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Avoiding the Burnout Trap Ministry Logan Bailey Family Pastor Peace Church Published On: January 15, 2024 We all know how it goes: a new volunteer joins the youth ministry with joy, spunk, and high hopes… and then jumps ship sad and embittered only a short season later. This is the story of burnout. Burnout is the off-ramp for many volunteers in the world of student ministry, and as staff leaders we are all too familiar with it. We’ve all wondered if there is anything we can do to stop it. Can we help a student ministry volunteer avoid burnout? Well, the answer is YES. But the way to answer this question is by asking (and answering) two other questions: 1) What is burnout? 2) What is a student ministry volunteer? What is Burnout? Burnout is what we call the wearisome fizzling out of a once-motivated individual. It is often accompanied by anger or bitterness. A candle can burn nice and bright at first, but a pool of wax can drown the flame. It is heartbreaking to witness and numbing to experience. If someone is on a path towards burning out, the best way to guarantee an eventual fizzle is to not talk about it and not address it. The usual cause of burnout is assumed to be overworking, but mere overworking does not give a full picture of the root rot. If overworking were the problem then the solution would be to just ask less from your volunteers. However, when all we do is ask less from our volunteers we inadvertently communicate to them that we want less of their voices, gifts, and talents. The problem is actually more complicated than overworking (which means we need to change our approach to address it). Burnout does not stem from working on too many things; burnout stems from working on too many of the wrong things. It is a matter of priorities. When we order our priorities well, we are able to manage a larger list of responsibilities. One of the reasons for this is because our stressors correlate with our priorities. Therefore, staff leaders need to give a clear description of role and responsibilities. What is a Student Ministry Volunteer? Staff leaders need to clearly articulate the priorities of a student ministry volunteer and consistently lead them accordingly. This will help avoid burnout in our volunteers because it will keep our volunteers from assuming a faulty or unhealthy list of priorities and stress. The hard work starts with us. Our clear guidelines for a student ministry volunteer leader need to be biblical, thoughtful, and avoid the pitfalls of being too much or too little. Having volunteers in a ministry is a biblical concept. Ephesians 4:12 explicitly refers to the average Christians primarily doing the work of ministry, not just an upper echelon of Christians. All Christians are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:27), which means our volunteers are ordained for our ministries in a general sense. Encourage your volunteer leaders with this truth! And then clearly outline a thoughtful list of responsibilities. At Peach Church we define the volunteer role this way: “Minister as a Volunteer Leader under the leadership of the Staff Leader and within the team of Volunteer Leaders.” It might seem technical, but we are aiming to be accurate. After defining the role, we list two basic responsibilities: attend and support ministry events (meaning, every Sunday night of student ministry and every leader meeting) and be fully integrated into the life of Peace Church (meaning, make relationships with other leaders and students, and pursue numerical growth and spiritual development). In simple terms: “be present” and “be active.” We give that general description to every volunteer. Giving a general description is only the first step. The second step is to define the more unique roles of the ministry. For example, small group leaders need a role description and clear responsibilities. Whoever runs your games or activities needs a role description and clear responsibilities. The snack coordinator needs a role description and clear responsibilities. If someone does it, be clear about the responsibilities and goals. Clarity is especially important in regard to a small group leader (or anyone in a mentorship-like role). We need to be clear with volunteers that they are only responsible for their actions towards students; volunteers are not responsible for the students' actions. Pray for the Lord to move while you stay within your limits! Don’t allow a volunteer to attempt to be the Christ for someone by taking on responsibilities they should not. Burnout Versus Retention We help student ministry volunteers avoid burnout through clarity and thoughtful guidance. Your role as a staff leader is to structure the ministry and show your volunteers how they fit in the vision! In essence, the conglomeration of roles and responsibilities should be like a functional body smoothly working together. But to be clear, this is not “how to have perfect volunteer retention” or “how to convince a volunteer to not leave.” Volunteers come and go, and burnout is actually not the primary reason for departures. In all likelihood, a volunteer who is stepping out has rearranged his/her priorities and student ministry is not on the top of the list. Burnout is not about volunteer retention (if it was, then the conversation would be about rhythms of appreciation and feedback and other retention-oriented things); Burnout is a more fundamental problem. Burnout abducts volunteers from the ministry who would otherwise choose to serve, but can’t. May we help our volunteers serve where they are called through clarity and thoughtful guidance, structuring a ministry that “bear[s] one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). More Blogs You'll Like What Is a Deacon? Exploring the Role, Qualifications, and Purpose of Deacons in the Church Read More What Is An Elder? A biblical definition of those who are called to lead Read More Why Church Membership Understanding the Biblical Foundations of Church Membership Read More

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Words of Redemption Theology Andrew Zwart Asst. Prof. Of Interdisciplinary Studies Kuyper College Published On: February 6, 2024 All too often, when Christians have paused to consider their language use, we only make it as far as a list of words that can, or more likely, cannot be said. More recently, though, as our broader society has begun to recognize the power that words have to shape our lives and thoughts, many Christians have been forced to reckon with language use at a deeper level. I, for one, welcome this change in approach. The good news is that plenty of theologians, philosophers, and writers have thought carefully about this subject, a fact that’s not terribly surprising given that words are their trade. The bad news is that unless you go out of your way to study language, you’re unlikely to discover these treasures. And this is unfortunate since thinking about language, in general, can open new ways to see the world. As I often tell my students, language is probably the most important thing in our lives that most of us never think about. When considering what scripture has to tell us about the nature of language, we don’t have to go very far. Genesis opens with God creating the universe with an act of speech: “And God said ‘Let there be light,” and there was light.” And in case we overlooked this miracle, the gospel of John famously begins with the simple yet powerful statement, “In the beginning was the Word.” John then goes on to write that “Through him [the word] all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” Amazingly, this creative act includes each one of us. God says, “Let us make humanity in our image.” I highlight these echoes between Genesis and John for two reasons. First, it reminds us that being made in his image, we share in his creativity. With nothing but words, God creates the universe ex nihilo--out of nothing--and even as we are awed by this power, we are reminded that God’s good gift of language allows us to partake in his creativity. No, we can’t speak a universe into being, but through language, we form relationships, we dream up new ideas, and we produce culture. Even strict materialists who don’t believe in God recognize that language separates us from every other creature. No other animal can communicate in ways that originate new concepts. In contrast to this, we’re adding brand new words to just the English language every single day, words that both reflect and shape wholly original thoughts. This is incredible, and it bears emphasizing: Words have enormous creative power. The second reason why the idea of imaging God matters is because it reminds us that each of us partakes in this miracle. It’s not Christians or Reformed folk, or Americans. It’s every single person on this planet. The Bible begins with the radical notion that every human being is worthy of respect. Regardless of anyone’s beliefs, history, or social status, their culture, race, or ethnicity, we are called to love them and to treat them with dignity, never forgetting that they share in God’s image. Unfortunately, though, we know how often we fail in this regard, weaponizing language to hurt and to shame others, usually others who differ from us. Each of us knows personally that the statement “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is one of the earliest lies we hear. Most of us can testify to the fact that even a thoughtless, off-hand comment can leave emotional scars that last for years. I think about the time my third-grade teacher called me stupid. I’m not making that up. It still bothers me. Sometimes we have been the victims of such carelessness; sometimes we have been the perpetrators. I think about the time I told someone who I loved that I hated them. I didn’t mean it. I “just” meant to wound. It worked. This happened over forty years ago, and it too still bothers me. Yes, words have enormous creative power. They also have immense destructive power. As James 3, verses 9 and 10 put it: “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. ” With these truths in mind, then, we recognize the need for Christians to take care with every word we speak. We desire to use language to build each other up, not to tear others down. Today, when language is at the heart of so many difficult conversations, this means that we cloak ourselves in humility, listening carefully to others in order to discern what particular words hurt and which ones heal. Christians should desire to take a posture of charity so as to work towards reconciliation, to witness to a gospel that proclaims God’s saving grace to people from “every nation, all tribes, and all languages.” Empowered by the Word made flesh, the Word that saves, we seek to live lives in which words have redemptive power. So words have creative power; and yes, they can damage and destroy; but they can also be used to redeem. Now I recognize that while this might sound good in the abstract, it can be hard to know how to implement such an approach. When I ask students to imagine what this might mean for their lives, they tend to fall back on the notion that they should avoid certain words. Certainly, I’m not saying that this isn’t worth thinking about, but sometimes I think we limit our thoughts about language to an issue like swearing so that we can avoid examining deeper issues. Let me give a brief example of what I mean by this. One time when I asked this question, a student mentioned how she had noticed that so much of her and her friends’ language tended towards sarcasm. She observed that while, at its best, sarcasm can act as a form of playfulness that strengthens friendships, when it becomes our default mode of communication, it can dull our sense of wonder, even our sense of creativity. Her job, then, was to begin discerning the difference–a task that requires much more effort than dodging certain words. This is just one example. We might also consider how quick we are to demean or dismiss those whom we disagree with. We might ask ourselves, when was the last time we went out of our way to speak an unexpected word of kindness into someone’s life? And could we ever imagine speaking such a word to those with whom we do disagree? If you’re like me, once you start probing, you might discover layers: was that true concern or was it gossip? Wasn’t that omission really just a lie? It’s important, then, to recognize that we will continue to fail. We will sin by what we say and by what we have left unsaid. Sometimes, we’ll fail because we’re being selfish--because in our sin we stubbornly refuse to see others as image-bearers, and we just can’t be bothered to consider how our words might affect them. Sometimes, we’ll fail simply because we are fallen and finite creatures. We will say things out not out of maliciousness, but out of ignorance. The world is complex, and this complexity means that we’re going to make mistakes. And it is because we know that we will err that we must hold both ourselves and others accountable when we use language in ways that distort God’s image in others rather than magnifying it. And yet, we must also strive to be gracious with ourselves and with others when we recognize our transgressions and when we seek to remedy them with contrite hearts. We’re pretty quick, though--all of us--to contextualize, to justify, to diminish. I hope we can do better. I hope too that we can move away from the idea that all we have to do is memorize a list of dos and don’ts. This will require more difficulty and more thought, but I also think such an approach will allow us to live into a fuller sense of community. Ultimately, I hope and pray that we can endeavor to speak in such a way that every word from our mouths testifies to our love for one another, and in turn praises our glorious God. What better use could we possibly imagine? More Blogs You'll Like Do the Resurrection Accounts Contradict? How differences in the Gospel accounts strengthen rather than undermine the credibility of the resurrection Read More What is 'Probably' Missing From Most Nativity Sets Miracle, Myth, or Meteor? Identifying What the ‘Star of Bethlehem’ Truly Was Read More Is The Bible Really Without Error? A Closer Look at Scripture’s Reliability, Inerrancy, and Historical Trustworthiness Read More

Kevin Harney Kevin G. Harney, pastor, author, and global speaker, passionately inspires believers to deepen their love for God and share Jesus's life-changing message. He holds degrees from Azusa Pacific University, Fuller Theological Seminary, and Western Theological Seminary, and leads Shoreline Church in Monterey, CA. His impactful writing includes the Organic Outreach series, 'No is a Beautiful Word,' and 'The U-Turn Church,' alongside numerous small group study guides with renowned authors. Alongside his wife, Sherry, Kevin offers insights on ministry, marriage, and effective church outreach. Celebrating almost four decades of marriage, they cherish their three sons and grandchildren. Beyond his impactful ministry, Kevin enjoys golfing in summer and snowboarding in winter. Most Recent Content from Kevin Harney Faith & Fruit Well, when you say certain names, things come to people's minds and hearts. And there's people in my life that if somebody were to say... Watch Sermon Marriages You may not notice it and recognize it at any given moment, but you'll see the results of it There's a spiritual battle going on There's... Watch Sermon Myrrh; Jesus is Savior Well, I'm pretty sure you've recognized by now that this is a time where a lot of gifts are given and gifts are received It seems like... Watch Sermon

Sermon Discussion Questions 1 Title Sunday, December 22, 2024 Go Tell It On The Mountain Matthew 1:18-25 The News to His Father (Joseph) 2 Overview Main Idea: Joseph's reaction to the news of Christmas shows us how we should respond in life: with honor, faith, and action. Sermon Outline: 1. He reacts with honor (vv18-19) 2. He reacts with faith (vv20-23) 3. He reacts with action (vv24-25) 3 Pre-Questions When faced with unexpected or challenging news, how do you typically respond? Do you seek guidance, act immediately, or take time to reflect? What role does trust play in your decision-making process, especially when the path forward is unclear? 4 Questions In verses 18-19, Joseph discovers Mary’s pregnancy and contemplates divorcing her quietly. What does this reveal about his character and his adherence to both justice and compassion? Reflect on Proverbs 3:5-6, which advises trusting in the Lord wholeheartedly. How might this wisdom have applied to Joseph’s situation, and how can it apply to ours when facing difficult choices? An angel appears to Joseph in a dream, instructing him to take Mary as his wife. How does Joseph’s immediate obedience demonstrate his faith and trust in God’s plan? Consider James 1:22, which encourages believers to be doers of the word. How can we emulate Joseph’s example of prompt obedience in our own lives? In what areas of your life is God calling you to trust Him more deeply, even when the circumstances are challenging or unclear? How can you cultivate a heart of obedience like Joseph, ready to follow God’s guidance promptly and faithfully? Are there situations where you need to balance justice with compassion, as Joseph did? How can you seek God’s wisdom in these circumstances? PDF Download

Sermon Discussion Questions 1 Title Sunday, September 15, 2024 Calling Out Cultural Lies 1 Corinthians 10:23-33 As Long As It Doesn't Hurt Someone Else 2 Overview Main Idea: Our faith should be to our neighbor's benefit. Sermon Outline: 1. Bring good to others (vv23-24) 2. Bring Glory to God (vv25-31) 3. Bring the Gospel to everyone (vv32-33) 3 Pre-Questions Have you ever heard the phrase, “As long as it doesn’t hurt someone else, it’s okay”? How does that concept resonate with you? Do you agree or disagree with it? What does the Bible say about the importance of loving others and considering their well-being in our actions? Read and discuss Philippians 2:3-4 or 1 Corinthians 10:23-24. How do these passages challenge the “as long as it doesn’t hurt someone” mindset? 4 Questions How do we define what it means to “hurt someone else”? Are there actions that might not seem harmful but can have unintended consequences for others? Can you think of examples from your own life? Do you believe that morality is determined only by the consequences of actions on others, or do other factors (such as personal character, relationship with God) matter as well? Why? What steps can we take personally to ensure that our actions reflect Christ’s love, beyond just considering whether they harm others? How does self-sacrifice and service fit into this? Sometimes, the effects of our actions on others aren’t immediately visible. Can you think of situations where something might not appear to harm someone else, but in the long run, it does? PDF Download

Yes and Amen to the Promise of Justice Sermon Series: Always Yes Ryan DB Kimmel Lead Pastor Peace Church Main Passage: Luke 23:44-49 Transcript If you know if you know that the cross was not the defeat of Jesus, but it was the victory of Jesus Would you say amen? Amen, my name is Ryan. I'm a lead pastor here at Peace Church. I also want to welcome you here this morning this morning I did it. I did it This evening this evening. Hey as you take a seat way and turn to your neighbor and say So you didn't go on spring break either, huh? I do also want to give a special shout out to, yes, the whaling crew that made the trek to come visit us, also for the high schoolers who are packing for their spring break trip, that they're going to be going out with our church tomorrow, praying for all of you guys. So as we get going tonight, as we continue tonight, I want you to put your thinking caps on. I'm going to give you a question. I know it's kind of a hard, awkward question, but I want you to think about this. Here's your question. What is something you want other That you don't want to get Hmm your sinful gears are engaging right now, aren't they? Hard one, isn't it? I'll give you some how about this humbled? We want other people to get humbled, but that's not such a fun pill to swallow for us. What about getting proven wrong? Is there part of you that just likes it when other people get proven wrong, but you never want to get proven wrong? Or it's tax season. How about audited? You want those CEOs to get it, but not us. You know, maybe you're the exception here, but here's something I bet that you want other people to get, but you don't want to get caught. Caught and then prosecuted to the full extent of the law. We call this justice. You know what it's like, I mean, you Michigan drivers, we know what it's like when that snowy, icy day is and we're driving like sane people and then you got that one weird guy in the four-wheel drive truck just plowing right by you, making everyone get all nervous Kevin it's you I know you will you're just thinking I want that guy to get pulled over so bad but when you're going 10 miles per hour over the speed limit you've got a good excuse right because we want other people to get justice not us now justice what is that justice is getting the punishments that you deserve now hear me don't confuse justice with vindication. Vindication, everyone wants vindication. That's when you're proven innocent. "Justice is when you break the law and you get what's coming to you." You know how it is, every now and again, there's some big trial that grips just the mind and the heart of the nation, and we watch this trial unfold. And when that verdict gets handed down, if it goes the way that we think it should go and if justice has been brought, there's just something that just, it reminds us that not all is lost. There's something about when justice is done, when justice is done, we feel wrongs are made right. When justice is done, it makes us, when justice is done, it makes us feel like not all is broken in this world, that there is some good left. See, justice is one of the things that we do like. We just don't ever ourselves want to be brought to justice. Now, Good Friday, what we're going to talk about tonight, Good Friday is about justice. That's what our theme is here tonight. It's all about justice. Good Friday is a day that Jesus Christ died on the cross, but what does that even mean? Do you know why Jesus died on the cross? On Good Friday we see that Jesus went to the cross and on that he took the punishment for your sins and for my sins so that we wouldn't have to. Good Friday is that day where the sins of the world were punished, where the sins of the world were brought to justice. Good Friday, this is why we call it Good Friday, even though it's the day that our Savior died. Because on Good Friday is the day that God's promise of justice was brought. Now, this is the theme we've been working with for this entire Easter series. Need I remind you what we've been kind of looking at? And it comes from 2 Corinthians chapter 1, verses 19 and 20. It says this, it says, For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, was not yes and no, but in Him it is always, say it with me, always yes. For all the promises of God find their yes in Him. 2 Corinthians 1:19-20 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. And today we're looking at God's promise of justice and how that was fulfilled also in Jesus Christ. As we look at today, tonight, as we look at the yes and amen to the promise of justice if you have your Bibles, would you please turn to Luke chapter 23? Now as you turn in there and we're thinking about justice Psalm Psalm 9 tells us that God sits on a throne of justice. It was Isaiah 61 where God says that he loves Justice our God is not a God who will tolerate evil forever He will make all things right in the end. Our God is a God of justice, but not in the ways that many of us think. It's better, grander, and more eternal than what we can possibly imagine. And Good Friday puts this all on display. So we're going to read about this moment of Jesus Christ on the cross. So would you hear God's word? The Gospel of Luke, chapter 23, we'll look at verses 44 on down. 44 to verse 49. Would you hear God's word? Luke 23:44-49 44 It was now about the sixth hour,[ a ] and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour,[ b ]45 while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. 47 Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” 48 And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. 49 And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things. It was now about the sixth hour. Now let's just stop right there for a second. Let's just clarify something. As we read this, in this moment of Scripture, what we see here is that Jesus has already been arrested. He's already been tried. He's already been tortured and he's already been nailed to the cross and he's hanging there on the cross as we are reading this passage. Now let's clarify here. Now the Jews, what they did back in the ancient world is that they started marking the hour at dawn. And so when it says the sixth hour, it's the sixth hour from dawn, roughly saying about 6 a.m. So when the scriptures say that it was about the 6th hour, that means from 6 a.m. So we're talking basically about noon here and knowing that Jesus was crucified in the third hour, roughly around 9 a.m., this means Jesus at this point in our passage has been hanging on the cross for three hours. Already three hours. With the most horrendous excruciating pain ever invented by the depraved human mind. So back to our passage, verse 44, it was now about the sixth hour and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour while the sun's light failed and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus calling out in a loud voice said, Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit. And having said this, he breathed his last. Now, when the centurion saw this, saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, Certainly, this man was innocent. And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home, beating their breasts. And all of his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee, they stood at a distance, watching these things. Let's pray and then let's look at this passage for a little bit tonight. Father God, we come before you here on this Good Friday and today we remember the great sacrifice of our son, of your son, and our Savior, the Father. Please do not let the cross just become an ornament in our homes or a decoration for Easter. Help us to remember what the cross is, what happens on the cross. Holy Spirit, we need your presence. We need your guidance. We need your power. We need you as our comforter, as we think about what Christ has done on our behalf. And it's in his name we pray. And if you agree with this prayer, would you say amen? Amen. So friends, here on this Good Friday evening, here's your one main idea for tonight. Main Idea: The cross is God's yes and amen to the promise of justice. As we look at this passage, we're gonna pick up on three things. 1. The cross is where our separation from God was removed. Let's start with this first one here. The promise of justice. The cross is where our separation from God was removed. The cross is where our separation from God was removed. Look at verse 44. It was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. So for three hours, there was darkness while the sun's light failed. Now whether this was a celestial cosmic event with just supernatural timing or it was an actual supernatural event, either way there was darkness covering the land. But I want to focus on that next line because I think that's where we're gonna find something beautiful here tonight. And it says this, and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Now the curtain here is referring to the curtain in the temple that was in the innermost room of the temple. The innermost room, many of you probably know, was called the Holy of Holies, or the Most Holy Place. t was the innermost sanctuary of God's temple. It is where God's holy glory and presence would reside. It was so holy that only one priest, once a year, was allowed to go in to make sacrifice. It was the holy of holies. It was the most holy place. And a curtain separated that room from us. Now listen, these weren't the old fancy drapes that you remember from church back in the day. This curtain was 60 feet high, it was 30 feet wide, and it was almost 4 inches thick, the width of a man's hand. This curtain was more like a shield, protecting sinful people from God's beautiful, enormous glory. And that curtain was torn in two. Now when that curtain was torn in two, it was symbolic in the sense that there was no longer any separation between us and God. That because of what Jesus had done, he removed the barrier, he removed the separation, he took our sin and wiped it away so that we could approach God again. But here, listen, we're reading from the Gospel of Luke here but the Gospels of Matthew and Mark both also say that the curtain was torn, but their Gospels add a little detail. It says that the curtain was torn from top to bottom. 60 feet high, 30 feet wide, 4 inches thick from top to bottom. It was like God Himself took that curtain and tore it and welcomed us in. Because our sin has been removed and been paid for. Our crimes against God found their punishment and fulfillment in Christ. And And God is saying there's no more separation. Come home. Come into my presence. Hebrews chapter 10 says this, Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the most holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh. Jesus is the curtain that was torn. "Jesus is the final and complete sacrifice so that we, sinful people, can enter into the presence of God again. That our sin, which separated us from God, making us unworthy and unable to withstand the presence of God's glory, Jesus' death fulfills the payment, accomplishes the punishment for our own sins. Because the cross was an act of justice that removes our guilt because of the sins we've committed, but only once we place our faith in Christ." The cross is where our separation from God was removed. And the second thing we see is the cross is where our sin against God was punished. 2. The cross is where our sin against God was punished. Our passage continues. Please look in your Bibles again. Verse 46 says this, then Jesus, crying out in a loud voice, okay at this point, six hours on the cross, crying out with a loud voice, said, Father into your hands I commit my spirit, and having said this, he breathed his last. This is where our Savior dies. He breathed his last after crying out to God, my friends, you will have a final breath. I don't know what your future holds, but I can tell you this, at one moment in the future, you will breathe your final breath. What then? What then? Jesus, even in his last moments, shows us the way. With his final breath, he cries out to God, faithful to the literal bitter ends our Savior was, yet he was dying as a common criminal. Yet he was so innocent, even a Roman soldier who had no affiliation with Jesus, a centurion, looked upon this man, saw what was happening, and not just realized Jesus was innocent, but you see what it says? He actually praised God. You could also translate that saying he glorified God. He knew something miraculous was happening in this moment just by the sheer experience of seeing Christ on the cross and seeing him raise his voice. Jesus was innocent. He was righteous. Jesus was sinless. Yet listen to what 2 Corinthians says, verse 21, it says, for our sake, he, meaning God, God made him, Christ, to be sin, him who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. Jesus who was sinless, God placed on Him all of our sin, and then nailed Him to a cross and watched Him die. And that righteousness that was the very fabric of who Christ was, when we place our faith in Him, we get that righteousness now. So that not only are we guiltless before God, we are seen as righteous before God. Did you hear that? You're not just seen as innocent before God, but you're seen as righteous before God. This is the power of the Christian faith. This is the power of what Jesus has done that no other religious leader could even possibly come close to offering you. And this is because, and only because of Christ. God placed on Jesus the weight of our sin, your sin. You know exactly what sins we're talking about. Other people may not, but in the deepest parts of your heart, you know exactly what sins you've committed. And God took those and placed them on his own son. "And Christ paid the punishment for those sins so that you wouldn't have to. So that you could be counted as righteous, and not just that, but you could be brought into the very presence of God with sin no longer separating you. My friends, repent of your sins and place your faith in Jesus. Do not delay. I do not know when your last breath is going to come." In His last moments, Jesus did not rebuke us. He did not renounce God. In His final breath, did you see what it says? Jesus cried out, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. This was not just a nice statement. This was not just a man full of passion in the fulfillment of his mission. Jesus, in case you didn't know, he was quoting the Bible. He was quoting Psalm 31. Even in his last moments, Jesus is showing us how to be faithful to God. He was innocent, and yet justice had been done because the sins of the world were being held to account in the death of Christ. Someone else got your justice. Someone else paid your penalty, and it was Jesus. Jesus has done for us what we could never do for ourselves. And that is cover the cost for our own sins. So here's the critical question. Here 's the question for you. How ? "How is Jesus able to do this?" Now listen to me. You get the Mormons knocking on your door. This is the question you ask them. How is Jesus able to do this? Not just that he did this, but how is Jesus able to pay the penalty for all the sins of the world? There's only one way because it is only Jesus. And my friends, it's because Jesus was not just fully man and fully God. This is the key that unlocks the atonement for all who would place their faith in Jesus. Because here's how it works. Because Jesus was fully man, he was able to pay for the sins of mankind. But no one person could ever pay for everyone's sin. But if you're fully God and fully man makes him literally the only way unto salvation. "It's because he's fully God and he's fully man. This is why we worship him. This is why we trust him. This is why we know that he could accomplish what we could not. This is why Jesus is literally, physically, spiritually the only way." He's the only one who is fully God and fully man Jesus Christ is the second member of the Trinity who literally stepped out of eternity stepped into history when he was born on that Christmas day God the Son took on flesh Received the name Jesus. We call him the Son of God He's the only way and because of that we can lead to this final point, that the cross is where our salvation in God was secured. And everyone said, Amen. 3. The cross is where our salvation in God was secured. Verse 48, and the crowds that assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, they returned home beating their breasts. Now what's going on here? Culturally speaking, this means that they were walking away in grief. They weren't celebrating this from their perspective. They simply thought that something terrible, something shameful that had happened. So they walked away thinking, what a shame. And then they went home. I mean, they thought, well, that's terrible. She seemed like a nice guy. He seemed like he meant well, what a shame. And then they walked home. But not everyone. Did you notice this? There's a massive distinction between the crowd that had gathered and his followers who loved him. Look at verse 49. It says, and all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee, they stood at a distance watching these things. Here's the distinction, my friends. You've got to ask yourself. You can either be part of the crowd that thinks that what happened to Jesus was a shameful thing and then you just go home? Or you look upon what Christ has done and you keep your eyes on Him and you stay with Him. Because the cross is where our salvation in God was secured. Secured because it's Jesus. Even today, culturally speaking, there are many who look upon what Jesus has done on the cross and they think, Oh, how sad. He seemed like a nice guy. He taught some nice things. How sad. And then they go on with their merry lives. But not us. We stand with our eyes fixed on Christ, knowing that Friday gives way to Sunday. Amen. The cross is God's yes and amen to the promise of justice. Why is this good? Because this means that all the crimes you've committed against God, you don't have to pay for. They've been paid for. God is a God of justice and all of our sin, all the wrongdoing, all wrongdoing will be held to account. "We either place our faith in Jesus knowing that he's paid the penalty or you will suffer your own penalty forever because that's how long it will take for you to pay your penalty against an eternally holy God." Either you recognize that you will pay for your sins or you recognize that Jesus already has the cross as a torture device is agonizing beyond belief. It was so painful. It was so painful that the ancients had to invent a new word to describe the pain because you couldn't just say it hurt really bad you Couldn't just say it was really painful So they came up with a new term to describe this unique type of pain. This is where we get the word excruciating excrucio from the cross This was pain of the cross. This was excruciating pain This is what Jesus endured for us and it wasn't just physical torment, it was also psychological humiliation because they crucified people naked. He hung there naked on our behalf. On the cross, Jesus was undertaking the full judgment for our sins. He was assuming the full wrath of God. He was bearing the weight of the sin of the world as it hung on him, as he hung on the cross with those nails tearing literally his flesh. And all the while he was doing this, it was atoning for your sins. You should not sit there and think, what a shame. You should sit there and think, that should be me. That should be me up on that cross, but it wasn't. Not just the cross. Not just you on the cross, but you paying for your sins. But Jesus stands where we couldn't, in the place of our own condemnation. And you may be thinking, you may be thinking to yourself right now, where's God's love in all this? Where's God's love? If you wonder about that, let me just tell you right now. Look upon the cross and you'll see the love of God. Scripture tells us that God demonstrated, demonstrated His own love for us. You wonder where love is in all this? It's probably on the cover of your Bibles, but it's not in the shape of a heart, it's in the shape of a cross. Because the cross is God's great I love you to a world that has rejected Him. This is why we don't scoff at the cross. This is why we don't celebrate chocolate crosses at the dollar store. This is something much more than that. Christ died for us so that our sins could be paid for, so that we could be counted as righteous, and so that we could be brought into a relationship with the living God again, welcomed to His table, not because of what we've done, but because of what Christ has done on our behalf. And that's what we're going to remember when we celebrate communion here tonight, that we get to do this because of what Christ has done for us. Amen? So church, let me tell you today, tonight's about justice, but when we gather on Sunday, it's about grace. And that's what we get to celebrate. Today is Good Friday, but Sunday's coming, but we cannot move past this day just yet. We must remember that Christ offers us new life because he gave up his life. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of God's promise of justice by what he did on the cross, taking the punishment we deserve. And this is why we call it Good Friday. And with that, would you please bow your heads and let's pray. Father, we come before you. We just ask, Father, on this day that you, by the power and presence of your Holy Spirit, you would remind us of the great sacrifice of our Lord, who gave up his life so that we could have life, so that we could have relationship with you, so that we could have righteousness. Father, I pray, God, that as we look upon the cross, we would see your great love for us, God. We would see that our Savior stands above everyone else. We would see that the cross was not a defeat, but the cross was a victory over our sin, over Satan, and over death itself. Father, we sit here tonight thankful for the sacrifice of our Savior. Father, we sit here tonight thankful for the sacrifice of our Savior. It's in Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Yes and Amen to the Promise of Mercy Sermon Series: Always Yes Ryan DB Kimmel Lead Pastor Peace Church Main Passage: Matthew 20:29-34 Transcript Today is the day that the Lord has made. So let us rejoice and be glad in it. And everyone said, amen. Amen. So here's what I want to do. It is Palm Sunday. I want to start by talking about what Holy Week is. Today's the start of Holy Week. And you may be sitting there thinking everyone knows what Holy Week is. You may be sitting there thinking, don't waste time talking about what Holy Week is. We all know. Let's just get to our passage. Here's what I'd say to you. If you think that, you've just exposed how out of touch you are. It is, you cannot assume anymore that the culture at large knows anything about the Christian faith. Those days have passed. I had a conversation with a guy the other day at the store who had a cross necklace, a pretty profound cross necklace, and a cross tattoo on his forearm, all to find out that yes, he knew that the cross had like some sort of connection with the Christian faith, but he didn't know that Jesus died on the cross, let alone why Jesus died on the cross. And this is a dude wearing a cross necklace with a cross tattoo just because the dollar store has chocolate crosses that you can put in Easter baskets. Doesn't mean the world knows anything about the Christian faith. And so let me just say this real quick. If you are here and this is all new to you, or you have no idea what we're talking about, you don't know what Palm Sunday is, you don't know what Holy Week is, you don't know any of that, let me just say this. I'm so thankful you're here. I'm so glad that you're here. I wanna just share with you what Holy Week is because it's something pretty exciting for us as Christians, amen? Amen, so here's what Holy Week is. Holy Week is what they say is like often, like it's often said like the most holy week of the Christian faith. Now, Holy Week culminates next Sunday with Easter. And the reason that's so special for us is because that's the day that Jesus Christ rose from the grave. All right, that's what I was looking for. But before we get to there, we have to wind back the clocks a week to today, which is Palm Sunday. And so here's what happens. Jesus Christ enters into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. This is the culmination of three years of ministry. He's riding on the back of a donkey as the humble king into Jerusalem. We call it the triumphal entry because as Pastor Logan just taught us, much fanfare, much celebration, they're laying palm branches. People are happy to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem. Now, this is such a profound story. It's recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. So Jesus, our humble king, enters into Jerusalem, but we cannot forget this. It's going to be very important for our story here today. You can't forget this. Jesus enters into Jerusalem, seemingly to celebrate Passover. That's why many people would already gather there. But more than that, Jesus enters into Jerusalem because He's come to fulfill His mission. He's come to die on the cross in our place for the sins of the world. So Jesus enters into Jerusalem, very much knowing he's going to die by the end of the week. So he enters in Jerusalem, that powerful story on the back of the donkey, people welcome him, celebration, fanfare, palm branches, they cry out Hosanna, which means save or to save or savior. And this starts Holy Week. And throughout Holy Week, if you read your Bibles, you see that Jesus gives some very profound teachings while in Jerusalem. But then Thursday comes and Thursday is what we call Maundy Thursday. And this is where we see Jesus have his last supper, his final meal with his disciples. Now we call it Maundy Thursday because that comes from the Latin word for mandate. Because what we see here is that Jesus has the last supper. He institutes the first communion. And with that, Jesus ushers in the new covenant, Jesus gives the great new mandate, which we all know, right, is to love each other. "The Savior of the world, that's His great mandate, go and love one another." After the supper, Jesus is arrested, where the next day, Good Friday, is the day that Jesus dies on the cross for our sins. We'll be celebrating that with a special Good Friday service this week. We'll talk about that later on. I really, really hope you come and join us for that celebration. But on Good Friday, we see that Jesus Christ takes the punishment we deserve when he dies in our place on the cross. And then we have Silent Saturday, the day where Jesus' dead body lies silent in the tomb. So Good Friday is day one, Silent Saturday is day two, which leads us to the third day, Easter Sunday, when we see the single most important event, the greatest miracle to date in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, where he triumphed over Satan, sin, and death itself, rose again, thus proving he was who he said he was and thus guaranteeing everything that he promised us, including our new and eternal life. That's the culmination of Holy Week, which begins today with Palm Sunday. But I'd like to do today, what I want to do today is not necessarily look at the triumphal entry. Pastor Logan helped us look at that today with the kids. I want to look at the story that happens right before that. Right before Jesus enters in Jerusalem, knowing He's going to die, I want to look at the story that happens right before that. This is a story that when you read that story and you are reminded that Jesus is going to die and he knows that, that helps us to read the story and see that it's all the more somber, sober, and special. Our series that we are in for Easter, this four-week series, is called Always Yes. And the reason is because this comes from a powerful passage that we see in 2 Corinthians 1, verses 19 and 20, where it says this. It says, For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, was not yes and no, but in Him it is always yes. For all the promises of God find their yes in Him. All of God's promises find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:19-20 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. And in this series, we'll see how on Easter we see the yes to God's promise of grace. On Good Friday, we're going to see God's yes to the promise of justice. But today, on this Palm Sunday, we'll talk about God's yes to the promise of mercy. So if you have your Bibles, would you please turn to Matthew chapter 20. We'll look at verses 29 to 34. Now, as you're turning there, here's what's happening. This is right before Jesus enters into Jerusalem and what he's doing, he's actually, he's leaving Jericho, not the same Jericho you learned about in Sunday school with Joshua. This is a separate Jericho. It 's a place right by Jerusalem. He's coming out of the neighboring town of Jericho, and as he's leaving, with his eyes set on Jerusalem, with his mission in mind, we see a little interaction that's interrupted on Jesus' journey to Jerusalem. That's what we're going to look at today. So would you hear God's word? Matthew 20:29-34 29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord,[ a ] have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?”33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him. This is God's Word. Let's pray and we'll continue. Let's pray. Father God we come before you on this Palm Sunday, as we remember that Jesus not only rode into Jerusalem, into his city as king, but he rode as our merciful Savior, doing for us what we could not do for ourselves as he traded his life for ours. As we look at this passage today, Holy Spirit, we pray that you continue to be with us. Help us to see not just the beauty here, but the power of the truth of who Jesus is, that we might find our rest, our joy, and our salvation in his name, because it's in his name that we pray these things. And everyone said, Amen and Amen. So, so, so much we could talk about in this passage, but let me give you this one thought here this morning. It's this. Jesus, our triumphant King, is God's yes and amen to the promise of mercy. Let me just say this. If you don't know Christ as Lord and Savior, if you don't know Him as King and Savior, I hope that today you will see more than just the fact that you're missing out. My prayer is that you'll see your great need for Him and that you'll turn to Him and cry out for Him just as these blind beggars did. As we look at this beautiful, simple passage today, let's look at three things from this passage. First one is this, that broken or blind by sin, we all need to see our need for mercy. Second thing we'll look at is rejected or ridiculed by people, we still need to seek the mercy of Jesus. Everyone say of Jesus. And third thing, determined or focused on mission, Jesus will always stop to extend us mercy. 1. Broken or blinded by sin we need to see our need for mercy (vv. 29-30) 2. Rejected or reviled by people we still need to seek the mercy of Jesus (v. 31) 3. Busy or bound to mission, Jesus will stop to show us mercy (vv. 32-34) 1. Broken or blinded by sin we need to see our need for mercy (vv. 29-30) So let's look at this first part. Broken or busy or bound by sin, Jesus will stop to show us mercy. Third thing, let's go back to the first part. Broken or blinded by sin, we all need to see our need for mercy. Let's clarify what mercy is here. Now mercy, mercy is not getting what we do deserve. "Mercy is not getting what we do deserve." Like when you're speeding and a cop pulls you over and does not give you a ticket, that police officer is being merciful to you by not giving you what you do deserve. What you do deserve is a ticket, but you don't get that. What you got instead was mercy. That's mercy. And that's what we're going to see in our first point here is broken or blinded by sin. We all need to see our need for mercy. So our passage, please keep your Bibles open. Let's look at this again. Verse 29 and they, meaning Jesus and his disciples, and they went out of Jericho, and a great crowd followed him. And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside. And when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, Lord have mercy on us, son of David. Now listen, the Bible says here that it wasn't just a crowd following Jesus, it was a great crowd. Listen here. A great crowd was following Jesus, but only two people cried out for Him, cried out to Him. Two people who actually were not part of the crowd. I'm not saying that the crowd didn't have some true believers in their midst. I'm just saying that the Scriptures point out that it wasn't from within the crowd that people cried out to Jesus. It was from without the crowd. Two people who were not part of the crowd that cried out to Jesus. A couple weeks ago, someone sent me this short little video they found online and It was this it was this girl had taken a video of herself now this girl had Jet black hair. I mean dyed black number one jet black hair Which was in stark contrast to her powder white face She had very thick black mascara on she had fishnet gloves on her hands with black painted fingernails it was just a video of herself and over over top of the video was this was this writing this text and it said this Said I love Jesus That's where you go, ah The reason you didn't say aww is because you know something else is coming. She said, I love Jesus, but the church doesn't love me. And it reminded me that even after 2000 years, some things never change. It's entirely possible to have a group of people following Jesus, but the ones who are actually crying out to Him are the ones rejected by that very crowd following Him. What these two blind beggars teach us is that even though they were blind, they were the ones who most clearly saw their need for mercy. This gothic girl on the video was willing to share before the whole world that she loved Jesus. She was more vocal for Jesus than many of you men are on the job site. So you tell me who's tougher. It's easy to get lost in the crowd and forget how desperately you need Jesus. It's easy to come to church and forget how much we are in need of the mercy of our Lord. "So my question for you is, have you forgotten your need for God's mercy? We've forgotten how much we need to be saved from the judgment of our sins." What God should give us is judgment. What God should give us is separation from Him. What God should give us is eternal punishment for our sins, but through Christ we get mercy instead. Now listen, when these beggars cried out for mercy, it's like they were saying, Jesus, we know we don't deserve you. We know we don't deserve your attention. We know we don't deserve your healing, but we're going to cry out anyway for something we don't deserve. We're going to cry out for mercy. These guys were blind because we live in a fallen world, broken by sin. Every aspect is tainted by sin. You know this, whether you're looking in the mirror or out in the world, you know things are not as they should be. Something is wrong. Something is broken. Everyone knows this. But Christianity provides a label for it. It's called sin. Everything from the human heart to the creation around us is broken by sin. We're all affected by this brokenness. It's not just out there. It's in our hearts. All of us have committed sin. But here's the question. Like those two beggars, are you blind enough to recognize that in your sin? 2. Rejected or reviled by people we still need to seek the mercy of Jesus (v. 31) What you need is the mercy of God Because broken or blinded by sin we all need to see our need for mercy which leads to the second thought here Is that rejected or reviled by people we still need to seek the mercy of jesus now listen here The reason this is so powerful is because the person the only person that can actually give you mercy Is the person who actually also has the power to pass judgment and punishment upon you. If they can't give you judgment or punishment, it's not mercy they're showing you, it's just simply kindness. Jesus is the righteous King who sits on the throne, who judges all the earth, and he can pass judgment. This is why we need to seek him for mercy, seek the mercy of Jesus. These beggars, they cry out to the most popular guy in the city and the people around Jesus are like, don't bother him, you bunch of rejects. He does not have time for you. Look at verse 31. Look at this. The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silence, but I love this. Listen to this. But they cried out all the more, Lord have mercy on us. Do not let the world get you down. Don't let the world intimidate you and make you stay silent about Jesus. Cry out to Him, worship Him. Now is the time to cry out even if you are rejected by the cool kids. Because remember what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5. Listen to what He said in verses 11-12. He said, blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Then listen to what he says in verse 12. Listen to what Jesus says. He says, rejoice and be glad. Rejoice and be glad when people hate you because of Jesus. Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Jesus saying, when you take heat for following me, that's a blessing. "Some of you Christians are not experiencing the blessing of being mocked for following Jesus because nobody knows you're following Jesus. You're hiding in the crowd that's so-called following Jesus. But we need to be the ones crying out to Him." Sitting in church makes you a Christian as much as standing in the dirt makes you a tree. These guys cried out and the crowd told them to be quiet. And some of you have never had the blessing of being told to be quiet about Jesus because you stay quiet about Jesus. And the crowd rebuked them all the more, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more. So here's a modern day version of what was happening. These guys were posting on their social media about Jesus and they kept posting and they started losing followers. So you know what they did? They started posting all the more. That's what is happening here. Church rejected or ridiculed by people. We still need to seek the mercy of Jesus because the crowd cannot save you. The crowd does not want to save you. The crowd will not show you mercy. So cry out to the one who will show you mercy. Cry out to the one who can show you mercy. 3. Busy or bound to mission, Jesus will stop to show us mercy (vv. 32-34) Because remember this, busy or bound to mission, Jesus will stop to show us mercy. So these guys are rebuked by the crowd. They're calling out, they're rebuked by the crowd, and they cry out all the more, and then look what happens. and stopping Jesus called them. Let's never forget what's actually happening in the story here. I tried to stress it early on, but maybe you've already forgotten. Jesus is leaving his last stop before his final destination of Jerusalem, where he knows he is going to be crucified. His entire life and his three-year mission is coming to its fulfillment. It's coming down to the wire. He's leaving his last stop. I know, you know, he can see Jerusalem in his mind. He is focused on where he's going. It's all coming down to this. And these two rejected people cry out to him and he stops. He was moving and he stops to give his attention to them. You have to remember that Christ is spiritually truly carrying the weight of the world. He knew he was not going to just be arrested. He was going to be rejected by the very people who are about to welcome him. And then he was going to be tortured Roman style. And the Romans were sadistic. He was about to face the most gruesome death ever conceived by the human mind. He was going to die on the cross and he knew this and he's walking out of Jericho, walking towards his death, busy, bound to mission. And yet he stops to turn to two that the world had rejected to give them his full attention. Jesus called to them and said, what do you want me to do for you? And they said to him, Lord, let our eyes be opened. And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed Him. This is why I follow this guy. There's no one like him. Busy or bound to mission, he stops to show us mercy. You'll find no one else like this because there is no one else like this. He is the only way. Let's not forget that while I'm emphasizing Jesus' compassion and His mercy and His empathy here and His selflessness, don't forget here, Jesus is the miracle worker. He did in an instant what no one else was able to do for these guys. These guys weren't able to do for themselves. Only Christ could do this. These blind men were given back their sights. But mind you, it was their very own blindness that led them to see their need for mercy. This was the very thing that led them to follow Jesus. Because Christ is not just a, remember this, Christ is not just a worker of miracles, he's not just a teller of truth, he's not just the greatest moral teacher. Jesus Christ is God. Amen. See, back in the Old Testament, when Moses was speaking with Yahweh, when Moses was speaking with the Lord. Moses wanted to see God. There's this beautiful, powerful interaction that happens. I'll throw it up on the screen. This is from Exodus chapter 33. Moses said, please show me your glory. And God said, I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name, the Lord. And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But he said, you cannot see my face for no man, for man should not see me and live. So this is, this is quite fascinating here. Moses wants to see God. He asked God to see him, but God says, you can't see me and live. God saying, I am too spiritual for your physical eyes. I'm too holy for your sinful eyes. But not only this, notice God makes a declaration about himself that's connected with a story about God revealing himself. In this passage, God is talking about revealing himself. He's going to reveal his goodness, but he can't reveal his face, his fullness to Moses because it would kill Moses. But yet even in the midst of this story about God revealing his entirety of who he is. He doesn't mention love. He mentions grace and mercy. These are the things that God promises that will come out of his own nature. We're going to talk about grace on Easter Sunday, but mercy, what we see here in Jesus is the fulfillment of this declaration of this promise that God made about mercy so long ago. And Christ, and in Christ not only do we see mercy, but Christ is the living God. Jesus said in John chapter 14, verse nine, he said, whoever has seen me has seen the Father. Meaning the spiritual second member of the Trinity. "God the Son took on flesh, stepped into the world, the Son of God, so that we could look upon Him and not die. Not just look upon Him and not die, but look upon Him and have life, eternal life. And through this also, we see the fulfillment of this promise that God made so many thousands of years ago, that in Christ we have the fullness of mercy." So may you, on this Palm Sunday, not just be reminded of the one who gives you mercy. May you be reminded that this is only found in Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Son of God, our triumphant King, is God's yes and amen to the promise of mercy. What's interesting is about a crowd is that I'd say oftentimes what a crowd is really following is each other. Crowds follow a crowd. But these two guys show us that we don't follow a crowd. We cry out to Jesus. And so if you are a follower of Jesus on this Palm Sunday, as we close in worship, may you cry out. May you not follow the crowd. Because Jesus, our triumphant King, is God's yes and amen to the promise of mercy, the mercy that all of us need so desperately. Amen? Amen. Amen. Let's stand and let's sing and cry out to our God of mercy. Would you bow your heads and let's pray. Father, we come before you on this Palm Sunday. We are thinking about and we are thankful for the fact that Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise of mercy, that Lord, that you do not give us what we deserve. What we deserve is judgment and separation and hell, but you give us life, eternal life. You give us a relationship with you. You give us what we do not deserve. And so Father, I pray here and now that the people in this room who are your followers, we would not follow the crowd. We'd be like those beggars and we would cry out to you here and now with all of our breath. Holy Spirit, fill this place. Be our worship leader as we worship the God on high. And it's in Jesus' name we pray these things. And everyone said, Amen. Church , let's worship together. Church, let's worship together.

How to Influence the Control Girls in Your Church Ministry Shannon Popkin Author & Podcast Host Live Like It's True Podcast Published On: January 19, 2024 Jane loves serving on her church’s worship team, but lately she has become frustrated. Her new pastor seems to unravel all of their efforts to cultivate a worshipful tone by spending the first half of his sermon telling silly jokes and stories. So now whenever he launches into a second or third joke, Jane rises from her usual spot in the third row and walks out. Her exits have not gone unnoticed. Several friends have come to her with their concerns. They have begun meeting in the prayer room during the sermons to pray for spiritual awakening. *** Jacqueline has been doing “Susie Smith” Bible studies for years now and loves them. She’s seen firsthand how impactful these studies can be. So when her church’s leadership announces that they will no longer be using Susie Smith’s studies, Jacqueline is outraged. Why would her church revoke resources that have been such a catalyst for such spiritual growth? Jacqueline contacts several friends to see if they would like to start an “underground” Bible study group at her house instead of at the church. *** Cindy has hosted a table at her church’s Christmas tea outreach for the past eight years. It’s a highlight for Cindy to use her grandmother’s china to decorate her table. But this year, the director has said that no china will be allowed. Everyone must use paper plates, so that the tables can be cleared more quickly after the event. Cindy is horrified! Paper plates? She can’t even fathom it. She bypasses the director and takes her complaint straight to the pastor (who happens to be her son-in-law). Control Girls at Church Men and women can both be controlling; we just go about it differently. Men tend to be more openly confrontational and direct. They are generally more overt about conflict. Controlling men might belittle, intimidate, or become dismissive. But not controlling women. Women tend to be more subtle. We gossip, recruit supporters, and use emotion to get our way. We might become stiffly resistant or keep hidden agendas—not because we intend to be divisive or create conflict. We’re just trying to make everything turn out “right”! Especially at church. At church, we’re not merely contributing to an organization. We’re serving God! These are our spiritual gifts we’re pouring on the altar. So our investment is deeply personal and meaningful. It’s costly, also. No one pays us to sing, lead, organize, or help. We do these things because we love Jesus! So when someone sends the message that we’re “doing it wrong,” or that our contributions are not needed or valued, it’s personal. We take offense. We become turf-oriented and defensive. We dig in our heels, cross our arms, and tighten our grip. We act like “Control Girls,” even as we’re trying to serve the Lord. Leading Control Girls Division and conflict naturally arise when committed but flawed believers try to minister together. Conflict is common. Control Girls are common. Even among leaders. When I encounter a difficult, controlling woman, my first inclination is to yank control back . I’m the leader! I think. It’s up to me to set things straight! Fueled by conviction, I become dogmatic, guarded, and firm. It feels good and right to snatch control back from that other “Control Girl.” But is it? Over the past decade, God has been opening my eyes to the fact that I’m a Control Girl, too. I see the problem in myself, and I see it as a current running beneath many of the conflicts that arise. Oh, what havoc we women (whether leaders or not) wreak on the peace and unity of the Church when we try to wrench control out of each other’s hands. As leaders, we can’t make others’ choices for them, but we can use our influence. We can break the cycle by laying down our own burden of control, which invites others to do the same. Control vs. Surrender Jesus lived the epitome of a surrendered life. At the point of greatest conflict, instead of taking control, He said, “Not my will, but yours, be done” ( Luke 22:42 ). Do you hear the sweet surrender in those words? Surrender is the antidote to control. Both control and surrender are catching. When we’re around controlling people, we’re compelled to become controlling. And when we’re around people who are deeply surrendered to God, we are compelled to surrender our hearts as well. Here are three ways you can influence the Control Girls you serve toward surrender: 1. Identify similarities. It’s easy for me to focus on the other difficult women in my church or ministry and be blind to my own tendency to clamp down or dig in my heels. Often when someone else is provoking me, it’s because she wants the same thing I do: control. Once, I was frustrated by a conflict with a ministry sister named “Sonia.” I felt that Sonia was being so controlling! When I called a friend to get help and clarity, she said, “I want you to list all of the similarities between you and Sonia. Then pray through your list, and ask God to work in you both.” The result was remarkable. I realized that Sonia and I were very alike! When I prayed, I pictured both Sonia and myself at the foot of the cross with our shared weaknesses. I sobbed with fresh grief over my sense of superiority and surrendered my burden of trying to control Sonia. What freedom this brought! When conflicts arise, I am always the first person I must invite to surrender. How easy it is to relapse and begin trying to control the situations and people that trouble me. God wants me to remember that He’s already in control so I don’t have to be. Is there another Control Girl who gets under your skin? Make a list of shared weaknesses. Pray earnestly that God will transform you both. 2. Affirm good intentions. Often the women who struggle most with control are also the most invested. They care deeply about the ministry. They have history. Ultimately, they want to serve God! But over time, they’ve made God’s ministry into their ministry. When conflict arises, it’s so helpful to begin by affirming my sister’s good intentions. I might say, “I know that this matters to you because you’re devoted to spreading the gospel.” Or “I appreciate your passion for God and your deep love for the women of our church.” I can’t expect that my Control Girl sister will immediately see her sin. God must open her eyes, and often that takes time. My goal should be that she walks away from a conversation with me knowing she is heard, valued, and loved. Do you have a woman who is overstepping or undermining? How can you affirm her intentions? By doing so, you clear obstacles that might keep her from surrendering to God. 3. Strive for unity, not uniformity. Uniformity is when everything is the same, with no deviation or variety. But God designed the Church to be unified, not uniform! Unity wouldn’t even be necessary if we were all the same. Unity happens when people who are very, very different—in perspectives, passions, gifts, and callings—become single-minded. Unity is not the result of one person taking control. That’s uniformity! Unity is the result of everyone giving up a measure of control. As leaders, we should go first. Do you have a Control Girl in your church or group contending for her perspective? Instead of saying, “She needs to do it the right way!” consider, “How has God designed her to do it a different way?” Ask God to show you what you should give in on. Anything without a Bible verse to back it up is fair game. Leading by example, though, is not enough. Your Control Girl sister might need to be challenged and invited to surrender for the sake of the ministry. Oh, how you’ll need to prepare your heart for this conversation. Be careful to overcome an attitude of reluctance or begrudging irritation you may be harboring. Instead, eagerly pursue unity! Read these verses aloud, filling in the blanks as appropriate: “I, __________, am to walk in a manner worthy of my calling to serve as _____________. In my relationship with _____________, I must be humble, gentle, and patient. I must bear with ________________’s weaknesses in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Taken from Ephesians 4:1–3 .) Control Girls can cause angst, strife, and division. But as we surrender ourselves first and invite others to join us, we can be leaders who are willing to do everything within our power to live at peace with everyone ( Rom. 12:18 ). Check out Shannon’s Book on this topic: Control Girl: Lessons on Surrendering Your Burden of Control from Seven Women of the Bible . Also, here’s a short video of her sharing some of the content from this post. More Blogs You'll Like What Is a Deacon? Exploring the Role, Qualifications, and Purpose of Deacons in the Church Read More What Is An Elder? A biblical definition of those who are called to lead Read More Why Church Membership Understanding the Biblical Foundations of Church Membership Read More

The Hope of Joy Sermon Series: Obadiah Ryan DB Kimmel Lead Pastor Peace Church Main Passage: Obadiah 19-21 Transcript Words today is the day that the Lord has made so let us rejoice and be glad in it and everyone said Amen. Amen. I'm going to commit a cardinal sin I'm going to boil all of humanity down all of our population down into two categories Because I think basically everyone fits into one of these two categories. I'm curious where you find yourself I think all of humanity can be boiled down into those who love change and those who despise change. So let's find out real quick, where are we at as a people, church, family? Who here loves change, let the future come, and with it all the change that is to come with it? Let me see, if you like change, let me see. It depends on what the change is. That doesn't count! John, you don't get that. Just blank it if you like it or not. So okay, okay, so I'm going to ask those of you Stoics in the house who want things to stay as they are. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Don't like change, raise them up high. Oh man, I got to be honest with you. I'm kind of in that category. I know you, I know, I know that you may think, oh Ryan, you're like the leader of a dynamic growing church with a million dollar build and there's a lot of all this awesome change happening. Yeah, doesn't mean I love to rush into it. I kind of like things where they were. I mean, I think humanity kind of peaked right around 1991. I think it's kind of been downhill since then. But, but if we had stayed in 91 and never would have met my wife, never would have had my four beautiful children come into my life. And so here's the thing we have to have to face. Change is inevitable. But if we press into a God led change, then The neck is a slot of hope and it should give us a lot of joy. And I think as we wrap up looking at the book of Obadiah, I think that's exactly what we're going to see today. That yes, God brings an immense amount of change, but there's something beautiful he's doing in the midst of it. So please turn in your Bibles to Obadiah. It is the smallest book of the Old Testament. As you turn in there, I'm just kind of curious, who has been with us? This will be three weeks in a row, and now you would have studied with us verse by verse every verse of the book of Obadiah. Who's now running three weeks in a row, you've been to every sermon so far? Awesome. I'd love to see that. So Obadiah, we're looking at the last three verses. Mind you, remember Obadiah is so short, there's no chapters, only verses. We're going to be looking at the last three verses today. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you want to use the Bibles we provided, that's on page 981, as we are looking at this one idea here today, the hope of joy. Now, remember, let me just kind of give you the context real quick, if you want to know the fuller context, because there's a lot going on, listen to the previous sermons, but I'll try to boil it down real fast. that God gives through this one man Obadiah. We don't know anything about him. There's other Obadiahs in the Bible. It's not referring to this guy. The only time we hear from this guy is in this book, Obadiah. God gives a prophecy through him to the nation of Edom, a neighboring country, neighboring kingdom to his people of Israel. Now what's happened now? Firstly, Edom has grown incredibly prideful as a people. That's going to bring God's judgment, but that's not all that's going on Edom what happens what was the kind of like the the catalyst for the prophecy? Was that God's people were attacked Jerusalem was sacked by the world superpower of Babylon Babylon comes in and sacks Jerusalem But Edom stands by and just watches this all unfold doesn't go to their help Even though we learned that Edom and Israel are ancestral brothers They have lineage that goes back and they're tied together. They stand by and watch their brother be decimated. And if that wasn't enough, after Babylon decimates the kingdom, carts off the people to exile, Edom sneaks in like a bunch of snakes, picks up the leftovers, and anyone who did survive, Edom rounds up in human traffics and gives to Babylon. And God is like, had enough. That's it. You're done for. And what the Prophet Obadiah does is that he announced that there will be a future for God's people. Yes, they're going into exile, but there will be a future for them, but there will not be a future for Edom. Edom will come to full devastation. And this is true. You can get an Israeli passport today, but you cannot get a passport from Edom. Why? Because God's prophecy came to fruition. Week one we looked at the warning of judgments that God was going to bring upon Edom. Week two we looked at the justice that God was going to bring. But today, today we're gonna be left with some joy. Yes, the path can be hard. Yes, the path can be difficult. But God is going to bring a restoration and a joy. But it comes at a The cost is change, a lot of change. But God is doing something. And so with that, let's wrap up our study of the prophets, this little prophet Obadiah. So if you are able, and if you are not, that is completely fine, but if you are able, would you please stand for the reading of God's Word as we finish up this little prophet. Would you hear the word of the Lord, Obadiah, verses 19 to 21. Obadiah 19-21 19 Those of the Negeb bshall possess Mount Esau, and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria, and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. 20 The exiles of this host of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the Negeb. 21 Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the LORD’s. Amen. This is God's Word, and everyone said, What? There is a lot going on right here. And there is woefully little attention given to these final verses of Obadiah because nobody knows what these places are, who these people are. But that's what we're going to study today because if there's anything I want to share about the prophet Obadiah, it's don't skip over the verses you don't understand. Take a moment, dive in, press in, read a good commentary and see that God's message is still good for us today. And so with that we say, Amen. Let's pray and we'll continue. Let's pray. Father, we are thankful for the opportunity to gather here, Father, in this wonderfully comfortable place. Father, we are thankful for what you're doing in this world and here at peace. We thank you for your mighty word. As we conclude the prophecy of the prophet Obadiah, may you illuminate our minds and our hearts by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, that we may be challenged by this passage as we find our ultimate hope in our Savior and His kingdom come. For it is in the name of King Jesus that we pray these things. And everyone said, Amen and Amen. You may have a seat. So typically at this point, if you listen to me preach long enough, I will try to give some sort of like main summary that we will spend our time thinking about, but we have to address the question I know that many of us are asking, what in the world did we just read? And I'll just tell you, I resonate with that. For me, I cannot let things go. I love to listen to other pastors and other preachers. I love to listen to other sermons, but I will say this, I'm a little peeved when I hear pastors read a text that has a bunch of these weird names and these people that I don't understand who they are. They read it, but they never explain it. And I don't know if you're like me, but my mind is just kind of like, I get hung up on those things. I need to get my head wrapped around this stuff. So what I want to do is I want to take some time and I want to help us understand what exactly we just read, because God wasn't just randomly shuffling people around. If you knew the geography like the people did originally, you'd understand that God was actually doing something incredibly strategic. And it's very, very powerful. And so for the ending of this prophecy, we're going to see that God has given his people a reminder that he is in control at all times. And in the, and because of that, there's hope to be had. So let's take some time and let's do a little study. Here we are, the map of Israel. Here is the land that we are talking about. Let's go through this as quickly as we can, verse by verse, so that we understand what exactly is being talked about here. So please, if you have your Bibles, open it on your lap or your app, whatever you got. Keep this in front of you so you can see what we're talking about. Verse 19 says this, those of the Negev shall possess Mount Esau. So the Negev was this region here to the south. Again, remember God's kingdom at this point had been separated into two separate kingdoms, the northern kingdom called Israel, the southern kingdom called Judah. The northern kingdom, Israel, had already been decimated by the previous world superpower of Assyria. They come in and conquer them and wipe them out. And then 150 years later, a new world superpower rises to the world stage, Babylon. And 150 years after Israel is destroyed, Babylon comes in and destroys the southern kingdom, primarily speaking of Jerusalem. This is the context of Obadiah. So, the people who occupied the Negev, the region to the south, the southern part of the southern kingdom, when the dust settles, after this is all said and done, and after the people return from exile, God will relocate them to Mount Esau. And if you remember from our study, Mount Esau is just a prophetic, poetic name of the kingdom of Edom, because Edom was the descendants of the man Esau. So, again, we're talking about the people of the south. You have to kind of think of Jerusalem as the center. These are the people of the south. But then God talks about the people to the west, just to the west of Jerusalem. It goes on to say, and those of the Shefilah. Now the Shefilah, you're not going to hear a lot about it because there's not much really to be said. You probably won't find it on a lot of maps. You gotta dig a little deep to find it. Now the Shefilah were the foothills between the coastal lands of Philistia, right there on the Mediterranean Sea. They were the footlands between the coastal lands and the mountainous region that was just west of the Dead Sea. That's where Jerusalem was. If you remember, Jerusalem has a very high elevation. They're kind of up in the mountains. So when you go from the elevation of those mountains down to the coast, the coastal line, in between you have the foothills of Shefilah. Now God says that the people who live there, they're going to expand out. They're going to now inhabit the territory of Philistia on the coastal lands, as well as Ephraim. Now Ephraim was one of the tribes of the northern kingdom that was decimated. This is about where the land was. They will get Ephraim as well as the land of Samaria. And that's where this is, right to the further north of that. And then God points to Benjamin. Now, remember, of the original 12 tribes of Israel, the northern kingdom had 10 tribes. The southern kingdom, while it had Jerusalem, only had two tribes, Judah and Benjamin. The southern kingdom is given the banner term of Judah, but Benjamin is still part of these people. So God says the people of Benjamin, is that up on the screen yet? Right there, Benjamin. They were on the northern border of the southern kingdom. They're going to expand into the land of Gilead, there to the east. Now listen, this is what happens to those who are part of the southern kingdom. But God knows that his people are elsewhere, and God addresses them too, calling them to return. These are the people who existed right then and there, but there were people who were already displaced, who were already exiled, and God does not forget about them. So verse 19 is about those who existed there, who are going to go into exile, but then verse 20 is speaking about those who were already exiled and dispersed throughout the land. Verse 20 says this, the exiles of this host of the people of Israel, host typically means army or military, but right here it's probably referring to the remnants of the northern kingdom that you remember were destroyed by Assyria. For whoever survives, God says they shall possess the land of the Canaanites. So the people who were exiled will come back, they will possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath. Now you can't see it on the screen, but Zarephath was just north of Tyre, right as a northern city, right off the edge of our map. So they're encompassing the northern section, the northern part of our map. They return, and if you know your biblical history, they essentially, quote-unquote, evolve into the Samaritans that we read about in the New Testament. But they're not the only exiles to return. Verse 20 continues, that the exiles of Jerusalem who were in Sepharad... Now again, I know, listen, I know these are all weird names, but you have to follow and understand what's happening here. Now, Sephard is kind of a disputed place. We're not exactly with 100% certainty what is being referred to here, but most scholars believe it's referring to the ancient city of Sardis, which is on the western coast of Turkey. So these people were far away, which just reminds us, it doesn't matter how far you are, God has not forgotten you. It doesn't matter how far you are from Him, God has not forgotten you. Those who are part of the Sepharad will come back and shall possess the land of the Negev. And then God, what He does is He ties a bow on all of this by saying that Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion. Mount Zion here is referring to Jerusalem, right there in the center of the map. Speaking of the people returning to Jerusalem, Saviors shall go to Mount Zion to rule over Mount Esau. Again, Mount Esau, referring to Edom. Now listen, this verse, this last verse here, I think is less about relocation and more about the fulfillment of prophecy. For Edom had not only helped, not only not helped Jerusalem when they were attacked, but they sided with Babylon. And so God says he's going to destroy Edom, Jerusalem and his people will have a future and they're going to rule over Mount Esau, they're going to rule over Edom. I think what that actually is kind of just saying is Israel, God's people, they will remain, they will continue, they will have a hope and a future, but Edom will not. They will continue to exist even though Edom won't. And now that you see, what you see here is that essentially every part of the map is now covered. When we read that, we don't see that because we don't know the biblical geography, but when the original hearers heard this, they would have known God just is describing every part of this map, which is why we see such a powerful line with the very last thing that Obadiah says with these words, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's. As you can see, these final verses reveal God's immediate plan for Israel and the promised land. But make no mistake, this prophecy is about so much more than what happened 500 years ago. And that's what we want to understand here today. That though it may not be found on the immediate surface, if we don't know biblical geography, if we dig a little deeper, we may see something beautiful here, and this is what I want you to hold on to here today. Do you believe God is shaking things up in this world? He totally is. And as we see this shaking up, this shuffling around of people, let it be a reminder of this, that God shakes things up to reveal the hope of joy, that there is a future. It is good. God is doing something, and we need to press in to Him. And so three verses that we're looking at today, let me give you three ideas that we're going to be entertaining as we walk through our passage. Number one is this, God changes things to bring conformity to His plan. God changes things to bring conformity to His plan. Verse 19, we'll look at verse 20 and here's something we want to pick up, that God redeems people to restore justice to the land. And then our final verse, as we read it, I think we're going to pick up this, this idea that God speaks prophecy to foreshadow salvation to the world So first thing first we're gonna look at here today. God changes things to bring conformity to his plan So as we as we just saw God shaking things up. He's moving people around. He's relocating. He's redrawing the map, but he's not just Relocating people what he's doing is he's expanding his people's territory so that God's promise and his plan can come to fulfillment So let me just speak to the peace church family real quick God's promise and His plan can come to fulfillment. So let me just speak to the Peace Church family real quick. You in the venue, you in the chapel, you online. Let me speak to the Peace Church family for just a moment. Very, very soon, we will be worshiping in a new space. Hallelujah. But listen to me, it'll be a change. It'll feel like a big change. But remember, God changes things. When God's in control and God changes things, it's to bring conformity to His plan. And that's where we want to stay, right? We want to stay in His plan. We don't want to stay with the way things are. We want to stay within God's plan. He's not just relocating our place of worship. He's about expanding us in order to grow our impact upon our community for His glory and for the renown of the name of Jesus. Amen? So, let that provide you some comfort when in a few short weeks things feel a little different. Just remember, God shakes things up to bring conformity to His plan and it's good. But let's go back. Why does God take time to tell us about this relocation plan when He knows that in 2,500 years, a bunch of Americans are going to have no idea what he's talking about. Here's why. Because we must remember something about what was going on. Remember, the reason that Babylon even comes in in the first place and destroys Jerusalem is because the people had abandoned God. His own people had turned their back on him. They are forsaken him. And so God allows Babylon to come in and bring punishment and judgment. But even in the midst of this suffering, even in the midst of this judgment for abandoning God, God does something he does not have to do and something they do not deserve. God gives them hope for a future. This is a very, very interesting time in biblical history. And if you remember last week, we made reference that there was another person alive during this time that we're very familiar with, Daniel. But there's also a very prominent biblical figure who was alive and doing ministry at this time, Jeremiah. Jeremiah was alive at this time and he saw this all unhappening. He saw Jerusalem come in and be destroyed. He saw God's people being carted off into exile and it's in the midst of that that Jeremiah gives a very profound prophecy. I want to read it for you. Jeremiah chapter 29 verses 10 to 14. Here's what Jeremiah says as a contemporary of Obadiah. He says this, for thus says the Lord, when 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. That's just what Obadiah was talking about. And then God says this through Jeremiah, for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a hope and a future. We know that verse, don't we? We hear that avert, that we hear that verse a lot, don't we? Oh, we love that verse, don't we? You would not have loved the context in which that verse was first spoken. These are people whose homes were destroyed and they were carted off to exile. Verse 12, then you will call upon my name and come and pray to me and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from the nations and all the places Where I have driven you declares the Lord and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into This is exactly what Obadiah is talking about what Jeremiah describes in general right here Obadiah details with specifics Because listen to me God's plan is not just good, it's detailed. God knows exactly what's happening. God is in control of every aspect. This is why you must lean into him. This is why you must trust him. This is why you need to have hope in the midst of hurts. I know this is hard to hear when you are in the midst of pain. Jeremiah gave this prophecy to people as they're probably being carted off and changed to a foreign land. I know this is going to be hard, but listen, when you're in the midst of pain or something that even feels like spiritual exile, when it feels like God has abandoned you, just remember this, if you lean into Him, if you press into Him, there is hope and there is a future. Yes, not all change feels good, but if we believe God is sovereign, then we must remember that God changes things to bring conformity to his plan. The process can be painful, but the destination can be beautiful. Remember that, because we're going to come back to that in a second. The second thing we're going to see in our next point is this. God redeems people to restore justice to the land. Now, verse 20 is where we see God's promises to bring his people who have already been exiled back to the promised land, back into his sovereign plan. Yes, let's go ahead and let's read it again. Verse 20, keep your Bibles open. The exiles of this host of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath. Again, all the way to the north. And the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of Negev. This is God's plan to What is his purpose here? Let me give you a word. Justice. Because remember, biblically speaking, justice isn't just bad guys going to jail. Justice in a biblical sense, justice is making things right, putting things as they should be. And that's what we see here. God is making things right. He's fulfilling his promise to the way that things should be. Because listen to me, there is no true justice that does not conform to God's will. And this is what God does. God still does this. When he redeems people here and now through salvation that we have through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When God saves us, we are not just saved so that we can have eternal life. Yes, we are saved so that we can be welcomed into the presence of God. Yes, we can be saved so that we can go to heaven when we pass from this life to the next. But our redemption is not just for our personal salvation and our future glory. Our salvation is so that we can take part in the immediate mission of what God is doing here and now. God saves us because we can't save ourselves and because He has a mission for us here and now to take part in ushering in as God does his kingdom into this world, to take part in the prayer of Jesus who himself prayed that God's will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. But before we talk about saving the starving children or before we talk about abortion or who we talk about who to vote for, Christians in the house, you need to ask yourself, when you look in the mirror, are you truly seeing an ambassador for Jesus staring back at you? This is where it starts. As a wife, do you love and honor your husband in the ways that scripture calls you to? Men, are you providing and protecting your family in the ways that God is calling you to? If justice is setting things right, if justice is the way that things should be, then how is that starting in your life and in your home? Christians, you're not just saved so you can go to heaven. That's a wonderful, beautiful part of our salvation. But we are saved so that we can be a part of announcing the kingdom here on earth and take part in that. But I know it's hard when we are in the midst of pain and uncertainty and hurt. I know this can be hard to hear when you simply just feel like a spiritual exile from God or you feel like God's abandoned you, you feel like there's no hope. But trust that when God is in control, He is working out something amazing. I hope you see that Obadiah is reminding us that it's not that God is part of our plan. We are part of God's plan. He hasn't forgotten you. You have to remember He's actually doing something amazing. If you trust in that, then you can have hope no matter what. It's like this story that C.S. Lewis wrote. I think C.S. Lewis is mostly known for writing the Chronicles of Narnia, but did you know that C.S. Lewis also wrote a science fiction set? It's called the Space Trilogy. And in the very first book of the Space Trilogy, C.S. Lewis writes this book called Out of the Silent Planet. Now in this book, what happens is that there's this man named Ransom. That's his last name. This man Ransom, he's kidnapped and he's put on a spaceship and he's brought to a distant planet called Malchondria. Now he's kidnapped. He's a prisoner on this spaceship. And what you see is him on this entire journey from earth to Melchondria, ransomed as a prisoner, and the entire time he is absolutely terrified of what's going to happen, as understandably so. He's terrified about what's going to happen to him when he gets to this planet. He's terrified about what's going to happen. He thinks about all the horrors that are waiting for him, and he fills his head with all these unimaginable fears about how terrible this place is going to be. And then the day finally comes and he arrives to this planet and he is just absolutely fearful and anxious and terrified. And he steps off the spaceship to this new planet. And this is what is written. But something he learned before anything else, he learned that Melchondria was beautiful. And he even reflected how odd it was that this possibility had never entered into his speculations about it. What was going on was Ransom spent his entire journey in constant fear, constantly telling himself about how terrible things were going to be, how terrible things were going to be for him. He was a prisoner for Pete's sake, it's understandably so, but what we come to realize is that he was firstly a prisoner to his own fears. And he couldn't see beyond that. But when he gets to Malacondra, it's beautiful. He's shocked because throughout his entire journey, he never once imagined that the outcome could actually be good and beautiful. Some of us are in a hard spot. And you only have despair about the future. You only have uncertainty. And so what do you do? You fill your head with all about the terrible fears about what could happen. You are in darkness, so all you see is darkness. So you fill your head with dark thoughts. But when God is in charge, there is hope. So try and treating that idea just for a moment that maybe, just maybe, the outcome could be better than the place you're coming from. This is why we need to stay in God. This is why we need to hide ourselves in Thee. This is the hope we have that God gives to His people, that we need to trust Him when we don't understand what's going on. It's like God is saying to these people, yes, you are going into exile, but there is hope for you on the other side of this. There will be and there can be. So hope for the joy that is to come. That's what we're going to see in point three. As we close this up, God shakes things up to reveal the hope of joy. And the last thing we'll see is that God speaks prophecy to foreshadow salvation to the world. And here we come. Our verse by verse walkthrough of the book of Obadiah is coming to a close. Remember, verses 19 and 20 were about relocating God's people so his plan could unfold, but this last one is more about God fulfilling his prophecy as we see his plan come to life. Verse 21 says this, Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule over Mount Esau. So God is contrasting these two mounts, Mount Zion, which is Jerusalem, and Mount Esau, which is Edom. The idea here is that God's plan... Don't miss the words that are actually on the page. God's plan here is to raise saviors, not authoritarians, not dictators, but saviors who are to rule over Edom, but rule with justice. Rule with God's justice, because ultimately what we see here is this is not about a people and their rule. This is about the Lord's and His kingdom. And the last line of Obadiah is this, and this we conclude our journey, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's. Amen. While we saw on the map how God is relocating His people and brings them all over the map, He expands their territory, expands what they're doing. What we truly see is God fulfilling his promise to his people. But we must remember the point here that God speaks prophecy to foreshadow salvation to the world. So when God says in this last line, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's, this is not only a promise of what is to come immediately for them. This is a foreshadowing of the fulfillment that we all desperately long for. For this is the gospel of Obadiah, that we are not just saved from our sin, but when we are, we then look to the future where Jesus has restored us, not just from our exile from sin, but Christ restores the world to how it should be. This is the hope that we are to have, that not only will things be restored, but joy comes when God's full redemption is complete, where all of the world is under his kingship. And what the book of Obadiah does is it reminds us and challenges us and tells us at all times, don't lose God's eternal plan for the immediate moment that it's happening. For in your immediate moment, we must always remember that God has an internal plan that is unfolding. No, God's not part of our plan. We are part of His plan. And that's beautiful. God is certainly shaking things up in this world. God is changing things in this world. And whether we like it or not, we must remember that God shakes things up to reveal the hope of of joy. This is the beauty and the power of the book of Obadiah. Amen.

When Mother’s Day Hurts Christian Life Stephanie Delger Podcast Host Mom Guilt Podcast Published On: May 10, 2024 “Happy Mother’s Day,” the greeter at the church spoke with a smile as I entered into church. That simple greeting, spoken in kindness, brought me to tears. He had no idea I had just lost my unborn child 3 weeks prior. This was my first Mother’s Day as a mom, and I had no baby bump, no stroller, and no child in my arms. Mother’s Day is a day of celebration. We celebrate and thank the women in our lives who have poured out love, shared their wisdom, and taught us about the Lord. But this day can also come with a lot of other emotions. Maybe you have lost your own mother, and this day causes a gut-wrenching sorrow at the thought of celebrating without her. Maybe you have lost a child and are grieving a life that ended too soon. Perhaps you long to have a baby, and right now, God has said no. Possibly, you long to celebrate Mother’s Day with your own mom but are unable to because of distance, either physically or emotionally. In our grief, I want to draw our eyes towards the Lord. This is not to minimize our pain. Rather, it is because dwelling on God and His promises is like applying a healing salve to a battered and broken heart. Alasdair Groves said it well when he wrote, “Grief hurts so deeply because we are so aware of just how good a gift God has given to us. The anguish we feel when we lose things we love implicitly declares God’s goodness in having given them.” [1] God cares about us Sometimes, being surrounded by people can make us feel the most lonely. On Mother’s Day, we look around at all the other moms and see them smiling. They are joyful, content, and surrounded by their husbands and children. We may be tempted to ask, “Does God not see my sorrow? Does He not see my pain? Does God even care about me, or has He completely forgotten me?” God sees you, God loves you, and He cares for you. Jesus, talking to his disciples, tells them in Matthew 10:29-31, “ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs on your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” If God knows the number of hairs on your head, we know that He also sees our pain and suffering. God has not turned away from you or left you. We don’t have to suffer alone or in silence. God knows our struggles and pain on Mother’s Day. Rather than trying to hide our thoughts and feelings from Him, God desires that we talk to Him. The Psalms are filled with laments. God included them in scripture so that we would read them, identify with them, and join in with the author, praying them back to God. In Psalm 13, the author cries out to the Lord, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? … Consider and answer me, O Lord my God, light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.” We are intended to cry out in our pain and sorrow these same words. The author goes on to say, “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” In our sorrow, we can/should, cry out to God. We should pour out all our pain, sorrow, and questions. But through all of this, we need to remember what is also true. God is good. God cares. He loves us so much that He sent his one and only son to die on our behalf so that we can spend eternity with Him. (John 3:16) We must trust in His steadfast love and rejoice in the salvation He has given us. God will give us strength There are days in our pain and sorrow when we don’t want to get out of bed. We can’t imagine living another day under the weight of our grief. I remember talking to a friend only days after having my miscarriage, asking her, “How do I go on? How do I wake up day after day when it hurts this badly?” She gave a sad smile and said, “It’s because you are thinking about living tomorrow with the strength that God has given you for today.” My friend had experienced her own miscarriages, and she was offering me a precious truth that she had learned through her own suffering. God will give us our “daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). God will give you exactly what you need for each day. I have had well-intentioned women try to encourage me by saying, “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” But this isn’t what scripture says. It would be much more accurate to say, “God won’t give me more than He can handle.” We need to trust that God knows what we need and will provide for us each and every day. God is our strength. All we are and all we have comes from Him. God will heal our pain Our pain will not last forever. In Psalm 147:3, we read, “He [God] heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” As deep as our pain goes, God will heal us. It may not be immediate or even on this side of eternity. But God has promised this, and we know that God is a keeper of His word. The apostle John records what will happen when Jesus returns. In Revelation 21:4, he writes, “He [Jesus] will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Jesus changes everything. And it’s through the power of Jesus that sin and all its effects - death, pain, and sorrow, will come to an end. This pain we feel on Mother’s Day will not be forever. Nothing is more powerful than God. When Paul writes about the power of God’s love, he tells us, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39) This means that a broken relationship with your mother cannot separate you from the love of God. The death of your baby cannot separate you from the love of God. The loss of your mother cannot separate you from the love of God. The pain of infertility cannot separate you from the love of God. You can fill in the blank with whatever situation you are enduring this Mother’s Day. Nothing can separate you from the love of God. As you worship the Lord this Sunday on Mother’s Day, your heart may be filled with more grief than joy. But we are still able to worship the Lord in our sorrow. In some ways, seeing the world and all the pain it contains can draw us into a deeper worship of the Lord. It can stir up a longing for Him to return and make all things new. My prayer for you this Mother’s Day is that your grief can be turned to worship and that your heart will find the healing it longs for in the arms of our loving Savior. 1. Groves, J. A. (2019). Engaging Grief. In Untangling Emotions (pp. 184). essay, Crossway. More Blogs You'll Like Is Prioritizing Love Un-Christian? What Does The Bible Say? Read More More Than Meets the Eye Discovering God’s Purposes for Motherhood Read More Mom Guilt and How to Fight It Read More

The Transformation Tandem Sermon Series: It Had To Be Said Main Passage: John 8:2-11 Transcript Thanks so much. Really good to be with you this morning. In our house, we have a somewhat large clock that hangs over the stairwell down into our basement. And I like the clock. It's not an extravagant clock. It's a fairly simple clock, but again, it's big enough that from anywhere out in the front part of our house, you can see what time it is. Except for the fact that for the last two months or so, the hands on that clock have not moved one time. They just are where they are. And that's a little frustrating, but it's relatively easy to get to the clock. But when you have to put the clock back up, it's a little bit of a like, take your life in your own hands experience. And so the clock has stayed there. Now at the same time that we have the clock on the wall that is not telling us what time it is, we also in the house, we have the batteries that that clock needs. We don't have to go anywhere to get them. We don't have to place an Amazon order, anything like that. We have them. In fact, we have plenty of them. So we have this clock and it's on the wall. It would like to do its thing, but it can't do its thing. We have these batteries that have more than enough power to power the clock so that we can actually tell what time it is. They should be together, but we, for all sorts of reasons, we, for now, have left them separate. So neither one of them is doing what it was made to do. Neither one of them, the clock or the batteries, is functioning how they were designed to function. And it's easy to think about when you think about, okay, that's a clock and it's some batteries. But there are a lot of pieces and parts of life. There are even a lot of elements of our spiritual life, our life with Jesus, that really need to go together. And oftentimes we unintentionally pull them apart. And so we don't experience the full effectiveness or power of either one of them. Or sometimes maybe it's just the culture that causes us to gradually pull them apart a little bit. And much like if we could just get the clock down, put the batteries in it, put it back up, the batteries would be serving their purpose and the clock would be serving its purpose and everything would be better. If we can combine some things that we often separate, our life could be a little better. It could be a little more like Jesus invited us to experience. And so this morning, in the minutes that we get to share together, I want to invite you to a passage of the scriptures. It's in the Gospel of John, the Gospel of John, chapter 8. So if you're going to turn a Bible there, if you're going to scroll somewhere to get there, that's great. While you're turning there, I do want to just say thank you for the opportunity to be with you. Really grateful. My wife, Erica, and I have been here all morning, have enjoyed the morning, and thanks for your kindness and hospitality. We have twin daughters that are 19. They're both home from college for the summer. They're both serving a journey today, so they're not here with us, but we are really grateful to be here. I want you to know I love your pastor. You probably know this part, but you are a very fortunate church. You have a great pastor. You have great pastors, great staff, absolutely incredible. And I love your pastor. I love being here. Love you and what you're doing to move the gospel and the mission of Jesus forward. I'm incredibly, incredibly grateful for that. And I also just want to say, man, I'm encouraged by the fact that you are a place that is remarkably supportive of your pastor, getting a sabbatical, getting a little bit of a chance to just refresh and be rejuvenated. The absolute guarantee of that is that he'll be better. You'll be better. He'll be better. You'll be better. And so thank you for believing in that and just investing in that, creating that pocket in that space. And so I'm really grateful to be here for today. And I'm grateful to be here to offer some expression of help to him in that time as well. John chapter eight is where we're going to be today. We're going to start in verse two. Here's here's the word of God describing a moment in the life of Jesus. John 8:2-11 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” Let's pray together. Lord Jesus, thank you for the perfection of your life, the perfection of your righteousness and your holiness. Thank you for the perfection of salvation in your ministry. Thank you for in moments like we're reading about and encountering today for how you, with such wisdom, navigate difficult moments. Thank you for the power of your word. Thank you that it still is alive and active, that it has life and breath, and that even today in our moments together, it can correct us, it can teach us, it can rebuke us, it can ultimately make us wise to salvation. Thank you for that kind of life-giving power. So we yield ourselves to you and to the truth of the scripture you bring us today. In Jesus name, amen. Amen, church. So those of you in the room, to those of you in other venues and those of you online, we've got we're standing in the middle of a unique little passage here from with Jesus. And you saw it right there. You see these Pharisees and these scribes and they they want to test Jesus. Ultimately, what they're doing is they are trying to set a trap for Jesus. They bring this woman who is caught in adultery, and they present some options to Jesus. And they say, Jesus, here's what the law says. The law says that we're supposed to stone her. That's what the law of Moses says. And Jesus, maybe that's what you should do, because if you don't do that, Jesus, you're being fairly hypocritical right like Jesus if you if you if you stone her what are you gonna say about all of the sinners you eat with what are you gonna say about all the prostitutes and tax collectors who are extorting from people what are you gonna say about all your time invested with them Jesus so really I mean you think you should stone her? But on the other hand, Jesus, how are you just gonna let her walk away? I mean, we caught her in sin, and she's not even standing here denying it. So Jesus, how, you can't just let her walk away, right? And so they're trying to pin Jesus into this lose-lose moment. Hey, Jesus, if you stone her, we're going to call you a hypocrite. That's going to ruin the ministry. Jesus, if you let her just go, we're going to say you don't really care about righteousness and holiness and God-likeness. So we're going to ruin you either way. And I wonder if Jesus, in the moment, chuckles a little, maybe he smirks, and just looks at those guys and says, really, we're gonna do this again? This isn't the first time they try and trap Jesus. It's not the last time they'll try and trap Jesus. They're not very good at it. Jesus, you know, maybe just has this moment. He says, okay, I guess we're gonna do this again. And they make this push from Jesus. Really the trap is to try and say hey Jesus you're gonna have to pick Grace or truth you're gonna have to choose grace. Let her go and don't acknowledge sinner. You're gonna have to pick truth You have to stone her Jesus you can't can't really do that, right So Jesus confronted with this tension And it's helpful for us to understand that we also, like today, we're still confronted with this tension. We still face the same test. We still live in a time where the same trap is being set for us. You're gonna respond with grace or you're gonna respond with truth. And at the end of this little moment, at the end of this little moment, Jesus masterfully, with perfect wisdom, responds with both. He says, you want me to pick? Watch this. I'll respond with both. And he says, hey, I'm not going to condemn you. It sounds a lot like grace. But he also says, now, from this point forward, go. Don't sin anymore. Go live differently. Go be different. Go experience a different life. Sounds a lot like truth. Go and sin no more. They want Jesus to pick. You at moments in your life, me at moments in my life, we have moments where somebody wants us to pick or a group or an organization wants us to pick and Jesus stands up in the middle of all of that fray and says, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Grace and truth go together. Grace and truth go together. If you leave them separated like the clock and the batteries, neither one of them really functions the way it was designed to function. Grace and truth go together, and because they go together, there's significant risk if we try and pull them apart. Let me just, in a few minutes just share some of them with you. At first, just some risk of living with all grace but no truth. And the first, maybe it's obvious. When there's all grace and no truth, it feels a little bit like it just gives permission to sin. Just keep sinning. Just go do your thing. You go do what you think is right for you. And again, nobody in the passage is denying the sin. The woman doesn't try and say, I didn't sin. Jesus doesn't try and say, she didn't sin. It's not just the scribes and Pharisees. Everybody is acknowledging the sin. And if it's only grace, I don't condemn you either. Hey, it's fine. I don't condemn you either. That could come across as like, hey, permission, just keep going, do whatever you want. Right, I mean, just go ahead. Just do your thing. It's like, well, that doesn't sound very Jesus like right so that feels a little void, but but here's the other thing it's When we have all grace like that It's really void of any hope. When it's all grace and no truth It's really void of hope because What if this what if this woman wants to change What if she wants a pattern in her life to be broken? What if she wants something in her that's dead to come to life? What if she wants to live a new way? Grace alone simply says, Hey, we'll just kind of forget about that. But grace alone, grace alone doesn't paint the path forward. Grace alone doesn't necessarily point how it is we would go live any differently. Grace alone can feel compassionate, but sometimes it's actually mean. So Jesus, again, masterfully gives, he gives both. It's grace and truth. And not only does it leave us void of hope, not only does it feel like sometimes it's permission to sin, but it is a pattern of culture. It's a pattern of this culture that we're reading about in the scriptures, and it's a pattern of our culture today. There are some predominant patterns, some predominant courses and forces of life, and one of them in our culture is to be all grace, to be all agreement with all things which leads us to these places we find ourselves encountered with with expressions like look if if you don't agree with me, you don't love me and to disagree with me would be to hate me and Nobody signed up to like hate other people and so we find ourselves really caught in this tension of wait a second. Wait a second I'm only allowed to express grace. I'm only allowed to say, that's okay. I'm only allowed to look the other way. I'm only allowed to say, I don't condemn you. That's one of the options they give Jesus. And they didn't create that option out of thin air. It 's a pattern of culture. And it doesn't take long for us to see that's a pattern of the culture in which we live now. A couple thousand years later, here's the words of Jesus with all of this direction and all of this guidance to us. His word really being, right? A lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path as we walk in difficult moments. It's this pattern of the culture. Say, oh, I don't really like the all grace option. That doesn't sound very encouraging. Let me be a person of truth, but there's also some risk if we're truth only and no grace. Again, if we separate the two that Jesus put together, truth alone can be potentially abusive. Truth alone can be potentially abusive. A truth, truth can be a gift, it can be great, but there are certain truths we can grab ahold of. We can grab ahold of some factual truth and it can become the weapon and the abuser. The Jewish people, they know that really well. They lived for hundreds of years, generations, in slavery to Egypt. And the reason was because the truth of the matter was Egypt was more powerful. Egypt was stronger. Egypt had more military might. Egypt just had the power. Now they could have used the power to be kind, to keep working together, right? But they chose to take what was really true. They had all the power. And they used that truth to enslave and to beat down and to diminish. Even now in this moment with Jesus, like the Jewish people, the Israelites are in it again. They're under the thumb of Rome and yeah, they've got some freedoms, but Rome's ultimately the most powerful. Rome's calling the shots. Rome has the greatest power. The truth of the matter is they use the truth, just the facts. They had the power. And at times, persecuted followers of Jesus. Sometimes killed them for sport, for entertainment value. You can take a truth, you realize a truth about something, something that is true, and it can become abusive. Truth alone can have a very jagged edge. Truth alone can be cutting in a harmful way. Jesus, like if Jesus had only said, right, hey, hey, don't go sinning anymore. Yeah, but how? Hey, don't go sinning anymore. Yeah, but how? What do I do with that? Even if I wanted to, what do I do with that? Which is why it's not only potentially abuse of the times, but it, just like grace without truth, truth without grace is void of hope. It 's void of hope. Hope is like this confident expectation that there's something in front of us, like there's somewhere we could go, there's a good coming, there's a good that's possible. And when we offer only truth, when we only point out the wrong, we're not really instilling the hope of what can be. The truth needs a grace to give us a hope that we can actually win. The truth needs a grace to compel us forward. If I say to you, you're a liar, which I'm not, I know I was looking at you, I didn't mean to, but I'm not. But if I say you're a liar, and even if that's true, but I paint no way for the relationship to be restored, if I offer no expression of graciousness so that there's a hope that something could be rebuilt, that a trust could be restored, the truth by itself can leave us void of any hope. What if Jesus had only said, just don't go sin anymore? And truth alone is also, it's a lot like grace without truth. If you take the truth without the grace, which means you got to almost diminish sin, or you've got to choose all truth, which means you have to stone her. Like we, we live in the same tension, like, Hey, all grace, all grace, you have to accept me for everything. You have to accept this for everything you have to, or all, all truth, just direct truth, truth without grace, truth without love, truth without right, which can be just as damaging, but it is a pattern of the culture in which we live. And when things get chaotic, and that's the test that we live in, grace or truth, most of us tend to lean one way or the other. Most of us are left to ourselves and our own devices. We lean one way or the other. And we might pull back in moments like this and say, yeah, but what about just just a few paragraphs later, Jesus is going to say to some of these people, hey, look, what I really want is for you to know the truth and the truth will set you free. But what's the truth that Jesus is talking about in that moment? What Jesus is painting a picture of is salvation. It's the gift of salvation. It's the gift of forgiveness, of restored relationship with Him, of being united with the God who made us. And what does salvation always include? Grace. There is no salvation without grace. None of us have climbed our way to God. None of us have fought our way into a right relationship with God. It comes by grace. Jesus says, I want you, if you would know the truth, like, and the truth includes my grace, you could actually be set free. And so in this encounter with this woman, like Jesus has been told he has to offer one of the other. And by the end of it, everybody's gone, right? Because their attempt to trap has failed again. And it's Jesus and this woman. And he says, look, I know what they wanted me to do, but I'm gonna offer you grace. I'm not gonna condemn you, but I'm also gonna offer you truth. Receive the grace and go. And when you go, don't sin anymore. Be different. Be different. And in life with Jesus, he's always inviting us to something very different than what's happening around us and something so much better than what's happening around us. Now let's just absorb the story from a slightly different angle for a second. Because those words of Jesus, they had to be said. They changed this woman's life and they're still words that we need. They still help us navigate complex and divisive periods of culture like we're living in now. But if we pull back just a little, and let's enter the story from a little different perspective, and just for a moment, maybe see Jesus' face and get a sense of his tone. And again, maybe when the Pharisees and scribes first set the trap. Maybe there really is, maybe there is a smirk in Jesus. Maybe there's a chuckle, maybe there's a shaking of the head. He knows what's coming, he knows once again, he's got the wisdom to navigate this. But then think about the, think about this woman just for a minute. When you read the story, you hear it, do you ever find yourself wondering when did she first feel or experience some form of grace? When did she first experience some sense of hope? When did she first start to actually encounter the truth? And maybe, just maybe, maybe it was before Jesus spoke to her, and maybe it was when Jesus knelt down and he started to write in the sand. And for a couple thousand years, some of the greatest scholars had been trying to figure out what Jesus wrote. I got nothing for you. But I don't think it matters. Because when Jesus is down there, and He's doing something, He's writing something that's messing with these religious leaders, and in that moment we can forget about this woman for a minute, but in that moment, she's experiencing the grace and truth of somebody being on her side. She's experiencing the grace and truth of somebody advocating for her. She's experiencing the grace and truth of somebody defending her, somebody believing in her, somebody, somebody, somebody loving her, seeing enough value in her that they would step into the gap for her. And so when Jesus stands up and he says to her, is there anybody left? And she says, there's not anybody here anymore. And Jesus says, that's great. Just like they're gone, I don't condemn you either. And she experiences, she hears the words of grace that she is also seeing. And then he says, now go and sin no more. And she has the hope that comes with knowing, wait a second, the person who is not condemning me is biting me into something more. And I need this not to be condemned in order to live them more. And I need to live them more in order to make the not condemned worth it. And so she's both seen it and felt it and now she's heard it and it's this marriage of grace and truth, it's the clock getting the batteries. So everything gets to do what it was intended to do. Now if you just pull back for a second. We've kind of entered the story from a couple angles. Just pull back from the story for a second. You ever read the scripture and just for a moment play counterfactual history? And just ask, like what happens, what happens if Jesus doesn't offer both? What happens? What happens if Jesus only offers grace? Again, maybe she goes on and maybe she recovers, but there's no hope of what can be, there's no direction, there's no future. It's like, okay, I guess this is what I'm doing. I don't know how my life can be any different. I'm really glad that he didn't allow them to stone me that day and that he didn't stone me, but I don't, I don't sin anymore. And maybe she tries. Picture her life the next three or four years and maybe she tries. But do you know how hard it is to obey Jesus without the power that comes from grace? Maybe she tries for three or four years, but there would be all this guilt and all this weight of failure and all this shame that comes with it, and boy, doesn't it feel like it would be easy to just go back to what she was doing before? See, she needs both, because when we put grace and truth together in a package, when we resist the temptation, the tension, and the test of the trap of the culture to separate them. When we put them together, what we see is that grace and truth are really the power of transformation. Grace and truth together are the power of transformation. I don't condemn you, but please, let's go live differently. I don't condemn you, but please, please, let's go live with the hope that there's more and that there's a better way and there's something that's different. It's power of transformation. So today, a couple thousand years later, I'm really glad this moment with Jesus is recorded. In this moment, I mean, this is one of those statements. It's two phrases that make one sentence. I don't condemn you, go and sin no more. They had to be said. It 's the only way out of that moment. I don't condemn you, go and sin no more. They had to be said, it's the only way out of that moment. But it's grace-filled truth. It's grace and truth together. They had to be said. It's still today, it needs to be said to us. It needs to be said to us. So let me just, let me leave you with a couple questions. First question, really simply this. Who in your life right now, who in your life, friend, family member, family members, a group, colleagues, whatever it is. Who in your life really needs an expression of grace and truth from you? Who in your life needs an expression of truth and grace? Who is it in your life that maybe has gotten one and not the other? Who is it that maybe has lived with you leaning one direction or the other? It's okay, like, let's just acknowledge that most of us have a tendency to lean one way or the other in this truth-grace continuum. That you'd love them to know that Jesus, or experience that Jesus, Jesus of grace and truth. And then, if we turn a little more introspectively, where is it that maybe you, no matter how long you've been following Jesus, whether it's been an hour or so, or whether it's meant several decades. Where is it that maybe you, you need an expression or maybe a fresh expression of Jesus grace and truth in your life? Where's the area of life or the action in your life or the habit in your life where you've received lots of grace but not really acknowledged truth? Not really acknowledged that Jesus is actually calling you to something different. Where's the peace of life where maybe you've grabbed ahold of the truth, but that's really led to weighting you down and beating you up because you haven't also taken the grace with the truth. It's the tandem that creates transformation. It's both of them together that brings the transformation. And Jesus, from a culture that was constantly pushing people to the edges of this continuum, says in that moment and says still today, hey, hey, hey, hey, the best way forward is grace and truth. It's truth and grace. Let me pray for you.