WEBVTT 00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:00.800 Morning. 00:00:01.360 --> 00:00:02.799 Everybody doing well? 00:00:03.359 --> 00:00:04.080 Good, good. 00:00:04.160 --> 00:00:07.519 Hey, this week, uh, just if if you think about it, pray for Nathan. 00:00:07.679 --> 00:00:09.519 Nathan was the person that was just standing right here. 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:10.640 A lot of us know anything. 00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:12.640 He's having his tonsils taken out tomorrow. 00:00:12.880 --> 00:00:14.240 Uh I know, right? 00:00:14.400 --> 00:00:18.640 And uh, we've already told him, you know, that if his voice doesn't recover, then we'll just find someone else. 00:00:18.800 --> 00:00:20.079 But um he's good. 00:00:20.239 --> 00:00:21.120 He's good. 00:00:22.399 --> 00:00:33.759 You know, Nathan's been part of this church for 10 years, and uh, and I'm I'm gonna guess that part of the the tonsil struggles he's had in the last year, he's had several several bouts of tonsillitis, and he's still kind of fought through it all and sung each week. 00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:45.200 And none of none of us may realize that you know sometimes that's the case, but he's he's he's done everything he can, so he's having that surgery tomorrow, and it's a pretty big surgery, so just pray for that, pray for him tomorrow and uh and for his family as they recover from that. 00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:46.799 I'm sure it'll be it'll be awesome, though. 00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:48.960 Uh I want to start by saying thank you for being here. 00:00:49.039 --> 00:00:51.039 If you're here for the very first time, welcome to his hands. 00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:55.840 Uh, we are a family of people that exist for one big reason, and that is to love people to Jesus. 00:00:56.000 --> 00:01:02.000 I want to thank everyone who's here for uh for for being uh the in the second week of the parking team. 00:01:02.079 --> 00:01:12.879 We are making big adjustments, we listened to a lot of feedback, uh delivered in a variety of different ways last week, and we are so no, seriously though, so we've added a few things. 00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:21.120 Um you may have seen the signs that if you ever need to drop someone off at the front, uh either you need dropped off or you need to drop your wife, your kids off, anything like that. 00:01:21.280 --> 00:01:24.959 Um, that you can just put your flashers on and the parking team will waive you right to the front. 00:01:25.040 --> 00:01:25.680 We'll take care of that. 00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:28.799 We're gonna be making adjustments each week, but but here's the thing this is crazy. 00:01:28.959 --> 00:01:30.079 We got a pretty big parking lot. 00:01:30.239 --> 00:01:31.760 We used to be a super Kmart here. 00:01:31.840 --> 00:01:33.120 That's what this was, if you didn't know. 00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:36.400 Not quite Walmart Super Center level, but you know, we'll take it. 00:01:36.640 --> 00:01:41.680 And last Sunday we had 45 open spaces in the parking lot during the second service at the end. 00:01:41.760 --> 00:01:42.159 That was it. 00:01:42.239 --> 00:01:44.799 When all was said and done, just 45 spots left. 00:01:44.959 --> 00:01:47.120 And actually, this Sunday I think it's gonna be even fewer. 00:01:47.439 --> 00:01:50.159 I was talking to a family that just arrived. 00:01:50.239 --> 00:01:51.439 Uh they got here a little late. 00:01:51.599 --> 00:01:59.519 Great family, I know them, they got a lot of kids, and they said, Man, we got here a little later than we normally do, but but all the parking spaces that were left were right in the same spot. 00:01:59.599 --> 00:02:00.400 They were easy to find. 00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:03.760 If that ever happened in the past, we'd like to drive lane to lane trying to find one. 00:02:03.920 --> 00:02:09.199 It's important that we do that kind of thing because every single space, every single one is a family. 00:02:09.360 --> 00:02:12.080 It's a marriage, it's children, it's lives. 00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:18.000 And us making room for as many as we can handle, and then we'll figure out a way to make room for more, it changes people's lives. 00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:20.080 I want to thank you for that very, very much. 00:02:20.240 --> 00:02:22.800 I've got a couple quick things to share before we jump into the message. 00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:26.400 Number one, just want to encourage everyone that wants to to get connected. 00:02:26.639 --> 00:02:32.560 This is a time of the year where we really make a big point to talk about our home groups because all of our groups are getting started again this week. 00:02:32.719 --> 00:02:35.120 We have groups for men, for women, for married couples. 00:02:35.280 --> 00:02:38.960 We also have some groups that sort of fall outside of those three categories. 00:02:39.039 --> 00:02:41.599 We have a college group that meets on Sunday nights at six o'clock. 00:02:41.680 --> 00:02:43.919 They meet in our coffee shop, they've got a big kickoff tonight. 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:49.599 So if you are a college student or you have one that lives with you at home or you know one, just say, hey, be here tonight at six. 00:02:49.759 --> 00:02:53.840 We've got a 20-somethings kind of career-minded group that meets on Monday nights. 00:02:53.919 --> 00:02:56.319 Uh, we have a singles group for people in their 30s. 00:02:56.400 --> 00:02:59.280 We have a singles in their 30s group that's just getting started. 00:02:59.360 --> 00:03:02.479 You can sign up for that today at the Connect Desk in the main lobby. 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:08.479 Uh, we're just launching that, and in the next few weeks, we'll be having a singles for 40s and up group that's going to be getting going in an official way. 00:03:08.560 --> 00:03:11.199 And so uh just be on the lookout for that as well. 00:03:11.280 --> 00:03:16.479 Um, because we want to make sure that no matter what stage of life you're in, where you are, we have something here for you. 00:03:16.639 --> 00:03:20.400 We have a way for you to get connected, to be alongside other amazing people. 00:03:20.639 --> 00:03:22.639 And if you ever want to lead a group, let us know. 00:03:22.719 --> 00:03:28.240 Go to the Connect Desk, tell Megan that you want to lead a group because I know we could use some more married couple leaders right now. 00:03:28.319 --> 00:03:32.400 Um we want to make room for everybody, and and thank you in advance for doing that. 00:03:32.479 --> 00:03:34.719 Um, it's an exciting, exciting time. 00:03:34.960 --> 00:03:36.800 I want to share a story with us all real quick. 00:03:36.960 --> 00:03:40.719 We get these stories in uh every single week, people sharing stories about how their lives change. 00:03:40.879 --> 00:03:41.919 And I love to share these. 00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:44.159 I love to share these because these are the results, right? 00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:46.240 This is why we do everything that we do. 00:03:46.400 --> 00:03:48.960 These are lives changed, and they're changed because of all of you. 00:03:49.120 --> 00:03:50.560 You are his hands church. 00:03:50.719 --> 00:03:52.240 Every single one of you here. 00:03:52.479 --> 00:03:58.879 And so, this story, like the the others that we share, there they exist because you serve, because you pray, because you give and you help out. 00:03:59.039 --> 00:04:00.960 This story just blew me away this last week. 00:04:01.039 --> 00:04:04.960 Uh, this person writes, My story is so long I could fill this card plus a hundred more. 00:04:05.199 --> 00:04:10.159 However, my story started turning around almost 10 years ago when we started coming to his hands. 00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:18.399 Every Sunday, my life has gotten better as I find out who God thinks I am, and I'm leaving behind who the world has shown me that I am. 00:04:18.639 --> 00:04:22.480 I've slowly been gaining confidence in all I can be with God by me every step of the way. 00:04:22.639 --> 00:04:25.839 Most recently, I've conquered an addiction to a drug that I've had for years. 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:28.480 I felt this was something that I would carry my whole life. 00:04:28.800 --> 00:04:32.800 It's been my own self-medication for my anxiety, for my stress. 00:04:33.360 --> 00:04:38.879 I've said I can never conquer this, never stop it, because no one will be able to be around me without it, but guess what? 00:04:39.040 --> 00:04:40.319 That's not true. 00:04:40.639 --> 00:04:44.480 I am finding out that I actually like to be around myself, even without the drug. 00:04:44.639 --> 00:04:49.439 I can handle the stress, I can be strong, I can win this battle, and I am every single day. 00:04:49.680 --> 00:04:54.399 I love God's journey for me, and I thank him for all of the people at his hands that are helping me along the way. 00:04:54.560 --> 00:04:57.120 So thank you, all of you, for that story. 00:05:01.279 --> 00:05:02.720 You know, stories like that. 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:06.800 That's what happens when we serve and when we pray and when we give. 00:05:06.959 --> 00:05:16.319 If you're here for the very first time or the hundredth time, we're not gonna pass a plate or anything like that this morning, but we have four stations in the back where you can share prayer requests, where you can give and support us financially. 00:05:16.639 --> 00:05:18.720 Uh, I want to thank you, all of you who do that. 00:05:18.879 --> 00:05:24.399 It makes so much possible here, and it makes stories like this possible because this church is changing lives. 00:05:24.720 --> 00:05:29.040 You are changing lives, and many of you are doing big things to make it all possible. 00:05:29.199 --> 00:05:29.759 So thank you. 00:05:29.920 --> 00:05:30.560 Keep it up. 00:05:30.720 --> 00:05:32.319 Let's let's keep doing what we're doing. 00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:33.519 Let's pray. 00:05:33.839 --> 00:05:37.600 Jesus, thank you so much for uh for this amazing family, for this group of people. 00:05:37.759 --> 00:05:42.000 Thank you for every single person in this room, for their lives, for the impact that they have. 00:05:42.319 --> 00:05:50.560 God, you want to do something in us today, you want to do something through us today, and so we ask in your name, Jesus, that you would you would show us that through your word. 00:05:51.680 --> 00:05:57.600 That your word would speak into our hearts and that we would be more equipped to live the amazing life you have given us. 00:05:57.680 --> 00:05:59.040 And we pray this in your name, Jesus. 00:05:59.199 --> 00:05:59.839 Amen. 00:06:00.959 --> 00:06:06.160 Have you ever noticed how eager other people are to tell you who you are? 00:06:06.480 --> 00:06:12.560 You know I'm talking about how other people in your life are very quick to tell you who they think you are, who they think you can be. 00:06:12.720 --> 00:06:15.920 Have you ever had someone come up to you and say this to you, hey, you're a lot like me. 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:17.519 We're a lot alike. 00:06:17.759 --> 00:06:20.800 And depending on who the person is in front of you, you might nod your head in agreement. 00:06:20.879 --> 00:06:21.519 Yeah, yeah, sure. 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:24.639 But on the inside, you're like, no, please, please, no. 00:06:24.959 --> 00:06:26.800 I I don't want, I don't want to be like you. 00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:28.079 I'm I want to be different than you. 00:06:28.160 --> 00:06:31.439 That happens when we're kids and we're we're growing up, we're trying not to be our parents. 00:06:31.519 --> 00:06:33.439 That's the big goal of your 20s, right? 00:06:33.680 --> 00:06:34.959 Don't be your parents. 00:06:35.120 --> 00:06:39.439 But then eventually you'll start doing things and you're realizing, I am my father. 00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:42.160 I am I no, no, right? 00:06:42.319 --> 00:06:43.600 It's inevitable. 00:06:44.160 --> 00:06:44.800 How about this? 00:06:44.879 --> 00:06:47.360 Have you ever had someone come up to you and ask you this question? 00:06:47.439 --> 00:06:48.560 It's a nerve-wracking question. 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:51.680 They come up to you and say, You know who you remind me of? 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:53.199 Isn't that awful? 00:06:53.439 --> 00:06:56.800 Isn't the moment of anticipation right after that question the worst? 00:06:56.879 --> 00:06:59.120 Because you don't know who they're about to say. 00:06:59.279 --> 00:07:04.639 And you're about to be either either offended or flattered, and rarely in between. 00:07:04.800 --> 00:07:06.399 You know, do you know who you remind me of? 00:07:06.480 --> 00:07:07.199 That's that's intense. 00:07:07.279 --> 00:07:08.639 I always cut people off when they say that. 00:07:08.720 --> 00:07:10.079 I say Brad Pitt, right? 00:07:10.240 --> 00:07:11.279 Like Brad Pitt? 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:13.439 Because Brad Pitt and I have a lot in common. 00:07:13.519 --> 00:07:15.439 We're both from Springfield, Missouri. 00:07:17.040 --> 00:07:20.959 And then then, you know, it's where it ends. 00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:26.560 But but hey, guys, men, that means I have a lot more in common with Brad Pitt than a lot of you in the room, okay? 00:07:26.800 --> 00:07:28.800 So I'll take what I can get. 00:07:28.959 --> 00:07:33.439 I try to cut people off when they ask me that, but but still, no, people will say, no, no, no, no, no, not Brad Pitt. 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:35.680 Um, no, you remind me of of this person. 00:07:35.759 --> 00:07:39.920 A lot of times, maybe it's someone semi-famous that you kind of look like or sound like. 00:07:40.079 --> 00:07:46.319 In 2009, I had someone walk up to me, a friend of mine here at church, and he said, Hey, you know who you remind me of? 00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:49.199 And then he mentioned this guy's name, this actor that I had never heard of. 00:07:49.279 --> 00:07:49.920 It's 2009. 00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:52.079 He said, You remind me this guy named Chris Pratt. 00:07:52.319 --> 00:07:54.399 And and I said, Okay, I don't I don't know who that is. 00:07:54.480 --> 00:07:56.480 He said, Oh, he's on this show called Parks and Wreck. 00:07:56.639 --> 00:07:57.600 Anyone watch Parks and Wreck? 00:07:57.759 --> 00:07:58.800 Any Parks and Wreck people? 00:07:58.879 --> 00:07:59.199 Okay. 00:07:59.360 --> 00:08:05.519 Um, he plays this character named Andy Dwyer on Parks and Wreck, and I'd never seen the show, so he says, You remind me of this guy. 00:08:05.600 --> 00:08:06.319 You could be his brother. 00:08:06.399 --> 00:08:07.759 You guys just you're you're the same. 00:08:07.920 --> 00:08:10.079 And I said, Okay, is that a good thing? 00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:11.600 He said, Oh, yeah, it's awesome. 00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:12.160 It's awesome. 00:08:12.240 --> 00:08:13.199 He's he's hysterical. 00:08:13.360 --> 00:08:17.279 So I just sort of went about my day, and I never even saw the show until two years later. 00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:22.000 Two years later, enough people had told us it's a funny show, watch it, that I started watching the show. 00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:24.560 And when his character came on, I'm excited, right? 00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:27.759 Because apparently this is my twin, this is the person that I'm a lot like. 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:33.919 And I don't I don't know how to put this any other way. 00:08:34.799 --> 00:08:36.639 But if you've ever watched the show, you know this. 00:08:36.879 --> 00:08:43.200 Andy, uh, he's he's fun-loving, he's amusing, he's very lovable, but he's a moron. 00:08:43.759 --> 00:08:46.480 Like, I mean, there's no other way. 00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:48.720 He's he's the village idiot on the show. 00:08:48.960 --> 00:08:55.120 He has he has zero intelligence, he has the maturity of like a 10-year-old child trapped in a man's body. 00:08:55.279 --> 00:09:05.440 He's the first episode I watched, he had lit something on fire because he was trying to cook ramen noodles in a coffee pot, and something about that made my friend go, Justin, just that's Justin. 00:09:05.759 --> 00:09:07.120 It's the same. 00:09:07.360 --> 00:09:09.519 And he wasn't the only person to make that connection. 00:09:09.679 --> 00:09:11.519 So many people used to say that. 00:09:11.759 --> 00:09:16.960 Just to add insult to injury, Chris Pratt has become a pretty big movie star in recent years. 00:09:17.120 --> 00:09:19.360 He was in Guardians of the Galaxy, he's a big star of that. 00:09:19.440 --> 00:09:24.720 If you saw that movie, he was the star of Jurassic World, which I think was like the third highest-grossing movie of all time. 00:09:24.879 --> 00:09:31.039 And to get ready for those action roles, he's made, he's made a lot of progress physically, like he's in incredible shape. 00:09:31.120 --> 00:09:34.639 And no longer do people say I remind them of Chris Pratt. 00:09:35.279 --> 00:09:37.039 Like we have before and after pictures. 00:09:37.120 --> 00:09:38.159 I put these up there, okay? 00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:42.240 The one on the left is Chris Pratt in 2009, and then that's the new one. 00:09:42.399 --> 00:09:49.759 And just keep in mind that when people said I reminded them of Chris Pratt, I'm the before picture. 00:09:51.120 --> 00:09:52.879 I'm the one on the left. 00:09:53.200 --> 00:10:01.039 Now, I would like to think of myself as kind of in between the two, right? 00:10:01.519 --> 00:10:05.919 I'm either the one on the left moving in the right direction or the one on the right regressing. 00:10:06.000 --> 00:10:06.639 I don't know. 00:10:06.799 --> 00:10:10.799 But uh, just for my own sanity, you know who you remind me of. 00:10:10.879 --> 00:10:12.799 Those are those are brutal words. 00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:16.399 We're in a series right now called Who Do You Think You Are? 00:10:16.720 --> 00:10:19.600 We're looking at that question, it's an all-important question. 00:10:19.840 --> 00:10:22.720 Because who we understand ourselves to be affects every part of our life. 00:10:22.879 --> 00:10:31.600 Who you believe you are affects virtually every decision you will make, the goals you set for yourself, the people you will choose to be around. 00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:35.759 It all comes from our sense of understanding and knowing who we are. 00:10:35.840 --> 00:10:38.320 So it's very important for us to be able to answer that question. 00:10:38.559 --> 00:10:40.559 We want God to help us answer that question. 00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:44.240 We've heard enough people tell us who who we remind them of. 00:10:44.399 --> 00:10:46.000 We've heard enough people tell us who we are. 00:10:46.159 --> 00:10:47.919 Who does God say we are? 00:10:48.559 --> 00:10:52.480 A lot of people believe that the God of the Bible is about telling people what to do. 00:10:52.559 --> 00:10:55.600 The God of the Bible is about telling people who they are. 00:10:56.000 --> 00:10:59.600 And what's incredible is that every time he does, they are greater. 00:10:59.840 --> 00:11:02.720 They are more than they ever thought they could be. 00:11:03.600 --> 00:11:06.159 We see this time and time again. 00:11:06.559 --> 00:11:11.200 We all need to understand that no one has a higher opinion of us than the one who created us. 00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:18.159 No one believes you're more capable than God, no one has a higher opinion of what you can be in life than God. 00:11:18.480 --> 00:11:21.120 God believes in you because he made you. 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:26.960 And if we will allow God to be the one that tells us who we are, we will be more. 00:11:28.080 --> 00:11:29.120 We will be greater. 00:11:29.200 --> 00:11:30.159 That's what God does. 00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:31.919 He lifts us up. 00:11:32.720 --> 00:11:40.639 Two weeks ago we we started this series by looking at the word heir, H-E-I-R, that God says in his word, we are heirs of his kingdom. 00:11:40.799 --> 00:11:42.799 We are his co-heirs with Jesus. 00:11:42.960 --> 00:11:46.480 When we accept Jesus into our lives, God adopts us into his family. 00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:48.720 We become the adopted children of God. 00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:52.559 And that means we are lifted up to be co-heirs with Jesus. 00:11:52.720 --> 00:11:53.519 Just think about that. 00:11:53.759 --> 00:11:58.240 I had lunch with a friend, or breakfast with a friend rather, and we talked about how scandalous that was. 00:11:58.799 --> 00:12:03.679 Co-with Jesus, who in their right mind can ever hope to be co-with Jesus? 00:12:04.960 --> 00:12:07.600 But Jesus made it possible for us to be that. 00:12:07.759 --> 00:12:09.200 He brings us into God's family. 00:12:09.279 --> 00:12:11.440 We become royalty in God's eyes. 00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:12.159 We are heirs. 00:12:12.639 --> 00:12:13.440 We should live like that. 00:12:13.600 --> 00:12:17.200 We should live understanding that we are so important to God. 00:12:18.320 --> 00:12:24.639 And we should treat ourselves with the kind of dignity that God treats us because we are the co-heirs of Jesus. 00:12:24.799 --> 00:12:27.279 Last week we looked at the word mighty. 00:12:27.600 --> 00:12:29.120 God says, we are mighty. 00:12:29.279 --> 00:12:33.679 In fact, the phrase used in the New Testament is that we are more than conquerors. 00:12:34.960 --> 00:12:39.360 That means that we're meant to have overwhelming and exceeding victory in our lives. 00:12:39.759 --> 00:12:43.039 We're not meant to be ruled by anything but God. 00:12:43.200 --> 00:12:48.080 We submit to authorities and whatnot, but we surrender to Jesus and then we never surrender again. 00:12:48.720 --> 00:12:52.320 We live in a world that constantly tells us we're powerless. 00:12:52.559 --> 00:13:02.480 It's really good at giving us these messages and masking them, but our world tells us things like you can't change the way you feel, you can't control who you're attracted to, you can't change who you are. 00:13:02.639 --> 00:13:03.279 You can't. 00:13:03.600 --> 00:13:05.919 That's the message we get from our culture all the time. 00:13:06.080 --> 00:13:07.519 You can't, you can't, you can't. 00:13:07.600 --> 00:13:10.399 And God says, no, no, no, no, you're more than conquerors. 00:13:11.039 --> 00:13:16.159 So don't listen when people say you can't do this, because I say you can, I say you're mighty. 00:13:16.879 --> 00:13:21.679 We are mighty when we have the power of God active in our lives. 00:13:21.840 --> 00:13:24.639 And that's what we have access to through the Holy Spirit. 00:13:25.360 --> 00:13:28.879 Today we're gonna look at another identity that God gives us. 00:13:28.960 --> 00:13:36.240 It's one that pops up often in Scripture, it's one that the Apostle Paul uses in what he writes, it's one that Peter used when he wrote some of the New Testament. 00:13:36.480 --> 00:13:41.600 It's this phrase, this two-word phrase that we see often in Scripture, it's the phrase, in Christ. 00:13:42.799 --> 00:13:46.320 We have this identity according to Scripture that we are in Christ. 00:13:46.480 --> 00:13:48.159 We'll look at some verses that show this. 00:13:48.320 --> 00:13:53.600 1 Peter 5, verse 14 says, Peace be with all of you who are in Christ. 00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:59.840 Romans 8.1 says, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. 00:14:00.960 --> 00:14:08.000 Paul begins his letter to the church in Philippi by saying this, to all God's holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi. 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:14.080 In Colossians 3.3, Paul says, For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:16.799 So time and time again, we are in Christ. 00:14:17.440 --> 00:14:18.639 We're in God. 00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:21.120 That's our identity. 00:14:21.279 --> 00:14:21.919 We are in him. 00:14:22.080 --> 00:14:27.360 And that sounds really cool, that sounds amazing, it sounds pretty spiritual, and it's kind of hard to wrap your head around. 00:14:27.440 --> 00:14:28.480 We're in God. 00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:30.720 What does that mean? 00:14:31.679 --> 00:14:32.879 How do I make sense of that? 00:14:32.960 --> 00:14:34.000 How does that affect my life? 00:14:34.159 --> 00:14:41.679 Thankfully, Paul gives us this incredible metaphor that really helps us grab hold of this idea that we are in Christ. 00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:43.279 It's in Galatians 3.27. 00:14:43.440 --> 00:14:50.399 He says, All who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 00:14:50.960 --> 00:14:59.120 The New American Standard Version, it's the closest to the original language, says this for all of you who were baptized into Christ, have clothed yourselves with Christ. 00:14:59.360 --> 00:15:01.840 So we're in Christ, we're in Jesus. 00:15:02.080 --> 00:15:03.279 How are we in Jesus? 00:15:03.440 --> 00:15:07.840 Well, we're we're kind of wearing him in God's eyes. 00:15:08.159 --> 00:15:09.679 We are clothed in Jesus. 00:15:09.759 --> 00:15:17.360 When we give our lives to him, when we commit our lives to Jesus, go all in with him, we are clothed in Jesus. 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:20.879 We're in him just like we're in our t-shirts and our jeans right now. 00:15:20.960 --> 00:15:21.679 We're in Jesus. 00:15:21.759 --> 00:15:29.519 And I love the fact that God gives us this metaphor because all through scripture, there are amazing metaphors to help us understand how we relate to God. 00:15:30.159 --> 00:15:33.679 Jesus used the example of shepherds and sheep pretty often. 00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:35.519 And all of us in here, we get that, right? 00:15:35.600 --> 00:15:43.120 We understand that shepherds lead the sheep and sheep follow the shepherds, and we we make sense of that, but we don't live in a culture that is surrounded by shepherds and sheep. 00:15:43.200 --> 00:15:48.159 So we don't understand all of the incredible, incredible richness of that metaphor. 00:15:48.320 --> 00:15:51.519 But the people in Jesus' day, they would have been thinking about all the implications. 00:15:51.600 --> 00:15:54.399 They knew shepherds, they knew what sheep smelled like. 00:15:54.720 --> 00:15:55.600 I don't. 00:15:56.080 --> 00:15:57.519 I assume it's bad. 00:15:57.840 --> 00:15:58.639 I assume that. 00:15:58.799 --> 00:16:02.240 But but they understood the richness of that metaphor in a way that we can't. 00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:06.080 But clothing, clothing is a metaphor that we can all understand. 00:16:06.399 --> 00:16:08.720 Clothing is a metaphor that is not outdated. 00:16:08.799 --> 00:16:13.440 In fact, last year alone, Americans spent two trillion dollars on clothes. 00:16:13.840 --> 00:16:15.120 It's a lot of money. 00:16:15.440 --> 00:16:18.720 I'm guessing that some of us in here contributed to that. 00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:22.559 Um, some of us may have contributed greatly to that. 00:16:22.960 --> 00:16:24.000 Some of us not so much. 00:16:24.080 --> 00:16:25.919 I buy clothes like every four years. 00:16:26.320 --> 00:16:28.000 My wife gets tired of what I'm wearing. 00:16:28.080 --> 00:16:32.879 She says, Everything you're wearing is old, it doesn't look good, you don't fit it anymore, go buy new clothes. 00:16:33.039 --> 00:16:33.919 Buy the right size. 00:16:34.080 --> 00:16:35.440 I'm like, fine, I will. 00:16:35.679 --> 00:16:39.840 I don't know why the difference between a 34 and a 33 should matter, but it does. 00:16:40.320 --> 00:16:43.440 Stinking Chris Pratt, you know, I have all this stuff I gotta do. 00:16:43.679 --> 00:16:44.639 Okay, 36. 00:16:44.720 --> 00:16:45.279 It doesn't matter. 00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:48.639 Um But we we get clothing. 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:50.000 Clothing affects us. 00:16:50.240 --> 00:16:59.039 We we very easily identify ourselves with the clothes that we wear, walk up to a young person who's dressed a very specific way, and ask them, why do you wear those clothes? 00:16:59.200 --> 00:17:00.320 Why are you dressed that way? 00:17:00.559 --> 00:17:03.120 And they'll probably give you an answer of something along the lines of this. 00:17:03.200 --> 00:17:04.640 I don't know, this is just me. 00:17:05.440 --> 00:17:06.240 This is who I am. 00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:08.319 This is I dress this way because it's who I am. 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:12.480 And as we get older, we look at that and we go, that is not who you are. 00:17:12.880 --> 00:17:16.240 If that's you, you are going to be changing as soon as you get a job. 00:17:16.400 --> 00:17:18.559 Like you will change very quickly. 00:17:18.799 --> 00:17:19.119 Right? 00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:21.599 You will have new clothes, you will have a new haircut. 00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:25.839 What you wear is not who you are, but we still identify it so closely with us. 00:17:25.920 --> 00:17:27.119 We all did that at some point in time. 00:17:27.279 --> 00:17:30.319 It's easy to look at younger generations and be like, silly, but we all did that. 00:17:30.480 --> 00:17:33.759 Some of y'all rock some amazing bell bottoms in the 70s, I'm sure. 00:17:34.319 --> 00:17:36.240 You know, I've we we do that eventually. 00:17:36.319 --> 00:17:37.200 Some of us just quit. 00:17:37.279 --> 00:17:42.480 We stay in whatever decade that we liked the most, and we live there for the rest of our lives. 00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:44.880 You know, 1995, we liked it. 00:17:44.960 --> 00:17:48.400 We're gonna dress like it's 1995 forever, and that's okay. 00:17:48.640 --> 00:17:49.200 That's okay. 00:17:49.279 --> 00:17:54.799 But the point is, we understand how clothing affects our identity. 00:17:54.880 --> 00:17:56.000 There's all these different implications. 00:17:56.079 --> 00:17:57.680 Our confidence, for example. 00:17:57.920 --> 00:18:03.599 Have you ever been in a situation where you were way underdressed for an occasion and you didn't realize it? 00:18:03.839 --> 00:18:13.680 You showed up and you are so much more underdressed than everyone there, and you feel awkward, you feel strange, you feel like a fish out of water, or maybe you're the most overdressed person in the room. 00:18:13.920 --> 00:18:18.799 You thought it was a black tie event, but it was casual, and you're you feel awkward and weird. 00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:19.359 Right? 00:18:19.440 --> 00:18:20.799 That that happens. 00:18:21.759 --> 00:18:24.400 The way we dress can affect our confidence. 00:18:24.640 --> 00:18:27.279 You don't even have to be the one that's that's dressed inappropriately. 00:18:27.359 --> 00:18:32.240 You could be with someone dressed inappropriately, and you can feel really strange by association. 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:35.599 Parents, you make your kids feel like that all the time. 00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:37.680 My parents made me feel like that a lot. 00:18:37.920 --> 00:18:39.759 My dad, I love my father. 00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:45.279 My father is a brilliant businessman, he's hardworking, he's creative, he's very innovative. 00:18:45.440 --> 00:18:48.799 My dad's a very innovative person, he's invented things, he's very innovative. 00:18:49.039 --> 00:18:51.279 Innovation is both a positive and a negative. 00:18:51.519 --> 00:18:57.920 It's positive in that sometimes, if you're innovative, you think of things no one's ever thought of before, and that's good. 00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:03.680 But sometimes you will think of things that no one has ever thought of before for a reason, right? 00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:11.200 Like, yes, that is a very innovative idea, but I think there's a reason that no one has ever tried it. 00:19:11.359 --> 00:19:15.519 My dad sometimes has those types of ideas, and he tries them out. 00:19:15.759 --> 00:19:18.559 He had an innovative fashion idea when I was in high school. 00:19:18.880 --> 00:19:20.079 My dad loves golf. 00:19:20.319 --> 00:19:21.200 Loves golf. 00:19:21.440 --> 00:19:26.880 We used to play a lot of golf together, and when we would go golfing, a lot of times golf courses have you know pretty simple dress codes. 00:19:27.039 --> 00:19:29.279 Sometimes they'll require that you wear a collared shirt. 00:19:29.359 --> 00:19:33.200 If you buy someone a golf shirt, it means you're buying them a polo, a collared shirt. 00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:39.119 My dad recognized one day, he said, you know, athletes love to do their sports, sands sleeves. 00:19:39.200 --> 00:19:44.720 They don't like to wear sleeves a lot of times, because if you get sweaty and it's hot, you know, the sleeves stick to your arms and it feels restrictive. 00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:49.359 And so I'd go play basketball with my friends and I'd cut the sleeves off of t-shirts, and that's what I would use to play. 00:19:49.519 --> 00:19:56.160 My dad said, Hey, golfers are outside, it's hot, they use their arms a lot, right? 00:19:56.319 --> 00:20:00.720 So what if they had sleeveless golf shirts for men? 00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:04.079 Sleeveless collared shirts for men. 00:20:04.480 --> 00:20:09.680 And I mean, I my dad ran the idea by me and my mom, and we were like, that's an idea. 00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:11.440 That that is an idea. 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:12.960 So my dad tried it. 00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:13.519 He actually did. 00:20:13.599 --> 00:20:16.960 He cut the sleeves off of some of his golf shirts, and we went golfing together. 00:20:17.200 --> 00:20:22.640 And I'm in the golf cart with my dad, and he's dressed this way, and he was saying things like, Man, I think people really notice the golf shirt. 00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:24.319 I'm like, they they do notice, dad. 00:20:24.480 --> 00:20:25.599 They absolutely notice. 00:20:25.759 --> 00:20:30.000 You notice that that pretty girl that drove up and gave us our drink, she noticed. 00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:31.200 I'm really glad you were here for that. 00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:32.559 That was a good moment for me. 00:20:32.799 --> 00:20:37.680 Um, you know, and eventually for my dad, this became like a fashion statement. 00:20:37.759 --> 00:20:38.960 It went beyond the golf course. 00:20:39.039 --> 00:20:40.720 He started wearing this out and about. 00:20:40.799 --> 00:20:42.559 We would go to restaurants as a family. 00:20:42.720 --> 00:20:47.599 And my dad's in a sleeveless golf shirt, collar, no sleeves. 00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:49.680 You ever seen a man dressed that way? 00:20:50.160 --> 00:20:50.880 Have you? 00:20:51.519 --> 00:20:51.839 No. 00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:53.599 I've seen one. 00:20:53.680 --> 00:20:56.319 In fact, if I wanted to have a really bad day, I could have said this to my dad. 00:20:56.480 --> 00:20:59.119 Hey dad, you know who you remind me of? 00:21:00.720 --> 00:21:01.920 Fred Flintstone. 00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:10.559 Because he's the only person, he's the only person I've ever seen that's a man that's wearing sleeveless-collared shirts. 00:21:10.799 --> 00:21:14.880 You know, he could have put a tie on and it would have been just deadpan, Fred Flintstone. 00:21:15.279 --> 00:21:16.160 Oh, it's bad. 00:21:16.319 --> 00:21:16.720 It was bad. 00:21:16.799 --> 00:21:17.359 I love my dad. 00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:18.799 I love my dad, very innovative. 00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:23.680 Fashion, he's not gonna be showing it at Fashion Week or anything like that anytime soon. 00:21:23.839 --> 00:21:24.720 He's a good man. 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:26.160 Clothing, it affects us. 00:21:26.240 --> 00:21:28.480 It affects the way others see us, it affects our confidence. 00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:35.359 And yeah, just like you can feel awkward wearing the wrong thing, if you have something that you look good in and you know you look good in it, it's it's your shirt. 00:21:35.440 --> 00:21:37.599 You might still ask your spouse, do I look good in this? 00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:38.400 But you know. 00:21:38.640 --> 00:21:44.160 You know, it's it's the rare shirt or pair of pants that you buy that looks good in the department store and when you get home. 00:21:44.319 --> 00:21:45.119 There's not many of those. 00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:46.319 They play tricks on you. 00:21:46.559 --> 00:21:54.480 But when you're wearing that, you know you look good, you have some extra confidence, you have some extra swing in your step, you feel better, and you should because you you know you look good. 00:21:54.640 --> 00:22:00.400 We try to think to ourselves as a culture, we shouldn't care about the way we look, we shouldn't care about that, and maybe that's True. 00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:03.039 We should not, but we do. 00:22:03.519 --> 00:22:08.160 And so when you're clothed in something that makes you feel good, you feel good. 00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:13.359 The Bible says that we are clothed in Jesus, that we are clothed with Christ. 00:22:14.000 --> 00:22:17.599 That we're we're spiritually speaking, we are wearing Jesus. 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:20.160 So how good should we feel? 00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:25.200 How confident should we be in front of God when we're wearing Jesus? 00:22:25.359 --> 00:22:30.960 It's pretty common in the fashion world for a question to be asked of people hey, who are you wearing today? 00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:32.559 Like I'm wearing Mark Anthony. 00:22:32.720 --> 00:22:35.519 You can find his latest fall collection at the men's department at Kohl's. 00:22:35.759 --> 00:22:36.079 Okay? 00:22:36.960 --> 00:22:40.720 He was married to J Lo, so I guess he's probably a snazzy dresser. 00:22:40.799 --> 00:22:41.759 That's why he wears clothes. 00:22:41.839 --> 00:22:43.119 I bet he wears all of his own clothes too. 00:22:43.279 --> 00:22:44.240 Celebrities do that, right? 00:22:44.400 --> 00:22:47.039 And so, um, you know, who are you wearing? 00:22:47.200 --> 00:22:48.240