back to indexBerean Community Church - Sunday Service 4.26
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♪ And through the darkness your love and kindness ♪ 00:08:50.740 |
And again, we're watching the situation going on 00:08:54.100 |
in the federal government and the state government. 00:09:03.620 |
we'll be giving you some updates at 3 p.m. in Zoom. 00:09:20.420 |
we'll give you the update and information on the Facebook 00:09:24.440 |
So whatever information that you need to know 00:09:39.860 |
And so the link will be on the church website 00:09:56.280 |
We will be having a baptism information session and Q&A. 00:10:00.300 |
So there's gonna be a link that you'll be able to see 00:10:04.920 |
And so this is to kind of give you explanation 00:10:07.780 |
of what's going on, the position of the church. 00:10:20.860 |
and then we'll try to answer some of the questions. 00:10:23.260 |
We wanted to hold off on this until we came live, 00:10:27.300 |
when we're gonna be able to do that physically. 00:10:35.740 |
and it'd be a good opportunity for you to understand 00:10:38.380 |
what's going on as far as that's concerned, okay? 00:10:41.160 |
And we have a few shout outs this morning before we start. 00:10:45.180 |
Okay, we have, let me start with the birthdays. 00:10:56.220 |
Jason Fadriquella and Kaylee Kim, happy birthday. 00:11:13.260 |
Okay, and then Jayden Kim and Danielle Irving. 00:11:46.320 |
I pray, Lord, this morning will be an opportunity 00:11:51.260 |
that we may hear his voice and that we may follow him. 00:12:03.460 |
may it be multiplied, especially now for the kingdom work. 00:12:09.780 |
whether we are at home or whether we are by ourselves 00:12:13.660 |
or with our families, Lord, that the spirit of God 00:12:16.700 |
and the word of God would unite us in one spirit, 00:12:20.260 |
that we may worship you in spirit and in truth. 00:12:54.320 |
as we lift up our voices and our hearts to worship our God. 00:13:08.700 |
♪ Let us kneel before the Lord our God our maker ♪ 00:13:24.020 |
♪ Let us kneel before the Lord our God our maker ♪ 00:14:06.900 |
♪ Let us kneel before the Lord our God our maker ♪ 00:14:22.220 |
♪ Let us kneel before the Lord our God our maker ♪ 00:15:51.120 |
♪ We will walk the valley with you by our side ♪ 00:16:11.220 |
♪ The Father's love is a strong and mighty fortress ♪ 00:16:20.260 |
♪ Who can stand against the sin but God is for us ♪ 00:16:38.940 |
♪ You will not abandon, you will not forsake ♪ 00:16:43.580 |
♪ You will cheer me up in never ending grace ♪ 00:16:54.300 |
♪ The Father's love is a strong and mighty fortress ♪ 00:17:03.380 |
♪ Who can stand against the sin but God is for us ♪ 00:18:01.900 |
♪ The Father's love is a strong and mighty fortress ♪ 00:18:10.860 |
♪ Who can stand against the sin but God is for us ♪ 00:18:20.540 |
♪ The Father's love is a strong and mighty fortress ♪ 00:18:29.620 |
♪ Who can stand against the sin but God is for us ♪ 00:19:09.320 |
♪ No love can remember no wrongs we have done ♪ 00:19:23.300 |
♪ Omniscient all knowing it counts not the sun ♪ 00:19:57.860 |
♪ He welcomes the weakest, the vilest of all ♪ 00:20:56.940 |
♪ His blood was the payment his life was the cost ♪ 00:21:01.700 |
♪ We stood 'neath the dead we could never afford ♪ 00:22:32.860 |
we've been in the series of the I Am Statements of Christ. 00:22:37.180 |
And we talked about Jesus as the bread of life. 00:22:40.780 |
We talked about Jesus as the light of the world. 00:22:43.180 |
And then during Easter, we talked about Jesus 00:22:57.500 |
in the context of what happens in chapter nine. 00:23:01.860 |
where he says, "I am the door and I am the good shepherd." 00:23:05.780 |
And so let me read the passage where he states that 00:23:11.900 |
and then we'll jump into the text this morning. 00:23:17.740 |
Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, 00:23:23.100 |
And then John chapter 10, 11, "I am the good shepherd. 00:23:26.260 |
"The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." 00:23:29.860 |
Father, we pray that your word would speak to us, 00:23:36.940 |
help us have a deepening understanding of Christ, 00:23:39.460 |
and that in light of the surpassing knowledge 00:23:42.260 |
of knowing him better, that all these other things, 00:23:46.180 |
Lord God, that easily entangles us and tempts us 00:23:53.360 |
of the glory of Christ, that our eyes may be opened, 00:24:02.960 |
So we ask for your anointing this time, this morning, 00:24:12.060 |
- So again, as I said, chapter 10, these two statements, 00:24:15.940 |
the I am statements, really ought to be understood together. 00:24:20.340 |
So if you've read chapter 10 before this morning, 00:24:22.660 |
or you've studied it before, you may have noticed 00:24:27.580 |
and I am the good shepherd is really used interchangeably. 00:24:30.860 |
So it's hard to dissect, is he talking about the door, 00:24:35.060 |
Because again, you'll see better what he means by that 00:24:59.900 |
So again, if you don't understand the context 00:25:01.660 |
in which he says that, the I am the door statement, 00:25:05.740 |
And so while Jesus says he's the door, so we trust him, 00:25:09.740 |
How did the first recipients understood this statement? 00:25:14.740 |
In order to do that, we have to look at the event 00:25:17.260 |
in chapter nine, because that statement is said 00:25:24.340 |
So what I ask you to do, because there's too many verses, 00:25:28.580 |
I don't have the text that's gonna be written on the screen, 00:25:32.980 |
I ask that you would open up to John chapter nine 00:25:41.260 |
and then when we get to the three-point meaning 00:25:52.780 |
That sets up for his statement, I am the door. 00:25:57.260 |
"As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth, 00:26:12.240 |
and you can see by the attitude of the disciples, 00:26:24.860 |
that it must have been because you're being punished by God 00:26:50.620 |
if you're poor, if some affliction happened to you, 00:26:53.900 |
you must have done something maybe in your previous life, 00:26:57.860 |
in order for you to progress into the next life. 00:27:00.620 |
Many cultures, they actually speak against helping the poor 00:27:08.500 |
Well, the Jewish culture was very similar to that. 00:27:11.420 |
Not only did they have the physical hardship, 00:27:13.780 |
they believed that if something bad happened to you, 00:27:19.580 |
not unique to the disciples, but the Jewish culture itself. 00:27:24.440 |
hard enough, your life is hard enough as it is, 00:27:30.760 |
every time you came around, it's like, look at that guy. 00:27:37.920 |
It was neither that this man has sinned nor his parents, 00:27:46.100 |
Remember, Jesus says the same thing in John 11 00:27:58.680 |
about how he spits on the ground and takes mud 00:28:08.480 |
And then when people see it, they're obviously surprised. 00:28:14.900 |
Wasn't this man the same guy who used to beg at the temple 00:28:25.220 |
that looked like him, and then he begins to speak up. 00:28:27.920 |
And he says, I am the one, in verse nine, to confirm. 00:28:37.340 |
and then people are like, no, that can't be you. 00:29:00.580 |
Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus made this clay 00:29:04.760 |
Then the Pharisees also were asking him again 00:29:08.020 |
And he said to them, he applied clay to my eyes 00:29:29.820 |
And there's clear evidence that his eyes are open. 00:29:39.740 |
And again, Jesus never broke the Sabbath command of God. 00:29:59.300 |
even if he performs a miracle, he's not from God. 00:30:11.440 |
How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs? 00:30:18.420 |
what do you say about him since he opened your eyes? 00:30:27.680 |
that he had been blind and had received sight 00:30:53.900 |
there was no social program to take care of you. 00:30:59.580 |
and say, remember the question that they asked? 00:31:18.180 |
And that's probably why he was begging at the temple gate, 00:31:21.040 |
because his parents weren't taking care of him. 00:31:38.480 |
In verse 20, his parents answered them and said, 00:31:41.160 |
we know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 00:31:54.980 |
Ask him, he is of age, he will speak for himself. 00:32:02.080 |
is really the setup of what Jesus says in verse 10. 00:32:07.660 |
His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews. 00:32:21.220 |
The Pharisees were the leaders of the synagogue. 00:32:35.300 |
they were spread all over the known world at that time, 00:32:48.820 |
they were given permission to set up a synagogue, 00:33:08.480 |
But the synagogues were ruled by the Pharisees. 00:33:11.500 |
And that's where majority of the Jews practiced their faith. 00:33:22.860 |
if you don't agree that this man clearly is a sinner 00:33:25.260 |
because he's calling us out, so we're calling him out. 00:33:29.260 |
he said, we're gonna kick you out of the synagogue. 00:33:32.460 |
And so in fear of being kicked out of the synagogue, 00:33:37.380 |
Well, he's our son, we can't deny that he was born blind, 00:33:40.740 |
but as to how his eyes were opened, we can't say. 00:33:55.940 |
Synagogue was where your children were educated. 00:34:02.380 |
and you probably married within that context. 00:34:11.580 |
not only would you have spiritual ramification, 00:34:17.180 |
you wouldn't be able to do any kind of business. 00:34:20.280 |
Because anybody who does business with that person, 00:34:35.660 |
we've labeled him to be a troublemaker, and he's a sinner. 00:34:44.260 |
Now all of that was a setup to verse chapter 10. 00:34:56.300 |
give glory to God, we know that this man is a sinner. 00:34:59.500 |
He then answered, whether he's a sinner, I do not know. 00:35:01.860 |
One thing I do know that though I was blind, now I see. 00:35:05.740 |
Verse 26, so they said to him, what did he do to you? 00:35:13.820 |
You can kind of see, he knows that he's not gonna 00:35:19.880 |
My parents told you I was born blind, and I see. 00:35:22.400 |
And clearly you're not going to accept my answer. 00:35:25.480 |
He said, I already told you, and you did not listen. 00:35:29.720 |
You do not want to become his disciples too, do you? 00:35:32.920 |
Sarcasm, so if you don't know what sarcasm is, 00:35:43.120 |
He was born blind all his life, and his lot in life 00:35:54.260 |
and hearing the whole community of people going back 00:35:58.580 |
and forth into the temple with their animals to sacrifice? 00:36:02.420 |
Families, husband and wives, laughing with their children, 00:36:06.920 |
So can you imagine him being forced to be on the side 00:36:13.720 |
So for him to open his eyes wasn't simply that now I can see 00:36:25.120 |
to have his eyes open means that he can enter back 00:36:27.940 |
into society, and in order to enter back into society, 00:36:41.000 |
who really holds the key, at least humanly speaking, 00:36:45.740 |
He may be able to, he'll always be known as that guy 00:36:49.160 |
who used to beg, and God performed a miracle on him. 00:36:51.800 |
He's able to now find a wife, possibly, have children, 00:36:56.800 |
get a normal job, be able to worship at the synagogue, 00:37:01.160 |
He must have had all of those thoughts in his head. 00:37:06.320 |
But he's standing before these men who have the key 00:37:15.800 |
Why are you so stubborn, and why do you refuse to see this? 00:37:21.000 |
In verse 30, the man answered and said to them, 00:37:23.160 |
well, here is an amazing thing that you do not know 00:37:31.640 |
but if anyone is God-fearing and does his will, 00:37:36.540 |
Since the beginning of time, it has never been heard 00:37:39.080 |
that anyone opened the eyes of the person born blind. 00:37:42.120 |
If this man were not from God, he could do nothing. 00:37:45.260 |
They answered him, you were born entirely in sins, 00:37:53.720 |
Here's a man, if he was blind, he probably had never 00:37:57.000 |
had any kind of education, never had any kind of training. 00:38:00.840 |
He was a beggar all his life, since he was a young child, 00:38:04.320 |
and yet he's the one trying to open their eyes spiritually. 00:38:07.420 |
So he may have been the one physically blind all his life, 00:38:13.640 |
And here's these men who had the access to his word, 00:38:16.760 |
who were the teachers of the law at the synagogue, 00:38:19.920 |
who were the leaders of the spiritual community, 00:38:30.940 |
they did exactly what everybody was afraid of, 00:38:33.520 |
what his parents were afraid of, they put him out. 00:38:36.840 |
And it is in this context that Jesus meets up with this man 00:38:42.200 |
He now sees, but because he can't participate in society, 00:38:50.320 |
He's not gonna be able to go to the synagogue. 00:38:56.640 |
Jesus heard that they had put him out and finding him, 00:39:01.920 |
He answered, "Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?" 00:39:33.940 |
"but since you say, we see your sin remains." 00:40:05.040 |
begins with an indictment of the Jewish leaders, 00:40:19.400 |
these three observations of what Jesus says in chapter 10 00:40:29.640 |
And it's all as in response to the Jewish leaders 00:40:32.960 |
kicking out this blind man for stating the truth. 00:40:36.340 |
First thing that he says, an indictment against the Jews, 00:40:43.080 |
Again, this is an indictment against the leaders. 00:41:12.080 |
but they were never appointed by God himself. 00:41:15.240 |
They were thieves who didn't come through the door, 00:41:17.920 |
and they basically forced their way into leadership. 00:41:25.060 |
one of the primary indictments against the nation of Israel 00:41:28.580 |
almost always started with the leaders going astray. 00:41:35.820 |
The people that God did not call self-willed themselves. 00:41:45.460 |
maybe through education, maybe through talent, 00:41:51.320 |
In fact, if you wanna read details about that, 00:41:59.280 |
because the passage that I'm gonna read to you, 00:42:01.580 |
you can find it in dozens and dozens and dozens 00:42:04.200 |
of other passages, but I'm gonna choose only one 00:42:11.880 |
"The prophets are prophesying falsehood in my name. 00:42:23.000 |
"divinations, futility, and a deception of their own mind." 00:42:28.000 |
In other words, they're thinking to themselves, 00:42:36.100 |
they're speaking what they think is important, 00:42:39.620 |
and that's exactly what Paul says to Timothy, 00:42:53.560 |
"and they're gonna gather around themselves leaders 00:42:57.380 |
And this was not a problem only of the end times. 00:43:01.040 |
this was a continual problem with the nation of Israel. 00:43:07.640 |
into leadership, and they weren't speaking for God. 00:43:10.620 |
He says that they have come to rob and to steal. 00:43:14.660 |
In Matthew 7, 15, "Beware of the false prophets 00:43:28.920 |
The reason why they jump in and try to be leaders 00:44:00.220 |
So not only do they rob God, they rob the sheep 00:44:10.580 |
In fact, it goes a bit further in John 10, 12-13. 00:44:13.780 |
It says, "He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, 00:44:22.100 |
"sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. 00:44:25.940 |
"And the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 00:45:01.380 |
Because of what just happened in chapter nine. 00:45:16.220 |
And many of them probably were looking at that and said, 00:45:25.380 |
"but as soon as we walk 301 feet, we broke the Sabbath? 00:45:44.700 |
he brings indictment against the nation of Israel. 00:46:04.180 |
They don't cry out for those who are hurting or drifting. 00:46:12.680 |
And it was, you know, one way to bring glory to himself 00:46:19.900 |
Or another way to do that is become a leader in the church, 00:46:47.540 |
seeing the people, he felt compassion for them 00:46:58.140 |
Jesus had compassion because those sheep were his. 00:47:10.800 |
"Oh, I feel bad," and then you just press dislike. 00:47:15.680 |
because we don't have a personal connection with that. 00:47:18.840 |
But it's a whole different story when it's our kids, 00:47:21.380 |
when it's my uncle, when it's my dad, my brother. 00:47:31.720 |
But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. 00:47:43.060 |
because God has been preparing for him to come 00:47:52.180 |
and even John the Baptist to go ahead of them, 00:48:09.280 |
And that's the reason that we see in Matthew 3-15 00:48:16.100 |
was to prepare the way for the coming of Christ, 00:48:18.440 |
Jesus comes out, and what's the first thing that he does 00:48:46.500 |
He was coming through the door that was prepared 00:48:53.480 |
So when you see the Son of Man coming through the door 00:49:05.040 |
Jesus knows his sheep, and his sheep know him. 00:49:12.520 |
to him the doorkeeper opens and the sheep hear his voice, 00:49:16.000 |
and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 00:49:20.180 |
Now I have a really, I think, appropriate video 00:49:25.380 |
that I want you to watch, and it's only about 00:50:29.560 |
For those of you who are here who didn't hear the sound, 00:50:31.600 |
okay, basically the three children were trying 00:50:38.320 |
But you notice when the farmer, the shepherd comes, 00:50:43.260 |
if you could see it, the sheep all of a sudden perk up. 00:50:46.460 |
As soon as they hear his voice, they perk up, 00:50:48.400 |
and you can see all of them just kind of perking up, 00:50:51.920 |
and they all just kind of swarm at him, all right? 00:50:55.040 |
So Jesus, knowing the context of the farmers, 00:51:11.560 |
In verse four, when he puts forth all his own, 00:51:13.620 |
he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him 00:51:20.720 |
but will flee from him because they do not know 00:51:24.580 |
And he repeatedly says, he knows them, he knows them. 00:51:29.480 |
And the word know here isn't talking about knowledge. 00:51:38.900 |
You know, everything that we know about this man, 00:51:47.740 |
He's not talking about that he had written bio, 00:52:09.120 |
You know, if somebody says something like that to me, 00:52:18.240 |
There's no way you know the number of hair on my head. 00:52:20.200 |
I mean, I don't know how many are gonna fall off today. 00:52:24.920 |
But when God says, I know every strand of hair on your head, 00:52:56.560 |
He knows when we're caught in a trap of our sins, 00:53:02.000 |
That's what he means when he says he knows his sheep. 00:53:09.560 |
making loud noises, say, if you hear his noise, come to me. 00:53:14.800 |
He knows our struggles, and he approaches us. 00:53:35.280 |
Because that shepherd is the one who feeds them. 00:53:38.160 |
That shepherd is the one who takes care of them. 00:53:42.640 |
"For false cries and false prophets will arise 00:53:45.480 |
and will show signs and wonders in order to lead astray, 00:53:56.940 |
In other words, there's gonna be a lot of people 00:54:02.760 |
but when the true deception comes, they may also fall. 00:54:12.380 |
when they hear their Savior's voice, they recognize him. 00:54:28.960 |
whether it was somebody who shared with you one-on-one, 00:54:42.080 |
But at some point, all of us heard his voice. 00:54:49.880 |
You didn't go to three, four years of apologetic classes. 00:54:55.360 |
You didn't understand your faith that you do now 00:54:58.120 |
about how the Bible came to us and fulfilled prophecies 00:55:38.800 |
If I stand up here for years and years and tell you 00:55:48.120 |
I'm telling you right off the bat, don't listen to me. 00:55:50.440 |
If I stand here and say, because I've been a pastor 00:55:53.640 |
and I've been leading a church for almost 30 years, 00:56:04.960 |
Maybe not 50 years, that'd be a long time, right? 00:56:15.040 |
Well, somebody has a PhD, then you should listen to him. 00:56:17.840 |
No matter, if I put my own personal experience 00:56:21.920 |
and my own talent, my own gift, and my own education 00:56:37.900 |
is to follow the shepherd, not the under shepherd, 00:56:47.100 |
If our goal is to have the best organized church, 00:56:55.520 |
and how to milk the most productiveness out of the church. 00:57:13.180 |
In our generation, they did the best job, right? 00:57:19.740 |
If we want to make the greatest impact in our society 00:57:23.100 |
to influence people by what we think is important, 00:57:27.300 |
then we should get influencers, social media influencers. 00:57:31.100 |
So if they have 30,000 followers or a million followers, 00:57:44.060 |
the most important thing that the church needs to do 00:57:59.120 |
So even if all other parts of the church isn't running well, 00:58:03.740 |
and I'm not saying that we shouldn't run it well, 00:58:10.780 |
and the greatest task that we need to give all our energy to, 00:58:20.380 |
All the more, as you and I are in a situation 00:58:28.880 |
Of course, I've never gone through the war physically. 00:59:24.300 |
as much as we pay attention to the leaders of our country? 00:59:27.140 |
Because all leaders ultimately are his under shepherds. 00:59:31.960 |
Third and finally, Jesus, the door, the good shepherd, 00:59:37.300 |
leads us to green pastures and to abundant life. 00:59:40.820 |
The reason why they hear his voice and they follow him 00:59:49.620 |
Now, if the shepherd says something and they all run, 00:59:51.860 |
and every time they run, he hits them, right? 00:59:57.820 |
and they're gonna run the opposite direction. 00:59:59.620 |
They're not gonna follow him, they're gonna run from him. 01:00:08.280 |
that he's going to lead them to green pastures. 01:00:18.000 |
that you have to go through the valley to get there. 01:00:23.580 |
because the green pastures is on the other side. 01:00:30.500 |
because they know that the shepherd knows the way. 01:00:32.980 |
They know that the shepherd is going to protect them. 01:00:35.100 |
They know that if they stick with the shepherd, 01:00:38.920 |
And that's what he says in chapter 10, verse nine through 12. 01:00:43.780 |
If anyone enters through me, he will be saved. 01:00:55.300 |
but once you get in there, it's actually more dangerous 01:01:00.420 |
And when danger actually comes, they're gonna leave. 01:01:02.620 |
But if you come through me, he said, you will be saved. 01:01:10.520 |
The thief comes only to steal and kill and to destroy. 01:01:24.660 |
The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 01:01:28.500 |
You see the distinction between the shepherds, 01:01:37.940 |
The good shepherd lays down his life to protect us. 01:01:47.160 |
and favorite parts of the gospel message is this part 01:02:02.840 |
And then he just kind of like reluctantly saved us 01:02:26.420 |
Because sometimes we think of life as just not dying. 01:02:29.440 |
Sometimes we think of life as just not being punished, 01:02:38.900 |
and why his sheep hears his voice and they follow him 01:02:50.220 |
the entrance into the eternal kingdom of the Lord 01:02:52.460 |
and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. 01:03:00.060 |
Everything that you need for a life of godliness 01:03:03.400 |
God did not give you bits and pieces and tease us. 01:03:13.460 |
He says, no, he said he will abundantly supply it to you. 01:03:21.480 |
the cities of refuge, that's where people ran 01:03:34.260 |
So out of fear, they begin to run to the city of refuge. 01:03:38.500 |
Six cities scattered around Israel in the highest plains 01:03:46.020 |
And there was a constant reminder that if I'm in danger, 01:03:57.420 |
because God commanded them to lower the mountains 01:04:07.400 |
to the city of refuge the easiest path that they can take 01:04:17.020 |
That they just run a straight path to the city of refuge. 01:04:27.280 |
But ultimately, all of that pointed to Christ. 01:04:30.520 |
That the roads that lead to Christ for his sheep, 01:04:40.120 |
Isaiah 55, seven, let the wicked forsake his way 01:04:47.680 |
and he will have compassion on him and to our God 01:05:07.000 |
How many times do we think that we've exhausted his patience 01:05:28.220 |
There's a lot of us who think that our pardon was reluctant. 01:05:38.420 |
He says not only did he make the way to salvation 01:05:41.220 |
abundantly clear, he said that his pardon was abundant. 01:05:46.220 |
And that's why the Bible describes when a sinner repents, 01:05:55.180 |
That's why he gave the picture in Luke chapter 15. 01:06:04.280 |
He says he left them behind, he went after him. 01:06:09.580 |
Every sinner, every one of those sheep matters to him. 01:06:32.940 |
Those of us who are anals will look at that and say, 01:06:36.300 |
well, that kind of defeats the purpose of finding the coin 01:06:38.340 |
if you spend all of that to celebrate finding the coin. 01:07:06.700 |
Okay, even that, you're going to have to earn that. 01:07:22.140 |
And when he came back, even before he said, I'm sorry, 01:07:25.940 |
he knew, he knew the humble position that he was in. 01:07:31.260 |
puts a cipolla on him, brings him back home and says, 01:07:33.800 |
we're going to have the biggest party we've ever had. 01:07:36.500 |
So when he says he will lead us to green pastures, 01:07:52.940 |
Exodus 34, six, then the Lord passed by in front of him 01:08:05.320 |
You and I, no matter where we are in our walk with God, 01:08:14.200 |
Maybe even this week, as we are worshiping God, 01:08:20.900 |
And maybe we should, you know, we should try harder. 01:08:30.380 |
we are where we are because he is abounding in compassion. 01:08:34.500 |
He didn't bring us into his kingdom reluctantly. 01:08:39.360 |
He didn't turn the other way and say, you know what, 01:09:04.080 |
They drink their fill of abundance of your house 01:09:18.400 |
You see how the description of our salvation, 01:09:25.720 |
river that's filled with delight, fountain of light. 01:09:30.720 |
When he saved us, he saved us so that you and I 01:09:38.640 |
of somebody who has encountered Christ is joy, life. 01:10:03.640 |
and they're kind of like, oh, I'm so depressed. 01:10:08.840 |
but I've never met anybody who just met Christ 01:10:13.980 |
You know, part of the reason why so many are discontent 01:10:21.480 |
is because they have strayed from the well of Christ. 01:10:36.280 |
They're not being guided by the father of light. 01:10:39.800 |
They're not running toward Christ as life and resurrection. 01:10:52.560 |
We're looking to shepherds that's going to guide us, 01:11:03.000 |
this favorite Psalm of so many people, Psalm 23. 01:11:06.820 |
Because this relationship basically summarizes 01:11:16.700 |
Meaning, I am content with Christ, I have enough in Christ. 01:11:23.980 |
There are no other doors, there's no other water, 01:11:26.300 |
there's no other bread, there's no other light, 01:11:28.860 |
there's no other gate, there's no other shepherd 01:11:39.200 |
Not the leaders, not my education, not my business, 01:11:59.740 |
Now I know some people are getting furloughed, 01:12:03.920 |
especially the healthcare workers going into work, 01:12:05.800 |
there's anxiousness of possibly you're being exposed 01:12:10.560 |
There's a lot of anxiousness, but where do you find peace? 01:12:34.640 |
When you see the shadow, it means the reality is coming. 01:12:50.080 |
I mean, a good way to put that is a shadow of death. 01:12:54.120 |
I think the reality of death has caused all of us 01:13:01.720 |
during this period, we know for a fact that it is coming. 01:13:14.240 |
the bondage and the fear of death has gripped the whole world 01:13:20.480 |
but He says, though I walk through the valley 01:13:24.040 |
You notice how He said He doesn't fear death. 01:13:31.720 |
Because even as sheep, at times, will go through suffering, 01:13:37.880 |
dryness, wolves, and ultimately we will all die physically. 01:13:48.560 |
So in other words, He says, because He's taken away 01:14:11.980 |
But He said, when He sees His strength, His rod, 01:14:15.840 |
they comfort me because that rod is to protect them. 01:14:24.000 |
He said it comforts them because it's for their own good. 01:14:31.600 |
I do not need to fear those who want to hurt me 01:14:38.000 |
In other words, I have been set apart for His service. 01:14:45.480 |
I pray that as we meditate and think about Christ 01:14:52.540 |
and we ask ourselves, is my cup truly overflowing? 01:15:02.860 |
Or am I constantly thinking that only if I had this, 01:15:08.260 |
only if I can get a promotion, is my cup overflowing? 01:15:14.420 |
And I think, again, with all the horrible things 01:15:24.200 |
to maybe take a step back, to refocus our attention 01:15:30.380 |
am I going to the green pastures that He is leading me to? 01:15:43.900 |
When I was younger, my parents had this little clock 01:15:48.920 |
in our living room, and on it had a little proverb, 01:15:53.460 |
not from the Bible, I think it was given to them as a gift, 01:15:56.460 |
and on that it said, "Happiness is wanting what you have 01:16:08.300 |
And I remember so many days sitting on my couch, 01:16:12.000 |
angry about something, discontent about something. 01:16:21.500 |
and I'm looking at this clock, and I would just, 01:16:41.660 |
and I think so much about where my discontent comes from. 01:16:55.040 |
that that's when I'm going to have abundant life. 01:17:14.360 |
there's all the distractions and everything else that, 01:17:18.800 |
there's a lot of stuff to distract us even at home, 01:17:23.660 |
and when our normal life is not happening right now, 01:17:41.060 |
Heavenly Father, we pray that as you promised us, 01:17:58.920 |
that if we drink of the well and the water that Christ gives 01:18:06.320 |
that if we eat of the bread that our shepherd gives us, 01:18:14.960 |
that we would be people characterized by this joy. 01:18:27.420 |
about Christ being our door, Christ being our shepherd, 01:18:30.640 |
may this life be restored and refreshed in us. 01:21:27.420 |
♪ O that day, O that day when free from sinning ♪ 01:23:01.080 |
we continue to pray, Lord God, for our church, 01:23:03.920 |
for all of us, Lord, that you would help us to stay sober. 01:23:08.920 |
And I know that even at home we are distracted. 01:23:28.360 |
But even beyond that, Lord, help them to be a good witness. 01:23:51.600 |
We pray for the shining of the gospel in this dark world, 01:23:55.520 |
that more and more, thousands, hundreds of thousands, 01:23:58.480 |
millions of people may come to Christ as a result of this. 01:24:02.760 |
And so we pray, Father God, that your name may be glorified, 01:24:10.600 |
would be deeper and sweeter than it ever was. 01:24:22.760 |
that desires to worship you in spirit and in truth. 01:25:58.360 |
♪ And my shield against his hateful thoughts ♪ 01:26:59.640 |
♪ My guilt and cross laid on your shoulders ♪ 01:27:14.640 |
♪ You rose, the grave and death are conquered ♪ 01:27:28.640 |
♪ You rose, the grave and death are conquered ♪