WEBVTT 00:00:00.700 --> 00:00:01.920 Hebrews Chapter 12. 00:00:04.019 --> 00:00:09.820 I wanna set up the basis for where we're going in the story and today we're gonna talk about the 'D' word. 00:00:10.100 --> 00:00:13.240 I don't want you to assume what that is yet until I tell you what that is. 00:00:13.360 --> 00:00:14.830 But it is a scary word. 00:00:14.840 --> 00:00:21.840 It's a sobering word that I'll describe in a minute, but sometimes when you come to scripture, there are certain phrases, ideas that are a little bit 00:00:21.840 --> 00:00:22.290 sobering. 00:00:22.640 --> 00:00:29.360 For me, James 3:1 is one that I think about constantly, especially on Sunday mornings. 00:00:29.360 --> 00:00:36.620 It says, "Not many of you should become teachers because in so doing you incur a stricter judgment on you." You're accountable 00:00:36.620 --> 00:00:43.140 for the things that you say about God if you're claiming to represent the mind of the Lord in communicating the scripture. 00:00:43.540 --> 00:00:48.280 That's not something that I take lightly in what I say and share. 00:00:48.680 --> 00:00:55.780 Hebrews Chapter 10, the chapters that we've unfolded here recently start to explain to us how we 00:00:55.780 --> 00:00:56.630 respond. 00:00:57.320 --> 00:01:00.360 Now, in light of everything that we've heard, we looked at the beauty of who Jesus is. 00:01:00.380 --> 00:01:07.400 We've spent this summer communicating how incredible God has orchestrated His plan of redemption throughout history. 00:01:07.980 --> 00:01:14.780 How this is obvious that is not just something He just haphazardly spewed out to us, but He has been communicating this to us from the beginning. 00:01:15.600 --> 00:01:16.610 Go back to the book of Genesis. 00:01:17.480 --> 00:01:24.520 God shares with us from the seed of a woman, not from the seed of a man, virgin birth, that someone would come to crush the head of the serpent, Satan. 00:01:24.820 --> 00:01:27.520 He would suffer a piercing in the process. 00:01:27.780 --> 00:01:31.400 We see that in Jesus starting in Genesis 3:15. 00:01:31.400 --> 00:01:38.400 God sets up then for Israel a system of worship and all of, within the context of that system, all of it is a shadow 00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:40.880 of what Jesus would ultimately fulfill. 00:01:41.720 --> 00:01:46.380 We've looked at Old Testament passages that have said that and how Israel looked for a new covenant. 00:01:46.900 --> 00:01:54.040 This coming of the one who would fully redeemed them through the pictures of the Old Testament practices, and we talked about what those pictures 00:01:54.040 --> 00:01:54.440 were. 00:01:55.180 --> 00:02:01.240 The temple, the law, the Sabbath, the prophet, the priest, the lamb sacrifice. 00:02:01.940 --> 00:02:06.130 All of those pictures in the Old Testament weren't intended for us to live for today. 00:02:06.920 --> 00:02:13.060 They're all shadows of what Jesus would ultimately accomplish for us, that we could find our identity now in him. 00:02:13.700 --> 00:02:15.160 Jesus paid it all on the cross. 00:02:15.220 --> 00:02:16.580 He said, it is finished, paid in full. 00:02:17.640 --> 00:02:24.660 And so, for us today, as we think about singing as we think about God's word, it's an engaging of who you are in response to 00:02:24.720 --> 00:02:25.380 who God is. 00:02:26.100 --> 00:02:31.760 God desires to make himself known to us and for us to know Him as He desires to make Himself known to us. 00:02:31.900 --> 00:02:33.180 We're created as worship beings. 00:02:34.640 --> 00:02:40.380 This morning is about your heart seeking God and us collectively as a community in pursuit of that. 00:02:40.820 --> 00:02:42.790 Now, in light of all of that, how do we respond? 00:02:44.560 --> 00:02:49.140 Hebrews Chapter 10 is really blunt and honest with where the believers are, in this passage of this scripture. 00:02:49.140 --> 00:02:52.540 I think the author knows that the church is about to face persecution, extreme persecution. 00:02:53.300 --> 00:02:56.460 Persecution that would last 250 years of the existence of the early church. 00:02:57.300 --> 00:03:04.520 In Chapter 10, he even begins to say in verses 33-35, that these people have suffered the loss of their own possessions and 00:03:04.520 --> 00:03:10.740 have ministered to one another in prison because of their faith in Jesus and the way it's costing them. 00:03:10.740 --> 00:03:16.640 Then in Chapter 11, it then encourages us to live this life by faith. 00:03:17.360 --> 00:03:22.200 It goes to this representation of throughout biblical history, those who have walked by faith. 00:03:22.320 --> 00:03:29.580 And it ends Chapter 11 and saying, "And they haven't even seen the fullness of the promises." Because what was fully promised to them comes in Jesus. 00:03:30.400 --> 00:03:35.860 So, you see these giants of the faith, or at least we oftentimes think of them as giants of the faith, but a lot of them were greatly flawed. 00:03:36.460 --> 00:03:41.940 Actually, all of them were greatly flawed and they're living this life by faith in the Lord. 00:03:42.240 --> 00:03:47.880 But the promises that God has given them weren't fully brought until Jesus brings the new covenant for us. 00:03:49.200 --> 00:03:52.880 So, in Chapter 11 it starts showing us those that have walked by faith. 00:03:53.180 --> 00:04:00.280 And then as you get into Chapter 12, it then start speaking more directly to you and says, "Now, you run." And more specifically, it 00:04:00.280 --> 00:04:03.680 said this to us, "Therefore," in the summary of that idea, "... 00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:10.840 since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and let us run with 00:04:10.840 --> 00:04:14.160 endurance the race that is set before us." Now is your time. 00:04:15.180 --> 00:04:21.600 Now is your opportunity to make much of Christ in this world, to run your race and to glorify God. 00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:28.740 Under the backdrop of all of that, there's a hesitation in reading a verse like this because when it says, "run," which 00:04:28.740 --> 00:04:33.290 I'm not that fast, and then it says, "in endurance," and well, I don't want to do that either. 00:04:33.840 --> 00:04:37.920 So, running sure short distances, got that, Jesus, right? 00:04:37.920 --> 00:04:41.240 But we're talking about endurance for the duration of my life. 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:43.480 How in the world am I going to do this, right? 00:04:43.500 --> 00:04:44.200 Maybe not right now. 00:04:44.200 --> 00:04:45.460 It'll come back to me in about five minutes. 00:04:45.540 --> 00:04:47.080 Let me think about this for a second. 00:04:47.520 --> 00:04:54.080 But, 12:1 is talking about running this race for God. 00:04:54.540 --> 00:04:57.480 How in the world can we do this? 00:04:59.120 --> 00:05:06.160 I think when you run this race, and we talk about endurance, it outlines for us what that endurance is, where it needs to come from, is because 00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:09.880 there is sin and there are things that can entangle us. 00:05:11.780 --> 00:05:17.020 Life's not easy and pursuing Jesus isn't always easy. 00:05:18.460 --> 00:05:21.300 There's a cost that comes with it. 00:05:23.440 --> 00:05:25.080 It affects the way you do things. 00:05:25.080 --> 00:05:28.680 You may have to let go of certain things that you hold to his idols in your life. 00:05:29.500 --> 00:05:31.340 The sin, right? 00:05:31.940 --> 00:05:33.740 I want to run my race my way, right? 00:05:33.740 --> 00:05:37.480 I don't want to hold a little bit of my Jesus and then whatever else in this world that I love. 00:05:38.280 --> 00:05:41.070 This race is a calling of complete devotion. 00:05:41.440 --> 00:05:44.250 Everything that Christ is and letting go of that and doing it with endurance. 00:05:44.800 --> 00:05:46.720 How in the world do you run this race? 00:05:46.980 --> 00:05:48.200 We've looked at this together. 00:05:48.200 --> 00:05:50.840 We started this idea of what race running is all about. 00:05:51.420 --> 00:05:55.360 It tells us in this first verse that we've been surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses. 00:05:55.640 --> 00:06:00.300 If you remember, and talking about this idea of witnesses is everyone that's gone before us. 00:06:00.600 --> 00:06:01.980 We saw in Chapter 11. 00:06:01.980 --> 00:06:09.080 It has this view of like the Olympic Games, this greater arena, and seated in this arena, are all the witnesses that have gone before you 00:06:09.080 --> 00:06:12.360 that have pursued Christ with their life or pursued the Lord with their life. 00:06:12.600 --> 00:06:18.080 Now, you're in the middle of the stadium and everyone's cheering for you and watching you, and you're about to run this race. 00:06:18.080 --> 00:06:21.260 When you see this words, "Witness," it can be very intimidating. 00:06:21.300 --> 00:06:22.660 It's like all eyes are on you. 00:06:22.660 --> 00:06:26.850 Don't screw this up, but this word for witness means more than just spectator. 00:06:27.220 --> 00:06:34.230 It's actually where you get the English word, "martyr." What it's saying to us is not that they're witness of us, 00:06:34.340 --> 00:06:36.590 but rather they're a witness to us. 00:06:37.560 --> 00:06:43.280 This idea of martyrdom is their lives standing around us as a testimony to demonstrate that God is faithful. 00:06:44.760 --> 00:06:51.240 You're able to run what God calls you to run in Him because God created you for that purpose and if you trust in him, God is faithful. 00:06:52.640 --> 00:06:54.740 That's the proclamation of these witnesses. 00:06:54.840 --> 00:07:02.000 So, it goes on and makes the second point in verse 2, "Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:11.240 before him, endured the cross despising the shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Fixing 00:07:11.240 --> 00:07:11.940 our eyes on Jesus. 00:07:14.400 --> 00:07:18.510 Jesus is our price. 00:07:19.200 --> 00:07:22.250 It's not about what you accomplished and accolades. 00:07:24.340 --> 00:07:25.160 Christianity is about faithful. 00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:29.060 Being faithful. 00:07:31.540 --> 00:07:35.660 God called you into relationship with Him. 00:07:35.780 --> 00:07:40.730 The pursuit and priority of our lives is to make much of Him in everything that we do. 00:07:41.820 --> 00:07:45.320 God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him. 00:07:46.900 --> 00:07:48.640 So, the aim of our lives isn't about accomplishment. 00:07:50.680 --> 00:07:51.960 It's not about even doing good. 00:07:53.880 --> 00:07:54.680 It's about Jesus. 00:07:56.800 --> 00:08:02.360 Now, the fruit of that is obedience, but the pursuit of our heart in our lives is to know Him. 00:08:02.860 --> 00:08:09.980 So, Paul says in Philippians 3:10, "That I may know him." So he says, "Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the 00:08:09.980 --> 00:08:17.220 author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." And then verse 3, "For 00:08:17.380 --> 00:08:24.480 consider him who has endured such hostility by sinners against himself so that you 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:29.960 will not grow weary and lose heart." I can't do this, right? 00:08:31.580 --> 00:08:32.240 But, do you know the price? 00:08:34.480 --> 00:08:37.900 All the examples you've seen in Chapter 11 of those that walked by faith. 00:08:38.400 --> 00:08:40.659 In verse 3, then it makes Jesus the ultimate prize. 00:08:40.659 --> 00:08:42.169 And here's the great thing about Jesus. 00:08:42.679 --> 00:08:46.700 Not only is Jesus's death give us life, but Jesus's life itself gave us an example. 00:08:47.680 --> 00:08:52.960 When Jesus lived his life on this earth, yes, he was God that became flesh, but he walked this earth in humanity. 00:08:54.360 --> 00:08:59.320 He demonstrated for us what it was like to live faithful in light of the father, in relationship to him. 00:09:00.400 --> 00:09:07.080 Jesus, in that position, was able to successfully live out in the flesh what it means to walk in obedience before God. 00:09:07.080 --> 00:09:14.180 So, he's saying in verse 3, "It is possible." Because Jesus being the greatest example for all of us, the one in which we're to emulate 00:09:14.180 --> 00:09:17.600 our lives, he lived that life obedience in the flesh. 00:09:19.980 --> 00:09:25.040 And so, calls us, don't grow weary and lose heart. 00:09:26.780 --> 00:09:33.860 He goes on in verse 4, and he says, "You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding of blood and 00:09:33.860 --> 00:09:41.000 you're striving against sin." Like he's saying, truthfully, you haven't even tapped into what you're capable of doing 00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:44.440 in the glory of who God is as Christ works in you and through you. 00:09:45.860 --> 00:09:50.340 Jesus is against sin to the point of shedding his blood and you haven't even hit that point yet. 00:09:52.400 --> 00:09:57.360 There's an opportunity in the lives of believers were God can supernaturally work through us. 00:09:57.440 --> 00:10:04.700 We oftentimes look at the challenges we face and think, "How in the world are we going to do that?" But, if you remember the marks of the Apostle Paul, he says, "His 00:10:04.700 --> 00:10:11.060 grace is sufficient for me." Looking at the moment ahead of us. 00:10:11.080 --> 00:10:12.780 We wonder that how can we make it through that? 00:10:14.440 --> 00:10:17.480 Well, Paul found out in his life when he got to that moment. 00:10:19.520 --> 00:10:20.340 God's grace is supplied. 00:10:22.960 --> 00:10:30.080 So, he's saying this, "Look, in the life of the believer, of we haven't even begin to understand what we are able to do through the power of Christ that 00:10:30.080 --> 00:10:30.640 works in us. 00:10:30.680 --> 00:10:37.600 If we would just simply trust in him in those moments." Another pursuit of American life is pleasure. 00:10:38.060 --> 00:10:39.940 Like, I'll follow you Jesus as long as it's easy. 00:10:39.940 --> 00:10:42.360 When it's not, I'm gonna do my thing, I'll come back when it's easy again, right? 00:10:43.240 --> 00:10:46.340 The joy of our life is simply pleasure or whatever makes life easy. 00:10:47.560 --> 00:10:54.620 But God is saying there's so much more about learning in your relationship with Him if you would simply trust Him and the challenges because in those challenges you find out that his grace is 00:10:54.620 --> 00:10:55.060 sufficient. 00:10:55.080 --> 00:10:59.300 What God is after here is the growth of you as a believer in Him. 00:11:00.760 --> 00:11:08.060 I had this theology that I created and maybe it'll catch on one day, but I call it, "Trashcan theology." Every once in a while I'll 00:11:08.060 --> 00:11:12.550 mention it in the office, but it's a place where God brings you to and you're like, "I can't do this. 00:11:12.940 --> 00:11:13.750 I think I'm going to throw up. 00:11:14.040 --> 00:11:20.880 Give me trashcan." You look at the circumstance, you're like … it's happened to me a few times in doing ministry here. 00:11:20.880 --> 00:11:22.020 Like, when we bought this building. 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:24.140 I know today it's like we need a bigger building. 00:11:24.560 --> 00:11:28.180 But before we bought this thing, just the construction, everything took place. 00:11:28.180 --> 00:11:29.070 Sign your name to the dotted line. 00:11:29.140 --> 00:11:36.460 I'm like, "This is beyond me, God." And seeing what can happen in these circumstances, but God 00:11:36.460 --> 00:11:38.760 brings you to that place, that's the end of yourself. 00:11:40.380 --> 00:11:41.080 Why? 00:11:44.300 --> 00:11:53.760 To experience the glory of who He is, to become a part of the greater cloud of witnesses demonstrating 00:11:53.760 --> 00:11:55.220 to the next generation. 00:11:57.060 --> 00:11:58.220 He is faithful. 00:11:59.680 --> 00:12:01.840 So, in verse 5 and 6, He brings up the "D' word. 00:12:03.960 --> 00:12:05.400 All discipline. 00:12:08.660 --> 00:12:14.700 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful. 00:12:15.820 --> 00:12:22.460 And verse 5 and 6, let's skip this verse when it say, "And you have forgotten the expectation which is addressed to you as sons. 00:12:22.460 --> 00:12:29.860 My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord nor faint when you have reproved by him, for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines and 00:12:29.860 --> 00:12:36.980 scourges every son whom he receives." God brings 00:12:36.980 --> 00:12:37.880 discipline. 00:12:39.210 --> 00:12:42.240 You think about running this race and you say before Lord, "Okay. 00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:44.480 God, I see the race you're calling me to run. 00:12:44.520 --> 00:12:45.760 I see the witnesses around me. 00:12:45.960 --> 00:12:49.810 I see how you endured this race in your humanity, but I'm not you. 00:12:50.490 --> 00:12:54.400 How in the world am I going to run this race the way that you've called me to run this race? 00:12:54.440 --> 00:12:58.020 I don't think I have it me." And then God shows up and He's like, "Oh, it's easy. 00:12:58.040 --> 00:12:58.500 Here's the answer. 00:12:58.600 --> 00:13:05.860 It's discipline." I don't want to say that," That 00:13:05.860 --> 00:13:07.860 doesn't sound like a good thing to me. 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:10.720 How is saying the word discipline a good thing. 00:13:10.760 --> 00:13:14.660 I know that sometimes you get those freaky spiritual Christians who are like, "Oh yeah, bring it on. 00:13:14.660 --> 00:13:21.260 Give me discipline." For those I just say, "Killed the corner for a second." Because when I look at a word like this, I'm like, "Yeah, let the other people do that. 00:13:21.260 --> 00:13:24.880 Discipline, sign me up." That's crazy. 00:13:26.060 --> 00:13:30.600 Discipline, we should consider that the curse word, right? 00:13:30.880 --> 00:13:33.200 Let's talk about all the things that make Christianity easy. 00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:35.100 Let's not worry about discipline this morning. 00:13:35.100 --> 00:13:36.140 Let's talk about something else. 00:13:37.500 --> 00:13:39.220 But then you read verses like verse 11. 00:13:39.240 --> 00:13:40.100 That makes it feel better. 00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:47.680 "And all discipline for the moment seems to not be joyful but sorrowful." He's already saying to you, "Look, it is a normal tendency 00:13:47.680 --> 00:13:55.440 within our lives and not be like, I will be the first to sign up for discipline, please." Like, discipline is not 00:13:55.440 --> 00:13:58.820 the most popular thing to bring up in a discussion. 00:13:58.880 --> 00:14:07.000 But He goes on and he says this in verse 7, "This is for discipline that you endure." God 00:14:07.000 --> 00:14:08.540 deals with you as with sons. 00:14:09.700 --> 00:14:16.740 For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 00:14:17.380 --> 00:14:22.440 When you start something new, for the most part, it never comes easy. 00:14:23.640 --> 00:14:24.920 It takes training routine. 00:14:28.180 --> 00:14:35.800 When you look at running the race and the Christian life, there are challenges that come with 00:14:35.800 --> 00:14:36.580 doing this. 00:14:36.580 --> 00:14:41.240 And he's saying to us in the beginning, "Look, here's the target eyes on Jesus. 00:14:41.580 --> 00:14:46.960 No one ever starts climbing Mount Everest by waking up tomorrow and be like, "Today I feel like I'm just gonna climb Mount Everest, right? 00:14:48.840 --> 00:14:51.020 There's training that's involved with this. 00:14:52.260 --> 00:14:54.080 What is this discipline thing? 00:14:54.080 --> 00:14:56.460 If it's gonna be in scripture, we need to deal with it, right? 00:14:56.940 --> 00:14:59.000 If there's a way to get rid of it, don't worry. 00:14:59.100 --> 00:15:00.600 I'm going to help us work through that today. 00:15:00.980 --> 00:15:03.280 I don't wanna I don't wanna do this anymore that I have to. 00:15:04.140 --> 00:15:05.540 So, what is discipline? 00:15:07.060 --> 00:15:11.940 I think it's very important to distinguish this word from the idea of punishment. 00:15:11.940 --> 00:15:13.140 Discipline is not punishment. 00:15:14.240 --> 00:15:16.070 God does not punish his people. 00:15:18.220 --> 00:15:21.360 In fact, God punished Christ in your place. 00:15:22.580 --> 00:15:28.840 Punishment is about vengeance, it's about retribution, it's about wrath. 00:15:30.100 --> 00:15:31.870 Discipline does not mean punishment. 00:15:33.480 --> 00:15:41.740 Discipline rather is about training, nurturing, maturity, virtue, 00:15:43.500 --> 00:15:43.940 righteousness. 00:15:46.580 --> 00:15:52.560 In fact, the idea behind this word is to help a child mature in their lives. 00:15:54.420 --> 00:15:56.700 I mean, how many by show of hands … don't raise your hand. 00:15:56.840 --> 00:15:57.500 Don't do that. 00:15:58.680 --> 00:16:00.180 How many of you will be like, "Man, you know what? 00:16:00.580 --> 00:16:04.210 My favorite room to be in is a room loaded with undisciplined children. 00:16:04.300 --> 00:16:06.490 Please put me there." What joy? 00:16:06.960 --> 00:16:11.120 That is not a blessing to the world. 00:16:11.120 --> 00:16:18.360 It's like a test of your patients like God's teaching me discipline in that moment by not killing somebody right now, but it's 00:16:18.360 --> 00:16:21.620 not the room that I want to step into, and the life of the believer the same way. 00:16:22.360 --> 00:16:29.230 God puts you in this world and knowing Him to be light in darkness, so the joy of what it is to pursue Jesus. 00:16:29.940 --> 00:16:32.480 You know how you allow people to experience that around you? 00:16:33.480 --> 00:16:34.420 You, yourself mature. 00:16:36.200 --> 00:16:38.580 You can't lead people any further than you've been led. 00:16:40.080 --> 00:16:47.520 I mean, you thinking in a local church context that the leaders sort of set the precedent of what it means to pursue God and to 00:16:47.520 --> 00:16:49.080 know God and to live in light of that. 00:16:49.120 --> 00:16:52.120 I know it shouldn't be the case, but oftentimes it becomes the ceiling. 00:16:56.240 --> 00:16:57.500 So, discipline is about maturity. 00:17:00.460 --> 00:17:05.640 This is about God being for you, God wanting to see you grow. 00:17:07.900 --> 00:17:14.020 And the idea of punishment, God is a judge, but the idea of discipline, God is father. 00:17:16.180 --> 00:17:18.079 In fact, that's where He takes these next verses. 00:17:18.520 --> 00:17:24.640 He says in verse eight, "But if you are without discipline of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 00:17:24.640 --> 00:17:28.860 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them. 00:17:28.860 --> 00:17:33.640 Shall we not much rather be subject to the father of spirits and live for. 00:17:33.640 --> 00:17:41.020 They disciplined us for a short time, as seemed best for them, but he disciplines us for our good so 00:17:41.020 --> 00:17:48.140 that we may share in his holiness." God's 00:17:48.300 --> 00:17:55.820 desire is to see you maturing and growing and 00:17:55.820 --> 00:17:56.300 thriving. 00:17:58.080 --> 00:18:06.360 God wants you to run, and in order to run well, discipline is involved, right? 00:18:06.400 --> 00:18:13.560 It's interesting when you study the word discipline because the root of the word discipline is actually the word disciple. 00:18:15.560 --> 00:18:22.620 When you study the idea of disciple in scripture, I know the popular phrase for us today, we call ourselves Christians, but it's interesting to 00:18:22.620 --> 00:18:30.340 note that the word Christian is only used three times in the New Testament, but the word disciple is over 250 times 00:18:30.340 --> 00:18:30.980 in the New Testament. 00:18:32.800 --> 00:18:36.470 There's something to be said about the idea of disciple and what it's pursuing. 00:18:37.160 --> 00:18:41.680 The word disciple in its basic context is a follower or a learner? 00:18:42.700 --> 00:18:50.500 If I were to define it in the context of a scripture, when it talks about disciple, how it lays it out, a disciple is one who's adopted, 00:18:50.580 --> 00:18:55.540 formed, and empowered to pursue the things in which God calls them to. 00:18:56.900 --> 00:19:02.110 If I gave you a verse to base that off of, here's a popular one that we can look at together. 00:19:02.720 --> 00:19:07.520 Matthew 28:19 and 20, Jesus is talking to his disciples about making disciples. 00:19:08.520 --> 00:19:10.020 Coincidentally, involves discipline here. 00:19:11.200 --> 00:19:14.760 It says this, "And not by word, but by definition involves discipline." Look at this. 00:19:14.920 --> 00:19:21.980 It says, "Go therefore talking to the disciples and make disciples." The text actually reads as you're going into the world, here's 00:19:21.980 --> 00:19:24.690 the command for you as disciples of Jesus to make disciples. 00:19:25.500 --> 00:19:27.140 That God's desire for us to reproduce. 00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:29.460 If what you produce isn't reproducing, then do something different. 00:19:30.780 --> 00:19:35.700 God's call for his believers are to make disciples like who is in your area of influence in this world? 00:19:35.900 --> 00:19:40.520 Please have influence for Jesus, and the way that you do that is to mature in Jesus so you have something to impart in the world. 00:19:42.140 --> 00:19:43.620 Seek Jesus. 00:19:43.800 --> 00:19:49.580 Then he says, "Disciples, go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, son, Holy Spirit. 00:19:49.680 --> 00:19:53.820 Teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you so you're reproducing what's been produced. 00:19:53.840 --> 00:20:01.180 And lo, I am with you always to the end of the age." When he talks about going to the world and make disciples, very interesting statement follows, baptizing 00:20:01.180 --> 00:20:02.830 in the name of the father, son, and Holy Spirit. 00:20:03.880 --> 00:20:10.940 The last Sunday we had baptism Sunday for our church family, just an annual celebration that we do for those that wanna pursue Jesus and make that 00:20:10.940 --> 00:20:11.680 publicly known. 00:20:11.780 --> 00:20:18.840 It's a great time to celebrate what God's doing in life with people, but one of the ways to think about it is what's said in this verse, baptizing in the name 00:20:18.840 --> 00:20:19.960 of the father, son, and Holy Spirit. 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:21.780 Now, what in the world does that mean? 00:20:23.420 --> 00:20:24.440 Baptizing in the name? 00:20:26.260 --> 00:20:28.860 When it says name, notice it says the unity of God. 00:20:29.120 --> 00:20:30.280 Father, son, and Holy Spirit. 00:20:30.840 --> 00:20:33.360 It doesn't say names of, but it says in the singular name of. 00:20:33.380 --> 00:20:34.710 So, it's a promotion of the trinity here. 00:20:35.800 --> 00:20:36.540 Baptizing in the name. 00:20:38.100 --> 00:20:41.220 During the time of Jesus's day, your family was an identity. 00:20:42.140 --> 00:20:45.560 Okay, thinking about Jesus's early disciples, James and John. 00:20:46.680 --> 00:20:51.120 When comes to James and John and he calls them out, he refers to them as the sons of Zebedee. 00:20:52.820 --> 00:20:55.320 The sons of Zebedee are communication in the scripture of their identity. 00:20:56.280 --> 00:20:57.030 They are from that family. 00:20:57.240 --> 00:20:59.780 When you think of that father, it's an identity of who the children are. 00:21:01.040 --> 00:21:07.480 In addition to that, the father was a fisherman, so it's known that what the children would do is to grow up to become fishermen as well. 00:21:08.900 --> 00:21:15.200 And so, the name had very much to do with identity and represented the family which you belong to in the position which you would carry forth in this world. 00:21:16.480 --> 00:21:23.530 And so, when God is saying you're baptized in the name of the father, son, and Holy Spirit, it's communicating the same thing about us as disciples, 00:21:23.860 --> 00:21:24.680 make disciples. 00:21:24.680 --> 00:21:25.840 This is what a disciple is. 00:21:26.060 --> 00:21:31.940 It's one who belongs to the family, shaped in this identity, empowered to carry out the positions that they'll have in the Lord. 00:21:32.980 --> 00:21:35.220 Make disciples of all nations. 00:21:36.220 --> 00:21:37.400 Here's where they find that identity. 00:21:37.820 --> 00:21:39.640 You find out what God has already taught to them. 00:21:39.680 --> 00:21:46.960 I would say for us in Hebrews 12:5 and 6, and when God is calling us to this discipline in Him, He goes back 00:21:46.960 --> 00:21:47.730 to scripture. 00:21:47.780 --> 00:21:48.840 He's saying this is what it looks like. 00:21:48.860 --> 00:21:49.780 Remember Proverbs? 00:21:50.260 --> 00:21:52.800 He quotes from Proverbs 12: 5 and 6. 00:21:53.520 --> 00:22:00.480 It's saying the identity of a discipline, the identity of a disciple finds himself in the word of God because that's where the truth and identity of who God is proclaiming to us. 00:22:01.780 --> 00:22:09.260 So, if you're shaping yourself in light of this, if you belong to this, if you want to live for this is 00:22:09.260 --> 00:22:09.700 your book. 00:22:12.510 --> 00:22:19.540 So, the idea of disciple, this adopted belonging, it's this formed and shaped and it's this empowered to live this 00:22:19.540 --> 00:22:20.220 life and mission. 00:22:20.240 --> 00:22:27.350 Because look what it says at the very end, "I am with you always even to the end of age." That's the beauty of this discipline, 00:22:27.660 --> 00:22:29.060 is what it's saying to us in this passage. 00:22:30.840 --> 00:22:32.700 Punishment, I don't want anything to do with you. 00:22:33.240 --> 00:22:35.520 But discipline, I'm right beside you. 00:22:37.380 --> 00:22:38.780 I'm about your growth and maturity. 00:22:39.960 --> 00:22:41.120 I care about you. 00:22:43.480 --> 00:22:45.180 You think about what it means to be a parent. 00:22:46.560 --> 00:22:50.620 When you parent your kids, the scope of parenting isn't just to correct the problem, right? 00:22:50.620 --> 00:22:53.940 When it happens with your child, but rather you do want to correct. 00:22:54.160 --> 00:22:55.300 But what is this about? 00:22:55.340 --> 00:22:56.140 Is the end goal. 00:22:57.540 --> 00:23:00.630 What kind of person do I want my son or daughter to be? 00:23:02.040 --> 00:23:06.760 Because those ideals, that character, that way of living, that's what you hold before them. 00:23:08.280 --> 00:23:15.400 So, the idea of disciplining kids, yes, when they do wrong, you can help correct them and their behavior because they have a deceitful heart in 00:23:15.400 --> 00:23:15.740 sin. 00:23:17.260 --> 00:23:22.960 But in addition to that, as a parent, you also, when they live that kind of life, you want to see them emulate as adult, blessing this world. 00:23:23.160 --> 00:23:24.080 You want to praise that. 00:23:26.240 --> 00:23:33.400 You think about the characteristics like when your kid comes home with good grades, you don't say, "Where did you get the A," but it's like you want to take it a step further 00:23:33.400 --> 00:23:33.700 with him. 00:23:33.740 --> 00:23:40.960 You want to say to them, "I know sometimes getting an A in this particular subject isn't always easy because this isn't necessarily the 00:23:41.060 --> 00:23:48.340 best subject, but the hard work you showed fourth, the discipline, the perseverance, that 00:23:48.340 --> 00:23:50.440 character says something about you. 00:23:51.520 --> 00:23:57.740 The A is great, but I'm so thankful for the way you displayed yourself throughout that course of your class. 00:23:59.420 --> 00:24:02.340 You're thinking long-term, promoting that. 00:24:02.380 --> 00:24:04.500 Discipline doesn't have to be bad. 00:24:06.420 --> 00:24:07.030 It's about maturity. 00:24:08.700 --> 00:24:09.290 It's about training. 00:24:09.640 --> 00:24:10.290 It's about growing. 00:24:10.500 --> 00:24:15.990 It's about the journey, not running away from God because every time I got near Him I think he's going to punish me. 00:24:16.200 --> 00:24:21.170 That not a good way to parenting like you come to your kid and constantly just bash them over the head of everything they're doing wrong. 00:24:21.580 --> 00:24:27.960 They're gonna disdain your appearance and they're gonna dislike her God for always telling them everything they're doing that's not right in this world. 00:24:28.960 --> 00:24:34.080 But you got to celebrate, and cheer, and root on. 00:24:34.120 --> 00:24:41.100 I love the way it starts in Hebrews Chapter 12, "You're surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses." Man, they're cheering you on in this because they know God is faithful. 00:24:41.380 --> 00:24:42.100 He's got this. 00:24:42.180 --> 00:24:43.120 Just trust Him. 00:24:44.120 --> 00:24:44.700 Look onto Him. 00:24:46.460 --> 00:24:47.020 Finish line. 00:24:47.160 --> 00:24:49.020 Yes, maybe sometimes you want to grab a trash can. 00:24:52.060 --> 00:24:52.780 God is faithful. 00:24:55.040 --> 00:24:57.080 God is faithful. 00:24:57.080 --> 00:25:00.700 So, this idea of discipline becomes important for us. 00:25:00.700 --> 00:25:05.480 Let me just ask this question, how do I know if God is disciplining me? 00:25:06.050 --> 00:25:08.200 That's a good one, right? 00:25:08.360 --> 00:25:11.170 How do I know of God is disciplining me. 00:25:13.130 --> 00:25:16.050 Sometimes the answers to this can get a bit ridiculous. 00:25:17.380 --> 00:25:22.480 I've seen in scenarios where people have just gone through some bad things in life. 00:25:22.580 --> 00:25:28.160 I think well-intentioned people have come to them and try to give their best advice in those moments to help. 00:25:28.200 --> 00:25:29.980 But I have heard some horrific things that. 00:25:29.980 --> 00:25:31.940 I would just … if we could just strike that from our mouths. 00:25:32.240 --> 00:25:37.500 Like when someone goes through a bad thing, you just happen to be like, "Well, this has happened to you because you're stronger than me," right? 00:25:39.200 --> 00:25:40.740 How do you know? 00:25:43.160 --> 00:25:50.280 I think it's a very dangerous thing to speak on behalf of God as He wants to orchestrate the course of history outside of things He specifically told us. 00:25:51.060 --> 00:25:57.660 I don't think in Christianity we can say to everyone why exactly every difficult thing happens to us, but here's a couple of things we can say. 00:25:59.730 --> 00:26:01.120 Regardless, God always loves you. 00:26:02.880 --> 00:26:04.390 God cares about you in those moments. 00:26:04.420 --> 00:26:08.320 God hates the destruction of sin as much if not more than we do. 00:26:09.100 --> 00:26:10.180 So, His heart agrees with us. 00:26:10.220 --> 00:26:11.980 God grieves with us in those things. 00:26:13.260 --> 00:26:16.780 But in addition to that, God is more than conquer. 00:26:18.880 --> 00:26:22.080 I don't specifically know why everything always happens to us. 00:26:22.100 --> 00:26:29.080 I wouldn't want to pretend to tell you why, but I do know this, God will take into account every wrong. 00:26:30.780 --> 00:26:36.420 There's no pain you will go through, there's no tear that you will ever shed, that God will not hold accountable to him. 00:26:37.660 --> 00:26:38.480 God is a good God. 00:26:40.400 --> 00:26:41.660 God will reconcile it all. 00:26:41.960 --> 00:26:43.060 Romans 8 tells us that. 00:26:46.060 --> 00:26:53.940 So, just simply trying to slide it under the rug, when people go through difficult times to say foolish things that don't help the person in the process, that's 00:26:53.940 --> 00:26:55.060 not good for us. 00:26:55.100 --> 00:27:01.650 Romans Chapter 12 even tells us, "Weep with those who weep and mourn with those who mourn." For me, when I go through hardships, I can tell you I'm a verbal processor. 00:27:03.460 --> 00:27:09.010 I know my goal is to glorify God, but sometimes you go through circumstances, you're looking for the best way to do that in your scenario. 00:27:10.220 --> 00:27:17.300 Here's some hardships and I've learned, in following after God in my life, I have learned where I'm clinging to Jesus and where I'm not. 00:27:17.480 --> 00:27:19.460 The hardships in life really teach you that. 00:27:20.780 --> 00:27:27.920 Believe it or not, we need difficult things to really show us if we are truly depending on God, because when life is easy, it's easy to say, "You trust in God," 00:27:29.480 --> 00:27:34.100 but sometimes the difficult personalities in the room, and that's none of you guys are all perfect, right? 00:27:34.460 --> 00:27:38.260 But sometimes the difficult personalities in the room show you what you're really holding onto. 00:27:40.180 --> 00:27:45.660 Sometimes when things in ministry happened that they didn't go exactly the way that you wanted it to, it shows you … are you doing it for the glory of the ministry? 00:27:46.080 --> 00:27:47.320 Are you doing it to just honor God? 00:27:48.520 --> 00:27:51.800 Because I have in my mind sometimes the way I want things to go to, but they don't always go that way. 00:27:52.880 --> 00:27:54.460 The result isn't there, but what am I after? 00:27:54.460 --> 00:27:54.810 Is it results? 00:27:55.960 --> 00:27:58.640 When someone gets mad at me, what am I after? 00:27:58.680 --> 00:27:59.340 To please them? 00:28:00.860 --> 00:28:04.940 We all want to seek peace with all people, the scripture tells me to do that, but at the end of the day, I can't make everybody happy. 00:28:06.660 --> 00:28:13.700 The truth, when you preach the truth, and people naturally are going to disagree with that anyway, I want to make it hard for people to hate me, but at the end of the day, if I got to choose between you and 00:28:13.700 --> 00:28:14.590 Jesus, I choose Jesus. 00:28:18.470 --> 00:28:19.920 But what does that adversity show me? 00:28:22.080 --> 00:28:23.680 It shows me what I'm really trusting in. 00:28:25.200 --> 00:28:26.810 It shows me where I'm mature or not mature. 00:28:26.820 --> 00:28:29.510 When my kids are losing it and I lose it. 00:28:30.920 --> 00:28:32.220 Walk in the flesh or in the spirit. 00:28:33.980 --> 00:28:35.460 Those moments are used from my maturity. 00:28:35.580 --> 00:28:37.960 Now, I can't say everything that happens to me. 00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:42.760 I'm not gonna come to you and say everything that happens to you is because God just wants to discipline you, right? 00:28:42.900 --> 00:28:43.360 I can't say that. 00:28:45.340 --> 00:28:47.940 But I can say God can use those circumstances for that reason. 00:28:52.080 --> 00:28:53.940 I don't have to be thankful for everything in life. 00:28:56.220 --> 00:28:57.970 I'm not gonna stop and say, "God, thank you for the cancer. 00:28:58.140 --> 00:29:03.880 That was awesome." But I can be thankful in everything. 00:29:07.400 --> 00:29:12.720 In those moments, it shows me where my hope really lies, are my eyes on Jesus? 00:29:15.720 --> 00:29:17.020 If not what was it trusting in? 00:29:19.440 --> 00:29:20.860 And guess where God is in all of that? 00:29:23.300 --> 00:29:23.880 Right beside me. 00:29:24.900 --> 00:29:27.860 Now, I know that's what the word discipline means. 00:29:29.220 --> 00:29:32.100 It's a father walking with you. 00:29:32.180 --> 00:29:34.500 He is for you, not against you. 00:29:35.920 --> 00:29:43.640 To bless this world, and to allow His glory to shine through you and for you to find out as a cloud of witnesses with the witnesses that God is 00:29:43.640 --> 00:29:44.260 faithful. 00:29:44.300 --> 00:29:45.570 So, how do I know God is disciplined me? 00:29:45.740 --> 00:29:47.180 Well, a couple things I would say real quick. 00:29:47.200 --> 00:29:53.560 one, God's not smiting everyone and that could be a result like bad things happen and God just kills them all. 00:29:54.320 --> 00:29:55.720 Sometimes when bad things happen we go, "All right. 00:29:55.740 --> 00:29:57.020 God, wrath please." Right? 00:29:57.060 --> 00:29:57.620 You see them? 00:29:57.620 --> 00:30:01.340 Not you, but whoever out there in the world. 00:30:01.340 --> 00:30:02.080 Wrath, right? 00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:08.320 So, God's not doing that or God isn't ignoring me because He calls me His own, and He tells me I belong to Him. 00:30:08.340 --> 00:30:08.940 Those are two options. 00:30:09.820 --> 00:30:11.090 I could totally ignore the situation. 00:30:11.240 --> 00:30:12.100 I could run away from it. 00:30:12.400 --> 00:30:13.420 Like, Discipline, no, thank you. 00:30:13.420 --> 00:30:14.900 I'm just going to go over here by myself, God. 00:30:16.780 --> 00:30:18.390 How do I know God's disciplining me? 00:30:20.400 --> 00:30:21.820 Because I continue to walk in this world. 00:30:24.280 --> 00:30:31.400 God can use circumstances of every moment of my life from my maturity as I surrender 00:30:31.400 --> 00:30:34.820 myself to Him. 00:30:35.160 --> 00:30:42.300 As a pastor, I have learned that in many ways in ministry than I'd never anticipated that coming to Utah, 00:30:42.300 --> 00:30:48.630 we lived very poor for many, many years just to be here to do ministry. 00:30:49.940 --> 00:30:53.200 Turning down many of opportunities to go elsewhere to make a lot more money. 00:30:54.220 --> 00:30:54.780 Why? 00:30:56.260 --> 00:30:59.540 Because I think this is where God called me and this is where God wants us to mature me, right? 00:30:59.580 --> 00:31:02.680 Or here's one I never anticipated, like I hate goodbyes. 00:31:04.680 --> 00:31:09.920 God moved us to an area where it's growing so rapidly that it's become very transient in nature. 00:31:10.120 --> 00:31:12.300 Just so you know, no one here ever allowed to leave. 00:31:12.300 --> 00:31:14.100 That is a rule out by Bible church, you can never move. 00:31:14.340 --> 00:31:15.940 If you're here, you're stuck forever, okay? 00:31:16.440 --> 00:31:19.300 I hate goodbyes, but here's what I've learned in that and I didn't want to learn this. 00:31:19.920 --> 00:31:20.530 I didn't want to learn this. 00:31:21.900 --> 00:31:22.850 People don't belong to me. 00:31:24.520 --> 00:31:31.070 I'm not trying to hoard people, but I love people and I hate goodbyes, but people don't belong to me. 00:31:32.060 --> 00:31:37.890 They belong to Jesus, and so here's what we have an opportunity to invest in people for the work of his kingdom. 00:31:39.040 --> 00:31:41.680 So, however long you're with us, which is forever, just so you know. 00:31:41.740 --> 00:31:46.050 But, however long you might be with us, that's my hope for you, in your life, and your family. 00:31:47.680 --> 00:31:50.200 That you could know him, that God can mature you, grow you. 00:31:50.380 --> 00:31:51.800 You could celebrate that in Him. 00:31:51.800 --> 00:31:52.500 I got to move on. 00:31:54.380 --> 00:31:56.820 Let me close with these thoughts. 00:31:56.860 --> 00:31:58.180 What discipline is and is not. 00:32:00.360 --> 00:32:01.420 Discipline isn't moralism guys. 00:32:03.360 --> 00:32:10.480 It's interesting in the 1930s that Christian pastors actually heralded Hitler as a great example 00:32:10.480 --> 00:32:15.780 to follow because he didn't smoke, he didn't drink, he encouraged all modesty and he opposed pornography. 00:32:16.200 --> 00:32:17.580 What a great guy, right? 00:32:21.020 --> 00:32:22.000 God's not after moralism. 00:32:25.280 --> 00:32:25.860 He's after you. 00:32:27.140 --> 00:32:32.020 He cares about your heart and He cares so much that He doesn't want to leave it the way it is. 00:32:32.060 --> 00:32:35.740 He wants to see it flourish in this world for His glory. 00:32:37.580 --> 00:32:38.760 So, discipline helps me. 00:32:41.140 --> 00:32:48.150 In a position of being a pastor, it puts you on a platform sometimes where you get a lot of encouraging things and you get criticism, 00:32:48.680 --> 00:32:48.780 right? 00:32:49.440 --> 00:32:53.180 The good part, you experience a lot of highs and you experienced a lot of lows with people. 00:32:56.430 --> 00:33:01.660 What's important in those circumstances is that it really teaches you where you find your identity. 00:33:04.220 --> 00:33:05.020 Who has shaped you? 00:33:05.200 --> 00:33:06.780 What have you built your foundation on? 00:33:08.340 --> 00:33:09.860 This is what I've learned in those things. 00:33:11.000 --> 00:33:12.760 I don't want credit when things go really well. 00:33:12.800 --> 00:33:13.910 I don't want any credit for it. 00:33:13.980 --> 00:33:14.360 You know why? 00:33:15.560 --> 00:33:17.230 Because I don't want any credit when things go bad. 00:33:18.300 --> 00:33:21.420 It's the Lord doing all those things. 00:33:21.440 --> 00:33:30.640 I don't want credit in any of that stuff, but here's what I hope happens in all of it, I'm faithful. 00:33:31.180 --> 00:33:37.340 When you think about the experiences of your life, all the things that you're gonna go through, your moments don't define you, they refund you. 00:33:37.560 --> 00:33:40.980 You're not stuck in your circumstances, it's just something that you're going through. 00:33:42.720 --> 00:33:49.700 If you're faithful, as a great cloud of witnesses, you find the glory of a God who stood with you in all of it. 00:33:53.280 --> 00:33:56.040 In fact, the scripture tells us even when we're not faithful, He is. 00:33:56.040 --> 00:33:59.060 So, discipline helps me and at the same time, discipline helps others. 00:34:00.780 --> 00:34:08.280 This is what I've found in life, is that when I go through ups and downs of life, it makes me very sensitive to 00:34:08.280 --> 00:34:08.940 the need of people. 00:34:10.980 --> 00:34:18.699 As I've learned the course of life of what life can take from you, and what life can give you, and I walk life with people going 00:34:18.699 --> 00:34:19.580 through those circumstances. 00:34:21.420 --> 00:34:23.719 It helps me better relate to them. 00:34:25.120 --> 00:34:31.159 It shows me in my life that my identity and my circumstances, it's really never been about me. 00:34:31.159 --> 00:34:38.260 It's been about him working through me in all of that and able to minister with other people in the circumstances 00:34:38.260 --> 00:34:40.620 that they are facing as well. 00:34:41.239 --> 00:34:48.400 If I just gave you an illustration of someone I think did this beautifully in his life, He just remained faithful despite everything and the up and downs 00:34:48.400 --> 00:34:51.469 that happened, it would be a man by the name of George Mueller. 00:34:53.280 --> 00:34:56.120 Let me skip to this, sorry. 00:34:56.320 --> 00:34:57.970 I got to close the end because we're running out of time. 00:34:58.580 --> 00:35:02.600 George Mueller was born in the early 1800s. 00:35:02.700 --> 00:35:10.140 He lived 100 years in England and he had an orphanage that at one point had over 2000 kids in it. 00:35:10.240 --> 00:35:13.940 In his lifetime, had over 10,000 kids that he cared for in this orphanage. 00:35:14.840 --> 00:35:18.280 The interesting thing about George Mueller is he never beg people for money. 00:35:18.720 --> 00:35:21.720 In fact, he just simply trusted in God. 00:35:21.840 --> 00:35:25.760 What he found in the light in the course of his life is that God always supplied. 00:35:27.800 --> 00:35:30.990 He had this quote, I think is important for all of us as it relates to discipline. 00:35:31.260 --> 00:35:38.620 "The only way to learn strong faith is to enter a grade trials." That's really how we know if our faith is genuine. 00:35:39.120 --> 00:35:47.360 It's why James says, "Consider it all joy my brothers, when you face various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance and let endurance have its perfect work." 00:35:47.500 --> 00:35:50.520 You don't just say, "I love Jesus," but you have a life that really demonstrates it. 00:35:50.900 --> 00:35:52.980 I have a relationship with Jesus, based on what? 00:35:54.260 --> 00:35:55.380 You never read the word. 00:35:55.400 --> 00:35:57.720 You don't get involved with people that are part of God's community. 00:35:58.100 --> 00:35:59.120 You rarely show up for church. 00:35:59.120 --> 00:36:00.120 It's like Easter and Christmas. 00:36:00.420 --> 00:36:01.080 What relationship man? 00:36:03.520 --> 00:36:08.470 Your life should bear fruit, and when your life is tested, then your faith is demonstrated. 00:36:08.800 --> 00:36:14.790 Now, I'm not saying all those legalistic things necessarily prove you have a demonstration with God, but if you really love Jesus, you want to be a part of the things that Jesus cares about. 00:36:18.460 --> 00:36:21.220 The only way to learn strong faith is to dirt gray trials. 00:36:21.480 --> 00:36:28.780 When George Mueller had young people that would move on from the orphanage, when they're old enough to go out into the world, he would take a 00:36:28.780 --> 00:36:32.000 bible and place it in the right hand and a coin and place it in the left hand. 00:36:32.020 --> 00:36:41.260 He would say, "If you seek God with what is in your right hand, he'll make sure to give you what you need in your left hand." 00:36:41.720 --> 00:36:42.450 Run the race. 00:36:44.820 --> 00:36:45.620 God is for your maturity. 00:36:47.720 --> 00:36:49.850 Let me just ask, how are you going to run the race before you? 00:36:51.740 --> 00:36:53.860 Where is God growing your faith right now? 00:36:56.060 --> 00:37:03.160 Naturally, we want to walk away and seek pleasure rather than the adversity in Jesus, but the encouragement 00:37:03.160 --> 00:37:06.900 in this passage is to step out and let God show you He is faithful. 00:37:08.760 --> 00:37:09.900 That He is for your maturity. 00:37:12.060 --> 00:37:19.080 Ministry is about leading from weakness because of what Jesus is 00:37:19.080 --> 00:37:20.640 able to do in you. 00:37:21.760 --> 00:37:24.060 The story of this journey, your journey, my journey. 00:37:25.160 --> 00:37:32.340 It's not about the way we impress God, but rather the way God impresses himself upon us that we may glorify Him 00:37:32.440 --> 00:37:32.980 with our lives.