WEBVTT 00:00:00.540 --> 00:00:03.560 I'm going to invite you this morning to second Corinthians Chapter eight. 00:00:03.580 --> 00:00:04.760 We're going to look at second Corinthians Chapter eight. 00:00:04.840 --> 00:00:09.180 We're actually going to pick up in verse eight and go through the rest of this chapter. 00:00:09.360 --> 00:00:11.300 Today, we're in this book of Second Corinthians together. 00:00:11.360 --> 00:00:17.280 And by the way, if you're interested in just a booklet on the book of Second Corinthians, you can grab these on your way out. 00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:18.360 This is what I've been working through. 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:21.120 Just they're free to you that you can have. 00:00:21.360 --> 00:00:22.940 Just as we work through the rest of this book. 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:26.680 And after today, we'll have four chapters left, but we have a handful of these still remaining. 00:00:26.840 --> 00:00:30.560 So if you'd like one, please grab one as you head out the doors today. 00:00:31.160 --> 00:00:38.400 Second Corinthians Chapter eight as A is sort of a response chapter to everything that Paul has said to us in light of who 00:00:38.400 --> 00:00:39.140 we are in Christ. 00:00:39.640 --> 00:00:43.600 And this is a this is a very encouraging chapter and also a very hard chapter. 00:00:43.620 --> 00:00:50.220 And I love that Paul's willing to move forward into some things that are difficult, because here's how we tend to operate as people. 00:00:50.340 --> 00:00:53.550 When things get hard, we start to get hopeless. 00:00:55.140 --> 00:01:02.320 And but the reality is, when we look at difficult circumstances and we start to battle with that hopelessness, God is still the same God. 00:01:03.360 --> 00:01:08.980 And the beauty of the struggle of life is that grace was made for adversity. 00:01:10.380 --> 00:01:17.540 It's a beautiful opportunity for, in the midst of hardship, to continue to step in the grace of God, because it's in 00:01:17.540 --> 00:01:21.840 the difficulty of life that the grace of God really brightens. 00:01:22.500 --> 00:01:23.600 And it's in it's opportunity. 00:01:24.320 --> 00:01:27.040 It's against the darkness that God's light really is made known. 00:01:27.460 --> 00:01:34.760 And when you read the book of Second Corinthians, one of the things that I love about this book is Paul's writing to a church that has been very challenging to 00:01:34.760 --> 00:01:34.980 him. 00:01:35.740 --> 00:01:42.260 And if you thought about relationships, you think about difficult relationships in your life and you just want to chuck it aside and just say, forget it. 00:01:42.260 --> 00:01:44.540 I mean, for Paul, that was second Corinthians. 00:01:45.560 --> 00:01:52.600 And yet when you read the book of Second Corinthians, here you see the apostle Paul talk about his brothers and sisters in Christ and 00:01:52.600 --> 00:01:57.020 his encouragement to them and referring to them as saints in the Lord. 00:01:57.400 --> 00:01:59.380 And Paul never gets gives up on them. 00:01:59.400 --> 00:02:01.860 Paul continues to minister to them and love on them. 00:02:02.200 --> 00:02:08.500 And I think the reason that Paul does that is because his eyes aren't so much on the circumstance as they are on the Lord. 00:02:09.440 --> 00:02:15.780 And He realizes that Paul plus God in any situation is always the upper hand. 00:02:15.940 --> 00:02:18.600 God in anything doesn't even God doesn't have to be. 00:02:18.740 --> 00:02:22.770 Plus you just got in any situation is always, always got the upper hand. 00:02:22.880 --> 00:02:30.060 And so Paul recognizes that even in the midst of this mess, no matter how difficult things may be and no matter how much this church 00:02:30.060 --> 00:02:37.620 has accused him and attacked him because Paul's eyes are on the Lord, Paul realizes God can continue 00:02:37.620 --> 00:02:38.500 to do a good thing. 00:02:38.500 --> 00:02:41.220 Paul is saying that not only has got done something in Corinth. 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:47.820 But God wants to continue to do great things through Corinth if the church would seize that opportunity. 00:02:49.140 --> 00:02:56.360 And so we spent a large portion of this book up to this point talking about all of the goodness of what we have in Jesus and 00:02:56.480 --> 00:03:02.600 now saying to the church, Now, if your heart realizes this, if your heart begins to recognize this proven. 00:03:04.460 --> 00:03:11.600 Let's let's move forward in all the opportunity that God can do in our lives with the potential of what we could be in Jesus, with 00:03:11.600 --> 00:03:13.300 our with our lives before him. 00:03:13.300 --> 00:03:19.820 And in fact, if you if you see the second Corinthians, chapter eight and verse 24, you kind of see Paul giving the similar statements. 00:03:19.940 --> 00:03:22.290 And we're going to cover everything in the image when he's saying this. 00:03:22.440 --> 00:03:29.820 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. 00:03:30.680 --> 00:03:36.420 He's saying, the church, up to this point, he and the church had this great conflict in their relationship. 00:03:36.620 --> 00:03:43.660 And Paul knew not only for their relationship was this was this not helpful, but also in light of the 00:03:43.680 --> 00:03:50.230 church occurrence relationship to God, because Paul is an apostle and to reject the apostle Paul is to walk away from the Lord. 00:03:50.760 --> 00:03:54.900 And so Paul wants to fight for this church so that a relationship in Christ can flourish. 00:03:55.700 --> 00:03:59.280 And this church has responded and verbally said, okay, Paul, you're right. 00:03:59.320 --> 00:04:04.190 We repent and we want to come back into fellowship with you and we want to grow in the Lord together. 00:04:04.320 --> 00:04:06.380 And now Paul is saying, okay, talk is cheap. 00:04:07.920 --> 00:04:11.860 Talk is cheap, but we want you to understand the opportunity and to walk. 00:04:12.040 --> 00:04:17.860 In light of that, we want you, as he says in this, to prove your love that it is genuine in verse 24. 00:04:17.860 --> 00:04:23.020 So give proof before the churches of your love and of your boasting about you to these men. 00:04:25.440 --> 00:04:30.840 And so this morning, that's exactly what we want to talk about is. 00:04:30.840 --> 00:04:31.680 In the midst of adversity. 00:04:33.970 --> 00:04:36.950 Recognizing that the same God is still with us. 00:04:38.020 --> 00:04:44.160 And we have the opportunity to see great things happening now, not because we're resting in our power, but we're resting in his power. 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:51.660 And this is that's the profound thing of second Corinthians, is that Paul, when they're attacking Paul, he doesn't say and he doesn't match 00:04:51.660 --> 00:04:56.220 their demeanor towards him and this back and forth, but rather he says, you know what, you're right. 00:04:56.220 --> 00:04:56.520 I'm weak. 00:04:57.660 --> 00:04:57.960 I'm weak. 00:05:00.040 --> 00:05:00.780 But God is strong. 00:05:02.300 --> 00:05:08.500 And Paul leans heavily into the grace of God, knowing that anything that happens for his kingdom isn't going to happen in our strength anyway. 00:05:08.620 --> 00:05:09.040 But in his. 00:05:11.260 --> 00:05:15.610 And Paul leans into the Lord, trusting in God and in talking to this church of Corinth. 00:05:15.800 --> 00:05:22.100 And as Paul continues to prove his love towards them, now, Paul is saying, okay, but now what are you made of? 00:05:25.120 --> 00:05:28.180 What does it look like in your Christian life? 00:05:28.200 --> 00:05:35.240 Not to just simply say you're a follower of Jesus, but if you want to stand in the midst of the hard and make a difference, how do you 00:05:35.240 --> 00:05:36.680 prove that love? 00:05:38.720 --> 00:05:44.240 And this is where Paul starts, and he begins in verse nine, not looking to ourselves. 00:05:45.840 --> 00:05:52.880 But he looks again to the Lord because he has this reminder for us that anything we do of any significance will be by 00:05:53.280 --> 00:05:54.900 resting in the goodness of who got is. 00:05:55.880 --> 00:05:59.960 By his power and his identity. 00:05:59.980 --> 00:06:02.800 And so point number one, in your notes, if you're proving your love, this is what we need. 00:06:03.680 --> 00:06:04.820 Sacrificial serving. 00:06:05.560 --> 00:06:06.520 Sacrificial serving. 00:06:06.540 --> 00:06:10.860 And he demonstrates this through through Christ and His grace, as it's made known in our lives. 00:06:10.940 --> 00:06:18.000 And he says, verse nine, for, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:23.940 sake, he became poor, so that you, by his poverty, might become rich. 00:06:25.020 --> 00:06:28.940 That word, poverty in this verse is a very telling word. 00:06:29.660 --> 00:06:31.420 It literally means a beggar. 00:06:32.640 --> 00:06:38.940 How much did Jesus give up in order to offer his grace for your life? 00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:40.400 And he gave up everything. 00:06:41.920 --> 00:06:43.430 To the point that he had to beg. 00:06:44.620 --> 00:06:48.000 He literally was totally dependent. 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:49.980 And we see that in the will of the father. 00:06:50.600 --> 00:06:55.220 But he lived his life just trusting that the father would provide as he came to this world. 00:06:55.560 --> 00:07:02.760 And then when you look at the specifics of Jesus life, what is so incredible about Christ is Jesus 00:07:02.760 --> 00:07:08.480 endured the greatest form, I think, of human torture that is that has ever existed. 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:14.860 The crucifix was something that took centuries to perfect, and Rome certainly perfected it. 00:07:15.260 --> 00:07:18.840 But it was the worst way in all of history to die. 00:07:19.740 --> 00:07:23.140 I mean, you were you were crucified, one nailed to a cross. 00:07:23.140 --> 00:07:27.110 But you also endured suffocation and dehydration. 00:07:28.520 --> 00:07:31.120 And Jesus willingly endured that. 00:07:31.140 --> 00:07:35.240 But not not only that, he was betrayed by his friends. 00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:38.500 His own people turn their back upon him. 00:07:39.880 --> 00:07:47.160 He was the victim of the Roman Empire, led by Pontius Pilate, who made it known that he wasn't even interested in what 00:07:47.160 --> 00:07:48.620 was what was the truth? 00:07:49.080 --> 00:07:51.700 Everyone knew that he was innocent. 00:07:51.980 --> 00:07:57.320 They chose to release a criminal instead, instead of releasing Jesus. 00:07:57.840 --> 00:08:01.880 And to top it all off, he knew that all of it was going to happen to him. 00:08:03.300 --> 00:08:03.960 And he did it anyway. 00:08:09.020 --> 00:08:09.700 He was rich. 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:13.050 It became poor. 00:08:15.560 --> 00:08:22.700 And now Paul is looking at the mission, which God calls us on, and he's asking us to consider the example 00:08:22.700 --> 00:08:25.100 that Christ has set before us. 00:08:28.400 --> 00:08:31.510 Jesus's grace made a difference in your life. 00:08:33.559 --> 00:08:34.539 It transforms you. 00:08:35.900 --> 00:08:37.740 When your life is surrendered to that. 00:08:37.760 --> 00:08:44.840 And as we live in light of that example, that same kind of grace that comes out of us is something that works in the hearts of people 00:08:44.840 --> 00:08:52.370 as it's as that Christ like behavior is mimicked in our lives, that God continues to use that to transform the heart of others. 00:08:54.600 --> 00:08:55.580 But how? 00:08:58.580 --> 00:09:04.580 How in the world could you even begin to mimic that sort of sacrificial servant lifestyle? 00:09:07.020 --> 00:09:08.880 I think a couple of ways. 00:09:08.920 --> 00:09:08.920 One. 00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:12.440 You have to believe in a big God. 00:09:15.060 --> 00:09:17.140 And you have to believe that God is with you. 00:09:18.180 --> 00:09:19.060 And that God is for you. 00:09:22.200 --> 00:09:26.640 Growing in an understanding of this God and just how incredibly vast he is. 00:09:26.640 --> 00:09:33.780 I mean, we see this in Christ himself not only becoming the form of a servant, but also triumphing over the grave and his resurrection, sin, 00:09:33.780 --> 00:09:35.520 Satan and death cannot defeat him. 00:09:36.920 --> 00:09:43.460 Even to the point that after his resurrection, he looks at his church and he says, Now go into all the world and make disciples. 00:09:43.780 --> 00:09:47.420 And Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the earth or to the end of the age. 00:09:50.000 --> 00:09:55.500 And he gives this declaration in chapter 28, verse 18, and Matthew, that all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. 00:09:57.360 --> 00:10:04.560 And some of that declaration of his power that he then calls his people on the blessing of his promise to represent 00:10:04.560 --> 00:10:05.200 him in this world. 00:10:10.340 --> 00:10:13.900 It's by believing a big God who is with you and who is for you. 00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:19.040 But even reading verses like this, I think it's important to ask that big question why? 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:23.100 Why in the world would Christ want to do this? 00:10:24.660 --> 00:10:26.800 Or why in the world would Christ do this? 00:10:28.460 --> 00:10:31.810 If you have what you need, why be inconvenience? 00:10:33.700 --> 00:10:36.560 You think about Jesus's position in life? 00:10:36.780 --> 00:10:41.700 If life is all about being comfortable and having things? 00:10:42.860 --> 00:10:47.900 There's no one who had better comfort and more possessions than Christ Himself as he ruled and reigned from heaven. 00:10:50.180 --> 00:10:54.620 So why in the world would he do this if life is just about comfort and convenience? 00:10:54.700 --> 00:10:54.800 Why? 00:10:55.080 --> 00:10:58.910 Why would you put yourself in this position of sacrifice for the sake of others? 00:11:00.720 --> 00:11:01.120 One. 00:11:01.120 --> 00:11:02.140 It's a mark of a good leader. 00:11:04.200 --> 00:11:08.240 A good leader is one who will sacrifice what they have for the benefit of others so that they may succeed. 00:11:10.920 --> 00:11:17.280 But Jesus is teaching us, I think, something more important and he's doing a work for us that is by far more important. 00:11:17.700 --> 00:11:22.480 He's demonstrating us there's something of more value in life than simply comfort and possessions. 00:11:25.180 --> 00:11:28.680 And that is relationship. 00:11:29.960 --> 00:11:34.500 That is something we could not have in the Lord unless we were reconciled to Him because of our sin. 00:11:35.060 --> 00:11:42.080 And Jesus was willing to bring, bring to us to the opportunity of having a relationship with our Creator by paying for our 00:11:42.080 --> 00:11:43.030 sins. 00:11:44.200 --> 00:11:47.080 It's the same thing that Paul is fighting for in Corinth, for the church. 00:11:48.700 --> 00:11:55.740 Either they're severed in relationship and Paul knows how important that relationship is because it becomes a flow of grace that they can experience the goodness and 00:11:55.740 --> 00:11:56.720 truth of who Christ is. 00:11:56.960 --> 00:11:58.660 And so he's willing to fight for them. 00:12:00.740 --> 00:12:02.120 But they could be free in the Lord. 00:12:05.860 --> 00:12:06.860 Jesus is teaching us this. 00:12:06.940 --> 00:12:10.400 If you have everything this world has to offer, yet you do not have Christ. 00:12:11.800 --> 00:12:12.260 You are poor. 00:12:14.180 --> 00:12:14.560 Yet. 00:12:14.560 --> 00:12:19.030 If you have nothing that this earth has to offer yet, you have Jesus. 00:12:21.180 --> 00:12:21.680 You are rich. 00:12:24.080 --> 00:12:25.210 And he goes on and he says this. 00:12:25.360 --> 00:12:32.380 And in light of that, in verse ten and in this matter, I give my judgment the benefits this benefits you who a year ago started not only 00:12:32.380 --> 00:12:35.380 to do this work, but also to desire to do it. 00:12:35.420 --> 00:12:42.820 And Jesus is identifying, look, the point of all of this is to understand, yes, we're giving ourselves for the sake of others, but to 00:12:42.820 --> 00:12:45.020 also understand that in that this is beneficial for you. 00:12:47.340 --> 00:12:52.160 This is to your game to mimic Jesus is a great blessing. 00:12:52.160 --> 00:12:55.880 And we could go on from here and list several reasons as to why it becomes a benefit for us. 00:12:55.900 --> 00:13:01.890 And I don't mean to give us an exhaustive list here, but I could just say this just a few things as it relates to us. 00:13:02.320 --> 00:13:09.420 It shows that when you're willing to give your life for the cause of Christ to the blessing of others, the way it benefits you, it shows 00:13:09.420 --> 00:13:10.460 nothing in this world. 00:13:10.520 --> 00:13:17.920 If you're if you're if your behavior is to live that lifestyle, if your desire is to know Christ in this way, it shows that nothing this world offers you has 00:13:17.920 --> 00:13:19.140 imprison your heart. 00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:19.400 But. 00:13:19.400 --> 00:13:20.000 But Christ alone. 00:13:22.640 --> 00:13:26.440 It shows you're involved in a community for the sake of Christ. 00:13:26.920 --> 00:13:34.060 And in that relationship, it really comes back around to bless you as you give your life for Jesus in that community, that community then has 00:13:34.060 --> 00:13:35.740 opportunity to return. 00:13:36.040 --> 00:13:41.340 And in loving you and caring for you and through that community, it makes a difference in this world. 00:13:42.800 --> 00:13:47.240 It demonstrates that your heart faithfully is about completing what Christ has called you to. 00:13:47.280 --> 00:13:47.620 That you are. 00:13:47.840 --> 00:13:48.800 You're not a quitter. 00:13:52.010 --> 00:13:53.600 And through it all, your walk with Jesus grows. 00:13:55.840 --> 00:14:03.020 As you experientially live out the pattern of Christ in your own life, it helps you better relate to what Jesus has done on your behalf 00:14:03.020 --> 00:14:04.320 by giving His life for you. 00:14:06.880 --> 00:14:09.820 I think for us as people, there is no greater sense of worship. 00:14:11.140 --> 00:14:16.360 Then when we in our love for God, take the opportunity to extend that love towards one another. 00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:20.580 One because Jesus has made people in his image. 00:14:22.100 --> 00:14:29.220 And so every image bearer of God as we love on them, we're showing our appreciation towards our creator, but also knowing that Jesus gave 00:14:29.220 --> 00:14:30.910 his life for them. 00:14:32.460 --> 00:14:39.600 And if Jesus was willing to do that for people, how great it is for me to show my love and return back to Christ the way that I serve 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:41.260 in this world and care for others. 00:14:45.740 --> 00:14:46.300 Sacrificial serving. 00:14:48.180 --> 00:14:55.180 Jesus says it like this and this in chapter nine of verse six of the same book, he who so sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who was 00:14:55.180 --> 00:15:00.250 bound to flee, will also reap bountiful lay demonstrating a heart of giving. 00:15:01.660 --> 00:15:08.860 Point number two in your notes, not only just sacrificial serving, by the way, I would say this if we looked at these four points, this point number one is really the overall statement 00:15:08.860 --> 00:15:09.720 to the rest of these points. 00:15:09.880 --> 00:15:13.900 The rest of these points almost become a sub point to this first point. 00:15:13.900 --> 00:15:16.370 But point number two in your notes is this faithful generosity. 00:15:18.180 --> 00:15:25.360 If the church is willing to and desiring to prove its love in the midst of adversity, not losing or walking in hopelessness, but walking in hope because they 00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:26.380 know that God is with them. 00:15:26.820 --> 00:15:29.320 One sacrificial serving to faithful generosity. 00:15:29.320 --> 00:15:32.480 Verse number 11, verse 11 says this. 00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:39.600 So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness and desiring it may be matched by your completing out of 00:15:39.660 --> 00:15:41.040 what you have. 00:15:43.060 --> 00:15:46.090 And Paul is saying, look, church, you started to do this in the beginning. 00:15:46.120 --> 00:15:47.020 You saw a need. 00:15:47.020 --> 00:15:48.200 You responded to that need. 00:15:48.200 --> 00:15:51.900 You were very faithful in your generosity, but for some reason, you stopped. 00:15:56.070 --> 00:15:59.190 And God has called you to be a people of generosity. 00:16:00.500 --> 00:16:02.110 I said this last week. 00:16:02.980 --> 00:16:06.040 Generosity, by the way, doesn't just have to do with financial giving. 00:16:06.840 --> 00:16:13.120 When it says in verse number nine that Jesus became poor to the point that he was a beggar. 00:16:13.220 --> 00:16:17.020 It's not it's not just it's not talking about just worldly wealth or financial wealth. 00:16:17.020 --> 00:16:18.380 What it's saying is in every capacity. 00:16:20.520 --> 00:16:22.580 Jesus became the servant of servants. 00:16:24.560 --> 00:16:31.560 And he's saying to the church here in this passage that if you understand what Christ has really done for you, generosity is not something that you 00:16:31.560 --> 00:16:34.400 just you just do and feel good about it, patting yourself on the back. 00:16:34.480 --> 00:16:35.900 It's not something all of a sudden you see a need. 00:16:36.080 --> 00:16:38.670 You decide to be generous and you walk away and say, See, I'm a generous person. 00:16:39.220 --> 00:16:40.960 I once gave to a need. 00:16:41.320 --> 00:16:44.220 Generosity is a way in which we live our life. 00:16:44.280 --> 00:16:51.360 It is a lifestyle of God's people that we walk in this world with the consistency of saying, where is God calling me to lay down my life for 00:16:51.360 --> 00:16:52.940 the benefit of others to the glory of God? 00:16:55.380 --> 00:17:02.400 And Paul is looking at the church and saying, look, I saw that spirit may making himself known in your life, but then something happened in your world that caused 00:17:02.400 --> 00:17:03.800 you to pull back from that. 00:17:04.079 --> 00:17:11.400 But this is not who we are as believers in Christ, because when we when we are enriched and the grace of God and we understand exactly what God has delivered from us, we 00:17:11.400 --> 00:17:14.560 drip with the generosity of Jesus in this world. 00:17:15.819 --> 00:17:18.740 Because we know more than anyone we did nothing to deserve it. 00:17:21.500 --> 00:17:23.400 How could we be anything less than generous? 00:17:26.079 --> 00:17:27.780 Because of what Christ has done. 00:17:29.400 --> 00:17:32.600 The demonstration of your heart that you really understand the gospel. 00:17:34.400 --> 00:17:36.300 Is that your life would bleed with generosity. 00:17:39.220 --> 00:17:41.320 As you live as a servant of Christ. 00:17:41.500 --> 00:17:48.360 And there's several reasons we could list why we fail to carry that spirit forth in this world. 00:17:48.520 --> 00:17:48.520 One. 00:17:48.600 --> 00:17:50.150 One could be simply sinfulness. 00:17:51.760 --> 00:17:58.840 We can get away from God because of sinfulness in our heart, whether it's guilt or shame that we don't feel connected to God anymore, whatever it is, 00:17:58.860 --> 00:18:05.260 we're driven away from just living in that life lifestyle of generosity or to it can be good things. 00:18:05.400 --> 00:18:06.380 Doesn't have to be bad things. 00:18:06.400 --> 00:18:07.050 It can be good things. 00:18:07.100 --> 00:18:11.880 We just get distracted with the good things of life and we forget the great things that God calls us to. 00:18:13.520 --> 00:18:16.120 Or maybe like in this chapter, it could be a lack of trust. 00:18:18.600 --> 00:18:22.120 You see in this church, they've come to battle with the Apostle Paul. 00:18:22.120 --> 00:18:25.220 And Paul's calling the church into some great things. 00:18:25.260 --> 00:18:26.920 But they just they don't trust Paul. 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:31.020 And Paul's working on building that trust again so they can move together as a body of Christ. 00:18:33.480 --> 00:18:38.360 But whatever it is, the spirit of generosity and proving our love becomes essential for the body of believers. 00:18:38.780 --> 00:18:45.860 In verse, verse 12, he goes on and says this for if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, 00:18:46.180 --> 00:18:48.100 not according to what he does not have. 00:18:49.260 --> 00:18:50.060 And this is great. 00:18:51.700 --> 00:18:55.160 This is God saying being faithful is not taking the weight of the world on your shoulders. 00:18:57.100 --> 00:18:59.880 God is not asking you to be the hero. 00:19:02.220 --> 00:19:04.700 God is just asking you to participate in the story. 00:19:07.620 --> 00:19:07.980 Cousin. 00:19:08.040 --> 00:19:10.740 I ask you to be something he didn't create you to be. 00:19:13.280 --> 00:19:17.480 God is asking you to take of what He has given you and use it for His glory. 00:19:19.880 --> 00:19:26.920 I find a lot of times as people we become discontent when we feel like we've got to perform in order to be acceptable or we've got to live 00:19:26.920 --> 00:19:29.840 our lives to look exactly like someone else. 00:19:30.520 --> 00:19:32.120 God doesn't call you to be someone else. 00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:37.690 God calls you to be who He created you to be. 00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:47.340 To live in light of Christ and understand the way that he has gifted you in order to bless others and to utilize that 00:19:47.340 --> 00:19:54.180 he made you unique in those gift sets in order to serve in this world for his kingdom and glory. 00:19:58.120 --> 00:20:02.520 And I know sometimes when we look at the world around us, it becomes overwhelming and all of it needs. 00:20:04.620 --> 00:20:05.640 Reminded of this. 00:20:07.320 --> 00:20:09.180 Just when you leave this place today. 00:20:10.460 --> 00:20:13.400 Make an attempt to do, for one, what you wish you could do for everyone. 00:20:16.260 --> 00:20:17.300 Just find a spot. 00:20:17.360 --> 00:20:18.050 You can make a difference. 00:20:19.700 --> 00:20:22.340 And let the grace of God be made known in your life. 00:20:24.260 --> 00:20:27.280 Sacrificial, serving, faithful generosity you see continues on. 00:20:27.280 --> 00:20:34.280 Then in verse, verse 13, for I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that is a 00:20:34.280 --> 00:20:35.260 matter of fairness. 00:20:35.320 --> 00:20:42.360 Your abundance at the present time should supply their needs so that their abundance may supply your need, that there 00:20:42.360 --> 00:20:44.420 may be fairness as it is written. 00:20:44.420 --> 00:20:49.620 Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. 00:20:49.620 --> 00:20:51.450 He goes on verse 15 and says that. 00:20:53.220 --> 00:21:00.360 What Paul is saying is, look, and I don't think I've told you that to this point, but what Paul is asking the church to do is actually give to another 00:21:00.360 --> 00:21:00.680 church. 00:21:00.700 --> 00:21:02.560 He wants them to give to the church in Jerusalem. 00:21:03.820 --> 00:21:06.230 And the reason for that is the church in Jerusalem has been devastated. 00:21:06.680 --> 00:21:07.280 There was a famine. 00:21:07.860 --> 00:21:10.220 Rome has placed significant pressure on Jerusalem. 00:21:10.220 --> 00:21:13.260 So the people are impoverished for that reason. 00:21:13.300 --> 00:21:16.710 And then on top of that, the Christian church has faced mass persecution. 00:21:18.900 --> 00:21:20.790 And so he sees them just getting ripped apart. 00:21:21.260 --> 00:21:26.860 And Paul saying, look, you as a church that has think about your brothers and sisters in Christ that have need. 00:21:27.660 --> 00:21:32.680 And Paul's Paul's saying, look, in these verses I'm not trying to take from you in order to make you poor so that they're rich. 00:21:32.760 --> 00:21:33.770 That's not the point at all. 00:21:35.160 --> 00:21:41.100 But he's saying but there's something that you have in abundance that can help with the equality of the need and the circumstance. 00:21:41.260 --> 00:21:48.320 And when Paul talks about equality, he's not he's not carrying this idea of an economic Marxist, socialistic, communistic society. 00:21:48.340 --> 00:21:50.680 That's not what is on Paul's mind here. 00:21:53.360 --> 00:21:54.200 Just seeing a need. 00:21:54.200 --> 00:21:55.880 And he's saying to us and we have a place to respond. 00:21:57.700 --> 00:22:03.110 We recognize where God is gifted and blessed us and its order for us to take a stand to help others. 00:22:05.240 --> 00:22:12.340 And I thought about this for a little bit and how to respond in light of the Spurs, because I kept coming at it with this attitude of every time 00:22:12.340 --> 00:22:19.660 what I what I said to myself that I thought about saying out loud, I thought, man, I think you sound like a cranky old man when 00:22:19.660 --> 00:22:20.560 you say this. 00:22:20.560 --> 00:22:23.420 So I want to say something, but. 00:22:23.540 --> 00:22:25.540 But attempt to pepper this with grace. 00:22:26.040 --> 00:22:26.340 But I. 00:22:26.440 --> 00:22:28.460 But I hope you hear me in the right spirit. 00:22:28.500 --> 00:22:35.560 If I could just if I could just change maybe one thing in our culture that we tend as God's 00:22:35.620 --> 00:22:39.700 people sometimes embrace, because I think it prevents us from moving forward. 00:22:39.720 --> 00:22:46.740 If I could just say a prayer and everything, just change or wave a magic wand, I don't know whatever and just change would change for us 00:22:47.580 --> 00:22:54.840 is the spirit of entitlement I find God's people often carry around and I don't mean what you have in Jesus and that identity, but 00:22:55.480 --> 00:23:02.920 sometimes this idea of an entitlement, what we feel like is owed to us, because oftentimes I find that spirit of entitlement becomes a distraction from 00:23:02.920 --> 00:23:06.260 just opening our eyes from the potential of what God has for us in hard things. 00:23:07.660 --> 00:23:14.660 And what I mean is sometimes we can carry this sense of entitlement so much that all we do as people is we become a sense of complainers or carry this attitude of 00:23:14.740 --> 00:23:17.920 complaining because we don't get what we want. 00:23:17.980 --> 00:23:22.080 We feel like we deserve it and we're not going to do what we should do until we get what we want. 00:23:22.140 --> 00:23:29.160 Because while our situation is not what we desired and so therefore we carry this nasty attitude about it, wanting things to be 00:23:29.160 --> 00:23:30.320 different before we move forward. 00:23:33.120 --> 00:23:37.320 And Paul is saying everything opposite of that in this passages of Scripture. 00:23:37.780 --> 00:23:44.960 Sometimes we look at the imperfections of life and we get we get so distracted by the imperfections that our lives are blinded from the goodness and grace of 00:23:44.960 --> 00:23:46.750 God that has already been made known in our world. 00:23:46.880 --> 00:23:53.940 And we become absent minded to the to the rejoicing that we should carry forth on what God has already given us and the opportunity we have to shine for 00:23:53.940 --> 00:23:55.400 Him in the midst of hard things. 00:23:58.340 --> 00:24:03.640 And if you wait for things to get better before you do things, you're going to do very little things for God in this world. 00:24:05.840 --> 00:24:12.860 But if you keep your eyes on what you have in Christ, despite what my might or might not be happening around you, God can use you 00:24:12.860 --> 00:24:16.200 to make big waves and big differences in the lives of people around you. 00:24:18.600 --> 00:24:21.700 Not because your eyes are on the circumstances, but because your eyes are on him. 00:24:23.600 --> 00:24:25.000 And everything that God has given you. 00:24:27.900 --> 00:24:30.330 And Paul is saying this to the church in the situation. 00:24:31.060 --> 00:24:31.360 Yeah. 00:24:31.360 --> 00:24:33.170 With Paul they may have had a difficult time. 00:24:34.200 --> 00:24:34.380 Yeah. 00:24:34.420 --> 00:24:36.180 Some things may have gone everywhere they wanted to go. 00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:37.680 But man, water under the bridge. 00:24:37.920 --> 00:24:39.980 God is still wanting to do a work through his people. 00:24:44.120 --> 00:24:51.360 Maybe what I mean to say is if we could just get rid of the sense of entitlement is to say this if God's people just got better at rejoicing in 00:24:51.360 --> 00:24:52.480 the Lord. 00:24:53.920 --> 00:24:55.580 And carrying a spirit of thankfulness. 00:24:57.780 --> 00:25:04.740 How much easier it would be for us to recognize that in the midst of difficult things, the great things that we can still do for God. 00:25:04.920 --> 00:25:05.440 Was that too harsh? 00:25:06.800 --> 00:25:07.420 Was that too grumpy? 00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:08.920 Okay. 00:25:09.060 --> 00:25:09.660 All right, we'll move it on. 00:25:10.080 --> 00:25:10.800 If it was, forgive me. 00:25:10.940 --> 00:25:11.240 We're moving on. 00:25:15.100 --> 00:25:17.710 A lack of generosity carries with it a spirit of selfishness. 00:25:18.140 --> 00:25:21.480 And again, selfishness is an indication that we as people don't know the gospel of this. 00:25:21.520 --> 00:25:22.480 And Ephesians Chapter four. 00:25:22.540 --> 00:25:23.200 Think about this for a minute. 00:25:23.660 --> 00:25:25.140 He contrasts this idea of generosity. 00:25:25.380 --> 00:25:32.620 This way he says, like this Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor doing honest work with his own hands so that he may have 00:25:32.620 --> 00:25:34.920 something to share with anyone in need. 00:25:36.160 --> 00:25:39.800 If he's in chapter four, verse 28 really gives Gods God's people two options in life. 00:25:40.180 --> 00:25:42.620 You can either be a thief or you can be generous. 00:25:42.860 --> 00:25:43.730 That's the two choices. 00:25:44.120 --> 00:25:44.840 There's nothing else. 00:25:45.080 --> 00:25:46.750 You can be a thief or you can be generous. 00:25:47.180 --> 00:25:51.760 And it's like, I look at this verse, I'm like, Wait, was there can there please be like a third option? 00:25:51.760 --> 00:25:53.980 You're like, what about what about if we're just stingy, right? 00:25:53.980 --> 00:25:54.860 Can we just be stingy? 00:25:55.240 --> 00:25:58.320 But if you think about it, stingy implies something. 00:25:58.840 --> 00:26:04.420 Stingy implies that you own something and you just are going to want to hold on to a little harder. 00:26:04.420 --> 00:26:05.600 You don't quite want to give it away. 00:26:06.060 --> 00:26:07.420 But here's the reality with God's people. 00:26:08.140 --> 00:26:08.720 You don't own anything. 00:26:11.200 --> 00:26:13.320 There is nothing in this world that belongs to you. 00:26:14.560 --> 00:26:15.020 It's all his. 00:26:16.700 --> 00:26:17.290 It's all his. 00:26:17.780 --> 00:26:21.460 And whatever you have in this life, it's only by the grace of God you've been given it. 00:26:22.100 --> 00:26:25.680 And really, the better title of looking at yourself rather than an owner is a steward. 00:26:26.700 --> 00:26:33.760 Because everything that you possess in this world, you're accountable to God for what you wear, where you live, what you drive, whatever you do, 00:26:33.760 --> 00:26:34.780 those resources. 00:26:36.180 --> 00:26:37.060 It's not yours, it's his. 00:26:38.540 --> 00:26:42.740 And so under that thought, then, for God's people, really, there's really two options. 00:26:42.820 --> 00:26:45.200 You become a thief or you become generous. 00:26:45.220 --> 00:26:46.360 It kind of works like this. 00:26:46.500 --> 00:26:51.970 If you if you let's say we're a car mechanic and someone brings their car to you to get fixed. 00:26:54.180 --> 00:26:59.800 And you know, when they bring that car that you didn't do your best work, that you gave a shoddy job and you return it back to them. 00:27:01.300 --> 00:27:01.600 You're stealing. 00:27:03.500 --> 00:27:05.520 And you never really owned that car to begin with. 00:27:06.380 --> 00:27:08.150 You were simply a steward of it. 00:27:09.720 --> 00:27:12.780 And to not steward it well is to steal. 00:27:14.320 --> 00:27:19.160 And it's the same thing with the things that God has given us in this world to really recognize through through our hand. 00:27:19.160 --> 00:27:21.050 Like you did not control where you were born. 00:27:22.920 --> 00:27:25.460 You did not control the mind that was given to you. 00:27:26.560 --> 00:27:28.550 That's all by the grace of God that has been offered. 00:27:28.720 --> 00:27:32.200 And so it becomes an opportunity then to leverage it for His glory and goodness. 00:27:33.780 --> 00:27:41.040 And so Paul is saying, look, faithful generosity matters and God has been entrusted to these things, these possessions, these opportunities to 00:27:41.080 --> 00:27:41.740 make a difference. 00:27:41.960 --> 00:27:49.220 And first, John 317 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes as hard against him, how 00:27:49.220 --> 00:27:50.860 does God's love abide in him? 00:27:52.440 --> 00:27:54.220 I mean, could you even begin to explain that? 00:27:54.680 --> 00:28:01.780 Because when you begin to when you really understand the purpose of which God has have made has made people, and the purpose for which God has given his life for 00:28:01.780 --> 00:28:02.280 people. 00:28:03.140 --> 00:28:06.720 If God is willing to do that for people, how precious people must be to the Lord. 00:28:07.420 --> 00:28:11.140 And for us to say we belong to God but not care for people in that way with the things that we have. 00:28:12.100 --> 00:28:16.020 It doesn't it doesn't fit the context of the title of a Christian. 00:28:17.340 --> 00:28:20.500 So faithful generosity becomes important for our lives. 00:28:20.500 --> 00:28:27.640 And verse 15, he gave us that example then of saying, as it is written, whoever gathered much had nothing left over and whoever gathered little 00:28:27.640 --> 00:28:28.680 hadn't had no lack. 00:28:28.680 --> 00:28:35.840 He's taking this from the Book of Exodus when God provided manna that people would go out and gather, and as some could gather more than others, they would just share with one 00:28:35.840 --> 00:28:38.800 another because they understood that what fell from the sky. 00:28:39.960 --> 00:28:40.480 It was from God. 00:28:41.980 --> 00:28:43.880 So why would it be their resource to hoard? 00:28:44.560 --> 00:28:46.540 And if someone had a need, why not share it? 00:28:48.120 --> 00:28:49.520 And so Paul encourages that way. 00:28:49.520 --> 00:28:51.740 Number three, is this cooperative conviction. 00:28:51.740 --> 00:28:52.660 A cooperative conviction? 00:28:52.660 --> 00:28:59.800 He moves on and says, But thanks, but thanks be to God who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest 00:28:59.800 --> 00:29:06.260 care I have for you, for he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest. 00:29:06.880 --> 00:29:10.780 He is going to you of his own accord. 00:29:12.560 --> 00:29:19.610 I think Paul's excited by this and he wants the church to be excited by this, saying, look, this is not just something I desire. 00:29:20.640 --> 00:29:22.880 This is something moving in the heart of God's people. 00:29:23.620 --> 00:29:28.000 And God's people are getting excited about this, so much so that it's not just me wanting to come to you. 00:29:28.060 --> 00:29:30.780 It's really God's people collectively. 00:29:30.840 --> 00:29:38.060 They see how all of us are working together to make this difference, a cooperative conviction among God's people. 00:29:38.060 --> 00:29:42.720 I mean, it is it is a powerful movement that God can make when our hearts are given over to him. 00:29:42.820 --> 00:29:46.120 And we start to look at this world the way that Jesus looks at this world. 00:29:46.140 --> 00:29:49.240 And we collaborate and work together to see it accomplished. 00:29:51.180 --> 00:29:52.120 And it's exciting. 00:29:52.200 --> 00:29:53.700 In fact, you think about the opposite of that. 00:29:54.980 --> 00:30:00.280 And how not fun it is to do something by yourself. 00:30:01.780 --> 00:30:08.940 I can tell you some of my greatest life lessons of how important community is when I've walked into 00:30:08.940 --> 00:30:11.220 things of this world and I didn't have a community around me. 00:30:12.620 --> 00:30:17.520 I even know for us as a church like God was gracious to us and we were able to get this building. 00:30:18.320 --> 00:30:23.040 And at the time we got this building, we were a very small group of people and we had to do a lot of work. 00:30:23.060 --> 00:30:27.740 A lot of people put a lot of work in this facility because we just had we had pennies to get this building done. 00:30:28.140 --> 00:30:34.580 And I remember there were some weeks where I showed up and I knew people wanted to be here, but they couldn't be here because, well, they had jobs. 00:30:35.400 --> 00:30:40.040 And I was here and I remember walking this building a few times just by myself. 00:30:40.060 --> 00:30:40.480 And it was lonely. 00:30:41.360 --> 00:30:42.570 And it was it was hard. 00:30:42.920 --> 00:30:44.600 And I would just get all sad in myself. 00:30:45.040 --> 00:30:52.060 And if you ask me now, what's what's been the hardest time ever in ministry, I will tell you it was this stinkin building when I was here by myself 00:30:52.060 --> 00:30:54.980 working on it, because it is not fun doing things by yourself. 00:30:55.180 --> 00:30:58.790 But when you when one person just shows up, it is fantastic. 00:30:59.040 --> 00:31:04.500 Like, it's like someone else cares with me and they see how this makes a difference and we can do this together. 00:31:04.900 --> 00:31:05.800 And this is awesome. 00:31:06.160 --> 00:31:13.300 And that's what that's what Paul is saying in this passage is like, look, we're not we're not just an island that you're participating as a community for the cause of Christ 00:31:13.300 --> 00:31:14.970 and what God can do. 00:31:15.760 --> 00:31:20.700 And I think it's a beautiful thing, even for us as a church family and what God has done and what God wants to do. 00:31:20.820 --> 00:31:27.840 I love it when we get missions teams here and we get to explain to people they come from anywhere else in this country and they just want to serve and they get to learn 00:31:27.840 --> 00:31:30.560 about Utah and they're just blown away by the needs in Utah. 00:31:31.060 --> 00:31:34.090 And they love this place and they get excited about it and they want to support it. 00:31:34.440 --> 00:31:41.600 And this church then through that becomes like a catalyst to see God do more things and continue to explode from your church planning and 00:31:41.600 --> 00:31:42.350 opportunity. 00:31:42.740 --> 00:31:49.890 I mean, at this point, I feel like every day I'm talking to someone that's moving to Utah, that's coming to plan, to church or to serve in some capacity. 00:31:50.200 --> 00:31:50.910 It is fantastic. 00:31:51.240 --> 00:31:51.670 It is incredible. 00:31:53.760 --> 00:31:55.330 But it's because of a faithful community. 00:31:57.380 --> 00:31:59.140 The kids have vision for what God wants to do. 00:32:00.640 --> 00:32:04.910 Stay faithful with a heart of generosity, willing to lay their selves down for the cause of Christ. 00:32:06.280 --> 00:32:07.900 And Paul wants the church to see that. 00:32:07.900 --> 00:32:14.920 Not only does he talk in this passage about Titus, but he also goes on and he says to 00:32:14.920 --> 00:32:16.520 us, one, to read the rest of verse 18. 00:32:16.600 --> 00:32:23.140 When we read that with him, we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the Gospel. 00:32:23.880 --> 00:32:31.000 And not only that, but he has been appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of grace that is being 00:32:31.540 --> 00:32:35.720 ministered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself and to show our goodwill. 00:32:36.740 --> 00:32:40.740 It's Paul saying, and it's not only Titus, but this other famous guy doesn't even tell us who the famous guy is. 00:32:40.740 --> 00:32:42.490 I think one, because he doesn't really care about fame. 00:32:43.300 --> 00:32:44.940 But two, we don't really even need to know. 00:32:45.060 --> 00:32:48.220 It's just people that matter, I guess to them are even excited about it. 00:32:48.320 --> 00:32:53.200 So he's just he's building that opportunity to see all of God's hand and the way it's at work. 00:32:53.780 --> 00:32:54.480 And then point number four. 00:32:56.380 --> 00:32:56.540 Healthy accountability. 00:32:59.220 --> 00:33:00.410 We need healthy accountability. 00:33:01.960 --> 00:33:07.980 My reason for that is it's easy to get distracted when things get hard or even when life goes good. 00:33:09.800 --> 00:33:11.840 And so he says to us in the verse 20. 00:33:13.580 --> 00:33:14.620 We take this course? 00:33:15.940 --> 00:33:21.760 So that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us. 00:33:23.140 --> 00:33:23.340 Four. 00:33:23.360 --> 00:33:28.240 We aim at what is honorable, not only in the Lord's sight, but also in the sight of man. 00:33:29.240 --> 00:33:36.600 And with them, we are sending our brother, whom we have often tested and found earnest and many manners, but 00:33:36.600 --> 00:33:43.240 who is more earnest than ever before because of his great confidence in you. 00:33:43.300 --> 00:33:46.480 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit. 00:33:47.200 --> 00:33:52.240 And as for your brother, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. 00:33:54.340 --> 00:33:58.720 Paul tells us he wants accountability in verse 20 and he tells us why. 00:34:00.040 --> 00:34:04.620 The reason he wants accountability is because he wants a good testimony, not just before the Lord, but before others. 00:34:06.260 --> 00:34:11.630 Trust is one of the most important commodities you have if you want to make a difference in this world. 00:34:13.000 --> 00:34:18.150 Which means your character needs to be one of integrity in order to maintain that trust. 00:34:19.179 --> 00:34:23.360 It's Paul's having adversity with the Church of Corinth and being able to cooperate together because they didn't trust him. 00:34:24.600 --> 00:34:26.080 And it wasn't Paul's fault. 00:34:26.080 --> 00:34:28.739 It was the fault of some leaders that were trying to lead the church astray. 00:34:30.480 --> 00:34:34.480 But his trust, the trust that Paul had with the church was now in question. 00:34:35.580 --> 00:34:42.639 I'm Paul knew how important it was and because he knew how important it was, Paul was seeking after accountability because more than anything, what Paul 00:34:42.639 --> 00:34:45.949 desired was a good testimony to the people he won minister to. 00:34:47.940 --> 00:34:48.100 Yes. 00:34:48.100 --> 00:34:49.199 The same thing is true for us. 00:34:50.199 --> 00:34:54.659 That's why as a church, when we do things, even financially, I told you last week, like we don't hide our budget. 00:34:55.400 --> 00:34:58.080 Once a year we even print it and make it available for anyone that counts. 00:34:58.100 --> 00:34:59.660 How Bible Churches Are Home. 00:34:59.720 --> 00:34:59.820 Church. 00:35:02.040 --> 00:35:04.160 Our church exists to make a difference. 00:35:05.160 --> 00:35:10.620 And I move my family across the country simply to have church so we can have church gather for a social club. 00:35:11.980 --> 00:35:15.400 We gather as a people on a mission to live out what God has called us to in this world. 00:35:16.340 --> 00:35:16.880 Love God. 00:35:16.880 --> 00:35:17.420 Love others. 00:35:17.420 --> 00:35:17.850 Make a disciple. 00:35:19.360 --> 00:35:21.140 Jesus wants us to make a difference where we are. 00:35:22.540 --> 00:35:27.340 Accountability is important part with that, especially knowing as people, we often give in to temptations. 00:35:28.940 --> 00:35:32.090 But more than anything, if when to shine brightly in this valley, we need a good testimony. 00:35:32.820 --> 00:35:34.260 And good testimony is built on trust. 00:35:34.320 --> 00:35:35.840 And the way that we build trust is good character. 00:35:38.080 --> 00:35:39.460 In good character needs. 00:35:39.740 --> 00:35:41.620 Needs a friend to hold you accountable. 00:35:44.140 --> 00:35:46.760 And Paul's saying before the church, he's not above accountability. 00:35:46.760 --> 00:35:48.840 He doesn't want to keep things in the dark. 00:35:49.900 --> 00:35:51.400 I heard a story like this. 00:35:51.480 --> 00:35:53.960 There was a telemarketer who called a home. 00:35:55.160 --> 00:35:59.460 And she as she called a home, someone picked up on the other line and said. 00:36:01.100 --> 00:36:02.940 Hello in a whisper. 00:36:02.940 --> 00:36:06.000 And the telemarketer said, Hi, who am I talking to? 00:36:06.000 --> 00:36:07.520 And they said, This is Jimmy. 00:36:08.260 --> 00:36:10.200 And she said, Well, Jimmy, how old are you? 00:36:10.200 --> 00:36:11.680 Said, I'm four. 00:36:12.320 --> 00:36:16.300 And she said, Well, Jimmy, is there someone there that I can talk to that's an adult? 00:36:16.420 --> 00:36:18.560 He says, My mom's here. 00:36:18.580 --> 00:36:19.080 He said, Well, good. 00:36:19.560 --> 00:36:20.320 She said, Well, good. 00:36:20.320 --> 00:36:21.170 Can I talk to your mom? 00:36:21.240 --> 00:36:22.920 And he says, she's busy. 00:36:23.760 --> 00:36:25.180 He says, okay, well, is anyone else there? 00:36:25.300 --> 00:36:25.800 My dad? 00:36:26.760 --> 00:36:28.040 Well, can I talk to your dad? 00:36:28.440 --> 00:36:28.760 He's busy. 00:36:30.220 --> 00:36:30.440 Okay. 00:36:30.500 --> 00:36:31.920 Well, is there any other grown up there? 00:36:31.920 --> 00:36:32.080 And. 00:36:32.400 --> 00:36:37.300 And he says, there's a policeman says, okay, well, can I talk to the policeman? 00:36:37.900 --> 00:36:38.860 He's busy. 00:36:39.300 --> 00:36:42.020 Well, is there any other person there, Jimmy, that I can talk to? 00:36:42.220 --> 00:36:42.900 There's the firemen. 00:36:43.740 --> 00:36:44.120 Well, okay. 00:36:44.120 --> 00:36:45.340 Can I talk to the fireman? 00:36:46.260 --> 00:36:46.920 He's busy. 00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:52.520 Finally, the telemarketer says, Out of all these people in your house, I don't understand how every adult is busy. 00:36:52.760 --> 00:36:53.970 Why are all these adults busy? 00:36:54.060 --> 00:36:58.630 And Jimmy finally says, because they're looking for me and he hangs up the phone. 00:36:58.720 --> 00:36:58.880 Right. 00:37:00.420 --> 00:37:03.420 What I'm saying is, like in the darkness. 00:37:04.760 --> 00:37:06.780 In the darkness, we can often do things we shouldn't. 00:37:09.140 --> 00:37:10.100 And it affects our testimony. 00:37:11.900 --> 00:37:15.530 It affects the impact that Christ community can have in a valley. 00:37:17.700 --> 00:37:18.420 But accountability. 00:37:19.840 --> 00:37:24.910 It's not intended to dominate or over you, but to really help you be what God desires for you to be. 00:37:26.600 --> 00:37:28.360 And Paul encourages us in that. 00:37:28.360 --> 00:37:29.860 And then verse 24, he says it like this. 00:37:30.960 --> 00:37:33.860 So give proof before the churches of your love. 00:37:35.220 --> 00:37:39.500 And if our boasting about you to these men. 00:37:39.860 --> 00:37:47.180 Well, Paul is saying the current and what Paul is saying to us, we have potential to see God do great things even 00:37:47.180 --> 00:37:52.740 in the midst of the challenges because we have a great God who is with us. 00:37:54.580 --> 00:38:00.400 And in that, if we believe that, then we have the opportunity to prove our love. 00:38:01.680 --> 00:38:08.960 If we really believe that God can transform the darkest of circumstances because He's done it in our own lives, if we really believe that God is with us and He's for 00:38:08.960 --> 00:38:09.260 us. 00:38:10.740 --> 00:38:14.000 Then we have a great opportunity to prove that love in the way that it's seen. 00:38:14.300 --> 00:38:22.000 As we trust the Lord, we will demonstrate it through sacrificial, serving, faithful generosity, cooperative conviction and helpful this 00:38:22.340 --> 00:38:23.130 helpful and healthy accountability. 00:38:24.860 --> 00:38:26.530 So let me give it to you in this final illustration. 00:38:26.960 --> 00:38:29.560 This is a this is more of a secular illustration. 00:38:29.880 --> 00:38:34.600 But I know I knew of this individual because he was from Huntington, West Virginia. 00:38:35.420 --> 00:38:40.140 He became a believer in his in the sixties or not in the sixties. 00:38:40.140 --> 00:38:41.830 In the 1960s, he became a believer. 00:38:42.520 --> 00:38:46.930 But this is what we would refer to in my hometown as Woody Williams. 00:38:47.720 --> 00:38:52.440 But Hershel Woodrow Williams, he passed away just a few weeks ago. 00:38:53.900 --> 00:39:01.120 He was the last known living survivor of World War Two who had the Medal 00:39:01.120 --> 00:39:02.230 of Honor. 00:39:03.740 --> 00:39:06.720 And he just passed away with the Medal of Honor. 00:39:06.740 --> 00:39:09.840 For those who don't know, it's the highest decoration of valor in the US military. 00:39:10.340 --> 00:39:15.630 It is quote awarded for heroism above and beyond the call of duty. 00:39:17.140 --> 00:39:19.280 He received this in the Battle of Iwo Jima. 00:39:21.260 --> 00:39:24.140 And I don't have time to go into all that he did in Iwo Jima. 00:39:24.200 --> 00:39:26.460 If you actually can look it up in Wikipedia. 00:39:27.180 --> 00:39:29.220 They have five paragraphs on this actual battle. 00:39:29.220 --> 00:39:29.730 It's pretty spectacular. 00:39:30.780 --> 00:39:36.380 There's all kinds of interviews about his life as well that you can see on social media if you want to look look him up. 00:39:36.420 --> 00:39:40.270 But he did some incredible things. 00:39:40.340 --> 00:39:46.580 And what was interesting about him, 1949, 1942, I believe, was he tried to join the military and was rejected because he was too small. 00:39:47.200 --> 00:39:52.520 And then and then a few months later, the military changed their mind because of how much of a need they had in World War Two. 00:39:52.640 --> 00:39:57.770 And he was drafted and sent and he found himself in the Battle of Iwo Jima and fought valiantly. 00:39:58.080 --> 00:40:00.240 And the Lord used him. 00:40:00.640 --> 00:40:01.080 Excuse me. 00:40:01.160 --> 00:40:07.750 He was used, I should say, for the protection of his the people that were in that battle, and for us as a country and all that. 00:40:09.220 --> 00:40:12.460 But he received the Medal of Honor for that. 00:40:12.460 --> 00:40:19.700 And when I think about Woody Williams, not only do a see a man who really laid down his life, I also recognize 00:40:19.700 --> 00:40:24.900 that he represents a generation of people that we refer to as the greatest generation. 00:40:26.160 --> 00:40:29.280 Greatest generation were those born in 1901 to 1927. 00:40:29.420 --> 00:40:36.720 And what I think made that generation one of the things I think made that generation so great is one, this was the generation that endured the Great Depression. 00:40:38.380 --> 00:40:45.480 And if you were a child, especially during that time, you find yourself coming to an age only to be sent off to World War Two and 00:40:45.480 --> 00:40:45.980 never to return. 00:40:46.260 --> 00:40:46.920 Many of them never returned. 00:40:48.300 --> 00:40:51.260 I mean, so they lived a hard life, fought a hard battle. 00:40:51.640 --> 00:40:52.770 Many of them never returned. 00:40:52.860 --> 00:40:55.260 And so we often refer to them as the greatest generation. 00:40:56.800 --> 00:40:58.850 If you don't want to want to think about the greatest generation. 00:40:59.220 --> 00:41:06.160 One of the things that I think about when I when I use that phrase is to say, but, man, will that be the only time we ever talk about the greatest generation? 00:41:06.820 --> 00:41:09.460 We just refer to that forever as the group that's in the past. 00:41:10.540 --> 00:41:14.780 I mean, can we ever, with any hope, look to the future and say and another greatest generation came. 00:41:16.340 --> 00:41:17.180 And how does that happen? 00:41:17.960 --> 00:41:18.380 Why do they. 00:41:18.500 --> 00:41:20.170 Why do they get the term the greatest generation? 00:41:20.520 --> 00:41:21.440 I think for good reason. 00:41:21.440 --> 00:41:21.940 They have it. 00:41:22.580 --> 00:41:23.060 But why? 00:41:23.120 --> 00:41:23.480 Why do they? 00:41:23.600 --> 00:41:24.340 Why do they have it exclusively? 00:41:28.580 --> 00:41:28.820 I mean, is it possible? 00:41:28.820 --> 00:41:30.370 To make that known of another generation. 00:41:32.620 --> 00:41:34.820 I think reflective within that generation. 00:41:34.880 --> 00:41:38.480 We kind of we see the similar traits that we talked about this morning. 00:41:38.500 --> 00:41:40.760 One of the things that made him so great is these similar traits. 00:41:41.360 --> 00:41:48.900 Like I read several stories about him coming into this week and hearing how he talked, even going into battle, the type of accountability he had, the 00:41:48.900 --> 00:41:55.760 way that they were willing to lay down their lives and cooperate towards a particular conviction that they wanted to achieve. 00:41:56.840 --> 00:41:58.600 And they found themselves in the back end successful. 00:42:00.340 --> 00:42:05.990 And one of the things that if you read interview after interview from Woody Williams, he'll tell you he didn't even know what the Medal of Honor was. 00:42:07.020 --> 00:42:13.620 And when he when he went into battle, he suffered from that 20 years after the fact, he walked away from this battle. 00:42:13.680 --> 00:42:17.220 He suffered with depression because of what he experienced in battle. 00:42:18.620 --> 00:42:25.070 And it wasn't until he said in the 1960s when he gave his life to the Lord that the Lord helped him to let go of all of that. 00:42:26.580 --> 00:42:31.640 But so he certainly made sacrifices that continued with him far, far beyond even on his battlefield. 00:42:31.640 --> 00:42:34.580 And he was just a small, young country boy. 00:42:35.900 --> 00:42:39.430 And then he finds out after he gets the Medal of Honor that he's going to meet the president of the United States. 00:42:39.560 --> 00:42:42.060 And how much that just blew this small town guy away. 00:42:43.300 --> 00:42:48.380 And he continued to say this about the Medal of Honor, because he knew that it really wasn't a medal that he earned. 00:42:49.920 --> 00:42:54.140 He said This Medal of Honor is an honor that is not mine, but belongs to my brother in arms. 00:42:55.240 --> 00:43:03.060 I wear it in their honor, particularly those who never got to come home, and especially for two Marines who on February 23rd, 1945, 00:43:03.240 --> 00:43:05.500 sacrificed their lives protecting mine. 00:43:05.840 --> 00:43:10.400 So I wear it for them, not me. 00:43:10.520 --> 00:43:14.960 And guys, when I think about everything that we can do for Jesus related to this. 00:43:15.320 --> 00:43:19.100 I think about raising up a generation that would be another great generation. 00:43:19.120 --> 00:43:20.940 It requires that kind of attitude. 00:43:20.940 --> 00:43:26.400 But to understand in all of it that anything that we really do for the Lord isn't about boasting in our own glory anyway. 00:43:28.840 --> 00:43:29.860 It's about his. 00:43:31.880 --> 00:43:33.040 Because everything that we have. 00:43:34.340 --> 00:43:34.980 Here's a gift. 00:43:36.720 --> 00:43:37.460 And when we will live. 00:43:38.220 --> 00:43:43.290 In light of that understanding, our hearts are more willing to lay itself down. 00:43:44.400 --> 00:43:51.400 To know the goodness of God and to allow the Lord to use us by His grace and to work together as His people holding 00:43:51.400 --> 00:43:57.500 one another accomplished to live for His glory to the blessing of others because of the Gospel.