中
00:00:01.90\00:00:03.80
中
00:00:11.17\00:00:12.87
>> Please stand with us
as we sing this next song.
00:05:26.45\00:05:29.16
It's called "Never Lost."
It might be newer to some of
00:05:29.16\00:05:32.03
you, so please join
us in singing the chorus.
00:05:32.03\00:05:35.23
中
00:05:35.23\00:05:37.17
>> "Therefore, since we have
these promises, dear friends,
00:13:26.17\00:13:30.24
let us purify ourselves from
everything that contaminates
00:13:30.24\00:13:34.74
body and spirit, perfecting
holiness out of reverence for
00:13:34.74\00:13:39.58
God. Make room
for us in your hearts.
00:13:39.58\00:13:42.82
We have wronged no one, we
have corrupted no one, we have
00:13:42.82\00:13:46.02
exploited no one. I do
not say this to condemn
00:13:46.02\00:13:49.79
you. I have said
before that you have
00:13:49.79\00:13:52.13
such a place in our hearts that
we would live or die with you.
00:13:52.13\00:13:56.36
I take great pride in you. I
am greatly encouraged; in all
00:13:56.36\00:14:01.54
our troubles my
joy knows no bounds.
00:14:01.54\00:14:05.44
中
00:14:05.44\00:14:15.65
>> I hold in my hands probably
the greatest influencer on the
00:14:20.56\00:14:25.46
planet right now. I
don't know if you can
00:14:25.46\00:14:29.40
recognize his face -- the C.E.O.
of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg.
00:14:29.40\00:14:33.47
This is the latest
issue of Time magazine.
00:14:33.47\00:14:36.44
You see there's a little
bar across his face, and it says
00:14:36.44\00:14:39.97
"Delete
'Facebook'? Delete or cancel?"
00:14:39.97\00:14:42.78
What's the big deal?
Well, Facebook has been in the
00:14:42.78\00:14:46.65
news, as you well know.
Some secret documents released.
00:14:46.65\00:14:50.19
A whistleblower shows up
in front of a congressional
00:14:50.19\00:14:53.56
committee. And, lo
and behold, they're
00:14:53.56\00:14:55.76
finding out that Facebook
has been having a field day, and
00:14:55.76\00:14:58.89
nobody knew about it. To
the place Instagram, which
00:14:58.89\00:15:02.00
Facebook owns, by the way, a
private internal study found out
00:15:02.00\00:15:07.37
that 32% of teen girls feel
worse about their bodies because
00:15:07.37\00:15:12.94
they're on Instagram.
00:15:12.94\00:15:14.61
Go figure. Well, why
didn't you get rid of it then?
00:15:14.64\00:15:17.08
Well, because it's making a big
profit, that's why. And then
they find out, oh, my,
00:15:17.08\00:15:21.58
Facebook, with great fanfare,
releases this News Feed ranking
algorithm, touting it as a way
00:15:21.58\00:15:27.39
to increase meaningful social
interaction, when, in fact, the
algorithm is actually
00:15:27.39\00:15:32.99
incentivizing divisive posts and
misinformation. Well, why didn't
00:15:32.99\00:15:38.50
you change the algorithm?
Because controversy engenders
more terrific, that's why.
00:15:38.50\00:15:44.14
This year, Facebook went over $1
trillion of worth. Now, with all
00:15:44.14\00:15:51.15
this hullabaloo, they've dropped
down to $918 billion. Poor
00:15:51.15\00:15:56.48
Facebook. Social influencers,
huh? How to become one? New York
Times ran a piece --
00:15:56.48\00:16:02.36
Speaking of Instagram, New York
Times ran a piece by a young
00:16:02.36\00:16:08.23
woman writer and influencer,
Leigh Stein. And the editorial
team gave her piece the title,
00:16:08.23\00:16:16.14
"The Empty Religions of
Instagram." She goes after the
super-influencers on Instagram.
00:16:16.14\00:16:20.38
These are women. She calls them
"Instavengelists" and bemoans
their shallow appeal
00:16:20.38\00:16:26.08
to their followers. So, we'll
put Leigh Stein on the screen.
00:16:26.08\00:16:30.82
"I have --" A rather amazing
confession, by the way, to make
in the New York Times.
00:16:30.82\00:16:35.06
"I have hardly prayed to God
since I was a teenager, but the
pandemic has cracked open inside
00:16:35.06\00:16:41.33
of me a profound yearning for
reverence, humility, and awe. I
have an overdraft on my
00:16:41.33\00:16:48.20
outrage account. I want moral
authority from someone who isn't
00:16:48.20\00:16:54.74
shilling a memoir or calling out
her enemies on social media for
00:16:54.74\00:16:59.55
clout." And then she opens up
her heart. And we listen. "I
find myself craving role
00:16:59.55\00:17:07.22
models my age who are not only
righteous crusaders, but also
humble and merciful, and I'm not
00:17:07.22\00:17:14.83
finding them where I
live (online)." Her words.
00:17:14.83\00:17:20.00
Did you catch those two nouns
and those three adjectives? What
00:17:20.00\00:17:26.21
were those nouns? Crusader, role
model. Three adjectives --
righteous, humble, merciful.
00:17:26.21\00:17:32.05
And what was the verb? "I
find myself craving..." Craving.
00:17:32.05\00:17:37.25
"And I'm longing for somebody my
own age who has the moral
authority to be a righteous,
00:17:37.25\00:17:45.93
humble, merciful influencer.
I'll follow her. I'll follow
00:17:45.93\00:17:51.03
him. But I can't find anybody."
How to become an influencer.
Today's installment -- "An
00:17:51.03\00:18:01.68
influencer people are hungry
--" I guess we could change the
00:18:01.68\00:18:05.78
word. "An influencer people
are craving for." Let's pray.
00:18:05.78\00:18:13.09
O God, could they be here
right now? Right here, these
00:18:13.09\00:18:21.93
righteous, humble, merciful role
models this world is hungry for?
Please raise up a bold new band
00:18:21.93\00:18:32.54
of influencers in this place, at
this time. Through Jesus Christ,
00:18:32.54\00:18:40.55
our Lord. Amen. >> Amen.
>> I suppose if there were one
00:18:40.55\00:18:43.85
church plant that broke the
heart of Paul more than any
other church he planted, it
00:18:43.85\00:18:50.46
would have to be the church
plant in Corinth. Decadent
00:18:50.46\00:18:54.83
Corinth. Fractured-congregation
Corinthians. Welcome to Paul's
00:18:54.83\00:19:01.27
world. I want you to step into
it with me right now. Go to 1
Corinthians, the first
00:19:01.27\00:19:05.21
letter to the church in Corinth.
1 Corinthians 1. Come on, let's
00:19:05.21\00:19:09.21
just get the opening salvo. I'll
be in the NIV. 1 Corinthians
00:19:09.21\00:19:14.55
1:1. "Paul, called to be an
apostle of Christ Jesus by the
will of God, and our brother
00:19:14.55\00:19:19.55
Sosthenes --" his psychic
admission -- "To the church of
God in Corinth, to those
00:19:19.55\00:19:24.99
sanctified --" Now, I put it in
brackets, because the Greek word
"sanctified" really is
00:19:24.99\00:19:31.00
"holyized." "To the church in
Corinth, those who are
sanctified --" who are
00:19:31.00\00:19:37.51
holyized -- "in Christ Jesus and
called to be His holy people."
00:19:37.51\00:19:41.64
NIV. A lot of your translations
say, "Called to be his saints."
"Together with all those
00:19:41.64\00:19:48.38
everywhere who call on the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ --
their Lord and ours: Grace and
00:19:48.38\00:19:53.05
peace to you from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ." Can
00:19:53.05\00:20:00.73
you believe that? "To those who
have been holyized --" That's
00:20:00.73\00:20:03.50
the word "holy." "To those
who are holy people, saints..."
00:20:03.50\00:20:07.00
Holy, holy, holy. We are used to
that language being used of God.
00:20:07.00\00:20:10.81
Are you serious? You are using
that language for the church in
Corinth? Give me a break.
00:20:10.81\00:20:16.78
Let's just take a moment to let
our fingers do the walking
through the white pages of the
00:20:16.78\00:20:20.55
little letter to the
Corinthians. Chapter 1 -- Church
00:20:20.55\00:20:24.02
fracture. Chapter 2 -- Carnal
members. Chapter 5 -- A major
00:20:24.02\00:20:31.19
case of incest. The son has
married his dad's second wife.
And they know it's going on, and
00:20:31.19\00:20:36.20
the church says nothing. [
Chuckles ] Chapter 6 -- Lawsuits
00:20:36.20\00:20:39.53
between the church members. Oh,
the second half of Chapter 6 --
00:20:39.53\00:20:43.24
Every manner of sexual deviancy
in the history of this new
church plant. Chapter 7 -- On
00:20:43.24\00:20:47.78
marriage. Chapter 8 --
Squabbling over eating food
offered to idols. Chapter 11 --
00:20:47.78\00:20:52.75
The abuse of the Lord's Supper.
Chapter 14 -- Chaos in worship.
Chapter 15 -- Confusion about
00:20:52.75\00:20:58.35
the Resurrection. Chapter 16 --
"Adios, I love you, I'm out of
00:20:58.35\00:21:02.39
here." I tell you what, I
wouldn't have lasted 16 chapters
00:21:02.39\00:21:07.86
with that church. Paul hangs in
till the very last line, and he
says, "I'm gone." And, by the
00:21:07.86\00:21:16.37
way, this motley bunch of
immoral new Christians, who will
eventually reject Paul as their
00:21:16.37\00:21:22.48
pastor -- "Adios to you" --
they'll make up, eventually.
This church, this congregation
00:21:22.48\00:21:27.85
of sinners -- Paul says, "You've
been holyized? Give me a break.
00:21:27.85\00:21:32.42
You've been holyized? You are
the holy people of God? The ones
upon whom He pours His
00:21:32.42\00:21:39.26
peace and grace in the Lord
Jesus Christ." Now, either God
00:21:39.26\00:21:45.07
is an eternal optimist -- and
He'd have to be that with a
ragtag bunch like that church
00:21:45.07\00:21:52.71
plant -- or the Gospel is the
good news about actual,
demonstrable transforming,
00:21:52.71\00:21:58.31
life-changing grace and peace in
Christ Jesus our Lord. In fact,
wouldn't you know it?
00:21:58.31\00:22:03.28
Right here, we find out it's
Jesus all the way through. I got
00:22:03.28\00:22:09.19
to show you this. We just read
the first three verses of 1
Corinthians 1. Let's go to the
00:22:09.19\00:22:13.60
last three vers-- Last two
verses, alright? Drop down to
Verse 30. So, Paul summarizes
00:22:13.60\00:22:19.70
the chapter. "It is because of
Him --" the Father -- "that you
--" Corinthians -- "are in
00:22:19.70\00:22:24.77
Christ Jesus, who has become for
us wisdom from God -- that is,
our righteousness, our holiness,
00:22:24.77\00:22:32.08
and our redemption. Therefore,
as it is written, 'Let the one
who boasts boast in
00:22:32.08\00:22:37.29
the Lord.'" Now, Paul
is making two points here.
00:22:37.29\00:22:40.59
One point is absolutely
clear. The other is very subtly
00:22:40.59\00:22:45.33
inserted. Let's get the two
points. What's the first point?
Well, it's unmistakable.
00:22:45.33\00:22:51.53
What Paul is saying is, really,
it's all about Jesus. It's all
00:22:51.53\00:22:57.07
about Jesus. The Gospel is all
about Jesus. Holy Scripture is
00:22:57.07\00:23:01.38
all about Jesus. Calvary and the
cross are all about Jesus.
Holiness is all about Jesus.
00:23:01.38\00:23:05.21
Righteousness and redemption
are all about Jesus. That's the
00:23:05.21\00:23:09.68
point. It's all about Jesus.
"Listen, you're a mess. If
you're gonna boast, don't you
00:23:09.68\00:23:14.36
dare boast about yourself. Boast
in Jesus, 'cause it's all about
00:23:14.36\00:23:19.29
Jesus." But the subtle,
underlying second point -- oh,
00:23:19.29\00:23:24.80
we can't miss it. It's not only
all about Jesus, but guess what.
No matter how messed up you are,
00:23:24.80\00:23:29.54
in Jesus, you can become holy.
My, my, my, my, my. In Jesus, no
00:23:29.54\00:23:39.75
matter how messed up you are,
you can become holy. Wow! Come
00:23:39.75\00:23:47.99
on, church. You've been holyized
in Christ Jesus. Come on,
00:23:47.99\00:23:51.33
church. You are the holy people
of God. "You talking about us?
Yo, Paul, you talking about us?"
00:23:51.33\00:23:58.87
"I am." "Holy, holy, holy."
Three times in Chapter 1, he
00:23:58.87\00:24:04.14
will use the word "holy." Three
times. Why? Because Paul is
00:24:04.14\00:24:10.75
making a point. Holiness is a
big deal. But guess what. It's
not only a big deal to
00:24:10.75\00:24:14.92
Paul, it's a big deal to the
Roman Empire. You're not gonna
00:24:14.92\00:24:18.82
believe this. I got to share
this with you. N.T. Wright, in
that beautiful book of his,
00:24:18.82\00:24:22.36
"Paul: A Biography," points out
the big deal holiness is in the
pagan empire of Rome.
00:24:22.36\00:24:28.30
You ready for this? Here we go.
"(The powerful appeal of
holiness) --" Which Wright has
00:24:28.30\00:24:32.63
been talking about. "(The
powerful appeal of holiness) is
00:24:32.63\00:24:37.27
counterintuitive for modern
Westerners --" that would be you
and me -- "who generally resent,
00:24:37.27\00:24:43.08
from an early age, the fussy
moralisms of home, school, and
church." "Rules, rules, rules,
00:24:43.08\00:24:49.92
rules. That's all my mommy and
daddy talk about -- rules,
rules. Rules, rules.
00:24:49.92\00:24:53.79
That's all that school is about.
Rules, rules. Rules, rules.
00:24:53.79\00:24:56.89
The church -- 'Thou shall not,
thou shall, thou shall not.'
00:24:56.89\00:25:00.86
Make up your mind. What should
we?" Yeah. He nailed it. "Our
Western resentment, from an
00:25:00.86\00:25:10.31
early age, the fussy moralisms."
Let's read it again. "(The
00:25:10.31\00:25:15.58
powerful appeal of holiness) is
counterintuitive for modern
Westerners, who generally
00:25:15.58\00:25:20.65
resent, from an early age --"
oh, we got to admit it -- "the
fussy moralisms of home, school,
00:25:20.65\00:25:25.25
and church." Now, keep reading.
"How --" And this is what we're
00:25:25.25\00:25:28.72
thinking. "How could a new and
demanding standard of behavior
(like holiness) ever be
00:25:28.72\00:25:33.60
attractive" to the Roman Empire?
Listen up. This may tell us
00:25:33.60\00:25:39.80
about the empire of the United
States. "In the ancient world,
however, this was good news --"
00:25:39.80\00:25:47.14
this business of holiness --
"this was good news for many,
especially for those -- women,
00:25:47.14\00:25:52.51
the poor, ethnic minorities,
slaves, and children -- who were
the most vulnerable to the
00:25:52.51\00:25:58.55
normal patterns of pagan
behavior." We're talking about
00:25:58.55\00:26:02.59
sexual behavior, social
behavior, ethical or nonethical,
00:26:02.59\00:26:07.03
moral behavior. Those were
all vulnerable to an empire gone
00:26:07.03\00:26:14.94
wild. Whoa! I never thought of
it that way. "This perception
seems to lie --" Oh, this good.
00:26:14.94\00:26:19.44
"Seems to lie behind the
sneaking admiration that came
from the famous second-century
00:26:19.44\00:26:24.61
doctor Galen." Have you
ever heard of Dr. Galen?
00:26:24.61\00:26:27.05
You have now. He wrote a book
on the anatomy of the human body
00:26:27.05\00:26:31.62
that remained in force until
1100 A.D. 1,000 years, his book
was the numero uno textbook for
00:26:31.62\00:26:38.09
medicine. So, this physician
-- he makes a comment about
00:26:38.09\00:26:43.63
Christians. Watch this. Dr.
Galen. "In his only mention of
00:26:43.63\00:26:47.00
the Christian movement --" in
the Roman Empire -- "he comments
00:26:47.00\00:26:51.74
on two points... (1) they
believed in the resurrection of
the body, and (2) they didn't
00:26:51.74\00:27:00.32
sleep around." Amazing! What's
going on here? "Hey, have you
noticed these strange
00:27:00.32\00:27:06.39
counter-cultural people? They
believe that after they die and
they go into this hole in the
00:27:06.39\00:27:10.19
ground, they're gonna come up
again one day, and they'll be
alive. Can you believe that?
00:27:10.19\00:27:13.03
And -- oh, by the way -- they
don't sleep around. In other
words, they live by a
00:27:13.03\00:27:17.73
moral code of purity, of
honesty, and integrity. An
ethical, moral behavior that
00:27:17.73\00:27:22.77
distinguishes them from the rest
of this bankrupted culture and
00:27:22.77\00:27:28.34
empire. Mercy! I just heard that
a few moments ago, only it was
00:27:28.34\00:27:33.52
Leigh Stein. She's making the
identical point as Galen. "I
can't find, in this bankrupt
00:27:33.52\00:27:39.42
culture, anybody my age that
could become a righteous,
with-moral-authority role model
00:27:39.42\00:27:45.96
for me." Whoa!
What's going on here?
00:27:45.96\00:27:54.90
This holiness business isn't
just about you and me and rules,
rules, rules, rules.
00:27:54.90\00:27:58.91
No, no, no, no. Something else
is going on here. "I find myself
00:27:58.91\00:28:05.65
craving role models my age who
are righteous, humble, and
merciful." She may as well have
00:28:05.65\00:28:11.39
simply said, "I wish I had a
holy role model." You know, I
00:28:11.39\00:28:17.03
wish that she knew you. I wish
that you knew her. Because you
00:28:17.03\00:28:21.16
could be an influencer who could
change her mind and change her
life, given half a chance.
00:28:21.16\00:28:27.94
Turns out that this business of
this body coming out of a hole
in the ground, this Resurrection
00:28:27.94\00:28:33.17
business has everything to do
with holiness and the moral --
high moral code the followers of
00:28:33.17\00:28:39.21
Jesus choose to live by. In
fact, take a look at Paul's call
00:28:39.21\00:28:44.02
to holiness. In this book,
you're not gonna believe it, but
it's embedded in a chapter on
00:28:44.02\00:28:48.26
sex. Let's go to the chapter
on sex. Come on. It's just five
00:28:48.26\00:28:52.19
pages over. 1 Corinthians 6.
Watch this. This will surprise
00:28:52.19\00:28:58.40
you. 1 Corinthians 6. Let's pick
it up in Verse 12. "'I have the
00:28:58.40\00:29:05.84
right --'" Now, what's going on
here? Paul is quoting the people
in this church plant.
00:29:05.84\00:29:09.11
So, he's heard all this stuff.
So he's setting up this little
dialogue as he's writing.
00:29:09.11\00:29:13.38
He said, "Okay, I know what you
guys are saying. You say, 'I
have the right to do
00:29:13.38\00:29:17.65
anything.'" But Paul
is responding. "Yo, yo.
00:29:17.65\00:29:21.46
Not everything is beneficial.
Why would I want to do anything
when not everything is
00:29:21.46\00:29:26.63
beneficial? Oh, I hear what
you're saying. 'I have the right
00:29:26.63\00:29:29.60
to do anything.' But guess what.
I'm not gonna be mastered by
00:29:29.60\00:29:32.23
anything." And neither would
you. Think about what you're
00:29:32.23\00:29:35.84
saying. Keep reading. "You say,
'Food for the stomach and the
stomach for food, and
00:29:35.84\00:29:41.14
God will destroy them both.'" In
other words, gratify, gratify,
00:29:41.14\00:29:46.55
gratify, gratify, gratify. If it
feels good, do it. If it tastes
00:29:46.55\00:29:50.65
good, eat it. Gratify, gratify.
Paul says, "You're crazy. You
can't live by that."
00:29:50.65\00:29:54.52
"The body, however, is not meant
for sexual immorality but for
the Lord, and the Lord for the
00:29:54.52\00:30:01.06
body." He goes on.
"By His po--" Good night.
00:30:01.06\00:30:03.77
In the middle of sex, he's gonna
introduce the Resurrection of
the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:30:03.77\00:30:08.10
Watch this. "By His power, God
raised the Lord from the dead,
00:30:08.10\00:30:13.24
and He will raise us also." My,
my, my, my, my. What's going in
00:30:13.24\00:30:18.35
here? Paul's call to holiness
is clearly based -- This much we
00:30:18.35\00:30:22.72
can agree on. It's clearly based
on the Resurrection of Jesus
Christ. But what's the big deal
00:30:22.72\00:30:26.99
about the Resurrection of
Jesus Christ? Well, come on.
00:30:26.99\00:30:29.69
We know the answer. It's that
God is able to unleash power
that took the body of
00:30:29.69\00:30:34.73
Jesus out of the grave, and He's
gonna be able to do the same
with our dead bodies one day.
00:30:34.73\00:30:39.50
Yay! Yahoo! But the problem
is -- listen -- we limit God.
00:30:39.50\00:30:44.21
We have only half of
resurrection power when we limit
God to what's gonna happen one
00:30:44.21\00:30:50.01
day after we all die. We think
that the power of God unleased
00:30:50.01\00:30:54.28
to resurrect our Lord Jesus is a
power to be unleashed one day,
ma鎙na. One day, He'll raise us
00:30:54.28\00:31:00.19
all. And we miss the truth --
that the resurrection of God --
the resurrection power of God is
00:31:00.19\00:31:06.49
not only one day yet to come, it
is today, right-now power. Power
00:31:06.49\00:31:14.54
for you. Power for me. Right
now. That's what Paul is saying.
00:31:14.54\00:31:20.34
"There is no sin --" That's what
Paul is referring to. There is
no sin that can hold us
00:31:20.34\00:31:25.05
captive, that can hold us in the
dead end of sins. Can't hold us
00:31:25.05\00:31:31.45
in that dead place. Christ Jesus
has resurrecting power that can
00:31:31.45\00:31:36.76
pull us out of that deep
hole we've sunk into. How about
00:31:36.76\00:31:44.73
sexual sin? Yep. Well, I suppose
if Paul's call to holiness
covers sexual sin, it must cover
00:31:44.73\00:31:51.57
everybody else's
sins. Come on. Paul goes on.
00:31:51.57\00:31:56.64
"Do you not know that your
bodies are members of Christ
00:31:56.64\00:32:00.25
Himself? Shall I then take the
members of Christ and unite them
00:32:00.25\00:32:06.22
with a prostitute? Never! Do you
not know that he who unites
himself with a prostitute
00:32:06.22\00:32:11.46
is one with her in body? For
it is said, 'The two will become
00:32:11.46\00:32:15.43
one flesh.'" Doesn't matter
who you hook up with. You're one
00:32:15.43\00:32:18.83
flesh now. If you have multiple
hook-up partners, you're one
flesh with a lot of people.
00:32:18.83\00:32:23.54
No. "But whoever is united
with the Lord is one with Him in
00:32:23.54\00:32:29.48
spirit. Flee --" therefore --
"from sexual immorality. All
other sins a person commits
00:32:29.48\00:32:33.85
are outside the body, but
whoever sins sexually, sins
against their own body.
00:32:33.85\00:32:38.19
Do you not know that your bodies
are temples of the Holy Spirit
00:32:38.19\00:32:42.02
--" Here it comes. Holyizing all
over again. "...temples of the
Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom
00:32:42.02\00:32:46.29
you have received from God?
You are not your own." Come on!
00:32:46.29\00:32:49.60
"You were bought at a price.
Therefore, honor God with your
00:32:49.60\00:32:55.84
bodies." I got a call from the
church office one day while I
was working on my sermon.
00:32:55.84\00:33:01.51
There's a college student here
crying his eyes out. He needs to
00:33:01.51\00:33:07.08
talk. I was glad to come in.
I sat down with that young man.
00:33:07.12\00:33:12.32
Oh, what a sexual mess he had
gotten himself into through a
00:33:12.32\00:33:17.19
sexual affair with a married
woman, and it looked hopelessly
00:33:17.19\00:33:23.03
muddled. Paul is writing to the
00:33:23.03\00:33:27.27
Corinthians, and he says, "Yo,
guys, some of you are just like
00:33:27.27\00:33:32.41
that." You see,
we forgot to read a
00:33:32.41\00:33:35.58
verse. It's the
one that comes before
00:33:35.58\00:33:37.35
12. We started
with 12, but let's go
00:33:37.35\00:33:39.08
back to 11.
00:33:39.08\00:33:41.15
"And that is what some of you
were. But you were washed --"
00:33:41.18\00:33:46.49
"Create in me a clean heart, O
God. Renew a right spirit within
00:33:46.49\00:33:49.79
me. Wash me, and I'll shall
be whiter than snow." "You were
00:33:49.79\00:33:53.60
washed, you were sanctified
--" There it is again. "You were
00:33:53.60\00:33:57.17
holyized, you were justified --"
you were pardoned and forgiven
-- "in the name of our Lord
00:33:57.17\00:34:02.04
Jesus Christ and by the Spirit
of our God." By the way, that
young man? I'm happy to tell
00:34:02.04\00:34:07.14
you, that young man came to
Jesus and got his life
completely turned around.
00:34:07.14\00:34:11.88
We have Bible studies together
with him and his fianc嶪. And I
was at their wedding.
00:34:11.88\00:34:18.92
Oh, my. "Such were some of you,"
Paul writes to the Corinthians.
00:34:18.92\00:34:24.63
But because of Jesus' sacrifice
on Calvary and His Resurrection
three days later -- don't
00:34:24.63\00:34:30.47
separate these -- you got
holyized. Divine power was
00:34:30.47\00:34:34.47
unleashed in your heart,
unleashed in your life, and you
found the victory over your
00:34:34.47\00:34:39.44
sexual sins, which, by the way,
is good news for every sinner
sitting here right now, and
00:34:39.44\00:34:44.28
that's pretty much everybody.
You got the victory. Wow!
00:34:44.28\00:34:51.12
You see, Jesus' death -- I got
to tell you this, 'cause some
people think Jesus' death is
00:34:51.12\00:34:55.09
only about pardon. And they
really emphasize the pardon.
00:34:55.09\00:34:57.36
The pardon, the pardon, the
pardon, the pardon. Okay. That's
00:34:57.36\00:35:01.40
okay, but that's only half the
Gospel. It's not just pardon.
Oh, yes, in crimson colors, God
00:35:01.40\00:35:06.67
signed his name to the
emancipation papers of the human
00:35:06.67\00:35:11.07
race. "I have forgiven, I have
pardoned every human being who
ever lived or will live until I
00:35:11.07\00:35:16.18
return. Everybody's been
forgiven." "Father, forgive
00:35:16.18\00:35:19.75
them. They know not what they
do." Jesus' prayer covers every
sinner who ever lives.
00:35:19.75\00:35:24.72
I get that part. Pardon --
let's not forget the pardon.
00:35:24.72\00:35:29.49
But we miss the profound second
half of the Gospel. It's not
00:35:29.49\00:35:34.73
pardon now. It's power. You
can't have pardon without power
if you're gonna live the
00:35:34.73\00:35:42.00
life that you and Jesus will
live together. Wow. The power of
00:35:42.00\00:35:53.85
Almighty God to holyize His
friends. To holyize the likes of
you and me sinners to the core.
00:35:53.85\00:36:01.39
"I can holyize you. I'll
call you 'Holy One.' No, no.
00:36:01.39\00:36:08.13
I got resurrecting power. Don't
wait for me down here. I can do
00:36:08.13\00:36:13.20
it right now."
Power. "Any sin?" Yep.
00:36:13.20\00:36:18.47
The power God offers to keep His
friends from sinning. That's why
Joseph can cry out,
00:36:18.47\00:36:24.58
"How can I do this great
wickedness --" Mrs. Potiphar --
00:36:24.58\00:36:29.28
"and sin against God?" Power to
say "no," because you know what?
00:36:29.28\00:36:35.06
Sin is relational. That's the
truth about sin. Sin is anything
00:36:35.06\00:36:40.63
I let into my life. Sin is any
behavior, sin is any thought,
sin is anything that
00:36:40.63\00:36:44.23
cuts me off from God. Catches my
eye, turns my heart, severs my
relationship with God.
00:36:44.23\00:36:51.71
Any sin will have that same
result. Not just sexual sin.
00:36:51.71\00:36:55.51
Any sin.
00:36:55.51\00:36:57.11
What I'm gonna read you right
now, I'll just warn you, is
00:37:01.92\00:37:09.26
uncomfortable. But you and I
need to hear it. Jerry Bridges,
in his book "The Pursuit of
00:37:09.26\00:37:15.30
Holiness," he writes, "We often
say --" I've heard this so many
times. I've said it so many
00:37:15.30\00:37:22.34
times. "We often say, 'God hates
the sin but loves the sinner.
Oh, this is blessedly true.
00:37:22.34\00:37:28.98
Well, I'm glad we got that
quickly stated. This is true.
00:37:28.98\00:37:32.15
God hates the sin and loves
the sinner. But keep reading.
00:37:32.15\00:37:35.68
"But too often --" you and me --
"we quickly rush over the first
half of this sentence to get to
00:37:35.68\00:37:42.16
the second." God hates the sin,
but God lo-o-o-ves the sinner.
00:37:42.16\00:37:45.76
That's how we read that
sentence. Bridges says, "Come
00:37:45.76\00:37:50.43
on. Come on." "We cannot escape
the fact that God hates our
00:37:50.43\00:37:58.24
sins. We may trifle with our
sins or excuse" our sins, but
00:37:58.24\00:38:03.78
guess what. God hates them.
He hates them. Isn't that true?
00:38:03.78\00:38:11.35
I mean, if your lover were
turning her heart to another
man, not only would you have a
00:38:11.35\00:38:17.59
broken heart, you would have an
enraged heart. "Do you know what
00:38:17.59\00:38:24.73
you did when you let that other
person into our relationship? Do
you know what you did?
00:38:24.73\00:38:29.37
You just broke what we had." Of
course you would be mad. Don't
you go grumping around
00:38:29.37\00:38:36.11
here about, "Oh, God hates sin.
What kind of a grump is He?" You
00:38:36.11\00:38:41.32
hate sin. You hate sin, and you
know it. So let's not have a
hard time with this very bold,
00:38:41.32\00:38:51.39
simple declaration -- God hates
my sins. Anything that turns me,
00:38:51.39\00:38:59.47
anything that gets me looking,
anything that takes me away from
00:38:59.47\00:39:04.21
Him. "Therefore, every time we
sin, we are doing something God
00:39:09.71\00:39:15.92
hates." And, listen, Bridges
didn't invent this. He's just
00:39:15.92\00:39:18.99
has quoted Zechariah 8:17. God
has listed the sins of Israel,
and He says, "'For all
00:39:18.99\00:39:23.46
these things are what I hate.'"
You hate sin. So let God be God.
00:39:23.46\00:39:34.04
"He hates our lustful thoughts,
He hates our pride and jealousy,
He hates our outbursts of
00:39:34.04\00:39:39.77
temper, He hates our
rationalization that the end
justifies the means.
00:39:39.77\00:39:44.45
We need to be gripped by the
fact that God hates all these
00:39:44.45\00:39:50.99
things. We become so accustomed
to our sins, we sometimes lapse
into a state of peaceful
00:39:50.99\00:39:56.79
coexistence with them, but God
never ceases to hate them." Boy,
that sentence got me right
00:39:56.79\00:40:01.60
there. "I know what sin
is. I know what I live with.
00:40:01.60\00:40:04.60
It's not a big deal, God. I'll
get over it someday." "No, it's
00:40:04.60\00:40:08.70
a big deal. I hate it because
it's cutting you off from me.
It's cutting you off from me."
00:40:08.70\00:40:15.71
Wow.
00:40:18.28\00:40:19.88
Then he draws a moral based on
what he's just taught us. "We
need to cultivate in our own
00:40:23.99\00:40:31.49
hearts the same hatred of sin
God has." Now, come on, come on,
00:40:31.49\00:40:35.83
come on. Listen carefully now.
"We need to cultivate in our own
hearts the same hatred of sin
00:40:35.83\00:40:40.50
God has. Hatred of sin as sin,
not just something disquieting
00:40:40.50\00:40:44.61
or defeating to ourselves, but
as displeasing to God -- hatred
of sin lies at root of all
00:40:44.61\00:40:50.61
holiness." Did you get that?
"Hatred of sin lies at the root
00:40:50.61\00:40:55.48
of all holiness." And you're
saying, "Whew! I'm so glad that
00:40:55.48\00:41:03.16
holiness is really not that big
a deal to me so I don't have to
00:41:03.16\00:41:06.29
worry about it. Oh, you don't
mean that. You do not mean that.
00:41:06.29\00:41:11.10
Do you know what? Apparently,
you've never read this line in
Holy Scripture. Hebrews 12:14 --
00:41:11.10\00:41:17.01
"Make every effort to be holy;
for without holiness, no one
will see the Lord."
00:41:17.01\00:41:23.38
You will never see the
face of Jesus -- ever -- without
00:41:23.38\00:41:31.15
holiness. In the Old Testament,
that's why. In the New
00:41:31.15\00:41:35.79
Testament, that's why. God will
cry out. "'Be holy --'" 1 Peter
00:41:35.79\00:41:40.76
1:15 -- "'because I am holy.'"
"Be holy, please. Father and
00:41:40.76\00:41:48.04
son, Father and daughter --
let's be like each other. Be
00:41:48.04\00:41:53.91
holy." By the way, when God says
"I am holy," He really -- He
certainly is declaring "I am
00:41:53.91\00:42:00.82
wholly yours." Now, it's awfully
quiet in here right now, and I
00:42:00.82\00:42:08.62
understand why. The Holy Spirit
is speaking to all of us right
now. But I have some good news
00:42:08.62\00:42:12.76
about this word "holy." It's not
the bad four-letter word that
00:42:12.76\00:42:17.07
you think it is. In fact, if you
will misspell the word "holy,"
you'll get it right.
00:42:17.07\00:42:21.17
Here's "holy." Here's "wholly."
Just spell "wholly" this way,
00:42:21.17\00:42:28.48
and you'll get that "holy"
right, because God looks at you
00:42:28.48\00:42:33.11
and me. And do you know what He
says? "I am wholly yours. And
I'm asking for you to be
00:42:33.11\00:42:41.42
wholly mine." Fair enough?
There's no wedding that takes
00:42:41.42\00:42:47.76
place in this church ever where
the man up front says, "Yes,
yes, yes, Preacher.
00:42:47.76\00:42:51.80
I got those vows. Now, I've
revised them, 'cause I've
written my own, and that
00:42:51.80\00:42:56.34
is, I will be 50% faithful to
her." There's nobody that writes
00:42:56.34\00:43:00.78
it that way. Every young person
up here that I oversee repeating
00:43:00.78\00:43:08.45
their vows is declaring, "I am
wholly yours, so you be wholly
mine. You belong to me.
00:43:08.45\00:43:17.66
I belong to you. Wholly, wholly,
wholly." That's not bad news at
00:43:17.66\00:43:28.64
all. Whatever might come between
God and me, whatever might
threaten or sever our
00:43:28.64\00:43:33.48
relationship, you know what?
God, I just want to go on record
00:43:33.48\00:43:36.44
publicly. I want to remove it.
When Jesus walks into the temple
at the end -- And they'll kill
00:43:36.44\00:43:40.58
Him for this. When He walks into
the temple, you know what He
00:43:40.58\00:43:44.19
cries out? "Take this stuff
out." When Jesus walks into the
temple of my heart, the holy
00:43:44.19\00:43:49.89
temple of my heart, and He sees
what's in it and He cries out,
"Take these things hence," He
00:43:49.89\00:43:55.83
needs somebody to pick the stuff
and walk it out. He didn't walk
00:43:55.83\00:44:02.20
it out. He said,
"You take this out."
00:44:02.20\00:44:04.74
"I am wholly yours, and I want
you to be wholly mine." Whew!
00:44:09.01\00:44:19.55
As Jerry Bridges put it, "We
need to cultivate in our own
hearts the same hatred of sin
00:44:19.55\00:44:24.49
God has. Hatred of sin as
sin, not just as something
00:44:24.49\00:44:28.76
disquieting or defeating to
ourselves, but as displeasing to
God -- hatred of sin lies at
00:44:28.76\00:44:34.34
root of all holiness." And
without holiness, you won't see
00:44:34.34\00:44:39.21
the Lord. I won't see the Lord.
I wish there were some nice
little story I could tell now
00:44:39.21\00:44:46.35
that would blunt the force of
this very blunt reminder. Holy,
00:44:46.35\00:44:53.29
holy, holy. "We need to
cultivate in our own hearts the
same hatred of sin God has."
00:44:53.29\00:44:56.99
How do you blunt that? But maybe
-- Could it be that you and I --
00:44:56.99\00:45:01.40
There's something you and I
could do. What if we pray to
Jesus to give us a hatred for
00:45:01.40\00:45:10.81
sin? We ask Him. He already
knows the sins in your life.
00:45:10.81\00:45:13.54
It's not like you have to tiptoe
around. You can be very, totally
00:45:13.54\00:45:17.05
authentic and transparent
with Christ. He already knows.
00:45:17.05\00:45:20.68
So, we ask Him, "Could you give
me a hatred for sin like yours?
I want that kind of hatred."
00:45:20.68\00:45:28.59
My mother taught me, as I was
growing up, "You can't keep the
birds from flying over your
00:45:28.59\00:45:32.89
head, but you can prevent them
from making nests in your hair."
Did your mother ever tell you
00:45:32.89\00:45:37.97
that? She said, "You can't stop
temptations coming, flying by
00:45:37.97\00:45:43.00
you. Phew-phew-phew! But
you can keep the temptation
00:45:43.00\00:45:46.21
from landing in your hair and
moving that all aside and making
a nest in your life."
00:45:46.21\00:45:51.51
That's sin. It's not a sin to
be tempted. The sin comes when I
00:45:51.51\00:45:59.89
let the bird build a nest in my
hair. I tell you what, my own
little struggle did I go through
00:45:59.89\00:46:12.70
of late. It seems like the devil
has hired a flock of birds to
00:46:12.70\00:46:19.21
keep flying over my head. And I
have to remind myself, "That's
not a sin, Dwight, if
00:46:19.21\00:46:25.65
they only fly over." There's
some times when I wish I had a
00:46:25.65\00:46:30.92
shotgun. [ Imitating gun
cocking, firing ] Keep your
00:46:30.92\00:46:40.80
flock to yourself! There is no
shotgun. But there can be a
prayer. God is not gonna remove
00:46:40.80\00:46:48.54
temptation. Temptation is what
grows you. It grows you into who
00:46:48.54\00:46:54.71
you are. The birds flying
overhead are not a sin. O, God,
00:46:54.71\00:47:02.68
help me, please. "Help me to
hate the sin you hate." This is
a prayer I'm gonna --
00:47:02.68\00:47:07.36
You just memorized it. If you
just read it, you already got it
00:47:07.36\00:47:10.86
memorized. This is the prayer to
pray. "O, God, help me to hate
the sin you hate -- through the
00:47:10.86\00:47:14.73
resurrection power of my
Lord Jesus Christ." That's it.
00:47:14.73\00:47:18.90
Help me to hate the sin you
hate. I believe that when we
00:47:18.90\00:47:24.57
pray that prayer, the more we
pray that prayer, the more we
will hate that sin.
00:47:24.57\00:47:30.15
It doesn't happen overnight.
Nobody said it has to. It
00:47:30.15\00:47:37.99
doesn't have to. But why do we
ask for that hatred that He has?
I want to end with something
00:47:37.99\00:47:45.83
from this wonderful little book
that I keep close to me. It's
called "Steps to Christ."
00:47:45.83\00:47:53.00
This is so beautiful. I'll end
with these words. I'm not
putting them on the
00:47:53.00\00:47:56.24
screen. No. I want
you to listen to them.
00:47:56.24\00:47:58.47
You won't listen to them if
they're on the screen. Page 64,
00:47:58.47\00:48:05.88
"Steps to Christ." "There are
those who have known the
pardoning love of Christ --" Oh,
00:48:05.88\00:48:09.95
that's you. That's me. "And who
really desire to be children of
00:48:09.95\00:48:13.42
God --" I know that's you,
that's me. "Yet they realize
that their character is
00:48:13.42\00:48:18.29
imperfect, their life faulty,
and they are ready to doubt
whether their hearts have been
00:48:18.29\00:48:23.26
renewed by the Holy Spirit."
That's you and me, too. Is it
really getting through?
00:48:23.26\00:48:28.80
Do I talk about it up front
but not experience it privately?
00:48:28.80\00:48:34.21
"To such I would say --" Oh,
this is beautiful. "To such I
00:48:36.31\00:48:41.35
would say, Do not draw back in
despair." Oh, listen to this.
"We shall often have to bow down
00:48:41.35\00:48:50.06
and weep at the feet of Jesus
because of our shortcomings and
mistakes --" often -- "but we
00:48:50.06\00:48:57.07
are not to be discouraged. Even
if we are --" Listen. "Even if
we are overcome by the
00:48:57.07\00:49:03.27
enemy, we are not cast off
--" Hallelujah! "We are not
00:49:03.27\00:49:09.51
forsaken." Hallelujah! "We are
not rejected of God." Praise be
00:49:09.51\00:49:14.75
to Him. Listen. "God desires to
restore you to Himself, to see
00:49:14.75\00:49:20.39
His own purity and holiness --"
There's the word. "He longs to
00:49:20.39\00:49:25.36
see His own purity and holiness
reflected in you. And --" good
news -- "if you will but yield
00:49:25.36\00:49:31.33
yourself to Him, He that has
begun a good work in you will
carry it forward until that work
00:49:31.33\00:49:36.34
is done at the return of Jesus.
So pray more fervently; believe
00:49:36.34\00:49:40.98
more fully. As we come to
distrust our own power, let us
trust the power --" the
00:49:40.98\00:49:46.28
resurrection power -- "of our
Redeemer, and we shall praise
Him who is the health of our
00:49:46.28\00:49:51.95
countenance." Amen and amen.
What do you say? Amen, folks.
This is not bad news.
00:49:51.95\00:49:56.83
This is the best news we've
heard, because it will kill us,
sin will kill us...
00:49:56.83\00:50:06.00
if we ignore it or say
"ma鎙na." No, no. Today.
00:50:06.00\00:50:13.34
Resurrection power right now.
00:50:13.34\00:50:16.18
It's all about
Jesus. It's all about Jesus.
00:50:16.21\00:50:20.68
"I am wholly yours.
Please be wholly mine."
00:50:20.68\00:50:30.53
Want to sing, but before
we do, I want to give you an
00:50:32.73\00:50:35.86
opportunity to
get this quotation.
00:50:35.86\00:50:39.70
Let's go to our Connect Moment,
if you'll just take your device
00:50:39.70\00:50:44.07
out and text "Paul4"
-- This is where we're at.
00:50:44.07\00:50:47.68
Text "Paul4" to the familiar
number, 269-281-2345. I got it
as speed dial in my
00:50:47.71\00:50:55.52
cellphone now. Just
text "Paul4" to that number.
00:50:55.52\00:50:58.92
And I did it last night. Bingo!
A half a second, I'm telling
you, suddenly, there's a
00:50:58.92\00:51:03.83
link. You click on the
link, you get these next steps.
00:51:03.83\00:51:07.13
"My next step today is, I want
to be holy as God is holy." I
can't imagine any of us
00:51:07.13\00:51:12.20
saying, "No, no, I don't want
to be holy." Of course we do.
00:51:12.20\00:51:15.77
"I want to ask Jesus to
give me a hatred for the sins I
00:51:15.77\00:51:20.48
committed." If you text -- If
you check that, I'll send you
that sample prayer.
00:51:20.48\00:51:26.95
"I love the promise embedded in
that 'Steps to Christ' quotation
-- please send me a
00:51:26.95\00:51:31.42
copy." I will. I'll send you
the page. Oh, read it every day.
00:51:31.42\00:51:36.69
"We shall often have to fall
at Jesus' feet in tears." It's
00:51:36.69\00:51:43.16
okay. We're all in this
together. But if we fall at His
feet... we can stand in His
00:51:43.16\00:51:54.81
holiness. And number 4, "I'd
like to follow Jesus and be
baptized." If you haven't been
00:51:54.81\00:51:59.45
baptized yet, there's no more
powerful way to unite your life
to the holiness of Christ, the
00:51:59.45\00:52:06.02
love of God, than through
baptism. Put a check mark there,
we'll be in touch with you,
00:52:06.02\00:52:10.23
electronically. O God,
thank you for the Good News.
00:52:10.23\00:52:16.20
It's blunt, yeah. Very direct,
You are. Life is at stake,
00:52:16.20\00:52:23.97
Father. Don't let us blow this
off. Some of us are gonna try to
forget, as fast as we can, what
00:52:23.97\00:52:28.78
we just heard. May the third
person who heard us hear it keep
00:52:28.78\00:52:37.55
it alive. Don't give that boy
any rest, don't give that girl
any rest, that aged one -- don't
00:52:37.55\00:52:43.89
give them rest until we act and
pray until You show us how we
can hate the sin You hate and
00:52:43.89\00:52:55.44
love the Lord we
love. In Jesus' name. Amen.
00:52:55.44\00:52:59.84
中 >> Please stand for our last
00:53:05.28\00:53:11.22
song.
00:53:11.22\00:53:12.62
>> Think of the last time
someone said, "I'm praying for
00:57:09.19\00:57:12.26
you." Didn't it
give you a sense of
00:57:12.26\00:57:14.36
peace and reassurance
that "somebody cares for me"?
00:57:14.36\00:57:16.93
I know how I feel when I get an
e-mail from one of our viewers
00:57:16.93\00:57:19.67
saying, "Yo, Dwight, I've
been praying for you lately."
00:57:19.67\00:57:22.10
There's nothing like knowing
someone is praying for you.
00:57:22.10\00:57:24.47
So I want to offer you
an opportunity to partner.
00:57:24.47\00:57:26.81
Let me, let us
partner with you in prayer.
00:57:26.81\00:57:29.21
If you have a special
prayer request or a praise of
00:57:29.21\00:57:31.75
thanksgiving you'd like to share
with us, I'm inviting you to
00:57:31.75\00:57:34.45
contact one of our
friendly chaplains.
00:57:34.45\00:57:36.45
It's simple to do.
You can call our toll-free
00:57:36.45\00:57:38.79
number,
877-HIS-WILL. 877-HIS-WILL.
00:57:38.79\00:57:43.89
That friendly
voice that answers?
00:57:43.89\00:57:45.79
You tell him, you tell
her what your prayer need is.
00:57:45.79\00:57:48.53
We'll join with
you in that petition.
00:57:48.53\00:57:50.50
And may the God who answers this
prayer journey with you these
00:57:50.50\00:57:53.54
next few days, until we're right
back here together again next
00:57:53.54\00:57:56.57
time.
00:57:56.57\00:57:57.47
中
00:57:59.87\00:58:01.88