WEBVTT 00:00:01.181 --> 00:00:03.490 Welcome to the First Love Church Podcast. 00:00:03.951 --> 00:00:11.153 This is a collection of Sunday teachings inspired by the Revised Common Lectionary and recorded weekly in Ocala, florida. 00:00:11.153 --> 00:00:20.824 In fact, we find ourselves this particular Sunday, the 15th day, 15th Sunday after Pentecost, and I know, like you're saying the same thing. 00:00:20.824 --> 00:00:23.312 How long is this going to go on this ordinary time? 00:00:23.312 --> 00:00:24.971 And in fact, it is this very reason that the Christian Church has long is this going to go on this ordinary time? 00:00:24.971 --> 00:00:32.122 And in fact, it is this very reason that the christian church has given us this beautiful tradition, because it is the ordinary that we have so much of. 00:00:32.122 --> 00:00:50.889 We look for grand gestures and big occasions, but there are every day that we are given that we can engage the sacred, the sacred in us, sacred around us, and we can engage the Holy Spirit in allowing us to lead ourselves and the world into what real living is about. 00:00:50.889 --> 00:01:02.505 Jesus said to us I have come to set the captives free, I have come to heal the brokenhearted and I have come that you would know life, and know it to the full. 00:01:02.505 --> 00:01:05.551 So beloved, why are gathered this morning? 00:01:05.650 --> 00:01:25.709 to learn how to live and how to love well you know, uh, I think a lot of times, uh, people get disappointed with being a christian when you read bible stories and you read about these miraculous things that happen to people and then we go well, where's my parting of the red sea? 00:01:25.709 --> 00:01:28.594 Where's my feeding of the 5 000? 00:01:28.594 --> 00:01:41.810 And you, you must understand that those stories are to show us god's generosity, god's love, god's mercy towards us, but not to show us that that's an everyday occurrence. 00:01:41.810 --> 00:01:47.121 In fact, we see it's a very select view of people throughout all of history. 00:01:47.121 --> 00:02:02.486 And so if you look and are taught and think all the time just about that extraordinary, the extraordinary, you would miss the daily moments that, the very, very ordinary moments that are so glorious. 00:02:03.067 --> 00:02:04.271 I've been on a kick lately. 00:02:04.331 --> 00:02:15.889 I just look at clouds and then I comment on how God did them in high def Because we're so impressed when our TVs are clear. 00:02:16.210 --> 00:02:28.259 If you go outside and as long as you got decent eyesight, it is amazing the production value out there and I mean it's just glorious for us to look at that. 00:02:28.259 --> 00:02:30.508 And oh, that's just the ordinary sky, is it? 00:02:30.508 --> 00:02:35.280 Or is it extraordinary, or is God really in the ordinary? 00:02:35.280 --> 00:03:29.135 And we miss it because we're looking for this other thing that may never happen to you in your lifetime, but a very moment of consciousness connecting with the creator of the universe is more glorious than all the wealth you could ever obtain, and we're missing that, and so we hope that, that the ordinary time would be a time that we would learn how to connect with god almighty and how to see god in the mundane, in the everyday, and find out that that we can celebrate and be filled with joy, not just on certain days of the year, only be romantic in your relationship on February 14th, but what if all those days we can have the love of God flowing coursing through our veins? 00:03:29.661 --> 00:03:38.284 And we as a people need to be reminded that we are already made in the image of love and that love is our true self. 00:03:38.284 --> 00:03:47.110 All of the other things that we put on or that we've been handed are not our true and beautiful self, made in the image of God. 00:03:47.110 --> 00:04:03.588 And in the next few weeks in fact I think it's five weeks we're going to hang out in the book of James, and James is the brother of Jesus according to legend and history, and he has a lot to say about what it means to really follow Jesus. 00:04:03.588 --> 00:04:05.873 What is it actually going to look like? 00:04:05.873 --> 00:04:10.230 What is it going to be where you people can actually have evidence of this? 00:04:10.230 --> 00:04:23.093 And I love that we can connect with somebody from the early church who says, hey, this is what it's all about and this is what you should actually be looking for in your own lives. 00:04:23.093 --> 00:04:29.389 Now, be mindful, because sometimes, when you see this, it's going to be very easy to look at how other people aren't doing it. 00:04:29.389 --> 00:04:44.130 And I remind you we just talked about this that the scripture admonishes us to take care of your own eyesight, to take care of the planks and telephone poles in your own eyes, before you start doing surgery on the splinters in others eyes. 00:04:44.130 --> 00:04:52.880 Before you start doing surgery on the splinters in others, deal with your own heart, your own belovedness. 00:04:52.880 --> 00:05:08.346 And so when we go to the book of James, we go to James chapter one, and I would encourage you, if you feel led by spirit or want to be a part of what we're doing together as a church, I would love for us to read at least this section together every day this week, and so it's just James 1, 16 through 27. 00:05:08.346 --> 00:05:18.572 And we all have apps on our phone, or you could even take a picture of the screen and read them there but to read them together, to remind us, so that we would be saturated in this kind of knowledge. 00:05:18.913 --> 00:05:24.377 Don't be misled, my dear brothers and sisters, please listen to the language of family. 00:05:24.377 --> 00:05:27.579 Your brothers and sisters, all of us, are language of family. 00:05:27.579 --> 00:05:31.581 Your brothers and sisters, all of us are. 00:05:31.581 --> 00:05:32.343 Whoever reading, whoever here. 00:05:32.343 --> 00:05:34.348 We are family, we are God's family, and so this is family language. 00:05:34.369 --> 00:05:39.846 And again, this is James, who is the brother of Jesus, and you know, james was in the house when Mary was teaching this, when Jesus learned it. 00:05:39.846 --> 00:05:43.963 And then Jesus expounds on this and says this is what the Spirit has revealed to me. 00:05:43.963 --> 00:05:56.240 And so James has this really unique viewpoint of really knowing Jesus as family, and in fact the early church calls him James the brother of God, and that's really wonderful. 00:05:56.240 --> 00:06:04.189 And then the tradition has had it, he's actually considered James the lesser Because there was a James the greater, and so that's, I mean you sort that out between yourself. 00:06:04.189 --> 00:06:05.833 He is not James the son, that out between yourself. 00:06:05.833 --> 00:06:08.247 He is not James the son of Zebedee, he is not the one calling down thunder. 00:06:08.247 --> 00:06:13.012 This is James, in fact, another name that they refer to him as James the Just. 00:06:13.012 --> 00:06:21.930 Wouldn't that be amazing if what you were known for was just living, just thinking, just behaving? 00:06:21.930 --> 00:06:28.521 Don't be misled, my dear brothers and sisters just behaving, don't be misled. 00:06:28.540 --> 00:06:34.471 My dear brothers and sisters, I would like to call um to mind our attention on this idea of family and and how that could maybe expand in you. 00:06:34.471 --> 00:06:51.485 Because, uh, uh, you know, I mean, it's just very natural, uh, for us to think, okay, we, you know, we have our children, we want to leave something for them, we want to take care of them, and so we kind of look in our house, that's where the majority of our money and our attention and energy is going to go. 00:06:51.485 --> 00:07:03.665 But then if we can expand out and someone's grow a little bit, all of a sudden we start helping, like at our school or at our church, or or we start expanding into the neighborhood, you know, and then it extends. 00:07:03.665 --> 00:07:12.324 Sometimes it can expand out to where someone might want to do good in some other ways of public service, you know, and just how that would expand. 00:07:12.324 --> 00:07:23.273 And in the church is the same way for us that we can be very us for no more minded, but I think it helps for us. 00:07:23.634 --> 00:07:25.860 I was sharing with Catherine because she's been gone. 00:07:25.860 --> 00:07:33.579 She just left the other day for Paris, but I was sharing with her actually when we were driving about my revelation. 00:07:33.579 --> 00:07:38.000 If I plan on the people that are cutting me off in traffic. 00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:53.149 If that's my brother Danny, then I let him in, because that's my brother Danny, and he missed the sign back there for 10 miles that says it's going down to two lanes, the sign that we all read and we all obeyed and went over. 00:07:53.149 --> 00:08:11.875 But my brother Danny, he missed it somehow and so he got all the way up and now he's throwing on his blinker, cutting in front of everyone, and instead of me wanting to use my car as a Mad Max bumper thing thing, car, I slow down and let him, and then the other guy that swerved around him and let those. 00:08:12.480 --> 00:08:13.281 And I'm beginning. 00:08:13.281 --> 00:08:28.238 What I'm doing is I'm wanting to allow God to let me see the truth that all these people are my brothers and sisters, that all these people are my brothers and sisters. 00:08:28.238 --> 00:08:41.527 But we tend to look I got enough on my plate taking care of the people around me and we don't understand that as our heart expands, so does the love of God in us, so does the power of God through us, and so there is a transformation. 00:08:41.527 --> 00:08:45.407 And so I'm really challenging you on this thing that I believe God is challenging me on. 00:08:45.407 --> 00:09:07.273 Is that could you grow past, wherever your border is, of who is acceptable, who deserves your love, who deserves your generosity, who you know, because think about it If you have some friend or some family member that's gone on to be with the Lord and you miss them so much, wouldn't you let them pass in front of you as many times as it took in traffic? 00:09:07.273 --> 00:09:10.961 Because that's you know your brother, your sister, your aunt, your father, your parent. 00:09:10.961 --> 00:09:15.392 You know, and these people around us are truly. 00:09:15.392 --> 00:09:25.732 What God is telling us is that these folks are really our family and something will transform in you when you allow that kind of love. 00:09:26.538 --> 00:09:27.642 And you know what you say to me. 00:09:27.642 --> 00:09:28.803 I feel the pushback now. 00:09:28.803 --> 00:09:30.827 Oh, I'll just be taking advantage of. 00:09:30.827 --> 00:09:32.410 Yeah. 00:09:32.410 --> 00:09:34.114 And so when? 00:09:34.114 --> 00:09:36.884 When has that ever been a bad deal for us as followers of christ? 00:09:36.884 --> 00:09:45.611 When have we ever given and not god returned to us 30, 60, 60, 100 fold? 00:09:45.639 --> 00:10:01.091 Well, I remind you, as I remind all of us if we are all brothers and sisters, then we do all have a loving father who, according to Jesus in the book of Matthew, says you don't give a cup of cool water to a child without God seeing it and rewarding you. 00:10:01.091 --> 00:10:10.868 So, our loving God, our true creator, the father that all the fathers on earth are named under, is our father and our father. 00:10:10.868 --> 00:10:22.663 In fact, jesus teaches us to pray this way Our father, who is in heaven, honored be your name, may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:10:22.663 --> 00:10:26.946 But we don't even pray that prayer, my father, it is in our father. 00:10:26.946 --> 00:10:29.568 It is this remembering of family. 00:10:29.960 --> 00:10:36.332 And then James goes on to say whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God, our father. 00:10:36.332 --> 00:10:40.320 Everything that we have that is good is from God. 00:10:40.320 --> 00:10:47.904 In fact, this is what the birth of generosity is from is that we recognize that everything good that we have has actually been given to us. 00:10:47.904 --> 00:10:52.763 Everything good, even the next breath that we have, it is a gift to us. 00:10:52.763 --> 00:11:02.390 And because we recognize that it is not our earning, it is not our working, it is not our striving that allows us to have any of these good things. 00:11:02.390 --> 00:11:09.711 It is because of the love of God that is so incredible and is so abundant that we actually have things. 00:11:09.711 --> 00:11:26.094 And so, because of that love, when we recognize that it causes in us a generosity and this also confronts, for the people that are listening there, this idea that you can judge whether something is good or someone is good or bad based on their life. 00:11:26.094 --> 00:11:43.783 In fact, james is reminding us that only good things are from God, because in this particular tradition I don't know if you can imagine it, but if somebody had some kind of issue, they would assume that it was because they had displeased God and God had withheld or God had taken away something. 00:11:43.783 --> 00:11:53.907 If you had a child that died, they believe it was because somehow you upset God, as opposed to saying and James is reminding the people of that every good thing you have is from God. 00:11:54.368 --> 00:11:59.624 And then he begins to remind us of who God is, who created all the lights in the heavens. 00:11:59.624 --> 00:12:18.951 Beloved, go outside at night, away from the fake lights that we have, and stand under the stars, or use your cell phone or your laptop and look at the James Webb telescope and find the wonder in the galaxies and in the cosmos. 00:12:18.951 --> 00:12:31.989 I mean, he's reminding us let nature testify to you of who the Father is, that he created all the lights in the heavens and he never changes or casts a shifting shadow. 00:12:31.989 --> 00:12:36.740 He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. 00:12:36.740 --> 00:12:44.447 Again, we see that James is also reminding us that Jesus is the word made flesh, that Jesus is the way that we interpret everything. 00:12:44.447 --> 00:12:45.614 In fact, jesus is the lens for flesh, that Jesus is the way that we interpret everything. 00:12:45.614 --> 00:12:54.371 In fact, jesus is the lens for how we even understand love and we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. 00:12:54.371 --> 00:12:59.692 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters. 00:12:59.692 --> 00:13:10.306 At first he calls us brothers and sisters, and now he's reminding us of the affection, our dear brothers and sisters, you must all. 00:13:11.500 --> 00:13:27.504 Now, this is the point that I like to go back to the original language, and though I don't speak the original language, I do have an app that will let us go back and read the original language, and I want to tell you that, no matter what language you spoke or you speak now, all means all. 00:13:27.504 --> 00:13:33.523 It simply does In every single translation, in every single language, all means all. 00:13:33.523 --> 00:13:40.201 And so the choice here the instruction here you must all that includes all of us. 00:13:40.201 --> 00:13:45.635 That means no one is exempt from this you must all be quick to listen. 00:13:45.635 --> 00:13:51.572 And that's where things got a little hairy for us, because we didn't understand that we were to be quick to listen. 00:13:51.572 --> 00:14:00.245 We have been taught to be quick to respond, to speak, to regurgitate, to have prejudice, to do whatever, to quickly judge, to decide what is right. 00:14:00.245 --> 00:14:05.677 And the apostle here is reminding us you must all be quick to listen. 00:14:06.418 --> 00:14:13.174 Now, quick to listen is a skill, quick to listen is a practice, quick to listen is a ritual. 00:14:13.756 --> 00:14:15.581 And quick to listen starts like this. 00:14:17.845 --> 00:14:22.292 That's how quick to listen starts by putting your lips over your teeth. 00:14:23.894 --> 00:14:24.721 Now, it's a hard one. 00:14:24.782 --> 00:14:30.529 I'm not sure you've all worked on that, but that's how you're quick to listen, because you know what we want to do In any situation. 00:14:30.529 --> 00:14:33.488 We want to open our mouth and we want the air to flow from us. 00:14:33.488 --> 00:14:34.541 Beloved. 00:14:34.541 --> 00:14:37.082 The breath that we need is from God, not from you, not from me. 00:14:37.082 --> 00:14:38.727 Close your mouth for a minute. 00:14:38.727 --> 00:14:39.750 This is how we practice. 00:14:39.750 --> 00:14:52.668 Now, this is not the only step in listening is closing your mouth, because you actually have to pause, because for many of us, when we close our mouth, what we do is load up what we're going to say and we're going through a ton of arguments in how we're going to say all these things. 00:14:52.668 --> 00:14:53.836 That's not quick to listen. 00:14:53.836 --> 00:15:17.600 Beloved, you are arming yourself for an argument and I want to tell you something if you arm yourself for war, you will find it, and the invitation is for us to be people of peace, to be people of love, and so an intention here, a ritual here, a practice here that will lead to true life, is working on being people who can listen. 00:15:19.264 --> 00:15:22.309 I wanted to address something that we spoke about in verse 17. 00:15:22.309 --> 00:15:25.275 I want to share a quick story. 00:15:25.275 --> 00:15:38.273 Over the past couple of years, I feel like God's been dealing with me about like just idols in my personal life that you know, just my ego is so attached to, like my convertible, you know. 00:15:38.273 --> 00:15:56.899 And yet you know that desire that I have just caused me heartache Sometimes, the desires and those things that we have, that you know that it's about our ego and stuff, and the heartache it caused me is every time I would go out in the garage it wouldn't start up because the battery was dead. 00:15:56.899 --> 00:15:58.703 It needed a new something or something. 00:15:58.703 --> 00:16:04.902 And so it was like this thing that I propped up my, my childhood, my ego, everything in just kept failing. 00:16:04.902 --> 00:16:07.924 And finally I just felt very clear. 00:16:07.965 --> 00:16:17.094 The Lord told me to let go of it, to get rid of it, and so I got rid of it, and with the money that I had I got rid of my old Jeep no AC. 00:16:17.094 --> 00:16:18.296 My old truck no AC. 00:16:18.296 --> 00:16:19.216 My convertible no AC. 00:16:19.216 --> 00:16:26.591 And so I thought, well, I've got enough money, now I'm going to buy something with AC, you know, a truck that works. 00:16:26.591 --> 00:16:52.645 And so Heather and I really took a while and we prayed, you know, and we got the truck and I think what happened I don't know accusing anybody, but I think what happened is they put a bunch of this stuff, this thick oil, in it so that the motor sounded good, so that when I first got the next, I got my oil changed and all of a sudden my lifters are knocking and they said it's a $12,000 repair. 00:16:52.645 --> 00:16:56.974 But I only paid $13,000 for the truck, so I've got a. 00:16:56.974 --> 00:16:59.065 All of a sudden I have this. 00:16:59.065 --> 00:17:00.828 I'll keep going. 00:17:00.828 --> 00:17:02.634 Okay, that's not irritating, it's church bells. 00:17:02.634 --> 00:17:03.355 Just keep going. 00:17:03.355 --> 00:17:03.876 Oh, keep going. 00:17:03.897 --> 00:17:04.959 Okay, that's not irritating, it's church bells. 00:17:04.959 --> 00:17:08.363 Oh, okay, in that case it's good. 00:17:08.363 --> 00:17:26.319 So I'm like pretty upset, you know, needless to say that, and the first thing I did was ran through my mind how did I miss it? 00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:29.412 Like God must be punishing me. 00:17:29.412 --> 00:17:36.887 And it's such a dumb thought because God doesn't punish us. 00:17:39.133 --> 00:17:48.809 Any of that has been dealt with through the completed work of Christ on the cross. 00:17:48.809 --> 00:17:52.369 There is nothing that you and I have to. 00:17:52.369 --> 00:17:57.548 But I've been taught my whole life through church and people well, you must let the door open for the devil. 00:17:57.548 --> 00:18:04.409 I do not leave windows and doors open in my life, first of all because I don't got them in my heart. 00:18:04.409 --> 00:18:17.548 That's not a thing and my intention is to serve God and my intention was to just Heather and I to look at this, you know, and get the best value and try the best we can. 00:18:17.548 --> 00:18:18.310 But guess what? 00:18:18.310 --> 00:18:22.467 We live in a fallen world with sometimes people deceiving, sometimes things just guess what? 00:18:22.467 --> 00:18:34.044 Sometimes they just get old and break, and sometimes the lifters knock on trucks, you know, and so uh. 00:18:34.044 --> 00:18:34.424 So stop that. 00:18:34.444 --> 00:18:51.340 I challenge you to stop that, that chasing your tail thing that happens every time something happens in your life where you question your connection with the god who's the god of the universe, by the way who reached down and made connection with you that somehow you're so powerful that you've severed it through buying the wrong truck. 00:18:51.340 --> 00:19:04.349 See how stupid it sounds when you say it out loud, but many of us and I know I'm not the only one, in fact I'm confident that almost everyone has this battle inside. 00:19:04.349 --> 00:19:07.301 This is all happening because I did something. 00:19:07.301 --> 00:19:08.965 You know, sometimes things happen. 00:19:08.965 --> 00:19:21.332 And here's what I looked at and I, like you, know what would have been sad is if that was the last thirteen thousand dollars I'll ever have and I bought that truck and now it's not, it's lifters and that'd be a bummer. 00:19:21.332 --> 00:19:32.872 But the truth is that's one of the thirteen thousand dollars that I'll earn and it will be taken from me, if not by some dealer, by uncle sam, you know. 00:19:33.133 --> 00:19:46.164 So the point is I gotta be less attached to that and more attached to the one that can allow me, in the middle of my trials, to still have joy, and in the middle of my trials, to still have joy. 00:19:46.164 --> 00:19:49.829 And in the middle of that, I know all things work together for good. 00:19:49.829 --> 00:19:52.453 And I don't just think that. 00:19:52.453 --> 00:19:53.756 I know that. 00:19:53.756 --> 00:19:59.997 And because I know that I have to push away those thoughts that somehow I've done something that have failed. 00:19:59.997 --> 00:20:06.903 You know what, if I've done something, that I need adjustment, that's kind of god's responsibility to tell me. 00:20:06.903 --> 00:20:08.146 Not take my truck. 00:20:08.146 --> 00:20:16.190 You know, I just don't randomly snatch stuff out of my kids room when they do something wrong and then hope they figure out what the heck they did wrong. 00:20:18.483 --> 00:20:27.285 As a father being evil who knows how to do good things, even I can go hey, hey, you know I might be shutting down the video games if you don't get. 00:20:27.285 --> 00:20:30.038 You know, get that trash out that we've told you for three days. 00:20:30.038 --> 00:20:30.681 You know what I mean. 00:20:30.681 --> 00:20:33.528 There might be something that happens in consequence. 00:20:33.528 --> 00:20:41.643 I'm not saying that there's no consequence for us, but I'm saying that God isn't not sneaking around breaking your stuff when you step across the line. 00:20:41.643 --> 00:20:49.603 And the minute we stop that train of thought, we can live in peace, no matter what comes your way. 00:20:49.603 --> 00:21:04.631 Because here's the deal If I have lifters knocking on my truck, good thing that Jesus rides with me, good thing that my relationship is good with God, that I don't have a bad truck and I don't know the peace from the universe. 00:21:04.631 --> 00:21:05.853 That'd be a bummer. 00:21:05.853 --> 00:21:13.446 And so I'm telling you there's a shift, and I hope my story helps you connect to the thing that you're doing. 00:21:14.489 --> 00:21:17.714 That really brings accusation against God. 00:21:17.714 --> 00:21:22.951 I've really stood in there and said what are you up to, sneaky God? 00:21:22.951 --> 00:21:25.634 Why are you destroying my stuff? 00:21:25.634 --> 00:21:30.087 I bring accusation against the one who's provided every good. 00:21:30.087 --> 00:21:33.161 So what are you going to believe those feelings? 00:21:33.161 --> 00:21:34.545 You have some weird doctrine. 00:21:34.545 --> 00:21:54.642 Some dude told you in the hallway after church, or what God's word has just so lovingly communicated over and over, that you're loved, that you're going to be taken care of and that every good gift comes from. 00:21:54.642 --> 00:22:01.365 So I can look for the and I can even look in the middle of this and find that it's still good. 00:22:01.365 --> 00:22:04.769 There's nothing that's happening to me. 00:22:04.769 --> 00:22:08.503 You know and I used to just lose it that it's still good. 00:22:08.503 --> 00:22:09.384 There's nothing that's happening to me. 00:22:09.384 --> 00:22:10.105 You know, and I used to just lose it. 00:22:10.105 --> 00:22:12.429 Man, when those things would happen, yell, you know, can't believe the truck, you know. 00:22:12.429 --> 00:22:18.655 But I don't have to live in that type of thing and I don't think I'm the only one that struggles in this. 00:22:18.655 --> 00:22:19.865 I think I'm talking to some people. 00:22:20.580 --> 00:22:21.926 You all must be quick to listen. 00:22:21.926 --> 00:22:32.451 Slow to speak let's talk about that for a minute, especially from someone who talks frequently, who talks quickly and who has a lot of opinions. 00:22:32.451 --> 00:22:38.092 And so I speak to you this morning as a person who needs your grace, slow to speak. 00:22:38.092 --> 00:22:41.528 Let me talk about the wisdom here in the slow to speak. 00:22:41.528 --> 00:22:52.711 Because if you speak quickly, if you speak not clearly, that's not what I'm talking about, but I'm saying if you respond and you don't take the slow to speak, because if you speak quickly, if you speak not clearly, that's not what I'm talking about, but I'm saying if you respond and you don't take the time to think about it, very often we will respond out of an emotion that changes. 00:22:52.711 --> 00:22:57.988 We will respond out of something that we're feeling now but we do not feel in three days. 00:22:58.740 --> 00:23:03.809 And so this slowness to speak is actually an invitation into the process. 00:23:03.809 --> 00:23:08.303 It's an invitation into acknowledging our humanity. 00:23:08.303 --> 00:23:11.470 It's an invitation to being gentle with ourselves. 00:23:11.470 --> 00:23:22.925 I may have a lot of opinions and I may even have a lot of judgments, but if I am slow to speak, my body actually has a chance, my brain actually has a chance, the spirit of love actually has a chance to guide me. 00:23:22.925 --> 00:23:25.509 Rain actually has a chance, the spirit of love actually has a chance to guide me. 00:23:25.509 --> 00:23:33.871 And what this will prevent and if it does nothing else, it will prevent this you will have to ask forgiveness less if you are slow to speak. 00:23:34.232 --> 00:23:34.674 Oh, come on. 00:23:35.059 --> 00:23:36.787 And then it says and slow to get angry. 00:23:36.787 --> 00:23:46.048 Because very often we are quick to get angry and we are quick to judge not only our anger but other people's angry. 00:23:46.048 --> 00:23:47.817 And we are quick to judge not only our anger but other people's angry. 00:23:47.817 --> 00:24:06.955 And so this whole beautiful passage reminds us that maybe we need to consider, maybe we need to interview our anger, maybe we need to make space for it, but we need to be mindful that this particular response needs to be measured and needs to be in tandem with love spirit. 00:24:06.955 --> 00:24:11.685 Sometimes anger is absolutely essential. 00:24:11.685 --> 00:24:14.471 It is necessary, in fact. 00:24:14.731 --> 00:24:18.883 The world around us right now is presenting us with many reasons. 00:24:18.883 --> 00:24:23.367 We should be angry If you read the news as I read the news. 00:24:23.367 --> 00:24:28.834 Angry If you read the news as I read the news aid food is being stolen from children Beloved. 00:24:28.834 --> 00:24:30.455 We cannot say that that is okay. 00:24:30.455 --> 00:24:35.362 We must be angry with this, but how? 00:24:35.362 --> 00:24:41.606 What we do with our anger, then, is what makes the difference between righteousness and unrighteousness and this invitation to be slow to anger. 00:24:41.606 --> 00:24:55.378 To look at this Now, another thing that we often do is see someone else's anger and we say to them you should be slow to anger, beloved, you do not know how long they have dealt with that or with that thing and we should just be mindful about our own anger. 00:24:55.378 --> 00:24:56.994 Slow to get anger. 00:24:57.230 --> 00:25:07.002 I want to talk about this for a minute because, you know, church even if we stopped right here and didn't preach anymore and just really just, you know focused in on this anger. 00:25:07.002 --> 00:25:16.933 This is something that either you are struggling with and is polluting your life, or you're living with somebody is is polluting your life, or you're living with somebody that's polluting your life with anger. 00:25:16.933 --> 00:25:31.999 Anger is such a real issue and and and if we don't address this in church and let god go to it, and you know, and go to that, let let god into that ugly place that we're hiding and we're pretending and really let this go. 00:25:31.999 --> 00:25:35.719 You know, I got to tell you that something happened to me. 00:25:35.719 --> 00:25:42.019 I don't know, maybe it's almost 10 years ago now, but Heather and I went to Chicago and I was just enjoying myself in the city of Chicago. 00:25:42.019 --> 00:25:52.786 We're from there, and so when we go back, we just basically go on a culinary tour of all of our favorite restaurants and gain about 10 pounds in seven days and just have the time of our life. 00:25:52.786 --> 00:25:56.795 You know, just enjoying this, because the food there is exceptional. 00:25:57.256 --> 00:26:23.233 And so we were downtown walking and a guy was, um, you know, one of these bikers uh, bicycle bikers and he had his little shorty shorts on and was, you know, had his bike and and he's riding by and and we were walking this way and in front of me was a guy with a cerebral palsy, and I mean severe, and he had a swing to him and he was carrying his groceries or his bag or whatever. 00:26:23.233 --> 00:26:51.563 And as he was walking, the biker was coming on the in the walkway this way and that that dude, just at the moment he came by, he took his swing this way and he whacked that biker with his groceries and that biker got off his bike, threw his bike down and he's like pushing this handicapped dude and pushing and this biker was like you know, maybe 100 pounds, soaking wet or whatever. 00:26:51.563 --> 00:26:54.090 And that's not why I did it. 00:26:54.090 --> 00:26:59.912 But I saw the injustice of this handicapped guy and I said, hey, if you want to pick on someone, pick on me. 00:26:59.912 --> 00:27:01.676 And the guy's like you're not involved. 00:27:01.676 --> 00:27:09.137 And I said that guy, you know, and so I'm defending the guy, you know, that guy didn't mean to do that, he was walking and you walked into, you know. 00:27:09.137 --> 00:27:11.661 And then the guy's like get out of here, get your, you know. 00:27:12.883 --> 00:27:19.875 And then, and pretty soon I realized you know how loud I was being and aggressive that we were at the. 00:27:19.875 --> 00:27:28.442 You know, in Chicago there's like 50 people around waiting for the light and all 50 people were like boo, dennis, boo, and they were yelling at me, leave him alone. 00:27:28.442 --> 00:27:33.590 And they all of a sudden were defending the biker who threw his bike down and pushed the handicapped guy. 00:27:33.590 --> 00:27:35.895 And I'm like what is going on? 00:27:35.895 --> 00:27:47.482 You know, I mean and, and so I I'm like I have this righteous indignation from god to call to defend all of the weak and and and and. 00:27:47.482 --> 00:27:55.048 You know, downtrodden, and I'm defending and all of a sudden the whole climate is turning against me and I'm like what is going on? 00:27:55.048 --> 00:27:58.097 And finally, the handicapped guy didn't have anything to do with my crazy. 00:27:58.097 --> 00:28:18.458 He took off and the light changed and everybody dispersed and I'm like and I'm sitting there and I felt like the biggest piece of garbage that a human being could feel, because I had see when anger comes. 00:28:19.439 --> 00:28:52.337 It's a door that opens on a train, a locomotive, and some of us willingly get on board and in fact we like to get on board, and wherever that freaking train goes and whatever damage it does, we just go along for the ride, but inevitably you get off the train at the next stop and you're overwhelmed with shame I know I'm talking to some people Overwhelmed with shame and guilt or whatever, and at that moment I could not have felt lower. 00:28:52.337 --> 00:28:57.555 I couldn't even look Heather in the face and she grabbed my hand and she said I love you so much. 00:28:57.555 --> 00:29:03.571 She said you tried, you tried to defend that man and she goes. 00:29:03.571 --> 00:29:04.173 She looked at me. 00:29:04.173 --> 00:29:07.115 I looked at her then and she looked at me and she said you did it all wrong. 00:29:08.290 --> 00:29:10.558 Because sometimes the truth speaks, love speaks. 00:29:10.558 --> 00:29:11.510 That was wrong. 00:29:12.252 --> 00:29:19.005 She was not endorsing said behavior or encouraging for one moment that I act like a psycho in the street anymore. 00:29:19.005 --> 00:29:29.357 But she knew my heart and I'm just trying to figure this out Ten years ago and maybe I'm a little bit further down the road a little bit. 00:29:29.357 --> 00:29:40.884 But I'm telling you, you know, to bully a bully is not how we respond to anger, and that's what I did. 00:29:40.884 --> 00:29:45.233 There was a bully in the street and so I said today I'm a bigger bully. 00:29:45.233 --> 00:29:54.101 Now, if the guy had been 350 pounds, seven feet tall, I would have said sir, please don't pick on that handicapped fella. 00:29:59.131 --> 00:30:18.414 And so we have to look at why we're doing what we're doing and stop just getting on the train that is destroying your family, it's destroying relationships and it causes you nothing but sorrow and shame, and we decide I'm not going to do that, I'm going to do something different. 00:30:19.155 --> 00:30:22.864 We pause here for a moment to thank you for joining us today. 00:30:22.864 --> 00:30:28.321 If you're finding this episode meaningful, would you take a moment to share it with a friend? 00:30:28.321 --> 00:30:33.882 This podcast is made possible thanks to the generosity of people just like you. 00:30:33.882 --> 00:30:46.503 If you would like to support the ongoing work of First Love Church and the continued work of our podcast, visit us online at firstlovechurchorg, reminding you to like, follow and subscribe. 00:30:47.329 --> 00:30:49.073 And so we had these conversations. 00:30:49.073 --> 00:30:52.318 You know and you talk about. 00:30:52.318 --> 00:30:56.653 You know, because I'd say I don't know, I just get mad and I black out. 00:30:56.653 --> 00:30:57.394 And that was true. 00:30:57.394 --> 00:31:02.976 But we started talking about can you find a trigger, can you get back from? 00:31:02.976 --> 00:31:09.253 Because I believe there are some people that you go from zero to 10 or so you think, but there is a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, eight, nine. 00:31:09.253 --> 00:31:19.693 You just haven't learned to identify them and with God's help, I promise you you can find that place where it doesn't have to just blow up in your face and hurt everyone. 00:31:19.693 --> 00:31:23.211 You know how many jobs have you lost because you satisfied that thing. 00:31:23.211 --> 00:31:25.656 How many relationships have you broken? 00:31:25.656 --> 00:31:31.094 How many people that you love you have hurt Because we have allowed anger to just be. 00:31:31.535 --> 00:31:36.403 And here's the rub anger is part of who I am. 00:31:36.403 --> 00:31:47.372 I spent so much time being ashamed of me and what I need to distance myself from is my willingness to just get on that train and take it wherever it goes. 00:31:47.372 --> 00:31:50.636 But I need to feel the feelings. 00:31:50.636 --> 00:31:51.578 What is it like? 00:31:51.578 --> 00:31:56.374 Because if I really thought about it for a second, what hurt my heart is? 00:31:56.374 --> 00:31:59.257 I remember being a little kid and I remember being picked on like that. 00:31:59.257 --> 00:32:01.336 Where was anyone that would defend me? 00:32:01.336 --> 00:32:03.777 So where does that anger come from? 00:32:03.777 --> 00:32:07.201 It comes from a place of really just desiring protection. 00:32:07.201 --> 00:32:14.240 So now, instead of lashing out in the street, I can say God, will you protect me? 00:32:14.240 --> 00:32:16.636 Are you going to keep me safe? 00:32:16.636 --> 00:32:22.721 Yeah, even when clicking starts in your motor and they tell you you need a new one, you don't have to worry. 00:32:22.721 --> 00:32:29.395 You don't have to be afraid that you're going to lose everything, because that's what we think, don't we sometimes? 00:32:29.395 --> 00:32:30.700 Oh, this is it. 00:32:30.700 --> 00:32:34.894 I've been keeping my nose this much above water financially and now that thing hit me. 00:32:36.431 --> 00:32:44.335 And then we just get so mad, we surrender to anger, we start saying things that we can't take back, being slow to speak. 00:32:44.335 --> 00:32:49.200 What if we took that and worked on this church together? 00:32:49.200 --> 00:32:50.712 I'll help you If you call me. 00:32:50.712 --> 00:32:51.316 I'll help you. 00:32:51.316 --> 00:32:59.154 If you're too far, I'll ask Courtney to get on the other line. 00:32:59.154 --> 00:33:07.978 But listen, we can get through this and, in the power of God, we don't have to do this to people and to ourselves anymore. 00:33:07.978 --> 00:33:10.323 Are you listening to me? 00:33:10.323 --> 00:33:14.651 There's you know. 00:33:14.651 --> 00:33:15.311 Are you listening to me? 00:33:15.311 --> 00:33:27.603 Church, there is hope for us in this, but we got to take this, this word to us today be slow to speak and slow to anger, even when we were taught by, by the people that we love, maybe that parent that you so admire, but that's how they took care of anger. 00:33:27.603 --> 00:33:28.672 So that's how I'm going to do it. 00:33:28.672 --> 00:33:31.439 There's a a better way for us church. 00:33:31.439 --> 00:33:32.361 Do you hear me? 00:33:36.329 --> 00:33:50.300 This is reminiscent in this particular version, and your story leads me to think about Moses, who's called by God to deliver the people of Israel and he knows that, like this vocation has been in him since he is a child. 00:33:50.300 --> 00:34:14.431 I mean, maybe in hindsight the story is much clearer, but he knows that there is purpose for him and he sees an injustice and without training, without the safeguards in place, he simply kills the Egyptian that he sees harming his brother, and I think that's what many of us are stuck in our lives. 00:34:14.431 --> 00:34:19.793 We're busy killing Egyptians and let me tell you that that will put you on the backside of the mountain, if it won't end up in jail. 00:34:19.793 --> 00:34:26.858 I mean, like, this is the situation where God is saying, even to Moses there's another way to deal with injustice. 00:34:26.858 --> 00:34:35.123 Injustice must be dealt with, but not with the same wicked anger that it's actually inflated by. 00:34:35.123 --> 00:34:43.871 So this idea, this scarcity that we, that anger comes from this idea, god is saying there's another way, there's an abundance. 00:34:43.871 --> 00:35:03.534 And when he is drawing Moses and the children of Egypt out of this bondage, he's saying I need to show you sonship, I want to show you what it's like to be children of a God who is so good and so generous and so abundant in life that there is another way to live. 00:35:04.054 --> 00:35:07.623 Human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 00:35:07.623 --> 00:35:14.262 In another translation it says human anger cannot be a tool that brings about the kingdom of heaven. 00:35:14.262 --> 00:35:19.576 God does not need our human response in that way, in anger. 00:35:19.576 --> 00:35:21.956 I want to tell you what changes the world beloved. 00:35:21.956 --> 00:35:22.840 It is love. 00:35:22.840 --> 00:35:25.016 Love changes everything. 00:35:25.016 --> 00:35:29.117 In fact, we see this in the message of Jesus, in how he lives his life. 00:35:29.117 --> 00:35:31.458 It is this cruciform-shaped love. 00:35:31.590 --> 00:35:36.900 I like in 20, one translation I read it was it can never produce the righteousness of God, human anger. 00:35:36.900 --> 00:35:43.838 So we need to be able to understand that there is an emotion of anger and that's part of who you are and that's okay. 00:35:43.838 --> 00:35:54.724 But for us to be, you know, I said for so long, you know, I would say, and I've heard other people say it and it's crazy when you say it, but for me I justified it. 00:35:54.724 --> 00:36:01.554 It's like you know, I know anger is wrong, but if you push me too far, or I know anger is wrong, but you got to understand, everyone's got a line. 00:36:01.554 --> 00:36:29.893 So what I was saying is there's an excuse and there's at some point where my cork gets to blow and whatever damage that does to you, it's kind of your fault because you pushed me there, or it's kind of your fault because your collateral damage hey, just warning in advance, chernobyl is about to blow or at any moment it might because I'm giving myself that kind of leeway. 00:36:29.893 --> 00:37:00.637 And the bottom line was I thought that that was okay because the people in my life who I looked up to did it that way and so I was trained that way and so I was trained and I was trained very well, but I had to hear God saying there is another way, that that that human anger will never produce the righteousness of God, and I need that in my life. 00:37:00.637 --> 00:37:03.202 And so you know what I've learned? 00:37:03.202 --> 00:37:13.965 That that, um, it's okay, and I even kind of need to really set and lean in to those feelings of anger. 00:37:13.965 --> 00:37:32.322 Why am I angry, you know, and just kind of sit in my car and be angry for a little bit, not indulge myself in the human anger which manifests in you know, even to the point that, as your pastor, I'm ashamed to say it, but I'm pretty good at profanity. 00:37:32.322 --> 00:37:34.782 I'm skilled in the it, but I'm pretty good at profanity. 00:37:34.782 --> 00:37:35.530 I'm skilled in the craft. 00:37:35.530 --> 00:37:38.679 I'm not Samuel L Jackson level, but I'm right up there. 00:37:38.679 --> 00:37:43.342 And the thing is I always justified that. 00:37:43.342 --> 00:37:47.762 I know the scripture said your words, but we're freed from all that. 00:37:47.762 --> 00:37:49.056 So why am I putting myself in bondage? 00:37:49.269 --> 00:37:58.601 But the truth is, I have come to realize this painful truth for me, that profanity is the language of the angry. 00:37:58.601 --> 00:38:07.938 When you're angry you'll cuss and what you're doing is you're spinning yourself into an energy. 00:38:07.938 --> 00:38:16.123 I've heard recently I don't know if it's true or not, but I think it's cool that bees flap their wings to create a frequency that causes them to float. 00:38:16.123 --> 00:38:17.996 They really can't fly physically. 00:38:17.996 --> 00:38:27.635 Now, I don't know if that's true, but even if it's not, leave me with my internet fantasy, because I think that's cool sounding, but I'm convinced that I. 00:38:27.635 --> 00:38:30.001 Is it true? 00:38:30.001 --> 00:38:31.804 You're a bee expert? 00:38:31.804 --> 00:38:33.373 Oh, don't tell me. 00:38:33.373 --> 00:38:33.713 Don't tell me. 00:38:33.713 --> 00:38:35.090 If it's not true, that's right, I want to keep it. 00:38:35.090 --> 00:38:39.438 Don't tell me, but I want I. 00:38:39.438 --> 00:38:44.514 I'm here to tell you that I buzzed myself into a, an anger frenzy. 00:38:44.514 --> 00:38:49.146 That frequency and my cussing just brought me right to that place. 00:38:49.208 --> 00:38:51.735 Now, I'm not saying anything about you. 00:38:51.735 --> 00:38:59.740 I'm saying saying here, if you look and you'll find these things going hand in hand, why do I allow myself this? 00:38:59.740 --> 00:39:01.264 Why do I indulge myself? 00:39:01.264 --> 00:39:06.822 If I look over when I start using those words and I look at Silas, he's cringed. 00:39:06.822 --> 00:39:08.472 You know what I mean. 00:39:08.472 --> 00:39:10.556 He's all tensed up. 00:39:10.556 --> 00:39:11.880 He doesn't know what's going to happen next. 00:39:11.880 --> 00:39:12.802 He's 11 years old. 00:39:12.802 --> 00:39:15.476 What about the people around you? 00:39:15.476 --> 00:39:18.978 What is the fallout for us? 00:39:18.978 --> 00:39:20.061 Indulging ourselves? 00:39:20.061 --> 00:39:22.775 And that's what it is. 00:39:22.775 --> 00:39:26.195 It's hard work to go. 00:39:26.195 --> 00:39:27.219 Okay, I'm feeling these things. 00:39:27.219 --> 00:39:29.934 I need to feel them and then I need to. 00:39:29.934 --> 00:39:34.311 Let God help me to take another path, besides the path of human anger. 00:39:35.713 --> 00:39:38.820 Verse 21 says so get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives. 00:39:38.820 --> 00:39:40.242 Now, this is back to. 00:39:40.242 --> 00:39:46.331 This is your job, see, because a lot of times we want God to rid us of things that God has already told us, that that's on us. 00:39:46.331 --> 00:39:51.284 I mean, we want God to rid us of the hunger that I still can't believe it. 00:39:51.284 --> 00:39:55.172 I mean, I live in this place and I try very hard. 00:39:55.233 --> 00:39:59.731 It is my intention not to argue with reality but, beloved, I do it all the time. 00:39:59.731 --> 00:40:03.340 I can't believe that we're still here and the children are starving. 00:40:03.340 --> 00:40:05.813 Do you know how much food waste there is in the world? 00:40:05.813 --> 00:40:06.956 There's plenty. 00:40:06.956 --> 00:40:12.940 God gave us all enough, but because of greed and many, many other things, there are still starving children. 00:40:12.940 --> 00:40:14.413 And do you know what I want to say to God? 00:40:14.413 --> 00:40:16.438 Please fix it. 00:40:16.438 --> 00:40:17.661 Please have mercy on us. 00:40:17.661 --> 00:40:20.034 And you know what God said Beloved, you fix it. 00:40:20.034 --> 00:40:21.657 It's our responsibility. 00:40:21.657 --> 00:40:22.179 Do you know? 00:40:22.179 --> 00:40:24.583 God does not need us to end slavery. 00:40:24.583 --> 00:40:25.532 That's our job. 00:40:25.532 --> 00:40:28.478 God does not need to come in and do the things he's saying. 00:40:28.478 --> 00:40:30.003 You get rid of the evil. 00:40:30.003 --> 00:40:33.590 You get rid of it. 00:40:33.590 --> 00:40:34.353 You've been given the power. 00:40:34.353 --> 00:40:43.422 Stop behaving in a way that means that you don't understand your scarcity, that you don't understand your abundance, that there is nothing that you have need of that God will not provide. 00:40:43.422 --> 00:40:51.896 And so we live in this place and we point our fingers at God and say, well, I don't know why God didn't do it, because, beloved, you're there, do it, feed your neighbors. 00:40:51.896 --> 00:40:57.005 That's why we get together and we feed our neighbors and we do the works that we have. 00:40:57.090 --> 00:40:58.815 In fact, james says this a little bit later. 00:40:58.815 --> 00:41:04.313 In fact, if you haven't already read it, he says if you have faith and you don't have works, your faith is dead. 00:41:04.313 --> 00:41:08.038 Don't even say you have faith if you don't have this evidence. 00:41:08.038 --> 00:41:16.510 And so the invitation is for us to say what will we do to rid these things around us that we call evil? 00:41:16.510 --> 00:41:25.072 And it says and humbly, accept the word that God has planted in your heart, for it has the power to save your soul. 00:41:27.333 --> 00:41:35.264 The word of life, the wisdom of Christ, the love of God, has the power to save us. 00:41:35.264 --> 00:41:48.338 To save us from ourselves, to save us from the patterns that we're in, to save us from ways that we oppress brothers and sisters, to save us in the way that we can't even imagine. 00:41:48.338 --> 00:41:52.795 Beloved, we need the Holy Spirit to give us a holy imagination. 00:41:52.795 --> 00:41:58.438 What would it look like for us to live in a world where no child goes to bed hungry? 00:41:58.438 --> 00:42:00.762 That's heaven on earth. 00:42:00.762 --> 00:42:01.244 Beloved. 00:42:01.244 --> 00:42:05.778 What would it look like for us to no longer train our sons for war? 00:42:05.778 --> 00:42:06.721 Beloved? 00:42:06.780 --> 00:42:27.936 The prophet Amos from Africa, thousands of years ago, said can you imagine this is the way of God, that you would no longer train your sons for war, that you would take your weapons and you would beat them into plowshares, into pruning hooks, so that together we could farm this beautiful land and feed everyone? 00:42:27.936 --> 00:42:29.577 He said what would that be? 00:42:29.577 --> 00:42:32.431 It's thousands of years later and we're still making weapons and we're still killing our brothers and sisters. 00:42:32.431 --> 00:42:32.561 Beloved, what would that be? 00:42:32.561 --> 00:42:35.552 It's thousands of years later and we're still making weapons and we're still killing our brothers and sisters Beloved. 00:42:35.592 --> 00:42:41.362 This should not be, and it's our responsibility to get rid of the evil, and we do it not through human anger. 00:42:41.362 --> 00:42:43.072 We're not going to make a bigger bomb. 00:42:43.072 --> 00:42:45.476 We can't bomb our way to peace. 00:42:45.476 --> 00:42:47.139 That's not how it works. 00:42:47.139 --> 00:42:55.353 The truth of it is we need to allow love to be formed in us, hope to be formed in us, the evidence of God's spirit. 00:42:55.353 --> 00:43:13.117 Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, hope, patience, all these things to be so formed in us that we understand what God has always been telling us there is another way to live, there is another path, and it is the path of love. 00:43:14.059 --> 00:43:19.478 And humbly accept the word of God as planted in your hearts, for it is the power to save your souls. 00:43:19.478 --> 00:43:25.661 You know, I think that we look at this sometimes and go, oh, look at the poor, miserable souls that need to be saved by God. 00:43:25.661 --> 00:43:27.612 And so God saves souls. 00:43:27.612 --> 00:43:41.338 But I wonder if, with any kind of Bible study at all, you could understand that soul means mind, will and emotions, that God is not talking about the sweet by and by, because in heaven you know what. 00:43:41.338 --> 00:43:44.159 You're not going to have an anger problem. 00:43:44.159 --> 00:43:45.456