Why?
Original URL Sunday, March 12, 2023
Transcript
good morning brothers sisters family x friends our Lord Jesus Christ x I have to apologize in advance for uh x our av team fearlessly x setting us up and tracking on the camera x for those online x I admittedly am a kinetic x thinker so if I move I think better it x flows so I'm gonna try to move around a x little bit exercise the freedom that we x have in Sunday school to move just you x know keep things x more dynamic x before we even start into our classes x I would try to x ask that if you do have a writing x utensil x notebook pen and paper for those of you x here those you online please come armed x and ready with your pen in hand because x we are going to be doing some writing x we'll be doing some thinking some x talking x as our brother Rich Dineen says you know x I could be the sage on the stage or the x Scribe on the side so I I want to be x described on the side here and and x really have a a collaborative discussion x and one that I hope is is thought x provoking x and to that end x we're going to start with y x start with why x first want to ask those here those x online x ask yourself why am I here x Maya here x because fair enough now x there we go so that's exactly Steve just x asked the the exact question you know at x a macro scale how did you how did you x look at this did you look at this on a x macro you know is this why am I here why x do I exist why am I breathing x how how did I come to be x or on a micro scale x you know why am I sitting here in this x room right now x what's the reasoning behind it x we're going to ask some of these x questions as to why x um first and foremost and and also when x you ask why am I here on a macro scale x generationally think about all of x sequentially what had to happen in order x for you and your genetic composition to x be x but then also you know generationally x what came into play so that you're x sitting in the seat on a micro level x um x you know are you a third generation x Chris adalphian x are you here for the first time because x you you you fell in love or you were x just asking certain questions and trying x to figure out how did uh how did all x this come to be x and to prompt this iterative session of x of considering wise allow me for a x second to contextualize why we are x having this class x so x I was asked x um x last year to lead the New England cyc x weekend x and two thoughts immediately popped into x my mind number one they are really x getting desperate for speakers x number two x what can I x engage what can I explore that is x something that's really pertinent x to our teenagers x and our community at Large x and last year x speaking for myself my family and likely x the Ecclesia there was a lot of x Heartache a lot of Heartache due to x some attrition x within this occlusion it was a x conversation that we had we went to x um in Ontario uh they called it the the x cyc 25 plus I don't know if it was the x the oldest young people of x christadelphia are the youngest old x people of christadophia we couldn't x figure that out but point being is I I x we had this conversation that they asked x me to speak there for a lecture and I x and I just opened up my heart and said x this is where we're at and come to find x out that x um this concern of attrition x is pervasive across the entire spectrum x of christadelphia x in Canada and in the U.S x so I started doing some research x and I come to find out that this isn't x solely a Christadelphian issue x that this is ubiquitous across the x entirety of Christianity x so I did some research and this is the x Barna group in conjunction with the UCLA x they pulled it was a significant sample x size of teenagers I think it was x something around twenty thousand x um and I can I can get back to the exact x number but it was it was significant x this wasn't this wasn't hundreds x and it was from uh essentially during x covet 2019 to 2022. x and then you and you look at some of x these x sobering statistics of x how the next generation are gen ziers x perceive x uh just religion in general right x 33 believed gender is how a person feels x about the birth sex x uh half believe happiness defined by x financial success x uh 34 believe lying is morally long x wrong or two-thirds essentially believe x you know what lying's okay x 30 believe science and scripture are x complementary meaning 70 percent x mean that science and scripture are x diametrically opposed x that's a uh x that's a sobering item that we really x have to address x 60 believe many religions can lead to x eternal life there is no one True x Religion you just live your truth x just figure it out you know it's it's x all we're all trying to I've heard this x a lot we're all going at the same Hill x we're all going to reach the same Summit x 50 to 70 percent of young Christians x walk away from the church by the time x they're in their college Years 40 50 of x students in youth groups struggle in x their faith after graduation so this is x the most vulnerable time is when our x when our young people kind of go from x inside the house right the parents rules x we're going Sundays you know we're going x to church and then all of a sudden x they're they're given autonomy they're x giving the freedom to make their own x decisions x and how do they How do they x act upon those decisions x there are there's some good news 90 of x Americans essentially believe that there x is some sort of God right on the whole x we're still x um a spiritual country x 60 of uh 30 18 year olds say that they x are Christian x yet gen Z is the least religious x generation and then 46 of gen Z teens x say that they need factual evidence to x support their beliefs x and so that's going to be the impetus x for this talk we're going to talk about x how why we're going to talk large scale x and then we're going to start trying to x substantiate our faith x um evidentially x facts x to be able to help mitigate some of x these sobering statistics x and x the way in which we're going to to x do this x is to substantiate the what's with two x y's x now what do I mean by that x what x is those are your Jeopardy questions x right that is what we as christad x alphians as a I would say an academic x uh focused x brand of Bible scholars really do well x as a Sunday School student I remember x you know you go through the lines you go x to lineage of of David you understand x the the where's the the the hows things x were happening but you ultimately the x the locations the names the lineages x right uh all of the what's we do are an x exceptional job objectively x of talking through this x and x um I'm not saying by any means that we x should deviate from that x that the what's is is foundationally x a great x a great starting point x but if you think of what as well we'll x use an example of you know a body right x the what is is the body but now you need x two Y's for every what and those two y's x are essentially your legs that's going x to give function x to the what x now what are those two y's and this is x by all means please x um this is a good opportunity to write x this down because we're going to use x this after the fact that as part of an x exercise so whenever we're talking about x what we're discussing biblically to x ourselves to our spouses to our children x to our friends right we want to tether x that to two wise x why is the biblical view true or why is x this what that we're talking about why x is it true x and if you can back that up then also x second why x why does it matter x if we're not tethering off these what's x to two y's all of a sudden all of this x this disinformation x you know x sometimes there's there's no x there's no inherent value to our young x people or to just anyone we're talking x to unless we tether it substantiate it x to a why x so think about that so your what is your x body x and your why why is it biblically true x why does it matter in order to stand up x our what's we need to substantiate it x with two y's x so now this is going to be our our first x exercise pen and paper ready for those x here those online I'm watching you x online x um x please take a second x to write down what x you believe x what do you believe x and the BASF while an amazing document x we're not using that as a cop-out what x do you personally distill your beliefs x what do you x believe x so we're going to take a couple minutes x and just write that down when I see the x the Quorum of heads that look back up x I'll assume that we're done but for the x time being please just take a moment x and and write down what do you believe x and if this is hard good x that's that's the intent remember when I x did this in cyc x um x I was trying to I handed out all the the x notebooks to the kids and I asked the x the parents in the back if they want a x notebook they said we don't need x notebooks like no this is this is for x everyone so please please write down x um x what it is that you believe x all right hopefully we have at least x some meat to work with and and by all x means we can come back and and revisit x this and and build it out further x because this is going to be an iterative x uh session x uh x but is anyone willing to share with how x how so far where they've started on what x they believe x Chris x so I wrote down for a what all the Earth x shall be filled with the glory of God x someday I love it it's a saint beautiful x hopeful x and uh why that is important it tells us x the end from the beginning oh Chris hold x on a second look at you trying to get x extra Stars we're gonna go we're gonna x get into that Chris x oh he's he's already he's already x unbelievable we're gonna we're gonna x jump right into the wise I love it x um but anymore on the what's I mean the x glory you know all the Earth shall be x filled with the glory of the Lord I mean x that's that's such a succinct uh x beautiful x distillment x of what we believe anything else anyone x wants to add something supplemental to x that x Gordon hold on let me get you let me get x you a sphere here x I can run it x in the god of Abraham Isaac and Jacob x and then that belief everything else x falls into place x I love the fact that the eyes were x closed for that this is not the first x time you've had to you've had to state x that belief x I love it x anything else any other takers x it's a great session Steve I'll let you x hold on to this thing x all right x so Chris x is dirty jumping into it you know why so x we have our what now we're gonna put the x first leg up x first leg to our what why do you know x that it's true you know it's for in x First Peter 3 and 14 but even if you x should suffer for righteousness sake you x will be blessed have no fear of them nor x be troubled but in your hearts honor x Christ the lord as holy always being x prepared to make a defense to anyone who x asks you for a reason x for the hope that is in you do not yet x do it with gentleness and respect so we x talked about our hope right x all the Earth shall be filled with the x glory of the Lord x what's the reason x why do you know that it's true x so take x all right Siri x even she's getting involved now x so this is our first why you can just x write essentially a x first why x why do you know that beliefs are x evidentially true x I knew I knew when we were actually x practicing this on the way x uh x when I when I asked when we were x preparing this and x um x prepared to ask this question Cara spoke x up she's like I know Butch is just going x to jump at this one x so I had to give you the mic first but x do you have why do you know what you x believe is true x but the scriptures are inspired by God x and they prove themselves to be accurate x well said well said x anything else supplemental x there is no right or wrong on this x but it's essentially how can you defend x your position x I said uh that because the Bible tells x us it's so uh I would then add that mine x eyes have seen the coming of the glory x of the Lord and God has delivered me out x of all these things as Paul says so I x know that God is them so when we look x from life's experience through service x and uh worship of God that he has x provided for us on our lives so he's x given us ample evidence both within our x lives and within the scripture I love x that I love that it's so true it's so x true x there's enough evidence in and outside x of the book right x there he is hey Mark x it's on x um I'm assuming we're going x on the basis that whomever we may be x talking to has belief in Scripture x depends yeah because a lot of what we're x saying x you know is based on scripture right and x if the person we're talking to doesn't x believe it x then you kind of defeated right there x but if I'm talking which x I'm talking to people at work and I have x one person that is so x she goes to church every Sunday and her x point is God should just wipe it all out x and start over again x yeah x and our discussions are based on well x part of that is true there'll be a day x of the Lord that comes and things will x start new x the Earth will not be destroyed and she x goes well how do you know this x and there are facts but one of the big x things Italian with what we're talking x about is one scripture tells us our God x is not a god of confusion and he cannot x lie x so if you talk to somebody on that basis x and they accept that x then what Chris said and everybody else x said is x you know besides living and seeing it x firsthand x you know you have faith in that x absolutely so love it x bye x I just wanted a little clarification x about we missed a few minutes so what x about this generation what are they x believing in regards to their faith yeah x so we we can definitely we'll get into x that and that's essentially we have to x be armed to essentially bring them to x scripture so how do we how do we verify x and validate scripture outside of x scripture right but when I listen to the x young people speak what they're talking x about is environmentally we're gonna x we're going south x monetarily uh globally uh that there x they have no hope and I think it's x because people couldn't answer these x questions get into a dialogue so x especially during pandemic that create a x whole mess and then now they still x haven't found their way they're really x kind of looking and they're holding on x to things crazy in a kind of way the x things I'm hearing they're involved in x like they'll help animals but they won't x help people and it so I don't mean to x belabel this but I'm very involved and a x lot of times it's a question you can ask x like how are we doing with this you know x and ask them well what do you think is x going to happen and then offer them x something and just something little not x on you know what I'm trying to say 100 x and get that out to them that wow what x do you think is going to happen right x right right and they'll often ask once x you genuinely just begun a dialogue x the AV team is is they want to hear it x um no that's x so what what ampani's saying x um sister Bonnie's saying sorry I still x have to get used to that she was my x Sunday school teacher so she's always x not bonded to me and she's always going x to hand me a snack at the end of this x um so uh but it's a great question right x how do you x how do you substantiate am I am on how x do you substantiate x um x scripture when they don't even want to x go there they're like hey I don't even x want to get into the book right now x because everything I see around me is is x so dilapidated x um that I don't even want to go there x yet because you got to meet me where I'm x at we're going to explore that that's x that's a very very pressing topic x because we're so conditioned we're so x and it seems like that was that was the x battlefield of 100 years ago x everyone was like all right scripture is x Common Ground let's let's go toe-to-toe x within scripture but now the the x battlefield so to speak the the x discussions have you really have to be x able to x um solidify substantiate your argument x for scripture first to get them into the x book and then kind of build it from x there but you have to Corral them uh and x I say them I mean I was the same exact x way this was this was very much x something that I personally struggled x with too is is making sure that I felt x comfortable in validating scripture so x we're going to get into that archeology x uh science I think science actually x really does a fantastic and we'll get x into that in one of our classes x um prophecy there's a lot history x there's a lot of ways that we can bring x them to scripture without scripture and x I think that's that's going to be the x almost the art form of how we proceed x with with trying to really uh rally the x younger Generations Sandy you had x something x oh come on you know I think of The x Wonder of creation and The Wonder of x Miracle of birth and all we see around x us and I don't think for me I never x asked why it was almost why not x you know what else is there and I think x you live through life experiences and x you get through things and reading of x the scripture and God does not lie and x you know and I think um x you know what else is there what else x can man do man can't fix anything and x never has and this is x why not you know and and you and uh you x almost no it's not Blind Faith but you x think just just just believe x you know it's so anyway x I had um I had put down as uh as my x first belief that I believe in the one x God who created the heavens and the x Earth x and then for a why I said I believe uh x the beauty and complexity of the world x demonstrates that there's a Creator God x and not a universe formed by chance x well said so there's our first why x and now x here's a second why right why does it x matter to us x in other words who cares x right so it's let's let's a couple x minutes here and write down why x does the what we believe why we know x it's true why does it matter to us x individually and once we can x substantiate that x in theory that's that's how we can then x make it matter to someone else so we'll x take a couple minutes there and talk and x and write through why does it matter x to you x I apologize in advance at least who x wants the first crack at the the why it x matters Ben x yeah so the things that we believe x matter x um you know I I think it's easier to x kind of take approach from a negative x perspective right there's this problem x with sin and death that we have we have x sinful desires and they lead us x ultimately to death if you're not a x religious person maybe you don't frame x it that way but we all have this problem x with mortality that's undeniable x um so IT addresses that problem but I x the better approach I think is that if x it's true that there is a Creator God he x made all things he made us and he's x offering a relationship with us that's x just a marvelous thing to take advantage x of and to to be invited to participate x in x um we have all these these problems in x society that seem Unstoppable it seems x like the bad guys win for whatever x reason that's just the prevailing Trend x that we've seen to know that there is x the opportunity for for justice and real x hope and and change in the world x um who who wouldn't want that that's a x great thing to believe in 100 percent x why not yeah x all right sadly enough for the sake of x time we're gonna revisit this but uh x we're already running out of time which x is heartbreaking because I I could talk x about this for hours I love this stuff x we'll leave this right here with you Ben x um so this is so this is actually going x to be the culmination of x um x but what x two wise right so we have our our body x of our what we have the two legs we just x stood it up two wise x what direction x Are We Now moving x with this what and two wise x so we have our beliefs we we have what x you believe why you know it's true and x why it matters x right we've just we just written that x down those here those online x so now what are you gonna do with it x you know how does your faith impact your x Paradigm your world view x so you you have the what the two wise x what mountain is we see these x Mountaineers summoning x um x a specific Mountain amidst all these x other mountains why are you summoning x this mountain relative to the rest of x them you know wealth whatever it's glory x whatever whatever it is Friends however x you want to substantiate the value of x your life how were you substantiating x your mission your purpose essentially uh x what is your mission statement what is x your North Star what is the mountain x that you specifically x are trying to climb x and this is a this is a great one for x young people too but we'll get into that x but first and foremost just a quick x synopsis distill it what is your mission x statement x all right hopefully we at least have a x a start towards the mission statement x and before I I continue to ask people to x share theirs which is certainly a x personal ask x um x I'm gonna take a quick moment to share x mine x so x Proverbs 3 is actually a verse that x really embodies x um the hard lessons that I've learned x and it's something that we've actually x uh wrote along the entirety of the wall x in our living room trust in the Lord x with all your heart and not on your own x understanding and always acknowledge Him x and He will make your path straight x so this photo right here this was taken x uh on a return trip from the Branford x Ontario Hockey Challenge this was 2016. x I was six years into a relationship x started it my senior year of high school x all the way through college two years x into my professional life I got baptized x uh two years prior to that in 2014 after x graduating college I was essentially the x prodigal son woke up in the pigstyles x metaphorically x and realize this is not the way I want x to live had some great Sunday school x teachers along the way that really beat x it into me like this is this is not x the way x and I ultimately I committed myself to x baptism but I was still stuck I was x still lukewarm I was in this x relationship where I was trying to x convince her to come along and come to x church and she wasn't for me but I still x loved her x and I went to Brantford Ontario Hockey x Challenge and I saw I tried to actually x bring her she's like not I'm not x interested so I went my sister and I saw x couples that were yoked I saw that you x know that the couples holding the same x hymn book the same hymns talking x about classes afterwards and I realized x I needed that otherwise I will always be x lukewarm I don't have the spiritual x strength endurance to do this on my own x so I had a tear-filled conversation x after seeing this rainbow which was x which essentially that my way that was x God speak to me I felt in my heart get x your act together commit yourself to me x and I will make your path straight x I will you will find that evenly yoked x person in your life so sure enough x um drove home at an eight-hour drive x went right to my girlfriend's house x tears just pouring down on my face x because I loved her I said listen this x is my mission statement I want to go x this direction I want to serve God you x have to after three years of trying to x convince you to get on board you're not x into it and ultimately I I don't have x the stamina to carry both of us x and then x just an absolute uh devastating night x remember just just crying all the way x home we we had to we had to break up x and what that did was it allowed me to x be available to now commit myself fully x and by doing that fast forward a year I x met Cara x um x and you can probably hear some of the x squeaks underneath us in the in the uh x in the the nursery x um so we all kind of know how that story x ends so we actually Revisited that space x on the way to that that um x Ontario x cyc weekend over the summer and and I x just I was floored to see the trajectory x of the rainbow right I mean this is the x lowest point of my spiritual walk it's x like you gotta completely start from x scratch in your relationships and now x I'm with my brother and I'm with my x beautiful wife Cara and we were able to x um you know see that the optimism how x how different that whole dynamic is I x mean here's Cara feeding Joel she's x she's nursing Maddie she has x um and she's doing she's doing the x slides I mean as if I could put these x slides together it was all Kara we all x know this so I mean that's x that's the level of commitment that she x has for our family we and we distilled x our mission statement to this x raise a family x that reflects God's love acknowledging x God's love our purpose and essentially x saying you know we don't even really x need to emulate it's it's essentially x you just learn of God's love and you can x it's it's really easy to start x reflecting it we've actually since made x an amendment that they gave this class x uh in September and that was after a x really edifying conversation with x Stephen Sandy when they came to our x house and we've actually the amendment x now is raise a family that reflects x God's love through Joy and this is x something that God willing I hope to x explore in my ex store in May x but realizing that Joy ultimately has to x be the vehicle in which we convey God's x love no matter if there's if things are x happening x um that are that are challenging x everyone has challenges right but are x you embracing those challenges with Joy x are you embracing every Sunday with Joy x are you are you just just omitting x the joy uh that that comes with knowing x and sharing God's love so that's our x mission statement try to be succinct to x something that we can exchange to our x kids that they can kind of start to x memorize themselves so they know this is x what we're about this is where we're x heading x does anyone else want to uh share their x mission statement for for their family x or themselves what mountain are you x trying to Summit x all right I can run it x um I I always try every day to remember x the words of Psalm 19 verse 14. x let the words of my mouth and the x meditations of my heart be acceptable x unto thee O Lord my strength and my x redeemer x um you know we I x you always try at least I do and and I x try to stress this on my family and I'm x sure we all think the same way every day x when you awake is a gift from the Lord x and every day I put my two feet on the x ground I try to think of those words x first and foremost before I do anything x else uh because I think joy that mindset x you how you start your days usually is x how your day will carry through not that x it happens all the time because you know x work school everything else that we deal x with x tends to eat away at that but I think if x you start your day that way by doing the x readings I remember Uncle Bob Davis I x used to he asked me when did you do your x readings Mark and I said usually it's x late at night x and he'd say when you're tired and I x said yeah x so now I do it the other way I usually x do it first thing in the morning while x I'm awake x you know so that's mine this is Psalm 19 x verse 14. and I think it it might be x yours too brother Steve I know you've x quoted that verse many a Time x I am I actually chose a mission x statement uh several years ago by x accident x I happen to notice way back when when x email first started tell you how old I x am x um the people put quotes at the bottom x of their emails so I thought oh that's a x cool idea so I'll put a quote on that so x I looked around I just chose a quote and x I chose I can do all things x uh through Christ x um and since then because people see it x on my email I get presents I've got a x couple different cups I've got t-shirts x I've got I get all kinds of stuff from x people and it's it has in essence become x a mission statement without ever really x uh giving it that title x I love that a great way for just x preaching with it let them know x immediately x what you're about x other mission statements x oh here we go Steve x this is not my mission statement but x this is Paul's the Apostle Paul's x so in Colossians chapter 2 x he says my purpose x is that you may be encouraged in heart x and United in love x so that you may have the full Riches of x complete understanding in order that you x may know the mystery of God namely x Christ and whom is hidden all the x treasures of wisdom and knowledge x yeah so I like that x and he's certainly committed to that x mission x anyone else interested in sharing x question was why do we come here sure x yeah you know and I look at it deep x inside and I say x well what's in it for me x and just knowing in this crazy world x that is so sad is so sick x that God has promised us x place that we x can't imagine you know and it keeps you x getting out of bed on Sunday you know x and being with your brothers and sisters x makes a difference too you know so x mankind does um look at what is in it x for them you know it's just human nature x human yeah human nature it's it's uh x we're for donkeys too right I mean it's x it's there's quite the carrot for this x one and I always thought that was you x know interesting that um x you know with us clearly when you look x at scripture you know the hell Gahanna x not being a literal hell you know being x that the pit so to speak here that the x junkyard so to speak it's like what a x loving God x would he incentivize with a stick or a x carrot right you would you would x definitely it would be the carrot x Sandy x I have a comment um I think it's our x outlook on anything we do x is is how it x comes forth you know and x um a great example my parents are my mom x um x uh x when my sister died Gail died at home x my mom was with her I don't know is this x weird to say no go Sandy so um x so my sister Gail died at home x um x yeah x so she x um bled x she so she x she had a tragic death and you know x anyway my mom was there with her and she x called my mom and my mom sat with her x and my sister died x and um x and I remember coming back from the x hospital with Steve and my sister and my x brother-in-law Steve x probably 2 30 quarter three in the x morning just kind of like getting back x to her house and like okay x deciding what we do and and my mom we're x just standing there and she looked at us x and she said I'm so blessed x and she's always said that and I think x to come from a point of that x um x it's a mentality it's how you look at x things x you know and it's it's whether it's your x life experiences that you learn from but x it's how you look at something that this x has happened to me x but I'm so blessed and I think that such x an example and um that's all x thank you for sharing that Sandy Auntie x Norma always I remember when I'm x struggling most my teenage years right I x mean I've candidly x um you know parents forced me to go to x church and I'm still trying to recover x from the night before right and x whenever I'm at my lowest I would always x go to Auntie Norma because she always x exuded that Joy right that Resolute Joy x um and that just just so excitational x you know how Auntie Norma lived her life x it lives her life as um mission x oriented um that absorbing regardless of x circumstance the ultimate blessing x you know no matter what happens in the x chapters 1 through 99 we all know x chapter 100 is is going to ultimately be x just an incredible incredible ending of x each and every one of our stories x so mark x told them loud enough to not need a x speaker but I moved at home yeah at the x end of the day x you know on the selfish side x you know I I want to be x on the earth that day that it's filled x with God's glory right but moreover x I want everyone else to be there too I x want them all to feel the same joy that x we do knowing that that day is coming x so selfishly I want to be there x and I want others to be there too x and you know we know that day is coming x so x mark thank you so much for that x um x absolutely Gordon x we are told to work out our own x salvation with fear and trembling x to that end x we need to put our trust in God x to help us x because we are told x that x if we diligently seek him x he will help us he will reward us x thank you x Gordon I thank you so very much for that x um we'll do it quick x uh recap x and then x um I'll do a quick uh x introduction of what we're going to be x talking about God building next Sunday x first Sunday school we'll do a quick x recap here next class so just through a x quick regroup you should have this all x in your notes already x um your what what do you believe why is x it true why does it matter to you x right and we're going to explore this x and how it's pervasive throughout x um x all biblical spiritual Concepts uh and x then x for next class we'll talk about world x view x um we call it the tab world view and x we'll go through that in detail but x essentially that's a tab being the x theology apologetics beliefs we're going x to explore uh how that world view x compares to other World Views out there x um and what we can do to really ensure x that we we condition our faith to have a x resilient worldview around the theology x apologetics and beliefs so I look x forward to by all means after after x memorial service if you want to continue x this discussion what's your mission x statement x maybe even sit down you know for those x of you with with kids at home uh have a x dinner room discussion hey what is our x collaborative mission statement have the x kids have some buy-in on that what's x what's the mission statement for our x house you know make sure that there's a x certain level of involvement that they x feel some sense of ownership on that x um but certainly a really edifying x conversation that we've had in our own x families is we've evaluate it do we add x what do we want to do x um you know and make sure that we're all x essentially walking in that in that an x analogy in the same directionFlexing Faith
Original URL Sunday, March 19, 2023
Transcript
good morning brothers sisters family and x friends our Lord Jesus Christ x the great morning is it a little fresh x uh a little cold but but beautiful x um x so this is class two x for those of you that noticeably that x the attendance is a lot less for class x two which you come to expect you know x um x I've already worn out some some welcome x but uh x for those of you who haven't been uh x weren't with class one or actually x haven't had your notes ready yet for x class one we're going to do a quick uh x Rich Dineen Lee Cap all right we're x gonna get a leak happen x so we have two wise x for every what x does anyone remember what the the two x wise x for every what x was what were those x what's the what x what are the two whys x yeah x what do you believe or whatever we're x discussing biblically you know it x doesn't matter what whatever the what is x but more foundational is what are the x two whys x why is it true x why does it matter x now we're up we're up and running today x we have the two wise x and uh the what that's exactly if we x remember anything from the first class x that was it two wise uh for everyone now x we're gonna and we we talked also about x the mission statement essentially now x that we've stood up our faith our what x has the two y's what direction are we x going that's our mission statement I x hope that prompted some discussion uh x after class it certainly did for our x family x um and x you know certainly something that more x than happy to dive into after meeting as x well if we want to continue that x discussion x so now we're in class two x um in class two is a x uh we talk about it flexing faith you x know so this is It's foundationally set x the the stage x um we're going to be reading uh First x Corinthians 9 24-27. x do you not know x that in a race all the runners run x but only one received the prize x so run that you may obtain it x every athlete exercises self-control in x all things x they do not do it to receive a x perishable wreath x but we in imperishable x so I do not run aimlessly I do not box x as one beating the air but I discipline x my body and keep it under control less x after preaching to others I myself x should be disqualified x so Paul he presents a great analogy here x right he he x highlights the discipline required for x that of an athlete even of those age I x mean you look at some of those those x Marvel sculptors of uh you know the x Romans they were shredded I mean like x you know they they uh there was no x Planet Fitness you know but they they x somehow were able to maintain quite the x physique and that came through x self-control through discipline and and x they endeavored just to have this x imperishable this this sorry perishable x wreath and Paul's using that analogy of x discipline saying we can keep ourselves x disciplined x to pursue a x a venture that's that's imperishable our x hope x right of Christ's return in his kingdom x and x it is uh no coincidence that the word x discipline is foundational to the word x disciple and that we as disciples need x to be disciplined in how we approach uh x our work right our our Pursuit x and to continue the analogy x of athletes that Paul uses in x Corinthians in order to flex or x strengthen our faith like a muscle x we have to push against the weight x right it is uh there's not much we can x do uh as far as muscle growth unless we x are in fact exerting it pushing against x a weight x that way it could be our own doubts x but even if we can't resolve our own x doubts we need to contend with contrary x World Views that's you know once you x foundationally kind of get get through x your own uh belief system your own you x know what why why x and once you're moving towards something x with your mission you're still going to x be encountering a lot of resistance x and that resistance inevitably is going x to be x uh contrary World Views now what is a x world view x world view answers x three fundamental questions and by all x means feel free to write these down x because this is going to really help as x far as our discussions with our x neighbors our discussions with our x co-workers our discussions with our own x children grandchildren because everyone x has to have an answer for these or at x least consider the question x so when we talk about worldview or a x paradigm it essentially it explains x Origins x how did we get here x why are we here x what can we do about it x how did we get here x why are we here x what can we do about it x World Views are fundamental to how we x as human beings interact with one x another x give you an example when I was in x college x um there was a there was a big phrase x YOLO you only live once right and that's x what everyone was was shouting as x they're doing keg stands right as as x they're as they're you know just living x for the Friday night x but then you also you contrast that with x a world view of well actually no we have x a hope x and x we we are actually created right we x weren't this wasn't it wasn't a YOLO it x wasn't we just all just happened here by x accident x you know that this this this intricate x just x just beautiful x um creation that we have within x ourselves they've got our own bodies you x look at the world around us we're like x um x that's not an accident right there was a x creator x so that makes us created and now we're x trying to determine what that Creator x wants of us and when you when you x reverse engineer that it's like okay x well what do we do with our Friday x nights maybe we go to cyc maybe we spend x some time with family all of a sudden x it changes the way you approach your x day-to-day x who here has heard the expression x uh you are the sum of the five closest x people x that you spend your time with x only Jim okay fair enough well Jim I'm x glad you heard it x um x who who actually believes that right who x believes that the The Company You Keep x really influences who you are as a x person on a day to day x Jim Jim's x shoulders x all right let's go I love it I love it x uh and that ties back to you know the my x whole story of that even the Yoke x relationship x um you know my spiritual my spiritual x muscles I'm able to flex my uh Faith a x lot more because I have Cara that's x spotting me right versus before you know x I was on my own I was I was suffocating x under the bench press of contrary World x Views I was suffocating under the x pressures of the company that I kept my x you know college lacrosse buddies x um you know they were not like hey Nate x like let's do some Bible readings on x Friday night no it was a very different x environment x so our worldview foundationally x starts with the relationships that we x keep and by all means for those of you x that have your notebooks ready to rock x and roll this pyramid is going to be x essential to how we contextualize the x rest of the class so please you're x welcome to do a quick uh triangle get x your three lines in there so you have x four sections x so foundationally x the relationships that we keep x are going to influence our world view x right the the topics you discuss x um I always I there's a another quote x I'm going to butcher it here on the spot x but uh x said something like you know normal x people talk about x um people x your x um x more intelligent more x insightful people talk about things x right and then your x more insightful more intelligent people x above that talk about x uh missions talk about principles talk x about actions x right so when you're talking with people x are you talking about just you know x people uh can you can you believe what x happened with Sheila like that's x unbelievable or are you are you x elevating you're talking about spiritual x Concepts you're talking about x um less tangible intangible principles x and and that really fundamentally boils x down to the relationship you keep the x discussions that you have x and so then your world view how you x perceive those three fundamental x questions does anyone remember what x those three fundamental questions are x Ben's checking you wrote them down right x Ben x don't fail me x don't have the third one x this guy got a perfect score in his SATs x and he doesn't he doesn't have the third x ques um unbelievable x any help from the crowd x what are we gonna do about it x so like so what what are we gonna do x about it exactly perfect x um so our world view it now shapes our x priorities and our morals I just talked x about that example of the Friday night x you know the company that you keep are x you a YOLO mentality or you hey I've x I've been creative what does my Creator x want for me well I could spend my Friday x nights learning more and understanding x more of what my Creator wants and how I x can properly serve that Creator so I can x serve my purpose understand my purpose x so that world view now all of a sudden x dictates my values as I learn about this x as I look through my Bible now all of a x sudden the fruits of the spirit are x going to start to manifest Within Me x right and those values all of a sudden x dictate our Behavior x they shape our choices they shape our x actions and that is how we have Kinetic x Faith that's how we have the faith that x James the brother of Jesus wrote about x in his x in his uh book x you know that's faith in action x so there are other World Views and I x remember our brother Jim went through x this a little bit uh what was it two x years ago Jim you kind of went through x like the gnostics and uh kind of other x pervasive World Views at the time x um so that that definitely resonated as x I x was going through those classes those x were some of the World Views that Jesus x had to contend with x um during his life right uh during uh x you know A.D x we'll say if you know the height of his x ministry 80 30. now x other worldviews that are pervasive x today x we have naturalism God does not exist x and natural forces are sufficient to x explain everything right it just x everything just kind of happened in this x you know x uninspired yet providential x happenstance x pantheism all is God and distinctions x are artificial and we're all x everything's gone it's like it's kind of x like this floating nebulous of you know x divine x um really for me it's like that's x that's that's really hard to x conceptualize not only get x conceptualized but what do you do with x that right x individualism this is I mean you want to x pull up cert you know social media as a x millennial you want to you want to look x at kind of the the millennial x um x mindset x individualism life is about me x that this new phrase that's coming out x that that Cara's even seeing now in uh x some of her like her chats and stuff uh x I love that for you you know it's like I x this is this is your truth this is your x thing and you like that's everyone kind x of has their own truth reality is is x uniquely their own there is no shared x reality x um x and and you cannot your individualism x cannot infringe on my individualism x uh atheism x you know that's that's the lack of x belief in God x so you know someone's saying hey uh x just don't don't believe x you know not for me x um x so x individualism kind of comes from x salvation comes from finding yourself x you find yourself you're safe and x there's an irony in that too x um where and kind of continue that x thought process also humanism truth is x subjective not objective it's your truth x um and so you you can dictate truth x there is no common truth x so this is this is kind of what we're x contending with here and and to that the x whole atheism concept that's um x that's an interesting one because I had x a I had a lunch with a uh a colleague x um and she noted that you know we're x talking about her her husband's name I x think was like Jedediah I mean it was x you know it way it was it was way past x Nathanael as far as like old school Old x Testament uh names I was like let's x let's unpack that like you know of x course she said that yeah it was a x Jehovah's Witness of her time she said x but he's he's no longer into it he's x really into science now like he's more x like science based and that like x broke me a little bit because I found x and solidified and substantiated my x faith when I was in engineering uh when x I was in college because I was learning x about these thermodynamics principles I x was learning about chemistry and the x more I understood about science the more x I realized this is not an accident like x the complexities required x on all facets for us to exist x cannot be a coincidence so uh x that's really that's that's how x knowledge can be divisive and it all x depends on on how you have your x foundational world view x and to that end for our Biblical x worldview how do we know x that our faith-based worldview is right x but before we get into that let's define x faith does anyone know the definition of x faith x oh absolutely that's that's exactly it x thank you so much x absolutely the faith the substance of x things hoped for x the evidence of things unseen x so here's here's the beauty of of faith x and knowledge we talk about kind of x science more science based as if as if x you know people sometimes people x perceive uh Christians as a blind faith x right like x you're just hoping for the best x this is not this is not a you know just x a Whimsical like you know this is just x better than thinking we're gonna die x like this is substantiated x through knowledge so we look at this x contrast right so knowledge facts x information and skills acquired by a x person through experience or education x the theoretical or practical x understanding of a subject x classical definition knowledge is x Justified true belief or true opinion x combined with x reason x so we talk about faith and knowledge x they're actually the symbiotic x relationship x between faith and knowledge x so anytime someone's like you have your x faith I have my knowledge no no our x faith is foundationally based on x knowledge x that's why we get so deep into scripture x that's why we look at historical context x that's why we look at root words x we're not here under surface level in x hopes and dreams we are here x substantively x now x as a quick aside does anyone want to x explain the difference between knowledge x and wisdom x you want to take a crack at that x uh oh x it's on armed and dangerous I would x suggest knowledge is information and x wisdom is interpretation wisdom x knowledge is information wisdom is x interpretation x I love that thank you I love that x I aim to please let me give you an x antidote right x knowledge x is knowing that a tomato x is a fruit x wisdom is knowing to not put a tomato in x a fruit salad x fair enough x fair enough okay so that's exactly it x you know it's knowledge wisdom is is x applied knowledge over time being able x to to reason with it x and the reason why we wanted to x contextualize all of this is because x there is x you know when you look at scripture x we're not just we're not just talking x about this this is not cuddling devised x fables like this is uh substantiated in x Scripture x so let us read a couple real quick uh x Proverbs 9 uh Proverbs chapter 9 verse x 10. the fear of the Lord is the x beginning of wisdom x and the knowledge of the Holy is x understanding x first John 5 13-15 I write these things x to you who believe in the name of the x son of God that you may know that you x have eternal life x and this is the confidence that we have x towards him that if we ask anything x according to his will he hears us x and if we know x that he hears us and whatever we ask we x know x that we have the request that we have x asked of him this is knowledge this x isn't just Whimsical Faith this is x substantiated knowledge continuing on x Colossians chapter 2. x verse starting in verse four I say this x in order that no one may delude you with x plausible arguments therefore as you x receive Christ Jesus the Lord so walk in x him rooted and built up in him and x established in the faith just as you x were taught abounding in Thanksgiving x see to it that no one takes you captive x by philosophy an empty deceit according x to human traditions x according to the elementary spirits of x the world and not according to Christ we x need to substantiate this right this is x this is not pie in the sky x just want the facts ma'am you know x that's that's really what it boils down x to x the evidence of things unseen comes from x knowledge x all right x so with that with a discussion around x world view x um the discussion around how we in our x spiritual our Biblical our scriptural x worldview is substantiated through x knowledge through wisdom which is what x every other every other Sunday school x class that we we sit down in you know x that's that's really what we're x hammering here we're hammering what's x we're hammering why we believe what we x believe x so what can we do with that x there's another there's another uh x hold on one second x I lost I lost a uh x that's sad I lost the slide x um real quick because I want someone x actually to look this up for us if x they're if they're willing x because it's a I think it's a really x I don't know why we lost you buddy x um who here can read for us First x Corinthians x chapter one x 18-31 and I'll yeah I'll x who's up for a good reading x Corinthians chapter 1 verse 18 to 31. x for the preaching of the crosses to them x that perish foolishness but unto us x which are saved it is the power of God x for it is written I will destroy the x wisdom of the wise and will bring to x nothing the understanding of the prudent x where is the wise where's the Scribe x where's this disputer of this world x hath not God made foolish the wisdom of x this world x for after that in the wisdom of God the x World by wisdom knew not God it pleased x it pleased God by the foolishness of x preaching to save them that believe x for the Jews require a sign and the x Greeks seek after wisdom x but we preach Christ crucified unto the x Jews a stumbling block and under the x Greek's foolishness x but unto them which are called the Jews x and Greeks Christ the power of God and x the wisdom of God because the foolish x foolishness of God is wiser than men and x the weakness of God is stronger than men x for you see your calling Brethren how x that not many wise men after the flesh x not many mighty not many noble or called x but God hath chosen the foolish things x of this world to confound the wise and x God hath chosen the weak things of the x world to confound the things which are x mighty and base things of the world and x things which are despised has God chosen x yes and things which are not to bring to x not things that are x that no flesh should glory in his x presence x but of him x a ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made x unto us wisdom and righteousness and x sanctification and Redemption that x according as it is written he that x glories let him glory in the Lord x so that was uh King James x fantastic so x quick translation here on the ESV x this is this is you know x uh verse 31. so it is written that the x one who boasts x boasts in the Lord x you know this is how we apply the two x Y's for everyone in our Biblical x worldview right so he who boasts or or x worry but I kind of like the the x principle of boasting x um x not of ourselves x but of the Lord the confidence that we x have x so let's uh x one second here here we go so with that x in mind with with that whole uh reading x and thank you Ben for that reading with x that in context x we're now going to develop our own x worldview our our we call it the tab x world view and for those of you with x your notebooks and pens at the ready x this is going to be essential to lay out x our thought process here x of how we substantiate how we boast in x the Lord right how we apply not World x realism but spiritual wisdom to flex our x faith to contend against the contrary x World Views that we that our children x that are brothers and sisters will x contend with on a daily basis x so how we boast we provide the tab world x view so tab starts with uh the T and tab x into the cross stick right so theology x doctrine that points back to what x We Believe x okay so what we believe and then x second apologetics defense this this x brings back to why do we know it's true x we're going to go into each and every x one of these but let's just lay this out x in our notes right now x and then three Behavior we just talked x about that x um the worldview pyramid right x It ultimately it the behavior is is the x outcome of our world view x so demeanor and deeds and that appeals x back to why does it matter x who cares x all right so we're starting with t x theology x what we believe x theology breaks down to uh two root x words Theos which is God and logos word x or reasoning x so does anyone uh subscribe to logos x magazine x no x but you understand where the the the the x word uh boils down to right reasoning x that's that's how that's how we got x that's how they determined uh the editor x to determine the title of that right so x what we believe is foundational to our x two wise x so that again that what is that that's x what our Christian Community does so x well x um these are the concepts we learned in x Sunday school excorts x um our readings you know this is this is x what's outlined in our BASF right this x is the theology what it is that we x believe x and so I'm not going to on this x topic because this is essentially what x we're learning each and every uh Sunday x school X sort x um you know even our Bible readings x right that's that is foundational to our x theology x and then our theology the what now needs x to be stood up right x so that's where we get to our x apologetics x why is this true x so it's from the Greek word and I'm x going to butcher this I wish we had x Brian here that could that could help uh x you know help us contextualize some some x Greek words x um it's a polygamy eye which occurs 10 x times in the New Testament x um x if the foundation just means apologetic x speaking in defense this is not x apologizing right apologetics is not x like hey I'm sorry this is what I x believe no it is defending making a case x for your theology x right it's actually uh x and we'll see in within scripture how x it's applied it's it's kind of going on x the offense not not apologizing but x substantiating what we believe why is x this true x so it occurs uh eight out of 10 times x it's coming from the author Luke two x occurrences in Luke his gospel and six x more times in Acts once in Romans and x once again in second Corinthians so x apologetics the defense of why it's true x you know when we talk about what we x believe immediately jumping into x substantiating why we believe it x and this was of the utmost importance x in the ancient world when you had all x these types of spiritual Concepts x floating around you had the Hellenist x you had all these polytheism uh that's x pervasive and now you have this you had x appearance the Jews were uh essentially x monopolizing the the monotheism market x and you had this this kind of new x interpretation of it and and so there's x a there's a lot of mixture here and x apologetics was of the Forefront x of Defending Your why x in the ancient world x and it's just as important today x it really is x so we're getting into some verses here x uh to discuss that Luke 12 and 11. so x here's some of your examples of x apologetics within scripture x and when they bring you before the x synagogues and the rulers the x authorities do not be anxious x about how you should defend yourself x it's the same root word or what you x should say x continuation Acts 26 1-2 so we'll grip x us at the Paul you have permission to x speak for yourself then Paul stretched x out his hand and made his defense x it's the same thing the Apologetics x I consider myself fortunate that it is x before you can grippa that I'm going to x make my defense there it is again today x against all the accusations of the Jews x jumping into Philippians chapter 1 verse x 7 it is right for me to feel this way x about you all because I hold you in my x heart x you are all partakers with me of Grace x both in my imprisonment and in the x defense x and confirmation x of the Gospel x one more time now first Peter 3 and 15. x but in your hearts honor Christ the lord x as holy always being prepared to make a x defense to anyone who asks you for a x reason for the hope that is in you x you do so with gentleness x and respect wouldn't that be great if x like you know the millennial that's like x clapping away in the elevator on his on x the on their tick tock on the you know x just just text him just say hold on put x the phone down turn to you and says x what do you believe x and why x I mean pretty far-fetched right but x hypothetically if it happens are you x prepared to respond x do you have your elevator speech are you x prepared to make a defense to anyone who x asks you x and then continuing on uh Luke 21 and 14 x settle it therefore in your minds x not to meditate beforehand how to answer x this is when giving a defense right so x you have to kind of be prepared mentally x to give a defense but also like how are x you on your feet x you know are you able to x dance around objections are you x conditioned x to make a defense x when teaching biblical principles to our x Sunday school students our children our x friends x do we focus on the why in other words do x we equip our Bible school or Scholars x the Apologetics or defense of the what x right do we do we give them that Buckler x so now we have our theology we have our x apologetics and now we have our Behavior x why does this matter to me x now when I had the uh cyc class I had x some verses for this you know the x behavior again it explains who am I what x is my purpose how I should live x but I am instead going to x ask that we first and as a collective x Sunday School x try to look up some verses that help x answer who am I x so does anyone have a verse off the top x of the head or at least wants to do a x quick research to explain x who am I you know what what are what's x what's what are we what's the intent x who am I x and as you're searching I'll give you x one to start x and then I uh I welcome any supplemental x um verses for this x so who am I second Corinthians 5 17-20. x therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a x new creation the oldest passed away x behold the new has come x all this is from God who through Christ x reconciled us to himself and gave us the x ministry of reconciliation that is in x Christ x God was reconciled x reconciling the world to himself not x counting their trespasses against them x and entrusting to us the message of x reconciliation therefore we are x ambassadors x for Christ x God meaning that his appealed through us x we implore you on behalf of Christ be x reconciled to God so who am I I'm an x ambassador no matter what x um x I'm a new creation x and I'm an ambassador x for Christ x I'm gonna go grab the microphone just to x make sure there's a x oh Jen has it you have one Ben x oh x saving coming in late just x give you x Genesis 1. x 1 in the beginning God created the x heavens and the Earth so we believe in a x Creator which defines who we are that we x live in tensional lives we don't live a x life based on a world that thinks we x just happen to show up here and do x whatever you want you live die and be x happy x um you know it's like Paul says uh if x tomorrow we die then eat drink and be x happy if there if Christ is not risen so x it helps us to live an intentional life x that we start with that Foundation that x there is a Creator a sustainer with a x plan and purpose for each individual on x Earth not just haphazardly you know x watching uh little Clips all day x for those of you at home I'll translate x for you that's a Creator and a sustainer x we'll have to get subtitles here x there he is x thank you Jason all right this is from x Ephesians chapter four uh verse 23 be x renewed in the spirit of your mind and x put on the new man which after God is x created in righteousness and true x Holiness so this is a renewed spirit x this is is a spirit sanctification x Holiness separateness and renewal x it's a beautiful thing I mean there's a x it helps us see past ourselves right x it's easy to get caught up if we're just x self-focused but all of a sudden if if x all of a sudden you're a part of x something greater you're part of a x mission that's a lot bigger than x yourself it really helps contextualize x the day-to-day struggles x anyone else before we go to the next one x fair enough x what is my purpose x I'll leave this with you real quick x so while we look up what's our purpose x why are we here what are we doing x um I'll read a quick one x just to get the juices flowing x what is my purpose Ecclesiastes x um x 12 and 13. the end of the matter all has x been heard x fear God keep his Commandments for this x is x whole duty of man x Fair God keep his Commandments I mean x I'm starting but very simple you know x we're starting kind of the remedial x distilled version but x um anyone else what's our purpose x Micah six and eight x can we get a reader from Micah can you x read Micah 6 and 8 for us x Ben's flipping without tabs that's x impressive x under pressure x Brett Nancy Micah six and eight x he has showed you oh man what is good x and what does the Lord require of you x but to do justly to love Mercy to walk x humbly with your God x well done that's that's a beautiful one x any others x Nancy just knocked out of the park x because no need for another app with x that one x love it x how should we live x right this is kind of this is this is x really the behavior side x um x first John two four and six whoever says x I know him x but does not keep his Commandments is a x liar x and the truth is not in him but whoever x keeps his word in him truly the love of x God is perfected by this we may know x that we are in him whoever says abide in x him ought walk in the same way which x he walked x walk in the same way Chris how should I x live well look at look at the way that x Christ interacted look at the way that x the fruits of the spirit x um really just emulate x do x each and every interaction x anyone else x on how we should live x Gordon let me get you x all right brother Gordon x there we go I'm sorry x we are told to love God and keep his x Commandments and that's our whole Duty x I love it love God keep his Commandments x or you know you know Christ was saying x as the number one commandment love God x love others you know it's it really is x um x very simplistic when you boil it down x any others x all right x so x we're going to exploit the time the x timeline anyways uh as a quick context x we're going to dump jump it right into x class three this will be a four class x series I'm not sure if a little baby x Nora is going to give us four classes x um Cara's been she's definitely we got x the she's the woman in travail right now x so x we don't I'll I'll feel I'll be blown x away if we can x um x we can wait till mid April for for uh x baby number three because it's looking x like you know x prayerfully x um x we're holding we're holding on so we'll x see we're gonna try to get a four class x series into three classes for the time x being for that very reason hopefully x we'll be done by the the end of the x month x um so we're gonna jump right into class x three which is fortifying faith we talk x about flexing Faith right this was the x principle of x um x how do we x use the world view our faith as a muscle x to push against the weight of contrary x World Views right so this is a class two x lead cap right we're gonna do a little x recap right now x uh so we talk about theology you know x your Doctrine what we believe x the Apologetics is your defense why is x this true x and through your behavior Dominion Deeds x why does this matter so x um for those of you that's listening x online or you guys can always go back we x have a great uh compilation x of verses that help to answer these x so that's a really x um that's key x that's key is that we're substantiating x all of uh these discussions through x scripture x so x with the world view being a mental x muscle x we identified that right a worldview is x our mental our it's our uh Faith muscle x right how do we train it x well as with all uh Concepts was first x turned to scripture x Proverbs 22 and 6 train up a child in x the way you should go and even when he x was old he will not depart from it x Deuteronomy 20 and 5. then the officers x I'll speak to the people saying is there x any man who lives with a new house and x has not dedicated it let him go back to x the house lest he die in battle and x anchor a man and dedicate it so now this x is this is interesting right so in x Strong's the root word for training is x um x it's properly to narrow figuratively to x initiate to discipline to dedicate to x Trend train up right so that same x foundational word of training up a child x is the same one that you see for x dedicating a house right it's when you x train up in that way you're dedicating x yourself to a purpose x First Kings eight 63. Solomon offered a x peace offering the Lord x 22 000 oxen x in a hundred and twenty thousand sheep x so the king and all the people of Israel x dedicated the house of the Lord right x they they trained they they there's a x singular purpose to initiate the x discipline x second chronicles seven and five King x Solomon offered a sacrifice again same x sacrifice the king all the people x dedicated the house of God so this is x this is the instances that we see x of training right so the only time we x actually see it as a that root word it's x it's most often used as dedicating a x house but that one time it's Proverbs 22 x and 6 probably the most famous x application of that work train up a x child in the way you should go and even x when he's old he will not depart from it x dedicate that child x to Christ x and ultimately to God x question for the audience x what would you say is the common use of x this word x you know how do you how do you envision x this x um x looking at these this whole this whole x implication of train of dedication x how do you apply this in daily life x I don't know that so when I think about x dedication I'm thinking um very much the x idea of being devoted being given over x to something and not necessarily x um x being split in my thinking or my x commitments x the the dedication is very much about x priority and uh x exclusivity hmm x so that could be you know Sunday morning x is always going to be meeting you know x this is something I'm determined that I x will be here not because I'm virtuous or x holy because I showed up on a Sunday x morning but because it's something that x I do that's part of my identity is to x fellowship with my brothers and sisters x and and be together it's just it's the x way it is x yeah there's a sense of permanence x um towards this to your point like it's x it's when it's dedicated when this house x is dedicated when the house the Lord is x dedicated when you when you're x dedicating a child it's not Whimsical x this is this is set x anyone else x I heard some Whispers anyone want to x jump in x I'm okay x so for the sake of time we're not going x to get too far into this but I'm going x to give you a quick introduction to at x least get this on your notebooks x to be prepared to really dedicate x ourselves next Sunday God willing to x getting into x uh training x in training foundationally means x teaching towards a challenge x when we train when we train up our x bodies you know we're training for x something for me it's just uh trying to x avoid the dad bod you know that's why I x train that and I just got to make sure x you know x God willing down the road x when Maddie you know finally introduces x me to a new her boyfriend I want to make x sure you know I still have some x semblance of intimidation no no no I x would never I would never think of that x when I'm when I'm lifting weights never x but training is towards a challenge so x for me it's meeting Maddie's boyfriend x in hopefully 35 years x um x but that's that's the the attention you x know teaching towards a challenge but in x reality how do we train our world view x how do we train our faith x how we Flex how we fortify it x so we're going to go through by all x means if you want if you want we're x going to go through acrostic so when you x when you put this in your notebooks x which at least try to write this down x first x um put it as an acrosse stick because x then we're going to build these out God x willing next week so T Test x you know start off with tests x um this is part of dedicating ourselves x um x tests are being required x a being armed I involved and nurture so x we're going to wrap up because I don't x want to get too far into this but x um God willing next Sunday we're going x to go through how do we test our faith x how we test one another how do we x require more of each other how do we arm x ourselves how do we involve one another x how do we nurture one another so x um x looking forward to next Sunday God x willing until then x just keep training up your faith thank x youFortifying Faith
Original URL Sunday, March 26, 2023