1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,576 Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church podcast, 2 00:00:03,688 --> 00:00:06,584 where we are proclaiming the truth to the world. 3 00:00:06,672 --> 00:00:09,672 My name is Pastor Josh, and I want to thank you for listening to 4 00:00:09,696 --> 00:00:10,760 this podcast. 5 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:14,616 I hope that this podcast can be a blessing to you and strengthen 6 00:00:14,648 --> 00:00:16,300 you in the word of God. 7 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:17,576 Now come along. 8 00:00:17,648 --> 00:00:21,700 Let's look into the Bible and see what God has for us here today. 9 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:26,090 You know, traditions are a good thing. 10 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:27,270 Does anyone else have one before? 11 00:00:27,310 --> 00:00:27,890 I. 12 00:00:29,310 --> 00:00:30,422 Traditions are a good thing. 13 00:00:30,446 --> 00:00:30,630 I. 14 00:00:30,670 --> 00:00:31,590 I think that one. 15 00:00:31,630 --> 00:00:34,662 One of the reasons that traditions are fun is because it 16 00:00:34,686 --> 00:00:38,342 might not be necessarily really unique or it might not even 17 00:00:38,366 --> 00:00:40,598 be something that other people find interesting, but they're special 18 00:00:40,654 --> 00:00:43,126 to us because we continue to do them, and it. 19 00:00:43,198 --> 00:00:45,414 It holds a special place in our hearts. 20 00:00:45,462 --> 00:00:46,422 And when you. 21 00:00:46,446 --> 00:00:49,350 When you think about scripture and you think about, you know, different 22 00:00:49,390 --> 00:00:52,902 things that people did and how they reacted to things, you know, 23 00:00:52,926 --> 00:00:56,050 people reacted to Jesus in many different ways. 24 00:00:56,210 --> 00:01:00,630 And, and it was a lot of times people reacted to Jesus with awe. 25 00:01:00,970 --> 00:01:03,026 Many people reacted to Jesus with. 26 00:01:03,098 --> 00:01:04,150 With anger. 27 00:01:04,730 --> 00:01:06,466 Some people reacted with. 28 00:01:06,538 --> 00:01:08,498 With Jesus in great joy. 29 00:01:08,674 --> 00:01:11,026 And I think that's how sometimes at Christmas time, we, 30 00:01:11,098 --> 00:01:13,378 you know, different people have different perceptions of different 31 00:01:13,434 --> 00:01:14,274 things that happens. 32 00:01:14,322 --> 00:01:17,298 And, you know, for many people, Christmas is a time of joy. 33 00:01:17,474 --> 00:01:20,194 Many, many people, you know, they're looking all year towards 34 00:01:20,242 --> 00:01:22,310 Christmas, and maybe family's coming together. 35 00:01:22,350 --> 00:01:25,270 This might be the one time the family gets together in the year. 36 00:01:25,310 --> 00:01:26,582 And so there's great joy with that. 37 00:01:26,606 --> 00:01:29,930 But, you know, for other people, Christmas time can be difficult, 38 00:01:30,270 --> 00:01:30,902 you know, when. 39 00:01:30,926 --> 00:01:33,686 When certain elements of the life has changed. 40 00:01:33,718 --> 00:01:36,614 Maybe a person has gone on to be with the Lord or maybe there was 41 00:01:36,622 --> 00:01:38,614 an instance around that Christmas season where there was 42 00:01:38,622 --> 00:01:39,206 a difficulty. 43 00:01:39,238 --> 00:01:41,494 You know, sometimes people have a different perception. 44 00:01:41,542 --> 00:01:44,230 And, And I think that that's important for us to understand as, 45 00:01:44,270 --> 00:01:48,278 as Christians, we can see the very same thing and have a different 46 00:01:48,334 --> 00:01:50,930 viewpoint on it than somebody else because of our experience. 47 00:01:51,470 --> 00:01:54,006 And we're going to talk about an individual here this evening. 48 00:01:54,038 --> 00:01:55,430 Her name is going to be Anna. 49 00:01:55,590 --> 00:01:59,782 And Anna has a reaction to Jesus that really was unique. 50 00:01:59,926 --> 00:02:03,302 There were really only a few people at this time frame that were 51 00:02:03,326 --> 00:02:05,254 recognizing Jesus as Messiah. 52 00:02:05,382 --> 00:02:09,606 We know at this point the shepherds had recognized Jesus as 53 00:02:09,678 --> 00:02:10,166 Messiah. 54 00:02:10,198 --> 00:02:13,792 We know that right before this, Simeon had recognized Jesus 55 00:02:13,966 --> 00:02:15,360 as Messiah. 56 00:02:15,780 --> 00:02:19,692 You know, at this point, Mary and Joseph are certainly understanding 57 00:02:19,836 --> 00:02:22,684 not completely the implications of who Jesus is, but 58 00:02:22,772 --> 00:02:24,796 to some degree they're understanding this. 59 00:02:24,948 --> 00:02:27,852 And we see Anna reacting in a very unique way here. 60 00:02:27,876 --> 00:02:30,572 There's not a lot to be said about Anna in This passage. 61 00:02:30,716 --> 00:02:31,500 And, you know, I. 62 00:02:31,540 --> 00:02:35,356 I wonder sometimes in Scripture, sometimes I wonder why. 63 00:02:35,428 --> 00:02:36,316 Why was this mentioned? 64 00:02:36,348 --> 00:02:38,316 Why was this little snippet mentioned in Scripture? 65 00:02:38,348 --> 00:02:41,588 And I think that if something's mentioned in Scripture, 66 00:02:41,684 --> 00:02:43,076 it's there for us for a reason. 67 00:02:43,148 --> 00:02:44,212 It's there for us to learn. 68 00:02:44,276 --> 00:02:48,676 It's there for us to maybe learn from a good example or a bad 69 00:02:48,748 --> 00:02:50,900 example so that we don't follow that path. 70 00:02:51,060 --> 00:02:53,300 You know, there's some passages of scripture that are just 71 00:02:53,340 --> 00:02:57,012 descriptive, just describing something that happened so that we 72 00:02:57,036 --> 00:02:59,620 can tie that together with reality, so that we can tie it together 73 00:02:59,660 --> 00:03:00,480 with history. 74 00:03:00,780 --> 00:03:03,880 So, so we know at this point in time, Jesus is born. 75 00:03:04,220 --> 00:03:06,144 His parents take him to the temple. 76 00:03:06,292 --> 00:03:11,112 And Simeon there, as we saw last week, followed the Holy Spirit. 77 00:03:11,176 --> 00:03:12,968 So he was a man led by the Spirit. 78 00:03:13,064 --> 00:03:14,280 He worships Jesus. 79 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:14,696 He. 80 00:03:14,768 --> 00:03:17,496 He recognizes the truth of God's word. 81 00:03:17,608 --> 00:03:21,720 And we see there in verse 29, he says, now the Lord, now, let us 82 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:24,136 now serve and depart in peace according to Thy word. 83 00:03:24,168 --> 00:03:27,096 So he's essentially saying, I have now seen my Savior. 84 00:03:27,208 --> 00:03:28,424 I can depart in peace. 85 00:03:28,472 --> 00:03:29,288 I can be done. 86 00:03:29,344 --> 00:03:30,328 I fought the good fight. 87 00:03:30,384 --> 00:03:31,620 I finished my course. 88 00:03:31,930 --> 00:03:35,394 And so he says, the reason why, for mine eyes have seen thy 89 00:03:35,442 --> 00:03:39,330 salvation, which thou has prepared before the face of all people 90 00:03:39,450 --> 00:03:42,626 a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of thy people, 91 00:03:42,698 --> 00:03:43,510 Israel. 92 00:03:43,850 --> 00:03:47,586 And so, really, in that passages of Scripture where Simeon 93 00:03:47,778 --> 00:03:51,026 is talking, we see a lot of really interesting points. 94 00:03:51,098 --> 00:03:54,482 One point is that Jesus is not just coming for Israel, even though 95 00:03:54,506 --> 00:03:56,050 he came for his people. 96 00:03:56,090 --> 00:03:59,074 He did come, as it says there, to lie in the light of the Gentiles. 97 00:03:59,202 --> 00:04:03,330 And so we know that Jesus's message of the Gospel is for all. 98 00:04:03,450 --> 00:04:06,594 And we see that Simeon is led by the Spirit to proclaim this truth. 99 00:04:06,642 --> 00:04:10,322 But at the end of this, we see in verse 36, a new character come 100 00:04:10,346 --> 00:04:11,090 onto the scene. 101 00:04:11,170 --> 00:04:13,858 And this is the individual named Anna. 102 00:04:14,034 --> 00:04:17,602 And it says, and there was one Anna, a prophetess. 103 00:04:17,746 --> 00:04:22,242 Now, if you see that, you might not understand, really. 104 00:04:22,346 --> 00:04:22,610 I. 105 00:04:22,650 --> 00:04:25,026 I don't understand the implications of what that phrase 106 00:04:25,058 --> 00:04:25,250 means. 107 00:04:25,290 --> 00:04:27,894 We don't see a lot of that in Scripture, that phrase prophetess. 108 00:04:28,002 --> 00:04:31,198 But it does kind of shine some light on us this morning as we looked 109 00:04:31,214 --> 00:04:33,294 into that word prophet or prophecy. 110 00:04:33,422 --> 00:04:36,926 We believe many people, many biblical scholars believe that Anna 111 00:04:36,958 --> 00:04:39,166 was someone who was proclaiming the truth of God. 112 00:04:39,198 --> 00:04:42,030 She was proclaiming the truth of God to those around her. 113 00:04:42,070 --> 00:04:46,174 So she's only in a handful of women in the Bible that have the 114 00:04:46,182 --> 00:04:47,374 title of prophetess. 115 00:04:47,502 --> 00:04:51,582 The others were Miriam in Exodus chapter 15, and Deborah in 116 00:04:51,606 --> 00:04:52,850 the book of Judges. 117 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:56,904 And, and we, we see that there are a few others in Scripture, in 118 00:04:56,912 --> 00:04:59,256 the book of Isaiah, I believe that there's one mentioned. 119 00:04:59,368 --> 00:05:00,632 And, and so what does that mean? 120 00:05:00,656 --> 00:05:02,984 Did that mean that she was holding the office of a pastor? 121 00:05:03,032 --> 00:05:06,664 No, we just believe that she was someone who was there to proclaim 122 00:05:06,712 --> 00:05:07,640 the truth of God. 123 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:11,608 And it even is seen here as she proclaims the truth of God in 124 00:05:11,664 --> 00:05:13,576 this culmination of Jesus's birth. 125 00:05:13,608 --> 00:05:16,376 And so it says that there was one Anna, a prophetess, a daughter 126 00:05:16,408 --> 00:05:18,620 of fuel, of the tribe of Asser. 127 00:05:19,210 --> 00:05:23,346 She was of great age and had lived with an husband seven years 128 00:05:23,418 --> 00:05:24,370 from her virginity. 129 00:05:24,450 --> 00:05:28,610 And she was a widow of about four score and four years, which 130 00:05:28,650 --> 00:05:32,034 departed not from the temple, but served God with fasting and prayers 131 00:05:32,082 --> 00:05:32,562 night and day. 132 00:05:32,586 --> 00:05:35,154 There's a lot that we can learn from the life of Anna. 133 00:05:35,202 --> 00:05:37,938 Right here we see that she was an elderly woman. 134 00:05:37,994 --> 00:05:39,858 She had only been married for seven years. 135 00:05:39,914 --> 00:05:42,754 And the Bible doesn't tell us exactly what happened, but we know 136 00:05:42,762 --> 00:05:45,428 that her husband passed away after that short amount of time. 137 00:05:45,554 --> 00:05:48,704 And the Bible says that she remained a widow for the rest of 138 00:05:48,712 --> 00:05:49,420 her life. 139 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:52,720 Now, that might not jump off the page to you too much, but at 140 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:56,464 that time frame, someone who was a widow was, was really the outcast 141 00:05:56,512 --> 00:05:57,456 of society. 142 00:05:57,648 --> 00:06:02,048 She would not have had someone providing for her like the other 143 00:06:02,104 --> 00:06:03,088 women that were there. 144 00:06:03,144 --> 00:06:06,140 And the Bible says that at that point in time, she made a decision. 145 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:08,752 And you know, that's an interesting decision because a lot 146 00:06:08,776 --> 00:06:12,160 of people have allowed heartache in their life to draw them 147 00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:14,886 away from God, to, to lead them away from God. 148 00:06:14,918 --> 00:06:16,342 But Anna does not respond that way. 149 00:06:16,366 --> 00:06:18,390 What does Anna do in the midst of loss? 150 00:06:18,510 --> 00:06:20,022 She turns to God. 151 00:06:20,166 --> 00:06:24,342 And it says here that after this happens, she departed not from 152 00:06:24,366 --> 00:06:25,238 the temple. 153 00:06:25,414 --> 00:06:27,686 She wanted to be in the presence of God. 154 00:06:27,798 --> 00:06:30,198 And I think that there's a lot that we can learn here from her life 155 00:06:30,254 --> 00:06:33,702 because no doubt the loss of her husband was not only an emotional 156 00:06:33,766 --> 00:06:37,238 loss, but it, but it was a, is a physical loss, a material loss. 157 00:06:37,294 --> 00:06:38,530 She lost her security. 158 00:06:38,990 --> 00:06:42,630 She lost probably her standing in society, unfair as that is. 159 00:06:42,750 --> 00:06:45,366 And ultimately what happens here is that she could have allowed 160 00:06:45,398 --> 00:06:49,606 that to lead her to a place of going away from God, maybe even questioning 161 00:06:49,638 --> 00:06:53,606 God, getting to a point in her life where she was bitter, maybe 162 00:06:53,638 --> 00:06:54,566 even angry with God. 163 00:06:54,598 --> 00:06:55,974 But instead, what does she do? 164 00:06:56,062 --> 00:06:58,726 She clings to God in the midst of that loss. 165 00:06:58,878 --> 00:07:00,502 She says, lord, I want to be with you. 166 00:07:00,526 --> 00:07:01,654 I want to be in the temple. 167 00:07:01,702 --> 00:07:02,662 I want to serve you. 168 00:07:02,686 --> 00:07:05,126 And it says that she was there in the temple. 169 00:07:05,158 --> 00:07:07,370 She departed not from the temple. 170 00:07:08,220 --> 00:07:10,356 That shows her desire to be close to God. 171 00:07:10,388 --> 00:07:11,620 But it says there more. 172 00:07:11,660 --> 00:07:13,556 It says, but served God. 173 00:07:13,748 --> 00:07:16,772 We spoke about that importance this morning about serving God with 174 00:07:16,796 --> 00:07:17,844 the proper motives. 175 00:07:17,972 --> 00:07:20,276 Serving God in the midst of difficulty. 176 00:07:20,468 --> 00:07:21,956 Instead of getting angry with God. 177 00:07:21,988 --> 00:07:22,532 What did she do? 178 00:07:22,556 --> 00:07:23,620 She served God. 179 00:07:23,700 --> 00:07:27,204 And then it says that she served God with fasting and prayers. 180 00:07:27,252 --> 00:07:30,228 And this shows dedication night and day. 181 00:07:30,284 --> 00:07:32,372 This shows the time frame in which she did this. 182 00:07:32,396 --> 00:07:34,204 It wasn't when it was convenient to her. 183 00:07:34,332 --> 00:07:36,760 Now her faith had become her life. 184 00:07:37,860 --> 00:07:41,612 This indicates that Anna was, Though she was elderly at this point, 185 00:07:41,636 --> 00:07:43,760 she was still busy serving the Lord. 186 00:07:44,180 --> 00:07:47,436 And so she was busy serving the Lord. 187 00:07:47,468 --> 00:07:50,924 But we also see here that she was looking, she was looking for 188 00:07:51,012 --> 00:07:51,404 hope. 189 00:07:51,492 --> 00:07:52,028 Verse 30. 190 00:07:52,084 --> 00:07:55,916 And she, coming in that instant, gave thanks likewise unto 191 00:07:55,948 --> 00:07:56,524 the Lord. 192 00:07:56,652 --> 00:07:58,156 So very similar to Simeon. 193 00:07:58,268 --> 00:07:59,436 She gives thanks to the Lord. 194 00:07:59,468 --> 00:08:01,692 She, she's looking for opportunities to give thanks to the 195 00:08:01,716 --> 00:08:01,852 Lord. 196 00:08:01,876 --> 00:08:05,064 You know, I think so many times in our life we miss opportunities 197 00:08:05,112 --> 00:08:07,832 to give thanks to God because we're so focused on the issues that 198 00:08:07,856 --> 00:08:08,952 are around us. 199 00:08:09,136 --> 00:08:12,040 You know, if we just opened our eyes, I think we would be very, 200 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:14,776 very, it would be very, very obvious for us to give God thanks 201 00:08:14,808 --> 00:08:15,528 for many things around. 202 00:08:15,584 --> 00:08:18,344 And so here in this case, she's, she's ready. 203 00:08:18,472 --> 00:08:20,936 And she comes in that instance and she gives thanks likewise unto 204 00:08:20,968 --> 00:08:24,536 the Lord and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption 205 00:08:24,568 --> 00:08:25,768 in Jerusalem. 206 00:08:25,944 --> 00:08:28,952 And so she gives thanks to the Lord for this opportunity to see 207 00:08:28,976 --> 00:08:29,490 Jesus. 208 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:33,998 And it says that she spake of him to all of them that looked for 209 00:08:34,054 --> 00:08:34,494 redemption. 210 00:08:34,542 --> 00:08:37,214 Now, what we know is that there are people at that time frame 211 00:08:37,262 --> 00:08:38,126 looking for redemption. 212 00:08:38,158 --> 00:08:39,806 They were looking for someone to redeem them. 213 00:08:39,878 --> 00:08:41,998 That word redemption means to be bought back. 214 00:08:42,134 --> 00:08:44,078 And so people were looking for a redeemer. 215 00:08:44,094 --> 00:08:47,326 And what she did is she recognized Jesus is the Redeemer. 216 00:08:47,358 --> 00:08:49,438 Jesus is the one to bring this redemption. 217 00:08:49,534 --> 00:08:50,734 And so what does she do? 218 00:08:50,822 --> 00:08:53,610 She proclaims that to all the people who were looking. 219 00:08:53,910 --> 00:08:56,094 That's a great example for us as believers. 220 00:08:56,142 --> 00:09:00,772 We, we should be proclaiming the redemption of Jesus Christ in 221 00:09:00,796 --> 00:09:01,396 our life. 222 00:09:01,548 --> 00:09:03,604 And I want to take you to a passage of Scripture that talks a 223 00:09:03,612 --> 00:09:04,212 little bit about that. 224 00:09:04,236 --> 00:09:06,724 We're going to come back to Anna here in a few moments, but I 225 00:09:06,732 --> 00:09:09,040 want you to turn there to Titus, chapter two. 226 00:09:10,540 --> 00:09:14,084 I, I, I was really pondering as I was studying the life of Anna. 227 00:09:14,132 --> 00:09:16,676 One of the words that jumped off the page for me was that word 228 00:09:16,708 --> 00:09:17,560 redemption. 229 00:09:18,060 --> 00:09:20,372 Redeemer what does that mean for us? 230 00:09:20,396 --> 00:09:20,580 What? 231 00:09:20,620 --> 00:09:23,566 What does that mean for us when we are trying to share our faith 232 00:09:23,598 --> 00:09:24,238 with other people? 233 00:09:24,294 --> 00:09:27,934 Well, we're going to see here in this passage of Scripture in Titus 234 00:09:27,982 --> 00:09:32,478 chapter two, the opportunity to explain what redemption looks 235 00:09:32,494 --> 00:09:36,010 like and how we can live in light of that to those around us. 236 00:09:37,910 --> 00:09:41,726 Let's look at Titus chapter 2, and we're going to look at verse 237 00:09:41,758 --> 00:09:46,446 number 11 says, for the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath 238 00:09:46,478 --> 00:09:53,184 appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly 239 00:09:53,232 --> 00:09:57,408 lust, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present 240 00:09:57,464 --> 00:09:57,920 world. 241 00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:00,848 And so, in light of the grace of God, so. 242 00:10:00,904 --> 00:10:04,288 So the same grace that Anna experienced all those years ago, 243 00:10:04,424 --> 00:10:07,728 the same grace that you experience in trusting in Jesus Christ 244 00:10:07,784 --> 00:10:11,600 as your Savior and knowing his gift of grace in your life, that 245 00:10:11,640 --> 00:10:15,744 should bring us to a place that we should deny ungodliness, 246 00:10:15,792 --> 00:10:18,072 things that are not reflective of the word of God. 247 00:10:18,176 --> 00:10:20,504 We should deny these worldly lusts. 248 00:10:20,632 --> 00:10:21,864 We should live soberly. 249 00:10:21,912 --> 00:10:23,512 We talked about that this morning. 250 00:10:23,696 --> 00:10:26,248 Righteously and godly in this present world. 251 00:10:26,304 --> 00:10:30,200 So the Bible says, to live a life focused on the redemption of 252 00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:33,240 God is a life to live differently in this world. 253 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:37,352 A life that lives in opposition to ungodliness, a life 254 00:10:37,376 --> 00:10:39,736 that lives in opposition to worldly lust. 255 00:10:39,848 --> 00:10:43,048 A life that leads us to a place of sobriety. 256 00:10:43,224 --> 00:10:44,344 Not just sobriety. 257 00:10:44,392 --> 00:10:46,904 When it comes to alcohol, a lot of times we use that word, sobriety. 258 00:10:46,952 --> 00:10:48,834 We think of, well, they're abstaining from alcohol. 259 00:10:48,882 --> 00:10:49,858 No, it's more than that. 260 00:10:49,914 --> 00:10:53,554 It's living a life unaffected by the cares and the whims and the 261 00:10:53,562 --> 00:10:56,162 sins of this world, to think seriously about the things of God, 262 00:10:56,226 --> 00:10:59,122 to live righteously, to live godly in this present world. 263 00:10:59,146 --> 00:11:02,130 It's very easy for us to be swayed by this present world and 264 00:11:02,170 --> 00:11:05,090 not to be thinking about the redemption that God has extended 265 00:11:05,170 --> 00:11:06,194 in our life. 266 00:11:06,362 --> 00:11:09,602 And I think that so many times we get our eyes off track of the 267 00:11:09,626 --> 00:11:13,090 true message and we get so clouded up with all these things 268 00:11:13,130 --> 00:11:17,248 of this world, and we do end up living lives of ungodliness, lives 269 00:11:17,304 --> 00:11:20,400 of worldly lust, lives that are not sober, lives that are not 270 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:23,504 righteous, lives that are not godly in this present world. 271 00:11:23,592 --> 00:11:25,520 And then he says, how do you get back to that? 272 00:11:25,560 --> 00:11:27,680 How do you get back to living that life of sobriety? 273 00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:28,592 How do you give. 274 00:11:28,696 --> 00:11:32,032 How do you get back to living that life of godliness and that focus 275 00:11:32,136 --> 00:11:33,344 in the truth of redemption? 276 00:11:33,392 --> 00:11:36,944 Well, it says, looking for that blessed hope and that glorious 277 00:11:36,992 --> 00:11:40,080 appearing of the great God, our Savior, Jesus Christ. 278 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:43,338 It's looking to that culmination of it all one day, looking 279 00:11:43,394 --> 00:11:46,522 to the end, keeping our eyes fixed on those things which are eternal. 280 00:11:46,666 --> 00:11:49,162 Colossians chapter three says, keep your eyes fixed on those things 281 00:11:49,186 --> 00:11:50,266 which are above. 282 00:11:50,458 --> 00:11:54,442 And, and I would say that so much so that we must, we must be 283 00:11:54,466 --> 00:11:57,898 vigilant in living a life with that eternal perspective. 284 00:11:57,994 --> 00:12:00,394 I know that's a phrase that we use quite frequently here. 285 00:12:00,482 --> 00:12:04,410 But if you cannot allow yourself to live your life and, and 286 00:12:04,450 --> 00:12:07,562 think on and believe in those things which are eternal, we're going 287 00:12:07,586 --> 00:12:08,322 to be stuck. 288 00:12:08,426 --> 00:12:10,002 And those things which are in the here and now. 289 00:12:10,026 --> 00:12:13,458 Anna could have very easily, when she lived that life for those. 290 00:12:13,514 --> 00:12:16,194 Those years, those years she's, you know, in her 80s, 90s 291 00:12:16,242 --> 00:12:17,090 years years old. 292 00:12:17,130 --> 00:12:18,850 She's old at this point in time. 293 00:12:18,890 --> 00:12:21,202 She has gone through a lot of stuff in her life, and she could 294 00:12:21,226 --> 00:12:24,802 have used a lot of different things to cause her to live like 295 00:12:24,826 --> 00:12:28,418 the world, cause her to live like the people there in Jerusalem. 296 00:12:28,434 --> 00:12:30,018 But no, she says, I'm going to live differently. 297 00:12:30,034 --> 00:12:31,826 I'm going to keep my eyes fixed on redemption. 298 00:12:31,858 --> 00:12:33,522 I'm going to look to Jesus Christ. 299 00:12:33,626 --> 00:12:34,114 And that's. 300 00:12:34,162 --> 00:12:37,388 We as Christians have to follow that same path, looking for 301 00:12:37,444 --> 00:12:38,444 that blessed hope. 302 00:12:38,532 --> 00:12:40,476 You know, there's a lot of Christians that are walking around 303 00:12:40,548 --> 00:12:44,540 not looking toward redemption, not looking toward being restored, 304 00:12:44,620 --> 00:12:46,780 not looking forward to these things. 305 00:12:46,820 --> 00:12:49,180 They're looking forward to tomorrow, they're looking forward 306 00:12:49,220 --> 00:12:49,900 to Friday night. 307 00:12:49,940 --> 00:12:51,804 They're looking forward to that vacation. 308 00:12:51,852 --> 00:12:53,756 They're looking forward to getting that bonus. 309 00:12:53,788 --> 00:12:56,120 And our eyes are just fixed on the wrong things. 310 00:12:56,500 --> 00:12:59,164 And so they said, look to Jesus, look to Jesus. 311 00:12:59,212 --> 00:13:02,300 Here Paul is saying to Titus, if you want to live this life of 312 00:13:02,340 --> 00:13:05,700 difference, if you want to live this life focused on redemption, 313 00:13:06,040 --> 00:13:10,060 look to Jesus, verse 14, who gave Himself for us. 314 00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:15,056 Folks, we can never get used to the gospel message. 315 00:13:15,248 --> 00:13:18,480 Never become callous to the fact that Jesus gave his life for 316 00:13:18,520 --> 00:13:19,100 you. 317 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:21,824 Sometimes when we think about in the corporate sense, we kind of 318 00:13:21,832 --> 00:13:23,376 remove ourselves from the equation. 319 00:13:23,488 --> 00:13:24,880 We say, yeah, God died. 320 00:13:24,960 --> 00:13:28,400 You know, Jesus came and God died for the sins of the world. 321 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:28,758 But. 322 00:13:28,784 --> 00:13:30,154 But yes, he did. 323 00:13:30,242 --> 00:13:32,506 But he also came and gave his life for you. 324 00:13:32,658 --> 00:13:34,682 And I think so many times we miss that connection. 325 00:13:34,746 --> 00:13:38,602 So he gave himself for us that he might, here's our word for the 326 00:13:38,626 --> 00:13:41,470 night, redeem us from all iniquity. 327 00:13:42,450 --> 00:13:46,634 It was God's plan for him to send his only begotten son so that 328 00:13:46,642 --> 00:13:48,442 we could be bought back with a price. 329 00:13:48,546 --> 00:13:52,282 The Bible says That we are bought with a price to redeem us 330 00:13:52,306 --> 00:13:54,810 from iniquity, to live differently from the world. 331 00:13:54,850 --> 00:13:57,646 Folks, the truth is, is that I think so many times, and I'm included 332 00:13:57,678 --> 00:14:01,902 in this, we recognize that we can't be sinless. 333 00:14:01,966 --> 00:14:04,478 And so we just don't fight that battle against sin. 334 00:14:04,654 --> 00:14:05,422 We say, you know what? 335 00:14:05,446 --> 00:14:06,318 I'm just human. 336 00:14:06,454 --> 00:14:07,614 Aren't we all just human? 337 00:14:07,702 --> 00:14:11,230 But the Bible does say here that we are on that path of living 338 00:14:11,310 --> 00:14:12,190 more righteously. 339 00:14:12,270 --> 00:14:14,366 And it says that God has redeemed us from that sin. 340 00:14:14,398 --> 00:14:17,358 The book of Romans is all about this fact that you were, before 341 00:14:17,414 --> 00:14:20,286 you were saved, a servant to sin. 342 00:14:20,318 --> 00:14:23,662 You were in bondage, but now you have the freedom to choose the 343 00:14:23,686 --> 00:14:24,790 path of obedience. 344 00:14:24,910 --> 00:14:27,398 You had the freedom to choose the path of the Spirit. 345 00:14:27,494 --> 00:14:32,086 So he says that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify 346 00:14:32,198 --> 00:14:35,766 unto himself a peculiar people, a different people, zealous 347 00:14:35,798 --> 00:14:36,598 of good works. 348 00:14:36,694 --> 00:14:40,374 This is describing what a person who is set on the redemption 349 00:14:40,422 --> 00:14:40,998 of God. 350 00:14:41,094 --> 00:14:42,486 This is what it looks like here. 351 00:14:42,558 --> 00:14:46,102 It says that they are set on living a life differently from the 352 00:14:46,126 --> 00:14:46,502 world. 353 00:14:46,606 --> 00:14:46,886 They're. 354 00:14:46,918 --> 00:14:48,450 They're unique people. 355 00:14:49,070 --> 00:14:52,284 They're not conformed to this world, but they're transformed, zealous 356 00:14:52,332 --> 00:14:53,084 of good works. 357 00:14:53,132 --> 00:14:56,652 Now, the good works don't come before that because some people say, 358 00:14:56,676 --> 00:14:59,484 well, you got to start working hard for Jesus Christ, and then you'll 359 00:14:59,532 --> 00:15:00,524 understand all these blessings. 360 00:15:00,572 --> 00:15:02,572 No, the blessings come in faith. 361 00:15:02,636 --> 00:15:06,240 And then we see us zealous of good works. 362 00:15:06,580 --> 00:15:09,320 And so what I would encourage you to think about is this. 363 00:15:11,300 --> 00:15:15,388 To live a life focused on the redemption of God is a life focused 364 00:15:15,404 --> 00:15:18,000 on the eternal, a life focused on the gospel. 365 00:15:18,820 --> 00:15:21,628 Now, Anna obviously didn't know all the implications of everything 366 00:15:21,684 --> 00:15:24,812 that was going to happen with Jesus, but she did know that he was 367 00:15:24,836 --> 00:15:28,108 the redemption, that he was the One who would be the Redeemer. 368 00:15:28,204 --> 00:15:31,548 And so we go back and we look at Anna and we see that she proclaimed 369 00:15:31,564 --> 00:15:34,892 that to all the people that were around her, verse 38. 370 00:15:34,916 --> 00:15:37,756 And she, coming in the instant, gave thanks likewise unto 371 00:15:37,788 --> 00:15:38,480 the Lord. 372 00:15:39,300 --> 00:15:44,344 So it's the thankfulness in her heart for the Redeemer that allowed 373 00:15:44,392 --> 00:15:49,260 her to tell other people about the redemption in Jerusalem. 374 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:51,912 So I would challenge you to think about it this way. 375 00:15:52,016 --> 00:15:55,032 It's the thankfulness of what God has done for us in our life that 376 00:15:55,056 --> 00:15:57,384 causes us to tell other people about Him. 377 00:15:57,552 --> 00:16:00,312 Are we going to be willing to be so thankful for what God has done 378 00:16:00,336 --> 00:16:03,256 that we're willing to tell other people proclaiming the truth 379 00:16:03,288 --> 00:16:04,060 of God? 380 00:16:04,480 --> 00:16:06,680 Are we willing to serve him night and day? 381 00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:07,976 Are we willing to say, you know what? 382 00:16:08,048 --> 00:16:09,640 I want to be around Him. 383 00:16:09,680 --> 00:16:11,064 I want to be in his presence. 384 00:16:11,112 --> 00:16:13,794 I want to spend time with him in his word. 385 00:16:13,842 --> 00:16:16,402 Now, I would tell you that a lot of people will say, well, I love 386 00:16:16,426 --> 00:16:17,266 the Lord. 387 00:16:17,458 --> 00:16:18,914 I want to be around Him. 388 00:16:19,002 --> 00:16:20,290 Well, how can we be around Him? 389 00:16:20,330 --> 00:16:22,482 Well, I'm going to tell you that you're not going to get any 390 00:16:22,506 --> 00:16:24,146 closer to God by being in this building. 391 00:16:24,218 --> 00:16:26,150 This building is not the temple. 392 00:16:26,650 --> 00:16:29,074 Believe it or not, this is not the temple. 393 00:16:29,122 --> 00:16:29,538 God. 394 00:16:29,634 --> 00:16:31,170 God isn't in that. 395 00:16:31,210 --> 00:16:33,218 I, I, There are some kids running up here today. 396 00:16:33,354 --> 00:16:34,962 I was like, guys, you're not allowed to come back here. 397 00:16:34,986 --> 00:16:37,378 We, we didn't stop them from coming back there because that's 398 00:16:37,394 --> 00:16:38,498 the holy of holies, okay? 399 00:16:38,514 --> 00:16:40,038 It's not the holy of holies back there. 400 00:16:40,154 --> 00:16:43,438 And so how can we be in the presence of God now? 401 00:16:43,494 --> 00:16:45,774 Now, for Anna, she was living in a different time frame. 402 00:16:45,822 --> 00:16:48,622 And so there was the temple and there was the presence of God. 403 00:16:48,686 --> 00:16:51,022 And so there was that challenge for her to be close to 404 00:16:51,046 --> 00:16:51,950 the presence of God. 405 00:16:52,030 --> 00:16:56,238 But for us today, it's not about being in a specific place now. 406 00:16:56,374 --> 00:17:00,974 It's not about allowing ourselves to be in a sacred, holy 407 00:17:01,102 --> 00:17:02,014 cathedral. 408 00:17:02,142 --> 00:17:06,174 The Bible actually says that our bodies are the temple of the 409 00:17:06,182 --> 00:17:07,010 Holy Ghost. 410 00:17:07,420 --> 00:17:11,188 And so you can have that access to God anywhere that you are. 411 00:17:11,324 --> 00:17:14,404 So it's not about the location of your body. 412 00:17:14,572 --> 00:17:17,892 It's about the location, if you will, of your heart, about where 413 00:17:17,916 --> 00:17:18,900 you stand before Him. 414 00:17:18,940 --> 00:17:20,484 And so you say, I love God. 415 00:17:20,532 --> 00:17:21,588 I want to be with Him. 416 00:17:21,644 --> 00:17:23,428 How do we spend time with God? 417 00:17:23,604 --> 00:17:24,420 We spend time. 418 00:17:24,460 --> 00:17:25,556 And this is basic. 419 00:17:25,668 --> 00:17:29,444 This is basic Christianity 101. 420 00:17:29,532 --> 00:17:32,772 We spend time with God by reading His Word, by studying His 421 00:17:32,796 --> 00:17:34,598 Word, by communing with him in His Word. 422 00:17:34,684 --> 00:17:36,578 Folks, if we love God, I'm going to tell you a statement. 423 00:17:36,634 --> 00:17:39,138 And if you don't like this statement, you can throw tomatoes 424 00:17:39,154 --> 00:17:39,538 at me. 425 00:17:39,594 --> 00:17:42,050 But the truth is, I think I can back this up in Scripture. 426 00:17:42,130 --> 00:17:46,610 If you love God, you will love His Word, okay? 427 00:17:46,770 --> 00:17:48,946 You might not be able to understand everything in His Word. 428 00:17:48,978 --> 00:17:50,910 I, I don't understand everything here. 429 00:17:51,290 --> 00:17:53,602 You might not be able to read it as much as you'd like to read 430 00:17:53,626 --> 00:17:57,858 it every single day, but there should be a desire to know His Word, 431 00:17:57,954 --> 00:18:01,090 to grow in it, to understand it, to meditate upon it. 432 00:18:01,130 --> 00:18:03,916 Folks, I would encourage you not just to do your daily reading 433 00:18:03,948 --> 00:18:06,172 and walk away, but to dive deep into that. 434 00:18:06,196 --> 00:18:07,692 What is there for me today? 435 00:18:07,796 --> 00:18:08,924 What, what, what is God? 436 00:18:08,972 --> 00:18:12,924 Saying to me in this passage of Scripture, folks, he wrote this 437 00:18:13,012 --> 00:18:14,220 so that you could learn. 438 00:18:14,300 --> 00:18:15,740 He wrote this so that you could grow. 439 00:18:15,780 --> 00:18:18,428 And so the way that you hear from him is through His Word. 440 00:18:18,604 --> 00:18:20,124 You know, it would be nice if. 441 00:18:20,212 --> 00:18:22,572 If we could get a phone call and he could tell us directly what 442 00:18:22,596 --> 00:18:23,452 he'd like us to do. 443 00:18:23,476 --> 00:18:25,484 But that's not the way that God communicates with us. 444 00:18:25,572 --> 00:18:28,996 The way that God communicates us is through primarily Scripture. 445 00:18:29,108 --> 00:18:31,668 Now, he does speak to us through the conviction of the Spirit, 446 00:18:31,764 --> 00:18:34,340 but the conviction and the comfort of the Spirit will always 447 00:18:34,380 --> 00:18:35,764 be aligned with His Word. 448 00:18:35,892 --> 00:18:38,548 And so I would say to you tonight, if you want to be that person, 449 00:18:38,604 --> 00:18:42,276 like Anna, that wants to commune with God, be in His Word, 450 00:18:42,468 --> 00:18:45,440 spend time in it, don't rush through it. 451 00:18:46,220 --> 00:18:49,524 Alicia and I just went out for our anniversary to dinner. 452 00:18:49,572 --> 00:18:54,404 And, you know, I'll be honest with you, sometimes when I'm out 453 00:18:54,412 --> 00:18:56,032 to dinner, I'm thinking about other things. 454 00:18:56,156 --> 00:18:59,256 But I tried my best during that meal, during the anniversary 455 00:18:59,288 --> 00:19:00,840 to set my intention on her, right? 456 00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:03,304 And, you know, we were able to have some good conversation. 457 00:19:03,352 --> 00:19:04,296 Our parents are here to. 458 00:19:04,368 --> 00:19:05,656 My parents are here to watch the kids. 459 00:19:05,688 --> 00:19:08,376 And so we were able to go out and not have a lot of distractions, 460 00:19:08,568 --> 00:19:09,032 you know. 461 00:19:09,056 --> 00:19:13,304 But would it have shown my love for her if I was like, all right, 462 00:19:13,472 --> 00:19:14,744 I got to get out of here. 463 00:19:14,832 --> 00:19:15,880 We got an hour. 464 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:16,360 I got to get. 465 00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:17,096 I got to get somewhere. 466 00:19:17,128 --> 00:19:19,496 I got things on my mind that's going to indicate to her, like, hey, 467 00:19:19,528 --> 00:19:22,050 he loves something else more than me, right? 468 00:19:22,090 --> 00:19:24,626 He's trying to get past this and trying to get through. 469 00:19:24,698 --> 00:19:27,506 And so isn't that sometimes how we read the Bible, though? 470 00:19:27,578 --> 00:19:29,762 Isn't that sometimes we're like, okay, we got to get stuff done 471 00:19:29,786 --> 00:19:29,922 today. 472 00:19:29,946 --> 00:19:32,178 We got a busy day, so let me just get through this real quick. 473 00:19:32,314 --> 00:19:32,706 I. 474 00:19:32,778 --> 00:19:35,986 I think the challenge for us, obviously, we live busy lives, but 475 00:19:36,058 --> 00:19:39,650 to allow ourselves to spend more time in His Word and the, The. 476 00:19:39,690 --> 00:19:42,498 The psalmist will put it, you know, this way, you know, to meditate 477 00:19:42,514 --> 00:19:43,922 on the Word day and night. 478 00:19:44,026 --> 00:19:47,372 That's that idea of just being in it, spending time in it, and, 479 00:19:47,396 --> 00:19:47,580 And. 480 00:19:47,620 --> 00:19:49,564 And then thinking about it throughout our day. 481 00:19:49,732 --> 00:19:51,276 Um, so. 482 00:19:51,348 --> 00:19:54,140 So His Word now, Now how do we speak to Him? 483 00:19:54,180 --> 00:19:55,644 We speak to him through prayer. 484 00:19:55,772 --> 00:19:57,920 Spending time in real prayer. 485 00:19:58,260 --> 00:20:00,188 I think that's one way that we can commune with God. 486 00:20:00,204 --> 00:20:01,052 There's many other ways. 487 00:20:01,116 --> 00:20:01,612 Uh, we. 488 00:20:01,636 --> 00:20:04,284 We even see Anna gives us the demonstration there. 489 00:20:04,372 --> 00:20:06,204 She was there with fasting and prayers. 490 00:20:06,332 --> 00:20:08,316 I would encourage you to do the same thing. 491 00:20:08,468 --> 00:20:13,964 I would encourage you allow yourself to be so focused on God 492 00:20:14,012 --> 00:20:15,820 that you're not pulled away by other things. 493 00:20:15,860 --> 00:20:16,800 You know, we. 494 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:20,256 We sometimes think of fasting when it comes to food, which it does 495 00:20:20,328 --> 00:20:21,024 in context. 496 00:20:21,072 --> 00:20:22,620 That's what it's talking about there. 497 00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:25,216 And, and this isn't a message on fasting. 498 00:20:25,248 --> 00:20:26,592 I won't get there tonight. 499 00:20:26,656 --> 00:20:27,712 Wouldn't have enough time. 500 00:20:27,816 --> 00:20:31,952 But what I would say is that some of us might need to fast from 501 00:20:31,976 --> 00:20:33,584 other things as well in our life. 502 00:20:33,752 --> 00:20:34,080 Just. 503 00:20:34,120 --> 00:20:35,232 Just transparently. 504 00:20:35,376 --> 00:20:37,984 Again, this thing that's standing before me with my notes 505 00:20:38,032 --> 00:20:42,720 on it can be a great tool for the Lord, but it also can be a great 506 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:43,612 distraction. 507 00:20:43,776 --> 00:20:46,228 And some of us can be scrolling on our phones and miss 508 00:20:46,284 --> 00:20:49,444 out on many things that God would have us to do in our lives. 509 00:20:49,532 --> 00:20:52,068 And distractions can come from all different places. 510 00:20:52,244 --> 00:20:52,740 And so. 511 00:20:52,780 --> 00:20:55,524 So sometimes we need to remove things from our life so we can have 512 00:20:55,532 --> 00:20:57,080 our eyes set on the Lord. 513 00:20:57,500 --> 00:21:00,180 Now, I don't think that fasting is something that you have 514 00:21:00,220 --> 00:21:03,492 to do to continue in on your salvation, but I think it would be 515 00:21:03,516 --> 00:21:05,716 something that we do recognize in our life as a need. 516 00:21:05,788 --> 00:21:08,852 There's something that I need to get rid of in my life so that 517 00:21:08,876 --> 00:21:10,916 I can be more focused on the cause of the gospel. 518 00:21:10,948 --> 00:21:12,022 That's what Anna was doing. 519 00:21:12,116 --> 00:21:16,002 She was praying and she was fasting, and she was communing with 520 00:21:16,026 --> 00:21:17,522 God in this waiting period. 521 00:21:17,626 --> 00:21:18,802 And you know what? 522 00:21:18,906 --> 00:21:23,282 For, for many of us, those decades passing by, she might have 523 00:21:23,306 --> 00:21:25,346 been tempted to say, is this really worth it? 524 00:21:25,498 --> 00:21:29,202 But we see a lifetime of faithfulness for some of us when 525 00:21:29,226 --> 00:21:31,394 the answer doesn't come right away. 526 00:21:31,482 --> 00:21:34,658 For me, when God's answer doesn't come right away, I'm tempted 527 00:21:34,674 --> 00:21:36,306 to think, well, maybe he's not there. 528 00:21:36,458 --> 00:21:38,402 Maybe I'm asking in the wrong way. 529 00:21:38,506 --> 00:21:39,922 Maybe I'm asking for the wrong thing. 530 00:21:39,946 --> 00:21:42,146 But let me tell you, sometimes God has us waiting. 531 00:21:42,258 --> 00:21:46,590 And we see here, Anna waits a lifetime for this to come to pass. 532 00:21:47,130 --> 00:21:50,498 And, and she continues on, staying faithful. 533 00:21:50,674 --> 00:21:53,682 And so I would say in the midst of prayer, in the midst of 534 00:21:53,706 --> 00:21:57,506 Bible study, in the midst of service, have that godly patience 535 00:21:57,538 --> 00:21:57,970 in your life. 536 00:21:58,010 --> 00:22:01,490 And that that word patience is sometimes a bad word for many people. 537 00:22:01,530 --> 00:22:02,818 I don't want to pray for patience. 538 00:22:02,914 --> 00:22:04,914 I don't want to have patience in my life because I don't want to 539 00:22:04,922 --> 00:22:05,526 be tested. 540 00:22:05,618 --> 00:22:09,694 But I'm going to tell you that patience is a necessity in the spiritual 541 00:22:09,742 --> 00:22:10,238 life. 542 00:22:10,374 --> 00:22:11,182 Patience isn't. 543 00:22:11,246 --> 00:22:14,286 It's what we talk about this morning, the fruit of the Spirit. 544 00:22:14,318 --> 00:22:15,678 It's One of the fruits of the spirit, right? 545 00:22:15,734 --> 00:22:16,206 It's, it's. 546 00:22:16,238 --> 00:22:17,262 It's the fruit of the spirit. 547 00:22:17,326 --> 00:22:18,030 We have those things. 548 00:22:18,070 --> 00:22:19,406 And so I would say that. 549 00:22:19,478 --> 00:22:21,742 That patience is something that we should strive for in our 550 00:22:21,766 --> 00:22:21,902 life. 551 00:22:21,926 --> 00:22:24,650 If God isn't doing what we expect him to do. 552 00:22:24,950 --> 00:22:28,446 Patience, trust, allow yourself to say, you know what God, 553 00:22:28,478 --> 00:22:29,694 it's, it's, it's in your timing. 554 00:22:29,742 --> 00:22:31,124 It's not my own timing. 555 00:22:31,302 --> 00:22:33,640 And so we see Anna was, was faithful. 556 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:35,768 We see that Anna was committed. 557 00:22:35,864 --> 00:22:39,140 We see Anna was a devout follower of Christ. 558 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:42,040 Not in her actions as much as her heart. 559 00:22:42,080 --> 00:22:43,624 Her actions matched her heart. 560 00:22:43,712 --> 00:22:46,504 The Bible is very clear to say that we are supposed to do things. 561 00:22:46,592 --> 00:22:49,944 There's this phrase that I've been studying out a lot recently. 562 00:22:50,112 --> 00:22:52,140 It's called the spiritual disciplines. 563 00:22:52,560 --> 00:22:52,968 Now. 564 00:22:53,024 --> 00:22:56,072 Now, the spiritual disciplines are things that we are to do in our 565 00:22:56,096 --> 00:22:58,920 life that the Bible tells us to do and that we are called to grow 566 00:22:58,960 --> 00:22:59,160 in. 567 00:22:59,200 --> 00:23:04,406 So some examples of the spiritual disciplines, prayer, fasting, 568 00:23:04,598 --> 00:23:06,774 Bible study, service. 569 00:23:06,942 --> 00:23:09,622 These are all things that don't necessarily come naturally 570 00:23:09,686 --> 00:23:13,286 to us, but we are to grow in because the Bible tells us now. 571 00:23:13,358 --> 00:23:15,174 So what I would say is that. 572 00:23:15,262 --> 00:23:19,610 Do spiritual disciplines make us more spiritual? 573 00:23:20,830 --> 00:23:23,770 Does just reading your Bible make you any closer to God? 574 00:23:24,510 --> 00:23:25,670 Well, not necessarily. 575 00:23:25,750 --> 00:23:28,380 I know a lot of people that are unsaved that can read the Bible. 576 00:23:28,540 --> 00:23:31,116 So reading the Bible in and of itself is not enough. 577 00:23:31,188 --> 00:23:33,676 It's reading the Bible with the understanding that this is bringing 578 00:23:33,708 --> 00:23:35,040 me closer to God. 579 00:23:35,380 --> 00:23:37,804 There's many people that pray, but they're praying in the flesh. 580 00:23:37,852 --> 00:23:39,724 There's many people that read Scripture and they're reading in 581 00:23:39,732 --> 00:23:40,220 the flesh. 582 00:23:40,300 --> 00:23:42,124 There's many people that serve, but they're serving in the 583 00:23:42,132 --> 00:23:42,460 flesh. 584 00:23:42,540 --> 00:23:45,932 And so it's not so much that the spiritual disciplines is the 585 00:23:45,956 --> 00:23:46,140 end. 586 00:23:46,180 --> 00:23:49,324 The spiritual disciplines is a means to get to the end. 587 00:23:49,412 --> 00:23:52,518 It's a means to become more and more God, Godly, more and more 588 00:23:52,574 --> 00:23:53,414 Christlike. 589 00:23:53,542 --> 00:23:56,998 And so the goal for a Christian is not to, you know, hey, 590 00:23:57,014 --> 00:23:57,382 you know what? 591 00:23:57,406 --> 00:24:00,198 I just need to read my Bible two hours a day instead of three, 592 00:24:00,334 --> 00:24:02,982 or I need to read my Bible five hours a day instead of, you 593 00:24:03,006 --> 00:24:05,750 know, it's not about more, more, more. 594 00:24:05,870 --> 00:24:07,670 It's about, I need God more. 595 00:24:07,790 --> 00:24:09,862 And if God wants me to read more, I'm going to read more. 596 00:24:09,886 --> 00:24:11,622 If God wants me to serve more, I'm going to serve more. 597 00:24:11,646 --> 00:24:14,502 And so we see Anna's faithfulness here, and we see that 598 00:24:14,526 --> 00:24:17,030 she's willing to go through those spiritual disciplines. 599 00:24:17,110 --> 00:24:18,822 Now, spiritual disciplines are difficult. 600 00:24:18,966 --> 00:24:21,126 That's why they're called spiritual disciplines. 601 00:24:21,318 --> 00:24:23,158 The world is pulling us away. 602 00:24:23,294 --> 00:24:26,118 How many times have you tried to sit down and try to read the Bible? 603 00:24:26,214 --> 00:24:28,850 And things happen, right? 604 00:24:29,230 --> 00:24:32,150 Phone goes off, distractions happen. 605 00:24:32,270 --> 00:24:34,294 Like the list goes on and on, right? 606 00:24:34,382 --> 00:24:36,198 And, and so all these things can happen. 607 00:24:36,254 --> 00:24:37,478 And I personally, I. 608 00:24:37,534 --> 00:24:42,278 I firmly believe that, that Satan is at work even on Sunday mornings. 609 00:24:42,374 --> 00:24:44,582 How many of you, if, if you don't believe that, how many of you 610 00:24:44,606 --> 00:24:47,174 try to get your children in the car and you're, you know, there 611 00:24:47,182 --> 00:24:48,650 are things happening, right? 612 00:24:48,830 --> 00:24:52,946 There is a force that's against us to grow in our spiritual 613 00:24:52,978 --> 00:24:53,986 disciplines. 614 00:24:54,178 --> 00:24:56,530 And, and what I would say is that's not a reason to stop. 615 00:24:56,570 --> 00:24:59,470 That's a reason to push forward and to trust God even more. 616 00:24:59,850 --> 00:25:02,914 And, and so what we can see here in the life of Anna is Anna 617 00:25:02,962 --> 00:25:06,210 was someone who was dedicated to God even in the midst of great 618 00:25:06,250 --> 00:25:06,830 loss. 619 00:25:07,770 --> 00:25:09,794 She was faithful in service. 620 00:25:09,882 --> 00:25:11,634 She was faithful in prayer. 621 00:25:11,682 --> 00:25:13,458 She was faithful in fasting. 622 00:25:13,554 --> 00:25:16,562 She was faithful in proclaiming the truth of God to other 623 00:25:16,586 --> 00:25:17,800 people around her. 624 00:25:17,970 --> 00:25:21,404 And when she sees this come to pass, and I think verse 38 sums it 625 00:25:21,412 --> 00:25:25,100 all up, and so when she comes and she gives thanks to God for this 626 00:25:25,140 --> 00:25:29,612 opportunity to see Jesus, and then she has that thankfulness stir 627 00:25:29,676 --> 00:25:33,580 her heart to the place of proclaiming the truth to those in 628 00:25:33,620 --> 00:25:35,052 Jerusalem for redemption. 629 00:25:35,196 --> 00:25:39,660 And so are we going to be the Christians that are excited about 630 00:25:39,700 --> 00:25:41,480 the redemption of God in our lives? 631 00:25:42,020 --> 00:25:43,572 You've been bought with a price. 632 00:25:43,716 --> 00:25:45,492 Think about what Jesus Christ has done for you. 633 00:25:45,516 --> 00:25:47,124 Are you willing to say, you know what? 634 00:25:47,212 --> 00:25:52,276 I am going to live a life that is proclaiming, proclaiming God's 635 00:25:52,308 --> 00:25:53,600 redemption in my life. 636 00:25:53,900 --> 00:25:57,988 Are we going to be those distinct, distinctly different people? 637 00:25:58,124 --> 00:26:00,692 That's what it says in Titus chapter two, that we're different. 638 00:26:00,876 --> 00:26:02,020 It doesn't mean so. 639 00:26:02,060 --> 00:26:05,524 So the Bible speaks of us being a strange people, a peculiar 640 00:26:05,572 --> 00:26:05,972 people. 641 00:26:06,076 --> 00:26:06,436 That's. 642 00:26:06,468 --> 00:26:07,876 That doesn't mean that we're weird. 643 00:26:07,988 --> 00:26:11,228 That doesn't mean that, like we try to be contrarian to the world. 644 00:26:11,324 --> 00:26:12,844 It means that we live for Christ. 645 00:26:12,932 --> 00:26:16,012 And us living for Christ makes us different from the ways of the 646 00:26:16,036 --> 00:26:16,600 world. 647 00:26:17,220 --> 00:26:20,092 Folks, if you live for Jesus Christ in this world, you are going 648 00:26:20,116 --> 00:26:21,160 to stand out. 649 00:26:21,620 --> 00:26:23,960 People are not going to like that. 650 00:26:24,340 --> 00:26:25,788 Trust me. 651 00:26:25,844 --> 00:26:28,444 Try raising your children in the nurture and admonition of the 652 00:26:28,452 --> 00:26:29,212 Lord publicly. 653 00:26:29,276 --> 00:26:30,540 People will balk at that. 654 00:26:30,580 --> 00:26:32,380 People will say, I can't believe you. 655 00:26:32,420 --> 00:26:34,332 Don't let your children do this. 656 00:26:34,436 --> 00:26:35,660 I can't believe you. 657 00:26:35,700 --> 00:26:36,348 Don't do this. 658 00:26:36,404 --> 00:26:36,866 Right. 659 00:26:36,988 --> 00:26:37,974 Just live differently. 660 00:26:38,022 --> 00:26:39,574 People will see the difference. 661 00:26:39,702 --> 00:26:41,846 And people will say, like you're talking about Brother Frank, 662 00:26:41,878 --> 00:26:43,030 you live differently in front of them. 663 00:26:43,070 --> 00:26:44,342 It will make a difference. 664 00:26:44,486 --> 00:26:46,854 Now, we don't just live by deed. 665 00:26:46,902 --> 00:26:48,214 We live by word and deed. 666 00:26:48,262 --> 00:26:51,190 So it's sometimes not enough just to live differently, because 667 00:26:51,230 --> 00:26:53,078 people might say there's something different about those people. 668 00:26:53,134 --> 00:26:53,830 But why? 669 00:26:53,950 --> 00:26:57,462 So it's living differently and then connecting that to Jesus Christ. 670 00:26:57,646 --> 00:26:58,294 And that's. 671 00:26:58,342 --> 00:26:59,830 That's the sharing of the Gospel. 672 00:26:59,910 --> 00:27:02,902 So I live differently so people can see the change, so that 673 00:27:02,926 --> 00:27:04,246 people can see Christ in me. 674 00:27:04,318 --> 00:27:06,454 But then I proclaim the truth of God. 675 00:27:06,502 --> 00:27:09,330 So my talk and my walk match up. 676 00:27:09,630 --> 00:27:11,830 Because there's some people that proclaim the truth of God, but 677 00:27:11,870 --> 00:27:13,654 their walk is not anywhere close to that. 678 00:27:13,742 --> 00:27:16,934 And so someone goes, well, you say Jesus, but you're not living 679 00:27:16,982 --> 00:27:17,750 Jesus. 680 00:27:17,910 --> 00:27:20,850 You say faithfulness, but you're not faithful over here. 681 00:27:21,310 --> 00:27:23,942 You say you live by the Word, but your life doesn't match with 682 00:27:23,966 --> 00:27:24,198 that. 683 00:27:24,254 --> 00:27:26,742 So there are people who talk it, but they don't walk it. 684 00:27:26,766 --> 00:27:29,232 And then there's other people that live differently, but they say, 685 00:27:29,256 --> 00:27:29,728 you know what? 686 00:27:29,784 --> 00:27:30,000 My. 687 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:31,504 My actions speak louder than words. 688 00:27:31,552 --> 00:27:32,992 And I think that is true. 689 00:27:33,136 --> 00:27:33,488 But. 690 00:27:33,544 --> 00:27:36,160 But the Bible does say, this is not. 691 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:36,864 Pastor Josh. 692 00:27:36,912 --> 00:27:40,832 It says, faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of 693 00:27:40,856 --> 00:27:41,296 God. 694 00:27:41,408 --> 00:27:45,680 It's connecting our different actions to the why behind it, our 695 00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:47,104 word behind it. 696 00:27:47,272 --> 00:27:50,816 If someone comes up to me, okay, let's say, you know, Pastor 697 00:27:50,848 --> 00:27:52,320 Josh, why don't you do this? 698 00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:53,296 We're at a party. 699 00:27:53,368 --> 00:27:54,992 Why aren't you joining in with us and all this? 700 00:27:55,016 --> 00:27:55,232 And we. 701 00:27:55,256 --> 00:27:57,478 And I go, well, you know, it's just not good for my health. 702 00:27:57,534 --> 00:27:58,342 I'm trying to. 703 00:27:58,446 --> 00:27:59,318 Trying to be different. 704 00:27:59,374 --> 00:27:59,942 You know, I'm just. 705 00:27:59,966 --> 00:28:01,894 I'm can't touch this stuff, whatever. 706 00:28:01,942 --> 00:28:02,530 Right. 707 00:28:02,990 --> 00:28:05,286 Is that really explaining my personal conviction? 708 00:28:05,318 --> 00:28:05,510 No. 709 00:28:05,550 --> 00:28:06,966 My personal conviction is, no. 710 00:28:07,038 --> 00:28:09,814 I believe biblically that I cannot do this. 711 00:28:09,982 --> 00:28:10,646 Right. 712 00:28:10,798 --> 00:28:14,198 It's sharing the truth of God, and it's connecting the difference 713 00:28:14,294 --> 00:28:16,070 to the source of the difference. 714 00:28:16,230 --> 00:28:18,134 And so being different is fantastic. 715 00:28:18,182 --> 00:28:21,062 We should be different, but we should also connect that with the 716 00:28:21,086 --> 00:28:21,622 proclamation. 717 00:28:21,686 --> 00:28:22,618 So in Word. 718 00:28:22,774 --> 00:28:25,506 And indeed, we live our lives for Christ. 719 00:28:25,658 --> 00:28:27,186 And I believe that's what Anna did. 720 00:28:27,258 --> 00:28:29,650 Anna proclaimed the Word, but she lived differently. 721 00:28:29,730 --> 00:28:30,994 She lived in the temple. 722 00:28:31,042 --> 00:28:32,354 She was faithful in her fasting. 723 00:28:32,402 --> 00:28:33,698 She was faithful to her prayers. 724 00:28:33,794 --> 00:28:37,138 And so what I would say is this, as a Christian, it's being 725 00:28:37,194 --> 00:28:41,122 faithful to God in those actions and in our proclamations. 726 00:28:41,186 --> 00:28:43,362 Now, are all of us called to preach the gospel? 727 00:28:43,426 --> 00:28:43,954 Publicly? 728 00:28:44,002 --> 00:28:47,234 No, but all of us are Called to preach the gospel by the way that 729 00:28:47,242 --> 00:28:49,950 we live our lives and by what we say and by what we do. 730 00:28:50,290 --> 00:28:52,458 And folks, I can tell you I have failed on that. 731 00:28:52,514 --> 00:28:53,930 I have failed in many ways on that. 732 00:28:53,970 --> 00:28:57,578 Because as a pastor, for me, it's a lot easier for me to get behind 733 00:28:57,634 --> 00:29:01,626 a pulpit and preach something in scripture, but it's a lot harder 734 00:29:01,658 --> 00:29:04,842 for me to practice that when someone does something wrong to me 735 00:29:04,866 --> 00:29:06,346 in public, right? 736 00:29:06,498 --> 00:29:09,386 I'm out at the store and someone mistreats me, okay? 737 00:29:09,418 --> 00:29:12,430 Am I going to proclaim Jesus Christ in that situation? 738 00:29:13,250 --> 00:29:18,628 Am I going to live soberly, righteously, godly in those situations? 739 00:29:18,724 --> 00:29:21,780 I don't think most of you that are here tonight and most of you 740 00:29:21,820 --> 00:29:26,020 that are watching online are tempted to lose your testimony while 741 00:29:26,060 --> 00:29:27,876 you're in church. 742 00:29:27,988 --> 00:29:28,916 Most of you aren't. 743 00:29:29,028 --> 00:29:31,348 Sometimes that might be a temptation for you, but most of you 744 00:29:31,404 --> 00:29:33,428 have enough self control, say, you know what? 745 00:29:33,484 --> 00:29:36,068 I'm not going to cause a ton of issues here at church, okay? 746 00:29:36,164 --> 00:29:41,532 But sometimes we're tempted to live a different way here than we 747 00:29:41,556 --> 00:29:43,000 do out in the world. 748 00:29:43,860 --> 00:29:44,956 I, I've been tempted. 749 00:29:44,988 --> 00:29:48,600 I, I, I've been challenged by this when I'm dealing with our children, 750 00:29:49,140 --> 00:29:51,532 like, hey guys, you can't do that at church. 751 00:29:51,676 --> 00:29:54,652 Instead of saying that, why don't I say, you can't do that anywhere. 752 00:29:54,796 --> 00:29:55,916 You can't do that at church. 753 00:29:55,948 --> 00:29:57,340 You shouldn't do that in your school. 754 00:29:57,380 --> 00:29:58,684 You shouldn't do that in our house. 755 00:29:58,772 --> 00:30:02,460 And so it's that idea of connecting the lifestyle that, that 756 00:30:02,500 --> 00:30:06,728 you see that Anna was not a person who was like a Sunday morning, 757 00:30:06,884 --> 00:30:07,840 only Christian. 758 00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:09,504 It wouldn't have been Sunday morning for her. 759 00:30:09,592 --> 00:30:10,992 It would have been the Sabbath day. 760 00:30:11,016 --> 00:30:13,392 But she wasn't someone that was coming once a week and just saying, 761 00:30:13,416 --> 00:30:15,984 oh, I'm going to do my due diligence today, I'm gonna, no, it 762 00:30:15,992 --> 00:30:16,992 was her life. 763 00:30:17,176 --> 00:30:19,232 Now, I'm not saying that you need to come to church every day 764 00:30:19,256 --> 00:30:19,632 of your life. 765 00:30:19,656 --> 00:30:22,432 What I'm saying is that you should live that relationship that 766 00:30:22,456 --> 00:30:25,248 you have with Christ out every day of your life and not just a Sunday 767 00:30:25,304 --> 00:30:25,900 morning. 768 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:29,584 And so the challenge for us is to say, you know what, am I going 769 00:30:29,592 --> 00:30:31,648 to live like Anna and give my life to Christ? 770 00:30:31,704 --> 00:30:34,500 Am I willing to say that I want to be in his presence at all 771 00:30:34,540 --> 00:30:35,572 points in my day? 772 00:30:35,676 --> 00:30:39,280 All points of my life should point back to Jesus Christ. 773 00:30:39,660 --> 00:30:41,844 And so this is exciting for Anna. 774 00:30:41,892 --> 00:30:43,840 She sees her savior face to face. 775 00:30:44,220 --> 00:30:47,268 You have experienced Jesus in your life. 776 00:30:47,324 --> 00:30:53,876 The question is, are we going to let that change us for the cause 777 00:30:53,908 --> 00:30:54,564 of the gospel? 778 00:30:54,612 --> 00:30:58,340 Or are we going to allow that to just let us stay unfazed, stay 779 00:30:58,380 --> 00:31:00,940 the same, be like the world, just like that. 780 00:31:00,980 --> 00:31:05,740 Titus 2 passage says, to be different, to live soberly, to live 781 00:31:05,780 --> 00:31:06,364 righteously. 782 00:31:06,412 --> 00:31:09,084 In this present world we live. 783 00:31:09,172 --> 00:31:11,160 We can't get out of the world that we live in. 784 00:31:11,940 --> 00:31:14,476 I think there's a lot of people that will say, you know what? 785 00:31:14,628 --> 00:31:19,532 If we could just live in this Christian utopia and create all of, 786 00:31:19,636 --> 00:31:21,964 like, hey, everybody's Christian around us, we're not going 787 00:31:21,972 --> 00:31:22,876 to have any issues. 788 00:31:23,028 --> 00:31:25,660 Well, if that was the case, no church would ever have an issue. 789 00:31:25,700 --> 00:31:27,708 But the problem is, is that churches still have issues. 790 00:31:27,764 --> 00:31:27,932 Why? 791 00:31:27,956 --> 00:31:30,172 Because we're made up of human beings and we still have sin in our 792 00:31:30,196 --> 00:31:33,362 lives, and so we cannot get out of the world that we live in. 793 00:31:33,386 --> 00:31:35,090 And I will even challenge you to say this. 794 00:31:35,210 --> 00:31:37,618 There are going to be people that live in this world that. 795 00:31:37,674 --> 00:31:39,666 That are unsaved, that are going to act. 796 00:31:39,738 --> 00:31:43,506 Believe it or not, an unsaved person is going to act like an unsaved 797 00:31:43,538 --> 00:31:44,066 person. 798 00:31:44,218 --> 00:31:47,250 A person characterized by their sin is going to live out their 799 00:31:47,290 --> 00:31:47,698 sin. 800 00:31:47,794 --> 00:31:51,602 We can't expect an unsaved person to live like Christ because 801 00:31:51,626 --> 00:31:52,706 it's just impossible. 802 00:31:52,818 --> 00:31:54,114 So what we say is this. 803 00:31:54,202 --> 00:31:58,002 We don't try to avoid all of the evil in the world and say, okay, 804 00:31:58,066 --> 00:32:00,994 let's go ahead and just hedge ourselves in and never be exposed 805 00:32:01,042 --> 00:32:02,194 to evil in this world. 806 00:32:02,282 --> 00:32:05,346 What we do is we infiltrate, we go after it. 807 00:32:05,418 --> 00:32:09,122 We as Christians say, how can we publicly influence people for 808 00:32:09,146 --> 00:32:11,810 the cause of the gospel instead of trying to hide in our 809 00:32:11,850 --> 00:32:14,226 little shells and going, well, if someone finds out I'm a Christian, 810 00:32:14,258 --> 00:32:15,250 maybe they'll get mad at me. 811 00:32:15,290 --> 00:32:16,930 No, we proclaim it to the world. 812 00:32:16,970 --> 00:32:19,538 And I think what happens is, for many Christians is that we're 813 00:32:19,554 --> 00:32:22,562 afraid to actually proclaim what we believe because someone might 814 00:32:22,586 --> 00:32:23,448 judge us. 815 00:32:23,634 --> 00:32:24,940 But I've said this before. 816 00:32:25,060 --> 00:32:25,388 The. 817 00:32:25,444 --> 00:32:27,660 The opposition, the. 818 00:32:27,700 --> 00:32:32,540 The side of evil has no shame in producing and providing what they 819 00:32:32,580 --> 00:32:33,692 believe to us. 820 00:32:33,876 --> 00:32:37,068 And so I would challenge us, like I believe Anna was. 821 00:32:37,124 --> 00:32:40,380 Was willing to do, is to proclaim the truth of God to a world 822 00:32:40,420 --> 00:32:42,956 that is evil, that is dark. 823 00:32:43,148 --> 00:32:45,052 Because how do we get rid of darkness? 824 00:32:45,196 --> 00:32:48,720 What's scientifically, how do you get rid of darkness? 825 00:32:49,150 --> 00:32:49,890 Light. 826 00:32:50,190 --> 00:32:52,758 Darkness is the absence of light. 827 00:32:52,894 --> 00:32:57,046 And so we shine the light into the dark world so that these people 828 00:32:57,118 --> 00:33:00,950 can make decisions for the gospel, for the cause of Christ, 829 00:33:01,070 --> 00:33:04,550 and so that we can see hearts changed, hearts change, then their 830 00:33:04,590 --> 00:33:05,446 minds change. 831 00:33:05,598 --> 00:33:08,214 We can't change their minds without changing their hearts. 832 00:33:08,342 --> 00:33:11,078 And so what I would encourage you to think about as a Christian 833 00:33:11,174 --> 00:33:14,694 and as hopefully someone like Anna, that you are willing to proclaim 834 00:33:14,742 --> 00:33:20,030 that, to speak of him to all them that looked for redemption. 835 00:33:20,770 --> 00:33:22,858 Now, some people probably rejected what she said. 836 00:33:22,914 --> 00:33:26,218 It's because it says here all them that looked for redemption. 837 00:33:26,314 --> 00:33:27,818 Some people aren't looking for redemption. 838 00:33:27,914 --> 00:33:29,722 So they probably weren't really interested in what Anna was 839 00:33:29,746 --> 00:33:30,074 saying. 840 00:33:30,162 --> 00:33:32,138 But what I will say is speak to people. 841 00:33:32,194 --> 00:33:35,274 It's not your job to see who's receptive and who's not receptive. 842 00:33:35,322 --> 00:33:35,850 It's your job. 843 00:33:35,890 --> 00:33:38,870 It's my job to proclaim the truth of God to people around us. 844 00:33:39,730 --> 00:33:40,282 You know what? 845 00:33:40,306 --> 00:33:46,364 There are some times that talking to somebody and I can realize 846 00:33:46,412 --> 00:33:47,548 if they're interested. 847 00:33:47,724 --> 00:33:49,948 And there's times, other times where I'm talking to someone, I'm 848 00:33:49,964 --> 00:33:51,452 like, they're, they're a million miles away. 849 00:33:51,556 --> 00:33:52,220 I've lost them. 850 00:33:52,260 --> 00:33:52,652 Okay? 851 00:33:52,716 --> 00:33:55,596 And I think that sometimes we, we worry about that when we're preaching 852 00:33:55,628 --> 00:33:57,372 the truth and we're proclaiming the truth. 853 00:33:57,436 --> 00:33:59,036 Does this person really want to hear this? 854 00:33:59,108 --> 00:34:01,404 It's not really our job to decide whether or not they want to 855 00:34:01,412 --> 00:34:01,756 hear it. 856 00:34:01,828 --> 00:34:03,468 It's, it's something that they need to hear. 857 00:34:03,604 --> 00:34:04,140 Right? 858 00:34:04,260 --> 00:34:07,612 And so I, I, I don't think that it's something that we all have 859 00:34:07,636 --> 00:34:10,996 to do 247 by getting out on the street and preaching. 860 00:34:11,028 --> 00:34:14,180 But what I will say is that, like Anna, she proclaimed it to all 861 00:34:14,220 --> 00:34:14,772 those around her. 862 00:34:14,796 --> 00:34:16,868 And I think that we should proclaim Jesus in this world. 863 00:34:16,924 --> 00:34:18,660 So that is Anna. 864 00:34:18,740 --> 00:34:21,268 I think that there's a lot more that we could learn about her 865 00:34:21,324 --> 00:34:22,980 if we knew her more. 866 00:34:23,020 --> 00:34:26,276 But that's all we have in scripture, and I know that. 867 00:34:26,348 --> 00:34:30,564 Certainly I would like to know more about Anna. 868 00:34:30,612 --> 00:34:33,572 I would, but there's a lot of individuals in scripture I would 869 00:34:33,596 --> 00:34:34,720 like to know more about. 870 00:34:35,050 --> 00:34:39,522 But God, for his wisdom, only gave us what we need to know from 871 00:34:39,546 --> 00:34:40,690 these folks's life. 872 00:34:40,810 --> 00:34:43,698 But when I get to heaven, there will, I don't know, I don't 873 00:34:43,714 --> 00:34:44,450 know how true this is. 874 00:34:44,490 --> 00:34:46,546 I've always said that when I get to heaven, I'm gonna ask questions. 875 00:34:46,578 --> 00:34:47,794 I don't know if I'm gonna do that or not. 876 00:34:47,882 --> 00:34:48,290 Right now. 877 00:34:48,330 --> 00:34:51,058 In my mindset, I will, but things might change when I get there. 878 00:34:51,114 --> 00:34:53,042 But there are certain individuals that I want to go know 879 00:34:53,066 --> 00:34:53,458 more about. 880 00:34:53,514 --> 00:34:58,290 I, I, I, I want to go and, and ask Anna, hey, how, how, how were 881 00:34:58,330 --> 00:34:58,946 those years? 882 00:34:59,018 --> 00:35:01,986 You know, that you're in the temple and sometimes These folks 883 00:35:02,018 --> 00:35:04,124 can get just glossed over in the Christmas story. 884 00:35:04,242 --> 00:35:07,080 And so that's why I wanted to take some time for those two weeks 885 00:35:07,120 --> 00:35:08,856 to talk about Simeon and Anna. 886 00:35:08,888 --> 00:35:11,528 I think that they are there for a reason for us to learn from. 887 00:35:11,664 --> 00:35:15,128 And I think that there's a lot that we can model in our lives after 888 00:35:15,184 --> 00:35:15,592 them. 889 00:35:15,696 --> 00:35:16,952 So, hey, you know what? 890 00:35:16,976 --> 00:35:18,820 I know it's the Christmas season. 891 00:35:19,280 --> 00:35:22,632 I know that you're busy, you know, and I think there's a common 892 00:35:22,696 --> 00:35:26,312 theme with people that I talk to these days. 893 00:35:26,496 --> 00:35:28,936 For the most part, we're busy. 894 00:35:28,968 --> 00:35:29,768 We're busy people. 895 00:35:29,824 --> 00:35:31,142 It's not just Christmas time. 896 00:35:31,256 --> 00:35:33,514 Like, after Christmas, we're like, hey, it's New Year. 897 00:35:33,602 --> 00:35:35,050 And then, you know, it's getting to this time. 898 00:35:35,090 --> 00:35:37,530 It's like we live in a society that is. 899 00:35:37,570 --> 00:35:40,026 Is we fill ourselves with busyness. 900 00:35:40,218 --> 00:35:40,618 And. 901 00:35:40,674 --> 00:35:42,714 And I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. 902 00:35:42,802 --> 00:35:46,506 But if the problem comes where we're so busy that we can't spend 903 00:35:46,538 --> 00:35:48,826 time with God, that's a big issue. 904 00:35:48,898 --> 00:35:49,386 We gotta. 905 00:35:49,418 --> 00:35:50,714 We gotta recognize that. 906 00:35:50,802 --> 00:35:53,594 I have to recognize that there have been times in my life where 907 00:35:53,602 --> 00:35:55,610 I've been so busy that I'm like, I. 908 00:35:55,650 --> 00:35:59,226 I put my spiritual disciplines on, like, hey, a checklist. 909 00:35:59,258 --> 00:36:00,122 I gotta get this done today. 910 00:36:00,146 --> 00:36:00,910 I gotta put it. 911 00:36:01,010 --> 00:36:01,270 If. 912 00:36:01,310 --> 00:36:02,278 If I have to put. 913 00:36:02,334 --> 00:36:03,910 I mean, here's the thing. 914 00:36:04,030 --> 00:36:07,558 Practically speaking, yes, put your Bible time and your prayer time 915 00:36:07,614 --> 00:36:08,694 on a calendar. 916 00:36:08,822 --> 00:36:11,702 But if you have to put your prayer time and your Bible time on 917 00:36:11,726 --> 00:36:12,646 a calendar, it might. 918 00:36:12,718 --> 00:36:16,390 It might be time for you to inspect and say, am I too busy for 919 00:36:16,430 --> 00:36:17,526 Jesus right now? 920 00:36:17,598 --> 00:36:18,502 Because you know what? 921 00:36:18,526 --> 00:36:20,918 If I had to say, okay, Alicia, let me. 922 00:36:21,054 --> 00:36:22,038 I'm really busy. 923 00:36:22,134 --> 00:36:23,030 What day of the week can. 924 00:36:23,070 --> 00:36:25,686 You know, and then maybe some of you would appreciate that, hey, 925 00:36:25,718 --> 00:36:26,966 maybe there's a calendar there. 926 00:36:27,038 --> 00:36:27,820 That's a good thing. 927 00:36:27,910 --> 00:36:28,160 But. 928 00:36:28,200 --> 00:36:28,672 But if we. 929 00:36:28,696 --> 00:36:30,000 If we delegate, if. 930 00:36:30,040 --> 00:36:32,220 If we put Jesus as a. 931 00:36:32,600 --> 00:36:35,184 As a mark on our calendar, we've. 932 00:36:35,232 --> 00:36:35,920 We've missed. 933 00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:37,232 I think the point. 934 00:36:37,416 --> 00:36:39,952 I think we missed the fact that Jesus wants everything from 935 00:36:39,976 --> 00:36:40,160 us. 936 00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:41,392 He wants our heart. 937 00:36:41,576 --> 00:36:41,872 Now. 938 00:36:41,896 --> 00:36:42,992 It's a good place to start. 939 00:36:43,096 --> 00:36:45,472 Because if you're so busy and you're like, I don't have any time 940 00:36:45,496 --> 00:36:46,740 in my day for Jesus. 941 00:36:47,080 --> 00:36:48,272 Mark out some time for it. 942 00:36:48,296 --> 00:36:48,592 Put it. 943 00:36:48,616 --> 00:36:49,952 Put a specific time in a place. 944 00:36:50,056 --> 00:36:51,264 And so, so, so don't. 945 00:36:51,312 --> 00:36:52,048 Don't hear me wrong. 946 00:36:52,064 --> 00:36:54,592 I'm not saying don't schedule a time, but what I'm saying is, is 947 00:36:54,616 --> 00:36:56,816 that if we're so busy that we have to say well, I'll give Jesus 948 00:36:56,848 --> 00:36:57,808 five minutes today. 949 00:36:57,944 --> 00:36:58,912 My calendar, that's. 950 00:36:58,976 --> 00:37:02,032 That might be an issue because I would encourage you, you can, you 951 00:37:02,056 --> 00:37:03,776 can talk to Jesus anywhere. 952 00:37:03,888 --> 00:37:05,424 You can talk to the Lord anywhere. 953 00:37:05,552 --> 00:37:09,648 Some of the best convers, conversations, prayers that I've 954 00:37:09,664 --> 00:37:11,776 had with the Lord have been in unorthodox places. 955 00:37:11,808 --> 00:37:14,112 I'm just going to tell you that they haven't always been on 956 00:37:14,136 --> 00:37:18,448 the steps right here or in my office or in my prayer closet sometimes. 957 00:37:18,544 --> 00:37:20,944 Some of, some of my realest conversations with the Lord have 958 00:37:20,952 --> 00:37:22,528 been in a vehicle on a long trip. 959 00:37:22,624 --> 00:37:24,832 And I, I'm going to tell you, I didn't close my eyes while I was 960 00:37:24,856 --> 00:37:26,620 driving, but I. 961 00:37:26,660 --> 00:37:28,156 But I've just been in the car by myself. 962 00:37:28,188 --> 00:37:29,084 And I said, lord, you know what? 963 00:37:29,092 --> 00:37:31,628 I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna talk to you today and I'm just gonna 964 00:37:31,644 --> 00:37:33,244 take this whole long drive to talk to you. 965 00:37:33,252 --> 00:37:34,300 And it was a wonderful time. 966 00:37:34,340 --> 00:37:37,212 And I think so many times we think of prayer not as that. 967 00:37:37,236 --> 00:37:40,012 We think of prayer as this formal thing that we have to do in 968 00:37:40,036 --> 00:37:41,836 a certain way for a certain amount of time. 969 00:37:41,908 --> 00:37:43,676 But what does the Bible say about prayer? 970 00:37:43,788 --> 00:37:49,468 That we should pray without ceasing should be our lifestyle. 971 00:37:49,644 --> 00:37:51,820 And I encourage you to think about what that means for you. 972 00:37:51,860 --> 00:37:55,682 That means to continue in that prayer life constantly. 973 00:37:55,826 --> 00:37:57,778 And so I would, I would, I would. 974 00:37:57,914 --> 00:38:01,842 I'm challenging myself with that here in 2025, that I want my 975 00:38:01,866 --> 00:38:03,186 prayer life to be different. 976 00:38:03,338 --> 00:38:06,882 I don't want it to be relegated to, to a moment of the 977 00:38:06,906 --> 00:38:08,210 day, but that it's my life. 978 00:38:08,250 --> 00:38:10,242 And so I encourage you to be challenged with that. 979 00:38:10,266 --> 00:38:11,970 Well, we're coming to the Christmas season here. 980 00:38:12,010 --> 00:38:12,590 Now. 981 00:38:12,890 --> 00:38:16,898 I will say that this Tuesday we're going to be over at Lighthouse. 982 00:38:16,914 --> 00:38:18,722 I would encourage you to be there if you can. 983 00:38:18,906 --> 00:38:21,778 I'm going to be preaching a message from Romans, chapter five, 984 00:38:21,834 --> 00:38:28,114 Lord willing, about the free gift of grace and how that is a wonderful 985 00:38:28,162 --> 00:38:32,082 gift, much better, infinitely better than the gift of the world. 986 00:38:32,266 --> 00:38:35,330 We had one individual named Adam. 987 00:38:35,490 --> 00:38:38,018 Adam brought us the great gift of sin in our life. 988 00:38:38,074 --> 00:38:38,914 That's not a good gift. 989 00:38:38,962 --> 00:38:39,410 Okay. 990 00:38:39,490 --> 00:38:42,050 It says, by one man sin entered the world. 991 00:38:42,170 --> 00:38:46,456 But there was a second Adam in Jesus Christ who by his one gift 992 00:38:46,568 --> 00:38:49,096 of sacrifice cleansed us from all of our sin. 993 00:38:49,208 --> 00:38:52,248 And so that's an awesome picture to see the contrast between 994 00:38:52,304 --> 00:38:54,536 the world and what Christ brings us. 995 00:38:54,688 --> 00:38:57,032 And there's a lot of things that the world brings us. 996 00:38:57,136 --> 00:39:00,328 Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life. 997 00:39:00,464 --> 00:39:03,624 But what does the Lord bring us The Lord brings us salvation, 998 00:39:03,752 --> 00:39:05,384 forgiveness, eternal life. 999 00:39:05,472 --> 00:39:07,752 And so we're going to look at the contrast between the gift of 1000 00:39:07,776 --> 00:39:09,160 God and the gift of the world. 1001 00:39:09,280 --> 00:39:11,736 And hopefully by the end of the night, none of us want the gift 1002 00:39:11,768 --> 00:39:13,540 of this world because it's not a. 1003 00:39:13,580 --> 00:39:14,788 It's not a great gift. 1004 00:39:14,964 --> 00:39:18,452 So we're going to go ahead and close with a word of prayer, and 1005 00:39:18,476 --> 00:39:19,908 then I'll have announcements and it will be dismissed. 1006 00:39:19,924 --> 00:39:20,772 Lord, I thank you for this time. 1007 00:39:20,796 --> 00:39:22,836 Thank you for this opportunity to study your word tonight. 1008 00:39:22,948 --> 00:39:26,612 Thank you for the life of Anna and Simeon, Lord, and their wonderful 1009 00:39:26,676 --> 00:39:29,716 testimony of looking towards a Savior and celebrating the Savior 1010 00:39:29,748 --> 00:39:31,876 and proclaiming the Savior to the world. 1011 00:39:31,948 --> 00:39:34,244 Lord, thank you for the redemption that you've extended to 1012 00:39:34,252 --> 00:39:34,612 us. 1013 00:39:34,716 --> 00:39:38,580 Lord, we're thankful for the opportunity to serve you and to love 1014 00:39:38,620 --> 00:39:42,648 you and to be growing in those spiritual disciplines that you've 1015 00:39:42,664 --> 00:39:43,400 called us to grow in. 1016 00:39:43,440 --> 00:39:45,656 Lord, I pray that you be with all these families in the Christmas 1017 00:39:45,688 --> 00:39:46,024 season. 1018 00:39:46,112 --> 00:39:49,608 Lord, help us to take a few moments out in our day this week 1019 00:39:49,664 --> 00:39:54,680 to just meditate, to ponder upon the gift of your son. 1020 00:39:54,840 --> 00:39:56,856 And so, Lord, I thank you for your love and your grace. 1021 00:39:56,888 --> 00:39:59,256 Keep us safe as we go our separate ways tonight. 1022 00:39:59,288 --> 00:40:00,232 In Jesus name I pray. 1023 00:40:00,296 --> 00:40:00,856 Amen. 1024 00:40:00,968 --> 00:40:04,456 All right, thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist 1025 00:40:04,488 --> 00:40:05,544 Church podcast. 1026 00:40:05,672 --> 00:40:07,726 I hope that this sermon has been a blessing for you. 1027 00:40:07,768 --> 00:40:08,402 You. 1028 00:40:08,586 --> 00:40:10,866 If you would like to find out more information about our church 1029 00:40:10,898 --> 00:40:14,562 or this sermon, you can find us at middletownbaptistchurch.org 1030 00:40:14,706 --> 00:40:17,510 or find us on Facebook or YouTube. 1031 00:40:17,930 --> 00:40:23,186 You can also email me directly at Josh Massaro, Middletown BaptistChurch.com 1032 00:40:23,338 --> 00:40:26,898 if you've enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and follow 1033 00:40:26,954 --> 00:40:29,990 along for future podcast and updates. 1034 00:40:30,330 --> 00:40:31,490 Thank you so much. 1035 00:40:31,610 --> 00:40:32,434 God bless. 1036 00:40:32,562 --> 00:40:33,610 Have a wonderful day.