Podcasts about positionally

(Ephesians 2:4-7) God's perfect salvation takes care of your past, your present, and your future! The eternal Son of God has worked for our salvation. He continues to work at this very moment, and He will finish His work in us! Salvation is more than an event - it is God's perfect work in his children. (0959250307) ----more----  Salvation by Grace Through Faith Will you permit me one more day? Just one more day to talk to you about what the Bible says about salvation? Honestly, I'm just having a good time in the word of God, having a good time talking to you about what it means to be saved. Because I know what Jesus Christ has done for me, and I'm starting to see more and more of what God says about this in scripture. And it's thrilling. It's thrilling to talk about. I hope you'll talk about it to someone else. I hope you'll get so excited. You'll wanna pass this along and share it with others. What does the Bible say about salvation? The last time we talked, I read you from Ephesians chapter two, verse eight and nine, famous verses, "For by grace you saved through faith. And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast." And we learn that it's all of grace and it's a gift. It's received by simple faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. But let's return to Ephesians two, to the verses that precede those verses. The Bible says in Ephesians two, verse four, "But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith, he loved us even when we were dead in sins, have quickened us together with Christ By grace, you're saved. And it raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus that in the ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." Do you hear again, the past, present, and future tenses? One of the things I want you to see is that we think in time, but God who's eternal is not in time. He's working in our lives in a way that is continual, that there's no end to. He began his work of redemption in the very beginning of time. In Genesis chapter three, that's where we started our study. He promised Messiah was coming. All of scriptures, really the story of redemption. And when the Lord Jesus Christ came, he paid for the send debt of every man. When you come to the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, that work of salvation begins in your life. And there's so many things connected to that.  Key Bible Terms About Salvation There's so many Bible words that you should study. For example, a substitution. Did you know when Jesus died on the cross? He took your place. He literally died for your sins, and he died as you. That's part of the doctrine of salvation. What about redemption? Redemption is to pay a price, to buy something back by paying a price. Did you know that's what he did for you when he died on the cross? He redeemed you with his own precious blood. How about the Bible word propitiation. He is the propitiation for our sin. That's a big word. What does it mean? It means to satisfy. Did you know when Jesus Christ paid the sin, debt on the cross? He satisfied a holy God. He satisfied the justice of God so that you could go free, so that you could be saved. What about the word reconciliation? It means that Jesus Christ took a holy God in one hand and sinful humanity in the other, and made a way to bring the two together. He reconciled us to God. When you come to the Lord Jesus and you take Him as your savior, what happens? How about this Bible word regeneration? It means new birth. Remember, Jesus said, you must be born again. To be regenerated is to be redeemed, made new. He doesn't make you a little better. He makes you a totally new person. He gives you a new nature. He comes to live inside of you himself. How about the word justification? Someone said that means just as if I'd never sin. Oh, it's better than that. No, it's not just that he deals with a negative. He declares you righteous. He puts his righteousness on your account. So now it's not just as if you had never sinned, it's just as if you had never even been a sinner. Did you know when you receive Jesus as your savior, all of his righteousness goes on your record. So when God looks at you, he no longer sees you as a sinner, though you have a sin nature, he no longer sees you as a sinner. He sees you as his own son. How about this word, the word adoption. We've been adopted, made part of the family of God. We've been given the spirit of adoption. Isn't that glorious? It means the Holy Spirit brings us into the family conversation. That's what we have in prayer. That's how we can come boldly to God and pray because we've been given that spirit. I'm just simply saying all of these words reveal great truth about what happened at Calvary and what happens in us when we receive the Lord Jesus as our personal savior.How about this word? It's a little scary to some people. Sanctification. Did you know sanctification is in the Bible? It's found 31 times in the New Testament. It has to do with God setting us apart setting us apart to himself. Did you know that started on the day you got saved on that day, you were saved on that day. The Lord Jesus Christ set you apart from the penalty of sin. That means God's never gonna turn his back on you. Never gonna pour out his wrath on you, never gonna send you to hell. Positionally, you are saved. You have been set apart to God. You are now viewed as holy. You are viewed as one with Jesus Christ. He dealt with a penalty of your sin, but sanctification is still going on in your life. That's what I mean when I say salvation is continuing in me. I have been saved from the penalty of sin, but I'm being saved today from the power of sin. God is working in me right now, continuing to sanctify, continuing to work in me, to set me apart to himself to get wicked things out of my heart and out of my mind and out of my life. Jesus Christ died on the cross so that I could be saved, but he sits to the right hand of the Father at this moment praying for me. Do you know why he's doing that? Because I need this continual work of sanctification done in my life. And someday, oh yes, someday He's gonna perfect it.  The Future of Salvation When the Lord Jesus comes back and I go to be with him, I'm gonna be saved on that day from the very presence of sin. I'm looking forward to that day. How about you? You won't have this sinful world to live in. You won't have the devil to deal with. You won't have sinful flesh, and those old sin, nature urges to contend with and battle with every day. Isn't that gonna be glorious? You see your salvation, you've received it completely. There's some things that you've not yet fully realized. For example, your body's not yet saved. Have you figured that out yet? You're still dealing with that old body, aren't you? But you're going to receive a new body someday, and you're going to be with the one who saved you. The Lord Jesus Christ has already bought and paid for all of this, and someday it's going to be complete. Isn't that gonna be wonderful? And then we're gonna spend all of eternity with the one who saved us. Worshiping him, serving him, and just enjoying him forever. I have been saved. I am being saved, and I shall be saved. Listen to Ephesians two again, but God who is rich in mercy for his great love where they loved us, even when we were dead and sins of quickened us together with Christ, by grace, you are saved and have raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That's where I'm at right now. I'm living here on earth, but spiritually speaking, I'm seated with Jesus Christ at the right hand of the Father. I have access to all of heaven's resources. I have access to God himself through the Lord Jesus Christ. That's present tense, but there's more to come. Verse seven says that in the ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness tortoise through Christ Jesus, friends, the Lord Jesus Christ is going to perfect everything he set in motion in your life. That's why salvation truly is so great. Only God could do something so wonderful in the lives of such sinners.  Personal Salvation I'd like to challenge you as we conclude this study about what the Bible says about salvation today. Don't let it be academic. Oh, make it personal. Would you do two things today in application? Number one, would you take a moment when this broadcast is done and just sit quietly somewhere and just thank the Lord. Just thank him for saving you. Thank you, Jesus, for not letting me go to hell. If it wasn't for Jesus, we'd all be in hell or on our way there. Praise God for salvation. But number two, don't keep it to yourself. Tell somebody else today how you came to know the Lord Jesus as your personal savior, what he means to you now that you're saved what you have to look forward to and how they too can know the only savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Repeating what other people have said about the Bible is not enough. Outro and Resources We must know the biblical reason behind what we believe. We hope you will visit us at etj.bible to access our Library of Bible teaching resources, including book-by-book studies of scripture. You'll also find studies to watch, listen to, or read. We are so grateful for those who pray for us, who share the biblical content and for those who invest to help us advance this ministry worldwide. Again, thank you for listening, and we hope you'll join us next time on enjoying the Journey.

Curtis trusts that Cora will handle Bregman right positionally

#Jesus #biblia #JesusChrist #Biblestudy #Worship #WhoweareinChrist Matthew Series on The Lord Jesus is teaching us how to study. Our worship is about who we are positionally in God after the Lord Jesus saved us!

The basic thrust of Hebrews 12:12–17 is clearly exhortation. What is meant by  the word, exhortation? An exhortation is a communication intended to urge  or persuade the recipients to take some action. The words strengthen, make straight, pursue, and see to it are all terms of  exhortation. The purpose here is not to teach truth only but to encourage living  up to the truth. Teaching and exhortation are inseparable. Teaching sound doctrine that  is not applied is worthless, and exhortation that is not based on sound  doctrine is misleading. God's method for instruction is simple—explain  the spiritual principles and then illustrate and encourage the application  of them.1 It is one thing… ▪ to believe in the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture; but then you must  live under the authority of Scripture.  ▪ to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord; but then you must surrender to His  lordship over every area of your life. ▪ to believe God is omnipotent; but then you must trust Him when the going  gets tough.  Hebrews 12 begins with an exhortation. After a foundation of doctrine was  carefully laid and faith was carefully explained and defined and illustrated, the  1John F. MacArthur Jr., Hebrews, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1983),  400.1 October 23, 2024 CFBC… Wednesday Night Study writer exhorted the Jewish recipients of this letter to “run the race that was set  before them.” ▪ It is not enough to know the New Covenant is better; we must accept it for  ourselves.  ▪ It is not enough to know that Christ is the superior and perfect High Priest;  we must trust in His atoning sacrifice for us.  ▪ It is not enough to know how we should live; we must actually live what we  know.2 The writer is saying, “On the basis that you should run the race that is set before  you and that your suffering may very well be an aspect of God's loving discipline  in your life, there are three exhortations you must implement in your life.” 1. ENDURANCE Hebrews 12:12–13… Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the  knees that are feeble, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.  In this passage the author of Hebrews speaks about the Christian life with  metaphorical language that makes use of universally understood gestures— drooping hands, weak knees, lame feet, etc. The author speaks as a coach seeking to fire up the members of his team. Although the race is not yet finished,  the runners are tired. They need an encouraging word. 3 He alludes to a Messianic passage in Isaiah. The faithful in Israel had been  through a lot. They had many evil kings, some false prophets, stubborn fellow  Israelites, powerful enemies who threatened them, and seemingly no prospect of  ever living in their own land in peace. They were discouraged and despondent,  ready to give up.  2John F. MacArthur Jr., Hebrews, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1983),  401. 3Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen, Exposition of Hebrews, vol. 15, New Testament  Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 381.2 October 23, 2024 CFBC… Wednesday Night Study So, the prophet reminds them of the coming kingdom, when “the wilderness and  the desert will be glad” and “they will see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of  our God” (Isa. 35:1–2). Then he counsels them to encourage each other:  “Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble. Say to those with anxious  heart, ‘Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; the  recompense of God will come, but He will save you' ” (v. 3–4).  The word picture of “feeble hands and weak knees” is a familiar description of  discouragement and despair. Isaiah 35:1–3… The wilderness and the desert will be glad, And the  Arabah will rejoice and blossom; Like the crocus 2 It will blossom  profusely And rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy. The glory of  Lebanon will be given to it, The majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They will  see the glory of the LORD, The majesty of our God. 3 Encourage the  exhausted, and strengthen the feeble.  Job 4:3–4… “Behold you have admonished many, And you have  strengthened weak hands. 4 “Your words have helped the tottering to  stand, And you have strengthened feeble knees.”In other words, “Don't give up now. A better day is coming. Look forward to that  in faith and you will have the encouragement and strength you need. Victory is  ahead!”4 Dejection is one of the great strategies the evil one employs to  defeat God's people and to stall God's kingdom progress. When times are hard for us. We must not quit. We must keep on encouraging  other believers (Hebrews 10:23-25). Encouragement breeds encouragement!  Look at verse 13—“Make straight paths for your feet.” The prevailing metaphor  is that of a race. It's like the author is exhorting the people to “stay in your lane so you won't be disqualified.” 4John F. MacArthur Jr., Hebrews, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1983),  402.3 October 23, 2024 CFBC… Wednesday Night Study Proverbs 4:25–27… Let your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze  be fixed straight in front of you. 26 Watch the path of your feet And all  your ways will be established. 27 Do not turn to the right nor to the left;  Turn your foot from evil.  Avoid distractions. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2). Don't get  careless as you run your race and never lose your will to win! We must be sure  that the way you live does not cause any unbeliever to reject the gospel or any  immature believer to lose heart and to backslide.  2. PASSION Hebrews 12:14… Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without  which no one will see the Lord.  Look at the word “pursue.” The writer is not saying, “Why don't you give it a try?”  The verb here was used for the straining of the muscles and sinews of a horse  when he's running or a hound in pursuit of a fox. We must pursue peace. Positionally, every believer has been blessed with  perfect peace—peace with God and the peace of God. What we have positionally  we must live out practically. When we think of peace with other people, we must  realize that it is a two-way street. Romans 12:18… If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace  with all men.  James 3:13–18… Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him  show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. 14 But  if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be  arrogant and so lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom is not that which  comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. 16 For where  jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.  17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle,  reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without  hypocrisy. 18 And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace  by those who make peace. 4 October 23, 2024 CFBC… Wednesday Night Study We are only responsible for our side of the peace process, but we cannot use  another person's hostility as an excuse for r...

On today's Talking Buffalo, Patrick Moran is joined in studio by longtime friend and recurring guest Tone Pucks to go over the state of the Buffalo Bills roster positionally just days before the regular season kicks off Sunday against Arizona. It's been done periodically on this show before but with training camp and the preseason over with the roster pretty much set for the season, it's a good time to go position-by-position with the Bills and discuss what's likely to be good or bad with them. How much of the widely assumed Bills roster being less than last year is national perception from those not intimately familiar with it and how much feels accurate from those who are in the weeds with this team? They also include several of the offseason losses in these discussions and how much effect they expect it to have on this year's roster. Patrick comes up with two veteran departures that he thinks may ultimately hurt most, and probably not the names you expected to hear. Also the Bills released their "official" depth chart on Tuesday and there's a few interesting things worth talking about. That plus season expectations, a little MLB talk and much more. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran/Talking Buffalo Podcast  Substack: Patrick Moran's Substack Twitter:  @PatrickMoranTB Facebook: Talking Buffalo Podcast  YouTube: Talking Buffalo Podcast YouTube Channel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sunday AM 07-28-2024. Verse-by-Verse through Colossians.

John 17:21 "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 24 "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25 "O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 26 "And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them." (NKJV)   In this section we see Jesus saying He has given us His glory that we will be one. The earthly sufferings of our Lord are part of His glory (John 12:23; 13:31-32; 17:1). And it is this glory—the glory of servant hood and of sacrificial service, which our Lord has given to us, His disciples. As Jesus was glorified by His coming to this earth, being rejected by men and put to death, so His disciples are also given the same glory, the glory of suffering for the sake of Christ: Secondly, He prays for us to have the same love that the Father loves the Son with.  This is a love which will prompt one to lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).   At the end of verse 21, it's a purpose clause in Greek, .. in order that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me." to whom did Jesus come when He came to this earth? To the world, right? Why did He come? Did He come that men might believe in Him? Yes He did, didn't He? Do you think Jesus wants men to believe on Him? Do you think He does? Do you think He meant what He said when He...when He wept and said -- You will not come? Do you think He meant it when He said -- You will not come unto Me that you might have life? Do you think He meant it when He said -- Believe? And receive Me? Do you think He meant that? Do you think He really loved the world, do you? I do. Do you think He really wants the world to believe? I do. Do you care that He wants the world to believe? Do you care that He does? If you do, you'll be one. Because it is oneness that makes the world believe. You see, it's right there. In order that the world may believe. Believe what? That Thou hast sent Me. They must believe in the person and work of Jesus Christ. And right there in a nutshell you have the salvation gospel. The purpose of unity is evangelism.  22 "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: Joh 14:20; 1Jo 1:3; 3:24 Christ indwells the believer, the Father indwells Christ, we're to be one with them.  The goal of this unity in these verses is two-fold.  That the world believes God sent Jesus Christ and that the world will see the love God has for Christ and for others. And again we see this message of Christ being sent, that's a very important part of the Upper Room Discourse and the prayer.  That they will see His divine mission. The power and the potential for oneness is there, it's all there, you see, for a wholly, loving oneness, it's all present. There is no basic reason in terms of our nature as Christians for division within the body, there is none. Consequently, all division that comes is contrary to the Christian's new nature. All division that comes is then classified in I Corinthians 3 as the mark not of spirituality but of carnality because if we all have commonness at the point of existence in the new nature, in the indwelling Spirit, common glory then the only excuse for division would be sinfulness violating the principle of the new nature. And that's why Paul hammers on it so hard and calls it carnality. Division is always carnality. Whenever there is division, strife, envy, it is not of the Spirit; it cannot be because that is not what God designed us to be. He designed us to be one "And the glory which Thou gave Me, I have given them that they may be one even as we are one." Now look at that verse again. You know what He said there? In effect, He said this -- Father, I gave them the ingredients so that they may be one ... now I pray that they will be, right? What were the ingredients? What is it that we have that makes us one positionally? The beginning of verse 22, the third word, what is it? Glory. What is the glory of God? It's all of His attributes, all of His essence and all of His life put into us. You say -- You mean I have the life of God, the essence of God, the attributes of God in me? Yes you do. In whom? The Holy Spirit ... the indwelling Christ. You say -- You mean that I have the glory of God? That's right and the glory which Thou gave Me, I gave them that they may be one. You know what is the basis of our positional oneness as Christians? That we'll have the same glory. Right? We all possess the same Spirit, the same indwelling Christ, the same divine life, the same divine nature, the same divine essence has been planted in us and that's the basis of our unity. Do you see it? Positionally we are one because we have common glory ... the common Spirit. And you'll notice this fantastic thing in verse 22, the glory which You gave Me, I have given them. God manifest Himself in Christ. Christ manifests Himself In us. In John 1:14, it says: "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory." And whose glory was it? The glory as of the only begotten of the ... of the Father's glory ... in Christ. Colossians 1:27 says: "Christ in you the hope of glory. You say -- Well, surely, we didn't receive the glory of God. Listen to this. John 1:12: "But as many as received Him, to them gave The power to become the children of God, even to them that believe on His name." All right, we believe, we receive the right to be children of God. John 1:16 "And of His fullness have all we received." Did you hear that? You say -- You mean to tell me that God in His own life, in His own essence, in His own glory abides in me? Peter said in II Peter 1:4 that we have been made partakers of the divine nature. We are to be glory bearers to the world, Christ in us. John 17:10 it says: "All Mine are Thine and Thine are Mine and I am glorified in them. 23 "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Col 3:14 Let me address a very practical application about this.  I think sometimes we get theologically out there, but the fellowship that's going to occur in this prayer, remember John writes first John also?  And one of the key topics is fellowship.  This prayer is praying that we will be one in God, one in Christ, we will be as Him so that the world will know that He was sent. Now, a very practical way to look at that is:  Your friendships and mine within the body of Christ, the intimacies that we enjoy with other believers, is a huge invitation to the world. But when you talk to your friends in the world about your friendships with other Christians, there's a hole in their heart that beats.  They'd love to have authentic friendships.  They'd love to have real people they could trust.  And they look at you and me with sort of a sense of awe and dismay.  How in the world can you have a friend like that? Now the world isn't even going to know where Jesus came from and the world isn't even going to understand the love of God unless they see oneness. And so, the gift of divine glory unites us into one body, all tied together by the common divine life, all tied together by a common salvation, a common indwelling Spirit. And you know something? If there's not oneness in the body, it goes against God's very design as well as the prayer of Jesus. If we are not one, if we do not exist as one, then the world has been given the right by God to determine two things. And here they are: if you and I don't live together as one, number one, the world can look at you and say -- You are not a Christian. Right? Sure. They're not about to evaluate us on our doctrine, they don't understand doctrine. But if they hear that Jesus preaches love and they watch you and you don't live it then they're going to say -- You are not a follower of Jesus. And God gave them the right to say that because it says right here in our text that we are to be one that the world may believe that we really belong to Him. In John 13:35 Jesus said: "By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples if you have love one for another." Number two, the world may say you are a Christian, but they'll follow it up by this -- Christianity is meaningless. You see, the world can judge two things if you're not one and I'm not one, if we're not one in the body, the world can judge two things -- number one, we're not followers of Jesus at all; number two, being a follower of Jesus is meaningless. Right? Meaningless. God has given the world the right to determine whether Christianity is valid or invalid on the basis of your oneness with other believers  24 ¶ "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. Joh 12:26; 14:3; 17:5; 1Th 4:17 Every Christian who dies goes to heaven because Christ prayed that this might be so (v. 24), and the Father always answers His prayers (11:41–42). Christ prays that the disciples will see His glory. He prays; for our eternal fellowship. He prays for our oneness and then for our eternal fellowship.... You say -- you mean that Jesus Christ wants to spend eternity with me? And it is hard to understand, isn't it? You mean He wants me around forever? I mean, that's love. verse 24, one of the most thrilling statements that a Christian will ever read: "Father, I will or desire," and that word is a deep rich word, it means "I have total pleasure in, I delight in my high desire is that they also whom Thou hast given me," that is all believers, "be with Me where I am." Is that a fantastic prayer?  I want to be with Him, but He also wants to be with me. Jesus' desire is that we be with Him where He is to see His glory. Now wherever it is that He is, it's going to be where He displays His glory, right? So it's not just a prayer for this group of disciples to walk with Him down to the garden, you know. That's not it. Wherever it is it's going to be where His glory is on full display. So, it's going to have to be after His earthly life is over because when He came to earth; His glory was veiled, wasn't it? It was veiled. And Philippians 2 tells us that He humbled Himself, that He emptied Himself. That is, He set aside the free use of all of His attributes and restricted Himself to obedience to the Father's design and He came into earth with His ... with His glory veiled. Only one time did He unveil a little bit of His glory on the mount of transfiguration, He pulled His flesh aside and they saw That means, the believer must be in the presence of Christ when He is in full glory. That's Jesus prayer. First of all, just the fact that He says that they may be with Me where I am is fulfilled in a spiritual sense even in this life. Is Christ with you all the time? Why sure. Didn't He say: "I will never leave you or forsake you?" Didn't He say: "Lo, I am with you always?" Always. Is there any time in the life of a Christian on earth when Christ is away from him? No All right, so Christ is here but what He's talking about here is being with Christ in glory. That is when Christ is in full glory after He's been exalted at the right hand of the Father. Now, there are four aspects to this First of all -- death. You don't ever really get to be with Jesus and see His full glory until you have the wonderful privilege of dying. In Luke 23:43, I think it is, Jesus said to the thief on the cross: "This day shalt thou be with Me in paradise." The key to that's not paradise, the key to that is with Me," see. That thief, from the moment that he received Jesus Christ, was to be with Jesus Christ. Second Corinthians 5:7-8 lays it right down simply and clearly, it says this, verse 8: "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord." Philippians 1:23, he loved the Philippians and he said it would be nice to come and see them, but I've got another desire. Verse 23: "I am in a straight between two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better." Having a desire to depart and be with Christ. That's what happens when a believer dies ... instantly into the presence of the glorified Christ and beholds His full glory. 2nd, the rapture - John 14:3, remember that verse? "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself that where I am there ye may be also." That's the rapture. I'm going to come and get you, you're going to be with Me. 1Th 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. there's a third area, even in the kingdom. You say -- There's some who had the view that we go to heaven and then when Christ comes back to the kingdom we stay up there for a while. Not so. If Christ is coming back here, we're coming with Him because we're going to be with Him where He is, wherever it is. He didn't say in the prayer I want them to be with Me in heaven -- cause that wouldn't do. He's going to be back on the earth and He's also going to create a new heaven and a new earth. He just says - Father, I want them where I am -- and so we just go where He goes, see. And if it's the kingdom, we'll be there. Jesus always promised presence whether in heaven, whether in the kingdom, whatever it was. the eternal state is the fourth one. What about eternity, the new heavens and the new earth, are we still going to be with Him? Revelation 21:3: "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold the tabernacle of God is with men." And certainly if you compare that with John 1 you find out who it was the tabernacle with men, it was Jesus Christ. "And He will dwell with them and they shall be His people and God Himself shall be with them and be their God." It goes on to talk about what God will do. The presence of God, God with us, Emmanuel. Who is Emmanuel? Jesus Christ. In the eternal state pictured in the new heaven and the new earth, we will be with Christ. In My Father's house are many dwelling places." And they all are in the Father's house. You have a room in the Father's house. The focus is on Christ and you're with Him. Not 8 blocks down and 4 blocks to the right ... you're with Him. it's exciting to realize that you will be the constant companion of the glorified Jesus for all the eternal ages Psalm 16:11, the Psalmist said: "In Thy presence is fullness of joy at Thy right hand are pleasures forevermore." The security of the believer is also in view here as He prays for all that the Father has given Me, that they be with Me where I am. If you were a love gift given to the Son by the Father, you will be where He is forever. 1John 3:2: "We shall see Him as He is, we shall be like Him." We shall be like Him. Oh. What a fantastic thing. When Christ who is our life shall appear, Colossians 3:4, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory. the confidence in His prayer. Verses 25 and 26 are just a long "Amen" that's what they are. They're just a long "so let it be, Lord." The requests are ended and the last two verses just breathe the confidence that Christ knows the Father will hear and answer The Triune God was active in redemption even before creation.[i]  25 "O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. Joh 7:29; 8:55; 10:15; 15:21; 16:3,27; 17:8 Vocative O  means have mercy, O Lord This is referring to Jesus' revelation of the Father's character and plan of redemption for mankind (cf. vv. 6, 11, 12). The term “known” is used five times in vv. 25–26. He is pleading His right to pray and our right to God's blessing.  26 "And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them." Joh 15:9,15; 17:6 (NKJV) This is the perpetual mission of Christ to make the father known This either refers to (1) the continuing revelation of Jesus through the Spirit who clarifies His teachings; or (2) the salvation (Passion Week) events about to occur. The context of the passage implies #1. Salvation involves a person and a message, a decision and a lifestyle, an initial faith and a continuing faith. It involves both the Greek connotation of “know” and the Hebrew connotation of “know.”[1] He has asked the Father things for 25 verses and now He says -- Father, let it happen, we're Yours, and then, Father, I close with this -- I know You're going to hear and answer and I'm going to continue to do My part as well. Do you see it there? I have declared Thy name unto them and will declare it, will continue to declare it. Father, I'm going to keep on doing my part. This is Christ's promise to continue the work of salvation. It's a pledge to God that Christ will redeem those that the Father gives Him. He asks the Father to respond to His requests and then He says I'll be faithful to My part. This is a beautiful look at what prayer should really be. It's praying and asking the Father to do what He's promised to do and then saying and I'll continue to do what I know You want me to do. It's not really very fair to pray to God and ask God for this, that and the other thing when you're not willing to do what you know God wants you to do. It's not really fair to spend all your time praying for your unsaved friends when you're not willing to walk over to them and share Jesus Christ with them. Jesus says -- I'm not just asking for You to do it, I'm going to do My part to redeem them. In v. 26 Christ promises further revelations of the Father, which He gave to the apostles through the Spirit. He asks that we might enjoy the love of the Father in our daily experience (see 14:21–24).[ii] We may summarize the major parts of this prayer as follows: In vv. 1–5, Jesus emphasized salvation and the gift of eternal life (v. 2). In vv. 6–19, He dwelt on sanctification: “I have given them Your Word” (v. 14, NKJV). Verses 20–26 focus on glorification—“I have given them the glory” (v. 22, NIV). These gifts take care of the believer's past, present, and future. Note also the wonderful assurances of the eternal security of the believer in this prayer: (1) Believers are the Father's gift to the Son (v. 2), and God will not take back His love gifts. (2) Christ finished His work. Because Christ did His work completely, believers cannot lose their salvation. (3) Christ was able to keep His own while on earth, and He is able to keep them today, for He is the same Savior. (4) Christ knows we will finally be in heaven because He has already given us His glory. (5) Christ prayed that we might be in heaven, and the Father always answers His Son's prayers (11:41–42).[2]        Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions [1] Utley, R. J. (1999). Vol. Volume 4: The Beloved Disciple's Memoirs and Letters: The Gospel of John, I, II, and III John. Study Guide Commentary Series (158). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International. [2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1992). Wiersbe's expository outlines on the New Testament (259–260). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.   [i] Utley, R. J. (1999). Vol. Volume 4: The Beloved Disciple's Memoirs and Letters: The Gospel of John, I, II, and III John. Study Guide Commentary Series (158). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International. [ii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1992). Wiersbe's expository outlines on the New Testament (259). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

John 17:20 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.   Here Jesus is still praying for us believers and is praying again that we would be one as the He is with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  They never fight over who gets to be the Father, who gets to be the Son or the Holy Spirit.  They are always one and in unison on everything because they have one purpose as we do also.  He is praying that we would be one in Them, THAT (here is the purpose) the world may believe that Jesus was sent by the Father and when they do that they will be saved.  That is it people, when we believe Jesus is who He said He was (God in Human Flesh), that He died for our sins, and we trust in that, we are saved. John 5:24 says if we don't honor the Son, we don't honor the Father.  When we live as we ought to in harmony with our faith others believe in Jesus.   Now He begins to pray specifically for all believers of the future and He kind of sweeps into the future and gathers up all the believers who will ever be saved in all the ages to come and He prays for them. So, the subjects then for whom He prays are true believers ... who shall believe through the testimony of the gospel recorded in the New Testament by the Apostles and early disciples. Notice verse 20, and we see the subjects of His prayer  20 ¶ "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; Neither pray I for these alone." And that's interesting because that's a negative statement. Neither pray I for these alone. That's the third negative in the 17th chapter. There are three things in this chapter that Jesus doesn't pray for. Number one in verse 9: "I pray not for the world." Number two in verse 15, "I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world," the removal of the believer from the world is not the prayer of Christ. He wants us here. The third negative, verse 20: "Neither pray I for these alone." I don't just confine My prayer to these disciples and Apostles alive now. He reaches out. Verse 20 says: "... but for them also who shall believe on Me through their word." Do you realize that you appear in the 17th chapter of John if you're a Christian? You say Me in the Bible? You're in there. You're one of the biblical heroes ... right there. You say -- Where's my name? See the word - them -- that's you. "For them who shall believe on Me." Now that is an indication of a true believer, a true Christian is one who believes on Christ. Now what is meant by that statement is a total involvement and a total commitment to all that Jesus is and all that He said. In Acts 16:31, the Word of God says: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." God wants faith. God does not want your works, He does not want your religion, He does not want your being super religious. He does not want your activity; He does not want your membership in the church. He wants your faith commitment to the person of Jesus Christ. And that's the only kind of person who ever knows God, whoever knows Christ and that's the only person for whom Jesus intercedes. There are a lot of religious people but they are not those for whom Jesus prays. To be a part of Jesus' intercessory work, you must believe. Watch how it is that they're going to believe. Now, get the picture. Jesus is praying and the disciples are gathered around, they're hearing what He's saying, see. It's going into their little computers, see. And they're hearing all of this stuff. And they've heard all of His prayer up to here and it must be exciting by this time. And now He says -- I pray for them also who shall believe on Me through their word. Whose word? The eleven Apostles that are standing around Him. And, of course, those that were associated with Him. And you can imagine their reaction ... Us? See. I mean, they were weak, frail, just ... their faith was infantile. By the gospel preached by the Apostles and disciples, will all the generations believe ... those who will believe. Now, that's a very confident statement, you know that? That is not a wish, that is the confidence of omniscience. I wasn't led to the Lord by an Apostle. Yes you were ... let me show you how. Before the Apostles died, not only did they preach and teach and found the church but under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they wrote the New Testament. And I don't care whether it's directly from reading the New Testament or indirectly from somebody sharing you the principles of the New Testament, your salvation goes right back to an apostolic origin or to at least a disciple of Jesus Christ in the early years. All of us find our basic concepts in terms of Jesus Christ and God and the gospel, right here in the pages of this book ... whether you know it or not, you're directly or indirectly related to apostolic messages and proclamations. Romans 10:17 and it's commonly translated "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." Now that's a true principle ... faith does come by hearing and hearing by the Word of God ... but the Greek there says this: Faith comes by hearing and hearing by a speech about Jesus Christ. Did you get that? Faith comes by hearing and hearing by a speech,' rhēma not logos, about Christ not God. The accurate reading is Christ. It is the apostolic preaching of Christ that brings faith ... whether from a pulpit indirectly or whether directly from someone reading the Word of God, whether on an individual share basis, it all goes back to a speech about Jesus Christ delivered at one time or another by an early Apostle or disciple. And so, you and I merely have the privilege of taking apostolic gospel committed unto them by the Holy Spirit, the gospel of the first disciples, and handing it to men today and thus the salvation of the entire church of Jesus Christ goes directly or indirectly right back to those men. I can get excited about reading this because I can get excited about Jesus praying for me two thousand years ago. Jesus just gets ready for the sheep not yet born ... prepares everything so that when they're born things are right.  He says “through their word.”  He's now talking about through the apostle's word, through the disciple's word, through what they teach and preach about Jesus Christ.  Now, you may have been raised in a tradition or heard the word “apostolic teaching.”  Maybe you've heard the word “apostolic teaching of the cross.”  Maybe you were in a denomination that had apostolic in the title.  What we mean, a lot of things by this, but what we mean, this is a good text to talk about it, is that when we talk of apostolic, it's the word that God gave the apostles and then, subsequently, they write what we call the New Testament. Jesus only prays for one thing while we're here on earth. He prays for a second thing but it has to do with us in heaven ... only one thing while we're here on earth. Secondly, we see the requests. He only makes two requests: one of them has to do with the world here and one of them has to do with the world up there. In terms of our life here He only prays for one thing - that they all may be one 21 "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. Joh 10:16,38; 14:11; 17:11,22-23; Ro 12:5; Ga 3:28 Now, if the natural man cannot evaluate our accuracy in Christianity and evaluate the power of Christianity and cannot really discern the person of Jesus Christ and all that He can do in a life through our doctrine, there's only one other way they can do it and that's through the testimony of our oneness But Jesus is not praying for a church apart from doctrinal purity.  He's not asking for unity apart from belief.  In fact, to be one is to be as He is one and His Father and His Father is in Him.  So there is some non-negotiable information that this unity has to be based on.  He's praying for unity that we may be one with Him just like He is one with His Father and His Father is one with Him. The Gospel has to be the centerpiece.  Paul says, “If they preach another Gospel, let them be anathema.” Let them be cursed!  If you modify the Gospel, if you alter it, if you add to it, if you take away from it, Paul says, Anathema!”  You can't be unified, you can't have unity with “churches” that don't hold to the same Gospel that the New Testament, that the Scriptures, teach.  By grace, through faith, apart from any contribution or work of man so that no one can boast.  It's a free gift of God.  The Gospel that He lived, He died on a cross, He was buried, the third day He was resurrected from the dead and any and all who believe and put faith in Him are granted eternal life.  You cannot negotiate that. Religious people who call for unity are not necessarily doing a good thing.  So, don't always feel, sort of, put off or uncomfortable when they want to play ball and you don't.    And this is the oneness that He's talking about.  Not a unity across party lines.  Not a bi-partisan religious community.  This is a very narrow unity agreeing with the Father and the Son. READ OUR DOCTRINAL STATEMENT http://hisloveministries.net/index.php/what-we-believe/ Because we want the unity that's in Christ and in His Father; not in the world religion or the world community. Now, He's talking about a spiritual oneness and we'll take it apart a little bit so we can see what it means. In Ephesians it talks about unity and the unity of the body and what it means. But what He's basically ... has in mind is the oneness of a holy life set against the defilement of an unholy world. And Jesus says -- If you were only one, in a separated, unified holiness where the world could look at you and say they're different and they're all different, it must be real. But the world looks and says -- one of those and one of those and one of these and everything and they don't know if we go together or if we don't go together. And we all claim the same thing and it all comes out different. Apart from Jesus Christ, the world is a shattered, broken, ruined disunity. In Christ, we become one. The only problem is we don't always manifest that oneness in our practice, do we? Positional unity is already ours; you are one in Christ because of salvation. I'm one with you; we're one in the body, aren't we? But that's positional oneness. What Christ wants is that experiential oneness where our position becomes our practice, right? Ephesians 2:14, now here is positional oneness. Now you have to understand the difference between position and practice or you'll never understand Scripture. Your position is what you are in Christ; your practice is how you act. And sometimes you don't act like what you are. Right? Verse 14: "For He is our peace who has made both one." Now that's our position. Jew and Gentile have been made one. He has broken down the middle wall of partition having abolished in His flesh," "the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; to make in Himself of two," that is Jew and Gentile, "into one new man.” Christ has made believers one in Christ -- positional. Verse 16: "That He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross." We are one positionally. Then down in verse 21, we have been built into one building. In verse 22 we are built to an habitation, built together. There's oneness. Over in chapter 4 it says -- one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, one, one, one. Positionally we're one. We all belong to Jesus. We all belong to the body. We've all been born again. We're all one. Verse 12: "The pastor, teacher and evangelist are for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." Did you know that the pastor is not supposed to do the work of the ministry? He's supposed to perfect the saints and they're supposed to do the work of the ministry. That's what it says. For what reason? Verse 13: "Till we all come in the unity of the faith." You say -- Wait a minute; I thought we were already one. We are positionally. What's he talking about here? Your practice. You are one, but he says I'm going to give you all the basics and all the things you need to become one visibly before the watching world. Now, we're one in Christ but we don't act like it. So, Jesus prays that we be one. In First Corinthians 12:12: "For as the body is one," that's us; we're all one in Christ, every believer around the world, "has many members and all the members of that one body being many are one body, so also is Christ." We're one. Watch verse 25 to 27: "That there should be no schism in the body." In other words, we can be one and not act like it, can't we? But as long as you've got an open heart to care for everybody within in sight and anybody in the body of Christ-the same as you care for everybody else, where's the division going to come, there can't be any division. No schism in the body. And then he says -- If one member suffers, we all suffer. If one member's honored, we all rejoice with him This is the practical oneness that he watts that Jesus prays for. That they all may be one," how? "... As Thou, Father, art in Me and I in Thee. Jesus is talking about here is a unity that has nothing to do with form and pattern at all; it's a spiritual oneness that exceeds that. And sadly, the cause of Christian oneness has all through history been injured, violated and hindered. You know why? Watch this one, because men have consistently loved their organization more than they've loved each other. They have become selfish either in loving themselves or their little organization more than they love others. And that has caused division. Jesus wants a oneness of love possible only in holiness. Now let me go back and give you the principle I gave you last week. The only way we can be one, watch it now, the only way we can be one is when we're all holy. Does the Father love the Son? Does the Son love the Father? In an infinite capacity? Yes. Are both of them separate from sin? Yes. And thus, the kind of oneness analogous to the Father/Son oneness is a oneness of holiness and love ... separate from sin and in love with each other. That's what Jesus prayed for. I Peter 3:8, "Finally, be ye all of one mind. You'll never be blessed in your Christian life until you learn how to really unite yourself with others in holiness and love. Anytime there's division, it's a manifestation of two things ... unholiness, sin, carnality, call it what you want; secondly, a lack of love. That's it. all you've got to do is just worry about being like Christ and you don't have to worry about adjusting to everybody else. There's so many keys to our oneness, we've talked about them in our series on the body, ministering your spiritual gift to each other. Have you done that? Have you been ministering to others? Do you have the gift of mercy? Have you got some of the other gifts, teaching, gift of faith, praying? Have you been ministering to others? How about fellowshipping with each other? fellowship means loving each other, means rebuking each other if you see a brother in sin. It means helping the weaker brother, the legalist. It means forgiving. It means bearing each other's burdens. It means restoring a brother taken in a fault. Have you been doing that? How about praying for each other, have you done that? Is your prayer life geared for others? Our oneness is to be like that of the Father and Son ... a oneness in them. And the highest type of spiritual oneness exists between them. They're one, aren't they? But are they still two distinct personalities? Sure they are. Is the Father still the Father and the Son still the Son, they're one and yet two? We don't understand that, do we? We don't worry about it, we just don't understand it. Now watch this. We're one in the body, right? One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one hope, one Spirit, one body, we're all one, one, one, one. And yet, do we lose our distinct personalities? No. Do each of us have separate gifts of the Spirit? Sure. Do each of us have separate ministries And abilities? Sure. We are still different and yet we are ... what? ... one. So, in that way we're also analogous to the difference between ... to the oneness of the Father and the Son. They're one and yet distinct persons ... we are and yet distinct persons. So, in that sense, we're one. Some of the things we learn from the prayer are: The Father sent the Son.  The Father is in the Son to do the work. The Son is in the Father. The Son only does that which the Father told Him to do. The Son obeyed everything perfectly and has perfect fellowship with His Father and cannot wait to be back in glory with His Father.      Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

The doctrine of justification by faith (the imputed righteousness of Christ) is the cardinal pillar upon which Christianity stands. Take this pillar away, and the whole faith comes crashing down in ruin. Positionally, we stand righteousness before a holy God, not on the basis of our works (plural), but because of HIS work (singular), and our faith in that finished work, and in His son the Lord Jesus Christ whom He raised form the dead! Now for many Christians, this is where it begins and ends. Ask the average Christian what the difference is between them and those who know not the Lord and you will be told; “The only difference between us and them, is we're forgiven and they are not!” In this first part of a two-part sermon series, we shall examine this statement and seek to understand the life-changing truths contained in Romans 6.

Sunday, 14 April 2024   And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.” Acts 26:29   A literal rendering would be, “And Paul said, I would wish to God, also in little and in much, not only you but also all those hearing me this day to become what manner I also am, besides these bonds” (CG).   Agrippa had just responded to Paul concerning what he had heard, saying, “In a little, you persuade me to become a Christian!” With that, Luke next records, “And Paul said, I would wish to God, also in little and in much.”   It is similar to our saying that in any way, shape, or form. The NIV assumes it is referring to time. Others take it to mean little and much discourse. Whatever Paul's exact intent, it was his hope as they listened, they would be converted and become like him.   Further, and his response to the king's words could be either dismissive or a response based on a misunderstanding of what the king's intent really was. Whatever the king's intent was, Paul's was clear. It was Paul's great desire that what he next says would be realized, which is that “not only you but also all those hearing me this day.”   Paul is speaking to Agrippa, but he is appealing to all in the room who are attending. He was willing to continue to work towards the conversion of anyone who listened and for whatever time it would take. This was his passionate appeal for any and all who heard him “to become what manner I also am.”   Paul says this with the intent that they would be converted to Christ, devote their lives to Him, and be willing to stand before anyone and proclaim what He was willing to proclaim. Despite this, he adds in the carefully selected words, “besides these bonds.”   Paul's hope was that they could do what he was doing and be like him in his life, but to do so freely and without the constraints that kept him bound and imprisoned. As for his appeal to the people, it is reminiscent of that made by Elijah in 1 Kings 18:21 and also of the words of Jesus in Revelation 3:16.   He desired that the people would not halter between two opinions and not be lukewarm in their zeal, but to believe and to carry that belief into lives of action.   Life application: People need Jesus. Paul was unashamed of his bonds, and he was willing to proclaim Jesus to those who were there to judge him. Whatever they could do to him was inconsequential in relation to what God would reward him with.   He understood that this life is merely a steppingstone to glory. If we could just have this same attitude, we wouldn't be living as if one foot was here, and the other was in heaven. Rather, we would consider that we are already seated in the heavenly realms in Christ. Positionally, it is a done deal. Therefore, what can man do to us?   Let us consider this and be willing to speak out concerning the good news we possess. People need Jesus. Let us tell people about Jesus. Someday, our time to do so will be through. Let us use the day while it is light. May it be so, to the glory of God who has saved us.   Lord God, give us the wisdom to consider our position in Christ and the gumption to then tell others about it. We have been redeemed. We are on the road to eternity with You. Nothing will change that, and so help us to express this to others while we have the time. May we not be slack in doing so. Yes, Lord, give us wisdom in this. Amen.

In this mini episode Louise and Madeleine discuss their key (un)learnings and takeaways from Season One. Reflecting on their positionality they examine where their own white fragility came up in the series, intellectualizing vs practicing reflexivity and the importance of community.Season Two is coming soon! If you have an idea for an episode please get in touch with Madeleine or Louise.Episode mentions:Maria Barros HoffmanMadeleine's article on privileges and positionalitySkunk Anasie- Intellectualise My Blackness“Politics and Pedagogy” a podcast run by the Centre for Teaching Innovation and Scholarship in Politics and International Studies at the University of Leeds. This first series is funded by The COST Action DecolDEV which takes on the challenge to reconstruct the concept and practice of development after its deconstruction. This series showcases conversations from academics in Politics, International Relations and Development as they reflect on decolonial practices in education. The podcast hosts are Dr Madeleine Le Bourdon Associate Professor in the Politics of Global Development and Dr Louise Pears Lecturer in Global Security Challenges. It is produced by Dr Marine Guéguin and Dr Harrison Swinhoe both Post-doctoral researchers in the Centre for Global Security Challenges.Follow us! @CTISLeeds @DrMLeBourdon @LouiseKPearsFunding Provider: This podcast is funded by the EU's Cost Action Decolonising Development (CA19129): www.cost.eu. The Action works towards a resetting and diversification of the structures, institutions and spaces in which knowledge about and for development is produced, shared, contested and put into practice. Decolonisation of knowledge about ‘development' cannot mean to maintain a paternalist binary of those already developed and those less developed but must scrutinize the structures and institutions that maintain power imbalances and the ideas that support paternalistic relations and assumptions of superiority according to intersectional (read: gendered, racialized, classed etc.) objectification of the Other

Wednesday evening service preaching from the pulpit of Woodland Baptist Church – Winston Salem, NC * Please feel free to visit our website at woodlandbaptistnow.com

Welcome to Episode 289 of the @DynastyTradesHQ Podcast!  "Cross Positionally Trading, RB Baggage & An Uncontrollable Rant!"   With the breaking news of Kamara's suspension and the unhappiness of Taylor, the guys examine the trading strategies to take when dealing with running backs that carry a lot of baggage, this lead to an uncontrollable rant that needed to have the most edits in show history.  Shane then  shared a post he did that asked people if they prefer position for position or cross positional trading!  Come hang out and have some fun with Shane Manila @ShaneIsTheWorst, Michael Cipes @FFBlitz, and Jeremy Browand @DynastyMadman It will be a blast!   @DynastyTradesHQ Patreon is now called The HQCrew! Do you want the HQ guys to consult with you about your Dynasty team? Do you want a podcast t-shirt or hat? Would you like to get on the show with us? Do you want to listen to the new HQ After Dark podcast? Become a part of The HQCrew today!   Find us on iTunes, Google Play Music, Stitcher, and PodBean. Please make sure you rate and review! You can find us on Twitter @DynastyTradesHQ. The DynastyTradesHQ podcast (with your hosts Shane Manila @ShaneIsTheWorst, Michael Cipes @FFBlitz, and Jeremy Browand @DynastyMadman) goes beyond the obvious to bring you the right takes on trades, trade philosophies, and impact of ADP on trading. We'll laugh, we'll cry, and we'll get through the crazy world of dynasty trading together every week!  

Romans 6:1-14A continued study through the book of Romans. Because we are free from sin we are free to serve God! Positionally we are free, practically we must choose to live holy lives. 

God condemned our sin in Christ crucified. There remains, therefore, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. And this gift that justifies the unjust is purposed for pleasure—God's and ours. God delights in His Son and adopts us in His Son to delight in us. Positionally, in Christ, we please God. Practically, in our minds, it varies. While this is not a passage of law, a list of commands, or instructions for how to achieve a certain way of life, it is a passage deeply concerned with the nature of a Christian. Many people claim to be Christian whose thoughts are for the most part vain and earthly. Who set their minds on the things of self. Who think little of pleasing God. This message is designed to help the Christian be renewed in the spirit of their minds, for God's pleasure and theirs.

In Matthew 22, the Parable of the Wedding Feast, Jesus teaches us that to attend and join in the wedding celebrations both now and, in the future, you must be clothed with the robes of righteousness. These robes, described as fine white linen in some locations of the scriptures and at other times as the breastplate of righteousness, are vital to our new identity in Christ being formed. Positionally, we are already “in Christ”, but we must step into revelation of right standing with God to lay hold of all the benefits Jesus died for. We must choose to go through the door of salvation and pick up our new clothes that protect us. You cannot participate with confidence without these garments, and you will no doubt get hammered by condemnation or even orphan thinking can creep back in without this vital covering. In Revelation 19 it says: “Hallelujah: for the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us rejoice and be exceeding glad and let us give the glory to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready. And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright and pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”  Some of the righteous acts we are called to a wild- signs, wonders, and miracles! However, some of the most understated and yet powerful righteous acts we participate in are the powerful prayers that according to James 5, avail much! Step into your new garments and step up to your position as a warrior- dressed for battle. 

In this week's episode, Randall has Josh Poertner on to talk aerodynamics. In a wide-ranging conversation, the two touch upon Josh's time as Technical Director at Zipp, involvement in the development of computational models for rotating wheels, early collaboration with Cervelo founders Phil White and Gerard Vroomen, founding and leadership of the product brand Silca and The Marginal Gains Podcast, and ongoing consulting work with elite athletes and teams. Silca Website  Marginal Gains Podcast Episode Sponsor: Logos Components  Support the Podcast Join The Ridership  Automated Transcription, please excuse the typos: Silca - Josh Poertner [00:00:00] Craig Dalton: Hello, and welcome to the gravel ride podcast, where we go deep on the sport of gravel cycling through in-depth interviews with product designers, event organizers and athletes. Who are pioneering the sport I'm your host, Craig Dalton, a lifelong cyclist who discovered gravel cycling back in 2016 and made all the mistakes you don't need to make. I approach each episode as a beginner down, unlock all the knowledge you need to become a great gravel cyclist. This week on the show, I'm handing the microphone back to my co-host Randall Jacobs. Who's got Josh Portner, the CEO of Silka on the shout out a wide range in conversation about the sport and high performance. Many of you may be familiar with the storied Silka brand. It's been around for close to a hundred years. But josh took over back in 2013 with a mission of merging the highest quality materials and craftsmanship with cutting edge design and manufacturing When you visit the Silca website, you notice a tagline, the pursuit of perfection, never settling, always improving. And I think that embodies how Josh approaches the sport. . So I'm excited to pass you over to Randall to dig into this conversation. Before we jump in i want to thank this week sponsor logos components Yeah, I've been itching to get back on a set of six 50 B wheels, and I've been waiting for my logo's components, wheels to arrive. They literally just arrived last night and I'm super stoked. But yet disappointed because I have to go away for the weekend and I won't be able to actually ride them until sometime next week. I chose the Atara six 50 B model. As you know, I'm sort of big on the big tires, big fun philosophy. So I've been eager on my unicorn, which I've been riding on a 700 SEASET for a while now. To get into the six 50 bees again and see what a six 50 by 50 combined with that rock shock fork is going to yield for me on the trails here in Marin. You guys may remember. Me sitting down with Randall, talking about what makes a great gravel wheel set and everything that went into these logos component wheels. I encourage you to go back to that conversation because whether or not the logo's wheel set is for you or not. I think Randall does an excellent job of teasing out. All the various considerations. You should be having when considering buying a gravel wheelset, It is no small expense when getting into a carbon wheel set, but the team at logos has endeavored with their direct consumer model. Uh, to make it as affordable as possible and make them as durable and high performing as anything out there on the market. I written wheels designed by Randall for the last three years. So I'm super excited. To see his latest vision come to fruition. With these new wheels and I'll have them underneath me soon enough. I encourage you to check them out@logoscomponents.com. Randall's also an active member of the ridership community. So if you have questions for him, feel free to join us over there at the ridership and connect with other riders. I seen people paying that their wheels have arrived so you can get some real, real people answering your questions. About whether they're enjoying the wheelset and how they perform, et cetera. And I'll have more on this in future additions. At this point. I'm going to hand the microphone over to Randall. And i hope you enjoy this conversation with josh [00:03:30] Randall: Josh Portner, thank you for joining us on the podcast. This is a conversation I've been looking forward to for quite some time. Some deep bike nerdy is probably about to ensue, so, uh, let's dive, let's hope. Dive right into it. [00:03:43] Josh: Well, thank you for having me. Always, always up for some deep bike. Nerdy. I like that. [00:03:49] Randall: So a number of our listeners will already know who you are, but just give folks a high level summary of what you do now. [00:03:55] Josh: Oh gosh. So I own Silca, um, or I own Arrow Mind, which, uh, owns the Silca brand and trademark, um, and, and all that that entails. And then we also have a, uh, we own Marginal Gains, which is a podcast and a YouTube channel. And, um, Yeah, our goal is to, a mind works with a lot of pro riders, pro teams, world tour teams. Um, you know, we do everything, Excuse me. We do everything from, you know, performance consulting, uh, modeling, uh, you know, setting up our record attempts for people or, or helping them design our record attempts. Um, you know, we do tire pressure work with pros. We do equipment choices for teams. We think some of the most interesting stuff we do, um, is around where like, uh, teams or national federations don't trust the equipment they're getting from somebody. And they'll come to us and say, you know, the, you know, bike brand X says that this does this, and our writers don't think so. Can you tell us what's true? And. We'll find a way to make that happen. So we, we've had some pretty interesting ones of those with, uh, particularly around the Olympics with the national federations. You know, no, nobody wants to have another Under Armor speeds skating suit, uh, situation, , right? Where all the, all the athletes think something is true and therefore it becomes true and, and nobody knows. And so, um, you know, so we do a lot of that. Arrow mind does that, essentially. And so that's a lot of the performance work I was doing in my old world. I was technical director at ZIP for almost 15 years. Um, and, and then Silca is the product arm of the company. Uh, that's probably how, you know, most people know us. You know, we make pumps and tools and, and, but we also make a lot of crazy things that people look at me and go, Oh, where the hell did that come from? Well, that probably came from some project or another. We did it in the Arrow Mind side of the business, Um mm-hmm. . So that's how we've gotten into sealants and lubricants and 3D printing and, and all sorts of other craziness. Right? That's sort of how the one flows into the other. And then, you know, Marginal Gains is a podcast and, and YouTube channel where we talk about it all and, and we, we typically with a, a team or a company have like a two year. Secrecy period on a technology. And then after that we can do something with it and, and talk about it and tell the story. So, you know, it's always, it's always fun to go through those periods where like, Oh, thank God we can talk about that now, . Cause you know, we're talking about it internally all the time. And, and you're like, Oh, can we put that in the podcast? I don't know. So, so that, that's what I do now. We, I, I play with bikes basically. [00:06:34] Randall: Very, very cool. And, um, when you talk about the consulting work you do, is this kind of full stack performance consulting, is it very a focused, is it all technical sides, including say, like bearing drag or, or things like this? Is it, um, obviously positioning falls into Arrow Nutrition. Like where, where do you, ooh, where does your domain physiology start? [00:06:57] Josh: And I draw the line at physiology, you know, there's a whole, there, there are people who are, are like my equivalent in that world. And, and my God, I can never even dream to. You know, clean their shoes. So, um, no, you, you need someone to talk physiology, you know, And I'll, I'll pull my phone out and we'll call Allen Li or somebody, you know, Yeah. With a bunch of contacts. But, uh, you know, Alan's one of my favorite go-tos for things like that and be like, Oh dude, I've been over my head help . You know, [00:07:21] Randall: he, he's, um, he's actually been on the pod before, but Craig interviewed him, so I might bring him on in the future to do, you know, my, my more kind of nerdy type of interview. Alan's great. Yeah, no, [00:07:31] Josh: he's, he's a lovely guy. He's a lovely guy. And, and I just love, I mean, he, you know, like I find myself pretty quickly sometimes getting into places where people's eyes just glaze over, like, what the hell is this guy talking about? And, you know, I love that Alan can do that to me in about 30 seconds, you know, we're talking about the stuff that he does. You're like, Oh, whoa, shit, way over my head way. I, I didn't even recognize the last four words that you used in that sentence, . And, uh, so it's, it's awesome to be able to be surrounded by people with that. But no, you know, we. The stuff that they come to us for. I mean, you know, when I left sip and started soak, of course everybody and their brother, you know, came and said, Oh, design us a wheel. I'm like, well, like I can't do that for a couple years. But also I'm kind of just done with that, you know, like I've lived that life. I, you know, it, it was fun. But, you know, we, we continually updated wheels for 15 years, but it, it really is kinda like doing the same thing over and over again, you know? And, and so it just wasn't fun for me. So, you know, they'll come and say, um, you know, help us design this cockpit, or we, we do a lot of, with our, our in-house, uh, 3D titanium printing, we do a lot of custom cockpits for, uh, teams, riders, things like that. You know, where we laser scan the rider, get the position, lock that down to the wind tunnel, design the part, 3D print it, um, you know, stuff like that, that, that's really exciting. We, we'd get a lot of, you know what, um, You know, help us optimize for this time trial at the tour or the Olympics or whatever, where, you know, what tires should we run and we can, we have systems and tools and, and spreadsheets and a million other things that we can, um, Yeah. Help, help them determine. And then a lot of times we, you know, we get companies coming to us, um, really just wanting to know, like, you know, if, like, which of their sponsor products should they use and when should they go off sponsor? You know, you'll see that a lot at like, the tour where, excuse me. Um, you know, like they, they ride the sponsor correct product, you know, 98% of the time, and then they're gonna sneak it in here or there when it's really critical. So, you know, what, what are those really critical points? And then, you know, if, if they're gonna risk getting in trouble or outright get in trouble, like it needs to be worth it, right? And so they might come to us with like, okay, you know, we need. I need a time trial tire for this rider for this day. You know, what should we do? And, and we'll help him with that. But yeah, you know, if you, if you were a, a brand, uh, or a world tour team there, or approach our athlete that wanted to go to the win tunnel, you know, you might pay us to come along. Um, a lot of what I do too is kind of fun is just act as like a fly on the wall in these team to sponsor interactions. You know, I think I was probably at half a dozen wind tunnel tests last year where I really had pretty much nothing to contribute other than being the neutral third party in the room, um mm-hmm. you know, so that everybody was comfortable that everybody was. Comfortable . [00:10:26] Randall: Well, I would imagine there's a mix of the, uh, the political, if you're talking about, you know, what should be using our own sponsors gear versus slipping something else in all the way to, um, balancing the competing goals of say, like comfort and pure power output on the bike versus aerodynamics. Um, if you're talking about a time trial position. Yeah. [00:10:47] Josh: Oh yeah, for sure. And, and I think even down to, you know, and I think as much as we love to talk science and testing and, and try to be as scientific as possible, I mean, this stuff is really, it's emotionally hard. It's politically hard. It's, you know, companies will bring new equipment in, they're with their engineers. I mean, those guys and girls want that stuff to work so bad. And you know, sometimes you just see things coming out where, Oh yeah, that's clearly faster. And you're like, Well, actually, the way I would interpret that is it's probably about. The same, um, or mm-hmm. , you know, let's, let's rerun that test or, um, you know, it's always, I don't know, it, it, they, they like, people like to get themselves in these loops where, you know, Oh, we did this and it's 10 seconds faster and it's that, And I feel like back in the, you know, when I was with zip, we did this a lot during the Lance Armstrong area and he was writing our disc and, and we were coming in as consultants for the first probably five tours or whatever. And um, you know, every wind tunnel test you'd get to the end and they would have this chart that's like, we just made him 90 seconds faster. And it's like, look guys, that. There is no 90 seconds faster. I mean, you know? Mm-hmm. like, like that is not gonna happen. You know, you, you just did a whole bunch of stuff that's not sustainable that he can't hold his head like that. Mm-hmm. that helmet tails gonna come off the back, you know, I mean, cuz he, people do things like, Oh, oh, the helmet tail moved, rerun. You're like, Yep guys, when you ride in the real world, like the tail's gonna move. Like you don't, you know, people like to, they select data, um, without even realize they're selecting data. And so, you know, it is, it's just good always to have a third party in the room. Um, you know, it's kinda like funny story, you know, back to, you know, my zip days, how Firecrest came about, you know, Firecrest was literally the name of the prototype that, that kind of blew all of our minds. And the reason the prototypes had weird bird names was that we had to double blind them across engineers because you just didn't want anybody. Kind of, you know, having an effect on their product, right? I mean, we all, you know, we all fall in love with our children, right? . And, and in this world, like you, you can't love your children. Um, and you have to be willing to kill them when they're not good. And, um, you know, we would do this double blind thing where we would like assign them all a number and then we would assign bird name, these bird names a number, and then we would randomize it and then they would get all put up. And then nobody really knew whose idea was what, when you were in the tunnel. Um, that's necessary, right? Cause you're, you know, you can be your own worst enemy at that stuff. I think we've, you know, we've all been guilty of that a time or two in our lives. But, uh, you see it all the time, particularly in these performance, um, improvement coaching type things where, you know, people just wanna will something into existence even when it's not. Yeah. [00:13:38] Randall: Well, and I can see, um, you know, the marketing oftentimes has it much more, uh, presented, much more like a, you know, this is just, it's physics. It's more, it's more exact, it's more, um, it's more controlled. And, um, there are competing variables, particularly when you have, you know, a monkey in the middle. You have to, this, this, you know, this animal needs to be comfortable. This animal needs to be fueled, This animal needs to be able to control this machine through a varied environment. And that varied environment may be varying in real time if weather changes or things like this. Um, and so there's just all these competing interests. And so when you see, you know, I often laugh at like, You add up all the different arrow benefits that, you know, different companies claim for components and you should be doing. Right. Right. You know, you might be looking at, um, uh, relativistic effects potentially at some of the speeds you'd be able to achieve. Uh, Jen, just like how, how many watts can be saved. Totally. Being a little bit facetious there. [00:14:37] Josh: Yeah. No, no, it's totally true. I mean, and I still have this photo somewhere, I think I even showed it a couple years ago on social media. But as this, this really great photo that I love that ended up, um, on the wall at the Texas A and Wind tunnel, but it's me with next to Lance Armstrong, um, in the, what became the Nike Swift spin suit, um, that had been flown down there from, you know, Seattle. And it's, uh, oh God, the guy in from his book college or whatever he calls him, and then a guy from Nike, so it's the four of us. And I'm kind of standing there like doing, you know, like pointing at something on his back and it, like, a college student took it for the school newspaper and then they had him autograph it and it ended up on the wall. And so like, Oh, that's me. You know, it's kind of funny. But, but the real story there was that suit, you know, they were paying like 3000 bucks a meter for this suit. They'd been putting it on a mannequin in the tunnel. I mean, it was gonna save three minutes per 40 k. And you're just sitting like going, guys, like, I, I mean, just quick doing the math, like three minutes for Lance Armstrong, you know, like the guys already, That's not possible. And, and of course we get it. We put it on him. Um, the whole thing, you know, it, it's, it's cool, it's fancy, it was very red and it does nothing. I mean, it literally, we were, and the Nike people are there and they're like, Oh, that's not possible. It, it can't do nothing like whole. Let's run it again. Okay. Now get 'em out of it. Put 'em in the normal suit. Run that one. You're like, it, it just doesn't do anything. And, and they just kept going. Well run it again. Well do this. Let's, let's close pin it up. Let's tighten it. Let's, do, you know, I mean, I bet we, we lost two hours trying to make that stupid thing look like it would do anything. You know, And again, it's, it's just people being people and we've all done it. But [00:16:21] Randall: I hear like something of stages, of, stages of grief. Like, you have your baby and like first it's denial, and then you, then you have bargaining. Yeah. Yes. Put so much into this. Yeah, that's exactly, [00:16:32] Josh: that is exactly what it is. And, and you know, the, the crazy reality with that one was, you know, three months later at the tour, they launched it anyway, and they said it saved three minutes and he , you know mm-hmm. . And we, we. It, you know, I just had to laugh. I mean, I remember, you know him, you know, winning whatever one of the time, trials by like a minute and like going, No. So Nike's essentially saying he would've lost that time trial by two minutes had it not been, had he not been wearing that suit. Come on guys. Um, yeah. [00:17:00] Randall: Well, and I think that, that maybe that's, um, you know, headline number one from this interview is don't believe everything you read, especially if it's coming from a party, has a financial interest in it. [00:17:10] Josh: That is true. That is true. Yeah. I, I, I tell don't, don't even believe yourself. Right? I mean, truly like you, you are a bad, um, a bad predictor of things and, and you're a bad feeler of things and nobody wants to admit that. Um, but it's just true. You know, that's, I've been preaching that gospel for, for years. But, you know, I mean, 90, I, I would say 90% of the things you. That you feel when you're on your bike. Total, total crap. Um, and, and we know that cuz we, we've done blind testing with riders. I mean, like unbelievable world class rider. And if you blind them to what they're actually riding, they can't tell you almost any Yeah. Um, you know, all that perception, but still, but the stories away, the [00:17:56] Randall: stories we tell ourselves are powerful. There is a strong placebo effect. Oh, for sure. Uh, for sure. But it has to be acknowledged that that is the placebo. And if you actually had those beliefs about things that had genuine benefits, you would get both, You would get the actual [00:18:11] Josh: benefits. Yes. The, the most powerful thing in the world is a placebo that actually works. Right. , where you get, it's like a, it's a double whammy benefit. Um, and so yeah. That, that's where, you know, I mean, in a nutshell that's a lot of what, you know, I've made my career doing right, is trying to help, help sway people towards the, the, the placebos that, that actually do have a, a, a benefit for them. [00:18:34] Randall: So this has the conversation going in a slightly different direction than I was anticipating, which I'm really enjoying. So I've been, I've been diving into this lecture series from this guy Robert Sapolsky at Stanford. It's on, um, the, uh, uh, behavioral biology, and it's looking at all the different ways in which studies go wrong. And so there's like, you know, beliefs about something, uh, for a long period of time, you know, eminence, people in the field, uh, promulgate these, you know, these ideas. And then it's shown that, you know, the study was, was not, uh, taken, uh, done properly or what have you. And so I'm curious, let's dive more into things that go wrong in the study of aerodynamics and, um, maybe kind of the edge of, say, human performance where interfaces with aerodynamics [00:19:17] Josh: Hmm, ooh. Interest. So, I mean, a, a good. I would say career defining for me, example of that was, um, you know, we, from like 2009 to 2012, we were really all in on developing, uh, CFD for the, for bicycle wheels. And it, it just wasn't working right. Everybody was talking about it and showing papers, and, but I mean, it just, the reality was like the CFD just never looked like the wind tunnel. The curve shapes were different. The data was, we're, we're talking It [00:19:47] Randall: wasn't mid, mid [00:19:48] Josh: nineties, right? Oh, no, Mid, mid late two thousands. Yeah. Like mid, late, late [00:19:53] Randall: thousands. Okay. Yeah. And you're not using, you're having to develop something ground up or you're having to, uh, adapt something from Desso or, or one of these bigger [00:20:02] Josh: vendors. Yeah, So I think the question at the time was, you know, how do you, how do you really properly model the spinning wheel in, in flow that's also translating, right? And you look at. You know, all the CFD stuff with aircraft, um, you know, there's no rotational flow, you know, and then you look at, there's special models that people have built to look at, like, um, turbine jet, turbine engine combustion or whatever. But those are incredibly unique. And they're also, you know, there's RO flow rotating, but in a different access and Yeah. [00:20:36] Randall: The F1 guys perpendicular access. [00:20:38] Josh: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And so, and then you got the F1 guys who weren't really modeling, um, they were modeling the rotation of the wheels, but they were doing it by modeling a rotational component at the surface of the tire. So you were, you weren't essentially like spinning the wheel, you were just saying, Oh, there's a induced rotation a about this surface. Um, which has been in the, the solvers forever. So [00:21:02] Randall: in interesting, this is taught because the, those wheels are traveling so quickly, especially the top of the wheel. If you're doing 200 miles an hour, the top of the tire is traveling at 400. And so you're having sign significant turbulence at that interface, right? Well, [00:21:15] Josh: and you, you have like Magnus effect, right? You're actually getting pressure differential top to bottom, um, you know, from , the direction of the wheel spinning. And so, you know, we, we could do stuff like that pretty accurately, right? You know, you could look at the, you know, a rotating baseball and, and predict the direction that's gonna curve. I mean, things like that were possible. But, you know, every single, and, you know, my God, I used to get, I still do occasionally, but I, I used to probably get 20 PhD papers a year from kids all over the world. Um, you know, Oh, what do you think of my paper on, you know, CFD of bicycle wheel? And we're like, Oh, it's beautiful pictures, but your data's crap. Um, . And it just wasn't figured out. And, and in 2009, I, I met a guy, Matt, uh, Godo, who's a triathlete, but he also worked for a company called FieldView. And they had built all of the CFD automation for, uh, Red Bull F one, um, and probably half the F1 grid, but his, his big account was Red Bull. Um, and he, I met him at Interbike and he had a paper that he was working on. He said, I think, I think I might have figured this out, but I really need to be able to like, Like, build a wind tunnel in the computer and then look at it so we can directly compare them back and forth. And, and so we, we did that. We published a paper at the a I a, which was at MIT that year, and it went over really well and people liked it. And we published another paper the next year, um, at, at the a i A conference. And that went well. And then we got this big grant, like an $80,000 grant from Intel, um, to really tackle this problem. Cause the, the head technologist at Intel at the time was a guy, uh, Bill Fry Rise, and one, one of the coolest guys I ever met. Um, you know, the kind of guy who, whose resume just has like a five year period that says like Los Alamos , like, [00:23:01] Randall: okay, you're cool. You know? Yeah. Yeah. Not, not allowed to talk about it. What do you do? Yes. Uh, yes, exactly. . But, [00:23:08] Josh: uh, but he was a cyclist and he was some senior, somebody at Intel. And, and, um, And they, they gave us this money and we, we, we really went hard at this and we ended up developing a, essentially all of the little nuance details. Uh, we did it in star ccm. We post processed it in field view. I think we processed it on like a thousand cores, which for 2010 was, you know, a lot. Right. [00:23:33] Randall: Um, and these are, these are, um, CPUs and not GPUs for that era. Right. A lot of the stuff of that era GPUs now, right? [00:23:40] Josh: Yeah. Yeah. I remember we, yeah, I mean, that was the beginning of, uh, that was the beginning of the cloud. It was pretty cool, like 2008, 2009, people were still traveling. I remember at one point in that process there was discussion that like, we might have to travel, um, to, Oh God, what is it? The, the university over there in Illinois had a huge, had like a 1200 core machine and they're like, Okay, we, we might have to go there and, and buy, you know, two days of time. And then as that was happening, cloud. Kind of the beginnings of cloud was there. And I remember we, we met a guy who had a cloud thing, and they had just been bought by Dell. And, uh, we were at a conference and he's like, Oh, no, you know, with our, our thing, What was that called? But, uh, with our thing, you, you can just do it like up in the ether. We're like, Whoa. You had never heard of that before. Yeah. Um, it was just exciting times and, and, uh, but, but we, you know, had this great team. We pulled it together. I mean, that's really where Firecrest came from, right? It was, it was largely designed using, um, Hundreds of iterations of capes predicted to be fast, uh, using this cfd. And, and ultimately we won. We, we became like, I think the first non university and non-governmental group to ever win a, uh, uh, innovation excellence award from the Supercomputing Society. So it was pretty cool. Salt Lake City's like this huge super computing conference and you know, it's like darpa, this and university of that. And it was like these four guys from this bike brand and, you know, was, uh, it was a pretty cool experience. But, but in that, so that's like a huge tangent. No, [00:25:17] Randall: no, this is, this is great. And, and just to take a, uh, stop for a second, CFD computational Fluid Dynamics software that is used to model complex multi-variate systems where there's second order effects and, you know, fluids and, and things like this. So anyone who's not, uh, who's not with us on that, like complicated software for complicated system models, in your [00:25:39] Josh: ideal world, it's like a wind tunnel on your laptop, right? In the, in the George Jetson's version of things. It, it's the wind tunnel on the laptop. And in the reality of things, it's kind of more like, eh, it's about as good as guessing most of the time. But, but, but sometimes it's really good at finding certain really specific things. So I won't, uh, I won't knock it too hard, but why the thing I wanna [00:25:59] Randall: dive in a little bit [00:26:00] Josh: here. Oh, go ahead. Yeah, yeah. Well, let me, so let me finish the, the thing that we discovered in this process that was super cool. Um, was that once we had all of these transient, we were solving for all these transients, um, and we really started looking at not just like the, you know, the, the side force or the yaw force or you think of um, you know, the whole thing with like wheels and handling, right? This all came out of this project cuz you could, you could predict the steering torque on the wheel, which, you know, none of the balances being used to test wheels at the time even had torque sensing, right? You had drag side force and lift, but none of them had the rotational components in there. And so that for us at first was like, oh shit, we've never thought about torque cuz we weren't measuring it. Right? It's sort of one of those, yeah, like you've biased your study all along, but then the big one was looking at the predicted, um, data and there were all of these, uh, harmonic effects. and we kind of looked at each other and we're like, Oh my God, every wind tunnel you've ever been in, Right? The first thing everybody discusses is, you know, what's the, what's the, the time across which you're taking the data and at what frequency? And then you're averaging that data, right? Cuz we're all after a data point. And you could look at the tunnel data and the CFD data, and when you pulled them out of their point form into their wave form, essentially you could see the harmonics kind of lined up, the frequencies match when, oh shit, we've been averaging out a really important piece of data for 30 years. You know, this harmonic thing is big. Like what's your, [00:27:39] Randall: your standard? So it's operating on a, it's operating on a frequency that is smaller than the sample rate. Or how [00:27:46] Josh: was it essentially? Essentially we were just idiots and we were just, we were just time averaging the all of that out. Right. I mean, it's, you know, if you need to Okay. Any wind tunnel you, you went to in the world and be like, Oh, well, we'll take, we here, we take data for 30 seconds at, you know, whatever, a hundred hertz, 60 hertz, 120, or whatever it is, and then we'll, we'll take an average. Oh, okay. That, that's fine. Got it. You're averaging out in there is real, um, uh, like amplitude changes, uh, largely due to vortex shedding is, as it turns out with bicycle wheels. But a lot of that high frequency handling stuff, particularly as wheels get deep, um, , sorry, I'm in, uh, I'm in our studio, which is off of our kitchen and somebody's lunchbox just, just leapt off of the top of the [00:28:34] Randall: refrigerator. Um, yeah, sometimes I'll have a niece or nephew come in screaming, so No worries. Yeah. So, but, [00:28:39] Josh: uh, but no, we, we realized there, there was a, a. About a factor of five difference in amplitude between wheels in terms of that, those oscillating effects. Right. Which typically it's just, it's generally vortex shedding. And the CFD can predict that really well, right? Where your little pressure builds up, sheds off, sets off a counter rotation that sheds off. Um, but as a, as a cyclist, you, you feel that as the wheel, you know, kind of oscillating left to right. Um, and we, and let's, let's for 20 years, you know, [00:29:12] Randall: Yeah. So you're just taking the, the lump, you know, 30 seconds averaged out data and saying, Okay, it gives you this amount of benefit and you're not seeing those. Um, I mean, really what we're talking about is, uh, you know, instability that may. Or, you know, otherwise result in, in control issues on the bike. And I want to take a moment to just like, define some terms, uh, because not, you know, many of our listeners are not overly technical. Um, but uh, I think some of these concepts are easy enough to get your head around, like, so, you know, describe at a very high level you're talking about vs. So, you know, maybe describe lader flow and flow attachments and vortices sheddings. How, how does this, how does this, uh, how can you understand this without a, a technical background? [00:29:59] Josh: Oh, those are awesome questions. Okay. So Lader LaMer flow is kind of what you. What the, the world wants you to think of in the wind tunnel. You see the wind tunnel picture and they've got like the, the 10 lines of smoke and they're all kind of flowing together cleanly and beautifully. That's, that's meant to, to evoke lam or flow, right. That if you were to drop a, a smoke or a particle in there, that they would all flow in lamini, you know, like sheets of paper. Um, yeah. Uh, so, so [00:30:29] Randall: it's going in a straight line. Smooth, [00:30:31] Josh: controlled, Predictable, yeah. Flow. And it, it follows the contours of the thing that it's flowing against. So, [00:30:38] Randall: so kinda like water flowing down a river sort of thing. It's not perfectly laminate, but it's all going roughly in the same direction. And there's not a lot of water [00:30:46] Josh: in a pipe disturbance, you know, would be in a pipe better example, presumably pretty laminate, right? And then you start to add stuff, you know, water in the river. Now you're, you're, you know, you've got a rock and now all of a sudden there's a disturbance and it starts to swirl. Um, and so you, you get into, you know, more complicated types of flow. I, I think the, the big ones, you know, for us to think about are, you know, most, so most drag that we deal with comes from, um, uh, pressure related things. So you either have like the, the high pressure on the front of the rider, right? The wind that you're pushing into this when you stick your hand out the car window, right? The mm-hmm. the air you feel hitting your hand, you know, that's, uh, that's a pressure drag, uh, in the positive direction. And then you have the flow, the vacuum in the back. Yeah. The flow will detach off of the object and that'll create a vacuum behind. And so that's a suction drag, um mm-hmm. . And then when you have something like vortex shedding, it's when, uh, the, the. Description I ever have for vortex sheddings. If you've ever driven an old car with, uh, like the metal antenna on the hood, you know, at some speed on the highway, that antenna starts vibrating, oscillating sideways, which is like the last thing on earth you think it would do, right? Like your brain's like, well, it should just keep bending backwards with speed. Mm-hmm. , why is it going sideways? Well, that's that you get this thing where you have a little, uh, a little curl of flow will kind of detach more on one side than the other, and that creates a side force. Mm-hmm. . But in doing so, the suction that that has now left behind will pull a similar vortex from the opposite side. Mm-hmm. . And that creates an opposite side force. And so you get these, see an oscillation, you get these oscillations and uh, you know, that's, it's huge in architecture and mm-hmm. , it, it's why you see so many of those super tall buildings or kind of have pyramid shapes or might have some sort of like, feature that spirals down them to, to kind of break that up. I, I live [00:32:46] Randall: in Boston. We actually have, um, a skyscraper here that was flexing so much, the windows were popping out. This is, you know, decades ago. And, you know, it's still, you know, they have this like funnel of air that's going through there and just the nature of the shape of it and how air gets funneled in, it was causing enough torsion to, um, you know, cause window de bonding. Um, so yeah. That's crazy. Uh, so then, you know, think applying this to the bike and particularly a wheel, um, you know, this is the biggest effect is, is presumably your front wheel where you're having this oscillation, this shift in pressure from one side to the other at a very high, high level, um, that's causing instability. It's making it so that you may lose control of the bike. It's not predictable. [00:33:34] Josh: Yeah. Correct. Correct. And, and the, the other thing we learned through CFD that it was doing, which is not obvious until you think about it, but so you think of the. So you might have, say it that the trailing edge of the front half of the rim, you're, you, you set up a little vortex shedding situation. Mm-hmm. . Um, and so you've got a little side force, but it's kind of at the, the trailing edge of the rim there. Right? So it's got a little bit of leverage on your steering, but the other thing that's happening is that alternating attachment and detachment of flow, um, changing the side force, but you're a side force at an angle. So there's a lift component, right? Which is how the drag is being reduced. And as that happens, what, what's also now changing is what we call like the center of pressure. And the center of pressure. You think of like the wheel from the side, like, like the sum, the aggregate of all the, the arrow forces on that has a center point about which it's balanced. It's kinda like a center of mass. Um, you know, so it's, it'd be center of pressure. Well, that center of pressure when you have. Shedding happening somewhere that's now moving forwards and backwards and very [00:34:40] Randall: rapidly [00:34:41] Josh: as well. Potentially, Yeah. Rather rapidly. I mean, and, and when you really look, look in on it, it, the frequency actually can be quite close to, um, the, uh, speed wobble frequency, right? Which is somewhere in that like three to four hertz range. Uh, which also happens to be really close to the frequency of human, uh, shivering, which is kind of cool's why you're more likely to, to speed wobble when you're really cold. Um, [00:35:05] Randall: and not everyone just push will have experienced speed wobble. But if, you know, if this is basically your, you, you hit a certain resonant frequency of, of the frame based on the frames geometry, uh, the head tube angle, the what are the factors that go into that, [00:35:20] Josh: Uh, it's top tube stiffness is big and so, yeah. Yeah. And it's actually this speed wobble's. Interesting. It's. It starts as a residency issue, but it's really a, it's a hop bifurcation and, um, a hop B. Okay. And so, yeah. And so what you have in a hop, uh, bifurcation is you essentially have two st two stability, um, would be the best way to think of it. And you are jumping from the one to the other. And so like, right up until that, so the [00:35:48] Randall: system wants to be in one state or the other, but not in the middle [00:35:51] Josh: and there's no middle. Right. And, and what's, what's so cool, like, like early in, um, uh, early in covid, you know, we were all talking about this, you know, what is it the are not value, the, you know, like if it's above or below one. And when you, you line that out that are not, when are not crosses one, it's a hop bifurcation that looks just like the speed wobble, bifurcation, I mean the graph. It's amazing how like, cool those things, you know, mathematically you're like, Oh yeah, that's exactly the same as this. It's just here, it's in a, you know, you get the exact same graph if you're looking at, um, Uh, wing flutter in an aircraft, uh, in the wing tunnel. Mm-hmm. , similar bifurcation problem, but yeah. So you, you, you have essentially two states and the system can get tripped from one end into the other. And in the one the bike is stable and wants to go straight, and in the other it wants to oscillate because each oscillation mm-hmm. is setting up the, the counter oscillation. Um, and so like, it, it's, you know, in resonance it's more of like a runaway you, you think of like the, how that's tradition. Yeah. It amplifi forcing. Yeah. It, it just keeps growing and growing and growing. Um, and in this one it just, it, it, it's not growing and growing, but it just trips you into this spot where like it's really bad. Um mm-hmm. and it will just shake the crap outta you at the front end. And um, and in fact motorcycles quite [00:37:07] Randall: scary. The high performance motorcycles will sometimes have a steering damper for this very reason. Um, because you'll, yeah, you'll get these speed wobbles. And so the damper is essentially making it so there's some exponentially increasing resistance. Um, I, I know you know this, I'm explaining it for our, our audience just in, you know, cause again, I wanna keep bringing it back down to earth, but, you know, having just like your, your suspension, you don't just have a a just a spring, you have some sort of damping circuit so it doesn't feel like a pogo stick. Um, which is a related effect. Um, but, uh, very cool. And are not for our listeners as well. [00:37:47] Josh: Funny. I hadn't thought about that. I haven't thought about that in like two years as we were talking like, Oh, I remember now. That was, uh, yeah. Yeah, that was, uh, But what or not was the, um, Oh shit. It was the. The contagion ratio or whatever, like how, how many people, each person would transmit to mm-hmm. And so if it's, which makes sense, right? If every person's gonna transmit it to 1.1, it grows. If you're gonna transmit it to 0.8, it, it dies. Um, [00:38:12] Randall: so the analogy here is that, that the increasing amplitude of that, you know, those pressure differentials, sending it to the, the system to one state or the other and causing that increasing oscillation, Is that a exactly correct characterization? [00:38:26] Josh: Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Like you, you can take it right up to a line, um, and you don't have a problem. And then as soon as you cross the line, you're in a different state. Mm-hmm. . And, and that's where I think, you know, speed wobble for those of you who've experienced it or chase tried chasing it on a bicycle, um, you can solve it sometimes with like, the stupidest stuff. Um, you know, one of the, the common ones is to just put a little bit of like, um, like, like a heavier bar tape or a little bit of lead weight in like your, um, Uh, your plugs. Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. . You can oftentimes change it with a tire pressure or a different tire cuz you can add just enough damping at the contact patch. Um, that it just pushes it up high. You know, if, if, cause typically what people will find is like, Oh, it's, I'm totally fine. Then I hit, you know, 38.5 miles an hour and all hell breaks loose. Well. Mm-hmm. , you change the mass at the top of the system a little bit and maybe you've now pushed that point out to 45 miles an. but if you never go 45 miles an hour, you've affected, that's not a problem. Right? Yeah, yeah. Like, oh yeah, I [00:39:28] Randall: fixed it. I think another example that people may have experienced too is like, uh, sometimes you'll have an issue with your car that, you know, won't notice except that certain speeds and it's because of those speeds. There is some, you know, oscillation that's happening. If it's a tire and balance or something in your drive train or the like. Um, you know, I've, I once had a vehicle that was really good up to 60 and then like 60, 61, it was problematic and then it would smooth out a bit after that and it was just like this wobbling effect that would balance out beyond that, that speed. Um, alright, so then bringing things back down to earth. Um, this is delightful by the way. I, I could do this all day, . Um, and I, I hadn't quite appreciated. Um, the, the basic r and d and like basic science and tool building that you were involved in. Uh, so. That's, its its own topic. That's probably not one for, for a podcast of this particular [00:40:22] Josh: def. Yeah. I, I will say on that, I think that's the part that I think never, you know, the marketing never really tells that side of the story cuz it's just too complicated. Yeah. But if you're, if you're out there and you're, you're into this stuff, like that's the fun stuff. Like, I love launching product and, and the product itself. But like, that crazy journey to get there is usually like, that's where all the fun is happening. And, and, and typically cuz we're, you know, you're doing it wrong, like 90% of the time you're like, you know, it's just can be months or years of like, we suck, you know, this doesn't work, we're getting our sasses kicked. And then you, you know, if you persevere long enough, you will come out the other end and it's like, wow, we, we needed all that stuff. Like, we needed to get our heads handed to us over and over again, or we never would've figured this stuff out. Um, Yeah. I really, really enjoy that part of, um, of, of technology development or whatever you wanna call it. [00:41:16] Randall: Yeah. Basic, like real basic r and d right down to building the tools that you need to do the r and d you want to do, um, Right. . Yeah. Very cool. And obviously like the compute power and the, the algorithms available and, you know, the switch to GPUs and all these other things that have, um, changed since you were developing that make it such that today's models are both vastly more powerful and still yet trivial in complexity relative to the system itself. [00:41:44] Josh: Yeah, totally. [00:41:46] Randall: Yeah. Um, well let's dive into some more practical topics. So let's talk about like, alright, so a lot of our listeners we're the Gravel Ride podcast, right? So thinking about that particular experience, um, what should, what are, what is worth, um, a gravel rider thinking about. Uh, with relation to arrow. Uh, so things that can be done that will improve aerodynamics, but then not take away from the ride experience that a lot of riders are after, particularly when they're going to grab, you know, they wanna be comfortable, they wanna have a good time, they wanna have good control over a variety of different terrain and so on. So what are the arrow? Um, and, and they don't wanna look silly, so they might not be, want wanting to wear a skin suit or something like that. Not that it looks silly, but, but you know, a more, a more serious enthusiast type of rider. Uh, what are the Yeah, what are the things to think about? [00:42:36] Josh: Oh, gosh. That's, that's a good question. Um, I mean, I think it really depends on, on what. Th the particular rider, you know, is after, I mean, are you, are you racing? Do you wanna go fast? Do you wanna not get dropped? Mm-hmm. , um, you know, do you need to carry stuff? I mean, I would say one of, one of the big ones that I, I just see and, and you know, we, we make a ton of stuff in our company and one of, one of them being bags. And, you know, we're constantly accused of not making bags that are big enough. And so I've been on this mission for a couple years of like, you know, what is in there, , Like Really? Mm-hmm. what's in there. Yeah. And it is amazing to me just how much crap people are carrying. You know, you, you open some of these monster seat bags, it's like, man, just because you bought it doesn't mean you need to fill it or use it. Um, you know, it, and, and absolutely there's, there's like time and place for it. But, um, you know, I. Some of the stuff like that, like, Oh, okay. You've, you know, do you, you show up on the local gravel right here and you know, people look like they're, they're almost like bike packing, like mm-hmm. , you just don't need, you know, it, it's a 40 mile loop, you know, that starts and ends at a bike shop. Like, you, you don't need to bring a bike [00:43:49] Randall: shop with you. Well, you, you need your coffee grinder, you need your, your mini stove and you need your neuro press. Yeah, Yeah. Um, different experience. You know, let's assume that we're going after like a performance rider who's, um, like doing, doing, you know, a hundred, uh, a hundred mile events than they're, they're training for it and they wanna squeeze out more performance, um, out of their existing setup. Or they're considering, you know, what bike to get, what wheels to get, what, um, how to set it up, even considering bike fit. Yeah. Or, you know, clip on arrow bars and the, like, what are the different things that people can do and what are the compromises and so on. [00:44:24] Josh: Yeah. I mean, the, I, I think certainly for gravel. The one clear cut, no compromise. Better all around product that I can just always recommend is like a, an arrow top drop bar. I mean, it is amazing how much faster those things are than round section bars. I mean, any really, you know, like pro vibe or the zip fuca or whatever, you know, there's, I think every company makes one. It's that big, you know. Oh, it's hu I mean it like wind tunnel speeds. It's a flattop bar can be like 28 to 30 watts. I mean, it's nuts. Yeah. Cause you're, you're replacing round covered in tape with something that's like pretty thin and shaped Well, sure. Or it can be massive, but, but the, [00:45:05] Randall: I didn't, cuz the cross sectional areas is not that big compared to, you know, the rider and the, the rest of the bike and so on. Some [00:45:12] Josh: No, it's, it's, well and in gravel it has the double effect of being, you know, shaped or ized in the direction that is also gonna add compliance, right? Yeah, yeah. And, and comfort. And so you, you know, it's one of the few products I can really look at and go, okay, that thing is more arrow and more comfortable and has more service area for your right. I mean, better all around. Um, that's a pretty easy one to, to go with. And, and similarly, you know, if you've, you've got the money. I mean some of these, the, the integrated cockpit solutions that are out there are even faster, right? Cause it's just even less. Stuff in the wind. Um, so let's talk you, let's [00:45:48] Randall: talk about that. That's big, a big serviceability compromise and, and you know, fit can be a concern with that too cause it's harder to swap components and so on. How much of that is coming from, um, simply not having the cables running into the down tube? Like, can you get the vast majority of those benefits with cables coming out from, say, underneath the bar? If they're tucked in on the bar or even coming out from the bar and dropping underneath the stem into the, the headset from there? [00:46:14] Josh: Yeah. Yeah. My, my rule of thumb for cables that I always use cuz it's so memorable is, um, You know, Greg Lamond versus Fon in the 89 tour time. Mm-hmm. , So 2020 kilometer time trial. Um, the eight second gap, there was more or less equivalent to Fons ponytail, Right. As we, we loved to joke about a cyclist, but was also the equivalent of one number two pencil length worth of cable housing. So, and [00:46:46] Randall: this is, and this is true even if the cable housing is say, in front of the head tube, so it's going to be disturbed by the head tube anyways, cuz you're getting the drag off of it. Be, you see what I mean? Like, so I, I'm trying to hone my understanding of the [00:46:59] Josh: Yeah. I mean, you think, Yeah. So I, I would think, uh, good way to put that would be that, Yeah. Putting, putting a slow. Crappy thing in front of a smooth thing, you're, you're still getting the drag of the slow, crappy thing. Yep. Um, and you may actually be worsening the flow, um, on the arrow thing. So Yeah. Got it. Absolutely. Still, you still have that effect. Um, you know it, and it's hard to say, you know, in some cases, you know, it's, it's close enough or it's just in like the goldilock zone where it's a good distance away where you're like, Ooh, we can kind of make them disappear. And they become, you know, uh, a almost like the cable isn't there, but that's not typically what we see. And typically, you know, you, you throw a bike in the wind tunnel with that and then you rip the cables out and you run it again and you're, every time it's like, Oh shit. Big difference. Difference. You've, in [00:47:50] Randall: terms of watts, like a few watts here, like, so, so the handlebar is the big one, you said as much as 30 watts at wind tunnel speeds, which granted gravel riders generally are, are, we're [00:48:00] Josh: not going that miles an hour. But you, Yeah, you we're out for a long time. Yeah, but you are out there for a long time, so you don't have the speed. But yeah, you, you definitely have the, the, the potential time saving. So, yeah, I, you know, hidden cables. I agree with you. Total pain in the ass. And, you know, my God, I've spent a career working on world tour bikes and, and you know, Ironman, world champion bikes and things like that. And I, I feel everybody's pain, you know, people are always like, Why is the industry doing this to us? Like, like, Well, cuz you want it and cuz it works. I mean there's no, like, it, it's a pain in the ass, but it works. Mm-hmm. . So anywhere you can get rid of cable. get rid of cables, um, you know, skin suit. I have to say not everybody loves it, but man, it can be a huge, huge difference. Uh, I mean, you look at, you know, we were just out at lead, uh, Leadville and Steamboat, and you know, all the top. Guys at Leadville and skin suits now, cuz it, it makes that big of a difference. Um, arrow bars can be huge and, you know, I think that's, that's one I I think everybody's got their own sort of flavor that they like. But, you know, to me, like for gravel, a stubby, a stubby bar that has functional pads mm-hmm. , um, really can be worth it just because it's a different hand position and it, it's enough that it, it's effectively changing your, kind of, your whole torso position and it, it, it's just giving you a, a break all around. Right. It's different pressure points in your shammy for the time that you're using it. It's different, you know, muscles in your back. Um, I think there's a good, this is the, the extent of my physi physiological knowledge, but I, I think it's good to, to mix things up. Um, like that. I, I know a lot of people have kind of gone to these super. Narrow, stubby, I don't even know what you call 'em. Like semia bars that Yeah, [00:49:46] Randall: mini arrow bars. [00:49:48] Josh: Nowhere to put your, nowhere to rest your weight. And, and it just feels like everybody I know using those is constantly complaining about their wrists, you know? Um, and so I, I, again, not a physical, but the change [00:50:00] Randall: in the change in frontal area, um, is that just an unmitigated benefit or are there circumstances where you can reduce frontal area and, you know, have a negative result within the realm of, you know, changing a Roger's position? [00:50:16] Josh: Yeah, you know, a lot of it depends on your, your baseline and, and how good you are. Positionally, I think, you know, when, you know, we do a lot of position training with top athletes and you know, the. The best place you can be that's not an arrow bar is on the hoods with level forearms. Mm-hmm. , right? Like that's the, and and ideally with relatively narrow bars, [00:50:37] Randall: so, and perpendicular upper arms as well, presumably, [00:50:40] Josh: or give or take. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean it is, it's, you're gonna roughly get there depending on what the rest of the position looks like and, you know, obviously different body shapes and whatnot. But yeah, I mean, you think horizontal forearms are keeping that pretty much out of the wind. Mm-hmm. , Um, and, and they are also keeping it, it's just hard to hold that position, um, with, in a way that you're also still opening your chest. Because, you know, you were really trying to keep air from getting blocked up under the chest. And when you get a rider doing that, they just always kind of form, which I say always, I'm sure there's some counterexamples out there, but they, they almost always, um, kind of adjust their back and their shoulders in a way that they kind of turtle their head a little bit. You know, the head comes down and you're just kind of now pushing more air up over the body and less down into it. Um, but from there, arrow bars are almost always an improvement, right? Cuz you're narrowing the arms, um, you know, you're tightening things up even further and now you're pushing more flow around the sides, um, and less into the chest and less into the hips. And there's some physiological things. You know, people, you know, wide hips, big hands, certain shoulders, certain back shapes, right? That's why we go to the tunnel, you know, it's, it. 90% of the time, you could look at somebody and go, Oh, do this, this, and that, but man, 10% of the time it looks good and you run it and you're like, That's not good, We can just find a different solution. Um, [00:52:10] Randall: yeah. So air bars are huge. Another thing that we're starting to see is, uh, so BMC has their new cas uh, uh, line. They went with a super narrow, uh, handlebar, so narrow at the hoods, and then, you know, flare at the bottom. Uh, that seems like another thing that again, is, Well, I mean, on the one hand, yeah, you're getting narrower, but on the other hand, you're also closing up the chest and maybe, you know, you're not getting as much oxygen, like air turnover or something. Or like, are there issues where I, so [00:52:38] Josh: I, I have been beating the narrow handlebar drum for 25 years. Um, you know, I am yet to actually see or be told by a real physiologist that that whole. Oxygen lung thing that we were all told as juniors is true, is an issue. Um, yeah, I I've just, yeah, we've just never, I mean that, that I know of and I'm sure somebody out there will say, Oh, here's a paper. But, you know, I, I know whenever we've studied it, looked at it, we've looked at it with athletes, I mean, look at what's happening at the world tour. A lot of that is, you know, we've been beating that drum. I'm starting to see that for years, and people are doing it and they're winning. Um, so, you know, and I wonder [00:53:17] Randall: why aren't we seeing it with extreme flare as well, like a compound flare at least, so that you can still keep a, you know, a reasonably vertical lever position because then you could go even narrower and have, um, still have the leverage for the descending and so on. Is that a [00:53:32] Josh: tradition thing? Yeah, I, yeah, I think some of it's that. I think some of it is just, you know, how far do you really wanna push the uci? Um, [00:53:42] Randall: you know, oh, the UCI cares about the flare in your bars. [00:53:46] Josh: Oh, they will. Yeah. I mean, I mean, I think there are actually rules putting some limits on that, but yeah, at some point it's gonna look funny enough that you're gonna draw attention and they're gonna go, Wait a minute. Um, and, and you know, we've, we've [00:53:58] Randall: seen them, I've got a 28 centimeter wide bar with huge flares on there, and I've got specially made levers that come off of it so that I can actually still touch them from the job. [00:54:07] Josh: We have seen it with, I, I can't remember the name of that bar, but I think it's out of Belgium or something. But it's got like, you know, uh, 180 millimeters of reach, um, super narrow with long, and you can kind of lay your forearms. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember seeing that and they quickly were like, Nope, that's out. Um, so I, you know, I think we just, people are, people are cautious. I think the, the setups that are working now, um, are very largely built around that, uh, three T track bar. I can't remember what it's called, but, uh, I know. You know, it's got that kind of cool like wing, like gulling shape to it, but it's super narrow, arrow tops, um, relatively vertical, uh, drops. But, but that's a bar that the ucis allowed for years, right? And so I think that as a, you know, when, when conversations are happening behind closed doors, that's the kind of thing of like, Oh, well this looks enough like that, that if they call us out, we, we go in there and be like, Well, it looks a whole lot like this thing that you've allowed for 20 years. Um, you know, we, we have tons of those conversations. Yeah. So, so I, you know, I, I think, but I, I will say, I, I think too, that's where, um, you know, a lot of people might look at the pro tour and things that they're writing. Oh, well if this worked, they'd use it. You know? I mean, that was what people told us when we were building zip in the early days. Well, if they worked, the Pro Pros would ride it. I'm like, Yeah, but they. They don't know what they're, they don't believe in aerodynamics. You know, they, the pros, they don't riding [00:55:34] Randall: super skinny tires at super high pressures cuz they felt faster for a long time, even though, you know, at least, well, you know this better than than I do. I mean, the data has been saying for quite some time that it's more efficient. Never mind the accumulated fatigue that you get when your body's just being, you know, rattled at, you know, high frequency over the course of many hours. [00:55:56] Josh: Yeah, yeah. No, it's, you know, that I would say they're quite often the last, at least as a group to change. Right. But you, you are seeing it now. I mean the, you know, and, and, and you know, the team like Nios hiring a guy, hiring Dan Bigham to come in and, you know, you, you are seeing some changes, right? Uh, that when teams are bringing full-time people like that in, um, we are gonna start moving the needle there, but it's still a delicate dance with the. With the UCI and, and all the sport governing bodies, right? Nobody, You hear it all the time. Nobody wants a repeat of the whole fna. Uh, I don't follow swimming, but I was the technical, uh, committee director for cycling at the World Federation of Sporting Good Industries. And, uh, at the time when FNA Band banned all of the super tight, uh, swimming suits, and it was just a cluster, right? I mean, they just came out and said, Nope, you've pushed it too far. We're done. And if the whole industry was sideways with like, we've invested millions of dollars in this and the records are breaking, and people wanted and on and on and on, and they just said, Nope, you're done. And, uh, I think it took them five years to under undo all that damage. You know, I mean, you just wanna [00:57:11] Randall: something parallel with running too with, uh, carbon fiber insoles and like what is, what is allowed in terms of the amount of spring that can be delivered and so on. Um, Yeah, I, I see, I see them showing up on my local run. And, um, I might have to get a set just to keep up with the people I used to beat, to keep up with [00:57:29] Josh: It's totally true. [00:57:31] Randall: Uh, that's, I mean, that's, that's, to some degree, that's the nature of the game. And that's why in, in significant part, that's why the gear is as good as it is right now is because, you know, people are looking for, as you would say, those marginal gains. Um, yeah. Um, I wanna dive in. So, uh, I want to put, bring in a few, uh, listener questions. Uh, so we posted in the ridership that you were gonna be coming on, and so we had some folks asking questions there. Probably the biggest one that came up was, um, talking about, you know, we've, uh, Craig and I brought up the rule of 1 0 5 or 5% on the podcast before, but, you know, citing, citing it, it's not a deep understanding, uh, at all. So tell us about how that emerged in. How it applies. Um, you know, particularly in the gravel scene where you're looking at tires that are much bigger. Um, and I mentioned, uh, earlier that, you know, specialized as a video for their reval wheels where they're running a a 42 mill tire on i, I think a 35 or less external rim, and they're claiming some arrow benefit. Does that seem plausible? Is there, uh, given, given, given what you have seen in the wind tunnel and in your modeling? [00:58:41] Josh: Yeah. Um, yeah, it's totally plausible and I guess, we'll, we'll start with rule of one. Oh, so rule 1 0 5 was really, you know, I, I realized pretty early in my career that you had to come up with sort of rules of thumb for things or nobody would listen to you Mm-hmm. and, you know, spent two years traveling Europe trying to sell Arrow. Sell World Tour or pro tour at the time, uh, directors and team owners on aerodynamics and you know, I mean literally got thrown out of every single team, team over there. Uh, I mean, it was just, we just got laughed out of the room. Just imagine [00:59:20] Randall: any of those team directors could have just adopted it at that time and had this huge advantage and didn't, [00:59:26] Josh: uh, that was, I mean, I always said, you know, Uli at srm, thank God, you know, he was developing his thing. And when I walked in to pitch Reese, um, he was alrea

Ephesians 3:14-21 is a prayer for spiritual strength. It follows Paul's discourse on doctrine and precedes his section on practical application. Paul knows the believer can live with a head full of knowledge and a shriveled heart. He also knows trying to live the Christian life in our own strength is futile. So, after the doctrine discourse and before the practical application section, Paul prays that our inner being will be filled with Jesus. Paul's prayer has four requests: • Spiritual Strength (Eph 3:16) • Deeper Experience with Jesus (Eph 3:17) • Grasping God's Great Love (Eph 3:18) • Experiencing the fullness of God (Eph 3:19) Today's Focus: A Deeper Experience with Jesus (Eph 3:17) In Christ, we are: • Significant • Secure • Accepted • Forgiven • Empowered In Ephesians 3:14-17a, Paul prays that the believer may be “strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith….” Positionally, Jesus lives in us. The Holy Spirit—the third Person of the Trinity—is the Spirit of the Father and the Son and takes up residence in our hearts. Jesus lives in us through the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-20; Romans 8:8-11). In this prayer, Paul addresses the experience of that reality. “Dwell” means “to live or dwell in a place in an established or settled manner.” It means settling down and feeling at home. Paul's prayer is for the believer to experience the fullness of Jesus in us. Some questions for evaluating our “experience” with Jesus: Is Jesus “at home” with my EYES? (Luke 11:34-36; Ps 119:37) Is Jesus “at home” with my THINKING? (Phil 4:8) Is Jesus “at home” with my AMBITION? (Phil 2:3-8) Is Jesus “at home” with my TONGUE? (Ps 34:12-14; 39:1) Go to ronmoore.org for guided prayers from Scripture to recharge your inner being (See 3 Minutes with Jesus) DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOORE Get Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo. LIVING GROUNDED Learn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact gdevore@biblechapel.org to get connected. CAREGIVING Do you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org. CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPS You're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side. FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUP Community Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!

On this episode of Talking Buffalo Podcast, we finish a series examining the best 10 Buffalo Bills players of all-time, position by position. Rather than spend four episodes dropping the final four positions to cover, we're jamming linebackers, cornerbacks, safeties and special teamers into one and rather than do these solo, Patrick Moran is joined by Joe (@BuffaloWins) for insight on the lists. After finishing off the four remaining positions Patrick goes back to the previous ones and they review them all. Here's a spoiler alert----Joe quite often disagrees with how players are ranked at each position and bickering frequently ensues. Among players strongly argued for or against their positioning include Jerry Hughes, Phil Hansen, Donte Whitner, Brian Moorman, Willis McGahee and Jason Peters. They guys also spend time at the end discussing the wildly popular Netflix series Stranger Things. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran/Talking Buffalo Podcast  Twitter:  @PatMoranTweets. Facebook: Talking Buffalo Podcast  YouTube: Talking Buffalo Podcast YouTube Channel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Romans: Romans 8:9a-The Christian Is Not In Bondage To The Sin Nature But Rather In Subjection To The Authority Of The Spirit-Lesson # 250

Romans: Romans 8:9a-The Christian Is Not In Bondage To The Sin Nature But Rather In Subjection To The Authority Of The Spirit-Lesson # 250

Positionally, the believer has died and been raised with Christ. Practically, we remain trapped in our human flesh. Sin's penalty has been removed, but sin's power is still real as we struggle with sin on a daily basis. Therefore, we must mortify the sins of our flesh.

Positionally, the believer has died and been raised with Christ. Practically, we remain trapped in our human flesh. Sin's penalty has been removed, but sin's power is still real as we struggle with sin on a daily basis. Therefore, we must mortify the sins of our flesh.

We are in week four of our series, Sit, Walk, Stand, where we are looking at the position, practice and power of those who are in Christ. Positionally we are seated with Christ in heavenly places. In practice we are to walk, or live in such a way that brings honor and glory to the name of Jesus. And we are to stand in the power of that name above all names, Jesus, who's incomparable power is at work in us to stand in faith until the end.

We are in week 3 of our series, Sit, Walk, Stand, where we are looking at the position, practice and power of those who are in Christ. Positionally we are seated with Christ in heavenly places. In practice we are to walk, or live in such a way that brings honor and glory to the name of Jesus. And we are to stand in the power of that name above all names, Jesus, who's incomparable power is at work in us to stand in faith until the end.

Slideshow for this message is available We live in a culture that has completely lost it's bearings. Everybody is searching for answers. It doesn't matter if your liberal or conservative, democratic or republican, rich or poor. Nobody is looking at the world and giggling with glee saying, this is playing out EXACTLY as I had hoped. We have unity over one thing: This is not utopia. And everybody is trying to fix it in their own way. Everybody is trying to suggest solutions to the problem. And when one way doesn't work, the next person will swing to the other violent extreme. So Trump says, let's build a wall and keep everyone out. And then Biden says, let's tear down the wall and let everyone in. Trump says, let's build a pipeline and fill it with oil. Biden comes along and says, let's drain the pipeline and shut it down. Everyone is trying to fix the world. But you want to know why nobody can fix it. There's a really, really obvious reason for this. It's so obvious that nobody ever even dare bring it up. Why can nobody fix the problem? Let me give you an analogy to point this out. Let's say I were to bring you up to this machine: And I said to you, “This machine is totally broken. Can you fix it for me?" What's the first thing you would do before you picked up a screwdriver, an allen wrench, anything.” You'd ask a question, wouldn't you. And what question would you ask? What is it supposed to do? Fixing something means restoring it back to it's original design. What's the design? I need to know what it's supposed to do before I can tell what's broken. As you begin inspecting it, you notice, wow, this part is really hot. Maybe it's supposed to be hot. Maybe that's a sign that it's broken? Anybody know what this machine does? This is a machine that makes tea bags. Who would have guessed?! So when we talk about fixing the brokenness in the world we have to ask the same question. What's the intended design? If there is a design then every part has a purpose. What is the function of the family? What role does the family play in the machine? Why is there such a thing as gender? Are there specific roles that these genders are to fill? If you can't answer these sorts of questions, how could you ever know if you even fixed it? We certainly can't rip that cog out of the machine and expect it to function. So what is wrong with the world? A lot of us answer that question the way the nation of Israel did in chapter 12. Well, I don't know what the ideal form is, but I FOR SURE know this isn't right. I know for certain that removing the boot of Rome from my throat is a good start. All I know is that if we change this, we are moving in the right direction. And Jesus hears that and weeps. Would that you have known the way of peace, but it is hid from your eyes. All your doing is exchanging a broken driveshaft for a broken piston. All you've done is swapped out a heart that's got clogged arteries for a heart that's got broken valves. Chapter 12 was Jesus lamenting that they got the formula for peace completely wrong. Chapter 13 is included to give God's formula for peace. Chapter 13 is the design. Chapter 13 is the solution. You want to know what makes for peace. Let me show you. Chronology Now, two introductory remarks before we begin. This is the rather well-known, foot-washing passage. First we need to make a chronological observation and get our bearings as to where we are in the story. John 13 opens with this sentence. You know in your Bible's you have these headings that tell you what the next paragraph is about. This sentence really serves as a heading for John chapter 13-17. Everything that happens in these next 4 chapters happens in the upper room during that last passover meal. In terms of advancing the story chronologically, the gospel writer is really stepping on the brakes here. Another thing to note is that John in his gospel jumps from Sunday to Thursday. To illustrate this I'm going to show you this harmony of the gospels. And let me walk you through what you are seeing here. Jesus rides into Jerusalem on Sunday. On Monday you have the interchange with Greeks. But look at all his material that John leaves out. He goes straight from Sunday to Thursday. So just keep in mind that a lot has happened since the triumphal entry. There's been a lot of interaction on the temple mount. And again, look at where we are going. Notice that John is the only one who records all this dialog that happens in the upper room. For the next several chapters the chronology is not going to advance at all. We are going to camp on this conversation that's happening in the upper room that fateful passover night. Judas That's our first introductory remark. Now our second introductory remark is about the passage itself. Some of you are in the Bible Study Methods class and you've been learning how to OBSERVE the text. That's what a good student of the Bible does. He observes the text. He's a detective of what's there. Here's what I have observed this week. Notice with me how CENTRAL Judas is to this whole foot-washing passage. When I first began studying the passage this week, before I opened a commentary, before I started writing, this just really popped out. It was almost like I had never read the story. In John's telling of the story Judas is obviously central. Now I want you to just see this in the text with me. It begins with it, it's in the middle and it ends with it. The entire passover meal is setup with this explanation: After this interchange where Peter says, “Lord you shouldn't wash my feet.” Then he bounces to the other extreme, “Wash all of me.” Jesus says, no you don't have to do that. Then after that, he says, “You follow my example.” Now here's the point. Don't you think this is telling us something about the way John wants us to read the narrative? Of course. He's creating a contrast. Jesus just rode into Jerusalem as the promised, Messiah. He's God in the flesh. He has all the power of the universe at his disposal. Chapter 12 the crowds want Jesus to use His power to destroy the enemy. Instead, Chapter 13 Jesus uses His power to serve the enemy. Chapter 12 the crowds chant, “The way to crush the enemy is to overpower them and make them our servants.” Chapter 13 Jesus kneels and says, “The way to crush the enemy is to love them and make yourself a servant.” Chapter 12 is a battle plan for how to revolt against enemy. Chapter 13 is a service manual on how to love the enemy. Jesus rides into Jerusalem to the wild-eyed shouts of the crowds, “Would that you had known the things that make for peace. But they are hid from your eyes.” Chapter 13 is that way of peace. What is the way of peace? Love. It's 13:1, Jesus loved perfectly, everyone down to even his enemies, all the way to the end. That end could either refer to the uttermost, or to the end of his life. Either way, it's massive. It's complete. That's how this whole section begins. Love. And I think understanding the central role of Judas in this narrative really colors the way we read this text. Because the point of the story is not to get down and wash your best friends feet, or do a foot washing at a wedding when you are all googly eyed in love with one another. The point is to wash the feet of those who hate you. The point is to wash the feet of those who have deeply betrayed you and hurt you at the core of who you are. Wash the feet of Rome. Wash the feet of Biden. Wash the feet of the Taliban. Wash the feet of the Judas' in your life. So I know some of you are squirming right now and saying, “Man, I wish you would have told me this was going to be the topic of the message today, because I would have skipped today.” I don't have much sympathy for you. I had to write the message. This is what we need folks. We need this. You claim to want peace in the world? This is what we need. Now this act of foot-washing, this humility of Christ, is going to teach us four things. Let's begin in chapter 13 verse 2. Let's consider the act of foot-washing itself. It's not a familiar concept at all in our culture. There is no doubt whatsoever, that culturally speaking this was a task reserved for the very lowest in the social structure of the day. You don't have to imagine why. It's gross to wash dirty feet. Plus, feet are kind of gross in general. I have never met anyone with beautiful feet, except my wife. And I'm not joking. She has really beautiful feet, which I know is weird, but it's true. Who wants to wash someone else's feet? Nobody. It was so demeaning that some Jews insisted that Jewish slaves should not be required to wash the feet of others; this was a job reserved for Gentile slaves. It's understandable that the disciples wouldn't volunteer for this sort of job. In one well-known story in the Mishna, Rabbi Ishmael returned home from synagogue one day and his mother wished to wash his feet but he was appalled and refused on the ground that the task was too demeaning. She took the matter to the rabbinic court on the ground that she viewed the task, in his case, as an honor. It's important to understand that what was offensive was the role reversal. It wasn't the foot washing itself. Given the cultural norms, they probably would have happily washed Jesus' feet (and maybe even had done so in the past) since he was their honored rabbi. But, they couldn't imagine washing one another's feet. And to have Jesus wash their feet. We are talking pure scandal, disgrace, shock, humiliation, even degradation. I spent a lot of time trying to think of a parallel example in our culture. And it's really hard because we are not a class based society. Here's my best attempt. Imagine walking into WinCo and you accidentally knock a bottle of juice off the shelf and the glass shatters, you feel bad and you might even have this deep impulse to clean it up, but let's say you are on the way to an evening dinner event. I'm in my dress clothes." I don't have any of the supplies. You're thought is, “Where's the person whose job it is to do this sort of work.”** And when they come, you aplogize and you thank them. After all, that's their job. Culturally, I think it would have been very similar. It's not that you are so incredibly proud and arrogant you would never wash someone's feet. It's just that the roles were so established. It's just not your job. But Jesus shatters that. Imagine that scenario. You're in WinCo with Jesus and you see Jesus sprinting into the back room, changing out of his suit into some work coveralls, coming out and mopping it up for you. How would you feel? Oh, man, I should at the minimum be cleaning up after myself. This is not HIS job!? And further Jesus rushes to the manager of the store and pays him $10 bucks for the lost product and apologizes for his party of disciples. Jesus, this is not fitting? This doesn't feel fitting to me. There's a lot of embarrassment. There's shame in it that you didn't think of it first. So hopefully this analogy can help you understand the way it would have felt. But we aren't quite done. This first point is that Jesus' humility in washing his disciples feet was the ultimate act of LOVE. Why love? Get this: To envision the scene accurately we need to fill in the details we get from Luke 22. If we harmonize the gospel accounts we can discover where this takes place in the Passover ceremony. So right after he breaks the bread he then passes the cup and introduces what we celebrate as communion Luke 22 So that symbolism would have been pretty rich for Jesus. He's thinking of his own broken body. He's looking at the dark red wine and imagining his own blood poured out. And he has just revealed that he is about to be betrayed. What is the proper response here? I'm about to die. One of my best friends is about the betray me. How should a normal human being respond? Sympathy. Compassion. Empathy. What? Jesus, how can I help? Is there anything I can do to stop this from happening? But instead, can you even believe this, this is what they start talking about. Can you imagine the pain in Jesus heart at this moment. The stabbing injury to his soul. Three and a half years of discipleship and this is what we get? I'm hours away from taking the sin of the world upon my shoulders. I'm hours away from nails through my wrists and feet and thorns on my head and a spear in my side and they are arguing about who gets shotgun. Have you ever been in that situation where you let someone know about your suffering and then they turn it on themselves. You call your husband, “Honey, I'm really sick today.” and he replies with annoyance, “Oh, great, now I have to cook dinner.” Or you come home from work after having been unjustly chewed out by your boss for the last 45 minutes, “Man, I have had the worst day in the world at work.” Yeah, I can tell because your 15 minutes late." That hurts. That's really unkind. How does love react in moments like these? “Honey, I'm really sick today.” Oh, great, now I have to cook dinner. No, I already cooked it and it's on the stove for you. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know if there's anything else you need before I head to bed. Jesus is being betrayed by Judas and the disciples are bickering and letting selfishness devour them and in genuine love, he disrobes and washes their feet. That's love folks. Foot washing peer to peer was done on occasion and it would have been interpreted as an act of tremendous love. From rabbi, to student? It would have been so over-the-top, so lavish. There were probably a few murmurs and whispers and then just silence. And you can hear the water dripping of the rag into the bucket. You can hear the uncomfortable shifting, knuckles cracking, biting fingernails and people touching their face in awkward ways. It's the confrontation of love. You've been trapped where all you can do is just receive the love of Jesus. It's embarrassing, instructive, rebuking and endearing all at once. It's love the love of God poured out upon us. Now we get further insights here into how this was being interpreted by the disciples. Doubtless all of the disciples were extremely embarrassed by these proceedings. For most of them, their embarrassment bred silence; for Peter, it meant he had to object. The construction in the Greek indicates that Peter is indignant. Are YOU going to wash MY feet? But Peter is totally ignorant of so many things. The foot-washing is WAY more than just an act of service it's a symbol of salvation. You see we are dirty. Jesus says, those feet have no place in my kingdom. Unless I wash you, you have no part with me. Unless the Lamb of God has taken away a person's sin, and has washed that person, he or she can have no part with him. So in one sense this foot washing represents salvation. Now on an initial take, Peter's next words seem really appropriate. That seems commendable. If it's a good thing to be washed by Jesus, then don't stop with my feet. Wash everything. But Jesus isn't impressed. He corrects Peter. This whole drama is a comedy of rebukes. Jesus rebukes the disciples by washing their feet. Jesus then Rebukes Peter for refusing to be washed. Jesus rebukes him again for requesting to be overly washed. Why this rebuke? What's wrong with what Peter said? Here's my take: Peter, in jumping to this grand cleansing, was actually bypassing the specific cleansing. Theologically speaking, the atonement, this grand, ultimate cleansing for all our sins has to be individually and specifically applied. Every one of our specific sins needs to be addressed. There's no such thing as a blanket cleansing. In fact, it can be the case that the request for blanket cleansing is actually pride dressed up in humility. Because what is Peter wanting? We can't know for sure, but perhaps he's wanting to be in control. Perhaps he's wanting to be one step ahead of the game. He's wanting to avoid the humiliation. What can I do to save face here? If I can demonstrate my extreme humility above everyone else, then I will have gained something in this interaction. My read on this is that it's the same problem as someone who has wronged you and they say, "Sorry for every bad thing I've ever done to you in all places at all times in all circumstances. It just doesn't sit right. Let me show you how willing I am to confess by confessing every sin I've ever done. In terms of the actual words, sure, it's a grand confession, but at a heart level, it's an avoidance of the specific injury. It's an evasion mechanism. If we dissect it, it's actually an evidence of pride. Same thing here. Peter subconsciously may be thinking, I want to show you how holy I am by asking you to wash all of me. Peter, you're not holy. You're dirty. Positionally, you are clean. Practically, you are dirty. Let's talk about these dirty feet. Let's apply grace to this specific failure. But you have to humble yourself to receive it. Now here's our second reference to Judas. It's sandwiched in between. And the simple point here is that this positional cleanliness does not apply to one of them. Washed Judas may have been; cleansed he was not. So let's review our points. Jesus' humility was the ultimate display of love, symbol of salvation and example to follow. Now Jesus is going to explain himself. Now there's a huge point to make here folks. Huge. Jesus is saying this is the example to follow. Remember, "Would you have known the things that make for peace but now they are hid from your eyes." What is hidden from their eyes? The way of peace. To love and serve those who have been selfish IS the WAY OF PEACE. To wash the feet of the one who has taken your hurt and made it about them. To take off the outer garment and serve. That is the way of peace not just for Israel, not just for Jesus, but for ALL OF US. You see, here's something that is becoming increasingly powerful to me as I read the Scriptures. There is a difference between agreeing and doing. It's one thing to say, “It's a really great idea to give deeply to the Lord from their earnings. You know, that widow who gave her penny. Man, she did a good thing.” It's one thing to say that. It's another thing to, out of the scarcity of your own resources, give deeply to the Lord. That difference is massive. And Jesus is wanting us to move out of MERELY agreeing that it's a good idea to wash one another's feet to DOING it. Jesus is warning us about being mere learners about who he was. That's not the goal. The goal is not to study and understand Jesus. The goal is to become like Jesus. Until we do what Jesus did we haven't really changed. We haven't really become. Jesus was a teacher but that wasn't his goal. He wanted that teaching to pass into your living. The evidence that you have become like Jesus is that you serve like Jesus. That act of obedience in and of itself changes you. Now, let me issue an incredible warning here. There is a way to serve that is not serving. There is a way to love without loving. There is a way to even further the injury by ‘serving'. You could imagine someone saying to themselves, you know what I'm going to do, “I'm going to go do something kind for my enemy." And they go do that kind thing but they don't have Jesus washing his disciples feet in their mind. Instead they have in their mind,”Heaping burning coals on his enemies head." And they just imagine those coals burning into their hair. That's not what that passage means and that's not love. That's hate. That's sin. It's not love to wish someone else's hurt. It's not love to keep a record. Not only have you hurt me, but I've done nice things to you. Now you really, really owe me. My kindness has put you even further in my debt. You are so deeply indebted to me, you may as well be my slave. No the Bible calls that bitterness that needs to be repented of. The Bible is calling us to true kindness. Notice there is a reward attached to this obedience. Blessed are you if you do them. You know what that word blessed means? It means happy. It means fulfilled. For the joy set before him he endured the cross. That verse is describing Jesus' emotional state right here. Where does that joy come from? From serving. Now here's one last final point. The kingdom is always filled with reversals. To go up you must go down. To be rich you must give it all away and here we learn that conquering power is found in kneeling service. So after encouraging his disciples to wash the feet as he had washed, he said. What does it mean here when Jesus says, “I am telling you this now before it takes place that when it does take place you may believe that I am he." Many of he commentators that I read think that it's the predictive quality of the statement that will cause them to believe. Like if I were to say to you,”Tomorrow at noon, there will be an unforeseen solar eclipse. And the reason, I'm telling this to you now is so that when it happens, you will know I am a prophet of God." In that situation, it would be the predictive nature of the claim that would cause you to believe. I don't think that's what's going on here. Certainly, that would be part of it. But I think Jesus is pointing to the absurdity of the acts of kindness in the face of known betrayal that would cause them to believe. In other words, Jesus, you knew he was going to betray you and you still washed his feet? How could anyone love like Jesus loved knowing what he knew. This man must be from God! In other words, as they lived that future betrayal, they would look back with amazement and they would appreciate with exponential levels of awe the love from that evening. Jesus why did you do that? How could you have done that? In just a few hours Judas would betrayed Jesus to the Romans, and they would see Judas smiling wrily behind the protection of the Roman garrison. And I think every disciple there must have just steamed with hatred. I think their eyes would be glowing red with rage. How dare you. How dare you. How could you. I mean Peter drew his sort and cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest named Malchus. I mean there's no way to prove it, but I can't help but wonder if it was Malchus who was between Peter and Judas and Peter's drawn sword was meant for the betrayer. If there was anyone on planet earth they hated, and I mean TRULY hated in that moment, it was Judas. Jesus, you knew? You knew he was going to do this? And you washed his feet? Certainly, he must be the son of God. You see what's going on here is the display of ultimate power. Power in physics is defined as work. It's work done over time. The more work that is done, the more power. So harder things, would be things that require more work and therefore, more power. Is it harder to take revenge or is it harder to forgive? Is it harder to shoot and enemy or serve an enemy? You see, there's power here. Tremendous power. Jesus is saying to us this morning, “If you want to be greatest in my kingdom, then be the servant of all. Jesus came not to be served but to serve and give his life a random for many. That is the gospel. We have been called to receive the service of Jesus. You must receive it. And then we have been called to give service to others in that same way.”

Special service on Saturday October 23, 2021.

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1258/29 How do I break up with someone when it seems so hard? Are we only positionally or judicially forgiven? How do I experience true joy? Is once saved, always saved actually true?

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) 17 So we people are more or less going after gifts instead of the Giver. See? We must come back to the place where… You're wonderful people, but you must come back first. And the key that unlocks the door to everyone… We've left the key and rushed for the door. So when you get there, you find out the door don't open, because you haven't got the key. Oh, I've often said this, that in my world travels, I've found two different classes of people: One of them is the fundamentals, the group that I come out of: Baptists. Positionally, they know where they are, but they haven't got much faith with it. And then the other is Pentecostals. They got a lot of faith, but don't know who they are. It's just like a man's got money in the bank, and he don't know how to write a check; and the other man hasn't got no money in the bank, yet he can write a check. If you could get the two together you'd have it. Now, what the church is lacking is Divine love. I don't mean affectionate love for one another. I mean the Agapao love, the godly love. And have it so richly in your heart until you just love the Lord and everything… You just take His Word for it. You don't mistrust Him. 18 My wife is setting present. When we were married, I took her to be my wife, and promised to live faithful to her until death separated her; and she promised—separated us; and she promised the same to me. Now, it isn't a law. When I leave and go overseas, or somewhere, and be away a long time, I don't have to go say, “Now, Mrs. Branham, I'm going to lay down the law to you. While I am gone, I don't want you flirting with any other husband, and I don't want you doing so-and-so.” I don't say that. Now, she doesn't come to me and say, “Mr. Branham, and then I'll tell you. You'll not flirt with any other wives, and you mustn't do this or that.” We don't think that. We just love each other. When I get ready to go, we kneel in the room and take hold of each other's hands and raise the other hand to God, and say, “Thank you, Father, for being so kind to us and for helping us. And now we must separate because You said, ‘If you won't forsake wife, children, and all, and cleave after Me, you're not worthy to be My disciple.' And now, Father, no matter what I would do, I'm still not worthy to be Your disciple, but this is such a little thing that we can do, but we're willing to do this little thing to—for love, that we have for You, as we know You have for us.” 19 When we get through praying, I kiss her good-bye and say, “Good-bye, sweetheart.” She'd say, “Good-bye, I'll be praying for you, Billy.” That settles it. There's no “thou shalt not,” and “thou shall,” nothing about it. Now, when I'm out into the field, and when I'm out there… And yet, I would know, and I… She don't have to worry about me. I don't worry about her. As long as I love her the way I do, she'll never have to worry. And as long as she loves me, I'll never have to worry. So we got confidence in each other, as husband and wife, that we love one another, and that just settles it. We don't… We just go on the regular routine of life. 56-0814 - "Divine Love And Sovereign Grace" Rev. William Marrion Branham ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Order your own copy of the Family Altar at http://store.bibleway.org --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ten-thousand-worlds/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ten-thousand-worlds/support

     Freedom is God's ideal for humanity. Slavery is a deviation from God's original design. The first humans enjoyed life and freedom in the garden of Eden. God created them and their world, and He endowed them with the capacity to exercise responsible dominion over the earth (Gen 1:26-28). He also created the garden of Eden, placed them in it, and gave them the task “to cultivate it and keep it” (Gen 2:15). He assigned them to function as theocratic administrators. God's directives provided the framework within which their environment and freedom was maintained. Adam and Eve forfeited their freedom and blessings when they disobeyed God and followed Satan's directive (Gen 2:19-20; 3:1-7). Satan's kingdom of darkness was expanded to include the earth at the time when Adam and Eve fell into sin. Subsequent to the historical fall of Adam and Eve, all people—excluding Jesus—are born “slaves to sin” (Rom 6:6), under “the dominion of Satan” (Acts 26:18), who reigns over his “domain of darkness” (Col 1:13). Spiritual slavery became the norm for Adam and Eve, and new forms of slavery followed.      Human slavery has been around for thousands of years and practiced by the ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. It continued throughout history in regions such as Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the Comanche Indians were known to attack and kill other tribes, steal their land, and enslave some.[1] Slavery was practiced for centuries in Europe, but was formally abolished in Brittan in 1833 and France in 1848. Thankfully, slavery in America was abolished in 1865 with the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. However, slavery continues today with more than 40 million victims worldwide and is practiced in countries such as Afghanistan, Africa, Cambodia, Iran, South Sudan, and Pakistan, just to name a few. The highest concentration of slavery today is found in North Korea.[2] Illegal human trafficking still exists in the U.S. with numbers ranging from 18,000 to 20,000.[3] Modern slavery represents a relational power structure between individuals and groups, as one seeks to control the other for personal gain, and this by means of force. The subject of slavery is extremely complex when one considers it throughout history, as not all slaves were treated the same. Even in America, some slaves gained their freedom, attained relative success, and then purchased slaves themselves. One example was William Ellison, a black slave owner who “was one of about 180 black slave masters in South Carolina at the time, most of whom were former slaves themselves.”[4] Often, we hear the ancient horror stories of forced labor in grueling conditions, rape, and early death. These stories are terrible and true. However, in some instances, slaves enjoyed protection within a family unit, married and raised children, engaged in business, and could purchase their freedom. In certain contexts, slaves had more privileges and benefits than many who were free and poor. Bartchy states: "Under Roman, Greek, and Jewish laws, those in slavery could own property, including other slaves! Some well-educated slaves bought children, raised and educated them, and recovered the tuition costs when selling them to families needing tutors. A slave's property was entirely under the control of the slave, who could seek to increase it for use in purchasing legal freedom and in establishing a comfortable life as a freed person."[5]      In the ancient world, some became slaves when defeated in war, others were illegally kidnapped and made slaves, and many were born slaves. Again, sometimes these served in terrible conditions, whereas others were protected and cared for. In most societies, slaves were purchased to meet household needs, such as making clothes, preparing meals, tilling land, and housecleaning. More educated slaves served as tutors to household children, helping prepare them academically and teaching them social etiquette. It is historically noted that some sold themselves into slavery, and this to secure immediate clothing, shelter, and food, as well as the prospect of future freedom and social and economic advancement. Bartchy states: "Large numbers of people sold themselves into slavery for various reasons, above all to enter a life that was easier and more secure than existence as a poor, freeborn person, to obtain special jobs, and to climb socially…Many non-Romans sold themselves to Roman citizens with the justified expectation, carefully regulated by Roman law, of becoming Roman citizens themselves when manumitted. The money that one received from such a self-sale usually became the beginning of the personal funds that would later be used to enter freedom under more favorable circumstances, e.g., with former debts extinguished. Greek law also recognized the validity of self-sale into slavery, often with a contract limiting the duration of the enslavement. Such sales were frequent in the eastern provinces in imperial times. Temporary self-sale had been known in Jewish circles for centuries. Because of the reputation of Jewish owners for honoring Jewish laws calling for good treatment, many Jews who wished to sell themselves often could not find a Jewish purchaser."[6]      In the OT, slavery was practiced long before Israel became a theocracy after their exodus in 1445 B.C. Joseph was sold by his brothers to Midianite traders (Gen 37:27-28), who sold him to an Egyptian named Potiphar (Gen 37:36). Israel, as a nation, became slaves to the Egyptians (Ex 13:3, 14). Eventually, God liberated His people from their Egyptian captors (Ex 20:2; Deut 6:12; 7:8). But slavery was never abolished as an institution in the ancient world, and Israelites were permitted to purchase slaves from other nations. Moses wrote, “As for your male and female slaves whom you may have—you may acquire male and female slaves from the pagan nations that are around you” (Lev 25:44). Unger states, “The Mosaic economy did not outlaw slavery, which was a universal institution at the time. It did, however, regulate and elevate it, imbuing it with kindness and mercy and, like Christianity, announcing principles that would ultimately abolish it (cf. Lev 25:39-40; Deut 15:12-18).”[7]      Moses addressed a form of slavery in Deuteronomy that refers to a voluntary servitude in which a person worked for a period of six years to pay off their debt (Deut 15:12-18). In this situation, Israelites could sell themselves into the service of another for a period of time to pay off their debt. In addition to their freedom, they were to receive a generous severance package of livestock, grain, and wine, which was intended to jumpstart their own economic independence (Deut 15:12-14; cf. Ex 21:5-6). However, some made the choice to become a lifetime servant, and this occurred from a motivation of love, because their employer had been good and cared for them (Deut 15:16-17). The common Hebrew servant who surrendered his/her freedom to serve another was limited to six years labor and was guaranteed freedom in the seventh year (Deut 15:12-14; cf. Ex 21:1-2). And there were laws that protected slaves. For example, kidnapping for slavery was punishable by death under the Mosaic Law (Ex 21:16; Deut 24:7). If a slave was injured by his owner, the law demanded he be set free (Ex 21:26-27). This law would naturally limit abuse. And the Mosaic Law allowed for an Israelite slave to be redeemed by family (Lev 25:47-49a), or he could redeem himself if he acquired the means (Lev 25:49b-53). Lastly, Israelite slaves would automatically go free in the year of Jubilee (Lev 25:10, 40, 54).      Slavery continued into NT times. There were Christians who were both slaves and slave owners (Eph 6:5-9). Paul wrote, “Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it; but if you are able also to become free, rather do that” (1 Cor 7:21). He then stated, “he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord's freedman; likewise, he who was called while free, is Christ's slave” (1 Cor 7:22). All Christians in the early church, whether slave owners or slaves, were to regard themselves as slaves to Christ. Writing to slave owners at the church in Ephesus, Paul instructed them to “give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him” (Eph 6:9). Paul told Philemon to regard his slave, Onesimus, “no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, as a beloved brother” (Phm 1:16).      Biblically, God does not call for Christians to reform society. This does not mean that societal transformation is not a concern for Christians. It is a great concern. However, we realize true and lasting transformation must occur from the inside out, as people are regenerated through faith in Christ and mature spiritually through learning and living God's Word. Where Christianity prevails in a society, institutions of slavery will naturally dissolve, and freedom will be maintained by a moral and just people. John Adams knew this very well and said, “Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Sadly, we know from Scripture that the majority of people in the world will not accept Christ as Savior (Matt 7:13-14). Therefore, they will choose to live as slaves in Satan's world-system where his philosophies and values will predominate until Christ returns and establishes His kingdom on earth. As Christians, we are called to share the Gospel that people might receive new life and be liberated from Satan's slave-market. If a person rejects Jesus as Savior, then that person chooses to continue as a slave to Satan and his world-system. It's unfortunate, but it's their choice, and it must be respected. We cannot force them to be free.      Slavery to sin is both a positional and experiential reality. Positionally, it means unbelievers belong to Satan and are referred to as his children (Matt 13:38; John 8:44; Acts 13:10; 1 John 3:10). Experientially it means unbelievers are slaves to Satan's philosophies and values which predominate in the world, as well as being in bondage to the sinful passions that spring from the fallen nature. Passions born of the sin nature can lead to various forms of bondage such as alcoholism, drug addition, gambling addiction, power-lust, approbation-lust, etc. Ultimately, unbelievers who reject God's offer of salvation through faith alone in Christ alone (John 3:16; Acts 4:12; 16:31; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5) will spend eternity with Satan and his angels in the Lake of Fire (Matt 25:41; Rev 20:10-15). Sadly, believers, who belong to Christ, can also fall victim to the passions of their sinful nature (Rom 13:14; 1 Pet 2:11; 1 John 2:15-16). Though believers are saved forever (John 10:28-30), they can forfeit their eternal rewards (Matt 5:19; 2 John 1:8). Those who are born again are saved the penalty of sin (John 5:24; Rom 6:23; 8:1), the power of sin (Rom 6:11; 8:13; 2 Cor 5:17), and ultimately the presence of sin (Phil 3:21; 1 John 3:2).      The reality is we are all born into Satan's slave-market of sin and helpless to liberate ourselves (Rom 5:6-10; Eph 2:1-3). But God desires our freedom from Satan's domain, and He sent Jesus into the world to be our Liberator. Jesus was born without sin (2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1 John 3:5), which meant He was born free. Furthermore, He maintained His freedom from Satan's domain by living righteously in the Father's will (Matt 5:17-18; Heb 10:5-8). Finally, Jesus willingly went to the cross and died a death He did not deserve. Jesus said, “For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). He willingly shed His blood on the cross as payment for our sin-debt. Jesus purchased our freedom. Paul told the Christians at Corinth, “You have been bought with a price” (1 Cor 6:20a; cf., 1 Cor 7:23a). Peter said our redemption was not “with perishable things like silver or gold…but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Pet 1:18-19). We can be free from Satan's tyranny if we accept Jesus' payment for our sin, believing He died for our sins, was buried, and raised again on the third day (1 Cor 15:3-4). Our salvation and entrance into the family of God introduces us to the possibility of greater freedoms and blessings, but only if we make good choices according to God's Word and advance to spiritual maturity. Our freedom is protected and maintained when we possess and live morally as God directs.   [1] Native American History, Comanche War Raids, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGA_18W1U0Y [2] Helen Gibson, Modern-Day Slavery by the Numbers, https://lifewayresearch.com/2019/02/07/modern-day-slavery-by-the-numbers/ [3] The Women's Center, https://www.womenscenteryfs.org/index.php/get-info/human-trafficking/statistics [4] University of Richmond, Blacks Owning Blacks: The Story of William Ellison, https://historyengine.richmond.edu/episodes/view/6699 [5] S. S. Bartchy, “Slavery,” ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988), 544. [6] Ibid., 543. [7] Merrill F. Unger, Unger's Commentary on the Old Testament (Chattanooga, TN., AMG Publishers, 2002), 130.    

SUBSCRIBE and Rate 5-STARS!! Topic 1: the Rivals150 2023 rankings have been updated -DJ Wagner Stays No. 1 -Big Move for Omaha Biliew -JJ Taylor, Marvel Allen, Bryson Warren, Tyler Smith, Aaron Bradshaw and Justin Edwards Debut in Top 21 -SC, NC And Va guys in the Top 100 Topic 2: What Positional Traits I Look for When Scouting High Level Guys -Position by position, PG, SG, SF, PF, C Please also SUBSCRIBE to this podcast, rate it 5-stars and leave us a favorable comment about what you liked in the content -- And, if you do enjoy this conversation, please feel free to share it across your platforms. FOLLOW and SUBSCRIBE: Twitter - @JamieShaw5 Instagram - @Jamie_Shaw5 Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcLuZiQvyD9soa___LamwuQ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jamie-shaw4/support

Positionally, we have been made righteous through the finished work of Christ. We must be diligent to guard our heart from that which would undermine our confidence, our love, and our faith.

Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2020.10.30.362772v1?rss=1 Authors: Keenen, M. M., Brown, D., Brennan, L. D., Renger, R., Khoo, H., Carlson, C. R., Huang, B., Grill, S. W., Narlikar, G. J., Redding, S. Abstract: In mammals HP1-mediated heterochromatin forms positionally and mechanically stable genomic domains even though the component HP1 paralogs, HP1, HP1{beta}, and HP1{gamma}, display rapid on-off dynamics. Here we investigate whether phase-separation by HP1 proteins can explain these biological observations. Using bulk and single-molecule methods, we show that, within phase-separated HP1-DNA condensates, HP1 acts as a dynamic liquid, while compacted DNA molecules are constrained in local territories. These condensates are resistant to large forces yet can be readily dissolved by HP1{beta}. Finally, we find that differences in each HP1 paralog's DNA compaction and phase-separation properties arise from their respective disordered regions. Our findings suggest a generalizable model for genome organization in which a pool of weakly bound proteins collectively capitalize on the polymer properties of DNA to produce self-organizing domains that are simultaneously resistant to large forces at the mesoscale and susceptible to competition at the molecular scale. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info

Text: Series: Underserved Grace [slide]Scripture: Titus 2:1-8 [main]; Psalm 19:1-4, 7-11; John 1:1-5; 14; John 14:6; James 1:22; 2 Tim 2:2s; 1 John 1:9 ; Romans 1:16-32; 2 Tim 3:1-5Title: Truth: God Revealed It. We Teach It.Time outGreg McKeown says on his podcast that the COVID-19 pandemic is like God putting us in time out so that we will think about our unhealthy lifestyles and that we will discipline ourselves to live better more essential livesWe live in a fallen world. A Romans 1-world. A 2 Timothy 3-world. (Romans 1:16-32; 2 Tim 3:1-5)Kristie Anyabwile Spoke about being a Titus 2 woman in a Romans 1 world.The Main Thing“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” Keith EitelBottom line:•When we see God as he truly is, it reveals to us how we are to live. [Principle]•When we see God as Truth, we teach it with character and competency so that God's people live good, godly lives. [slide]Most people are blind to the truth. That's why they don't teach it.Disciple Triangle: Word, way, works (information, imitation, innovation) [slide]“Root to Fruit” is another way of saying let's start with God and end with us.1.Who is God in this passage? What has he done?1.God is truth. (John 14:6)2.God has revealed himself to us through1.General revelation (Psalm 19:1-4, 7-112.Special revelation:1.Written word (Psalm 19:7-11; John 1:1-5)2.Living word (John 1:14)2.Who am I in light of this? What do I get to do as a result? As1.A teacher (Leader). As a teacher of God's word:1.Teach what is appropriate for sound doctrine.2.Teach to others so they'll teach others.[slide], baton [prop]3.Teach as an example:1.Always learning (disciple = learner) [slide]2.Teach say/don't say. TELL3.Teach by what you do/don't do. SHOW4.Teach to do, not just know.1.“Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves—do what it says!” James 1:22 NIV2.Parable of 2 houses. Matt 7:24-272.A student (Learner, Disciple). Someone learning with others how to follow Christ as he seeks and saves the lost.3.A lost person (Ignorant person). I need God's word revealed to me by someone else.1.I am lost without the revealed word of God seeking and saving me as one who is lost.2.The Church is God's holy search and rescue team for the blind. The Church is on the front lines of the expanding kingdom of God.3.What does this look like practically?1.Leaders/teachers teaching/training other leaders and learners the word.2.Older generations teaching/leading younger generations the word.3.The word = “What is appropriate for sound doctrine” or “healthy teaching” [at ease vs dis-ease]4.What does this look like effectively?1.Revival. Revival is when repentance and faith of the God's people catches on so profoundly that it sweeps through a community of faith and overflows into the surrounding community of the lost.So, we're going to finish up this message differently than normal.God is holy. That means his children are holy.•Positionally, declared righteous.•Practically, being sanctified towards holiness.This process called sanctification is the process of us repenting and believing over every unholy thought, word and action that God brings to mind. We repent of the lies we're believing and embracing once again the truth of God's revealed word.So what I will do is read through the description of what God's people are supposed to look like character-wiseSo that we can repent where appropriate.I will read this passage as a prayer of confession, repentance and faith. I ask you to pray along with me repenting as you need to. After this, you'll be invited to come forward and continue to repent and believe up front, should you wish to mark this day more strongly. This will happen during the lord's supper.Today is a call to repentance.Really, every Sunday is a call to repentance. Every time the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, we should repent.May God have mercy on us. 1 John 1:9

If you're a Christian, you are a conqueror. Positionally, in Christ, that is what you are. When you know who you are, you'll know what to do, and in Christ, you are a conqueror.

On this week's show, The Wise Investor Group discussed why investors should be prepared mentally for more volatility and also looking for value from a portfolio perspective. Additionally, they talked about fixed income and how simple solutions, like bond laddering, are often more effective than complex ones. Join The Wise Investor Group each week as they provide current market commentary and delve into timely investment topics. To reach Simon Hamilton, call 571-203-1600. We manage investments for our clients. We'd be happy to help you plan your investment goals.

Pastor Andy Davis preaches on Galatians 3:15-22 and explains why the promises of God are superior to the Law of Moses. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT - So, we come this morning to Galatians 3:15-22. We come to what I'm going to call a 'black diamond' passage. So what do I mean by that? Well, you skiers will know what that means, alright? I learned to ski in the center of Massachusetts on a place called Ward Hill in Shrewsbury, it's 220 feet high. That's where I learned how to ski. I learned how to turn, and stop, and start, and all that kind of thing. And a couple years later, I went up to Sugarloaf, Maine, which has the second highest vertical drop east of the Mississippi, 3,000 foot vertical drop. And being a young man, and being ambitious, and thinking nothing could ever harm me, nothing could ever hurt me, I thought, "Never been injured before, why would I be injured now?" I went right to the summit, I'll never forget that. And at the summit, there are all these trails going off, and they were black diamond trails, expert trails. I was like, "No problem. Alright." Vast overestimation of my skiing ability. And so, I chose one trail called Head Wall. It didn't mean much to me at the time. And as I skied it, I started it, I said, "Man, this is easy," forgetting I had 3,000 feet to get down, and I wasn't getting down many of those feet yet. And I came around the bend, and there were a bunch of skiers with their equipment off, and they were stretching out, and they were talking to one another about their strategies, I guess, on how to ski the cliff that was in front of them. What was I doing there? I have no idea. I'm not even sure this is a good illustration, but we'll finish it. I had two choices, at that point. I could take off my equipment, and climb back up to the summit, and in shame, defeat, ride the chair back down to the intermediate level...Or I could just go, and being 19 or 20 years old, I just went. And I basically fell down the mountain. I did not ski it! I was being yelled at by others, who couldn't care less what happened to me, but they were concerned about the snow and what I was doing to the snow…And somehow, I got to the bottom. I spent rest of the day in wise defeat, on the bottom half of the mountain, skiing green circle trails. Those are the intermediate trails. So, what do we do when we come to a complex text in Scripture? What do we do? Do we walk back up to the top of the mountain, take the chair lift down? Or do we, (that's why I said it's not a good illustration), fall down and have no idea what just happened? Can we just set the illustration aside, and then just say, "There are complicated passages of Scripture?" And this is one of them, this is a black diamond passage. The difficulty does not lie in, generally, big picture, what Paul is saying. Generally, what big picture, Paul is saying, "We are saved from our sins by grace alone, through faith in Christ alone. We are saved on the basis of a promise from God, not on the basis of the law from God. We are saved by grace through faith and the promise of Christ." That's what he says. We get that. That's simple, it's straightforward, but Paul says more than that. And that's the issue here, if we're going to go beyond the milk down to the meat, the meat is in the details of what Paul says, and how he argues, and trying to follow in detail, and honor God by speaking this Scripture to us, to try to wrestle with it. That's the challenge. This is a hard passage. For example, how do we understand Paul's seed versus seeds argument here? I'm going to explain why that's actually a really hard... It's hard to see how that's compelling at all, frankly. But if you look even further, which Paul intends to do, it's really very glorious. But it's not obvious, right away, how a collective noun like seed,' we should understand it in the singular, not the plural. That's a challenge. Or secondly, how do we understand the 430-year chronology? Actually, scholars tell us, "It was 645 years from Abraham until the giving of the law," so what's with the 430? What is he saying there? Did Paul make a mistake? Of course not. But how do we understand that? A third, what in the world does Verse 20 mean? You heard it read, Kyle read it, but maybe your minds were flying already, right across it, we don't need to worry about that, but I kinda do. So, Verse 20, it says, "A mediator, however, does not represent just one party, but God is one." And then he goes onto the next verse. What in the world does that mean? How does it add anything to Paul's argument? FF Bruce, a scholar, says, "There are over 300 different interpretations of that verse," which means no one knows what it means. Those are three different... This is a very challenging passage, but what I want to do here, just before we even get into it, is to exhort you to glorify God by thinking deeply about Scripture. Don't be lazy when you come to the Bible. I mean that, seven days a week, just when you have your quiet times as you're reading. Don't shrink back from difficult questions. There is milk in the Word of God, it's true. And it's sweet, and it's nourishing, but there's also meat, and it's strengthening, and it's invigorating, and we need to chew on it, and we need to try to understand it. Why should we make the effort? Why take the journey we're about to take? Why not just say, "God saves by grace and that's all you need to know?" Well, because I think we need to honor the nature of Scripture. Second Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture's God-breathed, and it's useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." So we want to embrace that, we want to go into it, we want to listen carefully and seriously to all Scripture, to understand, "What is God saying to me here? How can I be taught? How can I be rebuked? How can I be corrected? How can I be trained in righteousness?" Oh, God, make me thoroughly equipped for every good work. I want to honor you, oh, Lord. You gave us this Scripture, help me to understand it. And so, we should listen to all Scripture like children listening to a loving Father who's speaking words to us. He's sitting us down and he's speaking earnestly to us. And we need to listen to what he says. So I commend you, Proverbs 2:1-6, listen to those words, "My son, if you accept my words, and if you store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom, and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight, and if you cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver, and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and you will find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding." I want you to pant after truth. I want you to search for it as for hidden silver. So, this morning, shifting the image, we're going to go into the silver mine of God's truth in Galatians 3:15-22. We're going to put on our helmets with the headlamps on, and we're going to get our picks, and our shovels, and we're going to bring some five-hour Energy drinks, I guess, or some energy bars and we're going... We're not going to be here for five hours. Don't worry about that... But we're going to bring towels to wipe the sweat off our face. We're going to work at Scripture. We're going to try to understand it. And I don't know that all of you will get all of what you can out of this text, but you'll get more than you had when you walked in here, and whatever you get, praise God for it. But let's learn to work. Let's honor God, so that we can know him, and love him, and serve him better, and not shrink back from challenging mental strain on Scripture. I. Paul’s Overall Argument: Salvation Covenant Based on Promise Not Law So let's dig in and let's begin by looking, as I've already said, at what I could consider the milk aspect here, Paul's overall argument. This is something anybody can get, and that is Paul is asserting, as he has been doing in Galatians, "We sinners are saved by grace alone, through faith in Christ alone, based on the promise of salvation through faith in Christ alone. That's how we sinners are made right with God." Now, the context of Galatians is that Paul had planted churches in Asia Minor in Galatia, many churches there. And he and Barnabas appointed elders in every church with prayer, and fasting, and then left. Because he was a circuit-riding, kind of trailblazing, church planting apostle, and he wasn't going to stay there. He entrusted those churches to the elders. But sometime after that, some Jewish so-called believers in Christ came along. They're called by scholars 'the Judaizers.' They're not called that in the Bible, but they're the Judaizers, and they were trying to mix together the achievement of Christ on the cross with the law of Moses. Trying to put it together in a toxic brew of salvation, recipe in which faith in Christ alone is not enough. You must add to it, obedience to the law, and it begins with circumcision, and then it follows along the tracks of the Jewish Law, the dietary regulations, and all of those things. And that if you hold these two things together, you'll be saved from your sins. So, Paul writes Galatians, because he is deeply alarmed at what's happening in these churches he planted. And he says, "That is no Gospel at all. And let anyone who preaches anything other than the Gospel we commended to you, let him be eternally condemned." Very serious about that. And so, he's very plain in Galatians 2:16, as to what saves us. What is our salvation? And he says it, "We know that a person is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So, we too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by observing the law, because by observing the law, no one will be justified." That's very plain. So that's Galatians 2:16. He says it very, very clearly, "We are justified, we are made right with God. We sinners, made right with God, simply by faith, not by obeying the law." Now, in Chapter Three, he's trying to prove that to them and he begins in verses 1-5 by citing their own example. What happened with them? "Do you remember how it was when I came to Galatia and preached? Do you remember how you received the Spirit, how I preached the Gospel, you heard, you believed, and the Spirit descended, and you received the gift of the Holy Spirit? Do you remember how that was?" Look at verses 2-3 in Galatians 3, "I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the Law or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish, having begun by the Spirit, are you now perfected by the flesh?" No. So from their experience, what they experienced in the receiving of the Spirit, he then goes even deeper to Old Testament Scriptures, to prove that saints in the Old Testament have always been justified by faith, and not by the Law. He goes right to the first Jew, the father of the Jewish nation, Abraham. And in verse 6, he cites Genesis 15:6 "Consider Abraham, he believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness." That is how we are declared righteous by the imputation of Christ's righteousness. We believe in Jesus and we are declared by the judge of all the Earth to be righteous. Praise God for that. That's the Gospel and that's what Abraham experienced too. And Abraham is not just an example of faith, but he's actually the paradigm example of how sinners are made right with God, but he is also the channel by which the seed, the Savior, comes into the world. So we'll talk about that in a minute, but he is the paradigm example. So we all get saved the same way Abraham did, and we also get saved through Abraham, because of Jesus. And so, in verse 8, it says, "All nations will be blessed through you," Quoting Genesis 12:3. And so he is how all nations get saved. We all get saved the same way and through him. Paul also shows the two different ways to live. You can live by law or you can live by grace. Trusting in your own fleshly exertions in the law or by faith in the promise. So in verses 10-12, he says, "All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written, ' Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the book of the law," Deuteronomy 27:26. So very plainly, if you're trying to be justified by law, you're under a curse already. You're just under a curse, why? Because you have to do all the law, all the time, or you're cursed. And then he goes beyond, in verse 11, "Clearly, no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith," Habakkuk 2:4. The context of Habakkuk 2 is of God's judgment on sinners. If you want to survive that judgment on sinners, you must live by faith. And then verse 12, "The law is not based on faith," it's an entirely different principle. "On the contrary, the man who does these things will live by them," Leviticus 18:5. So these are just two different ways to approach salvation, by faith or by law. That's what he's getting at, and then he resolves all of this so beautifully, as we saw last time in verses 13-14, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. As it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree he redeemed us, in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith, we might receive the promise of the Spirit." Oh, that's so sweet and beautiful. So that brings us up to speed. That brings us right to Verse 15, what's happening now. Well, the Judaizers, Paul senses, very much, that he's in a debate with these enemies of the Gospel, these Judaizers. And he's anticipating what they're going to say back. And he does this incredibly, he does this a lot in Romans, "Now, one of you will say to me, such and such." He's always thinking what someone will say, "What's going to be the reaction?" That's just good teaching. That's good preaching. So Paul is thinking about his enemies in the debate, the Judaizers. And he's saying, "Look, they're going to say, ' Look, alright, fine, we can see too, that Abraham was justified by faith apart from law, because there wasn't a law yet. We concede that to you, okay, but God gave the law through Moses. What are you going to do with that? God did that. So clearly, God intended the law to be part of how it is that sinners are made righteous with him. The law has to be part of the salvation package. So we concede what you're saying about Abraham, but it's not relevant to us, except that we are going to combine Abraham by faith in the promise, and then Moses, in the law, and that's what we [The Judiazers] are saying.'" So Paul is anticipating this. He's thinking, "This is what the Judaizers will say." II. The Superiority of the Promise to the Law (verses 15-18) And so Paul is going to assert that salvation based on a promise is superior to salvation based on the law. And that's what we're looking at in verses 15-18, superior. Why is it superior? I'll tell you quickly why, because God gets the glory, not us, and because we get the security, and the guarantee, and we actually get saved. That's why it's superior. If salvation had been by the law, zero people would have been saved, and that's why it's superior. But let's look at what he says in verses 15-18. And he begins by taking an example from everyday life, and he's going to zero in on this idea of a covenant set up based on the promise. Abraham was the basis of the covenant, was a promise, or really, you could say, an array of promises made to Abraham. It's based on a promise. Look at verse 16, "The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed." And again, verse 18, "If the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise, but God in His grace, gave it to Abraham through a promise." So there, it's established. The covenant with Abraham was set up on the basis of a promise. Now, that's already been established in verse 6, as we already said, "Consider Abraham, he believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness." What did he believe? He believed the promise spoken by God. "Salvation based on a promise is superior to salvation based on the law. … Because God gets the glory, not us, and because we get the security, and the guarantee." Now, the background, of course, are an array of promises spoken by God. You remember how God called Abraham (at that time named Abram), out of Ur of the Chaldees? He said "Leave your country and your people, go to a land I'll show you." And then he says this, listen to all these promises, it's just a river of promises, "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing, and I will bless those who bless you. And whoever curses you, I will curse, and all peoples on Earth will be blessed through you." Promise after promise, a river of good things that God's promising to do for Abram. And then, in Genesis 15:1, He says, "Do not fear, Abram, I am your shield and I am your very great reward." He promises him, himself, "I am your reward." And then he goes beyond that, to give him some details of promise. He says, "Come out and look at the starry night sky. Come out of your tent, and look up, and look at all those stars, and count them if you can." Then he speaks this incredible promise, "So shall your offspring be. You're going to have descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky." Abram believed the Lord and it was credited him as righteousness. And then he goes beyond that, in Genesis 15:7, he says, "I'm going to give to you and to your offspring, this land forever." And so, that those are promises. The promise came first, not the law. Sequencing is going to be huge. And also, we know that the promise was based on a unilateral action by God, it's just something God is doing. He said, "I'm going to do this for you." He said, "I'm going to pour out blessing on you, Abraham." And so I like how one pastor put it, or one scholar, he said, "The promises, are of God, saying, 'I will, I will, I will,' The law is God saying, ' Thou shalt, thou shalt, thou shalt,' or, ' Thou shalt not.'" You see the difference? It's like night and day. And so God, unilaterally, is promising to bless Abraham and to give him all of these good things, just out of his grace. Law came later, circumcision came later, all of that. Now, this is a covenant. Now, the argument he's making in Verse 15, is a covenant, once ratified, cannot be changed. So how is this a covenant? Well, you remember in Genesis 15, we've been over it before, I consider Genesis 15 one of the great significant chapters in all the Bible, one of the key moments in redemptive history. Abram, at that point, Abram asks God, "How do I know that I'm going to get all this? How can I know?" So it's an assurance question, "I need some assurance." So God has him sacrifice some animals and make a path, a bloody path with pieces from the sacrificed animals left and right, okay? And then, Abraham waits... he's there for a while, and then a deep sleep, a kind of a eerie thing comes over him, and then God appears in the form of a fire pot. This fire pot symbolizes the presence of God. Now, in a covenant cutting ceremony, and by the way, that's the verb used in Hebrew, you 'cut' a covenant. What do you cut? Well, I think you cut these animals. You cut them up and you make a path. And then, the two of you, you two that are making a covenant, you walk through the bloody path of those pieces. And you are saying to your covenant partner, "So may this happen to me, if I don't keep this covenant," that's what you're saying. But what's so fascinating about Genesis 15, is that God, in the symbolic form of the fire pot, moves through the pieces alone. Two things he's saying by that, first, "This is a unilateral covenant I am making. I'm making it with myself, on your behalf, but it's my covenant." And this is awesome, "May I cease to exist, if I don't keep this covenant." I mean I don't know what more security you could ever have than that. "I will do this. I'm swearing to you that I will do this." Now, listen, God is not going to cease to exist. He's going to keep his covenant promise. Well, that's the covenant that was ratified, it was cut. What Paul's saying is, "You can't change it later." You can't change it. Look at verse 15, "Let me take an example from everyday life, just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that's been duly established, so it is in this case, you can't add to it, you can't take from it." So this is an everyday life example. Alright, someone makes a last will and testament, and they get it ratified, and legally, it's a legal document. It's there, it's a will. Imagine, after a person's death, they have the time of the reading of the will, and the executor of the will is a member of the family, and he's crossed out everyone else's name, and wrote his name on every line. Would you be okay with that? Are you alright with that? I'm thinking that's why probate court exists, when that kind of thing happens. And that's going to get thrown out. It got changed after the fact, and this executor wrote his own name in, so he gets the house, and he gets the cars, and he gets the money, or whatever there is. So what Paul's saying is, "We know you can't change a last will and testament later, you can't add to it or take away from it, it's a sealed document, it's done. So it is in this case, only infinitely more significant. You can't add something. So the law that came later doesn't change the covenant of promise. It doesn't change it." Alright, well, let me take another example from everyday life. What would you think of a father who says to his kids, "I'm going to take you, this upcoming week and next week," he says on Monday, "I'm going to take you guys, we're going to go to the beach, no matter what. You haven't been to the beach in a year. We are going together to the beach, so get excited, because we're going to the beach." And then, on Wednesday, he says, "By the way, we're only going to the beach, if you keep these 10 rules right here, okay? You got to do this, you got to do that, you got do that." I think that's unjust. Now, some of you parents may be being convicted right now, so don't do that. When you make an unconditional promise, keep it unconditionally. You'll be damaging your kid's ability to understand the Gospel. How weighty is that? So keep your promises. Actually, this week, I asked three of my kids, I said basically, "Do I owe you anything? Have I made any promises to you I haven't kept?" I wanted to know and none of them could come up with anything, so that's good. But just whatever you promise, keep. Do you not see how the law coming later would nullify the promise? You say, "No, it's still there. I'm still promising to take you to the beach, but you have to keep these... " Well, the thing is, you don't need the promise, at that point, you see. Then it's just a simple condition of blessings and curses, "Keep the law. This is the blessing you get." It's just straight law, at that point. The promise has been invalidated, it's gone. And that's what happened with the Judaizers. Do you now see it? For them, trying to combine promise with law, it just doesn't work. Basically, promise goes away and all you have, at that point, is law. So we have the immutability of the promise of God and that's awesome. God has promised us heaven, Amen. He has made a promise, "I will receive you. You will sit at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And nothing can stop that, so just be happy, rejoice, sorrowful maybe, but always rejoicing." Why? Because of this, because God's made us a promise in Christ and he will keep that promise. Secondly, he says the covenant with Abraham was made ultimately with Christ. Ultimately, God made his covenant with Christ. When he says, "Seed," God was thinking about Jesus. And this is pretty difficult here, this is rough sledding, but let's try it. Verse 16, "The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scriptures do not say "And to seeds," meaning many people, but, "And to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ." So simply put, let me just tell you what I'm going to say about this. All of God's promises through Abraham or whatever promises there are to the people of God, are in Christ, all of them. They are, "Yes," and, "Amen," in Jesus. We get everything through Christ. That's the simple straightforward teaching. But how does he prove it? Now, that's where we go black diamond, suddenly. It's difficult to follow his logic here. How he's handling the Scripture. He's saying, fundamentally, "The salvation promise was made in light of the work of Christ on the cross and the empty tomb." The problem comes with something known as a collective noun. Okay, a collective noun. A collective noun is a noun that could be either singular or plural. 'Seed' or offspring is such a noun, sometimes it can be plural, sometimes it can be single, and then we have to try find out from context which it is. Another good example would be hair. Hair is a collective noun. Suppose I said to you, "I want you to cut off your hair and give it to me." And for some reason, you decided to do that, and you came back bald as a bowling ball, and you handed me all your hair in a bag. And I said, "No, no, no, I didn't say 'hairs,' meaning many. I said 'hair,' meaning one." Wouldn't you feel a little... I mean, that's strange now, that wasn't clear. And that's how this whole argument is based, on that kind of logic. And it's the same in the Hebrew, as it is in the Greek, as it in the English, it's a collective noun. So does Paul have the right to do this? Sometimes you get the feeling with apostles, that they're like ambulance drivers on the rules of the road, and they can just run red lights, and they're fine, because they got the flashing light. Is that what's going on here? Can he do whatever he wants with the Scripture? No, it isn't. What he's doing, is he's just looking deeper than we do. He's looking beyond, to what's actually happening as God's making a promise to Abraham. He understands more about the inter-Trinitarian relationship and what God's actually doing when he makes promises to us. He's going deeper. So first and foremost, the word seed' can, often does, mean something plural. As it says in Genesis 22:17, God says to Abraham, "I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring, or seed, multiply it as the stars of Heaven, and as the sand on the sea shore." That's definitely plural, no doubt about it. If I were a Judiazer, I'd go right to that verse and say, "Wait a minute, it's plural there, no doubt about it." But seed' can mean singular. Like in Genesis 4:25, the word 'seed' (same Hebrew word), just refers to Seth and to Seth alone. In Genesis 21:13, the word 'seed' can refer to Ishmael and to Ishmael alone. It does refer to Ishmael, so it could be singular. So what is Paul saying here? Well, all of God's promises focus on one of Abraham's descendants, not on them all. God is in the habit of taking Abraham's descendants, and choosing one out, and saying, "This one, not that one." And he does that with Isaac and Ishmael, you remember that? He had two sons, Isaac and Ishmael. And he makes it very plain, that though both of them are biologically sons of Abraham, when he says, "Seed," he's meaning Isaac, not Ishmael. He makes it very plain. And he says in Genesis 21:12, "Through Isaac, shall your offspring be named or reckoned." It's a decision God makes, it's election, he's choosing Isaac out, not Ishmael. After Sarah died, Abraham married another woman, Keturah. She had... Abraham had by her, multiple sons: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, Shuah, all these sons. God's saying, "They're all sons of Abraham, but it's through Isaac that the seed of Abraham is reckoned." He's choosing the one right. So he says, a verse later, in Genesis 25:3, "Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac." So that's a symbol of one chosen out of the many. There's just this one seed of Abraham, He's focusing on. Later, in Galatians, we'll see in Galatians Four, he had two sons: The sons of the slave woman, the sons of the free woman. So that's exactly how he's thinking here. God chooses one of Abraham's seed and works through that one, that one, not all the others. So God thinks singular, not plural in these salvation promises. It's the same thing that we see earlier in Genesis 3:15. You remember how Adam and Eve fell at the garden of Eden, and how then, the judgment comes, and then God speaks his Word of judgment to the serpent who represents Satan? And he says in Genesis 3:15, "I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed, " or offspring. Again, collective, but he goes then, singular, "He will strike your head and you will bruise his heel." One seed, now, the woman, she... Adam said, "She would become the mother of all living." So all of us come from the woman, from Eve, but God had one seed in mind, and that seed was who? It was definitely Jesus. Jesus was the serpent crusher and he paid for it with his life, but he crushed the serpent, Amen? And that was that one seed, and so Paul isn't wrong here, he's just saying, When God is thinking seed,' he's not thinking seeds,' meaning many. He's thinking one, and it isn't Isaac, and it isn't Jacob. It's Jesus, ultimately. See, Isaac and Jacob, they're just sinners. They're symbolic. The physical lineage goes through them, that's important, but salvation comes through Jesus. Jesus is the seed. We are a Christ-centered people, Amen? Everything comes to us through Jesus. Just stop and worship Jesus right now. Just, in your hearts, say, "Thank you, Jesus, for all the inheritance you're giving me. Everything I have comes through you. You are the owner of the world." In Revelation 5, he gets the title deed with the Seven Seals of the world, and it's given to Jesus, and he can give it to anyone he wants to. He is the seed. "In Christ," 2 Corinthians 1:20, "All the promises that God have made are, 'Yes,' and, 'Amen.' " And so, in Ephesians 1:3-4 it says, "Praise be to the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the Heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." Do you hear that? "For He chose us in Him, before the creation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight." So we are chosen, we are elected, we are saved in Jesus. He is the seed. The promise comes through Jesus Christ. Next, he argues chronology, he says, "Now, which comes first, the promise or the law?" Clearly, promise first, then a law. And the law, verse 17, "Introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God, and thus, do away with the promise." It's the sequencing, this then that. If you have to be justified by law, then where was the law when Abraham was justified? The law came 430 years later, a long, long time later. And it doesn't nullify the earlier promise. It cannot. It cannot set it aside. Now, he's going to make the same argument, specifically on circumcision, in Romans 4. By the way, the best commentary I have ever read on Galatians is the Book of Romans. Amen? Amen. That's the best commentary. Somebody asked, "What's the best commentary on Galatians?" – Romans. It just is. It's almost like to some degree, some of these themes are pencil sketches in Galatians and they're full oil portraits in Romans. He just goes into great detail. And so he does the same thing on sequencing with circumcision, Abraham, it was spoken. Abraham believed God, it was credited him as righteousness. In what condition was he when he was declared righteous? Was he circumcised or uncircumcised? Well, he was uncircumcised. He was like a Gentile. And circumcision came later, and it doesn't nullify the promise already made to him. It's just for a different reason. Okay? Centuries later, now, what's with this 430 years? Scholars tell us that, Jacob entered Egypt 215 years after this promise had been made. And then, the Exodus happened another 430 years after that." So that means the law was given 645 years after the promise was initially spoken to Abraham. Did Paul make a mistake with the whole 430? No. What he's saying is, that this promise was repeated from father to son, from Abraham to Isaac, and it's stated in Genesis 26, the same promise made to Isaac. And then, again, it's stated to Jacob. That's the last statement of the promise you have in the Book of Genesis. Then, 430 years later, the law comes. So we're following promise. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, then a gap of 430 years, then comes the law. God had already ratified that covenant and does not nullify it at all. So in verse 18, The inheritance is either based on promise or a law. It can't be both. Do you see they're mutually exclusive on this? It's either going to be, unilaterally, "God will save us," or, "You have to earn it yourself, you have to save yourself." You can't mix them. It's either/or. And so verse 18, "If the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise." Do you see that? It's either/or. It's either law or promise, it can't be both. So so much for the Judaizers, who were trying to combine them, you can't. It's law or promise. But God in his grace, gave it to a promise. So basically, what Paul's saying, he's saying, "Judaizers, God is against you. God intends to grace us with salvation." Amen? Just give it to us freely. And by the way, isn't that the essence of an inheritance? Who could ever say, "I deserve to be in your will?" I mean try that sometime with a wealthy relative, alright? "I deserve to be in your will," try that. Look, it just doesn't work that way. Wills... Last will and test... That's always grace, it's a gift. And so God graces us, in verse 18, with salvation. God graces us with an inheritance, "I am your inheritance." And God himself is the inheritance. He's what we get. We get heaven with God. We get to look at the Glory of God. We get to be with God. How can we ever say, "I deserve that. Give it to me. As a matter of law, you owe it to me?" No, it's always going to be by grace. And so, summary, God promised to Abraham, and to his seed, Jesus Christ, an eternal Kingdom with himself as the central blessing, and through faith in the promise of Christ, we become heirs with Abraham. The covenant of salvation depends totally on God, because it is based on a promise. The law could not be added to this ratified covenant. The inheritance does not come from law. "The covenant of salvation depends totally on God, because it is based on a promise. The law could not be added to this ratified covenant. The inheritance does not come from law." III. So Why Was the Law Given at All? (verses 19-22) Then why was the law given? Isn't that what they're going to say? It's like the next thing. Alright "Well, if it's not for salvation, then what was it given for? Why was the law given at all?" Look at verses 19-22, "What then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator." Scratch your head on that one. I didn't even list that as part of the black diamond list. "A mediator, however, does not represent just one party, but God is one. [Verse 21] Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not, for if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law, but the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe." Alright, so the question's asked here, "Why then, was the law given, if not for salvation?" Verse 19 says it directly, "What then, was the purpose of the law?" God descended in fire, in Genesis 15, and made a covenant with Abraham. He came down in fire, in the fire pot. But then later, he came down in fire to the top of Mount Sinai. I don't understand that. God and fire makes a promise covenant. God descends in fire and gives the law, what is he doing then? It is God, right, that gave the law? How do we understand his actions? What is he doing in giving us the law? What is the point of it? The Ten Commandments, we're told in Exodus 32, were the engraving of God's own finger. It's not like God didn't know that this was happening. Moses didn't write this. God wrote the Ten Commandments directly. What was God doing in all that? What was the purpose? Well, the answer Paul gives right here in this verse is, "The law was added because of transgressions, until the seed, the promised seed should come." What does that mean? Well, first, I need to tell you, this is not a complete answer to the purpose of the law. The law actually has multiple purposes in our lives. But we're going to the center of the issue of salvation, on the issue of sinners being made right with God. What is the purpose there? The purpose was, "It was given because of transgressions." Now, that phrase is not incredibly clear. So I think when you're reading a difficult passage and you're trying to understand, "What does this mean, the law was given because of transgressions." Well, what I like to do, is go to a good commentary. I think that's good, don't you agree? Have you guys heard of any good commentaries on the Book of Galatians? Have you heard any? I mean is there one that we can buy? Actually, they're really inexpensive. You can get a whole bunch of commentaries, a whole commentary set for about six or seven bucks. Frankly, most churches will give them to you. As a matter of fact, I'll tell you, on behalf of the elders, if you don't have a Bible, lean forward and there's one, take it home, we'll replace it. The best commentary on Galatians is Romans. Alright? So what does it say in Romans? Well, this is what's going on here. The purpose of the law was to increase the transgression of Adam. That's a head scratcher. You're like, "Wait a minute, I thought God was against sin?" Well, God's more against sin than you can possibly imagine. He hates it with a passion. But the law was not given to reduce the number of sins. It was actually to draw it out and multiply it. Alright, what do I mean by that? Well, in Romans chapter 5, we have the Doctrine of original sin. Adam sinned at the garden and we all sinned in him. Positionally, we are born as human beings, sinners. And that's why infants die, because they're children of Adam, and they're under the same judgment, even though they didn't commit a volitional sin like Adam did. But once we get older, and we understand the laws, and all that, when things start to happen, then we commit our own volitional sins. And that's exactly why it was given. It says, "The law... " This is Romans 5:20, note this, "The law was added, so that the trespass might increase." It's counter-intuitive. We think, "Oh, laws are given, so we sin less." That's not what's going on. It was given to draw it out, so here's the image I have. Imagine a jar, crystal clear jar, filled with river water, and you just sit it there, and don't move it for a while, and everything just settles to the bottom. It's all at the bottom, and so you look at it like this, and it looks clear as crystal. Let's say that the jar has lid on it, and you pick it up, and you shake it, and then put it back down. Now, it's all cloudy, nasty. I wouldn't drink that, alright. That's the human heart. And the law shakes up the hidden evils of the human heart, and makes them obvious to us. It shows us, like on the cover of the bulletin, our chains. We're in chains. The whole world is in chains to sin, and we can't break out, and the law makes it plain. And it doesn't matter what statements of the law you look at. You could take the Ten Commandments, right? "Well, I'm just going to focus... I'm just going to try to keep the Ten Commandments." You can't. Because you have heard that it was said, "You shall not murder, but if you're even angry with your brother, you're in danger of the fire of hell." "Well, I'm going to try to... I'm not going to commit adultery. I've never commit... " But if you lust after a woman, you commit adultery in your heart. You say, "Wait a minute, that's not fair. You're looking at my heart." Well, read the Tenth Commandment, "You shall not covet." What part of your body do you use to covet? He's looking in the mind and the heart. And Jesus told us, he says, "That's how I'm looking at the Ten Commandments. I'm looking at your heart, not just, did you not murder? But, 'have you ever been murderously angry at anyone?', not just, 'Did you commit adultery?', but 'Have you ever done so in your heart?' Coveting, 'Have you ever yearned for something that didn't belong to you?'" You can't keep it, and so it shakes you up, and shows you that. Or you could look at, how about 613 Commandments? You can't keep 10, how about keeping 600 of them? Can't keep that one. Alright, Jesus made it simple, he just organized them all into two: "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind," and second is like it, "Love your neighbor as yourself." You can't keep that either. All that happens is the law shakes up, and shows you the vileness of your heart, and it brings you to the point, in Romans 7, where you say, "What a wretched person I am, who will rescue me? Who will rescue me from sin?" Law does that, it shows you your need for sin and we're going to get there in Galatians next. It brings you, like a schoolmaster, right to Christ. It brings you to the foot of the cross. It shows you your chains. That's the purpose of the law. The law itself, nothing wrong with it, holy, and righteous, and good. That's why it does what it... You look at the commandment and say, "This is a good commandment. I just can't keep it." And so it brings us right to the cross. Look at verse 24, though it's not in our text, it says, "The law was put in charge to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith." Law itself brings wrath, Romans 4:15, It brings death, Romans 7:5. We can't keep it, because it's weakened by the flesh, Romans 8:3. And so that's why the law was added. It was added, so that the trespass might increase. Now, the law is inferior to the promise, because of its mediators, verses 19-20. I know you're tired. I told you you'd need a towel, wipe the sweat off your face. This is the time for the five-hour energy drink, so go ahead and knock it back, we're almost done. But what in the world is verse 19-20? The law is inferior, because of the mediators. "It was put into effect through angels by a mediator. A mediator, however, does not represent just one party, but God is one." Alright basically, in a mediated covenant, you have two parties, two individuals, and a deal is being made between the two of them, you have a mediator going between the two, etcetera. What he's saying here, is that the old covenant law mediated by angels and by Moses is inferior, because of the two parties, okay? God and man. Both of them have to keep the deal. Blessings and curses, that's the nature of the law. But the promise is not so. Remember, who was it that walked through the pieces of the animal? God alone. And so God is one. He's the only one with whom he made the covenant. It's an inter-Trinitarian covenant, and so there's no need, in this sense, for a mediator. God made it with himself. God is one. That's what he's saying. Now, I'm not denying Christ is our mediator, it's a different teaching and different moment. But that's the best I can make. Now, there are 301 possible interpretations for verse 20. I don't know if it's right, but what it's saying is, it's superior, because God made the deal with himself, not with us, in which case it would have been weakened. And say, what in the world is the angels? What do the angels have to do? I'm not going to tell you, except that there's some verses here that talk about it. Hebrews 2:2 and Acts 7:53 both mentioned that angels were involved in giving Moses the law. I think they just carried it down to him. You see the same thing in Revelation 1:1, the revelation was given to God the Father, given by God the Father to Jesus, he gave it to an angel, who gave it to John, who gave it to us. That's what it says in Revelation 1:1. But the law is not contrary to the promises of God. Verse 21, "Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not, for if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law." What is going on with this? If they were both trying to save you, they would be in competition. But that's not what the law's trying to do. The law is not trying to save you from sin, it's trying to show you that you're a sinner. By the way, that's the whole problem with legalists. Okay? Basically, God gave the law to show us that we are sinful. Legalists use the law to show God that we are righteous. Do you see how perverted that is? The legalist takes the law and says, "Look how righteous I am." That was not the point. It was to show you that you need a Savior. "God gave the law to show us that we are sinful. Legalists use the law to show God that we are righteous." And so we've already learned this last week in Galatians 2:21, "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained by the law, then Christ died for nothing." So, no, the law is not opposed to the promise of God, frankly, the law really helps the promise of God. It brings you to the one who can make the promise and keep it. It brings you to Jesus, the promise maker, the promise keeper. That's what the law does. They're not in competition. They're actually working together, ultimately. So righteousness cannot come by the law. Verse 22, "The Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe." So on the cover of your bulletin, there's some shackles there, empty now, praise God. My chains have fallen off. I'm set free now. I'm free from the guilt and condemnation of my sins. I'm free from the authority and power of sins. Sin has no right to command me, and now, as a child of God, I am free to tell every temptation that ever comes to me, "Be gone from me. I am no longer a slave to sin." There's no single temptation that ever comes to me with authority to command me. I have the authority to tell it, "No." I can crush every temptation. Now, I'm free, and so are you, if you're a Christian. But, apart from Christ, the whole world's in chains, and the law is given to shed light on those chains, and show them to them. That's all. They don't set them free. IV. Application: Delighting in the Promise, Understanding the Law So what application can we take from this? Well, come to Christ. Believe in him. Trust in him. Trust in Jesus. Let him free you from sin. Let him free you from the condemnation. He is the promise maker, he is the promise keeper. Look to Christ and to Christ alone. Salvation is a free gift of God and I'm begging you, don't leave this place unregenerate, don't leave it under the wrath of God, trust in Jesus. You don't need to move a muscle, you don't need to do anything, that's salvation by law, just believe. Repent and believe, turn away from your sins, and say, "I need a Savior," and believe. Second of all, see the value of hard work in Scripture. Don't be lazy and don't expect your pastors to be lazy. Don't settle for milk, if there's meat in the passage. Demand that nicely of your elders. Okay? If the Lord tarries sometime, I'll be gone, but there'll be other people here, if this is still a healthy church, you folks will want to hear meat from the Word, and not get lazy. And do the hard work yourself in your quiet times. Dig into the word of God, and learn deeply, and be mature, don't be like a child. Thirdly, embrace the promise of eternal life in Christ, delight in it. I love Romans 4:16, "The promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring." You are guaranteed of heaven, think about that. I just say to you, again, that should make you happier than you are right now. And some of you are looking very happy right now, and that's great. Be even happier, you're guaranteed, because it's promise, not law. He's promised you heaven and he will keep it. And then, finally, understand how to be sanctified by promise, not by law. This is tricky and we'll talk more about it, but I just want to give you a first whiff at it. If you have a sin problem in your life, sanctification by law says, "I'm on my own. I'm on my own. I got to... I've got to face this problem myself." Sanctified by trust in the promise says, "Every command of God is actually promise for me, someday I'm going to be holy." So I'm going to take that like Joshua facing the walled city of Jericho, I'm going to say, "God's promised us this whole land. I can take this city by the power of God." And then, you do the things He tells you to do, walk around the wall seven times, and give out a shout. He's going to win the victory and you're going to do some things. You will take some stands and you're going to do some things, but that sanctification by faith, not by law. So whatever sin you're struggling with, take the blood of Christ, and the death of Christ, and resurrection of Christ, and apply it to that, as part of the promised land of your holiness, and say, "I can be holy. God, do it in me." Close in prayer now, please. Father, we thank you for this challenging passage, for all the things we have learned. Thank you for the patience of the people of God here, listening carefully to these many verses. Oh, God, take these truths and press them deep into our hearts for your Glory, we pray in Jesus name, Amen.

Pastor Jeff Williams: October 30, 2011 Meet the Philippians, Part I: Philippians 1:1-6. [A movie is played at the beginning of the service, and here is the link for it: http://movieclips.com/6z2WS-rocky-balboa-movie-how-winning-is-done/0/119/. That scene from “Rocky” is a moving scene. He's telling his son, “You are more than you think you are. I want you to see yourself as I see you. I see you as special. I see you as chosen. You are my son, and you have a lot to offer this world. You're looking at yourself through the wrong lens. I want you to believe in yourself, and I want you to believe in yourself like I do.” There's a message there that Paul was sending to the Philippians. He's getting them to understand that they have been chosen by God, that they have a purpose, and God has a plan for them. Speaking of computers, how many of you out here use Macs? How many of you use PCs? There are more PCs than Macs. We don't want to have the church split over that (congregation laughing). Most of us are aware that Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple-an innovator in technology, passed away. Many of you have iTunes, iPhones, iPads and Macs. He definitely changed the world. We were watching a segment on “60 Minutes” a week or so ago, and it talked about when he was a child. A neighbor found out he was adopted and said, “Well, if you're adopted, does that mean that your birth parents didn't want you? Does that mean you were rejected?” Steve said that he'd never thought of that before. That thought just overwhelmed him with emotion, and he began to cry. He ran home to his mom and said, “Mom, is it true that I'm unwanted?” She said, “No, honey. You don't understand. We picked you out. We chose you. Steve, you were chosen.” She wiped away his tears, and she hugged him. She affirmed her love for him and told him he was the son she wanted. Steve said, “That was the defining moment for me. From then on I saw myself as wanted. I saw myself as chosen. I saw myself as a person of value and worth.” Before we go into Philippians, I want us to take a look at how the church in Philippi came to be. I'd like you to turn in your Bibles, please, to the Book of Acts 16 to hear that story. In Acts 16:1, (page 1096 of pew Bibles) Paul, Silas, Luke and a young man named Timothy are almost ready to embark on Paul's secondary missionary journey. It says, “He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a Disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek.” It's important that Timothy is Greek, and that's going to come into play. I want you to understand that when Paul chooses Timothy, who is Greek in background, he has no idea that he is going to go to Greece. Paul doesn't know that; he doesn't have a clue. It's not on the agenda. It's not in the program, but it's going to come into play very shortly; and you're going to see the wisdom of God. It says in Verse 2, “The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.” So there are some Jewish believers who still feel very strongly about circumcision. He was half Jew/half Gentile. He's uncircumcised, and Paul says, “To keep unity in the body, we're going to have you circumcised. I think it's the right thing to do.” I don't know how Timothy felt about this, but he did agree, so he was circumcised. In Verses 4-5, they began to travel around to the churches where the Gospel had already been preached. Churches already existed and were established. Basically it was a safe trip. It was like being a salesman and going to businesses that were already buying your product. They already liked your service. You would show up and say, “Hey, it's good to see you. We appreciate your business. This economy is kind of rough, so we want to make sure everybody is on board. We want you to know our new products. We're here for you; we appreciate the partnership. Is there any way we can serve you? Is there anything you need? Here are some tickets to the ballgame. Keep doing business with us, and we'll see you later.” That's easy. That's fun, right? When you are a salesman and you make a cold-turkey call-you go into a business where they don't know you from Adam. They were already using a similar product with somebody else. You have to convince them to switch and use your product. You have to get them to start doing business with you, whom they don't know. That's a tough sell-even if you've been a salesman for a long time-that's a difficult switch to make. So he is doing this safe, easy trip. “Let's just go to all these places we've already been to.” Verse 6, it says, “Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the Word” of God “in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.” It's like everywhere they wanted to go, Jesus says, “No, you can't go there. You have to go over here.” Everywhere they wanted to go [Jesus wouldn't allow them to]. They're sensitive to the Holy Spirit; they listen to the Holy Spirit, and then Paul has a dream. So Paul had this vision, it says in Verse 9, “During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.' After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the Gospel to them.” Now we're going to go to Macedonia. How many of you are of European descent today? This is the story of the Gospel crossing into Europe for the first time. Paul is going to plant the seeds of the church, and the first place he's going to go-the first city in Europe that is going to hear the Gospel-is Philippi; so he's going to get in a boat and cross the Sea into Philippi. [Those who were with him were thinking], “That's not on the trip! That's not on the agenda! We didn't know we were going there. Now we're going to preach the Gospel where it hasn't ever been preached!” And this is a whole other can of worms. This isn't just going back to the people who already know us and love us! We are starting from scratch, from ground zero. These people don't know the God of the Bible. These people don't know about Jesus. There is no synagogue there where they can go and start proclaiming the Gospel. They worship Roman gods. They worship the Emperor, so he was starting from scratch. They end up in Philippi, a major city in Macedonia, in response to his dream. This person Paul had never met was saying, “Come over here and help us. Come and tell us about Jesus.” I wonder if they ever met that guy. That's an interesting question. We'll have to ask that someday [when we reach Heaven], “Did you ever meet the guy in the dream and say, ‘Hey, you're the guy! You're the one!'?” When they get there, they don't know where to go. Normally he starts in a synagogue, but there aren't enough Jews there to even have a synagogue. So he starts inquiring, “Does anybody know if there is a place where people pray and talk to the Hebrew god?” “Well, there are some ladies who meet by the river on Saturday. You could go there. These ladies meet by the river-I think they do. I'm not sure.” So Paul is going to show up to this group of ladies who are gathered by the river. He just shows up, and Timothy was probably the first to speak because he was Greek. He probably began speaking in Greek and telling them who they are and what they are in Philippi for. Then Lydia listened, and in Verse 14, it says, “One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira.” Interestingly enough, that's one of the cities that Paul wanted to go to in Asia Minor, and God had said no. She was from that area and was a worshipper of God. “The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited…” Luke is writing in the first person. “…us to her home. ‘If you consider me a believer in the Lord,' she said, ‘come and stay at my house.' And she persuaded us,” and so the church was born in Europe-right here [in this Scripture]. This is the seed through which the Gospel would spread throughout that continent. It started right there at this little riverside prayer meeting. Paul showed up, and they didn't know him from Adam, and he said, “God has chosen you. You're special. God sent me on a boat. I was going over here to talk with these people, and God changed my plans and sent me across the Sea to come to you because you matter to God. You matter to God.” They had been without the Scripture. They had been without the knowledge of the God of Heaven, but he said, “I want you to know you have not been abandoned by God. You are not castaways. God has chosen you. You matter to Him, and there is a message he has sent me to convey.” He shared with him the good news of the Gospel. That missionary journey was from 49 to 52 A.D. Now, nine years later, it's 61 A.D., and Paul is in prison in Rome. He's writing a letter to the church in Philippi that he had started with Timothy almost a decade before. Now let's turn to Philippians 1 and begin reading. I do want to say this-preface my remarks by saying we're in this Book, and we're going to be in this Book for a long time, if there are certain words that I don't develop or certain themes you think I should cover, Scriptures you want me to spend time on-understand that we may hit them down the road. [For example], he talks about joy. You might say, “Well, Pastor, joy is a major theme of Philippians. Why didn't you talk about joy?” Because I will have ample opportunities to talk about joy throughout this Book. We will talk about joy. If we don't touch base on a theme or a word right now that you wanted to hear about, we either are going to talk about it down the road or maybe we won't talk about it at all because I'm trying to spend ample time in the book, but I don't think we want to carry on for two years. We don't want to go down every trail we could go down. We'll try to take our time and work through the Book, but at the same time understand we are trying to get through it in a time-worthy manner. It's a little bit of a balance. Verse 1 of Philippians 1 (page 1161 of pew Bibles), “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus…” He uses this word bondservant or bondslave. He says, “We're not coming to be served. We're not coming as these Christian superstars. We are coming as servants.” It says in Philippians 2 that Jesus was a bondservant. A bondslave was one who wasn't forced into slavery, but one who willingly submitted their rights and their will to the service of another. He says, “That's what we are. We are servants of Jesus, and we are servants of you.” “To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons…” Those who tend to the day-to-day affairs and those who oversee the spiritual body-to everybody, and he says to “the saints.” How do you think they responded to that? To the saints… [They responded] probably the same way you would if I called you a saint. If I said, “You know something? You're a saint!” most of you would say, “No I'm not. You must not know me very well. If you knew me, you wouldn't say I was a saint.” The Scripture time and time again refers to New Testament believers as saints. If you've read the New Testament, you know that. Some of these people were very carnal, very worldly. They didn't resemble Christ at all. The word saint refers to whom you are-you are in Christ. Positionally, you are a saint because you're in Christ, and He has given you His righteousness, but it's also that which is yet to come. It speaks to what you will become. You are becoming like Christ, so a saint is who you are and it is what you are becoming as God's Spirit works in you. It is what is and it is what is yet to come. In this case, the word saint is an adjective, and it comes from the word hagios. When we are talking about a thing and we are describing it with the adjective hagios, we're going to say it's holy. It's the Holy Bible. If we're talking about a person, we're going to use that word as if it were defined as a saint. It means something or someone that is set apart, something that is special. It is set apart for a special purpose. What Paul is saying is “Philippians, you're special. You matter to God. God has a plan and a purpose for you. You are in Christ, and you are a saint. You have been set apart. A saint is who you are, and a saint is what you are becoming. You belong to God. God has not abandoned you. You have gone from aints to saints. You didn't know the truth of the Gospel; you didn't have the Scripture; you didn't know who Yaweh was, but God knew you. You were on His radar, and He sent me. He is writing this letter to you to let you know you are special in His sight. You have been set apart for His purpose.” Do you see yourself as a saint? “Well saints are those people who do certain miracles, right? Then they take a vote decades or centuries later and declare you a saint.” Not Biblically; Biblically you could be a new Christian and be a saint. That's what that word means-someone who has been set apart. It's just like in our movie clip when Rocky is saying to his son, “See yourself as I see you. You're special. You're my boy.” Live out your purpose; become who you were created to be. God says the same thing; He calls us saints. “Right, but if you knew me, you wouldn't call me a saint. I'm far from holy.” Yet He does; He wants us to see ourselves as He sees us. In Christ, we have been set apart. He said, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now…” I also want to focus a little bit on this word partnership. I think it's important for us to talk about it. As believers, we use the word fellowship a lot. We talk about having fellowship. Some churches have the name fellowship somewhere in the title. A lot of churches have small groups which are called fellowship groups, and I want to talk to you about what this word means. This word in the Greek is a word some of you have heard before. It's the word Koinonia. It means fellowship or partnership. It's the word Paul uses right here. The word Koinonia is much more than just you and me eating a cupcake, having a conversation, and then going our separate ways and saying, “Well, it was great having fellowship with you.” No, we didn't have Koinonia; we had a conversation and we visited. That's fine; that's nice, but we didn't have Koinonia. Koinonia, Biblically, is when you partner with someone-you pool together your resources-you have a shared vision and a common goal to accomplish something greater than yourselves. You are working together-you are laying aside your differences and are united in purpose. You are saying, “Together, we are going to accomplish this task. We both believe in this task. We both accept this mission as something that needs to be done, and we're going to put our time, our energies, our talents, our resources, and our treasures together to make it happen.” There is a ministry that emanated from our church that Janet Bales started called Tychicus. Tychicus was a missionary who ministered to other missionaries in the New Testament. He went around and ministered to Paul and to others. So they [the members of the ministry Tychicus] go around ministering to missionaries. They're going to have a little fellowship reception after the 11 o'clock service this morning where they're going to have pepperoncini roast, one of my favorites, pumpkin moose and other goodies. They'll be there to say, “Here's what Tychicus is.” I think it is right here in the sanctuary. “Here is what Tychicus has been up to.” What they are going to encourage you to do is partner with them, pray with them. Maybe you can partner with them by giving; maybe you partner with them by praying; maybe you partner with them by going; maybe you partner with them by spreading the Word, but if all you do is come, eat some pumpkin moose and a pot-roast sandwich, and talk for a little bit-maybe you talk for an hour or stay longer than anybody else-but you never again think of Tychicus again, lift a finger or do anything to partner with them-you didn't have Koinonia with them. You had a nice visit, but you didn't have Koinonia. Some of you would be surprised to hear this, but my son and I were eating at Red Robin this week (congregation laughing at Pastor's sarcasm). I ran into Pastor Jackson from New Life as he was sitting across from us. He was like, “Hey, hey Jeff. I'll be over there to say hi in a little bit!” so we talked about this fall festival thing. We got going, and I said, “We have your church's name on our sign. We're going to bill you for that,” and we were laughing. He just said, “You know, it's been great to partner with you over the years.” I don't call him every week, but we're doing this thing together as a church; and he and I had never had a conversation about it. Jonanne is in charge of it from our church, and he has somebody in charge of it from his; yet we are in Koinonia together. We are in a mission to reach children for Christ, so we're working together. My buddy and I, we go to Fuddruckers-again, a surprise, but he has coupons. We developed a friendship with the owner. We start talking about how we can pool our resources together and do something good for the community. The CARE House fundraiser was born, and we're going to do it again [this year]. That will happen in November, and we're going to add Project 16:49, the homeless teen shelter, as well. We say, “Okay, we're going to do it. It's going to be in November.” I called Mr. Bliss, and I said, “Can I count on you again this year? Here is what we're going to do. Can you make sure we get some newspaper coverage and get on the radio?” He's always been very helpful. He said, “Absolutely. We'll get you on, Jeff. We're proud of what you're doing, and we're going to make this happen,” so we are in Koinonia with the YWCA, Fuddruckers, WCLO, WJVL, The Gazette, and another radio station, and we are all partnering together to help children, children who've been abused and children who are homeless. In the Biblical context, in this instance, in this sense, we are in Koinonia with them. We have joined hands and joined forces in saying, “We are going to use our resources. Bliss Communications uses their resources. Fuddruckers is going to make the burgers. We're going to send the manpower, do the graphic design and help with the advertising. You're going to come and make bread and bus tables.” We're all going to work together; and when it's all said and done, we're going to take a big fat check and give it to them and say, “Take these thousands of dollars and go help kids.” They're going to go out and help these children. That's Koinonia. When you think about Biblical fellowship, it's not just chatting over a muffin, drinking a cup of coffee and talking about whatever. It's about us being united with a common purpose that is greater than ourselves for a mission. In this case, it's the mission of the Gospel, which is the highest and most important mission that we have. And so, the Philippians partner with them. This next Verse is significant to me, personally, and maybe to many of you. Before I read it, I want to share with you about when I was a new Christian. I became a Christian at the age of 17. I was just excited about my faith. I was serving the Lord, and I volunteered to serve in all these different capacities of our church. About a year later, I was feeling as if I'd really let God down. I was feeling like I wasn't accomplishing what I was supposed to, wasn't living the life I was supposed to. I didn't feel like a saint; that's for sure. I remember coming to church that morning very discouraged and very disappointed in myself. I remember thinking to myself, “I bet you God has given up on me. I don't feel His Spirit anymore.” You know, when you're a new believer, oftentimes you rely too much on your feelings rather than Scripture and promise. When I'm excited about my faith and feel God's presence, [I feel as if] God must love me. When I don't feel His Spirit and I don't feel His presence-I know I've done things that have disappointed Him-God must not care for me anymore. It feels like your faith is kinda up and down like a roller coaster. It was one of those times when I showed up on Sunday and felt, “I'm just really discouraged.” I'm just not living the life, and I bet you God wants nothing to do with me. I bet you He's ready to throw in the towel with me.” In Verse 6, the pastor got up to preach. There was a guest speaker that day that was from Ireland. He said this, “…being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” He said God finishes what He starts. If God began a work in you, God will complete the work. He doesn't give up. When I heard that promise-I don't often cry in church-I started to shed some tears there because His promise really spoke to me. Even though I failed-even though I let God down-God is not going to let me go. God is not going to give up on me. He finishes what He starts. Have any of you ever started a project and not finished it? Can I see your hands? You bunch of quitters! Maybe you started to train for a marathon-maybe you even started to run the marathon but you didn't finish. Maybe you were going to start a business, and you never got it quite off the ground. Maybe you started an art project. Maybe you said you were going to write a song or a poem and it's been left undone. Maybe you started building something, and you didn't finish it. We have a whole room full of people here who started and quit before it was done. God is not like that. You are a project that God has started. Paul said, “I want you to know God chose you. He started a work in you, and He is going to complete that work until the end of the world.” He says, “Until it's all said and done, He is not going to stop working in you. You matter to Him. He has made a promise to you.” That just moved me. That just made me feel like it's not all up to me, but God is at work in me. God is partnering in me. Even when I don't feel Him, even when I'm disobedient, even when I have a rotten attitude like Rocky's son, [He is still there]. He might have to rebuke me a little bit, but he says, “See yourself the way I see you. Understand you're special. Understand you matter.” There is a group of girls in India who just last week [were portrayed in a story on the news]. I don't know if you caught this story-in this province of India, they very much want boys. I believe there is a lot of farming that needs to be done. They need hard workers. Also, girls are very expensive. You have to pay for the wedding and so on and so forth, so they want boys. When they named little girls, it became a very popular trend to call their girls, “Unwanted.” The word “Unwanted” carried this stigma with it. I guess the closest I could come [to describing it] would be if you and I named one of our children “Scumbag.” How awful! “Tim Anderson?” “Here.” “Scumbag Johnson?” “…here…” That would be your name, so everywhere these girls went, they were called Unwanted. It was a reminder every day of their lives that their parents did not want them. A man came along-and I cannot pronounce his name, so I'm not going to attempt to-and began saying, “We're going to change your name.” He started to plant within them a vision of changing their name. He said, “You're no longer going to be Nakusa. You are going to pick any name you want. You can pick the name of a beautiful Bollywood movie star.” A special was done by “60 Minutes” on that. I think [Pastor] Mike even found her name as he was searching on the internet. I don't know for sure if he got that name or not. Do you know what I'm talking about? There is a famous actress in India? No, you're not big into Bollywood movies. She is supposed to be the most beautiful woman in the world. “You can pick her name. You can pick any name you want to,” so these little girls and these young ladies legally renamed themselves. They got rid of the name “Unwanted.” They gave themselves new names to remind themselves that they matter, that they're special, that they're wanted, and that's exciting. Let's watch this clip right now. (Here is a link to the clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tmDA_ykf-k) How about that? That is good news in their society. “We're going to name ourselves by a different name!” Paul says to the Christians in Philippi, “You are saints. You have been set apart. I remember getting on a boat and going across the Sea to a place I had no intention of going to, to deliver the message to you from God that you matter. The God who began a good work in you-that same God is going to finish that work in you. God gives that message to us today.” Many of us are those descendents, but all of us in this room are wanted by God. He has a purpose and a plan, and He calls us saints in Him. It's what we are, and it's what we are becoming through His name.

sermon transcript Introduction Take your Bibles, if you would, and look with me at Ephesians 1:18-23. We're gonna be looking at Christ's resurrection, God's infinite power work for us. On the morning of July 16th, 1969, an estimated one million people gathered along the beaches and the roads of coastal Florida to look at the moon launch as Apollo 11 was getting ready to take off. And just a short time before that launch, Buzz Aldrin, who's one of the astronauts there, paused and looked out as he's way, way up high above the Saturn V rocket looking out and he saw the sun rise. And as he was looking at that, he was thinking about what was about to happen, this is what he said, “The most memorable thing I can recall about that particular day was the opportunity to stand alone by myself out there and look at the rocket and the quietness, and see the sun come up and realize that in a very few moments, we are going to be departing in a great roar and off for a momentous event.” Now, he could have looked perhaps the night before and seen the moon and think about the incredible journey that he was about to travel, just looking at it and seeing the hundreds of thousands of miles that he would have to travel and wonder and consider what kind of power would get him there. Now, a mere eight years before President Kennedy had said, “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal before this decade is out of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.” The big problem was in the development of a rocket powerful enough to do the job. None of the rockets that existed at the time were even close, the payloads were somewhere around 50 or 100 pounds and they would need thousands of pounds to be lifted up into space. The distance from the earth to the moon, 230,000 miles. In order to escape the gravitational pull of the earth, they had to achieve a speed of seven miles per second, 25,000 miles per hour. And over the next seven years or so they developed the vehicle that could do it, and that was the Saturn V rocket, it's an incredible thing. One of the most incredible accomplishments of technology in history. It stood 363 feet high, that's a 36-story building. It had five cavernous F1 engines delivering a total of 7.5 million pounds of thrust. The sound of Saturn V's ignition and liftoff was the second loudest man-made sound ever behind only a nuclear blast. It was fueled by a volatile mixture of liquid oxygen and kerosene, and its engines burned for 150 seconds in the first stage - listen to this - consuming fuel at the rate equivalent to three million automobiles. And you think you had a gas guzzler. Three million cars. The rocket weighed 3,000 tons. It flew in the air, 3,000 tons flying through the air. And of course, you know that the Apollo 11 mission was successful and it marked a new era in human history. But I consider it a kind of a picture or a paradigm that I want you to consider with me this morning, and that is a picture of power. And I mean, power for a long, really infinite journey. The power of the Saturn V rocket doesn't even compare, frankly, to the power that's described in the text that was read for us this morning. Now, what is power? Well, I think it's energy directed to accomplish some change. The energy to accomplish an effect or a change. We think, for example, of a powerful ruler like the Roman emperor, his word changes life for millions of people. He just speaks a word and a census is taken, and people are moving all over the Roman empire, that's power to affect a change. Or we think about, let's say, a powerful medicine. It produces a great change, like antibiotics, a great change in the condition of the patient, powerful medicine. Or powerful writings, a powerful book, changes hearts and minds, like around the time of the American Revolution. This Saturn V, this was a powerful rocket, it produced an incredible change of lifting 3,000 tons off the ground and throwing it toward the moon. The Lasting Joy of Easter: Hope for the Future The Most Joyful Christian Celebration So what is the power at work in our lives? That's what's in front of us today. And how does it relate to Jesus Christ and to His resurrection? As Paul relates in Ephesians 1:18-23. Now, I love Easter, this is definitely my favorite time of the year. I know that as Christians, we're supposed to celebrate the resurrection every week, and we're supposed to celebrate it every day, and we do, but isn't there something special about coming together on Easter Sunday and just considering with great joy what awaits us, those of us who have faith in Christ? To know that the grave doesn't get the final word on us, isn't that wonderful? To know that your sin isn't the final word on your life, that grace is the final word on your life. Now, that's what's worth celebrating, and we do year-round, but especially Easter Sunday. Rejoicing in the Future Glory We rejoice over the future glory. The idea that we have in front of us an incredible vision of the glory of God that will be so powerful, it will transform us forever. 1 John says that when we see him, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And the glory is so bright, so astonishing, so powerful that it says in the Book of Revelation they won't need the sun or the moon or the stars, or any kind of light, that the glory of God will be enough. This is what it says: “The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city and his servants will serve him. They will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night, they will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light and they will reign forever and ever.” Christ’s Central Promise: “Because I live, you also will live.” Now, Christ's central promise to me as I think about resurrection day, as I think about the joy of this day, I've always thought since I heard one sermon in particular a number of years ago, about one passage in particular, and that's in John 14, where Jesus says, “Because I live, you also will live.” I'm promising you, my believers, those that follow me, I'm promising you the plunder of the victory I'm going to win. “Because I live, you also will live.” There's a complete and total link, therefore, between Christ and his followers. Colossians 3:4 says, “When Christ who is your life appears, you also will appear with him in glory.” Now, that is the joyful celebration of Easter, isn't it? The idea that Christ's triumph is our triumph, that because Christ destroyed death, we also will through faith in him. Well, Paul is praying in Ephesians that we would understand that fully, that we would come to grips with just what kind of power was at work in Christ. Paul’s Three-Fold Prayer for Understanding Paul’s Three Requests for Spiritual Understanding Look what he says in verses 18 and 19, he says, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” Now, there are three requests in there, and they all center on spiritual understanding. Let me give you a little context in Ephesians. I would like nothing better than to just preach to you Ephesians right here now, but let's focus on this one aspect and try to understand the context of this prayer. Paul has been writing to these Ephesian Christians, believers in Christ, and he speaks of the immense spiritual blessings that are theirs in Christ. He says it's every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, chosen before the creation of the world, we are chosen to be holy and blameless in his sight. He says we are predestined to be adopted as sons. We are lavished with grace in Christ Jesus, given spiritual wisdom and insight to understand spiritual mysteries. And God's intention through all of this is to bring everything in the universe, all of the scattered aspects that sin has blown apart, to bring them all together and make them one under one head, Jesus Christ. Now, that is power. And that's what he's doing, like sin had some kind of explosive effect and he is bringing everything back together and making it one under Christ's headship. Then Paul goes on to speak of God's absolute sovereignty over all things, that we would understand that this isn't a plan without power, but there is power behind this plan to achieve the very thing he wants. In Verse 11, “In him, we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.” And then he goes on to describe the Ephesian Christians' personal situation, they were included in Christ when they heard the gospel and they believed it. They were marked in Christ with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. Now having been marked, they're starting to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, they're starting to show good works. They are putting on display their internal faith, faith in Christ Jesus and their love for all the saints. So that's the context. And in the center of all that, Paul prays for them, and he wants them to know of his prayer. He wants to teach them what he's praying for for them. I could say this for many reasons, one is to teach us how to pray, and if you don't get anything else out of this, just, I think it's good to just take this section and pray it for people. Pray this for your wife or your husband, pray it for your children, pray it for yourself. Pray it for your pastor. Pray it for friends. But that's what he does, he tells them what he's praying for, and in the center of Paul's prayer life, here at least, is that they would have a kind of a spiritual understanding. Look at verse 17, “I keep asking,” he says, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know him better.” So number one prayer request here is that you, the believers in Christ would know God better, that you would know him better. And this makes complete sense, because it lines up with Jesus' prayer in John 17:3 concerning eternal life. “Now, this is eternal life,” he says there, “that they may know you, the only true God in Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” And so, Paul prays more and more that you may know God better, that you might have that kind of wisdom and insight to know him. And to know God better, you must know Jesus Christ better, because Christ has been given so that we may know God the Father. And so, just like Paul prays, or it says in another place in Philippians 3, where he says, “I want to know Christ. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead, I wanna know Christ.” This is the Apostle to the Gentiles, the Apostle of Jesus Christ, with special revelations that have been given to him, and he still says, “I wanna know Christ better.” I wanna know him. So that's what he's praying for, he's praying for wisdom and revelation so that we may know God better. The Eyes of Your Heart Enlightened He uses an interesting phrase here in Verse 18, and he says, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened.” What an interesting phrase that is, “The eyes of your heart.” Perhaps you never thought of your heart as having eyes. But you know that song “Turn Your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.” You know, I always wondered about that song, maybe Eric, you've noticed this, people close their eyes when they sing it. Isn't that interesting? They close their eyes when they sing that song, and you know why? Because they're turning to the eyes of their heart, it's something that we don't see, it's something we believe by faith, and we want a vision filling our minds and our hearts with light and with glory at that moment. “That the eyes of your heart,” he says, “may be enlightened,” that there's some kind of a spiritual enlightenment that comes to the eyes of your heart. Now this is not like that Buddhist enlightenment, they're always talking about enlightenment, that is the wisdom of emptiness. How does that sound? The wisdom of emptiness achieved imperfectly on earth by meditating on such conundrums as, what's the sound of one hand clapping? So ponder that one until your brain is emptied of all cognitive truth, until you're just sitting there kinda floating in a sea of nothingness. That is not the enlightenment that Paul wants. Actually, it's quite the opposite. Paul wants you to be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. He wants your mind just overwhelmed with truth, that the eyes of your heart may be filled with enlightenment, with spiritual truth. That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God, he says later. “The Hope to which He has called you” Now, what's the topic of this divine and spiritual light, this “supernatural light,” as Edwards called it, imparted directly to the soul? Well, three things; the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. Hope, riches, power, that's what he's praying for. Now, I'm gonna pass by the first two quickly, because that's not the focus of my message here today. But the hope to which he has called you is the hope that someday we will be perfect, holy and blameless in his sight. That we will be totally transformed, body, soul, and spirit. That we will be just like Jesus. And not only us, but the creation around us will be liberated from its bondage to decay, and that we will be in a perfect world and ourselves perfect. That's the hope to which he has called you, so I want you to know that hope. “The Riches of His Glorious Inheritance in the Saints” And secondly, he said, “I want you to know how rich you are, I want you to know how wealthy you are in Christ, and not just you, but an innumerable quantity of people from every tribe and language, and people and nation, they're rich too.” We're all rich together in Christ, we who believe in him, that you would know how rich you are in your inheritance. So those two things. Now, let me tell you something, that kind of hope and those kind of riches together would actually lead you to despair if you didn't understand what power was at work to get you there. It really would be depressing, wouldn't it? To know what you're missing, to say, “You know, that's what's up there for you, now, go ahead and get it.” Go get it, go climb the ladder to heaven if you can do it. Go through your own efforts and your own striving, be a perfect person. And from this point forward, travel that infinite journey, it would be depressing. Third Aspect: God’s Incomparably Great Power For Us So he prays this third aspect, and that is, his incomparably great power for us who believe. Now, note that Paul does not pray here that they would have power. He's not praying that God would give them more power, he's not praying that. He's praying rather that the Ephesian Christians would know how much power is at work for them already. Not anything new except that they would just understand what's at work in them to get them there. He wants the Christians to know, the Ephesian Christians to know how much power God is exerting around them and in them to guarantee that they will get that hope and the riches in the end. And so he says, “The same power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him at the ultimate seat of power in the universe is at work in you. For you also were dead in your transgressions and sins, you like Christ were raised up and now you are spiritually united with Christ, seated with him in the heavenly realms and will be until you at last come into your full inheritance.” God’s Power in Christ’s Infinite Journey Christ’s Lowest State So he's drawing a link, then, between what God did in raising Christ up and what he's doing in you. So let's look at that, God's power in Christ's infinite journey. Christ was laid low at the cross, wasn't he? That was his lowest point, that's the starting point for this incredible journey that God's power took him on, he was dead on the cross, he was bloody, his head was down on his breast, he was dead. They shoved a spear up through his side and he didn't move, and water and blood came out the side. He was dead. He was rejected, totally rejected by humanity, rejected symbolically by Jew and Gentile alike, Pilate and the high priest conspired together to turn him over to his death, and in that way, he was despised and rejected by the human race. He was also in a mysterious and powerful way, rejected by God as our sin bearer, such that Jesus said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” It was a picture of rejection, a picture also of total powerlessness. Remember how the Jews mocked, “If you're the Son of God, come down off that cross,” and he seemed powerless to do so. Seemed like the cross had the upper hand on him. And how much more once he was dead, this picture of powerlessness was complete. Death, it seems, treated Christ like it treats everyone else, trampled him and threw him out, threw him aside. Death seemed the tyrant that we just cannot conquer. The iron boot across our neck seemed to be every bit as much across Jesus' neck, the way it is for all of us, and so therefore Christ dead on the cross, a picture of total powerlessness, and so it seemed. Now, Christ's burial sealed the picture. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus come and take him, his lifeless body, they wrap him up in strips of linen. He's lifeless, he's bloody, he's immobile, he's just a dead corpse. He's laid passively in the tomb, he's lying on a rocky ledge inside a cave, he's motionless. Now that my friends is the starting point for this infinite journey, that's the lowest point. Low in the grave he lay, Jesus, my savior. Waiting the coming day, Jesus, my Lord. That's the low point for this incredible journey. Christ’s Infinite Journey Now, as the soldiers looked in on him, do you think they could have imagined what was going to happen in the coming days? Do you think they could have imagined the infinite journey that Christ would take, that this lifeless body wrapped in strips of linen, lying lifeless in the tomb would soon ascend through the sky and take its place at the right hand of the eternal? At the right hand of the emperor of the universe, at God's right hand, that this Jesus of Nazareth, the dead Jew, would soon be the King of kings and Lord of Lords. That this motionless dead man would be the firstborn from among the dead, and that he would, in some amazing way, inhabit a body, which was the first fruit of a new creation, the new heavens and the new earth, first displayed in the body of Christ. Not subject anymore to death or corruption. Do you think they could have imagined that this body so frail and weak and fragile and dying so quickly would rise again, never to submit again to death, mourning, crying or pain. That this body would be transformed to be glorious and unchanging, and as they gazed on his lifeless body before the large stone was rolled in front of the entrance, could they have dreamed that Jesus would rule heaven and Earth, and that they themselves and every person that ever lived would someday come before him as he sat on a great white throne, and that they would present their lives to him for judgment, and that before him, every knee would bow and by him, every tongue would swear that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. No, they could not. Low in the grave, he lay. That was the base of his infinite journey. Aspects of Christ’s Infinite Journey Now, what are the aspects of this infinite journey? Well, first simply, resurrection from death to life. The power of death actually shattered by Jesus Christ. I love what Peter said at Pentecost, in Acts 2:24, it says, “But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death” - Listen - “because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” Now, usually when we use the word “impossible” concerning death, it's impossible for us to break its chains, it is the most impossible thing ever. We have no power over death, but Peter turns the whole thing around, it's actually impossible for death to hold him. That's how much power Jesus had. Death had no power over Christ. Secondly, we see the transformed body. Jesus had raised others to life. You know Jairus' daughter? Do you remember what he said to the mourners that were outside the house? “Do not weep. She's merely sleeping. The girl is not dead, but asleep.” Do you remember what he said to his disciples when he was going back to raise Lazarus up, you remember? “Lazarus has fallen asleep, but we must go and wake him.” Now, why does he speak like this? Because the existence into which they were awoken was the same as before they died. They were back under death and their bodies continued to decay and to be corruptible, and they would die, and those same bodies that Jesus raised up or resuscitated really at that moment would someday succumb to death. But not Jesus' body. You see, he has a resurrection body. He's in a whole new realm of existence. 1 Corinthians 15 calls it a “spiritual body.” We mulled over that a year ago. What is a spiritual body? You're gonna be thinking about that forever, but Jesus has one, a spiritual body, not subject any longer to death or to decay or corruption. Romans 6:9 says, “For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again.” Now, that's the difference between him and Jairus' daughter. And that's the difference between him and Lazarus. It says in 1 Corinthians 15:42 and following, “The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” And so the body is transformed. Thirdly, he ascended through the heavens. You know the astronauts, the unbelieving ones, said, “Oh, we're out here in space and there's no heaven up here, so that destroys the cosmology of the Bible.” Well, I wonder sometimes, don't you? Didn't Paul speak of a third heaven? So I wonder if the Bible, if we could understand it this way, I don't know for sure this is the right interpretation, but could it be the first heaven is the sky above us, and the second heaven is outer space, and could it be the third heaven is the spiritual realm into which Jesus entered, and so Christ passed through all of those, didn't he? You remember in Acts 1, after he spent 40 days with his disciples after resurrection, a 40-day seminary with Jesus as the professor, what an incredible thing. You know, church history, Old Testament, Hermeneutics - No New Testament classes yet. Didn't need it. He said, “You're gonna write the New Testament. We'll get to that later.” Alright, but he's teaching them 40 days, and then after that, he takes them out and he ascends before their very eyes. And they're watching him go up, as he goes and a cloud hides him from their sight. He's passing through the heavens, and it says in the Book of Hebrews, Hebrews 4:14, “Since then, we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens. He's passed through the heavens. Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.” So Jesus has, in some mysterious way, just passed through the heavens, and it says that he's seated at a position, the position of ultimate power. Look at verses 20-23 in our text here, Ephesians 1:20 and following, it says that “God raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given. Not only in the present age, but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the Church, which is his body, the fullness of him, who fills everything in every way.” Jesus ascends up through the heavenly realms and is ushered right into the very presence of God Almighty, and he sits at the place of power at the right hand of God Almighty, and he says in the great commission, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” That is the infinite journey of Christ from that low place in which he lay all the way up through the heavenly realms in a new resurrection body to sit at the right hand of God Almighty and to rule heaven and earth from there. Infinite Journey Requires Infinite Power That is the infinite journey of Christ. Now, let me tell you, infinite journey requires infinite power, and God the Father exerted that power on Christ. Paul’s Point: The Same Power is at Work in You Who Believe And here's the point, the very thing that God the Father has done in exerting power in raising Christ up, that power is at work in you today, if you're a Christian. Isn't that magnificent? The very same power that raised Christ up from that cold tomb and seated him at the right hand in the heavenly realms is at work in you. Now, this is the very thing that Christ had wanted. You remember right, before he died on the cross? Just before he died, he said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” It says in 1 Peter, “He entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” And so the Father raised him up from the tomb and seated him at his right hand. And look at the language of power. Look at verse 19. It speaks of his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ. The ESV puts it this way, “What is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe according to the working of His great might?” It's like Paul is stretching language here to talk about how much power was at work in Christ, the same power at work in you. It's incredible, greater in some sense, than the power He exerted in creating the heavens and the Earth to begin with. That's the recreating power of God at work. Now, the point of all this is the parallelism between Christ and his experience, his resurrection, and ours. God’s Power for Our Infinite Journey Our Infinite Journey We also are on an infinite journey, and what is our starting place? Well, look at chapter 2 verses 1-3. It says, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins” - That's your low point - “dead in your transgressions and sins in which you used to live, when you follow the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time. Gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts, like the rest we were by nature objects of wrath.” That's your low point. Low in the grave you lay spiritually. You were dead. You weren't sick. Don't ever let anyone tell you Christianity is a crutch for the weak. Christianity is a resurrection for the dead. They speak too lightly in mocking our faith. Oh, it's far worse than you imagine, it's no crutch. I couldn't use a crutch, I was dead in my transgressions and sins, go ahead and toss a crutch to a dead person. Here, I want to help you, and the fact that you're unable to walk. Crutch isn't gonna help you. Oh, no. You were dead in your transgressions and sins in which you used to live. Dead while you lived. But God raised you up through faith in Christ. And verse 6, it says, “You are seated with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” Positionally, you're already there. God sees you that way. But likewise, you have an infinite journey to travel, and that is to end up totally and perfectly conformed to Christ in every way; perfect in your souls, in your mind, your will, your emotions and your character, perfect in your body, incorruptible and eternally alive with him with a perfect body that will never die again, and seated with him in heavenly power, reigning with Christ. That's the end of your infinite journey. Our Incomplete and Immensely Dangerous Journey Now, it's already begun, as we said, that God has made us alive with Christ, so we're already alive, but unlike Christ's, that journey is incomplete for you. You're not finished with it yet, you're not finished, because you have to be here listening to me instead of seeing the glory. If you were given a choice, see the glory, okay? But in the meantime, you get the preaching. We're not finished yet, we're not done being saved. And so we have before us a long and perilous journey, very dangerous. We still dwell in bodies of clay. We still wrestle with indwelling sin. We still have divided minds and hearts. We still need faith and hope, our foes that oppose us are infinitely more powerful than we are. The devil has been successfully tempting people for thousands of years. He is immensely powerful. He's called the god of this world, he's a deceiver, he's a slanderer, he's a merciless tyrant, he is a soul slayer. He is vastly more terrifying and more powerful than you can possibly imagine. And so also is this dangerous and clever and shrewd world system that he's set up to allure you and entice you and trick you and trap you so that you will not love Jesus anymore. So that you will not believe in him. And even worse, you have within you a rebel flesh that likes what the devil's doing, attracted to it, interested in it. A foe within the walls, and we have therefore the world, the flesh, the devil opposing us every step of the way. God’s Immeasurably Great Power IN Us Now, once Apollo 11 escaped Earth's orbit and started heading toward the moon, it coasted most of the way. All they needed was occasional nudge to do some course correction. Is that your experience as a Christian? I wouldn't think so. Every day you get up and you're told to put on your spiritual armor. You're told basically to slog for every foot of spiritual progress that you're going to make. You need immeasurable power to make this journey. It is a dangerous journey, and as a result, the Lord in John 17, when he was leaving, said, “Father, I am leaving, and they're still in the world, protect them. Protect them by the power of your name.” He considered it a great problem that you're still in the world, and so you need immeasurable power for your infinite journey. Now, there's two kinds of power that God puts forth; one is a power in you, and another is a power around you, and both of them are worth considering. The power in you is transforming your heart. Changing it from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh. You're being renewed by the transforming of your mind as you hear the word of God preached and taught accurately, and as you're listening to the word throughout the week, because you listen to tapes, you're reading books, you're being transformed. God's power is at work through the word of God, in you changing you from inside, renewing your mind. He's changing your will to love and desire and yearn for, and choose to what he loves and desires and yearns for and chooses, so that you're conformed to Christ, convicting you also of sin when you transgress, so that you would hate it the way he hates it. Renewing your drive for holiness day after day, waking you up with incredible power, saying, “Let's get up, let's get moving, let's have our quiet time, let's pray. Let's read the Bible. Now let's go. Let's fight sin, let's say no to that temptation, let's stand firm, put on your spiritual armor, keep walking, let's do those good works that God has ordained that you should walk in them. Drive, drive, drive.” It takes energy. Paul talks about this in Colossians 1, “We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom in order that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works inside me.” God’s Immeasurably Great Power AROUND Us So there's this energy, this power inside you to help you finish that long journey that's still ahead of you, but there's also an immeasurably great power around you, it's outside of you, orchestrating, controlling, working on things, not just for you, but for all of the church around the world, so that all of us can finish our infinite journeys. Look what it says in verse 21 and 22, “Christ is seated far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age, but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church.” Look at that phrase, “for the church.” His sovereign power seated on the throne as King of Kings and Lord of Lords is directed to a purpose to help the church. He's helping you, he's helping me. What does that mean? Well, he turns the hearts of kings like a water course in his hands, directs it whichever way he chooses for the benefit of the church. He filters the temptations the devil wants to bring to your life so that you're not tempted beyond anything you can bear, but with the temptation, will give you the way of escape so you can bear up under. He affects political elections and private conversations and national economics and even sporting events, and the roll of the dice and the falling of sparrows, all of these things for a single purpose, that the church might complete its infinite journey and be holy and blameless in his sight, fully saved. That's the power at work outside of it, and neither you nor I will ever fully grasp how powerful it is. God’s Power is Perfectly Effective He's at work around you, and he's at work in you, and God's power is perfectly effective. He's going to be working on you, you know what? Until you're done being saved, until you're just like Jesus, body, soul and spirit. Totally and completely finished. That is the power that's at work in you. Application Now, what is the application from understanding this? Well, first, I know as a pastor that on Easter Sunday, a lot of times people come to church, who usually don't come to church. And I think that's wonderful. I'm glad you're here, but I'd like to invite you to come to something better than church. I'd like to invite you to come to Christ. I'd like you to know the kind of power that was at work in Jesus in your own personal life. I'd like you to be born again, I'd like you to trust in Jesus. He has the power to speak into deadness and say, “rise and live,” and he will not stop speaking that word until you're in his presence. Trust in him today. His death on the cross is sufficient for all of your sins. Trust in him. Those of you that are Christians, you came in here today, you have come to Christ, you come to him all the time, constantly to be satisfied, and you came to church too, and I'm glad. Let me urge you to think about what Paul is praying for here. Ponder the hope. Ponder the riches. And ponder the power that’s at work. Why does he pray for those things? Why does he want us to know how rich we are? Why does he want us to know what kind of hope is going to be realized some day for us? Why does he want us to know that the same power that raised Jesus up from his grave and seated him at the right hand of God is also at work in and around you? Why? To give you incredible confidence. How much power do you have to take a step in that journey? If God left you alone and said, “Go ahead, why don't you coast for a while and see how you do on your own,” how's it gonna be? “Did we in our own strength confide,” that means put our trust, “our striving would be losing.” So you know what he's doing, he's saying, “Don't trust in your own strength, but realize there is incredible power at work in and around you, trust in it.” And as I said earlier in this message, pray like this, pray it for yourself, pray it for your spouse, pray it for your children, your parents, pray it for your friends and co-workers, pray like this, and then live accordingly, get up and be energetic. God has some good works for you to do even today. I know you're anticipating a day of rest and enjoyment. Well, good, enjoy that, but he has good works for you to do every day, do them according to the power that so mightily works inside you. Close with me in prayer.

Introduction: The “Burden of Bearing the Light” Okay, we're looking this morning at Philippians 2:14-18. And as you're turning there, I just want to tell you of something wonderful and remarkable that's going on in my family. For two years, we've had a kind of a mute observer in our home. His name is Calvin. He's been watching us, he's been observing. And now, he's ready to talk about it a little bit. More and more every week as a matter of fact. Just before I came up here, I asked my wife, I said, "Where's he at in his speaking ability right now?" And she said, "Well, he says, 'Mommy, have a question.'" So that means, "I have a question.'" I don't know what questions come after that, but he always has questions and he's thinking. But this is the amazing thing, what's remarkable, my wife and I were missionaries overseas in Japan, and we had the burden of learning the Japanese language. We had flash cards, we had grammar books, we had a tutor, we had exams, we drilled ourselves, and at the end of two years we were barely, I mean barely, conversational. And now it's all gone like the morning mist. I can remember how to greet, I can say a few other things but it's gone. This little kid, Calvin, a year from now will probably be conversational, no flash cards, no textbooks, no grammars, no audio tapes, no special tutoring sessions, nothing, just living. The Magnificent Gift of Language Because God has granted to us the gift of language. And his language will be English probably, I think it's going to be English. But he's not unusual, there's nothing striking about him. I'm not standing and proclaiming that my son is a super genius, he's not. But he's going to be probably conversational, if not fluent in English a year from now. And so will your children if they are at that same age and so will children all over the world in the corresponding languages that their parents are speaking to them, because God is a lingual God, He's a God of language, a God who speaks, and He has given to us the gift of language, the gift of words. Now, to me that's a phenomenal thing. Some of the best things in my life have come to me through words. If you think about history, you think about the great moments, like Abraham Lincoln speaking the Gettysburg Address and just understanding what that battle was about in just a few words. A Winston Churchill, inspiring a downtrodden nation to hope and courage at a low point. Speaking words into a microphone that just blessed. Or the poetry of John Milton, sonnets of Shakespeare. I think about these, this is high and lofty speech. But then there's the beauty of everyday language, of a husband complementing his wife for a wonderful meal made, or wife complementing her husband for the good job that he does in providing a family. Simple words of thanks and encouragement that go from one to another. Common goodness, and that's every day goodness, every day blessing. Then there's the higher forms of speech that we're called to as Christians. The speech of prayer, being able to talk to God, to speak to Him. To memorize Scripture and be able to recite it, to speak the words of God. Be able to read Scriptures, we've heard done several times this morning in the worship service. To be able to speak the words of God after Him. Well, that's high speech, isn't it? And a great joy. And then there's just worship, being able to sing to God as we've done this morning. Being able to just communicate with God through words and say, "You are a mighty God and we love you". To speak words of thanksgiving and benediction, words of blessing. It's a great gift, that's language at its best. And perhaps the highest call concerning words is the call to preach the Gospel. As it says in our text today, to hold forth or "hold out the word of life" in a dark and a crooked and depraved generation. To hold out the words of the Gospel. My salvation and yours are dependent on words, isn't that incredible? The words of the Gospel, it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. And so this is language at its best and highest but, words can also turn bad, can't they? Words can be used to devastate, to poison a relationship between a husband and wife, between good friends. Words can be used to ruin a church fellowship. Words can be used to rip and to tear and to destroy in so many ways. This is speech gone bad. And it's also mentioned in our text today. Look at verse 14, "Do everything without complaining or arguing." Those are two of the worst forms of speech. And they're so familiar to us that we just kind of almost, kind of laugh. "Oh yes, complaining my old friend, were constant companions complaining and I." And then there's arguing as well. But this is generally speech gone bad, truly. This is not what our mouth was made for. Now what's fascinating to me is that some of the weightiest things in life have no mass at all. Words have no mass and yet they're weighty and significant. Light has no mass but it's weighty. And we have the weighty burden of bearing the light. As Michael Card put it in one of his songs, "This burden of bearing the light" to a lost, a dark generation. Of sharing the Gospel. And there are times I think, to me, it feels like an overwhelming burden. To think of the darkness that surrounds us all the time and to think that we have the only hope, the message of the Gospel. And that it's up to us, under the power of the spirit to go out and share that Gospel, it feels like a burden. And it is a burden. It's a great burden that He has given to us. II. The Internal Journey: Working Hard by God’s Power Now we've seen, in the Book of Philippians, two eternal or infinite journeys. An internal journey of holiness and sanctification, whereby we grow more and more like Jesus Christ, little by little. And, also, the external journey of salvation, whereas we are preaching the Gospel. We're communicating, sharing the Gospel to the ends of the Earth making disciples. Now, we've seen recently and been focusing on the internal journey, that working out our salvation with fear and trembling. Look again at verse 12. It says, "Therefore my dear friends, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling." We've seen that salvation is a process. We don't get it all at once. We don't. We get justification at the beginning, by faith alone. Apart from works, we get this. And that is, full forgiveness of sins, adoption into the family of God, standing in the righteousness of Christ, that beautiful robe of righteousness, perfect righteousness. Positionally, we get that, apart from works, as a gift. Well, that's wonderful, but salvation isn't finished yet. God intends in the end that you be every bit as perfect as Jesus Christ. Perfect in your emotions. Perfect in your thinking. Perfect in your will. All of the internal parts of you, in what you delight in and what you hate. He wants you to be just like Jesus. And He wants you to be perfect externally, as well. And that is, physically, He wants you to have a perfect body. And so your salvation will be finished when you are perfect inside and out. And until then you're not finished being saved yet. Now, you can't be any more justified than you are today, if you're a Christian. You can't be any more forgiven. You can't be any more loved. You can't be seen any higher by God, but your salvation's still not finished. And so we have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, that internal journey of holiness that we've been talking about. We've seen that it comes from God's greater work in us. Verse 13: "It is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose." Jesus said, "I am the vine and you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. Apart from Me you can do nothing." And so we work because He first worked in us. And that's what we've talked about the last few weeks. Well, how does that relate to do everything without complaining or arguing, which is the very next verse? Well, I think they're intimately related. They're directly connected. The Philippian Church were having conflicts. They were having arguments. There was dissension. They were not living, in Philippians 1:27, up to the calling of the Gospel. They weren't living up to what the message that they were preaching. And so you cannot hold forth the word of life, if you're arguing and bickering among yourselves. That's how they join together. The internal journey of holiness meshes together with the external journey of worldwide evangelization. III. The External Journey: Holding Out the Word of Life to a Lost World In the juxtaposition of these two sections, Philippians 2:12 and 13, tells us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. And then in verse 16, it tells us to hold out the word of life to a dark and dying world. They go together. And so He wants us to make moral progress. He wants us to be more like Jesus. He wants us to stop arguing and to stop complaining so that we can more effectively hold out the word of life. That's how they work together. Now, verse 14. "Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure." Now, complaining is really a very great sin. I know we don't think of it as a great sin. We think of murder or adultery, or embezzlement, or some of these other great sins as great sins. But complaining is a great sin. It's a great wickedness because God created us to receive blessings from Him. Job put it this way, "Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart." So we are just in a total beggar position before God. Everything of value comes as a gift of grace. And so all of the things that come your way come from God. Complaining means, "I'm not satisfied with what you've given me." It really is anti-worship. It's exactly the opposite of worship and thanksgiving. We should be worshipping. We should be giving thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. But instead we're complaining. We Complain About Everything We complain about the weather. It's too hot, too cold, too foggy, too dewy. I don't know. I mean whatever. There's just something wrong. Too muggy. Too ice-ish a year ago. I mean just something to complain about. I saw a cartoon about this a number of years ago in which this little kid who's just nothing but a tyrant. It's Calvin and Hobbes. And this kid's sitting in the tub and his mother draws the bath for him, and he complains and says, "It's too hot!" So she fix it. He says, "Now it's too cold!" So she fixed it again. "Now it's too hot again!" So she fixed it again. "Now it's too deep." But that's us. That's the way we are no matter what God does. If you have a disposition toward complaining, that's going to be you. It's too this or it's too that. We complain about our finances we don't make enough money. Complain about our job. Our boss doesn't see all that I am and all that I could be if I would just get that promotion. We complain about our vehicle, our car, it needs repair again. Complain about our spouse. Complain about our children or our parents. They don't really see me properly the way I should be seen. They don't treat me the way I should be treated. Complain about everything. Complain about our church. It's a great sport of complaining about your pastor. It's a great disease. And I'm not just talking about... But it's endemic all over Christendom to complain about your church. We complain about everything. Now, we have great predecessors in this, Israel. The Israelites were great complainers. They really refined it to an art. Those of you that have been studying with us at night in Exodus, almost every sermon, it's about the same thing. What are they going to complain about today? Either it's water or it's food, or it's the Red Sea problem or it's some other thing. There are issues and they're constantly complaining. And they would not through... Because of their unbelief, they would not enter the promised land and so God condemned them to wander for 40 years in the desert and thereby, he condemned them to eat manna for 40 years too. Now, it's better than starving, it's better than dying. But they got tired of it, manna, morning, noon, and night for 40 years. Now, you probably would've gotten tired of it too, but it still was a great sin to complain, and so they did complain. In Numbers 21:5, it says, "They spoke against God and against Moses and said, 'why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There's no bread, there's no water, and we detest this miserable food.'" Well, you know what the miserable food was they were detesting? Miraculous bread from heaven. Manna, they detested it. God responded by sending poisonous snakes into their camp and many of them died, and so someone once said, "God threatens terrible things if you will not be happy." And it's true. God wants us to be content and happy. Two Reasons for Complaining Now, what is the root of complaining? I think two things. Number one, we forget what we truly deserve. Number two, we forget who it is that gives us everything in life. Those are two things and they're theological. We forget what we truly deserve, namely eternal condemnation in hell. Just picture yourself standing before God on Judgement Day and saying, "God, just give me what I truly deserve and nothing more. I just want what I deserve. No grace, no mercy, no handouts, just what I deserve." Do you want that? No. So, we forget. We forget what we truly deserve. One pastor has made a habit when asked, "How are you?" Or, "How are things going?" He always answers the same way, "Better than I deserve." What a thankful spirit that promotes. It's better than I deserve, no matter what is happening to me, it's better than I deserve. We forget that, we think we deserve better. "I deserve to be seen by this person better than they're seeing me." No, you don't. "I deserve better clothes than I... " No, you don't. "I deserve a better situation. I deserve better health. I deserve better health for a loved one." No, you don't. No, you don't. No, you don't. We deserve hell. And the irony is that that thought is the root of great joy and happiness in life, isn't it? Because you think that way, you just accept everything as better than you deserve. Secondly, we forget from whom we get everything. We forget that God is a king providentially ruling over everything that comes our way. He has chosen this arrangement of circumstances for you today, much like a chef will choose what's on the plate that he sets before you. Some of those things will be sweet to your taste and some bitter, but God is the wise one who's chosen. And when we complain, we forget Him, we forget how much He loves us. So, we must do everything without complaining. Why Do We Argue? And what about arguing? Now, I know only some of you argue, but I'm going to speak to those of you that argue, okay? Those of you that argue, why do you do it? Is it because you have forgotten perhaps that the person you're arguing with will someday be as glorious as Jesus Christ? That someday, if you're Christians, that you will be perfectly one? Have you forgotten that? Have you forgotten the weight of glory? C. S. Lewis said that, "If you saw that person as they will someday be, you'll be as tempted to worship them, as John was to worship the angel that brought him the Book of Revelation." I know it's hard for you to think of your spouse that way, but think just with me for a moment. Think of your spouse as glorious and think of this person that you're having a hard time with, that there's broken fellowship, that someday they'll be glorious in Christ. They say, "Well what if they're not a Christian?" Well, do you realize there are far weightier issues then, than your little argument with that person? You need to be holding out the word of life to them, not arguing with them. Do everything without complaining or arguing. And why? So that we can put moral purity on display. So that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation in which you shine like stars in the universe. Thus, the internal journey of sanctification makes the external journey of evangelization possible. Pure and blameless. Now, this doesn't mean perfect. You're not called to be perfect in this world. We're called to be, but we won't be. You're not expected to be, because God has not removed from us our flesh. In the end, when God separates us from the body of death, we will be pure and blameless. But these are I think provisional words somewhat like when we're speaking of Zechariah and Elizabeth, that they were blameless keeping all of God's commands, that you can in a very conspicuous way be living up to God's standard. Life a Life Worthy of the Gospel Now, this is what you were chosen for before the foundation of the world anyway. Ephesians 1:4 says, "In Him, we were chosen before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight." And so, we are called on here to live up to the Gospel that we're holding forth. That was the whole problem with the Philippians. They were under the pressure of persecution. They were called on to be witnesses for Christ. And so in Philippians 1:27, look back for a minute, it's just maybe on the same page. But 1:27 it says, "Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ." Live up to your message. That's what it's saying. Live up to your message. Now one of my great heroes from church history that I just love is John Huss, and I mentioned him this past week or Wednesday mission study. But John Huss was a great man of God. And as he was about to be put to the torch, he was going to be burned at the stake in the 15th century, about 100 years before Luther, he was offered an opportunity to recant and he said, "What I have taught with my lips, I now seal with my blood." Isn't that great? What I've taught with my lips, I seal with my blood. Well, most of us probably are not going to be called to be martyrs, probably not going to be called to seal with our blood what we teach with our lips. But this Scripture here teaches us that what we teach with our lips we are to seal with our life. We're to live up to what we proclaim. Unbelievers can sniff out hypocrisy, can't they? They can kind of tell. I mean, here you proclaim a God of love and look how you treat your spouse. You proclaim a God of love and I've been to one of your church conferences. You proclaim to be preaching a sovereign God who's a king and yet you're complaining about your circumstances. It doesn't make sense. And they, I don't think, can articulate it but they just can smell hypocrisy. They know, and they'll tell you it's one of the main reasons they don't come to faith in Christ. "Churches are full of hypocrites," they say. And so our lives must match our message or we'll make no progress in evangelism at all. We must also understand our generation. It says that we live in a crooked and depraved generation. Now they can smell our hypocrisy, but let me say back to the crooked and deprived generation. We Christians live constantly surrounded by the stink of their rebellion against God. We're infected by it every day. They pour forth stuff that lures us away from Christ, and we have to understand that that is the generation we're living in and it's always been the case. It's the same every generation, crooked and depraved. Not essentially good, basically good. No, crooked and depraved. Crooked means they don't live according to the straight path, the righteous path that God has ordained. Depraved means or perverse means wicked to the core. Romans 1:28 says, "They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless" That's the crooked and depraved generation we live in. Oh they need the Gospel. They need the Gospel. And we are called on to give it to them. Our lives therefore must match our message. We must live up to the message that we preach. Jesus said, " "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." And so we're called to be stars, that's what the text says. Stars really. Mariners used to make their way across the ocean by star navigation. They'd be able to discern their position by looking at Polaris for example, the pole star that never moved. In the same manner, God is calling on Christians to be a fixed point of reference that doesn't move. We're just consistent. Our integrity speaks of truth that doesn't change. Or another illustration, the slaves before the Civil War used to work out in the fields and they would sing a song that contained code language for how to escape, "When the sun comes back and the first quail calls, follow the drinking gourd, for the old man is waiting for to carry you to freedom, follow the drinking gourd." What's the drinking gourd? Well, it's the Big Dipper up in the sky and the handle pointed the way north. And there would be a guide in the Underground Railroad if they would follow the drinking gourd, if they would follow the line of the stars, they would know how to get north at night, and I think we're called to be that way. We're called to point the way to the truth by the way that we live so that people who are slaves to sin may find freedom in Christ. Hold Out the Word of Life Verse 16 it says, "As you hold out the word of life." Now here's the thing folks. I've been talking about living up to your message, but your lifestyle will save no one from their sin. I'm not meaning to be insulting. I'm not meaning to say you really won't do a good job. If you could just live better, people would get saved. I'm just saying no one will get saved by watching how well you imitate Christ. It's not God's way. God, rather, has ordained that the word of truth, the word of life will save. The Gospel message itself must be proclaimed. And so the lifestyle is really just the table setting for the real meal, and the real meal is the message of the Gospel. And so your lifestyle is the linen table cloth and it's the silver forks and knives and the best plates and goblets and all of these things set for the feast, and what is the feast? The feast is the word of God. People get saved as you hold out or hold forth the word of life. Now, there's something about holding forth in that. The guy who led me to Christ, a guy named Steve, he shared the Gospel with me through great persecution, great persecution for 18 months. I abused him, I was rude to him, I insulted him and he never gave up. He just kept sharing the Gospel. He kept holding forth the word of life. That example of perseverance and communication convicts me. So often I think, "Well, I shared once with him, that's it." Check the box, co-worker, somebody that... And you had a sharing opportunity, it didn't go well and say, "Well, at least I shared with them." Well, it's true and something's been done there. But is it done? No. We're to hold forth the word of life. I mean, consistently hold it out, say, "Here is the way, walk in it. Here is Christ." Consistency, a willingness to reach out with the Gospel. Now Paul was an example of this. He talks about his own example. He says, "In order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing," and then he says, "Even if I am being poured out like a drink offering, on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I'm glad and rejoice with all of you." He's putting himself forward as a role model. IV. Paul’s Example of Joyful Suffering (vs. 16-18) Now, today I just want to touch on this lightly because it's a big theme in Philippians and it's better spoken of at 3:17. And there he says, "Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you…" A pattern of Christianity. But here he says, "See my example. I have run the race with endurance. I have labored and now I am willing to be poured out like a drink offering." The image is, there's a good picture on the front of your bulletin there of just a pitcher of water being poured out. Drink offering is sacrificial language, and the priest would take a cup of wine probably, and poured onto the hot coals of fire of the sacrifice, and whoosh, up it would go. The fire here is the sacrifice and service coming from the Philippians faith. He said, "Even if I'm dying to help you grow more, I'm willing. I'm glad. I'm willing to die. I'm rejoicing." Job said, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in Him." Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in effect said, "Though he slay me, yet will I obey him." But Paul here says, "Though he slay me yet will I rejoice in Him." And that's our calling too. Verse 18, so you too should be glad in the same way and rejoice with me, be willing to be poured out for Christ, be willing to be poured out so that others maybe saved. V. Application Now what application can we take from this? Well, first, my theology professor is talking about some of the difficulties and the depths of Scripture and how hard the Scripture can be to understand, and it can be. It's a very deep book. But he said, "I found the real problem with Scripture is not that it's too complicated, it's that it's too simple and I don't want to do what it says." [chuckle] Look at verse 14, is that complicated? Do you have a hard time understanding verse 14? Do you need somebody like me to come explain the Greek or to get to a deeper level of exegesis? Do everything without complaining or arguing. You know what complaining is, and you know what arguing is. What do you complain about the most? Think about that. You don't have to speak out. We could have a time like that, but we're not going to do that. But what moves you to complain the most? Maybe it's financial issues, maybe it's health issues, maybe it's family issues, maybe it's the church, something. We need to repent from that sin. Think of how sweet our fellowship would be with God if in the middle of one of those trials we choose instead to worship, just like Job did, instead may the name of the Lord be praised. May he be praised. I deserved hell, and God has chosen to give this to me and I will worship Him. I trust in Him. For me, I think it's the car, the automobile. I know there's not going to be any cars in heaven, or if there aren't there, they're not going to break down and cost $750. It's just not going to happen. Or if they break down and cost $750, they'll be right there, every time, and never a lack. But something better than the situation we have here. Right? I have to resolve the next time my car breaks down significantly, I'm going to trust in God and not complain. I'm not going to speak any negative words. I'm just going to trust Him. That's hard to do. And arguing, I don't want to do it anymore. It's an act of the will to not argue to say, "Our fellowship's too important for this." Now, that doesn't mean we don't work through issues with the truth. You know I believe we do that, so we can come to a genuine unity, but we're not going to argue with each other. And then finally, hold out the word of life, hold it out, come with us to the outreach today. Maybe you're teetering on the edge. You weren't sure whether you're going to come. Come, if you can. Come, hold forth the word of life. But today's outreach isn't the issue, it's seven days a week. D. L. Moody resolved that he would not go to bed every day without witnessing to somebody that day. Now that's a challenge. If you don't think it is, try it. Try it for a week. Say, "For the next seven days, I will not complain, I will not argue, and I will witness to at least one person a day for seven days." Now that's a challenge. It's a challenge. And finally, to you who are sitting and listening to me and you don't feel inside your heart that you are Christians, I can do nothing better than just hold forth the word of life to you today. It doesn't matter how much sin you've committed. It doesn't matter what you did last night. What matters is that Jesus Christ came to save sinners. Paul says, "Of whom I am the worst". And that is a trustworthy saying. He came to save people like you because He suffered and died on the cross for sins that were not His own, as a substitute, that we might have eternal life. Trust in Him today.