paralyzed. 00:17:52.640 --> 00:17:56.720 The Pharisees who are there, they're mad, the religious leaders, because they're like, How dare you blasphemy? 00:17:56.960 --> 00:17:58.400 You know, just blasphemy. 00:17:58.559 --> 00:18:00.480 You can't forgive sins, only God can forgive sins. 00:18:00.559 --> 00:18:02.480 And Jesus, he goes, Okay, all right, I know what you're thinking. 00:18:02.559 --> 00:18:03.519 Only God can forgive sins. 00:18:03.599 --> 00:18:04.240 What is harder? 00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:07.839 Me saying to this man that his sins are forgiven, or me saying, hey, stand up and walk. 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:10.079 And they're like, Well, you know, stand up and walk. 00:18:10.160 --> 00:18:11.759 He says, Okay, stand up and walk. 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:14.559 And the guy gets up and he walks, and everyone freaks out. 00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:15.440 Everyone's amazed. 00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:20.480 It actually says that the people were amazed, and they say, We've never seen anything like this. 00:18:21.759 --> 00:18:23.920 But what was it that amazed the people? 00:18:24.880 --> 00:18:27.599 It was the physical healing. 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:32.960 The spiritual healing that took place before that, that's what Jesus prioritized. 00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:35.680 Here's a man in front of Jesus who can't walk. 00:18:35.920 --> 00:18:38.880 And in that society, by the way, that meant you can't do anything. 00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:40.079 You are only a beggar. 00:18:40.160 --> 00:18:41.759 That is your only option. 00:18:42.720 --> 00:18:50.240 In staring at a man who cannot walk, Jesus starts not with his physical need, but with his spiritual need. 00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:56.960 He begins with the spiritual because, in the eyes of Jesus, what breaks his heart more than physical pain is spiritual death. 00:18:57.359 --> 00:19:00.319 And so he says, My son, your sins are forgiven. 00:19:00.480 --> 00:19:03.839 And then he doesn't neglect the physical, but he starts with the spiritual. 00:19:04.559 --> 00:19:09.839 Jesus always, always, always prioritizes the spiritual over the physical. 00:19:10.319 --> 00:19:15.519 Probably his most famous teaching on that is Matthew chapter 6, starting in verse 25. 00:19:15.680 --> 00:19:18.960 He said, That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life. 00:19:19.200 --> 00:19:24.000 Whether you have enough food or drink or enough clothes to wear, isn't life more than food? 00:19:24.319 --> 00:19:25.599 And your body more than clothing? 00:19:25.759 --> 00:19:26.480 Look at the birds. 00:19:26.640 --> 00:19:34.319 They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly father feeds them, and aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? 00:19:34.640 --> 00:19:36.960 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 00:19:37.119 --> 00:19:38.559 And why worry about your clothing? 00:19:38.799 --> 00:19:40.799 Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. 00:19:40.960 --> 00:19:42.880 They don't work, they don't make their clothing. 00:19:43.119 --> 00:19:50.799 Yet Solomon, who by the way was the richest king in the history of Israel, Solomon in all of his glory was not as not dressed as beautifully as they are. 00:19:51.119 --> 00:19:57.359 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. 00:19:57.599 --> 00:20:00.559 Why do you have so little faith? 00:20:01.119 --> 00:20:04.720 So don't worry about these things saying, What will we eat, what will we drink, what will we wear? 00:20:04.880 --> 00:20:09.680 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:12.319 Seek the kingdom of God above all else. 00:20:12.480 --> 00:20:18.160 In other words, put the spiritual first and live righteously. 00:20:18.480 --> 00:20:20.319 And he will give you everything you need. 00:20:20.400 --> 00:20:21.920 He'll take care of the physical. 00:20:22.880 --> 00:20:27.039 We have this tendency to put the physical ahead of the spiritual. 00:20:27.119 --> 00:20:28.240 That's just human nature. 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:29.359 It makes sense. 00:20:29.519 --> 00:20:29.920 It makes sense. 00:20:30.480 --> 00:20:31.599 We shouldn't feel horrible about that. 00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:35.200 We shouldn't feel like we're we're missing it because that's just that's just how we're wired. 00:20:35.359 --> 00:20:39.839 But God wants to rewire us and he wants to show us that no, no, it's your spirit that matters most. 00:20:40.880 --> 00:20:43.200 And honestly, go back to that idea of your phone. 00:20:43.599 --> 00:20:46.880 Okay, I know I'm asking for a lot of hand raises this morning, but like just go with me. 00:20:46.960 --> 00:20:50.559 How many of you right now have a phone that has some type of physical flaw? 00:20:50.720 --> 00:20:53.599 It has a cracked screen somewhere, it has, okay. 00:20:54.160 --> 00:20:56.559 Well, why why haven't you replaced it yet? 00:20:57.920 --> 00:20:59.519 Because it still works. 00:20:59.839 --> 00:21:00.400 Right? 00:21:00.960 --> 00:21:03.759 And the physical is not as important as the spiritual. 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:16.960 It's physical health, so to speak, that's not as valuable to you as the fact that it's able to function, that it's able to do what it's meant to do, that it has power within it, that it has life within it, and so you can use it to do what you need. 00:21:17.039 --> 00:21:20.240 And yeah, there's some cracks, there's some breaks, but it's alive. 00:21:20.640 --> 00:21:24.400 And look, we live in a culture and a world that is so obsessed with the outside. 00:21:24.480 --> 00:21:25.759 And that's how it's been from the beginning. 00:21:25.839 --> 00:21:33.599 In fact, in 1 Samuel, whenever God was sending Samuel to pick David to be the next king, he told Samuel the prophet, he said, Man looks at the outside, I look at the heart. 00:21:33.759 --> 00:21:37.279 We live in a world that tells us, hey, make sure it all looks great on the outside. 00:21:37.519 --> 00:21:44.880 Spend all this time and effort and energy trying to make your outside look as perfect as possible, not just your physical appearance, but your family. 00:21:45.039 --> 00:21:53.039 You know, like how many of you have that picture with all your kids and you're on the beach and you're wearing matching clothes, and five seconds before the picture, you're like, shut up, everyone, shut up and take the picture. 00:21:53.279 --> 00:21:54.240 Shut your mouth. 00:21:54.400 --> 00:21:57.200 And you look at that and you're like, we're such a happy family. 00:21:57.440 --> 00:22:00.960 You post that online, like, we're Wonderful. 00:22:01.839 --> 00:22:06.720 And then people at home they see that picture in the midst of their children screaming and their yellow children are like, I'm a horrible parent. 00:22:06.880 --> 00:22:08.000 Look at these happy people. 00:22:08.240 --> 00:22:08.720 You know? 00:22:09.680 --> 00:22:14.880 We put so much emphasis on the outside, but look, it's the spirit that matters. 00:22:15.359 --> 00:22:17.039 It's that there's life within us. 00:22:17.440 --> 00:22:23.200 It's that there's a power that's from God that's fueling us, that's loud, that's letting us live as we've never lived before. 00:22:23.359 --> 00:22:24.960 That's what we have to value. 00:22:25.759 --> 00:22:27.839 Because we used to be dead. 00:22:29.599 --> 00:22:31.759 But through Jesus, we have life. 00:22:31.839 --> 00:22:33.119 We'll go to verse 4. 00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:34.799 And we're skipping verses 2 and 3. 00:22:34.880 --> 00:22:36.160 We're gonna cover that next week. 00:22:36.400 --> 00:22:44.880 By the way, I'll just uh side note, next week, if you've ever wondered why maybe you're a Christian, but you still struggle with sin, addiction, other issues like that, like man, I believe in God. 00:22:45.200 --> 00:22:48.559 Why am I still struggling with the same things that I used to struggle with next week's teaching? 00:22:48.640 --> 00:22:49.680 That's what that's all about. 00:22:49.839 --> 00:22:52.559 But Paul does this thing where he starts a thought. 00:22:52.720 --> 00:22:53.519 This is how Paul writes. 00:22:53.920 --> 00:22:55.359 It's his style, it's unique, it's cool. 00:22:55.519 --> 00:23:05.279 He starts a thought, he gets like halfway done, and then he like goes way off and explores that thought, and then he comes back, he's like, Oh, yeah, help me finish the thought that I started with, and that's just how he talks. 00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:06.880 And so he does that here as well. 00:23:07.039 --> 00:23:12.000 You know, verse one said, once you were dead because of your sins and your trespasses. 00:23:12.240 --> 00:23:14.799 And then verse four, he says, but God. 00:23:14.960 --> 00:23:16.319 All right, we said that earlier. 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:27.119 Once you were dead, but God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. 00:23:27.279 --> 00:23:30.240 It is only by God's grace that you have been saved. 00:23:30.559 --> 00:23:32.799 So we were dead, but now we're alive. 00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:40.079 And here's what's really cool the life that he gives us, it is not like the life we start with. 00:23:41.039 --> 00:23:43.920