back to indexBerean Community Church Sunday Service June 6, 2021
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- Good morning, Church family, happy Lord's Day. 00:05:22.720 |
We have a few announcements before we get started. 00:05:27.720 |
today was declared from the IMB, International Mission Board, 00:05:32.720 |
as the day of prayer for the persecuted church. 00:05:35.720 |
And so we don't have any slides or anything like that, 00:05:38.720 |
but we'll probably post some stuff up for you today 00:05:40.720 |
and also throughout the week about what's going on 00:05:45.720 |
And obviously, specifically, we've been engaged with ministry 00:05:48.720 |
that's going on in India, and we're praying for our pastors. 00:05:52.720 |
Obviously, you know that Pastor Isaac passed away 00:05:54.720 |
because of COVID, and so I've been communicating 00:05:59.720 |
But it's obvious that they're pretty saddened by it 00:06:05.720 |
outside of Pastor Matthew, who started the ministry over there. 00:06:08.720 |
And so if you guys can continue to keep them in your prayers. 00:06:11.720 |
And along with that, we are doing fundraisers for them, 00:06:15.720 |
and so we have an announcement from Rachel about that, 00:06:20.720 |
I'm here to announce that our second annual service auction fundraiser 00:06:24.720 |
for the India pastors will officially start the bidding process today. 00:06:29.720 |
We'll be posting a photo album in our Berean Community Church Facebook page, 00:06:33.720 |
hopefully latest by 9.30 p.m. today, hopefully earlier. 00:06:36.720 |
And once that's posted, bidding is officially open. 00:06:39.720 |
You can bid on a service or item by commenting on the photo. 00:06:42.720 |
More details on how to bid will be posted in the album description, 00:06:48.720 |
But basically, everything is the exact same process as last year. 00:06:52.720 |
Please remember to keep this auction and the India pastors in your prayers, 00:06:56.720 |
for as you know, all this will be worthless without God's blessing and provision. 00:07:00.720 |
I am excited for you to see just how talented and gifted our church members are. 00:07:04.720 |
I'm really impressed and surprised by what people submit. 00:07:12.720 |
The auction starts today, and bidding will go until this Saturday, June 12th at 9.30. 00:07:17.720 |
So we're going to send out a Zoom link this week, 00:07:20.720 |
where we'll be online on June 12th for the last 30 to 45 minutes to hang out, 00:07:24.720 |
banter, and watch the auction end live together. 00:07:27.720 |
So hopefully you're looking forward to it, and thanks for your participation. 00:07:32.720 |
Those of you guys who participated last year, you know exactly what's going on. 00:07:38.720 |
Tonight is they're going to post like what kind of services, 00:07:43.720 |
So you can go on there, and you can make a bid onto that. 00:07:46.720 |
And then next Saturday is they're going to be doing the live bidding over Zoom. 00:07:50.720 |
So this was an idea that Andy and Rachel had last year while we were in the pandemic, 00:07:55.720 |
and it was such a great idea, and they just did it voluntarily. 00:08:01.720 |
And so this would be, again, another opportunity to do that this year. 00:08:05.720 |
And again, all the funds will be going to support our pastors who are out in India. 00:08:13.720 |
If you don't have Facebook, you can borrow someone else's Facebook to go take a look 00:08:17.720 |
and just kind of scroll down because that's where it's going to be posted. 00:08:20.720 |
And again, if you for whatever reason refuse to get on there, maybe can they download that? 00:08:29.720 |
Okay, so you need to get Facebook basically, temporarily, fake account, 00:08:37.720 |
And then next Saturday is where the Zoom is going to happen, 00:08:42.720 |
All right, so a few things we want to announce before. 00:08:46.720 |
Not next Sunday, but Sunday after is Father's Day. 00:08:50.720 |
So those of you -- usually Father's Day kind of sneaks up on us. 00:08:53.720 |
But if you are a father or you're making an announcement that you're going to be a father 00:08:58.720 |
or you're going to bring a father to church who don't normally attend, 00:09:02.720 |
please let us know ahead of time so that we can make the proper arrangements. 00:09:06.720 |
So there is going to be a Father's Day lunch that's going to be taking place over there 00:09:11.720 |
And I'm assuming that there will be pizza and stuff for the children as well for the moms. 00:09:21.720 |
And then membership class, that's eight weeks long from 9 to 10.20 a.m. for eight. 00:09:27.720 |
And it takes place at the youth group room on the other side, the cafe side. 00:09:31.720 |
And, again, if you are interested in becoming a member of the church, 00:09:35.720 |
please sign up with Pastor Nate, and that will be starting on July 4th. 00:09:40.720 |
So it's a few weeks away from now, but the sign-ups are taking place right now. 00:09:47.720 |
And all of this stuff will be on Facebook or it will be on the church app, 00:09:50.720 |
and you'll be able to find where you can sign up for that. 00:09:56.720 |
Last year we tried to do it online, but this year it's going to be live. 00:10:02.720 |
The theme is, along with our church theme, Watch and Pray. 00:10:06.720 |
And so the registration is open, and it's going to close on June 27th. 00:10:12.720 |
And so if you are planning to bring your children 00:10:14.720 |
or bring some other children to participate in that on June 27th, 00:10:18.720 |
obviously we have more facilities this year where you can kind of spread the kids out 00:10:24.720 |
So please register for that as soon as possible. 00:10:26.720 |
And along with that, they need volunteers to help out. 00:10:29.720 |
So even if it's just one day, whether it's decoration or skits or whatever it may be, 00:10:34.720 |
they'll give you assignments on how to participate. 00:10:37.720 |
And so if you want to sign up for that, Jane Shin is the one who is in charge. 00:10:41.720 |
Again, you can go to the church app or the church Facebook page or the website, 00:10:46.720 |
and they'll be able to give you information where you can sign up for that. 00:10:49.720 |
Along with that, there's an evangelism outing that's going to be taking place on July 17th, 18th, 00:10:55.720 |
and the main event taking place on July 24th. 00:10:57.720 |
All of this in preparation for the cafe outreach night that's taking place. 00:11:01.720 |
So if you want to sign up for that and help, again, the links will be available on the church app 00:11:10.720 |
All right. We'll give you a minute to prepare for your offering online, digitally, 00:11:15.720 |
and also a physical offering will be in the back as you are leaving if you need that. 00:11:19.720 |
So let's pray, and we'll jump into the service today. All right, let's pray. 00:11:26.720 |
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your grace. We thank you for the love that you pour upon us. 00:11:31.720 |
Things that we are aware of, things, Lord, that sometimes slip by. 00:11:36.720 |
Help us, Lord God, to fix our eyes upon Christ. 00:11:40.720 |
That even this week, if our hearts have drifted away from you, 00:11:43.720 |
help us, Lord God, to be reminded of who you are. 00:11:47.720 |
That all that we strive for, all that we desire and hope for, 00:11:51.720 |
will be grounded in eternal things that you've given. 00:11:54.720 |
We pray, Father God, that even the offering that we give may be given to you, Father God, 00:11:59.720 |
joyfully, willfully, and may be multiplied for your use in your kingdom. 00:13:45.720 |
Who shakes the whole earth with holy thunder? 00:14:33.720 |
Oh, Jesus, I sing for all that you've done for me. 00:15:07.720 |
Who rules the nations with truth and justice? 00:15:12.720 |
Shines like the sun in all of its brilliance. 00:15:54.720 |
Oh, Jesus, I sing for all that you've done for me. 00:17:11.720 |
Oh, Jesus, I sing for all that you've done for me. 00:17:43.720 |
We're lawbreakers and thieves for the worthless, the least. 00:18:13.720 |
What an amazing mystery that your grace has come to me. 00:18:42.720 |
A matchless king of war paid the blood price for me. 00:18:50.720 |
A slaughtered lamb, what atonement you bring. 00:18:58.720 |
A mild-listener's heart can be cleansed, can be free. 00:19:12.720 |
What an amazing mystery that your grace has come to me. 00:19:42.720 |
But songs of gratefulness never rise, never cease. 00:19:57.720 |
my heart is satisfied in the riches of Christ. 00:20:11.720 |
What an amazing mystery that your grace has come to me. 00:20:38.720 |
What an amazing love I see that your grace has come to me. 00:20:53.720 |
What an amazing love I see that your grace has come to me. 00:21:09.720 |
What an amazing love I see that your grace has come to me. 00:21:24.720 |
What an amazing love I see that your grace has come to me. 00:21:55.720 |
Okay, if you can turn your Bibles with me to Hebrews chapter 12, 00:22:10.720 |
Okay, yeah, we're going to cover all the passages, all of it. 00:22:32.720 |
You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your 00:22:35.720 |
striving against sin, and you have forgotten the exhortation which is 00:22:40.720 |
My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, 00:22:46.720 |
For those whom the Lord loves, he disciplines, 00:22:56.720 |
For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 00:23:03.720 |
then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 00:23:06.720 |
Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, 00:23:10.720 |
Shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 00:23:14.720 |
For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, 00:23:17.720 |
but he disciplines us for our good so that we may share his holiness. 00:23:22.720 |
All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful but sorrowful, 00:23:28.720 |
afterwards it yields a peaceful fruit of righteousness. 00:23:37.720 |
We pray that your word would convict us, guide us, sanctify us, 00:23:41.720 |
that we may see a greater glimpse of your glory, 00:23:48.720 |
we may be able to persevere through all the ups and downs, Lord God, 00:23:55.720 |
Help us to be reminded, Lord, that we are aliens and strangers 00:23:59.720 |
just passing through, eagerly waiting and longing, Lord God, 00:24:12.720 |
I'm sure many of you have been watching the news 00:24:21.720 |
or at least there's more attention given, right? 00:24:23.720 |
There's been speculations and pictures and stuff that's been around 00:24:27.720 |
since we were kids, right, but recently with all the videos 00:24:32.720 |
and now especially the government fanning the flames 00:24:35.720 |
that they're not absolutely certain anymore whether they can deny it, 00:24:43.720 |
And all this space exploration, you know, a lot of that is, 00:24:53.720 |
And so they've been studying this for many, many decades, 00:24:56.720 |
but recently, obviously, it's come to the forefront, 00:24:59.720 |
and there's a lot of speculations and talking about it. 00:25:01.720 |
I've heard a lot of Christians talking about it. 00:25:03.720 |
What would it mean if there are actually aliens in this world? 00:25:08.720 |
What if there was irrefutable proof that that was actually the case? 00:25:16.720 |
I've heard some people say recently, some Christians say 00:25:22.720 |
that if aliens are real, that it would rock their faith. 00:25:26.720 |
I'm not sure exactly what they meant by that, 00:25:28.720 |
but the way that it came across was that they would probably question their faith 00:25:35.720 |
And it made me think, how would it affect you? 00:25:40.720 |
Is this simple evidence of a UFO enough for you to say, 00:25:43.720 |
"You know what, everything that I believe was false"? 00:25:46.720 |
Is your faith so weak and tender that something as a speculation 00:25:52.720 |
of maybe possibly intelligence outside of Earth 00:25:56.720 |
is enough for you to walk away from your faith? 00:25:59.720 |
And if that's not the case, what would cause you to walk away from your faith? 00:26:04.720 |
Maybe it's a loved one who gets cancer and say, "You know what, 00:26:09.720 |
Or maybe a child who got sick and they left the Earth too early. 00:26:19.720 |
What if your marriage fell apart or you're having difficulty 00:26:25.720 |
What would cause you to walk away from your faith? 00:26:28.720 |
You don't think that your faith is strong enough to be able to endure that. 00:26:35.720 |
Whatever it is that you think may happen that's going to cause you 00:26:39.720 |
to question your faith is probably at that very place where you are 00:26:46.720 |
Because the Bible says that we have an enemy, the devil, 00:26:50.720 |
like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. 00:26:57.720 |
He's devouring people who follow Christ because his primary objective 00:27:03.720 |
So anyone who exalts Christ, anyone who says they're a believer in Christ, 00:27:07.720 |
is at that very place where you feel like that's your Achilles heel. 00:27:11.720 |
That's where your weakness is, is probably the place where you are 00:27:17.720 |
If it's finance, if it is relationship, circumstance, peace, reputation, 00:27:23.720 |
whatever it may be, that may be the area where you are constantly being poked. 00:27:29.720 |
The book of Hebrews, the whole book is written to people who are just drifting. 00:27:34.720 |
They didn't decide to walk away from their faith. 00:27:38.720 |
They weren't in danger of apostasy because something happened. 00:27:43.720 |
They were simply neglecting their faith, and they were becoming tired. 00:27:47.720 |
See, most people who walk away from their faith, it doesn't happen by choice, 00:27:59.720 |
They get caught up with life, just like the third soil, 00:28:03.720 |
concerns of paying bills, raising children, the difficulty in the trials 00:28:07.720 |
of getting a job, dealing with coworkers, and trying to save enough money 00:28:16.720 |
And then instead of paying attention, you just kind of allow things to happen. 00:28:20.720 |
And the natural course, natural flow of life is going to take you away from Christ. 00:28:26.720 |
Well, the text that we're looking at in verse 4 begins by saying, 00:28:29.720 |
"You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin." 00:28:34.720 |
Now, you can look at that and be challenged and say, "Yeah, you know, 00:28:40.720 |
If you have energy, and you already came into this room with some vitality, 00:28:46.720 |
saying like, "Yeah, I want to do this," and this may be an encouragement to you, 00:28:49.720 |
for a lot of you to read this passage, it's like, "Wow, I'm already tired as it is." 00:28:54.720 |
And his encouragement to me is, "Well, you haven't shed blood yet. 00:29:03.720 |
Again, you have to remember that the whole point of the book of Hebrews is really this. 00:29:08.720 |
The whole point of the book of Hebrews is to challenge people who are drifting away 00:29:12.720 |
from Christ that it's not time for you to quit, 00:29:16.720 |
that you have no reason to quit, to continue to persevere. 00:29:21.720 |
And the reasoning that he gives is because you haven't shed blood yet. 00:29:28.720 |
Shedding blood isn't simply like, "Oh, you got cut." 00:29:31.720 |
Shedding blood is another way of saying you have breath, you have life. 00:29:35.720 |
And the reason why you have breath, you have life, is because somebody else shed blood for you. 00:29:40.720 |
And that was the point that he was trying to get at, right, the whole book of Hebrews. 00:29:44.720 |
You have life because somebody else shed blood. 00:29:47.720 |
You still have life because he did it, so you have no reason to quit. 00:29:52.720 |
Because he's already bought your eternal life by his own sacrifice. 00:29:59.720 |
So therefore, his challenge is, no matter how fatigued, no matter how tired, how wearisome, 00:30:05.720 |
he says, "No Christian, if his faith is genuine, has a reason to quit." 00:30:12.720 |
I remember years ago when I was being discipled back in college, 00:30:17.720 |
I was working probably about 20 hours a week. 00:30:21.720 |
And I was a super senior, so I was taking 22 units to finish school. 00:30:31.720 |
And then I was heavily involved with the campus ministry, 00:30:33.720 |
so I was probably giving about three or four sermons a week. 00:30:36.720 |
I was leading three small group Bible studies. 00:30:42.720 |
And I was in this apartment training, and so I was probably getting about three to four hours a day. 00:30:49.720 |
But we had a rule in that apartment that no matter what time you slept, 00:30:54.720 |
And we'd have to go running and do quiet time together. 00:30:56.720 |
And after about a month and a half of doing this, I was so tired. 00:30:59.720 |
And I went to our trainer, and I remember asking him, like, 00:31:03.720 |
"I don't know if I can keep doing this because I'm like --" 00:31:06.720 |
I would go to the library, and literally I would just fall asleep at the table, 00:31:12.720 |
And then I remember every time I would go to him, his advice to me was, 00:31:20.720 |
Now, in a typical setting, I would have been angry, right? 00:31:30.720 |
And he said, "But, Peter, everything you're doing is important. 00:31:35.720 |
The reason why I took that to heart was because who that was telling me. 00:31:45.720 |
He was doing everything I was doing, and he was excellent, 00:31:48.720 |
and he was running the apartment, and he was a youth pastor, 00:31:52.720 |
and he had aging parents, and he had a brother who was mentally challenged, 00:31:56.720 |
so he was constantly going home to take care of his brother. 00:32:02.720 |
And so if that advice came from anybody else, I would have said, 00:32:08.720 |
I'm sleeping four hours, so you want me to sleep two hours?" 00:32:11.720 |
But I remember always coming out from that counseling challenged 00:32:15.720 |
because he was setting an example for me, and to this day, it's stuck with me. 00:32:23.720 |
Christ looks at our circumstance, and the advice now, he says, 00:32:34.720 |
Jeremiah 12:5, it says, "If you have run with footmen, 00:32:37.720 |
and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with horses? 00:32:42.720 |
If you fall down in a land of peace, how will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?" 00:32:47.720 |
In other words, God is fully in charge, and he's training us and building us up. 00:32:52.720 |
The text that we're looking at this morning, verses 4 through 11, 00:32:55.720 |
the word "discipline" is used repeatedly over and over. 00:32:58.720 |
You need to persevere because God is the one who is in charge of this discipline. 00:33:04.720 |
So when I say the word "discipline," some of you will have the idea of discipline 00:33:18.720 |
Some of you, when we use the word "discipline," maybe you like to work out. 00:33:21.720 |
Discipline means making a schedule, getting up at 6 in the morning, 00:33:25.720 |
going out to work out and not eating certain things and doing certain things, 00:33:29.720 |
Maybe in your mind, that's the first thing that gets triggered, discipline. 00:33:32.720 |
So discipline, the word, is being used in our English language in various ways. 00:33:39.720 |
So we don't want to project what we think discipline is, what this is saying. 00:33:44.720 |
We want to make sure that we understand what he means by it, 00:33:46.720 |
because the word he uses really is a word that encompasses all of that. 00:33:56.720 |
Pidea, the root word, is the word "pious," and pious is the Greek word for "child." 00:34:02.720 |
So when he uses the word "discipline" in this text, 00:34:05.720 |
he's not simply talking about punishment, although that is part of it. 00:34:09.720 |
He's not only talking about training, although that's part of it. 00:34:12.720 |
It's basically he's describing a relationship where God makes us his adopted children 00:34:20.720 |
Now in this relationship between son and father, that he's raising us up. 00:34:26.720 |
And in raising us up, just like if you raise a child, 00:34:29.720 |
there are times you have to discipline them for doing wrong. 00:34:33.720 |
There are some times you need to discipline them 00:34:35.720 |
so that they may be properly trained to do what is right. 00:34:38.720 |
But the word "discipline" is a broad term referring to that now that he has made us his children, 00:34:45.720 |
so that we may live up to the calling that we have been given. 00:34:48.720 |
He hasn't just adopted us and said, "You know what? Now you have life. Just go enjoy it." 00:34:53.720 |
You're free. You have Christian liberty. Just do whatever you want. 00:34:58.720 |
Just like if you have children or if you adopted a child into your home, 00:35:02.720 |
you don't just adopt them, make sure that's on legal paper, 00:35:09.720 |
Part of the adoption, the reason why they go through all that process 00:35:12.720 |
is they want to know that if you're going to be a good parent. 00:35:16.720 |
They want to know if you have the means to take care of them. 00:35:18.720 |
They want to know if you're psychologically, physically able to take care of them. 00:35:22.720 |
That's why you have to get reference letters. 00:35:25.720 |
Are you part of a good community? What kind of reputation do you have? 00:35:28.720 |
Because they want to know if you are a fit father or mother. 00:35:33.720 |
And so this word that is being used here to talk about God's discipline 00:35:44.720 |
And so it's in that context that this text describes, 00:35:50.720 |
To understand the perspective of how God deals with us as his children, 00:35:55.720 |
three things. One, God's discipline is perfect. 00:36:02.720 |
The second thing that this text teaches us is that God's discipline 00:36:10.720 |
Third, God's discipline is for our own training. 00:36:15.720 |
For our own good. That's the exact words that is used here. 00:36:18.720 |
For our training. So one, God's discipline is perfect. 00:36:21.720 |
Second, God's discipline is proof of our sonship and his love for us. 00:36:31.720 |
In this text, firstly it says God disciplines us perfectly. 00:36:36.720 |
Verse 5, "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, 00:36:45.720 |
In other words, there's two ways that an individual can wrongly accept 00:36:59.720 |
This is an individual who really doesn't see sin as that horrible. 00:37:05.720 |
I remember, I think this week, and I was listening to Piper, 00:37:09.720 |
and John Piper made a very clear distinction between confession and repentance. 00:37:16.720 |
Somebody who is constantly taking lightly their sin 00:37:20.720 |
is somebody who is in the habit of confessing but never repenting. 00:37:25.720 |
The difference is, repentance basically means not only to acknowledge your sin, 00:37:31.720 |
But somebody who is constantly confessing is an individual who feels guilty. 00:37:36.720 |
And the only thing that he's concerned about is that he gets out of his guilt. 00:37:40.720 |
It's like, oh, once saved, always saved. God forgives me. 00:37:42.720 |
He loves me unconditionally. And then you confess it. 00:37:45.720 |
And you get it off your chest, and then you cling to verses 00:37:48.720 |
where God's--your sins are forgiven, and then you move on, 00:37:51.720 |
and then this cycle repeats over and over again, 00:37:58.720 |
This is an individual who takes the Lord's discipline lightly. 00:38:09.720 |
And an individual who kind of looks at the circumstance and says, 00:38:13.720 |
you know what, years later, you're going to tell your children or grandchildren 00:38:17.720 |
about how difficult it was because it was shut down for a year, 00:38:20.720 |
and you couldn't hang out with your friends to get boba when you wanted. 00:38:24.720 |
So you look at it, and say, it was inconvenient. 00:38:27.720 |
There's no deep thought into it. There's a why did God do this? 00:38:30.720 |
What opportunities are made? It's just inconvenienced. 00:38:35.720 |
And so circumstances and trials and difficulties come into our lives, 00:38:42.720 |
I'm just going to move on. What's the big deal? 00:38:45.720 |
He says, do not take the Lord's discipline lightly, 00:38:53.720 |
There's a purpose. There's something for us to learn. 00:38:55.720 |
There's a reason behind it, and that's why he says, do not take it lightly. 00:38:59.720 |
The other end of that, he says, do not faint. 00:39:04.720 |
Discouraged to the point where you don't want to do this anymore. 00:39:09.720 |
How many people have you met, but because they were discouraged, 00:39:11.720 |
at this point, and somebody let them down, and said, 00:39:19.720 |
And the reason why they become faint is because they don't see God's hand in it. 00:39:24.720 |
Or if they see God's hand in it, they don't believe in a loving God. 00:39:32.720 |
One of the most common questions that I get from people, 00:39:38.720 |
is like, how do I trust people when they've wronged me in the past? 00:39:46.720 |
I've had this, and I've heard some horrible things that have happened to people 00:39:54.720 |
And the wrestling mass is, I don't know how I can ever trust anybody 00:40:06.720 |
The bad news is, you can't just turn that off. 00:40:10.720 |
It would be insensitive for me to say, hey, suck it up and move on, right, 00:40:13.720 |
I mean, considering the horrible things that have happened. 00:40:17.720 |
The good news is, God didn't call us to trust them. 00:40:34.720 |
See, when we become faint, part of that reason is because we don't see a sovereign God 00:40:41.720 |
who loves us, who've allowed this situation to happen. 00:40:45.720 |
You know, as parents, that's our constant fear, right? 00:40:55.720 |
So when we're disciplining our children, you know, years back we look at it and say, 00:40:58.720 |
oh, maybe I should have been more patient with them. 00:41:01.720 |
Or maybe in that particular situation I should have been more harsh with them, 00:41:05.720 |
that I should have squeezed harder, or maybe I shouldn't have squeezed so hard 00:41:08.720 |
because our constant fear is that if we squeeze too hard, we're going to discourage them, 00:41:16.720 |
But if we don't discipline them enough, they're going to get spoiled, 00:41:20.720 |
So there's a constant balancing act that parents do to make sure that we're doing what is necessary. 00:41:28.720 |
Well, our God does not have that problem because God is all-knowing. 00:41:37.720 |
So therefore, even though we can't connect the dots, the Bible says that our God disciplines us perfectly. 00:41:43.720 |
That's why we don't take it lightly, nor do we faint, 00:41:47.720 |
because whatever it is that God has placed us in, he's doing it in his perfect knowledge, 00:41:57.720 |
In Psalm 42, 5-6, it says, "Why are you in despair, O my soul? 00:42:04.720 |
Hope in God, for I shall again praise him for the help of his presence." 00:42:08.720 |
Oh, oh my God, my soul is in despair within me. 00:42:11.720 |
"Therefore, I remember you from the land of the Jordan and the peaks of Hermon from Mount Mizar." 00:42:19.720 |
Today, we're going to be participating in the communion. 00:42:21.720 |
All of you guys have this communion wafer and thingy that we have, 00:42:26.720 |
and hopefully we don't have to do this for long. 00:42:29.720 |
But the reason why God gave us this communion is for this reason, 00:42:32.720 |
because he knows that you and I have a tendency to look at circumstances through our physical eyes. 00:42:39.720 |
That all that we have, we walk by what we see, not by faith, because that's our natural tendency. 00:42:45.720 |
So the communion is given to the church to constantly remind us to look to him. 00:42:52.720 |
That do you believe in a God who loved you enough to send his only begotten son? 00:42:59.720 |
If he gave his only begotten son, along with him, give us all things. 00:43:04.720 |
If he gave us his only begotten son, why would he withhold any good thing from us? 00:43:11.720 |
And that's what the communion table really is, is to recalibrate our thoughts, our focus. 00:43:17.720 |
So that in the midst of trials, in the midst of raising children and busyness of life, 00:43:22.720 |
that we would look to Christ, that we would look to God, who is completely sovereign and completely loving. 00:43:30.720 |
In 1 Corinthians 10.13, it says, "No temptation has overtaken you, but such as is common to man. 00:43:36.720 |
And God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, 00:43:40.720 |
but with the temptation will provide the way of escape, so that you will be able to endure it." 00:43:46.720 |
That no matter what circumstance that you're in, past, present, or future, God is completely sovereign. 00:43:57.720 |
His whole suffering was initiated because Satan challenged God and said, 00:44:02.720 |
"Your child that you say is righteous is only righteous because you've been protecting him. 00:44:07.720 |
Let me at him. Take away your hedge of protection and see if he praises you after I'm done." 00:44:16.720 |
So all of his suffering was initiated by Satan saying, "Let me at him. Stop protecting him. 00:44:27.720 |
And then you see the cycle of pain and suffering. 00:44:32.720 |
Anything that you can possibly think of. Financial hardship, losing his children, 00:44:36.720 |
personal health goes out, his reputation of righteousness being challenged, 00:44:42.720 |
his closest friends coming and saying, "You must have done something wrong." 00:44:46.720 |
There's no part of his life where he's not touched. 00:44:50.720 |
Any one of those things would cause an average man to crumble. 00:44:55.720 |
Every part of his life, his reputation, his family life, health, wealth, everything, 00:45:02.720 |
most things that people would fear, all of that happens to him in his life. 00:45:07.720 |
And yet Satan's name is never mentioned after the beginning. 00:45:18.720 |
Even at the end, God doesn't show up and say, "It wasn't me. I didn't do that. Satan did it. 00:45:28.720 |
Because that only happened because God allowed it to happen. 00:45:36.720 |
Before Jesus goes to the cross, remember what Jesus says? 00:45:40.720 |
"Satan has asked permission to sift you like wheat." 00:45:45.720 |
He has permission. He didn't gather up an army to challenge God. He has permission. 00:45:52.720 |
Even satanic work was under God's sovereign plan. 00:45:58.720 |
So when he says, "No temptation has seized you, but what is common to man, but God is faithful, 00:46:02.720 |
and he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able." 00:46:05.720 |
In other words, that even in your trials and temptations, God has us in his arms. 00:46:17.720 |
And therefore, that's why he says, "You have no reason to quit." 00:46:26.720 |
Everything that he does, no matter what circumstance, no matter what has happened to you in the past, 00:46:31.720 |
no matter how horrible that memory is, no matter how hard of a time we have connecting the dots, 00:46:40.720 |
No matter what circumstance you are in now, no matter what hardship and struggle, 00:46:44.720 |
no matter what relational problems and hurt and pain that you hold on to today, 00:46:52.720 |
And no matter what you may face, your greatest fear may happen tomorrow, 00:47:01.720 |
The God who is perfectly sovereign, perfectly knowing, 00:47:04.720 |
who loves us like his own child, he is completely sovereign. 00:47:10.720 |
And that's why he says not to take it lightly. 00:47:13.720 |
Don't brush it off like, "Yeah, that's not going to bother me." 00:47:21.720 |
Because whatever God is doing, he does perfectly. 00:47:24.720 |
That's number one, to understand that God's discipline is perfect. 00:47:28.720 |
Two, God's discipline is proof of sonship and love. 00:47:34.720 |
He says in verse 7, "It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with sons. 00:47:39.720 |
For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 00:47:43.720 |
But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, 00:47:47.720 |
then you are illegitimate children and not sons." 00:47:49.720 |
So if you say you're a follower of Christ and you have no hardship in life, 00:47:56.720 |
If God genuinely loves you, hardship will come. 00:48:00.720 |
He said, "If you follow me, they hated me, so they're going to hate you." 00:48:03.720 |
If there's any reflection of myself in you, the world is not going to be happy with you. 00:48:09.720 |
I mean, the problem that we have in our generation is we want to be cool 00:48:15.720 |
in the kingdom and in the world at the same time. 00:48:18.720 |
And we want to attract the world so that they can come into the church 00:48:23.720 |
and have a smooth transition from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. 00:48:30.720 |
And somehow people have convinced themselves that this is possible. 00:48:37.720 |
That you've gotten accustomed to darkness and somehow you're going to come into light 00:48:46.720 |
There's going to be no difference between a non-Christian sitting here in the Word of God 00:48:56.720 |
And so people whose eyes haven't adjusted to the light can also feel comfortable here. 00:49:01.720 |
He said, "If there is no discipline, that may be evidence that you're illegitimate children." 00:49:05.720 |
He said, "Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them. 00:49:09.720 |
Shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits and live for they disciplined us for a short time?" 00:49:15.720 |
In other words, it was common grace given to us temporarily as seemed what was best to them. 00:49:25.720 |
They did what they thought was best, but they're sinners. 00:49:30.720 |
So therefore, whatever discipline we receive, even though it was for our own good, was never perfect. 00:49:37.720 |
But he disciplines us for good so that we may share his holiness. 00:49:44.720 |
Discipline for God's children is evidence of our sonship, is evidence ultimately of his love. 00:49:54.720 |
You know, we think that maybe the opposite of love is hatred. 00:50:03.720 |
You could make an argument, make a point of that. 00:50:06.720 |
But when we disobey to love, it's usually not hatred. 00:50:12.720 |
When God says to love, "And the world will know that you are disciples of mine if you love as I have loved you," as Jesus said, 00:50:18.720 |
then the world will know you are my disciples. 00:50:24.720 |
"I hate you. I'm not going to obey Jesus, so I hate the world." 00:50:31.720 |
When we disobey love, usually we disobey with indifference. 00:50:39.720 |
Because getting dirty is uncomfortable with us. 00:50:46.720 |
I have enough problems. I don't want to stress over your problems. 00:50:53.720 |
I remember years ago, I had a pastor friend who came and told me, 00:50:58.720 |
"You know, I think the biggest problem in our generation in churches today is that we don't practice church discipline. 00:51:05.720 |
And so we allow sin to be rampant and do whatever they want, 00:51:08.720 |
and that's our biggest problem, so we need to bring church discipline back." 00:51:21.720 |
Because the Bible clearly teaches us to practice church discipline. 00:51:24.720 |
But the reason behind that is not what you think. 00:51:30.720 |
The reason why the church generally does not practice church discipline is because of lack of love. 00:51:40.720 |
Because if the people who are going astray was your brother or sister, father or mother, or daughter or son, 00:51:50.720 |
you would not stay silent because you love them. 00:51:55.720 |
Even if they resent you for a period, you are more concerned about the harm that they are doing to themselves 00:52:03.720 |
than what they may say to you, because your love will supersede whatever discomfort that you may feel. 00:52:12.720 |
Part of the reason why we are cautious and we stay away is really because we're indifferent. 00:52:21.720 |
Don't be confused with practicing grace. That's not grace. 00:52:26.720 |
Allowing a child who's running toward harm and saying nothing isn't grace. 00:52:33.720 |
You're saying, "I believe you're going to crash and burn. I'm just going to let you be because I'm loving." 00:52:39.720 |
No. That's indifference. That's the opposite of love. 00:52:45.720 |
Part of the reason why sin is not taken seriously, why we don't confront each other in truth, in love, 00:52:52.720 |
is because we are not practicing the biblical love that he preaches. 00:52:56.720 |
God did not leave us alone in our sins. He engaged us. He continues to engage us. 00:53:08.720 |
Think about the nation of Israel and we say, you know, you read the Old Testament and God seems so harsh. 00:53:15.720 |
He's constantly sending prophets, telling Hosea to marry Gomer, a prostitute. 00:53:20.720 |
Why would you do that? Just to tell them this is how hideous your sin is. 00:53:25.720 |
And you read the Old Testament and say, "Oh, God is a God of judgment." 00:53:28.720 |
In the Old Testament, we come to the New Testament, it says, "God so loved the world that He only begotten Son." 00:53:33.720 |
He demonstrated His own love while we were yet sinners. He died for us. 00:53:36.720 |
So the God of the New Testament seems like a loving God. 00:53:38.720 |
God of the Old Testament seems like He's a judgmental, vengeful God. 00:53:43.720 |
But the only reason why He's sending these prophets to warn them is because He loves them. 00:53:50.720 |
If He was done with them, we wouldn't have the Old Testament. 00:53:56.720 |
There wouldn't be this drama of sending His prophets and warning them to turn from their sins. 00:54:02.720 |
Because all He had to do was, "Go. I'm done with you. I'm done." 00:54:09.720 |
What would it take for Him to wipe out the earth? 00:54:13.720 |
I mean, it says in six days He created the earth. 00:54:16.720 |
I'm sure destroying is a lot easier than creating. Right? 00:54:20.720 |
Building takes time. Destroying could, one day, you can bring those buildings down in one day. 00:54:28.720 |
The only reason why He sends His prophets to warn them, to discipline them, 00:54:32.720 |
and why He perseveres with them is because He still loves them. 00:54:41.720 |
Same thing in the Old Testament. I mentioned that in the book of Revelation. 00:54:44.720 |
Why this whole drama at the end with seven judgments? 00:54:48.720 |
The seal judgment, trumpet judgment, the bowl judgment. Why all of this judgment? 00:54:53.720 |
Because God is pleading with the sinful world before judgment comes to turn and to repent. 00:55:00.720 |
So He says, "If you are truly His children, He will discipline you." 00:55:06.720 |
God's discipline is proof of sonship and His love toward us. 00:55:11.720 |
Third and finally, God's discipline is for our training. It's for our own good. 00:55:17.720 |
Discipline is hard to take when we don't understand what it is. 00:55:22.720 |
Discipline is hard to take when we don't understand what it's for. 00:55:29.720 |
I can remember probably the most pain that I've ever experienced, 00:55:39.720 |
I've broken my ankles, my arms, and there's an immediate pain that comes, but like prolonged pain. 00:55:45.720 |
I remember, I think I was about eighth grade, and our family never went to the dentist. Like ever. 00:55:52.720 |
We're immigrant families. We didn't have insurance, so everything cost so much money. 00:55:57.720 |
My teeth, if you look at my third grade picture, there's more cavities than I had regular teeth. 00:56:03.720 |
So I went and basically I had like 20 some cavities that I needed to work on. 00:56:09.720 |
I remember listening very carefully to my mom trying to get a discount. 00:56:13.720 |
And even as an eighth grader, it's like, "Please don't get the discount. I need the full work." 00:56:18.720 |
You know what I mean? I don't want discount teeth work. 00:56:21.720 |
And I remember that I just dread. It was like four Saturdays or something that we're going, 00:56:28.720 |
and each time I went, it was excruciatingly painful. 00:56:31.720 |
And I don't know if the Novocaine or whatever they were putting in my mouth just wasn't working, 00:56:36.720 |
I remember they were drilling inside of it for 30, 40 minutes, and I felt like I felt every single bit of that. 00:56:42.720 |
And I was pinching my thigh just to take away from this pain that maybe this pain will distract from this pain. 00:56:50.720 |
But I endured through that. I didn't jump out of the seat and say, "What are you doing?" 00:56:55.720 |
Because I knew it was for my own good. I had to fix my teeth. 00:57:00.720 |
But when you don't understand what the pain is for, you don't understand who is doing it and why it's happening, 00:57:12.720 |
But what he's trying to say is that a God who practices perfect discipline, 00:57:17.720 |
and he's doing it because he loves us, has a specific purpose for our own good, for our own training. 00:57:25.720 |
And that's why he's saying no matter how hard things get, he's telling the Hebrews, 00:57:30.720 |
that you're drifting away because all you're seeing is the difficulty, 00:57:34.720 |
not recognizing who it is that is allowing this to happen. 00:57:38.720 |
And that's why he's saying to fix your eyes on Jesus. 00:57:41.720 |
He's in control of this. Satan is not roaming around outside of his care. 00:57:48.720 |
So whatever pain that you may have experienced in the past, present, or even in the future, 00:57:53.720 |
God who doesn't make mistakes, who loves us to the point that he would send his only begotten Son for us, 00:58:04.720 |
James chapter 1, 2-4, consider joy. Consider it all joy. 00:58:10.720 |
My brethren, when you encounter various trials, consider it pure joy. 00:58:15.720 |
You know, some people look at this passage and think that if you're a good Christian, 00:58:18.720 |
that you should always have a smile on your face. 00:58:21.720 |
Even in the midst of excruciatingly painful things that happen in life, 00:58:26.720 |
because you want people to know, "Ah, nothing bothers me." 00:58:33.720 |
He's not saying like, "Act silly." It's like, "Oh, I'm a good Christian. I love Jesus." 00:58:38.720 |
Even Jesus, as he was facing the cross, was agonizing before God. 00:58:43.720 |
Is there another way? Because that's a natural human response. 00:58:46.720 |
That's why he says in verse 11, "All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful." 00:58:51.720 |
So the fact that it is hard, the fact that it is not pleasant, is natural. 00:58:57.720 |
But when he says, "Consider it joy," he's saying, "Think, consider, and calculate." 00:59:03.720 |
When you're putting it in your ledger between positive and negative, 00:59:07.720 |
when you look at it from the perspective of eternality, 00:59:10.720 |
within the hands of a sovereign God who loves us, who doesn't make mistakes, 00:59:16.720 |
When you encounter trials of various kinds, knowing that you're testing of your faith, 00:59:24.720 |
He said that's the point that he's trying to get us to. 00:59:27.720 |
To endure, to persevere, to not quit. That's what endurance means. 00:59:33.720 |
Our natural instinct is, when hardship comes, is to get rid of that hardship. 00:59:40.720 |
Avoid the circumstance. If it's coming from people, avoid those people. 00:59:45.720 |
If it's whatever it is happening, I don't like it there. It's uncomfortable. 00:59:54.720 |
So we keep people at bay. We can switch churches. Change friends. 01:00:01.720 |
Whatever it is, our natural instinct is, when we're uncomfortable, to change. 01:00:08.720 |
But he says, when the testing of your faith comes, in order to produce endurance, 01:00:14.720 |
and when endurance happens perfectly, when you continue to endure, 01:00:18.720 |
this is not saying that there is no good time to ever change anything. 01:00:24.720 |
There's times when false doctrines are being taught. 01:00:27.720 |
When there's apostasy happening. There are times when we need to cut ties. 01:00:34.720 |
But he's saying this, if our natural instinct is, every difficult circumstance, 01:00:38.720 |
our immediate thought is, God doesn't want me to be uncomfortable, 01:00:42.720 |
and so I need to change this. Change this relationship. Change this and that. 01:00:46.720 |
He says, no. He said, consider pure joy, because it produces endurance, 01:00:51.720 |
and when you continue on the right path, you will have perfect results, 01:00:56.720 |
so that you may be perfect, complete, lacking in nothing. 01:00:58.720 |
Perfect meaning, God's intended purpose of your suffering. 01:01:02.720 |
That if you continue, that's why an individual who is constantly switching 01:01:07.720 |
from one uncomfortable situation, until you get to another comfortable situation, 01:01:11.720 |
until that becomes uncomfortable, and then you go somewhere else, 01:01:13.720 |
and then that becomes uncomfortable, he said, you never produce the result that God desires. 01:01:20.720 |
Because what God desires requires perseverance. 01:01:24.720 |
Just like raising a child. You don't snap a finger and read them a bedtime story 01:01:28.720 |
of the rules that you're supposed to follow, and your parenting is done. 01:01:32.720 |
It requires years. Those of you who are potty training your children. 01:01:38.720 |
Did you just tell them, show them a picture, and show them a video, and then walk away? 01:01:47.720 |
Seemed like they got it right, and then the next thing you wake up in the morning, 01:01:50.720 |
you see a puddle of pee on the ground, and it's like, oh my gosh. 01:01:57.720 |
It required, even something simple as potty training, required perseverance. 01:02:03.720 |
So if God is raising us as children, maybe some of us are being potty trained right now. 01:02:07.720 |
Spiritual potty training, because you keep peeing everywhere. Maybe. 01:02:16.720 |
He says you need to persevere in the right direction, because God is raising us up. 01:02:22.720 |
He says to consider purity because God's perfect loving hand is trying to teach you something, 01:02:28.720 |
and when you persevere in it, you will be complete lacking in nothing. 01:02:31.720 |
In Romans chapter 5, 3-5. And not only this, but we also exalt in our tribulations, 01:02:36.720 |
knowing that the tribulation brings about what? Perseverance. 01:02:40.720 |
Again, what is the primary thing that he says that happens when tribulation comes? 01:02:46.720 |
You learn to persevere. Persevere. Go through trials and endure through suffering. 01:02:53.720 |
Because when you endure through suffering, you have proven character. 01:02:58.720 |
Now, especially for the younger people in our generation, 01:03:03.720 |
we have a tendency to think that character comes from being famous on TikTok. 01:03:10.720 |
Or your character comes from being successful at something, or getting a lot of attention. 01:03:16.720 |
Character is not something that you get from reading a book. 01:03:19.720 |
Character is not something you get because you're successful in business. 01:03:23.720 |
Character is not something you get because you made a few right decisions. 01:03:27.720 |
He says character comes from perseverance. Doing hard things and enduring through it. 01:03:34.720 |
That's what he says. He says when you have proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint. 01:03:43.720 |
Because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts, though the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 01:03:49.720 |
Trials causes us to persevere, which develops character, and character is what we have hope in. 01:04:03.720 |
We've been trained to look to Christ and not to the world. 01:04:06.720 |
We've been trained to run to Christ and our comfort come from Him and not to the world. 01:04:10.720 |
Not to any worldly means. That's how the Bible describes character. 01:04:15.720 |
So in everything that we do in life, we have some kind of training. 01:04:19.720 |
Like I said, if you're a child, you're potty trained. 01:04:24.720 |
Like pastors, we go to seminary and we get trained. 01:04:27.720 |
We get trained, meaning how to study the Bible. 01:04:30.720 |
I would say 90% of what I do at church, I was not taught in seminary. 01:04:35.720 |
They don't teach you. I remember the first baptism that I did, I had no idea what I was doing. 01:04:41.720 |
I just remember what my older friends did and I just copied it. 01:04:46.720 |
And then when they told me, "Why did you do that?" I said, "I don't know." 01:04:54.720 |
So it took me a while to figure out why am I doing it this way. 01:04:57.720 |
Same thing with communion. Why am I doing this? 01:04:59.720 |
So it kind of forced me to question everything that we're doing at church. 01:05:03.720 |
Oh, this is what we're doing. Oh, this is what we're doing. 01:05:05.720 |
And I realized so many things that I was doing, I just did it because that's just what I saw. 01:05:10.720 |
But everything that we do, we have some kind of training. 01:05:13.720 |
But the true training does not happen in classrooms. 01:05:22.720 |
That's why when you go look for a job, it's good that you have training, 01:05:28.720 |
But usually what do they look for? Experience. 01:05:32.720 |
Because what they really value more than your education is, 01:05:35.720 |
do you actually know how to do this? Not do you have a degree. 01:05:40.720 |
I remember years ago when I was younger, I was like 19 or 20, 01:05:43.720 |
I got a job at Hughes Aircraft as a janitor, and I know I shared this before. 01:05:47.720 |
And for eight hours a day, I had to clean trash can and vacuum. 01:05:52.720 |
And it was in semi-darkness because I had to go to the other side of the building to turn on the light. 01:05:57.720 |
There was just enough light so that I wouldn't have to waste time going to the other end. 01:06:01.720 |
So eight hours a day, by myself with no human contact, 01:06:05.720 |
I was picking up trash and cleaning up, doing vacuum. 01:06:08.720 |
And I remember about a month and a half to two months into it, 01:06:17.720 |
This is before cell phones, the Internet, there's nothing. 01:06:20.720 |
So basically once you go to work, it's just dead silence, dim light, 01:06:24.720 |
And I remember carrying the trash out with my both hands to the dumpster, 01:06:34.720 |
And then I caught myself talking like, "What are you doing? You're crazy!" 01:06:39.720 |
And I said, "Oh, this is what happens to people who are isolated for a long period of time." 01:06:43.720 |
Because I had no human contact at night, and then during the day, I attended class by myself. 01:06:51.720 |
So I asked my boss, "I don't think I can do this anymore. I'm going to go crazy." 01:06:57.720 |
I'm not going to be able to distinguish between real voice and fake voice, right? 01:07:01.720 |
So he said, "Well, the only other position we have open is the guy who was cleaning the toilets, he quit." 01:07:10.720 |
And that's where all the nighttime workers were hanging out. 01:07:13.720 |
So I said, "Oh, that's got to be better than this." 01:07:17.720 |
So I walked in, and they had about 23 different toilets. 01:07:19.720 |
It was a huge building. It was a huge aircraft in Fullerton. 01:07:22.720 |
So my job was to walk around from 5 to 2 in the morning to clean up all the bathrooms. 01:07:28.720 |
And I got so many stories from this period of my life, which I won't get into today. 01:07:33.720 |
But I remember the first time doing the job, he said, "Oh, this couple who is doing this, they're going to train you." 01:07:42.720 |
And I remember when they were training me, they just would tackle the toilet with bare hands. 01:07:50.720 |
They'd take the brush, and then they would wipe it down. 01:07:57.720 |
And then they looked at me. It's like, "Oh, okay, okay. So here's what you're supposed to do." 01:08:02.720 |
So they opened up their cart, and in the cart, they had this huge apron, rubber apron, 01:08:07.720 |
you know the kind that they had at the butcher where every part of them is protected. 01:08:11.720 |
So they had this rubber apron that comes from the neck all the way down to the floor. 01:08:18.720 |
And then they had a glove that comes all the way beyond your elbow, both of them. 01:08:23.720 |
And then you wear a mask, and then you have a hood. 01:08:26.720 |
So basically, if anything splatters, the only part that's not protected are your eyes. 01:08:34.720 |
So I said, "Okay, all right, I can do this. This is better than being in darkness all night." 01:08:39.720 |
So I did it, and then even the brush isn't that typical, like a foot and a half brush. 01:08:45.720 |
It's just like three feet, you know what I mean? 01:08:48.720 |
So I can get to the toilet from a distance, so if it splashed, I have enough time to jump out of the way. 01:08:54.720 |
So the first two to three weeks, I did exactly what they told me to do, 01:08:58.720 |
or thought like, "Oh, this is how to protect yourself from this junk," right? 01:09:03.720 |
So I would go into the bathrooms, and, you know, again, I learned so many things. 01:09:17.720 |
One of these days, okay, maybe at the retreat when we have more time, 01:09:20.720 |
I learned so many things about different cultures through their bowel movements. 01:09:26.720 |
Anyway, it has nothing to do with the sermon, so I'm not going to sidetrack. 01:09:31.720 |
So after about a week and a half of this, it's like, "I can't do this because it would take forever." 01:09:37.720 |
And then every time I need to take a break, I got to, you know, hose down, take all things off, wash my hand, 01:09:42.720 |
and I got to go take a break, and then five minutes later, I got to come back, put it all back on. 01:09:46.720 |
And so every bathroom was a chore. I was like, "I can't reach in there. There's a spot underneath. I can't get to it." 01:09:55.720 |
"I can't wear this hat. It's too hot in here." 01:09:58.720 |
And I gave the brush. "I can't reach this with a brush. I get the shorter one." 01:10:02.720 |
Then after, "Oh, I can't bend with this apron on. I can't take this off." 01:10:07.720 |
Eventually, I took everything off, and I was doing exactly what they were doing. 01:10:12.720 |
Because I was able to do it half the time and do it much faster and effectively, 01:10:17.720 |
because I wasn't concerned about getting dirty. 01:10:20.720 |
Obviously, you know, I'd have to go home and take a shower, you know, and clean myself. 01:10:24.720 |
But if I wanted to do this job effectively, I had to do what they're doing. 01:10:33.720 |
There's so much training that you can get in the classroom because you're hearing, 01:10:39.720 |
and people are telling you, "This is what you're supposed to do." 01:10:42.720 |
Until you're willing to get dirty, you're never really going to learn. 01:10:49.720 |
If our natural inclination is, "You see sin in other people. You see sin in circumstance. You see difficulty." 01:10:58.720 |
And our natural instinct is to put on the full garb or just stay away from that, 01:11:06.720 |
You don't really know how to disciple. You don't really know how to love. 01:11:11.720 |
You don't really know how to persevere because it's all in theory. 01:11:16.720 |
It isn't until we are willing to get dirty, just like Christ came and took on humanity 01:11:25.720 |
and walked among the dirt with us, that He was able to sympathize with our weaknesses. 01:11:33.720 |
God is working to train us to walk in the same shoes that He walked in, 01:11:44.720 |
And if you're in the midst of sinners, you're going to have some of that stuff splash on you. 01:11:54.720 |
And that's why He said, "If you want to come after me, you take up the cross too. 01:12:03.720 |
In God's perfect plan, He allows certain things to happen in our lives. 01:12:09.720 |
A God who is perfect, a God who loves us, has a specific reason why He placed you 01:12:16.720 |
and allow you to experience what you are experiencing now. 01:12:19.720 |
So my prayer is that this morning as we participate in this communion, to recognize 01:12:25.720 |
maybe we are looking at our physical circumstance and our past through our own physical lens, 01:12:31.720 |
but this morning that we would look at it through the lens of Christ who was crucified on our behalf. 01:12:40.720 |
If you believe that a loving, perfect, sovereign God is the one who placed us where we're at, 01:12:50.720 |
So this morning as we prepare for our communion, as we ask the praise team to come, 01:12:54.720 |
I want to open up our communion with us in 1 Corinthians 11. 01:12:59.720 |
As I read the passage, after I read it, I want to give you a few minutes to take some time 01:13:06.720 |
And again, communion is meant for baptized believers. 01:13:09.720 |
So baptism is our union with Christ, and communion is like celebrating the anniversary 01:13:16.720 |
so that we may be renewed in our relationship with Christ. 01:13:19.720 |
So if you have not been baptized and you're not a believer, we ask that you would just not participate in it, 01:13:23.720 |
just kind of take some time to think carefully. 01:13:31.720 |
If you are a believer, again, we want you to take it seriously. 01:13:40.720 |
And how would it have the effect that God had for us when he ordained this time? 01:13:46.720 |
In 1 Corinthians 11.23, it says, "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, 01:13:52.720 |
that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread, 01:13:55.720 |
and when he had given things, he broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is for you. 01:14:02.720 |
In the same way, he took the cup also after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. 01:14:07.720 |
Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. 01:14:10.720 |
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.'" 01:14:17.720 |
So let's take some time to contemplate, to pray, to confess, and to honor Christ, okay? 01:14:23.720 |
As the music is being played, and after a few minutes, I will tap my hand on the podium, 01:14:31.720 |
and we will participate together, okay, all at once. 01:14:35.720 |
So let's take some time to pray as our worship team begins to prepare. 01:16:44.720 |
Again, if you've done this before, obviously you know there's two layers to this, 01:16:49.720 |
and the first part, if you open it, will unveil the wafer, 01:16:55.720 |
and then the second part will be the juice, okay? 01:17:02.720 |
I'll give you a minute to do that, and if you take the first layer off, the wafer will come out, 01:17:11.720 |
and then the second layer will expose the juice here. 01:17:14.720 |
Okay, so if you're ready, we're going to participate together. 01:17:35.720 |
Gracious Father, we thank you for these elements and what it symbolizes for us, 01:17:44.720 |
that Christ's body, which is broken for us, the blood that he shed for our atonement, 01:17:52.720 |
that we may be justified, Lord God, as sinners before you. 01:17:56.720 |
We pray, Father, that as we continue to strive not to drift, but to fix our eyes upon Christ, 01:18:03.720 |
what does it mean to love you, to honor you, to worship you? 01:18:06.720 |
I pray that you would renew us so that our greatest joy may be our fellowship with you 01:18:13.720 |
Help us to be people, Lord God, where our souls, our hearts, our mind, our flesh 01:18:23.720 |
So for that end, we pray for your blessing. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. 01:18:57.720 |
but in the costly wounds of love at the cross. 01:19:20.720 |
but in the blood of Christ that flowed at the cross. 01:20:37.720 |
but I will boast in knowing Christ at the cross. 01:22:42.720 |
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fire ordeal among you, 01:22:48.720 |
as though some strange things are happening to you. 01:22:51.720 |
But to the degree that you share the suffering of Christ, 01:23:07.720 |
Lord, help us to believe this with all our heart, 01:23:41.720 |
that there is hope in the name of Jesus Christ. 01:25:18.720 |
go out that side, and this side, go out this side. 01:25:27.720 |
and throw it in the trash can as you're going out.