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Speaker: Well, some might say, I'm not
saying that I would say this, some might

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say that the Dodgers are ruining baseball.

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Some might say that, but really all
they're doing is what every little kid

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does with their baseball video game.

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They're just maxing out their roster.

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They're, they're playing with funny
money and they're, they're ignoring

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any potential threat of a salary cap.

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And that may be why they're ruining
baseball for everybody, because it's

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the Dodgers that are gonna make us
not have any baseball next year.

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But really, the, the reason why we
don't like what the Dodgers are doing is

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because our team's not the one doing it.

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The, the reason we don't like the,
what the Dodgers are doing is because

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it's working, they're back to back.

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World Tears champions, and it seems
that whatever comes their way,

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they're, they're successful in it.

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It's not that there aren't obstacles.

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There are the, the Toronto Blue Jays were
quite an obstacle for them last year, and

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if Isaiah Erfa had led off a little bit
further down third base, then we wouldn't

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be talking about the Dodgers anymore.

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But he didn't, there were
obstacles, but they overcame them.

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And the reason they overcame
them is because they were

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strong enough to overcome them.

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They built a team that
could weather the storm.

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They built a team that even in the
face of opposition, they were gonna

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be the last team standing In the
end, they built a team to last.

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What would it look like for
us to do that with the church?

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What would it look like for us
to build a church that will last.

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What would it look like for
us to develop the strongest

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team possible here at Compass?

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That no matter what comes at us, no
matter what happens to us, we would

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make sure that we are going to last,
that we are going to come out on top.

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Well, just like a team
sets out with an objective.

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We have an objective, just like a
team sets out with the objective

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to be the best that they possibly
can be in their respective sport.

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We want to be the best that we can be at
following Christ in a christless world.

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That's our goal.

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That's our mission.

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We want to follow Jesus in a
world that stands against Jesus.

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If we're gonna do that successfully,
we have to be the type of

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church that's built to last one.

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Peter three eight is gonna walk
through what that looks like.

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The reality is we don't need
outside help like the Dodgers.

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We don't need to go out and sign
in and bring in superstars in

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here to be that type of church.

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Yes, we need to be reaching people
like I preached about last weekend.

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But, but right here, we don't
need superstars to come in here

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and personalities to come in here
to make this a stronger church.

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We have all the potential we need
right in this room this morning.

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What we need to do is commit to being the
type of church that is built to last, the

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type of church that Peter's gonna define
for us here in one Peter three eight.

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So take your Bibles open
back up to one Peter.

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It's been a little while since we've
been in first Peter, but we're back.

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We're back together and we are gonna
pick up in one Peter chapter three,

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verse eight, and it says this.

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It'll be up on the screen too.

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It says, finally, all of you have unity
of mind, sympathy, brotherly love,

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a tender heart, and a humble mind.

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Peter begins this verse with the word
finally, which can sometimes mean he's

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drawing a conclusion, but here what he's
doing is he's actually wrapping up a

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section that's just to catch us up again.

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He's been dealing with in chapter three
on and in part of chapter two on what

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it looks like to live as elect exiles.

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That's his audience.

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If you'll recall from the very opening
of the letter to the elect, exiles of the

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dispersion, and we talked about in that
opening message so long ago that that

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just like those people, these Christians
that Peter was writing to, even though

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we're not physical exiles, we are indeed
spiritual exiles that we are not home.

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Remember, we're not the church on
vacation, we're the church in exile.

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And so as the church in exile, as
those that are like Peter's audience,

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spiritual exiles, we need to think about,
okay, what does it look like for us to

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follow Christ in a christless world?

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Well, Peter's been talking
about this a little bit.

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He's been talking about
the corrupt evil rulers.

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You remember when he talked about
here's how you should submit to the

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governing authorities in your life,
and then he talked about this is what

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it looks like if you're in a, a cruel
employment relationship, or at that

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time, a master slave relationship.

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He said, this is how you
deal with a cruel master.

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And then he talked to the marriages and
he said, if you've got an unbelieving

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spouse, this is what it looks
like for you to follow Christ in a

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relationship with an unbelieving spouse.

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Well, now he's gonna turn to the
church at large, and that's why

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he says, finally hear all of you.

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He's saying, Hey, church together,
all of you, every single one of

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you, here's my instructions for you.

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And from here, what he's gonna do is
he's gonna give us a bunch of adjectives.

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There's five adjectives in this verse.

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And so what he's doing is he's describing
the type of church that's going to

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be able to hold up and last, because
where he's going after this is he's

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going into, here's how you suffer.

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Well, suffering's coming.

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A a and now again, there's, there's
questions about exactly when Peter

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wrote, wrote whether Nero had been on,
installed on the throne yet, or if this

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was still future, but, but Nero's coming.

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God knows that.

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And so God is through Peter's writing,
preparing this church for a level of

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suffering that they've never known.

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But if they're going to be able to suffer,
well, they first have to be the type of

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church that's gonna be able to suffer.

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Well, and that's what he's writing
about here in one Peter three, eight.

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That's why he gives these adjectives.

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These are descriptions of the type
of church that as a whole, finally,

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all of you, this is the type of
church that, that they needed to be.

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And this is the type of church
that we need to be in this

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verse there, there is no verb.

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It's just finally all of you.

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And then five adjectives.

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And so you'll notice in the ESV,
there's a verb supplied have.

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And then they give these
adjectives afterwards.

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Other translations will supply
a to be verb, I believe the

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LSB says, finally, finally, all
of you are to be or should be.

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Some translations say live.

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Finally, all of you live
as any verb that we supply.

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The, the point is still the same.

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These are traits, these are attributes.

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These are things that we should
be looking for in each other

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and cultivating in ourselves.

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If we want to be the strongest team that
we possibly can be here as a church.

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If we wanna be a church that's gonna last.

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If we wanna survive, as we follow
Christ in a christless world.

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If we want to be ready for whatever
opposition may come our way, then

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we need to be this type of a church.

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And the first one that we find
here is the attribute of unity.

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Look down at the text.

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It says this, have unity of mind.

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Have unity of mind.

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The word there that's translated is
unity of mind is Homo Fran, homo, meaning

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same in in Fran meaning mind mentality.

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It's a word that means same thinking
if we're to literally translate it.

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Harmony sharing one heart being united
in how we think, in how we feel.

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This was considered, uh, an
attribute that was an important

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attribute of true friendship.

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In fact, the Greek poet, even in the
worldly system, the Greek poet Homer,

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identified having unity as something
that is a, a key attribute in friendship.

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In Philippians chapter two, verse two, the
apostle Paul wrote this, complete my joy.

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He said, by being of the same
mind, having the same love being

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in full accord and of one mind.

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United in mind being of the same mind.

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Unity in the church is a consistent
theme in the New Testament.

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Over and over again, the writers
in the New Testament write about

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how the church is to be one.

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The church is to be united.

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The church is to to hold fast together.

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The reason being is because
this is essential for us.

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As we, as the church pursue
Christ in a christless world,

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we need to stand together.

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Protecting this unity is something
that every single person in

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this room should take seriously.

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To protect and preserve the unity of
the church is not just something for

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the, the, the pastors and the a, a
select few in the church to, to guard

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against division is something that
all of us in the church need to take

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seriously and take a responsibility for.

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If I could, and I guess I could, but
I won't, I, I would have us all stand

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up and publicly say, I am committed
to preserving and protecting and

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praying for the unity of the bride of
Christ here in Compass Bible Church.

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It's this important to
what we're trying to do.

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It's something that we should be
pursuing, promoting, and praying

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for as we stand guard against the
divisive activity of the enemy.

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Our first point is we're talking about
what does it look like to be that church

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that's built to last, to survive as we
follow Christ in a christless world.

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Our first point along those lines
is this zealously guard against

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division, zealously guard against
division in the body of Christ.

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Zealously passionately, right?

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This isn't just like a Okay.

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Yeah, I'll sure.

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Unity of the church is great and all.

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No, this is so significant that,
that this needs to be a passion

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of ours to see that this body,
this church is, is a united body.

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The Apostle Paul says in
one Corinthians one 10.

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He says, I appeal to you brothers.

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Notice the language I appeal to you.

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There's this is an emotional plea from
Paul and he's writing to a church that

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was divided in the church at Corinth.

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You had some that said, well, I'm of
Paul and others that said, I'm a Pauls.

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I'm of Apollos and I, I'm of CEUs.

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And so Paul is writing and he's saying,
I appeal to you brothers, and then notice

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this by the name of our Lord Jesus.

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In other words, he's aduring this
church by the authority of Christ.

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He says that all of you agree and
that there be no divisions among

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you, but that you be united in the
same mind, in the same judgment.

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This is a task for the church at large.

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In fact, that's what the Bible tells us.

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The apostle Paul in Romans 1617
says this, I appeal to you.

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Notice the language there.

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Again, I appeal to you.

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I plea with you brothers to watch out.

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Watch out for, be on the lookout for
those who cause divisions and create

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obstacles contrary to the doctrine
you've been taught and avoid them.

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So the Apostle Paul here is saying,
this is our responsibility as the

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church to look out for these people,
to watch out for them because the

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damage they can do to the church.

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There's two primary ways that divisiveness
really shows up within the body of Christ.

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I think the, the, the first way is
through the, the infighting and the,

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the, the backbiting and the quarreling.

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We, we read about that, for example,
in Galatians five 15, Galatians five

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15, which says, but if you bite and
devour one another, watch out that

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you're not consumed by each other.

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I, if we begin to have infighting, if
we begin to have conflict that's not

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resolved, if we harbor unforgiveness,
if we despise and and have spite towards

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our brothers or our sisters in Christ
here in this room, that is a threat to

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the unity of the body of Christ because
all of a sudden from that quarrel,

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that fight can come sides that emerge.

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Well, I'm on this person's side.

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Well, I'm on this person's side.

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Rather than what we need to do, which
is deal with conflict biblically extend

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forgiveness, seek forgiveness, confess sin
with one another, and reconcile together.

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That's one form of disunity in the church.

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The second form of disunity, though,
that I believe is, is probably the

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greatest threat that we need to
be on guard against, is described

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by Paul in one Timothy six four.

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Here, the apostle Paul says to the
divisive person, he is puffed up

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with conceit and understands nothing.

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He has an unhealthy craving for
controversy and for quarrels

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about words which produce envy.

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Dissension, which is another word
for division that we're talking about

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here, and slander and evil suspicions.

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This is the type of divisiveness
that that keeps me up at night when

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it, when I think about our church.

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It is the, the quarreling
in over, over words.

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The, the person who has an unhealthy
controversy craving for controversy,

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who's after creating their pocket of
people that, that they want to agree

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with them and and disagree with others.

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This is something that unfortunately,
I'm more familiar with in the church.

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Oftentimes this type of
divisiveness is cloaked with words

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like discernment and maturity.

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This is gonna be somebody that's
gonna take an issue that is not a

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tier one issue, but they're gonna
elevate it to make it a tier one issue.

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This is somebody that's going to approach,
not in the, the, the full revealed

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00:11:50,070 --> 00:11:52,980
side of saying, I'm here to take down
the church, but this is the person

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00:11:52,980 --> 00:11:54,150
that approaches with, you know what?

231
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This church is really
good except for this.

232
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I don't know why they
don't do this this way.

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I wouldn't have done it that way.

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00:12:04,935 --> 00:12:08,474
In fact, my old church used to do this,
and I think that's better, don't you?

235
00:12:10,964 --> 00:12:15,375
This person is somebody who needs
to be encouraged to either decide

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00:12:15,375 --> 00:12:18,015
they can put those issues behind
them and work towards the unity

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00:12:18,015 --> 00:12:21,915
of the bride of Christ, or perhaps
decide to move on to another church.

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If they can't,

239
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okay, but, but isn't there a time
that we should say something?

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Yes.

241
00:12:30,089 --> 00:12:32,819
Don't hear me say, I don't wanna be
the pastor that's up here saying you

242
00:12:32,819 --> 00:12:34,050
can never disagree with the church.

243
00:12:34,050 --> 00:12:35,999
You can never disagree with church
leadership and just sit there

244
00:12:35,999 --> 00:12:37,139
and be quiet and agree with me.

245
00:12:38,369 --> 00:12:41,040
I understand that preaching on
the unity of the church can be,

246
00:12:41,339 --> 00:12:44,129
can become something that, that
is abused by those in authority.

247
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That's not my heart here.

248
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Okay.

249
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And so what does it look like when
and how should I approach when and

250
00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:51,569
how should I bring something up?

251
00:12:51,569 --> 00:12:53,280
Well, a few suggestions here.

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Number one, I, I make sure that this is a
matter of, of conviction, not preference.

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I I, if this is a preferential issue, for
example, I, I don't know why they preached

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00:13:03,540 --> 00:13:08,340
from the ESV and not this version over
here, or if this is a situation where

255
00:13:08,340 --> 00:13:11,010
you're saying, you know what, I, I, I
wish the pastor would preach in a coat

256
00:13:11,010 --> 00:13:13,560
and tie, Hey, come talk to me about that.

257
00:13:13,560 --> 00:13:15,240
I'm willing, I'm willing to
have the conversation with you.

258
00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:17,850
The problem comes in when we
go to other people about that.

259
00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:20,190
Well, I don't know why they don't do this.

260
00:13:20,700 --> 00:13:22,680
I don't know why they use that
version and not this version.

261
00:13:22,680 --> 00:13:24,090
This is the, the holier version.

262
00:13:27,209 --> 00:13:28,800
So make sure it's not
a matter of preference.

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Second, make sure it's informed,
whatever it is that you wanna

264
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bring up, make sure it's informed
by clear biblical convictions.

265
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The, the, the best time to go talk with
somebody is when you can open up the

266
00:13:38,520 --> 00:13:41,340
word of God with them and say, look,
I'm concerned because here's what I

267
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understand God's word to be saying.

268
00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:46,470
Here's what I see us see us doing,
and I see a, a, a chasm there.

269
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Can you help me understand?

270
00:13:48,975 --> 00:13:52,605
Make sure that that is con informed
by clear biblical convictions.

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00:13:52,605 --> 00:13:55,335
Third, make sure to approach in
humility with a teachable heart

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because sometimes the way something's
being done may be being done that

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00:13:59,535 --> 00:14:03,225
way because of information that maybe
you're not privy to in that moment.

274
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So come willing to listen.

275
00:14:05,295 --> 00:14:07,305
Don't come with your
decision already made.

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00:14:07,875 --> 00:14:08,595
You're wrong.

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00:14:08,595 --> 00:14:11,415
I'm right and, and I'm here
to tell you how wrong you are.

278
00:14:12,915 --> 00:14:17,355
Fourth, be willing to move on from
the church for the good of the church.

279
00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:23,430
And I say that gently, uh, there are,
I understand there are tier two issues

280
00:14:23,430 --> 00:14:26,520
that aren't gospel issues, but they're
tier two issues that are significant

281
00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:27,689
enough that you would say, you know what?

282
00:14:28,500 --> 00:14:32,640
I think for me to be able to worship
without obstacles of distraction and so

283
00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:35,460
forth and so on, it might be best for me
to go and find a church where they are in

284
00:14:35,460 --> 00:14:37,319
agreement with me in these, these matters.

285
00:14:37,949 --> 00:14:38,790
That's fair.

286
00:14:39,210 --> 00:14:42,090
That's, that's part of the beauty
of the variety of, of churches

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00:14:42,090 --> 00:14:43,079
that we have in our area.

288
00:14:43,079 --> 00:14:46,230
So long as the gospel is
there, there's freedom there.

289
00:14:46,380 --> 00:14:46,680
Right.

290
00:14:47,925 --> 00:14:50,355
And then finally, and this is
probably most important here,

291
00:14:50,355 --> 00:14:51,675
take it to the appropriate party.

292
00:14:52,515 --> 00:14:54,285
Take it to the person primarily concerned.

293
00:14:54,885 --> 00:14:58,605
Look, if you have a doctrinal issue or
you've got a church issue, you've got a

294
00:14:58,605 --> 00:15:00,944
Theo Theology issue, please come to me.

295
00:15:01,395 --> 00:15:03,555
I'm, I'm more than willing
and happy to talk with you.

296
00:15:03,555 --> 00:15:06,015
Please come to one of our other
pastors, pastor Rob, pastor Mark,

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00:15:06,765 --> 00:15:09,765
I, if, if I preach something and,
and you walk out scratching your

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00:15:09,765 --> 00:15:14,505
head, I've got an email address that
that's out there, pj@compassntx.org.

299
00:15:14,714 --> 00:15:16,155
I would love for you to shoot me emails.

300
00:15:16,214 --> 00:15:17,564
Emails and say, pastor,
can we get together?

301
00:15:17,564 --> 00:15:18,645
I've got questions about something.

302
00:15:18,645 --> 00:15:20,355
I'm happy to do that.

303
00:15:21,375 --> 00:15:23,625
Or if you've got an issue with
a ministry, go to the ministry

304
00:15:23,625 --> 00:15:24,855
leader over that ministry.

305
00:15:25,515 --> 00:15:26,295
Talk to them.

306
00:15:26,790 --> 00:15:27,120
Right.

307
00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:31,380
The, the worst thing to do is for you to
go talk to 5, 6, 7 other people about this

308
00:15:31,380 --> 00:15:35,760
thing, and all of a sudden you've, you've
tainted where, where their perspective is.

309
00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:38,069
And then you go and talk
to that ministry leader.

310
00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:40,710
And that ministry leader says, well,
hey, let me help you understand why

311
00:15:40,710 --> 00:15:42,030
we're doing things the way we do it.

312
00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:44,189
And you, the light bulb
goes on in that moment.

313
00:15:44,189 --> 00:15:45,569
You're like, oh, okay, I get it.

314
00:15:45,900 --> 00:15:49,829
But then you've got these 5, 6,
7 other people who are upset over

315
00:15:49,829 --> 00:15:52,650
this thing now that you've gone
to them, instead of first going to

316
00:15:52,650 --> 00:15:54,449
the person that you need to go to.

317
00:15:56,175 --> 00:15:59,535
And so this is an open door
for you guys to, to come to me.

318
00:15:59,625 --> 00:16:00,015
Okay?

319
00:16:00,675 --> 00:16:04,035
I, I want you to hear that this
is not just be quiet and get

320
00:16:04,035 --> 00:16:05,295
over whatever you don't like.

321
00:16:06,885 --> 00:16:08,714
This is, I'm, I'm
willing to talk with you.

322
00:16:08,775 --> 00:16:11,685
I'm willing to hear from you,
but let's do this the right way.

323
00:16:11,714 --> 00:16:15,464
If we're gonna do it, we have to
work for, and preserve and fight for

324
00:16:15,464 --> 00:16:17,834
the unity of the bride of Christ.

325
00:16:20,175 --> 00:16:23,805
In short, you can put it this way,
be slow, be sure and be humble.

326
00:16:25,094 --> 00:16:25,545
Be slow.

327
00:16:25,545 --> 00:16:26,384
Be sure and be humble.

328
00:16:28,185 --> 00:16:30,014
Why WW why is this so important?

329
00:16:30,014 --> 00:16:30,764
Well, a few reasons.

330
00:16:30,764 --> 00:16:33,884
Number one, I believe pursuing the unity
of the church is a matter of, it's a

331
00:16:33,884 --> 00:16:39,405
sign of salvation For us to work for
the unity of the bride of Christ is part

332
00:16:39,405 --> 00:16:40,484
of what it looks like to be a believer.

333
00:16:40,484 --> 00:16:42,285
Paul writes this in, in
Ephesians chapter four.

334
00:16:42,285 --> 00:16:45,525
He says, therefore, I, a prisoner
of the Lord urge you to walk in

335
00:16:45,525 --> 00:16:48,494
a manner worthy of the calling to
which you have been called that.

336
00:16:48,494 --> 00:16:49,785
That is to walk as a believer.

337
00:16:50,759 --> 00:16:53,069
And if you're gonna walk as a
believer, you should be eager.

338
00:16:53,069 --> 00:16:57,869
Verse three, to maintain the unity of
the spirit, your primary desire should

339
00:16:57,869 --> 00:16:59,339
be to maintain the unity of the spirit.

340
00:16:59,464 --> 00:17:03,569
It it, one of the, the greatest,
perhaps most divisive figures

341
00:17:03,569 --> 00:17:04,410
in all of church history.

342
00:17:04,410 --> 00:17:04,710
Right?

343
00:17:04,950 --> 00:17:05,520
What did he do?

344
00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:08,339
He took 95 theses and he nailed him
to the door of the Denberg church.

345
00:17:08,339 --> 00:17:08,880
Who was that?

346
00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:10,440
Martin Luther.

347
00:17:10,980 --> 00:17:12,869
Luther wasn't trying to
take the church down.

348
00:17:12,869 --> 00:17:15,480
He wasn't trying to start
something new by his own testimony.

349
00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:16,800
He wanted to do what to the church.

350
00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:18,660
He wanted to reform it.

351
00:17:19,470 --> 00:17:23,579
He felt convicted that these things needed
to change, but he wasn't there to divide.

352
00:17:23,579 --> 00:17:25,500
He wasn't there to say, we're
gonna go over here and do our own

353
00:17:25,500 --> 00:17:27,420
thing and leave you guys over here.

354
00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:31,050
It's a sign of salvation
for us to, to maintain.

355
00:17:31,050 --> 00:17:34,470
We want to be eager for the unity of
the bride of Christ and care about that.

356
00:17:34,950 --> 00:17:36,690
The second reason, though, is
that this is something that

357
00:17:36,690 --> 00:17:38,580
Christ desires for us as well.

358
00:17:39,030 --> 00:17:40,140
John chapter 17.

359
00:17:40,710 --> 00:17:43,710
In John chapter 17, the high priestly
prayer, Jesus is praying and he says,

360
00:17:43,710 --> 00:17:47,520
I don't ask for these, only meaning
just the 12, but also for those who

361
00:17:47,520 --> 00:17:48,720
believe in me through their word.

362
00:17:48,720 --> 00:17:52,860
That would include all of us in
this room and and I'm praying,

363
00:17:52,860 --> 00:17:55,410
Jesus says that they may all be one.

364
00:17:56,370 --> 00:18:01,290
Just as you Father are in me and I in
you, that they also may be in us so that

365
00:18:01,290 --> 00:18:04,410
the world may believe that you have sent
me the glory that you've given to me.

366
00:18:04,410 --> 00:18:08,100
I've given to them that they
may be one even as we are one.

367
00:18:09,255 --> 00:18:12,165
And so we should pursue the unity of the
church because it's Christ's desire for

368
00:18:12,165 --> 00:18:14,115
his church, Christ's desire for the bride.

369
00:18:16,395 --> 00:18:20,475
Third, though we should also pursue the
unity of the church because the threat of

370
00:18:20,475 --> 00:18:25,575
divisiveness is so significant to God's
mission for the church that he instructs

371
00:18:25,575 --> 00:18:30,075
through Paul the church to deal swiftly
and forcefully with the divisive person.

372
00:18:30,975 --> 00:18:32,600
Paul writes this to
Titus and Titus three 10.

373
00:18:33,780 --> 00:18:38,430
He says, as for a person who stirs up
division after, warning him once and

374
00:18:38,430 --> 00:18:43,740
then twice, have nothing more to do
with him, knowing that such a person is

375
00:18:43,740 --> 00:18:46,800
warped and sinful and self condemned.

376
00:18:48,480 --> 00:18:54,210
Notice here that Paul provides a method
of church discipline that even circumvents

377
00:18:54,210 --> 00:18:56,190
the full formula of Matthew 18.

378
00:18:56,220 --> 00:19:00,720
In order to deal with somebody who is
a divisive person, warn them once, warn

379
00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:02,075
them twice, and then you remove them.

380
00:19:03,780 --> 00:19:04,230
Why?

381
00:19:05,670 --> 00:19:10,650
Because it's that significantly serious
to the body of Christ because it's that

382
00:19:10,650 --> 00:19:12,720
much of a threat to the body of Christ.

383
00:19:13,710 --> 00:19:16,140
And so we should care about,
we should pursue the unity.

384
00:19:16,140 --> 00:19:18,780
We should zealously guard
against divisiveness.

385
00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:22,740
This is an essential characteristic and
essential attribute to us being a church

386
00:19:22,740 --> 00:19:25,950
that's gonna stand the test of time, us
to being that that church that's gonna

387
00:19:25,950 --> 00:19:29,400
come out on top in the end, us to being
that that church that's gonna follow

388
00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:31,440
Christ in a christless world and, and.

389
00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:37,290
Win, for lack of a better term, the
unity of the body is essential to this.

390
00:19:38,370 --> 00:19:39,630
Sin needs to be dealt with.

391
00:19:39,630 --> 00:19:41,640
Hear me say that sin
needs to be dealt with.

392
00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:43,830
Things that need to be addressed,
need to be addressed in the church.

393
00:19:43,830 --> 00:19:44,580
But here's the thing.

394
00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:47,760
Churches have been destroyed, and I'm
sure in a room like this, you could all

395
00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:52,050
tell stories by one or two divisive people
who take a tier two or a tier three issue

396
00:19:52,050 --> 00:19:55,170
and say, we're gonna make this a tier one
issue and I'm taking other people with me.

397
00:19:56,190 --> 00:19:58,200
That's what we have to guard
against here in the church.

398
00:19:59,220 --> 00:20:00,690
That's what we have to guard
against here in the church.

399
00:20:02,250 --> 00:20:03,780
There are no perfect churches.

400
00:20:04,050 --> 00:20:04,890
We can all agree with that.

401
00:20:04,890 --> 00:20:07,530
Yes, there's no perfect churches.

402
00:20:08,190 --> 00:20:11,940
I, I love this place and I hope
you do too, so much to say, you

403
00:20:11,940 --> 00:20:14,220
know what, I, I don't wanna allow
the enemy to have a foothold here.

404
00:20:15,300 --> 00:20:19,380
I don't want there to be any cracks
in, in the ranks here, so to speak.

405
00:20:19,830 --> 00:20:22,500
I wanna make sure that all of us are
pursuing the unity of the church.

406
00:20:24,060 --> 00:20:26,190
If we're doing that, true unity
is gonna be characterized by

407
00:20:26,190 --> 00:20:28,470
these next three attributes,
which we're gonna take together.

408
00:20:28,470 --> 00:20:30,090
I mentioned there's five,
so we cover number one.

409
00:20:30,090 --> 00:20:32,550
We're gonna take the next three together
because I think they go together.

410
00:20:33,570 --> 00:20:35,460
Peter says this, all of
you have unity of mind.

411
00:20:35,460 --> 00:20:41,400
And then he says, this sympathy, brotherly
love, and a tender heart sympathy,

412
00:20:41,610 --> 00:20:43,590
brotherly love, and a tender heart.

413
00:20:44,835 --> 00:20:49,575
You might look at, at this
and, and specifically sympathy

414
00:20:49,575 --> 00:20:50,535
brother love and tender heart.

415
00:20:50,745 --> 00:20:52,545
Some translation say compassion there.

416
00:20:52,545 --> 00:20:54,195
And we're gonna get to
that in just a second here.

417
00:20:54,495 --> 00:20:57,345
But before we do that, I, I want
you to, to notice something in the

418
00:20:57,345 --> 00:20:58,965
structure of what Peter's doing here.

419
00:20:59,205 --> 00:21:00,915
And, and it's called a a chiasm.

420
00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:02,055
A chiasm.

421
00:21:02,355 --> 00:21:06,795
And so what this is, is it's a way
that the, the authors would write

422
00:21:06,795 --> 00:21:10,545
sometimes to draw attention to something
as the point of emphasis in a text.

423
00:21:10,615 --> 00:21:15,950
Okay, so what he's doing here is there's
parallels and the parallel concepts, the,

424
00:21:16,045 --> 00:21:20,095
the parallel concepts sandwich, the part
that is the, the most significant one

425
00:21:20,095 --> 00:21:21,625
for us to notice and pay attention to.

426
00:21:21,985 --> 00:21:26,365
So these list of five, five adjectives
here are in the form of a, a chiasm.

427
00:21:26,365 --> 00:21:26,825
So you've got.

428
00:21:27,140 --> 00:21:28,640
A one unity of mind.

429
00:21:28,670 --> 00:21:31,190
Look down at the bottom,
A two humble mind.

430
00:21:31,220 --> 00:21:33,860
Okay, so both of those
deal with our, our mindset.

431
00:21:34,100 --> 00:21:36,110
We want unity, we want humility.

432
00:21:36,350 --> 00:21:41,060
Then you've got B, one is sympathy, and B
two is having a tender heart or compassion

433
00:21:41,420 --> 00:21:46,145
that has to deal with our emotive state
and how we act towards one another and

434
00:21:46,145 --> 00:21:50,270
then highlighted right in the middle
there is that attribute brotherly love.

435
00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:53,570
And so what Peter's doing here is he's
wanting us to understand that brotherly

436
00:21:53,570 --> 00:21:57,650
love is foundational to everything else
that we're talking about in this list.

437
00:21:58,280 --> 00:22:02,750
That if we have true, genuine, brotherly
love for one another, that's when

438
00:22:02,750 --> 00:22:07,460
we will be united, when we will be
sympathetic, when we will have compassion

439
00:22:07,460 --> 00:22:10,280
and tender heart towards one another,
and when we will pursue humility.

440
00:22:11,190 --> 00:22:13,920
So this middle section here in this
middle point, I just wanted to, to call

441
00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:18,090
our attention to the fact that this
brotherly love Phil Philadelphia, which

442
00:22:18,090 --> 00:22:22,080
by the way, pastor Rob preached on this
back when I was gone in California in

443
00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:24,165
the fall from one Peter 1 22 through 23.

444
00:22:25,290 --> 00:22:28,230
Having purified your souls by
your obedience to the truth for a

445
00:22:28,230 --> 00:22:32,040
sincere, brotherly love, love one
another, earnestly from a pure heart.

446
00:22:32,490 --> 00:22:35,430
So now Peter's coming back to this
saying, this is essential for us.

447
00:22:35,850 --> 00:22:38,730
This is, is huge, that we
need to pay attention to this.

448
00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:42,390
And so he's dealing with, with this
concept of, of brotherly love, and he's

449
00:22:42,390 --> 00:22:43,950
saying this is is part of the attributes.

450
00:22:43,950 --> 00:22:45,570
This is what we need to
be pursuing together.

451
00:22:45,570 --> 00:22:49,980
So back in our verse, sympathy,
brotherly love and a tender heart.

452
00:22:49,980 --> 00:22:51,600
Let's unpack those
three for a second here.

453
00:22:52,290 --> 00:22:53,400
Sympathy is, is what?

454
00:22:53,880 --> 00:22:56,205
Sympathy is the motive component
of our love for one another.

455
00:22:57,120 --> 00:23:01,140
This is feeling the, the, the joy
with those that are rejoicing.

456
00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:03,630
This is feeling the sorrow
with those that are weeping.

457
00:23:04,020 --> 00:23:08,490
This is how the Lord as he knits us
together, and as we have brotherly love

458
00:23:08,490 --> 00:23:14,010
for one another, this is how we, we have
that, that feeling of I'm entering into

459
00:23:14,070 --> 00:23:16,830
your joys, your sorrows alongside you.

460
00:23:17,885 --> 00:23:20,975
In fact, this verb sympathy, or the
word sympathy shows up in the book of

461
00:23:20,975 --> 00:23:25,265
job with his three friends, even though
they turned out to not be great friends.

462
00:23:25,745 --> 00:23:29,195
When they first show up and they see
job sitting on the ash heap in the

463
00:23:29,195 --> 00:23:32,315
state that he is in, it says that
they felt sympathy for him there.

464
00:23:33,035 --> 00:23:34,235
Their hearts go out to him.

465
00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:38,400
That's something that is, is part of a,
a church that's gonna stand the test of

466
00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:42,060
time, is that we love one another, another
to the point that we have an emotional

467
00:23:42,270 --> 00:23:45,360
reaction and response when somebody is
hurting, when somebody is rejoicing.

468
00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:49,740
We're not just stoic to that, but
we en engaged with them in that.

469
00:23:50,430 --> 00:23:51,060
So sympathy.

470
00:23:51,060 --> 00:23:52,920
And then again, yes, brotherly love.

471
00:23:53,430 --> 00:23:56,910
This, this, that is the result
of our purification, the

472
00:23:56,910 --> 00:23:58,110
result of the gospel, right?

473
00:23:58,110 --> 00:23:59,460
Again, one Peter 1 22.

474
00:23:59,700 --> 00:24:02,100
You've purified your souls
by your obedience to the

475
00:24:02,100 --> 00:24:03,960
truth that is the gospel for.

476
00:24:04,860 --> 00:24:06,990
A sincere brotherly love that
this should characterize.

477
00:24:06,990 --> 00:24:11,400
Those that are are Christians, those that
are believers, and this is the foundation.

478
00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:14,430
Without that, we can't, we won't be
sympathetic, and without that, we won't

479
00:24:14,430 --> 00:24:18,270
be tenderhearted, which is the third
attribute there having a tender heart.

480
00:24:18,750 --> 00:24:19,980
Uh, this is a fun one.

481
00:24:20,370 --> 00:24:21,389
In the Greek, you know what it means?

482
00:24:21,389 --> 00:24:22,590
Having good intestines.

483
00:24:23,835 --> 00:24:26,775
Yeah, we should all have good
intestines towards each other.

484
00:24:26,835 --> 00:24:28,695
And you wonder, what in
the world does that mean?

485
00:24:28,845 --> 00:24:32,325
Well, the intestines were considered
kind of the, the, the source of,

486
00:24:32,325 --> 00:24:35,475
of that feeling, that emotion, the,
the, the heart as we put it now.

487
00:24:35,475 --> 00:24:37,995
And that's why it's
tender heart in the ESV.

488
00:24:38,025 --> 00:24:40,605
Other translations
translate it as compassion.

489
00:24:40,605 --> 00:24:44,205
Now again, this is emotive, but I
do believe there's a distinction

490
00:24:44,205 --> 00:24:45,310
between sympathy and compassion.

491
00:24:46,050 --> 00:24:50,790
So allow me to thread that out a little
bit for us, sympathy is, is more focused

492
00:24:50,790 --> 00:24:52,500
on the emotive connection to the person.

493
00:24:52,650 --> 00:24:56,430
Compassion is sympathy in action, okay?

494
00:24:56,790 --> 00:24:59,340
Compassion is taking the
emotion and then acting on it.

495
00:25:00,210 --> 00:25:01,170
Lemme show you what I mean.

496
00:25:01,380 --> 00:25:03,060
Luke, chapter 10, verse 33.

497
00:25:03,060 --> 00:25:06,030
Luke chapter 10, verse 33 is, is from
the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

498
00:25:06,540 --> 00:25:09,300
And so Jesus says this, but
a Samaritan, as he journeyed,

499
00:25:09,300 --> 00:25:10,650
came to where the man was.

500
00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:14,130
And when he saw him, he had compassion.

501
00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:17,580
Now, what did that compassion result in?

502
00:25:17,970 --> 00:25:22,560
It resulted in him stopping and
bandaging his wounds and putting him

503
00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:27,360
on his donkey and taking him to the
end and offering to pay the bill for

504
00:25:27,360 --> 00:25:32,100
his stay there while he re recovered
compassion in his, his sympathy in action.

505
00:25:32,850 --> 00:25:36,000
Or in the parable of the prodigal
son, when the father sees the son

506
00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:39,360
coming from a distance, it says
there that he felt compassion.

507
00:25:39,390 --> 00:25:40,650
And what did the dad do?

508
00:25:40,650 --> 00:25:43,110
Did he just wait there and say,
well, you need to come apologize

509
00:25:43,110 --> 00:25:44,310
to me because what you did?

510
00:25:45,360 --> 00:25:45,760
No, no, no.

511
00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:50,430
The father felt compassion and ran
to the son and embraced him and put

512
00:25:50,430 --> 00:25:52,805
the robe on him and got the ring
and put the ring back on his finger.

513
00:25:53,625 --> 00:25:56,775
Again, compassion is sympathy in action.

514
00:25:56,925 --> 00:25:58,395
Mark chapter six, verse 34.

515
00:25:58,395 --> 00:26:01,035
We see our own savior in this regard.

516
00:26:01,035 --> 00:26:06,045
He comes ashore and he sees the crowd and
it says that he had compassion on them

517
00:26:06,315 --> 00:26:09,915
because they were like sheep without a
shepherd, and so he began to teach them.

518
00:26:10,890 --> 00:26:14,550
He had compassion and that
compassion produced the actions.

519
00:26:14,550 --> 00:26:18,660
He in our text here, back in
one Peter, God knew what was

520
00:26:18,660 --> 00:26:20,160
waiting for these believers.

521
00:26:20,160 --> 00:26:21,780
He knew suffering was coming.

522
00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:24,210
He knew they were gonna
go through hard times.

523
00:26:24,210 --> 00:26:28,650
He knew that the heat was gonna get turned
up, and so he's trying to prepare them.

524
00:26:28,940 --> 00:26:31,940
Peter's trying to prepare them to
be as strong as they possibly can.

525
00:26:32,180 --> 00:26:35,270
And to do that, man, they're gonna
need relationships with each other

526
00:26:35,270 --> 00:26:39,080
that are genuinely built on brotherly
love, that are genuinely built on

527
00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:42,410
a care that transcends the surface.

528
00:26:44,030 --> 00:26:47,510
As a church that's built to last,
we have to have relationships that

529
00:26:47,510 --> 00:26:50,300
go beyond, uh, the surface niceties.

530
00:26:51,080 --> 00:26:54,380
We, we have to have relationships
that go beyond a, a once a week.

531
00:26:54,380 --> 00:26:57,770
Check in on how the weather's been doing
and what did you do when it was cold?

532
00:26:58,860 --> 00:27:03,000
We have to have relationships that are
more substantive than the exchanges

533
00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:05,790
that you have while you wait for
your kid in the car line or where

534
00:27:05,790 --> 00:27:08,820
you wait for your kid to be released
so you can walk home with them from

535
00:27:08,820 --> 00:27:11,370
school and you're talking to the other
parents that are waiting there too.

536
00:27:12,090 --> 00:27:15,870
We have to have relationships that
are, uh, deeper and different, and

537
00:27:15,870 --> 00:27:18,390
there's a qualitative difference than
the relationship that you have with

538
00:27:18,390 --> 00:27:20,010
the dads on your kids' baseball team.

539
00:27:21,540 --> 00:27:25,410
We have to have relationships that
are relationships built on this.

540
00:27:25,620 --> 00:27:30,480
A sympathy that causes us to feel the,
the feelings of one another and enter

541
00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:32,100
into those because we love one another.

542
00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:35,820
And then to feel compassion that promotes
us and, and propels us and compels us

543
00:27:35,820 --> 00:27:37,800
to act for the good of one another.

544
00:27:38,940 --> 00:27:42,720
This is the type of relationships
that we need in the church.

545
00:27:42,750 --> 00:27:44,785
If we are going to be a
church that's built to last.

546
00:27:45,120 --> 00:27:50,340
And so our second point this morning
is this genuinely care for one another,

547
00:27:51,870 --> 00:27:53,730
genuinely care for one another.

548
00:27:56,370 --> 00:27:58,740
Lemme say I, I love the way
that our church does on this.

549
00:27:59,460 --> 00:28:01,500
I think we do this really, really well.

550
00:28:02,070 --> 00:28:05,070
I was reminded of this within the
last month as as I watched a family

551
00:28:05,070 --> 00:28:08,730
who was going through their own
trial, come to me and say, pastor,

552
00:28:08,790 --> 00:28:11,400
here's another family in the church
that's going through a trial as well.

553
00:28:11,580 --> 00:28:12,180
What can we do?

554
00:28:12,180 --> 00:28:13,080
How can we support them?

555
00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:13,890
How can we love them?

556
00:28:15,135 --> 00:28:17,985
And I'm looking at this one family
going, you, you guys are the

557
00:28:17,985 --> 00:28:19,575
ones that need us to love you.

558
00:28:21,015 --> 00:28:22,160
And yet they were saying, no, no, no, no.

559
00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:23,985
We, we, we want to love others.

560
00:28:24,045 --> 00:28:26,805
As we're going through our own
trial, we want to support others.

561
00:28:27,780 --> 00:28:30,195
And, and so let me just say church.

562
00:28:30,225 --> 00:28:35,025
You guys are doing this and doing it well,
and I love that anytime a, a meal train

563
00:28:35,025 --> 00:28:37,395
goes out, it's like, it's a race to see.

564
00:28:37,575 --> 00:28:38,985
Are there any empty spots left?

565
00:28:41,070 --> 00:28:42,450
That is so good.

566
00:28:43,020 --> 00:28:45,870
And, and at at heart we are
an action oriented people.

567
00:28:46,710 --> 00:28:50,700
We like the meal trains 'cause it's
like, I can, I can do that, I can bake,

568
00:28:51,210 --> 00:28:52,680
I can't, don't ask me to be on that.

569
00:28:54,270 --> 00:28:55,860
I can, I can, I can grab a spot.

570
00:28:55,860 --> 00:28:57,840
I, that's something that I can
do and it feels good because it's

571
00:28:57,840 --> 00:28:59,040
something tangible for us to do.

572
00:29:00,960 --> 00:29:04,170
I, I think we also know need to
be ready to, to have the sympathy

573
00:29:04,170 --> 00:29:05,130
side of things with people.

574
00:29:06,660 --> 00:29:09,060
Sometimes it's, it's
the meal train's full.

575
00:29:10,275 --> 00:29:14,055
And so then we have to say, how do I,
how do I love my, my brother or sister

576
00:29:14,055 --> 00:29:15,105
in Christ who's hurting right now?

577
00:29:16,605 --> 00:29:21,795
Or sometimes, you know, it's not the meal
that's needed, it's the ear to listen.

578
00:29:21,795 --> 00:29:26,025
It's the the shoulder to, to
be there to, to let them cry.

579
00:29:26,055 --> 00:29:28,725
It's being present with them.

580
00:29:28,725 --> 00:29:30,735
It's feeling the sorrow
that they're feeling.

581
00:29:31,965 --> 00:29:35,955
It's praying with them through the grief
that they're going through, and, and,

582
00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:37,755
and sometimes it's celebrating with them.

583
00:29:37,905 --> 00:29:39,585
I saying, man, praise God.

584
00:29:39,585 --> 00:29:40,335
That is so great.

585
00:29:40,335 --> 00:29:41,295
We were praying for that.

586
00:29:41,295 --> 00:29:43,365
You've been praying for that,
and you just shared your request,

587
00:29:43,425 --> 00:29:44,685
your your answer to that request.

588
00:29:45,195 --> 00:29:47,205
Thank you for bringing
me in with you on that.

589
00:29:47,205 --> 00:29:48,885
I'm rejoicing with you in that.

590
00:29:50,685 --> 00:29:54,945
Sometimes this kind of love even
looks like the painful process

591
00:29:54,945 --> 00:29:57,105
of coming alongside somebody and
saying, Hey, brother, hey sister.

592
00:29:57,675 --> 00:29:58,095
You know what?

593
00:29:58,100 --> 00:30:01,905
I, I see sin in the camp in your
life, and I, I love you enough to

594
00:30:01,905 --> 00:30:04,935
say I'm, I'm not gonna let you go
without talking to you about this.

595
00:30:06,450 --> 00:30:09,570
And confronting that person,
Galatians six to, to restore

596
00:30:09,570 --> 00:30:10,890
that person in a spirit of love.

597
00:30:13,470 --> 00:30:15,960
All of this is driven
by that brotherly love.

598
00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:19,380
Again, this is family language
that Peter is using here.

599
00:30:20,070 --> 00:30:21,450
Brotherly love, sympathy.

600
00:30:21,450 --> 00:30:23,730
This is language used for
the family and that's how God

601
00:30:23,730 --> 00:30:24,870
wants us to view the church.

602
00:30:24,870 --> 00:30:26,910
That's how he wants us to view
one another as brothers and

603
00:30:26,910 --> 00:30:29,130
sisters in Christ as a family.

604
00:30:30,490 --> 00:30:35,085
I, I don't mean to be a broken record,
but here at Compass, the way this works

605
00:30:35,865 --> 00:30:37,425
is to get involved in community groups.

606
00:30:38,505 --> 00:30:41,505
I know I just preached a message
called, called Out and called into

607
00:30:41,505 --> 00:30:44,295
community where I really stress
the emphasis of community groups.

608
00:30:45,225 --> 00:30:49,935
But this is where these relationships
form you don't form these

609
00:30:49,935 --> 00:30:51,645
relationships on on a Sunday morning.

610
00:30:51,645 --> 00:30:52,245
Once a week.

611
00:30:53,115 --> 00:30:56,955
You form these relationships when
you get in community with each other.

612
00:30:58,245 --> 00:31:00,345
And I know there's objections
that are out there.

613
00:31:00,345 --> 00:31:03,045
Some people might say, well, I'm, I'm
just too busy right now for community.

614
00:31:04,875 --> 00:31:07,754
This type of community though is what
it means to be part of the church.

615
00:31:08,985 --> 00:31:11,415
And so I would suggest if you're saying,
man, I'm too busy for this, then I

616
00:31:11,415 --> 00:31:15,915
would say, I think you should prioritize
community and evaluate some other

617
00:31:15,915 --> 00:31:17,175
commitments that you've got in your life.

618
00:31:18,885 --> 00:31:20,865
Again, these relationships
aren't relationships that

619
00:31:20,865 --> 00:31:21,915
that just form overnight.

620
00:31:21,915 --> 00:31:25,485
When, when you need these
relationships, if you haven't

621
00:31:25,485 --> 00:31:26,895
built into these relationships.

622
00:31:27,645 --> 00:31:29,625
They don't just happen at
the spur of the moment,

623
00:31:31,725 --> 00:31:33,645
maybe you're saying, well, you
know what, I'm, I'm too far away

624
00:31:33,645 --> 00:31:34,965
from any of the open groups.

625
00:31:35,745 --> 00:31:37,005
Maybe a valid concern.

626
00:31:37,905 --> 00:31:40,575
My personal conviction is a, a
good church is worth driving for.

627
00:31:41,685 --> 00:31:43,965
Worth getting involved in saying,
okay, I'm gonna count the cost.

628
00:31:43,965 --> 00:31:47,955
I'm gonna drive, I'm gonna be there
and it's gonna be worth the payoff.

629
00:31:49,875 --> 00:31:51,105
Or maybe you would say, you know what?

630
00:31:51,105 --> 00:31:53,625
I've been hurt by church
groups in the past.

631
00:31:53,625 --> 00:31:55,515
I've been hurt by getting
too involved in the past.

632
00:31:57,330 --> 00:32:00,450
I acknowledge that that's probably the
reality for, for a few people in the

633
00:32:00,450 --> 00:32:03,570
room, and I I'm sorry that that happened.

634
00:32:03,635 --> 00:32:06,270
I, I also want to tell you,
that doesn't change what God's

635
00:32:06,270 --> 00:32:07,650
design is for the church.

636
00:32:09,180 --> 00:32:11,550
That doesn't change what God
has called us to in the church.

637
00:32:13,530 --> 00:32:14,340
Trust is plan.

638
00:32:14,340 --> 00:32:15,300
Trust is design.

639
00:32:16,350 --> 00:32:18,570
Be vulnerable again, connect again.

640
00:32:20,100 --> 00:32:20,760
Or maybe you say, you know what?

641
00:32:20,760 --> 00:32:22,710
I've, I've got another Bible
study that I'm a part of.

642
00:32:24,285 --> 00:32:27,405
I, I would push back and say, I think
your primary source of fellowship

643
00:32:27,405 --> 00:32:30,885
should be with those in your local
church, those that are under the

644
00:32:30,885 --> 00:32:33,015
same sermons, week in and week out.

645
00:32:33,045 --> 00:32:35,715
Those that are, are gathering
together as brothers and sisters

646
00:32:35,715 --> 00:32:36,735
in Christ week in and week out.

647
00:32:36,735 --> 00:32:39,045
Those that are under the same
pastoral care week in and week out.

648
00:32:39,225 --> 00:32:41,565
That should be your primary
source of fellowship.

649
00:32:41,565 --> 00:32:43,305
I'm not telling you, you have
to quit your other Bible study.

650
00:32:44,625 --> 00:32:47,835
I'm just saying don't export community
outside the walls of the local church.

651
00:32:50,460 --> 00:32:52,950
If you want this kind of genuine
love for one another, you, you need

652
00:32:52,950 --> 00:32:55,200
to get in community with us again.

653
00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:56,850
Our community groups are
available on our website.

654
00:32:56,850 --> 00:33:00,300
You can look there, but I come back
to this, I if you want to have those

655
00:33:00,300 --> 00:33:03,300
people who are gonna weep with you when
the results come back as malignant.

656
00:33:04,980 --> 00:33:07,470
If you want to have brothers and
sisters who will encourage you through

657
00:33:07,470 --> 00:33:12,180
unemployment, if you want to have brothers
and sisters who's gonna pray for and

658
00:33:12,180 --> 00:33:16,080
support your marriage, if you want to have
brothers and sisters who are gonna show

659
00:33:16,080 --> 00:33:17,610
up at the hospital when the baby's born.

660
00:33:18,570 --> 00:33:20,940
If you want to have brothers and sisters
who are gonna show up in the middle of

661
00:33:20,940 --> 00:33:23,580
the night to watch your kids so that
you can get to the emergency room.

662
00:33:24,540 --> 00:33:26,880
If you wanna have brothers and sisters
who care enough about you to confront

663
00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:29,730
you and sin, and, and care about
your godliness and your holiness,

664
00:33:30,660 --> 00:33:32,340
you need to get in community with us.

665
00:33:34,890 --> 00:33:38,160
At some point you've needed that, and
likely at some point you'll need it

666
00:33:38,160 --> 00:33:41,730
again, if we wanna have the strongest
team possible here at Compass.

667
00:33:42,570 --> 00:33:44,670
And that looks like a body that's
committed to doing life with each

668
00:33:44,670 --> 00:33:45,990
other beyond Sunday mornings.

669
00:33:47,535 --> 00:33:50,805
It looks like showing up for each
other, being a church that, as we

670
00:33:50,805 --> 00:33:52,965
say, man, we're, we're trying to
follow Christ in a christless world.

671
00:33:53,445 --> 00:33:55,845
We need to invest in relationships
that are gonna help us do that,

672
00:33:55,905 --> 00:33:58,455
to spur us on towards that, like
I talked about a couple weeks ago.

673
00:33:59,925 --> 00:34:02,025
And so we wanna be a church that
genuinely cares for each other.

674
00:34:03,105 --> 00:34:06,315
But there's one final attribute here
in this list in one Peter three,

675
00:34:06,315 --> 00:34:08,534
eight, and it's this a humble mind.

676
00:34:09,525 --> 00:34:10,215
A humble mind.

677
00:34:11,025 --> 00:34:12,195
Humility is an attractive.

678
00:34:13,005 --> 00:34:18,134
Trait in a teammate when the best guy
on a team isolates himself and looks

679
00:34:18,134 --> 00:34:20,804
at his teammates as burdens and just
says, well, I guess I'm just gonna

680
00:34:20,804 --> 00:34:24,975
have to carry all of you losers on my
back and, and do it all myself, man,

681
00:34:24,975 --> 00:34:26,565
that's equally unattractive, isn't it?

682
00:34:28,514 --> 00:34:31,605
So it follows them, that humility would
be another attribute that we wanna

683
00:34:31,605 --> 00:34:34,905
see in each other to be the strongest
team possible, to be the church that's

684
00:34:34,905 --> 00:34:37,725
gonna be built to last as we seek to
follow Christ in a christless world.

685
00:34:38,850 --> 00:34:40,500
The text again says, have a humble mind.

686
00:34:40,980 --> 00:34:44,010
The word mind there is the same
word from the first attribute

687
00:34:44,010 --> 00:34:45,449
of being united in mind.

688
00:34:45,449 --> 00:34:49,139
It's the word throne, which means
mind or mentality, and, and this

689
00:34:49,139 --> 00:34:53,610
time it's paired with a word that
means low to be of a low mindedness.

690
00:34:54,480 --> 00:34:58,140
Humility is one of the essential
characteristics of the follower of Christ.

691
00:34:58,890 --> 00:35:01,830
This is part of what it means
to be a a a Jesus follower.

692
00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:06,450
In Matthew chapter five, verse
three or five, verse five, forgive

693
00:35:06,450 --> 00:35:10,319
me, it says, blessed are the meek
for they will inherit the earth.

694
00:35:11,220 --> 00:35:13,230
Meekness and humility go hand in hand.

695
00:35:13,230 --> 00:35:16,200
They're, they're handmaiden is with
one another and Jesus says that we

696
00:35:16,200 --> 00:35:18,180
should be pursuing that meekness.

697
00:35:19,410 --> 00:35:21,480
In Colossians chapter three,
verse 12, we find meekness,

698
00:35:21,480 --> 00:35:22,650
but also paired with humility.

699
00:35:22,650 --> 00:35:26,250
Here, Paul says this, that as those
that are our followers of Jesus, we

700
00:35:26,250 --> 00:35:30,210
should be putting on then as God's
chosen ones, wholly and beloved,

701
00:35:30,510 --> 00:35:35,310
compassionate hearts, kindness,
humility, meekness, and patience.

702
00:35:36,810 --> 00:35:40,650
And so humility is a, a, a definable
characteristic in scripture of

703
00:35:40,650 --> 00:35:43,860
what it looks like to follow Jesus
and even in in the world, right?

704
00:35:43,860 --> 00:35:46,590
The world would say humility
is an admirable attribute.

705
00:35:46,590 --> 00:35:50,400
Today, we live in a world that would say
it's a good thing for people to be humble.

706
00:35:51,570 --> 00:35:55,530
That's not the world that Peter
wrote to when Peter was writing this.

707
00:35:55,530 --> 00:35:58,770
The Greco-Roman culture considered
humility to be a sign of weakness.

708
00:35:59,745 --> 00:36:02,835
It was something that was despised
because people looked at somebody

709
00:36:02,835 --> 00:36:06,675
who was considered humble as somebody
who was unable to defend their honor.

710
00:36:07,995 --> 00:36:11,235
And so why then would Peter say to
this church that's getting ready to

711
00:36:11,235 --> 00:36:15,255
face opposition, that's getting ready
to find the persecution that some

712
00:36:15,255 --> 00:36:17,835
of which they've already experienced
to be ratcheted up even more.

713
00:36:18,165 --> 00:36:21,075
Why would he put this church in a
position where the world would despise

714
00:36:21,075 --> 00:36:25,635
them even more and look at them as
even weaker rather than wanting to see

715
00:36:25,635 --> 00:36:28,125
them as strong in the world's eyes?

716
00:36:30,330 --> 00:36:32,460
Well, the reason is a,
a, a couple things here.

717
00:36:32,460 --> 00:36:36,420
Yes, because the church is called
to be counter-cultural, but the

718
00:36:36,420 --> 00:36:37,980
more important reason is this.

719
00:36:38,340 --> 00:36:43,350
The reason humility is suggested here
and commanded here by Peter is because

720
00:36:43,410 --> 00:36:48,330
we want to be like Jesus and we will
never be stronger as a church than

721
00:36:48,330 --> 00:36:50,730
we are, as we're more like Jesus.

722
00:36:51,300 --> 00:36:53,370
And what did Jesus himself
tell his disciples?

723
00:36:53,370 --> 00:36:55,950
The son of man came not to be served.

724
00:36:56,444 --> 00:36:58,515
But to serve and give his
life as a ransom for many.

725
00:36:59,174 --> 00:37:01,005
And in that context, he
said, you want to be first.

726
00:37:01,005 --> 00:37:01,904
You need to be last.

727
00:37:02,475 --> 00:37:03,285
You want to be great.

728
00:37:03,285 --> 00:37:04,665
You need to be the slave of all.

729
00:37:06,555 --> 00:37:10,335
Philippians chapter two, the Apostle Paul
in this passage says this, do nothing

730
00:37:10,335 --> 00:37:14,174
from selfish ambition or concede, but
in humility, there's our word Count

731
00:37:14,174 --> 00:37:15,855
others more significant than yourselves.

732
00:37:16,275 --> 00:37:18,645
Let each of you look not only
to his own interests, but also

733
00:37:18,645 --> 00:37:19,359
to the interest of others.

734
00:37:20,055 --> 00:37:24,345
And then he says, have this mind
among yourselves, which is yours in

735
00:37:24,345 --> 00:37:29,145
Christ Jesus, who though he was in the
form of God, did not count equality

736
00:37:29,145 --> 00:37:32,805
with God, a thing to be grasped, but
emptied himself by taking the form of

737
00:37:32,805 --> 00:37:38,085
a servant, being born in the likeness
of men and being found in human form.

738
00:37:38,115 --> 00:37:43,185
He humbled himself by becoming obedient to
the point of death, even death on a cross.

739
00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:49,170
We want to be humble because we want
to be like Jesus, one Peter 2 21.

740
00:37:49,320 --> 00:37:53,490
For to this you have been called
because Christ also suffered for

741
00:37:53,490 --> 00:37:58,380
you, leaving you an example that
you might follow in his steps.

742
00:37:58,980 --> 00:38:01,200
We wanna be humble as
our savior was humble.

743
00:38:01,470 --> 00:38:04,620
If we want to be a strong church,
we can't neglect to follow our

744
00:38:04,620 --> 00:38:05,700
savior in showing humility.

745
00:38:06,345 --> 00:38:09,585
We can't neglect to cultivate
that humility in our own lives.

746
00:38:09,975 --> 00:38:12,134
It's humility that will preserve unity.

747
00:38:12,134 --> 00:38:15,345
It's humility that will spur our
affections for one another, such that

748
00:38:15,345 --> 00:38:18,855
we will genuinely care for one another,
and it's humility that needs to be

749
00:38:18,855 --> 00:38:20,654
a consistent pursuit in our life.

750
00:38:20,654 --> 00:38:24,585
Our final point this morning is this
consistently seek Christlike humility.

751
00:38:25,785 --> 00:38:27,825
Consistently seek Christlike humility.

752
00:38:30,615 --> 00:38:33,435
You know, sometimes the most valuable
players on a team aren't the superstar

753
00:38:33,435 --> 00:38:38,655
athletes, but they're the clubhouse
guys at, at times a team will make

754
00:38:38,655 --> 00:38:42,525
a trade towards the trade deadline
and, and they'll bring in a guy and

755
00:38:42,525 --> 00:38:45,315
everybody will kinda look at, at that
trade and, and scratch their heads and

756
00:38:45,315 --> 00:38:46,665
be like, why did you go get that guy?

757
00:38:46,665 --> 00:38:49,215
You've got another guy that already
plays that position, or you've

758
00:38:49,215 --> 00:38:51,555
got a better guy, or That's not
really a position you needed.

759
00:38:52,665 --> 00:38:55,485
And a lot of times the reason
why teams will go out and do that

760
00:38:55,485 --> 00:38:58,305
is because they know that that
guy's a good clubhouse presence.

761
00:38:59,085 --> 00:39:02,895
He's got a humility that's gonna be a good
source of, of encouragement to the team.

762
00:39:02,895 --> 00:39:03,885
He's gonna lead the team.

763
00:39:03,885 --> 00:39:05,925
He's gonna be a veteran that's
gonna build the team up.

764
00:39:06,195 --> 00:39:07,395
And so we want him on our team.

765
00:39:08,985 --> 00:39:11,475
We want that here in our church.

766
00:39:12,195 --> 00:39:15,525
When a team makes a trade for a guy
like that, they're not trading for

767
00:39:15,525 --> 00:39:16,935
him, so that he's gonna be the MVP.

768
00:39:18,300 --> 00:39:21,540
They're not trading for him, so that he's
gonna be the one that's gonna get the, the

769
00:39:21,540 --> 00:39:22,980
individual award at the end of the season.

770
00:39:24,660 --> 00:39:26,190
But that guy's not
interested in those things.

771
00:39:27,060 --> 00:39:30,690
He's interested in the good of the
body, the good of the team church.

772
00:39:30,690 --> 00:39:35,100
There's, there's no MVP or individual
awards handed out at the end of the

773
00:39:35,100 --> 00:39:36,330
year for being a part of the church.

774
00:39:38,370 --> 00:39:41,070
We are here for each other, like
I preached on a couple weeks ago.

775
00:39:42,090 --> 00:39:43,170
I need you and you need me.

776
00:39:43,995 --> 00:39:46,935
We are here to be a part of this
body, to be humbly working together

777
00:39:46,935 --> 00:39:48,225
for the good of the body of Christ.

778
00:39:48,225 --> 00:39:49,635
That's what the Apostle Paul said.

779
00:39:49,635 --> 00:39:52,695
Just as the body is one and as
many members, all the members of

780
00:39:52,695 --> 00:39:54,105
the body, though many are one.

781
00:39:54,105 --> 00:39:55,575
So it is with Christ.

782
00:39:56,565 --> 00:40:00,105
There's a lot of us in here, different
gifts, different strengths, different

783
00:40:00,105 --> 00:40:06,075
weaknesses, and yet all of us need to be
aimed at being together, uniting together,

784
00:40:06,315 --> 00:40:08,295
humbly seeking the unity of the church.

785
00:40:10,980 --> 00:40:13,470
What we're doing here is bigger than
any single one of us in this room.

786
00:40:14,910 --> 00:40:15,990
It's not about us.

787
00:40:17,220 --> 00:40:18,840
I'll be the first to
say it's not about me.

788
00:40:19,800 --> 00:40:21,720
What we're doing here is about Jesus.

789
00:40:22,500 --> 00:40:26,250
And so we in humility come and we
pursue that, and that begins, as

790
00:40:26,250 --> 00:40:28,080
Peter says, with a humble mind.

791
00:40:29,085 --> 00:40:30,885
It begins in how we think about ourselves.

792
00:40:30,885 --> 00:40:34,215
In fact, the apostle Paul wrote this
in Romans chapter 12, verse three.

793
00:40:34,215 --> 00:40:38,985
He said, for by the grace given to
me, I say to everyone among you not to

794
00:40:38,985 --> 00:40:43,965
think of himself more highly than he
ought to think, but to think with sober

795
00:40:44,175 --> 00:40:47,295
judgment, where does humility begin?

796
00:40:47,295 --> 00:40:49,275
Humility begins in how
we assess ourselves.

797
00:40:50,145 --> 00:40:53,475
How should we assess ourselves
each according to the measure

798
00:40:53,475 --> 00:40:54,855
of faith that got us assigned?

799
00:40:55,260 --> 00:41:02,430
We need to assess ourselves in light
of, of our identity in Christ y'all.

800
00:41:02,430 --> 00:41:04,860
This pursuit of humility is something
the enemy hates, and so he's gonna

801
00:41:04,860 --> 00:41:06,130
do everything he can to undermine it.

802
00:41:07,290 --> 00:41:11,040
He's gonna do everything he can to
sow the seeds of division and discord.

803
00:41:11,040 --> 00:41:14,100
He's gonna do everything he can to
convince us that we don't need each other.

804
00:41:14,340 --> 00:41:17,100
He's gonna do everything he can to
convince you that, man, this whole

805
00:41:17,100 --> 00:41:19,830
message about needing each other and
relationships and community groups.

806
00:41:20,100 --> 00:41:21,180
Man, that's just legalistic.

807
00:41:21,180 --> 00:41:21,900
You don't need that.

808
00:41:21,900 --> 00:41:22,560
You're fine.

809
00:41:23,160 --> 00:41:27,030
He's gonna do everything necessary
to promote and fuel pride and

810
00:41:27,030 --> 00:41:30,600
self-sufficiency while doing everything
he can to kill Christlike humility.

811
00:41:32,580 --> 00:41:35,130
And that's why we have to consistently
be seeking Christlike humility.

812
00:41:36,390 --> 00:41:38,370
It's not something we're ever gonna
check the box and say, I'm done.

813
00:41:39,510 --> 00:41:42,750
And that's why we have to discipline
our minds how we think, how we perceive

814
00:41:42,750 --> 00:41:44,070
of ourselves, and where we fit.

815
00:41:44,070 --> 00:41:46,650
And so maybe you're thinking though,
how do I know if I'm humble minded?

816
00:41:47,700 --> 00:41:49,980
Isn't humility one of those things
that as, as soon as you're aware

817
00:41:49,980 --> 00:41:51,030
you have it, you've lost it?

818
00:41:52,590 --> 00:41:53,160
How do I know?

819
00:41:54,900 --> 00:41:57,240
Well, part of the answer is
looking at points one and two.

820
00:41:58,410 --> 00:42:00,360
I mean, if we're working for the
unity of the bride of Christ, if

821
00:42:00,360 --> 00:42:03,150
we're genuinely caring for each other,
humility's gonna take care of itself.

822
00:42:04,260 --> 00:42:08,880
It's a natural byproduct of those
things, but the humble minded person

823
00:42:08,880 --> 00:42:10,830
is a person who does things like this.

824
00:42:10,830 --> 00:42:13,530
The humble minded person is a person
who seeks the, the unity of the

825
00:42:13,530 --> 00:42:15,600
body over their own preferences.

826
00:42:17,010 --> 00:42:21,300
The humble minded person is gonna seek
discipleship, relationships, relationships

827
00:42:21,300 --> 00:42:22,740
that go deeper than the surface.

828
00:42:23,490 --> 00:42:25,440
The humble minded person is
gonna say, what, what can I do?

829
00:42:25,980 --> 00:42:26,610
What more can I do?

830
00:42:26,610 --> 00:42:27,840
How can I, how can I serve?

831
00:42:29,115 --> 00:42:31,335
The humble minded person is gonna
say to the Lord, Lord, use me

832
00:42:31,335 --> 00:42:33,165
anything, any place, anytime.

833
00:42:33,165 --> 00:42:35,115
It's something that we talk
about called add apa here,

834
00:42:35,685 --> 00:42:37,035
anything, any place, anytime.

835
00:42:37,035 --> 00:42:38,505
God, wherever you need
me, I wanna be there.

836
00:42:40,125 --> 00:42:43,545
The humble minded person is gonna
feel the hurts and the joys of their

837
00:42:43,545 --> 00:42:44,775
brothers and sisters in Christ.

838
00:42:46,755 --> 00:42:49,725
The humble minded person is going
to send the text to encourage the

839
00:42:49,725 --> 00:42:51,615
brother or sister during the week.

840
00:42:52,785 --> 00:42:54,825
The humble minded person is
gonna reach out to get the

841
00:42:54,825 --> 00:42:56,415
update on that prayer request.

842
00:42:57,690 --> 00:43:00,240
I know so often in community groups,
it's easy to show up and, and you do

843
00:43:00,240 --> 00:43:02,730
prayer requests in community groups,
and then you don't really think about

844
00:43:02,730 --> 00:43:03,870
following up until the next week.

845
00:43:03,870 --> 00:43:06,870
You see that person, you're like,
oh, yeah, I've been praying for you.

846
00:43:06,870 --> 00:43:07,890
How, how's that going?

847
00:43:09,000 --> 00:43:11,430
The humble minded person is saying, no,
I'm gonna, I'm gonna text on Tuesday.

848
00:43:11,430 --> 00:43:12,270
I'm gonna text on Thursday.

849
00:43:12,270 --> 00:43:12,930
I'm gonna text on Friday.

850
00:43:12,930 --> 00:43:14,130
I'm, I wanna know how you're doing.

851
00:43:16,350 --> 00:43:20,220
The humble minded person is gonna get
help when they need it, not just him.

852
00:43:20,280 --> 00:43:20,580
I'm good.

853
00:43:20,580 --> 00:43:21,510
I don't need any help.

854
00:43:23,520 --> 00:43:26,160
The humble minded person will be
grateful for the body of Christ.

855
00:43:28,155 --> 00:43:29,175
Yeah, we are the strongest.

856
00:43:29,175 --> 00:43:33,045
When we are the most, like
Jesus and Jesus set the tone.

857
00:43:33,045 --> 00:43:34,005
He set the example.

858
00:43:34,875 --> 00:43:37,395
We know from Proverbs, pride
goes before destruction in a

859
00:43:37,395 --> 00:43:38,565
hottest spirit before the fall.

860
00:43:40,095 --> 00:43:42,885
If we wanna be a church that's built
to last, we have to be humble minded.

861
00:43:43,875 --> 00:43:48,135
We have to pursue humility because
we want to be like Jesus consistently

862
00:43:48,135 --> 00:43:49,545
seek Christ-like humility.

863
00:43:50,535 --> 00:43:53,865
Christ's example of humility was
most clearly seen at the cross.

864
00:43:54,465 --> 00:43:55,665
That's what Philippians two says.

865
00:43:56,595 --> 00:44:00,765
He humbled himself to the point
of death, even death on a cross.

866
00:44:01,875 --> 00:44:06,825
And so I think it's appropriate, as
we've considered in this message, uniting

867
00:44:06,825 --> 00:44:12,375
together, loving one another and pursuing
humility together, that we are going to

868
00:44:12,375 --> 00:44:14,595
conclude our time together by communion.

869
00:44:16,635 --> 00:44:20,805
What took place on the cross is
significant because it's that

870
00:44:20,805 --> 00:44:23,595
which is the foundation of what
we unite around as believers.

871
00:44:24,509 --> 00:44:27,930
We unite together around the
death of Jesus on our behalf.

872
00:44:28,500 --> 00:44:31,140
What took place on the cross is
so significant because it is what

873
00:44:31,140 --> 00:44:32,850
fuels our love for one another.

874
00:44:33,450 --> 00:44:36,690
We love because he first loved
us and greater love has no

875
00:44:36,690 --> 00:44:37,680
one than this, than a man.

876
00:44:37,680 --> 00:44:39,210
Lay down his life for his brothers.

877
00:44:40,560 --> 00:44:43,740
And what we do is we observe the
cross, we unite around the cross.

878
00:44:43,740 --> 00:44:45,210
We are motivated by the cross.

879
00:44:45,210 --> 00:44:49,200
And the cross again gives us the greatest
example of Christ's humility such that

880
00:44:49,200 --> 00:44:52,560
we would be able to look to him and say
if he humbled himself to that degree.

881
00:44:52,950 --> 00:44:54,390
I need to humble myself as well.

882
00:44:57,900 --> 00:44:59,100
Communion is significant.

883
00:44:59,280 --> 00:45:00,030
It's important.

884
00:45:00,060 --> 00:45:01,530
We need to be careful with these things.

885
00:45:01,530 --> 00:45:04,260
And so I wanna encourage you, make
sure that you think about this.

886
00:45:04,260 --> 00:45:07,500
Be careful about a lack
of of conversion here.

887
00:45:08,325 --> 00:45:10,035
Communion is something
that's for believers.

888
00:45:10,035 --> 00:45:13,005
And so if you're not saved, you
can let these elements pass by.

889
00:45:13,005 --> 00:45:16,035
It's better for you that you do
that than you take them, as Paul

890
00:45:16,035 --> 00:45:19,455
would say, in an unworthy manner
and incur judgment as a result.

891
00:45:20,325 --> 00:45:22,785
So communion is for believers to
be aware of a lack of conversion.

892
00:45:22,785 --> 00:45:25,035
Second, communion needs to be thoughtful.

893
00:45:26,355 --> 00:45:28,305
Be aware of a lack of of concentration.

894
00:45:28,485 --> 00:45:30,105
We can sometimes just
go through the motions.

895
00:45:30,135 --> 00:45:31,155
Okay, here comes the cup.

896
00:45:31,155 --> 00:45:31,785
I'm gonna pull it out.

897
00:45:31,785 --> 00:45:32,385
Here comes the bread.

898
00:45:32,385 --> 00:45:35,295
I'm gonna grab that, and then I'm
gonna sit here until the pastor tells

899
00:45:35,295 --> 00:45:36,615
me I should eat it and, and drink it.

900
00:45:38,010 --> 00:45:39,990
Be thoughtful during this time.

901
00:45:40,860 --> 00:45:44,820
Don't just go through the motions
with this, which leads me to my third

902
00:45:44,820 --> 00:45:49,320
encouragement to you, which is communion
requires us and, and tells us we need

903
00:45:49,320 --> 00:45:50,850
to be careful of a lack of confession.

904
00:45:51,960 --> 00:45:54,570
Part of our concentration needs
to be thinking through our lives,

905
00:45:54,570 --> 00:45:57,630
being like David in Psalm 1 39,
Lord, try me, search me, know me.

906
00:45:57,630 --> 00:46:00,240
If there's any grievous way
in me, reveal that to me.

907
00:46:00,240 --> 00:46:01,080
I wanna confess this.

908
00:46:01,080 --> 00:46:03,900
I, I, I wanna be able to take
these elements having laid all my

909
00:46:03,900 --> 00:46:05,250
signature feet that I'm aware of.

910
00:46:06,315 --> 00:46:10,365
Because it's there that forgiveness
is found, so the elements are gonna

911
00:46:10,365 --> 00:46:13,755
be passed, the music will play all
come back up and we'll take them

912
00:46:13,755 --> 00:46:15,165
together after they're all passed.

913
00:46:16,065 --> 00:46:19,575
There are a lot of different things
that a, a church can unite around.

914
00:46:20,985 --> 00:46:22,935
Common worship style.

915
00:46:24,435 --> 00:46:29,385
The same Bible translation, the
nomination, what the pastor wears,

916
00:46:29,385 --> 00:46:30,615
when he appreciates what he doesn't.

917
00:46:32,595 --> 00:46:34,275
Those are all things
that can unite people.

918
00:46:35,130 --> 00:46:40,860
But the one thing that universally as
the Christian Church that unites all

919
00:46:40,860 --> 00:46:45,720
of us, and just think for a minute
that this morning is Sunday morning.

920
00:46:46,410 --> 00:46:49,380
Think of the countless numbers of
churches that are meeting and have

921
00:46:49,380 --> 00:46:51,985
met throughout the world today

922
00:46:54,299 --> 00:46:55,290
filled with believers.

923
00:46:56,819 --> 00:46:58,230
Not everyone, but a lot of them.

924
00:46:58,440 --> 00:46:58,680
Right?

925
00:46:59,759 --> 00:47:00,930
And the thing that unites us all.

926
00:47:00,930 --> 00:47:02,670
The thing that when we get to
heaven, we're gonna be able

927
00:47:02,670 --> 00:47:03,660
to say, Hey, brother, sister.

928
00:47:05,490 --> 00:47:06,090
Is this,

929
00:47:08,130 --> 00:47:09,480
there's nothing magical
about those elements.

930
00:47:09,480 --> 00:47:10,950
Like I often tell you they're from Kroger.

931
00:47:12,990 --> 00:47:15,870
If you really like Matza bread,
you can find it on the shelf there.

932
00:47:18,810 --> 00:47:21,210
But rather what these are is
what God told us they are.

933
00:47:21,660 --> 00:47:24,930
They're a way for us to look and, and
even as, as you look at this piece of

934
00:47:24,930 --> 00:47:27,960
bread, it's, it's not clean, it's broken.

935
00:47:29,940 --> 00:47:33,870
Because it's meant to remind us that the
grape juice, we don't choose lemonade.

936
00:47:33,870 --> 00:47:38,220
We choose grape juice because it's the
color of the blood that is shed for us.

937
00:47:40,200 --> 00:47:45,029
So these are meant to cause us to
remember that which unites us together.

938
00:47:46,890 --> 00:47:50,190
And that's why the Apostle Paul said
this in one Corinthians 11, verse 23.

939
00:47:50,190 --> 00:47:52,560
He said, I receive from the Lord
what I also delivered to you.

940
00:47:53,400 --> 00:47:56,790
That the Lord Jesus on the night when
he was betrayed, took bread and when

941
00:47:56,790 --> 00:48:00,090
he had given thanks, he broke it and
said, this is my body, which is for you.

942
00:48:00,420 --> 00:48:01,860
Do this in remembrance of me.

943
00:48:15,315 --> 00:48:18,990
In the same way, also, he took the
cup after supper saying, this cup

944
00:48:18,990 --> 00:48:20,520
is the new covenant in my blood.

945
00:48:21,105 --> 00:48:24,045
Do this as often as you drink
it in remembrance of me.

946
00:48:33,765 --> 00:48:36,945
For as often as you eat this bread
and drink the cup, you proclaim

947
00:48:36,945 --> 00:48:38,625
the Lord's death until he comes.

948
00:48:40,005 --> 00:48:42,405
And we gather together on
Sunday mornings to proclaim his

949
00:48:42,405 --> 00:48:44,865
resurrection as well until he comes.

950
00:48:45,105 --> 00:48:47,685
And so that is our great Hope
Church as we go out from this week.

951
00:48:47,685 --> 00:48:49,725
Let me pray for us and
then you will be dismissed.

952
00:48:50,085 --> 00:48:53,295
Also, don't forget, we've got sweatshirts
on the back tables back there.

953
00:48:53,295 --> 00:48:54,795
We would love for you
to stop and grab one.

954
00:48:54,795 --> 00:48:57,375
If we don't have your size, we
plan on probably doing another

955
00:48:57,375 --> 00:48:58,545
run, so just let us know.

956
00:48:58,545 --> 00:49:01,005
But we do have sweatshirts
back there for you as well.

957
00:49:01,065 --> 00:49:01,335
Let's pray.

958
00:49:02,985 --> 00:49:04,785
Lord God, thank you for Christ.

959
00:49:05,055 --> 00:49:09,135
Or that, the great reality that,
that all of us are so vastly

960
00:49:09,135 --> 00:49:10,485
different in so many different ways.

961
00:49:10,485 --> 00:49:13,095
We come from different families, different
histories, different backgrounds,

962
00:49:13,515 --> 00:49:16,935
different jobs, different neighborhoods,
communities, different makeups of our,

963
00:49:16,935 --> 00:49:21,645
our family, and yet we are here to
gather as one body because we unit.

964
00:49:21,905 --> 00:49:24,005
Around Jesus Christ as
our Lord and Savior.

965
00:49:24,575 --> 00:49:24,725
What?

966
00:49:24,725 --> 00:49:26,105
What a glorious reality that is.

967
00:49:26,105 --> 00:49:27,125
We thank you for that.

968
00:49:27,125 --> 00:49:28,145
We thank you for Christ.

969
00:49:28,145 --> 00:49:31,805
We thank you that he came, that he
lived that perfect life on our behalf,

970
00:49:31,805 --> 00:49:35,105
that he went to the cross and took
our sin on himself and gave us his

971
00:49:35,105 --> 00:49:40,445
righteousness, Lord, and that he paid
the penalty that we deserved Rose from

972
00:49:40,445 --> 00:49:43,535
the Deads, that we might have hope that
we too will one day rise to be with him.

973
00:49:44,325 --> 00:49:47,475
What, and he did that all because
of your great love for us.

974
00:49:48,285 --> 00:49:51,765
And so we are here to, to give
thanks for that and to praise you

975
00:49:51,765 --> 00:49:53,265
for that and to unite around that.

976
00:49:53,475 --> 00:49:55,875
And so we pray that you'd be pleased
with us as a church, that we would

977
00:49:55,875 --> 00:49:57,405
indeed be a church that's built to last.

978
00:49:57,795 --> 00:49:59,025
We pray this in Jesus' name.

979
00:49:59,295 --> 00:49:59,685
Amen.