WEBVTT 00:00:00.280 --> 00:00:03.210 I want to invite you to turn to Romans chapter 16, where we are today. 00:00:03.340 --> 00:00:10.400 Romans chapter 16, as we conclude our the final verses of Romans chapter 16, which has 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:14.390 been an incredible book for us as a church family to be able to go through together. 00:00:15.020 --> 00:00:18.780 The Book of Romans is one of the most cherished books in all of scripture. 00:00:18.780 --> 00:00:23.590 It's probably had a bigger impact in church history than more than any other book in the Bible. 00:00:23.900 --> 00:00:27.700 And so it's if you're new to the Christian faith, it's a great book to start in. 00:00:27.980 --> 00:00:30.580 If you're searching, it's a great book to begin with. 00:00:30.580 --> 00:00:33.160 And if you've been a believer all of your life, it's beautiful. 00:00:33.160 --> 00:00:40.380 Just to continue to refresh yourself in the book of Romans because it reminds us exactly who we are without Christ and who we are because of 00:00:40.380 --> 00:00:43.220 Christ and what it means to live our faith in Christ. 00:00:43.280 --> 00:00:50.580 And the first three chapters of the Book of Romans really shows our place of desperation without Jesus and the significance of why Jesus had to come pursuing 00:00:50.580 --> 00:00:51.550 our life. 00:00:51.640 --> 00:00:57.860 And then from that point, the Bible reminds us, beginning in Romans, for it's the grace of God, that sets us free. 00:00:57.860 --> 00:01:04.879 And he uses Abraham as the illustration of a of a pagan man living in a pagan land, that God's grace came into his life and 00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:06.290 transformed his life. 00:01:06.360 --> 00:01:09.910 And through Abraham, all people could all people groups could be blessed. 00:01:10.240 --> 00:01:14.980 And that gives us the opportunity now to know the truth of who Christ is and to walk in light of that. 00:01:15.020 --> 00:01:22.180 And we find in Romans eight, there's no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus that we have the opportunity by faith in Christ to call the Lord 00:01:22.180 --> 00:01:29.340 ABBA Father, connecting to Him, knowing that all things work together for good, to those who are called according to Christ purpose, those who find 00:01:29.340 --> 00:01:36.420 themselves in the Lord, that God, God can reconcile all wrong that we've endured in this world, that God sees everything that we go through 00:01:36.420 --> 00:01:36.840 in life. 00:01:36.840 --> 00:01:40.640 He knows exactly where we are and exactly what we need, and He cares for us. 00:01:40.640 --> 00:01:45.640 And the way that we see that is God becomes flesh and pursues us for relationship. 00:01:45.740 --> 00:01:52.760 That while we do the sinning Christ does the saving, and in our darkest, desperate need of life, God does not give up on 00:01:52.760 --> 00:01:53.210 us. 00:01:53.320 --> 00:01:56.560 He pursues us by giving his life for us that we can find freedom in Him. 00:01:56.640 --> 00:01:59.830 There's no one that has loved you to the degree that Christ has loved you. 00:01:59.960 --> 00:02:07.020 And so in Romans 12, then that's where Paul begins the story of your calling now to respond in Christ, to give 00:02:07.020 --> 00:02:11.450 your life back as Jesus has given his life for you and the rest of. 00:02:11.880 --> 00:02:15.440 Romans, starting in Chapter 12, talks about the living of our life in light of Christ. 00:02:16.300 --> 00:02:18.640 And today we conclude in Romans 16. 00:02:18.680 --> 00:02:22.580 And on Paul's heart now is what we're going to do from here. 00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:27.020 He wants us to get to the end of Romans and not seeing this as a completion, everyone move on. 00:02:27.120 --> 00:02:34.240 But really to understand this book of Romans as the beginning of the journey of our walk with the Lord, that now that he's shared with us the truth of who we are, in 00:02:34.240 --> 00:02:41.440 light of the truth of who God is, now we have this opportunity to live it out, not just to read words on a page and just put it away, 00:02:41.460 --> 00:02:43.320 but to daily practice. 00:02:43.320 --> 00:02:47.290 What Paul has given us in this passage of the Bible. 00:02:47.820 --> 00:02:51.700 And today Paul's going to talk about three people on the spiritual battlefield. 00:02:52.420 --> 00:02:55.300 We're all born on a on a spiritual battlefield. 00:02:55.900 --> 00:02:58.990 And the way you choose to respond matters. 00:02:59.500 --> 00:03:01.140 The battle comes to your door. 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:05.720 In fact, I would say what you do in life is driven by what you believe. 00:03:06.880 --> 00:03:09.270 And what you do in life has spiritual implications. 00:03:10.540 --> 00:03:17.640 And Paul wants us to see that even down to the basic details of the minute things that we might find 00:03:17.650 --> 00:03:24.760 experience in life as unimportant has some significance, some under workings of a of a truth that we carry in 00:03:24.760 --> 00:03:27.390 our heart that leads us to do the things that we do. 00:03:28.380 --> 00:03:31.000 And Paul wants us to recognize the importance of those things. 00:03:31.040 --> 00:03:37.150 And so he talks about three types of people that we encounter on the spiritual battlefield. 00:03:37.300 --> 00:03:42.210 And truth be told, at any given moment, we could be any of these three types of people. 00:03:43.040 --> 00:03:50.160 But it's important to recognize we're going to look at the first two as a warning and the last one of what really Paul is encouraging us to do with 00:03:50.160 --> 00:03:56.080 our lives and recognition of the types of people that we could choose to be from this day forward. 00:03:56.740 --> 00:04:04.060 And point number one in your notes is this that we can be number one, the deceiver, We can be the deceiver. 00:04:04.060 --> 00:04:08.220 Now, when we hear the word the deceiver, I know we often connect that to Satan. 00:04:08.220 --> 00:04:11.600 He certainly referred to as the deceiver, as the ultimate deceiver. 00:04:11.620 --> 00:04:14.740 But we can mimic him in our behavior. 00:04:15.080 --> 00:04:22.240 And when we think about the idea that someone could be a deceiver towards us in life, we can raise this type of a of 00:04:22.240 --> 00:04:29.020 a concern where we want to distance ourselves from anything in this world and run away from the idea of ever being deceived. 00:04:29.020 --> 00:04:34.370 We want to live in a bubble and we want to isolate ourselves and we don't want that type of thing in our in our world. 00:04:34.540 --> 00:04:40.980 And in this passage of Scripture, we're going to recognize is when Paul talks about one who comes to deceive or a deceiver. 00:04:41.900 --> 00:04:45.300 Paul is not telling you to run away from everyone and hide. 00:04:45.380 --> 00:04:52.480 What he's saying is he's talking to a church community and he's saying within the body of Christ, you want to teach the word of God, but you don't 00:04:52.480 --> 00:04:56.200 want to give a platform to a person that is there to deceive you. 00:04:56.200 --> 00:05:00.320 And he helps us understand how do I identify that person in this world? 00:05:00.320 --> 00:05:00.380 World. 00:05:00.380 --> 00:05:05.510 We are called to walk as light and darkness, which means we pursue people with the truth of who Christ is. 00:05:05.860 --> 00:05:08.550 And some people are deceived and some people are the deceiver. 00:05:09.060 --> 00:05:15.980 But we want to pursue people with the light of Christ, knowing the truth of who the Lord is, because the only hope that people have is found in Jesus. 00:05:16.040 --> 00:05:23.080 And if God's people are hiding from everyone, then no one hears what God desires and the truth of the gospel that sets 00:05:23.080 --> 00:05:23.780 us free. 00:05:24.400 --> 00:05:28.760 So when we talk in terms of deceiver, we're not trying to get you to panic or to live in fear. 00:05:29.260 --> 00:05:30.800 God doesn't give you a spirit of fear. 00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:37.860 It tells you in first Timothy one but a power, the power of a of a sound mind in Christ because of who Jesus is, you have that confidence 00:05:37.860 --> 00:05:39.490 in your relationship with the Lord. 00:05:40.200 --> 00:05:47.150 But as I say that it's also important to recognize no one shows up and says, Hey, everyone, just so you know, I'm a deceiver. 00:05:48.100 --> 00:05:51.420 That's not a that's not a platform they step on to present themselves. 00:05:51.980 --> 00:05:54.800 Most deceivers don't even see themselves as a deceiver. 00:05:54.960 --> 00:05:58.680 At best, they think that they're just simply a misunderstood sheep. 00:05:58.680 --> 00:06:05.910 Let me say it like this A deceiver in scripture is often called a wolf, and most wolves don't think they're wolves. 00:06:06.220 --> 00:06:08.080 They simply think they're misunderstood sheep. 00:06:08.800 --> 00:06:11.820 They don't even recognize the deception of their own things that they're teaching. 00:06:11.900 --> 00:06:14.260 Now, some of them do, but some of them don't. 00:06:14.280 --> 00:06:21.500 They just think that they might be misunderstood and they just need people to hear what they're about and listen to what they say and then they'll begin to 00:06:21.500 --> 00:06:21.950 understand. 00:06:23.020 --> 00:06:26.150 And so people have deception or deceivers. 00:06:26.720 --> 00:06:32.660 They may come to it from a place of just absolute ignorance, not knowing the truth of who God is. 00:06:32.720 --> 00:06:35.340 And they're not going to announce to you that that's who they are. 00:06:35.640 --> 00:06:42.760 So what Paul does in this passage is he helps us recognize four ways to identify who 00:06:42.760 --> 00:06:44.980 a deceiver might be. 00:06:45.020 --> 00:06:50.920 I mean, even Scripture, Second Corinthians, Chapter 11, the Bible tells us that Satan appears as an angel of light. 00:06:51.920 --> 00:06:56.180 And what he's saying is Satan doesn't show up with horns and a pitchfork. 00:06:57.520 --> 00:07:04.520 Satan shows up with a perception of good because what Satan wants to do is to deceive you because he knows if he can get you to 00:07:04.520 --> 00:07:10.220 buy into a lie and not even an absolute lie, just a half truth, that he can destroy your life. 00:07:11.520 --> 00:07:17.600 And so he comes in with this deception that looks good on the outside, but on the inside it will completely rob your soul. 00:07:18.920 --> 00:07:22.920 And Paul in this passage identifies what that deception looks like. 00:07:22.920 --> 00:07:27.700 And he says this in verse 17, I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause division. 00:07:29.740 --> 00:07:32.920 And what he begins with is this idea of two visions. 00:07:32.920 --> 00:07:34.860 That's what division literally means. 00:07:34.860 --> 00:07:39.350 There are two visions that God created you in Christ for one purpose. 00:07:39.840 --> 00:07:40.600 One purpose. 00:07:40.600 --> 00:07:43.100 The church is called to on mission in this world. 00:07:43.260 --> 00:07:44.430 And it's this simple. 00:07:44.580 --> 00:07:46.560 God created you to know Him. 00:07:47.260 --> 00:07:49.090 God made you for relationship. 00:07:50.120 --> 00:07:57.180 And as you enjoy the relationship that you have in Christ, as your life is surrendered to him, he transforms you in His image 00:07:57.180 --> 00:08:00.060 and God starts to do a work in you. 00:08:00.080 --> 00:08:07.080 And as God does that work in you, God then does a work through you, because what you begin to believe and embrace starts to 00:08:07.080 --> 00:08:08.510 be lived out in your life. 00:08:09.060 --> 00:08:15.280 And in so doing, as your relationship with God grows, so your relationship with others are impacted. 00:08:16.100 --> 00:08:23.200 God calls us on a mission in this world as we journey in a relationship with him to make a difference in our relationship in this world through the 00:08:23.200 --> 00:08:23.680 gospel. 00:08:24.420 --> 00:08:27.820 That's why Jesus said the two greatest commandments are to love God, love others. 00:08:27.900 --> 00:08:31.470 And then he gave us the great commission to go in this world and make disciples. 00:08:32.900 --> 00:08:34.500 But here's what happens over time Missions. 00:08:34.740 --> 00:08:36.640 Mission drifts and vision fades. 00:08:37.340 --> 00:08:40.480 We start to get distracted through the busyness of life. 00:08:40.480 --> 00:08:44.220 And we lose sight of what God calls us to in this world. 00:08:45.180 --> 00:08:52.520 And it's in those moments of distraction and busyness that deception can lead your heart astray, that 00:08:52.520 --> 00:08:58.600 you forget the purpose for your divine design in the Lord and you start to make other things a priority in life. 00:08:59.460 --> 00:09:06.860 And this is exactly where the deceiver comes in sharing into your heart a different 00:09:06.860 --> 00:09:09.360 joy, which is really ultimately no joy at all. 00:09:10.020 --> 00:09:17.100 And for the moment, you buy into the lie until you remind yourself of the reason for which you were created in Christ and start 00:09:17.100 --> 00:09:21.720 to walk in that relationship with him and so Paul warns us, they bring a division. 00:09:21.740 --> 00:09:28.790 And then with that he says, and by the way, that's the point in your notes, is they deter you from the mission. 00:09:28.980 --> 00:09:30.240 They deter you from the mission. 00:09:30.420 --> 00:09:34.180 Point number two, they complicate the simplicity of Jesus. 00:09:35.140 --> 00:09:37.680 This is under under the first point in your notes. 00:09:37.740 --> 00:09:40.020 They complicate the simplicity of Jesus. 00:09:40.160 --> 00:09:46.700 And he says this The deceivers create obstacles contrary to the doctrine you have been taught. 00:09:46.880 --> 00:09:47.540 Avoid them. 00:09:48.840 --> 00:09:55.660 Meaning what Paul is saying is they always make it about Jesus plus something else, as if Jesus isn't enough for your life. 00:09:55.660 --> 00:09:56.900 God created you for relationship. 00:09:57.060 --> 00:09:58.220 God pursued you. 00:09:58.220 --> 00:10:00.170 God paid it all for you on the cross. 00:10:01.100 --> 00:10:08.340 And suddenly people of deception start to pretend like, Well, that's good, but you need to add this extra thing to it 00:10:08.340 --> 00:10:10.200 in order to make it better. 00:10:10.980 --> 00:10:18.260 And so Paul is saying, look, they teach different, different doctrines that become obstacles to the simplicity of just pursuing Jesus with your life. 00:10:18.540 --> 00:10:21.180 Jesus is more than enough. 00:10:21.340 --> 00:10:25.440 In the Apostle Paul's day, religious leaders followed him around. 00:10:25.440 --> 00:10:30.490 And after Paul would establish these churches, they would come behind Paul and they would teach additional doctrine. 00:10:30.600 --> 00:10:37.720 And as if the sufficiency of Christ wasn't enough for their life, in fact, Paul warned us in Second Corinthians 11, he said, But I fear lest by 00:10:37.720 --> 00:10:44.960 any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should become corrupted from the simplicity 00:10:44.960 --> 00:10:47.560 that is in Christ. 00:10:48.640 --> 00:10:54.100 I mean, what Paul is acknowledging is people can come along and even teach about a Jesus. 00:10:56.920 --> 00:11:00.100 But just because they use the name Jesus doesn't make it Jesus. 00:11:02.160 --> 00:11:04.940 Because can I tell you don't get your own Jesus. 00:11:06.300 --> 00:11:08.260 It's not about telling Jesus who he is. 00:11:08.300 --> 00:11:10.740 It's about listening to who Jesus says he is. 00:11:12.040 --> 00:11:13.220 And he's king of kings. 00:11:13.220 --> 00:11:14.520 He's Lord of Lords. 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:17.600 We're not here to tell Jesus who he needs to be for us. 00:11:17.900 --> 00:11:20.470 We're here to find out who he is and surrender our life to him. 00:11:21.660 --> 00:11:28.780 And what Paul is saying is there is there will be become this perversion from who Christ is 00:11:28.780 --> 00:11:35.630 in order to deter us from the simplicity of enjoying that relationship which God has called us to in Christ. 00:11:36.620 --> 00:11:40.240 And the reason for that is point number three, they're self serving. 00:11:42.180 --> 00:11:45.660 They have a different motive in what they're pursuing in life. 00:11:45.720 --> 00:11:52.960 And Paul says it like this for such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but rather they serve their own 00:11:52.960 --> 00:11:53.560 appetites. 00:11:55.640 --> 00:12:01.580 They may even use the name Jesus, but they're not talking about the biblical Jesus. 00:12:02.420 --> 00:12:08.380 And what's sobering when you see this and you start to realize these deceivers, who they are, they're actually religious people. 00:12:09.780 --> 00:12:14.180 Some of the most dangerous people in your relationship with Christ are religious people. 00:12:15.480 --> 00:12:20.590 Because they're going to promote something contrary to the simplicity of the grace of Christ that sets you free. 00:12:21.640 --> 00:12:22.700 But Jesus is enough. 00:12:23.880 --> 00:12:30.940 They don't have to pay a penance or walk around in guilt and shame, but rather, rather than run away from Christ and prove anything to God, we come 00:12:30.940 --> 00:12:32.540 straight to God in our need. 00:12:32.540 --> 00:12:37.980 Because Jesus has done all that needs to be done for our relationship with God to be laid open. 00:12:37.980 --> 00:12:42.240 And we put ourselves down before him and embrace what Christ has done. 00:12:42.340 --> 00:12:49.460 And they say that the motive within this passage is revealing in itself because their purposes aren't even really about Jesus, but rather their 00:12:49.460 --> 00:12:52.350 purposes are for their own appetites. 00:12:55.160 --> 00:12:57.250 They don't have humble leadership. 00:12:58.820 --> 00:13:01.220 Rather, they're proud people. 00:13:02.260 --> 00:13:03.990 And in so doing, they become dangerous. 00:13:04.980 --> 00:13:12.560 They're more interested in holding to what they want rather than what God says, and they become vicious and even keeping their own idols. 00:13:12.960 --> 00:13:20.140 You see that by the fact that the religious leaders in Jesus's day pursued Jesus with a with a hatred that ultimately 00:13:20.140 --> 00:13:21.620 led to his death. 00:13:24.940 --> 00:13:32.040 Their motive, being of pride was in pursuit of their own fame or their own power or their own 00:13:32.040 --> 00:13:36.390 following and popularity, maybe even their own financial gain. 00:13:37.160 --> 00:13:38.460 And then Paul says this. 00:13:38.520 --> 00:13:43.700 Point number four, they were more interested in being popular rather than being biblical. 00:13:45.520 --> 00:13:49.940 And it says that their lives are marked by smooth talk and flattery. 00:13:51.480 --> 00:13:56.750 Meaning they're people of charisma, but they lack character. 00:13:58.220 --> 00:14:01.640 Their entertainers more than they're really genuine leaders in the Lord. 00:14:03.020 --> 00:14:10.380 And so they want to tell people what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear, which is why they're more interested in being popular rather than than 00:14:10.380 --> 00:14:11.720 being biblical. 00:14:14.340 --> 00:14:15.620 Flattery certainly strokes your ego. 00:14:17.120 --> 00:14:19.920 But at the end of the day, it will leave your soul empty. 00:14:21.320 --> 00:14:27.580 In terms of speaking of flattery, if they're proud people, they they'll boost your ego. 00:14:27.620 --> 00:14:32.800 If you're a fearful person, they'll play into that fear and in the end tell you to trust them. 00:14:32.800 --> 00:14:39.900 And by the way, can I can I can I just mention when we talk about being a deceiver, here's one of the ways a deceiver will play into us 00:14:39.900 --> 00:14:41.460 with flattery, especially if we're fearful. 00:14:41.460 --> 00:14:47.180 People will become so concerned with problems in the world around us and not like where things are going. 00:14:47.200 --> 00:14:51.220 And they might say something like this Don't trust anything out there. 00:14:51.680 --> 00:14:54.080 Rather trust me, I know the answers. 00:14:54.820 --> 00:15:01.860 Can I tell you one of the most dangerous things I can say to you this morning is to put your spiritual future simply on whatever it 00:15:01.860 --> 00:15:02.740 is that I tell you. 00:15:04.080 --> 00:15:08.270 At the end of the day, that is not what we want to be about as a church at all. 00:15:09.380 --> 00:15:14.010 I think it's important to teach the Word of God to walk through Scripture. 00:15:14.140 --> 00:15:19.380 That's why we do it verse by verse together, expository, so we can see it as a as a community in Christ. 00:15:19.880 --> 00:15:25.560 That way, if anyone goes in air and what they teach, we have a community to correct those errors. 00:15:26.760 --> 00:15:30.120 And it's not about following a person or a religious leader. 00:15:30.160 --> 00:15:31.220 It is about following a person. 00:15:31.220 --> 00:15:32.560 But his name is Jesus, right? 00:15:32.560 --> 00:15:39.580 It's not it's not about following me or some other person that we put up on a stage, but rather that the 00:15:39.580 --> 00:15:44.060 end goal is not to make much of anyone up here but to make much of him. 00:15:45.400 --> 00:15:52.560 So it's not about stroking our ego or promoting our position or pursuing any spotlight or financial gain or whatever, whatever might come 00:15:52.560 --> 00:15:54.360 with that someone might be seeking after. 00:15:55.900 --> 00:15:57.800 But to know Jesus and make him known with our lives. 00:16:00.120 --> 00:16:07.440 And so Paul is saying, look, they'll feed into that flattery and in our lives and find out what might tickle 00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:13.080 our ears and share that with us because they're more interested in being popular than being biblical. 00:16:14.860 --> 00:16:20.560 And so the second person on the spiritual battlefield related to the deceiver then is the deceived. 00:16:21.100 --> 00:16:27.520 And Paul says it like this They deceive the hearts of the naive. 00:16:29.680 --> 00:16:31.520 They deceive the hearts of the naive. 00:16:31.720 --> 00:16:37.440 And the naive is literally someone that thinks everyone is nice. 00:16:37.720 --> 00:16:40.560 Everyone has your best interests in mind. 00:16:40.560 --> 00:16:47.200 That's the way the idea of naive translates in the Greek text is they just assume the best of everyone. 00:16:47.200 --> 00:16:50.860 They all have the best intentions for me and my future. 00:16:51.100 --> 00:16:56.680 And what Paul is saying is if that's you walking into the spiritual battlefield of life, it's not going to go well. 00:16:56.720 --> 00:16:57.750 You are you are naive. 00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:04.980 People don't always have your best interests in mind because what they're after is serving themselves. 00:17:05.040 --> 00:17:12.099 In fact, what Paul is acknowledging through the deceiver is rather than use their life to help you, they want to use your life like a tool to benefit 00:17:12.099 --> 00:17:12.599 them. 00:17:14.079 --> 00:17:21.220 And it's important for God's people to be mindful of that, to understand not what others might say, but rather 00:17:21.220 --> 00:17:22.410 what God says. 00:17:22.640 --> 00:17:30.340 And when we hear this word naive, oftentimes we may not say this out loud, but oftentimes we think, poor 00:17:30.340 --> 00:17:31.080 them. 00:17:31.760 --> 00:17:32.730 I'm not going to be duped. 00:17:33.760 --> 00:17:35.840 But poor, poor those people that are naive. 00:17:35.840 --> 00:17:37.420 I've never been a naive person. 00:17:37.720 --> 00:17:39.440 I can I can read people. 00:17:39.440 --> 00:17:41.140 I know what their intentions are. 00:17:41.260 --> 00:17:42.650 I really don't trust anyone. 00:17:42.900 --> 00:17:48.980 But truth be told, all of us are susceptible to buying into a lie because none of us are perfect. 00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:51.140 And there's a couple of ways. 00:17:51.140 --> 00:17:58.180 These aren't the only ways that when you think about the idea of being naive, I think there's a there's a couple of ways that I think are important for us to 00:17:58.180 --> 00:18:05.200 think through that out of all the ways people could be naive to that, I think are predominant right now in our culture 00:18:05.200 --> 00:18:12.930 one one is this we are susceptible to be naive to what the culture reinforces. 00:18:14.360 --> 00:18:15.810 Meaning you want to know where you're going to be naive. 00:18:16.340 --> 00:18:17.850 It's found in what your culture promotes. 00:18:18.040 --> 00:18:24.120 In fact, Tony Rinky says this No sins are more dangerous to you than the ones your culture celebrates. 00:18:26.140 --> 00:18:26.920 And here's why. 00:18:28.300 --> 00:18:30.740 Were created as human beings that love community. 00:18:32.020 --> 00:18:34.000 We find our identity in community. 00:18:34.760 --> 00:18:37.820 We want to feel valued, appreciated and accepted. 00:18:39.340 --> 00:18:42.230 The way that we find that is within your own cultural context. 00:18:43.380 --> 00:18:49.340 And so when your culture promotes something, we feel the need in our life to have to affirm those things. 00:18:50.380 --> 00:18:57.320 But can I encourage you more important than what your culture says, it's more important to ask, What does God say? 00:18:58.880 --> 00:19:01.100 The authority of who God is in our lives. 00:19:01.100 --> 00:19:04.440 Understand that Jesus calls us to walk countercultural. 00:19:05.620 --> 00:19:09.940 Sometimes your culture may hold to truth, but there are other times where your culture does not. 00:19:10.660 --> 00:19:13.790 And it's far more important to take the road less traveled. 00:19:13.960 --> 00:19:17.920 Narrow is the gate, Jesus says, and stand with Christ than to stand with cold. 00:19:18.120 --> 00:19:25.180 The only way that's going to come is through confidence in your identity and who you are in Jesus and the hope that you carry 00:19:25.180 --> 00:19:25.920 in Him. 00:19:27.120 --> 00:19:34.540 If you feel insecure, you don't understand your identity in Christ, your worth, your value, your meaning, your purpose, You're always going to be susceptible 00:19:34.540 --> 00:19:38.260 to the temptation of culture and the pressure of being accepted in community. 00:19:38.560 --> 00:19:43.700 Because as human beings, we long to feel value and to connect and feel appreciated. 00:19:45.840 --> 00:19:52.860 And so wherever your culture is going, that is always the danger for us to be find acceptance and our and our 00:19:52.860 --> 00:19:55.340 worth and to follow that trail. 00:19:57.260 --> 00:19:58.740 But that trail can often lead to destruction. 00:20:00.560 --> 00:20:05.100 I mean, can I just give you I'm going to just share with you just a few thoughts that you'll hear in our own culture. 00:20:05.100 --> 00:20:12.320 And it's repeated so much so that often even within the church community, people say it if it's true, and it has no biblical basis at all. 00:20:13.200 --> 00:20:15.120 Let me let me just toss a few out. 00:20:15.820 --> 00:20:18.510 For example, pride is not a virtue. 00:20:20.760 --> 00:20:22.600 Pride is a vice, not a virtue. 00:20:24.220 --> 00:20:29.980 Biblically speaking to celebrate those things, that is contrary to what Scripture says to us as God's people. 00:20:30.720 --> 00:20:33.510 Pride in biblically speaking, leads to destruction. 00:20:35.280 --> 00:20:42.320 The language of God is one of humility, ultimately demonstrated in Jesus, who became the servant of servants and gave his 00:20:42.320 --> 00:20:45.980 life that we may find freedom in him and we're called to mimic him in this world. 00:20:47.320 --> 00:20:48.570 It's not a place of pride. 00:20:48.680 --> 00:20:50.340 Pride is self destruction. 00:20:50.340 --> 00:20:52.730 Pride is what led to the demise of Satan. 00:20:52.780 --> 00:20:57.200 It's what leads to the demise of God's people in the Garden of Eden thinking themselves better than God. 00:20:57.200 --> 00:21:01.320 They usurped the position of God and declare themselves God over the Lord. 00:21:03.780 --> 00:21:07.070 As if God was withholding from them his best thinking. 00:21:07.520 --> 00:21:11.160 They knew better than God boasting in pride. 00:21:11.160 --> 00:21:13.540 And the problem with that is you did not make you. 00:21:14.460 --> 00:21:15.800 You're not the creator of you. 00:21:16.120 --> 00:21:17.720 You don't define the purpose of you. 00:21:18.360 --> 00:21:19.740 God is the one that created you. 00:21:19.840 --> 00:21:25.280 And the only way we find ourselves walking in light of that is to be humble before him as creator. 00:21:26.260 --> 00:21:30.740 I don't say that to be mean to anyone or to attack people. 00:21:30.740 --> 00:21:34.240 I understand within our culture there are certain things that are that are promoted. 00:21:34.700 --> 00:21:38.190 And because it's promoted, people start to believe it, believe it as if it's true. 00:21:39.020 --> 00:21:41.780 But just because people say it don't doesn't make it true. 00:21:42.480 --> 00:21:45.790 People can believe things sincerely in life and they can be sincerely wrong. 00:21:47.160 --> 00:21:52.100 Now, in response to that, when I walk in this world, it doesn't mean I go after people and I attack people. 00:21:52.100 --> 00:21:53.350 I walk with the understanding man. 00:21:53.480 --> 00:22:00.500 People are just living what culture is telling them, and the only way they're going to discover anything else is for me to be a light 00:22:00.500 --> 00:22:04.390 in darkness and to walk as a servant and concern for their hearts. 00:22:04.580 --> 00:22:07.200 The way that Jesus walked as a servant and concern for my heart. 00:22:08.360 --> 00:22:11.790 The only way I found freedom is for Christ to pursue me and my sin and darkness. 00:22:12.780 --> 00:22:14.520 But it's because of that great love. 00:22:14.520 --> 00:22:15.480 My life has been transformed. 00:22:16.440 --> 00:22:17.470 I mean, let me give you a few more. 00:22:19.400 --> 00:22:22.050 We often say this to ourselves, to others, or to ourselves. 00:22:24.120 --> 00:22:24.720 Be true to myself or follow my heart. 00:22:26.560 --> 00:22:28.280 That could work out nice. 00:22:28.280 --> 00:22:31.110 As long as your heart is focused on the right thing and the right truth. 00:22:31.780 --> 00:22:36.500 And maybe it just so happens because you might have had a decent upbringing, but it's not. 00:22:36.720 --> 00:22:43.840 It's not leading you to the idea that it's because of Christ maybe that your heart is pursuing the right thing. 00:22:43.840 --> 00:22:46.340 I mean, what if that heart was never centered on Jesus? 00:22:46.340 --> 00:22:50.830 What if what their heart is longing after has nothing to do with what God's heart is about to begin with. 00:22:51.060 --> 00:22:58.610 And if that kind of advice is given to you apart from Christ or you've had no biblical upbringing in your life, pursuing whatever your heart is after is dangerous and destructive. 00:22:58.860 --> 00:23:03.250 I mean, Jeremiah, 17 nine, says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. 00:23:03.360 --> 00:23:04.620 Who can know it? 00:23:04.940 --> 00:23:06.460 Or this be true. 00:23:06.520 --> 00:23:06.940 Excuse me. 00:23:07.120 --> 00:23:08.210 As long as you are good. 00:23:08.380 --> 00:23:09.410 That's all that matters. 00:23:10.160 --> 00:23:13.920 I mean, if that is all that matters, then why did Jesus come and die, right? 00:23:13.920 --> 00:23:15.620 Jesus died for a reason. 00:23:15.620 --> 00:23:21.520 That reason, significant or speak your own truth as if we're the foundation for where truth derives? 00:23:22.320 --> 00:23:25.720 My son asked me, I think it was last week we were driving to lunch or one of my kids. 00:23:25.740 --> 00:23:29.960 Anyway, we're driving to lunch after church and he says, Dad, which is more important? 00:23:30.880 --> 00:23:31.810 Truth or Jesus? 00:23:33.440 --> 00:23:34.520 Interesting question. 00:23:34.560 --> 00:23:37.400 I mean, he's, I think nine or maybe somewhere around there. 00:23:37.400 --> 00:23:37.470 I don't know. 00:23:37.700 --> 00:23:38.690 Hopefully I got that right. 00:23:38.820 --> 00:23:39.860 Ask me that question. 00:23:39.860 --> 00:23:41.200 Pretty profound for his age. 00:23:41.340 --> 00:23:42.070 Which is more important? 00:23:42.300 --> 00:23:43.640 Truth or Jesus? 00:23:43.720 --> 00:23:48.030 And my answer to him, depending on how you answer it, you can approach it a couple of ways. 00:23:48.080 --> 00:23:50.660 But honestly, it's both. 00:23:50.660 --> 00:23:55.780 But more importantly, it's Jesus meaning Jesus is he. 00:23:56.060 --> 00:23:57.260 Jesus doesn't just share truth. 00:23:57.260 --> 00:23:58.320 Jesus is truth. 00:23:58.540 --> 00:24:01.250 And if you don't have Jesus, there is no truth to be found. 00:24:01.860 --> 00:24:09.100 And the Bible tells us in John 14 six, Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and Jesus is the source of truth itself. 00:24:09.600 --> 00:24:10.960 It's not found in us. 00:24:10.980 --> 00:24:12.040 We don't define it. 00:24:12.100 --> 00:24:13.600 We can experience it. 00:24:13.620 --> 00:24:16.960 But truth transcends you because you didn't make you before. 00:24:18.160 --> 00:24:18.880 There was you. 00:24:18.880 --> 00:24:19.670 There was truth. 00:24:20.560 --> 00:24:22.920 Objective truth is found in Christ himself. 00:24:23.680 --> 00:24:26.180 Or we say this whatever makes you happy. 00:24:27.020 --> 00:24:31.780 I mean, I could just say there's a lot of people in jail today that probably followed that statement. 00:24:32.400 --> 00:24:32.920 Right. 00:24:32.920 --> 00:24:36.920 Just because it makes you happy doesn't make it wise or good or right. 00:24:37.900 --> 00:24:45.160 But we say those kinds of things in our culture and it's not necessarily leading us to healthy thinking or God 00:24:45.160 --> 00:24:46.630 made me this way. 00:24:47.840 --> 00:24:53.020 We look at the things that we do wrong and we just kind of chalk it up to, well, that's just that's just me. 00:24:54.200 --> 00:24:59.780 But reality is, God calls all of us to surrender something to him or all of us to him. 00:25:00.880 --> 00:25:03.760 Because all of us walk contrary to God in some way. 00:25:03.760 --> 00:25:05.860 We're all sinful in our nature. 00:25:06.920 --> 00:25:09.500 And so just to talk it up, well, this is just who I am. 00:25:10.360 --> 00:25:14.480 Who you are is what Jesus came to rescue, to transform it into something different. 00:25:15.720 --> 00:25:19.960 Because God has called you to more than simply just be where you are and the state that we are. 00:25:19.960 --> 00:25:20.800 It needs rescue. 00:25:20.800 --> 00:25:22.820 That's why Jesus pursues us. 00:25:23.380 --> 00:25:24.560 Whatever feels right. 00:25:26.720 --> 00:25:27.340 Or whatever. 00:25:27.340 --> 00:25:28.140 Sounds good. 00:25:28.640 --> 00:25:36.440 All unhealthy foundations for us because the source of origin in all of those comments is 00:25:36.440 --> 00:25:36.900 you. 00:25:39.140 --> 00:25:45.580 All of those comments look to you as if you're the purpose and meaning and the origin to life. 00:25:47.600 --> 00:25:48.880 But the answer to life. 00:25:50.320 --> 00:25:52.040 Has never been within you. 00:25:53.820 --> 00:25:57.420 The answer has always been beyond you. 00:25:58.960 --> 00:26:06.640 So even the foundations within our culture with all these selves, self esteem and self worth and the answer 00:26:06.640 --> 00:26:09.560 to life has never been found within you. 00:26:10.900 --> 00:26:12.440 Because you didn't make you. 00:26:13.940 --> 00:26:16.580 You were made for a greater purpose that transcends you. 00:26:16.580 --> 00:26:17.620 It's beyond you. 00:26:17.620 --> 00:26:19.180 It's found in your creator. 00:26:20.440 --> 00:26:27.580 So to suggest that you're the source to those things is to grossly undermine the significance of who 00:26:27.580 --> 00:26:29.160 Christ is in your life. 00:26:31.180 --> 00:26:38.730 And so we're easily deceived or we can be deceived by the pressure that our culture places on us because we want to feel important. 00:26:38.820 --> 00:26:40.060 We want to belong. 00:26:40.060 --> 00:26:42.880 We want to have community and purpose in life. 00:26:45.280 --> 00:26:50.840 And the more important place for us to look isn't within culture, but rather within Christ. 00:26:52.140 --> 00:26:57.090 Desperation, grabbing a hold of Jesus and discovering the reason for which he created us. 00:26:57.160 --> 00:27:01.360 And I would say this The second way we're susceptible to be naive is through our vulnerabilities. 00:27:03.180 --> 00:27:03.670 Through our vulnerability. 00:27:04.520 --> 00:27:07.220 Sometimes when we get desperate as people, we look for hope. 00:27:08.360 --> 00:27:15.680 And we look for hope in the wrong places because we don't understand how the gospel transforms life and ultimately gives us hope. 00:27:16.400 --> 00:27:18.820 You might remember this group of people, Heaven's Gate. 00:27:19.620 --> 00:27:24.200 These were the crazy people that thought they could ride a comet in 1997. 00:27:24.540 --> 00:27:32.680 They thought they could ride this place called Hale-Bopp Comet if they drink the Kool-Aid, Everyone, every, 00:27:33.200 --> 00:27:36.080 let's say, every religious group might look cool, welcoming, inviting. 00:27:36.080 --> 00:27:41.990 In the beginning, you think, what a loving community until you find yourself, until you show up one Sunday and they pass out the Kool-Aid. 00:27:42.160 --> 00:27:42.260 Right. 00:27:42.300 --> 00:27:44.290 And then you're like, Oh, no, what did I get myself into? 00:27:44.960 --> 00:27:48.300 But that that's what happened in this story. 00:27:48.300 --> 00:27:50.060 And you know what's what's interesting? 00:27:50.080 --> 00:27:57.210 If you study the people a part of Heaven's Gate that they thought they were going to ride a comet, this was in 1997, 00:27:58.140 --> 00:28:00.040 San Diego, California. 00:28:00.260 --> 00:28:07.540 39 people died, committed suicide, and believing they were going to catch the telling of a comet. 00:28:08.440 --> 00:28:15.540 When you study the group of people that gave in to that belief, what's what's powerful, I think, in that study 00:28:15.540 --> 00:28:17.860 is you find out they're just regular people. 00:28:18.900 --> 00:28:25.680 I mean, you had computer engineers, nurses, teachers, business owners. 00:28:25.680 --> 00:28:26.540 There were a few weirdos. 00:28:26.920 --> 00:28:27.520 There were. 00:28:27.700 --> 00:28:31.380 But most of them most of them were just regular Joes. 00:28:31.460 --> 00:28:31.920 Right? 00:28:31.920 --> 00:28:37.640 Like they you look at the list, you think, my word, these are these are educated people. 00:28:38.480 --> 00:28:43.680 How in the world did they get get to a place like this where they thought they were going to be riding a comet one day? 00:28:45.280 --> 00:28:52.320 When you when you study their backgrounds, what you find is majority of them had recently gone through a 00:28:52.320 --> 00:28:53.420 significant tragedy. 00:28:56.180 --> 00:28:57.220 And they were looking for hope. 00:28:59.800 --> 00:29:02.340 Problem is they were looking for it in a dangerous place. 00:29:04.860 --> 00:29:05.570 There is the deceiver. 00:29:07.260 --> 00:29:08.360 And then there is the deceived. 00:29:10.400 --> 00:29:18.780 And all of us have the possibility of falling into that place, of being naive, buying 00:29:18.780 --> 00:29:19.780 into a lie. 00:29:20.620 --> 00:29:23.140 As we listen to the message of deception. 00:29:24.400 --> 00:29:26.870 Because we feel the pressure of wanting to fit in. 00:29:27.800 --> 00:29:35.000 We've gone through something difficult in life and we're just looking for hope to anyone that might flatter us in a in the moment 00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:39.520 with something that we could grab a hold of, even if it's not true. 00:29:41.640 --> 00:29:44.060 And so Paul then encourages you this way. 00:29:44.060 --> 00:29:44.920 And point number three. 00:29:46.140 --> 00:29:47.140 He wants you to be the faithful. 00:29:49.880 --> 00:29:50.400 Be the faithful. 00:29:52.840 --> 00:30:00.460 He says, for your obedience is known to all so that I rejoice over 00:30:00.460 --> 00:30:01.380 you. 00:30:02.920 --> 00:30:10.020 When he talks about your obedience, the Apostle Paul is not just saying, Look, you're living 00:30:10.020 --> 00:30:17.800 a good life, meaning you're just walking out and doing moral things, right? 00:30:17.920 --> 00:30:25.920 One of the beautiful things about Christianity that makes us different than any other religion in this world is that what God calls us to in our obedience isn't 00:30:26.040 --> 00:30:28.240 so much morality as it is relationship. 00:30:29.780 --> 00:30:33.220 And the result of that relationship is that we live a good life. 00:30:34.000 --> 00:30:41.260 But any religion in this world can give you a list of due goods, a list of morals, and you could do good your whole life and never have a 00:30:41.260 --> 00:30:42.460 relationship with the Lord. 00:30:43.920 --> 00:30:46.720 God calls you to more than just do good. 00:30:47.960 --> 00:30:54.840 God calls you to walk in faithfulness with him to enjoy that relationship with Christ. 00:30:54.880 --> 00:30:57.790 And the best way to enjoy that relationship is to walk in obedience. 00:30:59.540 --> 00:31:06.220 It's like this as a parent, if you have a child, if your child is ever disobedient, you as a parent, you always love your kid. 00:31:07.260 --> 00:31:10.180 But when your kids are disobedient, it strains the relationship. 00:31:11.440 --> 00:31:15.980 But when they walk in obedience to the parents, you have more delight and enjoying that relationship. 00:31:17.160 --> 00:31:23.350 And that's what Paul is saying in this passage, that when it comes to the church, they've not lost focus to the importance of who Christ is in their lives. 00:31:24.380 --> 00:31:26.720 They've not lost sight of the mission that God has called them on. 00:31:26.760 --> 00:31:28.220 In fact, they're living it out faithfully. 00:31:28.500 --> 00:31:32.820 And because of that, he's rejoicing and it's making a difference in this world. 00:31:32.860 --> 00:31:40.040 And that's what God calls us to, because you understand there's the pressure of culture and there are people in this world just trying to find meaning 00:31:40.040 --> 00:31:40.720 in identity. 00:31:40.860 --> 00:31:43.520 And if you disagree with them, they'll try to even cancel you. 00:31:43.520 --> 00:31:50.540 But do you understand who you are in Christ and how important that is, that no matter what people do or don't do, you know the 00:31:50.540 --> 00:31:51.710 steps to freedom? 00:31:51.920 --> 00:31:53.700 You know who you are in Jesus. 00:31:53.800 --> 00:31:55.650 You know what Christ has done for you. 00:31:55.780 --> 00:31:59.560 You know the worth that's been placed on your life because God has given his life for you. 00:32:00.960 --> 00:32:06.690 And regardless of what other people's opinions are, that the opinion of God far outweighs all of those things. 00:32:07.220 --> 00:32:11.740 Because you know, what you have in Jesus endures for eternity, that this world will pass away. 00:32:11.760 --> 00:32:15.680 But what you have in Christ lasts and you would rather be right in Christ. 00:32:18.400 --> 00:32:20.050 Then be considered right in the eyes of the world. 00:32:22.220 --> 00:32:29.600 And so Paul is thinking about this church and he's just saying, look, as we get to the end of the book of Romans, don't just put this on the shelf, but make this your lifestyle 00:32:29.600 --> 00:32:30.340 in Christ. 00:32:30.340 --> 00:32:31.440 Think about your obedience. 00:32:31.440 --> 00:32:33.360 I just want to continue to encourage that, he says. 00:32:33.380 --> 00:32:38.470 But I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. 00:32:38.740 --> 00:32:42.340 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. 00:32:42.340 --> 00:32:44.260 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 00:32:45.180 --> 00:32:50.500 And even in this story, Paul is alluding all the way back to the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were faced with these same decisions. 00:32:50.920 --> 00:32:57.920 And rather, rather than pursue Christ, they give in to the temptation and God comes in with his grace and reminds us of the 00:32:57.920 --> 00:33:01.060 ultimate delivery in which he will crush Satan's head. 00:33:01.240 --> 00:33:08.320 And so, as for us as a picture of God's people, as we as we walk in the spiritual battlefield that is life, everything that you do matters because it's 00:33:08.320 --> 00:33:09.500 all driven by a belief. 00:33:11.660 --> 00:33:13.120 And Jesus is Lord or he isn't. 00:33:15.920 --> 00:33:23.320 And so what you do with your life matters and with the reminder that ultimately Jesus has the final say over it all. 00:33:23.420 --> 00:33:30.460 And Paul then goes on and he talks about these individuals that are traveling with him in order that the church would see how they're a part 00:33:30.460 --> 00:33:33.380 of a greater picture of what God desires to do in this world. 00:33:33.600 --> 00:33:34.760 And then he ends with this prayer. 00:33:36.120 --> 00:33:36.860 Verse 25. 00:33:38.300 --> 00:33:43.420 Now to him, who is able to strengthen you? 00:33:44.520 --> 00:33:48.080 According to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ. 00:33:48.140 --> 00:33:55.360 He's saying that this idea of being established right, finding your stronghold in life, not being swayed, but rather rooted 00:33:55.360 --> 00:33:58.540 in the truth of your identity in Christ. 00:33:58.620 --> 00:34:05.700 According to the revelation, he goes on of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but now has been disclosed and 00:34:05.700 --> 00:34:12.739 through the prophetic writings, has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal life, to bring about the obedience 00:34:12.739 --> 00:34:18.670 of faith to the only wise God be glory for evermore through Jesus Christ. 00:34:18.800 --> 00:34:19.460 Amen. 00:34:20.639 --> 00:34:21.100 I love it. 00:34:21.100 --> 00:34:23.260 Paul ends with a prayer for the church. 00:34:24.480 --> 00:34:24.520 But. 00:34:24.620 --> 00:34:32.120 But what he desires to see in their life is their life established in the beauty of Jesus and to never let go. 00:34:33.239 --> 00:34:39.150 What Jesus paid was far too high of a price for the church just to treat that haphazardly. 00:34:40.100 --> 00:34:44.650 It's everything that we are and it's all of our hope wrapped in him. 00:34:45.900 --> 00:34:52.960 And Paul is encouraging the church to think about the way that God has orchestrated this throughout history, that God 00:34:52.960 --> 00:34:56.120 in the Old Testament, He prophetically declared what he was going to do. 00:34:56.179 --> 00:34:58.980 But throughout the Old Testament to people, it remained a mystery. 00:34:58.980 --> 00:35:03.020 They couldn't quite exactly see how it would play out in the grand scheme of things. 00:35:03.060 --> 00:35:10.140 But now here we are on the on the back side of the story where we've seen God come in the flesh and God has given his life in that great mystery, 00:35:10.240 --> 00:35:17.050 revealed that we all can belong in Jesus and be priests, royal priests in His kingdom, to live for his glory forever. 00:35:18.880 --> 00:35:25.190 What a beautiful place it gives us to represent God in this world as we as we know him in relationship. 00:35:25.940 --> 00:35:30.300 And we get to live meaningful lives to endure forever. 00:35:31.880 --> 00:35:32.820 Let me close with this. 00:35:33.820 --> 00:35:40.860 There have been studies about World War Two that say during World War two, 00:35:42.720 --> 00:35:46.660 people were considered happier than in any other time in history. 00:35:48.080 --> 00:35:52.120 It's kind of an interesting thought because World War II was a world war. 00:35:52.120 --> 00:35:52.240 Right. 00:35:52.980 --> 00:36:00.120 But some people have done studies and they make the argument that during World War two, people were at their happiest and they give this reasoning for 00:36:00.120 --> 00:36:00.260 it. 00:36:01.560 --> 00:36:08.840 It's because finally in life, by a large scale, especially if you're an ally, if you're one of the allies in this war, by a 00:36:08.840 --> 00:36:16.240 larger scale, human beings stop pursuing places of popularity and financial gain 00:36:16.240 --> 00:36:20.640 and whatever they thought important in life, and they made their life about one purpose. 00:36:21.700 --> 00:36:23.040 They carried this concern. 00:36:23.060 --> 00:36:26.580 And they knew if they weren't victorious, that humanity was at stake. 00:36:27.400 --> 00:36:34.560 And so rather than think about how much money they can make or rather than think about their status in society, they are all driving to this one purpose 00:36:34.560 --> 00:36:38.940 that they could find victory because they knew at the end of the day, that's what ultimately mattered. 00:36:38.980 --> 00:36:41.680 And so their life driven towards that end. 00:36:41.680 --> 00:36:49.320 In fact, Winston Churchill, he famously said about this moment, he said, Let us brace ourselves to our duty and 00:36:49.320 --> 00:36:56.700 not so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its commonwealth last for a thousand years, men 00:36:56.700 --> 00:37:00.720 will still say this was their finest hour. 00:37:02.380 --> 00:37:02.830 You know, it's interesting. 00:37:03.060 --> 00:37:07.860 They say right after the war, people immediately reverted back to what they were doing before. 00:37:09.180 --> 00:37:11.540 Rather than that common purpose they started to pursue. 00:37:11.940 --> 00:37:13.850 I guess in Britain, the Britain dream. 00:37:14.200 --> 00:37:15.800 But in America, the American dream. 00:37:16.960 --> 00:37:21.940 Your status symbols and how big you can make your bank account and what other people thought about you. 00:37:21.940 --> 00:37:23.320 That became the priority. 00:37:23.320 --> 00:37:24.760 But during this season. 00:37:25.860 --> 00:37:28.160 People were laser focused on a purpose. 00:37:28.200 --> 00:37:30.680 And in that purpose, they found joy in meaning. 00:37:32.320 --> 00:37:33.680 And guys in Romans 16. 00:37:33.680 --> 00:37:35.700 This is exactly what Paul's saying about you. 00:37:36.440 --> 00:37:43.900 More than just this temporal life in Jesus, you have a purpose that matters for all of eternity. 00:37:45.080 --> 00:37:47.980 And you think about the significance of your calling in this world. 00:37:48.820 --> 00:37:51.520 You're walking in a spiritual battlefield. 00:37:52.840 --> 00:37:56.540 And you know the one who delivers us from the darkness. 00:37:57.940 --> 00:38:00.000 What greater purpose can be placed on your life? 00:38:01.640 --> 00:38:05.560 Then to see people know Jesus and to walk with him for all of eternity. 00:38:06.680 --> 00:38:13.940 Paul spoke for the church in the first century, I'd say as Paul's hope for the church in the 21st century that we would find 00:38:13.940 --> 00:38:19.440 our identity in Christ and live it to the best of our abilities as we trust in Him.