WEBVTT 00:00:01.760 --> 00:00:04.240 Thanks for listening to the His Hands Church podcast. 00:00:04.400 --> 00:00:12.800 If you're using the His Hands Church mobile app, please turn off the auto lock on your phone's general settings so that you can listen to the message uninterrupted. 00:00:12.960 --> 00:00:16.239 And thank you for being part of what God is doing at His Hands. 00:00:16.879 --> 00:00:18.000 Good morning. 00:00:20.559 --> 00:00:22.239 Glad to be back. 00:00:22.800 --> 00:00:27.039 My name is Bill, and if it's your first time here, we are so glad to have you. 00:00:27.280 --> 00:00:30.800 Hope you uh recognize that this is a place where you can totally be yourself. 00:00:30.960 --> 00:00:33.119 Um just be comfortable and know you're loved. 00:00:33.200 --> 00:00:38.079 If it's not your first time here, I hope you realize you can just be yourself and know that you're totally loved. 00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:41.759 So um a couple of quick announcements. 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:46.799 Um our motorcycle motorcycle group uh is meeting this morning. 00:00:47.039 --> 00:00:47.520 There they are. 00:00:47.679 --> 00:00:53.039 Um they're meeting this morning in classroom two, right after the uh the message and the song. 00:00:53.280 --> 00:01:02.159 Um if you like motorcycles, you ride a motorcycle, or if you just think motorcyclers are cool and you want to join, everybody's welcome to uh to go back there and be a part of that. 00:01:02.399 --> 00:01:04.400 Um Steve will be back next week. 00:01:04.560 --> 00:01:10.239 He's uh he's been missing us and we've been missing him, so we're excited to have him back, and he'll be excited to be back. 00:01:10.480 --> 00:01:11.359 That's right. 00:01:11.680 --> 00:01:18.159 And um for most or many of us, I should say, um, this week gets uh back to normalcy, right? 00:01:18.400 --> 00:01:20.400 Back into routine, right? 00:01:20.640 --> 00:01:22.400 School starts, who's excited? 00:01:23.120 --> 00:01:25.359 Yeah, I think there's a lot of mom and dad shouting. 00:01:25.519 --> 00:01:27.439 I know that's that's how my wife and I are. 00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:30.560 I'm not sure the kids are quite as excited about it. 00:01:30.719 --> 00:01:33.040 Um but that's uh what's going on. 00:01:33.120 --> 00:01:37.439 Uh in lieu of that, um, this Wednesday night, 7 p.m. 00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:48.239 in the arena, which is on if you're driving in the right hand side of the building, over here right now to I guess your right hand side also, my left, um, they will be meeting at 7 p.m. 00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:48.959 our high schoolers. 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:50.560 High schoolers, are you out there? 00:01:51.359 --> 00:01:53.359 Oh man, that I was surprised. 00:01:53.439 --> 00:01:55.519 I thought I'd be a lot more excited about it. 00:01:55.599 --> 00:02:02.719 Well, they're getting we got an amazing group of uh high school kids here, and uh they are um just on fire for Jesus. 00:02:02.959 --> 00:02:08.479 And anyone who wants to come, it's a place where they can come and again they can just totally be themselves, make friends. 00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:13.120 Um, a totally awesome group of uh of young people we have here, and so 7 p.m. 00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:17.280 Wednesday night um for the rest of the school year, they'll basically be meeting. 00:02:17.520 --> 00:02:24.319 Um our family has that's a lot of fun that we get to participate in is Cub Scouts. 00:02:24.639 --> 00:02:30.159 Um we have a Cub Scout pack here at his hands that meets on Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. 00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:35.599 So they start day after tomorrow, the 6, also in the arena. 00:02:35.759 --> 00:02:38.080 You drive around the side of the basketball courts. 00:02:38.240 --> 00:02:47.120 If you have a uh boy in ages first through fifth grade, um they would be uh totally welcomed to join our Cub Scout pack. 00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:56.319 Um it's uh it's a great way for boys to kind of just you know learn some uh independence and and some character trades and stuff like that. 00:02:56.479 --> 00:03:00.479 At the same time, we also have a Boy Scout troop. 00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:05.120 Um they meet in classroom two on Tuesday nights, also at 7 p.m. 00:03:05.439 --> 00:03:06.800 And that's gonna start this week. 00:03:06.879 --> 00:03:10.560 It's been ongoing through the summer, but they're kind of kicking off their school year this uh this year. 00:03:10.719 --> 00:03:14.960 And that's basically for any boy age 11 and older who wants to get into scouting. 00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:17.439 Uh Lee Torbush is our scout master. 00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:18.639 He's a great guy. 00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:23.680 He helped getting uh he helped get Cub Scouts uh started here at His Hands about four years ago. 00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:32.479 Um there were a group of us that kind of knew that this would be an awesome place to have scouts, and specifically Cub Scouts. 00:03:32.639 --> 00:03:42.800 Um the facility was uh uh perfect, it's really, really big and comfortable, and um its loving environment was just a perfect partner for scouts. 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:47.439 And so uh Lee really kind of, there he is, he's right back there, look at there he is. 00:03:47.599 --> 00:03:55.759 Um he really kind of steamrolled this process of getting a Cub Scout pack founded here at his hands. 00:03:55.919 --> 00:03:58.240 Um it's not the easiest process in the world. 00:03:58.319 --> 00:04:01.439 It's got some complexity and challenges to overcome. 00:04:01.680 --> 00:04:06.000 And uh together he, along with a whole bunch of others, um really headed that up. 00:04:06.080 --> 00:04:18.319 And now we have, I think, 70 to 80 boys, if you count everybody that's here on a on a Tuesday night, that are developing independence, building those character traits, and most importantly, getting poured into by awesome loving leaders. 00:04:18.560 --> 00:04:22.720 Um just a couple weeks ago, I was uh one of those leaders. 00:04:22.800 --> 00:04:27.199 I've been the Cubmaster for the last two years of the Cub Scout Pack. 00:04:27.360 --> 00:04:31.120 I was volunteered for the position, and I was told it's only an hour a week. 00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:34.560 Don't worry about it, it's not not really the case. 00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:42.079 And um, I, along with a couple other volunteers, took 19 third through fifth grade boys to summer camp. 00:04:42.240 --> 00:04:44.240 Um yeah, three nights ago. 00:04:44.399 --> 00:04:45.439 There they are. 00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:53.839 Um we had a blast letting these little guys just have their first real taste of independence. 00:04:54.079 --> 00:04:57.600 You know, they're for the first time for a lot of these kids are away from mom. 00:04:58.240 --> 00:05:00.560 You know, they're away from their bed. 00:05:01.199 --> 00:05:03.600 Um they got to have adventures. 00:05:03.680 --> 00:05:13.279 It's a totally safe scout reservation, and we let them get on their bikes and just go away, you know, for half an hour to an hour, and they and trust them to come back on time, and they do. 00:05:13.360 --> 00:05:14.399 They did a great job. 00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:16.079 You know, they learn valuable lessons. 00:05:16.240 --> 00:05:22.480 And honestly, they they could get just right, downright silly at times, which is is half the part of being a kid. 00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:26.480 And um, one of the things we did I wanted to share with everybody here this morning. 00:05:26.560 --> 00:05:29.600 Now, I I I need you guys to humor me for a minute. 00:05:29.839 --> 00:05:35.199 Um to preface this, I actually had some reinforcement this morning, which is just what God always does. 00:05:35.600 --> 00:05:38.480 Miss Candy over here says she likes to have fun and act silly. 00:05:38.639 --> 00:05:42.959 I am a guy who totally values fun and silliness. 00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:49.759 You can't be a cubmaster to some degree without just highly uh valuing fun and silliness. 00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:54.560 And I am really not afraid to make a goof of myself in front of a large group of people. 00:05:54.879 --> 00:05:57.839 So um that's gonna happen here in just a few minutes. 00:05:58.000 --> 00:06:03.040 Um but in order for it to really work, I need everybody else to buy in for a few minutes. 00:06:03.199 --> 00:06:05.600 Now, I know that's not everybody's kind of thing. 00:06:05.839 --> 00:06:14.639 Um, but just for a minute, if we could just picture ourselves in kind of that place when we were a young child. 00:06:14.879 --> 00:06:18.399 You know, that eight, nine, ten-year-old boy or girl. 00:06:18.560 --> 00:06:27.920 You know, when the hardest parts of our life were when we had to deal with homework or cleaning our room, and it was raining outside. 00:06:28.160 --> 00:06:30.000 Those were the bad days, right? 00:06:30.240 --> 00:06:38.079 Little bit before popular existed, where any kid was your friend, regardless of what they looked like or talked like, it doesn't matter. 00:06:38.319 --> 00:06:39.759 It was just about fun. 00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:46.399 Can everybody how how awesome would it be to be that kid just for a couple minutes? 00:06:46.959 --> 00:06:47.519 Yeah. 00:06:47.759 --> 00:06:48.959 Can we try it this morning? 00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:50.160 I wanna I wanna try something. 00:06:50.240 --> 00:06:59.279 So, what what we did at Scouts this year is we learned a song, and I need some help, actually, and he didn't know I'm gonna do this, but Will, would you come up here for a second? 00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:01.360 This is my son Will, he was one of the guys. 00:07:01.519 --> 00:07:06.240 Um he's actually missing, he's actually missing, look at this. 00:07:06.959 --> 00:07:11.519 He's actually missing the team five uh room upgrade tonight just to hear his dad talk. 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:15.199 Um he's one of our Cub Scouts, and we learned the banana song. 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:18.160 Oh yeah, oh dear is what he just said. 00:07:18.720 --> 00:07:19.759 At Scouts. 00:07:19.920 --> 00:07:22.560 And I need everybody to stand, because we're all gonna learn the banana song. 00:07:22.639 --> 00:07:23.839 It's really complicated. 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:26.399 It has five total words in it, all right? 00:07:26.639 --> 00:07:32.160 We're gonna kind of demonstrate it just up front, and like I said, for the next 60 seconds, you are not a grown-up. 00:07:32.560 --> 00:07:33.759 You're a kid. 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:36.639 Just a total kid, all right? 00:07:36.959 --> 00:07:42.480 All right, and what you're gonna do is we're gonna say, I'm going to say, bananas of the world unite. 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:43.199 All right? 00:07:43.360 --> 00:07:45.040 And then what do you what do we do? 00:07:45.279 --> 00:07:46.879 We do this, okay? 00:07:47.519 --> 00:07:51.920 And then we say, peel banana, peel, peel banana. 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:53.920 And we peel our banana, and then we do it for the other side. 00:07:54.160 --> 00:07:56.639 Peel banana, peel, peel banana. 00:07:56.720 --> 00:08:00.480 And then we just say, go bananas, go, go, bananas. 00:08:00.560 --> 00:08:02.000 And that's the song. 00:08:02.480 --> 00:08:03.120 All right? 00:08:04.079 --> 00:08:04.720 All right. 00:08:05.199 --> 00:08:06.399 So, are we ready? 00:08:07.040 --> 00:08:07.839 Are we ready? 00:08:08.160 --> 00:08:10.240 All right, bananas of the world unite. 00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:11.600 Oh, that wasn't good. 00:08:11.839 --> 00:08:12.639 Put them down. 00:08:13.120 --> 00:08:14.399 All right, try it again. 00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:16.879 Bananas of the world unite. 00:08:17.439 --> 00:08:18.639 Wow, that was better. 00:08:18.800 --> 00:08:32.559 Alrighty, peel, banana, peel, peel, banana, peel, banana, peel, peel, banana, peel, banana, peel, peel, banana, peel, banana, peel, peel, knock, bananas. 00:08:32.799 --> 00:08:44.080 Go bananas, go, go, bananas, go, bananas, go, go, bananas, go, bananas, go, go, bananas, go, bananas, go, go, banana. 00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:45.039 That's it. 00:08:45.600 --> 00:08:46.240 Yes. 00:08:50.480 --> 00:08:54.240 Now, who thought they would be doing the banana song this morning at church? 00:08:56.480 --> 00:08:57.120 Yes. 00:08:57.840 --> 00:09:00.720 How awesome is it just for just to let go. 00:09:01.200 --> 00:09:02.080 To let go. 00:09:03.039 --> 00:09:05.200 Oh, I need a second. 00:09:05.600 --> 00:09:07.440 I really take that seriously. 00:09:07.840 --> 00:09:08.399 Woo! 00:09:09.200 --> 00:09:09.840 All right. 00:09:10.399 --> 00:09:11.919 I'm gonna find out where I'm at. 00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:13.279 All right, here we go. 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:15.120 Well, awesome job. 00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:16.639 Um, thank you for humoring me. 00:09:16.799 --> 00:09:21.919 Um you're probably wondering what that may have to do with this morning, and I promise at some point I'll get there. 00:09:22.159 --> 00:09:36.399 Um this morning I uh Steve asked me, and I really am excited, because I'm gonna share one of the things I'm most passionate about in God's Word, and it's it's found in the most unique chapter in all of the Bible. 00:09:36.639 --> 00:09:39.919 The most unique chapter, um, Genesis chapter one. 00:09:40.399 --> 00:09:41.519 Genesis chapter one. 00:09:41.919 --> 00:09:46.480 Now you may know that Genesis is a derivative of a Greek word that means origin. 00:09:47.200 --> 00:09:48.000 Origin. 00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:57.919 And Genesis is the only chapter in the Bible, Genesis 1, excuse me, is the only chapter in the Bible that is written without any human perspective involved. 00:09:58.240 --> 00:10:04.559 Genesis 2 through the end has some sort of human input, some sort of human involvement. 00:10:04.720 --> 00:10:09.039 Humans are mentioned in Genesis chapter 1, but it's from God's perspective. 00:10:09.279 --> 00:10:12.639 He was the only one around to really know what was happening. 00:10:13.039 --> 00:10:18.559 And this morning, we're going to focus specifically on Genesis 1, 1. 00:10:18.799 --> 00:10:20.159 You've probably heard of it. 00:10:20.320 --> 00:10:24.240 It's in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 00:10:25.120 --> 00:10:27.679 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 00:10:28.159 --> 00:10:31.360 What an awesome way to start a book, right? 00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:33.440 I want to know more. 00:10:33.840 --> 00:10:41.360 Um now it's widely believed that this was written by Moses somewhere around 5,000 years ago. 00:10:41.519 --> 00:10:42.000 All right? 00:10:42.159 --> 00:10:45.360 It's only been 2,000 years since Jesus walked. 00:10:45.600 --> 00:10:48.080 This is 3,000 years before that. 00:10:49.200 --> 00:10:58.399 Um at this time in history, humanity is really just coming out of the Stone Age and entering and kind of getting invested in the copper age. 00:10:58.960 --> 00:11:01.039 This is a long, long time ago. 00:11:01.840 --> 00:11:06.960 Um here we have this Jewish man Moses writing inspired words from God. 00:11:07.360 --> 00:11:12.080 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:25.039 To make it even more kind of interesting for us, um, Genesis 1.1's word beginning, the translation of that word beginning, is different from other Hebrew variants of beginning. 00:11:25.200 --> 00:11:26.159 It's unique. 00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:29.360 It means Ba Shari Ba Rishit. 00:11:29.440 --> 00:11:32.399 I don't speak Hebrew, but that's my best effort at it. 00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:38.399 Um and it's more accurately translated to an absolute beginning. 00:11:39.679 --> 00:11:44.000 As in, nothing happened before this beginning event. 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:47.279 And then God created the heavens and the earth. 00:11:48.080 --> 00:11:56.320 Now, if we want to fast forward to a period of human history that we can more easily relate to, the mid-1900s, about 50, 60 years ago. 00:11:57.279 --> 00:12:04.240 Human philosophy, science, technology are far, far beyond what Moses' time could ever, ever and even imagine. 00:12:04.720 --> 00:12:16.000 Um, yet through this point, not religion, not religion, but philosophy had really guided this kind of scientific, if you want to call it, understanding of the origins of the universe. 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:31.440 Um there was a theory in place, and it was it was formally recognized and accepted somewhere in the early 1900s, but it had really been in place for hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands of years prior to that, as kind of the thought process behind what the universe was. 00:12:31.600 --> 00:12:34.000 And that was called steady state theory. 00:12:34.399 --> 00:12:39.519 Um, steady state theory basically stated that the universe was eternal. 00:12:39.600 --> 00:12:43.120 Um, it's kind of variation off of reincarnation and some of those kind of things. 00:12:43.200 --> 00:12:51.679 That there is no start, there is no end, it just it always is, and it kind of recycles itself, and that's where the universe, that's where it is and what it is. 00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:54.159 Um that it just was. 00:12:54.559 --> 00:12:55.519 It just was. 00:12:56.480 --> 00:13:03.600 But somewhere in those same early 1900s, there was this guy, you probably have heard of him, his name's Albert Einstein, he's pretty well known. 00:13:03.679 --> 00:13:10.559 Um, he was helping and just really setting the groundwork for another foundational scientific theory called the theory of relativity. 00:13:10.799 --> 00:13:29.039 Now, this new theory would kind of focus scientists on this new path of understanding toward, you know, a development for a new model, a measured model, a measurable model of where the universe came from and the origins of this universe. 00:13:29.440 --> 00:13:38.480 In 1965, that's relatively not that long ago, steady state theory was basically abandoned by the scientific world. 00:13:38.799 --> 00:13:48.799 This new theory that the theory of relativity assisted with was now going to be the foundational kind of go-to model for the origins of the universe. 00:13:49.039 --> 00:13:49.759 You've probably heard of it. 00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:51.120 It's called the Big Bang Theory. 00:13:51.279 --> 00:13:52.639 It's on TBS every Tuesday. 00:13:52.799 --> 00:13:54.080 No, I'm just kidding. 00:13:55.519 --> 00:13:56.559 The Big Bang Theory. 00:13:56.639 --> 00:13:57.440 We've all heard of that. 00:13:57.519 --> 00:13:58.480 We've all heard of that. 00:13:58.639 --> 00:14:02.799 And that is kind of the go-to scientific model for the origins of the universe. 00:14:02.960 --> 00:14:10.080 Now, this morning I'm not here to discuss the merits of modern science versus the Bible and try and compare and contrast and all that kind of stuff. 00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:24.639 The point is to show how 5,000 years ago, Moses, a man inspired by God, wrote three simple words that are just really recently agreed to as scientific fact. 00:14:25.919 --> 00:14:31.679 All the all the entire universe, all space and time, had a beginning. 00:14:33.039 --> 00:14:34.000 Had a beginning. 00:14:34.240 --> 00:14:39.919 You see, we live in a physical world where everything we we experience is based on this thing called causality. 00:14:40.240 --> 00:14:45.200 There's nothing in creation where cause and effect aren't in some way, shape, or form related. 00:14:46.240 --> 00:14:58.399 So if we live in a universe that has an absolute beginning, as stated both by Moses 5,000 years ago, and now by modern, well-tested science, what was its cause? 00:14:59.440 --> 00:15:01.440 Well, Genesis 1 tells us, doesn't it? 00:15:02.080 --> 00:15:05.759 But to ask a bigger question, why? 00:15:06.559 --> 00:15:07.840 Why was it caused? 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:09.120 Why was it done? 00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:11.679 Now we're getting kind of deep, right? 00:15:11.840 --> 00:15:15.759 What is the purpose of everything that exists? 00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:18.720 Now you see why we started off with a banana song. 00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:20.879 You know? 00:15:21.120 --> 00:15:23.120 A nice little bit of Sunday morning conversation. 00:15:23.200 --> 00:15:24.879 The purpose of everything. 00:15:26.159 --> 00:15:27.679 Well, don't worry, there is an answer. 00:15:28.080 --> 00:15:28.960 There is an answer. 00:15:29.360 --> 00:15:36.480 There's another section of Genesis that's another section of Scripture that starts in the very same manner as Genesis 1. 00:15:36.559 --> 00:15:38.480 And it's in John chapter 1. 00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:43.759 It says, In the beginning, the word already existed. 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:45.440 The word was with God. 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:48.080 The word was with God, and the word was God. 00:15:48.159 --> 00:15:51.600 And he existed in the beginning with God. 00:15:51.919 --> 00:15:56.159 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 00:15:56.559 --> 00:15:59.519 The word gave the life to everything that was created. 00:15:59.919 --> 00:16:03.440 And his life brought light to everyone. 00:16:04.080 --> 00:16:08.879 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. 00:16:09.440 --> 00:16:15.840 Now, not unlike the version of Hebrew in Genesis, there's a loss in translation to some degree. 00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:20.720 We don't have the words in English that directly translate as effectively. 00:16:21.279 --> 00:16:25.919 The word was in Greek specifically, in the beginning, was the word. 00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:30.159 And that word in the Greek has no association with time. 00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:36.559 If I say I was at the store, you know that prior to this point in time, I was, or I had been at the store. 00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:39.200 This word was has no connection with time. 00:16:39.840 --> 00:16:47.519 It basically is trying to say that all causality, all time and space, nothing happened. 00:16:47.759 --> 00:16:50.159 That was before the beginning. 00:16:51.679 --> 00:16:53.840 It's a timeless expression. 00:16:54.720 --> 00:17:00.320 And then if we move to verse 14 in that same chapter of John, we find this. 00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:03.039 We find the answer to what we're looking for, the purpose. 00:17:03.360 --> 00:17:07.680 So the word became human and made his home among us. 00:17:07.920 --> 00:17:11.200 And he was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. 00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:17.440 And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son. 00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:19.759 It's talking about Jesus. 00:17:20.240 --> 00:17:21.839 It's talking about Jesus. 00:17:22.160 --> 00:17:30.079 You see, when we get into the the nitty-gritty of it, all creation, all creation points to Jesus. 00:17:30.720 --> 00:17:34.640 He is the complete purpose of everything. 00:17:35.599 --> 00:17:40.319 Now, John 1 is kind of an odd passage in a way. 00:17:40.640 --> 00:17:45.680 It can be, at least for me, it's tough to kind of wrap my brain around or try to understand completely. 00:17:45.839 --> 00:17:47.200 We're dealing with this term word. 00:17:47.519 --> 00:17:49.039 In the beginning was the word. 00:17:50.160 --> 00:17:56.319 It involves a poetic kind of phrasing to describe the entirety of an infinite God. 00:17:57.759 --> 00:17:59.519 That's not easy to understand. 00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:04.720 How can we possibly even try to comprehend that which is incomprehensible? 00:18:05.359 --> 00:18:06.799 It's frankly impossible. 00:18:07.039 --> 00:18:20.880 But one thing I do, at least, that that that I can helps me is I substitute characteristics of God that I can better relate to from other parts of the Bible that we know about God to be part of his personality. 00:18:21.680 --> 00:18:26.559 Can we all today, at least for the sake of just the message here, agree that God is love? 00:18:27.680 --> 00:18:27.920 Yeah. 00:18:28.079 --> 00:18:33.599 In fact, in verse 14 we just mentioned, it said he was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. 00:18:33.759 --> 00:18:34.720 So God is love. 00:18:34.960 --> 00:18:37.039 Will we all recognize that God is truth? 00:18:37.440 --> 00:18:40.000 Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the light. 00:18:40.160 --> 00:18:41.599 So God is love, God is truth. 00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:48.000 Why don't we, you know, kind of substitute those in a paraphrased way into that passage? 00:18:48.319 --> 00:18:50.880 Say, in the beginning was love. 00:18:51.920 --> 00:18:55.519 And love was with God, and love was God. 00:18:55.920 --> 00:18:57.759 And love became human. 00:18:59.440 --> 00:19:01.839 Makes you think of Jesus a little differently, doesn't it? 00:19:02.640 --> 00:19:04.720 Or in the beginning was truth. 00:19:05.359 --> 00:19:12.160 And truth was with God, and truth was God, and truth became human. 00:19:12.799 --> 00:19:23.359 You see, by taking an understandable characteristic of God and narrowing our phrasing slightly, at least I'm better to draw a personal connection to who he is and why he came. 00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:25.200 You know? 00:19:25.359 --> 00:19:26.319 I know Jesus. 00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:30.079 That's now talking about a person, not just an infinite God. 00:19:31.359 --> 00:19:33.519 He is the purpose of everything. 00:19:33.759 --> 00:19:41.759 Now, my personal way I love to say this, I've I've taught on this in it before, and I like to say it this way. 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:43.920 In the beginning was the plan. 00:19:44.559 --> 00:19:50.400 The plan was with God, and the plan was God, and the plan became human. 00:19:51.279 --> 00:19:54.160 You see, the Bible clearly tells us that God has a plan. 00:19:54.319 --> 00:19:58.160 And that plan had an absolute beginning, as we read in Genesis. 00:19:58.400 --> 00:20:07.039 It tells us in Psalms that the universe is stretching, like a tent, and it tells us there will be an eventual end in multiple places. 00:20:07.759 --> 00:20:08.319 Guess what? 00:20:08.559 --> 00:20:22.160 Today's most really well-researched and tested cosmological models tell us that the universe had an absolute beginning, that the universe is stretching, and that there will be an eventual end. 00:20:23.920 --> 00:20:26.400 He got it right way before we did. 00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:27.599 Shocking. 00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:31.519 See, it's all part of God's plan, and it all points to Jesus. 00:20:32.640 --> 00:20:42.400 In the book of Ephesians, Paul, who was this really religious guy, he was by the book religious, you know, rules, rules, rules, rules, rules until he was radically transformed. 00:20:42.960 --> 00:20:55.839 And he's imprisoned, and he's trying to reach out to the church of Ephesus and kind of give them the foundation of what it's really about, what this life of following Jesus is really all about. 00:20:56.079 --> 00:20:59.920 And he sums it up really eloquently in chapter three, starting with verse six. 00:21:00.079 --> 00:21:03.039 He says, and this is God's plan. 00:21:03.599 --> 00:21:10.960 Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the good news share equally in the riches inherited by God's children. 00:21:11.680 --> 00:21:20.240 Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they bel because they belong to Christ Jesus. 00:21:20.480 --> 00:21:26.720 By God's grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this good news. 00:21:27.119 --> 00:21:36.480 Though I am the least deserving of all God's people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. 00:21:36.799 --> 00:21:47.200 I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. 00:21:47.839 --> 00:21:58.640 God's purpose in all this was to use the church, us, to display his wisdom and its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 00:21:58.880 --> 00:21:59.759 This was his eternal. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:05.039 Eternal plan which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:22:05.839 --> 00:22:12.880 You see, the plan is, was, and will always be us connecting with Jesus. 00:22:15.440 --> 00:22:17.279 Albert Einstein said this. 00:22:17.920 --> 00:22:22.960 He said, I want to know how God created this world. 00:22:23.599 --> 00:22:29.359 I'm not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum or this of that element. 00:22:30.319 --> 00:22:32.720 I want to know his thoughts. 00:22:33.039 --> 00:22:34.880 The rest are details. 00:22:36.640 --> 00:22:46.960 You know, I'm a guy that has my entire kind of adult life kind of oscillated between logic and faith, and how do they fit together? 00:22:47.519 --> 00:22:55.359 And, you know, can I can I believe well-founded scientific truth and also be a man of uh running after Jesus' heart? 00:22:55.519 --> 00:22:56.319 Can I be both? 00:22:56.480 --> 00:22:58.480 And the truth is absolutely. 00:22:59.200 --> 00:23:03.920 And not only does it help, it reinforces itself time and time and time again. 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:12.480 And if that sounds like something you have ever thought or questioned, you ever had a science class or ever watched a discovery program or something like that and gone, what? 00:23:12.799 --> 00:23:14.000 I don't get it. 00:23:14.319 --> 00:23:17.440 Well, there's gonna be a class starting on September 4th. 00:23:17.519 --> 00:23:19.680 Groups and classes are starting in September 4th. 00:23:19.839 --> 00:23:22.799 There are little sheets and flyers outside the doors. 00:23:22.880 --> 00:23:28.559 There's also all sorts of good groups and classes, but I'm gonna be leading a Bible study on Genesis chapter one. 00:23:28.880 --> 00:23:32.480 We're gonna take eight weeks and go through that. 00:23:32.720 --> 00:23:41.039 Um, it's a great way to reinforce the truths of God's creation, always pointing back to this relationship with Jesus. 00:23:41.680 --> 00:23:44.240 I call it a faith-strengthening Bible study. 00:23:44.319 --> 00:23:47.039 And if that sounds like something you want, you're welcome to join. 00:23:47.200 --> 00:23:48.960 Anybody's welcome to come. 00:23:49.759 --> 00:23:57.200 I also started this morning off talking about Cub Scouts and our pack and how we founded it four years ago. 00:23:57.440 --> 00:23:59.359 Um, it did not happen overnight. 00:23:59.440 --> 00:24:04.400 It took time, effort, energy, vision, and most importantly, it took a plan. 00:24:04.640 --> 00:24:05.759 It took a plan. 00:24:06.720 --> 00:24:11.279 But plans are nothing without purpose. 00:24:12.720 --> 00:24:17.839 In scouting, um, there's this kind of unique way in which they structure their units. 00:24:18.000 --> 00:24:24.000 Um, all PACs and troops are literally owned by a thing called a chartering organization. 00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:30.079 And in our case, his hands, we own PAC 6410 and Troop 6410. 00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:37.119 Together, every one of all of us, us, we own those units. 00:24:37.920 --> 00:24:44.799 We are collectively responsible for the care and investment of each of our scouts. 00:24:45.279 --> 00:24:56.240 We have been given authority and accountability to share God's love and teach and bring each one of them up in kind of the structured way of scouting. 00:24:56.720 --> 00:25:03.039 Without this church, our scouts would not have a place of refuge. 00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:05.680 Not dissimilar. 00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:09.519 This world is nothing without purpose. 00:25:10.240 --> 00:25:12.480 You know, without a spiritual refuge. 00:25:12.559 --> 00:25:16.720 And that can only be found in one place, and that's Jesus. 00:25:17.519 --> 00:25:22.880 Why don't we stand up if the worship team wants to kind of head back up this way? 00:25:23.119 --> 00:25:26.799 You know, the truth is life, the life can get hard. 00:25:27.279 --> 00:25:30.400 I mean, there are real life problems, right? 00:25:30.799 --> 00:25:37.839 We have finances, relationships, work, school, health, politics, personal mistakes. 00:25:39.119 --> 00:25:44.000 And it's easy sometimes to get lost and forget that there's a purpose behind all of it. 00:25:44.240 --> 00:25:45.359 A purpose. 00:25:45.680 --> 00:25:50.160 When we ask ourselves, I've caught myself asking, why is this happening? 00:25:50.319 --> 00:25:52.880 Um, will things ever get better? 00:25:53.359 --> 00:25:55.599 Is there really a plan behind this? 00:25:56.000 --> 00:25:58.480 This morning, Candy, I mentioned her earlier. 00:25:58.640 --> 00:26:06.000 Um, today is Bill's three-year cancer cancer uh fight uh anniversary, right? 00:26:06.160 --> 00:26:06.880 Is that what it is? 00:26:07.119 --> 00:26:07.680 Three years. 00:26:09.359 --> 00:26:10.000 Huge. 00:26:12.240 --> 00:26:12.880 Huge. 00:26:15.519 --> 00:26:17.759 I mean, can you imagine going through that fight, though? 00:26:17.920 --> 00:26:19.119 They know it intimately. 00:26:19.279 --> 00:26:21.440 We can all experience it in some other way. 00:26:21.599 --> 00:26:25.200 But you ask yourselves through those battles constantly, why? 00:26:25.519 --> 00:26:26.799 What's the plan? 00:26:27.680 --> 00:26:29.440 What's the purpose? 00:26:29.920 --> 00:26:31.759 The purpose isn't here. 00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:33.839 There is a fact. 00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:36.079 This is the fact of the matter. 00:26:36.319 --> 00:26:38.880 There is a plan and you are part of it. 00:26:39.119 --> 00:26:44.559 There is truth, and the truth is that Jesus is real and he loves for you and he cares about you. 00:26:45.920 --> 00:26:52.799 In Ephesians chapter 2, it says this: for we, for you, are God's masterpiece. 00:26:53.119 --> 00:27:01.759 He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. 00:27:02.000 --> 00:27:04.160 You are a child of God. 00:27:04.960 --> 00:27:06.559 It is really, really good. 00:27:06.640 --> 00:27:07.839 I'll tell you, it's really, really good. 00:27:07.920 --> 00:27:14.079 And I wish I'd do it more, to go to him regularly and say, take care of me, dad. 00:27:14.480 --> 00:27:23.839 Just take this weight off of my shoulders and just let me be a child and just have a childlike spirit, no matter what I'm going through. 00:27:24.640 --> 00:27:27.279 Only Jesus can offer that freedom. 00:27:27.519 --> 00:27:32.720 And that freedom is only found in one place: eternal hope. 00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:34.400 Hope beyond here. 00:27:34.960 --> 00:27:36.319 Hope forever. 00:27:36.640 --> 00:27:38.720 Steady state hope. 00:27:39.440 --> 00:27:41.279 God is steady state. 00:27:41.519 --> 00:27:43.440 This world is temporary. 00:27:43.839 --> 00:27:45.440 God is eternal. 00:27:46.400 --> 00:27:51.119 You know, we can do that by asking Jesus to come in our heart with this really formalized prayer. 00:27:51.279 --> 00:27:55.519 Or you may just want to do it silly and raise your hands and sing the banana song to God. 00:27:55.759 --> 00:27:57.200 There is not a formula. 00:27:57.359 --> 00:27:58.400 There's not a formula. 00:27:58.480 --> 00:28:00.799 It's a personal relationship. 00:28:00.960 --> 00:28:07.359 It's your heart's desire to reach out and grab the Creator with both arms and give him a big hug. 00:28:08.880 --> 00:28:10.160 Why don't we pray? 00:28:11.759 --> 00:28:22.160 God, thank you so much for a plan and for giving us purpose and hope in this life through your son Jesus. 00:28:23.680 --> 00:28:31.599 Help us to just lean on you every day and to live life light and free no matter what's going on around us. 00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:34.640 God, just bless us in our walk with you. 00:28:34.799 --> 00:28:38.559 Give us joy in our hearts as we go through our week. 00:28:38.799 --> 00:28:43.440 And give us moments to just stop and be your child. 00:28:44.079 --> 00:28:49.759 And to just lift our hands up and recognize the love you have for us. 00:28:50.960 --> 00:28:54.799 Keep us safe and protected as we go about our days today. 00:28:54.960 --> 00:28:56.640 Just make it a wonderful day for everybody. 00:28:56.720 --> 00:28:58.559 And it's in Jesus' name we pray. 00:28:58.960 --> 00:28:59.519 Amen. 00:29:00.319 --> 00:29:01.119 Thank you.