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Howdy Mars Hill Church.

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Pastor Sutton Turner here
and I'm in Ethiopia.

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And I just want to thank Jesus

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for continuing to use
Mars Hill Church

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to make disciples 
and plant churches.

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Mars Hill Global
is the arm of Mars Hill Church

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that makes disciples

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and plant churches 
all over the world.

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We not only do church planting,

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but we help better equip 
church planters.

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Most recently we shipped 
and now distributed

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1,000 bibles into Amharic,

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which is the language 
here in Ethiopia.

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And we launched a project

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to translate Pastor Mark Driscoll's 
doctrine book into Spanish.

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We have people 
from over 29 different countries

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that are giving on a montly basis
to Mars Hill Global.

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So whether you're a member

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of one of our Mars Hill 
church locations

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in the United States,

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or you're 1 of 100,000 podcasters
every single week,

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we encourage you to pray

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about giving above 
and beyond your tithe

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to Mars Hill Global.

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Thank you and let's see
more materials translated,

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more pastors sent out,
more churches planted,

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and more people 
saved by Jesus Christ.

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I grew up in a Catholic family
that left the church

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pretty early in my life.

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Then it was as a young man
of about 19 years old

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that I found Jesus.

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And I became the first
in a movement that's going

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a very different direction
in my family.

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Yeah, I was in the army
at the time I met her,

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and Denise used to send me
a Bible and gospel tracks

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all the time,

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and I wasn't all that
much interested in that,

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so I'd throw those away,
and I'd read her letters.

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And when I came to the States,

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I came up
to the state of Washington

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to meet her
for the first time, and boy,

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I just fell head over heels
in love with her,

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and she didn't have the same
kind of reaction to me.

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And after about 3 days,

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I asked her to take me back
to the bus station.

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It was on the way
to the bus station

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that we were involved
in a terrible car accident

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and I broke my back,

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and I was
in the local hospital there,

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and Denise came in to visit me,
and she left a Bible

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and some gospel tracks
on my nightstand.

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And I picked them up
and started to read them,

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and read about Jesus'
substitutionary death,

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and his grace for me,
and forgiveness of sins,

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and that he wanted a different
kind of life for me.

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So, it was in the hospital bed

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that I received Christ
as my Savior.

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And Denise and I got married
about 6 months later,

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and had 3 boys, and I went
to graduate school

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and got my degree
in biblical counseling

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from Grace Seminary,
opened a private practice.

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I was in practice
for about 25 years

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and I did just a ton
of marriage counseling,

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and counseling
with single people

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that were struggling
with things

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and helping them through those
times to get close to Jesus

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in a different kind of a way

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that wasn't just
a behavioral fix

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but a transformation
in the heart.

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I'm the lead pastor
of a Mars Hill church now.

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I have been for about 2 years,
and one of the greatest things

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in the world is that my
whole family is there.

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My wife, my boys, their wives,
and their children

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all worship together with us.

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To see my boys serving
Jesus and loving the church,

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to see them leading
their family in worship,

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and my grandchildren,
seeing them love Jesus

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and worship them every Sunday.

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They bring them with them
when they serve at the church;

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they bring them when we're
worshiping at the church.

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It's been one of the real
blessings of my life

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to have them be a part of what
Jesus is doing through me.

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That's mine to enjoy
every Sunday at

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Mars Hill Sammamish Church.

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Legacy.

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Every one of us
inherits a legacy,

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and we leave a legacy.

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I want you, through our study
of the book of Malachi together,

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to think of it in this way.

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It's like links on a chain,
that we come from someone

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and we are impacted by
the decisions that were made

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by those who were present
before us.

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Many of us will become
parents and grandparents.

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We'll leave a legacy.

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All of us will leave some sort
of spiritual legacy

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and impact into the future.

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Decisions that you and I are
making today have consequences

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for people tomorrow, just like
the decisions that people made

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yesterday have
consequences for us today.

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And I want you to think in terms
of lineage and to think

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in terms of legacy.

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And I would ask you to think
in terms of generational impact

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for good or for evil.

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For those of you
who are married,

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for those of you who are
parents and grandparents,

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this will be very easy to
conceive of because you have

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children and grandchildren that
you're hoping to make a deposit

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in, that long after you're gone
they'll love and serve the Lord

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and continue a legacy of faith.

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For some of you who are single,
you may be most prone

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to overlook the impact
of your legacy,

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but the decisions you are making
similarly alter the destiny

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of others who are around you.

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Just because you're not a parent
doesn't mean

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you don't leave a legacy.

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Those who are single,
those who are infertile,

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you are making deposits
in the lives of others.

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If you're sharing
the gospel of Jesus,

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you may not have
physical children,

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but you'll have spiritual
children who will come to know

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and grow in the Lord Jesus
through you.

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So, this issue of legacy is most
certainly in regards to family,

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but it's for everybody because,
whether you're married or

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single, a parent or childless,
you're still part of our family

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at Mars Hill Church, and we
want a great legacy for you

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and through you.

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So, let me start with
a series of questions.

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How many of you are not
a link in a chain of faith?

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You're not a believer.

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You don't know and love
and serve the Lord Jesus.

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Maybe you're kind of
religious, kind of moral,

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kind of spiritual, but you don't
really have a strong connection

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to the Jesus of the Bible
and to the people of God.

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It all starts today with you
trusting in the God

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of the Bible, coming to know
and meet him as Father,

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and being adopted through
your big brother, Jesus,

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into the family of God.

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How many of you are a strong
link in a chain of faith?

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You do love and serve the Lord.

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You know you're not perfect, but
you are strong, you are growing,

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you are giving,
you are caring,

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you are learning,
you are serving.

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In this book of Malachi that
we'll spend 7 weeks examining

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together, Malachi is a strong
link in the chain of faith.

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He loves and serves the Lord,
and he has enough courage

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and humility to speak
to an entire nation of people

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and to tell them
that they're wrong

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and that
the God of the Bible is right,

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and to endure and to absorb
the consequences

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and the conflict
that come from that.

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For those of you who are
strong links in the chain,

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I want you to be encouraged,
I want you to persevere,

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I don't want you to grow
weary and lose heart.

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I want you to not
think in terms of

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"What is the path
of least resistance?"

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but "What is the path
of most glory to God?"

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We need you to stay strong,
we need you to stand firm,

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we need you to persevere,
we need you to overcome

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by the grace of God.

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How many of you are the first
link in the chain of faith?

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How many of you--
raise your hand--

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you're the first
Christian in your family?

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Prior to you, it was just
generation after generation

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of unbelief, sin, rebellion,
and folly, hell-bent,

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and then God chose,
in his grace, to save you.

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If you're the first link
in the chain of faith,

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I need you to know
that you, particularly,

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need to be a strong link

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because there are many who
are going to then learn

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from your faith and follow
in your example of faith.

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My story is that I was
first link in the chain.

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My mom knew the Lord,

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my grandmother on my Dad's
side knew and loved the Lord,

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but the men in my
family did not know

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and love and serve the Lord.

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They didn't.

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As far back as we can trace to
Southern Ireland, County Cork,

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down by the Baltimore Harbor,
generation, after generation,

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after generation, of godless
men, violent men, drunken men,

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men who were notorious for
being pirates, literally.

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We robbed liquor ships filled
with wine, we would fight,

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we would drink,
we would beat our wives,

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and we would break
our children.

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That's what the O'Driscolls
did for generations.

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And then we actually ended up in
the states because of the famine

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that hit in Ireland, caused
so many to starve to death,

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including, insofar
as we could tell,

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my great-great-grandmother.

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She died.

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She died, and the men in
the family who remained living,

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they boarded a coffin ship
and ended up in the U.S.

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trying to have and leave
a new legacy for our family.

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But though they left Ireland,
they didn't leave their sin.

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And they kept the drinking,
they kept the wife-beating,

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they kept
the child-breaking.

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And then God saved me
at the age of 19.

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And insofar as I can tell in
the direct family chain of faith

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that is my family history,
I was the first,

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I am the first male
saved believer.

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How many of you,
that's your story?

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You're the first link
in a brand-new chain.

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And then something
wonderful happened,

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one of the greatest
joys of my whole life.

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After God saved me,
I was praying for my dad.

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Don't ever stop praying
for your mom or your dad

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if you love Jesus and they
don't know him yet.

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And God did
the most amazing thing.

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God the Father
saved my father.

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My dad became a Christian.

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And I'll tell you, the thing
that is better than being

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the first link of the chain

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is being the first link
in the chain for a while

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until your dad gets saved
and makes you the second link

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in the chain, amen?

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All of a sudden,
your dad's praying with you,

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and your dad's praying for you,
and your dad's going to church,

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and your dad's
reading the Bible,

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and your dad is a new man
and you're a new man

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because the Father has adopted
you both as his sons.

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So, I had the privilege
of baptizing my dad

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in the Jordan River
along with my son, Calvin,

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the same place
that Jesus was baptized.

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My dad, me, and my son--
three generations who belong

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to the Lord Jesus,
a brand-new family chain.

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By God's grace
we want it to be strong.

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As we investigate
the book of Malachi,

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I need you to keep this
imagery in your mind's eye.

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So, we're going to hang this
illustration right here

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for 7 weeks, and every time
you see it,

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I want you to ask yourself,

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"Am I a link
in a chain of faith?

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"Am I a strong link
in a chain of faith?

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Am I a first link
in a chain of faith?"

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Or category four, "Am I the weak
link in the chain of faith?"

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How many of you
are the weak link?

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Maybe your parents,
your grandparents,

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they loved and served Jesus.

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Maybe your brothers and sisters,
they love and serve Jesus.

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But if that chain
of faith is to break,

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you know it's
going to break with you.

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You know that you are
the half-hearted one,

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you are the weak-willed one,
you are the uncommitted one.

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How many of you, truly?

244
00:12:58,750 --> 00:13:00,250
This'll take a little courage.

245
00:13:00,333 --> 00:13:02,750
I'm going to ask you
to do something that's hard,

246
00:13:02,833 --> 00:13:04,958
because thus far, the problem
is you've been unwilling

247
00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:06,458
to do things that are hard.

248
00:13:06,500 --> 00:13:08,542
But how many of you,
honestly, that's you?

249
00:13:08,625 --> 00:13:11,250
You're the weak link
in the chain of faith.

250
00:13:11,333 --> 00:13:14,458
How many of you are the weak
link in the chain of faith?

251
00:13:14,500 --> 00:13:17,458
If it's going to break,
it's going to break with you.

252
00:13:17,500 --> 00:13:21,833
If it's going to stop,
it's going to stop with you.

253
00:13:21,917 --> 00:13:27,333
In the book of Malachi,
God is speaking to, largely,

254
00:13:27,375 --> 00:13:33,125
a group of people who are weak
links in a chain of weak links.

255
00:13:33,167 --> 00:13:35,458
Things are not strong;
they are weak.

256
00:13:35,500 --> 00:13:37,833
They are not going well;
they are going poorly.

257
00:13:37,917 --> 00:13:43,333
The future does not look
bright; the future looks bleak.

258
00:13:43,375 --> 00:13:46,833
And before we can
understand the words of God,

259
00:13:46,917 --> 00:13:50,000
we need to first understand
the heart of God,

260
00:13:50,042 --> 00:13:53,167
and I believe this is
incredibly important.

261
00:13:53,250 --> 00:13:58,292
If you got a strong letter,
and it had some correction

262
00:13:58,333 --> 00:14:00,833
and rebuke for you,

263
00:14:00,917 --> 00:14:06,958
it would be very important
for you to know who sent it.

264
00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:10,625
And if it was sent by a Father
who loved you

265
00:14:10,667 --> 00:14:12,458
with his whole heart,

266
00:14:12,500 --> 00:14:16,667
you should receive it as
an act of love for your good.

267
00:14:16,708 --> 00:14:19,458
That's exactly what the book of
Malachi is and that's exactly

268
00:14:19,500 --> 00:14:21,542
the heart of God who sends it.

269
00:14:21,625 --> 00:14:25,625
He says in Malachi 1:6,
"I am a father."

270
00:14:25,667 --> 00:14:29,667
So, whatever your preconceived
idea of father is, set it aside.

271
00:14:29,708 --> 00:14:32,417
We don't start with your
earthly father and then judge

272
00:14:32,500 --> 00:14:33,958
your Heavenly Father.

273
00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:35,542
We start with your
Heavenly Father

274
00:14:35,625 --> 00:14:38,042
and then we judge
your earthly father.

275
00:14:38,125 --> 00:14:42,542
He says in chapter 2, verse 10
that he is, quote, "One Father."

276
00:14:42,625 --> 00:14:47,167
So, he's writing to Israel,
which is both a nation

277
00:14:47,208 --> 00:14:49,875
and the church
in the Old Covenant.

278
00:14:49,958 --> 00:14:52,375
This is a large number of people

279
00:14:52,458 --> 00:14:54,167
and here's what
you need to know.

280
00:14:54,250 --> 00:14:57,083
This is the last book
in the Old Testament.

281
00:14:57,167 --> 00:15:00,458
In this regard, I want you to
think of Malachi every time

282
00:15:00,500 --> 00:15:02,958
you open or close a door.

283
00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:09,833
A door separates what
was from what is next.

284
00:15:09,917 --> 00:15:11,667
Malachi is a door like that.

285
00:15:11,708 --> 00:15:14,042
It's the last book
of the Old Testament.

286
00:15:14,125 --> 00:15:17,708
It closes the Old Testament
canon of Scripture,

287
00:15:17,792 --> 00:15:21,167
and it opens us to the coming
of John the Baptizer

288
00:15:21,208 --> 00:15:23,042
and the Lord Jesus Christ--

289
00:15:23,125 --> 00:15:28,042
what is to be next
in the history of the world.

290
00:15:28,125 --> 00:15:34,542
And there's going to be
about 400 years of silence.

291
00:15:34,625 --> 00:15:38,458
When Matthew starts writing
in the New Testament,

292
00:15:38,500 --> 00:15:42,500
you keep reading your Bible,
that's 400 years after Malachi

293
00:15:42,583 --> 00:15:45,750
stopped writing
on behalf of the Lord.

294
00:15:45,833 --> 00:15:49,667
There's a 400-year
period of silence.

295
00:15:49,708 --> 00:15:52,167
So, think of it in this way:

296
00:15:52,250 --> 00:15:56,542
God the Father has gathered his
children who are weak links in

297
00:15:56,625 --> 00:16:00,125
the chain, and some of them not
yet links in the chain of faith

298
00:16:00,167 --> 00:16:05,333
at all, and he is going to
passionately plead with them.

299
00:16:05,375 --> 00:16:06,958
My question to you is this:

300
00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:08,750
Let's say you were a parent,

301
00:16:08,833 --> 00:16:12,333
and you had an adult child
that was going to be leaving,

302
00:16:12,375 --> 00:16:14,542
and you would have no
communication with them

303
00:16:14,625 --> 00:16:17,708
for a number of years--some
hypothetical situation such as

304
00:16:17,792 --> 00:16:20,708
they're heading off to war and
there'll be no communication

305
00:16:20,792 --> 00:16:22,917
with them.

306
00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:24,958
What would you say to them?

307
00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:26,708
What would your
counsel be for them?

308
00:16:26,792 --> 00:16:29,042
What would your
instruction be toward them?

309
00:16:29,125 --> 00:16:32,125
What would your final words be?

310
00:16:32,167 --> 00:16:33,750
That's the book of Malachi.

311
00:16:33,833 --> 00:16:35,708
God's not going
to send a prophet,

312
00:16:35,792 --> 00:16:39,708
write a book of the Bible
for 400 years.

313
00:16:39,792 --> 00:16:44,125
This is his final word
for them and for us.

314
00:16:44,167 --> 00:16:47,750
The question is,
"Where will he start?"

315
00:16:47,833 --> 00:16:51,458
Well, the first thing we learn
is that our Father speaks to us

316
00:16:51,500 --> 00:16:54,000
in Malachi 1:1.

317
00:16:54,042 --> 00:16:57,167
We read that this book is,
"The oracle of the word

318
00:16:57,250 --> 00:16:59,458
of the Lord to Israel
by Malachi."

319
00:16:59,500 --> 00:17:00,917
There's a lot here.

320
00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:03,250
So, those who have received
it are God's people,

321
00:17:03,333 --> 00:17:05,250
the nation of Israel,
the Old Covenant church.

322
00:17:05,333 --> 00:17:07,333
This spiritually includes us.

323
00:17:07,417 --> 00:17:09,833
They were waiting for
the coming of Jesus.

324
00:17:09,875 --> 00:17:12,042
We trust in Jesus,
and we're awaiting

325
00:17:12,125 --> 00:17:14,917
the second coming of Jesus.

326
00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:16,542
OK, so it's God's people.

327
00:17:16,625 --> 00:17:17,958
These are his children.

328
00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:20,167
These are the men
and women, young and old,

329
00:17:20,208 --> 00:17:24,458
that he has adopted
into his family, like us.

330
00:17:24,500 --> 00:17:28,667
And the man who delivers
this message is Malachi.

331
00:17:28,708 --> 00:17:32,750
His name literally
means, "My messenger."

332
00:17:32,833 --> 00:17:36,125
That exact phraseology
is used in chapter 3, verse 1.

333
00:17:36,167 --> 00:17:38,333
He is a messenger.

334
00:17:38,375 --> 00:17:43,250
So, God speaks
through Malachi.

335
00:17:43,333 --> 00:17:49,042
We will hear Malachi's voice,

336
00:17:49,125 --> 00:17:53,250
but we are hearing
God's words.

337
00:17:53,333 --> 00:17:56,750
So, it's God's words
through Malachi's voice.

338
00:17:56,833 --> 00:17:59,458
And if you're new to Mars Hill,
this is incredibly important

339
00:17:59,500 --> 00:18:02,333
because this is the oracle
of the word of the Lord.

340
00:18:02,375 --> 00:18:06,042
So, what he's telling us is
that when we read Malachi,

341
00:18:06,125 --> 00:18:09,333
we're hearing a word from God.

342
00:18:09,417 --> 00:18:14,333
We know that in our world,
there are many words about God,

343
00:18:14,417 --> 00:18:16,458
lots of philosophy
and speculation.

344
00:18:16,500 --> 00:18:22,167
The Bible repeatedly declares
itself to be not a word

345
00:18:22,208 --> 00:18:25,833
about God but a word from God.

346
00:18:25,917 --> 00:18:30,333
And it's not speculation;
it's revelation.

347
00:18:30,417 --> 00:18:33,417
Mars Hill, we believe
this, correct?

348
00:18:33,500 --> 00:18:36,167
We believe that when
the Scripture speaks,

349
00:18:36,208 --> 00:18:38,167
God speaks.

350
00:18:38,208 --> 00:18:40,417
And this is not just Malachi,
this is Malachi

351
00:18:40,500 --> 00:18:43,125
inspired by the Holy Spirit,

352
00:18:43,167 --> 00:18:46,667
driven by the Holy Spirit
to give us the total truth

353
00:18:46,708 --> 00:18:50,500
from God the Father.

354
00:18:50,542 --> 00:18:54,750
It's a word from the Lord.

355
00:18:54,833 --> 00:19:01,542
How many of you would love
to receive any communication

356
00:19:01,625 --> 00:19:04,208
from your father?

357
00:19:04,292 --> 00:19:06,750
How many of you have not heard
from your father

358
00:19:06,833 --> 00:19:08,958
in your entire life?

359
00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:12,458
How many of you have not heard
from your father in many years?

360
00:19:12,500 --> 00:19:15,167
How many of you, when your
father does communicate to you,

361
00:19:15,208 --> 00:19:20,000
it is devastating
and not life-giving?

362
00:19:20,083 --> 00:19:22,250
Here's the good news:

363
00:19:22,333 --> 00:19:25,458
Even the fatherless
have a Father.

364
00:19:25,500 --> 00:19:29,042
Even those who have a good
father have a perfect Father.

365
00:19:29,125 --> 00:19:32,333
That God the Father
speaks to us.

366
00:19:32,375 --> 00:19:34,958
That God the Father, beginning
with this sermon through

367
00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:38,333
Malachi, wants to speak to you.

368
00:19:38,375 --> 00:19:41,333
And so if you would like
to hear a word from God,

369
00:19:41,375 --> 00:19:43,833
you need to pick up
the book that God wrote.

370
00:19:43,917 --> 00:19:46,042
You need to read
the things that God says,

371
00:19:46,125 --> 00:19:47,667
because here's what
doesn't happen:

372
00:19:47,708 --> 00:19:50,083
God does not schedule
an individual appointment

373
00:19:50,167 --> 00:19:53,833
with everyone in Israel to give
them his personal word.

374
00:19:53,917 --> 00:19:56,667
God will not schedule an
appointment with every one of us

375
00:19:56,708 --> 00:19:59,000
to give us our personal word.

376
00:19:59,042 --> 00:20:02,667
God speaks through
the Scriptures that he wrote

377
00:20:02,750 --> 00:20:04,333
and the Servant that he sent,

378
00:20:04,417 --> 00:20:06,167
and then everyone
is to hear them,

379
00:20:06,250 --> 00:20:08,875
and the Holy Spirit will apply
them and then empower us

380
00:20:08,958 --> 00:20:10,292
to obey them.

381
00:20:10,333 --> 00:20:11,667
So, here's the big idea:

382
00:20:11,750 --> 00:20:13,875
rather than just asking
God to speak to you,

383
00:20:13,958 --> 00:20:16,167
believe that he already has

384
00:20:16,250 --> 00:20:19,375
and read what he's
already written.

385
00:20:19,458 --> 00:20:21,875
And that's why
we're studying Malachi.

386
00:20:21,958 --> 00:20:24,792
Study it for yourself,
read it for yourself,

387
00:20:24,833 --> 00:20:27,167
pray through it for yourself,
memorize it for yourself,

388
00:20:27,250 --> 00:20:30,000
join a Community Group and grow
in your understanding of it

389
00:20:30,042 --> 00:20:35,875
for yourself, because this
is a word from the Lord.

390
00:20:35,958 --> 00:20:40,833
Then, we have to ask,

391
00:20:40,917 --> 00:20:44,292
"Where will God begin?"

392
00:20:44,333 --> 00:20:50,708
Where will God begin with people
like us who are half-hearted?

393
00:20:50,792 --> 00:20:53,000
They're not giving generously.

394
00:20:53,083 --> 00:20:55,000
He's going to rebuke
them in chapter 3.

395
00:20:55,083 --> 00:20:58,000
They're not marrying rightly.

396
00:20:58,083 --> 00:21:00,583
He's going to deal
with that in chapter 2.

397
00:21:00,667 --> 00:21:03,292
They're not serving
wholeheartedly.

398
00:21:03,333 --> 00:21:10,000
He's going to deal with
that throughout the book.

399
00:21:10,042 --> 00:21:16,875
Where will the Father begin
the correction of his children?

400
00:21:16,958 --> 00:21:22,958
Well, the first thing we learn
is that our Father loves us.

401
00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:29,083
Malachi 1:2, here's
God's first statement.

402
00:21:29,167 --> 00:21:31,250
God speaks.

403
00:21:31,333 --> 00:21:33,750
God has something to say:

404
00:21:33,833 --> 00:21:38,667
"I have loved you."

405
00:21:38,750 --> 00:21:41,417
What a place to begin.

406
00:21:41,917 --> 00:21:43,375
What a place to begin.

407
00:21:43,458 --> 00:21:46,833
Do you know that everything
begins with the Father's love?

408
00:21:46,917 --> 00:21:51,875
Some of you think that God
is a force, he's impersonal.

409
00:21:51,958 --> 00:21:53,333
He's not.

410
00:21:53,417 --> 00:21:56,083
God is a Father; he's personal.

411
00:21:56,167 --> 00:21:58,167
A force does not speak to you.

412
00:21:58,250 --> 00:22:00,250
A force does not love you.

413
00:22:00,333 --> 00:22:06,208
A Father speaks to you
because he loves you.

414
00:22:06,292 --> 00:22:09,333
"I have loved you."

415
00:22:09,375 --> 00:22:12,667
This is where the Father begins.

416
00:22:12,708 --> 00:22:17,458
And this is antithetical to
every other religious system

417
00:22:17,500 --> 00:22:20,250
and teaching in the world.

418
00:22:20,333 --> 00:22:23,667
In varying ways, every other
religious system is about

419
00:22:23,708 --> 00:22:25,458
something called "works."

420
00:22:25,500 --> 00:22:29,167
It's about what you
do to earn God's love.

421
00:22:29,208 --> 00:22:33,417
And if any other religion were
to write this, it would say,

422
00:22:33,500 --> 00:22:39,417
"If you obey me,
then I will love you."

423
00:22:39,500 --> 00:22:41,333
It starts with you.

424
00:22:41,417 --> 00:22:43,458
It rises and falls with you.

425
00:22:43,500 --> 00:22:45,417
It's predicated upon you.

426
00:22:45,500 --> 00:22:49,875
"If you obey me,
then I will love you."

427
00:22:49,958 --> 00:22:56,792
Only the God of the Bible
says this: "I love you,

428
00:22:56,833 --> 00:23:02,167
"and because I love you,
you're going to obey me.

429
00:23:04,292 --> 00:23:07,333
"My obedience--your
obedience, rather,

430
00:23:07,417 --> 00:23:10,167
"does not compel me
to love you.

431
00:23:10,208 --> 00:23:13,250
My love will compel
you to obey me."

432
00:23:13,333 --> 00:23:15,042
Do you see the difference?

433
00:23:15,125 --> 00:23:18,667
Religious is like a man who
walks into an orphanage with

434
00:23:18,708 --> 00:23:21,542
a bunch of children and says,
"I'll observe the children

435
00:23:21,625 --> 00:23:26,042
for awhile and I'll
adopt the best one."

436
00:23:26,125 --> 00:23:28,708
The God of the Bible walks
into the orphanage and says,

437
00:23:28,792 --> 00:23:30,708
"I'm going to adopt
a lot of kids,

438
00:23:30,792 --> 00:23:35,042
"and some of them are horrible,
rebellious, and terrible, awful.

439
00:23:35,125 --> 00:23:36,833
"The reason the kids
are still here,

440
00:23:36,917 --> 00:23:39,458
"nobody else wants these kids.

441
00:23:39,500 --> 00:23:41,958
"And I'm going to love them,

442
00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:44,958
"and my love is going
to change them,

443
00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:50,000
and because I'm their Father,
see what becomes of them."

444
00:23:50,042 --> 00:23:52,667
God did not pick you
because you're great.

445
00:23:52,750 --> 00:23:56,792
God picked you
because he's great.

446
00:23:56,833 --> 00:23:58,875
"I have loved you."

447
00:23:58,958 --> 00:24:03,167
Now, what should
their response be?

448
00:24:03,208 --> 00:24:05,792
What should their response be?

449
00:24:08,208 --> 00:24:11,958
"And we love you, Father!"--

450
00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:15,500
that's not their response.

451
00:24:15,583 --> 00:24:20,125
"But you say,
'How have you loved us?'"

452
00:24:22,875 --> 00:24:26,333
The entire book is a series
of disputations,

453
00:24:28,500 --> 00:24:32,208
where God the Father
tells his children--

454
00:24:32,292 --> 00:24:35,125
some of these children are 60.

455
00:24:35,167 --> 00:24:41,000
They're not all little, but
they're all still his children.

456
00:24:41,083 --> 00:24:43,708
He tells them in various ways,
"I love you,"

457
00:24:43,792 --> 00:24:50,167
and they say, "No you don't."

458
00:24:50,250 --> 00:24:55,542
They're accusing God
of sinning and failing.

459
00:24:55,625 --> 00:24:59,542
They're accusing God
of being unloving.

460
00:24:59,625 --> 00:25:05,833
They're accusing God of saying
one thing and doing another.

461
00:25:05,917 --> 00:25:08,500
This leaves us
with two options.

462
00:25:08,583 --> 00:25:12,333
Number one,
we can read it and say,

463
00:25:12,417 --> 00:25:17,917
"I can't believe
they did that,"

464
00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:22,583
or "I can't believe
I still do that."

465
00:25:26,500 --> 00:25:29,750
How many of you
today, if I told you,

466
00:25:29,833 --> 00:25:34,667
"God is a Father who
loves you," you would say,

467
00:25:34,708 --> 00:25:39,750
"I don't feel that.
I don't see that.

468
00:25:39,833 --> 00:25:45,125
I don't believe that"?

469
00:25:45,167 --> 00:25:50,458
They were struggling
financially.

470
00:25:50,500 --> 00:25:53,792
They had an economic downturn.

471
00:25:53,833 --> 00:25:57,000
Their nation was
struggling politically.

472
00:25:57,042 --> 00:26:01,750
It was waning in
power and prestige.

473
00:26:01,833 --> 00:26:05,833
They were struggling morally.

474
00:26:05,917 --> 00:26:10,417
There was a lot of rebellion
and anarchy and sin and folly.

475
00:26:10,500 --> 00:26:16,208
And these people are not
atheists; they're just angry.

476
00:26:18,292 --> 00:26:20,458
And they're looking
at their life,

477
00:26:20,500 --> 00:26:22,042
and they're looking
at their finances,

478
00:26:22,125 --> 00:26:25,958
and they're looking at their
nation, and they are saying,

479
00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:32,167
"If God loved us,
things would be better."

480
00:26:32,208 --> 00:26:36,542
How many of you
have been there?

481
00:26:36,625 --> 00:26:40,667
How many of you are there?

482
00:26:40,708 --> 00:26:47,333
The answer is everyone.

483
00:26:47,375 --> 00:26:52,167
Everyone.

484
00:26:52,208 --> 00:26:56,333
"It doesn't look
like God loves us.

485
00:26:56,417 --> 00:26:59,292
"It doesn't feel
like God loves us.

486
00:26:59,333 --> 00:27:02,208
"I know that God says
that he loves us,

487
00:27:02,292 --> 00:27:05,917
"but he's not showing
that he loves us.

488
00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:08,750
"Why am I so broke?
Why is it so dark?

489
00:27:08,833 --> 00:27:14,833
Why are things so hard?"

490
00:27:14,917 --> 00:27:17,750
Be honest with God.

491
00:27:17,833 --> 00:27:22,542
He already knows your heart.

492
00:27:22,625 --> 00:27:24,667
He's already heard
their grumbling,

493
00:27:24,708 --> 00:27:29,833
he's heard their complaining,
he's heard their accusing.

494
00:27:29,875 --> 00:27:33,333
So he can tell
them, "But you say.

495
00:27:33,375 --> 00:27:36,042
I heard it," the Lord says.

496
00:27:36,125 --> 00:27:43,000
"How have you loved us?"

497
00:27:44,292 --> 00:27:49,333
Here's what it's like:

498
00:27:49,417 --> 00:27:51,833
we slap our Father
in the face

499
00:27:51,917 --> 00:27:57,875
while sitting on his lap.

500
00:27:57,958 --> 00:28:04,208
So often, we look at our
lives and our legacy

501
00:28:04,292 --> 00:28:07,417
from our perspective.

502
00:28:07,500 --> 00:28:09,833
We have a sense of entitlement.

503
00:28:09,917 --> 00:28:13,500
"God owes me more."

504
00:28:13,583 --> 00:28:18,375
Malachi changes perspective.

505
00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:23,667
All right, Malachi sits us
in the Father's chair.

506
00:28:23,708 --> 00:28:26,542
Right, at your house, your
dad had a chair, right?

507
00:28:26,625 --> 00:28:29,417
OK, God's a Father.

508
00:28:29,500 --> 00:28:32,333
Think of him
as sitting on his throne.

509
00:28:32,417 --> 00:28:34,333
And it's like
for a just a minute,

510
00:28:34,417 --> 00:28:35,833
he gets out of the throne,

511
00:28:35,917 --> 00:28:37,833
and he sits Malachi
down and says,

512
00:28:37,917 --> 00:28:43,500
"See what it's like to sit in
my chair and deal with my kids."

513
00:28:45,333 --> 00:28:48,917
And God the Father wants us to
see ourselves as he sees

514
00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:55,458
who we truly are.

515
00:28:55,500 --> 00:28:59,083
And the story of Malachi is
like a loving Father who sat

516
00:28:59,167 --> 00:29:01,542
in his chair and put his
child on his lap,

517
00:29:01,625 --> 00:29:05,250
and the child cursed him out
and slapped him in the face.

518
00:29:05,333 --> 00:29:11,667
Not only is Malachi like
that, so is human history.

519
00:29:11,708 --> 00:29:16,958
The question then is, "How
will the Father respond?"

520
00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:20,250
How many of you fathers, this is
not a hypothetical scenario

521
00:29:20,333 --> 00:29:22,250
for you?

522
00:29:22,333 --> 00:29:25,750
How many of you dads have had
your kids hit you, slap you,

523
00:29:25,833 --> 00:29:29,958
cuss you out, chuck
something at you?

524
00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:35,833
How many of you have had your
own child slap you in the face?

525
00:29:35,917 --> 00:29:41,125
Some of us are good parents as
long as our children are good.

526
00:29:41,167 --> 00:29:43,458
As soon as our
children become bad,

527
00:29:43,500 --> 00:29:46,250
all of a sudden
we're bad parents,

528
00:29:46,333 --> 00:29:50,167
meaning the way we
respond is very different.

529
00:29:50,250 --> 00:29:56,000
You know who someone is

530
00:29:56,042 --> 00:30:00,375
when that is tested.

531
00:30:00,458 --> 00:30:02,792
They are testing the Father,

532
00:30:02,833 --> 00:30:07,250
and then they're going to see
who he truly is.

533
00:30:07,333 --> 00:30:11,375
So, here's what God the Father
says to these kids

534
00:30:11,458 --> 00:30:13,958
who are slapping him
in the face.

535
00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:17,542
"'How have you loved us?'

536
00:30:17,625 --> 00:30:19,542
'Is not Esau Jacob's brother?'"

537
00:30:19,625 --> 00:30:21,750
Now, how many of you
didn't see that coming?

538
00:30:21,833 --> 00:30:24,292
You're like, "I would
start with Esau."

539
00:30:24,333 --> 00:30:27,000
That's right,
you're like, "Who?"

540
00:30:27,042 --> 00:30:29,542
See, unlike some of us,
they knew the Bible,

541
00:30:29,625 --> 00:30:31,792
so he could refer to it.

542
00:30:31,833 --> 00:30:38,667
Just, OK, something
to think about, OK?

543
00:30:38,750 --> 00:30:41,583
"Is not Esau Jacob's brother?"

544
00:30:41,667 --> 00:30:43,958
We're really talking
family and legacy here.

545
00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:45,333
"Declares the Lord.

546
00:30:45,417 --> 00:30:50,917
'Yet I have loved Jacob
but Esau I have hated.'"

547
00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:53,167
That's a big word.

548
00:30:53,250 --> 00:30:56,667
"'I have laid waste his hill
country and left his heritage,

549
00:30:56,750 --> 00:30:59,208
his legacy, to jackals
of the desert.'"

550
00:30:59,292 --> 00:31:01,083
He's gonna get nothing.

551
00:31:01,167 --> 00:31:05,000
He continues, "If Edom
says"--that's a nation--

552
00:31:05,042 --> 00:31:07,375
"'We are shattered but we
will rebuild the ruins'"--

553
00:31:07,458 --> 00:31:09,375
you could
take away our legacy,

554
00:31:09,458 --> 00:31:12,375
we'll build our own
legacy apart from you--

555
00:31:12,458 --> 00:31:13,833
"the Lord of hosts"--

556
00:31:13,917 --> 00:31:16,333
the God who rules over
the angels and the demons--

557
00:31:16,417 --> 00:31:19,500
"says, 'They may build,
but I will tear down,

558
00:31:19,542 --> 00:31:22,000
"'and they will be called
"the wicked country,"

559
00:31:22,042 --> 00:31:24,667
"'and "the people with
whom the Lord is angry."'"

560
00:31:24,750 --> 00:31:26,250
Do you see these two words?

561
00:31:26,333 --> 00:31:30,083
"I hate them and I'm
angry with them."

562
00:31:30,167 --> 00:31:33,167
They say, "Well, how long?"

563
00:31:33,250 --> 00:31:35,500
What's it say?

564
00:31:35,542 --> 00:31:37,458
"Forever."

565
00:31:37,500 --> 00:31:41,542
Some people are going to hell.

566
00:31:41,625 --> 00:31:46,542
Hell is not the absence of God;
it's the absence of God's grace.

567
00:31:49,042 --> 00:31:51,875
It's just the wrath of God,
and the justice of God,

568
00:31:51,958 --> 00:31:56,500
and the anger of God forever.

569
00:31:56,542 --> 00:31:59,792
"Your own eyes shall see
this, and you shall say,

570
00:31:59,833 --> 00:32:03,542
'Great is the Lord beyond
the border of Israel!'"

571
00:32:03,625 --> 00:32:06,458
So, they come
to the Father and they say,

572
00:32:06,500 --> 00:32:09,333
"You say you've loved us,
but how have you loved us?"

573
00:32:09,417 --> 00:32:11,667
He says, "Let's go back.
Let's go way back.

574
00:32:11,708 --> 00:32:15,000
"Let's go way back in
the family history.

575
00:32:15,083 --> 00:32:17,625
"Let's not just look at
what you want tomorrow.

576
00:32:17,667 --> 00:32:22,750
Let's look at what
I did yesterday."

577
00:32:22,833 --> 00:32:25,500
He goes all the way
back to Abraham.

578
00:32:25,583 --> 00:32:27,167
This is way back.

579
00:32:27,208 --> 00:32:28,833
We're back into Genesis, right?

580
00:32:28,875 --> 00:32:31,208
Genesis is the first book
of the Old Testament;

581
00:32:31,292 --> 00:32:32,708
Malachi's the last.

582
00:32:32,792 --> 00:32:34,333
He's going way back.

583
00:32:34,375 --> 00:32:37,042
If you want to study this
for yourself in preparation

584
00:32:37,125 --> 00:32:40,042
for Community Group,
go to Genesis 25

585
00:32:40,125 --> 00:32:43,250
and Romans 9
and study this week.

586
00:32:43,333 --> 00:32:46,958
Genesis 25, Romans 9.

587
00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:50,167
And the story
of Abraham is this:

588
00:32:50,250 --> 00:32:52,375
He's a godless man.

589
00:32:52,458 --> 00:32:54,375
He comes from a godless family.

590
00:32:54,458 --> 00:32:59,292
We read in Joshua 24:2 that
his dad was a godless man.

591
00:32:59,333 --> 00:33:01,458
So, Abraham's family is this:

592
00:33:01,500 --> 00:33:04,542
Here's Abraham's family, and
there's a genealogy there,

593
00:33:04,625 --> 00:33:06,000
Genesis 10-11.

594
00:33:06,083 --> 00:33:07,625
See this genealogy?

595
00:33:07,667 --> 00:33:11,333
Godless man, godless man,
godless man, godless man,

596
00:33:11,375 --> 00:33:15,000
dead sinners, going to hell,
going to hell, going to hell,

597
00:33:15,083 --> 00:33:18,917
just legacy of sin and folly
and rebellion and death,

598
00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:25,167
the whole family, generations,
like some of yours.

599
00:33:25,208 --> 00:33:30,250
And then God shows up
and says, "I pick Abraham."

600
00:33:30,333 --> 00:33:32,958
He's not a great guy.

601
00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:35,458
See, God doesn't pick
us because we're great;

602
00:33:35,500 --> 00:33:38,042
God picks us
because he's great.

603
00:33:38,125 --> 00:33:40,042
God says,
"I'll start with Abraham

604
00:33:40,125 --> 00:33:42,333
"and I promise
to give him a son.

605
00:33:42,375 --> 00:33:45,542
"And through that son, I'm
going to bring a nation.

606
00:33:45,625 --> 00:33:50,792
And through that nation,
I'm going to bring Jesus."

607
00:33:50,833 --> 00:33:54,250
Abraham is a Gentile,
not a Jew.

608
00:33:54,333 --> 00:33:56,250
He's saved by faith.

609
00:33:56,333 --> 00:33:58,875
He trusts in the promises
of the God of the Bible.

610
00:33:58,958 --> 00:34:02,833
He circumcises himself
and the nation is born.

611
00:34:02,917 --> 00:34:05,417
The Jewish people begin.

612
00:34:05,500 --> 00:34:08,833
The promise was given that he
would have a son,

613
00:34:08,875 --> 00:34:11,458
even though his wife is barren
and they're elderly.

614
00:34:11,500 --> 00:34:13,250
This is going to take a miracle.

615
00:34:13,333 --> 00:34:16,750
But if God needs to pull off
a miracle to give you a legacy,

616
00:34:16,833 --> 00:34:18,667
he's glad to do that.

617
00:34:18,708 --> 00:34:20,542
Abraham and Sarah had a son.

618
00:34:20,625 --> 00:34:22,667
What was his name?

619
00:34:22,708 --> 00:34:24,958
What's his name?

620
00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:26,958
Isaac, which means laughter,
because God always gets

621
00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:28,458
the last laugh, right?

622
00:34:28,500 --> 00:34:30,958
That's how it works.

623
00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:36,750
And then Abraham dies and he
leaves a son and grandsons,

624
00:34:36,833 --> 00:34:40,250
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

625
00:34:40,333 --> 00:34:43,667
And Jacob had
a brother named Esau.

626
00:34:43,708 --> 00:34:47,750
Here we are, Malachi 1.

627
00:34:47,833 --> 00:34:53,167
These are both bad boys.

628
00:34:53,250 --> 00:34:56,667
See, religion always teaches,
"God loves the good people."

629
00:34:56,708 --> 00:35:01,750
Well, then God
doesn't love anybody.

630
00:35:01,833 --> 00:35:03,833
Say, "God loves bad people.

631
00:35:03,917 --> 00:35:09,250
Yay, there's hope for me."

632
00:35:09,333 --> 00:35:16,208
Here's Esau,
man's man, tough guy.

633
00:35:16,292 --> 00:35:18,458
He's fighting from
the earliest days

634
00:35:18,500 --> 00:35:21,208
of his existence.

635
00:35:21,292 --> 00:35:24,000
The Bible says that he is
very hairy and his hair

636
00:35:24,083 --> 00:35:26,167
is what color?

637
00:35:26,208 --> 00:35:27,542
Red.

638
00:35:27,625 --> 00:35:30,125
Dude looks like Elmo.

639
00:35:30,167 --> 00:35:33,458
Dude comes out
looking like Elmo,

640
00:35:33,500 --> 00:35:36,750
and he grows up
to be a man's man.

641
00:35:36,833 --> 00:35:39,458
He hunts, he fishes,
he can fight.

642
00:35:39,500 --> 00:35:41,750
He's a tough guy.

643
00:35:41,833 --> 00:35:44,250
All right, it's dinnertime,
like, "What are we eating?"

644
00:35:44,333 --> 00:35:45,833
He's like, "Whatever I kill.

645
00:35:45,917 --> 00:35:47,667
I'll be back in a minute."

646
00:35:47,708 --> 00:35:49,042
Wow.

647
00:35:49,125 --> 00:35:53,333
He comes back, blood all
over him, meat every night.

648
00:35:53,417 --> 00:35:58,333
His brother, Jacob, tough guy?

649
00:35:58,417 --> 00:36:02,958
No, mama's boy.

650
00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:06,542
It says that he liked to
stay home with his mom,

651
00:36:06,625 --> 00:36:09,042
liked to help his mom.

652
00:36:09,125 --> 00:36:11,250
So, you just kind of
get the picture, like,

653
00:36:11,333 --> 00:36:15,125
he's good at crocheting
and knitting.

654
00:36:15,167 --> 00:36:18,458
You kind of get the example--you
kind of get the idea like,

655
00:36:18,500 --> 00:36:22,958
Esau goes out and kills dinner,
and then brings it home

656
00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:26,833
and cleans his hands
with the doily

657
00:36:26,875 --> 00:36:28,625
that his brother made.

658
00:36:28,667 --> 00:36:30,667
You kind of get that
perspective on it.

659
00:36:30,708 --> 00:36:35,000
Now, if you were to pick
one man to be a nation,

660
00:36:35,083 --> 00:36:37,458
which guy would you choose?

661
00:36:37,500 --> 00:36:40,833
Cabriole guy or truck guy?

662
00:36:40,917 --> 00:36:43,042
Which one would you pick?

663
00:36:43,125 --> 00:36:47,167
You know what I'd pick.

664
00:36:47,208 --> 00:36:50,458
God picks cabriole boy.

665
00:36:50,500 --> 00:36:57,500
God picks culottes
and doily guy

666
00:36:59,333 --> 00:37:01,667
because God loves glory.

667
00:37:01,708 --> 00:37:03,833
And if he could do
anything with that guy,

668
00:37:03,917 --> 00:37:07,333
we'd all know it
was the Lord, right?

669
00:37:07,417 --> 00:37:09,042
That's why he picked you, me.

670
00:37:09,125 --> 00:37:11,542
See, some of us, we
thought it was like recess.

671
00:37:11,625 --> 00:37:12,958
"I got picked!"

672
00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:15,042
God doesn't pick like that.

673
00:37:15,125 --> 00:37:18,333
All right, God's like, "I'm
going to win the whole game,

674
00:37:18,417 --> 00:37:20,833
"and you get to be part
of the winning team,

675
00:37:20,917 --> 00:37:23,458
"but I'm the one who ultimately
should get the credit

676
00:37:23,500 --> 00:37:25,542
for the win."

677
00:37:25,625 --> 00:37:31,167
Well, from these two boys come
two nations, Israel and Edom,

678
00:37:31,208 --> 00:37:35,208
and one God chooses to love
and work through,

679
00:37:35,292 --> 00:37:38,250
the other God chooses not
to love and work through.

680
00:37:38,333 --> 00:37:40,042
Esau was not a great guy.

681
00:37:40,125 --> 00:37:43,750
He sold his birthright,
his legacy, for a meal.

682
00:37:43,833 --> 00:37:47,750
The people from him
grow up to be godless.

683
00:37:47,833 --> 00:37:50,167
One of their descendants
is a guy named Herod

684
00:37:50,250 --> 00:37:51,833
who tries to kill Jesus.

685
00:37:51,917 --> 00:37:56,500
This fight between two brothers,
it goes for a long time,

686
00:37:56,542 --> 00:37:59,292
part of that legacy and lineage.

687
00:37:59,333 --> 00:38:04,042
And God decides he'll work
through Jacob to bring Israel

688
00:38:04,125 --> 00:38:06,417
to bring Jesus.

689
00:38:06,500 --> 00:38:10,458
So here, when they say,
"You've not loved us,"

690
00:38:10,500 --> 00:38:12,833
or "How have you loved us?"

691
00:38:12,917 --> 00:38:15,833
God's answer is,
"I chose you."

692
00:38:15,917 --> 00:38:18,750
He goes to election.

693
00:38:18,833 --> 00:38:23,750
Some of you have been wrongly
taught that you chose God.

694
00:38:23,833 --> 00:38:26,500
You didn't, because the Bible
says that no one seeks God

695
00:38:26,583 --> 00:38:29,833
and no one chooses God.

696
00:38:29,917 --> 00:38:32,667
Instead, God chose you.

697
00:38:32,708 --> 00:38:35,333
Before you ever chose God,
God chose you.

698
00:38:35,375 --> 00:38:38,333
If you're a Christian,
think of it this way.

699
00:38:38,417 --> 00:38:40,167
God is a Father.

700
00:38:40,208 --> 00:38:43,833
You have been adopted.

701
00:38:43,875 --> 00:38:48,250
Children who are without
a father don't choose

702
00:38:48,333 --> 00:38:53,292
their father; the father chooses
them to join his family.

703
00:38:53,333 --> 00:38:59,292
This is why, right now,
no child that is fatherless

704
00:38:59,333 --> 00:39:02,958
can adopt a father.

705
00:39:03,000 --> 00:39:07,333
Only a father can adopt.

706
00:39:07,375 --> 00:39:09,750
And so a father
adopts their children.

707
00:39:09,833 --> 00:39:12,208
The children do not
adopt their father.

708
00:39:12,292 --> 00:39:14,458
After the father
adopts the child,

709
00:39:14,500 --> 00:39:16,458
then the child should
love the father,

710
00:39:16,500 --> 00:39:18,625
but the father loves first.

711
00:39:18,667 --> 00:39:21,458
The father chooses first.

712
00:39:21,500 --> 00:39:25,417
OK, this is the biblical
teaching of salvation.

713
00:39:25,500 --> 00:39:30,125
And what he's saying is this:
"You're horrible kids

714
00:39:30,167 --> 00:39:32,833
"and I adopted you.

715
00:39:32,917 --> 00:39:37,250
"What do you mean I
haven't loved you?

716
00:39:37,333 --> 00:39:40,250
"I'm your Father.

717
00:39:40,333 --> 00:39:46,000
"What could I possibly do that
is more loving than adopting you

718
00:39:46,083 --> 00:39:48,833
and being your Father?"

719
00:39:48,917 --> 00:39:51,292
Do you get it?

720
00:39:51,333 --> 00:39:55,292
So oftentimes, we're frustrated
because we don't have what we

721
00:39:55,333 --> 00:40:00,000
want next and we forget about
what he's already given.

722
00:40:00,042 --> 00:40:01,750
Here's the big idea:

723
00:40:01,833 --> 00:40:06,500
Everybody deserves hell, some
people get saved, that's grace.

724
00:40:06,542 --> 00:40:10,792
Everyone who doesn't get
grace gets what they deserve.

725
00:40:10,833 --> 00:40:14,833
Esau got what he
deserved; Jacob got grace.

726
00:40:14,917 --> 00:40:16,875
The Edomites got
what they deserved;

727
00:40:16,958 --> 00:40:19,292
the Israelites got grace.

728
00:40:19,333 --> 00:40:22,500
Everyone who goes to hell got
what they deserved; some of us,

729
00:40:22,542 --> 00:40:24,542
praise be to God, got grace.

730
00:40:24,625 --> 00:40:30,042
We got adopted and forgiven
and loved by the Father.

731
00:40:30,125 --> 00:40:34,083
So again, to use
this painful analogy,

732
00:40:34,167 --> 00:40:36,292
if you're sitting on
your father's lap,

733
00:40:36,333 --> 00:40:38,667
and everything in your
life is provision from him,

734
00:40:38,708 --> 00:40:42,042
and you slap him in the face and
ask, "How have you loved me?"

735
00:40:42,125 --> 00:40:45,792
He's like, "Look around.
Everything you have is mine.

736
00:40:45,833 --> 00:40:48,250
"I adopted you.
I love you.

737
00:40:48,333 --> 00:40:51,833
"You're sitting on my lap,
and you slap your father,

738
00:40:51,875 --> 00:40:54,792
"and I haven't slapped you back.

739
00:40:54,833 --> 00:40:57,375
You're loved."

740
00:40:57,458 --> 00:40:58,833
Amen?

741
00:40:58,875 --> 00:41:02,875
Not only do we need to
understand the Father's heart,

742
00:41:02,958 --> 00:41:09,083
we need to grow in having
the Father's heart.

743
00:41:09,167 --> 00:41:10,583
This is where the Bible says,

744
00:41:10,667 --> 00:41:15,083
"Because he first loved us,
we love him."

745
00:41:15,167 --> 00:41:18,167
And as you read the book,
you'll hear about,

746
00:41:18,208 --> 00:41:19,750
"You're not giving enough money,

747
00:41:19,833 --> 00:41:21,167
"and you're marrying
the wrong women,

748
00:41:21,250 --> 00:41:23,083
and you're not
raising your kids well,"

749
00:41:23,167 --> 00:41:25,542
and the answer
to all of that is,

750
00:41:25,625 --> 00:41:28,042
"You're breaking
the Father's heart.

751
00:41:28,125 --> 00:41:31,042
"If you know that he loves
you and you love him back,

752
00:41:31,125 --> 00:41:34,667
"you won't do those things
because, ultimately,

753
00:41:34,708 --> 00:41:38,292
"children want to be like
their dad,

754
00:41:38,333 --> 00:41:42,833
and your Dad's not like that."

755
00:41:42,917 --> 00:41:48,958
Let me give you ten big ideas
that emerge

756
00:41:49,000 --> 00:41:51,667
in the opening of Malachi

757
00:41:51,750 --> 00:41:53,583
that ring through
the remainder of the book.

758
00:41:53,667 --> 00:41:56,583
If you're a notetaker,
you're welcome.

759
00:41:56,667 --> 00:42:00,750
Here's ten things.
Grab your pen.

760
00:42:00,833 --> 00:42:05,542
Number one, God our Father
absorbs a lot of hurt

761
00:42:05,625 --> 00:42:09,958
caused by us.

762
00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:14,250
Do you think it hurt God for
him to hear from his people,

763
00:42:14,333 --> 00:42:16,708
"You don't love me.
You haven't taken care of me.

764
00:42:16,792 --> 00:42:19,208
You haven't provided for me.
How have you loved me?"

765
00:42:19,292 --> 00:42:21,167
Do you think that
hurt God's heart?

766
00:42:21,208 --> 00:42:23,333
Sin is not just
breaking God's laws;

767
00:42:23,417 --> 00:42:24,958
sin is breaking God's heart.

768
00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:26,958
It says in, I think,
Genesis 6 that,

769
00:42:27,000 --> 00:42:30,208
"God was grieved in his heart
that he made man because his sin

770
00:42:30,292 --> 00:42:36,333
was only evil all the time."

771
00:42:36,417 --> 00:42:40,958
How many of you have
rebellious, wayward children,

772
00:42:41,000 --> 00:42:45,500
and they say horrible
things to you or about you,

773
00:42:45,583 --> 00:42:48,042
and you have to absorb
a lot of hurt

774
00:42:48,125 --> 00:42:51,292
to maintain relationship
with them?

775
00:42:51,333 --> 00:42:54,292
Think of all the people
on the earth.

776
00:42:54,333 --> 00:42:57,875
There's a few billion who
claim to be Christians.

777
00:42:57,958 --> 00:42:59,583
Imagine all of the hurt

778
00:42:59,667 --> 00:43:02,250
that the Father
absorbs working on us,

779
00:43:02,333 --> 00:43:05,667
his spiritual children.

780
00:43:05,708 --> 00:43:10,833
And here's a parenting tip:

781
00:43:12,792 --> 00:43:19,417
when your child hurts
you emotionally,

782
00:43:19,500 --> 00:43:26,333
continue to be their parent,
not their sibling.

783
00:43:26,375 --> 00:43:31,542
What God doesn't do is absorb
a lot of hurt and then respond

784
00:43:31,625 --> 00:43:34,417
like an insulted sibling.

785
00:43:34,500 --> 00:43:37,208
"You hit me,"
what do kids do?

786
00:43:37,292 --> 00:43:39,125
Two brothers,
let's say they're scrapping.

787
00:43:39,167 --> 00:43:42,833
One brother slaps one brother;
the other brother does what?

788
00:43:42,875 --> 00:43:44,333
Slaps him back.

789
00:43:44,417 --> 00:43:47,042
Two kids are arguing, fighting,
maybe a brother and a sister.

790
00:43:47,125 --> 00:43:50,667
One says something bad;
the other says something bad.

791
00:43:50,750 --> 00:43:57,000
It's not right, but parents
should never respond like that.

792
00:43:57,042 --> 00:43:59,375
When you are hurt,

793
00:43:59,458 --> 00:44:02,708
you have an opportunity
to rise above it,

794
00:44:02,792 --> 00:44:04,500
to absorb it,
to lead through it,

795
00:44:04,583 --> 00:44:06,708
to set an example
in the midst of it,

796
00:44:06,792 --> 00:44:08,250
or to descend,
to come alongside,

797
00:44:08,333 --> 00:44:13,625
and act like the oldest
child in the family,

798
00:44:13,667 --> 00:44:16,667
to act like a sibling
instead of a parent.

799
00:44:16,708 --> 00:44:19,000
God absorbs all of this hurt
and he maintains

800
00:44:19,083 --> 00:44:21,958
his fatherly disposition.

801
00:44:22,000 --> 00:44:24,208
He doesn't argue.

802
00:44:24,292 --> 00:44:27,333
He doesn't slap back.

803
00:44:27,417 --> 00:44:29,667
He's still leading.

804
00:44:29,708 --> 00:44:32,958
Number two--let me ask this:

805
00:44:33,000 --> 00:44:36,208
what hurt have you
caused God the Father

806
00:44:36,292 --> 00:44:41,833
with your words,
with your deeds?

807
00:44:41,917 --> 00:44:47,958
In what ways have you
hurt God the Father?

808
00:44:48,000 --> 00:44:51,667
Right now, the Holy Spirit is
showing you you're not just

809
00:44:51,750 --> 00:44:57,958
rebelling against him,
you are grieving him.

810
00:44:58,000 --> 00:45:02,958
Number two, when you don't
see yourself as very bad,

811
00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:06,333
you cannot see God
as very good.

812
00:45:06,417 --> 00:45:08,125
I'll say it again.

813
00:45:08,167 --> 00:45:10,333
When you do not see
yourself as very bad,

814
00:45:10,375 --> 00:45:12,958
you cannot see God
as very good.

815
00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:15,042
If you say,
"I'm a pretty good person,

816
00:45:15,125 --> 00:45:17,750
"then my Father is
a pretty bad God,

817
00:45:17,833 --> 00:45:19,958
"because if I'm a good person,
I deserve more.

818
00:45:20,000 --> 00:45:21,333
"I deserve better.

819
00:45:21,417 --> 00:45:24,250
I have a sense of entitlement."

820
00:45:24,333 --> 00:45:28,250
If you see yourself as bad,
it's easier to see God as good.

821
00:45:28,333 --> 00:45:33,333
"I deserve hell.
Everything else is a gift.

822
00:45:33,417 --> 00:45:38,708
Thanks Dad, that's
a lot of gifts."

823
00:45:38,792 --> 00:45:41,250
It's like a teeter-totter.

824
00:45:41,333 --> 00:45:44,167
There's good and bad.

825
00:45:44,208 --> 00:45:47,167
If you're good, God's bad.

826
00:45:47,208 --> 00:45:51,750
If you're bad, God's good.

827
00:45:51,833 --> 00:45:57,083
Number three, discipline is
one way that God loves us.

828
00:45:57,167 --> 00:46:00,333
It says in Proverbs, it says in
Hebrews that God is a Father

829
00:46:00,375 --> 00:46:02,958
who disciplines
the children that he loves.

830
00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:07,542
Many of you are struggling,
and you're suffering,

831
00:46:07,625 --> 00:46:10,042
and you're wondering
if God is punishing.

832
00:46:10,125 --> 00:46:11,667
The answer is no.

833
00:46:11,708 --> 00:46:14,458
If you are a Christian,
God does not punish you.

834
00:46:14,500 --> 00:46:16,958
Jesus was already
punished in your place.

835
00:46:17,000 --> 00:46:21,417
It would be injustice for
God to punish him and you,

836
00:46:21,500 --> 00:46:24,458
but God will discipline you.

837
00:46:24,500 --> 00:46:28,542
He'll sometimes let
you reap what you sow

838
00:46:28,625 --> 00:46:33,167
because he loves you,
and he's trying to help you,

839
00:46:33,208 --> 00:46:36,125
and he's trying to change you.

840
00:46:36,167 --> 00:46:37,917
And him doing that is
an indication

841
00:46:38,000 --> 00:46:40,167
that he loves you.

842
00:46:40,208 --> 00:46:43,542
What happens to
an unparented child?

843
00:46:43,625 --> 00:46:46,042
They harm themselves,
they harm others,

844
00:46:46,125 --> 00:46:50,875
they perhaps even kill
others, and kill themselves.

845
00:46:50,958 --> 00:46:53,292
We do not think
in a psychological way;

846
00:46:53,333 --> 00:46:55,292
we think in a biblical way.

847
00:46:55,333 --> 00:46:58,000
We do not think that we are
good people who just

848
00:46:58,042 --> 00:46:59,500
need to become who we are.

849
00:46:59,542 --> 00:47:01,542
We believe that
we are bad people

850
00:47:01,625 --> 00:47:03,917
who need to become someone else.

851
00:47:04,000 --> 00:47:07,958
And parental discipline in this
life is one of the ways

852
00:47:08,000 --> 00:47:10,833
that God saves us
from ourselves,

853
00:47:10,917 --> 00:47:13,542
and the Father
disciplines us as well

854
00:47:13,625 --> 00:47:16,250
to save us from ourselves.

855
00:47:16,333 --> 00:47:18,833
Do you get that?

856
00:47:18,875 --> 00:47:21,542
The Bible says that, "No
discipline seems pleasant

857
00:47:21,625 --> 00:47:23,625
at the moment."

858
00:47:23,667 --> 00:47:25,833
So, let's say you've got
a kid who's rebellious

859
00:47:25,875 --> 00:47:27,250
and you discipline them.

860
00:47:27,333 --> 00:47:29,333
They're probably not
going to turn around

861
00:47:29,417 --> 00:47:32,333
and do Proverbs 31, right?

862
00:47:32,417 --> 00:47:34,208
"The children praised
their mother."

863
00:47:34,292 --> 00:47:36,208
"Thank you, Mother.

864
00:47:36,292 --> 00:47:38,458
"I was reading Proverbs today

865
00:47:38,500 --> 00:47:42,208
and it says that this
was an act of love."

866
00:47:42,292 --> 00:47:44,833
Maybe 20 years later, the child
comes back and says,

867
00:47:44,917 --> 00:47:46,833
"Mom, thank you.
You loved me.

868
00:47:46,917 --> 00:47:48,250
"You cared.

869
00:47:48,333 --> 00:47:52,792
You reoriented my life course
and saved me from death."

870
00:47:52,833 --> 00:47:55,875
No discipline seems
pleasant at the moment,

871
00:47:55,958 --> 00:47:59,458
but it reaps a harvest
of righteousness later.

872
00:47:59,500 --> 00:48:03,417
That's what the Bible says.

873
00:48:03,500 --> 00:48:06,333
Number four, sin is
a two-lane highway.

874
00:48:06,417 --> 00:48:08,542
There are
two primary ways to sin.

875
00:48:08,625 --> 00:48:11,167
One is rebellion.

876
00:48:11,208 --> 00:48:13,167
He's going to talk
about their rebellion.

877
00:48:13,208 --> 00:48:15,667
He's going to talk about
the guys who say they're

878
00:48:15,708 --> 00:48:20,125
believers marrying gals
who are unbelievers.

879
00:48:20,167 --> 00:48:22,917
Some of you are dating someone
you should not be marrying.

880
00:48:23,000 --> 00:48:24,917
Here's what's coming
down the road:

881
00:48:25,000 --> 00:48:27,917
you're going to break up
in a few weeks in Malachi 2.

882
00:48:28,000 --> 00:48:29,417
That's where we're
going, all right,

883
00:48:29,500 --> 00:48:31,167
so just make sure
the airbag's working.

884
00:48:31,208 --> 00:48:34,042
I'm telling you, that's
the crash down the road.

885
00:48:34,125 --> 00:48:35,750
That's where we're going.

886
00:48:35,833 --> 00:48:40,625
It'll be a head-on collision
between you and God.

887
00:48:40,667 --> 00:48:47,250
All right, God deals with their
rebellion, but most of them,

888
00:48:47,333 --> 00:48:50,792
their sin is
in the form of religion.

889
00:48:50,833 --> 00:48:56,667
Most of us, our sin is
in the form of religion.

890
00:48:56,750 --> 00:49:00,917
They don't give
generously; they're greedy.

891
00:49:01,000 --> 00:49:04,625
They don't serve
wholeheartedly; they're lazy.

892
00:49:04,667 --> 00:49:06,917
They're not thinking
about others;

893
00:49:07,000 --> 00:49:08,417
they're only thinking
about themselves,

894
00:49:08,500 --> 00:49:11,250
but they do so with very
religious platitudes.

895
00:49:11,333 --> 00:49:13,417
Oh, they'll go to
church, kind of.

896
00:49:13,500 --> 00:49:14,833
They'll tithe, kind of.

897
00:49:14,875 --> 00:49:16,208
They'll serve, kind of.

898
00:49:16,292 --> 00:49:17,958
They'll sing, kind of.

899
00:49:18,000 --> 00:49:20,458
These are people who are trying
to figure out what

900
00:49:20,500 --> 00:49:25,250
the minimal standard is
and are very unmotivated

901
00:49:25,333 --> 00:49:29,458
to even aspire to that.

902
00:49:29,500 --> 00:49:34,833
They're more concerned about
what they can get away with

903
00:49:34,917 --> 00:49:39,542
than what they can give away.

904
00:49:39,625 --> 00:49:41,333
Is that you?

905
00:49:41,417 --> 00:49:44,042
Do you listen to the sermon but
you're not really listening?

906
00:49:44,125 --> 00:49:46,542
Do you sing the songs but
you're not really singing?

907
00:49:46,625 --> 00:49:48,750
Do you give but it's
not really generous?

908
00:49:48,833 --> 00:49:50,750
Do you serve but it's
not really wholehearted?

909
00:49:50,833 --> 00:49:53,000
Is it lukewarm,
religious indifference,

910
00:49:53,042 --> 00:49:54,583
going through the motion?

911
00:49:54,667 --> 00:50:00,792
What is supposed to be ritual,
becomes, for you, routine.

912
00:50:00,833 --> 00:50:07,167
Number five, God has not failed
you and God does not owe you.

913
00:50:07,250 --> 00:50:11,583
Their thought was, "God has
failed us so he owes us.

914
00:50:11,667 --> 00:50:15,167
"We deserve more money, so
we're not going to give to him.

915
00:50:15,208 --> 00:50:17,000
"We deserve an easier life,

916
00:50:17,042 --> 00:50:20,083
"so we're not going to put up
with this anymore.

917
00:50:20,167 --> 00:50:23,500
"God, you need to take better
care of us, and then we'll

918
00:50:23,542 --> 00:50:27,167
take better care of what
you care about."

919
00:50:27,250 --> 00:50:30,250
God has not failed you.

920
00:50:30,333 --> 00:50:34,667
God has not failed you,
and God does not owe you.

921
00:50:34,750 --> 00:50:37,875
I tell my kids this all
the time: "We deserve what?"

922
00:50:37,958 --> 00:50:40,500
and the Driscoll kids
always say, "Hell."

923
00:50:40,542 --> 00:50:43,167
Everything else is a gift.

924
00:50:43,250 --> 00:50:45,750
That's a lot of gifts.

925
00:50:47,167 --> 00:50:48,792
That's a lot of gifts.

926
00:50:48,833 --> 00:50:50,167
God has not failed you.

927
00:50:50,250 --> 00:50:54,083
God does not owe you.

928
00:50:54,167 --> 00:50:57,875
Number six, when
we are ungrateful

929
00:50:57,958 --> 00:51:00,083
for what God has done,

930
00:51:00,167 --> 00:51:06,792
we are unwilling to do what God
commands us to do.

931
00:51:06,833 --> 00:51:11,583
If you don't appreciate all
that God has done for you,

932
00:51:11,667 --> 00:51:15,875
you won't be motivated to do
what he's asking you to do.

933
00:51:15,958 --> 00:51:19,083
So, the key is not to focus
on what you need to do.

934
00:51:19,167 --> 00:51:22,375
First, the key is to figure
out what he's already done,

935
00:51:22,458 --> 00:51:25,083
and that is his love for you
that should compel you

936
00:51:25,167 --> 00:51:27,292
to be like your Father
to do the things

937
00:51:27,333 --> 00:51:30,167
that he wants you to do.

938
00:51:30,250 --> 00:51:33,000
They had forgotten that, if they
traced their family history

939
00:51:33,042 --> 00:51:37,167
far enough back,
it was Jacob and Esau.

940
00:51:37,208 --> 00:51:40,875
And their name is not
connected to Esau, but Jacob.

941
00:51:40,958 --> 00:51:43,292
Everything in their life
is God's provision,

942
00:51:43,333 --> 00:51:45,542
and grace, and blessing.

943
00:51:45,625 --> 00:51:48,375
So it is with us.

944
00:51:48,458 --> 00:51:51,667
Number seven, God expects
us to change our attitude

945
00:51:51,708 --> 00:51:58,083
even if he does not change
our circumstances.

946
00:51:58,167 --> 00:52:04,917
These were not atheists,
but they were angry.

947
00:52:05,000 --> 00:52:08,542
God is saying,
"Your attitude is horrible.

948
00:52:08,625 --> 00:52:10,542
"I can tell with who
you're marrying,

949
00:52:10,625 --> 00:52:12,250
"I can tell with
how you're serving,

950
00:52:12,333 --> 00:52:13,958
"I can tell with
how you're giving.

951
00:52:14,000 --> 00:52:15,958
Your attitude is terrible."

952
00:52:16,000 --> 00:52:21,167
And their response, as you see
these disputations that thread

953
00:52:21,208 --> 00:52:24,917
the book together, is basically
this, if I could summarize it:

954
00:52:25,000 --> 00:52:28,458
"If you would fix
our circumstances,

955
00:52:28,500 --> 00:52:32,458
we could fix our attitude."

956
00:52:32,500 --> 00:52:35,125
How many of you have had
this argument with someone?

957
00:52:35,167 --> 00:52:38,042
How many of you parents have had
this argument with your child?

958
00:52:38,125 --> 00:52:39,833
You look at your
child, you're like,

959
00:52:39,875 --> 00:52:41,208
"Your attitude is terrible."

960
00:52:41,292 --> 00:52:42,708
"It's because my
life is terrible

961
00:52:42,792 --> 00:52:44,208
"and I have a terrible parent.

962
00:52:44,292 --> 00:52:47,208
"If I had a better parent
who gave me a better life,

963
00:52:47,292 --> 00:52:48,625
"I'd have a better attitude.

964
00:52:48,667 --> 00:52:50,500
"You want an attitude change,

965
00:52:50,542 --> 00:52:56,583
fix my life."

966
00:52:56,667 --> 00:52:59,458
We're big children.

967
00:53:01,375 --> 00:53:04,125
We're big children.

968
00:53:04,167 --> 00:53:08,333
God may or may not ever
change your circumstance,

969
00:53:08,417 --> 00:53:11,000
but he wants you
to change your attitude.

970
00:53:11,083 --> 00:53:15,167
And let me say this
to you.

971
00:53:15,208 --> 00:53:18,750
If he changes
your circumstances

972
00:53:18,833 --> 00:53:21,667
before you
change your attitude,

973
00:53:21,708 --> 00:53:28,250
he's giving you the impression
that you are in charge of him,

974
00:53:28,333 --> 00:53:33,958
right, that it's a hostage
negotiation and he lost.

975
00:53:34,000 --> 00:53:37,250
Maybe if you would
change your attitude,

976
00:53:37,333 --> 00:53:39,250
he would change
your circumstances,

977
00:53:39,333 --> 00:53:42,250
but it would not be
a good idea for him to change

978
00:53:42,333 --> 00:53:48,708
your circumstances if you
have the same attitude.

979
00:53:50,958 --> 00:53:53,542
I feel inclined to ask this:

980
00:53:53,625 --> 00:53:56,000
What is the thing that
he has not given you

981
00:53:56,042 --> 00:53:58,833
that you feel entitled to?

982
00:53:58,917 --> 00:54:03,333
"God, if you would
just give me--" blank.

983
00:54:03,417 --> 00:54:06,917
"Spouse, kids, another
spouse, better kids,"

984
00:54:07,000 --> 00:54:09,458
whatever the blank is,

985
00:54:09,500 --> 00:54:16,208
"car, bigger car, house,
bigger house, no cancer--

986
00:54:18,500 --> 00:54:23,542
"if you would give me that,
then I could praise you,

987
00:54:23,625 --> 00:54:28,667
"because you are
not enough for me.

988
00:54:28,708 --> 00:54:34,208
And until you provide
that, I am dissatisfied."

989
00:54:34,292 --> 00:54:37,333
That's the issue.

990
00:54:37,417 --> 00:54:44,250
That's the issue.

991
00:54:44,333 --> 00:54:48,250
Number eight, when you are
ungrateful for the life

992
00:54:48,333 --> 00:54:50,542
you have, you need to honestly
consider the life

993
00:54:50,625 --> 00:54:55,083
you should have.

994
00:54:55,167 --> 00:55:01,458
Here should be my story:
alcoholic who beats his wife,

995
00:55:01,500 --> 00:55:05,667
and breaks his kids,
dies in poverty all alone

996
00:55:05,708 --> 00:55:09,750
from a busted liver.

997
00:55:09,833 --> 00:55:11,708
You say, "How do you
know that, Mark?"

998
00:55:11,792 --> 00:55:15,333
Because that's the script that
all the guys with my last name

999
00:55:15,417 --> 00:55:19,833
have been reading
for hundreds of years.

1000
00:55:19,875 --> 00:55:24,958
So, anytime I think, "Boy,
my life should be better,"

1001
00:55:25,000 --> 00:55:29,042
I've got to reorient myself
and look back and say,

1002
00:55:29,125 --> 00:55:30,542
"Well, where has God
brought me?

1003
00:55:30,625 --> 00:55:32,042
"What has he done for me?

1004
00:55:32,125 --> 00:55:33,500
"What life should I have?

1005
00:55:33,583 --> 00:55:34,958
What life would I have?"

1006
00:55:35,000 --> 00:55:36,333
Here's my question to you:

1007
00:55:36,417 --> 00:55:38,042
apart from Jesus,
who would you be?

1008
00:55:38,125 --> 00:55:40,042
Where would you be?
What would you be?

1009
00:55:40,125 --> 00:55:45,000
What legacy would you leave?
And would it be better?

1010
00:55:45,083 --> 00:55:48,958
The answer is no.

1011
00:55:49,000 --> 00:55:50,375
This is what God does.

1012
00:55:50,458 --> 00:55:53,375
They come to him and they
say, "How have you loved us?"

1013
00:55:53,458 --> 00:55:55,333
He says, "Well, let's look back.

1014
00:55:55,417 --> 00:56:00,958
"Let's reflect on the change
that has already been brought

1015
00:56:01,000 --> 00:56:06,833
and wrought because of
my love for you."

1016
00:56:06,917 --> 00:56:12,167
Number nine,
we're not there yet.

1017
00:56:12,208 --> 00:56:15,333
All right, the story line of
the Bible is, God's a Father,

1018
00:56:15,417 --> 00:56:18,750
adopts kids, he's got a home
for them and an inheritance,

1019
00:56:18,833 --> 00:56:20,667
and an eternal kingdom.

1020
00:56:20,708 --> 00:56:24,333
It makes Disneyland sound
like a Honey Bucket, right?

1021
00:56:24,417 --> 00:56:25,917
It's pretty amazing.

1022
00:56:26,000 --> 00:56:28,917
If you read the Bible and
believe half of it, you're like,

1023
00:56:29,000 --> 00:56:31,417
"The end is awesome forever."

1024
00:56:31,500 --> 00:56:33,500
No sin.
No death.

1025
00:56:33,583 --> 00:56:35,250
The sun never sets.

1026
00:56:35,333 --> 00:56:37,208
We get to eat dinner
with Jesus.

1027
00:56:37,292 --> 00:56:40,167
Yay!

1028
00:56:40,208 --> 00:56:43,917
We're not there yet.

1029
00:56:44,000 --> 00:56:45,625
Again, we're big kids.

1030
00:56:45,667 --> 00:56:47,000
So, think of this way.

1031
00:56:47,083 --> 00:56:49,500
How many of you are parents
and it's vacation time?

1032
00:56:49,542 --> 00:56:51,667
You load up
all the kids in the car.

1033
00:56:51,750 --> 00:56:53,667
First question from
the kids is always, what?

1034
00:56:53,750 --> 00:56:55,083
"Are we there yet?"

1035
00:56:55,167 --> 00:56:59,667
No, we're in the garage.
We haven't even left.

1036
00:56:59,708 --> 00:57:02,333
We haven't even left.
No, we're not there.

1037
00:57:02,417 --> 00:57:04,667
Backing out of the driveway,
"Are we there yet?"

1038
00:57:04,708 --> 00:57:06,042
No!

1039
00:57:06,125 --> 00:57:07,833
End of the street,
"Are we there?"

1040
00:57:07,875 --> 00:57:09,208
No!

1041
00:57:09,292 --> 00:57:10,958
Getting on the freeway,
"Are we there?"

1042
00:57:11,000 --> 00:57:12,333
No!

1043
00:57:12,417 --> 00:57:13,750
Driving, "Are we there?"
No!

1044
00:57:13,833 --> 00:57:15,458
"When are we
going to be there?"

1045
00:57:15,500 --> 00:57:16,833
Not soon enough, right?

1046
00:57:16,917 --> 00:57:18,250
Not soon enough.

1047
00:57:18,333 --> 00:57:19,667
And here's what happens.

1048
00:57:19,708 --> 00:57:22,667
As soon as the children of
God get in the proverbial car,

1049
00:57:22,708 --> 00:57:24,167
we just want to be there.

1050
00:57:24,208 --> 00:57:25,917
And the Father's like,
"You don't understand.

1051
00:57:26,000 --> 00:57:28,917
"I've got a lot of other kids
I've got to pick up

1052
00:57:29,000 --> 00:57:30,333
along the way."

1053
00:57:30,375 --> 00:57:32,833
There's a lot of people
to love and to save,

1054
00:57:32,875 --> 00:57:34,833
and nations to reach,
and churches to plant,

1055
00:57:34,875 --> 00:57:36,833
and disciples--yeah, this
is quite a road trip.

1056
00:57:36,875 --> 00:57:39,833
But as kids, we'll jump
in the car and be like,

1057
00:57:39,875 --> 00:57:41,542
"You got me.
Let's go there now."

1058
00:57:41,625 --> 00:57:43,250
The Father's like, "You
know what's interesting?

1059
00:57:43,333 --> 00:57:46,250
We drive by all the other
kids I've got to pick up."

1060
00:57:46,333 --> 00:57:47,750
You're like,
"I'm OK with that."

1061
00:57:47,833 --> 00:57:49,500
He's like, "That's weird
because your brother's

1062
00:57:49,542 --> 00:57:50,875
"sitting next to you.

1063
00:57:50,958 --> 00:57:53,375
"He said the same thing
when we picked him up.

1064
00:57:53,458 --> 00:57:56,583
"We pulled up to you and he
was like, 'Ah, just drive by.

1065
00:57:56,667 --> 00:57:58,333
"'Just drive by.
We don't need him.

1066
00:57:58,417 --> 00:57:59,750
"'Let's get there.'

1067
00:57:59,833 --> 00:58:01,542
Aren't you glad
we picked you up?"

1068
00:58:01,625 --> 00:58:02,958
Yes I am.

1069
00:58:03,000 --> 00:58:05,167
"OK, then let us pick
some other kids up."

1070
00:58:05,208 --> 00:58:06,542
We're not there yet.

1071
00:58:06,625 --> 00:58:07,958
Heaven's going to be awesome.

1072
00:58:08,000 --> 00:58:09,333
This isn't it, OK?

1073
00:58:09,417 --> 00:58:12,250
This is as close to hell
as you'll ever be.

1074
00:58:12,333 --> 00:58:14,667
For the non-Christian, this is
as close to heaven

1075
00:58:14,708 --> 00:58:17,417
as you'll ever be.

1076
00:58:17,500 --> 00:58:21,542
Number ten, our Father is
greater than we feel,

1077
00:58:21,625 --> 00:58:25,042
and we are worse than we fear.

1078
00:58:25,125 --> 00:58:31,125
Our Father is greater
than we feel,

1079
00:58:31,167 --> 00:58:38,125
and we are worse
than we fear.

1080
00:58:38,167 --> 00:58:39,500
Their question is what?

1081
00:58:39,583 --> 00:58:41,917
What's their question?

1082
00:58:42,000 --> 00:58:45,708
"How have you loved us?"

1083
00:58:45,792 --> 00:58:49,667
I'll tell you what,

1084
00:58:49,750 --> 00:58:53,542
just the fact that
we have a Father

1085
00:58:53,625 --> 00:58:58,833
who lets us yell at him
means we're loved.

1086
00:59:01,833 --> 00:59:05,000
I want you
to close your eyes.

1087
00:59:10,708 --> 00:59:17,625
The question is,
"How have you loved us?

1088
00:59:17,667 --> 00:59:22,667
How have you loved me?"

1089
00:59:22,708 --> 00:59:25,750
Well, the Father would
say, "Before time began,

1090
00:59:25,833 --> 00:59:30,833
"I chose to adopt you
and to be your Father.

1091
00:59:30,875 --> 00:59:33,750
"I love you.

1092
00:59:33,833 --> 00:59:38,833
"I sent my only Son to die on
earth so that you might live

1093
00:59:38,917 --> 00:59:41,833
"with me in heaven.

1094
00:59:41,917 --> 00:59:44,542
"I love you.

1095
00:59:44,625 --> 00:59:47,833
"I speak to you
through my Scriptures.

1096
00:59:47,917 --> 00:59:51,167
"I love you.

1097
00:59:51,208 --> 00:59:56,000
"Everything you have
is a gift from me.

1098
00:59:56,042 --> 01:00:01,083
"I love you.

1099
01:00:01,167 --> 01:00:06,333
"I want you to invest your
life and not waste your life.

1100
01:00:06,417 --> 01:00:10,292
"I love you.

1101
01:00:10,333 --> 01:00:13,750
"I hear every
prayer you utter,

1102
01:00:13,833 --> 01:00:16,833
"every song you sing,

1103
01:00:16,917 --> 01:00:22,083
"and catch every tear you cry.

1104
01:00:22,167 --> 01:00:26,458
"I love you.

1105
01:00:26,500 --> 01:00:33,292
"I have a great plan for
you and your future,

1106
01:00:33,333 --> 01:00:39,167
to leave a great legacy
because I love you."

1107
01:00:40,833 --> 01:00:42,958
Mars Hill, I want you
to repeat after me.

1108
01:00:43,000 --> 01:00:46,083
"Father, you have loved us.

1109
01:00:46,167 --> 01:00:50,000
"Father,
you have loved us.

1110
01:00:50,083 --> 01:00:55,417
"Father, you have loved us.

1111
01:00:55,500 --> 01:01:00,375
And Father,
you have loved me."

1112
01:01:00,458 --> 01:01:02,333
Amen.

1113
01:01:02,417 --> 01:01:03,958
You can open your eyes.

1114
01:01:04,000 --> 01:01:06,167
Mars Hill, that
changes everything.

1115
01:01:06,208 --> 01:01:10,667
If you begin with faith
in the love of the Father,

1116
01:01:10,750 --> 01:01:13,667
it changes your mind,
your heart, your life,

1117
01:01:13,750 --> 01:01:18,167
your direction, your destiny,
and it alters your legacy,

1118
01:01:18,208 --> 01:01:21,875
and that's what he wants for
you because he loves you.

1119
01:01:21,958 --> 01:01:25,667
And so the two big ideas: God
loves you and he wants you

1120
01:01:25,750 --> 01:01:29,000
to be living for a legacy so
that others would come to know

1121
01:01:29,042 --> 01:01:32,167
of his love and love him too.

1122
01:01:32,208 --> 01:01:36,167
And this is the opportunity
that we now have to respond.

1123
01:01:36,250 --> 01:01:39,292
And I would pray that we
wouldn't respond like they did,

1124
01:01:39,333 --> 01:01:43,167
that we would
respond as we should,

1125
01:01:43,250 --> 01:01:48,167
that we would give generously,
that we would sing passionately,

1126
01:01:48,250 --> 01:01:52,542
that we would serve diligently,
that we would follow the example

1127
01:01:52,625 --> 01:01:57,250
of our loving Father by loving
others in word and deed.

1128
01:01:57,333 --> 01:01:59,500
So as we collect our
tithes and offerings,

1129
01:01:59,542 --> 01:02:02,333
I want you to know that
the Father loves you,

1130
01:02:02,375 --> 01:02:05,958
and the right answer to his love
is to love him back and to leave

1131
01:02:06,000 --> 01:02:09,167
a legacy for his glory
and others' good.

1132
01:02:09,208 --> 01:02:11,667
And Mars Hill, I want
you to know as well,

1133
01:02:11,708 --> 01:02:14,667
as we prepare to take Communion,
that we remember Jesus,

1134
01:02:14,708 --> 01:02:17,667
who died in our place for our
sins because God so loved

1135
01:02:17,708 --> 01:02:22,333
the world that he gave us his
Son to make us his sons.

1136
01:02:22,417 --> 01:02:24,625
And so Communion is all
about remembering the love

1137
01:02:24,667 --> 01:02:27,458
of the Father through
the sacrifice of the Son.

1138
01:02:27,500 --> 01:02:30,708
And lastly, Mars Hill,
God has loved us.

1139
01:02:30,792 --> 01:02:33,167
We are in our 17th year.

1140
01:02:33,208 --> 01:02:36,625
God has been richly
good to Mars Hill.

1141
01:02:36,667 --> 01:02:40,167
True or false: God has
loved this church well?

1142
01:02:40,208 --> 01:02:42,042
God has loved this church well

1143
01:02:42,125 --> 01:02:44,667
and he has a great legacy
for us.

1144
01:02:44,708 --> 01:02:48,458
And so I want to fill your heart
with some vision and some hope

1145
01:02:48,500 --> 01:02:51,167
for the legacy that God is
setting before us next year

1146
01:02:51,250 --> 01:02:54,458
so that we can finish
this year strong.

1147
01:03:00,125 --> 01:03:02,250
Hey, this is
Pastor Seth Winterhalter

1148
01:03:02,333 --> 01:03:03,667
at Mars Hill Church Olympia,

1149
01:03:03,708 --> 01:03:05,458
my family, my wife,
Rachel,

1150
01:03:05,500 --> 01:03:09,167
my kiddos, Raelynn, Rebecca,
and little baby Samuel,

1151
01:03:09,208 --> 01:03:11,333
and we're coming to you
from the new building

1152
01:03:11,375 --> 01:03:12,833
at Mars Hill Church Olympia.

1153
01:03:12,875 --> 01:03:15,833
We're about to move into
this at the end of the year.

1154
01:03:15,875 --> 01:03:17,208
And thanks for praying, man.

1155
01:03:17,292 --> 01:03:19,708
Incredible things happening down
here as we continue to reach

1156
01:03:19,792 --> 01:03:22,958
the 4 counties,
over 12 cities, 500,000 people

1157
01:03:23,000 --> 01:03:25,667
that we're praying would be
impacted by Jesus Christ.

1158
01:03:25,708 --> 01:03:27,417
And thank you for
joining with us,

1159
01:03:27,500 --> 01:03:30,625
and we pray that you continue
to pray for us as we see

1160
01:03:30,667 --> 01:03:33,542
more people developed to become
CG leaders, RG leaders,

1161
01:03:33,625 --> 01:03:36,167
Service Team leaders as we
impact the south Sound

1162
01:03:36,208 --> 01:03:37,542
for the glory of Jesus.

1163
01:03:37,625 --> 01:03:40,667
Our big thing is to see legacies
changed and we pray that you'd

1164
01:03:40,708 --> 01:03:44,167
join with us as we continue to
see God do his work here

1165
01:03:44,208 --> 01:03:47,542
in the south Sound, in Olympia,
from the capital city.

1166
01:03:47,625 --> 01:03:49,542
Pastor Bubba here
with my wife, Shelly,

1167
01:03:49,625 --> 01:03:51,667
our son, Jones,
and our son, Jackson,

1168
01:03:51,708 --> 01:03:53,458
and we are in
Tacoma, Washington,

1169
01:03:53,500 --> 01:03:54,958
where the need is great.

1170
01:03:55,000 --> 01:03:57,167
There are over a million people
in this area

1171
01:03:57,208 --> 01:03:58,542
who've yet to meet Jesus.

1172
01:03:58,625 --> 01:04:01,542
And I say yet because we are
planting Mars Hill Tacoma

1173
01:04:01,625 --> 01:04:04,625
in the area to be a regional
church to reach multiple cities.

1174
01:04:04,667 --> 01:04:06,542
And we would ask,
be praying for us.

1175
01:04:06,625 --> 01:04:08,000
Pray for more leaders.

1176
01:04:08,083 --> 01:04:11,208
We need 10 more pastors,
60 more Community Groups.

1177
01:04:11,292 --> 01:04:14,042
As well, we would ask to
be praying for conversions,

1178
01:04:14,125 --> 01:04:16,667
that people would meet Jesus,
that Jesus would save people.

1179
01:04:16,708 --> 01:04:19,667
I'm praying for
200 baptisms in 2014.

1180
01:04:19,708 --> 01:04:21,833
And so we just want
to say thank you.

1181
01:04:21,917 --> 01:04:24,250
Thank you for praying,
thank you for giving,

1182
01:04:24,333 --> 01:04:28,917
thank you for helping
build the legacy in Tacoma.

1183
01:04:29,000 --> 01:04:30,333
Hey, Mars Hill.

1184
01:04:30,375 --> 01:04:31,958
Pastor Ryan here
from Phoenix.

1185
01:04:32,000 --> 01:04:35,333
This is my family, my wife,
Kate, our daughter Ella,

1186
01:04:35,417 --> 01:04:36,833
and our Son, Liam.

1187
01:04:36,917 --> 01:04:38,625
We are standing in our building.

1188
01:04:38,667 --> 01:04:40,125
It's an art gallery.

1189
01:04:40,167 --> 01:04:41,500
It's in downtown Phoenix.

1190
01:04:41,583 --> 01:04:43,250
It's a really cool place to meet

1191
01:04:43,333 --> 01:04:44,958
and we're really excited
to be here.

1192
01:04:45,000 --> 01:04:46,958
We have over 4 million people
that live

1193
01:04:47,000 --> 01:04:48,708
in the surrounding areas
of downtown Phoenix,

1194
01:04:48,792 --> 01:04:50,792
and a lot of them
don't know Jesus,

1195
01:04:50,833 --> 01:04:53,750
so we have an amazing
opportunity to invite people

1196
01:04:53,833 --> 01:04:56,083
into a relationship
with Jesus Christ.

1197
01:04:56,167 --> 01:04:59,667
So far, we've already been
very blessed here in Phoenix,

1198
01:04:59,708 --> 01:05:01,917
where our 1st quarter
gathering a few weeks ago,

1199
01:05:02,000 --> 01:05:04,750
we had 386 people come.

1200
01:05:04,833 --> 01:05:06,167
And then this last week,

1201
01:05:06,208 --> 01:05:07,958
we launched our first
14 Community Groups,

1202
01:05:08,000 --> 01:05:10,542
and we had nearly 100 people
show up to our

1203
01:05:10,625 --> 01:05:12,458
first week of Community.

1204
01:05:12,500 --> 01:05:16,333
So, God's do amazing things, but
we need for our public launch

1205
01:05:16,417 --> 01:05:19,667
on January 12th, we need
a lot more leaders.

1206
01:05:19,708 --> 01:05:22,208
We need more production
help, more kids volunteers,

1207
01:05:22,292 --> 01:05:24,917
more security, more
Community Group leaders.

1208
01:05:25,000 --> 01:05:27,917
So please be praying for
that as we head towards

1209
01:05:28,000 --> 01:05:29,333
our public launch.

1210
01:05:29,375 --> 01:05:31,250
Thank you for praying,
thank you for giving

1211
01:05:31,333 --> 01:05:33,833
as we live for a legacy
here in Phoenix.

1212
01:05:33,875 --> 01:05:35,333
Hey, Mars Hill.
Pastor Ryan here.

1213
01:05:35,417 --> 01:05:37,167
This is my awesome
wife, Natasha,

1214
01:05:37,208 --> 01:05:39,625
and we are standing
in the auditorium

1215
01:05:39,667 --> 01:05:42,625
of Mars Hill Church Everett,
the armory.

1216
01:05:42,667 --> 01:05:45,042
This is about to be transformed
into the place where

1217
01:05:45,125 --> 01:05:47,250
we're going to have
about 700 seats available

1218
01:05:47,333 --> 01:05:49,750
for people to come and hear
the gospel of Jesus

1219
01:05:49,833 --> 01:05:51,500
proclaimed in the heart
of Everett.

1220
01:05:51,542 --> 01:05:53,833
We are super excited
about being here.

1221
01:05:53,917 --> 01:05:56,458
We have been given such
an amazing opportunity

1222
01:05:56,500 --> 01:05:58,375
right in the heart of Everett

1223
01:05:58,458 --> 01:06:00,667
to minister to this city
and to this county.

1224
01:06:00,708 --> 01:06:03,167
We trust that Jesus
is going to continue doing

1225
01:06:03,208 --> 01:06:05,333
what he's been doing
for the last 2,000 years,

1226
01:06:05,417 --> 01:06:06,833
building his church.

1227
01:06:06,917 --> 01:06:10,167
And so we want to invite
you guys to pray for us.

1228
01:06:10,208 --> 01:06:11,833
We need tons of volunteers.

1229
01:06:11,917 --> 01:06:14,750
We've had so many new people
come to our church already.

1230
01:06:14,833 --> 01:06:16,458
We've outgrown our old space.

1231
01:06:16,500 --> 01:06:18,458
We're about to move
into this new space.

1232
01:06:18,500 --> 01:06:21,167
So, would you guys pray that
more volunteers would come here,

1233
01:06:21,208 --> 01:06:22,542
that they'd get involved?

1234
01:06:22,625 --> 01:06:24,750
We believe that this building is
going to stand

1235
01:06:24,833 --> 01:06:26,333
for over 100 more years,

1236
01:06:26,417 --> 01:06:29,042
and we believe that legacies
are going to be changed here

1237
01:06:29,125 --> 01:06:31,833
by Jesus for his glory,
and that families,

1238
01:06:31,917 --> 01:06:34,417
generation after
generation of families,

1239
01:06:34,500 --> 01:06:37,250
are going to worship
Jesus right in this space,

1240
01:06:37,333 --> 01:06:39,250
that their hearts
are going to be changed,

1241
01:06:39,333 --> 01:06:41,750
and that thousands of people
are going to be baptized

1242
01:06:41,833 --> 01:06:43,167
for God's glory.

1243
01:06:43,208 --> 01:06:44,542
Hey, Mars Hill.

1244
01:06:44,625 --> 01:06:47,042
This is Pastor Matt Wallace,
with my wife, Meg,

1245
01:06:47,125 --> 01:06:51,000
and our five kiddos, Kate,
Kai, Corban, Canon, and Crew.

1246
01:06:51,042 --> 01:06:55,333
We've got a new space
and we are excited about it.

1247
01:06:55,417 --> 01:06:57,167
We are praying that
when we launch

1248
01:06:57,250 --> 01:06:59,333
Mars Hill Huntington Beach

1249
01:06:59,417 --> 01:07:02,833
on January 12th
over 900 people join us.

1250
01:07:02,917 --> 01:07:06,833
That's only 900 of the 3 million
that live in Orange County.

1251
01:07:06,917 --> 01:07:10,667
We've got almost 20% of them
that live within 5 miles

1252
01:07:10,708 --> 01:07:12,042
of this new space.

1253
01:07:12,125 --> 01:07:15,250
But as you can see, we've
got a ton of work to do,

1254
01:07:15,333 --> 01:07:16,667
so please pray for us.

1255
01:07:16,708 --> 01:07:18,042
Pray that we have leaders.

1256
01:07:18,125 --> 01:07:19,500
Pray that we have volunteers.

1257
01:07:19,583 --> 01:07:23,667
Pray that we have boldness for
the mission that's ahead for us.

1258
01:07:23,708 --> 01:07:27,667
And we want to build a legacy
here in Southern California,

1259
01:07:27,708 --> 01:07:29,958
making disciples
and planting churches

1260
01:07:30,000 --> 01:07:32,125
over the next 20 or 30 years.

1261
01:07:32,167 --> 01:07:35,333
So, thank you, Mars Hill, for
giving, thank you for praying.

1262
01:07:35,375 --> 01:07:38,250
Howdy, Pastor Mark
here with the family,

1263
01:07:38,333 --> 01:07:40,458
part of our
"Living for a Legacy" series,

1264
01:07:40,500 --> 01:07:42,750
is letting you know what's
coming up this summer.

1265
01:07:42,833 --> 01:07:45,833
We've got something
brand-new and super cool.

1266
01:07:45,917 --> 01:07:47,542
We're calling it
the Jesus Festival.

1267
01:07:47,625 --> 01:07:50,208
We'll pick
a nice day, be outside.

1268
01:07:50,292 --> 01:07:52,167
We're going to have
bouncy houses for kids,

1269
01:07:52,250 --> 01:07:53,750
lots of fun stuff.

1270
01:07:53,833 --> 01:07:56,083
We're also going to do
baptisms and preaching

1271
01:07:56,167 --> 01:07:58,083
and music at Marymoor Park.

1272
01:07:58,167 --> 01:07:59,792
All the Mars Hill Churches
are welcome.

1273
01:07:59,833 --> 01:08:01,667
We want to see you all there.

1274
01:08:01,708 --> 01:08:03,917
We need to be praying
for Mars Hill Bellevue.

1275
01:08:04,000 --> 01:08:05,417
They have outgrown
their building.

1276
01:08:05,500 --> 01:08:07,042
They have had their
building sold.

1277
01:08:07,125 --> 01:08:09,542
And we need to move
in the next few years,

1278
01:08:09,625 --> 01:08:12,417
so we're looking for a few
hundred thousand square feet

1279
01:08:12,500 --> 01:08:14,250
to host Mars Hill Bellevue,

1280
01:08:14,333 --> 01:08:17,042
central operations,
my Sunday preaching,

1281
01:08:17,125 --> 01:08:19,042
as well as the Bible college
and seminary.

1282
01:08:19,125 --> 01:08:21,250
And so we need you
to help us out.

1283
01:08:21,333 --> 01:08:23,750
It's going to take a few
million additional dollars

1284
01:08:23,833 --> 01:08:25,667
to conclude our year.

1285
01:08:25,708 --> 01:08:28,542
Two million plus would be great
to get us a great start

1286
01:08:28,625 --> 01:08:31,417
for a great future.

1287
01:08:40,167 --> 01:08:43,083
Each year, over 10 million
Mars Hill church sermons

1288
01:08:43,167 --> 01:08:46,167
are downloaded
worldwide for free.

1289
01:08:46,250 --> 01:08:48,792
This ministry is generously supported

1290
01:08:48,833 --> 01:08:51,417
by Mars Hill church members
and listeners like you.

1291
01:08:51,500 --> 01:08:55,000
If you'd like to support our efforts
to preach Jesus to the world,

1292
01:08:55,042 --> 01:08:58,000
Please consider making
a tax-deductible donation

1293
01:08:58,042 --> 01:09:00,958
by visiting marshill.com/give.