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Advent: Hope · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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For us this morning, we've talked about hope, and we can read hope in scriptures, but there's so many people around us who have no hope.
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! Their life circumstances and their life experiences are so heavy and so burdensome that they can't see through it and see out of it.
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So this morning, let's talk a little bit about hope.
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A good definition that I found is hope is a confident expectation.
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Confident expectation.
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So something's going to happen, and you're sure it's going to happen, and you place your trust in that.
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G.K. Chesterton says, hope means hoping when there is no hope.
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Otherwise, it is no virtue at all.
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In the Old Testament, hope was displayed in God's deliverance, God's provision, God being God, and providing for His people, and doing what He said He was going to do.
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That was hope displayed.
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In Psalm 130, verse 7 and 8, we can wait with hopefulness.
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Israel can wait with hopefulness for redemption and for rescue because God has done it over and over and over for them.
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In the New Testament, hope is wrapped up in one person and one name, and that's the name of Jesus.
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1 Timothy 1.1 says, Jesus, Christ Jesus, our hope.
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We can trust in Jesus.
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We can be confident in Jesus.
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That is where hope is found.
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So this morning, I want to look at hope.
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I want to look at a story that may not seem very hopeful.
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I want to share with you some of the things I've learned about hope in the almost three years that we've been in Memphis.
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Some may seem obvious to you, and I apologize, but I'm a slow learner.
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And then let's see what the Spirit does this morning together.
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So Acts 3.
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Nathan's daughter read it, but I'm going to read it one more time.
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Verses 1-10.
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Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
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And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the beautiful gate,
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to ask alms or money of those entering the temple.
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Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms.
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And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, look at us.
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And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.
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But Peter said, I have no silver and gold.
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But what I do have, I give to you.
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In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.
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And he took him by the right hand and raised him up.
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And immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.
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And leaping up, he stood and began to walk.
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And he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
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And all the people saw him walking and praising God.
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And recognized him as the one who sat at the beautiful gate of the temple, asking for alms.
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And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
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I don't need to retell the story.
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You guys are familiar with the story.
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Nathan just told the story to the kids and answered some questions.
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But quickly, a couple of things I want to point out before we dig into what I've learned.
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This man was carried every day, daily to this spot, to ask for alms, to ask for money.
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And he was carried by friends or family.
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Who knows who they were?
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But they carried him and brought him there so that he can make a living, so to speak.
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That was his situation.
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That was his circumstances.
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Because his body did not work.
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His legs did not work.
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And he couldn't take himself there.
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It's important to note that that was as far as he could go.
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He couldn't go any further.
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And we'll touch on that here in just a few minutes.
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But daily, these people brought him there and he asked for money because he thought,
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I assume he thought that that's where his satisfaction was going to be, was in that money.
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So here's the first thing I learned.
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The first thing I've learned about hope is hope is not about me.
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Hope is not about me.
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Verse 1 says,
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Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
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Placing myself in this story, I could say, well, I'm kind of Peter, I guess.
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I'm not an apostle, but sure, I'd be going up and walking to the temple.
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Verse 2,
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Peter and John could have just walked and continued their path.
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They were going to the temple, the hour of prayer.
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That was their destination.
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And they see this man.
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Verse 4 tells us,
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They see him and they turn their gaze on him as he's asking for money.
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They could have ignored him.
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This man would have been used to being ignored.
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We see the story that Jesus tells about the priest and the Pharisees who see a man in need
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and they walk on the other side of the street.
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This man has probably looked people in the eyes and watched them immediately turn their eyes away.
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We have beggars all the time.
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I have homeless people walking up and down our streets.
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We see beggars everywhere.
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We can't run away from them, whether it's on the street corner or the front of Kroger or the front of the mall.
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They're everywhere.
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You can't ignore them.
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And Peter and John choose not to ignore them because they understand that the hope that they have,
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that they've received, isn't about them.
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So let's back up a little bit.
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In Acts chapter 1,
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the apostles are all together.
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Jesus says in verse 8,
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speaking to the apostles right before he ascends into heaven,
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he says,
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but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you
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and you'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
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in all Judea,
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Samaria,
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and to the end of the earth.
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It echoes the Great Commission in Matthew 28.
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It says,
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go and make disciples
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to all nations,
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baptizing them in the Father,
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the Son,
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and the Holy Spirit.
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This power,
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this is the same power
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that raised Jesus from the dead.
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This is the same power that
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later in chapter 2,
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Pentecost,
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the Spirit comes down to Pentecost
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and it appears that fire is on their head.
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This is the same Spirit
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that moves at Pentecost
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where thousands of people's lives
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are changed by Jesus.
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This is the same Spirit
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that later empowers them
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to do bold things for the Gospel.
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This is the same power that lives
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inside of you and inside of me.
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This is the same power from the Holy Spirit,
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again,
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that raised Jesus from the dead.
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That He was dead
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and He is alive.
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And this power is in Peter and John
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and leading Peter and John
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as they're walking to the temple
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and they see this man
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and they turn their gaze on this man.
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See, hope's not about me.
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I wasn't created to sit
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and bask in the glorious news
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of having hope
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and just let it flood me
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and just sit under it
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and be like,
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this is so great.
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That's not what I was created to do
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and you weren't created to do that either.
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We were created
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to make disciples
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and to proclaim the good news of Jesus
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and to glorify His name.
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All of that wrapped up into one.
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Hope is not about me
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and it's not about you.
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We read Scriptures
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and we get comforted.
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I'm going to read some this morning
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and you'll probably go,
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that's one of my favorites.
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But let's be honest,
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it's not what you were created to do.
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It's just to read it.
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What about those people
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who are far from God?
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What about those people
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who are living without hope?
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What about the teenage girl
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who was pregnant
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who's raising a child?
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Where's the hope in that?
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The circumstances are too tough.
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She can't go to school with a baby.
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How does she make it happen?
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What about her?
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What about this man?
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Broken.
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Wednesday,
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a week ago Wednesday,
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we had our missional community,
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which is like your community outreach groups,
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we had a Thanksgiving dinner.
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And we had,
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I went out Tuesday
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and bought a honey-baked ham
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for 30 people.
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Now if you know honey-baked ham,
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that's not cheap.
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In fact,
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I had to talk myself
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into buying it at the register.
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The lady said,
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it's going to be $80.
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And I was like,
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what?
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I cannot do this.
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But I talked myself into it
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because I thought,
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I'm going to love
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my missional community.
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I'm going to love
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the people in our MC
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and they're going to eat well.
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We're going to celebrate well
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because Jesus is good
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and He provides for us
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and that's what we're going to do.
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So the night,
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Wednesday night,
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it's about 5.45,
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maybe close to 6.
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I look outside
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and there are kids
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just coming to our house.
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Neighborhood kids.
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I don't know most of them.
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I don't know.
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I certainly don't know their names.
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I know maybe 20% of the names.
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And I'm looking
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and I'm just getting
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bigger and bigger eyes.
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this is not good.
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I'm getting angry
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because I bought this ham
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for our missional community,
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for our family
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to celebrate together
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and to eat well.
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No,
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this isn't what your plan is,
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God,
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because I had a plan
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and this isn't it.
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So I'm looking at Jamie.
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I'm looking at my wife
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and she's looking at me
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with the same big eyes
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and we're like having this pep talk
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in the middle of the living room.
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I'm like,
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it's okay
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because God is good
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and He's called us to do this
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and these kids need Jesus
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and we're talking to each other
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and we had enough food
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for everyone.
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We had over 30 kids in our house,
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over 20 adults.
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Our house is maybe 1,500 square feet.
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It's not a big house.
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Three little bedrooms.
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Everybody was spread everywhere.
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Nothing got broken,
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I don't think.
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Haven't found it yet if it did.
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But everybody ate well.
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There's hope in my life
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and maybe,
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just maybe we gave them
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a fragrance of hope
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on that evening
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because hope isn't about me.
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Peter and John saw this man,
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turned their gaze on him
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and they spoke to him
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and as we'll see in just a minute,
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they help him.
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Second thing I've learned
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is hope is not circumstantial.
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Hope is not dependent
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on your circumstances
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or how much money you have
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in a bank account.
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Hope is a confident expectation
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and you can't put confident expectation
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on anything that is temporal.
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Anything that is temporary.
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dust and wind.
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The lame beggar was asking
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for all he knew
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and what he thought he needed.
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What he thought maybe
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would help his situation
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if I just had some money.
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He was brought there
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every day at the same place.
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So much so that at the end
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of this text,
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the people said,
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that's the guy who's been
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sitting there,
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the last whatever many years.
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That's the guy we've seen
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over and over.
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We know him.
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That's the guy who sits
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outside that temple.
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Over and over,
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this guy is there.
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He didn't think money
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would heal him.
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How could he?
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But he thought that money
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would help his situation,
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would help his life.
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Maybe just make it
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a little better.
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Maybe I could eat
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a honey-baked ham
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instead of a Kroger ham.
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It's almost as if
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his identity
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was rooted in
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receiving those alms,
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right?
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Because that's what he was.
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He was a beggar.
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Every day he was there.
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I can't emphasize enough.
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He was there every day
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begging.
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So this is his identity.
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This is what he's known as.
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So he's living out
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his identity
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as a beggar
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asking for money.
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If I can get
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this amount,
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if I can
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beg enough
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and maybe get $10,
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then my life
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will have meaning
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or whatever the amount is.
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His identity also
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was not to be able
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to enter the temple.
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I don't know if you guys
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knew this,
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but in Leviticus 21,
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it says that
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a lame person
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was not allowed
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to enter the temple
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because they saw him
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as unclean
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or saw her as unclean.
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So he wasn't even able.
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That's as far as he could go
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is to that gate.
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He wasn't allowed.
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So his identity
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was not just begging,
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but his identity
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was as a lame person
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who couldn't even go
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where everybody else could.
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hope is not in our circumstances
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though.
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When we find our identity
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in our circumstances,
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when we're an athlete
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or a preacher
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or a teacher
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or whatever it is,
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and we find our identity
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in that,
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there is no hope in that.
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There is no hope.
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All around us,
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people are looking
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to things or circumstances
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for their identity.
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They're looking for
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the next pair of Jordans
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or the next deposit
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in their bank account
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or their tax return.
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They're waiting
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for their tax return
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so that they can then
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live for the next six months.
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They're looking
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for the next thing
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to fulfill them
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and find their identity
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in when they can't.
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It's impossible
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to find hope
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in those things.
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Circumstances
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do not make you
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who you are.
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That's the teenage pregnant
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girl who was pregnant.
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She's now a mom.
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Sure, her identity title
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has changed,
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but it doesn't change
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who she is
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in the eyes of God.
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And your circumstances.
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You could have had
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an abusive past
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or you could have had
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whatever it is,
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but your circumstances
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don't change.
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Or your circumstances
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may change,
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but that doesn't
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change your identity.
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It doesn't change
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how God views you.
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And we can have hope
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in that because hope
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is not circumstantial.
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Your circumstances
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right now
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may appear hopeless.
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It may appear
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like you have
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nowhere to go,
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nothing that can get you
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out of what you're in,
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but that doesn't change
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how God sees you
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and it certainly
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doesn't change
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the hope
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that you have
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in Christ.
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But what about
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the people around us?
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What about
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the people around you?
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Now, if you're
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a college student
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and you live on campus,
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you guys are all
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kind of on the even
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playing field,
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so to speak.
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You have the same
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place to live
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and kind of have
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the same stuff.
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You all have those
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milk crates
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and crazy plastic
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furniture and all
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that stuff, right?
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Is that what you guys
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have?
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And maybe a laptop?
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I don't know.
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You all have
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the same kind of stuff.
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But if you live
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outside of the campus,
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you live in a neighborhood,
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everybody may appear
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the same,
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but they're certainly
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not the same.
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What about those people?
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I look around
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the people around us
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and I feel hopeless.
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I get defeated,
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negative,
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negative.
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And here's why.
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Because I think,
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I think
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that they have no hope
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because of their
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circumstances.
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I look at their
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circumstances and I say
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they're hopeless.
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Single mom,
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seven kids,
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I feel bad for her
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and I don't know
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how to help her.
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I feel helpless.
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I feel hopeless
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when I look at people
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and I think that
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I can fix them
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because they're my project
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and I can try to
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give them what they need
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and then that will
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make the big difference.
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Hey, they need Jesus.
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They don't need me.
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I'm not Jesus.
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They don't need me
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to fix them.
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I feel hopeless
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when I'm frozen
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by fear
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because we don't
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look the same
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or we don't
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have the same mannerisms.
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We don't wear
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the same clothes.
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There was a,
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in our neighborhood,
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there was this picnic,
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a get-together.
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This lady,
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old lady who's been
18:40
there 40 years,
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she's been in
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the same house.
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She had this get-together
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to sign petitions
18:48
to get a crosswalk
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and maybe,
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hopefully,
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some speed bumps
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on our streets
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which is a great thing.
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We were there
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and we pull up
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and we were
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the only white people there.
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And I don't know.
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We were extremely nervous.
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We actually parked
19:07
and we looked at each other.
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We talked soft enough
19:11
so our kids didn't hear
19:12
this conversation
19:13
and we said,
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should we go?
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I don't know.
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I mean,
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it's a good thing
19:19
but that looks,
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I don't,
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we weren't scared
19:23
for our life.
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It was just going to be,
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it was going to be,
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we were going to feel awkward
19:26
and,
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but we went.
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We went because
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it was the right thing to do.
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We can't let the circumstances
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around us
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or the circumstances
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in other people's lives
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or the way that they look
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freeze us,
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free us,
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or freeze us
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from doing
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and being
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a fragrance of hope
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to those around us.
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This man's circumstances
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were bad.
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But he still had,
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as we'll see,
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he still had the opportunity
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to have hope.
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not only is hope
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not circumstantial,
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and here's the,
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you guys are going to go,
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yeah,
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of course,
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unless you've already done that
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and that's cool too.
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Hope is only found
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in Jesus.
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1 Timothy 1.1
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says that Jesus,
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our hope,
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hope is only found
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in Jesus.
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Jesus.
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Look at verse 4-8.
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Jesus isn't mentioned here.
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Except by the name of Jesus,
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but he is all in these
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scriptures
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and in this story.
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And Peter directed
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his gaze at him
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as did John
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and said,
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look at us.
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And he fixed his attention
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on them,
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expecting Peter,
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expecting to receive
20:48
something from them.
20:49
But Peter said,
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I have no silver and gold.
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In other words,
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I don't have
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what you're asking for.
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I'm sorry,
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my pockets are empty.
20:59
I don't have the item
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that you are looking for.
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However,
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but what I do have
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I give to you
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in the name of Jesus Christ
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of Nazareth,
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rise up and walk.
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And he took him
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by the right hand,
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raised him up,
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and immediately
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his feet and ankles
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were made strong.
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And leaping up,
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he stood and began
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to walk
21:24
and entered the temple
21:25
with him,
21:26
walking and leaping
21:27
and praising God.
21:32
Jesus heals him.
21:33
The Holy Spirit of God
21:35
heals this man.
21:37
There's only hope
21:38
in Jesus alone.
21:42
Now for us,
21:44
healings in the Bible
21:45
are mostly pictures
21:48
of the spiritual healing
21:49
that takes place
21:50
when Jesus changes our lives,
21:52
when he saves us.
21:53
So this picture of healing
21:57
is a picture of those
21:58
who are dead and broken
22:01
that God makes whole
22:03
in Jesus Christ.
22:08
In the name of Jesus Christ
22:11
of Nazareth,
22:12
rise up and walk.
22:15
There's no other name.
22:17
Acts 4 verse 12 says,
22:18
no other name,
22:20
no other name above
22:22
the name of Jesus.
22:24
There's no other name
22:25
that could have saved,
22:26
that could have healed him.
22:27
There's no other name
22:27
that could have saved him.
22:29
There's no other name
22:29
that could have helped
22:30
or can help the people
22:32
around you
22:33
who have no hope.
22:35
Only Jesus.
22:39
2 Corinthians 1 says,
22:41
in Him we set our hope.
22:43
So here's the rubber
22:45
meets the road for us.
22:46
Now we can sit
22:47
and we can read this.
22:50
I can tell you
22:51
all the things
22:52
I've learned about hope.
22:56
And I can do nothing about it.
23:00
And I can say,
23:01
that's great
23:01
and take great notes
23:02
and have this nice outline
23:04
laid out
23:04
and do nothing about it.
23:06
And care nothing
23:08
about the people around us.
23:09
It's possible for me
23:11
to do that.
23:12
And it's possible
23:13
for you to do that.
23:14
But Jesus is
23:15
the only hope
23:17
that people have.
23:18
So as we sit here
23:20
and sing about Jesus,
23:22
as we sit here
23:22
and sing in Christ alone,
23:24
as we sit here
23:25
and sing about
23:26
the glorious name
23:27
of Jesus,
23:28
what are we going
23:29
to do about it?
23:31
Peter and John
23:32
were not intending
23:34
to meet this guy.
23:37
But the Spirit
23:38
put this guy
23:38
in front of them
23:39
in their path
23:40
and they were obedient
23:41
to do
23:42
what they knew
23:43
what to do.
23:48
I praise God
23:49
for Christ's family church.
23:50
I praise God
23:51
for the words
23:51
that are preached
23:52
and the gospel
23:53
that is proclaimed.
23:55
But if Christ's family church
23:56
is not reaching
23:57
the people around them,
23:59
then what is the point?
24:03
You want me to repeat that, Evie?
24:07
What's the point?
24:08
If I'm studying Scripture
24:11
and I'm preparing
24:12
for a sermon to preach
24:14
here this morning
24:16
and I don't live this out,
24:18
what is the point?
24:20
There is no point.
24:23
Because Jesus
24:24
is where hope is found.
24:30
People need to know that.
24:32
That doesn't mean
24:33
that the teenager
24:34
who is pregnant
24:35
who's having this child
24:37
and you say,
24:38
Jesus will fix your problems.
24:40
No!
24:42
Jesus isn't going to
24:42
change her circumstances.
24:44
Jesus isn't going to
24:45
fix that she's trying
24:47
to figure out
24:47
how to be in school
24:48
and figure out
24:49
who's going to watch
24:49
her child.
24:51
That's not what that means.
24:53
But Jesus is going
24:53
to make her whole.
24:55
That broken heart
24:56
is going to be made whole.
24:59
She's going to have hope
25:01
in Jesus.
25:02
Jesus is going to have
25:03
to be made whole.
25:05
We can celebrate
25:07
the Advent
25:08
and we can talk
25:12
about the long-awaited
25:13
Savior who's going
25:15
to come back.
25:16
But what about
25:17
the people around you?
25:21
Nitschke,
25:22
I don't know,
25:23
in the 1800s
25:24
and 1900s,
25:25
he was a philosopher
25:26
and who knows
25:27
what else he did.
25:29
He claimed that
25:30
Christianity made
25:31
people cowards.
25:35
Cowards.
25:36
Because it taught
25:37
that whatever happened
25:39
was God's will.
25:41
And if God wills it,
25:42
then it will happen.
25:45
Thus,
25:46
discouraging efforts
25:47
to change
25:48
the world.
25:52
Hope
25:52
changes
25:55
the world.
25:56
Jesus
25:56
changes
25:57
the world.
25:58
Not,
25:59
doesn't leave
26:01
us a room
26:02
to sit
26:02
and do
26:02
nothing.
26:08
We just went
26:09
to that picnic.
26:11
The only white
26:11
people there.
26:12
People looked
26:13
at us funny.
26:14
We didn't talk
26:15
about Jesus,
26:16
but we made
26:16
our presence
26:17
known and hopefully
26:18
someday down the road
26:19
that will build
26:20
relationships where
26:21
we can then talk
26:22
about Jesus
26:23
with people.
26:25
It doesn't change
26:26
our neighborhood.
26:27
It doesn't fix
26:28
anything.
26:29
It doesn't fix
26:29
the homeless
26:30
problem or the
26:32
poverty problem.
26:38
Hope is found
26:39
in Jesus,
26:40
but also hope
26:40
requires action
26:41
and I've already
26:42
talked about it.
26:43
Hope requires action.
26:44
Look at Peter
26:45
and John.
26:46
What do they do?
26:47
So they talk to him
26:48
and they say,
26:49
I don't have
26:50
what you're asking
26:51
for,
26:53
but what I do
26:54
have I give to you
26:54
in the name of
26:55
Jesus Christ of
26:56
Nazareth.
26:56
Rise and walk.
26:57
And Peter reaches
26:58
down with his right
26:59
hand and grabs him
27:00
and he stands
27:01
that he's never
27:02
stood before.
27:03
Like he's been
27:04
lame from birth.
27:05
He's never stood
27:06
before.
27:07
He's doing
27:07
something new
27:08
and his legs
27:09
work immediately.
27:12
Just like you
27:13
and just like me.
27:15
and just like
27:18
you and me,
27:20
your heart
27:21
that was not
27:22
working correctly
27:23
works correctly
27:24
now because of
27:25
Jesus.
27:28
You now can
27:29
honor Jesus
27:31
and you can
27:31
glorify Jesus
27:33
and you can
27:34
glory in his
27:34
goodness and you
27:35
can do all these
27:36
things that you
27:37
originally couldn't
27:38
do because of
27:38
sin.
27:40
And this man
27:41
is able to
27:42
walk and his
27:43
body works
27:44
because Peter
27:44
and John
27:45
were obedient
27:45
to the
27:46
spirit's
27:46
leading and
27:47
they did
27:48
something.
27:50
There are
27:51
people around
27:52
you who
27:53
need you to
27:53
reach down
27:54
and grab
27:55
them.
27:56
There are
27:56
people around
27:57
you that
27:57
need you to
27:58
reach down
27:58
with your
27:58
right hand
27:59
or your
27:59
left and
28:00
grab them
28:01
and help
28:02
them.
28:06
Hope is
28:08
like the
28:08
Christmas
28:09
presents on
28:11
Christmas
28:11
morning under
28:12
the Christmas
28:12
tree.
28:14
Now most of
28:14
y'all in here
28:15
are young
28:15
enough that
28:15
you can
28:16
remember the
28:17
anticipation,
28:19
you can
28:19
remember the
28:20
feelings that
28:21
you had,
28:22
you can
28:22
remember getting
28:22
up at three
28:23
or four in
28:23
the morning
28:24
because you
28:24
couldn't sleep
28:25
anymore.
28:26
And if you
28:27
lived upstairs,
28:28
you'd run
28:29
downstairs to the
28:30
Christmas tree and
28:30
you'd look at it
28:31
and go, oh my
28:32
gosh, it's so
28:32
great.
28:33
And you'd run
28:33
upstairs and you'd
28:34
wake up your
28:34
siblings and then
28:35
you'd run back
28:36
downstairs and then
28:36
you'd figure out
28:37
how to wake
28:38
everybody up on
28:39
accident and then
28:40
you'd get
28:41
everybody up and
28:42
hope though is
28:44
like the
28:45
Christmas presents.
28:45
You know they're
28:46
going to be there.
28:48
You may not know
28:49
exactly what they
28:51
are, but you know
28:52
they're going to be
28:53
there and you want
28:54
to tell everybody
28:55
in that house about
28:57
those presents.
29:00
They're here.
29:02
You and I,
29:04
hope is like those
29:05
presents.
29:06
We may not know
29:07
exactly how it
29:08
plays out.
29:09
We know that
29:09
Jesus is going
29:10
to come back
29:10
and we know
29:11
we have the
29:12
details, but we
29:12
don't know
29:13
exactly when and
29:13
there's some
29:14
things we're
29:14
missing about it,
29:15
but we have
29:16
this anticipation
29:17
or we should
29:18
have this
29:19
anticipation that
29:21
Jesus is coming
29:21
back.
29:23
That Jesus is
29:24
coming back and
29:25
it's going to be
29:26
so good and we
29:28
need to wake up
29:28
everyone and get
29:31
them to be part
29:33
of it.
29:39
we should be
29:41
waking up our
29:41
future family
29:42
members.
29:44
That's not our
29:45
job to save.
29:47
That's the
29:48
Spirit's job.
29:48
That's God's job.
29:50
But we certainly
29:51
should wake them
29:51
up and let them
29:52
know that there
29:54
are presents under
29:54
the tree for them.
29:59
Finally, hope
30:01
changes everything.
30:03
Hope changes
30:04
everything.
30:05
Our circumstances
30:06
can be so dim,
30:09
there can
30:11
appear to be no
30:12
hope out of our
30:13
situations and yet
30:14
there is hope
30:15
because of Jesus.
30:17
Our circumstances
30:18
can tear us
30:20
down.
30:22
Things can be
30:22
ripped from us,
30:24
but Jesus is
30:25
still there.
30:26
He'll never be
30:26
ripped from you.
30:28
And we know
30:29
through the Bible
30:30
that sin no
30:34
longer has a
30:35
hold on us.
30:37
Sin no longer
30:38
has victory
30:38
over you and
30:39
me in Christ
30:40
Jesus.
30:42
Death no longer
30:44
has a hold
30:45
on you or me.
30:46
We die,
30:47
we're with
30:48
Jesus.
30:50
That's hopeful
30:52
thinking.
30:53
This lame beggar,
30:55
his life was
30:57
changed.
30:59
He now can
31:01
enter the temple
31:02
and worship
31:03
God.
31:04
Because his
31:05
body is
31:06
fixed.
31:07
Because Jesus
31:08
has healed
31:09
him.
31:15
There's a story
31:15
in the Old
31:16
Testament in
31:16
2 Samuel
31:17
by the name
31:21
of Mephibosheth.
31:24
I don't know
31:24
if you know
31:25
Mephibosheth.
31:27
Mephibosheth is a
31:28
descendant of
31:29
Jonathan who is
31:30
the son of
31:30
Saul.
31:31
Saul and
31:33
Jonathan are
31:33
long gone.
31:35
David wants
31:37
to bless the
31:38
lineage of
31:39
Saul as
31:40
David does.
31:41
He's a man
31:41
after God's
31:42
own heart.
31:45
And David
31:46
asks a servant,
31:46
he says,
31:47
is there anybody
31:48
left in the
31:50
line of Saul
31:51
that I can
31:51
bless?
31:52
And the man
31:53
says,
31:53
yes,
31:54
there is one.
31:55
Go get him
31:56
please.
31:57
So he goes
31:58
and gets him
31:58
and brings him
31:59
and of course
32:00
Mephibosheth is
32:00
a little scared
32:01
because David
32:04
was the one
32:04
by God's hand
32:05
who wiped
32:06
down his
32:07
father and
32:07
his grandfather
32:08
and was part
32:11
of that.
32:11
Now David
32:11
is king.
32:16
Mephibosheth
32:17
was crippled
32:18
at the age
32:18
of five.
32:20
He had
32:20
nothing to do
32:21
with it.
32:21
His maidservant
32:22
or whoever it
32:23
was actually
32:24
dropped him
32:24
and he became
32:25
crippled and
32:25
his legs didn't
32:26
work anymore.
32:26
And David
32:29
seeks him
32:30
out and he
32:30
comes in
32:31
and he sees
32:32
that he's
32:32
crippled and
32:33
David says,
32:34
fear not
32:35
for I want
32:36
to bless you.
32:38
Long story
32:39
short,
32:40
he tells the
32:40
servant who
32:41
worked for
32:42
Saul's family,
32:44
whatever Saul
32:44
had,
32:45
he has it
32:46
all back.
32:47
His riches
32:48
are his.
32:49
And I want
32:50
you and all
32:51
his servants
32:51
to work for
32:52
Mephibosheth
32:53
because I
32:54
want him
32:55
to have food
32:55
to eat
32:56
and have
32:56
a living.
33:00
And David
33:00
says,
33:01
but Mephibosheth
33:03
is going to
33:04
sit with me
33:05
at my table.
33:09
That's what
33:10
Jesus does.
33:14
Jesus says,
33:16
you are mine
33:17
and you are
33:19
mine and you
33:20
are mine and
33:20
you are mine
33:21
and you are
33:21
glorifying my
33:22
name on earth
33:23
and you are
33:23
working your
33:24
tails off for
33:24
me and you
33:25
will sit
33:26
at my table
33:27
with me.
33:29
He has
33:29
opened his
33:30
table up to
33:31
you and to
33:32
me.
33:33
You are
33:33
going to
33:33
celebrate and
33:34
participate in
33:35
the Lord's
33:35
Supper in a
33:36
few minutes
33:36
and Nathan
33:36
is going to
33:37
lead that
33:37
and that
33:38
is Jesus
33:39
inviting you
33:40
to his
33:41
table.
33:42
You have
33:42
been invited
33:43
to join
33:44
him and the
33:44
people around
33:45
you have
33:46
been invited
33:46
to sit
33:47
with the
33:48
king.
33:50
But they
33:51
need to know,
33:51
they need to
33:52
hear,
33:52
they need
33:53
to see
33:54
the hope
33:55
that you
33:55
and you
33:56
and all
33:56
of us
33:57
have in
33:57
this room
33:58
who are
33:58
in Christ
33:59
Jesus.
34:02
Hope
34:02
changes
34:03
everything.
34:05
Mephibosheth's
34:06
life has been
34:06
changed.
34:08
Circumstances
34:09
are still the
34:09
same.
34:10
He's still
34:10
crippled.
34:11
He still
34:12
wobbles.
34:12
He's dependent
34:14
on other
34:14
people.
34:15
But David
34:16
said,
34:16
you will sit
34:17
with me
34:17
until you
34:18
die.
34:18
You will
34:19
sit with
34:19
the king.
34:21
And hope
34:22
changes
34:23
everything.
34:27
Today,
34:28
Jamie joked
34:29
around with
34:29
me about
34:30
this and
34:30
I'm going
34:30
to mention
34:31
it.
34:31
Today marks
34:32
23 years
34:33
ago on
34:34
this day
34:34
that we
34:35
had our
34:35
first date.
34:37
Took her
34:37
to a pizza
34:37
place.
34:39
Got her
34:40
the,
34:40
yeah,
34:41
big time.
34:43
Play ya.
34:46
Took her,
34:47
picked out
34:48
the wrong
34:48
thing to
34:49
drink for
34:50
her,
34:51
winter.
34:54
She is
34:55
the light
34:56
in my
34:57
sky.
34:57
She is
34:58
by rock
34:59
a lot of
35:00
times here
35:00
on earth.
35:01
And I've
35:02
asked her
35:02
to come
35:03
and share
35:03
a story
35:03
that she'll
35:06
do a way
35:07
better job
35:07
than me
35:08
about some
35:09
of the
35:09
things that's
35:10
going on
35:10
that we're
35:11
a part
35:11
of in
35:11
Memphis.
35:12
Let me
35:13
just say
35:14
it would
35:16
take hours
35:17
to tell
35:18
you all
35:19
the things
35:19
that God
35:20
has done
35:20
or is
35:20
doing.
35:21
The way
35:22
that he's
35:22
provided for
35:22
us,
35:23
the people
35:24
he's given
35:24
us favor
35:25
with,
35:25
the way
35:28
the Spirit
35:29
has moved
35:29
and led
35:30
us to do
35:30
certain things
35:31
that didn't
35:31
make any
35:32
sense.
35:33
But she's
35:33
going to
35:34
share,
35:35
and then I'm
35:36
going to
35:36
pray,
35:36
and then I
35:37
think Nathan's
35:37
coming up
35:38
after that.
35:39
Good morning.
35:41
He makes
35:42
me teary
35:42
before I even
35:43
get up here.
35:43
Those of
35:45
you who
35:45
know me
35:45
well know
35:46
I'm a
35:46
crier,
35:46
so forgive
35:47
me.
35:49
When Chris
35:50
asked me to
35:50
share one
35:51
story, I
35:51
thought that
35:52
wasn't very
35:52
fair.
35:53
How do
35:54
you choose
35:54
one story
35:55
when all
35:55
that is
35:56
happening
35:56
around us
35:57
is woven
35:57
into this
35:58
beautiful
35:58
tapestry
35:59
that's organic
36:00
and it's
36:01
alive and it
36:02
can't be
36:02
compartmentalized?
36:04
So when we
36:04
come back to
36:05
visit you and
36:05
you say,
36:06
how is it
36:06
going?
36:07
I know
36:08
you're
36:08
earnest in
36:09
asking,
36:10
and we
36:10
say it's
36:10
good.
36:11
It's
36:11
good.
36:12
We say
36:13
it with
36:13
such vagueness
36:16
because how
36:17
do you?
36:17
How do you,
36:19
apart from
36:19
hours and
36:21
hours of
36:22
sitting together
36:22
and recounting
36:23
all the
36:23
stories and
36:24
all the
36:24
details and
36:25
all the
36:25
things,
36:25
it'd be
36:26
like if I
36:26
asked you
36:27
what's new.
36:28
You say
36:28
one or two
36:29
tidbits,
36:30
but apart
36:30
from having
36:31
that deep
36:32
conversation,
36:33
it's hard
36:34
to just
36:35
recount one
36:37
story.
36:38
So it's
36:38
a bit
36:38
unfair.
36:40
So forgive
36:40
me for,
36:41
and Chris,
36:42
also,
36:42
for only
36:43
being able
36:43
to serve
36:43
you just
36:44
a small
36:44
sliver of
36:46
the Memphis
36:46
pie.
36:48
But I'll
36:48
try.
36:49
The family
36:50
I'll tell you
36:51
about today,
36:52
they literally
36:52
walked into
36:53
our lives
36:54
this past
36:55
summer.
36:55
Two of
36:56
the boys
36:56
from the
36:57
Coleman family
36:57
came strolling
36:58
into our
36:58
yard.
36:59
We were
36:59
outside hanging
37:00
out with
37:00
other neighborhood
37:01
kids.
37:01
A lot of
37:02
you heard
37:02
this summer
37:02
when I
37:03
came about
37:03
the favor
37:04
we gained
37:04
in our
37:05
neighborhood
37:05
that we
37:05
were having
37:06
20-plus
37:06
children at
37:07
our house
37:07
every day.
37:08
They wanted
37:09
to know
37:10
if we
37:10
would donate
37:11
to their
37:11
basketball
37:12
team.
37:13
The scheme
37:14
later got
37:15
them busted
37:15
by the
37:16
police.
37:17
I didn't
37:18
give them
37:18
money.
37:18
I wasn't
37:19
foolish enough
37:19
to do
37:20
that.
37:20
I told
37:20
them that I
37:21
had to be
37:21
loyal to
37:22
some of the
37:22
other boys
37:23
who hang
37:23
out with us
37:24
and are on
37:24
a team.
37:25
But we
37:25
talked for a
37:26
while and I
37:26
asked lots of
37:27
questions,
37:27
of course,
37:28
and got to
37:29
know them a
37:29
little bit
37:30
better.
37:30
Where are you
37:30
coming from?
37:31
Where are you
37:31
going?
37:31
over the
37:32
next several
37:33
weeks,
37:33
they continued
37:33
to come
37:34
back,
37:34
bringing
37:34
slowly more
37:35
and more
37:36
of their
37:36
family to
37:37
meet us.
37:38
Eventually,
37:38
they brought
37:39
their mom
37:39
and she
37:40
sat on our
37:40
couch.
37:42
She explained
37:42
her mental
37:43
illness.
37:44
She expressed
37:45
her wonder
37:46
at the fact
37:46
that the
37:47
Department of
37:47
Family and
37:48
Children's
37:48
Services
37:49
has never
37:49
caught up
37:50
with them.
37:51
She groaned
37:52
about not
37:52
having clothes
37:53
for her
37:53
seven children.
37:54
They had
37:54
all been
37:55
thrown out
37:55
during the
37:56
most recent
37:57
eviction.
37:59
There are
37:59
seven children.
38:00
There are
38:01
nine people
38:01
total in
38:02
a one-bedroom
38:04
house.
38:05
It sits
38:05
about a
38:06
quarter mile
38:06
from us
38:07
on the
38:07
busy main
38:08
road.
38:08
We're just
38:09
slightly off
38:09
that road.
38:10
So, you
38:10
know, anybody
38:11
who comes
38:11
down that
38:11
road can
38:12
see our
38:12
house.
38:13
It sits
38:13
next to a
38:14
gas station
38:14
that can
38:15
only be
38:15
described as
38:17
sketch for
38:18
the illegal
38:18
things that
38:19
happen there.
38:20
The house
38:21
looks uninhabitable.
38:22
As you can
38:23
imagine, these
38:24
kids don't hang
38:24
out at their
38:25
own house because
38:26
how do you
38:27
hang out at a
38:27
house where
38:28
there's nowhere
38:28
to actually
38:28
hang?
38:29
They often
38:31
roam around in
38:31
sort of a
38:32
pack with
38:33
other kids
38:34
whose situations
38:35
and homes are
38:36
similar.
38:38
This pack of
38:39
children, as they
38:40
roam around the
38:40
neighborhood, they
38:41
lie, they
38:41
manipulate, they
38:42
steal.
38:43
They generally
38:43
create an
38:44
interesting wake
38:45
of havoc wherever
38:46
they go.
38:48
School?
38:49
Well, we
38:50
couldn't get them
38:50
enrolled until the
38:52
school had already
38:52
been in for a
38:53
couple of weeks.
38:54
kids.
38:55
By week three,
38:56
the middle
38:56
schoolers were
39:04
banned from the
39:04
bus for
39:06
stabbing another
39:06
child.
39:08
By week 12, it
39:09
was clear that
39:09
after multiple
39:10
suspensions, the
39:11
two of the boys
39:12
that were at our
39:12
neighborhood school
39:13
wouldn't be able
39:14
to stay.
39:15
They are now
39:15
headed to an
39:16
alternative school.
39:18
One of the
39:19
biggest problems,
39:20
mom is too
39:21
tired, she's too
39:22
apathetic to walk
39:24
her younger kids
39:25
to and from
39:25
school.
39:26
She isn't
39:27
willing to
39:27
intercede for
39:28
them and she
39:28
isn't willing to
39:29
fight for them
39:30
and so they
39:31
fight all the
39:32
way there and
39:33
all the way back
39:34
home.
39:34
What else do you
39:35
do when you're
39:35
bullied?
39:37
If I can connect
39:38
with them before
39:38
school, I'm
39:39
talking the
39:40
oldest down off
39:41
of whatever
39:41
anger ledge
39:42
he's sitting on.
39:44
He usually
39:44
shows up, fists
39:45
bald, tears
39:47
flowing out of
39:47
his face.
39:48
I'm helping he
39:49
and his brother
39:49
tuck stained
39:50
shirts and fix
39:51
ill-fitting
39:52
belts and
39:53
pants and
39:53
usually carefully
39:55
piecing together
39:55
their shoes so
39:57
that they won't
39:57
cause too much
39:58
embarrassment during
39:59
the day.
40:00
We fix the
40:01
little sister, we
40:02
wipe the crust
40:03
from her eyes
40:04
and nobody's
40:05
eaten yet so
40:05
there aren't
40:06
milk stains
40:06
and things.
40:07
They depend on
40:08
the school for
40:08
their breakfast
40:09
and their lunch
40:10
and usually are
40:11
not fed at
40:12
dinner or on
40:13
the weekends.
40:15
We try to get
40:16
her to smile
40:16
erasing the
40:17
perpetual void
40:18
look that
40:19
usually fills
40:20
her eyes.
40:22
lots of
40:24
talking before
40:25
they go into
40:25
the school
40:26
because they're
40:26
already mad.
40:27
You can do
40:28
this.
40:28
Do your best
40:29
today.
40:30
Don't worry
40:30
about what
40:30
other people
40:31
say.
40:31
I love you.
40:32
We hug
40:33
them big, long
40:33
I care for
40:34
you type of
40:34
hugs.
40:35
If we connect
40:36
after school
40:37
we'll walk
40:38
together for a
40:39
little while
40:39
until our paths
40:40
diverge.
40:40
They might have
40:41
some small
40:41
like tattletale
40:42
type things to
40:43
report but they
40:44
aren't like our
40:44
children where
40:45
they're talking
40:45
about anything
40:46
they learned or
40:47
they did in
40:47
school or that
40:48
they're excited
40:48
about the upcoming
40:49
field trips.
40:50
Nothing like
40:50
that.
40:51
They're usually
40:52
just the same
40:52
questions.
40:53
Number one,
40:54
can we have a
40:54
ride home?
40:55
Number two,
40:56
can we get some
40:57
food to eat?
40:58
Number three,
40:58
can we play at
40:59
your house?
40:59
And number four,
41:00
are we having
41:01
the shill community
41:01
this week?
41:03
Forgive me for
41:04
not being able to
41:04
fully describe the
41:06
overwhelming
41:06
desperation.
41:09
Their jaded
41:10
spirits.
41:18
Their smell.
41:20
And their
41:22
hardness.
41:25
Here's the
41:25
thing.
41:27
The Coleman
41:28
family is a
41:28
norm on our
41:31
side of the
41:31
neighborhood.
41:33
They're the
41:34
norm in the
41:34
urban school
41:35
where I teach.
41:37
In fact,
41:38
their story is
41:38
not the worst,
41:39
most seemingly
41:40
hopeless story I
41:41
could have
41:42
shared.
41:44
I, however,
41:45
refuse to view
41:46
them as a
41:46
statistic.
41:48
You know,
41:48
the old pipeline
41:49
to prison.
41:50
elementary schools
41:52
are a pipeline
41:53
to prison is
41:54
very true
41:55
where we live.
41:57
You can look at
41:58
these children and
41:58
already see how
42:00
if there is not
42:01
intervention,
42:01
that's exactly
42:02
where they're
42:03
headed.
42:04
I know the
42:05
only hope for
42:06
them is Christ.
42:08
So,
42:09
can we clean
42:11
them up enough
42:11
and make them
42:12
smell great and
42:13
get them a better
42:13
house and maybe a
42:14
better car and
42:15
better medicine and
42:16
make them act more
42:18
like us all in the
42:19
hope that Christ
42:19
will save them?
42:22
Was that your
42:23
experience when
42:23
Christ sought you
42:24
out?
42:26
No.
42:27
We were all the
42:28
Coleman's.
42:29
We were dead in
42:30
our sin.
42:33
You weren't born
42:35
more privileged
42:36
to know Christ.
42:38
You weren't chosen
42:39
for Christ because
42:41
of the color of
42:42
your skin.
42:43
You weren't chosen
42:43
for Christ because
42:44
you smelled good.
42:45
You weren't chosen
42:46
for Christ because
42:47
of the family you
42:48
grew up in, the
42:49
schools you attended,
42:50
your natural
42:51
intelligence.
42:53
He sought you
42:54
out.
42:56
And if you
42:57
believe anything
42:58
different, shame
42:59
on you.
43:02
And so, I
43:04
choose to believe
43:04
that Patrice, the
43:05
mom, and Kayla,
43:08
Chris, Martavius,
43:09
Quentin, Tyler,
43:11
Nalia, and Joseph
43:12
are all loved by
43:14
God and are
43:14
gently being wooed
43:15
by his spirit.
43:17
I feel honored that
43:18
we get to be people
43:19
who are intentionally
43:20
loving them, many
43:22
more like them in
43:23
our neighborhood.
43:24
My hope is not that
43:25
the Lord will save
43:26
them to then make
43:27
them look, smell,
43:29
and be like us.
43:30
My hope is that the
43:31
Lord will save them
43:32
to look, smell, and
43:34
be like him.
43:37
I want them to be
43:38
image bearers of
43:39
Christ.
43:40
I want them to be
43:41
part of his body,
43:42
adopted sons and
43:44
daughters.
43:45
Will you join us in
43:46
praying big prayers
43:48
for the families in
43:48
our neighborhood?
43:50
Will you begin to
43:51
look for the
43:51
Coleman's around you?
43:53
You won't have to
43:54
look far.
43:55
We've lived in
43:55
Dahlonega.
43:56
We know the
43:57
Coleman's that live
43:58
in this area.
44:00
Will you dream big
44:02
dreams for those
44:02
people around you
44:04
who can't dream
44:05
dreams for
44:05
themselves?
44:07
As we walk out
44:08
this beautiful
44:09
mess, whether in
44:10
Memphis or North
44:11
Georgia or wherever
44:12
you may live, may
44:14
our hope be
44:15
unwavering, a
44:17
confident expectation
44:19
that the Lord is
44:21
doing great things.