1 00:00:15,458 --> 00:00:16,750 Howdy Mars Hill Church. 2 00:00:16,833 --> 00:00:19,833 Pastor Sutton Turner here and I'm in Ethiopia. 3 00:00:19,875 --> 00:00:21,667 And I just want to thank Jesus 4 00:00:21,708 --> 00:00:25,000 for continuing to use Mars Hill Church 5 00:00:25,042 --> 00:00:28,583 to make disciples and plant churches. 6 00:00:29,167 --> 00:00:34,292 Mars Hill Global is the arm of Mars Hill Church 7 00:00:34,333 --> 00:00:35,917 that makes disciples 8 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:38,833 and plant churches all over the world. 9 00:00:38,917 --> 00:00:40,375 We not only do church planting, 10 00:00:40,458 --> 00:00:43,333 but we help better equip church planters. 11 00:00:43,417 --> 00:00:47,042 Most recently we shipped and now distributed 12 00:00:47,125 --> 00:00:49,500 1,000 bibles into Amharic, 13 00:00:49,542 --> 00:00:52,125 which is the language here in Ethiopia. 14 00:00:52,167 --> 00:00:54,042 And we launched a project 15 00:00:54,125 --> 00:00:59,250 to translate Pastor Mark Driscoll's doctrine book into Spanish. 16 00:00:59,333 --> 00:01:02,583 We have people from over 29 different countries 17 00:01:02,667 --> 00:01:06,167 that are giving on a monthly basis to Mars Hill Global. 18 00:01:06,208 --> 00:01:08,125 So whether you're a member 19 00:01:08,167 --> 00:01:11,083 of one of our Mars Hill church locations 20 00:01:11,167 --> 00:01:12,542 in the United States, 21 00:01:12,625 --> 00:01:18,208 or you're 1 of 100,000 podcasters every single week, 22 00:01:18,292 --> 00:01:19,667 we encourage you to pray 23 00:01:19,750 --> 00:01:23,083 about giving above and beyond your tithe 24 00:01:23,167 --> 00:01:24,625 to Mars Hill Global. 25 00:01:24,667 --> 00:01:28,958 Thank you and let's see more materials translated, 26 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:32,167 more pastors sent out, more churches planted, 27 00:01:32,250 --> 00:01:34,500 and more people saved by Jesus Christ. 28 00:01:54,625 --> 00:01:58,167 Brotherhood, it's a bond as old as time. 29 00:01:58,208 --> 00:02:00,625 It's a love that runs deep. 30 00:02:00,667 --> 00:02:05,000 It's bold, it's strong, it's enduring. 31 00:02:05,042 --> 00:02:07,333 There's a trust that's built among brothers, 32 00:02:07,375 --> 00:02:10,583 from the trials to the triumphs. 33 00:02:10,667 --> 00:02:13,917 It's a trust that comes from living life together. 34 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:16,708 No one knows you like your brother. 35 00:02:16,792 --> 00:02:21,375 He knows your strengths; he knows your weaknesses. 36 00:02:21,458 --> 00:02:25,000 A bold brother will lay it all down for his family. 37 00:02:25,083 --> 00:02:28,667 It is difficult to describe that kind of loyalty, 38 00:02:28,750 --> 00:02:32,375 that kind of courage, that kind of strength. 39 00:02:32,458 --> 00:02:34,625 It's the love of a brother. 40 00:02:34,667 --> 00:02:37,167 It's that kind of love that compelled James to become 41 00:02:37,250 --> 00:02:41,375 Jesus' bold little brother. 42 00:02:45,667 --> 00:02:47,792 So, how many of you loved riding your bike 43 00:02:47,833 --> 00:02:49,167 when you were a kid? 44 00:02:49,250 --> 00:02:51,042 Loved, loved, loved riding your bike? 45 00:02:51,125 --> 00:02:52,542 Let's hear it for the bike! 46 00:02:52,625 --> 00:02:55,625 Let's just do a little moment of tribute. 47 00:02:55,667 --> 00:02:58,542 Thank you, Lord, for the bike. 48 00:02:58,625 --> 00:03:01,125 I really loved my bike when I was a kid 49 00:03:01,167 --> 00:03:03,000 because you could go almost anywhere. 50 00:03:03,083 --> 00:03:05,750 You could go almost anywhere if you were committed to pedaling. 51 00:03:05,833 --> 00:03:08,750 And so I'd go to my friend's house, go to the pool, 52 00:03:08,833 --> 00:03:10,750 go to the park, go to ball practice, 53 00:03:10,833 --> 00:03:12,250 go hang out with my friends. 54 00:03:12,333 --> 00:03:14,458 And there was one day I can still remember. 55 00:03:14,500 --> 00:03:17,167 I was a little kid, probably too far away from home, 56 00:03:17,208 --> 00:03:19,333 a little further than my parents gave me permission, 57 00:03:19,417 --> 00:03:22,042 and I'm pedaling, and "clunk," the pedal came off the bike. 58 00:03:22,125 --> 00:03:24,458 And I thought, "Well, I'll fix it." 59 00:03:24,500 --> 00:03:26,625 No tools, so you know, as a kid does, 60 00:03:26,667 --> 00:03:28,333 you try and put it back on. 61 00:03:28,375 --> 00:03:31,333 You go, "I fixed it," and then you jump on, you pedal, 62 00:03:31,375 --> 00:03:32,708 what happens? 63 00:03:32,792 --> 00:03:34,208 "Clunk"--you didn't really fix it. 64 00:03:34,292 --> 00:03:36,208 You're a kid; you didn't have any tools. 65 00:03:36,292 --> 00:03:38,417 So I'm thinking, "OK, what do I do now?" 66 00:03:38,500 --> 00:03:40,417 So, I put the pedal in my pocket. 67 00:03:40,500 --> 00:03:42,917 I'm trying to figure out, "How do I get home?" 68 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:44,917 I've actually got a long ways to go. 69 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:46,333 I know what I'll do. 70 00:03:46,375 --> 00:03:48,000 Easy, easy. I'll just use one pedal, 71 00:03:48,083 --> 00:03:49,667 and I'll ride home with one pedal. 72 00:03:49,750 --> 00:03:52,667 And so I'm kind of--you could tell it didn't go well, right? 73 00:03:52,750 --> 00:03:54,667 I mean, I can't even revisit that moment 74 00:03:54,750 --> 00:03:56,083 without falling off the stage. 75 00:03:56,167 --> 00:03:59,083 So, in your mind's eye, just think of me trying to pedal. 76 00:03:59,167 --> 00:04:01,917 How many of you kids tried to pedal with one pedal? 77 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:03,667 You ever try that? How'd it go? 78 00:04:03,708 --> 00:04:05,042 Not well. 79 00:04:05,125 --> 00:04:06,458 Congratulations, you lived through it. 80 00:04:06,500 --> 00:04:07,833 That was a miracle, OK? 81 00:04:07,917 --> 00:04:10,542 It's impossible to ride a bike with one--you don't go anywhere, 82 00:04:10,625 --> 00:04:11,958 you can't make any progress. 83 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,750 As we jump into James 1:19-27, 84 00:04:15,833 --> 00:04:17,708 here's what I want you to think of 85 00:04:17,792 --> 00:04:19,958 as we go through this whole section of Scripture: 86 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:22,750 The Christian life is like that. 87 00:04:22,833 --> 00:04:24,167 It's like that. 88 00:04:24,208 --> 00:04:25,833 It's like two pedals on a bike. 89 00:04:25,917 --> 00:04:27,333 Know the word, do the word. 90 00:04:27,417 --> 00:04:28,917 Know the word, do the word. 91 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:30,417 Know the word, do the word. 92 00:04:30,500 --> 00:04:31,917 Know the word, do the word. 93 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:35,125 Some of you are know-the-word, know-the-word, know-the-word, 94 00:04:35,167 --> 00:04:36,500 know-the-word people. 95 00:04:36,583 --> 00:04:38,667 You read books, you've got footnotes, you're totally nerdy. 96 00:04:38,708 --> 00:04:40,167 Right now you're probably double-checking everything 97 00:04:40,208 --> 00:04:42,625 I'm saying on the Internet to see if it's true. 98 00:04:42,667 --> 00:04:44,833 Know the word, know the word, know the word, 99 00:04:44,875 --> 00:04:47,667 know--and some of you are do the word, do the word, 100 00:04:47,708 --> 00:04:50,000 real practical, real faithful, real consistent. 101 00:04:50,042 --> 00:04:52,667 You don't like books because you already got done with school, 102 00:04:52,708 --> 00:04:54,042 OK? 103 00:04:54,125 --> 00:04:57,250 So, know the word, do the word, know the word, do the word. 104 00:04:57,333 --> 00:04:58,750 I know you love the illustration-- 105 00:04:58,833 --> 00:05:00,208 you're welcome-- 106 00:05:00,292 --> 00:05:03,625 but just keep it in your mind's eye for the rest of the sermon. 107 00:05:03,667 --> 00:05:07,250 And he's going to teach us that we need to know the word of God 108 00:05:07,333 --> 00:05:10,250 and do the word of God. And here's where James learned this: 109 00:05:10,333 --> 00:05:12,208 He learned it from his big brother Jesus. 110 00:05:12,292 --> 00:05:14,708 If you're new, James is a pastor at this point. 111 00:05:14,792 --> 00:05:16,708 He's a grown, older man, but growing up, 112 00:05:16,792 --> 00:05:18,333 his big brother was Jesus Christ. 113 00:05:18,417 --> 00:05:20,667 And they would have sat together in synagogue, 114 00:05:20,708 --> 00:05:23,667 their equivalent of church every week, hearing the lesson, 115 00:05:23,708 --> 00:05:26,042 taking notes, talking about it on the way home 116 00:05:26,125 --> 00:05:28,542 as they're walking back to their mom and dad's place. 117 00:05:28,625 --> 00:05:30,333 "Jesus, what did you learn? 118 00:05:30,417 --> 00:05:31,750 "James, what did you learn? 119 00:05:31,833 --> 00:05:33,250 "What are we going to do? 120 00:05:33,333 --> 00:05:34,958 "How can we pray for each other? 121 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:36,750 What does this mean for our week?" 122 00:05:36,833 --> 00:05:39,417 These are guys who probably shared a bedroom together 123 00:05:39,500 --> 00:05:40,833 growing up. 124 00:05:40,917 --> 00:05:43,042 They would have sat at the dinner table, praying, 125 00:05:43,125 --> 00:05:45,333 talking, in addition to the rest of the family. 126 00:05:45,375 --> 00:05:47,042 They went to school together. 127 00:05:47,125 --> 00:05:50,000 So James watched his big brother Jesus 128 00:05:50,042 --> 00:05:55,250 grow to know the word of God and then do the word of God. 129 00:05:55,333 --> 00:05:59,000 He even heard Jesus say this very thing. 130 00:05:59,042 --> 00:06:01,750 We know that Jesus said it in Luke 11:28. 131 00:06:01,833 --> 00:06:04,958 Jesus said, "Blessed are those who know the word of God 132 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:07,708 and do it." 133 00:06:07,792 --> 00:06:11,417 So, from Jesus' works, how he lived his life, and his words, 134 00:06:11,500 --> 00:06:14,958 the things that he taught, James learned what to do with this 135 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:17,333 book, the most important book written in the history 136 00:06:17,417 --> 00:06:18,750 of the world. 137 00:06:18,833 --> 00:06:21,125 This is the word of God. 138 00:06:21,167 --> 00:06:23,125 That's what it claims repeatedly. 139 00:06:23,167 --> 00:06:26,625 And this is so incredibly important because we live 140 00:06:26,667 --> 00:06:29,708 in a world that is filled with words about God: 141 00:06:29,792 --> 00:06:31,167 philosophy, religion, 142 00:06:31,208 --> 00:06:33,333 speculation of various sorts and kinds. 143 00:06:33,375 --> 00:06:35,958 Some of it is truthful, and helpful, and much of it, 144 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:37,417 quite frankly, is not. 145 00:06:37,500 --> 00:06:39,125 This is not a word about God. 146 00:06:39,167 --> 00:06:44,250 This is the word of God, and this most important word of God, 147 00:06:44,333 --> 00:06:46,625 it is most important for us to determine, 148 00:06:46,667 --> 00:06:48,250 "What to we do with this?" 149 00:06:48,333 --> 00:06:50,667 What do we do with this word of God? 150 00:06:50,708 --> 00:06:54,500 And following in Jesus' example and instruction, James says, 151 00:06:54,542 --> 00:06:56,500 "Know it and do it." 152 00:06:56,542 --> 00:06:58,083 Know it and do it. 153 00:06:58,167 --> 00:07:03,458 And so we jump to James 1:19, where he begins with 154 00:07:03,500 --> 00:07:05,958 his exhortation that we know the word. 155 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:07,458 So, here's how he begins. 156 00:07:07,500 --> 00:07:09,958 "Know this, my beloved brothers." 157 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:13,667 That's the Christians, the men and the women, positionally, 158 00:07:13,708 --> 00:07:15,333 are brothers in Christ. 159 00:07:15,375 --> 00:07:16,708 They're beloved. 160 00:07:16,792 --> 00:07:18,208 They have an inheritance. 161 00:07:18,292 --> 00:07:19,958 They carry the family name and legacy. 162 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:22,500 "Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, 163 00:07:22,583 --> 00:07:25,167 "slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce 164 00:07:25,208 --> 00:07:26,542 "the righteousness of God. 165 00:07:26,625 --> 00:07:28,750 "Therefore put away all filthiness 166 00:07:28,833 --> 00:07:30,167 "and rampant wickedness 167 00:07:30,208 --> 00:07:32,167 "and receive with meekness the implanted word, 168 00:07:32,208 --> 00:07:34,208 which is able to save your souls." 169 00:07:34,292 --> 00:07:36,208 He starts with this: "Know this. 170 00:07:36,292 --> 00:07:37,625 Know this!" 171 00:07:37,667 --> 00:07:39,250 He's trying to grab your attention. 172 00:07:39,333 --> 00:07:43,000 He's trying to grab our mind and to open it up to receive 173 00:07:43,083 --> 00:07:45,042 this amazing truth from God. 174 00:07:45,125 --> 00:07:46,458 Know this. 175 00:07:46,500 --> 00:07:48,458 Don't forget this because here's what can happen. 176 00:07:48,500 --> 00:07:52,000 He's going to give us a list of things to do and not do, 177 00:07:52,042 --> 00:07:54,375 and we can rush right into the to-do list. 178 00:07:54,458 --> 00:07:56,375 And he's saying, "Don't do that just yet. 179 00:07:56,458 --> 00:07:59,375 "We'll get to what you should do and not do, but first, 180 00:07:59,458 --> 00:08:00,958 there's something you need to know." 181 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:05,917 So he says, "Know this, my beloved." 182 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:09,542 It all starts with the love of God. 183 00:08:09,625 --> 00:08:13,750 Receive this. 184 00:08:13,833 --> 00:08:17,333 Sit in it for a moment. 185 00:08:17,417 --> 00:08:22,042 You are God's beloved. 186 00:08:22,125 --> 00:08:25,000 You're God's beloved. 187 00:08:25,083 --> 00:08:30,042 If you're a Christian, you're God's beloved. 188 00:08:30,125 --> 00:08:35,458 See, my wife is here. She's my beloved. 189 00:08:35,500 --> 00:08:37,333 God loves you like that. 190 00:08:37,375 --> 00:08:38,708 My kids are here. 191 00:08:38,792 --> 00:08:40,125 They're my beloved. 192 00:08:40,167 --> 00:08:41,750 God loves you like that. 193 00:08:41,833 --> 00:08:44,750 God loves you, the Bible says, like a husband loves his wife, 194 00:08:44,833 --> 00:08:48,042 like a father loves his kids. 195 00:08:48,125 --> 00:08:52,667 God loves you. 196 00:08:52,750 --> 00:08:57,292 This establishes your identity, 197 00:08:57,333 --> 00:09:00,167 and out of your identity comes your activity. 198 00:09:00,208 --> 00:09:03,833 Before he tells you what to do, he tells you who you are. 199 00:09:03,917 --> 00:09:06,500 It's very important to get that right. 200 00:09:06,583 --> 00:09:10,833 The result is that when we obey God, 201 00:09:10,917 --> 00:09:13,333 when we do what God tells us to do, 202 00:09:13,375 --> 00:09:16,833 we're not working for the love of God, 203 00:09:16,917 --> 00:09:21,000 we're working from the love of God. 204 00:09:21,083 --> 00:09:22,917 This is the difference between Christianity 205 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:26,667 and other false religions. 206 00:09:26,708 --> 00:09:30,542 It begins with the love of God. 207 00:09:30,625 --> 00:09:35,250 God can't love you anymore, and no matter what you do, 208 00:09:35,333 --> 00:09:37,833 God won't love you any less. 209 00:09:37,917 --> 00:09:43,333 And this changes our obedience. 210 00:09:43,417 --> 00:09:46,167 Imagine if I had this conversation 211 00:09:46,208 --> 00:09:47,917 with one of my children. 212 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:51,458 "I don't love you, but I might. 213 00:09:51,500 --> 00:09:55,083 "It all depends on how you perform. 214 00:09:55,167 --> 00:09:58,583 "I'm going to give you a list of things to do and not do. 215 00:09:58,667 --> 00:10:04,792 "If I find that you have obeyed them, then I might love you. 216 00:10:04,833 --> 00:10:09,083 But it's all predicated on your performance." 217 00:10:09,167 --> 00:10:14,667 That's not how God thinks, that's not how God feels, 218 00:10:14,750 --> 00:10:17,083 that's not what God says. 219 00:10:17,167 --> 00:10:22,792 God says, "I love you, and my love for you is not predicated 220 00:10:22,833 --> 00:10:24,500 "on anything that you do. 221 00:10:24,542 --> 00:10:27,500 "It's predicated on who I am. 222 00:10:27,542 --> 00:10:30,375 "You can't earn it, and because you can't earn it, 223 00:10:30,458 --> 00:10:33,667 "you can't un-earn it and lose it. 224 00:10:33,750 --> 00:10:36,167 "I am devoted to you, I am committed to you, 225 00:10:36,250 --> 00:10:38,542 "I am affectionate toward you. 226 00:10:38,625 --> 00:10:40,833 "I only want good for you. 227 00:10:40,917 --> 00:10:43,958 You're my beloved." 228 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:47,250 It would be like me looking at one of my children, saying, 229 00:10:47,333 --> 00:10:50,708 "You need to work for my love." 230 00:10:50,792 --> 00:10:54,167 That's horrific, and parents, never do that. 231 00:10:54,250 --> 00:11:01,167 Instead, it's the Father saying, "You can work from my love. 232 00:11:01,250 --> 00:11:06,583 "Because I love you, I need you to listen to me. 233 00:11:06,667 --> 00:11:09,958 "I need you to trust that what I am telling you is 234 00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:12,750 for your good." 235 00:11:12,833 --> 00:11:16,000 So, he starts with, "Beloved, know this." 236 00:11:16,042 --> 00:11:17,875 You're beloved. 237 00:11:17,958 --> 00:11:21,083 His love is a gift, and then he speaks of a second gift 238 00:11:21,167 --> 00:11:24,083 that God wants to give us and we need to receive, 239 00:11:24,167 --> 00:11:25,792 and it's the word of God. 240 00:11:25,833 --> 00:11:28,458 So, it's the love of God and the word of God. 241 00:11:28,500 --> 00:11:30,083 He starts with these two gifts. 242 00:11:30,167 --> 00:11:32,083 And he talks of the word of God, 243 00:11:32,167 --> 00:11:33,542 "The implanted word, 244 00:11:33,625 --> 00:11:35,667 which is able to save your souls." 245 00:11:35,708 --> 00:11:37,792 Now, how many of you are gardeners? 246 00:11:37,833 --> 00:11:40,458 How many of you are excited that pretty soon, 247 00:11:40,500 --> 00:11:43,375 you'll be able to take seeds, and place them in the ground, 248 00:11:43,458 --> 00:11:45,375 and then they can be watered and nourished, 249 00:11:45,458 --> 00:11:48,792 and eventually, they'll spring to life, and something beautiful 250 00:11:48,833 --> 00:11:53,167 will come into existence, something fruitful will happen? 251 00:11:53,208 --> 00:11:55,583 God is like a gardener. 252 00:11:55,667 --> 00:11:59,583 God wants to take his word, and he wants to plant it 253 00:11:59,667 --> 00:12:04,958 in your soul so that there could be life and fruit 254 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:08,958 that proceeds out of your relationship with him. 255 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:12,542 And so what he's telling us is that the word of God has power 256 00:12:12,625 --> 00:12:14,000 for life within it. 257 00:12:14,083 --> 00:12:16,542 One of the most amazing things, particularly when you were 258 00:12:16,625 --> 00:12:19,958 a kid--how many of you, when you were a kid and you were in 259 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:22,958 school, they'd give you a little cup, they'd put dirt in it, 260 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:25,167 and they'd say, "OK, put a seed in it, 261 00:12:25,208 --> 00:12:26,542 "water it every day, 262 00:12:26,625 --> 00:12:28,250 "and put it over by the windowsill, 263 00:12:28,333 --> 00:12:29,667 and see what happens." 264 00:12:29,708 --> 00:12:32,167 And how many of you, you'd show up to school, 265 00:12:32,208 --> 00:12:33,917 and you'd run over to the windowsill, 266 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:35,417 and you'd look at the cup. 267 00:12:35,500 --> 00:12:36,917 "Ooh, it's budding! Ooh, it's growing! 268 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:38,333 Ooh, it's happening!" 269 00:12:38,375 --> 00:12:41,500 God says, "I want to do that in your soul with my word, 270 00:12:41,583 --> 00:12:44,000 "and I have that kind of excitement for this process 271 00:12:44,083 --> 00:12:45,750 "that I want to take you through. 272 00:12:45,833 --> 00:12:48,000 "I want to take my perfect, eternal, 273 00:12:48,083 --> 00:12:52,333 "life-giving word, and I want to plant it in your soul, 274 00:12:52,417 --> 00:12:54,583 "right in the center of your life, 275 00:12:54,667 --> 00:12:57,042 "your existence, your identity. 276 00:12:57,125 --> 00:12:59,292 "And then you're going to grow. 277 00:12:59,333 --> 00:13:03,250 "You're going to be fruitful, and your life is going to change by 278 00:13:03,333 --> 00:13:07,750 the power of my love and the power of my word." 279 00:13:07,833 --> 00:13:09,625 Now, that's good news, amen? 280 00:13:09,667 --> 00:13:12,125 So, as we hear this, and then God says, 281 00:13:12,167 --> 00:13:14,208 "So do this and don't do that." 282 00:13:14,292 --> 00:13:18,250 He starts with, "Know this: My love is a gift. 283 00:13:18,333 --> 00:13:19,667 "My word is a gift. 284 00:13:19,708 --> 00:13:22,833 "We're going to do something together that is wonderful, 285 00:13:22,917 --> 00:13:28,042 and your life is going to change." 286 00:13:28,125 --> 00:13:34,458 But there are five ways that we can resist this, 287 00:13:34,500 --> 00:13:40,208 we can fight this, we can oppose this. 288 00:13:40,292 --> 00:13:46,208 Some of you will call it your personality, right? 289 00:13:48,667 --> 00:13:50,458 "I'm a J-E-R-K. 290 00:13:50,500 --> 00:13:54,542 "I took a test, and that's my personality. 291 00:13:54,625 --> 00:13:57,500 "They're an E-N-T-P, I'm a J-E-R-K. 292 00:13:57,542 --> 00:14:00,625 "That's just, you know-- this is the way I am. 293 00:14:00,667 --> 00:14:02,458 This is my personality." 294 00:14:02,500 --> 00:14:08,208 Sometimes God wants us to repent of our personality, OK? 295 00:14:08,292 --> 00:14:13,167 These are types of people, these are personalities that-- 296 00:14:13,208 --> 00:14:18,458 they're not willing to receive the implanted word of God fully, 297 00:14:18,500 --> 00:14:21,750 and as a result, they don't grow as fast as they should, 298 00:14:21,833 --> 00:14:25,333 and they can't produce as much fruit as they are able. 299 00:14:25,375 --> 00:14:28,042 The first is the chatterbox, OK? 300 00:14:28,125 --> 00:14:29,750 Do you know what a chatterbox is? 301 00:14:29,833 --> 00:14:31,958 Some of you are like, "I think I do. 302 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:34,167 "I don't know. Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. 303 00:14:34,208 --> 00:14:36,667 I think I'm a verbal processor. Does that count as--" 304 00:14:36,708 --> 00:14:38,042 yes, you're a chatterbox, OK? 305 00:14:38,125 --> 00:14:40,750 This is a person who they talk a lot, too much. 306 00:14:40,833 --> 00:14:42,500 And some of you say, "You're preaching, 307 00:14:42,583 --> 00:14:43,917 aren't you a hypocrite?" 308 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:45,333 Yes, but overlook that. 309 00:14:45,375 --> 00:14:46,833 Moving right along, for the chatterboxes, 310 00:14:46,875 --> 00:14:49,792 the one that always has to talk, and fill in the air, 311 00:14:49,833 --> 00:14:52,542 and can't just let things be, and always needs to get 312 00:14:52,625 --> 00:14:55,167 the last word, and make sure that you get their input, 313 00:14:55,250 --> 00:14:56,958 and their voice needs to be considered, 314 00:14:57,000 --> 00:14:59,583 and, "I need to tell you what I think about this," 315 00:14:59,667 --> 00:15:01,333 and they've always got to say something. 316 00:15:01,417 --> 00:15:04,250 What he says to--are you a chatterbox? 317 00:15:04,333 --> 00:15:10,167 If you're not sure, your spouse will help you clarify. 318 00:15:10,208 --> 00:15:12,333 What does he say to the chatterbox? 319 00:15:12,375 --> 00:15:17,042 You need to learn to be slow to speak. 320 00:15:17,125 --> 00:15:18,833 Slow to speak. 321 00:15:18,917 --> 00:15:22,000 The rabbis used to say, "God gave us two ears and one mouth 322 00:15:22,083 --> 00:15:27,417 because we're supposed to listen twice as much as we speak." 323 00:15:27,500 --> 00:15:30,958 The second personality is the bad listener. 324 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:33,125 Are you a bad listener? 325 00:15:33,167 --> 00:15:35,250 I'll say it again, OK? 326 00:15:35,333 --> 00:15:37,625 Are you a bad listener? 327 00:15:37,667 --> 00:15:41,958 A bad listener is sometimes a person who's distracted, 328 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:44,250 and there's so much going on in their mind, 329 00:15:44,333 --> 00:15:46,458 and they're so frazzled and frantic, they're not listening. 330 00:15:46,500 --> 00:15:49,208 But sometimes, they hear and they just don't like it. 331 00:15:49,292 --> 00:15:52,958 It might be true, but they just don't like it. 332 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:54,875 Bad listener. 333 00:15:54,958 --> 00:15:57,958 What does he say to the bad listener? 334 00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:02,042 We need to learn to be quick to hear. 335 00:16:02,125 --> 00:16:04,750 Some of you have been told, "You don't listen!" 336 00:16:04,833 --> 00:16:06,250 You're like, "What?" 337 00:16:06,333 --> 00:16:07,917 "You don't listen." 338 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:09,750 "Huh?" 339 00:16:09,833 --> 00:16:12,958 Some of you, you've gotten information, 340 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:17,042 you've gotten truth, maybe even it's God's word, 341 00:16:17,125 --> 00:16:18,833 you just don't listen to it. 342 00:16:18,875 --> 00:16:21,333 Either you don't hear it, or you don't ponder it, 343 00:16:21,417 --> 00:16:25,667 you don't consider it, you don't receive it, you don't plant it. 344 00:16:25,708 --> 00:16:29,958 What you don't need is more information, 345 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:33,333 you need more receptivity. 346 00:16:33,417 --> 00:16:37,333 Number three, some of you are the person with the short fuse. 347 00:16:37,417 --> 00:16:38,750 You heard that? 348 00:16:38,833 --> 00:16:40,833 "Oh, they've got a very short fuse." 349 00:16:40,917 --> 00:16:45,458 This is someone who is prone to anger. 350 00:16:45,500 --> 00:16:49,000 Now, out of these five, there will be at least one that is 351 00:16:49,083 --> 00:16:51,000 most convicting for you. 352 00:16:51,042 --> 00:16:54,167 This is one that's most convicting for me. 353 00:16:54,208 --> 00:17:00,042 And if you're a person who can get angry as I can, immediately, 354 00:17:00,125 --> 00:17:02,250 maybe if you're like me, you'll get theological. 355 00:17:02,333 --> 00:17:03,750 You're like, "Well, God gets angry. 356 00:17:03,833 --> 00:17:05,958 It's one of God's emotions. It's not a sin." 357 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:11,000 Yeah, and God doesn't get angry like we do. 358 00:17:11,083 --> 00:17:12,833 "The anger of man does not produce 359 00:17:12,875 --> 00:17:15,667 the righteousness of God." 360 00:17:15,708 --> 00:17:18,167 He's talking about a difference between the way that we 361 00:17:18,208 --> 00:17:21,167 are prone to get angry and the way that God gets angry, 362 00:17:21,208 --> 00:17:23,958 and those tend to be different. 363 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:27,833 The verse of the Bible that is quoted in the rest of the Bible 364 00:17:27,917 --> 00:17:31,833 more than any verse in the Bible is Exodus 34:6. 365 00:17:31,917 --> 00:17:33,333 Have you ever wondered that? 366 00:17:33,375 --> 00:17:35,458 "Boy, out of all the verses in the Bible, 367 00:17:35,500 --> 00:17:37,208 "which verse do the other authors, 368 00:17:37,292 --> 00:17:38,958 "under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, 369 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:41,458 remember and go back and quote all the time?" 370 00:17:41,500 --> 00:17:43,750 What's the most popular verse in the whole Bible? 371 00:17:43,833 --> 00:17:47,042 That would probably be a very important verse. 372 00:17:47,125 --> 00:17:53,292 Exodus 34:6, and God says he's, "The Lord, the Lord," hear this, 373 00:17:53,333 --> 00:17:57,292 "slow to anger." 374 00:17:57,333 --> 00:17:59,750 It doesn't say, "Who never gets angry," 375 00:17:59,833 --> 00:18:02,833 because at the end of this section, in Exodus 34, he says, 376 00:18:02,917 --> 00:18:06,250 "And I don't leave the guilty unpunished." 377 00:18:06,333 --> 00:18:09,917 What God is saying is, "I do have a wick, 378 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:13,333 "but it's not a short wick that burns fast. 379 00:18:13,417 --> 00:18:16,625 It's a long wick that burns slow." 380 00:18:16,667 --> 00:18:21,000 God's not always teetering on the edge of anger, 381 00:18:21,083 --> 00:18:23,042 just leaning into it, 382 00:18:23,125 --> 00:18:27,458 just waiting to be pushed over that line. 383 00:18:27,500 --> 00:18:29,125 Some of you live there. 384 00:18:29,167 --> 00:18:31,125 You're angry. 385 00:18:31,167 --> 00:18:35,667 One person, one thing, it sets you off, 386 00:18:35,708 --> 00:18:37,750 it pushes you over the line. 387 00:18:37,833 --> 00:18:40,000 You're raging, you're angry, you're frustrated, 388 00:18:40,083 --> 00:18:42,000 you're steaming. 389 00:18:42,083 --> 00:18:46,542 The people that are around you, they are always on guard. 390 00:18:46,625 --> 00:18:49,500 They feel like they are in the presence of a grenade 391 00:18:49,542 --> 00:18:51,333 with the pin pulled. 392 00:18:51,417 --> 00:18:56,667 The slightest bump and an explosion will occur. 393 00:18:56,750 --> 00:19:00,750 What does he say to those with a short fuse? 394 00:19:00,833 --> 00:19:06,250 We are to learn to be slow to anger. 395 00:19:06,333 --> 00:19:09,458 Number four, the compromiser. 396 00:19:09,500 --> 00:19:14,208 The compromiser is the person who--they can't stand this sin, 397 00:19:14,292 --> 00:19:17,542 but they can stand that sin. 398 00:19:17,625 --> 00:19:19,250 "That's nasty, I hate it. 399 00:19:19,333 --> 00:19:22,708 That's nasty, I kind of like it." 400 00:19:22,792 --> 00:19:25,833 They're inconsistent, and we might call them hypocritical. 401 00:19:25,917 --> 00:19:28,833 These are people who will not submit their whole life 402 00:19:28,917 --> 00:19:30,250 to the Lord. 403 00:19:30,333 --> 00:19:32,750 Instead, they will segment their life to the Lord. 404 00:19:32,833 --> 00:19:35,250 "And this part, I'm going to keep that in order. 405 00:19:35,333 --> 00:19:37,458 "And this part, well, I kind of enjoy that. 406 00:19:37,500 --> 00:19:38,833 "Nobody's perfect. 407 00:19:38,917 --> 00:19:40,333 "I read something about not judging. 408 00:19:40,417 --> 00:19:41,750 Good enough." 409 00:19:41,833 --> 00:19:44,833 OK? 410 00:19:44,917 --> 00:19:48,333 What he says is, "Therefore put away"--how much-- 411 00:19:48,417 --> 00:19:50,667 "filthiness and rampant wickedness"? 412 00:19:50,750 --> 00:19:53,792 How much? All. 413 00:19:53,833 --> 00:19:55,292 All. 414 00:19:55,333 --> 00:20:01,000 He's saying, "Don't segment your life, surrender your life. 415 00:20:01,042 --> 00:20:05,500 "Don't clean up part of your life and allow rampant sin 416 00:20:05,542 --> 00:20:09,292 and wickedness in another part of your life." 417 00:20:09,333 --> 00:20:13,542 And the compromiser is willing to live with this incongruity, 418 00:20:13,625 --> 00:20:16,292 this hypocrisy. 419 00:20:16,333 --> 00:20:22,958 Now, what he is saying is that those need to get rid of all 420 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:25,083 filthiness and rampant wickedness, 421 00:20:25,167 --> 00:20:28,167 and then he gives us the fifth category, 422 00:20:28,250 --> 00:20:30,375 the know-it-all. 423 00:20:30,458 --> 00:20:33,000 The know-it-all is the person that you can't teach them 424 00:20:33,042 --> 00:20:35,375 anything because they already know everything. 425 00:20:35,458 --> 00:20:37,375 As soon as you start teaching them something, 426 00:20:37,458 --> 00:20:39,167 they interrupt you like, "Oh, I know," 427 00:20:39,250 --> 00:20:42,042 and then they tell you all that they know. 428 00:20:42,125 --> 00:20:45,583 They like to be the authority, they like to get the last word, 429 00:20:45,667 --> 00:20:48,292 they like to make sure you know how smart they are, 430 00:20:48,333 --> 00:20:50,333 and all that they understand and their insight, 431 00:20:50,375 --> 00:20:53,000 and, "I've thought of that, and thank you, and you know, 432 00:20:53,083 --> 00:20:55,208 "very nice of you to use your small brain 433 00:20:55,292 --> 00:20:58,708 to try and contribute, but unnecessary," OK? 434 00:20:58,792 --> 00:21:01,375 The know-it-all. 435 00:21:01,458 --> 00:21:03,333 And the problem with the know-it-all 436 00:21:03,417 --> 00:21:05,292 is they're proud. 437 00:21:05,333 --> 00:21:06,875 They're not humble. 438 00:21:06,958 --> 00:21:10,542 As a result, they don't receive instruction. 439 00:21:10,625 --> 00:21:14,083 They reject instruction. 440 00:21:14,167 --> 00:21:17,000 For those who are the know-it-all, he says, 441 00:21:17,042 --> 00:21:21,083 "Receive with meekness," humility there. 442 00:21:21,167 --> 00:21:26,000 "Lord, I am not as smart as you. Lord, I have things to learn. 443 00:21:26,042 --> 00:21:29,000 "Lord, there are ways I need to change. 444 00:21:29,042 --> 00:21:33,167 Lord, I want to be teachable." 445 00:21:33,250 --> 00:21:37,458 For those who are the know-it-all, 446 00:21:37,500 --> 00:21:43,042 it's really a proud heart that's unwilling to receive a good gift 447 00:21:43,125 --> 00:21:46,000 like the word of God. 448 00:21:46,042 --> 00:21:49,000 So, which one are you: the chatterbox, 449 00:21:49,042 --> 00:21:51,583 the bad listener, the short fuse, 450 00:21:51,667 --> 00:21:53,083 the compromiser, or the know-it-all? 451 00:21:53,167 --> 00:21:55,292 And some of you are like, "I don't know. 452 00:21:55,333 --> 00:21:56,667 I'm two or three." 453 00:21:56,750 --> 00:21:58,167 They're not mutually exclusive, OK? 454 00:21:58,250 --> 00:22:01,167 You can have the great capacity of ticking more than one box, 455 00:22:01,208 --> 00:22:02,667 OK? 456 00:22:02,708 --> 00:22:04,750 We all can. 457 00:22:04,833 --> 00:22:06,833 And so the first thing he's saying is, 458 00:22:06,875 --> 00:22:08,250 "You need to know the word." 459 00:22:08,333 --> 00:22:10,250 You need to know the word of God. 460 00:22:10,333 --> 00:22:13,458 I would ask you: how well do you know the word of God 461 00:22:13,500 --> 00:22:14,958 and what aspect of your personality 462 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:17,917 and proclivity might be hindering, resisting, 463 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:21,750 fighting this great gift of God planting his word 464 00:22:21,833 --> 00:22:26,167 in your life to cause fruitfulness to come forth? 465 00:22:26,208 --> 00:22:29,333 And he's going to transition from "Know the word" 466 00:22:29,417 --> 00:22:30,750 to "Do the word," 467 00:22:30,833 --> 00:22:33,250 because it's not just enough to know the word. 468 00:22:33,333 --> 00:22:36,833 We have to do the word, otherwise we end up like this. 469 00:22:36,875 --> 00:22:38,250 I'll give you an analogy. 470 00:22:38,333 --> 00:22:41,458 Imagine a dad who gets up early in the morning before the kids 471 00:22:41,500 --> 00:22:43,125 go to school and he realizes, 472 00:22:43,167 --> 00:22:45,625 "Man, the garbage cans in the house are all full, 473 00:22:45,667 --> 00:22:47,458 the trash in the kitchen is overflowing." 474 00:22:47,500 --> 00:22:50,667 Goes outside, "Golly, the garbage can is full. 475 00:22:50,708 --> 00:22:53,167 "Oh, and it's trash pick-up day. 476 00:22:53,208 --> 00:22:55,542 I need my kids to take the garbage out." 477 00:22:55,625 --> 00:22:58,542 So, dad goes back in, writes a long letter and he starts, 478 00:22:58,625 --> 00:23:01,125 "Really, I love you. You kids know I love you. 479 00:23:01,167 --> 00:23:02,833 "You're the best kids in the world. 480 00:23:02,917 --> 00:23:04,500 "I wouldn't trade you for anybody. 481 00:23:04,583 --> 00:23:07,000 "Remember I gave you ice cream for dessert last night, 482 00:23:07,083 --> 00:23:09,500 and I'll give you a hug when I get home." 483 00:23:09,583 --> 00:23:11,250 He starts with a lot of love 484 00:23:11,333 --> 00:23:13,458 before he gets into the do and don't do. 485 00:23:13,500 --> 00:23:15,958 "It is trash pick-up day. The house stinks. 486 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:17,417 "It's a total wreck. 487 00:23:17,500 --> 00:23:20,625 "I need you kids to take all the trash out of the bins 488 00:23:20,667 --> 00:23:23,250 "in the house, take them out to the big garbage can, 489 00:23:23,333 --> 00:23:26,250 "drag it out to the curb because the trash truck is coming. 490 00:23:26,333 --> 00:23:27,667 "It's garbage pick-up day. 491 00:23:27,708 --> 00:23:30,667 "I really need you to do this before you go to school. 492 00:23:30,708 --> 00:23:32,042 Love, Dad." 493 00:23:32,125 --> 00:23:36,833 Kids get up, read the letter, go to school, come home. 494 00:23:36,917 --> 00:23:39,708 Dad comes home from work, there's no garbage can 495 00:23:39,792 --> 00:23:41,208 out on the curb. 496 00:23:41,292 --> 00:23:43,833 Drives up, garbage can is overflowing. 497 00:23:43,917 --> 00:23:45,458 Goes in the house, trash everywhere. 498 00:23:45,500 --> 00:23:47,417 Nobody cleaned out a garbage can. 499 00:23:47,500 --> 00:23:50,000 Family meeting-- "Hey kids, sit on the couch. 500 00:23:50,042 --> 00:23:53,667 We gotta talk about this. Did you kids get my letter?" 501 00:23:53,750 --> 00:23:58,667 "Yeah Dad, it was amazing. The prose was fantastic. 502 00:23:58,708 --> 00:24:04,333 "The imagery was astounding, and the punctuation was perfect. 503 00:24:04,375 --> 00:24:06,333 "All the verbs were in the right tense. 504 00:24:06,417 --> 00:24:10,833 "Dad, you are a very good writer, and we really got the heart 505 00:24:10,875 --> 00:24:15,667 "behind the letter because you were so loving toward us. 506 00:24:15,708 --> 00:24:18,958 "So yeah, Dad, we took it very seriously. 507 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:21,125 "We've spent--we skipped school. 508 00:24:21,167 --> 00:24:24,750 "We spent the whole day studying the letter. 509 00:24:24,833 --> 00:24:31,750 "We never really thought about trash like this. 510 00:24:31,833 --> 00:24:34,833 "We started researching how other nations 511 00:24:34,917 --> 00:24:37,833 "dispose of their trash, 512 00:24:37,917 --> 00:24:42,208 "and it got us into other fields of study-- 513 00:24:42,292 --> 00:24:46,500 "carbon footprint, recycling. 514 00:24:46,583 --> 00:24:53,500 "It really got us thinking how we could study trash taking-out 515 00:24:54,542 --> 00:24:56,250 "in a gospel-centered way. 516 00:24:56,333 --> 00:24:58,833 "So we actually, Dad, we brought some friends over. 517 00:24:58,917 --> 00:25:01,958 "We've spent the whole day going through the Scriptures, 518 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:05,333 "examining this issue of trash because we, frankly, overlooked it 519 00:25:05,375 --> 00:25:06,958 "until recently. 520 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:10,333 "And what we found is that this is a theme in the whole Bible. 521 00:25:10,417 --> 00:25:12,125 "Dad, we found in the Old Testament 522 00:25:12,167 --> 00:25:16,542 "that they would take their trash outside of the city. 523 00:25:16,625 --> 00:25:20,042 "And that trash was, like, symbolic of sin, 524 00:25:20,125 --> 00:25:22,208 "and it needs to be away. 525 00:25:22,292 --> 00:25:25,208 "Dad, we learned that they would take it to a place called 526 00:25:25,292 --> 00:25:27,958 "Gehenna, and they would set it on fire to burn it, 527 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:30,833 "and that that was imagery for hell. 528 00:25:30,917 --> 00:25:33,333 "That was amazing, Dad. We didn't know this. 529 00:25:33,417 --> 00:25:35,750 "And then we looked at the New Testament. 530 00:25:35,833 --> 00:25:38,708 "First we did Old Testament Hebrew word studies on trash, 531 00:25:38,792 --> 00:25:41,542 "and then we did New Testament Greek word studies on trash, 532 00:25:41,625 --> 00:25:44,667 "Dad, with all of our friends. 533 00:25:44,708 --> 00:25:48,333 "We had a small group, and we found that the language of trash 534 00:25:48,375 --> 00:25:49,792 "is used in the New Testament. 535 00:25:49,833 --> 00:25:51,500 "Like, did you know in Philippians, 536 00:25:51,542 --> 00:25:53,667 "Paul says that all religion is like trash. 537 00:25:53,708 --> 00:25:58,167 "That was shocking to us. 538 00:25:58,250 --> 00:26:00,042 "So, we started a website. 539 00:26:00,125 --> 00:26:03,917 "We've actually launched a ministry where we're trying 540 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:09,250 to educate people about the theology of trash." 541 00:26:09,333 --> 00:26:13,167 Dad's question would be, 542 00:26:13,208 --> 00:26:18,917 "Did you take the trash out?" 543 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:21,708 "D'oh, sorry Dad. 544 00:26:21,792 --> 00:26:24,250 "We were too busy doing word studies in small groups 545 00:26:24,333 --> 00:26:25,833 on trash." 546 00:26:25,917 --> 00:26:29,708 OK, the church is like that, amen? 547 00:26:29,792 --> 00:26:32,208 Amen? 548 00:26:32,292 --> 00:26:34,833 Right, I've seen guys like, "I know what the Greek word 549 00:26:34,917 --> 00:26:36,333 for 'Love your wife' is." 550 00:26:36,375 --> 00:26:40,625 Why is she so miserable? 551 00:26:40,667 --> 00:26:43,542 Right? 552 00:26:43,625 --> 00:26:46,458 We can turn Christianity 553 00:26:46,500 --> 00:26:52,167 into an academic exercise instead of a lifestyle, 554 00:26:52,250 --> 00:26:54,667 into something that we study rather than 555 00:26:54,750 --> 00:26:57,500 someone we become. 556 00:26:57,542 --> 00:26:59,500 We can use the Bible for information 557 00:26:59,542 --> 00:27:02,250 instead of transformation. 558 00:27:02,333 --> 00:27:04,125 Now, am I saying that study's bad? 559 00:27:04,167 --> 00:27:05,958 OK, how many of you, you're like, 560 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:07,625 "He said book learning's awful. 561 00:27:07,667 --> 00:27:09,042 I love that church." 562 00:27:09,125 --> 00:27:10,750 OK, no, did I say that? 563 00:27:10,833 --> 00:27:14,042 I talked to a guy--he was a cage fighter. some years ago. 564 00:27:14,125 --> 00:27:16,042 I handed him one of my books, OK. 565 00:27:16,125 --> 00:27:18,542 I said, "Hey, I brought you one of my books." 566 00:27:18,625 --> 00:27:20,042 He's like, "I don't need that. 567 00:27:20,125 --> 00:27:21,458 I already graduated from college." 568 00:27:21,500 --> 00:27:23,667 His view was, "Hey man, you don't read unless 569 00:27:23,708 --> 00:27:25,042 they make you," OK? 570 00:27:25,125 --> 00:27:26,750 How many of you are like that? 571 00:27:26,833 --> 00:27:28,500 You're like, "I don't want to study. 572 00:27:28,583 --> 00:27:29,917 "I don't like to study. 573 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:31,667 If you preach the anti-study sermon, yes." 574 00:27:31,708 --> 00:27:33,042 I'm not saying that. 575 00:27:33,125 --> 00:27:34,750 I'm not saying that studying is bad. 576 00:27:34,833 --> 00:27:36,750 I'm saying that studying alone is bad. 577 00:27:36,833 --> 00:27:38,750 I'm saying that only studying is bad. 578 00:27:38,833 --> 00:27:41,125 Otherwise, you can be like a guy who's like, 579 00:27:41,167 --> 00:27:42,917 "My wife's favorite color is blue, 580 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:44,667 "and her favorite flowers are tulips, 581 00:27:44,708 --> 00:27:47,667 "and she loves to go to Thai food for date night, 582 00:27:47,708 --> 00:27:49,333 "and I never bought her anything blue, 583 00:27:49,417 --> 00:27:50,833 "and I never bought her tulips, 584 00:27:50,917 --> 00:27:53,792 and I've never eaten Thai food with her." 585 00:27:53,833 --> 00:27:55,667 It's good that you know those things, 586 00:27:55,750 --> 00:27:59,667 and it's bad if you don't do something with what you know. 587 00:27:59,750 --> 00:28:03,542 So, James' frustration is, he's got a bunch of religious people, 588 00:28:03,625 --> 00:28:05,250 he's pastoring a big church in Jerusalem, 589 00:28:05,333 --> 00:28:07,458 he's a grown man, he's been doing it a while, 590 00:28:07,500 --> 00:28:08,833 he's been teaching these people, 591 00:28:08,917 --> 00:28:11,750 and they have a lot of knowledge. 592 00:28:11,833 --> 00:28:14,458 They know a lot, but they're not doing a lot. 593 00:28:14,500 --> 00:28:16,667 And he's very frustrated because his big brother Jesus 594 00:28:16,708 --> 00:28:18,167 wasn't like that. 595 00:28:18,208 --> 00:28:21,625 Jesus didn't just hole up in some academic institution 596 00:28:21,667 --> 00:28:23,250 and just study all day. 597 00:28:23,333 --> 00:28:26,000 He worked a job as a carpenter, he started a ministry, 598 00:28:26,083 --> 00:28:28,250 he fed people, he healed people, he taught people, 599 00:28:28,333 --> 00:28:31,000 he prayed for people, he served people, he rebuked people, 600 00:28:31,083 --> 00:28:34,833 he encouraged people, he went to the cross, he died. 601 00:28:34,875 --> 00:28:37,417 Jesus got stuff done. 602 00:28:37,500 --> 00:28:41,833 He did study, and he got stuff done. 603 00:28:41,917 --> 00:28:45,000 And Christianity is the Christian following 604 00:28:45,083 --> 00:28:46,958 in the steps of Christ. 605 00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:49,875 Know the word of God, do the word of God. 606 00:28:49,958 --> 00:28:53,083 And it's not that know the word of God is bad 607 00:28:53,167 --> 00:28:55,333 and do the word of God is good, 608 00:28:55,417 --> 00:28:58,000 it's that knowing the word of God without doing 609 00:28:58,042 --> 00:29:01,208 the word of God is bad, doing the word of God without growing 610 00:29:01,292 --> 00:29:03,708 in your knowledge of the word of God is bad, 611 00:29:03,792 --> 00:29:06,917 and what is good is both knowing and doing the word of God, 612 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:08,958 the two pedals on the bike. 613 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:14,167 So then he transitions to "Know the word" to "Do the word." 614 00:29:14,208 --> 00:29:20,167 James 1:22-27, "But be"--what? 615 00:29:20,208 --> 00:29:21,667 "Doers." 616 00:29:21,708 --> 00:29:24,667 Some of you are like, "I know the Greek word for that." 617 00:29:24,708 --> 00:29:27,667 OK, then you really need this section in a big way, OK? 618 00:29:27,708 --> 00:29:33,917 "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only." 619 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:35,333 There's the issue. 620 00:29:35,375 --> 00:29:36,750 "Deceiving yourselves." 621 00:29:36,833 --> 00:29:38,167 There's a word of caution. 622 00:29:38,208 --> 00:29:41,333 "For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, 623 00:29:41,417 --> 00:29:44,333 "he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face 624 00:29:44,417 --> 00:29:45,750 "in a mirror. 625 00:29:45,833 --> 00:29:48,750 "For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets 626 00:29:48,833 --> 00:29:50,167 what he was like." 627 00:29:50,208 --> 00:29:52,875 He continues, "But the one who looks into the perfect law, 628 00:29:52,958 --> 00:29:54,292 the law of liberty," 629 00:29:54,333 --> 00:29:55,958 the Scriptures, "and perseveres"--keeps going-- 630 00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:59,500 "being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, 631 00:29:59,542 --> 00:30:01,333 he will be blessed in his doing." 632 00:30:01,417 --> 00:30:03,375 God wants to bless you and the blessing 633 00:30:03,458 --> 00:30:05,833 comes with knowing and doing the word of God. 634 00:30:05,917 --> 00:30:07,750 Not either/or. Both/and. 635 00:30:07,833 --> 00:30:09,750 "If anyone thinks he is religious"--I'm pretty mature. 636 00:30:09,833 --> 00:30:11,792 I've been a Christian for a while. 637 00:30:11,833 --> 00:30:14,292 I know a few things, made some progress-- 638 00:30:14,333 --> 00:30:16,375 "and does not bridle his tongue 639 00:30:16,458 --> 00:30:18,333 "but deceives his heart, 640 00:30:18,417 --> 00:30:20,875 this person's religion is"--what? 641 00:30:20,958 --> 00:30:23,083 "Worthless. 642 00:30:23,167 --> 00:30:26,375 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God." 643 00:30:26,458 --> 00:30:30,083 You may find it fine, but God does not, 644 00:30:30,167 --> 00:30:33,375 whatever it is you believe or how you behave. 645 00:30:33,458 --> 00:30:35,667 "Religion that is pure and undefiled 646 00:30:35,750 --> 00:30:38,250 before God, the Father"--he's your Dad who loves you, 647 00:30:38,333 --> 00:30:40,458 has this gift of his word for you-- 648 00:30:40,500 --> 00:30:42,875 "is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, 649 00:30:42,958 --> 00:30:46,167 and to keep oneself unstained by the world." 650 00:30:46,250 --> 00:30:51,333 Those of you who've been Christian a while, 651 00:30:51,375 --> 00:30:55,000 those of you who have been under biblical teaching, 652 00:30:55,083 --> 00:30:57,333 those of you who have heard a few podcasts, 653 00:30:57,375 --> 00:30:58,708 read a few books, 654 00:30:58,792 --> 00:31:04,167 maybe even been to a few conferences, you're vulnerable. 655 00:31:04,250 --> 00:31:09,583 You're vulnerable to the trap of false religion. 656 00:31:09,667 --> 00:31:12,375 We're vulnerable to the trap of false religion. 657 00:31:12,458 --> 00:31:14,792 I'll include myself in that. 658 00:31:14,833 --> 00:31:19,083 He's going to juxtapose true religion and false religion. 659 00:31:19,167 --> 00:31:20,667 When the Bible speaks of religion, 660 00:31:20,750 --> 00:31:23,833 it usually does so negatively, but here he's going to redeem it 661 00:31:23,917 --> 00:31:25,542 in a positive way. 662 00:31:25,625 --> 00:31:29,042 He's going to warn us about false religion, and he's going to 663 00:31:29,125 --> 00:31:32,292 encourage us toward true religion. 664 00:31:32,333 --> 00:31:35,375 And he says that false religion is marked by two things: 665 00:31:35,458 --> 00:31:39,875 self-deception and forgetfulness. 666 00:31:39,958 --> 00:31:43,250 Self-deception is where you think that 667 00:31:43,333 --> 00:31:48,792 because you know a lot, you've changed. 668 00:31:48,833 --> 00:31:53,167 Self-deception is where, like Paul says to the Corinthians, 669 00:31:53,250 --> 00:31:58,167 knowledge puffs up. 670 00:31:58,250 --> 00:32:02,000 "I'm pretty smart. I've read a few books. 671 00:32:02,083 --> 00:32:04,833 "I understand some theology. 672 00:32:04,917 --> 00:32:08,042 "These other people don't know the things that I know. 673 00:32:08,125 --> 00:32:13,042 They can't quote the things I can quote." 674 00:32:13,125 --> 00:32:16,458 Knowledge, all by itself, puffs up. 675 00:32:16,500 --> 00:32:20,750 It's pride, and it can lead to self-deception. 676 00:32:20,833 --> 00:32:23,250 "I should be a teacher. I should be a leader. 677 00:32:23,333 --> 00:32:25,500 "I'm ahead of them. I'm better than them. 678 00:32:25,583 --> 00:32:27,833 "I know more than them. I should rebuke them. 679 00:32:27,917 --> 00:32:29,250 I should correct them." 680 00:32:29,333 --> 00:32:30,667 Why? 681 00:32:30,708 --> 00:32:34,250 "Because I'm above them." 682 00:32:34,333 --> 00:32:36,542 Self-deception. 683 00:32:36,625 --> 00:32:41,667 And what you're overlooking is religious pride, 684 00:32:41,708 --> 00:32:45,958 which is among the worst sins of all. 685 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:49,583 Now, here's the problem with self-deception: 686 00:32:49,667 --> 00:32:53,167 you don't know that you're self-deceived. 687 00:32:53,250 --> 00:32:58,542 When you have deceived yourself, you are not the best person 688 00:32:58,625 --> 00:33:02,542 to diagnose your self-deception. 689 00:33:02,625 --> 00:33:04,833 This is where, if you read alone, 690 00:33:04,875 --> 00:33:07,958 if you study alone and you're not in community, 691 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:12,333 you're more vulnerable to self-deception because there's 692 00:33:12,417 --> 00:33:15,417 no one to disagree with you, there's no one to correct you, 693 00:33:15,500 --> 00:33:17,833 there's no one to examine you, there's no one 694 00:33:17,875 --> 00:33:20,833 to help investigate your heart and motive. 695 00:33:20,917 --> 00:33:24,167 Are you being humble or proud? 696 00:33:24,208 --> 00:33:28,167 This is why, on Sunday, it tends to be "Know the word" day. 697 00:33:28,208 --> 00:33:31,167 I get to teach you the Bible, and I really appreciate that. 698 00:33:31,208 --> 00:33:34,458 But Community Group for us is "Do the word" time, and it's 699 00:33:34,500 --> 00:33:38,667 guarding against self-deception by inviting others to help us 700 00:33:38,708 --> 00:33:42,333 evaluate what we believe and how we behave. 701 00:33:42,417 --> 00:33:45,500 Because we live in a day where there is so much information, 702 00:33:45,583 --> 00:33:49,667 there is an increase in self-deception 703 00:33:49,708 --> 00:33:53,000 because you can know a lot, but apart from community, 704 00:33:53,042 --> 00:33:56,167 it can result it religious pride, puffing up, 705 00:33:56,250 --> 00:33:59,167 and self-deception. 706 00:33:59,208 --> 00:34:02,333 So he says that we need to be on guard against this, 707 00:34:02,375 --> 00:34:04,250 aware of this, and concerned about this. 708 00:34:04,333 --> 00:34:09,458 And let me tell you this: I think this may be Satan's issue. 709 00:34:09,500 --> 00:34:14,167 I don't want to present this as a fact but as something 710 00:34:14,208 --> 00:34:15,542 that I've considered. 711 00:34:15,625 --> 00:34:18,708 I've wondered over time, Satan has the same access to the same 712 00:34:18,792 --> 00:34:22,833 Scriptures that you and I do, and it's very clear 713 00:34:22,917 --> 00:34:25,833 that in the end, God wins and Satan loses. 714 00:34:25,917 --> 00:34:30,958 It's very clear, yet Satan persists and he consistently 715 00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:33,333 moves forward in his rebellion against God. 716 00:34:33,375 --> 00:34:36,167 He continues this war, this battle, this fight against God, 717 00:34:36,208 --> 00:34:38,542 even though it's really clear that he's going to lose. 718 00:34:38,625 --> 00:34:41,042 And I've always wondered, "Why?" 719 00:34:41,125 --> 00:34:45,625 Why does he march forward in his rebellion when he knows the end? 720 00:34:45,667 --> 00:34:49,583 And here's the thing: I think he's self-deceived. 721 00:34:49,667 --> 00:34:52,667 I think he believes that he is right and God is wrong, 722 00:34:52,750 --> 00:34:54,875 and that he will win and God will lose, 723 00:34:54,958 --> 00:34:57,833 and the end will not be the way God has decreed. 724 00:34:57,917 --> 00:35:01,333 And people live like that all the time. 725 00:35:01,375 --> 00:35:04,333 "Oh, I won't reap what I sow. I don't need Jesus. 726 00:35:04,375 --> 00:35:05,750 I won't go to hell." 727 00:35:05,833 --> 00:35:08,708 They know what it says, and they've deceived themselves 728 00:35:08,792 --> 00:35:11,333 into thinking that they are right and God is wrong. 729 00:35:11,417 --> 00:35:16,250 And I believe this is satanic; I believe this is demonic. 730 00:35:16,333 --> 00:35:20,750 False religion is marked by self-deception 731 00:35:20,833 --> 00:35:23,542 and forgetfulness, and he uses the analogy of a mirror. 732 00:35:23,625 --> 00:35:26,542 How many of you, at some point today, looked in a mirror? 733 00:35:26,625 --> 00:35:28,708 All right, you think of all the mirrors 734 00:35:28,792 --> 00:35:30,125 we've got in our life. 735 00:35:30,167 --> 00:35:32,625 You've got one in your bathroom, you probably got some 736 00:35:32,667 --> 00:35:35,125 in your home, you've got one in your car, right? 737 00:35:35,167 --> 00:35:37,333 Some of you carry a mirror with you, ladies. 738 00:35:37,375 --> 00:35:40,333 If you do and you're a guy...OK? 739 00:35:40,417 --> 00:35:42,125 Right, OK? 740 00:35:42,167 --> 00:35:45,167 And he's using this analogy. 741 00:35:45,208 --> 00:35:50,083 He says a religious view of Scripture is like someone who 742 00:35:50,167 --> 00:35:53,292 looks into a mirror and then walks away and forgets 743 00:35:53,333 --> 00:35:56,667 who they are, forgets what they saw. 744 00:35:56,708 --> 00:36:00,125 It would be like this morning, I got up, I looked in the mirror, 745 00:36:00,167 --> 00:36:02,625 I walked away, and somebody said, "Tell me about yourself." 746 00:36:02,667 --> 00:36:08,042 "Well, I have long, blonde hair, and I'm clean-shaven, 747 00:36:08,125 --> 00:36:11,458 and I have a petite neck." 748 00:36:11,500 --> 00:36:16,458 You'd be like, "Strike three." 749 00:36:16,500 --> 00:36:20,208 Don't laugh, hey. 750 00:36:20,292 --> 00:36:22,833 For some of us, looking in the mirror is not 751 00:36:22,875 --> 00:36:25,167 the high point of the day, all right? 752 00:36:25,208 --> 00:36:28,167 There's an old guy there who resembles me, and I don't know 753 00:36:28,208 --> 00:36:30,917 who that is, OK? 754 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:34,750 But it would be really weird for someone to look in the mirror, 755 00:36:34,833 --> 00:36:36,750 and walk away, and completely forget 756 00:36:36,833 --> 00:36:38,250 what they just experienced. 757 00:36:38,333 --> 00:36:41,750 But he says we do this with the word of God all the time. 758 00:36:41,833 --> 00:36:44,458 You open the Bible, you're like, "OK, it's like a mirror. 759 00:36:44,500 --> 00:36:46,542 "OK, I see myself in God's eyes. 760 00:36:46,625 --> 00:36:49,583 "I see my sin, my need for Jesus, my areas to learn, 761 00:36:49,667 --> 00:36:52,292 "and to change, and to grow, and what God is doing. 762 00:36:52,333 --> 00:36:54,167 "OK, I've got it. I understand it. 763 00:36:54,208 --> 00:36:55,542 Makes sense to me." 764 00:36:55,625 --> 00:36:57,542 OK, put my Bible down, walked away. 765 00:36:57,625 --> 00:36:58,958 What did it say? 766 00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:00,542 I don't know. 767 00:37:00,625 --> 00:37:02,250 I forgot. 768 00:37:02,333 --> 00:37:03,667 I forgot what God said. 769 00:37:03,708 --> 00:37:07,833 I forgot what God showed me about myself. 770 00:37:07,875 --> 00:37:10,333 Just like the mirror shows us something about ourselves, 771 00:37:10,417 --> 00:37:13,958 God's word shows us something even deeper about ourselves, 772 00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:16,125 not just the expression on our face 773 00:37:16,167 --> 00:37:21,333 but the condition of our heart. 774 00:37:21,417 --> 00:37:25,042 That's false religion. 775 00:37:25,125 --> 00:37:28,542 It's marked by self-deception and forgetfulness. 776 00:37:28,625 --> 00:37:31,500 And then he juxtaposes that with true religion. 777 00:37:31,583 --> 00:37:37,250 He says that true religion is helpful and it's holy. 778 00:37:37,333 --> 00:37:41,667 And by helpfulness, it includes keeping a reign on your tongue. 779 00:37:41,708 --> 00:37:46,542 I know you, like me, have a list of things that you regret 780 00:37:46,625 --> 00:37:47,958 that you've said. 781 00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:50,333 And once the words come out of your mouth, 782 00:37:50,417 --> 00:37:54,792 you've unleashed harm on others. 783 00:37:54,833 --> 00:37:59,667 He says true religion is helpful, and it begins by having 784 00:37:59,750 --> 00:38:03,625 self-control of the communication that we speak, 785 00:38:03,667 --> 00:38:06,750 which sometimes is motivated by the anger that we have, 786 00:38:06,833 --> 00:38:11,667 which is why they go together. 787 00:38:11,708 --> 00:38:15,167 He says that it's helpful as well for widows and orphans 788 00:38:15,208 --> 00:38:21,042 in their affliction, that we're trying to not cause harm through 789 00:38:21,125 --> 00:38:24,667 our words, and we're trying to bring help through our deeds. 790 00:38:24,708 --> 00:38:27,500 That's true religion. It's helpful. 791 00:38:27,583 --> 00:38:29,333 And in that society, 792 00:38:29,417 --> 00:38:31,833 widows and orphans were the most vulnerable. 793 00:38:31,917 --> 00:38:35,167 Typically, a woman would get married, have children, 794 00:38:35,208 --> 00:38:36,917 she would stay home with the children, 795 00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:39,458 the husband would work to provide for the family. 796 00:38:39,500 --> 00:38:42,958 If the man died, the woman was vulnerable. 797 00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:45,458 It wasn't like there was a social service welfare net. 798 00:38:45,500 --> 00:38:47,958 It wasn't like she could put the kids in daycare 799 00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:49,333 and go get a job. 800 00:38:49,417 --> 00:38:50,792 It wasn't exactly that way. 801 00:38:50,833 --> 00:38:53,792 It was more of an agrarian society, you're out on a farm, 802 00:38:53,833 --> 00:38:57,167 your family's there to help you, but that's about all you've got. 803 00:38:57,208 --> 00:39:00,042 And what would happen in these situations is that the worst 804 00:39:00,125 --> 00:39:03,167 and most despicable kind of men would take advantage of 805 00:39:03,208 --> 00:39:06,167 vulnerable women and children, oftentimes young women 806 00:39:06,208 --> 00:39:08,333 and small children. 807 00:39:08,417 --> 00:39:09,833 And they would try to manipulate, 808 00:39:09,917 --> 00:39:12,042 and take advantage of this woman, 809 00:39:12,125 --> 00:39:15,250 and sometimes even try and take the children and put them into 810 00:39:15,333 --> 00:39:18,667 slavery, or prostitution, or sell them out as gladiators. 811 00:39:18,708 --> 00:39:21,667 The woman and the children would be very vulnerable 812 00:39:21,708 --> 00:39:23,042 if the man died. 813 00:39:23,125 --> 00:39:26,833 And he's saying that true religion is having 814 00:39:26,917 --> 00:39:29,042 the father's heart for the whole family, 815 00:39:29,125 --> 00:39:31,167 and that Christians are like brothers and sisters. 816 00:39:31,208 --> 00:39:35,458 I've got two sisters, and they've each got a daughter. 817 00:39:35,500 --> 00:39:40,750 I mean, if their husband died, and my sister was vulnerable, 818 00:39:40,833 --> 00:39:45,042 and my niece was vulnerable, I would want to love, 819 00:39:45,125 --> 00:39:48,042 I'd want to help, I'd want to serve, I'd want to provide, 820 00:39:48,125 --> 00:39:49,500 I'd want to protect. 821 00:39:49,542 --> 00:39:52,083 That's my sister. 822 00:39:52,167 --> 00:39:56,500 And here he's saying that men need to have that kind of heart 823 00:39:56,542 --> 00:39:59,667 toward women and children. 824 00:39:59,708 --> 00:40:04,875 They don't say, "Oh, single mom, vulnerable. 825 00:40:04,958 --> 00:40:08,083 I could use this to my advantage." 826 00:40:08,167 --> 00:40:12,458 They say, "Oh, single mom, like Jesus' mother Mary. 827 00:40:12,500 --> 00:40:13,875 Somebody to love, cherish, protect, 828 00:40:13,958 --> 00:40:19,000 and provide for because she's my sister and her children are like 829 00:40:19,042 --> 00:40:23,833 my nieces and nephews." 830 00:40:23,917 --> 00:40:27,083 That's the father heart of God and that's the father's heart 831 00:40:27,167 --> 00:40:30,500 for all his men, that pure religion is caring 832 00:40:30,542 --> 00:40:33,583 for widows and orphans in their afflictions. 833 00:40:33,667 --> 00:40:35,000 So, it's helpfulness. 834 00:40:35,042 --> 00:40:37,458 It's also holiness. 835 00:40:37,500 --> 00:40:42,292 He says, "And to keep oneself unstained from the world." 836 00:40:42,333 --> 00:40:44,292 When the Bible uses, in the New Testament, 837 00:40:44,333 --> 00:40:47,875 this word "world," it's oftentimes cosmos. 838 00:40:47,958 --> 00:40:50,708 It has--I'm going to nerd out for a minute, 839 00:40:50,792 --> 00:40:54,292 but it has at least seven different meanings. 840 00:40:54,333 --> 00:40:58,708 So, sometimes it'll say, like, "God loved the whole world." 841 00:40:58,792 --> 00:41:00,750 That means everybody. 842 00:41:00,833 --> 00:41:03,375 Other times it'll talk about the world in terms of races, 843 00:41:03,458 --> 00:41:06,000 and cultures, and groups of people. 844 00:41:06,042 --> 00:41:09,167 Sometimes the Bible uses the word "world" in a very negative 845 00:41:09,250 --> 00:41:11,083 and pejorative way. 846 00:41:11,167 --> 00:41:12,792 That's what's happening here. 847 00:41:12,833 --> 00:41:15,833 In this sense, the world is not just all the people, 848 00:41:15,917 --> 00:41:18,667 and all the races, and all the nations that God loves, 849 00:41:18,708 --> 00:41:21,958 but it's the evil systems that are in antithesis 850 00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:23,792 and opposition to God. 851 00:41:23,833 --> 00:41:27,250 There's the kingdom of God and then there's the world, 852 00:41:27,333 --> 00:41:30,042 and they're in collision, they're in conflict. 853 00:41:30,125 --> 00:41:33,500 And Satan works through the world to deceive people, 854 00:41:33,542 --> 00:41:36,167 to tempt people, to destroy people, 855 00:41:36,208 --> 00:41:38,083 and to oppose the kingdom of God. 856 00:41:38,167 --> 00:41:41,292 And what he's saying is that we're not in the kingdom of God 857 00:41:41,333 --> 00:41:44,458 yet, that the kingdom of God is before us and we're like 858 00:41:44,500 --> 00:41:47,875 pilgrims, we're like sojourners, we're like travelers. 859 00:41:47,958 --> 00:41:51,875 And as we travel through this polluted, defiled, disgusting, 860 00:41:51,958 --> 00:41:55,958 corrupted, cursed world, we're supposed to venture through it 861 00:41:56,000 --> 00:42:00,833 as God's people in a way that is completely unstained. 862 00:42:00,917 --> 00:42:06,167 Think of your life as a walk through a muddy, dirty, 863 00:42:06,208 --> 00:42:12,167 vile land, 50, 60, 70, 80 years. 864 00:42:12,208 --> 00:42:16,667 And in the beginning, imagine that you start with a clean set 865 00:42:16,708 --> 00:42:22,333 of clothes, but by the end, you were supposed to still be clean, 866 00:42:22,417 --> 00:42:28,333 unstained, no mark, no filth, no dirtiness of any sort or kind. 867 00:42:28,417 --> 00:42:30,833 That's the goal. 868 00:42:30,917 --> 00:42:34,542 How many of you find that discouraging? 869 00:42:34,625 --> 00:42:37,208 How many of you are like, "I'm not at the end 870 00:42:37,292 --> 00:42:41,958 and I'm already dirty"? 871 00:42:42,000 --> 00:42:44,542 There are a couple of ways to read this text. 872 00:42:44,625 --> 00:42:48,333 You can read it in a deceptive, religious way. 873 00:42:48,417 --> 00:42:51,583 "You can live a holy life. You can live a good life. 874 00:42:51,667 --> 00:42:53,292 "You can live a pure life. 875 00:42:53,333 --> 00:42:56,792 "You're not like those dirty sinners. 876 00:42:56,833 --> 00:42:59,292 You're better than they are." 877 00:42:59,333 --> 00:43:03,750 That's self-deception. 878 00:43:03,833 --> 00:43:06,333 That's pride, 879 00:43:06,417 --> 00:43:10,958 which is the worst sin of all. 880 00:43:11,000 --> 00:43:16,958 You can read it like an honest person and say, 881 00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:21,167 "It's too late. 882 00:43:25,583 --> 00:43:30,833 "I'm already dirty. 883 00:43:30,875 --> 00:43:35,167 "There are things I've done, 884 00:43:35,208 --> 00:43:39,333 "I wish I wouldn't have done them, 885 00:43:39,417 --> 00:43:42,542 "but I can't undo them. 886 00:43:42,625 --> 00:43:45,458 "There are things in my past that are not in my present, 887 00:43:45,500 --> 00:43:49,042 but the stain goes with me into the future." 888 00:43:49,125 --> 00:43:54,833 How many of you feel that way? 889 00:43:54,917 --> 00:43:57,667 How in the world are you supposed to walk through 890 00:43:57,750 --> 00:44:02,625 this world unstained? 891 00:44:02,667 --> 00:44:05,833 See, and here's what religion will tell you: 892 00:44:05,917 --> 00:44:08,750 "Clean it up. Scrub it out." 893 00:44:08,833 --> 00:44:10,750 How many of you tried that? 894 00:44:10,833 --> 00:44:13,958 How many of you have been out to dinner and you spill something 895 00:44:14,000 --> 00:44:16,500 on a white shirt, a white dress? 896 00:44:16,583 --> 00:44:21,833 You grab a napkin, put it in the water, and spread it. 897 00:44:21,917 --> 00:44:24,333 That didn't help. 898 00:44:24,375 --> 00:44:26,708 That's religion. 899 00:44:26,792 --> 00:44:29,958 Scrub really hard to make sure that you 900 00:44:30,000 --> 00:44:33,333 grind the stain in deep. 901 00:44:33,375 --> 00:44:36,667 All you were trying to do was clean yourself up, 902 00:44:36,708 --> 00:44:40,625 and all you did was made the stain bigger. 903 00:44:44,833 --> 00:44:49,167 Jesus and James were brothers who grew up studying 904 00:44:49,208 --> 00:44:53,792 the Old Testament together. 905 00:44:53,833 --> 00:44:58,167 They would have been familiar with all of the sections 906 00:44:58,208 --> 00:45:03,167 that promise the coming of Jesus and his work. 907 00:45:03,208 --> 00:45:08,250 Many commentators would tell you that this keeping oneself 908 00:45:08,333 --> 00:45:13,000 unstained by the world, that it is echoing some frequent imagery 909 00:45:13,083 --> 00:45:16,958 that God uses in the Old Testament. 910 00:45:17,000 --> 00:45:21,042 So, I want to take you to Zechariah 3, 911 00:45:21,125 --> 00:45:23,833 a text that Jesus and James would have been very familiar 912 00:45:23,917 --> 00:45:28,333 with, and it picks up on this theme. 913 00:45:28,417 --> 00:45:30,250 This was written hundreds of years 914 00:45:30,333 --> 00:45:31,667 before Jesus walked the earth, 915 00:45:31,708 --> 00:45:34,833 and I love this book so much I named one of my sons 916 00:45:34,917 --> 00:45:37,000 after this man. 917 00:45:37,083 --> 00:45:38,750 We learn that Jesus knew the word 918 00:45:38,833 --> 00:45:41,833 and Jesus did the word. 919 00:45:41,917 --> 00:45:46,417 OK, again, here's our question: how in the world 920 00:45:46,500 --> 00:45:53,417 could I walk through the world unstained? 921 00:45:55,042 --> 00:45:57,167 "Then he showed me." 922 00:45:57,250 --> 00:46:02,417 God's going to show you how you can do this. 923 00:46:02,500 --> 00:46:04,417 "Joshua the high priest." 924 00:46:04,500 --> 00:46:05,917 Do you know what Joshua means? 925 00:46:06,000 --> 00:46:07,333 Jesus. 926 00:46:07,375 --> 00:46:08,833 Do you know what Jesus means? 927 00:46:08,875 --> 00:46:10,208 Joshua. 928 00:46:10,292 --> 00:46:12,833 Jesus' name is a derivative of Joshua. 929 00:46:12,917 --> 00:46:14,250 So, here's what's happening. 930 00:46:14,333 --> 00:46:16,750 God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit 931 00:46:16,833 --> 00:46:18,167 are up in heaven. 932 00:46:18,208 --> 00:46:20,167 Jesus has not yet entered into human history, 933 00:46:20,208 --> 00:46:24,667 and God shows up to Zechariah, and he pulls the curtain aside. 934 00:46:24,708 --> 00:46:30,333 He says, "I'm going to show you the plan. 935 00:46:30,417 --> 00:46:35,750 "I'm going to show you the plan for history and salvation. 936 00:46:35,833 --> 00:46:37,500 "You're going to peer behind the curtain. 937 00:46:37,583 --> 00:46:39,750 You're going to see into the future." 938 00:46:39,833 --> 00:46:42,750 This is a revelation, a prophesy of the coming of Jesus 939 00:46:42,833 --> 00:46:46,333 and what he's going to do. 940 00:46:46,417 --> 00:46:49,667 And so he shows him Joshua, and Joshua is a priest. 941 00:46:49,708 --> 00:46:52,000 And what a priest does is a priest represents 942 00:46:52,042 --> 00:46:55,750 the people before God. 943 00:46:55,833 --> 00:46:58,333 So, Joshua's standing in the place 944 00:46:58,417 --> 00:47:01,167 of all the guilty sinners like you and me. 945 00:47:01,208 --> 00:47:03,167 "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest 946 00:47:03,208 --> 00:47:04,833 standing before the angel of the Lord." 947 00:47:04,917 --> 00:47:08,750 So, if it was in our day, think of the angel of the Lord 948 00:47:08,833 --> 00:47:14,333 sitting on the bench as the judge. 949 00:47:14,417 --> 00:47:20,792 "And Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him." 950 00:47:22,875 --> 00:47:25,417 Revelation 12:10 says that Satan is the accuser of 951 00:47:25,500 --> 00:47:29,458 the children of God, that he accuses them day and night. 952 00:47:29,500 --> 00:47:35,042 Satan is keenly aware of every stain, 953 00:47:35,125 --> 00:47:40,042 every stain that travels with you. 954 00:47:40,125 --> 00:47:41,833 It's your identity. 955 00:47:41,875 --> 00:47:44,333 You can't cleanse yourself from it. 956 00:47:44,417 --> 00:47:45,958 You can't hide it. 957 00:47:46,000 --> 00:47:48,333 Some of you live under condemnation 958 00:47:48,375 --> 00:47:52,583 because all you receive is accusation. 959 00:47:52,667 --> 00:47:55,042 And it says that he accuses day and night, 960 00:47:55,125 --> 00:47:58,167 which means, in the morning you're devastated by it, 961 00:47:58,250 --> 00:48:01,625 and when you go to bed, it's the last thing on your mind. 962 00:48:01,667 --> 00:48:07,000 You're haunted by what you've done. 963 00:48:09,917 --> 00:48:12,750 Let me give you a clue. 964 00:48:12,833 --> 00:48:15,750 You know that the enemy is accusing you when you hear you. 965 00:48:15,833 --> 00:48:18,750 Some of you have heard it for so long you think it's 966 00:48:18,833 --> 00:48:20,167 negative self-talk or low self-esteem. 967 00:48:20,208 --> 00:48:22,625 It might be demonic accusation. 968 00:48:22,667 --> 00:48:25,000 "You are a failure. 969 00:48:25,083 --> 00:48:26,667 "You are a fornicator. 970 00:48:26,708 --> 00:48:29,208 "You are a pervert. You are an addict. 971 00:48:29,292 --> 00:48:31,958 "You are an adulterer. You are an aborter. 972 00:48:32,000 --> 00:48:34,833 "You are a thief. You are a murderer. 973 00:48:34,875 --> 00:48:38,125 "You are unloved. You are unworthy. 974 00:48:38,167 --> 00:48:42,750 "You are unchanged. You should stop trying. 975 00:48:42,833 --> 00:48:48,708 You should kill yourself." 976 00:48:52,500 --> 00:48:57,417 You look down and you realize, "That's true. 977 00:49:02,625 --> 00:49:06,625 "I'm filthy. 978 00:49:12,167 --> 00:49:16,625 "I have tried to scrub it out, 979 00:49:16,667 --> 00:49:23,125 "and all I've done is grind it in and make it bigger. 980 00:49:29,125 --> 00:49:35,417 I have not walked through this world unstained." 981 00:49:40,208 --> 00:49:44,792 "And the Lord said to Satan"--on your behalf-- 982 00:49:48,000 --> 00:49:52,875 "'The Lord rebuke you, O Satan!' 983 00:49:52,958 --> 00:49:56,000 "Now Joshua was standing before the angel, 984 00:49:56,042 --> 00:49:58,833 "clothed in filthy garments. 985 00:49:58,917 --> 00:50:01,792 "And the angel said to those who were standing before him, 986 00:50:01,833 --> 00:50:04,667 "'Remove the filthy garments from him.' 987 00:50:04,708 --> 00:50:11,667 "And to him he said, 'Behold, know this, 988 00:50:13,917 --> 00:50:17,500 "'I've taken your iniquity away, your filth away, 989 00:50:17,542 --> 00:50:22,000 "'your disgrace away, your shame away, 990 00:50:22,042 --> 00:50:26,875 your condemnation away from you, and I will'"-- 991 00:50:26,958 --> 00:50:29,583 what's it say beloved? 992 00:50:29,667 --> 00:50:33,958 What does--you've got to believe this. 993 00:50:34,000 --> 00:50:35,792 OK, you're the beloved. 994 00:50:35,833 --> 00:50:39,542 You have to believe this. 995 00:50:39,625 --> 00:50:42,167 "And I will"--what? 996 00:50:42,208 --> 00:50:48,792 "Clothe you with pure vestments." 997 00:50:48,833 --> 00:50:54,000 Religion says, "Clean your clothes. 998 00:50:54,042 --> 00:50:56,917 Keep them clean." 999 00:50:57,000 --> 00:51:02,750 Jesus says, "Wear my clothes. 1000 00:51:02,833 --> 00:51:08,792 I'll trade you for your dirty ones." 1001 00:51:08,833 --> 00:51:13,083 This is Jesus. 1002 00:51:13,167 --> 00:51:17,542 It is literally as if you are standing 1003 00:51:17,625 --> 00:51:21,000 before the judgment seat of God, 1004 00:51:21,042 --> 00:51:23,792 and the accusing attorney Satan, 1005 00:51:23,833 --> 00:51:25,875 "They did this. They said that. 1006 00:51:25,958 --> 00:51:31,083 "On this day, at that moment, they did this vile thing. 1007 00:51:31,167 --> 00:51:33,667 I'll play the clip." 1008 00:51:33,750 --> 00:51:35,458 You're like, "I can't even watch. 1009 00:51:35,500 --> 00:51:40,958 "I am so ashamed of what I've done and how I've lived, 1010 00:51:41,000 --> 00:51:45,833 "and now everybody sees, and now everybody knows. 1011 00:51:45,917 --> 00:51:49,958 And I can't fool this holy God." 1012 00:51:56,750 --> 00:52:00,958 The Bible uses over a dozen words to refer to sin 1013 00:52:01,000 --> 00:52:06,792 in terms of defilement, filth, unclean. 1014 00:52:09,000 --> 00:52:14,833 And then you hear the voice of Jesus, "Rebuke you, Satan." 1015 00:52:14,917 --> 00:52:18,042 God is not the one who's condemning you. 1016 00:52:18,125 --> 00:52:20,833 God is not the one who's accusing you. 1017 00:52:20,875 --> 00:52:22,750 Satan is. 1018 00:52:22,833 --> 00:52:25,625 It's so important that when you hear something, you don't say, 1019 00:52:25,667 --> 00:52:29,500 "Yes Lord, I'm sorry," because there is now no condemnation 1020 00:52:29,583 --> 00:52:32,250 for those who are in Christ. 1021 00:52:32,333 --> 00:52:35,000 Jesus says, "My sheep hear my voice." 1022 00:52:35,083 --> 00:52:38,042 You need to get to know the voice of Jesus. 1023 00:52:38,125 --> 00:52:42,417 Jesus does not show up to accuse and condemn you. 1024 00:52:42,500 --> 00:52:48,333 He shows up to convict and save you. 1025 00:52:54,625 --> 00:52:59,750 And then Jesus says the most remarkable thing to you. 1026 00:52:59,833 --> 00:53:05,333 He says, "I would like to make an exchange with you." 1027 00:53:05,417 --> 00:53:10,750 There's Jesus, he's wearing white, symbolizing 1028 00:53:10,833 --> 00:53:17,333 his sinlessness, his holiness, his righteousness. 1029 00:53:17,417 --> 00:53:22,542 Did Jesus walk through this world unstained, yes or no? 1030 00:53:22,625 --> 00:53:24,917 Yes. 1031 00:53:25,000 --> 00:53:29,167 And what Jesus says is, "I will trade you. 1032 00:53:29,208 --> 00:53:35,917 "You give me your soiled, filthy, stench-ridden rags, 1033 00:53:36,000 --> 00:53:39,458 "and I'll wear them. 1034 00:53:39,500 --> 00:53:42,917 "And I'll give you my sinlessness, my holiness, 1035 00:53:43,000 --> 00:53:47,667 "my righteousness, and you can wear that. 1036 00:53:47,708 --> 00:53:54,542 I will gladly trade you your life for mine." 1037 00:54:02,000 --> 00:54:05,167 Know this. 1038 00:54:05,208 --> 00:54:10,625 Know this: you're the beloved. 1039 00:54:10,667 --> 00:54:12,250 You're the beloved. 1040 00:54:12,333 --> 00:54:13,750 And at the end of time, 1041 00:54:13,833 --> 00:54:16,500 there's going to be a party in the presence of Jesus, 1042 00:54:16,583 --> 00:54:18,500 the last book of the Bible tells us. 1043 00:54:18,583 --> 00:54:20,625 And all God's people will be wearing what? 1044 00:54:20,667 --> 00:54:23,333 White. 1045 00:54:23,417 --> 00:54:26,750 We're supposed to know this. 1046 00:54:26,833 --> 00:54:29,333 What Jesus doesn't say is, "They're good people. 1047 00:54:29,375 --> 00:54:31,750 "They did their best. Nobody's perfect. 1048 00:54:31,833 --> 00:54:34,000 They tried. We all make mistakes." 1049 00:54:34,083 --> 00:54:36,500 What he says is, "Satan, it's all true, 1050 00:54:36,583 --> 00:54:38,542 "and that's why I went to the cross, 1051 00:54:38,625 --> 00:54:40,542 "and that's why I died in their place, 1052 00:54:40,625 --> 00:54:42,333 "and that's why I paid their penalty, 1053 00:54:42,375 --> 00:54:44,333 "and that's why I rose from the dead, 1054 00:54:44,375 --> 00:54:47,250 "and that's why I took all of their condemnation 1055 00:54:47,333 --> 00:54:49,583 "in exchange for my salvation. 1056 00:54:49,667 --> 00:54:54,083 "I took all of their filth in exchange for my cleansing. 1057 00:54:54,167 --> 00:55:00,417 "These are, they are, he is, she is my beloved. 1058 00:55:00,500 --> 00:55:04,042 "Satan, I rebuke you. I silence you. 1059 00:55:04,125 --> 00:55:09,333 "These are my beloved, and they don't need to be righteous. 1060 00:55:09,417 --> 00:55:12,750 They need my righteousness." 1061 00:55:12,833 --> 00:55:16,708 Good news, amen? 1062 00:55:16,792 --> 00:55:20,958 I want you to know this. 1063 00:55:21,000 --> 00:55:27,750 And in your life, everything you do should be motivated 1064 00:55:27,833 --> 00:55:30,750 by knowing this. 1065 00:55:30,833 --> 00:55:35,958 You can walk through this world unstained because in Christ 1066 00:55:36,000 --> 00:55:38,667 you're already clean, and when you do sin, 1067 00:55:38,708 --> 00:55:42,542 Jesus will gladly clean you. 1068 00:55:42,625 --> 00:55:45,833 He will gladly give you his righteousness. 1069 00:55:45,917 --> 00:55:47,833 He'll gladly walk with you. 1070 00:55:47,875 --> 00:55:49,333 He'll never leave you. 1071 00:55:49,417 --> 00:55:52,958 He'll never forsake you. 1072 00:55:53,000 --> 00:55:56,375 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us 1073 00:55:56,458 --> 00:56:02,208 our sins and cleanse us of all of our unrighteousness. 1074 00:56:02,292 --> 00:56:04,250 Dear beloved, I have good news for you: 1075 00:56:04,333 --> 00:56:07,458 In Christ, you're clean. 1076 00:56:07,500 --> 00:56:13,208 The only way to walk through this life unstained is 1077 00:56:13,292 --> 00:56:16,958 to walk with Jesus. 1078 00:56:17,000 --> 00:56:22,333 At this point, we need to do the word, OK? 1079 00:56:22,375 --> 00:56:24,833 It told us we needed to know the word. 1080 00:56:24,875 --> 00:56:29,833 I want you to know the word, and we need to do the word. 1081 00:56:29,875 --> 00:56:33,167 So if you're not a Christian, this is where you give your sin 1082 00:56:33,208 --> 00:56:35,458 to Jesus and receive his righteousness. 1083 00:56:35,500 --> 00:56:39,250 He died and rose for that great exchange. 1084 00:56:39,333 --> 00:56:42,167 If you're here and you're a Christian and there is sin 1085 00:56:42,208 --> 00:56:45,833 in your life that's unconfessed, this is where you give it 1086 00:56:45,875 --> 00:56:49,167 to Jesus and receive his forgiveness and cleansing. 1087 00:56:49,208 --> 00:56:51,500 You do the word of God. 1088 00:56:51,542 --> 00:56:54,375 We're going to partake of Communion, 1089 00:56:54,458 --> 00:56:58,167 and as we partake of the elements reminding us of Jesus' 1090 00:56:58,208 --> 00:57:01,208 broken body and shed blood, I want you to remember, 1091 00:57:01,292 --> 00:57:04,208 "Jesus gives me himself. 1092 00:57:04,292 --> 00:57:06,708 He gives me his righteousness." 1093 00:57:06,792 --> 00:57:08,333 And we celebrate. 1094 00:57:08,417 --> 00:57:11,042 We're going to collect our tithes and offerings so that we 1095 00:57:11,125 --> 00:57:13,708 could support this message of Jesus going forth, 1096 00:57:13,792 --> 00:57:15,250 because people need to know this. 1097 00:57:15,333 --> 00:57:17,750 Would you agree that people need to know this? 1098 00:57:17,833 --> 00:57:20,500 Would you agree that there's nowhere else on the world that 1099 00:57:20,583 --> 00:57:27,417 people are going to come to know this? 1100 00:57:27,500 --> 00:57:31,125 There are lots of places that we put our resources, 1101 00:57:31,167 --> 00:57:35,167 and nothing is important as getting the word of God out 1102 00:57:35,208 --> 00:57:37,333 so that people would know who Jesus is 1103 00:57:37,417 --> 00:57:39,333 and what he's done for them. 1104 00:57:39,417 --> 00:57:41,250 And then we're going to sing and celebrate 1105 00:57:41,333 --> 00:57:43,750 because we have a lot to be glad for, 1106 00:57:43,833 --> 00:57:45,458 that we can enter into the presence 1107 00:57:45,500 --> 00:57:48,417 of a holy and righteous God and sing his praises. 1108 00:57:48,500 --> 00:57:50,958 And it's amazing because in heaven--it says when we sing 1109 00:57:51,000 --> 00:57:52,500 in heaven, we'll sing, 1110 00:57:52,542 --> 00:57:54,792 "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. 1111 00:57:54,833 --> 00:57:56,375 Worthy is the lamb." 1112 00:57:56,458 --> 00:58:00,167 We'll be singing about Jesus and how glad we are 1113 00:58:00,208 --> 00:58:02,667 for what he's done for us. 1114 00:58:02,708 --> 00:58:05,833 And as we prepare our hearts, I want to focus your attention 1115 00:58:05,917 --> 00:58:08,625 to widows, orphans, and those in need. 1116 00:58:08,667 --> 00:58:10,917 We want to give you an opportunity this week 1117 00:58:11,000 --> 00:58:12,542 to do the word of God. 1118 00:58:12,625 --> 00:58:15,042 And as some of you know, we partner in Ethiopia 1119 00:58:15,125 --> 00:58:17,750 with church planters and missionaries, and we really have 1120 00:58:17,833 --> 00:58:20,458 a particular heart for that area of great need. 1121 00:58:20,500 --> 00:58:23,542 And so we are doing a child-sponsor campaign, 1122 00:58:23,625 --> 00:58:27,333 where we're investing in children 1123 00:58:27,417 --> 00:58:29,750 so that they would be healthy and know Jesus, 1124 00:58:29,833 --> 00:58:32,750 and we're also invested in planting churches around them 1125 00:58:32,833 --> 00:58:35,042 so that they're part of the family of God. 1126 00:58:35,125 --> 00:58:38,917 And we have sponsors here today to help you as God leads you 1127 00:58:39,000 --> 00:58:42,250 to invest and to not only hear the word, 1128 00:58:42,333 --> 00:58:45,625 but to do what it says by today making a commitment to help 1129 00:58:45,667 --> 00:58:48,875 those who are widows and orphans just like James said. 1130 00:58:54,667 --> 00:58:56,917 Howdy Mars Hill Church and our extended family 1131 00:58:57,000 --> 00:58:59,000 of Mars Hill Global. 1132 00:58:59,083 --> 00:59:02,833 Pastor Sutton here in Awasa, Ethiopia. 1133 00:59:02,917 --> 00:59:06,167 I've got an opportunity to introduce you to Facil. 1134 00:59:06,250 --> 00:59:10,375 Facil is the program director for Compassion International 1135 00:59:10,458 --> 00:59:12,167 here in Awasa. 1136 00:59:12,250 --> 00:59:16,000 I really invited him to come in, and kind of give us an update, 1137 00:59:16,042 --> 00:59:20,375 and tell us all about Compassion International. 1138 00:59:20,458 --> 00:59:23,375 Ethiopia is 90 million total people. 1139 00:59:23,458 --> 00:59:25,292 There's somewhere between 1140 00:59:25,333 --> 00:59:28,167 6 million and 7 million orphans. 1141 00:59:28,250 --> 00:59:32,167 The young children between ages 0 and 5, 1142 00:59:32,250 --> 00:59:35,500 50% of them are suffering from malnutrition. 1143 01:00:15,083 --> 01:00:17,333 Walk us through the child sponsorship program 1144 01:00:17,375 --> 01:00:18,875 with Compassion. 1145 01:00:26,500 --> 01:00:28,917 Why is that so important to Compassion to work with 1146 01:00:29,000 --> 01:00:30,500 local churches? 1147 01:00:44,875 --> 01:00:48,542 This is a child that I sponsored a couple 1148 01:00:48,625 --> 01:00:51,625 of months ago, $38 a month. 1149 01:00:51,667 --> 01:00:54,333 Within the first, I think, probably 30 days, 1150 01:00:54,417 --> 01:00:58,542 I received this information back from Compassion. 1151 01:00:58,625 --> 01:01:03,500 Talk to us about how important sponsorship children 1152 01:01:03,583 --> 01:01:07,625 getting letters back from their sponsor--how important 1153 01:01:07,667 --> 01:01:09,167 is that to them? 1154 01:01:29,375 --> 01:01:31,500 With the connection with the local churches, 1155 01:01:31,542 --> 01:01:34,667 obviously there's a great opportunity to share the gospel. 1156 01:01:34,750 --> 01:01:39,000 Talk to us about the sharing the gospel with those young kids 1157 01:01:39,083 --> 01:01:40,583 that are in the program. 1158 01:02:25,042 --> 01:02:27,167 So Mars Hill, we have an amazing opportunity 1159 01:02:27,250 --> 01:02:28,750 here in Ethiopia. 1160 01:02:28,833 --> 01:02:31,667 I would encourage you to pray for this and pray through this, 1161 01:02:31,708 --> 01:02:35,292 and let's see what Jesus Christ is going to do on his mission 1162 01:02:35,333 --> 01:02:37,000 for his people. 1163 01:02:47,417 --> 01:02:48,792 Pastor Sutton here, 1164 01:02:48,833 --> 01:02:51,833 we've just finished our services here in the Bellevue church 1165 01:02:51,875 --> 01:02:57,667 and really excited today to tell the extended family of Mars Hill Global 1166 01:02:57,708 --> 01:02:59,333 about Text to Give. 1167 01:02:59,375 --> 01:03:02,125 Just came out and many of you know my story: 1168 01:03:02,167 --> 01:03:06,292 2007 heard Pastor Mark at a pastor's conference 1169 01:03:06,333 --> 01:03:08,583 went there, started podcasting. 1170 01:03:08,667 --> 01:03:11,500 I still gave my tithe to my local church, 1171 01:03:11,583 --> 01:03:14,917 however, gave a contribution amount to Mars Hill Church. 1172 01:03:15,000 --> 01:03:19,583 So this Text to Give, the video that we have produced for you, 1173 01:03:19,667 --> 01:03:21,833 you're going to love, so check this out. 1174 01:03:24,000 --> 01:03:26,667 Hey Mars Hill, my name is Rene and I work here 1175 01:03:26,750 --> 01:03:29,208 at the Media and Communications team at Mars Hill Church. 1176 01:03:29,292 --> 01:03:31,000 If you're a mobile user like me, 1177 01:03:31,042 --> 01:03:33,167 I've got some exciting news to share with you. 1178 01:03:33,208 --> 01:03:35,625 There's a new way to give at Mars Hill Church 1179 01:03:35,667 --> 01:03:37,875 and it's just as easy as sending a text. 1180 01:03:37,958 --> 01:03:40,667 Now, many of you take advantage of our online giving options, 1181 01:03:40,708 --> 01:03:43,375 which is a great way to set up recurring gifts, 1182 01:03:43,458 --> 01:03:46,625 but until now, we haven't had a way to set up mobile, 1183 01:03:46,667 --> 01:03:49,500 where you can give on the spot during our services. 1184 01:03:49,583 --> 01:03:51,542 If you're like me, you don't carry cash 1185 01:03:51,625 --> 01:03:55,167 you don't carry a checkbook, so Text to Give is the way to go. 1186 01:03:55,208 --> 01:03:59,583 It's fun, it's simple, and best of all, it's secure. 1187 01:03:59,667 --> 01:04:01,625 I want you to do something with me. 1188 01:04:01,667 --> 01:04:03,542 Take out your smart phone right now; 1189 01:04:03,625 --> 01:04:05,375 we're going to do something together. 1190 01:04:05,458 --> 01:04:07,333 Don't worry, you're not obligated to give, 1191 01:04:07,375 --> 01:04:09,333 but try this out. 1192 01:04:09,375 --> 01:04:12,167 Simply send the amount you want to give 1193 01:04:12,250 --> 01:04:18,208 and the word "Mars Hill" at the end to the following number: 45777. 1194 01:04:19,417 --> 01:04:21,083 The first time you give via text, 1195 01:04:21,167 --> 01:04:23,750 you will be asked to fill out a one-time form, 1196 01:04:23,833 --> 01:04:26,833 which will safely link your card to your smart phone. 1197 01:04:26,917 --> 01:04:30,292 Now, this new way of giving doesn't go into your phone bill, 1198 01:04:30,333 --> 01:04:32,167 and in case you make a mistake, 1199 01:04:32,250 --> 01:04:35,917 you can always get a refund for the gift that you've given. 1200 01:04:36,000 --> 01:04:37,958 And that's it; you're done. 1201 01:04:38,000 --> 01:04:40,125 You'll receive a text back confirming your gift 1202 01:04:40,167 --> 01:04:42,667 and from this moment forward, you'll be able to give 1203 01:04:42,708 --> 01:04:45,375 anywhere, anytime with just a single text. 1204 01:04:45,458 --> 01:04:48,167 Don't forget to save the number in your contact list. 1205 01:04:48,208 --> 01:04:51,292 I've saved it as "Mars Hill Text to Give." 1206 01:04:51,333 --> 01:04:53,167 For more information about our giving options 1207 01:04:53,208 --> 01:04:56,417 you can visit marshill.com/give. 1208 01:05:01,000 --> 01:05:03,917 Each year, over 10 million Mars Hill church sermons 1209 01:05:04,000 --> 01:05:07,000 are downloaded worldwide for free. 1210 01:05:07,083 --> 01:05:09,625 This ministry is generously supported 1211 01:05:09,667 --> 01:05:12,250 by Mars Hill church members and listeners like you. 1212 01:05:12,333 --> 01:05:15,833 If you'd like to support our efforts to preach Jesus to the world, 1213 01:05:15,875 --> 01:05:18,833 Please consider making a tax-deductible donation 1214 01:05:18,875 --> 01:05:21,708 by visiting marshill.com/give.