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Hi, Pastor Mark
here in Jerusalem

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at the Church of the Ascension,

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built actually among a
beautiful grove of olive trees,

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right here on the Mount of
Olives where tradition tells us

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that Jesus ascended into heaven

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after his resurrection
from death.

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And as we were visiting this
place, we found this fig tree,

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not the most glorious,
beautiful, amazing, or fruitful,

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but fitting as a context
and backdrop for Luke 6

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where Jesus tells a parable,
saying in verse 43 and onward,

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"For no good tree
bears bad fruit,

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"nor again does a bad
tree bear good fruit,

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"for each tree is known
by its own fruit.

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"For figs are not gathered
from thornbushes,

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"nor are grapes picked
up from a bramble bush.

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"The good person out of the good
treasure of his heart

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"produces good, and the evil
person out of his evil treasure

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"produces evil, for out
of the abundance of the heart

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the mouth speaks."

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Hi, Pastor Mark
here in Jerusalem,

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actually underground
in what is referred to as

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King Solomon's Quarry,

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and this is an epic place
that seems to go on

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forever and ever, apparently
all the way down to a spring.

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One of the first things that you
recognize regarding topography

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as you ascend into the great
city of Jerusalem is

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that the entire city is built
on and out of rock.

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It is stone as far
as the eye can see.

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One of the most important
buildings, of course,

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in the history
of the world was the temple.

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The second temple was created
under the leadership of Herod by

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the stones that were excavated
from this very quarry.

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And so where we are standing is
the place that the stones were

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gathered, hewn, cut, and removed
for the construction

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of the temple where
the sacrifices were offered,

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where God's people
came to worship.

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Essentially these rocks
created the house for God.

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Beginning in Luke 6:46,
Jesus teaches this,

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"Why do you call
me 'Lord, Lord,'

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"and not do what I tell you?

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"Everyone who comes to me and
hears my words and does them,

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"I will show you
what he is like:

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"he is like a man building
a house," or a temple,

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"who dug deep and laid
the foundation on the rock.

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"And when a flood arose, the
stream broke against the house

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"and could not shake it,
because it had been well built.

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"But the one who hears and does
not do them is like a man who

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"built a house on the ground
without a foundation.

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"When the stream broke against
it, immediately it fell,

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and the ruin of that
house was great."

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[music]

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All righty Mars Hill, as
you're finding your place

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in Luke 6:37-49 in your Bible,
iPhone, laptop, whatever,

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one quick announcement--the
latest book is out: "Doctrine."

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Really excited
about this book.

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It lays out
the framework for Mars Hill,

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what we believe,
and why.

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So if you've got questions, this
would be a great place to start.

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It also looks like the Metallica
"Black" album which is

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very important, and I praise
God for that as well.

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It's the best thing I've been
able to write to date

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by God's grace,
really excited about it.

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And it lays out our membership
curriculum now as well,

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as there are community group
questions at the end,

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and so some will,
in the future,

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be going through
this book for membership.

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And so you're welcome to
pick one up, and as always,

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if you pick one up at Mars Hill,
any profits go to the church,

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not to me.

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I always say that
just so you know.

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Here's what we're
gonna do today as well.

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Jesus preached a long sermon,
and it was written down,

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transcribed, and we have
the summary of the transcript

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with some of the portions
of that sermon

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given to us in Luke 6.

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We looked at the first half
of Jesus' sermon last week.

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We'll look at
the second half this week.

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And Jesus had a large crowd,
and to give you some idea

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of the setting, let me show you
the rough location

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where Jesus was teaching Luke 6.

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It's just up from
the Sea of Galilee,

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rolling hills, up into some
very beautiful farmland.

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And it was in this rough area,
tradition tells us actually

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in this area that Jesus
preached the sermon

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that we will study today.

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So you need to envision this.

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Jesus has been preaching
and teaching in small town

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synagogues, 50, a hundred people
living in those communities.

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They would come out to hear
Jesus preach and teach,

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and now his fame has grown,
and many, multitudes,

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maybe thousands are coming out
to hear him preach and teach.

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And so they're walking,
multiple days' journey.

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They're coming from
long distances,

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and they're all sitting
on the grass as Jesus

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is preaching and teaching.

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And so we're gonna
look at, frankly,

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more Scripture today
than we should.

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This should be
five sermons instead of one.

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But we want to get through
Luke before we see Jesus

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face-to-face, so we're taking
large chunks

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and gonna hammer the book
through.

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And so what we'll look at today
are a series of principles

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that are going to be,
I pray, I hope, I trust,

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used by the Holy Spirit
in your life.

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These principles come from
the Holy Spirit who inspired

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the writing of Scripture,

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and the teaching ministry
of Jesus,

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and he will then take some
of these principles for you,

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and he'll highlight
certain principles.

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He'll bring to mind
certain people.

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He'll bring to mind
certain things.

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Even if you're not a Christian,
don't resist or fight those.

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Go with those, those
are God's gift to you.

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And so I give you principles
from Jesus' teaching,

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and the Holy Spirit will give
you the particular application

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of them, the first
of which is this:

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"Forgiven people
should forgive."

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Jesus says it this way
in Luke 6:37:

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"Judge not, and you will not
be judged; condemn not,

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"and you will not be
condemned;

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forgive, and you will be
forgiven."

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Even if you don't know any
Bible, you know this verse.

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All right, this is the American,
non-Christian life verse.

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Hey, thou shall
not judge, right?

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And people will use
this verse all the time,

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and what's amazing is in
using it, they're judging you,

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which I think is curious.

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"Hey, I think that's wrong."

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"Hey, thou shall not judge."

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"Are you judging my
judging 'cause that,

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"that's a party foul right here.

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"That's--you're
judging my judging.

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That's very judgmental
of my judgmentalism."

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And so there's really
no way around judging, but what

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does Jesus mean by this,
that "thou shall not judge"?

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Now in one regard, I think what
is he is talking about is

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that person who lives
their life as a judge,

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they're always judging people.

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This is the moral cop, the
neatnik, the nitpick.

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This is the person who
is always criticizing.

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They take that
disposition of a critic.

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Some of you are like that.

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You always find
fault, flaw, failure.

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You're always looking
for what's wrong,

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and you make sure
to let someone know.

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I have a friend, almost a former
friend, they're working on it,

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that every time the phone rings,
or I get a text, or an e-mail,

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I just say,
"Ah, here we go again."

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"Dear Mark, I have a problem
with," fill in the blank.

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I know you do.

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I don't get a birthday
card, attaboy, nothing.

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If you say anything,
it's bad.

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That's just how
this person is.

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They have the spiritual
gift of discouragement.

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There's never anything that
they have to say

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that's very encouraging.

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And I think what Jesus is
pushing against is saying,

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"Don't be like that."

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The truth is the Bible
is filled with laws,

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that our lives are filled with
sin, but if sinners

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are gonna coexist, a couple
things need to happen.

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We need to be humble, prayerful,
careful, biblical, merciful,

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gracious as we approach people,
so that when we judge them,

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as Jesus says, it's not
in a condemning way.

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"I have no hope for you.

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"I'm done with you.

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"You're worthless.

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I'm sick of it,
we're through."

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That is judging,
and then condemning.

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And the truth is we don't know
what God has for people,

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and just so you know, the job
of capital "J" judge,

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that's taken by Jesus.

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Jesus says in John 5,

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"The Father's entrusted
all judgment to me."

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He's the judge.

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So here's the bottom line,
Christians don't decide who

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goes to heaven and who goes
to hell, God does.

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Heaven belongs to God.

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Hell is ruled by God.

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God decides who goes where,
not me, not you, not us.

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We don't condemn anyone.

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What we can do is share Jesus,

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the truth of the Bible
with people.

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Hey, here's what Jesus says:

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"I'm the way, the truth,
and the life.

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No one comes
to the Father but by me."

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So I love you, here's
the bottom line.

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Jesus says if you're connected
to him, you get to be with him.

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If you're disconnected from him,

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you're gonna give an account
to him.

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That's what he said.

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I don't determine who
goes to heaven or hell,

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but that's between
you and him.

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That's what he said.

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People come up to me all
the time: "Pastor Mark,

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my uncle died, is he
in heaven or hell?"

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I don't know, that's
totally above my pay grade.

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That's not my job.

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I don't know,
I don't know.

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I do believe in heaven,
I do believe in hell,

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and I do know that it's not my
job to decide who goes where.

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But to tell people about Jesus,
and let Jesus decide who's in,

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who's out, that's his job.

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So he's saying here, don't
have that critic, moral cop,

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negative, difficult,
discouraging disposition,

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and don't just judge people
and then, "That's it,

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you're kindling, good-bye,"
and just leave them there.

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If fact, instead, what we
should do is judge people,

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but not only judge people.

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And we should primarily judge
Christians, not non-Christians.

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A little while later, a guy
comes along, his name is Paul.

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He's well aware of what Jesus
taught, and he's got a situation

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in a crazy church
called Corinth.

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And in chapter 5, one guy,
we don't know the story.

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It's either his mother
or mother-in-law,

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but he has an intimate
romantic relationship.

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Whatever it is, it's
a total mom fail.

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And then in chapter 6, there's
a couple Christians who decide,

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"I don't like to work, so I'll
just sue other Christians.

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That'll give me enough
money to retire."

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And so here's what Paul has to
say about these two issues

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in 1 Corinthians 5:12-13,
"What business is it of mine

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"to judge those
outside the church?

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"Are you not to
judge those inside?

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God will judge those outside."

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Here's what he's saying:
look, Christians should judge

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one another, and when it comes
to the non-Christians,

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we shouldn't expect them
to act like Christians and say,

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"You know what, this is wrong,
this is wrong, this is wrong,

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you really gotta get
your life together."

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The more important thing is
you need to meet Jesus,

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and rather than working on a
bunch of behavior modification,

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want to introduce you to someone
named Jesus,

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so that he can change your
heart, change your life,

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and then the issues in your life
will get worked out

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00:11:26,033 --> 00:11:28,000
through his grace,
and his power,

241
00:11:28,008 --> 00:11:31,017
and his love, and his
support, and his forgiveness.

242
00:11:31,021 --> 00:11:32,079
So what Paul is saying is this:

243
00:11:32,083 --> 00:11:39,008
Christians need to do what
we tend to do in reverse.

244
00:11:39,017 --> 00:11:41,000
We tend to let Christian
brothers and sisters get away

245
00:11:41,008 --> 00:11:44,050
with sin, and then we tend
to serve as the moral police,

246
00:11:44,054 --> 00:11:47,083
complaining about
the behavior of non-Christians.

247
00:11:47,088 --> 00:11:49,029
Paul said, "Don't do that."

248
00:11:49,033 --> 00:11:52,083
Non-Christians don't know
Jesus, talk to them about Jesus.

249
00:11:52,088 --> 00:11:55,042
Christians who say they
are Christians, and do belong

250
00:11:55,050 --> 00:11:57,083
to Jesus, we have higher
expectations of them.

251
00:11:57,092 --> 00:11:59,088
And if they say they believe
in the God of the Bible,

252
00:11:59,096 --> 00:12:01,088
then we need to hold them to
the standards of the Bible,

253
00:12:01,096 --> 00:12:04,008
feel free to judge them,
not in a condemning way,

254
00:12:04,017 --> 00:12:06,071
but in a discerning way,
not to destroy them,

255
00:12:06,079 --> 00:12:09,021
but to help them, to show them,
"You're stuck here.

256
00:12:09,029 --> 00:12:10,025
"I'm here to help.

257
00:12:10,033 --> 00:12:11,033
"We need to get you out.

258
00:12:11,038 --> 00:12:12,096
"This is a wreck,
and by the grace of God,

259
00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:14,075
it needs to change."

260
00:12:14,083 --> 00:12:17,058
He says the same thing
in 1 Corinthians 6:2-3.

261
00:12:17,067 --> 00:12:19,000
"Do you not know
that the saints,"

262
00:12:19,004 --> 00:12:21,000
those are the Christians,
"Will judge the world?

263
00:12:21,008 --> 00:12:22,075
"And if the world is
to be judged by you,

264
00:12:22,083 --> 00:12:25,033
"are you incompetent
to try trivial cases?

265
00:12:25,038 --> 00:12:28,033
"Do you not know that
we are to judge angels?

266
00:12:28,038 --> 00:12:30,096
How much more, then, matters
pertaining to this life!"

267
00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:32,067
Here's what he says,
"Dear Christian,

268
00:12:32,075 --> 00:12:35,017
"you will rise from death,
you'll sit with Jesus.

269
00:12:35,021 --> 00:12:37,017
"You'll be involved in
the judgment at the end,

270
00:12:37,021 --> 00:12:39,096
and you will assist in
the judgment of angels."

271
00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:43,050
If that's the case, feel free
to keep one another in line,

272
00:12:43,054 --> 00:12:46,062
feel free to show in love,
in community,

273
00:12:46,067 --> 00:12:49,021
"This is a problem,
this is an issue.

274
00:12:49,029 --> 00:12:50,021
"This concerns me.

275
00:12:50,029 --> 00:12:51,021
"This needs work.

276
00:12:51,029 --> 00:12:53,008
This needs to change."

277
00:12:53,017 --> 00:12:55,012
And so what he's saying here
is that Christians should judge

278
00:12:55,017 --> 00:13:01,017
Christians, and should introduce
non-Christians to Jesus.

279
00:13:01,021 --> 00:13:07,008
What that means is we should
judge, but not condemn.

280
00:13:07,017 --> 00:13:10,054
Judge,
and then forgive.

281
00:13:10,062 --> 00:13:12,000
That's what Jesus
is saying here.

282
00:13:12,008 --> 00:13:13,033
When he says,
"Thou shall not judge."

283
00:13:13,042 --> 00:13:16,017
Don't judge,
and then condemn.

284
00:13:16,021 --> 00:13:18,083
Instead what he says is,
"Forgive."

285
00:13:18,092 --> 00:13:21,062
Forgive, because it would be
hypocritical for us

286
00:13:21,067 --> 00:13:24,012
to go to God and say, "God,
I have sinned against you,

287
00:13:24,017 --> 00:13:26,054
"and you've sent your
son to die on the cross

288
00:13:26,062 --> 00:13:30,021
"in my place, for my
sins, to secure my salvation.

289
00:13:30,029 --> 00:13:34,054
And I come to you, Lord God,
asking for forgiveness."

290
00:13:34,062 --> 00:13:37,050
And then when someone
sins against you, to say,

291
00:13:37,058 --> 00:13:39,046
"I will not forgive."

292
00:13:39,050 --> 00:13:41,000
That's hypocritical.

293
00:13:41,004 --> 00:13:43,017
If you're getting forgiveness,

294
00:13:43,021 --> 00:13:47,025
you need to be giving
forgiveness.

295
00:13:47,033 --> 00:13:52,054
Now, in saying that,
some of you would say,

296
00:13:52,062 --> 00:13:54,092
"I thought we weren't
supposed to judge?"

297
00:13:55,000 --> 00:14:00,012
To forgive someone, you
have to judge them, right?

298
00:14:00,017 --> 00:14:02,083
You have to say,
you have to determine,

299
00:14:02,088 --> 00:14:06,067
you have to discern and
ascertain what you said or did,

300
00:14:06,075 --> 00:14:09,079
or failed to say or do
was sin.

301
00:14:09,083 --> 00:14:11,083
So you have to come
to a judgment about that.

302
00:14:11,092 --> 00:14:13,050
And the truth is,
we all believe in judgment,

303
00:14:13,058 --> 00:14:17,017
not eternal condemnation that
we're God and sit on a throne,

304
00:14:17,021 --> 00:14:19,029
but we all believe in saying,
"That's right, that's wrong.

305
00:14:19,033 --> 00:14:21,008
That's acceptable,
that's unacceptable."

306
00:14:21,017 --> 00:14:23,017
That's why you'd be very bummed
if someone broke into your

307
00:14:23,025 --> 00:14:25,025
house, took all your stuff,
pulled a gun on you.

308
00:14:25,033 --> 00:14:27,046
You called 911,
and they said, "Hey man,

309
00:14:27,050 --> 00:14:28,083
"didn't you read Luke 6?

310
00:14:28,088 --> 00:14:29,092
"'Thou shall not judge.'

311
00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:33,017
Hey, we're not gonna send the
cops, that would be judgmental."

312
00:14:33,025 --> 00:14:39,021
You'd say, "No, send
the cops with guns and dogs,

313
00:14:39,029 --> 00:14:41,083
"and if need be, arrest this
person, and bring them

314
00:14:41,088 --> 00:14:45,062
before a judge because they
need to be judged."

315
00:14:45,067 --> 00:14:47,046
We can't get rid of teachers.

316
00:14:47,050 --> 00:14:48,083
We can't get rid of coaches.

317
00:14:48,092 --> 00:14:50,021
We can't get rid of umpires.

318
00:14:50,029 --> 00:14:51,062
We can't get rid of referees.

319
00:14:51,067 --> 00:14:53,004
We can't get rid of cops.

320
00:14:53,012 --> 00:14:54,042
We can't get rid of judges.

321
00:14:54,050 --> 00:14:56,004
We can't get rid of courts.

322
00:14:56,012 --> 00:14:58,000
What we can get rid
of is self-righteous,

323
00:14:58,004 --> 00:15:00,092
arrogant religion that
condemns people unnecessarily,

324
00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:02,067
has no love
or hope for them.

325
00:15:02,071 --> 00:15:06,008
And what we can replace it with
is a desire among God's people,

326
00:15:06,017 --> 00:15:09,000
to hold one another to a high
standard that is biblical.

327
00:15:09,004 --> 00:15:12,021
Additionally, we can judge one
another and say, "You know what?

328
00:15:12,029 --> 00:15:13,025
"That's wrong.

329
00:15:13,033 --> 00:15:14,025
"That's unacceptable.

330
00:15:14,033 --> 00:15:15,025
"That's sinful.

331
00:15:15,033 --> 00:15:16,025
"I do love ya.

332
00:15:16,033 --> 00:15:17,025
"I'm not trying to
be a jerk about it,

333
00:15:17,033 --> 00:15:22,033
but I'm here to help,"
and then forgive.

334
00:15:22,042 --> 00:15:24,046
See, what Jesus is condemning
is moving from judging

335
00:15:24,050 --> 00:15:26,033
to condemning.

336
00:15:26,038 --> 00:15:28,021
He's condemning condemning.

337
00:15:28,029 --> 00:15:33,008
What he's encouraging is to
move from judging to forgiving.

338
00:15:33,017 --> 00:15:37,021
So let me ask this--I'll
give you five questions.

339
00:15:37,029 --> 00:15:39,096
Here's the first one: discuss in
your community group

340
00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:44,050
or with your family, who do you
need to forgive?

341
00:15:44,058 --> 00:15:45,067
Who do you need to forgive?

342
00:15:45,075 --> 00:15:47,017
What did they do?

343
00:15:47,021 --> 00:15:49,012
See, if you don't forgive
them,

344
00:15:49,017 --> 00:15:51,025
you'll become
a bitter hypocrite.

345
00:15:51,033 --> 00:15:54,075
Bitter, that's what occurs to
those who are unforgiving.

346
00:15:54,083 --> 00:15:57,017
And hypocrite, you're gonna
want God to forgive you,

347
00:15:57,021 --> 00:15:59,083
but you not to forgive them.

348
00:15:59,092 --> 00:16:01,046
And part of it will be
an emotional struggle,

349
00:16:01,050 --> 00:16:02,083
because some of you
immediately will say,

350
00:16:02,088 --> 00:16:05,067
"But what they did was wrong and
they never said they're sorry.

351
00:16:05,075 --> 00:16:07,071
How can I forgive them?"

352
00:16:07,079 --> 00:16:09,075
Let me explain this to you.

353
00:16:09,083 --> 00:16:12,092
It takes one to repent,
and one to forgive,

354
00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:15,075
and two to reconcile.

355
00:16:15,083 --> 00:16:18,046
You can forgive whether or not

356
00:16:18,050 --> 00:16:23,025
they ever repent and apologize
and change.

357
00:16:23,033 --> 00:16:25,062
So you can forgive,
and in forgiving,

358
00:16:25,067 --> 00:16:27,079
let me tell you what
you're not doing.

359
00:16:27,083 --> 00:16:29,067
You're not approving.

360
00:16:29,071 --> 00:16:30,088
When you forgive someone,
you're not approving.

361
00:16:30,096 --> 00:16:33,029
You're not saying, "I'm okay
with what you did,

362
00:16:33,033 --> 00:16:34,096
or failed to do."

363
00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:36,021
I'm not saying that.

364
00:16:36,029 --> 00:16:37,079
You're saying, in fact,
just the opposite.

365
00:16:37,083 --> 00:16:40,050
"What you did was wrong, what
you failed to do was wrong,

366
00:16:40,058 --> 00:16:43,025
and I choose to forgive you."

367
00:16:43,033 --> 00:16:45,050
It is also not denying.

368
00:16:45,054 --> 00:16:46,050
"Oh, it didn't happen.

369
00:16:46,054 --> 00:16:47,067
"I don't even know what
you're talking about.

370
00:16:47,071 --> 00:16:49,000
I don't even remember that."

371
00:16:49,008 --> 00:16:51,017
Forgiveness is not
denying that sin occurred.

372
00:16:51,021 --> 00:16:52,096
Forgiveness is not
diminishing it.

373
00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:54,000
"Oh, it's no big deal.

374
00:16:54,008 --> 00:16:55,033
"Nobody's perfect.

375
00:16:55,042 --> 00:16:57,088
It didn't really bother me."

376
00:16:57,096 --> 00:16:59,088
No, it was such
a big deal, Jesus died for it,

377
00:16:59,096 --> 00:17:03,017
so it's a big deal.

378
00:17:03,021 --> 00:17:07,042
It's not covering sin.

379
00:17:07,050 --> 00:17:10,029
Forgiveness is not covering sin.

380
00:17:10,033 --> 00:17:13,050
You can forgive someone
and still call the police

381
00:17:13,058 --> 00:17:16,054
and have them arrested if
they've committed a crime.

382
00:17:16,062 --> 00:17:17,071
"I thought you forgave me?"

383
00:17:17,079 --> 00:17:19,092
"I do, I'm not
bitter, I'm not angry,

384
00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:24,038
"but you committed
a crime, so that's justice,

385
00:17:24,046 --> 00:17:26,046
"and I love you,
and I forgive you.

386
00:17:26,050 --> 00:17:29,017
"And Jesus died for it,
and he can forgive you,

387
00:17:29,025 --> 00:17:33,067
but just because I forgive you
doesn't mean it didn't happen."

388
00:17:33,071 --> 00:17:37,000
See, some of you need to
understand the fullness of

389
00:17:37,004 --> 00:17:40,092
forgiveness and forgive, and
leave those people to God that

390
00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:44,033
ultimately he will judge
them, and if they don't repent,

391
00:17:44,038 --> 00:17:46,050
he will condemn them,

392
00:17:46,054 --> 00:17:49,033
so that you can judge
them and forgive them,

393
00:17:49,038 --> 00:17:51,096
and then leave them to his care.

394
00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:53,054
Maybe they'll repent
and God'll forgive them.

395
00:17:53,062 --> 00:17:55,033
Maybe they won't
and God will condemn them.

396
00:17:55,042 --> 00:17:56,067
That's his business.

397
00:17:56,075 --> 00:18:01,067
For your heart of bitterness,
for your life of hypocrisy,

398
00:18:01,075 --> 00:18:04,021
and forgive others just like
the Bible says

399
00:18:04,029 --> 00:18:06,088
as God and Christ forgave you.

400
00:18:06,096 --> 00:18:09,062
Who do you need to forgive?

401
00:18:09,067 --> 00:18:10,021


402
00:18:10,029 --> 00:18:11,092
Who do you need to forgive?

403
00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:13,004
What did they say?

404
00:18:13,012 --> 00:18:14,004
What did they do?

405
00:18:14,012 --> 00:18:16,000
What did they fail to do?

406
00:18:16,004 --> 00:18:19,062
I'm under no illusion that
this is easy or simple.

407
00:18:19,067 --> 00:18:23,058
I know, as a pastor, we have
a front-row seat for the most

408
00:18:23,067 --> 00:18:26,029
painful moments
of people's lives.

409
00:18:26,033 --> 00:18:29,067
And again, this is a principle,
and now the Holy Spirit

410
00:18:29,075 --> 00:18:31,050
will give you a name.

411
00:18:31,058 --> 00:18:33,067
He will give you a face.

412
00:18:33,075 --> 00:18:36,096
Some of you right now are
resisting and fighting.

413
00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:39,012
"Not that, can we move on?

414
00:18:39,017 --> 00:18:40,050
"I thought there
were more points.

415
00:18:40,054 --> 00:18:42,008
Next point."

416
00:18:42,017 --> 00:18:45,050
Let's sit here for a moment,
and let the Holy Spirit give us

417
00:18:45,058 --> 00:18:49,083
that name, give us that face--
who do you need to forgive?

418
00:18:49,092 --> 00:18:52,050
I feel prompted to even tell
some of you through

419
00:18:52,058 --> 00:18:57,008
the Holy Spirit that the person
you need to forgive is dead.

420
00:18:57,017 --> 00:18:59,021
You say, "But it's
never gonna be okay."

421
00:18:59,029 --> 00:19:03,054
You still need to forgive them.

422
00:19:03,062 --> 00:19:07,008
Number two: getters
should be givers.

423
00:19:07,017 --> 00:19:09,000
I don't know if getters
is a word, I made it up.

424
00:19:09,004 --> 00:19:11,012
I do that occasionally.

425
00:19:11,017 --> 00:19:13,000
You're welcome.

426
00:19:13,004 --> 00:19:15,021
Luke 6:38, "Give,
and it will be given to you.

427
00:19:15,029 --> 00:19:17,025
"Good measure, pressed down,
shaken together, running over,

428
00:19:17,033 --> 00:19:19,038
"will be put into your lap.

429
00:19:19,046 --> 00:19:23,017
For with the measure you use it
will be measured back to you."

430
00:19:23,021 --> 00:19:24,050
Here's what he's saying.

431
00:19:24,054 --> 00:19:26,004
If God forgives
you, forgive others.

432
00:19:26,012 --> 00:19:28,029
If God gives to
you, give to others.

433
00:19:28,033 --> 00:19:30,017
That's the way it's
supposed to work, otherwise,

434
00:19:30,021 --> 00:19:33,058
we're hypocrites receiving
forgiveness and generosity,

435
00:19:33,067 --> 00:19:36,004
and not giving forgiveness
and generosity.

436
00:19:36,012 --> 00:19:37,096
And so our relationship with
God shows up in our

437
00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:40,000
relationship with others,
and our relationship to

438
00:19:40,004 --> 00:19:43,017
our wealth, and our possessions,
and our finances.

439
00:19:43,025 --> 00:19:44,096
So let's me unpack this.

440
00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:48,033
What he is advocating here is
what I will call

441
00:19:48,042 --> 00:19:50,062
generosity theology.

442
00:19:50,067 --> 00:19:52,088
There are two extremes when
it comes to money, finances,

443
00:19:52,096 --> 00:19:54,075
possessions, and wealth
in the Bible.

444
00:19:54,083 --> 00:19:59,046
Prosperity theology, which
basically says God is a piñata

445
00:19:59,050 --> 00:20:01,033
and tithing is a stick.

446
00:20:01,038 --> 00:20:02,067
Give him a whack,

447
00:20:02,075 --> 00:20:05,075
and watch vehicles with rims
fall out of the sky.

448
00:20:05,083 --> 00:20:09,017
All right, that's my version
of prosperity theology.

449
00:20:09,025 --> 00:20:12,017
And basically what it is,
it's worshiping

450
00:20:12,021 --> 00:20:14,046
money, wealth, possessions,
and status

451
00:20:14,050 --> 00:20:17,046
and using God to give you
your idols.

452
00:20:17,050 --> 00:20:20,017
"Oh, if I pray, if I tithe,
if I do these things,

453
00:20:20,021 --> 00:20:21,083
"then God will bless me,
and make me rich,

454
00:20:21,092 --> 00:20:24,096
'cause what I really care
about is my wealth."

455
00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:29,021
On the extreme other
side is poverty theology.

456
00:20:29,029 --> 00:20:30,025
"I don't need to get a job.

457
00:20:30,033 --> 00:20:31,033
"I don't need to pay my bills.

458
00:20:31,038 --> 00:20:32,088
"I don't need to take
care of my family.

459
00:20:32,096 --> 00:20:34,050
"I don't need to leave
an inheritance

460
00:20:34,054 --> 00:20:36,096
"to my children's children,
like Proverbs says.

461
00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:40,012
"I just make no money,
and I'm not generous,

462
00:20:40,017 --> 00:20:44,004
"and I live minimally,
and I give minimally.

463
00:20:44,012 --> 00:20:45,004
"Why?

464
00:20:45,012 --> 00:20:47,092
Because I think the less
I make, the holier I am."

465
00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:49,075
We don't advocate
either of those.

466
00:20:49,083 --> 00:20:53,033
What we advocate is work
hard, work smart, work fair.

467
00:20:53,042 --> 00:20:56,046
Grow your wealth little by
little like Proverbs says,

468
00:20:56,050 --> 00:21:02,012
and first of all, see yourself
as a generous steward,

469
00:21:02,017 --> 00:21:05,008
that ultimately
everything belongs to God.

470
00:21:05,017 --> 00:21:07,038
And see my guess is there's
really nobody who's gonna hear

471
00:21:07,046 --> 00:21:09,096
this sermon that actually
functionally believes

472
00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:13,042
with this principle,
that God owns everything,

473
00:21:13,050 --> 00:21:17,000
and that he gives to us,
so everything we have is

474
00:21:17,008 --> 00:21:20,067
a received gift,
and we are stewards.

475
00:21:20,071 --> 00:21:24,021
We are to then
disperse, dispense,

476
00:21:24,029 --> 00:21:28,079
distribute the resources that
God gives to us in a way

477
00:21:28,083 --> 00:21:31,017
that glorifies him
and helps others.

478
00:21:31,021 --> 00:21:34,008
So if you say, "Oh no, no, no,
I worked really hard

479
00:21:34,017 --> 00:21:37,008
to make my way in this world."

480
00:21:37,017 --> 00:21:39,000
And I would say,
"God gave us the world.

481
00:21:39,008 --> 00:21:40,050
"He's a very generous giver.

482
00:21:40,054 --> 00:21:41,096
"He gave us life and breath.

483
00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:44,008
"He gave us talent,
skills, ability.

484
00:21:44,017 --> 00:21:45,017
"He gave us intellect.

485
00:21:45,021 --> 00:21:46,012
"He gave us an education.

486
00:21:46,017 --> 00:21:48,012
"He gave us a job, whatever
it is that we have.

487
00:21:48,017 --> 00:21:52,058
"He gave us possessions," that
everything really does come

488
00:21:52,067 --> 00:21:55,075
from God, that our God is
a very generous giver,

489
00:21:55,083 --> 00:21:59,050
that God gives us his own son,
that God sheds his blood

490
00:21:59,058 --> 00:22:03,017
in our place for our sins,
that salvation is a gift,

491
00:22:03,021 --> 00:22:06,025
that the Holy Spirit is a gift,
that our spiritual gift is,

492
00:22:06,033 --> 00:22:08,092
in fact, a gift, that
our church is a gift,

493
00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:12,088
that the Bible is a gift,
that God's people are a gift,

494
00:22:12,096 --> 00:22:15,017
that the kingdom that
awaits us is a gift,

495
00:22:15,025 --> 00:22:19,054
that no one could ever
possibly outgive our God.

496
00:22:19,062 --> 00:22:20,088
Our God's a giver.

497
00:22:20,096 --> 00:22:22,096
He's a very generous giver.

498
00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:24,004
That's why the Bible says,

499
00:22:24,012 --> 00:22:26,021
"God so loved the world
that he" what?

500
00:22:26,029 --> 00:22:28,008
"He gave."

501
00:22:28,017 --> 00:22:29,058
We know God loves us.

502
00:22:29,067 --> 00:22:32,008
He's a giver.

503
00:22:32,017 --> 00:22:35,096
And generosity theology
is, "As God gives to me,

504
00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:37,058
"I give to others.

505
00:22:37,067 --> 00:22:39,017
"I give to the poor.

506
00:22:39,021 --> 00:22:42,017
I give to the church."

507
00:22:42,025 --> 00:22:44,025
And the attitude is not,
"God, how much of my money

508
00:22:44,033 --> 00:22:46,075
"do I have to give you?"

509
00:22:46,083 --> 00:22:50,075
"God, how much of your
money do I get to keep?"

510
00:22:50,083 --> 00:22:54,050
It's assuming that
the first fruits off the top,

511
00:22:54,058 --> 00:23:00,021
they belong to those things that
God deems to be meritorious.

512
00:23:00,029 --> 00:23:03,029
And what he says is for those
who are generous stewards,

513
00:23:03,033 --> 00:23:06,062
for those who give,
that's what he talks about,

514
00:23:06,067 --> 00:23:10,050
give, all right, give.

515
00:23:10,054 --> 00:23:13,092
For those who do give, God
likes to give more to them.

516
00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:17,017
This is not prosperity theology.

517
00:23:17,025 --> 00:23:19,025
"Oh, so if I give, I get more?"

518
00:23:19,033 --> 00:23:24,008
It's not a Ponzi scheme, right?

519
00:23:24,017 --> 00:23:26,050
God may even
increase your income,

520
00:23:26,058 --> 00:23:28,054
not to increase your
standard of living,

521
00:23:28,062 --> 00:23:31,029
but to increase your
standard of giving.

522
00:23:31,033 --> 00:23:34,071
What he's saying is this, if
God can find a faithful steward,

523
00:23:34,079 --> 00:23:35,079
he'll give him a little.

524
00:23:35,083 --> 00:23:37,012
If he's a good steward,
he'll give him a little more.

525
00:23:37,017 --> 00:23:38,025
If he's faithful,
he'll give more.

526
00:23:38,033 --> 00:23:40,029
And isn't that
the way you would work?

527
00:23:40,033 --> 00:23:43,058
Let's say you were very
affluent, and you met someone,

528
00:23:43,067 --> 00:23:45,004
and you said, "Okay I'm
gonna give you this money,

529
00:23:45,012 --> 00:23:46,046
"and this percentage
goes to the poor,

530
00:23:46,050 --> 00:23:47,079
"and this percentage
goes to the church,

531
00:23:47,083 --> 00:23:49,042
and this percentage
you can spend."

532
00:23:49,050 --> 00:23:50,067
And they actually did it.

533
00:23:50,071 --> 00:23:52,050
They came back, said,

534
00:23:52,058 --> 00:23:54,050
"Okay, I did everything you
asked me do with the funds."

535
00:23:54,054 --> 00:23:57,021
You say, "Good, I'm gonna
increase what I

536
00:23:57,029 --> 00:23:59,017
"entrust to use
'cause you're faithful,

537
00:23:59,025 --> 00:24:00,075
you don't
steal from me."

538
00:24:00,083 --> 00:24:02,050
The person who came back and
said, "I know you gave it to me,

539
00:24:02,054 --> 00:24:03,054
"but I forgot about the poor,

540
00:24:03,062 --> 00:24:04,096
"and I never made it
to the church,

541
00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:08,038
and I blew the rest,
and I need some more."

542
00:24:08,046 --> 00:24:11,042
You'd say, "I don't
invest that way.

543
00:24:11,050 --> 00:24:15,067
"I don't put water
in a bucket with no bottom.

544
00:24:15,075 --> 00:24:18,042
"I'm not gonna waste
anymore resources on you,

545
00:24:18,050 --> 00:24:21,046
'cause you're not
a good steward."

546
00:24:21,050 --> 00:24:23,042
And so what he's talking
about here is that if you're

547
00:24:23,050 --> 00:24:26,075
a faithful steward, and you give
as God wants you to give,

548
00:24:26,083 --> 00:24:29,062
God tends to,
he doesn't have to,

549
00:24:29,067 --> 00:24:31,071
and sometimes you get
the reward in this life,

550
00:24:31,079 --> 00:24:34,017
and sometimes you're storing
up your treasure in heaven,

551
00:24:34,021 --> 00:24:36,012
so you gotta wait
a while to see your reward.

552
00:24:36,017 --> 00:24:38,096
But one way or another,
God likes to give to those

553
00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:43,000
who are giving, so that they
can give some more.

554
00:24:43,008 --> 00:24:46,021
And he uses this analogy:
"good measure, pressed down,

555
00:24:46,029 --> 00:24:48,079
shaken together, running
over, put into your lap."

556
00:24:48,083 --> 00:24:51,075
Say, "What does that mean?"

557
00:24:51,083 --> 00:24:54,033
Well, I'll tell you, give you
an analogy, modern-day analogy.

558
00:24:54,042 --> 00:24:56,000
Okay, have you been to
the grocery store,

559
00:24:56,008 --> 00:25:00,017
and seen the glorious aisle
filled with all the chips?

560
00:25:00,025 --> 00:25:02,088
It's an amazing place,
all of these chips,

561
00:25:02,096 --> 00:25:05,046
just all kind of things ending
in -itos:

562
00:25:05,050 --> 00:25:07,058
Cheetos, Doritos, Fritos.

563
00:25:07,067 --> 00:25:09,058
It's just ito-tastic.

564
00:25:09,067 --> 00:25:11,079
It's amazing what's there.

565
00:25:11,083 --> 00:25:15,021
And there's also potato chips
and Sun Chips, and it's amazing.

566
00:25:15,029 --> 00:25:17,071
And you notice how
big the bags are.

567
00:25:17,079 --> 00:25:23,038
They're huge bags, like half
your size, unless you eat a lot,

568
00:25:23,046 --> 00:25:25,079
and then like
a third of your size.

569
00:25:25,083 --> 00:25:28,054
And have you ever purchased
one of these bags of chips

570
00:25:28,062 --> 00:25:32,004
and they're full?

571
00:25:32,012 --> 00:25:38,033
You open it, you smell it,
oh, that's chip-tastic.

572
00:25:38,038 --> 00:25:44,046
Then you look in,
it's not filled with chips.

573
00:25:44,050 --> 00:25:47,033
There's a couple
chips at the bottom.

574
00:25:47,038 --> 00:25:52,050
It's filled with air and lies.

575
00:25:52,054 --> 00:26:00,017


576
00:26:00,021 --> 00:26:02,092
That's what he's talking about.

577
00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:04,000
I'll explain it to ya.

578
00:26:04,004 --> 00:26:06,038
The way you would buy
grain or corn in that day,

579
00:26:06,046 --> 00:26:08,067
you would bring your bucket,
or you'd bring your bowl,

580
00:26:08,075 --> 00:26:11,083
or you'd bring your container
to the market, and you'd say,

581
00:26:11,088 --> 00:26:13,071
"Okay, fill it up with grain,
or fill it up with corn,"

582
00:26:13,079 --> 00:26:14,079
or whatever it is.

583
00:26:14,083 --> 00:26:16,079
And they'd fill it up and say,
"Okay, give me your money."

584
00:26:16,083 --> 00:26:18,096
And you'd say, "No, no.

585
00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:21,025
"Shake it up a little bit.

586
00:26:21,033 --> 00:26:24,067
"Stomp it down,
and then let it all settle.

587
00:26:24,075 --> 00:26:26,033
"And then put some more in
there, and then shake it again,

588
00:26:26,042 --> 00:26:28,046
"and stomp it again, and then
pour some more in there.

589
00:26:28,050 --> 00:26:32,021
"And eventually when it's
totally full, then I'll pay,

590
00:26:32,029 --> 00:26:36,038
but until then it's just
like a bag of chips."

591
00:26:36,046 --> 00:26:37,067
The next time you go
to the grocery store,

592
00:26:37,071 --> 00:26:39,079
you should open
the bag of chips

593
00:26:39,083 --> 00:26:41,054
when you are
at the checkout line and say,

594
00:26:41,062 --> 00:26:42,058
"I'm missing chips.

595
00:26:42,067 --> 00:26:46,017
"I need more chips in my bag.

596
00:26:46,025 --> 00:26:48,042
"I would like it to be pressed
down, shaken together,

597
00:26:48,050 --> 00:26:53,083
running over, and I would
like some on my lap."

598
00:26:53,088 --> 00:26:55,062


599
00:26:55,067 --> 00:27:00,017
That's where they're
gonna end up anyway so--

600
00:27:00,025 --> 00:27:01,083
and that's what he's
talking about,

601
00:27:01,088 --> 00:27:05,004
that if you're a generous giver,
God may, in fact,

602
00:27:05,012 --> 00:27:08,012
give generously to you,
so that, you know,

603
00:27:08,017 --> 00:27:09,083
his provision is full,
and it's overflowing,

604
00:27:09,088 --> 00:27:11,029
and the lap here
is talking about,

605
00:27:11,033 --> 00:27:14,083
actually having extra
to put in your pockets.

606
00:27:14,088 --> 00:27:18,033
See, and I know we're in the
middle of a financial downturn,

607
00:27:18,042 --> 00:27:20,092
and people are struggling,
and I'm well aware of that,

608
00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:23,067
but you know what happens.

609
00:27:23,071 --> 00:27:27,000
"God, as soon as you give me
more, then I'll give anything."

610
00:27:27,004 --> 00:27:29,017
And God would say,
"I've already been giving,

611
00:27:29,021 --> 00:27:31,092
"and you haven't done anything,
so how about if you

612
00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:34,000
"prove faithful with what I've
given ya,

613
00:27:34,004 --> 00:27:37,062
and then we'll talk about me
helping ya out some more."

614
00:27:37,067 --> 00:27:40,008
So this is where I get to tell
you how it's going at

615
00:27:40,017 --> 00:27:42,008
Mars Hill financially.

616
00:27:42,017 --> 00:27:43,088
You're welcome.

617
00:27:43,096 --> 00:27:47,021
This is my favorite part of
the job: charts and graphs.

618
00:27:47,029 --> 00:27:50,012
All right, here is 2009 giving.

619
00:27:50,017 --> 00:27:53,083
We have this
broken down into categories.

620
00:27:53,088 --> 00:27:57,062
The white category are
people last year, all year,

621
00:27:57,067 --> 00:28:01,083
who gave nothing,
about a third of the church.

622
00:28:01,088 --> 00:28:05,008
Thirty percent
of the people gave nothing.

623
00:28:05,017 --> 00:28:10,000
Of those who gave
$1 to $500, the black section.

624
00:28:10,008 --> 00:28:13,033
That is about
38% of the church.

625
00:28:13,042 --> 00:28:18,075
So 68% of the church gave $500
or less all year, all year.

626
00:28:18,083 --> 00:28:22,083
So today, maybe give
to you looks like $1.

627
00:28:22,092 --> 00:28:24,042
You gotta start somewhere.

628
00:28:24,050 --> 00:28:26,000
You can go home,
say, "How'd it go?"

629
00:28:26,008 --> 00:28:27,000
Say, "You know what?

630
00:28:27,008 --> 00:28:29,038
"I took my giving
to a whole new level today.

631
00:28:29,046 --> 00:28:33,000
"I moved into a whole new
category of givers at Mars Hill

632
00:28:33,004 --> 00:28:36,038
with ten dimes, I did it."

633
00:28:36,046 --> 00:28:38,071
All of my kids are
in that category,

634
00:28:38,079 --> 00:28:40,092
so you can join my 4-year-old
son Gideon today

635
00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:44,042
in the black category.

636
00:28:44,050 --> 00:28:47,088


637
00:28:47,096 --> 00:28:50,054
In the darker brown category,

638
00:28:50,062 --> 00:28:53,075
those are people that gave
$500 to $1,500 last year,

639
00:28:53,083 --> 00:28:57,092
13% of the church;
$1,500 to $4,000 a year,

640
00:28:58,000 --> 00:28:59,004
which is where
we're getting into people

641
00:28:59,012 --> 00:29:00,067
who have actually been
getting somewhere near

642
00:29:00,075 --> 00:29:03,025
a certain
percentage of generosity.

643
00:29:03,033 --> 00:29:04,058
That's 11%.

644
00:29:04,067 --> 00:29:09,050
Only 9% of people at Mars Hill
gave $4,000 or more, all year.

645
00:29:09,058 --> 00:29:11,054
That's households, so if there's
a husband and wife working,

646
00:29:11,062 --> 00:29:15,079
that's both incomes combined.

647
00:29:15,083 --> 00:29:20,000
And I'll tell you it's always
interesting for me because--

648
00:29:20,008 --> 00:29:23,017
I guess I'll just ask
you this question:

649
00:29:23,021 --> 00:29:25,000
Has God been generous to us?

650
00:29:25,008 --> 00:29:27,075
Has God been generous
to you, individually?

651
00:29:27,083 --> 00:29:32,000
Has God been generous
to us corporately?

652
00:29:32,004 --> 00:29:33,033
Has he?

653
00:29:33,038 --> 00:29:37,008
It's amazing, Mars Hill, I mean
God's been so generous to us

654
00:29:37,017 --> 00:29:38,083
it's amazing.

655
00:29:38,088 --> 00:29:40,092
I mean, it was amazing to me.

656
00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:44,046
Easter came, it's kind of
our big Sunday of the year.

657
00:29:44,050 --> 00:29:47,075
Thirteen thousand people.

658
00:29:47,083 --> 00:29:49,038
Seven thousand people
on Good Friday.

659
00:29:49,046 --> 00:29:51,050
Twenty thousand people
for the weekend.

660
00:29:51,058 --> 00:29:55,025
We baptized 376 people.

661
00:29:55,033 --> 00:29:59,021
We've had free real estate given
to us over the years as well.

662
00:29:59,029 --> 00:30:02,017
We're looking at potentially
partnerships to continue those

663
00:30:02,025 --> 00:30:04,092
kinds of things in the future,
and pray that I have good news

664
00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:06,083
to share with you.

665
00:30:06,092 --> 00:30:08,050
God has been so generous to us.

666
00:30:08,054 --> 00:30:11,025
Very talented people, lots
of people meeting Jesus,

667
00:30:11,033 --> 00:30:13,008
lots of good things happening.

668
00:30:13,017 --> 00:30:15,083
And it was amazing 'cause
Easter was over and I went home.

669
00:30:15,088 --> 00:30:18,088
I was kind of like a rung
bell, really excited.

670
00:30:18,096 --> 00:30:21,067
I was like wow, 13,000 people.

671
00:30:21,071 --> 00:30:23,075
You know what, it's not
just all about the numbers,

672
00:30:23,083 --> 00:30:27,079
but it's amazing that God would
be that gracious and generous

673
00:30:27,083 --> 00:30:30,042
to bring that many people
for us to love, and encourage,

674
00:30:30,050 --> 00:30:32,017
and serve, and connect with.

675
00:30:32,021 --> 00:30:33,067
And we got killed on budget.

676
00:30:33,075 --> 00:30:36,017
We missed budget
by a ton that day,

677
00:30:36,021 --> 00:30:39,008
and our giving was way
down from the year before.

678
00:30:39,017 --> 00:30:45,017
And I was like how is it that
more people receive more grace,

679
00:30:45,021 --> 00:30:47,096
and they become less gracious?

680
00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:50,000
How does that happen?

681
00:30:50,008 --> 00:30:50,062


682
00:30:50,067 --> 00:30:51,058
How does that happen?

683
00:30:51,067 --> 00:30:52,079
I love you.

684
00:30:52,083 --> 00:30:54,054
I feel about the church,
like I do my kids.

685
00:30:54,062 --> 00:30:56,054
You see problems,
you work on them.

686
00:30:56,062 --> 00:30:57,054
You hang in there.

687
00:30:57,062 --> 00:30:58,054
You don't threaten them.

688
00:30:58,062 --> 00:30:59,054
You don't freak out.

689
00:30:59,062 --> 00:31:00,062
You don't get mean.

690
00:31:00,067 --> 00:31:01,062
You don't get mad.

691
00:31:01,067 --> 00:31:03,067
Just keep praying, keep
talking, keep working on it,

692
00:31:03,075 --> 00:31:05,042
so we're gonna
keep working on it.

693
00:31:05,050 --> 00:31:07,008
For those of you that have been
faithful, praise be to God.

694
00:31:07,017 --> 00:31:08,008
Thank you.

695
00:31:08,017 --> 00:31:11,012
For those of you who
haven't, what does Jesus say?

696
00:31:11,017 --> 00:31:13,004
What's his word?

697
00:31:13,012 --> 00:31:14,050
Give.

698
00:31:14,058 --> 00:31:15,083
Say, "What's that mean
in Greek?"

699
00:31:15,088 --> 00:31:17,088
Give.

700
00:31:17,096 --> 00:31:18,096
Some of you say, "How much?"

701
00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:21,083
Ask him, all right, ask him.

702
00:31:21,092 --> 00:31:25,038
Ask him what it is
that you are to give.

703
00:31:25,046 --> 00:31:27,008
We're not gonna set a
percentage and be legalistic.

704
00:31:27,017 --> 00:31:29,033
We're just gonna say if you're
a Christian and you've received,

705
00:31:29,042 --> 00:31:31,046
and everything you have
received is a gift from God,

706
00:31:31,050 --> 00:31:36,033
God doesn't give just to us,
God gives through us.

707
00:31:36,038 --> 00:31:38,000
That's what a gal today told me.

708
00:31:38,008 --> 00:31:39,025
It was a cool conversation.

709
00:31:39,033 --> 00:31:40,096
She said,
"I'm a brand-new Christian."

710
00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:43,033
And she said,
"God's given a lot to me,

711
00:31:43,038 --> 00:31:45,058
"and now I realize he's
giving through me,

712
00:31:45,067 --> 00:31:47,025
"and I'm getting to love
people, and serve people,

713
00:31:47,033 --> 00:31:48,079
and help people,
and be generous."

714
00:31:48,083 --> 00:31:51,067
And she says,
"This is a really fun life.

715
00:31:51,071 --> 00:31:54,025
I like doing what God's
doing and doing it with him."

716
00:31:54,033 --> 00:31:56,012
That's what
we're talking about.

717
00:31:56,017 --> 00:31:58,088
So forgiven people
should forgive,

718
00:31:58,096 --> 00:32:01,092
and getters should
be givers, and again,

719
00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:06,012
this is the Holy Spirit looking
at you, working on your hearts.

720
00:32:06,017 --> 00:32:10,075
What does that mean for me
functionally, practically?

721
00:32:10,083 --> 00:32:12,050
Number three:
he goes on to say that

722
00:32:12,058 --> 00:32:14,000
leaders should lead themselves.

723
00:32:14,008 --> 00:32:15,062
And let me preface
this by saying,

724
00:32:15,067 --> 00:32:17,042
people like me are leaders,

725
00:32:17,050 --> 00:32:19,021
but to some degree
we're all leaders.

726
00:32:19,029 --> 00:32:21,012
You're a mom or a dad,
you're leading.

727
00:32:21,017 --> 00:32:22,046
You're a coach,
you're leading.

728
00:32:22,050 --> 00:32:24,000
You're a teacher,
you're leading.

729
00:32:24,008 --> 00:32:26,092
Community group leaders, service
team leader, obvious leader.

730
00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:29,017
Deacon, elder, obvious leader.

731
00:32:29,025 --> 00:32:31,033
Husband, father, obvious leader.

732
00:32:31,042 --> 00:32:33,033
Mother, grandmother, leader.

733
00:32:33,038 --> 00:32:34,075
Everybody's leading someone.

734
00:32:34,083 --> 00:32:38,004
Everybody's teaching someone,
and before we can teach anyone

735
00:32:38,012 --> 00:32:41,008
or lead anyone, particularly
those of us who are entrusted

736
00:32:41,017 --> 00:32:44,050
with offices of leadership,
we need to lead ourselves.

737
00:32:44,054 --> 00:32:48,008
Luke 6:39-42,
"He also told them a parable:"

738
00:32:48,017 --> 00:32:50,017
which is a little story
to illustrate a point,

739
00:32:50,025 --> 00:32:51,062
"Can a blind man
lead a blind man?"

740
00:32:51,067 --> 00:32:55,054
Technically yes, but
it's gonna go really bad.

741
00:32:55,062 --> 00:32:58,012
"Will they not both
fall into a pit?"

742
00:32:58,017 --> 00:32:59,083
Yeah, it's only
a matter of time.

743
00:32:59,092 --> 00:33:01,054
"A disciple is not
above his teacher,

744
00:33:01,062 --> 00:33:03,025
"but everyone when he is
fully trained will be

745
00:33:03,033 --> 00:33:05,017
"like his teacher.

746
00:33:05,025 --> 00:33:07,004
"Why do you see the speck that
is in your brother's eye,

747
00:33:07,012 --> 00:33:10,042
but do not notice the log,"
all right, the lumberyard,

748
00:33:10,050 --> 00:33:12,017
"That is in your own eye?

749
00:33:12,025 --> 00:33:13,021
"How can you say to
your brother,

750
00:33:13,029 --> 00:33:16,012
"'Brother, let me take
the speck that is in your eye,'

751
00:33:16,017 --> 00:33:19,071
"when you yourself do not see
the log that is in your own eye?

752
00:33:19,079 --> 00:33:22,071
You hypocrite," there's
the word, that's the big idea.

753
00:33:22,079 --> 00:33:24,025
"First take the log
out of your own eye, then

754
00:33:24,033 --> 00:33:26,088
"you will be able to clearly see
and take out that speck

755
00:33:26,096 --> 00:33:29,067
that is in your brother's eye."

756
00:33:29,071 --> 00:33:35,000
Here's what he's saying: we're
hypocrites and blind guides.

757
00:33:35,008 --> 00:33:40,058
And I know some of you are
like, "No, I'm special.

758
00:33:40,067 --> 00:33:43,058
"When I went to Sunday school,
they said I was like

759
00:33:43,067 --> 00:33:45,083
a snowflake, pure white,
and one of a kind."

760
00:33:45,092 --> 00:33:51,029
No, you're a blind guide
and a hypocrite, and they lied,

761
00:33:51,033 --> 00:33:53,079
and so they're blind
guides and hypocrites too.

762
00:33:53,083 --> 00:33:55,096
And the way it all works is
we're all blind

763
00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:58,033
to our own blindness.

764
00:33:58,038 --> 00:34:00,033
We're all blind
to our own blindness,

765
00:34:00,042 --> 00:34:02,096
and some of our blindness
is self-selected like,

766
00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:04,021
"Do you see that?"

767
00:34:04,029 --> 00:34:08,071
"Nope, I do not see that"
'cause you closed your eyes.

768
00:34:08,079 --> 00:34:12,071
And we're all hypocrites and
the hypocrite, by definition,

769
00:34:12,079 --> 00:34:14,088
here's a hypocrite
according to Jesus:

770
00:34:14,096 --> 00:34:18,050
You've got a big issue in your
life, and you're gossiping,

771
00:34:18,054 --> 00:34:21,033
quarreling, nagging,
neatniking, nitpicking,

772
00:34:21,038 --> 00:34:26,021
moral copping, judging about
someone who's got a much more

773
00:34:26,029 --> 00:34:30,096
minor issue in their life.

774
00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:32,021
All right?

775
00:34:32,029 --> 00:34:34,050
And what he doesn't say is,
"Oh, well you can't deal with

776
00:34:34,058 --> 00:34:36,067
anybody else, and their sin,
and their issues."

777
00:34:36,071 --> 00:34:38,088
What he says is,
"Hey, first thing's first.

778
00:34:38,096 --> 00:34:42,033
Deal with your own lumberyard."

779
00:34:42,042 --> 00:34:46,025
Deal with your own lumberyard,
'cause I'll be honest with ya

780
00:34:46,033 --> 00:34:48,042
and say--it's not
always this way,

781
00:34:48,050 --> 00:34:50,058
and I don't want
to broad stroke.

782
00:34:50,067 --> 00:34:52,096
But some of the worst marriages
I've ever seen are

783
00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:55,017
marriage counselors.

784
00:34:55,025 --> 00:34:56,071
I mean, I'm serious.

785
00:34:56,079 --> 00:35:02,012
Some of the worst fathers
I've seen teach as pastors

786
00:35:02,017 --> 00:35:04,017
about fathering.

787
00:35:04,021 --> 00:35:07,050
Their wife and their kids are
nothing more than just props.

788
00:35:07,058 --> 00:35:12,092
They're not really
objects of affection.

789
00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:16,050
Sometimes in our--I've seen
it, all this is gonna be

790
00:35:16,054 --> 00:35:19,071
controversial, but sometimes
the most disturbed people go get

791
00:35:19,079 --> 00:35:21,062
counseling degrees, not just
to help other people,

792
00:35:21,067 --> 00:35:24,042
but because they're trying to
figure out their own issues.

793
00:35:24,050 --> 00:35:25,096
It's not bad to go get
a counseling degree,

794
00:35:26,000 --> 00:35:27,088
but before you start
counseling anybody else,

795
00:35:27,096 --> 00:35:29,079
you gotta figure
out your own stuff.

796
00:35:29,083 --> 00:35:30,096
Before you start working
on their marriage,

797
00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:32,062
you gotta get your own
marriage under control.

798
00:35:32,067 --> 00:35:34,088
Before you start telling people
what to do with their kids,

799
00:35:34,096 --> 00:35:36,054
you need to get
yours out of rehab.

800
00:35:36,062 --> 00:35:38,025
First thing's first.

801
00:35:38,033 --> 00:35:40,067
You gotta deal with
your own stuff first.

802
00:35:40,075 --> 00:35:44,075
And what happens is it's easier
to see sin in someone else's

803
00:35:44,083 --> 00:35:47,088
life than it is your own,
and it's easier to tell them

804
00:35:47,096 --> 00:35:51,004
what to do than the hard work
of doing it yourself.

805
00:35:51,012 --> 00:35:53,000
That's by definition,
a hypocrite.

806
00:35:53,004 --> 00:35:56,008
So let me say this: all of us,
to varying degrees,

807
00:35:56,017 --> 00:35:59,046
are blind guides and hypocrites,

808
00:35:59,050 --> 00:36:02,033
well aware, more aware of
everyone's sin in their life,

809
00:36:02,042 --> 00:36:05,008
far less aware
of our sin in our life.

810
00:36:05,017 --> 00:36:06,050
And the more religious you are,

811
00:36:06,058 --> 00:36:09,083
the worse it's going to be
for you.

812
00:36:09,092 --> 00:36:12,058
That's the way that it works.

813
00:36:12,067 --> 00:36:14,071
And so what is Jesus' answer?

814
00:36:14,079 --> 00:36:18,033
He says, "Well, students
become like their teachers,

815
00:36:18,038 --> 00:36:22,075
so you gotta be careful
who you pick to follow."

816
00:36:22,083 --> 00:36:27,050
What that means is be very
careful to pick a church.

817
00:36:27,058 --> 00:36:32,092
Be very careful to pick
friends; friends that you say,

818
00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:36,079
"I welcome you to speak into
my life and give me counsel."

819
00:36:36,083 --> 00:36:41,017
Be very careful what books you
read for instruction in life.

820
00:36:41,025 --> 00:36:44,096
Be very careful what podcasts,
and blogs, and tweets,

821
00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:49,033
and RSS feeds, and magazines,
and television shows,

822
00:36:49,038 --> 00:36:54,046
and radio talk programs that
you consume, because when

823
00:36:54,050 --> 00:36:58,033
fully trained, you'll become
like your teacher.

824
00:36:58,038 --> 00:37:01,096
And if they're blind,
you'll share their blindness.

825
00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:05,062
If they're hypocrites,
you'll share their hypocrisy,

826
00:37:05,067 --> 00:37:09,050
because as Jesus says,
when fully trained,

827
00:37:09,058 --> 00:37:12,075
students become
like their teachers.

828
00:37:12,083 --> 00:37:18,017
It's very important that
you decide who to listen to,

829
00:37:18,025 --> 00:37:20,033
who to follow.

830
00:37:20,042 --> 00:37:23,033
It's the only way to deal with
your blindness is to find people

831
00:37:23,038 --> 00:37:25,017
who aren't blind
where you're blind,

832
00:37:25,025 --> 00:37:28,004
and have them love you enough
to judge you--

833
00:37:28,012 --> 00:37:29,050
back to my first point--

834
00:37:29,054 --> 00:37:33,008
and to help you to see
these are issues and areas that

835
00:37:33,017 --> 00:37:35,062
you really need some work.

836
00:37:35,067 --> 00:37:39,000
Additionally, you need people
who are not hypocrites,

837
00:37:39,004 --> 00:37:41,000
who condone your lifestyle,

838
00:37:41,008 --> 00:37:44,071
and participate in it
where it is sinful.

839
00:37:44,079 --> 00:37:48,058
You also need people who are
willing to lovingly confront you

840
00:37:48,067 --> 00:37:53,058
in community, and say,
you are a total hypocrite.

841
00:37:53,067 --> 00:37:57,071
You freak out on people who do
this, but here's your issue,

842
00:37:57,079 --> 00:37:59,062
and again, all of
this is principle.

843
00:37:59,067 --> 00:38:02,021
God the Holy Spirit will
now name it for you.

844
00:38:02,029 --> 00:38:04,033
Don't think about your friend.

845
00:38:04,038 --> 00:38:07,000
Don't think, "Oh yes, they
really need to hear this sermon.

846
00:38:07,004 --> 00:38:08,075
This will be very
good for them."

847
00:38:08,083 --> 00:38:12,012
First thing's first,
before you counsel anyone,

848
00:38:12,017 --> 00:38:14,050
deal with your own stuff.

849
00:38:14,054 --> 00:38:19,042
I mean, I'm continually shocked
at the horrible husbands

850
00:38:19,050 --> 00:38:22,038
who want to counsel men
on marriage.

851
00:38:22,046 --> 00:38:24,088
I'm continually shocked
at the horrible fathers

852
00:38:24,096 --> 00:38:27,071
who want to counsel men
on fatherhood.

853
00:38:27,079 --> 00:38:28,071
It's amazing.

854
00:38:28,079 --> 00:38:31,058
Even in the pastorate,
even in counseling.

855
00:38:31,067 --> 00:38:35,012
Same is true for women--
women who quarrel, argue,

856
00:38:35,017 --> 00:38:38,083
dishonor their husband, yet want
to tell other women how they

857
00:38:38,092 --> 00:38:41,021
should live their life, and how
they should organize their home.

858
00:38:41,029 --> 00:38:44,033
This is what we do, and to some
degree we're all hypocrites.

859
00:38:44,038 --> 00:38:51,012
And here's the truth: sometimes
the myth is laid out there,

860
00:38:51,017 --> 00:38:52,050
"you should never judge anyone."

861
00:38:52,054 --> 00:38:54,017
Well, we have to,
if we love them,

862
00:38:54,025 --> 00:38:57,025
diagnose what's wrong in their
life in a non-condemning,

863
00:38:57,033 --> 00:39:00,050
but in a convicting way.

864
00:39:00,054 --> 00:39:04,008
And additionally
if we really love them,

865
00:39:04,017 --> 00:39:09,008
we need to not follow them,
we need to rebuke them,

866
00:39:09,017 --> 00:39:11,021
and say, "I love you.

867
00:39:11,029 --> 00:39:13,017
"Stop giving me advice.

868
00:39:13,025 --> 00:39:15,025
"I'm not asking for it,
I'm not looking for it,

869
00:39:15,033 --> 00:39:18,079
"and the truth is we all see
a lumberyard coming out of your

870
00:39:18,083 --> 00:39:23,083
head, and that should probably
be your first priority."

871
00:39:23,088 --> 00:39:28,075
And if you do that, and someone
is humble, they'll thank you.

872
00:39:28,083 --> 00:39:33,038
And if they're arrogant,
they'll bristle.

873
00:39:33,046 --> 00:39:36,050
Proverbs says, "Rebuke
a wise man, he'll thank you.

874
00:39:36,058 --> 00:39:39,071
Rebuke a fool, he'll hate you."

875
00:39:39,079 --> 00:39:41,071
You don't know who someone
is, wise or foolish,

876
00:39:41,079 --> 00:39:43,096
until they don't get their
way, or you point out their

877
00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:47,054
lumberyard, or you show
them their blindness.

878
00:39:47,062 --> 00:39:50,071
But the truth is it's not just
Christians who are hypocrites,

879
00:39:50,079 --> 00:39:52,033
non-Christians are
hypocrites too.

880
00:39:52,038 --> 00:39:53,096
And non-Christians love
to throw that line,

881
00:39:54,000 --> 00:39:55,054
"All you Christians
are hypocrites."

882
00:39:55,062 --> 00:39:58,033
And so are all you
non-Christians.

883
00:39:58,042 --> 00:40:00,083
Right, I'll give you one
example that I think is funny.

884
00:40:00,088 --> 00:40:03,008
Back to my previous point.

885
00:40:03,017 --> 00:40:05,075
The--according to
"US Today" article

886
00:40:05,083 --> 00:40:09,017
a few years ago, the least
charitably generous city in

887
00:40:09,021 --> 00:40:11,092
the United States of America is?

888
00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:13,079
Seattle.

889
00:40:13,083 --> 00:40:16,033
See, here's our deal,
we are cause oriented.

890
00:40:16,042 --> 00:40:17,038
"What about the poor?

891
00:40:17,046 --> 00:40:18,075
"What about low income housing?

892
00:40:18,083 --> 00:40:20,008
"What about single mothers?

893
00:40:20,017 --> 00:40:21,054
"What about homelessness?

894
00:40:21,062 --> 00:40:22,075
"What about the needy?

895
00:40:22,083 --> 00:40:25,067
Somebody else should totally
do something about that."

896
00:40:25,071 --> 00:40:27,079
That's Seattle.

897
00:40:27,083 --> 00:40:28,038


898
00:40:28,046 --> 00:40:30,017
That's Seattle.

899
00:40:30,021 --> 00:40:31,017
Are you gonna do anything?

900
00:40:31,025 --> 00:40:33,038
"Well, hey man, thou
shall not judge, right?"

901
00:40:33,046 --> 00:40:35,079
I mean here we go again.

902
00:40:35,083 --> 00:40:39,008
And so we're all hypocrites
to varying degrees,

903
00:40:39,017 --> 00:40:41,033
and we're all blind
in varying ways,

904
00:40:41,038 --> 00:40:47,000
and we need each other
to point out our blindness,

905
00:40:47,004 --> 00:40:49,004
and to help us.

906
00:40:49,012 --> 00:40:52,008
Who do you need to forgive?

907
00:40:52,017 --> 00:40:53,033
How is your financial giving?

908
00:40:53,042 --> 00:40:55,079
What log is in your eye?

909
00:40:55,083 --> 00:40:58,017
Third question, what
log is in your eye?

910
00:40:58,021 --> 00:41:01,062
Say, "Yeah, yeah,
this is a big issue.

911
00:41:01,067 --> 00:41:04,054
"I've not really dealt with it,

912
00:41:04,062 --> 00:41:07,071
repented of it,
and put it to death."

913
00:41:07,079 --> 00:41:11,046
Sort of culminates
then in point four:

914
00:41:11,050 --> 00:41:14,050
good trees should
produce good fruit.

915
00:41:14,058 --> 00:41:19,008
Luke 6:43-45, "For no
good tree bears bad fruit,

916
00:41:19,017 --> 00:41:21,021
"nor again does a bad
tree bear good fruit,

917
00:41:21,029 --> 00:41:22,096
"for each tree is known
by its own fruit.

918
00:41:23,000 --> 00:41:24,071
"For figs are not gathered
from thornbushes,

919
00:41:24,079 --> 00:41:27,033
"nor are grapes picked
from a bramble bush.

920
00:41:27,038 --> 00:41:29,017
"The good person out of
the good treasure of his heart

921
00:41:29,025 --> 00:41:31,046
"produces good,
and the evil person

922
00:41:31,050 --> 00:41:34,033
"out of his evil treasure
produces evil,

923
00:41:34,042 --> 00:41:37,038
"for out of the abundance of
the heart the mouth speaks."

924
00:41:37,046 --> 00:41:41,008
Okay, Jesus here is confronting
one of our most preciously,

925
00:41:41,017 --> 00:41:44,029
deeply held cultural myths:

926
00:41:44,033 --> 00:41:47,071
"We're all good people, and
sometimes we do bad things."

927
00:41:47,079 --> 00:41:49,046
You ever seen someone
do something horrible,

928
00:41:49,050 --> 00:41:51,067
and it's on the news?

929
00:41:51,075 --> 00:41:53,029
Happens all the time.

930
00:41:53,033 --> 00:41:54,096
And then everybody
gets on there like,

931
00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:57,088
"They're just a really
good person.

932
00:41:57,096 --> 00:41:59,046
"I mean, yeah, they
murder people,

933
00:41:59,050 --> 00:42:04,021
but deep down in their
heart, they're golden."

934
00:42:04,029 --> 00:42:06,029
Really?

935
00:42:06,033 --> 00:42:07,088
Seriously?

936
00:42:07,096 --> 00:42:13,017
See, because there's this
deeply held lie, this myth.

937
00:42:13,025 --> 00:42:17,000
It's very pervasive and powerful
in our culture that,

938
00:42:17,004 --> 00:42:18,088
"Yeah, the world has got
some corruption,

939
00:42:18,096 --> 00:42:21,050
"and I've got a little
corruption, but deep down in me,

940
00:42:21,054 --> 00:42:24,054
there's purity,
there's goodness."

941
00:42:24,062 --> 00:42:29,012
No, that's blindness
to our blindness.

942
00:42:29,017 --> 00:42:35,012
That's self-selected blindness
to our depravity and corruption,

943
00:42:35,017 --> 00:42:41,062
that we inherit a sin nature,
that we are sinners by nature.

944
00:42:41,067 --> 00:42:44,096
It goes all the way
down to the roots.

945
00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:49,062
And what Jesus is saying, you
can't say good tree, bad fruit.

946
00:42:49,067 --> 00:42:51,058
Doesn't make any sense at all.

947
00:42:51,067 --> 00:42:54,054
"Oh, that's
a fantastic apple tree,

948
00:42:54,062 --> 00:42:57,021
and all it produces
is grenades."

949
00:42:57,029 --> 00:42:59,042
Really?

950
00:42:59,050 --> 00:43:03,008
It doesn't seem like
a fantastic apple tree.

951
00:43:03,017 --> 00:43:06,046
"Oh, it's a very good apple
tree and produces grenades.

952
00:43:06,050 --> 00:43:08,000
Don't pick them."

953
00:43:08,004 --> 00:43:09,067
Really?

954
00:43:09,075 --> 00:43:13,017
"That's a very good person,
they just produce wickedness,

955
00:43:13,021 --> 00:43:15,004
but they're a very good person."

956
00:43:15,012 --> 00:43:16,025
That's insane.

957
00:43:16,033 --> 00:43:18,025
That's crazy.

958
00:43:18,033 --> 00:43:21,021
But it's a deeply-held myth,
and some people perpetuate it,

959
00:43:21,029 --> 00:43:22,083
even about their own kids.

960
00:43:22,092 --> 00:43:23,092
The kids are horrible.

961
00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:25,092
"Oh, they're just a little
angel in their heart."

962
00:43:26,000 --> 00:43:32,075
No, they're not, they're evil.

963
00:43:32,083 --> 00:43:35,033
And I see girlfriends do this
with their boyfriend, "Oh yeah,

964
00:43:35,042 --> 00:43:38,054
"he's drunk, unemployed, can't
find his pants, and hits me,

965
00:43:38,062 --> 00:43:43,033
"but you know deep down, he's
a winner, winner chicken dinner,

966
00:43:43,038 --> 00:43:44,033
"total sweetheart kind of guy.

967
00:43:44,038 --> 00:43:45,062
That's who he is."

968
00:43:45,067 --> 00:43:46,075
No, he's not.

969
00:43:46,083 --> 00:43:50,075
He's Satan way down
deep in the roots.

970
00:43:50,083 --> 00:43:52,075
He's just a bad guy.

971
00:43:52,083 --> 00:43:56,000
"Oh, but you know if we just
loved him, and cared for him,

972
00:43:56,008 --> 00:43:57,067
and enabled him."

973
00:43:57,075 --> 00:44:00,038
No, what, worship him
as God and let him do it?

974
00:44:00,046 --> 00:44:02,050
No.

975
00:44:02,054 --> 00:44:04,008
And here's what Jesus is
saying, we don't need

976
00:44:04,017 --> 00:44:06,083
behavior modification,
we need regeneration.

977
00:44:06,092 --> 00:44:09,004
That's the biblical doctrine.

978
00:44:09,012 --> 00:44:11,008
You don't need to
become a better person,

979
00:44:11,017 --> 00:44:14,004
you need to become
a different person.

980
00:44:14,012 --> 00:44:18,050
What he's talking about is
uprooting one tree, saying,

981
00:44:18,058 --> 00:44:20,017
that one's worthless.

982
00:44:20,021 --> 00:44:21,042
It's a bad tree.

983
00:44:21,050 --> 00:44:22,067
It's bad to the roots.

984
00:44:22,071 --> 00:44:27,033
It has nothing but bad fruit.

985
00:44:27,038 --> 00:44:33,025
And then God replants us in
Christ as a whole new tree.

986
00:44:33,033 --> 00:44:37,071
New creation in Christ, new
person, new heart, new mind,

987
00:44:37,079 --> 00:44:40,096
new will, new emotions,
new life, new appetites,

988
00:44:41,000 --> 00:44:45,096
new passions, new pleasures,
new affections, new person.

989
00:44:46,000 --> 00:44:47,062
Some of you would come
to church and say,

990
00:44:47,067 --> 00:44:50,050
"Give me steps to
become a better person."

991
00:44:50,058 --> 00:44:52,000
And you'll be
into pop psychology,

992
00:44:52,004 --> 00:44:53,025
self-help, self-esteem.

993
00:44:53,033 --> 00:44:55,033
"Do these four things,
don't do these three things.

994
00:44:55,038 --> 00:44:56,096
Follow these 27 steps."

995
00:44:57,000 --> 00:45:00,033
First thing's first,
life change is good.

996
00:45:00,042 --> 00:45:02,083
If you're an alcoholic,
don't be an alcoholic.

997
00:45:02,092 --> 00:45:04,054
If you're a drug
addict, don't do drugs.

998
00:45:04,062 --> 00:45:07,042
If you're a sex addict, we don't
want you to be addicted to sex.

999
00:45:07,050 --> 00:45:10,050
If you got a chronic gambling
problem, you need to stop.

1000
00:45:10,054 --> 00:45:14,033
If you're running yourself into
debt and overspending, yeah,

1001
00:45:14,038 --> 00:45:15,083
you need to get
that under control.

1002
00:45:15,088 --> 00:45:18,050
If you're a glutton,
whatever it is, yeah,

1003
00:45:18,054 --> 00:45:21,083
we want that behavior to stop,
but God wants far more

1004
00:45:21,088 --> 00:45:24,033
than just changed behavior.

1005
00:45:24,042 --> 00:45:28,033
He wants new people.

1006
00:45:28,038 --> 00:45:30,088
And Jesus uses
the language of the heart.

1007
00:45:30,096 --> 00:45:35,092
The heart is the seat, sum,
center, essence of who you are.

1008
00:45:36,000 --> 00:45:38,092
The Bible uses that word,
not of the literal organ,

1009
00:45:39,000 --> 00:45:43,042
but of the metaphorical center.

1010
00:45:43,050 --> 00:45:47,071
And Jesus is saying, "Life
comes out of the heart,

1011
00:45:47,079 --> 00:45:49,050
"words come out of the heart,

1012
00:45:49,058 --> 00:45:52,054
motives and deeds
come out of the heart."

1013
00:45:52,062 --> 00:45:54,012
And the old heart,
the Bible says,

1014
00:45:54,017 --> 00:45:57,058
the heart you get as
a descendent of Adam is

1015
00:45:57,067 --> 00:45:58,079
a heart of stone.

1016
00:45:58,083 --> 00:46:01,000
It's hard-hearted toward God,
stubborn, rebellious,

1017
00:46:01,008 --> 00:46:04,004
defiant, foolish, and dead.

1018
00:46:04,012 --> 00:46:06,033
When you become a Christian, God
takes out the heart of stone,

1019
00:46:06,042 --> 00:46:08,096
he gives you a heart of
flesh, not a perfect heart,

1020
00:46:09,000 --> 00:46:12,004
but a new heart, a heart that is
by the power of the Holy Spirit,

1021
00:46:12,012 --> 00:46:14,075
and the grace of God,
increasingly made to be

1022
00:46:14,083 --> 00:46:18,058
more, and more, and more
like Jesus.

1023
00:46:18,067 --> 00:46:22,033
And God doesn't want you
to do better or try harder,

1024
00:46:22,038 --> 00:46:26,079
he wants you to be uprooted,
replanted, born-again,

1025
00:46:26,083 --> 00:46:29,075
regenerated, new heart.

1026
00:46:29,083 --> 00:46:31,004
This is where Christianity
is different than

1027
00:46:31,012 --> 00:46:32,004
every other religion.

1028
00:46:32,012 --> 00:46:33,046
Some people say, "Well,
Christianity teaches

1029
00:46:33,050 --> 00:46:35,092
some of the same values
as other religions."

1030
00:46:36,000 --> 00:46:36,096
True.

1031
00:46:37,000 --> 00:46:41,083
And none of them provide
the power to obey God.

1032
00:46:41,088 --> 00:46:45,079
Christianity says God changes
us at the deepest level,

1033
00:46:45,083 --> 00:46:49,058
and gives us the Holy Spirit
to live by his power.

1034
00:46:49,067 --> 00:46:51,075
So God doesn't just
tell us what to do,

1035
00:46:51,083 --> 00:46:54,042
he lives a life through us,

1036
00:46:54,050 --> 00:46:57,033
and it all starts
with coming to Jesus.

1037
00:46:57,042 --> 00:46:59,033
So that's what I would tell you.

1038
00:46:59,038 --> 00:47:00,079
If you're not
a Christian you say,

1039
00:47:00,083 --> 00:47:02,017
"I don't know how to
get my life together."

1040
00:47:02,025 --> 00:47:04,017
And some of you may say,
"My life's not out of order,

1041
00:47:04,021 --> 00:47:05,025
it's going pretty good."

1042
00:47:05,033 --> 00:47:10,083
You're proud and arrogant and
independent, and that's sin too.

1043
00:47:10,088 --> 00:47:12,092
And what you need
is to come to Jesus.

1044
00:47:13,000 --> 00:47:14,096
So if you're here trying to
figure out how to get your life

1045
00:47:15,000 --> 00:47:18,000
together, let's not worry
about the behavior just yet.

1046
00:47:18,008 --> 00:47:20,004
Let's get you
connected to Jesus,

1047
00:47:20,012 --> 00:47:23,046
and he'll change you from the
inside out, instead of trying to

1048
00:47:23,050 --> 00:47:27,046
make behavior adjustments
from the outside in.

1049
00:47:27,050 --> 00:47:29,025
Give your sin to
Jesus, he died for it.

1050
00:47:29,033 --> 00:47:30,050
He rose for it.

1051
00:47:30,058 --> 00:47:35,012
Receive from him a new heart,
and a new life, so that you

1052
00:47:35,017 --> 00:47:38,012
can be a good tree that
produces good fruit.

1053
00:47:38,017 --> 00:47:41,008
The fruit of the spirit: love,
joy, peace, patience,

1054
00:47:41,017 --> 00:47:43,025
goodness, gentleness,
self-control,

1055
00:47:43,033 --> 00:47:45,071
the stuff that
Galatians talks about.

1056
00:47:45,079 --> 00:47:48,079
I'll give you one
analogy, one illustration.

1057
00:47:48,083 --> 00:47:51,050
It was phenomenally
encouraging this week.

1058
00:47:51,058 --> 00:47:54,054
I'm visiting the various
campuses of Mars Hill,

1059
00:47:54,062 --> 00:47:56,025
as we meet in different
locations,

1060
00:47:56,033 --> 00:47:58,025
and I went to
the University of Washington,

1061
00:47:58,033 --> 00:47:59,083
spent the day there.

1062
00:47:59,092 --> 00:48:02,092
There was this wonderful, cool,
awesome gal

1063
00:48:03,000 --> 00:48:06,012
who just absolutely
encouraged me.

1064
00:48:06,017 --> 00:48:08,017
She said, "Pastor Mark,"
she raised her hand,

1065
00:48:08,025 --> 00:48:10,092
room of people, leaders.

1066
00:48:11,000 --> 00:48:13,058
She said, "I've got
a ministry to gals."

1067
00:48:13,067 --> 00:48:16,046
And she said, "My ministry
comes out of the fact that

1068
00:48:16,050 --> 00:48:18,012
"I lived a certain life.

1069
00:48:18,017 --> 00:48:19,083
"Thursday, Friday,
Saturday, whatever it is,

1070
00:48:19,088 --> 00:48:21,004
"I'd get dressed up.

1071
00:48:21,012 --> 00:48:22,004
"I'd go out.

1072
00:48:22,012 --> 00:48:25,033
"I'd get drunk, and I'd
let guys destroy me,

1073
00:48:25,042 --> 00:48:26,088
"and then I'd come home and cry.

1074
00:48:26,096 --> 00:48:29,008
"And then I'd do it again, and
I did it week after week for

1075
00:48:29,017 --> 00:48:34,017
I don't know how long, a year,
2, 3 years, whatever it is."

1076
00:48:34,021 --> 00:48:36,000
And she said, "And I
don't do that anymore,

1077
00:48:36,004 --> 00:48:38,029
"and I have a heart for
girls that are like that,

1078
00:48:38,033 --> 00:48:41,062
"getting all dressed up,
and drunk and abused.

1079
00:48:41,067 --> 00:48:43,033
"So I tell my story,
and they come to me,

1080
00:48:43,038 --> 00:48:45,012
"and they want me to pray
for them, and talk to them,

1081
00:48:45,017 --> 00:48:46,012
"and help them.

1082
00:48:46,017 --> 00:48:49,042
So I need a lot more training
and biblical counseling."

1083
00:48:49,050 --> 00:48:50,092
Fantastic.

1084
00:48:51,000 --> 00:48:52,025
I mean, she's brave, she's bold.

1085
00:48:52,033 --> 00:48:55,058
She's being honest about
her life, fantastic.

1086
00:48:55,067 --> 00:48:58,029
She got baptized here
at Easter a few weeks ago.

1087
00:48:58,033 --> 00:49:01,067
So I asked her, I said,
"What do you tell them?"

1088
00:49:01,071 --> 00:49:03,021
She says, "Here's
what I tell them,

1089
00:49:03,029 --> 00:49:07,088
I love the Holy Spirit
'cause he just changed me."

1090
00:49:07,096 --> 00:49:09,075
That's a great answer.

1091
00:49:09,083 --> 00:49:13,012
She said, "What I used to do, I
don't want to do that anymore.

1092
00:49:13,017 --> 00:49:15,012
"What I used to enjoy,
I don't enjoy it.

1093
00:49:15,017 --> 00:49:18,083
"The trap I was stuck
in, God got me out.

1094
00:49:18,088 --> 00:49:21,054
"The enslavement that I
was beholden to,

1095
00:49:21,062 --> 00:49:23,096
I've been set free
and redeemed."

1096
00:49:24,000 --> 00:49:25,067
She said, "I'm a new person.

1097
00:49:25,075 --> 00:49:28,000
"I don't think like
I used to think.

1098
00:49:28,008 --> 00:49:30,096
"I don't act like I used to
act, and it's not me, it's God.

1099
00:49:31,000 --> 00:49:33,029
The Holy Spirit
just changed me."

1100
00:49:33,033 --> 00:49:35,008
And she said, "Now I'm telling
everybody that

1101
00:49:35,017 --> 00:49:37,046
the Holy Spirit changes people."

1102
00:49:37,050 --> 00:49:38,071
Great.

1103
00:49:38,079 --> 00:49:39,088
I said, "How long
ago did this happen?"

1104
00:49:39,096 --> 00:49:42,067
She said, "Two months ago."

1105
00:49:42,071 --> 00:49:49,025
Two months ago, unbelievable.

1106
00:49:49,033 --> 00:49:53,033
And that's what Jesus
is talking about.

1107
00:49:53,038 --> 00:49:55,062
All right, she didn't come to
church looking for religion

1108
00:49:55,067 --> 00:49:58,004
saying, "I have
a really bad apple tree,

1109
00:49:58,012 --> 00:50:02,071
how do I duct tape
oranges to it?"

1110
00:50:02,079 --> 00:50:06,046
She walked in,
and God said, "New tree,

1111
00:50:06,050 --> 00:50:10,062
"all the way down to the
roots, new person, new life.

1112
00:50:10,067 --> 00:50:11,092
You get to start over."

1113
00:50:12,000 --> 00:50:13,092
That's our God.

1114
00:50:14,000 --> 00:50:14,042


1115
00:50:14,050 --> 00:50:16,021
That's our God.

1116
00:50:16,029 --> 00:50:20,067
So let me ask you, fourth
question, how's your life going?

1117
00:50:20,071 --> 00:50:23,025
What kind of fruit
are you reaping?

1118
00:50:23,033 --> 00:50:26,046
Is it destruction, death, folly,
foolishness, independence,

1119
00:50:26,050 --> 00:50:31,025
selfishness, self-righteousness,
pride, despair, or is there

1120
00:50:31,033 --> 00:50:33,062
love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness,

1121
00:50:33,067 --> 00:50:35,067
gentleness, self-control?

1122
00:50:35,075 --> 00:50:39,033
Some of you may not
even be Christians.

1123
00:50:39,038 --> 00:50:43,017
Some of you may be religious
people, spiritual people,

1124
00:50:43,021 --> 00:50:46,083
moral people, but you may have
never come to Jesus,

1125
00:50:46,088 --> 00:50:48,071
and had him give you
a new heart.

1126
00:50:48,079 --> 00:50:50,067
So you need to go to
Jesus tonight in prayer,

1127
00:50:50,071 --> 00:50:54,033
and literally just ask him,
"Jesus, give me a new heart.

1128
00:50:54,038 --> 00:50:58,017
"Before I can change anything,
you need to change me.

1129
00:50:58,025 --> 00:51:03,017
"At the depth, seat, sum,
center, essence of who I am.

1130
00:51:03,025 --> 00:51:06,075
"Lord Jesus, pull up my old life
by the roots,

1131
00:51:06,083 --> 00:51:09,042
and plant me in you."

1132
00:51:09,050 --> 00:51:11,008
And he will and he does.

1133
00:51:11,017 --> 00:51:13,000
Some of you, that
explains your whole life.

1134
00:51:13,008 --> 00:51:14,088
That's why you have
so many problems.

1135
00:51:14,096 --> 00:51:17,083
You're trying to live the
Christian life without Christ,

1136
00:51:17,092 --> 00:51:19,067
and it's not even living
the Christian life,

1137
00:51:19,071 --> 00:51:22,067
it's Christ living through you.

1138
00:51:22,075 --> 00:51:27,017
And he sums all this up in
this great and glorious way.

1139
00:51:27,021 --> 00:51:30,012
Number five: truth plus
obedience equals

1140
00:51:30,017 --> 00:51:32,079
a rock-solid foundation.

1141
00:51:32,083 --> 00:51:36,017
Luke 6:46, "Why do you
call me 'Lord, Lord,'

1142
00:51:36,025 --> 00:51:38,017
"Jesus says, 'and not do
what I tell you?'"

1143
00:51:38,021 --> 00:51:39,079
That's a good question.

1144
00:51:39,083 --> 00:51:41,029
"You're the king, you're
the boss, you're right,

1145
00:51:41,033 --> 00:51:43,050
you're perfect, you're
true and I disagree."

1146
00:51:43,054 --> 00:51:45,021
What?

1147
00:51:45,029 --> 00:51:48,000
With him?

1148
00:51:48,008 --> 00:51:50,038
Seriously?

1149
00:51:50,046 --> 00:51:53,083
Every time we sin, that's what
we're saying with our actions.

1150
00:51:53,088 --> 00:51:55,038
"Everyone who comes to me."

1151
00:51:55,046 --> 00:51:58,000
So my first thing would be,
you've gotta come to Jesus.

1152
00:51:58,004 --> 00:52:01,025
Would you come to Jesus?

1153
00:52:01,033 --> 00:52:03,092
Please come to Jesus.

1154
00:52:04,000 --> 00:52:07,046
"Everyone who comes to me and
hears my words," that's truth,

1155
00:52:07,050 --> 00:52:09,021
"And does them,"
that's obedience,

1156
00:52:09,029 --> 00:52:11,000
"I will show you
what he is like."

1157
00:52:11,004 --> 00:52:12,050
And Jesus has a great analogy.

1158
00:52:12,054 --> 00:52:13,083
"He is like a man
building a house,

1159
00:52:13,088 --> 00:52:16,017
"who dug deep and laid
the foundation on a rock.

1160
00:52:16,025 --> 00:52:18,029
"And when a flood arose, the
stream broke against the house

1161
00:52:18,033 --> 00:52:22,033
"and could not shake it,
because it had been well built.

1162
00:52:22,038 --> 00:52:24,033
"But the one who hears and does
not do them is like a man who

1163
00:52:24,042 --> 00:52:27,071
"built a house on the ground
without a foundation.

1164
00:52:27,079 --> 00:52:30,050
"When the stream broke against
it, immediately it fell,

1165
00:52:30,058 --> 00:52:32,062
and the ruin of that
house was great."

1166
00:52:32,067 --> 00:52:35,012
Here's what he's saying: there's
two ways to build a house,

1167
00:52:35,017 --> 00:52:37,054
with or without a foundation.

1168
00:52:37,062 --> 00:52:41,050
And a foundation that is
set on rock will be fine.

1169
00:52:41,054 --> 00:52:44,050
A house without a foundation,
or that sets itself on shifting

1170
00:52:44,054 --> 00:52:48,000
sands, it is only a matter of
time before trouble comes

1171
00:52:48,008 --> 00:52:49,042
and that house is destroyed.

1172
00:52:49,050 --> 00:52:51,046
That's why if you go right
now to the bank and say,

1173
00:52:51,050 --> 00:52:54,062
"I would like to buy a house
that has no foundation,

1174
00:52:54,067 --> 00:52:57,096
and is on the beach,"
you will not get a loan.

1175
00:52:58,000 --> 00:53:00,054
You will get a chuckle,
but not a loan.

1176
00:53:00,062 --> 00:53:03,017
It's only a matter of time
before that house

1177
00:53:03,025 --> 00:53:04,058
ceases to exist.

1178
00:53:04,067 --> 00:53:07,033
And here's what Jesus is saying:
trouble, strife, turmoil,

1179
00:53:07,042 --> 00:53:09,058
difficulty, hardship will come.

1180
00:53:09,067 --> 00:53:10,079
You will lose your job.

1181
00:53:10,083 --> 00:53:12,017
You will get sick.

1182
00:53:12,021 --> 00:53:13,096
You will have trouble.

1183
00:53:14,000 --> 00:53:15,062
That's what Jesus says.

1184
00:53:15,067 --> 00:53:18,050
In this world, you
will have trouble.

1185
00:53:18,058 --> 00:53:21,033
That's what he says, so don't
set up your life in such a way

1186
00:53:21,042 --> 00:53:22,033
and say, "You know what?

1187
00:53:22,042 --> 00:53:24,083
Everything will be fine as
long as nothing goes wrong."

1188
00:53:24,088 --> 00:53:27,000
Something's gonna go wrong.

1189
00:53:27,008 --> 00:53:28,046
That's what he's saying.

1190
00:53:28,050 --> 00:53:30,058
A storm will come.

1191
00:53:30,067 --> 00:53:34,017
Hardship, trials, strife,
something's gonna hit.

1192
00:53:34,021 --> 00:53:36,029
And some of you don't pay any
attention to the foundation,

1193
00:53:36,033 --> 00:53:38,008
what you're building
your life on.

1194
00:53:38,017 --> 00:53:40,025
First principles, your church,
your friends, your theology,

1195
00:53:40,033 --> 00:53:44,017
your doctrine, your relationship
with Christ, your prayer life,

1196
00:53:44,021 --> 00:53:46,021
Bible reading, until what?

1197
00:53:46,029 --> 00:53:49,033
Storm comes, you're floating
down the river trying to put

1198
00:53:49,042 --> 00:53:50,096
a foundation under the thing.

1199
00:53:51,000 --> 00:53:57,083
It's a little late in the day.

1200
00:53:57,088 --> 00:54:01,012
We love you.

1201
00:54:01,017 --> 00:54:06,088
We want good for you, and
the truth is, it's your life.

1202
00:54:06,096 --> 00:54:08,075
You can blame other people.

1203
00:54:08,083 --> 00:54:09,079
You can excuse yourself.

1204
00:54:09,083 --> 00:54:10,075
You can pass the buck.

1205
00:54:10,083 --> 00:54:12,017
You can blame it
on your parents.

1206
00:54:12,025 --> 00:54:14,092
You can rail against culture.

1207
00:54:15,000 --> 00:54:18,083
You can hope that some elected
official just starts giving away

1208
00:54:18,092 --> 00:54:24,017
free foundations to everyone,
or you can, as an adult,

1209
00:54:24,025 --> 00:54:26,000
take responsibility
and say,

1210
00:54:26,008 --> 00:54:32,058
"My life, my foundation,
my responsibility."

1211
00:54:32,067 --> 00:54:38,025


1212
00:54:38,033 --> 00:54:43,071
Is your problem a truth problem,
or an obedience problem?

1213
00:54:43,079 --> 00:54:44,050


1214
00:54:44,054 --> 00:54:47,000
Is your problem a truth problem,
or an obedience problem?

1215
00:54:47,004 --> 00:54:49,067
Jesus says, "Everyone who
hears my words," right,

1216
00:54:49,075 --> 00:54:51,000
that's the truth.

1217
00:54:51,004 --> 00:54:53,033
Jesus says, "Elsewhere sanctify
them by the truth, your word,

1218
00:54:53,042 --> 00:54:55,092
Scriptures is true."

1219
00:54:56,000 --> 00:54:58,033
Is it a truth problem?

1220
00:54:58,042 --> 00:54:59,092
You're not getting
a lot of truth.

1221
00:55:00,004 --> 00:55:01,062
You're not reading your Bible.

1222
00:55:01,067 --> 00:55:03,083
See, truth comes
through the Scriptures.

1223
00:55:03,088 --> 00:55:06,033
Truth comes from the
conviction of the Holy Spirit.

1224
00:55:06,042 --> 00:55:09,083
Truth can also come through
godly friends who give good

1225
00:55:09,092 --> 00:55:13,000
counsel, people who are willing
to show you where you're blind

1226
00:55:13,004 --> 00:55:14,092
and hypocritical.

1227
00:55:15,000 --> 00:55:16,088
Truth can come through
reading good books,

1228
00:55:16,096 --> 00:55:18,096
to listening to good teachers.

1229
00:55:19,000 --> 00:55:22,017
Do you have a truth problem,
meaning you're not inputting

1230
00:55:22,021 --> 00:55:23,092
a lot of truth?

1231
00:55:24,000 --> 00:55:26,092
It may be information,
but it's not truth.

1232
00:55:27,000 --> 00:55:29,062
You're reading garbage when
it comes to how to fix

1233
00:55:29,067 --> 00:55:31,042
your marriage, your life.

1234
00:55:31,050 --> 00:55:34,050
Is it a truth problem?

1235
00:55:34,058 --> 00:55:37,062
You're believing lies, things
that are inconsistent

1236
00:55:37,067 --> 00:55:39,079
with Scripture.

1237
00:55:39,083 --> 00:55:42,050
Is it a truth problem?

1238
00:55:42,058 --> 00:55:45,017
God says one thing, but somebody
else says another thing,

1239
00:55:45,025 --> 00:55:47,067
and you're conflicted.

1240
00:55:47,071 --> 00:55:49,000
Let me give you
a piece of good advice.

1241
00:55:49,008 --> 00:55:52,000
Don't believe
everything you think.

1242
00:55:52,004 --> 00:55:55,017
Okay, meditate on that.

1243
00:55:55,025 --> 00:55:57,038
Don't believe
everything you think.

1244
00:55:57,046 --> 00:56:00,075
If you're prone toward
blindness and hypocrisy,

1245
00:56:00,083 --> 00:56:03,083
some of what you think is wrong,

1246
00:56:03,088 --> 00:56:06,008
so you're gonna need somebody
to put truth into you,

1247
00:56:06,017 --> 00:56:08,079
'cause you got some
folly and error.

1248
00:56:08,083 --> 00:56:10,075
Is your problem a truth
problem, or is your problem

1249
00:56:10,083 --> 00:56:12,062
an obedience problem?

1250
00:56:12,067 --> 00:56:15,071
You know what to do,
you just don't do it.

1251
00:56:15,079 --> 00:56:17,096
James, Jesus' brother,
echoing this says,

1252
00:56:18,000 --> 00:56:20,017
in his epistle
bearing his name,

1253
00:56:20,021 --> 00:56:22,083
"Do not merely listen to the
word and so deceive yourselves,

1254
00:56:22,088 --> 00:56:24,025
do what it says."

1255
00:56:24,033 --> 00:56:26,029
And let me say, counseling
can be hard, but pretty much

1256
00:56:26,033 --> 00:56:28,004
counseling is asking
three questions,

1257
00:56:28,012 --> 00:56:30,029
and enduring awkward silence.

1258
00:56:30,033 --> 00:56:31,050
I'll tell you what they are.

1259
00:56:31,054 --> 00:56:35,071
People come into me, first
question: what's the problem?

1260
00:56:35,079 --> 00:56:38,050
Then they tell you, and you
leave an awkward silence.

1261
00:56:38,054 --> 00:56:44,012
Then the second question is:
"What has God told you to do?"

1262
00:56:44,017 --> 00:56:45,088
And they'll usually tell you.

1263
00:56:45,096 --> 00:56:48,025
And then you leave
an awkward silence.

1264
00:56:48,033 --> 00:56:52,017
And then the third question
is: "Are you gonna do that?"

1265
00:56:52,021 --> 00:56:53,033
And then you pray.

1266
00:56:53,042 --> 00:56:55,038
That's counseling.

1267
00:56:55,046 --> 00:56:57,029
It really is.

1268
00:56:57,033 --> 00:56:58,067
I've done a lot of counseling.

1269
00:56:58,071 --> 00:57:00,058
That's most of it.

1270
00:57:00,067 --> 00:57:03,029
I'll give you some examples.

1271
00:57:03,033 --> 00:57:07,062
Since we're here--
oh, what comes to mind?

1272
00:57:07,067 --> 00:57:10,067
A guy recently,
he's really big.

1273
00:57:10,071 --> 00:57:11,079
He's out of shape.

1274
00:57:11,083 --> 00:57:12,079
He's obese.

1275
00:57:12,083 --> 00:57:14,017
He's gonna kill himself.

1276
00:57:14,021 --> 00:57:17,000
Comes in, look at him,
what's the problem?

1277
00:57:17,004 --> 00:57:18,046
He's like, "Well, I'm big."

1278
00:57:18,050 --> 00:57:21,012
Okay, agreed.

1279
00:57:21,017 --> 00:57:22,042
What has God told you to do?

1280
00:57:22,050 --> 00:57:24,000
"You know, I've been praying
about it, reading about it.

1281
00:57:24,008 --> 00:57:27,038
"I think food is an idol for me,
and I think God wants me

1282
00:57:27,046 --> 00:57:29,083
to eat less and exercise more."

1283
00:57:29,088 --> 00:57:31,050
Okay, sounds good.

1284
00:57:31,054 --> 00:57:33,062
Are you gonna do that?

1285
00:57:33,067 --> 00:57:36,071
He says,
"I'm praying about it."

1286
00:57:36,079 --> 00:57:37,075
Really?

1287
00:57:37,083 --> 00:57:42,088
Praying about what, whether
or not you're gonna do it?

1288
00:57:42,096 --> 00:57:45,000
Okay, just so you know, you're
not gonna get smaller

1289
00:57:45,004 --> 00:57:47,033
praying about it.

1290
00:57:47,042 --> 00:57:50,000
You're gonna get
smaller obeying it.

1291
00:57:50,008 --> 00:57:51,012
He actually asked me,
he's like,

1292
00:57:51,017 --> 00:57:53,025
"Are there any verses
in the Bible on weight loss?"

1293
00:57:53,033 --> 00:57:57,017
Well, no, there's not
like 1 and 2 Dietitians.

1294
00:57:57,021 --> 00:58:04,033
You know, I think you need to
just eat less and exercise more.

1295
00:58:04,042 --> 00:58:06,083
If that's what he said, do it
'cause that actually sounds like

1296
00:58:06,088 --> 00:58:08,050
a pretty good idea.

1297
00:58:08,054 --> 00:58:11,050
You know, you can put acacia
berries on your chocolate

1298
00:58:11,058 --> 00:58:16,067
sundae, but that probably isn't
gonna do it for ya, you know?

1299
00:58:16,071 --> 00:58:18,075
I talked to a lady, awesome.

1300
00:58:18,083 --> 00:58:21,038
She says, "We're having
some marital trouble.

1301
00:58:21,046 --> 00:58:23,012
"My husband is very miserable.

1302
00:58:23,017 --> 00:58:24,033
He's depressed."

1303
00:58:24,042 --> 00:58:25,050
Okay.

1304
00:58:25,058 --> 00:58:27,083
"What'd ya do?"

1305
00:58:27,092 --> 00:58:30,054
Just to check.

1306
00:58:30,062 --> 00:58:35,050
She says, "Well,
I nag him a lot, a lot."

1307
00:58:35,054 --> 00:58:36,033
Okay.

1308
00:58:36,038 --> 00:58:37,046
Okay,
so that's the problem.

1309
00:58:37,050 --> 00:58:39,071
He's depressed,
and you're nagging him,

1310
00:58:39,079 --> 00:58:41,042
and then he gets depressed,
and then you nag him about

1311
00:58:41,050 --> 00:58:44,079
being depressed, which that
didn't help, did it?

1312
00:58:44,083 --> 00:58:46,075
"Okay, so what did
God tell you to do?"

1313
00:58:46,083 --> 00:58:51,033
"God said when he annoys
me to first pray for him,

1314
00:58:51,038 --> 00:58:53,083
"and leave the Holy Spirit
a little bit of an opportunity

1315
00:58:53,092 --> 00:58:56,067
"to work on him before I
start criticizing him.

1316
00:58:56,075 --> 00:58:59,088
"And then if God doesn't
get through to him,

1317
00:58:59,096 --> 00:59:02,029
maybe then I could
lovingly say something."

1318
00:59:02,033 --> 00:59:03,029
That sounds good.

1319
00:59:03,033 --> 00:59:04,071
"Are you gonna do it?"

1320
00:59:04,079 --> 00:59:06,075
She says, "Well, I don't
know, he really annoys me."

1321
00:59:06,083 --> 00:59:10,050
Okay, just checkin'.

1322
00:59:10,058 --> 00:59:11,096
Send him in, I'll hold him.

1323
00:59:12,000 --> 00:59:13,008
He can cry.

1324
00:59:13,017 --> 00:59:16,042
We can read Lamentations, but I
don't have any plan "B" for you.

1325
00:59:16,050 --> 00:59:19,017
It's gonna go bad.

1326
00:59:19,025 --> 00:59:22,050
Gal comes in, fantastic.

1327
00:59:22,054 --> 00:59:25,092
"Pastor Mark, I'm a Christian,
my boyfriend's a non-Christian.

1328
00:59:26,000 --> 00:59:27,004
"We're kind of dating.

1329
00:59:27,012 --> 00:59:28,008
"It's getting pretty serious.

1330
00:59:28,017 --> 00:59:29,008
"Sleeping together.

1331
00:59:29,017 --> 00:59:30,050
Thinking about living together."

1332
00:59:30,058 --> 00:59:31,067
There's the problem.

1333
00:59:31,075 --> 00:59:32,075
"Okay, what has God
told you to do?"

1334
00:59:32,083 --> 00:59:35,025
"Well, he told me
not to date him."

1335
00:59:35,033 --> 00:59:37,017
I said, "Okay."

1336
00:59:37,025 --> 00:59:38,050
Third question, "Well,
what are you gonna do?"

1337
00:59:38,054 --> 00:59:42,017
She says, "Well, I'm praying
he becomes a Christian."

1338
00:59:42,025 --> 00:59:44,017
Really?

1339
00:59:44,021 --> 00:59:47,025
Seriously?

1340
00:59:47,033 --> 00:59:50,012
Ahh!

1341
00:59:50,017 --> 00:59:51,008
"Could you meet with him?"

1342
00:59:51,017 --> 00:59:56,067
I could but--but how about
if you obey God,

1343
00:59:56,071 --> 01:00:00,021
and then I talk to him?

1344
01:00:00,029 --> 01:00:01,067
See, this is what we do.

1345
01:00:01,075 --> 01:00:03,067
We, but you know
we laugh at people,

1346
01:00:03,075 --> 01:00:06,050
and then the Holy Spirit
would right now tell you,

1347
01:00:06,058 --> 01:00:10,000
"You do it too,"
and so do I.

1348
01:00:10,008 --> 01:00:12,075
For some of us it's
a truth problem.

1349
01:00:12,083 --> 01:00:15,008
We just, we don't know
what we're talking about.

1350
01:00:15,017 --> 01:00:16,038
For others, it's an
obedience problem.

1351
01:00:16,046 --> 01:00:18,079
We know exactly what
we're supposed to do.

1352
01:00:18,083 --> 01:00:19,088
And some of you come
here and you'd say,

1353
01:00:19,096 --> 01:00:21,004
"Okay, give me a new verse,
give me a new sermon,

1354
01:00:21,012 --> 01:00:22,050
"give me a new book, give me
a new this, give me that."

1355
01:00:22,054 --> 01:00:25,079
Maybe what you need to do is
just obey the teaching

1356
01:00:25,083 --> 01:00:29,000
you've already received, and God
can teach you a few things

1357
01:00:29,004 --> 01:00:30,092
down the road, but right now,

1358
01:00:31,000 --> 01:00:32,038
you already know what
you're supposed to do,

1359
01:00:32,046 --> 01:00:33,083
so let's knock that out first.

1360
01:00:33,092 --> 01:00:35,092
So let me ask you,
last question:

1361
01:00:36,000 --> 01:00:37,096
what has the Holy Spirit
highlighted?

1362
01:00:38,000 --> 01:00:43,000
Truth you need to learn, or
obedience you need to enact?

1363
01:00:43,008 --> 01:00:44,025
What is it?

1364
01:00:44,033 --> 01:00:45,038
I don't know what it is.

1365
01:00:45,046 --> 01:00:47,062
The Holy Spirit
knows, he'll tell you.

1366
01:00:47,067 --> 01:00:48,092
He's telling you right now.

1367
01:00:49,000 --> 01:00:52,088
I trust him for that.

1368
01:00:52,096 --> 01:00:56,025
So in closing, we
want the truth in you.

1369
01:00:56,033 --> 01:00:58,092
We want obedience through you.

1370
01:00:59,000 --> 01:01:01,008
If you don't have a Bible,
pick one up on your way out.

1371
01:01:01,017 --> 01:01:03,038
We'd love to give you one.

1372
01:01:03,046 --> 01:01:06,008
If you want to study,
I'll tell you what,

1373
01:01:06,017 --> 01:01:07,017
you really need community.

1374
01:01:07,025 --> 01:01:10,050
You're not gonna make it 20, 30,
40, 50 years all by yourself.

1375
01:01:10,054 --> 01:01:12,012
If you're blind to
your own blindness,

1376
01:01:12,017 --> 01:01:15,008
and you're a hypocrite
to your own hypocrisy,

1377
01:01:15,017 --> 01:01:18,017
you're gonna need some people in
community to help get you

1378
01:01:18,021 --> 01:01:19,062
moving toward Jesus.

1379
01:01:19,067 --> 01:01:21,021
That's why we have community.

1380
01:01:21,029 --> 01:01:25,029
Community groups are where we
do that, they meet every week,

1381
01:01:25,033 --> 01:01:28,067
usually following the
sermon, doing life together.

1382
01:01:28,071 --> 01:01:29,092
There are hundreds of them.

1383
01:01:30,000 --> 01:01:33,058
Some all over the Puget Sound,
some down in Albuquerque.

1384
01:01:33,067 --> 01:01:36,046
Wherever your campus is,
wherever you live or work,

1385
01:01:36,050 --> 01:01:38,038
we'll find one near you.

1386
01:01:38,046 --> 01:01:40,033
And today here's
what we're gonna do.

1387
01:01:40,042 --> 01:01:44,012
I told you I got the new
"Doctrine" book, 464 pages,

1388
01:01:44,017 --> 01:01:46,000
about a thousand footnotes.

1389
01:01:46,004 --> 01:01:48,083
It literally gave me
an intestinal ulcer.

1390
01:01:48,092 --> 01:01:51,050
It's the work that
I'm most pleased with.

1391
01:01:51,054 --> 01:01:55,042
If this is a day you
say, "Okay, that's it.

1392
01:01:55,050 --> 01:01:58,067
Time for me to truth
in, obedience out,"

1393
01:01:58,071 --> 01:02:00,092
here's what I'm
gonna ask you to do.

1394
01:02:01,000 --> 01:02:07,017
Fill out the card, and actually
give us the true information.

1395
01:02:07,021 --> 01:02:09,004


1396
01:02:09,012 --> 01:02:10,029
Check the box.

1397
01:02:10,033 --> 01:02:12,058
It says, "I want to
join a community group."

1398
01:02:12,067 --> 01:02:13,071
And if you will
covenant with me,

1399
01:02:13,079 --> 01:02:15,050
you'll start reading
the Scriptures.

1400
01:02:15,058 --> 01:02:18,012
If you don't know where to
start, start in Luke's Gospel 1.

1401
01:02:18,017 --> 01:02:19,017
Keep going.

1402
01:02:19,025 --> 01:02:21,067
I'll give you a free copy
of the "Doctrine" book.

1403
01:02:21,075 --> 01:02:25,033
Don't tell the accountants,
I didn't get permission.

1404
01:02:25,042 --> 01:02:26,096
True story.

1405
01:02:27,000 --> 01:02:30,033
'Cause you guys give so bad,
we've been getting killed on

1406
01:02:30,042 --> 01:02:32,012
budget, and I know they'd say,
"We don't have the money."

1407
01:02:32,017 --> 01:02:34,033
So I'll just give them
away before they find out.

1408
01:02:34,038 --> 01:02:37,096
So if you will
actually fill this out,

1409
01:02:38,000 --> 01:02:40,096
and on your way out give it to
us and say, "Here's who I am,

1410
01:02:41,000 --> 01:02:43,088
put me in a community group,"
we will then make sure

1411
01:02:43,096 --> 01:02:45,017
you have a free Bible.

1412
01:02:45,021 --> 01:02:47,025
We'll give you a free copy
of the "Doctrine" book,

1413
01:02:47,033 --> 01:02:50,021
and someone will contact you
in the following week,

1414
01:02:50,029 --> 01:02:51,067
and we'll help you get
into a group.

1415
01:02:51,075 --> 01:02:53,033
'Cause here's what
we don't want to do,

1416
01:02:53,042 --> 01:02:56,046
we don't want to just judge you,
and point out some things in

1417
01:02:56,050 --> 01:02:58,096
your life that need work, and
then condemn you, and say,

1418
01:02:59,000 --> 01:03:00,008
"That's it.

1419
01:03:00,017 --> 01:03:01,071
Good luck, go do it."

1420
01:03:01,079 --> 01:03:03,004
We want to invite
you into community.

1421
01:03:03,012 --> 01:03:06,050
We want to say come to Jesus,
come to community group.

1422
01:03:06,058 --> 01:03:07,083
Get a Bible.

1423
01:03:07,092 --> 01:03:10,033
Get some Christian material
to help you learn the Bible.

1424
01:03:10,042 --> 01:03:12,012
Let us help you, we love you.

1425
01:03:12,017 --> 01:03:14,033
Our goal is not to destroy
you, our goal is to serve you.

1426
01:03:14,038 --> 01:03:18,088
Our goal is not to condemn you,
our goal is to come alongside

1427
01:03:18,096 --> 01:03:21,054
of you, and that's
the heart of Mars Hill.

1428
01:03:21,062 --> 01:03:24,004
And so if you want a free gift,
you'd love to get plugged

1429
01:03:24,012 --> 01:03:26,071
into a group, there's
the offer, there's the pitch.

1430
01:03:26,079 --> 01:03:27,083
We love ya.

1431
01:03:27,088 --> 01:03:30,000
Get connected.

1432
01:03:30,008 --> 01:03:30,054


1433
01:03:30,062 --> 01:03:31,071
Get connected.

1434
01:03:31,079 --> 01:03:35,067
Father God, I do pray for us
as a people individually that,

1435
01:03:35,075 --> 01:03:42,004
Lord God, we would forgive, and
be givers, and lead ourselves,

1436
01:03:42,012 --> 01:03:45,050
and be good trees that produce
good fruit, with lives

1437
01:03:45,058 --> 01:03:49,067
and legacies built on the firm
foundation of Jesus Christ.

1438
01:03:49,071 --> 01:03:53,004
I pray as well, Lord God, for
those who are not Christian,

1439
01:03:53,012 --> 01:03:54,050
that you would give
them a new heart,

1440
01:03:54,058 --> 01:03:56,062
to live a new life
as a new person.

1441
01:03:56,067 --> 01:03:59,008
I pray, Lord God, for those
of us who are blind to our

1442
01:03:59,017 --> 01:04:03,042
own blindness, and hypocrites
to our own hypocrisy,

1443
01:04:03,050 --> 01:04:06,058
that we would not feel destroyed
by this message,

1444
01:04:06,067 --> 01:04:10,092
but compelled to receive
the grace that we need to make

1445
01:04:11,000 --> 01:04:13,083
the changes that we need,
so that you would receive

1446
01:04:13,088 --> 01:04:15,004
the glory you deserve.

1447
01:04:15,012 --> 01:04:17,071
In Jesus' name, Amen.

1448
01:04:18,021 --> 00:00:00,000