1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:06,200 Well, this idea that we cannot be moderate in our faith is what 2 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:07,680 we want to talk about today. 3 00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:11,120 We want to talk about the main thing, the goodness of God. 4 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:15,400 You know, probably the first prayer you ever learned was, God 5 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:15,840 is great. 6 00:00:15,919 --> 00:00:16,640 God is good. 7 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:18,160 Let us thank him for our food. 8 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:21,200 And you were probably two or three and said it, and your parents 9 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:23,360 thought it was really cute, and everybody else did too. 10 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:29,370 But you were saying at that early time, the cry that has been 11 00:00:29,690 --> 00:00:34,650 the centerpiece of what Christian heroes have summarized 12 00:00:34,650 --> 00:00:38,490 of their challenges and their opportunities all through generations 13 00:00:38,490 --> 00:00:43,730 in Scripture, when their blessings overflowed, they say, the 14 00:00:43,730 --> 00:00:44,650 Lord is good. 15 00:00:44,970 --> 00:00:48,690 When they faced disaster, they never wavered in their unshakable 16 00:00:48,690 --> 00:00:51,690 standing that God is good. 17 00:00:52,810 --> 00:00:54,810 We see this so often in Scripture. 18 00:00:54,810 --> 00:00:59,640 David, after he was made king by Saul, and Saul tried to kill him. 19 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:02,120 The whole thing was a mess, and he was made king. 20 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:05,400 David said, give thanks to the Lord,. 21 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:06,920 For He is good. 22 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:08,600 Nahum. 23 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:12,280 When he was a prophet to the people and they were being oppressed 24 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:16,680 and overridden, he said to them, the Lord is good. 25 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:19,640 A strong refuge when trouble comes. 26 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:26,820 Jeremiah, when the Israelites were being exiled into Babylon, said 27 00:01:26,820 --> 00:01:27,620 this to them. 28 00:01:29,300 --> 00:01:33,300 For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. 29 00:01:33,460 --> 00:01:36,380 They're plans for good and not for. 30 00:01:36,380 --> 00:01:40,500 Disaster, to give you a hope and a future. 31 00:01:41,380 --> 00:01:45,060 James, the half brother of Jesus, after Jesus was crucified 32 00:01:45,380 --> 00:01:49,180 and rose from the grave after the resurrection, said this about 33 00:01:49,180 --> 00:01:49,540 it all. 34 00:01:49,540 --> 00:01:53,480 He said, every good and perfect gift comes from above. 35 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:58,840 And Paul, when he was helping Timothy work through theological 36 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:01,880 hairsplitting, and what can you do? 37 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:02,880 What can you not do? 38 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:04,680 And what will offend and what won't offend? 39 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:06,240 He summarized it up this way. 40 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:10,920 He said, everything God made is good. 41 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:12,200 Everything. 42 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:16,120 And then, of course, God himself, after. 43 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:21,170 Creation, looked it all over, looked at everything he made, and 44 00:02:21,170 --> 00:02:23,530 he said, it is very good. 45 00:02:25,050 --> 00:02:28,810 It was good because God is good. 46 00:02:29,530 --> 00:02:32,970 You see, goodness is the essence of God. 47 00:02:35,450 --> 00:02:40,250 God created all good, and all good comes from God. 48 00:02:40,490 --> 00:02:44,250 And that may be the most simple message in the Bible and to 49 00:02:44,250 --> 00:02:47,750 our faith, but it's the most essential because we have to understand 50 00:02:48,230 --> 00:02:53,590 that the goodness of God is foundational to everything we believe. 51 00:02:54,550 --> 00:02:58,070 And that's why I chose for our verse of the year this year. 52 00:02:58,070 --> 00:02:59,230 For the Lord is good. 53 00:02:59,230 --> 00:03:02,870 His unfailing love continues forever, and his. 54 00:03:02,870 --> 00:03:06,790 Faithfulness continues to each generation. 55 00:03:08,150 --> 00:03:09,190 The Lord is good. 56 00:03:10,470 --> 00:03:11,830 But how do you define that? 57 00:03:12,990 --> 00:03:15,070 What's it mean that God is good? 58 00:03:15,950 --> 00:03:18,430 It's a concept we sort of understand. 59 00:03:19,070 --> 00:03:21,790 But how do you say, well, God is good? 60 00:03:21,790 --> 00:03:25,550 How do you Find that you can't say, well, God is good compared to 61 00:03:25,550 --> 00:03:26,070 something else. 62 00:03:26,070 --> 00:03:29,550 It would be like saying, well, you know, fried chicken Thursday 63 00:03:29,630 --> 00:03:31,870 in the calf is really good. 64 00:03:32,510 --> 00:03:34,710 And that's compared to all other fried chicken. 65 00:03:34,710 --> 00:03:37,990 But God's goodness isn't graded on the curve compared to how 66 00:03:37,990 --> 00:03:38,990 the rest of the world is. 67 00:03:39,740 --> 00:03:41,740 You say, well, God is morally perfect. 68 00:03:41,820 --> 00:03:45,780 And yes, God is morally perfect, but his goodness is not 69 00:03:45,780 --> 00:03:47,180 limited to his holiness. 70 00:03:48,460 --> 00:03:50,300 You say, well, God is merciful. 71 00:03:50,620 --> 00:03:53,900 And every time we see the mercy of God, we also see the goodness 72 00:03:53,900 --> 00:03:55,540 of God coupled with it. 73 00:03:55,540 --> 00:03:59,180 But his goodness goes way beyond just mercy. 74 00:04:00,140 --> 00:04:04,740 You see, the challenge we have is that the goodness of God is really 75 00:04:04,740 --> 00:04:06,860 beyond our human understanding. 76 00:04:07,830 --> 00:04:10,790 It's just more than we can grasp in our mind. 77 00:04:12,150 --> 00:04:15,590 It's his character is the goodness of God. 78 00:04:15,750 --> 00:04:18,950 It's not a trait, it's not an attribute. 79 00:04:19,110 --> 00:04:23,030 It's the core of who he is through and through. 80 00:04:23,510 --> 00:04:27,350 God is good and God's goodness is infinite. 81 00:04:27,350 --> 00:04:30,390 It's always been, it always will be. 82 00:04:30,390 --> 00:04:34,220 And there is nothing in him other than goodness. 83 00:04:35,100 --> 00:04:37,660 And that's why we say goodness begins with God. 84 00:04:37,660 --> 00:04:41,340 And all goodness comes from God, because the goodness we have 85 00:04:41,900 --> 00:04:43,020 comes from God. 86 00:04:43,180 --> 00:04:44,500 But that's indescribable. 87 00:04:44,500 --> 00:04:46,460 How do you really put that in perspective? 88 00:04:47,740 --> 00:04:49,580 It's kind of like trying to describe space. 89 00:04:51,100 --> 00:04:54,700 Have you seen these latest NASA telescope. 90 00:04:54,780 --> 00:04:58,620 Pictures that have come out here in the last couple of weeks? 91 00:04:59,430 --> 00:05:04,310 25 years ago, NASA launched this probe to take close up pictures 92 00:05:04,630 --> 00:05:05,670 of the stars. 93 00:05:06,310 --> 00:05:11,830 It's now 6,500 light years away from Earth and it's taking these 94 00:05:12,230 --> 00:05:13,510 amazing pictures. 95 00:05:13,510 --> 00:05:14,950 That are just hard to describe. 96 00:05:15,110 --> 00:05:17,910 We've never been closer to these stars. 97 00:05:19,350 --> 00:05:23,110 25 years, 6500 mile light years away,. 98 00:05:23,910 --> 00:05:28,030 But it's already taking pictures of of galaxies that are 99 00:05:28,030 --> 00:05:32,950 so far away it will take it another thousand years to get to 100 00:05:32,950 --> 00:05:33,270 them. 101 00:05:33,590 --> 00:05:36,630 To take the close ups like we're getting today. 102 00:05:37,590 --> 00:05:41,630 You see, we can't describe the enormity of space any more than we 103 00:05:41,630 --> 00:05:45,470 can explain the unlimited nature of the goodness of God who 104 00:05:45,470 --> 00:05:46,470 created that space. 105 00:05:48,150 --> 00:05:50,950 But God always gives us a handle. 106 00:05:51,270 --> 00:05:55,270 So he gives us two ways to understand his goodness within our 107 00:05:55,270 --> 00:05:55,670 framework. 108 00:05:55,670 --> 00:05:56,630 The first is this. 109 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:01,240 To understand the goodness of God, look at the good he has done 110 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:01,840 for us. 111 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:07,200 God loves every person in this room unconditionally. 112 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:09,040 He is good. 113 00:06:09,280 --> 00:06:13,560 God created us in his image to reflect the character of his goodness. 114 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:17,280 He didn't create us as some kind of play toy, something to look 115 00:06:17,280 --> 00:06:17,440 at. 116 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:22,080 No, he created us in his image to share his goodness with the world. 117 00:06:23,450 --> 00:06:28,250 He promises eternity with him through redemption in Christ. 118 00:06:28,970 --> 00:06:30,250 That's how good he is. 119 00:06:30,890 --> 00:06:33,450 And he speaks directly to us through. 120 00:06:33,450 --> 00:06:35,050 Scripture and through prayer. 121 00:06:35,530 --> 00:06:36,730 That's how good he is. 122 00:06:36,970 --> 00:06:41,450 God's goodness fills us with confidence when we are afraid. 123 00:06:42,170 --> 00:06:44,810 It strengthens us with. 124 00:06:48,340 --> 00:06:50,260 Energy whom we're exhausted. 125 00:06:50,580 --> 00:06:55,020 And it offers us his wisdom whom we're conflicted and we don't 126 00:06:55,020 --> 00:06:55,300 know. 127 00:06:56,660 --> 00:06:59,140 That's how good God is. 128 00:07:00,340 --> 00:07:02,620 So that's one way to understand the goodness of God. 129 00:07:02,620 --> 00:07:05,340 The other way to understand the goodness of God is to look at 130 00:07:05,340 --> 00:07:06,260 the life of Jesus. 131 00:07:06,980 --> 00:07:07,940 Look at Jesus. 132 00:07:08,820 --> 00:07:11,780 Goodness was made flesh in Jesus. 133 00:07:12,020 --> 00:07:13,300 Jesus was God. 134 00:07:14,270 --> 00:07:17,950 And goodness came to earth in the form of a man. 135 00:07:17,950 --> 00:07:18,750 And Jesus. 136 00:07:19,070 --> 00:07:23,550 So look at his life, look at his priorities, look at his relationships, 137 00:07:23,550 --> 00:07:24,630 look at his worldview. 138 00:07:24,630 --> 00:07:26,510 Understand how he sees the world. 139 00:07:27,710 --> 00:07:32,910 You see, we have been created in the image of God and as a child 140 00:07:32,910 --> 00:07:35,790 of God to reflect that goodness of God. 141 00:07:36,190 --> 00:07:41,350 So what Jesus did in his goodness is what we want to do. 142 00:07:43,030 --> 00:07:48,390 Our job is to distribute God's goodness in the world. 143 00:07:49,270 --> 00:07:54,230 And that's what Jesus came to equip us and to teach us how to do. 144 00:07:55,750 --> 00:07:57,030 Because God is good. 145 00:07:58,230 --> 00:07:59,590 Because God is good. 146 00:08:00,550 --> 00:08:03,910 We should first of all be asking for more goodness in our lives. 147 00:08:03,910 --> 00:08:04,990 I think some of us are afraid. 148 00:08:04,990 --> 00:08:06,070 To ask for more goodness. 149 00:08:06,230 --> 00:08:08,270 No, ask God for more goodness. 150 00:08:08,270 --> 00:08:12,230 Jesus talked about the widow who begged for more goodness in her 151 00:08:12,230 --> 00:08:12,430 life. 152 00:08:12,430 --> 00:08:13,470 That's a good prayer. 153 00:08:13,630 --> 00:08:15,870 And he said, don't lose heart in asking. 154 00:08:16,190 --> 00:08:20,510 Ask for God's goodness in your life and more of it. 155 00:08:20,510 --> 00:08:23,590 Because if it comes from God, the more of you have it, the more 156 00:08:23,590 --> 00:08:24,750 you can share it with others. 157 00:08:25,550 --> 00:08:30,670 Secondly, because God created us to be good, we should be related 158 00:08:30,910 --> 00:08:33,330 to others with goodness. 159 00:08:34,850 --> 00:08:36,770 Exceptionally gracious. 160 00:08:37,330 --> 00:08:42,290 Jesus taught us when our enemies attack us, when people give 161 00:08:42,290 --> 00:08:47,930 the wrong motives about us, when people try to assign blame to 162 00:08:47,930 --> 00:08:54,130 us, it's not our fault when people are rejecting us. 163 00:08:54,930 --> 00:08:59,750 When you're hurt, we need to respond with goodness. 164 00:09:00,230 --> 00:09:01,350 Jesus taught us. 165 00:09:02,150 --> 00:09:06,310 And then not only relating, but we should shape our identity 166 00:09:06,310 --> 00:09:07,270 with goodness. 167 00:09:07,510 --> 00:09:09,910 Jesus said, we are the light of the world. 168 00:09:10,070 --> 00:09:12,590 It is our job to be the light of the world. 169 00:09:12,590 --> 00:09:18,070 To show his goodness to those around us and let his goodness shine 170 00:09:18,070 --> 00:09:18,390 out. 171 00:09:19,110 --> 00:09:20,070 That's our task. 172 00:09:20,070 --> 00:09:21,030 That's our calling. 173 00:09:21,030 --> 00:09:24,910 And because God is good and we are his children reflect his goodness. 174 00:09:24,910 --> 00:09:25,120 We. 175 00:09:25,270 --> 00:09:26,070 We can do that. 176 00:09:27,910 --> 00:09:28,310 Well. 177 00:09:30,070 --> 00:09:35,430 God is not only good, but God is good all the time. 178 00:09:36,710 --> 00:09:38,230 Goodness is absolute. 179 00:09:39,030 --> 00:09:41,190 God can't be anything other than good. 180 00:09:41,590 --> 00:09:44,710 There's never a time God is not good. 181 00:09:45,030 --> 00:09:48,550 So even when we can't see it in our lives. 182 00:09:48,870 --> 00:09:50,070 God is still good. 183 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:56,880 When Moses wandered in the wilderness for four decades and God 184 00:09:56,880 --> 00:09:58,640 provided, God was still good. 185 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:03,680 When Joseph was sold into slavery by his family, God used it 186 00:10:03,680 --> 00:10:07,440 for good in order to feed his family. 187 00:10:08,880 --> 00:10:14,280 When David went on his years of sinful spree and turned his back 188 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:17,970 on God and did all kinds of horrible things, God was still good 189 00:10:17,970 --> 00:10:21,530 and stayed with him until David could finally say,. 190 00:10:21,530 --> 00:10:24,530 Restore to me the joy of my salvation. 191 00:10:24,930 --> 00:10:29,170 When John, who thought he'd been exiled to a desolate island,. 192 00:10:31,570 --> 00:10:34,890 Found that God was good because it was from there he could 193 00:10:34,890 --> 00:10:39,650 see the future and see eternity and write the book of Revelation. 194 00:10:40,370 --> 00:10:43,810 God's goodness does not depend on who we are. 195 00:10:44,130 --> 00:10:46,690 God is good because of who he is. 196 00:10:47,550 --> 00:10:50,910 And accordingly, God is good all the time. 197 00:10:52,670 --> 00:10:54,830 God is good all the time. 198 00:10:56,510 --> 00:11:00,550 But because God is good all the time, we don't always feel that 199 00:11:00,550 --> 00:11:00,790 when. 200 00:11:00,790 --> 00:11:05,390 There are disappointments and setbacks and failures and sufferings. 201 00:11:05,630 --> 00:11:06,830 You know when God's good. 202 00:11:07,150 --> 00:11:10,630 When things go well, when you got into Belhaven, God is good. 203 00:11:10,630 --> 00:11:12,390 When you got the right roommate, God is good. 204 00:11:12,390 --> 00:11:14,320 When you got into the class that you wanted, God is good. 205 00:11:14,630 --> 00:11:14,870 Good. 206 00:11:15,190 --> 00:11:17,310 When the team or the rehearsal is. 207 00:11:17,310 --> 00:11:19,350 Going well, so far, God is good. 208 00:11:19,350 --> 00:11:21,070 But what about the team things? 209 00:11:21,070 --> 00:11:24,150 When it's going not what you consider good? 210 00:11:25,350 --> 00:11:27,030 God is still good. 211 00:11:27,750 --> 00:11:29,750 God is good all the time. 212 00:11:29,830 --> 00:11:34,070 See, God doesn't define goodness based on our limited perspectives. 213 00:11:34,870 --> 00:11:37,430 He does so based on his purposes. 214 00:11:37,670 --> 00:11:43,060 And his purpose is that we should become like Jesus. 215 00:11:44,100 --> 00:11:47,660 Nothing will stop God from sanctifying you. 216 00:11:47,660 --> 00:11:51,060 And me so he can be glorified. 217 00:11:51,940 --> 00:11:55,620 And so there are times we will go through tough times and difficult 218 00:11:55,620 --> 00:12:00,220 times, and he will use those for good because he uses those to 219 00:12:00,220 --> 00:12:05,060 bring us into deeper relationship with him, deeper trust 220 00:12:05,060 --> 00:12:07,390 in him, because he's always good and. 221 00:12:07,540 --> 00:12:09,700 And he's using it for good. 222 00:12:11,060 --> 00:12:13,620 God is good all the time. 223 00:12:15,060 --> 00:12:16,940 Do you believe that God's sovereign over all. 224 00:12:16,940 --> 00:12:18,740 If God's sovereign over all the world. 225 00:12:18,740 --> 00:12:22,260 See, there's never a time you need to be asking, well, why me? 226 00:12:22,260 --> 00:12:23,940 Why did these terrible things happen to me? 227 00:12:23,940 --> 00:12:28,340 No, God didn't take time off the clock and he wasn't asleep when 228 00:12:28,340 --> 00:12:28,580 something. 229 00:12:28,580 --> 00:12:29,700 Bad happened to you. 230 00:12:30,340 --> 00:12:32,420 God is so good all the time. 231 00:12:33,310 --> 00:12:39,230 But see, Romans 28 is for God will make all things work together 232 00:12:39,230 --> 00:12:39,710 for good. 233 00:12:39,870 --> 00:12:41,790 For those who are called according to. 234 00:12:41,790 --> 00:12:45,630 His purposes, for those who love Him. 235 00:12:47,550 --> 00:12:51,310 It's his purpose that he's trying to achieve, not just the things 236 00:12:51,310 --> 00:12:52,350 on your wish list. 237 00:12:53,310 --> 00:12:58,590 God has much higher dreams and desires for your life than that which 238 00:12:58,590 --> 00:13:04,780 he could just easily give you, you know, in some churches, pastor 239 00:13:04,780 --> 00:13:07,700 will often start on Sunday morning and he'll say, God is good. 240 00:13:08,500 --> 00:13:11,700 And the congregation will answer back all the time. 241 00:13:12,580 --> 00:13:14,260 Do you go to that church? 242 00:13:15,380 --> 00:13:16,100 Try it again. 243 00:13:16,500 --> 00:13:18,980 God is good all the time. 244 00:13:20,500 --> 00:13:21,700 We got the front third. 245 00:13:21,780 --> 00:13:23,060 Let's try for everybody. 246 00:13:23,140 --> 00:13:24,020 God is good. 247 00:13:25,700 --> 00:13:26,580 There you go. 248 00:13:27,680 --> 00:13:30,080 We need to remind ourselves that God. 249 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:31,480 Is good all the time. 250 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:33,360 It's easy to remember God is good. 251 00:13:33,360 --> 00:13:34,560 When it's going our way. 252 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:38,320 But God is always good all the time. 253 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:40,640 All the time. 254 00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:46,000 There will be challenges, there will be times it doesn't go 255 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:48,240 your way, and there will be setbacks. 256 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:50,560 And when those times come, God is good. 257 00:13:53,370 --> 00:13:54,010 All the time. 258 00:13:54,650 --> 00:13:55,610 Don't get mad. 259 00:13:57,450 --> 00:14:01,770 Ask what God is saying during those tough times and he will speak 260 00:14:01,770 --> 00:14:03,450 to you because he's that good. 261 00:14:04,170 --> 00:14:06,410 There are going to be times you won't be recognized. 262 00:14:06,730 --> 00:14:08,890 Maybe there are times you're going to have a family financial 263 00:14:09,050 --> 00:14:09,610 strain. 264 00:14:09,770 --> 00:14:12,010 Maybe there are times you're going to feel left out. 265 00:14:12,890 --> 00:14:14,250 Don't get discouraged. 266 00:14:14,410 --> 00:14:15,370 Trust him more. 267 00:14:15,370 --> 00:14:17,930 Because God is good all the time. 268 00:14:21,210 --> 00:14:22,330 Even in the rough times. 269 00:14:23,290 --> 00:14:25,890 Maybe you've had some disappointments or maybe you've had 270 00:14:25,890 --> 00:14:29,010 some hurts, or somebody's going to lash out at you and you're 271 00:14:29,010 --> 00:14:32,250 going to get angry and you're going to want to respond in kind, 272 00:14:32,250 --> 00:14:35,610 but let God's goodness take over your emotions instead. 273 00:14:36,010 --> 00:14:40,490 Because when you do, then God is good in that all the time. 274 00:14:40,730 --> 00:14:42,010 And that's what we want. 275 00:14:43,130 --> 00:14:46,420 Or maybe you come from a broken family. 276 00:14:47,620 --> 00:14:49,460 Maybe you got suffering in your life. 277 00:14:50,180 --> 00:14:52,500 And nobody knows your story, how tough it is. 278 00:14:53,700 --> 00:14:55,860 Maybe your dreams have been smashed. 279 00:14:57,140 --> 00:14:58,020 Don't give up. 280 00:14:58,980 --> 00:14:59,780 Hold tight. 281 00:15:00,820 --> 00:15:04,340 Because God is good all the time. 282 00:15:06,820 --> 00:15:12,150 Well, our verse of the year about God being good, but there's 283 00:15:12,150 --> 00:15:12,950 another part to it. 284 00:15:12,950 --> 00:15:16,510 It says his faithfulness continues to each generation. 285 00:15:16,510 --> 00:15:18,350 Because God is always good. 286 00:15:18,350 --> 00:15:20,030 And every generation is different. 287 00:15:20,590 --> 00:15:22,830 Every generation looks at the world differently,. 288 00:15:22,830 --> 00:15:27,390 Has different things that control their culture and their society, 289 00:15:27,550 --> 00:15:29,510 has things that this. 290 00:15:29,510 --> 00:15:31,070 Culture before never had. 291 00:15:31,230 --> 00:15:33,070 Because generations change and go. 292 00:15:33,070 --> 00:15:36,830 But God doesn't change because his goodness is stable throughout 293 00:15:36,830 --> 00:15:38,780 every, every generation. 294 00:15:40,460 --> 00:15:43,260 And I've been thinking a lot about your generation this summer. 295 00:15:44,060 --> 00:15:46,460 Part of why I want to do this series on the Essentials. 296 00:15:47,260 --> 00:15:48,700 Because you've had a tough time. 297 00:15:50,220 --> 00:15:51,660 I think we can call that straight up. 298 00:15:51,660 --> 00:15:52,780 You've had a tough time. 299 00:15:53,180 --> 00:15:54,220 And I pray for you. 300 00:15:54,220 --> 00:15:57,100 I got an awful lot of hope in this generation. 301 00:15:57,100 --> 00:15:58,300 You want to do good things. 302 00:15:58,460 --> 00:16:00,660 You're willing to work together, you're willing to make 303 00:16:00,660 --> 00:16:03,220 some Sacrifices in order to have an impact in the world. 304 00:16:03,220 --> 00:16:04,090 So I'm very hopeful. 305 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:06,720 Hopeful about you and your generation. 306 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:11,720 But you've been through a lot, I think, of what you've had to face. 307 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:18,640 You went through the trauma of a post pandemic time. 308 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:22,400 Pandemic was hard enough, but then getting over it's just as hard. 309 00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:27,480 In some ways, you may feel like, well, I got shortchanged best 310 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:27,840 years. 311 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:29,040 I missed some of them. 312 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:32,150 I didn't get my senior year in high school, or I didn't get my prom 313 00:16:32,150 --> 00:16:33,710 or I didn't get to do this or that. 314 00:16:33,790 --> 00:16:34,990 And yeah, you didn't. 315 00:16:36,430 --> 00:16:37,790 Nobody can change that. 316 00:16:39,630 --> 00:16:40,910 But God's still good. 317 00:16:42,110 --> 00:16:44,470 I think you're also in a world. 318 00:16:44,470 --> 00:16:49,030 Where we've got an awful lot of political tension that you have 319 00:16:49,030 --> 00:16:49,470 to face. 320 00:16:49,950 --> 00:16:52,750 We've never had it in such a way that it's on your phone and it 321 00:16:52,750 --> 00:16:56,390 comes through your scroll and it just keeps coming and coming and 322 00:16:56,390 --> 00:16:57,550 coming at you. 323 00:16:57,550 --> 00:17:01,600 And the political turmoil and the division and the vitriol is something 324 00:17:01,750 --> 00:17:03,030 somewhat overwhelming. 325 00:17:03,110 --> 00:17:04,710 And then you add to it the. 326 00:17:04,710 --> 00:17:09,110 What if scenarios that hang in the air because of a close call assassination. 327 00:17:09,110 --> 00:17:13,550 Attempt on a boisterous president, and it's a pressure cooker 328 00:17:13,550 --> 00:17:14,390 ready to go off. 329 00:17:15,990 --> 00:17:18,790 And then for your generation, you want to be biblical. 330 00:17:19,430 --> 00:17:22,710 You know that God said, reach the whole world and love. 331 00:17:23,670 --> 00:17:26,190 Everybody has value in God's eyes. 332 00:17:26,190 --> 00:17:29,460 And then in contrast to that, you hear a lot of America first, 333 00:17:30,580 --> 00:17:30,860 and. 334 00:17:30,860 --> 00:17:35,380 The isolation resonates with many because of the dramatic rise 335 00:17:35,780 --> 00:17:39,540 in immigration that subsequently raises the temperature 336 00:17:39,540 --> 00:17:40,820 of xenophobia. 337 00:17:40,900 --> 00:17:42,980 And that's the world you live in. 338 00:17:46,100 --> 00:17:47,380 And that's a tough order. 339 00:17:50,100 --> 00:17:53,500 We're kind of glad when the Olympics came, gave us a break from 340 00:17:53,500 --> 00:17:53,940 it all. 341 00:17:54,990 --> 00:17:58,030 Olympics in Paris came, and all of a sudden we kind of put all 342 00:17:58,030 --> 00:18:01,230 that stuff on the sidelines for a while in the Olympics in Paris. 343 00:18:01,630 --> 00:18:02,910 And, you know, the Olympics have kind. 344 00:18:02,910 --> 00:18:07,910 Of always done that because this was 1920, 19, 2024. 345 00:18:07,910 --> 00:18:12,990 But 1924, the Paris Olympics were also held. 346 00:18:13,550 --> 00:18:17,230 And that year was Johnny Weissmuller, who was the champion 347 00:18:17,230 --> 00:18:17,670 swimmer. 348 00:18:17,670 --> 00:18:20,750 Johnny Meifweeler went on to star in all the Tarzan movies. 349 00:18:21,040 --> 00:18:22,400 Saw any of those when you were growing up? 350 00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:26,680 And Eric Liddell, championship runner from England,. 351 00:18:26,680 --> 00:18:28,480 Wouldn't run on Sunday because. 352 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:30,440 For the gold medal race, because he. 353 00:18:30,440 --> 00:18:33,320 Thought it would hurt his witness, and he didn't want to hurt 354 00:18:33,320 --> 00:18:34,160 his witnesses. 355 00:18:34,320 --> 00:18:39,160 That was more important to him than the fame of winning the race. 356 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:42,880 But he's probably the most famous athlete from 1924 because 357 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:46,080 his story was told in Chariots of Fire, and he went on to be a missionary 358 00:18:46,650 --> 00:18:47,210 after that. 359 00:18:49,610 --> 00:18:51,290 So the Olympics were a break then,. 360 00:18:51,450 --> 00:18:53,770 The Olympics were a break now. 361 00:18:53,770 --> 00:18:57,130 But you know what, it's interesting, the. 362 00:18:57,130 --> 00:18:59,930 Challenges and the obstacles that you've had. 363 00:18:59,930 --> 00:19:04,330 To bear your generation are almost the same ones of a hundred 364 00:19:04,330 --> 00:19:04,890 years ago. 365 00:19:06,090 --> 00:19:09,370 The pandemic then was called the Spanish. 366 00:19:09,370 --> 00:19:12,170 Flu, killed millions of people. 367 00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:15,720 People had to isolate and wear masks for years. 368 00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:20,640 The presidential candidate was not Donald Trump who got shot. 369 00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:22,960 It was Teddy Roosevelt got shot. 370 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:26,680 And the bullet hit a little book he had in his pocket, saved 371 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:27,160 his life. 372 00:19:28,439 --> 00:19:34,360 The America first isolationism was not Republicans on Twitter. 373 00:19:34,360 --> 00:19:39,900 It was a Democrat, Woodrow Wilson, who was president, who was 374 00:19:39,900 --> 00:19:41,580 calling for America First. 375 00:19:43,980 --> 00:19:46,380 In that generation, God is good. 376 00:19:47,500 --> 00:19:50,140 In your generation, God is good. 377 00:19:51,100 --> 00:19:54,300 Circumstances haven't really changed that much. 378 00:19:56,060 --> 00:19:59,180 God is good all the time. 379 00:19:59,260 --> 00:20:00,860 His goodness is pure. 380 00:20:01,820 --> 00:20:07,560 It's never, ever stingy in how he shares his goodness, and it's 381 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:10,480 never dependent on the receiver's response. 382 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:18,320 God is good all the time, through every generation. 383 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:19,840 Let me pray for us. 384 00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:20,520 Thanks. 385 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:29,080 Dear Lord, as we look at the essentials of faith, we start with 386 00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:33,610 the character of who you are, the source of all goodness. 387 00:20:35,930 --> 00:20:41,010 Thank you for entrusting us with the responsibility to reflect 388 00:20:41,010 --> 00:20:44,170 your goodness to the world and give us the strength and the courage 389 00:20:44,490 --> 00:20:45,370 to do so. 390 00:20:45,930 --> 00:20:47,290 In your name we ask it. 391 00:20:47,450 --> 00:20:48,010 Amen.