WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:22.260 Hi, and welcome to the Willow Ridge Church weekly podcast. 00:00:22.780 --> 00:00:25.880 This is where you can find audio for our current and past sermons. 00:00:26.100 --> 00:00:30.420 We hope that you enjoy this week's installment, and be sure to check back next week to hear 00:00:30.420 --> 00:00:31.260 the latest message. 00:00:31.680 --> 00:00:32.460 Thanks for listening. 00:00:45.240 --> 00:00:46.160 Good morning. 00:00:47.080 --> 00:00:48.920 Glad you guys are here with us. 00:00:48.960 --> 00:00:52.640 If you've got your Bibles, go ahead and open up to Romans chapter 12. 00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:57.040 We're going to wrap up our series on family traits this morning. 00:00:57.300 --> 00:01:01.800 So what we've been doing over the last several weeks, and it'll really culminate and pull 00:01:01.800 --> 00:01:06.940 everything together, is we've been looking at Acts chapter 2 and Acts chapter 4, because 00:01:06.940 --> 00:01:11.620 something very unique happens in those two chapters. 00:01:11.920 --> 00:01:19.960 And it's where you and I can really look and see the genealogy of faith of what we know 00:01:19.960 --> 00:01:22.860 as the local church being passed down to us today. 00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:29.240 So at the end of chapter 2 and the end of chapter 4 are descriptions of the early church. 00:01:29.880 --> 00:01:35.040 You know, it's a unique thing of what had happened during this time where there had been the waiting 00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:36.840 on the Messiah to come, right? 00:01:36.840 --> 00:01:38.100 That's what we see in the Old Testament. 00:01:38.240 --> 00:01:42.620 We see the fall and brokenness, the promise of the Messiah, the anticipation for the Messiah 00:01:42.620 --> 00:01:43.140 to come. 00:01:43.500 --> 00:01:47.520 And then the Messiah comes as Christ, like God in flesh. 00:01:47.800 --> 00:01:54.600 So Jesus comes, He lives, does His ministry, dies on the cross, is resurrected, and then He 00:01:54.600 --> 00:01:55.920 ascends to heaven. 00:01:56.220 --> 00:02:01.760 And after that ascension is largely where we see the book of Acts pick up. 00:02:02.620 --> 00:02:06.860 But there was something unique that happened right before Jesus ascended. 00:02:07.220 --> 00:02:10.380 He looked at His followers that were with Him and He promised them something. 00:02:10.480 --> 00:02:12.120 He promised them the Holy Spirit. 00:02:12.660 --> 00:02:16.580 And so that the Holy Spirit, when Jesus left, would come and fall on all of the believers, 00:02:16.720 --> 00:02:21.680 would indwell inside of them, and the formation of the early church would happen. 00:02:21.960 --> 00:02:28.760 Now, we see some phenomenal things take place throughout the book of Acts, which is really mind-boggling 00:02:28.760 --> 00:02:34.060 when you think about it, that the spread of Christianity, that the believers of Christ, 00:02:34.120 --> 00:02:41.480 when you see that explosion of this momentum of God begin to happen, it didn't happen while 00:02:41.480 --> 00:02:43.380 Jesus was here. 00:02:43.980 --> 00:02:46.460 Like, you would think, well, the Messiah is here. 00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:47.860 We can come see Him. 00:02:47.920 --> 00:02:49.640 We can sit under His teaching. 00:02:49.800 --> 00:02:51.180 We can touch Him. 00:02:51.240 --> 00:02:51.960 He can heal. 00:02:52.040 --> 00:02:53.520 We can do all of these things. 00:02:53.780 --> 00:02:54.420 And He did. 00:02:54.600 --> 00:02:59.140 And there was a momentum that came while Jesus lived His earthly life here. 00:02:59.540 --> 00:03:05.120 But what we see from Scripture is that when the explosion of Christianity took place, 00:03:05.400 --> 00:03:08.820 it was actually after Christ ascended. 00:03:09.420 --> 00:03:13.640 It was when the people of God were filled by the Spirit of God 00:03:13.640 --> 00:03:18.100 and then began to fulfill God's mission in their life and where they went, 00:03:18.180 --> 00:03:20.260 that we see this happen and take place. 00:03:20.540 --> 00:03:25.640 And so what we've been looking at over the last five weeks are, you know, there's a lot of stuff has changed. 00:03:26.380 --> 00:03:30.300 A lot of stuff has changed from first century Jerusalem until now. 00:03:31.020 --> 00:03:35.280 And what you and I are drawing from this, though, is what are those characteristics, 00:03:35.280 --> 00:03:42.080 what are those pieces that are so important and then so vital to the spread of God's gospel 00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:45.000 and people coming to saving faith in Jesus Christ? 00:03:45.160 --> 00:03:50.520 What do we see there that we can see now and then honestly kind of taking a moment to evaluate 00:03:50.520 --> 00:03:56.280 and to look at not only ourselves as individuals but to look at the body of believers that we have here 00:03:56.280 --> 00:04:04.300 and to wrestle with this are the family traits that are exhibited in Acts 2 and Acts 4 in the early church. 00:04:04.920 --> 00:04:10.460 Is that the same things that we see in the spread of the gospel today? 00:04:11.420 --> 00:04:14.520 Do I see it in myself and do I see it in us? 00:04:15.380 --> 00:04:19.180 And so the first thing that we looked at that was key was the concept of truth 00:04:19.180 --> 00:04:21.400 and that God's word is our standard. 00:04:22.020 --> 00:04:25.480 In Acts chapter 2, it says that they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching 00:04:25.480 --> 00:04:33.020 and in Acts chapter 4, it says that the apostles were sharing their testimony of the power of the resurrection. 00:04:33.020 --> 00:04:39.000 In both of those, the message that they were carrying, right, is not, man, we're a great church, come hang out with us. 00:04:39.800 --> 00:04:45.420 The message they were carrying is that, hey, not, come, wasn't come look at us and what we've done and what we can do. 00:04:46.060 --> 00:04:50.780 But the message of the early church, what they had devoted themselves to was God's word. 00:04:51.440 --> 00:04:56.440 So we want to dig in, we want to understand, we want to draw from this, and then the truth that we share, right, 00:04:56.600 --> 00:04:58.840 is the power of the resurrection in me. 00:04:59.420 --> 00:05:04.420 That as Christ has saved me, this is now what my life looks like. 00:05:04.620 --> 00:05:06.680 We saw that missions was a part. 00:05:06.760 --> 00:05:11.060 And there wasn't a missions team, there wasn't a missions committee, there weren't missions trips. 00:05:11.060 --> 00:05:14.660 But missions was about what they were doing. 00:05:15.320 --> 00:05:22.700 At the end of Acts 2 and at the end of Acts 4, it says, and God added to their number daily those who were getting saved. 00:05:22.840 --> 00:05:28.720 And when I say God was adding to their number daily, we're talking about thousands of people are getting saved, 00:05:28.980 --> 00:05:33.520 walking out of darkness and into light, walking out of death into light, 00:05:33.700 --> 00:05:36.860 and into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. 00:05:36.980 --> 00:05:41.740 And so we begin to talk about and see that while it is the work of God, 00:05:41.980 --> 00:05:46.180 that God began to add to their numbers daily what was happening, what was taking place. 00:05:46.340 --> 00:05:50.340 It was the obedience of the people who would go out and carry the message. 00:05:50.860 --> 00:05:54.120 And so we talked about missions, the work of God, done by the people of God. 00:05:54.240 --> 00:05:55.300 And this is important. 00:05:56.080 --> 00:06:02.460 This is so important as you're here, and for some of you, hopefully you're taking our missions class starting next week, 00:06:02.780 --> 00:06:10.120 that missions is the work of God, yes, done by the people of God, absolutely, for a purpose and for a reason. 00:06:10.480 --> 00:06:14.360 So that those who do not know God can come to know God. 00:06:14.640 --> 00:06:16.640 That that's what we're working toward. 00:06:16.980 --> 00:06:18.080 That's the end goal. 00:06:18.260 --> 00:06:22.020 So that when you walk out of here today and you see those crosses on the map, 00:06:22.180 --> 00:06:27.220 and you see those faces on the wall as you walk down, that that is the end goal. 00:06:27.880 --> 00:06:31.200 If we just feed you and say, go away, you're good, right? 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:34.840 But we feed so that we can share the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:06:36.180 --> 00:06:42.900 And so then we started looking two weeks ago at this concept that we see of the they, not the some. 00:06:43.540 --> 00:06:49.440 That in Acts 2 and Acts 4, when it describes the body of believers and the unity of the mission of God moving forward, 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:51.020 it didn't say some. 00:06:51.860 --> 00:06:53.760 It didn't say some devoted themselves. 00:06:54.560 --> 00:06:56.320 It didn't say some sold their property. 00:06:57.000 --> 00:06:59.040 It didn't say that some came together. 00:06:59.580 --> 00:07:01.640 It didn't say some broke bread in homes. 00:07:02.040 --> 00:07:02.880 It said they. 00:07:03.600 --> 00:07:09.840 And we begin to see that there was this full buy-in amongst the body of Christ that this is who we are. 00:07:09.980 --> 00:07:16.100 And we begin to see the understanding of the physical body and what the physical body means for the spiritual body. 00:07:16.260 --> 00:07:23.060 How each member of my body is important and it does what it does and it serves a purpose within the context of who I am. 00:07:23.200 --> 00:07:25.760 And then we take that and we apply that to the spiritual body. 00:07:25.760 --> 00:07:31.220 And we see that God brings and gives us every individual believer for a purpose and for a reason. 00:07:31.540 --> 00:07:39.920 And if you're a part of the body of Christ and you're doing nothing, if you're not part of the they, then the body's not as healthy as it could be. 00:07:40.720 --> 00:07:43.100 Then the body's not as effective as it is. 00:07:43.460 --> 00:07:52.220 And so we're beginning to wrap our minds around like, Lord, what does it mean for us to be a part of the they in this so that it's not the some? 00:07:52.580 --> 00:08:00.740 And we looked at accountability, meaning that you and I, we invest in each other so that we can grow in our relationship with the Lord. 00:08:00.880 --> 00:08:07.280 That it is my responsibility to work toward my growth, but it is my responsibility to work toward your growth. 00:08:07.500 --> 00:08:09.940 And here's the thing, it comes back, right? 00:08:10.040 --> 00:08:16.360 So we work on this with each other, that that's what the body comes and does together. 00:08:16.360 --> 00:08:23.400 That there's this mindset of accountability within the body of Christ, but that also we're servant-minded, right? 00:08:23.440 --> 00:08:28.860 And servant-minded, and we're really going to harp on this today as we talk about some other aspects. 00:08:29.180 --> 00:08:36.860 But servant-minded is not based in what we can do for each other, but being servant-minded is based in how we love each other, right? 00:08:37.180 --> 00:08:39.020 That's where it's going to come from. 00:08:39.080 --> 00:08:42.920 Because the truth is, like all of us in here, like we can fake it. 00:08:43.380 --> 00:08:47.900 We can do things for each other to make each person's life easier. 00:08:48.320 --> 00:08:55.500 And while we can stand and be recipients of that and say, I don't care if you like me or not, if you're willing to do good things for me, then sign me up. 00:08:55.520 --> 00:09:04.540 But the body of Christ does it, not because what we want to manipulate or work toward or fake, but that the true body of Christ that comes together. 00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:12.860 And we serve each other, not because we have to, not because we've been guilted into it, but because within the body there's a love that's there. 00:09:12.860 --> 00:09:15.020 And we looked at how this is like family. 00:09:15.340 --> 00:09:17.400 Like there is, my mom's here today. 00:09:17.700 --> 00:09:21.240 There's not anything that my mom would not do for me as her child. 00:09:22.680 --> 00:09:27.940 And there's not anything I wouldn't do for my son or my daughter or for my wife or for my mom. 00:09:28.500 --> 00:09:29.640 Why? Because we're family. 00:09:30.520 --> 00:09:34.980 And the breakdown in the church happens in this, because we don't view each other that way. 00:09:35.640 --> 00:09:36.860 We view each other as members. 00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:38.200 We view each other as acquaintances. 00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:39.900 We view each other as friends. 00:09:39.900 --> 00:09:43.960 But the Bible says that we're a part of the same body, and in that body we are family. 00:09:44.760 --> 00:09:45.520 We are family. 00:09:46.260 --> 00:09:49.100 So what I want us to talk about today is this concept of community. 00:09:49.560 --> 00:09:51.300 And I want to talk about the culture of community. 00:09:51.800 --> 00:09:58.420 True biblical community that we have seen in Acts 2, that we've seen in Acts 4, and is going to be described for us in Romans chapter 12. 00:09:58.580 --> 00:10:05.600 Because in community, it's a word that's become really popular in church circles really over the last 30 years. 00:10:05.800 --> 00:10:10.620 But we want to define what do we mean by true biblical community. 00:10:10.960 --> 00:10:14.140 And I believe it's a lot of the summation of what we've been talking about. 00:10:14.620 --> 00:10:16.380 So we're going to define community as this. 00:10:17.100 --> 00:10:24.640 People who live in truth, carry the gospel to the lost, while investing and loving one another. 00:10:24.640 --> 00:10:32.360 So it's truth, it's missions, it's accountability, it's serving, all wrapped up into one. 00:10:32.580 --> 00:10:34.640 And that's where community is going to fall. 00:10:35.220 --> 00:10:42.200 Now, if you've been tracking through this every single week with us, there may be aspects of this message as you go through. 00:10:42.340 --> 00:10:43.280 You're like, man, I'm good. 00:10:43.340 --> 00:10:44.040 Like, I'm a truth guy. 00:10:44.080 --> 00:10:44.820 Like, I love truth. 00:10:44.980 --> 00:10:46.160 I love opening God's word. 00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:50.420 I know that God's word is—now, I may struggle sometimes in obeying it, right? 00:10:50.420 --> 00:10:54.040 But that doesn't mean that I don't establish my life on this. 00:10:54.280 --> 00:10:59.240 You have some of us in here, like, man, like—and I've met you, and I know those of you who are in here who are like this, right? 00:10:59.380 --> 00:11:02.560 Like, you genuinely love everyone, right? 00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:08.160 And some of you, you're so extreme with it that other people judge your heart because, like, there's no way. 00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:09.580 And I'm like, no, trust me. 00:11:09.760 --> 00:11:11.560 Hang out with Mike C for a moment, right? 00:11:11.620 --> 00:11:12.800 I'll just throw his name out, right? 00:11:12.920 --> 00:11:16.980 Like, he really does love everyone that he ever meets. 00:11:17.020 --> 00:11:18.080 Like, I've seen it. 00:11:18.100 --> 00:11:19.180 I don't know what this is encountered with. 00:11:19.180 --> 00:11:26.040 But when we see this true biblical concept of community, what we will find is that it's all together. 00:11:26.200 --> 00:11:27.500 It's all-encompassing. 00:11:27.620 --> 00:11:28.400 It's truth. 00:11:28.500 --> 00:11:29.000 It's accountability. 00:11:29.360 --> 00:11:29.880 It's missions. 00:11:30.060 --> 00:11:30.560 It's loving. 00:11:30.660 --> 00:11:39.120 It's all of this in the early church body that comes together so that, like, if we're not running four out of four on this, then we're missing part of it. 00:11:39.220 --> 00:11:46.140 And this true depth of community of what we are going to see, it is very foreign to us, if we're honest. 00:11:47.220 --> 00:11:54.300 What we're going to look at in Romans chapter 12, starting in verse 9, in just a second, it is so foreign to us. 00:11:56.080 --> 00:11:57.340 We're born broken. 00:11:58.780 --> 00:12:00.020 Born into a broken world. 00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:10.980 Sin has caused us, even as believers, to struggle with and have a jaded look at a lot of things that are going on. 00:12:12.140 --> 00:12:26.300 And when we look at Romans chapter 12, when we see what this looks like, if we're honest with ourselves, it is so foreign at the core of our being, of who we were, that now even who we are in Christ struggles with it a little bit. 00:12:26.980 --> 00:12:30.800 But we're also going to really look at that this is a process. 00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:37.760 As I understand Christianity and as I understand my faith, that this is a process of what God is taking me to in my life. 00:12:37.840 --> 00:12:45.780 So that God has gifted me with the Holy Spirit so that I can see these things, identify these things, repent of these things, and pursue obedience to Him. 00:12:45.920 --> 00:12:52.000 So this becomes more and more common at the very fiber of who I am in my very being. 00:12:52.760 --> 00:12:55.660 And so that's what we'll see here in just a moment in verse 9. 00:12:56.720 --> 00:13:00.020 Based in what Paul charges us with. 00:13:00.940 --> 00:13:04.980 All of Romans chapter 12 is written with like an introduction and then two messages. 00:13:05.400 --> 00:13:09.720 But they all piece together, and it's very important that we get every single one. 00:13:09.780 --> 00:13:17.040 So if you've got your Bibles open, and I'm sorry I do not have it on the screen, but look at verse 1 of chapter 12. 00:13:17.540 --> 00:13:36.600 So what we see in this is that this is what we're calling ourselves to. 00:13:36.760 --> 00:13:38.080 This is what we're identifying. 00:13:38.500 --> 00:13:40.340 This is our response to salvation. 00:13:40.940 --> 00:13:41.120 Okay? 00:13:41.660 --> 00:13:42.880 God saved you. 00:13:43.320 --> 00:13:44.400 God saved me. 00:13:44.600 --> 00:13:46.240 I've got to respond to that. 00:13:46.780 --> 00:13:46.880 Right? 00:13:47.140 --> 00:13:48.820 I don't know, Joel, thank you. 00:13:48.860 --> 00:13:50.440 But thank you for that song, man. 00:13:51.480 --> 00:14:01.200 Like, if you're just kind of reading the words on the screen because it's a new song and you don't know it yet, go find it on however you listen to music. 00:14:01.540 --> 00:14:06.400 And begin to put in your mindset that what God does is He turns graves into gardens. 00:14:06.860 --> 00:14:07.040 Right? 00:14:07.280 --> 00:14:10.080 Like, that is so foreign to us. 00:14:10.520 --> 00:14:11.460 But God saved us. 00:14:11.520 --> 00:14:12.720 He brought us back to life. 00:14:12.800 --> 00:14:13.660 He redeemed us. 00:14:13.880 --> 00:14:17.800 He took us from destined to hell, and He placed us in eternity in His hand. 00:14:19.380 --> 00:14:20.520 That's where He has us. 00:14:20.700 --> 00:14:23.760 And so you and I, we respond to salvation. 00:14:24.600 --> 00:14:28.280 He says, Paul says, by the mercies of God, this is what we do. 00:14:28.340 --> 00:14:29.800 Because we didn't deserve any of it. 00:14:29.840 --> 00:14:30.000 Right? 00:14:30.460 --> 00:14:32.760 We didn't do anything to deserve it. 00:14:33.300 --> 00:14:38.520 God didn't look and say, well, Bo's worth this, and you're worth this, but you're not worth this. 00:14:38.600 --> 00:14:38.900 No, no, no. 00:14:39.020 --> 00:14:40.540 No, none of us are worth it. 00:14:40.740 --> 00:14:45.300 And so He sent Jesus, and Jesus died for us, and we didn't deserve it. 00:14:46.340 --> 00:14:51.040 And so for the mercies of God, because of that, but then we do something. 00:14:51.480 --> 00:14:51.780 Right? 00:14:52.020 --> 00:14:55.360 It's not just that we hear this and we go, oh, man, God loves me this much. 00:14:55.440 --> 00:14:56.520 But then we do something. 00:14:56.520 --> 00:14:59.280 He says we present our bodies as living sacrifice. 00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:05.900 That you and I, in the day-to-day of who we are, we stop pursuing sin, and we start pursuing God's glory. 00:15:06.500 --> 00:15:10.560 With it all, of who He has called us to be. 00:15:11.660 --> 00:15:15.120 And so verse 9, right, it's going to get difficult. 00:15:16.300 --> 00:15:20.500 This is going to get varsity level of what God is calling us to. 00:15:21.640 --> 00:15:23.280 And in verse 9, he says this. 00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:25.620 Paul says, let love be genuine. 00:15:26.780 --> 00:15:30.780 Abhor what is evil and hold fast to what is good. 00:15:32.060 --> 00:15:35.300 Let love be genuine. 00:15:37.200 --> 00:15:39.440 Abhor, hate what is evil. 00:15:40.140 --> 00:15:45.640 And in our lives, cling to what is the good, what is pure, what is of God. 00:15:46.140 --> 00:15:54.760 And what we see in this is that if we're going to begin with love, is that you and I, we have to have love without hypocrisy. 00:15:55.380 --> 00:15:55.540 Right? 00:15:55.740 --> 00:16:01.320 When Paul writes, let love be genuine, there's two ways in the Greek to interpret that. 00:16:01.440 --> 00:16:01.560 Right? 00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:07.260 One way is how every single translation has translated it. 00:16:07.300 --> 00:16:07.420 Right? 00:16:07.960 --> 00:16:10.240 The ESV says, let love be genuine. 00:16:10.240 --> 00:16:14.620 It's called the positive translation because it gives a positive word, right? 00:16:14.920 --> 00:16:16.920 Let love be genuine. 00:16:17.100 --> 00:16:18.260 So you walk away from that. 00:16:18.460 --> 00:16:19.420 Well, that's what this means. 00:16:20.080 --> 00:16:27.140 But closer in the Greek, when we really begin to understand it, it's not the positive translation that's there. 00:16:27.220 --> 00:16:33.140 It's a negative translation, which means it's a little bit more difficult for us to kind of process through. 00:16:33.640 --> 00:16:38.720 And really what he's saying here is he says, let love be not hypocritical. 00:16:40.240 --> 00:16:42.260 Let love be not hypocritical. 00:16:42.940 --> 00:16:50.420 So yes, that means genuine, but it puts a weight on it of what you and I are working against is hypocrisy. 00:16:51.060 --> 00:16:51.180 Right? 00:16:51.240 --> 00:16:54.480 The number one complaint of non-believers about the church. 00:16:55.380 --> 00:16:59.000 The number one complaint of believers about the church. 00:17:00.260 --> 00:17:00.740 Hypocrisy. 00:17:01.760 --> 00:17:02.980 I'm not going to go to church. 00:17:03.040 --> 00:17:04.900 That church is full of a bunch of hypocrites. 00:17:06.220 --> 00:17:06.320 Right? 00:17:06.680 --> 00:17:09.000 Oh, I don't feel comfortable here. 00:17:09.240 --> 00:17:09.480 Right? 00:17:09.540 --> 00:17:13.360 I'm going to go find me another church because I know what people do here. 00:17:13.720 --> 00:17:16.080 And it's just a bunch of hypocrites. 00:17:16.880 --> 00:17:21.760 The number one complaint of the church is that you and I are hypocrites. 00:17:22.380 --> 00:17:23.020 And guess what? 00:17:24.020 --> 00:17:24.820 We are. 00:17:26.280 --> 00:17:28.420 And a lot of things we do doesn't match what we say. 00:17:29.360 --> 00:17:31.920 There's a wrestle that is still within us. 00:17:32.380 --> 00:17:40.160 So how can Paul come to us then and say, let love be without hypocrisy? 00:17:41.040 --> 00:17:44.500 Well, you and I, we got to think about what it means to be a hypocrite differently. 00:17:45.200 --> 00:17:52.540 Because until Jesus calls me home, until I'm with him for all of eternity, and you're right in this journey with me, 00:17:52.740 --> 00:17:55.160 there's still sin struggles and sin issues in our life. 00:17:55.680 --> 00:18:00.860 We haven't perfected, and we won't be perfect until he perfects us with him. 00:18:01.640 --> 00:18:04.980 So what does it mean, though, to be a hypocrite? 00:18:05.480 --> 00:18:09.500 And how can our love be without hypocrisy? 00:18:10.180 --> 00:18:12.500 Let's understand what biblical hypocrisy is. 00:18:13.540 --> 00:18:21.920 Biblical hypocrisy is pretending to look a certain way when that's not really who you are at the core of your being. 00:18:22.660 --> 00:18:22.740 Right? 00:18:23.000 --> 00:18:25.700 Hypocrisy doesn't mean that we don't sin. 00:18:26.800 --> 00:18:29.940 Hypocrisy doesn't mean that we have to live a perfect life. 00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:32.980 What it means is we have to stop pretending. 00:18:33.540 --> 00:18:36.740 That we have to be open and honest with who we are. 00:18:37.360 --> 00:18:40.920 So when we're Christian hypocrites, here's what this really means. 00:18:41.220 --> 00:18:44.880 That we pretend to intimately know Jesus when we don't. 00:18:45.240 --> 00:18:48.580 That we pretend to walk with Jesus when we don't. 00:18:48.700 --> 00:18:52.020 That we pretend to talk with Jesus when we don't. 00:18:52.020 --> 00:19:01.300 That at our core, we know that I'm not close with the Lord, but I just want to pretend that I am. 00:19:02.520 --> 00:19:06.040 And so when we pretend spiritually, we hide. 00:19:06.800 --> 00:19:09.700 We hide our flaws, we hide our sins, we hide our weaknesses. 00:19:10.140 --> 00:19:15.260 And what we hide them behind is a false sense of spirituality. 00:19:16.140 --> 00:19:23.420 We hide it behind this Christian front when it's not who we are to begin with. 00:19:24.320 --> 00:19:27.280 And so let love be genuine means this. 00:19:28.160 --> 00:19:30.380 That I'm not, that I don't have everything perfect. 00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:32.960 That I don't have everything figured out. 00:19:33.560 --> 00:19:36.180 But genuine love means I'm honest. 00:19:36.240 --> 00:19:38.200 Honest about who I am. 00:19:39.580 --> 00:19:42.700 And so that you can be honest with who you are. 00:19:43.620 --> 00:19:49.160 That being honest within this lets us and allows us to have community together. 00:19:49.160 --> 00:19:52.720 So that we can do the things that Christians say we want to do. 00:19:52.980 --> 00:19:55.380 So that yes, we can hate what is evil. 00:19:55.580 --> 00:19:58.880 But we can't hate what is evil when we are pretending. 00:19:58.920 --> 00:20:04.440 It means that we can pursue what is good and what is God's and we can do that together. 00:20:04.580 --> 00:20:06.700 But we can't do it when we're pretending. 00:20:07.160 --> 00:20:15.700 You see, the problem with so many of us is we're putting on these masks of false Christianity that we've got everything figured out. 00:20:15.960 --> 00:20:30.600 And we're so petrified to let anyone around us know that I'm not good, that my prayer life isn't great, that I am struggling in God's word, that I am in conflict with my spouse, that I do struggle with greed and lust. 00:20:30.720 --> 00:20:32.960 But I can't let you know any of that. 00:20:33.600 --> 00:20:34.460 So no, I'm good, man. 00:20:34.580 --> 00:20:34.980 You need me? 00:20:35.060 --> 00:20:35.860 Sure, absolutely. 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:37.340 I've got all this crush in it. 00:20:38.520 --> 00:20:43.480 And then what it says to the others is, you've got to be this way too. 00:20:44.820 --> 00:20:45.880 You've got to be this way too. 00:20:46.660 --> 00:20:50.060 Let love be genuine if we're going to have community. 00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:53.380 Verse 10, Paul continues on. 00:20:54.140 --> 00:20:57.720 And he says, love one another with brotherly affection. 00:20:58.520 --> 00:21:01.720 Outdo one another in showing honor. 00:21:02.300 --> 00:21:04.860 This is going to be a lot about what we looked at last week. 00:21:05.380 --> 00:21:11.480 And we want to remind ourselves of this concept of feeling overdoing, right? 00:21:11.480 --> 00:21:22.040 The idea of brotherly affection is that you and I not should just do things for each other, but that we should feel something for one another, right? 00:21:22.300 --> 00:21:26.900 It doesn't say love one another with brotherly deeds or with brotherly actions. 00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:31.220 It says love one another with brotherly affections. 00:21:31.220 --> 00:21:40.200 So what it means is that within me, that it's how I feel that drives what I do, and not what I do is trying to transform how I feel. 00:21:40.340 --> 00:21:48.340 So that when I do something for you, when this is who I am in the aspects of my life, what is it coming from? 00:21:48.740 --> 00:21:49.500 Genuine love. 00:21:50.480 --> 00:21:55.600 Genuine transformation of what has happened and what is taking place. 00:21:55.900 --> 00:21:59.460 God wants to capture our heart before he captures our actions. 00:21:59.460 --> 00:22:02.540 And our heart will always transform our actions. 00:22:04.100 --> 00:22:05.400 I want to prove this to you. 00:22:08.760 --> 00:22:13.760 My kids, I think I've got a pretty good relationship with my kids. 00:22:14.920 --> 00:22:20.280 But when they were little, and I want you parents to go back to when your kids were little. 00:22:20.440 --> 00:22:22.500 And I got a specific age I want you to think about. 00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:25.840 I want you to think about three and four years old, all right? 00:22:25.920 --> 00:22:29.420 Some of you may even have kids three or four years old now in the room. 00:22:29.820 --> 00:22:31.900 And that is absolutely wonderful, right? 00:22:32.700 --> 00:22:35.920 Here's what I remember about my kids being three or four years old. 00:22:36.480 --> 00:22:39.960 When I would come home at the end of the day. 00:22:41.140 --> 00:22:44.340 When Aaron would come home at the end of the day. 00:22:45.140 --> 00:22:46.800 Here's what I knew that they had done. 00:22:48.440 --> 00:22:52.440 They had destroyed their rooms, right? 00:22:53.520 --> 00:22:58.900 They had made a mess in every room that they were a part of. 00:22:59.740 --> 00:23:04.740 They had consumed electricity, water, right? 00:23:04.780 --> 00:23:07.200 Like everything in the house, right? 00:23:07.580 --> 00:23:10.480 They had eaten whatever they wanted to. 00:23:10.660 --> 00:23:16.720 And in true four-year-old, three-year-old fashion, sometimes only a bite of an apple, right? 00:23:16.780 --> 00:23:19.020 And then just placing it right back, you know? 00:23:19.200 --> 00:23:22.940 Or let me lick all the salt off that cracker and then put it back in the pack, right? 00:23:22.940 --> 00:23:23.760 Because that's what they do, right? 00:23:23.880 --> 00:23:25.300 They had consumed stuff. 00:23:25.420 --> 00:23:28.160 Now, this is going to sound harsh, but hear my heart. 00:23:28.720 --> 00:23:30.300 What had they done good for me? 00:23:31.160 --> 00:23:32.180 Nothing, right? 00:23:32.540 --> 00:23:33.920 They consumed it all. 00:23:34.320 --> 00:23:36.120 I was the one doing things for them. 00:23:36.240 --> 00:23:37.860 Aaron was the one doing things for them. 00:23:38.060 --> 00:23:39.000 But what happened? 00:23:39.860 --> 00:23:46.940 When you'd pull up and you'd walk in the door, it didn't matter what TV show was on. 00:23:47.820 --> 00:23:50.080 It didn't matter what they were doing. 00:23:51.080 --> 00:23:58.360 They dropped everything that was there and would come running to us with Oreo stained teeth, right? 00:23:58.360 --> 00:24:02.900 To pick them up and hug us because they loved us, right? 00:24:03.320 --> 00:24:07.200 And they were so excited to be with us. 00:24:08.880 --> 00:24:15.500 How would it have felt as a parent if I walked in and their rooms were clean? 00:24:17.160 --> 00:24:20.860 How would it have felt as a parent if I walked in and all the food was still in the pantry? 00:24:22.140 --> 00:24:29.180 How would it have felt as a parent if they had done all of the things that I would have wanted them to do to provide, 00:24:29.180 --> 00:24:33.520 But when I walked in the room, there was nothing. 00:24:34.740 --> 00:24:37.140 Do you see what begins to happen within this? 00:24:37.700 --> 00:24:40.320 Is that the feeling of love of what's there. 00:24:41.020 --> 00:24:48.320 And so what Paul's calling us to at the church is to say if we're going to let our love be genuine for one another, 00:24:48.580 --> 00:24:54.620 then it has to generally happen with a heart transformation of who we are. 00:24:55.620 --> 00:24:57.360 Verse 11, he continues on. 00:24:58.140 --> 00:25:01.040 If we're going to have a community of believers, and he says, 00:25:01.140 --> 00:25:03.180 Do not be slothful in zeal. 00:25:03.900 --> 00:25:05.180 Be fervent in spirit. 00:25:06.220 --> 00:25:06.980 Serve the Lord. 00:25:08.140 --> 00:25:19.820 You and I have to get to a place and a reality that is a perspective in our life where there is genuine excitement about Jesus. 00:25:20.640 --> 00:25:22.180 I want to tell you guys two stories. 00:25:22.900 --> 00:25:24.540 One story, I was at a church. 00:25:24.620 --> 00:25:26.400 We were actually visiting a church. 00:25:26.500 --> 00:25:28.000 This was years and years ago. 00:25:28.060 --> 00:25:29.140 I don't even think we had kids. 00:25:29.960 --> 00:25:33.260 And I walked in, and this was a very formal church. 00:25:33.560 --> 00:25:35.780 It was a very traditional church. 00:25:35.780 --> 00:25:40.680 And if you've grown up in formal, traditional church, and I grew up there and have a heart for those churches, 00:25:40.860 --> 00:25:45.020 you kind of understand and know the culture when you walk into the room. 00:25:45.220 --> 00:25:45.420 All right? 00:25:45.600 --> 00:25:49.800 And so I'm at this formal, traditional church, and I'm standing in the back, 00:25:49.820 --> 00:25:53.300 and there's one of the leaders in the church is standing beside me. 00:25:53.400 --> 00:25:56.080 And they begin to have their time of worship. 00:25:56.660 --> 00:26:01.560 And I see, like, everybody's kind of, like, doing what they're supposed to do, right, in worship. 00:26:01.560 --> 00:26:09.300 And then at the very front of the room, I see a guy who's breaking the culture norms of the church, right? 00:26:09.720 --> 00:26:11.480 He's jumping around. 00:26:11.760 --> 00:26:13.960 He's got both hands up in the air. 00:26:14.160 --> 00:26:17.580 He is screaming, singing as loud as he can. 00:26:17.760 --> 00:26:18.980 Now, you've got me. 00:26:19.040 --> 00:26:20.240 I'm intrigued, all right? 00:26:20.600 --> 00:26:24.660 And I looked at the leader of the church that was standing there beside me, 00:26:24.720 --> 00:26:27.620 and I said, hey, man, what's that guy's story? 00:26:28.420 --> 00:26:29.440 I'm dying to know. 00:26:30.120 --> 00:26:31.420 Like, what's his story? 00:26:32.300 --> 00:26:35.060 And here's what the answer was. 00:26:35.940 --> 00:26:36.980 He said, oh, that guy? 00:26:37.800 --> 00:26:39.360 Yeah, he's a new believer. 00:26:40.280 --> 00:26:41.520 He doesn't know any different yet. 00:26:48.860 --> 00:26:54.400 Somewhere in our world, right, there just has to be an excitement for Jesus. 00:26:56.160 --> 00:27:03.840 And maturity, right, in quotes, maturity and faith shouldn't kill that, right? 00:27:05.300 --> 00:27:09.920 But as a kid that runs to their dad because their dad just came home from work 00:27:09.920 --> 00:27:11.360 and they haven't seen him in seven hours, 00:27:12.040 --> 00:27:15.280 it should be the same response that we run to Jesus with. 00:27:16.540 --> 00:27:22.680 Second story is a few years, well, I'm sorry, when I was in my early 20s, 00:27:22.680 --> 00:27:25.280 I went on my first mission trip, went to Mexico. 00:27:25.920 --> 00:27:27.380 Went to Mexico during the middle of the summer, 00:27:27.440 --> 00:27:29.760 and we were going to build a basketball court. 00:27:30.440 --> 00:27:33.320 And in between the two of the church and the pastor's house, 00:27:33.380 --> 00:27:35.420 there was this little open lot, and that's where it was going to go. 00:27:35.520 --> 00:27:39.880 And kind of tucked over in the back corner of the lot was this big concrete slab. 00:27:40.500 --> 00:27:43.360 All right, and so the day one, we're there, 00:27:43.360 --> 00:27:45.200 and we're figuring out who's going to do what. 00:27:45.440 --> 00:27:48.460 And they said, okay, all we have is this sledgehammer. 00:27:49.100 --> 00:27:53.500 Who's willing to go back there and break up this concrete pad? 00:27:53.900 --> 00:27:55.880 We don't know how thick it is. 00:27:55.980 --> 00:27:58.620 We don't know how old it is. 00:27:58.860 --> 00:28:01.300 And they said the key words, we don't know what's underneath it. 00:28:01.720 --> 00:28:04.940 So who would be willing to go back there and to break it up? 00:28:05.040 --> 00:28:08.620 Now, I'm in, I think I'm 21 at the time, okay? 00:28:08.960 --> 00:28:13.100 And I'm looking around, and it's a college mission trip. 00:28:13.180 --> 00:28:14.800 I'm the only one there from my church. 00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:18.340 And I want to be honest, this is what my mindset was. 00:28:18.620 --> 00:28:20.360 There's a lot of cute girls here. 00:28:20.480 --> 00:28:23.800 I want to be the guy that volunteers to do that hard work to kind of impress them, right? 00:28:23.980 --> 00:28:27.680 Like, that is honestly where my heart was at the moment, okay? 00:28:27.860 --> 00:28:29.760 And so I signed up for it. 00:28:29.780 --> 00:28:30.820 I got the sledgehammer. 00:28:31.000 --> 00:28:35.680 And for hours, here I am back here just wailing on this thing, right? 00:28:35.800 --> 00:28:39.740 As hard as I can, putting every bit of force into it. 00:28:39.820 --> 00:28:41.600 And finally, I start breaking it up. 00:28:41.640 --> 00:28:45.500 And the concrete just goes farther down and farther down and farther down. 00:28:45.500 --> 00:28:47.180 And I'm removing it as we go. 00:28:47.460 --> 00:28:51.960 And it is the hottest I have ever been in my entire life. 00:28:52.220 --> 00:28:56.120 And then finally, right, there was the last swing of the sledgehammer. 00:28:56.300 --> 00:28:58.580 And I see that there's a hole there. 00:28:59.560 --> 00:29:00.540 This is fantastic. 00:29:00.620 --> 00:29:01.280 I've gotten to the bottom. 00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:05.580 And so I began to reach in and pull more and more out. 00:29:05.820 --> 00:29:09.860 And the light began to expose what was underneath. 00:29:10.660 --> 00:29:12.500 And I'm sorry, this is right before lunch. 00:29:13.100 --> 00:29:23.000 But what I found was a septic tank filled with rats and tarantulas, right? 00:29:24.000 --> 00:29:25.320 And I'm standing there. 00:29:26.200 --> 00:29:28.460 And I'll never forget one of our college leaders, this guy. 00:29:28.580 --> 00:29:29.500 He's from Alabama. 00:29:30.080 --> 00:29:34.480 He came up and he put his arm around me, looking down into the hole with me. 00:29:34.480 --> 00:29:37.420 And he goes, don't you just love serving the Lord? 00:29:38.920 --> 00:29:40.180 Not right now, buddy. 00:29:40.740 --> 00:29:42.320 No, I don't. 00:29:42.400 --> 00:29:43.180 But here's the thing. 00:29:43.220 --> 00:29:43.640 He's right. 00:29:44.360 --> 00:29:45.100 He's right. 00:29:45.860 --> 00:29:48.560 That in the excitement, that in that, that's all there. 00:29:48.980 --> 00:29:50.100 Don't be slothful. 00:29:50.800 --> 00:29:52.240 Be fervent in spirit. 00:29:53.000 --> 00:29:53.260 Why? 00:29:54.320 --> 00:29:55.760 It doesn't say serve each other. 00:29:56.860 --> 00:29:58.040 It says serve the Lord. 00:29:59.280 --> 00:30:00.100 Serve the Lord. 00:30:00.600 --> 00:30:07.540 So that in all that we do, our object of our serving is serving Christ. 00:30:08.180 --> 00:30:12.460 And that's what we are pressing toward, the excitement for Jesus. 00:30:12.960 --> 00:30:15.140 Jesus, you want me to get on the stage and preach? 00:30:15.260 --> 00:30:15.840 I'll do it. 00:30:16.040 --> 00:30:19.560 Jesus, you want me to swing a sledgehammer? 00:30:20.600 --> 00:30:21.480 I'll do it. 00:30:22.540 --> 00:30:27.320 But I'm not doing it for anybody, anybody other than you. 00:30:27.320 --> 00:30:30.200 We continue on in verse 12. 00:30:30.620 --> 00:30:41.880 Paul writes, he says, rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer, contribute to the needs of the saints, and seek to show hospitality. 00:30:42.280 --> 00:30:49.280 Paul's going to give us this beautiful formula in these two verses that point us toward the mindset of moving off of ourselves. 00:30:50.180 --> 00:30:54.680 And it's hope, patience, prayer, others. 00:30:55.540 --> 00:30:57.980 Hope, patient, prayer, others. 00:30:58.640 --> 00:30:59.900 What do you think about this word hope? 00:31:00.820 --> 00:31:02.500 Hope is a word we talk about in churches. 00:31:03.280 --> 00:31:04.860 It's a positive word, right? 00:31:05.120 --> 00:31:06.400 We put it on signs. 00:31:06.580 --> 00:31:08.060 We put it on t-shirts. 00:31:08.340 --> 00:31:10.260 It's the reminder of the hope that we have. 00:31:10.260 --> 00:31:20.580 But when we really think about the word hope, hope comes from not a place of joy, all right? 00:31:21.000 --> 00:31:24.620 Hope comes from a place of suffering. 00:31:25.260 --> 00:31:27.680 Hope comes from a place of pain. 00:31:28.160 --> 00:31:37.320 Hope comes and is rooted and is found in our life when we experience a sense of sorrow, when we're going through the battles. 00:31:37.720 --> 00:31:42.740 And so here's when we use the word hope, when we cling to hope, when we pray for hope, right? 00:31:42.840 --> 00:31:50.480 When we're going through a health battle, when we're going through a financial battle, when we're going through a relational battle, we need hope. 00:31:51.160 --> 00:31:52.660 God, I've been diagnosed with cancer. 00:31:53.420 --> 00:31:54.480 God, give me hope. 00:31:55.280 --> 00:31:58.100 God, my finances are about to fall apart. 00:31:58.180 --> 00:32:00.460 I've lost my job and I can't make my mortgage payment. 00:32:00.780 --> 00:32:01.660 God, give me hope. 00:32:02.400 --> 00:32:05.880 God, my husband or my wife has left me. 00:32:06.100 --> 00:32:07.440 My kids are in rebellion. 00:32:07.780 --> 00:32:11.480 My family and friends, they won't talk to me or give me hope. 00:32:11.980 --> 00:32:14.420 You see, hope is always found in the heart of the believer. 00:32:14.800 --> 00:32:19.280 Hope is birthed in the heart of the believer, not in the mountaintop, but in the valley. 00:32:19.820 --> 00:32:24.500 When we're going through the pain and the suffering, and here's what hope is. 00:32:25.240 --> 00:32:35.360 Hope does not mean that we know the outcome, but hope means that we trust the God who knows the outcome. 00:32:36.220 --> 00:32:38.400 That's what hope is. 00:32:39.220 --> 00:32:47.400 And so Paul says, like, look, and I don't know about you, but from March 15th to September 13th has been a hope season for me, all right? 00:32:48.140 --> 00:32:56.280 It's been the hope of what's there and the difficulty of everything, and I'm not just blaming COVID, but on everything that's going on. 00:32:57.000 --> 00:32:58.840 It's a desperate season for hope. 00:32:59.480 --> 00:33:05.240 And then in this, what we're called to do, what we're called to be, is patient. 00:33:06.300 --> 00:33:09.400 Paul says, be patient in the tribulation. 00:33:10.500 --> 00:33:12.340 Simply put, wait. 00:33:13.400 --> 00:33:13.800 Wait. 00:33:14.480 --> 00:33:15.880 I don't know about you, but I hate that word. 00:33:16.820 --> 00:33:17.640 I hate waiting. 00:33:18.160 --> 00:33:25.020 I was talking to one of our elementary school kids after the nine o'clock service, and I was telling him how much I hated to wait. 00:33:25.240 --> 00:33:26.860 And he said, I hate to wait, too. 00:33:27.120 --> 00:33:29.220 And I said, well, Samuel, think about it this way, buddy. 00:33:29.940 --> 00:33:36.060 Think about waiting at the doctor's office without a tablet, without a cell phone. 00:33:37.080 --> 00:33:43.300 Imagine being seven years old and waiting at the doctor's office with nothing to look at other than a copy of Good Housekeeping, right? 00:33:43.320 --> 00:33:43.880 Like, that's it. 00:33:44.460 --> 00:33:46.640 Like, that's what I associate with waiting, right? 00:33:46.820 --> 00:33:48.040 And some of you, you're nodding your head. 00:33:48.100 --> 00:33:48.780 You know what it was like. 00:33:48.780 --> 00:33:55.100 And as painful as that was for me, like all of you that had to take kids to the doctor, right, during that time of waiting. 00:33:55.360 --> 00:33:58.000 And so when we think of waiting, that's what we think about. 00:33:58.480 --> 00:34:11.860 We think about sitting there and doing nothing, but that is never, ever what God describes for a Christian to wait, that waiting for the Lord calls for action. 00:34:12.640 --> 00:34:19.520 So be hope, have hope, be patient, and this patience requires an action. 00:34:19.900 --> 00:34:21.000 And so what is that action? 00:34:21.000 --> 00:34:23.360 It's in Romans 12, a prayer. 00:34:24.280 --> 00:34:24.780 We pray. 00:34:25.560 --> 00:34:26.120 We pray. 00:34:26.760 --> 00:34:29.260 It says that prayer should be constant. 00:34:29.600 --> 00:34:33.920 This is so important for Paul that in 1 Thessalonians, he challenged people to pray without ceasing. 00:34:34.800 --> 00:34:39.000 That prayer is constantly what is filling us of what we are doing. 00:34:39.140 --> 00:34:44.780 Now, I know for so many of you, for so many of us in here, prayer is a difficult thing, right? 00:34:45.240 --> 00:34:56.900 Like I've had conversations with people, and I've thought this before too, that you hear someone pray, whether it be at a small group, whether it be at a funeral, whether it be at a wedding, whether it be at a worship service. 00:34:56.900 --> 00:35:06.280 And you think, as they stand up there for 5, 10 minutes, and they have these beautiful words that we have to look up on a dictionary when we get done, right? 00:35:06.360 --> 00:35:11.740 And it's so beautiful about what they're doing as they're crying out to the Lord in the positioning of this. 00:35:11.880 --> 00:35:15.600 And that causes us as believers to go, no, I can't do that. 00:35:16.740 --> 00:35:17.560 I can't do that. 00:35:18.360 --> 00:35:23.000 Or we think of people, and I know I'm like this, and they're like, how was your prayer time this morning? 00:35:23.280 --> 00:35:24.480 Oh, it was fantastic. 00:35:24.660 --> 00:35:31.980 Like I woke up at 2.30, and I prayed from 2.31 until 7.45, right? 00:35:32.040 --> 00:35:35.340 And you're going, nope, like if that's the standard, I'm out, right? 00:35:35.560 --> 00:35:37.720 I can't do that. 00:35:39.060 --> 00:35:44.020 But Paul says, be constant in prayer. 00:35:44.720 --> 00:35:46.720 Paul says, pray without ceasing. 00:35:47.860 --> 00:35:56.160 And I firmly believe that at the heart of prayer, it's not the building of eloquent words that we can stand there and recite before the Lord, 00:35:56.820 --> 00:36:05.720 but it's a conversation that we just have back and forth with him, that we're speaking to him, and get this, he listens. 00:36:07.060 --> 00:36:07.880 He listens. 00:36:09.360 --> 00:36:10.900 Yesterday, I had a TV show on. 00:36:10.960 --> 00:36:12.160 My wife was standing in the kitchen. 00:36:13.260 --> 00:36:14.080 She told me something. 00:36:14.940 --> 00:36:15.760 I said, uh-huh. 00:36:16.580 --> 00:36:18.500 She said, what did I just say? 00:36:19.160 --> 00:36:20.960 I said, I don't know, right? 00:36:23.300 --> 00:36:24.260 That's not God. 00:36:25.720 --> 00:36:27.140 Lord, I'm scared right now. 00:36:28.740 --> 00:36:30.200 God, I'm confused. 00:36:31.440 --> 00:36:32.560 I'm frustrated. 00:36:33.960 --> 00:36:37.020 God, just help me get here today. 00:36:38.880 --> 00:36:45.380 I think if we begin to think about prayer in the communication that oftentimes we have on our cell phones, 00:36:46.480 --> 00:36:53.000 where we're in constant communication about what we're doing, but we're also sitting there waiting on the response back. 00:36:54.300 --> 00:37:06.680 So we have hope, we're patient, we're prayer, and when this happens, Paul says, then is when we begin to move our focus off of ourselves and on the others, right? 00:37:06.920 --> 00:37:08.400 The circumstances haven't changed. 00:37:08.500 --> 00:37:10.200 We're still in a crisis where we need hope. 00:37:10.660 --> 00:37:15.380 We're still patiently waiting on what the outcome is going to be and what God is going to do. 00:37:15.500 --> 00:37:22.360 We're still crying out to him, but that in that, our mindset has moved off of us and has moved off onto others. 00:37:22.500 --> 00:37:30.500 That now what we're about to read in verses 14 through 21, that my life can begin to live like these things because I have hope in the midst of the circumstances. 00:37:30.880 --> 00:37:34.580 I have patience, even though that I have to wait with what's going on. 00:37:34.760 --> 00:37:44.760 I'm crying out to God in a continual conversation with him, and so that my life is now no longer focused on me and on my problems, but on others and where they are, 00:37:45.120 --> 00:37:48.200 regardless of what they've done or what they will do. 00:37:49.200 --> 00:37:54.740 And so in closing, Paul writes, he says, this is what this looks like then in our life as we embrace this. 00:37:54.920 --> 00:37:57.460 This is the shock to the system for us. 00:37:58.060 --> 00:38:00.080 He says, bless those who persecute you. 00:38:01.480 --> 00:38:03.220 Bless and do not curse them. 00:38:05.020 --> 00:38:06.760 Rejoice with those who rejoice. 00:38:08.560 --> 00:38:09.780 Weep with those who weep. 00:38:11.100 --> 00:38:13.540 Live in harmony with one another. 00:38:13.900 --> 00:38:16.800 Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. 00:38:17.940 --> 00:38:21.200 Never wise in your own sight. 00:38:22.440 --> 00:38:24.500 Repay no one evil for evil. 00:38:26.040 --> 00:38:31.100 But give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 00:38:32.120 --> 00:38:33.900 If possible, right? 00:38:34.540 --> 00:38:37.080 As far as it depends on you and me, 00:38:38.080 --> 00:38:39.760 live peaceably with all. 00:38:41.200 --> 00:38:43.280 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, 00:38:44.400 --> 00:38:46.340 but leave it to the wrath of God. 00:38:47.400 --> 00:38:49.460 For it is written, vengeance is mine. 00:38:49.540 --> 00:38:51.560 I will repay, says the Lord. 00:38:51.780 --> 00:38:55.580 To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. 00:38:55.900 --> 00:38:58.780 If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. 00:38:59.380 --> 00:39:04.340 For by so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head. 00:39:05.160 --> 00:39:07.380 Do not be overcome by evil, 00:39:08.180 --> 00:39:11.300 but overcome evil with good. 00:39:14.820 --> 00:39:16.500 How did you do with this this week? 00:39:21.060 --> 00:39:22.860 Bless those who persecute you. 00:39:24.240 --> 00:39:25.340 How are we doing with that? 00:39:28.260 --> 00:39:29.960 I'm struggling. 00:39:31.500 --> 00:39:32.240 I'm failing. 00:39:33.760 --> 00:39:35.420 Are we working to live in harmony? 00:39:37.000 --> 00:39:39.600 Or are we working to start fires? 00:39:40.880 --> 00:39:42.920 Maybe we're not even working to start the fire, 00:39:43.160 --> 00:39:44.940 but we're definitely not trying to be the one 00:39:44.940 --> 00:39:45.800 to put the fire out. 00:39:47.320 --> 00:39:51.160 Are we pursuing what God's called us to be 00:39:51.160 --> 00:39:52.720 and what God's called us to do? 00:39:53.380 --> 00:39:55.160 Do we want evil for evil? 00:39:55.340 --> 00:39:57.500 Well, if you've done good for me, then you get good. 00:39:58.700 --> 00:40:00.400 But if you do evil for me, 00:40:00.960 --> 00:40:02.160 then you get my vengeance. 00:40:04.880 --> 00:40:08.480 The heart of Romans 12, 14. 00:40:09.680 --> 00:40:11.560 When you and I begin to understand 00:40:11.560 --> 00:40:14.020 what it means to live in community, 00:40:14.960 --> 00:40:17.140 we understand that what God's calling us to 00:40:17.140 --> 00:40:18.240 is to respond in grace. 00:40:19.820 --> 00:40:20.720 Responding in grace. 00:40:20.880 --> 00:40:22.000 And here's what this simply is. 00:40:23.420 --> 00:40:25.200 You and I deserve God's wrath, 00:40:25.820 --> 00:40:26.860 and instead he sent Jesus. 00:40:28.580 --> 00:40:32.760 You and I deserve to be wiped off the face of the earth, 00:40:32.920 --> 00:40:34.920 and instead he gives us another breath. 00:40:36.060 --> 00:40:38.040 And now what he calls us to do 00:40:38.040 --> 00:40:40.680 is that you and I, 00:40:40.900 --> 00:40:44.780 we simply respond in grace. 00:40:45.240 --> 00:40:47.660 So how God responds to us, 00:40:48.640 --> 00:40:50.580 how I want God to respond to me, 00:40:51.240 --> 00:40:54.040 is how I live my life in pursuit 00:40:54.040 --> 00:40:55.800 to respond to others. 00:40:56.540 --> 00:40:59.420 No matter what they have or haven't done, 00:41:00.180 --> 00:41:03.300 no matter if it's good or if it's evil, 00:41:03.660 --> 00:41:07.560 it's never going to be what they deserve 00:41:07.560 --> 00:41:11.520 because it's grace, it's grace, it's grace. 00:41:11.900 --> 00:41:12.880 Would you pray with me? 00:41:15.820 --> 00:41:18.300 God, I thank you so much for today. 00:41:20.560 --> 00:41:21.980 Lord, I thank you for your word 00:41:21.980 --> 00:41:24.000 as we've been able to go through this series. 00:41:25.260 --> 00:41:27.060 Lord, my prayer, my heart 00:41:27.060 --> 00:41:30.040 is an examination of ourselves 00:41:30.040 --> 00:41:34.640 that each one of us in owning our own faith 00:41:34.640 --> 00:41:36.780 would look at who we are 00:41:36.780 --> 00:41:39.340 or would look at what we've done. 00:41:39.980 --> 00:41:41.520 Lord, and it would bring us, 00:41:41.940 --> 00:41:44.860 our lives right now in light of the cross 00:41:44.860 --> 00:41:47.680 will bring us moment by moment 00:41:47.680 --> 00:41:49.580 to brokenness and to repentance. 00:41:50.580 --> 00:41:54.340 And you freely, time and time again, 00:41:54.480 --> 00:41:56.200 Lord, you give that to us 00:41:56.200 --> 00:41:57.560 and you give that to us. 00:41:57.800 --> 00:41:59.360 And what we have with you 00:41:59.360 --> 00:42:02.160 as a result of the work of the cross 00:42:02.160 --> 00:42:03.800 is fellowship with you, 00:42:04.140 --> 00:42:05.500 community with you, 00:42:05.640 --> 00:42:08.160 that even though what we deserve is evil, 00:42:08.260 --> 00:42:09.760 as evil as what we've done, 00:42:09.920 --> 00:42:11.600 Lord, you pour out your blessing 00:42:11.600 --> 00:42:13.020 and your grace upon us. 00:42:13.940 --> 00:42:15.500 And so, Lord, if we're going to take that 00:42:15.500 --> 00:42:18.320 and embody that as a group of believers, 00:42:18.640 --> 00:42:20.480 Lord, if this is who we are 00:42:20.480 --> 00:42:22.680 and what has transformed us, 00:42:24.840 --> 00:42:26.680 Lord, there needs to be the pursuit 00:42:26.680 --> 00:42:28.280 of our lives as well 00:42:28.280 --> 00:42:32.360 because of who you are 00:42:32.360 --> 00:42:37.560 and how you're transforming us. 00:42:39.180 --> 00:42:42.180 So, Lord, I pray that this week 00:42:42.180 --> 00:42:47.100 we can respond in grace 00:42:47.100 --> 00:42:56.700 because of what you've done for us. 00:43:02.580 --> 00:43:04.240 Every head bowed and every eye closed, 00:43:04.320 --> 00:43:06.320 I want to pray a passage of Scripture over us. 00:43:09.320 --> 00:43:10.500 Romans 12, 1. 00:43:10.500 --> 00:43:16.020 God, I pray that you would empower us 00:43:16.020 --> 00:43:18.340 to fulfill this, 00:43:18.920 --> 00:43:20.580 to pursue this in our lives. 00:43:21.580 --> 00:43:24.320 Church, I pray that we may present our bodies 00:43:24.320 --> 00:43:25.720 as a living sacrifice, 00:43:26.880 --> 00:43:30.160 holy and acceptable to God, 00:43:30.840 --> 00:43:32.760 which is our spiritual worship. 00:43:34.080 --> 00:43:35.900 Jesus, thank you for saving us. 00:43:36.640 --> 00:43:38.140 Thank you for redeeming us. 00:43:39.740 --> 00:43:41.640 Lord, may we live by the power 00:43:41.640 --> 00:43:43.780 of the Holy Spirit that is within us 00:43:43.780 --> 00:43:46.800 to glorify your name amongst all the earth. 00:43:47.640 --> 00:43:48.920 And it's in Jesus' name we pray. 00:43:49.580 --> 00:43:49.900 Amen. 00:43:50.960 --> 00:43:52.800 Would you stand as we respond to worship? 00:43:52.800 --> 00:44:10.440 Thanks again for listening 00:44:10.440 --> 00:44:12.340 to the Willow Ridge Church Weekly Podcast. 00:44:12.860 --> 00:44:14.180 We hope that you enjoyed listening 00:44:14.180 --> 00:44:15.180 to this week's message. 00:44:15.660 --> 00:44:17.560 If you'd like to learn more about who we are 00:44:17.560 --> 00:44:19.180 or explore additional resources, 00:44:19.780 --> 00:44:24.220 visit us online at www.willowridgechurch.com 00:44:24.220 --> 00:44:26.460 or by searching for Willow Ridge Church 00:44:26.460 --> 00:44:27.800 on Facebook and Instagram.